USA Wrestling has chosen its nominees to serve as coaches for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team in Greco-Roman wrestling.

Selected by USA Wrestling to serve along with USA Wrestling National Greco-Roman Coach Steve Fraser of Colorado Springs, Colo. on the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Greco-Roman coaching staff are Jay Antonelli of Chesapeake, Va. and Rich Estrella of Colorado Springs, Colo.

Five finalists were interviewed by the USA Wrestling Greco-Roman Coach Selection Committee, which selected Antonelli and Estrella as its choices to join Fraser as nominees. USA Wrestling's Executive Committee approved these selections. The nominees will now be forwarded to the U.S. Olympic Committee for final approval.

The other three finalists were Shon Lewis of Colorado Springs, Colo., Andy Seras of Sandy Hook, Conn. and Shawn Sheldon of West Palm Beach, Fla.

Antonelli and Estrella have served as official Greco-Roman World Team Coaches at recent World Championships, Antonelli in 2003, 2005 and 2007 and Estrella in 2005 and 2007. 

This was the coaching team for the historic 2007 U.S. Greco-Roman World Team, which won the World Team Title, the first time that the USA has won the Greco-Roman team title.

Both coaches have worked for military wrestling programs. Estrella is the head coach of the U.S. Air Force wrestling team, stationed at Peterson AFB, Colo. Antonelli served as the head coach for the U.S. Marine Corps wrestling team for seven years.

Quotes from the nominees and complete biographies are below.

QUOTES FROM THE NOMINEES

USA Wrestling National Greco-Roman Coach Steve Fraser of Colorado Springs, Colo.

"I am very optimistic and excited about our potential this year. Coming off our victory at the Worlds in Baku, it should confirm our confidence that we can accomplish our goals in Beijing. It won't come easy. It will take nine more months of good preparation and smart training to put us in a position to do well. With the athletes in the hunt for our team, along with our support staff of coaches, medical staff and administrators, we are confident that we will have a great Olympic year."

Jay Antonelli of Chesapeake, Va.

"It is an honor to be a part of the Olympic Team. I look forward to helping the United States win as many medals as possible with this team. Being able to work with such great athletes and representing your country at the Olympics is a huge honor and something that you dream about when you are young."

"We have been knocking on the door for a long time. With this historic performance (winning the 2007 World Team Title) there will be a lot of countries gunning for us, so it is our job to step it up even more. It is not beyond our capability of winning the title every year. We need to improve on this past year's performance. We did not win a gold medal when we won the team title. Our team is capable of winning individual gold medals and has the ability to win more medals that we got in the past. I look forward to the challenges that lie ahead."

Rich Estrella of Colorado Springs, Colo.

"I would like to thank my wife of 32 years Cherie, and my three children, Dane, Adam and Amelia, their understanding, devotion, and support has allowed me to be successful in all aspects of my life including coaching. I would also like to thank the members of the Coaches Selection Committee and so many others, who without their confidence and trust we would not be able to achieve the goal to 'be the best in the World.'"

"We have a solid plan in place and I will continue to work hard each day to meet the objectives set forth - with the overall goal of winning the medals in Beijing that I know we are capable of. We have impressed upon all of our athletes that they all need to get in 20 or more international matches between now and the Games. They have been responding very well and it will pay off in China and beyond."
  
"I am honored to be selected for this prestigious coaching position and ready for the challenge ahead. I look forward to working with Steve Fraser and Jay Antonelli, along with the many coaches and athletes that will be involved, as we prepare for the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, China."

BIOGRAPHIES OF THE NOMINEES

USA Wrestling National Greco-Roman Coach Steve Fraser of Colorado Springs, Colo.

Fraser joined USA Wrestling as the National Greco-Roman Coach in October, 1995. He serves as the full-time professional coach working with the national Greco-Roman program and works to develop Greco-Roman programs in the United States.

Fraser led the United States to its first-ever World Team Title in Greco-Roman wrestling in Baku, Azerbaijan in 2007, defeating powerhouse Russia by one team point. The team featured three individual medalists, silver medalist Brad Vering and bronze medalists Harry Lester and Dremiel Byers.

Two other times, the USA placed third in the World Championships under Fraser, which were the best finish in history at that time. 

At the 2001 World Championships, the United States placed third, the first time a U.S. Greco-Roman team won a team medal at a World Championship. The 2001 squad had a World Champion in Rulon Gardner and silver medalists Brandon Paulson and Matt Lindland. Fraser also led the U.S. to a third-place finish at the 2006 World Championships with Joe Warren winning a World gold medal, and Lindsey Durlacher and Harry Lester each winning bronze medals. 

At the 2000 Olympic Games, the U.S. team won one gold, one silver and one bronze medal. Gardner stunned the world with his win over unbeaten Russian Alexander Kareline. Gardner also won a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympic Games.

Fraser won a gold medal at 90 kg (198 lbs.) at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, becoming the first U.S. wrestler to ever win an Olympic gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling.

He also won a gold medal at the 1983 Pan American Games. Fraser was a member of the 1979 and 1982 U.S. World Teams. He claimed U.S. Nationals titles in Greco-Roman in 1981 and 1983, and was a U.S. Nationals freestyle champion in 1984.

Fraser was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1994. He was named USA Wrestling Athlete of the Year in 1984, and was a finalist for the James E. Sullivan Award that year. He has been inducted into the Michigan Wrestling Hall of Fame and the Michigan Amateur Sports Hall of Fame.

He attended the Univ. of Michigan, where he was a two-time NCAA All-American. Fraser received a bachelor's degree in physical education in 1980. He was a Michigan state high school champion at Hazel Park High School.

Fraser was an assistant coach at the Univ. of Michigan from 1980-87, and at Eastern Michigan Univ. from 1987-1993. He also coached with the Michigan Wrestling Club for 10 years.

Jay Antonelli, Chesapeake, Va.

Antonelli served as a World Team Coach for the historic 2007 U.S. World Team that won the World Team Title in Baku, Azerbaijan. It was the first U.S. Greco-Roman team to win a Senior World Team title, and featured three individual medalists.

He also served as a World Team Coach for the 2005 U.S. World Team that competed in Budapest, Hungary, which earned one medal and placed 17th in the team standings.

Antonelli served as the Assistant Coach of the 2003 U.S. Greco-Roman World Team that competed in Cretiel, France. The U.S. team placed 13th in the standings, led by three athletes in the top 10 of their divisions.

He was a member of the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team coaching staff. Antonelli has also been a member of three other U.S. World Team coaching staffs. He was the head coach for four CISM World Military Championship teams.

Antonelli was named USA Wrestling Greco-Roman Coach of the Year in 1998.

He was the head coach of the 2002 U.S. World Cup team. Antonelli has coached a number of other U.S. teams on international tours. He has been active in coaching youth Greco-Roman teams in the past, including working with the New Jersey Junior National team.

Antonelli worked seven years as the head coach of the U.S. Marines Corps team, through the end of the 2004 season. Numerous members of the U.S. Marines team have made U.S. World Team, or qualified for Greco-Roman Team USA during Antonelli's tenure. The Marine Corps was the overall champion at the 2001 Armed Forces Championships, and claimed the Greco-Roman team title in 1998. Antonelli has coached dozens of individual Armed Forces champions in both styles.

He is a major in the U.S. Marine Corps currently stationed at JPASE in Suffolk, Va. Antonelli has served in Baghdad, Iraq in 2004-2005 and most recently in Kandahar, Afghanistan in 2007.

As an athlete, Antonelli was a nationally-ranked Greco-Roman wrestler for the U.S. Marines team. He placed eighth in the 1995 U.S. Nationals, and was fifth in the 1994 World Team Trials. He competed in college for the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. Antonelli also received a masters degree in Exercise and Health Fitness Promotion from George Mason Univ. He competed for the Pingry School in New Jersey in high school.

Rich Estrella, Colorado Springs, Colo.

Estrella served as a World Team Coach for the historic 2007 U.S. World Team that won the World Team Title in Baku, Azerbaijan. It was the first U.S. Greco-Roman team to win a Senior World Team title, and featured three individual medalists.

He also served as a World Team Coach for the 2005 U.S. World Team that competed in Budapest, Hungary, which earned one medal and placed 17th in the team standings.

Estrella served as head coach of the 1996 U.S. World Cup team, which won a record five gold medals in the competition. Team USA I placed third and Team USA II was fifth in the standings. He has been a coach on five U.S. World Cup teams.

He was also the coach of the 2006 U.S. University World Team, which competed in Mongolia and featured World champion Spenser Mango.

He was a member of the 1996 U.S. Olympic coaching staff. Three times, Estrella has been coach of the U.S. CISM World Military Team. He has also coached at three Pan American Championships, including the 1994 Pan American team that was the first U.S. Greco-Roman team to win the team title since 1978. 

Estrella was assistant coach of the 2003 Pan American Games team that competed in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The U.S. team placed second in the standings and featured six medalists.

He served as head coach of the 1991 and 1996 Junior World Teams, and was an assistant on the 1993 Espoir World Team. In 1993, he was one of the winners of the USA Wrestling FILA Junior/University Person of the Year award.

He has served 20 years as head coach of the U.S. Air Force team, leading the program since 1987. Estrella has coached many National Team members and nationally-ranked athletes. The U.S. Air Force won the U.S. National Div. II team titles in 2003 and 2004 and was the runner-up in Div. II in 2001, 2002 and 2005. The All-Air Force team is based at Peterson AFB in Colorado. 

Estrella has been one of the coaches working with the Greco-Roman resident-athletes at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs since the program was created in 1993. He works for Home Depot and is an Olympic Job Opportunities Program member.

He was a wrestler at Coconino High School in Flagstaff, Ariz., and wrestled for many years while serving in the U.S. Air Force.