STEINER, MURATA NAMED OUTSTANDING WRESTLERS AT CLANSMAN INTERNATIONAL OPEN IN VANCOUVER, CANADA; TWO-TIME WORLD CHAMPION TERRY BRANDS RETURNS WITH VICTORYA pair of American freestyle wrestlers, men's star Troy Steiner (Madison, Wis./Team Excel) and women's star Stephanie Murata (Phoenix, Ariz./Sunkist Kids) were named Outstanding International Wrestlers at the Clansman International Championships in Vancouver, B.C., Canada, Nov. 21.
Steiner claimed the men's 138.75-pound title, stopping Kim Sung Sil of Korea, 6-2 in the gold medal match.
Murata won the women's 112.25-pound title, defeating Erica Sharp of the Univ. of Calgary in Canada, 12-5 in the gold-medal match. It was a rematch of the finals at the Sunkist Kids International Open in Phoenix in October, won by Sharp, 3-2. Murata was fourth in the 1998 World Championships.
The competition marked the return to the mats of two-time World Champion Terry Brands (Iowa City, Iowa), who captured the 127.75-pound title with a gold-medal victory over Canadian wrestler Saeed Azabayjani of Brock, 5-0. Brands last competed in a freestyle tournament in June 1997, and missed last season due to injury.
A number of U.S. wrestlers participated in the tournament, which featured top Canadian athletes, as well as teams from Japan and Korea.
Winning a silver medal in the men's division was Terry Steiner (Madison, Wis./Team Excel), who was defeated by Canadian star Daniel Igali of Burnaby Mountain in the finals, 1-0. Igali was fourth in the 1998 World Championships.
Claiming bronze medals in the men's divisions were Yero Washington (Clovis, Calif./Sunkist Kids) at 127.75 pounds, Jason Kraft (Colorado Springs, Colo./Team Excel) at 167.5 pounds and Brian Springberg (Forest Grove, Ore./Pacific Univ.) at 286 pounds.
Other U.S. placewinners were Gerry Abas (Fresno, Calif./Sunkist Kids), who was fourth at 138.75 pounds; Marty Boday of Washington, who was fourth at 213.75 pounds; and Ramico Blackmon (Colorado Springs, Colo./Team Excel), who was fifth at 152 pounds
In the women's division, Malissa Sherwood (Granite City, Calif./Dave Schultz WC) won a bronze medal at 112.25 pounds.
Other U.S. women placewinners were Abby Schwarzberg (San Francisco, Calif./Peninsula Grapplers), who was fourth at 165 pounds; Julie Gonzales (Rodeo, Calif./Peninsula Grapplers), who was fifth at 101.25 pounds; Olga Lara (Daly City, Calif./Peninsula Grapplers) who was fifth at 136.5 pounds; Danielle Hobieka (Cambridge, Mass./Harvard) who was sixth at 101.25 pounds; and Dianah Ngo (Wildcat), who was sixth at 136.5 pounds.
1998 CLANSMAN INTERNATIONAL OPENat Vancouver, B.C., Canada, Nov. 21
Men's Freestyle
54 kg/119 lbs. - 1st - Nac Seok Kim (Korea) dec. Selwyn Tam (Burnaby Mountain/Canada), 5-2; 3rd - James Crowe (Brock/Canada) dec. Roger Rui (MacMaster/Canada), 4-1; 5th - Yuki Nagad (Japan) pin Jeon Seek Oh (Korea), 4:30
58 kg/127.75 lbs. - 1st -Terry Brands, Iowa City, Iowa dec. Saeed Azabayjani (Brock/Canada), 5-0; 3rd - Yero Washington, Clovis, Calif. (Sunkist Kids) dec. Jiro Yokose (Japan), 7-3; 5th - Mike Francis (Brock/Canada) won by tech. fall over Hwan Woong Hwang (Korea), 12-2
63 kg/138.75 lbs. - 1st - Troy Steiner, Madison, Wis. (Team Excel) dec. Kim Sung Sil (Korea), 6-2; 3rd - Nazir Lal (Burnaby Mountain/Canada) dec. Gerry Abas, Fresno, Calif. (Sunksit Kids), 3-2; 5th - Masaaki Sato (Japan) won by tech. fall over Jesse Saunders (Douglas/Canada), 12-0
69 kg/152 lbs. - 1st - Daniel Igali (Burnaby Mountain/Canada) won by ref. dec. over Terry Steiner, Madison, Wis. (Team Excel), 1-0, ot, 9:00; 3rd - Orion Akihato (Japan) dec. Steve Rose (Burnaby Mountain/Canada), 3-0; 5th - Ramico Blackmon, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Team Excel) pin Dan Einhorn (Burnaby Mountain/Canada), 1:31
76 kg/167.5 lbs. - 1st - Nick Ughola (Burnaby Mountain/Canada) dec. George Ivanichivili (Burnaby Mountain/Canada), 5-2; 3rd - Jason Kraft, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Team Excel) dec. Shibata Hiroshi (Japan), 4-1; 5th - Kevin Stemp (Burnaby Mountain/Canada)
85 kg/187.25 lbs. - 1st - Justin Abdou (Burnaby Mountain/Canada) pin Se Min Song (Korea), 5:52; 3rd - Dante Berlingeri (Brock/Canada) dec. Takewori Yokoyama (Japan), 3-0; 5th - Gabriel Szerda, Longmont, Colo. (Team Excel)
97 kg/213.75 lbs. - 1st - Owen Dawkings (Salisbury/Canada) pin Colby Bell (Bears/Canada), 0:42; 3rd - Hirotoshi Segawa (Japan) won by tech. fall over Marty Boday (Washington), 11-0; 5th - Randeep Sahdi (Burnaby Mountain/Canada) dec. Zach McLeod (Burnaby Mountain/Canada), 3-1
130 kg/286 lbs. - 1st - Yogi Johl (Burnaby Mountain/Canada) won by ref. dec. over Wayne Weathers (Manitoba/Canada), 2-1, ot, 9:00; 3rd - Brian Springberg, Forest Grove, Ore. (Pacific Univ.) pin Mutsuhiro Shigero (Japan), 2:29; 5th - Eric Kirshman (Univ. of Saskatchewan/Canada)
Men's Freestyle Team Scores: 1. Burnaby Mountain (CAN), 57 pts.: 2. Japan, 28 pts.; 3. Team Excel (USA), 23 pts.; 4. Korea, 22 pts.; 5. Brock (CAN), 17 pts.; 6. (tie) United States and Salisbury (CAN), 10 pts.; 8. Sunkist Kids (USA), 8 pts.; 9. Bears (CAN) and Manitoba (CAN), 7 pts.
Outstanding Canadian Wrestler - Daniel Igali, 152 lbs.
Outstanding International Wrestler - Troy Steiner, USA, 138.75 pounds
Women's Freestyle
46 kg/101.25 lbs. - 1st - Lyndsey Belisle (Burnaby Mountain/Canada) dec. Shoko Yoshimura (Japan), 6-1; 3rd - Julie Harris (Univ. of Calgary/Canada) dec. Carol Hugh (Burnaby Mountain/Canada), 6-3; 5th - Julie Gonzales, Rodeo, Calif. (Peninsula Grapplers) pin Danielle Hobieka, Cambridge, Mass. (Harvard), 0:46
51 kg/112.25 lbs. - 1st - Stephanie Murata, Phoenix, Ariz. (Sunkist Kids) dec. Erica Sharp (Univ. of Calgary/Canada), 12-5; 3rd - Malissa Sherwood, Granite City, Calif. (Dave Schultz WC) dec. Melissa Protar (Univ. of Saskatchewan/Canada), 7-4; 5th - Cheiko Toriamo (Japan) pin Heather Deroches (Univ. of Calgary/Canada), 1:58
56 kg/123.25 lbs. - 1st - Jen Ryz (Burnaby Mountain/Canada) pin Malissa Kindratsky (Dino/Canada), 0:28; 3rd - Yuka Mitadera (Japan) pin Terri Tyson (Bears/Canada), 0:27; 5th - Tanya Verbeek (Brock/Canada) won by tech. fall over Kate Ecfeldt (Dino/Canada), 10-0 62 kg/136.5 lbs. - 1st-- Yayoi Urano (Bears/Canada) dec. Jane Hofweber (Burnaby Mountain/Canada), 3-0; 3rd - Ikuko Minamida (Japan) pin Demetra Koutsopodiotis (Kamloops/Canada), 3:56; 5th - Olga Lara, Daly City, Calif. (Peninisula Grapplers) pin Dianah Ngo (Wildcat)
68 kg/149.5 lbs. - 1st-- Christine Nordhagen (Univ. of Calgary/Canada) dec. Shannon Samler (Burnaby Mountain/Canada); 3rd - Tanya Yaunish (Rebels/Canada) pin Christy Schrumer (MacMaster/Canada), 1:49; 5th - Laura Jones (Brock/Canada) pin Monice Smith (Bears/Canada), 4:16
75 kg/165.25 lbs. - 1st--Kristie Thibideau (Burnaby Mountain/Canada) pin Kim Bergey (Univ of Regina/Canada), 2:32; 3rd - Elise Comeau (Burnaby Mountain/Canada); 4th - Abby Schwarzberg, San Francisco, Calif. (Peninsula Grapplers)
Women's Team Scores: 1. Burnaby Mountain (CAN), 41 pts.; 2. Univ. of Calgary (CAN), 29 pts.; 3. Japan, 19 pts.; 4. United States, 10 pts.; 5. Univ. of Regina (CAN), 8 pts.; 6. (tie) Peninsula Grapplers, Rebels (CAN), Dave Schultz WC, 5 pts.; 9. Kamloops (CAN), MacMaster (CAN) and Brock (CAN), 3 pts.
Outstanding Canadian Wrestler - Lindsey Belisle, 101.25 pounds
Outstanding International Wrestler - Stephanie Murata (USA), 112.25 pounds