Ashley Piggot is skilled at time management.
She has to be.
As a varsity soccer player and a full-time student in the Thompson Rivers University sciences department, she can't afford to waste many minutes.
Piggot's ability to balance her athletic life with her academic one garnered her some recognition at the TRU athletics awards banquet, held Thursday in Kamloops. The 22-year-old Prince George product was the female recipient of the Doctor Roger H. Barnsley Scholar Athlete of the Year Award. For the honour, she beat out volleyball player Amanda Frayne, basketball player Jorri Duxbury and badminton player Kia Lidster.
"It was a complete surprise," said Piggot, a 2007 graduate of Duchess Park secondary. "I didn't even know that I was nominated until I got there. I was extremely excited."
Piggot, a centre midfielder for the TRU WolfPack women's soccer team, is one year away from obtaining a bachelor of science degree, with a major in chemical biology.
Heavy stuff. But, despite the demands of her program, Piggot is maintaining a grade point average of 4.02, which translates to 'As' across the board.
"I just have a very organized, structured lifestyle," said Piggot, who was a fourth-year player for the WolfPack this past B.C. Colleges Athletic Association season. "I have excellent time management skills. I just use every minute for something useful."
After she gets her degree from TRU, Piggot plans to apply for admission into the pharmacy program at either the University of British Columbia or University of Alberta.
This summer, Piggot will remain in Kamloops and will play soccer for the Kamloops Under-21 Heat, which competes in the Pacific Coast Soccer League. Then, in the fall, she'll begin her final season of eligibility with the WolfPack.
Also at Thursday's awards banquet, Prince George volleyball star Spencer Reed was in the running for the male Sports Task Force Athlete of the Year award but lost out to soccer player Tim Unaegbu.
