U SPORTS announced on Thursday that HFX Wanderers FC midfielder Aboubacar Sissoko is among the eight athletes nominated for the 2020 Lieutenant Governor Athletic Award.

Sissoko played university soccer for the Montreal Carabins, and helped the team win a national championship (the first in the program’s history) in 2018.

The 24-year-old midfielder was signed by the Wanderers this past off-season, but he was originally picked 12th overall by Forge FC in the 2018 CPL-U SPORTS Draft. He and Carabins teammate Omar Kreim earned contracts in Halifax after impressing at the U SPORTS level.

Following a stellar year with Montreal in 2019, Sissoko was named the RSEQ and U SPORTS men’s soccer player of the year, after leading the Carabins to a 9-1-2 record. This past winter, Sissoko also earned himself an invite to trial with the Vancouver Whitecaps during their pre-season camp, although ultimately he returned to rejoin the Wanderers.

Sissoko has also earned two caps with the Mali under-20 national team.

The winners of the U SPORTS Lieutenant Governor Award will receive the opportunity for a $10,000 post-graduate scholarship, with one male and one female athlete chosen from the final list of eight.

The voting process will combine the Canadian Athletic Foundation with a public poll, which will be available on usports.ca from June 9 to 20.