One year after settling for silver, the Brock Badgers have reclaimed their place atop the national wrestling landscape.
Finishing with 86 points, 22 more than the second-place McMaster Marauders, Brock captured gold in commanding fashion at the 2026 Wrestling Canada Lutte U SPORTS Championships at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ont.
"It was an outstanding effort from our men's team this weekend resulting in a dominant win," said head coach Marty Calder. "The athletes continue to bring the best when it matters most, a tribute to their efforts in the preparation phase. We don't overlook the value of each championship and the work that it takes to get the desired result."
Over the two-day competition from Friday, Feb. 27 to Saturday, Feb. 28, Brock earned eight total medals, including three gold, four silver and one bronze.
For the second consecutive year, Yazdan Farokhizad won the 100-kilogram division. In 2026, he surrendered just two points over five matches and capped off his run with a 10-0 technical fall victory in just one minute and nine seconds over Thomas Rousseau of the Alberta Golden Bears in the final.
Two Badgers secured their first individual national gold medals.
Mason Mastroianni, a fourth-year athlete, bested Donovan Neudorf of the Saskatchewan Huskies by technical fall 14-0 in the 65kg final to earn his first career national medal.
Making an impressive debut, first-year standout Javier Tonita-Charriez won a close championship bout against Brandon Carrillo of the Algoma Thunderbirds by 9-8 decision in the 57kg weight class.
Callum Knox (100 kg) and Roger Li (125 kg) each repeated as silver medallists, marking the third and fourth U SPORTS podium finishes of their careers, respectively.
Matching Li with four career U SPORTS podium finishes, Gabriel Blanchette improved on last year's bronze medal with a silver in the 68kg division.
Rounding out the medal results for Brock were first-year wrestlers Aiden O'Neill (61kg) and Austin Brabant (82kg). O'Neill placed second in his weight class, while Brabant won a gritty bronze medal match by decision 9-8 over Chase Birch of the host Lakehead Thunderwolves.
At the end of the competition, Calder was named national Men's Coach of the Year for the 14th time in his illustrious coaching career.
MEN'S MAJOR AWARD WINNERS AT THE 2026 WRESTLING CANADA LUTTE U SPORTS INVITATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Outstanding Wrestler of the Year - Lukas Geske (Western)
Rookie of the Year – Chanjot Kang (McMaster)
Coach of the Year – Marty Calder (Brock)
Community Service Award – Donovan Neudorf (Alberta)
R.W. Pugh Fair Play Award – Samuel Awonuga (York)
MEN'S TEAM STANDINGS AT THE 2026 WRESTLING CANADA LUTTE U SPORTS INVITATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
1. Brock, 86
2. McMaster, 64
3. Saskatchewan, 49
4. Alberta, 46
4. Western, 46
6. Guelph, 40
7. Calgary, 40
8. Toronto, 23
9. Algoma, 20
10. Lakehead, 18
11. York, 15
12. TMU, 8
12. UNB, 8
14. Lethbridge, 7
15. Concordia, 5
16. Carleton, 1
MEN'S MEDALLISTS AT THE 2026 WRESTLING CANADA LUTTE U SPORTS INVITATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
57kg
Gold – Javier Tonita-Charriez (Brock)
Silver – Brandon Carrillo (Algoma)
Bronze – Ben Reid (Alberta)
61kg
Gold – Blayne Helou (McMaster)
Silver – Aiden O'Neill (Brock)
Bronze – Yuel Kebrom (Saskatchewan)
65kg
Gold – Mason Mastroianni (Brock)
Silver – Donovan Neudorf (Saskatchewan)
Bronze – Gianluca Fortino (McMaster)
68kg
Gold – Casey Harkley (Guelph)
Silver – Gabriel Blanchette (Brock)
Bronze – Dechlan Papadopoulos (TMU)
72kg
Gold – Tyler Barry (Guelph)
Silver – Chayton Valleau (Western)
Bronze – Takis Sembaleras (Saskatchewan)
76kg
Gold – Luken Lawson (McMaster)
Silver – Josiah Mayers-Noel (Toronto)
Bronze – Eli Fines (Alberta)
82kg
Gold – Lukas Geske (Western)
Silver – Aidan Stevenson (Alberta)
Bronze – Austin Brabant (Brock)
90kg
Gold – Yazdan Farokhizad (Brock)
Silver – Thomas Rousseau (Alberta)
Bronze – Koen Poirier (UNB)
100kg
Gold – Omogbai Asekohme (McMaster)
Silver – Callum Knox (Brock)
Bronze – Matthew Yong (Saskatchewan)
125kg
Gold – Chanjot Kang (McMaster)
Silver – Roger Li (Brock)
Bronze – Bjorn Nelson (Alberta)
