2025 Western Mustangs Sports Hall of Fame women’s individual inductees
Cristina Bonasia BSc'06 - Soccer
Cristina Bonasia is one of the most decorated athletes in the history of women’s soccer at Western University, recognized for her relentless work ethic, scoring prowess, and exceptional leadership.
She played for the Mustangs from 2001 to 2006, earning OUA and CIS Rookie of the Year honours in her debut season.
Over five season she served as a three-year captain, elevating those around her with her fierce competitiveness and team-first mentality.
In the 2004–05 season, Cristina led the Mustangs to an OUA championship and was named both OUA MVP and Team MVP. She competed in two CIS national championships and proudly represented Canada at the 2005 FISU World Games in Izmir, Turkey.
Cristina ranks third all-time in program history with 50 goals in 83 games. She remains one of only a few female athletes in Western’s history to be named a five-time OUA All-Star and a five-time CIS All-Canadian—an incredibly rare achievement in Canadian university sport.
In recognition of her outstanding soccer career, she received the prestigious Purple Blanket and was inducted into the Western Soccer Wall of Honour.
Off the field, her humility, caring nature, and connection with teammates earned her respect and cherished friendships.
Cristina’s impact stretched well beyond Western. She won an OFSAA AAA championship in high school with St. Thomas Aquinas, captained the London Gryphons in the USL W-League, captured a Women’s Ontario Cup with London City and holds multiple Ontario Cup Masters titles. She has since contributed as a coach, mentor and active supporter of alumni initiatives, including Mustang Tales and the broader Western soccer community.
Beyond the game, Cristina has built a successful career in education in Mississauga. She currently serves as the Head of Student Success as her school, where she works to remove barriers to learning, helping students achieve academic, personal, and social success.
Cristina’s induction into the Western Mustangs Sports Hall of Fame is a well-earned honour. Her passion, leadership and excellence continue to inspire and shape the Mustangs legacy.
Julie McMullin, BA’87, BA (Hon)’89, MA’90, PhD’96 (Toronto) - Curling
Julie McMullin curled for Western in the mid-to-late 1980’s (1984-87, 1988-89) and led her curling team to Ontario provincial curling championships in 1984-85, as well as in 1988-89. She was recognized as a leader on her team and was a two-time MVP award winner as well as earning a Bronze “W” in 1987. Julie won the perstigeous purple blanket in 1989.
Julie continued her passionate pursuit of curling in the early 1990’s, coming close to victories at the Scottie’s provincial women’s championships between 1990 and 1995, and Ontario mixed runner-up in 1994.
In 2016 and 2017, she won the Ontario Senior Women’s Provincial Curling Championship, and again in 2023, having been runner up in 2019 and 2020. She was also the Nova Scotia Senior Women’s Provincial champ in 2020 and 2021.
She saved her best for later in her career as the Canadian Senior Woman’s curling finalist in 2016, as a national silver medalist in 2017, and then bronze medalist in 2021 and 2022 before breaking to new heights in 2023 as Canadian Senior Women’s gold medalist, and winning the Women’s World Senior gold medal in 2024!
As a sociology professor at Western for 27 years, Julie has repeatedly given back by acting as a volunteer for Western’s curling program.
We are so proud to honour this Mustang legend and curling talent. Congratulations to Julie McMullin on her induction to the Western Mustangs Hall of Fame!
Barbara Mervin, BA'06 - Rugby
Barbara “Swervin” Mervin was an exceptional rugby athlete at Western where she was a three-time All-Canadian, an MVP, a National Champion and played for Team Canada over the course of her distinguished career.
She earned her Bachelor of Arts from Western and later completed a Fashion Design Diploma from Pacific Design Academy in Victoria, B.C.
A powerhouse in the world of rugby, Barbara boasts an impressive athletic career that includes three World Cups (2010, 2014, 2017), where she earned a World Cup silver medal. With a total of 38 caps from 2005 to 2017, she proudly represented Rugby Canada for fifteen years, starting with the U23 team and transitioning to the Senior team, playing both Sevens and 15s.
Her accolades include the 2015 Player’s Player Award from Rugby Canada and significant contributions to the Rugby Canada 7s team, which celebrated Cup victories in Hong Kong, Dubai, and Las Vegas between 2011 and 2013.
She earned her first cap against the New Zealand Black Ferns in 2006 and has since claimed five provincial championships and numerous club championships with the Velox Valkyries and Westshore. Her collegiate titles include being a two-time National Champion (CIS 2004 and 2005), CIS MVP in 2005 and CIS Rookie of the Year in 2002, along with Provincial and National All-Star selections throughout her university career.
Her extraordinary contributions to the sport have been recognized with numerous Hall of Fame inductions: Rugby Canada Hall of Fame (2021 and 2025), Peterborough Sports Hall of Fame (2024) and the Western Mustangs Sports Hall of Fame (2022) as a team inductee.
In addition to her athletic success, Barbara is the founder and CEO of Aptoella Rugby Apparel, a global e-commerce brand that specializes in women's rugby protective clothing and accessories. She serves as Head Coach for the at Shawnigan Lake School girls’ rugby team and since 2022 and also co-initiated the LeadHERship Endowment Fund through the Canadian Rugby Foundation, promoting women's participation in rugby and building leadership skills through sport.
Barbara is happily married to fellow international rugby player Clay Panga, and together they are the proud parents of two wonderful children. Her commitment to excellence both on and off the field, coupled with her steadfast dedication to empowering young athletes, truly captures what makes Barbara an outstanding and inspiring figure in the world of rugby.
