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16th annual BLG Awards
Tchoualack, Hennigar named CIS athletes of the year
April 28, 2008
CALGARY (CIS) - University of Montreal volleyball player Laetitia Tchoualack and University of New Brunswick hockey player Rob Hennigar are the 2007-08 Canadian Interuniversity Sport female and male athletes of the year.
For all the details on the 2008 BLG Awards, visit:
www.universitysport.ca and / or www.blgcanada.com/blgawards
The winners of the 16th annual BLG Awards were announced on Monday night at the Jack Singer Concert Hall in Calgary. The event will premier on TSN on Sunday, May 18th at 11 a.m. Eastern Time.
All eight nominees received a commemorative gold ring, while the recipients were presented with a trophy and a $10,000 scholarship to attend a Canadian University graduate school. The 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.
Tchoualack of Paris, France, and Hennigar of Jordan, Ont., both became the first-ever BLG Award winner from their respective universities.
Hennigar is also the first male representative from Atlantic University Sport to be named CIS athlete of the year. The only previous AUS winner was Dalhousie track and field star Adrienne Power in 2004-05.
Tchoualack became the sixth recipient of the Jim Thompson Trophy, presented annually to the female BLG Award winner since 2002-03. The trophy is named in honour of Mr. Jim Thompson, the late President of TSN, for his support of CIS athletes and the BLG Awards.
A third-year communication student, Tchoualack was named CIS women's volleyball player of the year this season as she led the Carabins to their best result in history at the national championship - a silver medal following a five-set loss to UBC - and their first Quebec Student Sports Federation title since 1993-94.
The powerful five-foot-11 hitter received her third nod as an all-Canadian in as many varsity seasons, including her second straight on the first CIS team, after she led the nation with an average of 4.13 kills per set in conference play and finished second in Quebec and sixth in the country with 4.38 points per set.
The ultimate big-game player, Tchoualack stepped it up a notch in the post-season averaging 5.0 kills per set in the best-of-three QSSF final and 5.5 at the CIS championship, including a match-high 29 kills in the national final.
Before coming to Canada in 2005-06, Tchoualack played professionally in France, capturing the European championship with the Cannes Racing Club in 2000. She was a member of various French national teams from 1996-2004.
"Simply put, Laetitia is the best player I've had the privilege to coach in my career. Once she gets going, she is almost unstoppable, the other teams have no other choice but to treat her with respect and prepare a game plan to try to stop her. She has had a major impact from the first day she joined our program and has taken our team to another level," said Montreal head coach Olivier Trudel.
The three other female nominees for this year's BLG Award were a trio of basketball players, Memorial's Katherine Quackenbush of Halifax, McMaster's Lindsay DeGroot of Thedford, Ont., and Simon Fraser's Lani Gibbons of Salmon Arm, B.C.
A fourth-year kinesiology student, Hennigar was named CIS men's hockey player of the year following a record-setting regular season by the Varsity Reds. A year after capturing the second University Cup title in school history in 2006-07, UNB set AUS single-season marks for most wins (26) and points (53) over a 28-game schedule before adding five victories in as many outings in the conference playoffs and reaching a second straight national final, where the V-Reds dropped a heart-breaking 3-2 decision to Alberta.
The former Windsor Spitfire in the OHL led the nation in scoring in conference play with 58 points (15-43-58) in 27 games, the best tally in CIS men's hockey since former McGill Redmen and current Tampa Bay Lightning Mathieu Darche - a former BLG Award nominee - racked up 62 points in 1999-2000. His 43 assists were also tops in the country.
The five-foot-11 forward didn't slow down in the post-season, scoring 10 points in five AUS playoff duels and four points in three games at the University Cup tournament.
A two-time all-Canadian and former AUS rookie of the year, Hennigar led Canada to the gold medal at the 2007 Winter Universiade in Italy, where he tied for the team lead with nine points in six outings, including a pair of goals in a 3-1 gold-medal victory over Russia. He signed a two-year contract with the NHL's New York Islanders on April 9.
"Rob has made a positive, significant difference in the success of our hockey program. This season he has culminated his excellent four-year career by having his best campaign and leading our team to our best conference schedule ever. His competitive personality and strong leadership skills have helped the V-Reds win a national championship a year ago and Team Canada win a gold medal at the Winter Universiade," said UNB head coach Gardiner MacDougall.
The three other male nominees for this year's BLG Award were Bishop's football player Jamall Lee of Port Coquitlam, B.C., Carleton basketball player Aaron Doornekamp of Odessa, Ont., and Winnipeg volleyball player Ben Schellenberg of Winnipeg.
BLG AWARD WINNERS
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 & field)
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)
The BLG Awards
The BLG Awards were established in 1993 to recognize the top male and female athletes from universities affiliated with Canadian Interuniversity Sport.
The BLG Awards are based on athletic accomplishments, outstanding sportsmanship and leadership. Each of 51 CIS schools selects one male and one female athlete of the year. From these nominees, one male and one female athlete are chosen within each of the four regional associations: Atlantic, Canada West, Ontario, and Quebec. 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.
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 23 members from seven Canadian cities representing 19 major corporations from across the country who are committed to ensuring that Canadian University athletes receive the recognition they deserve.
Over the years, the BLG Awards have received strong support from the Calgary business community. This year's sponsors are: TSN, WestJet, Sheraton Suites Calgary Eau Claire, The Calgary Herald, The Calgary Sun, Intergold, Rhino Print Solutions and Ambassador Limousines.
About Borden Ladner Gervais LLP
Borden Ladner Gervais LLP is a leading, full-service, integrated national law firm focusing on business law, litigation and intellectual property solutions for our clients. With over 725 lawyers, intellectual property agents and other professionals in Calgary, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver and Waterloo Region, clients turn to us for assistance with their legal needs, from major litigation to corporate finance and patent registration. For more information, visit www.blgcanada.com.
About Canadian Interuniversity Sport
Canadian Interuniversity Sport is the national governing body of university sport in Canada. Fifty-one universities, 10,000 student-athletes and 550 coaches vie for 21 national championships in 12 different sports. The CIS also provides high performance international opportunities for Canadian student-athletes at Winter and Summer Universiades, and 32 World University Championships. For further information, visit www.universitysport.ca.
For more information please contact:
Douglas H. Mitchell, C.M., A.O.E., Q.C.
Chairman, Board of Trustees, Canadian Athletic Foundation
National Co-Chairman, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP
Ph: (403) 232-9493
www.blgcanada.com
Michel Bélanger
Communications Manager
Canadian Interuniversity Sport
Ph: (613) 562-5670 ext. 25
Cell: (613) 447-6334
belanger@universitysport.ca
www.universitysport.ca
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2008 BLG Awards nominees
Lani Gibbons (Simon Fraser University Basketball) and
Jamall Lee (Bishop’s University Football) |
CALGARY (CIS) - Doug Mitchell, National Co-Chairman of Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG) in Calgary, proudly announced on Tuesday the nominees for the 16th Annual BLG Awards, honouring the top Canadian Interuniversity Sport male and female athletes for the 2007-08 season.
Media kits and additional information available at: www.blgcanada.com/blgawards
The two BLG Award winners, who receive a $10,000 post-graduate scholarship, will be announced at a ceremony on Monday, April 28th at 7:30 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time at the Jack Singer Concert Hall in Calgary. The event will premier on TSN on Sunday, May 18 at 11 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time.
“Borden Ladner Gervais has a long standing tradition of service to the community and we do our part to contribute. We pride ourselves on our ability to recognize needs in the community and provide services where needed,” said Mitchell. “We understand the financial constraints on athletic programs at Canadian universities so in partnership with the CIS and the Canadian Athletic Foundation (CAF) we established the BLG Awards to showcase the exemplary talents of university athletes and support their further education through our scholarships.”
The 2008 nominees for the Jim Thompson Trophy presented to the
female BLG Award recipient are Memorial University of Newfoundland
basketball player Katherine Quackenbush of Halifax, Université
de Montréal volleyball player Laetitia Tchoualack of Paris,
France, McMaster University basketball player Lindsay DeGroot
of Thedford, Ont., and Simon Fraser University basketball player
Lani Gibbons of Salmon Arm, B.C.
The male finalists for CIS athlete-of-the-year honours are University
of New Brunswick hockey player Rob Hennigar of Jordan,
Ont., Bishop’s University football player Jamall Lee of
Port Coquitlam, B.C., Carleton University basketball player Aaron
Doornekamp of Odessa, Ont., and University of Winnipeg volleyball
player Ben Schellenberg of Winnipeg.
“The BLG Awards are the highlight of the CIS calendar, and are
a wonderful occasion to celebrate excellence and showcase exceptional
student-athletes,” said CIS Chief Executive Officer, Marg McGregor.
“This year’s nominees are all outstanding athletes who have balanced
gruelling training schedules with their academic pursuits. They
are all wonderful students and leaders in their communities and
on campus.”
Former BLG Award winners include two-time Olympic gold medallist Kim St-Pierre (McGill, hockey), three-time Olympic bronze medallist Curtis Myden (Calgary, swimming), Olympians Brian Johns (UBC, swimming), Elizabeth Warden (Toronto, swimming) and Foy Williams (Toronto, track & field), former CFL star Don Blair (Calgary, football), current Hamilton Tiger-Cat running back Jesse Lumsden (McMaster, football) and five-time CIS men’s basketball champion Osvaldo Jeanty (Carleton).
The BLG Awards
The BLG Awards were established in 1993 to recognize the top male and female athletes from universities affiliated with Canadian Interuniversity Sport.
The BLG Awards are based on athletic accomplishments, outstanding sportsmanship and leadership. Each of 51 CIS schools selects one male and one female athlete of the year. From these nominees, one male and one female athlete are chosen within each of the four regional associations: Atlantic, Canada West, Ontario, and Quebec. 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.
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 23 members from seven Canadian cities representing 19 major corporations from across the country who are committed to ensuring that Canadian University athletes receive the recognition they deserve.
The BLG Awards are delighted to welcome well-known Canadian singer-songwriter Charlie Major to this year’s gala. Rising to the forefront of the Canadian music scene in the early to mid nineties, Major had a heyday on country radio as he became the first Canadian artist in history to score a Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems #1 with his debut single I'm Gonna Drive You Outta My Mind. In 2008, Major is as successful as ever. His latest single and video Make it Right features Mike Holmes from the HGTV show Holmes on Homes. Charlie has partnered with the Holmes Foundation to support their scholarships awarded to students in the building trades.
Over the years, the BLG Awards have received strong support from the Calgary business community. This year's sponsors are: TSN, WestJet, Sheraton Suites Calgary Eau Claire, The Calgary Herald, The Calgary Sun, Intergold, Rhino Print Solutions and Ambassador Limousines.
About Borden Ladner Gervais LLP
Borden Ladner Gervais LLP is a leading, full-service, integrated national law firm focusing on business law, litigation and intellectual property solutions for our clients. With over 725 lawyers, intellectual property agents and other professionals in Calgary, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver and Waterloo Region, clients turn to us for assistance with their legal needs, from major litigation to corporate finance and patent registration. For more information, visit www.blgcanada.com.
About Canadian Interuniversity Sport
Canadian Interuniversity Sport is the national governing body of university sport in Canada. Fifty-one universities, 10,000 student-athletes and 550 coaches vie for 21 national championships in 12 different sports. The CIS also provides high performance international opportunities for Canadian student-athletes at Winter and Summer Universiades, and 32 World University Championships. For further information, visit www.universitysport.ca.
For more information please contact:
Douglas H. Mitchell, C.M., A.O.E., Q.C.
Chairman, Board of Trustees, Canadian Athletic Foundation
National Co-Chairman, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP
Ph: (403) 232-9493
www.blgcanada.com
Michel Bélanger
Communications Manager
Canadian Interuniversity Sport
Ph: (613) 562-5670 ext. 25
Cell: (613) 447-6334
belanger@universitysport.ca
www.universitysport.ca
University of Calgary Athletic Department Unveils BLG Wall of Distinction:
The University of Calgary Athletic Department along with Borden Ladner Gervais today unveiled the BLG Wall of Distinction in the Athletic Department offices in the Kinesiology “A” Block.
The wall features five six feet by three feet action pictures of the five University of Calgary winners of the prestigious BLG Athletes of the Year. The winners are selected by the Canadian Athletic Foundation that is chaired by local Calgary businessman and lawyer Douglas Mitchell that overseas the integrity of the selection process.
“This wall is an acknowledgment of the quality of student-athlete that has represented this University. It sets the bar everyday for the coaches and student-athletes who pass by these tributes,” states University of Calgary Athletic Director Don Wilson. “This project and the awards themselves would not be possible with the support and vision of BLG and Doug Mitchell.”
“At BLG we are thrilled with the success of the BLG Awards and focusing on the great quality of university athletes at the athletic programs. It reconfirms our belief that athletics is an important part of a university education,” states Mitchell.
Mr. Mitchell is no stranger to the Calgary sporting and business community having served as Managing Partner for Borden Ladner Gervais. He is a former Commissioner of the Canadian Football League, current Chairman of Legacy Sports Inc., the principal owners of the Calgary Stampeders Football Club and a member of the CFL Board of Governors. He was the recipient of an Honorary Degree from the University of Calgary in June 2006 and is a member of the Order of Canada and a member of the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame. In addition Mr. Mitchell serves on the Board of Directors of several public companies and on the Boards of several community organizations, including the Chairman of the Alberta Economic Development Authority and Past President of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce.
MEMBERS OF THE BLG WALL OF DISTINCTION:
1993 Andy Cameron Men’s Volleyball
1996 Don Blair Football
1997 Curtis Myden Swimming
2001 Leighann Doan Women’s Basketball
2005 Joanna Niemczewska Women’s Volleyball
View photo
For further information contact:
Jack Neumann 403-220-3424
Don Wilson 403-220-3409
Doug Mitchell 403-232-9493
BLG AWARD WINNERS
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 volleball)
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), 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)
The BLG Awards
The BLG Awards were established in 1993 to recognize the top male and female athletes from Universities affiliated with Canadian Interuniversity Sport.
The BLG Awards are based on athletic accomplishments, outstanding sportsmanship, and leadership ability. Each of the 52 CIS schools selects one male and one female athlete of the year. From these nominees, one male and one female athlete are chosen within each of the four regional associations: Atlantic, Canada West, Ontario, and Quebec. To be eligible, a student athlete must have competed in a CIS sport for two years, and cannot be a previous recipient of a BLG Award.
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 24 members from seven Canadian cities representing 19 corporations from across the country who are committed to ensuring that Canadian University athletes receive the recognition they deserve.
About Borden Ladner Gervais LLP
Borden Ladner Gervais LLP is among Canada’s most respected full-service national law firms. With more than 690 lawyers, intellectual property agents and other professionals in six offices across the country, BLG provides corporate legal services to a wide range of clients nationally and internationally in virtually every area of law. For further information, visit www.blgcanada.com
About Canadian Interuniversity Sport
Canadian Interuniversity Sport is the national governing body of university sport in Canada. 52 universities, 10,000 student-athletes and 550 coaches vie for 19 national championships in 11 different sports. CIS also provides high performance international opportunities for Canadian student-athletes at Winter and Summer Universiades, and numerous world university championships. For all the CIS news and info, visit:
www.universitysport.ca
- CIS -
For more information please contact:
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