Five coaches up for Reader’s Choice awards

The seasons are finished, awards have been given, and the preparation for next year has begun. But before fans can get excited for the 2016-17 season there are five coaches who have been selected for The Charlatan’s Reader’s Choice awards.

Voting opened up online on March 29, and readers can choose who they think is the number one coach at Carleton.

 Loading ...

Marty Johnston:
Men’s hockey

Johnston guided the men’s hockey team to another sensational season on the ice. The team finished the regular season with a record of 20-7-1—good enough for third in the OUA East. The Ravens earned the OUA bronze medal and appeared at the CIS University Cup for the second time in three seasons. A lengthy quadruple overtime loss to the Canada West Universities Athletic Association (CWUAA) champion Saskatchewan Huskies proved that Johnston’s team can compete with the best Canada has to offer.

Victoria Peters:
Women’s water polo

While the women’s water polo team only finished fourth out of five teams at the OUA championships this season, Peters’ dedication to the team deserves recognition. An alumnus of the team herself, Peters has worked towards promoting the sport not only at Carleton, but across the OUA. She collaborated with other schools in an effort to find a sixth team for the league and preserve the sport’s varsity status within the OUA. Although women’s water polo was eventually downgraded to club status, Peter continues to recruit and plan for the upcoming season.

Michel Roy:
Men’s water polo

It didn’t take Roy long to make a splash with the men’s water polo team. In his first season with the team, he lead the team to an OUA championship. Roy was named the OUA coach of the year while three of his players were named men’s all-stars. Before joining the team at Carleton, Roy held coaching positions at the University of British Columbia as well as the University of Hawaii.

Rob Smart:
Men’s basketball

Smart was the interim head coach for the men’s basketball team this season. He managed to take on the huge task of filling in for the most successful coach in CIS basketball after losing four starters from the 2014-15 team, yet still leading the way to their sixth straight national title in a row. He has been with the team since 2005 as an assistant coach, and played three years for the Ravens before that. Next year, he will return to his position as assistant coach when Dave Smart—his uncle—takes back over.

Steve Sumarah:
Football

In his third season with the Ravens, Sumarah guided the team to a record of 5-3 and their first playoff appearance since the program was revived in 2013. Sumarah’s Ravens have shown improvement in every season. After an inaugural year without a victory in eight games, the Ravens posted a record of 4-4, then became a playoff team this year. This year, the team was able to increase their offence to an average of 36 points per game, compared to last season when they averaged 24.9 points per game.