LENNOXVILLE, Que. – Samantha Juraschka of the Bishop’s Gaiters women's soccer team has been named the winner of the Gildan Prize for Leadership. The Quebec Foundation for Athletic Excellence made the announcement at its 26th annual awards gala on Wednesday night in Montreal.

The prize is awarded to a student-athlete, across all university sports throughout Quebec, who has distinguished him or herself through community service and displayed a leadership role within their team. For her win, Juraschka received a total of $2,000 in bursaries from the Foundation.

Juraschka is the first student-athlete from Bishop's University to win this award, and this is the first major Foundation award for Bishop's since 2008, when Jamall Lee was named Male Athlete of the Year.

The Waterdown, Ontario native founded the Gaiter Walk for ALS in 2009, and was the chief organizer of the event in 2010 and 2011. After a modest start in 2009, the Walk has raised nearly $10,000 for the ALS Quebec Tony Proudfoot Fund. She is a two-time Quebec conference nominee for the CIS Student-Athlete Community Service Award in women's soccer.

The Finance and Marketing major is a three-time Academic All-Canadian, with an 83% overall average. She is President of the Bishop's Student Alumni Association, a group that promotes the university to students, alumni and friends of the university. She was also a member of the SEED portfolio team in the Williams School of Business last year.

Juraschka is a four-year starter for the Gaiters women's soccer team, and was a key component of the Gaiters' front line this season, moving up from her natural midfield position.

The other finalists were Vincent Cournoyer, a men's soccer player from Laval, and Guillaume Saliah, a football player with the Montreal Carabins.