News

Freshman sprinter Hayley Warren double dips at track awards gala

Published: 1 May 2010

[PHOTO: Anne and Randy Taylor, parents of former McGill track star Andrea Taylor, present award in her memory to Majenta Whyte Potter-Mal (centre)].

MONTREAL - Sprinter Hayley Warren of Orillia, Ont., was named rookie of the year and MVP of the track and field team at the 13th annual McGill University track and cross-country awards gala, held at Molson's Brewery, Saturday.

Warren, a 19-year-old kinesiology freshman won gold in the 60-metre hurdles at the Quebec university championships and came away with a bronze medal in the same event at the CIS championships.

The male MVP winner in track and field went to Montrealer Justin Darlington, a 21-year-old marketing freshman who won the Quebec high jump title and captured silver and bronze medals at the CIS Nationals.

In cross-country, the team MVPs were Melanie Myrand, an integrated nursing sophomore from Lachine, Que., and Graydon Snider, a chemistry senior from Montreal.

Majenta Whyte Potter-Mal, a 22-year-old medical student from LaSalle, Que., received the Andrea Taylor Memorial Award, presented to a female member of the track team who contributes something unique to the team, promotes unity, and demonstrates the exceptional characteristics for which the late Andrea Taylor, a former McGill athlete, was renowned.

Rookie-of-the-year honours were presented to cross-country's Sarah McCuaig of Kitchener, Ont., and Teddy Lavoie of Ottawa, in addition to track stars Tyler Levy of Beverly, Mass., and the aforementioned Hayley Warren.

The most improved athlete awards went to cross-country's Catherine Drouin-Audet of Repentigny, Que., and Daniel Kramer of Salem, Mass., plus track & field's Anne Ruggirello from Chicago, Illinois and Maxime Beaumont-Courteau of Montreal.

Head coach Dennis Barrett capped the soirée off with the presentation of gifts to nine graduating athletes, including Alana Battiston of Toronto, Ken Douglas of Los Gatos, Calif., Sabrina Lavoie of Montreal, Dong Liu, a native of China, Miguel Mangalindan of Scarborough, Ont., Alyson McPhee of St. Margaret's Bay, N.S., Heather McCurdy of Belleville, Ont., Melanie Myrand of Pointe Claire, Que., and Joseph Ricci of Laval, Que.