The University of Azuay will play in the 3x3 Women's University Basketball World Cup.
The University of Azuay has made history by establishing itself as a pioneer by securing a spot in the 2025 FISU University World Cup 3x3 Women's Basketball. This achievement places the Cuenca institution among the elite of university sports worldwide.
The world championship, which will bring together the most outstanding university talent, will take place in Brasilia, Brazil, from November 14 to 16. This world-class event is organized in collaboration between the International University Sports Federation (FISU) and the Brazilian University Sports Confederation (CBDU). The tournament is unique, with only 12 women's and 12 men's teams from universities around the world participating.
The UDA's feat is no small feat: not only does it qualify for this select group, but it also ranks among the top ten universities in the world in women's 3x3 basketball. More importantly, the University of Azuay becomes the first Ecuadorian institution to achieve such a feat in any university sport. In the world rankings, the Cuenca university appears in ninth place.
Members of the women's team of the University of Azuay
The team that will carry the Ecuadorian flag to Brasilia is made up of athletes who balance their academic achievement with a career on the court. The team is led by experienced coach María Belén Carpio Tarcán, 32, whose athletic career spans more than two decades and who currently coaches the UDA men's and women's basketball teams.
The protagonists who will compete in the cup are:
Nathalia Cristina Vicuña Nieto: 20 years old and a student at the School of Architecture, she has been an athlete since 2012.
Sthefany Sofía Narváez Tapia: A 24-year-old architect who graduated from the University of Buenos Aires (UDA), with a sports career dating back to 2007.
Marcia Anahí Astudillo Ullauri: 20-year-old medical school student who has been practicing the sport since 2015.
María Valentina Guillén Arteaga: A 23-year-old civil engineer graduated from the UDA, with sports experience since 2009.
Words from the rector, Francisco Salgado
“At the University of Azuay, the entire community is fully committed to the inspiring effort to anticipate the desirable future: a future in which humanity's goals of tenderly caring for life, practicing the ethics of justice, and fostering an environment of hope for future generations are met. Among us, sport stands as a common language and a celebration of life.”
"It is the dance of body and spirit that sustains physical health, calms the mind, ignites inner strength, and opens paths of community. In the game, we discover solidarity, we learn to care for one another, and together we overcome limits. Our UDA World Cup athletes are the best example for youth to always flourish," Francisco Salgado, rector.