WOMEN'S ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

The women's rookie of the year award honours outstanding athletic achievements by female student-athletes competing in varsity athletics for the first time. The recipient must be compliant with U SPORTS / OUA rookie of the year sport specific regulations and be in the first year of eligibility in university competition.

York University Lions field hockey player Ella Ciesielski was named the 2025-26 Women's Rookie of the Year at the 57th annual York Varsity Athletics Banquet on Mar. 26, 2026

 
Year Athlete Sport
2025-26 Ella Ciesielski Field Hockey
2024-25 Quinn McTavish Volleyball
The award was renamed Women's Rookie of the year in 2024-25 to align with OUA and U SPORTS gender designations
2023-24 Juliet Redelaar Field Hockey
2022-23 Nia Fleming-Thompson Soccer
2021-22 Kiara Leveridge Basketball
2020-21 Not Awarded (COVID-19 Pandemic)
2019-20 Brea Rodgers Wrestling
2018-19 Kalifornia Mitchell Soccer
2017-18 Jaslan Stirling Field Hockey
2016-17 Claudia Poluga Tennis
2015-16     Nikki Carnovale     Tennis
2014-15 Alexandria Town Wrestling
2013-14 Sonia Glushkovsky Tennis
2012-13 Nour Ghoneim Soccer
2011-12 Kristen Barbara Ice Hockey
2010-11 Brandie Wilkerson Volleyball
2009-10 Nicole Campbell Soccer
2008-09 Thinesa Sriskandarajah Volleyball
2007-08 Stefania Morra Soccer
2006-07 Effie Petrou Field Hockey
2005-06 Tara Minicuci Basketball
2004-05 Laura MacCallum Basketball
2003-04 Nicole Zaharopoulos Field Hockey
2002-03 Sophie Jutras Badminton
2001-02 Olga Mankovskaya Track & Field
2000-01 Tasha Monroe Track & Field