Langley’s Jordan Schmidt can add a top academic honour to his many track and field/cross country awards.
Schmidt was among a group of 10 student-athletes from SFU selected to the 2020-21 Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) men’s track and field all-academic team, presented by Barnes & Noble College.
They were announced on Wednesday, May 19.
To qualify, nominees must be of sophomore eligibility or greater, have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.20 or greater, be a letter winner on their team and in their second year at the nominating institution.
READ ALSO: Eagles’ Schmidt lands with SFU
Schmidt, a business administration student and elite middle distance runner, has a 3.96 GPA.
He is as fascinated by a well-run business as he is by a perfected running stride, seeing similarities in both.
“I am particularly interested in the operations management aspect of business and in critically analyzing operational processes to implement business strategies,” said Schmidt.
“I find this passion is similar to athletics in that both involve constantly searching for strategies to improve efficiency and effectiveness.”
He will add a psychology major to his portfolio in the fall.
“I figure that with an understanding of various aspects of psychology, such as motivation and social perception, I can be an effective manager and leader,” he remarked.
He hopes to work in the agricultural technology sector and eventually pursue a Master of Business Administration.
Schmidt is an 800m specialist and two-time provincial champion, winning the provincial junior boys title in 2016 and the youth title the following year. He was also part of the R.E. Mountain team which won the BC provincial cross-country championship .
READ ALSO: Langley sprinter Jordan Jacobs named to GNAC all-academic team
On May 11, Langley sprinter Jordan Jacobs made the women’s GNAC team, one of 11 at SFU to do so.
Jacobs, a health science student who plans to become a paediatrician, has maintained a 3.22 GPA.
It was not the first time Jacobs has been acknowledged for both academic as well her athletic excellence.
The Walnut Grove student was a 2019 winner of a Langley SASSY (Service Above Self” Student Youth) award for Sports Leadership.
Jacobs, who came from a track and field background, was identified as a potential Olympic athlete in rugby, and ended up representing Canada on the national team, all while keeping her grades high.
SFU is the only Canadian member of the American-based GNAC.
Founded in 2001, the collegiate athletic conference operates in the northwestern United States, playing in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)’s Division II level.
It is the only NCAA conference in any division with a Canadian university as a member.
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