The 2025/26 OUA and USPORTS seasons have practically wrapped up, and it is time to crown the Athlete of the Year. It is safe to say it has been a better season than the previous, last year’s season being trophy-less in terms of team sports, and filled with heartbreak. Men’s soccer lost in the OUA Finals, and women’s field hockey lost in the Nationals. This year, both teams carried the sting from last year and were motivated enough to come back with banners. The men’s soccer team won USPORTS nationals in a blizzard, and field hockey did the double, sweeping the awards for both Nationals and the OUA.
The season was also filled with compelling storylines: the men’s soccer team got their revenge on the Montreal Carabins who eliminated them from Nationals last year, and the women’s hockey team also avenged themselves against the Victoria Vikes, who beat them in the gold-medal Nationals game last year. I would be a fool not to pick the Athlete of the Year from these two teams. The other teams did okay. The football team improved — they didn’t end up breaking their playoff curse, but they did miss it by just one game. Women’s basketball had an impressive season, considering they made the playoffs, but they were obliterated in the first round to Queen’s. You simply cannot award a bounty to a bounty hunter who comes home without the criminal.
Before the Athlete of the Year is revealed, here are the three nominees who were in the running: Kathryn Carlow, Christian Zeppieri, and Katie Tye.
Kathryn Carlow, field hockey
She led the league with nine goals, so, basically Deadshot with a puck and stick. She was a USPORTS all-Canadian, accounting for more than 25 per cent of the Lions’ goals. Carlow leading the Lions in scoring en route to their double is enough for her to be nominated.
Christian Zeppieri, soccer
His third time in a row, Zeppieri once again won OUA MVP. He is the first person in OUA history to achieve this feat. Zeppieri was the Lions’ second top scorer and led the Lions in assists, also leading the Lions to their first USPORTS championship since 2015.
Katie Tye, field hockey
She was the Lions’ second lead scorer with seven goals, only just trailing Kathryn Carlow. Tye showed up big time in the playoffs and Nationals, but was left out of the OUA all-star roster — which is absurd. But hey, I don’t make the decisions.
And the Winner is…
All of these athletes have a compelling case and, honestly, you can argue for any of them to win. However, after discussion with other Excalibur staff, it has been decided that the award will go to Katie Tye. She may not have been the regular season top scorer, but Tye showed up big time in the OUA playoffs and in the USPORTS Nationals. She scored the only goal in the OUA semi-final against the Guelph Gryphons, and also scored two against Dalhousie in the Nationals’ semi-finals. She has the edge over Carlow because she has more post-season goals than her. And even though Zeppieri was also clutch in the post-season for the York Lions Men’s soccer team, the field hockey team’s double just gives Tye the upper hand.
For Tye, the motivation behind those performances came from the heartbreak of last season and the hunger to finish the job.
“Coming into this season, our team carried a lot of motivation from coming up short against U Vic the year before,” Tye said. “That loss stuck with us and really fueled the work we put in throughout the offseason and the entire season. We made a big emphasis on being solid defensively and making sure we capitalized on our offensive chances, and I think that mindset really defined the way we played.
“By the time we reached the OUA playoffs, our team was playing our best hockey of the year, and that confidence and momentum carried straight into PEI for Nationals. It was an incredible feeling to see everything come together when it mattered most, and it made the moment even more special knowing it was the first national championship in our program’s history. To be able to achieve the double gold with this group and be part of that moment is something I’ll never forget.”
In the biggest moments of the season, Tye showed up. That’s what makes legends like Tom Brady, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Michael Jordan great, and that’s exactly what defines an Athlete of the Year.
