Varsity Blues team captain Shilin Cheung was named the player of the year as the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) announced 2009 badminton major award winners and all-stars.

First-year standout Michelle Li (Richmond Hill, Ont.) was named the 2009 rookie of the year as U of T swept the women’s major awards.

A seventh-year veteran, Cheung was also named an OUA all-star for the second consecutive season. A native of Hong Kong, Cheung completed her first undefeated season in 2009 in both singles and doubles action, leading the Blues to a third-place finish in the OUA standings.

Li also garners an all-star nod in her first intercollegiate season. Li’s previous experiences competing at provincial and national levels make her a perfect first-year addition to the Varsity Blues team and her 4-0 record in the regular season was beyond impressive.

Melissa Hill (Oakville, Ont.) earns her 10th OUA all-star recognition while Jesse Assing (Bethany, Ont.) picks up his second consecutive all-star nod on the men’s side.

Martin Giuffre (Calgary) of the Western Mustangs is awarded both the male rookie of the year and most valuable player, quite a feat for a first year player. Giuffre made the most of his skills as rookie and proved himself to be a threat on the court, going 8-1 throughout the season. In addition to sweeping the men’s major awards, he is also a 2009 OUA all-star.

In his first year on the job, York’s Robert Ha is the 2009 coach of the year. Prior to taking over head coach duties, Ha was an assistant with the team. In his first run as head coach, he led the Lions to a 2-3 season.

2009 OUA BADMINTON MAJOR AWARD WINNERS

Coach of the Year – Robert Ha (York)

WOMEN’S MAJOR AWARD WINNERS

Most Valuable Player - Shilin Cheung (Toronto)
Rookie of Year – Michelle Li (Toronto)

WOMEN’S ALL-STARS
Alexandra Bruce (Toronto) - Western
Amanda Carruthers (Mississauga, Ont.) - Waterloo
Cara Cheung (Toronto) - Ryerson
Shilin Cheung (Hong Kong) - Toronto
Melissa Hill (Oakville, Ont.) - Toronto
Jennifer Lam (Toronto) - Western
Michelle Li (Richmond Hill, Ont.) - Toronto
Laura Vandervet (Brantford, Ont.) - Western

MEN’S MAJOR AWARD WINNERS

Most Valuable Player – Martin Giuffre (Western)
Rookie of Year – Martin Giuffre (Western)

MEN’S ALL-STARS
Jesse Assing (Bethany, Ont.) - Toronto
Peter Butler (Toronto) - Western
Kevin Cheng (Scarborough, Ont.) - York
Martin Giuffre (Calgary) - Western
Rahim Karmali (Montreal) - Waterloo
Jon Ma (Scarborough, Ont.) – Western
Andrew Tai Pow (Toronto) - Waterloo
Andrew Zhuang (Mississauga, Ont.) - Waterloo

Source: OUA