10 for 10: No. 3 - The Olympians

For a select few University of Calgary athletes, their time with the Dinos is a place to train and compete while keeping their ultimate goal in mind, the Olympic Games.  During the past decade, the Dinos had 15 athletes attend the Olympics/Paralympics while competing for the school, bringing home four medals, three of those gold. 

None were more impressive than Dinos wrestler Erica Wiebe’s gold medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. After Wiebe won gold in the 75-kilogram freestyle division, defeating Guel Manyurova of Kazakhstan 6-0. The win set off a celebration between Wiebe and her family at the Games, but also back at the University of Calgary where a large viewing party was watching, including Dinos wrestling coach Mitch Ostberg. After graduating from the Faculty of Kinesiology, Wiebe continues to train at the University of Calgary, as well as giving back to her community as a volunteer coach and ambassador with Right to Play. 

The other two gold medals came at the hands of two hockey superstars. Colleen Sostorics won her third gold medal in 2010 at the Vancouver Olympics, then Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Haley Wickenheiser won her fourth at the 2014 Games in Sochi. Sostorics graduated from the University of Calgary in 2004 with a BA in economics, while Wickenheiser graduated from the Faculty of Kinesiology in 2013. Both women played for Team Canada for more than 10 years, and are proud University of Calgary alumni. 

Lastly, a silver medal was won by Dinos track and field and cross country team member Stefan Daniel at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio. Daniel won the silver in the para-triathlon and reaffirmed his place as one of the best para-athletes in the world. However, as his personal Nike commercial points out, he is determined to prove to people he’s not just one of the best para-athletes, but one of the best athletes in the world, and Daniel is doing just that. In 2019 he won the gold medal at the Canada West Cross Country Championships and also helped the Dinos men’s cross country team win back-to-back national championships. 

The other Dino Olympians of the decade included: Zach Bell (cycling), Erica Morningstar (swimming), Amanda Reason (swimming), Jessica Zelinka (track & field), Leah Callahan (wrestling), Iya Gavrilova (hockey), Jay Blankenau (volleyball), Jason Block (swimming), Fiona Doyle (swimming), Jessica O’Connell (track & field), and Graham Vigrass (volleyball).
 

These names join a long list of previous Dino Olympians/Paralympians and have paved the path for many more in the future.