The forgotten champs of MRU

by Blaine Meller

Sports Editor

While many people point to the success of Mount Royal’s hockey, volleyball and basketball programs, can they say the same about the university’s history in swimming, wrestling and cross-country running?

Mount Royal captured the provincial wrestling championship in 1979-80 and nine consecutive men’s, women’s and combined swimming titles from 1995-96 to 2003-04. Additionally, the cross-country running teams captured eight men’s and eight women’s team events from 1970-71 through 2003-04, and nine men’s and seven women’s individual titles during that time.

Also interesting is the list of five additional sports — alpine skiing, bowling, canoeing, racquetball and cross-country skiing — that ACAC student athletes used to have the opportunity to participate in. The last of these sports to be discontinued was cross-country skiing, which ran from 1977-78 through 2002-03. Alpine skiing was discontinued in 1976, bowling and racquetball in 1989 and canoeing and 1998.