The Yukon government hosted the annual Celebration of Sport Excellence on May 4 at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre, recognizing outstanding achievement in sports.
This year’s event also included awards from Sport Yukon, Yukon Aboriginal Sport Circle and Special Olympics Yukon.
Winners of the Premier’s Award of Excellence included Olympic cross-country skiers Dahria Beatty, Knute Johnsgaard and Emily Nishikawa, WHL rookie of the year Dylan Cozens, the Whitehorse Huskies and all of the Special Olympics Yukon athletes that have competed at the Special Olympics World Games.
Sport Yukon inducted Olympians Jeane Lassen and Zach Bell into the Yukon Sport Hall of Fame in addition to awarding the organization’s major awards.
Beatty and Johnsgaard were named international female and male athlete of the year respectively.
Skier Hannah Deuling won the national or territorial female athlete of the year award. The male award went to freestyle skier Etienne Geoffroy-Gagnon.
The administrator of the year was Dan Poelman and the coach of the year was Ken Binns.
The Whitehorse Huskies were named team of the year.
Yukon Aboriginal Sport Circle handed out four awards at the event.
Aboriginal female athlete of the year was swimmer Cassis Lindsay, aboriginal male athlete of the year was snowboarder Ethan Davy, aboriginal female coach of the year was Shereen Hill and aboriginal male coach of the year was Michael Tuton.
Contact John Hopkins-Hill at john.hopkinshill@yukon-news.com
Premier’s Awards of Excellence winners:
Athletics
Jack Amos
Brenda Dion
Jessica Frotten
Biathlon
Nadia Moser
Canoe/Kayak
Mael Pronovost
Luanda Pronovost
Cross-Country Skiing
Dahria Beatty
Ernest Chua
Natalie Hynes
Knute Johnsgaard
Emily Nishikawa
Graham Nishikawa
Curling
Thomas Scoffin
Figure Skating
Tijana McCarthy
Michael Sumner
Freestyle Skiing
Etienne Geoffroy-Gagnon
Dylan Reed
Hockey
Dylan Cozens
Gavin McKenna
Barry Blisner
Evan Campbell
Dan Cletheroe
Charles Dagostin
Kaleb Dawe
Kane Dawe
Colin Dendys
Alex Dzielski
JJ Gainsforth
Adam Henderson
Tyrell Hope
Derek Klassen
Cam Malloch
Jay Massie
Simon Nugent
Jon Olthuis
Andrew Pettit
Kevin Pettovello
Brian Power
Echo Ross
Brett Roulston
Jon Rudolph
Burt Stephens
Ted Stephens
Rob Stuckey
Michael Sumner
Jared Tuton
Michael Tuton
Rob Warner
Orienteering
Leif Blake
Caelan McLean
Rhythmic Gymnastics
Aimee Lien
Snowboarding
Ethan Davy
Speed skating
Micah Taggart-Cox
Swimming
Kevin Spofford
Victoria Ryan
Minister’s Awards of Recognition
Athletics
Darby McIntyre
Jessica Pruden
Biathlon
Jake Draper
Aidan Hupe
Swimming
Ernest Chua
Kassua Dreyer
Sara-Lee Edmonds
Cassis Lindsay
Rennes Lindsay
Volleyball
Kit Bradford-Andrew
Cole Cowan
Jaxon Fitzsimmons
Dina Fitzsimmons
Barrett Furchner
Mattaeus Geisler
Darcy Hill
Quinn Howard
Gareth Morgan-Lester
Alexander Shultz
Jay Sinclair
Duncan Snooks
Matthew Strudwick
Sam Wanless
Kaleb Zaliauskas-Swan
Sport Yukon Award Winners
International Female Athlete of the Year: Dahria Beatty
International Male Athlete of the Year: Knute Johnsgaard
National/Territorial Female Athlete of the year: Hannah Deuling
National/Territorial Male Athlete of the Year: Etienne Geoffroy-Gagnon
Administrator of the Year: Dan Poelman
Team of the Year: Whitehorse Huskies Senior Hockey
Coach of the Year: Ken Binns
Yukon Sport Hall of Fame inductees: Jeane Lassen and Zach Bell
Yukon Aboriginal Sport Circle Award Winners
Aboriginal female athlete of the year: Cassis Lindsay
Aboriginal male athlete of the year: Ethan Davy
Aboriginal female coach of the year: Shereen Hill
Aboriginal male coach of the year: Michael Tuton
