100 Mile Wrestling Club grappler Tiana Dykstra continues to follow in the footsteps of her accomplished older sister Marina Dykstra, as she pinned down a gold medal at the 2013 Western Canada Age Class Championship.
The elite tournament was held Jan. 10-12 in Kamloops, featuring close to 800 of the top secondary school age wrestlers from all over Western Canada.
Tiana, 14, won all three of her matches to snap up gold in the 43-kilogram Cadet Girls division. Marina struck gold in 2010 in the Cadet Girls 54-kg class.
Tiana's victory comes less than a month after earning a silver medal at the War on the Floor tournament in Langley, where she was hampered by a neck injury suffered in her first match.
Aidan Fentiman also represented the 100 Mile House club at westerns, winning two of his matches and losing two in the Juvenile Boys division.
Coach Phil Johnston says he is proud of both his athletes and blamed a couple of minor mistakes on Fentiman's part, which cost him a medal.
Tiana's gold medal performance has garnered her a berth at the 2013 ASICs Cadet/Juvenile National Wrestling Championships in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, April 4-7.
With Tiana ranked in the top 2 in the province in her weight class, Johnston says he's optimistic about the upcoming tournament.
"She's got a good chance. She's already competed before with kids from other provinces and placed in the top 2. She should perform well."