GOBISONS.CA - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Head Coach - Men 's Volleyball
Ludwig's resume is extensive. He was an assistant coach for the women's national team between 1999-2002, which included a trip to the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. He also has eight years of experience as the head coach of Canada's Women's National Team, and in the summer of 2023 he was head coach of Canada's U21 indoor national team, leading the squad to a third place finish at the U21 Pan Am Cup.
As Team Canada's head coach in 2014, he helped the squad move up five spots to 16th overall in the world rankings. A major reason for the shift was the group's involvement in the Grand Prix and FIVB World Championship. The squad made appearances at the World Championships in Japan in 2010 and Italy in 2014, the Pan American Games in Mexico in 2011 and Toronto in 2015, and the Grand Prix in 2014, 2015 and 2016. By exposing the team to stiffer competition against different federations (only four players had been to the 2010 World Championship in Japan), they got better and gained confidence. Canada's performance also helped numerous players sign better pro contracts, something Ludwig is very proud of.
Previous to his time at the national level, Ludwig helped develop a young Dresdner SC women's squad which medaled at the German Championship in each of his last five years, including a first-place finish in 2007. His first coaching gig was with his home town SSV Ulm, where he led the women's team to a perfect season in his debut in 1998.
As a setter, Ludwig represented his country at the provincial, youth and junior national levels. He also played pro until he was 27, winning a bronze medal in the 2001 European Cup as a member of Dresdner SC. Off the court, Ludwig has a teaching background. He obtained his degree from the University of Paderborn, specializing in math and physical education. He's previously taught at River East Collegiate in Winnipeg, and was also a math and phys ed teacher in Germany between 1995-99.
Ludwig has lived in Winnipeg full time since 2009 along with his wife Loriann (nee Sawatzky) -- a Bisons alum -- and their two sons, Joshua and Samuel.
Job Titles:
- Certified Athletic Therapist
- Title
Brian Dobie - whose alma mater was the University of Manitoba and was also a member of the Manitoba Bisons 1973 Churchill Bowl squad - has been head coach at the U of M since 1996. He is the winningest head coach in Bison football history, with a Canada West regular season record of 123-119-1 and a post-season record of 14-16. Dobie's wins total is also 12th all-time in U SPORTS, just five away from the top ten.
Dobie has won five Canada West Coach of the Year awards (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 shared award with Brian Towriss of Saskatchewan, 2006), and was also U SPORTS Coach of the Year in 2001.
In the 2023 season, Dobie enters his 49th year of coaching after being head coach for 21 years at Churchill High School in Winnipeg prior to being at the U of M. He has his NCCP Level 4 coaching certification and has been a guest coach at numerous professional camps over the past two decades. In addition, Dobie was inducted into the Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association Hall of Fame Class of 2015 as a Builder (Churchill High School Football).
Dobie has coached in two U SPORTS National Championships (2001, 2007), winning the latter. He has also been a part of five Canada West conference regular season titles, including three undefeated regular seasons (2002, 2006, 2007) and three Hardy Cup Championships (2001, 2007, 2014). He has also been to two Mitchell Bowl (U SPORTS Semi-Final) Championships (2001, 2007) plus one Uteck Bowl final (U SPORTS Semi-Final) in 2014.
Dobie has helped produce 87 different players who were selected as Canada West Conference All-Stars, 51 different U SPORTS All-Canadians as well as 12 U SPORTS major award winners (two Presidents Trophy; two J.P. Metras Trophy award winners; one Gino Fracas Award winner; three Russ Jackson awards; one Outstanding Player at Vanier Cup; one Outstanding/Defensive Player at the Vanier Cup; two Churchill/Mitchell Bowl MVP).
At the start of the 2023 season, Dobie has coached 63 student-athletes who were drafted by CFL teams, the fourth-most all-time in U SPORTS history. He has also coached one Bison alumni (Israel "Izzy" Idonije) who started at the NFL level for 11 seasons and played in a Super Bowl, plus another player (David Onyemata) that was the first-ever Bison drafted by an NFL team (New Orleans, fourth round, 2016).
He currently resides in Winnipeg with his wife Jackie and family includes daughter Caleigh.
Job Titles:
- Coach of the Manitoba Bisons
- Head Coach - Track and Field
Claude Berubé enters his 27th year as head coach of the Manitoba Bisons track and field/cross country teams in 2023-24. He is a Bisons alum himself, having completed five years with the squad which included three trips to cross country nationals as well as the opportunity to run the 5k for track.
Berubé's coaching career at the U of M started in earnest around 1992. He was a physical education teacher and had been coaching track as well on the side. One of the students that he coached at Golden Gate, a gifted runner named Dean Gurney, put him on to a few more of his running buddies who were getting into university and the rest is history. Berubé has been around for a significant amount of memorable Bisons track and field moments, including winning the national championship on the men's side with some excellent middle distance runners in 1995 and 1996.
Job Titles:
- Lead Bison Strength and Conditioning Coach
- Lead Strength and Conditioning Coach
Cole Scheller [B.Kin./'15] is the Lead Bison Strength and Conditioning Coach. He is a certified strength and conditioning specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). Cole is currently completing his research looking at different methods of strength assessment for his Masters in Kinesiology through the Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management at the University of Manitoba.
Since January 2015 Cole has been an integral part of the Bison strength and conditioning team with a primary focus on the Bison Football and Soccer teams. Additionally, Cole has been involved with the Junior Bison strength and conditioning programs since its inception in 2015.
Cole is currently working to complete his National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) Level 1 Weightlifting certification.
Job Titles:
- Associate Director, Athletics
Job Titles:
- Assistant Coach - Track and Field / Cross Country
Job Titles:
- Coach of the University of Manitoba
- Head Coach - Golf
Derrik Goodwin enters his second year as head coach of the University of Manitoba's men's golf team in 2021. His path to the Bisons occurred five years ago, when program founder and Manitoba Golf Hall of Fame member Garth Goodbrandson brought him in as an assistant. Goodwin is certified in Golf Psychology Coaching and BodiTrak Ground Mechanics and is also a TPI Golf Professional Level 2 and a certified fitter with Ping, Titleist, Callaway and Taylormade.
Goodwin has been a fixture in the local golf scene since 2012, when he graduated with his Professional Golf Management Certificate from Lethbridge College and turned pro. He's a four-time recipient of the PGA of Manitoba Junior Leader and Teacher of the Year awards and cumulatively, he's been recognized 19 times by the PGA of Manitoba.
Goodwin was also honoured as the 2020 PGA of Canada Stan Leonard Class "A" Award winner, along with being the recipient of the Tex Noble Professional Development Award. The Stan Leonard Class "A" Professional of the Year Award is the highest honour the Association can bestow on a working Class "A" Professional, while The Tex Noble Professional Development Award recognizes the PGA of Canada professional who is the model of life-long learning and continuing professional development. The latter is particularly applicable to Goodwin, who has attended coaching clinics and seminar such as Vision 54 with Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriott, as well as the World Golf Fitness Summit.
In December of 2020, Goodwin was also hired as the Head Coach for Golf Manitoba's Junior Men's Development Program, where aids in the skill development of the province's top and aspiring junior golfers. He's also responsible for program development and guidance and collaboration with allied partners, among other tasks.
As a player for Lethbridge College, Goodwin thrived. In his second and third year, he was the recipient of the Frank Lindsay First Place Scholarship Award based on the previous year's GPA as well as 36 holes of stroke play. He was also named captain of the golf team in his third year, where the squad qualified to compete in the CCAA (Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association) National Championship for the first time in over ten years.
Job Titles:
- Administration Staff
- Director, Athletics and Recreation
Job Titles:
- Head Coach - Men 's Hockey
Gordon Burnett begins his first season as men's hockey coach in 2023-24. He has been around hockey his entire life, as a player and coach.
As a defenceman, he played pro in the ECHL and Central Hockey League (CHL) from 2006-2013. Prior to that, he earned Bachelor of Arts (Business, Management, Marketing and Related Support Services) and Master of Arts (Organizational Development) degrees from the College of St. Scholastica (Minnesota), while playing over 100 games for the Saints' NCAA program. He also obtained his teaching diploma from the University of New Brunswick.
Overall, Burnett has been a part of three different provincial team staffs, and since 2018 he's been NCCP certified as a skills coach for Hockey Canada, serving on multiple U17 developmental rosters as an assistant coach.
Job Titles:
- Game Day and Events Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Head Coach - Women 's Hockey
Job Titles:
- Athlete Services and Operations Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Head Coach - Women 's Volleyball
Ken Bentley was born in Winnipeg, graduated high school from Murdoch MacKay Collegiate and completed his post-secondary studies at the University of Manitoba. As of the 2023-24 season, Bentley enters his 38th year as the head coach of the University of Manitoba women's volleyball program.
Bentley continues to produce results at the highest level in Canada in terms of athlete development and team performance. On January 15, 2015, he became the first women's volleyball coach in Canadian university volleyball history to reach 1,000 wins and currently sits with a 1109-467 record. Coach Bentley has taken his teams to the national final on ten occasions, winning six (1990, 1991, 1992, 2001, 2002, 2014), and has appeared in a total of 19 national championship tournaments at the university level.
His commitment to club volleyball over the same period of time and beyond has been equally impressive. He is the only Canadian coach to have won championships at the 14U, 15U, 16U, 17U, 18U, 20U and Senior AA age categories, beginning in 1983. He has won 13 championships in club/age class volleyball, including a Canada Games gold medal, bringing his overall total of championships won since 1983 to 19. Seven of those 19 championship teams went through their entire championship without losing a single set.
Bentley won Canada West Coach of the Year honours in back-to-back seasons between 2006-07 and 2007-08 and was selected U SPORTS Coach of the Year in the 1991-92 and 2006-07 seasons along with several coaching honours in the defunct Great Plains league. In addition, he was honoured with the University of Manitoba's annual Outreach Award in 2009.
At the international level, Bentley has been an assistant coach for the Junior National (summer 1987) and National B (summer 1991, 1993, 2010) teams. His biggest privilege was serving as an assistant coach with the Canadian Women's Olympic Team at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, where two of his alumni were instrumental (Christine Toews and Michelle Sawatzky) in the first ever Olympic win in Canadian women's volleyball history.
While Bentley continues to coach the varsity program at the U of M, he also oversees the Junior Bison Volleyball Program, which offers club teams from the developmental to elite levels from 13U to 18U, and also includes summer camps, fall camps, mini volley and private lessons. He continues to enjoy his lifelong passion of riding and still occasionally racing motocross, while he and his wife Jennifer are mountain bike fanatics and head for the hills whenever they can. Together they are raising four kids, all of who play sports at a high level.
Job Titles:
- Coach
- Head Coach - Men 's Basketball
Bisons men's basketball head coach Kirby Schepp has coached more than 50 different teams over the past 27 years and 18 at the U SPORTS level. He completed his 14th season at the helm of the Manitoba Bisons in 2022-23 and has steadily brought the Herd into national contention.
Under Schepp, the Bisons have made the post-season in ten of the last 13 seasons, including eight years in a row (2014-23). He's also led Manitoba to four Canada West Final Four appearances, including back-to-back in 2016 and 2017, along with 2020 and 2023. Schepp's cumulative Canada West regular season coaching record is 140-124, and he is just 18 wins shy of tying Rick Suffield for the program record.
In 2017, Schepp's squad earned the right to compete for the national championship for the first time since 1986 (counting regional championship). Three years later, he manned a Bisons squad that finished 16-4, the best regular season result in program history, an accomplishment that was topped in 2022-23, after a historic 18-2 regular season finish. The latter of those seasons earned Schepp his second Coach of the Year honour with Bison Sports.
Coach Schepp has been a part of the Canadian Men's National Team Program for over a decade. In 2009, Schepp was named to the staff of the inaugural Canadian Cadet (17U) National Team. He has been a coach of numerous medal-winning teams at FIBA events including a bronze medal at the 2010 World 17U Championships and a gold medal with the Junior National Team at the 2017 World Championships. He was also head coach for Canada's U16 national team in 2019, where the squad qualified for the FIBU U17 World Cup after a first place finish in group B of the FIBA U16 Americas.
Additionally, in 2018, Schepp led Canada to a historic silver medal at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in his international head coaching debut. The medal was Canada's first in men's basketball at the games. In the summer of 2023, he also had the opportunity to coach Egypt's national team.
Schepp has coached several future NBA players while with Canada Basketball including Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Bennett, Nik Staukas, and Dillon Brooks
A graduate of the University of Winnipeg and University of Victoria and former U SPORTS player, Schepp coached successful high school and club teams for over 15 years as well as serving as an assistant at the University of Winnipeg for five years. He led his high school teams to numerous Final Four appearances over 14 years. He also coached many provincial teams and elite club level programs to successful finishes nationally.
Coach Schepp earned his B.A. and B.Ed from the University of Winnipeg and a Masters Degree (Coaching) from the University of Victoria. Schepp is a NCCP Master Learning facilitator and has trained hundreds of coaches over the past 20 years.
Job Titles:
- Junior Bisons Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Athletic Therapist
- Certified Athletic Therapist
- Title
Job Titles:
- Certified Athletic Therapist
Job Titles:
- Head Coach - Women 's Basketball
Michele Sung (nee Hynes) enters her tenth year as head coach of the Bison women's basketball team in 2023-24. It hasn't taken Sung long to turn the Bisons into a championship contender. Four years ago, the squad made the playoffs for the first time since 2009 and they repeated that feat again in 2018, as well as 2019 and 2021. The 2021-22 campaign also saw Sung's Bisons advance past the first round for the first time in her tenure. Overall as head coach, Sung has won 49 regular season games, the third most in program history.
Under Sung's watch, veteran guard Taylor Randall was named a conference all-star for three straight seasons (2017-19), while rookie guard Lauren Bartlett and fourth-year forward Addison Martin also took home hardware following the 2019-20 campaign. Barlett was named to the All-Rookie team, while Martin was the recipient of the Tracy MacLeod Award which celebrates courage in overcoming adversity. She also became the first player in team history to receive such an honour.
A product of Millgrove, Ontario -- a hotbed for women's basketball in Canada -- Sung attended St. Mary High School, which is widely known as a basketball factory. After a successful career at St. Mary, Sung chose the U of M for her post-secondary basketball career beginning in 2006.
Sung played five years with the Bisons, completing her university basketball career in 2010 while also obtaining a Bachelor of Kinesiology degree. During her time with the team, she racked up an impressive resume. She was an Academic All-Canadian as a freshman in 2006-07, as well as team captain for three consecutive seasons, beginning in 2007-08. One of her biggest accomplishments as a Bison occurred following the 2009-10 season, when she received the Sylvia Sweeney Award - presented to a player who demonstrates outstanding achievement in basketball, academics, and community involvement.
Sung's head coach while with the Bisons, Pam Danis, also helped to instill a passion for community outreach within the team. Danis was just starting her work with Aboriginal communities at the time of Sung's commitment and the squad would have a number of team events at Skownan First Nation, with Sung helping as a mentor coach during her entire Bisons tenure.
Following her playing days as a Bison, Sung spent a year with ZKK Partizan Basketball Club in Belgrade, Serbia, but was drawn back to the U of M because she wanted to finish her second degree (in engineering). It was during this time that a number of coaching opportunities were presented to her in the province. One of Sung's earliest coaching opportunities was with the U17 female provincial team, where she was an apprentice coach for two years under former Bison women's basketball head coach and U of M Athletic Director Coleen Dufresne, as well as Don Thomson. The 2013 edition of the provincial team won bronze at the Canada Summer Games.
Sung also added national team experience to her resume shortly afterwards, becoming an assistant coach with Team Canada's Paralympic Basketball Team as well as a performance analyst with Team Canada's Development Team. She was also named to the U17 women's national team that represented Canada at the FIBA World Championships in 2016.
Job Titles:
- Sports Information Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Digital Media & Production Coordinator
- Title / Digital Media & Production Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Administrative & Special Projects Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Travel & Administration Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Defensive Coordinator / Assistant Head Coach - Football
Stan Pierre has been coaching football at the University of Manitoba since 1998 where he started as a linebacker coach with the Manitoba Bisons. He moved into his current role as Defensive Coordinator the following season and added Assistant Head Coach to his title beginning in 2005.
During his 25-year tenure at Manitoba, highlights include coaching in two U SPORTS National Championships (2001, 2007) and winning one championship title (2007). He has been a part of five Canada West conference regular season titles, including three undefeated regular seasons (2002, 2006, 2007) along with three Hardy Cup Championships (2001, 2007, 2014) and two Mitchell Bowl (U SPORTS Semi-Final) Championships (2001, 2007).
During his coaching career with the Bisons, Pierre's defence has produced 45 Canada West Conference All-Stars, 27 U SPORTS All-Canadians, two J.P. Metras Trophy award winners - which is for the Outstanding Down Lineman of the Year in U SPORTS Football - and two Presidents' Trophy recipients - which is for the Defensive Player of the Year in U SPORTS Football.
At the start of the 2023 football season, 23 of Pierre's players have progressed to play in the CFL (Canadian Football League) plus two players have played in the NFL (National Football League) with one of them also being a participant in the Super Bowl.
Job Titles:
- Head Coach - Women 's Soccer
Vanessa Martinez Lagunas has been with the Bisons women's soccer program since 2013-14 season, guiding the Herd to the playoffs in seven of the last eight seasons. The 2017-18 season proved to be a very successful year for Martinez Lagunas both on and off the pitch. The Bisons hosted the U SPORTS Women's Soccer National Championship and earned their first ever win in the tournament - a memorable 5-1 win over the Guelph Gryphons.
Manitoba also set a new program record in goals against, with 15 (2018-19), and in 2019-20, the squad achieved their best regular season record in 11 years, at 8-5-1, advancing to the Canada West quarterfinals. In the 2022 season, Martinez-Lagunas guided Manitoba to a home playoff game, the first-ever at Investors Group Field.
Martinez Lagunas' impressive résumé extends across the world stage from her hometown of Toluca, Mexico to the iconic heights of Germany. Her domestic playing career reached an ultimate pinnacle during her spell at Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich in the 2007-08 season. On the international front, she donned the crest of her native Mexico from 1999 to 2004.
With a passion for the game following her playing days, Martinez Lagunas continued her sporting career by tackling soccer coaching - a role which is she is now utilizing to promote university education combined with high-level soccer, for both home-grown and international student-athletes. She started taking her first soccer coaching licenses through the U.S. Soccer Federation and worked her way up until she obtained the prestigious UEFA Pro soccer license through the German Soccer Federation (DFB) - the highest coaching certification in the soccer world. She also successfully defended her doctoral thesis at the University of Leipzig in Germany and now holds a PhD in sports science with a focus on the physical and physiological demands of women's soccer.
Martinez Lagunas has provided an excellent pathway for local and international students to achieve their goals in the classroom and on the field, with individuals from the United States, Germany, India, Colombia, Brazil and Mexico all donning the Brown and Gold during her tenure. She's also a huge advocate for female representation in the coaching ranks. Madison Wilford, Bruna Mavignier, Hailey Lavarias and Chloe Werle are all recent alum who've continued to work in the soccer ranks.
Vlastimil 'Vlastik' Cerny enters his 31st season as head coach of the University of Manitoba Bisons swimming program in 2023-24. He has been the Swim Manitoba Coach of the Year in four different decades and has trained swimmers that have represented Manitoba at every level of major international competition.
Cerny's most recent accolade at the university level came in 2019-20, when he was named the Bisons' Coach of the Year. Manitoba won seven medals at the Canada West championships that season. He was also the 2020 U SPORTS Coach of the Year in Women's Swimming after fourth-year Kelsey Wog - a national team member - took home four gold medals at U SPORTS nationals. On the men's side, Anthony Iliouchetchev claimed a silver in the 50-metre freestyle, his first-ever medal at the event.
Cerny - who's NCCP Level 4 certified - is a reliable coach and well-respected mentor who has helped numerous athletes reach their Olympic dreams, including Michele Lischinsky and Rhiannon Leier-Blacher, who both represented Manitoba at the 2000 summer games in Australia. Cerny is a national team alum himself, having been a member with the Czech Republic (1977-82) and Canada (1983-89), where he specialized in the butterfly and freestyle. He's a former national record holder for both countries, was a finalist for the European championships and also claimed silver in the Commonwealth Games and Pan Pacific Games.
Additionally, Cerny is a former head coach of the National Swim Centre and has been a personal coach at the Pan Pacific and Commonwealth Games, as well as the World Championships. He's also been a staff coach multiple times at the Olympics, including in 2004, where he was selected as the top performing coach.
Native to the Czech Republic, Cerny has spent most of his life around the sport of swimming. He started swimming at the age of seven and continued his competitive career until the age of 30. In 1991, he started coaching full-time as an assistant coach with Calgary's Cascade Swim Club and in 1993 he began as head coach for UM. His other hobbies include playing ice hockey, as well as following the stock market.