Trinity Western Spartans
The Trinity Western Spartans are the athletic teams that represent Trinity Western University in Langley, British Columbia. The university's teams are members of U Sports,[1] and compete in the Canada West Universities Athletics Association,[2] and where applicable, in the Pacific division.
| Trinity Western Spartans | |
|---|---|
 | |
| University | Trinity Western University |
| Association | U Sports |
| Conference | Canada West |
| Athletic director | Jeff Gamache |
| Location | Langley, British Columbia |
| Varsity teams | 14 |
| Arena | Langley Events Centre |
| Soccer stadium | Chase Office Field |
| Mascot | Sparty |
| Nickname | Spartans |
| Fight song | "The Spartan Song" |
| Colours | Blue and Gold |
| Website | gospartans |
Since joining Canada West and U Sports in 1999, the Spartans have captured 12 U Sports team championships and 29 Canada West team championships. The Spartans men's volleyball team has won six national championships, while the women's soccer team have won five and the women's volleyball team has won one. The men's volleyball team has won 12 U Sports medals, followed by the women's soccer team, who has nine; the women's volleyball team, who has five; the men's soccer team, who has four; the women's cross country team, who has three; the women's track and field team, who has two; and the men's basketball and men's cross country teams, who each have one.
The Spartans are known for their spirited fans, who have earned the title of "The Spartan Faithful".[3]
Varsity sports
Men's basketball
The Trinity Western University men's basketball program made its U Sports[1] (then CIAU) debut in the 1999-2000 season. Competing in the Canada West[2] conference, the Spartans have won three Canada West medals, winning bronze in 2003, 2009, and most recently in 2011. The 2011 season proved to be the most successful in program history, as head coach Scott Allen led the Spartans to their first U Sports men's basketball championship tournament in Halifax, N.S., upsetting the number 1-seeded UBC Thunderbirds in the semi-finals to advance to the national final. The Spartans settled for a program-best silver medal after falling to the Carleton Ravens in the championship game. The Spartans men's basketball program has had one U Sports major award winner, with Jacob Doerksen winning the Mike Moser Memorial Trophy[4] as the U Sports Men's Basketball Player of the Year in 2008-09. Since 2019, the Spartans have been led by Head Coach Trevor Pridie.
Women's basketball
The Spartans women's basketball team has competed in the Canada West[2] conference since joining the league for the 1999-2000 season. The program earned a playoff berth in its very first year in Canada West, but it took until 2015-16 before the Spartans won their first-ever playoff game, beating the Victoria Vikes in Game 2 (84-79) of a best-of-three series. The following year, 2016–17, the Spartans won their first-ever playoff series, beating the Brandon Bobcats in a best-of-three first round series (2-1). In 2017-18, the Spartans advanced to their first-ever Canada West semi-final series, eventually settling for fourth place in the conference playoffs. Since 2010, the Spartans have been led by Head Coach Cheryl Jean-Paul, who won her first Canada West Coach of the Year award in 2017-18.[5]
Men's cross country
The Spartans men's cross country team has competed, in its most recent iteration, in the Canada West[2] conference since 2010. The Spartans also had a varsity cross country team from 1999 to 2003. The Spartans are led by Shane Wiebe, Director and Head Coach of Track and Field and Cross Country, who took over the program in 2018.[6] The Men's Cross Country program saw its greatest team success in the latter years of the 2010s, achieving the program's only U Sports team medal (silver in 2016) and five Canada West team medals since 2012. The program's first-ever Canada West team championship came in 2016, now accompanying their three Canada West silver medals (2013, 2014 and 2015) and a Canada West bronze (2017). Individually, the men's program has achieved one U Sports medal and six Canada West medals. In 2014, TWU student-athlete Mihai Prajea won the program's first U Sports major award, the U Sport Student-Athlete Community Service Award.[7]
Women's cross country
The Spartans women's cross country team has competed, in its most recent iteration, in the Canada West[2] conference since 2010. The Spartans also had a varsity cross country team from 1999 to 2003. The Spartans are led by Shane Wiebe, Director and Head Coach of Track and Field and Cross Country, who took over the program in 2018.[6] The women's program has earned three U Sports team medals in their history, winning silver in 2014 and 2015, and a bronze in 2016. The programmed has excelled in Canada West competition, winning gold four times (2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016), silver once (2019), and bronze once (2017). Individually, the program achieved its first-ever and only U Sports medal in 2015, when Sarah Inglis captured gold at the national championships.[8] TWU has captured 11 Canada West medals, including a stretch of six years when the Spartans won the conference's individual title fives times (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2017). The women's team also has won two Canada West silver medals (2014 and 2016), and four Canada West bronze medals (2000, 2015, 2016 and 2019). In 2015, the women's program won its first two U Sports major awards, with Sarah Inglis and Mark Bomba winning the U Sports Athlete of the Year[9] and U Sports Coach of the Year awards,[9] respectively.
Men's hockey
The Trinity Western Spartans men's hockey program was voted in to join Canada West[2] and U Sports[1] in 2019[10] and is set to begin Canada West competition in 2020-2021. Prior to joining U Sports, the men's hockey program competed in the BCIHL (British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League) since 2006-07. During their BCIHL tenure, the Spartans captured 2 BCIHL Championships in 2018 and 2019. The Spartans have been led by Head Coach Barret Kropf since 2013.
Women's hockey
The Spartans women's hockey program is set to begin Canada West[2] competition in 2020-2021. The TWU women's hockey team came under the Spartans umbrella in 2018, competing in the South Coast Women's Hockey League as a non-varsity team before entering Canada West and U Sports. TWU announced Coach Jean LaForest took over as the program's head coach in 2019.
Men's rugby
Men's rugby at Trinity Western University joined as an official varsity program in 2019. Andrew Evans has served as the Director of Rugby and Head Coach since the program's relaunch.[11] In its first season under Evans, 2019–20, the 15s team posted a 4-2 overall record, which saw TWU beat UBC Okanagan (43-20) in the first game of the latest iteration of the program. The team also won the Shield Championship at the West Coast 7s Treasure Island in San Francisco and finished fourth at the Western Canadian 7s Championship. Prior to its return as a varsity team, there was previously a men's rugby program at TWU from 1988 to 2004, with the team competing at a varsity level from 1996 to 2004.
Women's rugby
Women's rugby sevens at Trinity Western University joined as an official varsity program in 2019. Julia Sugawara joined as the Head Coach prior to the launch of the sevens side, with Andrew Evans serving as the Director of Rugby. In its first season, 2020, the Spartans finished sixth overall on the eight-team Canada West 7s Series. The team currently includes internationally capped star Tausani Levale, who has represented Canada with both the 7s and 15s teams.
Men's soccer
The men's soccer program at Trinity Western University joined Canada West[2] competition in 2001. Prior to joining Canada West and U Sports, the program competed in the BCCAA (British Columbia Colleges’ Athletic Association), which is now the PACWEST (Pacific Western Athletic Association). The program began Canada West competition with Al Alderson as the head coach, serving until 2008, and winning the Canada West Coach of the Year award in 2003.[12] Under Alderson, the program won three U Sports medals, including silver medals in 2006 and 2008 and bronze in 2009. The program also earned three straight Canada West gold medals, in 2005, 2006 and 2007. Under first-year coach Pat Rohla, the team also captured a U Sports bronze medal in 2009. In total, the program has earned four U Sports medals, and nine Canada West medals, most recently in 2018, when they captured a Canada West silver medal, which earned the team its first trip to the national championship tournament since 2009. The Spartans are currently led by Head Coach Mike Shearon, who assumed head coaching duties in 2016 after the retirement of Pat Rohla. Under Shearon, the program has earned three Canada West medals (silver in 2017 and 2018, and a bronze in 2016), and a fourth-place result at the 2018 U Sports Championship, which included an upset quarter-final win over No. 1-seeded York. The program has had two major award winners in its history with Paul Hamilton and Nick Perugini winning the U Sports Player of the Year award (Joe Johnston Memorial Trophy) in 2009[13][14] and 2007,[15] respectively.
Women's soccer
The women's soccer program has seen extended success since joining Canada West[2] and U Sports[1] in 2001. The Spartans have been led by Head Coach Graham Roxburgh since 1999, who coached TWU for two years in the BCCAA before entering U Sports competition. Under Roxburgh, the Spartans have won a total of five national championships (2004, 2008, 2009, 2012 and 2013) and eight Canada West championships (2004, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2017 and 2018). In total, the program has won nine U Sports medals and 15 Canada West medals. Roxburgh has won the U Sports Coach of the Year award once in 2011,[16] and the Canada West Coach of the Year award four times (2009, 2011, 2014 and 2016). When the women's soccer team won the 2004 national championship, the victory marked Trinity Western University's first U Sports Championship. Individually, members of the Spartans women's soccer program have earned multiple individual U Sports awards. This includes three U Sports Player of the Year awards (Chantal Navert Memorial Award) in 2014 (Jessica King),[17] 2018 (Seina Kashima),[18] and 2019 (Jenaya Robertson),[19] and three U Sports Rookie of the Year awards in 2008 (Nikki Wright),[20] 2009 (Alicia Tesan),[14] and 2015 (Rachel Hutchinson).[21]
Men's track and field
Spartans men's track and field has competed in the Canada West[2] conference, in its most recent iteration, since 2010. The Spartans also had a varsity track and field team from 1999 to 2003. The Spartans are led by Shane Wiebe, Director and Head Coach of Track and Field and Cross Country, who took over the program in 2018.[6] The program has won five Canada West team medals in its history, including a gold medal in 2017, a silver medal in 2014, and three bronze medals, in 2015, 2018 and 2020. The program has won 13 individual U Sports medals and 56 individual Canada West medals. Nathan George captured the school's first-ever U Sports gold medal in 2016, winning the 300m.[22]
Women's track and field
Spartans women's track and field has competed in the Canada West[2] conference, in its most recent iteration, since 2010. The Spartans also had a varsity track and field team from 1999 to 2003. The Spartans are led by Shane Wiebe, Director and Head Coach of Track and Field and Cross Country, who took over the program in 2018.[6] The women's program has won two U Sports team medals, and two Canada West Team medals, which includes U Sports silver in 2015 and bronze in 2014, and Canada West gold in both 2014 and 2015. The Spartans women's program has won 25 individual U Sports medals, and 73 individual Canada West medals. Laura Wilson won the program's first-ever U Sports gold medal in 2001 when she won the 60m.[23] Since then, TWU has won 11 more individual national titles, with Emma Nuttall and Regan Yee leading the way, with each earning three national championship gold medals.[24][25]
Men's volleyball
The men's volleyball program at TWU began Canada West and U Sports competition in the 1999–00 season.[2] During the 2005-2006 season, the Spartans captured the program's first-ever national championship under then head coach, Ron Pike.[26] In 2007, Ben Josephson took over head coaching duties, and has led the program to five more national titles, winning in 2011, 2012, 2016, 2017 and 2019. The program has won the Canada West championship six times, taking the conference title in 2007, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2020. Josephson has been named U Sports Coach of the Year three times during his tenure (2011, 2014 and 2020).[27] The program has produced six U Sports Player of the Year award winners, including Eric Loeppky (2019–20),[28] Adam Schriemer (2016–17),[29] Ryan Sclater (2016–17),[30] Nick Del Bianco (2014–15),[31] Ben Ball (2011–12)[32] and Josh Howatson (2006–07).[33] The Spartans have also had three winners of the U Sports Rookie of the Year award, including Chris Meehan (2001–02),[34] Adam Schriemer (2013–14)[35] and Eric Loeppky (2016–17).[36]
Women's volleyball
The TWU women's volleyball program joined the Canada West conference and U Sports competition for the 1999–2000 season.[2] The program captured its first U Sports medal in 2010–11, winning bronze. The program would go on to win its first U Sports championship in 2014–15.[37] That season, the program won their first of four Canada West championships, going on to win the conference crown in 2014–15, 2015–16, 2018–19 and 2019–20. Coach Ryan Hofer has led the program since 2006, being named U Sports Coach of the Year once in his career in 2010–11.[38] Individually, the program has produced three Therese Quigley Award winners (Outstanding Student-Athlete) with Rhonda Schmuland winning in 2005–06,[39] and Saralyn Stel winning in 2007–08.[40]
National Championships
Since 1999, the TWU Spartans have won 12 national championships in three sports and have medaled 37 times in eight sports.
| Program | Total | Championship Years |
|---|---|---|
| TWU Men's Volleyball | 6 | 2006, 2011, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2019 |
| TWU Women's Soccer | 5 | 2004, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013 |
| TWU Women's Volleyball | 1 | 2015 |
Canada West Championships
Since 1999, the TWU Spartans have won 29 Canada West Championships in eight sports and have medaled 70 times in nine sports.
| Program | Total | Championship Years |
|---|---|---|
| TWU Women's Soccer | 8 | 2004, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2017, 2018 |
| TWU Men's Volleyball | 6 | 2007, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020 |
| TWU Women's Volleyball | 4 | 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020 |
| TWU Women's Cross Country | 4 | 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 |
| TWU Men's Soccer | 3 | 2005, 2006, 2007 |
| TWU Women's Track and Field | 2 | 2014, 2015 |
| TWU Men's Track and Field | 1 | 2017 |
| TWU Men's Cross Country | 1 | 2016 |
Lieutenant Governor Athletic Award winners
Athletes from Trinity Western University have been nominated on five separate occasions for the Lieutenant Governor Athletic Award (formerly known as the BLG Award), which is given annually to top male and female athletes across all Canadian universities. Chris Meehan (MVB) was nominated in 2005-2006,[41] Josh Howatson (MVB) was nominated in 2006-07,[41] Ben Ball (MVB) was nominated in 2011-2012,[41] Jessica King (WSOC) was nominated in 2014-15,[41] and Ryan Sclater (MVB) was nominated in 2016-17.[41] Howatson went on to win the award as the top Male Athlete in Canada in 2006-07.[42]
Athletic facilities
The Spartans compete at three main venues: The Langley Events Centre, Chase Office Field and the David E. Enarson Gymnasium. The Langley Events Centre, a multi-purpose facility in the Township of Langley is the home of TWU's basketball, hockey, rugby and volleyball teams. Chase Office Field is the on-campus home of TWU's soccer programs. The David E. Enarson Gymnasium is the former home of the indoor sports programs, and occasionally hosts preseason or Canada West conference games for TWU's basketball and volleyball teams. The Spartans have hosted the National Championships on three occasions in two sports. Chase Office Field (then Rogers Field) hosted the CIS (now U Sports) Women's Soccer Championship in 2008 and the CIS (now U Sports) Men's Soccer Championship in 2009. TWU also hosted the CIS (now U Sports) Men's Volleyball Championship in 2011. In both 2008, in women's soccer, and in 2011, in men's volleyball, the Spartans won the national championship in front of their home crowd. In 2009, the Spartans men's soccer team won bronze when hosting the national tournament.
Complete Champion Award winners
Spartan Athletics is focused on developing Complete Champions through the Complete Champion Approach (CCA). The CCA helps Spartan student-athletes become Champions in all areas of their lives by focusing on whole person development. As such, since 2003-2004, the Spartans Athletic department distributes a prestigious annual award, the Complete Champion Award, to male and female athletes who exemplify what it means to be a Complete Champion.
| Season | Female CCA Award Winners | Male CCA Award Winners |
|---|---|---|
| 2003-2004 | Lies Verhoeff (WVB) | Chris Meehan (MVB) |
| 2004-2005 | Kristi Haukeland (WSOC) | Jaben Schalk (MVB) |
| 2005-2006 | Rhonda Schmuland (WVB)
Angela Trauter (WSOC) |
Paul Ballard (MSOC)
Chris Meehan (MVB) |
| 2006-2007 | None awarded | Josh Howatson (MVB)
Jeff Stel (MVB) |
| 2007-2008 | Saralyn Stel (WVB)
Whitney Agassiz (WSOC) Erin-Marie Higgins (WSOC) |
None awarded |
| 2008-2009 | Dayna Jansen Van Doorn (WVB)
Dana DuMerton (WSOC) |
Chaim Schalk (MVB) |
| 2009-2010 | Kara Jansen Van Doorn (WVB)
Becca Ferguson (WSOC) |
Josh Doornenbal (MVB)
Jacob Doerksen (MBB) |
| 2011-2012 | Melissa Mobilio (WSOC)
Daniela Gerig (WSOC) |
Marc Howatson (MVB)
Rudy Verhoeff (MVB) |
| 2012-2013 | None Awarded | Jarrod Offereins (MVB) |
| 2013-2014 | Natalie Boyd (WSOC)
Colleen Webber (WSOC) |
Lucas Van Berkel (MVB) |
| 2014-2015 | Kristen Santema (WSOC)
Alison Jackson (WTF/XC) Fiona Benson (WTF/XC) |
None Awarded |
| 2015-2016 | Allessandra Oliverio (WSOC) | Tyler Koslowsky (MVB) |
| 2016-2017 | Ally Williamson (WSOC)
Steph Chin (WSOC) Elly Wendel (WVB) Luca Schmidt (WBB) |
Scott Plocktis (MVB)
Ryan Sclater (MVB) Silas Matthys (MHOC) |
| 2017-2018 | Katie Devaney (WVB) | Dirk De Waal (MHOC)
Stefan Gonzales (MHOC) David Boyd (MTF) |
| 2018-2019 | Amay Gartke (WSOC)
Tessa Ratzlaff (WBB) Sarah Buckingham (WBB) Mirelle Martens (WTF/XC) Madison Evans (WTF) |
Carter Bergen (MVB)
Aaron Boettcher (MVB) Kaleb Denham (MHOC) |
| 2019-2020 | Jenaya Robertson (WSOC)
Mowa Adeleye (WTF)
|
Jacob Kern (MVB)
Pearson Eshenko (MVB) Eric Loeppky (MVB) Nicolas Colyn (MTF/XC) |
Fight song
Here we go, Here we go, Here we go,
Team Spartan, we’re the Best,
We all know
We’re the Team,
We’re Supreme,
Number One
And we love you,
Team Spartan!
Oy! Oy! Oy!
Alumni
- Elijah Adekugbe – professional soccer player
- Paul Hamilton – professional soccer player
- Josh Howatson – professional volleyball player, Canadian Men's National Team
- Alison Jackson – professional cyclist
- Steven Marshall - professional volleyball player, Canadian Men's National Team, 2016 Olympian
- Emma Nuttall - British track and field athlete
- Lauren O'Reilly – professional volleyball player, Canadian Women's National Team
- Chaim Schalk – professional beach volleyball player, 2016 Olympian
- Adam Schriemer – professional volleyball player
- Ryan Sclater – professional volleyball player, Canadian Men's National Team
- Lucas Van Berkel – professional volleyball player, Canadian Men's National Team
- Daniel Jansen Van Doorn - professional volleyball player, Canadian Men's National Team, 2016 Olympian
- Rudy Verhoeff - professional volleyball player, Canadian Men's National Team, 2016 Olympian
- Joel Waterman – professional soccer player
- Regan Yee - Canadian track and field athlete
Media
Spartan Canada West Universities Athletic Association games can be seen live on www.Canadawest.tv.
References
- "U Sports".
- "Canada West".
- Stewart, Scott (October 26, 2008). "HOME OF THE FAITHFUL - THE LEGEND CONTINUES".
- "U Sports Sport Awards". usports.ca.
- Ahuja, Gary (March 2, 2018). "Spartans bench boss wins coach of the year". Langley Advance Times.
- "TWU SPARTANS HIRE SHANE WIEBE AS T&F AND XC DIRECTOR AND HEAD COACH". Independent Sports News. June 19, 2018.
- "PRAJEA HONOURED WITH CIS COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD". Independent Sports News. November 9, 2014.
- "Another race, another gold for Inglis". Langley Advance Times. November 19, 2015.
- "INGLIS WINS SPARTANS FIRST EVER CIS CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP". GoSpartans.ca.
- "Historic Moment for Trinity Western University". Independent Sports News. May 9, 2019.
- Tsumura, Howard (May 19, 2019). "A Sunday Read: After a coast-to-coast journey, why Trinity Western's Andrew Evans made Sparta his home, sweet rugby home". Varsity Letters.
- Stewart, Scott (March 5, 2009). "ALDERSON RESIGNS AFTER 17 SEASONS". twu.ca/athletics.
- Stewart, Scott (November 6, 2009). "TWU'S PAUL HAMILTON WINS PLAYER OF THE YEAR". twu.ca/athletics.
- "Pair of TWU Spartans nab top CIS soccer awards". November 11, 2009.
- Stewart, Scott (November 7, 2007). "TRINITY WESTERN'S PERUGINI NAMED PLAYER OF THE YEAR". twu.ca/athletics.
- "GRAHAM ROXBURGH NAMED U SPORTS COACH OF THE YEAR". twu.ca. November 17, 2011.
- "Jessica King CIS Player of the Year". Independent Sports News. November 4, 2014.
- U Sports Staff (November 7, 2018). "Trinity Western's Kashima headlines U SPORTS women's soccer major award winners". Usports.ca.
- U Sports Staff (November 6, 2019). "Trinity Western's Robertson headlines U SPORTS women's soccer major award winners". Usports.ca.
- Stewart, Scott (November 5, 2008). "NIKKI WRIGHT NAMED CIS ROOKIE OF THE YEAR". twu.ca/athletics.
- "TWU's Hutchinson named CIS women's soccer rookie of the year". Canadawest.org. November 11, 2011.
- "Three gold for TWU at track and field nationals". Langley Advance Times. March 16, 2016.
- Janzen, Mark (Fall 2011). "FAST OUT OF THE BLOCKS". Trinity Western Magazine.
- "TWU track and field: Gold, bronze for Spartans at nationals". BC Local News. March 16, 2012.
- Ahuja, Gary (March 4, 2018). "Double gold for Langley's Yee". The Interior News.
- Stewart, Scott (March 5, 2006). "MAR 5 COMPLETE – CHAMPIONS!". twu.ca/athletics.
- "LOEPPKY NAMED CW PLAYER OF THE YEAR, JOSEPHSON COACH OF THE YEAR". Gospartans.ca. March 11, 2020.
- U Sports Staff (March 11, 2020). "Trinity Western's Loeppky headlines U SPORTS men's volleyball major award winners". Usports.ca.
- U Sports Staff (March 15, 2018). "Trinity Western's Schriemer headlines U SPORTS men's volleyball major award winners". Usports.ca.
- U Sports Staff (March 16, 2017). "U SPORTS Men's Volleyball: Trinity Western's Sclater named Player of the Year". Usports.ca.
- "2014-15 CIS Men's Volleyball Awards and All-Canadians". Usports.ca.
- "Trinity Western's Ball named player of the year". Usports.ca. March 1, 2012.
- Stewart, Scott (March 1, 2007). "TRINITY WESTERN'S HOWATSON NAMED PLAYER OF THE YEAR". twu.ca/athletics.
- "Past Awards". Usports.ca.
- "TWU's Josephson, Schriemer honoured with national awards". Langley Advance Times. February 27, 2014.
- "TWU SPARTANS SCLATER NAMED U SPORTS PLAYER OF THE YEAR, LOEPPKY ROOKIE OF THE YEAR". Independent Sports News. March 16, 2017.
- Tsumura, Howard (March 1, 2015). "Rally-ready TWU Spartans come back again, top Pandas for first-ever CIS women's volleyball title". The Province.
- "TWU's Hofer named top coach". Langley Advance Times. March 3, 2011.
- Stewart, Scott (March 1, 2006). "TWU'S RHONDA SCHMULAND CLAIMS THÉRÈSE QUIGLEY AWARD". twu.ca/athletics.
- Stewart, Scott (February 28, 2008). "SARALYN STEL WINS THÉRÈSE QUIGLEY AWARD-CIS HONOURS FIFTH YEAR SPARTAN WITH OUTSTANDING STUDENT-ATHLETE AWARD". twu.ca/athletics.
- "BLG Awards - Canada West". Canada West.
- "Past BLG Award Winners". Usports.ca.
