UPEI announces 2018 Panther Sports Hall of Fame inductees
UPEI announced today that Amy Connolly and Ryan Anstey will be inducted into the UPEI Sports Hall of Fame at its UPEI Sports Legacy Celebration on November 15.
“We are very excited to be inducting Amy and Ryan into the UPEI Sports Hall of Fame,” said Chris Huggan, UPEI’s Director of Athletics and Recreation. “Both were exceptional student-athletes, recognized at the U SPORTS level, and led their teams to AUS championships. They gave it their all while playing for the UPEI and it will great for all Panthers to be able to share in the celebration of their accomplishments on November 15th.”
The UPEI Sports Hall of Fame was founded in 2001 to recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to the athletic programs at the University of Prince Edward Island, Saint Dunstan's University, or Prince of Wales College. Each year, individual athletes, teams, and builders are inducted to honour their contributions towards the University's athletic success or community leadership.
The inductees will formally take their place in Panther history at the UPEI Sports Hall of Fame Gala Reception and Dinner, which will be held November 15 in the UPEI Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre. The reception begins at 6:15 pm, with dinner served at 7:00 pm.
Tickets for the UPEI Sports Hall of Fame Gala are $50 each and can be purchased by dropping by or calling the Panther Central desk at 902-566-0368.
About the inductees
Amy Connolly was the cornerstone of the UPEI Women’s Soccer team from her rookie season to her final season in 2005–2006. Her coach Mike Redmond once said Connolly was “pound for pound, the toughest player ever to wear the green and white at UPEI. She could change games on her own. She was the heart and soul of this team for five years.”
Connolly was named team MVP in her rookie season. That same year, she made the first all-star team for the Atlantic Universities Athletics Association (now Atlantic University Sport or AUS)
—a tradition she would continue every year for her entire five-year university sport career. She was named to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) First-Team All-Canadian squad in 2006. She captained UPEI to its first appearance at the CIS championship in 2004. In 2005, she was named the CIS Women’s Soccer Player of the Year, as well as the UPEI Female Outstanding Athlete of the Year.
Ryan Anstey’s university sport career started with a bang, being a member of the AUS-champion Panthers in his second season with the UPEI Men’s Soccer team in 2002–2003. He was named team MVP and an AUS first-team all-star in 2003–2004. The next year, he made the AUS first team again and was named a CIS Academic All-Canadian. His final season, 2005–2006 , was incredible. He was named team MVP, a first team all-star for the AUS, leading scorer in the CIS, a CIS Academic All-Canadian, a tournament all-star at the CIS championship, UPEI Male Outstanding Athlete of the year, and the CIS Outstanding Male Player of the year.
“Ryan is a great one-on-one player, quick and hard for defenders to get a hold of," said head coach Lewis Page. “He's also a striker that will come back and help his midfielders win the ball back. But I think, most important, he's just a great person, on or off the field.”
