Canada’s women’s wheelchair basketball team announced

Three new players were named to team for the first time, including Erica Gavel, Melanie Hawtin and Darda Sales.

Wheelchair Basketball Canada has announced the list of 12 athletes selected to the 2014 Canadian women’s national

wheelchair basketball team that is gearing up to compete on home soil for a seventh consecutive podium finish when Canada hosts the 2014 World Championships from 20-28 June.

The tournament, held Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto, will be the largest women’s World Championship in history, featuring the top 12 teams in the world.

“We are very excited with the group of athletes that will be representing Canada at the World Championships this summer at home in Canada,” said head coach Bill Johnson.

“The selection process was made challenging by the outstanding group of athletes in attendance. We have a great bunch of young athletes, in addition to a returning core of talented veterans. I feel this team will represent Canada well this year, and will be an exciting group as we work toward the 2016 Rio Paralympics gold medal.

The 2014 Team Canada roster features nine returning players and eights athletes with Paralympic experience including Tracey Ferguson, who is Canada’s most decorated player having competed in six Paralympic Games and four World Championships

Five players – Elaine Allard, Katie Harnock, Janet McLachlan, Cindy Ouellet and Ferguson – were part of the Canadian team that won bronze at the last World Championships in 2010.

Three new players were named to team for the first time, including Erica Gavel, Melanie Hawtin and Darda Sales.

The selections for team came following an annual, week-long selection camp at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas that included 21 of the top players in the country.

Team Canada includes:

Amanda Yan

Cindy Ouellet

Darda Sales

Elaine Allard

Erica Gavel

Katie Harnock

Jamey Jewells

Janet McLachlan

Maude Jacques

Melanie Hawtin

Tamara Steeves

Tracey Ferguson

Head Coach: Bill Johnson

Assistant Coach: Michael Broughton