CIS: Guelph's Sikuwabo, Ottawa's Galbraith earn rookie of the year awards
EDMONTON (CIS) – The season award winners were announced Thursday morning prior to the start of the 2013 CIS indoor track and field championships.
On the women’s side, Jenna Westaway from the University of Calgary (track events) and Mélanie Blouin from Laval (field events) were named outstanding performers of the year. Ottawa’s Emma Galbraith was voted rookie of the year, while Dalhousie’s Rebecca Haworth received the Student-Athlete Community Service Award.
The male recipients were Laval’s Charles Philibert-Thiboutot (track MVP), Sherbrooke’s Olivier Huet (field MVP), Guelph’s Yves Sikubwabo (rookie of the year) and Moncton’s Jason MacKenzie (Student-Athlete Community Service Award).
The three-day national meet runs from Thursday to Saturday at the University of Alberta’s Universiade Pavilion. All sessions will be webcast live on www.CIS-SIC.tv.
Championship website: http://english.cis-sic.ca/
FEMALE AWARDS
Athlete of the year (track events): Jenna Westaway, Calgary
Westaway, a first-year medicine student, was stellar on the track in her university debut. In her first appearance at the Canada West championships, she was crowned on 600 metres (1:30.00) and claimed silver on 1000m (2:51.64).
The Calgary native goes into her first CIS meet ranked number one in the country on 600m thanks to a gold-medal time of 1:29.99 at the Bison Classic in Winnipeg on February 1st. Overall this season, she went four-for-four in 600m finals, two-for-three with a silver medal in 1000m events, and also added a victory on 800m.
“Jenna is an outstanding young woman both on and off the track. She is a great addition to the Dinos’ track and field program and the University of Calgary. Her future is bright,” said U of C head coach Doug Lamont.
Nominees from other regional associations were Alexa-Maude Mallais of Moncton (AUS), Laurence Beaudet of Montreal (RSEQ) and Andrea Seccafien of Guelph (OUA).
Athlete of the year (field events): Mélanie Blouin, Laval
Blouin, a third-year nutrition student, enjoyed another remarkable campaign in the pole vault event. Six months after taking 19th place at the London Olympics thanks to a leap of 4.25 metres, she claimed the RSEQ title two weeks ago with an identical result. The highlight of her university season came a month earlier however, at the McGill Team Challenge in Montreal (January 25-26), when she set an RSEQ and Quebec provincial record of 4.35m, the best performance in Canada this year.
Blouin won the pole vault final in each of her first two appearances at the CIS meet in 2011 (3.95m) and 2012 (4.05m).
“Mélanie continues to progress very nicely,” said Laval head coach Félix-Antoine Lapointe. “Her experience at the Olympics has helped her take her talent to the next level. We’re confident she’ll take gold once again at the CIS championships.”
The other nominees were Elizabeth MacDonald of Dalhousie (AUS), Caroline Ehrhardt of Western (OUA) and Rachel Machin of Calgary (Canada West).
Rookie of the year: Emma Galbraith, Ottawa
Galbraith, a first-year psychology student, rewrote the school record books in her freshman season with the Gee-Gees, setting new team standards in the 1000m on both a 200-metre (2:46.89) and 400m track (2:46.71), as well as in the 1500m (4:28.24 – 400m track) and mile (4:49.94 – 200m track). Her time of 2:46.89 on 1000m at the Armory Collegiate Invitational in New York City on February 1st was a new Canadian junior mark.
At her first OUA championships last month, the native of Merrickville, Ont., was crowned on 1000m (2:49.92) and added a bronze medal on 600m (1:32.32). She is ranked in the top seven nationally in three events heading into the CIS meet, including second on 1000m, fifth on 1500m and seventh on 600m.
“Talent and performing is an unstoppable part of who Emma is,” said uOttawa head coach Andy McInnis, who also coached Galbraith during her development years with the Ottawa Lions Club program. “A lot of people, sport NSO and PSO staff and family, came together to lend Emma the support she needed to help make the call to remain in the national capital.”
The other nominees were Sarah Taplin of Dalhousie (AUS), Audrey Bonneau of Sherbrooke (RSEQ) and Jenna Westaway of Calgary (Canada West).
Student-Athlete Community Service Award: Rebecca Haworth, Dalhousie
Haworth excelled on and off the field in her third year at Dalhousie University.
The native of Waverly, N.S., claimed gold at five different meets in the high jump, including at the AUS championships and at the McGill Team Challenge in Montreal, where she prevailed with a leap of 1.73 metres, the seventh best performance in CIS this season.
A 4.06 GPA student in psychology, Haworth is the founder of the Special Tigers Sports program, which provides opportunities for Special Olympians to spend a day playing sports with Dalhousie varsity athletes. She volunteers with Dalhousie’s Health Mentors and peer partners programs, is co-president of the university’s Varsity Council, and is an assistant track and field coach at Halifax’s Sacred Heart School. In previous years, she had been a volunteer at Halifax’s Light the Night walk for Leukemia and Lymphoma, a meal assistance program volunteer for Capital Health, and the Dalhousie Varsity coordinator for Operation Christmas Child.
“Rebecca is an absolutely outstanding athlete, leader and humanitarian,” said Dalhousie track and field head coach Rich Lehman. “Her tireless work ethic always amazes me. She is constantly on the go, but always manages to bring a high level of energy and intensity to practice and competition.”
The other nominees were Catherine Goulet-Paradis of Sherbrooke (RSEQ), Jenine McCutcheon of Western (OUA) and Alison Jackson of Trinity Western (Canada West).
MALE AWARDS
Athlete of the year (track events): Charles Philibert-Thiboutot, Laval
Philibert-Thiboutot, a third-year business administration student, was enjoying a memorable junior season with the Rouge et Or before suffering an injury that kept him out of the recent RSEQ championships and will prevent him from competing this week. He was a double medallist at last year’s CIS meet, including silver on 1500 metres and bronze on 1000m.
The Quebec City native set an RSEQ record on 1500m at the McGill Team Challenge in January with a time of 3:45.71, the best performance in CIS this year. The previous week, at the Golden Bear Open in Edmonton, he had claimed gold in 2:24.94 on 1000m, the seventh fastest time in the country this season.
“Charles had a great start to the season, especially on 1000 and 1500m,” said coach Félix-Antoine Lapointe. “His season-ending injury was very unfortunate but we’re confident he will fully recover and will continue to progress in the future.”
The other nominees were Connor McGuire of StFX (AUS), Anthony Romaniw of Guelph (OUA) and Calum Innes of Trinity Western (Canada West).
Athlete of the year (field events): Olivier Huet, Sherbrooke
Huet, a first-year science student from France, took the RSEQ by storm in his freshman campaign. He remained undefeated in university meets all season and went on to capture gold at the Quebec conference championships in the pentathlon (3,644 points) and triple jump (15.46m) to help the Vert & Or men claim the team banner.
The native of Reunion Island tops the RSEQ rankings in four events and ranks in the top six nationally in five events, including a number one seeding in the triple jump.
“Olivier is a complete athlete who brings a lot to our team. He greatly contributed to our return atop the RSEQ men’s standings, said Sherbrooke head coach Richard Crevier. He developed on the renowned CREPS circuit in France so he is very sound technically, in many events.”
The other nominees were Simon Watts of Dalhousie (AUS), Taylor Stewart of Western (OUA) and Lex Ewen of Regina (Canada West).
Rookie of the year: Yves Sikubwabo, Guelph
Sikubwabo, a first-year arts student, gave a pair of seasoned veterans all they could handle last month in his first OUA championship appearance. The Ottawa native claimed silver in the 1000m behind reigning OUA MVP Anthony Romaniw, and on 1500m behind last year’s CIS gold medallist, Matt Walters. He also ran the third leg of the gold-medal winning 4 x 800m relay to help the Gryphon men to their first-ever OUA team banner.
Sibukwabo is ranked first in the country on 1000m going into the CIS championships thanks to his time of 2:23.50 at the prestigious SPIRE Institute Invitational in Ohio in early February.
“You can’t get at the essence of Yves in a few words. To say he is hyper-talented as an athlete, smart as a whip, and loyal to his team only scratches the surface,” said Guelph head coach Dave Scott-Thomas. “He is a joy to be around and energizes our team with his pure love of running. We are seeing the emergence of one of the great talents of CIS track and field and an ever better story of what community, school and sport can do together.”
The other nominees were Jordan Bruce of Dalhousie (AUS), Marc-Antoine Lafrenaye-Dugas of Sherbrooke (RSEQ) and Peter Millman of Lethbridge (Canada West).
Student-Athlete Community Service Award: Jason MacKenzie, Moncton
MacKenzie, a fifth-year kinesiology student, had a solid final season with the Aigles Bleus. He broke the school record in the pentathlon three times, including at the AUS championships where he took silver with 3,463 points. The native of Campbellton, N.B., also claimed bronze in the 60m hurdles and the 4 x 400m relay at the conference meet.
The recipient of a Silver Duke of Edinburgh Award, MacKenzie has a cumulative grade point average of 3.41 and has been accepted in his Master’s program for next year.
His community involvement is second to none. He spent two weeks in Haiti with Right To Play; volunteers with a number of track and field and cross-country programs and at numerous events; was UdeM team captain each of the past two years; is a member of the university’s campus athletes’ council; and, in 2011, received the Physical Health and Education student leader of the year award for UdeM.
“Despite having started in the sport of athletics only five years ago, Jason has become one of the best combined event athletes in Atlantic Canada. He has accomplished this through an intense dedication to his sport and many, many hours of hard work,” said Steven LeBlanc, technical director and coach of the U de M track and field program. “He exemplifies leadership in his commitment to his teammates. He is also a great example of the principles of sportsmanship and fair play.”
The other nominees were Mathieu Hains of Sherbrooke (RSEQ), Josh Archer of Western (OUA) and Ian McLellan of Regina (Canada West).
2012-2013 CIS SEASON AWARDS
Women
Athlete of the year (track events): Jenna Westaway, Calgary
Athlete of the year (field events): Mélanie Blouin, Laval
Rookie of the year: Emma Galbraith, Ottawa
Student-athlete community service award: Rebecca Haworth, Dalhousie
Men
Athlete of the year (track events): Charles Philibert-Thiboutot, Laval
Athlete of the year (field events): Olivier Huet, Sherbrooke
Rookie of the year: Yves Sikubwabo, Guelph
Student-athlete community service award: Jason MacKenzie, Moncton
2013 CIS CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
Thursday, March 7
14:30 Weight Throw (W) Final
15:00 60m Hurdles (W) Pentathlon
15:15 60m Hurdles (M) Pentathlon
15:45 High Jump (W) Pentathlon
16:00 Long Jump (M) Pentathlon
17:15 Shot Put (M) Pentathlon
18:00 60m (W) Heats
18:10 60m (M) Heats
18:15 Shot Put (W) Pentathlon
18:30 High Jump (M) Pentathlon
19:00 60m (W) Final
19:10 60m (M) Final
19:30 Long Jump (W) Pentathlon
19:30 600m (W) Heats
19:45 600m (M) Heats
20:00 4x200m Relay (W) Heats
20:20 4x200m Relay (M) Heats
20:45 1000m (M) Pentathlon
21:00 800m (W) Pentathlon
Friday, March 8
16:30 Weight Throw (M) Final
16:30 60m Hurdles (W) Heats
16:45 60m Hurdles (M) Heats
17:00 Long Jump (M) Final
17:00 Pole Vault (W) Final
17:00 1000m (W) Final
17:10 1000m (M) Final
17:30 60m Hurdles (M) Final
17:40 60m Hurdles (W) Final
17:50 300m (W) Heats
18:05 300m (M) Heats
18:30 3000m (W) Final
18:50 3000m (M) Final
19:00 High Jump (M) Final
19:00 Long Jump (W) Final
19:00 Shot Put (W) Final
19:40 300m (W) Final
19:50 300m (M) Final
20:00 4x800m Relay (W) Final
20:15 4x800m Relay (M) Final
Saturday, March 9
12:30 Triple Jump (W) Final
12:30 Pole Vault (M) Final
13:15 600m (W) Final
13:30 600m (M) Final
14:15 4x200m Relay (W) Final
14:25 4x200m Relay (M) Final
14:30 High Jump (W) Final
14:45 Triple Jump (M) Final
14:45 Shot Put (M) Final
14:45 1500m (W) Final
15:00 1500m (M) Final
16:00 4x400m Relay (W) Final
16:15 4x400m Relay (M) Final
