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(Wolfville,
NS) - Acadia University is pleased to congratulate
its award-winning athletes who have recently been awarded a number
of individual honours, including during traditional season-ending
Atlantic University Sport (AUS) and Canadian Interuniversity Sport
(CIS) award ceremonies. A number of these athletes are also Academic
All-Canadians, for maintaining an average of 80 per cent or more
during the academic year after consuming one year of athletic
eligibility.
“Our student-athletes
have had a tremendous year thus far and demonstrate that they can
perform at the highest levels on and off the playing field,” said
Dr. Ralph Nilson, Acadia's Vice-President, Academic. “I
am particularly pleased with the work these young men and women do
in the classroom and the community. Their on-field intensity is
obvious by the awards they’ve received, but they carry this forward
into every aspect of their lives and this is what really helps
define Acadia as one of Canada’s finest undergraduate institutions.”
The CIS and AUS awards
have been handed out in women’s and men’s sports as the competitive
seasons have drawn to a close.
In women’s rugby,
Andrea Burk was named the AUS Most Valuable Player and CIS
All-Canadian for her tenacious offensive and defensive play. She led
Acadia in scoring and placed second in the conference. Burk is a
fourth-year Kinesiology student from North Vancouver. Joining her on
the AUS All-Star Team from Acadia are: Liz Spruin, Psychology (Calgary);
Michelle Mosher, Recreation Management (Coldbrook, NS); and Danielle McNally,
Kinesiology (Wolfville).
In women’s soccer, Megan Burns, Psychology (Freetown, PEI) was named an AUS
Second Team All-Star. In men’s football, Acadia Axemen have been
awarded all but one of the five major individual awards available,
and Axemen head coach, Jeff Cummins, has been named AUS Coach of the
Year. Acadia’s award winners are:
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Eric Nielsen (Alexandria, ON), a fourth-year defensive back and a
Kinesiology major, was selected as the Defensive Player of the Year.
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Kyle Markin (Calgary), a third-year defensive end and a student in
Business and Computer Science, was selected as the Lineman of the
Year.
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Derek Smith (Moncton), a fifth-year Business major, team captain and
a linebacker, was chosen for the second straight year as the AUS
conference nominee for the Russ Jackson Award. The Russ Jackson
Award is presented annually to the CIS football player who best
combines athletic ability, scholarship and community service.
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Adam Rogers (Woodville, ON), an offensive lineman in his first year
of Arts (History) was selected as the Rookie of the Year.
In addition to the four major award winners, the following players
were named AUS All-Stars: Karl Ortmanns, Recreation Management (Lynden, ON); Mike Black,
Economics (Tillsonburg,
ON); Ivan Birungi, Political Science (Orleans, ON); Reid Smith (Inverary, ON); and
Steve Faoro, History (Port Moody, BC).
McNally, Burns, Nielsen and Smith are two-time Academic
All-Canadians. Markin is also an Academic All-Canadian while Rogers
is in his freshman year and cannot yet be considered for an academic
award. In 2003-04, a total of 45 Acadia University student-athletes
were honoured as Academic All-Canadians. This total represents 25%
of all student-athletes who consumed eligibility in 2003-2004.
“We have very high expectations of our student-athletes and they’ve
certainly lived up to them so far this year,” said Dan McNally,
Acadia’s Director of Varsity Athletics. “For example, I can’t think
of any other year when a single university has swept all but one of
the individual awards in football and every eligible award winner
was also an Academic All-Canadian. Acadia is deservedly very proud
of these men and women for their leadership and contribution to
Acadia’s success.”
Nielsen, Smith, Markin and Rogers lead the Axemen into Huskie
Stadium in Halifax on Saturday to compete for the AUS Conference
Championship vs. Saint Mary’s. Game time is 1:00 pm Atlantic time
and the game can be watched live on Eastlink television. You can
also watch the game live on the web – connect to the Eastlink
web-cast by going to the Acadia Varsity Sport website
www.acadiau.ca/sports.
For a full write-up on Acadia’s Major Award Winners, visit Atlantic
University Sport website at
www.atlanticuniversitysport.com.
Acadia University, in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, has long been
recognized as one of Canada’s premier undergraduate institutions.
With its nationally and internationally recognized research
initiatives, small class sizes and technology-rich teaching and
learning environment, Acadia offers students an experience that
includes academic achievement combined with personal growth and
development. For more information about how to become an Acadia
student, log on to its student web portal at
http://4u.acadiau.ca or visit its website at
www.acadiau.ca.
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