The 17th Annual BLG Awards
CIS athlete of the year nominees announced

Marc Rancourt, One of Eight Finalists

CIS Communications

April 8, 2009

TORONTO (CIS) – Canadian Interuniversity Sport and national business law firm Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG) announced Tuesday the eight finalists for the 17th annual BLG awards.
 
Official website: www.blgcanada.com/blgawards <http://www.blgcanada.com/blgawards>
 
The BLG awards were established in 1993 to recognize the top female and male athletes from universities affiliated with CIS. After 16 successful years in Calgary, the BLG awards are coming to Toronto for the first time ever.
 
On Monday, April 27, 2009, the eight national nominees will be honoured, with one female and one male winner receiving a $10,000 post-secondary grant in front of more than 1,000 BLG guests at the John Bassett Theatre, in the Toronto Metro Convention Centre.
 
The awards show will premier on TSN on Saturday, May 16, at 2 p.m.
 
“It will be our great pleasure to recognize these outstanding student-athletes along with our clients and guests at the 17th annual BLG awards in Toronto,” said Doug Mitchell, National Co-Chairman, BLG LLP. “Our goal in hosting these awards in Toronto is not only to focus attention on the importance of athletics at Canadian universities, but also to shine a spotlight on the exceptional athletes produced right here in Canada.”
 
“The BLG awards recognize the best of the best of CIS student-athletes. To be selected as a BLG nominee is a prestigious honour that all top athletes aspire to,” said Marg McGregor, CIS Chief Executive Officer. “It is truly impressive to see how this year’s cohort of candidates have excelled as athletes without compromising their academic success as students. They are truly inspiring and they reflect and represent the many talented CIS student-athletes who train and go to school in Canada.”
 
The 2009 nominees for the Jim Thompson trophy presented to the female BLG award recipient are St. Francis Xavier rugby player Ghislaine Landry of Toronto, McGill hockey goaltender Charline Labonté of Boisbriand, Que., Guelph cross country and track and field runner Lindsay Carson of Cambridge, Ont., as well as UBC swimmer Annamay Pierse of Edmonton.



Landry, a silver medalist with Team Canada at the 2008 world university rugby sevens championship, is the reigning two-time CIS women’s rugby MVP; Labonté, an Olympic gold medalist in 2006 currently competing at the IIHF world women’s hockey championship in Finland, is a three-time first-team all-Canadian and has guided the Martlets to back-to-back CIS titles; Carson is the CIS female track and field athlete of the year in track events and her bronze-medal finish at the CIS cross country championships helped the Gryphon women capture the team banner; Pierse, a two-time Olympic finalist in 2008 who set a short-course world record in the 200-metre breaststroke on March 14, is the reigning two-time CIS female swimmer of the year.


The male finalists for CIS athlete-of-the-year honours are Saint Mary’s hockey player Marc Rancourt of Gloucester, Ont., Laval football player Étienne Légaré of St-Raymond, Que., York soccer player Francesco Bruno of Toronto, and Alberta volleyball player Joel Schmuland of Calgary.
 
Rancourt is the reigning CIS men’s hockey MVP and scoring champion, and led the Huskies to their first University Cup championship appearance since 2002; Légaré is the CIS lineman of the year, guided the Rouge et Or to their second Vanier Cup victory in three years and is one of the top prospects going into the 2009 CFL Canadian college draft; Bruno is the CIS men’s soccer MVP and led the Lions to their first national title since 1977; Schmuland is the CIS men’s volleyball player of the year and was named CIS championship MVP as the Golden Bears claimed their third title in five seasons.
 
The BLG awards are based on athletic accomplishments, outstanding sportsmanship and leadership. Each of 52 CIS schools selects one female and one male athlete of the year. From these nominees, one female and one male athlete are chosen within each of the four regional associations: Atlantic University Sport, Quebec Student Sports Federation, Ontario University Athletics, and Canada West Universities Athletic Association. 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 six Canadian cities representing 11 major corporations from across the country who are committed to ensuring that Canadian University athletes receive the recognition they deserve.
 
Past 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)
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)

Atlantic University Sport (AUS)

Marc Rancourt
Saint Mary’s University
Sport: Hockey
Year of eligibility in 2008-09: 4
Academic program: Commerce
Hometown: Gloucester, Ont.
 
One year after being denied a CIS scoring title by BLG award winner Rob Hennigar of UNB, Marc Rancourt made sure he put his stamp on the 2008-09 men’s hockey season. In his fourth university campaign, the six-foot-one, 200-pound left-winger finished first in the country in both assists (41) and points (57) en route to becoming only the second Saint Mary’s player in history and the first since 1982-83 to claim the Senator Joseph A. Sullivan trophy as CIS MVP. The Huskies’ captain recorded at least one point in 26 of 28 conference outings, including 16 multiple-point matches and a 19-game point-streak to open the schedule, ending the year with the best tally by a SMU skater since Craig Teeple amassed 60 points in 1991-92.
 
A first-team AUS all-star each of the past three campaigns, Rancourt was named to the first CIS squad for the first time this season, following a second-team all-Canadian nod in 2007-08. After guiding the Huskies to second place in the Atlantic conference standings with a 20-7-1 mark, the 24-year-old led all scorers in the AUS playoffs with 10 points in seven games as Saint Mary’s captured its first conference title since 2001-02 and a first berth in the CIS University Cup championship in seven years.
 
A gold-medal winner with Team Canada at the 2007 Winter Universiade in Italy under SMU head coach Trevor Stienburg, Rancourt ranks fifth on the Saint Mary’s all-time scoring list with 175 points (52-123-175) in 109 conference games. He moved to Halifax following a solid major junior career with the OHL’s Belleville Bulls, for whom he played from 2001-02 to 2004-05, tallying 78 points in 68 outings in his final season. The commerce student also excels in the classroom and was the AUS nominee for 2008-09 Dr. Randy Gregg award that recognizes excellence in hockey, academics and community involvement.
 
“After 12 years behind the Huskies’ bench, I feel comfortable saying that Marc could be one of the most skilled players to have played in the CIS,” says Saint Mary’s head coach Trevor Stienburg. “He was part of the team that won gold at the 2007 FISU games, this season led the country in scoring, captured both the AUS and CIS player of the year, was the captain of our AUS championship team, a Dean’s list student three consecutive years, and this year is both the President’s Award Winner and Male Athlete of the Year at our university. Any one of these is incredible… to accomplish them all is exceptional and begs for recognition.”