2022-2023 ACAC Coaching Excellence Award

Edmonton, AB (April 15, 2023) – The Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) is proud to announce Marty Birky of the SAIT Trojans has been named the 2022-23 ACAC’s Coaching Excellence Award of the Year recipient.

Birky has coached the Trojans for eight seasons, beginning in the fall of the 2014-15 ACAC season. After two years of not making the playoffs, Birky rattled off six consecutive ACAC titles in which he went a perfect 17-0 in post-season play. 

In his final season at SAIT, Birky finally added the title of Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) National Champion – winning the event his Trojans hosted in front of friends and family at the University of Calgary’s Jack Simpson Gymnasium in March.

“Coach Birky is very much deserving of this prestigious award, ,” said Wade Kolmel, SAIT’s Director of Athletics and Recreation. “As he matured as a coach, his coaching style focused on balancing accountability and fun - creating a trust between players and coaches, and between the players themselves. Succeeding in that resulted in one of the more dominant runs we have seen by a team in the ACAC in some time. We congratulate him on winning this award and wish him and his family the best going forward.”

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About the ACAC: The ACAC is the governing body for intercollegiate athletics in Alberta. Its mission is to provide competitive collegiate sport experiences, promote academic achievement and be a leader of sport development in Canada.

For more information on the ACAC, please visit our website: www.acac.ab.ca 

For additional information, contact:

Mark Kosak, ACAC
Chief Executive Officer
403-875-7329
markk@acac.ab.ca

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