Confederation College Recognizes Athletic Achievements

THUNDER BAY, ON, March 29, 2023 – The Student Union of Confederation College Inc. (SUCCI) held its Confederation Thunderhawks Athletic Awards on March 28, 2023. The annual event recognized the athletic & academic accomplishments of our local and regional athletes and coaches. 

Thunderhawks Women’s Cross-Country Athlete, Jamie Kovacic, was crowned Female Athlete of the Year for the second year in a row.  Thunder Bay’s Kovacic is graduating from of the Registered Practical Nursing program.  She demonstrated her true athletic spirit, enthusiasm, and dedication for athletics with her commitment to the Thunderhawks Cross Country Running program.  At the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association’s (OCAA) Provincial Championships, hosted by Confederation College, Jamie’s performance qualified her to compete at the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association’s (CCAA) National Championships in Medicine Hat, AB.  She has also received the Thunderhawks Cross Country Running Team MVP award & the OCAA Honour Award.

Captain of the Thunderhawks Men’s Indoor Soccer team, Luke Giroux, was the recipient of this year’s Male Athlete of the Year award.  Giroux, who hails from Thunder Bay, has been an integral member of the team for a combined 3 years. He has demonstrated leadership, mentorship, and soccer ability, and is graduating from the Environmental Engineering program. He is also the recipient of this year’s Thunderhawks Men’s Indoor Soccer Team MVP award. 

Varsity Athletic & Sport Team MVPs were awarded to Matthew Cho-Chu (Golf), Madeline Sdao (Women’s Indoor Soccer), Luke Giroux (Men’s Indoor Soccer), Jamie Kovacic (Cross Country Running), and Sean Maurik (Mixed Curling).

Robin Gathercole, graduating from the Aerospace Manufacturing Engineering Technology program, was this year’s D.A.R. Bradshaw Athletic Achievement Award recipient, presented to a graduating student, demonstrating the most improvement in and contribution to athletics, and whose quality of spirit and competitive drive contributed to the overall success of the College athletic program.  Gathercole had held the position of SUCCI Director of Athletics for 2 years and has been elected, by his peers, as the incoming SUCCI President.  He is also a member of the Thunderhawks Cross Country Running team for 2 years.

OCAA All Academic Awards (achieving honour roll status in the Fall semester), were presented to Robin Gathercole (Cross-Country Running), Aden Cormier (Cross-Country Running) & Matthew Cho-Chu (Golf).

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Confederation College has been serving the citizens of northwestern Ontario since 1967 meeting the educational needs of students in a catchment area of some 550,000 square kilometres. Along with its main campus in Thunder Bay, Confederation College has seven regional sites located in Dryden, Fort Frances, Greenstone, Kenora, Marathon, Sioux Lookout and Red Lake, as well as a growing Distance Education division.

Confederation College delivers exceptional education and training to an average of 4,800 combined full- and part-time students per year and currently has a total of 600 full- and part-time employees. Confederation’s regional economic impact and contribution is valued at $703.3 million annually.

For more information, please contact:

For more information, please contact Susan Tucker, Administrator, Athletics & Recreation @ 624.7498