Stephen Neal and Tricia Saunders named 1999 Wrestlers of the Year and Women's World Team named 1999 Wrestling Team of the Year by U.S. Olympic Committee1999 World Champion Stephen Neal (Bakersfield, Calif./Dave Schultz WC) and 1999 World Champion Tricia Saunders (Phoenix, Ariz./Sunkist Kids) were named Wrestlers of the Year, and the 1999 U.S. Women's World Team was named Wrestling Team of the Year by the United States Olympic Committee.
Neal received the USOC Male Wrestler of the Year award, the first time that he has been so honored. Saunders was named USOC Female Wrestler of the Year, the third time in her career that she was so honored (1996, 1998, 1999). This is the first time that a wrestling team has been recognized through the USOC awards program.
Athletes and teams are nominated by the national governing bodies and disabled sports organizations. These Athletes of the Year and Teams of the Year will be reviewed by a selection committee and may become eligible for the 1999 USOC SportsMan, SportsWoman and Team of the Year award, which will be presented at the 1999 U.S. Olympic Awards Dinner January 8, 2000 in Indianapolis, Ind.
Two-time Olympic Champion John Smith is the only wrestler to win the USOC SportsMan of the Year when he was honored in 1990. No woman wrestler has ever won the USOC SportsWoman of the Year, nor has a wrestling team received the USOC Team of the Year.
Neal was the 1999 World Champion at 286 pounds, the top U.S. wrestling performance in 1999. He was competing in his first World Championships event. His performance led the United States to a strong second place team finish.
Neal defeated two-time World bronze medalist Andrei Shumilin of Russia in the gold-medal finals, 4-3. He won five matches on the way to the title - and was competing in his first World Championships.
He won a gold medal in every tournament he entered in 1999, and ended the season with an 18-1 freestyle record. Neal was the 1999 Pan American Games champion and defeated 1998 World Champion Alexis Rodriguez of Cuba in the gold medal finals, 8-7.
Neal also won his first career gold medals at the 1999 Freestyle World Team Trials and the 1999 U.S. Nationals. He was named Outstanding Wrestler at the U.S. Freestyle National Championships, after defeating veteran Tom Erikson in the gold medal finals. At the World Team Trials, Neal stopped 1998 World Team member Kerry McCoy in the best-of-three series. Neal was also the 1999 University Nationals freestyle champion.
He was also the 1999 NCAA Div. I champion for Cal-State Bakersfield, his second straight NCAA title. He was the winner of the 1999 Dan Hodge Trophy, awarded by W.I.N. magazine to the best college wrestler.
Neal now serves as an assistant wrestling coach at Cal-State Bakersfield. He is originally from San Diego, Calif.
Saunders was the 1999 World Champion at 101.25 pounds, her fourth career World Championships gold medal. Only one other U.S. wrestler has ever won a single Women's World title (Sandra Bacher). Her performance helped lead the United States to its first-ever Women's World Team title.
It was her fifth career World Championships medal, setting the U.S. record for most World medals. She defeated five-time World Champion Xiue Zhong of China in the finals, 4-2, in overtime. Saunders won four matches on the way to the title.
Saunders ended the 1999 season with a perfect 10-0 record. She was also the 1999 Women's World Team Trials champion, qualifying for her ninth U.S. World team. Saunders also claimed the 1999 U.S. Nationals title, her ninth career nationals title, also a U.S. record.
The 1999 U.S. Women's World Team, with a strong effort by all six members, gave the United States its first Women's World team title, edging perennial power Japan in the finals standings, 47 points to 46 points. The United States team won three medals and had all six team members place in the top six of their weight divisions.
The 1999 U.S. Women's World team members included:
* Tricia Saunders (Phoenix, Ariz./Sunkist Kids), gold medalist at 101.25 pounds
* Stephanie Murata (Boca Raton, Fla./Sunkist Kids), fourth place at 112.25 pounds
* Tina George (Colorado Springs, Colo./Minnesota Storm), sixth place at 123.25 pounds
* Lauren Lamb (Troy, N.Y./Michigan WC), fifth place at 136.5 pounds
* Sandra Bacher (San Jose, Calif./Dave Schultz WC), gold medalist at 149.75 pounds
* Kristie Marano (Albany, N.Y./ATWA), silver medalist at 165.25 pounds.
* Head coach Rob Eiter (Chicago, Ill.)
* Assistant coach Shannon Yancey (Simi Valley, Calif.)
* National Developmental Coach Mike Duroe (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
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