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Emilia Mikanovich named AUS Female Athlete of the Year, nominee for Mitchell Award
Posted: May 12, 2026

Emilia Mikanovich named AUS Female Athlete of the Year, nominee for Mitchell Award

Saint Mary's women's volleyball player Emilia Mikanovich has been named the AUS Athlete of the Year, as well as a nominee for the Lois and Doug Mitchell Awards as the U SPORTS athletes of the year.

Emilia Mikanovich, Saint Mary's women's volleyball

A biology student from Minsk, Belarus, Mikanovich capped off one of the most decorated careers in Saint Mary's women's volleyball history by being named the 2025-26 AUS female athlete of the year. With this honour, Mikanovich becomes the AUS female nominee for the 2026 Lois and Doug Mitchell Award as U SPORTS Athlete of the Year.

The left-side hitter led the Huskies to back-to-back AUS championships for the first time in 19 years and helped Saint Mary's qualify for three consecutive U SPORTS national championships.

Mikanovich was named AUS most valuable player and championship MVP for the second straight season in 2025-26 after recording one of the top offensive seasons in conference history. Her 355 points ranked as the fourth-highest single-season total in AUS history, while her 309 kills were also fourth all-time for a single season in the conference.

Over four seasons in Halifax, Mikanovich established herself as one of the top players in the country. She was a two-time U SPORTS first-team all-Canadian, a four-time Academic All-Canadian and a four-time AUS all-star.

She finished her university career with 910 kills and 1,052 points, ranking 12th and 16th respectively in AUS history despite playing only four seasons. At Saint Mary's, she concluded her career third in program history in both kills and points, while also finishing fourth in career digs with 908.

Mikanovich arrived in Canada midway through the 2022-23 season after delays related to language testing, the COVID-19 pandemic and international travel complications. Despite joining the Huskies without previously visiting Halifax and adjusting to a new country and language, she quickly emerged as one of the premier players in Canadian university volleyball.

Prior to coming to Canada, Mikanovich represented Belarus at the U16, U17 and U18 European championships and played three seasons of professional volleyball in her home country.

Away from the court, Mikanovich completed her Bachelor of Science degree with a major in biology in fewer than four full academic years while maintaining a 3.75 GPA. She also volunteered at a local Halifax nursing home during her time at Saint Mary's.

Mikanovich is the seventh Saint Mary's athlete to be named a national finalist for the Lois and Doug Mitchell Awards, following Andrew Peverill (2023), Justine Colley (2012 and 2014), Lucas Bloodoff (2013), Mark Rancourt (2009), Mesut Mert (2002), and Jadranka Crnogorac (1998). Colley won the national award in 2014.

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The Lois and Doug Mitchell Awards for the U SPORTS athletes of the year will be announced at a ceremony in Calgary on Wednesday, May 20. U SPORTS will profile the Canada West nominees on Wednesday, the RSEQ nominees on Thursday and the OUA nominees on Friday.