University of Laval sprinter Audrey Leduc and University of Montreal quarterback Jonathan Sénécal were named the winners of the Lois and Doug Mitchell Awards as the U Sports Athletes of the Year on Monday at a ceremony in Calgary.
Leduc and Sénécal were presented with a trophy and a $5,000 scholarship to attend a Canadian university graduate school.
Commemorative gold rings were given to all eight nominees, who consisted of one female and male athlete from each of the four U Sports conferences.
Leduc of Gatineau, Que., was named the top U Sports track athlete for 2023-24 after winning every race in her specialty, the 60-metre dash, during her fourth season with the Rouge et Or. The 25-year-old holds national records in the 100 and 200 metres.
WATCH l Watch the 2024 U Sports Athletes of the Year Awards:
Watch the 2024 U Sports Athletes of the Year awards show from Calgary.
Sénécal, a third-year player from Mirabel, Que., led the Carabins to their second Vanier Cup title in program history last fall and won the Ted Morris Trophy as the game’s most valuable player. He also took home this year’s Hec Crighton Trophy as the most outstanding player in U Sports football.
The 24-year-old led the RSEQ in all major statistical passing categories, including a program-record 15 touchdown passes. He threw for 2,215 passing yards — the second highest total in school history — while completing nearly 70 per cent of his passes. His four interceptions were the fewest among starting RSEQ quarterbacks in 2023.
WATCH | Carabins take down UBC Thunderbirds in Vanier Cup:
Montreal beats the University of British Columbia 16-9 to capture the second Vanier Cup in their school’s history. The Carabins last won the national championship game in 2014.
The winners were selected by the Canadian Athletic Foundation, a not-for-profit board established to administer the awards and protect the integrity of the selection process.
The other female finalists were UNB basketball player Jayda Veinot of Port Williams, N.S.; Brock volleyball player Sara Rohr of Milton, Ont., and UBC soccer player Katalin Tolnai of Toronto.
The other male nominees were UNB hockey player Austen Keating of Puslinch, Ont.; Guelph runner Max Davies of Toronto; and Alberta volleyballer Isaac Heslinga of Orangeville, Ont.
This is the third time that Quebec has swept top honours, following 1999 (Corinne Swirsky of Concordia, Alexandre Marchand of Sherbrooke) and 2012 (Ann-Sophie Bettez and Marc-André Dorion, both of McGill).