SAULT STE. MARIE, Ont. - The University of Guelph Gryphons wrestling team was well represented on the OUA podium on Saturday evening in Sault Ste. Marie, earning eight medals (4 silver, 4 bronze) at the 2024 OUA Wrestling Championships, hosted by Algoma University. As a team, the Gryphon women saw five student-athletes take the podium, and finished the tournament with a two-point advantage over the 4th-place Western Mustangs, earning bronze in their first podium finish as a team since the 2018-29 season when they finished second. For the Gryphon men, three student-athletes finished on the podium with the team finishing just one point shy of a podium position as a team.
Gryphon Medalists at the 2024 OUA Championships
SILVER
Mary Adarkwa (Women's 76kg)
Logan Stimson (Women's 83kg)
Tristan Cako (Men's 57kg)
Brennan Leplante-Brady (Men's 72kg)
BRONZE
Kelyn Young (Women's 50kg)
Brooklyn Glasgow (Women's 53kg)
Jayden Sparks (Women's 56kg)
Caius Hargbridge (Men's 76kg)
Mark Adarkwa and
Logan Stimson led the way for the Gryphon women, each earning silver in their respective weight classes. For Adarkwa she opened the tournament with a quick victory by fall over over Western's Risa Ferrari to earn a bye through to the gold medal match in the women's 76kg weight class. In the gold medal match the third-year kinesiology major put together a strong effort but would ultimately fall to Brock's Cassie Corbett by fall.
In the women's 83kg weight class,
Logan Stimson, a product of New Westminster, British Columbia, earned her way into the gold medal match by defeating Western's Paige Baynham 11-0 by technical fell followed by another victory by fall over the Gaels' Marthe Leplante-Brady. The second-year psychology major then captured silver after falling to Brock's Brianna Fraser in the championship match. For both Adarkwa and Stimson, their podium finishes marked the first career OUA medals of their intercollegiate wrestling careers.
Kelyn Young, the University of Guelph's reigning Rookie of the Year competing in her second season with the Gryphons, earned the second OUA medal of her career, capturing bronze in the women's 50kg weight class. Young fell in her opening match of the tournament by decision before bouncing back with a victory over Western's Trinity Lim-Huynh by fall to earn a spot in the 3rd-place match. There, the psychology major earned a trip to the podium by defeating McMaster's Jananey Rajagopolan by fall. Also taking home hardware for the Gryphons was
Brooklyn Glasgow (women's 53kg) and
Jayden Sparks (women's 56kg). Glasgow, who was competing in her first OUA Championships, defeated Algoma's Rebecca Vann by fall in the 3rd-place match to earn a spot on the podium while Sparks captured her second OUA medal, also by fall, with a victory over McMaster's Mayumi King.
On the men's side second-year
Tristan Cako and third-year Brennan Laplante-Brady led the way with a pair of silver medal finishes in the men's 57 and 72kg weight classes.
For Cako, who earned his first career OUA medal, his Saturday started with a dominant victory over Brock's Gabriele Sementilli by way of a 13-2 technical fall. The landscape architecture major then produced another impressive performance with a 10-0 technical fall win over McMaster's Adrian Winter to set up a gold medal matchup with Western's Treye Trotman. For Brennan Laplante-Brady, he went 3-1 in the pool rounds with victories over Algoma's Anthony Nighbor (Fall 1:47), the Gaels' John Caron, and by injury to book a spot in the gold medal match where he would fall to Brock's Bobby Narwal, earning silver.
The final medalist from the weekend was Caius Hargbridge who, in his first provincial tournament, earned bronze in the men's 76kg weight class after posting a 2-1 record in the pool rounds before defeating Thomas Meandro of the Queen's Gaels 12-2 by technical fall in the bronze medal match.
All eight of the Gryphon student-athletes who reached the podium at the conference level earn an automatic spot into the U SPORTS Wrestling Championships, set to take place three weeks' time in their home gym at the Guelph Gryphons Athletics Centre on Saturday, March 2, 2024.
FULL RESULTS
Team Standings
Women
GOLD - Brock Badgers - 94 points
SILVER - McMaster Marauders - 64
BRONZE - Guelph Gryphons - 52
4th - Western Mustangs - 50
5th - Algoma Thunderbirds - 21
6th - Carleton Ravens - 19
7th - Lakehead Thunderwolves - 16
8th - Toronto Varsity Blues - 7
9th - York Lions - 7
10th - Queen's Gaels - 5
11th - TMU Bold - 0
Men
GOLD - Brock Badgers - 88 points
SILVER - McMaster Marauders - 57
BRONZE - Western Mustangs - 51
4th - Guelph Gryphons - 50
5th - Lakehead Thunderwolves - 36
6th - Algoma Thunderbirds - 26
7th - Queen's Gaels - 21
8th - Toronto Varsity Blues - 21
9th - TMU Bold - 20
10th - York Lions - 14
11th - Carleton Ravens - 1
OUA Major Award Winners
Women
Outstanding Wrestler - Mia Friesen, Brock Badgers
Rookie of the Year - Francesca Lo Greco, Brock Badgers
Coach of the Year - Marty Calder, Brock Badgers
Student-Athlete Community Service Award - Stephan Niron, York Lions
Men
Outstanding Wrestler - Kyle Price, Algoma Thunderbirds
Rookie of the Year - Nicolae Gandrabura, Brock Badgers
Coach of the Year - Dave Collie, Brock Badgers
Student-Athlete Community Service Award - Ella Doornaert, Western Mustangs
OUA Women's Medalists
50kg
Gold – Fransesca Lo Greco, Brock Badgers
Silver – Jessica Hong, Carleton Ravens
Bronze – Kelyn Young, Guelph Gryphons
53kg
Gold – Serena Di Benedetto, McMaster Marauders
Silver – Brooklyn Brown, Brock Badgers
Bronze – Brooklyn Glasgow, Guelph Gryphons
56kg
Gold – Mia Friesen, Brock Badgers
Silver - Kendall Dettloff, Western Mustangs
Bronze - Jayden Sparks, Guelph Gryphons
59kg
Gold – Macy Malysiak, McMaster Marauders
Silver – Michaela Rankin, Brock Badgers
Bronze – Iman Zebian, Western Mustangs
62kg
Gold – Bronwyn MacGregor, Brock Badgers
Silver – Jonelle Clarke, Western Mustangs
Bronze – Olivia Lichti, McMaster Marauders
65kg
Gold – Ella Doornaert, Western Mustangs
Silver – Samantha Adams, Brock Badgers
Bronze – Aylah Mayali, Toronto Varsity Blues
68kg
Gold – Jessica Tillmanns, Brock Badgers
Silver – Natalie Vecchio, McMaster Marauders
Bronze – Myla Lawson, Lakehead Thunderwolves
72kg
Gold – Vanessa Keefe, Brock Badgers
Silver – Tehani Blais, McMaster Marauders
Bronze – Alecsandra Vlad, Carleton Ravens
76kg
Gold - Cassie Corbett, Brock Badgers
Silver – Mary Adarkwa, Guelph Gryphons
Bronze – Saskia Ramaischrand, McMaster Marauders
83kg
Gold – Brianna Fraser, Brock Badgers
Silver – Logan Stimson, Guelph Gryphons
Bronze – Lilah Fraser, Algoma Thunderbirds
OUA Men's Medalists
57kg
Gold – Treye Trotman, Western Mustangs
Silver – Tristan Cako, Guelph Gryphons
Bronze – Gabriele Sementilli, Brock Badgers
61kg
Gold – Garette Saunders, Brock Badgers
Silver – Francesco Fortino, Toronto Varsity Blues
Bronze – Blayne Helou, McMaster Marauders
65kg
Gold – Nicolae Gandrabura, Brock Badgers
Silver – Dechlan Papadopoulos, TMU Bold
Bronze – Gavin Eldridge, Western mustangs
68kg
Gold – Gregor McNeil, McMaster Marauders
Silver – Gabriel Blanchette, Brock Badgers
Bronze – Zachary Ortencio, Western Mustangs
72kg
Gold – Bobby Narwal, Brock Badgers
Silver – Brennan Laplante-Brady, Guelph Gryphons
Bronze – Anthony Nighbor, Algoma Thunderbirds
76kg
Gold – Max Budgey, Brock Badgers
Silver – Mateo Anisi, Lakehead Thunderwolves
Bronze – Caius Hargbridge, Guelph Gryphons
82kg
Gold – Lukas Geske, Western Mustangs
Silver – Jordan Wylie, Brock Badgers
Bronze – Irman Kang, McMaster Marauders
90kg
Gold – Kyle Price, Algoma Thunderbirds
Silver – Howard Moffat, McMaster Marauders
Bronze – Yazden Farokhizad, Brock Badgers
100kg
Gold – Callum Knox, Brock Badgers
Silver – John Campbell, Lakehead Thunderwolves
Bronze – Peter Shirley, McMaster Marauders
125kg
Gold – Roger Li, Brock Badgers
Silver – Karanveer Mahil, McMaster Marauders
Bronze – Ravkeerut Chahal, York Lions
