womens wrestling news

Jazzie Barker used a Dinos T-shirt to clean the blood from her nose, while Vanessa Wilson wiped tears from her eyes.

Both University of Calgary grapplers were defeated in pivotal gold-medal matchups yesterday at the CIS wrestling championships, as the Dinos women settled for second in the team standings, falling just two points shy of a claiming a national title on home turf.

"I'm more upset about losing our team title than I am about losing," said Wilson, the silver medallist in the Canadian university women's 72-kg weight class.

The Simon Fraser University Clan, who claimed three gold medals yesterday at U of C's Red Gym, finished with 57 total points and hoisted the women's team trophy. The Dinos collected 55 points.

Gen Haley (51 kg) and Justine Bouchard (63 kg) did their part for the hosts, beating a pair of SFU wrestlers in gold-medal matches and setting the table for the Dinos to knock the Clan out of top spot.

In the final two matches of the day, Wilson and Barker took early leads but couldn't finish off their opponents.

"Momentum is a fickle thing," said Dinos head coach Mitch Ostberg. "It seems like you have it going one way ... and then, in the blink of an eye, an opponent does something special -- like that arm-throw against Vanessa --and changes the momentum, and then it starts to go the other way.

"Momentum can work for you and against you. I think we had a swing in momentum in one match that changed things for us."

The last time the University of Calgary hosted Canada's top post-secondary grapplers, a highly touted Dinos men's squad faltered on the final day and finished third, a disappointing collapse on what Ostberg refers to as "black Saturday."

The longtime coach expects his memories of yesterday to be much sweeter. He was proud of what his athletes accomplished.

"Realistically, at a national championship final, can you expect to win all the matches? No. I mean, the whole country is competing for them," Ostberg said. "Being a Canadian champion is not easy in CIS wrestling, so I'm very happy. We got a bunch of medals. It's just hard when you're so close to a team title in your own gym and you can't pull through."

Stephanie Buchan and Megan Goldsmith both won bronze, bringing Calgary's medal haul to six on the women's side.

The Dinos men finished fifth in the team race, as the Brock Badgers claimed a 10th straight national title.

Mark DeWit, a 6-ft.-2 behemoth who doubles as an offensive lineman for the Dinos football team, grabbed gold in the men's 130-kg weight class, while Ryan Lannan (57 kg) settled for silver.

DeWit will attend the CFL combine in two weeks and plans to focus his attentions on the gridiron, meaning yesterday's gold-medal tilt will likely be his final match.

"It's awesome," DeWit said. "It's my first time as a national champion -- first time in a national championship -- so it's pretty cool to win it."

Huy Nguyen, a Calgary product who attends Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ont., won gold in the men's 54-kg division during the national championships.

Cejudo defeated John Pineda of Canada on a 2-1, 2-2 decision Sunday in the quarterfinals, then beat Vinicius Pedrosa of Brazil in the semifinals.

With Cuba's Andy Gonzales also advancing to the finals, the U.S. is assured the Olympic slot because Cuba had qualified for the Olympics in the 121-pound division before the tournament. The silver medalist at the Pan American event, therefore, is guaranteed an Olympic berth.

"It feels good," said Cejudo, who lives and trains in Colorado Springs. "The pressure's somewhat off, knowing I'm finally ready to go to the Olympics."

Cejudo, however, is not yet assured a trip to Beijing. Olympic-qualifying events give berths to countries, not individual wrestlers. Cejudo and others still must qualify at the U.S. trials on June 13-15 in Las Vegas.

Mike Zadick did not fare as well in his quest to qualify at 132 pounds, the only other men's freestyle slot where the U.S. has not yet qualified.

Zadick, a silver medalist at the 2007 Pan American Games and 2006 worlds, lost a controversial 1-0, 2-2, 1-0 decision to Guivi Sissauori of Canada in the quarters. The Canadian, a silver medalist at the 1996 Olympics, was awarded a decisive one-point penalty after Zadick had been warned for improper position in the third-period clinch. The bout had been tied at 0-0 at that point, and Zadick still would have had 30 seconds to score a winning point had the clinch occurred.

Zadick had defeated Nelson Garcia of Colombia 2-0, 6-0 in the opening round. He will wrestle for a bronze medal against Maykel Gonzales of Cuba.

Other U.S. wrestlers moving into the finals: Casey Cunningham, 163 pounds; Joe Williams, 185; Damion Hahn, 211.5; and Tommy Rowlands, 264.5. Chris Bono, 145.5, also will be in the bronze-medal round.

The U.S. had qualified 12 of a possible 18 weight-class entries for Beijing before the tournament, tops among the Pan Am field.

Earlier, Justin Ruiz qualified for the 211.5-pound class in Greco-Roman, but the U.S. failed in bids at 132 pounds and 163. The U.S. also was unsuccessful at 121 pounds in women's freestyle, the only unfilled Olympic slot in that division.

WRESTLING Canadian tops American Canada’s Tonya Verbeek beat American Marcie Van Dusen 1-1, 0-1, 1-1 on Saturday night to win the 121-pound women’s freestyle title in the Pan American Wrestling Championships. Verbeek, the 2004 Olympic silver medalist, pulled out the victory late in the match on a single leg shot that took Van Dusen to the mat. In weight classes where the U. S. already has Olympic berths, the Pan American Championships also served as confidence builders for gold medalists Clarissa Chun (105. 5 pounds ), Patricia Miranda (112. 25 ), Tatiana Padilla (130 ). Elena Pirozhkov (147. 5 ) and Stephany Lee (158. 5 ).

Canada’s Tonya Verbeek beat American Marcie Van Dusen 1-1, 0-1, 1-1 on Saturday night to win the 121-pound women’s freestyle title in the Pan American Wrestling Championships.

Verbeek, the 2004 Olympic silver medalist, pulled out the win late in the match on a single leg shot that took Van Dusen to the mat.It’s just my heart,” Verbeek said. “I think I can get a lot more out there technically, but sometimes that’s not enough. As a wrestler you get to a point in a match where you know you can, but sometimes you start doubting yourself. Tonight was all about me believing that I can and pursuing it until the very end.”

Verbeek’s win dampened Van Dusen’s bid to gain an Olympic berth for the United States at 121 pounds, the only female weight class where the U.S. has not qualified.

Van Dusen beat Verbeek in the 2007 Pan American Games en route to a silver medal.

“I know I’m a much better wrestler than I was then,” Van Dusen said. “I’ll go back and review the tape and find out what I did wrong. She had the better of it tonight, but it won’t happen again.”

“I’ve had some ups and downs in my career since the last Olympics. I’m trying to work my way back up and kind of feel myself get back in competition, so it’s a big win for me.”

In weight classes where the U.S. already has Olympic berths, the Pan American Championships also served as confidence builders for gold medalists Clarissa Chun (105.5 pounds), Patricia Miranda (112.25), Tatiana Padilla (130). Elena Pirozhkov (147.5) and Stephany Lee (158.5).

Miranda was making her first mat appearance since injuring a knee in practice shortly before last summer’s World Championships.

“It felt awesome,” Brown said. “It wasn’t perfect. It was good to put a singlet on and represent the U.S. This was a good warm up. Next week we head to Belarus and I should get a lot of good matches in.”

Martine Dugrenier also won a gold medal for Canada, taking the 138.75-pound title with a decision over Sandra Ro of Colombia.

Tournament action will resume Sunday morning with early round competition in the men’s freestyle division. Finals will be contested in an evening session.

Wrestling notebook: Goodrich grappling girls to star on ESPN

BATTLE CREEK -- ESPN was here. That's right, the sports cable network had a camera present at the team wrestling state finals.

ESPN was working on a feature for its show "Outside the Lines." The show is profiling two girls who wrestle for Goodrich, which competed in the Division 3 team finals Saturday.

OTL will air a feature centering on girls wrestling, and Goodrich wrestlers C.C. Weber, a junior, and sophomore Kristi Garr are the subjects. The show will air March 9.

ESPN conducted separate interviews with Weber, Garr, head coach Matt Turnbow and some of the girls' opponents.

Garr entered the team quarterfinals with a 22-16 record in the 112-pound class; Weber had a 49-11 mark in the 103 class.

"Their big thing is they're wrestlers," Turnbow said of Weber and Garr. "I don't think they enjoy the attention they get just for the fact that they're girls wrestling. At times, obviously they would like the story to focus more on our team's success as opposed to them. But as far as the ESPN situation goes, it's a pretty good deal, so we decided to take advantage of it."

NEW TRADITION: When teams reach the quarterfinals, typically most stay in Battle Creek and, win or lose, make the trip to an event. Holt had done the same in the past, but not having reached Battle Creek in seven years, coach Rocky Shaft wanted to change things up -- which also meant keeping things routine.

"The logistics of moving 30 kids back and forth to the hotel, finding a restaurant late at night, and then kids won't eat the right foods and they won't get any sleep -- so we decided to drive home," Shaft said. "Kids got up this morning, we had a little practice at the school, I get out on the bus, the kids are awake and laughing and I thought 'All right, it's an experiment, but maybe it worked.'

"Now, after last night's ice storm, I was beginning to wonder (at the time). There were dozens of cars in the ditches near Charlotte. Our bus was sliding, and I thought maybe it wasn't such a great idea. But the bus driver, she did a nice job."

ADJUSTMENTS NEEDED: Team chiropractor Rick Szczygielski of Temperance has been serving the Bedford team for 10 years, and he can be found between matches adjusting or stretching out some wrestlers -- and officials.

"The officials have kind of found me over the years," Szczygielski said. "I'm happy to help them. I thoroughly enjoy wrestling and this environment, and I love being a part of the program."

SING IT LOUD! Jeff McGinnis didn't even flinch when the sound system went out on him while he sang the national anthem during the team semifinals on Saturday. McGinnis' voice is so loud and carries so far, he didn't need the microphone.

The crowd heard him just fine and even sang along with him. McGinnis, 55, of Battle Creek has sung the anthem at the tournament for the past 12 years.

A LONG JOURNEY: Gladstone traveled the farthest to the team finals. Located in the Upper Peninsula, Gladstone covered 422 miles in more than 6 1/2 hours to reach Kellogg Arena, according to mapquest.com.

The Red Raiders finished with a team total of 152.5 points, easily outdistancing runner-up 'Iolani (106). Punahou (85) finished fourth, followed by Kamehameha (84), Baldwin (71), Kamehameha-Maui (68.5), Campbell (66), Kapolei and Pearl City (64 each) and Farrington (60).

Kahuku coach Reggie Torres said the Red Raiders dedicated their season to assistant coach Warner Pukahi Jr., who died of an aneurism on Nov. 10 at age 44.

"It motivated all of us, because we knew that even though he isn't here with us physically, he was here spiritually," said Torres, who also worked side-by-side with Pukahi coaching Kahuku's JV football team for 10 years. "Our kids went out there believing that. He was a teddy bear, but he also was all about ruggedness. In high school, his nickname was 'Rocky.' With him, it wasn't about wins or losses, it was about giving your best, never giving up and being happy, enjoying what you were doing.

Holt claims first wrestling championship since '97

David Goricki / The Detroit News 3/1/08

Division 3

Goodrich lived up to its No. 1 ranking, defeating defending state champion Dundee 30-27 to earn its first state title.

"This is the hardest working bunch of kids," Goodrich coach Matt Turnbow said. "We've had these kids in our program since elementary school. We just outworked them."

Trailing 21-12, Goodrich (45-2) received wins from Kirk Britton (decision at 130), Grant Overcashier (decision at 135), Mark Weber (tech fall at 140), Joe Hopkins (major decision at 145) and Nick Gatchell (decision at 152) to take a 30-21 lead.

An ESPN crew has been following the progress of Goodrich female wrestlers C.C. Weber (103) and Kristi Garr (23-17, 112) for a segment of Outside the Lines to be aired March 9.

Weber and Garr played a major role in Goodrich's run. The wrestlers earned victories in Goodrich's 50-12 semifinal victory over Allendale. They lost their matches in the title match, but gave up a combined seven points.

"They are two of the toughest wrestlers we have," Turnbow said of Weber and Garr.

Weber, a junior who has a 51-12 record, was overcome with emotion following the title.

"It's amazing, the best moment of my life," Weber said. "We've all worked so hard since we were little to get to this point. It's a dream come true."

When asked what it meant as a girl to be a part of a championship boys wrestling team, Weber replied, "I don't think of myself as a girl wrestler. I think of myself as a wrestler."

In the semifinals, No. 2 Dundee (25-4) defeated No. 3 Saginaw Swan Valley 36-21.

In the women's competition, returned to the top of the standings after finishing a distant second to Calgary in 2007 in Saskatoon (62-47). This time around, Simon Fraser edged the host Dinos 57-55, with Brock taking team bronze with 40 points.

Ashley McKilligan (48 kg), Miranda Dick (55 kg), Stacie Anaka (67 kg) led the way for the champions with gold-medal wins, while Rita Pare (51 kg) and Danette Torgeson (63 kg) both lost their title match against Dino opponents.

Calgary's Gen Haley (51 kg), Brock's Michelle Fazzari (59 kg), Calgary's Justine Bouchard (63 kg), Guelph's Meaghan Wilton (72 kg), and Regina's Ali Bernard (82 kg) were the other individual champions.

Dick, a fifth-year kinesiology student from Kamloops, B.C. was the choice for CIS outstanding female wrestler of the year after a title win over Brock's Jessica Bondy that allowed her to improve from her bronze medal from 2007.

Rookie-of-the-year honours went to Concordia's Nikita Chicoine, silver medallist at 67 kg. Mike Jones of Simon Fraser was named top women's coach for the fifth time, while Saskatchewan Jane Packota received the student-athlete community service award.

Bernard of New Ulm, Minn. was claiming her fourth gold medal in as many appearances at the CIS championship following wins at 72 kg in 2007 and 2006 and at 80 kg in 2005. Haley, Fazzari and Anaka (at 63 kg) are all repeat gold medallists from a year ago, while Bouchard was first crowned in 2006 and Dick in 2005 (at 48 kg).

Haley (2007), Fazzari (2006) and Bernard are all former CIS rookies of the year.

The CIS wrestling championships return to Calgary in 2009.

CHAMPIONSHIP AWARD WINNERS

WOMEN

Outstanding Wrestler: Miranda Dick, Simon Fraser
Rookie of the Year: Nikita Chicoine, Concordia
Coach of the Year: Mike Jones, Simon Fraser
Student-Athlete Community Service Award: Jane Packota, Saskatchewan

MEN

Outstanding Wrestler: Dustyn Fisher, Simon Fraser
Rookie of the Year: Vince Cormier, UNB
Coach of the Year: Marty Calder, Brock
Student-Athlete Community Service Award: Jeff Adamson, Saskatchewan

FINAL TEAM STANDINGS

WOMEN

1. Simon Fraser (57 points)
2. Calgary (55)
3. Brock (40)
4. Western Ontario (23)
5. Guelph (22)
6. Lakehead (21)
7. Saskatchewan (20)
8. Regina (15)*
9. UNB (15)
10. Concordia (11)**
11. Memorial (11)
12. Alberta (10)

- * Regina awarded higher position on higher number of gold medals won.
- ** Concordia awarded higher position because of more athletes competing in championship matches.

WOMEN

48 kg
1. Ashley McKilligan, Simon Fraser
2. Alana King, Brock
3. Krista Betts, UNB
4. Jessica Bershatsky, Lakehead
5. Stephanie Szmiett, Western
6. Lindsay Wickstrom, Saskatchewan
7. Tessa Gallinger, Calgary

51 kg
1. Gen Haley, Calgary
2. Rita Pare, Simon Fraser
3. Liz Sanli, Brock
4. Laura Skopelianos, Western
5. Kelli Rasumssen, Regina
6. Jenna Pike, Memorial

55 kg
1. Miranda Dick, Simon Fraser
2. Jessica Bondy, Brock
3. Jill Gallays, Saskatchewan
4. Andrea Ross, Calgary
5. Jennifer Nguyen, Western
6. Karen Duquette, Guelph
7. Carla Bryant, Memorial

59 kg
1. Michelle Fazzari, Brock
2. Jazzie Barker, Calgary
3. Amy Dyck, Saskatchewan
4. Raissa Dickinson, Simon Fraser
5. Leah Dougherty, Lakehead
6. Katrina Huszarik, Western

63 kg
1. Justine Bouchard, Calgary
2. Danette Torgeson, Simon Fraser
3. Allison Rockwood, Memorial
4. Marielle Tehart, Alberta
5. Ashley Routiffe, Guelph
6. Ella Rebalski, Concordia
7. Laurel Knowles, Lakehead
8. Celeste Contant Rodrigues, Brock

67 kg
1. Stacie Anaka, Simon Fraser
2. Nikita Chicoine, Concordia
3. Stephanie Buchan, Calgary
4. Allison Leslie, Guelph
5. Gillian McCallum, Western
6. Ruth Porier, UNB
7. Tasha Eady, Lakehead
8. Inga Van Vliet, Regina

72 kg
1. Meaghan Wilton, Guelph
2. Vanessa Wilson, Calgary
3. Erin Church, Simon Fraser
4. Katherine Martin, Alberta
5. Debra Jehu, Brock
6. Erin Cochrane, Western

7. Sandi Ware, UNB

82 kg
1. Ali Bernard, Regina
2. Nicole Plummer, Lakehead
3. Megan Goldsmith, Calgary
4. Beth Thompson, Saskatchewan
5. Rachel Pinet, UNB
6. Jocelyn Dresser, Brock

Brock men, Simon Fraser women win Canadian university wrestling titles

CALGARY - The Brock Badger men captured their 10th consecutive national title while the Simon Fraser Clan women were crowned for the fifth time in six years Saturday at the CIS wrestling championships.

The Badgers' title run, which started in 1999, is tied for second longest in CIS history with the UBC men's swim team (1998-2007). The UBC women claimed their 11th straight CIS swimming banner a week ago.

CJ Hudson of Calgary was the lone Brock man to capture individual gold, defeating Regina's Cory Horsburgh in the 61-kilogram final. Teammates Eric MacKinnon (68 kg), Paul Rabjohn (82 kg) and Alex Brown-Theriault (90 kg) settled for silver while Aaron Fabiano (54 kg) claimed bronze for the Badgers, who tallied 54 points to win a close three-way race over Simon Fraser (50) and Lakehead (49).

Other gold medallists on the men's side were Lakehead's Huy Nguyen (54 kg), UNB's Vince Cormier (57 kg), Saskatchewan's Riley Walker (65 kg), Lakehead's Mitchell Fryia (68 kg), McMaster's David Rennals (72 kg), Concordia's Tyler Marghetis (76 kg), Saskatchewan's Jeff Adamson (82 kg), Simon Fraser's Dustyn Fisher (90 kg), and Calgary's Mark Dewit (130 kg).

Fisher, a third-year general studies student from Picher Creek, Alta. was named CIS outstanding male wrestler of the year following his victory over defending champion Brown-Theriault in the 90-kg title bout.

Cormier earned rookie-of-the-year honours while Brock's Marty Calder was chosen the top men's coach for the fifth time. Adamson received the student-athlete community service award.

Marghetis of Ottawa, returning to the CIS meet after a one-year absence, was crowned at 76 kg for the fourth time (2008, 2006, 2005, 2004) to go with a second-place finish in 2003. Saskatchewan teammates Walker and Adamson also successfully defended their title.

Ashley McKilligan (48 kg), Miranda Dick (55 kg), Stacie Anaka (67 kg) led the way for the champions with gold-medal wins, while Rita Pare (51 kg) and Danette Torgeson (63 kg) both lost their title match against Dino opponents.

Calgary's Gen Haley (51 kg), Brock's Michelle Fazzari (59 kg), Calgary's Justine Bouchard (63 kg), Guelph's Meaghan Wilton (72 kg), and Regina's Ali Bernard (82 kg) were the other individual champions.

Dick, a fifth-year kinesiology student from Kamloops, B.C. was the choice for CIS outstanding female wrestler of the year after a title win over Brock's Jessica Bondy that allowed her to improve from her bronze medal from 2007.

Rookie-of-the-year honours went to Concordia's Nikita Chicoine, silver medallist at 67 kg. Mike Jones of Simon Fraser was named top women's coach for the fifth time, while Saskatchewan Jane Packota received the student-athlete community service award.

Bernard of New Ulm, Minn. was claiming her fourth gold medal in as many appearances at the CIS championship following wins at 72 kg in 2007 and 2006 and at 80 kg in 2005. Haley, Fazzari and Anaka (at 63 kg) are all repeat gold medallists from a year ago, while Bouchard was first crowned in 2006 and Dick in 2005 (at 48 kg). Haley (2007), Fazzari (2006) and Bernard are all former CIS rookies of the year.

The U.S. women’s freestyle wrestling program is growing in depth and ability every year. This creates a higher level of competition within each weight class domestically and internationally.

Two wrestlers competing at the Pan American Championships, Stephany Lee and Clarissa Chun, find themselves in deep weight classes where they must battle for a chance to compete on the big stage, the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

Lee is a 2004 World University champion. She has also been successful at numerous other international competitions, but shares that distinction with the other wrestlers in her weight class.

“We definitely have a veteran group in this weight class,” U.S. National Women’s Coach Terry Steiner said. “Kristie Marano is a nine-time world medalist, Iris Smith was a 2005 World Champion, Ali Bernard is a two-time Junior World champion, and Stephany was a World University champion. It’s not going to be an easy road for any of them.”

As part of the women’s freestyle team at the 2008 World Cup, Lee went 2-1, beating opponents from Japan and China and helping the U.S. squad claim the silver medal. Lee’s performance at the World Cup earned the attention of the coaches, as she was a large part of the team’s success.

“She showed me a lot at the World Cup,” said Steiner. “When the spotlight was on her and we needed her to win, she stepped up. She is definitely a gamer.”

Lee faces a tough fight at 72 kg/158.5 lbs, particularly with three other wrestlers that are as qualified to compete as she is.

“At this weight there is definitely some depth,” U.S. Women’s Resident Coach Vladislav Izboinikov said. “I think there are three or four women that if we had to select a team right now we could take, and they would all do well. Stephany is one of those four.”

At 48 kg/105.5 lbs, Chun may be considered even more of an underdog. In 2004, she finished second at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials behind eventual Olympic bronze medalist Patricia Miranda, just one spot from competing to Olympics.

“This weight class has a good combination of experience and youth, a good mixture,” said Izboinikov. “Clarissa is definitely one of the experienced wrestlers. She was a second at the Olympic Trials in 2004. I would definitely consider her an underdog.”

Chun finds herself again fighting for a chance to compete at the Olympics, this time in Beijing. She must overcome an incredibly tough weight class, including three women ranked ahead of her at 48 kg/105.5 lbs. Also in this division is World silver medalist Stephany Murata, 2006 World Team member Mary Kelly and former U.S. Nationals champion Sara Fulp-Allen. Miranda will be dropping down to this weight class this winter, seeking another chance for an Olympic medal.

“The biggest thing is Clarissa has to have a belief in herself,” Steiner said. “She definitely has the ability to make it. She has some parts to her wrestling that girls in her weight don’t have.”

Lee and Chun, both members of the Sunkist Kids, are competing at the 2008 Pan American Championships, getting in competition against some of their top international opponents.

“This is a great chance to get some more experience,” said Steiner. “The Pan American Championships don’t come around everyday. You definitely want to win when you have a chance.”

Chun went 2-0 in the first session at the tournament. With victories over Susana Almeida of Brazil and Lindsay Rushton of Canada, she advanced to the finals to face Ingrid Cuellar of El Salvador. She is focused on getting the most out of the competition as she works towards the Olympic Team Trials for Wrestling.

Winning her first match of the day against Rosangela Conceicao of Brazil, Lee is also working towards a first place finish at the Pan American Championships.

Both women are focused on this competition and what it means for them as they work towards the Olympic Trials in June.

“It’s great, to be able to wrestle different styles, to wrestle people from all over the world,” Chun said. “It’s good practice, too. You can work on everything, not just on the mat, but also mental preparation, before you get on the mat, getting ready for the match. It’s also a lot of fun to get out there and wrestle.”

After so much success at the World Cup, Lee is looking forward to a chance to face different international opponents.

“It’s good to wrestle women from this side of the world,” said Lee. “I competed at the World Cup and saw some of the wrestlers from over there. I just want to get variety in.”

Lee is wrestling in a round robin style tournament, and must win against Jaresmit Weffer of Venezuela and Ohenewa Akuffo of Canada to give herself a chance at a gold medal.

Ultimately, though, this is just one step in the road as Chun and Lee focus on June and the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Both women relish the challenge of competing in tough weight classes.

“Nothing’s better than wanting to win the toughest weight class in the tournament. Well, one of the toughest weight classes. Those heavy weights could beat me down,” said Chun.

Holding Her Own

A Girl With Pins — The To-The-Mat Kind Of Pins — Stephanie Marino Is An Interloper In A Brawn-Dominated Sport

Sweating on the mat under her opponent's meaty grip, Stephanie Marino is having a bad day.

Her coach tries to reassure her. "You're fine," he shouts. "Just wrestle."

Her dad is right there, too, kneeling on the sidelines and yelling words of encouragement.
Still, she loses the match by two points. I should have beaten this kid, she thinks as she walks out of the gym, her emotions toggling between anger and tears.

In the corridor, she notices a group of guys. Opposing players? Spectators? She can't be sure. She hears footsteps behind her, then one of them spits out the words.

"Bitch. You suck."

Ponytailed and powerfully built, Stephanie is one of a half-dozen or so female wrestlers statewide who compete on varsity boy's teams. At 18, she's a soft-spoken interloper in a world of testosterone and brawn.

The Middletown High senior who wrestles at 140 pounds can handle the occasional ugly slur or icy stare. She loves everything about wrestling — the close contact, the physicality and the way it forces her to push herself.

It's the perfect sport for her. Maybe the only sport. She was born with a rare eye condition that puts most other sports out of reach. On the mat, her poor vision doesn't matter much — this is a contest where feel and body awareness beat sight every time.

There are times when she is wrestling and everything is perfect; adrenaline flowing, heart pounding and her opponent on the mat, struggling but unable to break free. Then the crowd erupts and she knows she did it. Like that day last month, at Fermi High School, when she pinned her first opponent and won her second match on points.

Or the time last summer when she placed 10th in a national girls tournament in North Dakota.

Those were good days, unlike today.

Maybe, she thinks as she walks back into the gym, I do suck.

Maybe I shouldn't be doing this.

Maybe I won't wrestle in college.

Maybe I'm dreaming too high.

Close To The Action

It's called nystagmus and it's characterized by an involuntary movement of the eyes; those afflicted sometimes call it wobbly eyes. The effects vary, but people with nystagmus have poor vision, ranging from a mild impairment to profound loss and legal blindness. There is no cure.

Stephanie always liked team sports, but it's tough to play soccer, baseball, or basketball when you can't always see the ball.

"She came home one day and said she wanted to play basketball," says her father, Salvatore Marino, 45, a burly, chatty state employee. His response: "With your eyes, you're going to lose the ball in the crowd."

Stephanie had already tried ballet lessons, but she is hardly the pink tulle and toe-shoe type. Tap and jazz were no better. "I absolutely hated it," she says. "I hated dressing up."

In seventh grade, she joined the ski club. One time, they went snowboarding at Powder Ridge. It was expensive and cold; she realized she wouldn't be doing it again.

"Find a sport where you can be close to the action," her father told her. The next year, during lunch, she noticed a sign-up sheet for the Woodrow Wilson Middle School wrestling team.

"Is this for guys or girls?" Stephanie asked her gym teacher.

"It's a guy's team, but they can't prevent you from joining," came the reply.

Before long, newspaper articles on Middletown High's wrestling wins competed with her judo ribbons, stuffed animals and the sign that says "Italian Princess" for space in her bedroom.

A Gripping Sport

Initially, her parents were less than enthusiastic about their daughter's new passion.

"When she told us it was wrestling, I said, 'Are you going to be able to deal with wrestling guys?'" her father recalls.

It hasn't been easy. Wrestling is an intensely physical sport of gripping and holding, often in extremely uncomfortable and awkward positions. For teenagers already self-conscious about their changing bodies, that can be scary.

That might be why the idea of girls wrestling boys remains controversial, although certainly not as controversial as it was 14 years ago, when another girl from Connecticut first stepped onto the mat. Stefenie Shaw, a nationally ranked wrestler and Olympic hopeful from Waterford, started wrestling in grade school. "A lot of things were really hard when I was growing up," says Shaw, who is now 21 and a mentor to Stephanie Marino.

There are more than 5,000 girls wrestling at U.S. high schools and, in recent years, some states have created girl-only wrestling programs; just last month, Maine held its first state-sanctioned girls wrestling tournament.

Still, there are obstacles. Shaw knows of coaches in Connecticut who refuse to let their male wrestlers compete against girls, preferring instead to forfeit the match. "It's just coaches being silly … guys being immature," she says. "There is nothing to be afraid of."

But there is an inescapable fact of human physiology: Boys are almost always stronger than girls, even if they weigh exactly the same. Perhaps that's why Stephanie, despite determination and a work ethic that has her training or competing more than 30 hours a week during the wrestling season, has a record of 15 wins and 23 losses this year.

Like most female wrestlers, she has to work hard to overcome the muscle gap. "I have to be more of a defensive wrestler," she says. "The guys are stronger but the girls are more flexible."

For wrestlers of both genders, injuries are as much a part of the sport as sweat and adrenaline. Since Stephanie began wrestling in middle school, she has broken a pinkie, popped a rib and suffered too many bruises and bumps to mention.

One day, during her freshman year, she came home covered in bruises. "I don't think this is for you," her father said. "Maybe you should quit."

"I'm not going to quit," said Stephanie. "You told me to find a sport I can play and that's what I did."

Soon, her parents were fixtures on the scholastic wrestling circuit. There's her mom, Jean, in her Blue Devils hoodie, sharing Munchkins and shooting photos from her perch in the stands.

And there's Salvatore, in his trademark T-shirt that says:"Singlet...$50

"Wrestling shoes...$60

"Headgear...$30

"My daughter pinning your son...PRICELESS."

Stephanie's teammates see her as just one of the guys. There are few things more rewarding to them than watching her pin an opponent, especially one of those cocksure, totally jacked guys who strut into the gym thinking they are going to squash her.

"They come out not trying as hard," says Ronnie Brown, one of Middletown's senior co-captains. "They figure, 'It's a girl. This is going to be easy.' Then they get beat."

Stephanie's first varsity win remains one of her most satisfying. She was bumped up to a higher weight class and matched against a kid she wasn't expected to beat, but she did. It was her 17th birthday.

Later, she posted a video of the match on YouTube. Her opponent found out and asked for it to be taken down. She refused. "I wasn't doing it to embarrass him," she says. "I was doing it for myself. It was a big accomplishment for me."

A Special Night

On a wind-whipped winter night, Stephanie and her teammates run through their warm-ups in the dingy gym at Middletown High. It's a regular midweek match, but because it's also senior night, the last home match, the air carries an extra charge.

"Tonight is a very special night," coach Mark Fong tells the assembled group of parents, siblings and girlfriends. The year before this group of seniors arrived, the wrestling program at Middletown High had a record of 10-17. Last year, they won the state championship, a feat they would repeat this year.

The students walk to the front of the gym when their names are called and receive a stuffed animal and a balloon.

Senior year has been a blur, with wrestling basically "taking over my life," Stephanie says.

Before long, she'll be off to a series of wrestling tournaments in Oklahoma, Michigan and North Dakota, provided that she can raise the needed money. .

Her dad is proud but slightly befuddled by it all. He is the son of immigrants from a Sicilian village, and his formal education ended with high school.

While waiting for the coach to call his daughter's name, Salvatore rubs her shoulders. "Stop it, she scolds. "You don't see anyone else's parents doing that."

"But you're my little girl," Salvatore says.

Contact Daniela Altimari at altimari@courant.com.

It was the kind of news Ken Benton was glad to share.

Benton got to inform two of his Amsterdam wrestlers — 135-pounder Giuseppi Lanzi and 160-pounder John Paris — that they had been awarded wild-card entries Thursday into next weekend’s state wrestling championships in Rochester.

“Giuseppi, I was pretty sure he would get in,” said Benton of his sophomore, who lost to Columbia’s Zach Crain in the Section II finals. “Johnny, we weren’t sure about until we got the official word.

“I told him the last period of the day, and he hasn’t stopped smiling since.”

Among the other seven Section II athletes getting a second chance in the Division I (large school) event were Niskayuna senior Jake Newcomb (189 pounds) and Scotia-Glenville 11th-grader Dan Riggi (125), both of whom also got in last year after not earning an automatic spot by winning a sectional title.

Seventeen Section II wrestlers (nine DI, eight DII) had their seasons extended through a system that assigns points to sectional finalists and third-place finishers to come up with the final four spots for a

16-man bracket in each weight.

Won-lost records and prior finishes at sectional and state tournaments are among the criteria used in a formula to rank the wrestlers that don’t automatically qualify for the states.

There are also criteria that prevent wrestlers with a better sectional finish or more accumulated points from advancing.

Newcomb finished fourth in the state at 171 pounds in 2007 after losing to eventual state champ Hunter Meys in the Section II final, and again in the state semis. The Niskayuna senior lost to Queensbury’s Jared Myhrberg in last weekend’s sectional semis, and had to regroup to have a chance to extend his season.

“He was upset after the semis, but he was determined to finish strong,” said Silver Warriors coach Dan Geurin. “We both knew he had a real good chance of getting back to the states. But he had to finish third.”

Myhrberg gave Meys all he could handle in an 8-6 loss in the Section II final.

“Jake’s four losses this year are all to kids who are going to the states,” Geurin pointed out. “He lost to Myhrberg twice, to Hunter in the Class A finals and to [Section V 171 champ Tom] Voorhis.”

Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake will have two other wrestlers join 145-pounder Paul Martin in Rochester, as 11th-grader Brendan McKeown picked up a spot in the

130-pound brackets, and soph Zeal McGrew will go in the 285 division.

Shenendehowa seventh-grader Nick Kelley (96) and Lansingburgh senior Nick Oligney (130), who will be the first wrestler from his school to compete in a state tournament, are the other two DI wild cards.

Duanesburg’s Wes Coppolo (152) and Galway’s Jonn Gochenour (135) were among the Division II additions, with Hudson Falls picking up three spots — Noah Valastro (96), 2007 placer Kirk Harrington (119) and Nate Cross (145).

Cody Legg (152) of Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk, Jeremy Burns (189) of Hoosick Falls and Warrensburg 215 Logan Rock also were added.

wHITBECK LEFT OUT

Two-time Section II champ Amy Whitbeck of Duanesburg was left off the list. The first female to compete at the state tourney and first of her gender to pick up 100 varsity wins was eliminated from wild-card contention because Hudson Falls eighth-grader Aaron Dudley, who beat Whitbeck in the DII 112 semis last weekend, lost in the finals.

Dudley did not have enough points to get a top-four spot, eliminating Whitbeck from consideration, though she had accumulated more points.

Or more specifically, takedowns and pins -- girls wrestling. While all the girls at the state championships this weekend are competing for first, many of them already feel like they've accomplished a lot.

"Some people like, they ask what you do, and they expect other sports, especially if you're a girl," said Jada Antolin, a senior on the Pearl City wrestling team. "Wow you wrestle? And they get all surprised."

Today, most schools have about 15 to 20 girls on their roster, and at least one for each of the ten different weight divisions. But back when this sport started about ten years ago, schools were lucky to get one or two girls to come out

"Competition has grown, and more girls are joining, and that's what makes it more fun," said Hazel Asperin, a sophomore on the Chargers wrestling team. "You get more matches and more people to compete with, so it's good that it's going."

"A lot of people give us props for being wrestlers because it's hard, but it's hard just as any other sport to me," said Briana Delos Santos, a junior on the Chargers wrestling team.

"Actually, we train just as hard as the boys," said Antolin. "We do as much as the boys."

"I like all the adrenaline when you wrestle, it's just fun," said Asperin. "You kill yourself for it, but it just pays off."

A New York Times article says that two years ago, 5,000 girls across the nation wrestled for their high school. That's compared to less than a thousand 10 years ago.

Wrestlers take down silver

Year of the Dino

University of Calgary sports teams' stellar year dampened by mixed playoff results and perennial funding woes

George Johnson, Calgary Herald