MSSA announces finalists for team and athletes of the year
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- Published on Tuesday, December 10, 2013
myWestman.ca
The Manitoba Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association has announced the finalists for the selection of Manitoba's team of the year and athletes of the year for 2013.
Lisa Barclay of Brandon is one of the finalists for female athlete of the year. Barclay, led the UBC Thunderbirds women's volleyball team to a record-tying sixth straight CIS women's title. Others nominated for the female award are Taylor Pischke of the University of Manitoba women's volleyball team, who was the bronze medallist in the under-23 Beach Volleyball World Championship; swimmer Breanne Siwicki, who won six medals in the Canada Games including a record-setting gold medal performance in the 1,500 metres; softball's Hailey Unger, who was named the top player in senior fast pitch after winning silver medals in both the Canada Games and the Senior Women's nationals and Megan Imrie, who has qualified for the Winter Games in Sochi, Russia in the biathlon.
The male athlete of the year finalists include Glenboro's Josh Wytinck, co-winner of the Manitoba amateur golfer of the year award; Jonathan Toews, who led the Chicago Blackhawks to their second Stanley Cup NHL championship in four years; Brendan Leipsic of the Portland Winter Hawks, who tied for the Western Hockey League's scoring title; light heavyweight Andrew Gardiner, whose pro boxing record went to 10-0 with a knockout victory in October and Anthony Coombs, an all-Canadian CIS football running back for the third straight season with the Manitoba Bisons.
The team of the year award finalists are the Manitoba Bisons football team, who reached the Hardy Cup Canada West final; the Jennifer Jones curling foursome that won the women's Olympic berth at the Roar of the Rings Canadian Trials last week, and Matt Dunstone's Canadian Junior championship team that won the bronze medal at the Junior Worlds; the Hannah Guttormson and Stephanie Lowry canoe-kayak twosome, who won gold and bronze medals at the Canada Summer Games and the Steinbach Pistons, who won the Turnbull Cup as MJHL champions for the first time in franchise history.
The winners will be declared at the 58th annual awards dinner on Sunday, Jan. 26 in Winnipeg.
In addition, sportswriter Judy Owen of the Canadian Press, and Daren Millard of Sportsnet, will be inducted into the MSSA media roll of honour, recognizing their excellent service to sports journalism.
With files from MSSA release
In photo: Josh Wytinck
Photo courtesy of Golf Manitoba