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USA Wrestling announces finalist candidates for 2004 U.S. Olympic Team coaching positions
11/4/2003
Gary Abbott/USA Wrestling
USA Wrestling has announced 16 finalists for positions on the coaching staff for wrestling for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.
The coach finalist candidates were selected by the appropriate coach selection committee for that discipline. Each of the candidates will be interviewed by the coach selection committee in depth. The selection of the Olympic coaching staff are expected to be made by mid-December, after the committee’s selections are presented to the USA Wrestling Executive Committee. This selection will be final pending approval by the U.S. Olympic Committee.
The Freestyle Coach Selection Committee selected the following coach candidates for men’s freestyle wrestling: Tom Brands of Iowa City, Iowa; Bruce Burnett of Annapolis, Md.; Bobby Douglas of Ames, Iowa; Zeke Jones of Morgantown, W.Va.; and Mark Manning of Lincoln, Neb.
The Greco-Roman Coach Selection Committee selected the following coach candidates for men’s Greco-Roman wrestling: Jay Antonelli of Quantico, Va.; Joe DeMeo of Niskayuna, N.Y.; Rich Estrella of Colorado Springs, Colo.; Shon Lewis of Colorado Springs, Colo.; Andy Seras of Sandy Hook, Conn.
The Women’s Coach Selection Committee selected the following coach candidates for women’s freestyle wrestling: Joe Corso of Des Moines, Iowa; Tadaaki Hatta of Elyria, Ohio; Chris Horpel of Stanford, Calif.; Townsend Saunders of Phoenix, Ariz.; Tricia Saunders of Phoenix, Ariz.; and Troy Steiner of Madison, Wis.
QUOTES FROM THE OLYMPIC COACH FINALISTS
MEN’S FREESTYLE
Tom Brands of Iowa City, Iowa
“I think it is about the athletes, getting them what they need. We have to do a great job of getting them to feel good about themselves and about their preparation.”
Bruce Burnett of Annapolis, Md .
“I am certainly humbled by it. I’ve been in this position before as National Coach. I know how important it is to wrestling, the organization and to the country. It is humbling, exciting and important. I want to do everything I can to help these men win gold medals. Because of my past experience, I believe I can contribute. To be named as a finalist is an honor.”
Bobby Douglas of Ames, Iowa .
“I have always considered it an honor to represent America, as an athlete and a coach. The years have given me the discipline of experience. I consider this a chance of a lifetime, and if selected, I will give the same effort that the team is giving.”
Zeke Jones of Morgantown, W.Va..
“It is an honor to be nominated. I would like to thank the Committee members for having faith in me. It’s an important job to help prepare our athletes to compete in Athens. I look forward to interviewing for the position.”
Mark Manning of Lincoln, Neb..
“I’m really excited about the opportunity to be part of USA Wrestling and the Olympic coaching staff. I am always honored when I am asked to help coach a U.S. team. I’m a very patriotic guy, and love to represent the best country in the world. I look forward to helping our athletes to perform to be their best.”
MEN’S GRECO-ROMAN
Jay Antonelli of Quantico, Va.
“It is an honor to serve and coach a U.S. Olympic Team. It is an honor to be mentioned with the other coaches nominated. Any way that I can help to win medals for the United States, that is my goal.”
Joe DeMeo of Niskayuna, N.Y.
“It’s an honor to be selected as a finalist. I’m certainly flattered and pleased. I feel it is a wonderful thing to be in the company of the other applicants.”
Rich Estrella of Colorado Springs, Colo.
“I’m very pleased to be considered for the position. I have to thank my family, Home Depot, Air Force Sports and the athletes that belong to my club. We have high goals in mind. (National Coach) Steve Fraser has put together a good plan. We expect to do well in 2004 at the Olympic Games.”
Shon Lewis of Colorado Springs, Colo.
“I consider it a great honor to be recognized as a possible coach for the Olympic Team. I appreciate those who nominated me. If selected, I will do everything I can to prepare the team for the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004.”
Andy Seras of Sandy Hook, Conn.
“I have been working hard towards that goal. I believe that I can help and am one of the best guys for the job.”
WOMEN’S FREESTYLE
Joe Corso of Des Moines, Iowa
“I am honored to be considered a finalist. I’ve worked well with the women, and have coached them for a long time. This is very prestigious. It’s an opportunity to help the women achieve their goals of being Olympic champions.”
Tadaaki Hatta of Elyria, Ohio
“I am excited. I’m glad I was picked as one of the six finalists. If I get the position, I want to see four Olympic gold medals for the United States. That is what I will work for.”
Chris Horpel of Stanford, Calif.
“All six coaches nominated all do a great job. I’m honored to be one of them. Our prospects to do very well at the Olympics is exceptionally high. The program keeps getting better and better. I’m glad to be a part of that program.”
Townsend Saunders of Phoenix, Ariz.
“I think it is a tremendous opportunity. We have a chance to make history. It is phenomenal that I was selected for a chance to be part of it. I’m hoping Trish and I both get on the staff and we can make it a family affair.”
Tricia Saunders of Phoenix, Ariz.
“Townsend and I are both interested in the same thing. We’d like to see this team do well at the Olympics. Townsend and I both want to be part of getting the team to the top of the podium at the Olympics. I owe a lot to those who helped me at the World Championships all those years. It’s time for me to give back. It as exciting to be in the coaching capacity as it was being an athlete. I did not know that until now.”
Troy Steiner of Madison, Wis.
“I am excited. Being around the program for the last year, I’ve gained a new perspective on the sport and working with the women. The women are into the sport as much as I was. You respect it, and it is fun helping them achieve their goals.”
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Biographies for finalist candidate for U.S. Olympic Team coaching positions
11/4/2003
Gary Abbott/USA Wrestling
MEN’S FREESTYLE
Tom Brands of Iowa City, Iowa
Brands served as the Assistant Coach of the 2003 U.S. Freestyle World Team, which placed a strong second at the World Championships in New York City, led by two silver medalists.
He was also the Assistant Coach of the 2002 U.S. Freestyle World Team that was scheduled to compete in Tehran, Iran. A day before the team was to leave for the competition, the U.S. government contacted USA Wrestling with information about a threat of violence against the team. USA Wrestling decided not to attend the World Championships because of that threat.
Brands was a member of the U.S. coaching staff at the 2001 World Championships, and has coached a number of other U.S. teams in international competition. Brands is a club coach with the Hawkeye Wrestling Club, one of the nation’s top freestyle wrestling clubs. He was named 2002 Freestyle Coach of the Year by USA Wrestling.
Brands has worked for 11 years as an assistant coach for the Univ. of Iowa. He was named NWCA Assistant Coach of the Year in 2000.
Brands was one of the greatest U.S. freestyle wrestlers of all time, claiming a gold medal at 136.5 pounds at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Ga. He also won a World gold medal at the 1993 World Championships in Toronto, Canada. Between 1993-96, Brands was the top U.S. wrestler at his weight class and represented the United States in numerous major international events.
He won two World Cup gold medals (1994 and 1995) and was the 1995 Pan American Games champion. He also claimed four U.S. Nationals titles (1993-96) and made four straight U.S. World or Olympic teams (1993-96).
Along with brother, Terry, he was named 1993 USA Wrestling Athlete of the Year, the 1993 John Smith Outstanding Freestyle Wrestler, and 1993 Amateur Wrestling News Man of the Year.
He was a three-time NCAA Div. I champion at the Univ. of Iowa (1990-92) a four-time All-American and three-time Big Ten champion. He had a career mark of 158-7-2, including an undefeated season in 1991 (45-0). Brands earned his B.S. degree in Physical Education from Iowa in 1992.
Bruce Burnett of Annapolis, Md.
Burnett served as the National Freestyle Coach for USA Wrestling from in 1992-2000, the full-time professional coach that worked with the national freestyle program, coaching the elite freestyle wrestlers in the nation.
During his tenure as National Coach, the USA won World Team Titles at the 1993 and 1995 World Freestyle Championships, and claimed five medals at the 1996 Olympic Games, the most of any competing nation. The U.S. team at the 2000 Olympics won four medals. He was named USA Wrestling Freestyle Coach of the Year in 1995 and 1996, and USOC Coach of the Year for wrestling in 1996.
Burnett served as the National Developmental Coach for USA Wrestling from 1990-92. He handled the coaching and development of the U.S. age-group wrestlers. As Developmental Coach, Burnett worked closely with the National Coaches in freestyle and Greco-Roman. He was also a member of the 1992 U.S. Olympic team coaching staff.
Bruce Burnett is the head wrestling coach at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., starting his fourth year there. He has improved the performance of the Navy program, which is among the top college wrestling teams in the East.
Burnett served as the assistant wrestling coach with NCAA champion Oklahoma State Univ. from 1987-1990. While Burnett was with the Cowboy program, OSU won two NCAA team championships, two NWCA National Dual Meet titles and three Big Eight conference titles.
He has a strong background on all levels of wrestling, coaching at every age-group. Burnett served as the USA Wrestling State Chairperson and Junior Chairperson in Idaho.
Burnett was the head wrestling coach at Meridian Senior High School in Meridian, Idaho, from 1974-87. He had a career coaching record of 154-13-2 (.923 winning percentage) with four state team championships. The team also claimed four state runner-up positions, six district titles and nine Southern Idaho Conference titles.
He received an Associate Arts degree from Bakersfield College in Bakersfield, Calif. in 1970, then went to Idaho State Univ., where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education in 1973. He is a member of the Idaho State University Hall of Fame.
Bobby Douglas of Ames, Iowa
Douglas served as the head coach of the 1992 U.S. Olympic freestyle wrestling team, that competed in Barcelona, Spain. The U.S. claimed six individual medals, led by gold medalists John Smith, Kevin Jackson and Bruce Baumgartner.
He has served as head coach of four U.S. World Championships teams. Douglas served as the Head Coach of the 2003 U.S. Freestyle World Team, which placed a strong second at the World Championships in New York City, led by two silver medalists.
He was also the Head Coach of the 2002 U.S. Freestyle World Team that was scheduled to compete in Tehran, Iran. A day before the team was to leave for the competition, the U.S. government contacted USA Wrestling with information about a threat of violence against the team. USA Wrestling decided not to attend the World Championships because of that threat.
He led the 1989 and 1991 U.S. World teams to second-place finishes at the World Championships behind the Soviet Union. In 1989, the U.S. had six medalists, including two champions: Smith and Kenny Monday. In 1991, the U.S. won six medals, including three champions: Zeke Jones, Smith and Jackson.
He served on the coaching staff of the 1988 and 1996 U.S. Olympic teams. He coached the 1989 U.S. World Cup team as well as the 1991 Pan American Games team. He has been an assistant coach on numerous other U.S. international teams. He was named the 1992 USA Wrestling Freestyle Coach of the Year.
Douglas is a club coach with the Sunkist Kids, the most successful wrestling club in the United States. He has helped coach numerous U.S. athletes to World and Olympic medals as part of the Sunkist Kids program.
Douglas works as head wrestling coach for Iowa State Univ., where he has led their powerful Div. I program for 12 years. His Cyclones placed second in the 2002 NCAA Championships, led by three individual champions: Aaron Holker, Joe Heskett and Cael Sanderson. Douglas guided Sanderson to a historic career, becoming the first wrestler to win four NCAA titles and complete his career undefeated.
In 11 complete seasons at Iowa State, Douglas has led the Cyclones to three second-place finishes at the NCAA Championships and nine top-10 finishes. He coached five individual athletes to NCAA Div. I titles at Arizona State.
Douglas became the first coach of a Western university to win an NCAA title when he led Arizona State to the national crown in 1988. He was named College Coach of the Year in 1988. During Douglas’ 18 years at Arizona State, his teams won nearly 75 percent of their dual matches (225-77-6). For his efforts, Douglas was named conference coach of the year nine times. His ASU record included nine conference championships, 10 top-10 NCAA team finishes and four top-two placings.
As a wrestler, he was the captain of the 1968 Olympic team, and placed fourth in the 1964 Olympic Games. He earned silver and bronze medals in the World Freestyle Championships and competed for U.S. World Teams eight times. He was the USWF freestyle champion in 1970, and won five other national freestyle titles. He was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1987. A true innovator, Douglas has authored a number of wrestling technique books and is one of the nation’s top clinicians.
Douglas became the first black Ohio high school state titlist. He wrestled for West Liberty State College (W.V.). He won the NAIA title and was runner-up at the NCAA Championships. After transferring to Oklahoma State, Douglas won the Big Eight Conference 147-pound crown. Douglas earned his bachelors degree at Oklahoma State in 1967 and his masters degree at Arizona State in 1981.
Zeke Jones of Morgantown, W.Va.
Jones was the Assistant Coach for the 2001 U.S. Freestyle World Team. After the attack of September 11, the World Championships were moved from New York to Bulgaria and head coach Mark Manning could not attend the World Championships. Jones assumed additional responsibility, serving as head coach. The U.S. placed fifth in the team standings and featured a pair of silver medalists.
Jones was head coach of the 2003 Pan American Games Team, which won the team title and captured four individual gold medals: Stephen Abas, Joe Williams, Daniel Cormier and Kerry McCoy. He was also on the U.S. coaching staff for the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games.
He served as head coach for the 1998 and 2000 World Cup teams, both which won the team title. He was also assistant coach of the 2001 U.S. World Cup team, also the team champions. He was a coach with the 2000 Pan American Championships team. Jones was named 2001 Freestyle Coach of the Year by USA Wrestling.
Jones has worked as an assistant wrestling coach for the Univ. of West Virginia, a major Div. I wrestling power, since 1993. West Virginia has developed three NCAA finalists during his tenure, and has twice placed in the top 10 at the NCAA Championships. He has also served assistant coaching stints at Bloomsburg Univ. and at Arizona State Univ. He is a club coach with the Sunkist Kids.
Jones was one of the greatest freestyle wrestlers in U.S. history. He won a World gold medal at 114.5 pounds at the 1991 World Championships in Varna, Bulgaria. Jones also claimed an Olympic silver medal at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain. Jones added a World bronze medal at the 1995 World Championships in Atlanta, Ga.
He placed fourth in the 1990 and 1993 World Championships. He was a member of the 1993 and 1995 U.S. World teams, which claimed the World Team title for the United States. Jones won gold medals at numerous major competitions including four World Cups, the 1995 Pan American Games and the 1994 Goodwill Games. He won six U.S. Nationals titles.
Jones was a NCAA runner-up for Arizona State in 1990 and was a three-time All-American. He was No. 1 ranked freestyle wrestler in the USA while still competing in college. He is originally from Ann Arbor, Mich., where he was a state high school champion.
Mark Manning of Lincoln, Neb.
Manning was the Head Coach for the 2001 U.S. Freestyle World Team. After the attack of September 11, the World Championships were moved from New York to Bulgaria and Manning could not attend the World Championships due to college coaching responsibilities.
He served on the coaching staff of the 1996 and 2000 U.S. Olympic teams. He served as the assistant coach of the 1997 U.S. Freestyle World Team, which placed sixth in the team standings in Krasnoyarsk, Russia. The team featured one gold and one silver medalist.
Manning was also on the coaching staffs of the 1993, 1995, 1997, 1998 and 1999 U.S. World teams. He was also a coach with the 2000 Pan American Championships team, which claimed the team title. Manning was head coach of the 1994 and 1996 Junior World teams, and also coached the 1992 Cadet World team. He also coached at two U.S. Olympic Festivals.
He served as USA Wrestling’s National Developmental Coach during early 1993, managing the organization's age-group national team programs.
Manning currently works as the head wrestling coach for Div. I wrestling power Nebraska. Prior to taking over the Cornhusker program this year, Manning was the head coach at the Univ. of Northern Iowa, helping revive the program there. He also served assistant coaching stints at the Univ. of Oklahoma and the Univ. of North Carolina. He serves as a club coach for the Dave Schultz WC and the Great Plains WC.
As an athlete, Manning was an Olympic Trials finalist in 1988, and placed in the U.S. Nationals four times. He was a two-time NCAA Div. II national champion for the Univ. of Nebraska-Omaha. He was a three-time South Dakota high school state champion.
MEN’S GRECO-ROMAN
Jay Antonelli of Quantico, Va.
Antonelli served as the Assistant Coach of the 2003 U.S. Greco-Roman World Team that competed in Cretiel, France. The U.S. team placed 13th in the standings, led by three athletes in the top 10 of their divisions.
He was a member of the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team coaching staff. Antonelli has also been a member of three U.S. World Team coaching staffs. Antonelli was the head coach for four CISM World Military Championship teams. He was named USA Wrestling Greco-Roman Coach of the Year in 1998.
He was the head coach of the 2002 U.S. World Cup team. Antonelli has coached a number of other U.S. teams on international tours. He has been active in coaching youth Greco-Roman teams in the past, including working with the New Jersey Junior National team.
Antonelli, who is a major in the Marines, works as the head coach of the U.S. Marines Corps team. Four members of the U.S. Marines team qualified for the 2002-03 Greco-Roman Team USA by placing in the top three of their weight classes at the World Team Trials. The Marine Corps was the overall champion at the 2001 Armed Forces Championships, and claimed the Greco-Roman team title in 1998. Antonelli has coached dozens of individual Armed Forces champions in both styles.
As an athlete, Antonelli was a nationally-ranked Greco-Roman wrestler for the U.S. Marines team. He placed eighth in the 1995 U.S. Nationals, and was fifth in the 1994 World Team Trials. He competed in college for the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. Antonelli also received a masters degree in Exercise and Health Fitness Promotion from George Mason Univ. He competed for the Pingry School in New Jersey in high school.
Joe DeMeo of Niskayuna, N.Y.
DeMeo has served as head coach of U.S. World Championships teams. The 1994 World Team placed in a tie for seventh in the team standings and featured one medalist. The 1998 World Team finished eleventh, with one medalist.
He was the head coach for the 2001 U.S. World Team, and worked in that capacity during its training period. DeMeo was injured and could not attend the World Championships. The United States won the third-place trophy, led by three medalists.
He was head coach of the 1999 Pan American Games team, which featured individual champions Dennis Hall and Matt Lindland and placed second in the team standings. He was an assistant coach on the 1991 Pan American Games team which placed second in the team standings. He was head coach of three World Cup teams (1980, 1984, 1987) and has been on the coaching staff of five U.S. Olympic teams.
He is currently the Greco-Roman coach for the New York Athletic Club, and has coached four different club teams to national team titles. He served as head coach at SUNY-Albany for 18 years, and was head coach at Stanford for seven years. DeMeo was also an assistant coach at Michigan State. He competed at Cornell University, and now works in real estate sales.
Rich Estrella of Colorado Springs, Colo.
Estrella has served as coach of numerous U.S. teams in international competition. He was assistant coach of the 2003 Pan American Games team that competed in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The U.S. team placed second in the standings and featured six medalists.
Estrella served as head coach of the 1995 U.S. World Cup team, which won a record five gold medals in the competition. Team USA I placed third and Team USA II was fifth in the standings. He has been a coach on five U.S. World Cup teams.
Three times, Estrella has been coach of the U.S. CISM World Military Team. He has also coached at three Pan American Championships, including the 1994 Pan American team that was the first U.S. team to win the team title since 1978.
He served as head coach of the 1991 and 1996 Junior World Teams, and an assistant on the 1993 Espoir World Team. In 1993, he was one of the winners of the USA Wrestling FILA Junior/University Person of the Year award.
He has served as head coach of the U.S. Air Force team since 1987, and has helped the program to improve dramatically in recent seasons. The All-Air Force team is based at Peterson AFB in Colorado. Estrella has been one of the coaches working with the Greco-Roman resident-athletes at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs since the program was created in 1993.
Shon Lewis of Colorado Springs, Colo.
Lewis served as head coach of the 2003 U.S. Greco-Roman World team, that competed in Cretiel, France. The U.S. team placed 13th in the standings, led by three athletes in the top 10 of their divisions.
He served as the assistant coach of the 2002 U.S. Greco-Roman World Team, which placed fifth in the World Championships held in Moscow, Russia. The team was led by World Champion Dremiel Byers. Lewis is also Byers’ full-time coach, a major reason that Byers was able to develop into a World champion.
Lewis works as the coach of the U.S. Army team, stationed in Fort Carson, Colo. He is responsible for training the athletes in the Army’s World Class Athlete Program. The U.S. Army team features a number of nationally-ranked athletes, including Byers, and 2001 U.S. World Team member Keith Sieracki. The team has won the U.S. Nationals team title for the last three seasons.
Under Lewis’ guidance, the U.S. Army won the 2003 Armed Forces Championships, claiming the title in both freestyle and Greco-Roman, as well as the overall title. The U.S. Army has won the Armed Forces title a number of times since Lewis became head coach. Lewis has also served as a coach for the U.S. World Military team, which competes at the annual CISM World Military Championships. Lewis was also named 2002 Greco-Roman Coach of the Year by USA Wrestling.
As an athlete, Lewis competed on the 1993 and 1999 U.S.World Championships teams. He also qualified for the 1998 U.S. World Team, but was unable to participate in the World Championships that year. He was a four-time U.S. Nationals Greco-Roman champion (1993-94, 1996, 1998), and was a medalist in three U.S. Olympic Team Trials (1992, 1996, 2000).
Lewis was a member of the U.S. Army team as an athlete, winning six Armed Forces Greco-Roman titles and competing in the World Military Championships. He was the 1993 U.S. Army Athlete of the Year, an award including all sports in the Army’s program.
Andy Seras of Sandy Hook, Conn.
Seras was head coach of the 2002 U.S. World Team, which competed in Moscow, Russia. The team placed a strong fifth in the team standings, led by individual gold-medalist Dremiel Byers.
Seras was the assistant coach for the 2001 U.S. World Team, and worked in that capacity during its training period. When head coach Joe DeMeo was injured and could not attend the World Championships, Seras assumed additional responsibility on the coaching staff, serving as the head coach. The United States won the third-place trophy, led by three medallists: World champion Rulon Gardner and World silver medalists Brandon Paulson and Matt Lindland.
He was also the head coach of the 2001 U.S. Greco-Roman World Cup team, which competed in France and placed third in the standings, led by four individual medalists. Seras served as assistant coach of the 2001 U.S. team in Poland, as well as assistant coach of U.S. tour team that competed in Russia and Sweden.
Seras was selected as the 2001 USA Wrestling Greco-Roman Coach of the Year. He has coached a number of U.S. teams on international tours. He is a club coach with the Atlas Wrestling Club and the Sunkist Kids. He has also served on the coaching staff of the Connecticut Junior National Team in 1999 and 2000,
He works as an head wrestling coach at Div. I Sacred Heart Univ., where he is building a strong program. He was an assistant coach at Sacred Heart for a number of year, and was previously an assistant coach at SUNY-Albany.
Seras was a member of the 1988 U.S. Olympic Team. He was the 1991 Pan American Games champion, and placed second in the 1995 Pan American Games. Seras claimed a gold medal at the 1994 World Cup. He competed on five U.S. World teams, placing sixth in the 1991 World Championships and ninth in the 1989 World Championships. Seras won five U.S. National titles and made the finals of the U.S. Greco-Roman National Championships for 12 straight years.
He competed for SUNY-Albany, where he was a 1985 NCAA Div. III national champion. He is originally from Niskayuna, N.Y., where he was fourth in the New York state high school meet. Seras was a two-time placewinner at the Junior World Championships.
WOMEN’S FREESTYLE
Joe Corso of Des Moines, Iowa
Corso has served as head coach of three U.S. Women’s World Teams. He 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.
Corso served as assistant coach for the 2003 U.S. Women’s World Team, which placed 11th in the team standings at the World Championships and was led by two medallists. 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.
Corso was been named 2002 Women’s Coach of the Year by USA Wrestling, the first time that the organization presented a Women’s Coach of the Year award.
Corso has been a coach and administrator for the Sunkist Kids club, one of the world’s most successful wrestling clubs. He coaches the women wrestlers for the Sunkist Kids, which won the 2002 and 2003 U.S. Nationals women’s team title. The Sunkist Kids women wrestlers are also very successful on USA Wrestling’s age-group levels.
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.
He has also coached a number of U.S. men’s wrestling teams on international tours. He owns a local business in Des Moines, Little Joe Corso’s Pizza.
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.
Tadaaki Hatta of Elyria, Ohio
Hatta was the head coach of the 1991 U.S. Women’s World Team that placed fifth in the World Championships and featured two medalists.
He was also the Assistant Coach of the 2003 U.S. Women’s World Team that competed in New York, N.Y. The team placed strong second in the standings, with seven medalists and individual champion Kristie Marano. The U.S. did not lose a match during the first two days of competition.
He was also head coach of the Women’s 1999 Cadet World Team, the 2001 and 2002 Women’s Junior World Team and the 2002 Women’s University World Team. He was also the boy’s Cadet World Team coach in 1998.
Hatta was a member of the 1988, 1992 and 1996 U.S. Olympic team coaching staff. He was also a coach of the 1968 and 1984 Japanese Olympic team, as well as the 1972 Mexican Olympic team.
He is a USA Wrestling Gold Certified Coach, and has served as USA Wrestling-Ohio’s Director of Wrestling Development and Coaches Education Director. Hatta has also been active as a coach on the high school levels in Ohio.
He competed for Oklahoma State Univ., where he was a 1965 NCAA champion and third in the 1966 NCAA Championships. Hatta also won two Big Eight titles for the Cowboys. He has received a Master’s degree from Northwestern Univ. He works as an art teacher at Ravenna High School in Ohio.
Chris Horpel of Stanford, Calif.
Horpel served as the head coach of the 2002 U.S. Women’s World Team, which competed in Halkida, Greece. The team placed 11th in the team standings, led by two individual medallists.
He was also a coach with the historic 2003 U.S. Women’s World Cup team, which upset host Japan to win the team title in Tokyo. The U.S. team featured four individual World Cup champions: Patricia Miranda, Sally Roberts, Kristie Marano and Toccara Montgomery. Horpel was also the coach of the U.S. women wrestlers who competed in the 2003 Titan Games.
Horpel serves as the head coach of the Dave Schultz Wrestling Club, one of the world’s top international wrestling clubs. The club has won numerous national titles and runner-up trophies in all three styles and on many age-group levels.
He 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 serving 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 PAC-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, and won the 1975 Pacific-8 Conference title at 150 pounds. He represented the United States in Montreal at the Pre-Olympic World Tournament in Greco-Roman.
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.
Townsend Saunders of Phoenix, Ariz.
Saunders served as head coach of the 2003 U.S. Women’s World Team, which competed in New York City, N.Y. The team placed strong second in the standings, with seven medalists and individual champion Kristie Marano. The U.S. did not lose a match during the first two days of competition.
Saunders serves as a club coach for the Sunkist Kids, the nation’s most successful wrestling club, since his competitive career ended in 1997. He is also the club’s Executive Director. He has also been the assistant wrestling coach at Arizona State Univ., a Div. I wrestling power.
He is married to Tricia Saunders, a four-time Women’s World Champion and one of America’s most successful female wrestlers. Townsend helped coach Tricia throughout her career. He has attended seven previous Women’s World Championships, assisting the U.S. coaching staff at each of these events.
Saunders won a silver medal in freestyle wrestling at 149.5 pounds at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Ga. He was also a member of the 1992 U.S. Olympic team, placing seventh at the Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain.
Saunders competed in the four World Championships events. He was fourth in the 1993 World Championships and eighth in the 1995 World Championships. He also competed in the 1991 and 1994 World Championships. Among his other major honors were gold medals at the 1991 and 1995 Pan American Games and a gold medal at the 1994 Goodwill Games. He also won two U.S. Nationals freestyle titles.
He began his college career at Cal-State Bakersfield, where he was a 1987 Div. II national champion. He transfered to Arizona State Univ., placing second in the 1989 NCAA Div. I Championships and third in the 1990 NCAA Div. I Championships. He was a 1985 high school state runner-up for Torrance High School in California.
Tricia Saunders of Phoenix, Ariz.
Saunders served as head coach of the historic 2003 Pan American Games women’s team, the first time that women’s wrestling was included on the program. The U.S. swept all gold medals in the women’s wrestling division, with Patricia Miranda, Tina George, Sara McMann and Toccara Montgomery claiming titles.
Saunders has been a member of the U.S. Women’s World Team coaching staff in 2001, 2002 and 2003. She is a club coach with the Sunkist Kids. The women wrestlers for the Sunkist Kids won the 2002 and 2003 U.S. Nationals team title.
She was one of the most successful women’s wrestler in history, winning four World Championships gold medals (1992, 1996, 1998 and 1999), as well as the 1993 World silver medal. Saunders was the first U.S. woman to win a World wrestling title. She completed her international competitive career in 2001, never having lost to a U.S. competitor. She won a record 11 U.S. Nationals titles in women’s wrestling and won the World Team Trials 12 times. She was the Outstanding Wrestler at the 1992 World Championships.
Saunders is considered a pioneer in the development of women’s wrestling in the nation. She was given the 1997 USA Wrestling Woman of the Year award, the first recipient of this award. She was also the USA Wrestling Women’s Wrestler of the Year twice and the USOC Women’s Wrestler of the Year three times.
She is married to Townsend Saunders, 1996 Olympic silver medallist in men’s freestyle, and also head coach of the 2003 U.S. Women’s World team. A graduate of the Univ. of Wisconsin, Saunders is originally from Ann Arbor, Mich., where she competed on a national level in the youth wrestling programs.
Troy Steiner of Madison, Wis.
Steiner has coached U.S. women’s wrestling teams on international tours, and has assisted in coaching America’s elite women wrestlers in training.
He has served as the Wisconsin Wrestling Federation state freestyle coach since 1997. He runs the state’s Junior Nationals training camp, and has set up USA Wrestling regional training sites around the state. He also operates a year-round wrestling training system for motivated young wrestlers from high school age and below. His twin brother Terry serves as USA Wrestling’s National Women’s Coach.
He was an assistant coach with the Univ. of Wisconsin from 1997-2001, serving as the strength and conditioning coach. Steiner was also strength and conditioning coach at the Univ. of Minnesota in 1996-97.
Steiner was a successful freestyle wrestler for many years, making the USA Wrestling Freestyle National Team two times (1992, 1996). He won a gold medal at the 1992 World Cup, and won a medal in numerous international tournaments. He placed in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials three times (1992, 1996, 2000). He was second at the 1998 U.S. Nationals Championships, and placed in the tournament nine times.
He was a 1992 NCAA champion for the University of Iowa, and was a four-time All-American for the Hawkeyes. He is originally from Bismarck, N.D., where he won three state high school titles.