At the provincial open wrestling championships on Dec. 1 and 2, Toronto wrestler Jessica Fitzgerald distinguished herself by winning her first ever provincial championship. “It feels exciting,” Fitzgerald said about her victory. “I felt well prepared going into the tournament but I admit that I was pretty nervous.” En route to triumph, Fitzgerald had to defeat two wrestlers who had previously given her a lot of trouble. With a record of 12–0, she remains the only Toronto wrestler to be undefeated in both university and open competition this year, conquering the top ranked U.S. intercollegiate wrestler at the McMaster Invitational. “Jessica wrestled very well yesterday. The woman she beat in the finals had dominated her all last year, and so beating her now is definitely a tribute to how hard she has trained,” said Coach Mike Quinsey. Jessica is in the first of a four-year graduate pharmaceutical program. The Ontario Open Wrestling Championship is open to wrestlers over the age of 20. The tournament is used to determine carding (provincial funding) points for financial assistance to athletes.
