News

Saunders voted into wrestling Hall

sportsillustrated.com December 12, 2005

STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) -- U.S. Olympic coach and four-time world champion Tricia Saunders will become the first woman inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Saunders, who won four gold medals and a silver in freestyle wrestling at the World Championships, will be inducted along with three others, the hall said Monday. Induction is during the honors weekend June 2-3.

Saunders was the first U.S. woman to win a world title and never lost to an American during her career.

Along with her husband Townsend and Terry Steiner, she coached the first U.S. women's wrestling team at the 2004 Athens Games. The team won a silver medal and a bronze.

Four-time NCAA champion Pat Smith, 2000 Olympic bronze medalist Terry Brands and 1952 Olympic bronze medalist Josiah Henson also will be inducted in the hall's 30th anniversary class. All three already have brothers in the Hall of Fame.

Smith won a school-record 98 straight matches at Oklahoma State and became the first wrestler to take four consecutive NCAA titles. He was a member of Oklahoma State's national championship squads in 1990 and 1994.

He's now an assistant coach for the Cowboys under brother John, a two-time Olympic, four-time world champion and hall member.

Brands, a world champion in freestyle wrestling in 1993 and 1995, will join twin brother Tom in the hall.

At Melbourne in 1956, Henson became the first American to officiate at the Olympics. His brother, Stanley, also is a Hall of Famer.

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Brands, Henson, Saunders, Smith to be inducted as Distinguished Members of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame

12/12/2005
Gary Abbott/USA Wrestling

* National Wrestling Hall of Fame announces the Class of 2006 Distinguished Members;
* Brands, Henson, Saunders, Smith to be inducted in the 30th anniversary class:
* The first woman will be inducted, along with three brothers of Distinguished Members

The National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum has announced the selection of the Class of 2006 Distinguished Members to be inducted at its annual Honors Weekend Banquet and Induction Ceremony June 3, 2006 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The event will mark the 30th anniversary Class of the Hall of Fame & Museum.

Four wrestling greats will be added as Distinguished Members in 2006. They are:
* Terry Brands of Colorado Springs, Colo.
* Josiah Henson of Tulsa, Okla.
* Tricia Saunders of Phoenix, Ariz.
* Pat Smith of Stillwater, Okla.

This historic group of inductees includes the first woman chosen as a Distinguished Member. In addition, all three of the other inductees are brothers of wrestling greats who have already been inducted as Distinguished Members.

Included is the first four-time NCAA Div. I champion in wrestling history (Smith), a four-time World champion and wrestling pioneer (Saunders), a two-time World champion and Olympic medalist (Brands) and an Olympic medalist and Olympic referee (Henson).

The Hall of Fame's Board of Governors approved these selections at its semi-annual meeting held in Las Vegas on December 1, 2005.

“I want to thank our Board of Governors and the various screening and selection committees involved in the six-month process that determines our honorees for induction. This is another exceptional class of inductees whose merits transcend our sport," said Lee Roy Smith, Executive Director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum.

Brands will join twin brother Tom Brands as a Distinguished Member. He was a World champion in freestyle wrestling in 1993 and 1995, and captured an Olympic bronze medal at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. Brands won World Cup and Pan American Games titles. He was a three-time finalist and two-time NCAA champion for the Univ. of Iowa. Brands currently works as USA Wrestling's National Freestyle Resident Coach.

Henson’s older brother Stanley Henson is a Distinguished Member. Henson won a bronze medal in freestyle wrestling at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki, Finland. He went on to be a respected international wrestling official, becoming the first American to officiate at the Olympics in the 1956 Games in Melbourne, Australia. Henson was a long-time leader in U.S. wrestling and the Olympic movement. He was an undefeated wrestler and two-time EIWA champion for the U.S. Naval Academy.

Saunders becomes the first woman inducted as a Distinguished Member. She won four World gold medals and a World silver medal in women’s freestyle wrestling, and completed her freestyle wrestling career without ever having lost to an American opponent. Saunders was the first U.S. wrestler to win a World gold medal in women’s wrestling. She also served as the coach of the 2004 U.S. Olympic team in women’s wrestling, the first time that the sport was in the Olympic Games. Saunders is considered a pioneer in the development of women’s wrestling.

Smith will join his older brother, John Smith, as a Distinguished Member. He became the first wrestler in history to win four NCAA Div. I national titles, competing for Oklahoma State Univ. He won his historic fourth NCAA title at the 1994 NCAA Championships held in Chapel Hill, N.C. Smith was a member of two Oklahoma State teams that won NCAA team titles. Along with brothers Lee Roy and John, the Smiths became the first set of three brothers to claim NCAA titles. He won four conference titles, and holds the Oklahoma State record for consecutive matches without a loss. Smith placed second in the 1996 U.S. Olympic Trials behind three-time Olympian Kenny Monday. He serves on the coaching staff at Oklahoma State, which has won three straight NCAA team titles.

Complete biographies of the inductees will be posted each day this week on TheMat.com (www.themat.com), with Brands on Tuesday, Henson on Wednesday, Saunders on Thursday and Smith on Friday.

Additional honorees will be selected and announced in January in the categories of Outstanding American, Order of Merit, Medal of Courage, and Outstanding Official.

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Mixed results - Coach seeing improvements from team

By Josh Macri 11/22/05
yorkweekly@seacoastonline.com

Coming off of one of its best matches of the season last Wednesday, the York High School wrestling squad tried to keep its momentum rolling Saturday at Winslow for matches against the Raiders, Lincoln Academy and Gardner.
The match produced mixed results for the Wildcats, who finished 1-2 on the day, but still had a good showing, according to head coach Wally Caldwell.

The Wildcats started the day with a 40-36 victory over Gardner. Each team won three matches, but Gardner had to forfeit a few matches.

Caldwell proud his wrestlers kept matches into the third period, and rarely let their match end in a pin.

"We’ve been working on taking matches into the third period," Caldwell said. "At this point in the season it’s something that you have to do, not only because not giving up pins in team competition is important, but also because it helps the psyche of the wrestlers. To go up against a quality wrestler and not get pinned is huge."

York lost to Winslow, 41-40 in a match that featured forfeits due to a lack of wrestlers on both sides. Caldwell took several positives away from the match despite the loss.

"P.J. Giusti and Cory Caramihalis were able to match up against some quality opponents which is always a valuable experience," Caldwell said.

As is always the case with a close loss, Caldwell is motivated and excited to face Winslow in the tournament.

"They’re a solid Class B school from the East so we’ll probably see them again at the state meet which will be exciting for our kids," Caldwell said.

Encouraged by two close meets in the early portion of the day, York was ready to wrestle Lincoln Academy, which handily defeated the Wildcats earlier in the year.

Unfortunately the second time wasn’t the charm as the Wildcats lost, 52-24.

"They’re a very good Western Class B team, and with the forfeits we had, they tore us up pretty good," Caldwell said.

Caldwell praised a handful of wrestlers. Senior Sam Clark and Keith Pieper both won three matches, while Tom Ciampa, Giusti, Dan Towers and Jake Moran all won two.

York beat Westbrook, 48-20, but lost to Marshwood, 63-9 last Wednesday.

York won eight of the 11 matches against Westbrook.

"We won three or four close decisions which were phenomenal," said Caldwell who praised Brendan Boston’s 6-5 decision, and Tom Ciampa’s pin with 14 seconds remaining in the third period. "Even in our closer losses with P.J. Giusti and Carlos Sanchez, we were able to stay close which kept the team going."

York’s big men stepped up as well.

"Jake Moran and Ryan Vokey both had first period pins which hasn’t happened a lot this year," Caldwell said. "We really came out strong and solidified ourselves."

Caldwell knew the Marshwood match would be tough.

"They’re a quality program, no question about it," Caldwell said. "But even in defeat we were able to take six of the matches into the third period, so we were satisfied with our performance as a whole.

Currently the Wildcats are 13-4, a mark Caldwell realizes may be inflated.

"It might be a misrepresentation of where we are at this point, but it’s still a good record," Caldwell said.

More than halfway through the season, a number of players have put together stellar records, led by Clark (17-2), Ciampa (15-4), Pieper (12-3), Buddy Gauthier (11-3) and Giusti (13-6).

"We’ve had about 18 wrestling opportunities, with about 12 (left) before the regionals," Caldwell said. "This stretch should be a good test for us."

York closes out its home schedule Wednesday against Lake Region and Wells.