University of Ottawa Gee-Gees quarterback Brad Sinopoli poses after receiving the 2010 Hec Crighton trophy during the CIS All-Canadian Awards Gala at the Convention Center in Quebec City, November 25, 2010. REUTERS/Mathieu BelangerMATHIEU BELANGER/Reuters
Ottawa Gee-Gees quarterback Brad Sinopoli is the top player in Canadian Interuniversity Sport, but it was clear as he held the Hec Crighton trophy he'd rather be getting ready for the Vanier Cup game.
The Peterborough, Ont., native led the country with 2,756 passing yards, 22 touchdowns and 184 completions.
"It's unbelievable," he said Thursday night at the CIS all-Canadian banquet at the Quebec City convention centre. "I'm so proud to be here.
"It's too bad my team is not in the Vanier Cup, but it feels good that I can share this award with them."
The senior human kinetics student added 534 yards on 42 carries in leading his team to a 7-1 record and top spot in the Ontario conference. They eventually reached the Yates Cup final, losing 26-25 to Western.
"We were very close," he added. "We lost to Western by one point and then Western and Laval had a great game.
"It's still going to be tough watching the Vanier Cup knowing we could have been there. It's kind of bittersweet to get this.
St. Francis Xavier linebacker Henoc Muamba earned the Presidents' Trophy as the top defensive player.
Laval defensive end Arnaud Gascon-Nadon took home the J.P. Metras Trophy as the most outstanding lineman.
Calgary quarterback Eric Dzwilewski won the Peter Gorman Trophy as rookie of the year
Manitoba linebacker Thomas Hall earned the Russ Jackson Award for a second straight year. The award recognizes the combining of academics, athletics and citizenship.
The winners of the Frank Tindall Trophy as CIS coach of the year and Gino Fracas Award, honouring a volunteer assistant coach, will be named Friday.
Sinopoli is the fourth Gee-Gees player - all quarterbacks - to claim the prestigious Hec Crighton Trophy after Phil Cote in 1999, Rick Zmich in 1982 and Paul Paddon in 1970.
"It's pretty special to have a great athlete like he is. Probably one the best quarterbacks to play here at Ottawa, and still so passionate about learning," said Ottawa head coach Jean-Philippe Asselin. "He's very open-minded to new things that our coaching staff will bring to him, and he just keeps getting better."
Sinopoli said winning the award will make him work harder next season to try to keep it.
"It's not easy to come back and have the same kind of year," he said. "There's a reason you're here and it's because you work hard."
The other nominees for the Hec Crighton Trophy were Saint Mary's receiver/returner Jahmeek Taylor of Mississauga, Ont., Sherbrooke wide receiver Simon Charbonneau Campeau of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., and Saskatchewan quarterback Laurence Nixon of Richmond, B.C.
Sinopoli was also named a first team all-Canadian, one of six Gee-Gees to receive the honour. The Western Mustangs also had six all-Canadian selections while Saskatchewan and Laval each had five, though all of their players were selected to the first team.
Muamba and Gascon-Nadon were also named first team all-stars.
Muamba, from Mississauga, Ont., was fourth in the country with 63.5 tackles in eight league games, including an Atlantic-conference leading 47 solo tackles. The six-foot, 230-pound business information systems student had 11 tackles for losses, 3.5 sacks while adding one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
In September, he was ranked 11th for the 2011 CFL draft by the league's Amateur Scouting Bureau.
"I just tried to stay positive. We didn't have such a great season as a team, but it was important for me to stay positive," said Muamba, the younger brother of B.C. Lions safety Cauchy Muamba. "I had a lot of support from my coaches my team, my family and I was glad I was able to get this award."
A trio of linebackers - Laval's Frederick Plesius of Laval, Que., Wilfrid Laurier's Giancarlo Rapanaro of Niagara Falls, Ont., and Calgary's Sam Hurl of Calgary - were the other finalists.
Gascon-Nadon from Montreal recorded eight quarterback sacks in his first six games and might have threatened the single-season national record of 12 had he not been injured in the seventh week of the schedule. His 17 tackles for losses tied him for the CIS lead and he totalled 25 tackles, 19 of the solo variety.
The six-foot-three, 250-pound the industrial relations student joined the Rouge et Or this year after starting his university career in 2008 at Rice University. Now he's in the Vanier Cup final.
"It turned out to be a great decision," Gascon-Nadon said of the move. "Having the chance to play the championship in our town is really special and we have to make the best of it."
Acadia defensive end Adrian Saturley of Terence Bay, N.S., Queen's offensive tackle Matthew O'Donnell of Kingston, Ont., and Calgary offensive tackle Paul Swiston of Calgary were also up for the Metras.
Dzwilewski, a history student from Boise, Idaho who turned 19 on Nov. 23, went 4-1 as a starter filling in for the injured Erik Glavic. He finished with 894 passing yards and 446 rushing yards on 52 carries.
"I was really fortunate this year to get the opportunity to play," said Dzwilewski, who is expected to move into the starting role next season as Glavic's CIS eligibility ends this year.
"It's going to take a lot of hard work. I'm looking to come back that much better. I'm excited for next year."
St. Francis Xavier wide receiver Jordan Catterall of Oakville, Ont., Montreal defensive end David Menard of Chicoutimi, Que., and Queen's linebacker Sam Sabourin of Stittsville, Ont., were the other contenders.
Hall, from Winnipeg, is the fourth double recipient of the Russ Jackson Award. The junior linebacker led the Bisons and finished fourth in Canada West with 42.5 tackles, including 33 solo. He also had 4.5 tackles for losses, two sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
The kinesiology and recreational management student also sported a GPA of 4.14 and is a director of Project Echo, a not-for-profit organization he co-founded in the summer of 2010 that has raised money for Winnipeg libraries, sponsored a home in Namibia to provide for 10 orphan children and raised money for breast cancer.
St. Francis Xavier slotback and education student Kwame Osei of Toronto, Montreal guard and administration student Guillaume Saliah of Paris, France, and Wilfrid Laurier receiver and business student Dillon Heap of Waterloo, Ont., were also nominated.