Third-year
Victoria post Kayla Dykstra was named player of the year. The Calgary native is
the fifth Vike to capture the Nan Copp award since the inception of the trophy
in 1979-80, and the first UVic recipient since Lori Clarke in 1986-87. Dykstra
became the 12th straight player from the Canada West conference – including the
defunct GPAC – to receive the distinction. Dykstra led the Canada West conference
in field-goal percentage, scoring and rebounding during the regular season
connecting on 61.4 percent of her attempts and averaging 18.6 points and 11.2
boards per game, totals that were good for first, second and third place in the
nation, respectively. Her conference-leading rebounding average set a new team
single-season record. The 6-2 education student, who also finished sixth in the
Canada West with 1.4 blocks per outing, racked up 15 double-doubles over the
23-game conference schedule while leading the Vikes in scoring 18 times. She
put her stamp on an MVP campaign in the final two weeks of conference play as
she went over the 20-point mark in each of Victoria’s last five duels and had
career highs with 23 rebounds and eight blocks in the regular-season finale
against Thompson Rivers. Dykstra’s defensive play helped the Vikes keep
opponents to a Canada West-low 54.8 points per contest and finish with a 17-6
mark, the team’s best regular-season record since 2000-01. “Kayla is not only a
great player, she is a great person, teammate and leader,” said Victoria coach
Brian Cheng. “She is a very dedicated student-athlete both in the gym and in
the classroom, as she is also a three-time Academic All-Canadian. Her
leadership has been exceptional. She’s one of our captains and she’s always working
with her teammates to help them get better.”
UBC’s Leanne Evans (Port Moody,
B.C.), was named the nation’s top defensive player. Evans is the second
Thunderbird to be named the nation’s top defensive player since the inception
of the award in 2000-01. Former T-Bird all-star Carrie Watson was honoured in
2003-04. The 6-2 post, in her third campaign at UBC after spending her rookie
season with Southeast Missouri State, led the nation with 2.8 blocks per game
and finished second in the Canada West and fourth in the country with 10.3
rebounds per contest, with 7.1 of those coming on the defensive end. She
bettered her own UBC single-season record with 238 boards. The second-team
Canada West all-star also chipped in offensively as she led the T-Birds with 11.2
points per game and made the top 10 in field-goal percentage (.463). A former
member of the U-21 national team, Evans represented Canada at the 2007 Summer
Universiade in Bangkok, Thailand, and helped UBC capture the Bronze Baby trophy
as CIS champion in 2007-08. “Leanne’s presence on the court made opponents look
over their shoulder all season and she was a force for us on defence,” said UBC
head coach Deb Huband. “Not only could she dominate players down low but she
was also able to challenge them everywhere on the court and defend against players
face-up. Her effort on the defensive side of things this year was tremendous
and a big key to our success down the stretch and through to the playoffs.”
Laval’s Chanelle St-Amour (Montreal) received the Kathy Shields award as rookie of the year. St-Amour is the third Laval player to earn rookie-of-the-year honours, and the first since Josée Lalonde in 2000-01. A graduate of Cegep de Ste-Foy in Quebec City, the five-foot-six freshman moved to point guard for the first time in her career in her first season with the Rouge et Or and quickly proved she was up to the challenge. St-Amour finished third in the Quebec scoring race averaging 12.9 points per game, topped the QSSF with 4.8 assists per contest (sixth in Canada), tied for first place with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.4, finished second in three-point shooting at 38.5 percent, and was the second most utilized player in the conference with 32.1 minutes of court time per game. A member of Canada’s Universiade team in 2007 when she was still in Cegep, St-Amour was named QSSF MVP as a rookie and became one of the rare freshmen selected to the first CIS all-Canadian team. She helped the Rouge et Or capture the Quebec title and qualify for the CIS championship for the fifth straight year. “Chanelle had to adapt to a new level of basketball, a new style of play and a new position,” said Laval coach Linda Marquis. “Despite all of this, she dominated the league in assists, which proves how well she adjusted. For an athlete who was simply a scorer at the college level, it’s even more impressive. She brings a lot of energy and she’s eager to continue to improve her decision making on the court.”
Saskatchewan’s Lisa Thomaidis, who captured the Peter Ennis award as coach of the year. A three-time Canada West coach of the year, Thomaidis is the first Saskatchewan sideline boss to be honoured at the CIS level since the Peter Ennis award was first presented in 1977-78. In her 11th season at the helm, Thomaidis guided the Huskies to an 18-4 mark and first place in the Central Division, to an appearance at the Canada West Final Four and a berth at the CIS championship, an impressive turnaround for a team that finished 9-13 a year ago. Saskatchewan enjoyed at 13-game winning streak, the longest in team history, and was ranked no lower than fifth in all 14 national coaches’ polls. “Lisa is the quintessential CIS coach,” said Saskatchewan athletic director Basil Hughton. “She provides a great student-athlete experience for her players by ensuring their attention to the classroom and the court. Lisa is a student of the game and a credit to Huskie Athletics. The success of the program is a credit to her hard work and dedication.”
Joining Dykstra and St-Amour as first-team all-Canadians were Kelsey Hodgson (Cape Breton); Bess Lennox (Western and Kimberley Tulloch (Saskatchewan). …………………………………………………… Hodgson, from Fredericton, N.B., led the nation in scoring this season averaging 25.8 points a game. A member of the second team a year ago, she is the first Caper in history to make the first CIS squad. Hodgson, the current active career scoring leader in the conference with 1147 points in four seasons of play, joins former Capers standout Janice Moseychuck as the only players from CBU to be named league MVP. Moseychuck won the award in 1995-96. No Atlantic University Sport player has ever won the Nan Copp Award as the CIS Outstanding Player of the Year. …………………………………………………… Lennox, a fourth-year history student from Ottawa, Lennox is the first Mustang named to the CIS first team since Michele Vesprini in 1995-96. Western Mustangs fourth-year forward Bess Lennox (Ottawa, Ont.) is the West Division Player of the Year. She set a new OUA single-season record in rebounds with 270 this season, 12 better than her closest competitor. Lennox earned 18 double-doubles during the regular season, as she finished second behind teammate Amanda Anderson (Dover Centre, Ont.) for the West Division points lead. Anderson had 355 points, while Lennox contributed 351. Both are named West Division First Team All-Stars, presented by Wilson Sports Equipment Canada. Western finished the regular season with the division’s second-best record at 17-5. …………………………………………………… Tulloch, from Regina, Sask.
The 2nd-team All-Canadians were: Victoria Thistle (Memorial); Robyn Buna (Simon Fraser); Alaine Hutton (Toronto); Laurelle Weigl (Simon Fraser); and Marie-Michelle Genois (Laval). …………………………………………………… Thistle from St. John’s. CIS and AUS scoring leader Kelsey Hodgson of the 1st-place, #6-ranked Cape Breton Capers leads the list of first team selections. Hodgson had a record-breaking year, establishing a new single season AUS record for points scored with 515 for an average of 25.8 points per game. Kelsey, a fourth-year native of Fredericton, NB, scored 30 or more points in nine of 20 regular season games, including a 46-point effort on January 30th, the second-highest single-game total ever in the history of the Atlantic conference. The 2008-09 AUS Most Valuable Player is Cape Breton Capers fourth-year guard Kelsey Hodgson of Fredericton, NB. Hodgson led the CIS in scoring this season with a 25.8 points per game average and established a new AUS record for points scored in a single season with 515. Kelsey, a second team CIS all-Canadian last season, scored 30 or more points in nine of 20 regular season games, including a 46-point effort on January 30th, the second-highest single-game total ever in the history of the Atlantic conference. She also led the Atlantic conference in free-throw percentage (90.4 per cent), three-pointers made (60) and 3-point field-goal percentage (44.1 per cent). …………………………………………………… Buna from Kelowna, B.C. …………………………………………………… Hutton from Hamilton, Ont. was selected OUA East player of the year. The fourth-year guard finished the regular season tied for second in OUA scoring with 392 points, an average of 17.8 points per game. …………………………………………………… Weigl from Stony Plain, Alta. …………………………………………………… post Genois from Quebec City. Genois has been named an all-Canadian each of her first three university seasons, including a first-team nod in 2007-08.
Joining St-Amour on the all-rookie team were Nicole Clarke (Alberta); Alexandria Forsey (Memorial), Anneth Him-Lazarenko (McGill); Diane Schuetze (Thompson Rivers): …………………………………………………… Clarke, from Calgary, Alta. During the 2008-09 conference season, Clarke racked up an average of 10.5 points per game, second on the Pandas, and 2.4 steals per contest, seventh-best in Canada West. She also grabbed 2.4 rebounds per game and went 19-62 (.306) from three-point range. Clarke is an exceptional student athlete, one who takes her academics just as important as her athletic career. She is a former member of our Junior National team (youngest member on the 2007 team that competed at the world championships) and a member of the NEDA program last year. Nicole joined a very experienced and successful team, but stepped right in to a significant role. She started 16 out of 22 games, finished second in team in scoring and third in minutes played. Alberta head coach Scott Edwards had praise for his talented student-athlete: “Nicole is fantastic player. She shows a maturity on the court well beyond her years and will be a significant contributor in our program and in Canada West for years to come. She is a fierce competitor and is always pushing herself and teammates to reach their potential.” …………………………………………………… Him-Lazarenko from Ste-Dorothée, Que. Him-Lazarenko, a 5-foot-10 forward from Ste. Dorothée, Que., received the league’s rookie-of-the-year nomination and earned a berth on both, the all-conference and all-rookie teams but suffered a torn ACL in her right knee on Jan. 31 and will miss the remainder of the season. The 21-year-old education major leads the QUBL scoring race with 14.8 points per game and ranks third place in both rebounds (7.9) and field-goal percentage (48.0). She is second in free-throws made (51) and ninth in steals (1,5 per game). …………………………………………………… post Schuetze from Vernon, B.C. …………………………………………………… post Forsey of St. John’s. The 6-2 post appeared in all 20 of MUN’s games this season and ranked among the conference leaders in scoring (11.5 ppg – 14th in AUS), rebounding (5.7 rpg – 15th in AUS), field-goal percentage (49.4 per cent – 6th in AUS), free-throw percentage (71.1 per cent – 11th in AUS) and finished third in blocked shots with an average of 1.1 per game.