London, ON – A pair of extremely dedicated and deserving Mustangs coaches were recognized for their contributions on Friday evening at the 2024 Coaches Appreciation Reception. The Jack Fairs Award for excellence as a Head Coach & the Fran Eberhard Assistant Coaching Award were presented at the event.

The Jack Fairs Award is named after the legendary Mustangs coach who was part of the Mustangs community for over a half-century and his teams won 31 team titles and 21 singles titles in OUA.

This year's recipient is Guy Schultz , Head Coach of the Mustangs Cross Country team, assistant coach with the Track & Field team and coordinator of Western Intramurals.
 
Schultz has led the Cross Country program for 10 years but has been involved with the Mustangs as an Assistant Coach & Associate Head Coach for over 22 years.

"Guy is an exceptional coach helping in all areas that make our sport thrive." said Vickie Croley, Head Coach of Western Track & Field "He has brought a lighter side to practice with his sense of humour. He has a lasting influence on his student-athletes and the coaches he works with."

Schultz is a two-time OUA Coach of the Year, first in 2016 winning the Men's team award and then this season he was named Women's Coach of the Year when the Mustangs won the OUA Championship banner.
 

The 2024 Fran Wigston Eberhard Assistant Coaching Award was given to Mustangs Softball Assistant Coach Becky Goudy. The award, named in honour of the legendary trailblazer was first introduced in 2018.

Goudy is a top assistant with the Softball program and is involved in all team matters, including being in charge of team conditioning, pitching, and infield defence. The pitchers she has worked with have won top pitching awards and the Mustang defence is always among the very best in the country.

"I am extremely honoured and humbled to be receiving this award named after a woman who had such an enormous impact and influence on the sporting community in London and beyond," said Goudy "I have many people to thank for putting me in a position to be recognized this year, but the student athletes are the primary reason why I am here. They teach me new things every single day and they inspire me to keep reaching towards further excellence. Thank you so much for supporting me in my coaching journey."

In her time with Western, she's contributed to 5 provincial titles and 1 national championship.

"I am so very pleased that Becky is being recognized for her outstanding contributions to Mustang Softball." said Pete Lemon, Head Coach of Mustangs Softball "She is a talented, empathetic, hard working individual who plays a major role in the success of our program. Very simply, she makes us all better!"

In addition to her integral role with the Mustangs Softball team, Goudy is involved with Sport Western as well as a leader with Lucan Ilderton Softball.

"This year we have a pair of extremely dedicated and deserving coaches being honoured, as part of our strategic plan we place great importance on recognizing the incredible work our teams do and this is one of my favourite events each year." said Christine Stapleton, Director of Western Sports & Recreation "I will shout from the rooftops to whoever will listen that we have some of the best coaches in the country here at Western."
 

This annual event is hosted by Western President Alan Shepard to recognize the coaches winning an award but also all Western Mustangs coaches.

"This is a great opportunity to recognize our coaches for a stellar year and reflect on what they bring to the student experience." said Shepard "The efforts of our coaches contribute to the transformational experience we want for all students – academically, physically, and mentally."