Wednesday, June 8, 2016

PORTLAND, Ore. – When Cameron Proceviat came out of Burnaby, B.C.’s Moscrop High School to attend Simon Fraser University, the idea of becoming a track and field star was the last thing on his mind.

Proceviat walked on to the cross country and track teams at his hometown university as a favor to his high school coach. Four years later, he is not only an indoor and outdoor track All-American, but the 2015-16 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

The 800-meter and 1,500-meter specialist has not only excelled on the track, but has excelled in the classroom. Proceviat boasts a 3.90 cumulative grade point average as a double major in molecular biology and chemistry. He is a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District 8 Track and Field/Cross Country Team selection and is in the running to be named an Academic All-American later this month.

Proceviat put together an impressive all-around season. He opened the year by placing 11th at the GNAC Cross Country Championships and then added All-West Region honors with a 17th place at November’s NCAA West Regional Championships in Monmouth, Ore. Proceviat went on to place 125th at the NCAA Division II Championships, helping lead the Clan to a 12th place team finish.

The cross country season was only a warm-up. Proceviat repeated as the GNAC indoor 800-meter champion, beating out Western Oregon’s Badane Sultessa by nine-hundredths of a second, and went on to earn All-American honors with sixth place finish at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships. He added a second All-American trophy with Simon Fraser’s distance medley relay team, which finished seventh at the national meet.

Proceviat finished as the runner-up in both the 800 meters and 1,500 meters at the GNAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships and earned NCAA Championships provisional qualifying marks in both events. He competed at nationals in the 800 meters, earning Second Team All-American honors with a 10th place finish in 1:51.59. Proceviat’s season best of 1:49.28 in the 800 meters is No. 2 on the GNAC all-time list and his 1,500-meter best of 3:46.47 ranks him No. 4.

The list of awards Proceviat in both the academic and athletic rhelms is lengthy. In addition to his All-American and all-region awards, the senior is a three-time selection to both the GNAC Cross Country and Track and Field All-Academic Teams and earned USTFCCCA All-Academic honors during the 2015 cross country season. This spring, Proceviat was named by Simon Fraser as the recipient of the Bill DeVries Award winner as the university’s top all-around male athlete.

To top his Simon Fraser career off, Proceviat will devliver the commencement address at the school’s convocation graduation ceremony on June 8.

Proceviat is the first Simon Fraser athlete, male or female, to receive the GNAC’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year award. Other nominees for this year’s men’s award included Northwest Nazarene’s Erik Anderson (soccer), Montana State Billings’ Adam Cox (baseball), Saint Martin’s Fred Jorg (basketball), Concordia’s Kolton Kyne (golf), Western Oregon’s Brady Miller (baseball), Western Washington’s Mark Seely (track and field), Alaska Anchorage’s Cody Thomas (track and field) and Central Washington’s Jesse Zalk (football).

Proceviat’s academic and athletic careers are far from over. He plans to attend medical school and, at the same, continue running with the dream of representing his country at the Olympic Games.

An impressive dream for an impressive student-athlete who put together an impressive career for Canada’s NCAA Team.

GNAC MALE SCHOLAR-ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
2015-16: Cameron Proceviat, Simon Fraser (Cross Country/Track and Field)
2014-15: Riley Stockton, Seattle Pacific (Basektball)
2013-14: David Downs, Seattle Pacific (Basketball)
2012-13: David Downs, Seattle Pacific (Basketball)
2011-12: Alex Harrison, Western Washington (Track and Field)
2010-11: Adam Bighill, Central Washington (Football)
2009-10: Sam Charles, Montana State Billings (Soccer)
2008-09: Sam Charles, Montana State Billings (Soccer)
2007-08: Jarred Rensvold, Montana State Billings (Cross Country/Track and Field)
2006-07: Adam Jensen, Seattle (Soccer)
2005-06: Tony Binetti, Seattle Pacific (Basketball)
2004-05: Nathan Carlson, Saint Martin’s (Cross Country/Track and Field)
2003-04: Rob White, Western Washington (Football)
2002-03: Tobias Schwoerer, Alaska Anchorage (Cross Country)
2001-02: Erik Totten, Western Washington (Football)