womens wrestling news

He didn't need to see the score. He heard the referee, who kept awarding points to his opponent. He felt the sting of defeat on his cheeks.

That was enough. Muñoz, 17, pinned a wrestler from the Oklahoma School for the Blind. It gave him the championship Saturday in the 125-pound weight class among schools for the visually impaired from Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.

Muñoz was proud of his gold medal. It validated all the work he put into wrestling — the laps around the track, the jogs up and down the stairs, the "coffee grinders" the coach made the team do, "where you get on the floor and just turn, turn, turn."

He felt especially good about winning at home. He earned that medal at the Mike Woodward Gym, where he began training last year as a new wrestler who was a new student at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

Born with underdeveloped optic nerves, Muñoz couldn't see small things, or faraway things, which made life difficult in a place not suited for his condition. He attended El Dorado High School in El Paso until it was clear he belonged at TSBVI.

He came alone. He knew no one in Austin. He missed his family in El Paso. He had no context for his new school.

Ramirez was the new wrestling coach at TSBVI. It was his first year, too. Ramirez had taken over for Woodward, who spent almost three decades at the school. Ramirez tempered his expectations, asking only for dedication from his wrestlers.

"I like to tell my guys it's not about them winning or losing," Ramirez said. "If they put in everything they can, they can't worry about the outcome."

Muñoz was the only TSBVI wrestler to win Saturday at the annual meet. One of his teammates, Fermin Monarrez, won second in the 189-pound class. John Nolan, Jamel Hodges and Alex Hoardge took third.

Amy Flores and Briana Smith, the only two female wrestlers on the seven-member team, faced each other in an exhibition match, since no girls in their weight class came to the Austin meet, which drew 42 wrestlers.

Flores won with a pin, but Smith exulted just as much, thrilled simply to sweat and apply everything she'd learned since those hot days in August.

Muñoz kept getting flipped in his championship match with the wrestler from Oklahoma.

"Are you proud of me?" he askehttp://www.statesman.com/sports/content/sports/stories/highschool/01/23/0123blind.htmld his coach.

Prize fund for Yarygin Grand Prix to reach $150,000

The prize fund for "Ivan Yarygin" World Female and Freestyle Wrestling Cup will reach $150,000. Georgy Bryusov, executive director of Russian Wrestling Federation, announced it at the session of the executive committee of the federation in Moscow today.

"It is difficult to overestimate the importance of forthcoming Yarygin Tournament in the light of the Olympic prospects for Russia's national freestyle wrestling team," Georgy Bryusov said. "It will become the first stage of elimination for Beijing Olympics 2008, so all Russia's strongest wrestlers from the most titled world champion to two-time Olympic champion Buvaisar Saitiev and promising young sportsmen will compete in Krasnoyarsk tournament," Bryusov noted.

As Newslab reported earlier, three lineups of the USA teams, two Turkish teams, Bulgarian, Mongolian, Azerbaijani, Belarussian, Ukrainian, and Kazakh teams will come to Krasnoyarsk.

John Vogt is known for developing solid girls wrestling programs at Houston Lee. As the wrestling coach at Sam Houston, he is helping Maribel Ramirez and Lilliana Puentes in their quest to return to the state tournament.

Ramirez (25-7) has been among the top three at 95 and 102 pounds, respectively, this season with several tournament victories, including Klein Collins.

Puentes (25-5), another returning state qualifier, has engaged in some good battles at 165/185 pounds, earning a win over Mayde Creek's Gracie Bhttp://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/5477129.htmlenson.

On Thursday, the No. 1 Lady Bulldogs will host No. 3 Katy at 6 p.m., in a battle of area girls wrestling powers.

The matchup of District 22 rivals favors state duals champion Waller, but Katy's lineup features six quality wrestlers. Waller has 25 girls in its wrestling program and typically fills all 10 weights.

The 138-pound battle will pit Katy's Julie Stayton and Waller's Whitney Disotelle. Both are state ranked and Disotelle finished as a state runner-up http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/5477129.htmlat 138 last year.

The Wolves will attempt to defend their District 23 championship Feb. 2 at the Butler Field House, a Houston ISD facility. This is the first time the school will not host the event.

Boys	Girls 1. Klein	1. Waller 2. Katy Taylor	2. Cypress Ridge
3. Westside	3. Katy
4. Cinco Ranch	4. Klein Collins
5. Morton Ranch	5. Morton Ranch

It's her call: Former wrestler back on the mat again

Tim Twentyman / The Detroit News 1/23/08

Family get-togethers at the Sanom household aren't like typical family visits. When the Sanoms get together, there's a good chance someone will leave with a few cuts and bruises, and a damaged ego.

When the Sanoms get together, the furniture gets pushed aside and the mats hit the floor. That includes Nicole Sanom, 23, the only female high school wrestling referee in Michigan.

"I grew up wrestling," Sanom said. "This is a big wrestling family. Every Easter and Christmas, we move the furniture and go at it. My cousin Zack wrestled at Berkley and finished second in the state, so we have some pretty good wrestlers in our family. I can hold my own, though."

Being a women never stopped Sanom in her love of the sport. She wrestled four years at Warren Mott High School before becoming a referee. She recently became the first woman to officiate a match at the Macomb County Wrestling Tournament.

"I just wanted to stay involved in the wrestling community," she said. "There was a shortage of referees at the time (2003) and it was a chance for me to make a little extra cash, too."

Sanom is a member of the All-American Athletic Association, which is an independent officials association comprised of 75 wrestling refs.

"When she came in, I told her that she was going to have to fight through many obstacles being a female in a male-dominated sport," said Ron Nagy, president of the association. "It wasn't like she came in not knowing about the sport. She has great mat knowledge, and having wrestled in high school, I think she started with an advantage.

"She came in and asked a lot of questions. She took her lumps like every new ref does, but she has never stopped learning. She is a great ref."

Rough-and-tumble start

"I was really nervous and just didn't want to make any mistakes," she said. "It was definitely a nerve-racking experience, but it got better as the season went on."

Wrestling is a male-dominated sport and being a woman referee had its challenges. She dealt with ridicule from some players and coaches who couldn't accept a women referee on the mat.

"Coaches know how to work refs, it's in their blood. They just know how to harass us," Sanom said. "I think they maybe did that a little more to me than normal at the beginning.

"You just have to earn their respect and stand your ground, and that's what I did. All the coaches know me now and it's like night and day with them."

On dangerous ground

Last year, Sanom realized it's not just the coaches and wrestlers with whom she has to deal. Sanom was the head official at a tournament in Garden City when a disgruntled father assaulted her after arguing a call from one of her officials.

"He didn't like the call and I happened to be there, and when I stepped between him and the official he shoved me out of the way," Sanom said. "He was escorted out of the gym and suspended from all MHSAA events.

"I was a little shaken when I got home. He later wrote me a long apology letter that said, 'I don't treat women like that.' "

Nagy said Sanom has become one of his top officials. In March, Sanom hopes to become the first woman to officiate a match in the state tournament. State tournament officials are selected on a point scale awarded by high-school coaches.

"That is really the next step for me," Sanom said of the state tournament and the NCAA. "But I don't want it to take away from the high school stuff. I love officiating at the high school level and there is a shortage of referees there."

Correspondent 1/23/08

For the first time ever, Maine's schoolgirl wrestlers will have a tournament to call their own. Mt. Blue High School will host the first Maine High School Girls Wrestling Invitational on Feb. 20.

The event is open to all Maine high school girls according to organizer Arvid Cullenberg. While girls have been allowed to compete against boys in wrestling since the mid-1990s, there has never been a tournament for girls alone.

"This is an idea I have had for several years" Cullenberg said. "Maine has seen some outstanding female wrestlers. I have been impressed with the perseverance of these girls. I just think it's time that they get showcased."

Indeed, some girls have done very well at the state championships against the guys.

Marshwood High School's Deanna Rix was a Class A state runner-up in 2005 in the 130-pound class and has been a highly ranked competitor on the women's Freestyle (Olympic style) circuit. Current Camden Hills High School wrestler Kristi Pearse has twice placed second at 103 in the Class B state tournament.

Most girls who find success at the varsity level against their male counterparts are in the lightest weight classes. The strength differential between boys and girls tends not to be as dramatic at the 103 and 112 pound weights. As girls get into the higher weights, they often are simply overpowered by the guys.

Erskine Academy senior Beth Belanger is one of four female wrestlers on the Eagles squad.

"I'm really excited about the tournament," said Belanger, who wrestles in the 135-pound class. "It will be the first time I've been able to compete only against other girls. I don't mind wrestling against boys, but they are definitely stronger than me. The competition will be much more even with just girls."

While the tournament will be held after the Maine Principals' Association sponsored state championships on Feb. 16, it is still considered part of the winter sports season and high school coaches will be able to coach the girls during the tournament.

According to Cullenberg, the Feb. 20 date was chosen to ensure that coaches wouldn't be in violation of the MPA sports season policy.

Weight classes will be determined by "grouping." This means that instead of pre-set weight classes, wrestlers will be placed into eight-person brackets based on which wrestlers are closest in weight.

There will be a $15 entry fee per athlete, but teams sending more than four wrestlers will only pay $60. The entry fee is in place to pay for tournament expenses, including individual and team awards, according to Cullenberg.

For more details on the tournament contact Arvid Cullenberg at arvid.cullenberg@maine.edu

Two area teams with potential to win the Eastern A regional tournament are also having phenomenal dual meet seasons.

Cony High School has set a school record by winning 23 dual meets. The Rams will close out the dual meet part of the season Saturday in Newport, where they will face Nokomis High School and Class B power Camden Hills High School.

"Having over 20 dual meet wins is a nice accomplishment for this young team," Cony coach Shawn Totman said. "It is not something that we set as a goal at the beginning of the year, but as we kept getting closer to the number 20, I think it helped motivate our guys to stay focused on working hard in practice in the hopes of reaching or passing that mark." And then there's Skowhegan, which holds a 20-2 season record.

"The two losses came from a tiebreaker to Mt. Ararat on Dec. 15, then a 48-30 loss to Belfast this past weekend," Skowhegan assistant coach Tenney Noyes said. "Everyone on the team has been wrestling tough and the underclassmen are stepping up big-time.

"We have eight wrestlers with 20-plus wins, and only Brian Parlin is a senior. Parlin is four wins away from earning his 100th career win and should accomplish that at KVACs."

The Indians will have a chance to avenge the loss to Mt. Ararat this weekend when they travel to Topsham for a rematch. Skowhegan will also wrestle against East A regional opponent Erskine Academy and Class C's Monmouth Academy.

The Caprock boys and girls wrestling teams notched dominating victories against Hereford, adding to their already impressive resumes Tuesday in the Caprock Old Gym.

Caprock beat Hereford, 65-16, in the boys match, while the Lady Longhorns beat Hereford, 42-18.

The Longhorns pinned their opponents in seven of their 12 victories, including J.J. Naranjo's (34-3) victory against Terry Thomas in the heavyweight division.

Caprock's Cody Garcia improved his record to 35-7 by beating Norman Grumbach, 11-8, in the 125-pound weight division.

In the girls match, Caprock's Lisa Martinez led the way by pinning Gabby Vallejo in 1 minute, 2 seconds, in the 110-pound division.

Candy Martinez (95 pounds) and Mercedes Gonzales (185 pounds ) also pinned their opponents in less than two minutes for the Lady Longhorns.

Peers defend player hitting coach

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Authorities lined up to defend Turgay Karabulut, the coach who slapped Aslıhan Boyalı after she lost in the finals of the Junior Women's Freestyle Wrestling Turkey Championship.

The 17-year-old Boyalı was slapped by Karabulut, after losing in the 59-kg finals in the tournament held in Kırıkkale. As Turkish Wrestling Federation Chairman Osman Aşkın Bak demanded a probe into Karabulut's actions, the coach's colleagues in his hometown Konya stood by him.

Karabulut's boss at the Emniyetspor Club, Kamil Büyükateşli said the incident was not as the media reported, and the slap was not an act of violence but affection.

“We interviewed both the coach and the wrestler and found out that Karabulut went to calm down a shocked Boyalı and acted with a father's affection,” said Büyükateşli. “The event has been misunderstood and was something between the wrestler and coach.”

Büyükateşli said the club had a successful tournament with a total of two gold medals, three silvers and five bronzes.

Mustafa Sarı, the head of wrestling activities in Konya province, agreed with Büyükateşli, and said the Turkey Wrestling Championship is an organization that is high in tension and both wrestlers and, as former wrestlers with 15-year careers, coaches can be more nervy than usual.

“After Aslıhan Boyalı was beaten 5-2 by Leyla Metin in the second round, Karabulut lightly slapped his fatigued wrestler to get her out of shock,” said Sarı. “Nobody will benefit from exaggerating such an incident that can happen in the unique atmosphere of sport and such debates will harm Turkish sport.”

High school sports happenings

The Timberwolves placed eighth in boys team scoring and tied for 13th in girls team scoring at the Fourth Annual Craig T Grace Centex Wrestling Invitational on Saturday at Delco Center. Leading the way was 152-pound champion Cody Frankum, who improved to 24-2 with four wins.

Dane Reynolds (4-1 season record) placed third in the 103-pound class. Nathan Rish (4-2) was fourth in the 180-pound weight class. In girls competition, Jami Moore (14-1) had a second-place finish in the 185-pound class.

Last week, Ridgefield's Class 2A Greater St. Helens League meet against R.A. Long was put on ice.

But the action figures to heat up tonight when the rescheduled event will be held at 7 p.m. in Ridgefield.

R.A. Long and Ridgefield hold 3-0 marks in the 2A GSHL, so the winner tonight figures to take home the 2A GSHL regular-season title.

The meet was scheduled for Jan. 15, but it was delayed when R.A. Long cancelled school that day because of icy conditions in the Longview area.

Washougal followed up its runner-up finish at the Clark County Championship by taking the team title at last weekend's Gorge Invitational in Stevenson.

Washougal had Greg Barrette (119), Daniel McElhaney (125), Colton King (130), Nick Biron (215) and Trenton Shelby (285) capture individual championships.

Even though Washougal likely will finish third in the 2A GSHL dual-meet standings, coach John Carver believes Washougal's solid showing in tournaments will bode well for the Panthers in postseason meets.

Camas' Melissa Watkins won the 103-pound title, beating teammate Ryan Markham in the final to earn her second Gorge title.

Carver also told the Camas-Washougal Post-Record that senior co-captain Kyle Schlauch has been accepted into the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. Schlauch sat out of last week's action battling flu symptoms, but is expected to return this week.

Chris Cox of La Center and Chelsea Eakins of Washougal won individual titles at the Jaguar Girls Invitational at Emerald Ridge High School in Puyallup.

Cox won the 130-pound division with a pin of Alycia Pohren of Sedro Wooley, and Eakins won the 145-pound division over Chelsea Seidel of Sedro Wooley.

Coaches with news and notes for the weekly wrestling report can e-mail them to sports@ columbian.com or contact Tim Martinez at 360-735-4538.

Craig Sesker USA Wrestling
01/23/2008

Marcie Van Dusen (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) has been named TheMat.com Wrestler of the Week for Jan. 15-21.

Each week, TheMat.com will select an Athlete of the Week, based upon performance within wrestling for that week. The selection committee will consider any level of wrestling, from youth programs through the Senior level. The announcement will be made each week on Wednesday.

Van Dusen knocked off five-time World champion and 2004 Olympic gold medalist Saori Yoshida of Japan on Jan. 19 to lift the U.S. into the finals of the World Cup in Taiyuan, China. Van Dusen won the match 4-1, 2-2. The American women’s freestyle squad beat Japan 4-3 to advance to the finals.

Van Dusen’s win snapped Yoshida’s 119-match winning streak. It was Yoshida’s first loss in international competition since 2001. Yoshida has won every World and Olympic title in her weight class since 2002.

Van Dusen went 3-0 on the weekend at 55 kg/121 lbs. for an American team that placed second at the World Cup. The U.S. fell to China 4-3 in the finals.

The 25-year-old Van Dusen made her first U.S. World Team in 2007 and placed 10th at the 2007 World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Note: To nominate a wrestler for TheMat.com Wrestler of the Week, send the athlete's name, accomplishments for the week and career accomplishments to Craig Sesker at csesker@usawrestling.org

At this meet, you don't have to see to believe

Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired wrestlers don't try to win or try not to lose. They just try.