Posted by Sudbury Northern Life
Laurentian University's Mary Thompson will be recognized as a Ontario University Athletics (OUA) top female scholar-athlete at the sixth annual Women of Influence Luncheon on Tuesday Feb. 10 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto.
The event honours female student-athletes who have excelled in their chosen sports and fields of study. This year's guest speaker will be Canadian Olympian and OUA Champion For Life Tonya Verbeek.
The Brock University graduate became the first Canadian woman ever to win a medal in wresting, claiming silver in 55 kg freestyle at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. Four years later in Beijing, Verbeek won a bronze medal to become the most decorated Canadian wrestler at the Olympic Games.
Thompson, a Woodstock, Ont. native, had an extremely successful season in 2008. She was named an OUA All-Star following her second-place finish in the 5 km classic, a third-place finish in the 10km freestyle and first-place finish in the 3 x 5 km classic relay at the OUA Nordic Skiing Championships. For her efforts she was named Laurentian's team MVP.
The biology student received an OUA Academic Excellence Award during her second year at Laurentian after posting an 80 per cent average in the classroom. She will ski for Canada at the 2009 FISU games in Harbin, China in February.
Thompson has a love for animals, and dedicates her spare time to helping animals in need. During the summer, Thompson is a volunteer at Wild at Heart, a wildlife rehabilitation centre. She also walks dogs for the SPCA.
Thompson is coming off a solid weekend performance at the OUA's first race in North Bay over the weekend, where she finished on the podium in both races she competed in. Thompson and her Nordic teammates will next hit the trail competitively on Feb. 7-8 when they host the second OUA Nordic Skiing event at Laurentian University.
