Vincent Massey's Danika Nell and Owen Weekes selected as Manitoba's High School Female and Male Athletes of the Year by MHSSA

Recently the Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association (MHSSA) named its 2023-2024 High School Athletes of the Year and it was a clean sweep for Vincent Massey, as Danika Nell and Owen Weekes walked away with top honours in the province.

Danika Nell of Institut collégial Vincent Massey Collegiate – holds academic average of 97.4% while participating in basketball, volleyball and fast pitch. Last week she was awarded the 2024 Manitoba’s Credit Unions Scholar Athlete of the Year Award. She is a graduating all-star for volleyball, member of the volleyball all-Manitoba team and ranked as a Winnipeg Free Press Top Ten Player in grade 12. In fast pitch she was part of three provincial champion teams, declared provincial MVP three years in a row and the Boissevain Collegiate female athlete of the year in 2022. Danika was selected to play for the Canadian U18 softball team in a World Cup qualifying tournament in Columbia where her team finished with a silver medal and will play with the National team again in Dallas later this summer in the WBSC World Cup Group Stage.

She also takes the time to give to the community of both sport and her city. She volunteers with the Osborne Village clean up, is a peer tutor at Massey and coaches/mentors younger athletes in both volleyball and softball. Danika plans to become a doctor, working towards a medical degree while playing Division I softball at Boston University.

Danika was also the Valedictorian at ICVMC's convocation ceremony.

Owen Weekes of Institut collégial Vincent Massey Collegiate – maintained an academic average of 80% while participating in golf, volleyball, and basketball. He was an advocate for starting the baseball program at the school, however, he could not play due to training commitments for volleyball. Owen was co-captain of the school’s AAAA Provincial Championship winning volleyball team that went undefeated with a record of 49-0. He was the Provincial Championship MVP, ranked as the top volleyball player in the province in the 2023 Winnipeg Free Press Coaches Poll, named Volleyball Manitoba’s 2023 Volleyball Player of the Year and was a member of Volleyball Manitoba’s graduating all-star team. He was also a part of the school’s basketball team that captured the AAAA Provincial Championship banner.

Owen was the only high school athlete named to the 2024 U21 Canadian Men’s Indoor Volleyball Team that recently captured silver at the U21 NORCECA Championships in Mexico. Owen is also a member and co-captain of the Junior Bison’s volleyball club where he also helps coach the U15 boys volleyball team. He also plays competitive baseball where, as part of the program, volunteers his time to assist students with special learning needs.

Congratulations Danika and Owen. Best of luck in the next chapter of your athletic careers!