Cape Breton University is proud to celebrate the remarkable accomplishments of the 2023/24 CAPERS student-athletes. On Thursday, March 28, the CBU Athletics and Recreation Department brought together student-athletes, coaches, staff and CAPER supporters to celebrate another memorable season at the 49th Annual Capers Athletic Awards Banquet.

This year's Female Athlete of the Year went to Alliyah Rowe. One of the team captains, Ally put on an astounding, record-breaking performance throughout the 2023/24 season, ending the season as AUS leading-goal scorer and shattering three scoring records. Ally was named the AUS MVP and is certainly a worthy recipient of this honour.

This year's Male Athlete of the Year was awarded to Owen Sheppard. After leading the CAPERS through a difficult AUS final and an underdog battle to take home the U SPORTS gold, Owen was drafted first overall in the Canadian Premier League. With a quarter final hattrick and a game-winning goal in the semi's, Owen was rightly named the U SPORTS tournament MVP. While he was unable to attend the banquet in person, he sent a video expressing his thanks for the honour.

President and Vice-Chancellor, David C. Dingwall, presented the 2024 President's Award to Paige Allaby. Created to recognize a student-athlete who excels just as much in the classroom as they do on the field of play, the President's Award celebrates top academic performance amongst the CAPERS. An Academic All-Canadian, Paige earned the highest cumulative average for a CAPERS varsity athlete and is an inspiration to future generations of athletes.

The Kathy Reid Memorial Award, presented to a student-athlete who exemplifies the skill, perseverance and courage embodied by Kathy during her battle with a brain tumour, was awarded to women's soccer player, Lauren Rowe. After a ruptured ACL in 2022, Lauren was ready to storm the pitch with the CAPERS this fall and made an impact throughout the season until an end-of-year tackle landed her a broken leg. Throughout it all, Lauren's determination, positive mindset and never-give-up attitude continued to shine, making her a well-deserved recipient for this year's Kathy Reid Memorial Award.

The Credit Union Most Outstanding Performance of the Year was a challenging award to present, as this season produced many memorable individual performances. Soccer stars Daniel Clarke and Ally Rowe earned the title of co-recipients for their outstanding performances on the pitch this year.

The AUS 2024 PepsiCO James Bayer Memorial Scholarship Award was presented to Kiyara Letlow in recognition of her excellence in academics, athletics, leadership, sportsmanship and citizenship.

The Mavs Gillis Award for Top Student Game Day Employee was awarded to Jashandeep "Joe" Singh. The Mavs Gillis Award is presented annually to the game day crew member who exemplifies going above and beyond the call of duty to ensure every CAPERS game is a first-class event. Joe is an integral part of the CAPERS team and is always willing to lend a hand, not just on game days, but throughout the year to ensure the highest level of quality for CAPERS Athletics.

During each banquet, the Department of Athletics and Recreation also recognizes people outside of the department who have contributed valuable time and expertise to the CAPERS, by awarding honorary letters. This year, Chris Bell, Convenor for the U SPORTS National Women's Basketball Championship and the U SPORTS National Men's Soccer Championship was recognized for the experience and professional event management skills he brought to the host committee in his role as Chair. In addition, Steve Lily, Doug Milburn and Allison MacDonald of Protocase were awarded honorary letters for their ongoing support of CAPERS Athletics. Protocase stepped up as the title for CBU's last three National Championships, showing their community-mindedness and genuine care for CBU's student-athletes.

Team Awards

Men's Soccer

Most Improved Player: Max Piepgrass

Outstanding Contribution to the Team Award: Ze Cuhna

CAPER Award: Mateo Goldsztein

Rookie of the Year: Jason Hartill

Most Valuable Player: Owen Sheppard

Women's Soccer

Most Improved Player: Makenna Bowser

Outstanding Contribution to the Team Award: Rebecca Lambke

CAPER Award: Ally Wilton

Rookie of the Year: Ellie Lancaster

Most Valuable Player: Alliyah Rowe

Men's Basketball

Most Improved Player: Mitchell Mersereau

Outstanding Contribution to the Team Award: Tyson Cato

CAPER Award: Justus Peuser

Rookie of the Year: Aaron Cunningham

Most Valuable Player: Shak Pryce

Women's Basketball

Most Improved Player: Darah Fleurgin

Outstanding Contribution to the Team Award: Hailey MacLeod

CAPER Award: Hannah Smith

Rookie of the Year: Amanda Cruickshank

Most Valuable Player: Kiyara Letlow

Track and Field

Most Improved Player: Favour Akachukwu

Outstanding Contribution to the Team Award: Thomas Connell

CAPER Award: Ava Ross

Rookie of the Year: Jesil Okoye

Most Valuable Player: Faustina Amoako