Academic Team of the Year: Women's volleyball wins the award for an unprecedented 10th time
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – With a strong focus on academic success that continues to be a hallmark of the program, the Griffins women's volleyball team has won the Cathryn Heslep Academic Team of the Year award for a milestone-making, unprecedented 10th time in program history.
The prestigious honour, which goes to the Griffins team with the best combined GPA, went women's volleyball's way for the first time in four years after they had a 3.448 GPA during the 2024-25 season.
It halts a run of three-straight wins by the Griffins women's basketball team (2021-24).
All total, five MacEwan teams had at least 3.0 or higher in 2024-25, reflecting the high standard of academic success that continues to define Griffins student-athletes.
"We are incredibly proud of our women's volleyball team for earning the distinction of being our top academic team this year," said MacEwan Athletics Director Joel Mrak. "Their commitment to excellence in the classroom mirrors the same discipline and drive they show on the court.
"This achievement speaks volumes about their commitment and dedication to being student-athletes. They have set the bar high for what it means to succeed both academically and athletically and are very deserving of this recognition."
The MacEwan women's volleyball team first won the award in 2004-05, kicking off a run of five-straight times they claimed the honour. They also won in 2012-13, 2013-14, 2018-19 and 2020-21.
Top Academic winners Payton Shimoda (Business) and Tess Weber (Fine Arts & Communications) led the way for the women's volleyball team, but their marks were strong across the board.
"I think that's the foundation of everything with post-secondary athletics," explained Griffins women's volleyball head coach Chris Wandler. "It's the student-athlete. Having the academic side as the foundation of why you're coming to play volleyball is a very key component.
Everybody who comes to play at MacEwan has that idea that they want to be the best at everything, including the academic side.
"We're fortunate enough that we have a lot of really good student-athletes that create (academic) habits. This is the result of all those great habits."
The Cathryn Heslep Academic Team of the Year award first started in 1990-91 as the Athletic Alumni Chapter Award. Since then, there have been 21 known winners.
