The annual Festival of Gold celebration took place on April 6 in Northwestern Polytechnic's gymnasium as athletes, coaches, alumni, and supporters gathered to celebrate academic and athletic accomplishments from the 2023-2024 season.
NWP Wolves Athletes of the Year, Evangeline Zeyha (L) and Emmanuel Iloka (R) pose with NWP President and CEO, Dr. Vanessa Sheane
"This weekend, we celebrated our local champions along with those who have made the northwest their home and who are continuing to excel in their sporting and academic journeys," said Lauren Hale-Miller, NWP Wolves Acting Manager. "Our Festival of Gold celebration is an opportunity to showcase the lasting impact our program has. It lets us honour our wolf pack members and all of the hard work they've put in to get here."
Master of Ceremonies and former Director of Athletics, Francois Fournier had the privilege of presenting the 2024 honours to the following awardees:
- Female Athlete of the Year - Evangeline Zeyha, Women's Volleyball
- Male Athlete of the Year - Manny Iloka, Men's Basketball
- Female Rookie of the Year - Evangeline Zeyha, Women's Volleyball
- Female Rookie of the Year - Emma Werklund, Indoor Track
- Male Rookie of the Year - Logan Hladchuk, Men's Volleyball
Individual Academic Excellence Awards were also handed out to the student athletes who had the highest GPA on each team in the Fall semester.
Men's Volleyball:
- Logan Hladchuk
Women's Volleyball:
- Harshpreet Dhaliwal and Robyn Alexandruk
Cross Country & Indoor Track:
- Clinton Owusu
- The Wolves Cross Country and Indoor Track team took home the team award for overall academic excellence.
Women's Soccer:
- Chantelle Kirk, Robyn Alexandruk and Ashley Hodel
Men's Soccer:
- Evan Doerksen and Edison Traverse
Women's Basketball:
- Alyssa Gallant, Abigail Crown, Makayla Porteous and Abigal Kramps
Men's Basketball:
- Mason Testawitch
Each year, NWP recognizes the contributions of Wolves supporters who have played a major role in the legacy of the Wolves program. Through our Wolves Leadership and Memorial Awards, we celebrate our once a wolf, always a wolf motto.
- Darryl Nicoll Memorial Basketball Award - Brandon Gillis
- Tim Pomeroy Memorial Volleyball Award - Carter Tuttle
- The Gary Kostiuk Memorial Volleyball Awards - Josh Dumont and Arika Pullishy
- Arthur Dunn Memorial Volleyball Scholarship - Harshpreet Dhaliwal
- Gurevitch Burnham Cross Country Running Award - Lydia Steinke
- Women's Basketball Leadership Award - Makayla Porteous
- Indigenous Student-Athlete Award - Raylene Badger & Colton Michel
The Academic All-Canadian Award is the CCAA's most prestigious student athlete honour, epitomizing a commitment to academic success and athletic achievement.
Evangeline Zeyha, a first-year Women's Volleyball team member who is currently studying Open Studies at NWP, was awarded the honour. Zeyha hails from Grande Prairie, Alberta and is viewed as a role model on the Wolves roster. Visit NWP.me/FOG to learn more about this year's award winners and to view photos from the night's festivities.
Learn more about the NWP Wolves program and how you can continue to support our wolf pack in achieving its athletic and academic goals here.
