GUELPH, Ont. (CIS) – UBC Thunderbird
Natalie Sourisseau was named the 2010 CIS Rookie of the Year and a second-team All-Canadian Wednesday night during the All-Canadian Banquet at the Holiday Inn Guelph Hotel & Convention Centre. T-Bird teammates
Sarah MacAulay and
Kirsten Bertsch earned CIS first-team All-Canadian honours as well.
Fourth-year University of Guelph forward Brienne Stairs was named the Canadian Interuniversity Sport player of the year in women's field hockey for the second straight season, Wednesday night.
The native of Kitchener, Ont., became the second multiple recipient of the Liz Hoffman award since the inception of the trophy in 1992. Toronto's Caillie O'Hara was also honoured at the end of back-to-back campaigns, in 2007 and 2008. UBC's
Sarah MacAulay was a finalist for the award.
Other CIS major award winners announced during the All-Canadian Banquet at the Holiday Inn Guelph Hotel & Convention Centre were Waterloo's Jessica Lawson of Puslinch, Ont., who received the Gail Wilson Outstanding Contributor award; and Calgary's Jenn Swagar, who was named coach of the year and received the Marina van der Merwe award, presented by Coaches of Canada.
The 2010 CIS championship, hosted for the first time by the University of Guelph, gets under way Thursday with the first of three days of round-robin competition. The tournament culminates Sunday at 1 p.m. with the gold-medal final.
Championship website
JOYCE SLIPP AWARD (rookie of the year): Natalie Sourisseau, UBC
Sourisseau became the second Thunderbird in as many years to claim the Joyce Slipp award, following
Abigail Raye in 2009. Laura Dowling was the only other previous recipient from UBC, in 2003.
Sourisseau made an immediate impact as a freshman for the defending CIS champion T-Birds, who lost nine of 11 starters following their triumph in 2009. A quiet leader who played both forward and midfield, she scored four times in 12 matches in her rookie campaign, including the goal that clinched UBC's eighth straight Canada West title in the next to last game of the season. Considered one of the finest Junior National team players in the country, the human kinetics student will get her first taste of the CIS championship this week as 12-time titlist UBC will try to add to its record McCrae Cup tally.
“Nat is an extremely talented, hard working player who leads by example and is respected for her tenacity and commitment,” said UBC head coach Hash Kanjee. “Her excellent work ethic and her attacking skills have been instrumental in helping UBC create numerous scoring chances and set play opportunities.”
Saint Mary's Taylor Shupe of Cole Harbour, N.S., and Western Ontario's Alli Nelson of Erin, Ont., were also in the running for the top freshman award.
ALL-CANADIAN TEAMS
The all-Canadian teams were also announced on Wednesday, with powerhouses Guelph, UBC and Victoria each placing two players on the first squad. The Gryphons had four selections overall, while the Thunderbirds and Vikes had three apiece.
The 10 players joining Stairs on the first CIS team were Liz Hoffman award nominees Avery and UBC's MacAulay, as well as UBC's Bertsch of Duncan, B.C., Alberta's Jacqueline Trautman of Delta, B.C., and Toronto's Kaelan Watson of Richmond, B.C., on defence; Calgary's Courtney Campbell of Calgary, York's Effie Petrou of Oakville, Ont., and Victoria teammates Perri Espeseth of Duncan and Danielle Hennig of Kelowna, B.C., at midfield; and Guelph's Brittany Seidler of Oliver, Ont., at forward.
Trautman, Watson, Avery and Petrou all return from last year's first unit.
The CIS rookie of the year in 2006, Petrou accomplished a rare feat as she became a five-time all-Canadian, including first-team nods four years running.
Joining Sourisseau on the second CIS unit for 2010 are Guelph goalkeeper Kaye McLagan of Mitchell, Ont.; Victoria's Kyla Kirby of Victoria, Alberta's Jennifer Peacock of Calgary and Calgary's Carolina Romeo of Calgary on defence; Dalhousie's Jessie Janes of Halifax, McGill's Camille St-Cyr of Richmond, B.C., and Toronto's Hannah Tighe of Penticton, B.C., at midfield; and Toronto's Kyesia O'Neale of Mississauga, Ont., Western's Megan Scraper of West Vancouver, B.C., and Guelph's Tegan Stairs of Kitchener, Ont., at forward.
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