Sippel and Lawrick Lead Canada to Olympic Berth

A Nebraska connection helped the Canadian National Softball Team qualify for the 2008 Olympic Games by virtue of a fifth-place finish at the 2006 World Championship in Bejing, China. Team Canada was guided by Head Coach Lori Sippel, the associate head coach at NU, and Canada's No. 3 hitter was former Husker Sheena Lawrick.

The Canadians clinched the fifth-place finish and a berth in the 2008 Olympics by defeating Italy, 3-0, early Tuesday.

Canada finished third in Pool A with a 5-2 record, losing only to the USA and host China. The Canadians then eliminated Chinese Taipei before falling to Australia in a contest that would have put Team Canada within one victory of its goal of earning a top-three finish. Overall, Canada finished with a 7-3 record at the championship. The Canadians' finish was bolstered by stellar pitching, Sippel's area of expertise.

A two-time All-American at Nebraska, as well as a two-time Olympian and recent inductee into the International Softball Hall of Fame, Sippel is widely regarded as one of the top pitching coaches in the world. Under her tutelage, Team Canada's staff tossed five shutouts in 10 games at the World Championship.

Offensively, Lawrick batted in the No. 3 spot in the lineup for Canada and enjoyed an outstanding tournament. Lawrick, who earned her degree from Nebraska in May 2006 after starring for the Huskers from 2003 to 2005, started nine of Team Canada's 10 games, missing only a 12-0 rout of South Africa. In those nine starts, Lawrick hit .320 (8-for-25) with a pair of doubles, a home run, four runs scored and six RBIs. Lawrick also drew five walks in nine games to post a .520 on-base percentage.

The berth in the 2008 Olympics capped an outstanding summer for Coach Sippel, Lawrick and the rest of the Canadian team. In her second summer as head coach, Sippel guided Team Canada to great success as she continues to turn the Canadians into one of the top teams in the world and a legitimate medal contender at the 2008 Olympics.

In addition to the fifth-place finish at the World Championship, Sippel also guided the Canadian National Team to a runner-up finish at the Canada Cup and a third-place finish at the II World Cup of Softball in Oklahoma City, Okla., where Team Canada defeated traditional power Australia in back-to-back games.

Sippel and Lawrick were not the only former Huskers in action at the World Championship. Stephanie Skegas, who pitched for Nebraska from 1989 to 1991, was a member of the Greece squad that advanced out of Pool B and finished with a 3-5 record. Skegas pitched a total of 8.1 innings and did not an allow an earned run while posting a 1-0 record.

Canada's Results (7-3, Fifth Place)
Game 1 - Canda 9, New Zealand 0 (5 innings)
Game 2 - Canada 5, Great Britain 1
Game 3 - USA 4, Canada 0
Game 4 - Canada 2, DPR Korea 0
Game 5 - Canada 1, Italy 0
Game 6 - Canada 12, South Africa 0 (5 innings)
Game 7 - China 1, Canada 0
Game 8 - Canada 3, Chinese Taipei 2
Game 9 - Australia 7, Canada 2
Game 10 - Canada 3, Italy 0 (fifth-place game)

Lawrick's Game-By-Game
vs. New Zealand: 2-for-3, 2B, BB, 3 R, 3 RBI
vs. Great Britain: 1-for-3, Solo HR, R, RBI
vs. USA: 0-for-3
vs. Korea: 2-for-3, 2B, RBI
vs. Italy: 1-for-1, 2 BB
vs. China: 0-for-3
vs. Chinese Taipei: 1-for-3, RBI
vs. Australia: 0-for-3, BB
vs. Italy: 1-for-3, BB, SB