MONTREAL -- The Martlet Foundation has issued $16,000 to eight McGill University student-athletes as recipients of the organization's 2019 athletic financial awards.

Hockey players Dominic Talbot-Tassi of Mascouche, Que., and Louis-Philip Guindon of St. Joseph-du-Lac, Que., along with Quentin Basiren, a rower who hails from Brockville, Ont., each received the 1938 Champions Award, a $2,000 prize named after the 1938 championship-winning McGill football and hockey teams, who lost eight men during the Second World War. The bursary is awarded to recognize students who have demonstrated high academic performance and have shown leadership in the McGill community through a significant contribution to student activities and organizations, including athletics.
 
Recipients of a Dorothy Nichol Scholarship, included hockey's Kellyane Lecours of Victoriaville, Que., Geneviève Peel, a member of the artistic swim team who hails from St. Hyacinthe, Que., alpine skier Sarah Mains of Montreal and volleyball's Andréanne Tremblay, a native of Longueuil, Que. The $2,000 award is presented on the basis of academic achievement and contributions to extra-curricular activities in athletics.

Finally, Lily Dong, a member of the artistic swim team who hails from Kanata, Ont., received the T. Palmer-Howard Award, an annual $2,000 prize awarded annually to a student who has demonstrated leadership on an intercollegiate club while maintaining high academic standing.
 
The Martlet Foundation was incorporated in 1954 by a group of McGill alumni and has been very active ever since.  Today it promotes excellence in athletics and academics at the University, primarily through scholarships, awards and fellowships. The Foundation also encourages special interest groups to build alumni assistance for intercollegiate teams in order to strengthen the varsity athletics program.


MORE DETAILED PROFILES FOR EACH RECIPIENT FOLLOWS BELOW:
 
1938 CHAMPIONS AWARD RECIPIENTS:
This is a $2,000 bursary named after the 1938 championship-winning McGill football and hockey teams, who lost eight men during the Second World War. The prize is awarded to recognize students who have demonstrated high academic performance and have shown leadership in the McGill community through a significant contribution to student activities and organizations, including athletics.

Dominic Talbot-Tassi, an alternate captain with the men's hockey team, is a 25-year-old native of Mascouche, Que. He is a fifth-year mining engineering senior, who has earned Academic All-Canadian honours. On the ice, the 5-foot-9, 185-pound defenceman has scored 184 points, including 37 goals, in 185 career games overall with McGill. Over his five years, he has not missed a regular season game, and continues to add to his school record of 128 consecutive league contests.
 
Louis-Philip Guindon, in his fourth season as the starting goaltender with the men's hockey team and has a lifetime record of 72-37 with nine shutouts in 112 games overall. A 25-year-old native of St. Joseph-du-Lac, Que., Guindon is a science senior, majoring in kinesiology. On the ice, the 6-foot-1 and 188-pound netminder saw duty in 36 of the team's 38 games overall last season. He posted a 20-15 record with four shutouts, a 2.57 goals-against and a .907 save percentage. He capped off a fine campaign by receiving the Dr. Bobby Bell Memorial Bowl, which has been presented since 1950 to the team's most valuable player. He was the team's first goalie to merit MVP honours since 2008.

Quentin Basiren, a 21-year-old captain of the McGill rowing team, hails from Brockville, Ont. Last year he was the recipient of a  T. Palmer-Howard Award.  A science senior, he is an Honours student in anatomy and cell biology. He achieved a lofty 3.94 grade-point average last year to qualify for the Principal's Student-athlete Honour Roll. In the water, the 6-foot-3, 190-pound rower was voted Team MVP last year. He won gold in the heavyweight double at the Brock Invitational and another gold at the Head of the Rideau Regatta in Ottawa. At the OUA championships, he has reached the podium in each of the last three years, winning silver and bronze medals. Basiren has also qualified for the Canadian University Rowing Association championship in in each of the past two years.


DOROTHY NICHOL SCHOLARSHIP RECEIPIENTS:
A $2,000 prize presented on the basis of academic achievement and contributions to extra-curricular activities in athletics. The scholarship is named after Professor Dorothy Nichol who was inducted to the McGill Sports Hall of Fame in 1999 and passed away in 2001.

Kellyane Lecours, is a 21-year-old native of Victoriaville, Que., and a member of the women's hockey team who has scored 34 goals and 61 points in 75 career games overall. In the classroom, she is a third-year student, majoring in kindergarten and elementary education. She has earned a 3.85 GPA to qualify for both, the Principal's Student-athlete Honour Roll, and Academic All-Canadian status. Lecours also qualified as a member of the Golden Key International Honour Society. At the McGill Athletics Gala last April, Lecours won the Uldis Auders Memorial Award, presented to the top sophomore, in any sport, who best combines academic excellence with athletic prowess. On the ice last year, she had 28 points in 26 games, including 16 goals. She was voted a second-team all-star and led the under-dog hockey Martlets to an unexpected silver-medal performance at the national championship.


Geneviève Peel, a 25-year-old native of St. Hyacinthe, Que., serves as co-captain of the women's artistic swim team, formerly known as synchronized swimming. A recipient of the J.W. McConnell Entrance scholarship, she is now a fourth-year medical student and qualified for the Principal's Student-athlete Honour Roll. A former member of the national junior team, she returned to the sport of artistic swimming last year after a self-imposed three-year retirement. She helped the Martlets elite "White Team" go undefeated in the team routine, culminating with the Canadian University championships in Ottawa last March, where McGill finished first of 13 schools to capture the Gerry Dubrule Trophy, their fifth national title in six seasons
 
Sarah Mains is a 23-year-old native of Montreal, and captain of the women's alpine ski team. An Arts senior, she is majoring in International Development Studies, with a minor in social entrepreneurship. In the classroom, Mains qualified for the Principal's Student-athlete Honour Roll, earning a grade-point average of 3.64. She is a recipient of the ski team's Neil Baker Award for combining academic and athletic prowess. She also received the Arts Internship Award for her efforts in funding a community-centered social enterprise. On the athletic front, Mains finished third on the team and sixth in the Quebec league scoring race last year, helping McGill place second in the standings. In the community, she has helped bring a very large ski team together by serving as the team's social event coordinator and helped manage team activities, organize major fundraising efforts, in addition to her duties as captain.  
 
Andréanne Tremblay, a 22-year-old native of Longueuil, Que., and a member of the volleyball Martlets, where she became the starting setter last year, leading the team like a starting quarterback in football. In the classroom, she is a third-year science student, majoring in occupational therapy. Tremblay has overcome the challenge of being a Francophone who is learning and studying in English and has earned a 3.92 grade-point average to merit Academic All-Canadian status in addition to qualifying for the Principal's Student-athlete Honour Roll. On the court, she led McGill to an impressive 17-3 first-place finish in the Quebec league last year. The 17 wins was a single-season school record and it marked only the second time in school history that the volleyball team had won a divisional pennant.
  
T. PALMER HOWARD AWARD RECIPIENT:
A $2,000 prize awarded annually to a student who has demonstrated leadership on an intercollegiate club while maintaining high academic standing. This award was established in 2002 by Catherine Howard in memory of her husband, a 1934 law school graduate and one of the founders of the Martlet Foundation.

Lily Dong, a 22-year-old member of the artistic swim team who hails from Kanata, Ont. A second-year master's student in the faculty of science, she is majoring in kinesiology and physiology after graduating from Western. She achieved a perfect 4.0 grade-point average last year to qualify for the Principal's Student-athlete Honour Roll. In the water, Dong also helped swim, fundraise and coach the Martlets elite "White Team", which went undefeated in the team routine. At the Canadian University championships in Ottawa last March, McGill finished first and captured the Gerry Dubrule Trophy, their fifth national title in six seasons.
 

SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman
Communications Officer
McGill Athletics and Recreation
(514) 398- 7012
earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca
www.mcgillathletics.ca