Two UBC Okanagan Heat athletes have placed among the 162 student-athletes from across the nation that have combined excellence in collegiate athletics and academics – one of them from Salmon Arm. Salmon Arm’s Cody Bell from the Heat’s golf program and Hayley Carlson, a Heat women’s soccer player, are among the recipients of Academic All-Canadians.
Bell is a first-year golfer for the Heat who earned the PACWEST Golfer of the Year honours after having the lowest aggregate score among all PACWEST men’s golfers for the fall of 2011. The SIRC (Sport Information Resource Centre) – Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Academic All Canadian award is the CCAA’s most prestigious student-athlete honour, epitomizing both organizations’ commitment to academic success and athletic achievement. Honourees must attain academic honours at their institution in addition to obtaining athletic achievements. For UBC Okanagan, only athletes from the golf and soccer programs were eligible to win the award this year as the volleyball and basketball programs now compete in the CIS (Canadian Interuniversity Sport). The CIS will honour their Academic All-Canadians in the fall.