John Bertelink was born in Guelph, Ont., and upon his arrival at Loyalist College, he quickly established himself as one of the top players in the OCAA.

In each of his three seasons in the league, this outstanding power hitter was named a league all-star, championship all-star, and CCAA All-Canadian. In addition, he was named his team's MVP on three occasions and in 1987-88 was selected as Loyalist's Male Athlete of the Year.

In 1986-87, Bertelink helped lead the Lancers to their first gold medal at the provincial championship, and in two of his three years they competed at the CCAA championship, winning a bronze medal in 1988.

In 1992, Bertelink was named Loyalist Male Athlete of the Quarter Century, and in 2000 he was included on the OCAA Men's Volleyball All-Millennium team.