Four individual champions were crowned in the first Youth Olympic Games qualifier in women's freestyle wrestling on Friday at Abe Lemons Arena on the campus of Oklahoma City University.

Of the four, three came from the state of Michigan and two from the U.S. Olympic Education Center in Marquette.

Erin Golston (Marquette, Mich./USOEC) at 46kg, Kayla Brendlinger (Slippery Rock, Pa./Draw Team) at 52kg, Jenna Burkert (Marquette, Mich./USOEC) at 60kg and Julia Salata (Canton, Mich./Advantage WC) at 70kg won individual weight class honors and earned the right to represent the United States in the Pan-American Qualifier in Mexico later this year. 

The event is one of three events taking place at Abe Lemons Arena this weekend. Also included are the USA Wrestling Girls Folkstyle National Championships and the USA Wrestling Junior National Folkstyle Duals. 

Golston won the first spot, taking two out of three matches against Lauren Richardson of NWWC. Golston won the first 6-0, 6-4 before dominating the second bout 8-0, 8-0.

Golston finished third at the 2009 USA Wrestling Junior Freestyle National Championships last summer in Fargo, N.D.

"She worked on some things well. Her fakes were working very well, her ankle laces were working very well," said Shannyn Gillespie, head coach of the U.S. Olympic Education Center at Northern Michigan, where Golston trains while attending high school.

"This is her second year in the program, she's a junior now and will be a senior next year, so she'll have a distinct advantage going into 2012 and 2016 as her season is based around freestyle training," said Gillespie.

Golston was joined by USOEC teammate Burkert, who beat Kansas' Krista Revelle by fall in the second period. Burkert, the defending Junior National Freestyle champion, won the first period 3-0 before barring up Revelle and getting the fall just over one minute into the second period. Revelle was another Fargo placewinner in the tournament, finishing fifth in 2009.

Slippery Rock, Pa. native Kayla Brendlinger was solid throughout, beating Indiana's Sarah Hildebrandt 1-0, 2-0 in the final at 52kg/114 pounds. Brendlinger, wrestling in the largest weight class in terms of participants, dropped only one period, a 1-0 second period outcome in the semifinals against eventual third-place finisher Rachel McFarland of DeWitt, Mich.

Brendlinger was second at last year's Junior Nationals at 109 pounds, while Hildebrandt was fourth at the same weight. 

Like Burkert, Julia Salata won the qualifying tournament after winning Junior Nationals a year ago. Salata won a 4-0, 4-0 final at 70kg/154 pounds over All-American Demi Strub of Indiana.

The Youth Olympic Games, hosted by the International Olympic Committee, will bring together 3,600 athletes from around the world to compete in 26 sports from a possible 205 countries. 

The Pan-American qualifier, one of five continental qualifiers, will determine who will compete in Singapore in August at the first Youth Olympic Games. 

Gillespie, who typically works with college-aged wrestlers and a handful of high school residents at Northern Michigan, thinks the Youth Olympic Games is another good avenue for women's wrestling.

"Anytime you can give student-athletes another opportunity to excel in whatever they are capable of, it's a good idea. Anytime there's another opportunity for women athletes to participate in this sport, I think it's a great thing," he said.

Qualifying events for men's freestyle and Greco-Roman are in Akron, Ohio in April. More information on how to qualify for the Youth Olympic Games can be found here

2010 USA Wrestling Youth Olympic Games Qualifier
Women's Freestyle
Abe Lemons Arena, Oklahoma City University, Oklahoma City, Okla.

RESULTS
46kg/101 pounds
Match 1: Erin Golston, Marquette, Mich. (USOEC) dec. Lauren Richardson, Bremerton, Wash. (NWWC) 6-0, 6-4
Match 2: Erin Golston, Marquette, Mich. (USOEC) tech fall Lauren Richardson, Bremerton, Wash. (NWWC) 8-0, 8-0.

52kg/114 pounds
Final: Kayla Brendlinger, Slippery Rock, Pa. (Draw Team) dec. Sarah Hildebrandt, Granger, Ind. (Team Indiana) 1-0, 2-0.
3rd â€" Kayleigh Longley, North Berwick, Maine (Southern Maine Trappers) FALL Stephany Mix (South Dakota) 1-0, 1:07.
5th â€" Rachel McFarland, DeWitt, Mich. (Dewitt WC) FALL Victoria DeLac, Graham, N.C. (North Carolina) :51.
7th â€" Kelsey Baker Amarillo, Texas (Palo Duro WC) dec. Megan Garcia, Pueblo, Colo. (Colorado) 8-4, 7-2.

60kg/132 pounds
Final: Jenna Burkert, Marquette, Mich. (USOEC) FALL Krista Revelle, Meriden, Kan. (Jackson County) 3-0, 1:10.
3rd â€" Roni Goodale, Muscatine, Iowa (KWA) FALL Shelby Morrison, Amarillo, Texas (Maverick Elite) 2-0, 1:48.
5th â€" Tia Kingsley, Webberville, Mich. (Michigan) FALL Megan Penny, East Stroudsburg, Pa. (Draw Team) :27.

70kg/154 pounds
Final: Julia Salata, Canton, Mich. (Advantage WC) dec.  Demi Strub, Guildford, Ind. (Team Indiana) 4-0, 4-0.
3rd - Michelle Organ, Reedsburg, Wis. (Reedsburg) FALL Melissa Yarrington, Chippewa Falls, Wis. (Wisconsin) :39.
5th -  Kasey Kruczek, Easton, Pa. (WOW) bye.