Steve Mocco works for a takedown in the finals against Aaron Anspach. Larry Slater photo.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Steve Mocco hadn’t wrestled competitively in more than a year.

But it didn’t look that way.

Mocco’s physical, punishing style was on full display when he emerged from a tough field to win the Dave Schultz Memorial International Open on Friday night.

Mocco was dominant in a 2-0, 3-0 win over fellow American Aaron Anspach in the finals at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. at the U.S. Olympic Training Center.

“I felt good,” said Mocco, a 2008 Olympian. “It was important for me coming to this cycle to get myself ready to go and get some competitions in. I feel real, real good in the room, but I needed to get some cobwebs out in competition.”

Mocco won a strong weight class, earning a gritty 1-0, 0-1, 1-0 semifinal win over veteran Aleksei Shemarov of Belarus. Shemarov was 10th in the World in 2009.

Mocco won the Dave Schultz tournament for the third time. He was named Outstanding Wrestler.

“It was a great competition with some tough foreigners,” said Mocco, now an assistant coach at Lehigh. “I got some good matches in. It feels good to be back.”

American Ryan Morningstar turned in a strong tournament to place second at 74 kg/163 lbs. Morningstar fell 1-0, 1-0 to 2008 Junior World champion Magomedmur Gadzhiev of Russia in the finals.

Gadzhiev finished in the leg clinch to win the first period and then countered a Morningstar leg attack for a second-period takedown.

Canada’s Haislan Garcia repeated as Schultz champion at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. He downed Japan’s Kohei Fujimoto 1-0, 5-0 in the finals. Garcia was fifth in the World in 2010.

American Keith Gavin finished second after falling 1-0, 1-0 to Amarhajy Mahamedae of Belarus in the finals at 84 kg/185 lbs.

The third and final day of the Dave Schultz event is scheduled for Saturday. Women’s freestyle wrestlers will take the mat.

FINALS RESULTS

55 kg/121 lbs.

Rasul Mashezov (Russia) dec. Vladizlav Andreev (Belarus), 1-0, 3-0

60 kg/132 lbs.

Rizvan Gadzhiev (Belarus) dec. Shogo Maeda (Japan) , 6-4, 2-2

66 kg/145.5 lbs.

Haislan Garcia (Canada) dec. Kohei Fujimoto (Japan), 1-0, 5-0

74 kg/163 lbs.

Magomedmur Gadzhiev (RUS) dec. Ryan Morningstar (New York AC), 1-0, 1-0

84 kg/185 lbs.

Amarhajy Mahamedae (Belarus) dec. Keith Gavin (Lehigh Valley AC), 1-0, 1-0

96 kg/211.5 lbs.

Vladislav Baytsaev (Russia) pinned Ivan Yankouski (Belarus), 2-0, pin 1:46

120 kg/264.5 lbs.
Steve Mocco (USA) vs. Aaron Anspach (Nittany Lion WC), 2-0, 3-0