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Gary Abbott USA Wrestling
11/09/2007

Photo features OCU wrestlers Lene Wood, Nicole Woody, Ashley Sword and LeAnn Barney

OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City University will be offering a live video stream of the first women’s wrestling duals ever in the school’s history Saturday, Nov. 10 when the Stars meet the Univ. of the Cumberlands (Ky.) on its athletics web site.

Duals between the Stars and defending national champion Cumberlands will be at noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. at Abe Lemons Arena. It will be the first OCU event ever video streamed via the new OCU athletics web site, OCUsports.com.

The video stream will cost $8.95 and includes audio of the 2 p.m. dual. The 2 p.m. dual will also be broadcast via live audio free of charge. Rance Stein and Rich Tortorelli will have the call.

“We are proud to provide a live video of the first women’s college wrestling dual in the history of our state,” OCU athletic director Jim Abbott said. “We are excited to have this new feature on our web site. This is the next step in the development of our new web site.”

The Stars made their debut in women’s wrestling when they competed in the Sunkist International Open on Oct. 27. LeAnn Barney and Ashley Sword became OCU’s first place winners ever in an open tournament there, as Barney won a silver medal at silver at 51 kg/112.25 lbs. and Sword placed fourth at 67 kg/147.5 pounds.

OCU coach Archie Randall said he anticipates between 1,500 and 2,000 spectators for the duals Saturday.

“This is our first home dual meet ever, and we are wrestling the top team in the nation,” Randall said. “If you want to be the best, you have to wrestle against the best. Our goal is to knock them off, and to be as competitive as possible. We want to show the rest of the nation that OCU wrestling is for real.”

OCU vs. Cumberland dual meet receiving major promotional push
By Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling

Oklahoma City University is pulling out all of the stops in promoting its first-ever women’s college wrestling dual meet on campus.

It has been a very busy week for coach Archie Randall and members of the OCU women’s wrestling team, which is competing in its first season as a college varsity program.

The university has printed up a commemorative poster for the dual meet which has been distributed. The school designed a commemorative ticket for the match, with the photo of athlete Samantha Phillips on it. Coach Randall had a drawing among his team members to determine which athlete would be on the ticket, and Phillips won.

Randall and his athletes have been all over the media in the Oklahoma City community.

He said there were tickets given away on radio stations, ads in the Daily Oklahoman, appearances on local radio talk shows and television stations. He said one of the athletes was selected to report the weather on a local radio station.

“It has been unreal,” said Randall. “I have never done so much publicity in my life. This is one of the most promoted events in school history. We want women’s wrestling to be a big success.”

Randall has done eight radio interviews, and has been on all of the local television stations, including the CBS, ABC, NBC and FOX affiliates, plus on Cox Cable. In fact, Randall has appeared on Channel 9 two times already.

With the match being streamed live on the internet, and a large media turnout expected for the match, Randall is excited that wrestling is being promoted to the general public. He is equally excited about his men’s team, which is becoming a stronger program within NAIA wrestling.

“We are really promoting wrestling here at OCU. In addition, our men’s program is doing well. We were ranked No. 10, but we just beat the No. 3 team when we upset Missouri Valley last week with the men’s team.”

There will be three dual matches between OCU and Cumberland, as both teams will put many of their athletes on the mat. The 2:00 p.m. dual meet will feature the varsity teams, where the No. 1 athletes on each squad battle in all 10 weight classes. Many expect this dual meet to set the tone for the season within U.S. women’s college wrestling.

TENTATIVE DUAL MEET LINEUPS

Noon
44: Stephanie Waters (OCU) vs.Shuntil Snyder (Cumberlands)
48: Helen Timmons (OCU) vs.Kayla Brooks (Cumberlands)
51: Julie Huang (OCU) vs.Shannon Reeves (Cumberlands)
55: Erica Torres (OCU) vs.Antonesia Giles (Cumberlands)
59: Emma Mercer (OCU) vs. Rachel Hubbard (Cumberlands)
63: Sheila McCabe (OCU) vs.Krystal Kiyuna (Cumberlands)
67: Briana Conway (OCU) or Sara Hilliard (OCU) vs.Lauren Knight (Cumberlands)
72: Melissa Simmons (OCU) vs. Megan Wade (Cumberlands)
82: TBD (OCU) vs.Teri Milkoff (Cumberlands)
95: Karon Scott (OCU) vs. Theresa Fennell (Cumberlands)

2 p.m. - VARSITY DUAL MEET
44: Lene Wood (OCU) vs. Melissa Girard (Cumberlands)
48: Nicole Woody (OCU) vs. Jackie Stiles (Cumberlands)
51: Jennifer Peabody (OCU) vs. Jessica Medina (Cumberlands)
55: Ashley Hudson (OCU) vs. Sandy Do (Cumberlands)
59: Samantha Phillips (OCU) vs.Othella Lucas (Cumberlands)
63: Marina Piccolotti (OCU) vs. Megan Agajanian (Cumberlands)
67: Ashley Sword (OCU)or Briana Conway (OCU) vs. Paige Rife (Cumberlands)
72: Lacey Novinska (OCU) vs.Sherolynn Eppinger (Cumberlands)
82: Carrie Clark (OCU) vs. Christen Paysse (Cumberlands)
95: Karon Scott (OCU) vs. Theresa Fennell (Cumberlands)

4 p.m.
44: Stephanie Waters (OCU) vs. Shuntil Snyder (Cumberlands)
48: Helen Timmons (OCU) vs. Kayla Brooks (Cumberlands)
51: Jennifer Peabody (OCU) vs. Linda Debak (Cumberlands)
55: Erica Torres (OCU) vs. Norma Rueda (Cumberlands)
59: Samantha Phillips (OCU) vs. Breisja Macera (Cumberlands) or Misha Furni (Cumberlands)
63: Marina Piccolotti (OCU) or Sheila McCabe (OCU) vs. Nena Garcia (Cumberlands)
67: Sara Hilliard (OCU) vs. Lauren Knight (Cumberlands)
72: Melissa Simmons (OCU) vs. Megan Wade (Cumberlands)
82: Carrie Clark (OCU) vs. Teri Milkoff (Cumberlands)
95: Karon Scott (OCU) vs. Theresa Fennell (Cumberlands)

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Nobody can accuse Elena Pirozhkov of being a slow learner.

As a 6-year-old entering kindergarten in the United States, the only language she spoke was Russian. Two years later, she tested out of her English as a Second Language classes. As a fifth-grader, she was taking advanced English courses.

When Pirozhkov arrived at the U.S. Olympic Training Center two years ago, she admits she “couldn’t beat anybody.” This past June, a vastly-improved Pirozhkov reached the finals of the U.S. World Team Trials in women’s freestyle wrestling before placing second.

The Russian-born Pirozhkov just celebrated her 21st birthday and has emerged as one of the top young women’s wrestling prospects in this country. Pirozhkov (Colorado Springs, Colo./Gator WC) is ranked No. 2 nationally at 67 kg/147.5 lbs.

The rapid development and maturation of Pirozhkov, whose family moved from Russia to the United States when she was three years old, has continued on the mat. She was named Outstanding Wrestler this past weekend at the Hargobind International in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, after winning the title at 67 kilos.

“Elena is like a sponge – she absorbs whatever we teach her and she goes right out and applies it on the mat,” said Vladislav “Izzy” Izboinikov, USA Wrestling Women’s Resident Coach. “She is very, very, very coachable and she has a great work ethic. She’s very bright and very intelligent, and she picks things up very quickly. It’s pretty amazing how much she’s improved. She is absolutely a pleasure to work with.”

Pirozhkov came to the U.S. 18 years ago with her parents, Sergey and Tatyana, and three siblings. They left the former Soviet Union and Communism behind. They settled in Greenfield, Mass., a city of around 20,000 people with a large Russian community.

“My dad thought it was a good opportunity to leave and thought we could have a better life in the U.S.,” Pirozhkov said. “My dad said it was real difficult at first to adjust to the culture and customs here. But we took a chance coming over here and it worked out for us.”

The Pirozhkov family has now grown to 11 as Elena is one of nine children in the family. Elena has three brothers and five sisters. She is the third-oldest among the nine kids.

Even though she grew up mainly in the U.S., and has no memories of her time in Russia, Pirozhkov had plenty of Russian influences growing up. She spoke only Russian for the first six years of her life, she grew up eating mainly Russian dishes, and she learned Russian values and customs from her parents.

She loves going back home to Massachusetts to see her family. But when she’s cutting weight, it’s a little bit of a challenge.

“I love all kinds of Russian food,” she said, flashing a smile. “My mom is a great cook.”

Pirozhkov enjoyed playing sports growing up and went out for cross country as a seventh-grader. Looking for a winter sport to participate in, she ended up on the wrestling mat.

Her older brother, Viktor, talked her into trying out for the wrestling team. Viktor was a state placewinner in Massachusetts. Elena was one of only two girls on the team. The other was a senior.

“They were looking for a 112-pounder on the high school team and my brother weighed me and I was at 114. He looked at me and said, ‘You’re coming to practice tomorrow,’” Elena said. “I came to practice and I was horrible. I was struggling and my brother, who dragged me out there in the first place, was telling me to quit. The sport was very awkward for me, but what drove me to finish the season was I wanted to prove my brother wrong. I was kind of intrigued by the sport and started to improve. I realized I really liked wrestling and stuck with it.

“It was a very challenging season. My brother and I look back and just laugh about it now.”

Pirozhkov survived that first season and eventually started to excel. She placed third in the 2003 and 2004 U.S. Girls’ Wrestling Association Nationals before winning the event in 2005.

A month after graduating from high school in 2005, Pirozhkov competed at the Junior Nationals in Fargo, N.D. She placed third in women’s freestyle at the event. A turning point for Pirozhkov’s career came during that event when she met Izboinikov, a Russian who came to the U.S. in 1993.

By virtue of a top-six finish in Fargo, Pirozhkov was invited to the Junior Developmental Camp at the Olympic Training Center. She took part in two camps in Colorado Springs before USA Wrestling National Women’s Coach Terry Steiner and Izboinikov invited her to join the Resident Program at the OTC.

Pirozhkov jumped at the opportunity to come to Colorado Springs.

“Before that, I wasn’t really sure what was going to happen after high school,” she said. “I had planned to just go to the local community college and try to figure out what I was going to do. I wanted to keep wrestling, but I didn’t see how until I talked to Terry and Izzy up in Fargo. I never even dreamed I would end up out at the Olympic Training Center.”

Her early days on the Olympic Training Center mats were largely a struggle.

“I was getting beat by everybody from 48 kilos on up to 72,” she said. “It definitely frustrated me because everybody was taking me down left and right. I just couldn’t get anything right. I kind of wondered why they invited me to come out here. But then I thought back to seventh grade when my brother told me to quit and I didn’t. I also thought the coaches must have seen something in me, so I’m still going to work hard and try my best.”

That work ethic and drive started to eventually pay off.

“I finally started taking some of the girls down with the moves I was learning, and that started to boost my confidence,” she said. “I just kept working hard and kept improving.”

Strength was also an early issue for Pirozhkov.

“When I first moved here, I couldn’t do a pull-up – that’s pretty sad,” she said. “Now I can do 8 pull-ups. I’m stronger, my conditioning’s better, my technique has improved … everything is a lot better. I’m a totally different wrestler than I was when I came out here two years ago.”

Walking into an Olympic Training Center wrestling room with established stars and proven competitors like two-time World champion Kristie Marano and two-time World bronze medalist Katie Downing took a little getting used to.

“It was in a little bit of shock at first – I was pretty awestruck by being in the same room with all these great wrestlers,” Pirozhkov said. “But a lot of the girls, especially the ones who have been around a while, have been great. They’ve helped me fit in and adjust, and they’ve taught me a lot.”

Pirozhkov spent a majority of her first year training in Colorado Springs while working on gaining her U.S. citizenship. She did place second at the 2006 Dave Schultz Memorial Open before becoming a U.S. citizen.

Pirozhkov gained her U.S. citizenship last year – allowing her to compete in qualifying events for the World Championships and Olympics – but not in time to try and qualify for the 2006 U.S. World Team Trials.

She jumped into competition full-time during the 2006-07 season, winning the Sunkist Kids International Open in October of last year. She followed with second-place finishes in 2007 at the U.S. Nationals, Pan American Championships and U.S. World Team Trials. She finished second to Downing at the U.S. Nationals and U.S. World Team Trials. Downing went on to win a bronze medal at the 2007 World Championships.

With just four Olympic weight classes in women’s freestyle, Pirozhkov plans to drop down a weight class. She will move down from the non-Olympic class of 67 kilos to the Olympic division of 63 kg/138.75 lbs. for the 2008 Olympic Trials.

2004 Olympic silver medalist and three-time World medalist Sara McMann is ranked No. 1 in the U.S. at 63 kilos. Downing also is expected to move down to 63 kilograms this season. The 2008 Olympic Trials are set for June 13-15 in Las Vegas.

Pirozhkov plans to shuttle back and forth between 63 and 67 kilograms during various events in the 2007-08 season. She likely will be back up at 67 kilos when she tries to make the U.S. women’s team for the World University Championships and World Championships in 2008.

In addition to the Olympics in August in Beijing, China, women’s freestyle also will have a World Championships for all seven weight classes. That event, for women only, is scheduled for October 2008 in Tokyo, Japan.

With Downing possibly retiring after the Olympics, Pirozhkov would be the frontrunner to make the U.S. World Team at 67 kilos.

“Elena definitely has a very bright future in this sport,” Izboinikov said. “She’s beaten some World medalists already. I think she could definitely place in the top six if she gets a chance to wrestle at the World Championships next year.”

Pirozhkov credits much of her development to working with Izboinikov.

“Izzy has made a huge difference for me as a wrestler and a person,” Pirozhkov said. “He’s been a great mentor for me. He stays on me about being disciplined on and off the mat, and doing the right things. Izzy is really passionate and knowledgeable about wrestling, and he loves what he does. I think that rubs off on the athletes.”

Pirozhkov and Izboinikov communicate with each other in English and Russian.

“It’s kind of like with a lot of the Russian-Americans in the U.S. where we will speak both languages to each other,” Izboinikov said. “Sometimes I give Elena instructions in Russian to maybe give her a little edge. She grew up in a Russian culture with her parents’ influence and they instilled a lot of strong values and discipline in her. We have a lot in common and that gives us a strong connection right there.”

Pirozhkov will have an opportunity to return to Russia early next year. She is scheduled to compete in a tournament in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, in late January.

It will be her first trip back to Russia since she left as a 3-year-old.

“I’m really excited to be going back there,” she said. “My dad told me not to expect too much. He said I’m going to see a lot of poor people and it’s going to be really cold. I still think it’s going to be a great cultural experience. I grew up in a very Russian home and we had a very big Russian community where we lived. So it will be interesting to see what the Russian culture is like and be able to experience it in the actual country.”

Pirozhkov’s ability to speak Russian came in handy during September’s World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan. She traveled to Baku as a training partner with the U.S. team. Azerbaijan was part of the former Soviet Union. She also served as an interpreter on the trip.

“A lot of the older people in Baku speak Russian, and a lot of the food there was real similar to what I grew up eating,” she said. “It was like a little taste of Russia. All the food on the table at our team dinner in Baku, I’ve seen it all.”

Pirozhkov also finds time to take classes at Pikes Peak Community College. She is studying physical therapy.

For now, Pirozhkov is focused on daily practices at the OTC and focused on continuing to improve.

“It’s awesome to have the opportunity to train here with all the great wrestlers and coaches,” she said. “When I was younger, I remember looking up all the girls on TheMat.com. I read stories about great wrestlers like Kristie Marano and Trish Saunders, and I was thinking it would be awesome to be like them someday.”

Someday may not be too far down the road. Especially for a fast learner like Pirozhkov.

Bill Scherr among finalists for U.S. Olympic women's freestyle coaching position

DATE: 11/8/2007 1:14:00 PM

Evanston, IL

By Andrew Tanker
Northwestern Sports Information

Former Northwestern volunteer assistant coach and current Wildcat Wrestling Club coach, Bill Scherr, has been selected as one of four finalists to receive a coaching position for the U.S. in the 2008 Beijing Olympics in women's freestyle wrestling.

Named as finalists for the volunteer women's coaching position for the U.S. team that will compete at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in Beijing, China, are: Scherr, Northwestern graduate Tadaaki Hatta of Elyria, Ohio, Troy Steiner of Corvallis, Ore., and Levi Weikel-Magden of Colorado Springs, Colo.

The four finalists were selected by USA Wrestling's Women's Coach Selection Committee.

One of these four volunteer coaches will be selected to serve on the coaching staff at the Beijing Games, along with USA Wrestling's National Women's Coach Terry Steiner.

Three of the finalists have served as official Women's World Team Coaches at recent World Championships: Hatta (1991), Scherr (2005, 2006) and Steiner (2007). Weikel-Magden has been on the coaching staff of a number of U.S. World Teams.

Scherr was a member of the 1988 U.S. Olympic freestyle team as an athlete, winning a bronze medal at 100 kg/220 lbs. He also won four World medals in his career, including a 1985 World gold medal.

USA Wrestling expects its Olympic Coach selection process to be completed by late-November.

Scherr served as a World Team coach of the 2006 U.S. Women's World Team, which competed in Guangzhou, China and placed seventh in the World Championships, led by two medalists

Scherr was a World Team coach of the 2005 U.S. Women's World Team, which competed in Budapest, Hungary, placed third in the team standings and featured four medalists, including World champion Iris Smith.

He is a coach for the women wrestlers with the Sunkist Kids, which won the 2007 U.S. Nationals team title and placed five athletes on the 2007 U.S. World Team.

Scherr was an assistant coach at Northwestern Univ. last year, which placed fourth at the NCAA Championships, its highest finish in school history. He currently coaches the Wildcat WC freestyle wrestlers and is a volunteer with Northwestern Univ. program.

He was an assistant coach at Indiana University for five years, from 1984-89, working with coach Jim Humphrey. The team was 2-17 the season before his arrival and had a 15-0 record his final year with the program. Scherr is also a widely respected clinician, working numerous camps and clinics around the nation.

Scherr was one of the greatest wrestlers in U.S. freestyle history. He was a 1985 World champion and a 1988 Olympic bronze medalist. He ran off an amazing five-year run of consecutive World-level medals for the United States from 1985-89. He was also a 1986 and 1989 World silver medalist and a 1987 World bronze medalist. His five consecutive World-level medals is one of U.S. wrestling's greatest feats.

Bill Scherr was a two-time World Cup champion, a Pan American Games champion, a World Grand Masters champion, a Goodwill Games champion and a four-time U.S. Nationals champion. In 1992, he made a late comeback to the sport, winning the U.S. Nationals title and making the finals of the Olympic Team Trials where he placed second. He is a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Scherr was a 1984 NCAA champion at the Univ. of Nebraska, where he starred alongside his twin brother Jim. He was also a two-time high school state champion from Mobridge, S.D.

He is a leader in the effort to bring the 2016 Olympic Games to Chicago, serving as chairman of World Sport Chicago as well as serving on the Board of Directors of Chicago 2016 and heading up the efforts of the Wildcat Wrestling Club.

Professionally, he is a Vice President with Goldman Sachs & Co.

Marghetis shines at wrestling meet

Concordia Journal Home >11/8/07

Veteran wrestler Tyler Marghetis won the men’s 76-kilo weight class to help Concordia finish in second place at its annual invitational wrestling tournament Oct. 28.

Marghetis, a 2006 CIS all-Canadian; Serguei Guevorkian (72 kilos) and Alex Dyas (82 kilos) all won their weight classes on the university side of the competition. Newcomer Ahmed Abo Mathk finished third in the 80-kilo division.

Brock University finished first among the university participants. University of New Brunswick wrapped up the day in third place.

On the women’s side, Concordia rookie Ella Rebalski finished in third-place in the competitive 59-kilo weight class. She was Concordia’s sole entry in the women’s competition.

Brock finished in first place on the women’s side, followed by University of Toronto and UNB. Approximately 120 wrestlers from across eastern Canada, the United States and Brazil participated in the event.