A number of 2012 Olympians will be making appearances in the month of May as part of USA Wrestling’s Elite Athlete Appearance Program. 

Headlining the appearances will be 2012 Olympic gold medalist Jake Varner. He will be joined by other 2012 Olympians, including Olympic bronze medalist Clarissa Chun, Sam Hazewinkel and Jared Frayer. 

Varner, Chun and Frayer will be appearing at the Florida Freestyle and Greco-Roman State Championships on May 11-12 in Lakeland, Fla. The three Olympians will be signing posters for wrestlers and fans attending the tournament. The Florida State Championships are being held alongside the Body Bar Women’s Nationals, where age group women from around the country will also get a chance to meet these wrestling stars. 

Varner, the 2012 Olympic champion at 96 kg, was a two-time NCAA Division I National Champion and four-time finalist for Iowa State University. Varner also won two California high school state titles before making the 2005 FILA Junior World Team.  He was also the 2011 Pan American Games champion and U.S. Open champion. 

Chun captured a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics at 48 kg and was a 2008 World gold medalist. She was also a member of the 2008 Women’s Freestyle Olympic Team, where she placed fifth. In high school Chun was a Hawaii state women’s champion and went on to wrestle collegiately at Missouri Valley College.

Frayer was a member of the 2012 Men’s Freestyle Olympic Team. Frayer is also a four-time National Team member at 66 kg. He previously won the 2010 U.S. Open. Frayer wrestled at the University of Oklahoma, where he was a two-time NCAA All American and a four-time NCAA Division I Championships qualifier. In high school, Frayer was a three-time Florida state champion wrestling under the tutelage of his father at Countryside High School in Clearwater, Fla.

For details on the Florida State Tournament, please visit www.floridausawrestling.org.

Hazewinkel will be making an appearance in Indianapolis, Ind. on May 4-5 for the ISWA State Freestyle and Greco-Roman Championships. While there, Hazewinkel will sign autographs for young athletes and host a free clinic for freestyle and Greco-Roman, time permitting. Hazewinkel was a member of the 2012 Olympic freestyle team. Previously he is a five-time National Team member in Greco-Roman. Hazewinkel was also a four-time NCAA Division I All-American for the University of Oklahoma. In high school, he was a Junior Greco-Roman National Champion and compiled a record of 140-0 in the state of Florida. 

For details on the ISWA State tournament please visit www.iswa.com.

About the Elite Athlete Appearance Program
The Elite Athlete Appearance Program is funded by a grant from The Levitetz Family Foundation.  Levitetz, the Team Leader for the 2004 U.S. Greco-Roman Olympic Team, is also the founder of Handshake University. Handshake University was founded to help youth athletes believe in themselves, build confidence and help develop fundamental social and leadership skills. Handshake University also focuses on teaching kids to make a good first impression with a good handshake. To find more out about Handshake University please visit www.handshakeuniversity.com.