Guelph’s Dougherty named ArcelorMittal Dofasco CIS athlete of the week

OTTAWA (CIS) – Sarah Dougherty, a track and field star from the University of Guelph, and TJ Foster, a hockey player from the University of Alberta, are the ArcelorMittal Dofasco CIS female and male athletes of the week for the period ending Jan. 4, 2015.

Dougherty, a fourth-year criminal justice and public policy major from Renfrew, Ont., claimed gold in the weight throw and placed fourth in the shot put this past weekend at the Guelph New Year Opener. Last year's OUA champion and CIS bronze medallist won her specialty event with a throw of 17.00 metres, more than a full metre better than her closest rival. Thanks to that performance, Dougherty is currently ranked first in CIS in the weight throw and has qualified for the CIS championship which will be held in Windsor in March.

Basketball players Lindsay Lessard of St. Francis Xavier and Mariam Sylla of McGill were also nominated for the women's award.

Foster, a second-year business student from Slave Lake, Alta., tallied two goals and two assists to lead the nationally top-ranked Golden Bears (17-3) to a two-game sweep against No. 5 Calgary (13-7) to kick off the second half of the regular schedule. The 5-foot-11 forward struck once in Saturday's series opener, a convincing 6-1 victory on home ice, and added the game-winner and a pair of helpers on Sunday in a 5-3 road win. The former Edmonton Oil King currently ranks second in Canada West and third in CIS with 31 points (14-17-31) in 20 league contests.

StFX hockey player Bronson Maschmeyer, McGill basketball player Vincent Dufort and Nipissing hockey player Erik Robichaud were the other male nominees.

Female nominees:
AUS: Lindsay Lessard, basketball, StFX
RSEQ: Mariam Sylla, basketball, McGill
OUA: Sarah Dougherty, track & field, Guelph (recipient)
CWUAA: No female nominee this week

Male nominees:
AUS: Bronson Maschmeyer, hockey, StFX
RSEQ: Vincent Dufort, basketball, McGill
OUA: Erik Robichaud, hockey, Nipissing
CWUAA: TJ Foster, hockey, Alberta (recipient)

Source: CIS