What a difference a weekend makes.
The Simon Fraser University women’s wrestling team was ranked No. 5 in the Women’s College Wrestling Association preseason rankings but after its first weekend it is performing more like No. 1.
The Clan swept undefeated through the Cliff Keen Duals in Oklahoma City Friday and Saturday, launching the season 8-0.
The Clan defeated No. 1 ranked Campbellsville (Ky.) and No. 3 Oklahoma City followed by a repeat victory over McKendree of Illinois, the sixth-ranked team in the preseason, to win the tournament.
Five Clan wrestlers went undefeated in the 24-team tournament: Darby Huckle at 101-pounds, Mallory Velte at 143-pounds, Abby Lloyd at 116-pounds, Francesca Giorgio at 136-pounds and Kendall Reusing at 191-pounds.
“Unfortunately in our first match at 155 lbs (St. Thomas More alumna) Monika Podgorski was winning 8-0 over Alexis Porter when she landed awkwardly and dislocated an elbow,” said Clan head coach Mike Jones.
“This made for a possible 11 or 12 point swing in team scores and I thought we had little chance of victory.
“But the team stepped up and our only loss in nine other weights was a forfeit at 109,” said Jones. “It was a great start to the season and although we are further ahead than I thought we were we still have considerable ground to cover.”
Three other Clan wrestlers, Dominique Parrish, Jen Anderson and Payten Smith, only lost once during the tournament, posting 7-1 records.
They had launched the tourney with a 37-10 victory over Wayland Blue and lost just nine matches over five duals on opening day.
Huckle won all six of her matches, while Velte was 5-0 for the first day.
In the preseason rankings, Huckle, Lloyd, Anderson and Smith were rated top-five in their respective weight classes.
SFU hosts the Clan International Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 at the SFU West Gym, with the finals scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on Sunday.
