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By Gary Mihoces, USA TODAY 4/9/04

U.S. wrestlers hoping to compete in the 2004 Olympics will hold a convention of sorts this weekend in Las Vegas, and the stakes are high.
The U.S. Nationals, the first phase of the Olympic trials, are set for Friday and Saturday at the Las Vegas Convention Center in men's and women's freestyle and men's Greco-Roman.

"I'm excited to get this going. We've been training for a long time. Now is the time to see if we are there," says 185-pound freestyle favorite Cael Sanderson, 159-0 as a collegian at Iowa State, three-time U.S. national champ and world silver medalist last year.

National champions earn the top seeds in the Olympic trials May 21-23 in Indianapolis. They will sit out the first two days of a challenge tournament, then meet the preliminary winners in a best-of-three series for Olympic spots.

In his world tournament debut last year, Sanderson placed second.

"I haven't won a gold medal," he said. "Last year I wanted first, not second. I didn't do what I needed to do to win. Hopefully, I learned from the experience so I can win this year."

The USA has qualified for the Athens Games at all seven weight divisions (down from eight classes at the Sydney Games) in the men's freestyle and Greco-Roman (no holds allowed below the waist).

In Las Vegas, the top eight finishers in each men's weight will qualify for the Olympic trials.

Although there are seven weight classes in women's freestyle, only four weights will be contested when women's wrestling makes its Olympic debut Aug. 22.

In the four Olympic weights, the top eight in Las Vegas will make the trials, with the national champions getting a bye in the challenge tournament.

In the other three divisions, the top four will qualify for the trials, but those wrestlers must compete in a higher or lower division and wrestle in the challenge tournament.

Patricia Miranda, defending U.S. national champ, two-time world silver medalist and former member of the Stanford men's team, is the favorite in Las Vegas in the 105.5-pound class, one of the Olympic weights.

Miranda started wrestling when she joined the boys team as an eighth-grader in Saratoga, Calif. She became a high school team captain. As an undersized 125-pounder at Stanford, she was 1-7 in dual meets as a senior, with her lone victory by forfeit. But she did beat a male collegian in an open tournament.

Sanderson has had an Olympic dream since he was a kid. Miranda's situation is different.

"Growing up, thinking about being on an Olympic team was not something I thought of. It was not in the realm of possibility," said Miranda, who has put Yale Law School on hold while training for Athens.

"In college, all I wanted to do was beat a guy. Now, at the Olympic level, it is different. I feel pleased to have this opportunity. I'm trying to conclude a lifetime of waiting."

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Milan wrestlers compete at USGWA national championships

By Brian Cox, Staff Writer 4/8/04

Two Milan wrestlers finished in the top 10 at the United States Girls’ Wrestling Association national championships held last month in Lake Orion, at which more than 600 wrestlers competed.

Nikki Caballero (134) and Beth LaRowe (126) placed fourth and sixth, respectively, in their weight classes.

"They did a very nice job," said their coach, Mike Betts, adding that Caballero and LaRowe have been with him for years. "There are some tough girls out there."

Caballero, who was a varsity captain on the Milan High School team this year, was ranked ninth going into the tournament before catapulting into fourth place with three pins and two decisions.

In her first match, Caballero came away with a 9-1 decision over a wrestler from California and then achieved a 9-2 decision over a wrestler from Maine.

In the quarterfinals, Caballero lost a 7-3 decision to Vanessa Oswalt of Ohio, who would end up claiming first place.

Caballero went on to work pins in her next three matches before getting pinned by Samantha Gorman of Allendale at 3:44 in the struggle for third place.

LaRowe took her first match into overtime before earning a decision over her opponent from Hawaii. She then lost a 10-1 decision to Deanna Rix of Maine, who would go on to win the weight class.

In the consolation rounds, LaRowe went on to earn an 8-5 decision over a wrestler from California and a pin in 3:48 on another California wrestler before losing a 10-0 decision to a wrestler from Oklahoma.

Wrestling for fifth place, LaRowe lost a tough 4-0 decision to Tara Williams of California.

Betts said he was pleased with the girls’ performance.

"I think they would like to wrestle in college," he said. "There are great opportunities coming for girls in wrestling."

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Bishop wrestles her way to sixth at nationals

Big Bear Grizzly 4/8/04

Big Bear wrestler Kristy Bishop finished sixth in the national girls wrestling tournament, having to skip her shot at the top place after an injury.

Bishop was in the semifinal round of the United States Girls Wrestling Association tournament, wrestling for first or second place when she was accidentally hit in the eye by her opponent. She was a little off balance, but continued with only one good eye. However, a couple of slams later, Bishop was forced out of competition with a concussion and an ocular contusion.

She forfeited her final matches and settled for the sixth place finish.

Going in, the Big Bear junior was seeded second and did well in her matches during the first day of competition in the Michigan tourney. She pinned her first two opponents to advance to the semifinals.
In the state competition, California took first, followed by Michigan and Hawaii.

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Wrestling: GI's Hanson finishes 3rd at nationals

By Joe Slezak, The Ile Camera

PUBLISHED: April 9, 2004

It was a thrill, a disappointment and an improvement all rolled into one.

Kelsey Hanson was 11th out of 20 girls at 105 pounds at last year's United States Girls' Wrestling Association tournament at Lake Orion High School.

Two weekends ago, the Grosse Ile senior returned to the event in Lake Orion as the No. 2 seed at 105, and finished in third place out of 23 girls.

"I was pretty happy to finish third, but I could have done better," Hanson said.

She drew a first-round bye. She pinned Nikki Pender of Iowa in 1 minute, 47 seconds in the second round and scored a 17-8 major decision over Angel Diaz of Texas in the quarterfinals.

In the semifinals, she lost 6-4 to eventual runner-up Katherine Fulp Allen of El Granada, Calif. Hanson got an escape with 20 seconds left to tying it at 4 and tried for a takedown. But Fulp Allen got the takedown with five seconds left clinching the win.

Hanson dropped into the consolation bracket, where she beat Ashley Hudson of Missouri 4-3 to advance to the third-place match, in which she beat top-seeded Susie Levitt of Danbury, Conn., on a 15-0 technical fall. The match was stopped 4:55 in.

"She was a very defensive wrestler," Hanson said. "She's shorter and stronger. I decided I was going to try to get the first takedown and hold her there."

Hanson twice had Levitt on her back to record near-fall points.

The national tournament came on the heels of a whirlwind prep season for Hanson. While wrestling against boys at 103, she was 32-12 with 18 pins. She was second at both the Huron League meet and at the D3 individual district.

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Park Forest girl takes down boys to win wrestling state championship

Thursday, April 8, 2004

By Jason Michael Freeman Special to The Star

Whoever claimed that wrestling is a man's sport apparently has never met 9-year-old Makeba Elliott.

The Park Forest native who is a fourth-grader at Blackhawk Elementary School took first place in the recent Midget State Finals in wrestling amid predominantly male competitors.

"She's been around wrestling ever since she can remember," her father, Mike Elliott, said. "My son would always roll around the mat with her and try to show her moves.

"She just grew up around it. I knew she was an athlete already, because she could always outrun all the boys and outplay them in any sport."

Makeba, who competed as a member of Harvey Park District's Harvey Twisters wrestling club, feels the victory transcends simply winning it.

"It feels good because boys sometimes think they're better than girls, and I just wanted to show them that they're not," she said. "I like to do other sports and I want to be other things when I grow up.

"I like math, reading, art and gym. I do track. I play basketball and football with my friends. I go bowling, skating and play with my cat."

As only one of three girls on the team, Makeba had a lot to prove. Her two fellow female teammates made it to the finals in 2002 and 2003, but Makeba was the first to win it this year.

"I had to train a lot, I had to go over a lot of tapes and view my mistakes, and then I was ready," she said. "I got a lot of energy, and I like to play a lot. I like to be athletic."

To qualify for the state championship, Makeba had to succeed in the regional tournament to make it to sectionals. From there, she had to place in the top three to make it to state.

She posted an impressive season record with 50 wins and 4 losses.

"These girls are athletes, and they are equal to the boys, particularly at this age," said her father. "In this age group, they can physically hang with the boys."

Makeba plans to participate in the tournament next year, and credits her coach, Quintroy Harrell, and her father with helping her understand and master the sport.

"She started out playing soccer, but we let her start wrestling around age 6 or 7 and she loved it," her father said. "She would push me to go to practice all the time, even though I was already an assistant coach with the Harvey Twisters.

"She got bit by the wrestling bug and she just carried it on from there. She was really easy to teach. It was natural for her."

Makeba also will compete in the National Junior Olympics in track and field this summer, which will take place in Portland, Ore.

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No discrimination here

By: Rich Fisher , Sports Editor 04/08/2004

About five years ago, Chris Dorsay hauled out some old films of his wrestling days at Cinnaminson High School. He wanted to show his sons, Tommy and Ryan, what the sport was all about.
Both have entered the world of mats, but Chris got an added bonus.
Dorsay did not bank on his 7-year-old daughter, Sarah, sitting in on the flicks. Not only did she watch, she digested. And Chris Dorsay really wasn't prepared for what came next.
"My dad showed me the tapes and told me what a good sport was, and I got interested in it," Sarah Dorsay said.
"I was just showing the tapes to everyone, but I can't say that I planned on having my daughter wrestle," Chris said. "She told me she wanted to do it, but I figured she would try it a few times and then quit right away."
A funny thing happened on the way to early retirement. Sarah Dorsay has become one of the best female wrestlers in the nation in her age group.
Last month, the Crossroads North 6th-grader won her fourth United States Girls Wrestling Association national championship at 80 pounds. She also won the first-ever USWGA New Jersey state title this past winter.
None of that should be a surprise, since Dorsay has taken first place in every girls tournament she has entered. Against girls' competition, she is 31-1 with 24 pins, and has not been scored upon by a female opponent in the last three years.
It gets better.
Dorsay also wrestles against boys, having competed for the past five years in the South Brunswick PAL program. During that time, she has over 150 career victories and 80 pins. She was 8-1 for the A team this past season, and won the A-League Tournament by decisioning Piscataway's David Powell in the title bout. Powell had beaten Dorsay three previous times.
"That's the win I was most proud of," Sarah said. "I really wanted to beat him because he had beaten me before. I just wrestled as hard as I could." She also took first in the Newark District MAWA Tournament and the Edison Tournament this past season. Chris Dorsay is quick to credit her PAL coaches, such as Chris Belkot, Fran White and director Greg MacMurray.
They provided the lessons, and Sarah put in the time.
"When I first started wrestling, it was hard because I never did it before," she said. "But after I got a chance to practice, I started to get better.
"I think wrestling with the boys makes me a lot stronger. When I wrestle with the girls, it's a little bit easier."
Added Chris Dorsay, "She kind of does the same thing against boys and girls, but with the boys there's sometimes a strength issue. She doesn't give up strength with the girls, which is why she's done so well."
Of course, there is always that stigma of a girl trying to invade a boys' world. But unlike Martha Burk at last year's Masters, Dorsay has gotten no resistance from her male counterparts.
"They're actually pretty nice," she said. "They make me feel comfortable."
Dorsay plans on going out for the Crossroads team next year, and her father feels she won't undergo the pitfalls other female wrestlers have endured.
"From a lot of what I've heard, when a girl comes out in high school it's rough on her because she hasn't paid her dues," Chris said. "A lot of them are trying it for the first time. But Sarah has been there for a while. One of the reason's she's done so well and gotten along with everyone so well is that she's wrestled with a lot of these kids since the second grade."
Chris Dorsay is encouraged by the fact that New Jersey actually held a state tournament for girls this year, and hopes it could lead to some all-girls leagues, or perhaps girls wrestling teams in New Jersey high schools.
As youngsters develop, the strength difference between girls and boys becomes more apparent. At the moment, however, it does not seem to matter what gender Sarah wrestles, or who she beats. Her success this year came after she moved up to the 6th/8th-grade division.
"It doesn't matter if I beat a boy or a girl," Dorsay said. "I just want to win."
She has done her share of that, which is something Chris never expected.
"I'm very, very surprised, at her success because off the mat she's a very quiet kid," he said. "If you saw her, it would be the last sport you would think she did if you didn't know her.
"She's like two different people on and off the mat. When she comes off the mat, she goes over and plays with her friends like nothing ever happened."
As for those friends, do they worry about her getting hurt?
"No, not really," Sarah said. "They actually think it's pretty cool."
Cool for everyone except her opponents, of course.