Six athletes from five different U of S sports teams have been selected to be part of Canada’s squad taking part in the upcoming World University Summer Games.

Middle distance runner Courtney Hufsmith of Saskatoon, basketball stars Kyla Shand of Saskatoon and Megan Ahlstrom of Calgary, Swift Current’s Dylan Mortensen is on the men’s volleyball squad while fencer Kristen Van Marion and Alayna Chan in table tennis are all heading to Turin, Italy. The Summer Universiade runs July 3-14 with over 9,300 athletes from 128 countries expected to take part. Following is the news release from Huskie Athletics…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 29, 2019

Huskies named to Team Canada for 2019 Summer Universiade

U SPORTS Communications

[ONLINE STORY]

TORONTO – U SPORTS announced Wednesday its Team Canada delegation for the 2019 FISU Summer Universiade in Naples, Italy.   Among those named were six standouts from the University of Saskatchewan who will compete in five different sports.   Selected to play on the women’s basketball team were both Megan Ahlstrom and Kyla Shand.   In her four years with the Huskies, Ahlstrom has won three Canada West titles as well as a U SPORTS National Championship. The product of Calgary started all 28 Huskie games between the regular season and the playoffs, averaging 8.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.   Joining Ahlstrom on the women’s basketball team will be second-year forward Kyla Shand. Shand was a key component in the Huskies run at the 2018-19 U SPORTS National Championship tournament, scoring 30 points and pulling down 23 boards against the toughest competition in the nation.   Previously announced as nominated for the squad by Athletics Canada and now confirmed on the roster is Courtney Hufsmith. The distance runner from Saskatoon will compete in the 1500-metre race, an event that she finished first in the conference and second in the nation in last season.   Rounding out the Huskie athletes in Naples is men’s volleyball all-star Dylan Mortensen. This is the second team that the outside hitter from Swift Current has been named to this spring, he was previously announced as a member of the Canadian National Senior B team.   Also competing under the University of Saskatchewan banner is fencer Kristen Van Marion and table tennis athlete Alayna Chan.   Canada will compete in 12 sports, including athletics, basketball (men and women), diving, fencing, gymnastics (artistic and rhythmic), soccer (women only), swimming, table tennis, taekwando, rugby sevens (men and women), volleyball (men and women) and water polo (women only). All teams were selected in partnership with each respective National Sports Organization (NSO) or are being managed by the U SPORTS national office.   The full delegation totals over 300 including student-athletes, coaches, staff, and medical personnel.   Rosters featuring Huskies are available below and a full list of rosters is available on the U SPORTS website with men’s rugby sevens to be added at a later date. “The Mission Staff is looking forward to delivering a great experience for our Canadian delegation,” said Team Canada Chef de Mission Ari Grossman. “Representing Canada at any sporting event is a huge honour and responsibility and we are pleased to welcome all team members and congratulate them on this exciting accomplishment.”   To celebrate the milestone 30^th edition and 60^th anniversary of the World University Summer Games, the event returns to its first home, where it was originally held in Turin, Italy in 1969.    Canada finished in 16^th at the 2017 FISU Summer Universiade in Taipei City, Chinese Taipei with 13 medals(four gold, five silver, four bronze). This year’s games will run from July 3-14, with some competitions beginning on July 2 and will feature over 9,300 athletes from 128 countries.   The Opening Ceremony will be held on July 3 at 3:00 p.m. ET / 12:00 p.m. PT (9:00 p.m. local time). The full schedule is available here.   “We are very excited to reveal the members of Team Canada for the 2019 FISU Summer Universiade. Every student-athlete on this team has shown the ability to balance academics and athletics, and we are tremendously proud to have them wear the maple leaf in Naples, Italy,” said Lisette Johnson-Stapley, Chief Sport Officer at U SPORTS.  “As the Olympics of University Sport, the FISU Games are an excellent opportunity for all of our student-athletes to compete against fellow world-class talent, as they set their sights on gold.” ATHLETICS

Head Coach: Bob Westman, Toronto Team Leader: Molly Killingbeck, Athletics Canada Team Manager: Kristine Deacon, Athletics Canada Coach: Vickie Croley, Western Coach: Steve LeBlanc, Moncton Coach: Karl Meissner Coach: Dave Scott-Thomas, Guelph Coach: Mingpu Wu Physiotherapist: Brenda Scott-Thomas Chiropractor: Dr. Jeff Cubos Massage Therapist: Alex Forsythe WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Head Coach: Michèle Bélanger, Toronto Team Leader: Carrie Watts, UBC Assistant Coach: Theresa Burns, McMaster MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

Head Coach: Dave Preston, McMaster Team Leader/Assistant Coach: James Gravelle, Windsor Assistant Coach: Grant Wilson, Brandon Athletic Therapist Natalie Paladino, Windsor