14th annual BLG Awards

Monday, May 01, 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

14th annual BLG Awards
Laplante, Jeanty named CIS athletes of the year

CALGARY (CIS) –Volleyball player Marylène Laplante, from the Laval University Rouge et
Or, and basketball player Osvaldo Jeanty, from the Carleton University Ravens, are the
2005-06 Canadian Interuniversity Sport female and male athletes of the year.

The winners of the 14th annual BLG Awards were announced on Monday night at the Jack
Singer Concert Hall in Calgary. The event will be broadcast as a one-hour special on TSN
on Saturday, May 13th at 11 a.m. EST.

For all the details on the 2006 BLG Awards, visit:
www.universitysport.ca and / or www.blgcanada.com/blgawards 

Laplante, a 25-year-old MBA student from St-Elzéar-de-Beauce, Qué., became the first
Laval representative in history to claim a BLG Award.

The 5-foot-8 outside hitter was named CIS women’s volleyball player of the year for the
second time in her career this season, having previously received the honour in ‘02-03.
She led the Quebec conference and placed fifth in the CIS with 4.02 points per game, and
finished fourth in Quebec with 2.89 kills per game. She also led the nation with 0.74
service aces per set, and finished among the top 10 in Quebec in digs, blocks and kill
percentage.

Laplante, who earned her fourth nomination as an all-Canadian in as many years of CIS
competition, and her third on the first squad, led the Rouge et Or to its first-ever
national title in women’s volleyball, capping off an unblemished 37-0 campaign against
CIS opponents. She was named MVP of the CIS championship held in Calgary, claiming
player-of-the-game honours in two of the three Rouge et Or duels, including the national
final.

A member of the Canadian team at the 2005 Summer Universiade in Izmir, Turkey Laplante
was back with the Rouge et Or after a one-year absence. She played professional
volleyball in France with Lyon Saint-Fons in ‘04-05.

Laplante also became the fourth winner of the Jim Thompson Trophy, presented annually to
the female BLG Award recipient. The trophy is named in honour of Mr. Jim Thompson, the
late President of TSN, for his support of CIS athletes.

The three other female nominees for this year’s award were Dalhousie University cross
country runner Janice Ashworth of Dunrobin, Ont., Brock University hockey player Kate
Allgood of Toronto, and University of Saskatchewan basketball player Sarah Crooks of
Fife Lake, Sask.

Jeanty, a 22-year-old commerce student from Gloucester, Ont., is the first Raven ever to
receive a BLG Award.

The 6-foot, fourth-year guard was named CIS men’s basketball player of the year this
season. The team captain led the Ravens and finished eighth in the OUA in scoring during
the regular schedule averaging 14.8 points per outing over 22 games, led the OUA in
three-point shots made with 62, and finished first in the OUA and fourth in the nation
with an 85.9 percent success rate from the free-throw line.

As he has now done for the past four years, Jeanty once again elevated his game during
the last stretch of the campaign, helping Carleton become only the second team in
history to capture four straight W.P. McGee Trophies as CIS men’s basketball champion.
At the CIS Final 10 in Halifax, where he averaged 23.8 points per outing, he was named
player of the game in all three Ravens contests, MVP of the national final for the
fourth straight year, and tournament MVP for the second time in his career. His lifetime
record as a Raven at the CIS championship is a perfect 12-0, part of his astounding 101-
4 regular and post-season career mark at Carleton, good for a .962 winning percentage.

The three other male nominees for this year’s award were University of New Brunswick
swimmer Daniel Monid of Mississauga, Ont., who was a national finalist for the second
straight year, McGill University hockey player Mathieu Poitras of Gatineau, Que., and
Trinity Western University volleyball player Chris Meehan of Clearwater, B.C.

All eight nominees receive a commemorative gold ring, while the two BLG Award recipients
are presented with a trophy and a $10,000 scholarship to attend a Canadian University
graduate school. The 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.

BLG AWARD WINNERS

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 volleball)
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), 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)

The BLG Awards

The BLG Awards were established in 1993 to recognize the top male and female athletes
from Universities affiliated with Canadian Interuniversity Sport.

The BLG Awards are based on athletic accomplishments, outstanding sportsmanship, and
leadership ability. Each of the 52 CIS schools selects one male and one female athlete
of the year.  From these nominees, one male and one female athlete are chosen within
each of the four regional associations: Atlantic, Canada West, Ontario, and Quebec. To
be eligible, a student athlete must have competed in a CIS sport for two years, and
cannot be a previous recipient of a BLG Award.

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 24 members from six Canadian cities
representing 18 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

Borden Ladner Gervais LLP is among Canada’s most respected full-service national law
firms. With more than 690 lawyers, intellectual property agents and other professionals
in six offices across the country, BLG provides corporate legal services to a wide range
of clients nationally and internationally in virtually every area of law. For further
information, visit www.blgcanada.com

About Canadian Interuniversity Sport

Canadian Interuniversity Sport is the national governing body of university sport in
Canada. 52 universities, 10,000 student-athletes and 550 coaches vie for 19 national
championships in 11 different sports. CIS also provides high performance international
opportunities for Canadian student-athletes at Winter and Summer Universiades, and
numerous world university championships. For all the CIS news and info, visit:
www.universitysport.ca

- CIS -

For further information, please contact:

Michel Bélanger
Communications Manager
Canadian Interuniversity Sport
Tel: (613) 562-5670 ext. 25
Cell: (613) 447-6334
belanger@universitysport.ca
www.universitysport.ca

Last Updated: 2007-10-21
Author: Scott Stewart
Email: ssstew@twu.ca