London, ON - As the academic year comes to a close, it's time to celebrate the remarkable achievements and impactful initiatives from the Mustangs Athlete Student Council (M.A.S.C), Mustangs Care & Mustangs Talk teams at Western University. From fostering community spirit to championing mental health awareness, M.A.S.C. has left an incredible mark on the university's athletic community.

Over the past year, M.A.S.C. has made some impressive accomplishments and initiatives that have defined the athletic community. M.A.S.C. , Mustang Care and Mustangs Talk have continued to work hard this year to provide opportunities and resources for student-athletes. From weekly run clubs to hot yoga sessions, dodgeball tournaments and personal development workshops, M.A.S.C.'s aim is to unite student-athletes and empower them for success. Mustang Care has also been busy organizing blood drives, community visits and charity fundraisers, making a positive impact beyond the campus.

Two of their most successful social events were the dodgeball tournament and the newly established M.A.S.C. run club. With over 50 student-athletes participating in the tournament, President Blythe Hilbert described it as "a fantastic night filled with intense dodgeball action." Meanwhile, the M.A.S.C. run club launched in March and has seen remarkable growth.

"At our first run we had a group of 12 student-athletes running together and now we have a very active community with scheduled runs that are posted on our social media," Blythe added.

Another highlight was the return of the school days program. This program brings in elementary schools in the London community to watch the Western Mustangs play. This event has not been able to happen in the past four years due to COVID-19 Pandemic, but they were able to reintroduce it this year.

"The feedback from the event was amazing and it was so great to see all the students having a great time and our student athletes so engaged," said Alyssa Evans a member of MASC.

MASC has also collaborated with various organizations to engage with the broader university community, partnering with the Western branch of Motionball for sporting events and the London food bank for volunteering initiatives. M.A.S.C. leaders have also made their own impacts, "within the university community myself, and Ella St. Martin our Mustangs Talk president have connected with people at the USC to advocate for student athlete mental health. This led to the creation of a platform point on the incoming USC Presidents platform related to more resources and reporting tools for student athletes," said Blythe.

This year, MASC also introduced a new branch called Mustangs Talk, dedicated to student athlete wellness, encompassing mental health, equity, diversity and inclusion efforts. The addition of new executive roles such as VP of Movember, VP of Mental Health Month and VP of Indigenous Initiaves, reflects MASC'S commitment to addressing diverse student-athlete needs.

When asked why you would encourage other student-athletes to join MASC, Blythe shares that "Being a part of MASC has allowed me to become a part of a community of like-minded student athletes and has really enhanced my sense of connection to Western. This year specifically our executive team became a very close-knit group, we had games nights, have participated in run club together and created our own intramural team!"

As we reflect on the past academic year, it is evident that MASC at Western University has made a significant impact on the athletic community. From fostering connections among student-athletes to advocating for mental health awareness and community engagement, MASC has shown a dedication to improving the overall well-being of its members. MASC has strengthened the bonds within the athletic community and extended their positive influence beyond campus. As we look forward to next year, it's clear that MASC will continue to play a role in supporting and empowering student-athletes at Western.

On behalf of everyone in the Western Mustangs Sports & Recreation department we thank all of the M.A.S.C., Mustangs Care and Mustangs Talk executive team with a special recognition to the Presidents of each group. Blythe Hilpert, (M.A.S.C. President), Alyssa Evans (Mustangs Care President), Ella St. Martin (Mustangs Talk President).



We look forward to the incoming leadership team to M.A.S.C., Mustangs Care and Mustangs Talk for 2024-25:

Jackson Findlay (M.A.S.C. President)
Pyper Sennecke (Mustangs Care President)
Emma Campbell (Mustangs Talk President)

Other Key accomplishments from this year:

MASC Purple Points: This is a yearlong initiative where teams compete for points by engaging in different events within athletics on campus. The top 4 teams currently are softball, football, field hockey and track and field.

MASC Purple Profiles: Throughout the year MASC featured teams leading up to home games or events. The most recent purple profile was of the Swim team before their dual meet against U of T. Other teams that have been featured include water polo, football, baseball, softball and field hockey

MASC Run Club: A community of student athletes that has been created so athletes can continue to stay active and connected in their off season.

MASC and Mustangs Talk Movember: Month long campaign that took place in November. MASC's executive team interviewed male varsity athletes about topics related to Men's physical and mental health.

MASC and Mustangs Talk Mental Health Month: Initiative that took place in January and February with the goal of starting conversations about student athlete mental health on Western's campus. Over 15 teams were involved and featured in our 9 videos.

Mustangs Care School Day Games: Hosted local London elementary school students for Women's hockey and Women's volleyball games. Student athletes volunteered at this event and had the opportunity to interact with many energized young students!

Mustangs Care Food Bank Volunteering: In December MASC had many groups of student athletes volunteer at the London food bank in preparation for the holiday season.

Mustangs Care Motionball event: Women's hockey, Women's rugby and Women's lacrosse had teams that participated in the Motionball Marathon of Sport. They were paired with a special Olympic athlete and competed with them throughout the entire day as they participated in many different games and sports. Their teams of athletes represented the Mustangs well, with Women's hockey coming in 1st and Women's softball coming in 2nd for team spirit out of 14 teams participating.