Carson and Hunter Lee will be donning their Univ. of Saskatchewan singlets once again this wrestling season - and go in as Canada’s top-ranked wrestlers in their weight classes.
The Lee brothers will be key parts of a Huskies squad that has began the season at top spot in Canadian university athletics - the team is currently the first seed in USports men’s competition and second seed on the women’s side.
Carson, who competes at the 82-kilogram level, will enter the season as the top wrestler in his category, ahead of rivals Taren Goring from the Univ. of Alberta and Brayden Ambo from the Univ. of Western Ontario. Hunter, a participant in the 90-kilogram weight class, will also enter the season as the top wrestler in the class. Hunter beat out McMaster’s Jalen Kato and a frequent national-level rival in Brock Univ.’s Tejvir Boal to earn that top spot.
Five Huskies wrestlers enter the season as the nation’s top seeds - three men, including the brothers, and two women.
In 2020, the brothers - both from Flin Flon, both graduates of Hapnot Collegiate and both holders of national and international honours - won both CanadaWest and USports national championships in their weight classes. Hunter, then a junior, won both titles in the 90-kilogram weight class, while Carson won both in the 82-kilogram competition, pacing the Huskies to a CanadaWest team title and second place at nationals. Hunter was also named Canadian male junior wrestler of the year by Wrestling Canada Lutte later in the year.
The Huskies will host their major annual tournament, the Huskie Open, this week in Saskatoon. Both the Lees will take part, but according to the tournament’s list of entrants, at different weight classifications. Hunter will take part in the 86-kilogram class, while Carson will drop down to the 74-kilogram class. Both will face crowded fields - Hunter’s class features nine wrestlers, including three others from the Saskatoon Wrestling Club, while Carson will be one of a whopping 14 competitors at 74 kilograms. Six of those entrants, including Carson, are with the Saskatoon Wrestling Club.
Other major tournaments this coming season include the USports National Wrestling Championships from Feb. 25-26, Canadian Wrestling Trials in Edmonton from March 10-13 and the Canada Cup in late June.
