CIS FOOTBALL OFFENSIVE ALL-CANADIANS ANNOUNCED
Wide receivers Andy Fantuz (Chatham, Ont.) of Western Ontario and Ivan Birungi (Pickering, Ont.) of Acadia as well as running back David Stevens (Moose Jaw, Sask.) of Saskatchewan were selected to the first all-star team, while quarterback Scott Syvret (Kirkland, Que.) of Concordia was named to the second CIS squad. All four are in contention for CIS player-of-the-year honors.
Fantuz earns his fourth all-Canadian selection in as many seasons and his third on the top contingent, while Birungi was a second-team CIS all-star in 2004.
Finalists for top-down-lineman honors, centre Dominic Picard (Sainte-Foy, Que.) of Laval, guard Kyle Koch (Kewatin, Ont.) of McMaster, and tackle Derek Armstrong (Smith Falls, Ont.) of StFX are also among the CIS all-stars on offence. Picard and Koch were named to the top team, while Armstrong ended up on the second squad.
Fantuz, Picard and Koch lead a group of five players selected as first-team all-Canadians for a second consecutive campaign. The other returnees are inside receiver Arjei Franklin (Scarborough, Ont.) of Windsor and punter Mike Renaud (Ottawa) of Concordia.
Other notable first-team all-star selections include Wilfrid Laurier fifth-year quarterback Ryan Pyear (Belleville, Ont.) and Windsor sophomore running back Daryl Stephenson (London, Ont.). Pyear, a second-team all-Canadian a year ago, led the CIS with 19 touchdown passes for only four interceptions in the regular season, and led the Golden Hawks to their first Vanier Cup appearance since 1991. Stephenson led the nation with 1306 rushing yards this fall, and became the first player in CIS history to gain over 1000 yards on the ground in each of his first two university campaigns.
Saskatchewan, Laval, Concordia and Windsor each placed two representatives on the first CIS offensive squad, with Concordia adding a second-teamer. Wilfrid Laurier placed one player on the first team and a pair on the second, while Montreal has three representatives on the second team.
6-foot-4, 220-pound Fantuz led the CIS in the regular season with 12 touchdown receptions, was tied for first in the country with 44 catches, and placed second with 825 receiving yards. Named CIS rookie of the year in 2002 after he set a single-season mark with 1300 receiving yards, the fourth-year Mustang holds the national career receiving records for catches (189), yards (4123) and touchdowns (41).
Birungi, a 6-foot-4, 226-pound junior led the Atlantic conference with 38 catches (9th CIS), 792 receiving yards (4th CIS) and 10 touchdown receptions (2nd CIS). Birungi has 22 TD catches in three seasons with the Axemen, three shy of the AUFC career record set by Saint Mary’s Matt Nealon from 1988-90.
Stevens, 5-foot-9 and 200 pounds, led the nation with 14 touchdowns in the regular season, including 12 on the ground, and has added five more in three playoff outings. The fifth-year veteran, second in the CIS with 1229 rushing yards during the regular campaign, led the Huskies to a second consecutive Vanier Cup berth, and their third in four years.
6-foot-3, 230-pound Syvret led the Quebec conference with 1488 passing yards in only six regular-season outings and was fourth in the CIS with a 66.3 completion percentage. The third-year Stinger threw 10 touchdown passes and added three majors on the ground.
The CIS major award winners will be announced on Thursday evening (outstanding player of the year, defensive player of the year, top down lineman, rookie of the year) and Friday morning (coach of the year, Russ Jackson Award, assistant volunteer coach of the year).
For all the info on the 2005 Desjardins Vanier Cup: www.vaniercup.com
2005 CIS FOOTBALL OFFENSIVE ALL-CANADIANS
First Team
Position Athlete University Year Hometown Faculty
Quarterback, Ryan Pyear, Wilfrid Laurier, 5, Belleville, Ont., Physical Education
Running back, Daryl Stephenson, Windsor, 2, London, Ont., Human Kinetics
Running back, David Stevens, Saskatchewan, 5, Moose Jaw, Sask., Kinesiology
Wide receiver, Andrew Fantuz, Western, 4, Chatham, Ont., Social Sciences
Wide receiver, Ivan Birungi, Acadia, 3, Pickering, Ont., Administration
Inside receiver, Arjei Franklin, Windsor, 5, Scarborough, Ont., Human Kinetics
Inside receiver, J.F. Romeo, Laval, 5, Quebec City, Que., Mechanical Eng.
Centre, Dominic Picard, Laval, 4, Sainte-Foy, Que., MBA
Tackle, Chris Sutherland, Saskatchewan, 4, Saskatoon, Sask., Masters Eng.
Guard, Adam Krajewski, Simon Fraser, 5, Surrey, B.C., Communication
Guard, Kyle Koch, McMaster, 3, Kewatin, Ont., Commerce
Punter, Mike Renaud, Concordia, 4, Ottawa, Ont., Political Science
Kicker, Warren Kean, Concordia, 3, Dundas, Ont., Sociology
Second Team
Quarterback, Scott Syvret, Concordia, 3, Kirkland, Que., Marketing
Running back, Nick Cameron, Wilfrid Laurier, 5, Norland, Ont., Geography
Running back, Joseph Mroué, Montréal, 3, Quebec City, Que., Physical Education
Wide receiver, Andrew Ginther, Alberta, 5, Saskatoon, Alta., Education
Wide receiver, Jeff Keegan, Guelph, 3, London, Ont., Sociology
Inside receiver, Vaughan Swart, McMaster, 5, Fonthill, Ont., Science Cont.
Inside receiver, Mike Lindstrom, UBC, 4, Abbotsford, B.C., Arts
Centre, Kevin Kelly, Ottawa, 3, Ottawa, Ont., Sociology
Tackle, J-F Morin-Roberge, Montréal, 2, Quebec City, Que., Certificate Arts & Sci.
Tackle, Derek Armstrong, StFX, 4, Smith Falls, Ont., BSAD
Guard, Adam Rogers, Acadia, 2, Woodville, Ont., Administration
Guard, Woodly Jean, Montréal, 3, Montreal, Que., Administration
Punter, Luca Congi, Simon Fraser, 4, Burnaby, B.C., Business Administration
Kicker, Brian Devlin, Wilfrid Laurier, 5, Sarnia, Ont., Sociology
-CIS-
For more information please contact:
Michel Bélanger
Communications Manager
Canadian Interuniversity Sport
Ph: (613) 562-5670 ext. 25
Cell: (613) 447-6334
belanger@universitysport.ca
www.universitysport.ca
www.vaniercup.com