Every year, a growing number of CIS student-athletes are recognized as Academic All-Canadians, having maintained an average of 80 per cent or better over the academic year while competing for one - or more - of their university’s varsity teams.

In 2014-15, a record 3,077 students achieved the prestigious status, eclipsing the previous mark of 2,861 set a year ago.

No less than nine CIS member universities – four more than the previous year - had over 100 Academic All-Canadians last year, including Western (145), Alberta (128), Queen’s (125), Laval (110), Calgary (108), Acadia (108), Toronto (104), Waterloo (104) and Manitoba (100). McGill (96) rounded out the national top 10.

Among these outstanding individuals, one female and one male student-athlete from each of the four CIS regional associations are selected annually to make up the Top Eight.

Acadia's Top 8 Student-Athlete - Katie Ross 

A native of Halifax whose family now resides in Bedford, N.S., two-sport athlete Katie Ross has played in all games for Acadia’s women’s soccer and basketball teams since she joined the Axewomen program in the fall of 2013. In soccer, the centre midfielder was named a second-team AUS all-star following a rookie season and, as a sophomore, helped the Axewomen reach the conference championship game. In basketball, she was also a member of the starting lineup each of her first two campaigns.

Academically, Ross has maintained a perfect 4.0 grade point average in a demanding kinesiology program. A CIS Academic All-Canadian and member of the Dean’s List in each of her first two years on the Wolfville, N.S., campus, she was also the recipient of the International Baccalaureate Scholarship (2013-2017) and the Class of 1937 Scholarship (2013-2017).

In the community, the 20-year-old is involved with the Junior Axewomen Basketball Program, the Canadian Cancer Society Relay for Life, the Valley Cardiac Rehabilitation Program, ENACTUS Wolfville Food Drives, as well as Camp Triumph Door-to-Door Fundraiser, to name only a few. She is also a volunteer soccer coach and referee. 

“I count myself very privileged to work with so many great athletes and people at the CIS level while coaching women’s soccer at Acadia. Amongst the many athletes and students I am in contact with, there are few more impressive than Katie with regards to the standards she sets and the variety of roles she takes within the team, at Acadia, and in the greater community,” said soccer head coach Amit Batra. 

“Katie is a unique student-athlete and citizen. To say that she is unusually well-rounded would be to dramatically understate. She exhibits a rare capacity for extremely high achievement within several overlapping, intensely-competitive endeavours,” added Acadia women’s basketball head coach Bev Greenlaw.

Name: Katie Ross

Hometown: Bedford, N.S.

School: Acadia University

Faculty: Professional Studies

Program: Kinesiology

Sports: Soccer / Basketball

Eligibility in 2014-15: 2nd year

 

Read the CIS Top 8 news release.