DEFENDING CHAMPIONS HILL AND ZADICK LEAD LIST OF WINNERS AT 1997 JOHN VAUGHAN/ASICS TIGER JUNIOR NATIONAL GRECO-ROMAN CHAMPIONSHIPST.J. Hill of Farmington, Mo. and Mike Zadick of Great Falls, Mont. successfully defended their national titles at the 1997 John Vaughan/Asics Junior Greco-Roman National Wrestling Championships in Fargo, N.D., on Tuesday, July 22.
The 27th annual John Vaughan/Asics Tiger Junior Nationals, which featured the best high school age wrestlers in the nation, were held alongside the 13th annual HEALTHSOUTH Cadet Nationals for the second straight year making it the largest amateur wrestling tournament in the world.
Hill, a 1996 Junior Nationals double champion, won his third straight Junior Greco-Roman Nationals title (1995, 1996, 1997) with a 6-0 decision over Brian Watson of Canby, Ore. in the 114.5 pound finals. Hill, a member of the 1997 U.S. Junior World Team, has now won a total of eight USA Wrestling age-group titles, also winning the 1997 Espoir Nationals and 1995 Cadet Nationals in both styles.
Zadick, the 1996 Junior Nationals double champion at 132 pounds, scored an 8-4 decision over Dave Stoltz of Mt. Prospect, Ill to capture his third straight national title. Zadick, the Outstanding Wrestler in the 1996 Junior Nationals freestyle competition, will attempt to make it four in a row in the freestyle competition later this week.
Earning Junior National Greco-Roman titles for the first time were Jason Powell of Midwest City, Okla., Leroy Vega of Valparaiso, Ind., Eric Larkin of Vail, Ariz., David Miller of Kearney, Neb., Zac Dominguez of Omaha, Neb., Zach Stalder of Omaha, Neb., Jessman Smith of Des Moines, Iowa, Justin Ruiz of Salt Lake City, Utah, Garrett Lowney of Appleton, Wis. and Isaiah Larson of Hastings, Minn.
Powell, the 1996 Cadet Nationals freestyle champion at 88 pounds, pinned Ty Malia of Billings, Mont. at 2:21 to claim the 98 pound title. Powell also claimed a double title at the 1997 Southern Plains Junior Regionals earlier this year.
Vega, who placed third in the 1996 Junior Greco-Roman Nationals, scored a 5-1 decision over Chris Williams of Perry, Mich. to win the 114.5 pound title. In the round-robin portion of the tournament, Vega came from behind and pinned five-time Junior Nationals champion Kenny Cox of Eugene, Ore. putting an end to Cox's bid to break the record of six titles. After the tournament Vega was named the Outstanding Wrestler.
Larkin, who placed sixth in the 1996 Junior Freestyle Nationals, defeated Jordan Ottow of Snohomisch, Wash., 9-2 to claim the 123 pound title. Larkin, a 1995 Cadet Freestyle National champion, also claimed a double title at the 1997 West Junior Regional.
Miller, who placed eighth in the 1996 Junior Greco-Roman Nationals, claimed his first national title with a pin over Collin Robertson of Springville, Utah at 1:29. Miller also was the 1997 Rocky Mountain Junior Regional Greco-Roman champion and placed second in the freestyle competition.
Dominguez, a member of the 1994 Cadet Greco-Roman World Team, scored a 13-3 technical fall over Matt Petsinger of Ellendale, Minn. to claim the 154 pound title.
Stadler, who placed eighth in the 1995 Junior Greco-Roman Nationals, moved up to claim his first national title with a 4-1 overtime decision over Matt Barton of Wabasha, Minn. at 5:42.
Smith, a 1996 Cadet Nationals double champion, scored a 14-3 technical fall victory over Dusty Swanson of Fargo, N.D. in 2:35 to capture the 178 pound title. Smith is also a 1996 Cadet World Team Trials double champion and represented the U.S. at the 1996 Cadet World Championships in Greco-Roman.
Ruiz, the 1997 Espoir Greco-Roman Nationals champion, added a Junior Nationals title with a 11-1 technicall fall over Daniel Cormier of Lafayette, La. in 1:11. Ruiz, a 1996 Junior Greco-Roman Nationals runner-up, is a member of the 1997 Junior World Team.
Lowney, who claimed the 1996 Junior Freestyle National title, added a Greco-Roman title by stopping Jamie Garvey of Fargo, N.D., 11-5 in the 220 pound finals. Lowney placed fifth in the 1996 Junior Greco-Roman Nationals.
Larson improved on his fifth place finish in the 1996 Junior Greco-Roman Nationals by winning a 2-0 overtime referees decision over Luke Owens of Grundy, Va. in the 275 pound finals.
Dave Starks of Stoughton, Wis. won the Most Falls Award with seven pins in 13:10 competing in the 105.5 pound division.
Kellie Odinet of Louisiana made history as the first female to compete in the Junior National Championships. Odinet, competing at 105.5 pounds, faced three-time Greco-Roman national champion T.J. Hill in her first match losing by a score of 10-0. Odinet finished the tournament with a record of 0-2.
A record 839 competitors took to the mats at the Junior Greco-Roman Nationals.
The world's largest wrestling tournament continues on Wednesday, July 23 when the Cadet freestyle competition begins with preliminaries scheduled from 4:00 - 8:00 p.m. The Junior freestyle competition will begin on Thursday, July 24, with preliminaries scheduled for 4:00 - 8:00 p.m.
1997 John Vaughan/Asics Tiger Junior Greco-Roman National ChampionshipsFinal Results
Tuesday, July 22 - Fargo, N.D.
98 lbs.
1st - Jason Powell, Midwest City, Okla. pin Ty Malia, Billings, Mont., 2:21; 3rd - Chad Carlile, Liberal, Kan. won by tech. fall over Jason Harless, Bonanza, Ore., 10-0; 5th - Matthew Davis, Corvallis, Mont. won by tech fall over Danny Arriaga, Chino, Calif. , 11-0; 7th - Leon Ngchee, Kenner, La. won by tech. fall over Gary Oxford, St. Charles, Mo., 11-1
105.5 lbs.
1st - T.J. Hill, Farmington, Mo. dec. Brian Watson, Canby, Ore., 6-0; 3rd - Ben Vombaur, Vancouver, Wash. dec. Dave Starks, Stoughton, Wis., 9-2; 5th - Adam Doherty, Jeffersonville, Ind. pin Kasey Kohl, Omaha, Neb., 1:09; 7th - A.J. Grant, Clarkston, Mich. won by tech. fall over Ricky Pence, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 10-0
114.5 lbs.
1st - Leroy Vega, Valperaiso, Ind. dec. Chris Williams, Perry, Mich., 5-1 ; 3rd - Kenny Cox, Eugene, Ore. won by inj. dft. over Brady Jones, Salt Lake City, Utah; 5th - Witt Durden, Dublin, Ga. pin Ryan Lewis, Vernal, Utah, 0:22; 7th - Nathan Martinez, Aurora, Ill. dec. Josh Buchanan, Farmington, Mo., 6-5
123 lbs.
1st - Eric Larkin, Vail, Ariz. dec. Jordan Ottow, Snohomish,Wash., 9-2; 3rd - Darnell Lollis, Harvey, Ill. pin Brandon Anderson, Loa, Utah, 2:46; 5th - Josh Habeck, Schofield, Wis. pin Steve Palumbo, Park Ridge, Ill., 0:28; 7th - Tyrone Martinez, Papillion, Neb. pin James Ferguson, Seward, Neb., 0:32
132 lbs.
1st - Mike Zadick, Great Falls, Mont. dec. Dave Stoltz, Mt. Prospect, Ill., 8-4; 3rd - Lance Weber, Des Plaines, Ill. won by tech. fall over Chad Caros, Franklinville, N.Y., 12-0; 5th - Michael Johnson, Lawton, Okla. pin Luke Bailey, Richland Center, Wis., 3:18; 7th - Darrell Carr, Syracuse, Ind. dec. Clark Forward, Archbold, Ohio, 8-6
143 lbs.
1st - David Miller, Kearney, Neb. pin Collin Robertson, Springville, Utah, 1:29; 3rd - Dave Shafer, Nuremberg, Pa. dec. Matt Anderson, Shenandoah, Iowa, 10-3; 5th - Dan Cysewski, Vernon Hills, Ill. dec. Joe Paun, South Holland, Ill., 5-3; 7th - Gary Williams, Dimondale, Mich. won by disq. over Martine Apodaca, Amarillo, Tex.
154 lbs.
1st - Zac Dominguez, Omaha, Neb. (Iowa) won by tech. fall over Matt Petsinger, Ellendale, Minn., 13-3, 3:39; 3rd - Mike Bundy, Lake Stevens, Wash. dec. Carl Fronhofer, Salem, N.Y., 8-3; 5th - Nathan Lawrenz, Herrington, Kan. won by tech. fall over Mike Fiedler, Sauk Centre, Minn., 10-0; 7th - Eugene Harris, Las Vegas, Nev. won by tech. fall over Brad Harper, Mishwaka, Ind., 12-1
165 lbs.
1st - Zach Stalder, Omaha, Neb. dec. Matt Barton, Wabasha, Minn., 4-1, 5:42; 3rd - Cael Sanderson, Heber City, Utah pin Nathan Coy, Oregon City, Ore., 1:15; 5th - Andy Harrison, Clive, Iowa dec. Matt Coyle, Schoharie, N.Y., 9-4; 7th - Brandon Springer, Snohomish, Wash. pin Brenton Gabbert, Vernon, Tex., 1:54
178 lbs.
1st - Jessman Smith, Des Moines, Iowa won by tech. fall over Dusty Swanson, Fargo, N.D., 14-3, 2:35 ; 3rd - Mike Cuperus, Readi