Bielby headed to World University Games in Belgrade
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