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Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference "To be Canada's premiere collegiate athletic conference by developing and inspiring leadership through excellence in academics, sport and citizenship"
Posted: Apr 27, 2020

Will Cebuliak Honoured as 2019-20 ACAC Male Rookie of the Year

Will Cebuliak Honoured as 2019-20 ACAC Male Rookie of the Year

Red Deer, AB (April 27, 2020) – The Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) is pleased to announce Red Deer College's Will Cebuliak as the 2019-20 ACAC Male Rookie of the Year sponsored by Vereburn Medical. 

Cebuliak made an impact on the RDC Kings Cross Country Running and Indoor Track teams and was honoured as the top first-year male student-athlete from all conference sports.

"We were fortunate to recruit Will straight from high school for his first year of post-secondary," said Kari Elliott, RDC Cross Country Running and Indoor Track Head Coach. "He was relatively new to the sport, but brought so much potential." 

The Bachelor of Arts student helped the Kings earn gold at the ACAC Cross Country Running Championships in Calgary. Individually, Cebuliak (28.51) finished eighth over 8 km and narrowly missed a spot on the ACAC Men's Cross Country All-Conference team. The Hunting Hills High School graduate was named the ACAC Men's Cross Country Running Rookie of the Year. 

In challenging weather, Cebuliak (30:08.15) finished 17th at the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Cross Country Running National Championships in Grande Prairie and played a key role in the Kings capturing bronze.

"Will has plenty of natural talent and is meticulous in his training habits. He warms up well, shows restraint where he needs, guts it out when it counts and takes the time to cool down," explained Elliott. "Will is a smart athlete with a lot of heart. He led with punctuality, attendance, commitment to the program and a desire to win." 

The Red Deer runner was an integral member of the Kings Indoor Track team earning first at both Grand Prix #1 and #2. At Grand Prix #1, Cebuliak (2:45.33) finished second in the 1,000 m, third (4:29.39) over 1,500 m and was a member of the second-place Kings 4 x 400 m relay team (3:48.55). Then at Grand Prix #2, he wrapped up second (1:27.17) over 600 m and third as a participant on the RDC Kings 4 x 200 m relay team (1:40.49) at the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre. 

The Kings Indoor Track team had the potential to have a strong end to the season, but the ACAC Championships were cancelled due to COVID-19 precautions.

"I expect that we will see Will continue to improve tremendously in the years to come, although we will have to watch from a distance as he is now a Golden Bear at the U of A," said Elliott. "He will succeed at the next level and we are proud to have been part of his athletic journey."

The announcement was officially made by the ACAC on Monday, April 27.

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About the ACAC: The ACAC is the governing body for intercollegiate athletics in Alberta. Its mission is to provide competitive collegiate sport experiences, promote academic achievement and be a leader of sport development in Canada.

For more information on the ACAC, please visit our website: www.acac.ab.ca 

For additional information, contact:

Mark Kosak, ACAC
Chief Executive Officer
403-875-7329
markk@acac.ab.ca

Diane St-Denis, Athletic Director      
Red Deer College
403-342-3449
diane.st-denis@rdc.ab.ca 

Twitter: @acac_sport / #ACACSport