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Development Women’s National Team Announced For 2011 Universaide

August 5, 2011

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ABBOTSFORD, BC– The Development Women’s National Team (DWNT) has announced the final roster that will participate in the 2011 Summer Universiade in Shenzhen, China from August 12 – 23, 2011.

“Our staff is very excited with the group of student-athletes that we’ve selected to represent Canada at the FISU games,” said Head Coach Lisa Thomaidis. “We’re very impressed with how much we’ve been able to implement in a very short period of time. It’s a testament to the intelligence and work ethic of this group and we look forward to competing against some excellent competition in China.”

This marks the 26th time the International University Sports Federation (FISU) will host the Summer Universiade, which is the second largest multi-sport event in the world, next to the Olympic Games.

The roster is made up of top talent from coast to coast and is full of players who have plenty of international experience including five players who played internationally as part of Canada’s National Team Program, including Megan Pinske (Coquitlam, B.C.), Julie Seabrook (North Vancouver, B.C.), Elyse Jobin (Moncton, N.B.), Kendel Ross (Sarnia, Ont.) and ) Justine Colley (East Preston, N.S.) who was an All-Canadian this past season for St. Mary’s University.

Pinske is the only returning player from the team that finished 15th in 2009.

Also joining this summer’s team are two members from the reigning Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) national champion, University of Windsor Lancers, Raelyn Prince (Harrow, Ont.) and Miah-Marie Langlois (Windsor, Ont.). Langlois capped off an impressive CIS Final 8 Championship by helping Windsor take home its first ever national championship for women’s basketball and winning the Tournament MVP award.

Two members from the CIS runners-up University of Saskatchewan, Jill Humbert (Saskatoon, Sas.) and Katie Miyazaki (Richmond, B.C.), will also be heading to China. Miyazaki was named to the CIS Final 8 Tournament All-Star Team and the CIS Defensive Player of the Year for the past two seasons.

Rounding out the roster is Seattle University’s Elle Kerfoot (Surrey, B.C.), Simon Fraser University’s Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe (Vernon, B.C.) and University of Regina’s Lindsay Ledingham (Regina, Sas.).

This summer will mark the first time Lisa Thomaidis (Dundas, Ont.) will serve as head coach for a team for the National Team Program. Currently the head coach of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies, she has been with the National Team Program since 2001, when she served as the video assistant for the Senior Women’s National Team (SWNT) for two years. She was then named an apprentice coach for the team in 2003, and has served as the team’s assistant coach for the past eight years under Head Coach Allison McNeill.

Before heading to China for the World University Games, the DWNT will play a tune-up game against the University of Mississippi at the University of the Fraser Valley on Thursday, August 4.

At the FISU games, the DWNT has been assigned to Pool C, where they will play Russia, Poland and South Africa in the preliminary round. Sixteen countries will compete for the FISU gold this summer in Shenzhen.

Since basketball was included in the FISU games for women in 1961, Canada has a total of two medals, both bronze, in 1979 and 1991. In the last FISU games in 2009, Canada finished 15th.

For more information please contact:

Denise Dignard
Manager, Women’s Elite Performance
Canada Basketball
Tel: 416.614.8037 x 204
E-mail: ddignard@basketball.ca
Website: www.basketball.ca

Mike Dahiroc
Coordinator, Marketing & Communications
Canada Basketball
Tel: 416.614.8037 x 217
E-mail: mdahiroc@basketball.ca
Website: www.basketball.ca

2011 DEVELOPMENT WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM ROSTER

Name | Position | Height | University (2010-2011) | Hometown
Justine Colley | G | 5’9″ | Saint Mary’s University | Halifax, NS
Jill Humbert | G | 5’7″ | University of Saskatchewan | Saskatoon, SK
Elyse Jobin | G | 5’11” | Laval University | Moncton, NB
Elle Kerfoot | G | 5’7″ | Seattle University (NCAA) | Surrey, BC
Miah-Marie Langlois | G | 5’8″ | University of Windsor | Windsor, ON
Lindsay Ledingham | G | 6’0″| University of Regina | Regina, SK
Julie Seabrook | F | 6’3″ | University of Colorado (NCAA) | North Vancouver, BC
Katie Miyazaki | G | 5’9″ | University of Saskatchewan | Richmond, BC
Megan Pinske | G | 5’9″ | Western Washington University (NCAA-2) | Coquitlam, BC
Raelyn Prince | F | 6’2″ | University of Windsor | Harrow, ON
Folade (Nayo) Raincock-Ekunwe | F | 6’2″ | Simon Fraser University (NCAA-2) | Vernon, BC
Kendel Ross | G/F | 6’1″ | Dayton University (NCAA) | Sarnia, ON

2011 DEVELOPMEN MEN’S NATIONAL TEAM – STAFF
Name | Position | University