Surveying by day to breaking records with the Lethbridge College Kodiaks by night, a collegiate athlete is making a run at breaking the all-time ACAC kills record.
Dax Whitehead, Kodiaks outside hitter, is in his fifth year playing for the Kodiaks men’s volleyball team.
For his first three-years at the college, he was in the Geomatics Engineering Technology program while playing for the Kodiaks volleyball team.
Now he has a job working for Midwest Surveying, a company providing geomatics to the oil and gas industry.
When he’s not on the job site, he is still taking general studies courses
Before he started playing for the Kodiaks, Whitehead played volleyball for Central Collegiate Institute, a high school in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.
It was at this time he also played club and beach volleyball.
His accomplishments include being awarded Saskatchewan’s male of athlete of the year and winning high school provincials in grade 12.
Now playing in his final year of eligibility, he spiked the ball for the 1,000 time on Nov. 2 against the Briercrest Clippers.
On top of the 1,000 kill milestone, he has also became the all-time Kodiaks kill leader last season.
He joins three other ACAC volleyball players who have topped the 1,000 kill mark.
ACAC all-time kill leader, Blazej Pellowski, who played for the Keyano Huskies in Fort McMurrary, Alta sits at 1,108 kills.
The others who have reached the 1,000 kill milestone are Scott Lesher, Clippers alumni, with 1,065 and Alwyn Piche, Huskies alumni, with 1,033.
Whitehead said becoming the college’s all-time kills leader wasn’t a goal and getting his 1000th kill is a nice milestone to have.
“The Kodiaks record was nice, it felt good to break that. It wasn’t something I was going after or wanting to go after at all, it just kind of happened. But the 1,000 is a good milestone to have, not a lot of guys have done it.”
Greg Gibos, head coach, explained even though it was Whitehead’s personal accomplishment, he still wanted his teammates to sign the ball as they have played a big part in his career.
“He got his 1,000 kill ball and instead of putting it up in his house, he wanted to make sure all of his teammates signed it because it meant a lot to him.”
Gibos believes this selfless act gives everyone a good perspective of who he is– a team-player.
The fifth-year outside hitter will also be looking to top off his long list of accomplishments by becoming the all-time ACAC kills leader which he believes is within reach.
“It’s a nice, personal touch on ending my five-years of playing. I like it, it’s nice way to kind of end it for me individually. But really at the end of the day it’s about the boys and going after a medal for the first time in the program’s history.”
Last year, the men’s team fell short of gaining that first medal in program history at the ACAC Volleyball Championships when they were defeated by the Clippers.
Now this year, the team is looking to win two or three games at the provincial tournament to push themselves to competing at the first ever national championship in team history, according to Gibos.
The Kodiaks will have a bye this week but will return to ACAC action Nov. 23 and 24 when it plays the Old College Broncos at home which will be its final two games of the first semester.