Huskie Athletics Announces 2024 Major 7 Award Nominees

SASKATOON, SK – Huskie Athletics is proud to announce the nominees for the Major 7 Awards which will be handed out at the 2024 edition of Huskie Salute presented by Wireless Age, on Thursday, April 4 at TCU Place.

The Huskie Major 7 Awards are presented to those athletes who have had outstanding seasons for the green and white throughout the 2023-24 campaign. They also recognize athletic accomplishments and contributions made both in the classroom and in the community over the course of a student-athletes career with the Huskies. Huskie Athletics will also recognize and honour Canada West all-stars and major award winners, U SPORTS all-Canadians and major award winners, and graduating student-athletes.

And the nominees are…
 

Pat Lawson Trophy – Female Rookie of the Year

From Huskie Women’s Soccer, Daraida Sutherland. Daraida is a stout defender on the Huskies women’s soccer team who started in all but two matches this season. She was a key contributor on the pitch for the Huskies and routinely marked the best player on opposing teams. An Arts and science major from Calgary, Daraida played the fifth most minutes on the team and was named game MVP of four occasions. 

From Huskie Women’s Track & Field, Attleigh Maloney. Attleigh spent most of her rookie season at the top of the national rankings as a member of the Huskie women’s 4x800m relay team. After a 1st-place finish at the Golden Bear Open in January, Attleigh would earn U SPORTS 1st-Team All-Canadian status with a gold medal finish at nationals in Winnipeg. 

From Huskie Women’s Wrestling, Abby Wolff. Joining the Huskies out of St. Joseph College, Abby immediately showed an ability to compete with the best wrestlers Canada West has to offer. In her first conference championships she claimed gold in the women’s 50kg weight class and was later named the Canada West Rookie of the Year. Shortly after the arts and science major earned U SPORTS silver at the 2024 National Wrestling championships. 

And from Huskie Women’s Volleyball, Sophia Magus. The 2023-24 season saw Sophia open her collegiate volleyball career as the Huskies starting setter in 20 of 24 games. The local product and engineering major recorded 398 kill assists, 53 points, and 29 kills in her way to being named to the Canada West All-Rookie team.
 

Howard Nixon Trophy – Male Rookie of the Year

From Huskie Men’s Volleyball, Jacob Baird. A product of Bisbane, Australia, Jacob completed a fantastic rookie season with the Huskies. The arts and science major was one of the top attacking middles in the conference, totaling 145.5 points, 110 kills, 50 blocks, and a .341 hitting percentage while helping the Huskies to a Canada West post season berth. For his efforts, Jacob was named both a Canada West and U SPORTS All-Rookie. 

From Huskie Men’s Basketball, Easton Thimm. Easton became the first Huskie in 20 years to capture the Canada West Rookie of the Year title and first U of S member of the U SPORTS All-Rookie team since 2015-16. The local product out of Holy Cross Collegiate averaged 9.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per game while connecting on 54.5% of his shots in an incredible campaign. 

From Huskie Men’s Hockey, Landon Kosior. After joining the Huskies from the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League, Landon solidified himself as a top rookie in the conference and one of the premier powerplay defenders. The product of Regina finished first among rookie defencemen in powerplay points with 6 and 2nd in points per game with .82. At the end of the season Landon became 24th Huskie to earn conference All-Rookie honours.

And from Huskie Men’s Track & Field, Joshua Tam. In his first year of collegiate track & field, Josh impressed at both the conference and national stages. After a strong regular season, the local product and kinesiology major qualified to compete in both the heptathlon and pole vault at the 2024 U SPORTS Championships. He would go on to earn top 12 finishes in both, including a 6th-place finish the heptathlon which also placed him 7th all-time in Huskie track & field history.
 

Mary Ethel Cartwright Trophy – Female Athlete of the Year

From Huskie Women’s Cross Country and Track & Field, Kaitlyn Harrison. Competing for both the Huskie cross country and track & field programs, Kaitlyn experienced a strong season. Her year started with a bronze medal finish at the Canada West cross country championships where she also earned 1st-team conference all-star honours. On the track, she earned U SPORTS 1st-team all-Canadian status helping the Huskie 4x800m relay team to a gold medal while also capturing a top 10 finish in the 1500m with the 4th fastest time in Huskie program history. 

From Huskie Women’s Track & Field, Avery Pearson. Avery helped lead the way for the Huskie women’s track and field team this season, bringing home a total of eight medals across two championships. At the Canada West championships, the third-year endurance runner earned gold in the 600m, 1000m, 4x400m, and 4x800m events en route to the Huskies capturing their sixth consecutive conference title. At the national championships in Winnipeg, she continued her winning ways earning three gold in the 1000m, 4x400m, and 4x800m whiling adding a silver in the 600m. 

From Huskie Women’s Basketball, Gage Grassick. Gage completed an incredible season while helping the Huskie women’s basketball to a U SPORTS silver medal finish in 2023-24. The third-year kinesiology major was named a Canada West 1st-Team all-star and U SPORTS 2nd-Team All-Canadian after averaging 13 points per game and finishing top 3 in the conference in steals, assists, and assist to turnover ratio. The product of Prince Albert’s season was highlighted by a tournament-high 30-point performance in the national championship game. 

From Huskie Women’s Hockey, Camryn Drever. Camryn completed one of the most dominant goaltending seasons in Canada West and Huskie history, setting multiple records on her way to a pair of Canada West major awards. After posting the nation’s best save percentage and the conference’s best goals against average, she was named the Canada West player and goaltender of the year. At the U SPORTS Championships, she was once again honoured as a top player in the country, earning U SPORTS 2nd-team All-Canadian status.

And from Huskie Women’s Wrestling, SueAnne Harms. SueAnne closes out her Huskie wrestling career with another fantastic season that saw the kinesiology major reach the podium at both the conference and national level. At the Canada West championships, she captured the third conference gold of her career in the women’s 56kg weight class before earning U SPORTS Silver at the National championships. She was also recognized for her work in the community, earning both the Canada West and U SPORTS Community Service awards.
 

E. Kent Phillips Trophy – Male Athlete of the Year

From Huskie Men’s Track & Field, Masson Altrogge. Masson finished the 2023-24 track and field season as one of the top performers on the Huskies. The 4th-year engineering major from St. Benedict, Saskatchewan claimed U SPORTS silver in the heptathlon at the 2024 national championships after finishing within the top 2 in four of the seven events. Masson also etched his name in Huskie history after finishing the weekend with 5107 points, 3rd all-time in the U of S men’s program. 

From Huskie Football, Nick Wiebe. A dominant force in the middle of the Huskie secondary, Nick helped lead the best defensive unit in Canada West this season. The 3rd-year linebacker from Calgary finished the campaign as one of two Huskies named a unanimous conference all-star while adding a 2nd-team all-Canadian nod and a Canada West defensive player of the year award to his resume after leading the conference in tackles.

And from Huskie Men’s Hockey, Chantz Petruic. Chantz completed a career year this past season while helping lead the Huskies to a 20-6-2 record and the 27th consecutive playoff berth in program history as Canada West’s 4th seed. The forward from Moose Jaw set career highs in nearly every statistical category while recording the second-most points in the conference, averaging 1.39 per game. For his incredible performance the third-year business major was named a 2nd-team conference all-star. 
 

Valerie Girsberger Trophy – All-Round Female Athlete
The Valerie Girsberger Trophy is awarded to an upper year female student-athlete who during her entire career best combines the qualities of leadership, sportsmanship, academic ability and athletic prowess.

From Huskie Women’s Hockey, Sophie Lalor. Sophie leaves the Huskies women’s hockey team having completed an incredible career for the U of S program. The business major from Penticton, British Columbia ranks within the top in several program records including points, goals, and games played and has also helped the Huskies to a Canada West silver medal and U SPORTS bronze. The conference all-star is also an academic all-Canadian and an active member of the community having been involved with several community service and youth coaching initiatives.

From Huskie Women’s Wrestling, SueAnne Harms. SueAnne closes out her Huskie wrestling career as one of the most accomplished student-athletes in program history. A kinesiology major and local product, SueAnne is a 3-time Canada west gold medalist, a U SPORTS gold and silver medalist, the 2022-23 Canada West wrestler of the year and the reigning community service award winner at both the conference and national level. With 12 tournament wins in the past 2 years and 19 dual meet victories to go along with her list of championship accomplishments there is no doubt that SueAnne is one of the most successful wrestlers in program history. 

And from Huskie Women’s Basketball, Carly Ahlstrom. Carly wraps up her time with the U of S basketball program as one of the most successful student-athletes in Huskie athletics history. The Calgary, Alberta product and kinesiology major has a plethora of on court accomplishments, including a Canada West Most Valuable Player award, 4 conference championships, a U SPORTS championship, and a U SPORTS silver medal among others. She also finishes her career ranking among the top 10 in several program career records and was a key piece to a Huskies team which set programs records in 2023-24 leading to a U SPORTS championship appearance.
 

Rusty MacDonald Cup – All-Round Male Athlete
The Rusty MacDonald Cup is awarded to an upper year male student-athlete who during his entire career as a Huskie exhibited the highest qualities of sportsmanship and citizenship.

From Huskie Men’s Basketball, Alexander Dewar. Alexander is another Huskie student-athlete who will go down in the history of his program having experienced a highly accomplished career both on and off the court. The local product and kinesiology major is a five time academic all-Canadian and was recognized this season for his work off the court as the U SPORTS Ken Shields Community Servce award winner. On the court, the guard finishes his career with the 3rd most points and 6th most minutes in program history.

From Huskie Football, Daniel Perry. Daniel finishes his Huskie career as one of the best receivers in program history. In 47 games the product of Calgary, Alberta and 2023 CFL draft pick has totaled the 3rd-most receptions in program history with 140 and the 4th-most receiving yards in program history with 2223 while adding 11 trips to the endzone. Perry is also a two-time Canada West all-star and earned the first all-Canadian nod of his career in 2023 when he was named to the U SPORTS first team. 

And from Huskie Track & Field, Jake Neufeld. Jake is an incredibly accomplished student-athlete both on and off the track as a member of the Huskies. On the track his hard work and commitment his craft has been evident through year-over-year improvement. In the heptathlon Jake has achieved Canada West 1st-team all-star status as a gold medalist and ranks 4th all-time in Huskie program history. Off the track, the local product and kinesiology major has been recognized by both Canada West and U SPORTS for his service to his community both through coaching initiatives and volunteer opportunities. 
 

Colb McEown Trophy – Coach of the Year 

Head Coach of Huskie Women’s Basketball, Lisa Thomaidis. Lisa led the Huskie women’s basketball team to a 9th Canada West title and 6th U SPORTS medal finish after a historic 19-1 regular season and 30-2 overall record. Her impressive resume grew with a pair of accolades as well as she was named both the Canada West and U SPORTS Coach of the Year.

And Head Coach of Huskie Track & Field, Jason Reindl. Jason led the Huskie women’s track and field team to a sixth consecutive Canada West title this season, capturing the conference banner in dominant fashion with a 206.5-point performance. For leading the team, Jason was awarded the conference’s coach of the year award. 
 

Student Trainer of the Year

Easton Martens – Easton is a product of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. He has been a Huskie Athletics Student Trainer for the past 2 seasons starting his career with men’s soccer followed by the track and field team. Easton’s work ethic, professionalism and enthusiasm to advance his knowledge allowed him to stand out as a trainer this year. He will leave is mark on the track team as being known for his extra efforts on testing out the tracks and providing reviews, prior to the team racing.

Ella McLean – Ella hails from Bandon, Manitoba. Throughout her two years as a student trainer she left a positive impact on numerous athletes, coaches and staff. Beyond her work with the Men’s and Women’s Basketball teams, Ella has volunteered for tournaments and additional clinic hours, assisting athletes from almost every sport. Her enthusiasm towards her involvement as Student Trainer is very clear – she is often found trying to restrain herself when a good song comes on during games.

Ashley Stusek – From Canora, Saskatchewan, Ashley joined the football team in the 2022 season. She never missed an opportunity to contribute when she could, even taking the 36-hour bus ride to watch the team in the Vanier Cup. As a second-year trainer, Ashley expanded her involvement as a HAC representative. She is always calm under pressure and leads by example. Ashley is highly respected by those she works with and sought after by many of our players. We are excited Ashley will continue her involvement Huskies and the football team by transitioning to the equipment staff next season.