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Last season, Vitor was instrumental in leading his team to a provincial Pacific Western Athletic Association (PACWEST) gold with a huge win over the ranked first nationally, Vancouver Island University (VIU) Mariners. The team followed up with a perfect 9-0 tournament at the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) championship, defeating the host, Titans de Limoilou, to bring home a second gold medal, ending his career as a Charger.

He won every accolade possible last season: Athlete of the Week (twice), PACWEST First Team All Star, PACWEST and CCAA Championship Most Valuable Player (MVP), and Team MVP.

Last season, Pereira led the team in kills (132) and overall total offense (TTLO) points (154). In the PACWEST championship tournament, he finished tied for kills with 68 and again led the team in TTLO with an impressive 91 in 20 sets.

“Vitor’s passion, effort and work ethic in the gym and the weight room were exceptional and this was coupled with an unparalleled commitment to excellence and a burning desire to win,” said former men’s volleyball Head Coach, Charles Parkinson. “Over the course of his career, opponents would design their game plans to limit his productivity, but Vitor’s mental strength, resilience and creativity allowed him to continually break down their plans and his consistency in the face of adversity was unmatched.”

During his three years with the Chargers, Vitor was a dynamic offensive force, scoring 779 kills and added to that total with his lethal spike serve which resulted in an additional 99 aces. Even when he wasn’t scoring points directly off his serve, he was forcing opposing passers onto their heels with his strong, well-placed drives and the Chargers were able to capitalize in transition for another 361 points over the course of his career.

Vitor was not all offense, however, as is proved by his 48 block points and 311 digs. His defensive read skills were exceptional, and his movement and execution were cat-quick for a big offensive player.

“Vitor remained grounded, coachable, and approachable throughout his tenure with the Chargers and provided insight to the coaching staff and encouragement to the athletes,” added Parkinson. “His sense of humour never wavered, and he remained steadfast in his commitment to his education as well as his sport, graduating with a Bachelor of Business Administration at the end of the season. Vitor is the kind of player who comes along once in a generation.”

The Sport BC Athlete of the Year College Athlete award recognizes an athlete enrolled in an institution who competes/competed in an individual or team sport who represents a college, university-college or institute in the province of B.C. in the PACWEST in 2020-2021 or 2021-2022.

The other finalists in this category include:

• Cameron Gay (Vancouver Island University) – men’s basketball
• Yevgeniya (Jane) Lytvyneko (Vancouver Island University) – women’s volleyball
• Thomas Venos (University of Alabama) – wheelchair tennis
• Clair Ye (Capilano University) – women’s soccer

The ����������Ƶ Chargers Athletics Program currently fields teams in basketball and volleyball. Since joining the CCAA and PACWEST conferences in 1994, the Chargers have competed in over 100 national and provincial championships with over 50 medal winning finishes.