Brock wrestler Mia Friesen, a third-year Social Sciences student, was selected to receive funding and an accelerated path to the Olympics after outlasting 2,200 athletes during RBC Training Ground’s nationwide talent search.A Brock University student-athlete has earned Olympic talent search funding and an accelerated path to the Olympic Games.
Mia Friesen, a third-year Social Sciences student from St. Catharines, was one of 30 finalists during RBC Training Ground to receive funding along with a spot on Team Canada with one of 12 partner National Sport Organizations (NSO).
“Mia seems to have a genetic aptitude for high performance, with both her parents being high-performance athletes,” said Chris Woodcroft, High Performance Director, Wrestling Canada. “Our hunch about her abilities can not only be seen on the mat, where she has excelled at Brock University and with our national team, but also in her raw abilities as shown in the RBC program testing. We’re excited to use this funding to help Mia reach her full potential.”
Friesen entered RBC Training Ground, an open nationwide talent search organized by the Canadian Olympic Committee, along with 2,200 athletes aged 14 to 25 from across Canada representing a range of sports.
Olympic talent scouts narrowed down the pool to 30 athletes after several qualifier events and the finals, which took place in Toronto on Saturday, Dec. 2. Scouts determined Friesen possesses outstanding core speed, strength, power and endurance.
“Competing in the RBC Training Ground was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before,” she said. “They made every athlete feel like a star. The staff heading up RBC Training Ground are incredible. There wasn’t a detail missed.”
While Friesen received invitations from other national sport programs, she opted to work exclusively with Wrestling Canada.
Last season, Friesen captured a gold medal in the women’s 57-kilogram weight class at the U SPORTS Wrestling Championships. She also won a bronze at the 2023 Senior National Championship, silver at the 2022 Pan-Am Junior Championship, and placed eighth overall at the 2022 Junior World Championship.
When asked about her greatest moment as an athlete in a survey as part of the RBC Training Ground, Friesen humbly responded that her “greatest moment is yet to come.”
A total of 13 RBC Training Ground athletes have competed at two Olympic Games since 2016, including former Brock varsity women’s rugby and hockey player Niamh Haughey (BPhEd’ 21). They have collectively brought home seven medals.
