A pair of economics student-athletes pocketed the prestigious Provost Award during the 16th annual University of Victoria Vikes Honour Roll Luncheon.
Despite the unprecedented challenges that everyone has gone through since the coronavirus took over the world, the Vikes found a safe alternative to acknowledge the top academic performances from 2019-20.
Instead of congregating at the University Club for the event, a Zoom call took place where the Dean from each faculty read aloud the recipients from their program. Following the unveiling of the Honour Roll student-athletes, Dr. Susan Lewis announced that this year’s Provost Winners were Katie Martens (women’s golf) and Samuel Seshadri (men’s rowing).
“I was surprised and really excited to find out that I won. I feel like I have always worked hard in school, so it was nice to get recognized for all the work that I’ve put into my studies,” said Katie Martens, a third-year golfer.
Martens switched from the business program to the economics program. She has quickly reaped the benefits of her academic adjustment.
“I think my GPA reflects the habits I learned earlier in my university career when it comes to time management. Economics felt more like a natural path for me and I’ve enjoyed the switch so far,” said Martens.
Tying her with a perfect 9.0 GPA was Seshadri from men’s rowing. This marked the third time in the history of the banquet and second-straight year that two student-athletes tied for the best GPA.
“I was a surprised to win the award for sure. I knew I had a pretty solid year last year, but we also have so many smart student-athletes in our program, so you just never know,” said Seshadri, a third-year rower. “I am very grateful for my coach, my teammates and my peers in economics that pushed me to get the best grades I could.”
Busy with rowing training and competitions, Seshadri claimed that it took him a year to understand how to get the most out of his time at UVic.
“Once I compartmentalized my life, I became grounded in my work. Once I learned that I needed eight to 10 hours for studying, three to four hours for training and a little bit of socializing thrown in there, I saw positive results in my grades,” said Sehsadri. “I wish I knew how to do that during my first year.”
This year also saw the most Vikes achieve Honour Roll status, as 101 heard their names get called by deans this morning. The previous high was 94, set in 2016-17.
The recipients of the Honour Roll are student-athletes who achieved a minimum of a 6.6 GPA (80%) while training and competing at the highest level of sport.
Thanks to the generous support of the University of Victoria, the 2019-20 group of recipients received financial support for their accomplishments.
The Provost Award winner receives a further $500 athletic financial award, for a total of $1,000 in support and is honoured again at the end of the year at the Celebration of Champions athletics award banquet in April.
FOR A FULL LIST OF VIKES HONOUR ROLL RECIPIENTS BY YEAR, CLICK HERE.
2019-20 Vikes Honour Roll Recipients (101):
BUISNESS
Sophia Berk, Women’s Field Hockey
Janet Dawson, Women’s Field Hockey
Max Murchison, Men’s Golf
Connor Attridge, Men’s Rowing
Alexander Sawers, Men’s Rowing
Nicholas Carson, Men’s Rugby
Gabriel Casey, Men’s Rugby
Ethan Hager, Men’s Rugby
Nicholas Pearce, Men’s Rugby
Will Adams, Men’s Soccer
Jack Savage, Men’s Swimming
Timothy Longley, Men’s Cross Country and Track
EDUCATION
Trent Monkman, Men’s Basketball
Marissa Dheensaw, Women’s Basketball
Ashton Aumen, Women’s Field Hockey
Cara Butler, Women’s Field Hockey
Erin Dawson, Women’s Field Hockey
Anna Mollenhauer, Women’s Field Hockey
Melanie Robertson, Women’s Field Hockey
Stefanie Sajko, Women’s Field Hockey
Emily Wong, Women’s Field Hockey
Melanie Murchison, Women’s Golf
Andrea Chan, Men’s Rowing
Eden Hardcastle, Women’s Rowing
Hayley Hubbs, Women’s Rowing
Hannah Meeson, Women’s Rowing
Katherine Olson, Women’s Rowing
Aidan Cole, Men’s Rugby
Liam Mahon, Men’s Rugby
Rowan Megale, Men’s Rugby
Edward Zinkan, Men’s Rugby
Kelsey McKinnon, Women’s Rugby
Jasdeep Lally, Men’s Soccer
Brea Christie, Women’s Soccer
Kiara Kilbey, Women’s Soccer
Avneet Rai, Women’s Soccer
Lauren Taylor, Women’s Swimming
Jack Boden, Men’s Cross Country and Track
Caitlin Mann, Women’s Cross Country and Track
ENGINEERING
Jason Scully, Men’s Basketball
Maggie Hemphill, Women’s Rowing
Nathaniel Dring, Men’s Rugby
Thomas Heuser, Men’s Rugby
Darian Morrison, Men’s Rugby
Nicole Gamm, Women’s Rugby
Zoe Goodwin-Sutton, Women’s Rugby
Xavier Araujo, Men’s Soccer
Luc Brix Monteiro, Men’s Soccer
Evan Stefanek, Men’s Soccer
Eryn Libert-Scott, Women’s Soccer
Josh Zakala, Men’s Swimming
Juliana Bartemucci, Women’s Swimming
Alice Gentleman, Women’s Swimming
Anton Kuipers, Men’s Cross Country and Track
Brandon Vail, Men’s Cross Country and Track
FINE ARTS
Rhiannon Jones, Women’s Golf
Josh Kozelj, Men’s Cross Country and Track
HUMAN & SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Dari Cote, Women’s Soccer
Trinity Kettyls, Women’s Soccer
HUMANITIES
Paige Farries, Women’s Rugby
Victoria Gilbert, Women’s Rowing
Hannah Walline, Women’s Basketball
MASTERS OF SCIENCE
Eric Hedlin, Men’s Swimming
SCIENCE
Katie Langdon, Women’s Basketball
Mackenzie Scott, Women’s Golf
Piper Battersby, Women’s Rowing
Chanel Mandap, Women’s Rowing
Adriana Rooker, Women’s Rowing
Ashah Payson, Women’s Rugby
Maelle Reed, Women’s Rugby
Georgia Bignold, Women’s Soccer
Natalie Cavallin, Women’s Soccer
Madison Krivoshein, Women’s Soccer
Kennedy Martin, Women’s Soccer
Bailey Espersen, Men’s Swimming
Ethan Jensen, Men’s Swimming
Ethan Phillips, Men’s Swimming
Sarah Kirkhope, Women’s Swimming
Matthew Thibodeau, Men’s Cross Country and Track
Bridget Mateyko, Women’s Cross Country and Track
SOCIAL SCIENCES
Jaden Touchie, Men’s Basketball
Morgan Roskelley, Women’s Basketball
Georgia Booker, Women’s Field Hockey
Tessa Johnston, Women’s Field Hockey
Annika Kleinschmidt, Women’s Field Hockey
Robin Conlan, Men’s Golf
Megan Hodgson, Women’s Golf
Katie Martens, Women’s Golf
Colin Montgomery, Men’s Rowing
Samuel Ross, Men’s Rowing
Samuel Seshadri, Men’s Rowing
Ada Okonkwo, Women’s Rugby
Ella O’Regan, Women’s Rugby
Harjot Nijjar, Men’s Soccer
Puck Louwes, Women’s Soccer
Lauren Crisp, Women’s Swimming
Andrea Farmer, Women’s Swimming
Jamie Hellard, Women’s Swimming
Chloe Spinks, Women’s Swimming
Vladyslav Lyesin, Men’s Cross Country and Track
Gabriel Van Hezewijk, Men’s Cross Country and Track
