HAMILTON – Following an outstanding first season with the Heat, UBC Okanagan men's volleyball player Seba Manuel was named to the U SPORTS All-Rookie team on Thursday night at the All-Canadian Awards Ceremony in Hamilton, the host city of the 2023 U SPORTS Men's Volleyball Championship, presented by Mikasa.
 
Manuel, a native of Kelowna, B.C., becomes the first UBCO male athlete to ever be recognized by U SPORTS as a member of an All-Rookie or All-Canadian team.
 
"What Seba accomplished this year was truly special," commented Heat head coach Brad Hudson. "Despite two hand surgeries and missing our entire preseason, Seba played and competed at a high level throughout a gruelling Canada West season."
 
Manuel, who played his high school volleyball locally with the KSS Owls, was a force for the Heat throughout the 2022-23 season. The 6-5 outside hitter started 23 of 24 games in his first season at UBCO, finishing the season with 158 kills and a school record 24 service aces. Both of those numbers were tops among all Canada West rookies during the 2022-23 season.
 
In addition, the health and exercise sciences major finished second in the conference among rookies in points per game at 2.42 and games played at 83, while finishing third in total blocks with 36.
 
"Our program chose to compete with the youngest roster in our league," added Hudson. "We believed this would be possible because of the strength and maturity in our young men. Seba's leadership, humility, and passion were primary to this and we look forward to sharing the next leg of his journey."
 
Manuel joins women's volleyball's Emily Oxland (2012-13) and Amaya Perry (2019-20) as the only Heat rookies to ever be recognized as members of a U SPORTS All-Rookie team.
 
2023 MEN'S VOLLEYBALL AWARDS & ALL-CANADIANS
Most Valuable Player: Jordan Canham, Alberta
Rookie of the Year: Jordon Heppner, Manitoba
Student-Athlete Community Service Award: Cam Kern, Alberta
Fox40 Coach of the Year: James Gravelle, Windsor
 
First Team All Canadian
Athlete                    University       Pos      Yr         Hometown             Academic Program
Jordan Canham       Alberta             OH       4          Avonmore, Ont.       Education
Yassine Kassis         Montréal         Lib       5          Sfax, Tunisia            Information technology
Evan Falardeau        Toronto           LS        4          Stratford, Ont.           Political Science
Chris Byam               Mount Royal   OH       3          Bow Island, Alta.         Health & Physical Education
Yoan David                Sherbrooke     OH       3          Sherbrooke, Que.       Computer Science
Dylan Mortensen       Saskatchewan OH       5          Swift Current, Sask.    Business
Erik Siksna                Queen's           OH       4          Markham, Ont.           Commerce
 
Second Team All-Canadians
Athlete                        University       Pos.     Yr        Hometown                 Academic Program
Nicholas Fortin            Laval                OH       3          Clermont, Que.           Microbiology/Immunology (M)
Jonathan Portelance   Sherbrooke      S          2          La Prairie, Que.           Education
Jackson Young            Nipissing          OH       3          Etobicoke, Ont.           Physical Education and Health
Mateusz Wlodarski      McMaster         OH       5          Ottawa, Ont.               Biochemistry (M)
Brodie Hofer                Trinity Western OH       4          Langley, B.C.              Business
Matt Neaves                UBC                  OH       4          Calgary, Alta.              Commerce
Jesse Elser                  Trinity Western  OH      4          Calgary, Alta.             Education
 
All-Rookie Team
Athlete                        University       Pos.                 Hometown                 Academic Program
Jordon Heppner          Manitoba          MB                   Winnipeg, MB               University 1
Charles St-Aubin         Laval                S                      Joliette, Que.               Industrial design
Chris Zimmerman       Queen's            S                      Prince George, B.C.     Arts & Science
Devin Cooney              Brock               OH                   Kanata, Ont.                Media & Communication Studies
Lucas Condon-Oldreive Dalhousie      MB                   Halifax, N.S.                 Engineering
Conaire Taub                UBC                OH                   Calgary, Alta.               Kinesiology
Seba Manuel                UBCO             OH                    Kelowna, B.C.              Health & Exercise Sciences