KINGSTON, Ont. (March 26, 2024) - Kiara McKelvey and Kai Huang were named the Queen's University Varsity Clubs First Year Players of the Year for the 2023-24 season during the 88th annual Colour Awards banquet Tuesday night.
The Alfie Pierce Trophy, first presented by Arts '47 as a tribute to Alfie Pierce who gave a lifetime of dedication to training and helping Queen's inter-university teams. It is now awarded annually to a male and female student (both Varsity Clubs & Varsity Teams) who has contributed the most to inter-university athletics in their first year at Queen's.
McKelvey (Applied Science), who starred for Queen's Women's Lacrosse this past season, was named an Alfie Pierce Trophy recipient as Varsity Clubs First Year Player of the Year for Women's Sports, while Huang (Arts & Science), who starred for Queen's Men's Ultimate, was named an Alfie Pierce Trophy recipient as Varsity Clubs First Year Player of the Year for Men's Sports.
Kiara came in to training camp and impressed right away. She very quickly asserted herself on attack and spent most of the year in a starting role. She was among team leaders during the regular season with an average of 2 goals per game and paced her team during the OUA Women's Lacrosse Championship. Impressively leading the team in scoring with nine goals and 14 points.
"Kiara is an athlete who let's her play do the talking for her," said Queen's Women's Lacrosse Head Coach Mike Watson. "Being a first year she wasn't expected to come in to the team and lead, but she certainly held her own this year."
Kai joined the team and immediately slotted in as a major contributor on the defensive line and earned himself a spot on the field in major moments all season long. He paired his outstanding athleticism on defense with incredible smarts and patience with the disc at hand. At Nationals he made a significant impact on offense and defence, scoring eight goals while adding six blocks, both the second highest totals on the team. Kai was named CUUC Rookie of the year, an All-Star at the Canadian Junior Ultimate Championships and is part of the U20 Canadian National Team heading to England for the 2024 World Championships.
Kai was a fantastic teammate, leading by example on the field and helping peers on the sidelines by celebrating their success," said Queen's Men's Ultimate Head Coach Pete Galbraith.
