Women's wrestling¹s best comes to Forest Grove; National Collegiate Women¹s Wrestling Championships to take place at Pacific Athletic Center this Saturday
 
FOREST GROVE ­ The best collegiate women¹s wrestlers in the United States will make an appearance in Forest Grove this weekend as Pacific University plays host to the National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championships this Saturday.
 
Preliminary sessions begin at 9:00 a.m., at the Pacific Athletic Center.

Championship matches will take place in the evening session, which begins at 7:00 p.m.  Admission for the full day is $4 for adults, $3 for students 17 and under and senior citizens.
 
This is Pacific¹s first chance to host the national meet in their five years as a varsity program. 

"We are thrilled to be able to showcase the absolute best in women¹s wrestling here at Pacific this weekend," said Pacific head wrestling coach Scott Miller.  "We will have a chance to see women who could represent the United States at the next Olympics, which will be a special treat for all of us."
 
Pacific will be one of four varsity teams participating in the nationals, joining programs from Menlo College (Calif.), University of the Cumberlands(Ky.) and Missouri Valley College.  

In addition, the meet will feature club programs from Cabrillo Junior College (Calif.), Clark College,  Arizona State, Portland State and the Spartan Wrestling Club, which comprises wrestlers from San Jose State, San Jose City College and Fresno State.
 
Cumberlands is the defending national champion and is the odds-on favorite to repeat in 2007.  The Patriots were runaway winners in 2006 with 113 points, compared to Missouri Valley's second place total of 98 points.

Cumberlands claimed national titles from Jessica Medina at 51 kg., Othella Lucas at 59 kg., Alaina Berube at 63 kg., Heather Martin at 67 kg., and Tocarra Montgomery at 80 kg.  In the latest North American College Poll, released by TheMat.com, Cumberlands had four wrestlers ranked at the top of their weight class.
 
The host Boxers finished third in last year's championship and enter the tournament ranked No. 11 in North America. Kapua Torres (Jr., Kahuku,Hawaii) is the team's lone ranked wrestler, earning a No. 4 North American ranking at 51 kg.
 
The National Collegiate Women¹s Wrestling Championships will be a showcase for the sport of women's wrestling, which continues to experience steady growth at both the high school and collegiate levels. Recognized as a medal sport for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, all four of the nation¹s varsity programs will be represented on Saturday.  A fifth varsity program at Oklahoma City University is slated to come online for the 2007-2008 season.
 
More details about the National Collegiate Women¹s Wrestling Championships, including a full schedule of events, can be found online at 
http://www.goboxers.com/wwr/nationals