SMU's Hann, Acadia's Wood take home U SPORTS major awards

Hann, Wood earn U SPORTS women's volleyball major awards

Thérèse Quigley Award (student-athlete community service): Madison Hann, Saint Mary’s

Saint Mary's Huskies middle Madison Hann is the 2023-24 recipient of the Thérèse Quigley Award, given to a women's volleyball student-athlete who shows outstanding achievements in three areas: volleyball, academics and community involvement.

A third-year Criminology student from Conquerall Mills, N.S., Hann placed second on her team in total blocks (45) and third in service aces (21). In the classroom, the L'nu student-athlete has held a GPA over 4.15 for three years running, earning Academic All-Canadian and SMU Faculty of Arts Dean's List status her first two seasons.

In the community, Hann has been just as impressive.

Whether it was volunteering as manager/coach/guardian with the Mi'kmaw Nova Scotia U19 women's volleyball team for the 2023 North American Indigenous Games or participating in the MotionballU Marathon of Sport event hosted at SMU to raise funds and awareness for Special Olympics, Hann has been more than willing to take on whatever task was needed.

Hann continues to be committed to supporting and advocating for the rights and ongoing issues that people within the Indigenous community face. For the second year in a row, she organized the purchase of orange t-shirts from the local Mi'kmaw Native Friendship Centre to show support for residential school survivors. This year, she used her own traditional teachings to personally bead more than 20 Every Child Matters pins (over 100 hours of work) to raise $670 – all of which she donated to the Indian Residential School Survivors Society.

Additionally, she will once again participate in the annual Kjipuktuk March for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two Spirit Persons and Relatives. Hann is a member of both the Saint Mary's University Indigenous Students Society and the Racialized Student Academic Network.

She also is an attendee to the 7th Step Society street group meetings, where community members ranging from past and current offenders to workers within the criminal justice system, community volunteers and more come together weekly to reflect and discuss various life topics in order to improve themselves.

Other nominees: Brook Brown (McGill), Avery Kelly (Waterloo), Taylor Cangemi (Winnipeg)

Marilyn Pomfret Award (Fox40 Coach of the Year): Michelle Wood, Acadia

In her 12th season leading the Acadia Axewomen women’s volleyball program, Michelle Wood has won the Marilyn Pomfret Award for the first time. She is the third AUS coach to win the national award after Dalhousie's Rick Scott in 2016-17 and Moncton's Monette Boudreau-Carroll in 2007-08. 

The Axewomen finished first in the AUS standings with a 15-5 record, and captured their first-ever AUS championship earlier this month month. As a team, Acadia led the conference in kills per set (11.86), kills (925), total blocks (163) and points (1,217).

As an athlete, Wood played with Toronto for five seasons from 2005-10, was an Academic All-Canadian and a two-time OUA libero of the year. In 2010 she was the OUA nominee for the Thérèse Quigley Award.

Wood gives back to the volleyball community as the founder and director of the Axe Volleyball Club program and as a mentor coach with Volleyball Nova Scotia. She is an NCCP learning facilitator for performance coaches.

Wood was honoured as the recipient of the 2018 Women Active Nova Scotia leadership trendsetter for her work in advancing women in sport.

Other nominees: Olivier Trudel (Montréal), Ryan Ratushniak (Queen’s), Doug Reimer (UBC)

2024 WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL AWARDS & ALL-CANADIANS

Mary Lyons Award (outstanding player of the year): Raya Surinx, Manitoba

Mark Tennant Award (rookie of the year): Abby Guezen, Alberta

Thérèse Quigley Award (student-athlete community service): Madison Hann, Saint Mary’s

Marilyn Pomfret Award (Fox40 Coach of the Year): Michelle Wood, Acadia

First Team All-Canadians

Athlete                       University           Pos    Year       Hometown                    Academic Program

Olivia Bell                   Saint Mary’s         OH    5          LaHave Islands, N.S.     Commerce

Olympe Desmedt        Montréal               OH    5          Cannes, France             Project Management

Emma Bergeron          Sherbrooke          S       5          Sherbrooke, Que.         Education

Hannah Duchesneau   Queen’s                OH    3          Sharon, Ont.                Arts and Science

Sara Rohr                   Brock                   S      5          Milton, Ont.                  Health & Physical Ed. (M)

Raya Surinx                Manitoba              OH    2          Winnipeg, Man.            Science

Kaylee Plouffe             Trinity Western     MB     3         Sherwood Park, Alta.     Human Kinetics

Second Team All-Canadians

Athlete                       University            Pos     Year     Hometown                   Academic Program

Gabrielle Attieh           UFV                     OH        5       Surrey, BC                 Arts

Lucy Borowski             UBC                    OH        3       Vancouver, BC             Kinesiology

Lauryn Tremblay         Alberta                OH        5       St. Albert, Alta.            Kinesiology

Mariah Bereziuk          MacEwan             OH        4       Boyle, Alta.                  Commerce

Jenna Woock              McMaster             MB        5       Richmond Hill, Ont.      Med. Radiation Sciences

Julia Murmann            Toronto               OH/LIB   3       Toronto, Ont.               Social Sciences

Charlotte Dean           Acadia                 S           4       Mississauga, Ont.         Kinesiology

All-Rookie Team

Athlete                       University            Pos                 Hometown                  Academic Program

Talia Nixon                 UNB                   OH                Fredericton, N.B.          Arts

Britanie Maranda         Sherbrooke          OH                St-Georges, Que.         Occupational Therapy

Léonie Goupil              Laval                   MB                Montmagny, Que          Law

Olivia Julien                 McMaster            OH                Toronto, Ont.                Life Sciences

Delaney Watson           Toronto                OH                Richmond, B.C.            Humanities

Abby Guezen               Alberta                OH                Sherwood Park, Alta.    Kinesiology

Ronnie Dickson            Alberta                 MB                Edmonton, Alta.           Arts