(HALIFAX, N.S.) Atlantic University Sport is pleased to announce Saint Mary’s women’s basketball guard Clara Gascoigne as the recipient of the 37th annual PepsiCo James Bayer Memorial Scholarship Award.
This marks the third time a student-athlete from Saint Mary’s University has been honoured with this award and the first time since 2006 when former Huskies men’s hockey standout David Chant took home the honour.
The James Bayer Memorial Scholarship Award was established in 1985 and is awarded annually to an outstanding student-athlete in Atlantic University Sport for excellence in academics, athletics, leadership, sportsmanship and citizenship.
This year’s award selection committee consisted of Phil Currie, President and CEO of Atlantic University Sport; Marg Bayer, wife of the late James Bayer; and Dr. Denis Prud’homme, president and vice-chancellor of l’Université de Moncton and chair of the AUS board of directors.
A fifth-year guard from Dartmouth, N.S., Gascoigne has achieved great success on the court and in the classroom, while also giving back to the community during her time at Saint Mary’s.
She was named the 2024-25 U SPORTS Defensive Player of the Year and is a three-time AUS Defensive Player of the Year winner. She also earned the conference’s top honour as AUS Most Valuable Player this season and was named a U SPORTS First Team All-Canadian.
Gascoigne led the Huskies to their third consecutive conference title this season, earning championship MVP nods as well as a spot on the tournament all-star team.
Through the 2024-25 regular season, she was the Huskies leading scorer, averaging 15.6 points per game. She also finished the regular season second in the conference in steals, averaging 2.4 per game.
The Huskies managed an 18-2 regular season record and finished first in the conference standings.
In the classroom, Gascoigne is a six-time Academic All-Canadian, graduating in 2023 with a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in accounting with greatest distinction honours and finishing with a GPA of 4.11.
She is in the process of completing a Master of Business Administration, with a current GPA of 4.18.
“Clara Gascoigne is the true definition of the term ‘student-athlete’,” said Saint Mary’s women’s basketball head coach Scott Munro. “As a captain of the Huskies for three consecutive AUS championships, Clara has impacted our team positively in every way possible. She has been a quiet leader in our program who is also one of the most competitive athletes I have been around. She has simply taken on whatever role has been asked of her for the last five years for her team to be successful and been the best in it.”
“Clara has managed her academic and athletic pursuits to the highest degree and is only satisfied when she has put her best foot forward in anything she undertakes,” continued Munro. “In almost 20 years being involved in high-level sport, and as a former educator, I have not witnessed a student-athlete with her priorities more aligned than Clara. Clara has been a pillar in our program both in the classroom and on the court since she first arrived on campus.”
Gascoigne is an active volunteer in the Saint Mary’s community, lending her time over the last six years to such initiatives as the Motionball fundraiser for Special Olympics, the annual Shoot for the Cure fundraiser and the Huskies Move for Inclusion program.
She has also been active with the Junior Huskies Basketball Camps as a coach since 2019.
“When it comes to attributes we want to see in our student-athletes, Clara Gascoigne is the gold standard—determination, leadership and caring,” said Scott Gray, Saint Mary’s Director of Athletics and Recreation. “She makes everyone better around her, both on and off the court—truly a generational citizen that we are fortunate to call a Husky. She epitomizes the best we hope for in our students and undoubtedly has a bright future in whatever path she choses.”
Each year, AUS member schools nominate one student-athlete for this prestigious award. As this year's recipient, Gascoigne receives a $1,000 scholarship.
“On behalf of the selection committee, I would like to congratulate Clara on being named this year’s winner,” said AUS president and CEO Phil Currie. “Clara stood out to everyone on the committee right from the start in this year’s selection process. She certainly embodies the spirit of this award with her long list of accomplishments on the court and in the classroom, along with her contributions in the community, and we are happy to honour her with this year’s award.”
“I would also like to recognize all of this year’s nominees who were absolutely outstanding. They each exhibit the hard work, dedication and community mindedness that exemplify what it means to be a student-athlete in Atlantic University Sport.”
Also nominated were Acadia’s Ella Collins, Cape Breton’s Alliyah Rowe, Dalhousie’s Kassandra Trenke, Memorial’s Marcella Whelan, Moncton’s Sophie Black, St. Thomas’s Ekaterina Pelowich, STFX’s Eileen Benoit, UNB’s Katherine Butts and UPEI’s Kamari Scott. Each of the nominees receives a $500 scholarship award.
James Bayer taught education and physical education at both high school and university levels. He served as supervisor and consultant for the Nova Scotia Department of Culture, Recreation and Fitness.
At Acadia University, he served as dean of recreation and physical education and as director of athletics from 1978-1985. As an administrator in the AUAA and the CIAU, he was a key player in the establishment of intercollegiate athletic policy.
This memorial scholarship is the most prestigious award offered annually by Atlantic University Sport.
Previous recipients of the James Bayer Memorial Scholarship Award:
1987 - Greg Berry, STFX University, Soccer; Caroline Lulham, Mount Allison University, Volleyball
1988 - Gunnhildur Baldursson, Acadia University, Soccer
1989 - Jackie Wong, Mount Allison University, Volleyball / Soccer
1990 - Augy Jones, St. Francis Xavier University, Basketball
1991 - Heather Morrison, University of Prince Edward Island, Field Hockey
1992 - Keith Donovan, Dalhousie University, Basketball
1993 - David Sykes, Saint Mary's University, Football
1994 - Kathy McNally, University of Prince Edward Island, Field Hockey
1995 - Scott Bagnell, Dalhousie University, Volleyball
1996 - Carla Edwards, Mount Allison University, Volleyball
1997 - Chris Diamond, University of Prince Edward Island, Soccer
1998 - Peter Benoite, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Basketball
1999 - Jan Trojanowski, Acadia University, Basketball
2000 - Kristen Lewis, Dalhousie University, Cross Country
2001 - Jillian MacDonald, Dalhousie University, Basketball
2002 - Louis Poirier, Université de Moncton, Track & Field
2003 - Dan Tudin, Dalhousie University, Hockey
2004 - Eric Gillis, St. Francis Xavier University, Cross Country
2005 - Adrienne Power, Dalhousie University, Track & Field
2006 - David Chant, Saint Mary's University, Hockey
2007 - Colin Sinclair, University of New Brunswick, Hockey
2008 - Katherine Quackenbush, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Basketball
2009 - Isabelle Miles, University of New Brunswick, Soccer
2010 - Alex Legge, Dalhousie University, Basketball
2011 - Jacob Kilpatrick, University of New Brunswick, Volleyball
2012 - Daniel You, Dalhousie University, Volleyball
2013 - Rebecca Haworth, Dalhousie University, Track & Field
2014 - Alana Fairfax, Acadia University, Soccer
2015 - Karolyne Blain, Cape Breton University, Soccer
2016 - Katie Ross, Acadia University, Soccer and Basketball
2017 - Eric Locke, St. Francis Xavier University, Hockey
2018 - Kiera Rigby, University of Prince Edward Island, Basketball
2019 - Abby Clarke, St. Thomas University, Hockey
2020 - Ciera Disipio, Cape Breton University, Soccer
2021 - Not awarded
2022 - Not awarded
2023 - Haley McDonald, Acadia University, Basketball
2024 - Kiyara Letlow, Cape Breton University, Basketball