Jenna Mae Ellsworth earned a rare distinction when Atlantic University Sport announced its women's basketball all-stars and award winners on Wednesday.
The UPEI Panthers fourth-year guard from Charlottetown was named the conference's most valuable player and its defensive player of the year, becoming just the third player to take both honours since the AUS started awarding the defensive player in 2001.
Ellsworth joins Memorial's Jenine Browne (2003) and Katherine Quackenbush (2008) as double award winners. She led the first-place Panthers with 20.5 points per game this season while averaging 5.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.1 steals. UPEI limited its opponents to an AUS-best 61.9 points per game.
Cape Breton Capers forward Hailey MacLeod of Marion Bridge was named rookie of the year following a season in which she posted the second-best field goal percentage in the conference (50.8) and averaged 11.9 points and 6.3 rebounds.
Acadia Axewomen fifth-year forward Kelsey Rice of Beaver Bank was selected as the Tracy MacLeod Award nominee, given to the player who demonstrates determination, perseverance and unwavering spirit to continue playing the game of basketball.
Mikaela Dodig of the UNB Reds received the student-athlete community service award while Memorial Sea-Hawks head coach Mark English was named AUS coach of the year.
Ellsworth was selected to the AUS first all-star team along with Panthers teammate Reese Baxendale, Haley McDonald of Acadia, Cape Breton's MacKenzee Ryan and Haille Nickerson of Memorial.
The second team all-stars include Dodig, Jayda Veinot of Acadia, Alaina McMillan of the Saint Mary’s Huskies, Monique Calliste of Cape Breton and MUN's Alana Short.
MacLeod heads an AUS all-rookie team which features Aliyah Fraser of the St. Francis Xavier X-Women, SMU's Lucina Beaumont, Chloe Wilson of the Dalhousie Tigers and UPEI's Lauren Rainford.
