Payten Smith of Maple Ridge secondary is one of two female wrestling recruits announced by Simon Fraser University Athletics for the 2014-15 season.
Smith will join Marlena Waldring of North Vancouver on the Clan in the Women’s Collegiate Wrestling Association for the upcoming season as the team looks to fill the holes left by six departing seniors.
Smith recently returned from the Canadian juvenile championships, where she won the 90-kg weight division.
She went undefeated, winning all four matches by pin, all in under a minute, and without shaving a point scored against her, before going undefeated in the Greco-roman style competition to win her second national title of the event. She is a three-time B.C. high school champion in her weight class, and is interesting in pursuing a degree health sciences.
Waldring was the provincial runner-up in her weight class.
She joined the sport in her last year of high school, but has made great gains in one year of competition.
The pair of wrestlers will join the Clan in September.