Eighteen student-athletes from the University of Victoria (UVic) will be representing Canada at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. The athletes from four different sports — field hockey, rugby sevens, rowing and swimming — will compete from July 26 to Aug. 11.
Danielle Hennig and Kaitlyn Williams will be playing for Canada’s women’s field hockey team in their third Pan American Games. Anna Mollenhauer has also made the team and this will be her first time competing in the Games. The Canadian women’s team placed third in 2015 and will fight hard for the gold medal this time around. Canada will play in a pool with Argentina, Cuba and Uruguay. If the team places first, they’ll move on to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
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The Canadian men’s field hockey team will include Keegan Pereira and Brenden Bissett — who both competed in the Rio Olympics — and James Kirkpatrick. The Canadian men’s team is currently ranked 10th in the world and will play in a pool against Mexico, Peru and the U.S. for a chance to complete in the 2020 Olympics.
Pam Buisa was named to the Canadian women’s rugby sevens team. The Canadian women have already secured their spot in the Olympics back in June after finishing third in the 2018-19 World Series. In Lima, they will compete against Brazil, Peru and Mexico in hopes of defending their first place win at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto.
Sean Duke, Nathan Hirayama, Isaac Kay, Patrick Lake, Luke McCloskey and Brennig Prevost will represent Canada on the men’s rugby sevens team. The men’s team has also already secured their spot in the 2020 Olympics following their win at the Rugby Americas North Sevens tournament. They will fight to hold onto their gold medal for a third year in a row in pool play against Argentina, Uruguay and Jamaica.
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Three UVic athletes have been named to the Rowing Canada crews. Trish Mara will compete in the women’s lightweight single sculls, Layla Balooch will row in the women’s doubles with an athlete from Toronto and Luc Brodeur will compete in the men’s double sculls. For rowers, the Pan American Games are not qualifiers for the Olympics, so many athletes will make their debut in Lima.
Danielle Hanus, the 2018-19 Vikes Female Athlete of the Year, and Jon McKay will swim for team Canada in Lima. Hanus will race in the pool and McKay will race in the open water swim.
Canada is sending 477 athletes and 119 coaches to the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima. Several other staff will join the team including Simon Pearson who will be going to Lima as the team’s chiropractor. Pearson regularly works with the UVic athletes here on the island.
Scott Tupper, the men’s field hockey captain, will lead the Canadian team into the opening ceremonies at the Estadio Nacional del Peru on July 26.
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