On the evening of Friday, November 15, the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame inducted three exceptional former student-athletes from Saint Mary’s University.
Taking place at the Halifax Convention Centre, five athletes and two builders were celebrated for their outstanding contributions to Nova Scotia sport.
The inductees include arguably Nova Scotia’s greatest female basketball and soccer players in Justine Colley-Leger BComm’14 and Suzanne Muir BComm’93, and the first-ever Special Olympics athlete to be inducted, powerlifter and Special Olympian Jackie Barrett BComm’98.
Also inducted were Mooseheads legend and former NHL player Jody Shelley and the record-holder for the most caps as a Canadian rugby scrum-half, Morgan Williams. In the builder category, long-time Little League coach, baseball manager and community hero Henry Boutilier, along with international basketball official and mentor Roger Caulfield.
Justine Colley-Leger BComm’14
Justine Colley-Leger is the all-time leading scorer in the history of CIS women’s basketball. Her impressive play earned her two CIS National Player of the Year awards, and she led the Saint Mary’s Huskies to four consecutive AUS championships and CIS silver and bronze medals. She was also a two-time AUS MVP, four-time All-Canadian and five-time AUS first-team All-Star while playing more than 40 games with the Canadian national team.
Jackie Barrett BComm’98
A force to be reckoned with in the sport of powerlifting, Jackie Barrett dominated Canadian Special Olympics powerlifting competitions throughout his career. Barrett won 20 gold medals, and he has represented Canada well at the World Special Olympics competition with an incredible 13 first-place finishes. In his final year of competition (2015), he set three Special Olympics world records, lifting 277.5 kg, 297.5 kg and 697.5 kg in the squat, deadlift and triple combination events, respectively. In the same year, he also became the first Special Olympics athlete to be nominated for the Lou Marsh Award as Canada’s top athlete.
Suzanne Muir BComm’93
Suzanne Muir was named AUS Rookie of the Year during her time playing with the Saint Mary’s Huskies women’s soccer team. Her standout skills also earned her two AUS MVP awards, five-time AUS All-Star status and two-time All-Canadian honours. Twice named Athlete of the Year at Saint Mary’s University, Muir went on to play with Canada’s national women’s team from 1992 to 1999. She played with the national team at the 1995 and 1999 World Cups. She was inducted into the Saint Mary’s Sport Hall of Fame in 2014.