Awards night for sports at Portage College
The award-winning Portage College student athletes from the 2026 Celebration of Sports Excellence on Wednesday night shared the stage and the community spotlight with the most recent inductee into the Lac La Biche County Sports Hall of Fame.
Tom Lett is this year's inductee, selected as a community builder.
The Celebration of Sports Excellence and the community's sports hall of fame induction ceremony took place in front of a crowd of almost 300 people in Portage College's Lac La Biche campus gymnasium.
Recognizing Portage College student-athletes and community leaders together at one event, says Portage College President and CEO Dr. Steve Price, underlines the significance of partnerships and collaboration.
"It's wonderful to see so many students, families, partners, and community members gathered together to celebrate achievement, commitment... and the power of sport to bring people together," Price said in his welcoming remarks, recognizing the impact made on young athletes by leaders in the sports community, like Tom Lett. "Your legacy has helped build a culture of excellence and opportunity in this region — one that continues to inspire young athletes, many who now wear the Voyageur brand with pride."
Thomas "Tommy" Lett was born in Lac La Biche on April 27, 1951, and grew up playing local sports proudly representing his community. In the early 1980s he joined the Lac La Biche Regional Recreation Board, serving 29 years and helping develop facilities, parks and leadership. He was instrumental in building the community's first indoor swimming pool, which opened in 1992, and played a leading role in the establishment of the Bold Centre recreation complex.
Tom's influence has extended beyond infrastructure. Throughout the late 1980s and into the 21st Century, Tom used his social and sports connections (along with his veteran standing on the local men's hockey team the Foghorn Leghorns) to organize and host NHL Alumni events in the community, bringing the Montreal Canadiens, Calgary Flames, and Edmonton Oilers Alumni to the community. These events thrilled local fans and supported community programs and youth development.
Tom has been a municipal mayor, local businessperson, coach, local sports promoter, and he continues to be a proud family man. For more than 40 years he has been a driving force behind local sport, recreation, sport tourism, and economic development within the region.
Tom also co-founded the event that honours him this year, working with former Portage College President Bill Persley to create the Portage College Sports Dinner, supporting scholarships and student-athletes.
Portage College Student Athlete Award Recipients
Portage College students recognized for their own commitment to sports at the 2026 Celebration of Sports Excellence are:
Voyageurs Female Athlete of the Year:
Lilly Mangan
Voyageurs Male Athlete of the Year:
Academic Student Athletes of the Year:
Men: Seunpyo Cho
Women: Ash Hennenfent
Voyageurs Student-Athlete Volunteer of the Year:
Ash Hennenfent (Soccer, Futsal & Curling)
ACAC and Edmonton Oiler Foundation Awards
Voyageurs Humanitarian of the Year Awards
Men: Xavier Halterman
Women: Ash Hennenfent
Team Awards
Golf
Rookie of the Year: Austin Mumby
Most Improved: Stavros Koutsantonis
Voyageurs Spirit: Mira Gladue-Cardinal & Callum McKinley
Player of the Year: Harvee Valente
Women's Soccer
Rookie of the Year: Rayna Kupsch
Voyageurs Spirit: Keela Jones
Player of the Year: Lilly Mangan
Men's Soccer
Rookie of the Year: Johann Bohard
Voyageurs Spirit: Bjorn Goolie
Player of the Year: Taylor Bridger
Curling
Most Dedicated: Ashley Tweedy
Most Improved: Sierra Hauser
Voyageurs Spirit: Ashley Tweedy
Most Valuable Player: Ashley Twigge
Women's Futsal
Rookie of the Year: Ella Boucher
Voyageurs Spirit: Ash Hennenfent
Player of the Year: Rayna Kupsch
Men's Futsal
Rookie of the Year: Nicholas Santos
Voyageurs Spirit: Ben Kenny
Player of the Year: Cody Lawson
Men's Hockey
Top Scorer: Xavier Halterman
Voyageurs Spirit: Emrick Paradis
Top Forward: Xavier Halterman
Top Defenceman: Jett McCullum & Austin Mumby
Rookie of the Year: Aidan Taylor
Playoff Most Valuable Player: Jonah Smith & Aidan Taylor
Player of the Year: Tresor Wotton
All-Conference Award Winners
Lilly Mangan (ACAC North Goaltender – Soccer & ACAC North East Goalkeeper – Futsal)
Taylor Bridger (ACAC North Midfielder – Soccer)
Jett McCullum (ACAC Second Team Defence – Hockey)
Xavier Halterman (ACAC Second Team Forward – Hockey)
ACAC Men's Hockey Coach of the Year:
Kevin McClelland
