BRANDON — Three Winnipeg Wesmen were recognized with national honours and two of them were named winners of major awards Thursday at the U Sports All-Canadian Awards Banquet.

Redshirt freshman Easton Dick was named the national rookie of the year, while first-year head coach Chris Voth took home the coach of the year honours, marking the first time since 1992-93 the Wesmen took home two major awards from the annual banquet.

That year, Larry McKay was named coach of the year and Rob Olfert was named national player of the year.

And then on Thursday, Isaiah Olfert was named a first-team all-Canadian just like his father was 32 years earlier. Olfert earned his second all-Canadian honour and became the first Wesmen first-team all-U Sports since Daniel Thiessen in 2021-22. 
 
Dick had a breakout year as he was handed starting duties in 2024 after redshirting in 2023-24.
 
He appeared in all 20 conference matches with 93 kills and a .352 attack percentage. He also added 52 total blocks and a team-leading 12 solos, which ranked sixth in Canada West and tops among freshmen.

Dick registered 19 kills and nine total blocks in his first three career Canada West conference matches and hit .382 in that stretch. 

The freshman hit everything but a rookie wall, maintaining his status as a key piece in Winnipeg's memorable season and throughout a long playoff run in which he hit .422 in four post-season Wesmen wins.
 
"We are incredibly proud of how Easton stepped up this year," Voth said. "After redshirting the previous season, he was thrust into a key role on the team and has excelled. He displays humility with a strong work ethic, mixing in focus and humour, and he consistently brings energy and intensity to every moment."
 
Voth, meanwhile, led the team to its finest record in nearly 30 years and its first No. 1 seed in Canada West program history. 

The Wesmen took quickly to their new coach, winning all eight non-conference matches to start the season before beginning the Canada West season with 10 straight victories. 

Winnipeg finished the season 17-3 marking the program's best win percentage since going 16-2 in the 1997-98 season. Since the Canada West changed to a one-division format in 2002, it was the first time the Wesmen have finished first in the standings.

In addition, Voth's team was among the leaders in most offensive and defensive categories in the Canada West: The Wesmen were fourth in kills per set (12.14), fourth in attack percentage (.280) and fourth in digs per set (9.50). 

"His coaching philosophy really resonates with the team, and he's been able to earn a lot of trust in a short amount of time," UWinnipeg athletic director Cara Isaak said. "We're pretty lucky that he's leading this program and I'm honoured to work with him every day."

Olfert remained a catalyst on a well-rounded Wesmen team that went 17-3 in conference play and earned the Canada West No. 1 seed in the post-season. He appeared in all 20 conference matches and finished second in the country in kills (317) and fourth in kills per set (4.23), which was a career-high. 

He also ranked third in Canada in aces (36) and tallied 97 digs, which was third on the team.