Alex Krykewich is running around a backyard at a cookout under the setting sun of a Winnipeg summer night. 

It's the early 2000s and Krykewich is not yet 10 years old. His dad, Mike, whose side he has rarely left, is there. 

So too are the invited adults who — he couldn't have known then — would one day become his mentors and close friends. 

It is also, by the count of stitches in time, not so far removed from the moment of his greatest personal loss. 

"That's one of my earliest memories," he said, "being at a coaches barbecue with the Wesmen, and this was after my mom had passed. So, I went everywhere with my dad, and I remember just running around that backyard as a little kid… and it's such a wholesome memory to think that I've just been a part of these people's lives for so long, and they've been a part of mine."

Yet now, as he prepares to stand in front of his graduating class of 2026 at the University of Winnipeg, Krykewich remembers those moments — fondly and vividly — as ones that ultimately shaped who he became. 

Krykewich, a six-year member of the Wesmen men's volleyball team, was announced on Tuesday as one of three valedictorians for UWinnipeg's 128th Convocation, June 11-12. 

Krykewich's mother Catherine passed away after a battle with cancer in 2009, when Alex was seven years old. He describes a yin-and-yang relationship between his mom and dad that complemented each other perfectly, while also serving to form the world view of their only son. 

"It's really funny because my dad, he's the real fiery one, the emotional one. I think that's where I get a lot of my fire and a lot of my excitement that I carry with me," he said. "But then she was a very calming, down-to-earth, caring person, and I think that's where I kinda get this emotional, soft-spoken part of me that can really relate to people. 

"And I think that's why the two of them making me makes a lot of sense." 

Krykewich was a member of the 2020 Wesmen men's volleyball recruiting class and made his university debut as a freshman in the 2021-22 season. He would go on to earn six academic all-Canadian honours and was named the 2026 Wesmen Keith and Dianne Cooper Award winner for community service, leadership and commitment in the classroom. 

Mike Krykewich has been a steadying presence in Alex's life since Catherine's passing. Alex said they feel her presence in all the big moments — the 2025 Canada West championship run, his high school provincial championship, among others — but also in the moments that don't garner the spotlight. 

"Him and I are at the stage where we can be really emotional and open with each other about it," Alex said. "When I was younger, it was just such a calming presence to have him around and have him be an absolute rock where I could rely on him to ask him anything. Like, questions that you'd ask your dad, questions that you'd ask your mom, they all went to him. And he just did such a great job managing that and always being there for me. And then in those big moments … those are the moments where him and I let it all out and we really think of her and think about all those really great times we had when I was younger. And we both know, it's like an unspoken thing between the two of us that she's there. She's there all the time watching."

Mike Krykewich, the baseball coach and father, has been there for all the moments. And when Alex steps on a stage of a different kind inside the Duckworth Centre this week, dad will be there again, of course. 

"He sacrificed so much that I didn't even realize he was sacrificing," Krykewich said. "And I look back now and just think about all the things he passed up on for himself to put me first. Watching him go through those really difficult things and still be an absolute rock for me and someone I could rely on every day is just unbelievable. 

"I wouldn't be here, I wouldn't be a university athlete, I wouldn't be the person I am today at all without him."

There is also a duality woven in the two coaches Krykewich had while a member of the Wesmen: The stoic, thoughtfulness of Larry McKay, and the youthful effervescence of Chris Voth, who took the head job in 2024 after McKay's retirement after 35 years at the helm. 

"The biggest thing I took away from Larry is that the hard days that you're gonna have, those are the best days to really push yourself," he said. "I have a saying that I say to myself while I'm working out or doing something really difficult, and it's just 'The only way is through.' And that's something that I really felt while I was playing for him, that there's no way to avoid those hard things, and the only way really to get through 'em is to push through them. 

"From Chris, (the lesson) would be just being a really kind person to all your teammates. He's a guy that just makes you really wanna be around him, and I think that's something that we should all kinda strive for in our lives, right? Can we make the people around us feel good about themselves?" 

And with those life lessons in hand — from his mom, his dad, his coaches — when he walks off the stage after his address, Krykewich hopes he has imparted a message of grace and gratitude to his fellow graduates. 

"Just being really gracious. Every day. Can you show gratitude to someone? Can you be thankful for everything you have and the people around you that really support you? 

"That's something that in my time at UW I had such a great experience with, with my fellow students and professors, and then everyone obviously in Wesmen Athletics. Being able to show them a lot of thanks and hopefully encouraging my classmates to do the same in the rest of their lives."

It is perhaps fitting, then, that the space he occupied for so many years — from the kid following his dad, to the student-athlete leading his team — is where he will be able to put the ribbon on his time at UWinnipeg.

"It was just beyond pride. There are just so many great memories that I can't even convey in words. And the best ones weren't even the ones in the gym. It was the ones just with the team, in the team room, maybe out after a game, where you're at someone's house, where you're just making those great memories. The stories that'll live for years after your time. 

"It's the connections I've made with the men's basketball team, women's basketball, women's volleyball, it's just such a large community that I don't think I realized I was a part of prior to this year."

Krykewich realizes 'Wesmen Family' is a thing you say, but it's a thing for a reason. He's been in it for as long as he can remember, and he still relishes the chances to reconnect with all the people whose lives have been interconnected with his. 

"We always exchange a hug and some kind words and talk about like the good old days," he said, "when I was just a little kid running around the Duckworth."