When Athens Wu showed up to her first high school wrestling practice this year, Coach Larisch knew he a rare talent on his hands. It was immediately apparent that she was tough, athletic and had a personality well-suited to the hard work and sweat that goes into wrestling. As the year progressed, it became clear that Athens was a natural. Thus, it is no surprise that in her first ever BC Championships that she reached the semi-finals.
Although Athens was to lose her semi-final and bronze medal matches, there is no doubt that this has been an amazing year for her. The bronze medal match was incredibly tough and she was unlucky not to win it. With two more years of wrestling ahead of her, Athens has a chance to definitely climb to the top of the podium before she leaves Collingwood.
Inno DeCotiis also had an incredible year. For a Grade 8 student to dominate local competition is a testament to his ability. The BC Championships were always going to be a tough assignment as Inno had to wrestle older and stronger athletes throughout the meet. To finish is the top 8 at the BC's is an incredible feat.
Collingwood's third wrestler at the BC Championships was Eli Hart. Eli is only in Grade 10 and had the misfortune of being in one of the most competitive weight-classes in the tournament. The Grade 11 and 12 boys in Eli's weight-class are 'hard as rock' and incredibly strong. Eli wrestled well and now that he has seen the competition he knows what to expect next year.
It was a terrific year for the Collingwood wrestling program. Coaches Larisch and DeCotiis look forward to growing the program even more next year. Special thanks to both coaches for all their hard work.
Athens on the podium with an outstanding 4th place finish.
Athens in action.
For those who have never been to a big wrestling meet, it is a truly unique experience. The Langley Event Centre had six mats going at once at the BC Championships so the action was non-stop.