HAMILTON – The 2016 U Sports Football All-Canadians were announced on Thursday evening, with six Western Mustangs players being named to the national all-star squad.
Four members of the purple and white roster were named First Team All-Canadians, including
Alex Taylor and
Matt Van Praet on offence, while
Rupert Butcher and
Malcolm Brown were selected on defence. Two other Mustangs players were honoured on Thursday, with both
Jean-Gabriel Poulin and
Sean Jamieson earning spots as Second Team All-Canadians.
Western's six All-Canadian selections are the most from any one team, followed by Laval, Montreal, and McMaster with five apiece.
The awards were presented during the All-Canadian Awards Gala, presented by Sun Life Financial, at the Hamilton Convention Centre as part of the celebrations for the ArcelorMittal Dofasco Vanier Cup. The 52nd edition of the national football championship is set for 1 p.m. on Saturday at Tim Hortons Field, with the Calgary Dinos set to take on the Laval Rouge et Or.
It's the second consecutive year that both Taylor and Van Praet have been named to the national dream team, after earning Second Team honours in 2015. The duo were a major part of a Mustangs rushing attack that led the nation with 22 touchdowns, along with ranking second in both yards (2,178) and yards-per-game (272.3). Taylor was also on top of the individual rushing touchdown leaderboard with 10 majors on the year, while also ranking third with 987 yards and 123.4 yards-per-game.
Butcher racked up 16 tackles, including 11 solo stops, in seven regular season games, while also adding 2.5 sacks and five tackles for loss. He's joined by Brown, as the defensive back was a key member of the Mustangs defence. The London native recorded 30.5 tackles, 25 solo, along with two sacks, and two interceptions, while also being a force on special teams with two punt blocks.
Jamieson finishes out his Mustangs career with his third consecutive All-Canadian nod, earning First Team honours in both 2014 and 2015. Moving over to tackle this season, Jamieson was a dominant part of the Mustangs league-leading offence, helping Western top the charts with 49.1 points and 569.4 yards-per-game.
Poulin is an All-Canadian for the first time in his career, cementing his status as one of the top linebackers in the nation. A native of St. Nicolas, Que., Poulin registered 39.5 total tackles, 27 solo, this season, including two tackles for loss. He also recovered one fumble and made one interception.
