Journal photos by Andy Nelson-Zaleski 7/21/05

Nicole Darrow of Lanesboro, Mass., top, and Brooke Sauer of Golden, Colo., practice a technique called gut wrenches during the United States Olympic Education Center's Women's Future Champion Freestyle Camp hosted by USOEC's women's wrestling head coach Shannyn Gillespie Tuesday afternoon.

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Rix becomes first three-time Junior champion
Woody, Chase, Umemoto and Russell repeat

By Jason Bryant 8/6/05
jbryant@intermatwrestle.com

Fargo, N.D. – People noticed Deanna Rix all week in at the USA Wrestling Cadet & Junior Nationals at the Fargodome on the campus of North Dakota State University.

It’s wasn’t the flowing blonde hair or sly smile, it was her complete dominance of two wrestlers during the Junior Greco-Roman competition.

So it should come as no surprise that the Maine native and Asics high school girls Wrestler of the Year had little trouble in capturing her third Junior Women’s Freestyle National championship with a 10-0 victory over Bethany Harris of California

Rix wasn’t even aware that she’s the first.

“I didn’t know that,” she said laughing.

But after wrestling the guys, some fans expected her to just blow through the field at 128 pounds.

“Wrestling guys is a lot different from wrestling girls,” Rix said. “The shooting is different because of the hips.”

While she didn’t exactly have too much resistance, Rix went 5-0 with three falls and two tech falls.

Rix was also named the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler.

Also repeating as national champions were Oregon’s Na’Tasha Umemoto at 138 pounds, Nicole Woody of Maryland at 95 and Juanita Russell at 195.

Umemoto won her second Junior championship with a 13-4 victory over Stefenie Shaw of Connecticut.

“Yes! Alright!” Umemoto yelled as she pumped her fist afterwards.

The win gave Umemoto a 2-1 lead in her series between two rising stars of the women’s senior level circuit.

“I lost to her last year at U.S. Nationals,” Umemoto said. “We’re real close, but were so different.”

Umemoto is the first four-time Women’s Junior All-American.

Woody won her second championship at 95 pounds and yes, the Maryland rubber chicken makes its appearance at the women’s tournament too.

Woody, who like Rix, wrestled in the men’s competition, wasn’t too nervous.

“I’m usually pretty calm and I just tried to wrestle my match,” Woody said.

Oklahoma’s Joey Miller won her first title at 102 pounds, beating Camie Yeik of Washington 9-6 in a bout that featured solid counters, low lifts and belly tilts.

Caitlyn Chase of Illinois repeated as champion, beating Alaska’s Michaela Hutchison 10-0 at 110 pounds.

“I expected her to be tough,” Chase said. “I wanted to come in there and not go all out, I just stuck with what I know and with what works.”

Tatiana Padilla of California won the championship at 119 pounds, using a controlling front-headlock and go-behind to defeat New York’s Nicole Darrow.

Vanessa Oswalt won her first championship in her third tournament in a tight 3-2 victory over Wisconsin’s Amberlee Ebert.

Oswalt, who said goodbye to her mother a week ago as she left overseas, was crying tears of joy – complete with eyeliner running down her cheeks.

“I’m just so happy. I won this for my mom and my grandap who has been real sick for the last few years.” Oswalt said. “To finally win, it feels great,” said Oswalt, last year’s runner-up.

Her opponent was a bit of a surprise.

“I’d never wrestled her, never seen her, never heard of her,” Oswalt said “She’s real defensive, but a great wrestler.”

After Melissa Simmons of Washington pinned California’s Amy Havens at 160 pounds, Desiree Memea of Hawaii battled New York’s Toni Copeland to an 8-7 victory at 175.

In the last minute of the match, each wrestler had an opportunity to score the fall, but Memea had enough of a lead to hold off Copeland at the end.

Russell won her second title so fast, photographers only had 12 seconds to get a shot as the New Yorker pinned South Carolina’s Brittany Delgado.

“A few of my other teammates lost in the tournament, so I had to makeup for them,” Russell said.

Russell won her second title in three finals appearances.

But with a record 178 entries from 30 states, the women’s junior division is rapidly improving.

“Every weight had 2-3 good people in every weight class, except 95 because they don’t have the mat time,” Umemoto said of the competition.

Gone are the days of just showing up to wrestle and coming home with a medal. Eight of the 11 weights had full two-pool brackets.

“I cut to 110 to wrestle Malina Ripley and Mary Kelly (in 2002),” Umemoto said. “It was the competition we wanted to get.”

That competition is growing and with the first generation of junior women’s veterans now graduated from high school – the next generation of junior wrestlers can benefit from the groundwork laid for them by wrestlers like Dix, Umemoto, Russell, Stefenie Shaw and Cheylenne Pringle.

Women's Freestyle
Full medal match results
Finals Photos

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Local Wrestlers Eyeing National Titles
Six From County Headed to Fargo For Championships

By Daniel Lyght
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, July 21, 2005; Page AA15

Old Mill wrestler Justin Faithful is entering his third year of competition this winter, and to get ready he's taking on some of the best the country has to offer.

Faithful is one of six Anne Arundel County wrestlers heading to the USA Cadet and Junior National Championships in Fargo, N.D., a competition some describe as the Super Bowl of youth wrestling. The weeklong double-elimination tournament begins Saturday.

Arundel sophomore Nicole Woody, 17, has been to nationals twice before, winning the girls' freestyle competition in the 95-pound weight class in 2004. She is one of the favorites this year. (Grant L. Gursky - Ftwp)

With the large number of successful wrestlers who have competed in this tournament in past years, including Olympians Kurt Angle and Cael Sanderson, participants believe Fargo prepares them for the high school season ahead and gives them a chance at college scholarships. Many college coaches attend the tournament, which draws more than 4,000 high school wrestlers.

"A kid that is wrestling in this tournament will be recruited," said Jim Schartner, who coaches Team Maryland and the Middletown High School team. "[That wrestler] has shown the qualities college coaches are looking for. . . . He's wrestled free[style] and probably Greco[-Roman style] which will make him better, and he's accepted the challenge of wrestling against the best.

"Fargo is the most demanding tournament for these kids at this level," he said. "Fargo is two levels above" high school wrestling.

Maryland's 30 team members qualified in spring tournaments or through recommendations from state coaches. The cadet level is for wrestlers ages 15 and 16, while juniors are 17 and 18 years old.

At each level, wrestlers compete in freestyle, the traditional high school competition that allows moves throughout the body, and Greco-Roman, which allows attacks only to the upper body.

Faithful, a junior varsity wrestler at Old Mill last season, is going to nationals for the first time and thinks he has little chance of winning the tournament in his 275-pound weight class. He went undefeated during the regular season at Old Mill, which has four wrestlers on the national team, and is hoping to put together a similar record on varsity this winter.

"He's working hard. He's a good, mobile heavyweight," Schartner said. "The doors can open for him out there -- for anyone if you get hot. . . . Good, mobile heavyweights usually do well."

The Team Maryland wrestler with perhaps the best chance is Arundel sophomore Nicole Woody. Woody, 17, has been to nationals twice before, winning the girls' freestyle competition in the 95-pound cadet weight class in 2004. In high school competition last season, in which girls compete with boys, Woody placed third in the county and fourth in the 4A/3A East Region after wrestling on junior varsity for most of the season.

"She's got the experience. She knows what to do," Schartner said. "She's seen the competition out there."

Said Woody, who failed to place in her first year at nationals: "It was great being on the podium instead of watching." She believes she can finish first or second in the women's freestyle again. Woody will wrestle against boys in the Greco-Roman style because there is no girls' division in that style, and she hopes to finish sixth or seventh in the that event.

"I haven't really been wrestling guys this summer, so I haven't been able to scope out the competition," Woody said. "I have no clue how tough this year will be."

Austin Clouse, who lives in Annapolis and wrestles at Mount St. Joseph in Baltimore, earned all-American status last year by finishing in the top eight in the cadet 84-pound freestyle division. This year he wants to go further.

"My goal is to win it all," Clouse said. "Last year I didn't know what to expect. This year I'm taking it a little more seriously and I'm going to take it as far as I can."

Also competing in Fargo are junior Greg Saumenig, junior Nic Box and senior Dallas Evans, all from Old Mill.

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Civan, Rebertus & Woody Win Freestyle National Titles

July 30, 2005 at 9:55 p.m.

Walt Whitman's Eren Civan (145 pounds) won the National Cadet Freestyle Championship in Fargo, N.D. this week, making him a double national champion after winning the Greco-Roman title only days earlier. Down 2-0 in the finals, Civan threw his opponent, an Oregan state champion, to his back for a 3-2 win. Civan was joined in victory by fellow Marylanders Luke Rebertus (160) and Nicole Woody (95). Caravel's Rebertus, also a Cadet, defeated a two-time Utah state finalist 7-5 to make him a two-time All-American this year and a two-time national champion after last year's Greco-Roman title. Arundel's Woody won her second women's title with a technical fall over a three-time New York women's state champion. In the Junior division, Magruder's Cam Watkins (135) placed sixth, earning double All-American honors.

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2005 World University Games U.S. wrestling team includes 14 National Team members, led by Senior U.S. World Team members Lester and Ruiz

8/6/2005
John Fuller/USA Wrestling

Izmir, Turkey - USA Wrestling has finalized its rosters for the 2005 World University Games in Izmir, Turkey. The wrestling competition at the World University Games will take place August 12-17.

The U.S. women’s freestyle team will only have five competitors. All five of those wrestlers, however, are ranked No. 2 in the U.S. at their respective weight class.

At 48 kg/105.5 lbs., 2005 U.S. Nationals champion Sara Fulp-Allen (El Granada, Calif./Menlo College) will represent the U.S. In 2005, Fulp-Allen has won medals at two international events.

Mary Kelly (Mahomet, Ill./Northern Michigan/New York AC) will compete at 51 kg/112.25 lbs. Kelly placed third in the 2005 U.S. Nationals and was a 2004 University Nationals champion.

2005 U.S. World Team Trials champion Marcie Van Dusen (Colorado Springs, Colo./Minnesota-Morris/Sunkist Kids) will compete at 55 kg/121 lbs. She was defeated in a Special Wrestle-Off for the final U.S. World Team slot last month. Van Dusen was also a 2005 U.S. Nationals runner-up.

2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials runner-up and 2005 U.S. World Team Trials runner-up Alaina Berube will represent the U.S. at 63 kg/138.75 lbs. Berube also won a gold medal at the 2005 Dave Schultz Memorial International.

Rounding out the U.S. women’s freestyle roster is Ali Bernard (New Ulm, Minn./Univ. of Regina) at 72 kg/158.5 lbs. Bernard has won two Junior World championships, in 2003 and 2005. She was a 2004 U.S. Nationals champion.

The team will be coached by Bobby Douglas (Ames, Iowa) and Tadaaki Hatta (Elyria, Ohio).

U.S. wrestlers have competed in three World University Games, the last being in 1981 when Bruce Baumgartner won a gold medal, Dave Schultz and Mike Land won silver medals and Mitch Hull captured a bronze medal.

TheMat.com will provide complete coverage of the 2005 World University Games. The official event web site, www.universiadeizmir.org/en/, will also provide results.

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Sophomore Sara Fulp-Allen gets her hand raised Saturday after winning the 105 pound gold Medal

LAS VEGAS, NV –5/2/2005-

The Menlo women’s wrestling team had a strong showing at the US Senior National Tournament this past weekend in Las Vegas. Sophomore Sara Fulp-Allen captured the gold medal at 105 pounds and freshman Laurin Daniels finished seventh place, wrestling at 138 pounds. Both qualify for the World Team Trials, to be held in Ames. Iowa beginning June 17th.
Competing at 48 KG or 105.5 lbs. sophomore Fulp-Allen captured the only national title that had eluded her in three previous tries. After winning 7 age group national titles Fulp-Allen finally prevailed to win the national title that names her the best in her weight over all competitors in the US. For her efforts Fulp-Allen will add another international trip and possibly a third to her summer agenda.

The World Cup, held May 16-20 in Clairmont, France, will be her first stop. She already has earned a trip to Lithuania July 5-10 for the World Junior Championships. Fulp-Allen needs to defend her top spot in the world team trials to be held in Ames, Iowa June 17-19. By successfully defending her position, she will qualify to represent the United States in the World Championships in Budapest September 27-October 1.

Fulp-Allen started the national competition with a decision over Amnorina Porter of Michigan 7-1, 7-2. Next she knocked off Hana Askren of the Santa Monica Wrestling Club 3-2, 5-2.

In her semifinal match she beat Rachael Holthaus of Hi Flyers, setting up a final match against Caitlin Chase, a familiar opponent for Fulp Allen, whom she had wrestled on three different occasions, wining all three matches.

In the finals, she won by a pin over Caitlin Chase of the Gator Club in 3:21. Beating Chase in the finals was a big moment for Fulp-Allen because she knew Chase had worked hard to make it to the finals.

“I dreamed it, because the last three times I’ve wrestled her, I’ve pinned her and then once teched her. I knew she’s gotten a lot better than last year. I could imagine a fall, but I knew it was going to be a tough match.”

Before the final Fulp-Allen’s title match, Menlo head women’s wrestling coach Lee Allen was honored as a past World Team Member, and it served as an inspiration to her as she warmed up.

“It means a lot, especially since I was about to wrestle right after him. This is the fourth time I’ve been here and the fourth time I’ve seen him do this. But it was really neat to have him go up there right when I was warming up, right when I was ready to go out there and wrestle my national championship match.”

Daniels had her best performance of the season wrestling at 138 pounds. She started the tournament by upsetting 6th-seeded Ashley Sword, 1-1,1-4 & 2-0. She then ran into Stefanie Shaw of KT Kids, who won by a decision 3-0, 2-1. Shaw ended up 4th in the tournament. Daniels then lost a decision to Rachel Billerback of Missouri Valley 1-0, 3-1. In her final match for 7th place, she won by decision over Megan Nevall of Cumberland College 6-0, 4-1. Daniels also qualified for the world team trials.

Also competing for Menlo College was Becky Tavera at 67 KG or 147 lbs. She lost her first to Andrea Hale of Lassen College by a pin in 1:07