Friesen, Price, O’Connor named OUA athletes of the week

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February 12, 2024

Burlington, Ont. – Mia Friesen, Kyle Price, and Maddie O’Connor have been named OUA athletes of the week, fueled by Milk2Go Sport, for the period ending February 11, 2024.

Mia Friesen, Wrestling, Brock

Image of Brock Women's Wrestling player Mia Friesen on the mat in a ready position

Battling her way to the top once again, Mia Friesen’s golden performance helped the Brock Badgers claim their ninth consecutive OUA championship banner.

Friesen, a St. Catharines, Ont. local, captured a second consecutive gold medal at the OUA Wrestling Championships in the 56kg division. In her lone pool match, the social sciences major defeated nationally-ranked Guelph Gryphon Jayden Sparks by technical fall. Friesen then followed it up with a win over top-five nationally ranked Kendall Dettloff of the Western Mustangs via fall in a swift 24 seconds.

Overall, the Badgers earned 12 gold medals across the tournament, and with her individual effort in tow, Friesen was also tabbed as the most outstanding women’s wrestler.

Maddie O’Connor, Squash, Queen’s

Queen's women's squash player Maddie O'Connor posing in front of an OUA step-and-repeat backdrop holding an OUA trophy

Staying at the top of her game for the perennial powerhouse from Queen’s, Maddie O’Connor helped guide her Gaels to their ninth consecutive OUA women’s squash title.

Starting the weekend off with a sweep, the Gaels were off and running quickly, and followed up their 7-0 opener with a 6-1 triumph in their second pool play match. Continuing their momentum on Day 2, the Queen’s team swept both matches to punch their ticket to the finals against Waterloo, and in that nail-biting finale, the Tricolour emerged victorious. Helping them extend their banner-winning streak was O’Connor’s three match wins from the No. 1 position throughout the weekend, which was highlighted by a semifinal sweep against McMaster.

The senior from Toronto, Ont. not only goes home with another provincial gold medal, but was also named the most valuable player and an all-star at the 2024 OUA Squash Championships.

Kyle Price, Wrestling, Algoma   

Image of Algoma Men's wrestler Kyle Price wrestling on the mat pinning someone down

The Algoma Thunderbirds had a lot to celebrate as they hosted the 2024 OUA Championships, the first major wrestling event in Algoma since 2018.

Kyle Price, much like he has been in years past, was another source of jubilation for the host squad as he hit the mats in the 90kg category. The senior from Montreal, Que. was a force to be reckoned with in front of the home crowd, winning by fall over York’s Babs Ossom in just 54 seconds. Moving on to the next round the nation’s top-ranked wrestler in his class faced Aayden Callan of the Queen’s Gaels, and again, moved forward by fall in a time of 1:22. Heading into the final match, Price was able secure top spot with a gold medal victory over McMaster’s Howard Moffat in under two minutes

Price not only took the top prize, but he was also awarded the Keegan Trophy for most outstanding men’s wrestler.