KINGSTON, Ont. (March 27, 2018) – Nora Kamal (Calgary) of women's squash and Zachary Baum (Toronto) of sailing, were named the top graduating student-athletes at the 82nd annual Colour Awards Varsity Club Athletic Banquet Tuesday night at the ARC Main Gym.

Kamal was awarded the Marion Ross Trophy, which is given to the top Varsity Club female student-athlete. Kamal was an Ontario University Athletics (OUA) All-Star this season and played as the Gaels #1 on their championship squad. At Queen's, she went undefeated in three consecutive seasons from 2015 through to 2017. Along with her success at the university level, she has also been successful at the national level claiming gold in the women's A division of the 2017 Canadian Senior National Squash Championships.

The Calgary, Alberta native has been an academic all-star three times and has helped the Gaels claim four consecutive OUA championships along with three straight Jesters titles. A co-captain this past season, she always finds time to give back helping to pilot junior programs in the Kingston community.

Baum, a computing student at Queen's, was named the winner of the Jack Jarvis trophy which is awarded to the top Varsity Club male student-athlete.

Baum has been an instrumental figure in the success of the Queen's Sailing program over his time as a Gael. He was honoured as the 2017 male Canadian Intercollegiate Sailing Association (CICSA) skipper of the year and volunteer of the year and in 2016 was a member of the CICSA team of the year. A specialist in the 420 Dinghy Class, he claimed 15 1st places standings since 2013. In 2017 he was also 1st overall at the Olsen 30 North Americans hosted in Kingston.

An academic all-star three times, his success has helped to the Gaels as a team being the CICSA champions for five straight years. Along with the successes on the water, he has been a key figure in the Sailing leadership group serving as Co-President and team development officer for the CICSA board of directors.

On Tuesday night, the Award of Merit Trophy was presented to the Queen's women's squash team who won OUA championship on home soil at the Queen's Athletics and Recreation Centre.

Led by OUA All-Star Kamal, the Gaels were able to successfully able to defend their title holding off Toronto for their fourth straight championship. Queen's won all five of their games while earning a 41-4 record in matches which was four better than second-place Toronto. The Gaels and Varsity Blues closed out the championship in a contest that saw Queen's take the title when the Gaels Alysha Anzik defeated Toronto's Rhead Dhar in a thrilling match. The Gaels also finished their Jesters season as the competition finalists and had strong ties with the VLC and student-athlete led events.

The Alfie Pierce award recipients for the top club rookies of the year were Kiah Shanks (Orillia, Ont.) from women's lacrosse and Alex Collins (Toronto) from men's squash. Shanks proved to be not just one of the top rookies in the conference but one of its best players. She proved her worth on the Gaels finishing as the teams leading goal scorer and helping the Tricolour to an OUA silver medal finish. She was named the teams rookie of the year and was the only rookie to claim a spot on the OUA All-Star first team. Collins played a pivotal role in the Gaels taking home their first Jesters League Championship and picking up a bronze medal at the OUA championship hosted at Queen's. He was the Gaels #1 at the Jesters and #2 at the OUA championship behind the Gaels team captain. After his strong performance, he was named the top freshman in the province as the OUA rookie of the year.

The Varsity Support Service Awards are presented each year to recognize the individuals who have demonstrated dedication and leadership while making a significant contribution to the success of the Queen's Varsity Sports Program in Athletic Therapy (Hal Dunlop Shield), Athlete Services, Home Events, Strength and Conditioning and Varsity Club Leadership. This year's Varsity Club Leadership winner was Erin Lee.

Throughout the evening, each Varsity Club also honoured their team award winners and this seasons champions were recognized for their successes throughout the year.

Tomorrow night, Queen's Athletics and Recreation will host the Colour Awards Varsity Team athletic banquet. Among the awards announced on Wednesday will be the Outstanding Performer of the Year, the Varsity Team rookies of the year as well as the Varsity Team of Year. Also handed out will be the PHE'55 Alumnae Award and the Jenkins Trophy, which will be awarded to the top fourth or fifth-year student-athletes.

QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS & RECREATION VARSITY CLUB AWARD RECIPIENTS FOR 2017-18
Marion Ross Trophy: Nora Kamal (Women's Squash)
Jack Jarvis Trophy: Zachary Baum (Men's Sailing)
Award of Merit Trophy: Women's Squash
Alfie Pierce Trophy (Female): Kiah Shanks (Women's Lacrosse)
Alfie Pierce Trophy (Male): Alex Collins (Men's Squash)
Varsity Clubs Support Service Award: Erin Lee

PHOTOS

VARSITY CLUBS YEAR IN REVIEW BOOK (PDF)