WATERLOO, Ont. – The Department of Athletics and Recreational Services handed out their year-end hardware at the 53^rd annual Athletics Banquet on Friday evening with women's squash player Micaala Seth (Fergus/) and men's rugby player Richard Lebel (Waterloo/) taking home top honours.

Seth was awarded the Marsden Trophy as Warrior female athlete of the year after yet another dominating season on the squash court.

Seth has been simply unstoppable since arriving on the university squash scene in 2010-2011, collecting individual titles in each of those three seasons while earning OUA MVP and all-star status.

She represented Canada at the 2010 World University Squash Championship in Australia, and won a bronze medal at the 2011 Canadian University Squash Championships. But throughout her heralded career, 2013 might have been her best season yet.

Seth won OUA individual gold in 2013, dropping only one game the entire championship. She then claimed a gold medal at the 2013 Canadian University/College Squash Championships, solidifying herself as the dominant force in Canadian university squash not dropping a single game the entire tournament.

Seth, a Chemical Engineering major, has also played a key role in creating the powerhouse women's squash program that uWaterloo now boasts. The team has won back-to-back OUA silver medals, coming within one point of claiming a team gold in 2013.

Outside of the squash court, Seth also excels in the classroom earning a spot on the President's Academic Honour Roll each of the last three seasons while winning the 2012 Warrior Excellence Award for highest marks as a varsity athlete.

Fifth year rugby star, Richard Lebel (Waterloo/) was the 2013 recipient of the Totzke trophy as the male athlete of the year.

It was clear the Waterloo men's rugby program had gained a special player when Lebel arrived on the scene in 2008.  Lebel's play as a first-year student-athlete earned him the OUA West men's rugby rookie of the year award. Since his rookie campaign he has continued to dominate the OUA rugby scene and has helped make the Warriors a force in the OUA. Lebel has even represented Canada twice on the rugby seven's team at the FISU World University games.

Lebel finished in the top 10 in OUA scoring in each of the last three seasons, racking up a staggering 25 career tries and 232 career points along the way. His breakaway speed makes him a force on both sides of the ball, and it has earned Lebel four straight OUA all-star selections.

Lebel's focus on the field is matched in the classroom, where the Recreation and Leisure major was a member of the President's Academic Honour Roll in 2011-12.

Other hardware handed out included the annual Warrior Shield of Excellence award recognizing outstanding accomplishments by a graduating student-athlete in their sport, academics and community service.

Seth and Lebel were both double-award winners receiving the shields while three other standout student-athletes were also recipients of the prestigious award.

Lebel's teammate Zach Bogdon received a shield after being a centerpiece of the Warriors rugby program since his rookie season in 2009. Bodgon has finished in the top 15 in OUA scoring in each of the last three years, and last fall was named to his third consecutive OUA all-star team.

Fourth year field hockey player Courtney Bisch (Wellesley/) was the fourth recipient of the award.  Bisch has been named both a CIS all-Canadian and OUA all-star the last two seasons while leading the Warriors to back-to-back OUA bronze medals in 2010 & 2011 and competing at the 2010 CIS Championship in Guelph.

The final recipient of the shield was fifth year women's rugby star Briana Cunningham (Waterloo/).  Cunningham capped off her tremendous Waterloo career being named not only an OUA all-star but a CIS all-Canadian.  The tremendous leader and captain of the Warriors has been a three time OUA all-star and led the Warriors to a bronze medal in 2010.

The Imprint Coach of the Year award was collected by Scott Allen, who led the Waterloo men's curling team to their first ever CIS Championship.

Allen led the powerhouse Warriors to an 18-4 record including a 7-1 record at the OUA Championship en route to Waterloo's second straight OUA title. The fairytale season ended appropriately for Allen and his rink, as the Warriors avenged their gold medal loss a year ago, defeating Alberta 7-5 in the championship game to secure Waterloo's first ever men's curling national title.

Allen has led the men's curling program since 1998, and this was the third OUA title for the Warriors under Allen's tutelage.

The Federation of Students rookies of the year went to pair of locals with Shannon Lodoen (Waterloo/) of the women's volleyball team and Colin Behenna (Waterloo/) of the men's hockey team collecting the hardware.

If the rest of the OUA didn't know about Lodoen before the season started, they learned about her the first time she grabbed a ball and stepped behind the baseline.

Lodoen, a History major, was a service force for the Warriors this season, finishing fourth in the province with 30 service aces. But Lodoen's impact wasn't limited to the serve – the Waterloo native was also second in the team in total kills with 137 – good for 2.17 kills per set and was named to the OUA all-rookie team for her efforts.

Lodoen contributed greatly on the defensive side of the ball too, notching 137 digs in 2012-13, and her all-around game will be a foundation for the Warriors volleyball program for years to come.

Behenna proved this season that you can, in fact, come home again.  Behenna, a Waterloo native and the former captain of the Barrie Colts, arrived on the OUA hockey scene with a bang this season being named to the OUA west all-rookie squad.

He led all CIS rookies in assists with 31 and in points with 39, and he finished tied for fourth in the nation in scoring. The Math and Business major was also a clutch goal scorer for the Warriors, leading the team with four game-winning goals.

Behenna continued to excel through the playoffs, as he notched a team-high 12 postseason points in 11 games as the Warriors claimed the OUA west division title and marched all the way to the University Cup CIS championship tournament.

The J.O. Hemphill and Director's awards were won by Vishaka Chetram and Ali Barras.  The awards are presented annually in recognition of students who provide an outstanding administrative contribution to interuniversity athletics.

While coaches and players are responsible for finding success on the court, Chetram has ensured every Warriors basketball game in the past four years has been a success off the court.

As the men's and women's basketball coordinator, Chetram has trained and led countless members of the Warriors game day staff since he started with the program in 2009. His leadership and focus on detail can be seen on every face that fills the PAC for Warriors home games, as his unheralded fingerprints are all over the Waterloo basketball experience.

Chetram has been extremely dedicated to the entire Athletics department, going above and beyond his duties with the hoops teams on a number of occasions – he's participated in open house days for prospective students, he's assisted staff during the Warriors women's hockey tournament, an he's even stood guard on the sidelines of Warrior field as an event security member for home football games.

For the second straight year Barras has collected the Director's Award.  The cheerleading captain has taken her passion for the black and gold much further than the sidelines and endzones where she and her teammates perform.

Barras is all things to all people around the uWaterloo Athletics office, offering to pitch in whenever an extra hand is needed. She's helped out with game day operations, promoted a myriad of Warriors events, and participated in open house days for prospective students. Barras is also a key cog in many Warriors athletics special events, such as the Ultimate Warrior competition, and the Think Pink fundraising drive.

Barras also ensures she gives back to the community, both on campus and throughout the region. She's an executive member of the Interuniversity Council, and she volunteers her time to speak at local schools with the Team-Up program.

The Brian Farrance award presented to student therapists who have demonstrated excellence, commitment and dedication throughout his/her service to varsity athletics was collected by Stephanie Tiernay and Kristen Boonstra.

Tiernay has been an integral part of keeping the men's hockey team healthy for the past two seasons. She is the right hand 'man' for Jackie McCarl, the men's hockey athletic therapist. Tiernay is present before, during and after practice. As well she has been a frequent clinic visitor this season to help Jackie manage the numerous injuries sustained on the road to Nationals

Boonstra started with the football team as a student trainer and gradually transitioned to men's volleyball for the past three seasons. She has been independent but involved in the ongoing care for the vast number of injuries encountered by her team. Boonstra has taken on duties outside of her student training role and worked with outside groups in the KW region.

The 53rd annual Athletics Banquet was once again a huge success with over 570 student-athletes on hand to celebrate the accomplishments of a memorable 2012-13 Waterloo Warriors season. 

Thank you to the wonderful staff of the St. George Banquet Hall for hosting the 53rd annual Athletics Banquet.