The University of the Fraser Valley wrestling program attained another landmark in its inaugural season, as the men’s squad rose to No. 1 in the new Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) national rankings released Tuesday.
The latest edition of the weekly poll saw the Cascades men jump from No. 3 into the top spot, despite the fact they didn’t participate in a tournament last weekend.
The previous week, UFV handily won the men’s aggregate title at the Golden Bear Open in Edmonton, combining for 49 points to outdistance the host University of Alberta Golden Bears (32 points), Winnipeg Wesmen (31), Calgary Dinos (29), Regina Cougars (27) and Saskatchewan Huskies (26).
“It’s really awesome to see,” said Cascades co-coach Raj Virdi. “Myself and (co-coach) Arjan (Bhullar) and the team have put in a lot of effort. Now it just comes down to the Canada West and CIS championships.”
The rest of the top five for CIS men’s wrestling includes the Brock Badgers, Winnipeg, Alberta, and the Guelph Gryphons. For a comprehensive look at the CIS rankings, click here.
The men’s wrestlers are just the second Cascades team to hold a No. 1 CIS ranking. The women’s basketball squad was No. 1 in the nation for two weeks in January 2013.
Men’s basketball, women’s volleyball hold steady in national rankings
UFV’s other two nationally ranked teams didn’t budge in this week’s polls.
The Cascades men’s hoopsters, the last undefeated team in Canada West at 12-0 and sporting a 26-game regular season win streak dating back to 2013, remained at No. 7 in the CIS rankings.
The women’s volleyball squad, which sits third in the PacWest conference with a 9-7 record, stayed at No. 9 in the latest Canadian Colleges Athletic Association (CCAA) national poll.
Basketball, volleyball squads play at home this weekend
The Envision Athletic Centre will be a busy place this weekend, as the Cascades basketball and volleyball teams are both in action at home.
The UFV basketball teams host the UBC Okanagan Heat on Friday (women 6 p.m., men 8 p.m.) and Saturday (women 5 p.m., men 7 p.m.) in the main gym.
The women’s game on Friday marks the Cascades’ eighth annual Shoot for the Cure night, a fundraiser in partnership with the B.C./Yukon chapter of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. This Thursday, the Cascades are also hosting a Shoot for the Cure dinner and silent auction at Finnegan’s Pub & Grill.
The volleyballers take on the Vancouver Island University Mariners on Friday (women 6 p.m., men 8 p.m.) and Saturday (women 1 p.m., men 3 p.m.) in the North Gym.
The wrestling team is gearing up for its first-ever Canada West home meet the following week – the Cascades Classic runs Feb. 1 at the EAC.
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