FB: Canada West announces 2021 major awards
Calgary's Tyson Philpot named Player of the Year
VANCOUVER – The Canada West announced its 2021 major awards on Thursday, with Tyson Philpot taking the top honour as the conference's Player of the Year.
The third-year Calgary Dinos receiver headlines the winners as the unanimous selection for the CW Player of the Year. Philpot will move forward as the conference's nominee for the Hec Crighton Trophy as the nation's top university football player.
Alberta linebacker Josiah Schakel took home a pair of major awards on Thursday. The fourth-year Golden Bear was honoured with both the Outstanding Defensive Player and Student-Athlete Community Service awards.
UBC quarterback Garrett Rooker was the other unanimous selection by the coaches in 2021, voted as the conference's Rookie of the Year.
Saturday's 84th Hardy Cup between the Manitoba Bisons and Saskatchewan Huskies will feature a trio of major award winners.
Fifth-year Manitoba defensive lineman Brock Gowanlock was named the Canada West's Outstanding Lineman after anchoring the conference's top ranked defensive unit.
A pair of award winning coaches will be on the sidelines for Saturday's Hardy Cup. Saskatchewan's Scott Flory was honoured by his peers with the Coach of the Year award for the second straight season, while Manitoba's Vaughan Mitchell was named the Canada West nominee for the national Gino Fracas Award, which recognizes a dedicated volunteer coach.
The Hardy Cup kicks off at 1 p.m. CST on Saturday in Saskatoon. You can watch the game by tuning into SaskTel (348), TELUS (997), or Canada West TV Presented by Co-op.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: REC - Tyson Philpot
- Calgary Dinos
- 3rd-year
- Delta, B.C.
- Arts
- STATS: 43 receptions / 746 receiving yards / 9 TDs / 18.2 YPC
OUTSTANDING LINEMAN: DL - Brock Gowanlock
- Manitoba Bisons
- 5th-year
- Duncan, B.C.
- Arts
- STATS: 2.5 sacks / 24 tackles / 4 tackles for loss / 2 fumble recoveries
OUTSTANDING DEFENSIVE PLAYER: LB - Josiah Schakel
- Alberta Golden Bears
- 4th-year
- Sherwood Park, Alta.
- Business
- STATS: 51.5 tackles / 8 tackles for loss / four sacks / 3 forced fumbles
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: QB - Garrett Rooker
- UBC Thunderbirds
- League City Texas
- Kinesiology
- STATS: 1,437 passing yards / 8 passing TDs / 3 rushing TDs / 69% completion rate
COACH OF THE YEAR: Scott Flory
- Saskatchewan Huskies
- 5th season
STUDENT-ATHLETE COMMUNITY SERVICE: LB - Josiah Schakel
- Alberta Golden Bears
- 4th-year
- Sherwood Park, Alta.
- Business
- STATS: 51.5 tackles / 8 tackles for loss / four sacks / 3 forced fumbles
GINO FRACAS AWARD NOMINEE: Vaughan Mitchell
- Manitoba Bisons
- 23rd season