KAMLOOPS – The four graduating members of the Thompson Rivers WolfPack women's volleyball team have helped the program achieve its highest heights at the Canada West level on the court while also achieving greatness in the classroom and making the entire Kamloops community a better place. Celebrating the final home games of their TRU careers this Friday at 5:30 p.m. and Saturday at 3:00 p.m. inside the TCC,
Faith Christensen,
Caitlin Larrigan,
Madison Maichin and
Addison Witkowski have without a doubt left their mark on the WolfPack.
FAITH CHRISTENSEN
Originally from Edmonton, Faith joined the WolfPack in 2021 and has emerged as a leader and shining example of an all-round student-athlete. A standout in the classroom, Faith joins a prestigious club as a five-time U SPORTS Academic All-Canadian and will leave TRU ranking second in blocks, third in solo blocks and ninth in sets played in program history.
Graduating with…
I'm graduating with a psychology degree.
What's next for you?
This year has been very new for me because I always feel like I've known what my future holds and now it's just this abrupt stop where I no longer know what the future looks like. My hope is to go play professionally, I'm not quite done with volleyball yet and I'd be devastated if this was my last couple weeks playing, so I want to keep that going as long as I can. As cliché as it sounds I then want to travel and hopefully find something that piques my interest and helps me decide what I want to do with the rest of my life.
Can you talk about all the hard work that goes into being a five-time U SPORTS Academic All-Canadian?
I've always been very academically inclined, so I always knew that my goal coming to university was to be an Academic All-Canadian. But it has not an easy feat for sure, it's a lot of hours, a lot of stress and I am also notorious for prioritizing volleyball when I probably should be prioritizing school. So, it's been tough but I've always made sure that I got it done.
What is your favourite WolfPack memory?
There are too many to choose from. I would say that the things I will look back on the most are the little things. Things like being in the team room after a big win when were are dancing with our party lights on or bus trips with the men's team, all of the team events that we do that make the university experience what it is, those are the things I will remember and miss the most.
How do you think your teammates will describe you?
I think that I'm very loud and energetic. My leadership is something that I hope they would talk about, I love having meetings with the team. Just overall that I'm enthusiastic because that's always what I've tried to be – loud, energetic and enthusiastic to motivate people and share my passion for the sport, so I hope that is what carries on.
What do you have to say about your fellow graduates?
I started out with
Brooklyn Olfert,
Kate Lamothe and
Sasha Haldane so those were kind of my girls on this journey so it's been weird to not have them here this year but I love the girls that I'm with. It's such a crazy experience to go through five years of your life with such great people. It's really special and we have a great group of girls here.
What made you decide to come to TRU five long years ago?
The one thing I will always say is the community, because I think TRU and Kamloops itself is such a cool and special group. Because we don't have a lot of other teams here with the WolfPack, the community is so tight and our team is a bunch of people that aren't local but they have come here together to experience what it means to be a university student-athlete together as a group and that's really special. It's really the community and what TRU and Kamloops have to offer.
Do you have anything else to add?
I just have endless gratitude for this journey, who I've become throughout it and the people that I've met on this journey, the relationships that I've had, it's all so incredibly special and it's bittersweet walking away from it. Just full of gratitude for the experiences I've had here and the people got to do it with.
CAITLIN LARRIGAN (LARRY)
Joining the WolfPack from Calgary in 2021, Caitlin - or Larry as she's better known – has worked hard to help not just her team but every member of the 'Pack as a leader in the TRU PACE program. One of the most decorated students in the history of the WolfPack, Larry is a five-time U SPORTS Academic All-Canadian
Graduating with…
I'm graduating in June with a degree in chemical biology.
Can you talk about all the hard work that goes into being a five-time U SPORTS Academic All-Canadian?
It has certainly required discipline more than anything but I would say that one of the things that being a student-athlete has taught me is discipline for sure. There are lots of times where you don't want to work hard but getting a good mark back on a test is the same as seeing the results in the weightroom so you just have to stay focused on the fact that your hard work will pay off.
What's next for you?
I hope to go to medical school in the Fall and if that doesn't work out then my plan is to take a gap year and work on the ski patrol.
How do you think you have grown during your time at TRU?
The other day (WolfPack head coach)
Chad Grimm and I were talking and I said 'Chad, you know that I didn't talk for my entire first year and he said yes I knew that' right away, so that's an area for sure – I think I've come out of my shell. I've definitely had to learn how to balance athletics and academics but more than anything I've gotten perspective and I don't know if that just come with being older with more life experience, but I would say that being part of the WolfPack has played a role in that.
What is your favourite WolfPack memory?
There are so many. I loved our Turkey trip but there are so many moments in the team room that I will remember forever. It's just the silly moments with the team where you are laughing uncontrollably and I love those little things.
How do you think your teammates will remember you?
I would hope that it was that I was nice, a good baker and pretty smart but I feel like they are going to say oh she was silly, naïve and a little clumsy. Definitely silly.
What do you have to say about your fellow grads?
We started off with a huge group, there were like eight of us and it's so strange that there's now only four of us, but they all mean the world to me. Me and Mikey were roommates in our first year and it's so strange to think about how time has flown. It's crazy because it is all wrapping up now but these are lifelong friendships and relationships that we have formed and I'm really proud of all of us. We have been together through thick and thin and maybe it's the fact that we were forced to spend a lot of time together, but they mean the world to me.
What made you decide to come to TRU five years ago?
I would have to say
Chad Grimm. There were so many people in Calgary that knew him and spoke so well of him. Abby Spratt, Julia Niemczewska and Reid Brodie all said that Chad was an unreal coach so I would say that Chad had a huge role to play. The other thing is that I knew I wanted to go to a smaller school, I wanted that tight-knit community and the WolfPack and TRU provided that
Anything else to add?
I want to shout out my teammates. We have a really great group of girls and my time here has been great because of them.
MADISON MAICHIN (MIKEY)
Arriving at TRU in 2021 from Delta, Mikey will leave Kamloops having made a positive impact on not only the WolfPack but the greater Kamloops community. Another five-time U SPORTS Academic All-Canadian, Mikey has accomplished that feat while balancing travel, games, practice, class and practicums and will graduate this Spring with a nursing degree.
Graduating with…
I'm graduating in June with a degree in nursing.
What was it about nursing that interested you?
In grade nine there was a take your kids to work day and I did not want to go with my parents, so I went with my aunt and from then on I knew that I wanted to be a nurse and help people.
What's next for you?
I want to take the Summer off, I don't want to rush into work. So maybe travel a bit and then in the Fall I'll get a full-time job.
How do you think you have grown during your time at TRU?
It's the little things. Being able to cook for myself, clean for myself and my time management. I've made really solid relationships with people and learned how to be disciplined as a student as an athlete. I've just accomplished so much that I never could have predicted because of the culture of the team.
What is your favourite WolfPack memory?
It would be the trip to Turkey, going across the world with your team is so cool. We got to see where some of our coaches grew up and then we also picked up Rida and Maria from there, so it was just this whole moment where everyone's lives were crossing. We got to play volleyball and travel and those are two things I love to do, so it was perfect.
How do you think your teammates will remember you?
I think they are going to say I was crazy, maybe feral. I think I'm a fun person but I hope it's good things.
What do you have to say about your fellow grads?
Five years goes by fast, you blink and it's gone. It's kind of crazy because we started with so many in our grad class and now it's just the four of us. Putting in all that time and that we stuck it out is nice to think about. They are special.
What made you decide to come to TRU five years ago?
There were a lot of schools that I was reaching out to during the recruiting process and not a lot liked the fact that I wanted to do nursing. Chad said that he had never had a nursing student before but he wanted to take me on and make it work, so that's what we did. My brother also lives here so I thought it would be nice to stay close to family.
Anything else to add?
It's been great, I've made lots of memories and I will be close with my teammates forever so I'm super grateful.
ADDISON WITKOWSKI
Originally from Medicine Hat, Addison joined the 'Pack in 2022 and quickly became known as one of the hardest workers in the entire department. Leaving the program in the top five all-time in blocks-per-set Addison is a three-time U SPORTS Academic All-Canadian
Graduating with…
I'm graduating in June with a degree in digital journalism and communications.
What's next for you?
I have been accepted into Newcastle University where I will continue to play volleyball and purse and masters degree.
What was it about travelling to England for further schooling that made you want to take that journey?
I travel every Summer, so every Summer I've spent in a different country or city so I thought that this was just an opportunity I couldn't pass up. I get a year-long visa because of school so I'm really looking forward to it.
How do you think you have grown during your time at TRU?
I think I've grown a lot. Definitely coming in there was a big shift from high school to university volleyball and the opportunity to get on the court and excel with this group of girls has been amazing. Going down last year and tearing my ACL I definitely grew off the court a lot more, but I was able to depend on the people around me that I have supported to support me which has definitely strengthened my relationships.
What is your favourite WolfPack memory?
There are a lot, not many that I can talk about on camera. Turkey was definitely an amazing one, we stayed at a place called the Stonehouse where we slept under the stars, played card games and laughed and woke up in the Turkish countryside which was unbelievable. So Turkey was one of them, but it's an accumulation of many memories for sure.
How do you think your teammates will remember you?
Especially the girls that I started this journey with in my first year they will say I'm a different duck – that I'm pretty funny but like offside funny where not everyone could always hear it. Also, really good at aux – picking the team's music – and a nice person, I hope they say nice person.
What do you have to say about the group that you have gone on this journey with?
It's been an insane ride, I know the girls from my year we went to individual practices for an extra two hours every day outside of our normal practices so we bonded really quickly. We lived together as well, so we were together 24/7 and it's hard leaving them before our time and not being able to graduate alongside them. At the same time I would say our two years are very close, we share a lot together so some of my best friends are also in this grad class and I'm happy to do this alongside them.
What made you decide to come to TRU five years ago?
I had a couple good coaches growing up and I would say that Chad embodied a lot of the things that those coaches had. The girls seemed super close, as well as fun and kind, and that's what I was looking for in a program.
Anything else to add?
I want to thank God for giving me this opportunity first of all. Also Chad and all of the WolfPack staff, they've put in thousands of hours for me I'm sure – especially the physical therapists like Kevin Brechin,
Morris Boyer and Alyssa Ulrich, they are probably sick of me at this point.
Jon Shephard and everyone up in the WolfDen they have supported me a lot especially in the past year with my injury and I won't ever be able to pay that back.
