McKibben leads Cougar wrestlers at Junior World Championships

ANKARA, Turkey - The University of Regina's wrestling teams boasted three entrants in the 2009 World Junior Championships over the weekend, with Lisa McKibben leading the way by posting a top-eight finish at 67 kilograms.

McKibben defeated Kazakhstan's Oxana Kostyukevich by a 1-0, 2-0 score in the Round of 16 to advance to the quarterfinals. She was matched up against Japanese wrestler Chiaki Iijima in the quarters, but suffered a 2-0, 6-0 loss.

Wrestling at 48 kilograms, Jasmine Slinn lost a low-scoring match to India's Indu Chaudhary in the Round of 16. Chaudhary won 1-0, 1-0 to defeat Slinn and advance to the quarterfinals.

Connor Malloy, last season's Canada West Rookie of the Year, matched up against India's Deepak Deepak in the Round of 32 at 74 kilograms. Malloy won the first round by a 1-0 count, but Deepak recovered with consecutive 3-0 wins to take the match.

All three wrestlers qualified for the Junior World Championships after winning their weight classes at the Canadian Junior Nationals back in March. Malloy, McKibben, and Slinn will each enter their second season of CIS eligibility next year.

Connor Malloy (74 kg)
Round of 32: Lost to Deepak Deepak (India) 0-1, 3-0, 3-0

Lisa McKibben (67 kg)
Round of 16: Defeated Oxana Kostyukevich (Kazakhstan) 1-0, 2-0
Quarterfinals: Lost to Chiaki Iijima (Japan) 2-0, 6-0

Jasmine Slinn (48 kg)
Round of 16: Lost to Indu Chaudhary (India) 1-0, 1-0

Source:

Braden Konschuh
Sports Information Director
University of Regina