More than 3,600 U SPORTS student-athletes are being recognized as Academic All-Canadians for the most recent academic year (2016-17) — including 96 Dalhousie Tigers. Academic All-Canadians are student-athletes who have maintained an average of 80 per cent or better over the academic year while competing for one or more of their university’s varsity teams.
Among these outstanding individuals, one female and one male student-athlete from each of the four U SPORTS conferences are selected annually to make up the Top 8.
Women's volleyball player Anna Dunn-Suen is one of those student-athletes this year, and she becomes the 13th Dalhousie student-athlete to be honoured as a Top 8 Academic All-Canadian since the honour started in 1993.
McGill leads all U SPORTS schools with a record 22 Commendations, while Dalhousie is in second place with 13, alongside the University of Alberta and the University of Manitoba. Previous Dalhousie Recipients
Name: Anna Dunn-Suen
Hometown: Halifax, N.S.
School: Dalhousie University
Faculty: Science
Program: Microbiology & Immunology
Sport: Volleyball
Eligibility in 2016-17: Fourth year
Anna Dunn-Suen had a tremendous impact at Dalhousie University, both on off the court. As a four-year member of the women’s volleyball team, she helped lead the Tigers to four consecutive AUS championship titles earning numerous individual awards along the way. A two-time AUS all-star, Dunn-Suen was named to the all-rookie team at the end of the 2013-14 season and earned AUS championship MVP and all-star nods in her last three conference championship tournaments.
A native of Halifax, N.S., Dunn-Suen graduated in the Spring of 2017 with Honours, majoring in microbiology and immunology. She also earned a minor in French and a certificate in genetics. A recipient of the French department’s Prix de Merit, she was a Dean’s List student and a U SPORTS Academic All-Canadian in all four of her years at Dalhousie. Dunn-Suen has also been involved in many research programs including the Cheng Lab’s research on market pro-biotic bacterial beverages and supplements.
As if striking a successful balance between being a student and an athlete wasn’t enough, Dunn-Suen has also found the time to give back. She’s volunteered on the Faculty of Medicine’s microbiology infectious disease clinical rounds and has coached at both the provincial and club levels. She has volunteered in Cambodia, helping to build a school library and contributing to the largest man-made coral reef to promote oceanic biodiversity and community sustainability. She’s also been active on campus with the Special Tigers program and is a regular contributor to the CIBC Run for the Cure and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night Walk.
“Anna Dunn-Suen is one of the most committed and hardest working student-athletes that I have ever had the privilege to coach,” says Dalhousie volleyball coach Rick Scott. “She is a highly motivated and extremely disciplined individual who takes great pride in everything she does. Anna played a vital part in our four consecutive AUS women’s volleyball championship titles and in our success at the national level.”
U SPORTS: All-Time Top 8 Academic All-Canadians
The elite group will be honoured at a later date by Her Excellency the Right Honourable Julie Payette, the newly-appointed Governor General of Canada.
“The list of Academic All-Canadians continues to grow each year,” said Graham Brown, President and CEO of U SPORTS. “The success of the Top 8 is a testament to the dedication of our student-athletes on the field of play, in the classroom and as leaders in their communities across the country.”