PISTOR EARNS OUA COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD
York University Lions cross country runner Kathryn Pistor was honoured by Ontario University Athletics (OUA) this week with the student-athlete community service award.
The fifth-year student-athlete from Barrie, Ont., has been a tremendous asset to the program since she joined a few years ago. In addition to serving as team captain and consistently finishing as the top Lions runner and meets across the province, she has been a top-level student and a volunteer with a number of different organizations.
“In the four years Kathryn has been on our team, she has been a key contributor to our program both athletically and academically, while also serving as a leader for other members of our team and the athletic department at York,” said head coach Colin Inglis. “We found Kathryn in a practicum class early in her time at York, and she joined the team and began running as a way to cope with the stress of having a family member with cancer. For someone who had no formal running training, she has come a long way over her four years at York and has balanced being a team captain, a sport council member and a volunteer outside of school with the demands of running a graduate lab in Physiology.”
Pistor, a three-time academic all-Canadian, graduated with her undergraduate degree in kinesiology and health science last year and this year began a master’s degree in the same field with a focus on adipose tissue metabolism and endurance exercise training.
She has been a volunteer both on campus and in other parts of the city. This past September she organized the varsity track and field team to officiate an event held by the local Special Olympics group, and she is currently also volunteering with the North York Jets of the Special Olympics. She also serves as a mentor for five other varsity athletes at York.
Previously, she has served at Toronto Grace Hospital in the palliative care unit, has been an in-school mentor for Big Brothers and Big Sisters, and was an assistant coach at a high school in Tottenham.
Pistor recently ran in her last event as a member of the cross country team, finishing in 48th place at the OUA championships in Ottawa.
