The York Lions wrestling team has competed in two tournaments so far this season, garnering several medals in the process. With the Concordia Open and McMaster Open behind them, they still have a season to look forward to, with several more tournaments lined up until February, when the Ontario University Athletics tournament is held.
“Our coaches are training us at a much higher intensity than last year,” says Ali Koca, who recently won the bronze medal in his weight class at the McMaster Open. “The school and our coaches have sky high expectations for us, and they are training us accordingly, physically and mentally.”
The Lions’ first tournament of the season was the Concordia Open in Montreal at the beginning of November. Two of York’s athletes won bronze medals in the competition, Alexandria Town in the women’s 55 kilogram weight class, and rookie Sebastian Galzote in the men’s 61 kilogram weight class. Two of their teammates, Gurnek Tak and Ali Koca, just missed the bronze medal in their weight classes and came in at fourth place. Ugur Yucel and Ihsan Atilan coming in at fifth place, while Maddy Delle-Donne finished at sixth place.
During the following weekend the Lions headed down to Hamilton to take part in the McMaster Open, where they swept up three more medals.
Town put on another strong performance, winning another bronze medal and improving her record to 8-2. “I’m wrestling up a weight class from last year (55 kilograms as opposed to 51 kilograms) and it presents many new challenges,” says Town.
“My opponents are much heavier, stronger, and more upper-body focused, which is forcing me to wrestle smarter. I’m constantly developing and adapting my style after every match in order to use my strengths against their weaknesses.”
Koca, who also won a bronze medal at the McMaster Open after losing to his own teammate and silver medal-winner Tyler Tate-Austen, is facing a similar challenge so far this season.
“This season has been more fierce because I have a lot more competitors to face at tournaments, much more than last year,” he says. However, he is not dismayed. “The season has only begun and we are wrestling at a very high level, so come January we will be ready to take on the best of the competition,” he explains.
Both Town and Koca emphasize the role of mental strength in their success. “Your mental preparation is just as important as your physical preparation, if not more important,” says Koca. “Some of our opponents are ranked internationally but we train ourselves to wrestle the person, not their rank.”
“I know that I have all the physical training necessary to perform well,” says Town, “so the rest is very much mentality. All I need to do is stay relaxed, read off my opponent, and focus on the plan.”
The Lions were scheduled to participate in the Western Open this past Saturday but did not attend, citing injuries and fatigue from back-to-back tournaments. They have several more tournaments ahead of them, however, including the York Open which they will host on November 28. “The Lions wrestling program is growing rapidly and this year, we are prepared to keep growing,” says Koca.
“We will go out there and wrestle at our best.”
Cynthia Lam, Contributor
