HAMILTON, Ont. — The McMaster Marauders athletic community came together to celebrate the 2025–26 season at the 102nd annual Marauder Student-Athlete Awards Show, recognizing excellence in athletic performance, leadership, and community impact across varsity programs.

The special event, hosted at Hamilton's Liuna Station, honoured student-athletes who made a lasting impact both in competition and in the McMaster community, highlighting another successful year for Marauder Athletics.

The Ivor Wynne Award for Male Athlete of the Year was presented to wrestler Blayne Helou following a dominant season in the 61kg weight class. Helou captured both OUA and U SPORTS gold medals and showcased his dominance by spending less than two minutes on the mat across four matches at the OUA Championships. He also won the FISU Trials, earning the opportunity to represent Team Canada. A team captain, Helou's leadership and consistency set the standard throughout the season.

The Thérèse Quigley Award for Female Athlete of the Year went to wrestler Serena Di Benedetto after a flawless 2025-26 campaign. Competing in the 53kg weight class, Di Benedetto went undefeated without conceding a single point, winning every match by pin or technical superiority. Her performance earned OUA and U SPORTS gold medals, a Guelph Open title, and a berth to the FISU World Combat Games representing Team Canada.

More than 400 McMaster student-athletes spanning 30 varsity teams were in attendance, alongside VIP's, coaches, student volunteers, university leadership, support staff, and media.

Adam Van Koeverden ('07), Canada's Secretary of State for Sport, delivered opening remarks to set the stage for an evening of celebration. 

The Joyce Wignall Award, recognizing outstanding community engagement, was awarded to the McMaster Men's Rugby team. Through their Movember campaign, the team raised $85,000 over three years, including $35,740 in 2025. Their impact extended beyond fundraising through campus initiatives, guest speakers, tournaments, and partnerships with campus organizations. Their efforts earned national recognition with a Team Movember Award nomination.

The Les Prince Award was presented to Women's Soccer student-athlete Megan Soo. Serving as President of the Women's Athletic Leadership Committee, Soo played a key role in organizing initiatives such as the Women's Empowerment Game and Women's Day Breakfast while representing student-athletes through multiple leadership groups. Her commitment to community service extended to coaching athletes with developmental disabilities and volunteering across the Hamilton community.

The Bruce Cochrane Award went to former Women's Swimming student-athlete Naeva Scott Bouris. A former team captain and Varsity Leadership Committee Executive, Scott Bouris helped organize Marauder Mental Health Week, led team initiatives, and supported outreach efforts across the department. Her leadership helped create a more connected and supportive student-athlete community.

The Mel & Marilyn Hawkrigg Rookie of the Year Awards recognized three outstanding first-year performers. Tayler Scott (Women's Basketball) earned OUA Rookie Team and U SPORTS All-Rookie honours while averaging a double-double and setting multiple McMaster rookie records. Shalagh Guha (Women's Soccer) was named U SPORTS Rookie of the Year, OUA West Rookie of the Year, and a First Team All-Star after starting all 16 matches. Chanjot Kang (Wrestling) captured U SPORTS gold in the 125kg weight class after earning OUA silver, securing U SPORTS Rookie of the Year honours.

Outstanding Graduate Awards were presented to Abby Delamere and Amir Shirazi for their exceptional careers. Delamere, a three-year captain of the women's volleyball team, earned both the OUA and U SPORTS Therese Quigley Awards for community service while also being named an OUA Third Team All-Star. Shirazi capped his men's soccer career as an OUA West First Team All-Star and U SPORTS Second Team All-Canadian, finishing third in OUA scoring and ranking among the program's all-time leaders.

Keenan Jeppesen, Director of Athletics & Recreation, presented the Director's Award to Rowing student-athlete Sarah Oresnik, in recognition of their breadth of influence beyond competition. Over the course of their time at McMaster, they have served in numerous leadership roles, mentored younger student-athletes, and helped foster a culture of care, belonging, and inclusion. They were a founding member of LAAG, the LGBTQ2SIA+ Athletic Advocacy Group, helped champion more inclusive spaces and programming within Athletics & Recreation, and created opportunities for others to feel supported, welcome, and seen.

Throughout the evening, McMaster Athletics also recognized team successes, individual honours, and student-athletes who earned conference and national accolades across the 2025-26 season.

The annual celebration once again highlighted the dedication, leadership, and excellence of Marauder student-athletes, bringing the McMaster community together to recognize another memorable year. 


Photos from the 102nd Marauder Student-Athlete Awards Show can be found here.


Major Awards
Joyce Wignall Award (Team Community Service) - Men's Rugby
Bruce Cochrane Award (Outstanding Service to Athletics) - Naeva Scott Bouris (Arts & Science)
Les Prince Award (Individual Leadership & Community Service) - Megan Soo (Women's Soccer, Biology)
Mel & Marilyn Hawkrigg Award (Female Rookie of the Year) - Co-Winners, Tayler Scott (Women's Basketball, Humanities), Shalagh Guha (Women's Soccer, Engineering)
Mel & Marilyn Hawkrigg Award (Male Rookie of the Year) - Chanjot Kang (Wrestling, Social Sciences)
Outstanding Female Graduate Award - Abby Delamere (Women's Volleyball, Biochemistry)
Dr. Ray Johnson Award (Outstanding Male Graduate) - Amir Shirazi (Men's Soccer)
Director's Award - Sarah Oresnik (Rowing, PhD - Anthropology)
Therese Quigley Award (Female Athlete of the Year) - Serena Di Benedetto (Wrestling, Humanities)
Ivor Wynne Award (Male Athlete of the Year) - Blayne Helou (Wrestling, Engineering)

Team MVP's
Badminton (Men's) - Alex Zhang
Badminton (Women's) - Cindy Zhao
Baseball - Aidan Webb
Basketball (Men's) - Ares Culley-Bremner
Basketball (Women's) - Sophia Urosevic
Cross Country (Men's) - Iain Thomson
Cross Country (Women's) - Sophie Trott
Curling (Men's) - Scott McLellan
Curling (Women's) - Clara Dissanayake
Fast Pitch - Lyza Gilbert
Fencing (Men's) - Jeremy Shi
Fencing (Women's) - Emma Allen
Field Hockey - Darcie Brohman
Figure Skating - Lily Carbray
Football-Offense - Everett Reid
Football-Defense - Sean Underhill
Football-Special Teams - Michael Horvat
Golf (Men's) - Matthew Martel
Golf (Women's) - Kaylee Jeon
Lacrosse (Men's) - Nolan Power
Lacrosse (Women's) - Vanessa Winney
Nordic Ski (Men's) - David Harris
Nordic Ski (Women's) - Ingrid Pedersen
Rowing (Men's) - Connor Kelly
Rowing (Women's) - Sarah Oresnik
Rugby (Men's) - Aiden Kendall
Rugby (Women's) - Verena Marsig
Soccer (Men's) - Amir Shirazi
Soccer (Women's) - Jade Abreo
Squash (Men's) - David Elyahky
Squash (Women's) - Terra Poon Tip
Swimming (Men's) - Hayden Yeung
Swimming (Women's) - Michelle Wang
Tennis (Men's) - Tristan Brindley
Tennis (Women's) - Anika Yap
Track (Men's) - Sam Patrick
Track (Women's) - Olivia MacAskill
Volleyball (Men's) - Matthew Rugosi
Volleyball (Women's) - Olivia Julien
Water Polo (Men's) - Ryder McCann
Water Polo (Women's) - Karima Al-Aoussi
Wrestling (Men's) - Blayne Helou
Wrestling (Women's) - Serena Di Benedetto

Silhouette Awards
Underrated Team of the Year - Women's Wrestling 
Breakout Student-Athlete of the Year - Sam Patrick (Cross Country/Track, Mechanical Engineering)
Individual Performance of the Year - Chajot Kang (Wrestling, Social Sciences)

VLC Marauder Matchup Challenge
1st - Field Hockey
2nd - Women's Soccer
3rd - Women's Rugby