U of A medical student earns bronze at Canadian University Squash Championship

Most days, Lucia Bicknell looks like every other first-year medical student on campus.

She goes to class, studies, and worries about exams. Then, a few times a week, she steps on a squash court and plays at an elite level.

Earlier this month, Bicknell won a bronze medal in the Women’s Open division at the Canadian University and College Squash Championship in Montreal. The tournament brought together individual players from universities across the country. Many had long junior careers, some had trained abroad, and the level at the top was high.

Bicknell competed in the top women’s division, and finished on the podium.

She did it without a varsity team, without regular attention, and while adjusting to the workload of medical school.

The Montreal tournament ran over several days and felt closer to a national championship than a typical university event. Matches were tight and hard fought. Bicknell advanced to the semifinals before losing to an opponent she knew from junior competition. She regrouped and won her final match to secure bronze.

Her brother coached her through that stretch.

Balancing commitments

“It was a lot of managing and balancing my schedule,” Bicknell said. “But you can’t study all day. If you go play for an hour, you come back more productive.”

Squash has been part of her life for most of it. Her father played during his undergrad and introduced the sport to the family. Bicknell and her siblings grew up around courts and clubs. Several of them now compete at the university level, often at the same tournaments but for different schools.

Before coming to Alberta, Bicknell played Division I squash at Stanford University. That experience shapes how she approaches competition now. Despite the change in environment and workload, her love for the game remains.

At University of Alberta, there is no official squash team. Bicknell trains independently and coaches at the Royal Glenora Club. She lifts weights, plays league matches, and schedules court time around lectures and labs. A small bursary helped cover travel to Montreal, but most of the work happens quietly and without structure.

A call for community

Squash is a lesser known sport than many others that exist on campus. However, with the announcement that squash will be included in the 2028 Olympics, the sport is starting to grow. Squash courts exist on campus, but they exist underutilized. Bicknell uses them when she can, bringing classmates with her between exams.

“There are courts here for students,” she said. “If you have some hand-eye co-ordination, you can just go play.”

She returned from Montreal with coursework to catch up on and another exam approaching. That part did not change because of the medal. The schedule marched on.

For Bicknell, squash is not a break from medical school: it runs alongside it. Training fits where it can, and matches get scheduled in between deadlines. The result in Montreal is the result of passion, skill, and hard work.

What Lucia accomplished in Montreal is very impressive. It offers a reminder that high-level sport does not always sit under bright lights and cameras. Sometimes it happens quietly, on courts most students walk past every day.