NEAL NAMED USOC MALE ATHLETE OF THE MONTH FOR OCTOBER AFTER WINNING GOLD MEDAL AT FREESTYLE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 
 Stephen Neal (Bakersfield, Calif./Dave Schultz WC) was named U.S. Olympic Committee Male Athlete of the Month for October 1999. 
 Neal won a gold medal at 130 kg/286 pounds at the 1999 World Freestyle Wrestling Championships in Ankara, Turkey, Oct. 7-10. It was the best performance by a U.S. athlete, and helped lead the United States to a strong second-place team finish. 
 Neal received four of the six first place votes, and finished with 26 points, well ahead of runner-up taekwondo athlete Jason Torres, with one first place vote and seven total points. 
 Torres won the gold medal in the men's Olympic flyweight division at the Pan American Taekwondo Regional Qualification Tournament, held Oct. 2-3 in Miami, Fla. Track and field athlete David Morris finished third in the voting, after setting an American record at the Chicago Marathon with a time of 2:09.32, breaking the old record by three seconds. 
 Neal won five straight matches in the World Championships. In the semifinals, Neal defeated Recep Ashabeliyev of Azerbaijan, 7-2. In the gold medal finals, Neal fell behind 2-0 early, but came back to stop three-time World medalist Andrei Shumilin of Russia, 4-3.  
 Neal was competing in his first World Championships. He completed his college career in 1999, after winning two NCAA titles for Cal-State Bakersfield. He won gold medals in every tournament he entered this season, including the University Nationals, the U.S. Nationals, the World Team Trials and the Pan American Games. Neal is originally from San Diego, Calif. 
 The U.S. Olympic Committee also named taekwondo athlete Barbara Kunkel as its Female Athletes of the Month. The Men's Eight Rowing Team was honored with the USOC's October Team of the Month award. 
 Kunkel won the gold medal in the women's welterweight division at the Pan American Regional Committee Qualifier that was held Oct. 2-3 in Miami, Fla. She defeated Heidy Juarez, 3-2, to secure the Olympic berth for the United States.  
 The Men's Eight Rowing Team won its fifth consecutive Championship Eight title at the 1999 Head of the Charles Regatta on Oct. 24. It also won the Blue Ribbon Challenge in Lausanne, Switzerland, Oct. 30. Continuing its undefeated streak, the top U.S. eight has not lost a race since the heat at the 1997 FISA World Championships. 
 USOC OCTOBER ATHLETES OF THE MONTH (First-place votes in parentheses) 
 Men 
 1. Stephen Neal, Wrestling, 26 pts. (4); 2. Jason Torres, Taekwondo, 7 pts. (1); 3. David Morris, Track and Field, 6 pts. (1); 4. Apolo Anton Ohno, Speed Skating, 5 pts. 
 Women 
 1. Barbara Kunkel, Taekwondo, 21 pts. (3); 2. Serena Williams, Tennis, 11 (2); 3T. Beezie Madden, Equestrian 7; 3T. Jennifer Adams, Wheelchair Power Lifting, 7 (1); 4T. Karen Smyers, Triathlon, 3; 4T. Ashley Lanthrop, Yachting, 3 
 Team 
 1. Men's Eight, Rowing, 30 (6); 2. JJ Isler and Pease Glaser, Yachting, 12; 3. USA Men's National Team, Volleyball, 11; 4. Robin Levine & Kim Russell, Racquetball, 1