Late Mohawk hoops legend headlines OCAA hall of fame class

By

Published March 20, 2023 at 2:16 pm

The late Kelly Dunham, who was a legend on the basketball court with the Mohawk Mountaineers, is one of three sports alumni who are receiving provincewide hall-of-fame recognition.

Dunham, who had one of the most decorated basketball careers in Mohawk history, along with badminton star Margaret Myjak and volleyball virtuoso Peter Sniuolis are part of the 2023 Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) Hall of Fame class. The recognition will be bestowed in Windsor on June 1.

The recognition of Dunham, who is survived by her husband, Doug Dunham and their children, Mitchell and Ally, comes three years after she died in 2020 at the age 51 shortly after being diagnosed with cancer. There are women’s basketball scholarship awards under Dunham’s name at both Mohawk and McMaster University. The local Kelly Dunham Memorial Foundation, that supports organization with a focus on women, sport and community.

From 1990 to ’93, Dunham was a three-time OCAA all-star and a two-year captain of the Mountaineers, and contributed to an Ontario conference crown and a Canadian championship fourth-place finish in 1991. She was also a two-time MVP of the Mountaineers softball team, and served on the student athletic committee, including a year as its president.

Throughout her life, Dunham stayed involved. She became an assistant coach for the Mountaineers, head coach of the Ontario under-19 team (1998-2001), and was later Mohawk’s head coach for more than a decade (2002-15). In 2021, she was posthumously awarded Mohawk’s Alumni of Distinction award

Myjak, also a dual-sport athlete, spent four seasons as a Mountaineer (2003-07). Myjak was a two-time OCAA player of the year and CCAA Academic All-Canadian, and also twice won Mohawk’s outstanding female athlete of the year award. She also won an OCAA singles title, two silver medals, and a CCAA bronze medal. Myjak was also an accomplished cross-country runner, once finishing second in the OCAA West regional meet.

Sniuolis was a four-time OCAA men’s volleyball all-star and two-time All-Canadian during his days with the Mountaineers (2003-08). He led the Mountaineers to two conference titles (and one OCAA silver) and the team’s first national championship bronze (in his final season in 2007-08).

(Secondary image: Mohawk Mountaineers Athletics.)

insauga's Editorial Standards and Policies advertising