KINGSTON, Ont. (April 2, 2025) – Jude Wheeler-Dee of the Queen's Men's Cross Country was named the Jenkins Trophy recipient as the Queen's University Varsity Teams Men's Sports Athlete of the Year for the 2024-25 season during the 89th annual Colour Awards Wednesday night at the Athletics and Recreation Centre (ARC).

The Jenkins Trophy is one of the oldest trophies at Queen's University. It was first presented by Thomas Jenkins in 1930 and is awarded annually to a Varsity Team male athlete in their 4th or 5th year who best displays qualities of scholastic achievement, competitiveness, leadership, sportsmanship, dedication and exceptional contributions to their team.

Wheeler-Dee (Chemistry), a Kingston native, led the Men's Cross Country program to both first place finishes in the OUA and U SPORTS Championships, with Wheeler-Dee placing 1st and 13th overall, respectively. 

The U SPORTS Championship title marked Queen's first national championship in Cross Country since 1984. The team amassed a combined score of 94 points, 36 points less than the second-place finishers – no small feat, especially during a national championship.

Racing successes were demonstrated by Wheeler-Dee at the OUA, U SPORTS and U20 Canadian levels. Amassing U SPORTS Men's Cross Country All-Canadian honors plus the OUA Men's Cross Country Runner of the Year places Wheeler-Dee the among the best the program has seen over several decades.

"Jude has been the XC/Track Team Captain for the past three years", said the Queen's Men's Cross Country Head Coach Mark Bomba. "He always makes sure everyone feels included in team events and he works hard to make our team culture inclusive for all."

This distinctive athlete also shines during track meets, where Wheeler-Dee translates cross-county success to the indoor track season. 

The fourth-year runner is an Athletics Canada standout, currently being ranked 6th in the 1500m and 7th in the indoor mile, holding the Queen's records in the 1500m, mile, 3000m, and 1000m events, and ranked No. 1 and No. 3 in U SPORTS for the 1500m and 3000m races, respectively. 

As Bomba puts it, "He entered as a walk-on athlete to emerge as statistically the best runner our program has ever seen."

Cross country and distance track can be unforgiving sports, due to the required individual athletic demands of the sports, but being involved in the community can help one navigate the expectations of being an athlete, student, and leader. Wheeler-Dee volunteers tutoring high school math and science students, supports Queen's motionball for Special Olympics, and works with the Lancaster cross country program.