29 Rustlers athletes receive national recognition

In the title "student athlete", student comes first and that's especially true at Lakeland College.

The Rustlers Athletics program featured plenty of success in the classroom in 2023. 29 athletes received national academic recognition from the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association, achieving a Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 3.5 out of 4. The collective GPA of the entire pool of Rustlers players during the 2022-2023 season was 3.0.

Director of Athletics Alan Rogan praised their efforts, noting the tremendous improvement of these sports programs academically over the past 15 years and their adherence to the three C's of Rustlers Athletics. The three pillars are classroom, community and competition.

"I am proud of our student athletes," he said. "Over the years we have seen a greater number receive recognition for their efforts in the classroom, as well as in competition."

Rustlers athletes achieved academic and athletic success on a national stage individually as well, with Kyla Franks of women's soccer, Alana Olson of women's basketball and Jana Laing and Jenay Varga of women's volleyball being named CCAA Academic All-Canadians. This is for achieving a high GPA while being named to the All-Conference Team in the ACAC. Varga and Olson were also named to their respective All Canadian squads.

Lakeland had a total of 37 students win an ACAC Academic Athlete Award, with the top performers of each Rustlers team combining for a collective GPA of 3.8.

The list of ACAC Academic Athlete Award winners includes: