News Page
3/31/2003
Janessa Pierce/USA Wrestling
Beginning in April 2003, USA Wrestling will be publishing an e-mail information update geared specifically toward women wrestlers.
This e-mail update will be managed by USA Wrestling National Women's Coach Terry Steiner and is projected to be published on a monthly basis.
Editorial content will include stories, news updates, training tips and other important information for female wrestlers of all ages. The idea is to network the women's wrestling community on a regular basis.
This e-mail update is available free of charge and will be distributed to everyone who signs up. Sign up today by e-mailing your e-mail address to Coach Steiner at tsteiner@usawrestling.org
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Missouri Valley, Cumberland have strong team efforts at USGWA Can-Am Freestyle Championships
3/30/2003
Gary Abbott/USA Wrestling
The two top ranked college teams in the United States, Missouri Valley College and Cumberland College, had strong team efforts at the USGWA Can-Am Collegiate Freestyle Championships, held in Lake Orion, Mich., March 29.
This year, the USGWA college freestyle tournament was sanctioned with USA Wrestling, and featured USA Wrestling mat officials.
Missouri Valley captured the team title with 44 points, with Cumberland close behind with 37 points. UM-Morris, Pacific and Neosho County CC rounded out the top five teams.
Missouri Valley featured a pair of individual champions, Leigh Jaynes at 138 pounds and Emilee Murphree at 145 pounds, as well as three runners-up.
Jaynes pinned Cumberland’s Brooke Bogren in the gold-medal finals in overtime, at 6:24. Murphree won a three-athlete roundrobin competition, including a pin and a technical fall.
Cumberland had one individual champion, Alaina Berube at 133 pounds, as well as four runners-up. Berube captured a five-athlete roundrobin, scoring three technical falls and a pin. She defeated runner-up Kiersten Hyatt of Missouri Valley by technical fall, 13-2.
Besides Missouri Valley, the other team with two individual champions was Neosho County CC, led by champions Mary Kelly at 107 pounds and Alicia Mena at Over 165 pounds.
Kelly scored a 9-4 victory over veteran Julie Gonzalez of San Francisco State, 9-4. Mena won a four-athlete roundrobin, with two falls and an 11-1 technical fall over runner-up Melyssa Fuqua.
Other American individual champions were Danielle Hobeika of the Dave Schultz WC at 114 pounds, Stephanie Lee of Hawaii at 154 pounds and Samantha Lang of Tualatin HS (Ore.) at 165 pounds.
Hobeika pinned Patrice Crenshaw of UM-Morris in the finals in 2:45. Lee captured a six-athlete roundrobin with three pins, a technical fall and a decision. Lang edged 2001 World silver medalist Toccara Montgomery of Cumberland, 6-5 in overtime, and won a four-athlete roundrobin.
Two Canadian college athletes also captured gold medals, Teresa Piotrowski of Guelph at 121 pounds and Heather Sweezey of Brock at 128 pounds. Piotrowski scored a 12-2 technical fall over Erin Soli of Missouri Valley in the finals. Sweezey also won her gold-medal match by technical fall, stopping Jessi Shirley of Cumberland, 11-1.
For complete coverage of the USGWA folkstyle national championships in all age levels, visit
http://www.usgwa.com
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Monmouth's Fox sets sites on nationals
By SCOTT MARTIN, 3/30/03
Copyright © 2003 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.
Jessica Fox was ranked 11th in the 114-pound weight class in the United States Girls Wrestling Association rankings in the preseason. With a win over fifth-seeded Lydia Stevens, of Jefferson, N.H., earlier this year, Fox should make a jump in the standings.
Fox, a senior at Monmouth Academy, has another chance to step up in those standings this weekend, when she wrestles in the United States Girls Wrestling Association National Championships today and Sunday at Lake Orion High School in Lake Orion, Mich.
Fox defeated Stevens with a 7-4 decision on March 15 to finish third in the New England USGWA Championship.
Fox doesn't yet know who she will wrestle because wrestlers don't have to preregister for the event, but she believes she'll wrestle many of the same competitors she faced last year when she finished eighth.
"My goal is to place again," Fox said.
Fox defeated Nicole Lemay of Litchfield, with a 4-0 decision on March 16, to win the New York USGWA Girls State Championship. Lemay pinned Lisa Paquette of Schenectady, N.Y., in 3:25 to finish third. Lemay finished fourth in the New York championship.
Fox has wrestled most of her career against boys, competing for the Monmouth Academy team. She enjoyed success against the boys, finishing 10-16 at 119 pounds this season and becoming the first female at Monmouth to win a match in the state meet, according to coach Charlie Fyler.
"It helps wrestling the boys because they are usually stronger," Fox said.
Fox was the team captain and won the Keith McLeod Award (formerly the team choice award), both voted on by her teammates.
"I was at a winter coaches meeting before the season started, and it was sleeting and raining outside," Fyler said. "She (Fox) was outside running in that stuff. That is the type of work ethic she has."
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Aggression ends with the match
Rob Vanstone
Leader-Pos 3/31/03t
A clash of cousins was the furthest thing from a family feud.
Erin Church and her cousin, Meagan DuMont, were all smiles after colliding in Saturday's girls' 71-kilogram final at the Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association wrestling championships.
The two-day event was held at F.W. Johnson Collegiate -- which Church and DuMont attend. They are also teammates with the Regina North West Wrestling Club.
"Outside of wrestling, we talk all the time,'' Church said after defeating DuMont. "Our grandparents have a cabin, so we see each other all the time on weekends during the summer. We'll do water stuff together.''
Johnson wrestling coach Kelly DuMont (Meagan's father) is the stepbrother of Barb Church (Erin's mother). Barb Church was the drawmaster at the city and provincial championships.
"Sometimes it's difficult wrestling my cousin because we're friends outside the mat,'' Meagan DuMont said. "On the mat, you've got to concentrate on wrestling.
"I used to think about (the family ties) a lot when I was younger. Now, I just know that I have to work hard because she's an excellent wrestler. I know what to expect because we wrestle each other in practice.''
The familiarity has helped both wrestlers improve.
"They train together all year long,'' Kelly DuMont said. "They've been doing that for three years now.
"We always say that you're as good as your best practice partner. When your practice partner is the provincial champion, it's fitting that you're in second place.''
Church can relate to Meagan DuMont's status as a silver medallist.
"It's exciting to win in my Grade 12 year,'' Church said. "Last year, I got second. Maybe the trend will continue and Meagan will get gold in Grade 12 next year.''
NOTES: Church was among seven southern Saskatchewan wrestlers to win provincial titles. Robert Nelson of O'Neill (62kg), Trevor Anderson of O'Neill (90), Chet Moen of Swift Current (110) and Joe Friedrich of Campbell (110-plus) placed first in the male division. Church, Tamara McNab of Thom (52) and Korle Menegbo of O'Neill (65) captured female championships. Menegbo won her second straight provincial title. She was the 61kg champion last year . . . Ryley Walker of Saskatoon Holy Cross was a provincial champion for the fourth consecutive year. Walker, who prevailed in the 66kg male division on Saturday, won his previous three titles while attending high school in Eston.
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Big weekend for O'Neill girls' squad
Rob Vanstone
Leader-Post March 31, 2003
Johnson Collegiate began winning provincial girls' wrestling titles two years before O'Neill High School's program was formed.
Despite the lack of longevity, O'Neill was able to surpass Johnson -- and everyone else -- for the first time Saturday.
"We've made history at O'Neill,'' Ron Gonzales, who has coached the school's wrestling program since its inception, said after the Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association championships concluded at the Johnson gym.
"This is just an awesome feeling.''
The O'Neill girls recorded 43 points in the team standings -- eight more than Saskatoon's Bedford Road Collegiate. Thom was fifth with 25 points, followed by Johnson (24), LeBoldus (15), Balfour (13) and Miller (12).
Johnson had won the previous five provincial team titles.
"This is quite a big achievement,'' O'Neill team captain Lisa Morin said. "We were the second girls program to start (in Regina) four years ago.
"It started to build up when I was in Grade 9 and it has gotten better each year. Our program is developing and our coach is amazing. That helps.''
O'Neill also dethroned Johnson at the Regina High Schools Athletic Association championships on March 19. Johnson had won the previous six city titles.
Saskatoon Holy Cross won the boys' team title Saturday, posting 61 points -- one more than Saskatoon Mount Royal. Thom was third with 31 points. O'Neill and Bedford Road were tied for fourth with 25 points apiece.