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Downing and Betts win USGWA National Championship Titles
Cougars bring home Seven All-Americans

theguillotine.com/ 4/4/03

Lake Orion, MI - Two University of Minnesota-Morris women wrestlers earned United State Girls Wrestling Association national championship titles at the U.S.G.W.A. National Championships in Lake Orion, Michigan. Senior Katie Downing (Pendleton, IN) won championship honors at 154 pounds, and freshman Katrina Betts (Milan, MI) took home the gold at 114 pounds.

Downing opened the tournament with a fall over Stephanie Bolton of Cumberland College (KY). Downing built a 9-0 lead with two takedowns and three exposures before ending the match at 2:48. In the semifinals, Downing defeated Randi Miller of Neosho County College with a fall in 2:30. Downing scored on two - three point throws and an exposure before her second fall of the day.

In the 154 pound finals, Downing faced off with Kaci Lyle of Pacific University (OR). Lyle who placed 5th in the 1998 FILA-Junior World Championships has met Downing in numerous competitions in the past four years. Downing wrestled a defensive match, scoring a three-point takedown, a one-point takedown and a hold down in the danger position for a 5-2 win and a national championship.

Katrina Betts received a first round bye at 114 pounds as the number one seed of the tournament. Betts defeated former US National Team member Danielle Hobeika of Harvard University with a 4-1 decision. Betts pulled out the win a huge three-point takedown in the last 30 seconds of regulation for the win. In the championship finals, Betts downed Katie Kunimoto of Pacific University with a fall in 4:40. Betts led 7-0 at the end of the first period. In the second period, Betts hit a strong throw taking Kunimoto to her back and gaining the fall and her first collegiate national championship title.

"Katrina and Katie wrestle a great tournament," said UMM head coach Doug Reese. "Even though both Katie and Katrina wrestled up a weigh class following spring break, they showed that they are quality wrestlers, dominating the field," noted Reese. Downing improved her season record to 21-5 and Betts has wrestled to an amazing 29-2 mark.

Sophomore Katie Ross (Greensboro, NC) wrestled her best tournament of her career placing third at 128 pounds earning All-American honors. Ross lost her opening round match to Amanda Noteware of Princeton University 9-7 in overtime. Ross then came back to defeat Jennifer Steele of Neosho County College with a fall in 2:02. In her third match Ross won a 10-0 technical superiority over Regina Cullumber of Missouri Valley College.

In the consolation semifinals Katie Ross won by fall over Lisa Ward in 2:23. Ross built a strong 7-3 lead before ending the match with a pin. In the consolation finals, Ross again faced Amanda Noteware of Princeton University. This time Ross the table were turned, with Ross scoring an impressive 13-9 decision for the win and a third place as finish.

"Katie wrestled the tournament of her life," said coach Reese. "I am so proud of her effort this weekend. Katie has worked so hard. She deserves this honor. I just wish she would've had the opportunity to wrestle the second or first place wrestler. She was definitely on her game today," commented Reese.

Freshman Liz Short (Lombard, IL) placed fourth at 107 pounds. Short wrestled a very good tournament going 3-2.a Short won here first match 15-12 over Becky D'Ambrosia of Cumberland College. Short then lost by fall to US National Team member Julie Gonzales of the David Schultz Wrestling Club in 2:15. Short then downed Rachel Bernadez of Missouri Valley College with a solid 11-4 decision, then defeated Becky D'Ambrosia of Cumberland with an 8-7 decision. In the consolation finals, Short lost by fall in 2:15 to Kristin Kujioka of Pacific University.

Three other UMM wrestlers also earned All-American honors: Keli Hinton (Andover, KS) placed 6th at 121 pounds, Samantha Branka (Lincoln Park, MI) placed 5th at 154 pounds, and Alicia Wilson (Santee, CA) placed 6th at 165 pounds.

"We wrestled pretty well this weekend considering we only had a three days to prepare following spring break," said Reese. "But I know that we can wrestle a heck of a lot better than we did. This was an important event, and the last chance to tune up prior to the U.S. Open Senior Nationals in Las Vegas. It was a good learning experience. We know what we have to do know. Everything is on the table, it is now up to us to be ready to claim what we have work so long and hard for," said Reese.

The Cougars have three weeks now to prepare for the first step in the Olympic Trials. The top eight place finishers n the US Senior Open earn All-American honors and advance to the World Team Trials in St. Paul, MN on June 21-23. The top three place winners then become members of the US National Team. UM-Morris has placed 14 of its wrestlers on the U.S. National team in the last 7 years.

Katie Ross of the University of Minnesota-Morris works a power half on Amanda Noteware of Princeton University in the USGWA National Wrestling Championships. Ross placed third at 128 pounds earning All-American honors. (photo by Doug Reese) UM-Morris wrestler Katie Downing uses a tight front head lock to defeat Kaci Lyle of Pacific University in the USGWA championship finals. Downing won a 5-2 decision to claim the USGWA National Championship at 154 pounds. (photo by Doug Reese)

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Seven of Eight UM-Morris Wrestlers Place in USGWA North American Championships

4/403

Lake Orion, Michigan - Seven of eight UM-Morris women wrestlers placed in the United States Girl's Wrestling Association (USGWA) North American Collegiate Freestyle Championships which was good enough for a third place team finish.

Patrice Crenshaw, a sophomore (East Point, GA) placed second at 114 pounds. Crenshaw defeated Cathy Migita of the University of Hawaii 6-0, then dominated the number one ranked wrestler in the U.S. Marianne Vollmer of Missour Valley College 6-1. In the finals, Crenshaw lost to former U.S. National and Junior World Team member Danielle Hobieka of Harvard University by fall.

Freshman Sharon Jacobson (El Cajon, CA) placed third at 133 pounds. Jacobson pinned Raquel MagDalene of Menlo College in 3:37, and pinned Melissa Deiman of Pacific University in 1:15.

Liz Short, a sophomore (Lombard, IL) placed 4th at 107 pounds. Short won 13-2 over Andrea Giacomozzi of Bridgewater State and 10-0 versus Monica Harris of Missouri Valley College.

Freshman Ranae Faaborg (Radcliffe, IA) placed 4th at 138 pounds, the highlight coming with a "lateral drop" for three points and a fall versus the Linse Meadows of Neosho County College. This was Faaborg's finest finish this season.

Tabithia Ramsey (Austin, TX) placed a solid fourth at 114 pounds. Ramsey defeated Everdith Landraw of American International College by fall in 2:56 and downed Tonya Mikaski of Menlo College by a 7-4 decision.

Junior Katie Ross (Greensboro, NC) placed fifth at 128 pounds. Ross won by fall versus Teresa Dal Ben of Menlo College in 5:07, defeated Amanda Noteware of Princeton University 13-5, and won a 7-2 decision versus Kristen Rafanen of Missouri Valley College.

UM-Morris head coach Doug Reese was pleased with his team's results. "We had a long layoff," said Reese. "Our last competition was on February 1st in Canada. It was good to be back in competition again, but I didn't know how the layoff and coming off spring break would affect us."

"We just wanted to take a giant step forward this weekend. Win or lose we just wanted to get better as we approach our goal of U.S. Senior Nationals in Las Vegas on May 10th. We really did that today," noted Reese.

UM-Morris came into the competition ranked seventh in North America and ended up with a third place finish.

"Our team was focused and wrestled extremely well mentally - that is where we shined this weekend, it was in our tactics. When we wrestle within each individuals game plan we win. That was the difference this weekend. It was a good sign of a young team maturing," said Reese.

"Rankings are alot of spin, a lot of hype," said Reese. "We proved a lot this weekend, you can't count us out of anything."

The next competition for the Cougar women will be the FILA-Junior World Team Trials at St. Ben's College in St. Joseph on Saturday, April 12th. Champions of this event will represent the United States in the Junior World Championships in Athens, Greece in late August.

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Berkeley girl wrestlers shine at USGWA Nationals!

4/8/03

Congratulations to our two wrestlers who just returned from the United States Girls' Wrestling
Association Nationals in Michigan. Senior Christie
Ravera took 2nd place in her weight class. Her only loss was to the
tournament's MVP in the finals. Senior Regina Alexander took 6th place at
this prestigious 32-lady bracket competition. As a first year wrestler,
she upset the #2 seed on her way to the semis. Christie and Regina
encourage female high school athletes to come out for wrestling, and hope
we will soon see a long string of national girl champions from Berkeley.
Next fall, female and male high school students are welcome to consider
joining the Jackets Wrestling Team for this Winter-Semester Sport. Our
team is young, and our coaches are developing wrestlers who wrestle with
skill, good sportsmanship and success.

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Binghamton girl finishes third in wrestling nationals

Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin 4/1/03

Binghamton High senior Wendy Casey placed third in the United States Girls Wrestling Association High School Nationals at Lake Orion, Mich.

Casey, national champion two years ago at 126 pounds and last year at 130, placed third at 144 Sunday. She beat Amanda Chitteriden of Greenville, Mich., 13-0, in the consolation finals.

Casey lost in the semifinals, 5-4, to Anna Jenkins of Lake Orion, giving up a reversal in the closing seconds.

Oxford freshman Toni Copeland placed sixth at 152. She was pinned in the semifinals in 3:22 by eventual champion Ali Bernard of New Ulm, Minn.