Weight Loss Slideshow

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Junior standouts impressive at Northeast Regional

Craig Sesker USA Wrestling
04/25/2006

Three more women’s freestyle wrestlers punched their tickets to the World Team Trials by qualifying in New York.

They include Aquila Hills of the University of Cumberlands at 112.25 pounds, Dyami Souza of the Silverback Wrestling Club at 121 pounds and Jen Chu of W.O.W. at 147.5 pounds. The World Team Trials for women are set for June 30 in Colorado Springs.

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Warriors girls want their own tradition

Thursday, April 27, 2006
Pat Galbincea
Plain Dealer Reporter

Bill Barger is hoping to do for the Walsh Jesuit girls track team what he did for the Warriors wrestling team - mold a state champion.

The Warriors finished a strong second to Hudson in the Miele Invitational at Gilmour Academy Saturday thanks in part to a strong performance in the field events. In fact, returning state qualifier Johnna Zaccari, a junior, is Northeast Ohio's leader in the shot put (40 feet, 2½ inches).

"We still haven't had our whole team together for any single meet," Barger said, "but I'm telling you, there is a lot of talent on this team. We're good in every field event except the pole vault, an event still in the [early] stage in girls sports.

"There's no reason we can't have the success in girls track like we had in wrestling. There is a lot of good female talent at Walsh Jesuit . . . look how good our soccer, basketball and volleyball teams are."

Other field standouts are sophomore Georgette Asfoura and junior Amber Kasmer. Asfoura has posted a 5-7 high jump this year. Kasmer was sixth in the state last year in the long jump and has the area's second best jump (17-4½). She is expected to improve as an injury she suffered during the soccer season heals.

The Warriors also are strong in relays. In the 100-, 200- and 400-meter relays, junior Liz Secue - an early signee with Purdue - teams with sophomore Colleen Mathews, junior Amanda Hampton and anchor Kasmer.

The 4x800-meter relay could be even better yet as three sophomores - Hope McCarty, Rachel Burge and Megan Newrones - are anchored by standout freshman Chelsea Oswald, who already broke the school record in the 3,200 meters at 11:29.

Combined with solid junior hurdlers in Kelly Rockwell and Angela Santin, Barger has the makings of a burgeoning track power.

"My strength has always been identifying talent and getting good assistant coaches," Barger said. "We have both, but I've got to convince our girls they have the talent to succeed. Our guys believed that in the 1990s, and for a while we had St. Edward chasing us.

"Track is a little different in that you need more luck, especially in the relays. You need smooth handoffs and hope others have bad luck in their handoffs. I believe we are on our way."

Exciting race:

Of the races at the 24th Ned Weingart Relays on Saturday at Cleveland Heights, none was more exciting than the girls 4x200-meter relay, in which Buchtel beat East Tech, 1:44.92 to 1:45.75. Buchtel's victorious team is senior Elisha Chambers, sophomore Jerrah Lewis, sophomore Tiffany Tucker and her senior sister, Ashley Tucker.

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Turkish women wrestlers shine

Thursday, April 27, 2006

ANKARA/MOSCOW - TDN and AP

Competition in the European Women's Wrestling Championship got under way in the Russian capital, Moscow on Tuesday with Turkish athletes Elçin Demirtas (48 kilo) and Simge Yilmaz (67 kilo) winning their first matches.

Yilmaz faced Lithuanian wrestler Adrina Christina in the first round, taking her down by a score of 2-0. Demirtas in her first round match faced Belarussian Alena Karercha, also winning 2-0. Yilmaz ranked fifth overall after defeating another Belarussian female, Irina Tsyrkevich, again 2-0.

Overall, Russia dominated the opening session by winning two gold medals and one bronze -- one gold more than France.

Lyubov Volosova of Russia, the 2001 world silver medalist, won her first European title with a 6-0 win over Stephanie Stueber of Germany in the 59-kilogram class. Volosova conceded only two points on her way to the final to total 19-2 in four matches on Tuesday.

Elena Perepelkina, the 2004 World Cup winner and 2005 world bronze medalist, won her first European title with a 6-1 win over Kristina Odrina of Latvia in the 67-kilogram category.

Earlier, 2001 world junior champion Vanessa Boubryem of France won her first senior championships title, downing Germany's Alexandra Engelhardt 9-1 in the women's 51-kilogram division.

Russia added a bronze by Natalia Smirnova in the 51 category, as did Audry Prieto-Bokhashvili of France in the 59-kilogram class.