DAVE SCHULTZ WC WINS TEAM TITLE AT HENRI DEGLANE CHALLENGE IN NICE, FRANCE, NOV. 24-25; DENUNZIO, NAKAMURA, KLINE, MOLLICA AND SIMS WIN GOLD MEDALSLed by five individual champions, the Dave Schultz Wrestling Club of the United States won the team title at the 26th Henri Delgane Challenge, held in Nice, France, Nov. 24-25. This annual competition includes both freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling, and features club and national teams from a number of nations.
Winning gold medals for the Dave Schultz WC team were freestyle wrestlers Dustin Denunzio (Cambridge, Mass./Dave Schultz WC) at 138.75 pounds, Yoshi Nakamura (Philadelphia, Pa./Dave Schultz WC) at 152 pounds, Sam Kline (Morgantown, W.Va./Sunkist Kids) at 167.5 pounds and Markus Mollica (Cambridge, Mass./Dave Schultz WC) at 187.25 pounds plus Greco-Roman Olympian Heath Sims (Huntington Beach, Calif./Dave Schultz WC) at 167.5 pounds.
Three of the freestyle champions were past college wrestling stars, Denunzio for Harvard Univ., Kline for the Univ. of West Virginia and Mollica for Arizona State.
Nakamura, who is a current college star for the Univ. of Pennsylvania, was named Oustanding Wrestler among the Dave Schultz WC participants.
Sims competed in the 2000 Olympic Games for the United States in Greco-Roman wrestling, and wrestled up one weight class from his normal 152 pounds. He was also the 2000 U.S. Nationals champion.
All 12 of the Dave Schultz WC entries placed in the top four of their weight divisions. Claiming silver medals were freestyle wrestlers Jeff Bedard (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) at 138.75 pounds and Rafael Davis (Bakersfield, Calif./Dave Schultz WC) at 213.75 pounds plus Greco-Roman wrestler Joe Dansby (Pebble Beach, Calif./Dave Schultz WC) at 127.75 pounds.
Bronze medalists included Chris Fleeger (W. Lafayette, Ind./Dave Schultz WC) at 127.75 pounds and Glen Pritzlaff (Philadelphia, Pa./Dave Schultz WC) at 167.5 pounds, plus two-time Greco-Roman Olympian Dan Henderson (Gresham, Ore./Dave Schultz WC) at 187.25 pounds. Henderson was a member of the 1992 and 1996 Olympic teams.
Placing fourth at 167.5 pounds was Ethan Harris (Salt Lake City, Utah/Dave Schultz WC).
Coaching the team was Chris Horpel of Stanford, Calif., the head coach at Stanford Univ. and head coach of the Dave Schultz WC, along with Eric Akin of Overland Park, Kan. Nancy Schultz of Foster City, Calif., the president of the Dave Schultz WC, served as delegation leader, and Karen Reina of Philadelphia, Pa., was the event organizer.
In addition to the wrestling action, a group of U.S. wrestling fans accompanied the team on the trip, witnessing world-class wrestling along with tours of Monaco and Monte Carlo, the French Riviera, lodging at Hotel Normandie and much more.
HENRI DEGLANE CHALLENGE at Nice, France, Nov. 24-25 Freestyle medal matches
58 kg/127.75 lbs. - 1st - Hafiz Jadanov (Tunisia) dec. Jean Sifouane (France), 3-0; 3rd - Chris Fleeger (DSWC/USA) pin Wilfred Arondel (Bescanon/France)
63 kg/138.75 lbs. - 1st - Dustin Denunzio (DSWC/USA) dec. Jeff Bedard (US Army/USA), 5-1; 3rd - Orazio Scafiti (Rome/Italy) dec. Jan Bromme (Germany), 5-4
69 kg /152 lbs. - 1st - Yoshi Nakamura (DSWC/USA) dec. Jaber Dridi (Tunisia), 4-3; 3rd - Pierre Vazeilles (France) dec. Carlos Dominguez (Spain), 11-2
76 kg/167.5 lbs. - 1st - Sam Kline (Sunkist/USA) dec. Salvatore Rinella (Rome/Italy), 3-1; 3rd - Glen Pritzlaff (DSWC/USA) pin Victor Dominguez (Spain)
85 kg/187.25 lbs. - 1st - Markus Mollica (DSWC/USA) dec. Angelo Camarda (Rome/Italy), 3-1; 3rd - Norman Pickut (Germany) dec. Stanro Induov (Bulgaria), 5-4
97 kg/213.75 lbs. - 1st - William Rombouts (France) dec. Rafael Davis (DSWC/USA), 6-4; 3rd - Dimitar Koumtchev (Bulgaria) won by tech. fall over Nicolas Castro (Galice/Spain), 11-1
Greco-Roman medal matches
58 kg/127.75 lbs. - 1st - Gospodin Chaney (Nice/France) dec. Joey Dansby (DSWC/USA), 7-3; 3rd - Joaquin Martinez (Spain) dec. Morgan Lemouroux (France), 3-1
63 kg/138.75 lbs. - 1st - Sebastien Hidalgo (France) dec. Abbrescia Nicola (Rome/Italy), 3-0; 3rd - Ricardo Magni (Rome/Italy) won by ref. dec. over Mohamed Bargaoui (Tunisia), 2-1, ot
69 kg /152 lbs. - 1st - Christian Eyer (France) dec. Alain Hassli (France), 4-1; 3rd - Dimitar Tanev (Bulgaria) dec. Hafid Dib (Bourg/France), 3-0
76 kg/167.5 lbs. - 1st - Heath Sims (DSWC/USA) dec. Choukri Atafi (Bourg/France), 5-2; 3rd - Hafid Esslimi (France) pin Ethan Harris (DSWC/USA)
85 kg/187.25 lbs. - 1st - Yvan Gegout (France); 2nd - Dobromir Kardashliev (Bulgaria); 3rd - Alberto Lombardo (Rome/Italy)
97 kg/213.75 lbs. - 1st - Francesco Matteucci (Rome/Italy) won by ref. dec. over Borislav Jeliazkov (Bulgaria), 1-1, ot; 3rd - Dan Henderson (DSWC/USA) dec. Marco Boccola (Rome/Italy), 9-1
Team standings
1. Dave Schultz WC (USA), 30 pts.; 2. France, 23 pts.; 3. Rome (Italy), 16 pts.; 4. Bulgaria, 10 pts.; 5. Tunisia, 8 pts.; 6. (tie) Spain, Bourg (France) and Nice (France), 4 pts.; 9. Germany, 3 pts.; 10. Besancon (France), 1 pt.
U.S. Freestyle results
58 kg/127.75 lbs. - Chris Fleeger, W. Lafayette, Ind. (Dave Schultz WC), 3rd place - won by tech. fall over Pedro Vazquez (Galice/Spain), 11-0; lost dec. to Hafiz Jadanov (Tunisia), 5-3; pin Wilfred Arondel (Bescanon/France)
63 kg/138.75 lbs. - Dustin Denunzio, Cambridge, Mass (Dave Schultz WC), 1st place - won by tech. fall over Orazio Scafiti (Rome/Italy), 10-0; won by tech. fall over Ruben Diaz (Spain), 10-0; dec. Jan Bromme (Germany); dec. Jeff Bedard (USA), 5-1
63 kg/138.75 lbs. - Jeff Bedard, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army), 2nd place - won by tech. fall over Pablo Pintos (Galice/Spain), 10-0; dec. Abdelkader Jaidi (Tunisia), 4-1; dec. Orazio Scafiti (Rome/Italy); lost dec. to Dustin Denunzio (USA), 5-1
69 kg /152 lbs. - Yoshi Nakamura, Philadelphia, Pa. (Dave Schultz WC), 1st place - pin Hristo Ignatov (Bulgaria); won by tech. fall over Pierre Vazeilles (France), 12-1; won by tech. fall over Roberto Estevez (Galice/Spain), 11-0; dec. Jaber Dridi (Tunisia), 4-3
76 kg/167.5 lbs. - Sam Kline, Morgantown, W.Va. (Sunkist Kids), 1st place - dec. Victor Dominguez (Spain) 8-2; won by tech. fall over Edep Villanueva (Galice/France), 12-0; won by tech. fall over Said Attia (Tunisia), 10-0; dec. Salvatore Rinella (Rome/Italy), 3-1
76 kg/167.5 lbs. - Glen Pritzlaff, Philadelphia, Pa. (Dave Schultz WC), 3rd place - won by tech. fall over Marco Catalano (Rome/Italy), 11-0; won by tech. fall over Eric Gallet (France), 13-2; lost dec. to Salvatore Rinella (Rome/Italy), 3-0; pin Victor Dominguez (Spain)
85 kg/187.25 lbs. - Markus Mollica, Cambridge, Mass. (Dave Schultz WC), 1st place - dec. Angelo Camarda (Rome/Italy), 3-2; won by tech. fall over Frederic Le Calvez (Nice/France), 10-0; dec. Norman Pickut (France), 3-0; dec. Angelo Camarda (Rome/Italy), 3-1
97 kg/213.75 lbs. - Rafael Davis, Bakersfield, Calif. (Dave Schultz WC), 2nd place - dec. Dimitar Koumtchev (Bulgaria), 8-6; dec. Isaac Mpia (France), 5-2; lost dec. to William Rombouts (France), 6-4
U.S. Greco-Roman results
58 kg/127.75 lbs. - Joe Dansby, Pebble Beach, Calif. (Dave Schultz WC), 2nd place - pin Morgan Lemouroux (France); dec. Ibrahim Belmadani (Bourg/France), 8-0; won by tech. fall over Abdel Ben ALi (Tunisia), 11-0; lost dec. to Gospodin Chanev (Nice/France), 7-3
76 kg /167 lbs. - Heath Sims, Huntington Beach, Calif. (Dave Schultz WC), 1st place - won by tech. fall over Gazi Abdi (Tunisia), 10-0; won by tech. fall over Ethan Harris (USA), 11-0; dec. Ivan Belkin (Bulgaria), 3-2; won by tech. fall over Hafid Esslami (France), 11-0; dec. Choukri Atafi (Bourg/France), 5-2
76 kg/167.5 lbs. - Ethan Harris, Salt Lake City, Utah (Dave Schultz WC), 4th place - dec. Gazi Abdi (Tunisia), 3-0; lost dec. to Heath Sims (USA), 11-0; pin Ivan Belkin (Bulgaria); won by forfeit over Jorge Garcia (Spain); pin Vincent Vidal (France); lost tech. fall to Choukri Atafi (Bourg/France), 14-3; lost pin to Hafid Esslami (France)
85 kg/187.25 lbs. - Dan Henderson, Gresham, Ore. (Dave Schultz WC), 3rd plac