Livetime coverage of the semifinals of the U.S. National Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas, Nev.

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Gary Abbott (USA Wrestling)
04/14/2001


Freestyle     119 lbs.  #1 Eric Akin (Dave Schultz WC) dec. #5 T.J. Hill (Lions Den) 3-1, ot   #3 Tim Dernlan (Ohio International)won by inj. dft. over #2 Sean Kim (Sunkist Kids)    Akin and Hill were in a very tight match, tied at 1-1 at the mid break. Akin scored a second period takedown for a 2-1 lead at the end of regulation, forcing an overtime. Akin scored a takedown in overtime for the 3-1 victory.    Dernlan came out with intensity and passion, and piled up the points with takedowns and tilts. Dernlan led 11-3 at the mid break. Denrlan ended up winning the bout by injury default.    Finals - #1 Akin vs. #3 Dernlan    127.75 lbs.  #1 Kerry Boumans (Dave Schultz WC) dec. #5 Teague Moore (Sunkist, 4-3  #2 Eric Guerrero (Sunkist Kids) vs. #6 Mike Mena (New York AC), 5-3    Guerrero won his bout, defeating Mena in a closely contested 5-3 match. Mena has moved to this weight from 119 pounds.    Boumans and Moore was tied at 3-3, but they changed the score to 3-2 Boumans after a video review. However, Moore quickly scored a takedown to tie it up at 3-3 in the second period.With less than 10 seconds to go in regulation, Boumans scored a duckunder takedown for a 4-3 win.    Finals - #1 Boumans vs. #2 Guerrero    138.75 pounds  #1 Bill Zadick (Hawkeye WC) dec. #5 Mike Eierman (New York AC), 7-0  #3 Dustin DeNunzio (Dave Schultz WC) dec. #2 John Fisher (Sunkist Kids), 3-2    In a battle of a great veteran against an exciting newcomer, the younger man emerged, with DeNunzio opening ith a 3-0 lead. Fisher was unable to come back, making it closer but DeNunzio contolled the bout.    Zadick controlled the action, winning the takedown positions every time for a convincing 7-0 win.    Finals - #1 Zadick vs. #3 DeNunzio    152 pounds  #1 Chris Bono (Sunkist) dec. #5 David Esposito (New York AC), 4-1  #2 Ramico Blackmon (Excel) dec. #3 Yoshi Nakamura (Dave Schultz WC), 5-4    Bono fell behind 1-0, tied it at 1-1, then dominated the action for a solid 4-1 win.    Blackmon opened with a strong start, leading 5-0 with takedowns and turns. Nakamura put Blackmon to his back for four points, closing to 5-4 late in the second period. Blackmon held him off for the tight one-point win.    Finals - #1 Bono vs. #2 Blackmon     167.5 pounds  #1 Joe Williams (Sunkist Kids) dec.  #4 Joe Heskett (Sunkist Kids), 8-0  #2 Byron Tucker (Sunkist Kids) dec. #3 Steve Marianetti (New York AC), 4-2, ot    Tucker and Marianetti had a tight war, tied at 2-2 in regulation. In sudden death, Tucker hit the double leg takedown for two points, and a 4-2 win.    Williams controlled the action, with superior freestyle skills and experience, for a 8-0 victory.    Finals - #1 Williams vs. #2 Tucker    187.25 pounds  #1 Charles Burton (New  York AC) vs. #5 Aaron Simpson (Sunkist Kids), 2-1, ot, 9:00  #3 Cael Sanderson (Sunkist Kids)dec. #7 Brandon Eggum (Minn. Storm), 7-4    Sanderson opened with a takedown, but Eggum jumped back with three points. Eggum stretched to a 4-3 lead, but Sanderson came back, tying it at 4-4. In the final minute, Sanderson dominated for a 7-4 win.    Burton scored the lone takedown in the first period, leading 1-0 at mid break. He added a point in the second period, for a 2-0 lead at the end of regulation. Simpson closed it to 2-1, but Burton held on for the one-point win at the end of the overtime.    Finals - #1 Burton vs. #3 Sanderson    213.75 pounds  #1 Dominic Black (Army) dec. #4 Tim Hartung (Minn. Storm), 3-0  #3 Chad Lamer (Hawkeye) pin #2 Rex Holman (Sunkist Kids), 2:22    Trailing early, Lamer exploded back and put Holman away with a first period fall at 2:22.    Black scored all three points in a competitive bout, adding a takedown with just three seconds left for the required third point and a victory.    Finals - #1 Black vs. #3 Lamer    286 pounds  #1 Kerry McCoy (New York AC) won by tech. fall over #4 Tommy Rowlands (Ohio International), 10-0, 2:33  #2 Tolly Thompson (Sunkist Kids) pin #3 Angelo Borzio (New York AC), 2:27    Thompson jumped to a quick 3-0 lead, then pressed Borzio for a first-period pin.     McCoy had way too much for young Rowlands, jumping to a fast lead, scoring 10 points in the first period and closing the deal with an ankle lace turn.    Finals - #1 McCoy vs. #2 Thompson    Greco-Roman  119 pounds  #1 Shawn Sheldon (New York AC) dec. #5 Nathan Piasecki (USOEC), 6-0  #2 Jeff Cervone (Air Force) won by tech. fall over Michael Santos (Army), 11-1    Cervone dominated the action, throwing Santos a number of times and earning a 11-1 technical fall over Santos in the first period.    Sheldon showed his experience and poise in a controlling effort against an emerging young star. Sheldon finished with a 6-0 shutout win.    Finals - #1 Sheldon vs. #2 Cervone    127.75 pounds  #1 James Gruenwald (Sunkist Kids) won by tech. fall over #4 Lindsay Durlacher (Wildcat), 12-0  #2 Dennis Hall (Sunkist) dec. Cam Jones (TAC), 4-0    Hall, a World and Olympic champion, faced a future star, but was never challenged. He scored all four points on the way to a solid victory.    Gruenwald opened things up, scoring with a number of techniques on the way to a 12-0 technical fall victory over another young star on the rise.    Finals - #1 Gruenwald vs. #2 Hall    138.75 pounds  #1 Kevin Bracken (New York AC) tech. fall over #5 Jason Tolbert (Army), 10-0  #3 James Shillow (Marines)won by tech. fall over #7 Joe Warren (Michigan), 12-0    Shillow has no problems, opening it up for a 12-0 dominant technical fall against the emerging young USOTC athlete.    Olympian Bracken was the dominator in this bout, scoring early and stretching it for a technical fall.    Finals - #1 Bracken vs. #3 Shillow    152 pounds  #5 Steven Woods (Air Force)dec. #8 Brian Van Hoven (Marines), 3-1  #3 Marcel Cooper (Marines) dec. #2 Chris Saba (New York AC), 3-0    Cooper controlled the match, and scored three solid takedowns over Saba, a two-time World Team member. Cooper is still seeking his first U.S. Nationals title.    Woods broke a 0-0 tie with a takedown and tilt, and held on for a solid 3-1 win and his first U.S. Nationals finals berth.    Finals - #3 Cooper vs. #5 Woods    167.5 pounds  #1 Keith Sieracki (Army) dec. #4 Dan Niebuhr (Sunkist), 3-0  #2 T.C. Dantzler (New York AC) pin #6 Mike Mathers (USOEC), 2:04    Sieracki won a battle between experienced veterans, scoring the only points on a 3-0 win.    Dantzler came out with fire, and tossed Mathers for big points on the way to a first period fall.    Finals - #1 Sieracki vs. #2 Dantzler    187.25 pounds  #1 Quincey Clark (Minn. Storm) dec. #4 Dan Henderson (Dave Schultz WC), 7-0   #3 Matt Lindland (Sunkist Kids)dec. #2 Ethan Bosch (New York AC), 12-8    The Bosch/Lindland bout is the bout of the session. Bosch locked up a tight front-headlock and turned Lindland four times, for a quick 8-0 lead. Lindland, getting a penalty point, then scored a gutwrench and a lift for seven fast points of his own, making it 8-7. In the second period, Lindland scored a two-point gutwrench and a three-point turn for five more, taking a 12-8 lead with 45 seconds left. No more points were scored, and it ended 12-8.    Clark scored the first two points in this battle of Olympians, for a 2-0 lead. He opened it up in the second period, and had Henderson on his back, trying for a pin as time ran out in the second period.    Finals - #1 Clark vs. #3 Lindland    213.75 pounds  #1 Garrett Lowney (Minn. Storm) dec. #5 Kevin Vogel (Cliff Keen), 7-0  #2 Jason Loukides (Army) won by tech. fall over #6 Tipton Peterson (Marines), 10-0    Loukides jumped to a 8-0 lead in the first period, and closed the deal in the second period with a 10-0 technical fall victory.    Olympic bronze medalist Lowney was in control the entire way, adding up a number of scoring moves for a solid 7-0 lead. Vogel, who used to wrestle both 167.5 and 187.25 pounds, gave away size and strength in this one.    Finals - #1 Lowney vs. #2 Loukides    286 pounds  #1 Rulon Gardner (Sunkist Kids) won by tech. fall #5 Andy Bowlby (Orange Crush, 12-0  #2 Dremiel Byers (Army) pin Corey Farkas (Air Force), 4:24     Byers jumped to a 5-0 lead in the first period. Late in the period,