The Brock Badgers men’s and women’s wrestling teams competed at the Wrestling Canada Lutte U Sports Invitational Championships on Feb. 28 and March 1, with the women’s team striking gold and men’s side earning silver.
Women secure second consecutive U Sports title
It was a weekend to remember for the women’s wrestling team as they successfully defended their throne in front of the Brock crowd at Canada Games Park by winning back-to-back U Sports championships and their 12th national banner overall.
The Badgers narrowly defeated the Calgary Dinos, who placed second, by earning 70 points compared to the Dinos’ 67 as the Western Mustangs finished in third place with 41 points.
Brock earned medals in eight of the 10 weight classes, winning one gold, six silvers and one bronze.
Brianna Fraser led the charge for the Badgers by securing her third consecutive national gold in the 83-kilogram division with a defeat of Concordia’s Alexia Sherland by technical fall, 14-2.
Joining Fraser as repeat medalists were Samantha Romero, who won another silver medal in the 50-kilogram division (her first since the 2017-18 season), and Vanessa Keefe, who remained a silver medalist in the 68-kilogram division for the second straight season.
Michaela Rankin won her first national silver medal after placing third in the 62-kilogram division last year, with Francesca Lo Greco — who was named the U Sports Rookie of the Year in 2023-24 and won gold in the 50-kilogram division last season — moving up a weight class to the 53-kilogram division where she finished second.
Rounding out the Badgers’ medalists who earned their first podium finish on the national stage were Bronywn MacGregor, who placed second in the 65-kilogram weight class, and Olivia Mathezer, who competed at her first national championship, where she won a bronze medal in the 56-kilogram category.
The national title highlights another successful year for the Brock women’s wrestling team that saw them dominate the OUA Championships in February by winning their 10th straight provincial title and 23rd overall with medalists in all 10 weight categories.
The Badgers also topped the podium with first place finishes at the York Open, U of T Open and Brock Open throughout the season.
Men capture silver in heartbreaking fashion
The men’s wrestling team were looking to tie a record 10th straight national championship but fell just short on home soil.
The Badgers registered 63 points but were defeated by the Alberta Golden Bears who had 68, while the Western Mustangs won bronze with 52 points.
Brock medaled in seven of the 10 competitions, earning one gold, five silvers and one bronze en route to a second-place finish.
Yazdan Farokhizad was the Badgers’ lone gold medal winner, earning his first career national gold in the 90-kilogram division with a 10-0 technical fall win after placing second in the event a season ago.
Garette Saunders joined Farokhizad as a repeat medalist by capturing a silver in the 61-kilogram weight class for his third national silver and fourth U Sports medal overall.
Callum Knox (100-kilogram) and Roger Li (125-kilogram) each added to the Badgers’ medal haul with second place performances while Zakir Ibrahimkheil (57-kilogram) and Cole Coghill (76-kilogram) won silver medals in their national championship debuts.
Gabriel Blanchette capped off Brock’s medal totals with a bronze medal win in the 68-kilogram weight category after defeating McMaster’s Gianluca Fortino with a 13-0 technical fall victory.
Despite the national heartbreak, the Badgers still recorded a highly successful season, winning their ninth consecutive OUA Championship and 26th provincial banner in school history with six gold medal results in the 10 weight classes.
Brock also showed dominance throughout the 2024-25 campaign with first place performances at the U of T Open, Brock Open and Western Open during the season.
For more information on the Brock Badgers wrestling teams, visit gobadgers.ca.