Woody, a freshman from Gambrills, Md., won her fourth national title.
News Page
Eight OCU recruits become all-American at Junior National Championships
7/25/2007
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Woody, a freshman from Gambrills, Md., won her fourth national title. |
FARGO, N.D. – Eight Oklahoma City University women’s wrestling recruits placed and became all-Americans at the Junior National Championships this week at the FargoDome, highlighted by Nicole Woody’s 102-pound junior national title.
“We have an outstanding recruiting class,” OCU coach Archie Randall said. “OCU was the talk of the tournament. We have high expectations for our new program.”
Three others made the finals. Ashley Hudson, a freshman from St. Louis, finished as runner-up at 124, Samantha Phillips, a freshman from Manteca, Calif., was runner-up at 130 and Marina Piccolotti, a freshman from Pacifica, Calif., took second at 139.
Four others placed. Carrie Clark of Cedar Park, Texas, finished third at 165. Stephanie Waters of Joliet, Ill., placed fourth at 95.
Jennifer Peabody of Defiance, Ohio, was fifth at 124. Also at 102, Lene Wood of Frisco, Texas, finished sixth.
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John MacKinnon, CanWest News Service
Published: Friday, July 27, 2007
There were a couple of major disappointments for Canada on Thursday, as well. Wrestler Tonya Verbeek of Beamsville, Ont., won a bronze medal in wrestling, defeating Tahamara Barron of Mexico. But Verbeek had been favoured to go through to the gold-medal match.
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Americans continue strong play at Pan American Games
www.chinaview.cn 2007-07-27 09:14:04 Print
RIO DE JANEIRO, July 26 (Xinhua) -- The United States' huge gold-medal haul at the Pan American Games looked unstoppable as its wept half of the 14 gold medals at stake on Thursday.
Brazil has now overtaken Cuba in the medals table for the first time at these games. Both nations have 35 each, but Brazil has more overall medals. The United States leads the count with 81 golds.
American archer Jennifer Nichols set the tone when she edged out Aida Roman of Mexico to win her second consecutive Pan Ams women's archery individual gold medal.
"This has been an incredible experience," Nichols said. "This is a very elite group of competitors and a great international competition. I'm honored to be among such great athletes and am extremely happy to win a gold medal at the Pan American Games."
In free-style wrestling, Sara McMann (63kg) and Kristie Marano (72kg) added two gold medals for the United States. Colombia's Jackeline Renteria denied the Americans' third gold as she downed Marcie Vandusen in the 55-kg division, while Canadian Carol Huynh grabbed the gold medal in the 48-kg division.
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US women wrestlers win two gold at Pan American Games
27/7/2007 10:22
The United States picked up two gold medals in women's freestyle wrestling at the Pan American Games yesterday.
Sara McMann defeated Yoselin Rojas of Venezuela to win the 63-kilogram division, before her American compatriot Kristie Marano claimed victory in the 72-kg class.
Colombia's Jackeline Renteria denied the Americans' third gold as she downed Marcie Vandusen in the 55-kg event. Canadian Carol Huynh grabbed the gold medal in the 48-kg division.
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Canada wins 10 more medals at Pan Am
Jul 26, 2007 10:02 PM
Lori Ewing
Canadian press
Carol Huynh of Hazelton, B.C., led Canada's wrestling team, defeating Ingrid Medrano of El Salvador to win gold in the 48-kilogram category.
"A few countries are starting to pay attention to women's wrestling," said Huynh. "In Canada, the women's wrestling started to evolve about 15 years ago."
Ohenewa Akuffo of Brampton, Ont., took silver in the 72-kilogram class, losing to American Kristie Marano in the gold-medal bout.
Tonya Verbeek, a native of Beamsville, Ont., defeated Tahamara Barron of Mexico to win a bronze medal in the 65-kilogram category. Verbeek, a silver medallist at the 2004 Athens Olympics, had earlier lost to American Marcie Vandusen in the semifinals of the women's 55-kilogram wrestling division.
"I am not very happy with my performance in the Games," Verbeek said. "For a moment I lost my focus. When I tried to get back into the fight again, I couldn't do it. You have to learn from your mistakes and move ahead."
Megan Dolan of St. Catharines, Ont., collected bronze with a win over Cuba's Candida de Armas.
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By: The Mississauga News
July 27, 2007 -
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Usually, a silver medal is reason to celebrate.
But to a perfectionist like Ohenewa Akuffo, there was little reason to celebrate after winning a silver medal in women’s wrestling at the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro on yesterday.
Taking on Kristie Marano from the United States in the gold medal match in the 72 kilogram weight class, the Brampton resident, who got her start in the sport while attending Malton’s Ascension of Our Lord Secondary School, was pinned in the first round.
“I’m disappointed because second is not what I wanted. I was up on points, and I got caught,” said the 28-year-old. “It’s a learning experience, and anything that doesn’t break me will make me stronger.”
Akuffo will now turn her attention to the world championships.
Akuffo said she would rather get the kinks out in Rio than at the worlds in Azerbaijan, where the top eight in each division will qualify for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
“This is a great competition, but it doesn't qualify me for the Olympics and the world championships will. I will take this and then it’s building a plan over the next few weeks.”
Akuffo was born and lived in Toronto until she was three when the family moved to Accra Ghana, West Africa. The family returned to Canada five years later and lived in Malton.
When Akuffo first attended Ascension, a friend introduced her to wrestling, and she was hooked. Soon, Akuffo was also wrestling with the Mississauga-based Matmen Wrestling Club.
Akuffo concluded her high school education at St. Augustine, when the family moved to Brampton. She later attended McMaster and York University, and now takes her courses electronically while training at the University of Guelph National Training Centre.
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Brampton wrestler settles for silver after gaffe; sets her sights on qualifying for Beijing
Jul 27, 2007 04:30 AM
Randy Starkman
SPORTS REPORTER
RIO DE JANEIRO–One moment, Brampton wrestler Ohenewa Akuffo was smiling through her mouthpiece as the announcer butchered her name in presenting her for the gold medal final at the Pan Am Games.
The next thing you knew, she was flat on her back and the referee was waving the contest over.
Akuffo likens wrestling to a "chess game in your mind." This was definitely checkmate.
The personable 28-year-old started off aggressively and went up 1-0 on her tough American opponent Kristie Marano. But she had a mental lapse and got caught in a scramble situation. Instead of circling to the front when the two locked arms, Akuffo went backwards and allowed the American to get more torque on her arm and flip her for the pin in their 72-kilo bout.
"She's not an opponent I take lightly, but I went in there offensively and I got caught," said Akuffo.
It might be painful to watch, but one suspects Akuffo will be seeing a lot of the video of the match between now and the world championships in September in Azerbaijan, where she needs a top-eight finish to qualify for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Canadian women's head coach Leigh Vierling said it's the kind of mistake that Akuffo needs to learn how to avoid on the road to Beijing.
"You know there's two minutes in a round and you have to really be focused," said Vierling. "Kristie Marano is an eight-time worlds medallist, with good tools and a decent judo background, so if you take your head out of position and let her take your arm, she's going to capitalize and she did.
"Ohenewa's got the tools to do it. She's going to have to be focused and tough and all the things we expect of our athletes to perform. She's getting there.
"This was a good measuring stick. In lots of ways, this gives us some things to work on."
That's the perspective Akuffo had as well, though it was clear she was disappointed at not improving on the silver medal she won at the Pan Ams four years ago in the Dominican Republic.
"You're not happy, but it's a learning experience," she said. "Like anything that doesn't break me will make me stronger. That's a goal I have for myself.
"This is a great competition, but it doesn't qualify me for the Olympics. The world championships will. I will take this and then it's building a plan over the next few weeks."
No doubt she'll be thinking of her chess analogy for the sport.
"Wrestling to me is like a chess game in your mind," she said. "It's an action/reaction sport. The better you know your body and the better you know yourself, the better of a chess player you are."
The Canadian women's wrestlers won medals in all four categories, with Carol Huynh of Hazelton, B.C., winning the gold in the 48-kilo division, Olympic silver medallist Tonya Verbeek of St. Catharines taking bronze in the 55-kilo class, and Megan Dolan of St. Catharines also grabbing a bronze in the 63-kilo division.
"I was disappointed that I wasn't in the gold medal match, so I just went out there and got the job done," said Verbeek.
"This was not the medal I came here to get, but you always have to look at the brighter side and not hang on to the negativity."
Akuffo said she'd had a "phenomenal" experience at the Games here.
"The organization and their presentation and their crowd has been amazing," she said.
"You always want a Games experience, because I haven't been to an Olympic Games yet.
"So you benchmark it. That's only a year away, so if you're going to be going to the Games you've got to be able to enjoy the experience. That's what I did."
She didn't even mind that the overexcited announcer mangled her name during the introductions, pronouncing it as "Aka-foo-ko" instead of "A-koo-fo."
"I was like `Who's that?'" said Akuffo. "I don't take it personal."
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Pan Am Games: Soccer team scores bronze, divers dominate
John MacKinnon, Edmonton Journal
Published: Thursday, July 26, 2007
Carol Huynh of Hazelton, B.C., won
gold in women’s freestyle wrestling in the
48-kilogram weight class Thursday.
Photograph by : Reuters
At the wrestling venue in Rio Centro, Carol Huynh of Hazelton, B.C., won gold in women’s freestyle wrestling in the 48-kilogram weight class, defeating Ingrid Medrano of El Salvador 3-0 in the final match, while Ohenewa Akuffo of Brampton, Ont., lost her gold-medal match against Kristie Marano of the United States to claim silver in the 72-kilogram class.
Gold-medal favourite Tonya Verbeek, of Beamsville, Ont., settled for bronze in the women’s 55-kilogram category.
“All I can do is learn from the experience,” Verbeek said. “It’s frustrating, but I’m going to get back to training for the world championship.”
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Canada wins double diving gold, soccer bronze at Pan American Games
By LORI EWING
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Carol Huynh of Hazelton, B.C., led Canada’s wrestling team, defeating Ingrid Medrano of El Salvador to win gold in the 48-kilogram category.
"A few countries are starting to pay attention to women’s wrestling," said Huynh. "In Canada, the women’s wrestling started to evolve about 15 years ago."
Ohenewa Akuffo of Brampton, Ont., took silver in the 72-kilogram class, losing to American Kristie Marano in the gold-medal bout.
Tonya Verbeek, a native of Beamsville, Ont., defeated Tahamara Barron of Mexico to win a bronze medal in the 65-kilogram category. Verbeek, a silver medallist at the 2004 Athens Olympics, had earlier lost to American Marcie Vandusen in the semifinals of the women’s 55-kilogram wrestling division.
"I am not very happy with my performance in the Games," Verbeek said. "For a moment I lost my focus. When I tried to get back into the fight again, I couldn’t do it. You have to learn from your mistakes and move ahead."
Megan Dolan of St. Catharines, Ont., collected bronze with a win over Cuba’s Candida de Armas.
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PAN AMS: Springs wrestlers help U.S. women take team title
NEWS SERVICES
July 26, 2007 - 11:22PM
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - Three women who train in Colorado Springs helped the U.S. edge Canada for the freestyle wrestling team title.
Kristie Marano a two-time world champion and eight-time world medalist, pinned Ohenewa Akuffo of Canada in the 158.5-pound final.
Marcie Van Dusen lost to Colombia’s Jackeline Renteria to earn a silver medal at 121 pounds.
Stephanie Murata rolled to a 6-0, 6-0 sweep of Ecuador’s Diana Piza in the bronze-medal match at 105.5. Murata fell to Carol Huynh of Canada in the semifinals.
Sarah McMann, of Gaffney, S.C., also won gold.
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Canada wins four Pan Am medals in women's wrestling, had hoped for more gold
Thu Jul 26 22:05:07 CDT 2007
JULIE SCOTT
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (CP) - All four of Canada's female wrestlers reached the podium at the Pan American Games on Thursday, but with only one gold in the mix, the team wasn't doing much celebrating.
Carol Huynh of Hazelton, B.C., was the lone member of the Canadian squad to reach the top of the podium, winning gold in the 48-kilogram class.
Olympic silver medallist Tonya Verbeek of Beamsville, Ont., was ousted in the semifinals of the 55-kilogram division and had to settle for a disappointing bronze while teammate Ohenewa Akuffo of Brampton, Ont., was pinned in the 72-kilogram gold-medal final.
Megan Dolan of St. Catharines, Ont., also captured a bronze at 63 kilograms.
"I was hoping to have at least a couple champions here, I'm not going to lie," said Canadian women's coach Leigh Vierling. "I expected all four to be on the podium but we want to be better than that."
Huynh, a native of Hazelton, B.C., dominated Ingrid Medrano of El Salvador to take the gold in the 48-kilogram class in two rounds.
"I was very confident going in," said Huynh. "And I think the result kind of spoke for itself."
Verbeek won the first round of the best-of-three semifinal bout against American Marcie Vandusen 7-0. But Vandusen took the second 2-1 then scored a 7-2 victory in the third round to secure the win. The American went on to lose in the gold-medal match after she was called for an illegal move against Colombia's Jackeline Renteria.
Verbeek easily defeated Tahamara Barron of Mexico in the bronze-medal match.
"It's hard," said Verbeek, who captured a silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics. "You have expectations of yourself and you know what you're capable of and when you fall short of that out there it's very frustrating."
Verbeek has beaten Vandusen a number of times in the past.
"Tonya I know will rebound," said Vierling. "She's one of those people that puts a fire in her belly."
Akuffo's match was over in a flash after she was pinned by Kristie Marano of the U.S. in the first round.
"You're disappointed because second is not exactly what I came here to do," said Akuffo. "But then I look at the big picture and it's like I have world championships coming up." Vierling said the loss will be an important learning experience for Akuffo, especially with the world championships coming up in Azerbaijan.
"Ohenewa's got the tools to do it but she's going to have to be focused and tough and all things we expect of our wrestlers to perform," said Vierling
"She's getting there. This is a good measuring stick and in lots of ways this gives us some things to work on.
"This would have been an important stepping stone here and we're going to have to use it a lesson instead of a confidence booster," he added.
Akuffo and Verbeek said they would rather they get the kinks out in Rio than at the world championships, where there will be Olympic berths on the line. The top eight in each division will qualify for the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing.
"You're not happy, but it's a learning experience," said Akuffo. "Like anything that doesn't break me will make me stronger. That's a goal I have for myself. This is a great competition, but it doesn't qualify me for the Olympics and the world championships will. I will take this and then it's building a plan over the next few weeks."
Verbeek said she's going to try and look at the brighter side of the disappointing result.
"If you stick to that negativity it's going to hang on to you forever," she said. "You really can't. You've got to say what's done is done now move forward and look ahead.
"It's best that I make my mistakes here as opposed to worlds or in Beijing." Canada and the United States were the favourites coming into Rio. All three bouts that the Canadians lost came against American opponents. The two countries often train together and a healthy rivalry has developed between their athletes.
"There's lots of highs and lows," Vierling said of the tournament. "We lost three matches in this tournament and they were all to the U.S. Coming in, we're two of the top teams in the world and I think we showed that. but we have performed better against the U.S."
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Gina Knapp heads to West Point Prep
by MAGGIE CALDWELL 7/26/07
mcaldwell@thereddingpilot.com
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Ever since she was just a little girl, Gina Knapp has known she wants to be a soldier.
Growing up playing war games with her older brother, watching military movies with her father, and listening to the stories her grandfather told about his service with the 82nd Airborne, she became enthralled. She wasn’t “exactly a tomboy,” she said, but “maybe a little too aggressive for (her) own good.”
As a birthday present when she turned 14, Gina asked her parents to take her to visit the United States Military Academy at West Point.
“I always wanted to go into the military and had in mind going to West Point,” she said.
Last Friday morning, she moved one giant leap toward achieving that goal, reporting for basic training in Monmouth, N.J., at the United States Military Academy Preparatory School, also called West Point Prep.
For one year she and her fellow cadets will follow a curriculum that is closely coordinated with the West Point syllabus. The prep school has a focus on mathematics and English, the basics of which are needed for academic success at the academy, according to the school’s Web site. When she has successfully completed her year at the school, Gina said she will enroll at West Point.
Her choice to enroll at Prep was due partially to her scores on the SATs. Though she excelled on the English sections, Gina said her math scores were lower than she would have liked — and what West Point requires.
But there are some advantages going to Prep, Gina said.
Like the cadets at West Point, Gina is considered Army enlisted, but instead of the usual five-year mandatory service after graduation, she will only be required to serve four. Also, she will be receiving a higher pay grade by going to Prep than if she was to start out at West Point.
“I have a friend at West Point who went through Prep. He told me I should definitely do it,” she said.
Military academy
Gina graduated in June from the New York Military Academy where she was highly decorated. Named first captain of the Corps of Cadets her senior year, Gina was only the fifth female to receive this rank since the school began admitting girls in 1975. In this position, she held the highest rank in the chain of command and was responsible for the entire corps.
At the academy, she was also secretary of the National Honor Society, a member of the Academic Team, Debate Team and Drama Club, and an officer of Leo’s Club. She served as captain of the softball team and volleyball team and was the first female to compete on the academy wrestling team.
A self-proclaimed perfectionist, Gina is tough, but easy to talk with.
“I initiate conversations and I strive to perfect everything that I do,” she said. “Whatever task I am assigned to do, I make sure I do it as best I can... Coming in as a female, you have to be competitive to keep up with the guys.”
Out of the 400 cadets at the New York Military Academy, only 70 were female.
“The guys love the girls in leadership positions because they are a little more tough,” Gina said. “With the females, I do notice that they are harder than the guys are. The guys are more relaxed, like big brothers. Females push people harder, especially other females. But it’s a good thing.”
Despite all of her achievements at the academy, Gina will enter West Point Prep at the same ranking as her fellow cadets.
Expectations
Every morning since graduation from the academy, Gina said she has been waking up to work out, following a routine that includes running between three and five miles, push-ups, sit-ups and calisthenics. Since she’s been home, she has been trying to spend a lot of time with family and friends. She “finally” got her driver’s license and recently got her wisdom teeth removed, a requirement before entering the military.
“They make you get your wisdom teeth removed because it can be very dangerous if they become inflamed while you are out in the field,” she said.
When she was interviewed last week before reporting for reception day at West Point Prep, Gina said she was anxious to begin basic training.
“I just want to get there and jump in, get back in the swing of things and keep my mouth shut,” she said. “I’m nervous because I know what to expect both physically and mentally. I know about the games they play. They set you up for failure, but it’s only a way of testing you.”
Gina said she will hide the fact that she went to military academy as long as she can to keep her superiors from singling her out during basic training.
“They’ll push me harder if they know I’ve been through this before,” she said. “You have to do as you’re told and not take what they say to heart. That is the most important thing. They don’t want to see anyone fail, but some inevitably will leave... It’s an old tradition, but it’s done more than anything out of concern. The (upperclassmen) are looking out for you in an older brother or older sister way. They push you to a certain level. They’ve all been through it, so they know how much a person can take.”
Gina said the point of the games and the degradation is tactical.
“When you are in the Army and you are leading real men and women into combat, you have to be able to take the pressure,” she said. “They want to see you succeed. No one wants to see someone fail.”
She is looking forward to digging in and pushing herself to achieve great things, all the while knowing that once the year is out and she starts school at West Point, she’ll be run through the same rigamarole. Gina, however, seems to embrace the challenge.
At West Point she is aiming to either study aeronautical engineering or aviation. She also has expressed interest in studying either Arabic or Chinese, two of the most difficult courses the school offers. She said eventually she wants a career in the Army flying Apache helicopters.
“I’ve done amazing things already that most teenagers have never had the opportunity to experience,” she said of her time at military academy. “I just want to continue to work my way up.”
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Apodaca third in national freestyle wrestling meet in Fargo, N.D.
Alaska Star on Thursday, July 26, 2007.
Chugiak High School senior Melissa Apodaca placed third in the senior women's 132-pound weight class Monday to highlight performances among local Eagle River grapplers competing in the Cade/Junior Nationals Freestyle and Greco-Roman Championships in Fargo, N.D., this week.
Apodaca, a member of the Chugiak boys varsity team last year, went 4-1 to claim the title Monday in the one-day women's freestyle meet, reported Eagle River Glacier Wrestling Club president Bret McBryde.
Other club members attending the meet included Stephen Kichura, along with Nolan and Rory McBryde. Nolan McBryde went 3-2, with losses to the eventually third- and fifth-place finishers in the 160-pound weight division and finished among the top 16 in the 88-man bracket.
Kichura, at 125 pounds, and Rory McBryde, at 189 pounds, went 0-2 in their divisions. Bret McBryde did report that the Kichura's 125-pound category was one of the tournament's more difficult, with several top Greco-Roman grapplers from around the country.
The Alaskans should fare equally well or better as they moved into the freestyle competition Wednesday and today, as they compete in the discipline used in high school competition here.
This article published in The
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28 July 2007
RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazil surpassed Cuba for second place in medals at the Pan American Games after their women’s football team routed the United States 5-0 to repeat as champions on Thursday.
Brazil overtook the Cubans for the first time after 14 days of competition. Both nations have 35 gold medals each, but Brazil have more overall and silver medals. The United States have 78 golds, and Canada trail with 26.
The hosts have 117 total medals (31 silver; 51 bronze), 30 more than Cuba (20 silver; 32 bronze).
Wrestling Women Freestyle: 48kg: 1, Carol Huynh, Canada. 2, Ingrid Medrano, El Salvador. 3 (tie), Stephanie Murata, United States, and Mayelis Caripa, Venezuela.
55kg: 1, Jackeline Renteria, Colombia. 2, Marcie VanDusen, United States. 3 (tie), Tonya Verbeek, Canada, and Marcia Andrade, Venezuela.
63kg: 1,Sara McMann, United States. 2, Yoselin Rojas, Venezuela. 3 (tie), Megan Dolan, Canada, and Mabel Fonseca, Puerto Rico.
72kg: 1, Kristie Marano, United States. 2, Ohenewa Akuffo, Canada. 3 (tie), Rosangela Conceicao, Brazil, and Liset Hecheverria, Cuba.