CALGARY – Dinos interim head coach and reigning CIS Women's Coach of the Year Andy Hutchinson announced his recruiting class for the 2009-10 season on Wednesday, locking up many local, nationally tested athletes who should provide an instant boost to an already powerful wrestling program.  

Hutchinson, who doubles as the head coach of the Jr. Dinos program, was able to lure many of his own junior athletes onto the varsity team, strengthening the reputation of the already very successful junior program.

National championship in hand, Hutchinson will complete his coaching duties for the Dinos wrestling team in August, where Mitch Ostberg will return from a sabbatical year off. This will mark Ostberg's 17th year as head coach of the Dinos, where he has enjoyed much success, most notably winning four CIS women's championships.

Ostberg will be faced with the task of continuing to build a men's program back up, while maintaining momentum on the women's side. Hutchinson's recruits should be able to help this process immensely.
Spencer Watkins out of Holy Trinity Academy in Okotoks will lead the men's recruits onto the Calgary mats in 09/10. A 2009 Canadian Juvenile Champion, a 2009 Canadian Junior National bronze medalist and a 2007 Western Canada Summer Games silver medalist, Watkins is also on the 2009 Canada Summer Games team and is a two-time high school provincial champion. Coach Hutchinson realizes the importance of getting Watkins on with the Dinos.

“Spencer is the real deal. He got offers from other top-end schools, but ultimately I think there was a comfort level here with the Dinos, as I've been working with him for so long. We are really excited to have him here,” said the coach.

Teammates on the Jr. Dinos as well as during their time at John G. Diefenbaker High School in Calgary, Jordan Ferguson and Daniel Nwaerondu will also attempt to crack the Dinos lineup this year. Both athletes are high school provincial medalists, and both will attend the Canada Summer Games this summer. Ferguson captured silver at the Canadian Juvenile Championships in 2007 and 2009, while Nwaerondu won gold in 2008 at the same event.

Brian Hutton, a Lester B. Pearson High School graduate, captured silver at both the 2007 nationals and the Western Canada Summer Games, and is a two-time high school provincial champion. Hutton will also attend the 2009 Canada Summer Games.

Rounding out the 2009 Dinos men's recruiting class are six athletes who have shown tremendous success at the high school level. Terrell Peterson (Sir Winston Churchill High School, Lethbridge) is a three-time provincial medalist, while Matt Bustard (Bowness High School, Calgary) and Jared Hansen (John G. Diefenbaker) were 2009 provincial champions.

Among other high school medalists are Shawn Mellesmoen from Maple Ridge B.C., who is also a four time provincial football all-star, and Soga Idowu (William Aberhart, Calgary). Jorge Escobedo (Bishop O'Byrne) came fourth at the Alberta provincial tournament, and is also a member of the provincial rugby team.

Hutchinson expects the men's team to be much improved this year.

“We have some men coming in that have had tremendous success at the national level. We are now able to combine athletes who have had great success at the provincial level and who show great potential with athletes who have already proved themselves nationally,” said the coach.

Coming off of a spectacular season for the women's team, where they captured six of eight CIS gold medals and the overall team championship, the Dinos wasted no time in filling necessary holes in their lineup partially created by graduating gold medalists Justine Bouchard and Vanessa Wilson.

“We do lose Justine (Bouchard) and Vanessa (Wilson) from our CIS championship team, but we maintain a strong core of girls from that team. We have some good young talent coming in, most who are Alberta grown, so we are looking good yet again”, said Coach Hutchinson.

Jessy Seida, a Jr. Dino and a Sir Winston Churchill High School (Calgary) graduate, brings with her a stellar wrestling resume. A 2009 Canadian Juvenile National Champion, a 2009 Junior National bronze medalist and a 2007 National Champion, Seida was also a member of the 2008 Jr. Pan American Championships team and is a Western Canada Summer Games Champion. Jessy is also a member of the upcoming Canada Summer Games team.

Vannessa Wright is another Jr. Dino who brings with her a wide array of achievements to the Dinos mats this year. Vannessa was the 2009 Canadian Juvenile National silver medalist, a 2007 national champion and a 2007 silver medalist at the Western Canada Summer Games. Also a member of the upcoming Canada Summer Games team, Wright is a high school provincial champion out of Father Lacombe high school in Calgary. Wright is looking forward to be joining the Dinos this season.

“I've been part of the Jr. Dinos for the past three years and the support I've been receiving from the varsity group and fellow teammates have helped me make my decision. The Dinos are just an excellent program,” said Wright.

Hutchinson was able to reach outside of his Jr. Dinos program as well, where he found an impressive wrestler out of Harry Ainlay High School in Edmonton. Natalie Brady is a 2009 Canadian Juvenile National Champion, as well a 2007 Western Canada Summer Games gold medalist. Brady participated in the Jr. Pan American Championships in 2008, where she lost to reigning CIS Rookie of the Year Jade Parsons (University of Regina) in the final, going home with the silver medal. A three time high school Provincial Champion, Brady joins Seida and Wright on the 2009 Canada Summer Games team.

Also joining the Dinos will be Kacy Nishimura. Another Jr. Dinos graduate, Kacy is a two time national medalist and a provincial champion out of Rundle College in Calgary. 

William Aberhart High School in Calgary will be well represented on the Dinos in 2009, with both Jasper Graveline and Ella Burk joining the team. Both Graveline and Burk are provincial medalists, and Burk will join her older brother, Alex, on the Dinos in 2009. Rounding out the female recruiting class for the Dinos is Rachel Hall out of Prince George, BC, who captured bronze at BC provincials in 2008.

The University of Calgary will host the 2009 Canada West Wrestling Championships on February 19th and 20th.

-UC-