Sophie Courville
Sophie Courville, a physiology senior and Cross Country runner, was voted Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) Women’s Cross Country Athlete of the Year, led the team with a fifth-place finish at the U SPORTS National Championships, and earned all-star honours for the third time.
While this is more than enough to earn her a place in Martlet history, she also joined Team Canada for the 2026 FISU World University Cross Country Championships, where she earned sixth place in the long run to help Canada secure bronze.
Throughout her time at McGill, Courville has learned to emphasize enjoyment over success.
“[T]he most important part […] is having fun,” Courville wrote in an email to The Tribune. “At the end of the day, we do it because we love the sport and the team, we wouldn’t be doing it day after day if it was only for the result. Good results are fun, but not as fun as enjoying the day to day, and bad results shouldn’t affect our love for the sport.”
Courville is nominated for Female Athlete of the Year at the 2026 Varsity Awards Gala, which will take place on April 14. After graduation, she will head to London, U.K., to start a PhD in Immunology at the Francis Crick Institute and will continue to pursue her athletic passion in London’s vibrant running scene.
Ayoub Sabri
Ayoub Sabri, a senior in the Faculty of Science, started rowing at McGill for fun and to meet new people. However, since joining, he has helped McGill Rowing achieve tremendous success. At the Head of the Rideau Regatta last September, he won two gold medals and helped the team secure the Kandahar Trophy—awarded to the top-scoring university team.
In an email to the The Tribune, Sabri recalled his favourite memory from his athletic career so far.
“My favourite memory is sitting at the starting gates of my first international race at the Under 23 World Rowing Championships. Hearing the empires call out each boat by country and finally hearing ‘Morocco’ gave me chills,” Sabri wrote. “It was the moment I realized how far I had come. I was representing my country on the world stage against the fastest crews in the world.”
As a joint honours student in computer science and mathematics, he explained the importance of enjoying and learning through the journey, both academically and physically, to avoid burnout.
“It is easy to get overwhelmed by numbers, standards, and expectations,” Sabri wrote. “However, if you keep enjoying the process and having fun, performance will naturally follow.”
Sabri hopes to pursue a Master’s degree in Computer Science after graduating. Regardless, he will keep rowing.
“No matter where I end up, I’m going to keep rowing. I want to see how far I can go in the sport and ultimately race at the Olympics!”
Erik Linseisen
Erik Linseisen, of Redbirds Swimming, is a civil engineering senior who, with his relay partner Tristan Govier, earned bronze at the U SPORTS National Championship, completing the 4×100 freestyle relay in 3:32.39 and breaking the school record.
While he has excelled in the pool throughout his McGill career, Linseisen’s final season was his most impactful. He led the Redbirds with two gold medals in the 50-metre breaststroke and 100-metre individual medley at the annual University of Toronto dual meet, where he also qualified for the U SPORTS championships in three events.
Echoing Courville and Sabri’s sentiments, Linseisen emphasized having fun when competing and highlighted the commitment he has learned through sport.
“The most important thing I’ve learned […] is how to stay committed through both the highs and the lows,” he wrote to The Tribune. “There are times when the results will not reflect the work you’re putting in, but having the mental resilience to do what’s required instead of what’s comfortable is where the real growth takes place, both in performance and personal development.”
Linseisen is nominated for the Richard Pound Award for Proficiency and Leadership in Athletics, which will be awarded at the Varsity Awards Gala.
After graduation, Linseisen will work to grow Alta Construction Group—a Montreal-based construction and real estate company he co-founded, whose goal is to rethink project delivery and support housing in Canada.
While the McGill athletic community will miss these seniors’ grit, talent, and tireless dedication to their sport, their impact on teammates and fans alike will last long after they leave McGill. Considering their competitive careers for the Martlets and Redbirds, and the success they found in their sports and in the classroom, this group of seniors is sure to excel in their post-graduate endeavours.