News Page

UWO - WINS TORONTO WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Medallist at Toronto Championships

Wrestling Results
Toronto Open Final Results
Sat Nov 11/03

Four Mustang Women grab medals
place third as a team

The women’s team placed third at the Toronto Open (November 8th) with
13 points behind behind defending CIS champions, Brock and McMaster who
finished with 29 and 14 points respectively. Mustang medallists were, Katie
Wilson (3rd) at 48 kg, Shannon Smart 2nd at 57 kg, Sarah Gil 2nd and 65 kg
and Jessi Fitzgerald 2nd at 70 kg. Captain, Terri McNutt was unable to compete
who was resting a shoulder injury sustained the previous week where she placed
first at the Ontario Cup wrestling tournament at 53 kg.

The mustang women are hoping to add some depth to their team acquiring team
members from the mustang rugby team which recently won the OUA championships.
Takahashi is expecting rookie and London Saunders SS, Gillian McCallum to join
the team as with, Jen Kryszak, Megan Gibbs, Jennifer Scheid and Jennie Wong.

The women will compete in the largest dual meet tournament (ten Women's teams)
in Noth America, at Lakehead University on Nov. 15 where they will be matched
against Simon Fraser University, Calgary, Saskatchewan, Memorial and other
OUA (Ontario University teams) as well as USA's Cumberland College.

Women’s Results

48kg
BRONZE - Katie Wilson Western

57kg
SILVER - Shannon Smart Western

65kg
SILVER - Sarah Gil Western

70kg
SILVER - Jessi Fitzgerald Western

University Team Standing (Women)

1. Brock U 29
2. McMaster U 14
3. Western U 13
4. Queen’s U 8

----------------------------------------

U.S. athletes claim four silver medals at Clansmen International Open in Canada

11/9/2003
Gary Abbott/USA Wrestling

Four U.S. wrestlers won silver medals in a competitive Clansman International Open in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, November 8.

Claiming silver medals were Kirk White (Boise, Idaho/Dave Schultz WC) at 74 kg/163 lbs., Pat Popolizio (West Point, N.Y./New York AC) at 185 lbs. and Jon Trenge (Bethlehem, Pa./New York AC) at 211.5 lbs. in the men’s division, and Lindsey Owens (Atherton, Calif./Menlo College) at 130 pounds in the women’s division.

White was beaten in the finals by 2000 Olympic champion Daniel Igali of Canada. Popolizio fell to Canada’s Nick Ugoalah in the championship match. Trenge was defeated by top Russian Taimauraz Tiguiev in the title bout.

Owens dropped her finals bout to Canada’s Jessica Peterson.

Winning bronze medals were Eric Albarracin (Colorado Springs, Colo./unattached) at 55 kg/121 lbs., Yero Washington (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) at 60 kg/132 lbs. and Sean Harrington (Dracut, Mass./New York AC) at 74 kg/163 lbs.

Other U.S. placewinners included fourth place winners Danny Felix (Phoenix, Ariz./Sunkist Kids) at 60 kg/132 lbs., Nick Preston (Columbus, Ohio/Sunkist Kids) at 96 kg/211.5 lbs. and Brian Keck (Cleveland, Ohio/New York AC) at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. in the men’s division and Sheila Lerit (Atherton, Calif./Menlo College) at 51 kg/112 lbs. in the women’s division.

Taking fifth was Markus Mollica (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) at 84 kg/185 lbs. among men, and Shelly Graff (Forest Lake, Ore./Pacific Univ.) at 72 kg/158.5 lbs. in the women’s tournament.

Claiming sixth was Tony DeAnda (Colorado Springs, Colo./Team Excel) at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. in the men’s division and Na’Tasha Umemoto (Portland, Ore./Cobra W.C.) at 55 kg/121 lbs. in the women’s division.

Russia dominated the men’s division with five of the seven individual champions: Alexander Kontoev at 55 kg/121 lbs., Ramil Islamov at 60 kg/132 lbs., Zaur Botaev at 66 kg/145.5 lbs., Taimoraz Tiguiev at 96 kg/211.5 lbs. and Oleg Khorpiakov at 120 kg/264.5 lbs.

Canadian wrestlers swept all seven gold medals in the women’s division. At 72 kg/158.5 lbs., six-time World Champion Christine Nordhagen beat her top Canadian rival Ohennawa Akuffo in the finals.

More information will be posted when available.

2003 Clansmen Invitational
Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
November 8, 2003

Women / Femme

48 kg
1. Angela Mott - Burnaby Mountain W.C. (Canada)
2. Belinda Chou - Cattown W.C. (Canada)
3. Carol Huynh - Burnaby Mountain W.C. (Canada)
4. Krista Wells - Queen\'s University (Canada)
5. Julie Harris - U of Calgary W.C. (Canada)
6. Lindsay Belisle - Burnaby Mountain W.C. (Canada)

51 kg
1. Sarah White - Burnaby Mountain W.C. (Canada)
2. Chrystal Santos - Burnaby Mountain W.C. (Canada)
3. Kerra Candia - Burnaby Mountain W.C. (Canada)
4. Shiela Lerit - Menlo (USA)
5. Miranda Dick - Burnaby Mountain W.C. (Canada)
6. Kate Walker - UBC (Canada)

55 kg
1. Tonya Verbeek - Brock W.C. (Canada)
2. Jennifer Ryz - Burnaby Mountain W.C. (Canada)
3. Erica Sharp - U of Calgary W.C. (Canada)
4. Diletta Giampiccolo - Italy
5. Laura McDougall - U of Calgary W.C. (Canada)
6. Na’Tasha Umemoto - Cobra W.C. (USA)

59 kg
1. Jessica Peterson - Burnaby Mountain W.C. (Canada)
2. Lindsey Owens - Menlo (USA)
3. Brittanee Laverdure - U of Calgary W.C. (Canada)
4. Amanda Gerhart - Burnaby Mountain W.C. (Canada)
5. Shannon Mathie - U of Alberta (Canada)
6. Jeradline Chan - Burnaby Mountain W.C. (Canada)

63 kg
1. Megan Dolan - Brock W.C. (Canada)
2. Emily Richardson - Burnaby Mountain W.C. (Canada)
3. Helen Hennick - U of Calgary W.C. (Canada)
4. Tara Hedican - Guelph W.C. (Canada)
5. Breanne Graham - U of Calgary W.C. (Canada)
6. Theresa Vladicka - Bears W.C. (Canada)

67 kg
1. Shannon Samler - Burnaby Mountain W.C. (Canada)
2. Heidi Kulak - U of Alberta (Canada)
3. Megan Buydens - U of Saskatchewan (Canada)
4. Ashlea McManus - Burnaby Mountain W.C. (Canada)
5. Samantha Johnson - Guelph W.C. (Canada)
6. Vanessa Wilson - U of Calgary W.C. (Canada)

72 kg
1. Christine Nordhagen - U of Calgary W.C. (Canada)
2. Ohenewa Akuffo - Guelph W.C. (Canada)
3. Pam Wilson - McMaster University (Canada)
4. Lindsey Hamilton - Burnaby Mountain W.C. (Canada)
5. Shelly Graff - Pacific (USA)

Team Standings
1. Burnaby Mountain W.C. (Burnaby, BC, Canada) - 120 pts
2. U of Calgary W.C.(Calgary, AB, Canada) - 37 pts
3. Guelph W.C. (Guelph, ON, Canada) - 22 pts
4. Dinos W.C. (Calgary, AB, Canada) - 20 pts
4. Brock W.C. (St. Catharines, ON, Canada) - 20 pts
6. Menlo W.C. (USA) - 16 pts

---------------------------------------------------------

U.S. Army
Pfc. Jessica Lynn Nicholson

Training, Instincts and Wrestling Experience Pay Off for 1st Armored Division Soldier

By U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Conrad College 11/05/05
372nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

BAGHDAD, Iraq — When quick action is required in an emergency situation, a soldier often doesn’t have time to think. The soldier’s training and instincts take over.

Pfc. Jessica Lynn Nicholson, 21, a 1st Armored Division soldier with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 40th Engineer Battalion, 2nd Brigade, Division Engineers, found out how true that adage is recently when she was working at a security checkpoint in Baghdad. The reason she, a tracked-vehicle mechanic, was assigned to the checkpoint was to search women.

“But, that day (about 9 a.m. on June 7) there were a lot of people gathering at this checkpoint and it was very busy. So, I was asked to search some men, too,” said Nicholson.

“While other soldiers were searching a car, the driver had stepped out of the car and I was searching the driver. He didn’t have any weapons on his person,” she said.

“The other soldiers checking the vehicle at first thought it was clear. Then one of the soldiers thought that something didn’t seem right. So, he searched the car again,” she added.

During the second search, the soldier spotted a grenade hidden behind the visor on the driver’s side. The soldier shouted, “Grenade!”

“I immediately got man down on the ground, face down, and I remember pressing his face into a sandbag,” Nicholson said.

She continued to hold him down until other soldiers came over and zip-cuffed the man.

The man then claimed he had the grenade because he was going to turn it in to the U.S. soldiers. But they did not believe that story, because he had not mentioned it, or indicated anything like that, until after the soldiers had found the grenade and after he had been subdued and was handcuffed with the plastic zip-strips.

“I really don’t remember exactly how I got him on the ground, but it was practically instantaneous,” she said, blushing. “I don’t remember the details of putting him down. I just remember, suddenly, I had him down on the ground with his face pressed into a sandbag and I kept holding him there.”

She said the man then started crying and someone said he might have been embarrassed because it was a shame for a man in Iraq to get beat up by a woman.

She later recalled that she had done some wrestling at Beatty High School in Beatty, Nev., and that experience, plus her Army training, gave her the right stuff to subdue the Iraqi man. Nicholson, 5’6” and 120 pounds, said she had wrestled against boys in high school, because the boys and girls were not separated for wrestling, so, throwing a man down was nothing new to her.

Asked the size of the Iraqi man, she said, “He was about my height, but heavier. I would say he was a little out of shape.”

Asked if she had grown up as a tomboy, Nicholson said, “No, I was even a cheerleader for a little while. I guess I kind of grew up out in the middle of nowhere,” she said, “and I just always had to do whatever needed to be done.”

She grew up in Silverton, Idaho, and, when she was 15, her family moved to Winnemucca, Nev. She said she has also boxed with some of the men in her company.

Asked if she wore boxing gloves, she replied, “Oh yes, of course, we had boxing gloves. I wouldn’t want to hurt them.”

She is the daughter of Jim and Kris Nicholson of Winnemucca, Nev. She has been in the Army for a year and a half. Nicholson’s weapon is an M-249 SAW (Squad Automatic Weapon), which she carries with her everywhere she goes. She has nicknamed her SAW, “Camille.” “It’s my baby,” she said.

The citation on her Army Commendation Medal certificate says, “This is to certify that the Secretary of the Army has awarded the Army Commendation Medal to Private First Class Jessica L. Nicholson, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 40th Engineer Battalion, for valor and courage in the face of enemy actions while assigned to the 40th Engineer Battalion. Her decisive actions at a security checkpoint prevented the enemy from endangering the lives of her fellow soldiers.”