A pair of Winnipeg Wesmen have been honoured with major men's volleyball awards by the Canada West conference.

Redshirt freshman Easton Dick was named the conference's Rookie of the year, and first-year head coach Chris Voth was named the Canada West coach of the year, the conference announced Wednesday with its annual unveiling of the top individual accolades. 

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.

In his first playoff action, he totalled 11 kills and nine block assists in a quarter-final sweep of Manitoba last week. 

"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. 

Voth, who took over for legendary Winnipeg coach Larry McKay last summer, had his team among the leaders in Canada West in offensive and defensive categories: The Wesmen were fourth in kills per set (12.14), fourth in attack percentage (.280) and fourth in digs per set (9.50).

"In games, his analysis and management are exceptional, but I think his gifts for strategy and preparation that set him apart," Wesmen athletic director Cara Isaak said. "He works at such an incredibly high level every single day, but he's able to distill down really complex ideas or statistical analysis in a way that's accessible and empowering to the student-athletes. The team culture he's been able to implement in just over six months is impressive - including focuses on mental preparation, adaptability, and resilience that usually take years to develop. 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. We're pretty lucky that he's leading this program and I'm honoured to work with him every day."