Ryan Marsden of the Olds Broncos has been named the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Men’s Volleyball Coach of the Year.
Marsden was honoured during the 2022 CCAA Men’s Volleyball National Championship, hosted by Cégep Limoilou in Quebec City, QC.
“Ryan has led the Men’s Volleyball program at Olds College to an incredible turnaround,” said Ray Sarkis, CCAA Men’s Volleyball Convenor. “He guides his student-athletes to success by his commitment to empowering and developing great human beings, both on and off the court.”
Marsden guided the Broncos to an 8-0 record in the second semester, as Olds qualified for the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) playoffs for the first time since the 1977-78 season.
Olds finished third in the powerful ACAC South Division with a 10-6 record. It’s been an extraordinary turnaround for the Broncos, who went 0-24 in 2018-19.
Marsden joined Olds in 2018 after a six-year hiatus in the college game. He last coached at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) from 2007-2012, where he led the Trojans to a silver medal at the 2010 CCAA Men’s Volleyball National Championship.
In addition to coaching at the post-secondary level, Marsden has also made a name for himself on the National scene. In 2021, he was named Head Coach of the Junior National team and served as a Head Coach at the Volleyball Canada Centre of Excellence in Calgary, AB.
Previously, Marsden served as an assistant coach with the Senior Men’s National team in 2019 and head coach of the Junior Men’s National team during the summer of 2020.
At Olds, one of Marsden’s objectives is for his student-athletes to represent the institution in such a way that brings immense pride to the College as well as the Men’s Volleyball program. He always sets a higher team GPA than required to compete to ensure that his student-athletes are committed to academics first.
“We are fortunate to have Ryan lead our Men’s Volleyball program,” said Trina Radcliffe, Manager, Athletics at Olds College. “The development of the program over the last four seasons has been incredible and we look forward to seeing Ryan and his student-athletes continue to build a successful program.”
Other nominees for the CCAA Men’s Volleyball Coach of the Year award were Abe Avender of the Vancouver Island University Mariners (Pacific Western Athletic Association), Dale Beausoleil of the Cambrian Golden Shield (Ontario Colleges Athletic Association), Mahdi Gara of the Géants de Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu (Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec) and Henri Mallet of the St. Thomas Tommies (Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association).
The CCAA Men’s Volleyball Coach of the Year recipient receive a customized ring provided by Jostens Canada, the Official Ring Supplier of the CCAA.
Media Contact:
Rodney Wilson / rodney@ccaa.ca
Manager, Communications & Events
