During an awards ceremony held today at the Centre Nutrilait, the Foundation for Athletic Excellence (FAEQ) announced the names of the 52 student-athletes in the 19th cohort of the Saputo Bursary Program who will share a total of $150,000 in bursaries.
Saputo is proud to support the next generation of outstanding student-athletes. These young people, who serve as role models throughout the country and the world, continually strive for excellence and deserve to be supported in their development. Furthermore, promoting healthy lifestyles and highlighting the importance of staying active are at the heart of Saputo’s values.
“It’s been a privilege for us to work so closely with a prestigious sponsor like Saputo for almost two decades,” stated Claude Chagnon, president of the Foundation for Athletic Excellence. “The company’s support of our province’s student-athletes has continued to grow, reaching a new high of $150,000 this year. I would also like to highlight Saputo’s involvement in other activities, such as the Bonneville 808 Challenge. We sincerely thank the company for its support.”
Many Saputo bursary recipients have made their mark on their sport since the program began in 2000, several of them in recent months. Snowboarder Laurie Blouin won gold in the Big Air event at the 2019 X Games in January; it was her first appearance at the prestigious event. She also won the silver medal in slopestyle at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Games.
Last summer, Mathieu Choinière signed his first professional contract with Major League Soccer’s Montreal Impact, and weightlifter Tali Darsigny won a bronze medal at the 2018 World Junior Championships. Last fall, gymnast Félix Dolci won a silver medal on the rings at the Youth Olympic Games.
Diver Meaghan Benfeito, tennis player Félix Auger-Aliassime, and freestyle skier sisters Justine and Chloé Dufour-Lapointe, all of whom are former bursary recipients, also continue to shine on the international stage.
Three types of bursaries were awarded today: Academic Excellence bursaries to reward outstanding academic results, Academic and Athletic Support bursaries to encourage the balancing of academic and athletic pursuits, and Perseverance bursaries to acknowledge persistence in the face of difficulties.
Recipients of the 2019 Saputo Bursary Program
| Name | Discipline | Age | Amount | City | School | |
Wayny-Natasha Balata Nguenign | Soccer | 17 | $2,000 | EX | Montreal (Côte-des-Neiges - Notre-Dame-de-Grâce) | Vanier College |
Amélie Beaudet-Gaudette | Soccer | 15 | $2,000 | EX | Montreal (Mercier - Hochelaga-Maisonneuve) | Collège de Montréal |
Alexie Bellerose | Soccer | 15 | $2,000 | EX | Mirabel | École secondaire Saint-Gabriel |
Jessica De Filippo | Soccer | 17 | $2,000 | S | Saint-Lazare | John Rennie High School |
Ann-Stéphanie Fortin | Soccer | 15 | $2,000 | EX | Sainte-Julie | École secondaire De Mortagne |
Sophie Guilmette | Soccer | 17 | $2,000 | EX | Montreal (Ahuntsic – Cartierville) | Vanier College |
Lara Kazandjian | Soccer | 16 | $2,000 | EX | Kirkland | Collège de Montréal |
Blessing Mayi Kith | Soccer | 16 | $2,000 | S | Quebec | École secondaire Des Sources |
Chloé Renaud | Soccer | 15 | $2,000 | EX | Longueuil (Saint-Hubert) | Collège Français de Longueuil |
Élisabeth Tsé | Soccer | 16 | $2,000 | EX | Quebec (Neufchâtel) | École secondaire Saint-Gabriel |
Maxime Bourgeois | Soccer | 16 | $2,000 | EX | Granby | École secondaire Antoine-de-Saint-Exupéry |
Calin Calaidjoglu | Soccer | 18 | $2,000 | EX | Montreal (LaSalle) | Cégep André-Laurendeau |
Benjamin Collins | Soccer | 17 | $2,000 | EX | Montreal (Rosemont - La Petite-Patrie) | Lester B. Pearson High School |
Tomas Giraldo Ortiz | Soccer | 15 | $2,000 | EX | Montreal (Rosemont - La Petite-Patrie) | École secondaire Antoine-de-Saint-Exupéry |
Kwaba Junior Kabwe | Soccer | 16 | $2,000 | S | Saint-Hyacinthe | École secondaire Édouard-Montpetit |
Yannick Laurent | Soccer | 17 | $2,000 | EX | Terrebonne | Cégep Marie-Victorin |
Yohan Le Bourhis | Soccer | 18 | $2,000 | S | Montreal (Ahuntsic - Cartierville) | Cégep à distance |
Jérémie Omeonga Nkoy | Soccer | 16 | $2,000 | EX | Longueuil (Saint-Hubert) | Collège Français de Longueuil |
Woobens Pacius | Soccer | 17 | $2,000 | S | Terrebonne | Collège Montmorency |
Nathan-Dylan Saliba | Soccer | 14 | $2,000 | S | Longueuil | Longueuil |
Mélaurie Boivin | Figure Skating (Single) | 15 | $4,000 | S | Desbiens | École secondaire De Mortagne |
Étienne Briand | Judo (81 kg) | 25 | $4,000 | S | Sept-Îles | Université de Montréal |
Frédérique Cardinal | Alpine Skiing | 18 | $2,000 | EX | Magog | Virtual High School (Ontario) |
Axelle Crevier | Water Polo | 21 | $4,000 | S | Montreal (Rosemont - La Petite-Patrie) | TÉLUQ |
Tali Darsigny | Weightlifting (58 kg) | 20 | $4,000 | EX | Saint-Simon | Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières |
Béatrice Daviault | Equestrian Sports | 18 | $2,000 | EX | Saint-Damase | Cégep de Saint-Hyacinthe |
Adèle Desgagnés | Cycling | 16 | $2,000 | EX | Montreal (Le Plateau-Mont-Royal) | Collège Notre-Dame |
Laurianne Desmarais-Gilbert | Freestyle Skiing (Moguls) | 21 | $4,000 | EX | Sainte-Adèle | Cégep de Saint-Jérôme |
Félix Dolci | Artistic Gymnastics | 16 | $4,000 | S | Laval | École secondaire Antoine-de-Saint-Exupéry |
Gabriel Dufresne | Freestyle Skiing (Moguls) | 22 | $4,000 | EX | Repentigny | Cégep à distance |
Gabriel Farand-Paul | Figure Skating (Pairs) | 17 | $2,000 | S | Saint-Antoine-sur-Richelieu | Cégep Édouard-Montpetit |
Jamie Fournier | Figure Skating (Pairs) | 14 | $2,000 | EX | Brossard | École secondaire De Mortagne |
Philippe Gagné | Diving | 21 | $4,000 | S | Mont-Royal | Collège André-Grasset |
Liliane Gagnon | Cross Country Skiing | 16 | $2,000 | EX | Quebec (Charlesbourg) | École secondaire Cardinal-Roy |
Ashley Germain | Athletics | 18 | $4,000 | P | Laval | Collège Montmorency |
Rémi Gervais | Archery | 19 | $4,000 | EX | Montreal (Ville-Marie) | Collège André-Grasset |
Valérie Gilbert | Freestyle Skiing (Moguls) | 20 | $2,000 | EX | Sainte-Adèle | Cégep de Saint-Jérôme |
Leo Grandbois | Biathlon | 19 | $4,000 | S | Sherbrooke (Lennoxville) | Cégep de Sherbrooke |
Aurélie Jacob-Verreault | Wheelchair Basketball | 17 | $4,000 | EX | Lévis (Saint-Nicolas) | Juvénat Notre-Dame du Saint-Laurent |
Laurie Jussaume | Cycling | 19 | $4,000 | S | Contrecoeur | Cégep Édouard-Montpetit |
Kaylee Koehler | Freestyle Skiing (Moguls) | 15 | $4,000 | EX | Quebec (Sillery) | École secondaire Cardinal-Roy |
Louis Krieber-Gagnon | Judo (90 kg) | 22 | $4,000 | S | Montreal (Côte-des-Neiges - Notre-Dame-de-Grâce) | HEC Montréal |
Sarah-Maude Lachance | Rugby | 20 | $4,000 | EX | Victoriaville | Cégep de Victoriaville |
Laura Leclair | Cross Country Skiing | 22 | $4,000 | EX | Chelsea | Université Laval |
Mathieu Lelièvre | Parahockey | 13 | $2,000 | S | Donnacona | École secondaire de Donnacona |
William Lemelin Bilodeau | Long Track Speed Skating | 19 | $2,000 | S | Saint-Anselme | Cégep Garneau |
Kristel Ngarlem | Weightlifting (76 kg) | 23 | $4,000 | S | Montreal (Villeray - Saint-Michel - Parc-Extension) | Université de Montréal |
Pierre-Luc Poulin | Canoe Sprint | 23 | $4,000 | S | Lac-Beauport | HEC Montréal |
Édouard Proulx | BMX | 14 | $4,000 | S | Saint-Valérien-de-Milton | Polyvalente Hyacinthe-Delorme |
Alexandre St-Jean | Long Track Speed Skating | 25 | $4,000 | EX | Quebec (Sainte-Foy) | Université Laval |
Jaden Weekes | Tennis | 14 | $4,000 | S | Montreal (LaSalle) | Collège de Montréal |
Eliana-Ruobing Zhang | Badminton | 17 | $4,000 | EX | Montreal (L'Île-Bizard - Sainte-Geneviève) | The Study |
EX: Academic Excellence / S: Academic and Athletic Support / P: Perseverance | ||||||
About the Foundation for Athletic Excellence (FAEQ)
The FAEQ (faeq.com) is recognized for its personalized approach, rigorous management style, and influence in sports and education circles. In 2019, it will award $1,500,000 in individual bursaries to 525 student-athletes from all over Quebec, to whom it will also provide academic guidance and sport/study conciliation services. Two public events benefitting the FAEQ will take place in 2019: URBAN SUGAR SCHACK, with Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, on April 9 at 11:00 a.m. at Gare Windsor (visit faeq.com for details) and the third edition of the BONNEVILLE 808 CHALLENGE, a festive cycling and corporate event, on September 13 and 14 (defi808bonneville.com).
