2010 CCAA Mixed Badminton Champions
Kwantlen Eagles Win National Gold!
Photo: (From Left to Right) Alf McGuire, Dave Cruthers, Ashley Jang, and Jensen Ly
(Sackville, NB)— Teamwork prevailed at the Canadian College Athletic Association (CCAA) National Badminton Championships on Saturday, March 5 in Sackville, New Brunswick. 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.
Photo: (Left to right) Dave Cruthers, Jensen Ly, Alf McGuire
“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] no problem and we ended up coming out on top.”
Photo: (From left to Right) Ashley Jang and Alf McGuire
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 only able to practice a few times before departing to New Brunswick. Without Jang in full capacity, the need to dig deep and rely on their teamwork was paramount.
“Jensen really supported me when my knee started to hurt in the game,” reflected Jang. “He gave me the confidence that I could do it. Jensen and I just wanted to play 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.”
To view the final results from the 2011 CCAA National Badminton Championships, visit: www.ccaabadminton2011.ca
