Brandie Wilkerson
Brandie Wilkerson
Introduction:
Brandie Wilkerson (born July 1, 1992) is a Canadian beach volleyball player. She plays right-side blocker. She currently plays alongside Melissa Humana-Paredes.
Along with ex-partner Heather Bansley, she racked up a record-breaking world position at No. 1 in November 2018 and was named the year’s FIVB Optimal Blocker in the season. Bansley/Wilkerson were the representatives of Canada in Canada’s participation in the 2020 Summer Olympics. She later played for a season alongside Sophie Bukovec, and they won silver at the 2022 Beach Volleyball World Championships.
Childhood and early life:
Wilkerson is a native of Switzerland and relocated to Canada at seven. The father of Herb Johnson, ne Wilkerson, was a former skillful basketball player who was selected for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association. He was a well-qualified basketball player throughout France, Spain, Japan, Turkey, and Switzerland. The mother of her child, Stephanie, was a Swiss national runner and double Ironman winner.
University Career:
Wilkerson was a CIS volleyball with the York Lions from 2010 to 2014. York Lions from 2010 to 2014. For the season of 2010-11, Wilkerson received the title of York’s rookie female for the year. She was also an OUA rookie of the season in the women’s game. In 2011-12, Wilkerson was named an OUA first-team all-star and a CIS Second-team all-Canadian when she led in the OUA by scoring 4.29 points per set. She also won her OUA as well as CIS awards she won during the 2012-13 season. She finished having 4.21 points for each set and 3.36 kills in a game. In her final year of senior of 2013-14, Wilkerson was constrained to 11 games because of an injury. Still, she was recognized as the OUA East second-team all-star while finishing fourth overall among the OUA with 3.91 points per set.
International career:
Wilkerson and Bansley first met in Bansley. Wilkerson competed at the Swatch World Tour finals in Toronto (September 13-18, 2016,) where they won ninth. In 2018, they enjoyed a breakout year and ended the year ranked number. 1. FIVB the world tour.
Wilkerson and Bansley were chosen for Bansley. Wilkerson was named to the Canadian Olympic team for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo as one of two national teams in the women’s competition alongside the team that included Bansley’s former teammates Sarah Pavan and Melissa Humana-Paredes. Bansley and Wilkerson could not win in pool play, losing two times and winning one win, but they made it to the knockout stage because they were among the two top “Lucky loser” teams. They were in the round of 16. they were seeded sixteenth; however, they unexpectedly upset the third-seeded American team of Claes/Sponcil, taking two sets and losing one. In the quarterfinal, they took on the Latvian Kravcenoka/Graudina team and lost two sets to one. The team was eliminated after losing two sets to one.
After the 2021 season, Wilkerson and Bansley’s relationship ended, after which Wilkerson announced the formation of a second alliance with Sophie Bukovec. With only a short time in the preseason, they debuted at the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour at the Tlaxcala Challenge in March; however, they could not qualify for the tournament. They’d continue to focus on “grinding the mud out” during the coming months. When they entered the 2022 Beach Volleyball World Championships in Rome as the 20th seed, the duo of Bukovec and Wilkerson made an impressive run through the women’s final and won the silver medal, having been knocked out by Brazilian Lisboa/Ramos. Wilkerson admitted afterward that “of course we’d like to take home the gold, but once again, we’re doing what’s right and look forward to the next chapter together as a team. “The two teams decided to conclude their season following the Paris Elite16 event in the latter part of September, where they eventually lost out before the quarterfinal stage. The team was eliminated in the quarterfinals.
On November 1of, 2022, Wilkerson declared that she did not want to compete with Bukovec. She also announced that she was forming the team with Melissa Humana-Paredes. She was an old teammate from her time at York University. The new team had a great time, playing in ten events in 2023, with no placing less than fifth The 2023 Beach Volleyball World Championships in early October, the team could win five matches in a row without conceding a set; however, Australians Clancy and Artacho del Solar eliminated them in the quarterfinals. They later joined Canadians in the Pan American Games delegation for 2023’s Pan American Games in Santiago. They served as co-flagbearers for Canada during the opening ceremony. They made it to the tournament’s final but lost the final to Brazilians Lisboa/Ramos.
In June of 2024, Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson were officially named to the Canadian team for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. The Olympic tournament began poorly for the team, who lost their first two games in pool play. They reached the knockout stage only by winning a lucky loser playoff against Czechs Hermannova/Stochlova. Humana-Paredes/Wilkerson then managed an upset victory over Nuss/Kloth of the United States in the round of 16, winning two sets to zero, before managing the same against Spaniards Alvarez Mendoza/Moreno in the quarterfinal. They became the first Canadian team to reach the semi-finals of an Olympic women’s volleyball tournament. Facing the Swiss team Huberli/Betschart, who had to that point not lost a single set in the game, Humana-Paredes/Wilkerson was on the verge of elimination at the end of the second set but successfully forced a tiebreaker round and won, qualifying for the championship match against Lisboa/Ramos.
Conclusion:
Brandie Wilkerson’s journey from a college athlete to a world-renowned beach volleyball star is inspiring. Her dedication to the sport and her resilience in the face of challenges have made her a prominent figure in the volleyball community. As she continues to compete and make her mark, Brandie’s legacy will undoubtedly influence the future of beach volleyball, inspiring countless others to follow in her footsteps.
