Sinead Cheah of the NAIT Ooks has been named the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association Badminton Coach of the Year.

She received the award this evening at the 2018 CCAA Badminton National Championships banquet, hosted by Concordia University of Edmonton.

"Sinead consistently gets the very best from her student-athletes," said David Munro, CCAA VP Sport Development. "She has created a culture of high performance on the court and off the court as well, where her players posted outstanding grades."

The Ooks finished atop the regular-season team standings in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) with 498 points. At the team championships, Cheah led NAIT to its eighth consecutive ACAC team gold medal.

And for the second season in a row, the Ooks qualified a record 10 players for the CCAA National Championships.

Cheah's team showed tremendous consistency this season. In addition to winning the team title in the ACAC, NAIT was victorious in Men's Doubles, Women's Doubles and Mixed Doubles at the conference championships. Imran Wadia of the Ooks was also named the CCAA Male Badminton Player of the Year.

Cheah also took her team to the Vancouver New Year's Grand Prix event, where NAIT players took on opponents from across Canada and several from the United States and Asia. The Ooks posted several Top 5 finishes.

She leads the NAIT Badminton Summer Camp each year and remains an active member of the "Be Active" club in Edmonton.

"Sinead represents the values of the CCAA and it is very pleasing to see the positive impact she has had on her team, the conference and the CCAA," said Munro.

CCAA Coach of the Year winners receive a customized ring provided by Jostens Canada, the Official Ring Supplier of the CCAA Championship Awards Banquet.