Quotes from the Freestyle Challenge Tournament finals at the World Team Trials
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Gary Abbott (USA Wrestling)
06/23/2001
Women 112.25 - Patricia Miranda "I've been working on things from that position from the match in Las Vegas. It was a good lesson. You only learn if you claim your losses and redefine yourself. I actually am not going to think about tonight's match until tomorrow's is over." Women 123.25 - Carrie Birge "I've been sick most of the last year. I haven't trained with her (Magnussen) much this year. I wrestled a lot better than I have been wrestling recently. I've been wrestling poorly. I finally wrestled my match. I feel pretty good. As long as I wrestle smart, I have a chance tomorrow. I did well today, and I made her think about it." Women 136.5 - Tonya Evinger "I wrestled defensively, to play it safe and make sure I won. I'm a little bit out of shape. I feel like I am wrestling decently. This is a little different than I've wrestled all year." "(Sara McMann's) a good wrestler. I have to be more aggressive. I usually have been defensive against her. I give her a better match when I'm more aggressive." Women 149.75 - Sandy Bacher "I felt strong. I wrestled smart and didn't put myself in a bad position. I wanted to open it up and do my shots, but I didn't need to today. I am wrestling well right now." Men 187.25 - Brandon Eggum "Everybody in the weight class are good wrestlers. I knew coming in that they would all be tough matches. I'm wrestling differently now. I tried to hit one good shot in college, and that would get me standing around, looking for the perfect shot. Now, I try to take as many shots as I can, so I can open it up. It helps me to score. It gives me more opportunities to make things happen." "I've wrestled (Cael) Sanderson a lot through college. He has a lot of offense. He'll keep coming at you. When I've wrestled poorly before, I have wrestled defensively against him. I hope to wrestle smart, and try to get my offense going. I feel sharper as a tournament goes on. The fact that I have been wrestling and he's watching doesn't give him a break. I like to wrestle. I'm glad I wasn't just watching." Men 213.75 - Chad Lamer "I tried to expose him off of my shot. I guess he was pinned, which is always nice. I felt really good last night against Rex Holman. I have wrestled real well since the U.S. Nationals. I think I have trained hard for (Dominic) Black. I know what he has got. I think my chances are good." Men 286 - Stephen Neal "I feel confident. I wish I could have wrestled in the Open. This was a good warmup, two good matches. I got the oxygen flowing. Hopefully, I'll be ready tomorrow." "Wrestling Kerry McCoy motivates me. He's a great competitor. He will bring out the best in me, I hope. I hope I have learned some leg lace defense. We will see tomorrow."