Along with pursuing a post-secondary education at UBC Okanagan, Calgary product Madelyn Ellis will look to hone her soccer skills next fall in Canada West with the Heat women’s squad.
Ellis, a 5-foot-5 midfielder, has been on coach Claire Paterson’s radar since appearing at the Whitecaps Showcase and attending the Heat fall player ID camp.
“We were impressed by her tenacity and work ethic on the field,” Paterson said UBCO’s latest recruit. “She has very good speed and vision on the field which will be an asset to us as we look to build upon our current roster.”
Coming out of William Aberhart High in Calgary, Ellis currently plays for the U18 Tier 1 Blizzard Hurricanes in her hometown. Consistently ahead of the curve with her physical development and soccer savvy, she was notably called up to attend club provincials and then club nationals at the age of 15.
She captieed the Alberta Club Provincial championship that same 2013 year before going on to wrap up seventh at nationals.
Most recently Ellis was named the MVP of the 2014 U18 Shane Homes All-Star Game, for which she also received a scholarship award. Ellis will put her scholarship to good use in the Faculty of Science and will major in Biology.
Sunny Okanagan weather, particularly in the summer and early fall, was a strong motivator for Ellis.
“My decision was (to attend UBC Okanagan)was made based upon the beautiful weather in the Okanagan, whereas winter never ends in Calgary,” she said, before adding that there was also strong motivation after meeting with the Heat coaching staff.
“The (team) has done nothing but improve over the past few years, and it would be an absolute pleasure to participate in the efforts of becoming one of the strongest contributors in the CIS league.”
