BRANDON – Brandon University Athletics is proud to announce the 2019 Wall of Fame inductees, which includes seven individuals and one team.
 
The 2019 induction class includes:

• Paul Sanderson Athlete: Volleyball (2007-2011)
• Teagan Hunter Athlete: Volleyball (2006-2011)
• Andrew Korol Athlete: Volleyball (2005-2009)
• Becky Birch (nee Young) Athlete: Volleyball (2006-2011)
• Bill Gadd Community Leader: Volleyball (2000-2009)
• Daryle McCannell Community Leader: Volleyball (1987-2017)
• Bev Neufeld (nee Morrison) Community Leader: Basketball, Field Hockey (1978-1981)
• Bobcat Men's Volleyball Team (2008-09)

The Dick and Verda McDonald Sports Wall of Fame is located on the second level of BU's Healthy Living Centre. The display features nostalgic memorabilia from past teams and athletes of Brandon University and Brandon College.

Tickets for the Wall of Fame brunch on Saturday, October 19 at the Victoria Inn Grand Salon can be purchased from the Customer Service Centre at the Healthy Living Centre for $50.
 
Tables of eight can be reserved for $350, and those travelling from outside of Brandon can reserve tickets by calling (204) 727-7354.

Doors open at 8:30 a.m., breakfast is at 9:00 a.m. with the ceremony starting at 10:00 a.m.

The 2019 Wall of Fame induction ceremony is part of a Bobcat volleyball reunion scheduled for October 17-20. The Wall of Fame and reunion coincides with the start of the regular season for the current Bobcat volleyball teams. The BU men's team earned a silver medal at nationals last season and won the Canada West title on home court. The celebration is also a buildup towards BU hosting the U SPORTS men's volleyball championship in March 2021.

PROFILES
 
Paul Sanderson was dubbed the 'Thunder from Down Under' and he certainly lived up to the hype.
 
The Melbourne, Australia product came to Brandon in 2007 and made an instant impact as a powerhouse outside hitter. He led Canada West in kills while being named a first-team conference all-star. Sanderson was also selected as a second-team all-Canadian, becoming the first BU men's volleyball player to ever receive the accolade.
 
Sanderson's success continued in 2008-2009 as he guided the Bobcats to its first-ever appearance at the national championship tournament while helping them win their first-ever bronze medal. He was named a national tournament all-star, a first-team all-Canadian and a first-team conference all-star.
 
In 2009-2010, Sanderson's legacy continued to grow after having one of the most decorated seasons in program history. He was named U SPORTS player of the year, a first-team all-Canadian, Canada West MVP and a first-team conference all-star.
 
The Australian superstar returned the following season to play out the final year of his career. He was selected as a first-team Canada West all-star and a first-team all-Canadian. Sanderson also helped the Bobcats reach a new milestone as they finished runner-up for the national championship. Sanderson was named a tournament all-star for guiding the Bobcats to the first-ever silver medal.
 
Sanderson's career concluded in 2011, but his name still remains at the top of the Canada West record books. He's the conferences all-time leader in kills per-set, points per-set and service aces.
 
Sanderson also succeeded in the classroom, being named an academic all-Canadian, while earning a bachelor's degree in physical education while at BU and later a master's degree in coaching.
 
His amazing volleyball story includes triumph over adversity. In 2014, he overcame a cancer scare to secure a spot on the Australian national team. Just six months after being diagnosed, Sanderson and the Aussies were competing in the FIVB World League.
 
Sanderson has also travelled the world playing professionally in six different countries while winning multiple league championships.
 
Teagan Hunter secured her place in Bobcat volleyball history following a spectacular career from 2006-2011.
 
She joined her hometown team following a standout high school career where she was named a provincial AAAA all-star in her senior year with the Crocus Plainsmen.
 
Heading into her rookie year with the 'Cats, Hunter represented Manitoba and won a silver medal at the Canada Games.
 
Hunter was a five-year starter at left side and earned multiple awards. She was named BU's Female Athlete of the Year in back-to-back seasons and was recognized as a Canada West all-star three times.
 
Hunter made history as she became the first BU women's volleyball player to be honoured as an all-Canadian. She scored 194 kills and finished third in Canada West in points in her senior season in 2010-2011.
 
Following her Bobcat career, Hunter played two seasons professionally in Europe, which included winning a league championship in Norway.
 
She returned home to join the BU coaching staff in 2013, before coaching in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference where she has been an assistant coach with Grande Prairie Regional College. 

Andrew Korol was a vocal leader and fiery competitor with the Bobcat men's volleyball team. The East Selkirk, Man. product joined Brandon for their first-ever Canada West season in 2005-06 and played a vital role in the program's rise to greatness in the seasons to follow.
 
Korol adjusted well to his new setting in BU's inaugural year. He finished among the nation's leaders in assists at 8.77 per-set, good for 12^th in the country.
 
Two seasons later, Korol led Canada West in assists per-game and helped the Bobcats secure their first-ever playoff spot in 2007-08. The following season, he once again was tops in the league in assists and guided BU back to the post-season where they advanced to nationals for the first-time.
 
At nationals, Korol had a match-high 40 assists and 11 digs as Brandon won the third-place match against the McMaster Marauders to capture their first-ever national bronze medal. For his efforts, Korol was named a tournament all-star.
 
After completing his university career, Korol played professionally overseas in France and Germany. He then transitioned to teaching and coaching, having served as an assistant with the BU women's team for three years. He continues to help grow the game, coaching in the club system in western Manitoba.
 
Becky Birch (nee Young) played an integral part in turning the Bobcats from a young upstart women's volleyball team into one of the top programs in the nation. The standout setter from Souris, Man. was a five-year starter on the BU women's volleyball team and her name remains etched in the Canada West record books.
 
Birch's track record leading up to her university career made her a coveted recruit. She led her hometown Sabres to their first-ever AA provincial high school title in 2002, and the following year helped the squad repeat as champions while being named Most Valuable Player.
 
She earned another MVP award in 2004 while representing Manitoba at the National Team Challenge Cup. The next year she helped her province earn a silver medal at the Canada Games.
 
Birch was recognized as the teams MVP three times and sits fifth all-time in the conference with 3,338 career assists.
 
She helped BU make history in 2007-08 when the women's volleyball team clinched its first-ever playoff spot, and she was a key asset in the Bobcats hosting a playoff series for the first time in her senior season.
 
Birch quickly made the transition to coaching and joined BU as an assistant the following year. Birch also served as an assistant coach with Manitoba's bronze medal winning team at the 2013 Canada Games.
 
Bill Gadd was a legendary mentor to Brandon volleyball stars from junior high to the university level for over 40 years.
 
He graduated from the University of North Dakota as a Physical Educator and started teaching and coaching in Brandon in the 1970's.
 
Gadd was instrumental in the formation of the volleyball programs at Brandon University with the Bobcats beginning competition in the Canada West conference in 2005-2006. Prior to BU's jump to Canada West, the 'Cats competed in the Central Plains Athletic Conference where Gadd guided the men's team to a runner-up finish for the Manitoba title. He worked in the BU athletics department from 2000-2009 as business manager and game management coordinator.
 
BU Athletics created the Bill Gadd Inspirational Award which is handed out to a member of the Bobcat men's volleyball team each season.
 
He tutored over 30 male and female players who went on to play at the U SPORTS level including former Canadian national team members Dustin Schneider and Ken Krahn.
 
Gadd founded the first club volleyball programs in Brandon and his Extreme Volleyball Camp became a staple event for youth players in western Manitoba for 30 years.
 
The Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association recognized Gadd with the inaugural Frank L. McKinnon award for outstanding contribution to high school sports in 1994. He captured 18 city championships and three provincial titles as a coach from 1974 to 1993.
 
He was an assistant coach on the Manitoba men's team that competed in the 1989 Canada Summer Games. He was also the volleyball sport chairperson for the Canada Games in Brandon in 1979 and 1997.
 
Gadd was the founder and director of the Brandon Senior Men's Volleyball League for 17 years and established the Westman Volleyball Officials Association.
 
He also held administrative roles with the MHSAA and Volleyball Manitoba.
 
Gadd was inducted into the Volleyball Manitoba Hall of Fame as a builder in 2010.

Daryle McCannell spent 30 years at Brandon University in the physical education department from 1987 to 2017. He spent the final six years serving as department chair. He served a two-year stint as BU Athletic Director in the mid 1990s.

McCannell earned major awards for his dynamic and engaging teaching style. In 2012, he was recognized with the Innovator Award by the Manitoba Physical Education Teachers Association. Two years later, he captured the BU Alumni Association Excellence in Teaching Award.

He has been promoting healthy living in western Manitoba for decades. Prior to BU, he was the program director at the Brandon Family YMCA.

The early years of his teaching career included Sanford, Man. and Brasilia, Brazil where he coached a variety of sports including basketball, field hockey, track and field and volleyball.

McCannell also made an impact south of the border in Minnesota. In 2016, he was inducted into the Bemidji State University Professional Education Hall of Fame. He played hockey and baseball for the Beavers and graduated with an undergraduate degree in 1973 and a Master's Degree in 1979. He also coached hockey at Bemidji High School.

His greatest coaching achievements were in Brandon. He led the Neelin Spartans to back-to-back AAA provincial girls' volleyball titles in 2000 and 2001.

He guided the Bobcat women's volleyball team to the Central Plains Athletic Conference championship in 2004. The CPAC title was an important step in Brandon University making the jump to the university level. McCannell played a major role in that process, which saw the Bobcats play their inaugural Canada West season in 2005-06. BU Athletics created the Daryle McCannell Inspirational Award which is handed out to a member of the Bobcat women's volleyball team each season.

McCannell was also a member of the 1968 Coulter Red Sox, who were inducted into the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019.

Bev Neufeld (nee Morrison) attended school in Hartney, Man. and was named Most Valuable Player for basketball, softball and volleyball in 1977-78 before enrolling at BU and becoming a Bobcat.
 
Neufeld was recognized as BU's rookie of the year and played both field hockey and basketball from 1979-1981.
 
She played competitive softball for 30 years and was honoured as the top player in Manitoba on three occasions, including being named MVP at the western Canadian championships in 1993.
 
Neufeld dedicated her life to giving back to the game. She coached for 29 years at various levels including a pair of Canada Games in 2007 and 2009.
 
She volunteered at the Pan Am Games in Winnipeg in 1999 and was chairperson at the 1997 Canada Games in Brandon. Neufeld also stepped behind the plate as an umpire and has been the vice president of development with Westman Softball for 10 years.
 
Neufeld was inducted into the Manitoba Softball Hall of Fame in the all-around category in 2009.
 
The Neufeld family endured tragedy in 2009 when Bev's daughter Ashley died while on a fastpitch scholarship in North Dakota. To honour Ashley's memory, Bev helped organize and fundraise towards the construction of a $2-million softball facility. The Ashley Neufeld Memorial Softball Complex officially opened in 2017 and caters to over 1,700 players in the area.
 
The 2008-2009 Bobcat men's volleyball team reached new heights and cemented the programs status as a perennial contender in the process.
 
Brandon's success in 2008-09 came just four years after the Bobcats jumped to the Canada West conference in 2005-06 with former Olympian and Oak River, Man. product Russ Paddock coaching the team.
 
BU clinched home court advantage in the opening round of the playoffs after winning the final match of the regular season on the road against the UBC Thunderbirds.

The victory setup a rematch against the same T-Birds back at the BU Gym with a berth in the national championship on the line. The Bobcats swept the opening match of the best-of-3 series and followed that up with a dramatic five-set thriller over UBC. The final set was a marathon with Brandon emerging with a 24-22 victory. Paul Sanderson had 21 kills, Kevin Miller added 15 kills while Paul Robidoux and Joel Small chipped in with 14 kills apiece.

Brandon competed in the Canada West Final Four tournament prior to nationals. The Bobcats defeated arch rival the Thompson Rivers WolfPack in the semifinals to advance to the conference final for the first time where they lost to the Alberta Golden Bears. 

The Bobcats entered the national championship tournament in Edmonton as the fourth-seed. BU went the distance with the Dalhousie Tigers in the quarter-finals and prevailed in five sets. Brandon fell to the top-ranked Alberta Golden Bears in the semi-finals, but rebounded to win the bronze medal match. Paul Sanderson scored 29 kills to power the Bobcats past the McMaster Marauders in four sets for the program's first-ever national medal. Andrew Korol and Joel Small were named tournament all-stars, while the Bobcats also earned the R.W. Pugh Fair Play Award for sportsmanship.
 
Paul Sanderson was recognized as Canada West all-star and a first-team all-Canadian, while Small was also named a conference all-star for his efforts during the regular season.