Message from Director of Sports & Recreation, Christine Stapleton

By Christine Stapleton

christine message

Canada's women's 8 rowing team. The team went on to pick up a silver medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Photo credit: Merijn Soeters

Hope you all are having a wonderful summer! The Western Mustangs have had an action-filled summer, training and competing internationally.

Congratulations to our Mustangs rowers, three of whom had podium finishes at the FISU 2024 Summer Rowing Games in the Netherlands; and to several members of our Mustangs wrestling team who participated in and medaled at the U23 Pan-American (Pan Am) Championships in Columbia this summer.

We are purple and proud of our coaches, student-athletes and alumni who participated in the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics. Be sure to check out their stories .

We recently announced that Western will be hosting the 2026 FISU Rowing Championships , in collaboration with the OUA, U SPORTS and Tourism London, which we are very excited about.

We have also been very busy at home this summer. Western hosted the OFSAA Track & Field Championships and the Ontario Summer Games, as well as the MS Bike Tour. We are also planning several upgrades to our facilities, including the much-anticipated installation of the new videoboard at Western Alumni Stadium.

Several coaches were recognized over the summer for their exceptional work.

  • Melissa Bartlett, head coach of Mustangs women’s volleyball, was inducted into the Ontario Volleyball Hall of Fame .
  • Jim Waite, BA’72, MEd’82,  long-time Western Mustangs golf coach won the 2024 Heart Award.
  • A pair of Mustangs coaches were recognized for their contributions at the 2024 Coaches Appreciation Reception , hosted by President Dr. Alan Shepard. This year's recipient of the 2024 Jack  Fairs Award was Guy Schultz, MA’00, head coach of the Mustangs cross country team, assistant coach with the track and field team and coordinator of Western Intramurals. This year’s recipient of the 2024 Fran Wigston Eberhard Assistant Coaching Award was Mustangs softball assistant coach Becky Goudy.

In other exciting news, our 2024-25 fall season schedules are now set and tickets are on sale . Don’t miss any of the action! I can’t wait to cheer on our Mustangs at home with many of you.

I am already looking forward to Homecoming 2024. The Western Mustangs will take on the  Queen’s Gaels on Saturday, September 28 at Western Alumni Stadium, and don’t miss the  Western Mustangs Sports Hall of Fame Dinner , which  will take place on September 27, 2024. It is going to be an exciting weekend.

Your support is needed!

I’d like to thank everyone who has contributed to this year’s athletics campaign so far. As we head into the fall, our student-athletes are working hard, training for what is sure to be another memorable season.

We continue to require support for our student-athletes. Every donation – no matter the size – helps fund crucial resources to help our Mustangs succeed. Please give today!

Fall is one of my favourite seasons, and as our coaches start to prep and student-athletes train for the upcoming season, I can feel the positive energy. Thank you so much for your ongoing support of our program. We appreciate your engagement with us more than you know. Spirit and connection are integral for our entire Mustangs community. We can’t wait for everyone to return to campus and for the season to begin.