Huskies’ Bray hits nationals on winning note
After settling for second at the Canada West wrestling championships four years in a row and trailing in the dying seconds of this year’s 57-kilogram final, Dylan Bray found the move that turned his silver into gold.
Bray, who wrestles for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies, is now headed to this weekend’s CIS nationals with vivid memories of that long-awaited Canada West title.
“I knew coming in this year it was going to be a tough tournament,” the fifth-year U of S Huskie captain says of the championships held two weeks ago in Calgary. “I was probably going to wrestle against the guy I lost to last year and that happened. I was down in the match and had 15 seconds to make something happen. It was probably the biggest moment of the tournament — there was a lot of hype around that, people tell me. So that was awesome.”
Huskies wrestling head coach Daniel Olver said Bray made his winning move from a position where the other athlete was strong. It’s a position Bray has been working on all year, so it was satisfying to see him “show up and pull the trigger” at the right time, Olver said.
Bray was named the Canada West outstanding male wrestler. He’s been riding a high ever since as he leads a young U of S squad into nationals, starting Friday in Edmonton.
In four previous appearances at nationals, Bray has finished in every position from second to fifth. It’s obvious which placing he covets most this year, but he says there are more important results than gold medals.
“(Pursuing gold) is how you measure success,” Bray said. “To be a successful wrestler, you’ve got to get those wins, but that in itself (isn’t enough). I’m always improving and how you measure improvement is how you’re doing in matches, but you can’t always control the results. But that’s the motivator to improve. That’s why I wrestle, that’s why I keep doing it — just to better myself.”
Similar to Bray, secondyear head coach Olver also wrestled with the Huskies for five years and was the captain in his final year of wrestling — the same year Bray was a freshman.
“I’ve (seen) him develop and mature from being a kid just out of high school to now leading the team that I am coaching,” said Olver. “Dylan is a kid that’s willing to do anything for you. I’ve seen the team develop around him and around his ability to lead them and follow the plan I have for the entire team. It’s incredible to have him as captain.”
Bray has played a big role in helping develop the young Huskies squad. In particular, he’s had an impact on rookie Josh Bodnarchuk, who acts as Bray’s training partner. Bodnarchuk was named Canada West rookie of the year after winning the 54-kg gold medal at the conference championships.
“We’ve built each other up throughout the year,” Bray said. “I think I’ve showed him some crafty veteran moves along the way. He’s quick, so he’s shown me a lot of good stuff, too.”
Other Huskies to watch at the CIS championships include Malcolm Meekins (72 kg) and Canada West outstanding female wrestler Annie Monteith (48 kg). Other Huskies medal contenders include men Nathan Galan (61 kg), Andrew Johnson (82 kg) and Jacob Philips (120 kg) and women Laryssa Barry (55 kg), Lisa Brise (59 kg) and Megan Nelthorpe (82 kg).