The Durham College women’s volleyball team dominated at the recent academic banquet where athletes were recently honoured.
Elaine Popp, the vice-president of academics, spoke at the event attended by 41 athletes from all the varsity teams. She praised the students for their hard work and achievements.
Popp has been at Durham College since 2015. She says teaching really matters.
“Academic excellence and student success are important to me,” she says.
At the banquet, the Bert Dejeet Memorial Award was presented to Ryan Mattes from the baseball team, who had a GPA of 5.0, and Devyn Fraser from the women’s volleyball team, who had a GPA of 5.0. This award recognizes male and female students who have achieved the highest GPA among all their athletic peers at the college.
Fraser, currently enrolled in her third program at Durham College, was the recipient of five awards at the event.
These accolades included top GPAs for both golf and volleyball, the Ontario College Athletic Association (OCAA) all-academic award, the overall top GPA at Durham College, and recognition for her contribution in helping the women’s volleyball team achieve the top team.
This was Fraser’s fifth time attending the Academic Awards lunch out of her six years at the college.
“It’s always really tough. I know a lot of people say that it’s not that hard, someone said that last year, but it’s very difficult for me because there’s not a time when I am not doing something,” she says.
She says her achievement was her primary goal, even more so than any sports-related awards. According to her, this recognition is a reflection of her determination and hard work, both in academics and sports.
At the event, women’s volleyball was recognized for achieving the top team GPA at Durham College.
Madison Harvey, a freshman on the women’s volleyball team says head coach Tony Clarke, promotes school above all else.
“It’s easy to feel overwhelmed with practices and studying,” she adds. “As a team we held each other accountable, anytime we were away for a game we had our own study groups. It means a lot to get this award, like our hard work paid off.”
The CCAA Academic All-Canadian Awards went to three members of the volleyball team, Mia Hildebrant, Katie Stewart, and Jessica Joensen.
Top overall GPA winners for each team include Devyn Fraser and Sean Michalicka (golf); Arianne Pollon (softball); Ryan Mattes (baseball); Adrianna Vanderlaan and Jonathan Ocquaye (soccer); Cierra Matthews and Brock Dunn (rugby); Devyn Fraser and Nandor Gallo (volleyball); and Samantha Patel (Esports).