Local Sports
RDC Queens and Kings pick up ACAC Volleyball Awards
Emma Holmes – ACAC Women’s Volleyball South Rookie of the Year
From RDC Communications
Holmes, Domoney and Wandler recognized at 2019 ACAC Women’s Volleyball Awards
Two members of the Red Deer College Queens Volleyball team, along with their coach were honoured at the 2019 Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) Women’s Volleyball Banquet & Award Presentations on Wednesday evening at Canyon Meadows Golf & Country Club in Calgary.
Bachelor of Kinesiology student Emma Holmes received the ACAC Women’s Volleyball South Rookie of the Year and was selected to the ACAC Women’s Volleyball South All-Conference team.
Kaylee Domoney was also named to the South All-Conference team.
Queens Head Coach Chris Wandler was chosen as the 2019 ACAC Women’s Volleyball South Coach of the Year. All three helped guide the Red Deer College Queens (16-8) to second place in the south with 32 points.
Holmes had a tremendous start to her ACAC Volleyball career. In league categories typically dominated by veteran student-athletes, the five-foot-ten player finished tenth with 202 kills and 13thwith 2.38 kills per set. In 24 matches, the first-year student-athlete scored a total of 232 points for the RDC Queens.
Queens Head Coach Chris Wandler is impressed with the outside hitter’s motivation and play in her inaugural year in the ACAC, and sees potential for further development. “Emma has drive and the more she touches the ball the more she thrives,” he says. “For her to finish in the top of the ACAC with a much more experienced group goes to show how much upside Emma has in her game. She has a lot of space to grow her game, which is exciting.”
Domoney has been a steady force for the RDC Queens. The Business Administration Human Resources student finished conference play with a total of 387 digs, the most in the league. The talented third-year from Red Deer averaged 4.35 digs per set, ranking her second in the ACAC.
With perhaps the youngest group in the ACAC, Wandler prepared and developed the Queens into one of the strongest and most winning teams in the league. The Red Deer College Queens won eight of its past ten matches and 15 of the last 18 conference matches.
“With eight first-year student-athletes on the Queens, Chris has worked hard to prepare and develop this young group throughout the ACAC season,” says Diane St-Denis, RDC Athletic Director. “He holds his players to high standards in competition, the classroom and in the community, reflecting the values of Red Deer College and RDC Athletics.”
“Kaylee’s season is a tribute to her hard work and dedication to her craft at the libero position. A constant learner, Kaylee is always processing feedback to make her and her teammates better,” says Wandler. “She’s also a relentless competitor, and prepares herself for each and every week to be at her very best. She is most deserving of this honour.”
Chris Wandler, from Cold Lake, has an extensive coaching resume. He was an assistant to Talbot Walton with the RDC Queens from 2003 to 2012 and then took on a head coaching role with the Olds College Broncos Women’s Volleyball team from 2012 to 2016. He led the Broncos to an ACAC bronze medal in his third year. Then he took over as the head coach for the RDC Queens Volleyball team in 2016-17 and guided them to a pair of ACAC bronze medals in the last two years. In addition, Wandler coached Team Alberta at the Western Canada Summer Games and the Canada Games, earning gold in 2013.
The Red Deer College Queens will compete at the ACAC Women’s Volleyball Championship from February 21 to 23. In their first match, the Queens (16-8) will play the University of Alberta Augustana Vikings (14-10), who finished third in the north. The opening serve will occur on Thursday at 1:00 p.m. in Calgary. Ambrose University is hosting the event.
Fathers and DeWit celebrated at 2019 ACAC Men’s Volleyball Awards
Regan Fathers and Mark DeWit of the Red Deer College Kings were recognized at the 2019 Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) Men’s Volleyball Award Presentations on Wednesday evening at Shaw Theatre in Edmonton.
Regan Fathers was named the ACAC Men’s Volleyball Player of the Year and was selected to the South All- Conference team after a remarkable regular season. Middle Mark DeWit was also named to the ACAC Men’s Volleyball South All-Conference team with solid play. Both gifted student-athletes helped lead the RDC Kings to an 18-6 record, capturing second spot in the south and a position in the ACAC Championship. The Kings finished the season with momentum, achieving a 15-2 record in the last 17 matches.
As the year progressed, the impact of Fathers increased. In RDC’s final two matches of conference play, the Kinesiology student totaled 66 kills, 33 digs, three stuff blocks, two aces and one assist against the previously undefeated Lethbridge College Kodiaks, helping the Kings hand the Kodiaks a pair of defeats, for the first time in 2018-19.
The six-foot-six right side hitter from East Fremantle, Western Australia led ACAC Men’s Volleyball with a total of 435 kills and 5.37 kills per set. Even though he played only 21 matches, he had 69 more kills than Lethbridge College’s Carter Hansen, who was second in the league after 24 matches.
Kings Head Coach Aaron Schulha recognizes the motivation from Fathers to continually improve and make his teammates better. “Regan put up dominating numbers while embracing an increased leadership role this season. He takes individual and team improvement very seriously, and it shows with his ability and willingness to take over matches throughout the season,” he says. “I don’t recall a season over the last several years where a men’s volleyball player has put up those kind of kills numbers in our league. It has been very impressive to watch.”
Fathers is a proven winner and a student-athlete who increases his level of play as the stakes rise. The previous time he played for the Red Deer College Kings in 2016-17, he won ACAC and Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) gold medals. He was selected the Tournament MVP of both events.
Mark DeWit, a second-year student-athlete, had a very strong campaign wearing the crown. The Bachelor of Commerce student finished fourth in the ACAC with 56 total blocks and 0.75 blocks per set. From the middle, the student-athlete from Lacombe accumulated 124 kills over 21 matches, impressively hitting for 49.8 per cent efficiency.
“Mark has been tremendous for us during his first two years. He has started the bulk of his first two seasons and showed steady improvement throughout. He is very dynamic with a quick jump and arm, which are very important to being an effective middle,” says Head Coach Schulha. “He is also a very explosive blocker that moves quickly along the net and has active hands. His recognition as an All-Conference player is very well deserved and we are excited to see how he continues to improve in year three with our program.”
The RDC Kings are in Edmonton for the ACAC Men’s Volleyball Championship from February 21 to 23. In their first match, the Red Deer College Kings (18-6) will play the University of Alberta Augustana Vikings (15-9), who finished third in the north. The opening serve will occur on Thursday at 1:00 p.m. The NAIT Ooks are hosting the event.
Submitted by Tourism Red Deer
Come celebrate with us and congratulate Red Deer’s own Rebecca Smith.
Alberta Sports Hall of Fame and Tourism Red Deer invite you to meet Red Deer’s Summer Olympic Silver Medalist Rebecca Smith!
Rebecca was a part of Team Canada’s 4 x 100-meter freestyle relay swim team at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. She’ll be here to meet, greet, and show off her hardware.
Where: Alberta Sports Hall of Fame, 102-4200 Highway 2, Red Deer
When: Wednesday, August 25, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
City of Red Deer
Access to Dawe Centre pool and community centre affected by expansion project – Details
Limited access to G.H. Dawe Community Centre this summer due to construction
As announced yesterday, City recreation centres are opening fully to the public as of July 1. With construction underway at the G.H. Dawe Community Centre, only limited services and areas will be available.
Here’s what you need to know:
- Starting July 2, fitness and gym areas will open from 10 a.m. – 8 p.m., daily. In July, summer day camps that normally operate from the Dawe will operate from other facilities.
- The pool will remain closed until September.
- To accommodate interior heating and ventilation construction, the facility will fully close from July 26 to August 31. Some registered preschool and summer camp programming may proceed, but no rental or general admission options will be available.
- On September 1, we anticipate the pool will be open, but some other amenities, like the gym, may not be available. More information will be provided as construction progresses.
- Playing surfaces in the arena will not be available until construction is complete, which is expected to be early 2023.
We are currently offering a discounted monthly Value Pass for $27 for adults ($24.50 for seniors; $21.90 for students; $19.30 for youth; $14.20 for children, and $60.50 for a family. It provides unlimited access to all facilities. As of August the Value Pass will only provide access to the Recreation Centre and Michener Aquatic Centre; however, access to the Dawe will be included in the Value pass until the pool, gym and fitness areas are open.
About the G.H. Dawe Community Centre Project
Work is underway now on the G.H. Dawe Community Centre Project and some exciting changes are in store. We expect to welcome visitors to the transformed space in early 2023. Here’s just some of what you can expect:
- Two NHL standard playing surfaces
- Expanded fitness areas, including a running track
- Outdoor spray park with washroom facilities
- Improved accessibility
- Additional north entrance + site access from 67 Street
- Additional parking
During construction, there will be some changes and impacts to existing amenities and programs, and we’ll do you best to share this information in advance. Thanks for your patience as we complete this work.
For more information about the project, please visit reddeer.ca/DaweProject.
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