NAME: Wesmen
UNIVERSITY: Winnipeg
CATEGORY: Team
SPORT: Men’s Volleyball
YEARS ACTIVE: 1970-1974
HIGHLIGHTS:
Four consecutive national championships from 1971 to 1974
1974 Canadian senior men’s champions
Inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame
BIOGRAPHY:
The University of Winnipeg men’s volleyball team of the early 70s became the school’s first sports dynasty when it reeled off four consecutive CIAU gold medals.
The Wesmen captured national championships in 1971, 1972, 1973, and 1974, beating Western, Montreal, Laurentian, and York respectively for national gold. They rolled to the first two titles without losing a set at the CIAU tournament.
Winnipeg proved itself as one of the premier men’s volleyball powerhouses not only in Canada, but in North America in 1973 when they went 6-2 against NCAA opponents at a 1973 tournament in Los Angeles. There, the Wesmen knocked off the hometown UCLA Bruins, who at the time were unbeaten and the top-ranked team in the NCAA.
The Wesmen were led by head coach Jerry Ilchyna in the 1970-71 season, before Glen Conly took the reigns in 1971-72, guiding Winnipeg to their next three national titles.
In 1974, the Wesmen also won the Canadian senior men’s championship. That Wesmen team included five student-athletes, Ed Alexiuk, Don Michalski, John Paulsen, Larry Plenert, and Garth Pischke, who would go on to start for the Canadian men’s volleyball team at the 1976 Olympic Summer Games in Montreal.
The 1971-74 University of Winnipeg men’s volleyball teams are enshrined in the Manitoba Volleyball Hall of Fame and the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame.
TEAM - Bob Syko, Ed Alexiuk, Charlie Dickson, Rusty Rischuk, Gary Gerylo, Keith Doan, Barry Gros, John Paulsen, Robert Boyle, Tom McCormack, Bob Harrison, Keith Wasylik, Terry Braun, Randy Lawson, Bob Urquhart, Larry Kich, Ron Hinkewich, Cliff Bell, John Paulson, Gord Howard, Larry Plenert, Dave Leonhardt, Don Michalski, Dan Paulsen, Garth Pischke, Boris Tyzuk, Bruce Wasylik, Jim Matthews, Charly Bridle, Jerry Ilchyna (head coach), Dr Glen Conly (head coach), Dennis Nord (assistant coach), Larry Kich (assistant coach), Jerry Kolt (manager), Dave Wilkinson (manager)