1999 Armed Forces Wrestling Championship to be held at the Post Field House in Fort Carson, Colo., March 11 and 13The 1999 Armed Forces Wrestling Championship will be held at the Post Field House in Fort Carson, Colo., Thursday, March 11 and Saturday, March 13.
The best wrestlers from the four branches of the Armed Forces - the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force and U.S. Marines - will battle for individual and team honors. The competition is free of charge for all spectators.
The U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force teams are stationed in Colorado Springs, Colo., while the U.S. Navy team is stationed in Pensacola, Fla. and the U.S. Marine Corps team is stationed in Quantico, Va.
The U.S. Army won the freestyle competition and the Marines won the Greco-Roman competition at the 1998 Armed Forces Wrestling Championship, which were held at the U.S. Olympic Traning Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. The U.S. Army won the overall competition (freestyle and Greco-Roman combined).
Dual meets will be held, with each of the teams competing against the other three teams. Individual medals will be determined based upon the results at each weight class.
The freestyle competition will be held on Thursday, March 11, with sessions held at 10:00 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. The Opening Ceremonies are set for 9:00 a.m on Thursday, March 11.
The Greco-Roman competition will be held on Saturday, March 13, with session times of 9:00 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Awards will be presented mat side after every other weight class for both freestyle and Greco-Roman.
Three U.S. Marine wrestlers won double titles (both freestyle and Greco-Roman) in 1998: Duaine Martin at 58 kg/127.75 lbs., Marcel Cooper at 69 kg/152 lbs. and Dan Hicks at 97 kg/213.75 lbs. Also claiming titles for the U.S. Marines were Curt Onstad who claimed the freestyle title at 63 kg/138.75 lbs. and Greg Gibson who claimed the Greco-Roman title at 130 kg/286 lbs.
The U.S. Army had three 1998 champions in freestyle: Justin Weber at 54 kg/119 lbs., Keith Sieracki at 76 kg/167.5 lbs. and Dominic Black at 130 kg/286 lbs. In Greco-Roman, the Army had two individual champions: Glenn Nieradka at 63 kg/138.75 lbs. and Miguel Spencer at 76 kg/167.5 lbs.
The U.S. Air Force also had a pair of Greco-Roman champions in Jeff Cervone at 54 kg/119 lbs. and Aaron Sieracki at 85 kg/187.25 lbs. Jeffrey McCoy was the Air Force individual champion in freestyle at 85 kg/187.25 lbs.
The event is always very competitive, as each branch of the U.S. military battles with great pride in their service. Many of the competitors each year are nationally ranked and are top Olympic hopefulls.