Mohawk College Athletics 2011-12 Major Awards
Dr. Sam Mitminger Award: (To graduating year student, combining academics and athletic excellence) Aminu Bello, basketball
Wes Hicks Outstanding Male Athlete: Justin Scapinello, volleyball
Outstanding Female Athlete: Rachelle Abella, basketball
All-Around Female Athlete: Ashley Hagen: soccer, volleyball
Male Freshman Athlete: Andrew Cicuttini, basketball
Female Freshman Athlete: Megan Campbell, basketball
Department of Athletics & Recreation Award (Outstanding participation in varsity and campus recreation): Jordan Crockett
Hap Holman Business Award (For varsity athletics, academic excellence by a second or…

There is a fine line between confidence and cocky and Mohawk was forced to walk it entering the 2012 Canadian Colleges’ Athletic Association (CCAA) Men’s Basketball National Championships.
Riding high off their win of the Ontario Colleges’ Athletic Association (OCAA) gold medal (March 3), the Mountaineers descended into Halifax en route to the host school, Nova Scotia Agricultural College in Truro, Nova Scotia.
“We were pretty excited about, I mean, even winning OCAA’s,” said Mohawk’s power forward, Andrew Cicuttini. “Obviously, we couldn’t have been happier about beating off Humber twice in a row.”
“None…

One point separated Mohawk and Humber as Aminu Bello drove the lane for the Mountaineers with the clock winding down. Humber, determined to win a fourth straight Ontario Colleges’ Athletic Association gold medal in men’s basketball, had climbed back from a fourth-quarter deficit to trail by one in the final seconds. That is when Mohawk’s leading scorer took it upon himself to preserve the lead and break the Hawks streak, ending a 40 year gold medal drought for the long-suffering Mountaineer faithful.
“I just had a good streak of games,” said the player of…

In a rematch of last year’s Ontario Colleges’ Athletic Association bronze medal game, the Mohawk Mountaineers men’s volleyball team took to the court to face Seneca College.
“It feels really good,” said Ian Cameron, Mohawk’s player of the game in the bronze medal match. “This is the end of my career and I didn’t want to go home empty handed. After we pushed around the number one team in the country (Humber) and fell short, I was kind of disappointed but I wasn’t leaving this tournament without hardware.”
The Mountaineers beat Seneca (25-15, 15-25,…

Mohawk’s varsity men’s basketball team hosted a playoff crossover game on Saturday (Feb. 25) to determine if they would advance to the Ontario Colleges’ Athletic Association (OCAA) Championships in Ottawa from March 1-3.
The Mountaineers sealed their ticket with a 90-65 win over the Durham Lords of Oshawa. Mohawk (13-5) will now matchup against the OCAA’s East Division top-ranked Centennial Colts (18-2) of Scarborough on Thursday at tournament host Algonquin College.
Mohawk has played great basketball of late, handing the top team in their division (Humber) their third loss of the season when the…

Mohawk’s women’s basketball team had their fate in their hands when Humber visited the Fennell Gymnasium on Wednesday (Feb. 22). The Mountaineers could have assured themselves a playoff spot if they had pulled their regular season record to .500 and beat Humber.
“We just didn’t have any hustle in the first half but we picked it up in the second half and I guess we just showed them that we won’t give up,” said Mohawk’s starting point guard, Rachelle Abella.
Mohawk looked like different teams in the two halves, climbing back from a 19-point…

Mohawk’s men’s volleyball team will be travelling to Nipissing University in North Bay for this year’s Ontario Colleges’ Athletic Association (OCAA) Championships Feb. 23-25.
“We’re looking for revenge,” said Mohawk’s right-side Justin Scapinello about participating in his second provincial championships. “We lost in the semi-finals last year and we don’t want to go down that easy this year.”
The team earned their berth in the tournament after defeating La Cité Collégiale in straight sets (25-20, 25-21 and 25-19) in an OCAA crossover game on Saturday (Feb. 18).
Mohawk found an offensive rhythm that over…

There are currently 10 players shooting 50 per cent or better in the Ontario Colleges’ Athletic Association (OCAA) basketball standings and two of those players play guard for Mohawk.
Manny Campbell and Aminu Bello rank fourth (55.2) and tenth (50.5) respectively in the OCAA standings for field goal percentage.
“I’m feeling confident,” said Bello who ranks second in the OCAA in scoring with 24 points per game. “I mean, we’ve always been confident from the beginning of the season but now we’re gelling as a team—because we know it’s getting to the end stretch…

The women’s varsity basketball team is in a situation where they can guarantee themselves a chance in the Ontario Colleges’ Athletic Association playoffs.
“The good thing is, it’s in our control,” said coach Kevin Duffy. “If we win Wednesday night against Humber, we’re in the playoffs. It doesn’t matter what anybody else does.”
The do-or-die games started a little early for the Mountaineers and the women have responded winning three of their last four games.
Failing to make the playoffs last season, this year’s group is looking to change the culture of women’s basketball…

Mohawk’s women’s volleyball season came to an end Feb. 15 when Fanshawe visited the Fennell Gymnasium for the Mountaineers last regular season game.
The Mountaineers didn’t finish with the record they were looking for (3-15), and missed out on this year’s playoffs – but that didn’t stop the remaining women from showing up to support their school and each other.
Throughout this season several women that appeared on the roster have left the team for different reasons. Some women had scheduling conflicts arise while others let a relationship filled with tension with first-year coach…