Courtesy: Cal Athletics
The Hungarians claimed the Olympic berth with their semifinal victory over Italy on Saturday, as the top two teams from the tournament earned automatic bids to the Games in Tokyo. Hungary then defeated The Netherlands in Sunday’s championship game.
“I am overjoyed that Nusi’s hard and long work has been rewarded with earning a spot with her Hungarian teammates,” Cal head coach Coralie Simmons said. “The Cal family is very proud and we look forward to supporting her this summer.”
Illes joins current Cal attacker Emma Wright and former Bears Kindred Paul and Kelly McKee of Canada, as well as Roser Tarrago of Spain to punch tickets to the Olympics. Cal all-time leading scorer Dora Antal is an alternate for the Hungarian team.
This will mark the second straight Olympic berth for Illes, who helped Hungary to a fourth-place finish at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Illes enjoyed a decorated career at Cal from 2014-18 (she didn’t play for the Bears in 2016 in order to train with Hungary for the Olympics), earning All-American honors in each of her four seasons in Berkeley. She helped the Bears reach the semifinals of the NCAA Championships every year at Cal, and ranks seventh on the program’s all-time scoring list with 161 goals.
The 2021 Olympics, which were postponed from 2020 because of COVID-19, are slated to begin July 24.