Hannah Stienburg wiins THÉRÈSE QUIGLEY AWARD, Olivia Bell named to All-Rookie team

(Edmonton, AB) A year after being a finalist for the honour, Saint Mary's Huskies fourth-year libero Hannah Stienburg is the 2018-19 recipient of the Thérèse Quigley award given to the women's volleyball student-athlete who best exhibits outstanding achievements in three areas: volleyball, academics and community involvement.

Stienburg, a commerce student from Halifax, N.S., played in 19 matches and 56 sets for the Huskies this season, finishing with 114 digs (2.04 digs per set).

In the classroom, she has maintained a cumulative GPA of 4.0 for the past three years and is on pace to be named an Academic All-Canadian for the fourth time.

Her passion has allowed her to pursue many volunteering and fundraising opportunities throughout the course of her years at Saint Mary's University; while inspiring her surrounding community, students, and teammates.

She continues to head the Huskies Move for Inclusion program, a sports program which she created for youth in the community with intellectual and physical exceptionalities. This year, she has over 40 student-athlete volunteers and 25 kids who together create relationships through activities and sport during events planned throughout the year.

Last year, she organized Saint Mary's first MotionballU fundraiser, a fundraiser for Special Olympics Canada. It was a huge success raising $12,500 with 120 Huskies athletes participating, and was the most successful inaugural Motionball event at any Canadian university. She is currently organizing this years' MotionballU event planned for Mar. 21, with the goal of raising $14,000. Her main objective is to create more relationships between Special Olympic athletes and Saint Mary's athletics.

For the third year in a row, Stienburg organized The Coldest Night of the Year walk, raising money and awareness for the homeless, walking 5 km within the Halifax community.

Stienburg has built a relationship with the Ronald McDonald House, organizing multiple fundraisers, and in particular raising $950.00 to donate to the House this year.

As a member of SAMHI (Student Athlete Mental Health Initiative) she, along with the other members, raise awareness for mental illness in addition to raising money through school events.

As Athletic Council President, she has been involved in many initiatives such as the Saint Mary's Community Room Food Bank and Start2Finish.

In 2017-18, Stienburg won the SMUSA Miguel Emillien Memorial Award, which is awarded to an outstanding student-athlete who makes major contributions to the area of student affairs.

In addition to this, she is organizing a fundraiser for Cystic Fibrosis in March, and is the head coach of both the Central Junior High boys' volleyball team and the under 12 girls Halifax Hurricanes team.

Stienburg is the first Saint Mary's volleyball player to earn the Student-Athlete Community Service Award.

"Hannah is what being a U SPORTS student-athlete is all about.  She excels in the classroom, on the court and in the community," said Huskies head coach Darren Russell. "She inspires all those around her daily with her hard work ethic and exceptional desire to be the best person she can be.  Her kindness, generosity and desire to give back has touched multiple people at Saint Mary's University and the surrounding community.  Everyone is so proud of what Hannah has done and will continue to do in the future!"

Nominees

CW: Ashlee Sandiford, Regina

RSEQ: Rowan Fletcher, McGill

OUA: Caroline Livingston, Queen's

All-Rookie Team