News Archives: 2020 Festival of Gold - Academic Awards
Tuesday, April 14th, 2020
As we are committed to protecting the health and well-being of our students and staff, we announced earlier this month the cancellation of our annual Festival of Gold Awards Night scheduled for April 1, 2020. While we are disappointed we cannot gather in person to celebrate this past season and our athletes’ accomplishments, we are pleased to be using social media to share the great performances our student athletes have had this season.
Awards will be announced daily the week of April 13-17, 2020.
April 13, 2020 - Team Awards
April 14, 2020 - Academic Awards
April 15, 2020 - Iron Wolf Awards
April 16, 2020 - Rookie of the Year Award
April 17, 2020 - Athlete of the Year Award
CCAA ACADEMIC ALL-CANADIAN AWARDS
The CCAA Academic All-Canadian award is the CCAA’s most prestigious student athlete honour, epitomizing a commitment to academic success and athletic achievement.
GPRC Wolves Athletics is pleased to announce we had three athletes qualify for this prestigious recognition.
- Anna van der Giessen, third year, cross country running.
Anna placed 4th at the ACAC Conference Championships in Calgary this year. She then went to have an outstanding performance at the CCAA Cross Country Nationals, finishing 7th, which earned her a CCAA All-Canadian award. While achieving all of this, Anna maintained a 3.7 GPA in the Bachelor of Science Nursing program.
“Doing well in school has always been very important to me,” said Van Der Giessen. “When I was accepted into the nursing program at GPRC, my drive to get good grades combined with the intense course load probably would have consumed me had it not been for cross country running, which forced me to step back from school and take a breath.
“With practice every day, I learned the importance of getting outside and moving. I always came back to my schoolwork with a fresh outlook. Being a part of this college team has been such a valuable experience, showing me that setting aside time for physical activity can make a major difference in my mental and physical health, allowing me greater success at school.”
- Leah Friesen, fourth year, women's volleyball.
Leah was named to the ACAC North All-Conference team while maintaining a 3.8 GPA in the Business Administration program.
Leah talks about how Volleyball has enhanced her grades in the classroom.
“My involvement in college sport has contributed to my success at school because being a part of women's volleyball pushes me to focus on my academics. Being successful in the classroom allows me to be successful on the court,” said Friesen. “To be able to play volleyball I have to maintain a 2.0 GPA or higher, and this standard has motivated me to work hard in my classes so that I am able to play the sport that I love. Being on a college sport team has given me the ability to further grow my management skills with balancing my athlete life and academic life. My success at school I definitely owe to my athletic abilities and having the opportunity to play for GPRC.”
- Liam O'Hallahan, second year, men's basketball.
Liam was named to the ACAC North All-Conference team while maintaining a 3.6 GPA in the Bachelor of Education.
Liam gives credit to his Head Coach Evan Lloyd for laying the foundation.
“I have been very fortunate that my basketball coach, Evan Lloyd created a foundation for us athletes to thrive in the classroom. He has impressed upon us all how important our grades are in developing us as complete student athletes,” said O’Hallahan.
INDIVIDUAL ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AWARDS
The Individual Academic Excellence Awards go to the student athlete that had the highest GPA on each team in the Fall Semester.
Many athletes are above the 3.3 GPA threshold and will be recognized later with the CCAA National Scholar and the ACAC Academic Awards upon completion of the Winter semester.
Men’s Soccer
- Alex Fowler (3.85 GPA)
- Danja Fredrickson (3.9 GPA)
- Jeremy Pynn (3.8 GPA)
- Hannah French (4.0 GPA)
- Carly Rombs (4.0 GPA)
- Cole Clements (3.57 GPA)
- Alexandra Pullishy (3.9 GPA)
Cross Country Running / Indoor Track
- Maria Houle (4.0 GPA)
- Anna Van Der Giessen (4.0 GPA)
TEAM ACADEMIC AWARD
This award goes to the team that has the best overall GPA in the Fall semester.
This year’s team had 10 of 12 athletes with a GPA of 3.43 and higher and an overall team GPA average of 3.57.
Congratulations to GPRC Wolves Women’s Basketball on achieving this honour.
Read the Team Awards news release here.