During sporting events, Huskie athletes are used to having all eyes on them. But in the spirit of Valentine’s Day, here are the athletes whose accomplishments deserve a little extra attention.

Adam Machart keeps running through our minds

The Huskies football team and their running back Adam Machart both had a stellar 2019 season. Even when the temperature began dropping in the fall, Machart was turning up the heat and shattering records during October.

Machart needed only 163 rushing yards to break the Huskies’ season program record of 1,267. Instead, he went the extra distance for the fans and crushed 227 yards. But is he an eligible bachelor? It doesn’t matter because Marchart is so fast, nobody is going to be able to catch him anyways.

Huskie wrestlers show love for the sport

Wrestling is quite similar to making love because it involves two people grappling each other, except in this sport all the fun is had with your clothes on.

Last weekend, the Huskies men’s and women’s wrestling teams finished first and second, respectively, in the Canada West Championship.

Chances are all of Saskatoon’s singles are going to be wrestling to get a chance to meet Carson Lee who was named male rookie of the year. The three time national medalist placed first in the 82 kilogram weight class.

Huskies goalies stay so hot they are melting the ice

Players take shots at Taran Kozun and Jessica Vance all the time, but these golden goalies have a habit of shutting them down completely. 

Kozun, the 2018-19 U Sports athlete of the year, smashed the Canada West record for the longest consecutive shutout streak. Over the course of five games, Kozun was on the ice for 267 minutes and 32 seconds and didn’t let a single puck slide into his net. 

This goalie proved he is out of everyone’s league by recently breaking the Huskies’ program record with his 11th shutout in his Canada West career. In fact, Kozun is so smooth on the ice that he even scored a goal during a game in January — and scored himself a place in our hearts.

But Kozun isn’t the only Huskie goalie breaking records by stopping shots. Vance hasn’t been fooling around with anybody this season and secured her 20th career shutout, placing her first in Huskies’ women’s hockey and second in Canada West history.

Courtney Hufsmith making our hearts race

If you were lucky enough to take out this cross country runner, there would be no need to buy Hufsmith jewelry because her neck is already filled by all the medals she’s been earning. While most students are hoping they are relationship material, Hufmsith is proving that she is Olympic material by focussing on qualifying for the 2020 summer games.

Hufsmith is a 2019 World University Games Bronze Medalist for 1500-metre and holds four U of S records in 1500-metre and 3000-metre races. And she started 2020 still on fire, winning gold and silver in the Golden Bears Open and another first place in the Sanderson Classic 1000-metre race.

Honourable mention: Polina Bespalova

Although Bespalova isn’t on a Huskies team, she is still an incredible U of S athlete breaking records. 

Competing in her third Canadian Junior Weightlifting Championships, the second-
year kinesiology student won first place in Olympic weightlifting. Not only was Bespalova the first Saskatchewan woman in more than a decade to win the junior championships, she also broke four provincial records in the process. 

Bespalova lifted a total of 168 kg — roughly 370 pounds — managing 77 kg in the first lift and finishing with a 97 kg clean and jerk. This athlete is redefining what it means to be looking for a strong partner.

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Noah Callaghan/ Staff Writer

Photos: Supplied by GetMyPhoto.ca/HuskieAthletics, Jason Cain