UVic Sports Hall of Fame
CATEGORY: Athlete
At the age of 13, when Laurelee Kopek was named to the B.C. Under-19 provincial field hockey team, the well-rounded athlete knew the game was the right fit. The selection jump-started a prolific international career in which she spent 13 years with the Canadian national team and five as a stalwart defender with the UVic Vikes.
Kopeck was a member of the Canadian National team for 13 years (1989-01). During that time she represented Canada at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, and also played in two World Cups (1990, ‘94), two Pan American Games (1991, ‘99) and the 1993 World University Games. She totaled 163 caps, which still stands as the most of any national team player.
When Canada wasn’t calling, Kopeck played five seasons for the Vikes discontinuously. The defender guided the Vikes to a CIAU Championship title as a rookie in 1987, and then again in 1994. In the 1994 national tournament, the Vikes only surrendered one goal in the four-game series and Kopeck was recognized as Tournament IX.
Kopeck was a two-time CIAU all-Canadian, winning honours in 1993 and 1994. In 1994, she was also named UVic Female Athlete of the Year.
The Duncan native also played two years professionally in Germany for the Klipper club team in Hamburg.
UVic Achievements
- Competed for the Vikes for five varsity seasons
- 1987, 1994 CIAU National Champion
- 1987 Canada West All-Star
- 1994 CIAU First Team All-Canadian
- 1995 UVic Outstanding Athlete of the Year
International Achievements
- Spent 13 years representing Canada from 1989-2001
- 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics
- 1990 and 1994 World Cup
- 1991 and 1999 Pan American Games
- 1993 World University Games
- 1993, 1997, 2001 World Cup Qualifier
- 1998 Commonwealth Games, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- 1999 Pan American Games, Winnipeg, Canada
- 2001 Pan American Games, Kingston, Jamaica
- Second-highest capped Canadian women's field hockey player (163 Caps)
