HAMILTON, Ont. — The McMaster Marauders women's and men's wrestling teams participated at home in the McMaster Open on Sunday for their first competition of the 2024-25 season.The tournament showcased 40 teams across Canada and the Marauders had 20 athletes participate in the event. The Birds earned first place overall with a score of 73. The women took home gold, earning 54 points and the men finished with 19 points, good for fourth place.

The Marauders women took home three gold medals, two silver and two bronze medals in their opening matches.

Third year Marauder, Olivia Lichti (New Hamburg, Ont.), won each of her three matches enroute to gold in the 62kg weight class. Tehani Blais (Winnipeg, Man.) earned gold in the 68 kg class as she was victorious in all three matches. First-year, Jennifer De Medeiros (Hamilton, Ont.) earned the first gold medal of her collegiate career in the 90kg weight class, taking home two matches on Sunday.

Senuki Desanayaka (Brampton, Ont.), and Macy Malysiak (Brampton, Ont.) earned silver medals for the Maraders. Desanayaka performed well as she defeated her first two opponents before falling short in the 56kg finals. Malysiak participated in the 59kg weight class, and the fourth year Marauder successfully defeated her first match of the day before securing her silver medal.

Mayumi King and Megann Nkenglack (Barrie, Ont.) took home bronze for the Marauders. King participated in the 53kg class. The second-year athlete bounced back after a second-round defeat, earning the bronze medal. Nkenglack also battled back for the Marauders after a second-round defeat.

The Marauder men finished with three medals (one silver and two bronze on the day) in their opening matches.

Sarpartap Lally (Brampton, Ont.) earned a silver medal on Sunday. The economics major enjoyed two successful matches before coming up short in the 83kg class finals. Luken Lawson (Enfield, N.S.) and Irman Kang (Caledon, Ont.) brought home bronze on the day. Lawson participated in the 76 kg class while Kang battled in the 90kg class. Both men were successful on the day. Lawson stood out, capturing seven out of eight match victories.

Next up, the Marauders head to Toronto to participate in the TMU Open on Sunday, November 10.