Paton, Noschang named Broncos Athletes of the Year

Olds College Sports Information
April 10, 2024

OLDS, Alta. - Soccer and futsal dominated the major award selections at the Olds College Broncos held their annual Awards Night on Tuesday, as Tiona Paton (Morinville, Alta. / Bachelor of Applied Science - Agribusiness) and Pedro Noschang (Novo Hamburgo, BRA / Business Management) were named the 2023-24 Broncos Female and Male Athletes of the Year, respectively.

It's Paton's second consecutive Broncos Female Athlete of the Year selection, and it was earned after the third-year striked secured ACAC South All-Conference selections in both soccer and futsal, scoring a combined 27 goals in 25 matches between the two sports. For her career, Paton has two All-Conference selections in women's soccer, while the 2023-24 season was the first time the ACAC awarded All-Conference selections in futsal.

On the men's side, Noschang was a force for the Broncos in both sports, but particularly in futsal where he scored nine goals across 14 matches as he became the inaugural ACAC South Men's Futsal Player of the Year. He built on that recognition by being selected to the Second All-Tournament Team at the 2024 ACAC Men's Futsal Championship in Lac La Biche, where the Broncos earned a bronze medal.

Joining Noschang on the Second All-Tournament Team in Lac La Biche was Simon Puddicombe (Whitecourt, Alta. / Sports Management), who picked up the Broncos Male Rookie of the Year award after scoring 15 goals in 15 matches, including four goals in five matches in Lac La Biche.

On the women's side, Alyssa Wachniak (St. Albert, Alta. / Open Studies) completed the futsal haul by earning Female Rookie of the Year honours in a season where she took significant strides on the pitch and on the court, scoring five goals in 13 futsal matches while also providing a formidable defensive presence.

The Broncos also honoured their student-athletes' commitment to academics, athletics and the community through the Broncos Impact Athlete of the Year awards. Women's volleyball captain Lexi Lafreniere (Calgary, Alta. / Equine Reproduction Technician) was named the Female Impact Athlete of the Year for her leadership on the court and volunteer coaching the women's volleyball summer camp program while also taking the lead on a collaborative program with mental health services on campus.

Corbin MacMillan (Youngstown, Alta. / Agricommerce) was named the Male Impact Athlete of the Year as the second-year men's basketball player was recognized for his extensive volunteer efforts with camps, gym classes and events at various schools in Olds, as well as spending his summers working with youth and church basketball for kids and adults to help foster their love of the game year-round.

The Broncos also celebrated academic excellence as a total of 11 student-athletes shared the honour of being Academic Student-Athletes of the Year after registering identical 4.0 GPA's in the fall semester.

Finally, the Broncos also introduced a pair of new awards in the Saddle Up Spirit Award, which was won by Kimberley Dunn and Kristy Hartt, the co-chairs of the 2024 ACAC Men's Volleyball Championship, as well as the Nu2U Community Spirit Scholarships, which were won by Matheus Franca (Men's Volleyball), Sydney Jack (Women's Hockey), Corbin MacMillan (Men's Basketball) and Rhett Tattrie (Rodeo). 

Team Awards

Women's Basketball
Rookie of the Year - Sharlese Weigum
Impact Athlete of the Year - Meghan Swartz
Athlete of the Year - Caitlin Paul

Men's Basketball
Rookie of the Year - Logan Bennett
Impact Athlete of the Year - Corbin MacMillan
Athlete of the Year - Gurech Gurech

Women's Futsal
Rookie of the Year - Alyssa Wachniak
Impact Athlete of the Year - Kaia Galuska
Athlete of the Year - Tiona Paton

Men's Futsal
Rookie of the Year - Simon Puddicombe
Impact Athlete of the Year - Tristen Fraser
Athlete of the Year - Pedro Noschang

Women's Hockey
Rookie of the Year - Jenay Hyndman
Impact Athlete of the Year - Sydney Jack
Athlete of the Year - Sydney Jack

Rodeo
Women's Rookie of the Year - Gracie Piper
Men's Rookie of the Year - Randy Leibel
Women's Impact Athlete of the Year - Hailey Holtkamp
Men's Impact Athlete of the Year - Rhett Tattrie
Women's Athlete of the Year - Becky Bradley
Men's Athlete of the Year - Brayden Byrne

Women's Soccer
Rookie of the Year - Brynn Smith
Impact Athlete of the Year - Shelbee Stebanuk
Athlete of the Year - Tiona Paton

Men's Soccer
Rookie of the Year - Iyinoluwa Emmanuel Oyeleye
Impact Athlete of the Year - Michael Authenac
Athlete of the Year - Cristian Zorro

Women's Volleyball
Rookie of the Year - Kristen Pauls
Impact Athlete of the Year - Lexi Lafreniere
Athlete of the Year - Dani Bryant

Men's Volleyball
Rookie of the Year - Carter Sinclair
Impact Athlete of the Year - Matheus Franca
Rob "Skip" Meckling Award - Reed Grusing
Athletes of the Year - Matheus Franca, Aidyn Phillips

Overall Awards

Female Academic Student-Athletes of theYear
Dani Bryant, Volleyball
Kaycee Conan, Volleyball
Kristen Dyck, Basketball
Tatum Gower, Soccer/Futsal
Jessie Kurek, Soccer/Futsal
Sarah Merkosky, Volleyball
Caitlin Paul, Basketball
Kate Will, Hockey

Male Academic Student-Athletes of the Year
Iyinoluwa Emmanuel Oyeleye, Soccer/Futsal
Simon Puddicombe, Soccer/Futsal
Sebastian Rezeanu, Soccer/Futsal

Female Rookie of the Year
Alyssa Wachniak, Futsal

Male Rookie of the Year
Simon Puddicombe, Futsal

Female Impact Athlete of the Year
Lexi Lafreniere, Volleyball

Male Impact Athlete of the Year
Corbin MacMillan, Basketball

Female Athlete of the Year
Tiona Paton, Soccer/Futsal

Male Athlete of the Year
Pedro Noschang, Futsal