OTTAWA (CIS) – Canadian Interuniversity Sport announced Friday the Canadian rowing team for the 2015 Summer Universiade in Gwangju, South Korea (July 3-14).
Gwangju 2015 website: www.gwangju2015.com
Team Canada website: http://english.cis-sic.ca/universiade/summer/2015/index
It will mark the fifth appearance for rowing at the biennial world university games. The sport was also part of the program in 1987 (Zagreb, Yugoslavia - now Croatia), 1989 (Duisburg, Germany), 1993 (Buffalo) and 2013 (Kazan, Russia). Canada did not field a team two years ago but had amassed 19 medals over the first three competitions, five of them gold (all in 1993).
Nineteen student-athletes nominated by the Canadian University Rowing Association will wear the maple leaf in South Korea, including 11 men and eight women. Brock University leads the way with seven team members, followed by Western with four.
The men’s lineup is comprised of Julien Pouliot of Boucherville, Que. (McGill), who will compete in the lightweight single sculls; Matt Fournier (Carleton) and Matt Christie (Queen’s), both of Ottawa, in the lightweight double sculls; Mark Alm of Grimsby, Ont. (Brock) and William Bryden of Charlottetown, PEI (Brock) in the double sculls; Liam McCormick of London, Ont. (Western) and Zach Lewis of Ottawa (Brock) in the pair; as well as Tom Watson of Winnipeg (Victoria/Oxford), Taylor Ashwood of Fort Erie, Ont. (Brock), James Potts of Ottawa (Brock) and Josh King of Ottawa (Trent) in the lightweight four.
On the women’s side, the roster includes Alexandra Stefanovski of London (Western) and Katherine Walker of Hamilton (Brock) in the lightweight double sculls; Catherine Multari of LaSalle, Ont. (Western) and Stephanie Mowder of St. Catharines, Ont. (Brock) in the double sculls; and Emily Jago of Sudbury, Ont. (Laurentian), Elizabeth McConnell of St. Albert, Alta. (Victoria), Jessie Loutit of Yellowknife (Western) and Chloe DeRoche of Calgary (Queen’s) in the women’s four.
The red and white contingent will be led by a trio of experienced coaches, including Daniel Bechard from Western, Ed Fournier from Carleton and Amanda Schweinbenz from Laurentian.
The rowing competition will run from July 5-7 in Chungju, just over 200 kilometres north-east of Gwangju.
NOTES: At the 2014 Canadian University Rowing Championships last November in Victoria, Western claimed its second straight women’s team title while Brock finished third in the men’s standings... Eight Canadian rowers who reached the Universiade podium during their career captured Olympic gold in 1992 in Barcelona. They include Darren Barber (1993 Universiade), Michael Forgeron (1993), Marnie McBean (1989, 1993), Derek Porter (1989, 1993), Kirsten Barnes (1989), Kathleen Heddle (1989), Robert Marland (1987) and Terrence Paul (1987).
CANADIAN ROSTER
WOMEN
Name University Hometown Event
Chloe Des Roche Queen’s Calgary, Alta. Four
Emily Jago Laurentian Sudbury, Ont. Four
Jessie Loutit Western Yellowknife, N.W.T. Four
Elizabeth McConnell Victoria St. Albert, Alta. Four
Stephanie Mowder Brock St. Catharines, Ont. Double Sculls
Catherine Multari Western LaSalle, Ont. Double Sculls
Alexandra Stefanovski Western London, Ont. Lightweight Double Sculls
Katherine Walker Brock Hamilton, Ont. Lightweight Double Sculls
MEN
Name University Hometown Event
Mark Alm Brock Grimsby, Ont. Double Sculls
Taylor Ashwood Brock Fort Erie, Ont. Lightweight Four
William Bryden Brock Charlottetown, PEI Double Sculls
Matt Christie Queen’s Ottawa, Ont. Lightweight Double Sculls
Matt Fournier Carleton Ottawa, Ont. Lightweight Double Sculls
Josh King Trent Ottawa, Ont. Lightweight Four
Zach Lewis Brock Ottawa, Ont. Pair
Liam McCormick Western London, Ont. Pair
James Potts Brock Ottawa, Ont. Lightweight Four
Julien Pouliot McGill Boucherville, Que. Lightweight Single Sculls
Tom Watson Victoria/Oxford Winnipeg, Man. Lightweight Four
STAFF
Position Name University Hometown
Coach Daniel Bechard Western Wallaceburg, Ont.
Coach Ed Fournier Carleton Ottawa, Ont.
Coach Amanda Schweinbenz Laurentian Hamilton, Ont.
CANADA’S ALL-TIME UNIVERSIADE MEDALS IN ROWING (5-7-7):
Gold
1993: Wendy Wiebe (Lightweight Single Sculls W)
1993: Rachel Starr & Tracy Duncan (Lightweight Double Sculls W)
1993: Phil Graham & Darren Barber (Coxless Pair M)
1993: Darvill, Mahon, McBean, O'Grady (Coxless Four W)
1993: Boichuk, Luke, Meisner, Wilkinson, Maunder, Robinson, Jespersen, Taves, Calder (Eight W)
Silver
1993: Derek Porter (Single Sculls M)
1993: Marnie McBean (Single Sculls W)
1993: Laurie Featherstone & Michelle Brindamour (Coxless Pair W)
1993: Porter, Barber, Graham, Forgeron (Coxless Quadruple Sculls M)
1993: Jespersen, Maunder, Robinson, Taves (Coxless Quadruple Sculls W)
1989: John Murphy (Lightweight Single Sculls M)
1989: Walinga, McBean, Bames, Heddle (Coxless Four W)
Bronze
1993: Jeff Hilton & James Brambell (Lightweight Double Sculls M)
1993: Fontaine, Davidson, Strba, Hassett (Lightweight Coxless Four M)
1993: Ruth, Walkey, Walsh, Platt, Hughes, Schellinck, Crombie, Parfitt, Bertagnolli (Eight M)
1989: Derek Porter & Ian Swan (Coxless Pair M)
1987: Silken Laumann (Single Sculls W)
1987: John Murphy (Lightweight Single Sculls M)
1987: Marland, Schaffer, Backer, Paul, Saunderson (Lightweight Coxed Four M)
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.