By: Lauren Mason
This weekend, the men’s and women’s wrestling teams came out victorious at the Spokane Open. After a successful Cardinal Duals for the boys the day before, they came out strong for the tournament this weekend. The women’s team came to the tournament to prove their number one ranking in the Women’s Collegiate Wrestling Association.
The women won this tournament last year, and were looking to do the same this year as well. With strong performances from many of the women, they swept the competition. With first place finishes from Abby Lloyd at 123 pounds, Nicole Depa at 136 pounds, and Mallory Velte at 155 pounds. These wins were alongside Lauren Mason at 123 pounds, Alex Hedrick at 130 pounds, Sara Brinkac at 136 pounds, Francesca Giorgio at 143 pounds, Alyvia Fiske at 155 pounds, and Rebekah Trudel at 170 pounds all coming home with a silver.
On the men’s side, Morgan Smith at 197 pounds and currently ranked number two in the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA), Tyler McLean at 165 pounds and ranked number four in the NCAA, and Ciaran Ball at heavyweight all came home as champions this weekend. Freshman Ty Peth secured a bronze medal at the 133 pound weight class. This is the men’s first time winning this tournament, giving them a big boost as they continue on in their season.
The Clan will be returning home victorious to work on their skills and perfect their techniques. With a break from competition this week, the women will return to dual Grays Harbor and the men will travel to Montana in two weeks.
With a very talented group of athletes, the Clan looks to perform well at the National Championships in February. On both the men and women’s side, with returning All-Americans, it is an exciting time. With very experienced and knowledgeable coaches, the team is in good hands to get themselves in line to accomplish big things.
With a coaching staff like Justin Abdou, Mike Jones, Justina Di Stasio, and others, good things are bound to come. Make sure to keep an eye out for the Clan in the coming months as they take on the road to Nationals, and represent the True North strong.
Lauren Mason is a member of SFU’s women’s wrestling team.
