News Page
High School Sports the Magazine April 07
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By Gazette News Services 4/9/07
The United States Girls Wrestling Association will be hosting a tournament Saturday, April 28, at Lockwood Middle School beginning at 10 a.m. until completion.
Those eligible to wrestle are any girl/woman who is age five or older. Divisions included are elementary, middle school, high school and collegiate. The style of wrestling will be folkstyle. The entry fee is $25 before April 21 and $30 at weigh-ins.
Admission is $6.
Competitors will be from Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Oregon, Colorado, and Idaho said Billings' Jim Holman, who is helping promote the event. For more information, go to usgwa.com on the Internet, click on events and then click on View All Scheduled Events.
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Gannett Indiana online network 4/9/07
The Wapahani Wrestling Club participated in the Yorktown Wrestling Women's Open Freestyle and the Greco-Roman Open Tournaments on Friday. The following club members were place winners. Women's Freestyle: Ashley Herron placed first (novice 105) and Brittney Trimble placed first (cadet 143A). By competing in the Yorktown Women's Open Freestyle Tournament, Herron and Trimble made club history as they are the first females to represent the Wapahani Wrestling Club in an Indiana State Wrestling Association sanctioned competition. Isaiah Bradley also placed first in the Greco-Roman event. Coaches are Ralph Smith and Christie Smith.
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Quotes from 2007 U.S. National Champions in women's freestyle
Michelle Thilges USA Wrestling
04/06/2007
48 kg/105.5 lbs.
Stephanie Murata
On beating Mary Kelly
I don’t know the experience was so much the answer as to that she came into me and I thought I got into her. I think it was a little experience a little luck.
On losing first period
I think it reinforced what I needed to do. I needed to be aggressive and I didn’t do it in the first period. I think every year is a year to excel and some years are better than others.
How long she will be wrestling
I would like to go into next Olympic year.
51 kg/112.25 lbs.
Patricia Miranda
On her first period loss
I think you could use the word sloppy on my take down, it was a single underneath. Someone who is as good on defence as Jenny Wong is really knows how to use her leverage and her hips.
We grow in strategies and one of hers is to keep matches close and she is very good. She is very good defensively. I think she was waiting for me to take a bad shot so she could score.
On changing weights for the Olympics
I will likely be at 48 (kg). That was my Olympic weight last time around. 51 (kg) is my original weight. I get more time on mat less time on the tread mill.
On graduating law school
I’m graduating this May and I plan to train full time.
55 kg/121 lbs.
Marcie Van Dusen
On being injured for a year
I had an ACL rupture last year. (In) March I had the surgery. A lot of people think injuries hold you back but I think they make you a lot stronger. It shows how much you want it. You still have to work everyday and train everyday. If you can come back from an injury you can do anything.
Tina (George) is a really good competitor. I had to keep myself to the side so she wouldn’t have a straight on angle on me. It was a big win for me. It’s my first national championship.
59 kg/130 lbs.
Leigh Jaynes
She is naturally an aggressive wrestler and I knew she was going to come out swinging. I didn’t expect anything less from Erin. I knew it was going to be a fight. And I wanted to slow her down a bit to score good points
About the call in the first period
I knew she wasn’t pinned. I knew from the first two matches today they were going to be hard on calling pins. I knew I had to get her shoulder flat and it wasn’t a pin.
On gaining confidence in other styles of wrestling
Beach wrestling and sombo it’s fun for me. There is no pressure and it supplements my freestyle carrier. It was a plus I won two bronze medals. It is fun for me freestyle first priority.
On going from the hunter to the hunted
I prided myself in flying under the radar I think I just lost that.
67 kg/147.5 lbs.
Katie Downing
I learned that all the stuff I’ve been doing up to the worlds this year has gotten me this far. I got third place in the world. I had to change things up, open up a little more, work on a lot more offense. I have been working on more offensive leg attacks, more attacks to make them take bad shots and to score more off them.
Elena is my teammate and I work with her everyday. Women’s wrestling is small anyway it happens all the time (that you wrestle someone you know.) You have to know how to separate how you feel about the person off the mat from getting the job done on the mat.
72 kg/158.5 lbs.
Kristie Marano
On hearing her mom cheering her on
As soon as I got the trip I heard my mom screaming. She has done that ever since high school.
On her injury this year
I’m coming off shoulder surgery and had to trial with that. No, it has not limited my offense. It makes me work with other things including the trip. I let it (the injury) progress so long that I tore a couple ligaments.
On tripping Smith
I’m not sure she walked into something. I think it was my judo instinct.
I was excited (to win). She had her sideline this year and I had my sideline this year. I haven’t wrestled her since 1998 or 1999. It has been a long time. We split our ways I went down she went up. She pushed me and she is a great competitor. It will be interesting in the next couple months.
On being called the most decorated wrestler
It still gets me kind. It’s kind of hard to believe. I look at it and I’ve gone and done clinics with little girls. They say that’s so great. It’s great for myself and good for the sport. I just go day-to-day. It is part of living. I double check myself at times. It is just something I do, it’s just my job.
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Kristie Marano earns dramatic fall over Iris Smith in battle of World champions in finals of U.S. Nationals
Craig Sesker USA Wrestling
04/06/2007
LAS VEGAS – The bright lights of Las Vegas were shining on Mat 1 early Friday night.
And that was good news for Kristie Marano.
As most wrestling people around the world already know, Marano performs at her best when the spotlight is on her in the biggest matches.
That was evident when the two-time World champion executed a sweet leg sweep to catch World champion Iris Smith and pin her to win the U.S. Nationals women’s freestyle championship at 72 kg/158.5 lbs.
It was a dramatic end to an action-packed final round at the Las Vegas Convention Center as Marano (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC) won the featured bout of the evening.
Marano, who owns a record eight World-level medals, won her ninth U.S. Nationals title.
“I haven’t wrestled her since 1998 or 1999 - it has been a long time,” Marano said. “She pushed me and she is a great competitor. It was exciting to win it like that. I’m not sure she walked into something – I think it was my judo instinct.”
Marano was joined in the winner’s circle by fellow U.S. Nationals champions Stephanie Murata (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) at 48 kg/105.5 lbs., Patricia Miranda (New Haven, Conn./Sunkist Kids) at 51 kg/112.25 lbs., Marcie Van Dusen (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) at 55 kg/121 lbs., Leigh Jaynes (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) at 59 kg/130 lbs., Sara McMann (Iowa City, Iowa/Sunkist Kids) at 63 kg/138.75 lbs. and Katie Downing (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) at 67 kg/147.5 lbs.
Van Dusen was named Outstanding Wrestler after beating past two-time World silver medalist Tina George (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) in the finals. The Sunkist Kids won the team title with 70 points, followed by the New York Athletic Club with 43 and the Gator Wrestling Club with 35.
The U.S. Nationals champions for women clinch automatic berths into the best-of-3 final round for June’s U.S. World Team Trials in Las Vegas. The top seven finishers in each weight class at the U.S. Nationals advance to the U.S. World Team Trials.
Van Dusen, a past World University champion who has been hampered by knee injuries the past couple of years, is healthy now and put on an impressive showing in downing a top veteran in George in the final round. Van Dusen used a series of first-period turns to take command en route to a 6-0, 4-1 win.
Van Dusen won her first U.S. Nationals title.
“Tina is a really good competitor,” Van Dusen said. “I had to keep myself to the side so she wouldn’t have a straight-on angle on me. It was a big win for me. It’s my first national championship.”
The explosive Jaynes also could have been a candidate for OW after hitting a pair of big moves to knock off 2006 U.S. World Team member Erin Tomeo 5-1, 7-2 in the finals. Jaynes, a 2006 World bronze medalist in Beach and Sombo wrestling, won her first U.S. Nationals title.
“Erin is naturally an aggressive wrestler and I knew she was going to come out swinging - I didn’t expect anything less from her,” Jaynes said. “I knew it was going to be a fight. I wanted to slow her down a bit to score good points.”
Murata rallied to score a second-period fall over 2006 U.S. World Team member Mary Kelly in the finals. Kelly won the first period 4-3 and was in deep on a double-leg shot in the second period. But Murata answered the shot with a strong counter and was able to catch Kelly for the fall. Murata won her ninth U.S. Nationals title.
“I think the first period reinforced what I needed to do,” Murata said. “I needed to be aggressive and I didn’t do it in the first period.”
Miranda, a 2004 Olympic bronze medalist who won a bronze medal at the 2006 World Championships, fell behind early in her finals match with long-time foe Jenny Wong. Wong countered a shot attempt to score two early points on her way to a 2-1 first-period win. But the relentless Miranda came back with her strong arsenal of leg attacks and took the final two periods 1-0, 1-0. She held off a late charge as a determined Wong tried to gain a late takedown.
Miranda won her sixth U.S. Nationals title.
“Someone who is as good on defense as Jenny Wong really knows how to use her leverage and her hips,” Miranda said. “One of her strategies is to keep matches close and she is very good defensively. I think she was waiting for me to take a bad shot so she could score.”
McMann avenged a loss from the finals of February’s Dave Schultz Memorial International by scoring a 4-0, 1-0 win over Randi Miller. McMann took command early by shooting in on a single, lifting Miller’s leg in the air before tripping her to the mat for a takedown.
McMann, a 2004 Olympic silver medalist, won her sixth U.S. Nationals title.
Downing, a 2005 World bronze medalist, won her third U.S. Nationals title with a 1-0, 5-2 win over Elena Pirozkhov. Downing is seeking to make her third straight World Team.
“I had to change things up, open up a little more, work on a lot more offense,” Downing said. “I have been working on more offensive leg attacks.”
WOMEN’S FREESTYLE – U.S. NATIONALS CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHES
48 kg/105.5 lbs. – Mary Kelly, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC) pinned Stephanie Murata, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids), 3-4, 0:39
51 kg/112.25 lbs. – Patricia Miranda, New Haven, Conn. (Sunkist Kids) dec. Jenny Wong, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids), 1-2, 1-0, 1-0
55 kg/121 lbs. – Marcie Van Dusen, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) dec. Tina George, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army), 6-0, 4-1
59 kg/130 lbs. – Leigh Jaynes, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) dec. Erin Tomeo, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids), 5-1, 7-2
63 kg/138.75 lbs. – Sara McMann, Iowa City, Iowa (Sunkist Kids) dec. Randi Miller, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Gator WC), 4-0, 1-0
67 kg/147.5 lbs. – Katie Downing, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) dec. Elena Pirozkhov, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Gator WC), 1-0, 5-2
72 kg/158.5 lbs. – Kristie Marano, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC) pinned Iris Smith, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army), 1-0, 0:44