Three years into his OCAA volleyball career, Kalan Payzant is reaping the benefits of the work he has committed to the Collège Boréal Vipères program.

Nowhere was that more evident than at the end of year athletic banquet at the local French language college.

A graduate of Ecole secondaire catholique Champlain, Payzant was recognized as Male Athlete of the Year, sharing the stage at evening's end with badminton star Kristen Vane (Female Athlete of the Year).

"When I played my first game in the OCAA (Ontario Colleges Athletic Association), it was so much faster than what I was used to," said Payzant, a twenty year-old veteran who played middle in his first two years at Boréal, shifting to left side in year three.

"Something that my coach (Bryan Welsh) taught me was to just take a guy and follow him and worry about my secondaries (secondary assignments) later," he added.

For as much as the switch from high-school to collegiate volleyball was challenging, so too was the positional move that he made this past winter.

"The defense is tricky moving from middle to left side," said Payzant. "I was not used to getting bullets drilled at me. That was a big change. And at first, I kept getting there too early because I am so used to going in quick."

"I had to learn to be patient, keep my eye on the ball and not chase after it."

Yet his willingness to learn and improve was but one component of the package that made Payzant an excellent choice as Athlete of the Year.

"I think I show teamwork abilities - and I never give up," he said. "We went 0-18 and I showed up to every game believing that we were going to win. That's how I played my year."

With his sights set on returning for one more year of play, the Heavy Duty Mechanic major is looking forward to an influx of young talent as the recruitment efforts of coach Welsh along with the increased level of play locally in both the SDSSAA ranks and the club volleyball scene (Northern Chill Volleyball Club) begins to filter through to the Vipères.

Following are the remaining award winners from the year-end banquet:

Rookies of the Year
Female - Angelica Lapensée (volleyball)
Male - Eric Leduc (badminton)

Dennis Dionne Fair Play Award
Alyssa Gagné (badminton)

Student Life Award
Andréa Boyce (Athletic Director)

Women's Volleyball - Awards
MVP - Jayme Landry
Top Rookie - Angelica Lapensée
Fair Play - Danelle Leclair
Most Improved - Shana Lessard

Men's Volleyball - Awards
MVP - Kalan Payzant
Top Rookie - D'Mitri Mantha
Fair Play - Madrix Bouchard
Most Improved - Liam Patterson

Women's Badminton - Awards
MVP - Kristen Vane
Top Rookie - Emilie-Ann Ingram
Most Improved - Maryssa Mercier

Men's Badminton - Awards
Top Rookie - Eric Leduc
Most Improved - Arsene Mboutue

Extramural Sports
Women's Hockey - Awards
MVP - Janique Lamoureux
Most Dedicated - Maryssa Mercier
Fair Play - Avery Jones

Men's Hockey - Awards
MVP - Marc Smith
Most Dedicated - Jérémy Séguin
Fair Play - Zachary Betty

Women's Basketball - Awards
MVP - Bachiratou Kabore
Most Dedicated - Hilary Merveille Simdjoun Kenmogne
Fair Play - Brianna Potvin

Men's Basketball - Awards
MVP - Hamza Cissé
Most Dedicated - Yvan Wilfried Chendjou
Fair Play - Beclomissa Anselme Desire Azane

Women's Soccer - Awards
MVP - Paule Auriane Tchuendem
Most Dedicated - Exaucée Kubuana Nkenko
Fair Play - Avery Jones

Men's Soccer - Awards
MVP - M'Sso Yann Samuel Ekichi
Most Dedicated - Hamed Jordan Mounchigam Njikam
Fair Play - Amon Ibrahim Gueye