The University of the Fraser Valley golf program was awash in awards at the CCAA All-Canadian Awards Banquet on Tuesday evening.
Sharon Park and Hannah Dirksen of the Cascades women’s golf team were named CCAA All-Canadians, while head coach Chris Bertram was voted the CCAA coach of the year.
Sharon Park
The ceremony was held in conjunction with the PING CCAA Golf National Championships, which tee off on Wednesday and run through Friday at Fox Meadow Golf Course in Stratford, PEI.
Park, a Surrey, B.C. product, had a memorable rookie season with the Cascades, winning three of four PACWEST tournaments en route to an 18-stroke victory in the overall individual race. With Park leading the charge, the Cascades won the women’s team title by a whopping 59 strokes over UBC Okanagan.
Hannah Dirksen
Dirksen, a third-year Cascade from Mission, B.C., is an All-Canadian for the second straight year after finishing second overall in the PACWEST. The Cascades captain registered four top-four finishes, including silver medals at the UFV and VIU invitationals.
“These kinds of awards are earned, and these two players earned them,” Bertram said. “They were one-two in PACWEST, they played solidly all season long, and their scores are as good or better than any you see across the country this fall. They’re both hard workers, they’re both really talented, and it’s well-deserved recognition.”
Bertram, a five-time PACWEST coach of the year recipient, has now received the CCAA honour three times (2013, 2014, 2016).
This fall, Bertram guided the Cascades women to PACWEST gold and the men’s team to silver, with individual golfers claiming five of a possible eight tournament victories. Going into CCAA nationals, the UFV women’s team is ranked No. 1 in the nation and the men are No. 2.
Chris Bertram
“Both the men’s and women’s teams at UFV continued to achieve consistently strong performances in the PACWEST against stiff in-conference competition,” said David Munro, CCAA VP Sport Development. “The CCAA is fortunate to have talented and dedicated coaches such as Chris and we are extremely pleased to name him CCAA Golf Coach of the Year for the third time in the past four years.”
“Chris runs a quality program,” Cascades athletic director Steve Tuckwood said, “and it is nice to see him recognized by his peers.”
The 54-hole CCAA championship, hosted by Holland College, features 15 men’s teams, 10 women’s teams and several individual entries. Event coverage, including live leaderboards and video, is available at ccaa.ca/sports/golf.
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