University of Guelph-Humber

 Competing as a student athlete takes commitment and discipline. Along with the usual demands of classes, assignments and readings, student athletes also have to find time for workouts, training sessions and competitions. Keeping up with schoolwork is tough enough in those circumstances, but a recent awards ceremony at Humber College celebrated the students who find the time to compete as athletes and excel as students. 

Ten students from the University of Guelph-Humber attended the ceremony and were awarded a small stipend for their hard work, one of who was Sam Kirwin.

Sam, a 4th-year Justice Studies student, has been running on the Cross Country team since he started at UofGH. He’s soft-spoken, with shaggy brown hair, and for the past two years, he’s served as team captain, leading the Cross Country team to wins at both the provincial and national level.

Each year, fighting through shin splints to improve his race times, he’s also worked to keep his grades up.

“I try to take a wholesome approach to my training and my schoolwork, one where routine is essential. I plan my runs around my studying, and I’ve found that they help one another,” he says. “When I’m reading and start to lose focus, going for a run helps me come back refreshed and ready to concentrate. It puts your body to work and gives your mind a rest.”

While a full course load and rigorous training schedule are enough to keep him busy, Sam also spends time each week as a Varsity Student Mentor. In this role, he partners up with other athletes, typically in their first year of study, and meets with them regularly to help them manage their courses and stay on top of work.

Sam thinks it was a mix of his long involvement with the Cross Country team and his extra leadership roles that won him another award at the ceremony: a scholarship from the Etobicoke Sports Hall of Fame. He says receiving the scholarship, which he was given at a ceremony that included the induction of Olympic figure skater Paul Martini to the Hall of Fame, was an honour.

“It was a great feeling to clap for an Olympian as he walked up to be inducted, and then to have him clap for me and the other scholarship recipients,” he says.

As he nears the end of his time at UofGH, Sam is thankful for the coaches, teammates, support people and especially family members who helped him get through it all. He’s thinking about pursuing a career in law, but he wherever he goes, he says the lessons and attitudes he learned from both UofGH and the Cross Country team are going to stick with him. 

“With running and with school, you don’t see improvements unless you really work for them,” he says. “I’ve been conditioned to think that benefits don’t just come, they have to be earned.”

University of Guelph-Humber award recipients:

Student Athlete Awards, for achieving >80% average during the fall semester

Elizabeth Deakin-Poot – Women’s Volleyball          ECS

Victoria Jalowsi – Women’s Rugby                          Kinesiology

Baljyot Judge – Men’s Basketball                            Business

Sam Kirwin – Cross Country                                    Justice Studies

Alexandra Newman – Women’s Volleyball               Kinesiology

Kaitlyn Pitek – Women’s Softball                             Kinesiology

Krysten Spencer-Muller – Women’s Rugby             Psychology

Rachel Spratt - Women’s Soccer                            Justice Studies

Corrina Vanderschaaf – Women’s Soccer               FCSS

Jamie Vieira – Women’s Softball                             Kinesiology

Varsity Student Mentors

Sam Kirwin

Etobicoke Sports Hall of Fame Award

Sam Kirwin

Marcy Skribe Athletic Award

Baljyot Judge

Risha Toney Women’s Volleyball Award

Alexandra Newman

Learn more about clubs and sports at UofGH.