The Nanaimo Sport Achievement Awards mark a milestone year with another slate of top-notch sport achievers.
The 20th awards gala will be held this Friday, Feb. 21, at the Coast Bastion Inn.
The three people who represented Nanaimo at the Olympic games last summer are all finalists for awards, with hammer thrower Ethan Katzberg in the running for Sports Story of the Year, Olivia Lundman and teammate Evan Dunfee up for Partners of the Year, and volleyball coach Abe Avender in the running for High-Performance Coach of the Year.
The finalists for Male Team Athlete of the Year are Cavalry FC soccer player Callum Montgomery, VIU hockey player Brock Palmer and Nanaimo NightOwls baseball player Wylie Waters. In the Female Team Athlete of the Year category, the finalists are VIU soccer player Jade Dillabough, VIU volleyball player Aimee Skinner and Harbourside FC soccer player Jazmine Wilkinson.
For Male Individual Athlete of the Year, finalists are cyclist and runner Ross Greenwood, pro wrestler Mat Maverick and weightlifter Tyler Ollech. The Female Individual Athlete of the Year finalists are runner and triathlete Emily Bugoy, jiu-jitsu athlete Breanne Dyck and gymnast Mylah Vanden Elsen.
For Junior Male Team Athlete of the Year, the finalists are Nanaimo Seahawks football player Xavier Inscho, Dover Bay Dolphins basketball player Frank Linder and Wellington Wildcats b-ball player Grayson Ritzand. Junior Female Team Athlete of the Year finalists include Nanaimo Timbermen lacrosse player Maddie Palmer, Cedar Spartans volleyball player Chloe Place and Nanaimo Christian School Trail Blazers grad Elizabeth Rocha.
Up for Junior Male Individual Athlete of the Year are track and field athlete Rhys Beaudoin, rower Cameron Catton-Cox and downhill mountain biker Ryder Wilson. Among Junior Female Individual Athlete of the Year finalists, the finalists are badminton player Cathrina Cong, gymnast Blake Fudge and skateboarder Evie Pritchard.
Masters Athlete of the Year finalists are swimmers Karlene Clapham and Christina Pendergast and triathlete Tony Sweet.
The other Partners of the Year finalists aside from Lundman and Dunfee are paddlers Samantha Manlow and Norah Box and bowlers Lornita Phillips and Jessica McGee.
Team of the Year finalists include VIU Hockey, the VanIsle Masters artistic swim team and the junior B2 Nanaimo Timbermen. Junior Team of the Year finalists are the Dover Bay Dolphins senior boys' basketball team, the Nanaimo District Islanders 4x400m relay team and the Wellington Wildcats golf team.
High-performance Coach of the Year finalists are Avender, Shawn Arabsky from the V.I. Raiders and Chris Jones from VIU Hockey. Grassroots Coach of the Year finalists are Dave Forrester for Special Olympics, Brian Lennox for golf and basketball and Shawn Swanson for lacrosse. Up for Sport Administrator of the Year are Tyler Heisterman of the Nanaimo Track and Field Club, Gord Nowicki from the VIU Mariners hockey team and Brande Terris from the junior B2 Timbermen. Official of the Year finalists are Wyatt Brand for hockey, Jacoby Krassman for lacrosse and Jason Vance for baseball.
In addition to Katzberg's Olympic gold, the other Sports Story of the Year finalists are the Barsby Bulldogs playing their first season on their new home turf, and Brechin Lanes closing after decades of community impact.
