The Lethbridge Sport Council will honour individuals and community organizations in 10 categories with achievement awards on April 14, several of them with a University of Lethbridge connection.
The many contributions of Marcus Karpati (BA ’07, BEd ’10) will be acknowledged as he is honoured posthumously with the 2014 Spirit of Sport award. Karpati was a dedicated U of L Pronghorn soccer player who went on to become assistant coach for the men’s soccer program. He was also a beloved summer camp leader, teacher and husband whose passion and enthusiasm touched everyone around him. Karpati passed away last November.
Jim Steacy (BASc ’09) will be honoured as the 2014 Senior Male Athlete. In his 15th year as a track and field athlete, Steacy won a gold medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Scotland and captured his 10th Canadian Senior National Hammer Throw title. Despite having to cope with the unexpected death of his mother last April and recovering from surgeries to both feet, Steacy showed steely determination in completing his most successful season since 2009.
The 2014 Senior Female Athlete award will go to Liz Gleadle, Olympic athlete and a former U of L student. Gleadle overcame injuries that left her unable to compete for most of 2013 to break her Canadian record in women’s javelin. Highlights of the year include being ranked 10th in the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) world rankings, representing Canada at the Commonwealth Games, and winning a bronze at the IAAF Continental Cup and a gold at the Birmingham Diamond League. In Birmingham, she topped the world record holder and the top three ranked javelin throwers in the world.
Details on the other award winners can be found on the Lethbridge Sport Council website.
The awards will be held Tuesday, April 14 at the Enmax Centre Lounge starting at 6 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for youth. For more information or to purchase tickets call Amy Van Buskirk at 403-320-9371.