Gymnast Rebecca Bross, Wrestler Justin Ruiz and the Paul Pustovar Curling Team Honored by U.S. Olympic Committee for Outstanding Performances in April

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) announced gymnast Rebecca Bross and wrestler Justin Ruiz as its April Athletes of the Month, while the Paul Pustovar Curling Team was awarded Team of the Month honors.

Ruiz (Meridian, Idaho/New York AC) won two major events within a week in late April. He claimed a gold medal at 96kg/211.5 lbs. at the U.S. Open Wrestling Championships, the annual national championships on the senior level in Cleveland, Ohio, April 23-24. He won five matches on the way to the title, including a victory over John Lorenz of the U.S. Army in the finals, 2-0, 1-0. This was his sixth career U.S. Open title. Ruiz also won a gold medal at the Pan American Championships in Monterrey, Mexico, April 30. He won four straight matches in his five-athlete round-robin competition, including a clutch victory over defending Pan American champion and eventual runner-up Yasmany Lugo of Cuba. 

Bross (Plano, Texas) coming off her 2010 Tyson American Cup title, won the senior all-around crown at the 2010 Pacific Rim Championships in Melbourne, Australia on April 30. Bross, who won the junior all-around title at Pacific Rim in 2008, tallied a score of 59.150 to earn the all-around crown. Posting the top scores for both bars (15.150) and floor (14.600) and the second highest mark on vault, 15.050, Bross led the U.S. women’s team to the 2010 Pac Rim Team Title and spearheaded a one-two sweep of the podium for the USA. 

The Paul Pustovar (Hibbing, Minn.) team that also includes Brian Simonson (Hibbing, Minn.), Tom Harms (Pengilly, Minn.), Don Mohwak (Nashwauk, Minn.), and Dale Gibbs (Woodbury, Minn.) became the first American team to win gold at the Senior World Curling Championships since 2002 when the team defeated Canada, 4-3, April 24 to win the 2010 title with a perfect 7-0 record. This was just the second title ever for the U.S. at this competition. The U.S. men had previously won five silver medals, a bronze and one gold since the event began in 2002. 

Each National Governing Body may nominate up to but no more than one female, one male and one team per discipline. The winners are then voted on from that pool of nominees. 

Ruiz, and women's freestyle wrestler Kelsey Campbell (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) won the USOC Twitter voting for the Athlete of the Month award, which accounts for 10% of the total. Campbell did not place in the top three of the final balloting. 

Taking second place in this month’s female category was Lee Kiefer (Versailes, Ky.). Kiefer earned her first world title at the Cadet World Championships in women’s foil April 2-10 in Baku, Azerbaijan. She defeated Italy’s Camilla Mancini 15-5 in the finals and dominated the field by out touching her opponents 75-29 collectively. 

Coming in third place was Hilary Katzenmeier (Colorado Springs, Colo.) as she continued her undefeated streak at the USA Weightlifting National Collegiate Championships April 16, winning her third collegiate national title in the 58 kg division. Representing Louisiana State University Shreveport, Katzenmeier defeated her closest opponent’s total by eight kilograms. 

Coming in second place in the Male Athlete of the Month voting was 21-year-old Brad Bolen (Colorado Springs, Colo.) after he produced the greatest surprise of the Pan American Championships when he won a gold medal in the 66 kg division April 10 in San Salvador, El Salvador. Bolen’s result was the best finish for Team USA. After winning three straight matches, Bolen advanced to the final where he threw Spain’s Carlos Figueroa for ippon (instant win) in front of Figueroa’s hometown crowd.  

Taking third was the 2009 USA Triathlon elite national champion Matt Chrabot (Colorado Springs, Colo.). Chrabot posted back-to-back top-10 finishes against top international fields in April. He opened the ITU World Championship Series with a ninth-place finish April 11 in Sydney, Australia, which was the top finish by an American. Just one week later, Chrabot continued his success with a runner-up showing at the ITU Monterrey World Cup April 18 in Mexico. 

Placing second in the team voting was the USA Women’s Gymnastics Team. The women’s team handily won the team gold medal, and went one-two in both the junior and senior all-around competition April 30 at the 2010 Pacific Rim Championships in Melbourne, Australia. The women have won the team titles and claimed the top two spots in the junior and senior all-around at every Pacific Rim Championships from 2002-10. 

Coming in third place was the USA Girls’ Youth National Volleyball Team after they won the 2010 Norceca Girls’ Youth Continental Championship play April 27-May 2, thus earning the U.S. a spot in the 2011 FIVB Girls’ Youth World Championship and the first-ever appearance at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games. The team won its fifth consecutive Biennial Norceca Girls’ Youth Championship and sixth overall. The team defeated No. 3 Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Canada in pool play, No. 4 Puerto Rico in semifinals and No. 1 Mexico in the gold-medal match, losing just one set during the entire tournament.  

USOC April Awards Results:

Men:
1. Justin Ruiz, Wrestling
2. Brad Bolen, Judo
3. Matt Chrabot, Triathlon

Women: 
1. Rebecca Bross, Gymnastics
2. Hilary Katzenmeier, Weightlifting
3. Lee Kiefer, Fencing

Team:
1. Paul Pustovar Curling Team
2. USA Women’s Gymnastics Team
3. USA Girls’ Youth National Volleyball Team