Acadia University’s Haley McDonald wins 2023 James Bayer Memorial Scholarship Award

(HALIFAX, N.S.) Atlantic University Sport is pleased to announce Acadia women's basketball guard Haley McDonald as the recipient of the 35^th annual James Bayer Memorial Scholarship Award presented by PepsiCo.

This marks the fifth time a student-athlete from Acadia University has been honoured with this award and the first time since 2016 when former Axewomen dual-sport athlete Katie Ross took home the honour.  

The James Bayer Memorial Scholarship Award was established in 1985 and is awarded annually to an outstanding student-athlete in Atlantic University Sport for excellence in academics, athletics, leadership, sportsmanship and citizenship.

This year's award selection committee consisted of Phil Currie, president and CEO of Atlantic University Sport; Marg Bayer, wife of the late James Bayer; and Dr. Peter Ricketts, president and vice-chancellor of Acadia University and chair of the AUS board of directors.

A fifth-year guard from Port Williams, N.S., McDonald has achieved success on the court and in the classroom, while also being heavily involved in the community during her time at Acadia.

The 2022-23 AUS MVP and a U SPORTS first team all-Canadian, she captured the AUS scoring title this season and finished second in the nation in scoring, averaging 22.5 points per game.

She was previously named a U SPORTS second team all-Canadian twice, in 2019-20 and 2018-19.

McDonald holds the conference's all-time record for points scored in a single game—having scored 51 points in a March 2, 2019 AUS championship semifinal game versus UPEI. The Axewomen went on to capture their second-straight conference title that season.

She finishes her career fifth in AUS career scoring with 1,846 points—Acadia's all-time leading scorer.

This season, McDonald led the Axewomen to a 16-3 regular season record and a first-place finish in the regular season conference standings. The Acadia squad went on to place fifth place at the U SPORTS national championship.

On the court, McDonald is a four-time conference all-star. In the classroom, she is a four-time U SPORTS academic all-Canadian, on pace to earn the honour for a fifth time this season.

"I could talk about her lengthy list of accomplishments […] but the most impressive part about Haley is who she is as a person and the role model she is for so many young boys and girls in our community," said Acadia director of athletics Brian Finniss. "That is what I am going to remember the most about Haley long after her time playing at Acadia is over."

In the local community, she volunteers her time extensively as a coach. Prior to her return to playing varsity basketball this season, McDonald served as the head coach of the Horton High School Division 1 girls' basketball team for the 2021-22 season and coached the Griffins to a Nova Scotia provincial championship title.

She is the founder and director of Lights Out Elite Skills—a basketball skills camp system for girls grades 4 to 12—which ran in the summer of 2022. She is also a member of the Axe Basketball board of directors, serving in various positions for the club, including as a tryout coach and U12 assistant coach.

She co-hosted a Maritime Women's Basketball Association (MWBA) podcast promoting women in sport, and she was a guest speaker for the Thunder Selects Basketball Motivation Mondays speaker series—speaking to young athletes about the importance of staying positive through the pandemic.

"[Haley] is a walking, breathing example to aspire toward for so many girls from rural areas who are so often overlooked," said Axewomen basketball head coach Len Harvey. "And she gives them every bit of time she can spare to answer their questions, take pictures, or just to grab their rebounds while they're shooting in the gym. She embodies what this award is about."

Each year, AUS member schools nominate one student-athlete for this prestigious award. As this year's recipient, McDonald receives a $1,000 scholarship.

"On behalf of the selection committee, I would like to congratulate Haley on this great honour," said AUS president and CEO Phil Currie. "She has been rightfully recognized throughout her career for her exceptionalism on the court. We're proud to honour her with this award that acknowledges her excellence in the classroom and her contributions to her community as well."

"I would also like to recognize all of this year's nominees who were absolutely outstanding. They each exhibit the hard work, dedication and community mindedness that exemplify what it means to be a student-athlete in Atlantic University Sport."

Also nominated were Cape Breton's Kiyara Letlow, Dalhousie's Temi Toba-Oluboka, Memorial's Kate Hickey, Moncton's Cassidy Martin, Mount Allison's Logan Reid, Saint Mary's Shae Demale, STFX's Allie Sandluck, St. Thomas's Caroline Pietroski, UNB's Payton Hargreaves and UPEI's Lauren Rainford. Each of the nominees receive a $500 scholarship award.

James Bayer taught education and physical education at both high school and university levels. He served as supervisor and consultant for the Nova Scotia Department of Culture, Recreation and Fitness.

At Acadia University, he served as dean of recreation and physical education and as director of athletics from 1978-1985. As an administrator in the AUAA and the CIAU, he was a key player in the establishment of intercollegiate athletic policy.

This memorial scholarship is the most prestigious award offered annually by Atlantic University Sport.

Previous recipients of the James Bayer Memorial Scholarship Award:

1987 - Greg Berry, StFX University, Soccer; Caroline Lulham, Mount Allison University, Volleyball
1988 - Gunnhildur Baldursson, Acadia University, Soccer
1989 - Jackie Wong, Mount Allison University, Volleyball / Soccer
1990 - Augy Jones, St. Francis Xavier University, Basketball
1991 - Heather Morrison, University of Prince Edward Island, Field Hockey
1992 - Keith Donovan, Dalhousie University, Basketball
1993 - David Sykes, Saint Mary's University, Football
1994 - Kathy McNally, University of Prince Edward Island, Field Hockey
1995 - Scott Bagnell, Dalhousie University, Volleyball
1996 - Carla Edwards, Mount Allison University, Volleyball
1997 - Chris Diamond, University of Prince Edward Island, Soccer
1998 - Peter Benoite, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Basketball
1999 - Jan Trojanowski, Acadia University, Basketball
2000 - Kristen Lewis, Dalhousie University, Cross Country
2001 - Jillian MacDonald, Dalhousie University, Basketball
2002 - Louis Poirier, Université de Moncton, Track & Field
2003 - Dan Tudin, Dalhousie University, Hockey
2004 - Eric Gillis, St. Francis Xavier University, Cross Country
2005 - Adrienne Power, Dalhousie University, Track & Field
2006 - David Chant, Saint Mary's University, Hockey
2007 - Colin Sinclair, University of New Brunswick, Hockey
2008 - Katherine Quackenbush, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Basketball
2009 - Isabelle Miles, University of New Brunswick, Soccer
2010 - Alex Legge, Dalhousie University, Basketball
2011 - Jacob Kilpatrick, University of New Brunswick, Volleyball
2012 - Daniel You, Dalhousie University, Volleyball
2013 - Rebecca Haworth, Dalhousie University, Track & Field
2014 - Alana Fairfax, Acadia University, Soccer
2015 - Karolyne Blain, Cape Breton University, Soccer
2016 - Katie Ross, Acadia University, Soccer and Basketball
2017 - Eric Locke, St. Francis Xavier University, Hockey
2018 - Kiera Rigby, University of Prince Edward Island, Basketball
2019 - Abby Clarke, St. Thomas University, Hockey
2020 - Ciera Disipio, Cape Breton University, Soccer
2021 - Not awarded
2022 - Not awarded
2023 - Haley McDonald, Acadia University, Basketball