ArcelorMittal Dofasco CIS athletes of the week (#23): Manitoba’s Cockrell, Alberta’s Asselstine honoured

OTTAWA (CIS) – Rachel Cockrell, a volleyball player from the University of Manitoba, and Mike Asselstine, a wrestler from the University of Alberta, are the ArcelorMittal Dofasco CIS female and male athletes of the week for the period ending March2, 2014.

Cockrell, a third-year arts student from Winnipeg, was named tournament MVP at the CIS championship held in Regina after she led the second-seeded Bisons to their first national title since 2002 thanks to three consecutive straight-set wins, including a stunning domination of defending six-time champion and top-ranked UBC in Sunday’s final. The 5-foot-10 right side hitter, who finished the competition with 43 kills and 49.5 points, was at her best in the gold-medal match as she led all players on the court with 18 kills and 22 points on her way to game-MVP honours. She also tallied match highs in kills (16) and points (18) versus Ottawa in the quarter-final round.

Moncton hockey player Gabrielle Forget, McGill basketball player Mariam Sylla and Wilfrid Laurier hockey player Amanda Smith were also nominated for the women’s award.

Asselstine, a third-year education student from Edmonton, was named CIS male wrestler of the year at the national championships in Fredericton following his triumph in the 61-kilogram division, a win that helped the Golden Bears finish second in the team standings. After a come-from-behind victory over former CIS MVP Vince Cormier of UNB in his opening bout, the 5-foot-5 grappler didn’t look back and went on to defeat Concordia’s Vincent De Marinis in Saturday’s gold-medal match. Asselstine, a silver medallist at 65 kg in 2013, became only the second U of A athlete – male or female – to be voted CIS wrestler of the year, after Russ Pawlyk back in 1976.

Basketball players Harry Ezenibe of Saint Mary’s, François Bourque of McGill and Johnny Berhanemeskel of Ottawa were the other male nominees.

Female nominees:
AUS: Gabrielle Forget, hockey, Moncton
RSEQ: Mariam Sylla, basketball, McGill
OUA: Amanda Smith, hockey, Wilfrid Laurier
CWUAA: Rachel Cockrell, volleyball, Manitoba (recipient)

Male nominees:
AUS: Harry Ezenibe, basketball, Saint Mary’s
RSEQ: François Bourque, basketball, McGill
OUA: Johnny Berhanemeskel, basketball, Ottawa
CWUAA: Mike Asselstine, wrestling, Alberta (recipient)

About ArcelorMittal Dofasco

ArcelorMittal Dofasco is Canada’s largest producer of flat carbon steel and is part of the world’s largest steel and mining company. Headquartered in Hamilton, ON, our more than 5,000 employees are dedicated to being world class as we strive to transform tomorrow with lighter, stronger and more sustainable steel. For us, steel is the fabric of life, as it is at the heart of the modern world. ArcelorMittal has a presence in more than 60 countries and an industrial footprint in over 20 countries. Guided by a philosophy to produce safe, sustainable steel, we are the leading supplier of quality steel in the major global steel markets including automotive, construction, household appliances and packaging, with world-class research and development and outstanding distribution networks.

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About Canadian Interuniversity Sport

Canadian Interuniversity Sport is the national governing body of university sport in Canada. Every year, 11,000 student-athletes and 700 coaches from 55 universities and four regional associations vie for 21 national championships in 12 different sports. CIS also provides high performance international opportunities for Canadian student-athletes at Winter and Summer Universiades, as well as numerous world university championships. For further information, visit www.cis-sic.ca or follow us on:

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