Upshaw recognized nationally as CIS Athlete of the Week

X-Men basketball point guard Christian Upshaw (Halifax, NS) was awarded the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) Blackberry Male Athlete of the Week award for the week ending November 29, 2009, in addition to receiving Atlantic University Sport (AUS) Subway Male Athlete of the Week honours.

BlackBerry CIS athletes of the week
Manitoba’s Miles, StFX’s Upshaw honoured
Courtesy Canadian Interuniversity Sport

OTTAWA (CIS) – Manitoba hockey player Addie Miles and St. Francis Xavier basketball player Christian Upshaw are the BlackBerry Canadian Interuniversity Sport female and male athletes of the week for the period ending Nov. 29, 2009.

Miles, a third-year arts student from Winnipeg, was in on every Bison goal last weekend as No. 4-ranked Manitoba (10-2) extended its conference winning streak to 10 straight duels with a two-game sweep over No. 9 Saskatchewan (6-3-3), 2-0 and 3-2 in overtime. The 5-foot-6 forward, who was named the game’s first star both on Friday and Saturday, tallied a pair of assists in the series opener and added two goals and a helper in the finale, including the game-tying marker 8:59 into the third period and the game-winner 59 seconds into the extra frame.

Memorial basketball player Kelsey Hodgson, Montreal volleyball player Laetitia Tchoualack and Guelph hockey player Tori Woods were also nominated for the women’s award.

Upshaw, a fourth-year arts student from Halifax, averaged 26.5 points per contest as the No. 3 X-Men improved to 5-0 in conference play with an 89-72 win over previously undefeated Acadia (4-2) and an 85-72 victory over then-No. 5 Dalhousie (3-3). The 2008-09 CIS all-Canadian opened the weekend on Friday with a 27-point, 10-assist double-double against the Axemen and followed up with 26 points, eight assists and six rebounds the next night against the Tigers.

McGill hockey player Francis Verreault-Paul, Waterloo basketball player Cam McIntyre and Winnipeg volleyball player Justin Duff were the other male nominees.

Female nominees:
AUS: Kelsey Hodgson, basketball, Memorial
QSSF: Laetitia Tchoualack, volleyball, Montreal
OUA: Tori Woods, hockey, Guelph
Canada West: Addie Miles, hockey, Manitoba (recipient)

Male nominees:
AUS: Christian Upshaw, basketball, StFX (recipient)
QSSF: Francis Verreault-Paul, hockey, McGill
OUA: Cam McIntyre, basketball, Waterloo
Canada West: Justin Duff, volleyball, Winnipeg


ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY SPORT SUBWAY ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
Week Ending November 29, 2009
Courtesy Atlantic University Sport

Christian Upshaw of the CIS No. 3 ranked StFX X-Men basketball team is the Atlantic University Sport Subway Male Athlete of the Week for the week ending November 29th, 2009. Upshaw, a fourth year Arts student from Halifax, NS, led the X-Men in scoring in two weekend wins over the No. 5 ranked Dalhousie Tigers and the previously unbeaten Acadia Axemen to improve their record to a perfect 5-0 and remain atop the AUS standings at the holiday break. In Friday’s 89-72 win over Acadia, Christian scored a game-high 27 points and added 10 assists, five rebounds and three steals. In Saturday’s 85-72 win over the Tigers he netted 26 points and had 6 rebounds and 8 assists. Upshaw, a 2008-09 CIS all-Canadian and the AUS Most Valuable Player, currently leads the Atlantic conference in scoring with an average of 23.4 points per game.

Male Athlete of the Week
Christian Upshaw
Men’s Basketball
StFX University
4th year
Halifax, NS

Kelsey Hodgson of the CIS No. 6 ranked Cape Breton Capers women’s basketball  team is the Atlantic University Sport Subway Female Athlete of the Week for the week ending November 29th, 2009. Hodgson led the Capers to a pair of victories this past weekend over the Dalhousie Tigers and Acadia Axewomen to remain undefeated and sit in first place with a perfect 7-0 regular season record heading into the holiday break. In Friday night’s 86-62 win over the Tigers, Kelsey netted 32 points and added three assists and six steals. Saturday night against the Axewomen, she scored 18 points, grabbed six rebounds and added three assists and two steals as the Capers defeated Acadia by a score of 65-58. Hodgson, the 2008-09 AUS Player of the Year and a first team all-Canadian, is once again leading the AUS and CIS in scoring with a 24.6 points per game average. Last season, Kelsey led the AUS and CIS in scoring with a 25.8 points per game average and established a new AUS record for points scored in a single season with 515. She is a native of Fredericton, NB in her fifth year of eligibility.

Female Athlete of the Week
Kelsey Hodgson
Women’s Basketball
Cape Breton University
5th year
Fredericton, NB

Throughout the season, each SUBWAY Atlantic University Sport Athlete of the Week will receive a $50.00 Subway Card and a framed certificate courtesy of SUBWAY Restaurants and Atlantic University Sport.