Shae Demale selected as Top 8 Academic All‑Canadian

Huskies women's hockey forward Shae Demale is being honoured with one of the most prestigious recognitions in U SPORTS, being selected as a Top 8 Academic All-Canadian for the 2021-22 season.

U SPORTS proudly announced Tuesday the student-athletes 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 for their excellence both on and off the field of play.

Among the 4900+ 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 were selected to make up the Top 8.  

U SPORTS student-athletes achieve Academic All-Canadian status for having maintained an average of 80 per cent or better over the academic year while competing for one – or more – of their university's varsity teams.

The elite group will be honoured on Thursday by Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada, at Rideau Hall in the nation's capital.

The Governor General's Academic All-Canadian Commendation was founded in 2013 by the Right Honourable David Johnston, former Governor General of Canada, who first honoured Canada's Top 8 student-athletes.

Profiles of the 2021-22 Top 8 laureates are available below.

ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY SPORT (AUS)

Shae Demale
Hometown: Red Deer, AB
School: Saint Mary's University
Program: Bachelor of Science
Sport: Hockey

Shae Demale was named the most valuable player in AUS women's hockey last season, as she led the conference with 25 points (13 goals and 12 assists) in 21 games played. Demale, who is originally from Red Deer, Alberta, was also named a U SPORTS First Team All-Canadian and was named an AUS First Team All-Star for the third straight season, as the Huskies finished second in their conference.   

Demale recently returned from Lake Placid, New York, where she won a gold medal as a member Team Canada at the 2023 World University Games. Demale was one of Canada's standout performers throughout the tournament, finishing second on the team in both goals (five) and points (10), and added five assists, 19 shots on goal, and a +11 plus/minus.

Academically, Ms. Demale registered a perfect 4.30 GPA in both 2020-21 and 2021-22. A biology major, Shae won the Saint Mary's President's Award in 2020 for top Academic and Athletic performance and was named to the Dean's List in 2018-19 and 2020-21. She is a four-time U SPORTS Academic All-Canadian, and four-time Saint Mary's Academic Achievement Winner (2019-22). She also won the Dr. John C O'.C. Young Award for the highest grade in Chemistry, along with several other awards at Saint Mary's for her academic standing and community involvement. 

For the All-Time Top 8 Academic All-Canadians, click here.