Taylor Claggett and Daniel Campbell took the top prizes as the University of the Fraser Valley athletic department handed out its awards for the 2019-20 season.
With the Cascades’ annual awards gala cancelled due to COVID-19, the award winners were announced across the @ufvcascades social media channels (Instagram, Twitter and Facebook).
Basketball standout Claggett and golf star Campbell – both fifth-year seniors – won the female and male athlete of the year awards, respectively.
Other major award winners included Jehmrode Kahlon (male rookie of the year), Deanna Tuchscherer and Bryana Buttar (female rookie of the year co-winners), Cassidy King (community athlete of the year), Shivohn Peters (Jen Simpson Leadership Award) and Jordie Arthur (Cascade Crew award).
FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Taylor Claggett
Finalists: Claggett (basketball), Calista Espinosa (wrestling), Mackenzie Fowler (rugby sevens), Chelsea Kidd (volleyball), Brittney Zacharuk (soccer)
Claggett capped her five-year career with the Cascades women’s basketball program in memorable fashion, leading her squad to a 16-4 regular-season record and a run to the Canada West quarter-finals. The senior forward led Canada West in rebounding (10.4 per game), finished second in the scoring race (19.6) and added 3.4 assists per game – she was the only player in the conference to rank top-10 in all three categories. For her efforts, she was voted a first team conference all-star and a second team U SPORTS All-Canadian, and was named CW female athlete of the month for January. Over the course of the campaign, Claggett became the Cascades’ all-time leading scorer (1,474 points), and set CW records for career minutes per game (33.9), career free throws (521), and free throws in a season (145).
MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Daniel Campbell
Finalists: Campbell (golf), Jason Bains (wrestling), Parm Bains (basketball), Riley Jepson (baseball), Gurmaan Jhaj (soccer)
Campbell put together an outstanding season, highlighted by a dominant performance at the inaugural Canada West golf championships in Kelowna in October. The senior from Bellingham, Wash. crushed the field, firing rounds of 64 and 68 to win the men’s individual title by seven strokes. He spearheaded an equally impressive margin of victory for the Cascades men’s team – they finished at -14 for the weekend, 19 strokes ahead of second-place UBC (+5). Campbell, the Cascades’ all-time leader in individual tourney wins (12), also led the UFV men’s team to victories at UBC and Pacific Lutheran, winning the individual crown at the UBC event and adding another individual podium finish with a third-place result at the UVic Vikes Shootout. He went on to earn a pair of top-20 individual finishes at NCAA Div. I tournaments in California in the spring of 2020.
FEMALE ROOKIES OF THE YEAR: Deanna Tuchscherer & Bryana Buttar
Finalists: Tuchscherer (basketball), Buttar (soccer), Sedona Arabsky (volleyball)
Local products Tuchscherer (Chilliwack) and Buttar (Abbotsford) shared female rookie of the year honours.
Tuchscherer earned an array of conference and national accolades with the Cascades women’s basketball squad. She was the Canada West rookie of the year, a member of the CW all-rookie and third team all-star squads, and a U SPORTS all-rookie selection. She finished second on the Cascades in points (15.4) and rebounds (6.2) per game, and ranked 10th in the conference scoring race. She also set a UFV team record for points in a CW game, racking up 35 vs. Trinity Western on Jan. 16.
Buttar made an instant impact on her hometown program. She became the first UFV women’s soccer player to earn Canada West rookie of the year honours, and was voted to the all-rookie teams for both Canada West and U SPORTS. She finished third on the team in goals (3), assists (2) and points (5) during the regular season, and scored the lone goal of the game to lift the Cascades past the Alberta Pandas in the CW quarter-finals.
MALE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Jehmrode Kahlon
Finalists: Kahlon (soccer), Caleb Kastelein (volleyball), Vlad Mihaila (basketball)
Kahlon, a dynamic forward from Abbotsford, had a stellar debut with the Cascades men’s soccer program. He finished second on the Cascades in assists (2), points (4) and shots (17), while also tallying two goals as a rookie. That body of work netted him Canada West and U SPORTS all-rookie team selections.
COMMUNITY ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Cassidy King
Finalists: King (women’s volleyball), Tripat Sandhu (women’s soccer), Elissa Vreugdenhil (women’s basketball)
King has been deeply involved in the community, both on and off campus, over her five years with the Cascades. She’s participated in UFV Kinesiology’s Champions for Health Promoting Schools initiative for three years, leading health and physical education programming in Antigua. This past season, she led the Cascades women’s volleyball team’s community outreach to Worthington Cottage, a seniors rehab facility. The North Delta, B.C. product is active on campus as a youth camp leader with UFV Campus Recreation, and coached club volleyball with the Junior Cascades. She’s also worked as a personal support system for two individuals with physical and cognitive designations; served as a program coordinator for the Physical Literacy Action Network; and volunteered with an activity leadership program for students with FASD.
JEN SIMPSON LEADERSHIP AWARD: Shivohn Peters (rowing)
This award honours the memory of Cascades rower Jen Simpson, who died tragically in a car accident in 2008 at the age of 20. Her parents and friends have established this annual award in her name, recognizing leadership in three areas: On an athletic team, in the community, and in academics and involvement at UFV.
Peters served as president of the Cascades rowing club during the 2019-20 season, providing the program with consistency and stability. The kinesiology student from Terrace, B.C. wrote a year-long training plan for the club, and recruited a group of alumni to serve as coaches and to provide external support – all while maintaining her own training. Thanks to Peters’s efforts, the club was able to create a positive environment for its student-athletes.
CASCADES CREW AWARD: Jordie Arthur
Arthur is the recipient of the second annual Cascades Crew award, which recognizes excellence among student game-day staff. Arthur has been part of the Cascades family since 2013, when he joined the stat table for soccer. He continued in that role for five seasons, before moving over to the game-night communications team in November 2018. This past season, Arthur’s contributions were invaluable – the Bachelor of Kinesiology graduate from Charlie Lake, B.C. played a key role in producing a variety of videos, volleyball press releases, and social media updates.
TEAM MVPs
Men’s basketball: Parm Bains
Women’s basketball: Taylor Claggett
Men’s soccer: Gurmaan Jhaj
Women’s soccer: Brittney Zacharuk
Men’s volleyball: Landon Uy
Women’s volleyball: Chelsea Kidd
Men’s wrestling: Jason Bains
Women’s wrestling: Calista Espinosa
Men’s golf: Daniel Campbell
Women’s golf: Emery Bardock
Men’s baseball: Riley Jepson
Women’s rugby sevens: Mackenzie Fowler
