Womens wrestling news 07

Rachael and three other Nevada high school wrestlers took part in the event. Rachael and Angie Mayes, Nevada's returning All American from the Cadet age group, ran into some stiff competition in the older junior group but came away eager for the next opportunity to challenge the field in May at the Body Bar Freestyle Nationals in Colorado Springs, CO. Rachael wants to thank Darrell Marraccini for donating a practice facility and her training partner Derek Happy and coach Tim Skroch. She has also been training with Team Nevada coach Brett Edmunds. The girls compete as part of USA Nevada Wrestling's Team Nevada.

Skroch wrestled in the 130-pound class where she opened with a bye in the first round and then lost by fall in the championship second round. In the consolation bracket she opened with a pin in 48 seconds over a Texas wrestler and another over a California wrestler in 14 seconds. In the third consolation round, though, she lost by fall (:51) to another California wrestler who ended up finishing fourth in the tournament, reaching the farthest of the Nevada entrants.

The Girls High School Folkstyle Nationals was held on the campus of Oklahoma City University and the high school division featured 184 entries from 30 states. All of the champions on Saturday become eligible to become a USA Wrestling double champion for 2008. A double champion is an athlete who wins a USA Wrestling national title in folkstyle and freestyle during the same year.

The event was held alongside the annual Women's College Freestyle Nationals, providing the young wrestlers in attendance a chance to be seen by college coaches.

Victoria Elwell, a seventh-grader at Unatego Junior-Senior High, finished first in her weight class during the United States Girls' Wrestling Association State Tournament at Cobleskill-Richmondville High this past Saturday.

Elwell, 13, won the 87-pound weight class, which featured three girls. She advanced to the USGWA Nationals, which run March 29-30 in Livonia, Mich.

Japan

JEJU, South Korea — Athens Olympic bronze medalist Kyoko Hamaguchi wrestled her way to back-to-back Olympic appearances with a women's 72-kilogram victory at the Asian wrestling championships on Thursday. Reigning national champion Hamaguchi, once the dominant wrestler in the world in her weight class, clinched a spot in this summer's Beijing Games after a 2-0 win over Burmaa Ochirbat of Mongolia.

Saori Yoshida won the women's 55-kg title with a series of comfortable wins. She had already booked her place in Beijing along with fellow Olympic champion Kaori Icho and Olympic silver medal winner Chiharu Icho, Kaori's elder sister. On Thursday, the Icho sisters won the 63-kg and 48-kg Asian crowns.

California

Phillips takes fourth at Nationals

Alumni notes

Manteca High graduate Samantha Phillips has been more than busy in her inaugural season with Oklahoma City University, collecting hosts of national recognition in her first season with the Stars women’s wrestling team.

Phillips has seen herself ranked top-10 among the nations best 130-pound grapplers, and on March 15 placed fourth at the Women’s College Wrestling Association Freestyle National Championships in Oklahoma City.

Phillips won her way to the third place match, where she fell in 2-0, 2-2 scores to Samantha Fee of Missouri Valley College.

The Stars placed second as a team behind the University of Cumberlands, trailing by just one point at 118-117. The third place team, Missouri Valley, managed only 68 points.

“It’s pretty exciting to take girls from across the country who are freshman and finish this way,” OCU coach Archie Randall said on the team website. “We thought we could be in the top three or four. The girls developed fast. They bought into the program.”