THREE athletes with North Shore ties took home trophies from the 47th annual Sport BC Athlete of the Year Awards.
Jenna Ralston, a Mission native, won the college athlete of the year award for her stellar play with the Capilano Blues women's basketball team during the 2011-12 season. The award topped off an excellent season for Ralston that saw her win the PacWest player of the year award and earn Canadian Colleges Athletics Association All-Canadian status. She led the league in scoring with an 18.1 point-per-game average and was fourth in assists at 3.5 per game.
Ralston led the Blues to a 13-3 regular season and a bronze medal showing at the PacWest championships where she was named a tournament all-star. With a 4.28 GPA in business administration Ralston received a Capilano University Academic Excellence Award and was named a CCAA Academic All-Canadian. Following the season Ralston was also picked as the university's athlete of the year.
North Vancouver's Filip Peliwo was honoured as the junior male athlete of the year following his remarkable campaign on the junior tennis circuit. Peliwo made the final of all four junior Grand Slam tournaments, winning the title at both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. He ended 2012 as the No. 1-ranked junior in the world and was honoured as the Junior Athlete of the Year at the 2012 Canadian Sport Awards held last fall.
West Vancouver super senior Christa Bortignon rounded out the North Shore trio honoured at the Sport B.C. Awards. Bortignon won the master athlete of the year award following a superb season of track and field competition. Bortignon turned 75 before the season, bumping her into a new age bracket where she racked up numerous world championship medals and world records. Bortignon was also named the North, Central American and Caribbean World Masters Athletics female athlete of the year.
