Olivia Lei of the Humber Hawks has been named the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association Female Badminton Player of the Year for the third consecutive season.
Lei received the award this evening at the 2017 CCAA Badminton National Championships banquet, hosted by Seneca College in Toronto, ON.
“Olivia is not only one of the best badminton players in the CCAA but rather one of the best female athletes across all sports in the CCAA,” said Jordan Richey, CCAA Badminton Convenor.
In three seasons with the Hawks, Lei has also captured three Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) Player of the Year titles and has earned three CCAA All-Canadian awards.
Once again, Lei went undefeated in OCAA play this season. Her only defeat this season was a three-set loss to Olympian Rachel Honderich (19-21, 21-16, 24-22). Lei is currently the No. 2 ranked women’s singles player in Canada.
“The fact that she was risen to No. 2 in the Badminton Canada rankings is a true testament as to how good of a player she actually is,” said Richey.
Lei, who is 13-0 at CCAA National Championships, will look for the three-peat in women’s singles play this week at Seneca.
The recipient of the Arlene Harle Fair Play Award at the 2015 CCAA National Championship, Lei continues to consistently demonstrate sportsmanship toward her opponents.
Lei also coaches at the Su Badminton Club in Markham, ON. Aside from training elite athletes to compete in tournaments across the globe, she aims to make the most out of teaching badminton by building team chemistry and social interaction, teaching fitness and nutrition, and developing self-confidence for her athletes.
CCAA Player of the Year winners receive a customized ring provided by Jostens Canada, the Official Ring Supplier of the CCAA Championship Awards Banquet.
Other nominees for the Player of the Year award were Ryo Kuramochi of the NAIT Ooks (ACAC) and Emma Hughes of the Holland Hurricanes (ACAA).
For a full list of this year’s award recipients, visit the official site of the 2017 CCAA Badminton National Championships.
