Red Deer
Record goal scorer Furuyama leads the way as Soccer Queens and Kings named to All-Conference team

Six RDP Soccer players awarded All-Conference honours
Red Deer Polytechnic and the Athletics department are pleased to recognize strikers Sein Furuyama and Eduardo Crespo, and midfielders Ajdin Sarcevic, and Sofia and Estel Quinteros, as well as goalkeeper Jared St. Thomas as Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) All-Conference award recipients.
The three Kings players that were recognized were a huge part to the success behind the Kings soccer program this year. St. Thomas was always counted on to make the big save when the team needed the most. Sarcevic was known for his free-kicking skills but also was clutch for the team when he would send a
striker off to the races to score a goal. Lastly, Crespo was counted on to be the big man and control the ball upfront.
All three Queens players were a crucial part to the Queens successful season this year. Furuyama was always called upon to score one to six goals in a game for Red Deer and lead the offence. The Quinteros’ sisters were a huge part of the Queens defensive midfielder and were asked to shut down some of the top
offensive players in this league.
Sein Furuyama (Forward)
Sein Furuyama is a five-foot tall striker out of Kobe, Japan and is currently in enrolled in Academic Upgrading at the polytechnic. In her first three games in the ACAC, she struck for eight goals on 12 shots. Six of those came in one game against the Ambrose University Lions. She would follow that up with another six-goal performance against the Medicine Hat Rattlers and added two assists in this game for a total of 14 points. At this point of the season, she was on pace to coast past the ACAC Single Season Goal Record of 26. On October 16, she would break the record with her 27th goal and added two more against the Olds College Broncos in the season finale.
Queens Head Coach Mazhiar Peyrow says he is proud of everything she accomplishes in her first ACAC season. “Sein has been a massive asset to our team. We new we had something special coming from Japan when I recruited her, but she completely exceeded our expectations in every way. She had to work hard on and off the field as she was set back because of her language barrier.”
Furuyama finished off the regular season with three Fas Gas RDP Queens Player of the Week.
Estel Quinteros (Midfielder)
Estel Quinteros is a five-foot-two midfielder from Edmonton and is in her second year of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. She finished off her season with eight goals, seven of them came against the Lions, and six assists. She started every game for the Queens in that midfield position and completed the season with 22 points on the year.
Peyrow says the Queens can achieve a lot more when Estel is on the pitch. “Estel brings composure to the Queens lineup. She brings that level of pace and aggression. She can find holes and sends through balls to split the opponents defense line really well to achieve what we want to do.”
Estel Quinteros was awarded the Fas Gas RDP Athlete of the Week for September 19, 2022, for her three goals, one assist and her defensive efforts that helped the Queens not allow a shot on net.
Sofia Quinteros (Midfielder)
Sofia Quinteros is a sister to Estel and is in her second year of the Bachelor of Science in Psychology program. She is a five-foot-five midfielder who went to high school at St. Francis Xavier. As more of a defensive asset, she still found the back of the net five times and assisted on seven goal to cap off the regular season. She found her offensive groove near the end as she is currently on a five game point streak (3G, 6A).
The veteran coach of the Queens says Sofia is a huge asset to the program, specifically the defensive midfielder position. “Sofia just brings composure and awareness to the game. She is probably one of the smartest players for soccer sense on our squad. Lastly, Sofia has a great form of leadership as she is one of our captains on the team this year.”
Sofia and the Queens will play their first playoff game this weekend in the semi-finals at the ACAC Championships in Raymond. They will await the winner of the game between the Keyano College Huskies the Lethbridge College Kodiaks in the first quarterfinal match on Friday, October 28.

St. Thomas, Sarcevic, Crespo – ACAC All Conference
Jared St. Thomas (Goalkeeper)
Jared St. Thomas is a six-foot-two goalkeeper out of Lacombe and is currently in his second year of the Kinesiology Fitness and Health program at Red Deer Polytechnic. He started 10 games this season where he had a 4-1-4 (W-L-T) record. St. Thomas finished the regular season with a .690 save percentage and a 1.89 goals-against-average.
Head Coach Admir Sarcevic says it was nice to see him make that jump to the collegiate level as he coached St. Thomas when he was younger. “He is a solid goalkeeper. I personally know him as I coached him at the youth level, so we have a special relationship. He has proven to us this year when he was making big saves to keep the Kings in it that he is a top-class goalkeeper.”
St. Thomas will be looking on to the future as he leaves the program after this season is finished.
Ajdin Sarcevic (Midfielder)
Ajdin Sarcevic was the captain for this year’s Kings team as a six-foot-two midfielder. He is currently in his second year of the Business Administration General program and is from Red Deer. He started nine out of the ten games and finished with seven goals and six assists on the season. His biggest game came against the SAIT Trojans in the season opener when he scored a hat trick.
Admir Sarcevic, the head coach of the Kings, says what he brings to the Kings program shows that he is a key player to this team. “I think his stats and his record shows how important he is to our team. He has lots of experience as he played professional soccer in Europe.”
Sarcevic and the Kings will begin their post-season in the quarterfinals at 10:00 am on Friday, October 28.
Eduardo Crespo (Forward)
Eduardo Crespo is from Mococa, Sao Paulo, Brazil and is a six-foot-three striker. He is in second year and is enrolled in Business at the polytechnic. He started five out of the 10 games and finished with three goals and four assists. His three goals came off the bench in the second match of the season when the Kings played the Ambrose University Lions.
Head Coach Admir Sarcevic says he is simply something special for the Kings soccer program. “He definitely brings what we need up front. He is tall, big and is able to control the ball then lay it off to one of our wingers or midfielders. Just the energy and attitude he brings is very important.”
After the season is complete, Crespo will join the basketball team and compete with the Kings in ACAC competition.”
Red Deer Polytechnic and the Athletics department would like to congratulate these men and women on a job well done this year and wish them all the luck at the ACAC Championships this weekend in Raymond.
Sein Furuyama is named the ACAC South Rookie and Player of the Year
Red Deer Polytechnic Athletics and the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) is pleased to announce Sein Furuyama of the Red Deer Polytechnic Queens has been selected as the 2022-23 ACAC Female Soccer Rookie of the Year.
Furuyama made a name for herself in her debut with the Queens in ACAC regular season competition. She scored two goals against the always tough SAIT Trojans. After she went silent on the goal sheet against the University of Alberta-Augustana Vikings, she made up for it by scoring six goals in back-to-back games. This set her up nicely and gave her the chance to break the ACAC Single Season Scoring Record. She would have one more six goal game when the Queens battled with the Ambrose University Lions. Furuyama scored an impressive 12 goals against the Lions in their two matches against each other. This put her two back of the 26-goal record held by Kayla Michaels of the NAIT Ooks.
Nine days later, Furuyama would make history scoring two goals against the Rattlers to give her 27 on the year. She would add two more goals to her total against the Olds College Broncos in the season finale to extend her record to 29 goals. The rookie striker also was a huge reason why the Queens team was able to break the ACAC Most Goals in a Season Record by scoring 89 over a 12-game season. Head Coach Mazhiar Peyrow says he was quite impressed with how she performed on the field but also off the field as well.
“Having a player like Sein is unbelievable. It was a big moment for the Queens to have an international player like her. She had to work extremely hard on and off the pitch as she was set back because of her language barrier. I’m so proud of her for all of her accomplishments in both the ACAC season as well as academically.”
Furuyama was born in Kobe, Japan and currently in her first year of Academic Upgrading at the Red Deer Polytechnic. She will be looking forward to continuing her scoring ways at the ACAC Championships this weekend in Lethbridge in the first semi-final matchup on Saturday, October 29. Furuyama and the Queens will await the winner of the first quarterfinal on October 28 between the host team, the Lethbridge College Kodiaks, and the Keyano College Huskies.
Both these prestigious awards were recognized at the 2022 ACAC Women’s Soccer Championship hosted by Lethbridge College in Raymond, AB Thursday.

Mazhiar Peyrow
Mazhiar Peyrow is named the ACAC Women’s Soccer South Coach of the Year
The Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) and Red Deer Polytechnic Athletics is proud to announce Mazhiar Peyrow of the Red Deer Polytechnic Queens as the ACAC Women’s Soccer South Coach of the Year.
Peyrow was the assistant for the Kings for four years. He was a part of the coaching staff that took the first team from central Alberta to the Canadian Collegiate Athletics Association (CCAA) nationals in Toronto where the Kings placed sixth in the country. After the Kings coach at that time left, he stepped into the head
coaching role and recruited heavily for that year, but unfortunately, they were unable to compete due to COVID-19. The opportunity came available for Peyrow to become the head coach of the Queens but also stay on as an assistant coach to the men’s soccer program at Red Deer Polytechnic. In his first year as head
coach of the Queens, he was able to lead the team to a bronze medal at the 2021 ACAC Championships.
Randy Stewart, Manager of Athletics & Student Life at Red Deer Polytechnic, says Peyrow has taken the Queens Soccer program to an unprecedented level since taking over in February of 2020.
“While the change has come over time, there has been undeniable steps forward with obvious success over the past two seasons. His positive outlook, innate ability to adapt and modify, as well as his ability to motivate student-athletes to strive together for a common goal have been outstanding.”
Peyrow is currently in his 7th season with Red Deer Polytechnic’s soccer programs. He has a silver from 2019 and a bronze medal from 2021. He will be looking to add a gold medal to his resume this weekend with the Queens playing in the semi-final match on Saturday, October 29.
This prestigious award was recognized at the 2022 ACAC Women’s Soccer Championship hosted by Lethbridge College in Raymond, AB Thursday evening.
Alberta Serious Incident Response Team
ASIRT investigation continues into RCMP officer-involved shooting causing injury in Red Deer

The photo of the item located at the scene near where the affected person fell.
From the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT)
On March 12, the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) was directed to investigate an officer-involved shooting in Red Deer.
At approximately 11:16 a.m., the RCMP received a 911 call alleging a carjacking and presence of a firearm at the Walmart in Red Deer. The 911 call came from a cellphone registered to an adult male, the affected person (AP), who was the subject of a missing persons report in the Calgary area.
Upon arriving in the vicinity of the Walmart, the RCMP located an unoccupied vehicle associated to the AP. They searched the area around the Walmart with the assistance of a drone but were not able to locate the AP.
At approximately 2:17 p.m., two RCMP officers located the AP walking westbound on 67th Street in Red Deer. The officers got out of their vehicle and approached the AP. The ensuing interaction was captured on the RCMP vehicle’s recording device.
The AP would not identify himself or follow the officers’ directions. The AP then ran at the officers and produced an item resembling a firearm from his jacket pocket, which he pointed at the officers. One officer fired his firearm and the other fired a non-lethal projectile.
The AP was hit with rounds from the firearm and fell to the ground. He received treatment and was then airlifted to a Calgary hospital, where he remains.
ASIRT’s investigation will examine the use of force by the officer. No additional information will be released.
ASIRT’s mandate is to effectively, independently and objectively investigate incidents involving Alberta’s police that have resulted in serious injury or death to any person, as well as serious or sensitive allegations of police misconduct.
Red Deer
Red Deer Polytechnic’s Jenica Swartz named ACAC Indoor Track Runner of the Year

Jenica Swartz named Indoor Track Runner of the Year, Ethan Duret picks up an All-Conference Award
Red Deer Polytechnic and the Athletics department are pleased to recognize Jenica Swartz of the Queens Indoor Track Team as the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) Female Runner of the Year and Ethan Duret of the Kings Indoor Track Team as he was named an ACAC All-Star.
Swartz was a crucial part of the Queens team winning their first-ever championship title in Indoor Track. Duret picked up multiple top-five finishes on the men’s side at the ACAC championship.
Jenica Swartz (Queens Runner)
What a year it was for Jenica Swartz. It all started way back in August when she started training with the Queens Soccer and Cross-Country team. She was able to earn a gold medal in soccer and a bronze medal on the same weekend at the ACAC Soccer and Cross-Country Championship. Capping off the 2022 season, Swartz competed for the soccer team at nationals before flying to Medicine Hat for cross-country nationals where she ran the 6 km race that same morning and placed fourth. A few months later, she would help the Queens win the first-ever championship in program history in Indoor Track after picking up three individual golds, one silver and first place in both the relay events at the ACAC Championship held in Edmonton at the Butterdome this past weekend.
Head Coach Douglas Spicer explained that Swartz is an outstanding athlete and teammate.
“She leads by example in her training and competing in both cross-country and indoor track, along with being an integral part of the Queens Soccer program. It was a great pleasure working with Jen this year and watching her dominate the competition in her quiet, humble way.”
Last season, Swartz broke her ankle and she had to have pins put in to repair the damage. Between the 2022/2023 cross-country and indoor track seasons, she had the pins removed and in the end, she came out on top in the 300m, 600m and 1000m events at the championship.
Swartz is a second-year student-athlete at Red Deer Polytechnic and is enrolled in the Bachelor of Science Pre-Med program. She was also named to the All-Conference team.
Ethan Duret (Kings Runner)
Ethan Duret is a second-year student-athlete with the Kings Indoor Track and Cross-Country team. He is from Red Deer and went to high school at Notre Dame Ecole Secondaire where he ran for their cross-country and track team before moving over to the Polytechnic. He is a five-foot-nine runner and is enrolled in the Bachelor of Commerce program.
Earlier in the Indoor Track season at the Grand Prix hosted by Red Deer Polytechnic, Duret earned himself two first-place finishes and a gold and bronze medal in both relay events. At the Championships, it was a much different story, Duret could not find the podium in the individual events but helped his team to a bronze finish in the 4x200m relay. He ended his weekend with two fifth-place finishes in the 300m dash and 600m run.
Spicer said he is a terrific athlete who is well-suited for indoor track, as he has natural speed, along with the endurance that he developed during the cross-country season.
“Although he did not finish in the top five in cross-country, he trained hard and developed a solid aerobic base which we refined during indoor track. This added more speed and endurance which suited his 600m and 1000m races in particular. Ethan is a goal-setter who asks a lot of himself and works hard to achieve his goals.”
Duret will also be graduating from the program following the end of the academic year.
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