Golden Bears take down the Badgers
Yazdan Farokhizad was the only Brock men’s wrestler to win gold at the U SPORTS championships.
All good things must come to an end.
For the Brock men’s wrestling team, it was their streak of nine straight U SPORTS team titles that came to a crashing halt Saturday at Canada Games Park at the hands of the University of Alberta.
Alberta finished with 68 points followed by Brock with 63.
“Congrats to U of A. They wrestled really well and I am happy for their coach. Their team really brought it today and their athletes were ready to wrestle,” Brock head coach Marty Calder said.
“It was a good, old-fashioned ass kicking”
He had a hard time determining exactly what went wrong on a day when the Brock men lost five of six finals they contested.
“The kids had a hard time dealing with the pressure today and once things got going downhill, they had a hard time digging in their heels.”
None of the other teams were shedding tears for a Brock program that has won 23 national crowns.
“The truth is we win a lot and we made a lot of people in this gym happy today. It wasn’t our intention but I am going to be a humble loser and that is what I am going to tell my team,” Calder said. “What I will say is how is this going to affect us. Will it defeat us? We’ve won too much and we lost by a couple of points. It wasn’t our best day but do we come back firing?”
The only Brock male to win gold Saturday was Yazdan Farokhizad at 90 kilograms after he experienced last year what the rest of his team went through Saturday.
“He struggled mentally but this year he has made that jump,” Calder said. “Anyone who thinks the mental part can’t be taught, that is bunch of malarkey. These kids are young and inexperienced and they got beat by a good team today.”
Calder wasn’t worried about Farokhizad Saturday.
“I knew he would be solid. He is ready go all the time and he consistent. He can really wrestle well and he can be an Olympian.”
As a permanent resident of Canada, Farokhizad is eligible to compere at senior nationals for the first time.
“I don’t know who is going to be there but he can wrestle anybody in the country. He is a still a young kid and he has a lot to learn but he’s going to be a force to be reckoned with,” Calder said.
When he was 19, Farokhizad came to Canada from Iran with his parents and sister in October 2022. In Iran, he won three national titles at the cadet and junior level as well as a junior national high school championship.
Farokhizad won a U SPORTS silver medal last year.
“Unfortunately I was doing my best but it didn’t go well. I am happy that I came back after one year of working hard. I started the day after U SPORTS. We had March Break last year but I didn’t take a break and I am so glad about myself. But as a team, I am really upset about that. I wish that we could do better but we are excited to come back to the mats again and do our best for next year.”
He credited a number of things that helped him win U SPORTS gold.
“My coaches and my teammates were always pushing me and supporting me and it’s a great wrestling room, great environment and great supporting school that we have. All of them helped me to do my best and my family supported me,” he said. “For myself, I tried to increase my confidence and all those factors helped me be by best today.”
He is looking ahead to what’s next.
“This is not finished yet. I am coming back for seniors in May and I am looking forward to competing at that as well.”
He is hoping to get his Canadian citizenship soon.
“After I get my passport, I will be able to represent Canada which is my goal. I want to do my best for Canada and represent the flag on a big stage.”
He loves Canada.
“It is amazing and I am so happy that I am here. I am trying to get better day by day.”
BROCK MEN’S RESULTS FROM FINALS
57 kilograms: Zakir Ibrahimkheil lost by technical superiority to Western’s Treye Trotman.
61 kilograms: Garette Saunders lost by technical superiority to Alberta’s Alec Montoya.
76 kilograms: Cole Coghill lost by technical superiority to Calgary’s Nick Hooper.
90 kilograms: Yazdan Farokhizad defeated Alberta’s Thomas Rousseau by technical superiority
100 kilograms: Callum Knox was pinned by Alberta’s Taran Goring.
125 kilograms: Roger Li was pinned by Western’s Mark Summers.
Other Brock men’s results included: Gabe Blanchette who won the bronze medal at 68 kilograms by defeating McMaster’s Gianluca Fortino; Max Budgey who lost the 82-kilogram bronze medal match to Western’s Lukas Geske; and, Mason Mastroianni who was seventh at 65 kilograms.
