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USA

Gray, Rix repeat as women's freestyle champions at Dave Schultz Memorial International

Craig Sesker USA Wrestling
02/06/2010
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Adeline Gray works for the fall in the finals. Photo by Larry Slater.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Deanna Rix and Adeline Gray have both been within an eyelash of winning a medal at the World Championships.

Both wrestlers are determined to not fall short again.

Rix and Gray gained valuable momentum after winning women's freestyle championships at the Dave Schultz Memorial International on Saturday afternoon at the U.S. Olympic Training Center. Rix and Gray repeated as Schultz champions.

Rix, fifth in the World in 2008 and 2009, swept China's Fengming Liu 3-0, 1-0 in the finals at 59 kg/130 lbs.

"I just had a rough tournament in Russia, so I had a lot to prove in this one," Rix said. "I gave all I had here to make up for the last one. I'm working really hard to get my offense going and it's starting to click for me."

Gray, fifth in the World in 2009, came back after dropping the first period to pin China's Yuanyuan Jiao with one second left in the second period.

"My coaches did a really good job of refocusing me for the second period," Gray said. "I knew I had to come back strong and focus on my offense."

Past World champion Iris Smith dropped a tough finals bout to China's Dan Li in the finals. Smith won the first period and led 1-0 in the second period before being caught and pinned with a headlock.

Smith was seeking her third Schultz title, but first since she won back-to-back titles in this event in 2000 and 2001.


Two-time World Team member Elena Pirozhkova of the U.S. dropped two straight periods to World bronze medalist Justine Bouchard in the finals at 63 kg/138.75 lbs.

American Helen Maroulis, a past World Team member, placed second after falling to Canada's Brittanee Laverdure (Canada) 2-1, 1-0 in the finals at 55 kg/121 lbs.

2008 Olympic gold medalist Carol Huynh of Canada fell short in her bid to win her fourth Schultz title. Huynh fell to Shasha Zhao of China in the finals at 48 kg/105.5 lbs.

Huynh led 1-0 before Zhao stole the period when she slipped behind Huynh for a takedown with one second left. Zhao then hit an arm throw to score three points in the second period.

Zhao was named Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament.

The three-day Dave Schultz event was held for the 12th straight year in Colorado Springs.

GOLD-MEDAL RESULTS

WOMEN'S FREESTYLE

48 kg/105.5 lbs.
Shasha Zhao (China) dec. Carol Huynh (Canada), 1-1, 3-0

51 kg/112.25 lbs.
Hui Li (China) pinned Alexandra Engelhardt (Germany), 4-0, 2nd period

55 kg/121 lbs.
Brittanee Laverdure (Canada) dec. Helen Maroulis (New York AC), 2-1, 1-0

59 kg/130 lbs.
Deanna Rix (Sunkist Kids) dec. Fengming Liu (China), 3-0, 1-0

63 kg/138.75 lbs.
Justine Bouchard (Canada) dec. Elena Pirozhkova (Gator WC), 2-1, 4-0

67 kg/147.5 lbs.
Adeline Gray (New York AC) pinned Yuanyuan Jiao (China), 0-4, 2nd period

72 kg/158.5 lbs.
Dan Li (China) pinned Iris Smith (U.S. Army), 0-1, 2nd period

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USA

Iris Smith leads parade of Americans into women's freestyle finals at Dave Schultz Memorial International

Craig Sesker USA Wrestling
02/06/2010
Related Links
Iris Smith holds off China’s Yan Hong in the semifinals. Photo by Larry Slater.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Iris Smith is determined to regain the form she displayed when she won a World title in 2005.

She appears to be well on her way to doing that.

Smith came up big in her semifinal match, rallying to beat 2008 World silver medalist Yan Hong of China on Saturday afternoon at the Dave Schultz Memorial International.

Smith advances to face China’s Dan Li in the finals, set for 2:30 p.m. at the U.S. Olympic Training Center. Smith is seeking her third Schultz title, but first since she won back-to-back titles in this event in 2000 and 2001.

Smith has made three U.S. World Teams, but none since 2005 when she struck gold at the Worlds.

“Not making two Olympic Teams ticked me off,” Smith said after falling short in 2004 and 2008. “I need to give it my all or stop wrestling. I am healthy now, and I’ve been putting in the hard work and training.”

Past World Team members Helen Maroulis, Deanna Rix, Elena Pirozhkova and Adeline Gray also landed spots in the final round.

Rix, Pirozhkova and Gray are looking to repeat as Schultz champions.

2008 Olympic gold medalist Carol Huynh of Canada reached the finals at 48 kg/105.5 lbs. Huynh is seeking her fourth Schultz title.

GOLD-MEDAL PAIRINGS

WOMEN’S FREESTYLE

48 kg/105.5 lbs.
Carol Huynh (Canada) vs. Shasha Zhao (China)

51 kg/112.25 lbs.
Alexandra Engelhardt (Germany) vs. Hui Li (China)

55 kg/121 lbs.
Brittanee Laverdure (Canada) vs. Helen Maroulis (New York AC)

59 kg/130 lbs.
Fengming Liu (China) vs. Deanna Rix (Sunkist Kids)

63 kg/138.75 lbs.
Justine Bouchard (Canada) vs. Elena Pirozhkova (Gator WC)

67 kg/147.5 lbs.
Adeline Gray (New York AC) vs. Yuanyuan Jiao (China)

72 kg/158.5 lbs.
Iris Smith (U.S. Army) vs. Dan Li (China)

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Washington

Women’s wrestling tournament canceled

February 6, 2010 by YH-R Sports  

YAKIMA, Wash. — The National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Association women’s regional championships scheduled for today at Yakima Valley College’s Sherar Gym have been canceled, according to YVCC athletic director Ray Funk.


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Women's Freestyle Wrestling Forum
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Michigan

Not just one of the boys

By Jim Toth
Observer Staff Writer
• February 5, 2010

It’s not a joke, it’s not to grab attention and it’s certainly not routine.
It’s self-gratifying and character-building and something Amber Seiler truly enjoys doing. The Redford Union student once again this winter finds herself firmly entrenched in what is widely viewed as a male sport — wrestling.
Seiler, a senior, has been a staple in the Panthers wrestling program three of the past four seasons — skipping only her sophomore year when she chose to participate in basketball instead of wrestling — engaging in a sport that is undoubtedly one of the most grueling mentally and physically for even males to participate in.
“It’s always a challenge because guys have more muscles to work with, but I like to prove to everybody I can do it,” said Seiler. “I’ve heard it all the time about how ‘look it’s a girl and she’s not going to win, she can’t beat him.’ I just don’t pay any attention and go out and try and focus on what I have to do.”
That blueprint has been quite successful for Seiler, who this season finds herself co-captain of the Panthers varsity team.
“She has really grown in her leadership and her skills in my tenure here,” RU wrestling coach Marcelle Roberson said. “Wrestling is a male-dominated sport and to have her doing what she is doing and be as successful as she is speaks volumes. She has really gained the respect of her teammates.”
Seiler initially became interested in the sport in eighth grade when she “just wanted to try something new and not what every other girl was doing.”
So in her freshman year at RU, Seiler tried out for the boys wrestling team and, even though was not physically or mentally prepared to land a spot on the varsity, she was able to suit up for the junior varsity contingent. Seiler competed valiantly and gained some valuable experience that first year, but still decided the next year to engage in more of a conventional female sport — basketball.
“Now I look back on it and wish I would have wrestled,” Seiler said.
The Panther youngster did just that last season when she returned to the mats and competed in the 160-pound category. With the help of Roberson, Seiler honed her skills and improved her stamina to make opponents think twice about their anticipation for an easy victory.
“I’ve had other females wanting to wrestle, but Amber is the only one who has stuck around for three years and improved,” Roberson said. “She has the same attitude as the boys — even better than some. She’s worked hard, she’s had some physical problems with her weight this year, but she absolutely loves the sport and is a leader.”
An issue with her thyroid has Seiler wrestling up in weight this year — competing in 189 or 215-pound matches at times — and has presented some difficulty in matching up with opponents of the opposite gender.
“I’ve worked hard and conditioned myself pretty well, but it’s been tougher this year,” said Seiler, who has yet to decide between Central Michigan University and the University of Toledo as her next step for education. “I’ve gone against a lot of good opponents and had a lot of fun.
“I’ve got to thank coach Roberson because he’s taught me so much,” Roberson continued. “He’s the best coach I’ve had. He’s shown me a lot of moves, worked on my conditioning and helped me gain respect. I was really looking forward to this year and it’s going to be a little sad when it ends.”
The end of doing “something new” is not too far away as wrestling teams statewide will engage in district competition next week. Once the individual and team competition concludes, Seiler’s days of unconventional participation will as well.
Just in time for the multi-sport athlete to turn back to something conventional again — girls track.


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Missouri
Women's Wrestling Competes in Canada
Women's Wrestling - Mon, Jan 25, 2010
The MBU women's wrestling team traveled to Guelph, Ontario, Canada to compete at the University of Guelph International Wrestling Tournament last weekend. The Lady Spartans put on a strong performance, with four top four finishes.Senior Desiree Memea and freshman Helen Maroulis each won their division. Sophomore Schuyler Brown finished second, and sophomore Amy Whitbeck finished in fourth place.

On January 29-30, the Lady Spartan squad will stay a little closer to home, as they travel to Marshall, Mo. to compete in the WCWA College Nationals at Missouri Valley College.

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Canada

2 KM standouts among GWU recruiting class for women's soccer

College sports

Friday, Feb 5 2010, 5:21 pm

McCarthy-Crum-Ewing joins the Bulldogs from Oshawa, Ontario, Canada where she played at Eastdale C.V.I., as well as the North Mississauga Panthers club team.  A team captain for her high school team the last two seasons, she also participates in field hockey and wrestling for her high school, becoming the first female wrestler from her school to win a regional championship.
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Pennsylvania
Posted on February 5, 2010 4:43 AM

PSU celebrates National Girls and Women in Sports Day


By Laurie Stern
Collegian Staff Writer

When Jeanne Drouilhet was in high school, she never envisioned herself defending the Penn State women's rugby team national championship title. Now, she can't imagine her life any other way.

"One of my friends suggested it jokingly and so we did," Drouilhet (junior-journalism) said of joining her high school team. "My mom made a bet with me that I wouldn't last two weeks, and so I stuck with it in the beginning partly because of that, but then I fell in love with the sport."

Now Drouilhet will extend her enthusiasm for athletics to young girls as part of Penn State's celebration of the 24th Annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day. Moderating a panel discussion hosted by Penn State Rugby, she'll host current and former female athletes, including an U.S. Olympic gold medal winner.

The panel discussion, which will take place at 3:30 p.m. Saturday in room 133 of the East Area Locker Room Building, will be held in conjunction with a rugby clinic for about 200 female high school athletes.

In addition, the girls will be making bracelets with beads symbolizing beauty, strength and power, said Bridget Franek, a Penn State distance runner and a coordinator for the event.

"It's really an important thing for high school girls to realize that sports weren't always like they are today," Franek (senior-kinesiology) said. "They have more opportunities than even just a few years ago. Women's athletics has a ways to go before we're completely equal to the men, but changes are being made everyday."

But enacting these changes in women's athletics is an ongoing process, said Pamela Noakes, executive director of the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport: Women still have 1.3 million fewer opportunities in sports than men, she said.

Noakes went to Capitol Hill on Wednesday with other members of the organization to speak with congressional representatives. The organization's goal was to foster support for a bill that would require high schools to report basic data about the status of female participation in athletics.

"You can find this information, but this bill would allow a community or school district to take a look at the numbers and see if they're in line with the people they want to be with," Noakes said. "It empowers them to see where their weaknesses are and then take action."

Though many people think of sports as being just as accessible to women as men today, Noakes said it's not as equal as some might think. She recalled one conversation she had with a parent whose daughter was a wrestler on her school's team: Opposing schools refused to compete against her, simply because of her gender.

Saturday's event will honor and recognize the previous accomplishments of women in athletics, but the goal of the event is more so to inspire young women to participate in sports and show them the importance of having positive female role models.

Franek said her mom has always been her role model, especially regarding athletics, because she was the only girl on her track team growing up.

"Hearing from her made me appreciate my situation all the more," Franek said. "That's going to be the underlying message we're trying to get across to the girls. With more opportunity, there's more participation, and that's the main goal." 

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Rhode Island

HS WRESTLING: Cranston West vs. Coventry

Bryan Monaghan

Story Created: Feb 4, 2010 at 10:51 PM EST

Story Updated: Feb 4, 2010 at 10:53 PM EST

Video

Here's an entire match from Thursday night's high school wrestling meet, where Cranston West's Katelyn Bouyssou, a sophomore, easily defeats her opponent from Coventry High School.

Bouyssou, 15, transferred from Scituate High School to Cranston West to be able to compete.

Cranston West won the meet, to move to 10 and 3 on the season.

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Illinois
Local prep wrestling squads ready to start regional this weekend

By Geary Deniston, For The Southern | Posted: Friday, February 5, 2010 1:00 am 

Prep wrestling's second season opens Saturday with local teams participating in regionals at Murphysboro, Fairfield and Mattoon.

Murphysboro's Class 1A regional will start at 10 a.m. and be held at the high school gym with defending regional champions Murphysboro and Benton along with Herrin, Pinckneyville, West Frankfort, Anna-Jonesboro, Carterville and Johnston City competing.

"Herrin has a solid lineup and I think is the team to beat in our regional," said Benton coach Neal Wil-son. "They beat us in a dual early in the season and we beat them by one at the Cumberland Tournament."

Harrisburg will be at the Fairfield Class 1A regional along with Mount Carmel, Carmi-White County, Fairfield, Lawrenceville, Olney and Robinson. Action starts at 9 a.m.

Two-time regional champion Carbondale will be at the Mattoon Class 2A regional competing against South Seven rivals Marion, Mount Vernon and Centralia as well as Mattoon and Mount Zion. The tournament starts at 9 a.m.

Murphysboro senior and former state champion Jake Miller will be vying for his fourth straight regional title. After previously winning regional titles at 103, 119 and 135 and the state title his freshman year at 103, Miller is ranked first in the state with a 30-3 record at 145 this season and has beat Shea Baker's record for wins at Murphysboro by five with a 148-8 career mark.

"My three losses were good, strong matches and I think that helps prepare me for what I'm going to head into now," Miller said. "If I wrestle like I normally do, I should be able to take care of business and finish out at the state tournament."

Murphysboro is in a rebuilding year and will be hard pressed to repeat as regional champion, but does has junior Brad Sauer ranked fifth with a 29-4 record back to defend his heavyweight title.

Benton (18-2) is ranked 11th in the team rankings with four ranked wrestlers and five returning re-gional champs. Senior Aaron Robinson (26-3) is ranked second at 140, junior Damon Wilson (29-2) is ranked seventh at 135, junior Ross Worthy (25-6) is ranked ninth at 119 and senior Jordan Parola (25-1) is ranked 11th at 112. Senior Gaige Spencer is also back to defend his title at 171.

"We've done some overachieving, winning the Cumberland and Mount Olive tournaments," Wilson said. "Like everyone else, we suffered through sickness and injury and lost our 215 (defending 189 regional champ) Hunter Rone to a knee injury. So we had to fill our lineup with some inexperienced kids who wrestled well for us."

Herrin (17-5) is ranked 10th and has five ranked wrestlers including two defending regional champs. The returning champions are senior Marshall Anderson (32-1), ranked 12th at 160, and sophomore Levi Fortner (27-7), ranked 11th at 125.

The other ranked Tigers are sophomore Drake Holland (29-6), ninth at 145, junior Zack Lindsey (12-2), ninth at 140, and senior Kyle Borders (21-7), honorable mention at 130.

"Our season has been up and down with sickness, injuries and our 112 pounder quit on us, so we've been doing the best we can with what we've got," said Herrin coach Kelsey Lewis. "We also had a JV kid at 140 half the year while Lindsey was recovering from a dislocated elbow and our regular 189 pounder was in a car accident over Christmas, so he's out. At least Lindsey is back and will wrestle."

Also back to defend his regional title will be Anna-Jonesboro junior Daniel Heath at 112. Pinckneyville has two ranked wrestlers in seniors Walther Eiskant, ranked seventh at 119, and Tyler Rice, honorable mention at 171.

In Class 2A, Carbondale is also in a rebuilding season, but still has three ranked wrestlers. Sophomore Zane Richards is the top ranked wrestler at 125 with a 37-1 record and is the defending 119 regional champion.

"I'm just working out all the things I've been working on all season," Richards said. "I can't really learn anything new, so I'm just perfecting my art."

Carbondale seniors Prentice Thomas (35-3) and Alli Ragan (26-6) are two time regional champions with Thomas ranked second at 119 and Ragan honorable mention at 130.

"I'm really confident about going to regionals and doing really well," Thomas said. "I've won it for the past two years, so I'm going in there and doing what I have to do."

Mount Vernon returns four defending regional champs and is led by sophomore Blake Stricklin, ranked 10th at 135, and junior Dustin Cole, ranked 12th at 215.

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