London, ON - Western's prestigious Purple Blankets are presented to the student athletes who, in the opinion of the Selection Committee, achieved superior distinction at the Provincial/National level of competition as representatives of Western.

Nicole Cai of the Mustangs Table Tennis team is a 2026 recipient of this honour.



Nicole has led the program to the highest competitive results ever achieved by a Canadian and Western University, setting a new national benchmark for excellence.
This season she delivered another standout year marked by excellence, leadership, and community impact. She was part of the Coed A Team and the Women's Team that took first place finishes at both divisional tournaments, reinforcing Western's dominance across all events. Individually, she secured an impressive second place in the Women's Singles event.

Beyond her accomplishments in sport, Nicole has also demonstrated meaningful community commitment through her volunteer work with the London Food Bank.

Not only is she an exceptional athlete for the Mustangs, Cai has also served as head coach of the Varsity Table Tennis Team for the past three years.

She now makes program history as the first-ever recipient of the Mustangs Purple Blanket.

Congratulations Nicole on this well deserved honour. The full list of Purple Blanket winners can be found HERE.