While the annual Concordia Stingers gala is usually a high-energy celebration with 400 people on campus, this year the dresses and suits still hang in closets, toasts and speeches are not required and award winners are revealed on social media.
However, the watered-down announcement of award recipients doesn’t diminish the exceptional accomplishments of the student-athletes and their teams. Here’s a review of the 2020 Stingers major awards winners.
Rosalie Bégin-Cyr of the women’s hockey team is the recipient of the Sally Kemp Award as the Female Athlete of the Year. A second-year forward from St. Georges, Que., she was a first team U Sports all-Canadian, the RSEQ MVP and a Quebec conference all-star.
Adam Vance is the recipient of the Dr. Robert J. Brodrick Award as the Male Athlete of the Year. A fifth-year quarterback who comes to Quebec from Visalia, Calif., he was awarded the Jeff Russel Trophy as the RSEQ football conference’s MVP last November. He was also named to the Quebec league’s all-star team.
Madeleine McKenzie of the women’s soccer team is the recipient of the Denise Beaudet Award. Some of the characteristics that go with this award are: leadership, community service and strong academics. The fourth-year defender from Calgary is an accomplished Biology student who has reached U Sports academic all-Canadian status. She is a leader for the women’s soccer program, serving as one of its co-captains. McKenzie volunteers in the Montreal Children’s Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit Bridge Program and with Big Brothers and Sisters of Montreal.
Chase Harwell is the recipient of the Ron Lapointe Award. Leadership, community service and commitment to academic excellence are also criteria for this award. A second-year forward, this assistant team captain with the men’s hockey team has been a great leader on the ice. He is dedicated to his studies in the Human Relations program and commits a lot of time to its activities.
Harwell, who is originally from Southbury, Conn., volunteered at the Exceptional Ride for Exceptional Kids event at the Shriners Hospital Canada. He also served as a spokesperson reminding Concordia students of the importance of completing the mandatory sexual violence awareness and prevention training.
Emmy Fecteau of Saint-Odilon, Que. is the recipient of the Laurie Brodrick Award as Concordia’s Female Rookie of the Year. She was named to the U Sports women’s hockey all-rookie team and she was the RSEQ conference’s Rookie of the Year.
Jeremy Murphy of St. Bruno de Montarville, Que. is the recipient of the Concordia Male Rookie of the Year Award. He earned multiple honours for his tremendous freshman season, including being awarded the Peter Gorman Trophy as the outstanding rookie in Canadian university football. He was also the Quebec conference Rookie of the Year.
Alexandra Nikolidakis of the women’s hockey team receives the President’s Academic Award as the top female student-athlete to successfully combine an exceptional GPA and athletics. A fourth-year student from Laval, Que., she has a remarkable GPA of 4.30 studying in the Athletic Therapy program this season. This is the fourth consecutive time she has won the award.
Jeremy Burg of the cross-country team is the male recipient of the President’s Academic Award. In his rookie season, he achieved a 4.24 GPA in Mechanical Engineering.
Montrealer Nelly Owusu of the women’s basketball team is the Marvin Cooper Award winner as the athlete who has successfully overcome adversity through hard work and dedication. As a rookie in 2018-19, Owusu injured her knee two weeks before the RSEQ campaign started and missed the entire season. She was determined to rehabilitate her knee for the 2019-20 season and she succeeded. Then last October, she dislocated her shoulder and the complications kept her out until the new year. Owusu finally suited up for her first RSEQ game in January. She played 11 games, averaging 9.6 points and 6.2 rebounds.
The Fittest Athletes of the Year were awarded to Laetitia Royer of the women’s rugby team and Anthony Beauchamp of the men’s hockey team. One area the Department of Recreation and Athletics likes to emphasize is physical conditioning. To be considered for this award, an athlete must have reached or scored above department standards on four tests.
The final major honour is the Michael Di Grappa Award of Distinction for career contribution to the Stingers. It is presented to senior athletes, when merited, who have had exceptional careers at Concordia. The sole recipient this year is Claudia Dubois, the graduating captain of the women’s hockey team. The native of Saguenay, Que., is a three-time RSEQ all-start and a three-time team MVP. In 2017 and 2018, she was named to the U Sports all-star team and competed in Hockey Canada’s summer series. In 2018 she was invited to participate in Hockey Canada’s senior camp. She also helped her team qualify for nationals twice and win the RSEQ regular season title in 2020.
“We are forever grateful for everything Claudia has given and earned during her time at Concordia,” said Julie Chu, head coach of the women’s hockey program. “She is a special player and person that has truly left a positive mark on our team that will last for many years to come.”
Sally Kemp Award/Female Athlete of the Year – Rosalie Bégin-Cyr, hockey
Dr. Robert J. Brodrick Award/Male Athlete of the Year – Adam Vance, football
Ron Lapointe Award for academics, athletics and community service – Chase Harwell, hockey
Denise Beaudet Award for academics, athletics and community service – Madeleine McKenzie, soccer
Male Rookie of the Year – Jeremy Murphy, football
Laurie Brodrick Award/Female Rookie of the Year – Emmy Fecteau, hockey
Fittest Female Athlete – Laetitia Royer, rugby
Fittest Male Athlete – Anthony Beauchamp, hockey
Marvin Cooper Award - presented to a student-athlete who has successfully overcome adversity – Nelly Owusu, basketball
President's Awards (combination of athletics and academics) – Alexandra Nikolidakis, hockey; Jeremy Burg, cross-country
Michael Di Grappa Award of Distinction for career contribution to the Stingers – Claudia Dubois, hockey
