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