The Ottawa Sports Pages’ 2024 High School Best Series profiles some of the top local student-athletes graduating from high school this year and moving on to the next level in their sport or studies.
The Series is presented by the Sports-Études Program at École secondaire publique Louis-Riel –the leaders in combining athletic and academic excellence since 2005.
For the final two weeks of June, we’ll post a new story each day on OttawaSportsPages.ca to tip our caps to these great grads. You can also follow along here on this webpage.
Rhythmic gymnast Selena Pang dreams of FISU Games, sport tech innovations
Being a student-athlete requires a lot of balance. Interestingly enough, so does being a talented gymnast. Selena Pang, a recent St. Matthew Catholic High School graduate and a Kanata Rhythmic Gymnastics Club athlete, has a lot of experience in both. Pang has earned many sport and academic accolades, and she says the real trick is managing her time. READ MORE…
Versatile Sam Akot fast breaks to University at Buffalo from Canada Topflight Academy
The popular Swiss Army knife has served as a versatile pocket tool for more than 125 years. When Canada Topflight Academy founder and head coach Tony House looked on the basketball court and saw six-foot, seven-inch Sam Akot playing his distinctive two-way game, he couldn’t help think about the convenient, multi-purpose gadget. READ MORE…
Strong family hockey passion helps fuel Grace Outwater on to Penn State Nittany Lions
Hockey has always been a family affair for Grace Outwater. Her love for the sport started early, when her grandfather introduced her to the basics after building an outdoor rink. From there, her parents put her in skating lessons, and thus begun the journey that’s seen the Ottawa Lady Sens player sign with Penn State University. READ MORE…
Isaiah Ibit makes international golf debut before heading to Kent State University
On the heels of a remarkable 2023 golf season, Isaiah Ibit made his true international debut this year as a member of the Team Canada NextGen squad. And what an introduction it was for the Camelot Golf and Country Club member, who graduated Thursday from St. Peter Catholic High School in Orleans as an Ontario scholar. READ MORE…
Bowdoin College next stop for well-travelled hockey defenceman Matthew Roy
Defenceman Matthew Roy is one particular hockey player. While he’s a strong skater, committed to his team and does his best to prevent goals, he admits to being fussy, but a good and productive fussy. It all started at the Johnny Leroux Arena in Stittsville when every Rams session ended with a box of Timbits, courtesy of his parents. READ MORE…
Capital Courts Academy final stop for Cyanne John on road to Fairfield University
When Rolanda Coe was a teenager, she was driven by sports, whether it was basketball, baseball, hockey, soccer or volleyball. And you can’t forget football, when she became the first girl to play in the Ottawa high school league in 1982 and scored a touchdown in one game for the Confederation High School Cardinals’ junior squad. READ MORE…
John McCrae’s HPA program triggered Alex Pilieci’s swimming & school success
When Alex Pilieci graduated from Kars on the Rideau Public School in 2020, the next natural move for him would have been to enrol at South Carleton High School in Richmond. But there was a conflict. Pilieci was a competitive swimmer and his morning weekday practices with the Nepean-Kanata Barracudas didn’t end until 8 a.m. READ MORE…
uOttawa Gee-Gees keep local goalkeeping train chugging with addition of Laura Salgado
There are certain elements of goalkeeping that separate the good ones from the great ones. Yes, you have to be athletic, agile, quick on your feet and smart in order to best fulfill your duties. But aspects like leadership, communication and taking charge of a situation in order are equally, if not even more crucial, to help a team succeed. READ MORE…
Future Harvard tennis player Anna-Raphaëlle Serghi picked the right sport at age 11
At six-and-a-half years old, Anna-Raphaëlle Serghi’s parents enrolled her in every sport imaginable, from soccer, to swimming, to tennis, and more. Then when she was 11, she was faced with a very tough decision: choosing her main sport. Committing to tennis launched her towards studying medicine and playing for Harvard University. READ MORE…
St. Joe’s championship game hero Jett Hudson will return to site of triumph at Carleton U
It was the last play of the fourth quarter, third-and-goal on the one-yard line to decide it all, in Jett Hudson’s final Ottawa high school football league game. His St. Joseph Jaguars had lost in the championship game the two previous years, they’d lost to their opponents 46-14 earlier in the season, and they’d been down 20-7 at halftime. READ MORE…
After OFSAA gold & national bronze, NCAA & Team Canada are Élodie Lalonde’s next targets
She’s conquered Ontario and she’s earned a Canadian podium this year already, and now Élodie Lalonde is set to take her volleyball skills south to compete for High Point University in the NCAA. “I cannot wait,” smiles the Béatrice-Desloges grad. “Obviously I’m a bit nervous, but, all in all, I think it’s going to be a great experience for me.” READ MORE…
Inspired by her older sister, Bianca Hanisch kicks her way to NCAA soccer
Growing up in a soccer-loving family where matches were a constant on the TV every weekend, Bianca Hanisch knew that it was the sport for her from a young age. And watching her oldest sister Bella pursue and accomplish her goals in high-level soccer showed her she can go down that same path and succeed too. READ MORE…
Diver Audrée Brazeau-Howes has one last junior meet before joining Louisville Cardinals
For diver Audrée Brazeau-Howes, a summer full of change is nothing to be worried about. The months ahead are slated to be full of new experiences for Brazeau-Howes, who will be graduating high school, putting a bow on her junior diving career, getting major corrective eye surgery and moving to the U.S. to be part of NCAA Div. 1 competition. READ MORE…
O-lineman Ewan Newton off to Harvard University in 2025 for economics, football
As an offensive lineman, you wouldn’t expect to see Ewan Newton’s name beside the word ‘touchdown’ in a football game box score. The Carleton Place resident is certainly familiar with the term as his hulking presence and speed has allowed him to open holes for his running backs to reach the end zone or provide pass protection for lots of TDs. READ MORE…
The Luke & Jean-Luc ‘package’ will carry their quick connection on to U Sports basketball
From the first time they shook hands and exchanged names, Luke and Jean-Luc were destined to be a perpetual pair. Luke Leger and Jean-Luc Cubahiro spent just one year together at Louis-Riel high school, but they quickly gelled on and off the court, and soon they will head off to Algoma University to play for the Thunderbirds. READ MORE…
RBC Olympian Kylar Rathwell flips from freestyle aerials to University of Ottawa nursing
Sometimes life requires us to make difficult decisions. Rising freestyle aerials skier Kylar Rathwell found herself entering that predicament about a year ago. On one hand, the Ashton, ON, student-athlete was climbing the ladder in the high-flying ski discipline of aerials, after being named an RBC Training Ground Olympian in 2022. READ MORE…
St. Matthew football QB Jackson Plante goes long, all the way to Bishop’s University
Like many young Canadian boys, Jackson Plante had the craving to play hockey. He even had the name for it as his first name was similar to and his last name matched the great Montreal Canadiens’ goalie Jacques Plante. But in the end, it didn’t work out. “I played hockey until Grade 6, but I realized it wasn’t my sport,” Plante admitted. READ MORE…
Ottawa TFC teammates of 8 years continue soccer journeys at Charleston Southern U
For some, Christmas is the season to air grievances. So let’s get to it: featuring a pair of Ottawa TFC players who have been by each other’s sides pretty much every day for the last eight years. Danika Birch says the worst thing about Amélie Boyle is she’s exceptionally aggressive. “Playing against her sucks,” underlines Birch. READ MORE…
Lasting friendships fuel OSU Force’s Taylor Cassidy & Ashlee Delaney into university soccer
Long-time teammates Taylor Cassidy and Ashlee Delaney say Ottawa South United Soccer Club has shaped their friendships, their sports paths and their lives. The future varsity athletes’ experiences at OSU also inspired their choice of university programs for next year – Delaney in human kinetics and Cassidy in education. READ MORE…
Prolific soccer scorer Annabelle Chukwu picks Notre Dame to lead local NCAA signings
Ottawa South United grad Annabelle Chukwu has taken another major step in her young and rewarding soccer career. Chukwu, 16, has signed a letter of intent to attend the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, and play for the Fighting Irish in 2024-25 – one of 12 program recruits and the only Canadian signee in 2024.. READ MORE…
Olympics & University of Florida on tap for decorated swimmer Julie Brousseau
Julie Brousseau swam circles around the World Aquatics Junior Swimming Championships and propelled herself into Olympic team consideration with a sparkling seven-medal performance from Sept. 4-9 in Israel. The 17-year-old led her team with her two-silver, five-bronze haul – a recurring trend in her career. READ MORE…
University of New Hampshire next big step for champion gymnast Cléante Théorêt
By age 16, Cléante Théorêt had already been confronted with four major choices in her young life. And the Grade 12 student at École secondaire catholique Franco-Cité appears to have made the right decision each time, whether it’s selecting her primary sport, choosing between competitions, or picking the best university for herself. READ MORE…
After Golden Boot & Canada Games gold, Rosa Maalouf takes winning touch to Texas
Sixteen-year-old Rosa Maalouf scored her first international goal in spring 2022. It came in a game against Poland as part of the U17 women’s soccer national team. It was only a sign of things to come. At the CONCACAF U17 championship in the Dominican Republic, Maalouf scored a tournament-best 12 times in six games.. READ MORE…
Future Southern California diver Kate Miller converts gap year into Olympic year
International diver Kate Miller of Ottawa walked across her high school stage last spring to receive her Grade 12 graduation diploma and sign off on another academic chapter in her life. And now university. But not just yet for the honours high school student. First, there’s a trip to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games to take care of. READ MORE…
Canada Games lacrosse champ Tristan Thompson to play winter national sport in NCAA
Hockey was Tristan Thompson’s first sport, as it was for her brother, who played rec league hockey. But six years ago, when her brother started playing lacrosse, the U22 Nepean Wildcats hockey player decided to try it and fell in love with the sport, although the Canada Summer Games lacrosse participant said she likes both sports equally. READ MORE…
Gratitude a driver in future Carleton Raven AJ Osman’s pursuit of basketball stardom
There’s something about AJ Osman that’s unlike other talented young athletes. For many who have pro dreams, it’s easy to be mesmerized by the glamour that could possibly await them. But the soft-spoken Osman is different. Appreciating who’s got him this far is central to what drives the member of the youth national team. READ MORE…