University of Alberta academics draws in three

Alberta adds three Alberta commits to their Class of 2018.

Lineman Tyler Duguid from Harry Ainlay High School, receiver Silas Yelenik from St. Joseph Catholic High School and linebacker Noah Danyk-Purcell from Beaumont Composite High School were all looking for similar things, a quality education and a strong coaching staff, and they found them with the University of Alberta Golden Bears.

Tyler Duguid

When Tyler Duguid looks at the Golden Bears, he sees an offensive-lineman-producing machine. “What appealed to me was the number of quality offensive linemen that the program has put out, going back to Gord Hinse and Dave Beard up to current players Mark Korte and Justice Lawrence,” he said.

“I believe in what they are doing in building their program and the focus on education,” added Duguid, who will be taking arts and physical education. “The coaching staff is outstanding. I have known and worked with Coach Morris for over eight years through the University of Alberta camps and Team Alberta.”

Duguid has represented Alberta once on the under-16 team and twice on the under-18 team. He spent seven years with the Edmonton Chargers (Capital District Minor Football Association) and three with the Harry Ainlay Titans (Metro Edmonton High School League). This season, the Titans captured the Tier 1 Provincial Championships. Duguid was named as the team’s most outstanding lineman.

Not isolated to football, the product of Edmonton, Alberta, represented his province on the under-18 rugby team. This year, the team won the national championship. He also placed third in Canada in the 120kg high school division at the Canadian Wrestling Championship.

The 6’4, 255lbs athlete will also be joining the Golden Bears’ wrestling squad. “Being a multi-sport athlete has helped me improve in each of my sports,” he said. This Boxing Day, Duguid will be heading to Arizona to compete against the United States on the Canadian under-18 rugby squad.

Silas Yelenik

For Silas Yelenik, his academic career is just as important as his athletic one. He shares this drive for a quality education in conjunction with football with Head Coach Chris Morris.

“He really cares about his guys and you can definitely tell it’s genuine. He realizes there is more to life than football and he wants to see you succeed academically as well as on the field,” Yelenik said. ‘The academic help he provides with his program is out of this world.”

Yelenik, who is interested in education, said that the university had the best academic programs and academic help out of all of his offers.

“They also have an amazing coaching staff who have really turned that program around,” Yelenik added. “The OC is a great guy and I’ve worked with him during the under-18s.”

In his nine-year career, Yelenik, who is 6’0, 155lbs, has played with the Silver Lions peewee club, the Grande Prairie Broncos and the St. Joseph’s Celtics (Northern Region Mighty Peace Conference). He is from Grande Prairie, Alberta.

In grade eight, he was named as the most outstanding receiver. The following year, he was an MVP. In grade ten, he was named rookie of the year. He is a two-time receiver of the year and a MVP in grade 12.

With a bright future on the horizon, Yelenik said, “I’m really excited to start my journey at U of A.”

Noah Danyk-Purcell

After breaking his ankle at the start of grade ten, Noah Danyk-Purcell’s career was limited to two years. In order to stay ahead of the pack, he has already started training with the Golden Bears’ strength coach.

“I am very excited to start training and playing with the team. The coaching staff at U of A are all great people,” he said. “Going through the tryout process for Team Alberta with Coach Morris was an amazing experience. The expertise he can provide from an offensive line prospective is great, and the way he treats his players definitely helped with my choice.”

Already considering a future post-football, Danyk-Purcell is interested in taking education and kinesiology. “I chose to commit to the U of A because it is where I can set up a better future for myself after I am done with football,” he said. “The level of education the school gives and the educational support provided by the team are two of the main reasons I chose to commit.”

Standing at 6’4, 240lbs, Danyk-Purcell has received two outstanding lineman awards with the Beaumont Bandits (MEHSL) in his hometown of Beaumont, Alberta.