KRUG AWARD NOMINEES: Westman produced superstars, champions in 2025

It was a banner year from start to finish in the western Manitoba sports scene.

Athletes pulled off feats never before accomplished by people from the region, helped teams claim — and defend — major titles, and represented Westman with pride.

While it’s nearly impossible to list every impressive feat from the year, here are the nominees for the Brandon Sun’s 2025 H.L. (Krug) Crawford award for Westman sportsperson of the year, listed in alphabetical order.

KIYANNA AREVALO

The five-foot-three striker turned the Assiniboine College Cougars futsal program around massively. Arevalo was named Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference women’s futsal MVP after pushing the Cougars to their first-ever playoff appearance. The Saskatchewan product also earned an all-conference selection on the soccer pitch this fall.

ETHAN BARANIUK

The six-foot-six outside hitter powered his Brandon Volleyball Club 18U squad to a provincial gold medal on home court, beating a stacked Winman team in the final. Baraniuk had already committed to the Brandon University Bobcats and has started a few matches this season. Baraniuk led Volleyball Canada’s U19 national team in scoring at the world championship in Uzbekistan in the summer.

KASIA BARANYK

After a terrific season with the U15 Westman Magic, the lanky Brandonite was picked up by the Eastman Wildcats and named an all-star at the Canadian championships in Winkler.

SULTAN BHATTI

The six-foot-four forward did it all for the Brandon University Bobcats in 2024-25, leading the team — and sitting top five in Canada West men’s basketball — in points, rebounds and assists. Bhatti was named a second-team all-Canadian after pushing a young Bobcats team to a 7-13 record, extending its streak of playoff appearances to five in a row.

LARA DENBOW

The 2018 Krug award winner is back atop the national podium. Denbow, a track and field star from Neepawa, won her fifth national high jump gold medal at the U Sports championships in March. The University of Manitoba Bison cleared the bar at 1.75 metres for the win.

KELLY DEROO

The Vincent Massey Vikings girls volleyball coach ran it back. After leading her school to its first-ever AAAA provincial girls volleyball championship last year, she guided Massey to a remarkable title defence, beating the Jeanne-Sauve Olympiens 3-1 in the final earlier this month.

LEYTON GOULDIE

The Brandon racquetball player earned a spot on Canada’s elite men’s national team, and won a silver medal at the Pan Am Championships in Guatemala in the 12U singles division.

He won the 18U national title, and competed at the junior world championships, winning two bronze medals.

JERSEY HANSEN-YOUNG

Following her AAAA provincial volleyball crown and MVP nod in 2024, the six-foot outside hitter led Club West to an 18U provincial club volleyball title. Hansen-Young committed to the University of Manitoba Bisons, and competed for Manitoba at the 2025 Canada Games in St. John’s, N.L.

PHILIPP LAUTER

The six-foot-seven German import closed his U Sports volleyball career in style, being named MVP of the national championship as the Brandon University Bobcats won the title on home court. The Bobcats knocked off the defending champion Alberta Golden Bears 3-1 in the final at the Healthy Living Centre.

ANDREW LOCHHEAD

The 35-year-old Killarney product led the Cartwright Twins to another league final when he posted a ridiculous .536 batting average with an .821 slugging percentage. He also joined Manitoba’s entry at the national men’s championship in Regina. He was subsequently named Baseball Manitoba’s senior player of the year.

JUNIOR MARTINE

Martine didn’t stop with a second-straight AAA provincial volleyball championship last fall. The all-Manitoba setter jumped back onto the court and helped the Neelin Spartans win a AAA basketball crown, defeating the Garden Valley Zodiacs for both gold medals in a remarkable hardcourt sports sweep. Martine was named the Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association AAA male athlte of the year.

HANNAH MCGREGOR

The six-foot-one outside hitter stepped in as Vincent Massey’s superstar after an impressive sophomore season. McGregor was named the No. 1 girls volleyball player in the province in the Winnipeg Free Press coaches poll, then led the Vikings to their second-straight AAAA provincial crown as tournament MVP. McGregor was also an 18U club provincial all-star with Club West.

NAOMI MCKAY

The 18-year-old pitcher and first baseman from Waywayseecappo was part of the unbeaten under-19 Westman Magic team that combined three local players with the Eastman Wildcats that won provincials. The hard-throwing pitcher, first baseman and gifted hitter was then one of Manitoba’s top players at the Canada Summer Games. She now plays at North Dakota State College of Science (NDSCS).

SPENCE MOTT

The golfer from Brandon went wire-to-wire at the Golf Manitoba junior boys championship at Steinbach’s Quarry Oaks Golf Course, fending off Winnipeg’s Payne Wood in a final-round duel for the title. Mott became the second consecutive Brandon athlete to win the event after Zostrianos Giordani-Gross won in 2024.

EVAN NACHTIGALL

The 24-year-old golfer became the first Westman resident to capture the Golf Manitoba men’s amateur crown, winning by two strokes at Southwood Golf and Country Club in July. Nachtigall was also the men’s match play medallist, captured multiple Prairie Scratch Tour titles and teamed up with Drew Jones to win the Golf Manitoba four-ball title at Wheat City Golf Course. Nachtigall also made his PGA Tour Americas debut, and was named Manitoba’s male golfer of the year in November.

REID NICOL

The uber-talented 14-year-old forward was allowed to make the jump to the under-18 AAA ranks with the Brandon Wheat Kings as an underager, and showed he was ready when he posted 58 points in 48 regular season games to finish third in team scoring. He was subsequently taken fifth overall in the WHL draft by the Everett Silvertips.

KYLEE PEAKE

The Binscarth product broke out as one of the premier outside hitters in Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference women’s volleyball, earning not only an all-conference nod but cracking the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association all-Canadian team. Peake pushed the Assiniboine College Cougars to the league semifinals.

DAXX TURNER

The Neepawa product won his fourth Canada West triple jump gold medal at the conference’s track and field championships, then went on to claim a silver medal at nationals in Windsor, Ont.

GRANT WILSON

The hometown head coach guided the Brandon University Bobcats men’s volleyball team to its first-ever national championship. Wilson, who has been with the Bobcats for two decades, took over as head coach in 2012 and has now led the team to three national medals, one of each colour.

GRAHAM WRIGHT

The weight thrower from Brandon captured the U Sports national gold medal in Windsor, Ont., in March. The fifth-year thrower for the University of Manitoba Bisons tossed the 35-point weight 19.61 metres to beat the field by more than a metre.

» The Brandon Sun