BURNABY, B.C. – The next wave of Simon Fraser women's wrestling greats is on campus as four freshmen have joined the Red Leafs' roster ahead of the 2022-23 season. Two BC stars (Gina Bolognese and Mikaela Trolland) and two from Washington State (Kelsey Loeun and Laura Alcantar Soto) make up the latest recruiting class for SFU head coach Justin Abdou.

"We are excited to welcome all four of these young women," said Abdou. "Gina, Kelsey, Laura, and Mikaela come from programs and coaches with longstanding relationships with SFU Wrestling. They all know what it will take to get to the next level and succeed as varsity competitors here at SFU. They are working hard daily, and I could not be happier with their progress. Most likely all four will redshirt this year and will be looking to make some noise for the Red Leafs in 2023-24."

Alcantar Soto competed at 130 pounds as a high school wrestler in Washington state. Representing Cascade High School in Everett, she qualified for Mat Classic state championship meet in February.
 
Alcantar Soto won the girls 132-pound division at the 2022 Washington State Wrestling Association Greco State Championship in May. She was a finalist for the Dwayne Lane's Athlete of the Year scholarship, given to the top student-athletes in the Everett School District.
 
Bolognese is a graduate of Burnaby North Secondary School. She helped BC win the team gold at the 2022 Canada Summer Games, and was fourth in the individual competition at 52 kilograms. At the 2022 Canadian Wrestling Trials in May, Bolognese was sixth in the junior women's 50-kilogram weight class.
 
She claimed silver in the 51-kg division at the BC high school provincial meet in February. In 2020, Bolognese won the 47-kg provincial title, a year after placing second in the 43-kg class.
 
Loeun heads north after graduating from Mead High School in Spokane, Washington. Also a 130-pound wrestler, she placed fifth at the Mat Classic in February, defeating Alcantar Soto in the consolation bracket of the state championship meet. In the summer of 2021, Loeun won the 115-pound category at the WSWA Super State event.
 
From Abbotsford, B.C., Mikaela Trolland joins her sister Jade on the SFU roster.
 
Mikaela Trolland won gold in the team competition at the 2022 Canada Summer Games with BC. Individually, she was sixth in the 69-kg competition.
 
As a high school wrestler for W.J. Mouat Secondary School, Mikaela Trolland won provincial silver medals in 2022 (69 kg) and 2020 (60 kg).
 
SFU women's wrestling alumni won four medals (one gold, one silver, and two bronze) at the World Championships in September, and earned two bronze at the Under-23 World Championships last month.
 
The current squad will begin the 2022-23 season with a dual meet against the Alberta Pandas at the West Gym on Friday, Nov. 4. The next day, the Red Leafs host the SFU Open in the Central Gym.

For the latest information on SFU Athletics, visit athletics.sfu.ca. You can also find us on social media at @SFU_Athletics.

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