The U.S. Olympic Committee has announced its Twitter voting is now open for the April Male & Female Athletes and Team of the Month.

Vote for Clarissa Chun

Vote for Sam Hazewinkel

Representing USA Wrestling in women's freestyle is Clarissa Chun, the champion at 48 kg/105.5 lbs at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City, Iowa on April 22. Chun became the first U.S. women’s wrestler to qualify for two Olympic Teams. She was fifth at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Chun defeated Alyssa Lampe in the best-of-three Championship Series to earn her Olympic berth.

Representing USA Wrestling in men’s freestyle is Sam Hazewinkel, the champion at 55 kg/121 lbs. at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City, Iowa on April 22. Hazewinkel is the son of two-time Greco-Roman Olympian Dave Hazewinkel, making them the first father-son Olympians in wrestling history. Hazewinkel beat Nick Simmons in the best-of-three series to earn his Olympic berth.

Fans are encouraged to vote and re-tweet the poll links.

SportsMan of the Month for April 2012
Sport: Freestyle wrestling
Athlete: Sam Hazewinkel
Position: 55 kg/121 lbs. in freestyle wrestling

Sam Hazewinkel won the 2102 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in men’s freestyle wrestling in Iowa City, Iowa on April 22.

He defeated Nick Simmons in the best-of-three championship series, which went the full three matches. Simmons was fifth in the 2011 World Championships, and had beaten 2008 Olympic champion Henry Cejudo in the semifinals.

Simmons won the first match, 3-0, 0-5, 5-4. Hazewinkel came back to win the second match, 0-1, 1-0, 2-0. The deciding third match went down to the end, when Simmons scored from the clinch for a 0-1, 4-0, 3-0.

Simmons is the son of two-time Greco-Roman Olympic Team member Dave Hazewinkel. Sam’s victory makes them the first father-son combination to make Olympic Teams in the sport of wrestling. Dave was in the 1968 and 1972 Olympics.

To reach the finals, Hazewinkel won three matches, beating Michael Martinez by pin in 1:59, Ben Kjar by a 0-1, 1-0, 3-0 decision and Mark McKnight by a 1-0, 1-0 score.

Hazewinkel had been second at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials, competing in Greco-Roman wrestling. He switched to freestyle for this Olympic quadrennium.

SportsWoman of the Month for April 2012
Sport: Women’s Freestyle Wrestling
Athlete: Clarissa Chun
Position: 48 kg/105.5 lbs. in women’s freestyle wrestling

Chun won the 2102 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in women’s freestyle wrestling at 48 kg/105.5 lbs. in Iowa City, Iowa on April 22.

With her victory, Chun becomes the first U.S. women’s freestyle wrestler to make two Olympic teams. She placed fifth at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Women’s wrestling joined the Olympic Games in the 2004 Athens Games.

Chun defeated 2010 U.S. World Team member Alyssa Lampe in the best-of-three finals series, going all three matches.

Chun won the first match, 0-2, 1-0, 3-1 but Lampe came back to win the second bout, 0-7, 2-2, 5-2. The deciding third match went the full three periods, with Chun winning at the end, 2-0, 2-2, 4-1.

Chun was a 2008 World Champion, one of only five U.S. women to ever win a World title in wrestling.