A Mitchell resident was recently inducted into the Manitoba High Schools Athletic Associations Hall of Fame, as a member of two volleyball teams back in the 90’s.   

Lynsey Zacharias was on the Morris Mavericks High School Varsity Girl’s Volleyball squad when they won back-to-back Provincial AA championships in 1996 and 1997 school years.  

The Mavericks had an 87 and 9 record during those two volleyball seasons and Zacharias, who played left-side at the time, was named the MVP at both Provincial Championships.  

When asked what it meant for these two teams to be inducted into the MHSAA Hall of Fame, Zacharias responded,  

“I think it just triggers a lot of memories, you know. It's some stuff that now that you've gotten older and you have your own families, this kind of stuff gets put to the side and when you go back and you think about it, it was a huge, huge achievement at the time. Yeah, it was a really special achievement for sure. We are so grateful to be able to be here and have our health and have our families experience it.”  

Zacharias recalls hosting the provincial championships in 1996 and how special it felt to win at home.  

“That was huge for us. It was neat. It's just a great memory. For us, at the time, with all of our families being able to be there, being able to support us and to kind of stand up for our school, which was a small school at the time, right? It was a really big deal and I remember that feeling of accomplishment at the end of it and just all of us like, just getting to like scream like little girls. I see my daughter doing it now and I'm like, I know how that feels.” 

When asked how it felt to lose a game during those years in Morris, Zacharias says, 

“It was very good for us, very humbling. Losing is a wonderful, wonderful opportunity to learn and to change what you're doing wrong. Like losing is an awesome opportunity, you know?” 

Zacharias reflects back 25 years ago, when they won their first championship, and what it means to now be inducted into the Hall of Fame.   

“It’s a huge honor. You don't really realize that when you're in high school and you're going through the motions. But coming here to be able to acknowledge it now, it's a huge honor. And it's just, yeah, you think about it and it was a big deal. It's awesome to have my children here, and my husband is here and my parents. It's awesome to have everybody here to kind of acknowledge something like that because we don't take time to acknowledge that any other time of the year.” 

Zacharias and her 1996 and 1997 teammates and coach Fred Kelesnik, who is already in the Hall of Fame, were honoured on Saturday May 13 in Winnipeg.  

With files from Clayton Dreger