The achievements of 23 King’s ‘Scholar Athletes’ have been recognized with this year’s announcement of the 2019-20 CCAA National Scholars.
Each of the students named by the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) has qualified as a CCAA National Scholar by participating in intercollegiate sports during the past academic year while maintaining honours standing. Here at King’s that means a GPA of 3.7 or above, one of the highest such standards in Canada. Students receiving this recognition played on the badminton, basketball, soccer, and volleyball teams as part of the university’s highly competitive athletics program, under the direction of Neil Hooper, who was named CCAA Athletic Director of the Year in 2019.
King’s Athletics program has long provided a great complement to the rigour of our academic programs, and the King’s community holds students who balance these twin pursuits in high regard. King’s President and Vice-Chancellor William Lahey shared his admiration for the students named to the CCAA’s list:
“The thing that strikes me is how many of them I know and why I know them—they are the leaders on their teams, the stand-outs on the court and the field, and off the court and field. So, ‘Scholar Athletes’ is exactly the term to describe this impressive group of students. They are the ambassadors for what is already true here at King’s but which isn’t always appreciated—that we are the university for great students who also aspire to be great athletes.”
Debra Deane Little and Robert Little demonstrated appreciation for the combination of academic and athletic excellence that King’s is celebrating today, when in 2019 they created the Debra Deane Little and Robert Little Academic Scholarships for Varsity Athletes. With this award, each year the university is able to provide up to 14 renewable scholarships to students entering the Foundation Year Program who will also play King’s varsity sports.
The King’s community is spread out more widely in this unusual year. Today however, we’re united in our appreciation of the accomplishments of these outstanding student athletes.
Hooper provided some perspective on the scope of this achievement:
“The University of King’s College and the Athletic Department are extremely proud of each and every one of these student-athletes who achieved honours, and who represent us so well in competitions. It is a tough balance to play a sport while handling their day-to-day academic responsibilities, and many of these students also maintain part-time jobs. All of our student athletes make us proud, but it is extremely important to honour this level of achievement, as their main priority remains their academics.”
Our 2020 CCAA National Scholars
Riel Tetreault, Badminton
Sabreen Somji, Badminton
Jack Gillies, Badminton
Ethan Merlin, Basketball
Cater May, Basketball
Geevon Janday, Basketball
Chloe Oxner, Basketball
Alison Clarke, Basketball
Hassan Sadek, Soccer
Brendan Irish, Soccer
Andrew Burroughs, Soccer
Mikaela Wegner, Soccer
Dimitra Tsimiklis, Soccer
Morgan MacIntosh, Soccer
Victoria Hatheway, Soccer
Sophie Harriman, Soccer
Lydia Hanson, Soccer
Lucy Carolan, Soccer
Alison Brien, Soccer
Lindsay Puddicombe, Volleyball
Isabelle Roach, Volleyball
Taryn Neufeld, Volleyball
Abby Hourigan, Volleyball
A number of student-athletes in non-CCAA sports were also awarded Academic Excellence Awards for achieving honours standing. For a full picture visit the Athletic Awards Celebration virtually hosted this past spring.
