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Girl, 10, wins boys' wrestling title
Park Forest, IL, Apr. 11 (UPI) --
A 10-year-old Park Forest, Ill., female wrestler has won the boys' Midget State Championship for the second consecutive year, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
Makeba Elliott of Blackhawk Elementary School's Harvey Twisters Wrestling Club ended a 54-5 season by taking top honors last month in the boys' 2005 Midget State Championship, which featured 700 of the best 9 and 10 year old wrestlers in the state. She was awarded this year's Outstanding Wrestler Award.
Elliott said she became interested in wrestling through her older brother, Malik, who wrestled for Northwestern and Boston universities. She is also a girls' state champion, but she prefers wrestling boys because they "give me a better competition," she said.
She said she hopes to continue wrestling, perhaps even in the Olympics, because: "I like to see all the boys crying and their coaches yelling at them. I like to show them girls are as good as boys."
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Kaneda wins gold at MVC Showcase
Monday, April 4, 2005
By Chris Allen/Sports Editor
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The Missouri Valley College women's wrestling team found stiff competition at its first home event of the season, Saturday's MVC Showcase in the Burns Athletic Center.
The meet featured five of the top-ranked college grapplers, all from No. 1 Cumberland (Ky.), including the highest-rated U.S. Senior wrestler in junior Alaina Berube. Because of the presence of the Lady Patriots, Valley didn't dominate the tournament as it did the U.S. College Nationals the previous week in California -- where the Lady Vikings won gold medals in six of the eight weight classes -- but came away better prepared for high-level tests to come.
Valley's lone champion was freshman Sadie Kaneda in the 51-kilogram class. Ranked seventh among Senior women at 48 kilos, the Honolulu, Hawaii, native won three bouts -- including a two-round victory over No. 10 Deseree Cazares of Cumberland -- before being declared the winner by default. Eighth-ranked MVC junior Tabithia Ramsey won all three of her matches before forfeiting to finish second.
Also placing second was junior Kelly Branham (67 Kg), her only loss to Cumberland freshman Heather Martin, No. 3 in the Senior poll. Freshman Astrid Gomez moved up two weight classes to split four matches for third place.
The only loss for sophomore Clarissa Calibuso (55) was to No. 6 sophomore Othella Lucas of the Lady Patriots, otherwise she pinned two of three foes for a silver medal.
Sophomore Julie Duarte (59) got to face third-ranked Cumberland sophomore Suekoiya Shelly in the finals after beating former Valley all-American Leigh Jaynes in the semis. Duarte gave a good accounting of herself during a 4-1, 2-0 loss to Shelly.
Freshman Brittney Jones (72) had to take on Cumberland freshman Tabitha Golt, No. 10 at 80 kilos, to open round-robin action, but rebounded from that setback with two wins for second.
Sophomores Alecia McCoy (80) and Selina Perez (72) were third in four-entry divisions and freshmen Rachel Billerbeck (63) and Maria Dunn (59) were fourth in more substantial weight classes. In all, three groups had seven or more wrestlers and the 46-person field was significantly more potent than that of the previous week -- especially considering the addition of post-graduate athletes.
The Showcase also included younger wrestlers -- including a 5-year-old -- in the Novice, Junior and Cadet divisions. It provided an opportunity for girls who usually have to take on boys in folk style wrestling to face their own gender in freestyle.
The Lady Vikings will continue to see Senior wrestlers this weekend when they go to San Diego for the FILA Body Bar Nationals.
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PUBLISHED: Thursday, March 31, 2005
The family of Darian Gonzalez, the 8-year-old girl wrestler who attended the USGWA National Wrestling Tournament in Michigan, would like to thank the following people: Grant, Joe, Tucker, Dakota, the team and the coaches for working with me all season; Jordan for the extra practices and coaching; and the Garcia, Arreguin, Holguin, Geade, Stalbaumer, Carbajal, Banman, Tasha Allen and Gonzalez families for their help in making the taco sale a success. Thanks to Sarah Montano at Hertz Rental Cars; Dale, Susie and Nelda at Future Foam; Mid Continent Cabinetry; and the O'Brien family for all of your donations.
Thank you to all the citizens of the Newton and Hesston area for supporting the taco sale and our daughter's goal to wrestle at Nationals. She placed second in the nation in the elementary age group 61-pound division and also earned All-American honors.
The Gonzalez family, Newton
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Cascades cites Addison for its sportsmanship
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
By Mike Pryson and Gary Kalahar
Staff Writers
Kulas shines: Western senior gymnast and club wrestler Trisha Kulas finished sixth in a 32-person bracket at nationals on March 19-20. The sixth-place finish at Lake Orion High School wasn't her best finish, as she won her weight class when she was in eighth grade and finished fifth in her sophomore year, but she said the overall competition was noticeably different.
"They said this is one of the toughest nationals they've held," Kulas said.
Her highlight came Sunday in her fifth match. She was trailing a girl from Washington 4-1 with 40 seconds left in the third period. But, Kulas was able to get her opponent in a headlock before completing a headlock hip throw that allowed her to get a pin victory.
She was accompanied by her dad, Peter Kulas, who she said was just as nervous as she was. As far as her future, Kulas is looking into a couple of colleges that would allow her to wrestle.
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OUR NEIGHBORHOOD ATHLETES
Hawai'i wrestlers pin down national titles
Advertiser Staff 4/1/05
Iolani School eighth-grader Keiko Akamine won a wrestling gold medal at the 2005 United States Girls' Wrestling Association National Championships last month at Auburn Hills, Mich.
Akamine pinned her opponent in the championship match to become the 97 1/2-pound Middle School Champion.
Akamine was one of nine Iolani and Punahou girl wrestlers who competed at the elite tournament that featured some of the nation's best wrestlers.
No other state had as high a success rate as Hawai'i at this tournament; of the nine girls who participated, seven medaled in weight divisions of 16 to 32 athletes.
Overall, the girls from Hawai'i garnered a ninth-place team finish, placing six out of seven high school participants.
"There is no question that wrestlers from Hawai'i can successfully compete with and become the standard as the nation's best," said Matthew Ha, the coach of Iolani and Team Hawai'i. "They were admired not only for their wrestling but their honor, ferocity, sportsmanship, and modesty."
Here are the other medalists from Hawai'i who competed in the high school division:
Megan Morisada—Iolani freshman finished 10th in the 100-pound weight class out of 32 competitors with only one wrestling season of experience under her belt.
Joleen Oshiro—Seeded first, the Iolani senior and 2005 state champion at 108 advanced to the 100-pound finals where she lost 8-3 to Nicole Woody of Maryland.
Carla Watase—The Iolani sophomore and state 103-pound champion finished sixth in the 105-pound class.
Brandee Toyama—The Iolani senior and 120-pound state champion placed seventh in the 114-pound division.
Lauren Primiano—The Punahou senior and 120-pound state runner-up finished fifth at 122 pounds.
Kara Takasaki—The Punahou sophomore and 130-pound state champion finished second in the 130-pound weight division. She participated in the national tournament for the first time.
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U.S. Nationals preview at 48 kg/105.5 lbs. in women’s freestyle wrestling
4/8/2005
Gary Abbott/USA Wrestling
The dominant athlete in recent seasons at this weight division has been Patricia Miranda of the Dave Schultz WC. Once Miranda, a past World medalist up at 51 kg, made the move down to this weight class a few seasons ago, she has controlled this division. Miranda won a silver medal at the 2003 World Championships and a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympic Games competing at 48 kg, beating almost every top woman wrestler in the world in her weight.
Miranda is now at Yale Law School, and is not expected to compete this season. She leaves open the possibility of returning in the future, as she is still young enough and certainly talented enough to step back in after some time away. Miranda was so far ahead of her other U.S. rivals at this division, winning most of her bouts by fall or technical fall, that the U.S. will have to make some progress with the remaining athletes in order to replace this special athlete.
The top ranked athlete returning is Clarissa Chun of the Gator WC, who was second behind Miranda at both the U.S. Nationals and the World Team Trials. Chun has considerable international experience, including competing at the 2000 World Championships when No. 1 Tricia Saunders could not attend. Chun has continued to improve as a USOTC resident athlete, and wants to prove this year that she can win medals at the World level. She has the ability to hit big throws and score points in some matches, but was totally unable to crack Miranda’s defense.
There are two young wrestlers who want to knock off Chun and take over the spot this year, Sara Fulp-Allen of Menlo College and Mary Kelly of the New York AC. Right now, Fulp-Allen is ranked No. 3 on the National Team and Kelly is No. 4, after Fulp-Allen beat Kelly in last year’s Olympic Team Trials. Both are college students and have extensive age-group national success. They have different styles, which makes any match between them interesting.
Fulp-Allen is tall for the division and uses her length to an advantage in many matches. Her losses this year have been to talented Canadian athletes, but she has done well against her American opponents. There has not been a battle with either Chun or Kelly since the Olympic Trials.
Kelly was a World champion and multiple World medalist on the age-group levels, and comes from a famous wrestling family. She has been nationally ranked on the Senior level since high school, but has yet to win the top spot at this division. She is currently at the USOEC program at Northern Michigan, one of the stars of the program. Kelly has a variety of wrestling skills in all positions, but like all the others in the division, have to make a step up to be the top athlete in this field.
A contender from the USOTC resident program in Colorado Springs is Katie Kunimoto of the Gator WC, who made the move down from 51 kg to this division last year for the Olympic Trials, and seems to be staying down. She was a national team member at the higher weight as few seasons ago. She won the New York AC Christmas International this year, and won a medal at the Medved International in Belarus. She has had some consistency problems down at 48 kg, but has the potential to place in the medal rounds at the U.S. Nationals.
A top athlete on the college scene is Laura Felix of the Dave Schultz WC, who wrestles for Cal-State Bakersfield. She was sixth in last year’s Olympic Team Trials, and she is placing ahead of all the other collegians this winter except for Fulp-Allen. Felix has shown an ability to compete well with all competitors, but still is learning the freestyle skills needed to move up the in the rankings.
High school star Caitlyn Chase of the Gator WC earned a spot in the Olympic Team Trials last year after her sophomore year. She qualified for the Illinois state boys high school meet this year, a first for her state. Chase has been competing overseas this winter, testing herself against top foreign wrestlers. This could be the year that she emerges as an emerging star on the Senior level, and Las Vegas could be her big breakthrough.
A veteran who will be expected to challenge for a medal if she enters is Julie Gonzalez of the Dave Schultz WC. Gonzalez has been a past member of Women’s Team USA, and was fifth at the Olympic Trials last spring. She has not yet competed this year, and may be concentrating more on coaching that competing. However, Gonzalez has a chance to do damage at any event she enters, especially when she is facing younger, less experienced opponents.
College wrestlers Sadie Kaneda of Missouri Valley and Jessica Medina of Cumberland College have established themselves as serious contenders this year. Both need considerable freestyle seasoning, but are doing what it takes to improve.
Liz Short of the USOEC program in Northern Michigan has considerable experience, and has competed for the U.S. in international competition in the past. She lost to Kunimoto at the New York AC tournament, and lost to Fulp-Allen at both the Sunkist Kids and the Dave Schultz Internationals.
Among the placewinners at the U.S. Nationals last year were Hana Askren of Santa Monica Bay WC and Kristen Fujioka of Team Hawaii. Askren competes in college at McGill Univ. in Canada, and has continued to wrestle a busy schedule. Fujioka is on the women’s team at Pacific Univ., and is also wrestling often. Both have shown an ability to have good showings in the past.
Other wrestlers to watch include high school star Nicole Woody, and college wrestlers Amantha Hordagoda, Aquila Hills, Claire duPont, as well as U.S. Marines wrestler Miriam Jenkins. Don’t be surprised if a high school athlete makes a nice run in this division, something that happens at the lightest division some seasons.
With Patricia Miranda busy reading law textbooks, this weight class becomes wide open for a new champion. Experience favors Clarissa Chun, and talent is a plus for Sara Fulp-Allen and Mary Kelly. However, this is a time of change, and there could be an unexpected finalist in Las Vegas, especially with new rules in the sport.
2004 U.S. NATIONALS RESULTS
1st - Patricia Miranda, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Dave Schultz WC) tech. fall over Clarissa Chun, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Gator WC), 11-0, 4:49
3rd -Mary Kelly, Mahomet, Ill. (New York AC) tech. fall over Sara Fulp-Allen, El Granada, Calif. (Menlo College), 12-2, 2:58
5th -Laura Felix, Bakersfield, Calif. (Dave Schultz WC) dec. Katie Kunimoto, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Gator WC), 4-1
7th - Hana Askren, Los Angeles, Calif. (Santa Monica Bay) dec.. Kristen Fujioka, Kaneohe, Hawaii (Team Hawaii), 6-1
THEMAT.COM RANKINGS FOR APRIL 1, 2005
1. Clarissa Chun, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids)
2. Sara Fulp-Allen, El Granada, Calif. (Menlo College)
3. Mary Kelly, Mahomet, Ill. (Dave Schultz WC)
4. Laura Felix, Bakersfield, Calif. (Dave Schultz WC)
5. Katie Kunimoto, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Gator WC)
6. Caitlyn Chase, Hanover Park, Ill. (Gator WC)
7. Sadie Kaneda, Honolulu, Hawaii (Missouri Valley)
8. Jessica Medina, Pomona, Calif. (Cumberland)
9. Liz Short, Lombard, Ill. (USOEC)
10. Hana Askren, Los Angeles, Calif. (Santa Monica WC)
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U.S. Nationals preview at 51 kg/112.25 lbs. in women’s freestyle wrestling
4/11/2005
Gary Abbott/USA Wrestling
It is now a post-Olympic year, and international women wrestlers have seven weight classes to choose from, not just the four that were in the 2004 Olympic Games. Last year, many of the top women wrestlers who compete normally at 51 kg/112.25 lbs. changed weights, either dropping down to 48 kg or moving up to 55 kg.
USA Wrestling held a Special Wrestle-off for the National Team at the three “non-Olympic weights” last summer, in order to determine the World Cup roster and the national team funding for the weight classes. This event set the rankings at the non-Olympic division for the year.
Winning that Special Wrestle-off was a veteran star named Stephanie Murata of the Sunkist Kids, a past World silver medalist who has been one of the dominant women wrestlers in the nation for over a decade. Murata once won seven straight U.S. Nationals titles, one of the longest streaks in history, men or women. She is in the later years of her career, but still has the strength, skill and experience to beat top opponents around the world.
Murata won her spot on the team by default in the Championship Series of the Special Wrestle-off because 2004 U.S. Nationals champion Malinda Ripley of the Sunkist Kids was injured and could not compete. Ripley is healed and ready to wrestle again, looking for a third career U.S. Nationals title. However, Ripley is also considering dropping down to 48 kg, a tough cut for sure, but a weight class that no longer has the dominant Patricia Miranda around. If Ripley goes down in weight, it will be an easier chance for Murata and the others there to take the title this year. If she stays, Ripley has the ability to claim the top spot in the division and a World Team berth for the first time.
2003 World bronze medalist Jenny Wong of the Sunkist Kids is back down from 55 kg, and will try to recapture the division that she owned prior to the Olympic year. Wong was competitive up a weight, but not dominant. When she is wrestling well at 51 kg, she can be dominant. She has been wrestling down in weight lately, including her recent win at the University Nationals, and is aiming to return to past glory.
This past weekend’s Body Bar Nationals will be important to the seeding of this division, as many of the athletes on the Senior level were young enough to compete either at the University Nationals or the FILA Junior Nationals. That included 2004 U.S. Nationals runner-up Debbi Sakai, who has joined the USOEC program in Northern Michigan after starting her career at Missouri Valley.
All of the athletes who were ranked No. 3-10 in the Senior rankings in April 2005 were competing in San Diego during the Body Bar Nationals. The big star to come out of the weekend was Kapua Torres of Pacific Univ., who won the FILA Junior Nationals and placed second behind Wong at the University Nationals. Torres upset Sakai during the FILA Junior Nationals, and showed some great skill and pinning ability during the weekend.
Other nationally ranked wrestlers who are competing at this division at this time are Cheryl Wong of the Dave Schultz WC, Maika Watanabe of Missouri Valley and Tabithia Ramsey of Missouri Valley. Watanabe beat Wong in the bronze medal match at the University Nationals, while Tanya Miyasaki of Missouri Valley beat Ramsey in the fifth-place match.
High school sensation Nicole Darrow of TNT, as well as Desiree Cazeras of Cumberland College round out the top 10, and were in competition at the Body Bar Nationals this year. Darrow had a tough weekend in San Diego, losing in the finals of the FILA Cadet Nationals to Tatiana Padilla of the Peninsula Grapplers, and placing fourth at the FILA Junior Nationals.
There are some other wrestlers worth watching at this division, if they choose to compete here. Veteran Danielle Hobieka of the Dave Schultz WC was third at the U.S. Nationals last year, and has placed as high as second at the U.S. Nationals in the past. Claire duPont of Two Mile High was fifth at the U.S. Nationals a year ago, but has dropped to 48 kg this year and may move down for the U.S. Nationals.
As with other of the lighter weight classes, often young athletes slip into the field and make an impact quickly, and this could be the case again this season. However, as the depth of the U.S. program continues to develop, it will be increasingly difficult for high school stars to earn a national placement at the Senior level.
With stars such as Murata, Ripley and Wong in the field, there will be experience and talent among the highly seeded athletes in this weight class. The true battles for position here may be in the lower placements, when a number of talented young athletes start jockeying for position. This division could have some very close and exciting battles in Las Vegas.
2004 U.S. NATIONALS RESULTS
1st - Malinda Ripley, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) tech. fall over Debbi Sakai, Miliani, Hawaii (Missouri Valley), 11-0, 2:24
3rd - Danielle Hobeika, Forest Grove, Ore. (Dave Schultz WC) dec. Cheryl Wong , Croton, N.Y. (Dave Schultz WC), 5-0
5th - Claire DuPont, Leadville, Colo. (Two Mile High) pin Tabithia Ramsey, Morris, Minn. (UM-Morris), 2:55
7th -Sadie Kaneda, Honolulu, Hawaii dec. Jessica Medina, Pomona, Calif. (Diamond Ranch), 3-1
THEMAT.COM SENIOR WOMEN'S RANKINGS FOR APRIL 1
1. Stephanie Murata, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids)
2. Malinda Ripley, Colorado Springs, Colo.(Sunkist Kids)
3. Jenny Wong, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids)
4. Debbi Sakai, Miliani, Hawaii (New York AC)
5. Cheryl Wong, Croton, N.Y. (Dave Schultz WC)
6. Kapua Torres, Kahuku, Hawaii (Pacific)
7. Maika Watanabe, Napa, Calif. (Missouri Valley)
8. Tabithia Ramsey, Austin, Texas (unattached)
9. Nicole Darrow, Pittsfield, Mass. (TNT)
10. Desiree Cazeras, South Grand Prairie, Texas (Cumberland College)