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University of Calgary Athletics

Record 211 Dinos earn 2019-20 academic honours

12/1/2020 10:00:00 AM

By: Ben Matchett; Assistant Athletic Director (Communications)
Academic All-Canadians

CALGARY – In a year with plenty of obstacles set in their paths, University of Calgary student-athletes met the challenge and posted the most dominant academic performance in Dinos history.

A record 211 Dinos varsity student-athletes achieved a major academic milestone in 2019-20, with 204 earning U SPORTS Academic All-Canadian status while another seven in the sport of golf added Dinos All-Academic honours by meeting the same criteria for Academic All-Canadian status in a sport not sanctioned by U SPORTS.

It marks the first time in U SPORTS history that an institution has recorded more than 200 Academic All-Canadians in a single academic year, bringing UCalgary’s total to 2,598 since the program’s inception in 1990.

I’m so proud of you, and I know I’m joined by our entire university family in celebration.
UCalgary President & Vice Chancellor Dr. Ed McCauley, PhD

“You’ve proven your leadership in athletics, putting in the dedication and teamwork to excel,” said Dr. Ed McCauley, PhD, UCalgary’s president and vice chancellor, in a video message to student-athletes. “You’ve proven your leadership in the classroom, applying your skills and knowledge to achieve academic excellence. And you’ve proven your leadership in our community, inspiring us with your compassion and service to others.”

Leading the way were two outstanding individual performances from men’s cross country’s Russell Pennock and women’s soccer’s Maiya Lee. Both put up perfect 4.0 GPAs while posting major contributions for their teams.

RUSSELL PENNOCK
Men's Cross Country / Track & Field

BSc Kinesiology '19

Pennock, who graduated in 2019 with a BSc in kinesiology, returned for his fifth year of eligibility and led the Dinos to their second straight national championship in men’s cross country, winning individual bronze for the second straight year. A few months later, Pennock was part of a Dinos squad that captured the Canada West men’s track and field championship.

Russell Pennock
Maiya Lee

MAIYA LEE
Women's Soccer

Faculty of Kinesiology

Lee, a kinesiology student, was a mainstay on the back line for the Dinos women’s soccer team in a year the program captured its first conference title since 2005 and went all the way to the national championship game. She averaged more than 90 minutes per contest as a defender, and the team allowed just eight goals in 14 conference games and just two more in five playoff contests.

Pennock and Lee weren’t alone in mixing academic and athletic success. Led by 24 Academic All-Canadians from the Vanier Cup champion football team, the Dinos squads that brought home team hardware in 2019-20 were also among the very best in the classroom:

2019 Vanier Cup
2019 U SPORTS Champions
2019 CW Women's Soccer Champions
2020 CW Women's Wrestling Champions

• Football – national champions – 24 Academic All-Canadians

• Men’s cross country/track and field – national cross country champions, CW track & field champions – 21 Academic All-Canadians

• Women’s soccer – CW champions, national silver medallists – 18 Academic All-Canadians

• Women’s wrestling – CW champions – 5 Academic All-Canadians

The student-athletes represent 10 UCalgary faculties, led by 59 in kinesiology, 44 in arts, and 31 in the Haskayne School of Business.

“The record number of Academic All-Canadians in 2019-20 is a testament to not only the drive and worth ethic our student-athletes demonstrate each year in the classroom, but also to their resilience,” said Athletic Director Jason Kerswill. “This year threw a number of unexpected curveballs to our student-athletes, including an abrupt shift to online learning late in the winter semester.

I’m so proud of what they were able to achieve despite those obstacles, and I’d like to congratulate them along with our hardworking coaches and academic support staff who support them so well.
Jason Kerswill, Director of Athletics
Dinos Academic All-Canadian History

ABOUT THE U SPORTS ACADEMIC ALL-CANADIAN PROGRAM
The Academic All-Canadian program was created by U SPORTS in 1988 to recognize the highest levels of academic achievement by student-athletes representing their institution in interuniversity athletic competition. To qualify, student-athletes must achieve an average of 80 per cent or better (or equivalent GPA) across an entire academic year while playing an active role in their sport(s).

Editor's note: the number of Academic All-Canadians was adjusted to 211 in late December following the identification of one additional student-athlete.