VICTORIA (U SPORTS) – Acadia forward Katie Ross was named the 2017 recipient of the U Sports Sylvia Sweeney Award (for Student-Athlete Community Service) Wednesday night.
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Other U SPORTS award recipients announced during the All-Canadian Awards were Danielle Boiago, a fifth-year guard from the McMaster Marauders, who was named the 2017 U SPORTS Women's Basketball Player of the Year; Winnipeg guard Antoinette Miller, Defensive Player of the Year; Regina guard Kyanna Giles, Kathy Shields Award (Rookie of the Year); Queen's bench boss Dave Wilson, Peter Ennis Award (Coach of the Year); and McMaster guard Vanessa Pickard, Tracy MacLeod Award (Courage Overcoming Adversity).
The 2017 ArcelorMittal Dofasco U SPORTS Women's Final 8 gets under way Thursday, March 9 at the University of Victoria. Semifinals will be airing live on Sportsnet 360 and SN Now on Saturday, March 11th at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. ET, with the finals airing Sunday, March 12th at 4 p.m. ET. The rest of the tournament will be available for online streaming at USPORTS.LIVE.
SYLVIA SWEENEY AWARD (Student-Athlete Community Service): Katie Ross, Acadia
Fourth-year Acadia Axewomen guard Katie Ross is the 2016-17 recipient Sylvia Sweeney Award for student-athlete community service.
The kinesiology student from Bedford, N.S., is a four-time academic all-Canadian.
She volunteers her time with the Annapolis Valley Cardiac Rehabilitation Centre and is heavily involved in the Kinderskills and Rec Buddies programs.
Ross is also involved with Acadia's S.M.I.L.E. program (Sensory Motor Instructional Learning Experience), working with children with autism to develop motor, cognitive and social learning skills.
On the court, Ross started in 16 games for the Axewomen this season, averaging 8.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.
She is also one of AUS's few dual student-athletes, as a member of Acadia's women's soccer team.
"Katie is an exceptional candidate for the Sylvia Sweeney Community Service award," said Axewomen basketball head coach Len Harvey. "She is the most remarkable student-athlete I have coached in my time as an assistant or head coach at this level.
"She somehow manages to be a dual-sport athlete, excelling and starting for both the basketball and soccer teams at Acadia, maintains a perfect 4.0 GPA in a difficult academic program, all while volunteering more than anyone else on our team. She is one of the main leaders in our locker room, and is a friend to everyone she meets."
Ross becomes just the second AUS winner of the award, following Dalhousie's Ainsley MacIntyre last season.
The other nominees were forward Jennifer Silver of McGill, guards Nicole DiDomenico of Ryerson, and Jenna Krug of Victoria.
2017 U SPORTS WOMEN'S BASKETBALL AWARDS & ALL-CANADIANS
*Atlantic conference recipients in bold
Nan Copp Award (player of the year): Danielle Boiago, McMaster
Defensive player of the year: Antoinette Miller, Winnipeg
Kathy Shields Award (rookie of the year): Kyanna Giles, Regina
Peter Ennis Award (coach of the year): Dave Wilson, Queen's
Sylvia Sweeney Award (basketball, academics & community service): Katie Ross, Acadia
Tracy MacLeod Award (courage overcoming adversity): Vanessa Pickard, McMaster
Pos. Athlete University Year Hometown Program
First Team
G Danielle Boiago McMaster 5 Hamilton, Ont. Kinesiology
G Antoinette Miller Winnipeg 4 Phoenix, Ariz. Applied Health & Ed.
F Jane Gagné Laval 3 Chicoutimi, Que. Chemistry
F Alison Keough Cape Breton 4 Marion Bridge, N.S. Business Admin.
G Paloma Anderson Acadia 3 Phoeniz, Ariz. Business Admin.
Second Team
G Sabine Dukate Saskatchewan 2 Ventspiils, Latvia Arts & Science
F Heather Lindsay Carleton 4 Ottawa, Ont. Environmental Studies
F Richelle Gregoire Concordia 5 Ste. Therese, Que. Adult Education
F Sofia Paska Ryerson 3 Etobicoke, Ont. Early Child.Studies
G Maddison Penn UBC 2 Avoca Beach, Australia Kinesiology
All-Rookie Team
G Kyanna Giles Regina 1 Winnipeg, Man. Arts & Science
G Jenna Mae Ellsworth UPEI 1 Charlottetown, P.E.I. Science
G Kayah Clarke Windsor 1 Hamilton, Ont. Human Kinetics
G Caroline Task Concordia 1 Dorval, Que. Human Resources
G Libby Epoch Saskatchewan 1 Moose Jaw, Sask. Arts & Science
For the complete U Sports women's basketball awards release, please click here.