Couture and Russell named Acadia athletes of the week

Thomas Couture (men’s hockey) and Samantha Russell (women’s basketball) have been named Acadia athletes of the week for the period ending Nov. 16 following standout performances in AUS competition.

Couture, a third-year business administration student from Lévis, Que., earned two road wins while making 60 saves over the weekend. He stopped 32 shots in Friday’s 3–2 victory over UNB in a battle for first place, helping the Axemen move to the top of the AUS standings. Couture also played a key role on the penalty kill, limiting opponents to 1-for-10 on the power play, including six UNB opportunities on Friday.

Russell, a fifth-year finance student from Dartmouth, N.S., delivered a dominant weekend, highlighted by 32 points, eight rebounds, three steals and three blocks in a win over nationally ranked No. 4 UNB. She followed with 13 points, nine rebounds, three steals and a block in Saturday’s matchup against UPEI. Her performances moved her from seventh to fifth on Acadia’s all-time scoring list, passing Heather O’Grady Cotton (990) and Chanel Smith (986). Russell ended the weekend with 1,011 career points.

The Acadia athletes of the week are presented by McDonald’s.