VANCOUVER - Former UBC Thunderbird swimming sensation Annamay Pierse was recognized on Wednesday night at Sport BC's 44th Annual Athlete of the Year Awards presented by TELUS as the province's Senior Female Athlete of the Year.

Pierse had an outstanding 2009 season, setting multiple world records in the 200-metre breaststroke (both short-course and long-course versions) in addition to capping her UBC career in style with a BLG award as the nation's top female student-athlete.

Her global standard of 2:20.12 (long course) still stands, she set it in the semi-final at the 2009 World Aquatic Championships, and the Edmonton turned Vancouver native brought home a silver medal from that meet.

Canadian swimming coach Jozsef Nagy, who works with a number of T-Birds including Pierse out the national training housed at UBC's Aquatic Centre, was honoured as the Coach of the Year.

Other UBC nominees from last night's banquet included another UBC swimmer, Callum Ng, who was up in the University Athlete of the Year category. The UBC Thunderbirds women's volleyball team earned their second straight nomination in the Team of the Year category.

Ng, who helped lead UBC to their eleventh CIS Championships in the past twelve years in 2009, won five golds, a silver, and a bronze at that competition. CIS basketball MVP Jacob Doerksen, from Trinity Western, took home top honours in that category.

The T-Birds women's volleyball team were nominated based on their 2009 CIS triumph, their second national title in a row, but came up short as the Vernon Vipers (BCHL) garnered the team award. Although they are 0-for-2 over the last two years, look for that squad to be a nominee again next year as they just wrapped up a perfect 25-0 season with their third consecutive CIS title.

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