Wake Forest Athletics
Alex Sharp to Compete in World University Games
6/1/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
By Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeWBB)
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Rising sophomore Alex Sharp will represent her native country of Australia at the World University Games, held August 19-30, in Chinese Taipei.
The World University Games, also known as the Universiade, is an international sporting and cultural event staged every two years in a different city. The summer edition of the Universiade features 14 compulsory sports and up to three optional sports chosen by the host country. More than 9,000 student-athletes from 170 countries will attend this year's games.
The Australian Emerging Opals will consist of 12 players, all of whom are 23 years old or younger. Six of the Australian players are currently on Division I basketball rosters while the other six players are completing their education and continuing their basketball careers in Australia.
Of the six international products currently playing collegiately in the United States, Sharp is joined by Carly Turner and Megan McKay (Saint Mary's), Vanessa Panousis (Virginia Tech), Alanna Smith (Stanford) and Kristy Wallace (Baylor).
The Emerging Opals have won the World University Games once (2007) and were the bronze medalists four times (2005, 2009, 2011, 2013). In the most recent World University Games in 2015, the Australian squad finished fifth. Competing in Group D, the Emerging Opals will face Russia, Lithuania and Argentina in the pool stage.
In her rookie campaign at Wake Forest, Sharp garnered Freshman All-ACC honors after averaging 7.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. Sharp finished ninth in the league, and first among all ACC freshmen, with her 7.6 rebounds per game while her 38.3 percent shooting from beyond the arc led all qualified freshmen. Appearing in all 32 games and starting 25 contests, Sharp ranked third in the league with 39.9 minutes played per conference game.
