By John DeCoste
Acadia student-athlete Alana Fairfax was among the big winners when Canadian Interuniversity Sport handed out its major awards for women’s soccer recently.
Fairfax, a third-year fullback and team captain for the Axewomen soccer team, was the recipient of the CIS Student-Athlete Community Service Award for her sport.
She became the second straight Axewomen soccer player to win the CIS award; her former teammate Cathleen Bleakney won the same award a year ago.
On the field, Fairfax, who grew up in Somerset, started 12 games at fullback or centre midfield for Acadia.
Offensively, she contributed one goal and two assists, and defensively, she controlled the back line and held the opposition in check.
A talented athlete and an excellent student – she achieved Academic All-Canadian status in her first two years, and maintains a 3.71 GPA in her studies in biology – Fairfax is arguably best known for her role as a community leader.
Her most recent major volunteer effort was this past summer with the Acadia Global Medical Brigade, which involved a 10-day mission to Honduras.
She has now assumed the medical chair executive position with the student-led group, and is responsible for contacting physicians, pharmacies and medical companies to obtain supplies for a second mission to Honduras next May.
Her other volunteer efforts, both on-campus and in the community, include the SMILE program, Relay for Life, CIBC Run for the Cure, the Hannah Miller Memorial Hockey Tournament, WITS anti-bullying program, Acadia Players Association, the Wolfville Nursing Home and Valley United U-14 soccer.
According to Axewomen head coach Amit Batra, Farifax’s list of activities “speaks for itself. She is a role model for other athletes, young people in the community, and other students at Acadia in general.”
Fairfax became the Atlantic University Sport nominee for the CIS award by being named as the recipient of the AUS Student-Athlete Community Service Award.
For an in-depth interview with Fairfax, see the Nov. 27 edition of The Advertiser.
