LONDON, Ont. - The Western Mustangs will play host to the 2013 national university championships in wrestling and cross-country as Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) announced the host institutions for 22 national championships over the next five years Monday.
"We are very excited to be hosting two national championships in 2013," said Therese Quigley, Director of Sports and Recreation Services at Western. "For our perennial powerhouse cross-country and wrestling teams, this will be an opportunity to show our best on home soil at a national level."
"We are excited for the challenge of hosting these two events and hope to set a new bar in championship hosting in Canadian intercollegiate sport," Quigley said. "Western will have strong teams for both 2013 championships as coaches will focus their recruiting efforts around success on the home front, in London."
The wrestling team got a head start earlier this year, landing top recruits including Steven Takahashi (London, Ont.) and Ilya Abelev (Ottawa) who will both be in their third year of eligibility once Western hosts the nationals in the winter of 2013.
Bob Vigars' cross-country teams will host the CIS cross-country nationals in November, 2013, at Thames Valley Golf and Country Club, site of the annual Western International meet. It is the sixth time Western has hosted this event (previously hosted in 2002, 1997, 1995, 1994 and 1986).
"Western has been a leader in hosting major collegiate competitions in cross-country dating back to the inaugural Western International invitational first held on campus in 1975," Vigars said.
Since 1986, Thames Valley Golf Course has been the site of the annual Western International as well as five CIS Championships.
"In addition to the advantage to our Mustangs to have the nationals as a home meet, we know we have the personnel at Western along with Bill Salter and his grand crew of London meet officials and staff to host this Championship with aplomb," Vigars said. "This venture will spur our coaching staff on to have highly competitive Mustangs men's and women's squads for 2013 which will be the mark the 51st anniversary of men's CIS Nationals and 34th for women."
All sites have been selected pending the next step in the process which involves the signing of a championship agreement by both the host and the CIS.
A number of events that received single bids in the spring were reviewed and supported including the 2013 cross-country nationals at Western in London, Ont.
The CIS Selection Committee, which met in Ottawa on June 24 and 25, faced much tougher decisions for other events that attracted numerous suitors including Western's bid to host wreslting in 2013.
The CIS wrestling championships will be staged in Thunder Bay, Ont., in 2011 and 2012, before moving to London in 2013. Lakehead has hosted the Nationals five times over the years (2002, 2001, 1981, 1976, 1974) and Western twice (2000, 1983).
CIS CHAMPIONSHIP HOSTS (in alphabetical order of sport):
Men’s Basketball
2011 & 2012: AUS (in Halifax)
2013 & 2014: Carleton (awarded in July 2010)
Women’s Basketball
2011: Windsor (awarded in July 2010)
2012: Calgary (awarded in July 2010)
2013: Regina (awarded in July 2010)
Cross Country
2010: Sherbrooke
2011: Laval
2012: TBD (will call for 2012 in Fall of 2010)
2013: Western (awarded in July 2010)
Men’s Hockey
2011 & 2012: UNB
2013 & 2014: Saskatchewan (awarded in July 2010)
Women’s Hockey
2011: Wilfrid Laurier
2012: Alberta
2013: Toronto (awarded in July 2010)
Women’s Rugby
2010 & 2011: Trent
2012: StFX (awarded in July 2010)
2013: Laval (awarded in July 2010)
Men’s Soccer
2010: Toronto
2011: Victoria
2012: Laval
2013: UNB (awarded in July 2010)
2014: UPEI (awarded in July 2010)
Women’s Soccer
2010: UPEI
2011: McGill
2012: Victoria
2013: Toronto (awarded in July 2010)
2014: Laval (awarded in July 2010)
Men’s Volleyball
2011: Trinity Western
2012: Queen’s
2013: Laval
2014: Calgary (awarded in July 2010)
2015: Saskatchewan (awarded in July 2010)
Women’s Volleyball
2011: Laval
2012: McMaster
2013: Sherbrooke
2014: Regina (awarded in July 2010)
2015: Toronto (awarded in July 2010)
Wrestling
2011 & 2012: Lakehead (awarded in July 2010)
2013: Western (awarded in July 2010)
