HAMILTON, Ont. - For the ninth year, Ontario University Athletics (OUA) will recognize the top female scholar-athletes from across the province at a luncheon on Tuesday, May 8, 2012 from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Deerhurst Resort in Huntsville, Ont.
 
The event honours female student-athletes who have excelled in their chosen sports and fields of study. Lancer alumnus and track and field standout Erika Reiser will be among those individuals honoured at the luncheon.

This year's guest speaker will be dual-sport national athlete, Olympic gold medalist and OUA alumnus Heather Moyse.  Moyse is a graduate of the University of Waterloo and continued her education at the University of Toronto, completing the Masters of Occupational Therapy program in 2007. Throughout her time as a student in Ontario, Heather was an accomplished OUA athlete, playing soccer, track and field and rugby at the interuniversity level. She was named Waterloo's Female Athlete of the Year in 2000, and the awards didn't stop there.
 
Heather was first recruited to the sport of bobsleigh in August 2005. In her first season with pilot Helen Upperton, Heather won the Canadian Championships, finished second overall in the World Cup Circuit with one gold, two silvers, one bronze, and push-start records on five international tracks. She and Helen finished in fourth place at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, where they set another push-start record. In February 2010, all eyes from her hometown of Summerside and the rest of PEI and Canada were on Heather and pilot Kaillie Humphries at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
 
Heather and Kaillie were in first place through all four heats, breaking the start record twice and the track record three times on their way to Canada's first ever Women's Bobsled Olympic gold medal.
 
Also a well-rounded professional, Heather has managed to incorporate her passion for sport into her career. In 2001, Heather was selected to serve as a Disability Sports Program Officer with Commonwealth Games Canada in Trinidad and Tobago. She developed and established a camp for children who are deaf or hearing-impaired from islands across the Caribbean called Camp ABLE (Active Bodies, Leadership, and Esteem). Heather remained in Trinidad and Tobago for almost three years doing other work with the Paralympic Association, Disabled People's International, and the Trinidad and Tobago Rugby Union. Since returning to Canada in 2004 to do her Masters in Occupational Therapy, she has continued to serve as a Member-at-Large for Commonwealth Games Canada with an avid interest in international development through sport.
 
Heather will speak about her career on and off the field, and inspire a unique group of accomplished young women to continue to pursue excellence in sport and in life. For more information about the OUA Women of Influence luncheon, please contact Samantha Magalas at:  samantha.magalas@oua.ca.
 
OUA recognizes the following sponsors for their support of this event; belairdirect, Centaur Products, Pioneer Energy, Wilson Sports Equipment of Canada and Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity (CAAWS).
 
In the two weeks leading up to this event, OUA will feature biographies of this year's women of influence award winners. Stay tuned to OUA.ca to learn more about the achievements of these amazing female student-athletes!
 
Congratulations to this year's OUA Women of Influence:
Brock Badgers: Jessica Del Signore, Physical Education, Basketball
Carleton Ravens: Evelyn Marshall, Political Science, Water Polo
Guelph Gryphons: Kylen Van Osch, Biomedical Science, Volleyball
Lakehead Thunderwolves: Emma Brightwell, Sociology, Wrestling
Laurentian Lady Vees: Emily Jones, Sport/Physical Education, Swimming
McMaster Marauders: Natasha Turner, Honours Arts & Science, Rugby
Nipissing Lakers: TaraLynn Ray, Education, Cross Country
UOIT Ridgebacks: Christie Attwood, Kinesiology, Rowing
Ottawa Gee-Gees: Elise Desjardins, Human Kinetics, Soccer
Queen's Gaels: Katie Matthews, Honours Science, Volleyball
RMC Paladins: Chantal Boucher, Honours Chemistry, Fencing
Ryerson Rams: Carli Yim, Radio/Television Arts, Volleyball
Toronto Varsity Blues: Katherine McNeill, Physical Education, Field Hockey
Trent Excaliber: Daniela Sheinin, History, Swimming
Waterloo Warriors: Jessica Lawson, Science & Business, Field Hockey
Western Mustangs: Jennifer Martins, Dentistry, Rowing
Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks: Laura Crocker, Psychology, Curling
Windsor Lancers: Erika Reiser, Kinesiology, Track and Field
York Lions: Kathryn Pistor, Kinesiology, Track and Field/Cross Country