Kate Current selected as Top 8 Academic All-Canadian
Kate is one of eight student-athletes across Canada to be recognized with the prestigious Governor General’s Academic All-Canadian Commendation.
By Amy Samson
Kate Current photo courtesy of Guy Schultz
On January 16, 2023, Kate Current was recognized as one of the top student-athletes in Canada.
Organized by U Sports, the Governor General’s Academic All-Canadian Commendation celebrates student-athletes who demonstrate academic and athletic excellence, while giving back to their communities. Kate is the eighth Mustang to be honoured as a Top 8 Academic All-Canadian.
Kate is in her second year of graduate studies in Civil Engineering at Western University. Since joining the Western cross country and track & field teams in 2016, Kate has represented Western at ten U Sport Championships, receiving four U Sport and six OUA All-Star awards.
In 2019, Kate finished fifth at the U Sport Cross Country Championships, earning her a place on Team Canada for the 2020 FISU Cross-Country Championships in Morocco. In 2020, Kate won both the 1500m and 3000m events at the OUA Track and Field Championships and was awarded the OUA MVP award. In 2021-22, Kate again won the 3000m event at the OUA Championships, while placing second in the 1500m. She later won gold at the U Sport Track and Field Championship in both the 1500m and 3000m.
In her final two years on the track and field team, Kate set new records for Western in both the 1500m and 3000m events, breaking records that were set 37 years earlier. Her record in the 1500m also broke the meet record at the Windsor Can-Am Classic set by Olympian Melissa Bishop in 2016. Kate is the first and only Mustang to run sub 9:10 for women’s 3000m.
“Kate exemplifies the model of student-athlete. She has been a strong leader on both the cross country and track and field teams as our captain for the last three years, while excelling in her academic pursuits. Despite the struggles student-athletes have had to face over the last few years, Kate has continued to set personal bests and break records as a Mustang,” said her coach Guy Schultz.
Academically, Kate has been on the Dean’s Honour list every year since 2017 and is a three-time recipient of the D.C. Buck Engineering Award. She was recently honoured with the Alan G. Davenport Memorial Scholarship for her academic achievement in wind engineering.
For the past five years, Kate has been a member of the Western’ Women in Engineering (WiE) club. As part of WiE, and through other volunteer endeavors, Kate has introduced high school girls to engineering, promoting the involvement of women in the field and working to create a more inclusive environment.
Kate has racked up a number of honours during her time as a two-sport athlete at Western. In 2019-20 she was the Cross-Country Team MVP, the Track and Field Team MVP and the Mustang Athlete of the Year. In 2020-21 she received a Purple Blanket award and was honoured with the F.W.P. Jones Trophy. She was named Western Athlete of the Year for a second time following the 2021-22 season.
“In all my years of coaching at Western, Kate has been one of the most talented and hardworking student-athletes I have ever coached. She exemplifies the model of a student-athlete and shows excellence in academics, athletics and leadership qualities,” said Schultz.
Congrats on your Governor General’s Academic All-Canadian Commendation, Kate! We are excited to see what is next for you in your career and athletic journey.
