 |  |
2011 Canada West men's soccer major awards and all-stars announced
Source: Canada West Communications
EDMONTON – Saskatchewan Huskies striker Jerson Barandica-Hamilton has been voted 2011 Canada West men’s soccer Player of the Year.
Barandica-Hamilton, a co-captain for the Huskies, finished 2011 with a personal-best and conference-high 14 points in 14 games, recording eight goals and six assists. He has led the team in goals four of the last five years.
The fifth-year Engineering student from Isla Mujeres, Mexico was a walk-on in his first year with the University of Saskatchewan in 2007. Including his First Team selection this year, he has been named a Canada West All-Star three times, while scoring 37 goals and 52 points. Barandica-Hamilton has been recognized throughout Canada and represented Canada twice at the Summer Universiade in 2009 and 2011.
“This is a fantastic honour for Jerson,” said head coach Bryce Chapman. “He came into the Canada West five years ago and really had to adapt to the North American game. He has brought a quality to our program and the conference that has allowed him to showcase his attacking ability not only this year but in his entire CIS career.”
Victoria Vikes first-year midfielder and striker Cam Hundal is the conference choice as Rookie of the Year after scoring three goals and five assists, playing 13 of 14 games for the first-place club.
Hundal, a Social Sciences student from Surrey, B.C., finished second in team scoring and helped UVic to a 10-2-2 record, earning the right to host this weekend’s Canada West Final Four tournament. The Vikes are already guaranteed a spot at CIS Nationals as host of the event later this month.
“It’s a great achievement for Cam to win this award,” stated Vikes head coach Bruce Wilson. “It is well-deserved. Cam coming into the university made improvements every game he played in and made a positive impact in each of those games. I look forward to the next four years of coaching him, he's just going to get better and better.”
University of Victoria head coach Bruce Wilson is the 2011 Coach of the Year after leading his Vikes to a 10-2-2 record and first place in the ever-tough Canada West conference.
Wilson, a former Team Canada defender and captain of the 1986 World Cup team, has guided Vikes to three CIS championships and nine Canada West conference titles over the last 24 years and looks to do the same this year as host of the conference and national tournaments.
He has amassed a win-loss record of 168-66-48, has twice been recognized as CIS Coach of the Year (1991, '96) and in been Canada West Coach of the Year right previous times (1991, '96, '99, '00, '02, '04, '05, '08).
“Bruce Wilson has had a storied Canadian soccer career
including considerable success at the CIS level,” said Clint
Hamilton, director of athletics and recreation at UVic. “This
distinction is another example of the respect coach Wilson holds in
the university soccer community and a reflection of the tremendous
Canada West season that our Vikes have enjoyed.”
For a third consecutive season the Victoria Vikes
were awarded the men’s Fair Play Trophy.
Among the All-Stars are Barandica-Hamilton and many student-athletes who have appeared on the all-conference list in the past. Huskies teammate Josh Northey earns his fourth straight All-Star selection and has been All-Canadian the last two tears. Jason Gill of UBC made the CIS All-Canadian team in 2010, while Brett Colvin was selected to the all-CIS team in 2008 and 2009. Matt Allard (UBC, 2009 & 2010), Tyson Keam (UBC, 2008 & 2009). Andrew Fink (TWU, 2007), William Hyde (UBC, 2010), Milan Timotijevic (Alberta, 2010) and Dustin Ruddell (Calgary, 2010) have each made the all-conference team on multiple occasions.
Following is a list of 2011 Canada West men’s soccer Awards & All-Stars:
AWARDS
Player of the Year: Jerson Barandica-Hamilton, Saskatchewan
Rookie of the Year: Cam Hundal, Victoria
Coach of the Year: Bruce Wilson, Victoria
Fair Play Award: Victoria Vikes
ALL-STARS
First
Team
Second Team
Goalkeeper Elliot Mitrou,
Victoria
Andrew Fink, Trinity Western
Fullbacks Matt Allard,
UBC Osmo
Bimba, Alberta
Gavin Barrett,
Victoria
Will Hyde, UBC
James Farenhorst, Trinity
Western Jeff Marsden,
Calgary
Jason Gill,
UBC Dustin
Ruddell, Calgary
Midfielders Craig Gorman,
Victoria Jeremy
Jenkyns, Calgary
Navid Mashinchi,
UBC
Cam Hundal, Victoria
Josh Northey,
Saskatchewan
Brayden Gant, Trinity Western
Milan Timotijevic,
Alberta
Tyson Keam, UBC
Strikers Jerson Barandica-Hamilton,
Sask. Brett Colvin, Alberta
Sean Haley,
UBC
Brett Levis, Saskatchewan
This weekend the Victoria Vikes host the Canada West men’s soccer Final Four, November 5-6. The first-place Vikes play the Alberta Golden Bears in one semifinal on Saturday, while UBC and Trinity Western square off in the other. As host of CIS Nationals, Victoria has qualified, meaning the Canada West champion or runner-up to Victoria this weekend also advances.
Each game this weekend will have live video and stats broadcast on www.canadawest.tv.
Major award winners now become finalists for Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) national awards, to be handed out at the end of the season. The 2011 men’s soccer national championship will be hosted by the Victoria, November 10-13.
www.canadawest.org / www.canadawest.tv
About Canada West Universities Athletic
Association
Canada West is consistently the most decorated of the four
conferences in Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS), winning at
least 10 CIS national titles every year, 1997 to 2010. Comprised of
16 schools from the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta
and British Columbia, Canada West produces numerous major award
winners and Academic All-Canadian student-athletes each year, with
many going on to athletic success around the globe in pro leagues
or events such as the Olympics, Paralympics or Universiade Games.
“cwuaa” on Twitter.
