Victoria Rumph is one of 21 Canadians invited to Softball Canada's National Team Olympic tryouts.

Softball Canada 2020 Women's National Team Athlete Pool Release

Victoria Rumph, The College of Wooster softball team's head coach, is among the 21 athletes selected by Softball Canada for the National Team's Olympic tryouts, which begin in February.

"This is the opportunity of a lifetime, and something I have dreamt about since I began playing organized sports," said Rumph. "My true shot at the Olympics has gone from a childhood dream to a reality, and I couldn't be more excited to fight for a chance to represent Canada at the pinnacle of our sport. I am grateful for all of the support across our campus and the athletic department as I continue to reach new heights as an athlete myself."

Rumph, and her 20 teammates, head to Halifax, Nova Scotia, in February for two months of intense training. Then, the team will play a series of exhibition games as it tunes up for the Olympics, which are set to take place from July 24 to August 9, 2020 in Tokyo, Japan. At the conclusion of the exhibition slate, Softball Canada will select the 15 players who will play in the Olympics.

A member of Softball Canada's National Team since 2013, Rumph's competed for her native country at the Pan American Softball Championship, the World Cup of Softball, the Canadian Open, and the Japan Cup. This past summer, Rumph and her national teammates played in the National Pro Fastpitch League in preparation for the Americas Olympic Softball Qualifier. At the qualifier, Canada punched its ticket to the Olympics with a 7-0 win over Brazil.

Softball is making a return to the Olympics for the first time since 2008. Softball Canada has qualified for the Olympics each year softball's been a sport at the games, but the country is still in search of its first medal. Canada will be joined at the Olympics by Australia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, and the United States.

As Rumph's National Team obligations take place during Wooster's season, Jeff Bricker, a veteran administrator and coach at various NCAA Div. III schools will serve as the acting head coach, effective February 1, 2020, although Rumph will serve in an advisory capacity. Bricker previously served as the program's acting head coach for the 2016 season, prior to Rumph's selection as head coach. He led Wooster to 17 wins, while Stephenie Little was the first Fighting Scot to earn first-team All-North Coast Athletic Conference honors as an infielder.

Current assistant coach Paige Summers will be the point person for all softball on-campus recruitment activities while Rumph is with the National Team.