Sport PEI 2016 Scholarship Winners
Sport P.E.I. has recognized threestudent-athletes with $1,000 awards, acknowledging their achievements on thesports field, in the classroom and in their communities. This year thescholarships were made possible with donations from Sport Centre Physiotherapyand the PEI Women’s Institute.
Hannah Taylor and Matthew Tantonfrom Three Oaks Senior High and Amanda Gormley from Montague Regional HighSchool were selected for the 2016 awards.
Westisle Composite High School’sConnor Herget was selected as the recipient of the Earl F. Smith scholarship,an award named after the P.E.I. Sports Hall of Famer to recognize a high schoolgraduate embodying the spirit of sport and competition.
Hannah Taylor is one of the topfemale wrestlers in the county. Four times she has been named the MostOutstanding Female Wrestler at the National Wrestling Championship. Over thepast three years, she has won four gold medals, two silver medals and onebronze at the Canadian Championships.
Taylor has worn the maple leaf attwo World Championships, the Pan American Championship and twice during theEuropean tour where she took home gold from Spain and bronze in Romania.
But wrestling is not her only sportas she participates in rugby, field hockey, judo, powerlifting and track &field. She attended two Canada Games, winning a silver medal at the 2013 SummerGames in wrestling and placed 5th in judo during the 2015 Winter Games.After winning her medal in 2013, she was named the flag bearer for PEI at theclosing ceremony.
Despite all the travel and training,Taylor still achieved an 80+ average, and in the fall, she will be attendingBrock University to study Sport Management.In addition to all this, Taylor is involved in Rogers – Raising theGrade program, part of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Canada where shevolunteers with different events. At school, she is part of the Leadership andGovernment Council and volunteers with the Breakfast and Lunch Buddy program.
Matthew Tanton is a student whoaverages in the 90s and has attended Nationals for two sports – track and fieldand basketball. Recently, Tanton brokethe PEISAA senior men’s discus record that dated back to 1974 and was held byDave Lundrigan, who contacted Tanton after his accomplishment to congratulatehim. He has attended multiple Legion Track and Field Championship with his bestfinish a fifth in discus.
Tanton, who was a PEISAA all-star inbasketball, also participated in rugby, soccer, and cross county running at theschool level, played football in the community.He has been a member on the provincial U15 and U17 men’s basketballteams.
In the fall, Tanton will beattending Mount Allison University and will be looking to play ACAA basketball withthe Mounties, while working on his science degree.
Honours student Amanda Gormley will beattending St. Francis Xavier University in the fall to study science. Gormley has represented the Island twice onthe National stage for both hockey and field hockey and is currently looking toadd a third as she is trying out for the U18 women’s rugby provincial team.
Montague Regional High Schoolrecently named her co-Female Athlete of the Year based on her accomplishmentsin cross country running, field hockey and rugby, where she took on aleadership role as captain for two years.Gormley was also a member and assistant captain of the Kings CountyMidget AAA girl’s hockey team who won a bronze medal at the 2016 AtlanticMidget Female Hockey Championships.
Outside of sport and the classroom,Gormley has been a member of student council every year. She teaches catechismin her church and tutors students for free. She is also part of the school bandand envirothon team.
Connor Herget, the Earl F. Smith recipient,has his sights set on making the UNB men’s volleyball team. As the top male volleyball player in theprovince, Connor leads by example with a quiet personality but explosive skilllevel. His 90+ average has allowed him to select his school of choice to pursuean engineering degree. In addition tovolleyball, Herget participated in basketball and was PEISAA first teamall-star in both sports.