Can West players of Year: Nixon Hec Crighton nominee

CANADA WEST – University of Saskatchewan Huskies quarterback Laurence Nixon finished his CIS career with his best season, tallying a Canada West-best 16 touchdowns and a 160.7 pass efficiency to win honours as Player of the Year, taking the Frank Gnup Trophy and becoming a finalist for the coveted Hec Crighton Trophy.

Nixon led the Huskies to the top scoring offence (287 points), total offence (499.8 yards per game), and passing offence (326.9 yards per game) in the Canada West. The Richmond, B.C. native finished the 2010 season completing 167-of-256 pass attempts for 2,424 yards in eight games this season. Twice this season, Nixon was named Canada West and CIS Football Offensive Player of the Year for throwing more than 420 yards in games against Alberta and Regina.
“Laurence capped off his CIS career with his best season as a Huskie,” said head coach Brian Towriss. “He is a great competitor, a great leader and an even better person.”
He finishes his career fifth in the conference in pass completions at 535 and first in completion percentage at 65.2.

Voted 2010 Canada West Rookie of the Year was Calgary Dinos quarterback Eric Dzwilewski.
It was supposed to be a year to watch and learn for Dzwilewski, but that all changed when Hec Crighton winner Erik Glavic was injured in Week 1, forcing the 18-year-old into the spotlight for the Calgary Dinos.
And the rookie from Boise, Idaho, responded. He won his first four Canada West starts. In five starts and change, Dzwilewski (pronounced de-LESS-key) threw for 894 yards and six touchdowns, while adding another 446 yards along the ground. He was the Dinos’ second-leading rusher on the season and finished seventh in Canada West rushing.
The graduate of Boise’s Centennial High School finished the season 4-1 as a starting QB and was the unanimous choice of the Canada West coaches to be the conference’s nominee for the Peter Gorman trophy as CIS rookie of the year. He is studying first-year history at the University of Calgary.
“You could argue that Eric Dzwilewski was the MVP of the Dinos in 2010. To have an 18-year-old quarterback step in unexpectedly and win his first four starts speaks volumes of his on-field talent and mindset,” said Dinos head coach Blake Nill. “Eric is a dual-threat athlete who can make big plays through the air or with his feet. The Dinos will be in good shape with Eric at the helm over the next four years.”

Third-year left tackle Paul Swiston of the Calgary Dinos is the Canada West Lineman of the Year and the conference’s nominee for the J.P. Metras Trophy.
Standing six-foot-nine and weighing in at 342 pounds, the hulking Swiston anchored a Calgary offensive line deep in talent and featuring three conference all-stars. Once again they paved the way for the Calgary rushing attack, which was tops in the conference by more than 600 yards on the season, and gave quarterbacks Erik Glavic and Eric Dzwilewski time to deliver the ball.
Swiston, a graduate of Dr. E.P. Scarlett High School, is studying economics in the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Arts. He was a Canada West all-star at his position.
“Paul has enjoyed a breakout year with the Dinos in 2010. It is clear he has become another stalwart amongst an already solid offensive line. After battling serious injuries over the last two seasons, Paul’s potential was obvious this season,” said Coach Nill.

Sam Hurl was Mr. Everything for the Calgary defence in 2010, earning the conference’s Outstanding Defensive Player recognition and nomination for the CIS President’s Award in just his second year of eligibility.
After a rash of injuries during training camp, Hurl moved from his halfback spot up to linebacker for the opening game of the season against the Saskatchewan Huskies – then promptly recorded 12.5 tackles in the game, a season-high in Canada West. He went on to record 42 tackles on the season, including 35 solos, before an injury on the opening kickoff of the final game of the season forced him to the sidelines.
Hurl played multiple positions in the Calgary defence, moving from middle linebacker to rover to weak-side linebacker, and even taking a few reps at his old halfback spot. He was named to the Canada West All-Star team at linebacker.
Head coach Blake Nill commented, “Sam’s value to the program was exemplified this season as he played no fewer than three positions at various points. He has tremendous instincts on defence, which allow him to react to the play quickly. Sam’s attitude toward the game will make him a key member of the Dinos for years to come.”

For the second consecutive season, the conference’s Outstanding Student-Athlete nominee is Thomas Hall of Manitoba, who went on to win the Russ Jackson award at the CIS level in 2009.
On the field, in his second full season, the 6’3”, 223 lbs. linebacker was named a captain for the first time. He led the team and was fourth in the Canada West conference with 42.5 total tackles (33 solo) during the 2010 season. Hall also had 4.5 tackles for losses, tied for 13th best in conference, plus added two sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery this season.
The 20-year-old Winnipeg native is in his fourth year in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management and earned his second consecutive CIS Academic All-Canadian status in his second year of academic eligibility with a GPA of 4.14. In addition, Hall was selected as a CIS Desjardins Top 8 Academic All-Canadian for the 2009-10 season.
This season Hall is the Director of Project Echo (a not-for-profit organization) that he co-founded in the summer of 2010. Project Echo has a sole goal to make Winnipeg a better place and they have already had three initiatives in the fall of 2010 as they raised money for Winnipeg city libraries, sponsored a home in Namibia, Africa to provide for ten orphan children and raised money for breast cancer. He was also elected as the chair of the U of Manitoba Athlete’s Council (UMAC), received the U of M Student’s Union Scholarship based on academic record and was the Bison Sports Male Student-Athlete Leadership and Community Development Award winner for the second year in a row. Hall has been heavily involved over the last three seasons with “Bison Against Bullying” and starts his second season as the co-chair of the program, among other university and community endeavours.
Bisons football head coach Brian Dobie reflected, “Thomas continues to be a person who does great things on and off the field. He stepped up on the field as a new team captain this season and his leadership in the community is shown with new involvement such as Project Echo along with his many areas he has already assisted now and in the future. I am very proud of Thomas as a student-athlete.”

Canada West Coach of the Year and Frank Tindall Trophy nominee Brian Towriss, in his 27th year as head coach, led the Saskatchewan Huskies to a first-place 6-2 record in 2010. It is the third straight year and fifth time in eight seasons the Huskies have finished first in the Canada West.
As a team, the Huskies led in scoring offence, defensive points allowed, total offence, total yards allowed, rushing defence, pass offence, pass efficiency, kickoff returns, punt return average and interceptions.
“Brian Towriss is a well-respected leader in the coaching fraternity across all CIS sports,” said Huskie athletic director Basil Hughton. “He is above reproach in all of his dealings with young athletes and colleagues. We are truly pleased he has received this well-deserved honour once again in his storied career.”
Towriss has led Saskatchewan to three Vanier Cup titles, 11 Hardy Cup titles and nine Vanier Cup appearances. This is the eighth time in his career he has been named Canada West Coach of the Year.
Individual Canada West award winners are as follows (*unanimous selection):
Hec Crighton Player of the Year nominee / Frank Gnup Memorial Trophy: Laurence Nixon, Saskatchewan
Peter Gorman Rookie of the Year nominee: *Eric Dzwilewski, Calgary
John Metras Outstanding Lineman nominee: Paul Swiston, Calgary
President’s Award Outstanding Defensive Player nominee: Sam Hurl, Calgary
Russ Jackson Outstanding Student-Athlete nominee: Thomas Hall, Manitoba
Coach of the Year: Brian Towriss, Saskatchewan

All winners automatically become finalists for the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) awards to be handed out on Thursday, Nov. 25 at Centre des congrès de Québec in Quebec City as part of The 46th Vanier Cup, hosted by Université Laval.

On Saturday @ 3:00 p.m. MT the Calgary Dinos will host the Alberta Golden Bears in the 74th Hardy Cup game at McMahon Stadium. The game can be seen live across Western Canada on Shaw Television & Shaw Direct.

About Canada West Universities Athletic Association
Canada West is consistently the most decorated of the four conferences in Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS), winning at least 10 CIS national titles every year since 1997-98. Comprised of 14 schools, from the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, the CWUAA produces numerous major award winners and Academic All-Canadian student-athletes each year, with many going on to athletic success around the globe in pro leagues or events such as the Olympics, Paralympics or Universiade Games. For more information, visit www.canadawest.org; follow “cwuaa” on Twitter.
A proud member of Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS)