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USOEC wrestlers compete at Sunkist
The Mining Journal 10/17/06
MARQUETTE —While residents of the Upper Peninsula were stepping in snow this past weekend, United States Olympic Education Center resident athletes were getting their feet wet at the Sunkist Kids International Open in Tempe, Ariz.
Liz Short (Lombard, Ill.) took third place in the 48 kilogram women’s freestyle wrestling competition, winning by technical fall over Ingrid Santos (El Savador). Short said Sunkist was a positive start to this year’s competitions.
“It was nice to start out in Arizona — with the warm weather. But it was also nice to get our feet wet and check out the competition.”
USOEC Greco-Roman wrestler Spenser Mango (Flourissant, Mo.) agreed with Short: “Sunkist offers a different type of competition,” Mango said. “It’s a good start to prepare for the bigger competitions in March and May.”
Mango took first in the men’s 55 kg weight class pinning Michael Santos (Arrowhead). Mango was also named the competition’s Outstanding Wrestler.
Placing first in their weight divisions for Greco-Roman wrestling were Jacob Curby (LaGrange, Ill.) at 66 kg and Cheney Haight (Drem, Utah) at 74 kg.
Other USOEC Greco-Roman wrestlers placing at Sunkist were Christopher Iorio (Holbrook, N.Y.), third, and Jake Swensen (Moroni, Utah), sixth, at 60 kg; Marco Lara (Long Beach, Calif.), fifth, at 66 kg; Jake Fisher (Platte City, Mo.), third, at 74 kg; Jake Plamann (Appleton, Wis.), fourth, and Chas Betts (St. Michael, Minn.), fifth, at 84 kg; and Jacob Marquardt (Blair, Neb.) who took third in the120 kg weight division.
The following USOEC women’s freestyle team members placed fifth in their respective weight division: Sadie Kaneda (Honolulu, Hawaii) 48 kg, Dany Hedin (Kailua, Hawaii) 55 kg, and Stefanie Shaw (Waterford, Conn.) 63 kg. Amy Borgnini (Terre Haute, Ind.), 55 kg, fell to Sharon Jacobson (Gator Wrestling Club). Tina Pihl (Guilford, Conn.), 59 kg, lost by technical foul to Na’tasha Umemoto (Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club) after defeating Othella Lucas (New York Athletic Club) in the quarterfinals.
Editor’s note: This release was prepared by the USOEC’s media relations department.
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Sask's Gallays 5th at world juniors
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SASKATOON - Entering her third year at the CIS level, Jillian Gallays recently returned from the junior world championships in Guatemala City, Guatemala, where she nabbed a fifth-place finish.
In the first round, Gallays met up with last year's bronze medalist from Belarus, who showed strong on the mats and eventually made it to the final.
After the loss, Gallays first wrestled France and beat her convincingly 3-1, 6-0 and finished with a fall. Gallays then moved into the bronze medal match against the American who was last year's silver medalist. She was up 1-0 and then was in on another leg attack late in the first round; she was thrown, which resulted in a fall.
According to Huskies head coach Todd Hinds, "Jill really out wrestled this two-time world medalist."
"All of the weight divisions in both men's and women's were tough, but Jill's weight class (55kg)... No other weight had last year's 2005 gold, silver and two tronze medalists, as well as the fifth-place finisher returning. The weight class was strong. What she accomplished was outstanding."
Top recruit Huskie Daniel Olver made his first trip to the world championships.
"Being there for the first time, especially as young as Daniel, is quite an eye-opening experience. You are virtually put up on a three-foot stage where lights are shining down on you," commented Hinds.
Olver wrestled against Poland in the first round, and unfortunately lost the match. Because the Polish wrestler was beaten after, Olver was knocked out of the tournament as well.
"Daniel will have two more years to have a few chances in getting back up on that stage and, with that experience, I am looking forward to watching him," said Hinds.
Second-year Huskie Pam Ewanishin wrestled on the first day of competition, drawing the American in her first match. The first round went to Ewanishin, 3-2. The second was the American's, as Ewanishin was taken down. The American lost in the semi-final, which knocked Ewanishin out of the tournament. The American finished the tournament with a bronze.
Hinds had this to say about the Saskatoon native.
"Pam has another year of junior, so her experience, similar but yet different than Daniel's, will benefit her in the future and likely at this event next year."
Next year's junior world championships will be held in China.
Huskie fans can look forward to the CIS wrestling season starting up. The Huskies will host their annual Huskie Open Nov. 17 & 18 in Saskatoon.