KINGSTON, Ont. (May 19, 2022) – Sophie de Goede and Rasheed Tucker were named Queen's Varsity Teams Athletes of the Year for the 2021-22 season during the 86^th annual Colour Awards, which were run virtually this year.

de Goede (Victoria, B.C.), who starred for both the Gaels' Women's Rugby and Women's Basketball teams and helped them earn national medals at home venues, was named the recipient of the PHE '55 Alumnae Trophy as Varsity Teams Female Athlete of the Year.

In the fall, de Goede was named the U SPORTS Women's Rugby Player of the Year and tournament MVP at the U SPORTS Women's Rugby Championship after helping lead Queen's to their first ever Women's Rugby Championship.

de Goede, who was also named the OUA Player of the Year in Women's Rugby for the third straight season last week, finished the 2021 season with 52 points, bringing her career total at Queen's up to 208 points, just 11 points behind Lauren McEwen, who is first all-time in points at 219. It was de Goede's second-highest scoring season with the Gaels, behind only her 2019 season when she scored 76 points.

"Sophie de Goede is a generational player and a generational person," said Women's Rugby Head Coach Dan Valley. "Despite the accolades that Sophie has earned over her time at Queen's, she remains the hardest working athlete on campus - always looking for ways to excel and improve, either on the pitch, on the court, or in the classroom."

In the winter, de Goede was named a Second Team OUA East Division All-Star, earning an OUA All-Star nod in her second sport, after leading the OUA in rebounding, averaging 12.1 per game while adding 9.8 points per game. She also averaged 2.6 assists and 1.7 steals per game for the Gaels this season.

de Goede helped the Gaels Women's Basketball team win the Bronze Medal at the U SPORTS Women's Final 8 Basketball Championship at the ARC, just months after hoisting the Molinex Trophy as Women's Rugby champions on Nixon Field.

Tucker (Ajax, Ont.), who starred for the Gaels' Football team, helping them earn an undefeated regular season and host the 113^th Yates Cup, was named the recipient of the Jenkins Trophy as Varsity Teams Male Athlete of the Year.

The running back was named a U SPORTS First Team All-Canadian for the 2021 season. Tucker finished the regular season second in the OUA in rushing with 114 carries for 697 yards and eight touchdowns. He was named the Canadian Football Perspective OUA Offensive Player of the Week twice during the regular season.

"Rasheed has managed to maintain a high commitment to his academic studies and club involvement all while being recognized as an OUA All-Rookie Team Member in 2018, the Royal Todd Trophy Recipient as Queen's Football Rookie of the Year in 2018, an OUA Second Team All-Star in 2019, a U SPORTS East-West Bowl Invitee in 2021, an OUA First Team All-Star in 2021, an OUA First Team All-Canadian in 2021, and a CFL National Combine Invitee in 2022," said Football Head Coach Steve Snyder. "Rasheed has prided himself on being elite in all three aspects of student-athlete life - school, sport, and community - and he has succeeded in doing exactly that throughout his Queen's career."

Tucker has added another 61 carries for 419 yards and four touchdowns in the OUA Playoffs, being named the Canadian Football Perspective OUA Offensive Player of the Week another two times.

Other major awards presented at the virtual Colour Awards included the Outstanding Performance of the Year, which went to Gavin Stone (Rowing), the Alfie Pierce Trophies for Varsity Teams Female and Male Rookies of the Year, which were won by Chloe Daniels (Women's Rugby) and Holden Katzalay (Men's Hockey), and the Jim Tait Trophy for Varsity Team of the Year, which went to the national champion Women's Rugby team.

Stone (Brampton, Ont.) was awarded the Outstanding Performance of the Year award, which pays tribute to the student-athlete who has brought the most honour and recognition to Queen's University resulting from success in provincial, national and/or international competition in 12-month period, for the second time in his Queen's career.

Ahead of the 2021-22 Queen's Rowing season, Stone competed in the Tokyo Olympics with Team Canada, finishing second in the B Final with the Men's Four Rowing team.

"Gavin returned to Queen's this fall to complete his degree and rejoined the team. Throughout the fall, he did an excellent job of balancing being an experienced leader with being a humble teammate," said Queen's Rowing Head Coach Katie Bruggeling. "He immediately integrated into the team by rowing in both the single and eight. Within the eight, Gavin shared his expertise without being above his crewmates. He made everyone feel equal and recognized the importance of every person within the crew boat. Gavin stepped into the team and helped the men's team achieve its many successes this fall."

Stone was named the OUA Male Athlete of the Year in rowing after finishing the OUA Rowing Championship with two gold medals (Men's 1X and Men's 8+).

At the Canadian University Rowing Championship, Stone won a silver medal (Men's 1X) and a bronze medal (Men's 8+).

Daniels (Sutton West, Ont.) was named the Varsity Teams Female Rookie of the Year after helping the Gaels win the U SPORTS Women's Rugby Championship at Nixon Field in the fall. Daniels was named the OUA Rookie of the Year after finishing the 2021 regular season third in team scoring with four tries. She helped the Gaels win the U SPORTS Women's Rugby Championship.

"Chloe had an unbelievable start to her career as a Gael. She played a pivotal position and started every game there. She made massive improvements every week, culminating in Chloe playing a pivotal role in leading Queen's Women's Rugby to a National Championship. Chloe is an unbelievable teammate - respected by her peers for both her on-field grit and skill, as well as her calm, caring demeanor off-pitch. Simply put, Chloe is a world-class teammate and a world-class athlete, and we do not achieve the success we did this season without her contributions to our team and our culture."

Katzalay (West Vancouver, B.C.) was named the Varsity Teams Male Rookie of the Year after being named a U SPORTS Second Team All-Canadian and U SPORTS All-Rookie.

The forward, who was also named the OUA East Division Rookie of the Year and an OUA East Division All-Star, led the Gaels and the OUA in scoring with 29 points (13 goals and 16 assists.) His 13 goals were also tied for most in the OUA this season while his 16 assists were second only to teammate Jonathan Yantsis.

"Holden is a zero-maintenance player. He comes to the rink and brings a calm demeanor every day," said Queen's Men's Hockey Head Coach Brett Gibson. "He has elite puck skills and vision which allowed him to create offence instantly as a first-year player. I look forward to what Holden can accomplish over the next three years."

Queen's Women's Rugby were awarded the Jim Tait Trophy as Varsity Team of the Year after capturing the first national title in program history. After an undefeated regular season where they outscored their opponents 205-27 in four games, Queen's captured the OUA silver medal.

Playing on Nixon Field as hosts on the U SPORTS Women's Rugby Championship, the Gaels defeated the UBC Thunderbirds, Laval Rouge et Or, and Ottawa Gee-Gees to hoist the Molinex Trophy as Women's Rugby champions.