9 mustangs qualified for the CIS Championships to be held in Calgary, March 5, 6.  First year mustang, Eric Jacobson (72 kg) won the bronze while 8 women took medals including two gold by rookies Brianne Barry (55 kg) and Larissa D’Alleva (63 kg).  The women’s team placed 2nd overall behind defending champions Brock while the men dropped to 6th place overall.  Special congratulations to Larissa who was voted “OUA Female Rookie of the Year”.

Mustang qualifiers:

• Bronze, Men 72 kg, Eric Jacobson
• Bronze, Women 48kg, Sahana Mazumber
• Silver, Women 51kg, Jennifer Nguyen
• Gold, Women 55kg, Brianne Barry
• Silver, Women 59kg, Liz Sera
• Gold, Women 63kg, Larissa D’Alleva
• Bronze, Women 67kg, Jennifer Archibald
• Bronze, Women 72kg, Christine Schmidt
• Bronze, Women 82kg, Monica Varallo
  

Gold medallist, Brianne Barry (55 kg), along with 2nd place Stephanie Riopel (Brock) and Laura Christesen (GUE).   Medals were presented by  Brianne’s father,  Michael Barry (Western alumnus & 1976 Olympian).  

photo credit: Tom Kim

OUA Championship wrestlers invade Alumni Hall Feb. 20

Feb. 20 OUA Championships at Alumni Hall, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

By Trent Williams

LONDON, Ont. – The OUA Wrestling Championships are invading Alumni Hall on Saturday, Feb. 20, as the best male and female wrestlers from across the province will vie for OUA gold and spots in the CIS Championships in Calgary. The Top 3 finishers in each weight category qualify for nationals.

The wrestling event will be the second straight event hosted by the Western Mustangs. Just two weeks before the OUA Championships, the Mustangs hosted the annual Western Open, which produced mixed results from all the universities competing in this OUA championships. The Mustangs placed third in the varsity competition, while the Brock Badgers were the only other team that placed in the Top 3 overall standings of the teams that are competing in this year’s OUAs.

The top performer at the Western Open and a wrestler to keep an eye on will be Jennifer Nguyen who won Westerns lone gold in the competition in the women’s 51kg division.

Heading into the OUA championships the Brock Badgers will be the team with a target on their backs. Their men’s team is the 15-time defending male champions and women’s team have won every championship but three in the 12-year history of OUA women’s wrestling.

The rest of the teams that will be looking to dethrone the Badgers from OUA wrestling supremacy will include the Mustangs, Guelph Gryphons, Queen’s Gaels, Lakehead Thunderwolves, McMaster Marauders and Toronto Varsity Blues who all have wrestlers representing their schools.

You can follow along all the wrestling action live on www.westernmustangs.ca starting at 10 a.m. on Feb. 20 as the action kicks off at Alumni Hall. Medal matches will begin at approximately 3:30 p.m. Splitdraw.com will also be on hand to broadcast the event, available early next week on tape delay at www.splitdraw.com.

There will be no practice Monday February 20, 4:30-6:30 pm.  There will be an optional practice Tue Feb 23.

The mustang men and women are in the final week prior to hosting the OUA Wrestling Championships, Saturday February 20 in Alumni Hall gymnasium.  The women’s team, which placed 2nd last year, will likely battle again with defending champions,  Brock,  for the overall team title.  The men who placed 5th behind 4th place McMaster are stronger this year and are looking to move up in team standings in what looks like a more competitive field.  Defending champions Brock do not seem as strong, while Lakehead will return the majority of team members from last season’s 2nd team placing.  The importance of the team event is evident where each wrestler contributes to scoring of team points by placing in the top six.  The 3 medallists in each weight class qualify for the CIS Championships in Calgary, March 5, 6/10. 

Wrestling action starts 10:00 am and continues throughout the day with finals starting at 3:30 pm.

Team photos to be taken Thursday February 25 during practice after Intercollegiate Athletics program evaluations by varsity team members (questionnaire) 4:30-5:00 pm. 

• Varsity only photo
• overall team photo

Wear purple Western Wrestling shirt, varsity track-top