Ten past and present University of Victoria athletes will represent Canada across multiple sports at the Pan American Games.
The Santiago, Chile-based event will feature Vikes in the rowing, rugby and field hockey events.
Among those rowers is the duo of Connor Attridge and Quinn Storey, two Vikes who have been training in recent months for both the Pan Am Games and the upcoming Canadian University Rowing Championship. They’ll be joined by UVic women’s rowing alumni Abby Speirs in the mixed eight event.
“This is the first (multisport) major event for both Quinn and I, so we’re pretty excited,” Attridge said in a news release.
After seeing Canadian swimmer Maggie Mac Neil, who captured gold and two other medals at the Tokyo Olympics, at the airport, Attridge said it’s cool being around such high-level athletes.
“It’s amazing to be a part of an international event like this,” he said.
A spot in the 2024 Paris Olympics will be on the line at the South American games for women’s field hockey alumna Kathleen Leahy, Alexis DeArmond and Anna Mollenhauer. Mollenhauer was a three-time U SPORTS player of the year before she graduated last spring.
Topping the podium in Santiago will punch the field hockey team’s ticket to Paris, while silver or bronze will earn them a spot in a last-chance qualifying tournament.
On the Rugby pitch, Carissa Norsten will make her Canadian women’s sevens debut at the Pan Am Games. Norsten, last year’s U SPORTS rookie of the year, will be joined by former Vike Shayla Valenzuela, while alumni Lockie Kratz and Ethan Hager will compete on the men’s side.
It will be Hager’s second tournament with the Canadian men’s sevens team after he had an impressive debut in August with five tries at the Rugby Americas North (RAN) Sevens competition in Langford. That event saw Canada’s women’s sevens team earn their Paris 2024 spot with a gold medal performance, while the men’s team placed second.
The Pan American Games begin on Oct. 20 and run until Nov. 5.
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