Courtesy of University of Vermont Athletic Communications
BURLINGTON, Vt. ? Courtnay
Pilypaitis (Ottawa, Ontario), a member of the University of Vermont
women's basketball team, has been named to the Canadian Women's Basketball
Team that will compete at the 2009 World University Games in Belgrade,
Serbia from July 1-12.
Pilypaitis is one of 11 student-athletes on the team that is made of up
both Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) players and NCAA players who
hail from Canada.
Pilypaitis led Vermont to the 2009 America East Championship as the
Catamounts defeated No. 2 Hartford and No. 1 Boston University to earn
their fifth title in the program's history and first in nine years.
The 2006-07 America East Rookie of the Year and the 2007-08 America
East Player of the Year, Pilypaitis was named the Most Outstanding Player
of the 2009 America East Tournament. She averaged 20 points, 8.7 rebounds,
3.6 assists, and shot 91.3 percent from the foul line (21-for-23) in the
tournament. Pilypaitis posted back-to-back double-doubles in the final two
games, scoring 23 points and grabbing 11 rebounds versus the Hawks and
followed that with 22 points and 11 rebounds in the championship game
versus Boston U.
Vermont earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament with its America
East Championship victory and drew No. 1 Connecticut in the first round.
The Catamounts fell to the eventual national champions in Storrs,
Conn.
This is the third Canadian team Pilypaitis has been selected to during
her career at UVM. In the summer of 2007, she was named to the Canadian
U21 National Team the competed in the 2007 U21 FIBA World Championships in
Moscow, Russia. That same summer she also played with the U19 Canadian
National Team at the 2007 U19 FIBA World Championships in Bratislava,
Slovakia and served as a tri-captain of that team.
The Canadians open the 2009 World University Games on Canada Day (July 1)
with a date against Slovakia, followed by contests with Japan and
Australia on July 2 and 3. En route to a gold-medal performance in Bangkok
in 2007, the Aussies spoiled Canada’s medal hopes with a 66-53 win in the
first playoff game after the Canadians had cruised through the preliminary
round with a perfect 3-0 record.
The semifinals are slated for July 9, while the bronze and gold medal
games will be played on July 11.
The seventh-place finish in 2007 continued a recent trend that has seen
Canada steadily improve its final placing over the past three World
University Game appearances from 13th in 2003 and 11th in 2005.
Canada’s best World University Games finishes in women’s basketball
came in 1991 (Sheffield, England) and 1979 (Mexico City), where the team
captured bronze medals.
TEAM CANADA ROSTER
Pos Name University Hometown
G Robyn Buna Simon Fraser Kelowna, B.C.
G Carolann Cloutier Dawson College St-Mathieu-de-Beloeil, Que.
G Kelsey Hodgson Cape Breton Fredericton, N.B.
G Vanessa Kabongo Delaware Toronto, Ont.
G Courtnay Pilypaitis Vermont Ottawa, Ont.
G Chanelle St-Amour Laval Montreal, Que.
F Zara Huntley British Columbia Halifax, N.S.
C Kayla Dykstra Victoria Calgary, Alta.
C Marie-Michelle Genois Laval Quebec City, Que.
C Laurelle Weigl Simon Fraser Stony Plain, Alta.
STAFF
Team leader: Moriah Trowell, Ottawa
Co-head coach: Deb Huband, UBC
Co-head coach: Linda Marquis, Laval
Assistant coach: Fabian McKenzie, Cape Breton
Medical: Nathan King
TEAM CANADA SCHEDULE (all times ET)
July 1 6:30 a.m. Preliminary Group B: Canada vs. Slovakia
July 2 6:30 a.m. Preliminary Group B: Canada vs. Japan
July 3 6:30 a.m. Preliminary Group B: Canada vs. Australia
July 5 TBD 2nd Phase
July 6 TBD 2nd Phase
July 7 TBD 2nd Phase
July 9 TBD Semifinals
July 11 TBD Gold/Bronze medal games
CANADA’S RESULTS IN W BBALL AT SUMMER UNIVERSIADE (last 3
appearances):
2007 (Bangkok, Thailand): 7th / 16 teams
2005 (Izmir, Turkey): 11th / 20
2003 (Daegu, South Korea): 13th / 17
CANADA’S BEST RESULTS IN WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES:
1991 (Sheffield, England): bronze
1979 (Mexico City, Mexico): bronze
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 between the ages of 17 and 28 in the year of the Games who are
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.
About Canadian Interuniversity Sport
Canadian Interuniversity Sport is the national governing body of
university sport in Canada. Fifty-two universities, 10,000
student-athletes and 550 coaches vie for 21 national championships in 12
different sports. The CIS also provides high performance international
opportunities for Canadian student-athletes at Winter and Summer
Universiades, and 32 World University Championships.