Aldis Berzins
Latvian-American volleyball player (born 1956)
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Aldis Imants Bērziņš (born October 3, 1956) is a Latvian-American former volleyball player who was a member of the United States national team that won the gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.[1] He also won a gold medal at the 1985 FIVB World Cup in Japan, where he was selected as the best digger.[2]
Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.
| Aldis Berzins | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Full name | Aldis Imants Berzins | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | October 3, 1956 (age 69) Wilmington, Delaware, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 188 cm (6 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| College / University | Ohio State University | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Volleyball information | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Outside hitter | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 12 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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College
Bērziņš was a star outside hitter on the Ohio State volleyball team.[3] He played with future Olympic teammates Rich Duwelius and Marc Waldie at Ohio State.[3] In those years, he led the Buckeyes to four straight Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) championships and four appearances in the NCAA Final Four.[3] He graduated from Ohio State in 1978 with a bachelor's degree in astronomy.[3]
Bērziņš was inducted into the Ohio State University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2002.[3]
Awards
- Three-time All-MIVA first-team selection
- Olympic gold medal — 1984
- FIVB World Cup gold medal — 1985
- FIVB World Cup All-Tournament selection — 1985
- Ohio State University Athletics Hall of Fame — 2002
Coaching
Bērziņš has been head coach of the men's volleyball program at Stevenson University since October 2016.[4]
Personal life
Bērziņš has worked as the Director of Information Technology for the Special Olympics.[1]
Bērziņš and his wife, Mara, have three sons, Kris, Mik, and Dainis, all of whom have played volleyball.[4] Mik was on the first NCAA National Championship team for Ohio State in 2011, and Dainis was on the National Championship team of Loyola University Chicago in 2014.[4] Kris played volleyball professionally in Europe.[4]
