Schulich student to be recognized among top Ontario scholar-athletes

Hayley Nell, a fourth-year Honors BMSc student at The University of Western Ontario, will be recognized among the top female scholar-athletes from across the province at a special event next month.

The eighth annual Women of Influence Luncheon, which will take place on March 2, 2011 from 12 - 2 p.m. at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, will bring together female student-athletes who have excelled in their chosen sports, fields of study and community involvement.

Nell, Western's lone representative, was team captain of the women's swim team in 2009-10 and won an impressive five gold medals at the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Championships, as well as a silver and bronze medal at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) Championships, helping lead the Mustangs to a best-ever fourth-place finish at the national event.

The London, Ont. native is a two-time team MVP and two-time recipient of OUA Swimmer of the Week at the provincial championships. She was also selected to the 2009 Canadian University Games team, representing Canada at the FISU games in Belgrade, Serbia.

This year's guest speaker at the Women of Influence Luncheon will be tennis star Venus Williams. The legendary tennis star is a winner of five Wimbledon titles, seven Grand Slams, 41 WTA tour titles and three Olympic gold medals.

To read the full story, visit: http://www.westernmustangs.ca/news/2011/2/4/SWIM_0204110005.aspx