CCAA National Badminton Convenor, Alf McGuire presents Kwantlen Eagles' head coach
Dave Cruthers and mixed doubles teammates Ashley Jang and Jensen Ly with gold

For immediate release

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Kwantlen Eagles Win National Gold

Surrey, B.C. – (March 9, 2011) – Kwantlen Eagles prevail at the Canadian College Athletic Association (CCAA) National Badminton Championships last Saturday, March 5 in Sackville, New Brunswick. The Eagles pair of Jensen Ly (Calgary, AB) and Ashley Jang (Richmond, BC) played the ultimate game as a team to capture the gold medal in the mixed doubles competition.

After a tough loss to the Ontario team early in the tournament (18-21, 21-16, 16-21), the Eagles duo won the next five straight matches to advance to the gold medal game against the number-one ranked ACAC team from NAIT, Sinead Cheah and Joey Vandervet. Ly and Jang won the match in straight sets, 21-17, 21-12.

"It feels good," said Ly. "I had a disappointing year last year at Nationals in mixed doubles [finishing off the podium]. Coming in to the final we reminded ourselves that we could play on par with them [Cheah & Vandervet] and we ended up coming out on top."

Jang returned to the National Championship as the 2010 Bronze Medalist in women's doubles. The 2011 Championships brought a new challenge of a knee injury suffered at the BCCAA Provincial Championships two weeks prior. In the two weeks leading up to the National Championships, Jang was able to practice only a few times before departing to New Brunswick. As a result, the need to dig deep and rely on teamwork was paramount.

"Jensen really supported me when my knee started to hurt in the game," reflected Jang. "He gave me the confidence I needed. Jensen and I just wanted to play our best. We stayed up late talking about our strategy because we wanted to get the banner for Kwantlen."

"I am extremely proud of Jensen and Ashley for their perseverance and demonstration of teamwork", said Elise Le Brun, director of athletics and recreation. "They have great chemistry on the court, and their success at nationals is a celebration of their hard work and the support provided by their Kwantlen coaches and teammates. It's a fantastic finish to their season, and winning our first CCAA national banner is a tremendous accomplishment for our University."

Kwantlen Polytechnic University has been serving the Metro Vancouver region for 30 years, and has opened doors to success for more than 200,000 people. Four campuses—Richmond, Surrey, Cloverdale and Langley—offer a comprehensive range of sought-after programs including business, liberal arts and science, design, health, trades and technology, apprenticeships, horticulture, and academic and career advancement. Over 17,000 students annually have a choice from over 135 programs including bachelor's degrees, associate degrees, diplomas, certificates and citations.

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For more information about Kwantlen, contact:

Joanne Saunders
Director, Marketing and Communications
Tel: 604.599.2243
joanne.saunders@kwantlen.ca