Crichton earns U SPORTS All-Canadian recognition

STFX fourth year midfielder Caitlin Cricton from Ottawa, Ont. was named a U SPORTS second team All-Canadian Wednesday night at the banquet in conjunction with the U SPORTS championship in Halifax. One of the most complete central defenders in the AUS this season, X-Women head coach Graham Kennedy noted that she "possesses tremendous defensive range, can defend on all planes, is excellent in 1v1 situations, and has a full complement of attacking tools." Crichton is a three-time AUS all-star, having been named a 1st team all-star in 2024 and 2023, and a 2nd team in 2022. She led the team in scoring this season with 4 points (3G, 1A). This is the first time she has been honoured as a U SPORTS all-Canadian.

Complete awards release from U SPORTS follows

U SPORTS Women's Soccer Awards announced

Alliyah Rowe named U SPORTS Women's Soccer Player of the Year

HALIFAX – Alliyah Rowe, a fifth-year forward from Cape Breton University, was named the U SPORTS player of the year in women's soccer, Wednesday night. Rowe, who is from Kitchener, Ont., becomes the second Caper to take the Chantal Navert Memorial Award, following Sarah Drake in 2002.

Other national award winners announced during the All-Canadian Banquet held in Halifax were Montréal defender Blessing Mayi Kith, who was named rookie of the year; Anna Oliver of Saskatchewan, who won the Student-Athlete Community Service Award; and UBC head coach Jesse Symons, who was honoured by his peers as the Fox40 coach of the year.

The 2024 U SPORTS championship gets underway Thursday at Wickwire Field on the campus of Dalhousie University and culminates Sunday with the national championship game at 3 p.m. Eastern (4 p.m. local time). All 11 games from the eight-team tournament will be webcast live on CBC digital platforms in English and Radio-Canada's digital platforms and ICTou.tv in French.

Official championship website

CHANTAL NAVERT MEMORIAL AWARD (player of the year): Ally Rowe, Cape Breton

Ally Rowe, a fifth-year striker from Kitchener, Ontario, led the Capers to an undefeated campaign and the program's 13th conference championship banner, which made CBU the all-time leader in AUS women's soccer crowns. Rowe, who topped the AUS and U SPORTS in goals (21) and points (23), captured her third consecutive conference MVP award and fifth first-team all-star nod. She also garnered her fourth first-team All-Canadian nod this season.

Rowe, a Bachelor of Arts in Community Studies, Sport and Physical Activity Leadership student, who shattered the single game (6), single season (25) and all-time scoring marks for AUS women's soccer last season, continued to leave her indelible mark on conference history in 2024.

Rowe, a 5 time Academic All-Canadian, has suited up in the highly competitive League 1 Ontario in her home province and has the desire to compete professionally in the future.

Other nominees:

RSEQ: Chloé Renaud (McGill)
OUA: Cassandra Provost (Ottawa)
CW: Ruby Nicholas (Victoria)

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Blessing Mayi Kith, Montréal

Blessing Mayi Kith, a defender with the Montréal Carabins began playing soccer at four years old. Before joining the Carabins, she was a member of the CÉGEP FX-Garneau Élans in her hometown of Quebec City. With the Élans, Mayi Kith was named a first-team college soccer all-star in 2019-2020 and 2022-23, as well as a provincial championship all-star both years. She also was named a First Team CCAA All-Star in 2022-2023.

Mayi Kith, who is studying Arts & Sciences, had one goal and seven shots in 13 games for the Carabins this season. She has represented Québec at the U-14 and U-16 levels and plays club soccer for Royal Beauport in the Quebec City region.

Other nominees:

AUS: Evana Eyubeh, UNB
OUA: Hannah Neville, Nipissing
CW: Olivia Gomez, UBC

STUDENT-ATHLETE COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD: Anna Oliver, Saskatchewan

Anna Oliver is a fourth-year medicine student and fullback on the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women's soccer team. A second team all-star in her rookie season and the team defensive player of the year in her sophomore season, Oliver has been a staple on the Huskies backline since coming into the program, appearing in 58 games and starting 57. Off the pitch, Oliver is a model student-athlete as a four-time U SPORTS Academic All-Canadian and a leader of the Huskies women's soccer team's goal-a-thon initiative which sees the team pledge an act of service for each goal scored in the Canada West season. Involved in a plethora of community service initiatives, Oliver is a perfect example of the impact student-athletes can make in their community.

Other nominees:

AUS: Claire Langille, Memorial
RSEQ: Karina Fortier, Sherbrooke
OUA: Priyanka Chakravarti, Waterloo

FOX40 COACH OF THE YEAR: Jesse Symons, UBC

Under the guidance of Jesse Symons, the UBC Thunderbirds became the first women's soccer team in Canada West history to finish the regular season a perfect 14-0. Earning three straight clean sheet playoff wins, Symons led the Thunderbirds to the team's 17^th conference banner after a 3-0 victory over Victoria in Saturday's Canada West Final.

Currently in his ninth season with the T-Birds, Symons' has won two straight conference Coach of the Year awards. Symons has led UBC to a dominant run in recent years with the Thunderbirds losing just two combined games over the last three Canada West regular seasons. The Thunderbirds also set a new conference record in 2024 for goals against average, conceding just allowing just four goals in Canada West play.

Symons and the Thunderbirds capped off 2023 with the program's eighth U SPORTS National Championship title, the second under his tutelage having also won gold in 2019. Symons has amassed a 82-13-15 regular season record and enters the 2024 national tournament with an 20-5 conference playoff record.  In addition to his two U SPORTS banners, Symons has led UBC to three Canada West Championships in 2016, 2022 and 2024 and boasts an 11-4 record at the national championship tournament.

Other nominees:

AUS: Jonathan Crossland, UNB
RSEQ: Tony Perrier, Sherbrooke
OUA : Steve Johnson, Ottawa

2024 U SPORTS WOMEN'S SOCCER AWARDS & ALL-CANADIANS

Chantal Navert Memorial Award (player of the year):  Alliyah Rowe, Cape Breton
Rookie of the Year:  Blessing Mayi Kith, Montréal
Student-Athlete Community Service:  Anna Oliver, Saskatchewan
Fox40 Coach of the Year:  Jesse Symons, UBC                                           

First Team All-Canadians

Second Team All-Canadians

All-Rookie Team

(Teams listed in alphabetical order by position. Teams are chosen without regard to position.)
(The All-Rookie team contains 12 players)