Former Trinity Western University (TWU) volleyball star Lucas Van Berkel has retired from Canada's Men鈥檚 National Team,.

He spent more than a decade with the team, including back-to-back Olympic appearances.

"One key memory is competing at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in front of my family and friends," Van Berkel said. "Unlike Tokyo 2020, where the pandemic kept fans out of the stadiums, having my loved ones in the crowd at the world鈥檚 biggest event as I capped off my volleyball career is something I鈥檒l always cherish.鈥�

Throughout his time with Team Canada, the six-foot nine-inch middle blocker compiled an impressive resume. His journey began with the U21 team, where he won silver at the U21 NORCECA Championship (2010) and silver Pan American Cup (2011). With the senior team, he captured bronze medals at the Pan American Cup (2016), World League (2017), and NORCECA Championships (2017, 2019). Most recently, he won silver at the 2023 NORCECA Championships.

Before joining the national team, Van Berkel played for 91原创-based Trinity Western University, where he led the team to back-to-back U SPORTS Championship titles. His professional career spanned across Europe, with stints in Sweden, Czechia, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Turkey, France, and Portugal.

His professional highlights include gold medals in the Swedish Elitserien (2015), Swedish Cup (2015), Swiss Supercup (2017), Swiss League (2017), Swiss Cup (2017), Turkish Supercup (2020), German Cup (2022), and Portuguese Cup (2024) 鈥� to name a few.

Van Berkel isn鈥檛 stepping away from volleyball entirely as he pursues a new career goal.

鈥淚鈥檓 currently coaching private volleyball lessons, running mentorship programs, and leading camps while working towards my ultimate goal of becoming a firefighter. Even as I pursue that path, I鈥檒l continue coaching and running camps on my days off."

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