HIGH ACHIEVERS: Ifenna Onyeka, Jacqueline Urban, Helen McCulligh selected Carleton Ravens’ athletes of the year

By Martin Cleary

Ifenna Onyeka was selected by the Toronto Argonauts in the fifth round and 45th overall during the 2024 CFL Draft, after posting a career-best 21 tackles, 25 assists and 5.5 sacks in eight games as a defensive end for the Carleton University Ravens.

Buoyed by his play and the opportunity to start a professional football career, Onyeka went to the Argos’ training camp last year with high hopes and enthusiasm. But, in the end, he was cut.

Onyeka remained positive about his football abilities and returned to Carleton last fall for his fifth and final season filled with more knowledge about the gridiron game. It certainly showed as his Argos training camp experience heightened his play last fall for the Ravens.

The Brampton, ON, native will return to the Argos’ camp May 5 armed with more confidence and ability and he hopes to earn him a spot on the roster of the defending Grey Cup champions.

“I was drafted and cut, but I learned everything from the Argos and applied it,” Onyeka said in a recent phone interview.

“I learned the habits of how to be successful and the habits of always committing yourself and trying to be better on an every-day basis.”

When he joined the Ravens for his last season, he certainly applied himself. In Carleton’s second OUA game, an 18-15 win over the University of Windsor Lancers, Onyeka registered three first-half sacks, four tackles and was named an OUA player of the week.

At the end of the season, he led the OUA in quarterback sacks with 9.0 for a loss of 61 yards and added 19 tackles and seven assists. He became an OUA first-team all-star at defensive end and was a second-team U Sports All-Canadian.

His remarkable season also allowed him to be named the male athlete of the year at Carleton, which was the 15th time a football player had earned that distinction. There have only been two other football players selected as Carleton’s male athlete of the year in the past 40 years – Harry Van Hofwegen for 1995-96 and Mark Brown for 1986-87 and 1985-86.

Ravens football head coach Corey Grant was thrilled to see Onyeka honoured as the top male athlete.

“It’s amazing and a testament to the work he has put in,” Grant said. “He led the league in sacks. He was drafted and put in more work. He kept working hard and is a leader on and off the field. I’m so proud of him.

“He just works. He’s a veteran guy, who puts his head down and got better every day.”

Onyeka also cared about the Ravens’ football program. Since Grant took over the head coaching role from Steve Sumarah in 2022, Onyeka has had many talks with Grant about a variety of team issues because he feels the need to advocate for his teammates and grow the program.

Driven by his determination to succeed, Onyeka is quick, strong and knowledgeable on the field. He understands his strengths and weaknesses and aims to develop both areas.

Onyeka was “extremely honoured” to become the 68th winner of Carleton’s male athlete of the year award. He was on the top of his game last season because of his football instincts, speed and power.

“It was a total effort by the coaches, my friends and teammates,” said Onyeka, who graduated last year with a BA in cognitive sciences. “Everyone pushed me to be the player I can be and the student I can be.

“I had a good year (2024) because it was an amalgamation of my four other years of hard work and everything I had learned.”

A former student-athlete at St. Roch Catholic Secondary School, Onyeka’s five-year career started slow as he only played 10 games in his first two seasons in 2019 and 2021, posting seven tackles and two assists. But he played the full, eight-game OUA regular season for the past three years and finished with career stats of 34 games, 60 tackles, 43 assists and 14.5 sacks.

“The first two years under coach Sumarah were difficult because I was getting used to U Sports play, school as well, being far from home and COVID,” he summarized.

But his persistence and hard work allowed him to find a place in the Ravens’ system.

“It took me a while to turn myself into the player I knew I could be. My goal was to be undeniable so the coaches couldn’t deny playing me anymore,” he said.

“It was a long hill upwards, but the peak is great. Overall, it was a very rewarding and fulfilling five years.”

Meanwhile, the Ruth Coe Award for the female athlete of the year was presented to two student-athletes for the sixth time since it was first presented in 1968-69 and the second time in a row.

Basketball’s Jacqueline Urban and nordic skiing’s Helen McCulligh were honoured as the Ravens’ best female athletes, which came on the heels of Kali Pocrnic and Maggie McClure winning the same trophy from the same two respective sports.

Urban was a key contributor as the Ravens compiled their second undefeated women’s basketball regular season at 22-0, reached the OUA championship final, losing to the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees, and earned the silver medal at the U Sports nationals, falling to the University of Saskatchewan Huskies in the championship game.

Urban averaged 13.9 points and 9.4 rebounds a game, while shooting 48.9 per cent from the field. Her numbers and team play put her on the OUA first all-star team and the second U Sports All-Canadian team.

At the Nordiq Canada cross-country ski championships, McCulligh collected two medals in the university and college division – silver in women’s overall team and bronze in the 10-kilometre race – as well as a fourth in the classic sprint.

Carleton captured its third consecutive women’s team title at the OUA championships and McCulligh was a driving force for the Ravens. She won the interval start free technique race, was part of the fastest relay team, placed second in the classic mass start and was the top nordic skier overall.

For the third consecutive year, Dani Sinclair was named Carleton’s coach of the year and winner of the Pat O’Brien Award.

Sinclair guided the Ravens to a perfect 22-0 regular season, a third straight OUA Critelli Cup final and a third national championship final in a row. She also won the U Sports Fox 40 national coach of the year honour.

The Carleton Ravens’ annual awards night also paid tribute to Dorcas Buisa (basketball), outstanding female graduating athlete; Dylan McCoy (football) and Darion Dillabaugh (nordic skiing), outstanding male graduating athlete (shared); Sierra Hasse (rugby) and Giovanni Morneau (hockey), rookie of the year; and Liya Equbagzi (football), varsity council volunteer of the year.