Premier Furey Presents Annual Awards to Newfoundland and Labrador’s Top Young Athletes
Executive Council
Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation
October 4, 2023
The Honourable Dr. Andrew Furey, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, this evening presented awards to 126 young athletes from across the province at the 19th annual Premier’s Athletic Awards.
Established in 2005, the awards program recognizes athletic excellence and provides financial support to help offset the costs of training and competition. Grants ranging from $500 to $1,500 are awarded based on the level of competition and the athletes’ respective accomplishments.
The Team Gushue Awards, established in honour of Team Gushue’s Gold Medal win at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games were also presented at the event. Two athletes are selected annually to receive the awards, valued at $5,000 each, and recipients are chosen based on athletic and academic excellence. This year’s recipients are Abby Newhook (hockey) and Nathan Luscombe (Para swimming).
Abby Newhook of St. John’s is an accomplished and talented hockey player, currently attending Boston College in Massachusetts in the United States, and has a 3.33 Grade Point Average. Abby was named to the Hockey East All-Rookie Team, named Hockey East Rookie of the Year, and was a National Finalist for Rookie of the Year. She was selected to represent Canada at the 2023 National Women’s Program Summer Showcase and attended the Hockey Canada National Women’s Team Selection Camp. She was recently announced co-captain of the Boston College Eagles women’s hockey team for the 2023-24 season.
Nathan Luscombe of Grand Falls-Windsor is a Para swimming athlete, who graduated high school in 2022 with a 91 per cent average. Nathan won three silver medals at the Eastern Canadian Championships, a silver medal in the 50m freestyle and a bronze medal in the 200m/400m freestyle at the 2022 Canada Summer Games. Nathan also participated in the Swimming Canada NextGen camp.
For a complete list of 2023 Premier’s Athletic Award recipients, please see the backgrounder below.
Quotes
“It is an incredible honour to present the Premier’s Athletic Awards each year. It is so inspiring to see such dedicated and passionate young athletes achieving their goals. Their ambitions are seemingly endless, and I have no doubt that we will continue to see their names in the future as they pursue and compete in provincial, national and even international competitions. Congratulations to each and every one of the Premier’s Athletic Award recipients.”
Honourable Dr. Andrew Furey
Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador
“Participation in sport offers so many benefits to young people. Beyond the physical, mental, social and emotional health benefits, it teaches them what it means to commit to something and give it their all; it shows them that hard work often leads to success; and, it provides them with broad social networks. I commend all the young athletes being recognized here today, as well as their families and support systems for helping them get to where they are today.”
Honourable Steve Crocker
Minister of Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation
BACKGROUNDER
2023 Premier’s Athletic Awards Recipients
| SPORT | ATHLETE’S NAME | HOMETOWN |
| Alpine | Kate Murphy | Corner Brook |
| Artistic Swimming | Amelia Coady | Mount Pearl |
| Athletics | Daniel Earles | Conception Bay South |
| Shae LeDevehat | Mount Pearl | |
| Grace Mack | St. John’s | |
| Levi Moulton | Paradise | |
| Alexandre Nunes | St. John’s | |
| Badminton | Jessica Willcott | St. John’s |
| Ball Hockey | Brent Broaders | Tilting |
| Kieran Burke | St. John’s | |
| Renee Faulkner | St. John’s | |
| Jack Keough | Mount Pearl | |
| Brooke Lannon | Placentia | |
| William Scott | St. John’s | |
| Jenni Simpson | Glovertown | |
| Alyson Thomas | L’Anse Au Clair | |
| Baseball | Molly Healy | St. John’s |
| Jaida Lee | St. John’s | |
| Jay Miller | Corner Brook | |
| Kayla Musseau | St. John’s | |
| Cameron Pennell | Mount Pearl | |
| Nicholas Smith | Flatrock | |
| Basketball | Abby Carpenter | Torbay |
| Kelsey Crocker | St. John’s | |
| Sophie Fowler | St. John’s | |
| Alyssa Jenkins | St. John’s | |
| Brooke LeDevehat | Mount Pearl | |
| Sarah Reid | St. John’s | |
| Caleb Sooley | Mount Pearl | |
| Cameron Stanford | St. John’s | |
| Biathlon | David Adey | St. John’s |
| Bicycle | Yaroslav Drukarenko | St. John’s |
| Boccia | Terrie Hefford | Mount Pearl |
| Stephen Westcott | Conception Bay South | |
| Bowling | Carter Belbin | St. John’s |
| Connor Belbin | St. John’s | |
| Amy Harris | Paradise | |
| Jack Walsh | Goulds | |
| Boxing | Michael Gosine | Tors Cove |
| Cross Country Skiing | Jillian Coates | Clarenville |
| Alexander Merrigan | Corner Brook | |
| Curling | Sam Follett | Paradise |
| Cailey Locke | Conception Bay South | |
| Nathan Young | Paradise | |
| Diving | Merrick Noel | Logy Bay |
| Golf | Taylor Cormier | Corner Brook |
| Karsen Best | St. John’s | |
| Gymnastics | Michael Drover | St. John’s |
| Gleb Evstigneev | Paradise | |
| Gabe Flynn | St. John’s | |
| Grace Hill | St. John’s | |
| Jirah Hiscock | St. John’s | |
| Sarah Pace | St. John’s | |
| Kyla Piercey | Middle Cove | |
| Megan Skinner | St. John’s | |
| Handball | Rahul Asokan | St. John’s |
| Jasper Short | Outer Cove | |
| Hockey | Matthew Butler | St. John’s |
| Will Carroll | Conception Bay South | |
| Jordan Chaulk | Bonavista | |
| Jennifer Murphy | St. John’s | |
| Abby Newhook | St. John’s | |
| Maria Shea | Stephenville Crossing | |
| Michael Strapp | Harbour Main | |
| Leah Wicks | St. John’s | |
| Karate | Faith Collier | St. John’s |
| Ian Fraser | St. John’s | |
| Alexander Hollett | Logy Bay | |
| Emma Pittman | Outer Cove | |
| Emily Reglar | Flatrock | |
| Para Athletics | Cori Hicks | Flat Bay |
| Jeremy Jones | St. John’s | |
| Para Sailing | Hayley Redmond | St. John’s |
| Para Swimming | Gavin Baggs | Paradise |
| Nathan Luscombe | Grand Falls-Windsor | |
| Powerlifting | Lucas Wiseman | St. John’s |
| Rowing | Kaitlyn Hall | Portugal Cove–St. Phillip’s |
| Alex O’Brien | Torbay | |
| Rugby | James Clarke | St. John’s |
| Seamus Goodyear | St. John’s | |
| Jack Marshall | St. John’s | |
| Jessie Penney | Clarke’s Beach | |
| Dakota Snow | Paradise | |
| Tyson Snow | Paradise | |
| Shooting | Naomi Tucker | St. John’s |
| Skating | Mark Butt | Bloomfield |
| Lily Evans | Pouch Cove | |
| Jonathan Flynn | Conception Bay South | |
| Katie Slaney | Paradise | |
| Kaitlyn Smith | Blaketown | |
| Rachael Tuff | Witless Bay | |
| Jasmine Wheadon | Carbonear | |
| Snowboard | Cody Kennedy | Massey Drive |
| Soccer | Sarah Baker | St. John’s |
| Madison Burke | St. John’s | |
| Hannah Neville | Paradise | |
| Lauren Rowe | Conception Bay South | |
| Jack Turpin | Paradise | |
| Emma Whalen | Conception Bay South | |
| Claire Windsor | St. John’s | |
| Emma Yabsley | St. John’s | |
| Softball | Shilo Chislett | Kippens |
| Adrian Green | Carbonear | |
| Halle Joy | Harbour Main | |
| Ryan Maher | Petty Harbour | |
| Sophia Penney | Clarenville | |
| Liam Shea | Dunville | |
| Special Olympics | Michael Budden | Stephenville |
| Samantha Walsh | Stephenville | |
| Squash | Carter Lake | Conception Bay South |
| Swimming | Abigail Andrews | St. John’s |
| Darcy Butler | Paradise | |
| Lindsey Goodland | St. John’s | |
| Daniel Pearce | Conception Bay South | |
| Table Tennis | Divine Aseo | St. John’s |
| Taekwondo | Ethan Crocker | Paradise |
| Tennis | Aiden Drover-Mattinen | Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s |
| Liam Drover-Mattinen | Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s | |
| Jasmine Rahman | St. John’s | |
| Declan Walsh | St. John’s | |
| Triathlon | Abby Pace | St. John’s |
| Ultimate | Cameron Penney | St. John’s |
| Andrew Workman | Paradise | |
| Volleyball | Kaejie Aguilar | Corner Brook |
| Karen Greek | Mount Pearl | |
| Nathan Marshall | Mount Pearl | |
| Kalan Noonan | St. John’s | |
| Claire Whiffen | St. John’s | |
| Wrestling | Abbigayle Lee | Carbonear |
