KAROL KUDYBA
Sports Writer
Five wrestlers and four medals — that’s how you own a podium. Just ask Jill Gallays and the Huskies wrestling crew who recently put the competition in a chokehold at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport wrestling championships.
The Huskies captured two gold, a silver and a bronze at the national level CIS finale in Calgary over March 5 and 6.
This marks the end of the season for the wrasslin’ Huskies, in a year that saw the men’s and women’s teams finish fourth and sixth in the CIS respectively. Canada West championship two weekends ago that only saw five Huskies advance, the Green and White bounced back in a big way during the CIS championships.
The only woman to advance to the CIS championship was captain Jill Gallays. Gallays advanced to the CIS championships easily after she dominated conference championships and convincingly pinned all four of her opponents.
In the final wrestling competition of her impeccable university career, Gallays prevailed for one last time, achieving golden status for the Dogs yet again — and it came after beating Western Ontario’s Brianne Berry in the final. Gallays was in top form when it counted, winning both of her opening round matches on the first day.
Competing in the 55-kilogram weight class, Gallays has wrestled and beaten opponents all over the world, and demonstrated once more why she is an Olympic hopeful.
“Olympics is my No. 1 goal. Hopefully I get there, 2012 in London,” the ambitious Gallays told the StarPhoenix following her CIS gold medal.
Though the CIS season has drawn to a close, Gallays will now focus on the swiftly approaching women’s World Cup in China, a test that will truly determine if she is of Olympic calibre.
“I’m going to the World Cup in a few weeks in China, so that is kind of the first step to getting to the Olympics.”
Daniel Olver, wrestling in the 76-kilogram weight class, was the other gold medalist for the Huskies. The victory also marked Olver’s fourth straight title.
Landon Squires (90-kilogram) won the silver and heavyweight Tim Kent won the Huskies lone bronze. Kent and fellow Huskies wrestler Beth Thompson also won student-athlete awards for their involvement in the wrestling community.
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Ivan Tam
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