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The University of Toronto honoured 203 student-athletes at the fifth annual academic excellence breakfast on Wednesday, November 12 at the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport.
 
Professor Ira Jacobs, Dean of the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education, Anita Comella, Assistant Dean of co-curricular physical activity & sport and Beth Ali, director of intercollegiate & high performance sport, were on hand to honour this year's recipients. Other guests, including coaches, staff and friends were also in attendance Wednesday morning. 
 
The awards honour student-athletes, who while competing on a Varsity team, earned an 80% average or higher in all courses they were enrolled in during the 2013-14 academic year. 

Each recipient receives a pin: enamel for first-time winners, bronze for second, silver for third and a diamond pin for anyone earning this award four or more times during their intercollegiate career.
 
The Blues also honoured four University of Toronto top scholar athletes. Men's swimming veteran Frank Despond won and track and field standout Rachel Jewett were celebrated as the CIS sport top scholar athletes, while Blues tennis player Zain Manji and women's water polo goalie Breanna Gadzosa earned the OUA top scholar athlete awards.
 
Despond earned the honour for the second straight year. He won individual gold medals at both the OUA and CIS championships last season, while helping the Blues to their 11th straight provincial title and second consecutive national banner. The OUA all-star and CIS all-Canadian is a student in U of T's prestigious mechanical engineering program.
 
Jewett is the second straight women's track and field athlete to be honoured. The Toronto native won the OUA women's pentathlon in 2013 and is a two-time OUA all-star and CIS all-Canadian. She is a top student in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education.
 
Manji was named the 2013 male tennis player of the year. He claimed the No. 1 men's singles title at the OUA tennis championships. The computer science and economics major was also named an OUA all-star for his efforts. 
 
Gadzosa was named the most valuable goalie in leading the women's water polo team to the 2013 OUA title last November. The Okotoks, Alta., native led the Blues to a perfect 3-0 record at the championship, allowing a tournament-low nine goals against in three games. The Kinesiology major was also named an OUA all-star. 

The 203 student-athletes represent 25% of the Varsity Blues population, which sees a 28.5% increase in total number of all-academic achievement compared to last year. The Blues men's hockey team had seven honourees, while 13 tennis players, accounting for 42% of their roster, earned OUA academic achievement awards. Both women's basketball and volleyball had eight recipients, accounting for over half of their respective rosters.
 
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