BURNABY, BC – They have been on different paths headed in the same direction, and four-time All-American wrestler Nicole Depa and student team trainer Stephanie Haddad hope they meet in the same place—careers as physiotherapists.
 
Depa has been apprenticing as a strength and conditioning intern this year at SFU after completing her wrestling eligibility. She will graduate with a Bachelor's of Science in Kinesiology with an Active Health and Rehabilitation concentration.
 
Haddad has been supporting the women's basketball team for two years while working on a double minor in Kinesiology and Learning and Developmental Disabilities. Haddad hopes to complete a Masters Degree after her undergrad and then, like Depa, become a physiotherapist.
 
Depa and Haddad were named co-winners of the 2021 Kip Dougherty Award for their outstanding contributions to varsity athletics and its over 300 student-athletes as this week we present award winners from the 2020-21 season. While COVID-19 wiped out the competitive sports seasons SFU student-athletes continued to excel academically and within the community.
 
On Tuesday, the President's Academic Team of the Year will be revealed. On May 19, the Nadine Caron Top Scholar Athlete and Top 10 scholar athletes will be announced. On May 20, the 2021 Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Excellence in Leadership award will be presented.
 




Nicole Depa
 
Throughout the fall and spring, Depa has volunteered in the varsity weight room supporting her former teammates.  "The transition from student-athlete to strength and conditioning intern was definitely unexpected," said Depa, who suffered a torn meniscus in September while contemplating her wrestling future. "Looking back now, I think this opportunity was such a blessing. In the strangest way, it presented itself at the perfect time. I was very fortunate to be able to throw myself into something new and focus my energy and attention on this during the pandemic."
 
Depa, a familiar face to most around the Lorne Davies Complex after having trained and competed on campus for years, assisted all student-athletes with their weight training, although wrestlers still hold a special place in her heart.
 
"Wrestlers are such a hard-working group and it always makes me so happy to see them improve, and I love that I get to be a part of that still," said Depa. "Especially in a time where I didn't get to wrestle, it gave me a great sense of normalcy to be around my teammates again."
 
Depa still works out six days a week, much like she did as a varsity wrestler.
 
"I'm a big believer that any training is as hard as you make it, but I will say that my hardest workouts and those 'is this really worth it?' moments have all been at wrestling practice," she said.
 
 






Steph Haddad
 
Family ties connected Haddad to the women's basketball program and head coach Bruce Langford. Haddad played hoops at Riverside Secondary and she came highly recommended by Bruce's brother, Paul, the long-time Riverside senior girls coach, when the team was looking for a new student trainer.
 
"Back in high school I started seeing a physiotherapist for my knee injuries and that's definitely the point when I decided that I wanted to pursue Physiotherapy for my post-secondary studies," said Haddad.  "I quickly became fascinated by different injuries and causes, along with their recovery plans and treatments."
 
"One of the biggest things I have learned from this experience is that no two athletes are alike in terms of injuries and preferences when it comes to taping injuries," said Haddad.  "There was definitely a lot of trial and error involved determining what worked best for each athlete in order to ensure their comfort and support."  
 
Haddad has attended early morning practices and travelled on every road trip last season. As the primary care giver for first aid and managing injuries that occur during practice, she has been an invaluable part of keeping student-athletes safe. (Learn more about the Student Team Trainer Program here)
 
"I took on a lot of responsibility when working with the team, especially when it came to travelling for away games before COVID, and it has definitely taught me to be more confident in my own abilities," said Haddad.
 
"Steph is very confident but also very approachable," said Kim Cormack, an athletic therapist in Sports Medicine. "She just has this amazing attitude where she is so positive and upbeat all of the time. And you can tell she really cares about the athletes."
 
Haddad earned the trust and respect of the athletes and she understands the basketball culture. This year she did a great job at dealing with a torn ACL during practice, managing the injury and taking care of the student-athlete until one of the staff therapists could be called to the gym.
 
"She has this really calm presence so I definitely think she is in the right field," said Cormack. "We are really going to miss her."