(VERSION FRANÇAISE SUIT)

MONTREAL -- Nine student-athletes from McGill University were the recipients of Martlet Foundation's in-course athletic financial awards for leadership, valued at $2,000 each, announced at the organization's 71st annual general meeting, on Tuesday, at the historic Louis-Joseph Forget House on Sherbrooke Street, one of the few remaining grand mansions of Montreal's Golden Square Mile.
 
The laureates included swimmers Loic Courville-Fortin, Erik Linseisen and Iris Tinmouth, volleyball players Rosalie Beaudin and Sandrine Méthot, basketball's Saransh Padhy, Emilia Diaz-Ruiz and Emma-Jane Scotten, in addition to soccer's Stuart Klenner.
 
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
 
Loic Courville-Fortin, a 21-year-old sophomore from Repentigny, Que., is in the Honours biochemistry program, with a minor in neuroscience. He served as a swim team rep on the Varsity Council, was chosen as an ambassador by the Montreal Sports Council and was honoured by the Quebec Swimming Federation, which presented him with the Most Inspirational Performer of the Year Award.
 
In the pool, the 6-foot-1 backstroker had a spectacular freshman year, becoming just the fifth athlete in school history to win both, the school's rookie of the year award and the Forbes Trophy as McGill's male athlete of the year. Also voted Team MVP, he was the league's swimmer of the year after winning won five gold medals at the conference championships to earn swimmer of the meet honours. He added silver and bronze medals at Nationals, where he broke three school records. After the season ended, he was one of four McGill swimmers selected to represent the country at the Canada–Great Britain Dual Swim Meet, where he won gold and bronze medals. It capped a remarkable season that produced 17 gold medal performances in seven meets.
 
Erik Linseisen, an alternate captain with the men's swim team, is a 22-year-old from across the border in Burlington, Vt., although he is a dual citizen since mother hails from Newfoundland. A fifth-year senior majoring in civil engineering, he is the holder of several scholarships, has earned Academic All-Canadian status and made the President's Student-athlete Honour Roll. In the pool, Linseisen currently holds the school record for the 100 and 200 breaststroke and is part of two relay records. A Quebec conference all-star, he is also a U SPORTS All-Canadian. Over his five seasons, he has competed in 21 RSEQ University Cup meets, winning 27 gold medals, 21 silvers and 13 bronzes. Last spring, he received the RSEQ and U SPORTS Student-athlete Community Service Award. Last month, he was named as the recipient of a Jean Béliveau Athletic Award for leadership.
 
Linseisen founded the Alta Construction Group to address the housing crisis impacting communities across Canada, with a focus on Quebec. As a first responder with St. John's Ambulance, he has provided medical first aid at the Bell Centre and various events across Montreal. He connects engineering students with industry leaders by organizing networking events and workshops with companies such as Bell, RBC, Deloitte, and National Bank. 
A mentor for others dealing with celiac disease, Eric works with McGill officials to provide opportunities for students with this disease to have access to safe food on campus. He also offers swim lessons to others in his community, with ages ranging from four to 70 years of age. And finally, in his home state, he has supported the Vermont Lieutenant Governor's Farm to provide fresh produce to communities around the state.
 
Saransh Padhy, captain of the men's basketball team, is a 21-year-old from Stouffville, Ont. He enrolled at McGill last fall after playing at Cape Fear Academy, a prep school in Wilmington, North Carolina. Currently an Honours electrical engineering junior, he is a recipient of an Aleo Foundation Leadership Award and has made the President's Student-athlete Honour Roll.
 
On the court, Padhy is a 6-foot-7, 204-pound centre with the basketball Redbirds. He was the team's rookie of the year and earned Quebec conference's All-Rookie honours. In his sophomore year, he started in 15 of 16 regular season games, finishing fourth on the team in scoring and third in rebounding. He has picked up the pace again this year and currently leads the team in both categories. And in the team's final game of the fall semester, he posted a career-best 27 points, along with a dozen rebounds in a game at UQAM.Off the court, aside from his role as team captain, he served as a group leader during McGill Orientation Week. He has also volunteered to help students move into their residences and has coordinated study sessions with his teammates.
 
Stuart Klenner, captain of the men's soccer team, hails from Kamloops, B.C.  A 24-year-old mechanical engineering junior, he holds a Canada Awards scholarship and has made the Dean's Honour List, the President's Student-athlete Honour Roll and Academic All-Canadian status.
 
On the soccer pitch, the 6-foot-4, 175-pound defender backstopped the Redbirds to a berth at the 2024 Nationals in Oshawa, where he was named as player of the game after a first-round upset over No. 4 seeded Ontario Tech. Off the field, the Redbirds captain serves as a tutor to first-year students in calculus and physics. He recently completed an eight-month research project with the McGill Macrobiotics Lab and found time to contribute to the McGill Robotics Team.
 
DOROTHY NICHOL SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS:
These awards are accompanied by a $2,000 prize, on the basis of academic achievement and contributions to extra-curricular activities in athletics. The scholarship is named after Prof. Dorothy Nichol, who was inducted to the McGill Sports Hall of Fame in 1999 and passed away in 2001.
 
Rosalie Beaudin, from Montreal, is a member of the Martlets volleyball team who plays the libero position on the court. She just celebrated her 22nd birthday last week and is a bio-engineering sophomore and holder of a Michel Labonté Entrance Scholarship. In her freshman year, she achieved a 3.93 grade-point average to earn Academic All-Canadian status and qualify for the President's Student-athlete Honour Roll. She dressed for 20 of the team's 21 regular season matches last season and registered 50 digs and 17 assists. At the year-end volleyball banquet, Rosalie earned the Martlets Most Outstanding Teammate Award.
 
Off the court, she volunteered for a number of fundraising efforts, including Motionball (in support of the Special Olympics), the Défi Canderel (a corporate run for cancer research in Montreal) and a McGill Fashion Show (to raise awareness of Anorexia and Bulimia in Quebec).
 
Sandrine Méthot, from Montreal, was voted in her second year as captain of the Martlets volleyball team. A 21-year-old physical and health education sophomore, she is a recipient of a MEES Excellence Bursary from the Quebec Minister of Education and qualified for the President's Student-athlete Honour Roll.
 
On the court, she is a 5-foot-10 middle blocker who started in all 21 regular season games as a rookie last season. Sandrine led the team with 14 solo stuff blocks and assisted on 27 others. She was also credited with 92 digs, 89 kills, 19 aces and 13 assists. At the Martlets' year-end banquet, she received the team's most passionate player award. Off the court, she finds time to instruct youth at a volleyball camp and serves as a volunteer assistant coach with a local high school team.
 
Emilia Diaz-Ruiz, a 19-year-old native of Hamilton, Ont., is a six-foot forward on the women's basketball team. She is a chemical engineering sophomore who has merited multiple academic scholarships, including the Richard Herzer Entrance Award for chemical engineering. She qualified for both, Academic All-Canadian status, and the President's Student-athlete Honour Roll.
 
On the basketball court, she is a constant "double-double" threat (which is a highly-sought achievement in basketball). She had a particularly impressive game earlier this season, scoring 12 points and becoming only the fourth player in McGill Martlets history to pull down 18 or more rebounds in a game, which was just five short of the school's single-game rebounding record held by Hall of Famer Sylvia Sweeney. Off the court, she has served on multiple committees, including the National Society of Black Engineers, the Chemical Engineering Students' Society, the Black Heritage Month Campaign and the McGill Athletes in Business.
 
Emma-Jane Scotten, a 23-year-old native of Perth, Ont., is a two-time conference all-star guard and co-captain of the women's basketball team.  Known to her teammates as "EJ", she joined the program during the COVID pandemic year and graduated last spring with an education degree in Global Contexts. The holder of a Genereux & Legault Leadership Award, she has returned for a master's degree in educational leadership. She has made the President's Student-athlete Honour Roll and earn Academic All-Canadian status. 
 
Off the court, she is a writer for Resilience Montreal, an indigenous-led community project in support of the homeless population. She has served as a mentor for young students, sits on the Women in Sport student-athlete council and also volunteers with the team's McGill 24 fundraising initiative.
 
T. PALMER HOWARD AWARD
This award is an annual $2,000 bursary presented annually to a McGill varsity swimmer who has demonstrated leadership while maintaining a high academic standing. It was established in 2002 by Catherine Howard in memory of her husband, a holder of two McGill degrees (Arts '31,  Law '34) and a member of the McGill swim team, who was one of the founders of the Martlet Foundation.
 
Iris Tinmouth, a 21-year-old senior in microbiology and immunology, captain of the swim team and hails from Comox, B.C. She qualified for the Dean's Honour List, Academic All-Canadian status and the President's Student-athlete Honour Roll. She is the also holder of several scholarships, including the Jean Beliveau Award for leadership. In the pool, Tinmouth is a freestyle and butterfly distance specialist, who helped the Martlets place second at the national championships last year, the team's best finish ever. Last July, she was one of four McGillians selected to represent a U SPORTS Canadian university national team the inaugural Canada–Great Britain Dual Swim Meet. Held in England, she won silver and bronze medals to help Canada win the meet. Last month, she broke three school records in a senior open meet held in Quebec City. One of the team's top scorers in every meet, she helped McGill win the Quebec conference championship in each of her previous three seasons. And she has already qualified for Nationals for the fourth consecutive season.
 
Away from the pool, she has volunteered with the Student Accessibility Office. She serves with the Special Olympics and helps coordinate the swim team's pancreatic cancer fundraiser that raised over $8,500.  She also served as an ambassador for the team's McGill 24 fundraiser. In addition, she joined McGill MEDLIFE, a club that supports global health initiatives and works with students toward a common goal of delivering medical care to low-income families.

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SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman
Sports Information Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
CELL: 514-983-7012
E-MAIL:earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca