This year marked Caitlyn Steeves’ first as a Tommie and she did not disappoint on the pitch. Named by head coach David Itoafa as a rookie to watch out for in a September article, Steeves was a standout player for STU and looks to improve on that performance next year.
Steeves grew up in Hampton, N.B., where she played for the Hampton Soccer Club before moving over to Fundy Soccer Club in her final year before university.
The transition from high school soccer to playing for the Tommies can be a difficult one, but for Steeves, she got right into the rhythm, with eight points in just 11 games.
“It was definitely different, just skill-wise playing teams like Holland for example, who won bronze at Nationals,” she said.
Though she moved positions throughout the season, one thing has remained constant: she’d be on the attack. She described herself as a really hard working player on the pitch.
“Especially as a midfielder, you’re just constantly running all game,” said Steeves. “Just constantly trying to win the ball back and lead the team and try to keep possession.”
It wasn’t just the Fundy and Hampton soccer clubs that helped prepare her, though, as she suited up for Team New Brunswick at the 2022 Canada Summer Games in Niagara, Ont.
Team New Brunswick “made history,” said Steeves, achieving sixth place in the country, which is the highest New Brunswick has ever placed.
“Playing in those huge games just really made me realize how much I do love the sport and how passionate I am about it,” she said. “I think that’s honestly what sparked me to want to play in university.”
It was that Canada Summer Games coach who also helped Steeves take her game to the next level, along with her dad, who coached her for most of her career.
Since the end of the varsity season in the fall, Steeves joked that that the team is doing more in the offseason than the regular season. From Tuesday through Sunday the Tommies have routine gym sessions and practices at the BMO Centre, all in preparation for next season.
Off the pitch, Steeves has also remained focused on her education. With the goal of completing a Bachelor of Education at STU, she’s taking courses at the University of New Brunswick to complete a major in math.
Hamilton bids goodbye to the Tommies
For many graduating players, the final season is a bittersweet one, but for Austin Hamilton, it was his favourite year playing on the STU men’s volleyball team. In his words: he’s just “happy it happened.”
Hailing from Miramichi, N.B., he started playing volleyball a little later than the average player, after playing hockey growing up. Once he made the switch to volleyball at Miramichi Valley High School, Hamilton described it as just hanging out with the guys on the weekend.
“No one really took it that serious,” he said.
He took two years off from the sport while he studied at NBCC, then made the switch to STU, which he described as “refreshing.”
“Seeing not just other guys work as hard as me, but harder than me,” said Hamilton. “It was a breath of fresh air.”
Now, three years later, Hamilton has finished his playing career at STU and topped it off with a championship win and a trip to Nationals this spring. He looks to complete some teachable classes next year and apply to Bachelor of Education programs.
This was Hamilton’s most successful season by numbers, with over 100 kills and digs in the regular season. Not only did he have a successful season on court, he was also named a team captain this year, which he shared with second-year Raphael Fiset. The experience was extremely rewarding and a great motivator, he said.
“I’ve never been the captain of anything … I played hockey my whole life, soccer, volleyball and just to be a captain at this high of a level, I really felt important to the team,” said Hamilton.
However, he was happy to share the position with another player and felt they brought different assets to the leadership team.
“[Fiset] knows what he’s talking about,” said Hamilton. “I might be able to hype up the boys more, where he knows exactly the game plan we need to use, so I think we complemented each other.”
Besides his teammates, Hamilton credited current Tommies head coach Henri Mallet as one of his most influential coaches. He pushed him very hard to get better everyday, he said.
“He’s sharp with his words and you can either sulk about it or you can get better. I really respected him for that,” said Hamilton.
“I could tell he really wanted me to get better … his commitment to me was very much appreciated.”
The outside hitter had a positive volleyball experience and said the only aspect that was sometimes difficult was motivation, balancing a busy school and volleyball schedule. His family and his girlfriend were his biggest supporters in those times.
His best memories were the simple ones, at the hotel and “just off the court shooting the shit with the boys.”
His overarching message?
“It seems long when you’re first starting, but I’m telling you, the years go by super quick.”
