FRIESEN NAMED PROVIDENCE BASKETBALL COACH
The Providence Pilots new men’s basketball coach is actually a familiar face. Tim
Friesen, who played played basketball at Providence – and at Brandon University – was
head coach of the Otterburne crew between 2003 and 2006. In 2004 and 2005 he led
the small Christian college to the U.S.-based Association of Christian College Athletics
(ACCA) national championships. In 2005, Friesen was named Northern Intercollegiate
Athletic Conference (NIAC) Coach of the Year. Now he’s back, taking over a team
Tim Friesen
reached the semi-finals of the National Christian College Athletic Association regional
tournament in February and won eight of 12 games during the Manitoba Colleges
Athletic Conference (MCAC) regular season. Since 2013 Friesen has been coaching the varsity boys squad at Steinbach
Regional Secondary School, compiling an impressive 45-29 record. He is also a former Director of Athletics (2005-2008)
and Assistant Athletic Director (2003-2005) at Providence.
NATIONAL FIELD LACROSSE CHAMPIONSHIP IN WINNIPEG
For the first time since 2009, the National Field Lacrosse Championships will be held in Winnipeg.
The 2016 U-15 Alumni Cup and the U-18 First Nations Trophy will be awarded at Buhler Park
in Winnipeg during the 2016 Labour Day Long Weekend. “We are thrilled to have the great
opportunity to host such a prestigious national event,” said Joey Lussier, Manitoba Lacrosse
Field Lacrosse
Association’s tournament committee chair who spearheaded the host bid. “We want to provide an
Championships
incredible and positive experience for all participants, team officials and all persons associated in
any way with the tournament.” A 2014 report pegged field lacrosse as the fastest growing high school sport in the United
States. Colleges have followed that trend by racing to include men’s and women’s field lacrosse in the sports they offer to
student athletes. The result is an increased opportunity for Canadians to participate in USA collegiate sports. And, as a
result, officials say there has been significant growth in field lacrosse interest here in Manitoba. (more on page 24)
ROWER EMMA GRAY NAMED TO JR. NATIONAL TEAM
Emma Gray
It’s been an eventful couple of weeks for rower Emma Gray. The 18-year-old Winnipegger
just returned home following two competitions in England: The Reading Regatta, where
she won gold in the senior women’s single sculls, and the prestigious Henley Women’s
Regatta where she took silver in the junior single sculls event. “It was a good time and a nice
introduction to the side-by-side racing style,” she said. “The biggest thing I learned from
that race was that in finals, it’s not a matter of mental toughness or physical ability that I
need to work on – though that can always get better – but rather mental resolve and focus. I can’t wait to get back to
work and apply what I’ve learned.” Rowing Canada has selected Emma for the Canadian Junior National Team. At
August’s World Junior Rowing Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands, Gray and her partner Ivy Elling Quaintance
will compete in the junior women’s double sculls.
WILLIAMS REPS CANADA AT WORLD JUNIOR FOOTBALL
Winnipeg’s Zack Williams is off to China. A 6-foot-6, 280-pound offensive lineman at
the University of Manitoba, Williams was chosen to play for Canada’s 2016 National
Junior Football Team. The National Junior Team will compete at the 2016 International
Federation of American Football U-19 World Championship from June 28 to July 10, in
Zack Williams (61)
Harbin, China. After roughly a full day in the air, Team Canada arrived in China on June
22 to begin training camp in preparation for their opening game against Mexico on June
30. They will then play on July 3, July 7 and July 9 or 10, depending on game results. It’s a double-knockout tournament.
Williams was a star at Murdoch Mackay Collegiate and then he played a season with the junior Winnipeg Rifles before
joining the U of M last season. This past year, he played for Canada’s U-19 team against Team USA at the International
Bowl in Arlington, Tex.
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