CIS athletes of the week (#1): Toronto’s McConville, Western’s Cekic honoured

OTTAWA (CIS) – Soccer players Eilish McConville from the University of Toronto and Haris Cekic from the University of Western Ontario are the Canadian Interuniversity Sport female and male athletes of the week for the period ending Sept. 11, 2011.

McConville, a second-year medicine student from Ottawa, scored five goals in two games to lead the Varsity Blues (3-1) to a 6-0 shutout of Nipissing (0-3-2) and a 2-0 win over OUA East-leading and No. 10-ranked Laurentian (3-1-1). The 5-foot-8 striker tallied four times on Saturday against the Lakers, including the game-winner in the sixth minute of play, and added an assist and the insurance marker on Sunday against the Voyageurs. McConville, who is returning to CIS soccer this season, starred for four years with Queen’s from 2003 to 2006, being named CIS MVP in 2006, rookie of the year in 2003 and an all-Canadian in each of her four campaigns with the Gaels.

St. Francis Xavier rugby player Magali Harvey, McGill rugby player Brianna Miller and Alberta soccer player Heather Lund were also nominated for the women’s award.

Cekic, a second-year King’s College student in his third year of CIS eligibility, scored three of his team’s four goals last weekend, including both game-winners, to guide the No. 4 Mustangs (3-0-1) to a pair of 2-1 victories over Wilfrid Laurier (1-1-2) and Waterloo (1-4). On Saturday against the Golden Hawks, the midfielder from London, Ont., tallied the decisive goal in the 67th minute while on Sunday versus the Warriors, he found the back of the net in the 60th and 87th minutes as the Western erased a 1-0 halftime deficit for the second straight day.

Soccer players Martin Vlk of St. Francis Xavier, Gabriel Moreau of Laval and Navid Mashinchi of UBC were the other male nominees.

Female nominees:
AUS: Magali Harvey, rugby, St. Francis Xavier
RSEQ: Brianna Miller, rugby, McGill
OUA: Eilish McConville, soccer, Toronto (recipient)
CWUAA: Heather Lund, soccer, Alberta

Male nominees:
AUS: Martin Vlk, soccer, St. Francis Xavier
RSEQ: Gabriel Moreau, soccer, Laval
OUA: Haris Cekic, soccer, Western Ontario (recipient)
CWUAA: Navid Mashinchi, soccer, UBC

-CIS-