U SPORTS is pleased to announce Tuesday that student athletes have been selected as Top 8 Academic All-Canadians for the 2021-22 season.

Shae Demale of Saint Mary’s, Alex Carson of Dalhousie, Jade Downie-Landry of McGill University, Jean-Simon Desgagnés of Laval, Raphaël Garcia of Carleton, Kate Current of Western, and Eric Lutz and Rebecca Smith of Calgary were nominated on their merits. on and off the field of play.

Of the 4,900+ student-athletes who achieved U SPORTS Academic All-Canadian status in 2021-22, one female and one male student athlete from each of the four U SPORTS conferences was selected for the Top 8.

U SPORTS student-athlete earns Academic All-Canadian status for having maintained an average of 80 percent or better during an academic year while competing for one – or more – of their university’s varsity team.

The elite group will be honored Thursday by Her Excellency Mary Simon, Governor-General of Canada, at Rideau Hall in the nation’s capital.

The Governor General’s All Canada Academic Awards were established in 2013 by the Honorable David Johnston, former Governor General of Canada, who was the first to award Canada’s 8 student-athletes of the Year.

Alex Carson

Hometown: Lower Sackville, NS
School: Dalhousie University
Program: Recreation Management
Sport: Basketball

Alex Carson is a four-time AUS All-Star and was Dalhousie College Men’s Athlete of the Year last season. He averaged 18.5 points per game during the regular season and was named the U SPORTS All-Canadian Second Team. He has led the Tigers to four conference championships and four trips to the U SPORTS 8 Finals over his five seasons, marked by a silver medal in the 2020 event, where he was named a championship all-star.

Mr Carson graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Recreation Management last spring. As a Deans List student, he averaged 4.24 last season. He won the Varsity Athletic Awards in 2017 and 2022, the John C. Pooley Sportsperson Award in 2022, and holds several other university fellowships.

Hailing from Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia, Mr. Carson is passionate about giving back to society and is the co-founder, director, and coach of the 4AM Basketball Camp program which funds scholarships for young basketball players in Nova Scotia. He also volunteers in the Special Tigers Sports program and is an assistant coach on the Nova Scotia province men’s under-16 basketball team.

Visit the U SPORTS website for a complete list of the Top 8 Academics Across Canada