Russell named AUS MVP; three Axewomen earn all-star honours

Atlantic University Sport announced its 2025-26 women’s basketball all-stars and major award winners Thursday, as selected by the conference’s eight head coaches following regular season play.

Acadia Axewomen fifth-year wing Samantha Russell was named the AUS most valuable player, highlighting a season that also saw three Acadia players earn all-star recognition.

Russell, a finance student from Dartmouth, N.S., led the conference in scoring with 16.4 points per game while also leading the Axewomen in rebounding at 8.4 per contest and adding 3.9 assists per game.

She started all 20 regular season games and averaged 33.1 minutes per outing. Defensively, Russell ranked second in the AUS with 70 steals, averaging 3.5 per game, and finished fourth in the conference with 26 blocks.

Her contributions helped Acadia post a 15-5 record to finish second in the conference standings.

Russell was also named a first team all-star, marking her third consecutive season earning all-star recognition and her second straight first team selection after receiving second team honours in 2023-24. She was also the AUS nominee for the U SPORTS Tracy MacLeod Award in 2022-23.

Russell now becomes the AUS nominee for the Nan Copp Award as U SPORTS player of the year. Four AUS players have previously earned the national honour: UNB’s Jayda Veinot (2023-24), UPEI’s Jenna Mae Ellsworth (2019-20), Acadia’s Paloma Anderson (2017-18), and Saint Mary’s Justine Colley (2012-13 and 2013-14).

Joining Russell on the AUS first team all-star list is Acadia guard Bianca Helmig, who earns first team honours after being named a second team all-star in 2024-25 and to the all-rookie team in 2022-23.

Helmig led the conference in assists with 101 while ranking fifth in scoring at 14.4 points per game. She finished fourth overall in total points with 288 and sixth in steals with 41.

Forward Sarah Delorey was named a second team all-star, earning the first all-star selection of her career.

Delorey ranked third in the AUS with 28 blocks and fourth in rebounding with 152 total rebounds, averaging 8.4 per game. She led the conference in field goal percentage at 55.3 per cent and averaged 12.2 points per game, ranking 12th in the AUS.

In 2024-25, Delorey was named the Tracy MacLeod Award winner, recognizing determination, perseverance and unwavering spirit in women’s basketball.

Other major award winners announced by the conference include Dalhousie’s Cairo Henning as rookie of the year; St. Francis Xavier’s Shannon Neita as defensive player of the year; Dalhousie’s Melina Collins as the student-athlete community service award recipient; Cape Breton’s Kristen Taylor as the AUS nominee for the U SPORTS Tracy MacLeod Award; and UNB’s Erin McAleenan as coach of the year.