KAMLOOPS TRU ATHLETICS AND RECREATION TO BENEFIT THANKS TO THREE WAY PARTNERSHIP INVOLVING TRU WOLFPACK June 21, 2010
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Athletic Director Ken Olynyk, Bob Smillie of Blazers Legacy Society, Parks, Rec and Culture Director Byron McCorkell
Future volleyball events in Kamloops will benefit as a result of the formalization of a three way partnership involving the Kamloops Blazers Sports Society Legacy Fund, the City of Kamloops and Thompson Rivers University Athletics and Recreation.
TRU Athletic Director Ken Olynyk was presented with a cheque for $ 23, 899.11 by Blazers Sports Society Legacy Fund Chair Bob Smilllie.
Olynyk applied for the grant last winter. The money will be used to aid in transforming the floor at the Tournament Capital Center into five volleyball courts.
“This will allow TRU and the City of Kamloops to host a number of different events, “ says Olynyk. “This includes our Sports Camps, Special Tournaments, Recreation and other events.”
Olynyk points to next months Baden Cup event through Volleyball BC as a perfect example of how the new configuration of the TCC will be used to attract and sustain large volleyball events. Some 200 athletes from around the province will be part of the Baden Cup next month.
“We’d like to thank Jeff Putnam and Byron McCorkell (City Parks, Rec and Culture) and the City of Kamloops along with the Blazers Sports Legacy Fund for making this venture possible.”
WOMENS VOLLEYBALL PROGRAM SIGNS RECRUIT(Twomey) June 16, 2010
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Kara Twomay
The Thompson Rivers University WolfPack women’s volleyball team have gone to Manitoba for their latest recruit. 18 year old Kara Twomey (pronounced too-me) signed a letter of intent to play for the WolfPack following a visit to Kamloops in early June.
“We first noticed her at the Volleyball Club Nationals held back in May,” said Lundgren. “ She was good, I knew her coach and we followed up. We are very excited to have her. Manitoba trains their athletes very well technically and played in a very strong club system.”
Twomey has played high school and club volleyball for the past several years. She graduates this month from Glenlawn Collegiate in Winnipeg where she was named co winner of the Female Athlete of the Year.
The 5’11” Twomey started as a setter in grade seven. “ No one on my school team could really set,” she laughs. She has never played another position. “I feel I have really gotten stronger as a player thanks to club.” They finished fourth in the provincials in 2010.
“She is talented,” said Lundgren of his signee. “ She is tall and has great release. She is very intelligent. That is the hardest thing to train with a setter—just the distribution of the ball and the intelligence. She brings that already. And she is fast.”
Lundgren says having a good setter and a good libero are the keys to having a successful team. “They are the foundation of everything. The setter delivers the ball consistently. Like the quarterback or the goalie-a pressure position for sure.”
“I am not sure how she’ll fit in since I haven’t seen any of the returning veterans in action,” says Lundgren about Twomey. “ But she is a good talented player whom we believe will be able to contribute significantly.”
Twomey has seen some CIS action before and admits it’ll be a step up from the play that she is used to. “ I am hoping that I can fit in well with the rest of the team and compete.”
But how much playing time will she get? “What I am hoping to do is create a culture where we have younger players being taken under the wing of a veteran,” states Lundgren. “ After a while, they will get comfortable and start to contribute as those veterans prepare to graduate. That is the perfect structure to work under. It takes the pressure off the coaching staff and gives players more accountability. Right now it is important to get as much talent as we can and go forward. There is a chance some rookies might wind up starting. If she works hard, Kara could be one of them.”
Twomey had spoken with both Dalhousie and Brandon Universities but chose to attend Thompson Rivers University because of its smaller, more personal campus. “This just seems like a good place to be.”
Both her parents played CIS Basketball at the University of Winnipeg. Kara’s mother Donna was an All-Canadian. Her brother Derek played BC College Athletic Association volleyball for Camosun College Chargers from 2007-09.
“She was really impressed with our training facilities and the residence,” added Lundgren. Twomey is looking at taking Sciences with an interest toward Respiratory Therapy at TRU. “None of the others seemed to be as good a fit as TRU. We are happy she wants to be a part of the new direction our program is taking.”
TRU WOLFPACK GIVEN FULL STATUS IN CANADA WEST May 6, 2010
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(A. Snucins photo)
Thursday, May 6, 2010 will go down as a historic day for the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack Athletic Program. It was on this day that the WolfPack became official members of the Canada West Universities Athletic Association.
The CWUAA voted to give Thompson Rivers ‘full membership status’ at their Annual General Meeting in Victoria, BC. This followed a presentation made by Athletic Director Ken Olynyk which highlighted the schools involvement in the Canada West over the past five seasons as a probationary member in the sports of basketball and volleyball. The presentation also focused on the University, the Tournament Capital Center and efforts by the WolfPack to continue to get their athletes more involved in the community.
“I’m glad the process is finished and we met the criteria Canada West set out for us,” he stated pointing out that the final year of TRU’s probationary period had nothing to do with TRU Athletics and Recreation Department or its operations, but more to do with the future of Canada West itself. ““ Over the last five years, we had conducted ourselves in accordance with the rules and regulations surrounding the league. This was in all areas from our involvement in governance, presenting of the athletic events, our follow up, the reporting of games , results and statistics and so forth.”
Lindsey Dekoff (A. Snucins)
“This day was a long time coming,” Olynyk added. “ It’s the culmination of a goal that the TRU Senior Administration had set back in December 2002, and this took on greater impetus as time passed .”
TRU will continue to have the men’s and women’s volleyball and basketball teams compete in the Canada West leagues. “Naturally, one of the first questions asked will be what teams will be next for the CIS and Canada West, there will need to be considerations prior to making any commitment for future teams in Canada West and this will only be considered following consultation with the Senior Administration,” stated Olynyk.
Amanda Frayne and Anna Dyakiewicz (A. Snucins photo)
Christopher Seguin, TRU’s Vice President of Advancement said. “ This announcement validates years of hard work by volunteers, staff, coaches and students athletes. It’ll bring an ongoing opportunity to put our university, our city and our student athletes on the national stage in sport.”
Gord Perrin at 2010 CIS Nationals (A. Snucins)
The most successful of the TRU Canada West programs has been Men’s Volleyball. Pat Hennelly’s teams have won a national bronze medal, two Canada west bronze medals and recently hosted the CIS Nationals. “ This means a lot to have earned our spot into the Canada West. We have proved that TRU men’s volleyball can compete and I think other programs will follow. I think Ken (Olynyk), Cliff (Neufeld, Vice President Administration and Finance) and Roger (Dr. Barnsley, Interim President and Vice Chancellor) should be commended for all their hard work and support. TRU has shown we are committed to excellence with the budgets, scholarships and willingness to host events. I look forward to coaching at TRU for a long time.”
The WolfPack began play in the Canada West as a probationary member in 2005-06, they start play as a full member of Canada West in the fall.
In other news, The University of the Fraser Valley was also given ‘full membership status” while UBC Okanagan was given probationary status starting in September and will start playing men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball in the fall of 2011. UNBC and Vancouver Island University had their membership applications turned down.
WOLFPACK HIRE COACH FOR WOMENS VOLLEYBALL April 19, 2010
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Keith Lundgren
The Thompson Rivers University WolfPack women’s volleyball team will have a new face at the helm when they open up their 2010-11 Canada West season. Keith Lundgren becomes the third head coach since the WolfPack moved volleyball to the CIS in 2005.
Lundgren comes to TRU after spending two seasons with the NAIT Ooks of the Alberta College Athletic Association. He takes over as the WolfPack full time head coach on in mid May but will be already planning for the upcoming season with the WolfPack.
“I’m very excited and ready for the challenge,” says Lundgren, who is no stranger to turning around post secondary teams. He was the head coach of the Lakeland College Rustlers (ACAC) from 2005 to 2008 where he turned a 2-20 team to having its third winning season on record since 1994. With NAIT, Lundgren took a 6 and 14 team in 2008-09 to a record of 15 and 8 this past year. “We went 8 and 3 in the second half of the year,” he says. “ It was a lot of fun seeing our hard work come through in the competitive arena.”
Lundgren has been involved in coaching volleyball for 14 years. ‘It has been a goal to coach at the CIS level since the age of 18. The athletic and recreation staff at TRU has been welcoming and friendly from the initial interview to the final conversations regarding the position. The family environment was very appealing. The commitment to excellence as well as the support for the development of the complete student athlete was another factor that made the job attractive.”
“We had a number of quality applicants,” stated TRU Athletic Director Ken Olynyk . “We believe Keith will be a great volleyball coach for us for years to come. He has a solid plan in mind and when operationalized will be very good for the future of our women’s volleyball program. I think if you have a blueprint it really helps where you are going. Keith’s coaching record demonstrates success and his team’s have shown improvement every year, additionally he has contacts with key volleyball people across Western Canada.”
Lundgren is a fully certified level 4 coach and graduated from the National Coaching Institute in Victoria. His first taste of post secondary volleyball was when he was the head coach of the Camosun Cougars women’s program (BC College Athletic Association) from 2003-2005. He has also coached in the Saskatchewan and Alberta Provincial programs and was the Western Canada Games head coach for Saskatchewan’s women’s team in 2006.
Although he hasn’t started yet, Lundgren has definite thoughts on turning the WolfPack program around. “ There were signs of success a few years back and there may be athletes involved that were part of that experience,” he says. “ We need to tap back into that. It is all in the people. With great people, great things can be accomplished. Our first goal will be to surround the program with these people. Then we will work hard. Results will come after that. Our second order of business is to create a culture for the program. From inspiration will come pride and from pride will come determination. This cultural of determination is the end goal.”
“He has all the educational qualities of a professional coach in Canada, “ stated Olynyk. “Keith’s goal is to become a professional coach. In doing so, he has created a scenario where his whole focus is on coaching. He thinks this is a great opportunity for him and coaching in the CIS at TRU was a main aspiration for him as a professional. He’ll do a great job because of that.”
Lundgren replaces Cal Wohlford, who directed the WolfPack program on an interim basis the past two seasons.
“We would really like to thank Cal for his contributions and direction of the women’s volleyball program over the past couple of years,” said Olynyk. “ We wish him well and he will continue to be involved in the sport of volleyball.”
Lundgren will physically be in Kamloops by June 1st.
WOLFPACK PLAYERS FINISH UP AMONG CANADA WEST STAT LEADERS February 15, 2010
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Kevin Tillie was the best in the Canada West when it came to service aces (A. Snucins photo)
The 2009-10 Canada West regular season has now officially closed. Although only one team from Thompson Rivers Univeristy has made it to the playoffs, there are a number of personal accomplishments from the teams to be proud of.
Three WolfPack athletes finished on top in individual catagories. In men’s volleyball, Colin Carson (1st year, setter, Prince George, BC) was the Canada West assist leader. He had 722 in 67 sets averaging 10.78 per game. Kevin Tillie (1st year, left side, Cagnes Sur Mer, France) was tops in Service Aces (30 in 67 sets for an 0.45 per set average).
In men’s basketball, Greg Stewart (4th year, forward, Kamloops, BC) was the top rebounder (57 offensive, 138 defensive for 195 and an average of 11.5 per game). He also had the most blocked shots in the Canada West (43 in 17 games averaging 2.53 per game). Jeff Friesen (5th year, forward, Duncan, BC) led the league in minutes played (639 through 18 games, averaging 35.50 minutes per game.
There were a number of WolfPack athletes who figured prominently in the year end stats. In men’s volleyball: Gord Perrin (3rd year, outside hitter, Creston, BC) and Tillie were second and third in Kills (Perrin 309 in 66 sets for a 4.68 average, Tillie had 250 kills in 67 sets for a 3.73 average). They were also second and third in points (Perrin had 342 for a 5.18 per game average, Tillie had 295 points for a 4.40 average). Carson was sixth in service ages (17 in 67 games for an average of 0.25 per game).
Anna Dyakiewicz (3rd year, outside hitter, Burnaby, BC) was second in women’s volleyball in kills (247 in 71 sets averaging 3.48 points per set). She was also sixth in points (274 averaging 3.86 per game).
In men’s basketball: Sean Garvey (5th year, guard, Kamloops, BC) was seventh in league scoring (319 points in 18 games averaging 17.7 points per game) and second in three point shots made (61 in 18 games for an average of 3.39 per game. Friesen was seventh in rebounding (39 offense, 98 defence for 137 in 18 games averaging 7.6 rebounds per game). Drew Bleth (5th year, guard, Ridgeview, Wash) was second in free throw percentage (40 of 47 in 18 games for a percentage of .851).
The WolfPack men’s volleyball team opens up the Canada West Quarterfinals on the road in Brandon on February 26 th.
TRU WOLFPACK ATHLETICS: PROUD HOSTS OF THE 2010 CIS MENS NATIONAL VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS-MARCH 12-14 TH TOURNAMENT CAPITAL CENTER, KAMLOOPS BC.
WEBSITE: http://english.cis-sic.ca/championships/mvball/index http://francais.cis-sic.ca/championships/mvball/index