Was there ever any doubt? Both Carson and Hunter Lee walked off the mat at last weekend’s western Canadian university wrestling championship with gold medals.
The Lee brothers won their weight classifications at the Canada West Championships in Saskatoon March 12, with Carson winning the 82-kilogram weight class and Hunter winning the 90-kilogram classification for the Univ. of Saskatchewan Huskies. Both beat wrestlers from the Univ. of Alberta and Univ. of Calgary.
The result is hardly unexpected - both Carson and Hunter began this season ranked as Canada’s top collegiate wrestlers in their weight classes and came in as heavy favourites. Both were reigning champions, having won their weight classes at both the 2020 Canada West championships and at USports nationals later in the year - both have seen international success as well, having won medals at Pan-American and world championship levels.
Despite gold from both Lees, the Huskies were unable to bring home either the mens’ or womens’ team championships, falling just short in both to the Univ. of Alberta Golden Bears and Pandas.
While in a normal season, the Canada West tournament would serve as a tune-up to the USports national championships, that won’t be in the cards this year. The national championships, which were originally supposed to be held in Edmonton in February before being moved to Saskatoon at the 11th hour, were eventually cancelled last month.
This year, the Huskies were a true brother act - while Hunter took part in his fourth year as part of the wrestling team and Carson started his second, the youngest Lee brother, Maguire, joined the team this year. Maguire, a freshman, wrestles in the 77-kilogram weight class, but did not qualify for this year’s Canada West event.
The event will likely be the final time that Carson and Hunter both participate with the Huskies team. Hunter, an education student, will be graduating this year and while he has another year of eligibility at the university level, he plans to transition away from collegiate wrestling toward a future in mixed martial arts. Hunter, who trained in MMA as early as 2020, made his amateur MMA debut at an event in Edmonton last summer, winning with a rear naked choke less than two minutes in.
Both Carson, who is studying kinesiology, and Maguire, who is studying business, plan to return to the Huskies next year.
