Gauntlet hands out annual awards

By Sonny Sachdeva, April 5 2016 —

Each year, the Gauntlet recognizes two Dinos athletes who put forth noteworthy performances for their teams. The Gauntlet awards one female recipient and one male recipient the Extra Effort Award.

The Dinos basketball teams swept both awards this year, with Kristie Sheils and David Kapinga receiving the 2016 awards.

Both were essential in helping their team’s succeed in 2015–16. Both the women’s and men’s teams were among the most successful of all the Dinos squads this season.

The women’s team avenged their subpar 2014–15 season in dominant fashion, posting a 15–5 record to rank fourth in the Canada West. The men’s team lived up to the hype as well, posting a 17–3 record and emerging as the Canada West champions.

Sheils was essential to the women’s team’s success in 2015–16. The fifth-year guard’s versatility shone as she led her club in points per game, assists, free-throw percentage, minutes per game and three-point percentage while finishing second on the team in steals. Sheils’ sterling three-point percentage also ranked as the third-best mark among all players in the Canada West.

Kapinga also played a key role for his club, filling a variety of roles to help the men’s team win their first division championship in seven years. Kapinga ranked among the top five on the team in terms of points per game, field-goal percentage, free-throw percentage, assists per game and minutes per game, while leading the team in steals. The second-year guard also turned it up for the Dinos during their championship bid, finding a new level as he finished among the Dinos’ top three scorers in all three CIS Final Eight games.

Sheils and Kapinga accepted their Extra Effort Awards at the Night of the Dino awards ceremony, held at McMahon Stadium’s Red and White Club on April 5.