RUGBY: UBC's Savannah Bauder named Player of the Year

CALGARY - The UBC Thunderbirds are heading home from the Canada West women's rugby championship with plenty of hardware.

UBC made it back-to-back conference titles on Sunday, with a 47-13 win over the Victoria Vikes in the championship match. In addition to winning its second conference banner in program history, UBC also picked up a pair of major awards.

Following the game, UBC Thunderbirds second-year fly half Savannah Bauder was named the 2021 Canada West Player of the Year.

Bauder, who led the conference with 82 points scored this season, helped the Thunderbirds finish the regular season with a 5-0 record and the Canada West title.

UBC's Dean Murten was also named the conference's Coach of the Year for a second straight season.

Victoria's Larah Wright was honoured following Sunday's match, as the first-year Vike was named the Canada West Rookie of the Year, while Lethbridge Pronghorns fourth-year Karlee Durfey was named the Student-Athlete Community Service Award winner.

The conference's all-star team was unveiled as part of the post-game ceremonies with the champions leading the charge with six selections. Making up the rest of the all-star team were four Vikes, three Pronghorns, and one from both the Calgary Dinos and Alberta Pandas.

MAJOR AWARD WINNERS & ALL-STARS

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Savannah Bauder

Second-year UBC Thunderbird Savannah Bauder was named the Canada West Player of the Year after leading the conference in with 83 points during the 2021 season.

The fly half helped the Thunderbirds capture their second straight conference championship on Sunday.

The North Vancouver, B.C. product led the Canada West with nine tries in five matches to go along with 17 conversions and a successful penalty.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Larah Wright

Larah Wright made an immediate impact on a Vikes squad that finished the Canada West season with a silver medal.

A newcomer to the Vikes’ program in 2021, Wright led the Vikes in tries and points on the season, with 3 and 15, respectively. The Calgary, Alta. product's 15 points rank tied for ninth by all scorers in Canada West this season.

The biological sciences major was also invited to be a part of Rugby Canada’s western camp in the summer of 2021.

STUDENT-ATHLETE COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD: Karlee Durfey

Lethbridge's Karlee Durfey won the Canada West Student-Athlete Community Service Award after contributing on and off the field for the Pronghorns.

The Cardston, Alta. native was a U SPORTS Academic All-Canadian last year after excelling in the classroom with a 3.5 GPA. In the community, Durfey helped launch a non-profit to support families who have a child fighting cancer through the sale of embroidered apparel and organized a childhood cancer awareness night this season raising thousands of dollars to support families in need.

Durfey played all but 17 minutes of game time this season and recorded one try for the Pronghorns.

COACH OF THE YEAR: Dean Murten

In his fourth season as UBC's head coach, Murten guided the Thunderbirds to their second straight Canada West women's rugby title.

Murten was at the helm for the T-Birds 2019 title, the first in program history.

Other UBC coaches to earn the league's Coach of the Year recognition include current assistant Maria Gallo (2013) and Steve Tong (2004 and '06).

Murten will now look to win the U SPORTS Coach of the Year award, something only two Canada West coaches have done in the past.

ALL-STARS