Singular sensations
Brock Wrestling Club member Diana Weicker, shown in this file shot, won a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games and a bronze at the world championships.
There were countless individual sporting performances in 2018 worthy of recognition and BPSN did its best to detail these amazing accomplishments.
Below is a list of some of the more memorable performances we wrote about this past year,
NO ORDINARY MOM
Diana Weicker is one person wishing 2018 would never end.
The 29-year-old mother of two won a gold medal in wrestling at the Commonwealth Games in Australia in April and then, in late October, added a bronze medal in the 53-kilogram division at the senior world wrestling championships in Budapest, Hungary.
“So far, it has been my favourite year,” the Thorold resident said. “This year had been huge not in the placing, but in the performance”
The mother of two young children made a quantum leap from being 12th at the senior worlds in a non-Olympic weight class (55 kilograms) in 2017 to a bronze medal in an Olympic weight class in 2018.
“I made huge leaps and bounds this year,” she said.
At the world championships, the woman she beat in the bronze-medal match, Kazakstan’s Zhuldyz Eshimova, was a multiple medalist at previous world championship. The opponent she beat in her first match, Romania’s Estera Tamaduiana, was fifth at the 2017 worlds.
Nothing was more exciting than when her arm was lifted to signify her victory over Eshimova in the bronze-medal match.
“I was trying really hard not to focus on the fact that I was in a medal match and just focusing on wrestling smart,” Weicker said.
Looming ahead for Weicker and her Brock teammates are the Olympic trials which will be held in December 2019 in Niagara.
“I have been motivated for years and it just builds on itself,” she said. “The trials being a year away sounds really long to everyone, but anyone who is looking at competing at it thinks it’s tomorrow and feels like it is not enough time.
COURTING SUCCESS
St. Catharines coxie Laura Court is quickly making up for lost time.
The 21-year-old St. Catharines resident along with fellow St. Catharines athlete Morgan Rosts were members of the Canadian women’s eight that captured a gold medal at the under-23 world championships in Poland.
Court, a Ridley College graduate, didn’t win a 2,000-metre race until last year’s gold at the under-23 world championships.
“The last time they weren’t very many expectations,” Court said. “We knew that we were fast, but it was just how fast we actually were.”
Court described this year’s triumph as much more emotional.
“It was always at the back of our minds that we had to carry on what we did last year,” she said. “It was a little bit scary, but once we had crossed the finish line, everyone was pretty emotional.”
She attributed that emotion to the switching of the boat’s personnel prior to the world championships. The final lineup wasn’t set until one day before the boat started racing.
“It was emotional that we’re able to pull it off again and it wasn’t just luck this time,” she said.
At last year’s worlds, some people felt that the only reason the Canadian boat had captured gold was because the American crew had experienced an equipment malfunction.
“This year, we crossed the line and it was fair and square and we were able to beat them without anything going wrong on their end,” she said. “It was a really cool feeling to have that happen”
LAPPING THE FIELD
It was an amazing year for Sir Winston Churchill runner Eric Campbell.
He started his track and field season by setting records in the midget boys 800 metres and 1,500 metres at the Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association championships and then going on to win silver medals in those two events at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations championships. Campbell followed that up by winning the midget (under-16) boys 800 and 1,200 metres at the Royal Canadian Legion Outdoor Provincial Championships.
Competing at the Royal Canadian Legion Youth Track and Field Championships in Brandon, Man., the 15-year-old St. Catharines resident won gold in the under-16 800 metres and medley relay, silver in the under-18 4X400-metre relay and a bronze medal in the 1,200 metres. The Niagara Olympic Club member was only supposed to compete in two events, but ended up filling in for an injured athlete in the relay events. For his efforts, Campbell was named Ontario’s male athlete of the national championships.
“I think I did what I had to do,” said the modest Campbell, who left it up to his NOC coaches to mention his male athlete award. “That meet was at the end of the season and I wasn’t expecting to make any personal bests or wow the crowd and do amazing.”
The Grade 10 student then capped his year by winning a gold medal in the junior boys division at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Association cross country
The OFSAA win was a dream come true for the talented teen.
“Even now, I’m thinking back and I can’t believe that it actually happened,” Campbell said. “I’m still kind of hyped about it and words can’t describe how I feel right now.”
The Niagara Olympic Club member won the gold medal by a slim margin of 1.9 seconds.
GOLD MINING IN BRAZIL
Indira Moores mined gold in Brazil.
Competing at the 2018 World University Wrestling Championships in Brazil, the Brock Wrestling Club member won a gold medal in the 68-kilogram division.
“I was kind of excited because a lot of my teammates got to go too,” the Whitefish, Ont., native said. “There were five other Brock wrestlers who went so I was happy and proud to be a part of that.”
Moores, who last represented Canada at the Pan Am Wrestling Championships in Chile in 2015 where she won a bronze medal in the 60-kilogram division, didn’t go to Brazil with the highest of expectations.
“I had a bit of a rough last couple months of my season,” she said. “I didn’t really perform well at nationals and I had a persistent injury. I was feeling low.”
The trip to Brazil came at the perfect time.
“I was just coming back into training twice a day and remembering that I liked wrestling again and working towards goals,” the phys-ed graduate said. “When I found out that I was going, I was thinking that I wanted to keep it going and remind myself to be thankful and enjoy it.”
A SPECTACULAR LEAP
A rollercoaster season ended on a high for DeAndre Fournier when he won a gold medal in triple jump at the Royal Canadian Legion Youth Track and Field Championships in Brandon, Man.
The lowest ebb for the 17-year-old Thorold resident came when he triple faulted in the senior boys triple jump at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations’ South Regionals and failed to advance to the OFSAA championships for the first time in his career at Thorold Secondary School.
All that became a distant and not that important of a memory when the Thorold Elite Track Club member recorded a 14.37-metre leap in the triple jump to capture gold at the Royal Canadian Legion Youth Track and Field Championships in Brandon, Man.
“I was expecting to do pretty well, but I wasn’t expecting to place No. 1 and jump as big of a jump as I did,” the Grade 12 student said. “That all came as a complete shock to me and I was speechless the whole time.
“It was insane.”
Having the gold medal placed around his neck is a moment he will never forget.
“I remember when I walking out to the podium, my stomach instantly turned into a knot and I couldn’t believe it was happening,” he said. “I was looking around at everyone and it was crazy. I was speechless and it was like a dream come true.”
A YOUNG CHAMPION
Nolan Piazza headed to the Ontario junior boys golf championship at the Loyalist Golf and Country Club in Bath with the goal of making the 36-hole cut.
It was a lofty goal for the just-turned 15-year-old Niagara Falls resident, who was competing against players as old as 18, but the Grand Niagara member stunned everyone by winning the event.
He opened with rounds of 73 and 69 and sat in fourth place after two days of competition. At that point, he started to aim much higher. He was seven shots off the lead at the start of the third round, but the leader blew up and Nolan carded a third-round 69 to grab a one-shot advantage heading into the final round. The A.N. Myer student then fired a final-round 71 to win the event by four shots.
“After I pulled it (the final putt) out of the cup, just seeing everyone clapping was a lot of fun,” he said. “I don’t think all of it has sunk in yet, but I know what I have accomplished at such a young age and it feels really good right now”
His father, Mark Piazza, admitted he was way more nervous than his son.
“He was calm, cool and collected,” Mark said. “He put that club in his hand and he knew exactly what to do with it, but my heart was in my throat all day as I walked from hole to hole.”
TRINITY BREAKS RECORDS
Eastdale’s Trinity Tutti rewrote the record book at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations track and field championships held at York Lions Stadium and the Toronto Track and Field Centre.
Tutti won the senior women’s shot put Saturday with a throw of 15.24 metres. The toss broke the old record of She also earned a gold in the senior women’s discus with a throw of 52.77 metres, easily outdistancing the second-place finisher by more 12 metres and setting another record in the process. The old mark wast 50.48 set last year by Grace Tennant of the former South Lincoln Secondary School.
ON GOLDEN POND
Two Niagara rowers went solo to win gold medals at the Canadian Secondary Schools Rowing Association championships in St. Catharines.
Grimsby’s Hailey Mercuri topped the senior women’s 63-kilogram single and E.L. Crossley’s Alex Jastremski placed first in the senior men’s single.
Mercuri made a loud arrival at the finish line.
“I was tired, but I was yelling and screaming out loud just to keep myself going,” she said,
The noisy arrival was nothing new for the 17-year-old athlete, who won her second career Schoolboy gold.
“I don’t know why but I have always done that,” she said of her screaming. “Maybe it stops me from thinking about the pain in my legs or thinking about my lungs.”
Jastremski went from making the final in 2017 to being at the top of the podium in 2018.
It capped a fine season for the 18-year-old, which included teaming with Neil Kennedy to win gold at the Stotesbury Cup in the senior double.
“This is the first season I have really focused on the single,” he said. “The depth of our team worked out and it allowed me to be in the single and spread the guys out in other places.”
He has enjoyed the experience.
“It is very fun to train in and racing is more intense because it is all you,” he said.
Jastremski was also a member of the Crossley eight that won gold at Schoolboy.
MEMORIAL CUP CHAMPION
Joseph Murdaca will remember 2018 for being part of a Memorial Cup champion.
The Niagara Falls resident was the backup goaltender for the Acadie-Bathurst Titan, who knocked off the host Regina Pats 3-0 to win their first Memorial Cup in franchise history last week.
“It’s been pretty crazy,” Murdaca said. “I’m still recovering. I’m still living it.
He described the victory as one hell of a ride.
“I’ve been very fortunate to be with such a great group. We have a really close group of guys”
The former Niagara Falls Canucks backstop says he will never forget the experience.
“It’s awesome. Your name is going to be engraved as part of history, especially since it was the 100th Memorial Cup, so that’s even more special,” he said. “I think the best feeling is being part of history and having your name on that trophy”
Murdaca joined the Titan after spending last season with the Erie Otters who also made it to the Memorial Cup, but lost in the finals.
EXPECTATIONS EXCEEDED
With two gold medals, Jazmine Deveau blew away her expectations for the Eastern Canadian artistic gymnastics championships.
“I was hoping to place in the top 20 and I was trying to at least get on the podium for one of my events,” the Gymnastics Energy member said.
She placed first in the floor and vault, was fourth on the beam and placed an impressive fourth overall.
She started strongly at the Eastern Canadians and just kept on rolling.
“Our first event was the floor and I was really feeling the floor that day and I had very powerful tumbling,” she said.
From success came more success.
“After that happened, I was really excited about my score and excited to go on to my next event.”
The whole experience was eye opening for Jazmine.
“It’s not so much the gymnastics itself, but it’s taking the moment and realizing how amazing the experience is to be there and surrounding yourself with all the best in Eastern Canada.
“That is such a great moment to take in.”
SAM CAN
Two and a half years into her wrestling career, Samantha Adams won the national under-17 53-kilogram crown April 13-15 at the University of Alberta in Edmonton.
The Grade 11 student at Beamsville and District Secondary School won four matches to win the national title.
“There were quite a few close ones,” said Adams, who trains year round with Dave Mair at Discipline Wrestling.
Ahead 12-2 at the time, she ended up pinning her opponent in the final.
“I definitely couldn’t believe it at first,” the two-time zone and Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association champion said. “It didn’t really settle in until after my match had ended and I had walked off the platform where the finals were.
“Then I finally realized I had won and I was very proud of myself.”
Earlier, the Jordan resident won the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations championship at 54 kilograms and the Ontario cadet championship at 52 kilograms.
KING JAMES
One year after losing his first fight at the nationals and being eliminated, St. Catharines Amateur Boxing Club member James Hughes won gold in the 69-kilogram division at the Canadian youth boxing championships.
The St, Francis graduate won three fights to win the first Canadian title of his career.
“I was really confident going into the tournament,” he said. “You have to because if you think in the back of your mind you might lose to this guy, then it’s never good for your confidence.”
The experience he gained at the 2017 Canadian championships proved useful this time around.
“I knew what to expect, the atmosphere, the weigh-ins and how many people there were,” Hughes said. “You have to treat it like every other fight and every fight you learn something different that you can use.”
When his arm was raised to signify he was Canadian champion, Hughes was overjoyed.
“It was an outstanding feeling,” he said.”I was looking forward to it for a long time, but it was just another one of the goals I accomplished.”
