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Quotes from the U.S. champions at the Dave Schultz Memorial International on Saturday night
Gary Abbott USA Wrestling
02/10/2007
Women’s freestyle
48 kg - Stephanie Murata
“I like 48 kg. Not really 48 kg, but I like 110 pounds, with the two kg allowance. Making 48 kg is another thing.”
“It is always a challenge for you when you wrestle good opponents. I like training here. There are always good opponents. This is why I wrestled well, because of my good opponents.”
“The USOC has stepped up and helped us perform better. The addition of the recovery center has helped us to recover and train harder. It is helping us to create better on the international level. All the resources we have here makes a difference in our training.”
“Every tournament, every day is a new day. Just because you had success in the past, you can’t sit on your laurels. That is the beauty of the sport. You have to improve and get better or you lose.”
51 kg - Patricia Miranda
“I was pretty disappointed with my semifinals match. My coach Levi (Magden-Weikel) has me working on many things. One of them was offensive pressure. We envision where the shots are wide open. I got a three-point lead in both periods. I lost my focus and let my opponent on my legs a few times. It seems like a simple lesson.That is what these tournaments are for. I only see Hitomi (Sakamoto, the World champion) a few times a year. Mistakes like that against her would be takedowns.”
“I love this tournament. I am an old Dave Schultz Club member. It means a lot to me."
“I have to stop taking one minute lapses. I could cost me a loss.”
(about the finals against Jenny)
“I saw the match as redemption for the semifinals, to see if I could go the whole two minutes, creating my openings with pressure, so they never get a clean shot and so I can pick my offense. You saw a little less shooting in that match. Hopefully I did my tasks correctly. Wrestling a friend is a skill. It is not a happy thing. You have to divorce the friendship from that.”
55 kg - Marcie Van Dusen
“I had a chance to change my strategy. I came out too strong. I had to see what she had and wrestle my own match. I’d say I was in better shape, but I definitely wanted it more. I was attacking too much early on and she was capitalizing on my mistakes. In the second period, I had to set her up more and get off my shots. Coach Izzy (Izboinikov) refocused me in the corner.”
“That match was all about strategy. It wasn’t about technique. It was the best strategy that won.”
63 kg - Randi Miller
“It meant a lot to me. I can’t believe it myself. I want to keep doing this and say consistent with my performances. I am still in shock.”
“I changed my ideology about wrestling after watching Iris (Smith) win the World Championships. I started believing in myself, and good thing started to happen. Before they took me to the Worlds to be Iris’ training partner, I never thought I’d beat someone like Sara McMann. But Iris wasn’t supposed to win, and she did, and so can I.”
(about the match with McMann)
“I knew if she took me down, my par terre is not so good, and she could turn me. I tried to stay on my feet and score from that position.”
(about the U.S. Olympic Training Center)
“I have a lot of great people to work out with now. I am working on specifics now. That is the main thing that is different.”
67 kg - Katie Downing
“I felt coming in, with it being at home and with the quality of this tournament, I wanted to show everybody that I learned something at the World Championships this year and am progressing. I want to build on each tournament I wrestle. With the tournament at home, I wanted to pick it up. This has become a huge tournament, bigger than last year and bigger than the year before. My weight class was not very big, but I wrestled four matches. I wanted to wrestle the Russian who was third in the world in my weight class, but they moved her up a weight. But they were here training with other teams for a week and I got some matches then.”
(about improving her offense)
“I think there was a lot of stuff that was there in drilling, but not live and in competition. I had to make it happen. It is not like I did not have it. At the New York AC Tournament and the Guelph Open, I worked on it there. Here, I wanted to perform. I want to be at the next level for the Nationals, the Trials and the World Championships.”
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Gary Abbott USA Wrestling
02/10/2007
Mango seeks to learn more, and win
Spenser Mango of the Gator WC, one of the stars from the U.S. Olympic Education Program for Greco-Roman at Northern Michigan Univ., is a quiet, humble young man when you speak with him. Yet his style of wrestling on the mat is what brings attention to this young star from Missouri.
Mango had a busy and successful year in 2006 in many respects. He placed second at the U.S. Senior Nationals at 55 kg/121 lbs., putting his name on the national wrestling map. He lost to veteran star Lindsey Durlacher in a memorable finals match in Las Vegas.
After a disappointment at the World Team Trials, where he did not medal, Mango had an outstanding summer on the age-group levels, winning a World University gold medal and a FILA Junior World bronze medal.
“I am still learning. I am new to Greco-Roman. I like to improve on my past performances,” said Mango.
Mango is aware that his style of wrestling, which includes many high amplitude throws from the par terre position, is what people talk about when he is wrestling. He doesn’t mind that wrestling fans enjoy watching when he gets a big throw.
“That’s a big part of it,” said Mango. “I live to have fun. I wrestle my best when I have a good time there.”
Mango is all about learning, and his finish at the World Team Trials is something that he feels will help him moving forward.
“It started with a bad weight drop. It was the first time I had trouble making weight. Coach Jim Gruenwald helped me get through it. The next day, I didn’t wrestle well. I am still young. Hopefully, I still have a lot to learn,” said Mango.
Mango started the Dave Schultz Memorial with a pair of wins over foreign competitors. He defeated World University bronze medalist Kouhei Hasegawa of Japan, 8-3, 3-4, 1-1, then stopped Bulgaria’s Velenin Petrov Venkov, 2-4, 7-1, 2-1 in the quarterfinals. Venkov was fifth in the World Championships last year.
His weight class is strong here, with World bronze medalist Lindsey Durlacher of the New York AC on the opposite side, as well as tough competitors from China and Kazakhstan still in the draw. Mango wants to learn, for sure, but he is here at the Dave Schultz Memorial this year to win the gold.
“I’m here to win it,” said Mango. “Last year, I won one match here. The year before, I was 0-2. These guys you see here at this tournament are who you will see at the World Championships. I am gaining experience for the future.”
Women’s college star Berube facing decisions about future
Alaina Berube of the New York AC entered the 2006 Dave Schultz Memorial as a two-time defending champion, winning her weight class at the 63 kg/138.75 lbs. division here the last two years. One of the most active competitors in women’s wrestling, Berube has come to Colorado Springs once again to challenge herself and prepare for the busy season ahead.
Women’s college wrestling is in its infancy in this nation, with a handful of varsity teams around the nation establishing a foothold for the sport. Berube is a senior at the Univ. of the Cumberlands, one of the top women’s college teams in North America. She is a public health major.
Her career with the Patriots has been spectacular, going all the way back to her freshman year. She is considered one of the greatest women’s college wrestlers in history. Berube was second at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, a 2005 U.S. Nationals champion, a Pan American champion and a two-time World University medalist. Time has zipped by for Berube, both in her wrestling career and her college experience.
“I can’t believe it is almost over,” said Berube, who was a high school star from Escanaba, Mich. “It went by so fast. It has been a great experience. I am glad I chose the path I have taken.
Her coach Kip Flanik can’t say enough good things about Berube, who has meant so much to his program since her arrival.
“She is one of the best women wrestlers in our nation,” said Flanik. “She has made every goal she has set. She is a straight A student. She proves you can be a great student and a world-class athlete. She is everything that my program is about. Alaina is a great leader for the team. She does everything that everybody else does.”
Berube faces some major challenges in her quest for another gold medal at the Dave Schultz Memorial International. In her weight class is Sara McMann of the Sunkist Kids, the 2004 Olympic silver medalist who defeated Berube in the Olympic Trials finals. There are a pair of tough Russian competitors in the draw, past World champion Alena Kartashova and Junior World champion Anna Polovneva. International stars Stefanie Stueber of Germany and Megan Dolan of Canada are also here, along with some other tough American competitiors.
“I look forward to it,” said Berube. “It is good competition. It’s different athletes. We don’t see these people all the time. This is a good way to get prepared for the U.S. Nationals and our big college events, and for making the University World and U.S. World Teams.”
Berube believes she has continued to improve, but still has high goals such as making her first U.S. World or Olympic Team. She credits the Cumberland program, which wrestles a year-round schedule of major events, for helping her develop as an international wrestler.
“The mat experience I have gotten has helped me tremendously,” said Berube. We are gone almost every weekend, getting matches. Getting that mat time is valuable for me. It is a big bonus.”
Berube has not made any plans for life after college yet, putting off any decisions until after she graduates this spring. However, she plans to “concentrate on wrestling” and make another attempt at the Olympic Team.
Flanik expects that Berube will remain involved with his college team moving forward, with an opportunity as a graduate assistant coach an option. He has great confidence that Berube is capable of representing the United States at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. But is the total package that Berube has developed as a person that Flanik will miss the most from this special college athlete.
“She is the ideal wrestler. You couldn’t have a better kid, a better daughter, a better athlete, a better wrestler. I trust her in every situation. You can not replace an Alaina Berube,” said Flanik.
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Randi Miller notches upset to cap run to title at Dave Schultz Memorial International
Craig Sesker USA Wrestling
02/10/2007
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Randi Miller darted across the mat and jumped into her coach’s arms.
She couldn’t hide her excitement.
And why not?
She had just pulled off arguably the biggest upset of the two-day Dave Schultz Memorial International after pulling off a stunning finals win over Olympic silver medalist Sara McMann on Saturday night at the U.S. Olympic Training Center.
The 23-year-old Miller, a resident-athlete at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, has dropped down a weight class and it paid off when she beat McMann 0-7, 1-0, 2-0 in the women’s freestyle finals at 63 kg/138.75 lbs. Miller previously wrestled at 67 kg/147.5 lbs, where she placed second at the U.S. Nationals in 2006.
The wrestlers were involved in a scramble and Miller used a front headlock to catch McMann for two exposure points with just under a minute left in the decisive third period. After the win, an excited Miller hugged Coach Vladislav “Izzy” Izboinikov in the corner. Miller was named Outstanding Wrestler in women’s freestyle.
“It meant a lot to me,” Miller, who competes for the Gator Wrestling Club, said of her win. “I can’t believe it myself. I want to keep doing this and stay consistent with my performances. I am still in shock.
“I changed my ideology about wrestling after watching Iris (Smith) win the World Championships. I started believing in myself, and good things started to happen. Before they took me to the Worlds to be Iris’ training partner, I never thought I’d beat someone like Sara McMann. But Iris wasn’t supposed to win, and she did, and so can I.”
It was a night of uncertainty and surprises as American Joe Warren was among a large number of World champions who lost matches on Saturday.
And it also was a night that included a mild surprise as Daniel Cormier bumped up a weight class and beat 2006 U.S. World Team Trials runner-up Steve Mocco 0-1, 4-3, 1-0 in the freestyle finals at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. Cormier is a three-time World Team member and 2004 Olympian at 96 kg/211.5 lbs. Cormier knocked off National Team member Tommy Rowlands in the semifinals.
“It’s good to get a win,” Cormier said. “It has been a while. I haven't had many matches lately. This is good, even if it is at heavyweight. I’m not staying at heavyweight. I’m a 96 kg wrestler and that is the weight class where I can do my best. In this tournament, I was able to get some offense going and build some confidence.”
Warren, competing for the first since he won a World gold medal at 60 kg/132 pounds last September, advanced to the finals before he fell to past Junior World champion Nurbakyt Tengibayev of Kazakhstan in the title bout. Tengibayev won 1-1, 3-0.
Tengibayev hit a two-point gut-wrench with 10 seconds left to clinch the win over Warren. Tengibayev capped a superb day when he upset three-time Greco-Roman World champion and two-time Olympic champion Armen Nazarian of Bulgaria in the semifinals. Tengibayev beat Nazarian 7-0, 1-1.
2002 World champion Dremiel Byers downed Russ Davie 6-0, 1-1 in the Greco-Roman finals at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. Byers was named Outstanding Wrestler in Greco-Roman. Jared Lawrence, who knocked off World champion Alan Dudaev of Russia in the 66 kg/145.5 pound finals on Friday night, was named Outstanding Wrestler in freestyle.
“I didn’t try to do too much. I worked things I have been working on lately,” Byers said. “My lungs were good. I pushed hard. I tried to score on my feet. It was fresh in my mind that I lost in this tournament last year. The truth be told, a couple of guys we expected in this tournament didn’t wrestle. They didn’t show. My mind set was for them too. I have to look ahead now. I wish my team did better. We have to press on to the next tournament. Bigger and better things are coming up.”
Veteran Lindsey Durlacher proved he is not ready to relinquish his reign as the top dog in the U.S. at 55 kg/121 pounds after earning a 3-2, 4-0 finals win over rising star Spenser Mango. Durlacher was a World Greco-Roman bronze medalist in 2006 while Mango was a World University champion and Junior World bronze medalist.
“This is a solid tournament here,” Durlacher said. “If you walk out with a win, you are doing a good job. The weight classes are stacked. It shows what I have been doing is working and I am making strides.”
Travis Lee made a dazzling and triumphant statement by winning a tough freestyle bracket at 60 kg/132 pounds that included 1996 Olympic champion Kendall Cross. Lee downed Sahit Prizreni of the New York Athletic Club 1-1, 6-0 in the finals. The slick, athletic Lee twice caught Prizreni on his back in the second period to put the match away.
“It was a very strong weight class,” Lee said. “I did not try to think of the guys in the weight class that were good. I took it one match at a time and worked slowly through the tournament. I felt good the whole time. I felt my conditioning could be a bit better. This was a good tournament for me. I am usually a slow starter in matches.”
Cross, who was caught and pinned by Angel Cejudo in the first period of the quarterfinals, came back to beat Cejudo 7-0, 2-2 in the third-place match. Cross is making a comeback after a 10-year layoff.
Past World silver medalist Stephanie Murata of the U.S. dropped the first period in the finals at 48 kg/105.5 lbs. before coming back to down World bronze medalist Carol Huynh of Canada 0-6, 2-0, 2-1.
“Every tournament, every day is a new day,” Murata said. “Just because you had success in the past, you can’t sit on your laurels. That is the beauty of the sport. You have to improve and get better or you lose.”
American Marcie Van Dusen showed plenty of grit and moxie in pulling out a hard-fought, three-period win over Russia’s Natalia Karamchakova in the women’s freestyle finals at 55 kg/121 lbs. Karamchakova is a past World silver medalist.
With the match scoreless in the third period, Van Dusen shot in on a leg attack and finished with just under a minute left to lead 1-0. Van Dusen then countered a late shot attempt and followed by turning the Russian to her back en route to winning the period 5-0.
“I had a chance to change my strategy,” Van Dusen said. “I came out too strong. I had to see what she had and wrestle my own match. I’d say I was in better shape, but I definitely wanted it more. I was attacking too much early on and she was capitalizing on my mistakes. In the second period, I had to set her up more and get off my shots. Coach Izzy (Izboinikov) refocused me in the corner.”
Olympic and World medalist Patricia Miranda added to her gold-medal collection with a 1-1, 2-0 win over past World bronze medalist Jenny Wong in the finals at 51 kg/112.25 lbs. American Katie Downing went 4-0 in a round-robin format to win the women’s freestyle title at 67 kg/147.5 lbs. Downing is a past World bronze medalist.
Past World champion Alena Kartashova of Russia was upset by American Randi Miller in the semifinals at 63 kg/138.75 lbs. Miller won 0-1, 2-0, 2-0.
World champion Stanka Hristova of Bulgaria fell to Russia’s Daria Nazarova in the women’s freestyle semis at 72 kg/158.5 lbs. Nazarova, a past Junior World silver medalist, prevailed 4-0, 6-0.
CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS
Women’s freestyle 48 kg/105.5 lbs.
Stephanie Murata, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) dec. Carol Huynh (Canada), 0-6, 2-0, 2-1
Women’s freestyle 59 kg/130 lbs.
Tonya Verbeek (Canada) dec. Larisa Kanaeva (Russia), 2-1, 2-0
Women’s freestyle 72 kg /158.5 lbs.
Daria Nazarova (Russia) dec. Elena Perepelkina (Russia), 0-3, 1-0, 1-0
Greco-Roman 120 kg/264.5 lbs.
Dremiel Byers, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) dec. Russ Davie, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC), 6-0, 1-1
Greco-Roman 55 kg/121 lbs.
Lindsey Durlacher, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC) dec. Spenser Mango, Flourissant, Mo. (Gator WC/USOEC), 3-2, 4-0
Greco-Roman 60 kg /132 lbs.
Nurbakyt Tengibayev (Kazakhstan) dec. Joe Warren, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC), 1-1, 3-0
Women’s freestyle 51 kg/112.25 lbs.
Patricia Miranda, New Haven, Conn. (Sunkist Kids) dec. Jenny Wong, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids), 1-1, 2-0
Freestyle 55 kg/121 lbs.
Hyo-Sub Kim (Korea) dec. Asset Serikbayev (Kazakhstan), 4-2, 7-0
Freestyle 60 kg/132 lbs.
Travis Lee, Ithaca, N.Y. (New York AC) dec. Sahit Prizreni, New York, N.Y. (New York AC), 1-1, 6-0
Women’s Freestyle 55 kg/121 lbs.
Marcie Van Dusen, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) dec. Natalia Karamchakova (Russia), 1-5, 1-1, 5-0
Women’s freestyle 63 kg/138.5 lbs.
Randi Miller, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Gator WC) dec. Sara McMann, Iowa City, Iowa (Sunkist Kids), 0-7, 1-0, 2-0
Freestyle 120 kg/264.5 lbs.
Daniel Cormier, Stillwater, Okla. (Gator WC) dec. Steve Mocco, Stillwater, Okla. (New York AC), 0-1, 4-3, 1-0
Women’s freestyle 67 kg/147.5 lbs.
1st – Katie Downing, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids)
2nd - Maria Mueller (Germany)
Downing went 4-0 in round-robin matches.
Photos
Dave Schultz Womens Semi-Finals
Dave Schultz Womens Prelims & Quarters
Dave Schultz Womens Preliminary Rounds
Event photos by Larry Slater