Aug. 25, 2011
University Games
LOS ANGELES, Calif. - The 26th Universiade, or the 2011 World University Games, concluded on Aug. 24 and with it athletes from LMU took home three Silver Medals. All told seven LMU Lions participated in the 26th University Games in Shenzhen, China.
The Universiade is an International multi-sport event, organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation (FISU).
Women's water polo incoming senior Kimberly Benedetti was the lone current student-athlete to play in the games, winning a Silver Medal for the U.S. Women's Water Polo Team.
In the women's beach volleyball competition, former LMU teammates Heather Hughes (2004-07) and Emily Day (2005-08) joined forces to capture a silver medal in Shenzhen, China. The silver is the first beach volleyball medal ever for the United States at the World University Games.
Also participating in the games were Andy Stevens (2008-11) for the U.S. Men's Water Polo Team and Diana Romero (2008-11), Daisy Carrillo (2009-11) and Mary Ann Campos (2008-11) for the Mexican Women's Water Polo Team.
Day and Hughes made it to the gold medal match, where they fell to Germany's Karla Borger and Britta Buethe, 21-19, 21-14. It was the second time that the pair had faced the German team, defeating Borger and Buethe in the third round, 21-14, 17-21, 17-15. Day and Hughes advanced to the s final by defeating China's Jin Jieqiong and Miao Chenchen in the semifinals, 18-21, 21-19, 15-10.
No stranger to working together on the beach, the duo made history in 2007 when they became the lowest-seeded team to advance from the qualifier to an AVP event. The two also reunited in the sand on May 2 to win the 2010 College Beach Volleyball Championship at West Beach in Santa Barbara, Calif.
Paired in Group B, former teammates Benedetti, Romero, Campos and Carrillo faced one another in match 7, with the United States defeating Mexico, 12-8. The U.S. would go on to the gold medal match, defeating Italy in the semifinals, 9-8 to advance. In the game, Benedetti scored an important goal and added an assist in 16 minutes of play.
They would face host China in the final, who would go on to win the Gold Medal 14-4. Benedetti finished with a steal in 15 minutes. Benedetti would finish with five goals at the University games, including a pair in the 11-8 quarterfinal win over Great Britain.
Mexico would go on to finish eighth as Carrillo had a monster tournament as team captain. She would finish with 10 goals, 14 assists and seven steals in eight games.
On the men's side, Stevens traded off playing time in goal for the United States, helping the team to the Bronze Medal match. The U.S. would fall to the former Yugoslov Republic of Macedonia, 10-7.
The games were the largest ever, involving a record 10,603 participants, with 7,132 athletes from 151 countries and regions. It also provided the most events, at 24, producing 949 medals.
The first official World Student Games were organized in 1924 and were held under the auspices of the Fédération Internationale du Sport Universitaire (FISU) from 1949. An alternative event was organized by the Union Internationale des Étudiants (UIE) from 1947-1962, including one unofficial Games in 1954.
The 2013 and 2015 editions of the Summer Universiade will be held in Kazan (Russia) and Gwangju (Korea). The 2011 edition of the Winter Universiade will be held in Erzurum, Turkey, whereas the 2013 and 2015 events will go to Maribor (Slovenia) and Granada (Spain) respectively.
- GO LIONS -
