Gold and silver results for St. David
All five OFSAA wrestlers finish on the podium
WATERLOO — Natalie Rygielski travelled to her first all-Ontario high school wrestling championship with only three competitive meets under her belt.
She returned home a champion.
The St. David student, who wasn’t even on her school’s team during the first half of the season, struck gold Friday in the 61-kilogram division of the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations meet in Brampton. Rygielski defeated Savana Pinsent of Renfrew Collegiate in the goldmedal match to cap an abbreviated schedule that almost didn’t happen at all.
“I wasn’t going to do wrestling this year because I had a bad wrist injury but I decided to join after the Christmas break,” Rygielski, a Grade 12 student, said Monday.
“It’s a good feeling … I wanted to win obviously but I wasn’t sure what to expect because I hadn’t been to OFSAA before.”
Rygielski wasn’t the only St. David wrestler to return home with a medal around her neck.
Grade 12 student Jane Jagas won silver in the 47.5-kilogram category and combined with Rygielski to lift St. David to a sixthplace finish in the girls’ standings.
All five St. David wrestlers finished on the podium, with Trevor Zuber winding up fourth in the boys’ 38-kilogram division, Carson Kemple finishing fourth in the boys’ 41-kilogram division, and Jordan Splane earning fifth in the boys’ 47.5-kilogram category.
Meanwhile, Diondre Mallen of Cameron Heights was third in the girls’ 72-kilogram class and Colby Saunders of Forest Heights was third in boys’ 61-kilogram division.
Rygielski, who has participated in judo for the past 12 years, has something of a hit-and-miss history with wrestling. She left the St. David team before the Waterloo County championship in Grade 9, didn’t participate at all in her second year, and left before the District 8 championship in Grade 11.
She made her senior debut at a meet in January and then competed in the District 8 and Central Western Ontario championships before moving on to OFSAA.
Her experience as a judoka comes in handy on the wrestling mat, she said.
“It’s not the same sport but I can definitely take something like a (judo) throw and apply it to wrestling,” she said.
“Same with working on the ground and transitioning into pins, that sort of stuff.”
Rygielski said she hopes to continue participating in the sport at the university level next year and mentions Guelph, Brock and York as possible destinations.
Jagas, who has trained with the Waterloo Regional Matmen Wrestling Club for eight years, will attend the University of Waterloo next year and said this might be the end of the road for her wrestling journey.
“It’s the best I’ve ever done at OFSAA so I’m pretty proud of it,” she said.
“I wrestled my hardest and that’s the only thing that matters.”
Jagas, who has competed at four consecutive OFSAA championships, finished third in Grade 10 and fourth in Grade 11. Earlier this season, she finished second at the Ontario club championship.
Jagas has three older brothers that wrestled for St. David and went on to compete at the university level. Jake wrestled for Guelph, while Matt and Sam are both currently at Brock.
Six other local wrestlers earned podium finishes; Roman Wawryk of KCI was fourth in boys’ 54 kilograms, Nick Smith of Bluevale was fifth in boys’ 67.5 kilograms, Westley McInnis of Cameron Heights was fifth in boys’ 64 kilograms, Alexis Baxter of St. Mary’s was sixth in girls’ 64 kilograms, Emily Oakes of Cameron Heights was sixth in girls’ 77 kilograms and Edwin Capehart of KCI was sixth in boys’ 130 kilograms.