VOYAGEURS TO ADD WRESTLING PROGRAM
SUDBURY, ON – The Voyageurs are going to hit the mat fighting this fall. Beginning in September, Laurentian University Voyageur Athletics will add a men’s and women’s wrestling team to their fold. An OUA member sport since 1947, wrestling will be making its debut in the Nickel City as a post-secondary sport in September. With a great grassroots program in the Sudbury and Regional Wrestling Club, the Voyageurs look to build a strong team and provide a chance to keep athletes in the north.
Success starts from the top and Laurentian’s new head coach, Andy Lalonde, brings a very impressive resume with him to the team. Beginning his international wrestling career in 1994 as a member of the junior team at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Lalonde worked his way through the ranks, winning 7 provincial championships, 3 Canadian championships and ultimately winning his pool and finishing fifth on the ladder for the 1996 Olympic trials. In 1995 Lalonde was named the Canadian Men U-20 MVP. Throughout his wrestling career Lalonde was coached by multiple World and Olympic Champion Anatoli Belaglozov.
Once finished his wrestling career, Lalonde turned to coaching which culminated in the form of an assistant coaching position on the gold medal winning Canadian U-20 Men’s team at the Pan-Am Championships. On an individual level, Lalonde has coached 7 Canadian champions, 23 Canadian Championship medalists, Pan-American champions, a winner at the Commonwealth Youth Championships and a few athletes who have earned top 5 finishes in the world. Lalonde has also guided teams, not just individuals, to some pretty lofty levels, guiding 3 teams to a top 3 finish at provincials.
Laurentian Athletic Director Peter Hellstrom sees nothing but positives in the addition of another team on campus. “I am very excited to be bringing another team into the mix here at Laurentian. With the additions we have made in the past few years and now wrestling, we have 10 sports under our umbrella and we are very proud to be expanding the number of student-athletes at Laurentian. Andy Lalonde brings a great resume with him and someone of his caliber, with the experience and expertise that he has, will be a great leader for the program.”
While most programs expect to have growing pains in their early years, the fledgling Laurentian team has some rather lofty and attainable goals. With the strong grassroots program developed by the Sudbury and Regional Wrestling Club, Coach Lalonde expects the team to be competitive right from the start. “With all of the local up and coming talent combined with those students who are coming here from afar, we have the ability to provide this program with a great foundation. I don’t want to just go out there and participate, I want to compete and I want to win. Laurentian has some great facilities and Sudbury is fairly central for the communities in Northeastern Ontario. Those are some key ingredients in developing a program that will be successful for years to come.”
“There is a lot to be excited about on campus this fall,” added Hellstrom. “Not only do we have some established teams that are going to be very competitive, our newer, younger teams are going to do us proud as well. It’s a great time to be part of the Voyageur and Lady Vees family.”
The men’s and women’s teams will convene in September and begin training before the wrestling season starts up later in the fall. Continue to follow the progress of Laurentian’s newest team, along with all the other varsity teams, at www.luvoyageurs.com.
Laurentian University's Department of Athletics is home to 12 varsity sports teams. The Voyageurs and Lady Vees decorated history of pride and tradition includes 61 provincial championships as well as 9 national championships in 49 years of competition.
Source: Laurentian Athletics
