Townsend and Trish
Saunders seem straight out of
lowa's other field of dreams -
the wrestling arena.
The Saunderses, who mar-
ried in January and live in
Tempe, Ariz., are the USA's
only active wrestling couple.
Townsend, 24, is the No. I
freestyle wrestler at 149.5
pounds. Trish, 25, is a two-time
member of the U.S. Women's
World Championship team.
"It might be odd to others,
but it's kind of non-nal to us,"
Townsend says.
Adds Trish: "I think of him
as a husband more than a
wrestler because wrestling
isn't the focus of our mar-
riage."
Townsend, who finished sec-
ond last weekend at the U.S.
Open Grand Prix meet, com-
petes

Friday in the Pan Ameri-
can Championships in London,
Ontario. He must place in the
top three to qualify the USA for
the Olympics at 149.5 pounds.
"We support each other very
well," says Townsend, a gold
medalist at last year's PanAmerican Games in Cuba.
"She helps with the condition-
ing and training; I help with the
techniques."
After a 10-year hiatus, Trish
resumed her wrestling career
in 1989 (the same year she met Townsend) and hasnl lost to a
U.S. opponent during her
comeback.
"It just seemed natural for us
to be together," Trish says.

Ross Forman