Multiple medals for Cowichan wrestlers at Western Canada championships

Cowichan Valley Wrestling Club U15 and U17 athletes had a strong showing at the Western Canada Age Class Championships Jan. 24 to 25 at the Olympic Oval in Richmond.

The two-day meet drew top competitors from across Western Canada in the U15, U17 Cadet, U20 and U23 divisions, providing the toughest test yet this season for the teen athletes.

Cowichan wrestlers rose to the occasion with multiple podium finishes against their elite competition.

“It was an exciting and challenging tournament and we had some great results considering the very tough competitors,” said coach Nick Zuback.

In the U15 division, Finn MacMillan led the way with a gold-medal performance. Skylar Bilot and Kate Grobblear each earned silver medals in their respective weight classes, while Athena Scott added a bronze.

The success continued in the U17 Cadet division, where Brayden Zuback and Ben Cote both wrestled to silver medals.

Elyssa Olson, Lyla Boylan, and Zoe Bradsma all finished with bronze.

Lydia Martinez placed fourth, narrowly missing the podium, while James Elliott rounded out the Cadet results with a fifth-place finish.

In Vancouver on the same weekend, Cowichan wrestler Ella Smith competed at the Seaforth Cup at the Seaforth Armoury.

Facing older and more experienced opponents, Smith finished fifth after a series of hard-fought matches.

Cowichan Valley Wrestling Club athletes participated in the Alberni Invitational in Port Alberni Jan. 30 to 31 but the results were not available by deadline.

Next up for the club are the Island Championships in Nanaimo.

The Island Championships will serve as a qualifier for the Provincial High School Wrestling Championships, scheduled for Feb. 19 to 21 in Vancouver.