SASKATOON – A trip to St. Catharines is ahead for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies wrestling team as they take on the best in the nation at the U SPORTS National Championship from Feb. 21-22.
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Saskatchewan is fresh off an outstanding showing at the Canada West championship that saw the men claim their 16th conference banner in program history and the women finish a close second. Six Huskies won gold at the conference championship, including
Alexandra Schell (48 kg) and
Maddison Haney (82 kg) on the women's team as well as
Ayobami Peluola (65 kg),
Carson Lee (82 kg),
Hunter Lee (90 kg) and
Jacob Phillips (120 kg)
A championship schedule and conference by conference previews are available below.
CANADA WEST MEN
- Conference champion: Saskatchewan
- Last U SPORTS Championship: -
- Total U SPORTS Championships: -
- Silver: Alberta
- Bronze: Calgary
CANADA WEST WOMEN
- Conference champion: Calgary
- Last U SPORTS Championship: 2009
- Total U SPORTS Championships: 5
- Silver: Saskatchewan
- Bronze: Alberta
For the first time since 2015-16 the Saskatchewan Huskies men's wrestling team are the best in the west after they finished first at the Canada West Championship, hosted in Calgary on Feb. 9.
After finishing second by just one point last year, the men took care of business in 2020 by racking up 43 points to finish five clear of the Alberta Golden Bears.
Ayobami Peluola (65 kg),
Carson Lee (82 kg),
Hunter Lee (90 kg) and
Jacob Phillips (120 kg) all went undefeated to claim gold medals in their respective weight classes.
Two other trophies will also be making the trip back to Saskatoon with the Huskies after
Carson Lee was named the male
Rookie of the Year and
Daniel Olver won Coach of the Year honours.
The men's top wrestler was Fraser Valley's
Amarvir Atwall, who came out on top of a tough field in the 76 kg weight class. Atwall defeated Alberta's
Myles Kent by fall in the third round to win the gold medal, with Kent taking silver.
With five gold medals in eight weight classes, the Calgary Dinos women returned to the top of the Canada West wrestling world with their record 11th conference championship.
Led by a pair of rookies in
Grace Lew (51 kg) and
Ellise Daynes (67 kg), the Dinos also got big performances from
Miki Rowbottom (63 kg),
Amy Bellavia (59 kg), and
Grace Chambers (55 kg) to edge the Saskatchewan Huskies by four points, 36 to 32, to win their first conference team title since 2016.
Lew was also a double winner of individual awards, earning both Rookie of the Year and Student-Athlete community service honours. The men's student-athlete award also went to the host Dinos, with 100 kg silver medallist Steven Sheppard accepting the honour.
Alberta's
Hayley Heffel earned female Outstanding Wrestler honours for her gold-medal performance in the 72 kg division. Heffel dominated her two opponents, winning both matches via technical superiority.
OUA MEN
- Conference champion: Brock
- Last U SPORTS Championship: 2019
- Total U SPORTS Championships: 19
- Silver: Western
- Bronze: Lakehead
OUA WOMEN
- Conference champion: Brock
- Last U SPORTS Championship: 2019
- Total U SPORTS Championships: 9
- Silver: McMaster
- Bronze: Guelph
For a fifth straight year on the men's side, and a sixth consecutive year on the women's side, the Brock Badgers took home the team titles at the OUA Wrestling Championships, with Brock wrestlers claiming 10 of the 19 gold medals handed out.
While Brock ran away with team titles on both the men's and women's sides, the rest of the OUA was well-represented in the conference's major award winners. McMaster's
Ben Zahra took home the Outstanding Male Wrestler award following his gold medal run in the men's 76 kg, while
Madison Parks from the Western Mustangs was named the Outstanding Female Wrestler after an undefeated run in the women's 51 kg weight class.
CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
Friday, Feb. 21
- Round 1 – 9:00 a.m.
- Round 2 – 12:00 p.m.
- Round 3 – 2:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 23
- 5th and 7th place matches – 9:00 a.m.
- Bronze medal matches – 11:00 a.m.
- Gold medal matches – 1:00 p.m.
HUSKIE ROSTER
Alexandra Schell – 48 kg
Katie Dutchak – 51 kg
SueAnne Harms – 55 kg
Angela Aalbers – 59 kg
Mackenzie Alexson – 63 kg
Allison Kuzub – 67 kg
Berit Johnson – 72 kg
Maddison Haney – 82 kg
Logan Sloan – 54 kg
Drake Buechler – 57 kg
Remington Tschetter – 61 kg
Ayobami Peluola – 65 kg
Maxwell Meekins – 68 kg
Jon Risto – 72 kg
Carson Lee – 82 kg
Hunter Lee – 90 kg
Reid Smyth – 100 kg
Jacob Phillips - 120 kg
