Richmond’s Bryan Abrey and Brett Iverson were among the big winners at Sport BC’s 53rd annual Athlete of Year Awards Ceremony and Gala.
Abrey was named Senior Male Athlete of the Year after an outstanding 2018 on the men’s fastpitch diamond while Iverson was recognized for his work on the ice as Official of the Year during last Wednesday's banquet at the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel in Vancouver.
Abrey, a fixture with Canada’s national men’s team, earned MVP honours in helping the New York Gremlins capture their first-ever International Softball Congress (ISC) World Championship last August in Kitchener.
The 30-year-old batted .500 (7-for-14) as New York rolled to six consecutive victories, including an 8-1 romp of rival Circle Tap Dukes from Wisconsin in the championship game.
He was also recognized for his work with the game beyond his talents.
“Bryan gives back to his sport and community by volunteering countless hours coaching and mentoring young athletes, both in BC and across Canada. He is humble and respectful of the history of our sport, as well as the people who have helped him achieve the highest level of Softball in the world.”
Next up for Abrey is playing for Canada at the 2019 WBSC Men’s Softball World Championship in the Czech Republic — June 13-19.
The McMath grad also competes in beer league hockey for the Axemen, finishing the 2019 season with 27 goals in 15 games. He placed second in team MVP voting last year.
We send our congratulations to 2018 ISC MVP Bryan Abrey, named BC Sport Senior Male Athlete of the Year. https://t.co/aJIRe8RL3b pic.twitter.com/0wiCjbxWb5
— ISCFastpitch (@ISCFastpitch) March 16, 2019
The other two finalists for the award included Richmond golfer Chris Crisologo who enjoyed another stellar season as one of the country’s top amateur players.
Meanwhile, Iverson was awarded for his impressive and growing international resumé as a hockey referee, including working the 2018 Winter Olympics PyeongChang, Korea.
He started officiating in 1997 and has gone on to establish himself as one of BC Hockey’s and Hockey Canada’s most accomplished officials. He received his Hockey Canada Level VI certification in 2011 and received his first IIHF assignment in 2015 when he officiated at the IIHF World U18 Championship in Switzerland.
He was recently selected to officiate the 2019 IIHF Men’s Ice Hockey World Championship in May in Slovakia, marking the fourth consecutive year he will be working in that tournament.
Big night at the @SportBC awards, congratulations to all the awards winners from across BC including @BCHockey_Refs Brett Iverson who was named Official of the Year.
— BC Hockey (@BCHockey_Source) March 14, 2019
Brett officiated at the 2018 Winter Olympics and is set to referee his4th @IIHFHockey World Championship. pic.twitter.com/49cNdofV42
World U20 hammer throw champion Camryn Rogers was a finalist for Junior Female Athlete of the Year. That category was won by women’s national soccer team member Jordyn Huitema.
The Athlete of the Year ceremonies recognize BC’s best in amateur sport including athletes, coaches, and officials for outstanding performances in their sport over the 2018 season.
Each finalist in the 14 categories was nominated by their Provincial or Multi-Sport Organization, High School, College or University.
