VANCOUVER – UBC Okanagan cross country head coach Malindi Elmore has been named a finalist for the Female Coach of the Year aware to be presented as part of the 55^th Annual Sport BC Athlete of the Year Awards in March.
 
Elmore, in just her third season as head coach of the Heat, is one of five finalists for this year's award. She will be up against Barb Fraser (Gymnastics), Jane Gumley (Rowing), Brit Townsend (Athletics) and Canadian women's soccer national team head coach Bev Preistman for the recognition.
 
"Malindi continues to impress as a high-performance coach in the university system here at UBCO," commented UBCO Director of Athletics and Recreation Tom Huisman. "We are incredibly proud of her and her accomplishments and all that she brings to the development of her team and our distance running student-athletes."
 
Elmore has turned the the Heat women's cross country program into one of the best in the country during her short time as head coach. The 2021 Canada West Coach of the Year has guided her team to back-to-back silver medals at the conference championships. In addition, the team has finished eighth and fifth at the 2021 and 2022 U SPORTS Championships respectively.
 
During the past two years, the Heat have become regulars in the U SPORTS Top 10 rankings and have had multiple runners earn Canada West All-Star and U SPORTS All-Canadian honours.
 
This year's ceremony will take place on Thursday, March 9 at the Vancouver Convention Centre East. 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 either the 2021 or 2022 season. 
 
"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 2021 and 2022. 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 9, 2023 at the Vancouver Convention Centre. The finalists represent 29 sports from communities all throughout BC demonstrating the collective strength of our province's sport sector."
 
Athlete with a Disability
Kady Dandeneau – Wheelchair Basketball
Ina Forrest – Curling
Mollie Jepsen – Para Alpine
Mel Pemble – Cycling
Tyler Turner – Wheelchair Snowboard
 
College Athlete of the Year
Cameron Gay (Vancouver Island University) – Basketball
Yevgeniya (Jane) Lytvynenko (Vancouver Island University) – Volleyball
Vitor Pereira (Camosun College) – Volleyball
Thomas Venos (University of Alabama) – Wheelchair Tennis
Clair Ye (Capilano College) – Soccer
 
Female Coach of the Year
Malindi Elmore – Athletics
Barb Fraser – Gymnastics
Jane Gumley – Rowing
Bev Priestman – Soccer
Brit Townsend – Athletics
 
Male Coach of the Year
Trevor Hirschfield – Wheelchair Rugby
Chris MacDonald – Golf
Tommy McLeod – Diving
Laurier Primeau – Athletics
Mostafa Sabeti – Wushu
 
High School Female Athlete of the Year
Lauren Clements (Terry Fox) – Basketball
Maella Hodgson (Elgin Park) – Athletics
Rupinder Johal (Robert Bateman) – Wrestling
Marina Rodocaj (R.A. McMath) – Volleyball
Rory Rothnie (Claremont) – Lacrosse
 
High School Male Athlete of the Year
Laon Kim (Gleneagle) – Swimming
Walker Sodaro (Kelowna) – Volleyball
Logan Thiessen (Robert Bateman) – Football
Aidan Turner (South Delta) – Athletics
Jimmy Zaborniak (Burnaby South) – Basketball
 
Junior Female Athlete of the Year
Renee Batalla – Diving
Oonah Gamboa, Karate
Gracey Hemstreet, Cycling
Lauren Kim, Golf
Alice Zhang, Ultimate
 
Junior Male Athlete of the Year
Praise Aniamaka – Athletics
Connor Bedard – Ice Hockey
Jackson Gladstone, Cycling
Cooper Humphreys, Golf
Nikola Petrovic – Judo
 
Senior Female Athlete of the Year
Julia Grosso – Soccer
Camryn Rogers – Athletics
Marielle Thompson – Alpine
Avalon Wasteneys – Rowing
Micah Zandee-Hart – Ice Hockey
 
Senior Male Athlete of the Year
Jack Crawford – Alpine
Amar Dhesi – Wrestling
Evan Dunfee – Athletics
Brent Hayden – Swimming
Derek Mayson – Softball
 
University Athlete of the Year
Aaron Ahl (Simon Fraser University) Athletics
Alison Andrews-Paul (Simon Fraser University) Athletics
Derek Epp (Trinity Western University) Volleyball
Kent Johnson (University of Michigan) Ice Hockey
Anna Mollenhauer – (University of Victoria) Field Hockey
 
Team of the Year
BC Rugby 7s – Women's Canada Summer Games Team
Langley Rams Football Team
Trinity Western Women's Volleyball Team
UBC Women's Golf Team
UVIC Women's Field Hockey Team
 
Master Athlete of the Year
Christa Bortignon – Athletics
Uli Mayer – Cycling
Lloyd Polack – Archery
Shelly Stouffer – Golf
Derek Tripp – Triathlon
 
Official of the Year
Anne Bees – Tennis
Gordon Bennett – Gymnastics
Kevin Bowie – Wheelchair Rugby
Michael Campbell – Ice Hockey
Janice Hunter – Figure Skating
 
- With files from Sport BC