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results and wrapup story from usawrestling.org
Final results and quotes from the U.S. National Championships
FREESTYLE
54 kg/119 lbs.
1st - Sammie Henson, Norman, Okla. (Sunkist Kids) dec. Eric Akin, Overland Park, Kan. (Dave Schultz WC), 3-2
3rd - Stephen Abas, Fresno, Calif. (Sunkist Kids) dec. Mike Mena, Iowa City, Iowa (Hawkeye), 4-0
5th - Teague Moore, Pittsburgh, Pa. (Sunkist Kids) won by inj. Dft. Over Lou Rosselli, Edinboro, Pa. (New York AC)
7th -Tim Dernlan, Columbus, Ohio (Ohio International) won by inj. Dft. Over Chris Fleeger, Trout Run, Pa. (Advantage)
58 kg/127.75 lbs.
1st - Kerry Boumans, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Dave Schultz WC) dec. Danny Felix, Norman, Okla. (Sunkist Kids), 4-0
3rd -Mark Ironside, Iowa City, Iowa (Hawkeye) dec. Yero Washington, Fresno, Calif. (Sunkist Kids), 8-1
5th - Eric Guerrero, Stillwater, Okla. (Sunkist Kids) won by inj. Dft. Over Jason Kutz, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army)
7th - Jeff Bedard, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) won by inj. Dft. Over Dwight Hinson, Ames, Iowa (Sunkist Kids)
63 kg/138.75 lbs.
1st - Cary Kolat, Morgantown, W.Va. (Dave Schultz WC) dec. T.J. Jaworsky, Chapel Hill, N.C. (New York AC), 5-1
3rd - Bill Zadick, Iowa City, Iowa (Hawkeye) dec. John Fisher, Ypsilanti, Mich. (Sunkist Kids), 5-1
5th - Eric Larkin, Tempe, Ariz. (Sunkist Kids) won by inj.dft. over Shawn Charles, Mt. Pleasant, Mich. (Sunkist Kids)
7th - Jeremy Ensrud, Eugene, Ore. (Dave Schultz WC) dec. Mike Eierman, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Team Excel), 16-11
69 kg/152 lbs.
1st - Lincoln McIlravy, Iowa City, Iowa (Hawkeye) dec. Chris Bono, Ames, Iowa (Sunkist Kids), 3-0
3rd - Pat Santoro, Bethlehem, Pa. (New York AC) dec. Terry Steiner, Madison, Wis. (Team Excel), 4-3
5th - Alan Fried, Lakewood, Ohio (Sunkist Kids) vs. Ramico Blackmon, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Team Excel), 4-2
7th - Casey Cunningham, Mt. Pleasant, Mich. (Sunkist Kids) dec. Kenny Johnson, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Wildcat), 7-2
76 kg/167.5 lbs.
1st - Brandon Slay, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Dave Schultz WC) dec. Joe Williams, Iowa City, Iowa (Hawkeye), 5-3
3rd - Brian Dolph, Ridley Park, Pa. (Dave Schultz WC) dec. Byron Tucker, Norman, Okla. (Sunkist Kids), 3-1
5th - Steve Marianetti, Urbana, Ill. (New York AC) won by inj. Dft. Over Sean Bormet, Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cliff Keen)
7th - Glen Pritzlaff, Philadelphia, Pa. (Dave Schultz WC) won by inj. Dft. Over Dan St. John, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids)
85 kg/187.25 lbs.
1st - Les Gutches, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) dec. Charles Burton, Bloomington, Ind. (New York AC),
3-0
3rd - Lee Fullhart, Iowa City, Iowa (Hawkeye WC) dec. Aaron Simpson, Tempe, Ariz. (Sunkist Kids), 4-0
5th - Ray Brinzer, Iowa City, Iowa (Dave Schultz WC) won by inj. Dft. Over Cael Sanderson, Heber City, Utah (Sunkist Kids)
7th - Tim Hartung, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) dec. Viktor Sveda, Bloomington, Ind., 6-4
97 kg/213.75 lbs.
1st - Melvin Douglas, Mesa, Ariz. (Sunkist Kids) dec. Dominic Black, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army), 4-3, ot, 7:31
3rd - Chad Lamer, Iowa City, Iowa (Hawkeye) won by inj. Dft. Over Joel Sharratt, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm)
5th - Rex Holman, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) won by inj. Dft. Over Mitch Clark, Columbus, Ohio (Ohio International)
7th - Mark Munoz, Stillwater, Okla. won by inj. Dft. Over Jason Robison, Pittsburgh, Pa. (New York AC)
130 kg/286 lbs.
1st - Kerry McCoy, State College, Pa. (New York AC) dec. Stephen Neal, Bakersfield, Calif. (Dave Schultz WC), 3-2
3rd - Tolly Thompson, Cedar Falls, Iowa (Sunkist Kids) won by inj. Dft. Over Tom Erikson, W. Lafayette, Ind. (Sunkist Kids)
5th - Airron Richardson, Shaker Heights, Ohio (Team Excel) pin Angelo Borzio, E. Stroudsburg, Pa. (New York AC), 1:19
7th - Tim Courtad, Cleveland, Ohio (Bobcat WC) won by inj. Dft. Over Billy Blunt, Raleigh, N.C. (Sunkist Kids)
Outstanding Wrestler - Brandon Slay, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Dave Schultz WC), 167.5 pounds
Most Falls -Joe Williams, Iowa City, Iowa (Hawkeye) three falls in 5:32
Div. I Teams - 1. Sunkist Kids, 102 pts.; 2. Dave Schultz WC, 55 pts.; 3. Hawkeye WC, 36 pts.
Div. II Teams - 1. New York AC, 39 pts.; 2. Armed Forces/Army, 16 pts.
GRECO-ROMAN
54 kg/119 lbs.
1st - Brandon Paulson, Golden Valley, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) won by ref. dec. over Steven Mays, Pensacola, Fla. (Armed Forces), 1-1, ot, 9:00
3rd - Broderick Lee, Huntington Beach, Calif. (Jets) dec. Shawn Sheldon, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC), 7-4
5th - Jeff Cervone, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Armed Forces) won by tech. fall over Marcos Jeantete, Pensacola, Fla. (Armed Forces), 10-0
7th -Michel Santos, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Armed Forces) dec. Joey Dansby, San Luis Obispo, Calif. (Dave Schultz WC), 10-3
58 kg/127.75 lbs.
1st - Dennis Hall, Plover, Wis. (Sunkist Kids) dec. Jim Gruenwald, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids), 4-3
3rd -Duaine Martin, Quantico, Va. (Armed Forces) dec. Mujaahid Maynard, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Armed Forces), 4-3
5th -Darnell Lollis, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC) dec. Dave Nieradka, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Armed Forces), 5-0
7th - Cody Sanderson, Heber City, Utah (Sunkist Kids) dec. Josh Fox, Colorado Springs, Colo., 7-3
63 kg/138.75 lbs.
1st - Kevin Bracken, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC) dec. Shon Lewis, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Armed Forces), 3-2
3rd - James Shillow, Quantico, Va. (Armed Forces) dec. Jason Tolbert, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Armed Forces), 15-10, ot
5th - Glenn Nieradka, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Armed Forces) won by inj. dft. over Jacob Hey, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Armed Forces)
7th - Brian Pickering, Pensacola, Fla. (Armed Forces) won by tech. fall over Glenn Garrison, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Peninsula)
69 kg/152 lbs.
1st - Heath Sims, Huntington Beach, Calif. (Dave Schultz WC) dec. Marcel Cooper, Quantico, Va. (Armed Forces), 2-0, ot, 9:00
3rd -Keith Wilson, Colorado Springs, Colo.(Armed Forces) won by ref. Dec. over Joey Clark, Quantico, Va. (Armed Forces)
5th - Ethan Harris, Salt Lake City, Utah (Dave Schultz WC) won by inj. dft. over Chris Saba, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC)
7th - Brandon McNab, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Dave Schultz WC) won by inj. dft. over Willy Knight, Columbus, Ohio (Ohio International)
76 kg/167.5 lbs.
1st - Matt Lindland, Lincoln, Neb. (Sunkist Kids) won by ref. dec. over Keith Sieracki, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Armed Forces), 1-1, ot, 9:00
3rd - T.C. Dantzler, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC) won by tech. fall over Mike Uker, Minneapolis, Minn., (Minnesota Storm), 12-0, 2:26
5th - Tom Ciezki, Evanston, Ill. (Wildcat) won by inj. dft. over Kevin Vogel, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Michigan WC)
7th - Rob McKenny, Quantico, Va. (Armed Forces) dec. Carl Fronhofer, Salem, N.Y. (PWC), 3-1
85 kg/187.25 lbs.
1st - Quincey Clark, New Brighton, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) dec. Dan Henderson, Gresham, Ore. (Dave Schultz WC), 11-6
3rd -Ethan Bosch, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC) dec. Chael Sonnen, Tualatin, Ore. (Dave Schultz WC), 7-0
5th - James Meyer, Colorado Springs, Colo. (unattached) won by inj. Dft. Over Dan Niebuhr, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids)
7th - Jake Sabo, Albany, N.Y. (ATWA) won by inj. Dft. Over Kenny Owens, Quantico, Va. (Armed Forces)
97 kg/213.75 lbs.
1st - Jason Gleasman, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC) dec. Garrett Lowney, Appleton, Wis. (Minnesota Storm), 3-0
3rd - Randy Couture, Gresham, Ore. (Sunkist Kids) dec. Dave Surofchek, Colorado Springs, Colo., 5-0
5th - Jason Klohs, Maple Grove, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) dec. Greg Gibson, Quantico, Va. (Armed Forces), 1-0, ot, 9:00
7th - Joshua Hall, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Armed Forces) won by inj. dft. Over Michael Foy, Brooklyn Park, Minn. (Sunkist Kids)
130 kg/286 lbs.
1st - Rulon Gardner, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) won by ref. dec. Matt Ghaffari, Avon Lake, Ohio (Sunkist Kids), 1-0, ot, 9:00
3rd - Corey Farkas, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Armed Forces) dec. Dremiel Byers, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Armed Forces), 3-2
5th - Billy Pierce, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) pin Brian Keck, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC), 3:17
7th - Josh Etu, Albany, N.Y. (ATWA) pin Tim Tekautz, LaCrosse, Wis. (Minnesota Storm), 4:29
Outstanding Wrestler - Quincey Clark, New Brighton, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) 187.25 pounds
Most Falls - Ethan Harris, Salt Lake City, Utah (Dave Schultz WC), four falls in 2:33
Div I Teams - 1. Armed Forces, 89 pts.; 2. Dave Schultz WC, 24 pts.
Div. II Teams - 1. Sunkist Kids, 48 pts.; 2. New York AC, 42 pts.
WOMEN
46 kg/101.25 lbs.
1st - Tricia Saunders, Phoenix, Ariz. (Sunkist Kids) pin Clarissa Chun, Kapolei, Hawaii (Missouri Valley), 2:51
3rd - Julie Gonzalez, Vallejo, Calif. (Peninsula Grapplers) dec. Angela Hesener, Ann Arbor, Mich. (Dave Schultz WC), 3-2
5th - Crystal Brown, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist) won by tech. fall over Lindsay Torrance, Grass Valley, Calif. (unattached), 10-0, 2:55
51 kg/112.25.lbs.
1st - Stephanie Murata, Williamsburg, Ky. (Sunkist Kids) dec. Patricia Miranda, Stanford, Calif. (Dave Schultz WC), 8-2
3rd - Jenny Wong, Minneapolis, Minn. (Sunkist Kids) dec. Melina Hutchinson, Soldotna, Alaska (Unattached), 6-4
5th -Olivia Ocampo, Oxnard, Calif. (UM-Morris) dec. Amy Alvaro, Marshall, Mo. (Missouri Valley), 3-2
56 kg/127.75 lbs.
1st - Mabel Fonseca, San Juan, Puerto Rico (Sparta) dec. Malissa Sherwood, Rocklin, Calif. (Dave Schultz WC),
7-6
3rd - Tina George-Wilson, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) dec. Erin Tomeo, Volant, Pa. (TAPS), 4-3
5th - Carrie Birge, Aurora, Colo. (Missouri Valley) pin Karina Chin, San Francisco, Calif. (Peninsula Grapplers),
1:54
62 kg/138.75 lbs.
1st - Sara McMann, Lock Haven, Pa. (Sunkist Kids) won by tech. fall over Tonya Evinger, Bates City, Mo. (Wrestling Central), 16-4, 3:15
3rd - Tina Arnds, Scottsdale, Ariz. (Missouri Valley) dec. Sally Roberts, Federal Way, Wash. (UM-Morris), 10-7, ot
5th -Lauwa'e Smith, Marshall, Mo. (Missouri Valley) won by inj. dft. Over Jimi Dawn Hornbuckle, Poteau, Okla. (Dave Schultz WC)
68 kg/152 lbs.
1st - Sandy Bacher, San Jose, Calif. (Dave Schultz WC) dec. Kristie Marano, Albany, N.Y. (ATWA), 5-1
3rd - Melanie Macari, Fremont, Calif. (Missouri Valley) pin Toccara Montgomery, Cleveland, Ohio (Missouri Valley), 1:29
5th - Tori Adams, Amarillo, Texas (Unattached) pin Teri Kleinberg, Rancho Palo Vedes, Calif. (Unattached) , 4:48
76 kg/165.25 lbs.
1st - Iris Smith, Colorado Springs, Colo. (unattached) pin Dominique Smalley, Colorado Springs, Colo. (TNT), 5:10
3rd - Alicia Mena, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) pin Donell Bradley, Aiei, Hawaii (Missouri Valley), 2:34
5th - Samantha Branka, Lincoln Park, Mich., (UM-Morris) pin Sara Torbert, San Diego, Calif. (SOPAC Navy), 4:14
Outstanding Wrestler - Sara McMann, Lock Haven, Pa. (Sunkist Kids)
Most Falls - Carrie Birge, Aurora, Colo. (Missouri Valley), four falls in 4:44
Teams - 1. Sunkist Kids, 35 pts.; 2. Missouri Valley College, 26 pts.
QUOTES
FREESTYLE -
54 kg - Sammie Henson - "This win helps in some ways for the Olympic Trials, because I get to rest, but then, I don't get the competition. He gets the advantage. Any competitor has to look at it as getting the advantage. He gets to wrestle. I get to sit. I was nervous. You work hard but the nerves get to you. This is my life. This is my job. It's
like going to pick up your paycheck."
57 kg - Kerry Boumans - "I had fun out there. I had to change my entire training routine. I knew that I was good enough to win this tournament. The hard work has paid off. It feels good and is a great accomplishment, but it is only a stepping stone."
63 kg - Cary Kolat - I'm gonna watch and see who wins the mini-tournament and think about what they are doing. I felt the competition was really good. Since I came in as the top seed, I had the easy side of the bracket. I think Shawn Charles and TJ Jaworsky wrestled very well."
76 kg - Brandon Slay - "My main plan was to stay patient and not force anything. Joe is one of the best guys in the world with a counter attack. I just had to stay patient with him. This is my 18th year of wrestling and these are the most important months of my life. It will be extra special at the trials, since I am a native Texan. I could be the first native Texan to make the Olympic team and doing it in Dallas will be special. This is the fifth time I've wrestled him and the first time I've beaten him. I watched a lot of video and had the experience to figure out how to beat. He comes back real hard. He takes a lot of shots. He's so quick, he usually gets them."
85 kg - Les Gutches - "I had a hard time getting motivated this year. It's my sixth time in the finals, my fifth title. It's not that the competition is any less. I mean, it was tough and just because I make the team in 1996 doesn't mean I'll make it in 2000. I guess I've been looking ahead to the Olympic Finals instead of the National finals. This was a wakeup call. The next step is to take a break. Having the No. seed is huge. This time against Burton I think I wrestled my best, but a 3-0 match says something for Burton, he's tough."
97 kg - Melvin Douglas - "I was mentally tired last year. It was tough to wrestle because all my friends in wrestling had mostly retired. This year, I got in really good shape. The other guys used to try to tire me out. When I was in training, I wanted the other guys to see me training hard this year."
130 kg - Kerry McCoy - "My next step is to take two weeks off. Then I'll go to Colorado Springs to train for the Trials. I kept moving against Neal, so I couldn't get taken down. We have a great relationship. He is a great guy. The key for me is that I have been eating well and training very well."
GRECO-ROMAN
54 kg -Brandon Paulson - "I've never won a national championship. It was my goal to win last year, and the next two years. This win controls my Olympic berth. It's now up to me. I didn't want it on anyone else's hands. I didn't wrestle my best, but I wrestled hard. I showed my shape was there. The most important thing to know is you are going to win every time you take the mat. If nothing else, I knew confidence was going to help me. You gotta know you are going to win."
58 kg - Dennis Hall- "My conditioning wasn't as good as I would have liked it to have been. I tore some cartiledge back in March. I had Terry Brands in my corner. He has helped me keep my focus.
63 kg - Kevin Bracken - "Coach Anatoly Petrosyan has helped me out with technique and strategy. All the international competition this year has helped me. With Lewis, I had to be more patient. I had to make him wrestle me in my kind of match."
69 kg - Heath Sims -"I feel great. I have controlled my weight very well. With my break from competition last year, I have stayed fresh mentally.
76 kg - Matt Lindland- "I didn't dominate. I feel I can dominate in the whole world, so I should be able to dominate in my own back yard. We know each other so well, Sieracki and I, and it makes it tough. He's a good competitor. As far as the Trials, the difference between now and 1996, I am taking each event one at a time. I focused on the nationals, now I'll focus on the Pan Ams. My next step is to qualify this weight at the Pan Ams."
85 kg - Quincey Clark - "This win sets me up to be able to recover better before I wrestle again. Dan will be there, I know he will. I will end up wrestling him again. I wrestled Dan in the semis last year and it was the hardest match I ever had. I'm not going to go out so slow next time. He is a very clever technician. That is what I have to look out for. He's not afraid to use his moves. Most guys come out and feel you out at first. Next time, I'll attack right away."
WOMEN CHAMPIONS
46 kg - Tricia Saunders - "Every national championship is fun to win. This win was as much fun as my first national championship, my fifth, my seventh and so on. It's a great tournament and I had a lot of fun. Clarrisa Chun is real talented. I'd never wrestled her before or even watched her wrestle. She was coached real well. I wasn't worried going out. She looks smaller but she's a lot stronger than I though. She's very solid.
51 kg - Stephanie Murata- "I think it is my turn at the Worlds. I am very confident. Being a coach has really helped me in my wrestling. (note: Murata is the new women's coach at Cumberland College)."
69 kg - Sandy Bacher - "This was something that was really tough for me. She is very talented. I was really anxious about this match. I had to keep my composure in order to win."
76 kg - Iris Smith- "I want to go to the World Championships. I want to win the World Team Trials. As soon as this becomes an Olympic sport, I will be happy."