Smith College

Feb. 14, 2011 - Regina Leader-Post
By Ian Hamilton

It pained Leo McGee to have to endure a Canada West title drought.

“It’s like having glass in your eyes,” McGee, the head coach of the University of Regina Cougars wrestling teams, said late Saturday. “For every coach in every sport, it’s the same. That desire (to win) is always there.”

McGee’s agony ended Saturday in Saskatoon, where the Cougars men’s wrestling team won the conference title for the first time since 2002. It’s the ninth Canada West crown for the Cougars, who also won the 1989 title and six straight from ’94 through ’99.

In Saskatoon, Regina won dual meets against all three of its opponents – the Alberta Golden Bears (39-7) and Calgary Dinos (34-10) on Friday and the Saskatchewan Huskies (25-15) on Saturday. All 10 Cougars won a medal, with five earning gold, three winning silver and two claiming bronze.

Regina had 38 points, seven more than the Huskies. Calgary was third with 22 points, with Alberta fourth at 17.

“(Winning the conference title) definitely raises morale,” said Regina’s Steven Schneider, who won gold at 57 kilograms – his second Canada West title in as many seasons and, following the bronze he won in ’09, his third medal in three years with the Cougars.

“In 2002, I was still in elementary school, so to see the team championship come back to the school after that length of time is a huge thing.”

McGee said the Cougars had “really nice balance” from top to bottom of the lineup in Saskatoon. He noted the team benefited from the experience and skills the wrestlers picked up during exhibition matches against United States schools, as well as from the veteran makeup of the Cougars’ roster.

“We had five returning All-Canadians on this team,” said McGee, who was named the Canada West men’s coach of the year. “With that type of a roster, you have to be strong.”

Schneider went 3-0 in his weight class to win gold. Gilbert Musonza (2-0 and a forfeit at 54 kg), Kirk Ackerman (3-0 at 61kg), Cory Horsburgh (2-0 and a forfeit at 65kg), and Connor Malloy (3-0 at 76kg) also had spotless records.

John Lendvoy (82kg), Benji Martin (90kg) and Jimmy Levesque (130kg) all went 2-1 to finish second in their weight classes. Mark Ballon (68kg) and Gaelan Malloy (72kg) each posted 1-2 records to win bronze medals.

By virtue of their top-three finishes, all 10 of the Cougars qualified for the CIS championships, Feb. 25-26 in Thunder Bay, Ont. That’s good news for Schneider, who has been itching to get back to nationals.

Wrestling at 54kg in the 2010 CIS meet, Schneider won the first round of the gold-medal match against Toronto’s Shujon Mazumder. However, Mazumder pinned Schneider in the second round to claim the gold.

“Without a doubt, I’m looking to redeem myself,” Schneider said. “I want to go out there and get what I had.

“I didn’t really go a day without thinking of that match for a solid eight months. It’s surprising how much something like that stays in your head.”