Queen’s University student Chris Zimmerman is ruling the volleyball court like a king.
The 18-year-old former Duchess Park Condor setter from Prince George was named the Ontario University Athletics rookie of the year for 2022-23.
In his first season with the Golden Gaels, Zimmerman finished ninth overall in the league in assists, averaging 8.08 per set and his exceptional defence resulted in 100 digs for the first-year political science major, an average of 1.09 digs per set.
“It’s a huge honour, I was not expecting it at all, I came into the year with no expectations to play or anything like that,” said Zimmerman. “I was lucky to be put in that position to contribute and get on the court and I just took it from there and it worked out.’
The Golden Gaels finished fifth in the 12-team league with an 11-9 record and lost a close match to fourth-ranked York in the first round of playoffs.
“It was a bit of a rocky season for us, we had some injuries that caused problems for us and we had great stretches and unfortunate stretches where we lost games but it was a really good learning experience for the team,” Zimmerman said. “We return pretty much the same group next year and we’re hosting nationals next year.”
Zimmerman took on a starting role in third match of the season and held his place in the lineup the rest of the season.
"I'm extremely proud of Chris Zimmerman’s accomplishments this season, he is undoubtedly deserving of the OUA Rookie of the Year award," said Gaels head coach Gabe deGroot.
"Chris was able to have an immediate impact on our team's success by bringing the best out of his teammates. As a young setter, he has quickly adapted to the tactical and systematic game at the university level. I can't wait to see what Chris's future holds and the successes he will have with our program in the future."
