Jolena Gillard and Elijah Miller named UPEI Athletes of the Year
UPEI’s Department of Athletics and Recreation celebrated the 2021–22 season at the annual UPEI Panther Celebration—Athletic Awards Gala on Thursday, April 7, recognizing outstanding student-athletes who have excelled in sport, the classroom, and serving the community.
This year, the UPEI Alumni Association’s Outstanding Female Athlete of the Year award went to Jolena Gillard on the UPEI Women’s Hockey team. The Male Athlete of the Year is Elijah Miller of the UPEI Men’s Basketball team.
The event, held at the PEI Brewing Company, included student-athletes, coaches, and team staff from both varsity and club sport programs along with members of the University community. UPEI’s varsity program includes Men’s Soccer, Women’s Soccer, Women’s Rugby, Men’s Hockey, Women’s Hockey, Men’s Basketball, Women’s Basketball, Cross Country, and Track and Field while UPEI club sport teams include Men’s Rugby, Women’s Field Hockey, Men’s Lacrosse, and Cheer.
“Competitive sport is an integral aspect of education and a vital part of a full university experience. I am so pleased we were able to successfully return to play and complete the 2021–2022 sport season, despite a few hiccups caused by the pandemic,” said Jane Vessey, UPEI Director of Athletics and Recreation. “I am so proud of or student-athletes’ resilience and their accomplishments.”
The W.A. Ledwell Award is presented annually to a student who has demonstrated outstanding athletic ability in the intercollegiate program, academic excellence, and the qualities of leadership, sportsmanship, and citizenship. This year’s recipient was Lauren Rainford of the UPEI Women’s Basketball team.
The Gordon and Muriel Bennett Award is presented to a male or female student athlete who, over four years, has best combined athletic achievement and academic excellence. This year’s winner was Jenna Mae Ellsworth of UPEI Women’s Basketball.
In addition to the overall awards, varsity and competitive club team awards were also presented. These included the Most Valuable Player (MVP), Rookie of the Year, J.T. “Mickey” Place, and Principles of Panther Pride awards.
The J.T. “Mickey” Place Awards are presented by the UPEI Student Union to varsity team student-athletes who contributed to student leadership on their team and on campus. Each coach presents the Principles of Panther Pride Coaches Award to the student-athlete on their team, who best exemplifies purpose, preparation, respect for people, positivity, professionalism, presence, passion, and perseverance.
Team Award Winners for 2021–2022
Varsity
Men’s Soccer: Nathan Chow (MVP), Kasper Lasia (Rookie), Duncan Murray (Mickey Place), Max VanWiechen (Panther Principles)
Women’s Soccer: Lauren Clark (MVP), Grace Veinotte (Rookie), Caitlyn McClosky (Mickey Place), Tyfanie Bordage (Panther Principles)
Women’s Rugby: Brinten Comeau (MVP), Emma Maclean and Charlotte Branchflower (Co-Rookie), Brinten Comeau (Mickey Place), Nicole Davies (Panther Principles)
Men’s Hockey: Jonah Capriotti (MVP), Kaleb Pearson (Rookie), Kyle Maksimovich (Mickey Place), T.J. Shea (Panther Principles)
Women’s Hockey: Jolena Gillard (MVP), McKinley Nelson (Rookie), Camille Scherger (Mickey Place), Sophie Vandale (Panther Principles)
Men’s Basketball: Elijah Miller (MVP), Jonas Kessler (Rookie), Dakelle Brooks (Mickey Place), Glen Cox
Women’s Basketball: Lauren Rainford (MVP), Alicia Bowering (Rookie), Sydney Whitlock (Mickey Place), Jenna Mae Ellsworth (Panther Principles)
Cross Country (women): Paige Chisholm (MVP), Katie Richards (Rookie), Mary Teresa Pitre (Mickey Place)
Cross Country (men): Dan Maguire (MVP), Jack Roberts (Rookie), Pat Kenny (Panther Principles)
Track and Field (women): Bailey Smith (MVP), Courtney Hierlihy (Rookie), Nathalie Lane (Panther Principles)
Track and Field (men): Zach Wilson (MVP), Jeremy Norman (Rookie), Zach Wilson (Mickey Place)
Club
Men’s Rugby: Brandon Thomas (MVP), Ethan Beaulieu (Rookie), Alexander Norris (Warhorse Award)
Women’s Field Hockey: Alexis Wood (MVP), Lindsey Doiron and Kali Smith (Co-Rookie), Jessica Watts (Panther Principles)
Men’s Lacrosse: David Burke (MVP), Will Mix (Rookie), Lucas Gallant (Top Senior), Bradley Norman (Leading Scorer), Joshua Pineau (Panther Principles)
Cheer: Emily Duffy (MVP), Kylee Hill (Rookie), Samantha Bradley (Panther Principles), Chloë Betts (Most Improved)
About the UPEI Athletes of the Year
Elijah Miller is a business major from Etobicoke, Ontario, and a point guard on the UPEI Men’s Basketball team. In just his second season, Miller established himself as the best point guard in the AUS and a leader with the Panthers. The sophomore earned his first all-star nod after posting career-highs in points (17.6), assists (5.6), and rebounds (5.0). After a stellar performance at the AUS Championship, where he led UPEI to the finals, Miller was named a U SPORTS Second Team All-Canadian. Miller was the only UPEI male athlete to earn national recognition for his athletic excellence.
Jolena Gillard is a Faculty of Arts student from Deer Lake, Newfoundland and Labrador, and a forward with the UPEI Women’s Hockey team. Throughout her tenure with UPEI, Gillard always had a scorer’s mentality, but the 2021–22 season was her best yet. The third-year forward recorded a career-best of 22 points, including 14 goals, which was the most in the country, and she did it all in six fewer games. Gillard earned her second AUS all-star selection—this time as a first team all-star—and was later named a U SPORTS Second Team All-Canadian for the first time. At the U SPORTS national championship, Gillard guided the Panthers to their first win in program history, scoring two goals in a 2-0 win over the Brock Badgers.
Go Panthers Go!
