Men's Athlete of the Year Christian Zeppieri – Soccer	Complete List
Zeppieri wins the men's athlete of the year award for a second straight season, making him the first York athlete ever to win the award in consecutive seasons. He is also just the sixth man to win the award more than once, joining Ev Spence, David Coulthard, Doug Wood, Mike Williams and Dontae Richards-Kwok. The award caps off a hardware-filled year for the Maple, Ont., native, who took home the U SPORTS men's soccer player of the year award, was the OUA West MVP for a second year in a row and was a U SPORTS first team all-Canadian, OUA first team all-star and U SPORTS championship all-star. The accounting major, who is the fourth straight men's soccer player to win the York men's athlete of the year award, was the first Lion to win U SPORTS player of the year since Jonathan Lao in 2016 and the first to win OUA West MVP two straight times since Francesco Bruno in 2008 and 2009. Proving there's no such thing as a sophomore jinx, he put up nine goals – good for third-most in the OUA and U SPORTS – while also showing he's more than a pure goal scorer, posting an OUA-leading eight assists and a country-best 17 points.

 

Women's Athlete of the Year Nia Fleming-Thompson – Soccer

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Fleming-Thompson picked up right where she left off in her return to the pitch after missing the 2023 season, coming back to lead the Lions in scoring with 12 goals, good enough for second in the OUA, and fourth-most in the country. She opened the season with goals in five consecutive matches and found the back of the net in eight of York's 12 games in the regular season, including eight of the first nine. Fleming-Thompson scored a career-high four goals in York's 12-0 win over Algoma on Sept. 22. That earned her OUA West MVP honours, making her just the third Lion ever to win both rookie of the year and MVP during their tenures with York, along with Stefania Morra and Nour Ghoneim. The striker becomes the first Lion’s women’s soccer player since Jotam Chouhan in 2022 to earn first-team all-Canadian status, and is the 17th different women’s soccer player all-time to crack the nation's first team. She is the sixth Lions soccer player to win the women's athlete of the year award, joining Chouhan (2022-23), Teni Odetoyinbo (2019-20), Morra (2008-09), Aurelea Gumiela (2007-08) and Kristy de Vries (2005-06).

         

Outstanding Men's Graduate Award Connor Senken – Hockey

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Senken has been the epitome of a student-athlete since his arrival at York in 2020. He was an all-rookie team member in 2021-22, is a four-time U SPORTS academic all-Canadian, a PAWS mentor, the men’s hockey sport council representative and will obtain his Bachelor of Education degree after graduating last year with a degree in Business & Society. He has been involved in organizing several men’s hockey team initiatives, including the Colt’s Crusade and Pride games, visits to Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital and the Jane & Finch Boys & Girls Club, and more. These outstanding contributions earned him the Guy Burry ‘That’s a Lion’ Award, given to the men’s hockey player who, in the opinion of his teammates, best represents the ideals, values and behaviours of the men’s hockey program, in back-to-back years. He also recently signed a professional contract with the Utah Grizzlies of the ECHL. He's the third straight hockey player to win the award, after Michael Douglas was a co-winner in 2023-24 and Philip Costa won it in 2022-23, along with Kaleb Dahlgren in 2020-21

     

Bryce M. Taylor Award Ava Ricker-Singh – Hockey

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Ricker-Singh is a two-time U SPORTS academic all-Canadian and is pursuing a Master's of Science degree, specializing in kinesiology after graduating with her undergraduate degree in Kinesiology & Health Science last year. As a nominee for this award in 2023-24, she has long been a leader on the women’s hockey team. She is actively involved with the Hockey Education Reaching Out Society , and acts as the Sport Council Executive Communications Coordinator, where she develops messaging to athletes on various on-campus initiatives, including the student-athlete blood drive, Halloween for Hunger, and supporting families in need during the holidays. This work earned her the OUA Marion Hilliard Award for women’s hockey community service, joining Erin Locke (2019-20), Jenna Gray (2018-19) and Autumn Mills (2010-11) as Lions to win the award. In addition, Ava recently tied the York women’s hockey record for games played with 127, which she now shares with Chloe Milano (2008-13). She is the fifth hockey player to win the Bryce M. Taylor, joining Ellen Donaldson (2021-22), Mills (2010-11), Melanie Quinn (2006-07) and Gail Stewart (1984-85).

  

Charles Saundercook Memorial Trophy Sara McLennan – Women's Hockey

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McLennan missed the entire 2024-25 season due to a torn ACL, but, despite the serious nature of her injury, she has constantly shown immense perseverance and resilience, overcoming a gruelling rehabilitation program to get herself back into game shape. Even while unable to play, she attended every team lift, every practice, and almost every game all season long, running the women’s hockey social media accounts, and planning game-day workouts. Sara also continued to do great things in the community with the Hockey Education Reaching Out Society (or HEROS), where she organizes equipment fitting, skate-lacing and on-ice mentors for young hockey players. She is the third women's hockey player to win the Saundercook since it became a gender-neutral award in 2015, and only the fifth woman to ever win it, joining hockey alumnae Kelsey McHolm (2021-22), and inagural women's winner Lisa Stathopulos (2014-15) as well as well as track and field alumna Christy Ihunaegbo (2018-19) and basketball graduate Katrina Collins-Samuels (2019-20).

 

Coach of the Year Jordan Taylor – Men's Volleyball

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In just his second season at the helm, Taylor led the men’s volleyball team to a 15-5 regular season record, their best since 2016-17, and to within a game of earning an OUA medal and a berth at the U SPORTS championship. One of their biggest wins of the season came on November 23 over the then Number 4, nationally ranked, Queen’s Gaels, in front of the 2004-05 OUA championship winning team. It came just days after they were ranked in the U SPORTS top ten themselves for the first time in the regular season since 2015. They were ranked for nine straight weeks to end the season, slotting as high as eighth for the weeks of December 2 and January 13. They also won their second playoff game in three seasons, a straight-sets, OUA quarter-final win over the Nipissing Lakers. Taylor is the first men's volleyball coach to win the award since its inception in 2010-11.

 

Men's Rookie of the Year Luca Accettola – Soccer

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Accettola burst on the OUA men’s soccer scene, scoring the second goal in a 2-0 Lions win over McMaster in his OUA debut. Luca also finished the season strong, scoring goals in four of the Lions final six games, including a two-goal effort in a convincing 5-0 win over the Windsor Lancers. Overall, he finished with six goals and four assists, good for the third-most helpers in the OUA. His stellar rookie campaign earned him the OUA West rookie of the year award and the U SPORTS rookie of the year award. He became the first York player since Christian Cavallini in 2016 to win the OUA award, and the first since Jonathan Lao in 2013 to earn the national honour. He is also the first soccer player in 11 years to win the York men's rookie of the year award since Jonathan Lao in 2013-14, and just the fourth all-time, alongside Mark-Anthony Kaye (2012-13), Alon Badat (2010-11) and Jamaal Smith (2006-07)

 

Women's Rookie of the Year Quinn McTavish – Volleyball

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McTavish was a consistent force at the net for the Lions in her rookie season, finishing second on the team with a .251 hitting percentage. That mark placed her 11th in the OUA and made her the only rookie in the conference to finish in the top 12 in that category. The Salmon Arm S.S. alum finished top on the team with 59 blocks, which was good for 11th in the province, making her one of only two rookies to finish in the top 15. McTavish was rewarded for her strong first season with a spot on the OUA all-rookie team, making this the second consecutive season and third in the last four that a Lion was named to that team, after Victoria Herrington made it last season and Alisa Trubyuk did so in 2021-22. She is just the third volleyball player all-time to win the Lions women's rookie of the year, after olympian Brandie Wilkerson won it in 2010-11 and Thinesa Sriskandarajah won it in 2008-09.

 

Director's Award of Excellence Eric Ginzburg – Men's Swimming Brandon Davies Lyons – Football	Complete List
Davies-Lyons has been a key contributor on the Lions football team over his five years at York. Having never missed a game in his OUA career, Brandon has suited up in a Lions uniform on 30 occasions, posting 16 tackles over his time on the defensive line. In a true display of Brandon’s selflessness and team-first approach, he shifted to the offensive line for the final five games of last season, where he was the starting left guard. He also attended the 2024 East-West Bowl, a game featuring the top third-year U SPORTS players in the country, as well as the 2025 CFL invitational combine. Off the field, Brandon has been an exemplary community member, acting as chair of York’s Diversity in Action or DIA club and has started his own non-profit, NDN Athletes in Action, which has organized local food drives for indigenous communities in the GTA. Ginzburg took the U SPORTS swimming community by storm, sweeping his events at the national championships last month in Toronto, winning gold in the 50m butterfly, 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle and 100m butterfly, tying a U SPORTS record in the 50m butterfly event. This remarkable accomplishment came after he grabbed gold in the 50m butterfly at the OUA championships, where he set an OUA record, along with two silver medals and a bronze medal. Eric also took home four gold medals at the Dean Boles Divisional Championship in St. Catharine’s in November and was named York men’s athlete of the week on three occasions this season.

 

Most Valuable Players (as chosen by each team)

Men's Basketball – Liam Rietschin Women's Basketball – Kiara Leveridge Men's Cross Country – Marco Volpi Women's Cross Country – Laura Peters Field Hockey – Abby Thompson Football – Brody Clark Men's Hockey – Brock McLeod Women's Hockey – Ava Ricker-Singh Women's Rugby – Caitlin Watson Men's Soccer – Kelvin Ramirez Women's Soccer – Nia Fleming-Thompson Men's Tennis – Charles Refausse Women's Tennis – Selene Woo Men's Track and Field – Arwin Mathivathanan Women's Track and Field – Ella Foster Men's Volleyball – Dennis Cota Women's Volleyball – Jessica Reynolds Men's Wrestling – Stephan Niron Women's Wrestling – Prabhleen Randhawa

 

Sport Council Award Jade Lew – Field Hockey

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Lew has been a constant on Sport Council over her tenure at York, serving on the Council for each of her five years. She began as the Field Hockey Team Representative, a position she held from 2020-22, before transitioning into the role of Internal Events Coordinator in 2022-23, where she organized events like Lions4Lions, Friendsgiving, the Jane & Finch Holiday Drive, and many more. In 2023, she was elected as Sport Council President and has served as President over the last two years. In addition to her duties on Sport Council, she has served as a PAWS Mentor and was the 2020 recipient of the York Science Scholars Award. A three-time OUA medalist and two-time national medalist on the pitch, Jade’s off-field contributions earned her the 2024 OUA Gail Wilson Outstanding Contributor Award, given annually to an individual who displays exceptional leadership and performance while exemplifying the conduct expected of an OUA field-hockey student-athlete.

 

Most Improved Team Men's Volleyball

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Led by York coach of the year Jordan Taylor and team MVP, first team OUA all-star and second team U SPORTS all-Canadian Dennis Cota, the Lions men’s volleyball team went 15 and 5 during regular season play, a nine-win improvement over last season. OUA rookie of the year and OUA and U SPORTS all-rookie Chris Hoffman was also a key force for the reinvigorated Lions, who, after winning just six games all of last year, they won their first seven games, making it their best start to a season since the 2004-2005 season. They finished in a three-way tie for the second-best record in the conference and earned their second playoff win in three years with a straight sets opening-round win over the Nipissing Lakers and came within a win of qualifying for the U SPORTS championships. Men's volleyball wins the most improved team for the fourth time since the award became a co-ed award in 2000-01.

 

Spirit Cup Rick Zarnett, MD, MSc, FRCS(C) – Orthopedic Surgeon

Complete List

Zarnett has been a cornerstone of support for York student-athletes for over his 30 years as a volunteer therapist and orthopedic surgeon for Lions athletics. He has dedicated countless hours to ensuring the health and well-being of Lions athletes and has been an unwavering presence on the sidelines of every football game, ready to manage injuries, from dislocations to broken bones. Since 1995, he has not only been there when we needed him on the field, but has also provided invaluable care and expertise through clinics, always available to help our athletes get back to their sport. Many of us have directly benefited from his skillful hands and reconstructions. Zarnett truly exemplified the spirit of the York Lions through his dedication, compassion, and commitment to athletes.

 

Student Athletic Therapist of the Year Erin Preston – Wrestling
Preston, a member of the Lions women's rugby team and a kinesiology & health science major, has worked tirelessly with the wrestling program to provide care, support, and compassion, all while exhibiting professionalism and an incredible work ethic. Their ability to connect with athletes and their passion for the field of athletic therapy truly stands out.

 

York awards not presented in 2024-25:

DIA Roar For Change Award

Roar Cup

Lions Legacy Awards