Summer Universiade: World championship medallist highlights Canadian archery team

July 11, 2011

OTTAWA (CIS) – Canadian Interuniversity Sport announced Monday the student-athletes and coach who will represent Canada in archery at the 26th Summer Universiade in August in Shenzhen, China.

Team leader and coach Vickilynne Schleppe of Calgary will lead a team of six archers – two females and four males – who hope to bring home Canada’s first-ever Universiade medal in the sport.

On the men’s side, Simon Rousseau of La Prairie, Que., and Nathan Cameron of Sherwood Park, Alta., will compete in individual compound bow, while Brendan Sheridan of Calgary and Michael Wong of Edmonton are set to take part in the recurve bow tournament.

On the women’s side, Vanessa Lee of Toronto and Caitlyn Schleppe of Calgary will both compete in individual recurve.

Canada will also participate in the mixed team event.

Cameron and Rousseau are veterans from the 2009 Universiade in Belgrade, Serbia, where they both fell in the round of 32 in individual compound and finished 19th and 22nd, respectively. They also guided Canada to a quarter-final appearance in the team compound tourney.

Rousseau, who will attend Texas A&M this fall after starting his university studies at McGill, returned home on Sunday from his first senior world championships in Turin, Italy, where he helped the Canadian men’s compound team claim the bronze medal. He also took part in the individual competition, finishing 33rd in the elimination round and falling short of the next stage. The 20-year-old was crowned junior national champion in individual compound in 2010 and captured bronze in the same event at the 2008 youth world championships in Turkey.

Cameron, a University of Alberta student, had an impressive showing at the junior world championships back in 2006 when he claimed a bronze medal in junior men’s team compound and finished eighth in individual competition. He also represented Canada at the Pan American championships in 2006 and at the Commonwealth Games in 2010.

Sheridan, who is enrolled at the University of Calgary, is the reigning Alberta Archers male athlete of the year. Back in 2006, he competed at the junior world championships and the Pan Am championships.

Wong, also a U of A student, captured the individual and team recurve junior titles at the 2008 Pan Am championships in Venezuela. He placed 53rd the same year at the Junior Worlds in Turkey.

Lee, a University of Toronto student, also participated in the 2011 senior world championships in Turin, where she placed 110th in women’s individual recurve. Her previous international experience also includes a 17th-place finish at the 2010 Pan American championships and a FISU world university championships appearance in 2008. She medalled in individual recurve at the Canadian Open in both 2008 (silver) and 2010 (bronze).

Schleppe, who recently graduated from Alberta and will attend the University of Western States in Oregon this fall, took part in the junior world championships in Mexico in 2006 and, that same year, helped Canada to a gold medal in junior women’s recurve team competition at the Pan Am championships in Brazil. At the 2011 Canada Winter Games, she finished first in mixed team recurve and fourth in individual recurve.

The archery competition in Shenzhen will run from Aug. 14-18.

TEAM CANADA ROSTER

Name                    University      Hometown                  Individual Event
Vanessa Lee          Toronto           Toronto, Ont.               Recurve Bow
Caitlyn Schleppe    Alberta            Calgary, Alta.               Recurve Bow
Nathan Cameron   Alberta            Sherwood Park, Alta.   Compound Bow
Simon Rousseau    McGill               La Prairie, Que.           Compound Bow
Brendan Sheridan  Calgary           Calgary, Alta.               Recurve Bow
Michael Wong         Alberta            Edmonton, Alta.          Recurve Bow

STAFF

Position                       Name                        Hometown
Coach & Team leader    Vickilynne Schleppe    Calgary, Alta.

-CIS-