October 8, 2009 - 3:24am
Vancouver Island University Mariners are proving they have academic smarts along with athletic abilities.
Twenty-six VIU athletes received National Scholar Awards from the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association (CCAA) for the 2008-2009 season - more than double any other school in BC.
National Scholar Awards recognize outstanding academic accomplishments of CCAA student-athletes who achieve a grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale or equivalent in their current academic year.
“We’re very proud of our student athletes in basketball, volleyball, soccer, badminton and golf,” said VIU Athletic Director Bruce Hunter. “We encourage them to excel within their chosen sport, but especially in their academic studies. When you add this latest achievement to the fact that VIU had the top athletic program in BC for the past three years in a row, I’d say our coaches and athletes are doing exceptionally well.”
The Canadian Colleges Athletic Association (CCAA) is the national governing body for college sport in Canada providing leadership, programs and services that foster student-athlete development through high level competitive intercollegiate sport.
VIU’s top national scholar athletes are Zach Yim, Megan Yim, Ali Loewen, Luke Couture (badminton); Jazzen Braden, Jessica Duncan, Andrew Kaban, Blake Mansbridge, Patrick McCarthy, Richelle Rafnkjelson, Renee Rust, Carson Williams, Sarah Williams (basketball); Ian Robinson (golf); Courtenay Crucil, Kendra Bajkov, Corey Iverson, Brant Losch, Connor Malbon, Andrea Strebel, Kari Watson (soccer); Jacqueline Doleman, Britt Grydeland, Iain Harrington, Dan Metcalf, and Keri Philip (volleyball).
Meanwhile, VIU issued President’s Entrance Awards for Scholar Athletes to top athletes in men’s and woman’s volleyball, basketball, soccer, badminton and golf programs. Recipients for the fall 2009 semester were first-year students Heather McCarthy, Rylan Higginson, Jan Engel, Patrick Thompson and Robin Ellis. Second-year students Luke Couture, Emily Nicholson, Sarah Fraser and Danielle Smith also received awards, along with third-year student Patrick McCarthy.
The awards cover full tuition for up to five years as long as the students maintain full time studies with a B+ average and continue to play for their respective teams.
VIU President Dr. Ralph Nilson announced the creation of the awards program last year. “It’s VIU’s first effort to create tuition support that is potentially renewable every year of the successful candidates ' undergraduate experience,” said Nilson. “I believe these scholarships benefit both students and the institution. As a new university, it is critically important that we create initiatives that foster that growth and reward students in our community.”
President’s Entrance Scholarship Awards are also available to the top academic student from each Vancouver Island and Powell River public high school, and to the top student in each academic faculty at VIU who continues their studies at the institution.
Chancellor’s Award Scholarships are available to six top Aboriginal students from First Nations Communities, Friendship Centres, or Metis organizations on Vancouver Island and in Powell River.
Tags: In the Community
