A six-medal performance propelled the Brock Badgers women's wrestling team to a podium finish.
At the 2026 Wrestling Canada Lutte U SPORTS Invitational Championships taking place from Friday, Feb. 27 to Saturday, Feb. 28 at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ont., Brock placed third with 68 points.
"While we fell just short of our goal of repeating as national champions at the U SPORTS Championships, we couldn't be prouder of how our women battled to a third-place finish," said women's head coach Dave Collie. "We had to shuffle weight classes to put our strongest possible lineup on the mat and that meant some athletes set aside individual goals for the good of the team — a true testament to their character and commitment to one another."
It was a close three-team race as the Badgers finished five points away from the Calgary Dinos and six back of the gold medallists Alberta Pandas.
"Even without one of our captains and conceding a weight class, we put ourselves in position heading into the finals with a chance to defend our title," Collie said. "Congratulations to the University of Alberta on an outstanding performance. We look forward to the opportunity to battle it out with them and the rest of the country again next year."
After back-to-back U SPORTS silver-medal finishes, Cassie Corbett captured a gold medal in the 72-kilogram division. She won her finals bout in under two minutes, defeating Aaliyah Hartfelder of the Alberta Pandas by fall.
Vanessa Keefe followed a similar path, finishing at the top of the podium after two consecutive silver-medal showings. Keefe did not surrender a single point, capping off a strong performance with a 10-0 technical fall victory over Maria Sawiak of the Alberta Pandas in the final.
"Both delivered truly special performances in winning their first U SPORTS national titles," Collie said. "Both athletes have put in years of disciplined, consistent work, and to see that commitment culminate on the biggest university stage is incredibly rewarding. These championships are a reflection not only of their talent but of their resilience and belief in the process."
Making her return to the national stage, Mia Friesen (62kg) earned silver after a close 5-2 decision with Calgary's Annika Fines in the championship match.
Francesca Lo Greco repeated as the silver medallist in the 53kg event, while Olivia Mathezer also matched her 2025 result with a bronze in the 56kg division after a victory by fall at 5:41 over Becca Gutteridge of the Algoma Thunderbirds.
In her national debut, Emma Chartres (50kg) won four of her matches by either fall or technical fall, before dropping the gold medal match to Alberta's Victoria Stefanov.
WOMEN'S MAJOR AWARD WINNERS AT THE 2026 WRESTLING CANADA LUTTE U SPORTS INVITATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Outstanding Wrestler of the Year – Annika Fines (Calgary)
Rookie of the Year – Victoria Stefanov (Alberta)
Coach of the Year – Owen Dawkins (Alberta)
Community Service Award – Iman Zebian (Western)
R.W. Pugh Fair Play Award – Haley Florell (Lakehead)
WOMEN'S TEAM STANDINGS AT THE 2026 WRESTLING CANADA LUTTE U SPORTS INVITATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
1. Alberta, 74
2. Calgary, 73
3. Brock, 68
4. McMaster, 50
5. Saskatchewan, 41
6. Western, 39
7. Guelph, 29
8. Lakehead, 23
9. Algoma, 20
10. Lethbridge, 15
11. Concordia, 14
12. Carleton, 10
13. Queen's, 9
14. Toronto, 6
15. UNB, 5
WOMEN'S MEDALLISTS AT THE 2026 WRESTLING CANADA LUTTE U SPORTS INVITATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
50kg
Gold – Victoria Stefanov (Alberta)
Silver – Emma Chartres (Brock)
Bronze – Cyenna Trotman (Western)
53kg
Gold – Serena Di Benedetto (McMaster)
Silver – Maya Johnston (Calgary)
Bronze – Sierra Mullin (Saskatchewan)
56kg
Gold – Gabriela Cross (Calgary)
Silver – Francesca Lo Greco (Brock)
Bronze – Natasha Ekundayo (Alberta)
59kg
Gold – Macy Malysiak (McMaster)
Silver – Elizabeth Latulippe (Calgary)
Bronze – Olivia Mathezer (Brock)
62kg
Gold – Annika Fines (Calgary)
Silver – Mia Friesen (Brock)
Bronze – Olivia Lichti (McMaster)
65kg
Gold – Jonelle Clarke (Western)
Silver – Mackenzie Cayer (Calgary)
Bronze – Jolie Brisco (Concordia)
68kg
Gold – Vanessa Keefe (Brock)
Silver – Maria Sawiak (Alberta)
Bronze – Angelina Ellis-Toddington (Calgary)
72kg
Gold – Cassie Corbett (Brock)
Silver – Aaliyah Hartfelder (Alberta)
Bronze – Clara Smithanik (Calgary)
76kg
Gold – Natalie Vecchio (McMaster)
Silver – Haley Florell (Lakehead)
Bronze – Jennifer Nwamadi (Western)
83kg
Gold – Vianne Rouleau (Alberta)
Silver – Myah Phillips (Saskatchewan)
Bronze – Alexia Sherland (Concordia)
