The University of Winnipeg Wesmen are pleased to launch the 56th edition of the longest-running holiday sports tradition in the city.
The Wesmen Classic will return to the Duckworth Centre Dec. 28-30 and will, for the second time in its existence, feature men's volleyball.
Eight teams from around Canada — representing all three U Sports conferences — will be in attendance to once again making the Classic a truly nationwide affair. This year, the tournament will have be an East-West Showdown with four teams from the Canada West and a combined four teams from the OUA and RSEQ.
In addition to three local teams — Winnipeg, Brandon and Manitoba — the UBC-Okanagan Heat will make the trip from Kelowna, B.C., to round out the West Pool. In the East Pool, the Guelph Gryphons of the OUA are joined by the Laval Rouge et Or, UNB Reds and Dalhousie Tigers of the RSEQ.
Men's volleyball made its debut in the Classic in 2017, the first year of a revised format established to feature all four of UWinnipeg's court sports.
Tournament passes will sell for $30, which will get the ticket-holder into every match over three days. A day pass will sell for $15 and non-UWinnipeg students under 18 can get a daily ticket for $10. UWinnipeg students, as with all Wesmen events at the Duckworth Centre, get in free.
The Wesmen, winners of two of their last three Canada West conference matches enter the tournament ranked No. 5 in the latest U Sports poll released Dec. 5.
Wesmen to add three new names to Ring of Honour
Every year since 2018, Wesmen Athletics has inducted esteemed alumni into its Wesmen Ring of Honour and this year we are pleased to announce three new members.
Clarence (Wezer) Bridle, David Unruh and Dennis Nord will be the first official class of men's volleyball inductees into the Ring.
Both Bridle and Nord have standing as patriarchs of Wesmen Volleyball. Bridle was the first coach in the program's history and he, with Nord as captain, led the Wesmen to their first national title in 1968-69. Nord would later go on to coach the Wesmen as the team built its first dynasty with four straight national titles from 1970 to 1974.
Bridle, meanwhile, would go on to become a respected referee who worked numerous international events, including the 1976 Olympics. Both men were foundational in the success of volleyball in this province.
Unruh, meanwhile, had success as a player and a coach, and is recognized for his work on the sidelines, taking the Wesmen to back-to-back national titles in 1986 and 1987 and being named the CIAU coach of the year in 1986.
POOLS
West Pool
Winnipeg
Brandon
Manitoba
UBC-Okanagan
East Pool
Guelph
Laval
UNB
Dalhousie
SCHEDULE
DECEMBER 28
10 a.m.
Manitoba vs New Brunswick
UBCO vs Dalhousie
Noon
Winnipeg vs Guelph
Brandon vs Laval
5 p.m.
Manitoba vs Guelph
UBCO vs Laval
7 p.m.
Winnipeg vs UNB
Brandon vs Dalhousie
DECEMBER 29
All matches Centre Court
Noon
Brandon vs Guelph
2 p.m.
UBCO vs New Brunswick
4:30 p.m.
Manitoba vs Dalhousie
7 p.m.
Winnipeg vs Laval
DECEMBER 30
All matches Centre Court
11 a.m.
Brandon vs New Brunswick
1 p.m.
UBCO vs Guelph
4:30 p.m.
Manitoba vs Laval
7 p.m.
Winnipeg vs Dalhousie
