Concordia's Thursday Report

Basket cases: The Stingers’ Phillipe Langlois (5) in a game against Bishop’s on Nov. 30. Coach John Dore is counting on solid play from the veteran, as well as from Dilip Nayar and Daniel Lacasse, as league games resume in January. The men’s basketball team are still winless in three starts, but will get a holiday workout in a tournament at UBC at the end of the month. The women stand in second place with two wins and one loss. Head coach Keith Pruden says, “The team is capable of playing at a very high level, and we’ll have the second half of the schedule to prove it.”

Photo by Andrew Dobrowolskyj

by John Austen

Sommer Christie, an All-Canadian scrum half with the Concordia women’s rugby team, was honoured for her commitment to excellence in sport by Women In Networking (WIN) late last month.

The inaugural Women of Sport Awards were presented to outstanding candidates who have been “innovative, daring and challenged ideas while encouraging women to participate, lead and report in sports.”

Christie, 23, was a force to be reckoned with during every game and practice. In 10 games this season, the Stinger captain scored 18 tries. She was also named a CIS All-Canadian, the QSSF MVP and a QSSF all-star for her efforts.

The 23-year-old athletic therapy major is also a member of the Canadian senior national women’s rugby team and was captain of the Canadian national under-23 team.

Christie is a leader off the field, devoting many hours to working with children. Her focus is on developing leadership and self-esteem through sports. She will graduate with a BSc this term and will likely pursue her studies in sports administration or sports psychology.

Women In Networking’s mission is to improve and highlight the professional careers of women in the entertainment field and related industries through regular networking events.

Aiken named All-Canadian

Another Concordia Stinger football player has received accolades for his work. Fifth-year safety and team captain David Aiken was named to the first CIS All-Canadian team late last month in Toronto.

In eight regular season games, Aiken had 29 solo tackles, five assisted tackles, 11 pass breakups and four interceptions. He was also named to the QIFC all-star team for the second consecutive year.

The finance major joins a long line of Stingers to reach All-Canadian status, including: Burke Dales, punter, 2001; Steve Jobin, guard, 2000; Dwayne Bromfield, linebacker, 1998; Jeff Anderson, defensive tackle, 1997; and Dave Miller-Johnston, punter, 1997.

Aiken was also a finalist for the Russ Jackson Award presented annually to the football player who best combines athletics, academics and citizenship.

Neill, Perrotte take honours

A pair of Concordia basketball players took recent Athlete of the Week honours. Patrick Perrotte of the men’s team and Jennifer Neill of the women’s squad were the recipients of the awards.

Perrotte, a native of Verdun, collected 23 points and six rebounds in Concordia’s 73-67 loss to the McGill Redmen in recent action. The rookie forward sank seven of 11 field goals and went nine for 12 at the line. He accounted for 34.3 per cent of the Stingers’ scoring. Perrotte is a first-year leisure sciences major.

Neill, a fifth-year forward, scored 12 points and picked up six rebounds in Concordia’s narrow 49-47 win over the McGill Martlets last Friday.

She was the Stingers’ leading scorer. According to team coaches, the captain also helped the team stay calm and focused in the game, which was tense from beginning to end.

The LaSalle native is a marketing major.