BELGRADE, Serbia – The Canadian delegation is among the largest at the 2009 Summer Universiade, and the University of Calgary is the largest contributor to that delegation with 28 athletes, coaches, and staff representing Canada at the biennial event in the Serbian capital.
Universiade website:
www.ub2009.org
Team Canada website:
www.cisport.ca/belgrade
The Calgary contingent is led by 11 athletes and two coaches from the powerhouse Dinos swimming program along both 2008-09 Dr. Dennis Kadatz Athletes of the Year,
Ross Bekkering and
Holly Harper.
The Dinos make up more than one quarter of the swimming team in Serbia, including
Seanna Mitchell,
Jessika Craig of Picton, Ont.,
Breanna Hendriks of Cochrane, Alta.,
Jessica Johnson of Calgary,
Hanna Kubas of Edmonton, Allison Long of Calgary, Katy Murdoch of Calgary,
Kevyn Peterson of Salmon Arm, B.C.,
Kelly Aspinall of Nanoose Bay, B.C., David Dimitrov of Calgary and
Chris Tobin of Oxford Mills, Ont.
Long and Dimitrov will be freshmen at the U of C next fall.
Mike Blondal, the 2009 CIS women’s coach of the year, is head coach of the Canadian swim team in Belgrade, with Dinos assistant Kevin Anderson also on the coaching staff.
Bekkering makes his second straight appearance on the Universiade team in men’s basketball after winning a bronze medal at the 2007 event in Bangkok, Thailand. A second team All-Canadian with the Dinos in 2008-09, Bekkering was the first men’s basketball player to with the U of C’s athlete of the year designation since Richard Bohne in 1996. The 6-foot-8 Taber native returns for his fifth and final year of eligibility in 2009-10.
Harper, the reigning Dinos female athlete of the year, completed her varsity career with a silver medal at the CIS championships in Fredericton, a first team All-Canadian selection, and the Canada West MVP award. She is joined on the Canadian women’s volleyball squad by Calgary teammate
Laura Spence, a 6-foot-1 middle who will round out her eligibility with the Dinos next season.
In track and field, former Dinos head coach Les Gramantik serves as Team Leader for the Canadian squad in Serbia. He is joined by two Calgary sprinters:
Sam Effah and
Amonn Nelson. Effah is the two-time defending CIS track athlete of the year after back-to-back gold medals in the 60-metre indoor event. He was named the Dinos’ male athlete of the year in 2007-08 and was nominated for the award again in 2008-09.
Nelson is also a two-time defending CIS champion, winning the 300 metres each of the past two seasons.
The final group of athletes representing the University of Calgary will compete in the sport of water polo, which is not a Dinos varsity sport. The national men’s water polo program is based in Calgary with several of its players attending the U of C, and seven of them were named to the Universiade team: Jordan Boonzaayer, Bojan Glisic, Chris Heagle, Ivan Marcisin, Scott Mumme, Andrew Robinson, and Matt Venner.
Ben Matchett, who serves as Sports Information Director with the Dinos, rounds out the Calgary contingent as a communications officer on the Canadian mission staff.
Team Canada enjoyed a reception hosted at the home of John Morrison, Canadian ambassador to Serbia, on Tuesday evening in advance of the Universiade. The delegation, made up of 304 athletes, coaches and staff, celebrated Canada Day on Wednesday by walking into the Opening Ceremony at the Belgrade Arena.
The 2009 Summer Universiade wraps up July 12.
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 between the ages of 17 and 28 in the year of the Games who are 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.
-UC-
Belgrade 2009 – University of Calgary Athletes & Staff
Athletics
Amonn Nelson (Calgary, Alta.)
Sam Effah (Calgary, Alta.)
Les Gramantik (Team Leader – Calgary, Alta.)
Basketball
Ross Bekkering (Taber, Alta.)
Soccer
Lindsay Burrowes (Calgary, Alta.)
Swimming
Jessika Craig (Picton, Ont.)
Breanna Hendriks (Cochrane, Alta.)
Jessica Johnson (Calgary, Alta.)
Hanna Kubas (Edmonton, Alta.)
Allison Long (Calgary, Alta.)
Seanna Mitchell (Manotick, Ont.)
Katelyn Murdoch (Calgary, Alta.)
Kevyn Peterson (Salmon Arm, B.C.)
Kelly Aspinall (Nanoose Bay, B.C.)
David Dmitrov (Calgary, Alta.)
Chris Tobin (Oxford Mills, Ont.)
Mike Blondal (Head Coach – Calgary, Alta.)
Kevin Anderson (Assistant Coach – Calgary, Alta.)
Volleyball
Holly Harper (Lumsden, Sask.)
Laura Spence (Calgary, Alta.)
Water Polo
Jordan Boonzaayer (Coquitlam, B.C.)
Bojan Glisic (Gatineau, Que.)
Chris Heagle (Ancaster, Ont.)
Ivan Marcisin (Dundas, Ont.)
Scott Mumme (Beaconsfield, Que.)
Andrew Robinson (Lachine, Que.)
Matt Venner (Langley, B.C.)
Mission Staff
Ben Matchett (Communications – Calgary, Alta.)
