International Career:

Vanderwal made her Great Britain debut in 2010 against Portugal and was the team’s primary back-up guard at EuroBasket Women 2011 when she averaged 2 ppg.

Year by Year Stats:

Club career:

University of Limerick, Ireland (2009- ); Donoughmore Basketball Club, Cork, Ireland (2006-08); Iona Basketball Club, Cork, Ireland (2008-09); Boston University, USA (2002-06); Hamilton Celtics, Ontario, Canada (1996-02).

After spending four seasons at Boston University in the USA, Vanderwal ventured overseas to play in the Irish Women’s SuperLeague, where she still remains. Her first two seasons she played with Donoughmore (Cork), where she won back-to-back cup and league titles, before playing the following season with Iona (Cork).  In 2009, she signed for the University of Limerick and led the league in scoring. In 2011, she was named SuperLeague Player of the Year and helped her side to the National title. This season she captained the side not only to back-to-back SuperLeague titles, but also the coveted National Cup title. 

Personal:

Born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, Rachael qualifies for GB through her mother, Miriam Ewer (nee Stanley), who is originally from Merseyside. She has one older brother, Andy.  Growing up Rachael played ice hockey, volleyball, and baseball.

Her favourite Olympic memory is watching Donovan Bailey break the world record and win gold in the men's 100 metres at the 1996 Games in Atlanta. 

Rachael teaches Physical Education at North Presentation Secondary School in Cork, Ireland, working with kids from ages 12-17.

Trivia:

Rachael was a competitive figure skater until the age of 12 when she switched to basketball.