St. John’s, NL, May 28, 2026 – Sport Newfoundland and Labrador (SportNL) presented the recipients of its Scholarship Awards during their 35th Annual Scholarship Reception held at the Health Innovation Acceleration Centre.
Curler Cailey Locke of Conception Bay South was the recipient of this year’s Frank T. Butler Memorial Scholarship. Cailey was presented a $1,500 scholarship for her athletic achievements during 2025. In 2025, her standout athletic achievement was representing Canada at the World Junior Championships in Cortina, Italy, where she helped secure a gold medal. Alongside her athletic success, she was recognized as the Town of Conception Bay South’s Female Athlete of the Year and received academic recognition through the For the Love of Curling Scholarship.
The Frank T. Butler Memorial Scholarship was established and named after Frank T. Butler, a St. John’s native, and SportNL Hall of Fame member, who was an enthusiastic volunteer on several Sport Newfoundland and Labrador Committees.
SportNL is also pleased to announce the names of 17 student athletes and officials that received scholarships in the amount of $750 for their athletic and academic achievements during 2024.
The 17 scholarship recipients are:
- Julia Butler, Ball Hockey
- Jane Fancy, Karate
- Brianna Fortune, Athletics
- Molly Gill, Ball Hockey
- Liam Hickey, Para Hockey
- Brandon Joy, Blind Ice Hockey
- Brooklyn Kitchen, Ball Hockey
- Jaida Lee, Baseball
- Sawyer LeBlanc, Athletics
- Claire McCarthy, Para Shooting
- Lucan Meade, Golf
- Sarah Pace, Athletics
- Simon Perry, Curling
- Zoe Rowe, Soccer
- Noah Ryan, Golf
- Megan Skinner, Gymnastics
- Andrew Woodrow, Para Boccia
“Congratulations to this year’s scholarship recipients on behalf of the Board of Directors of Sport Newfoundland and Labrador. Your commitment to academics, athletics, and leadership reflects the very best of sport in our province.” said Raeleen Baggs, Board President, Sport NL. “As scholarship recipients, you are an important part of that future. Your dedication both on and off the field of play is helping shape the next generation of leaders in sport and in our communities..”
The Sport Newfoundland and Labrador Scholarship Program provides financial assistance to qualifying amateur athletes, coaches, and officials enrolled in a post-secondary institution. The scholarships help offset the often-high costs associated with training and competition while completing a post-secondary degree.
“Throughout 2025, the scholarship program celebrated the outstanding achievements of student-athletes who continue to excel both in their sports and in the classroom,” said Troy Croft, Executive Director of SportNL. “We are proud to support these dedicated individuals through our annual scholarships as they pursue success in education, competition, and leadership within their communities.”
Post-secondary students from the province who train and compete at all levels of sport are encouraged to apply for a Sport Newfoundland and Labrador Athletic Scholarship when applications open again for 2026.
Cailey Locke – Curling
Frank T. Butler Memorial Scholarship Recipient
Cailey Locke is a first-year Bachelor of Science student at Memorial University of Newfoundland and a member of the university’s women’s curling team. In 2025, her standout athletic achievement was representing Canada at the World Junior Championships in Cortina, Italy, where she played a key role in helping the team secure a gold medal. Alongside this international success, she was recognized as the Town of Conception Bay South’s Female Athlete of the Year in recognition of her continued excellence and dedication to sport. She also received academic recognition through the For the Love of Curling Scholarship, highlighting her commitment both on and off the ice.
Julia Butler – Ball Hockey
Julia Butler is a third-year Education student at Memorial University of Newfoundland and an accomplished ball hockey athlete. In 2025, she competed at the provincial, national, and international levels, highlighted by representing Canada at the ISBHF Women’s U20 World Championship in Poprad, Slovakia, where she helped the team capture a silver medal. She also represented Newfoundland and Labrador with the Female U23 NL Selects at the CBHA Super Nationals, where the team earned silver after an undefeated run to the championship game.
Jane Fancy – Karate
Jane Fancy is a first-year Human Biosciences student at Memorial University of Newfoundland and an accomplished karate athlete. In 2025, she earned two bronze medals at the National Championships, securing a spot on Team Canada and the opportunity to compete at the Pan Am Karate Senior and U21 Championships in Mexico. She also captured two gold medals at the Canada Open in British Columbia, along with silver medals in both Kata and Kumite at provincial competitions. In addition, she earned her Senior Black Belt and began coaching within the sport.
Brianna Fortune – Athletics
Brianna Fortune is a first-year Medical student at Memorial University of Newfoundland and a track and field athlete. In 2025, she earned bronze in the pole vault at the Atlantic University Sport Championships, competed at both the Canadian Indoor and Outdoor National Championships, and represented Newfoundland and Labrador. in the long jump and triple jump at the Canada Games. She also achieved personal bests in the long jump and pole vault and was recognized as a U SPORTS Academic All-Canadian and a recipient of the Lester and Viola Pottle Scholarship.
Molly Gill – Ball Hockey
Molly Gill is a third-year Human Biosciences student at Memorial University of Newfoundland and an accomplished athlete in ball hockey and ice hockey. In 2025, she competed at the provincial, national, and international levels while contributing to the growth of women’s sport in Newfoundland and Labrador. Internationally, she was named the 2025 ISBHF Female Player of the Year and captained Team Canada’s Women’s U20 Ball Hockey Team to a silver medal at the World Championships. Nationally, she earned silver with the Female U23 NL Selects and gold with Women’s NL United at the Women’s A Nationals.
Liam Hickey – Para Hockey
Liam Hickey is a fourth-year Recreation student at Memorial University of Newfoundland and one of the world’s premier Para ice hockey players. In 2025, he played a key offensive role in helping Team Canada capture a silver medal at the World Para Ice Hockey Championships and secure qualification for the Milano-Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games, while also reaching 100 career assists with the national team. He recorded 9 points in 5 games with a +13 rating and contributed to Canada’s second-place finish at the 2025 Para Cup, continuing his impact at the international level.
Brandon Joy – Blind Ice Hockey
Brandon Joy is a fourth-year Humanities and Social Sciences student at Memorial University of Newfoundland and a blind ice hockey athlete. In 2025, he won gold with Team Canada at the Canada vs. USA Summit in Montreal. Following a successful training camp later that year, he was selected to Team Canada for a third consecutive year and will compete in the 2026 International Series against the USA and Europe. He was also selected to compete in the Carnegie Cup in Las Vegas, featuring some of the top blind ice hockey players in the world.
Brooklyn Kitchen – Ball Hockey
Brooklyn Kitchen is a second-year Business Administration student at Memorial University of Newfoundland and an accomplished ball hockey athlete. In 2025, she represented Canada at the ISBHF Women’s U20 World Championship in Poprad, Slovakia, where she was named a tournament All-Star Forward. She was also recognized as the U19 Top Scorer at the National Female NL Ball Hockey Tournament in Mississauga, Ontario, reflecting her dedication and commitment to the sport.
Jaida Lee – Baseball
Jaida Lee is a third-year Kinesiology student at the University of British Columbia and an accomplished baseball player. In 2025, she was named the City of St. John’s Female Athlete of the Year in recognition of her continued performance and development within the sport. She was also selected as an inaugural first-round draft pick in the WPBL following tryouts, positioning her among the league’s first group of professional athletes ahead of its inaugural season. Her achievements reflect a consistent progression through elite competition and highlight her readiness to compete at the professional level in the sport’s next stage of growth.
Sawyer LeBlanc – Athletics
Our next scholarship recipient is a first-year Business Administration student at Bradley University in Illinois and a middle-distance runner. In 2025, he competed at the Nike Indoor US High School Nationals, finishing 6th and earning US All-American status. He won two Canadian national medals, earning silver in the U20 1500m and bronze in the U20 3000m, and captured gold in the 3000m at the Ontario U20 Provincial Championships. He also broke the provincial U20 1500m record, with his indoor 3000m and 5000m performances ranking among the top 10 U20 times in Canadian history.
Claire McCarthy – Para Shooting
Claire McCarthy is a third-year Psychology student at Memorial University of Newfoundland and a Para shooting athlete. In 2025, she made her international debut at the World Shooting Para Sport Grand Prix in Novi Sad, Serbia, earning her international classification and competing across all four rifle disciplines. She won silver in the R8 50m Smallbore 3P event and placed 6th in R2, while achieving Minimum Qualifying Scores for the 2026 World Championships in Korea. She also won gold in all four rifle disciplines at the 2025 National Championships and was named the 2025 Shooting Federation of Canada Athlete of the Year.
Lucan Meade – Golf
Lucan Meade is a Business Economics and Criminal Justice student at North Park University and a competitive golfer. In 2025, he was named the Provincial Junior Male Champion and represented Newfoundland and Labrador at the Canada Games as one of only two male golfers selected. He also placed 16th at the Newfoundland and Labrador Amateur Championship and was named Golf NL’s Junior Male Golfer of the Year. Now competing at the NCAA level with North Park University in Chicago, he was also named to the Dean’s List for the Fall semester.
Sarah Pace – Athletics
Sarah Pace is a fourth-year HKR student at Memorial University of Newfoundland and a key member of the Memorial track and field team. In 2025, she delivered a standout season across multiple disciplines, winning gold in the pole vault, long jump, and triple jump at the Atlantic Championships. She also won gold in the pole vault at the Atlantic University Sport Championships, setting a new championship record in the event. In addition, she set a new provincial long jump record at the Canada Games, breaking a mark that had stood for 25 years.
Simon Perry – Curling
Our next scholarship recipient is a second-year Human Biosciences student at Memorial University of Newfoundland and a student-athlete with the Seahawks men’s curling team. In 2025, he helped his team secure first-place finishes at both the provincial junior and Atlantic University Sport championships, while earning Seahawks Men’s Curling MVP and Sport NL Junior Team of the Year. He also helped his team win the Ottawa Valley Curling Super Spiel against international competition and place third at their first U SPORTS National Championship.
Zoe Rowe – Soccer
Zoe Rowe is a first-year medical student at Memorial University of Newfoundland and an accomplished soccer player. In 2025, she earned First Team All-Canadian honours along with league MVP and First Team All-Star honours. Nationally, she captured the U SPORTS Golden Boot as the league’s top scorer and finished as the second-leading scorer in Memorial history, also setting the program record with five goals in a single match. Competing in League1 Ontario with Guelph, she was named Player of the Week multiple times and attended identification camps for the Halifax Tides of the Northern Super League.
Noah Ryan – Golf
Noah Ryan is a first-year Business student at American International College and a golfer competing at both the local and NCAA levels. In 2025, he continued to build on his success within the sport, earning selection to Golf NL’s High Performance Program and receiving the Golf NL Junior Male Scholarship Award. He also placed third at the Junior Boys Provincial Championship to qualify for the National Championship and recorded two first-place finishes on the Mercedes-Benz Junior Tour.
Megan Skinner – Gymnastics
Megan Skinner is a first-year Health Sciences student at Southern Connecticut State University and a gymnast competing at both the local and NCAA levels. In 2025, she demonstrated strong leadership while balancing the demands of university athletics and academics, earning recognition through the Erica Devereaux Leadership Award. Beyond competition, she also volunteers with her home club, Cygnus Gymnastics, where she supports and mentors younger athletes while contributing to the continued growth of the sport.
Andrew Woodrow – Para Boccia
Andrew Woodrow is a first-year Engineering student at Memorial University of Newfoundland and a Para boccia athlete. In 2025, he received early admission to the Faculty of Engineering and earned several academic scholarships. He was also named to the 2025 Boccia Canada Espoir Team and competed in his first international events, winning gold and bronze at the World Youth Boccia Championship in Brazil and silver at the 2026 Youth Parapan American Games in Chile, where he served as Canada’s flag bearer at the closing ceremony.
