The Olds College Broncos men’s volleyball team has made a move to bolster its recruiting class as Phillip Sutherland, a setter from Peguis First Nation, Man., has officially committed to the Broncos for the fall.
The six-foot-five Sutherland, who will study business management this fall, joins Ryzen Walkingbear (Thunderchild, Sask.) as announced members of the Broncos’ 2019-20 recruiting class, with more to come.
Sutherland was impressed by Olds College’s welcoming nature during his visit prior to his commitment.
“There’s this culture within Olds that you feel on campus, a lot of the programs in the institution provide a lot of help towards their students with their studies,” he said. “It’s a great thing to see an institution care about their students as far as to help them succeed in their academics.”
Broncos head coach Ryan Marsden is looking forward to having Sutherland’s experience in the fold.
“He played at a high club level in Manitoba, and now with being older, he brings maturity and responsibility,” he said. “Phillip will be very good as he touches the ball more and more, as he is big and strong.”
Sutherland comes to the Broncos after a decorated youth career that included two provincial medals in club competition (one gold, one bronze) and a provincial high school championship.
He also has experience playing on a bigger stage, winning a silver medal as part of Manitoba’s under-16 team at the 2014 North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) in Regina, then captaining Manitoba’s under-19 team at the 2017 Games in Toronto, which also featured current Broncos Thundersky Walkingbear and Tyler Donnally playing for Saskatchewan.
Sutherland credits his NAIG experiences for helping him develop a solid all-around game, citing his on-court vision as his greatest strength.
“I learned that I can be a versatile athlete as I played middle, outside and setter at both of the NAIG events,” he said. “With my experiences at these games, I feel I can give the Broncos versatility in multiple positions if they needed me to.
“I’m the type of person that will do whatever it takes to help the team win.”
Sutherland is excited to get started in Olds, and he believes the men’s volleyball Broncos will have a completely different look this fall.
“We want to turn this program around together, to spark a light in men’s volleyball in Olds,” he said. “I want to be part of something historical with Coach Marsden, his staff and the team.”
The Broncos will open their 2019-20 campaign in Calgary against the SAIT Trojans on Oct. 25 at 9 p.m., then return to the Ralph Klein Centre for their home opener on Oct. 26 at 8 p.m.
Geordie Carragher is an information officer for Broncos Athletics.
