Student athletes make the grade

Alan Shaver, vice president academic and provost, congratulations Matthew Keuken on joining Dalhousie's academic all-Canadians. (Nick Pearce Photo)

You want to get top marks and play on a varsity team? Then you better work on your time management.

“You’ve got to keep a good schedule,” says Leanne Huck, the captain of both women’s soccer and track-and-field teams who made Dalhousie’s academic all-Canadian list for the third time.

“I didn’t make the list during my first year,” she continues. “It wasn’t until my time-management skills improved that it happened.”

Ms. Huck was among 62 varsity athletes recognized for their academic accomplishments at Wednesday’s celebratory lunch held at the McInnes Room in the SUB.

To qualify as an academic all-Canadian, a student-athlete must maintain a grade point average (GPA) of 80 per cent or better over the academic year, while competing in a varsity sport. Dalhousie leads the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) conference with the most academic all-Canadians and the Tigers’ swimming program leads Dalhousie’s varsity pack with 15 academic all-Canadians on its roster.

Swimmer Magda Gawlik, who just graduated with a degree in Community Design, is back at Dalhousie’s Faculty of Architecture and Planning, this time in the Environmental Design program. She agrees that time management is the key to achieving a great GPA: “Luckily, I think it comes naturally to me. You definitely can’t procrastinate.”

The aspiring architect says the trick is finding the right balance between academics and athletics.

“I’m always busy … I’ve just had to cutback on my normal lazing around,” she says with a laugh. “But I really enjoy my studies and swimming. I’m passionate about both.”

Swimmer Matthew Keuken is in the pool working on his back stroke every day by 6 a.m. He says being an athlete makes him a better student, and vice-versa: “When you’ve got to train every single day for five hours a day, it means you’ve got to be organized. It forces you to get everything done.”

The commerce student was pleased to ask Bette Tetreault, his teacher for the first-year class Business Communications, to join him at lunch as a way of thanking her for her support. Mrs. Tetreault, for her part, was delighted: “I was knocked away … I’m flattered by all measure.

“I’m so impressed with the things these student-athletes can accomplish at the same time: to do so beautifully in class and still find time for athletics … I give them enormous credit.”

For the complete list of Dalhousie’s academic all-Canadians, see: Giving all you can