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Julie Kozun (right) receiving her bronze medal in Paris (submitted photo)
Potential Female Athlete of the Year

Local athletes nominated for Saskatchewan Sports Awards

Jan 30, 2025 | 2:15 PM

The 40th Annual Saskatchewan Sports Awards are set to for January 30th in Saskatoon, and athletes and coaches from Prince Albert, Melfort, Makwa Sahgaiehancan First Nation just west of Meadow Lake, and Waldheim have been nominated for awards.

One of three recipients of the Inspire Through Sport Award is Tony Fineblanket from Makwa Sahgaiehancan for his efforts with their high school volleyball team as a volunteer coach. He was originally nominated by the First Nation and has received support from the Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association (SHSAA).

Fineblanket has been called the ‘father figure to his athletes’ after starting coaching the team in 2022 and has stepped into the role of mentor for his young athletes. He’ll receive the award along with Weyburn’s Sheila Leach and Regina’s Lindsay Markwart.

The Female Athlete of the Year Award has five nominees, but only one will come away with it.

The first nominee is Julie Kozun from Melfort, nominated by the public and supported by Sask Volleyball. Kozun was the lone Saskatchewan representative on Canada’s Paralympic sitting volleyball team this year and helped her team win their first-ever medal with a bronze at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris.

It was Kozun’s second time at the Paralympics after Team Canada finished with a fourth place in the 2020 Paralympics where they lost to Japan in the bronze medal game. Kozun also spent time this year coaching a standing volleyball team in Nipawin.

Also hoping to win Female Athlete of the Year is Waldheim’s Carissa Norsten who was originally nominated by MacDowell Rugby and supported by Saskatchewan Rugby. At just 21 years old, Norsten was the Female Rookie of the Year in the HSBC SVNS (World Rugby Sevens) series of tournaments.

Norsten was also at the Paris Olympics with Team Canada, helping Canada to a silver medal. With her University of Victoria Vikes 15s team this past year, Norsten also won a silver medal in the U Sports Championships, as well as a silver medal in the Canada West Games where Norsten was named a Canada West All-Star.

From Borden, sprinter and hurdler Savannah Sutherland is also in the hunt for the Female Athlete of the Year. Sutherland is part of the track team at the University of Michigan and was nominated by Saskatchewan Athletics.

This year, Sutherland was named captain of the Canadian Olympic team and was the first woman to reach the finals of the 400m hurdles event since Rosey Edeh in 1996.

Kozun, Norsten, and Sutherland are also against Shelby Newkirk from Saskatoon and Midale’s Keely Shaw.

The final athlete nominated from the northern portion of the province is Prince Albert’s Ali Diehl for the Youth Female Athlete of the Year. The 15-year-old para-swimmer was nominated by the Prince Albert Sharks Swim Club and supported by the Swim Saskatchewan, and this year she captured multiple medals at both provincial and national events.

Diehl set a new Canadian short course national record in the SB 9 50-metre breaststroke. She also was presented Prince Albert’s Terry Fox Award before the end of 2024.

Two other athletes are hopeful for that Youth Female of the Year award; Etta Love from Saskatoon, and Lila Stewart from Regina.

While no teams outside of Saskatoon and Regina were nominated for the Team of the Year Award, Prince Albert’s Stryker Zablocki was a part of the Regina Rebels hockey team and guided the team to their first-ever Esso Cup (Women’s U18 National Hockey Club Championship), along with defending their spot as Saskatchewan Female U18 AAA Hockey Champions for the second year in a row.

nick.nielsen@pattisonmedia.com