York University Lions track and field standout Daniel Gleason and soccer player Teni Odetoyinbo were named the male and female athletes of the year, respectively, at the 52^nd annual Varsity Athletics Banquet on Wednesday night.
 
For the first time, the banquet took place completely online due to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. Despite not being able to gather in person, York still found a way to honour its very best student-athletes.
 
Gleason is the third straight track and field athlete to receive the honour, while Odetoyinbo is the first soccer player to be named female athlete of the year since 2009.
 
Also receiving major awards at the event were Jacob Janke from the football team and Tara Leithead from the women's volleyball team, who took home the Outstanding Male Graduate Award and the Bryce M. Taylor Award, respectively, for outstanding contributions to varsity athletics over their five-year careers, and Katrina Collins-Samuels from the women's basketball team, who was named the recipient of the Charles Saundercook Memorial Trophy for exemplifying the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, enthusiasm for life and the consideration of others.
 
Jaxon Hume from the football team and Brea Rodgers, a wrestler, were named the top rookies of the year, and women's hockey head coach Dan Church received the coach of the year award.


 
Male Athlete of the Year: Daniel Gleason, Track & Field
Gleason capped his varsity career by reaching the top of the podium at both the conference and national championships, winning gold medals in the pole vault at both meets. He earned U SPORTS first-team all-Canadian and OUA first-team all-star honours for his efforts, and his 10 points scored helped the Lions win the OUA team bronze medal, their best result since 2015, and finish fourth in the country for the first time since 2016.


 
Female Athlete of the Year: Teni Odetoyinbo, Soccer
Odetoyinbo was the best player on the OUA's best team, earning the West Division most valuable player award and then leading the Lions to the OUA championship, their first since 2009. She started all 14 games at centre back and was the anchor of a strong defensive unit that allowed only eight goals in the regular season. She earned U SPORTS first-team all-Canadian and OUA West first-team all-star honours as the Lions lost just once in the regular season and reach the national tournament for the first time in 10 years.


 
Outstanding Male Graduate Award: Jacob Janke, Football
Janke received one of the most prestigious U SPORTS awards this season when he won the Russ Jackson Award, given to the football player who best exemplifies the attributes of academic achievement, football skill and citizenship. On the field, the three-time team captain achieved OUA first-team all-star and U SPORTS second-team all-Canadian honours after a dominant season at free safety. Beyond the sidelines, he is a co-founder of Tiny Strides, a non-profit organization that he and three teammates launched to service underprivileged youth in the community. The grassroots organization offers financial assistance for registration fees and equipment, in addition to providing a mentorship program where he serves as a relatable role model for children. In the classroom, Janke will graduate with a degree in commerce and has already held three summer internships at the Bay Street firm Waypoint Investment Partners, where he has served as a public equity analyst. He was selected by the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the 2019 CFL Draft and will first chase his professional dreams before beginning a career in finance.


 
Bryce M. Taylor Award: Tara Leithead, Volleyball
Leithead is a tremendous Lions leader and involved in many aspects of varsity life at York. As the president of the York Sport Council, she has been instrumental in the organization and execution of many community service initiatives, including LeadHERS, Relay for Life and the Shoreham sport clinics, among others. She also planned the Lions 4 Lions events and the team's Dig for a Cure fundraiser. Known as the "mother hen" of the women's volleyball team, Leithead has been a key role player for the squad throughout her five years while playing three different positions. In the classroom, she is completing a double major in education and social work, both of which have required placements, most recently with the Toronto District School Board and the Children's Aid Society, and she is a three-time academic all-Canadian. Leithead balances the heavy academic and athletic load with a part-time job at the front desk at Tait and as an assistant coach for a club volleyball team in Scarborough.


 
Charles Saundercook Memorial Trophy: Katrina Collins-Samuels, Women's Basketball
Collins-Samuels has battled a myriad of injuries throughout her career but still managed to excel on the court, earning OUA all-rookie team honours in 2016 and the team MVP award in 2019. Her struggles began in high school, when she tore her ACL and medial and lateral meniscus in her final season and came to York as a student only, eventually joining the Lions the following year when she made the team as a walk-on. In the five years since, she had another knee injury that required surgery, developed an anterior hip impingement, had an emergency appendectomy and ultimately was diagnosed with arthritis in her knee that required a cortisone shot so she could play. Along the way, Collins-Samuels missed just seven total games and led a resurgence in the program as the Lions have now made the playoffs in four straight years. She will graduate this spring to become the first member of her family to receive a post-secondary degree.


 
Coach of the Year: Dan Church, Women's Hockey
Church led a massive resurgence for the Lions, guiding the team to third place in the OUA standings and a playoff berth for the first time in eight years. The squad finished second in the OUA in goals scored and fifth in goals allowed and went 4-1 in the OUA playoffs to win the silver medal, York's best result since 1999. The result qualified the Lions for the U SPORTS championships for the first time in program history, where he was a tremendous leader in the face of heartbreak as the tournament was cancelled before the team played a game.


 
Male Rookie of the Year: Jaxon Hume, Football
Hume's strong rookie campaign began on the gridiron, where he earned OUA all-rookie team honours after finishing second in kick-off return yardage and eighth in punt return yardage. In the winter he turned his attention to the track, where he competed at the OUA and U SPORTS championships and helped the Lions win a team bronze medal at the OUA meet and finish fourth at the national meet.


 
Female Rookie of the Year: Brea Rodgers, Wrestling
Rodgers was named the OUA's rookie of the year after winning the silver medal in her weight class at the conference championships, where her only loss came against a fifth-year veteran. She also earned OUA second-team all-star honours and went on to finish fourth at the U SPORTS championships while helping the Lions stay among the nation's top 10 throughout the season.