WINNIPEG - U SPORTS announced the national season award winners on Thursday morning, prior to the start of the 2023 U SPORTS Track & Field Championships.

On the women's side, Audrey Leduc from the Laval Rouge et Or was named the outstanding performer in track events, while Jennifer Elizarov of the Guelph Gryphons was named the outstanding performer in field events. Joining them on the honours list are Chloe Turner of Calgary, who was named rookie of the year, and Celia Markinovic of Waterloo, who won the Student-Athlete Community Service Award.

In men's competition, the recipients included Max Davies of Guelph (track MVP), Noel Vanderzee of Calgary (field MVP), Thomas Péladeau of Sherbrooke (rookie of the year) and Evan Essapa of the Alberta Golden Bears (Student-Athlete Community Service Award).

A U of A science graduate and current master's student, fifth-year Golden Bears sprinter Evan Essapa has dedicated a great deal of his life and academic pursuits to bettering the Black community, both at the University of Alberta and in the greater Edmonton area.
 
After graduating from the Faculty of Science in 2022, he moved immediately into a master's degree in counselling psychology. His graduate research is focused on mental health disparities among Canadian immigrants, he created a website to connect the Black community with Black professionals, he has been a wellness coach for the Experiential Learning in Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship (ELITE) Program for Black Youth on campus, and he developed a 10-week mental health therapy program for Black individuals — all while juggling the demands of being a full-time student-athlete.
 
He also volunteers with the Africa Centre, Alberta Black Therapists network, and is a regular volunteer at local track and field events, both at the junior and World Athletics Silver levels.
 
As part of his master's program, Essapa is investigating mental health disparities among Canadian newcomers and recent immigrants in Edmonton, focusing on different admission categories such as economic, family and refugee classes. Using quantitative surveys and established mental health questionnaires, he aims to understand these differences, providing valuable insights for policy-makers and professionals to enhance support services for immigrants in Canada.
 
A captain with the Golden Bears Track & Field team, Essapa also captured two medals at the 2024 Canada West Championship, including a gold medal in the 4x200m relay, and a bronze in the 300m.
 
"Evan is an amazing young man. Certainly somebody with a high level of self-awareness; he genuinely cares about his teammates and the people around him," says Wes Moerman, head coach of the U of A track and field program. "We ask our athletes to be a part of something bigger than themselves. He has been quiet about the incredible work he is doing in the community, and I think that speaks to his character and who he is as a person."