CALIFORNIA (Aug. 6) – In the coming days and virtually across the world, former Vulcan shortstop Megan Timpf will be competing for her native Team Canada in the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. Timpf and the Canadian softball team open Olympic play against Chinese Taipei in the Beijing Fengtai Sports Complex.

Timpf joins former Vulcan standouts Rick Krivda (baseball) and Meggan Wilton (softball) as the only California University of Pennsylvania athletes in school history to play in the historic event. Wilton also played for Canada in the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics, while Kriva won a Gold Medal with Team U.S.A. in Sydney during the 2000 Olympics.

“I'm really excited to be able to represent Canada at the Olympics,” said Timpf in an interview with her hometown newspaper, Port Dover Maple Leaf. “This is the 'job' of my dreams and I'm enjoying living the life.”

Timpf, a native of Port Dover, Ontario, started at shortstop for Cal in 2006 for head coach Rick Bertagnolli, who is overseas in Beijing to watch Timpf and the Canadian team. In her first year with the program, she garnered first-team Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC)-West honors after ranking among the team leaders with a .331 batting average (42-for-127), five home runs, 22 RBI, 26 runs scored and 97 assists.

Last year, she earned a silver medal at the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil after Team Canada dropped a 7-0 contest to Team U.S.A. In addition to the medal at the Pan Am Games, Timpf, who plays both second base and shortstop, earned a gold and bronze medal at the Canadian Championships in 2000 and 2004, respectively.

The Olympics feature an eight-team, round-robin softball tournament with teams from across the globe. The tournament culminates with the Gold Medal game on Thursday, Aug. 21 and the Medal Ceremony taking place shortly after the game.