Broncos Celebrate the 2024-25 Season with Awards Night

With only the CCRA Rodeo Finals left for the 2024-25 season, the Olds College Broncos celebrated the year with a final awards night before the semester ended. It was a celebratory night to recap all the accomplishments of the teams, individual athletes and the community partners who are essential to the Broncos.

Before the awards began, 19 game day staff, game day photographer Abbey Iverson and Broncos community partners were recognized for their important role in making the season successful.

The athletic awards began with the Academic Student-Athlete Awards, recognizing outstanding academic performance by Broncos athletes who completed the fall term with at least a 4.0 GPA. Peter Mal, Vice President of Student Experience, presented this award to Caitlin Paul (women's basketball), Brooke Jeffreys (rodeo), Kaycee Conan (women's volleyball),  Quinn Cabay (women's basketball), Simon Puddibombe (men's soccer and futsal) and Tayla Trudzik (women's soccer and futsal). 

After an impressive debut season, Alyssa Keyes of the women's soccer team was named the 2024-25 Broncos Female Rookie of the Year. Immediately making an impact, she became a key starter, earning her several player of the game accolades and leading the team with three assists. Keyes also earned recognition as second in total goals scored this season.

Oliver Kristoffersen won the Male Rookie of the Year award. Hailing from Denmark, Kristoffersen excelled in his first year in the ACAC while maintaining a 3.9 GPA. As team captain in his first year, he demonstrated strong leadership and averaged eight points, four assists and three rebounds per game.  

Lexi Lafreniere's standout performance and leadership were the backbone of the women's volleyball team this year, earning her the Female Impact Player of the Year award. A consistent threat week to week, Lafreniere led the team in total offence and had a career-high performance, tallying 133 kills, 19 aces and 16 blocks. On top of her incredible performance, Lafreniere has remained an integral cultural cornerstone for the program. Her work ethic, leadership and character have left an impact on the Broncos and the community. 

Strahinja Lazarevic (aka Laza) was awarded Male Impact Player of the Year. After being tasked with the difficult role of playing multiple positions (outside, opposite and middle) to fill in where needed on the men's volleyball team, Laza maintained a high level of performance, earning 68 kills, five aces, 45 digs and 22 stuff blocks. As team captain, he exemplified what it took to get back to the ACAC Championships and what it means to be a Bronco, while leaving everything on the floor to lift his teammates to success. 

The Female Athlete of the Year was awarded to Delanie Barrette, who took the title for both soccer and futsal, with incredible seasons in both. Playing nine of 12 games this season, she made 85 saves. Barrette's performance earned her the accolade of being the ACAC South Women's All-Conference goaltender. Her leadership, composure and relentless desire to improve were key factors in the team's success.

Matheus Franca, outside hitter for the men's volleyball team, was awarded the Male Athlete of the Year award. In his final year as a Bronco, Franca ensured he went out on top. Ranking fifth in the league with 225 kills this season, he secured his third ACAC all-star award. In addition, he had 18 service aces, 97 digs, 26 stuff blocks and an overall personal contribution of 269 points scored — once again, fifth overall in the league. His incredible performance led the team to the ACAC Championships this year. 

Finally, this season, a new award was introduced – the Forever a Bronco Award – designed to show appreciation for the hard work done by those behind the scenes in the athletics department. This year's recipient was Trina Radcliffe, who poured her heart into the Olds College athletics department for seven and a half years. 

The evening gave the opportunity for all our athletes and supporters to have a spotlight shone on the contributions this organization makes, both within Olds College and the greater community. Finishing strong on all fronts, the majority of the Broncos have now seen their season come to an end, except for the Rodeo team who will be competing at the CFRA Finals this May in Rimbey, Alta. to finish the 2024-25 Broncos season.

Female Overall Award Winners

Male Overall Award Winners

Athlete of the Year