Natasha Doroodian won Algoma University's first ever medal on Saturday afternoon, a Silver, at the CIS national wrestling championships in Edmonton, Alberta.
 
After going 2-0 in her first two matches, Doroodian lost in the 63kg weight class final to Jessica Brouilette of Brock University, who is the defending CIS National Champion. While Brouilette came into the match as the favourite, Doroodian had the recent advantage of having beaten her two weeks ago at the OUA Championships, by pin.
 
With the rest of the University cheering her on from the Speakeasy bar on the Algoma U campus, Doroodian won her first two matches on Friday, including an exciting come-from-behind victory over top-seeded Temitope Ogunjim of the University of Calgary. Ogunjim scored 5 quick points in that match, but Doroodian battled back to win by pin. Last year, Ogunjim was 5th at the Junior World Championships.
 
The Gold Medal match assured Doroodian of a medal at these Championships, but she wasn't satisfied with that. "I'm very happy to have won the Silver Medal," she said shortly after the match, "but obviously I had the gold medal in my sights.  I wrestled a good tournament, but know there are things I can work on over the summer.  Next year, I plan on standing on the top of the podium." Coach Trevor Manchester was happy with the way his wrestler competed: "The coaching staff is very proud of Tasha's performance at the CIS Championships," he wrote via email from the gym at the University of Alberta.
 
In only her second season wrestling at the OUA and CIS level, Doroodian has been to the national championships twice, finishing 4^th in 2014, and now 2^nd this year. "We are super proud of Natasha for doing what no other Thunderbird Varsity Student-Athlete has done," said Athletic Director Mark Kontulainen. "She makes Algoma U history by winning the first National Championship Silver Medal and does it in only her second year of competition at this level. Outstanding."
 
For more information about the CIS Wrestling Championships, please visit http://english.cis-sic.ca/championships/wrest/index.