The University of Ottawa wrapped up another strong year in varsity sport last Thursday night with the annual Gee-Gees Athletics Banquet, celebrating the achievements of student-athletes across all programs. Among the night’s top honourees was Ottawa Lions thrower Jessica Gyamfi, who capped a record-breaking season by being named the Varsity Garnet Female Athlete of the Year.
Gyamfi, a third-year nursing student, enjoyed the most successful season of her young career. She climbed the podium at both major championship meets, earning OUA silver and U SPORTS bronze in the shot put. Along the way, she rewrote the Gee-Gees record books, setting new program bests in both the shot put (13.85m) and weight throw (15.98m). She was also named the Team MVP for Women’s Track and Field.
On the men’s side, the Track and Field MVP honours went to William Harris, a second-year biomedical science student from John McCrae Secondary School. Harris was a key member of the Gee-Gees’ OUA silver medal-winning 4x400m relay team, which posted a time of 3:16.42—the third-fastest in program history. He also set personal bests in every sprint event from 60 to 400 metres and now ranks inside the top-10 all-time for both the 200m (22.37) and 400m (49.40).
In cross country, Melina Hamel earned Women’s Team MVP honours after leading the Gee-Gees at each major race of the season. The third year law student was the top scorer at the Hoffman Invitational, Capital XC Challenge, and the OUA Championships, where she placed 34th overall in a time of 31:03.8 over 8km.
For the men’s squad, Zach Sikka was named Cross Country MVP. A steady performer throughout the fall, Sikka was the team’s second scorer at the Hoffman Invitational and top finisher at the OUA Championships, clocking 26:36.3 to place 44th over 8km.
First-year middle-distance runner Safwan El Mansari was also among the evening’s award finalists. Nominated for Rookie of the Year, El Mansari was a key contributor on the track, running on the OUA silver medal-winning 4x400m relay team and delivering strong individual results in both the 600m and 1000m. He emerged as the Gee-Gees’ top performer in both events this season, placing seventh in the 600m at the OUA Championships and recording a time in the 1000m that ranks third in program history. El Mansari capped his debut campaign with a sixth-place finish in the 4x400m relay at U SPORTS Championships.
Recognized for her success in both the classroom and on the track, fourth-year Human Kinetics student Vienna Courteau was a finalist for the prestigious President’s Award, which honours the top academic-athletic performers across all Gee-Gees teams. Courteau, who boasts a GPA of 8.9 and has already been accepted into a masters program at the University of Ottawa, enjoyed a breakthrough season in the pentathlon. She placed eighth at the U SPORTS Championships and set a personal-best 3495 points to place fifth at OUAs—ranking her fourth all-time in Gee-Gees history. Courteau also added personal bests in five other events this season, including the second-best long jump ever recorded by a Gee-Gee.
For a full list of the evening’s award winners, please visit the Gee-Gees website.