Day 1 Canada West wrestling championships

by Ben Matchett, U of Calgary Sports Information

Photo courtesy Monique Smith / U of Calgary Athletics: The Simon Fraser Clan claimed the Canada West women's wrestling team gold medal for the first time since 2006

CALGARY - Led by an impressive performance by rookie Victoria Anthony, the Simon Fraser Clan edged out the host Calgary Dinos by just a single point to take the women's team title at the 2010 Canada West wrestling championships.

Women's Team Standings
1. Simon Fraser (35 pts.)
2. Calgary (34)
3. Regina (23)
4. Alberta (19)
5. Saskatchewan (14)

After the day climaxed with the final duel between the Dinos and Clan, Simon Fraser put up 35 team points compared to 34 for Calgary to regain the Canada West title for the first time since 2006 after three straight victories for the Dinos.

Anthony went undefeated through her four matches on the day, capping off an outstanding afternoon by forcing a fall against Calgary's Tessa Gallinger to win the 48 kg weight class. She becomes the first athlete since Regina's Ali Bernard (2004-05) to win both the Outstanding Wrestler and Rookie of the Year awards at the same meet.

The Clan completed an awards trifecta when head coach Mike Jones was named the Canada West Coach of the Year, while Saskatchewan's Beth Thompson earned the Student-Athlete Community Service Award.

Clan teammates Danielle Lappage (63 kg) and Stacie Anaka (67 kg) joined Anthony atop the podium in their weight classes, with Calgary matching that total with gold medals from Gen Haley in the 51 kg, Jazzie Barker at 59 kg, and Leah Callahan in the 82 kg class.

The Clan and the Dinos dominated the event throughout the day at the University of Calgary's Red Gym, setting up the clash of heavyweights in the final round of the afternoon. Each team won four of the eight weight classes head-to-head.

The top three finishers in each weight class advance to the CIS Championships March 5-6, also hosted by the University of Calgary for the third consecutive year. Competing in its last Canada West championship before next year's move to the NCAA, Simon Fraser qualified all eight athletes forward to the CIS championships while Calgary will send seven to the national event.

The Regina Cougars finished third in the team standings with 23 points, followed by Alberta (19) and Saskatchewan (14). Just two athletes not wrestling for the Clan or the Dinos managed to reach the top of the podium on the day, with Saskatchewan's Jill Gallays winning gold at 55 kg while Ali Bernard of the Alberta Pandas took the 72 kg weight class championship.

Women's Award Winners
Outstanding Wrestler: Victoria Anthony, Simon Fraser
Rookie of the Year: Victoria Anthony, Simon Fraser
Coach of the Year: Mike Jones, Simon Fraser
Student-Athlete Community Service Award: Beth Thompson, Saskatchewan

Gallays won all four of her matches with falls, earning the maximum 20 points as she out-muscled Bethany Fuzzen of Alberta, SFU's Laura Gordon, Calgary's Natalie Brady, and Laurin Holhoyi of the Regina Cougars. Callahan matched the four-fall feat in the 82 kg class, defeating Meaghan Young of Alberta, Saskatchewan's Thompson, Hillary greening from Simon Fraser, and Regina's Shelby Moran.

Haley and Callahan for Calgary along with the Huskies' Gallays successfully repeated their 2009 conference championships while Anaka and Barker each reclaimed their Canada West titles last won in 2008. For Haley, who also went undefeated on the day, the win is her fourth consecutive Canada West gold medal as she continues on her quest to become the first female wrestler in CIS history to win five straight CIS titles. She will shoot to extend that championship streak to four years at the CIS event in two weeks.

Thompson, despite not qualifying forward in the 82 kg category with a fourth-place finish, was the runaway winner of the Student-Athlete Community Service Award. A CIS Academic All-Canadian, Thompson volunteers much of her time with the Saskatoon SPCA and Habitat for Humanity while also assisting with the Physical Activity for Active Living (PAAL) program, which helps teenagers with a range of disabilities to be active.

The Canada West championships wrap up Saturday with the men's competition, which gets underway at 9:00 a.m. MT.

INDIVIDUAL STANDINGS

48 kg
1. Victoria Anthony, Simon Fraser
2. Hajar Ashtiani, Regina
3. Haley Thomas, Alberta
4. Tessa Gallinger, Calgary
5. Lindsay Wickstrom, Saskatchewan

51 kg
1. Gen Haley, Calgary
2. Jasmine Slinn, Regina
3. Tessa Ma, Simon Fraser
4. Natasha Kramble, Saskatchewan
5. Lyndsay Almeida, Alberta

55 kg
1. Jillian Gallays, Saskatchewan

2. Laura Gordon, Simon Fraser
3. Natalie Brady, Calgary
4. Bethany Fuzzen, Alberta
5. Laurin Holhoyi, Regina

59 kg
1. Jazzie Barker, Calgary
2. Meghan King, Regina
3. Raissa Dickinson, Simon Fraser
4. Hayley Smith, Alberta

63 kg
1. Danielle Lappage, Simon Fraser
2. Jessy Seida, Calgary
3. Jillian Durant, Regina
4. Koren Pitkethly, Saskatchewan

67 kg
1. Stacie Anaka, Simon Fraser
2. Lisa McKibben, Regina
3. Stephanie Buchan, Calgary
4. Katherine Martin, Alberta
5. Jessica Wright, Saskatchewan

72 kg
1. Ali Bernard, Alberta
2. Erica Wiebe, Calgary
3. Sidney Morrison, Simon Fraser
4. Andrea Nillson, Regina

82 kg
1. Leah Callahan, Calgary
2. Hillary Greening, Simon Fraser
3. Meaghan Young, Alberta
4. Beth Thompson, Saskatchewan
5. Shelby Moran, Regina

About CWUAA
"Canada West is consistently the most decorated of the four conferences in Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS), winning at least 10 CIS national titles every year since 1997-98. Comprised of 14 schools, from the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, the CWUAA produces numerous major award winners and Academic All-Canadian student-athletes each year, with many going on to athletic success around the globe in pro leagues and events such as the Olympics, Paralympics or Universiade Games."