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Vikings take down foes

Northern captures the LSSAA wrestling team title

Posted 8 hours ago

By DAVE BORODY

The Observer

The Northern Vikings captured the overall team title at the annual Lambton Secondary Schools Athletic Association wrestling meet, Monday at Northern Collegiate.

The Vikings finished with 100 points. Lambton-Central from Petrolia was a distant second at 77 followed by St. Clair 73, SCITS 46, St. Christopher's 42, Ursuline College 42, St. Pat's with eight and St. Francois Xavier, five.

Northern was first in the boys division with 76 points followed by LCCVI 56, St. Clair 38, St. Christopher's 37, Ursuline College 26, SCITS 10 and St. Pat's no points.

St. Clair was tops in the girls division with 36 points, one ahead of SCITS. Northern was third with 24 followed by LCCVI 21, Ursuline College 14, St. Pat's eight and St. Francois Xavier and St. Christopher's five apiece.

This event was scheduled for last Thursday, but had to be postponed due to the weather.

"All the coaches came together and agreed this was the best way to go," said convener Eric Clarke, who also coaches the St. Clair team.

"We still had the weigh-ins Thursday. It was hard on some kids who had been dieting to meet weight. But they found a way through it and everything ran smoothly today."

The top four in each weight class advance to the SWOSSAA championships on Thursday at St. Clair. The meet begins at 10 a.m. and runs until 5 p.m.

"It makes it a little tough on some kids with the short time between this and SWOSSAA," said Clarke. "But we have some high-end kids in our system and it shouldn't be a problem."

Larissa Scimmi of St. Pat's was named the outstanding female wrestler and Tyler Sole of Northern the top male at the LSSAA met.

The following are the top four from the LSSAA meet who advance to SWOSSAA. (Not every weight class has four wrestlers going to SWOSSAA):

GIRLS

41 Kilos — 1. Darby Huckle (St. Clair), 2. Amanda Quinn (LCCVI).

44 Kilos — 1. Caitlin Rudanycz (St. Clair), 2, Renee Renaud (St. Clair), 3. Carley Wilcox (St. Clair).

47.5 Kilos — 1. Mandy Lapointe (St. Clair), 2. Marianne Pickering (St. Christopher), 3. Brandi Searson (St. Clair), 4. Nicole Duncan (St. Clair).

51 Kilos — 1. Larissa Scimmi (St. Pat's), 2. Jasmine Davies (Northern), 3. Marisa Scott (Northern), 4. Candice McFadden (UCC).

54 Kilos — 1. Noelle Stewart (Northern), 2. Christine Lowther (UCC), 3. Emile Duchene (UCC).

57.5 Kilos — No wrestlers.

61 Kilos — 1. Sara Pattenaude (Northern), Rebecca Gilbert (SCITS), 3. Jenny Rogiest (LCCVI), 4. Rachel Groombridge (SCITS).

64 Kilos — 1. Charlene Brown (LCCVI), 2. Erin Gilbert (SCITS).

67.5 Kilos — 1. Natasha Barwise (SCITS), 2. Chantelle Rodriguez (UCC).

72 Kilos — 1. Christie Bell (SCITS), Lea Buton (St. Francois).

77 Kilos — 1. Andrea Greenaway (LCCVI).

83 Kilos — 1. Bennett Carlton (SCITS), 2. Christie Dawkins (LCCVI).

100 Kilos — Ashley Bailey (LCCVI).

Scranton senior makes her move on the mat

BY DAVE LAURIHA
STAFF WRITER

02/12/2008

Senior Alexia Loukopoulos wrestles for Scranton High School. BUTCH COMEGYS / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Alexia Loukopoulos was restless, even bored, at her high school in Sacramento, Calif.

Winter was coming up, and the self-starter was in search of an extracurricular activity, not really keen on going directly home.

Plenty of options were available to her, like hanging around with friends, but she wanted to do more than that.

“I needed something between cross country and track,’’ Loukopoulos said. “I’m bad at basketball, and I’m bad at swimming.”

Scanning her school’s football team, Loukopoulos saw a girl’s name listed on the roster, and discovered she was a kicker.

That gave the junior an idea.

“A friend and I were joking around that we should join (the wrestling team),’’ Loukopoulos said.

Except that Loukopoulos wasn’t kidding.

“I did, she didn’t, but I found I liked it so much I kept doing it,’’ Loukopoulos said. “It motivated me, gave me something to do after school instead of going home.

“It made me feel busy, and I liked the social aspects of being on a team.’’

A move later in the year brought Loukopoulos to Scranton High School in mid-season, certainly too late to go out for the Knights.

Still, she wanted to help, and was able to contribute to the program in a limited way last year.

“She came out late in the year and was a manager for districts and regionals,’’ said then-Knights assistant coach John Fox.

But she intended to continue with her goal, beyond holding a pencil, scorebook or medical kit as a manager. She really wanted to be a part of the team.

So, on the first day of practice in November, Alexia brought her smiling face and willing attitude to practice.

Rude awakening

Fox, having taken over as the varsity head coach, really didn’t know what to expect. In his seven years at West Scranton as a junior high coach, girls had come out for the team, but none lasted an entire season.

However, the first-year coach had enough experience to set down the most basic of team rules for everybody to follow.

“I haven’t changed anything; she does everything everybody else does,’’ Fox said.

That was refreshing news to Loukopoulos. All she wanted was a chance, a fair shake, and it seemed Fox was going to provide it to her.

“Coach said he wasn’t going to give me any special treatment, and I liked that,’’ Loukopoulos said.

If she wasn’t good enough, she’d work hard to get better, to show she deserved to be on the mat.

Working in her favor was her weight class. Weighing roughly 115 pounds to start the season meant seeing action because the Knights were not always able to fill the positions at 112 or 119.

“It was a little different at first,’’ said sophomore Carlos Montero, a practice partner of Loukopoulos, “but now she’s like any other wrestler.’’

“At first there were issues,’’ Loukopoulos said. “They felt tough, called me names.’’

Still, nothing was going to deprive the senior her outlet.

Growing in stature

Practice those first couple of weeks was awkward at times for Montero, Todd Cummings and Vince Hein, the other Knights in her practice group because they’re about the same weight.

Of course, there was an obvious difference, and dealing with that was the first obstacle to get over.

Trust was an issue.

“She was the first girl I wrestled,’’ Montero said. “I wasn’t afraid, but it was different.

“I didn’t want to accidentally touch a part of her I shouldn’t touch.’’

Loukopoulos doesn’t feel anybody she has wrestled so far has done anything intentional in that regard.

“Every day she is getting better. She is a hard worker,’’ Fox said. “(Her strength) is her ability to learn and pick up moves and counters quickly.’’

As she improved, her teammates were warming to the idea of Loukopoulos being on the team.

After all, they were the ones watching her work in practice, clearly able to see her desire to improve by the effort she put into the sport.

“No one has pulled back on her in practice or in meets,’’ Fox said. “She’s gone against tough kids, and they haven’t held back.’’

Montero concurs.

“Now it’s like, what’s the difference,’’ Montero said. “I don’t take it easy on her.”

“She works hard and she’s a good person. I’m glad to have her for a teammate. She’s part of the team.

She’s just as important as anybody else on the team.’’

Words like that mean so much to Loukopoulos.

“They’ve told me they respect me, and I feel like I’m one of them now, because I’ve gone through what they’ve gone through,’’ the senior said.

“Now I feel like part of the team, not just being ‘the girl’ on the team.”

Biggest problem

The gender issue has not been a concern for Loukopoulos. All the grueling time in practice has been more of a worry for her.

It seems things were different in California.

“The wrestling is a lot harder this year than last year,’’ Loukopoulos said. “Here, they take it a lot more serious. Out there, you went out to have fun and do some wrestling.

“It’s more disciplined in Pennsylvania.’’

It is a world of difference.

“I didn’t know Pennsylvania was the number one state in the country for high school wrestling.’’ Loukopoulos said. “Practices are a lot harder. I can tell I’ve grown physically; I’m working a lot harder, sweat more. Here, I feel like I’m in shape.

Loukopoulos sports a 3-12 record this season.

“She has been competitive. Against Valley View, she had a kid on his back,’’ Fox said. “She lacks some strength, otherwise she’d probably have 6 to 7 wins this year.’’

Only two of her 15 results have reached the second period. Her opponents are ready for her, regardless of the situation.

I was a little more nervous, wrestling a girl, but I didn’t treat the match any different,’’ said Wallenpaupack 103-pounder Drew Roy, who bumped up to face her. “I wanted to go out and get a quick pin.’’

Roy did not have days and days to worry about facing a girl. The Buckhorns were in for a surprise at weigh-ins before the meet.

“I didn’t know until they got there,’’ Buckhorns coach Steve Krushnowski said. “We have a Catlyn (Miller), so when I saw Alexia (in the paper), I figured they had an Eastern European in the lineup.’’

Better ending

Despite her struggles adapting to Pennsylvania wrestling, at least Loukopoulos has received a victory on the mat this season to go along with two wins by forfeit.

Against Lackawanna Trail’s Sam Perry, Loukopoulos kept her cool while her opponent struggled with his form.

He was penalized for locked hands twice, and twice for an illegal hold, resulting in a disqualification victory for Loukopoulos.

“It was awesome, because of the effect on the team,’’ Loukopoulos said. “I’ve wrestled (13) matches, and I didn’t want to go the whole year without a win.

“I loved it because of the intensity, but I still want a pin.’’

Although Scranton eventually won the meet, 48-20, it was a big victory at the time, making the Lions have to win the last four bouts to have any chance of beating the Knights.

“It slammed the door on us,’’ Lions coach Mike Bluhm said. “Chain reaction; it stopped our momentum.

“But she did a good job. She was on her back for close to a minute in the first period. She seems to be aggressive.’’

Added Montero: “It was awesome. It was incredible. I was glad to see her first win.’’

Looking ahead

With her first win out of the way, Loukopoulos has a new goal.

“I still want a pin,’’ the senior said. “It may not happen because I’m only wrestling two years, and this state is tough.’’

She doesn’t anticipate wrestling in college, so she has little time remaining to achieve her goal.

But even if she does not get a pin, she will be happy with the strides she has made in one year wrestling in Pennsylvania.

“I’ve kept up with the rest of the team, considering I’m a girl,” Loukopoulos said.

But to the Knights, she’s not just a girl, she’s a teammate.

Contact the writer: dlauriha@timesshamrock.com

There have been a few girls - most recently in 1999 - from the San Francisco and Oakland Sections who have made it to state, but those sections consist simply of one league comprised of the public schools in those respective cities. It takes only winning a league title to advance to state.

If that was the case for Fernandez, she could already punch her ticket for Bakersfield having won the 103-pound Solano County Athletic Conference title over the weekend. But it's not that easy for Fernandez or anyone else in the brutal Sac-Joaquin Section. To advance to state out of the Sac-Joaquin Section, one of the toughest in the state, takes getting through an American Gladiators-like "Eliminator."

Fernandez has already completed the first step by winning SCAC. Next she'll have to place among the top five at the SJS Division III tournament - where she finished third last year - this weekend to advance to the section's Masters meet. And at Masters it'll take a top-seven finish to make history and advance to state. 

That's "the hard way" Lastrella was talking about. And in trying to put into perspective the achievement should Fernandez complete it, Lastrella thought of another female athlete's triumph over men.

"Billie Jean King comes to mind," Lastrella said on Monday.

It was King, the 12-time Grand Slam women's singles champion, who made a statement on gender equality in sports in the "Battle of the Sexes" back in 1973, when she convincingly defeated former Wimbledon men's champion Bobby Riggs in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.

"That tennis match right there, where the girl prevailed and pretty much booty-stomped him," Lastrella said, "that's putting it in perspective right there."

Fernandez is a two-time unofficial girls state champion (because the CIF doesn't sanction a girls state meet) and realizes that she and other female wrestlers are pioneers at this point in time, when girls wrestling is still considered somewhat of a novelty. That being the case, she understands the significance of advancing to state and what it would do for the future of girls wrestling. She has a chance to leave an indelible mark on the sport.

"I think it's important, because it'll show different girls that this is not a man's sport anymore," Fernandez said. "A lot of girls do it and if we get more girls to do it, then maybe CIF will sanction our girls state meet."

Lastrella said Fernandez has a "decent" chance of making it to state this year. The natural disadvantages of speed and strength, which Fernandez admits, make it tough. But one thing Fernandez refuses to allow anymore is for boys to mess with her mind.

"Last year guys would always try to get into my head mentally first by saying, 'Oh, I beat that girl,' or, 'Oh, she's just a girl.' That actually motivates me," Fernandez said. "Last year at divisionals, some guy was talking and it felt good to beat him because he was in the locker room saying he was going to beat me fast. (Our match) lasted all three rounds."

That was the third-place match that Fernandez won.

The last four years have been a mental journey for Fernandez. She went from doubt to confidence gradually over time. The opportunity to do something no other girl has done is almost a reality. And now that it's so close, it's even more of a desire.

"Freshman year I said I wanted to do it, but I never believed I could," Fernandez said. "Guys scared me. They're bigger, faster, stronger, and probably have better technique. I always used to watch the bigger wrestlers wrestling in boys tournaments and how crisp their technique was, and I wanted be like that. I just thought, 'Maybe in another lifetime if I was a guy.' And now I'm so close to it that it could really happen that I want it to happen. I want to be there."

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The U.S. Olympic Committee announced USA Wrestling’s Marcie Van Dusen and U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton’s Zack Lund as its January Athletes of the Month while Women’s Under-18 Ice Hockey was awarded Team of the Month honors.

Van Dusen (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) overthrew a dynasty when she scored one of the greatest upsets in women’s wrestling history. In the 2008 Women’s World Cup, held Jan. 19-20 in Taiyuan, China, Van Dusen was matched against Japanese superstar Saori Yoshida who was undefeated in international competition since 1998, and had a resume of wins that included an Olympic gold, five World Championships, and three Asian Championships. Undaunted, Van Dusen scored a 4-1, 1-1 win over Yoshida in the 55 kg/121 lbs. weight division ending the undefeated streak and helping Team USA take a 4-3 upset victory over Japan.

In the same tournament, Van Dusen also scored wins over Nataliya Synyshyn of Ukraine and Chinese veteran Sun Dongmei. Van Dusen’s 3-0 record led the U.S. team to a second place finish in the competition.

Van Dusen was 10th in the 2007 World Championships and is a past University World champion. She is a U.S. Olympic Training Center resident athlete.

Lund (Salt Lake City, Utah), the defending World Cup Champion, claimed his second gold medal of the season Jan. 18, on the 2006 Olympic track in Cesana, Italy. One week later on Jan. 25 in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Lund claimed silver, despite the fact that he was competing with a fractured rib suffered during a training run crash. Lund struggled at the start, pushing a time of 5.31 seconds, 20th best of the heat, before driving himself up 17 positions into third with a first run time of 1:10.53 seconds. Bettering his first heat effort, Lund pushed a tenth of a second faster in the second heat with a start time of 5.21 seconds, piloting his sled to the fastest time of the second run, a 1:10.04. Lund sped to the finish with the highest speed of the competition, 132.2 km/h, for a combined time of 2:20.57 to claim silver.

The U.S. Women’s National Under-18 team traveled to Calgary, Canada to compete in the first-ever International Ice Hockey Federation World Women’s U18 Championship, held Jan. 7-12. After outscoring opponents 28-2 in the preliminary round, which included back-to-back 11-0 shutout victories over Russia and Switzerland, Team USA blanked the Czech Republic by an 8-0 count in the semifinals to advance to the gold-medal game against host and No. 1 seed Canada. The Americans posted a 5-2 victory on Canada’s home ice to capture the first World Championship at the women’s U18 level.

On the statistical level, Team USA’s goal keepers logged a 93.44% save rate, which won Alyssa Grogan (Eagan, Minn.) the Directorate Award as the tournament's top goaltender. The American ladies logged the fewest number of penalties for the tournament and backed it up with sound scoring as Amanda Kessel (Madison, Wis.) and Brooke Ammerman (River Vale, N.J) scored the third and fifth most goals during the tournament respectively, making Kessel the team’s leading American scorer. Kendall Coyne (Palos Heights, Ill.), Anne Schleper (St. Cloud, Minn.) and Sarah Erickson (LaPorte, Minn.) were named Team USA's best players of the tournament.

USA Women’s U18 Roster:

Alyssa Grogan (Eagan, Minn.), Rebecca Ruegsegger (Lakewood, Colo.), Blake Bolden (Stow, Ohio), Kasey Boucher (Lewiston, Maine), Alev Kelter (Eagle River, Alaska), Anne Schleper (St. Cloud, Minn.), Sasha Sherry (Lehighton, Pa.), Kelly Wild (Mendota Heights, Minn.), Brooke Ammerman (River Vale, N.J.), Kate Bacon (Chanhassen, Minn.), Ashley Cottrell (Sterling Heights, Mich.), Kendall Coyne (Palos Heights, Ill.), Brianna Decker (Dousman, Wis.), Sarah Erickson (LaPorte, Minn.), Amanda Kessel (Madison, Wis.), Meagan Mangene (Manorville, N.Y.), Madison Packer (Birmingham, Mich.), Kelley Steadman (Plattsburgh, N.Y.), Corey Stearns (Falmouth, Mass.), and Elizabeth Turgeon (Cherry Hills Village, Colo.).

Receiving second place in the women’s voting was Katie Uhlaender (Breckenridge, Colo.), who just earned her second World Cup Title with the help of two gold medals in January. Rebounding from a fourth-place finish during the prior day’s racing, Uhlaender cranked it up a notch and turned in a solid performance to claim gold Jan. 18, in Cesana, Italy. One week later, she produced yet another gold, her third of the season, at the St. Moritz World Cup, Jan. 25. In addition to her gold, Uhlaender set the track record and reclaimed the overall lead in the World Cup standings. Her double gold performance in January brings her career gold medal count to eight.

Sarah Erickson (LaPorte, Minn.) captained the U.S. Women’s National Under-18 team to its first-ever International Ice Hockey Federation World Women’s U18 Championship which gave her enough points to finish third in the voting. In leading Team USA to the gold medal, she recorded five goals and four assists in five victories. After the 5-2 title win over host Canada, she was named one of the three best U.S. players of the tournament. Erickson had three multiple-point games, including a three-point effort (2 goals, 1 assist) in an 11-0 blanking of Switzerland in the preliminary round.

As in December, the men’s voting featured a tight points race, which resulted in a tie for second place between Nate Holland (Park City, Utah) of snowboarding and Marco Sullivan (Squaw Valley, Calif.) of skiing, with cycling’s Taylor Phinney (Boulder, Colo.) a mere one point behind them in fourth.

Holland, a 2006 Olympian, went into the 2008 season as a two-time and reigning X Games snowboardcross gold medalist. At the 2008 X Games, Holland came back and made an unbelievable set of runs to win X Games gold again, keeping the title for the third year in a row. No athlete has accomplished a three-peat in X Games men's snowboardcross since Shaun Palmer (South Lake Tahoe, Calif.) in 1999.

Sullivan, a two-time Olympian, won the first World Cup race of his career when he competed on the legendary Kandahar downhill course in Chamonix, France, Jan. 26. Coming into the Chamonix races, Sullivan had two top-10 results including sixth on the harrowing Kitzbuehel downhill (only two Americans have won races in the course’s 68 year history). He ended the month fourth in the World Cup downhill standings.

Phinney won a gold medal for the United States in the men's four-kilometer individual pursuit at the third round of the 2007-08 UCI Track World Cup Classic in Los Angeles on Jan. 18. Again lowering his personal best, Phinney, a 17-year-old Boulder High School senior, is quickly becoming a solid contender to represent the United States in the 2008 Olympic Games. With consistent performances on the international stage, Phinney is now ranked second overall, only a single point behind the leader, in the four-race UCI World Cup standings after three events. If Phinney wins the overall World Cup title, he'll earn himself a ticket to Beijing according to the UCI's Olympic qualification procedures which awards World Cup champions with a start at the 2008 Olympic Games. Phinney, the reigning junior time trial world champion on the road and member of USA Cycling’s junior national team, earned an elite national title in the pursuit in his first-ever track race in October with a 4:35.550.

Second place in the team vote went to the U.S. Men’s Volleyball Team who won the 2008 NORCECA Men’s Continental Olympic qualifying tournament by winning five straight matches and not dropping a set. In the final, the U.S. men defeated Puerto Rico 25-20, 25-19, 25-20. The victory qualified the team for the 2008 Olympic Games. Rich Lambourne (Tustin, Calif.) was named best libero and best receiver. Outside hitter Sean Rooney (Wheaton, Ill.) won best spiker. Middle blocker Ryan Millar (Palmdale, Calif.) was named top blocker and opposite Clay Stanley (Honolulu, Hawai’i) took best server.

Coming in at third, the USA Women’s World Cup Team in wrestling placed second as a team at the Women’s World Cup, the international dual meet championships in women’s wrestling, held in Taiyuan, China, Jan. 19-20. Six of the world’s best women’s wrestling nations were featured in this outstanding event. The U.S. opened this dual meet tournament with a 4-3 win over Ukraine, upset reigning World Champion Japan, 4-3 in the second round, but fell to host China, 4-3 in the final. Van Dusen (55kg) led the charge with three wins followed by Sara McMann (Gaffney, S.C./63kg) and Stephany Lee (Colorado Springs, Colo./72kg) with two wins a piece.

USA Women’s Wresting World Cup Roster:

Stephanie Murata (Colorado Springs, Colo./ 48 kg/105.5 lbs.), Jenny Wong (Gaffney, S.C./ 51 kg/112.25 lbs.), Marcie Van Dusen (Colorado Springs, Colo./ 55 kg/121 lbs.), Leigh Jaynes (Colorado Springs, Colo./ 59 kg/130 lbs.), Sara McMann (Gaffney, S.C./ 63 kg/138.75 lbs.), Katie Downing (Colorado Springs, Colo./ 67 kg/147.5 lbs.), and Stephany Lee (Colorado Springs, Colo./ 72 kg/158.5 lbs.).

Results:

Men
1. Zack Lund, Skeleton
2. Nate Holland, Snowboarding
TIE
2. Marco Sullivan, Skiing
4. Taylor Phinney, Cycling

Women
1. Marcie Van Dusen, Wrestling
2. Katie Uhlaender, Skeleton
3. Sarah Erickson, Women’s Ice Hockey

Team
1. U.S. Women’s U18 Ice Hockey
2. U.S. Men’s Volleyball
3. USA Women’s Wrestling World Cup Team

Cory Horsburgh, 2007 CIS Rookie of the Year, leads the Host Regina Cougars into battle as the defending conference and national gold medalist at 57 kg. Chad Bates (61 kg) and Alex McStay (120 kg) are back after helping the squad to a tie for third overall at last year’s Canada West meet. The Calgary Dinos matched the Cougars stride-for-stride a year ago, but look to a younger group this time around and may need the experience before rising up the ranks in future events. Wes Barnert (72 kg) is the team’s captain and improving team leader as the Dinos prepare to host the 2008 CIS wrestling championship later in February. The Alberta Golden Bears will have Steven Thacher, who missed all of 2006-07, and fifth-year Bram Ratay to lead the way.

Alberta Golden Bears & Pandas
2007 CW men: 5th
2007 CIS men: 10th
Last CW men’s title: 1985
Last CIS men’s title: 1971-72

2007 CW women: 5th
2007 CIS women: 9th
Last CW women’s title: none
Last CIS women’s title: none

For the last couple of season, 16-year University of Alberta wrestling coach Vang Ioannides has struggled against the tide of debilitating injuries and a lack of home-grown talent. The 2008 edition of the Golden Bears and Pandas wrestling teams seems to be bucking that trend.

Among the crop of newcomers to the U of A wrestling fold are four Edmontonians in Michael Asseltine, Saksham Mengi, Brett Well and Panda Marielle Ter-Hart, all of whom are Edmonton Wrestling Club members, which is a boon to Ioannides’ program.

“Asselstine, Mengi, Wells, and Ter-Hart are all Edmonton Wrestling Club member, which is our own age group club, so it is nice to see that we are getting some home-grown kids again,” noted the head coach.

As for the injury front, wrestling is truly in a class of it’s own across the nation. What seems like a minor aliment to any other sport, could be a season ender for any wrestler. One such Golden Bear to be felled in recent times is Steven Thacher, who missed all of last season to a pair of injuries.

Despite all the new faces on both sides of the U of A rosters, the Golden Bears picked up two gold medals (Thacher and fifth-year Bram Ratay), two silver medals (Saksham Wells and Mike Hulbert) and two bronze medals (Timo Suomi and Frank Breen) in their first tournament of the year in McMaster. Led by Jenna Yamashita and CIS rookie Meaghan Young, the Pandas claimed a pair of bronze medals at the same tournament.

Two weeks later, paced by rookie Katherine Martin, who clamed a silver medal in the 72 kg class, the Golden Bears and Pandas captured five medals at the Huskie Invitational in Saskatoon. The other medalists included rookies Saksham Mengi and Meaghan Young, while veterans Mike Hulbert and Jenna Yamashita also performed well enough to earn bronze medals.

Despite two squads with an abundance of youth, Ioannides has not changed his expectations of his athletes.

While undoubtedly he will rely on fifth years Bram Ratay, who has qualified for the CIS championship in two of his four years at Alberta, and Mike Hulbert, another Ioannides and the athletes can lean on is former Panda great, Heidi Kulak, who is with the team as a coach.

“Heidi’s experience is paramount, especially to the young Pandas, where she really does lead by example. She has been a great addition to the coaching staff.”

Ioannides said of his new wrestlers:

“Michael Asselstine is a former age group National Team Member who is already competitive. I believe he has a strong opportunity to qualify for CI’s even as a freshman. Other newcomers include Saksham Mengi, Brett Wells, Timo Suomi, Kyle Stevens, Michael Craig, and Curtis Horsburgh. Curtis is a blue chip recruit out of Calgary… he is a former Western Canada Games champion and I think he can also have an impact early. The rest are strong support players.”

“Meaghan Young at 82 KG’s is definitely an asset. She was a Canada Games champion in 2005, and we believe that she will be very competitive this year in a very tough conference. Other newcomers include Marielle Ter-Hart, a former age group national silver medalist, Ellen Christopherson and Katherine Martin.”

Calgary Dinos
2007 CW men: 4th
2007 CIS men: 8th
Last CW men’s title: 2003
Last CIS men’s title: none

2007 CW women: 1st
2007 CIS women: 1st
Last CW women’s title: 2007
Last CIS women’s title: 2007

The Dinos wrestling teams head to Regina with different goals in mind. For the men, it’s about individual performances and qualifying for the CIS meet; for the women, it’s about defending a championship.

Mitch Ostberg takes a full complement of women’s wrestlers ready to grab their sixth conference title in nine seasons and looking to repeat as national champions – on their home mats, no less.

“Canada West is a fun tournament with the dual meet format,” said Ostberg, the reigning CIS Coach of the Year (women’s team). “The energy we build as a team brings a real sense of team heading into the CIS Championships, which reverts back to an individual-style tournament. That team energy is important for individuals to perform, so Canada West gives us a good launching pad to come together as a group and build energy toward the CIS Championships in our own gym.”

With two returning CIS champions in Gen Haley (51 kg) and Andrea Ross (55 kg) along with significant international experience from Jazzie Barker (59 kg) and Justine Bouchard (63 kg), who both competed at the senior World Cup in late 2007, the Dinos stand a good chance of repeating as women’s champions in 2008 – although the Simon Fraser Clan will be standing in their way, as always.

“I’d like to think that we’re the team to beat, but SFU has some great athletes and we can never take them lightly,” said Ostberg. “We have strong veterans and seasoned competitors along with good international experience, so I think we have a good shot at qualifying everybody through to CIS and generating a team title at Canada West.”

Megan Goldsmith (82 kg), Stephanie Buchan (67 kg), Tess Gallinger (48 kg), and Vanessa Wilson (72 kg) round out the lineup for the Dinos women.

On the men’s side, Ostberg takes a young team with five rookies to the conference championships in the hopes of qualifying several for the CIS meet. Wes Barnert (72 kg), the team’s captain, has shown improved consistency throughout the season so far, while rookie Alex Burk (82 kg) has shown significant potential by winning tournaments in his freshman year. Look for Ryan Lannan (57 kg) and Mark Dewit (130 kg) to battle for their weight class titles as well.

“With five rookies on the team, we have to recognize that it’ll be tough to qualify everyone and really challenge for a team title,” Ostberg said. “If we were to compete into third place in the team standings, I’d be pleased with that. We’re looking to qualify five, maybe six guys through to CIS.”

Rhys Clark (90 kg), Dallin Kay (68 kg), Adrian Macri (61 kg), Gordon Peavy (65 kg), and Josh Wagler (76 kg) complete the Calgary men’s lineup.

The Dinos host the 2008 CIS Wrestling Championships Feb. 29-Mar. 1 in the UC Red Gym.

Regina Cougars (Host)
2007 CW men: 3rd
2007 CIS men: 6th
Last CW men’s title: 2002
Last CIS men’s title: 1998

2007 CW women: 3rd
2007 CIS women: 5th
Last CW women’s title: none
Last CIS women’s title none

After a pair of third-place finishes last year, the University of Regina wrestling teams will return six of their 2007 Canada West medalists as they host their first conference championship since 2002.

Ali Bernard leads the charge for the women’s team. Bernard, a fourth-year grappler from New Ulm, Minn., has won both Canada West and CIS gold in all three years as a Cougar. Bernard, who wrestles at 72 kg, is also a candidate to represent the United States at the 2008 Summer Olympics in China.

With 2007 CIS and Canada West silver medalist Hajar Ashtiani competing at Finland’s Olympic trials this weekend, she’ll be unavailable to the Cougars at the Canada West meet. That leaves Kelli Rasmussen, who wrestled at 55 kg last year but has been competing at 51 kg this season, as Regina’s lone returning medalist besides Bernard. Rasmussen took the bronze last year at the Canada West meet and fifth place at the CIS championship.

In her second year of CIS eligibility, Inga Van Vliet has put together a solid season and should make her first appearance in Cougar colours at a conference meet this weekend. Van Vliet wrestles in the 67 kg class for Regina.

On the men’s side, Cory Horsburgh is no longer an unknown commodity in the 57 kg class. Horsburgh emerged from relative anonymity late last season to capture gold medals in both the Canada West and CIS meets, but the 2007 CIS Rookie of the Year won’t be able to catch anyone by surprise this season.

Chad Bates (61 kg) and Alex McStay (120 kg), both silver medalists at last year’s Canada West meet, will both return for the Cougars this year. McStay, a former participant in the World Junior Championship and a two-time CIS silver medalist, has had a strong season for Regina in his fourth year of CIS eligibility.

Head coach Leo McGee expects a pair of fifth-year wrestlers – Dustin Siemens (72 kg) and Aaron Frombach (82 kg) – to have strong showings at the meet. Rookie Justin Eckert (54 kg) and transfer Peter De La Cruz, who could wrestle at 65, could also put together a strong performance in their first Canada West meet as Cougars grapplers.

The men’s team will be looking for its first championship since 2002, when a Cougar squad that included an 18-year-old McStay recorded a thrilling one-point victory in its home gym.

Saskatchewan Huskies
2007 CW men: 2nd
2007 CIS men: 3rd
Last CW men’s title: 1986
Last CIS men’s title: none

2007 CW women: 4th
2007 CIS women: 7th
Law CW women’s title: none
Last CIS women’s title: none

The University of Saskatchewan Huskies look to be a top contender at the 2008 Canada West championship.

After a disappointing upset loss to rival Simon Fraser for the men’s title last year, Saskatchewan is ready to try and capture the championship title for the first time in the team’s history.

On both the women and men’s side this season, a more experienced team will arrive at the Canada West championship, ready to compete. Sweeping all team titles at the most recent tournament, the Cougar Open, the Huskies look sharp and fully capable this year.

“It was great to have everyone competing for the first time this year, it really showcased our potential as a team,” said head coach Todd Hinds.

The Huskies will be looking to leaders Jeff Adamson, Ryley Walker and Jill Gallays as they prepare for the championship and ready themselves for some of the best university wrestlers in the country.

With last years success at the CIS placing seventh on the women’s side and third on the men’s side, just two points behind champion Brock University, the Huskies will more than likely have strong performances from their entire lineup.

Look for veterans Troy Lange (57 kg), Walker (65 kg), Eric Walker (68 kg), Daniel Olver (76 kg), and Adamson (82 kg) to all have strong showings this year. Newcomer athletes Brian Blackwell (54 kg) and Craig Albert (130 kg) will also be guys to watch this year as breakout athletes. On the women’s side experience from Gallays (55 kg) and Amy Dyck (59 kg) will be a key to the success of the women’s team. Gallays is returning after a one year absence due to a knee injury. Placing fifth at the Junior world championship in 2006, Gallays is ready to be a big force in the Canada West and CIS. Dyck returns after her silver medal performance last year. Pam Ewanishin has been competing well recently and will be a factor for the team.

“We are going to show what Saskatchewan kids are made of,” said Hinds. “We are a special population. Hard work is what we are about and it transfers to the mat. Expect for us to go out give it our all, with no excuses.”

Simon Fraser Clan
2007 CW men: 1st
2007 CIS men: 2nd
Last CW men’s title: 2007
Last CIS men’s title: none

2007 CW women: 2nd
2007 CIS women: 2nd
Law CW women’s title: 2006
Last CIS women’s title: 2006

Simon Fraser University is gearing up for what promises to be a very exciting weekend of competition at the Canada West championships. Both the men’s and women’s teams are entering the competition with similar goals, to leave with not only a spot at the top of the podium, but also with a place in the CIS championship later this month.

The top-ranked men’s team is entering the tournament in pursuit of its fifth straight Canada West crown. Although the Clan lost two significant members of last year’s championship team; Canada West gold medalist Paul Murphy (72 kg) and silver medalist Russell Mayert (82 kg), the Clan return a significant portion of the point-getters, which made them the class of the Canada West just a year ago. Amongst the returnees are 2007 Canada West gold medalists; Hardeep Aujlaa (68 kg), Ali Al-Rekabi (90 kg), Jagroop Bhullar (130 kg), and silver medalists; Rafiq Charania (54 kg), Isaac Wing (65 kg) and Pat McDonald (76 kg). Also bolstering the Clan’s chances are the inclusion of SFU standouts David Krawczyk (76 kg), Robert Gregson (65 kg) and Raj Virdi (61 kg) who were unable to compete in the conference championships last year due its conflicting schedule with the NAIA Championships. Due to different dates in 2008, the wrestlers are able to compete in both events.

Last year’s Canada West event was the closest in years, as Simon Fraser narrowly defeated rival Saskatchewan 42-40 to take the gold. Look for both of these teams to be competing for the top spot this year along with the University of Regina.

The No. 2-ranked SFU women enter the CW tournament with hopes of capturing their fourth title in just six years. The Clan return the majority of the point getters from last year’s team who finished second in these same championships including, silver medalists Ashley McKilligan (48 kg), Miranda Dick (55 kg), Katarina Spotzl (59 kg) and Stacie Anaka (63 kg). But the Clan also lost two key members of the 2007 squad in gold medalist Ashley McManus (67 kg) and silver medalist Shayla Turcotte (82 kg).

The women’s side seems to be a two-horse race between the Clan and No. 1 Calgary. Since the inclusion of women’s wrestling into the Canada West championships in 2000, SFU and Calgary have monopolized the top spot, with SFU claiming three championships and Calgary a record-setting five.

Utah - Candice Workman

Feb. 12, 2008

Erie, Pa. - When the Mercyhurst women's rowing team started its winter training nine weeks ago, the team had something new in mind. Winter training traditionally consists of sore muscles, long hours, excruciating cross-training, and more sore muscles. But until now, it had never consisted of wrestling.

Anne Dinshah, Mercyhurst's assistant rowing coach, led the team through nine weeks of physical and mental training in wrestling, a sport in which none of the athletes had ever participated. Every Monday morning the rowers accomplished a physical wrestling skill then discussed the mental goal and how to relate it to rowing. The rest of each week they did typical winter training such as running, weightlifting, and core conditioning, all of which are good for training as both rowers and wrestlers. They also utilized their more sport-specific rowing machines.

"Wrestling is excellent cross training for rowing," Dinshah said. "A seven-minute match is similar in duration to 2,000 meters in the boat. Both sports are great full-bodied challenges that demand intensity and perseverance throughout the entire competition. Your body screams at you the entire time and all your mind hears is to go even harder."

Dinshah taught the women the fundamentals of wrestling that she perfected with Mercyhurst assistant wrestling coach Paul Bergman. Things such as single and double-leg take downs, sprawling, escapes, and even how to pull off a successful half-nelson are few of the many concepts the rowers learned.

"Our winter training is about becoming strong as individuals," Dinshah said. "When we come together in the spring it's about synergy in the boat. Since we can wrestle, we know we'll be great on the water."

On Monday, Feb. 11, the rowers proved they were strong as individuals, showcasing all they learned in an intersquad exhibition match on the center mat in the Mercyhurst Athletic Center. The crowd gathered to watch ten women put down their oars and pick up each other in five intense matches.

The first two competitors to take the mat were senior captain Melanie Peters, of the green team, and All-American coxswain Michele Handzel, of the white team. Underdog Handzel proved coxswains have physical explosiveness and mental fortitude by holding lightweight rower Peters to only an 11-8 lead at the end of the second period. Peters found the strength that will power her boat to the finish line this spring by utilizing a mere 24 seconds to execute the only pin of the evening at 5:24. The fall gave the green team an early 6-0 lead.

Match two featured rowers Abbey Celarek of the green team and Briana Burdick of the white team. They exchanged hard-fought takedowns and escapes in the first period before ferocious Celarek threw in a takedown and backpoints to jump ahead 8-3. Burdick's escape ended the first period at 8-4. The second period began with Celarek earning another takedown; tenacious Burdick escaped and attacked only to have the buzzer beat her out of a takedown. Celarek proceeded to earn a 17-8 major decision bumping the green team's lead up to 10 points.

Junior Ali Bogart was the first to put points on the board for the white team with a 7-0 decision over novice rower Cara Adamus of the green team. Despite not scoring, Adamus showed enormous grit and gumption in fighting off the potential Bogart pin for the full seven minutes. "There are obvious differences between varsity and novice in experience," Bogart said. "This is my third year of winter training at Mercyhurst and I've been a rower for eight years. `Blue' (Adamus) has been in a boat three times. However, mental training clearly helps everyone. She was able to keep me from pinning her no matter how hard I tried. I was controlling the match, but she exhibited great strength mentally in never giving up. I believe this is the mentality necessary for our strong crew to get to the NCAA Championships."

With the score at 10-3 in favor of the green team, close friends and roommates Alicia Peterson and Annie Schiller took the mat for match four. The match began with tremendous fervor: all the action, excitement, and acceleration one would see at the start of a championship rowing race. Peterson led 6-5 before Schiller took her down, landing her on her shoulder. Schiller won by injury default and earned six points for the white team.

Beth Brun and Courtney Clark would determine the winning team, as the score going into the final match was 10-9 in green's favor. Clark narrowly commanded the first period 3-2. Brun's lone takedown of the second period and Clark's escape knotted them at 4-4 going into the final two minutes. Brun then earned two points for a takedown and three back points. A 9-4 decision by Brun awarded the 13-9 victory to the green team.

"We have a great respect for the sport of wrestling and I'm proud of what we've accomplished," Dinshah said. "Tonight was the culmination of our winter wrestling efforts. The athletes definitely rose to the challenge of the exhibition match and gave our all tonight, just like we will every race this spring."

The rowing team is now gearing up for its last week of practice before it travels to Orlando, Fla., for spring training. The rowers will be in action this spring with six regattas in their quest to land a bid to the NCAA Championship. Fans who missed the wrestling action can cheer for the Lakers on April 5 and April 19 at their home course in Findley Lake, N.Y.

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