It’s no secret that SFU’s wrestling team builds success. It starts with head coach Mike Jones, who was recently inducted into the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame. And then, to name but two, come Daniel Igali and Carol Hyunh — a pair of SFU grads, and Olympic gold medalists. And now in the meantime, a new pair of SFU students has gold medals to their name.
Not Olympic medals mind you, but gold medals for Clete Hanson and Skylor Davis at the Clackamas Open in Oregon are steps in that very direction.
Hanson won four bouts to earn his medal. Those fights included a semi-final victory over Oregon State’s John Tuck, and he followed it up by besting the NAIA’s top-ranked wrestler Derek Rottenburg, out of Southern Oregon. For all his efforts in the 184-pound division of the tournament, he was named the competition’s outstanding wrestler — a rather nice addition to his gold medal.
Back down the weight class line, Davis won three matches to earn his gold in the 125-pound category. All three decisions were by pinfall, including the final, where Davis had Pacific University’s Ian Hocker pinned before the first period had ended.
As nice as the two golds were for SFU, the Clan also walked away with two silver medals and a bronze. Alex Stemer, competing in the 149-pound division, fell 10–5 in the final to Oregon State’s Nick Schlagger to earn his silver. However, it was Gurjot Kooner’s silver medal that provided the most intrigue.
After Kooner had topped Oregon State’s Jordan Schwartzlander — who had beaten him when the two squared off in November — to earn his way into the 285-pound division final.
Now, it’s not every day you find an inter-school final between two athletes who aren’t on the same team, but that’s exactly what this final was. Kooner fell to Sunny Dhinsa, another SFU student who was wrestling unaffiliated with the Clan.
Rounding out SFU’s medal haul was Burnaby native Max Arcand, who took home the bronze in the 165-pound category. Oregon State’s Seth Thomas beat Arcand in the semis, putting Arcand in a bronze-medal match against teammate Brock Lamb, guaranteeing one more medal for the Clan.
With his bronze, the Clan finished with five total medals, an impressive feat for any team of any sport — Olympic or otherwise.
