WORLD CHAMPION SAMMIE HENSON AWARDED 1998 AMATEUR WRESTLING NEWS MAN OF THE YEAR 
 1998 World freestyle champion Sammie Henson (Norman, Okla./Sunkist Kids) was named  1998 Man of the Year by Amateur Wrestling News. Henson was honored during the National Wrestling Coaches Association banquet in University Park, Pa., on March 17. 
 Henson won a gold medal at 119 pounds at the World Freestyle Wrestling Championships. The victory was especially historic, as the competition was held in Tehran, Iran. He defeated an Olympic silver medalist in the championship bout. 
 Henson also claimed silver medals at the 1998 World Cup and 1998 Goodwill Games. In important domestic competition, Henson won gold medals at the U.S. National Championships and the Freestyle World Team Trials. 
 Originally from St. Charles, Mo., Henson was a two-time NCAA champion at Clemson Univ., and was also an All-American for the Univ. of Missouri. 
 The Amateur Wrestling News Man of the Year award is selected by a panel of wrestling experts, including coaches, journalists and leaders. The top 12 in the voting were announced by Amateur Wrestling News in the March 26 issue. 
 Henson defeated runner-up Tom Borrelli, the head coach at Central Michigan University, by 98 points. Matt Ghaffari (Avon Lake, Ohio/Sunkist Kids), a 1998 World silver medalist in Greco-Roman, placed third in the voting. 
 A number of other leaders who are involved with USA Wrestling placed in the top 12 of the voting. Cary Kolat (Bellefonte, Pa./Dave Schultz WC), a 1998 World bronze medalist in freestyle wrestling, was sixth. 
 Bucky Maughan, the head coach at North Dakota State and the tournament director for the Asics Tiger Junior Nationals and Cadet Nationals, placed seventh. 
 USA Wrestling's Executive Director Jim Scherr was eighth in the voting. 1998 World bronze medalist Lincoln McIlravy (Iowa City, Iowa/Gateway WC) placed ninth. Bob Bubb, the Executive Director of the NWCA and a USA Wrestling Board member, placed 11th. 
 1998 Amateur Wrestling News Man of the Year balloting 
 1. Sammie Henson, Norman, Okla., 275 pts. 
 2. Tom Borrelli, Mount Pleasant, Mich., 177 pts. 
 3. Matt Ghaffari, Avon Lake, Ohio, 143 pts. 
 4. Jim Zalesky, Iowa City, Iowa, 133 pts. 
 5. J Robinson, Minneapolis, Minn., 118 pts. 
 6. Cary Kolat, Bellefonte, Pa., 113 pts. 
 7. Bucky Maughan, Fargo, N.D., 108 pts. 
 8. Jim Scherr, Colorado Springs, Colo., 93 pts. 
 9. Lincoln McIlravy, Iowa City, Iowa, 92 pts. 
 10. Jeff Swenson, Minneapolis, Minn., 90 pts. 
 11. Bob Bubb, Clarion, Pa., 88 pts. 
 12. Rande Stottlemyer, Pittsburgh, Pa., 75 pts.