CALGARY – Four athletes from the University of Calgary Dinos wrestling team will represent Canada at the 2026 U23 World Championships, which run Oct. 12-18 in Las Vegas. 

Gabriela Cross (57 kg), Annika Fines (62 kg) and Eve Maxwell-Nikiforuk (65 kg) compete in women's freestyle on Thursday and Friday, Oct. 15-16. Nicholas Hooper (74 kg) follows in men's freestyle on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 16-17. The four are among 20 athletes named to the national team by Wrestling Canada Lutte, who have won seven U SPORTS gold medals between them. 

Cross, a Calgary native and Dinos alumni, brings the most momentum into Las Vegas. She won gold at the U23 Pan-American Championships in Peru earlier this year, her third consecutive medal at the event after bronze in 2024 and silver in 2025. On the university circuit, she is a three-time U SPORTS champion (2024, 2025, 2026), a four-time Canada West champion and the 2025 U SPORTS Women's Outstanding Wrestler.

Fines, also from Calgary, was named the 2026 U SPORTS Outstanding Wrestler of the Year after winning her second consecutive U SPORTS and Canada West titles. Maxwell-Nikiforuk, from Salmon Arm, B.C., is a two-time U SPORTS silver medallist (2023, 2025) and the 2023 Canada West champion.

Hooper, from Cochrane, Alta., is a two-time U SPORTS and Canada West champion (2024, 2025) who was named rookie of the year at both levels in 2024.

Every athlete selected on the team has competed internationally over the past year, and the U23 World Championship is viewed as a key development step toward future senior world championships and Olympic Games opportunities.

The event is streamed on UWW+. Live updates, schedules and results are available on the official tournament page. 

-UC-