Jenna Mae Ellsworth named U SPORTS Player of the Year
OTTAWA (U SPORTS) — Guard Jenna Mae Ellsworth of the UPEI Panthers and forward Brett Layton of the Calgary Dinos were honoured with the Nan Copp Award and Mike Moser Memorial Trophy as U SPORTS basketball Players of the Year Wednesday night, as the national award winners were celebrated at the joint All-Canadian Gala.
With the honour, Mae Ellsworth became the final member of the Top 100 players of the century, in celebration of the centennial anniversary of U SPORTS women's basketball.
Past Award Winners
Guards Jael Kabunda of Bishop's and Lloy Pandi of Carleton captured the Kathy Shields Award Dr. Peter Mullins Trophy as Rookies of the Year, while Western forward Julia Curran and Thompson Rivers guard Michael Rouault earned the Sylvia Sweeney and Ken Shields Awards for Student-Athlete Community Service for their outstanding contribution both on and off the court.
Forwards Khaléann Caron-Goudreau of Laval and Lock Lam of Lakehead took home Defensive Players of the Year honours, while bench bosses Mike Rao of Brock and Dalhousie's Rick Plato received the Peter Ennis Award and Stuart W. Aberdeen Memorial Trophy as Fox 40 Coaches of the Year.
Finally, Manitoba forward Addison Martin received the Tracy McLeod Award for her courage in overcoming adversity.
As the Exclusive Provider of championship rings and recognition jewelry of U SPORTS, Baron will provide customized rings to the First Team All-Canadians in football, basketball and hockey, as well as other major award winners.
The 2020 U SPORTS Final 8 Basketball Championships, hosted jointly for the first time by the Ottawa Gee-Gees, Carleton Ravens, and the Ottawa Sports & Entertainment Group, tips off on Thursday and concludes Sunday with the women's gold medal game at 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m., followed by the men's final at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.
All championship bracket games (quarterfinals, semifinals, medal games) from both tournaments will be played at The Arena at TD Place, while the consolation brackets are played at the Ravens Nest on the campus of Carleton University.
Livestreaming in English is available for free worldwide on CBCSports.ca, CBC Gem, the CBC Sports App for iOS and Android devices, with French digital coverage carried on USPORTS.LIVE.
NAN COPP AWARD (Player of the Year): Jenna Mae Ellsworth, UPEI
A fourth-year science student from Charlottetown, P.E.I., Ellsworth led the Panthers with 20.5 points per game this season, while also averaging 5.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.1 steals per game as the Panthers finished in first place in the regular season standings with a 17-3 record.
In addition to being named U SPORTS MVP, she also earned a place on the U SPORTS First All-Canadian squad for the first time in her career. She is a three-time AUS second team all-star and also earned AUS Rookie of the Year nods and a place on the AUS and U SPORTS All-Rookie team in her inaugural season with the Panthers in 2016-17.
With 1,231 career points scored in four seasons, she now sits tied for second in UPEI school history with a year of eligibility remaining.
Ellsworth is the first player in UPEI history and just the third from the AUS to earn the Nan Copp Award, placing her among the Top 100 players of the century, in celebration of the centennial anniversary of U SPORTS women's basketball.
