UWindsor student-athlete recognized as woman of influence

Lancer alumna Nicole Sassine was one of 19 female scholar-athletes from across the province honoured by Ontario University Athletics as “Women of Influence” at a luncheon held Tuesday, May 7. The award honours female student-athletes who have excelled in their chosen sports and fields of study.

Sassine says she is proud to have won recognition both for academic and athletic accomplishment.

“Being a student-athlete is a very difficult task that involves a lot of dedication and time-management, and to be praised for that was a proud accomplishment knowing that all of that hard work really paid off,” she says.

Sassine (BHK 2011, B.Ed 2012) ended her five-year UWindsor track and field career as one of the most prominent student-athletes in Lancer history. In her final season, the runner was named Canadian Interuniversity Sport female athlete of the year in track events and captured the Wendy Jerome Trophy as the OUA’s overall female MVP. A four-time medalist at the OUA championships—including two gold—and three-time medalist at the CIS meet, she guided the Lancer women to a fourth OUA team title in five campaigns and a fourth consecutive CIS banner.

An A+ student in kinesiology before entering the Faculty of Education, the Windsor native was an Academic All-Canadian, a member of the Dean’s Achievement List and a member of the President’s Honour Roll each of the past four years. A recipient of the Lancer Blue and Gold Scholarship, she merited the 2012 DeMarco Award as the top female student-athlete at the University of Windsor.

Sassine was also named a CIS Academic Top 8 for the 2011/12 season, the fifth Lancer in seven years to capture the honour. She is continuing to train under Lancer sprint coach Jesse Dupuis and will compete next month at the Canadian Track and Field Championships in Moncton, New Brunswick.

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