News Page
8/5/2003
John Fuller/USA Wrestling
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic - Three U.S. women’s freestyle wrestlers have earned a trip to the gold-medal match at the Pan American Games. This is the first year that women’s wrestling has been featured at this event.
The three finalists are Patricia Miranda (Colorado Springs, Colo./Dave Schultz WC) at 48 kg/105.5 lbs., Sara McMann (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) at 63 kg/138.75 lbs. and Toccara Montgomery (Cleveland, Ohio/Cumberland College) at 72 kg/158.5 lbs. Tina George (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) will wrestle in the semifinals at 55 kg/121 lbs.
Miranda stormed through her competition, recording two first-period pins and another win by technical superiority, 11-0. She will face Lyndsay Belisle of Canada for the first-ever gold medal awarded in women’s wrestling at the Pan American Games.
Belisle defeated Miranda 3-1 at the Pan American Championships in Guatemala City, Guatemala in March.
McMann also had no trouble in her pool matches, winning her first two matches by fall and her third by a 10-0 technical superiority.
She will wrestle Viola Yanik of Canada in the gold-medal match. Yanik placed third at the 2002 World Cup.
After a forfeit, Montgomery defeated Yasmili Ramos of Venezuela 8-0 to win her pool and advance to the gold-medal match. Montgomery will square off with North American rival Ohenewa Akuffo of Canada.
Montgomery is 4-1 this year against Akuffo, but Akuffo won the last meeting, 4-2 in overtime, at the Canada Cup in July.
George defeated Tonya Verbeek of Canada 4-1 in pool competition to advance to the semifinal round. The win avenged a Pan American Championships loss to Verbeek in March.
In the semifinals, George will wrestle Marcia Andrades of Venezuela, an opponent that pinned George at the Pan American Championships.
Only the four Olympic weight classes are competed at the Pan American Games in order to be in accordance with the Olympic programme.
Women’s freestyle competition will commence at the Pebellon de Combate in the Olympic Park in Santo Domingo this evening at 5:00 p.m.
For complete coverage, bio information and results of the Pan American Games wrestling competitions, log in to www.themat.com/specialevents/2003/PanAm/default.asp .
Pan American Games
at Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
August 5, 2003
U.S. Women’s Freestyle Individual Results
48 kg/105.5 lbs. - Patricia Miranda, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Dave Schultz WC)
pin Susana Dos Santos (Brazil), 2:50; tech. fall Flor Quispe (Peru), 11-0, 3:50; pin Ivelisso Nunez, Dominican Republic, 1:43
55 kg/121 lbs. - Tina George, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army)
tech. fall Sandra V. Roa (Guatemala), 10-0, 2:50; dec. Tonya Verbeek (Canada), 4-1
63 kg/138.75 lbs. - Sara McMann, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids)
pin Vanesa Mallqui (Peru), 1:07; pin Xiomara Guevara (Venezuela), 3:16; tech. fall Lili A. Canales (El Salvador), 10-0, 1:12
72 kg/158.5 lbs. - Toccara Montgomery, Cleveland, Ohio (Cumberland College)
dec. Yasmili Ramos (Venezuela), 8-0
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U.S. women’s freestyle wrestling team records sweep of golds in inaugural competition at the Pan American Games
8/5/2003
John Fuller/USA Wrestling
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic - The U.S. women’s freestyle wrestling team entered the Pan American Games competition with hopes of sweeping the four gold medals.
When the dust had settled, that mission had been accomplished in possibly the most dominating performance by a U.S. women’s wrestling team since it won the 1999 World team title.
Gold medals were won by Patricia Miranda (Colorado Springs, Colo./Dave Schultz WC) at 48 kg/105.5 lbs., Tina George (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) at 55 kg/121 lbs., Sara McMann (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) at 63 kg/138.75 lbs. and Toccara Montgomery (Cleveland, Ohio/Cumberland College) at 72 kg/158.5 lbs.
Miranda, George and Montgomery are all World silver medalists.
“Our girls are really honed,” stated Tricia Saunders, a gold medal winner for that 1999 World Championship team and head coach of the Pan American Games team. “I am not surprised we did this, but it was a challenge as well. Three of these women lost to their opponents at the Pan Am Championships, but they came back and really dominated.”
“They have always had the talent, but its about putting it together on the same day, and that’s what they did here,” Saunders added.
Miranda got the ball rolling for the U.S. squad - literally. She dominated the action, using a front headlock throughout the entire first period to gain position against Canada’s Lyndsay Belisle.
Leading 4-0 in the second period, Miranda used that front headlock to fake a shot and lock a cradle, earning a pin at the 4:08 mark.
“Terry told me at the halfway point that when she grabs at my hands and arms to give her a yank and go to the leg. When I did that, I had an opening for the cradle and took it,” Miranda said.
The win was also monumental as Miranda became the first-ever gold medalist for women’s wrestling at the Pan American Games.
“I feel like the luckiest person alive,” she said in Disney World-like fashion.
Following Miranda’s win was George, who had a 4-1 semifinal win over Marcia Andrades of Venezuela at the beginning of the session.
In the finals, George held on for a 4-3 victory over Tonya Verbeek of Canada, an opponent George had defeated in pool competition as well.
Verbeek opened the scoring in the match with a takedown and a one-point ankle lace for a 2-0 advantage. George tied the score in the second period with her second takedown, and a two-point gut wrench put her up 4-2 on the Canadian. Verbeek later forced a fleeing the mat call against George, but was unable to muster any more offense.
“I realized at the halfway point that I didn’t want to give that match away. I didn’t come out with the intensity that I usually like to show. Sometimes your best isn’t good enough, but I felt like mine was,” an emotion George said after the win.
“So many people in my Army unit have supported me and I wanted to give everything I had for them,” she added.
McMann wasted no time in taking control of her match against Viola Yanik of Canada, scoring six points in the first period and earning a pin at the 3:24 mark.
McMann felt that her success in the gold-medal match, along with the success of the other U.S. champions, is a direct result of the Women’s Freestyle Resident Program at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.
“(USA Wrestling National Women’s Coach) Terry Steiner has helped me on my defense so much. Everybody has improved since Terry has come in. We all take advantage of what he knows,” she said.
Montgomery finished the sweep with a first-period pin of Ohenewa Akuffo of Canada at the 1:19 mark. Akuffo had gained a 2-0 lead with two takedowns, but Montgomery refused to back down to the woman who had defeated her in July.
“I was confident. We had wrestled five times this year before this match, and in two of them she had at least a two or three-point lead,” Montgomery said. “When I’m down, I don’t get nervous.”
The U.S. placed first in the team race, followed by Canada and Venezuela.
The U.S. Women’s Freestyle Team will now prepare for the World Championships which will be held at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, Sept. 12-14.
For complete coverage, bio information and results of the Pan American Games wrestling competitions, log in to www.themat.com/specialevents/2003/PanAm/default.asp .
Pan American Games
at Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
August 5, 2003
U.S. Women’s Freestyle Individual Results
48 kg/105.5 lbs. - Patricia Miranda, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Dave Schultz WC) - 1st
pin Susana Dos Santos (Brazil), 2:50; tech. fall Flor Quispe (Peru), 11-0, 3:50; pin Ivelisso Nunez, Dominican Republic, 1:43; by fall over Lyndsay Belisle (Canada), 4:08
55 kg/121 lbs. - Tina George, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) - 1st
tech. fall Sandra V. Roa (Guatemala), 10-0, 2:50; dec. Tonya Verbeek (Canada), 4-1; dec. Marcia Andrades (Venezuela), 4-1; dec. Tonya Verbeek (Canada), 4-3
63 kg/138.75 lbs. - Sara McMann, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) - 1st
pin Vanesa Mallqui (Peru), 1:07; pin Xiomara Guevara (Venezuela), 3:16; tech. fall Lili A. Canales (El Salvador), 10-0, 1:12; by fall over Viola Yanik (Canada), 3:24
72 kg/158.5 lbs. - Toccara Montgomery, Cleveland, Ohio (Cumberland College) - 1st
dec. Yasmili Ramos (Venezuela), 8-0; by fall over Ohenewa Akuffo (Canada), 1:19
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Quotes from Pan American Games U.S. Women's Freestyle Team
8/5/2003
John Fuller/USA Wrestling
48 kg/105.5 lbs. - Patricia Miranda - 1st
“I try not to project how a match is going to look, but (the front headlock) is something I didn’t want to give up.”
“Terry told me at the halfway point that when she grabs at my hands and arms to give her a yank and go to the leg. When I did that, I had an opening for the cradle and took it.”
“I feel like the luckiest person alive.”
55 kg/121 lbs. - Tina George - 1st
“I was remembering how I felt in Guatemala when I lost to her. I was remembering how it feels to go home with a loss, and it is a feeling I don’t like.”
“So many people in my Army unit have supported me and I wanted to give everything I had for them.”
“I realized at the halfway point that I didn’t want to give that match away. I didn’t come out with the intensity that I usually like to show. Sometimes your best isn’t good enough, but I felt like mine was.”
63 kg/138.75 lbs. - Sara McMann - 1st
“(USA Wrestling National Women’s Coach) Terry Steiner has helped me on my defense so much. Everybody has improved since Terry has come in. We all take advantage of what he knows. We did a lot to make him proud.”
“I have wrestled her a few times before and beaten her every time. She has nothing to lose. I scouted her before as well. She has a hi-crotch and a fireman’s, but that’s it. I knew if I could stop those that I would be fine.”
“This is unbelievable. We had talked about winning all the golds before we came in, but that’s all it was - talk. Now, it’s real.”
72 kg/158.5 lbs. - Toccara Montgomery - 1st
“(Sweeping the golds) feels good. We had all talked about it, but for it to happen was a picture-perfect situation.”
“I was confident. We had wrestled five times this year before this match, and in two of them she had at least a two or three-point lead. When I’m down, I don’t get nervous.”
“There was a lot of good competition here. More so for the other girls, since I only had two matches, but it’s a good warm-up for the World Championships.”
Pan American Games Women’s Freestyle Head Coach Tricia Saunders
“Our girls are really honed. I am not surprised we did this, but it was a challenge as well. Three of these women lost to their opponents at the Pan Am Championships, but they came back and really dominated.”
“They have always had the talent, but its about putting it together on the same day, and that’s what they did here.”
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Devlin wins silver in Greco-Roman, and Betts takes gold in women’s division at Olympic Hopes Tournament
8/5/2003
Gary Abbott/USA Wrestling
The United States added a number of medals in the Greco-Roman and women’s divisions at the Olympic Hopes Tournament in Budapest, Hungary.
Paul Devlin (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) captured the only U.S. medal in Greco-Roman, winning a silver medal at 120 kg/264.5 lbs.
Devlin was defeated 3-0 in the gold-medal finals by an opponent from Iran. The Iranian wrestler scored one point from the clinch position, then added a gut wrench to score the necessary three points.
Devlin won two matches in his pool competition to qualify for the gold-medal match, beating opponents from Hungary and Yugoslavia.
Placing fourth for the USA in Greco-Roman were Joe Espinoza (Marquette, Mich./USOEC) at 55 kg/121 lbs. and Jacob Plamann at 84 kg/185 lbs.
The other U.S. Greco-Roman entry, Willie Madison (Marquette, Mich./Gator WC) placed eighth at 60 kg/132 lbs.
In the women’s event, Katrina Betts (Milan, Mich./Wolverine) claimed a gold medal at 48 kg/105.5 lbs., winning all three of her matches in a four-athlete roundrobin.
Placing second behind Betts was Amantha Hordagoda (Bakersfield, Calif./Cal-Bakersfield), who was pinned in the championship finals by Betts. Hordagoda had an 2-1 record in the tournament.
Placing third in a three-athlete weight class was Sharon Jacobson (El Cajon, Calif/UM-Morris) who had an 0-2 record at 59 kg/130 lbs.
Earlier in the week, a pair of U.S. freestyle wrestlers captured gold medals in freestyle: Nick Simmons (E. Lansing, Mich./Michigan State WC) at 55 kg/121 lbs. and Nik Fekete (E. Lansing, Mich./Michigan State WC) at 96 kg/211.5 lbs.
The coaches for the U.S. athletes were Ivan Ivanov (Greco-Roman), Dr. Dave Bennett (freestyle) and Tim Vanni (women).
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