London, ON - Three Western Mustangs wrestlers have returned home after representing Team Canada at the 2024 U23 Pan-American (Pan Am) Championships in Rionegro, Colombia, which took place from June 21-22, 2024.
 
The inaugural U23 Pan-American Championships featured athletes from across the globe and featured "the best in the Pan-Am region" according to Wrestling Canada Lutte's (WCL) High Performance Director Chris Woodcroft in a press release. "This international experience will prove to be a valuable steppingstone for the World U23 Championships held later this fall."
 
"Preparing for an international competition like the U23 Pan Am Championships is very similar to the preparations we do for our university championships [and] preparations for the U SPORTS championships would be similar to the preparation the athletes did for the Pan Am championships. Our athletes are training year-round and go through different phases of training." Said Head Mustangs Wrestling Coach, Scott Proctor. "Gearing up for the Pan Ams we focused on the techniques that the athletes execute best and drilled the fundamentals. Practices are a little shorter and more intense, incorporating quality reps and speed."
 
Mustangs wrestlers Jonelle Clarke, Gavin Eldridge, and Treye Trotman were the only London athletes selected for the WCL team, alongside 15 other wrestlers from across Canada. Clarke competed in the Women's Freestyle 65kg category, achieving an impressive 4th place. Eldridge competed in the Greco-Roman 67kg category, bringing home bronze, and Trotman competed in the Men's Freestyle 57kg category, bringing home silver.
 
"It's an honour to get to represent your country, especially on the world stage, and I couldn't be more thankful," said Jonelle Clarke. "I was also really happy to show off a bit of my Western pride as a Western [Mustangs] Wrestling team member and show them what Western's got."
 
Clarke joined the Mustangs Wrestling team, coached by Head Coach Scott Proctor, during the 2020/2021 season - which ended up being cancelled due to the pandemic. But she has since gone on to win gold at the 2024 Canadian U23 Wrestling Championships (65kg) and 2024 Canadian Nationals (65kg), and bronze in the 2024 U SPORTS Wrestling Championships (65kg). "In the winter I had originally tried out for volleyball but I didn't end up making the team, and when I was walking around the hallways past the activity room I saw these people wrestling with each other and I wondered what was going on," said Clarke. "I asked 'what is this?' and they said it's wrestling and you should try out; and that moment changed my life."
 
Clarke graduated this summer with a Bachelor of Science with an Honours Specialization in Synthetic Biology, but she will be returning to Western to complete her Master of Science in Biochemistry. "One of the best parts about my Masters program is that I actually get to continue to be a Western Mustang competing on the wrestling team," Clarke said. "Now that I've kind of established my style I'm really excited to come back stronger than ever, as well as a senior team member to help out the new wrestlers as well as continuing on with my teammates and hopefully succeeding at OUA and U SPORTS championships."
 
Clarke says Mustangs Wrestling has really helped her hone her skills as a wrestler; especially in terms of solidifying her fundamentals, and she says Mustangs coaching in lifting and nutrition helped her to prepare for the U23 Pan-Am Championships. "I had the pleasure to work alongside Madi Parks who is a coach at Western and also an incredible established wrestler, and is such an inspiration to me," said Clarke. "Her tailored weightlifting program made me such a strong wrestler, and especially for the Pan-Am Championships I needed that strength on the world stage."
 
Like Clarke, Eldridge's experience with the Mustangs Wrestling team helped him prepare for the championships. "The coaches at Western have really helped me develop my mindset into one more suited for competition; being able to really believe in myself and knowing that I am capable of anything I put my mind to," Eldridge said. "When I was younger a loss in wrestling would hit me hard during tournaments and I would be so upset at myself for losing, but at Western the coaches have helped me to understand that everyone will face losses and setbacks, it's how you come back that matters the most. They have helped me to fix that mindset, and really come back stronger after losses or setbacks." In terms of preparation, Eldridge put in lots of work, training on the mats 3 times weekly in addition to other workouts and outdoor training.
 
"Going into the championships I expected to be humbled. I've never competed in an international competition, so I knew that I was going to gain a new perspective and learn what works and what doesn't work," explained Clarke. But I think what was nice was that coming back I realized it's still just wrestling, but of course the level of competition is much more fierce, so going from varsity wrestling to then going to the international stage was really amazing, to be able to gain that new perspective and know what I need to work on." Her hard work paid off; with her coming in 4th in the 65kg Women's weight class at this year's inaugural Pan-Am Championships. "It was such an incredible feeling to come 4th. In the matches that I had won, I ended up crying a little bit for each of them because there was so much emotional weight behind each victory in terms of the work that I had put in before I stepped on that mat."
 
Eldridge echoed similar feelings about the championships. "I had not really set any expectations for myself going into the championships. I really just wanted to go out there ready to compete hard and give it my all, as well as bring back some things to work on in preparation for the World Championships," Eldridge explained. "Competing at such a high level is always an experience that will help you as you are able to see what others do if there is something you want to try yourself. It teaches you to stay calm and control yourself and emotions in situations where things might get tense, which can not only be an aid to wrestling but also in day to day life."
 
Eldridge was the only Canadian in his weight class, and it was an experience Eldridge is not likely to forget. "Winning a medal at an international competition is amazing. I recognize what a privilege it is to be able to go travel and compete for Canada and am always grateful to be able to do well," said Eldridge. "To represent Canada is a feeling like no other. The sense of pride you get from wearing the maple leaf on your chest and your name across the back is one that cannot be replicated, and the feeling of standing on the podium and having a medal put around your neck is one of the greatest feelings. I am just glad I am able to bring back one and show others on the team that they are able to accomplish anything if they work for it."
 
Eldridge just finished his 3rd year on the Mustangs Wrestling team, and he began wrestling in grade 5 at Locke's Public School in nearby St. Thomas, ON. "I was intrigued by the sport at first mention as it was something that was different, not like other sports," said Eldridge. "I had an interest early on before I was even allowed to join the team; watching the older kids participating and waiting for my turn to be able to join." Eldridge has won bronze at the 2024 U SPORTS Championships (65kg), the 2023 OUA Championships (61kg), and the 2022 U20 Pan American Championships (61kg), as well as silver in the 2022 OUA Championships (61kg).
 
Trotman competed in the U20 Pan-Am Championships in 2022 and 2023, and said the U23 championships held elements that were different but also similar. "The tournament was similar, but the competition was more experienced, mature and stronger. My preparation was slightly different for this as I was recovering from a back injury. I had to train as little as possible while making the most of it without aggravating my back," explained Trotman. "Based on my preparation and recovery from my injury, I had pretty low expectations going in. That being said, my plan was to give it my all without hurting my back."
 
Coming out of the championships with a silver medal, Trotman also said he gained some important insights from the experience. "Competing at U23 helped me realize that there are different levels to wrestling. In my final match, I wasn't able to adapt to my opponent's strategy until later in the match, resulting in a loss. I learned that there are 3 levels to the game." Trotman explained. "The first level involves making changes or improvements after matches. The second level involves making changes or improvements between rounds. The third level, which is the level of the best of the best, involves making changes or improvements during matches. This is the level I need to reach, and I recognize I have a long way to go to get there."
 
Trotman began wrestling around 7-8 years ago, originally beginning with jujitsu and boxing. He has been on the Mustangs Wrestling team for a little more than 2 years, and has won many accolades during his time. Trotman has won gold at the 2023 and 2024 OUA and U SPORTS Wrestling Championships (57kg), gold in the 2024 Canadian Junior and Senior National Wrestling Championships (57kg) and bronze in the 2022 and 2023 U20 Pan American Championships (57kg). "It feels great to show everyone how well Western has prepared me and how their training has helped me improve," said Trotman.
 
All three athletes talked about how welcoming and supportive the Mustangs team environment is. "My favourite part about being on the team is how close everyone is; it's like one big family," said Trotman. "It may be an individual sport when you step out on the mat, but those on the team with you start to feel like a second family. You spend so much of your time getting to know everyone on the team that it is a little community itself," explained Eldridge. "What I love most about the team is that it's super welcoming. There are so many different styles of coaching since we have 4 amazing coaches. I always love stepping into the wrestling room because I always know it's going to be a great time," Clarke said with a smile.
 
Eldridge specifically cites Mustangs coaches Steven Takahasi and Dave Spinney as inspirational figures who have helped him throughout his time as a Mustang. "Takahasi, one of our assistant coaches, is someone who is always there to answer your questions and help with whatever he can, even if it's not wrestling related. He is someone who when I first got to Western really helped me get better and looking up to him is amazing. He was competing while I was growing up and he was one of the best Canadian wrestlers around during his time," Eldridge said. "As well as Spinney, another coach, someone who has been looking out for me since my arrival at Western. He has always made sure I have had the best training and competition, allowing me to become the wrestler I am today. All of the coaches at Western always look out for us to make sure we are becoming the best athlete we can be, and I will forever be grateful for all of them."
 
Like Eldridge, Clarke expressed her gratitude for her Mustangs wrestling coaches and teammates. "I want to say thank you to my Western wrestling coaches who have supported me since the very beginning, since the very bottom. They have built me up into the talented wrestler that I am today, and that doesn't just happen by accident. It takes investment and the community that I had supporting me both in my coaches and even in my teammates has made me into the successful wrestler that I am. I couldn't have done it without them!" said Clarke with a smile.
 
Coach Proctor was impressed but not surprised by the results of the student athletes from his team. "I am super proud of the results the athletes achieved, and more importantly I am proud of the commitment they have shown and the amount of hard work they have put in. They have done a great job of balancing athletics and academics. I was excited for Jonelle as this was her first international tournament and she performed excellent; she just missed the podium placing 4^th but gained a tremendous amount of experience. Gavin had a solid tournament, after losing his opening match he can back and won the Bronze medal. Treye wrestled really well winning 3 matches before losing on criteria in the final to the American wrestler, the final score was 7-7.  I am proud of how all three represent Western and Canada and it is always great for our program to have athletes competing internationally."
 
As for final words of advice, Clarke encourages continuous perseverance and work, as well as for more women to join wrestling.
 
"Keep chipping away on whatever you are doing. The time that you put into something might not show up at first, but eventually it's going to bear fruit and you're going to get to see the results of all the time and energy and hard work that you put in," said Clarke. "And join Women's Wrestling! It is growing so much in Canada and when it comes to wrestling whatever you put in you get out. You're not limited to any biological advantage, whether you are taller or shorter. There's so many different styles that it doesn't matter; it's about the work that you put in, and because of that I think there are so many women who could be benefiting from the discipline and friendships made and the fun that wrestling is."