Lowry, Miller named LCI’s athletes of the year

By Lethbridge Herald on June 9, 2023.

Herald photo by JUSTIN SEWARD Mishynn Miller won the Female Athlete of the Year and Ryder Lowry won the Male Athlete of the Year for LCI athletics this year.

By Justin Seward

Lethbridge Herald

LCI held its Green and Gold Day on Friday where awards were handed out for athletes of the year and fine arts.

Graduating athlete Ryder Lowry took home the Jim Whitelaw Award as Male Athlete of the Year.

“Oh yeah it’s so crazy,” said Lowry.

“So inspiring and it’s just nice. It was so surprising. I was so happy.”

Lowry went out in style by  winning a provincial title in the 90- kilogram weight division wrestling in his hometown and at LCI.

“So that was like so amazing for me,” he said.

“ Then had a great year of football and this totally is just the icing on the cake and it’s been a great couple of years at LCI for me. Obviously COVID was pretty sad (in) missing out on my rookie year. But it was so fun and yeah I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

While he didn’t have a specific memory at LCI, Lowry remembered all the seniors that came before him.

“And just great guys that I could look up to and fall behind,” said Lowry.

“And definitely all my friends that I’ve spent awesome times with (and) calculus, best class ever.”

Lowry will be enrolling at the University of Lethbridge in the fall and will be a member of the wrestling team’s inaugural year.

“We’ve got great numbers,” said Lowry.

“I think it’s going to be a great year for us. And yeah, I’m going to the University of Lethbridge for chemistry, and I’m going to some physics, some math (and) all that good stuff. Hoping to be a dentist one day maybe… Hopefully keep this good streak going.”

Lowry was also in track and field on top of football and wrestling.

Lowry also won the male Pat Adams Memorial Scholarship, which goes to the student that best exemplifies being an all-around student at LCI.

Grade 10 student, Mishynn Miller, won the Marge M.J. Clark Award as Female Athlete of the Year.

“It’s super crazy for me, considering being only like a Grade 10 student,” said Miller.

‘”And just this is my first year here at LCI, and winning this is like a super big accomplishment for me and it’s just crazy honestly.”

Miller played basketball, softball and volleyball.

“I don’t know, that’s the main reason I came to this school is for the athletics,” said Miller.

“ And just like the community over here is just so good and just playing over here as a Clipper for my first year has been super fun.”

She attributes the award to her family.

“Honestly, my like siblings (and) my dad,” she said.

“My dad coached me. He coached all my sisters actually and then my older sister, Mylanda Miller, was my coach this year for basketball and she led us to third place in zone finals. So that was super fun playing for her after like watching her play with my older sisters in high school and I always was like, like I want to be that one day. It was super fun just to be able to do that.”

Miller wants to be a leader and be the best example for her teammates moving forward.

Her favourite memory from the season was playing in zones at the University of Lethbridge.

“Yeah, just LCI has fantastic tradition in athletics,” said Wayne Pallett, LCI principal.

“And to honour some of our top athletes today and some of our greatest students who have had success with fine arts, it’s super exciting for the school, (it) brings energy and we just  believe that our Green and Gold Day just  brings unity and community for the school. And then for Ryder and Mishynn, just they’ve been exemplary examples of the good things that can happen in athletics and hard work does pay off. And so they’re well-deserving of the awards.”