StFX Athletics announces 2015 Gallivan scholarship recipient

Antigonish, NS - StFX Athletics is pleased to announce their newest Danny Gallivan Memorial Scholarship recipient. Tristen Ross from Truro, N.S. will be suiting up for the X-Men basketball team this coming fall and has been named the latest recipient of the prestigious award.

"I am very excited to have Tristen as part of the X-Men basketball program," comments veteran X-Men head coach Steve Konchalski. "He is a great shooting guard with a high basketball IQ who I expect will have an immediate impact with our team as a freshman. His maturity on the court and his commitment to academics will set the bar high for the rest of his teammates. He will be a leader for the X-Men for years to come."

The Danny Gallivan Memorial Scholarship was established in 1992 to honor Danny Gallivan, an outstanding Canadian and widely respected StFX alumnus. Gallivan (1917-1993) was a native of Sydney, N.S. and graduated from StFX in 1942. He was an outstanding radio and television personality who became known as 'the voice of the Montreal Canadiens' after covering play-by-play for over 1800 Canadiens hockey games. He became involved in numerous community fundraising initiatives after his 32 year broadcast career and was inducted into the Canadian Broadcasters Hall of Fame (1991), the Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame (1980) and received an honorary doctor of laws degree from StFX University in 1985.

The Danny Gallivan Memorial Scholarship is awarded to Canadian male and female varsity athletes who combine qualities of leadership with academic excellence. The award is currently valued up to $5000 per year and is renewable for up to four years as long as the recipient remains on the academic Dean's List.

Tristen Ross comes to the X-Men basketball squad via St. Johnsbury Academy in Vermont. The Truro, N.S. native enrolled at the Academy for his grade nine year and excelled throughout his four years there, both on and off the court. A two-year team captain, Ross led St. Johnsbury to the state finals in just his sophomore year. In his final season just this past year, Tristen was the leading scorer in the state of Vermont, averaging 23 points per game, being selected as a first team All-State athlete. He also won the state three-point shooting competition.

Off the court, Ross was a leader at the school, bringing forth integrity, kindness and passion to the school and leaving a lasting impression with the community. He served as a member of their residential leadership team, taking part all four years in student government, and as a student dorm proctor. Tristen attended the Vermont Principal Association Leadership Program which highlights chosen Vermont athletic scholars, and academically, he pushed himself with a challenging academic course load.  

Ross has a family history tied to StFX University. Coach Konchalski fondly recalls knowing Tristen since he was 3-4 years old, attending Xavier Basketball Camp each summer with his father, Chris, an outstanding player for the X-Men in the mid-1980's. A regular camp attendee, Tristen now joins his father as a camp instructor this summer. Tristen's late mother Lynn was also a StFX graduate.  

StFX Athletics is pleased to welcome Tristen Ross as the latest Gallivan scholarship recipient, joining an already highly skilled and talented group of academic student-athletes who have made significant contributions to StFX varsity athletics teams. Current scholarship recipients include Brooke Newsome (X-Women rugby) and Cole Grbavac (X-Men hockey).

Newsome, a flanker from Brantford, Ont., is a member of the defending CIS national champion X-Women rugby team. Entering her third year at StFX in the Human Kinetics program, she is coming off a successful 2014 campaign where she was named an AUS all-star and received CIS tournament all-star status.

Cole Grbavac, a Calgary, Alta. native, is a key forward and assistant captain with the X-Men hockey squad, heading into his fourth year in the Business Administration program. He received the highest honor in the StFX Leadership Academy this past season being honored as a Leader of Distinction, along with being an AUS James Bayer award nominee and finishing atop his business class.

 (30)