Two University of Victoria (UVic) women's rugby stars have cracked Canada's Olympic sevens squad with the Paris Summer Games just weeks away.

Standout Vikes athletes Carissa Norsten and Krissy Scurfield will don the Maple Leaf and make their Olympic debuts in France. 

Norsten made her senior national team debut last year at the Pan American Games in Chile and was named the 2022 U SPORTS Rookie of the Year. She also competed with Canada at the HSBC women's World Rugby SVNS series this year and her strong performance there earned her rookie of the year honours on that tour. 

Scurfield has become a mainstay on the Canada sevens roster after playing two seasons with the Vikes. She tied for the most tries of any Canadian player during HSBC SVNS tour with 20.

UVic women's rugby head coach Brittany Waters said Scurfield has solidified herself as a top contender on the world stage and called Norsten a force to be reckoned with on offence and defence. 

"They are both talented and hard working, but more importantly they are great people and so deserving of this opportunity. We wish them all the best in pursuit of a gold medal," Waters said in a news release. 

Canada's women's sevens squad starts its quest for Olympic gold against Fiji on July 28. The team will also go up against New Zealand and China in the group stage. 

The sevens team qualified for Paris on home soil when they went undefeated during a regional Olympic qualifier in Langford last summer.