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GreenShield named title partner of the 2024 U SPORTS Final 8 men’s basketball championship
Today, U SPORTS celebrates the eight best and brightest university student-athletes from across Canada Wednesday night, unveiling the student-athletes selected as Top 8 Academic All-Canadians for the 2022-23 season.
In the 30th anniversary of the event, Acadia University’s Haley McDonald (Port Williams, N.S.), Aidan Goslett (Toronto, Ont.) of Dalhousie University, Emmy Fecteau (St-Odilon, Que.) from Concordia University, Yoan David (Sherbrooke, Que.) of the University of Sherbrooke, Queen’s University’s Ashton Miller-Melancon (Dorval, Que.), University of Waterloo’s Hannah Blair (Waterloo, Ont.), Jordan Canham (Avonmore, Ont.) of the University of Alberta and Madisson Lawrence (Winnipeg, Man.) of the University of Manitoba were honoured for their academic and sporting excellence.
The eight honorees were selected from the 4,900 student-athletes who achieved U SPORTS Academic All-Canadian status in the 2022-23 season.
U SPORTS student-athletes achieve Academic All-Canadian status for maintaining an average of 80 percent or better over the academic year while competing for one – or more – of their university’s teams that participate within U SPORTS.
In recognition of their achievements, a ceremony will be held in Ottawa later today to present the student-athletes with the Governor General’s Medal for Academic Excellence.
“These eight outstanding individuals represent the more than 4,900 U SPORTS student-athletes who achieved excellence in the classroom and on the field of play this past year. They’re the crème-de la-crème of Canadian students, and we are fortunate to have the support of the Governor General and the Speaker of the House as we recognize our Top 8 Academic All-Canadians” - Pierre Arsenault, U SPORTS CEO.
Haley McDonald
- Institution: Acadia University (AUS)
- Hometown: Port Williams, N.S.
- Sport: Women’s Basketball
- Program: Sociology (Master’s)
- GPA: 4.08
In her fifth and final season of U SPORTS eligibility, Haley McDonald capped her remarkable career by winning the Atlantic University Sport women’s basketball most valuable player award and being named first-team U SPORTS All-Canadian for her excellence on the court while maintaining a 4.08 grade point average as she completed her master's degree in Sociology.
She earned the James Bayer Memorial Scholarship Award from the AUS while finishing her career as Acadia’s all-time leading scorer with 1,846 points. In addition to her academic and athletic prowess, McDonald is the founder and director of Lights Out Elite Skills—a basketball skills camp system for girls grades 4 to 12 and co-hosts the Maritime Women's Basketball Association (MWBA) podcast promoting women in sport.
Aidan Goslett
- Institution: Dalhousie University (AUS)
- Hometown: Toronto, Ont.
- Sport: Track and Field
- Program: Commerce (Marketing) with a Minor in Economics
- GPA: 4.0
Overcoming a torn hamstring in March 2022, Dalhousie University’s Aidan Goslett recovered to lead his track and field team to the Atlantic University Sport title before earning a silver medal at the U SPORTS national championship in the 1000m event last March.
An AUS all-star, Goslett set two new Dalhousie records last season in the 1000m and 1500m events, breaking the conference record in the 1000m event.
A volunteer with the Student-Athlete Mental Health Initiative (SAMHI), Goslett completed his Bachelor of Commerce Co-op: Cooperative Education in Marketing Management with a Minor in Economics in May 2023, finishing the 2022-23 academic year with a 4.0 grade point average.
Emmy Fecteau
- Institution: Concordia University (RSEQ)
- Hometown: St-Odilon, Que.
- Sport: Women’s Hockey
- Program: Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL)
- GPA: 3.96
Concordia University forward Emmy Fecteau had the year many student-athletes dream of, but only some achieve. She achieved a 3.96 grade point average in Teaching English as a Second Language program, led her Stingers to their second straight U SPORTS women’s hockey championship game and captained Team Canada to Gold at the 2023 FISU Winter World University Games at Lake Placid, NY.
Fecteau scored 32 points (13 goals, 19 assists) in 23 regular season games for the Stinger, finishing sixth in Canada in scoring. Her efforts last season helped the Stingers win the RSEQ championship and earn a silver medal at the U SPORTS championship. She was named Concordia’s female athlete of the year and received the Denise Beaudet Award for her academic, athletic and community service achievements.
In October 2023, she was named the Isobel Gathorne-Hardy female player of the year by Hockey Canada. She was named one of eight athletes participating in its Creating Coaches initiative, which provides mentorship, coach education, professional development, and an honorarium to aspiring coaches.
Yoan David
- Institution: Université de Sherbrooke (RSEQ)
- Hometown: Sherbrooke, Que.
- Sport: Men’s Volleyball
- Program: Computer Science (Software)
- GPA: 4.20
One of the top volleyball prospects coming out of Québec in recent years, Yoan David, completed his degree with a 4.20 GPA in Computer Science (Software) and won the Gérard-Houdeville Award as the computer science student with the best grades.
A two-time Université de Sherbrooke male student-athlete of the year, David led his Vert & Or to back-to-back medals at the U SPORTS volleyball championships, including a silver medal last season. He was named to the championship all-star team and earned his first U SPORTS All-Canadian award.
Ashton Miller-Melancon
- Institution: Queen’s University (OUA)
- Hometown: Dorval, Que.
- Sport: Football
- Program: Health Studies
- GPA: 4.30
Ashton Miller-Melancon is an achiever in the classroom and on the football field. Hailing from Dorval, Que., Miller-Melancon recorded a perfect 4.30 grade point average during the 2022-23 season, earning his first nod as a U SPORTS First Team All-Canadian in football after having earned All-Rookie Team honours from the OUA the previous year.
The two-time U SPORTS Academic All-Canadian defensive back finished the 2022 season third in Canada with three interceptions while adding 25 tackles. His 11 career interceptions and 165 return yards off interceptions tie him for eighth all-time in Queen’s University football annals.
He has been awarded four academic awards, including the Pollack M. Foundation Award, Ted Reeves Memorial Award, Rassumen Athletic Financial Award and the Erie Todd Award while volunteering with the Kingston Housing Co-op and the Partners in Mission Foodbank Tackle Hunger Initiative.
Hannah Blair
- Institution: University of Waterloo (OUA)
- Hometown: Waterloo, Ont.
- Sport: Track and Field
- Program: Honours Kinesiology
- GPA: 3.96
Three-time Academic All-Canadian Hannah Blair had an exceptional season in 2022-23. She won her third straight Ontario University Athletics (OUA) gold medal in the pentathlon, breaking her conference record with 4,014 points at the OUA championships. She captured a pair of medals at the U SPORTS national championships, earning a bronze in the pentathlon (3,954 points) and a silver medal in the high jump with a leap of 1.73m.
A captain with the Warriors, Blair was named the University of Waterloo female athlete of the year, earning the Barbad Bidarian Athletic Excellence Award for track and field.
In the classroom, she earned a 3.96 grade point average in Kinesiology, finishing with 90% or greater in three of her courses during the year.
Jordan Canham
- Institution: University of Alberta (Canada West)
- Hometown: Avonmore, Ont.
- Sport: Volleyball
- Program: Kinesiology & Education
- GPA: 3.70
In his final season with the University of Alberta Golden Bears, volleyball player Jordan Canham reached the summit in personal accomplishments during the 2022-23 season. The former Canadian National Junior Team member was the U SPORTS Men’s Volleyball Player of the Year, leading his Bears squad to a 22-2 conference record en route to the program’s 14th Canada West conference title.
He was the nation’s leading outside hitter with 49 aces in 2023, setting a new Golden Bears single-season record. Canham finished third in the country with a .361 attack percentage, seventh with 363.0 points, 11th with 282 kills, and 12th with 142 digs. Canham’s excellence extended beyond the court, as he finished his studies with a pair of degrees in Education and Kinesiology with distinction.
Madisson Lawrence
- Institution: University of Manitoba (Canada West)
- Hometown: Winnipeg, Man.
- Sport: Track and Field
- Program: Management
- GPA: 4.50
Manitoba Bisons pentathlete Madisson Lawrence had an exceptional year in 2022-23, finishing with a perfect 4.50 grade point average and winning two gold medals at the U SPORTS national championships.
She set a university record with 4,114 points in the pentathlon and cleared 1.76 meters in the high jump. Her performance was even more impressive, considering she broke a toe five weeks before the Canada West championships. She epitomizes perseverance as she suffered a career-threatening injury in September 2021 that she had to overcome to become a U SPORTS champion.
Lawrence began her studies in Physical Education before entering the Asper School of Business last year. Her four-year cumulative average is 4.29 / 4.50, and she was named to the Dean’s Honour List.