Prince George, B.C. – Second year UNBC Timberwolves basketball player Emily Holmes has been announced as the first female recipient of the Matt Pearce Award.

The award was created shortly after Pearce died suddenly in January at the age of 48. The scholarship was established through tickets purchased to the annual Timberwolves Legacy Breakfast.

Photo courtesy UNBC

“It is so special to be one of the first to receive this award because I knew Matt personally, my family knew him, and I saw what an outstanding citizen he was,” says Holmes. “This award was created due to Matt’s success in athletics. It motivates me as an athlete to push and challenge myself as he did, and to always give it your best performance.”

Pearce, a legendary sports figure from Prince George who spent seven seasons in the CFL highlighted by a Grey Cup ring he earned in 1990, was inducted into the Prince George Sports Hall of Fame in 1999.

UNBC will award two $1,000 scholarships each year, one to a women’s basketball player and one to a men’s player. Men’s basketball player Elliot Rowe is the first male athlete to win the award.

You can purchase tickets to next year’s Legacy Breakfast, featuring ex-NHL star Theo Fleury, by clicking here.