The McGill Women in Sport Program (WiS) 
Changing the landscape for female student-athletes
McGill University's Athletics and Recreation (A&R) Unit has maintained a tradition of supporting female student-athletes and gender equity for decades. In September 2018, A&R received a
$3.5-million transformational gift from McGill alumni
Sheryl Kerr (BCom'67) and
David Kerr (BSc'65) to create the Women in Sport (WiS) program.
And in June 2025, McGill received a
gift of $1.25 million from
Monica Leitham Hantho (BEd'81), and
Mark Hantho (BCom'81), to provide support for women's athletics while helping to drive discovery at the Sylvan Adams Sports Science Institute (SASSI) to improve female athletic performance and inform coaching practices.
To date, WiS is one of the only programs in Canada devoted to female athletes and coaches; groups that have historically received less attention and resources compared to their male counterparts.
The WiS program has a two-pronged approach to closing the gender gap in varsity sports:
- Enhancing female representation in coaching staff and providing them with opportunities for professional development
- Empowering female student-athletes to become leaders on and off the field of play by offering mental performance services, career readiness workshops, nutrition services and more
Sheryl Kerr (BCom'67) and
David Kerr (BSc'65)
Monica Leitham Hantho (BEd'81), and
Mark Hantho (BCom'81),
Empowering women: at home and away
McGill Athletics Women in Sports program is dedicated to supporting female student-athletes on their journey to excellence, fostering empowerment and equality through sports. Each year, the WiS program hosts
Women in Sport Day, whereby all female varsity athletes are invited to a Martlets game with the objective of bringing student-athletes together and creating a sense of belonging across female varsity teams.
More than a local effort, this program has a global impact, inspiring women everywhere to break barriers and redefine the possibilities in sports. Together, we're building a future where female student-athletes thrive on and off the field. In May 2024, the Martlets soccer team traveled to Paraguay to host mentorship workshops with school groups, volunteer with local charities and encourage young women not just to get into sports, but to stay in sports.
Join us in championing women's achievements in sports and creating a lasting legacy of empowerment!
Women leading women
McGill is proud to be a leading university when it comes to female head coaches. Currently, the Martlets basketball, hockey and volleyball teams are all steered by women. These same teams also boast full-time assistant coaches, as do the McGill soccer and swimming programs.
The Women in Sport program isn't just about in-house coaches though. McGill's program has helped other female coaches, who started at the University, go onto careers in sports outside of the Roddick Gates including Dianna Ros, the head coach of the University of Toronto's women's basketball team.
The current roster of female coaches at McGill Athletics includes:
Rikki Bowles, Head Coach, McGill basketball (w)
Marilyse Roy-Viau, Associate Coach, McGill basketball (w)
Alyssa Cecere, Head Coach, McGill hockey (w)
Leslie Oles, Associate Coach, McGill hockey (w)
Kelsey Wilson, Associate Coach, McGill soccer (w)
Nikki Van Noord, Associate Coach, McGill swimming (m & w)
Marie-Christine Lapointe,
Head Coach, McGill volleyball (w)
Over the first five years of existence,
the WiS Program more than doubled the proportion of female coaches at McGill, moving from only 16.7% at the program's inception to 38.1% by 2022.
Game changers: Women in Sport student-athlete council
In order to invoke real change, we need to work together with our alumni and current student-athletes to understand the challenges female varsity athletes face, and how we can tackle them as a group.
In 2024, under the leadership of Roxane Carrière, the Women in Sport (WiS) student-athlete council was formed.
Being invited to serve on the board recognizes an individual's commitment to advancing the visibility, promotion, and empowerment of women in sports, while offering valuable insight to the WiS program.
The Council will contribute by:
- Ensuring WiS services, activities, and projects reflect the diverse needs of female student-athletes.
- Generating ideas aligned with the program's objectives.
- Acting as a liaison between program management and female student-athletes to drive engagement.
The 2024-25 Council is comprised of the following student-athletes:
In the spotlight
Learn more about the amazing things happening within McGill's Women in Sport program – and because of the program – with our latest news stories.
- A $3.5-million gift to McGill aims to level playing field for female athletes, click here to read the full story.
- A $1.25-million gift to McGill to aims provide support for women's athletics while helping to improve athletic performance and coaching practices, click here to read the full story
- Roxane Carrière appointed manager of McGill's Women In Sports program, click here to read the full story.
- McGill's Sheryl and David Kerr, Montreal's Robert Panet-Raymond named 2024 Mitchell Family Alumni of the Year, click here to read the full story.
- McGill Women Leading in Sports, click here to read the full story.
- McGill Martlets help Soccer Québec's Academy to enhance professional development of women coaches, click here to read the full story.
- McGill's King, a two-time Olympian, selected for U SPORTS Apprentice Coach Program, click here to read the full story.
- McGill's Van Noord selected for U SPORTS female Apprentice Coach Program, click here to read the full story.
- McGill grad and former national team player Lapointe appointed head coach of Martlets volleyball program, click here to read the full story.
Meet the Team
Roxane Carrière, Ph.D. was appointed as the manager of the WiS Program at McGill Athletics and Recreation in February 2023. She earned a BA from McGill in 2012, majoring in psychology, followed by a master's degree in physical activity from the Université de Montréal (2016) and a PhD from Laval in psychopedagogy (2023). She brings seven years of experience in research, education and applied sport psychology to the program. She replaces Sylvie Béliveau who stepped down from the position to accept a new opportunity at Égale Action, a Quebec-based organization dedicated to the participation and advancement of girls and women in sport and physical activity.
Mental Performance Consultant Team
Varsity teams who are supported by the WiS program benefit from the services of a mental performance consulting team including Gordon Bloom, Ph.D. (lead), Camille Charbonneau (M.HK), Madison Fraser (M.KPE), Giuliana Eva Quattrocchi (M.HK) and Elizabeth Migneron (BA, MA).
Gordon Bloom, Ph.D.
(he/him) |
A current and founding member of the Canadian Sport Psychology Association, Gordon Bloom earned his Ph.D. degree in Sport Psychology at the University of Ottawa and has been working in the field for over 25 years.
He is currently the director of the McGill Sport Psychology Research Laboratory that is designed to help athletes and coaches achieve personal development and performance success. Gordon is an active mental performance consultant who has consulted with Olympic, professional, and amateur athletes from many different sports, including those who have won Gold Medals at the highest levels of competition. Gordon has also worked with performers in other contexts including business, the performing arts, and academia. Gordon is a well published author and practitioner with regular appearances on various communication platforms, such as radio and television. His work as a mental performance consultant is linked to his research and teaching, where his focus is to teach people to deal with performance pressures by providing information, skills, and support for the athlete/performer/leader/coach who want to improve their mental game.
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Giuliana Eva Quattrocchi , M.HK
(she/her/elle)
Provisional Mental Performance Consultant
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Giuliana earned her master's degree in human kinetics: Intervention and Consultation from the University of Ottawa, and her Bachelor of Physical and Health Education degree from McGill University. During her studies at McGill, she volunteered in the McGill Sport Psychology Lab, developing presentations surrounding self-talk and goal setting for varsity teams. She currently works as a mental performance consultant at RTP Performance, focusing on improving mental skills for athletes aged 12-20 related to performance such as confidence, motivation, stress management, and focus.
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Madison Fraser, M.KPE
(she/her/elle)
Provisional Mental Performance Consultant
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Madison earned her master's degree in Kinesiology & Physical Education from McGill University, studying in the Sport Psychology Research Lab. She has been a student member of the Canadian Sport Psychology Association since 2022. Madison participated in several sports from an early age before choosing to pursue cross-country skiing at both the national and international level. After 14 years of competitive sport, Madison shifted her focus to her studies and pursuing a career in mental performance consulting. As an apprenticing mental performance consultant, Madison has worked with both individual and team sports from grassroots up to provincial and national levels. She has led team workshops addressing topics such as building a culture of excellence, confidence, and managing emotions, as well as working with athletes on an individual basis to facilitate skill development tailored to the athlete's specific needs. Madison believes in a holistic approach to consulting, empowering athletes with skills they can use both in and outside of sport such as confidence, focus, time management, motivation, and managing stress in high pressure environments.
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Camille Charbonneau, M.HK
(she/her/elle)
Certified Mental Performance Consultant
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Camille earned her master's degree in human kinetics: Intervention and Consultation from the University of Ottawa, and her Bachelor of Physical and Health Education degree from McGill University. She has been a professional member of both the Canadian Sport Psychology Association and the Association for Applied Sport Psychology since 2016. Her background in sport psychology includes working with grassroots athletes and teams, all the way up to the professional level. Camille also has experience working with musicians at the McGill Schulich School of music. With a background in fitness training for over 12 years, as well as the completion of the well-known Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program (Jon Kabat Zinn) in 2016, Camille is a consultant who believes that physical activity and mindfulness are important pillars to performance and overall mental health and well-being. She is also an ambassador for the Canadian Center for Mental Health and Sport and strives to help student-athletes show up at their best both in sport and in life. |
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Elizabeth Migneron, BA, MA
(she/her/elle)
Certified Mental Performance Consultant
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Elizabeth graduated with a bachelor's in psychology and social intervention from the University of Ottawa and earned her masters in psychopedagogy with a concentration in sport psychology from the Laval University. She has been a professional member of the Canadian Sport Psychology Association since 2018 and holds an advanced diploma in coaching from the Quebec National Sports Institute as well as a certificate in social work from Laval University. Elizabeth joins us with two years of experience as High-Performance Director at the Ontario Speed Skating Association and 2 years of experience of high-performance coaching the National NextGen program for speed skating, alongside her 11 years of experience as a mental performance consultant.
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To Make a Donation
TBA
Associate Director of Development, McGill Athletics
