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Johnson, Brown National champs
3/31/08
U.S. Olympic Education Center (USOEC) freestyle resident athletes Beth
Johnson and Schuyler Brown win 124 lbs. and 139 lbs. respectively at
the U.S. Girls Wrestling Association national tournament held in
Livonia, MI Sunday March 30, 2008.
Johnson pinned Alli Ragan (IL) in the second period to
claim her second USGWA national title. Johnson, who owns a victory
this year over the current or 2008 college national champion, participates in the USOEC
program as a high school senior attending Marquette Senior High School located in Marquette, MI.
Brown also a high school senior at MSHS stopped Nikita
Netjes (MI) in a 12-10 overtime barn burner to claim her first high school national
title. Brown also owns a victory over this year’s 2008 college national champion.
MSHS high senior and USOEC resident freestyle athlete Elizabeth
DeAngelo improved her finish from a year ago from 8th to 5th.
The USOEC had several signed recruits also participate in this national
tournament. National champion Amy Whitbeck (120 lbs.), who upset 3x
national champion Joey Miller, leads the USOEC recruits followed by
Emily Martin 3rd place (109 lbs.), and Erin Golston 5th place (98 lbs.).
In February, 1989, the U.S. Olympic Committee named Northern Michigan
University as the nation's only United States Olympic Education Center.
The USOEC's main focus is the resident athlete training program, where athletes actively train for the Olympic Games while also continuing their education.
Generally, athletes in this program must be nationally ranked and also approved
by their national governing body (NGB), the USOEC, and NMU.
The USOEC has resident athlete training programs in freestyle wrestling, short track speedskating, Greco-Roman
wrestling, and weightlifting.
USOEC results
98 lbs. Erin Golston 5th
109 lbs. Emily Martin 3rd
120 lbs. Amy Whitbeck National Champion
124 lbs. Beth Johnson National Champion
133 lbs. Elizabeth DeAngelo 5th
139 lbs. Schuyler Brown National Champion
 Freshman Cheyenne Augustine of Medomak Valley enjoyed a successful first season as a member of the Medomak Valley wrestling team. The season culminated with her winning the 123-pound weight class at the inaugural Maine High School Girls Wrestling Invitational. Mark Haskell |
 ANDY BRONSON THE BELLINGHAM HERALDAshlee Phy of Mount Baker is the first All-Whatcom County Girls' Wrestler of the Year. |
In one of the most vivid images of the 2007-08 prep sports year, Ashlee Phy is front and center.
Moments after the Mount Baker senior wrestler pinned Skyline’s Alexis Willcher to win her second state championship and clinch the girls’ team title for the Mountaineers, Phy stood up, flexed her arms and clenched her fists over her head, her face a triumphant grimace.
Phy has owned the Girls’ State Wrestling Tournament at the Tacoma Dome the past two seasons. The pin was her third straight win by fall at Mat Classic XX (following three consecutive pins the previous year). None of her opponents at the 2008 state tournament reached the third minute, and her pin of Willcher took all of 35 seconds.
Phy’s final pin gave Mount Baker a total of 77 points, capping the Mountaineers’ Saturday comeback and giving Mount Baker the team championship by one point over Hoquiam. It also gave Phy a sterling 32-1 season record.
For all that success Phy has been selected The Bellingham Herald’s All-Whatcom County Girls’ Wrestler of the Year.
“It’s obvious she’s the been the best girl we’ve ever had,” Mount Baker coach Ron Lepper said. “I think she finished 69 wins, 68 of them were by pin. She’s worked so hard to create opportunities for herself.”
More than one month after the state tournament, Phy said she’s still appreciative of all she and her teammates accomplished.
“I can’t believe it’s over,” said Phy, who left early Thursday morning for several days of wrestling at the United States Girls’ Wrestling Association National Championships in Michigan. “It was a great year, probably one of my best years, team-wise. We got to go to a lot more tournaments, and the sport is growing a lot more.”
Asked to describe winning the team title, Phy was emphatic and quick to share the credit.
“It was really good; all of our girls definitely got a lot of points for us to get the team title,” Phy said. “We were winning the first day, then we came back the next day when Hoquiam was up by a couple of points.
“Then finally I won, so it was neck-and-neck the whole time between our girls and their girls. We were all (cheering) against them when they were wrestling, and they were doing the same for us.”
“Her finals match in Tacoma, for the team to win the title and her to win her second championship, she was the right girl at the right time for her and for us,” Lepper said.
Though winning the state title was a huge accomplishment, it wasn’t the only one in a season that saw girls’ high school wrestling begin to take a foothold in Whatcom County.
Among the highlights was the first-ever girls’ dual meet in Whatcom County, when the Mountaineers defeated Burlington-Edison before a near-packed house at Deming. Phy remembers being affected by the huge crowd and how fans, students and friends were part of the mix.
“We really got a lot of support from the community once we started getting it going,” Phy said.
That the program was so successful so quickly may have been surprising from a observer’s viewpoint. But Phy said she and her teammates were putting in the hours and the effort, and there was no playing favorites — the Baker girls work out alongside the boys.
“We practice with the guys, so we get just as much (work) as they do,” Phy said. “We kind of knew what was going to be going on, so we definitely helped each other out by getting ready for tournaments and stuff.”
During her sophomore year, Phy could count her teammates on one hand. That, too, changed this past season, as the Mountaineers usually fielded a full team, with the help of some new faces.
“We had a pretty big team; lots of teammates,” Phy said. “The new teammates? We definitely got on them quite a few times, to let them know how it works.”
Craig Parrish can be reached at craig.parrish@bellinghamherald.com or 715-2279.
California
| Sunday, February 18, 2007 12:01 AM PST |
 DAILY WORLD / KEVIN HONG Hoquiam’s Alex White, left, tangles with Sequim’s Summer Steenberg in the 135-pound girls’ final at Mat Classic in Tacoma on Saturday. White beat Steenberg for the state title. |
TACOMA — All
of the hard work gained on Friday turned into history on Saturday for
Hoquiam’s girls wrestling team.
The only mystery on Saturday was how many state individual titles the
Grizzlies would take home with a brand-new team championship trophy.
Sophomore Kelsey Klein and junior Alex White solved the mystery,
becoming the first girls state wrestling champions in school history.
Senior Kyra Butler and Aberdeen senior Nicole Hyde each took second
place.http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2007/02/18/sports/01sports.txt
In the all-classification team competition, Hoquiam had no peer,
streaking to 62 points and the team title at the Mat Classic XIX in
Tacoma. Kelso took second place with 46 points, with Mount Baker third
at 42, Kentwood at 40 and Chewelah 37.
Hoquiam girls wrestling coach Todd Hoiness said that the trophy not
only belongs to the girls team, but the boys in the training room who
worked and wrestled with them all season.
“(Head coach Kirk) Hartzell said from Day 1 that when the
girls won the team title, he wanted all of the young guys who worked
with them and trained with them in the room to join them on the
podium,” Hoiness said. “It’ll be
organized chaos. Everyone in the room is just as much a part of it as
anyone else. We believe that is what separates us from the rest of the
state.”
With six girls in the tournament, Hoquiam possessed the largest team in
the competition. The depth put the Grizzlies over the top on Friday as
a 46-point championship semifinal/consolation first round session
provided the distance over the field.
So, with one team goal in hand, Hoquiam’s three championship
finalists aimed to add individual gold to the trophy case.
 DAILY WORLD / KEVIN HONg Hoquiam’s Kelsey Klein hugs coach Jason Ronquillo after capturing the inaugural 125-pound girls’ state wrestling championship on Saturday. |
Kelsey Klein
Klein’s championship became official after a lengthy
discussion at the scorer’s table.
Klein led 5-2 and had top position on a restart with 11 seconds left in
the 125-pound final against Camas’s Termae Rowshan. Rowshan
shook free and was awarded an escape, as well as a takeown as
regulation expired.
However, the ruling was hotly disputed by the Hoquiam coaching staff,
as they saw it as Rowshawn getting only a reversal. After a nearly
5-minute discussion amongst the officials, Hoquiam’s
interpretation was ruled correct, and Klein became the 125-pound state
champion with a 5-4 win.
“I didn’t know what to think,” Klein said
of the wait. “But I knew that she’d gotten the
reversal, and that was it.”
For Klein, the journey from first-year wrestler to state champion
seemed difficult to fathom.
“It’s amazing. You almost never think about winning
a state championship at any sport, and especially not in your first
year.”
After a first-round takedown by Rowshan and an escape, as well as a
point awarded for an illegal hold by Rowshan, the match was even at 2-2
entering the final period.
Beginning from the down position, Klein scored an escape 12 seconds
into the round and added a takedown with 1:21 left to take a 5-2
lead.http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2007/02/18/sports/01sports.txt
Alex White
Facing an opponent she’s never met before, White used the
first period to figure out Sequim’s Summer Steenberg. What
transpired was a grudge match that tested both wrestlers.
“I just went out there and did what I do best,”
White said. “I just try to stay busy and to keep moving. It
allows me better chances to score.”
Neither wrestler could do much in the first period, with White gaining
some advantage on takedown attempts, but being unable to score.
In the second round, White was in the top position and Steenberg
quickly escaped for a 1-0 lead. Even coming out of the escape,
Steenberg was called for stalling and it would play into the match
later.
White continued her aggressive style through the second period and
earned one point on another Steenberg stall call at 1-1.
In the third, both wrestlers still blocked and muscled each other.
White escaped from the down position for the lead and earned another
stall point, at 3-1, with 1:25 left. White would be penalized for a
stall as well, but she kept Steenberg on the defensive en route to a
5-2 win.
“This is really cool; it’s been something
we’ve been working toward all year,” White said.
“We’re really proud to be taking home the state
title. Everyone has been working together, both the boys and the girls,
to get this. This is what we’ve been working for and it is
cool that we got it.”
Kyra Butler
At 119, Butler was the first Hoquiam wrestler to try for the state
title and faced Kelso’s Veronica Mendoza.
Both wrestlers used the first minute to see what they could do against
the other before Butler took Mendoza down for the opening points with
49.6 seconds left in the period.
Mendoza tried to stand up twice, but Butler kept her down. On the third
try, Butler tried to shove Mendoza’s head back down to the
mat, but the Kelso wrestler got position for a reversal to
Butler’s
back.http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2007/02/18/sports/01sports.txt
With 25 seconds left in the period, Butler tried to fight off Mendoza,
but the pin was awarded with 2.8 seconds left to Mendoza. The move was
remeniscent of Butler’s semifinal win over Central
Valley’s Emily Juhre — Juhre reversed Butler to her
back late in the first period, but time ran out before the pin.
“She just caught me; I tried to keep her down, but was unable
to do so,” Butler said of the final match. “She was
able to get around me and she caught me.”
Nicole Hyde
At 145, Aberdeen’s lone representative in the girls
tournament found herself caught on the wrong side of a move known as a
“cow catcher” and was pinned by Mount
Baker’s Ashlee Phy in 1:16.
With both wrestlers in the standing position, grappling for position,
Phy caught Hyde falling backward and nailed the finishing move.
Aberdeen coach Randy Connelly said it was uncharacteristic for Hyde to
caught in such a predicament.
“It was just a freak thing,” Connelly said.
“I think she (Hyde) was more nervous than normal, being in a
state championship match at the Dome, but that happens.”
Hyde was a pool winner in the prior two exhibition tournaments held
during Mat Classic weekend and became the first Aberdeen girls
placewinner.
“She’s got absolutely nothing to be ashamed of;
she’s had a great career for Aberdeen. First place twice, and
a second at the Dome, not too bad.”
Third-fourth
Elma’s Mackenzie Glerup took home the Eagles’ first
girls medal when she knocked off Chief Leschi’s Casandra
Lezard in the consolation semifinals in 31 seconds. In the third-fourth
place match, Glerup faced Burlington-Edison’s Anne Barnett.
In the regional tournament, Glerup defeated Barnett. This time, Barnett
didn’t allow Glerup to get any offense in and cruised to a
4-1 win.
Hoquiam’s two remaining wrestles on Saturday — Tess
Grannemann and Whitney McCormick — were eliminated in
consolation matches.
Washimgton
DOUG
DROWLEY; The News Tribune
Published: February 17th, 2008 01:00 AM
Ron Lepper couldn’t
have asked for anything more.
With
the girls team title at Mat Classic XX in the balance, the Mount Baker coach
sent Ashlee Phy onto the championship mat Saturday night at the Tacoma Dome.
Mount
Baker stood in second place, five points behind defending champion Hoquiam. The
Grizzlies had no more wrestlers.
If
Phy simply beat her opponent, Alexis Willcher of Skyline, Mount Baker would
lose the team title. For a team win, Phy needed a pin or technical fall.
“She
asked me before the match what she needed to do,” Lepper said. “I told her,
‘Just do what you do.’ ”
Good
advice, considering Phy was 32-1 entering the title match – with 32 pins.
“He
told me I was the one he wanted out there,” Phy said.
Phy
didn’t disappoint her coach, or herself. The senior made one move, put Willcher
on her back and in a mere 35 seconds earned not one state title but two.
Phy’s
individual title, her second in two seasons, also gave Mount Baker a
come-from-behind, 77-76 victory in the team race.
“I
told the girls three months ago it was going to be much tougher this year,”
Hoquiam coach Russ Skolrood said. “It’s going to come down to a couple of
points, I said.”
Call
him Coach Prophet.
Yet,
it didn’t seem probable such a scenario would play out. Yes, Mount Baker had
two wrestlers in the championship finals compared to Hoquiam’s one.
But
with a five-point lead and that one wrestler being defending champ Kelsey Klein
at 125 pounds, the Grizzlies appeared to be in good position. Yelm’s Danielle
Curlis gave Mount Baker its chance, riding Klein for 30 seconds in the fourth
overtime to record an 8-7 victory.
That
made Klein one of three returning champions to be beaten Saturday in the girls
tournament. Kentwood’s Antonia Navejas, who won at 112 pounds in 2007, lost her
title match at 119.
Then
there was Sarah Rowen at 103. Facing her friend, Melissa Watkins from Camas,
for the fourth time this season, Rowen lost for the fourth time. Watkins’ pin
at 4:20 made her the second in her family to win a state title.
“This
has been my dream, off and on, since I was 6,” Watkins said. “It’s awesome. I
am really proud of how I did.”
Watkins’
brother, Micaiah Watkins, won the state title at 108 pounds in 1999. He was one
of his sister’s coaches this season.
The
other three returning champs that won were La Center’s Chris Cox at 130 pounds,
Kylee Bishop from Washington at 160, and sophomore Alicia Beach from Kelso at
285. Beach has the chance to become the first girl to win four titles in the
next two seasons.
Then
there was first-time winner Sylvie Shiosaki from Vashon Island. The junior came
off the mat after her win against Riverview of Kennewick’s Sam Beckwith a very
composed girl.
Then
she broke into tears.
“I
just couldn’t imagine this,” Shiosaki said. “I did it.”
| Community raising funds for two wrestlers headed to nationals | |
| Ashlee Phy, Katie Newgard qualify for competition in Michigan |
DEMING -- 3/18/08
Two high school students that were part of this season's historic Mount Baker
ladies wrestling team are headed to the national competition in Michigan. Their
participation at nationals is independent of the high school team, and funds for
the students' travels are being collected by the local community.
The
ladies wrestling team won the state championship at the Mat Classix XX in Tacoma
last month. State champion Ashlee Phy and Katie Newgard, both of Mount Baker,
traveled to Ridgefield, Washington on March 8 with five other Whatcom County
girls to compete in the Washington USGWA Girls Wrestling State Championship
Open, and then to Portland, Oregon on March 9 to compete in Oregon’s USGWA Girls
Wrestling Championship Open. Phy and Newgard qualified in top spots during the
matches and now have their sights set on the USGWA National Championships in
Livonia, Michigan on March 29-30.
This is the first time local female
wrestlers will compete at the national level. Their trip to Michigan, on March
27-31, is estimated to cost $4,000, for airfare, hotel, entry fees and food, for
Phy, Newgard and Santos Gellagos, who will be traveling as the girls' coach for
the competition.
Locally, a spaghetti feed benefit is being held on
Thursday, March 20 at the Blue Mountain Grill south of Acme to help with the
girls trip. The feed will take place from 4 p.m. to closing and feature a $10
plate per person, including salad, spaghetti and french bread. Half of the
proceeds will go towards Phy and Newgard's trip.
In addition, anyone
interested in making a donation to the local lady wrestlers' trip, can do so at
any branch of the Industrial Credit Union, under the Ashlee Phy Account.
By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports
on March 30, 2008 02:04 AM
Rosewood's Olivia Neal and Eastern Wayne's Chris Tesar, in their own way, posted unprecedented -- and phenomenal -- senior seasons on the wrestling mat.
Neal broke the gender barrier.
Tesar concluded his stellar varsity career as the county and school record holder in numerous categories.
Each had their own motivation.
Neal recalled keeping stats at last year's state tournament when a coach walked over to her and said "working tables is as close as you will come to making it up here."
"I couldn't believe he said that," quipped Neal.
Challenged by the coach's arrogant remark, Neal returned to the weight room with a new demeanor and determination to prove her peers wrong.
And she did.
Neal claimed her first-ever conference crown, surpassed the 100-win plateau, placed third in the eastern regionals and became the first-ever female qualifier for the N.C. High School Athletic Association wrestling championships.
"I never imagined this as a freshman," said Neal, a two-sport cheerleader who also runs track. "I was just worried about getting through my freshman year. The whole time I wrestled, I didn't want to be known as 'that girl,' but a wrestler."
| Vulgamore a standout for Westfall youth wrestling |
| Sierra Vulgamore not
only has beaten almost every boy she has faced this year, she has beaten every
girl, going 28-3 along the way. Vulgamore, who is the only girl in the Westfall
youth wrestling program, left with her family yesterday for the United States
Girls Wrestling Association National Championships in Lavonia,
Mich. She'll wrestle today at 73 pounds in a field of 101 girls from across the nation. If she prevails, Vulgamore will compete Sunday for the national championship. Monday, March 31, 2008 |
Olivia Fatongia, who won a girls state wrestling title this year for 'Iolani, captured the 185-pound crown in the high school division
Fatongia defeated Jessica Scott of Texas, 6-4, in the title match.
Tani Ader, who was a state champion for Farrington High this year, finished second in Oklahoma City, losing in the 123-pound title match. Pi'ikea Kalalau of Baldwin High, who finished third in the state tournament this year, also lost in the 138-pound championship match.
In the middle school and elementary division Teniya and Teshya Alo won titles.
The sisters, who attend Nu'uanu Elementary, won their championships in the grades 1 through 5 division.
Teniya won a 13-6 decision over Mercedes Gassmann of Kansas in the 54-pound division. Teshya pinned Rebekah Novak of Missouri just 8 seconds into their 65-pound final.
102 pounds, fourth place — Brittney Taylor (Nebraska) major decisioned Keiko Akamine ('Iolani), 10-0.
116, seventh place — Chaelynn Tan (Kapolei High) pinned Roni Goodale (Iowa), 1:12.
123, second place — Joey Miller (Oklahoma) pinned Tani Ader (Farrington High), 3:24.
138, second place — Tessa Plana (Texas) pinned Pi'ikea Kalalau (Baldwin High), 5:51.
185-plus, sixth place — Britnee Barbosa (Texas) pinned Victoria Green (Wai'anae High), 3:14.
Florida
Fort White wrestler takes third in national tournament
3/28/08
 Katlynn Cormier, 14, is pictured at right with the many wrestling awards she has won. Katlynn not only wins against girls but also defeats boys in competition. |
FORT WHITE -- Fort White’s only female wrestler has received more
awards to add to her shelf.
Katlynn Cormier, 14, placed third in the
nation for the 118-pound weight class in the middle school girls division in
Oklahoma last week.
She also was listed as an All-American by USA
Wrestling, which sanctioned the tournament.
Next weekend, she will go to
compete for the national title in a competition sanctioned by the United States
Girls’ Wrestling Association.
“I think I’m going to do really good next
week,” she said.
She also won third place in the boys division at the Ridgeview High School tournament earlier this month.
Wrestler Alana King has heard the joke about her school: “If you can walk and talk, you go to Brock.”
But she has an addendum — “now you can play a sport too.”
In the younger circles of sardonic catch phrases and mockery amongst schools, Brock’s victory in a string of provincial and national championships has changed the joke.
With televised semi-final and final games where its Badgers men’s basketball team won Canada’s version of March Madness, and its rugby team giving every other in Ontario a surprise thumping, Brock’s image is changing.
The little school in Niagara is now a contender.
The change was celebrated at the Bob Davis Gymnasium Monday, when dignitaries assembled for a short ceremony to congratulate five teams that took six titles in Canadian university sports this year.
The victories have boosted not just athletics, but the university as a whole, Steven Pillar, vice-president, finance and administration, said. The school’s name is at the forefront of people’s minds, and “we can’t buy that kind of advertising for our university,” he said.
Pillar sees this success and notoriety as another step in recruiting the finest students and faculty, and making Brock a bigger player among post-secondary institutions.
“These championships you’ve brought to the university are obviously important to you and important to sports, but they’re also extremely important to the university,” Pillar told the teams. “The publicity, the notoriety, the word of mouth Brock University gets is immeasurable.”
The men’s basketball team grabbing its first national championship in 16 years was the highest profile win this year. But the women’s wrestling team won its eighth gold in nine years in the provincial championships, the men’s wrestling team won Ontario and the nationals, the men’s field lacrosse team won a national Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association tournament and the men’s rugby team scored a surprise win provincially.
The victories have gone far in boosting the school’s image, said Alana King, 22, a Governor Simcoe graduate and member of the women’s wrestling team.
“Now we’re winning more championships,” she said. “People know our name.”
Lorne Adams, director of athletics, said the best students are also usually the best athletes, which means better sports brings better academics, which leads to more esteem for the university. Recruiting athletes has been easier lately, he said.
“The biggest national tournaments in university sports are football, basketball and hockey, and little old Brock was in two of those,” Adams said.
It is a sense of pride for the athletes, all of whom juggle athletics with regular classes. The rugby team practises about 24 hours a week, and volunteers locally, rugby player Ray Barkwill said.
“We do a lot of things,” he said of managing his schedule. “We don’t even sit down to eat. We eat and walk.”
USA
Gary Abbott USA
Wrestling
03/28/2008
ULAN UDE, RUSSIA -
Stephanie Murata (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) won a gold medal at 48
kg/105.5 pounds during the first day of action at the Grand Prix of the
Buriyatia Republic’s President Tournament.
Murata won four matches on the
way to the title, including a victory over an opponent from Russia in the
championship match.
Murata is the No. 1 ranked women’s wrestler on
Women’s Team USA at her weight class. She was a World silver medalist in 2001,
and was fifth at the 2007 World Championships.
Four U.S. men’s freestyle
wrestlers will enter the competition later this weekend, and will be coached by
USA Wrestling National Freestyle Resident Coach Terry Brands.
Competing
on Saturday will be Michael Martinez (Pagosa Springs, Colo./Cowboy WC) at 55
kg/121 lbs., 2006 World champion Bill Zadick (Colorado Springs, Colo./Gator WC)
at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. and Lee Fullhart (Colorado Springs, Colo./Gator WC) at 84
kg/185 lbs.
Wrestling on Sunday will be Angel Cejudo (Colorado Springs,
Colo./Sunkist Kids) at 60 kg/132 lbs.
Scotts Valley High sophomore Haylee Childs took ninth place in the 120-pound division at the United States Girls Wrestling Association National Championships on Sunday.
Childs finished the tournament with a 3-2 record in the 32-wrestler bracket.
Childs' performance helped California take first in the state competition.
She placed fifth at the tournament last year.
Entering the competition ranked 10th in the USGWA national rankings, Gonzalez wrestled her way into the third seed, taking on second-seeded Jessica Smith in her first match Sunday.
Gonzalez lost 3-0 to Smith, but bounced back with a 3-1 victory over Amber Soliai from Hawaii and later downed New York's Kelsey Suchocki 6-1 in the third-place match.
"I'm actually really happy because last year I went 0-2 and had a shoulder injury," Gonzalez said. "I felt really confident and really good after being nervous yesterday, I guess I just came in with a different mentality and I was really happy with the result."
- Times-Herald staff report
california
The Hogan High senior will be the only representative from the city of Vallejo to compete in today's United States Girls Wrestling Association national championship in Detroit.
The tournament generally attracts the top wrestlers from around the country, but will have an unusually small Vallejo contingent this year. Last year, wrestlers from Vallejo and Hogan emphatically made their mark at the tournament as Hogan's Krystalle Alcantara won the national title at 100 pounds and Vallejo's Angie Miller took second at 144 pounds.
But Gonzalez's performance might have been the most shocking of all. Thought to be a favorite for the title at 154 pounds, she came in with a shoulder injury, lost her first two matches and bowed out on the tournament's first day.
Now she gets a second chance. After winning the USA Wrestling national championship earlier this month, Gonzalez was chosen to represent California on an all-star team based in San Diego.
"It's an honor and it's a little sad at the same time," Gonzalez said. "It was a real last-minute thing for me, but I'm excited to represent California and Vallejo."
Gonzalez has earned a 40-1 record this year, including 37pins. She is 10th in the USGWA rankings but, in an e-mail to the Times-Herald, her father Bobby Gonzalez Sr. said, "She hopes to prove the ranking wrong."
She also won the unofficial state title at 154 pounds this season.
Gonzalez's Hogan teammates won't make the trip, as the team opted instead to make the USAW nationals in Oklahoma City their major national tournament.
Vallejo's wrestlers made the same decision to go to Oklahoma City, but pulled out of the trip at the last minute. They ultimately opted not to go to Detroit.
Miller is injured and didn't wrestle this year, keeping her away from another attempt at the 144-pound title, but 100-pounders Jennifer Fernandez and Mary Jane Fernandez had realistic chances of winning the national crown.
"Unfortunately, we tried to make Oklahoma City, it wasn't in the cards," said Vallejo coach Carl Lastrella. "We were injured still. We had a couple injuries at girls state and sections. Those are my main guns.
"(There is) a lot of competition going to this Michigan one. I would have loved to go, but it wasn't in the cards."
Bethel's Gibson wins first two matches at Senior Nationals
Bethel High wrestler Matt Gibson won his first two matches in the Senior National tournament in Virginia Beach on Friday.
Gibson, who placed third in the state tournament at 215 pounds, won his first match over Ohio's Matt Fisher, getting a 1-0 decision.
In his second match, Gibson dominated Texas' Keldrick Hall 14-4 to make it to the round of 16.
• E-mail Dan Nied at nied@thnewsnet.com or call 553-6839. Times-Herald staff writer Ryan Garner contributed to this report.
Lock Haven University's Rachael Groft, a New Oxford High graduate, placed second at the National Collegiate Wrestling Association's Women's Collegiate Wrestling Championship recently at Lakeland, Fla.
Rachael advanced to the women's finals by pinning her first opponent and then defeating Pacific University's Summer Scott, 8-3.
In the final, she lost to Simon Fraser's Rita Pare, 9-6.
"It takes a good wrestler that's ready to go to work to beat Rachael right now, and she's only going to get better from here." said Lady Eagle coach Terry Fike. "We were impressed with her opponents at this tournament. Summer Scott and Rita Pare had a tremendous battle the day before the finals. It was a war." Fike continued. "After watching that bout, we knew Rachael would have her work cut out for her.
"Rachael's a real competitor, and she wrestled well on Saturday against two great opponents."
"We're evaluating where she is right now, technically and physically, to develop a long term training plan. She's looking forward to continuing to develop. She's already very skilled, and I think she's capable of wrestling at a very high level when all is done."
Groft's performance is also historic. It was the first ever women's folkstyle collegiate tournament.
"Rachael has been instrumental in the growth of women's wrestling here at Lock Haven. We have six other good athletes who have joined us since the beginning of the year, who I believe will eventually do very well.
"Also, we've landed our first recruit, a nationally-ranked girl from Ohio. It's a tribute to Rachael's desire to compete and travel to events like the Sunkist International in Phoenix, the New York AC Holiday tournament, and competition in Canada.
"She wrestles with skill and a lot of heart. She's represented Lady Eagle
Wrestling well." Fike said.
Campbell County High School graduate Priscilla Brownfield, the first girl to qualify for the KHSAA state wrestling tournament, is now a sophomore at University of the Cumberlands.
Brownfield wrestled in the Girls College Nationals in Oklahoma recently and finished fourth, earning All-American status. She is headed to Senior Nationals next month.
California
A balmy March afternoon turned into a sports fan’s paradise about a week or
so ago.
A little later in the afternoon, the boys volleyball teams competed on the newly completed gym floor. I felt very content being able to enjoy a campus full of young athletes doing what they love. It reminded me of how fortunate I am to live in such a close-knit community where I could cheer most of them on by name.
The sun was out, and very mild weather saw me foolishly carrying my jacket around all afternoon with never a need to put it on. Its only use was as a cushion on the bleachers. My two high school daughters and 11-year-old son also spent the afternoon with friends, moving from one playing field to another.
My son began by watching SV dominate his cousin’s lacrosse team from Harbor, 14-1. I had to call my brother-in-law to figure out which player Wesley was supposed to watch, since he was covered up by all the pads and headgear, and of course, I couldn’t tell who any of the SV players were, either.
Then I meandered over to cheer for our girls softball team, which was taking on No. 1 Aptos. I have an attachment to most of the girls on the team, whom Haylee, my youngest daughter, had played with on school and travel teams for several years. I felt right at home cheering for the girls, with Pam Owen taking stats behind me and Aunt Lisa cheering on her Payne nieces, Kailey and Audrey, while also helping their younger sister, Anna, with the scoreboard duties.
It was wonderful to see the girls hold their own against a team that beat us soundly last year, and to appreciate their winning record under new coach Mike Weaver.
The campus was alive with student and adult spectators at all the venues, an ideal place for an afternoon of multiple sports-watching, as all the fields are in such close proximity.
I left the softball game to watch our baseball team take on Soquel.
As I was on my way, I crossed paths with my 11th-grade daughter, Katherine, who had been watching her friend, Antares, in his tennis match against Aptos. I spent a pleasant few innings with Donna Hardwick and Cathi Miezio watching baseball. Then, on my way back to softball, I got to chat with Renee Curtis while we watched her son, Zach, finish out his doubles match.
Meanwhile, Haylee, a sophomore, had started her rounds watching the games after track practice.
I am a fairly fanatical sports mom, always cheering and moving with whoever is playing, whether the sport is soccer, track, hockey, cross country or wrestling.
Haylee’s wrestling coach, Ken Kannegaard, eagerly watched to see if I’d fall off the bench while I was moving with her as she wrestled. I haven’t yet, but I do tend to bump into neighboring parents quite often.
But, somehow, the best part of that day for me
was that I had none of my
five children competing (the two oldest have graduated from SVHS)! I was totally
relaxed flitting from one game to the next, watching other people’s children
exert themselves and other parents concerned about having to ride home with a
grumpy athlete who lost their match/game.
Believe me, my adrenal glands appreciated the rest.
So, the next afternoon that you can break free, I encourage you to come out and meander around the SVHS fields watching our great young athletes play. Like me, you may prefer to savor the experience without your own child playing.
Kim Childs is a Scotts Valley resident and mother of athletic schoolkids.
Kentucky
MORE WRESTLING SUCCESS FOR BROWNFIELD
| Kentucky high schools |
 |
Last Updated: 8:28 pm | Friday, March 28, 2008 |
Campbell County grad Priscilla Brownfield, the first female competitor to qualify for the Kentucky state wrestling tournament, recently helped the University of the Cumberlands to a women's wrestling national title.
Brownfield, a sophomore 97-pounder, finished fourth at the national meet.
Brownfield placed third in the region as a senior in 2006 to qualify for state After losing her first state match, she rebounded to win three straight, coming a win short of placing in the top eight.
Craig — The Bad Dogs wrestling team traveled to Denver last weekend to compete in the Rocky Mountain Nationals tournament.
For some, it was an eye-opening experience, as more than 2,000 fans were in attendance.
“When the kids walked into the gym, they were like ‘wow,’” coach Kelly Mosman said. “Their eyes were like saucers. There was so many people there compared to what we are used to.”
For others, it was a time to be crowned national champion.
“The experienced ones are used to it and go right at it,” Mosman said. “You can be wide-eyed until that guy grabs you.”
Desi Pfister and Ryan Domson fit into the latter category.
Pfister claimed the 37-pound women’s title, winning two of her three matches.
Apparently Pfister wanted some stiffer competition, as she worked her way to a third-place finish in the men’s 37-pound division, as well.
“The team did really well on such a big stage,” Mosman said. “You’ve got to be proud of them, especially Pfister and Domson.”
Domson swept through the competition in the 114-pound division, placing first in the 16-man bracket.
It was Domson’s first title in his eight years on the Bad Dogs team.
“I’ve been working hard for this,” Domson said. “My best finish before was third. It was a lot of fun.”
Daijia Lewis placed second in women’s division seven, and Deven Mosman placed second in the 87-pound division for wrestlers ages 8 and younger.
Kelly Mosman said he was happy with the high finishes, but what impressed him the most was the effort put forth by those who didn’t place.
“A lot of the kids that didn’t place won a lot of matches,” Mosman said. “That helps them a lot. Once they win that first match, then they are ready, and they know they can beat anybody.”