2015 CIS All-Canadians announced

QUEBEC CITY (CIS) – The 2015 Canadian Interuniversity Sport football all-stars were announced on Thursday evening during the Sun Life Financial All-Canadian Banquet presented by Mallette

Official Vanier Cup website: www.vaniercup.com

The awards gala was held at the Hilton Quebec hotel as part of the CIS championship celebrations. The University of Montreal Carabins face-off against the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in the ArcelorMittal Vanier Cup presented by Promutuel Assurance on Saturday at 1 p.m. EST at TELUS-UL Stadium in Quebec City.

Coverage on TVA Sports and Sportsnet / Sportsnet 360 gets underway with pre-game shows at noon and 12:30 pm, respectively. The 51^st CIS football final will also be streamed live on the web at CIS-SIC.tv.

“Sun Life Financial is thrilled and proud to partner with Canadian Interuniversity Sport for the presentation of the 51^st Vanier Cup banquet. I salute the determination, passion and commitment of the players who excel not only on the field but also in the classroom. Among those exceptional models are without a doubt the leaders of tomorrow and maybe our future colleagues,” said Robert Dumas, President, Sun Life Financial, Quebec.

For the second straight year, the selection was dominated by the Calgary Dinos, who topped the national rankings for most of the season. The Dinos placed no less than 11 players among the CIS elite, two more than in 2014, including nine on the first constellation.

Powerhouses Laval and Western followed with six all-stars apiece. For their part, Vanier Cup contenders Montreal and UBC boasts three and one, respectively.

On offence, the first all-Canadian team is comprised of Calgary quarterback Andrew Buckley, running backs Mercer Timmis of Calgary and Dillon Campbell of Wilfrid Laurier, receivers Mitch Hillis of Saskatchewan, Ian Stewart of Ottawa, Rashaun Simonise of Calgary and Danny Vandervoort of McMaster, as well as linemen Sean McEwen and Braden Schram of Calgary, Jason Lauzon-Séguin and Charles Vaillancourt, both of Laval, and Sean Jamieson of Western.

Buckley, Timmis, Campbell, McEwen, Vaillancourt and Jamieson are all returnees from last year’s top unit, with Timmis and Vaillancourt receiving the honour for a third consecutive season.

Buckley cemented his legacy as one of the best quarterbacks in CIS history this fall. In his final university campaign, the fifth-year kinesiology student claimed his second straight Hec Crighton Trophy as the most outstanding player in the country after he set a national record for most passing yards in a season (3,162) and a Canada West mark for passing accuracy (72%), while throwing for 19 touchdowns against only one interception in eight league contests.

On defence, the first CIS dream team for 2015 is made up of linemen David Onyemata of Manitoba, Samuel Narkaj of Concordia, Mathieu Betts of Laval and Jesse St. James of Acadia, linebackersJohn Rush of Guelph, Drew Morris of Acadia and Doctor Cassama of Calgary, safety Jesse McNair of Western, defensive backs Robert Woodson of Calgary and Maïko Zepeda of Montreal, as well as corners Adam Laurensse of Calgary and Godrey Onyeka of Laurier.

St. James and Laurensse are the only returnees from the 2014 first unit.

Onyemata, Betts and Rush – like Buckley – all returned home with major individual awards. Onyemata claimed the J.P. Metras Trophy (outstanding down lineman), Betts captured the Peter Gorman Trophy (rookie of the year) and Rush merited the Presidents’ Trophy (best stand-up defensive player).

Rounding out the list of first-team all-Canadians, on special teams, were UBC punter Quinn van Gylswyk, Calgary placekicker Johnny Mark and Carleton kick returner Tunde Adeleke.

Mark, a 2014 CFL draft pick of the Saskatchewan Roughriders who attended the Ottawa Redblacks’ training camp last summer, tied the national record for most field goals in a season with 26 and wrapped up his stellar U of C career as the CIS all-time leader in scoring (535 points) and field goals (91).

2015 CIS FOOTBALL ALL-CANADIANS

FIRST TEAM

Pos.     Athlete                                    University       Year    Hometown                  Academic Program

Offence

QB       Andrew Buckley          Calgary                        5          Calgary, Alta.               Kinesiology

RB       Dillon Campbell          Laurier             5          Whitby, Ont.                Kin. / Phys. Ed.

RB       Mercer Timmis                        Calgary                        4          Burlington, Ont.           Haskayne Business

IR        Mitch Hillis                  Saskatchewan  3          Saskatoon, Sask.          Kinesiology

IR        Ian Stewart                   Ottawa             5          Burlington, Ont.           Commerce-Finance

WR      Rashaun Simonise       Calgary                        3          Vancouver, B.C.          Arts

WR      Danny Vandervoort     McMaster         3          Barrie, Ont.                  Sociology

C          Sean McEwen              Calgary                        5          Calgary, Alta.               Science

T          Braden Schram                        Calgary                        3          Manning, Alta.             Arts

T          Jason Lauzon-Séguin   Laval               4          Pte. Claire, Que.           Social Studies

G         Charles Vaillancourt    Laval               4          Coaticook, Que.                       Business Admin.

G         Sean Jamieson             Western           4          Winnipeg, Man.                       Kinesiology

 

Defence

 

DT       David Onyemata          Manitoba         4          Lagos, Nigeria              Arts

DT       Samuel Narkaj              Concordia        3          Toronto, Ont.               Urban Studies

DE       Mathieu Betts               Laval               1          Montreal, Que.             Phys. Ed. & Health

DE       Jesse St. James             Acadia             4          Pincourt, Que.              Business Admin.

LB       John Rush                    Guelph             5          Niagara Falls, Ont.       Marketing Management

LB       Drew Morris                Acadia             5          Ottawa, Ont.                Business Admin.

LB       Doctor Cassama           Calgary                        5          Kristianstad, Sweden   Open Studies

FS        Jesse McNair               Western           3          London, Ont.               Man. & Org. Studies

DB       Robert Woodson          Calgary                        3          Calgary, Alta.               Arts

DB       Maïko Zepeda              Montreal          4          LaSalle, Que.               Industrial Relations

CB       Godrey Onyeka                       Laurier             2          Brampton, Ont.                        Health Sciences

CB       Adam Laurensse          Calgary                        3          Sherwood Park, Alta.   Arts

 

Special Teams

 

P          Quinn van Gylswyk     UBC                3          Victoria, B.C.               Arts

K         Johnny Mark               Calgary                        5          Peterborough, Ont.       Science

RET     Tunde Adeleke                        Carleton           3          Ottawa, Ont.                Communications

 

SECOND TEAM

 

Offence          

 

QB       Will Finch                    Western           4          Burlington, Ont.           Social Sciences

RB       Alex Taylor                 Western           2          Winnipeg, Man.                       Kinesiology

RB       Ashton Dickson                       StFX                5          Ottawa, Ont.                Arts

IR        Brian Jones                  Acadia             4          Enfield, N.S.                Science

IR        Jimmy Ralph               Alberta             3          Raymond, Alta.                       Education

WR      Yanic Lessard              Concordia        1          Ste. Julie, Que.             Economics

WR      Jacob Scarfone                        Guelph             3          London, Ont.               Economics & Finance

C          Matthew Van Praet      Western           3          London, Ont.               Kinesiology

T          Eddie Merdith              Western           4          Toronto, Ont.               Social Sciences

T          Vernon Sainvil             StFX                3          Malden, Mass.             Arts

G         Darius Ciraco               Calgary                        2          Burlington, Ont.           Haskayne Business

G         Philippe Gagnon          Laval               4          L’Ancienne-Lorette, Que.        Tox. Studies

 

Defence

 

DT       Donovan Dale             Saskatchewan  4          Saskatoon, Sask.          Kinesiology

DT       Adam Melanson          Acadia             3          Kentville, N.S.             Arts

DE       Kwaku Boateng                       Laurier             3          Milton, Ont.                 Business

DE       Jonathan Boissonneault-Glaou            Montreal          2          Lyster, Que.                 Mechanical Engineering

LB       Shayne Gauthier          Laval               4          Dolbeau-Mistassini, Que.         Entrep. & Management

LB       Jake Heathcote                        McMaster         2          Aldergrove, B.C.          Commerce

LB       Micah Teitz                  Calgary                        2          Calgary, Alta.               Arts

FS        Kwame Adjei               Mount Allison  5          Brampton, Ont.                        Sociology

DB       Nicholas Parisotto        Guelph             2          Guelph, Ont.                CLOM

DB       Mikaël Charland          Concordia        4          Gatineau, Que.             Human Environment

CB       Alex Hovington                       Laval               4          Montreal, Que.             Management

CB       Devante Sampson        Mount Allison  3          Mississauga, Ont.         Sociology

 

Special Teams

 

P          Félix Ménard-Brière     Montreal          3          Ste. Agathe-des-Monts, Que.   Architecture

K         Gabriel Ferraro                        Guelph             2          Mississauga, Ont.         CLOM

RET     Jamel Lyles                  Manitoba         1          Surrey, B.C.                 Undeclared