Ryan Glanville has become the answer to a trivia question at Thompson Rivers University.
The TRU WolfPack men’s soccer team forward has become the first player from the school to be named a Canada West All-Star.
Glanville, who grew up honing his soccer skills in the Williams Lake Youth Soccer Association, was named a second-team all-star.
The announcement was made Nov. 5 at the Canada West final six banquet in Vancouver. Glanville received the news of his selection from WolfPack head coach John Antulov.
“It was a nice surprise getting that call from John,” said Glanville, who is currently studying in the masters of business program.
“It’s great being recognized considering how competitive our division is. The program has been super supportive of me coming into the fold and surrounding me with some very talented players which definitely makes my life easier.
“I imagine there will be many more from TRU that will be named all-stars in the future considering all the talent that keeps coming in.”
Antulov said he was also pleased with the selection.
“I think for this program and for Ryan the selection is a great step forward,” Antulov said. “To be in our second year and have a player be a Canada West All-Star whether it be first or second team is a massive accomplishment for Ryan and it also shows the quality of players we have in our program.
“He had a really good season. He probably could have scored a few more goals, as well, if players like Mitch (Popadynetz of Nelson) were healthy all year. Mitch and Ryan would have made a dynamic duo as they showed the last four or five games of the year. To have them for a full year now will hopefully help Ryan’s and Mitch’s stats for next year.”
Glanville started in all 12 matches with TRU this season scoring eight times and adding three assists.
He had 39 shots — 21 on goal. This was his third season of Canada West competition.
The 32 year old had played two previous seasons with UBC.
He said the honour is nice, but the highlight of the season from him is something completely different.
“My dad is definitely my biggest fan and having him come to every single practice and game is something I won’t forget any time soon,” he said.
“He had a stroke a few years ago so being able to still connect through soccer is pretty amazing. Nothing will beat being able to see him and my two-year-old son, Oliver, sitting next to each other in the stands.”
Previously, Glanville had been playing with the Vancouver Metro every weekend for more than six months prior to joining the WolfPack, and said it was a big change.
“It was nice to see us end the season the way we did,” he said. “I think we started showing what we were capable of. Each weekend we battled and ended coming up with wins against two of the teams who are now one win away from nationals.
“I think we are all disappointed that we aren’t in that spot … but we are still a young program and it is nice knowing that we are going in the right direction.”
He said overall the season was an enjoyable one.
“I had a lot of fun with the guys,” he said. “Corey (Wallis, fifth year, Enderby) was a big reason for me coming in but it was nice to develop friendships with so many of the youngins, as well. Really just a good environment to come into.”