KAMLOOPS – The two graduating members of the Thompson Rivers WolfPack women's soccer team have helped the program achieve its highest heights at the Canada West level while also being excellent examples of all-around student-athletes. Playing the final home games of their TRU careers this Sunday at 2:30 p.m. inside Hillside Stadium, Katie Chun and Allie Shiyuk have undoubtedly left their mark on the program.

KATIE CHUN
With the 'Pack since 2021 Chun has played in 52 regular season games for TRU and has three goals and two assists to her name. The versatile student-athlete is also a four-time U SPORTS Academic All-Canadian.

Graduating with…
I'm graduating with a business degree. Majoring in marketing and minoring in business law.
 
What's next for you?
Right now I'm applying to law schools. So hopefully by next year I will be in law school.  I would love to stay here. I love Kamloops, I love TRU, but I'm from Saskatchewan, so my dream has always been for education to take me West and then bring me back East. So, I'd love to go out East.
 
How do you think you have grown during your time at TRU?
I've definitely matured a lot from the time I came here, and I've grown a lot of confidence both on and off the field. Always being around people who support me and who are doing the same thing as me, playing soccer while doing school at the same time, has been great.
 
How do you think your teammates will describe you?
I hope they would describe me as someone who they could always have a laugh and hang out with and have a good time. And also as someone who could push them both on and off the field.
 
What is your favourite WolfPack memory?
My favorite WolfPack memory was when we played the playoff game here against UVic. We won in penalty shootouts, and we had a whole crowd here. And as soon as Mars saved the last penalty, the crowd ran onto the field. Um, I had a different sense of relief, because if Mars didn't save that, I would have been next to take a penalty. So I was super grateful for that. I was super grateful that, you know, we got into playoffs and yeah, it felt amazing.
 
What do you have to say about your fellow grad, Allie Shiyuk?
Me and Allie have been here together for five years. There's no one else that I would have wanted to do this experience with. We're both so alike,  we push each other in so many different ways. Alli is one of the smartest people I know. She's one of the most dedicated people I know. I genuinely don't think that I would be who I am today if I didn't have Allie by my side, always pushing me and being such a good example. Her kindness, her dedication to everything that she does has been such a blessing to see.
 
Do you have anything else to add?
It's really the people who made this experience so good for me. Like, coach Mark, Morris  Boyer (TRU athletic therapist) has helped me so much throughout the past two years, especially. I see him every single day. And then my teammates, who are also my best friends who I'll miss so much, just made this experience so great.

ALLIE SHIYUK
Also joining TRU for the 2021 season, Shiyuk has suited up in exactly 50 games for TRU. Scoring perhaps the biggest goal in the program's history with her penalty shootout winning goal against MRU that sent the 'Pack to the CW Final Four, Shiyuk is a five-time U SPORTS Academic All-Canadian.
 
Graduating with…
I'm graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree and majoring in biology. I've applied to medical school and I plan to pursue a career in family medicine.
 
What was it about medicine that interested you?
Honestly, my mom is my inspiration. She is a nurse, so growing up she would always talk about her experiences caring for patients and just the impact that she had on their lives. She's a huge inspiration to me. She's my role model and growing up I always knew that I wanted to pursue some kind of career in healthcare.
 
How do you think you have grown during your time at TRU?
It's hard to summarize all the lessons that I've learned here as a WolfPack athlete. I think that I've grown a lot in my maturity and my ability to juggle different tasks. You know, being a student-athlete, you're travelling and you're missing classes frequently with being on the road on the weekends, so that impacts your study time or time to do other things. So, just my ability to plan ahead and juggle different tasks, I think that I've really grown with those skills.
 
What is your favourite WolfPack memory?
I think my favourite memory is when we beat MRU in the penalty shootout, it was a pretty special moment for me. I did not want to take a penalty shot and the score just kept on finding itself being even, so I had to step up and take a shot. Thankfully, it went my way and I got lucky on the day, but that will honestly be a memory that I will remember for the rest of my life. My mom was there to celebrate with me and being there with the team was just so fantastic. I remember the bus pulling out of the facility and we're all chanting and singing on the bus, so that was a really, really special memory.
 
What does it mean to you that you scored the goal that sent the program to the CW Final Four for the first time?
The program has given so much to me and given me so many experiences and opportunities to grow and build the best friendships, so getting to give back to that just means the world to me.
 
How do you think your teammates will remember you?
I hope to be remembered as someone that gives 100% to everything that they do. I work really hard in the classroom and also on the field and I love pushing myself to the max in fitness testing on the field and off the field. So I hope that my hard work and dedication is something that my teammates will always remember.
 
What do you have to say about your fellow grad, Katie Chun?
Katie is one of the greatest people that I've ever met in my entire life and I've had the most amazing time doing this journey with her. We came in in our first year and I remember seeing her for the first time outside of the North Tower and meeting her and I think that that memory will always stick with me because we've turned out to be best friends. She's one of my best friends and she is such an amazing friend. She's so supportive. She's always there when her teammates need her. She's always there for a good laugh and a good time and loves sweet treats too, so we always go and get a sweet treat together. She really pushes me and just brings out the best in me and just getting to study with her and play soccer with her and lift with her. We're also buddies in the gym too, so that's been really fun to get to just do every aspect of this journey with her. Even this past Summer, she was studying for the LSAT and I was studying for the MCAT, so at times we would study together and just check in on each other to make sure that we were doing good. Katie is someone that I want as a lifelong friend.
 
What made you decide to come to TRU five years ago?
I loved Mark and he said really great things about the program and the school. He said that the team had a family culture and everyone was really close and he said that Kamloops is a smaller community and it's very tight-knit and that was also reflected in the school as well and the professors were very supportive of the student-athletes and of the whole community.  I think that he couldn't have encapsulated what TRU and what Kamloops is in a better way. I just felt so supported throughout my whole time here. I've truly had the best experience. My teammates are my family and Hillside is my home and these are memories that I'm going to take with me for the rest of my life.

Anything else to add?
I would say a message to all student athletes and to everyone who's coming into university sport. Just enjoy the experience and soak up every single second of it. It is such a unique time and such a unique opportunity and you're around so many like-minded people and it truly is the most fantastic experience so just enjoy every second of it and don't take it for granted. I've had so much support while I've been here from my family. My parents try and make as many games as they can and my grandparents are always out as well. My siblings are always tuning into the games too so thank you for all of your support. This group of girls just means the world to me. They're my family. We're all best friends, girls that are on the team now and all my previous teammates. I think that every person that I've played soccer with has really shaped who I am as a person and so thank you to everybody for pushing me and supporting me and just giving me the most amazing five years.