Academic All‑Canadian Robert McCulloch stays on track

When it comes to being a student-athlete, Robert McCulloch has got it pretty much figured out. The psychology major is now in his fourth year of meeting academic demands while maintaining a rigorous training schedule with the varsity track team.

Last week, Mr. McCulloch was recognized for his success in this balancing act at the Academic All-Canadians luncheon. The event honoured students who have maintained a GPA of 80 percent or higher while participating in a varsity sport. This is Mr. McCulloch’s third year receiving the honour.

“I wasn’t aware of the Academic All-Canadian program in my first year, so when I got the letter I wasn’t sure what it was all about, but each year since then I’ve been motivated to keep it up,” says Mr. McCulloch, acknowledging the positive effect the Canadian Interuniversity Sport program can have on student athletes.

“I train 6 days a week for the track team, only one day off to give the body a rest,” he says. “It takes a lot of self-discipline. I still have to meet deadlines, but I have only a set amount of time in the day to get homework done.”

Mr. McCulloch has no shortage of sources for motivation, including parents, coaches, friends, and professors. “I have an incredible support system in place,” he says. “Varsity is a huge commitment timewise, but also in terms of mental energy. Without a support system, it wouldn’t happen.”

A successful balancing act

A busy schedule of school and sports is nothing new to Mr. McCulloch, who played on four teams at once while growing up in Glammis, Ontario.

“In high school I always had three things a day to do aside from homework,” he says, noting, though, that first-year university brought with it some surprises: “When I came to university I was strictly a high jumper. My coach took one look at me and told me I was going to do multiple events.”

Five events to be precise. Mr. McCulloch now competes in pentathlon, which consists of 60m hurdles, long jump, high jump, shot putt, and 1000m run. To say that he's excelled is an understatement: he's now the current AUS record holder in the event.

Track coach Kevin Bourgeois was more than happy to comment on Mr. McCulloch’s dedication to excellence

“I tell my athletes that it means something special to be a student-athlete, and to wear the title with honour. Rob has certainly done that and then some."