The University of Toronto honoured 24 Varsity Blues student-athletes with Silver T awards at the 17th annual President's Reception on Tuesday, April 1 at the Kimel Family Field House inside the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport.
U of T President Meric Gertler has carried on the annual event that his predecessor, David Naylor, started in 2006. The event recognizes the very best in athletic excellence at U of T, as well as acknowledges the hard work and dedication of staff, students and volunteers who make the Varsity Blues intercollegiate program possible.
The prestigious Silver T is awarded primarily to Bronze T holders in their graduating year for outstanding athletic performance.
President Gertler, as well as Professor Gretchen Kerr, Dean of the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education, and Mary Beth Challoner, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics & High Performance Sport were all on hand to make the presentations.
2024-25 Silver T Recipients
Kevin Angers — Baseball
A robotics engineering major, Angers has played a significant role in three OUA championships for the Varsity Blues. First stepping onto the mound for the Blues in 2020, he has earned OUA most valuable pitcher and OUA all-star honours twice, while leading the team in wins and strikeouts in back-to-back seasons.
Angelica Bath — Swimming
A kinesiology major, Bath is a backstroke specialist who joined the Blues in 2020. She has helped U of T maintain their dominance in OUA competition, while also winning three U SPORTS national championship banners. The OUA all-star and all-Canadian has claimed 10 provincial medals and won her first individual U SPORTS medal this season taking silver in the 200m backstroke in front of a home crowd at Varsity Pool.
Emmett Bravakis — Track & Field
A computer engineering major, Bravakis first joined the Blues in 2019. A sprinter, he has competed at four provincial championships and four national championships. Across three consecutive seasons he claimed provincial gold in the 300m, while highlighting his Varsity Blues career with national gold in the event at the 2024 U SPORTS championships.
Emma Dale — Track & Field
A visual studies major in the Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design, Dale won OUA gold in high jump at the 2023 provincial championships, while adding a silver in 2025, making her a two-time OUA all-star. Additionally, she also earned U SPORTS national championship bronze in both 2023 and 2025, adding to her hardware collection as a Varsity Blue.
Janna Elshakankiri — Fencing
A three-time OUA all-star, Elshakankiri has helped the U of T women's fencing team win three OUA banners over the last four years. The nutritional science and physiology major has earned three individual medals of her own, including sabre gold in 2023, while also adding four relay medals alongside her teammates.
Jacob Gallant — Swimming
A political science major, in four seasons Gallant has accumulated seven individual OUA gold medals and four individual U SPORTS golds, including winning the 400 individual medley in three consecutive seasons at the national championships. The medley specialist was named OUA rookie and swimmer of the year in 2022, and has won the OUA's IM Excellence Award in four straight years.
Miguel Garcia Alonso — Water Polo
A mathematics and physical science student, men's water polo goalie Garcia Alonso has been a member of three provincial championship teams since joining the Blues in 2022. At two of those championships, he earned Most Valuable Goalie honours, receiving the award in back-to-back seasons in 2022 and 2023.
Deepi Gill — Field Hockey
A global affairs major who first joined the Blues in 2019, Gill stepped into the net for the Varsity Blues field hockey team, playing a pivotal part in two OUA championships for U of T. Across five seasons in the Blue and White she has appeared in 51 total games, registering 24 clean sheets, while earning OUA goalie of the year honours, along with OUA all-star and U SPORTS all-Canadian recognition.
Tina Guan - Swimming
A member of the Blues three U SPORTS national championship winning women's swimming teams, Guan is a multi-time OUA all-star. The neuroscience student has won OUA gold in the 100m and 200m breaststroke events, while also helping U of T to U SPORTS national bronze this semester in the 400m medley relay.
Hannah Harkin — Soccer
A life science student studying within the Faculty of Arts and Science at New College, Harkin has appeared in 34 matches across three seasons with the Varsity Blues. Along with earning OUA all-star honours, the dynamic forward was also named the OUA rookie of the year and a U SPORTS all-rookie in 2021.
Leah Hickey — Lacrosse
A two-time OUA all-star, Hickey has been a stalwart in the Blues defensive zone since joining the team in 2019. This past fall, the education major's strong defensive ability helped the Blues to their best result since 2017,bringing home provincial bronze.
Mike Howard — Fencing
A psychology and neuroscience student, Howard is not only a two-time OUA all-star, but has twice claimed the Charles Walters Trophy as individual foil champion. His outstanding performance has helped the Blues add two more provincial banners to their current streak of nine straight championships.
McKinley Kennedy — Field Hockey
A kinesiology major, Kennedy has appeared in over 45 matches wearing the Blue and White, registering 15 career goals and earning OUA all-star recognition this past fall. She has been a part of two OUA championship teams and has represented Canada at both the junior and senior levels.
Gabe Mastromatteo — Swimming
A commerce major, Mastromatteo holds a number of OUA and U SPORTS records after winning the 2023 OUA men's athlete of the year and Lois and Doug Mitchell Award as U SPORTS men's athlete of the year. The breaststroke specialist has represented Canada at numerous international events, including at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Anna Mucsi — Fencing
An industrial engineering student and epee specialist, Mucsi is a two-time OUA all-star, winning epee relay gold in 2025, 2023, and 2022, along with individual epee bronze in 2023. She has been a member of three OUA championship teams while competing with the Varsity Blues.
Brendan Oswald — Swimming
A political science student who first joined the Blues in 2020, Oswald has won OUA medals in the butterfly and medley events, showcasing his impressive versatility in the pool. He also contributed to U SPORTS silver in the 800 freestyle relay in back-to-back seasons and has been a member of four OUA championship teams and the Blues U SPORTS championship team in 2024.
Owen Robinson — Hockey
Joining the Varsity Blues in 2021, Robinson has appeared in 95 regular season games with the men's hockey team, tallying 92 career points. This season the criminology and sociology student was the OUA scoring leader, earning both OUA West player of the year and first team all-star honours. Additionally, he was named a U SPORTS first team all-Canadian.
Michael Sava — Swimming
A Victoria College student majoring in human biology and physiology, Sava is a butterfly specialist who has won two gold medals and two silver medals at the OUA championships, while also winning the 200 butterfly at the 2023 U SPORTS national championships. He has represented U of T at competitions in Las Vegas, Detroit and Luxembourg and has participated in both the Tokyo Olympic and Paris Olympic Canadian Swimming Trials.
Ali Shalaby — Squash
An economics and data science student, Shalaby is a three-time OUA all-star. Highlighting his stellar career in the Blue and White, which features a silver medal and two bronze at the OUA championships, he also garnered OUA MVP honours in 2023.
Shon Siegelwachs — Soccer
Appearing in 44 matches over four seasons, Siegelwachs has garnered OUA all-star honours in three consecutive seasons. Providing speed and excellent vision from the Blues back-line, the social science student helped U of T finish first in the OUA East this past fall, while reaching the OUA quarter-finals in back-to-back seasons.
Jayden Talsma — Volleyball
An environmental geography major who first joined the Blues in 2020, Talsma has been named an OUA all-star in each of the last two seasons. A St. Michael's College student, he has appeared in 61 matches over four seasons, accumulating over 500 career kills and over 600 career points as an outside hitter for the Varsity Blues.
Owen Taylor — Baseball
A member of three OUA championship teams while competing with the Varsity Blues baseball program, Taylor has earned OUA MVP and OUA all-star recognition in back-to-back seasons. The commerce student has also received U of T's prestigious Frank Pindar Athlete of the Year award in 2024.
Hana Truchla — Water Polo
A mechanical engineering student and water polo goalkeeper from Toronto, Truchla has been a member of four NCWP championship teams with the Blues. Along with receiving all-star honours on multiple occasions, she was also named NCWP Most Valuable Goalie in each of those four championship runs.
Leon Xiao — Fencing
A U of T fencer studying in the economics program, Xiao has played a pivotal role in three consecutive provincial championship victories for the Varsity Blues men's fencing team. A three-time OUA all-star, his achievements are highlighted by individual epee gold this season, going undefeated at the provincial showcase.