BURLINGTON, Ont. - Laurier men's golfer Matthew Whitehead has been named an OUA Athlete of the Week along with Guelph women's golfer Ela Jones, Waterloo Warriors men's hockey forward Kyle Morey, and Nipissing Lakers women's soccer forward Hannah Neville for the period ending October 18, 2026.

The fifth-year student-athlete and first-year BEd grad student, from Cambridge, Ont. captured the OUA men's individual championship and led the defending champion Golden Hawks to a bronze-medal finish at the OUA championships in Ottawa.

Whitehead opened the tournament with a bogey-free 68 (-4) before battling cold and windy conditions on Sunday to card a 76 and finish at even par, one stroke ahead of Brock's Robbie Pemberton and Western's Tyler Bunker.

The veteran's gold-medal performance helped Laurier secure an automatic berth in the 2027 Canadian University/College Championship and gave the Golden Hawks back-to-back OUA men's individual champions for the first time in program history.

Whitehead is the second Golden Hawks student-athlete to receive this recognition after running back Tayshaun Jackson in late August.

More information about this week's award recipients can be found at oua.ca