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Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference "To be Canada's premiere collegiate athletic conference by developing and inspiring leadership through excellence in academics, sport and citizenship"
Posted: Feb 20, 2020

ACAC Women's Badminton Championship Preview Feature on Eagles Cecilia Wolski

ACAC Women's Badminton Championship Preview Feature on Eagles Cecilia Wolski

Cecilia Wolski started her Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) career as a student/athlete in 2016-2017 with the Concordia University of Edmonton Thunder.

Teamed with the talented Rachael Smillie, an ACAC Badminton women's gold medal would come her way with a win over NAIT Ooks Caitlyn New & Kaitlyn Wilbee.

The pair would advance to the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association Badminton Championships in Toronto and host by Seneca College.
Wolski and Smillie would capture the bronze medal over some familiar opponents. You got it, New and Wilbee from NAIT.

Wolski would take a two-year hiatus from the post-secondary sport, not academia, with continued studies at Concordia and MacEwan University.

"I took two years off just to study, and I needed to focus on school," said Wolski. "It was the first time in my life that I had taken a break from badminton."

Wolski picked up the sport at a young age," I was in Grade 6 or 7, and a coach from a local (badminton) club approached my mom and me when we went with my dad to play table tennis. I tried it out for it and fell in love with badminton from there."

This year finds her wearing the badminton uniform of The Kings University Eagles, also members of the ACAC.

"I was ready to get back into (badminton), and I knew Naeem Haque (Eagles badminton head coach). I was missing the competitive aspect of the game."

Enrolled in Sociology, her future goal is to be a registered nurse.
Wolski, 21, has mainly focused her talents on women's doubles with teammate Krisha Angela Mejica.

"I did not know her at all before," said Wolski, a native of Edmonton, of Mejica, who hails from Grande Prairie. "But we are in a lot of the same classes, so I would say we are pretty good friends now."

Asked if off-court friendship carries over to the hardwood?

"I think it helps a lot to have that bond, especially for communication throughout the game. We know that we can help each other, and we are speaking honestly with no hostility."

Wolski and Eagles teammates will join the Concordia University of Edmonton Thunder, NAIT Ooks and Olds Broncos February 22-23, 2020, at Edmonton's NAIT Gym for the 2019-2020 Badminton Championships.

Returning ACAC Gold medal winners include men's singles, Narayan Ramdhani (TKU) women's singles, Eyota Kwan (NAIT) along with women's singles champion from 2016-2017 and 2017-2018, Takeisha Wang (CUE).

Not returning are women's doubles Bea Bernardo and Ryo Kuramoch (NAIT), men's doubles Jeffrey Ko and Ronuelle Mendina (NAIT) and mixed doubles Desmond Wang and Takeisha Wang (CUE).
Brother and sister, the Wang's were CCAA Badminton Male & Female Players of the Year last year.