Grant Reddon, Jacob Ferland and Devin Cooney of the Brock Badgers men’s volleyball received provincial recognition with Ontario University Athletics (OUA) releasing their major award winners and all-star team selections on Tuesday, March 5.
Leading the Badgers offence all year, Reddon received his second straight First Team All-Star nod. The senior Business major led the OUA while also finishing seventh in the country in assists per set (A/S) with 9.57. Under Reddon’s leadership at the setter position, the Badgers finished third in the province in hitting percentage (.276) and second in kills per set (K/S) with 11.69.
“Grant has been our leader on and off the court all season and is a very deserving all-star who works extremely hard to improve and master his position,” said head coach Ian Eibbitt. “He puts the time in to always be prepared and has embraced the changes tactically that were installed after my arrival.”
Earning his first all-star selection is Ferland. The middle from Ottawa was named to the First Team after a strong year at the net. Ferland finished fifth in the OUA in total blocks with 49 and is one of the most efficient hitters in the province as well, notching a sparkling .425 percentage with 108 kills on 193 attempts.
“It makes me so happy to see all of Jacob’s efforts come together as he leads by example in the weight room and on the court every day,” said Eibbitt. His knowledge and quiet confidence make those around him better, and he’s always giving back and sharing valuable information with his teammates.”
After earning a spot on both the OUA All-Rookie Team and U SPORTS All-Rookie Team, Cooney is now an OUA Second Team All-Star. The Kanata, Ont product led the team with total kills with 247 and 3.34 K/S , finishing sixth and eighth, respectively, in the province. Cooney also finished sixth in the OUA in points (290.5) and eighth in points per set (PTS/S) with 3.9.
“Devin is a great player and an even better person. He is so humble and always comes prepared to work hard and improve daily,” Eibbitt said about Cooney. “His unselfish team first mentality has been an asset to our success as he had to play different positions with little preparation on more than one occasion. He never focuses on his own accomplishments and is a huge part of what we’ve been able to accomplish this season.”
The complete list of 2023-24 OUA men’s volleyball award winners and all-stars is as follows:
Most Valuable Player – Erik Siksna, Queen’s
Rookie of the Year – Brady Paterson, McMaster
Coach of the Year – Cal Wigston, Guelph
Dale Iwanoczko Award of Merit – Lhexen Rabit, Queen’s
Champion of EDI – Lhexen Rabit, Queen’s
First Team All-Stars
Erik Siksna, Queen’s
Maxime Gratton, McMaster
Jonathan Pickett, Guelph
Darian Koskie, Windsor
Brendan Mills, McMaster
Grant Reddon, Brock
Hunter Arulpragasam, Toronto
Blake Fenwick, Western
Zig Licis, Queen’s
Alex King, TMU
Trent O’Brien, Nipissing
William McIntyre, Waterloo
Jacob Ferland, Brock
Robbie Fujisawa, McMaster
Second Team All-Stars
Joshua Glasbergen, Guelph
Markus Law-Heese, Windsor
Dennis Cota, York
Owen Kelly, Western
Tyler Pavelic, McMaster
Devin Cooney, Brock
Liam MacArthur, Waterloo
Jayden Talsma, Toronto
Nicolas Badalato, Trent
Jasraj Nijjar, York
Lhexen Rabit, Queen’s
Tyrus Cuculick, Nipissing
Andrew Gallant, RMC
Ben Kerkhoff, McMaster
All-Rookie Team
Brady Paterson, McMaster
Jack Svendsen, Nipissing
Quintin Greenidge, Windsor
Josh Chapman, Toronto
Justice Smith, Nipissing
Jared Kuiken, McMaster
Alex Brdarevic, Queen’s