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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.
From Red Deer Minor Baseball Board of Directors
Following many discussions within the Red Deer community, the baseball community, our association members, as well as our board of directors we have made the decision to move forward with rebranding our teams, currently known as the Braves. For our association the Braves name symbolized warrior strength, bravery and resilience, all qualities we were proud to align with; and although the initial moniker of our teams was never intended to carry a derogatory or disrespectful connotation, for some, it has. The topic of our rebrand has been polarizing and arguments both for and against have been passionately presented. We have made the decision to move forward in the direction we feel is best for our association.
In alignment with the membership majority vote, the Red Deer Minor Baseball Board of Directors is excited to announce that we will now be known as the Red Deer Rangers.
The Red Deer Rangers will retain our current navy and crimson colors and will not adopt the colors or logo of the MLB, NHL, or any other Rangers franchise. We are looking forward to forging our own identity and embracing our own look.
As you can appreciate this is a complex initiative that will take time. We will remain the Braves for the 2024 season and aim to have our rebrand complete for the 2025 season.
All participants that submitted the Rangers name during our rebranding poll, will be entered into a draw to receive the first Red Deer Rangers jersey.
We hope you will join us in celebrating this positive endeavor as we create a new inclusive legacy for our association that all can be proud of.
RDMBA Board of Directors
From Red Deer Minor Hockey
The Red Deer Minor Hockey Board of Directors is pleased & honored to announce, after an extensive search, that Lane Moore has accepted the position of General Manager of Red Deer Minor Hockey. Lane will start his new role early in the new year & is very excited about leading our organization into the future as we aim to provide a positive learning and maturing experience for all of our young athletes & coaches in a minor hockey setting.
Lane comes into the role of General Manager with an extensive resume, in both hockey and administration. Lane has led the Bentley school as principal for the last 17 years & was an educator prior to that. On the hockey side, Lane’s passion for coaching & engaging with young athletes, dates back to 2002. His most recent involvement as a coach with Red Deer Minor Hockey saw Lane lead the U17AAA North Star Chiefs for 2 seasons (21-22, 22-23). Prior to his work with Red Deer Minor Hockey Lane served as President of Rimbey Minor Hockey for several seasons.
One of Lane’s biggest strengths is his ability to create highly effective teams by building a common mission & vision & then executing on those through visionary leadership. These attributes shone through during this General Manager search and we are thrilled for Lane to lead this organization now & into the future as we aim to be one of the premier Minor Hockey Associations in the province.
Lane, his wife Kathleen & their three children Easton, Cooper & Lexi call Red Deer home. His son Cooper is the captain of Red Deer U18AAA Optimist Chiefs & his older son Easton is pursuing his hockey career and post-secondary studies in Massachusetts. Please join us in congratulating Lane Moore as the new General Manager of the Red Deer Minor Hockey Commission, welcome Lane!
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