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Concordia recruits new talent 

By Daniel Rodrigues

In today’s competitive student recruiting environment, the Department of Recreation and Athletics has succeeded in attracting three very accomplished student athletes to join the Concordia Stingers family this September.

Get used to hearing these names: Hockey's Erin Lally, rugby's David Biddle and football's Kris Robertson.

Lally, a JMSB entrant, comes to Concordia following three years with the Calgary Flyers of the Alberta Major Midget Female Hockey League. Last season, 18-year-old Lally amassed 41 points (24 goals, 17 assists) as captain of her team, ranking her fifth in league scoring. She helped guide Calgary to a first place record of 24-6-2.

“Erin will be a big asset to our team,” says Stingers head coach Les Lawton. “She’ll fit right in and contribute right away.”

On April 25, Lally and the Flyers clinched the bronze medal at the inaugural Esso Cup in Calgary, a five-team tournament to determining the national female midget champion. She also earned game MVP in two tournament matches, as well as being named the tournament’s most sportsmanlike player.

When David Biddle arrives at Concordia this fall, he will be considered a rookie, but he brings with him a wealth of experience. Biddle has represented Canada on the world stage numerous times. He was a member of the national teams that competed in the 2004 under-19 World Cup in South Africa and the 2005 under-21 World Cup in Argentina.

In 2006, he earned his first full international ‘cap’ (the distinction given to a player competing in an international contest) in a World Cup qualifying match against Barbados. In 2006, Biddle was selected to Canada’s senior men's team to compete in World Cup in France, starting in games against Wales, Fiji and Australia.

The 23-year-old was also named British Columbia’s male rugby Player of the Year in 2008.

“I’m not too sure what to expect with regards to rugby at Concordia,” said Biddle. “But I’m sure I’ll enjoy my time with the team. There seems to be great camaraderie amongst the group.”

An accomplished artist who loves drawing and painting, he has taken a step back from the national team to focus more on his studies. He comes to Concordia to study fine arts.

Defensive back Kris Robertson’s football career only dates back four years, but the 18-year-old has been exceptional in that time. He has garnered a lot respect for his speed, having been clocked at 4.4 seconds in the 40-yard dash.

Robertson played for Team Ontario twice, as a member of both the under-17 squad – where he was named all-Canadian – and under-19 team. This June, he hopes to represent Team Canada at the Junior World Championships in Canton, Ohio.

An exceptional student, Robertson will graduate from high school with an average above 80 per cent and will pursue his studies in psychology at Concordia.

“Kris is a tremendous football player as well as a great student,” said football head coach Gerry McGrath. “He will be a good ambassador for our program.”