GUELPH, Ont. – Throughout the 2020 fall semester, the University of Guelph Department of Athletics will be highlighting various members from our Gryphon varsity teams as part of our "BioSteel Student-Athlete Spotlight." This week's edition features
Justin Lauzon, a second-year student-athlete on the Gryphon football team who majors in accounting.
IN THE CLASSROOM
Of the over 90 student-athletes on the 2019 Gryphon football roster, no one performed better academically throughout the 2019-20 season than rookie linebacker Justin Lauzon.

The accounting major posted an impressive 90.4% average during his first-year of studies at the University of Guelph, earning him Academic All-Canadian status as a freshman. What is even more impressive, is that he was able to do so while adjusting to English as a second language. The now 21-year-old native of Saint-Hyacinthe (located 50 minutes east of Montreal) is the first member of his immediate family to make the commitment to picking up English as a second language. The Québec native arrived on campus in August of 2019 having little to no experience in predominantly English-speaking settings. The standout linebacker admits he was "a bit lost at first" during the initial few days of classes at U of G, but his grades would indicate otherwise.
By the time mid-terms rolled around in October, Lauzon had already established himself as one of the top-performing students in his class, something he would maintain throughout his entire first year at Guelph. When asked about the challenge of having to overcome a language barrier, Lauzon broke down his approach to meeting challenges head-on, something which has elevated him to great heights at a young age. "For me, I just try to take the same approach to everything in life, and that is to be the best in everything I do," says Lauzon, who two years ago received a prestigious
Academic Mention from the RSEQ as the top-performing student-athlete during his final year at Cégep Saint Jean-sur-Richelieu.

"Whether an assignment is worth 5% or 50% of my grade, I'm going to put everything I have into it. And the biggest thing for me is organization. At the beginning of each day, I'll wake up early and lay out several things I want to accomplish by the end of that day and will put my cell phone away until those things are done. And school has always been my first priority."
Justin's goal is to leave U of G as a double major, with degrees in both accounting as well as management economics and finance. The long term goals include owning a real estate investment firm, while also potentially working one day alongside his twin brother, Jeffrey, who is currently studying law back home in Québec (Université de Sherbrooke).
ATHLETICS
After earning a starting linebacker position right out of training camp, Justin Lauzon never looked back, putting together an impressive freshman season which was culminated with the Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec native earning team Rookie of the Year honours.

The former Cégep Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu standout officially announced his arrival at the OUA level in Guelph's Week 3 win over York, where he not only registered career sack number one, but also hauled in an interception that he took back 58 yards to the house for his first OUA touchdown. In the process, Lauzon was named the OUA's Defensive Player of the Week.
Despite being undersized for his position at just 5-foot-8, 195 pounds, Lauzon finished his rookie campaign with some big numbers, including 21 tackles, 2 sacks, 4.5 tackles-for-loss, and the aforementioned interception. Lauzon's contributions were a key part of a dominant 2019 season by the Gryphon 'D' which ranked No. 1 in the OUA in scoring defence.
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