With the Duckworth Challenge reaching its 25th year and the back half of the 2015-16 edition just under two weeks away, the Manitoban decided to take a look back at some past Bisons MVPs in their individual sports against the Wesmen and where they are now.
Name: Michael Munday
Sport: Volleyball in 2000-2001
Individual sport result: Won 3-1 (27-25, 19-25, 25-11, 25-21)
Duckworth Challenge result: Won 3-1 (Also won women’s volleyball and women’s basketball)
A three-time National Champion and two-time Athlete of the Year with the Bisons, Munday went on to represent Team Canada for eight years and also played five years of professional volleyball in France and Dubai. In 2003, he was also selected to carry Canada’s flag at the World Universiade Games in Daegu, Korea.
In 2009, Munday – along with another former Bisons Duckworth MVP Scott Koskie, who played 10 years as a pro – also created the Success for Volleyball development program. It was the first of its kind in Manitoba and is aimed to help develop the skills necessary for young volleyball players between the ages of 11-16.
Name: Taylor Pischke
Sport: Volleyball in 2013-14
Individual sport result: Won 3-0 (25-21, 25-16, 25-19)
Duckworth Challenge result: Won 5-0 (first ever 5-0 win in Duckworth Challenge history)
Pischke was an integral member of the Bisons 2013-14 CIS National championship team, and has gone on to become a dominant beach volleyball player. Her accomplishments include two North, Central American and Caribbean (NORCECA) beach volleyball circuit titles, a NORCECA gold-medal, and two Under 23 Beach Volleyball World Championship bronze medals.
Name: Jon Lundgren
Sport: Basketball in 2005-06
Individual sport result: Lost 86-76
Duckworth Challenge result: Tie 2-2 (Won in men’s and women’s volleyball, lost in men’s and women’s basketball)
After completing his CIS career, Lundgren would enjoy success as a basketball coach in the province. He was an assistant coach for the Bisons from 2006-08 and Canadian Mennonite University from 2009-10, and also won a Provincial Championship as head coach of the junior varsity boys program at Fort Richmond Collegiate in 2007-08. On top of that, he was also the head coach of the Under 15 Manitoba Provincial Team Program from 2010-13, guiding them to two bronze medal finishes.
Lundgren currently sits as the head coach of the Oak Park Raiders and is on the coaching staff of the Basketball Manitoba Centre for Performance Under 15 team.
Name: Terri-Lee Johannesson
Sport: Basketball in 1994-95
Individual sport result: Lost 95-64
Duckworth Challenge result: Won 3-1 (Won in men’s basketball and women’s and men’s volleyball)
Johannesson – the only three-time individual sport MVP in Manitoba’s Duckworth Challenge history – will arguably go down as the greatest player to ever grace a Bisons women’s basketball uniform. She was a CIS First-Team All-Canadian from 1994-97, Great Plains Conference Player of the Year in 1995-96, and CIS Athlete of the Year in 1996-97.
The Duckworth MVP in women’s basketball for Manitoba from 1994-97 was also a member of the 1996 and 1997 back-to-back winning CIS National Championship teams, which were inducted into the Manitoba Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011 and are the most recent women’s basketball team from Manitoba to win a national title. In both seasons, Johannesson was also named CIS Championship Tournament MVP.
About the Duckworth Challenge
The challenge was started by the late Dr. Henry E. Duckworth, who served as president of University of Winnipeg for 10 years beginning in 1971 and was also chancellor at the U of M from 1986-92. It originated in the 1991-92 season and was Duckworth’s attempt to create a spirited cross-town rivalry between the two universities. The sports involved are volleyball, basketball, and soccer (women’s only), which was added in the 2013-14 season.
