CIS track & field: Season awards announced

SHERBROOKE, Que. (CIS) – The CIS individual award winners for the 2010-11 track and field season were announced Thursday afternoon prior to the start of the indoor national championships that will run through Saturday at the University of Sherbrooke.
 
Championship website: http://english.cis-sic.ca/championships/trackfield
 
On the women’s side, Amonn Nelson of the Calgary Dinos was named the outstanding performer of the year in track events, while Saskatchewan’s Taryn Suttie received the same honour in field events. Montreal’s Laurence Beaudet was chosen rookie of the year, with Dalhousie’s Rebecca Haworth receiving the Student-Athlete Community Service Award.
 
The male recipients were Calgary’s Sam Effah, named season MVP in track events for the fourth consecutive year, Regina’s Jeremy Eckert, who was the choice in field events, Alberta’s Stephen McPhee, named the nation’s top freshman, as well as Victoria’s Darren Mazzei, who claimed the Student-Athlete Community Service Award.

Female athlete of the year (track events): Amonn Nelson, Calgary
 
Nelson, a fifth-year sprinter from Calgary, broke two of the oldest records in the Canada West archive in 2011.
 
She won both sprint events at the Canada West championship, breaking a pair 26-year-old records – both set in 1985 by former Dino Esmie Lawrence – to win the conference’s outstanding performer honours. The two-time defending CIS 300-metre champion ran a blistering 37.89 in the event at the Max Bell Fieldhouse in Winnipeg, shattering the old conference record by nearly three tenths while running against Olympian Carline Muir of Alberta. The following day, she shaved one hundredth off the 60-metre record to set a new mark of 7.51.
 
The senior kinesiology student won a bronze medal in the 4x400-metre relay at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in India along with teammates Adrienne Power, Vicki Tolton, and Muir.
 
“Going into the 300 at Canada West, I don’t think that Amonn was favoured to win,” said Calgary head coach Doug Lamont. “She ran the best race of her life so far, it was just about perfect – and the time reflects that. She has been deserving of this award over the past several years, so it’s really nice for her to be able to take it home in her final year of CIS competition.”
 
Nominees from other regional associations were: Caroline Schlosser (Dalhousie), Kimberly Hyacinthe (UQAM), Noelle Montcalm (Windsor).
 
Female athlete of the year (field events): Taryn Suttie, Saskatchewan
 
Suttie was named the Canada West Female Field Performer for the second straight season after she won her third straight shot put gold medal thanks to a throw of 15.13 metres at the conference championship. The third-year kinesiology student from Hanley, Sask., led the CIS rankings all season in her premier event as she won every Canada West shot put competition she was entered in. At last year’s CIS meet, she claimed gold with a new championship record of 15.32m.
 
Suttie also added a silver medal in the weight throw at the Canada West meet two weeks ago with a personal-best toss of 18.07m, which ranks her second in the country. She reached the conference podium for a third consecutive season.

“Taryn is a very talented and dedicated athlete. She exhibits those qualities on and off of the field,” said Saskatchewan head coach Joanne McTaggart. “She is also a team leader and exhibits the qualities of good sportsmanship and fair play in her daily life.”
 
Nominees from other regional associations were: Rebecca Haworth (Dalhousie), Mélanie Blouin (Laval), Neb Zachariah (Windsor).

Female rookie of the year: Laurence Beaudet, Montreal
 
Beaudet is ranked first in the nation in the long jump and third in the 60m hurdles going into her first CIS championship. Two weeks ago in Quebec City, the native of Terrebonne, Que., was crowned RSEQ champion in the 60m with a time of 8.68 seconds, in the long jump (5.79m) as well as in the 4x200 hurdles (1:47.05) along with teammates Annie-Jade Lespérance, Tamara Cap and Jennifer Dali-Kalemba.
 
The business administration student set a new Quebec university long jump record at the McGill Team Challenge on January 28th thanks to a leap of 5.95m.
 
“Laurence is very dedicated in both sports or academics,” said long jump coach Sylvain Lavallée, who has been coaching Beaudet since her second year of high school. “She will do anything in her power to reach her goals.”
 
Nominees from other regional associations were: Rebecca Haworth (Dalhousie), Ashlea Maddex (Ottawa), Rachel Machin (Calgary).
 
Female student-athlete community service award: Rebecca Haworth, Dalhousie
 
Haworth had an outstanding first year with the Tigers. At the AUS championships, she captured gold in the high jump thanks to a conference record of 1.71m. For her performances all season in her the event, she was recognized as the AUS female rookie of the year and field athlete of the year.

The Waverly, N.S., native also excelled academically with a 4.07 GPA in her first semester in Dalhousie’s science program and still found time to volunteer in a number of positions within the university and the community. Her volunteer work included positions as an assistant coach with the Bedford Sackville Special Olympics Swim Team, a meal assistance program volunteer with Capital Health, sitting as track and field representative on Dalhousie University Varsity Council, and co-organizing Operation Christmas Child, a relief program for children in countries around the world.
 
Nominees from other regional associations were: Pascale Délisle (Sherbrooke), Nancy Spreitzer (Waterloo), Robyn Webster (Calgary).
 
Male athlete of the year (track events): Sam Effah, Calgary
 
Calgary native Sam Effah is the CIS male track athlete of the year for the fourth straight season. The three-time defending CIS champion in the 60 metres is seeded No. 1 once again heading into his final CIS competition. His seed time of 6.59 shattered his own two-year-old record at the Canada West championship last month in Winnipeg by five hundredths, and was within two hundredths of his own personal best of 6.57, which he set in the heats at the 2010 CIS championship in Windsor.
 
He is the top seed in the 300 heading into this weekend as well thanks to a 33.75 clocking in the event at the Canada West meet. The national champion in 2008 and 2010, Effah will look to add a third 300-metre gold to his trophy case. He could also become a three-time CIS championship MVP, after receiving the honour in 2008 and 2010.
 
Effah, who is studying in the Haskayne School of Business, represented Canada at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India last October after winning his first Canadian senior title in the 100-metres, earning the title Fastest Man in Canada. In July 2010, he won the NACAC under-23 gold medal in the 100 in a time of 10.06 – the fastest time by a Canadian since 2003, one which scrubbed an incredible 0.16 seconds off his personal best.
 
“I’ve said it many times, but Sam is just an outstanding person on and off the track,” said Lamont. “Not only is he a great athlete with great potential and an exciting future in athletics, but he is a great person who has an outstanding life ahead of him. We’ve been honoured to have him as a member of our team, and he’s going to be a fantastic member of our alumni.”
 
Nominees from other regional associations were: Dan Gorman (Dalhousie), Ben-Youssef Meité (Sherbrooke), Dontae Richards-Kwok (York).
 
Male athlete of the year (field events): Jeremy Eckert, Regina
 
Eckert, a third-year junior from Regina, scored 21 of the Cougars’ 106 team points at the Canada West championships in Winnipeg, helping the Regina men win their second consecutive conference title. His tally included gold medals in both the high jump (2.11 metres) and the pentathlon (3680 points), as well as bronze in the long jump (6.97).
 
The Campion Science student cleared the bar at a personal-best 2.16 metres in the high jump at the Queen City Kinsmen Indoor Classic back on Feb. 11, setting a University of Regina and Saskatchewan senior record in the event. He had a season-best long jump of 7.01 in the pentathlon at the Canada West meet.
 
“Jeremy has had an outstanding season for us so far and has worked exceptionally hard to improve to the point where he’s now considered among the top athletes in CIS,” said Regina head coach Bruce McCannel. “He’s already the provincial record-holder in the high jump and I fully expect him to continue his development into an elite high jumper.”
 
Nominees from other regional associations were: Simon Watts (Dalhousie), Alexandro Allison Abaunza (Laval), Timothy Hendry (Guelph).
 
Male rookie of the year: Stephen McPhee, Alberta
 
McPhee is Alberta’s second national male rookie of the year. Middle-distance runner Robbie Nissen won the award in 2002.
 
Originally from Bentley, Alta., McPhee posted a productive freshman campaign, winning long-jump gold at the Canada West meet in only one jump.  His 7.40m leap was a CIS season-high this year, and he enters the national championship as the top-ranked competitor in the discipline. He also collected Canada West bronze in the pentathlon and 60m dash.
 
“I am very happy for Stephen and proud of the way that he has developed this year,” said Alberta head coach Georgette Reed. “He is mentally strong and physically tenacious. He has been able to battle through injuries and successfully navigate his way through his freshman year successfully. His future is bright and the best is definitely yet to come.”
 
Nominees from other regional associations were: Justin Blades (Dalhousie), Jean-Samuel Lapointe (Laval), Ross Proudfoot (Guelph).
 
Male student-athlete community service award: Darren Mazzei, Victoria
 
Mazzei won the male student-athlete and community service award at the Canada West level for the second straight year.
 
A volunteer with the MS Society and Recreation Integration Victoria, Mazzei is also a volunteer coach with the Victoria Running Academy, an elite high-school program. A member of the University of Victoria’s Varsity Council for two years, he’s also a Vikes track team captain.
 
He volunteers at events like the recent Shoot For The Cure event, VIkes outreach program (school visits), the Times Colonist Book Drive to collect reading material for charity, and even the less-than-glamourous Pacific Athletics manure sale which raises funds for the local Pacific Athletics track club. He's also been a meet official at all-school relays the past five years at UVic.
 
In Sherbrooke, Mazzei is seeking a fifth consecutive CIS title in the men’s 4x800m relay.
 
“Over his five years Darren has managed to combine training, studies and community service, all at a high level,” said Vikes track head coach Brent Fougner. “He is very deserving of this award.”
 
Nominees from other regional associations were: Sylvain Bérubé (Moncton), Mathieu Raymond (Laval), Robert Jackson (Guelph).

CIS TRACK & FIELD: 2010-2011 SEASON AWARDS
 
Women
 
Athlete of the year (track events): Amonn Nelson, Calgary
Athlete of the year (field events): Taryn Suttie, Saskatchewan
Rookie of the year: Laurence Beaudet, Montreal
Student-athlete community service award: Rebecca Haworth, Dalhousie
 
Men
 
Athlete of the year (track events): Sam Effah, Calgary
Athlete of the year (field events): Jeremy Eckert, Regina
Rookie of the year: Stephen McPhee, Alberta
Student-athlete community service award: Darren Mazzei, Victoria
 
CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
 
Thursday, March 10
 
14:00   Weight Throw (W) Final
15:15   60m Hurdles (W) Pentathlon
15:45   60m Hurdles (M) Pentathlon
16:00   High Jump (W) Pentathlon
16:30   Long Jump (M) Pentathlon
17:50   Shot Put (M) Pentathlon
18:50   Shot Put (W) Pentathlon
19:30   High Jump (M) Pentathlon
19:30   60m (W) Heats
19:45   60m (M) Heats
20:15   Long Jump (W) Pentathlon
20:30   60m (W) Final
20:40   60m (M) Final
20:50   600m (W) Heats
21:05   600m (M) Heats
21:45   800m (W) Pentathlon
21:55   1000m (M) Pentathlon
 
Friday, March 11
 
13:30   60m Hurdles (W) Heats
13:45   60m Hurdles (M) Heats
14:00   4x200m Relay (W) Heats
14:20   4x200m Relay (M) Heats
15:30   Weight Throw (M) Final
17:30   Long Jump (W) Final
18:00   Pole Vault (W) Final
18:05   High Jump (M) Final
18:15   60m Hurdles (M) Final
18:30   60m Hurdles (W) Final
18:40   300m (W) Heats
18:55   300m (M) Heats
19:10   1000m (W) Final
19:20   1000m (M) Final
19:30   3000m (W) Final
19:50   3000m (M) Final
20:00   Shot Put (W) Final
20:30   300m (W) Final
20:35   300m (M) Final
21:00   4x800m Relay (W) Final
21:10   Long Jump (M) Final
21:15   4x800m Relay (M) Final
 
Saturday, March 12
 
12:00   Triple Jump (W) Final
12:05   Shot Put (M) Final
13:00   Pole Vault (M) Final
13:30   600m (W) Final
13:45   600m (M) Final
13:55   High Jump (W) Final
14:00   4x200m Relay (W) Final
14:15   4x200m Relay (M) Final
14:45   1500m (W) Final
15:00   1500m (M) Final
15:10   Triple Jump (M) Final
16:10   4x400m Relay (W) Final
16:26   4x400m Relay (M) Final
 
 
-CIS-