Charles and Newton Earn OUA Honours

A pair of Ravens were celebrated at the 2026 OUA Honours awards on Wednesday, May 13. Men's basketball head coach Taffe Charles was named Male Coach of the Year, while Sheila-Ann Newton earned the J.P. Loosemore Award.

Charles Returns to the Top

For the first time since going back-to-back in 2022 and 2023, Ravens head coach Taffe Charles returned his team to the top of Canadian basketball when they claimed the U SPORTS title in March. A rebuilt program, Charles worked hard to bring a new style and new roster layout to the team to address the impact of the changing NCAA landscape. With a balanced roster that featured talented youngsters and savy veterans, Charles's team finished tied for the best record in the OUA reaching the Wilson Cup finals and earning a trip to Calgary. 

At the U SPORTS Final 8, the Ravens took down the RSEQ champions from Laval in the quarterfinals before getting revenge over the TMU Bold. In the finals, the Ravens battled through injuries to fend off a gritty Bishop's Gaiters team, in fitting Carleton Ravens fashion. 

Newton: A Leader in University Athletics

Sheila-Ann Newton has embodied the spirit of varsity athletics for over 30 years. Her time at Carleton has been defined by professionalism, leadership, and a deep, genuine commitment to improving the lives and experiences of student-athletes.
In 2017, Sheila Ann joined Carleton University as a Varsity Administrator and Student-Athlete Services Coordinator, where she quickly became a cornerstone of our Department of Athletics. Her work has had a lasting impact across the department, driven by an authentic care for student-athletes as people first. She supported student-athletes, coaches, and internal and external partners — including academic and career services — to ensure a holistic, integrated, and compassionate student-athlete experience, grounded in dignity, access, and opportunity.

She also provided exceptional leadership in eligibility compliance, ensuring the clear, consistent, and principled application of OUA and U SPORTS regulations. Always advocating for fairness, she protected student-athletes and ensured teams were prepared, supported, and competition-ready.

Throughout her career, Sheila Ann has been a strong advocate for the transformative value of university sport. Her institutional knowledge, attention to detail, and unwavering commitment to integrity — paired with a sincere desire to see student-athletes thrive both in sport and in life — have earned her deep respect across the department and the broader university sport community.
Awards/Service: Sheila-Ann's work in supporting our department has played a key role in helping hundreds of student-athletes maintain their athletic eligibility while completing their degrees. Her passion for community has helped Carleton's

Varsity Council has established a series of annual programs that not only empower student-athletes to take leadership positions in our community but also raise thousands of dollars to support the greater Ottawa area. Her ability to listen has helped generate creative solutions and assist our student-athletes in gaining professional experience while bringing those projects to light.

Sheila Ann's passion for sport and student well-being led to the development and leadership of key initiatives, most notably the Food Insecurity Program, which addressed a critical and often unseen need within our student-athlete population. This initiative reflected her belief that high performance is inseparable from basic human needs and well-being.

Sheila-Ann's ethos of student-athlete experience has put students first for a decade, ensuring that everyone who dons the Ravens crest feels valued, included, and empowered.