Laurier coaches win OUA awards

On Thursday, the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks’ men’s football team’s manager of football operations and head coach Gary Jeffries and defensive co-ordinator Ron Van Moerkerke won Ontario University Athletics (OUA) awards.

Jeffries took home the Dave “Tuffy” Knight Award -named for the legendary Hawks’ head coach- as the OUA’s coach of the year. This is the fourth time in his career that Jeffries has won the award, with the others coming in 2003, 04 and 05. He also won the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) coach of the year award in 2005.

Van Moerkerke, meanwhile, was awarded the Volunteer Coach of the Year Award for his work running the Hawks’ defence. Under Van Moerkerke -who works as a teacher at Eastwood Collegiate High School in Kitchener and volunteers his time to work with Laurier- the Hawks’ defence was among the best in the country. They consistently shut-down high-powered opposing offences, and boasted seven of the team’s ten OUA all-stars.