Cochrane Cowboys wrestlers returned with five medals against stiff competition in two elite Ontario tournaments earlier this month and continue to have an impact upon the Canadian wrestling scene.

Naomi Cook, 14, struck gold in her weight class at a Brampton, ON. tournament, Dec. 9, and coach Vern McNeice is thrilled.

"That's exciting. She's a girl that has been working hard and she's progressing and doing some really great stuff."

In that same tournament, Hunter Smith, 17, and Connor Pointen, 16, both claimed silver in their respective weight class.

In Hamilton's Bishop Ryan Invitational, Dec. 8,  Smith also won silver and Pointen, bronze. McNeice was impressed with their performances, especially since they were competing against some world team members.

Danika Cook also travelled but was pulled from the tournament due to illness. The Cowboys' Connor McNeice had to withdraw and didn't travel because he was also battling an illness and is recovering from a neck injury suffered while practising with Olympic gold medallist Erica Wiebe. He's on the road to recovery.

For the last six years, it has become a tradition of the Cowboys to send their elite wrestlers to these top Ontario meets.

"We don't get an opportunity to see them very often during the year and we it gives us a chance to measure where we're at," McNeice explains. "You always return with a couple of things to work on, but our kids continue to measure well."

Commonwealth Games trials

Recently, Connor McNeice participated in the Canadian tryouts for the upcoming Commonwealth Games on Nov. 3 in Burnaby, B.C. in the 65-kg weight class.

The experience will help the world-class wrestler as he enters a new realm of wrestling.

"For an 18-year-old, we're really pleased with how he's coming. He scored on these senior athletes and challenged them and we're excited for the next couple of years," says Coach McNeice.

His brother Callum McNeice, 20, a former Cowboy who has entered his third year of wrestling for the University of Calgary, also competed in the 74-kg class.

The Cowboys are a nationally-ranked club that continues to grow both in numbers and stature. Their program is for youth from grade 2 to 12 and is broken into three groups: grades 2-6; grades 7-12; and senior elite program, a specialized program for athletes training for national competitions.