Spectrum community school graduate Shanice Marcelle, a volleyball phenom now playing for UBC, was named the University Athlete of the Year at the 48th Annual Sport BC Athlete of the Year Awards earlier this month.
“I am truly honoured to be recognized as the university athlete of the year in British Columbia,” she said in an email to the News after the March 5 ceremony. “There is so much talent in this province at all levels and it is inspiring to be recognized among these amazing individuals. I am incredibly grateful for the experiences I have had throughout my university career.”
Currently living in Dresden, Germany, Marcelle, 23, is in her first season as a professional volleyball player with a top club team – Dresden SC.
While it’s hard to harken way back to her years at Spectrum, she says high school prepared her for the rigours of being a professional athlete.
“As a student and an athlete in high school I was able to develop time management skills, learn the importance of teamwork and strengthen my mental capacities before making the move to UBC.”
Last year she earned the Jim Thompson Trophy as the top university female athlete in Canada and the Mary Lyons Award as the Canadian Interuniversity Sport Player of the Year. Marcelle also won her fifth consecutive national championship with UBC in 2013.
“My university highlight would have to be winning the CIS championship last year in Sherbrooke with my family in the stands,” she said. “It was a special moment to share something so big with my mother, Tracey, my biggest fan and my continual source of inspiration. Nothing will compare to sharing that joy with someone so important to my life.”
She comes home to Canada in two months to join the national program for the summer.
Another Saanich student, football star Marcus Davis, who joins UBC football in the fall, was named Male High School Athlete of the Year in B.C. after leading the Mount Douglas Rams to a third-straight provincial high school ‘AAA’ championship.
reporter@saanichnews.com