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Stephany Lee was lucky when she started wrestling in high school. She lived in Hawaii, a state that has a separate wrestling association for girls.

This isn’t the case for most high school girls, who have to wrestle in a boy’s world. They are on boys’ teams, compete against boys, and oftentimes have to deal with the politics of being in the minority.

“Other girls had to worry about the politics associated with wrestling against guys,” said Lee. “Hawaii is a lot more open, rather than saying you shouldn’t be doing that. It was not looked down upon for a girl to wrestle. I never had people say that I shouldn’t be wrestling.”

So when Lee joined the wrestling team as a sophomore in high school, the transition from judo wasn’t difficult.

Lee had competed in judo since she was seven years old. The girls wrestling coach at her high school was involved in judo and followed the sport. After tracking her on the judo mat, he recruited her to come out for wrestling.

Lee has come a long way since that first year of wrestling, geographically and skill-wise. From Hawaii she traveled to Missouri Valley to compete in college and then to Colorado Springs where she is a resident athlete at the U.S. Olympic Training Center.

Now Lee travels all over the world for competition as well.

“It was different to be traveling a lot,” said Lee. “In college I would go to one major tournament and I would have a few smaller college competitions. It was nothing like this. It was good not to stay here, to get out and compete, and then come back and train.”

During the past six months she has competed at the Sunkist International, the NYAC International, the World Cup, the Chicago Cup, the Dave Schultz Memorial International, and the Pan American Championships.

All of this international competition has really helped Lee as a wrestler.

“It’s really important,” U.S. Women’s National Coach Terry Steiner said. “I don’t think you can go to the World Championships or the Olympics thinking you can do well if you haven’t had international experience. For her to have gotten in so much international experience is really good for her.”

At the World Cup, Lee helped the U.S. squad to a second place finish. She went 2-1 during the competition, earning crucial wins against her Japanese and Chinese opponents.

“Honestly, the World Cup freaked me out,” said Lee. “I had never been to anything that big. I got on the mat and froze. I really didn’t wrestle well and lost my first match. Against Japan, it came down to me, to my match. I stepped it up, got over it, and wrestled the way I normally do.”

Lee also took at an individual gold at the Pan American Championships. She posted wins over Rosangela Conceicao of Brazil and Jaresmit Weffer of Venezuela to earn a spot in the finals. There she scored a convincing win, pinning Ohenewa Akuffo of Canada at 1:56 in the first period.

Next up is the ASICS/USA Wrestling National Championships. There Lee will face perhaps an even tougher battle, competing in a weight class that features four Junior and Senior World medalists.

“This weight class has the only two world titles we’ve won since I have been a part of the program with Iris Smith and Kristie Marano,” said Steiner. “Katie Downing has been a consistent competitor internationally. Ali Bernard has two junior World titles. Stephany has a University World title.”

Lee echoes her coach’s sentiments, and knows that every opponent she will face on the mat is a talented wrestler.

“There are three women that have world medals,” said Lee. “Kristie (Marano) has nine, Katie (Downing) has two bronze medals, and Iris (Smith) had a gold medal. I have a University World medal, but nothing compares to having that medal from Worlds.”

It’s possible that the U.S. Olympic Team Trials will be harder than many of the international competitions these women compete in.

“They all need to realize that the toughest thing about getting an Olympic medal may be making the team,” said Steiner. “I think it’s good. They have a daily reminder that someone else could take their spot.”

At the National Championships these women will compete for the top seed at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials and an automatic berth into the final. With fewer weight classes at the Olympics, a number of wrestlers have moved up, including Downing.

Lee feels good about where she is in the preparation for Nationals and the U.S. Olympic Team Trials.

“I have been doing a lot more, and it feels good,” Lee said. “This is my first year not going to school while I am training. It’s given me more time to focus on wrestling, to focus on myself and make sure I am where I need to be.”

Having taken part in the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Lee is also better prepared this time around.

“I was focused on who those other wrestlers were and I wasn’t mentally prepared,” Lee said. “Now, I have five years of experience. That has definitely helped me understand that it doesn’t matter who I am wrestling. It’s whoever’s having the best day that will win.”

The mental aspect of the sport is as important as skills or conditioning. It’s something Lee knows she needs to work on to continue to improve and to do well in competition.

“The most challenging part is definitely the mental aspect,” said Lee. “The strategies and knowing each opponent I am going to face.”

Nationals will show just how far Lee has matured, mentally and physically as a wrestler, and ultimately show how close she is to making it to the Olympics.

“Opportunities to chase your Olympic aspirations, your Olympic dreams don’t come around all the time,” said Steiner. “Four years from now may never come.”

When Stephany steps on the mat, she’ll be ready to face whatever opponent she draws.

“I have learned not to look at the person on the mat as that person and their medals,” said Lee. “I don’t wrestle them for what they have accomplished. It’s not her and all her stuff against me. It’s just that person versus me. I have to put everything out and may the best person win.”

California

Stoke named county's top girls' wrestler

From staff reports
Saturday, April 12, 2008

Pacifica High junior Michi Stoke is the wrestler of the year for the All-County Girls' Wrestling team.

Stoke won the 165-pound title at the CIF Southern Regional, placed third at the state invitational and was ninth at the U.S. Girls' Wrestling Association's National Championships.

She was one of six Pacifica wrestlers named to the all-county team.

Other Tritons selected were Zuleyka Marquez (98 pounds), Sahara Pena (114), Tiffany Leon (138), Karina Johnson (189) and Kiara Hodges (235).

Marquez, a freshman, was sixth at the regional tournament and won a title at Thousand Oaks.

Pena was fourth at Thousand Oaks, third in San Diego and eighth at the regionals. Leon was a regional runner-up and placed sixth at the state invitational. Johnson was a sixth-place regional finisher and was runner-up at San Diego. Competing in her first year of wrestling, Hodges was fourth at the regional tournament and third at Righetti.

Other all-county selections were: Amelia Castillo, Royal, 103; Erin Wildman, Agoura, 108; Brittany Pillado, Westlake, 118; Krista Perez, Oxnard, 122; Sierra Mangus, Fillmore, 126; Deyvonne Mondragon, Camarillo, 132; Nicole Harvey, Santa Paula, 146; Rose Smith, Fillmore, 154; and Karina Joh

Castillo was fourth at the regionals and won her weight division at Thousand Oaks. Wildman was Righetti tournament champion and placed sixth at state. Pillado was 10th at the regionals and competed for the school's boys' JV wrestling team.

Perez was sixth at the regional tournament as a freshman. Mangus, a seventh-place regional finisher, ranks as one of the area's best girls' pole vaulters.

Mondgradon finished fifth at the regional and state invitational tournaments. She had a 2-2 record in the national tournament.

Harvey was a regional runner-up and placed fourth at Righetti. A first-year wrestler, Smith placed third at Righetti and fourth at the regional tournament.

Wisconsin

BY MATT WELLENS 4/12/08

Herald Times Reporter

MARSHALL, Mo. — For 2006 Reedsville High School graduate Amberlee Ebert, wrestling at Missouri Valley College is just "something I do."

"I would love to be in the Olympics someday but I just want to see how far I can get," Ebert said. "It's not like I have to go to the Olympics. I love the sport but it's not my first priority in my life."

That little something she does has taken her around the globe from Venezuela where she captured gold as a member of Team USA at the Pan Am Junior World Championships last summer to Las Vegas where she will compete in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials June 13-15 at the Thomas and Mack Center.

Ebert earned the berth after winning the Women's College Wrestling Association Freestyle National Championships in Oklahoma City on March 15.

"I'm just happy to have qualified for it," Ebert said about the Olympic trials. "Being a sophomore, it's kind of surprising. I didn't think I would do this ever. I don't even think I'm that good. It's cool though and very rewarding."

Ebert, who was named a high school girls All-American her senior year at Reedsville, defeated rival Ashley Sword of Oklahoma City University in the 147.5 pound championship in three periods after nearly being pinned early on.

Sword tossed Ebert flat onto her back in the first period but Ebert was able to reach the outside of the circle for a restart.

"The first period was really bad. (Sword) threw me on my back so it was really scary," Ebert said. "She threw me right in front of my coach and teammates. I'm on the mat looking at them on my back going, 'Oh my gosh, I'm going to lose. I'm going to lose.' I saw that my friends were yelling at me, 'Scoot out,' because I was right at the edge of the mat. They tried everything to motivate me and get me off my back."

Ebert took the second round easily but needed a takedown in the final 13 seconds of the third to take the title and move on to Las Vegas.

"Once I won that second round, I knew inside that I got it," Ebert said.

Sword and Ebert had met four times prior to the WCWA Freestyle Nationals, each earning two victories, though Ebert said she has won the battles when it counts.

"I always end up beating her at the right time but we are on and off," Ebert said. "She gets a headlock on me every single time. That's her only move but that is my weakest part of my body, my neck. She knows that she can grab it, headlock me and throw me right down. That's what she gets on me every time."

Ebert and Missouri Valley, who placed third as a team in Oklahoma City, were blessed to have spring break just before the WCWA Freestyle Nationals, allowing Ebert to study Sword instead of her psychology major at Missouri Valley.

"We had some intense practices before college nationals," Ebert said. "We had three practices a day so it was a hard week right before our tournament.

"Every time I wrestled with my teammates, that is all they would try to do to me is put me in a headlock so I could get used to it."

Ebert's WCWA title came with a price as she injured her shoulder in the final takedown that won her the match. Coaches are holding her out of the USA Wrestling University Nationals this weekend so she is healthy for the U.S. Senior Nationals in Las Vegas at the end of the month, a prelude to the Olympic trials in Las Vegas in June.

For the Olympic trials, Ebert will have to cut weight for the first time ever, she said, since she will be competing at 138 pounds. The Olympics do not have a weight class at 147.5 pounds.

Women's freestyle wrestling was introduced to the Olympics in Athens in 2004 and it includes four weight classes.

The WCWA was recently formed by women's college wrestling coaches at the fifth edition of the Women's College Freestyle National Championships in Oklahoma City to govern the sport. Women's wrestling is not sponsored by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) or National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).

Eight schools competed at the WCWA Freestyle Nationals including champion University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Ky., the U.S. Olympic Education Center at Northern Michigan University, Menlo University in Parkland, Calif., Arizona State, UW-River Falls and Oklahoma City Community College.

Matt Wellens: (920) 686-2134 or mwellens@htrnews.com

North Dakota

JC adds women’s wrestling program

Scott Throlson, The Jamestown Sun
Published Saturday, April 12, 2008

Submitted photo Amanda Athon of Arlington, Texas, signs a letter of intent to compete in women’s wrestling at Jamestown College as Jimmies coach Cisco Cole looks on. Athon is a two-time Texas state champion and national runner-up.

When Jamestown College discussed starting a women’s wrestling program, the Jimmie men’s coach hit the phones and started the process of recruiting athletes for a prospective program.

“I’ve been on the phone a lot,” Cole said. “I feel like a salesman.” 

Turns out that what Cole was selling found some buyers.

The Jimmies had 11 athletes signed when the school made the official announcement on Friday that the school would begin a women’s wrestling program this fall.

“We initially talked about it two months ago,” Cole said. “We wanted to see if we could go out and actually drum up some interest. It was tough recruiting for a program that didn’t actually exist except for my saying it would.”

Women’s wrestling, which became an Olympic sport in 2004, has seen a lot of growth in other areas of the country. But it’s rare in North Dakota. The Jamestown College program will be the first of its kind in the state.

“I’m extremely excited about coaching the new women’s team,” said Cole, who will also remain in charge of the men’s program. “Women’s wrestling is one of the world’s fastest-growing sports. There are more than 6,000 high school girls who wrestle, so being able to offer them an opportunity to continue wrestling at the college level just makes sense.”

Cole cast a wide net in his recruiting effort. He’s signed four athletes from Hawaii, along with wrestlers from Texas, New York, Michigan, Iowa, California and Washington.

“They’re girls that otherwise wouldn’t have been looking at Jamestown College,” Cole said.

“This sport is beginning to emerge at the national level, and it is exciting to be at the front end of it in our area,” JC athletic director Lawrie Paulson said. “It will bring to our campus new students from several different parts of the country.”

Women’s wrestling will become the 16th sport offered at JC. It evens up the number of women’s and men’s sports offered at eight apiece after the addition of a men’s soccer program two years ago.

There are currently eight other colleges in the U.S. that offer women’s wrestling, including NAIA schools Cumberlands (Ky.), Oklahoma City University, Missouri Valley, Menlo (Calif.) and Missouri Baptist. Other schools with programs include Northern Michigan, Pacific (Ore.) and Yakima Valley CC (Wash.). Wisconsin-River Falls has a club program.

In addition, there are 15 colleges in Canada that have teams.

“We are in a great location for women’s wrestling,” Cole said. “Our location will allow us to be able to compete against the best Canadian teams as well as the best U.S. teams.”

The season will run from early October to late January, finishing before the men’s season concludes.

“Scheduling will be the toughest part,” Cole said. “You’re going to be a traveling team. Our men’s team is a traveling team, too.”

Cole plans on scheduling weekend tournaments to avoid missed class time and also hopes to schedule several home events.

Terry Steiner, a Bismarck native, is the head coach of the U.S. women’s Olympic team. He’s happy to see another college program offering athletes the chance to continue their careers beyond high school.

“I’m happy to see Jamestown has done this,” Steiner said. “I hope some other schools follow the trend.

“It’s very important for our national program to have the college programs be successful. It’s our natural feeding system. College programs are important to the long-term success of the national program.”

“We’re just excited,” Cole said. “There’s a real possibility in the future to have someone from Jamestown College in the Olympics.”

“If there are more opportunities for girls at the younger level, that will help us,” Steiner said. “If there are college opportunities, that will create more opportunities in high school.

“If there’s no opportunity beyond high school, then some girls will choose other sports.”

The emergence of women’s programs could also help men’s programs, which have dwindled in recent years.

“With Title IX issues within the U.S. right now, men’s programs are hurting,” Steiner said. “In the mid-70s, we had 360 college men’s programs and now there are 160 or less college men’s programs left. Women’s wrestling can help.”

Recruiting has gone well so far for Cole.

“I think if things keep going the way they’re going now, we’re going to have 20 to 30 girls,” he said.

Sun sports editor Scott Throlson can be reached at (701) 952-8462 or by e-mail at throlson@jamestownsun.com

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