Durham College’s Katie Szeghalmi was named the winner of the 2007 Canadian Colleges Athletic Association (CCAA) National Women’s Soccer Player of the Year at the CCAA All-Canadian Awards Banquet this evening in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The banquet kicked off the week’s festivities at the 2007 Big Kahuna/adidas CCAA Women’s Soccer Nationals hosted by Mount Saint Vincent University.

Katie is synonymous with leadership, talent and dedication. In only her second year with the Lords, Katie is an asset to the team and was instrumental in their perfect 11-0-0 league record. Scoring twelve goals in regular season play, Katie established herself as one of the top goal scorers on her team and in the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA).

Through a great deal of hard work and dedication, Katie has become an outstanding player and strong leader. Her unselfish attitude, sportsmanship qualities and team spirit have earned her much respect from her teammates.

Katie’s outstanding skills and abilities have merited her numerous athletic awards and accolades, including: 2007 CCAA All-Canadian, 2007 OCAA Player of the Year, 2007 East Region Top Scorer, 2007 OCAA Top Scorer, 2007 OCAA League All-Star and 2007 OCAA Championship MVP.

Laura Dixon, a former member of the Durham Lords is the last Ontario player to win the award. She received the honour in 2003.

Emily Costello of the Fanshawe Falcons (London) was also be honoured as a CCAA All-Canadian. This marks the second year in a row that Costello, the Falcons captain, has received this acknowledgement.

Action on the pitch will begin on Wednesday, November 7 and continues through Saturday, November 10. Durham will first see action on Thursday, November 8 as they face the host Mount Saint Vincent University Mystics.

Durham comes into the championship as the third seed after winning the Provincial Championship for the second consecutive season with a thrilling 2-0 victory over the Humber Hawks in the Championship final at Algonquin College on October 27. The title marked the Lords fourth title in five years and their fifth overall title, setting a new benchmark in OCAA women's soccer.

The 2007 CCAA Women’s National Soccer Championship features the top six women’s soccer teams in Canada.

The Championship Seeding is below:

1. Capilano College – North Vancouver, BC
2. Collège François-Xavier-Garneau (F.X. Garneau) – Québec, PQ
3. Durham College – Oshawa, ON
4. Mount Royal College – Calgary, AB
5. Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU) – Halifax, NS
6. University of King’s College (UKC) – Halifax, NS

CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE:

Wednesday, November 7
10:30 am - F.X. Garneau vs. MSVU (Host)
1:00 pm - Capilano vs. UKC

Thursday, November 8
10:30 am - Durham vs. MSVU (Host)
1:00 pm - Mount Royal vs. UKC

Friday, November 9
10:30 am - F.X. Garneau vs. Durham
1:00 pm – Capilano vs. Mount Royal

Saturday, November 10
9:00 am - 5th place vs. 6th place
11:00 am - Bronze Medal Game
1:30 pm - Gold Medal Game

For more information, including the latest news, results and developments within the 2007 CCAA Women’s Soccer Nationals, please visit the official championship website: www.msvu.ca/soccernationals/.

** Various information provided by the CCAA

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The Canadian Colleges Athletic Association (CCAA) is the national governing body for college sport in Canada, providing high-level competition through intercollegiate sport that recognizes excellence in academics and athletics.

For more information, please contact:

Stéphanie Legault
CCAA Coordinator of Marketing and Media Relations
Tel: 613.933.6080 ext. 2211 / Email: stephanie@ccaa.ca

Scott Dennis
OCAA Marketing and Communications
Tel: 416.426.7041 / Email: dennis@ocaa.com