The USA Wrestling Greco-Roman National Team has a series awards recognizing outstanding achievements within in Greco-Roman wrestling community. They are given to leaders, coaches and athletes who have excelled on the national level. These awards are announced at the ASICS Junior Nationals and Accelerade Cadet Nationals in Fargo, N.D. each year. "This is all about rewarding the hard work of volunteer coaches and leaders," said Ike Anderson, National Greco-Roman Developmental Coach. "They are giving their time and skills. They make a difference in the sport, and this is our way to give back to them. This award program also recognizes outstanding athletes for their performance and success during the entire year in Greco-Roman. All sports have Athlete of the Year awards, and this is our honor within Greco-Roman. " Davidson named Greco-Roman Leader of the Year Rusty Davidson of Grants, N.M. has been named 2007 Greco-Roman Leader of the Year, as presented by USA Wrestling's Greco-Roman National Team program. Davidson is being recognized for his leadership within Greco-Roman as a coach, official and state leader, as well as his promotion of the sport. He attended two major international tours this year, where he took extra time beyond his assigned duties to write an on-line journal and report on the sport and its athletes on TheMat.com, the official website of USA Wrestling. Davidson served as the volunteer coach for a U.S. Senior-level Greco-Roman team which competed in Serbia and Hungary. In addition to coaching the team, Davidson posted daily journal entries from the event, which were rich in detail and personal information on the team. The tour was highlighted by the return of USA Wrestling Assistant Greco-Roman National coach Momir Petkovic's return to his native country of Serbia, where he is a hero as a 1976 Olympic champion. Davidson attended another tour, this time to the Junior Pan American Championships in Maracaibo, Venezuela. He was there as a mat referee, but also found time for daily entries to a journal on all of the U.S. teams, including men's Greco-Roman, plus men and women's freestyle. He has also played a leadership role in bringing top Greco-Roman coaches to New Mexico to provide clinics for the athletes and teams there. Davidson has also attended the Greco-Roman Winter Training Camp for over a decade, working there to train mat officials and open dialogue between the U.S. developmental and elite coaches. He has been involved in the sport as a state leader, coach or official for 31 years. He served a number of years as the USA Wrestling state chairperson in New Mexico. He is a past chairperson of the National Coaches Council. Davidson has coached on 21 international tours, and was team leader or coach of two age-group Greco-Roman World Teams. He has served as instructor of the Greco-Roman Philosophy Clinic in Fargo, N.D. alongside the Junior and Cadet Nationals. As an official, he has worked the Greco-Roman Junior World Championships and Cadet World Championships and has officiated at five U.S. Greco-Roman World Team Trials events. "It means a lot to me to make a contribution to Greco-Roman wrestling," said Davidson. "Obviously, I love all wrestling. The Greco guys are just a little bit special to me, though. It is kind of a brotherhood. This is a real honor," said Davidson. Greco-Roman Leader of the Year 2006 - Patricia Fox, New Jersey 2007 - Rusty Davidson, New Mexico Wetzel named Cadet Greco-Roman Coach of the Year Eric Wetzel of Chicago, Ill. has been named 2007 Cadet Greco-Roman Coach of the Year, as presented by USA Wrestling's Greco-Roman National Team program. Wetzel has served as the Illinois Greco-Roman state coach since 1998, working with Greco-Roman athletes of all ages in the state. Illinois has had tremendous success in the major USA Wrestling national competitions in Greco-Roman during his tenure. This year, at the National Dual Meet Championships, Illinois won the Greco-Roman Team title in both the Junior Duals and the Cadet Duals, and place sixth at the Schoolboy Duals. Wetzel serves as the coach of the Chicago Crusader Wrestling Club, working with athletes of all ages. He has also been involved as a coach with the Beat the Streets program in the Chicago area. Wetzel also coached a USA Wrestling team that competed in France in 2000. He has been the head wrestling coach at Wright College, a junior college program in Illinois, for six years. He works as a student recruiter for the college. Wetzel was a Senior-level Greco-Roman wrestling star for the U.S. Marine Corps for more than 15 years. He qualified for two U.S. World Teams, including a sixth place finish at the World Championships. Wetzel also won a bronze medal at the 1987 Pan American Games. He retired from the U.S. Marine Corps after serving for 20 years. Wetzel is a graduate of Concordia Univ. in Illinois Cadet Greco-Roman Coach of the Year 2006 - Ray Brinzer, Pennsylvania 2007 - Eric Wetzel, Illinois Dominguez named Junior Greco-Roman Coach of the Year Zac Dominguez of Omaha, Neb. has been named 2007 Junior Greco-Roman Coach of the Year, as presented by USA Wrestling's Greco-Roman National Team program. Dominguez is the head coach in Greco-Roman for Team Iowa, working with Iowa's Junior and Cadet National teams. In 2006, Iowa won the Acordia Cup team title in Greco-Roman at both the ASICS/Vaughan Junior Nationals and the Accelerade Cadet Nationals. Iowa placed fourth in Greco-Roman at both the Junior National Duals and Cadet National Duals in 2007. Dominguez has served 10 years as a coach with Iowa USA Wrestling, and has coached the Greco-Roman athletes at the National Cadet Duals, the National Junior Duals in addition to the Junior and Cadet Nationals in Fargo, N.D. He began coaching the Iowa teams in Greco-Roman right after he finished his high school career, where he was a Junior Nationals Greco-Roman champion competing for Iowa. He has coached and trained with the nationally respected Golden Eagles club, led by Keith Massey in Underwood, Iowa. This club has produced numerous National champions and All-Americans on the age-group levels. Dominguez seves as an assistant wrestling coach at the Univ. of Nebraska-Omaha, and is the coach of the club program there, the Maverick Wrestling Club. He has also been an assistant wrestling coach at Omaha Creighton Prep High School. Dominguez was also honored as the Junior Greco-Roman Coach of the Month for July 2006. For two years, Dominguez was a U.S. Olympic Training Center resident athlete in Greco-Roman wrestling. He placed third at the 2004 Olympic Team Trials and fifth at the 2005 World Team Trials. He was also fifth at the 2004 U.S. Nationals. He competed a year for the Univ. of Nebraska, and transferred to Northern Michigan Univ., where he was one of the first athletes at the U.S. Olympic Education Center Greco-Roman program. Junior Greco-Roman Coach of the Year 2006 - Gary Mayabb, Missouri 2007 - Zac Dominguez, Iowa Deitchler named Junior Greco-Roman Wrestler of the Year Jake Deitchler of Rumsey, Minn. has been named 2007 Greco-Roman Junior Wrestler of the Year, as presented by USA Wrestling's Greco-Roman National Team program. Deitchler won the gold medal at the ASICS/Vaughan Junior Nationals in Greco-Roman this year, claiming the 145-pound title with a victory over 2006 Cadet Nationals runner-up Don Vinson of New York. He won a gold medal at the FILA Junior World Team Trials, defeating John Dibala of the USOEC/Northern Michigan program. He was second at the FILA Junior National Championships, losing to Dibala in the finals. He was the champion at the 2007 Northern Plains Junior Regionals in Greco-Roman. At the 2006 ASICS Vaughan Junior Nationals, Deitchler placed second in freestyle and third in Greco-Roman. He was a 2006 FILA Cadet National Greco-Roman champion and a 2005 Cadet National Greco-Roman and Folkstyle champion. He just completed his junior at Anoka High School, winning the 145 pound title this year, his second state championship title. He was fifth in the state at 125 pounds as a freshman. Junior Greco-Roman Wrestler of the Year 2006 - Eric Grajales, Florida 2007 - Jake Deitchler, Minnesota Mango named Cadet Greco-Roman Wrestler of the Year Ryan Mango of St. Louis, Mo. has been named 2007 Greco-Roman Cadet Wrestler of the Year, as presented by USA Wrestling's Greco-Roman National Team program. He won the FILA Cadet Nationals title in Greco-Roman at 101.25 pounds, defeating Jamie Clark of Ohio in the championship finals in a tough three-period match. Mango won the 98-pound title in the Cadet Folkstyle Nationals this year, as well, beating Ultimate Dominator winner Jesse Thielke of Wisconsin in the finals. He 2006 Cadet Nationals Greco-Roman champion, and named Outstanding Wrestler, and was also a 2006 Cadet Nationals freestyle champion. He was fifth in 2006 FILA Cadet Nationals in Greco-Roman. Mango completed his sophomore year at the Whitfield School where he was a state champion this year. He placed third in the Missouri state meet as a freshman. He is the brother of University World champion Spenser Mango, who is currently ranked No. 2 on the senior level at 121 pounds. Cadet Greco-Roman Wrestler of the Year 2006 - Ben Provisor, Wisconsin 2007 - Ryan Mango, Missouri