WINDSOR, Ont. — Saint Mary’s guard Justine Colley is the Canadian University Sport women’s basketball player of the year for the second straight season.
The five-foot-nine native of East Preston, N.S., led the Atlantic University Sport conference in scoring and was third in the CIS, averaging 20.8 points per game.
The commerce student finished first in the country in assists (5.7 per game), tied for first in steals (3.8), led all CIS guards in field goal percentage (49.8) and was second on her team in rebounds (7.3).
She helped Saint Mary’s to a 20-0 record and the No. 1 spot in the national rankings.
Over the course of the season, the Canadian senior national team member became the all-time scoring leader in CIS women’s basketball history with 2,376 points.
“This is a well-deserved accomplishment for one of the top players that has ever played in the AUS conference,” said St. Mary’s coach Scott Munro. “A great leader over the past five seasons, no one has played harder on a nightly basis. Justine has impacted games in so many ways over the past five years, it is hard to put into words.”
The other finalists for the Nan Copp Award were McGill forward Mariam Sylla, Western guard Jenny Vaughan and Saskatchewan post Dalyce Emmerson.
Miah-Marie Langlois from the reigning three-time national champion Windsor Lancers was also announced as a repeat winner, taking the best defensive player for the third straight year.
Other major award recipients include: Cape Breton forward Alison Keough, top freshman; Windsor’s Chantal Vallee, coach of the year; McMaster post Hailey Milligan, Sylvia Sweeney Award for excellence in basketball, academics and community service; and Queen’s forward Gemma Bullard, Tracy MacLeod Award for determination and perseverance.