MONTREAL – Steven Bielby, a member of the McGill University swim
team who hails from Pointe Claire, Que., was named Monday as one of
42 student-athletes who will represent Canada in swimming at the
25th Summer Universiade, also known as the World University Games,
from July 1-12, 2009, in Belgrade, Serbia.
Bielby, a 19-year-old electrical engineering major, had a
stellar campaign, becoming only the third freshman ever to earn the
Forbes trophy as male athlete-of-the-year honours at McGill. The
5-foot-7 middle distance specialist was the first male in school
history to win three individual gold medals at a CIS championship
meet and was voted CIS rookie of the year. He established three
McGill and three Quebec university records while winning the 1500
metres (15:22.71), the 400 individual medley (4:11.42) and the 400
freestyle (3:49.73).
The Canadian swim team had one of its best-ever Universiade
showings two years ago in Bangkok, Thailand, when a group of 28
athletes claimed 10 medals, including four golds, at the biennial
Games. The four first-place finishes at the pool were the second
most in history for Canada at the Universiade, while the 10 podiums
ranked fourth on the all-time list.
Canadian swimmers won a team-record six events and 15 medals in
Buffalo in 1993, and came back with three victories and 14 medals
from both the 1991 Games in Sheffield, England, and the 1983 Games
in Edmonton.
"Swimming has been a strong contributor to Canada's medal count
at past FISU Games, and we look to continue this trend in Serbia,"
said Team Canada head coach Mike Blondal, the leader of the
University of Calgary swim program. "With Olympic finalists Brian
Johns and Keith Beavers leading the team, and a wide range of
experience from those selected, I think medals and best
international performances should be the goals."
Only two Canadian swimmers have captured gold medals at two
straight Universiades in the past, and only one has successfully
defended a world university title.
Guylaine Cloutier won the 100 breaststroke in both 1991 and
1993, and also helped the Canadian 4x200 free relay claim gold in
1993. Patricia Noall was crowned in the 400 free in 1991 before
joining Cloutier on the 1993 gold-medal winning relay.
Blondal's assistant coaches in Serbia will be U of C's Kevin
Anderson of Calgary, Alberta's Bill Humby of Edmonton, Laval's
Nicholas Perron of Quebec City, and Mohamed Marouf of
Sherbrooke.
More details about the Games can be found online at:
2009 Summer Universiade website: www.universiade-belgrade2009.org
Team Canada website: www.universitysport.ca/belgrade
TEAM CANADA ROSTER
Women
Name
University
Eligibility
*
Hometown
Jennifer Carroll
UQTR
5
Montreal, Que.
Vanessa
Charron
St. Lawrence College
-
Quebec City, Que.
Jessika Craig
Calgary
2
Picton, Ont.
Melanie Dodds
Texas A&M
2
Maple Ridge, B.C.
Paméla Filiatrault-Veilleux
Laval
3
Lévis, Que.
Breanna Hendriks
Calgary
2
Cochrane, Alta.
Tara Ivanitz
UBC
3
Vernon, B.C.
Marie-Soleil
Jean-Lachapelle
Collège
Ahuntsic
-
Montreal, Que.
Haylee Johnson
UBC
5
Vancouver, B.C.
Jessica Johnson
Calgary
2
Calgary, Alta.
Hanna Kubas
Calgary
5
Edmonton, Alta.
Allison Long
Calgary
A
Calgary, Alta.
Heather Maitland
Toronto
2
Toronto, Ont.
Seanna Mitchell
Calgary
2
Manotick, Ont.
Katy Murdoch
Calgary
4
Calgary, Alta.
Hayley Nell
Western
2
London, Ont.
Kevyn Peterson
Calgary
3
Salmon Arm, B.C.
Hanna Pierse
UBC
3
Edmonton, Alta.
Marie-Pier Ratelle
Laval
3
Trois-Rivières, Que.
Kayla Voytechek
Alberta
1
Lethbridge, Alta.
Men
Kelly Aspinall
Calgary
2
Nanoose Bay, B.C.
Warren Barnes
Pittsburgh
B
Pickering, Ont.
Keith Beavers
Waterloo
1
Waterloo, Ont.
Ray Betuzzi
Minnesota
3
Calgary, Alta.
Steven Bielby
McGill
1
Pointe-Claire, Que.
Rory Biskupski
UBC
2
West Vancouver, B.C.
Jonathan Blouin
Collège
F-X-Garneau
-
Quebec City, Que.
Zack Chetrat
Toronto
1
Oakville, Ont.
Xavier Desharnais
Collège de
Sherbrooke
-
Sherbrooke, Que.
David Dimitrov
Calgary
A
Calgary, Alta.
Philippe Dubreuil
Sherbrooke
C
Sherbrooke, Que.
Richard
Hortness
UNLV
D
Medicine Hat, Alta.
Brian Johns
UBC
C
Richmond, B.C.
Bryn Jones
Western
2
London, Ont.
Marco Monaco
Toronto
3
Oakville, Ont.
Nicolas Murray
Laval
5
Matane, Que.
Callum Ng
UBC
5
Calgary, Alta.
Matt Rose
Alberta
E
Lindsay, Ont.
David Sharpe
Dalhousie
F
Halifax, N.S.
Matthew
Swanston
Stanford
G
Newmarket, Ont.
Chris Tobin
Calgary
5
Oxford Mills, Ont.
Brian Yakiwchuk
Alberta
2
Prince George, B.C.
* Indicates year of eligibility used in 2008-09 CIS or NCAA
season.
A - Long and Dimitrov will be freshmen at the University of
Calgary in 2009-10.
B - Barnes last participated in NCAA competition in 2006-07.
C - Dubreuil and Johns last participated in CIS competition in
2006-07.
D - Hortness last participated in NCAA competition in
2007-08.
E - Rose last participated in NCAA competition in 2003-04. He
now studies at the University of Alberta but used all his
university eligibility at Texas A&M.
F - Sharpe will be a freshman at Dalhousie University in
2009-10.
G - Swanston will be a freshman at Stanford University in
2009-10.
STAFF
Manager: Johanne Girardin, Quebec City (Laval University)
Manager: James Hood, Edmonton
Head coach: Mike Blondal, Calgary (University of Calgary)
Assistant coach: Kevin Anderson, Calgary (University of
Calgary)
Assistant coach: Bill Humby, Edmonton (University of
Alberta)
Assistant coach: Mohamed Marouf, Sherbrooke
Assistant coach: Nicholas Perron, Quebec City (Laval
University)
Massage therapist: Ronald Castro, Toronto
Massage therapist: Shawn Trimble, Vancouver
Massage therapist: Aurel Hamran, Edmonton
Physiologist: Jane Labreche, Vancouver
Video technician: Graham Olson, Calgary
CANADA'S SWIMMING GOLD MEDALS AT THE SUMMER
UNIVERSIADE:
2007 (Bangkok, Thailand): MacKenzie Downing, women's 100m
butterfly
2007 (Bangkok, Thailand): Audrey Lacroix, women's 200m
butterfly
2007 (Bangkok, Thailand): Darryl Rudolf, men's 100m
butterfly
2007 (Bangkok, Thailand): Brian Johns, men's 200m individual
medley
1993 (Buffalo, USA): Guylaine Cloutier, women's 100m
breaststroke
1993 (Buffalo, USA): Marianne Limpert, women's 200m individual
medley
1993 (Buffalo, USA): Nancy Sweetnam, women's 400m individual
medley
1993 (Buffalo, USA): Women's 4x200m freestyle relay
1993 (Buffalo, USA): Turlough O'Hare, men's 400m freestyle
1993 (Buffalo, USA): Turlough O'Hare, men's 800m freestyle
1991 (Sheffield, Great Britain): Guylaine Cloutier, women's 100m
breaststroke
1991 (Sheffield, Great Britain): Patricia Noall, women's 400m
freestyle
1991 (Sheffield, Great Britain): Deke Botsford, men's 100m
backstroke
1983 (Edmonton, Canada): Mike West, men's 100m backstroke
1983 (Edmonton, Canada): Alex Baumann, men's 200m individual
medley
1983 (Edmonton, Canada): Alex Baumann, men's 400m individual
medley
1977 (Sofia, Bulgaria): Anne Gagnon, women's 200m
breaststroke
1977 (Sofia, Bulgaria): Graham Smith, men's 200m
breaststroke
About the Summer Universiade
The Summer Universiade is an international multi-sport event
that takes place every two years and is second only to the Olympic
Games in the number of participating athletes and countries. The
Universiade is open to competitors who are at least 17 and less
than 28 years of age as of January 1 in the year of the Games.
Participants must be full-time students at a post-secondary
institution (university, college, CEGEP) or have graduated from a
post-secondary institution in the year preceding the event.
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SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman Communications Officer Athletics
& Recreation McGill University 475 Pine Avenue W., Montreal,
QC H2W 1S4 CANADA 514-398-7012 (Tel.)
514-398-1956 (Fax) www.mcgill.ca/athletics
