The 19th Annual BLG Awards
OTTAWA (CIS) – The 2010-2011 Canadian Interuniversity Sport season will officially come to an end on Monday night when the BLG Award winners as CIS female and male athletes of the year are announced in Vancouver.
Official website: www.blg.com/blgawards
CIS and national law firm Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG) announced the eight finalists for the 19th Annual BLG Awards on April 19.
On Monday, May 16, these eight national nominees will be honoured, with one female and one male winner receiving a $10,000 post-graduate scholarship in front of more than 1,000 BLG guests at The Centre in Vancouver For Performing Arts. The event is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Pacific and will conclude at 8 p.m.
The awards show will premiere on TSN on Saturday, June 4, at noon Eastern.
“Continuing with the premise of national exposure for these outstanding athletes, we are delighted to be hosting the 19th annual BLG Awards in Vancouver this year,” said Doug Mitchell, National Co-Chair of BLG, which sponsors the Awards. “BLG Vancouver is looking forward to welcoming these exceptional athletes, their university representatives, families, clients and guests as we spotlight the importance of athletics in our Canadian universities.”
“The BLG Awards are a wonderful occasion to celebrate exceptional CIS student-athletes who are unrelenting in their pursuit of excellence,” said Marg McGregor, chief executive officer of CIS. “The BLG Awards are always a highlight of the university sport calendar year.”
The 2011 nominees for the Jim Thompson Trophy presented to the female BLG Award recipient are Université de Moncton hockey player Mariève Provost of Laval, Que., University of Montreal soccer player Véronique Laverdière of Montreal, University of Windsor basketball player Jessica Clemençon of Saint-Rambert, France, as well as University of British Columbia volleyball player Shanice Marcelle of Victoria.
Provost claimed her second straight CIS scoring title this season and graduates as a four-time all-Canadian and as the CIS all-time leader in goals and points.
Laverdière was named CIS player of the year after she led the Carabins to a third straight Quebec crown. She went on to score all four Montreal goals at the national championship tournament.
Clemençon also merited CIS player-of-the-year honours and was named MVP of the national final after she helped the Lancers capture the first CIS banner in program history.
Marcelle scored a hat-trick in 2010-11 as she was voted both CIS player of the year and CIS championship MVP while guiding the Thunderbirds to a fourth consecutive national title.
The finalists for the Doug Mitchell Trophy presented to the CIS male athlete of the year are St. Francis Xavier University soccer player Michael Marousek of Prague, Czech Republic, McGill University hockey player Alexandre Picard-Hooper of Boucherville, Que., Carleton University basketball player Tyson Hinz of Ottawa, and University of Calgary volleyball player Graham Vigrass of Calgary.
Marousek scored an AUS-leading five game-winners and was selected to the first all-Canadian unit as the X-Men were the only team in the country to go undefeated in the regular season.
Picard-Hooper won the national scoring race and became the first McGill player to be named CIS MVP in men’s hockey. He then guided the Redmen to their first-ever University Cup final.
Hinz had a dream weekend in Halifax in early March when he was named CIS player of the year and Final Eight MVP while helping the Ravens claim their seventh national title in nine years.
Vigrass was voted most outstanding player in CIS after he led the Dinos to their first conference championship in 17 years and later helped Calgary capture bronze at the CIS tournament.
The BLG Awards are based on athletic accomplishments, outstanding sportsmanship and leadership. Each of the 51 CIS schools selects one female and one male athlete of the year. From these nominees, one female and one male athlete are chosen within each of the four regional associations: Atlantic University Sport (AUS), Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ), Ontario University Athletics (OUA) and Canada West Universities Athletic Association (CWUAA). To be eligible, a student-athlete must have competed in a CIS sport for a minimum of two years and cannot be a previous recipient of a BLG Award.
All nominees receive a commemorative gold ring and winners are presented with a trophy and a $10,000 scholarship to attend a Canadian university graduate school. Winners are selected by the Canadian Athletic Foundation, a not-for-profit board established for the purpose of administering the BLG Awards and protecting the integrity of the selection process. The CAF Board of Trustees consists of 22 members from five Canadian cities representing major corporations from across the country who are committed to ensuring that Canadian university athletes receive the recognition they deserve.
2011 BLG Award Female Nominees (Jim Thompson Trophy):
AUS: Mariève Provost (Laval, Que.), hockey, Université de Moncton
RSEQ: Véronique Laverdière (Montreal, Que.), soccer, University of Montreal
OUA: Jessica Clemençon (Saint-Rambert, France), basketball, University of Windsor
CWUAA: Shanice Marcelle (Victoria, B.C.), volleyball, University of British Columbia
2011 BLG Award Male Nominees (Doug Mitchell Trophy):
AUS: Michael Marousek (Prague, Czech Republic), soccer, St. Francis Xavier University
RSEQ: Alexandre Picard-Hooper (Boucherville, Que.), hockey, McGill University
OUA: Tyson Hinz (Ottawa, Ont.), basketball, Carleton University
CWUAA: Graham Vigrass (Calgary, Alta.), volleyball, University of Calgary
Past BLG Award Winners:
2009-10: Liz Cordonier (UBC – volleyball) / Erik Glavic (Calgary – football)
2008-09: Annamay Pierse (UBC - swimming) / Joel Schmuland (Alberta - volleyball)
2007-08: Laetitia Tchoualack (Montreal - volleyball) / Rob Hennigar (UNB - hockey)
2006-07: Jessica Zelinka (Calgary - track & field) / Josh Howatson (Trinity Western - volleyball)
2005-06: Marylène Laplante (Laval - volleyball) / Osvaldo Jeanty (Carleton - basketball)
2004-05: Adrienne Power (Dalhousie - track & field) / Jesse Lumsden (McMaster - football)
2003-04: Joanna Niemczewska (Calgary - volleyball) / Adam Ens (Saskatchewan - volleyball)
2002-03: Kim St-Pierre (McGill - hockey) / Ryan McKenzie (Windsor - cross country & track)
2001-02: Elizabeth Warden (Toronto - swimming) / Brian Johns (UBC - swimming)
2000-01: Leighann Doan (Calgary - basketball) / Kojo Aidoo (McMaster - football)
1999-00: Jenny Cartmell (Alberta - volleyball) / Michael Potts (Western Ontario - soccer)
1998-99: Corinne Swirsky (Concordia - hockey) / Alexandre Marchand (Sherbrooke - track)
1997-98: Foy Williams (Toronto - track & field) / Titus Channer (McMaster - basketball)
1996-97: Terri-Lee Johannesson (Manitoba - basketball) / Curtis Myden (Calgary - swimming)
1995-96: Justine Ellison (Toronto - basketball) / Don Blair (Calgary - football)
1994-95: Linda Thyer (McGill - track & field) / Bill Kubas (Wilfrid Laurier - football)
1993-94: Sandra Carroll (Winnipeg - basketball) / Tim Tindale (Western Ontario - football)
1992-93: Diane Scott (Winnipeg - volleyball) / Andy Cameron (Calgary - volleyball)