AUS Rugby Trophy Named for StFX's Michelle Birks

October 23, 2008 (HALIFAX, NS) - Atlantic University Sport is pleased to announce that the Atlantic University Sport women's rugby championship trophy has been renamed in honour of StFX's Michelle Birks. Michelle was a member of the 2006 CIS champion X-Women rugby team who passed away suddenly in February of 2007 due to a heart arrhythmia.

The StFX department of athletics had submitted Michelle's name earlier this year to the Atlantic University Sport recognition committee and it was approved unanimously for the conference's championship trophy, which was previously unnamed. The trophy will now be known as "The Birks Memorial Trophy" and members of the Birks family will be in Antigonish this Saturday to present the trophy to the 2008 Atlantic conference championship team.

"Michelle was an outstanding student-athlete, a wonderful leader and an integral part of the 2006 StFX team that brought home a CIS Championship to our conference," commented Mr. Phil Currie, Executive Director of Atlantic University Sport who will also be in attendance Saturday to participate in the banner presentation. "The Management Council of Atlantic University Sport supported the Recognition Committee's recommendation and felt this honour was befitting a player of Michelle's contribution to the sport of rugby, StFX athletics and the Atlantic conference."

Last year, the StFX Department of Athletics dedicated the 2007-08 varsity season in her honour, as all StFX varsity teams wore a black MB patch or sticker for the duration of the season. The X-Men football and X-Men and X-Women hockey teams wore a black MB sticker on their helmets, while the X-Women rugby, X-Women volleyball, X-Men and X-Women soccer, cross country and basketball teams wore black MB patches on their home uniforms.

"We began to take steps last season to make sure that her contribution to StFX varsity athletics will never be forgotten," says StFX Director of Athletics, Mr. Leo MacPherson. "Renaming a trophy symbolic of the conference's top team is an honour that is not only appropriate, but will ensure her legacy lives on forever."

The X-Women rugby team have kept their patches as a permanent fixture on their uniforms. There is a memorial banner displaying Michelle's name, number and the varsity 'X' now hanging in the Oland Centre main gymnasium, and a scholarship fund has already been established in conjunction with the Birks family and friends. A $1,000 bursary is now awarded annually to a female rugby player enrolled in the StFX Human Kinetics program.

"Michelle was often an unsung hero of our team, but her strength and determination shone through both on and off the field, she has been sorely missed by her teammates and by all that knew her. Michelle was the kind of athlete that all coaches love to have and it has been a privilege to have coached and to have known her even if for a short period of time," said StFX head coach Mike Cavanagh.

Michelle, a native of Unionville, ON, was in her fourth year in the Human Kinetics program and was a member of the X-Women rugby team who won the 2006 CIS rugby championship. Over the course of her three seasons of Atlantic University Sport competition, Michelle tallied 126 points, earning her the distinction of StFX and AUS all-time leading scorer at the time.

She previously held the Atlantic conference record for career conversions with 26 and the record for most conversions in a game with six. She was named a conference all-star in 2004 and 2005, and was also an academic all-Canadian.

For more information, please visit www.atlanticuniversitysport.com