Sport NL hands out provincial awards, 3 inducted into sports hall of fame

Sport Newfoundland and Labrador presented nine provincial awards and inducted three people into the Newfoundland and Labrador Sports Hall of Fame over the weekend.

The awards recognized the best athletic achievements of 2015.

More than 300 athletes, coaches, volunteers and sports enthusiasts attended the 2016 Stars and Legends Awards Gala at the Sheraton Hotel Newfoundland in St. John's Saturday night. The CBC's Jonathan Crowe co-hosted the annual event.

Sport NL's award selection committee chose the recipients from a list of nominees that was compiled by 18 member organizations across the province.

"Our Stars and Legends Awards Gala continues to showcase and celebrate the incredible talent that Newfoundland and Labrador's sporting community has to offer," said Rod Nicholl, president of Sport Newfoundland and Labrador.

"Our 2016 recipients have all had many accomplishments in their chosen sports over the last year and have made valuable contributions to strengthening amateur sport in our province."

The province's best in sport

Softballer Sean Cleary was selected Senior Male Athlete of the Year, while hockey's Sarah Davis took home the Senior Female Athlete of the Year honours.

Cleary has been playing at the local, provincial, national and international levels. He pitched for Team Canada, winning gold medals at both the WBSC World Championships and the Pan Am Games.

Davis was the first woman from this province to be selected to a national women's hockey team. She was picked twice in 2015, and captured two silver medals in both the Four Nations Cup and the Women's World Hockey Championships.

In the junior category, Liam Hickey was chosen as Male Athlete of the Year for sledge hockey and wheelchair basketball, and target shooter Samantha Marsh was picked as the Female Athlete of the Year.

Hickey was the first player from the province named to national teams in both sledge hockey and wheelchair basketball. His sledge hockey skills led him to become one of 20 players to represent Canada for the 2015-2016 team, as they build the next team for the 2018 Paralympics in South Korea.

Marsh had provincial and national podium finishes in 2015. Her showings led to an international competition, taking part in the 10m and 50m Junior Cup and the 10m and 50m Summer Universiade in Korea.

Our Stars and Legends Awards Gala continues to showcase and celebrate the incredible talent that Newfoundland and Labrador's sporting community has to offer.- Rod Nicholl, Sport Newfoundland and Labrador

The Galway Hitmen Softball Team took top honours as the 2016 Team of the Year. The team captured the province's fourth straight Canadian Senior Men's Fastpitch Championships, edging out Nova Scotia 4-3 for the gold medal.

Clarenville volleyball coach Keith Randell was awarded Coach of the Year, while soccer's Doug Redmond was recognized as Executive of the Year.

Randell coached on local, provincial and national levels through 2015. He coached the Clarenville Middle School boys Grade 9 team, as well as the senior boys team at Clarenville High. In total, Randell's teams won 14 tournaments.

Swimming official Joan Butler was selected as Official of the Year, and Brian Hunt was awarded Volunteer of the Year.

Butler was one of seven officials nominated to be granted the title of a F.I.N.A. (Federation Internationale de Natation) official. Now eligible to officiate at international swim meets, Butler was asked to officiate at the Canadian Pan American Trials and the Pan American Games. 

In 2015, Hunt was the driving force behind many of Mount Pearl Minor Baseball initiatives, and has steadily increased registration and programming, making it the second largest association in Newfoundland and Labrador. 

Facey, Faulkner Ash, Meeker inducted into hall of fame

The Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony also paid tribute to three 2016 inductees, who were selected by the Newfoundland and Labrador Sports Hall of Fame Board of Governors.
 
Nigel Facey and Sandy Faulkner Ash were inducted in the athlete category, while Howie Meeker was honoured as a builder.

Facey has had a long career participating in multiple sports, and is one of a select few athletes to have represented this province at both the Canada Summer Games and the Canada Winter Games. 

Faulkner Ash, who has competed at the highest level of women's soccer for close to 25 years, had stints with the Canadian Women's National Soccer Team, and has competed in the North American Women's Semi-Pro Soccer League, as well as the Canadian Intercollegiate Athletic Union (CIAU) Championships.

For more than five decades, Meeker has been involved in multiple aspects of hockey — as a player, coach, general manager, announcer and broadcaster. He's instructed at all levels, from grade school to the National Hockey League, as well as various international hockey leagues.