A pair of Abbotsford water polo players are set to represent the country on the international stage starting on Sept. 3.
Locals Brianna Utas and Emily Aikema were both named to Team Canada at the Women’s U20 World Championships event in Greece, which runs from Sept. 3 to 9.
The event features the 16 top countries in the world separated into four groups of four during group play. Canada is matched up against Italy, Serbia and Slovakia. The top teams in each group receive a bye to the quarter-final round, while the second and third place teams battle it out for their playoff lives.
Utas, a Yale Secondary student, represented Canada at the 18U World Championships back in December, and has a storied career at the local and provincial level.
Aikema also represented Canada at the 18U World Championships and is set to join the NCAA’s University of California, Davis Aggies water polo team in the fall. Like Utas, she has dominated on the local and provincial scene.
At the last Women’s U20 World Championships, Canada finished fourth after losing to Russia in the bronze medal game.