By Paul Kingsmith - Communications Specialist at Lethbridge College

Pasquotti, McKenzie Named Top Student-Athletes at the Kodis

Apr 12, 2016 | 12:03 PM

LETHBRIDGE – Two Lethbridge College athletes who stood tall among the best athletes in Canada earned top prizes at the Kodi awards Monday night.

The second annual event celebrated the best of the Lethbridge College Kodiaks athletic season in a high-energy ceremony in the Val Matteotti Gymnasium.

Nico Pasquotti of the men’s soccer team and Rachel McKenzie of the cross-country and indoor track teams were named the winners of the Tim Tollestrup Leadership/Athlete of the Year awards. Named after long-time Lethbridge College athletic director Tim Tollestrup, the awards honour the student-athletes who best combined the three pillars of Kodiaks athletics: academic accountability, athletic excellence and the student-athlete experience.

Pasquotti (third year, Lethbridge), led a bounce-back season for the Kodiaks men’s soccer team, which earned an ACAC silver medal. The Catholic Central high school grad was named player of the year in both the ACAC and CCAA, while leading the country in goals scored. He also helped out with a number of community soccer initiatives while completing the Engineering Design and Drafting Technology program.

McKenzie (third year, Nelson, BC), was a star both indoors and out this season. In the fall she captained the Kodiaks women’s cross-country team to an ACAC gold medal and a CCAA bronze. She continued to lead in the spring, helping the Kodiaks to an ACAC indoor track silver medal, while picking up three individual bronze medals. She is also strongly involved in all of the team’s community events and has a cumulative GPA over 3.5 in her third year in the Bachelor of Nursing program.

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The Kodi awards celebrated all aspects of another very successful Kodiaks season, which saw the program earn more than 50 provincial or national athletic and academic honours.

“What another great year for the Kodiaks,” says manager of athletics Todd Caughlin. “To be able to have seven of our eight programs qualify for the ACAC championships, earn six CCAA Academic all-Canadian acknowledgements, be on track to bust last year’s number of ACAC academic honour recipients (32), and have our overall community commitments be higher than last year is a testament to the changing culture of Kodiaks Athletics.”

Other notable Kodi award winners were top coach Mike Racz, who led both the men’s and women’s soccer teams to the ACAC playoffs, and the men’s and women’s cross-country program as top team, after both sides won ACAC gold medals and CCAA bronze medals.

“We want to be thought of as one of the best collegiate athletic departments in the CCAA,” says Caughlin. “And accomplishing what the student athletes and coaches did this year will keep us moving in that direction on a consistent basis. We are all Kodiaks!”

Kodis major awards

Tim Tollestrup Leadership/Athlete of the Year (Male) – Nico Pasquotti (men’s soccer)
Tim Tollestrup Leadership/Athlete of the Year (Female) – Rachel McKenzie (cross country/indoor track)
Outstanding team – Men’s and women’s cross-country
Kodiaks coach of the year – Mike Racz (women’s and men’s soccer)
Best championships performance – Men’s soccer at ACAC championships
Best upset – Men’s volleyball at Red Deer College
Best comeback – Men’s volleyball vs Red Deer College

Kodis special awards

Alvin Tietz/Knud Peterson award for women’s soccer – Sarah Orban and Jillian Delgado
Gerry and Brian Stewart memorial award for cross-country – Rachel McKenzie and Alex Harding
1981 Alberta Summer Games athletic award for volleyball – Nils Reger
John Jasiukiewicz award for men’s basketball – Chaz Johnson
John Jasiukiewicz award for women’s basketball – Sunder West

Kodis pillar awards

Men’s soccer -Pillar award: Andrew Southern
                    -Outstanding player: Nico Pasquotti
                    -Newcomer: Evan Brown

Women’s soccer -Pillar award: Emily Godfrey
                         -Outstanding player: Cassandra Evans
                         -Newcomer: Jillian Dalgado

Cross-country -Pillar: Emily Lucas
                     -Outstanding player: Alex Harding
                     -Newcomer: Dina Iatrou

Indoor track -Pillar: Rachel McKenzie
                  -Outstanding player: Moses Chesseret
                  -Newcomer: Andrew Harding

Men’s volleyball -Pillar: Nils Reger
                       -Outstanding player: Dax Whitehead
                       -Newcomer: Tim Taylor

Women’s volleyball -Pillar: Chloe Neil
                             -Outstanding player: Laura Serafini
                             -Newcomer: Jailyn Bayle

Men’s basketball -Pillar: Pierce van Gaalen
                          -Outstanding player: Chaz Johnson
                          -Newcomer: Rory Russell

Women’s basketball -Pillar: Shantaya Strebel
                              -Outstanding player: Emma Lowry
                              -Newcomer: Logan Moncks