Jess Burns
Week ending: Feb. 16, 2025 & Jan. 26, 2025
FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Name: Bianca Helmig
University: Acadia University
Sport: Women’s Basketball
Position: Guard
Hometown: Speyer, Germany
Year of eligibility: Third
Academic program: Business Administration
Bianca Helmig from the Acadia Axewomen basketball team is the Atlantic University Sport Female Athlete of the week for the week ending Feb. 16, 2025.
A third-year business student from Speyer, Germany, Helmig played a crucial role in two wins over the previously undefeated and U SPORTS no. 4-ranked Saint Mary’s Huskies.
On Wednesday, she delivered a dominant performance in Acadia’s 86-56 road victory, scoring 23 points on an incredible 83% shooting (10-for-12). She also recorded 11 assists for her first double-double of the season while adding four steals and two rebounds.
In Saturday night’s 81-76 win in overtime, Helmig finished with a game-high 28 points, to go along with five rebounds, four assists and two steals.
MALE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Name: Derek Gentile
University: Saint Mary’s University
Sport: Men’s Hockey
Position: Forward
Hometown: Sydney, N.S.
Year of eligibility: Fourth
Academic program: MBA
Derek Gentile from the Saint Mary’s Huskies men’s hockey team is the Atlantic University Sport Male Athlete of the Week for the week ending Jan. 26, 2025.
A fourth-year forward from Sydney, N.S., Gentile scored seven points over two Huskies wins this past week.
In Wednesday’s 9-4 win over Dalhousie, he finished with three assists and was named the third star of the game.
In Friday’s 11-5 victory over the STFX X-Men, Gentile scored two goals and added two assists.
He finishes the 2024-25 regular season as the leading scorer in all of U SPORTS men’s hockey with 47 points (19 goals and 27 assists) in 29 games played.
Gentile also led the conference in shorthanded goals (3), and finished second in goals (19), assists (27) and game-winning goals (4) this season.
