Six X-Women named to AUS All-Star team

October 28, 2009 (HALIFAX, NS) - Atlantic University Sport is pleased to announce the 2009 women's rugby all-star team as selected by the conference's head coaches following regular season play.

The undefeated, eleven-time defending AUS conference champion StFX X-Women (6-0-0, 1st place) took home a total of six all-star awards, including league scoring leader and two-time reigning CIS Player of the Year, Ghislaine Landry. Landry led the conference with 16 tries and 80 points this season.

StFX's Lisa Gauthier, last year's AUS Rookie of the Year, scored 10 tries in 2009, second only to Landry and is an all-star for the second time in as many years. Other X-Women selected to the team include Megan Pritchard, Asya Bartley, Jamee George and Amanda Thornborough. George and Pritchard were also all-stars in 2008.

The second-place Saint Mary's Huskies (4-2-0) had five players selected as all-stars, including fourth year flanker Sarah Lamb and third year inside centre Jessica Dovanne, who each scored 25 points this season for the Huskies.

The Acadia Axewomen (2-4-0) and the UPEI Panthers (0-6-0) each had two players honoured.

Two first-year players, Alison Jordan of Acadia and Amanda Thornborough of StFX, cracked this year's squad, while SMU's Barb MacDonald and Monica Lauder along with UPEI's Kayla Devine are the only all-stars in their fifth in final year of eligibility. Devine led the Panthers in scoring this season with three tries for 15 points in six games.

The 2009 Atlantic University Sport women's rugby all-stars are as follows:

Loose Head Prop - Ashley MacIntyre, UPEI (4th year - Souris, PE)
Tight Head Prop - Asya Bartley, StFX (2nd year - Ottawa, ON)
Lock - Alison Jordan, Acadia (1st year - Fall River, NS)
Lock - Jamee George, StFX (2nd year - Brandon, MB)
Scrum Half - Megan Pritchard, StFX (4th year - Ottawa, ON)
Fly Half - Ghislaine Landry, StFX (4th year - Toronto, ON)
Inside Centre - Jessica Dovanne, Saint Mary's (3rd year - Halifax, NS)
#8 - Barb MacDonald, Saint Mary's (5th year - Dartmouth, NS)
Hooker - Kayla Devine, UPEI (5th year - Charlottetown, PE)
Full Back - Andrea LaFleur, Acadia (2nd year - Mount Uniacke, NS)
Openside Flanker - Sarah Lamb, Saint Mary's (4th year - Shubenacadie, NS)
Blindside Flanker - Megan MacIsaac, Saint Mary's (4th year - Souris, PE)
Blindside Winger - Monica Lauder, Saint Mary's (5th year - Hubley, NS)
Openside Winger - Lisa Gauthier, StFX (2nd year - St. Bernadin, ON)
Outside Centre - Amanda Thornborough, StFX (1st year - Brandon, MB)

The 2009 Subway Atlantic University Sport Women's Rugby Championship game is being held this Saturday, October 31st in Antigonish, NS at 1pm. The championship game features the No. 3 ranked StFX X-Women hosting the Saint Mary's Huskies with the winner advancing to the CIS Women's Rugby Championship being hosted by the University of British Columbia, November 5-8.

Saturday's championship game at StFX will be available via webcast. Visit www.goxgo.ca for more information.