WRES: Conference championships set for Calgary
CALGARY - Four teams have assembled at the University of Calgary for the 2020 Canada West Wrestling Championships, each with their own unique hopes for the top of the podium.
The Alberta Pandas are aiming for their second title in three years while the U of A Golden Bears seek a seventh men's championship in the last eight seasons. Saskatchewan is the only other school since 2013 to finish first in the men's standings, while its women's team looks to defend the crown it claimed last year. The Fraser Valley Cascades, who have wrestled in Canada West for only six seasons, are looking for individual gold. And then there's the host U of C Dinos, who simply intend to defend their home turf, the Jack Simpson Gymnasium.
That's where the action unfolds on Saturday, Feb. 8, beginning at 9 a.m. MT and lasting until the late afternoon, when medals are awarded to the top performers.
Whoever is left standing from the grueling day of grappling will have earned it. A stacked field includes the 2019 Canada West Wrestler of the Year Brad Hildenbrandt from UFV and student-athlete award winner Emmanuel Olapade of Calgary on the men's side, while the women's field features last season's Canada West Rookie of the Year, Alberta's Katie Mulkay, and the two-time defending national champion in the 48kg class, Saskatchewan's Alex Schell.
The dual-meet format sees student-athletes compete both for their school and as individuals, with the top three finishers in each weight class advancing to the 2020 U SPORTS Wrestling Championships, hosted by Brock University in St. Catharines, Ont., on Feb. 21 and 22. A reminder of what's at stake isn't hard to find inside Jack Simpson Gym, which is only 12 months removed from having hosted the 2019 U SPORTS Championships.
Saskatchewan is riding on momentum from the Cascades Classic, hosted by UFV on the last weekend of January, taking home the men's and women's aggregate banners, with defending national women's 48-kg champ Schell among four Huskies that placed first in their individual weight class.
The 2019-20 Canada West wrestling season began in October with Calgary hosting the Dinos Invitational, and continued through meets in Saskatoon and Edmonton, before culminating just two weeks ago with the Cascades Classic.
NOTES: The Canada West men's wrestling championship was first awarded in 1972-73, while the women's championship was introduced in 1999-2000. Calgary's storied wrestling history includes a record 10 women's Canada West championships and another five men's titles. Alberta's Golden Bears have won a record 12 men's titles to go with four championships for the Pandas. The Huskies have brought four men's and two women's titles to the U of S.