Nikkel to play for Team Canada or 2019 Summer Universiade
Alyssa Nikkel will represent Canada and Ontario Tech University ini Napoli, Italy, from July 3 to 14, along with her coach Peyvand Mossavat. (Image courtesy of Ontario Tech)
Ontario Tech’s Alyssa Nikkel has been named to Team Canada’s women’s soccer team for the 2019 FISU (International University Sport Federation) Summer Universiade.
The 30th Summer Universiade will be hosted from July 3 to 14 in Napoli, Italy.
Nikkel becomes the third Ridgeback to play for the Canadian women’s soccer team at the FISU Games, joining Kylie Bordeleau and Katherine Koehler-Grassau.
Overall, Nikkel becomes the fourth female athlete from Ontario Tech to represent Canada at a Universiade, as Kassidy Nauboris was a member of the Canadian women’s hockey team at the Winter Universiade in March.
The Ridgebacks will also be represented on the sidelines as program head coach Peyvand Mossavat was announced as Canada’s head coach in February. This will be the third straight Summer Games that Mossavat will be coaching the Canadian squad at FISU.
“It’s not every day that you have the opportunity to represent your university and country on the international stage, so to have an athlete and coach attend the games is a major accomplishment for them as individuals and for our department as a whole,” said Ontario Tech athletic director Scott Barker. “Peyvand took [Ontario Tech’s team] on seven years ago – starting it from scratch – and to see that he was able to bring in this calibre of players that would go on to represent Canada shows the quality of coaching and athletes we have here in Oshawa.”
Nikkel is joined by nine other athletes from Ontario University Athletics on the Canadian squad.
The opening ceremonies for the Universiade are scheduled for July 3, but the soccer portion of the event begins the day prior. Soccer runs until July 13, at which time the bronze and gold medals will be contested.
Canada will compete in 12 sports, including athletics, basketball (men and women), diving, fencing, gymnastics (artistic and rhythmic), soccer (women only), swimming, table tennis, Taekwondo, rugby sevens (men and women), volleyball (men and women) and water polo (women only).
All teams were selected in partnership with each respective National Sports Organization or are being managed by the U SPORTS national office.
The full delegation totals over 300, including student-athletes, coaches, staff, and medical personnel.
Canada came away with 11 medals at the 2017 Summer Universiade and the women’s soccer team looks to build off of the eighth place finish from that event.
For more information about the games: https://www.universiade2019napoli.it/