In Winnipeg from March 22-24, the CFL hosted their 2024 Combine in search of new talent from North American Universities and Colleges.
Queen’s Football Offensive Lineman Ryan Berta, ArtSci ’24, Running Back Jared Chisari, MSc ’25, Linebacker Olivier Muembi, ArtSci ’24, Running Back Anthony Soles, ArtSci ’24, and Defensive Lineman Van Wishart, Kin ’24, all participated in the combine this year with hopes of securing a spot on a CFL team.
There was a total of five events to test various player abilities.
Bench Press
To test player strength and balance, athletes were to repeatedly bench press 225 pounds until failure. With 30 reps, Berta took the first-place spot for Queen’s.
In the most recent five years, the top performer was Ben Hladik of the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds, who made 29 reps in 2021.
The 2024 remaining top five were University of Windsor’s Owen Mueller with 29 reps and Université Laval’s Nathaniel Dumoulin Guguay, University of Calgary’s John Bosse, and Wilfred Laurier University’s Brandon Omonuwa with 25 reps.
From Queen’s, Wishart completed 20 reps, Muembi completed 18, and Soles completed 13 reps.
40-Yard Dash
The 40-yard dash is a test of pure speed.
Chisari had the best finish of all the Gaels players, placing 21st out of 43 participants with a time of 4.71 seconds. The event’s overall leader was Michael Chris-Ike of Delaware State University with 4.51 seconds.
Other times from Queen’s were 4.84 from Muembi, 5.19 from Soles, and 5.39 from Berta.
Vertical Jump
The vertical jump tests a player’s vertical leaping ability and is a measure of their explosiveness. Players must perform a two-footed jump and touch the highest slot marker they can reach with one hand.
From Queen’s, Muembi tied Université Laval’s Frederik Antoine for seventh place with a height of 36 inches. Chisari achieved 31.5 inches, Wishart reached 29 inches, Soles got 24 inches, and Berta hit 26 inches.
The top performance was from Michael Herzog of Hillsdale College who reached 39 vertical inches.
Broad Jump
Within a three-foot lane, players leap forward, and their leap distance is measured as the broad jump.
Muembi placed eighth for the broad jump with a distance of 10 feet and 5.125 inches. Chisari made it nine feet and 8.25 inches, Wishart got nine feet and 3.5 inches, Soles made it eight feet and 8.125 inches, and Berta got eight feet and six inches.
The top distance was 11 feet 1.75 inches, achieved by McGill University’s Benjamin Labrosse.
3-Cone Drill
The 3-Cone Drill tests a player’s change of direction, balance, and ability to get up to speed by moving through cones placed five yards apart.
Muembi and Chisari tied 22nd, along with University of Maine’s Terrence Ganyi, with a time of 7.02 seconds.
Soles finished in 7.4 seconds, Woshart got 7.63 seconds, and Berta had a time of 7.96 seconds.
The top time for the event was 6.71 seconds, achieved by Chris-Ike.
20-Yard Short Shuttle
The 20-yard short shuttle tests a player’s lateral and start/stop speed, as well as agility. The event works by dashing five yards to the left, ten yards to the right, then back left.
Chisari was the top performer from Queen’s, tying 22nd with a time of 4.41 seconds. Muembi got 4.44 seconds, Wishart got 4.56 seconds, Soles got 4.66 seconds and Berta got 4.78 seconds.
The top time was achieved by Chris-Ike at 4.19 seconds.
Following the combine, former quarterback for the McMaster Marauders and founder and director of the Canadian Football Perspective Marshall Ferguson shared his 10 standouts from the 2024 combine, which included Muembi.
“Muembi showed up a little more ‘filled in’ than I expected and moved really well,” Ferguson wrote on the CFL website. “His performance in Winnipeg only solidified interest from all corners of the country.”
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