SARNIA – Time to roll out the mats.
Lambton College Athletics is preparing to launch the Lambton Lions Wrestling Club for students in Sarnia, becoming the first institution in the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) to offer a sanctioned wrestling club as part of its athletic offerings.
“Today is an exciting day for the students at Lambton College and the local community,” said James Grant, Manager of Athletics and Student Life at Lambton College. “Sarnia-Lambton has had a rich history of wrestling, and we are proud to be able to partner with some great people in starting what we hope will be a meaningful addition to what our college community has to offer.”
In addition to the eight OCAA varsity programs that the Lions compete in provincially and the renowned Lambton College FireFit program, the Lambton Lions Wrestling Club provides prospective student-athletes with yet another opportunity to compete at the post-secondary level while receiving a top-quality education at Lambton College.
Of the other 25 member institutions at the collegiate level in Ontario, none of them list wrestling as a sport or club offering.
The Lambton Lions Wrestling Club will be a club team sanctioned by the Ontario Amateur Wrestling Association (OAWA) and will be competing in senior level open tournaments and select varsity tournaments for both men and women. Main competition for the club will be varsity teams from across the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) landscape, as well as other senior level clubs within Ontario and Quebec.
The competitive season for the Lambton Lions Wrestling Club begins in November, with university open and invitational tournaments alike, and concludes in May with the National Championships.
Athletes will be eligible to compete at the OAWA and Wrestling Canada Lutte (WCL) provincial and national championships, which includes the junior age group, U23 age group, and the senior championships.
At these events, athletes will be competing for carding points, funding, and the opportunity to qualify for national team programs, including the Pan American Championships, Commonwealth Games, and the World Championships.
Lambton College Athletics and the Lambton Lions Wrestling Club coaches will be looking to recruit athletes within the Southwestern Ontario region to establish a solid core within the program out of the gates. They will also begin looking outside the local area for quality student-athletes interested in senior level wrestling at the collegiate level.
All club practices will take place inside the Cestar Group Athletics & Fitness Complex in Sarnia, utilizing a combination of the Fitness Centre, Fitness Studio, and the Main Gymnasium.
If you are interested in wrestling at the collegiate level at Lambton College and want to get in touch with one of our coaches, click here to fill out the Lambton Lions Wrestling Club recruitment form.
About our Coaches
John Burke
Coach Burke has been a teacher for the St. Clair Catholic District School Board since 2000, and he currently teaches at St. Patrick’s Catholic High School in the Social Science Department.
Burke has extensive experience coaching at the high school level, where his St. Patrick’s team won the 2020 OFSAA Team Title along with producing many OFSAA champions and medalists along with multiple age-group medalists and champions at both the provincial and national levels.
Prior to his teaching career, Burke was an Assistant Wrestling Coach at Lakehead University and Head Coach of the Northwestern Ontario Wrestling Club.
John has experience coaching many provincial and national teams at events such as: Canada Games, National Championships, Pan American Championships, Commonwealth Championships, and World Championships.
- NCCP Level 4 Coach (National Coaching Certification Program
- Learning Facilitator & Evaluator with the Coaching Association of Canada for wrestling coaches in Canada
- Silver Level Coach with USA Wrestling
- Coached the Jamaican National Team to the Commonwealth Championships
- Coaches Team Michigan and Team Florida to the USA Nationals on multiple occasions.
Kyle Bershatsky
Coach Bershatsky brings 28 years of coaching experience to the wrestling mat, with a career that fosters a culture of resilience and excellence while developing well-rounded athletes.
Bershatsky has experience coaching at various levels over his 28-year career. He currently works with the Sarnia Bluewater Wrestling Club, where he has been since 2011. Bershatsky was an Assistant Coach at NYU for the 2011-12 season, where he coaches and developed wrestlers at the collegiate level, before making the move to the local high school scene.
He was the Head Coach at Lambton Central Collegiate & Vocational Institute from 2012 to 2021. He is now an Assistant Coach at Northern Collegiate, where he has helped lead the team to many city and regional championships while coaching individual wrestlers to many achievements.
Coach Bershatsky is a strong advocate for youth wrestling in the community, often running clinics and mentorship programs to inspire the next generation of wrestlers.
- Wrestling since 1998 across all levels and multiple countries
- B.Sc. (Kin.); University of Regina
- NCCP AB Certified Wrestling and Rugby Coach
- CPAFLA CSEP Certified Personal Trainer
Lauchlin Macdonald
Coach Macdonald is a local red seal carpenter and Local 1256 member with over 15 years of wrestling experience. Lauchlin possesses six years of coaching experience with the Sarnia Bluewater Wrestling Club.
Macdonald has been a coach for Team Ontario for many provincial, national, and international tournaments. He has also served as an international wrestling clinician.
- NCCP A/B Certified Coach
- B.A. (Honours) in Kinesiology; Western University
For more information, or for any media inquiries within Lambton College Athletics, please contact:
Tyler Bennett
Lambton College Sports Information & Marketing Coordinator
tyler.bennett@lambtoncollege.ca