Two great basketball seasons were recognized in a big way on Wednesday evening, as Lethbridge College’s basketball teams combined to earn eight ACAC season-ending awards.
Highlighting the list is men’s basketball ACAC player of the year Brock Dewsbery. The Kodiaks also earned both south division rookie of the year awards, as Dewsbery earned the men’s honour and Natalie Hoyt won the women’s award. The Kodiaks also swept south division coach of the year awards, as Deanna Simpson and Ryan Heggie were honoured on the women’s and men’s sides, respectively.
The Kodiaks also placed three players on the ACAC all-conference first-teams. Dewsbery and Orin Porter Jr. were honoured on the men’s side, while Kirsten Barwegen was named to the women’s team.
“These honours are absolutely incredible,” says Todd Caughlin, manager of Kodiaks Athletics. “They illustrate the culture that has been built around our basketball programs and the quality people who we have coaching and playing. I am incredibly proud that our teams have been recognized in this way.”
Dewsbery, a first-year guard and General Studies student from Raymond, had an immediate effect on the Kodiaks, helping his team to a conference-best 20-1 record as he finished fourth in conference scoring with 21.3 points per game. He was also top-five in the ACAC in both three point percentage and free throw percentage. Dewsbery has also been named a CCAA All-Canadian and goes forward as the ACAC’s nominee for CCAA player of the year.
“From day one, Brock was determined to make an impact,” says Heggie. “He has accomplished this by showing up daily and competing hard. He has really embraced his rookie year with enthusiasm, passion and respect for what is known as ‘the process’ in the Kodiaks house.”
Hoyt, a first-year guard and General Studies student from Barnwell, helped lead the re-built Kodiaks into the playoffs. She became even more comfortable in the second half of the season where she averaged 12.1 points per game, shot 37 per cent from the floor and hit 33 per cent of her three-point attempts.
“Natalie has been a spark plug for us in the second semester,” says Simpson. “She has provided a strong defensive presence all season and came on strong offensively when we needed her most.”
A former ACAC first team all-conference selection as a player, Simpson earns her first coach of the year nod. In her third year at the helm, Simpson recruited a strong core of new and returning student-athletes who bought into her system. The Kodiaks went 12-9 and put on a late surge to earn a playoff spot, which included an upset win over then nationally top-ranked Olds College.
“Deanna had the tough challenge of changing the culture of the program and putting her mark on it,” says Caughlin. “Deanna has stayed true to her vision and it resulted in back-to-back berth’s into the ACAC women’s championships. This is a program that is doing it right both off and on the court. We are proud of what she has done and she has represented Kodiaks Athletics with the highest of standards.”
Heggie is the longest-serving current coach in the Kodiaks program, having completed his ninth year with the men’s basketball team. This is his second ACAC south division coach of the year award, as he won previously in 2015-16. After missing the ACAC men’s basketball championships last season, Heggie re-tooled his roster with a recruiting class of both youth and experience that turned in one of the program’s most successful seasons as the Kodiaks went 20-1 and enter the championships ranked second in Canada. Heggie will go forward as the ACAC nominee for CCAA coach of the year.
“We are very proud of Coach Heggie,” says Caughlin. “After not making the championships in the 2018-19 season, he worked very hard on recruiting in the off season and that work is showing itself now. Coach Heggie has put together an unselfish group of young men who just want to play and win. Combined with his experience, he has definitely earned this recognition.”
Porter (fourth year, Computer Information Technology) finished second on the Kodiaks and 11th in the ACAC in scoring, averaging 17.3 points per game. He was also second on the Kodiaks in steals and third in assists, while leading the conference in free throw percentage.
Barwegen (third year, Justice Studies, Lethbridge) led the Kodiaks in scoring, averaging 10.9 points per game. She placed eighth in the ACAC in rebounding, averaging 9.5 per game, and also finished 16th in the conference in shooting percentage.
Both Kodiaks teams begin the ACAC championships on Thursday. The men’s team plays NAIT in a quarterfinal at 6 p.m. in Camrose. The women’s team takes on Lakeland College in a quarterfinal at 1 p.m. in Medicine Hat.
A full weekend preview is available here.