Meet Kelowna’s Male Athlete of the Year

During the City of Kelowna’s Civic and Community Awards, UBC Okanagan Heat Men’s Volleyball Freshman Seba Manuel was named Kelowna’s Male Athlete of the Year.

He finished his season with 158 kills and 200.5 points that put him second on the team his season. He also added 24 service aces, which was the most of any Heat player this season and established a new team record for most in a single season.

At the conclusion of the year, Manuel was named Heat Rookie of the Year for men’s sports.

Nationally, he was named to both the Canada West and U SPORTS All-Rookie teams, becoming the first UBCO male athlete to ever be recognized on a U SPORTS All-Rookie or All-Canadian team.

Kelowna10 caught up with Manuel, who is studying Health and Exercise Sciences.

What did it mean for you to win Kelowna’s Male Athlete of the Year?

“Honestly it was such a cool experience. I was there with all my friends, and I was there with the Kelowna Secondary School (KSS) Sr Boys Volleyball team because they were also nominated for team of the year. I was sitting with all my guys and then I didn't expect to win at all. It was super cool. There was steep competition with Justin Towle and Dustin Little. Just an incredible experience.”

You had lots of choices to go play for different schools, why UBCO?

“I knew that [Head Coach] Brad Hudson’s got an unbelievable program here, a crazy good culture and I knew that he'd be the coach that would help me develop along for the national team progression and potentially professional career in volleyball.”

Take me through the Heat’s season, how would you describe it?

“We were a pretty young team. The whole point of the season was getting together as a team and making sure we figured out our stuff together. Obviously it wasn't the perfect result we wanted. But you know, it was an awesome season.”

How big of an adjustment was it for you going from high school to U SPORTS competition?

“It was a pretty big adjustment. Honestly. I played the Canada Summer Games the summer before, so I was playing against people older than me. So, it wasn't a massive adjustment. But from high school to Canada Games was a big adjustment for it. The tempo of the offense is just completely different from a high school level. People are running so much faster and jumping so much higher.”

What was the secret to all your success this season?

“Honestly, I've had an incredible support staff. Like whenever I get down, Brad's always right there by my side. I've got great teammates who are always willing to help out. So I think just the team's success reflected on my individual success this year.”

What’s the goal for next year?

“To become a competitive team. Brad promised at the end of the year that this would be one of the last times we don't make playoffs. And I think just upholding that promise is our main team goal for this upcoming year. We're so much closer now, all these young guys are experiencing the same things together and I feel like it'll be huge for our team next year knowing that we've all been through that together.”