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Alberni wrestlers perform well at BC Age Class in Abbotsford

Armada wrestlers led by gold medals from Paige Maher, Miranda Barker
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Miranda Barker (in red) captured a gold medal at the BC Age class wrestling tournament. (SUBMITTED PHOTO)

The Armada Wrestling Team travelled to Abbotsford over the weekend to compete in the BC Age Class Wrestling Tournament.

The tournament is broken into different age categories and many of Port Alberni’s wrestlers came home with medals. It was the juvenile girls (grade 11-12) that led the team with two gold medal performances. Paige Maher and Miranda Barker showed determination and focus throughout the competition, capturing first place in their respective weight classes.

Seth Price in the juvenile boys division and Duncan Richardson in the cadet division (grade 9-10) were very competitive and captured silver medals in their respective weight classes. Alex Mckenzie in the school boy division (grade 7-8) and Mason Bodnar in the juvenile boy’s division both took home bronze medals.

Many other wrestlers had success during the tournament and placed to score team points for the Armada. Scott Coulthart and Grant Coulthart both placed fourth overall in their age class divisions, while Evan McLeod placed fifth and Bobby Mckenzie was sixth.

Armada coach Russ Bodnar commented afterward on the weekend’s results. “We were pleased to see the majority of our athletes have success,” he said. “This tournament is always one of the tougher tournaments during the season and it gives us a lot to work on at practice.”

Armada coach John McDonald was also pleased with what he saw. “Overall our kids performed well,” he said. “I noticed a few things we will need to work on before the Provincial Championships later in February. If we make these adjustments, we should be ready to peak and have our best performance when we need it.”

The next action for the Armada Wrestlers will be at the annual Alberni Invitational next weekend from Jan. 31 to Feb. 1. There will be close to 450 athletes and more than 30 schools in attendance.