Port Alberni’s high school wrestling team kicked off a new season last weekend with a big win.
The Alberni District Secondary School (ADSS) wrestling team won the Island Novice Wrestling Championships in Nanaimo on Saturday, Dec. 2 by finishing with 100 team points. Second place Ucluelet Secondary School had 54 points and Queen Margaret’s School finished third with 50 points.
This tournament marked the official start of the competitive wrestling season.
The individual placings for ADSS wrestlers are as follows:
First Place
· Jr Female 67kg Abigail Sylvester
· Jr Male 41kg Kellen Hiltz
· Jr Male 49kg David Chandler
· Jr Male 58kg Seth Romeril
Second Place
· Jr Male 41kg Evan Jimenez
· Jr Male 58kg Griffin Messenger
· Sr Female 56kg Janna Hiltz
· Sr Male 60kg Syris Kienas
Third Place
· Jr Female 52kg Holly Coatta
· Jr Female 52kg Kamryn Mallon
· Jr Male 49kg Alex Chen
· Jr Male 56kg Jackson Price
Fourth Place
· Jr Female 52kg Paige George
· Sr Male 64kg Sam Spartak
· Sr Male 82kg Nathan Zvonor
The novice tournament is intended for athletes who are relatively new to the sport and there are restrictions as to who can compete. As a result, a number of the more senior Alberni wrestlers participated in the tournament as referees and a few took the weekend off to rest.
Wrestling coach Maureen Miller said it was a great opportunity to have some of the team’s less experienced wrestlers get into competition. “They wrestled tough, and we are excited to see them progress over the course of the season,” she said.
Wrestlers will be right back on the mats training this week in preparation for the Queen Margaret’s School’s Christmas Classic in Duncan on Dec. 9. Alberni will be sending their full roster of wrestlers.