Curling champ Squires named ArcelorMittal Dofasco CIS athlete of the week

OTTAWA (CIS) – National curling champions Taylor McDonald from the University of Alberta and Aaron Squires from Wilfrid Laurier University are the ArcelorMittal Dofasco CIS female and male athletes of the week for the period ending March 27, 2016.

McDonald, a fourth-year physical education and recreation student from Lethbridge, Alta., was named a first-team all-Canadian after she helped the Pandas capture their second straight national title at the CIS-Curling Canada championships, presented by Travelers, in Kelowna, B.C. From the second position, McDonald curled 78 per cent over the four-day meet, including 83 per cent in take-outs, as Alberta went 5-2 in round-robin play before defeating Guelph 8-6 in the semifinals and Thompson Rivers 5-4 in extra end in a thrilling gold-medal match, last Wednesday. Thanks to their triumph, the Pandas earned the right to represent Canada at the 2017 Winter Universiade in Almaty, Kazakhstan (Jan. 28 – Feb. 8).

University of Guelph curler Jestyn Murphy was also nominated for the women's award.

Squires, a fifth-year communications student from St. Thomas, Ont., was selected as a first-team all-Canadian for the third straight year after he guided the Golden Hawks to a 7-4 gold-medal win over defending champion Alberta at the CIS-Curling Canada championships, presented by Travelers. After taking second place in round-robin action with a 6-1 record, Laurier downed Victoria 6-4 in the semifinals before upsetting previously undefeated Alberta to avenge a loss to the Golden Bears in last year's championship match. Squires, who curled 89 per cent in the gold-medal game, will look for a repeat performance next winter at the Universiade in Kazakhstan.

Female nominees:
AUS: No nominee
RSEQ: No nominee
OUA: Jestyn Murphy, curling, Guelph
CWUAA: Taylor McDonald, curling, Alberta (recipient)

Male nominees:
AUS: No nominee
RSEQ: No nominee
OUA: Aaron Squires, curling, Wilfrid Laurier (recipient)
CWUAA: No nominee

Source: CIS