KELOWNA, B.C. – UBCO Heat Athletics will have four finalists at the 51
st annual Civic & Community Awards next month after the finalists for 13 awards were announced by the City of Kelowna at the end of March.
Women's golfer
Julia Alexander-Carew, men's volleyball middle
Thys Weststrate, golf head coach
Clay Stothers as well as the Heat softball team are all in the running for awards recognizing success in 2025.
Alexander-Carew is one of the three finalists for the Female Athlete of the Year, alongside Kassidy Rutledge, a Special Olympics powerlifter, and heptathlete Lily Stroda. The third-year golfer was recently named UBCO's 2025-26 Outstanding Athlete of the Year for women's sports after a season in which she won three times in five events through the summer and fall. That success included her first national championship at the Canadian University/College Championship in June, and she also took home the silver medal at the Canada West Championship in October.
Weststrate is a finalist for the Male Athlete of the Year, joining ski cross racer Finley Cashin and martial artist Paul Atkin. Last year, Weststrate became the first UBCO men's volleyball athlete to be named a Canada West First Team All-Star and was subsequently named the Heat's 2024-25 Outstanding Athlete of the Year for men's sports. He continued that success through the Fall, helping UBCO to their best season in program history, earning conference all-star recognition for the second time.
Stothers is in the running for the Bob Giordano Memorial Award for Coach/Sport Administrator of the Year, along with
Ashlee Davison and Daryle Assman. Stothers was named the 2025 Canada West Men's Golf Coach of the Year after guiding his team to their second consecutive conference championship. Stothers also led the women's team to a silver medal at both the Canadian University/College Championship as well as the Canada West Championship.
Finally, the softball team joins the U16 Okanagan FC boys' soccer team and the U11 Kelowna Minor Hockey boys' team. The Heat are coming off an incredible season that saw them win both the WCSA and CCSA Championships, posting a 30-4-1 record along the way. The team's run to both the conference and national titles was supported by a 28-game unbeaten streak to finish the season in which they went 27-0-1.
This year's Civic & Community Awards Celebration will be held Monday, May 4 at the Kelowna Community Theatre.
