Webster and MacMillan - finalists for the Sport BC 2025 Athlete of the Year Awards
Content courtesy of Sport BC
Sport BC is pleased to announce the finalists to be recognized and celebrated at the upcoming 58th Annual Athlete of the Year Awards taking place on Thursday, March 5, 2026, at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. The event, to be hosted by CBC’s Scott Russell, recognizes the province’s best in amateur sport including athletes, coaches, teams, and officials for outstanding performances in their sport in the 2025 season. Each finalist was nominated by their Provincial or Multi-Sport Organization and the Selection Committee, led by long-serving Chair Bernie Pascall, included a diverse group of highly experienced British Columbia amateur sport leaders and media members.
An additional six awards will be presented at the ceremony including the Best of BC, KidSport BC Community Champion, Harry Jerome Comeback, Daryl Thompson Lifetime Achievement Award and In Her Footsteps Honourees and the Bobbie Steen Legacy Foundation Award recipient.
“The Athlete of the Year Awards is a true celebration of sport in our province. The finalists listed below will be honoured at the event and represent exceptional efforts and accomplishments in 2025. We congratulate our finalists and the organizations they represent”, shares Sport BC’s President and CEO, Rob Newman. “We look forward to celebrating as a sector together on Thursday, March 5, 2026, at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. The finalists represent various sports from communities all throughout BC demonstrating the collective strength of our province’s sport sector.”
“Congratulations to all the finalists of the 2025 Athlete of the Year Awards. This is the moment we celebrate your positive contribution to sport and community,” says Anne Kang, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport. “Your commitment inspires those around you and demonstrates the importance of sport in bringing people together to build a stronger, more inclusive future for everyone.”
Official of the Year
Grace Barlow - Ice Hockey, Prince George, BC
Laura MacMillan - Softball, Coquitlam, BC
Stefan Tanaka-Freundt - Soccer, Surrey, BC
Female Coach of the Year
Gina Schmidt - Volleyball, Beaverlodge, AB
Hilary Stellingwerff - Cross Country
Michelle Webster - Softball, Vernon, BC
Male Coach of the Year
Carlo Basso - Soccer, Coquitlam, BC
Jeremy LeBris - Judo, Surrey, BC
Laurier Primeau - Athletics, Surrey, BC
Female Athlete with a Disability
Elise Froese - Wheelchair Basketball, Victoria, BC
Julia Hanes - Para Athletics (Seated-Throw), Vancouver, BC
Maggie Manning - Para Ice Hockey, Salmon Arm, BC
Male Athlete with a Disability
Nate Tucker - Athletics, Victoria, BC
Thomas Venos - Wheelchair Tennis, Anmore, BC
Yorke Parkin - Special Olympics (Alpine), Revelstoke, BC
Junior Female Athlete of the Year
Brooklyn Novak - Archery, Quesnel, BC
Carla Van Zyl - Judo, Prince George, BC
Elly Hoskin - Mountain Bike, Garibaldi Highlands, BC
Junior Male Athlete of the Year
Ethan Wood - Cycling (Mountain Bike), Pemberton, BC
Piers De Greeff - Volleyball, Victoria, BC
Praise Aniamaka - Athletics, Surrey, BC
Senior Female Athlete of the Year
Camryn Rogers - Athletics, Richmond, BC
Holly Ward - Soccer, Vancouver, BC
Sophie DeGoede - Rugby, Victoria, BC
Senior Male Athlete of the Year
Evan Dunfee - Athletics, Richmond, BC
Jackson Goldstone - Mountain Bike (Downhill), Squamish, BC
Reuel D’Souza - Water Polo, Port Moody, BC
Youth Female Athlete of the Year
Adelayde Broadbent - Cheerleading, Burnaby, BC
Anna Huang - Golf, Vancouver, BC
Lily Stroda - Athletics, Kelowna, BC
Youth Male Athlete of the Year
Lowan Le Bris - Judo, Surrey, BC
Lukas Goas - Canoe/Kayak, Vancouver, BC
Simon Junzhee Shan - Fencing, Richmond, BC
Team of the Year
Duchess Park Sr Boys Volleyball
Powell River 15A Hockey Team
University of Victoria Women’s Cross Country
Master Athlete of the Year
Danielle Fauteux - Triathlon, Kamloops, BC
Margie Connors - Diving, Surrey, BC
Shelly Stouffer - Golf, Nanoose Bay, BC
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About Sport BC
Sport BC believes in the power of sport and is committed to building stronger communities through positive sport experiences. Our goal is to enhance and support sport participation in British Columbia ensuring everyone has the opportunity to thrive. Through our KidSport BC, BC Amateur Sport Fund, and BC Women & Sport along with our services Sport BC Insurance, and Payroll and Group Benefits; Sport BC supports our seventy plus member organizations. Keep up to date @SportBC
