Another alumni of the Cochrane Cowboys has been recruited to wrestle at the post-secondary level.

Brendan McKeage, 17, recently signed with the University of Calgary Dinos and is looking forward to the challenges its offers after success at both the provincial and national level with the Cowboys.

“It’s more challenging because everyone is good at that level,” said McKeage. “I like it better because I’m going in as a rookie and there’s not as much pressure. I just find it more fun; I like those tournaments.”

Choosing between wrestling for the Dinos or the University of Alberta Golden Bears was a tough decision for McKeage. His older brother, Aidan, joined the Golden Bears last year.

“I think I knew in my heart it was going to be between U of A and U of C,” said McKeage. “It would have been cool to be on the same team as my brother.”

Having five years of eligibility at the university level means he’ll be facing older and more experienced wrestlers and that fits well with what has appealed to McKeage since he started wrestling about 11 years ago.

“It’s that sense of accomplishment you get after a hard practice or tough tournament and you’re just sitting there and knowing that it took a lot of mental and physical strength to get through it.”

As a Cowboy he has wrestled at university varsity tournaments in recent years and has medaled against older opponents. He’s also had success at the provincial and national level of the sport and most recently earned a silver medal in the junior 60 kg class at the wrestling nationals. Previous to that he was a two-time national champion in his respective weight class and has numerous other accomplishments.

Technically, the Cowboys season is over, but McKeage will be joining several teammates in Edmonton this weekend in the trials for Team Alberta. If he is successful, he’ll be one of the wrestlers representing Alberta in the Canada Games this August.

In recent years, Alberta universities have recruited a number of wrestlers from the Cochrane Cowboys; especially the U of C. McKeage will be joining Cowboy alumni Callum McNeice, Charles Cook and Sarah Gregory on the Dinos team.