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It’s not every day a MVP falls right into your lap.

That’s just what happened to Dalhousie AC Rams badminton coach Richard Bennicke, who is looking forward to having Sarah Pepperdine join his program in the fall.

“I very much am,” Bennicke said. “She seems like a very intelligent young lady who knows what she wants to do. She has a plan - she wants to come here for Pre-Vet and be part of our badminton program. So that’s exciting.”

Pepperdine, an 18-year-old Oromocto, N.B., resident, reached out to the campus earlier this year to inquire about its pre-vet program, one of the best in Eastern Canada. Once she learned more and found out she could play badminton too, committing to the Bible Hill campus was a no-brainer.

“I chose Dal AC because I knew they had an amazing pre vet program and because the campus is quite small,” she said. “I chose it for those two reasons and because it’s one of the only universities that has a badminton team.”

Obviously Pepperdine scores well in the classroom in order to pursue a career in veterinary care. But she’s also equally skilled on the badminton court. Pepperdine was named Oromocto High School’s most valuable intermediate player two years ago as a Grade 10 student and laid claim to the honour on the senior team last year.

“It’s not often you see a Grade 11 player named MVP over players in their Grade 12 year,” Bennicke said.

The Rams finished fourth in team points at last year’s ACAA (Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association) championship. However, Dalhousie had runner-up finishes from the men’s and women’s doubles pairings of Luke MacKinnon and Ryland Murphy and Caitlyn McCavour and Kelsey Henneberry.

Pepperdine adds even more skill and experience to that lineup. She started playing the sport in elementary school and has earned a berth at the provincial high school championships in each of the past two seasons.

“She seems to have a real passion for the sport and she seems to be a real competitor, which I love,” Bennicke said.