Josh Fleck
Sports Information Officer
St. Thomas University

Ben Davidge is in his first year at St. Thomas University and at just 17 years old he has already lived more than most 45-year-olds. 

Davidge, who has grown up in Hanwell, NB, (just outside Fredericton) attended Fredericton High School where he played for the Black Kats in NBIAA play. Davidge has also been a member of the Fredericton District Soccer Association since he was five years old, where he and his sister, Katy, started playing. From a young age it was evident Davidge wasn't an average soccer player, representing New Brunswick from Under 12 all the way to Under 17, captaining the U16 and winning MVP during the final game, and then suiting up for the NBSPL Picaroons senior team, winning the Challenge Cup gold medal.  

When it came time for him to think about post-secondary education and playing soccer at the next level, Davidge knew he wanted St. Thomas. 

"I was intrigued by STU because of the small class sizes and campus," says Davidge about what drew him to STU. "I also loved the idea of attending a university with a close-knit community feel in my own backyard. I had played an exhibition game with the STU team at the beginning of 2020, and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The guys on the team were very welcoming and fun to play with, which furthered my interest in potentially being a part of the team. My goal has been to play university soccer and my experience during the academy sessions at FDSA with JR [Morrison] were always passionate and encouraging."

When it came time for recruiting, Morrison, the Tommies' head coach, knew that Davidge represented everything he values as one of his athletes. 

"Ben is a great young man first and foremost. When you combine that with his incredible high academic standard and quality on the field, he was high on my list of NB players that I wanted to join the men's soccer program," said Morrison. "Recruiting him was actually easier than I thought it would be. I had coached Ben quite a few times as part of FDSA High Performance Academy and had my eye on him for a couple of years and so I invited Ben to join us for an indoor tournament in Moncton two years ago. After he had the chance to see the high level of play and outstanding character of young men I recruit, he was convinced STU is where he should be."

Now with all that being said, you may think that it has been smooth sailing from the start for Davidge, but he has gone through his fair share of adversity. 

It all started in April when Davidge was in the ninth grade. A normal, healthy student to date, Davidge started to grow increasingly more fatigued as the days would go, with no rhyme or reason as to why, to the point where he needed to take five weeks off of school.

"I remember when I first got sick I would go into school and sleep through a whole period, which is very unlike me," said Davidge. "They knew that I was athletic, so they would assume it was from the night before at practice. My mom would pick me up from school and I would sleep on the drive home. I would do about 20 minutes of homework and then sleep. I was sleeping any opportunity I could get."

After a few weeks of the fatigue Davidge became jaundiced and they knew something was wrong. That's when a trip to the IWK was taken to run tests to find out what exactly was wrong. Davidge was diagnosed with Autoimmune Hepatitis, which the gastrointestinal specialist believed was caused by a reaction to antibiotics he had taken about a month before his symptoms started to show. The initial course of medication was extreme. Davidge was prescribed Prednisone, a corticosteroid, that caused him to suffer from a handful of side effects. 

"It messes with your emotions a bit, so I was a little all over the place for a bit," admitted Davidge. "I was also really hungry. I would eat everything."

This caused Davidge, a fit young man, to gain about 18 pounds in three weeks. He admits it did shake his confidence for a while, but he bounced right back and regained his form to become the person he is today. 

Davidge, this year's recipient of the St. Thomas Entrance Award for Outstanding Scholar Athlete, which is given to a student athlete who has demonstrated high academic standing in high school, is currently playing a key role for the undefeated Tommies, who, at currently rank #6 in the CCAA national rankings. He is also coming off scoring his first career goal in ACAA competition, and isn't willing to stop there. 

"If you want something, you have to throw yourself into it, on the pitch or off," says Davidge. "I missed many weeks of school, soccer, and social events, but I learned more during those months about myself and what I want out of my academics and soccer life. I am focused."