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March 10, 2010

Kwantlen Eagles Win National Bronze in Badminton

(METRO VANCOUVER, B.C.) Kwantlen Polytechnic University Eagles women's badminton doubles Ashley Jang (Richmond) and Michelle Simard (New Westminster) took home bronze at the 2010 Canadian Colleges Athletic Association National Badminton Championships, hosted at NAIT, in Alberta. This is the Eagles first national badminton medal.

“One of the secrets to their success is their team chemistry,” stated head coach Dave Cruthers. “They work really well together and are extremely tough mentally. They were one of the best teams out there.”

After a disappointing semi-final match with an experienced Ontario team, the rookie duo of Jang and Simard had to refocus and show that they were up for the challenge in their bronze medal game. Matching up against a team from Mount Royal College (Alberta), Jang and Simard fought their way through straight sets, winning 24-22, 21-16.

“Just thinking that we're third in Canada within the varsity circuit really puts it into perspective for me,” reflected Simard. "It's huge and it's what we aim for when we train, so it's really paid off for me. It definitely means a lot.”
“Winning the national bronze medal makes me feel great inside and gives me an even bigger aspiration to do better next year," said Jang.
This event marked the first national appearance for the four Kwantlen Eagles players who qualified as members of the B.C. wildcard team. In addition to the Eagles women’s doubles team, Kwantlen also had mixed doubles, Leah Rihela (Surrey) and Jensen Ly (Calgary) representing the university.

The competition in mixed doubles proved to be a tight race for medal placings, and saw all teams battling it out for a podium finish. After the first four rounds, the Eagles team of Ly and Rihela accumulated a 1W, 4L record and moved into the 5th/6th final. In their final match, Ly and Rihela took control and defeated the team from Kings College in straight sets, 21-13, 21-14 to finish the championships in 5th place.

Kwantlen’s varsity athletics teams are the Kwantlen Eagles. In basketball, soccer, badminton and golf, they compete in national intercollegiate leagues. For more information about the Kwantlen Eagles, visit kwantlen.ca/eagles or follow the Eagles on Twitter: KwantlenEagles

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Read all Kwantlen news and releases here: kwantlen.ca/news

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For more information about this story, contact:
Elise Le Brun
Director, Athletics & Recreation
Tel: 604.599.2980
athletics@kwantlen.ca

OR

For more information about Kwantlen, contact:
Peter Chevrier
Director, Marketing & Communications
Tel: 604.599.2286
peter.chevrier@kwantlen.ca