Men’s volleyball returns to Wesmen Classic for the first time in six years

Article content

The University of Winnipeg Wesmen men’s volleyball team is gearing up for some holiday action.

Article content

The annual Wesmen Classic returns to the Duckworth Centre from Dec. 28 to 30, featuring men’s volleyball for the first time since 2017.

Article content

Head coach Larry McKay, who grew up watching previous Wesmen Classics, says he’s honoured to be included in one.

“This is a Winnipeg Christmas tradition,” McKay said. “To actually be participating in it, I never thought I’d be on that stage.”

The Classic will feature some of the country’s top university teams, such as Guelph, Laval, Brandon, and Manitoba.

Primarily a basketball tournament until 2017, the Wesmen Classic now rotates between men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball, with one discipline being played each year.

The No. 5-ranked Wesmen are entered in the West Pool, which includes all three Manitoba programs as well as UBC-Okanagan.

Article content

Article content

Their play will begin Thursday, Dec. 28, at noon when they take on University of Guelph.

The Wesmen are led by veterans Ethan Duncan, Liam Kristjanson, and Alex Krykewich, who have helped the team to a 7-5 record this season.

Kristjanson, a senior with the Wesmen, attended the 2017 classic as a spectator. He says he remembers it well.

“I came in from out of town, watched some good volleyball, and it was really a feast for a volleyball fan to come and watch some of the best teams in the country,” Kristjanson said.

“Kind of a full-circle moment for me to be able to come back and play in the Classic.”

During the event, the Wesmen will also be focusing on preparing for the remainder of the season.

Coach McKay is focused on growing momentum as his team plays some of the country’s top opponents.

Article content

“It’s building,” McKay said.

“We’re trying to get a little better every day, and we don’t always succeed in that. The players try hard every day, and we are eager to play in this tournament and see how we match up against these strong eastern teams.”

For the Wesmen, this year’s classic will double as an opportunity to make inductions to the team’s Ring of Honour.

Clarence Bridle, David Unruh, and Dennis Nord are all set to be the first official class of men’s volleyball inductees into the Ring.

Bridle was the first ever coach in the program’s history and coached the Wesmen to their first national championship in 1968-69.

Nord captained the 1968-69 national championship winning team and later went on to coach them to four straight national championships from 1970 to 1974.

Unruh, who also played for the team, won back-to-back national titles as the team’s head coach in 1986 and 1987 while picking up CIAU Coach of the Year honours in 1986.

“There’s four or five people who are critically important to the history of this program and these are three of them,” Wesmen athletic director Dave Crook said.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity for us to recognize the past and those people who laid the foundation for our great program.”

The induction ceremony is set to take place during the Wesmen’s tournament game against Laval on Dec. 29 at 7 p.m.

Article content