KODI awards celebrate year of return to play for Kodiaks

By Lethbridge Herald on April 19, 2022.

For the first time in three years, the Lethbridge Kodiaks were able to celebrate a return to play season with the annual KODI awards on Tuesday night.
The awards capped off a season that every Kodiaks team qualify for Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) championships.
“Preparing, planning and competing in the 2021-22 transition season was easily one of the toughest challenges every ACAC athletic department faced this season,” says Kodiaks Manager of Athletics Todd Caughlin.
“We were able to do it because of the resilience, patience and commitment of our student athletes and coaching staffs. I’m so incredibly proud of this Kodiaks group and wouldn’t have wanted to work with any other group of people during such a challenging time.”
Men’s indoor track were named the Val and Flora Matteotti Kodiaks Team of the Year, capping a year that saw them earn a team bronze medal at ACAC Championships. The team was led by Aden Germain, who earned a bronze in the men’s 300-metre dash and was part of two silver medal winning relay squads.
Two soccer and futsal stars were also recognized with major awards, as Olivia DePasquale and Jaden Veluw were named Tim Tollestrup Leadership Student-Athletes of the Year. DePasquale earned the female award after a strong soccer season in which she was named to the ACAC All-Conference team after scoring nine goals in six games. She also led the Kodiaks women’s futsal team to a bronze medal.
Veluw, a fifth-year veteran from Lethbridge, earned the men’s honour. He finished his collegiate career strong, being named an ACAC All-Conference defence player for his stellar soccer season and an ACAC tournament all-star at futsal championships. His goal scoring prowess helped the Kodiaks men’s futsal team capture an ACAC bronze medal.
Ken McMurray earned the Electrical Solutions Inc. Kodiaks Coach of the Year award in his first full season as head coach of the women’s basketball program. McMurray led a young Kodiaks squad to a second-place finish in the tough ACAC south division.
Cross country and indoor track athlete Justin Fisher and basketball athlete Montana Berezay were named winners of the Calgary Flames Foundation Leadership Scholarships, recognizing student-athletes who excel in leadership, community involvement and academics.
A full lists of all award winners can be found at gokodiaks.ca.