The York University Lions wrestling team was crowned Ontario provincial champions this past weekend after three members of the women's team won medals at the junior championships in London, Ont.
 
Mary Adarkwa, Bailey Agard and Brea Rodgers finished with a combined 29 points to finish at the top of the field of 24 teams.
 
Adarkwa won the gold medal in the 72kg weight class in impressive fashion, outscoring her opponents 32-0. The result was never really in doubt as she won her first match 12-0, her semifinal match-up 10-0 and then cruised to another 10-0 score in the championship bout.
 
Not to be outdone, Agard also won the gold medal in her weight class at 53kg. She won each of her first two matches 10-0 and then rolled to a 15-4 victory in her third match to secure top spot on the podium.
 
Rounding out the results was the silver-medal showing by Rodgers in the 59kg division. She earned a bye through to the semifinals and then won that first match 8-4 before falling in the final by a 12-6 score.
 
"When it comes to work ethic and resiliency, the women set the standard in our room. I see first-hand the discipline, focus and motivation that goes into not only their training, but also other areas of their lives. This is a historic team accomplishment and they deserve every bit of recognition for it," said assistant coach and former Lions student-athlete Alexandria Town. "We've come a long way in the past few years, and it's a cool feeling being part of the movement as it builds momentum. York women's wrestling is strong, and it's future is even stronger."
 
On the men's side, Stephan Niron and Gurpartap Virk both finished fifth in their divisions. Niron highlighted his performance with a 10-0 win in his first match in the 54kg weight class and Virk won his fifth-place match by fall. Harrish Satheswaran finished in third place in the 97kg division.
 
Three Lions were also in London, Ont., to participate in the Western Invitational. Tulio Hsu won the bronze medal in the men's 57kg weight class, Peter Tsarev was fourth in the men's 120kg division and Kanan Babazede finished fourth in the men's 4kg weight class.
 
Next up for the Lions is the OUA championships this coming Saturday in Guelph, Ont.