Berhanemeskel, Stafford named Pioneer Energy OUA Athletes Of The Week

HAMILTON, Ont. - The following athletes have been named Pioneer Energy Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Athletes of the Week for the period ending January 12th, 2015.

Each Pioneer Energy OUA Athlete of the Week will receive a gift card and a dri-fit T-shirt, courtesy of Pioneer Energy.

MALE: Johnny Berhanemeskel (Ottawa, Ont.) – 5^th yr. – Ottawa Gee-Gees – Basketball

The leading scorer in OUA men’s basketball came through with the biggest shot of the season, hitting a contested jumper with 4.5 seconds left in the game to give the No. 2-ranked Ottawa Gee-Gees a 68-66 win over the defending CIS champion and No. 1-ranked cross-town rival Carleton Ravens.

Playing at home in front of a sold-out Montpetit Hall, the fifth-year guard scored 21 points and added four assists in the win, propelling Ottawa to a perfect 9-0 record to start the season.

Berhanemeskel is turning in a MVP-calibre season averaging 22.9 points per game, 4.7 assists and 4.1 rebounds, and is leading the Gee-Gees on their quest to avenge last year’s CIS championship loss to the Ravens.

FEMALE: Gabriela Stafford (Toronto, Ont.) – 2^nd yr. – Toronto Varsity Blues – Track and Field

Second-year track and field standout Gabriela Stafford won two individual titles this past weekend in Windsor, Ont. at the 34^th annual Can-Am Classic.

Stafford won the 1500m race in a time of 4:22.36, which broke the previous meet record by almost two full seconds and met the CIS standard by over seven seconds. The previous record was a time of 4:24.18 and stood for 29 years until Stafford eclipsed the mark.

The physical science major also placed first in the women’s 600m with a time of 1:33.38, narrowly edging out her Blues teammate Rachel Jewett who finished in second with a time of 1:33.40.

Adding to her impressive day, Stafford was also a part of Toronto’s 4x800m relay team that finished second at the meet.