1995 World Champion and 1996 Olympic silver medalist Dennis Hall among champions at the 1999 Greco-Roman World Team Trials in Tampa, Fla. June 271995 World Champion and 1996 Olympic silver medalist Dennis Hall (Plover, Wis./Sunkist Kids) is among the champions at the 1999 Greco-Roman World Team Trials at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Fla., June 27.
Hall competed against Jim Gruenwald (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) in the best-of-three series to determine the champion at 127.75 pounds. It took all three matches to determine the winner. Hall won the first match in a 3-0 decision, then lost a close overtime battle, 1-0, and then won by a technical fall, 11-0.
"After losing the second match, I just said to myself, the third one is going to be a war. I changed my strategy to be more aggressive. I was too passive in the first two matches. Now I'll focus on winning a Pan Am medal and a world medal, no matter the color. And then on to making the 2000 Olympic team."
The champions at each weight class will qualify for the U.S. team to compete at the 1999 Greco-Roman World Championships in Athens, Greece, September 23-26, and the 1999 Pan American Games in Manitoba, Canada, July 24-August 8.
Steve Mays (Pensacola, Fla./Armed Forces) scored two decisions over 1996 Olympic silver-medalist Brandon Paulson (Golden Valley, Minn./Minnesota Storm), 4-2 and 5-0, at 119 pounds. This is Mays' first World Team birth.
Shon Lewis (Colorado Springs, Colo./No Limit Soldier) made the team in two wins when he scored two decisions over 1999 U.S. Nationals champion Glenn Nieradka at 138.75 pounds. He first won by a 4-0 score and then by a 5-4 close decision.
Dave Zuniga (New Brighton, Minn./Minnesota Storm) a member of the 1996 Olympic team won the World Team Trials with two straight wins over Marcel Cooper (Quantico, Va./Armed Forces), 6-0 and 2-0. The second match went into overtime with Zuniga coming out the winner at 152 pounds.
At 167.5 pounds, Matt Lindland (Lincoln, Neb./Sunkist Kids) defeated Keith Sieracki (Colorado Springs, Colo./Armed Forces) in two overtime matches. The first was a 5-0 victory. The second was a close 1-1 referee's decision after overtime had ended.
1999 U.S. Nationals champion at 187.25 pounds, Quincey Clark (New Brighton, Minn./Minnesota Storm) won the best-of-three series over Dan Henderson (Huntington Beach, Calif./Dave Schultz WC). Clark lost the first match in a 4-0 decision in overtime. He then won by two decisions 5-3 and 6-0 to make his second world team.
1999 U.S. Nationals champion Randy Couture (Gresham, Ore./Sunkist Kids) was unable to compete in the World Team Trials due to injury. There will be a Special Wrestleoff between Couture and Jason Klohs (Maple Grove, Minn./Minnesota Storm) who was the winner of the World Team Trials to determine who will compete for the United States at 213.75 pounds. It will be the same best-of-three series like the trials at a site and date yet to be determined. Klohs defeated two-time Olympic team member Mike Foy (Minneapolis, Minn./Sunkist Kids) to win the trials. He first won 8-1, then lost a close decision 3-2 and won in overtime 2-0.
At heavyweight, 1999 U.S. Nationals champion Dremiel Byers (Colorado Springs, Colo./Armed Forces) defeated 1996 Olympic silver-medalist Matt Ghaffari (Avon Lake, Ohio/Sunkist Kids). Ghaffari won the first match with a pin 1:54 into the match. Byers then slowed the pace down and won decisions of 2-0 and 3-2 to compete for the U.S. World team.
The final day consisted of a best-of-three championship series. The first seeded wrestler at the event battled with the winner of Saturday's Mini-Tournament for a place on the U.S. World team and the U.S. Pan American team. The 1999 Greco-Roman World Championships will be held in Athens, Greece, September 23-26 and the 1999 Pan American Games are in Manitoba, Canada, July 24-August 8.
1999 GRECO-ROMAN WORLD TEAM TRIALS CHAMPIONSHIPS SERIES AND TRUE 3RD MATCHES
Tampa Convention Center, Tampa, Fla., June 27
Best-of-three Championships series
119 lbs./54 kg
Steve Mays, Pensacola, Fla. (Armed Forces/Navy) dec. Brandon Paulson, Golden Valley, Minn. (Minnesota Storm), 4-2 and 5-0
127.75 lbs./58 kg
Dennis Hall, Plover, Wis. (Sunkist Kids) dec. Jim Gruenwald, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids), 3-0, lost 1-0, ot, 9:00 and won by a tech. fall, 11-0, 4:08
138.75 lbs./63 kg
Shon Lewis, Colorado Springs, Colo. (No Limit Soldier) dec. Glenn Nieradka, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Armed Forces/Army), 4-0 and 5-4
152 lbs./69 kg
Dave Zuniga, New Brighton, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) dec. Marcel Cooper, Quantico, Va. (Armed Forces/Marine Corps), 6-0 and 2-0, ot, 9:00
167.5 lbs./76 kg
Matt Lindland, Lincoln, Neb. (Sunkist Kids) dec. Keith Sieracki, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Armed Forces/Army), 5-0, ot, 7:00 and 1-1, ot, rd, 9:00
187.25 lbs./85 kg
Quincey Clark, New Brighton, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) first lost a 4-0 decision, ot, 9:00, and won 5-3 and 6-0
213.75 lbs./97 kg
Jason Klohs, Maple Grove, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) dec. Mike Foy, Minneapolis, Minn. (Sunkist Kids), 8-1, then lost 3-2 and won 2-0, ot, 9:00
286 lbs./130 kg
Dremiel Byers, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Armed Forces/Army) lost by pin at 1:54, then won 2-0, ot, 9:00 and won 3-2
TRUE THIRD MATCHES
True third matches take place when the second and third placers in the Mini-Tournament have not faced each other. The winner will place second in the Mini-Tournament and third in the nation, and be a member of the U.S. National team.
119 lbs./54 kg
Shawn Sheldon, Colorado Springs, Colo. (NYAC) dec. Mujaahid Maynard, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Armed Forces/Army), 5-0
127.75 lbs./58 kg
Broderick Lee, Huntington, Calif. (Peninsula WC) dec. Duaine Martin, Quantico, Va. (Armed Forces/Marine Corps), 8-2
152 lbs./69 kg
Chris Saba, Colorado Springs, Colo. (NYAC) won by tech. fall over Steve Woods, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Armed Forces/Air Force), 11-1, 5:37
187.25 lbs./85 kg
Dan Niebuhr, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) won by tech. fall over Ethan Bosch, Colorado Springs, Colo. (NYAC), 11-0, 2:51
Quotes from the 1999 World Team Trials champions
119 lbs.
Steve Mays - "I'm ecstatic about making my first world team. It's been 12 years of hard work and now it paid off. I've made some changes in my life. I've given my life to God and I live cleaner, and am around more positive people. I also started training with Dennis Hall who taught me the art of fighting. To take it up another notch. It feels great to go into the 2000 nationals as the number one guy. It's a great mental feeling to train being the number one guy."
127.75 lbs.
Dennis Hall - "My goal was to make another World team. Jim's a great wrestler and we've wrestled a lot of time. I needed something different to motivate me this time. After losing the second match, I just said to myself, the third one is going to be a war. I changed my strategy to be more aggressive. I was too passive in the first two matches. Now I'll focus on winning a Pan Am medal and a world medal, no matter the color. And then on to making the 2000 Olympic team."
138.75 lbs.
Shon Lewis - "Winning the first two is in everybody's mind. You don't want to let him back in and give him the monentum. It will give him the chance to get back into it. Now I'm training and concentrating right now on the Pan Am Games and then the Worlds. I will use this as a stepping stone."
152 lbs.
Dave Zuniga - "You always want to avoid the third match. It's always good to get it done right away. Now I'm thinking about winning the Pan Am Games and beating the powerful Cubans. I'm about eighty percent of where I'll be then now. We'll have an excellent team and they all believe in themselves."
167.5 lbs.
Matt Lindland - "My conditioning has been outstanding and I think that is one thing that really helped me. Now we'll all concentrate on the Pan Am Games. Our team has great conditioning and I can work past ind