Jake Varner and Jordan Burroughs named TheMat.com Wrestlers of the Week

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Craig Sesker (USA Wrestling)
08/13/2012


Jake Varner (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC) and Jordan Burroughs (Lincoln, Neb./Sunkist Kids) have been named TheMat.com Wrestler of the Week.

Each week, TheMat.com will select an Athlete of the Week, based upon performance within wrestling for that week. The selection committee will consider any level of wrestling, from youth programs through the Senior level.

Burroughs won an Olympic gold medal in freestyle wrestling on Aug. 10 and Varner followed with an Olympic gold medal of his own two days later at the ExCeL Center in London.

Varner, a 2011 World bronze medalist, took control early to sweep Ukraine’s Valeri Andriitsev 1-0, 1-0 in the Olympic gold-medal finals at 96 kg/211.5 lbs.

Burroughs, a 2011 World champion, swept Iran’s Sadegh Goudarzi 1-0, 1-0 in the gold-medal finals at 74 kg/163 lbs. Burroughs also beat Goudarzi in the World finals last year.

It was the first time since 1996 that the U.S. has had multiple Olympic gold medalists in freestyle.

Varner and Burroughs were competing in their first Olympic Games.

Note: To nominate a wrestler for TheMat.com Wrestler of the Week, send the athlete's name, accomplishments for the week and career accomplishments to Craig Sesker at csesker@usawrestling.org