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By Earl Zukerman, McGill & Mylène Vézina, FQSE

MONTREAL – Freshman Anneth Him-Lazarenko and senior Nathifa Weekes, both members of the McGill Martlets, were among the major award recipients as the Quebec University Basketball League has announced their women’s basketball all-stars.

Him-Lazarenko, a 5-foot-10 forward from Ste. Dorothée, Que., received the league’s rookie-of-the-year nomination and earned a berth on both, the all-conference and all-rookie teams but suffered a torn ACL in her right knee on Jan. 31 and will miss the remainder of the season. The 21-year-old education major leads the QUBL scoring race with 14.8 points per game and ranks third place in both rebounds (7.9) and field-goal percentage (48.0). She is second in free-throws made (51) and ninth in steals (1,5 per game).

Weekes, a three-time all-star guard from Brossard, Que., was voted by the QUBL coaches as the league’s most outstanding defensive player for the second time in three years but was completely overlooked in the all-star voting, failing to make either the first or second team. Weekes leads the league in steals per game (2.4), is third in assists (3.1 avg.), sixth in scoring (12.2 avg.) and ninth in rebounding (5.8 avg.). She recently became the 18th player in Martlets history to reach the 1,000-point plateau.

McGill’s Elise Lepine, a freshman guard, from Mission, B.C., also made the all-rookie squad.

Although freshman Chanelle St-Amour of the Laval Rouge et Or was beaten out by Him-Lazarenko in the rookie-of-the-year voting, she was picked as the league’s most valuable player and named to the first all-star team and the all-rookie squad. Laure Pitfield of the Bishop’s Gaiters is the QUBL nominee for the Sylvia Sweeney award, which goes to the player who best combines academics, sport, and community service. Laval’s Linda Marquis earned coach-of-the-year honours for the ninth time. Mike Homsy, a McGill graduate and referee for two decades, was named as the league’s official of the year.

St-Amour, a 5-foot-6 point-guard from Montreal, ranks third among QUBL scoring leaders with an average of 13.3 points per game and a league-leading 4.9 assists per game. The education major is currently ranked second among the league’s three-point shooters at 40.0 per cent.

Marquis, a former McGill star who has served as the Laval bench boss since 1985, has led her team to top spot in the league from opening day despite having several rookies in her lineup and the recent loss of the team’s best defensive player, Myriam Lamarre. Marquis, who has guided Laval to eight league titles, was named CIS coach of the year in 1999-2000 and 2000-01.

Laure Pitfield, a three-year captain of the Bishop’s Gaiters, will be the QUBL nominee for the Sylvia Sweeney Award (academics, sport, and community service). The fourth-year forward is ninth in the CIS with a 0.533 field goal percentage. An Honours Psychology student, Pitfield is a four-time Academic All-Canadian, and includes acting as an ambassador for the QSSF’s DeFacto anti-tobacco program among her several community activities.

The complete list of individual awards and all-star teams follow.

2008-09 QUBL WOMEN’S ALL-STARS & MAJOR AWARDS
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QUBL FIRST TEAM ALL-STARS:
Name / University / Position / Program / Hometown
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Chanelle St-Amour, Laval, Guard, Education, Montreal, Que.
Marie-Michelle Genois, Laval, Forward, Biochemistry, Cap-Santé, Que.
Anneth Him-Lazarenko, McGill, Guard, Secondary Education, Ste-Dorothée, Que.
Katy Germain, Bishop’s, Guard/Forward, Education, Val d’Or, Que.
Krystle Douglas, Concordia, Guard, Leisure Science, Châteauguay, Que.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
Chanelle St-Amour, Laval, Guard, Education, Montreal, Que.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
Nathifa Weekes, McGill, Guard, Social Work, Brossard, Que.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR:
Anneth Him-Lazarenko, McGill, Guard, Secondary Education, Ste. Dorothée, Que.

ATHLETICS, ACADEMICS & CITIZENSHIP AWARD:
Laure Pitfield, Bishop’s, Forward, Psychology, Ottawa, Ont.

COACH OF THE YEAR:
Linda Marquis, Laval

OFFICIAL OF THE YEAR:
Mike Homsy


QUBL SECOND ALL-STAR TEAM:
Karine Boudrias, UQAM, Guard, Kinesiology, Terrebonne, Que.
Myriam Lamarre, Laval, Guard, Sport Administration, St-Augustin-de-Desmaures, Que.
Jessica Bibeau-Côté, UQAM, Guard, Cultural Administration, Sherbrooke, Que.
Jessy Roy, Bishop’s, Guard, Mathematics & Education Val d’Or, Que.
Irline Noël, UQAM, Forward, Sociology, Montreal, Que.


QUBL ALL-ROOKIE TEAM:
Anneth Him-Lazarenko, McGill, Guard, Secondary Education, Ste-Dorothée, Que.
Chanelle St-Amour, Laval, Guard, Education, Montreal, Que.
Elyse Jobin, Laval, Guard, Biochemistry, Moncton, N.B.
Anne-Marie Prophete, Concordia, Forward, Economics, Ste-Foy, Que.
Elise Lepine, McGill, Guard, Arts, Mission, B.C.

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SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman
Communications Officer
McGill Athletics & Recreation
earl.zukerman [at] mcgill.ca
514-398-7012