Sixty-six student-athletes took to the stage Thursday afternoon to be honoured by parents, coaches, mentors and staff at Dalhousie’s 16th annual Academic All-Canadian Luncheon, celebrating their successes on and off the field of play.
A total of 88 Dalhousie varsity student-athletes achieved Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) academic all-Canadian status during the 2013-14 school year. To qualify as an Academic All-Canadian, student-athletes must maintain a GPA of at least 80 per cent, or 3.43, over the academic year while competing in a varsity sport. Hard work, dedication, sacrifice and support are crucial in these students’ lives.
Dal President Richard Florizone congratulated the athletes on their discipline and commitment to being successful. “As the leaders of tomorrow, being a student-athlete is great preparation for the life and leadership opportunities that await you in the future," said Dr. Florizone.
The event's host, Carolyn Watters, provost and vice president academic, praised the athletes before calling them all onto the stage to be recognized: “Congratulations to everyone. We celebrate you today, and we are all inspired by your accomplishments.”
“The Academic All-Canadian Luncheon is a really great way of congratulating all the student-athletes who work so hard throughout the year to balance their athletics and their academics,” said four-time Academic All-Canadian Rebecca Haworth, who spoke at the end of the event on behalf of the athletes.
In addition to honouring the student-athletes, the luncheon also applauds the individuals who’ve helped the student-athletes achieve their goals: their academic mentors. Honourees were given the opportunity to invite a faculty member to the reception, someone who had been vital to their success as student-athletes.
“Perhaps the most important part of our pursuit of excellence as student-athletes are the professors, teaching assistants and other faculty staff who have supported us throughout our time here at Dalhousie,” added Haworth. “They have accommodated our hectic travel schedules, re-scheduled assignments and exams to help us be the best we can on and off the field of play. They’ve guided us to the fields that captured our interest and ultimately raised us to be Academic All-Canadians.”
“This is a flagship event on our calendar every year,” says Director of Varsity Athletics Tim Maloney. “We strive for excellence in the classroom and in sport at Dalhousie Athletics and this event is a true representation of that. To be able to recognize our outstanding student-athletes and recognize those who have helped them succeed is something we take great pride in.”
Dalhousie's Academic All-Canadians - 2013-14
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Alex Cote, hockey
Melissa Ellis, basketball
David Kerr, track and field
Jeremy Ryant, swimming
Faculty of Dentistry
Eunnie Kim, soccer
Nabil Moussa, track and field
Bobby Nadeau, hockey
Faculty of Engineering
Scott Bailey, volleyball
Robert (Logan) Baillie, volleyball
Monica Diab, soccer
Heather Grandy, track and field
Dante Manchester, cross country & track and field
Megan Soehl, cross country
Jennifer Thompson, hockey
Nicolas Wood, cross country
Faculty of Graduate Studies
Joanna Blodgett, soccer
Ben MacAskill, hockey
Rebecca Nuttall, basketball
Natalie Sachrajda, cross country & track and field
Faculty of Health Professions
School of Health and Human Performance
Pascal Amyot, hockey
Mati Barrett, hockey
Elise Bilodeau, soccer
Robbi Daley, basketball
Colin Flysak, swimming
James Gillis, track and field
Alison Grant, swimming
Brett Hastings, volleyball
Bianca Jakisa, soccer
Glenn Lassaline, volleyball
Allison Lerette, track and field
Vanessa Linton, cross country & track and field
Sarah MacNeil, hockey
Cara McCallum, swimming
Kristy McGregor-Bales, soccer
Matthias Mueller, cross country
Isaac Norman, track and field
Derek Norris, basketball
Megan O’Neill, hockey
Brett Plouffe, hockey
Carissa Poulin, basketball
Chris Reith, swimming
Jessica Shannon, track and field
Tessa Stammberger, basketball
Andie Vanderlaan, soccer
JP Wellington, track and field
School of Health Sciences
Jonathan Doucett, soccer
School of Nursing
Emily Ferguson, cross country
Jenna Goobie, soccer
Lauren Landry, soccer
Britany MacArthur, cross country & track and field
Victoria Parkinson, soccer
School of Social Work
Katherine Ryan, volleyball
Faculty of Management
Emily Clarke, cross country
Patrick Daley, hockey
Matthew English, hockey
Kendall MacInnis, hockey
Luke Madill, hockey
Courtney Thompson, basketball
Joseph Ur, swimming
Daphne Wallace, soccer
Andrew Wigginton, hockey
Faculty of Medicine
Oliver Hatheway, cross country
Faculty of Science
Meagan Bernier, swimming
Nigel Champion, swimming
Ellen Chappell, cross country & track and field
Paige Crowell, swimming
Abby Czenze, volleyball
Matthew Donovan, volleyball
Anna Dunn-Suen, volleyball
Devin Errington, track and field
Ainsley Fraser, swimming
Mark Hagen, soccer
Rebecca Haworth, track and field
Jordan Leonard, track and field
Andrea Lyon, hockey
Ainsley MacIntyre, basketball
Laura MacMillan, swimming
Ceilidh MacPherson, swimming
Allister Mason, track and field
Fielding Montgomery, hockey
Jeanne Morin, hockey
Petra Rafuse, volleyball
Paige Robillard, swimming
Will Russell, cross country
Ashley Salvador, soccer
Rachel Shin, swimming
Katherine Webster, swimming
Molly Wedge, swimming