Heather Cartwright named recipient of the 2023 National Athletic Alumni of the Year Award
By Therese Quigley
The Mitchell Family Alumni of the Year Award is presented to athletic alumni based on contributions to their alma mater and outstanding community leadership. The 2023 recipient is Western rowing alum and supporter, Heather Cartwright.
Heather has been an extraordinary contributor and leader. She has helped build a culture of high performance and community excellence in Western rowing.
Heather graduated from Western University in 1993 with a bachelor’s degree in English and women’s studies. She began rowing in 1985 at Branksome Hall in Toronto and was a member of the varsity rowing team at Western from 1988 until 1990 when she was diagnosed with a rare genetic heart condition that forced her to stop all sports. In 1990 while still a student she began coaching, leading the Western Lightweight Varsity Women to wins at Dad Vail Championships and the Ontario Athletic Championships. She was the rowing team’s Student Executive President in 1991 and 1992 and was awarded the Duncan McLaren Trophy in 1992.
Heather is a certified NCCP Level 4 Coach and a 2003 graduate of the National Coaching Institute Ontario. Heather had a ten-year career in technology sales and marketing before committing to full time coaching in 2003. She has coached at Princeton, Boston University and was Head Coach, Lightweight Women, at Harvard University until her return to Toronto in 2011.
From 2012 until 2018, Heather was the volunteer Deputy Co-Chair for Athletics along with her colleague Dave McCann. She remains a tireless advocate for increased funding and resources for varsity sports at Western.
Marnie McBean, a longtime friend of Heather’s and one of Canada’s most decorated Olympians, says that the national alumni honour is a long time coming. “Thirty years ago, Heather and I were sharing the dream of trying out for national teams. Unfortunately, Heather’s heart condition prevented her from pursuing that athletic goal. Heather channeled her substantial force and energy into a different path – one that has left a lasting impact. She found countless ways to make Western crews faster by coaching and mentoring, as well as supporting long term strategic growth opportunities for rowers as a donor.”
Renowned Olympic and Western Rowing Coach, Al Morrow, was a mentor of Heather’s in her journey as both an athlete and coach. Al reflects, “Heather stands out for her philanthropy and leadership. Heather is a wonderful role model for the present generation of rowers. Every time she visits she offers team members sage advice with calm and confidence.”
Retired Western Mustang coach Volker Nolte describes Heather as a transformational leader. “Heather has been an outstanding supporter of Western Rowing for more than 30 years. As a coach she helped lead teams to win OUAA/OWIAA Championships, and her philanthropic support began shortly thereafter. Heather always listened to concerns and identified areas that needed improvement. Not only did she find ways to help, but she also made contributions to various fundraising initiatives, culminating in the creation of the Great 8 Campaign. This last fundraising project, which is the largest in Western University rowing history, successfully laid the groundwork for an ongoing head coach position. Overall, Western Rowing program would not be the same without Heather’s continued support.”
With support from Dan Bechard, head coach of the Western men’s team, and the Western advancement office, Heather spearheaded the Great 8 fundraising campaign. The campaign has surpassed its goal of raising one million dollars, which is now matched by the university.
“Heather is an incredibly selfless individual. She is collaborative, hard-working, passionate, giving, knowledgeable and willing to take on challenges that helps us achieve greater status and awareness, with the ultimate goal of leading to a better experience for student-athletes,” says Dan Bechard. “She has increased awareness and support internally and externally due to her advocacy and amplified leadership support for alumni engagement.”
Matt Waddell, Head Coach of the Western Women’s Rowing team states, “Heather is a long-term strategic thinker who values sustainability, and she targets her help toward where it will create a permanent impact on the program.”
Heather believes that Western rowing has a history of building community excellence that has been passed down from generation to generation. She was motivated to write her book Purple Reign: 60 Years of Western Crew to capture the great history of Western rowing so that current and future student-athletes understand the legacy of the sport
Heather credits Western as an important early leadership experience for her development as a student-athlete. “Rowing has a unique tradition of student leadership. The rowing student executive experience gave me confidence. In my last year as president, we raised $90,000 and purchased a boat and much-needed equipment for the team. This experience gave me the confidence to go into sales following graduation,” reflects Heather.
We look forward to celebrating the success of the Great 8 fundraising campaign and the national recognition bestowed on Heather on Saturday March 2, 2024 at the Rowing Gala. Congratulations, Heather!
