The University of Toronto recognized 20 Varsity Blues student-athletes with Silver T awards on Monday, April 12.
The prestigious Silver T is awarded to Bronze T holders in their graduating year for outstanding athletic performance.
In years past, the awards were handed out at the annual President's Reception, however, the University of Toronto campuses remain closed as we play our part to ensure the health and wellbeing of our community during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nevertheless, U of T President Meric Gertler understands and values the exceptional accomplishments and contributions of these U of T students to the university and Varsity Blues program.
2020-21 Silver Recipients (alphabetical order):
Jack Berkshire – Track & Field
Jack Berkshire is a four-time OUA all-star and three-time U SPORTS all-Canadian over four seasons with the Varsity Blues track and field team. The native of Fredericton kicked off his U of T career with a bang, helping the Blues 4x400 relay team win OUA gold and 4x200 relay team win the U SPORTS title in 2017. After earning two silver medals in both relays at both the provincial and national championships in 2018, Berkshire was a driving force between U of T's best team finish since 1994-95 in 2019. The industrial engineering major claimed the OUA silver and U SPORTS bronze medal in the 600m event, while also earning a national bronze medal in the 4x400 relay as Toronto finished second overall at both the OUA and U SPORTS championships. Berkshire capped off his career with an individual gold-medal finish in the 600m at the 2020 OUA championships. He earned three other medals that year, including the OUA 300m bronze, U SPORTS 4x400 silver and U SPORTS 600m bronze.
AJ Bimm – Track & Field
After representing the Blues at the 2017 OUA and U SPORTS cross country championships, AJ Bimm turned his attention to the track. Over four seasons at U of T, Bimm reached the provincial podium twice and medaled nationally three times. The urban studies and sociology major out of New College was a member of the OUA gold-medal winning 4x800 relay team in 2019, while also earning the silver medal in that event in 2017. Nationally, Bimm claimed two bronze medals in the 4x400 and 4x800 relay in 2019, while earning the silver medal in the former, along with all-Canadian honours in 2020.
Peter Collier – Track & Field
In 2018-19, Peter Collier helped the Varsity Blues men's track and field team to their best team finish since 1994-95. The mathematics major from Lower Sackville, N.S., won the OUA heptathlon, finishing the grueling two-day, seven-discipline event with 4,956 points to earn OUA first team all-star honours. Collier went onto earn the national silver medal, claiming U SPORTS second team all-Canadian honours with a personal-best 4,985 points. He leaves U of T ranked third on the program's all-time record list.
Jordan Figueira – Volleyball
Jordan Figueira made an immediate impact on the Varsity Blues men's volleyball roster and never looked back. The setter from Oakville, Ont., was named a member of the OUA and U SPORTS all-rookie teams, the OUA East rookie of the year and the U of T male rookie of the year across all sports in 2016-17. The commerce major out of Woodsworth College went onto earn three OUA all-star nods over the next three seasons, once to the second team and twice to the first team. He led Toronto to back-to-back OUA Final Four appearances in 2019 and 2020, including a silver-medal finish and berth to the national championship in 2019-20. Over his four-year career, Figueira racked up 2,481 assists, 530 digs and held a hot hand from the serving line with 103 aces.
Hannah Genich – Swimming
Hannah Genich reached the provincial podium 15 times individually, while also earning nine individual national medals over four seasons with the Blues. The Cobourg, Ont., native earned an OUA grand slam in the 200 butterfly, winning gold in all four seasons. She also twice won the 100 butterfly and 200 IM events. In 2018, she earned the OUA Jeno Tihanyi trophy for individual medley excellence and leaves U of T as the reigning OUA swimmer of the year (2019-20). On the national stage, the education and sociology major from University College is a two-time individual champion, winning the 200 butterfly in 2017 and 50 butterfly in 2020. The four-time OUA all-star and U SPORTS all-Canadian also represented Canada at the 2019 FISU Summer Universiade in Naples, Italy, claiming a bronze medal in the 4x100 medley relay.
Ellice Hong – Golf
A public accounting major at University College, Ellice Hong was a member of two OUA championship teams during her three seasons with the Blues. The Thornhill, Ont., native earned back-to-back OUA first team all-star honours in helping U of T to the provincial titles in 2017 and 2018. During both seasons, Hong finished fourth individually at the OUA championships. She shot a 160 (74,76) at the 2017 event and a 162 (82,82) at the 2018 championships. Hong capped off her Varsity Blues career by helping the Blues to a bronze-medal team finish in 2019.
Rachael Jaffe – Water Polo
Rachael Jaffe will go down as one of the most decorated goalies in Varsity Blues women's water polo program history. The global health major from Irvine, California helped the Blues to four straight NCWP championship titles, earning most valuable goalie honours three times and all-star laurels twice. Internationally, Jaffe represented Canada at the 2017 U20 world championships, trained with the senior national team in Greece in 2018 and backstopped Canada to a fourth-place finish at the 2019 FISU Games in Naples, Italy.
Georgia Kidd – Swimming
After transferring from the Alberta Pandas in 2018-19, Georgia Kidd made an immediate impact on the Varsity Blues women's swimming roster. Kidd earned eight individual medals over two OUA championships. In 2019, she won the 200 IM and received the Dr. Jeno Tihanyi award for individual medley excellence. The two-time OUA all-star also garnered two individual and two relay medals on the national stage. Kidd earned the 2019 U SPORTS bronze medal in the 200 IM as well as in the 200 butterfly. She went on to claim a silver medal in the 400 freestyle relay and bronze in the 800 freestyle relay at the 2020 national championships. The U SPORTS all-Canadian also represented Canada at the 2019 FISU Summer Universiade in Naples, Italy.
Leanna Lui – Fencing
Leanna Lui has been a dominant épéeist during her three seasons with the Varsity Blues fencing team. She has been a member of three-straight OUA overall champion teams, while also helping the Blues épée team to two gold-medal finishes (2018, 2020) and one silver-medal standing (2019). Individually, the global health major out of New College earned fourth- and fifth-place finishes in 2018 and 2019, respectively, before winning the Dr. Alex English Trophy as individual épée champion in 2020. Lui also earned OUA all-star honours in her final season with the Blues.
Marko Mandekic – Soccer
Marko Mandekic made an immediate impact on the Blues roster. In his first season at U of T, the midfielder from Kitchener, Ont., was named an OUA East first team all-star, as well as a member of the U SPORTS all-rookie team. After earning OUA East second team all-star honours in 2018, Mandekic was selected 17
th overall by Forge FC in the inaugural CPL-U SPORTS draft. He helped the Blues to three straight post-season berths, including a fourth-place finish at the OUA championship in 2019.
Sarah Polley – Swimming
A four-time OUA all-star and 2020 U SPORTS all-Canadian, Sarah Polley has had a storied swimming career at U of T. The human biology and education major out of New College reached the OUA podium nine times in individual events, including winning gold in the 200 backstroke in 2018, while also winning eight gold medals in relays over four seasons. On the national stage, Polley consistently reached the A finals in her events and claimed a bronze medal in the 200 backstroke in 2018. She also earned U SPORTS second team all-Canadian honours in helping the Blues to a silver-medal finish in the 400 freestyle relay in 2020. Polley has been a member of four OUA championship teams, as well as three national silver and one national bronze-medalist squads.
Emily Principe – Fencing
Emily Principe has been an integral member of three straight OUA champion women's fencing teams. The native of Sydney, Australia is a three-time OUA all-star, won the Dr. Alex English Trophy as the individual épée champion in 2019 and helped Toronto's épée relay team to two gold-medal finishes (2018, 2020) and one silver-medal standing (2019). Individually, the animal physiology and bioethics major from Victoria College also claimed the OUA épée bronze medal in 2020. Principe was also a three-year member of the Varsity Blues rowing team and earned an OUA bronze medal in the women's 8+ in 2019.
Jessica Reid – Figure Skating
Jessica Reid has been a member of three straight OUA championship teams. The two-time OUA all-star has reached the provincial podium six times. In her first season with the Blues, she claimed a silver medal in the women's open short dance event. At the 2018-19 OUA championships, Reid won two gold medals in the dance fours and team synchro events, while also claiming silver in the open rhythm dance. She capped off her career with a double-gold performance at the 2019-20 championships, winning the open rhythm dance and helping the Blues to a first-place finish in the team synchro event.
Rachel Spouge – Field Hockey
Rachel Spouge has been a force to be reckoned with for the Varsity Blues field hockey team for four seasons. She earned both OUA and U SPORTS rookie of the year honours in 2016 and went onto be recognized as an OUA all-star and U SPORTS all-Canadian for the next hree years. The commerce major out of New College was dominant in the midfield and controlled the Blues transition. A Vancouver native, Spouge was a member of one OUA championship team, while also earning silver once and bronze twice. A member of the indoor national team, Spouge also helped the Blues to a third-place finish at the 2016 national championship.
Lucia Stafford – Cross Country / Track & Field
Lucia Stafford will go down in the record books as one of the best Varsity Blues athletes of all time. She was named the OUA and U SPORTS female cross country rookie of the year in 2016, helped the Blues to the 2017 national team title, earned OUA first team all-star and U SPORTS first team all-Canadian honours in all three of her cross country seasons, including winning both races to be named OUA and U SPORTS female athlete of the year in 2019. On the track, Stafford is a four-time OUA all-star and three-time U SPORTS all-Canadian. In her first season with the Blues, the civil engineering major from Toronto was named the OUA rookie of the year and U SPORTS female performer of the meet, leading the Blues to the 2017 national title. The following season, Stafford was named the winner of the Dr. Wendy Jerome Trophy as the OUA female most valuable performer. Internationally, Stafford represented Canada at the 2016 U20 world track and field championships, and also earned two fifth-place finishes in the 1500m and 4x400 relay at the 2019 FISU Summer Universiade in Naples, Italy. She was named U of T's female rookie of the year across all sports in 2016-17, while also being named U of T's T-Holders' female athlete of the year and the OUA female athlete of the year across all sports in 2019-20.
Mara Stroe – Tennis
A two-time OUA all-star, Mara Stroe has left a lasting legacy on the Varsity Blues women's tennis team. The Ajax, Ont., native earned OUA rookie of the year honours in 2017 and helped the Blues to a bronze-medal finish at the OUA championships. The co-op management and international business major at UTSC then earned the OUA silver medal in 2018, before garnering her second career all-star nod and leading the Blues to the OUA championship title in 2019.
Lauren Van Dyke – Rugby
Lauren Van Dyke has twice been named an OUA all-star in her four seasons with the Varsity Blues women's rugby team. The global health & biodiversity major out of University College earned her first all-star nod in her rookie season in 2016, scoring in the Blues first victory in four seasons, a 19-12 win over Trent. She went onto lead the team in scoring in 2018, notching three tries and four conversions for 23 points en route to her second all-star laurel.
Sierra Watkins – Lacrosse
Standout goalie Sierra Watkins was twice named an OUA all-star in backstopping the Blues over two seasons. An applied mathematics major from Burlington, Vermont, Watkins helped the Blues to a fourth-place finish at the 2018 OUA championship and a sixth-place finish at the 2019 provincial event.
Rhianna Wood – Water Polo
Rhianna Wood helped the Varsity Blues women's water polo team to three consecutive NCWP championship titles from 2016-18. The biology major out of New College was named the NCWP most valuable player and an all-star following the 2018 championship. Wood scored five goals over the final two games, including four in Toronto's 14-5 semifinal win over Carleton.
Melanie Zavitski – Figure Skating
Melanie Zavitski leaves the Varsity Blues figure skating team as a three-time OUA all-star and a member of three straight OUA championship teams. The humanities major from New College reached the OUA podium eight times over three seasons, including five gold-medal finishes. In her first season with the Blues, the Grafton, Ont., native won gold in the pairs fours event, while helping the Blues to a silver-medal finish in the team synchro event. Zavitski then reached the podium four times at the 2019 championships, winning the gold senior similar pairs and team synchro events, while earning silver in the Star 8/9 similar dance and bronze in the freeskate fours. She wrapped up her career with two gold-medal performances at the 2020 provincial event, winning the gold senior similar pairs and synchro events.
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