CIS announces Desjardins Top Eight Academic All-Canadians

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1 CIS announces Desjardins Top Eight Academic All-Canadians Oct. 23, 2008 OTTAWA (CIS) Canadian Interuniversity Sport proudly announced Thursday the studentathletes honoured as Desjardins Top Eight Academic All-Canadians for the season. Every year, a growing number of CIS student-athletes are recognized as Academic All- Canadians, having maintained a grade point average (GPA) of 80 percent or better over the academic year while competing for one of their university s varsity teams. Once again in , over 2,000 student-athletes reached the prestigious status. Three CIS institutions had over 100 Academic All-Canadians last year including Laval (145), McGill (136) and Alberta (126). Among these outstanding individuals, one female and one male student-athlete from each of the four CIS regional associations are selected annually as Desjardins Top Eight Academic All- Canadians. This year s recipients include Acadia cross country runner and physics student Justine McMillan of Truro, N.S., and Dalhousie volleyball player and management student Niklas Rademacher of Bocholt, Germany, representing Atlantic University Sport. From the Quebec Student Sports Federation, McGill volleyball player and physical education major Jennifer Thomson of Rosemère, Que., as well as Concordia wrestler Tyler Marghetis, a Masters student (teaching of mathematics) from Ottawa. Representing Ontario University Athletics, Guelph track and field athlete and Masters in Psychology student Brae Anne McArthur of Sarnia, Ont., and Brock basketball player and Masters in Education student Brad Rootes of Niagara Falls, Ont. From the Canada West Universities Athletic Association, Saskatchewan pole vaulter and Bachelor of Science student Adrianne Vangool of Saskatoon, as well as Winnipeg volleyball player and psychology student Ben Schellenberg of Winnipeg. Over 20 percent of all CIS student-athletes achieved Academic All-Canadian status this year, an impressive statistic that demonstrates the Canadian commitment to excellence both on the playing field and in the classroom, said CIS chief executive officer, Marg McGregor. This year s recipients are all exceptional individuals and they symbolize the many outstanding studentathletes, coaches and universities in Canada. Many of the Top Eight recipients in the past have gone on to accomplish great things in sport and in business, and I expect we will hear great things about this year s recipients in years to come. Following is a profile on each of the CIS Desjardins Top 8 Academic All-Canadian recipient. Atlantic University Sport

2 Justine McMillan Truro, N.S. Acadia University Physics (Bachelor of Science, Certificate of Applied Science) Cross country Justine McMillan was named most improved athlete on the Axewomen cross country team in 2007 and was also the recipient of the team s Coaches Award for overall achievements. The 22- year-old finished 26 th at the AUS championship and qualified for the CIS championship in Victoria. She started her varsity career at Acadia in 2004 as a soccer player and joined the cross country running program in McMillan holds a Bachelor of Science (Physics) degree and a Certificate of Applied Science, graduating in May of 2008 with a cumulative grade point average of She was a CIS Academic All-Canadian and a member of the Dean s List each of her four years at Acadia and received, among many prestigious academic distinctions, the 2008 Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Canadian Graduate Scholarship, the 2008 NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award, and Acadia s Governor General s Silver Medal. Niklas Rademacher Bocholt, Germany Dalhousie University Management Niklas Rademacher won an impressive list of awards over his four seasons with the Tigers men s volleyball team. The 6-foot-10 left side hitter was named AUS player of the year and a first-team CIS all-canadian on three occasions, was the recipient of the Dale Iwanoczko Award as the most outstanding student-athlete in CIS men s volleyball, and guided Dalhousie to four conference titles in as many years. Last season, he led the AUS with 4.94 points and 4.05 kills per set, totals that were good for fifth and sixth in the nation, respectively. Rademacher graduated in May of 2008 with a Bachelor of Management degree with a cumulative grade point average of A CIS Academic All-Canadian and a member of the Dean s List each of his four years at Dalhousie, he received the President s Award in as the Dalhousie varsity athlete best combining academic and athletic excellence. The 26-year-old was also the recipient of Dalhousie s In Course Scholarship, International Students Scholarship and Black and Gold Athletic Award in Quebec Student Sports Federation Jennifer Thomson Rosemère, Que. McGill University Education (Physical & Health Education) Jennifer Thomson started her varsity career with a bang in when she was chosen CIS women s rookie of the year. The 5-foot-7 power hitter has been named a CIS all-canadian each of her three seasons with the Martlets, including first-team nods the past two campaigns. The

3 McGill captain and three-time team MVP excelled in all aspects of the game in when she finished third in the QSSF in kills, points and defensive digs per set. Thomson, a 22-year-old physical education major, has twice earned CIS Academic All-Canadian status and achieved a grade point average of 3.84 (out of 4.00) in A recipient of McGill s Murray Hayes Entrance Scholarship in 2005 and a member of the school s Principal s Student-Athlete Honour Roll, she expects to graduate in Tyler Marghetis Ottawa, Ont. Concordia University Masters in Teaching of Mathematics Wrestling Tyler Marghetis is one of the most decorated wrestlers in CIS history. In five years of varsity competition at Concordia, the 24-year-old claimed four individual gold medals and one silver at the CIS championship, all in the 76-kilogram weight class. His performances helped the Stingers men finish second at the CIS championship and place third in He was the first alternate for Canada (74 kg) for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. In , his first year of a Masters in Teaching of Mathematics, Marghetis maintained a 4.21 grade point average (out of 4.30). He was awarded Concordia s Nick Herscovics Memorial Scholarship, was named a CIS Academic All-Canadian and was a member of the Dean s List. The Ottawa native hopes to pursue a PhD. Ontario University Athletics Brae Anne McArthur Sarnia, Ont. University of Guelph Masters in Psychology Track and field Brae Anne McArthur claimed the bronze medal in the pentathlon at last year s CIS track and field championship, marking her third CIS medal in five varsity seasons following silver in and bronze in The 25-year-old s performance last winter helped the Gryphons women capture the first CIS title in team history. An exceptional all-around athlete, the two-time Guelph track and field MVP holds the school record in the pentathlon, was part of the relay team that set a Gryphons mark in the 4 x 400-metre, and ranks third all-time at Guelph in the high jump and long jump. In , McArthur maintained an academic average of percent as a Masters student, earning her third nod as a CIS Academic All-Canadian. She obtained her Bachelor degree in 2006 and is working towards a PhD in child clinical psychology. Brad Rootes Niagara Falls, Ont. Brock University Masters in Education (Applied Health Sciences) Basketball

4 Brad Rootes completed his varsity career in high fashion last winter when he led the Badgers to their first CIS men s basketball title since and the second W.P. McGee Trophy in team history. The 24-year-old guard, who was second in the nation with 7.36 assists in his final season at Brock, was named a second-team all-canadian for the second straight campaign and a firstteam OUA West all-star. A two-time OUA West MVP, he became the first player in Brock history to be named an OUA all-star on five occasions. In , Rootes maintained a 90 percent academic average in his Masters in Education program. With one year left in his Masters degree, he is already thinking about starting a PhD. Canada West Universities Athletic Association Adrianne Vangool Saskatoon, Sask. University of Saskatchewan Bachelor of Science (Physical Therapy) Track and field (pole vault) Adrianne Vangool completed a brilliant varsity track and field career in capturing the pole vault gold medal at the CIS championship for the second straight year and medaling in the event at the CIS Nationals for the fifth time in as many seasons, following a trio of third-place finishes from 2004 to The 22-year-old helped the Huskies women claim the CIS team title on two occasions, in and The Canadian junior national gold medalist in , she went on to represent Canada at the 2005 Summer Universiade in Turkey, the 2005 world junior championships in Italy and the 2006 Francophone Games in Nigeria. Vangool earned a percent academic average in her fifth year of Kinesiology, majoring in exercise and sports studies. A member of the Dean s Honour Roll in each of her five years at Saskatchewan, she kept an 87 percent average from 2003 to She is the recipient of nine scholarships, bursaries or grants for athletic and academic achievements. Ben Schellenberg Winnipeg, Man. University of Winnipeg Psychology Ben Schellenberg put an exclamation point on his varsity career in when he was named CIS men s volleyball player of the year and was the Canada West nominee for the prestigious BLG Award as CIS male athlete of the year. The two-time CIS all-canadian led the Wesmen to the silver medal at the CIS championship in his final season, one year after guiding the team to a record-tying 10 th national title. The 6-foot-6 team captain finished his last campaign in the Top 10 in Canada West in kills, points, hitting percentage, blocks and digs. A five-time CIS Academic All-Canadian, Schellenberg graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree with honours in Psychology in June after posting a final grade point average of 4.39 for the academic year. He received the school s O.T. Anderson Award for distinguished academic and extra curricular performance. About Canadian Interuniversity Sport

5 Canadian Interuniversity Sport is the national governing body of university sport in Canada. Fifty-two universities, 10,000 student-athletes and 550 coaches vie for 21 national championships in 12 different sports. The CIS also provides high performance international opportunities for Canadian student-athletes at Winter and Summer Universiades, and 32 World University Championships. For further information, visit -CIS- For more information contact: Michel Bélanger Communications Manager Canadian Interuniversity Sport Ph: (613) ext. 25 Cell: (613) Fax: (613)