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TOP 10 ATHLETES

We’ve been keeping an eye on these athletes for a year, and now we recognize them for their achievements.

1)Tessa Dmitrakopoulos

Position: Women’s soccer forward

Program:

General Arts, 1st year

Charged With… Sniping too many goals

Achievements: 2006 OUA First Team East All Star

2006 OUA East Rookie of the Year

Why we chose her: Dmitrakopoulos scored the fifth most goals in the country this year. She also won top rookie honours and led the Rams women’s soccer team to its first playoff berth. Did we mention that she’s a rookie? Watch for this phenom to develop into one of Canada’s best young women’s soccer players.

2) Ryan Vandenburg

Position: Men’s volleyball right-side hitter

Program: Urban and Regional Planning, 5th year

Charged With… Committing too many kills.

Achievements:

Three-time Ryerson Athlete of the Year

Two-time CIS All-Canadian

Two-time OUA Most Valuable Player

Why we chose him: The seemingly obvious choice for number one, Snake by far has put Ryerson athletics on the map. However, he’s knocked down to number two because of a slow start this season and the potential he has to completely dominate men’s volleyball in Canada.

3) Kevin Li

Program: Public Administration and Governance, 1st year

Charged With… Smashing too many bird-ies

Achievements: OUA Badminton Rookie of the Year, 2006 OUA All Star, 2006

Finished with an 8-2 overall record

Why we chose him: Competing in one of Ryerson’s lesser known sports, Kevin Li is making a name for himself. The badminton star who ended his season with an 8-2 record picked up Ryerson’s second OUA Rookie of the Year award in the last two years after Anders Olesen won the award in 2005.

4) Oleh Kovalchuk

Position: Men’s volleyball left-side hitter

Program: Public Administration and Governance, 2nd year

Charged With… Possession of a deadly serve.

Achievements: 2005-2006 OUA Rookie of the Year, 2005-2006 Ryerson Rookie of the Year, 2005-2006 CIS all-rookie team selection

Why we chose him: Kovalchuk is consistently getting better from year to year, his passing game improving dramatically this year to complement his serving, which is already considered tops in Canada.

5) Boris Bakovic

Position: Men’s basketball forward

Program: Business Management, 1st year

Charged With… Shooting the lights out.

Achievements: Leads the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging over 15 points a game and about 10 rebounds a game.

Why we chose him: Boris convinced us he’s the real deal when he picked up a double-double in his first game as a Ram with 16 rebounds. Although the young Ryerson squad has only won a single game this year, with Bakovic at the forefront of the new recruiting class they will surely be in good hands for several years to come.

6) Jen Williams

Position: Women’s volleyball power

Program: Hospitality and Tourism Management, 2nd year

Charged With… Assault with a spike.

Achievements: 2005-2006 Ryerson Rookie Athlete of the Year, Leads the team with 109 kills and 126 points.

Why we chose her: When it comes to the Rams’ offense, it’s most likely going to go through Williams. She is the team’s offensive backbone, and is essentially carrying the team to its 3-7 record. In just her second year at Ryerson, Williams will be the player that coach Bob Cholette will build his team around for years to come.

7) Kevin Krasnowski

Position: Men’s hockey forward

Program: Radio and Television Arts, 2nd year

Charged With… Administering the big hits.

Achievements: Team assistant captain Team’s most valuable player and rookie of the year last year.

Why we chose him: Although he may not be the team’s leading scorer, Krasnoswki plays with an incredible amount of heart and is the team’s true leader, doing whatever it takes to win.

8) Matt Fugard

Position: Men’s volleyball middle

Program: Early Childhood Education, 3rd year

Charged With… Breaking hearts — on and off the court.

Achievements: 2005-2006 Rams Most Valuable Player of the Year, 2005-2006 First team OUA All Star.

Why we chose him: One of the more vocal leaders on the team, Fugard always makes his presence felt whether it be on the court or off. Coach Mirek Porosa says that Fugard “always works 200%” and is consistently improving on his blocking skills to help the Rams up the middle.

9) Alex Dabkowski

Program: Architecture, 1st year

Charged With… Assault with an axle-pick.

Achievements: 2006 silver in women’s gold freeskate event at Queen’s Invitational figure skating competition, Gold freeskate dance skills

Why we chose her: Dabkowski has her teammates singing her praises after her performance at the Queen’s Invitational tournament landed her the silver in the women’s gold freeskate. With the Rams hosting the OUA championship this season, Dabkowski will be Ryerson’s hope to medal in the event and represent the university.

10) Suzanne Briggs

Position: Women’s soccer defense

Program Geographic Analysis, 2nd year

Charged With… Robbing her opponents of goals

Achievements: Team captain

Why we chose her: A young veteran in one of Ryerson’s youngest programs, Briggs is the team’s most consistent player. Doing everything from tutoring teammates off the field to keeping the Rams’ defense tough, Briggs is the team’s model athlete. Coach Peyvand Mossavat said if there was an award for most improved player last year, this silent leader would be sure to have won it.

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