EDMONTON – Golden Bears & Pandas student-athletes have once again proven why they lead the nation in athletic and academic success, as a record number earned Academic All-Canadian honours in 2020/21.

A record 213 Golden Bears & Pandas earned AAC honours during the 20/21 academic year, surpassing the previous record of 168 from 2019/20. Of those 213, 189 are from U SPORTS sanctioned sports, with 24 coming from the Golden Beas & Pandas golf and tennis programs. 

 Highlights

• The total number of Academic All-Canadians (213), as well as the total of U SPORTS All-Canadians (189), are new institution records. The 162 U SPORTS AAC’s from 2018/19 was the previous high-mark. 
• The University of Alberta’s All-Time U SPORTS AAC total now stands at 3,417, the most in Canadian University Sport history. McGill University ranks second all-time with 3,066 Academic All-Canadians. AAC’s were first recognized in 1991.
• Janko Vong (Golden Bears Soccer) and Julia Zonneveld (Pandas Volleyball) were named the Male and Female UAlberta Academic All-Canadian student-athletes of the year.
   

The criteria to be honoured as an AAC is maintaining an average of 80% or better over the academic year, while competing full-time for one of the university’s varsity teams. With their being no varsity sport during the 2020/21 year, all Bears & Pandas were eligible to receive AAC status, with consumed eligibility not being required. 

“Not only did our student-athletes succeed tremendously well in the classroom last year, they had to do so while juggling a global pandemic, online classes, and multiple delays, cancellations, and returns to sport,” said Golden Bears and Pandas Athletic Director, Ian Reade. “It shows how resilient and dedicated the Bears & Pandas are, being able to overcome and thrive through one of the most difficult years in university sport history.” 

11 UAlberta faculties are represented in the AAC total from 2020/21, led by 44 student-athletes from the Faculty of Science, followed by 43 from Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation and 40 from Arts. 

Golden Bears and Pandas Athletics also handed out the Kathlene Yetman Trophy and the Mark Goodkey Memorial Trophy, which are presented annually to the Female and Male UAlberta Academic All-Canadian student-athletes of the year.

Former Bears captain, and U SPORTS Champion Janko Vong (Science) took home the Goodkey Trophy, becoming the third Bears Soccer player to win the award. 

Pandas Volleyball all-star, and Faculty of Engineering student Julia Zonneveld earned the Yetman Trophy, after earning a perfect 4.0 GPA in 2020/21.