The Dalhousie Tigers - Dalhousie University

"Wow, what an opportunity it was," reflected Susan Mason, when interviewed by Halifax Herald sports writer Hugh Townsend in May 1982, at the conclusion of her swimming career. Her performances in the water from 1978-80 were unprecedented in the annals of Dalhousie’s athletic achievement. In September 1978, already a very accomplished athlete, Susan elected to attend Dalhousie University spurning scholarship opportunities to the south and joined the Tigers to swim in the eight lane 50 metre pool at Dalplex. "I never had any regrets about my decision, it was the best move that I've ever made."  Her husband, former Dalhousie swimmer Donnie MacLeod is sure to agree! Both of her two older brothers and sister preceded her as members of the Tigers swim teams.

In her inaugural Atlantic Universities Athletic Association (AUAA) championship meet in 1979 she claimed three individual and two relay titles (the maximum number of events in which she was permitted to compete). Susan's first ever AUAA title came in convincing style when she won the 800m freestyle finishing in under nine minutes and over a minute ahead of her nearest competitor. In her four years of AUAA championship appearances Susan won every race she entered, collecting twelve individual and eight relay titles. During her years of AUAA competition she remained undefeated in freestyle event competition. Susan was named AUAA Female Swimmer of the Year and quite deservedly earned Tigers Most Valuable Swimmer honours, each season from 1979-1982.

At the 1979 Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union (CIAU) championship this Tiger swimmer garnered three individual gold medals; winning the 200, 400 and 800 metre freestyle events and set two new CIAU records to earn recognition as the CIAU Female Swimmer of the Year. Over her varsity career Susan won a total of 17 CIAU championship medals. This four-time All-Canadian was an individual gold medalist on seven occasions and also won three silver and seven bronze medals, six of which were won as a member of a Dalhousie freestyle or medley relay team. Although the Dalhousie women's swimming team achieved its best-ever team standing of second place at the 1980 CIAU championship, it was not until 1981 that the team won its first-ever AUAA team title. Susan ended her illustrious varsity career contributing to a decisive second successive conference title for Dalhousie.

In 1977, for winning three individual golds, a silver and a bronze, Susan became the first Nova Scotian to ever win swimming medals at the Canada Summer Games. Her aquatic abilities earned her a place on Canada's national team in 1977 and in 1978 Susan competed in France, the Netherlands, Great Britain and the United States. At the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton, Susan placed fifth in her specialty 400 metre freestyle. "I think it was my scariest race," recalled Mason, "walking down the length of the pool with all those thousands of people looking on…..when they announced "Canada" my knees just went weak. But the nervousness was gone as soon as I got in the water. Once in the water you just block out all the pressure and just concentrate on the event." Three weeks later Susan finished tenth in the same event at the world championships in West Berlin, Germany.

In 1985 Susan became the youngest athlete to be inducted into the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame. After retiring from competition, she coached the Nova Scotia Dolphins swim club for the physically challenged, for 10 years and was a national coach for the Stoke Manderville Games in Great Britain, the precursor of the Paralympic Games. As a founding organizer of the Canadian Championships for the Physically Challenged in 1991, she received the Rick Hansen Award from the Nova Scotia Recreation Council on Disability. In 1992, she coached Haligonian, and Dalhousie graduate, Nora Bednarski to a bronze medal in the Barcelona Paralympic Games. In 1993, Susan was a member of Nova Scotia's mission staff at the Kamloops, BC Canada Summer Games and in 1997, Susan was presented with the Dalhousie University men's and women's swim teams' Distinguished Swimming Alumnus Award.