THUNDER BAY – The Lakehead Open tournament thrilled fans at the Thunderdome on Saturday morning, as wrestling fans enjoyed the hospitality that the Lakehead Varsity team offered both on and off the mat. Shane Comeau, head Coach of St. Ignatius and the Lakehead Wrestling Club, was glad to have this opportunity to give his athletes a head start on their season. “It was a good tournament to get some matches in and for the most part, I think our kids held their own. They’ve got realistic expectations coming into the Lakehead Open and they got some good experience today,” Comeau remarked following the final match. Comeau’s star wrestler, Tyler Menei (who is currently the national champ in his division), finished second to LU’s Dustin Helwig in the 68 kilo division.
Brock Curtis was pleased with how the day unfolded, “It’s a great way to start the season. Even though we did expect more OUA attendance, the local and regional athletes that did attend are top-notch wrestlers at the OFSAA level, and we got great mileage from our alumni today. I’d like to thank the volunteers and the spectators that made this tournament a success.”
Attending the tournament were:
High schools – St. Ignatius Falcons and Central Algoma Secondary (S.Ste.Marie);
Real Amateur Wrestling (RAW) Club (Brampton);
Lakehead Wrestling Club;
Lakehead Varsity; and
Lakehead Alumni.
Two of Lakehead’s current wrestlers, Dustin Helwig and Mike Ragotte, are products of the RAW Club in Brampton, coached by Chris Kelman who was in Jevon Balfour’s corner during the event.
The next time Lakehead hosts a wrestling tournament will be the CIS Wrestling Championships in February 2012.
Overall Results:
* Note* All athletes are Lakehead Varsity unless otherwise noted – Other teams are: Lakehead Alumni (Alum), Lakehead Wrestling Club (LWC), Central Algoma Secondary School (CASS), Real Amateur Wrestling (RAW) and Independent (IND).
MEN
130 kg
1. Preston Mikulasik
2. Jordan Huezo
3. Henry T’o
4. Gary Huldey
5. Arjun Samani
90 kg
1. Trevor Manchester (Alum)
2. Derek Begley
3. Nikkilas Wilson
4. Luke Morley
82 kg
1. Jamie Funk
2. Matt Lawrence (Alum)
3. Ajit Mundy
4. James Kinghorn
76 kg
1. Corey Stefanizzi (Alum)
2. Jevon Balfour (RAW)
3. A.J. Faykes (LWC)
4. Mike Ragotte
72 kg
1. Mike Caprarella
2. Gary Lynch
3. Jackson Taylor
4. Robert Dunham
68 kg
1. Dustin Helwig
2. Tyler Menei (LWC)
3. Ronnie St. Aubin (IND)
WOMEN
82 kg
1. Karleah Bonk
2. Kelsey Dayler
3. Kate Beaulieu
4. Jenny Pranger
5. Amanda Kowalik
63 kg
1. Jes Smith
2. Kira White (LWC)
3. Emma Horner (CASS)
4. Bre Beh
5. Alexi Kreps
59 kg
1. Nichole Kinzel (CASS)
2. Megan Smith
3. Eliza Scheuermann (CASS)
4. Coralie Delome (LWC)