TRU’s Hamilton earns Dr. Iwanoczko honour

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/03/2025 (209 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Matthew Hamilton wanted to embrace the community of Kamloops, B.C., the way it welcomed him.

He did that and more. The Thompson Rivers WolfPack senior was announced this year’s winner of the Dr. Dale Iwanoczko award at the U Sports men’s volleyball all-Canadian breakfast at Brandon’s Victoria Inn on Thursday.

It’s awarded to a student-athlete who excels not only on the court but in their academics while making a positive impact on their community. For Hamilton, all three aspects are equally meaningful.

“To know I’m someone who’s well rounded in all three of those areas makes me really proud and really gives me a lot of satisfaction,” Hamilton said.

The Lethbridge, Alta., native is a five-time U Sports academic all-Canadian, who worked his way into TRU’s starting lineup by 2023. He posted a career-high 214 kills that year, adding 150 with a .256 hitting percentage in the shortened 2024-25 Canada West season.

Meanwhile, he was just as busy outside of regular student-athlete activities.

Hamilton has coached with the Kamloops Volleyball Association club program since his rookie year.

“I get a lot of satisfaction from it too, especially when I help the club kids,” he said. “When I was their age I always looked up to the university players, just to know I can give some feedback and advice and bridge that gap really gives me a lot of satisfaction.”

As a finance student, he works with the TRU Investment Fund Club, which invests donations in the stock market and uses dividends to award scholarships to business students.

He’s part of the TRU PACE program, helping first-year athletes adjust to university as a mentor/tutor.

Hamilton is also involved in Motionball — raising funds for Special Olympics —and the Raise-a-Reader initiative.

“There’s just so many opportunities, athletics, non-athletics you can immerse yourself in. All you have to do is take it upon yourself and just go after them,” Hamilton said.

“For me, being a leader on the team is one thing and raising the bar as high as I can, showing the younger guys you can be more than just be an athlete on the team.”

While his final year ended without a playoff run thanks to the Brandon University Bobcats sweeping the WolfPack on the final weekend of the regular season, Hamilton’s grateful for every step.

“It’s a privilege. There is obviously a lot of hard work that goes into it but this is what I wanted,” he said.

“I wanted to be a student-athlete, I wanted to get all these experiences, I wanted to be on the road, coming back in the early morning, all these experiences and hardships, highs and lows, I wanted this.

“I’m extremely privileged and grateful to have been a student-athlete. This is five years I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”

» tfriesen@brandonsun.com

» Instagram: @thomasfriesen5