McGill athletes of the year Cedric McNicoll (left) and Mariam Sylla pose with cowboy hats at 2015 BLG awards in Calgary

Women's Basketball 5/3/2015 4:34:00 PM Earl Zukerman

McGill athletes of the year McNicoll and Sylla initiated as honourary Calgarians at 2015 BLG awards

McGill athletes of the year Cedric McNicoll (left) and Mariam Sylla initiated as honourary Calgarians at 2015 BLG awards

CALGARY – Two student-athletes from McGill University -- basketball star Mariam Sylla and hockey player Cedric McNicoll -- were initiated as honourary Calgarians on Sunday. The dynamic duo are representing the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec among eight national finalists for the 23^rd annual BLG Awards.

McGill has produced 21 finalists in 23 years for the BLG Awards, which were established in 1993 to recognize the top female and male athletes from universities affiliated with CIS.

Although the 2015 recipients will be determined by the Canadian Athletic Foundation, a not-for-profit board which has selected the winners for the past 22 years, the general public is encouraged to vote as part as an online-voting pilot project. Fans can vote until Sunday at midnight through the following websites:

CIS: www.cis-sic.ca
BLG Awards: www.blg.com/blgawards
Sportsnet: www.sportsnet.ca/cis

Sylla, a third-year pharmacoly major who emigrated to Montreal 10 years ago from Conakry, Guinea, guided the RSEQ champion Martlets to the best result in program history at the CIS championship, a silver-medal finish. In league action, she averaged a "double-double" with 12.4 points and 10.8 rebounds per game and was rewarded with the conference MVP trophy and a spot on the first all-Canadian team.

McNicoll, an accounting junior from Boucherville, Que., helped the Redmen top the Ontario University Athletics East division standings with a 21-5-0 record. In league play, the third-year management student tallied 34 points in 25 games en route to meriting OUA East MVP honours and CIS second-team all-Canadian status.

On Monday (May 4), the eight national nominees will be honoured at the Martha Cohen Theatre in Calgary. The female and male winners will receive a $10,000 post-graduate scholarship, while all finalists will return home with a commemorative gold ring and a watch from Timex, the official supplier of CIS.

This year's event will mark the 20^th presentation of the awards gala in Calgary. Over the years, the event has also held been held in Toronto (2009, 2013) and Vancouver (2011). The 2015 ceremony will air nationally later this May on Sportsnet.

QUEBEC CONFERENCE (RSEQ) NOMINEES FOR BLG AWARD (year by year):
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2014-15: Cedric McNicoll (McGill - hockey) / Mariam Sylla (McGill - basketball)
2013-14: Katia Clement-Heydra (McGill - hockey) / Jordan Heather (Bishop's - football)
2012-13: Melodie Daoust (McGill - hockey) / David Tremblay (Concordia - wrestling)
2011-12: *Ann-Sophie Bettez (McGill - hockey) / *Marc-Andre Dorion (McGill - hockey)
2010-11: Véronique Laverdière (Montréal - soccer) / Alex-Picard-Hooper (McGill - hockey)
2009-10: Véronique Maranda (Montréal - soccer) / Francis Verreault-Paul (McGill - hockey)
2008-09: Charline Labonte, (McGill - hockey) / Étienne Légaré (Laval - football)
2007-08: *Laetitia Tchoualack (Montréal - volleyball) / Jamall Lee (Bishop's - football)
2006-07: Audrey Lacroix (Montreal - swimming) / Patrick Donovan (Concordia - football)
2005-06: *Marylène Laplante (Laval - volleyball) / Mathieu Poitras (McGill - hockey)
2004-05: Danielle Day (McGill - soccer) / Christian Bernier (Montreal - volleyball)
2003-04: Martine Dugrenier (Concordia - wrestling) / Ryan Tomicic (McGill - swimming)
2002-03: *Kim St-Pierre (McGill - hockey) / Patrick Banim-Massok (UQAM - track & field)
2001-02: Sophie Simard (Laval - swimming) / David Stipe (Bishop's - football)
2000-01: Sophie Simard (Laval - swimming) / Randy Chevrier (McGill - football)
1999-00: Sarah Ali-Khan (McGill - track & field) / Mathieu Darche (McGill - hockey)
1998-99: *Corinne Swirsky (Concordia - hockey) / *Alex Marchand (Sherbrooke - track & field)
1997-98: Corinne Swirsky (Concordia - hockey) / Hugues Legault (Montreal - swimming)
1996-97: Sonia Paquette (Sherbrooke - track & field) / Pierre Gendron (McGill - hockey)
1995-96: Vicky Tessier (McGill - basketball) / Trevor Lovig (Bishop's - football)
1994-95: *Linda Thyer (McGill - track & field) / Emerson Thomas (Concordia - basketball)
1993-94: Linda Thyer (McGill - track & field) / Michel Cazes (Laval - volleyball)
1992-93: Andrea Nugent (McGill - swimming) / François Gravel (Laval - swimming)