Posted: Oct 27, 2011
StFX's Tyson Beukeboom repeats as MVP
October 27, 2011 (HALIFAX, N.S.) - Atlantic University Sport is pleased to announce the 2011 women's rugby major award winners and conference all-stars as selected by the conference's four head coaches following the regular season. Third-year StFX athlete Tyson Beukeboom, who plays the number 8 position, has been named the Atlantic University Sport most valuable player for the second consecutive season.
Other AUS major award winners announced today were Acadia's Deidre Rees of St. John's, Nfld., who was named rookie of the year; Saint Mary's Huskies fly half Jessica Frenette of Centreville, N.B., who received the student-athlete community service award; and StFX X-Women head coach Mike Cavanagh, who was named the AUS coach of the year for the sixth time in his career.
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Tyson Beukeboom, StFX
The 2011 Atlantic University Sport most valuable player is number 8 player Tyson Beukeboom (Uxbridge, Ont.) of the reigning CIS champions and No. 1-ranked StFX X-Women.
Beukeboom, now a two-time Atlantic conference MVP, finished second in AUS scoring to teammate Magali Harvey this season after posting 55 points and a conference-leading 11 tries in six regular season games played.
In just her third season, she has already moved into eighth place overall on the AUS career scoring list with 105 points scored and ranks fourth all-time in AUS career tries with 21.
Tyson, a Human Kinetics student, was a 2010 CIS all-Canadian, 2009 CIS championship all-star and is now a two-time AUS all-star. She will look to lead the X-Women to their 14th consecutive Atlantic conference title and a return trip to CIS championship gold medal game for the fourth consecutive year.
"Tyson has been our go-to forward all year and has the ability to score from anywhere on the field," says StFX head coach Mike Cavanagh. “She is the main threat from our lineouts and is also one of our best defensive players, a true all-around athlete. She is very knowledgeable on the game and shows strong leadership on the field."
Beukeboom will once again represent Atlantic University Sport as the conference's nominee for the CIS Player of the Year. The only Atlantic conference women's rugby player to have ever won this award is former StFX star Ghislaine Landry, who was named the CIS Player of the Year in both 2007 and 2008.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Deidre Rees, Acadia
Blindside winger Deidre Rees of the Acadia Axewomen has been chosen as the 2011 Atlantic conference Rookie of the Year.
Rees joined the Axewomen this season from St. John's, Nfld., and led the team in scoring with seven tries and one conversion for 37 points in six regular season games.
Deidre's point total ranked her third among all AUS players. Her seven tries were the second most in the conference and broke the previous Acadia school record of six tries in a single season, set in 2005 by two-time AUS most valuable player Andrea Burk.
"Deidre has been one of our most consistent players," says Axewomen head coach Matthew Durant. "Her commitment to fitness and training is unmatched and she has proven extremely dangerous to the opposition when she gets the ball in space. She will no doubt be a great leader for our team for years to come."
Former StFX standout and CIS Player of the Year Ghislaine Landry is the last Atlantic conference player to be named CIS Rookie of the Year in 2006.
COACH OF THE YEAR: Mike Cavanagh, StFX
For the sixth time in his career, StFX X-Women head coach Mike Cavanagh, currently in his 13th season, has been chosen by his peers as the Atlantic University Sport women's rugby coach of the year.
Cavanagh previously won the award in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2007 and 2008 and was also named the 2001 CIS Coach of the Year.
This season, Cavanagh guided the No. 1-ranked, reigning CIS and 13-time defending AUS conference champion X-Women to their seventh consecutive undefeated season (6-0-0) and tenth straight first place finish since 2002. His 2011 StFX squad led the conference in points scored (352), tries scored (57), conversions (32) and only allowed 29 points against.
Since 2002, Cavanagh's career record now stands at 55-1-2 in regular season play and he has a 68-16-5 overall record including AUS playoff and CIS championship contests.
His X-Women have not lost an AUS conference game dating back to October 16, 2004 and he has never lost an Atlantic University Sport playoff game, sporting a perfect 10-0 record heading into this weekend. He has also guided the X-Women to 13 consecutive CIS championship appearances.
"Mike Cavanagh is one of the most gifted coaches I have ever met and his track record speaks for itself," says Leo MacPherson, StFX Director of Athletics & Recreational Services. "His ability to recruit, his dedication to his team and the development of his athletes is second to none. If I had to state two reasons for his success, it would be one, he cares about people, and two, he is committed to excellence."
Cavanagh is the only AUS head coach to be named CIS Coach of the Year, which he won in 2001.
STUDENT-ATHLETE COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD: Jessica Frenette, Saint Mary's
The 2011 student-athlete community service award recipient is Jessica Frenette of the Saint Mary's Huskies.
Since her arrival on Saint Mary's campus, Jessica has proven to be a leader on and off the rugby pitch. Volunteer work and community service are common things in Jessica's life.
The first year Masters of Arts (Criminology) student is a teaching assistant as well as a volunteer on the Board of Directors at the SMU Women's Centre, which offers a safe space for those who seek information about sexual health, sexual assault, or violence against women. She is also a volunteer for Pathways to Education, an organization that provides mentoring and tutoring to at-risk youth in Spryfield, N.S.
Her proven leadership ability has been an asset to a young Saint Mary's rugby team. Thanks to her work ethic and positive influence, the team has gained a true role model.
This past spring, Jessica spent four months volunteering in a rural Nicaragua community. Working both at the school and in the community, she was responsible for providing English classes to students and community members who wished to participate. Acting as a teaching assistant to the local teacher, she helped by explaining exercises, correcting homework, answering questions, keeping students on task, and monitoring student progress.
In addition, Jessica led after-school activities such as sports (mainly soccer and baseball, but also taught some of the rules of rugby), music (she donated her own guitar to the community, with some guitar lessons), and craft clubs.
In her spare time, Frenette also spent some time helping set up a community gardening initiative and taught the kids how to help preserve the environment through activities such as garbage cleanups. This was her second humanitarian trip to Nicaragua. Her first took place in 2005.
The 24-year-old from Centreville, N.B., is a 2009 Dean's List graduate of Mount Allison with a double major in Psychology and Sociology. She is the former captain of the Mounties rugby squad, who went undefeated in the 2008 ACAA rugby season. That same year, Frenette garnered her third ACAA all-star award and was named ACAA player of the year.
This season, Frenette scored one try in six regular season outings for the Huskies.
She currently plays for the New Brunswick senior women's team and is a long-time member of the 2011 New Brunswick champion, Moncton Black Tide RFC. Jessica was invited to go on a rugby tour with the UNB women's rugby team to the UK for two weeks where she played teams from both Wales and England, and participated in clinics with top coaches from Wales.
"Jessica is a very well-rounded student-athlete and we are pleased to have her continue her studies here at Saint Mary's," says Saint Mary's Director of Athletics Steve Sarty. "Her ability to balance her academic and playing schedule while devoting so much time to her community is both impressive and an inspiration to her teammates."
2011 AUS WOMEN'S RUGBY ALL-STARS
The 2011 Atlantic University Sport women's rugby all-stars were also announced Thursday. They are as follows:
Loose Head Prop: Asya Bartley, StFX (4th year - Ottawa, Ont.)
Hooker: Sumara Profit, UPEI (3rd year - Charlottetown, P.E.I.)
Tight Head Prop: Olivia DeMerchant, StFX (3rd year - Woodstock, N.B.)
Lock: Jamee George, StFX (4th year - Brandon, Man.)
Lock: Allison Jordan, Acadia (3rd year - Fall River, N.S.)
Blindside Flanker: Rebecca Robison, UPEI (5th year - Charlottetown, P.E.I.)
Openside Flanker: Jorie Rose, Saint Mary's (1st year - Souris, P.E.I.)
#8: Tyson Beukeboom, StFX (3rd year - Uxbridge, Ont.)
Scrum Half: Jaleesa Villard, UPEI (4th year - Kinkora, P.E.I.)
Fly Half: Beth McNeill, StFX (4th year - Vancouver, B.C.)
Blindside Winger: Deidre Rees, Acadia (1st year - St. John's, Nfld.)
Inside Centre: Kaitlin Richard, UPEI (5th year - Summerside, P.E.I.)
Outside Centre: Lisa Gauthier, StFX (3rd year - St. Bernadin, Ont.)
Openside Winger: Amanda Thornborough, StFX (3rd year - Brandon, Man.)
Fullback: Magali Harvey, StFX (3rd year - Quebec City, Que.)
The 2011 Subway Atlantic University Sport women's rugby championship game is being held Friday, October 28th at 6:00pm in Antigonish, N.S.
The championship game features the CIS No. 1-ranked StFX X-Women hosting the Acadia Axewomen. In last weekend's AUS semifinal, Acadia defeated the UPEI Panthers 22-7 in Charlottetown to advance to the final, which will be available live via webcast.
Visit www.goxgo.ca for webcast information.
The AUS champion will advance to the 2011 CIS women's rugby championship being hosted by Trent University, November 3-6 in Peterborough, Ont.
Other Information:
- 2011 Final AUS women's rugby standings: http://www.atlanticuniversitysport.com/womens/rugby/
- 2011 Final AUS women's rugby statistics: http://www.atlanticuniversitysport.com/womens/rugby/stats/
- 2011 CIS women's rugby championship information: http://english.cis-sic.ca/championships/wrugby/index