Freestyle champions announced from the West Regional Olympic Trials in Corvallis, Ore., March 26The first of five Regional Olympic Trials was held in Corvallis, Ore. March 26 and eight freestyle wrestlers have qualified for the Final Olympic Team Trials.
The winners in each weight class at the Regional Olympic Trials in both freestyle and Greco-Roman qualified for the Final Olympic Team Trials in the respective style in Dallas, Texas.
One former U.S. National champion won the Olympic Trials: Shawn Charles (Mt. Pleasant, Mich./Sunkist Kids) at 138.75 pounds.
USA Wrestling will hold Regional Olympic Trials in five regions: West, East, South, Central and North.
The 2000 Final Olympic Team Trials for both freestyle and Greco-Roman will be held June 22-24, both in Reunion arena in Dallas. All Olympic Regional champions will earn a position in the Challenge Tournament portion of the Olympic Trials.
Many of the best Olympic-style wrestlers in the nation will participate in these important events. It will also give the top wrestlers in each region of the nation a chance to earn the right to wrestle in the Final Olympic Trials.
The East Regional Olympic Trials will be held in Brockport, N.Y., March 31-April 2. The competition will be held at Tuttle North Gym at SUNY-Brockport. For information, contact Don Murray at 716-395-5360.
The South Regional Olympic Trials will be held in Kenner, La., April 7-9. The competition will be held at Pontchartrain Center. For information, contact Jim Ravannack at 504-885-0051.
The Central Regional Olympic Trials are scheduled for Tulsa, Okla., April 27-29. The competition will be held at Union Intermediate School. For information, contact Archie Randall at 405-354-5417.
The "last chance" qualifying event is the North Regional Olympic Trials, set for Waterloo, Iowa, May 5-7. The competition will be held in Young Arena. For more information contact Steve Wachal at 319-822-7748.
The 2000 U.S. national Wrestling Championships, scheduled for April 21-22 in Las Vegas, Nev., is also a qualifying event for the Final Olympic Team Trials in both styles. The top six freestyle placewinners and the top eight Greco-Roman placewinners in each weight class will qualify for the Olympic Trials in Dallas, Texas.
WEST REGIONAL FREESTYLE OLYMPIC TRIALS
At Corvallis, Ore., March 26
Medal Matches
54 kg/119 lbs. - 1st - Eric Albarracin, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Army) dec. Burke Tyree, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Team Excel), 7-6; 3rd - Mike Delaney (Orange Crush) won by tech. fall over Paul Kaiser (Eastside), 13-2
58 kg/127.75 lbs. - 1st - Yero Washington, Fresno, Calif. (Sunkist Kids) dec. Eric Akin, Overland Park, Kan. (Dave Schultz WC), 4-2, ot; 3rd - Danny Felix (Sunkist Kids) dec. Dane Valdez (Team Thunder), 3-0
63 kg/138.75 lbs. - 1st - Shawn Charles, Mt. Pleasant, Mich. (Sunkist Kids) dec. Eric Larkin (Unattached), 9-2; 3rd - Jeremy Ensrud (Dave Schultz WC) won by inj. def. over Randy Devlin (Unattached)
69 kg/152 lbs. - Chris Bono, Gilbert, Iowa (Sunkist Kids) dec. Terry Steiner, Madison, Wis. (Team Excel), 5-4, ot; 3rd - Kenny Johnson, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Wildcat WC) pinned Colin Murphy (Club West), 1:11
76 kg/167.5 lbs. - Frank Trigg, Noble, Okla. (Sunkist Kids) dec. Steve Marianetti, Champaign, Ill. (New York AC), 5-2; 3rd - Daryl Weber, Iowa City, Iowa (Hawkeye WC) won by tech. fall over Leif Williams (Oregon)
85 kg/187.25 lbs. - 1st - Lee Fullhart, Iowa City, Iowa (Hawkeye WC) dec. Tim Hartung, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm), 4-2; 3rd - Jake Clark, Quantico, Va. (Marine Corps) dec. Aaron Simpson, Tempe, Ariz. (Sunkist Kids), 9-7
97 kg/213.75 lbs. - Raphael Davis, Bakersfield, Calif. (Dave Schultz WC) dec. Rich Herzog (SWOCC), 8-7; 3rd - Chad Lamer, Iowa City, Iowa (Hawkeye WC) won by tech. fall over Jeff Munson (Oly. Mat Rats), 11-1
130 kg/286 lbs. - James Huml, Renberg, Idaho (Idaho) pinned Andy Bowlby (Orange Crush), 0:22; 3rd - Eric Webb (Oregon) dec. Lee Lofton (California), 6-5, ot