This evening, the Honourable Dr. Andrew Furey, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, recognized the athletic success of more than 100 young athletes from across the province at the 20th annual Premier’s Athletic Awards.
Established in 2005, the awards program recognizes athletic excellence and provides financial support to help offset the costs of training and competition. Grants ranging from $500 to $1,500 are awarded based on the level of competition and the athletes’ respective accomplishments.
The Team Gushue Awards, established in honour of Team Gushue’s gold medal win at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games, were also presented at the event. Two athletes are selected annually to receive the awards, valued at $5,000 each. Recipients are chosen based on athletic and academic excellence. This year’s recipients are Brooklyn Wolfrey and Gleb Evstigneev.
Brooklyn Wolfrey from Rigolet has achieved remarkable success in her athletic pursuits. At the North American Indigenous Games, she earned a gold medal in doubles and a silver in mixed doubles badminton. Competing at the World Dwarf Games, she claimed first place in both singles and doubles badminton, and she was part of the bronze medal-winning teams in soccer and basketball. Additionally, Brooklyn secured gold medals in athletics for the 60 metre and 100 metre races. She currently holds the title of Badminton Canada Para Champion in her classification. Academically, she completed Grade 10 in June with an impressive average of 93 per cent.
Gleb Evstigneev from Paradise has made significant strides in gymnastics, recently earning a gold medal in the trampoline discipline at the Canada Games, where he also had the honour of being the flag bearer for Team Newfoundland and Labrador during the opening ceremonies. He represented Team Canada at the 2023 Pan American Championships, finishing first in the individual category. In addition to his athletic achievements, Gleb is currently in his third year at Memorial University, where he maintains a GPA of 3.17.
Additionally, the inaugural Michelle Healey Memorial Award was presented at the event. One female athlete is selected annually to receive the award, valued at $5,000. The award is based on athletic success and an exceptional commitment to community. The recipient of the inaugural Michelle Healey Memorial Award is Zoe Rowe.
Zoe Rowe has made a significant impact both on and off the soccer field. In 2023, she competed for the Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador (MUN) Sea-Hawks women’s varsity soccer team, earning recognition as a first-team conference all-star and being named team MVP. Beyond her athletic achievements, Zoe is deeply committed to her community, volunteering with organizations such as Easter Seals, CBS Soccer, and the MUN Biochemistry Society. Her dedication to service was recognized when she became a Rhodes Scholar Finalist and was honoured as the 2023 winner of the Atlantic University Sport Community Service Award for her exceptional volunteer work.
For a complete list of 2024 Premier’s Athletic Award recipients, please see the backgrounder below.
Quotes
“It is my privilege to host the Premier’s Athletic Awards each year. Witnessing the dedication and passion of these young athletes as they strive for their goals is nothing short of inspiring. Their ambitions know no bounds, and I am confident we will hear their names in the future as they compete at provincial, national, and international levels. Congratulations to all the recipients of the Premier’s Athletic Awards!”
Honourable Dr. Andrew Furey
Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador
“Engaging in sports provides young people with a wealth of benefits. Beyond improving physical, mental, and emotional health, it instills a sense of commitment and the value of giving their all. It teaches that hard work can lead to success and fosters valuable social connections. I applaud all the young athletes being honoured today, along with their families and support systems, for their vital roles in this journey.”
Honourable Steve Crocker
Minister of Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation
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BACKGROUNDER
| 2024 Premier’s Athletic Awards Recipients
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| Sport | Name | Hometown |
| Alpine | Lily Hayden | Steady Brook |
| Artistic Swimming | Amelia Coady | Mount Pearl |
| Aboriginal Sport and Recreational Circle | Brooklyn Jefford | Clarenville |
| Brady Young | Stephenville | |
| Athletics | Sawyer LeBlanc | St. John’s |
| Shae LeDevehat | Mount Pearl | |
| Alexandre Nunes | St. John’s | |
| James Power | Goulds | |
| Para-Athletics | Jeremy Jones | St. John’s |
| Ball Hockey | Julia Butler | Portugal Cove – St. Philip’s |
| Jordan Flynn | Mount Pearl | |
| Molly Gill | Conception Bay South | |
| Margaret Jones | St. John’s | |
| Andy Knight | St. John’s | |
| Brandon Philpott | St. John’s | |
| Haley Ryan | Conception Bay South | |
| Jenni Simpson | Glovertown | |
| Baseball | Eli Dunphy | St. John’s |
| Molly Healy | St. John’s | |
| Jennifer Murphy | St. John’s | |
| Kerry Russell | Grand Falls – Windsor | |
| Nicholas Smith | Flatrock | |
| Chase Tucker | Mount Pearl | |
| Hudson White | St. John’s | |
| Basketball | Brooke LeDevehat | Mount Pearl |
| Alyssa Jenkins | St. John’s | |
| Lucas Mate | St. John’s | |
| Carly Norris | Middle Cove | |
| Matthew Pennell | St. John’s | |
| Kylie Sooley | Mount Pearl | |
| Cameron Stanford | St. John’s | |
| Biathlon | David Adey | Corner Brook |
| Bicycle | Leah Dalton | Clarenville |
| Austin Whelan | Torbay | |
| Bowl | Stephen Westcott | Conception Bay South |
| Bowling | Carter Belbin | St. John’s |
| Vanessa Elliott-Lynch | St. John’s | |
| Amy Harris | Paradise | |
| Kyle Slade | Conception Bay South | |
| Cross Country Skiing | Matthew Earle | St. John’s |
| Georgia Wiseman | Corner Brook | |
| Curling | Nicholas Codner | Torbay |
| Cailey Locke | Conception Bay South | |
| Simon Perry | Portugal Cove – St. Phillips | |
| Diving | Juan Fajardo | St. John’s |
| Golf | Taylor Cormier | Corner Brook |
| Ethan Efford | St. John’s | |
| Gymnastics | Rachel Dooley | Torbay |
| Benjamin Fudge | Paradise | |
| Grace Hill | St. John’s | |
| Jirah Hiscock | St. John’s | |
| Julia Pace | St. John’s | |
| Kyla Piercey | Middle Cove | |
| Mya Rogers | Middle Cove | |
| Handball | Rahul Asokan | St. John’s |
| Hockey | Caylen Blake | Corner Brook |
| Matthew Butler | St. John’s | |
| Will Carroll | Conception Bay South | |
| Ryan Greene | Paradise | |
| Jessica Mercer | Bay Roberts | |
| Maria Shea | Stephenville Crossing | |
| Jabez Seymour | North River | |
| Leah Wicks | St. John’s | |
| Katie Winsor | Paradise | |
| Parasport- Blind Hockey | Brandon Joy | Conception Bay South |
| Karate | Jane Fancy | St. John’s |
| Grace Noseworthy | Portugal Cove – St. Phillips | |
| Emma Pittman | Middle Cove | |
| Emily Rules | Flatrock | |
| Parasport- Badminton | Nicholas Quinn | Paradise |
| Parasport- Athletics/Basketball/Hockey/Swimming | Gavin Baggs | Paradise |
| Rowing | Furey Stone | St. John’s |
| Rugby | James Clarke | St. John’s |
| James Noftall | St. John’s | |
| Jessie Penney | Clarke’s Beach | |
| Tyson Snow | Paradise | |
| Shooting | Naomi Tucker | St. John’s |
| Skating | Mark Butt | Bloomfield |
| Lily Evans | Pouch Cove | |
| Jonathan Flynn | Conception Bay South | |
| Rachael Tuff | Witless Bay | |
| Eva Wang | St. John’s | |
| Jasmine Wheadon | Carbonear | |
| Snowboard | Meredith Hayden | Steady Brook |
| Soccer | Colin Dyer | Mount Pearl |
| Abby Evans | St. John’s | |
| Millie Janes | St. John’s | |
| Sarah Jones | St. John’s | |
| Ciara Molloy | Torbay | |
| George Row | Paradise | |
| Softball | Shilo Chislett | Chickens |
| Halle Joy | Harbour Main | |
| Matthew King | Carbonear | |
| Ryan Maher | St. John’s | |
| Liam Shea | Dunville | |
| Brooklyn Shortt | Carbonear | |
| Special Olympics | Michael Budden | Stephenville |
| Samantha Walsh | Stephenville | |
| Swimming | Darcy Butler | Paradise |
| Lindsey Goodland | St. John’s | |
| Joel Thomas | St. John’s | |
| James Traverse | Conception Bay South | |
| For Swimming | Nathan Luscombe | Grand Falls – Windsor |
| Table Tennis | Divine Toilet | St. John’s |
| Peter Quinlan | Chapel Cove | |
| Taekwondo | Emma Driscoll | Flatrock |
| Tennis | Aiden Drover-Mattinen | Portugal Cove-St. Philips |
| Declan Walsh | St. John’s | |
| Triathlon | Lincoln Harris | Torbay |
| Ultimate | Maria Dodd | St. John’s |
| Volleyball | Karen Greek | Mount Pearl |
| Jenna Lake | Conception Bay South | |
| Falon McLoughlan | Mount Pearl | |
| At that time | St. John’s | |
| Tyler Wiseman | Clarenville | |
| 2024 Team Gushue Award Recipients | ||
| Badminton | Brooklyn Wolfrey | Rigolet |
| Gymnastics | Gleb Evstigneev | Paradise |
| 2024 Michelle Healey Memorial Award Winner | ||
| Soccer | Zoe Rowe | Conception Bay South |
2024 10 30
7:00 pm
