Moose Jaw Wrestlers Bring Home The Hardware
By Robert Thomas
Lead by the undefeated Brady Ross - in both individual and team duals competition - Moose Jaw wrestlers who were part of Team South West picked up five individual wresting medals at the 2023 Saskatchewan Winter Games on Saturday.
The Moose Jaw athletes, who wrestle out of the Moose Jaw Kinsmen Wrestling Club, managed to win three medals in female individual competition and two in male individual competition.
The Moose Jaw Kinsmen Wrestling Club had nine wrestlers qualify for the 13 spots on Team South West.
Four wrestlers from Swift Current's Titans Wrestling Club made up the remainder of Team South West.
Below are the results of Moose Jaw wrestlers at the games.
Female Results
Aurelia Eros - Gold Medal
Wrestling in the female 61 kg weight class fifteen year old Aurelia Eros won the gold medal in her first year of wrestling.
Eros, a Central Collegiate student, first defeated Azianne Julie Marie Meszaros from Team Saskatoon 5 - 0.
She later defeated Abigail Hall from Team Regina 4 - 0 to claim the gold medal.
Arianna Skeoch - Bronze Medal
In the female 56 kg weight class 12 year old Arianna Skeoch claimed the bronze medal.
A student Palliser Heights Elementary School Skeoch lost her first match 8 - 0 against 16 year old Wren Isaiah Bargen from Team Saskatoon.
Team South East's Khloe Sophia Higgins (left) squares off against Team South West's Arianna Skeoch in Friday ’s Team Duals final. Skeoch would win this match up 14 - 4.
In the individual competition rematch Skeoch would defeat Higgins 4 - 0 to win the bronze medal - MJ Independent file photo
Skeoch would defeat 14 year old Khloe Sophia Higgins from Team South East 4 - 0 to claim the bronze medal.
This is Skeoch's first year of wrestling while Higgins is in her fourth year in the sport.
Evelyn Eros - Bronze Medal
In the female 67 - 75 kg weight division Evelyn Eros won the bronze medal.
The 14 year old Central Collegiate student Eros tied Meaghan Harvey from Team Saskatoon 2 - 2 in her first match.
In her second matchup Eros defeated Kloey Rose Klymchuk from Team Saskatoon with a fall at the time of 3:30 to take home the bronze medal.
Eisa Tondevold
Eisa Tondevold came in sixth place in female 51 kg weight class.
The 14 year old Central Collegiate placed sixth after her opponent Caitlin Cross from Team South East forfeited the match.
Male Results
Brady Ross - Gold Medal
After being undefeated in two days of Team Duals Competition Brady Ross was the odds on favourite for the gold medal in the male 80 kg weight class.
What made Ross the odds on winner in his weight division wasn’t his undefeated record in Team Duals but how he won his matches.
Ross would often pick up his opponents and slam them onto the matt to score his victories.
His official athlete's bio question for what his goals were for the games were had a simple two word response “Win Gold.”
Brady Ross (bottom) prepares to lift up his Team South East opponent Noah Panchuk during Friday's Team Duals final. Ross would defeat Panchuk on Saturday to qualify for the gold medal final - MJ Independent file photo
In his first matchup the 15 year old Peacock Collegiate student Ross would defeat Team Regina's Noah Panchuk 7 - 0.
In the gold medal match Ross defeated Team Regina's Karl Lopez with a fall at the time of 1:49 to win 10 - 0.
Kruz Babich - Silver Medal
For 14 year old Peacock Collegiate student Kruz Babich it was a hard fought gold medal matchup against Team Saskatoon Vladyslav Havrenko but in the end Babich had to settle for the silver medal.
Babich qualified for the gold medal matchup by defeating Team Prairie Central's Grant Keeler 4 - 0.
Kingston Usher
Kingston Usher would come in fifth place in the male 80 - 95 kg weight class.
Usher, a 15 year old Peacock Collegiate student, defeated Noah Cappelle from Team Rivers West 10 - 0 to place sixth.
Teegan Kivol
For 12 year old Teegan Kivol - wrestling in the male 38 - 43 kg weight division - it wasn’t a medal but he managed to put his four years of wrestling experience to good use.
The Lindale Elementary School lost a hard fought match 15 - 11 to Wynn Griffith from Team Saskatoon.
He would lose his second match for the bronze medal to Reid Forsberg of Team Regina. Kivol settled for fourth place.
Tanner Kivol
In the male 54 kilogram weight class Peacock Collegiate's own 14 year old Tanner Kivol placed sixth after losing 8 - 3 to Team Rivers West Isaac Berland.