Oshawa native Katie Szeghalmi, pictured here with Durham Lords Women's Soccer coach Vaso Vujanovic, was recently named the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association's women's soccer player of the year after leading her Durham Lords to provincial gold and national bronze medals.
The trophy case that houses all of Katie Szeghalmi's awards must be getting full. Still, it's time to make room for more hardware as the second-year Durham College Paramedic student was recently named the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association (CCAA) Women's Soccer Player of the Year.
Szeghalmi received the award in November at the 2007 Big Kahuna/adidas CCAA Soccer National Championships in Halifax, Nova Scotia, just prior to leading her Durham Lords squad to a bronze medal victory. The third-place finish marks the first time in Durham College history that a varsity soccer team has medalled at a national championship.
"Winning that bronze medal game at nationals in Halifax is definitely the most memorable moment that I've had since starting to play for Durham College last year," said Szeghalmi.
The team's success came on the heels of its second-straight victory at the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) championship in October, where the Lords took home the provincial title and finished the regular season with a perfect 10-0 record.
If two championship medals and a national player of the year award weren't enough, Szeghalmi was honoured with numerous other accolades, including being named OCAA Player of the Year, OCAA and East Region Top Scorer, OCAA All-Star and OCAA Championship Most Valuable Player.
One of the most decorated athletes in the school's history, the Oshawa native started playing when she was five years old and grew up playing house league and rep soccer for the Oshawa Selects. Szeghalmi was also a member of the Ontario provincial women's team from 1998 to 2000.
While attending Monsignor Paul Dwyer Catholic High School in Oshawa, Szeghalmi found athletic success early on, as her junior soccer team won the Lake Ontario Secondary School Athletics (LOSSA) championship when she was in Grade 9. No stranger to awards early on, Szeghalmi was her soccer team's MVP in Grade 11 and basketball team's MVP in Grade 10.
Being recognized with individual awards is nice for Szeghalmi, but she credits her teammates for a lot of her success. "They never give up. I trust them completely and would do anything for them," she stated.
The same goes for her coach of two years, Vaso Vujanovic, for whom she has great praise.
"He has influenced me to be the best person I can be, both on and off the field, and to never give up because you might not get another chance."
With another outdoor soccer season finished, Szeghalmi will concentrate on her Paramedic course while playing some indoor soccer. Szeghalmi draws similarities between the two.
"You have to have full trust in your partner," said Szeghalmi. "You have to work as a team and have complete communication."
Judging by the way she plays soccer, Szeghalmi shouldn't have any trouble gaining trust from her future co-workers.