Marissa Gonzales
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Mustang Seren Martin wins Gold at Junior National Wrestling Championships,
Regina, March 20, 2005 Mustang,
SEREN MARTIN won the National Junior Championships in Regina, Saskatchewan on the week-end. The first year Kinesiology student pinned all her opponents in the 72 kg weight class that included defeating the silver medallist at the CIS championships where Martin placed 5th.
Martin, from nearby Innerkip, just outside Woodstock, used her favourite techniques – the fireman’s carry and head-and-arm pinning holds to defeat here three opponent’s. She pinned Kristy Sargent- from Alberta’s Salisbury W.C. (defending National juvenile Champion) with a head and arm throw. Her second victory was against Shayla Turcotte of B.C.’s Burnaby Mountain W.C.BC. Seren dominated the CIS silver medallist by attacking with her fireman's technique and won the first period 7-1. In the second period Seren got caught on a lift for 2 points but she turned around and scrambled well to get Turcott on her back for a pin. Seren dominated the third match against Michelle Mullie of Cattown W.C. (Regina) Seren again used her fireman's carry to rack up a 7 point lead to a PIN position in first period. Seren won her fourth match by injury default as her opponent Stephanie Buchan could not compete. “Without a doubt this was Seren's competition as she was aggressive in her style >of wrestling throughout the competition,” stated Josip MRKOCI –coach and London-Western Board member. “It was also appropriate that her high school wrestling coach, Al Huras, who recently retired from Woodstock’s Huron Park S.S., was present at the championships to see his protégé win the national title.” Three other London-Western teammates placed in the top six in their respective weight divisions. Lucas S.S. graduate and 2nd year Mustang, Laura Skopelianos placed 5th at 51 kg. The defending champion at 48 kg recently placed 5th at the CIS championships. London Saunders graduate, Jill McCallum placed 6th at 63 kg but was forced to withdraw with a injury. The 2nd year King’s student won three matches in the 63 kg division. On the Men's side of the competition, first year King’s student, Adam Phillips placed 6th at 74 kg with four wins, while London-Western teammate, Matt Steele placed 7th at 55 kg. .
2005 Junior Nationals - Female Results
3/20/05
TEAM STANDINGS
1. Burnaby Mountain W.C. 30
2. Saskatoon W.C. 25
3. University of Calgary W.C. 24
4. Brock W.C. 16
5. Cattown W.C. 14
6. London-Western W.C. 12
7. Club du Lutte Acadia-Bathurst 12
8. Mariposa W.C. 10
8. North Western Ontario W.C. 10
10. Metro Amateur W.C. 7
10. Reynolds W.C. 7
PROVINCIAL STANDINGS
1. British Columbia 40
2. Saskatchewan 36
3. Ontario 34
4. Alberta 33
5. New Brunswick 12
6. Nova Scotia 7
OUTSTANDING WRESTLER
Rachelle Pinet (CLAB)
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
WEIGHT CLASS 44 KG ENTRIES 3
1. McKilligan, Ashley (BMWC)
2. De Dios, Renilda (Guelph)
3. Dermott, Hailey (Guelph)
WEIGHT CLASS 48 KG ENTRIES 9
1. Dick, Miranda (BMWC)
2. Haley, Genevieve (Metro W.C.)
3. Brown, Vanessa (Rebels)
4. Hutton, Krystal (Brock)
5.Nguyen, Tania (CLAB)
6. Howitt, Melanie (Brock)
WEIGHT CLASS 51 KG ENTRIES 6
1. Toffan, Stephanie (Mariposa)
2. Martindale, Liz (Brock W.C.)
3. Zuck, Adrienne (Cat Town)
4. Ewanishin, Pam (Saskatoon)
5. Skopelianos, Laura (LWWC)
6. Candia, Kerra (BMWC)
WEIGHT CLASS 55 KG ENTRIES 10
1. McDougall, Laura (UCWC)
2. Gallays, Jillian (Saskatoon)
3. Pare, Leah (BMWC)
4. Chase, Jamie (Salisbury)
5. Pare, Rita (Hazelton)
6. Wells, Shelby (Saskatoon)
WEIGHT CLASS 59 KG ENTRIES 4
1.Bouchard, Justine (UCWC)
2. Barker, Jazzie (KOTM)
3.King, Meghan (T4WC)
4.White, Leah (BMWC)
WEIGHT CLASS 63 KG ENTRIES 14
1. Eady, Tasha (NWOWC)
2. Anaka, Stacie (Reynolds)
3. Dyck, Amy (Saskatoon)
4. Llewellyn, Andrea (UCWC)
5. Noakes, Kim (Guelph)
6.McCallum, Gillian (LWWC)
WEIGHT CLASS 67 KG ENTRIES 7
1.Pinet, Rachelle (CLAB)
2. Bakker, Theresa (Cat Town)
3. McLeary, Hayley (KAMW)
4. Wilson,Vanessa (UCWC)
5. Church, Erin (BMWC)
6. Ainsworth, Buffy (Brock)
WEIGHT CLASS 72 KG ENTRIES
1. Martin, Seren (LWWC)
2. Turcotte, Shayla (BMWC)
3. Sargent, Kristy (Salisbury
4. Mullie, Michele (Cat Town)
5. Buchan, Stephanie (UCWC)
WEIGHT CLASS 78 KG ENTRIES 6
1. Thompson, Beth (Saskatoon)
2. Gurski, Dani (Saskatoon)
3. Dresser, Jocelyn (Brock)
4. Steinhoff, Kirby (X-Caliburs)
5.Burke, Virgilla (Kempen)
6.White, Kathleen (Bears W. C.)
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Koenning fourth, Esterheld 10th at wrestling national tourney
IJ report 3/23/05
Kristina Koenning of Novato High had never been to Michigan and never touched snow before. She got to touch something even more special in Lake Orion, Mich., a fourth place medal at the United States Girls Wrestling Association National Championships.
Along with the medal, the sophomore was named all-American for finishing in the top six after winning four of her six matches in the 122-pound class this weekend.
"A lot of these girls knew each other and had been to other big tournaments against each other, but they didn't know what they were up against with Kristina," coach Steve Sanner said. "They were surprised, especially because she is only a sophomore, but she definitely made a name for herself."
Redwood's Kristen Esterheld was disappointed after finishing 10th, but after suffering a separated shoulder and a concussion on the first day, the sophomore earned plenty of respect returning to win a match on the second day.
"I almost pulled her out of the tournament, because she landed on her head and hurt her shoulder, but she came back in the consolations and did very well," Sanner said. "She got two wins at nationals. I'm impressed."
Esterheld suffered the injuries wrestling top-ranked Juanita Russell, who went on to win the tournament. Esterheld, who normally wrestles in the 189-pound division, competed in the 165-over category. While she weighed more than some, she was smaller than many - including Russell.
"She's got some work to do and she will need to get stronger and in better condition, but now she knows what the competition is like," Sanner said.
Esterheld believes she would have finished fifth if not for the injury, but in her first match in the second day she hit her head again in overtime of a match she though she could win. Esterheld finished the tournament 2-3.
"It was a lot of fun and a good experience," Esterheld said. "I hope to come back and do a lot better especially with my shoulder being better."
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By KEN HART, Times-Herald sports editor 3/23/05
|
Marissa Gonzales |
Marissa Gonzales treated herself to a little shopping spree Monday.
She definitely earned one.
The Hogan High senior culiminated her prep wrestling career by finishing fourth in the United States Girls Wrestling Association national tournament in Lake Orion, Mich.
So before she boards a plane back home today, Gonzales took a trip to The Finish Line, a sporting goods store in Auburn Hills, Mich. She bought thank-you gifts for people who supported her journey to the nationals as well as some shorts and tank-tops for herself.
"This is the first time splurging on myself for a year," Gonzales said in a telephone interview from Auburn Hills.
The 110-pounder sure splurged on her competition Saturday. She won all three of her matches to advance to Sunday's semifinals. Gonzales began her tournament by beating opponents from Michigan and Ohio. She then defeated Hogan teammate Jessica Ortiz.
Sunday, however, was not as lucrative for Gonzales.
She lost in the semifinals then fell to Redondo Union's Carla O'Connell in the third-place match.
Still, fourth place in the nation is nothing to scoff at. She became an All-American and exceeded all of her expectations in the tournament.
"I didn't see it coming. When I wanted to get to nationals, I thought I was making a goal for no reason," she said. "It still hasn't sunk in."
With Ortiz and Hogan coach Ric Manibusan on hand, Gonzales was comforted by two familiar faces in the tournament. But the Spartans went to Michigan not just for comfort. They went there to work.
The three Spartans went to Lake Orion two days before the event and spent plenty of time conditioning at a local YMCA. They trained so hard that they had people convinced that they were part of the YMCA itself.
"We had people coming up asking if they could join the class," Manibusan said from Auburn Hills.
Manibusan also said the conditioning paid off for Gonzales.
"All I can say is she had a great tournament. They all wrestled well. The key was we prepared her, and that was the difference," Manibusan said.
Other nominees:
Lauren Knight, Vallejo girls wrestling - Finished fifth in the USGWA's 134-pound category to become an All-American.
Jessica Ortiz, Hogan girls wrestling - Finished sixth in the USGWA's 110-pound category to become an All-American.
Penelope Crouse, Vallejo softball - Went 3-for-3 with four RBI in Vallejo's 15-1 win over Bethel last Wednesday.
R.J. Desimone, Benicia baseball - Went 3-for-3 with six RBI in Benicia's 15-3 win over Dixon last Tuesday.
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Gonzales goes 3-0 on Day 1 of USGWA tourney
By Times-Herald staff 3/23/05
Six Vallejo athletes are still in contention after the first day of competition at the United States Girls Wrestling Association nationals, but the local contingent paid a steep price in getting there.
Two Vallejo High wrestlers were taken to the hospital after matches on Saturday, and Bethel's lone entrant was also forced to withdraw after suffering an injury in her second-round match.
Marissa Gonzales of Hogan, at 110 pounds, is the only one who still has a shot at a national title. Gonzales defeated opponents from Michigan and Ohio, then beat Spartan teammate Jessica Ortiz on points to run her record to 3-0 on the day. Ortiz who had to wrestle Gonzales in a postseason tournament for the third time this season was 2-1 and can still finish as high as third.
The day took an early turn for the worse for Apaches coach Carl Lastrella when 100-pounder Maria Angara sustained a dislocated elbow in her second-round match and wound up in the emergency room. By the time Lastrella returned, 118-pounder Jaime Sage had gotten into a head-to-head collision that left her bloodied around the nose and eye.
Later, Bethel's Aegean Bayongan was grappling against Vallejo's Jennifer Fernandez in the
100-pound bracket when Bayongan suffered a hyperextended elbow. All three of the hurt wrestlers were eliminated by injury default.
On the bright side, 114-pounder Elizabeth Bustamante went 2-1 for the Apaches, as did Monica Gonzalez (164), Lauren Knight (134) and Fernandez. All four remain in contention for a top-eight finish that would qualify them as All-Americans.
Confusion among tournament officials led to a bad draw for Knight, who was mistakenly entered as an unseeded competitor and matched up against top-ranked Deanna Ricks of Maine in the first round. Knight took an early 2-0 lead, but lost 5-3.
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Three locals are All-Americans
Gonzales fourth, Knight fifth, Ortiz sixth at USGWAs
By Times-Herald staff 3/23/05
Three local wrestlers left the United States Girls Wrestling Association national tournament in Lake Orion, Mich., Sunday, with the title of All-American.
Hogan High's Marissa Gonzales was the highest local finisher, coming in fourth in the 110-pound weight class. She went 3-0 on Saturday before losing by pin in her first match Sunday. The senior followed that with a win to advance to the third-place match, where she lost to Carla O'Connell of Redondo Union on points.
After three local wrestlers bowed out of the tournament with injuries on Saturday, Gonzales said she was fortunate not just to win All-American, but to go home healthy.
Sophomore teammate Jessica Ortiz placed sixth in the same weight class, going 2-1 for the second straight day to claim All-American status, which goes to the top eight in each bracket.
Lauren Knight, who took fifth at 134 pounds, was the lone All-American for Vallejo. The senior lost just once in three matches Saturday - to eventual champion Deanna Rix, a state boys runner-up in Maine - and went 3-1 Sunday, winning by injury default in the fifth-place match against state champion Bethany Harris of Valley Center.
Knight's lone loss Sunday was to Amberlee Montgomery, a Greco-Roman specialist out of Washington state.
Apaches Monica Gonzalez (165 pounds) placed ninth, and Jennifer Fernandez (100) and Elizabeth Bustamante (114) placed 11th.
Fernandez and Bustamante both went 1-2 in Sunday matches, while Gonzalez went 2-1.
Bustamante defeated St. Patrick-St. Vincent's Alex Tolero in their match for 11th place. It was a rematch of the Jan. 29 state final, which Bustamante won 6-2.
The injury bug didn't bite Sunday after knocking Vallejo's Jaime Sage and Maria Angara, and Bethel's Aegean Bayongan, out of matches Saturday.
Apaches coach Carl Lastrella, who accompanied the team to Michigan, said Sage was diagnosed with a hairline fracture of the cheekbone after sustaining a face-to-face collision during a match. Angara sustained a dislocated elbow, an injury which could require surgery.
The top 12 placers in each weight class earn medals.
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Sariano comes through in a pinch
Bethel wrestling coach takes over Apaches in national event
3/23/05
Jesse Bethel High sent only one wrestler to the United States Girls Wrestling Association national tournament in Lake Orion, Mich., over the weekend, but coach Mike Sariano soon found himself in charge of the largest local contingent there.
When Vallejo High's Maria Angara suffered a dislocated elbow in an early-round match on Saturday, coach Carl Lastrella left the team to accompany her to the hospital - a trip that would take about five hours. But the tournament kept going, so Sariano stepped in to coach the Apaches' six remaining wrestlers for the rest of the day.
When Lastrella returned, he found another one of his wrestlers, Jaime Sage, bleeding from the face after a head-to-head collision that resulted in a fractured cheekbone.
After the two-day competition concluded, Lastrella had words of high praise for the man who ordinarily faces him as an opponent.
"Coach Sariano really stepped it up for me yesterday," Lastrella said Sunday night. "I was in the hospital for about, I'd say, eight hours. ... Sariano helped all the girls. Kudos to him. The Vallejo High wrestling staff appreciates what he did for us."
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Though a long way to go, girls making impact
Rob Sherrill W.I.N.
I’m beginning this month’s column with a candid admission: I’m not a big fan of girls wrestling. Before you jump all over me, calling me a sexist and a neanderthal, please don’t misunderstand what I just said. I’m not against girls wrestling. I’m just not a fan of girls wrestling. There are — no exaggeration — a million things I’d rather do than watch it. Having said that, I willingly tip my cap and acknowledge the unprecedented impact girls are making on wrestling mats across the nation this year.
Girls from one end of the country to the other are turning heads; not with their looks, but with their ability to win matches on the mat in boys state tournaments.
In Maine, senior Deanna Rix of Eliot Marshwood High nearly made history Feb. 12. With the score tied at 1-1 heading into the overtime tie-breaker of the 130-pound Class A championship match, Rix needed only to ride senior Shane Leadbetter of Sanford High for 30 seconds to become the first girl to become a state champion in a boys state tournament. With reporters and television cameras ringed around the mat, Rix nearly pulled off the unthinkable. But Leadbetter finally got the escape with just four seconds remaining, earning a 2-1 victory and the title. Leadbetter had taken a 1-0 lead on a second-period escape and rode Rix out in the third period — but not before Rix was awarded a stalling point with 28 seconds remaining, forcing overtime. How evenly matched were the two wrestlers? Leadbetter had won their >previous two meetings by 1-0 scores. “I was going against the whole (Augusta) Civic Center,” Leadbetter told Blethen Newspapers, Inc. after the match. With apologies to Hawaii and Texas, which have separate state tournaments for girls, perhaps no state has been more friendly to girls wrestling than Maine. Rix was just one of six girls to qualify for the Maine state tournament. Freshman Kristi Pearse of Wiscasset High finished third in Class C at 103.
There were others as well. Some highlights:
Freshman Michaela Hutchison, whose brother Eli pinned his way through the 135-pound weight class to win his third Alaska Class 4A state title, also reached the state finals at 103. She was pinned in the first period by Alan Bartelli of Wasilla High. Back in New England, Nicole Darrow of Williamstown Mount Greylock High finished fifth in the Division 3 state tournament at 112.
In Virginia, freshman Firen Gassman of Herndon High became that state’s first state qualifier, advancing to the Class 3A state tournament as the third-place finisher in the Northern Region. Gassman (43-11) lost, 10-3, to Michael Soiland of Culpeper County High in the first round and 4-2 in the consolations to the eventual fifth-place finisher, Adam Ellis of Mechanicsville Lee-Davis High. She received a standing ovation from the crowd at Oscar Smith High in Chesapeake after she was eliminated.
Perhaps the most impressive, however, was what junior Caitlyn Chase of Carol Stream Glenbard North High has accomplished this season in Illinois, arguably the nation’s best and deepest wrestling state in 2004-05. On Feb. 12, the same day Rix nearly took home the first gold medal in a boys state tournament, Chase beat state-ranked Chris Spangler of Naperville Neuqua Valley High, 6-4, in the 103-pound semifinals of the Downers Grove North Class AA sectional, one of the state’s toughest qualifiers. The trip to the finals assured Chase of becoming the first girl to advance to the state tournament in one of the nation’s elite wrestling states.
Chase has already made her mark on the national stage. In winning the girls Junior National championships last summer at Fargo, Chase didn’t go the distance in a single match. In the process, she beat two defending champions, including the previous year’s outstanding wrestler in less than one minute. That she somehow was not voted the meet’s outstanding wrestler may have been the biggest miscarriage of justice of the entire week. But Chase, who finished with a record of 23-17 this season, had bigger fish to fry. She found that out as soon as she returned to the Glenbard North wrestling room.
As those of you who follow wrestling either in Illinois or nationwide are well aware, Glenbard North is one of the nation’s elite programs. When it comes to being a Panther wrestler, only serious candidates need apply. Survive the Glenbard North grind and you’re a man’s man. Or Caitlyn Chase.
Being able to take it — and dish it out as well — earned Chase the respect of Glenbard North’s wrestlers and coaching staff long before the rest of the wrestling world was able to witness her success. This year, everybody else found out as well.
Chase’s inaugural trip to the state tournament didn’t go the way she had planned. The second match of the tournament — on Mat 2 at the Assembly Hall in Champaign — Chase lasted just 2 minutes, 31 seconds before being pinned by Lavell Miller of Maywood Proviso East High. When Miller lost to eventual runner-up Josh Kratovil of New Lenox Lincoln-Way Central High in the second round, Chase was eliminated from the tournament without the chance for a wrestleback.
But the dual-team state tournament the following week was her finest hour. Chase’s 5-3 victory over fellow state qualifier John Majka of Chicago St. Rita High was key in the Panthers’ 27-22 semifinal upset of the two-time defending Class AA state champions. In the quarterfinals, she lost 3-1 to Tyler Johnson of Bloomington High, ranked No. 2 in the state the entire season, and stayed with state champion Mike McAuliffe of Orland Park Carl Sandburg High all the way in the final, losing 9-6 as Glenbard North dropped a 26-23 thriller to the Eagles. So there’s 23-17 and then there’s 23-17 against the likes of the national-class schedule Glenbard North wrestles. Go figure.
When Mary Kelly of Mahomet-Seymour High, herself a girls Junior National champion, failed to qualify for the Illinois state tournament three years ago despite competing in a weaker sectional, I thought the window for a girl making state wrestling history any time soon had closed. Not so.
I’m glad that girls like Caitlyn have the opportunity to compete in the great sport of wrestling. But I haven’t watched her — or any other girls — wrestle a single match at Fargo. And unless somebody picks me up and plunks me down in front of one of her matches, I won’t. It just doesn’t interest me. But, like the coaches and teammates of the girls who have made an impact, I respect what they’ve accomplished. It’s a reminder that wrestling is indeed a sport that provides anyone with talent, heart and a work ethic the opportunity to succeed. And isn’t that why we all love it?
(Rob Sherrill is one of the top high school wrestling analysts in >the country and a long-time columnist of W.I.N. He also publishes the “American High School Wrestling Yearbook”. To order a copy, e-mail him at centermatpress@hotmail.com.)