THE UNITED STATES WINS ITS FIRST EVER WOMEN'S TEAM TITLE AS SAUNDERS, BACHER WIN WORLD GOLD MEDALS AND MARANO ADDS A SILVER MEDAL AT THE WOMEN'S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN BODEN, SWEDEN, SEPT. 12 
 Tricia Saunders (Phoenix, Ariz./Sunkist Kids) and Sandra Bacher (San Jose, Calif./Dave Schultz WC) won gold medals, the top U.S. performances at the 12th Women's World Wrestling Championships in Boden, Sweden, Sunday, Sept. 12. 
 A strong effort by all six members of the U.S. team gave the United States its first Women's World team title, edging perennial power Japan in the finals standings, 47 points to 46 points. 
 "It was a fantastic team performance," said Mike Duroe, USA Wrestling's Freestyle Developmental Coach. "I'm extremely proud of the team's performance. To have every team member score points is difficult at the World Championships. This is a huge step for our program, and brings credibility and notoriety to our women's team." 
 Saunders won her fourth career World gold medal, defeating five-time World Champion Xiue Zhong of China in the gold medal match, 4-2 in overtime at 101.25 pounds. It was a battle of two of the greatest athletes in women's wrestling history. The match was tied at 2-2 in overtime, when Saunders scored a two-point reversal for the victory. 
 Saunders won her fifth career Women's World medal, a new U.S. record. She was tied with Shannon Williams with four career medals going into the tournament. Saunders has won World titles in 1992, 1996, 1998 and 1999, as well as a silver medal in 1993. 
 "Tricia had a very solid performance," said Duroe. "She is very calculated and wrestles smart in the big matches. She had a very tough weight class, with many strong competitors. Tricia scored a reversal in overtime for the win. She knew what she had to do and did it." 
 Bacher became only the second U.S. wrestler to ever win a Women's World title, defeating Anita Schatzle of Germany, 8-1, in the gold-medal match at 149.75 pounds. 
 It was Bacher's third career World medal, to go with a silver medal in 1997 and a bronze medal in 1998.  
 Bacher is one of the greatest multi-sport athletes in the nation. She has competed on two U.S. Olympic judo teams, and remains top-ranked in judo in the nation. 
 "Sandy is such a tough competitor," said Duroe. "She had a good game plan and followed it very well. Being in the Olympics in judo has certainly helped her. From the opening whistle in the gold-medal match, she dominated her opponent." 
 For the fourth straight year, Kristie Marano (Albany, N.Y./ATWA) won a silver medal at 165.25 pounds. She was pinned by three-time World Champion Kyoko Hamaguchi of Japan in the finals at 165.25 pounds, in 5:18. 
 It was the third straight year that Hamaguchi had defeated Marano in the gold-medal finals.  
 Stephanie Murata (Boca Raton, Fla./Sunkist Kids) placed fourth at 123.25 pounds. She was defeated in the bronze medal match by Yanzhi Gao of China, 2-1 in overtime. It was the second straight year that Murata was fourth in the World Championships. 
 Two U.S. wrestlers were eliminated from medal contention on Saturday, but were able to score team points for the United States.  
 Lauren Lamb placed fifth at 136.5 pounds. It was the third time in her career that Lamb has been fifth in the World tournament (1995, 1997, 1999). 
 Tina George (Colorado Springs, Colo./Minnesota Storm) placed sixth at 123.25 pounds. George was competing in her second World Championships, and did not place last year. 
 Two team members were recently married. Marano previously wrestled under her maiden name Stenglein, and Lamb competed under her maiden name Wolfe. 
 The U.S. team was led by head coach Rob Eiter of Chicago, Ill., assistant coach Shannon Yancey of Simi Valley, Calif. and USA Wrestling Freestyle Developmental Coach Mike Duroe of Colorado Springs, Colo. 
 The highest previous finish by the United States at the Women's World Championships was third, which the team achieved the previous three seasons (1996, 1997, 1998). 
 The 1999 U.S. Women's World team joins the 1993 U.S. Men's Freestyle World Team and the 1995 U.S. Men's Freestyle World Team as the only U.S. Senior-level teams to become World Team Champions in wrestling. 
 1999 WOMEN'S WORLD WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS  at Boden, Sweden, Sept. 12 
 Final results 
 46 kg/101.25 lbs. - 1st - Tricia Saunders (USA) dec. Ziue Zhong (China), 4-2, ot; 3rd - Inga Karamtjakov (Russia) dec. Shoko Yoshimura (Japan), 3-1; 5th - Mette Barlie (Norway); 6th - Julia Vojtova (Ukraine); 7th - Angela Castellanos (Venezuela); 8th -Helena Honkamaa (Sweden); 9th - Farah Touchi (France); 10th - Lila Ritevska (Austria) 
 51 kg/112.25 lbs.  -  1st - Seiko Yamamoto (Japan) dec. Erica Sharpe (Canada), 6-4; 3rd - Yanchi Gao (China) won by ref. dec. over Stephanie Murata (United States), 2-1, ot, 9:00; 5th - Natalia Karamtjakova (Russia); 6th - Ida Hellstrom (Sweden); 7th - Anne Catherine Deluntsch (France); 8th - Annett Kamke (Germany); 9th - Yulianni Orellana (Venezuela); 10th - Margarita Starikova (Latvia) 
 56 kg/123.25 lbs. - 1st - Anna Gomis (France) pin Mariko Shimuzu (Japan), 1:25; 3rd - Gudrun Hoie (Norway) dec. Tatjana Lazareva (Ukraine), 4-1; 5th - Nelisa Romero (Venezuela); 6th - Tina George (USA); 7th (tie) - Haying Cao (China) and Natalia Ivatjsko (Russia); 9th - Sara Eriksson (Sweden); 10th - Biruta Lickia (Latvia) 
 62 kg/136.5 lbs. - 1st - Ayako Shoda (Japan) dec. Lili Meng (China), 5-2; 3rd - Lotta Andersson (Sweden) dec. Jane Hofweber (Canada), 7-6; 5th - Lauren Lamb (USA); 6th - Nikola Hartmann (Austria); 7th - Unilce Hurtado (Venezuela); 8th - Lene Aanes (Norway); 9th - Natalia Ivanova (Russia); 10th - Diletta Giampiccolo (Italy) 
 68 kg/149.75 lbs.  -  1st - Sandra Bacher (USA) dec. Anita Schatzle (Germany), 8-1; 3rd - Anna Sjamova (Russia) dec. Natalia Bodnarets (Ukraine), 8-0; 5th - Xiomara Guevera (Venezuela); 6th - Ewelina Prusszko (Poland); 7th - Galina Ivanova (Bulgaria); 8th - Nina Strasser (Austria); 9th - Heidi Skemark (Sweden); 10th - Lise Golliot (France) 
 75 kg/165.25 lbs. - 1st - Kyoko Hamaguchi (Japan) pin Kristie Marano (USA), 5:18; 3rd - Christine Nordhagen (Canada) pin Elvira Barriga (Austria), 0:17; 5th - Edyta Witkowska (Poland); 6th -  Yana Panova (Kyrgyzstan); 7th - Heidi Martti (Finland); 8th - May Bente Eriksson (Norway); 9th (tie) - Tatijana Komarnitzkaja (Ukraine) and Jelena Jirnova (Russia) 
 Team Standings -1. United States, 47 pts.; 2. Japan, 46 pts.; 3. China, 29.5 pts.; 4. Russia, 29 pts.; 5. Canada, 24 pts.; 6. Venezuela, 22 pts.; 7. Ukraine, 20.5 pts.; 8 (tie) Sweden and Norway, 20 pts.; 10. France, 17 pts.; 11. Austria, 15 pts.; 12. Germany, 12 pts.; 13. Poland, 11 pts.; 14. (tie) Kyrgzstan, 5 pts.; 15. (tie) Bulgaria and Finland, 4 pts.; 17. Latvia, 2 pts.; 18 (tie) Australia and Italy, 1 pt. 
 U.S. Sunday performance 
 46 kg/101.25 lbs. - Tricia Saunders, Phoenix, Ariz. (Sunkist Kids) - dec. Xue Zhong, China, 4-2, ot, in the gold-medal match 
 51 kg/112.25 lbs.  -  Stephanie Murata, Boca Raton, Fla. (Sunkist Kids) - lost dec. to Yanzhi Gao of China, 2-1, ot, 9:00 in the bronze-medal match 
 68 kg/149.75 lbs.  -  Sandra Bacher, San Jose, Calif. (Dave Schultz WC) - dec. Anita Schatzle of Germany, 8-1, in the gold-medal match 
 75 kg/165.25 lbs. - Kristie Marano, Albany, N.Y. (ATWA) - lost pin to Kyoko Hamaguchi of Japan, 5:18, in the gold-medal match