LCI product commits to the Kodiaks men’s volleyball team

By Lethbridge Herald on August 4, 2021.

The Lethbridge College Kodiaks men’s volleyball team has added another local athlete to their roster in time for the 2021 Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference season.

On Tuesday, the Kodiaks announced the commitment of LCI’s Sam Crighton.

A six-foot libero, Crighton joins the Kodiaks after a successful high school career and a stint with the Lethbridge Volleyball Club.

Although Crighton lost his Grade 12 volleyball season to the COVID-19 pandemic, he was still a key member of a Rams team that won a provincial bronze medal in 2019.

Crighton has also enjoyed success with the LVC, including winning a border battle tournament in Spokane in 2019.

His signing continues the Kodiaks tradition of recruiting strong local talent at libero. That includes a long list of players from LCI who have had an impact on the program’s success, including Matt Primrose, Malcolm Fisher and Tony Albizatti.

“I know I say this a lot, but we are truly adding another good person to our volleyball program today,” said Kodiaks head coach Greg Gibos in a release. “Sam is one of the most humble, hardworking and driven individuals I’ve come across in my time at Lethbridge College. When asking his teachers, coaches and teammates about him, they all raved about how good of a person he is.”

Being a local athlete, Crighton welcomes the chance to suit up for the Kodiaks.

“I chose to be a Kodiak because I have looked up to their volleyball team since I first started watching them,” he said. “It’s crazy to think I will be playing with some players I have looked up to for the longest time. The Kodiaks team is all close together and has created a brotherhood I want to be a part of. The atmosphere they produce is amazing

“I’m truly honored to be able to walk out in front of friends and family in a packed Val Matteotti Gym and represent the Kodiak logo. This logo means a lot more than just being a volleyball player. I’m excited to grow as a person and player in this program.”

Gibos believes Crighton will help the program’s depth at the libero position moving forward and said Crighton will work with fourth-year athlete Malcolm Fisher and incoming freshman Adam Boras.

“I think those three guys are truly going to push each other to become the best versions of themselves this season,” said Gibos. “They all get along, and I know Malcolm and assistant coach Andre Arsenault are going to be tremendous leaders for these young liberos coming in.”

Crighton will join the Business Administration Program and major in Accounting. His goal is earning an applied statistics degree from a university while working towards analytics in sport or business.

The Kodiaks announced their return-to-play schedule for the 2021-22 ACAC season.

The volleyball teams begin regular season play on Nov. 12 at home against Red Deer College.

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