WORLD CHAMPION WRESTLER LES GUTCHES AMONG THE 10 FINALISTS FOR 1997 AAU JAMES E. SULLIVAN AWARD, GIVEN ANNUALLY TO TOP AMATEUR ATHLETE IN THE UNITED STATES 
   1997 World Champion wrestler Les Gutches (Corvallis, Ore./Sunkist Kids) was named as one of the 10 finalists for the 1997 AAU James E. Sullivan Award, which is presented annually to the nation's top amateur athlete. 
   Gutches was the 1997 World Champion in freestyle wrestling at 187.25 pounds, the top U.S. wrestling performance of the year. It is the first time that Gutches has been named as a Top 10 finalist for this award. 
   The other 1997 finalists included Chad Carvin (swimming), J.D. Drew (baseball), Tim Duncan (basketball), Chamique Holdsclaw (basketball), Trinity Johnson (softball), Peyton Manning (football), Linda Mastrandrea (disability sport), Jenny Thompson (swimming) and Blaine Wilson (gymnastics). 
   The 68th annual Sullivan Award will be determined by 1,200 voters nationwide. The winner will be announced in late January or early February. 
   Two amateur wrestlers have received this prestigious award: John Smith (1990) and Bruce Baumgartner (1995). Both are two-time Olympic Champions. 
   Gutches' gold medal performance led the United States to a sixth place finish at the World Championships. Gutches defeated Eldar Assanov of Ukraine in gold-medal finals, in a 1-1 overtime referee's decision. The key win for Gutches in the tournament came in the semifinals, where he beat 1996 Olympic Champion Khadzimurad Magomedov of Russia, 3-2 in overtime. 
   He won five matches on the way to the gold medal. For his outstanding achievement, Gutches was named the USOC's SportsMan of the Month in August. 
   Gutches won every competition that he entered in 1997, including the 1997 Freestyle World Team Trials in Las Vegas, Nev. in May, and the 1997 U.S. National Championships in Orlando, Fla. in April. It was his second straight national title.  
   In order to make the U.S. team, Gutches had to beat 1992 Olympic champion and two-time World Champion Kevin Jackson in finals of the U.S. Nationals and World Team Trials. Jackson is considered one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, and the bouts were fierce and intense. 
    Gutches recovered from back surgery early in season. He was a member of the 1996 U.S. Olympic team, placing seventh at 180.5 pounds. 
    He competes for the Sunkist Kids, and was a two-time NCAA Champion for Oregon State University. He is an assistant wrestling coach for Oregon State. 
   The AAU Sullivan Award recognizes the most outstanding amateur athlete in the United States. Based on the qualities of character, leadership, athletic ability and the ideals of amateurism, the award exceeds athletic accomplishments and honors those who demonstrate strong moral character.