LANGLEY, British Columbia – The Trinity Western 2022-23 men’s volleyball team was named Sport BC 2023 Team of the Year at the Sport BC 56th Annual Athlete of the Year Awards on Thursday, March 7, 2024.
The event was hosted by CBC’s Scott Russell recognizing the province’s best in amateur sport including athletes, coaches, teams, and officials for outstanding performances in their 2023 sport season. Each finalist was nominated by their Provincial or Multi-Sport Organization, High School, College, or University. The Selection Committee, led by long-serving Chair Bernie Pascall, included a diverse group of highly experienced British Columbia sport leaders and media members.
Rob Newman – Sport BC’s President and CEO.
“The 56th Annual Athlete of the Year Awards celebrated sport in our BC at all levels. We were inspired by the sport stories of all of our finalists, the category winners, and the organizations they represent. We are proud to bring the amateur sport community together and thank you guests, sponsors, and friends in sport.”
Jeff Gamache – TWU Director of Athletics
“I love that this team has been honoured because this was a story of resilience. A team that a year before suffered a crushing loss at Nationals, a team that saw new coaches find their own way, and a team that persevered through a lot of injuries. Could not be more proud of the group and thankful to Sport BC for the award.”
Adam Schriemer – TWU Men’s Volleyball Head Coach
“I think what made last year’s team special is not only were they special athletes, but they were special people as well. That was a really unique group of students and leaders and players who were high performers in all areas of their lives. Considering how elite that group was, it’s great to see them get recognized like this.
“There were a lot of unique events that happened with last year’s team and what made them so special and deserving of this award is how resilient they were. Regardless of what happened, the group that was available to practice – whatever day it was – came in and worked really hard no matter the circumstances. They battled through a lot of different scenarios and in the end, I think that adversity helped put them in a spot to be successful in the biggest moments of the season.”
Sport BC congratulates all the Athlete of the Year Awards’ Recipients:
Athlete with a Disability
Wheelchair Basketball Mel Pemble (Victoria, BC) – Para Cycling (Track)
Female Coach of the Year
Jane Gumley (Victoria, BC)
Male Coach of the Year
Dylan Armstrong (Kamloops, BC)
High School Female Athlete of the Year
Keira Pemberton (Langley, BC)
High School Male Athlete of the Year
Nash Semeniuk (Kelowna, BC) – Basketball and Volleyball (Kelowna Secondary)
Junior Female Athlete of the Year
Emmy Lan (Comox, BC) – Cycling
Junior Male Athlete of the Year
Nicholas Bennett (Parksville, BC) – Para Swimming
Senior Female Athlete of the Year
Camryn Rogers (Richmond, BC) – Athletics
Senior Male Athlete of the Year
Ethan Katzberg (Nanaimo, BC) – Athletics
Post Secondary Athlete of the Year
Rowan Hamilton (Chilliwack, BC) – Athletics
Team of the Year
Trinity Western University (Langley, BC) – Men’s Volleyball
Master Athlete of the Year
Malindi Elmore (Kelowna, BC) – Athletics
Official of the Year
Trevor Walmsley (Vancouver, BC) – Karate
An additional six awards were presented including the Best of BC, KidSport BC Community
Champion, Harry Jerome Comeback, Daryl Thompson Lifetime Achievement Award and In Her
Footsteps Honourees.
Best of BC – Nick Taylor – Golf
KidSport Community Champion – Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Harry Jerome Comeback Award – Garrett Rooker – UBC Football
Daryl Thompson Lifetime Achievement Award – Joe Higgins – Wheelchair Basketball
About Spartan Athletics
As official members of U SPORTS, the Spartans currently compete in 13 sports in the Canada West conference, including women’s and men’s soccer, volleyball, basketball, hockey, cross country, and track & field, as well as women’s rugby sevens. TWU also competes as an independent team in men’s rugby. Since TWU entered U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 14 U SPORTS team championships and 34 Canada West team championships.
About Sport BC
Sport BC believes in the power of sport and is committed to building stronger communities through positive sport experiences. Our goal is to enhance and support sport participation in British Columbia ensuring everyone has the opportunity to thrive. Through our KidSport BC, BC Amateur Sport Fund, and ProMOTION Plus along with our services Sport BC Insurance, and Payroll and Group Benefits; Sport BC supports our sixty plus member organizations. Keep up to date @SportBC
-TW-