WINDSOR, Ont. (CIS) - The CIS track and field individual award winners for the 2008-09 season were announced Thursday afternoon prior to the start of the national championships that will run through Saturday at the University of Windsor's St. Denis Centre.

Championship website:
www.universitysport.ca/e/championships/track/2009

On the women's side, Lindsay Carson (Cambridge, Ont.) of the Guelph Gryphons was named the outstanding performer of the year in track events, Regina's Janine Polischuk (Regina) was selected the top performer in field events, Sherbrooke's Annie Larose (Longueuil, Que.) was chosen rookie of the year, and Waterloo's Nancy Spreitzer (Kitchener, Ont.) received the Student-Athlete Community Service Award.

The male recipients were Calgary's Sam Effah (Calgary), who received the season MVP nod in track events, Lethbridge's Jim Steacy (Lethbridge, Alta.), who was the choice in field events, Regina's Jeremy Eckert (Regina), named rookie of the year, as well as Calgary's Evan Kimick (Calgary), who claimed the Student-Athlete Community Service Award.

Polischuk and Effah were both honoured for the second straight year. Carson was female of the year in 2007-08. Steacy, a 2008 Olympian and a former CIS male rookie of the year back in 2002-03, became a four-time winner of the male MVP award in field events (2008-09, '06-07, '04-05, '03-04).

Female athlete of the year (track events): Lindsay Carson (Cambridge, Ont.), Guelph

In her second university campaign, Carson was named female MVP of the OUA championships after she claimed gold in the 1,500-metre and 3,000m races and silver in the 1,000m. Her performances helped the Guelph women capture their first-ever OUA team title.

The sophomore is undefeated this season on 1,500 and 3,000 metres and posted a time of 9:10.04 on 3,000m at the Notre Dame Meyo Invitational, the second fastest time in CIS history and the 11th fastest in Canadian history on the distance. Carson goes into the 2009 CIS championships ranked second in the 1,000m, first in the 1,500m and tied for first in the 3,000m.

Female athlete of the year (field events): Janine Polischuk (Regina), Regina

In her fifth and final year of CIS eligibility - her third season at Regina after transferring from San Diego State, Polischuk was named the Canada West female athlete of the year in field events. At the conference championships, the 24-year-old kinesiology and health studies student claimed gold in the long jump, triple jump and 60m hurdles, and silver in the pentathlon and high jump.

Named female athlete of the meet at last year's CIS championship, Polishuk enters the 2009 nationals ranked first in the long jump and in the top four in the triple jump, high jump, 60m hurdles and pentathlon.

"Janine is an exceptionally gifted athlete," said Regina head coach Carla Nicholls. "She has been a joy to coach over the past three seasons and I am going to miss her dearly after this season. I'm looking forward to seeing Janine finish off her CIS career with a huge meet this weekend."

Female rookie of the year: Annie Larose (Longueuil, Que.), Sherbrooke

Larose, a 19-year-old freshman out of Collège Saint-Paul in Varennes, Que., was named the QSSF female athlete of the year in field events after she captured gold in the weight throw and silver in the shot put at the Quebec conference championships, and set a QSSF weight throw record of 18.18 metres. She enters her first CIS meet seeded No. 1 in the weight throw and is ranked 11th in the shot put.

"Annie is an exceptional athlete who is extremely well coached by Boris Zaitchouk," said Sherbrooke head coach Richard Crevier. "We will keep working hard with her over the next few years to ensure she continues to develop."

Female student-athlete community service award: Nancy Spreitzer (Kitchener, Ont.), Waterloo

Spreitzer, 20, is a volunteer at Reaching Our Outdoor Friends (ROOF) helping out homeless people in the Kitchener-Waterloo region. She also volunteers at Huron Heights Secondary School for physical education, kinesiology and sociology classes, and part of the University of Waterloo Team-Up school outreach program.

Male athlete of the year (track events): Sam Effah (Calgary), Calgary

Effah, a third-year communication and culture student, was named the Canada West male athlete of the year in track events this season. At the conference championships, the 20-year-old junior set a record in the 60-metre dash with a time of 6.64 seconds and also claimed gold in the 300m. The defending CIS champion in both the 60m and 300m and the reigning CIS championship male MVP, he is seeded No. 1 in the shorter distance going into the nationals and is currently ranked second on 300 metres.

Effah, who is currently ranked in the top 35 worldwide in the 60, represented Canada at the 2008 NACAC U-23 championships in Mexico, where he finished with a bronze medal in the 200 metres and a fourth-place finish in the 100. He was also invited to the national relay training camp in the lead-up to the Beijing Olympics and is squarely on the national team's radar for future Olympic Games.

Male athlete of the year (field events): Jim Steacy (Lethbridge, Alta.), Lethbridge

After taking last season off to concentrate on his training for the Beijing Olympics, Steacy returned to university track and field and was named both the Canada West male athlete of the year in field events and the top male performer at the conference championships. In his fifth and final appearance at the conference meet, he won his fifth weight throw title - by more than six metres - breaking his own Canada West record, and claimed his third shot put gold medal. Steacy, who shattered the weight throw mark for the fifth time in as many trips to the Canada West meet, enters the CIS championships as a nine-time Canada West medalist and a seven-time CIS medalist, including 14 first-place finishes.

This past summer, Steacy fulfilled his Olympic dream in Beijing, becoming the first Canadian in over 84 years to qualify for the hammer throw finals, where he finished tenth.

"Jim is one of those rare individuals that combines dedication, passion and enthusiasm with talent to achieve his goals," said Lethbridge head coach Larry Steinke. "He has consistently been at the top of his event for five years in the CIS, and as a result of his dedication, also been dominant to a degree that is unsurpassed in CIS athletics history."

Male rookie of the year: Jeremy Eckert (Regina), Regina

Eckert, an 18-year-old science student out of Archbishop M.C. O'Neill High School in Regina, claimed gold at the Canada West championships with a high jump of 2.03 metres. The six-foot-two freshman enters his first CIS meet as the No. 3 seed in the event.

"Jeremy is the finest male rookie track athlete that the University of Regina has had in many years," said Nicholls. "He's an exceptionally hard worker and I fully expect him to continue improving over his years as a Cougar."

Male student-athlete community service award: Evan Kimick (Calgary), Calgary

Last semester, Kimick created a new club at the University of Calgary called the Random Acts of Kindness Club (RAKC). The mission of RAKC is to give students the opportunity to give back to the U of C, the community as well as the City of Calgary as a whole. The 19-year-old engineering student is currently the club president and, so far, has organized and led events such as volunteering with Samaritan's Purse: Operation Christmas Child, as well as putting together and donating over 200 sandwiches for the Calgary Mustard Seed.

On top of track and field, a seven academic course load and RAKC, Kimick volunteers every week with a program called Linkages (formerly Friends of Seniors). Kimick provides a listening ear for his senior citizen friend, Mike, plays cards, listens to his stories, shares stories from his own life and has the opportunity to gain wisdom through Mike's personal life experiences. He also spends time volunteering with Engineers Without Borders (University of Calgary Chapter), the Mustard Seed and Samaritan's Purse.


CIS TRACK & FIELD: 2008-09 SEASON AWARDS

Women

Athlete of the year (track events): Lindsay Carson (Cambridge, Ont.), Guelph

Athlete of the year (field events): Janine Polischuk (Regina), Regina

Rookie of the year: Annie Larose (Longueuil, Que.), Sherbrooke

Student-athlete community service award: Nancy Spreitzer (Kitchener, Ont.), Waterloo

Men

Athlete of the year (track events): Sam Effah (Calgary), Calgary

Athlete of the year (field events): Jim Steacy (Lethbridge, Alta.), Lethbridge

Rookie of the year: Jeremy Eckert (Regina), Regina

Student-athlete community service award: Evan Kimick (Calgary), Calgary




2009 CIS CHAMPIONSHIPS SCHEDULE

Thursday, March 12

13:00 Weight Throw (W) Final
14:30 60m Hurdles (W) Pentathlon
14:45 60m Hurdles (M) Pentathlon
15:00 High Jump (W) Pentathlon
15:30 Long Jump (M) Pentathlon
16:50 Shot Put (M) Pentathlon
17:50 Shot Put (W) Pentathlon
18:30 High Jump (M) Pentathlon
18:50 Long Jump (W) Pentathlon
19:15 600m (W) Heats
19:30 600m (M) Heats
19:50 60m (W) Heats
20:00 60m (M) Heats
20:20 800m (W) Pentathlon
20:30 1000m (M) Pentathlon
20:50 60m (W) Final
21:00 60m (M) Final

Friday, March 13

13:30 60m Hurdles (W) Heats
13:45 60m Hurdles (M) Heats
14:00 4x200m Relay (W) Heats
14:20 4x200m Relay (M) Heats
15:30 Weight Throw (M) Final
18:00 60m Hurdles (M) Final
18:00 Pole Vault (W) Final
18:05 High Jump (M) Final
18:10 Long Jump (W) Final
18:15 60m Hurdles (W) Final
18:30 300m (W) Heats
18:45 300m (M) Heats
19:00 1000m (W) Final
19:15 1000m (M) Final
19:30 3000m (W) Final
19:50 3000m (M) Final
20:00 Shot Put (W) Final
20:05 Long Jump (M) Final
20:30 300m (W) Final
20:35 300m (M) Final
21:00 4x800m Relay (W) Final
21:15 4x800m Relay (M) Final

Saturday, March 15

12:00 Triple Jump (W) Final
12:05 Shot Put (M) Final
13:00 Pole Vault (M) Final
13:30 600m (W) Final
13:45 600m (M) Final
14:00 High Jump (W) Final
14:00 4x200m Relay (W) Final
14:05 Triple Jump (M) Final
14:15 4x200m Relay (M) Final
14:45 1500m (W) Final
15:00 1500m (M) Final
15:30 4x400m Relay (W) Final
15:45 4x400m Relay (M) Final

-CIS-