Young softball star Mike Noftall and soccer scoring sensation Nichole Adams were named St. John's Molson male and female athletes of the year Friday night.
The names were announced by Mayor Dennis O'Keefe during the 58th St. John's Molson Athlete of the Year banquet at City Hall.
Female award
Adams won the scoring title in the provincial Breen's Jubilee Trophy Women's Soccer League, tallying 21 goals in 18 regular season games. She walked away with MVP and first team all-star honours.
In the playoffs, she scored two goals in EPR Kirby/The Dock's 4-0 semifinal win over Holy Cross, and then scored the winning goal in overtime against the Crusaders in the final.
In the national championship staged at King George V Park in St. John's, Adams scored eight goals in four games to share the tournament scoring lead.
Adams was also an integral part of the Memorial Sea-Hawks varsity team, scoring seven goals to finish third in conference scoring. She was named to the conference second all-star team and was also a CIS academic all-Canadian.
She beat out basketball player Katherine Quackenbush and soccer teammate Laura Breen for the award.
Adams took home the Margaret 'Mag' Davis Memorial Award.
Male award
Noftall was a member of Canada's silver medal team at the world junior men's softball championship in Whitehorse, Yukon where he hit .300, knocked in 10 runs and scored eight others.
At the national midget boys championship in Saskatoon, Sask., Noftall was named to the tournament all-star team after helping Newfoundland win the bronze medal. He was the all-star pitcher after going 4-1 with a 2.74 ERA and 42 strikeouts. At the plate, he hit .333 with six RBI.
He was named MVP in the provincial midget boys' championship.
Locally, he was the regular-season and playoff MVP in the St. John's intermediate league where he was 9-5 on the mound with 137 strikeouts. He hit .400 with two home runs and seven RBI.
He was named all-star shortstop in the city's senior softball circuit for Westside Charlie's/Bud Lite after hitting .439 with a pair of home runs and 10 RBI.
Noftall won the Tom 'Dynamite' Dunne Memorial Award.
Other finalists for the male award were hockey player Luke Adam and curler Brad Gushue.
The athlete of the year is voted on by the St. John's Molson Athlete of the Year Committee. Members of the committee are chairman Don Power, Robin Short, John Browne, Brendan McCarthy, Jim Tee, Jill Brewer, Michelle Healey, Don Johnson, Terry Hart, Carl Lake, Ross Crocker, Paddy Daly, Doug Redmond and Troy Croft.
Kenn Oliver of The Telegram and CBC's Jacinta Wall were recent additions to the committee.
Hockey player Ted Purcell and curler Stacie Devereaux were last year's winners.
Nichole Adams
Often, the best offence is a good defence(man)
Molson St. John's athlete of the year
Nichole Adams, Mike Noftall named the best of 2008
MALE
1951 - Ferd Hayward
1952 - Ted Gillies
1953 - Ted Gillies
1954 - George Hillier
1955 - George Hillier
1956 - Lloyd Cooke
1957 - Barry Maunder
1958 - Tols Chapman
1959 - Bill Gillies
1960 - Bill Martin
1961 - Doug House
1962 - Charlie Spurrell
1963 - Ian Campbell
1964 - Tony Manning
1965 - Ian Campbell
1966 - Tols Chapman
1967 - Gordon Follett Sr.
1968 - Mac Rideout
1969 - Brian Brocklehurst
1970 - Ford Metcalfe
1971 - Joe Walsh
1972 - Ross Crocker
1973 - Ross Crocker
1974 - Blair Tucker
1975 - Denis Byrd
1976 - Jack MacDuff
1977 - Blair Tucker
1978 - John Dwyer
1979 - Paul McCloy
1980 - Mel Fitzgerald
1981 - Paul McCloy
1982 - Paul McCloy
1983 - Paul Merlo
1984 - Chris Daly
1985 - Paul McCloy
1986 - Paul McCloy
1987 - Paul McCloy
1988 - Colin Abbott
1989 - Colin Abbott
1990 - Paul McCloy
1991 - John Slaney
1992 - Rob O'Brien
1993 - Iain Tennent
1994 - Troy Croft
1995 - Rod Snow
1996 - Andy Crosby
1997 - Peter Benoite
1998 - Harold Druken
1999 - Colin Abbott
2000 - Mark Parsons
2001 - Brad Gushue
2002 - Jeff Saxby
2003 - Jason Hill
2004 - Brad Gushue
2005 - Brad Gushue
2006 - Brad Gushue
2007 - Ted Purcell
2008 - Mike Noftall
FEMALE
1969 - Maria Fitzpatrick
1970 - Pam Yetman
1971 - Annette Rossiter
1972 - Kate Jackman
1973 - Peg Baker
1974 - Marg Davis
1975 - Colleen Tapper
1976 - Joanne McDonald
1977 - Marg Davis
1978 - Joanne McDonald
1979 - Kathy Noseworthy
1980 - Paula Kelly
1981 - Gillian Grant
1982 - Debby Power
1983 - Sue Doyle
1984 - Nicola Will
1985 - Sue Doyle
1986 - Joy Burt
1987 - Pam Ennis
1988 - Sherry Morrissey
1989 - Pam Ennis
1990 - Cora McCloy
1991 - Cora McCloy
1992 - Jasmine Wadhwa
1993 - Andrea Hutchens
1994 - Krista Manning
1995 - Michelle Healey
1996 - Michelle Healey
1997 - Ann Murrin
1998 - Cheryl Oldford
1999 - Donna Phelan
2000 - Donna Phelan
2001 - Jennifer Parsons
2002 - Jenine Browne
2003 - Jenine Browne
2004 - Jenine Browne
2005 - Julia Howard
2006 - Laura Breen
2007 - Stacie Devereaux
2008 - Nichole Adams
Note: There were 14 total ballots, with five points awarded for a first-place vote, three for a second- place vote and one point for a third-place vote.
FEMALE
Name 1st 2nd 3rd Total
Nichole Adams (soccer) 7 4 3 50
Katherine Quackenbush (basketball) 6 3 2 41
Laura Breen (soccer) 0 2 5 11
Vicki Thistle (basketball/soccer) 1 1 1 9
Sasha Wilkins (volleyball) 0 2 1 7
Heather Strong (curling) 0 1 2 5
Kaitlyn Thomas (diving) 0 1 0 3
MALE
Name 1st 2nd 3rd Total
Mike Noftall (softball) 5 4 2 39
Luke Adam (hockey) 4 4 2 34
Brad Gushue (curling) 2 2 2 18
Stephen Mullaley (softball) 2 1 1 14
Brad Ezekiel (softball) 0 2 2 8
Sean Wadden (hockey) 1 0 1 6
Andrew Fagan (rugby) 0 1 0 3
Ciaran Hearn (rugby) 0 0 3 3
Colin Fewer (running) 0 0 1 1
Nichole Adams, Mike Noftall named the best of 2008
Softballer Mike Noftall, a standout for Canada's national junior team, is the 2009 Molson St. John's male athlete of the year. - Telegram file photos
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Published on
February 7, 2009
- Published on June 30, 2010
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Staff ~ The Telegram
Molson St. John's athlete of the year
Young softball star Mike Noftall and soccer scoring sensation Nichole Adams were named St. John's Molson male and female athletes of the year Friday night.
The names were announced by Mayor Dennis O'Keefe during the 58th St. John's Molson Athlete of the Year banquet at City Hall.
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Comments
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- Bill
- - July 2, 2010 at 14:48:15
Congrats to Mike and Nichole.
However, I did not agree with the basketball player being nominated for NL Athlete of the Year, when she is from Nova Scotia. Does that not defeat the purpose of ''Newfoundland'' Athlete of the year? Should she not be nominated in Nova Scotia rather then Newfoundland? That would be like Brad Gushue winning a tournament in Ontario, and being named Ontario athlete of the year. -
- Frank
- - July 2, 2010 at 14:48:03
Nicole and Mike:
I played organided softball (fast and slow pitch) and soccer for many years in Montreal. I was once the president of the Montreal Softball Association.
To make a long story short, I never played softball when growing up around Wesleyville, In Bonavista Bay. For soccer, we called it winter footballe.. We had a leather casing with a pigs bladder pocked inside.
In 1961, I was watching a softball team warming up at Jarry Park one evening when the coach of one time asked me if I would like to play as they were short of players. I could hit a ball, but had no knowledge of the rules, but I was determined to give it my best shot!
Today, I have some wonderful memories and lots of trophies to dust.
Congratulations Mike and Nicole, don,t stop here, go to the top, there are many Canadian leagues that would love to have you.
Frank Blackwood,
Newfoundland writer
** Formerly of Wesleyville, B. Bay -
- Bill
- - July 1, 2010 at 21:29:29
Congrats to Mike and Nichole.
However, I did not agree with the basketball player being nominated for NL Athlete of the Year, when she is from Nova Scotia. Does that not defeat the purpose of ''Newfoundland'' Athlete of the year? Should she not be nominated in Nova Scotia rather then Newfoundland? That would be like Brad Gushue winning a tournament in Ontario, and being named Ontario athlete of the year. -
- Frank
- - July 1, 2010 at 21:29:07
Nicole and Mike:
I played organided softball (fast and slow pitch) and soccer for many years in Montreal. I was once the president of the Montreal Softball Association.
To make a long story short, I never played softball when growing up around Wesleyville, In Bonavista Bay. For soccer, we called it winter footballe.. We had a leather casing with a pigs bladder pocked inside.
In 1961, I was watching a softball team warming up at Jarry Park one evening when the coach of one time asked me if I would like to play as they were short of players. I could hit a ball, but had no knowledge of the rules, but I was determined to give it my best shot!
Today, I have some wonderful memories and lots of trophies to dust.
Congratulations Mike and Nicole, don,t stop here, go to the top, there are many Canadian leagues that would love to have you.
Frank Blackwood,
Newfoundland writer
** Formerly of Wesleyville, B. Bay
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