At the halfway point in the Algoma Thunderbird Wrestling Team’s competitive season, they have been recognized by U Sports for their hard work and athletic achievements. Five Thunderbird Wrestlers have made the U Sports Top Ten and the Men’s Team is ranked 7th which is the highest placing Algoma has attained since 2013/ 14.
Algoma Wrestlers who are currently ranked are Bryce Davis (1st 72 kg Men’s), Brody Collison (3rd 54 kg Men’s), Kyle Price (4th 90 kg Men’s), Emily Duchesne (4th 51 kg Women’s) and Stephen Kreyenbuhl (5th 120 kg Men’s).
Below are comments from each wrestler on their recent accomplishment:
Bryce Davis: “This new ranking of being first in the nation has me motivated to stay atop of my competition. I am honoured to receive this great recognition as we enter this mid-season break during the holidays. I am humbled by the outpouring support from my friends, family and the Algoma University community as I continue to strive for greatness on and off the mat. This ranking is a testament to the hard work my teammates and I have been putting in daily, in addition to the coaching that has augmented all of our successes.”
Brody Collison: ” I think that being ranked is a real honour as it shows the time and effort I’ve put into the sport. I also think the ranking shows I have more work to do in order to be in the top spot. The ranking shows where I stand in the pack, and motivates me to do better. I’ve learned over the years that good isn’t good enough anymore. Holding the third-place ranking is good and all but It’s not first place, so I have more work to do.”
Kyle Price: “This week’s U Sports ranking was very encouraging for our wrestling program and it goes to show that hard work does pay off. I’m very excited to start our video training and working on refining our performances in order to keep moving up in the rankings leading into the 2020 U Sports Championships.”
Emily Duchesne: “To begin this season with a strong ranking in the top six is a nice confidence boost for me. As a first-year, I consider this an accomplishment. It is nice to see the hard work that I and my team have put in to get acknowledged nationally. I hope to keep consistent at the top and grow and work towards a spot at the U Sports Championship. I am very thankful for the opportunity and the support that Algoma University has given us to participate at a high level in the sport we love.”
Stephen Kreyenbuhl: “It feels good to see the work we’ve put in pay off. It takes a lot to get to the point where we are at as a team – so seeing it come together my last year is a great feeling. With room to improve over the holidays, there’s so much more for our team to accomplish by the time OUA Championships roll around as we keep putting in the work.”
Head Coach of Thunderbird Wrestling Trevor Manchester says: ” The U Sports rankings help us to reaffirm with our athletes that what we are doing is working. They have made a lot of progress technically but the most improvement has been seen with their own mat intelligence. Often, making smart decisions in the heat of the moment is a tough skill to develop. The team has also been working extremely hard to increase physical fitness, with the focus on maintaining explosiveness in the later minutes of a match.”
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