Friday/Saturday, Feb. 21-22: U SPORTS wrestling championships
Bob Davis Gym, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ont.
Webcast: USPORTS.live

THE TOURNAMENT

The nation's best university wrestlers descend on Brock University this weekend for the U SPORTS championships. The host Brock Badgers are the reigning powerhouse in the sport – their women's team has won the past eight national titles, while the men's team has earned six straight banners. UFV is sending five competitors: Ali Rahguzar (68 kg), Amarvir Atwal (76 kg), Karan Dhillon (90 kg) and Jason Bains (100 kg) on the men's side, and Calista Espinosa (48 kg) on the women's side.

On Friday, the first three rounds run at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. local time. Saturday's schedule features fifth and seventh placing matches at 10 a.m., bronze medal matches at noon, and championships matches at 2 p.m.

RECENT FORM

The Cascades are carrying plenty of momentum into nationals after strong performances at the Canada West championships two weeks ago. Atwal and Bains won gold in their respective weight classes, while Espinosa, Dhillon and Rahguzar took silver.

WRESTLER TO WATCH

Amarvir Atwal, UFV – Atwal staged a breakout performance at the CW championships, posting a perfect 3-0 record on his way to gold in the men's 76 kg division. For his efforts, the sophomore was voted the CW men's wrestler of the year, and earned conference first star of the week honours. It'll be fun to watch him at nationals as he looks to build on his CW showing.

QUOTABLE

"I know what to expect now. Going into the competition I feel ready, and I just want to wrestle my best and hopefully get some redemption after last season." – UFV sophomore Espinosa, on how a fourth-place U SPORTS finish a rookie helps her going into her second appearance at nationals

"Before I step on the mat, I just think about how hard I've worked and I tell myself I've done everything I did to prepare for this tournament. That's how I win before I step on the mat." – Espinosa, on how she raises her mental game to meet a higher level of competition at nationals