Jennifer Trung has added another honour to her already impressive list of accomplishments as the Western Mustangs swimmer was presented with the Hon. G. Howard Ferguson Award during Western’s Convocation ceremonies.
The honour is given annually to a graduating student who has shown the highest achievement during his/her university career in athletics, scholarship and university life. Trung has certainly proven that she can excel in all of those areas.
In her four seasons with the Mustangs, Trung has won an impressive nine OUA gold medals and 15 OUA medals overall. Individually, she holds two Western records in the 50m and 100m backstroke and was also part of the team that set OUA records in the 4x400m medley relay and 4x400m freestyle relay.
“Jennifer has been a standout member of the Mustang Women’s swim team for four years,” said Mustangs associate coach Ken Fitzpatrick. “The simple and most compelling truth of her accomplishment is her student-athlete record. The rigorous workout regime of the Mustangs swim team (and her All-Star accomplishments in the pool) in combination with her academic record, very seldom produces a four year degree completion at an honours level.”
In April, Trung was recognized for her athletic achievements with the F.W.P Jones Trophy at the Western Athletic Banquet. The annual award recognizes the female student who, in the opinion of the Selection Committee, has made the greatest contribution to Intercollegiate Athletics within the university.
Trung also has a long list of academic accomplishments. The Maple, Ont., native, who is graduating with an Honours Specialization in Medical Sciences, qualified for the Oakley and Marion Dean Continuing Scholarship when she arrived in 2009 and remained dedicated to academics ever since, earning the honour of Academic All-Canadian in 2009-10, 2011-12, and 2012-13.
“It’s a tremendous honour to receive this award,” Trung said. “I feel very fortunate to have been given so many opportunities in my life. I would like to thank my coaches, my friends, and especially my family for all their wonderful support.”
Trung’s accomplishments have been impressive enough to turn heads outside of the Western community. In May the OUA named her as one of 19 Women of Influence, an honour given annually to female student-athletes who have excelled in their chosen sports and fields of study, and at the 2012-13 OUA swimming championships she was presented with the Award of Distinction, which recognizes consistent medal results over an athlete’s career.
After graduation Trung is applying to medical school for this coming fall.