By Leighton Geraghty – Contributor

Throughout the year, the Gaiters accumulated impressive results and experience preparing them for the next season. The men’s golf team was crowned RSEQ champions and ended Laval’s 20 consecutive years of winning. The football team was ranked in the top ten of the country while competing in the finals of the AUS conference. Both men’s and women’s basketball teams made the playoffs and fought to bring home the RSEQ banner. The women’s hockey team ranked top ten in the country for the first time in school history and fought the Université de Montreal until the very end for a bid into the national championship. The future is very bright for every team on campus. Their countless hours of hard work and dedication to their craft should be cherished. There was no better way to do so than the annual sports award ceremony. 

On Wednesday, March 27, varsity athletes gathered at the beloved Centennial Theatre to celebrate the great year of athletics. The ceremony started off with a bang as a video from Gaiter football player, Rene Zeevat, made its way to the screen. The theatre erupted in roars as the video showcased players from every team on campus. Throughout the rest of the night, players were brought to the stage and presented with numerous league awards as well as team awards. As a play-by-play announcer during the year, I was given the opportunity to present the league all-stars. Laughter and cheers filled the room as athletes’ mutual support was unmatched. 

The Gaiters also accumulated some special conference awards this year. Men’s golf head coach Ryan Smith was recognized as the RSEQ coach of the year. Tiffany Smith and Jasmine Martel received leadership and community engagement awards. Bishop’s featured four rookie of the years: Greg McDowell, Eve Atchampone, Gabrielle Santerre and Mikaël Pattin. Junior basketball player Victoria Gauna received the RSEQ defensive player of the year title, and finally, Gabrielle Santerre took home the RSEQ and USports player of the year awards.

The future is bright for Gaiters athletics as they try to cement their names, contending with larger schools in the province. As the event neared a close, two leaders took to the stage. Antoine Tremblay, an attackman on the lacrosse team joined Captain Marie-Camille Théorêt from the women’s hockey team to thank the coaches in the room. Tremblay said he cherished the amount of time the coaches spent preparing the teams, while Théorêt thanked them for their understanding of how busy a university student’s schedule is. 

The award ceremony’s atmosphere was electric as many people gained a standing ovation for their awards. The final event of the year for the varsity athletes was a very emotional one as many in the room would not wear the purple and silver in the upcoming season.

Later in the evening, the graduating seniors were joined by their teammates at the Gait over some pizza to celebrate the successes of their university sporting careers. Thanks were given out to the seniors for their dedication to the purple and silver. They will always be remembered as part of Gaiternation!