MCILRAVY, BYERS, MCMANN WIN 1999 CHAMPIONSHIP BELT SERIESFreestyle wrestler Lincoln McIlravy (Iowa City, Iowa/Gateway WC), Greco-Roman wrestler Dremiel Byers (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) and women's wrestler Sara McMann(Lock Haven, Pa./Sunkist Kids) have won the 1999 Championship Belt Series on the Senior level in their respective styles.
The series is sponsored by USA Wrestling and honors the top point scorers among U.S. wrestlers, based upon actual success in competition during the year. The point system is based upon results from events on the regional, national and international levels and gives greater credit for success in the major competitions. The top point scorer in the series for each style receives a handsome plaque.
Freestyle champion - Lincoln McIlravy, Iowa City, Iowa (Gateway)
McIlravy, a 1999 World silver medalist, scored 382 points, defeating runner-up Les Gutches (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) by eight points among freestyle wrestlers. McIlravy moves up one spot after placing second in the 1998 series standings.
McIlravy placed second in the 1999 World Championships at 152 pounds, his only loss of the entire year. He won international gold medals at the World Cup, the Pan American Games and the Poland Open. McIlravy also claimed the 1999 U.S. Nationals title and the 1999 World Team Trials title.
Gutches won a bronze medal at the 1999 World Championships at 187.25 pounds. He won international gold medals at the World Cup, the Pan American Games and the Yasar Dogu Tournament in Turkey. Gutches also swept the 1999 U.S. Nationals and the 1999 World Team Trials titles.
Greco-Roman champion - Dremiel Byers, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army)
Byers claimed the Greco-Roman Belt Series title, defeating second place finishers Rulon Gardner (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) and Quincey Clark (New Brighton, Minn./Minnesota Storm) by 11 points.
Byers placed sixth in the 1999 World Championships at 286 pounds, the highest U.S. finish at the competition. He was the U.S. Nationals champion, the Armed Forces champion and the World Team Trials champion. Byers was named Outstanding Wrestler at the U.S. Nationals. He also claimed silver medals at the Pan American Games, the Dave Schultz Memorial, the Sunkist Kids International and the Winter Classic.
Gardner, the Belt Series winner in 1997 and 1998, claimed four gold medals at 286 pounds in 1999: the Poland Open, the Dave Schultz Memorial, the Sunkist Kids International and the Winter Classic. He was second at the U.S. Nationals and third at the World Team Trials and the Granma Cup in Cuba.
Clark placed eighth in the 1999 World Championships at 187.25 pounds. He won the U.S. Nationals, the World Team Trials and the Northern Plains Regionals. Clark won silver medals at the Pan American Games, the Sweden Cup and the Nordvest Cup, and was seventh in Poland Open.
Women's champion - Sara McMann, Lock Haven, Pa. (Sunkist Kids)
McMann won the Women's Belt Series with 293 points, topping last year's winner Stephanie Murata (Boca Raton, Fla./Sunkist Kids) by just seven points.
McMann was one of the most active athletes on the Senior level. She is ranked No. 2 in the nation, after placing second at the World Team Trials at 123.25 pounds. She won gold medals at the Keystone Open, the Northern Plains Regionals and the Sunkist International Open (where she was the Outstanding Wrestler). She also won bronze medals at the U.S. Nationals and the Minnesota Morris Open, as well as the Gord Garvie Festival and the Clansman International in Canada.
Murata was fourth in the World Championships at 112.25 pounds. She won gold medals at all of her other competitions, including the Klippan Cup in Sweden, the Sunkist International Open, the U.S. Nationals and the World Team Trials. Murata was the Outstanding Wrestler at the U.S. Nationals.
1999 Freestyle Championship Belt Series Top Ten
1. Lincoln McIlravy, Iowa City, Iowa, Gateway WC, 152 pounds, 382 pts.
2. Les Gutches, Colorado Springs, Colo., Sunkist Kids, 187.25 pounds, 374 pts.
3. Cary Kolat, Morgantown, W.Va., Dave Schultz WC, 138.75 pounds, 366 pts.
4. Joe Williams, Iowa City, Iowa, Hawkeye WC, 167.5 pounds, 339 pts.
5. Kerry Boumans, Colorado Springs, Colo., Dave Schultz WC, 127.75 pounds, 308 pts.
6. Airron Richardson, Shaker Heights, Ohio, Team Excel, 286 pounds, 305 pts.
7. Mark Ironside, Iowa City, Iowa, Hawkeye WC, 138.75 pounds, 290 pts.
8. Sammie Henson, Norman, Okla., Sunkist Kids, 119 pounds, 278 pts.
9. Stephen Neal, Bakersfield, Calif., Dave Schultz WC, 286 pounds, 270 pts.
10. (tie) Brandon Slay, Colorado Springs, Colo., Dave Schultz WC, 167.5 pounds, 253 pts.
10. (tie) Chris Bono, Ames, Iowa, Sunkist Kids, 152 pounds, 253 pts.
1999 Greco-Roman Championship Belt Series Top Ten
1. Dremiel Byers, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army, 286 pounds, 378 pts.
2. (tie) Rulon Gardner, Colorado Springs, Colo., Sunkist Kids, 286 pounds, 371 pts.
2. (tie) Quincey Clark, New Brighton, Minn., Minnesota Storm, 187.25 pounds, 371 pts.
4. (tie) Dan Niebuhr, Colorado Springs, Colo., Sunkist Kids, 187.25 pounds, 355 pts.
4. (tie) Shawn Sheldon, Colorado Springs, Colo., New York AC, 119 pounds, 355 pts.
6. James Gruenwald, Colorado Springs, Colo., Sunkist Kids, 127.75 pounds, 352 pts.
7. Dan Hicks, Quantico, Va., U.S. Marines, 213.75 pounds, 334 pts.
8. Glenn Nieradka, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army, 138.75 pounds, 291 pts.
9. Matt Lindland, Lincoln, Neb., Sunkist Kids, 167.5 pounds, 268 pts.
10. T.C. Dantzler, Colorado Springs, Colo., New York AC, 167.5 pounds, 263 pts.
1999 Women's Championship Belt Series Top Ten
1. Sara McMann, Lock Haven, Pa., Sunkist Kids, 123.25 pounds, 293 pts.
2. Stephanie Murata, Boca Raton, Fla., Sunkist Kids, 112.25 pounds, 286 pts.
3. Sandra Bacher, San Jose, Calif., Dave Schultz WC, 149.75 pounds, 250 pts.
4. (tie) Kristie Marano, Albany, N.Y., ATWA, 165.25 pounds, 235 pts. 4. (tie) Olivia Ocampo, Oxnard, Calif., UM-Morris, 101.25 pounds, 235 pts.
6. Malissa Sherwood, Rocklin, Calif., Dave Schultz WC, 112.25 pounds, 218 pts.
7. Katie Downing, Pendleton, Ind., UM-Morris, 149.75 pounds, 215 pts.
8. Lauren Lamb, Troy, N.Y., Michigan WC, 136.5 pounds, 206 pts.
9. Tricia Saunders, Phoenix, Ariz., Sunkist Kids, 101.25 pounds, 180 pts.
10. Megan Andrews, Napa, Calif. Cowboy WC, 136.5 pounds, 175 pts.
CHAMPIONSHIP BELT SERIES HISTORY
Freestyle
1990 - Kevin Jackson, Lansing, Mich., Team Foxcatcher, 180.5 pounds
1991 - John Smith, Stillwater, Okla., Sunkist Kids, 136.5 pounds
1992 - Townsend Saunders, Phoenix, Ariz., Sunkist Kids, 149.5 pounds
1993 - Chris Bollin, Cedar Falls, Iowa, Sunkist Kids, 125.5 pounds
1994 - Melvin Douglas, Mesa, Ariz., Sunkist Kids, 198 pounds
1995 - Terry Brands, Iowa City, Iowa, Team Foxcatcher, 125.5 pounds
1996 - Tom Erikson, W. Lafayette, Ind., Sunkist Kids, 286 pounds
1997 - Tom Erikson, W. Lafayette, Ind., Sunkist Kids, 286 pounds
1998 - Sammie Henson, Norman, Okla., Sunkist Kids, 119 pounds
1999 - Lincoln McIlravy, Iowa City, Iowa, Gateway WC, 152 pounds
Greco-Roman
1990 - Matt Ghaffari, Chandler, Ariz., Sunkist Kids, 286 pounds
1991 - Matt Ghaffari, Chandler, Ariz., Sunkist Kids, 286 pounds
1992 - Matt Ghaffari, Chandler, Ariz., Sunkist Kids, 286 pounds
1993 - Shawn Sheldon, Albany, N.Y., New York AC, 114.5 pounds
1994 - Matt Ghaffari, Colorado Springs, Colo., Sunkist Kids, 286 pounds
1995 - Shawn Sheldon, Colorado Springs, Colo., New York AC, 114.5 pounds
1996 - Matt Ghaffari, Avon Lake, Ohio, Sunkist Kids, 286 pounds
1997 - Rulon Gardner, Mesa, Ariz., Sunkist Kids, 286 pounds
1998 - Rulon Gardner, Colorado Springs, Colo., Sunkist Kids, 286 pounds
1999 - Dremiel Byers, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army, 286 pounds
Women
1994 - Shannon Williams, Ontario, Calif., Sunkist Kids, 116.5 pounds
1995 - Tricia Saunders, Ann Arbor, Mich., Sunkist Kids, 103.5 pounds
1996 - Jackie Berube, Evanst