Mustangs Nwamadi, Marauders Zahra earn OUA Athlete of the Week honours
Burlington, Ont. – Jennifer Nwamadi and Ben Zahra have been named Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Athletes of the Week for the period ending February 2, 2020.
Female Athlete of the Week – Jennifer Nwamadi, Western Mustangs, Wrestling
Not only was Jennifer Nwamadi a champion on the mats, but also a standout beyond them, as the Western Mustangs’ major award winner from the OUA Wrestling Championships captures the latest OUA Athlete of the Week honours.
Nwamadi, who hails from Brampton, Ont. was the recipient of the Female Student-Athlete Community Service Award for her work both within and beyond the sport, which capped off a winning weekend for the second-year wrestler. While her involvement in the community is celebratory, her work on the mats made her one to watch on Saturday afternoon at the University of Guelph. Her quest to the finals included a 5-1 decision over Brock and a tech fall (11-1) over York, both of which were the culmination of her impressive compete level and training.
In the championship bout, the academic All-Canadian and active volunteer took on Toronto’s Rachel Zack, who she defeated by tech fall (10-0) to cap off her undefeated day and take home gold in the 72kg division.
Male Athlete of the Week – Ben Zahra, McMaster Marauders, Wrestling
Ben Zahra was about as unstoppable as it gets when he took to the mats at this weekend’s OUA Wrestling Championships, managing to tackle a feat he had yet to accomplish in his university career.
After bringing home the silver for three consecutive years, Zahra took that long-awaited step up the podium this season to cap off a strong banner season showing in the 76kg category. The native of Mississauga, Ont. began his day with a trio of tech falls in the pool rounds against Queen’s, Toronto, and Algoma, respectively. He parlayed those dominant performances into a gold medal match against Brock, in which he prevailed over the previously unblemished Ty Bridgwater by a narrow 8-5 decision.
After rolling out an undefeated effort on the day and brining home the gold for his McMaster squad – who finished second overall in the team standings (66 points) – Zahra claimed some additional hardware, getting named the OUA’s Outstanding Male Wrestler.
