News
U.S. Nationals preview at 67 kg/147.5 lbs. in women’s freestyle wrestling
4/23/2005
Gary Abbott/USA Wrestling
In 2004, the question regarding the 67 kg weight class at the U.S. Nationals was quite simple. Who is going to compete at this weight class? It was an Olympic year, and many of the top athletes in the division faced a choice of going down in weight or moving up in weight to try out for the Olympic team at one of the four Olympic divisions. Alas, 67 kg was not being contested in Athens, Greece, and making the Olympics is the dream of wrestling athletes. A number of wrestlers did choose to stay at 67 kg last year, but many others moved out of the division.
This year, the question is the same, but the answer will be quite different. Going into the U.S. Nationals, there are some athletes who for certain will be competing here, and others who might be. We will not know for sure until weigh-ins in Las Vegas.
The biggest question mark concerns Kristie Marano of the New York AC, who has won two World gold medals at this division. Marano has been competing at 63 kg the last few seasons, and had an ongoing battle with World and Olympic medalist Sara McMann of the Sunkist Kids there. In 2002 and 2003, USA Wrestling allowed for athletes in the “Olympic weights” to challenge the winner at the “non-Olympic” weights for a spot on the World team. Both years, after Marano lost to McMann, she moved up and claimed the World Team spot at this division. She was World bronze medalist in 2002 and World Champion in 2003. This is probably Marano’s most effective weight class. In 2004, Marano missed weight at the Olympic Trials after winning the U.S. Nationals at 63 kg, forcing her to move all the way up to 72 kg where she was second in Indianapolis. Marano spent this winter recovering from injuries, and is expected to be wrestling again. The question is basically at what weight?
The athlete who lost in the Special Wrestle-offs in 2002 and 2003 to Marano after winning the World Team Trials was Katie Downing of the Sunkist Kids. Downing has proven to be a world-class competitor, winning a World Cup title, a Junior World medal and a U.S. Nationals title. However, she could not beat Marano. Last year, when Marano went down in weight, Downing moved up to 72 kg and placed sixth in the Olympic Trials. During the summer, USA Wrestling held a Special Wrestle-off at this weight class to determine the World Cup team and set the National Team rankings for the 2004-05 year. Downing won it, and she has continued to win at this division, capturing the New York AC Christmas Open, the Gilbert Schaub Open in France and the Dave Schultz Memorial.
The defending U.S. Nationals champion at this division is 2003 Junior World champion Ali Bernard of Rolling Thunder. Bernard was the nation’s best high school wrestler last year, and defeated another high school star in the U.S. Nationals finals, Heather Martin of the New York AC. Downing beat Bernard in the Special Wrestle-off last summer.
Both Bernard and Martin are now college wrestlers. Bernard went north of the border to wrestle for the Univ. of Regina, where she moved up in weight to 80 kg and won the CIS Canadian college national tournament. She was the top new star in Canadian college wrestling. Martin has had a strong college season competing for Cumberland College. Martin won a gold medal at the Sunkist Kids International Open and the FILA Junior Nationals, and silver medals at the New York AC Christmas Open and the Dave Schultz Memorial International. Bernard can still make 67 kg, but may choose to move up to 72 kg for U.S. Nationals, especially with all the injuries at that division. Martin is for sure going to be a top contender for the gold medal at this weight class.
The rest of the weight division is a mixed bag of athletes, some from the college ranks, some from the club programs, none of who are known quantities. The next top wrestler from the Women’s Team rankings is Malissa Sherwood of Stars and Stripes, who was third at the U.S. Nationals last year. Sherwood was up a number of weight classes from 55 kg, where she had her best performances and was ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation. There is no certainty that Sherwood will compete again. The highest ranked college wrestler in the mix is Kelly Branham of Missouri Valley, who won the University Nationals this year and had a strong college season. Branham was fourth at the U.S. Nationals last year, but has yet to get a win over the top names in the division such as Marano, Downing, Bernard or Martin.
Kaci Lyle of the Sunkist Kids has been competing at 63 kg most of the time, but made the finals of the Challenge Tournament during the summer at 67 kg, beating Martin before losing to Downing. If she moves up, she will be a force. Another athlete who has wrestled well here, although she is expected down at 63 kg, is Stefenie Shaw of KT Kidz, who was second at 67 kg at the FILA Junior Nationals
K’uu Johnson of the USOEC is another athlete who is making a mark at this division. Ashley Sword of the New York AC has been at this division, but dropped to 63 kg where she won the University Nationals this year. Cindy Herceg of Santa Monica was seventh at the U.S. Nationals last year, and has been as high as No. 3 on the national ladder in the past. Others who were U.S. Nationals placewinners last year were Jaimie Alvasteffer of Cumberland College, Sheri Hilliard of Cumberland College and Andrea Hale of Lassen College. Nikia Jensen of Minnesota and Megan Nevill of Cumberland College are other athletes to watch at this division.
The 67 kg division could be a battle between some well known stars, such as Kristie Marano and Katie Downing. However, young stars like Ali Bernard and Heather Martin could be finalists again this year. This division does not have the depth of some of the women’s weight classes, so there could be some surprises moving through the brackets. Once again, the question remains: who will be competing here this year?
2004 U.S. NATIONALS RESULTS
1st -Ali Bernard, New Ulm, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) pin Heather Martin, Wellington, Ohio (Cleveland State), 4:00
3rd -Malissa Sherwood, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Stars and Stripes) dec. Kelly Branham, Apache Junction, Ariz. (Missouri Valley), 11-4
5th - Jaimie Alvasteffer, Williamsburg, Ky. (Cumberland College) dec. Sheri Hilliard, Devils Lake, N.D. (Cumberland College), 7-0
7th -Cindy Herceg, Los Angeles, Calif. (Santa Monica) dec. Andrea Hale, Susanville, Calif. (Lassen), 3-0
THEMAT.COM RANKINGS FOR APRIL 1, 2005
1. Katie Downing, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids)
2. Ali Bernard, New Ulm, Minn. (Rolling Thunder)
3. Heather Martin, Wellington, Ohio (All-American WC)
4. Cindy Herceg, Los Angeles, Calif. (Spartak)
5. Kelly Branham, Apache Junction, Ariz. (Missouri Valley)
6. K’uu Johnson, Honolulu, Hawaii (USOEC)
7. Ashley Sword, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC)
8. Andrea Hale, Chicago, Ill. (Lassen College)
9. Nikia Jensen, Eden Prairie, Minn. (unattached)
10. Megan Nevill, Claire, Mich. (Cumberland College)
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Tricia Saunders named 2004 USA Wrestling Women’s Coach of the Year
4/23/2005
Gary Abbott/USA Wrestling
Tricia Saunders of Phoenix, Ariz., has been named 2004 Women’s Coach of the Year by USA Wrestling. This is the first time that Saunders has received this award.
Tricia Saunders becomes the first female to win this award, which was started in 2002. In fact, she is the first female to win any Senior-level Coach of the Year award given by USA Wrestling in any style, which goes back all the way to 1972.
Saunders was an Olympic Coach for the U.S. Olympic Women’s Wrestling Team, which competed at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. The U.S. won two Olympic medals in women’s freestyle wrestling, and placed second in the medal count and unofficial standings in the women’s wrestling competition.
Tricia Saunders became the first woman to serve as a coach a U.S. Olympic team in wrestling. Her husband Townsend Saunders, a 1996 Olympic silver medalist in men’s freestyle wrestling, was also an Olympic Coach for the women’s wrestling team. Townsend Saunders was the 2003 USA Wrestling Women’s Coach of the Year.
Tricia Saunders served as head coach of the historic 2003 Pan American Games women’s team, the first time that women’s wrestling was included on the program. The U.S. swept all gold medals in the women’s wrestling division, with Patricia Miranda, Tina George, Sara McMann and Toccara Montgomery claiming titles.
Saunders has been a member of the U.S. Women’s World Team coaching staff in 2001, 2002 and 2003. She is a club coach with the Sunkist Kids. The women wrestlers for the Sunkist Kids won the 2002 and 2003 U.S. Nationals team title.
She was one of the most successful women’s wrestler in history, winning four World Championships gold medals (1992, 1996, 1998 and 1999), as well as the 1993 World silver medal. Saunders was the first U.S. woman to win a World wrestling title. She completed her international competitive career in 2001, never having lost to a U.S. competitor. She won a record 11 U.S. Nationals titles in women’s wrestling and won the World Team Trials 12 times. She was the Outstanding Wrestler at the 1992 World Championships.
Saunders is considered a pioneer in the development of women’s wrestling in the nation. She was given the 1997 USA Wrestling Woman of the Year award, the first recipient of this award. She was also the USA Wrestling Women’s Wrestler of the Year twice and the USOC Women’s Wrestler of the Year three times.
She is married to Townsend Saunders, 1996 Olympic silver medalist in men’s freestyle, and also head coach of the 2003 U.S. Women’s World team. A graduate of the Univ. of Wisconsin, Saunders is originally from Ann Arbor, Mich., where she competed on a national level in the youth wrestling programs. .
USA Wrestling will be announcing major award winners each day this week on TheMat.com.
PAST WOMEN’S COACH OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS
2004 - Tricia Saunders, Phoenix, Ariz., Sunkist Kids
2003 - Townsend Saunders, Phoenix, Ariz., Sunkist Kids
2002 - Joe Corso, Des Moines, Iowa, Sunkist Kids