ROYAL ASHBURN GOLF CLUB SET TO HOST THE CANADIAN UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP

ASHBURN, Ont. – Canada's top university and college golfers will convene at The Royal Ashburn Golf Club in Ashburn, Ont., from May 30-June 3 to compete in the ninth playing of the Canadian University/College Championship, conducted by Golf Canada.

In all, 155 male and female golfers from post-secondary institutions across Canada including OCAA student-athletes will vie for both team and individual titles at this year's event. The field will be comprised of 20 men's and 10 women's teams as well as six individual competitors.

The championship gets underway Monday, May 30th with a practice round and opening ceremonies at The Royal Ashburn Golf Club. Following Thursday's third round, the field will be reduced to the top 10 men's and the top five women's teams, as well as any teams and individuals within 15 strokes of the lead.

"The 2011 Canadian University/College Championship boasts a highly competitive field of some of the finest collegiate and university golfers in the country," said Golf Canada Tournament Director Cameron Crawford. "The list of players grows stronger each year and the course at The Royal Ashburn Golf Club will provide a challenge for participants."
 
On the men's side, the Université Laval Rouge et Or return to defend their title, which they won by an impressive 10 strokes over both Humber College and the University of British Columbia (UBC) at a rain-shortened, three-round event at Kingswood Park in Fredericton, N.B. in 2010. The Rouge et Or men's squad boasts two returning players, Mathieu Gingras and Julien Proulx, as well as teammates Charles Côté, Sonny Michaud and Justin Richard. Defending OCAA men's team champion Humber College will be represented by Gregory Belsito, Adrian Cord, Alex Dumais, Mark Hoffman and David Lang.

David Lang, Donald Shaw, Rob Lewis, James Hoffman and Brad Hickey will represent Durham College at the national championship. The green and gold finished in second place in the team competition at the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) championship in 2010.
 
The UBC Thunderbirds hope to continue their unmatched success in the Canadian University/College Championship's women's division, having captured their seventh title in the last eight years with a 25-stroke victory over the University of Victoria in 2010. UBC's Kylie Barros, last year's individual runner-up, recently secured the 2011 NAIA women's golf individual national championship at Link Hills Golf and Country Club in Greenville, Tenn. Also competing for UBC will be Haley Cameron, Janelle Samoluk, Vanessa Leon and Lindsay Manion.
 
Last year's individual women's champion, Anne Balser of the University of Victoria, will be on hand to defend her title. Balser finished last year's tournament with a score 7-over par (223), defeating Barros in a one-hole playoff.

Representing Durham College as individuals are Kayleigh Kraemer and Tiffany Albath. Kraemer and Albath finished first and second respectively at the OCAA Championship and went on to win the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association (CCAA) national title in British Columbia.

Also competing in this year's Canadian University/College Championship is 2010 men's individual runner- up and Team Canada National Squad member, Mitch Evanecz. Representing the University of Victoria, Evanecz finished last year's championship at 4-under par (212), losing in a playoff to Philippe-André Bannon of l'Université de Montreal.

Golf Canada and The Royal Ashburn Golf Club invite spectators and media to attend the 2011 Canadian University/College Championship's Opening Ceremonies scheduled for Monday, May 30th at 4:30 p.m. The championship is open to the public and admission is free for the duration of the championship.

The following teams and individuals will be competing in the 2011 Canadian University/ College Championship, conducted by Golf Canada:

Men's Teams
Durham College: David Lang, Donald Shaw, Rob Lewis, James Hoffman, Brad Hickey
Holland College: Alex Egan, Derek Ferguson, Derek Irwin, Cody Scott, Jeremy Stevenson
Humber College: Gregory Belsito, Adrian Cord, Alex Dumais, Mark Hoffman, David Lang
Grant MacEwan University: Adam Bruce, Tanner Fermaniuk, Tom Lowe, Kevin Piper, Corey Strong
Mount Royal University: Craig Bloom, Kolby Kniel, Taylor Drolet, Nathan Schurr, Jeremy Vold
Queen's University: Russell Bowie, Conor MacDonald, Taylor Henderson, Sean Lackey, Mark Welsh
University of Alberta: Michael McAdam, Connor O'Reilly, Alex Palmer, Sam Rakowski, Michael Stepaniuk
University of British Columbia: Scott Malo, Andrew Robb, David Sheman, Ally Tidcombe, Jack Wesche
University of Calgary: Matt Dodds, Kenny Gregor, Daniel Pow, Steven Scheidt, Tim Webb
University of Guelph: Nick Maracle, Brendan McKee, Eric Pattenaude, Nicholas Powell, Gray West
University of Manitoba: Scott Mazur, Jesse Skelton, Riley Unger, Bobby Wiebe, Josh Wytnick
University of New Brunswick: Calvin Blacquier, Jean Mainville, Colin Manning, Dax Phillips, Chase Stewart
University of the Fraser Valley: Mitch Lock, Aaron Pauls, Drew St. Cyr, Brett Stewart, Jeff Wright
University of Toronto: Nick Clark, Luke Kremer, Tyler Miehe, Richard Persaud, Niilo Schonfeld
University of Victoria: Dylan Cann, Mitchell Evanecz, James Holland, Sam Holland, Darren Hupfer
University of Waterloo: Evan Koritko, Russell MacKay, Jean-Samuel Rancourt, Garrett Rank, Adam Wilson
University of Western Ontario: Charles Fitzsimmons, Cole Fulton, Johnny Hall, Bryan Killeleagh, Traynor Turkiewicz
Université de Montreal: Jean-Philip Cornellier, Jason Demers, Iannick Lamarre, Jeremy La Salle-Pike, Mathieu Perron
Université Laval: Charles Côté, Mathieu Gingras, Sonny Michaud, Julien Proulx, Justin Richard
Wilfrid Laurier University: Stephen Brown, Matt Farronato, Rob McLay, Brett Murray, James Seymour
 
Women's Teams
Mount Royal University: Kaitlyn Benoit, Kari Glencross, Madison Pederson, Lauren Schmidek
Queen's University: Justice M. Durland, Hailey Ingleson, Jennifer Kates, Nina Wan, Casey Ward
University of Alberta: Anisha Chong, Paulina Johnson, Leah Berger, Breann McConkey, Lacey Oestreicher
University of British Columbia: Kylie Barros, Haley Cameron, Vanessa Leon, Lindsay Manion, Janelle Samoluk
University of Calgary: Katie Avram, Ali Cronkwright, Ashley Nantes, Tara Stewart, Savanna Webb
University of Toronto: Beth Evans, Na Eun Park, Rebecca Priest, Laura Upenieks, Megan Zalewski
University of Victoria: Anne Balser, Victoria Kondrak, Megan Woodland, Alyssa Herkel, Kailey Dirksen
University of Waterloo: Devon Rizzo, Jane Tang, Tiffany Terrier, Heather Wogden, Mandy Wong
Université de Montréal: Andréanne Chabot, Myléne Chalifoux, Annick Groulx, Alexandra Levy, Laurence Mignault
Université Laval: Virginie Boulianne, Julie Désilets, Julie Foster-Brossard, Véronique Lorquet, Kathryn Ross-Bell
 
Individuals
Bishop's University: Dane Fitzpatrick
Dalhousie University: Luke Dempsey
Lethbridge College: Brennan Rumancik
Durham College: Tiffany Albath
Durham College: Kayleigh Kraemer
University of Western Ontario: Jessie Mercer

Starting times, post-round results and a full field list for the 2011 Canadian University/ College Championship are available at www.golfcanada.ca/championships

Source: Golf Canada with files from OCAA Communications