Connor HoodClaire Signatovich is in her fifth-year of eligibility for the University of Alberta Pandas Basketball team. She has been named the Female Academic All-Canadian Student Athlete (AAC) for the 2023–24 academic year. She just started her Master’s of Engineering in September.
“It was such an honour to receive this award. There are so many incredibly smart and talented student athletes at the U of A, so I feel very fortunate to have been selected,” Signatovich said.
Signatovich started playing basketball at a club in Winnipeg at just eight-years-old. She joined the Pandas in 2019 and has been part of the team for the past six years. She is just now in her fifth-year of eligibility as she missed a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I think the most important thing is the relationships,” Signatovich says
Being part of the team this long makes Signatovich value the relationships she has built with her teammates, she said. This factor is “the most important thing” to her when it comes to being a Panda.
“Winning is obviously great because we’ve done well over my time here. But, I think the most important thing is the relationships that I’ve been able to develop and continue to have with my [current] team and former teammates,” Signatovich said.
Last year, the Pandas hosted the U Sports Women’s Basketball Championship where they came sixth. Signatovich has received multiple awards from U Sports throughout her career. She was named Defensive Player of the Year for two consecutive years, is a three-time Canada-West All Star, and is a four-time AAC.
She noted the Panda’s win at Canada West in 2023 as a big accomplishment. It was the first time Pandas Basketball ever won the title.
“It was our first title at the event. It was really special to be part of that team. We had tons of alumni come down to watch in Calgary. I think we had as many fans as Calgary did at that game,” Signatovich said.
“You have to sit down and get it done,” Signatovich says
U Sports gives the AAC to student athletes who maintain an average of 80 per cent or higher over the academic year while competing full-time for a varsity sport team. The U of A then selects its honourees.
Signatovich said that playing basketball kept her focused on school as she had limited time to do school work.
“You have to sit down and get it done. [Basketball] really helped with time management. It’s a lot of studying in the airport, the plane, the bus, in the team room, things like that. Just trying to find time to get some stuff done,” she said.
This is her final year of eligibility for Pandas Basketball. Once the season is over, Signatovich hopes to play professionally for a year or two. She then plans to return to school before she starts working.
CORRECTION: This article was updated at 9:41 on November 19 to reflect that the Pandas came in sixth in the USports Championship last year, not third. The Gateway truly regrets this error.
