McMaster University Athletics

In his 21st season pacing the McMaster sidelines, Dave Preston guided the most successful dynasty in OUA men’s volleyball history, with the Marauders winning another OUA championship in 2022. Following six consecutive conference titles in 2018 their incredible run finally came to an end in March 2019, with McMaster taking silver from the OUA Final Four in Kingston. This year the Marauders had an undefeated 12-0 season.
 
Under Preston’s guidance, the Marauders have captured ten OUA Championships and have participated in 13 U SPORTS Championships. The team has captured two silver and four bronze medals at the national championship tournament between 2013 and 2018.
 
In addition to his varsity exploits, Preston has been involved with Canada’s national program, spending two years as the head coach of the Canadian Junior Men’s National Team, which represented Canada at the 2014 U21 World Championship held in Turkey. He was also an assistant coach for the Canadian Senior Men’s National Team that won a bronze medal at the 1999 Pan Am Games, held in Winnipeg. That Canadian team was enshrined in Volleyball Canada’s Hall of Fame in 2000. In recent news, Preston was also named as an assistant coach for the 2021 U19 Team Canada men's volleyball team. 

In the summer of 2022, Dave Preston was announced as the next Head Coach of the Australia men's national volleyball program - the Volleyroos - on a part-time basis, as Australia looks to host the 2032 Summer Olympics.
 
In building a perennially-strong team, Coach Preston has seen the McMaster program achieve numerous individual accolades. Under his watch, the Marauders have produced 53 OUA All-Stars, 15 All-Canadians, six OUA Rookies of the Year, two CIS Rookies of the Year, 27 members of the OUA All-Rookie team, five Dale Iwanoczko Award winner and one CIS Fair Play Award winner. His players have won the OUA Player of the Year award in each of the past six seasons from 2013-2018.
 
Coach Preston has himself been recognized by his peers as both the OUA and CIS Coach of the Year in each of the 2007-08, 2012-13 and 2014-15 seasons, and was the OUA West Coach of the Year in 2016-17, 2017-18, 2019-2020, and 2021-2022.  
 
Always an advocate of team as family, Preston gets terrific support at home from his own family, wife Gloria and daughters Grace and Gabrielle, who can be seen cheering on the Marauders at almost every home game.

Season by Season:
2021-2022: With an undefeated 12-0 conference record, McMaster once again secured the spot of first in the OUA West and won the OUA playoffs 3-1 against the Varsity Blues. The Marauders advanced to the U-SPORTS Championship falling 3-1 to the Calgary Dinos in the Quarterfinals. McMaster beat the Queen’s Gaels 3-1 in the consolation Semi-finals and took home fifth place after beating the Manitoba Bisons 3-1 in the Consolation Finals. Jordan Pereira and Sam Cooper were named OUA First-Team All-Stars (West). Wojtek Kraj and Mateus Wlodarski were both named Second-Team All-Stars (West). Robbie Fujisawa and Max Gratton were named All-Rookie Teams (West) and Max Gratton was also named OUA Rookie of the Year (West). Dave Preston was named the OUA Coach of the year.
 
2020-2021: Not applicable (COVID-19)

2019-2020: With a conference record of 15-2, McMaster once again secured the spot of first in OUA west and finished third in OUA playoffs… U-SPORTS Championship was canceled due to COVID-19…  Jordan Pereira was award the Dale Iwanoczko Award of Merit. Nathan Delguidice was named to the U-SPORTS all-Canadians second-team roster… Dave Preston was named the west OUA Coach of the Year…  Nathan Delguidice, Craig Ireland, and Matt Passalent were all OUA First Team All-Stars (West)… David Doty was a Second Team All-Stars (West)…Wojtek Kraj and Sam Cooper were both named to the OUA All-Rookie Team (West) 

2018-19: McMaster repeated as the top team in the OUA West with a 15-2 record in conference play ... Matt Passalent became the sixth consecutive Marauder to win OUA Player of the Year honours, while Andrew Richards was named an OUA West First Team All-Star, Bennett Swan was named to the Second Team and Tyler Pavelic reached the All-Rookie Team ... Richards made McMaster history by becoming the first Marauder to win the national Dale Iwanoczko Award and was named a Second Team All-Canadian while Passalent cracked the First Team ... The Marauders advanced to the Forsyth Trophy final by defeating York 3-1 in an OUA quarterfinal and Windsor 3-1 in a semifinal ... McMaster saw it's six-year dynasty ended in a 3-2 loss to the Queen's Gaels in the OUA final in Kingston ... The Marauders advanced to the U SPORTS Championships, where they lost 3-1 to the Trinity Western Spartans in a national quarterfinal and were defeated 3-0 by Queen's in a consolation semifinal.

2017-18: Preston repeated as the OUA West Coach of the Year after leading the Marauders to a 15-2 conference record and a record-breaking sixth consecutive OUA title ... McMaster hosted the OUA Final Four, defeating the Windsor Lancers and Queen's Gaels to repeat as OUA champions ... The Marauders entered the U SPORTS Championship as the fifth seed, playing at home at Burridge Gym, defeating the Montreal Carabins in five sets to advance to the national semifinals ... McMaster was beaten in four sets by the Trinity Western Spartans before rebounding with a sweep of the Alberta Golden Bears in the bronze medal match to medal at nationals for a sixth straight season ... Andrew Richards was named the OUA West Player of the Year and finished third in the voting for the U SPORTS Player of the Year Award ... Richards and outside hitter Brandon Koppers were named First and Second Team All-Canadians respectively ... Richards, Koppers and opposite Matt Passalent were named OUA First Team All-Stars ... middle Peter Khodkevych was named as the OUA nominee for the Dale Iwanoczko Award

2016-17: Preston was named OUA West Coach of the Year after guiding McMaster to a perfect 17-0 regular season record and a fifth consecutive OUA title. The Marauders hosted the OUA Final Four, defeating the Ryerson Rams and Waterloo Warriors in straight sets to win the championship. McMaster advanced to the U SPORTS semi-finals before falling to Trinity Western in four sets, and ultimately won bronze at the national championship, beating UBC 3-0. Danny Demyanenko was named OUA West Player of the Year and a First Team All-Canadian. Demyanenko, Jayson McCarthy, Andrew Richards and Brandon Koppers were named First Team OUA All-Stars, while Jordan Pereira and David Doty were named to the All-Rookie Team.

2015-16: Won the team's fourth consecutive OUA title and seventh in eight years. Finished the regular season first in the OUA with an 18-2 record, and hosted the OUA Final Four. McMaster swept the Ryerson Rams and Waterloo Warriors to win the conference title. Serving as hosts of the CIS Championship, the Marauders defeated the Waterloo Warriors and Saskatchewan Huskies to advance to the final, where they fell 3-1 to the Trinity Western Spartans to win silver. Stephen Maar was named OUA Player of the Year. Maar and Danny Demyanenko were named First Team All-Canadians, while Andrew Kocur was named to the Second Team. Maar, Demyanenko and Kocur were named First Team OUA All-Stars, Pawel Jedrzejewski was named to the Second Team, and Craig Ireland and Matt Passalent were named to the All-Rookie Team.

2014-15:  Won the team's 3rd straight OUA title and 6th in 8 years. Finished first in the OUA with a 19-1 record and hosted the OUA final-four, where the team defeated Windsor and Waterloo to win the title.  At the CIS finals, the Marauders beat the host Saskatchewan Huskies 3-0, lost to TWU 3-1 in the semis, but bounced back to beat Dalhousie 3-0 to win the bronze medal.  Danny Demyanenko was the OUA player of the year and a 1st team All-Canadian, while Austin Campion-Smith was a 2nd-team All-Canadian. 

2013-14: Won the team's fifth OUA title in seven seasons and claimed the bronze medal at the CIS Championships ... Finished the conference season with a record of 19-1 to clinch first place and host the OUA Final Four for a second consecutive year ... Defeated Ryerson (3-0) and Western (3-1) to win the conference title ... Advanced to the CIS semifinal stage with a 3-1 victory over the host Calgary before falling to Western in four sets ... Defeated the Laval Rouge et Or 3-0 to win CIS bronze ... Jori Mantha was named OUA Player of the Year and as an OUA First Team All-Star ... Austin Campion-Smith was named as an OUA First Team All-Star ... Danny Demyanenko and Jayson McCarthy were named to the Second Team ... Mantha was recognized as a First Team All-Canadian, while Campion-Smith was named to the Second Team

2012-13: Won the team's fourth OUA title in six seasons and achieved a program-high finish of second at the CIS Championships ... Completed the conference season with a record of 17-1 ... Hosted the OUA Final Four and defeated York (3-0) and Western (3-1) en route to the title ... Did not drop a set through the CIS quarterfinal against the University of New Brunswick and semifinal against Western ... Lost the CIS Final in four sets to the host Laval Rouge et Or ... Preston was named CIS Coach of the Year ... Danny Demyanenko was named CIS and OUA Rookie of the Year, a Second-Team All-Canadian, and member of the OUA First-Team All-Star and All-Rookie teams ... Austin Campion-Smith was recognized as a Second-Team All-Canadian and First-Team OUA All-Star ... Alex Elliot was named to the OUA Second Team ... Stephen Maar and Jayson McCarthy joined Demyanenko on the OUA All-Rookie Team.

2011-12: Posted a 15-3 record to finish second in the OUA... won their OUA Quarter-final against the York Lions, 3-1 in their home gym... At the Final Four, lost to Queen's in the semifinals, 3-1... Alex Elliott was named to both the CIS and OUA All-Rookie Teams and was OUA Rookie of the Year... Daniel Groenveld was also named to the All-Rookie Team and brother Jeremy Groenveld ended his McMaster career as an OUA Second-Team All-Star.. Jori Mantha and Kevin Stevens were also OUA Second-Team All-Stars. 

2010-11: McMaster earned the OUA title once again for the third time in four years...Beat out the defending champion Queen's Gaels in the semifinals before defeating the Western Mustangs in their home gym for the championship.. finished the regular season with 16-4 record, tied for second place with Queen's.. Tyler Santorini named first team OUA All-Star and earned OUA Championship MVP.. Josh Lichty was named second team OUA All-Star... Jori Mantha and Austin Campion-Smith named to OUA All-Rookie team.. finished sixth at CIS Championships with a win and two losses. 

2009 - 10: Finished first in the league with a record of 17-3...Upset 3-2 by Guelph Gryphons in OUA semifinal... Jeremy Groenveld and Tyler Santoni where selected  first team of OUA All-Stars while Ryan Hudson was named to the second team and Kevin Stevens to the All-Rookie team...Groenveld added another All-Canadian team selection to his volleyball resume with his second consecutive appearance on the CIS second team.

2008 - 09: McMaster concluded the CIS Championship with the highest finish in program history; they finished fourth after a four set defeat  in the consolation round against the Brandon Bobcats...Jeremy Groenveld was named a CIS second team All-Canadian... The Marauders picked up their second consecutive OUA Championship after coming from behind in game one and then defeating the Queen's Golden Gaels 3-1 in game two... Jeremy Groenveld, Nathan Groenveld and Peter Hrkal were named OUA first team All-Stars... Shayne Petrusma was added to the OUA All-Rookie roster...Hrkal was the recipient of the OUA Dale Iwanoczko Sportsman Award.   

2007 - 08: Named OUA and CIS Coach of the Year...Marauders claimed the OUA crown after defeating the Queen's Golden Gaels 3-0... Finished the season on top of the OUA with a perfect 20-0 record... UBC overcame deficit to advance to the consolation final at the CIS Championship after beating the Marauders 3-2... Nathan Groenveld was named a CIS first team All-Canadian at middle...Josh Lichty was named to the OUA and CIS All-Rookie teams... Nathan Groenveld, Parrish Offer and Jeremy Groenveld were OUA first team All-Stars, and Peter Hrkal was a second team All-Star.

2006 - 07: Finished with a regular season record of 15-5...third in the OUA conference...defeated the Toronto Varsity Blues 3-1 in the OUA quarter-finals...upset the Ryerson Rams 3-2 in the OUA semifinal...took game one of the OUA Championship Series 3-2 over the defending champion Queen's Golden Gaels...finished with OUA silver..played the reigning national champion Trinity Western Spartans in the CIS Championship quarter-final taking the first two sets, before falling... Shawn Bench was named the OUA Rookie of the Year and named to the CIS All-Rookie Team... Daniel Smedley was awarded the R.W. Pugh Fair Play Award...hosted the 19th annual Thanksgiving Classic Tournament winning silver...hosted Cay Clubs Invitational Tournament in Clearwater Florida against top CIS and NCAA schools finishing fifth.

2005 - 06: Regular season record of 15-5...finished third in the OUA conference...defeated Toronto 3-0 in OUA quarter-finals...lost to Queen's 3-1 in OUA semifinal...competed in the CIS Championship tournament as the host team...lost 3-1 to the no. 1 ranked Alberta Golden Bears in CIS quarter-final...defeated the no. 4 Saskatchewan Huskies in CIS consolation semifinal......lost 3-0 to Queen's in the consolation final...finished sixth at CIS Championship......Daniel Smedley was named first team OUA All-Star......Peter Hrkal was named second team OUA All-Star......Ryan Hudson was named to the OUA All-Rookie team..... Paul Hrkal was nominated for the Dale Iwanoczko Sportsman Award.

2004 - 05: Posted a record of 14-6 in regular season...finished third in OUA conference....defeated Queen's in OUA quarter-finals 3-2...lost to Western 3-0 in OUA semifinals....Peter Hrkal was named OUA and CIS rookie of the year and member of the CIS All-Rookie team...Hrkal was also named a first team OUA All-Star.....Steve Murray was named to the OUA All-Star second team.

2003 - 04: Posted a record of 7-11, finishing seventh in the OUA.

2002 - 03: Posted a record of 6 - 12 in first season with McMaster.....finished 8th in the OUA.... Ryan Adams was named a 2nd team OUA All-Star.