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Horpel, Corso to coach 2002 U.S. Women's World Team
7/16/2002
Gary Abbott /USA Wrestling
USA Wrestling has named its head and assistant coaches for the 2002 U.S. Women’s World Team: head coach Chris Horpel of Stanford, Calif. and assistant coach Joe Corso of West Des Moines, Iowa.
The U.S. Women’s World Team will compete at the 2002 Women’s World Championships, set for Halkida, Greece, Nov. 2-3. The U.S. team was determined at the 2002 World Team Trials in Saint Paul, Minn., June 21-23.
Horpel serves as the head coach of the Dave Schultz Wrestling Club, one of the world’s top international wrestling clubs. The Dave Schultz WC sponsors national and international stars in all three styles of wrestling: men’s freestyle, women’s freestyle and men’s Greco-Roman. The club has won numerous national titles and runner-up trophies in all three styles and on many age-group levels.
One of the Dave Schultz WC athletes will be competing for Horpel on the 2002 U.S. World team, Patricia Miranda at 105.5 pounds. Miranda, who recently graduated from Stanford Univ., also competed for Horpel on the college level at Stanford.
“I’m very excited,” said Horpel. “Because women’s wrestling has been added to the 2004 Olympics, there has been a more committed attitude by the athletes. Looking at who has made our team, our prospects are excellent in returning as World Champions. Although this is my first women’s team, I have coached the Dave Schultz WC women as well as team member Patricia Miranda. It will be a fun and interesting experience for me. I was very impressed at the World Team Trials. Our athletes have made huge strides.”
Horpel is a member of USA Wrestling’s national coaching staff, having coached more than 10 international teams in freestyle and Greco-Roman, including three Pan American freestyle teams.
Horpel is now completing his first year as the Director of Wrestling at Stanford Univ. He stepped down as the head coach at Stanford in the 2001-02 season after 23 seasons at the helm to assume his current position. His primary focus in the new job is the promotion and longevity of wrestling at Stanford.
As Stanford head coach, Horpel produced seven NCAA Division I All-Americans, ten Pacific-10 Conference champions and qualified Stanford wrestlers to the NCAA Championships in all but one season.
While an undergraduate at Stanford, Horpel was a two-time All-American (fifth as a junior and seventh as a senior). In addition, Horpel won the 1975 Pacific-8 Conference title at 150 pounds. He later represented the United States in Montreal at the Pre-Olympic World Tournament in Greco-Roman, placing fifth at 149.5 pounds. The following year, Horpel again went to Montreal as an alternate on the 1976 United States Olympic Team.
Horpel began his coaching career as the assistant coach at Stanford (1975-76) while also training for the 1976 Olympics. After the Montreal Olympiad, he was assistant coach at Palo Alto High School in California (1976-77), head coach at Gunn High School in California (1977-78), and assistant coach at UCLA (1978-79). In 1979-80, Horpel was named the head coach at Stanford. As a high school coach, he produced two California state champions: Dave and Mark Schultz, both of whom would later win NCAA, World and Olympic titles.
Corso has coached numerous U.S. Women's teams in international competition. Corso was the head coach of the 2001 Women’s World Team, which placed seventh in the World Championships and featured two medalists. He was also the head coach of the 1998 Women’s World Team, which placed third in the World Championships in Poznan, Poland and featured World Champion Tricia Saunders. Corso was head coach of the 1990 U.S. Women’s World team, which placed sixth in the World Championships in Lulea, Sweden.
He was an assistant coach on the 1991 U.S. Women’s World Team, which placed fifth in the World Championships in Tokyo, Japan. He was also the head coach of the 1992 and 1998 U.S. Men’s Junior World Freestyle Teams. He has also coached a number of U.S. men’s wrestling teams on international tours. He runs a local business in Des Moines.
Corso has been a coach and administrator for the Sunkist Kids club, which has won numerous national team titles on the Senior and age-group levels in both men’s and women’s wrestling.
He was the head wrestling coach at Phoenix College from 1992-93. Corso has served as an assistant coach at Purdue Univ., the Univ. of Minnesota and Indiana Univ. He was also the head coach of Brophy Preperatory High School from 1989-91.
Corso was a member of the 1976 U.S. Olympic freestyle wrestling team. He placed third in the 1979 World Championships, and won a gold medal at the 1979 Pan American Championships. He was also a gold medalist in the 1992 Veterans World Championships. He has won 10 national freestyle titles. Corso placed third in the 1975 NCAA Championships for Purdue Univ. Originally from Des Moines, Iowa, he was an Iowa state high school champion in 1971.
The United States is a World power in women’s freestyle wrestling, having claimed the World team title in 1999 and placing among the top teams at the World Championships every year since entering for the first time in 1989.
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Zadick vs. Bono and Downing vs. Marano Wrestle-Offs Set For Fargo, N.D., July 27
7/16/2002
John Fuller/USA Wrestling
Two Special Wrestle-offs for the 2002 U.S. World Team will be competed on July 27 in Fargo, N.D. at the Fargodome during the ASICS/Vaughan Junior and Cadet National Championships.
In men’s freestyle competition, U.S. Nationals champion Bill Zadick (Iowa City, Iowa/Hawkeye WC) will face 2002 World Team Trials champion Chris Bono (Gilbert, Iowa/Sunkist Kids) for the 63 kg/145.5 lbs. spot on the 2002 U.S. World Team.
In a women’s freestyle Special Wrestle-off, Katie Downing (Pendleton, Ind./UM-Morris), the 67 kg/147.5 lbs. World Team Trials champion, will face Kristie Marano (Albany, N.Y./ATWA), who was the World Team Trials runner-up at 63 kg/138.5 lbs.
Both wrestle-offs will be a best two-out-of-three series to determine the 2002 U.S. World Team member.
Zadick won the U.S. National Championships in April, but due to an injury, was unable to compete at the World Team Trials. Only the U.S. Nationals champion is allowed to request a delay to a finals series due to injury.
Bono, a 2001 World Team member, won the Challenge Tournament and defeated Jamill Kelly (Stillwater, Okla./Gator WC) in a best two-out-of-three series at the World Team Trials.
“USA Wrestling policy states that if a reigning national champion is injured and cannot compete at the World Team Trials, the wrestler may request a delay through the Sports Committee,” stated Mitch Hull, USA Wrestling Director of National Teams. “Bill Zadick has followed all procedures and policies. A delay was granted by the Freestyle Sports Committee and the date and site were set for July 27 in Fargo.”
A new USA Wrestling rule approved by the Women’s Sports Committee allows for additional women’s wrestle-offs at the three non-Olympic weight classes (51 kg, 59 kg and 67 kg). The athletes that place second or third at the four Olympic weights (48 kg, 55 kg, 63 kg and 72 kg) are allowed to challenge the winners of the three non-Olympic weights for a spot on the U.S. Women's World team.
Marano, a five-time World medalist, lost to Sara McMann (Lock Haven, Pa./Sunkist Kids) at the World Team Trials at an Olympic weight.
Downing has never been a member of the World Team. She will have to battle through experience to gain her first spot this year. Marano was a World Champion in 2000 and boasts four World silver medals. Marano defeated Downing two matches to one, in the finals of the 2001 University Nationals.
The first match in both Special Wrestle-Offs will begin at 9 am (Central Time). The second match will begin at 1 pm (Central Time) and the third match, if necessary, will be wrestled one hour following the conclusion of the second match.
