201 Golden Bears & Pandas honoured as Academic All-Canadians

Over a third of all Golden Bears & Pandas were honoured on Wednesday morning, as Athletics held their annual Academic All-Canadian breakfast. 

201 UofA student-athletes earned AAC status in 2022/23, which sets a new record for Academic All-Canadians during a competitive season. 

179 Golden Bears & Pandas were named U SPORTS Academic All-Canadians, with another 22 golf and tennis student-athletes, which are not U SPORTS-sanctioned sports, were named to the All-Academic Team. The 179 U SPORTS AAC’s sets a new University of Alberta record for a competitive season.

Highlights

• 179 U SPORTS Academic All-Canadians breaks the record of 164 set in 2021/22.
• 39% of eligible student-athletes were named an Academic All-Canadian in 2022/23 (201/513).
• 12 UAlberta Faculties were represented amongst the 22/23 AAC total, led by 40 from Science, and 34 from Kinesiology, Sport, & Recreation.
• The University of Alberta’s All-Time U SPORTS AAC total now stands at 3,764, the most in Canadian University Sport history.
• Jordan Canham (Golden Bears Volleyball) and Olivia Cooper (Pandas Cross-Country / Track & Field) were named the Male and Female UAlberta Academic All-Canadian student-athletes of the year.
   

The criteria to be honoured as an AAC is maintaining an average of 80% or better over the academic year, while competing full-time for one of the university’s varsity teams.

Golden Bears and Pandas Athletics also handed out the Kathlene Yetman Trophy and the Mark Goodkey Memorial Trophy, presented annually to the Female and Male Academic All-Canadian student-athletes of the year.

“The 201 student-athletes being recognized today have made countless sacrifices and demonstrated exceptional effort and commitment to both their sport and their studies in order to earn Academic All-Canadian status,” said Katie Spriggs, Interim Director of Athletics at the UofA. “This event is an opportunity for the campus community to come together to celebrate how incredibly proud we are of our Golden Bear & Panda student-athletes and their efforts.”

Canham, an Education graduate, powered the Golden Bears Volleyball to a 22-2 conference record in 2022/23, culminating in capturing their 14th Canada West Championship.

He earned both the Canada West and U SPORTS Men’s Volleyball Player of the Year awards after finishing with the third-best hitting percentage in Canada West, finishing the season with a team-high 282 kills.

The Avonmore, Ontario product led the country in service aces with 49. His ace total last season, as well as his 99 career aces both set new Alberta program records. He was also named the Canada West nominee for the U SPORTS Lieutenant Governor Athletic Awards. 

Cooper was a U SPORTS All-Canadian in Cross-Country, earning the highest finish of any Panda since 2004.

The third-year Panda followed that up with a tremendous Track season which saw her earn three Canada West medals, one U SPORTS medal, and set two new Pandas Track program records.

She was also just the second student-athlete from Pandas Cross-Country to be named the Bakewell Trophy recipient as UAlberta Female Athlete of the Year, and competed for Canada at the 2023 NACAC Championships this summer in Costa Rica.