U SPORTS – TORONTO (U SPORTS) – Alex Kiss-Rusk from the McGill Martlets and Danny Demyanenko from the McMaster Marauders are the ArcelorMittal Dofasco U SPORTS female and male athletes of the week for the period ending March 12, 2017.

Kiss-Rusk, a fourth-year psychology student from Beaconsfield, Que., put up 51 points and averaged 37.7 minutes over three games at the Arcelormittal Dofasco U SPORTS Women’s Final 8, en route to the first national women’s basketball title in McGill history. The Martlets veteran scored back-to-back game-highs with 24 points in a 66-60 semifinal win over Carleton, followed by another 15 in the 66-55 title win over Laval.

Kiss-Rusk also led in assists twice, with six in the team’s 72-62 quarterfinal win over Regina, and five in the championship match. Aside from her offensive prowess, in every game of the tournament she also held the game-high in rebounds and blocks, pulling down 44 boards and registering six rejections. Her dominance on the court and on the scoresheet led to her being named tournament MVP.

Saint Mary’s Huskies hockey player Nicole Blanche, along with track and field athletes Lucia Stafford of the Toronto Varsity Blues and Niki Oudenaarden of the Calgary Dinos were also nominated for the women’s award.

Demyanenko, a fifth-year justice, political philosophy, and major law student from Toronto, racked up a total of 17 kills with a hitting percentage average of .762 in two shutout victories over the Ryerson Rams and Waterloo Warriors, as McMaster won its fifth consecutive OUA title. Aside from his offensive achievements, the OUA West Player of the Year also recorded one dig and six blocks in the pair of contests, with 4.5 blocks in the final match alone. His strong all-around play saw him named player of the match.

StFX X-Men hockey player Chase Marchand, along with track and field athletes Antoine Thibeault of the Laval Rouge et Or, and Peter Millman of the Lethbridge Pronghorns were the other male nominees. 

Female nominees:
AUS: Nicole Blanche, hockey, Saint Mary’s
RSEQ: Alex Kiss-Rusk, basketball, McGill (recipient)
OUA: Lucia Stafford, track and field, Toronto
CWUAA: Niki Oudenaarden, track and field, Calgary

Male nominees:
AUS: Chase Marchand, hockey StFX
RSEQ: Antoine Thibeault, track and field, Laval
OUA: Danny Demyanenko, volleyball, McMaster (recipient)
CWUAA: Peter Millman, track and field, Lethbridge

About ArcelorMittal Dofasco

ArcelorMittal Dofasco is Canada’s largest producer of flat carbon steel and is part of the world’s largest steel and mining company. Headquartered in Hamilton, ON, our more than 5,000 employees are dedicated to being world class as we strive to transform tomorrow with lighter, stronger and more sustainable steel. For us, steel is the fabric of life, as it is at the heart of the modern world. ArcelorMittal has a presence in more than 60 countries and an industrial footprint in over 20 countries. Guided by a philosophy to produce safe, sustainable steel, we are the leading supplier of quality steel in the major global steel markets including automotive, construction, household appliances and packaging, with world-class research and development and outstanding distribution networks.

For more information about ArcelorMittal please visit: http://dofasco.arcelormittal.com/.
Twitter: @ArcelorMittal_D             
Facebook: facebook.com/arcelormittaldofasco  

About U SPORTS

U SPORTS is the national brand for University Sports in Canada. Every year, over 12,000 student-athletes and 500 coaches from 56 universities vie for 21 national championships in 12 different sports. U SPORTS also provides higher performance international opportunities for Canadian student-athletes at Winter and Summer Universiades, as well as numerous world university championships. For further information, visit usports.ca or follow us on:

Twitter: @USPORTSca
Facebook: @USPORTSCanada
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Snapchat: @USPORTSca

-U SPORTS –

For further information, please contact:

Ken Saint-Eloy
Manager, Communications
U SPORTS
Cell: 647-871-7595
ksainteloy@usports.ca

Alan Hudes
Coordinator, Communications
U SPORTS
Off: 905-508-3000 ext. 242
Cell: 647-991-5343
ahudes@usports.ca