Maria Leahy of the Waterloo Warriors has won the 2023 Marina van der Merwe Award as the U SPORTS women's field hockey Fox 40 coach of the year. The announcement was made on Thursday afternoon at the All-Canadian awards ceremony in Toronto, host city of the 2023 U SPORTS Women's Field Hockey Championship.
Maria Leahy led the Waterloo Warriors to a remarkable 2023 season. The team started off their season with an impressive 1-0 win against the Toronto Varsity Blues, which set the tone for what was to come. They finished with an 8-2 record, leading the West Division and securing a spot among the the national rankings. Under Leahy's leadership, the team improved significantly from the previous season, which saw them finish at 3-5-2 and third in the division. Leahy's coaching prowess helped her team secure a spot in the semifinals and two of her players, Fernback and Meagan Hobson (Waterloo/), received OUA all-star honours.
Leahy's sporting legacy is remarkable, as her mother, Lisa Bauer Leahy, is a Waterloo Athletic Hall of Famer and the all-time leading scorer in field hockey for the Warriors. Lisa Bauer Leahy was also a member of Canada's Olympic team at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Furthermore, Leahy's great-uncle is Hockey Hall of Famer Father David Bauer, who founded and coached Canada's first-ever Canadian National Hockey team.
The Waterloo Warriors are no strangers to great goalkeeping, and their string of award-winners between the pipes continues in 2023 with Marielle Fernback (Guelph) being named U SPORTS All-Canadian. It was a memorable regular season for the Warriors program and Fernback's presence in net was a pivotal part of their success. The senior from Guelph, Ont. allowed only five goals on the year, good for a second-best goals-against average of 0.90 and an OUA-leading .828 save percentage. The multi-time OUA all-star was also among the league leaders in saves, ranking fourth with 24, while also adding a pair of shutouts along the way.
Meagan Hobson (Waterloo) received the second All-Canadian nod for the Warriors. Throughout the season, the Arts & Business major played a crucial role for the Warriors from the midfield, showcasing her prowess on both sides of the ball. In addition to her impressive 4 goals, she also demonstrated her strong defensive instincts and talent, consistently supporting the back line and helping to keep her team competitive. Her contributions were instrumental in anchoring the Warriors' on-field efforts.
2023 U SPORTS FIELD HOCKEY AWARDS & ALL-CANADIANS
Liz Hoffman Award (player of the year): Sanehpreet Basra, UBC
Joyce Slipp Award (rookie of the year): Rebecca Stone, Victoria
Gail Wilson Award (student-athlete community service): Elly Peters, Guelph
Marina van der Merwe Award (Fox40 coach of the year): Maria Leahy, Waterloo
Umpire of the Year: Tyler Klenk, Vancouver, B.C. (CW)
