After a cancelled season, the Manitoba Bisons returned to U SPORTS play in emphatic fashion in 2021-22. Numerous records were broken as the Herd once again showcased their talent on the national stage. Below are the top five moments from the season.

FIVE

Men's volleyball earns a win at nationals

A year after nationals were cancelled, Manitoba had the opportunity to run things back as the host of the 2022 U SPORTS Men's Volleyball Championship.

Competing in one of the toughest divisions in Canada West all season (Saskatchewan, Winnipeg and Brandon all advanced to the final six), the Herd proved their worth by knocking off all of their division rivals at least once, while also ending the second round hopes of the UBC Okanagan Heat with an impressive four-set win to close out the first round of conference post-season play.

Entering nationals as the No. 8 seed, Manitoba showed that they belonged, knocking off the OUA finalist and No. 4 seed Toronto Varsity Blues to advance to the consolation final. Their straight set win (25-17, 25-15, 29-27) was largely due to their performance at the net, where they had an impressive 15.5 total blocks, compared to just four for Toronto.

The Herd's performance on the block was a factor all year, as they tied for second in the conference with 162 total. They were led in that regard by multiple-time conference blocks leader Brendan Warren, who tied a single-game record for total blocks in a game, with 16 in 2018-19. He had nine total blocks against Toronto, the most of any Canada West player in a three-set match on the year, while the Herd had 27 assisted blocks overall.

"I think it really started with the servers," admitted Warren of his side, who had four aces in the match, led by two from the team's leading attacker Ben Carleton.

"By putting in a good serve and taking the setter off the net, it makes it a lot easier for a guy like me, and our outsides too. Those guys were solid up there. It makes my job easier when all I have to focus on is closing."

Manitoba's play at the net opened up their offence, including a potent pipe attack (a strength all year) that Carleton, captain Owen Schwartz and All-Rookie member Spencer Grahame – who led the team with 12 kills – all employed.

"Jack set me up really nice. I had a really good matchup with a smaller blocker, and that really put me in a good position to succeed," Grahame said.

"I think it really started with our block defence. We put up really big blocks and they were just tossing over free balls or tips, and we were able to transition that into a pipe, middle offence, which we excel at."

The Bisons also took OUA champion and No. 2 seed McMaster to their limit in the consolation final, nearly coming back from two sets down in a 3-1 thriller (17-25, 14-25, 25-16, 25-27).

They were led by middle Darian Koskie, who had seven kills and a .467 attacking percentage, along with two solo blocks and five assisted blocks. Second-year setter Isaak Fast (a burst of energy all year in practice) was the lead distributor for Manitoba in the third and fourth sets, adding a career-high 20 assists along with four digs in an exciting back-and-forth contest.

"I think the switch at the setter position bringing Isaak in brought a little bit of energy and it helped a lot," said Bisons head coach Arnd 'Lupo' Ludwig.

"We showed that we belong in this group and that we are top six in Canada. We had them close in the fourth set. We played well, we executed a lot better."

FOUR

Women's basketball secure first conference playoff win since 2008-09

The women's basketball program under eighth-year head coach Michele Sung proved that the future is bright, advancing in the post-season for the first time in over a decade.

Three and D were key factors in the team's play during the regular and post-season, as they employed an intense on-ball pressure while also finishing second in Canada West, with 127 total treys entering the playoffs. Their play from distance was a massive storyline in a 74-55 first round victory over UBC, as the Herd drained a season-high 15 three-pointers and shot 41.7 percent from distance.

Manitoba nearly followed that up with an upset over the No. 5 seed Lethbridge, going back-and-forth with the Pronghorns in an 80-77 finish. Second-year guard and former All-Rookie member Lauren Bartlett had 15 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals against Lethbridge, playing in all but three minutes to lead the Herd. That was after a 20-point, seven-rebound, three-assist and three-steal display against UBC.

She's one of 12 players on Manitoba's roster that haven't surpassed more than three years of eligibility, as Sung continues to recruit high-quality players and people.

"For me, one-on-one defence has always been a huge focus on mine and applying a lot of ball pressure and making [the opposition] as frazzled as possible basically. As a team, during practices I feel like there was an increased intensity in defence, because good defence leads to easy scores," noted Bartlett.

"That was kind of our focus playing against these really good teams, was playing really good defence and controlling what we can control."

The 2021-22 season also marked the conclusion of fifth-year guard Taylor Randall's career. One of Sung's earliest recruits in her tenure, the multiple-time conference all-star led the team in points per game, with 11.9 and was one of four different players who had at least ten points against UBC.

"Playoffs was so fun, and especially for me, when I came in, we didn't make it to the playoffs. We weren't a team that won many games, and now we're winning our first playoff game six years later," she said. "It was very rewarding for me. I've been here for this. I can kind of say that I helped contribute to getting us there. It was a very proud moment for me, because it's been a lot more than this year that's gotten us to the playoffs."

THREE

Football advances to the Hardy Cup for the first time since 2014

The 2021 Bisons football season was unlike any other in the 26-year tenure of head coach Brian Dobie.

Right off the hop, the Herd, like every other team in Canada, had to find their identity after a cancelled season in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Questions arose about who would and wouldn't be back for 2021, including a number of game-changers who were just a two-point convert away from knocking off eventual Vanier Cup champion Calgary in the 2019 conference semi-finals.

When push came to shove and training camp began, the Herd's familiar faces came back to finish what they'd started. Identity-wise, the squad — which featured a roster that was 74 percent local, the most Manitobans in Dobie's time as bench boss — adopted the mantra of One Heart, One Herd. As quarterback Jackson Tachinski said best, "everything we do, we do as a team. If one of us is playing poor, the whole team is playing poor. It just really means a lot to have that family in the locker room believing in you, because we all have confidence in each other, and we're all ride or die."

With an unwavering belief in each other, the Bisons stormed out of the gate, going 3-0 for the first time since 2007. They finished the regular season at 4-2, hosted a playoff game for the first time since 2013 and advanced to the Hardy Cup for the first time since 2014. It was a remarkable season, one that was even more impressive considering the adversity that the team had to overcome.

Manitoba lost starting quarterback Des Catellier to a season-ending lower body injury in week one and had to rally after the passing of receivers coach Scott Naujoks the week after. Then, two weeks after that, Tachinski went down with a lower body injury and the team ended up starting true freshman Sawyer Thiessen out of Steinbach. Despite a loss that week to Saskatchewan, he showed out well, proving that the future is bright under centre.

A dominant run game and shutdown performance on defence helped Manitoba knock off Alberta at home in the conference semi-finals, earning the team their first trip to the Hardy in seven years. And while they weren't able to complete the Cinderella season, it was still an unbelievable showing of resolve for a group that had everything but the kitchen sink thrown at them.

"I've really thought about this over the last few weeks. I've been a head coach for 47 years. In my whole career, there wouldn't have been a team I've ever coached that would've gone through what this team has gone through. I'm so proud of them. They're just fighters. They just believed that they would find a way to win and they did it almost all of the time," Dobie noted after the Hardy Cup.

"Whatever the reason was, everybody showed up and everybody played a role. This was such a true team season. The culture of this team is as good as I've ever seen with a Bisons team. It really is. It's a true culture of family and caring. It's a true culture of buying in. They just bought in all the way. They bought in emotionally, they bought in systematically, they bought in physically. They've set a high bar for us to move forward with in our program. It's awesome because that should be our standard."

TWO

Wog caps U SPORTS career off in style with four more gold medals

Fifth-year local product Kelsey Wog put a bow on one of the most impressive careers in Bisons history, tallying four more gold medals at swimming nationals. She raced to a 1:04.88 time in the 100-metre breaststroke, setting another U SPORTS record, while adding a second record in the 50-metre breaststroke in a time of 30.45 seconds. Her other two golds came in the 200-metre breaststroke and 200-metre medley.

Wog's showing was one of many strong performances for the women's swim team, which finished fifth overall at U SPORTS, beating out teams that were significantly bigger.

The university season was one of many highlights for Wog, who made her Olympic debut less than a year prior. She worked unbelievably hard to earn her spot at the games, qualifying after winning gold in both the 100 and 200-metre breaststroke at Canadian Olympic Trials last June. She was also a member of her nation's 4x100-metre medley relay team. Her coach Vlastimil 'Vlastik' Cerny was right there with her the whole time, appearing in his fourth games (one as an athlete and three as a coach).

Wog's next task is the preparation to make Team Canada again for the 2024 Olympics in Paris. As she pulls the curtain on an amazing varsity run, there's no denying the legacy she's leaving with.

"Whenever people ask me about what I want to get out of it, I want to leave the sport in a better place, and I want to inspire another generation of athletes to pick up the sport and to stay here even, and go to university," she noted.

Added Cerny: "Every experience as she climbs the ladder, she's just shown that she learns from everything and goes higher and higher. That's a great example for others. It wasn't without struggle. Some things were really good and some things weren't as easy. I think the other legacy that she leaves is that she's home grown. To her point, inspiring others that you can do it at home. She started in the first full year of our swim club at the university, and she went through the whole scale of moving up into the senior group and the national team and beyond. The example of her doing that leaves a great legacy."

ONE

Bisons men win Canada West Track and Field Championship, first since 2009

The Bisons men's track and field team claimed their ninth conference banner in program history after a well-rounded two-day performance on home soil that saw them score 140 points. The impressive showing was the result of 94 points scored on Saturday, which capped off a great weekend for both genders.

Individually, triple jump specialist Daxx Turner — who won his specialty event with a leap of 14.95 metres and also earned points in the high jump — claimed Rookie of the Year honours. He also won bronze at nationals in both events. Additionally, Gee-ef Nkwonta was named Assistant Coach of the Year on the men's side — a huge honour for one of the many Bisons volunteer assistant coaches who give their time and energy to Manitoba's varsity programs. Claude Berube also took home Coach of the Year recognition on the men's side.

Overall, the men won two gold medals, five silver and three bronze in what was a well-rounded display for the conference champs.

"It's up there," head coach Claude Berube noted on where the most recent banner ranks in his career highlights.

"It's been 13 years since we won a team title, and that's always been an important thing for me, to try and win team titles. As much as you want to have the individual people do well, I love team sports also, so I think it's important for us. It was nerve-wracking as they always are. The first team title we won in Canada West when I was head coach, we only won one gold medal that year. We basically nickel and dimed our way to fourth, fifth and sixth-place finishes to win the championship. It was a very different look this time."

A major talking point all year was Manitoba's showing in the 60-metre, as three different runners (Stefan Hreno, BrIan Lewis and Jordan Soufi) broke the previous program record of 6.81 seconds. Overall, the time was topped six different times, four of which came from Soufi, including the new program record of 6.71, which came at the Canada West Championships, a silver medal result.

The second-year Soufi, a multiple-time winner of the 100 and 200-metre outdoor races in high school, also won bronze at nationals with a time of 6.77 as the men finished fifth overall.

With a versatile group of runners that are particularly strong in the sprint and middle-distance events, Manitoba has all kinds of reasons to be excited for the future.

Berube appointed Nkwonta as the head of recruiting this season, and with the addition of a new recruiting service, the squad has been receiving interest from some of the top runners, not only in Manitoba but across the country.

"We decided to work with a recruiting service, which we'd never done before. Gee-ef's job now with the team is the leader of recruiting, and we thought one of the ways of helping him was this recruiting service. We've had more interest from other provinces than we've had in all my 25 years here," said Berube.

"The people that we've been dealing with directly are national team athletes. One of them is our Canadian national road race champion in the 10k and the other girl is a former national team 800-metre runner. When you're dealing with them, you know you're dealing with people who know the sport.

It goes really well with working with us, because they know we know the sport. Gee takes care of all the power-speed athletes and I just work with the endurance athletes when it comes to recruiting. We've had three athletes commit so far, and we're hoping to get some more."