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Nora Kamal of women's squash and Zachary Baum of sailing, were named the top graduating student-athletes at the 82nd annual Colour Awards Varsity Club athletic banquet on Tuesday night at the ARC Main Gym.

Kamal was awarded the Marion Ross Trophy, which is given to the top Varsity Club female student-athlete. Kamal was an Ontario University Athletics (OUA) All-Star this season and played as the Gaels No. 1 on their championship squad. At Queen’s, she went undefeated in three consecutive seasons from 2015 through to 2017. Along with her success at the university level, she has also been successful at the national level claiming gold in the women’s A division of the 2017 Canadian Senior National Squash Championships.

The Calgary native has been an academic all-star three times and has helped the Gaels claim four consecutive OUA championships along with three straight Jesters titles. A co-captain this past season, she always finds time to give back helping to pilot junior programs in the Kingston community.

Baum, a computing student at ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥, was named the winner of the Jack Jarvis Trophy which is awarded to the top Varsity Club male student-athlete.

Baum has been an instrumental figure in the success of the ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ Sailing program over his time as a Gael. He was honoured as the 2017 male Canadian Intercollegiate Sailing Association (CICSA) skipper of the year and volunteer of the year and in 2016 was a member of the CICSA team of the year. A specialist in the 420 Dinghy Class, he claimed 15 first places since 2013. In 2017 he was also first overall at the Olsen 30 North Americans hosted in Kingston.

An academic all-star three times, his success has helped the Gaels be crowned CICSA champions for five straight years. Along with the successes on the water, he has been a key figure in the sailing leadership group serving as co-president and team development officer for the CICSA board of directors.

On Tuesday, the Award of Merit Trophy was presented to the ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ women's squash team who won OUA championship on home soil at the ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ Athletics and Recreation Centre. 

Led by OUA all-star Kamal, the Gaels were able to defend their title holding off Toronto for their fourth straight championship. ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ won all five of their games while earning a 41-4 record in matches, which was four better than second-place Toronto. The Gaels and Varsity Blues closed out the championship in a contest that saw ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ take the title when the Gaels’ Alysha Anzik defeated Toronto's Rhead Dhar in a thrilling match. The Gaels also finished their Jesters season as the competition finalists and had strong ties with the VLC and student-athlete led events.

The Alfie Pierce award recipients for the top club rookies of the year were Kiah Shanks from women's lacrosse and Alex Collins from men's squash. Shanks proved to be not just one of the top rookies in the conference but one of its best players. She proved her worth on the Gaels finishing as the team’s leading goal scorer and helping the Tricolour to an OUA silver medal. She was named the team’s rookie of the year and was the only rookie to claim a spot on the OUA all-star first team.

Collins played a pivotal role in the Gaels taking home their first Jesters League Championship and picking up a bronze medal at the OUA championship hosted at Queen’s. He was the Gaels No. 1 at the Jesters and No. 2 at the OUA championship. After his strong performance, he was named the top freshman in the province as the OUA rookie of the year.

The Varsity Support Service Awards are presented each year to recognize the individuals who have demonstrated dedication and leadership while making a significant contribution to the success of the ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ Varsity Sports Program in Athletic Therapy (Hal Dunlop Shield), Athlete Services, Home Events, Strength and Conditioning and Varsity Club Leadership. This year's Varsity Club Leadership winner was Erin Lee.

Throughout the evening, each Varsity Club also honoured their team award winners and this season’s champions were recognized for their successes throughout the year.