Canadian Interuniversity Sport Championship, February 26-28th, 2009 (Calgary)
Five Western Mustangs women’s wrestlers departed for the CIS National Championships in Calgary, Alta., on Feb. 25.
OUA Rookie of the Year Sam Stewart, veteran Lesley McCallum, first-year wrestler and three-sport athlete Lindsay Oldham, two-sport athlete Liz Sera and veteran Kirby Steinhoff will represent Western at the national tourney Feb. 27-28.
McCallum returned from injury just in time for the OUA Championships in St. Catharines, Ont., at the beginning of the month and qualified for the nationals.
OUA rookie of the year Sam Stewart won the bronze medal in the 51kg weight class at the CIS Wrestling Championships Feb. 27-28, 2009.
The first-year Brescia College University student defeated Natasha Kramble of Saskatchewan by pin in the second round.
The Mustangs placed 8th overall in team standings with host Calgary defending their CIS title.
Stewart lost a close match for the right to compete for gold in a third-round tie-breaker (0-4, 1-1, 3-5) against Jade Parsons of Regina who placed second behind defending champion Gen Haley of Calgary.
Earlier in the pool preliminaries, Stewart defeated Emile Guitard (UNB) by pin using a counter throw in the overhook tie-up position.
Mustangs women’s captain Lesley McCallum placed 4th at 55 kg losing a close bronze-medal match to Jasmine Slinn of Regina (1-2, 1-2).
Liz Sera (59 kg) and Kirby Steinhoff (72 kg) both placed 6th while Lindsay Oldham (48 kg) placed 8th.
Ontario University Athletics Championship, February 14, 2009 (St. Catherines)
Western Mustangs women’s wrestling rookie Sam Stewart won the individual gold in the 51 kg division and was named OUA rookie of year on Feb. 14.
The first-year Brescia student defeated Guelph’s Jenni Kaija, 6-0, 6-0 in the final. Two weeks earlier, Stewart won the Provincial Junior Open title (U-20 years).
Women’s captain Lesley McCallum also captured the individual gold in the 55-kg division leading the Mustangs to an overall second-place team finish behind defending champions Brock.
The Brock women won their second straight OUA title and eighth in the past nine years.
Western won the women’s title in 2007 and has placed second behind Brock the six years the Badgers have won.
McCallum, a third-year Brescia student, pinned Brock’s Kelly McNiven in the 55 kg final.
Western finished with 44 points behind Brock. The Badgers women won with 51 points, while Lakehead placed third with 39 points.
Three other Mustangs won individual medals and qualify along with Stewart and McCallum to the CIS Championships in Calgary Feb 26-28.
Kirby Steinhoff took silver at 72 kg while teammates Lindsay Oldham and Liz Sera both won bronze at 48 and 59 kg respectively.
The Mustangs were able to win some key match-ups that kept them ahead of Lakehead and Guelph who were closing in on the Mustangs.
Western put in a total team effort with needed team points coming from, Erin Cochrane (4th 63 kg) and Christie Schmidt (82 kg) who both placed 4th, and Jennifer Archibald who placed 6th.
In the men’s division, the Mustangs failed to qualify to the CIS Championships and placed well behind host Brock who captured their 15th straight OUA title.
Brock was threatened by Lakehead entering the final matches but Brock won key head-to-head finals amassing 83 points to Lakehead’s 74. Guelph was third (42 points).
Western placed fifth with 26 points with five Mustangs missing qualifying. In order to qualify, athletes had to place in the Top 3.
Five Western men placed fourth in their individual divisions: Ben Spitzke (54 kg), Chen Shen (57 kg), Austin Van Horne (65 kg), Dave Eikelboom (72 kg) and Brett Ferguson (76 kg).
Mustang CIS Qualifiers:
Lindsay Oldham – 48 Kg Women’s
Sam Stewart – 51 Kg Women’s
Lesley McCallum – 55 Kg Women’s
Liz Sera – 59 Kg Women’s
Kirby Steinhoff – 72 Kg Women’s
Ontario Junior Wrestling Championships, February 1, 2009 (Hamilton)
Four Western Mustangs women’s wrestlers assisted the London-Western club in winning the Ontario Junior Wrestling Championship provincial title in Hamilton, Ont.
The London-Western Wrestling Club won the overall women’s junior (Under-20) team title at the Ontario Junior Wrestling Championships held on Feb. 1.
Rookie Mustang Sam Stewart represented London-Western and pinned Jasmine Mian (Brock Wrestling Club) to win the 51-kg final. Mustang teammate Liz Sera won gold at 59 kg.
London-Western scored 39 points while Brock placed second with 33 points, ahead of third place Team Impact which scored 25 points.
Other Mustangs in the top six were Candice McFadden, who placed fourth at 51 kg, and Christine Schmidt, who placed fifth at 72 kg.
“We did well as a team,” said coach Ray Takahashi. “Everyone gave their best effort and our women won the overall title because of our overall depth.”
Stewart’s performance at 51 kg was especially outstanding considering that Milan defeated her a week earlier at the Guelph Open.
The Mustangs will be off with their next test at the OUA Championships held at Brock University on Feb. 14.
Western Open, January 31, 2009 (London)
The Western Mustangs women’s wrestling team placed first overall at the Western Open wrestling tournament at Thames Hall on Jan. 31.
Western’s men recorded their best team result this season, finishing third overall with 29 points, behind Brock and Concordia who finished with 45 and 30 points respectively.
The Mustangs women’s team, which placed second at the OUA Championships last season and is fighting through injury trouble, edged club affiliate London-Western and defending team champions Brock. Those teams placed second and third respectively with 27 points each.
Western scored 34 team points and London-Western bettered Brock with more champions to break the second-place tie.
Mustang coach Ray Takahashi said he feels good about the last OUA tournament prior to the OUA Championships in two weeks at Brock, Feb. 14.
“It was good to wrestle at home,” he said.
A busy wrestling weekend saw the Provincial Junior Championships the next day in Hamilton which prevented half the Mustang team from participating at the Western Open as they left for weigh-in the same day. The tournament was smaller in numbers as a result.
The women’s division was also down with U.S. women’s college championships held the same day.
“Normally, we get a good cross-section of teams but we didn’t draw the participants we expected due to the conflicts,” Takahashi said. “Regardless, it was good for those who were here and to do well at home.”
Western’s Individual Medalists:
2nd Cory Palmer M130 kg (Western)
2nd Matt Bak M90 kg (Western)
2nd Lindsay Oldham W51 kg (Western)
3rd Lisa Smith W59 kg (Western)
3rd Erin Cochrane W63 kg (Western)
3rd Chen Shen M57 kg (Western)
3rd Jennifer Archibald W67 kg (Western)
Former Mustang Medalists:
1st Jennifer Nguyen W55 kg(representing London-Western)
1st Katie Patroch W63 kg(representing London-Western)
2nd Katrina Huszarik W63 kg(representing London-Western)
3rd Ryan Stewart M130 kg(representing London-Western)
Guelph Open, January 24, 2009
Western’s women’s wrestling team will face a major challenge in the coming weeks after Jessica Belchos and captain Lesley McCallum were both injured at the Guelph Open Jan. 24.
Belchos, who won a CIS bronze in 2007, will miss the OUA Championships on Feb. 14. She injured her knee against USA Olympian Ali Bernard, who wrestles for the University of Regina.
McCallum’s status is uncertain, after she injured her ribs against Logan Howard in the 55 kg consolation semi-final. She was unable to continue and finished fifth. The injuries will certainly affect the team as both wrestlers were expected to qualify for the CIS Championships in their respective weight divisions.
“It’s really unfortunate that Lesley and Jessica were injured,” said coach Ray Takahashi. “They will be huge losses to our program.”
The injuries dampened an outstanding performance by rookie Sam Stewart, who placed third in the very competitive 51 kg.
Former Western captain Katrina Huszarik placed fifth at 59 kg, while current Mustang Kirby Steinhoff finished fifth at 72 kg.
Western’s women combined with the London-Western club to place sixth overall with 16 points. The University of Calgary Wrestling Club placed first (34 points), while the Brock Wrestling Club was second (32 points) and the Guelph Wrestling Club finished third (22 points).
On the men’s side, captain Brett Ferguson competed at 74 kg, losing to Montreal’s Tyler Marghetis who placed 2nd overall.
The Mustangs will host the Western Open Jan. 31 at the Thames Hall Gymnasium.
The event begins at 9:00 a.m. and will continue throughout the day. The competition should include Queen’s, McMaster, Guelph, Lakehead, Concordia, Memorial, Brock, the University of Toronto and affiliated clubs. The Mustangs will also compete at the Ontario Junior (under-20) Championships on Feb. 1 in Hamilton, Ont.
Queen’s Open, January 18, 2009 (Kingston)
Captain Lesley McCallum finished third in the women’s 55kg weight class at the Queen’s Invitational Wrestling Tournament, Jan 18 in Kingston, Ont.
Gabrielle Hochfelder and Jennifer Archibald both placed fifth, as Western’s women finished sixth overall at the tournament.
The University of New Brunswick won the women’s team title.
Defending OUA and CIS Champions Brock won the men’s team title, while the Mustangs finished fifth overall.
Despite not having a medal winner, the men had a number of strong showings, and three wrestlers finished just outside the medals.
Veterans Andy Ross and Cory Palmer placed fourth in the 68kg and heavyweight divisions, respectively.
Rookie Richard Sove, wrestling in his first tournament this season, competed well, losing a close match in his bronze medal bout.
The tournament provided a good opportunity for team members to compete against squads from other provinces, as teams from Montreal, Halifax, New Brunswick and Saskatchewan attended the tournament.
Both the men and women will compete in Guelph, Ont. on Jan 24, before hosting the Western Open on Saturday Jan 31 at Thames Hall.
Brock Open, January 10, 2009 (St. Catherines)
The Mustangs won five individual medals, including Kirby Steinhoff’s gold in the 72-kg division. Lindsay Oldham (48 kg), Sam Stewart (51 kg), Liz Sera (59 kg) and Jessica Belchos (82 kg) all took home individual silver medals.
Brock placed first overall with 51 points, while Western finished with 44 points. Lakehead finished a distant third with 17.
The tournament was the first in over a month for the wrestlers, and Western’s men failed to reach the podium. Despite that, coach Ray Takahashi said he was pleased with his team’s performance. Austin Van Horne placed fifth in the 65-kg division, while Ben Spitzke finished 6th (54 kg).
Both the men and the women will travel to Kingston for the Queen’s Open on Jan. 18.
Ontario Senior Wrestling Championships, November 23, 2008 (Guelph)
Sam Stewart placed second in the 51 kg weight class at the Ontario Senior Wrestling Championships on Nov. 23 in Guelph.
The first-year Brescia College student lost to national team member Alana King of the Brock Wrestling Club in two rounds, 3-4, 6-0.
Stewart’s teammate Jennifer Nguyen placed fourth in the same weight class losing to Diana Ford (Brock) who placed third.
Katrina Huszarik (59 kg) placed third while second-year Mustang Liz Sera placed fifth.
None of the Mustangs’ men placed in the Top 6 in their respective weight classes.
The provincial meet provided strong competition as it is used to gain points for Ontario’s Quest for Gold Athlete’s Assistance carding program.
Current athletes carded from London-Western are Jennifer Nguyen and Katie Patroch, who recently placed 7th at the World Senior Women’s Wrestling Championships, October 13.
The women’s team will compete in the inaugural Harry Geris Women’s Duals in Kentucky on Nov. 29.
The Mustangs will have strong competition from host University of the Cumberlands (Williamsburg) who are ranked first in the U.S. Women’s College League. Other teams competing are Missouri Valley, Simon Fraser, Brock and defending CIS champions Calgary.
The men’s team will not compete this weekend, while the program will host the London-Western HS Invitational tournament in Thames Hall, Nov. 29, beginning at 9 a.m.
University of Toronto Open, November 15, 2008
Mustang wrestlers placed fifth overall at the University of Toronto Open on Nov. 15.
Defending OUA and CIS champions Brock won the overall team title with 47 points, beating out Guelph and Concordia.
Western finished with 15 points, while host Toronto finished fourth with 19 points.
Women Heather Wray and Kirby Steinhoff won gold medals for Western, while Christine Schmidt took home a bronze.
Western’s men’s team was blanked, but London-Western teammates racked up an additional three medals.
The next meet will be the Ontario Senior Open Championships on Nov. 22 in Guelph.
Varsity Team Standings:
1. Brock – 47
2. Guelph – 36
3. Concordia – 27
4. U of T -19
5. Western – 15
Individual Winners:
Western:
Heather Wray: 1st at 59 kg
Kirby Steinhoff: 1st at 82 kg
Christine Schmidt: 3rd at 72 kg
London-Western:
Jenn Nguyen: 1st at 55 kg
Ryan Stewart: 3rd at 130 kg
Olivia Gunnell: 3rd at 55 kg
Toronto Open, November 8, 2008
Andrew Ross won three matches and took home the individual bronze medal in the 68-kg weight class, defeating Ben Rowbotham of Brock by pin in the second round.
Ross, a London Laurier Secondary School graduate, lost to the eventual winner Ali Emanki of the York Wrestling Club.
Former Mustang Keenan Miller placed second in the 76-kg division.
Mustang Rob Little (82 kg) suffered a shoulder injury in his second match and is listed as day-to-day.
“Rob trained all summer to get prepared for the season,” said coach Ray Takahashi. “I’m hoping he has a speedy recovery and he’s back with us soon.”
The Mustangs took home four individual medals in the women’s division.
Kirby Steinhoff (82 kg) and Christine Schmidt both captured gold, while Heather Wray (59kg) and Jennifer Archibald (67 kg) won bronze.
One former Mustang, Jennifer Nguyen, finished second behind Terri McNutt (55 kg), another former student who is now competing with the Kingston Wrestling Club.
McNutt, a former CIS champion with the Mustangs, moved home to Kingston to be closer to her family.
Lindsay Oldham placed 4th in the 48-kg division, finishing with a 2-2 record.
The Mustangs will compete in the University of Toronto Open on Nov. 15.
Concordia Open, October 26, 2008 (Montreal)
The Western Mustangs won three women’s gold medals at the Concordia Invitational wrestling meet in Montreal on Oct. 26.
Mustangs Sam Stewart and Lesley McCallum both won their respective weight classes.
Stewart, a first-year student at Brescia University College, won three matches by pin in the 51 kg division, while teammate and third-year veteran McCallum (59 kg) also defeated three opponents en route to her gold medal performance.
Western graduate student Katrina Huszarik, representing London-Western, won gold in the 63 kg division. The Western Mustangs team captain in 2007-08 has used up her CIS eligibility but will continue to provide leadership to the team and compete with affiliate club, London-Western.
Katie Patroch, a London-Western teammate just returned from the world women’s wrestling championships in Tokyo, Japan held on Oct. 13 where she placed 7th in the 59 kg division. Patroch won the National Open Championships in March, 2008, and also assists with the Mustangs program.
In the men’s division, Andrew Ross missed the podium, placing 4th in the 68 kg division with a 2-2 win-loss record, while Western teammate Brett Ferguson placed 6th in the 76 kg division.
“The tournament will be a good early-season test since most of the team will compete,” said coach Ray Takahashi. “The tournament will feature some out-of-province teams and clubs.”
“For many of our team members it’s the first time they’ll compete.”