Twenty student athletes attending St. Thomas University have been named Academic All-Canadians by Canadian Interuniversity Sport for competing in sports and achieving an average of 80 per cent or higher.
The awards are given to students every year for balancing both their athletic and academic lives.
“I was really happy that my hard work paid off,” said Samantha Squires, a third-year women’s hockey player who received the award.
“I put a lot of time into sports, but it also makes you structure your school work.”
Eight students have been awarded for participating in cross-country and track and field, and 12 students were awarded for playing hockey.
Nathaniel Legere, 2016 grad Paul Nozicka, Stefen Savoy and Whitney Beals were all recognized for both cross country and track and field.
Kelly Brennan, Maya Gershun-Half, Noelle Gouchie and Anisha Romany all won for track and field alone.
Caley Steinert, Kelty Apperson, Myfanwy Thomson, Kristina Kocsis, Squires and Paige Jackson were all awarded for competing in hockey.
“For me, it’s all about fitness and self-improvement,” said Beals, a third-year student.
“When you feel better, you can focus on everything better, including your studies.”
Romany, a second-year student who throws for track and field, said it was sometimes hard to balance her athletic and academic life.
“But it was something I got used to,” she said. “Time management is very important.”
Beals, Romany and Squires have all been involved in sports throughout their academic careers, even before attending STU.
Despite the challenges that come with balancing sports and school work, they all agree that being active and involved can be beneficial as well.
They recommend students play sports, as being healthy and athletic can help with success in your studies.
“I’ve been playing hockey since I was six years old,” said Squires.
“Being involved in athletics makes you really prioritize your workload, so whenever you find time to fit in your school work, you take advantage of that.”
Romany and Squires also are grateful for the programs at STU that help students with time management and stress, and they recommend them to anyone who may be struggling to balance their athletic and academic lives.
“If you need help with anything, they are there for you,” said Romany.
“I took advantage of them last year when I felt really stressed or needed some help with time management.”
Squires also talked about the importance of asking for help if need be.
“There may be a time when athletes are very overwhelmed, and it is important to take advantage of the resources offered at St. Thomas,” she said.
“Your team is always there for you as well, because your success is the team’s success.”
Six male students were also among the 20 All-Canadians from STU.
They include Rankyn Campbell, Brendan Childerley, Jordan Moore, Spencer MacDonald, Bryce Milson, Anthony Latina and Matthew Wright of the men’s hockey program – which was cancelled last year due to financial issues.
Childerley, Milson and Latina all transferred to other CIS schools to continue their education and hockey careers, as did several other former STU men’s hockey players.
