News Page
3/27/2003
Gary Abbott/TheMat.com
The March 2003 TheMat.com North American Women's College Wrestling Rankings for teams and individuals has been released.
Simon Fraser Univ. of British Columbia, Canada remained the top North American college team in the poll, receiving all five of the first place votes from the coaches panel for 100 points. Simon Fraser traditionally competes in the NAIA as this year joined the CIS (the Canadian university college association). Simon Fraser won the team title for women at the CIS National Championships in March, and also had a number of athletes compete well at the Canadian FILA Junior Nationals.
Retaining the No. 2 position was the Univ. of Calgary, a Canadian CIS school, which placed second behind Simon Fraser in the CIS Championships.
Only two points separated the No. 3 and No. 4 teams, both NAIA schools from the United States. Cumberland College retained its third position, with 88 points, followed closely by Missouri Valley College in fourth with 86 points. Cumberland and Missouri Valley were tied for first in this month's U.S. team rankings.
Last month, there was a fifth place tie in the poll, which was broken in this month's poll. Brock Univ., which placed third as a team at the CIS Championships, retains the No. 5 ranking by itself. Slipping from fifth to sixth this month is Neosho County CC, a junior college in the United States.
Rounding out the Top 10 were No. 7 Univ. of Minnesota-Morris; No. 8 Univ. of Guelph; No. 9 Pacific Univ. and No. 10 McMaster Univ.
The team ranking poll is elected by a panel of women's college coaches, three from Canada and two from the United States. Eligible for ranking are college varsity and club women's wrestling programs.
All eight of the No. 1 athletes from last month retained their top ranking in this month's individual rankings.
The Canadian athletes with No. 1 spots this month were Carol Huyhn of Simon Fraser at 48 kg (105.5 lbs.), Belinda Chow of the Univ. of Regina at 51 kg (112.25 lbs.), Heather Sweezey of Brock at 55 kg (121 lbs.), Emily Richardson of Simon Fraser at 59 kg (130 lbs.), Tara Hedican of Guelph at 63 kg (138.5 lbs.), Shannon Samler of the Univ. of BC at 67 kg (147.5 lbs.) and Pamela Wilson of McMaster at 77 kg/169.5 lbs. All of these Canadian wrestlers were CIS champions, except for Samler who was not entered in the tournament. Hedican also won a gold medal at the Pan American Championships last weekend.
The U.S. wrestler with a No. 1 ranking was Toccara Montgomery of Cumberland College at 72 kg (158.5 lbs.) Montgomery, a sophomore and a 2001 World silver medalist, won a gold medal at the Pan American Championships last weekend.
This will be the last North American team poll and ranking posted by TheMat.com this season. The Mat.com will continue its U.S. college women's rankings in April and May.
There will be the USGWA Can-Am North American Championships, will be held in Lake Orion, Mich., March 29. The U.S. University National Championships and U.S. FILA Junior National Championships are set for April 11-13 in Saint Joseph, Mo. The Canadian Senior Nationals are May 2-4 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The U.S. Senior Nationals are May 9-10 in Las Vegas, Nev.
The individual rankings are selected by TheMat.com, with assistance from the panel of coaches. Athletes who are considered for ranking are eligible full-time college students, and are members of their college women's varsity or club program, or a member of their college men's wrestling team.
Women's wrestling is a growing sport in Canada and the United States on the college level. The International Olympic Committee has named women's freestyle wrestling as the newest sport added to the Summer Olympic Games program. The United States and Canada are among the most successful women's wrestling nations in the world.
March North American Women's Team Poll and individual rankings
----------------------------
Vintage grapplers head east for national tournament
March 26, 2003, MARTY JAMES
Executive Sports Editor
CIF state meet champion Daniel Murphree will head a contingent of eight wrestlers from Vintage High who will be traveling east to national tournaments later this week.
Murphree, the 145-pound winner at the California meet, will take a 57-1 record to the National High School Coaches Association Senior Nationals, which start on Friday at the Cleveland Convention Center.
"This is a big deal," Murphree said Tuesday. "It's bigger than state. I always thought of state as the pinnacle of my season, but this is definitely bigger."
On their way to the U.S. Girls Wrestling Association Nationals, which will be held Saturday and Sunday at Lake Orion High in Michigan, are Jessica Hsieh (105), Maika Watanabe (110), Kayla Chambers (122), Nicole Mazzaferro (126), Michelle Querin (134), Carina Valle-Santana (134) and Diana Douglass (165). It's a girls open event.
Also making the trip are Shelby Lanterman (70), who attends West Park School and will be in the elementary division; Julie Gonzalez (107), a U.S. National team member from Vallejo; and Michelle Douglass (128), a former national prep champion and Vintage assistant coach who is from Vallejo. Gonzalez and Douglass are entered in the senior division.
In addition, also competing are two Vintage graduates, Emilee Murphree (138) and Christie Rafanan (110), who wrestle for Missouri Valley College.
"All of the girls have been working hard, there's not a complaint," said Jim Lanterman, who co-coaches Vintage with Carl Murphree. "Every day they're here. They're right on time. They enjoy what they do. They're top notch at what they do. They've been very successful with it.
"They're always saying, 'We need more competition, we want to go here.' Well here it is, their chance to do it."
Watanabe, a three-time All-American and winner of a state title, wants to end her senior year undefeated and return to Napa with a gold medal. She is 28-0.
"I want to get the gold at nationals," she said during a practice yesterday. "Every year I want to get better, and I've been doing that."
The top eight finishers in each weight class medal and earn All-America honors. Placings also determine national rankings and the tournaments attract college coaches.
"Girls wrestling hasn't brought itself up to the skill level of boys wrestling at the very best levels, but it's just as competitive, and just as important," said Carl Murphree. "These trips are more fun than say, going to Turlock or Stockton. But when you win a state title, you wonder what that means. You want to find out, and that's what we're doing."
Daniel Murphree, who earned honorable mention from Wrestling USA, should out where he stands and compares to the rest of the country, as senior nationals will have over 100 wrestlers in each weight class. He qualified by placing among the top eight at the state meet, held earlier this month at University of the Pacific in Stockton. Only seniors are eligible for the meet, which continues Saturday and Sunday.
"I want to place and hopefully get some colleges to look at me there, just so I have some more options," said Murphree, who is leaning toward going to UC Davis, which will be moving from the Division II California Collegiate Athletic Association to the Big West Conference, a Div. I league. "If I wrestle to the best of my abilities I think I can place.
"I'm just trying to stay relaxed. I'm not really nervous. I'm trying to stay cool. I'm definitely motivated."
If Daniel Murphree makes it to Sunday, Carl plans to be there. He will make the drive from Michigan to Ohio.
"I think he's going to have a lot of close matches," said Carl. "If he gets a good draw I think he can place. I'm real optimistic with the way he's been wrestling in the last week. We've gotten some good workouts in.
"I think he's hopeful of placing. He's shooting for the top. He's close to the top, and I think with a good tournament he can be there."
Murphree is a three-time Monticello Empire League and Sac-Joaquin Northwest Sub-Section champion, a two-time Sac-Joaquin winner, and a three-time participant at the state meet.
Watanabe, who plans to attend West Valley College-Saratoga in the fall, is ranked No. 2 in the country going into nationals.
"Maika's one of the toughest chicks out there," said Valle-Santana. "She knows how to wrestle hard. She's an attacker. She just keeps going. She doesn't stop. She's got the intensity."
Mazzaferro, who won a state title earlier in the year, is expecting a major test.
"There's a lot of tough competition out there that's coming from across the nation," she said. "It's going to be a personal test of my ability. I'm hoping to do the best that I can. My goal is to place as highly as I can, have a lot of fun and try my hardest."
All of the Vintage wrestlers will be representing California. Team standings are kept, and California, Ohio and Pennsylvania are expected to be among the top teams. Both are double-elimination tournaments.
The fact that Vintage is sending seven wrestlers from its girls team says something about the depth, talent and quality of its program.
"We've got a good girls program," said Daniel Murphree. "We pay attention to our girls program where other schools don't. We dedicate a lot of time to the girls program."
---------------------------------------------------
By Will Vandergriff
Mar 26, 2003,
Track and field, football cheer leading, gymnastics.
Quite the schedule of sports. Add in Region IV wrestling -- against the opposite sex -- and the year doesn't seem to have enough days to cover it all.
And, and... Anchorage's Iris Mucha is heading down to Lake Oreon, Mich. Thursday for the Women's Junior National Wrestling Tournament.
The West High School senior is leading a contingent of five ladies from Alaska to the meet.
Mucha, fifth at regions this season, is the third ranked 119 pound female in the country according to the USGWA official web site.
Did we mention she's also a national Kata Karate champ?
The strong region showing went for naught at state as Mucha was dispatched two and out.
Things are looking better heading into nationals.
Mucha's had a whole year to prepare for the event after going down on two days notice and winning her final six matches to finish third last year.
"I was a little in shock (the first day,)" Mucha says of her debut. "It wasn't until the second day (of competition) that it stuck and I realized I could compete."
Despite battling a wrist injury for the past week, hampering her shot put practice with the Eagles track team, Mucha feels that anything less than a first place finish is a disappointment.
"I tried to wrestle at my normal weight this year," Mucha says. "Hopefully that'll make it an easier transition at nationals."
Carrying 130 pounds this season for the Eagles, Mucha felt the weight jump, even from 125 pounds, was too much.
She says she's proud that her mat prowess is helping her in other ways, most noticeably in higher education.
"I'm just glad to see more girls come out, more people show up at nationals," Mucha says. "I'm glad that I've gone this far, stuck with it. It's going to put me through college... I'm excited."
Mucha, Aubrey Putnam, Courtney and Tasha Douglas wrestle through Saturday night at the Lake Oreon High School Gym.