Lakehead University

Thunderdome Hosts OUA Championship Saturday Feb 12

Author: Hugh Mullally

The top university wrestlers of Ontario will congregate under one roof to grab, hook, and clutch their way through the field of competition to the OUA Championship podium on Saturday, February 12th at the C.J. Sanders  Fieldhouse at Lakehead University. This event is proudly presented by Bombardier, The Prince Arthur Hotel and Suites, The City of Thunder Bay, The Lakehead Alumni Association, the LU Student Union, as well as the Chronicle Journal.

This will be the first time since 2007 that Lakehead has hosted the OUA tournament. This year Lakehead will be on double duty, as the national CIS wrestling tournament will occur at the Thunderdome two weeks following the OUA's (Feb 25-26). Several Lakehead wrestlers are looking to defend their OUA titles, including:

• Gaston Tardif -57 kg

• Dustin Helwig - 54 kg

• Nicole Plummer - 82 kg

• Aislynn Torfason - 59 kg

Of course, many Lakehead wrestlers have done well in the OUA wrestling circuit in the 10-11 season. Jessica Berchatsky and Colten Woznow have both finished at the top of their divisions at different meets this season, and are vying for OUA gold this weekend.

Lakehead coach Brock Curtis is confident that all of the Lakehead wrestlers are capable of reaching the podium this weekend:

"We aim to perform very well at these Championships and defend our Men's Team title from last season, and make some gains on the Women's side against Brock and Western, who have traditionally dominated the Women's Team title. Certainly, all of our wrestlers are capable to achieving a podium finish at these championships!"

Curtis continues:

"It's exciting for us as it has been a few years since we've hosted any university-level wrestling tournament, let alone the Championships, and it's a great opportunity for our wrestlers to compete in front of the home crowd - to show them what we do everyday at practice. It's a chance for the wrestling community in Thunder Bay to reacquaint themselves again with this exceptional sport, which has been housed here at Lakehead for some time."

Lakehead has a rich tradition of wrestling, as this year marks the 40th anniversary of the program at Lakehead U Athletics. Many alumni still reside in and around Thunder Bay, and will be found in attendance this weekend, and two weeks later for nationals.

OUA and CIS Tournament Pass: $30

For Tickets, Contact: Sarah Lannin (sarah.lannin@lakeheadu.ca) Tel: 807-343-8808

Note: The Medal Rounds of the OUA tournament will be webcast on SSN Canada (www.ssncanada.ca) ~ 2:00pm Saturday

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Last Edited: February 9th, 2011