St. Paul Regional High School celebrated the achievements of its student athletes at last Tuesday’s Athletic Awards, with Hayley Smid and Nicholas Lupul taking home MVP awards.
St. Paul Regional Athletic Director Hank Smid said he looks forward to the event all year long, as the 110 student athletes at Regional deserve recognition for their efforts.
“I don’t coach all these sports, so I get to see parents and students from different sports that I may not be involved with directly,” he said of the event. “To honour and recognize them for the achievements they’ve accomplished over this past year is something that I think is very important for us to do.”
The MVP award is determined by a points system that combines the number of sports a student competes in with how well the student or team did in each sport, and Smid said this year saw a great deal of competition from younger students, as Nicholas Lupul, in Grade 11, picked up the boys MVP while Grade 10’s Logan Hellquist finished as runner up. Haley Smid, Grade 12, collected the female MVP award, with Grade 10 Marissa Muench finishing just behind her in points.
“It really comes down to the number of sports you participate in and how far you go in those sports. For the boys I think it was a five point spread, and for the girls it was a 10 point spread,” said Hank, adding the local junior high schools have done a great job in preparing athletes for the senior high level.
“Our feeder schools Racette and Glen Avon have worked very hard with their athletes and we’re looking forward to them coming to our school.”
Hayley competed in seven different sports this season, and thanked all of the coaches - like her father Hank - for their efforts each school year, and for encouraging every student athlete to thrive.
“All of the coaches put in so much time and effort into what they do. We don’t see half of what they do. Most of it is organizing tournaments and getting the bus ready and filling out logs. Not only that, but they really encourage you as an individual to be the best that you can be,” she said, adding being coached by her father has been a rewarding experience. “As a coach’s kid, there’s always a high expectation. Having those expectations have helped me thrive as an individual and really push myself to new heights in the sports that I compete in.”
Lupul competed in four sports this school year, but said his favourite to play is basketball. Lupul added it was an honour to take home the MVP title in his Grade 11 year, and the celebrated local athlete is looking forward to returning to the Saints next year.
“It’s pretty cool. It’d be cool to get (MVP) again next year,” he said, adding while the Saints basketball team had a tough year, next season looks very promising.
“We had a bit of a tough year. We only had two or three Grade 12s, but next year we’re really going to pick it up,” said Lupul.
Hank said it was a particularly special year for St. Paul Regional athletics, as 13 female athletes represented the Saints at the Nike High School Grand Prix in Toronto in May.
“I think we’re going to see the fruit of that experience in the years to come. Although we took quite a few Grade 12s, we made sure we took Grade 11s and 10s because we know that’s only going to increase the interest in track and field,” he said.
He thanked the school’s graduating athletes for their work, while bidding them farewell. “We wish all our athletes and our Grade 12s all the best in the years to come.”
Female – Hayley Smid
Male – Nick Lupul
Most Valuable Player, Female - Randi Drummond
Most Valuable Player, Male – Spencer Robertson
Female Most Outstanding Performance – Chanelle Gagne
Male Most Outstanding Performance – Nick Lupul
Rookie of the Year, Female – Madison Trottier
Rookie of the Year, Male – Logan Hellquist
Most Valuable Player – Brendan McKay
Most Valuable Player – C Romanovich
Most Sportsmanlike – Cy Romanovich
Most Improved – Nathaniel Skyrpan
Rookie of the Year – Jeremie Pasitiney
Character Award – R.J. Concepcion
Most Valuable Player – Hayley Smid
Most Improved – Katy Wychopen
Rookie of the Year – Madi Watt
Character Award – Brooke Mulkay
Heart Award – Teisha Ouellette
Rookie of the Year – Jamie Kuzma
Most Sportsmanlike – Baxter Bailey
Most Improved – Brandon Roberge
Character Award – Adam Tymko
Most Valuable Player – Nick Lupul
Most Improved – Romeo Cardines
Rookie of the Year – Jeremie Pasitiney
Most Valuable Player – Hannah Porozni
Heart & Dedication Award – Kayla Yacyshyn
Most Improved – Madison Mahdiuk
Rookie of the Year – Madi Watt
Most Outstanding Female Performance – Randi Drummond
Most Outstanding Male Performance – Mikeal Beaudoin
MVP Female Performance – Nicole Kitt
MVP Male Performance – Nick Nupul
Rookie of the Year, Female – Madison Trottier
Rookie of the Year, Male – Logan Hellquist
Most Improved Female – Autumn Poliakwski
Most Improved Male – Dmitri Krys
Character Award – Katy Wychopen
Heart Award Female – Hayley Smid
Heart Award Male – Nick Nupul
1. Randi Drummond 1. Taylor Joly
2. Katy Wychopen 2. Dylon Machura
3. Teisha Ouellette 3. Demitri Krys
4. Brooke Mulkay 4. Brady Couts
5. Chanelle Gagne 5. Brendan McKay
6. Nicole Kitt 6. Brandon Roberge
7. Hayley Smid 7. Cy Romanovich
