Queen’s Athletics and Recreation honoured the 2016-17 Academic All-Stars at a breakfast reception held Wednesday morning in Grant Hall.

A total of 360 varsity student-athletes were recognized as Academic All-Stars, having earned at least a 3.5 grade-point average over the past academic year at Queen’s. The breakfast event marks the sixth year Athletics and Recreation has undertaken this initiative to honour the academic and athletic excellence of its student-athletes.

“We are so fortunate to have each and every one of you at Queen’s," Vice-Provost and Dean of Student Affairs Ann Tierney said to those in attendance. “Because of your hard work and dedication to both academic and athletic pursuits, we are consistently among the top five schools for the number of Academic All-Stars each year. I believe this reflects our goal of recruiting the very best student-athletes who are performing at the highest level, both in the classroom and on the field of play – and it reflects our commitment to providing you with the encouragement, support and resources that you need to excel.”

Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) Benoit-Antoine Bacon and Executive Director of Athletics and Recreation Leslie Dal Cin were also on hand to speak to the student-athletes and congratulate them on their success.

The Nixon Academic Leadership Award was given out to the male and female athletes from both the varsity teams and clubs who have exemplified achievement in academics, community service and fair play in their sport. This year's recipients of the Nixon Award are: Erin Lee (Women’s Swimming); Sam Dobbin (Men’s Triathlon); Emily Gervais (Women’s Hockey); and Ejaz Causer (Football). These awards are named in honour of Gord and Janet Nixon, two extraordinary benefactors to Athletics and Recreation.

A new Academic Leadership Award was presented this year to male and female Pathways to Education high school student-athletes who have demonstrated commitment, discipline, resilience, leadership and a positive attitude in combining academic achievement and athletic performance. This year’s recipients were Lloyd MacPherson and Shelbie Rayner-Murphy.

Last week Queen’s Athletics & Recreation announced its student-led Varsity Leadership Council have partnered with Pathways to Education to create mentorship and educational opportunities for local high school students. The partnership will also see Queen's Gaels Varsity Leadership Council host a group of Pathways students at Queen’s for a day to participate in activities, have lunch, and talk about what university and life as a student-athlete are like.

Approximately 41 per cent of Queen’s student-athletes were named Academic All-Stars this year. The varsity clubs with the highest GPAs were triathlon and track and field, while the women’s and men’s soccer teams recorded the highest team GPAs.