Bisons track star Manitoba athlete of the year

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This article was published 13/04/2023 (1232 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Madisson Lawrence ended 2021 defeated. On April 20, she’ll be crowned a champion.

In September 2021, a freak accident left the University of Manitoba Bisons track and field standout bed-ridden for roughly three months as she recovered from eye surgery.

Now Lawrence will be honoured as the province’s athlete of the year at Sport Manitoba’s Night of Champions award ceremony following a remarkable comeback that saw her stand as the top athlete in outdoor events (high jump, long jump, hurdles and heptathlon) and make Manitoba’s all-time top-10 rankings in four disciplines.

“I think it reflects a lot of the work that I put in, in the past year, coming back from injury and everything,” said Lawrence, who turns 24 on Tuesday. “It is really meaningful, especially considering the situation I was in earlier last year. It’s a good way to top off a good year and a good way to motivate myself to continue working hard in the future.”

Lawrence will be honoured alongside four other award recipients for their outstanding years in amateur sport.

Trevis Boyd (Winnipeg) will stand as the official of the year for his contributions in speed skating while Stephen Ceslak (La Salle) is the volunteer of the year for his commitment to baseball, Janine Stephens (Winnipeg) claims coach of the year for her time in rowing and Kerri Einarson (Gimli) and her curling rink are honoured as the team of the year.

“We’re absolutely honoured to have been nominated for this award and receiving it,” said Einarson. “I know last year we were nominated for it but didn’t receive it so this year, to get that, is pretty special for us.

“We’ve put in a lot of hard work over the last five years. So we’re absolutely honoured to have this.”

Team Einarson continued its dominance over the country in 2022, capturing a record-tying fourth-straight Scotties Championship and the Grand Slam of Curling Champions Cup. The rink fell just short of global supremacy, winning bronze at the Women’s World Championship.

Einarson said her Scotties title will go down as the highlight of her season.

“To be up in the record books with Colleen Jones is pretty amazing for us. To tie records, that’s what we want to do and even to set them. We’re always looking to become better and not be complacent, so we’re always striving for that,” she said.

“We’ve had an outstanding year. We’ve been consistent right out of the gates and we’ve shown a lot of grit, determination and perseverance throughout this whole season. What really makes this team is that we never give up.”

Lawrence’s time at the 2022 Canada Summer Games in Niagara, Ont. remains closest to her heart.

Her effort at the Games was one for the history books. The Winnipegger shattered a 33-year-old record in the heptathlon, accumulating 5,655 points (222 points more than the previous record) en route to capturing a gold medal. She also took home silver in the high- and long-jump events and served as the province’s flag bearer for the closing ceremonies.

“Overall, that was probably one of the most fun experiences ever. Not even just the competition, but the way the village was set up, the opportunity to talk with athletes from different sports in Manitoba and athletes from all over Canada,” Lawrence said.

“It was also a nice bonus to have put out really good performances there. I think that was a big highlight for that season and something I’ll remember forever.”

Her time at the Games was preceded by another significant feat, as Lawrence made her first national team to compete at the North American, Central American and Caribbean (NACAC) Combined Events Championship in Ottawa last May.

“It was just a lot more than I would have expected for myself, which is really cool,” she said of her year. “And capping it off with the award, I feel like it just reinforces the hard work that I put in and makes me excited to see what can happen in the future.”

jfreysam@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jfreysam