Marauders take on the world

Some of McMaster’s elite student-athletes will venture abroad this summer to represent their countries on a number of national teams.

Some will make their national debut, while others will return to familiar stomping grounds.

McMaster’s director of Athletics and Recreation Jeff Giles says the experience of competing overseas is a terrific tribute to the athletic program as a whole.

“We are very proud of all the Marauders that are representing Canada on the international stage this summer,” said Giles. “They are ambassadors for McMaster and showcase the outstanding character and ability of all the student-athletes that compete in Maroon.”

We highlight 11 Marauders who will compete around the globe this summer below:

Mark Reilly – Soccer

Four decorated years with the Marauders were enough to win Mark Reilly attention at the national level. The forward’s scoring prowess led the coaches of Canada’s men’s soccer entry at the 2013 Summer Universiade to tap Reilly as one of three strikers to accompany the team to the tournament in Kazan, Russia. The event began on July 6, and Canada held a 1-0-1 record entering play on July 10 after an opening draw against France and a 2-0 win over Peru.

Cindy Nelles – Rugby

Cindy Nelles hopes the second time is indeed the charm for herself and Team Canada. The Marauder sophomore returns to the Under-20 National Women’s Rugby Team this summer after touring with the team in 2011 at the age of 17. Nelles and Team Canada return to the U20 Nations Cup in London, where the team finished third in 2011. This year’s event plays out between July 8 and 21.

Sophie Bukovec – Beach Volleyball

Perhaps one of the most travelled McMaster athletes is one of the newest. Women’s volleyball recruit Sophie Bukovec has been all over the world as a beach player and has represented Canada at numerous international events, with stops in Cypress, Greece and Thailand. The summer of 2013 has already seen the Etobicoke native play in the Under-21 World Championship that was held June 19-23 in Umag, Croatia. Bukovec and her partner advanced out of pool play before losing to a German pair in the qualification round. Bukovec also represented Canada at the Under-19 World Championship in Porto, Protugal, July 10-14.

Jason Buckle – Wrestling

After a sensational season, Marauder wrestling phenom Jason Buckle was selected for Canada’s Under-24 men’s national team and was set to head to Glascow, Scotland to compete in a senior competition for Commonwealth nations scheduled for the end of July. However, the Hamilton-born Buckle was recently informed that the host city had withdrawn and an alternate host for the event was being sought, leaving him in a holding pattern.

Nicole Roach – Wrestling

Another Marauder wrestler, Nicole Roach, was named in March to the Canadian Jr. National team and has been training for the Pan American Wrestling championships being held July 12-15 in Santiago, Chilé.

Having just completed her first year at McMaster, Roach has been representing Canada in age-group competitions since grade 10.

Just 18, Roach will be among the youngest competitors heading to Chilé, as the event will include wrestlers born in 1993 or later.

Brittany Hicks – Fastpitch

Compared to many of the Marauders who are making their first forays into international competition this summer, Brittany Hicks counts as a veteran of Team Canada. The fourth-year McMaster star was plucked away from her conference season in 2011 to compete at the Pan Am Games in Mexico, and has continued her involvement with the Senior Women’s National Softball team ever since.

The summer of 2013 brings with it two more events for Hicks and her Canadian teammates, as they travel to Oklahoma City, OK to compete in the World Cup of Softball from July 11-14, before moving to San Juan, Puerto Rico for the Women’s Pan American Championship from August 8 to 17.

Nicola Colterjohn – Water Polo

Representing Canada is nothing new for Nicola Colterjohn. But this summer, the Marauder water polo standout finds herself wearing Red and White at the highest possible level. Colterjohn has long been a member of Canada’s national youth setup and a competitor in the elite Canadian Select League (CSL), but was selected for the first time as a member of the Senior National Team this year.

Her inclusion means that the third-year McMaster goalkeeper will suit up at the 2013 FINA World Championships, being held in Barcelona, Spain between July 19 and August 4. She will serve as the alternate heading into the prestigious event, but Colterjohn is hopeful that her playing time – and her role – will grow with time.

Danny Demyanenko, Stephen Maar and Jayson McCarthy – Volleyball

It should come as no surprise that McMaster’s men’s volleyball team will be very well represented on Team Canada this summer. When Volleyball Canada tabbed CIS Coach of the Year Dave Preston to run the national under-21 program for a second-consecutive year, it appeared to be only the tip of the iceberg for McMaster.

That suspicion was confirmed in May, when three rookie members of the Marauders were included in Team Canada’s final roster. CIS Rookie of the Year Danny Demyanenko and OUA All-Rookie selections Stephen Maar and Jayson McCarthy were each chosen to contribute as Canada looks toward the FIVB World Junior Championship, being held from August 22 to September 1 in the cities of Ankara and Izmir, Turkey.

The McMaster trio will help Canada build upon its success of a year ago, when the Canadians reached the final of the U21 Continental Championship before losing a close, four-set decision to the United States.

Madeleine McDonald – Track

A first-year revelation on both the trails and the track, McMaster’s Madeleine McDonald has already competed on her sport’s biggest stage this year. She, along with Marauder graduate Lindsay Carson, ran at the IFAF World Cross Country Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland and finished 47th overall and second among Canadians in the junior race.

This summer, McDonald shifts her focus to the track and the 3000m distance, which she has been training at since returning from Poland. The goal is inclusion in the Canadian delegation to the Pan American Junior Athletics Championships in Medellin, Colombia, which runs between August 23-25. First, she’ll have to earn her way there by placing well enough at the Canadian Junior Track and Field Championships in Sainte-Thérèse, Quebec, being run between July 12 and 14.

McDonald admitted to being a bit overwhelmed in her first international outing in Poland, but will be better equipped to handle the occasion should she make the cut in Colombia.