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Terry Steiner named USA Wrestling’s National Women’s Coach
4/22/2002
Gary Abbott/USA Wrestling
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Terry Steiner of Madison, Wis. has been named USA Wrestling’s full-time National Women’s Coach, announced Executive Director Rich Bender.
Steiner joins USA Wrestling after serving as an assistant wrestling coach at the Univ. of Wisconsin since 1996. Steiner has been one of the nation’s top young coaches, and was a nationally-ranked freestyle wrestler as an athlete.
He will be responsible for the training of America’s elite women freestyle wrestlers, as well as coaching women wrestlers who are involved in the U.S. Olympic Training Center resident athlete program. He will also play an important role in the development of women’s wrestling in the United States.
“USA Wrestling is honored to hire such an outstanding individual to lead our women’s effort,” said Bender. “We are confident that Terry will provide the necessary leadership to not only develop the sport in this country, but also to build a National Team that will be the dominant force on the international level. He brings a wealth of experience to the organization, both as an athlete and coach.”
“It’s an opportunity in wrestling that has never been available to me,” said Steiner. “I have worked with wrestlers of all ages. I saw this chance to work with women wrestlers, the one part of wrestling I have not worked with. “
“After looking long and hard at everything, I had to ask myself, ‘Why do I coach?’ I coach to help others to achieve their goals and help them become better people and citizens through wrestling,” he said. “Should it matter if it is women or men? I have a passion for people. It is a great opportunity to see what I can do.”
“Anything that USA Wrestling has its hands on has a good chance to succeed. Coming through the system as an athlete, it’s a first-class organization. The opportunities I had as an athlete were second to none. I see the same thing with our women’s program. USA Wrestling will do it the right way; we’ll do it to win,” Steiner said.
Steiner has completed his sixth season as an assistant wrestling coach at Wisconsin, working with head coach Barry Davis. He has helped develop a number of successful Div. I wrestlers, including two-time NCAA champion Donny Pritzlaff.
Prior to Wisconsin, Steiner spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Oregon State. He helped coach the Beavers to a pair of top-10 NCAA finishes. He was also a coach with the Hawkeye Wrestling Club in Iowa City, Iowa after his college career had ended.
Steiner has also coached youth wrestlers for many years. Since 1997, he has served as one of the coaches for Wisconsin’s USA Wrestling Cadet National Team, helping the state’s best athletes in training camp and coaching them in Fargo, N.D. Along with his twin brother Troy, he ran a kids wrestling club in Iowa City in 1993-94.
Steiner was a successful freestyle wrestler for many years, claiming second in the 1998 U.S. Nationals and placing at the National Championships eight times. He placed fourth in the 1996 Olympic Trials and fifth in the 2000 Olympic Trials.
He won a gold medal at the 1996 Pan American Championships. Among the other international events that he won were the Sunkist Kids International Open, as well as the Manitoba Open and Montreal Open in Canada. He placed in dozens of other international events, including tournaments in Bulgaria, Ukraine, Australia, Canada, Turkey, Belarus and Slovakia.
He was a 1993 NCAA Div. I champion for Univ. of Iowa, coached by the legendary Dan Gable. He also placed fifth in the 1992 NCAA Championships and third in the 1991 NCAA Championships. Steiner compiled a career record of 124-27-2 from 1989-93, with 25 falls. He was also voted the Outstanding Wrestler at the 1993 NCAA Championships.
Originally from Bismarck, N.D., Steiner won two state titles for Century High School and was one of the nation’s top recruits.
Steiner, 32, earned a bachelor's degree in social work from Iowa in 1993. His wife is Jodi, and they have a 16-month-old child, Raven.
“Terry Steiner has had a positive impact on wrestling,” said Bender. “The USA Wrestling family is excited to welcome Terry, Jodi and Raven Steiner to our team.”
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Nation’s Top Olympic-style Wrestlers Heading to Las Vegas For 2002 Las Vegas United States National Wrestling Championships
4/22/2002
Dominic Clark/LVSC
Western Junior Regionals start championships Wednesday at Convention Center’s Hall S-3
LAS VEGAS--Wrestlers, from U.S. Olympians to would-be international stars, will be in Las Vegas this week for the 2002 Las Vegas United States National Wrestling Championships, presented by Knickerbocker. Being held Wednesday through Saturday at the newly-expanded Las Vegas Convention Center, over 2,000 entries from across the country will be competing for championships.
Featuring Olympic-style wrestling, the 2002 Las Vegas United States National Wrestling Championships, presented by Knickerbocker, will be held in the spacious new Hall S-3 at the Convention Center. The massive tournament will also include the U.S. Freestyle Nationals, the U.S. Greco-Roman Nationals, the U.S. Women*s Nationals, the U.S. Veteran*s Nationals, and the Western Junior Regionals. ESPN2 will televise the event nationally on a delayed basis. The Women’s Freestyle Finals will be televised on the Oxygen Network, also on a delayed basis.
Action on 20 mats in the Western Junior Regionals will run from 12:30 p.m. - 10 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday and 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday. The other divisions all start on Friday.
On Saturday, the semifinals and 3-5-7th place medal matches will run from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., followed by the championship finals in Senior Freestyle, Senior Greco-Roman and Senior Women*s Freestyle starting at 6 p.m.
In the Senior competition, defending 187.25 Freestyle national champion Cael Sanderson, already the most honored and decorated collegiate wrestler of all time, will also resume his Olympic dreams in Las Vegas.
Having completed an unprecedented collegiate career at Iowa State with a perfect 159-0 career record, four NCAA titles and the only wrestler ever to be honored four consecutive years as the most outstanding wrestler of the NCAA Championships, Sanderson will now take center stage in the entertainment and sports capital of the world. Last year in Las Vegas,Sanderson defeated Charles Burton, Bloomington, Ind., 4-1, to earn his first national freestyle championship.
Over 40 entries from Nevada are expected. Leading the Nevada contingent will be Las Vegas brothers Eddie, Greg and Chris Gifford, Josh and Jared Medina, Mesquite*s Skyler and Scott Woods, Reno’s Chad Espinoza, along with Las Vegas’ Eugene Harris and Matt Azevedo. Eddie Gifford, Josh Medina, Skyler Woods, Harris and Azevedo will wrestle in Senior Freestyle while the others will all compete in Junior Freestyle.
Two-time defending super heavyweight freestyle national champion Kerry McCoy returns to Las Vegas as the favorite in the weight class he has been so strong in for eight years.
McCoy, who was the 1994 and 1997 NCAA champion while competing at Penn State, and is currently the No. 1 ranked U.S. Freestyle wrestler at 264.5 lbs., went undefeated in five matches April 6-7 to lead Team USA to the title of the Northern Quest 2002 World Cup of Wrestling.
An assistant wrestling coach at Lehigh University, the muscular 6-2 McCoy’s complete focus is on Las Vegas, where he has finished in the top five in each of the last eight years.
Besides his gold medals the last two years, McCoy*s enviable record of consistency in the nationals includes two silver medals (1996, 1997) and two bronze medals (1995, 1999). McCoy had a fourth in his first year (1994) and his lowest finish in this event was fifth (1998).
Among the challengers who will attempt to quench McCoy’s quest to become the first freestyle wrestler in his weight category to win at least three straight since the legendary Bruce Baumgartner’s 14 consecutive crowns (1983-1996) is Tolly Thompson, the 1998 national champion. McCoy beat Thompson for the title last year, 5-2.
An important factor in the nationals this year is the change in international weight classes, from eight to seven. With fewer divisions, many athletes will be competing against new competitors this year.
In senior Greco-Roman at 132 lbs., the fiercest rivalry in American wrestling should continue this year between No. 1 Jim Gruenwald and No. 2 Dennis Hall, Wisconsin natives and international stars. For many years, the edge went to Hall, a 10-time national champion who won an Olympic silver medal, as well as World gold and bronze medals. The last two years, Gruenwald, of Colorado Springs, Colo., made the U.S. Team (2000 Olympics, 2001 Worlds), but Hall, of Plover, Wisc., has beaten Gruenwald at the Nationals and other events.
The biggest name in wrestling not competing in Las Vegas will be Greco-Roman Super Heavyweight Rulon Gardner. Still recovering from frostbite and the loss of one toe, Gardner is the reigning Olympic and World champion. Gardner is hopeful to be back on the competition mats this summer.
Advance VIP, Preferred and General Admission All-Event tickets are on sale through Tuesday at the LVSC ticket office at 702.838.4091. With admission for all four days, VIP All-Event packages are $150 each, Preferred All-Event tickets are $65 each and General Admission All-Event tickets are on sale for $45 for adults and $20 for students (6 to 17 years old).
Preferred and General Admission daily tickets will be available at the door only. Preferred daily tickets will be $35 while General Admission daily tickets will be $25 for adults and $15 for students.
Tickets to the finals only (to be held on Saturday, April 27) will be available on the day of the event at the door. Preferred will be $25 each while General Admission tickets for the finals (6 p.m., Saturday, April 27) will be $20 for adults and $10 for students.
Las Vegas has hosted and the LVSC and USA Wrestling have worked together to hold 12 previous Nationals in the Southern Nevada area, including the past three years.
In Las Vegas, America’s finest wrestlers will be starting the road to the World Championship. National Championships will be decided in the seven international weight categories for senior men and women competitors.
There will be six weight divisions for the veteran’s divisions, split into five divisions based on ages.
Titles in 12 weight divisions will be decided in the Western Junior Regionals. Any qualified junior wrestler may compete in one of seven regional championships held annually by USA Wrestling across the country.
The top seven place winners in each weight class in men’s freestyle and Greco-Roman along with the top eight women’s place winners in each weight class qualify for the World Team Trials.
For men, the weight divisions are: 121 lbs. (55 kilograms), 132 lbs. (60 kg), 145.5 lbs. (66 kg), 163 lbs. (74 kg), 185 lbs. (84 kg), 211.5 lbs. (96 kg) and 264.5 lbs. (120 kg).
The seven women’s weight divisions are: 105.5 lbs. (48 kg), 112 lbs. (51 kg), 121 lbs. (55 kg), 130 lbs. (59 kg), 138.75 lbs. (63 kg), 147.5 lbs. (67 kg) and 158.5 lbs. (72 kg).
For 17 years, the LVSC, a non-profit organization benefitting the youth of Las Vegas under the direction of President Larry Barnson, has been producing special events in the Las Vegas area. Other major wrestling events produced by the LVSC include the 1997 USA Wrestling Freestyle World Team Trials, the 1998 NAIA National Wrestling Championships and the 1998 Junior World Freestyle Wrestling Championships. In July of 1999, the LVSC presented the U.S. Taekwondo Junior Olympics with over 5,000 participants. Area youth have received nearly $250,000 in event proceeds.
Additional information is available from the LVSC offices at 702.361.5017 or on the organization*s website at www.lvsports.org.
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Qualifying procedures for 2002 World Team Trials released
4/22/2002
Gary Abbott/USA Wrestling
USA Wrestling has determined specific qualifying procedures for athletes to compete in the 2002 World Team Trials in Saint Paul, Minn., June 21-23.
Competition will be held in men’s freestyle, men’s Greco-Roman and women’s freestyle wrestling. Only the best athletes in the nation will earn the right to participate in the World Team Trials.
The major qualifying event for the World Team Trials is the Las Vegas 2002 United States National Wrestling Championships, held in Las Vegas, Nev., April 26-27. The top seven place winners in the men’s freestyle and men’s Greco-Roman, and the top eight place winners in the women’s freestyle event qualify for the World Team Trials.
There are a number of other qualifying procedures for each style, listed below. The Sports Committee for each style sets the World Team Trials procedures for its style. Therefore, the qualifying procedures are slightly different.
Athletes with questions about the qualifying procedures should contact National Teams Director Mitch Hull at 719-598-8181, ext. 631, or via email at mhull@usawrestling.org
How to Qualify for the 2002 World Team Trials
Men’s Freestyle:
1. Top seven at 2002 Senior National Championships
2. Current National Team Member - Top three
3. Top three Finisher in a FILA A Championships in the past two years including Pan Ams, but not Sunkist
4. Past World or Olympic Team Member
5 Medalist at Junior World Championships in the past two years
6. 2002 NCAA Div. I Finalist
7. 2002 Regional Tournament Champion from three regionals determined by USAW
Women’s Freestyle:
1. Top eight at the 2002 Senior National Championships
2. Current National Team Member - Top three
3. Top three Finisher in a FILA A Championship in the past three years, including the Pan Ams, but not Sunkist
4. 2002 University National Champion
5. Past World Team Member
6. 2002 Regional Tournament Champion from two regionals determined by USAW
7. Medalist at Junior World Championships in the past two years
Greco-Roman:
1. Top seven at 2002 Senior National Championships
2. Current National Team Member - Top three
3. Top three Finisher in a FILA A Championship in the past two years, including the Pan Ams, but not Sunkist
4. 2002 University National Champion
5. Past World or Olympic Team member
6. Medalist at Junior World Championships in the past two years
7. 2002 NCAA Div. I Finalist
8. 2002 Regional Tournament Champion from three regionals determined by USAW
