The Dalhousie Tigers - Dalhousie University

The Huck sisters had an amazing impact on the success of the women’s soccer program in the 2000’s. They both played five years with the Tigers, sharing the pitch for two of those seasons. Between them they have five CIS all-Canadian selections, two AUS MVP awards, nine AUS all-star nods, six Tigers soccer team MVPs, four Dalhousie female athlete of the year awards and six academic all-Canadian honours.

Originally from Hatchet Lake, Nova Scotia, Leanne and Jeanette came to the Tigers after successful high school and club team careers.

		Leanne was the first to arrive on campus in the fall of 2003 after being recruited to both the soccer and track and field teams by then head coaches Graham Chandler (soccer) and Dan Hennigar (track and field). An MVP for both the soccer and track and field teams two years in a row at the Halifax Grammar School, she was also their female athlete of the year in her grade 11 and 12 years. She went undefeated in the 100m, 200m and 400m sprints throughout her high school career and still hold the Nova Scotia School Athletic Federation record in the 200m event. Leanne also represented Nova Scotia at the 2001 and 2005 Canada Summer Games as a member of the track and field team and placed fifth in the 100m and 200m events in 2001. During her five years at Dalhousie, Leanne helped lead the women’s soccer team to three second-place AUS championship finishes. A striker, she was in the top five in scoring in four of her five seasons, netting 34 regular season goals during her career. A four-time AUS all-star, Leanne is also a two-time AUS MVP and three-time CIS all-Canadian. The soccer MVP for three seasons, she was a four-time academic all-Canadian and was twice honoured with the Class of ’55 award as Dalhousie’s female athlete of the year.
Leanne (2003-08)	Jeanette(2006-11)

As a sprinter with the track and field team, Leanne earned even more accolades. She won 13 events at the AUS championships in her five seasons as a sprinter for the Tigers. She was a member of the AUS champion 4x200m relay team in all five years and won the 300m event in four of her five seasons. She and her 4x200m relay teammates won silver at the 2003-04 CIS track and field championships before earning a gold medal the following season. The track and field team MVP in the 2005-06 season, Leanne earned a fourth-place finish in the 60m at nationals that year.

“Leanne Huck was a joy to coach and a leader on our team during her years at Dalhousie,” says former track and field head coach Dan Hennigar. “I will always remember her courageous CIS gold medal run in the 4x200m relay and her tears of joy as she celebrated success with her teammates. Her capacity to deliver as an athlete and connect with those around her made her the indispensable heart of our team.”

Three years after Leanne came to Dalhousie, Jeanette landed on campus in September 2006 after being recruited by Chandler and on the recommendation of her older sister. The summer before she started at Dalhousie, she represented Nova Scotia at the 2005 Canada Summer Games as a member of the women’s soccer team.

It was a special time for the Huck family in the fall of 2006. Leanne was joined by Jeanette and their older sister Tonya who transferred from Mount Allison. All three sisters would play two seasons for the Tigers together.

Jeanette soon made a name for herself in the league, earning AUS second team all-star and rookie of the year honours. In her sophomore season, she was again named an AUS second team all-star while helping the Tigers to a second-place finish at the AUS championship. At the end of the 2008-09 season, she earned AUS first team all-star honours and was named a CIS second team all-Canadian. The soccer team’s MVP, she was also named the Class of ’55 award winner as Dalhousie’s female athlete of the year.

A full back, she continued to shine in her final two seasons, earning AUS first team all-star and team MVP honours while landing in the top four in the conference in scoring both years. A CIS first team all-Canadian in her final season, she earned her second Class of ’55 award as the Tigers female athlete of the year.

"Over my 34-year coaching career, many happy memories of players, games, situations and events easily come to my mind,” says Chandler. “While the games, moments and events are memorable, without question it is the players and their personalities that shine brightest. So, it is fitting that the Huck sisters are being inducted to the Dalhousie Sport Hall of Fame. Leanne and Jeannette were the epitome of the highest level of character and player profile I wanted in the women’s soccer program. Outstanding personal characteristics combined with excellence in the classroom and truly outstanding performances on the soccer field were equalled by a social and emotional responsibility on campus and in the community. That is their legacy. A coach could not ask for more from his/her leaders.”