SAMMIE HENSON NAMED 1998 JOHN SMITH AWARD WINNER, AS THE FREESTYLE WRESTLER OF THE YEAR BY USA WRESTLING 
  Sammie Henson (Norman, Okla./Sunkist Kids) has been named the winner of the 1998 John Smith Award as the Freestyle Wrestler of the Year by USA Wrestling. It is the first time that Henson has won this prestigious award. 
  Henson was the 1998 World Champion in freestyle wrestling at 119 pounds, the top U.S. wrestling performance in 1998. His victory helped lead the United States to a third place finish in the tournament. 
  He defeated 1996 Olympic silver medalist Namik Abdullayev of Azerbaijan in the gold-medal finals, 3-1. He won five matches on the way to the gold medal. The victory was impressive, as Henson was competing in his first World Championships. 
  The World Championships were held in Tehran, Iran, in September, and during his medal ceremony, the U.S. national anthem was played in that nation for the first time in almost 20 years. For his performance, Henson was named USOC Male Athlete of the Month for September 1998. 
 Henson had a successful international season, claiming silver medals at the prestigious 1998 Goodwill Games in New York City in July and the 1998 World Cup in Stillwater, Okla in April. These tournaments featured star athletes from the worldÕs best international wrestling teams. 
  Henson won his first career U.S. Nationals freestyle title, with a victory in Orlando, Fla. in April. It was his second career national title on the Senior level, to go along with his 1990 Greco-Roman championship. He also claimed his first World Team Trials victory in Waterloo, Iowa in June. 
  Henson competes for the Sunkist Kids club. He was a two-time NCAA champion for Clemson Univ., and was an All-American at the Univ. of Missouri before transferring to Clemson. He was a three-time state champion for Francis Howell High School in Missouri. 
  Henson has also been named the 1998 Amateur Wrestling News Man of the Year, and the 1998 USOC Freestyle Wrestler of the Year. He was a Top-Five finalist for the 1998 James E. Sullivan Award, which is given each year to the top amateur athlete in the United States.   PAST JOHN SMITH AWARD WINNERS AS FREESTYLE WRESTLER OF THE YEAR 
  1998 - Sammie Henson, Norman, Okla., Sunkist Kids 
  1997 - Les Gutches, Corvallis, Ore., Sunkist Kids 
  1996 - Kendall Cross, Raleigh, N.C., Sunkist Kids 
  1995 - Kevin Jackson, Phoenix, Ariz., Sunkist Kids 
  1994 - Melvin Douglas, Mesa, Ariz., Sunkist Kids 
  1993 - Terry and Tom Brands, Iowa City, Iowa, Team Foxcatcher 
  1992 - John Smith, Stillwater, Okla., Sunkist Kids