KELOWNA, B.C. – Third-year women's volleyball outside hitter Sydney Grills and second-year men's golfer Justin Towill were named the 2022-23 UBC Okanagan Heat Outstanding Athletes of the Year on Tuesday as the department of athletics and recreation hosted their Athletic Banquet at KF Centre for Excellence.
 
Grills, a native of Vancouver, wraps up her career at UBCO by becoming the 17^th women's volleyball player to be recognized as the school's Outstanding Athlete of the Year.
 
As for Towill, a native of Kelowna, B.C., he becomes the third men's golfer to be honoured as the Outstanding Athlete of the Year, and first since James Casorso back in 2017-18.
 
Both Grills and Towill will receive a $2000 prize courtesy of the Coast Capri Hotel for being named the Heat Outstanding Athletes of the Year.
  
Grills was simply dominant in her final year of Canada West action with the Heat as she set four new single season program records including kills, with 296, and points, with 366.5. Those numbers were good enough to rank the arts major fifth and sixth in the country respectively. She also set two career program records as she finished her career first all-time at UBCO for kills per set, at 2.98, and points per set, at 3.56.
 
Thanks to her record-setting season, Grills became the third women's volleyball player to ever be named a Canada West All-Star on multiple occasions as she earned a spot on the first team. In addition, she became one of six Heat athletes to ever be named a U SPORTS All-Canadian when she was named to the second team.

"It was awesome," said Grills of the moment she heard her named called as this year's recipient. "It meant a lot to me as I was going up against two really competitive girls as well and anyone of us could have got it so it was really awesome that I won it. I was really happy."
 
Towill, meanwhile, had a dominant season with the Heat as he won three of the six tournaments he played, including the Canada West Championship. At the conference championship, the arts major shot a two-round total of three under par 139 to become the first UBCO golfer to win the Canada West gold medal.
 
Towill would also go on to post individual victories at the UBC West Coast Collegiate, where he fired a sparkling two-day total of 12 under par, as well as the RMC Collegiate. He would add a fourth Top 10 finish at the Western Washington Invitational where he finished tied for eighth.

"It's amazing to hear [my name called]," commented Justin after receiving his award. "I was up against two fantastic other athletes. Gus and Kyle had great seasons and just to be nominated was an honour and to win feels even better."
 
The Heat also recognized their Rookies of the Year at the banquet with women's golf's Khushi Hooda and men's volleyball's Seba Manuel taking home the hardware.
Hooda, a native of New Delhi, India, shone all season long for the women's golf team as she finished inside the Top 8 in all seven stroke play events the Heat competed in. Her best result of the year came at the season opening True North Invitational in Burnaby where the management major finished in second place.
 
The highlight of the season for Hooda came at the Canada West Championship where she became the first Heat women's golfer to finish on the podium, collecting an individual bronze medal to help the Heat win the team bronze medal.
 
Standing alongside Hooda as the Rookie of the Year for men's sports was Manuel. The first-year outside hitter and native of Kelowna, B.C., made an immediate impact on the men's volleyball team as he played in all 24 games despite entering the season fresh off of hand surgery. The health and exercise sciences major would go on to record 158 kills and 200.5 points in his rookie campaign, while setting a school record for aces in a season with 24.
 
At the conclusion of the year, Manuel was named to both the Canada West and U SPORTS All-Rookie teams, becoming the first UBCO male athlete to ever be recognized on a U SPORTS All-Rookie or All-Canadian team.
 
The final major awards that the department handed out on Tuesday evening were the Graduating Athletes of the Year which were awarded to men's basketball's Hafith Moallin and women's volleyball's Jade Bussard.
 
Moallin, a native of Mississauga, Ont., joined the Heat in 2018 and immediately showcased his impressive skill set for the Heat faithful. After averaging 12 points, four rebounds and four assists per game, he was named a member of Canada West All-Rookie team and took home UBCO Rookie of the Year honours.
 
As his five-year career comes to a close this season, the arts major finishes his career second all-time at UBCO for assists and steals and third all-time for games played, games started, minutes played and rebounds. He also leaves the school as the team's single season record holder for steals, with 50, a record he set this year.
 
As for Bussard, the Red Deer, Alta., native wrapped up a very impressive career this season that dates back to 2018. The outside hitter quickly established herself as a talented attacker and finishes her time at UBCO as one of the top players in program history. Over 79 matches and 287 sets played in four seasons, the three-time Academic All-Canadian posted 732 kills, 583 digs and 890.5 points.
 
A recipient of the Canada West women's volleyball Player of the Week award during the 2022 playoffs, the human kinetics major finishes her career ranked third all-time in team history for total attacks and aces, fourth all-time for kills, fifth all-time for points and seventh all-time for digs.
 
Also recognized on Tuesday evening were each team's Most Valuable Players and Leadership & Community Service Award recipients.
 
Team MVPs
M Basketball – Keaton Souster
W Basketball – Kelsey Falk
M Cross Country – Isaac Baker
W Cross Country – Joanna Brown
M Golf – Justin Towill
W Golf – Emily Cornwall
M Rugby – Rhys James
M Soccer – Jacob York
W Soccer – Annika Gross
W Softball – Mikhaela Muir
M Volleyball – Zach van Geel
W Volleyball – Rayn Perry
 
Leadership & Community Service Awards
M Basketball – Jonathan Haughton
W Basketball – Rachel Hare
M Cross Country – Turner Woodroff
W Cross Country – Eliyah Brawdy
M Golf – Justin Towill
W Golf – Kayleigh Trowman
M Rugby – Andrew McFee
M Soccer – Frank Marchesan
W Soccer – Molly Race
W Softball – Kasey Wright
M Volleyball – Téo Ardanaz
W Volleyball – Abigail Dueck