Thompson Rivers WolfPack men’s volleyball head coach Pat Hennelly has been named the Canada West Coach of the Year for the first time in his career.

Hennelly, who has been the WolfPack men’s only coach since they joined Canada West in 2005-06, has over 150 regular season wins to his name, along with ten trips to the Canada West playoffs. He also coached the WolfPack at three U SPORTS National Championships, and won a bronze medal in 2007-08.

The 11-13 WolfPack just missed out on playoffs this season, but they beat teams that were ranked in the top five in the conference at the time of their game on five different occasions.

“We are so proud and pleased to see Pat recognized as the Canada West Coach of the Year,” WolfPack Athletic Director Curtis Atkinson said. “Pat’s recognition by conference colleagues is well deserved and speaks volumes to how respected his body of work is this season.”

“Pat’s steady leadership, compassion, work ethic, and ability to support our student-athletes – while still pushing them competitively – was inspirational to watch.”

During his time at TRU, Hennelly has coached 72 U SPORTS Academic All-Canadians, 15 Canada West All-Stars, seven CW Award winners, 12 U SPORTS All-Canadians, and three U SPORTS National Award winners.

Off the court, he helped guide the WolfPack through the aftermath of the Nov. 29 car crash that killed Owyn McInnis and injured Riley Brinnen and Owen Waterhouse.

“I am extremely happy that Pat has been recognized for his leadership and hard work throughout this entire year as well as through what was the most difficult of situations,” WolfPack manager of High Performance Scott Clark added.

⭐️ 𝗠𝗩𝗕 𝗖𝗢𝗔𝗖𝗛 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗬𝗘𝗔𝗥 ⭐️

Showing exceptional leadership through unimaginable tragedy, @GoTRUWolfPack head coach Pat Hennelly has been named the CW Coach of the Year for the first time in his illustrious career. pic.twitter.com/0N0onSeRHS

— Canada West (@CanadaWest) March 7, 2024