OTTAWA (July 6, 2011) - Former Wilfrid Laurier varsity volleyball player Cameron Wheelan of Barrie, Ont., was one of eight student-athletes named Wednesday to represent Canada in Beach Volleyball at the 26th Summer Universiade in August in Shenzhen, China.
Wheelan will join Simon Fecteau-Boutin from UQAM as members of Canada 1 in the men's competition. Francois-Guy Allaire, also from UQAM, and Michael Plantinga from Alberta will suit up for Canada 2 at the event.
Canada 1 will be grouped in Pool C and will compete against Germany 1, the Netherlands and Indonesia.
Wheelan, who played for the Golden Hawks for four years, finished fourth representing Canada at a NORCECA Beach Circuit tournament in Mexico last summer with playing partner Fecteau-Boutin. To reach the bronze medal game, the partners won two of their three round robin matches before defeating entries from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. After falling to a team from Puerto Rico in the semifinals, Wheelan and Fecteau-Boutin lost a tough match to Cuba to finish fourth.
Joining the men in China will be Kristina Valjas from Toronto and Caleigh Whitaker from York as Canada 1, and Becky Billings from Queen's and Kristina Vlcek from York as Canada 2.
Heading the eight-athlete Canadian delegation in Shenzhen will be coach Dolphin Kasper of Vancouver and team leader Lennard Krapp of Thornhill, Ont.
Kasper is a development coach at the National Beach Volleyball Practice Centre and helped Canada to a ninth-place finish at the 2010 youth world championships in Portugal.
Krapp is Volleyball Canada's beach head coach. His extensive experience includes leading the Canadian men to gold and the women to silver at the 2011 NORCECA Olympic qualification tournament (central zone phase), coaching the duo of Garrett May and Sam Schachter to gold at the 2010 U21 world championships, and guiding a Canadian pair to gold and another to bronze at the 2009 Francophone Games. Between 1993 and 2008, he also led numerous national teams from his native Germany to medals at youth and junior world championships.
TEAM CANADA ROSTER
Team Name University Hometown
CAN1 Kristina Valjas Toronto Toronto, Ont.
CAN1 Caleigh Whitaker York Sharon, Ont.
CAN2 Becky Billings Queen's Ottawa, Ont.
CAN2 Kristina Vlcek York Toronto, Ont.
CAN1 Simon Fecteau-Boutin UQAM Montreal, Que.
CAN1 Cameron Wheelan Laurier Barrie, Ont.
CAN2 Franois-Guy Allaire UQAM Notre-Dame-du-Laus, Que.
CAN2 Michael Plantinga Alberta Langley, B.C.
STAFF
Position Name Affiliation Hometown
Coach Dolphin Kasper Volleyball Canada Vancouver, B.C.
Team leader Lennard Krapp Volleyball Canada Thornhill, Ont.
UNIVERSIADE POOLS:
The Universiade men's beach volleyball tournament will run from August 13-18, while the women's tournament will run from August 14-19. The detailed schedules will be announced at a later date.
WOMEN
Pool A: China 1, Israel, Slovakia 2, Brazil 2
Pool B: Germany 1, Russia 2, Thailand 2, Mexico
Pool C: Czech Republic, Ukraine, China 2, CANADA 1
Pool D: Germany 2, Estonia, Thailand 1, USA 2
Pool E: Brazil 1, Norway, Italy, Philippines
Pool F: Slovakia 1, Poland, Japan, CANADA 2
Pool G: France, Russia 1, Hong Kong, Costa Rica
Pool H: USA 1, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland
MEN
Pool A: China 1, Israel, Japan, Costa Rica
Pool B: Germany 1, Czech Republic, Oman, Australia 1
Pool C: Germany 2, Netherlands, Indonesia, CANADA 1
Pool D: Poland, Russia 1, China 2, Australia 2
Pool E: Brazil 1, Spain, Ukraine, Mexico
Pool F: Brazil 2, Italy, Austria, Egypt
Pool G: France, Norway, Hong Kong, USA 2
Pool H: USA 1, Russia 2, Thailand, CANADA 2
