Niagara College recognized the outstanding achievements of its student-athletes during the 56th annual Athletics Banquet, held April 10 at the Stone Mill Ballroom. The event brought together student-athletes, coaches and staff to celebrate a successful 2025-2026 season, highlighting accomplishments both in competition and in the classroom.
A total of 167 awards were presented throughout the evening, honouring individual excellence, team success, and contributions to NC Athletics.
“The 2025-26 season was celebrated with an amazing evening at the Niagara College Athletics Banquet,” said Michele O’Keefe, Senior Director of Athletics & Student Engagement. “Our student-athletes are a tremendous group who have shown success on and off the field of play. For our graduating student-athletes, we thank you for your commitment to your team and Niagara College. We wish you all the best as your start your next chapter.”
Major award winners
Female and Male athletes of the year:
For the second consecutive year, the evening’s top honour featured Co-Female Athletes of the Year, with Julia Markle (St. George, ON) and Tessa Vahrmeyer (St. Catharines, ON) sharing the award. Gerrit Oldejans (Dundas, ON) was named Male Athlete of the Year.
Michele O’Keefe with Male Athlete of the Year Gerrit Oldejans.
Markle, a skip with the Knights women’s curling team, delivered another exceptional season, leading her team to gold at the OCAA Curling Championships and earning MVP honours. She also continues to excel academically and is on track to receive multiple academic awards.
Vahrmeyer, a forward with the Knights women’s soccer team, had a record-breaking season, setting a new program record with 14 regular season goals. Her performance earned her OCAA West Division Scoring Champion, First Team All-Star, and CCAA All-Canadian honours, along with both OCAA and CCAA academic recognition.
Oldejans, a fifth-year forward on the Knights men’s soccer team, was a standout leader on and off the field. He captured the OCAA West Division Scoring Champion title and earned First Team All-Star recognition, while also being named both an OCAA All-Academic and CCAA Academic All-Canadian.
President Kennedy addressing NC student-athletes at the Stone Mill Ballroom.
Additional major awards
Aidan Luk (St. Catharines, ON) and Julia Markle were named Male and Female Tournament Sport Players of the Year for their contributions to the Knights curling program.
Joseph Buckley (Oshawa, ON) and Savannah Speck (Fonthill, ON) were honoured as Male and Female Rookie Athletes of the Year across all sports, recognizing their impact in their debut seasons.
Leadership awards were presented to Samantha Cormier (St. Catharines, ON) of women’s volleyball and RJ Martin (St. Mary’s, ON) of men’s volleyball for their commitment to their teams and leadership both on and off the court.
Academic excellence was also celebrated, with Sam Guzak (Beaumont, AB) receiving the Male Top Scholastic Award and Charlize Trudell (Belle River, ON) earning the Female Top Scholastic Award for achieving the highest GPAs among NC student-athletes.
Coaching and service recognition
Chris Poulouski, head coach of the OCAA gold medal-winning women’s curling team, received the Ralph Nero Memorial Award for coaching excellence and contributions to student recruitment and retention.
Samson Balogun, team manager for the men’s basketball team, was honoured with the Luciano Berardocco Memorial Award for his outstanding service to intercollegiate athletics.
The Ray Sarkis Award, recognizing passion, commitment and community-mindedness, was presented to Abbey Gooder of the women’s volleyball team.
Academic and athletic honours
Vahrmeyer was also recognized NC’s only CCAA All-Canadian this season, highlighting her as one of the top players in her sport nationally.
Student-athletes were further recognized for their academic success through CCAA Academic All-Canadian and OCAA All-Academic awards, alongside team-specific honours for leadership, scholastic achievement, rookies, and most valuable players.
The banquet also celebrated milestone achievements, including four- and five-year student-athlete recognition awards, acknowledging dedication and long-term commitment to Knights athletics.
For a full list of award recipients, including CCAA Academic All-Canadian and OCAA All-Academic honourees, read the Niagara College Athletics press release here.
