Ashfield To Lead Cougars Men's Volleyball

Ashfield To Lead Cougars Men’s Volleyball

BRANDON, Man. (March 21, 2022) — Dan Ashfield has been selected as head coach of the Cougars Men’s Volleyball team.

Ashfield hails from Ottawa, Ontario, where he played middle blocker for the Algonquin College Wolves. The team won a bronze medal at the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association (CCAA) National Championships in 2007. Following the championship he was recruited by Grant Wilson, coach of the Brandon University Bobcats to finish out his volleyball career in USports. Ashfield was part of the Bobcats roster that earned a bronze medal at the USports nationals in 2009. After graduating with an Arts Degree, he entered the workforce and currently works in Development Services with the City of Brandon. He later returned to the Bobcats bench as an assistant coach and has remained there for the last five seasons. Wilson went from Ashfield’s coach to a coworker and mentor. As an assistant Ashfield earned a silver medal at USports nationals in 2019.

“Being able to learn from one of the top coaches in Canada for the last five years has given me the knowledge and confidence to be successful in this role,” said Ashfield. “I’m really excited to be a part of the Cougars. Joel has done a great job in the direction of the program and developing quality people. I’m looking to continue that while raising the bar.”

Former Cougars coach Joel Small will be leaving the team after nine years at the helm to pursue further education in Winnipeg. The two coaches are friends, have similar volleyball histories and an aligned vision for the Cougars program. Small hopes to remain involved with the team at an arms length while assistant coaches Brendan White and Lance Austin will remain with the team and help smooth the transition under Ashfield.

“Dan is good at reading the game and brings a lot of knowledge and experience coaching at a high caliber of play,” said exiting Cougars coach Joel Small. “The team is on a good trajectory and he will be able to take them to that next level.”

“It’s more than volleyball,” said Ashfield. “When you develop a culture where people will do the right thing, have respect, a good work ethic and buy into the process, the outcome will take care of itself.

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About Assiniboine Athletics

The Assiniboine Cougars teams compete in men’s and women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s soccer, and men’s and women’s futsal (a variation of indoor soccer) in the Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference (MCAC) with the winner competing for the Canadian College Athletics Association (CCAA) championship. The women’s hockey team play in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA).

About Assiniboine Community College
Assiniboine Community College has been providing exceptional learning experiences for more than 60 years, offering unparalleled learning environments and responding to the demands and requirements of the Manitoba labour market. Following the philosophy of “learn by doing,” programs combine theory with hands-on learning inside classrooms, labs, kitchens, shops, fields and the college’s Sustainable Greenhouse.

Assiniboine offers more than 60 certificate, diploma and post-graduate programs across a variety of disciplines including culinary arts and hospitality, business, agriculture and environment, health and human services, and trades and technology. The college also delivers apprenticeship programming in a range of skilled trades disciplines.

The college welcomed more than 3,700 full-time and 6,000 part-time students last year. With campuses in Brandon, Dauphin, Winnipeg and Portage la Prairie, Assiniboine provides comprehensive educational opportunities throughout Manitoba. The college also partners with many communities and organizations across the province to deliver customized education and training. Assiniboine’s annual provincial economic impact is $612 million. In the most recent survey of graduates, nine months after graduation, 92 per cent were employed, with 93 per cent remaining in Manitoba.

Assiniboine Community College campuses are located on the traditional territories of Treaty No. 1 and Treaty No. 2, the shared traditional lands of Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, Dene and Anishinabek/Ojibwe peoples, and the homeland of the Red River Métis. We acknowledge their welcome to the students who seek knowledge here.

For more information, please contact:

Lindsay McLaughlin

Athletics Manager

Assiniboine Community College

cougars@assiniboine.net

204.725.8700 ext 6340