The Simon Fraser University women’s wrestling team sure know how to kick-off a new year.
The women Clan collected five of nine weight class titles at the Menlo Open in Calif. last week to begin 2016 on a strong note.
Darbie Huckle, Abby Lloyd, Dominque Parrish, Francesca Giorgio and Payten Smith each prevailed in their respective weight classes, as SFU took top spot among the five competing teams with 117 points, 37.5 points up on second-place Menlo College.
Port Moody’s Ciara McCrae, completed her 116-pound run with a 2-2 record, with both her wins coming by fall.
Giorgio, in the 143-pound class, and Huckle, rated No. 2 in Women’s Collegiate Wrestling Association (WCWA) in the 101-pound division, won two matches each.
Lloyd, No. 2 in 109-pounds, jumped up a weight class and won all four matches, including topping last year’s WCWA runner-up in 116-pound division.
Parrish also racked up four consecutive decisions, all by technical fall, to claim the 123-pound title.
In the 191-pound class, Smith beat five opponents by falls, needing less than two minutes on three occasions. Her longest match lasted 2:48 before ending in a win.
Freshman Kendall Reusing ended up second to Smith, while Jen Anderson, in 116-pound, and Mallory Velte, at 155-pounds, came in third.
St. Thomas More alumna and Burnaby native Nicole Depa posted a 4-1 record in the 130-pound division on behalf of the Burnaby Mountain Wrestling Club. She defeated fellow BMWC clubmate Aliocha Perriard by a 6-0 decision in the third-place contest.
-The Burnaby Now
