Star field hockey player Robyn Pendleton’s trophy haul nearly included the ace of them all. Pendleton, a Vic High grad, finished her CIS playing career with the UBC Thunderbirds in style this year, as she led UBC to its 13th CIS title.
In doing so, Pendleton was named the best overall female athlete in the Canada West conference, was MVP at the CIS national championships, and won the Canada West and CIS Player of the Year awards for field hockey.
Last weekend she attended the 20th Annual BLG Awards in Calgary, at which Pendleton was Canada West’s nominee for the Jim Thompson Trophy, given to the top female athlete in all of Canadian university sports.
That award went to Ann-Sophie Bettez (female) and Marc-André Dorion (male), who both play ice hockey at McGill University.
“They're both amazing people so I'm really excited for both of them,” Pendleton said on UBC’s website. “They're both incredibly deserving.
“Honestly, just being here is enough. As cheesy as that sounds, to get here is just huge and I think it could have gone to any of the girls so everyone was incredible and they've done incredible things.”
Pendleton is currently playing professionally for Paris’ Cercle Athlétique de Montrouge, France's national champions in 2010.
In 2011, UBC volleyball player Shanice Marcelle, of Saanich’s Spectrum community school, was also nominated for the BLG women’s award.
“Victoria is a really unique place to play sports because it is a really tight knit community and everyone in the city is really interested in sports,” Pendled said. “...The support of not only the businesses but the people in Victoria makes it that much easier for athletes growing up in the city to be successful.”
- With files from UBC Thunderbirds