Tsawwassen field hockey standout Libbie Pritchard will be continuing her career back east this fall at Guelph University.
Pritchard is part of the Gryphons' 2013 recruiting class and will bolster a line-up that feature nine returnees from last year's CIS bronze medal team.
She has thrived at the club, high school and provincial levels during her promising
career. She captained the U16 provincial team to a silver medal at the 2011 national championships and helped the South Delta Sun Devils place fourth at last year's B.C. "AAA" tournament. The midfield/defender was named SDSS's Sportsperson of the Year in June and Top Academic Student for the third consecutive year.
"Libbie is the complete package. She has speed, fitness, very good dribbling
skills, soft hands for excellent receptions and will not turn the ball over under pressure," said Guelph coach Michelle Turley. "Defensively, she can close, mark and tackle. She will make an immediate impact at Guelph distributing the ball to the attack and shutting down dangerous opponents."
Pritchard is excited to head east and be part of a perennial CIS powerhouse. If all
goes well, she could be lined up against her former SDSS teammate and friend Sara McManus if Guelph and defending champion UBC Thunderbirds happen to meet at the nationals.
"I chose the University of Guelph because I wanted to play hockey with a top ranked CIS team and I liked the positive attitude of the coaching staff and team," said Pritchard.
