Windsor's Clemençon and Carleton's Hinz named OUA Athletes of the Year

HUNTSVILLE, Ont. – Basketball players Jessica Clemençon (St. Rambert, France) and Tyson Hinz (Ottawa) were named the inaugural Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Athletes of the Year, presented by Pioneer Energy, at the 2011 OUA Honour Awards banquet Thursday evening at Deerhurst Resort in Huntsville, Ontario. Clemençon, a 6-foot-3 post for the Windsor Lancers women's basketball team, finished the regular season among national leaders in almost every statistical category - including an OUA-leading 19.0 points per game. Defensively she hauled in 8.2 rebounds per game and finished second in CIS with 44 blocks. Clemençon scored a game-high 17 points in the OUA final as Windsor claimed its third consecutive championship banner. The 2009-10 OUA West and CIS women's basketball rookie of the year, proved she wasn't just a one hit wonder as she repeated as the OUA West and CIS women's basketball player of the year this season. To add to her list of accomplishments, Clemençon was also named the University of Windsor's athlete of the year, the CIS championship game MVP, and OUA's nominee for the CIS Female BLG Award.

Hinz followed a solid freshman campaign with the Carleton Ravens, with a standout sophomore season as the team's top scorer averaging 17 points per game as well as being the top rebounder averaging six per game. He led OUA with a 57.2 field-goal percentage, adding to Carleton's 22-0 domination of OUA basketball. Hinz was named OUA East and CIS player of the year, becoming one of the youngest Mike Moser Memorial Trophy recipients in history at only 19 years of age. He was also named Carleton's athlete of the year, the CIS championship tournament MVP, and OUA's nominee for the CIS Male BLG Award.

Pioneer Energy, the presenting sponsor for the OUA Athletes of the Year, also provided a monetary award to each recipient to go towards educational expenses.

The other inaugural award presented at the banquet was the OUA Team of the Year. This year's recipient was the Windsor Lancers women's basketball team. Ranked either first or second in the CIS Top Ten all season, the Lancers went an amazing 20-2 in the regular season to finish atop the OUA standing and earn a bye in the first round of the playoffs. After remaining undefeated through the West final four, Windsor narrowly beat out the Carleton Ravens 46-44 to win their third-straight OUA Championship. The Lancers held No. 1 rank heading into the CIS Championship on their own court, and made it to the final for the second straight year. A convincing 63-29 victory over the No. 2 Saskatchewan Huskies made history for the Lancers in numerous ways; Windsor won their first-ever CIS National Championship, became the first women's basketball team to win the national championship on their home court, and also became the first team outside the Canada West Conference to win the Bronze Baby Trophy in the last 19 years.

Windsor Lancers women's basketball head coach Chantal Vallée and Queen's Gaels women's hockey head coach Matthew Holmberg were named 2010-11 Fox 40 OUA Coaches of the Year.

Once again Vallée lifted the Windsor Lancers women's basketball program to new heights. After guiding her team to numerous school firsts in her previous five seasons as head coach of Windsor, Vallée did it again in her sixth, leading the Lancers to their first CIS National Championship title in the program's 50 years. Coach Vallée has built one of the top women's basketball programs in the country during her time as head coach of the Windsor Lancers and at the helm the two-time West Coach of the Year has led her team to three straight OUA championships.

In his two seasons behind the bench for the Queen's women's hockey team, Holmberg led his Gaels to a 34-13-7 record in the regular season. In his rookie season, he was named OUA Coach of the Year for leading Queen's to a second place finish. After an injury-riddled first half of the 2010-11 season Holmberg and the Gaels won 12 consecutive games to capture Queen's first OUA Championship since the 1978-79 season. Their 7-1 playoff record saw six overtimes wins, including the first of the championship series against Guelph that went to six overtime periods, the longest game in collegiate hockey. At the helm, his team went on to win CIS bronze in their first-ever national championship appearance, beating out the defending champion Alberta Pandas and OUA rivals, the Laurier Golden Hawks.

Long time Toronto Varsity Blues baseball coach Dan Lang was this year's recipient of the John McManus Award, presented by Jostens, given to a retired OUA coach who exemplifies the highest ideals and qualities of sportsmanship and service while engaged in coaching in university sport. In his thirteen seasons with the Varsity Blues, Lang produced more than 20 league all-stars. Since baseball became an OUA sport in 2001, Toronto's longest standing baseball coach won two coach of the year honours (2004, 2006) and led the Varsity Blues to two OUA championships, and two OUA silver medals. Through successful fundraising, Lang initiated the development and implementation of building the Varsity Blues permanent baseball facility at the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus. He also organized the inaugural Varsity Blues high school classic in 2007, which is now an annual tournament for Toronto area secondary schools. Lang retired as head coach of the Toronto Varsity Blues baseball team in 2010. Lang was also presented with a commemorative ring from Jostens to mark the occasion.

Cecelia Carter-Smith of The Hamilton Spectator is the recipient of the OUA Media Member of Distinction Award. After a successful career as a world-record holding athlete, coach and teacher, Carter-Smith began a career in media as a television interviewer and writer. During her 12 years as a contributor to the Spectator, Carter-Smith said she has felt honoured to be able to inform her audience every Saturday about the tales of student-athletes and their pursuit of excellence both on and off the field of play. Carter-Smith was inducted into the McMaster Sports Hall of Fame in 1994. She coached the McMaster Marauders women's basketball team in 1974-75 and in 1981-82, was assistant coach of the women's track and field team from 1975-83 and head coach of the cross-country team in 1977-79.

OUA HONOUR AWARD WINNERS

OUA Female Athlete of the Year
Jessica Clemençon, Windsor Lancers Basketball

OUA Male Athlete of the Year
Tyson Hinz, Carleton Ravens Basketball

OUA Team of the Year
Windsor Lancers Women's Basketball

Fox 40 OUA Female Coach of the Year
Chantal Vallée, Windsor Lancers Women's Basketball

Fox 40 OUA Male Coach of the Year
Matthew Holmberg, Queen's Gales Women's Hockey

John McManus Award
Dan Lang, Toronto Varsity Blues Baseball

Media Member Award of Distinction
Cecelia Carter-Smith, Hamilton Spectator

- OUA -