VANCOUVER - Two UBC rosters just received a boost for the 2017-18 season and it took the signing of just one student-athlete to do so.
 
UBC Track and Field Head Coach Laurier Primeau and head coach of the Thunderbirds women's soccer program, Jesse Symons, announced Wednesday they had signed Jessica Williams from Semiahmoo Secondary to attend classes at UBC beginning in the fall of 2017. Williams intends to study business.
 
Williams is a multiple gold medallist in the 400 metres at both the BC High School and Athletics BC club levels.  She also ran the anchor on the record breaking 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 Semiahmoo relay teams.


 
Williams is just as prolific on the soccer pitch where the speedy fullback was a member of the Whitecaps FC Girls Elite REX Program until 2015, a stand-out for Coastal FC (South Surrey) and the captain of Team BC's gold medal winning squad at the Western Canada Games in 2015.
 
The opportunity to pursue her education in the City of Vancouver, where she wishes to ultimately live and work, and the chance to play both of her chosen sports at a high level drew Williams to Point Grey.
 
"I chose to pursue my post secondary education at UBC because of the fantastic academic opportunities, as well as the privilege to able to play soccer and run track under two high level programs," said Williams. "It's going to be pretty taxing and a lot of hours to play both sports so to have the UBC coaches' confidence and have them believe in me was something that is really important. I got that vibe right away from them."

"We welcome Jessica to UBC as a two sport athlete. She has demonstrated that she can perform at the collegiate level in both soccer and track, and will have the unique opportunity to participate in both the CIS and the NAIA," said Williams' new track coach Laurier Primeau. "We know that we are getting a great athlete, a strong academic, and an excellent person."


 
"Jessica posses the types of characteristics that we look for in student athletes," said Williams' new soccer coach Jesse Symons. "She is motivated to improve each day and has the leadership qualities to make her teammates better. It will be very exciting to see her be a part of two varsity sports at UBC for the 2017 season."
 
There is a long and distinguished history of track and field in Williams' family. Her father Paul Williams was a long distance runner who raced in three Olympic Games for Canada. Jessica's mother, Lynn Kanuka-Williams was a 3000 metre specialist who won the bronze medal for Canada at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. Her brother Jack Williams raced on the UBC Track and Field team, graduating in 2016 from UBC School of Kinesiology.


 
Jessica Williams is the second dual-athlete to commit to UBC in the last calendar year. Earlier in 2016, Kelowna Owls basketball and football all-star Parker Simson signed to play both sports for the Thunderbirds.