22nd Annual BLG Awards: SMU’s Colley, Carleton’s Scrubb named CIS athletes of the year

(CALGARY, Alta.) – Basketball players Justine Colley from Saint Mary’s University and Philip Scrubb from Carleton University are the BLG Award winners as Canadian Interuniversity Sport female and male athletes of the year for the 2013-14 season.

Official BLG Awards website: www.blg.com/blgawards

The recipients of the 22^nd annual BLG Awards were announced Monday night at the EPCOR Centre’s Jack Singer Concert Hall in Calgary. The awards show will premiere nationally on Sportsnet 360 on Thursday, May 15, at 9 p.m. EDT, with a replay scheduled for Sunday, May 18, at 1 p.m. EDT, also on Sportsnet 360.

All eight nominees – one female and one male from each of the four CIS regional associations - received a commemorative gold ring from Jostens and a commemorative watch from Timex, the official suppliers of CIS, while Colley and Scrubb were also presented with a trophy and a $10,000 scholarship to attend a Canadian University graduate school.

The winners were 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.

“On behalf of BLG and the Canadian Athletic Foundation trustees, I would like to congratulate Justine Colley and Philip Scrubb, the winners of the 22^nd annual BLG Awards,” said Doug Mitchell, National Co-Chair of BLG. “The eight student-athletes who were nominated are all outstanding in their sport. I congratulate all the nominees for their great accomplishments. 

“This year’s nominees are all exceptional athletes who are also leaders on their campuses and in their communities. To be nominated from a pool of over 11,000 student-athletes is a tremendous achievement they should be very proud of,” said Pierre Lafontaine, chief executive officer of CIS. “On behalf of CIS, I sincerely congratulate each of them, as well as their school, coaches and teammates. In particular Justine and Philip, who join the very prestigious group of BLG Award recipients.”  

Basketball players swept both awards for only the second time in the history of the event. Windsor’s Jessica Clemençon and Carleton’s Tyson Hinz – who played alongside Scrubb for the past four seasons - were honoured in 2011.  

A native of East Preston, N.S., Colley took home the Jim Thompson Trophy and became the first ever BLG Award winner from Saint Mary’s – female or male. She was the female nominee from the Atlantic University Sport regional association for the second straight year.

Scrubb, who hails from Richmond, B.C., claimed the Doug Mitchell Trophy. He follows in the footsteps of Hinz and Osvaldo Jeanty (2006), also a men’s basketball standout, as BLG Award winners from Carleton.

The other female finalists for this season were Katia Clément-Heydra of St. Bruno de Montarville, Que., a hockey player from McGill University; Khamica Bingham of Brampton, Ont., a track star from York University; and Lisa Barclay of Brandon, Man., a volleyball player from the University of British Columbia.

The other male nominees were Liam Heelis of Georgetown, Ont., a hockey player from Acadia University; Jordan Heather of Oromocto, N.B., a football player from Bishop’s University; and Derek Hulak of Saskatoon, a hockey player from the University of Saskatchewan.

Colley made the most of her fifth and final university season.

At the AUS conference level, the commerce student won her fourth straight scoring title thanks to her 20.8 point-per-game average, which was good for third in the country. The talented guard also led CIS in assists (5.7) and steals (3.8) per contest.

Thanks in large part to her stellar play, Saint Mary’s kept an unblemished 20-0 record in league action and reached the top of the national rankings - two firsts in the history of the program. The Huskies went on to claim their second consecutive AUS banner.

Colley then merited her second straight Nan Copp Award as CIS player of the year, one year after becoming the first-ever recipient from an AUS school. At the CIS championship in Windsor, where she was named a tournament all-star, the 22-year-old led the Huskies to a program-best silver medal, a run that included a mindboggling 38-point performance in a semifinal win over Saskatchewan.

Over the course of the season, Colley also became the all-time scoring leader in CIS women’s basketball history with 2,376 points. She finished her brilliant university career with five selections as a first-team AUS all-star, four as an all-Canadian (including three first-team nods), one on the CIS all-rookie squad, as well as three CIS scoring crowns.

At the international level, she spent the 2013 summer with the Canadian senior national team and helped Canada qualify for the 2014 FIBA world championship in Turkey (Sept. 27 – Oct. 5). She also wore the Maple Leaf at the 2011 Summer Universiade, the 2011 Pan American Games and the 2009 junior world championship.  

“Justine established herself as one of the top players ever to play in CIS after winning her second consecutive MVP trophy this season. The stats certainly back up that claim. However, her impact on our team and a basketball game go far beyond stats,” says Saint Mary’s head coach Scott Munro. “She is simply one of the best leaders I have ever been around. Her desire to compete and win separates her from any other student-athlete I have coached. Justine is certainly a unique individual.”

Scrubb was heavily recruited out of Vancouver College back in 2010 and all he has done since is prove he was well worth the hype.

In 2013-14, the fourth-year commerce student once again led his team in points (18.6) and assists (4.9) per game and ranked in the top 10 nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio, three-point shooting, free-throw percentage, assists, as well as points per 40 minutes (27.0). At the end of the regular season, the former CIS rookie of the year claimed his third straight Mike Mosher Memorial Trophy as CIS MVP, becoming the first three-time recipient in history.  

A few days later in the nation’s capital, the 6-foot-3 guard helped the Ravens capture their fourth consecutive CIS title. In the national final, Carleton defeated archrival Ottawa to avenge its only loss of the campaign (in the OUA final) and finish the season with a remarkable overall record of 33-1 versus CIS opponents.

Last summer, the 21-year-old was the only active CIS player – and the youngest overall - invited to the Canadian senior national team camp. He has already represented Canada at numerous international competitions, including the under-19 world championship (2011), Pan American Games (2011) and Summer Universiade (2013).

“Phil is a highly talented and well accomplished player. His ability speaks for itself in his success,” says Carleton head coach Dave Smart. “He is a humble and selfless individual regarding the team. He is an extremely good student, balancing his dedication to the team and sport with his academics.”

ALL-TIME BLG AWARD WINNERS:

2013-14: Justine Colley (Saint Mary’s – basketball) / Philip Scrubb (Carleton - basketball)
2012-13: Shanice Marcelle (UBC – volleyball) / Kyle Quinlan (McMaster - football)
2011-12: Ann-Sophie Bettez (McGill – hockey) / Marc-André Dorion (McGill - hockey)
2010-11: Jessica Clemençon (Windsor – basketball) / Tyson Hinz (Carleton - basketball)
2009-10: Liz Cordonier (UBC – volleyball) / Erik Glavic (Calgary - football)
2008-09: Annamay Pierse (UBC - swimming) / Joel Schmuland (Alberta - volleyball)
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 - 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 - football)
1992-93: Diane Scott (Winnipeg - volleyball) / Andy Cameron (Calgary - volleyball) 

About the BLG Awards

The BLG Awards were established in 1993 to recognize the top female and male athletes from universities affiliated with CIS. The Awards are based on athletic accomplishments, outstanding sportsmanship and leadership. Each of the 55 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 (AUS), Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ), Ontario University Athletics (OUA) and Canada West Universities Athletic Association (CWUAA). 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.

All nominees receive a commemorative gold ring from Jostens and a commemorative watch from Timex – the official suppliers of CIS - 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 20 members from five Canadian cities representing major corporations from across the country who are committed to ensuring that Canadian university athletes receive the recognition they deserve.

About Borden Ladner Gervais LLP

With more than 750 lawyers, intellectual property agents, and other professionals working in six major Canadian cities, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP is the largest Canadian full-service law firm focusing on business law, litigation and intellectual property solutions. BLG provides bilingual services in virtually every area of law, and represents a wide range of regional, national and multinational organizations. For further information, visit blg.com.

About Canadian Interuniversity Sport  

Canadian Interuniversity Sport is the national governing body of university sport in Canada. Every year, 11,000 student-athletes and 700 coaches from 55 universities and four regional associations vie for 21 national championships in 12 different sports. CIS also provides high performance international opportunities for Canadian student-athletes at Winter and Summer Universiades, as well as numerous world university championships. For further information, visit www.cis-sic.ca or follow us on:

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Source: CIS Communications