It was a historic day for the Brock Badgers women's wrestling team.
The reign of dominance continued for the Badgers as they captured their 11th consecutive and 24th overall Ontario University Athletics (OUA) title at the 2026 OUA Wrestling Championships on Saturday, Feb. 7 in London, Ont.
"It was a great day for our athletes and the program," said head coach Marty Calder. "As a team, we wrestled fearlessly which is a great indication that we will be working towards a season's best at Lakehead in three weeks for the national championships."
Totalling 78 points, Brock finished 22 points ahead of both the McMaster Marauders and Western Mustangs. The Badgers controlled the standings with eight medals (six gold, one silver, one bronze), reaching the podium in all but one event they entered.
Combined with the men's team's victory, the Badgers swept the provincial banners for an impressive 10th consecutive year.
Vanessa Keefe delivered an unblemished day to capture her fourth OUA gold medal in her career. The native of Oyster Bed, P.E.I. defeated Emmanuela Okeke of the host Western Mustangs by 10-0 technical fall in the 68-kilogram division.
After not competing at this tournament last season, Mia Friesen, the 2024 OUA Female Outstanding Wrestler, returned in style with a 14-3 technical fall victory over Olivia Lichti (McMaster Marauders) in the 62kg event.
Finishing second and third, respectively, in 2025, Francesca Lo Greco (56kg) and Cassie Corbett (72kg) both rebounded with their second career OUA gold medals. Lo Greco defeated Ava Hunyady (Guelph Gryphons) by fall at 4:28, while Corbett was victorious over the Mustangs' Myah Kyle by technical fall 13-2.
Four Badgers earned OUA medals in their first appearance at the big provincial competition, offering a glimpse of a bright future.
Emma Chartres defeated all challengers in the 50kg weight class, which was punctuated by a 17-6 technical fall victory over Western's Cyenna Trotman. For her efforts, she was recognized with the OUA Women's Rookie of the Year award. In the 83kg event, Claudia Landry bested Lilah Fraser of the Algoma Thunderbirds by fall at 5:21 to claim a gold medal.
Rounding out the medal results were Aleena Dhanji, who placed second in the 65kg event as she fell by technical fall 10-0 to Western's Jonelle Clarke, while in the 53kg competition, Laurence Lescadre earned a bronze with a win by fall at 2:31 over Victoria Velazquez of the Queen's Gaels.
Women's head coach Dave Collie earned the OUA Women's Coach of the Year award for the fourth time in his career.
Up next, the Badgers look ahead to the 2026 Wrestling Canada Lutte U SPORTS Invitational Championships taking place in Thunder Bay, Ont., from Feb. 27-28.
MAJOR AWARD WINNERS
Most Outstanding Women's Wrestler - Jonelle Clarke (Western)
Women's Rookie of the Year - Emma Chartres (Brock)
Women's Coach of the Year - Dave Collie (Brock)
Women's Community Service Award - Iman Zebian (Western)
WOMEN'S TEAM STANDINGS AT THE 2026 OUA CHAMPIONSHIPS
1 Brock, 78
2 McMaster, 56
3 Western, 56
4 Guelph, 45
5 Lakehead, 34
6 Queen's 29
7 Algoma 27
8 Toronto, 18
9 Carleton, 11
10 TMU, 6
11 York, 2
WOMEN'S MEDALLISTS AT THE 2026 OUA CHAMPIONSHIPS
50kg
Gold - Emma Chartres (Brock)
Silver - Cyenna Trotman (Western)
Bronze - Rebecca Vann (Algoma)
53kg
Gold - Serena Di Benedetto (McMaster)
Silver - Brooklyn Glasgow (Guelph)
Bronze - Laurence Lescadre (Brock)
56kg
Gold - Francesca Lo Greco (Brock)
Silver - Ava Hunyady (Guelph)
Bronze - Senuki Dasanayaka (Toronto)
59kg
Gold - Macy Malysiak (McMaster)
Silver - Becca Gutteridge (Algoma)
Bronze - Kaleigh Bruce (Guelph)
62kg
Gold - Mia Friesen (Brock)
Silver - Olivia Lichti (McMaster)
Bronze - Maya Salman (Toronto)
65kg
Gold - Jonelle Clarke (Western)
Silver - Aleena Dhanji (Brock)
Bronze - Ayla Thurston (Lakehead)
68kg
Gold - Vanessa Keefe (Brock)
Silver - Emmanuela Okeke (Western)
Bronze - Enija Plavina (Queen's)
72kg
Gold - Cassie Corbett (Brock)
Silver - Myah Kyle (Western)
Bronze - Tehani Blais (McMaster)
76kg
Gold - Natalie Vecchio (McMaster)
Silver - Haley Florell (Lakehead)
Bronze - Jennifer Nwamadi (Western)
83kg
Gold - Claudia Landry (Brock)
Silver - Lilah Fraser (Algoma)
Bronze - Mariah Mixon (Guelph)
