McGee wants to win
Mar. 12, 2010 - Regina Leader-Post
By Ian Hamilton
Leo McGee is well aware that the University of Regina Cougars wrestling teams didn't produce any national champions during the 2009-10 season.
While the Cougars head coach said the lack of individual or team titles at the CIS championships didn't take away from the year the teams had, he did suggest it can't happen again.
"The name of the game," McGee said, "is to step it up."
Regina's men finished third in the race for the team title at nationals with 45 points, one fewer than the New Brunswick Varsity Reds and 18 back of the Simon Fraser Clan. Individually, though, the Cougars showed promise for the future.
Steven Schneider (54 kilograms), Gilbert Musonza (57kg), Kirk Ackerman (61kg) and Connor Malloy (76kg) all won silver medals at nationals and earned All-Canadian status for the U of R. Gaelan Malloy added a bronze at 68kg.
Throw in Kyle Bershatsky -- a 2009 CIS silver medallist at 65kg who's expected back next season after sitting out the '09-10 season for academic reasons -- and the Cougars may be able to move up the national standings.
"With those guys returning, we're going to have the foundation of a very, very strong program," McGee said. "That's six really solid, tough guys. The key is putting other guys on this team who can make a difference.
"If you have five All-Canadians on your team, it's easier to recruit because people have the perception that they're joining a winning team ... What we need is a heavyweight. If I have to go to Siberia to get one, that's what I'll do."
The Cougars are losing heavyweight Bjorn Person to graduation, as well as Jarret Coels and Brian Lunde. McGee expects rookies from this season like Jimmy Levesque and John Lendvoy to improve next season and for incoming rookies to contribute as well.
On the women's side, the Cougars finished fifth in the CIS team competition. Regina had 27 points, three fewer than the fourth-place Brock Badgers. Simon Fraser won the title with 56 points.
"When you look at the group we had, that was a solid performance," McGee said. "The thing is, we need to get more than five athletes through to the national championships when you have eight weight classes."
Hajar Ashtiani (third, 48kg), Jasmine Slinn (third, 51kg), Meghan King (second, 59kg), Jillian Durant (seventh, 63kg) and Lisa McKibben (fourth, 67kg) represented the U of R at the CIS meet.
With a 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 point-scoring system at nationals, having more qualifiers could have helped the Cougars move up the standings. First-place finishes definitely would have helped as well.
"I felt very comfortable going in," McGee said. "But if you're going to win a (team) championship, you have to have gold medals. Gold medals are not necessarily made of metal and ribbons, either. They're made of determination and hard work."
Ashtiani and King have exhausted their CIS eligibility, so McGee is looking for big things from returnees like Slinn, McKibben and Durant. Some of this season's rookies -- such as Laurin Holhoyi and Shelby Moran -- have to step up, as do a few of the incoming freshmen.
"I feel really comfortable with that program," McGee said of the women's team. "There also are some really exceptional kids in Regina in weight classes that we need."