Simon Fraser University Athletics

   

	Candace Murray, shortstop  1996 Olympic Games As a freshman in 1991, Candace became the starting shortstop for SFU and she was selected as a NAIA District 1 All-Star. In her senior year at SFU she was named NAIA District 1 Player of the Year and NAIA All-American Second Team. As a senior she was selected to play on Team Canada and she would represent Canada at the Pan American Games and at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympic Games.
	Lesley McPherson, catcher 2000 Olympic Games Lesley transferred to SFU from Douglas College and she had an immediate impact, becoming one of the team's leaders and starting catcher. Lesley, who grew up in Maple Ridge, was named to Canada's Junior National Team while a student at SFU in 1992. She earned NAIA All-District honours her final three seasons in university and she was team captain as a junior and senior. As a senior, she led SFU to its first appearance at the NAIA Championships in 1995. Lesley went on to compete for Canada at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.
	Vicky LeBlanc, pitcher 2000 Olympic Games Vicky LeBlanc, a native of Ste-Anne-de-Kent, was known as one of the best pitchers of her era.  She was a member of the Canadian national team for two world tournaments, three Canada Cups, the Pan-American Games and the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. Vicky won many personal honours but perhaps is best remembered for pitching a no-hitter in the 1998 World Championships. Vicky played the 1992 and 1993 seasons at SFU, posting 16 wins and 7 losses with 122 strikeouts.
	Hayley Wickenheiser, outfield 2000 Olympic Games Hayley Wickenheiser is a well-known female hockey player who spent more than two decades playing for the Canadian national women’s hockey team but she was also an accomplished softball player.  In 2000, Hayley attended and competed for Simon Fraser University, and helped lead the team to a 38 and 13 record, and 3rd-place finish at the NAIA Championships. Later that summer she competed in the Summer Olympic games in Sydney, Australia, where she led Canada with the team's highest batting average.
	Auburn Sigurdson, pitcher       2004 Olympic Games Auburn Sigurdson, from White Rock, was a part of the Canadian Softball team that finished 5th at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.  Sigurdson was one of five former SFU players on the 2004 Olympic team. Auburn went to the Olympics a year after winning the NAIA Championship with her sister, Jesse. Auburn was a two-time NAIA All-American and NAIA Region I Player of the Year as a senior. She is fourth all-time on the SFU win list with 50 wins and just 12 losses.
	Sasha Olson, outfielder       2004 Olympic Games Sasha Olson began her softball career at SFU as a walk-on and through hard work and determination she made a name for herself as an outfielder, and member of Canada's women's national softball team for 4 years. Olson began playing softball at age 17 when she decided to try for the new softball progam at SFU. She finished as one of the program's most active hitters, with 131 hits. Sasha was a part of the Canadian Softball team that finished 5th at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.
	Angela Lichty, shortstop      2004 Olympic Games Angela Lichty (1999-2002) had an immediate impact her first season at SFU, batting .390, setting many freshman records and helping the team to a 45-7 record and SFU's first NAIA national title. It was the beginning of a remarkable career. Playing third base and later shortstop, Angela became a two-time All-American (2000, 2001) and the program's career leader in: at bats (537), hits (202) and doubles (46). She posted a career batting average of .376 with a .445 on-base percentage and .512 slugging percentage. A native of Guelph, Ont., Angela went on to play with the Canadian National team that finished ninth at the 2002 World Championships and fifth at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.
	Erin Cumpstone, catcher      2004 & 2008 Olympic Games Erin Cumpstone, who grew up in Saskatchewan, played at SFU from 1999 to 2003. Erin and her Olympic teammate, Rachel Schill, helped lead SFU to its second NAIA Championship in 2003. She was an NAIA All-American that season. After playing her final game for SFU in 2003, Erin returned to the university to complete her degree in Arts and help coach the team. Erin would go on to compete for Canada in two Olympics, in the 2004 Athens Olympics and the 2008 Beijing Games.
	Rachel Schill, outfield     2004 Olympic Games Rachel Schill was an outfielder who helped lead SFU to its second NAIA Championship in 2002. That same season she made Canada’s national team.  Rachel’s biggest challenge when she made the national team in 2004 was balancing school and softball with the national team training and competition demands. Rachel is SFU all-time leader in triples hit with 12.
	Erin McLean, third base     2004 Olympic Games Erin McLean attended SFU from 2003 to 2007 and was a member of SFU's NAIA Championship team in 2005. At SFU, she rose to become the team captain and won the Bill Devries Award for combined excellence as both a student and an athlete. Erin was twice named the team's most inspirational player. In 2007, SFU was 24-5 and Erin led NAIA in batting average (.558). She played five seasons on the Canadian National Team and she competed in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing China where Canada finished fourth.
	Melanie Matthews, outfield     2004 Olympic Games Melanie Matthews spent nearly a decade with the Canadian national program, beginning in 2003 as a key member of the junior women’s team, before moving on to the senior national squad in 2006. Melanie has been called one of the Canadian Women’s National Team’s best hitters of all-time. In total, she represented Canada at three world championships, two Pan American Games and the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, where Canada finished fourth. She was a two-time All-American at SFU and played on the 2005 NAIA Championship team. Melanie was entering her junior season when she competed in the Olympics.
	Mike Renney, coach   1996, 2000 & 2004 Olympic Games Mike Renney was head coach of the SFU Softball program for 24 years, from 1994 to 2018, compiling a lifetime 640-368 win-loss record and .634 winning percentage. He produced 11 Olympians. Renney led SFU to four NAIA Championships in 1999, 2003, 2005 & 2010. The team made 14 NAIA national championship tournament appearances, all of which resulted in top 10 finishes. Mike was a member of the Canadian National Team coaching staff for the better part of three Olympic quadrennials (1994-2004), first as an assistant coach, and then head coach from 2001-2004.
	Laurie Freebairn, Physiotherapist 2004, 2008 Olympic Games Laurie Freebairn was the Head Physiotherapist at SFU who began working with Softball Canada in 2002. Laurie was the head physiotherapist for Canada's senior women's team and attended two Olympics in 2004 and 2008.