Akpan and Culligan receive AUS rugby honours; five X-Women named to all-star team
STFX lock Akwaima Akpan was named the 2023 AUS Rookie of the Year, while centre Katherine Culligan received the AUS Community Service award. Five X-Women were named to the AUS all-star team including Emma MacDougall, Akwaima Akpan, Sophie Beck, Skye Koyote and Katie Murphy.
2023 AUS women's rugby major award winners and all-stars announced
Monday, Oct. 23, 2023
(HALIFAX, N.S.) Atlantic University Sport is pleased to announce the 2023 women's rugby major award winners and all-stars as selected by the conference's four head coaches following the regular season.
Third-year centre Sara Grant of the Acadia Axewomen has been named the AUS most valuable player while STFX second row/lock Akwaima Akpan has earned the AUS rookie of the year award.
This year's recipient of the AUS student-athlete community service award is Katherine Culligan, a third-year centre with the STFX X-Women.
And in his third season at the helm of the UPEI Panthers rugby program, coach James Voye has been named the AUS coach of the year for the second consecutive season.
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Sara Grant, Acadia Axewomen
Atlantic University Sport women's rugby's most valuable player for 2023 is Sara Grant of the Acadia Axewomen.
In addition to being named MVP, she was also named to the 2023 AUS all-star team for the second time in her career.
A third-year science student from Melrose, N.B., Grant led the Axewomen and finished second in the conference in points with 44 on the season—four tries and 12 conversions. She led Acadia to a 2-3-1 regular season record and a third-place finish in the regular season standings.
She was named Acadia's Player of the Game in the AUS championship semifinal versus STFX with three conversions in the 29-21 loss.
As the AUS MVP, Grant becomes this year's Atlantic conference nominee for the U SPORTS most valuable player award. The only AUS player to win the national award was Ghislaine Landry from STFX, who earned the accolade in both 2007 and 2008.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Akwaima Akpan, STFX X-Women
Akwaima Akpan of the STFX X-Women is the 2023 AUS women's rugby rookie of the year. This is the 12th time a STFX student-athlete has won this award.
A first-year human kinetics student from Halifax, N.S., Akpan played in all six games for the X-Women who finished the regular season with a 4-1-1 record and in second place in the conference standings.
She scored a league-leading seven tries this regular season—placing her second in team scoring and fourth in conference scoring with 35 points.
Akpan also opened the scoring for STFX in last week's championship semifinal with a try in the 12th minute.
In addition to being named the conference's top rookie, she was also named to the 2023 AUS all-star team today.
With her AUS rookie of the year win, Akpan becomes the Atlantic conference nominee for the U SPORTS rookie of the year award. Past Atlantic conference recipients of the national honour include former STFX standouts Ghislaine Landry (2006), Ashley Ward (2003) and Jodi-Lynn Powell (2000).
STUDENT-ATHLETE COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD: Katherine Culligan, STFX X-Women
The 2023 student-athlete community service award recipient is Katherine Culligan of the STFX X-Women.
A fourth-year student in her third year of eligibility from Halifax, N.S., Culligan is currently completing a bachelor of arts and science in health at STFX and is also set to graduate from the co-operative education program.
A centre for the X-Women and a three-time U SPORTS academic all-Canadian, Culligan contributed significantly to the team's success this season, scoring five tries and finishing with 25 points.
She volunteers her time both on and off campus, running an Intro to Rugby clinic in Paqtnkek Mi'kmaw Nation in northeastern Nova Scotia and running a family literacy program through the Antigonish County Adult Learning Association at the local public library.
She has also been involved with fundraisers for KidsFirst Antigonish, a non-for-profit organization supporting women and children in need, and she has volunteered time helping coach the Halifax Tars Rugby Club minis program.
On campus, Culligan is president of the STFX Health Society which she has volunteered with in each of her four years at the university. She is the co-chair and student-athlete representative for X-Women rugby on the STFX Athletics Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
A member of the Elite Leaders program with the STFX Leadership Academy, she has volunteered weekly at the STFX Learn to Skate program for the past two years, and she led a clothing drive across campus as part of an X-Women rugby alumnus' initiative.
Culligan is the third STFX player to win this award since its inception in 2009—following in the footsteps of Vanessa Duffley in 2013 and Jamee George in 2010.
She now becomes the Atlantic conference nominee for the U SPORTS Student-Athlete Community Service Award. The last AUS student-athlete to take home the national honour was Acadia's Kelsey Brumm in 2016.
COACH OF THE YEAR: James Voye, UPEI Panthers
For the second consecutive year, UPEI Panthers head coach James Voye has been selected as the AUS women's rugby coach of the year.
Last season, Coach Voye led the Panthers to their first-ever AUS women's rugby conference title in program history.
In this (his third) season at the helm of the Panthers program, Voye coached UPEI to a 5-1 regular season record, a first-place finish in the regular season standings and hosting rights to the AUS championship final.
The Panthers were also ranked ninth nationally following regular season play.
As conference finalists, they've earned a berth in the U SPORTS national championship being hosted by Université Laval Nov. 1 to 5.
Voye now becomes the Atlantic conference nominee for the Jim Atkinson Award for the U SPORTS coach of the ear. He is also the most recent AUS coach to win the national award, having been named U SPORTS coach of the year last season.
2023 AUS WOMEN'S RUGBY ALL-STARS
The following players have been named to the 2023 Atlantic University Sport women's rugby all-star team:
Front row/Prop: Emily Duffy, UPEI Panthers (4th year—Saint John, N.B)
Front row/Prop: Emma MacDougall, STFX X-Women (4th year – Halifax, N.S.)
Front row/Hooker: Tessa Hood, UPEI Panthers (5th year – Charlottetown, P.E.I.)
Second row/Lock: Akwaima Akpan, STFX X-Women (1st year – Halifax, N.S.)
Second row/Lock: Sophie Beck, STFX X-Women (3rd year – Fall River, N.S.)
Back row/Flanker: Emma MacLean, UPEI Panthers (3rd year – Cole Harbour, N.S.)
Back row/#8: Kenzie Cecchetto, Acadia Axewomen (5th year – Newport, N.S.)
Back row/#8: Skye Koyote, STFX X-Women (3rd year – Duncan, B.C.)
Scrum Half: Katie Murphy, STFX X-Women (2nd year – Millville, P.E.I.)
Fly Half/Stand Off: Katya Dondi, Acadia Axewomen (5th year – Caledon, Ont.)
Centre: Sara Grant, Acadia Axewomen (3rd year—Melrose, N.B.)
Centre: Ria Johnston, UPEI Panthers (2nd year – Charlottetown, P.E.I.)
Winger: Amanda Jardine, Acadia Axewomen (5th year – Greenwood, N.S.)
Winger: Elliana Porter, Saint Mary's Huskies (1st year – Bridgewater, N.S.)
Fullback: Charlotte Branchflower, UPEI Panthers (3rd year – Halifax, N.S)
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The 2023 AUS Rugby Championship final will take place Wednesday, Oct. 25 at 2 p.m. in Charlottetown, P.E.I. when the UPEI Panthers host the STFX X-Women to compete for the Birks Memorial Trophy. The championship final will be webcast live at www.AUStv.ca.
The 2023 AUS women's rugby final standings are available here.
The 2023 AUS women's rugby final statistics are available here.
The Panthers and the X-Women will both compete in the 2023 U SPORTS Women's Rugby Championship Nov. 1 to 5 being hosted by Université Laval in Quebec City, Que. For more information on the national championship, click here.