[Waterloo] – Last night WLU's Athletic Department hosted its annual banquet. The major award winners were as follows:

Unsung Hero Award for person within the WLU Community who unselfishly gives much time and effort into the overall success of the athletics program. The recipient is Dr. Bob Rosehart who spends countless hours with athletic recruits and is a strong all-round supporter of Laurier Athletics.

Tuffy Knight Award pays recognition to a person not affiliated with the university, for untiring efforts over an extended period of time. The recipient is Terry Reidel. Terry has spent numerous years (25+) and hours patrtolling the football sidelines as a minor official as part of the Laurier football score-keeping trio. Terry is also the Chair of the Laurier Football Corporate Dinner.

Junior Trainer of the Year is given to the student trainer whose performance of duties is deemed most valuable to WLU Athletics. The recipient is Samantha Roman who is a third year kinesiology student who assists the men's basketball team.

Person contributing most to Women's Athletics is Laura Sylvah. Laura spends countless hours as a junior trainer with the women's hockey, football, and women's rugby teams. Laura also coordinates all of the junior trainers and assists with sports camps on campus.

Person contributing most to Men's Athletics is Jeremy Laidlaw. Jeremy is the main person responsible for the development of laurierathletics.com and is always willing to help with any task within athletics.

Hawk Coaching Award is presented to one who exemplifies character building among student athletes. The recipient is Barry MacLean who is the coach of the men's and women's soccer teams. Barry is a past soccer all-canadian and is a member of the Golden Hawk Hall of Fame. This year Barry led both his teams to the playoffs and captured a National Championship in men's soccer.

Athletic Achievement Award honours the male and female athlete who best combines academic and athletic achievement. This year's recipients are Dan Pilas and Kirsten Greer. Dan is a member of the National Championship men's soccer team who is in his fourth year of Business Administration studies. Kirsten is a member of the women's soccer team and is completing her masters in environmental studies and was named a 1st Team All-Canadian this year.

The President's Award is for the most outstanding athletic performance from a male and female over the past year. This year's recipients are Kenny Nutt and Lisa Backman. Kenny is a member of the National Champion men's soccer team and was named a 1st Team All-Canadian as well as the CIAU Championship MVP. Lisa is the captain of the women's hockey team. Lisa was named CIAU All-Canadian and OUA First Team All-Star for the third straight year. Lisa will graduate from Laurier as their all-time leading scorer. As well she is the all-time leading goal scorer for the OUA and CIAU.