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USOEC recruits wrestle in Ontario
Published: Friday, July 06, 2007
MARQUETTE—Five new members of the United States Olympic Education Center’s women’s freestyle wrestling team will test their skills at the Junior Canada Cup today in Guelph, Ontario.
The athletes have trained at the USOEC since mid-June to prepare for the competition.
“This class of recruits has demonstrated at national competitions and USA Wrestling Olympic development camps that they are ready, willing and able to join the resident athlete program here at the USOEC,” said head coach Shannyn Gillespie.
Among the new recruits competing are Melissa Apodaca (Anchorage, Alaska), Lindsey Brooks (Klein, Texas), Schuyler Brown (Montpelier, Va.), Elizabeth DeAngelo (Mebane, N.C.) and Beth Johnson (Garden City, Kan.). Amber Miracle (Berlin, Wis.) will also join the USOEC team in the fall, but she will not wrestle at the Junior Canada Cup.
Brooks will start at Northern Michigan University in the fall as a freshman, while the other women will finish their last year of high school at Marquette Senior High School.
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Top female wrestler commits to Okla. City
Arundel grad Woody decides on college
SEAN BURNS, Staff Writer 7/8/07
Already a junior-level national and world wrestling champion as well as the county's first-ever female tournament champ, Odenton's Nicole Woody will soon add the title of collegiate wrestler to her resume after committing Oklahoma City University's program last week.
Woody decided on the Stars, one of the few women's college programs in the nation, after visiting the school last weekend while in town for the Junior National Dual Meet representing Maryland.
"The coaches had contacted me a couple times and I met them at some tournaments before," said Woody, 19, who graduated from Arundel last month. "Last weekend, I got to check out the campus and meet some of the girls on the team and get to know them, so it worked out well."
OCU is a member school in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, and added women's wrestling to its athletic program this year. The Stars have some dual meets scheduled, and will be travelling to several tournaments throughout the country.
"I really like the determination that the coaches have showed to become number one," Woody said. "I think that will help facilitate a lot for me."
Before she ships off to Oklahoma in mid-August, Woody has a chance to become the first female wrestler to capture first place four consecutive times at the U.S. Junior National meet in Fargo, North Dakota later this month. She was named Outstanding Wrestler in the female division last summer for her dominating performance.
"This summer has been a little wierd, because I didn't make the national team," said Woody, who won gold at last summer's FILA World Junior Championships in Guatemala. "I'm still practicing just as hard as I usually do in the summer, but I'm not travelling to tournaments every weekend like I have. It's really been laidback and intense at the same time."
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UWO wrestling alumni get spot on Wall of Fame
LondonTopic.ca
07/06/2007
Two Mustang wrestling alumni will officially be inducted to the Mustang Wrestling Wall of Fame at the Wrestling Alumni Dinner Monday (July 9).
Josip Mrkoci and Egon Beiler will be getting their spot on the wall during the dinner at the Greenhills Golf Club.
The Wrestling Wall of Fame, established in 1985 to recognize outstanding contribution and achievement to Western's wrestling program, has 26 inductees to date. New alumni are inducted every two years.
Mustang wrestling has a strong and rich tradition of history dating back to the 1930s.
The Wrestling Wall of Fame was made possible by past coaches Earle Zeigler, Mike Yuhasz and Glynn Leyshon.
Josip Mrkoci
Josip Mrkoci has virtually done it all in wrestling - as an athlete, coach, official and builder.
He recently organized and brought the Commonwealth Championship to London (July 16-17) and has been referred to as the "pillar" of Commonwealth wrestling.
As chair of the Commonwealth Amateur Wrestling Association, which he co-founded in 1985, he has promoted, developed and provided stability of the sport in the Commonwealth over the past 22 years.
Mrkoci wrestled as a Mustang in the 70s, winning the OUAA individual gold at 158 lbs., and winning a CIAU silver in 1973.
He became head coach of the Mustangs in 1980 for two seasons, and he was a member of the national coaching staff from 1978-83 before leading the London-Western Wrestling Club to a junior national team title in 1978 and senior team titles in 1979 and 1980. He continues to coach with Western and the London-Western club where he also is a board member.
Mrkoci served as President of the Ontario Amateur Wrestling Association from 1990-93, and he was instrumental in hosting the 1993 World Wrestling Championships in Toronto.
He was an Olympic official at the 1976 Montreal Games and was inducted into the Canadian Amateur Wrestling Association Hall of Fame in 2000.
Egon Beiler
Egon Beiler is considered one of Canada's best all-time wrestlers. He was a World Cup champion in 1976, Pan American Games champion in 1974, and a two-time Commonwealth Games champion in 1974 and 1978.
He was a member of three Olympic teams in 1972, 1976 and 1980. From 1972-1980, Beiler competed in 82 international matches winning 67 per cent of them - an outstanding feat by a Canadian during those times.
He holds 11 National Open titles from 1971-1980 in both freestyle and Greco-Roman styles, in addition to three CIAU titles in 1974, 1975 and 1977.
Beiler coached at University of Waterloo for two years from 1982-1983.
He is a member of numerous Hall of Fames including, the Canadian Amateur Wrestling Association Hall of Fame (inducted 1989), Western's "W" Club Hall of Fame (inducted 1996) and the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame (inducted 1983). He is a graduate of Western's dentistry program and currently practices in Kitchener, his hometown.
What: Wrestling Alumni Dinner
Where: Greenhills Golf Club, London
When: Monday July 9, 2007 (6:30 p.m. social, 7:00 p.m. dinner)
Cost: $50.00 per person
Note: The Wrestling Alumni Golf tournament will precede the Dinner (1:30 pm tee-off)
For more information, or to attend, please contact: Ray Takahashi (519) 661-2111 ext. 85078 or e-mail (see link)