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Roman, Parke set to be inducted into Cascades Hall of Fame

Olympic medal winning rower, legendary basketball star will be honoured on Feb. 18
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Lisa Roman (left) and Sue Parke will be inducted into the Cascades Hall of Fame on Feb. 18. (UFV Cascades photo)

Lisa Roman and Sue Parke have been announced as the 2022 Cascades Hall of Fame inductees.

Roman, an Olympic champion rower, and Parke, an All-Canadian women’s basketball player, will be enshrined in the athlete category.

Their induction becomes official on Feb. 18, as the Cascades host Hall of Fame night in conjunction with basketball home games vs. the Victoria Vikes (men 6 p.m., women 8 p.m.). Roman and Parke will be recognized at halftime of the women’s basketball game.

“We’re thrilled to restart our Cascades Hall of Fame inductions after a one-year hiatus, and honouring two of our most decorated alums in Lisa and Sue is a fitting way to resume the celebration of our history,” said Steve Tuckwood, UFV director of athletics and campus recreation.

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Roman’s journey to the Olympic podium began in unlikely fashion. The Langley product had never set foot in a racing boat prior to arriving on UFV’s campus in 2007, yet with a high-performance athletic background highlighted by 14 years of competitive figure skating, she proved to be a quick study in the sport of rowing.

Roman quickly became the Cascades’ top female rower within a year, and during her second season, she tried out for and made Team B.C. for the Canada Summer Games and won three medals. She would eventually transfer to Washington State University where she fashioned a highly decorated career, highlighted by second team All-America honours as a senior. She also earned the right to represent Canada at the U23 level, helping Canada’s women’s eight win the gold medal and set a world age-class record at the U23 World Rowing Championships.

Roman was invited to join Rowing Canada’s national training centre in 2012, and she went on to be part of five medal-winning boats at the senior World Championships (silver in 2014, 2017 and 2018, bronze in 2013 and 2015).

Roman became the first former Cascades varsity athlete to represent Canada at the Olympics, finishing fifth with the women’s eight at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro. She made her second Olympic appearance at the 2020 Tokyo Games (postponed to 2021 due to COVID-19) and made the most of it, joining forces with Kasia Gruchalla-Wesierski, Christine Roper, Andrea Proske, Susanne Grainger, Madison Mailey, Sydney Payne, Avalon Wasteneys and coxswain Kristen Kit to win the gold medal, 0.91 seconds ahead of New Zealand with China coming in third.

Parke was the most prolific scorer on some dominant UFV squads. The Campbell River product helped the women’s basketball program win back-to-back BCCAA conference titles and back-to-back CCAA national silver medals in 1994 and 1995, leading the team in scoring both years, averaging 13.8 and 14.0 points per game, respectively.

Parke earned numerous individual accolades during this stretch, including BCCAA player of the year, BCCAA first team all-star, and CCAA All-Canadian in both 1994 and 1995. She was also Basketball BC’s college player of the year both seasons.

Over her years on campus, Parke helped the Cascades to a 61-8 record (regular season, conference playoffs and nationals combined), and left her mark on the UFV women’s basketball record book, ranking among the BCCAA-era leaders for scoring average (12.3 points per game, fifth) and playoff points scored (141, second).

For more on the Cascades Hall of Fame, including previous inductees, criteria, and nomination forms, visit GoCascades.ca/HOF.



Ben Lypka

About the Author: Ben Lypka

I joined the Abbotsford News in 2015.
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