CAEL SANDERSON, MATT LINDLAND HONORED AS TheMat.com WRESTLERS OF THE WEEK OF MARCH 13-19TheMat.com has named its National Wrestlers of the Week for March 13-19, 2000.
The winner of TheMat.com College Wrestler of the Week is Cael Sanderson of Iowa State University
The winner of TheMat.com International Wrestler of the Week is Matt Lindland (Lincoln, Neb./Sunkist Kids)
TheMat.com will announce Wrestlers of the Week in a number of age group levels, which will be posted on the web page and promoted to the national media.
College Wrestler of the Week: Cael Sanderson, Iowa State Univ.
Sanderson claimed the 184-pound weight class, and was named Outstanding Wrestler at the 2000 NCAA Div. I National Wrestling Championships, held at the Kiel Center in St. Louis, Mo., March 16-18. It was the second straight year that Sanderson was named Outstanding Wrestler at the Div. I Nationals. Sanderson won five matches on the way to the title, including two technical falls, two major decisions and a pin. In the semifinals, he defeated 1999 NCAA runner-up Brandon Eggum of Minnesota, 16-5. In the gold-medal finals, he dominated No. 2 seed Vertus Jones of West Virginia, 19-6. A sophomore, Sanderson has never lost a college match, and, after two seasons, boasts a 67-0 career record.
International Wrestler of the Week: Matt Lindland (Lincoln, Neb./Sunkist Kids)
Lindland won a gold medal at 167.5 pounds at the Olympic Greco-Roman Qualifying Tournament in Alexandria, Egypt, March 18-19. With his victory, Lindland scored nine Olympic qualification points for the United States at his weight class. Lindland went 4-0 in the tournament. In the semifinals, he defeated 1998 World Champion Bakmitar Baiseitov of Kazakhstan, in a 2-2, overtime referee's decision. In the gold-medal finals, he stopped Evgueny Grofaylon of Uzbekistan, 4-0.
TheMat.com is "The Ultimate Source for Real Wrestling." It is being developed into the official web page of the Amateur Wrestling Alliance, which includes USA Wrestling, the National Wrestling Coaches Association and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum. The soft launch of the new page page is expected in late March.
The goal of the Amateur Wrestling Alliance is to develop TheMat.com into the most comprehensive web page in the wrestling market, as well as one of the most popular sports sites on the entire internet.