Tigers Bring Home Three AUS Awards
Congratulations to women's basketball players Cairo Henning, Madelyn White and Melina Collins on your AUS awards!
Cairo Henning of the Dalhousie Tigers has been named the AUS women's basketball rookie of the year for 2025-26.
A first-year guard from Montreal, Que., Henning started all 20 games for the Tigers in her debut campaign and led all AUS freshmen in scoring, averaging 10.2 points per game. She also contributed 5.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists per contest.
Henning made an impact on the defensive end as well, finishing fourth in the conference in steals with an average of 2.2 per game.
In addition to being named the conference's top rookie, she also earned a place on the AUS all-rookie team.
She will now represent the conference as the AUS nominee for the Kathy Shields Award for U SPORTS Rookie of the Year. The most recent Atlantic conference player to win the national honour was former Cape Breton CAPERS standout Kiyara Letlow during her rookie season in 2021-22.
A fifth year forward from Bolton, ON, Madelyn White has been named an AUS Second Team All-Star. This season White played 17 games for the Tigers. She averaged 15.5 points per game and just under 5 rebounds per game. White is currently studying resource and enviromental managment.
A fourth-year psychology student from Halifax, NS, Collins has distinguished herself both academically and in the community. She posted a 4.3 GPA in the fall 2025 term and is a four-time U SPORTS Academic All-Canadian and Dean's List honouree.
A leader on and off the court, Collins played in all 20 games for the Tigers this season, earning 14 starts and averaging 26.4 minutes per game. She contributed 8.2 points and 3.6 rebounds per contest.
Collins has demonstrated a sustained commitment to community service throughout her university career.
She volunteers with the IWK Children's Hospital Special Visitor Program and supports the Nova Scotia Health Authority's Low Intensity Exercise Program, assisting individuals living with chronic illnesses.
She serves as the women's basketball representative on Dalhousie's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and volunteers with the university's Hear Me Roar outreach initiative.
She also gives back to the sport through the Prospect Bulls Junior Bulls program, mentoring young athletes, and played a key role in developing the Tigers Read program—a literacy-based mentorship initiative pairing Dalhousie student-athletes with elementary school children for weekly one-on-one reading support in partnership with the Halifax Central Library.