TWU’s Meehan and Howatson named First Team All-Can

Men’s Volleyball (CIS Awards)
Thursday, March 02, 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

2006 CIS men’s volleyball championship

SASKATCHEWAN’S DODDS NAMED PLAYER OF THE YEAR
TWU’s Meehan and Howatson named First Team All-Canadian's

HAMILTON (CIS) – Mark Dodds of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies is the Canadian Interuniversity Sport men’s volleyball player of the year for the 2005-06 season.

Dodds of Lucky Lake, Sask. is the second Huskie in three years to claim MVP honours, after Adam Ens in 2003-04.

Other major award winners announced on Thursday morning during the All-Canadian Brunch held at the CIBC Banquet Hall in Hamilton include University of Winnipeg’s Ryan DeBruyn of Ottawa, who received Tissot rookie-of-the-year honours, and Dalhousie University’s Jeff Weiler of Scarborough, Ont., who was named top libero in the nation for the third straight season and also claimed the Dale Iwanoczko Award for his excellence in volleyball, academics and community involvement. Ryerson University’s Mirek Porosa was named coach of the year.

Dodds, a 6-foot-7, fifth-year left-side hitter finished first in Canada West this season with 4.44 kills/game and 5.22 points/game, placing second in the nation in both categories. He was fourth in the conference in service aces with 0.52/game and 10th with a .350 hitting percentage. The 22-year-old Huskie captain led the squad to a 15-5 regular season record, clinching first place in the Great Plains Division and finishing third in the Canada West overall standings, with a consistent number three ranking in the national poll. The Huskies are seeded fourth on the eve of their fourth consecutive appearance at the CIS tournament. Dodds is also named to the first all-Canadian team for the second consecutive season, having previously earned second-team honours in his sophomore campaign in 2002-03.

Born in the small town of Lucky Lake, Sask., Dodds is studying in the College of Kinesiology. His younger sister Tiffany is an all-Canadian setter for the University of Alberta Pandas, and both represented Canada this past summer at the 2005 Universiade in Izmir, Turkey. Dodds also led the national team to a third place finish at the 2005 NORCECA in September. He aspires to play professional volleyball in Europe.

“Mark has likely the best and most pure arm swing in the country,” says Huskies head coach Brian Gavlas. “He continues to improve his efficiency, reception and consistency to help lead our team to the ultimate goal of a national championship. We will most definitely see Mark representing Canada in many future international matches.”

DeBruyn, a 19-year-old, 6-foot-6 middle / opposite finished his freshman season ranked fifth in Canada West with a .416 hitting percentage. In 61 games during conference play, he contributed 154 kills and 186 points. DeBruyn was recruited by the Wesmen out of Hillcrest High School in Ottawa.

“Ryan has great ability, determination and work ethic,” comments Winnipeg head coach Larry McKay. “He was also a great supporter of his teammates this season.”

Weiler, a 6-foot, fourth-year kinesiology student has a stranglehold on the libero of the year award, having claimed the prize every year since it was introduced at the national level in 2003-04. A member of the Universiade team this pas summer in Turkey, Weiler finished first in the AUS and third in the nation this season with 2.85 digs/game, en route to his third straight selection as a second-team all-Canadian.

Weiler’s excellence in the classroom and community work was also recognized as he received the Dale Iwanoczko Award. A two-time recipient of the Graham Family Award at Dalhousie, he has twice been named an academic all-Canadian and served as president of Dalhousie’s Varsity Athletic Council in 2005-06.

A native of Poland, Porosa has built the Rams up from one of the weakest programs in Canada to a team ranked consistently in the top ten in a very short time. Winless for two seasons from 2001-03 Ryerson has made drastic strides posting an 18-2 regular-season record this year – the best in school history in any sport. A former Polish national team member who also played professionally in his native country, Porosa is the first OUA men’s volleyball coach, and the first Ram coach in any sport, to be honoured by the CIS.

“Mirek is not only a great coach, but a great friend and father-like figure to everybody on the team,” says all-Canadian right-side Ryan Vandenburg. “He not only helps you become a better player on the court but also a better person in life overall. Our record is proof of the years of tenacity, hard work and commitment he has put in.”

The all-Canadians were also announced on Thursday, with the No. 2-seeded Trinity Western Spartans the only team to place two players on the first seven-member squad. No. 1-Alberta and No. 5-Dalhoudie each have one representative on both the first and second teams.

Joining Dodds on the first CIS team are Trinity Western teammates Joshua Howatson of Victoria and Chris Meehan of Clearwater, B.C., Alberta’s Brock Davidiuk of Edmonton, Montreal’s Patrick Hurtubise of Drummondville, Que., Dalhousie’s Niklas Rademacher of Germany, and Ryerson’s Vandenburg of Wooler, Ont.

Davidiuk, the 2005 CIS championship MVP, Rademacher and Vandenburg are all selected on the first team for the second straight season. Meehan was a first-team CIS all-star in 2003-04.

Last year’s CIS player of the year, Alberta’s Nicholas Cundy of Edmonton, is one of the players joining Weiler on the second squad.

The 2006 CIS men’s volleyball championship, hosted by McMaster University, gets under way in Hamilton on Friday, March 3 with four quarter-final match-ups. The No. 6 Laval Rouge et Or and No. 3 Manitoba Bisons take the court first at 1 p.m. ET. The championship final is scheduled for Sunday at 4 p.m. ET, and will be televised live on TSN.

Championship web site: www.cisport.ca/e/championships/m_volleyball/2006

TISSOT - PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Mark Dodds, University of Saskatchewan Huskies

Mark Dodds of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies is the 2005-06 CIS men’s volleyball player of the year. Dodds is the second Huskie in three years to receive the honours, after Adam Ens in 2003-04. The only other Saskatchewan player to claim the MVP trophy is Darcy Busse, who took home the award in both 1985-86 and ‘83-84.

This season, the 6-foot-7, fifth-year left-side hitter finished first in Canada West with 4.44 kills/game and 5.22 points/game, placing second in the nation in both categories. He was fourth in the conference in service aces with 0.52/game and 10th with a .350 hitting percentage. The 22-year-old Huskie captain led the squad to a 15-5 regular season record, clinching first place in the Great Plains Division and finishing third in the Canada West overall standings, with a consistent number three ranking in the national poll. Dodds is also named to the first all-Canadian team for the second consecutive season, having previously earned second-team honours in his sophomore campaign in 2002-03. He was a CIS championship all-star in 2005, and led the Huskies to CIS gold in 2004, and bronze in 2003.

Born in the small town of Lucky Lake, Sask., Dodds is studying in the College of Kinesiology. His younger sister Tiffany is an all-Canadian setter for the University of Alberta Pandas, and both represented Canada this past summer at the 2005 Universiade in Izmir, Turkey. Dodds also led the national team to a third place finish at the 2005 NORCECA in September. He aspires to play professional volleyball in Europe.

TISSOT - ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Ryan DeBruyn, University of Winnipeg Wesmen

Ottawa native Ryan DeBruyn of the University of Winnipeg is only the second Wesmen to be named CIS rookie of the year, joining Heath McLeod who was honoured back in 1992-93.

The 19-year-old, 6-foot-6 middle / opposite, who was recruited by the Wesmen out of Hillcrest High School in Ottawa, finished his freshman season ranked fifth in Canada West with a .416 hitting percentage. In 61 sets during conference play, he amassed 154 kills and 186 points, and also chipped in with 16 aces, seven solo blocks and 36 assisted blocks. Despite his rookie status, DeBruyn was a consistent contributor in 2005-06, dressing for 16 conference matches and both playoff games for the Wesmen, which took third place in the Great Plains Division with a 12-8 record. DeBruyn was named University of Winnipeg male athlete of the week after tallying 16 kills in 23 attempts for a hitting percentage of .652 against Manitoba on December 3.

LIBERO OF THE YEAR: Jeff Weiler, Dalhousie University Tigers

Jeff Weiler of the Dalhousie Tigers is the recipient of the CIS libero of the year award for the third straight campaign. The Kinesiology student from Scarborough, Ont. remains the only player to have won the award since it was introduced prior to the 2003-04 season.

Now a three-time second-team all-Canadian and conference all-star, the 6-foot, fourth-year libero led the Atlantic conference and finished third in the nation with 2.85 digs per game, tallying a total of 168 digs on the season. His strong play on defense helped Dalhousie finish first in the Maritimes with a 19-1 record in conference play, capture its 20th consecutive AUS banner, and qualify for its 27th consecutive CIS championship. Also a national-caliber player, Weiler was twice named to the national A2 team, and represented Canada at the 2005 Summer Universiade in Izmir, Turkey. He was Dalhousie’s Male Athlete of the Year in 2004-05.

COACH OF THE YEAR: Mirek Porosa, Ryerson University Rams

Mirek Porosa of Ryerson University becomes the first OUA men’s volleyball coach, and the first Ram coach in any sport, to be honoured by the CIS.

The 49-year-old, now in his 10th season at the helm of the Rams, has built Ryerson up from one of the weakest programs in Canada to a team ranked consistently in the top ten in a very short time. Since going winless for two seasons from 2001-03, the Rams have made drastic strides posting conference records of 9-9, 14-6 and then 18-2 in 2005-06 – the best in school history in any sport. The ’05-06 Rams came close to becoming the first Ryerson team to capture an OUA championship banner, but lost to Queen’s in the conference final. Ryerson’s recent success coincides with Porosa’s promotion to a full-time position, after working part-time for his first eight campaigns.
 
Porosa was a member of the Polish national team in the 1970s and played professionally in his native country. He continued to play until the early ‘80s and was once honoured for being the top setter in Poland. He has learned to be especially cautious of injuries to his players as his career was drastically shortened after he destroyed the cartilage in his thumb. Porosa has also been successful coaching beach volleyball, leading teams featuring his son and daughter to multiple age-division national championships. He also coached his son Lukas to a gold medal at the Youth Olympics and ninth place at the world championships.

DALE IWANOCZKO AWARD: Jeff Weiler, Dalhousie University Tigers

Jeff Weiler is the third Dalhousie Tiger to receive the Dale Iwanoczko Award, which recognizes outstanding achievement in volleyball, academics and community involvement. The Scarborough, Ont. native joins Chris Geddes (2002-03) and Paul Villeneuve, who was the original recipient in 1993-94.

A two-time recipient of the Graham Family Award at Dalhousie, Weiler has been named an academic all-Canadian on two occasions in his first three years at Dalhousie for his studies in Kinesiology. In 2005-06, he served as president of the University’s Varsity Athletics Council, and was the athlete representative on the AUS Athletics Council. A guest coach with the Ontario Canada Games program, Weiler volunteers with “Learn to Play” - assisting under-privileged children in Halifax area.

TWU’s CIS First Team All-Canadians: Chris Meehan and Josh Howatson

Chris Meehan:
Chris Meehan, 2005-06 All-Canadian, has played all five years for the TWU Spartans and will graduate as the most decorated student-athlete in Trinity Western University’s history. Meehan has again been named to a CIS all-Canadian after another standout season. Meehan finished the conference play second in the CIS and first in Canada West in kill percentage (minimum 70 kills) at .500. He also finished first in CIS and Canada West in blocks per game at 1.35.

The fifth year business student’s accolades are numerous, including: 2001-02 Canada West and CIS Rookie of the Year, captain of the Canadian Junior National Team that won gold at the 2002 NORCECA Championships, 2002-03 Canada West 2nd Team All-Star, captain of the 2003 Canadian Junior National Team that played in the world championships in Tehran, Iran, 2003-04 Canada West 1st Team All-Star, 03-04 CIS 1st Team All-Canadian, 03-04 CIS Championship All-Star and member of Spartans’ CIS Bronze medal winning team, member of Spartans’ 04-05 CIS Silver medal winning team, member of Team Canada at the 2005 World University Games in Turkey, and a three-time CIS Academic All-Canadian.

Meehan holds TWU career records for solo blocks with 61, block assists with 426, total blocks with 487 and blocks per game with 1.16. He currently sits second for TWU career record for kills at 915. In overall play this season he is, averaging 2.42 kills on 265 at- tacks (.498), 0.19 assists, 0.45 aces, 1.31 blocks per game overall. He hit for 92% (12-0- 13) in 3-1 win over Winnipeg on Feb 17 and had a career best eight service aces in same match against Winnipeg. Meehan a season high nine total blocks in 3-1 loss to UCLA on Oct. 15, 05. He hit at better then 66% five times this season and had a season high 15 kills in 3-2 win over Saskatchewan on Feb 10, 06.

He is regarded by many as one of the top attacking middles in the country in his age class and given his performances on the international stage some would suggest that the same could be said of his reputation internationally. Chris has also played a significant role as the Spartans’ captain over the last few years in leading the men’s volleyball program into the National spotlight. Over the past two seasons the Spartans have been ranked number one or two in the CIS national top ten. The 2004-05 CIS silver medalists have had their most successful conference season ever, finishing at 16-4 and head into this years CIS national championship as the number two seed, behind defending CIS national champion Alberta.

Josh Howatson:
The fourth year starting setter has been instrumental in Trinity Western University rise to one of the top teams in the CIS. The 6’7” chemistry major was named CIS All-Canadian and to the Canada West all-star team as a result of his solid all around performance. Howatson finished the season ranked number one in the CIS in aces/game at .66 and total aces with 41 in conference play. He also finished ninth in the CIS in set assists with 593 in conference play.

A member of this year’s Canadian National FISU team, Howatson finished the season averaging 0.60 kills per game on 102 attacks (.363), 9.74 assists per game, 0.61 aces per game, 1.25 digs per game and 0.72 blocks per game. Howatson holds TWU career records for set assists with 2898, assists per game with 8.97, service aces with 150 service attempts with 926 and service aces per game with 0.46. This season he set TWU single season record for assists per game with 9.74 and set TWU single season record for service aces per game with 0.6. The Victoria, BC native had a season high 60 set assists in 3-2 loss to #1 Alberta on Jan. 28, 06, had a career best 12 digs to go with five blocks and 48 set assists in 3-2 win over #3 Saskatchewan on Feb. 11, 06. He had a career best eight block assists in a 3-0 win over Calgary on Jan. 20, 06, had eight service aces to go with eight digs in 3-0 win over Calgary on Nov. 12, 05. Howatson broke the 40 set assists mark six times this season and finished the season with 847 set assists and 53 service aces.

Josh has played a significant role over the last few years in leading the men’s volleyball program into the National spotlight. Over the past two seasons the Spartans have been ranked number one or two in the CIS national top ten. The 2004-05 CIS silver medalists have had their most successful conference season ever, finishing at 16-4 and head into this years CIS national championship as the number two seed, behind defending CIS national champion Alberta.

2005-06 CIS MEN'S VOLLEYBALL ALL-CANADIANS

First Team

Position                Athlete                 University              Year    Hometown                Faculty

Setter          Brock Davidiuk          Alberta         5       Edmonton, Alta. Business
Left side               Mark Dodds                      Saskatchewan    5       Lucky Lake, Sask.       Kinesiology
Setter          Joshua Howatson         Trinity Western 4       Victoria, B.C.          CHEM
Outside         Patrick Hurtubise               Montreal                5       Drummondville, Que.     Health science
Middle / RS             Chris Meehan            Trinity Western 5       Clearwater, B.C.        BBA
Outside         Niklas Rademacher               Dalhousie               2       Bocholt, Germany        Management
Right side              Ryan Vandenburg         Ryerson         4       Wooler, Ont.            Urban and regional planning

Second Team

Outside         Nicholas Cundy          Alberta                 5       Edmonton, Alta. Arts
Setter          Olivier Faucher         Laval                   2       Plessisville, Que.      Physical education
Middle          Jean-François Grondin   Sherbrooke              3       Sherbrooke, Que.        Education     
Left side               Alexander Jerome                Western         3       Toronto, Ont.           Business
Setter          Devon Miller            Queen’s         3       Barrie, Ont.            Arts & Science
Opposite                Benjamin Schellenberg   Winnipeg                3       Winnipeg, Man.          Arts
Libero          Jeff Weiler                     Dalhousie               4       Scarborough, Ont.       Kinesiology

All-Rookie Team

Middle / Opp.   Ryan DeBruyn            Winnipeg                1       Ottawa, Ont.            Arts
Middle          Kyle Duperron           UBC                     1       Fort St. John, Alta.    Arts
Utility         Oleh Kowalchuk          Ryerson         1       Toronto, Ont.           Public Administration
Left side               Steven Kung                     Toronto         1       Toronto, Ont.           FPEH
Middle          Jonathan Marcoux                Sherbrooke              1       Québec, Que.            Unspecified
Middle          Joel Small                      Brandon         1       Brandon, Man.           B.G.S.
Outside         Tyler Veenhuis          UNB                     1       Upper Stewiacke, N.B.   BBA

-TW-

Last Updated: 2009-02-16
Author: Scott Stewart
Email: ssstew@twu.ca