Hamilton captures Dale Iwanoczko Award at U SPORTS National Championship

KAMLOOPS – One of the most well-rounded student-athletes to ever wear WolfPack orange and black received one final accolade Thursday morning, as Matthew Hamilton of the Thompson Rivers WolfPack men’s volleyball team was named the winner of the Dale Iwanoczko award.
 
“Anyone that plays varsity sport is already exceptional,” said WolfPack head coach Pat Hennelly. “Obviously, they are already great at sport, and they have the certain skillset required to be in university so to climb to the top of that demographic is great. You’re good enough to be recognized as an excellent volleyball player and an excellent student – and then to add the community work, which I think is essential – is awesome.”
 
Given to the U SPORTS men’s volleyball player that excels in the classroom, on the court and in the community, the Dale Iwanoczko award winner represents the best in the nation in all three aspects.
 
“It’s especially important because this award is voted on by coaches,” said Hennelly. “We are around these guys all of the time and when we see something and deem it as exceptional it’s telling, we are pretty good gauges of what’s going on in those three realms.”
 
Hamilton is a five-time U SPORTS Academic All-Canadian in the Bob Gaglardi School of Business and Economics and earned a perfect 4.33 GPA this past semester.
 
“He has been an outstanding leader for this program and has kept going through some extremely hard times,” said Hennelly.

Hamilton’s hard work in the classroom has earned him multiple awards including the KPMG Student Scholars to Business Award, the Chartered Professional and 39 Education Foundation of B.C. Award and finally the TRU Foundation Undergraduate Achievement Scholarship.
 
“As much as I’m honoured to receive this award, I see it as a testament to the culture that coach Hennelly and the leaders before me have built – which is one of excellence on and off the court,” said Hamilton.
 
Since moving to Kamloops from Lethbridge five years ago, Hamilton has dedicated himself to helping others both on and off campus.
 
He serves as a leader in the TRU PACE program where he helps mentor fellow WolfPack student-athletes in their academic journeys. He is actively involved with Motionball helping to raise funds and awareness for the Special Olympics. as well as helping to raise funds for literacy programs through the Raise-a-Reader initiative. During his time with the TRU Investment Fund Club, Hamilton has helped manage $200,000 of real money in the stock market. Alongside all of that, he has also volunteered his time to help coach the next generation of volleyball players with the Kamloops Volleyball Association.
 
On the court, Hamilton has been a key piece for a WolfPack team that has earned victories over some of the top teams in the nation. The outside hitter has racked up 444 kills over his 72 games with the ‘Pack and has worked hard every step of the way of his TRU career.
 
“Everyone is jealous of what other people get, but no one is jealous of how they get it,” said Hennelly. “Hamilton is up in the gym every morning doing rehab, he’s putting in extra hours of studying as well as doing volunteer work. He’s a great example of showing that the difference between where you start and where you finish is just pure work and determination. He has proven that if you dedicate yourself over time, then good things can happen for you.”

Hamilton becomes the fifth member of the ‘Pack to win a U SPORTS National award and the second to earn the title of Dale Iwanoczko Award winner for Student-Athlete Community Service, after Colin Carson won it in 2013-14.
 
“Being a student-athlete is about more than wins and stats,” said Hamilton. “It’s about the impact you leave behind, the standard you set and the way you carry yourself every day.”