The 19th Annual BLG Awards: Clemençon, Hinz named CIS athletes of the year

Photo credit Robert Karpa, www.venturikarpa.com

VANCOUVER (CIS) – Basketball players Jessica Clemençon from the University of Windsor and Tyson Hinz from Carleton University are the 2011 BLG Award winners as Canadian Interuniversity Sport female and male athletes of the year.

Official website: www.blg.com/blgawards

The recipients of the 19th annual BLG Awards were announced Monday night at The Centre in Vancouver For Performing Arts in Vancouver, British Columbia. The awards show will premiere on TSN on Saturday, June 4, at noon EDT.

All eight nominees – one female and one male from each of CIS' four regional associations - received a commemorative gold ring, while Clemençon and Hinz were also presented with a trophy and a $10,000 scholarship to attend a Canadian University graduate school.

The winners were selected by the Canadian Athletic Foundation, a not-for-profit Board established for the purpose of administering the BLG Awards and protecting the integrity of the selection process.

"On behalf of BLG and the Canadian Athletic Foundation trustees, I would like to congratulate Jessica and Tyson, the winners of the 19th annual BLG Awards," said Doug Mitchell, National Co-Chair of BLG. "The eight student-athletes who were nominated are all outstanding in their sport and it is always very difficult to choose only two winners from this elite group. I congratulate all the nominees for their accomplishments."

"Once again this year, all nominees had impressive pedigrees and would have been worthy winners," said Marg McGregor, chief executive officer of CIS. "CIS is very proud of all the finalists and we congratulate Jessica and Tyson on winning these prestigious awards."

A native of Saint-Rambert, France, Clemençon took home the Jim Thompson Trophy, named after the late president of TSN and presented annually to the female BLG Award winner.

Hinz, who was born in Sherbrooke, Que., and moved to Ottawa at a very young age, received the Doug Mitchell Trophy, named in honour of the BLG Awards founder and Chair of the Canadian Athletic Foundation.

Clemençon became the second recipient from the University of Windsor after track and field and cross country star Ryan McKenzie in 2003, while Hinz is the second winner from Carleton following fellow basketball player Osvaldo Jeanty in 2006.

It marked the first time in history that two basketball players were honoured in the same year and only the second time that both awards go to the nominees from the Ontario University Athletics regional association. Toronto track and field athlete Foy Williams and McMaster basketball player Titus Channer had swept the awards for OUA in 1998.

After being named CIS rookie of the year in her Lancers' debut in 2009-10, Clemençon, a 6-foot-3 post, captured the Nan Copp Award as the most outstanding player in CIS basketball this season, becoming the first player in history to win those two awards in back-to-back campaigns.

She kicked off the 2010-11 schedule by leading the Lancers to three straight pre-season tournament titles – earning all-tourney status on each occasion – and never looked back. After finishing the regular season among national leaders in almost every statistical category - including an OUA-leading 19.0 points per game - she scored a game-high 17 points in the Ontario final as Windsor claimed its third consecutive OUA banner.

The Lancers then had a chance to make history at the CIS championship by becoming the first team to hoist the coveted Bronze Baby Trophy on home court. They once again turned to Clemençon, who once again delivered. The 21-year-old topped all players in both the CIS semi-final and gold medal contests with back-to-back 18-point performances to help Windsor capture its first national title. It marked the first time since 1991 that the banner was claimed by a school from outside Canada West.

A former junior national team member in France, the arts & English sophomore dreams of playing professional basketball in Europe and representing her country at the senior level.

The other nominees for the 2011 Jim Thompson Trophy were Université de Moncton hockey player Mariève Provost of Laval, Que., University of Montreal soccer player Véronique Laverdière of Montreal, as well as University of British Columbia volleyball player Shanice Marcelle of Victoria.

Following a solid freshman campaign that saw him land a spot on the OUA East all-rookie team in 2009-10, Hinz, a 6-foot-6 forward, was given more responsibilities in his second season with the Ravens following the graduation of all-Canadian and leading scorer Kevin McCleery. He delivered in a big way.

Hinz was the Ravens' top scorer (17.0 ppg) and rebounder (6.0 rpg) in the regular season – thanks in part to his OUA-leading 57.2 field-goal percentage – as Carleton was the only undefeated team in the nation at the end of conference play (22-0). On the eve of the national championship tournament, he was named CIS player of the year, becoming one of the youngest Mike Moser Memorial Trophy recipients in history at only 19 years of age.

The commerce sophomore was then chosen Game MVP following each of Carleton's first two victories at the CIS Final Eight, including a 32-point outburst in a semi-final win over defending national champion Saskatchewan. Twenty-four hours later, he received the Jack Donohue Trophy as tournament MVP after the Ravens beat Trinity Western to claim their seventh CIS banner in nine years.

Hinz's parents both played varsity basketball at McGill and his father, Will, is the second-leading scorer in school history. His grandfather is also in the Newfoundland Basketball Hall of Fame.

St. Francis Xavier University soccer player Michael Marousek of Prague, Czech Republic, McGill University hockey player Alexandre Picard-Hooper of Boucherville, Que., and University of Calgary volleyball player Graham Vigrass of Calgary were the other finalists for the 2011 Doug Mitchell Trophy.

BLG AWARD WINNERS:

2010-11: Jessica Clemençon (Windsor – basketball) / Tyson Hinz (Carleton – basketball)
2009-10: Liz Cordonier (UBC – volleyball) / Erik Glavic (Calgary – football)
2008-09: Annamay Pierse (UBC - swimming) / Joel Schmuland (Alberta - volleyball)
2007-08: Laetitia Tchoualack (Montreal - volleyball) / Rob Hennigar (UNB - hockey)
2006-07: Jessica Zelinka (Calgary - track & field) / Josh Howatson (Trinity Western - volleyball)
2005-06: Marylène Laplante (Laval - volleyball) / Osvaldo Jeanty (Carleton - basketball)
2004-05: Adrienne Power (Dalhousie - track & field) / Jesse Lumsden (McMaster - football)
2003-04: Joanna Niemczewska (Calgary - volleyball) / Adam Ens (Saskatchewan - volleyball)
2002-03: Kim St-Pierre (McGill - hockey) / Ryan McKenzie (Windsor - cross country & track)
2001-02: Elizabeth Warden (Toronto - swimming) / Brian Johns (UBC - swimming)
2000-01: Leighann Doan (Calgary - basketball) / Kojo Aidoo (McMaster - football)
1999-00: Jenny Cartmell (Alberta - volleyball) / Michael Potts (Western Ontario - soccer)
1998-99: Corinne Swirsky (Concordia - hockey) / Alexandre Marchand (Sherbrooke - track)
1997-98: Foy Williams (Toronto - track & field) / Titus Channer (McMaster - basketball)
1996-97: Terri-Lee Johannesson (Manitoba - basketball) / Curtis Myden (Calgary - swimming)
1995-96: Justine Ellison (Toronto - basketball) / Don Blair (Calgary - football)
1994-95: Linda Thyer (McGill - track & field) / Bill Kubas (Wilfrid Laurier - football)
1993-94: Sandra Carroll (Winnipeg - basketball) / Tim Tindale (Western Ontario - football)
1992-93: Diane Scott (Winnipeg - volleyball) / Andy Cameron (Calgary - volleyball)

About the BLG Awards

The BLG Awards were established in 1993 to recognize the top female and male athletes from universities affiliated with CIS. The Awards are based on athletic accomplishments, outstanding sportsmanship and leadership. Each of the 51 CIS schools selects one female and one male athlete of the year. From these nominees, one female and one male athlete are chosen within each of the four regional associations: Atlantic University Sport (AUS), Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ), Ontario University Athletics (OUA) and Canada West Universities Athletic Association (CWUAA). To be eligible, a student-athlete must have competed in a CIS sport for a minimum of two years and cannot be a previous recipient of a BLG Award.

All nominees receive a commemorative gold ring and winners are presented with a trophy and a $10,000 scholarship to attend a Canadian university graduate school. Winners are selected by the Canadian Athletic Foundation, a not-for-profit board established for the purpose of administering the BLG Awards and protecting the integrity of the selection process. The CAF Board of Trustees consists of 22 members from five Canadian cities representing major corporations from across the country who are committed to ensuring that Canadian university athletes receive the recognition they deserve.

About Borden Ladner Gervais LLP

With more than 750 lawyers, intellectual property agents, and other professionals working in six major Canadian cities, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP is the largest Canadian full-service law firm focusing on business law, litigation and intellectual property solutions. BLG provides bilingual services in virtually every area of law, and represents a wide range of regional, national and multinational organizations. For further information, visit www.blg.com

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