Murata, Roberts, Downing win Challenge Tournament at Women’s National Team Trials in three non-Olymp

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Gary Abbott (USA Wrestling)
07/20/2004


Challenge Tournament Photos  Three wrestlers won the Challenge Tournament at their weight classes and have advanced to the Championship Series in a special Women's National Team Trials in three non-Olympic weight classes at the U.S. Olympic Training Center (USOTC) in Colorado Springs, Colo., July 20-21.    Claiming the Challenge Tournment victories were Stephanie Murata (Minden, Nev./Sunkist Kids) at 51 kg/112.25 lbs., Sally Roberts (Colorado Springs, Colo./Gator WC) at 59 kg/130 lbs. and Katie Downing (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) at 67 kg/147.5 lbs.    In the gold-medal match of the Challenge Tournament, Murata, a 2001 World silver medalist, defeated 2003 World bronze medalist Jenny Wong (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids), 4-1. Murata scored a two-point exposure on a scramble with 29 seconds left in the match to clinch the win.    Murata will now face No. 1 seed Debbi Sakai (Mililani, Hawaii/Missouri Valley) in the best-of-three Championship Series on Wednesday, July 21.    To reach the finals, Murata pinned Katie Kunimoto (Colorado Springs, Colo./Gator WC), in 1:44. Wong scored an 11-1 technical fall over Caitlyn Chase (Hanover Park, Ill./unattached) in her semifinal match.    Both Murata and Wong competed at 55 kg/121 lbs. at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials.    Roberts, a 2003 World bronze medalist, edged 2004 University World champion Marcie Van Dusen (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids), 7-5. Van Dusen led 5-4 in the final minute, but Roberts scored a late takedown and a gutwrench turn for the deciding three points.    Roberts will now face No. 1 seed Lauren Lamb, Farmington, N.Y. (Michigan WC) in the best-of-three Championship Series on Wednesday, July 21.    In the semifinals, Roberts pinned Brandy Rosenbrock (St. Claire Shores, Mich./Rosenbrock WC) in 4:42. Van Dusen upset two-time World silver medalist Tina George (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army), 5-3 in the other semifinal.    Roberts competed at 63 kg/138.75 lbs. during the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, while Van Dusen wrestled at 55 kg/121 lbs. at the Olympic Trials event.    Downing stopped Kaci Lyle (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids), 3-0 in the Challenge Tournament finals. A two-point gutwrench in the second period nailed down the victory for Downing.    Downing will now face No. 1 seed Ali Bernard (New Ulm, Minn./Minnesota Storm) in the best-of-three Championship Series on Wednesday, July 21.    In the semifinals, Downing beat Tori Adams (Colorado Springs, Colo./Gator WC), 3-0. Lyle scored an 11-4 victory over Heather Martin (Wellington, Ohio/Cleveland State) in the other semifinal.    At the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Downing wrestled at 72 kg/158.5 lbs. while Lyle wrestled at 63 kg/138.75 lbs.    This Women's National Team Trials is being held in order to set the rankings and the national team support for athletes who compete in the non-Olympic weight classes.  In addition, the winner of the event in each weight class will represent the United States at the Women's World Cup in Tokyo, Japan, Oct. 8-9. All athletes who qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, regardless of weight division, are eligible to participate in the Women's National Team Trials if they choose.    The second day of the event is the Championship Series on Wednesday, July 21st, where the No. 1 seed will wrestle against the winner of the Challenge Tournament in a best-of-three series. Session times for the Championship Series are 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. The competition will be held in Gym 9 of SportsCenter II on the USOTC campus, the upstairs gym in the same building where the wrestling room resides.    Spectators are encouraged to attend the event, and admission is free.    CHALLENGE TOURNAMENT CHAMPION QUOTES    51 kg - Stephanie Murata    "I won, but I didn't accomplish what I wanted to. It was a smart match, but it was not an aggressive one. I wanted to score every time I was on top, and I didn't do that."    "I think we were both small for that other weight class. We are both more comfortable at 51 kg rather than at 55 kg. As fate would have it, that weight was not picked for the Olympics. You have to make do and go for it. A lot of wrestling is adaptation. The person who is most flexible and can adjust is the one who comes out victorious. It is weird having competition with all the girls you wrestle anyway. You get used to it."    59 kg - Sally Roberts    "I made myself nervous out there. With about one minute left, I wanted to control the tieup, but that is not what my body was doing. I have to work on my brain to hand communication. It was way too close for comfort for me."    "About 30 minutes after I lost at the Olympic Trials, I knew I would be coming down to 130 pounds. I didn't take a single day off since. I knew this was my weight class and I had to make it. I wanted to do it right and do my best. There is good competition here. I will next wrestle Lauren Lamb. She is a tough competitor and a good thrower. I have to be hyper aware, but at the same time, I just have to wrestle. I love to wrestle. I imagine there will be a lot of that going on tomorrow."    67 kg - Katie Downing    "It is hard to get excited for anything less than the Olympics. This is the competition before me. I had to do what I had to do to win. I had to reshift my focus for World competition at this weight class. If there are more Olympic weights in the future, I will be set up for that opportunity."    "The match went as I expected. She is one of my regular training partners. It would have been nice to get something new on her, besides front headlocks and gut wrenches, but that is what works, so you go with it."