CREDIT: FANSHAWE ATHLETICS
Fanshawe Falcons women's soccer player, Jade Kovacevic, is the College's first student-athlete to be named Female Athlete of the Year by the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA).

The Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) announced April 17 that Fanshawe Falcons women’s soccer player, Jade Kovacevic, has ben named the 2018 to 2019 Female Athlete of the Year.

She is the first student-athlete from Fanshawe to be awarded the honour of Female Athlete of the Year, and the sixth women’s soccer athlete in the history of the award dating back to 1997.

According to a Fanshawe Athletics media release, Kovacevic led the Falcons to an undefeated OCAA season and Provincial Championship title. The fourth-year striker had a nations-best 30 goals this year, 15 ahead of her nearest competitor.

Kovacevic was named the OCAA Player of the Year, OCAA Championship MVP and set new OCAA records for most goals in a season and most goals in a single game (9). After three seasons, Kovacevic is second in OCAA all-time scoring with 79 career goals.

She was named a Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) All-Canadian and CCAA Women’s Soccer Player of the Year, the first time a Fanshawe soccer student-athlete has ever won the award. She was also named CCAA Tournament All-Star after leading the Falcons to a national bronze medal, Fanshawe’s first CCAA medal in nine years. She led the national tournament in scoring, including notching five goals in the quarterfinal match.

“Jade is without a doubt the top female soccer player to play as a Fanshawe Falcon. There are very few players who have the ability to influence a game the way that Jade can both offensively and defensively”, head coach Mike Marcoccia said in an April 17 statement. “She is an incredible athlete who has left her mark with this program and everyone involved. We couldn’t be more proud of her and all she has accomplished.”

Kovacevic was also named Fanshawe’s Female Athlete of the Year at the 52nd Annual Fanshawe Athletics Awards Banquet earlier this month.

This is the third consecutive year where one of the Fanshawe Athletes of the Year has also been named an OCAA Athlete of the Year after Cole Jordan, men’s volleyball (2017 to 2018) and Seth Marcaccio, cross country (2016 to 2017).

“Jade is a generational talent who led our women's soccer program this season by displaying tremendous character, commitment and drive," Fanshawe manager of athletics, Nathan McFadden, said. "She is an exceptionally skilled student-athlete and outstanding person who was the best in the CCAA in her sport. She had a dominant season individually while leading her team to a Provincial Championships and the national podium.”

Kovacevic will be recognized at the ninth biennial OCAA Hall of Fame ceremony, held at the Holiday Inn Toronto International Airport in Toronto on Wednesday, May 8.