Paloma Anderson named U SPORTS MVP, Kiera Rigby wins Sylvia Sweeney Award

REGINA, Sask. (U SPORTS) – Acadia guard Paloma Anderson was honoured with the Nan Copp Award as U SPORTS women's basketball Player of the Year Wednesday night, as the national award winners were celebrated at the annual All-Canadian gala.

UPEI forward Kiera Rigby earned the Sylvia Sweeney Award for Student-Athlete Community Service for her outstanding contribution both on and off the court.

Regina guard Carolina Gonçalves captured the Kathy Shields Award as Rookie of the Year. Carleton forward Elizabeth LeBlanc is the Defensive Player of the Year, while her bench boss Taffe Charles received the Peter Ennis Award as Coach of the Year. Finally, Winnipeg forward Lena Wenke is the winner of the Tracy MacLeod Award for her courage in overcoming adversity.

NAN COPP AWARD (Player of the Year): Paloma Anderson, Acadia 

Paloma Anderson, a 5-foot-1 guard with the U SPORTS No. 3-ranked Acadia Axewomen, is the U SPORTS women's basketball most valuable player.

A fourth-year sociology student in her fifth year of eligibility for Acadia, Anderson averaged 18.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game for the top-ranked Axewomen this season. 

She led the nation in assists, averaging 5.5 per game. Her 52 steals this season were the most in the Atlantic conference, while her average of 2.6 steals per game was the second best in AUS, both ranking ninth in U SPORTS.

First in team scoring and second in conference scoring, Anderson led the Axewomen to a 18-2 regular season record, a first-place finish in the AUS standings and a playoff bye through to the semifinals of the Subway AUS Women's Basketball Championship. 

In four seasons with Acadia, she amassed 1,446 points to a set a new school record for career points scored. 

She also set new school records for career free throws made with 292 and for points in a single game, scoring 41 in a 2016 game versus StFX. 

Anderson finishes her career as a two-time AUS MVP, having first earned the conference's top honour in 2015-16. She is the only Acadia player to ever be named U SPORTS MVP. 

She is also a three-time AUS first team all-star, having been named to the AUS first team all-star squad for the third consecutive year, as well as a two-time U SPORTS First Team All-Canadian. 
 

SYLVIA SWEENEY AWARD (Student-Athlete Community Service): Kiera Rigby, UPEI

Five-foot-10 forward Kiera Rigby was named an AUS first-team all-star for the first time in her five-year career with the UPEI Panthers. She led the team in scoring, averaging 18.4 points per game, ranking eighth in the nation, while shooting a respectable 43.5 per cent (36.7 from beyond the arc). She also grabbed 4.3 rebounds a night to go along with 2.0 assists.

The Charlottetown, P.E.I. native is also vital part of the community. Her interest in biology led her to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (physical medicine and emergency departments), where she has volunteered over 80 hours since June. She also volunteers her time with the World University Services of Canada (WUSC), Canadian Cancer Society and Arthritis Society. If that wasn't enough, she's also a three-year member of the UPEI Varsity Leadership team, a tutor with Student Services and an active member of the UPEI Biology Society and UPEI Pre-Med Society.

Rigby's balancing act doesn't end there and extends academically as well, where she has an outstanding 3.9 cumulative grade point average. The four-time Academic All-Canadian made the Dean's List four times and graduated in May with a major in biology and a minor in biomedical physics.

Rigby is currently doing her honours research in Dr. Adam Johnston's exercise physiology lab, examining Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. She intends on continuing her schooling afterwards and has applied to several programs across Canada specializing in physiotherapy, including Dalhousie, McMaster and the University of Toronto. She's also preparing for an interview for a four-year program at the Canadian Chiropractic College in Toronto.

"Kiera is a born leader. She cares for everyone she comes in contact with, and that caring and supportive personality makes people want to follow her," said Panthers head coach Greg Gould. "Kiera always has time to uplift and support those around her. It's amazing to watch how people of all ages are drawn to her magnetic personality."

2018 U SPORTS WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ALL-CANADIANS
(*AUS winners in bold)

First Team

Second Team

All-Rookie Team

 
For the complete U SPORTS release, please click here.

Source: U SPORTS Communications