U.S. team named for the The Little Caesars “Save USC Wrestling” Showdown on Wednesday, Feb. 6

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Gary Abbott (USA Wrestling)
01/30/2002


The U.S. team has been named that will compete against the freestyle wrestling national team of Belarus at the Little Caesars "Save USC Wrestling" Showdown, held at the Univ. of Southern Colorado Massari Arena on Wednesday, Feb. 6, starting at 7:30 p.m.    The team will feature a number of U.S. Olympic Training Center resident athletes who live and train in Colorado Springs, as well as a number of nationally ranked wrestlers who will be participating in a training camp next week.    Proceeds from this event will support the USC ThunderWolf Wrestling Club and will also assist in the effort to reinstate the varsity wrestling program that was eliminated last year at USC.    Leading the U.S. team will be 2000 Olympian Kerry McCoy (Bethlehem, Pa./New York AC), who will battle Boris Grinkevich at 286 pounds. McCoy was fifth in the 2000 Olympic Games, and placed fourth in the 1998 and 2001 World Championships. He won two NCAA titles for Penn State.    One of the top battles should be at 149.75 pounds, where 2001 U.S. Nationals champion Ramico Blackmon (Colorado Springs, Colo./Team Excel) will face Sergei Demtchenko, who placed fourth at the 2000 Olympic Games.    Blackmon is one of five U.S. Olympic Training Center (USOTC) resident athletes who will compete on the U.S. team.    Two of these resident athletes compete for the U.S. Army team, based at Fort Carson: Jason Kutz at 127.75 pounds and Bobby Lashley at 187.25 pounds. Kutz will battle Alexander Guzov and Lashley will face Beibulat Musaev.    The two other USOTC resident athletes on the U.S. team are Tim Dernlan (Colorado Springs, Colo. (Dave Schultz WC) at 119 pounds and Mike Eierman (Colorado Springs, Colo./Team Excel) at 138.75 pounds. Dernlan, who was second at the 2001 U.S. Nationals, will face 2001 World Champion Herman Kontoev. Eierman will battle Nikolai Savin.    Local star Jason Tapia, a USC ThunderWolf Wrestling Club member and a two-time NCAA Div. II All-American, is scheduled to compete at 187.25 pounds, against Sergei Borchenko.    The U.S. athlete scheduled to compete at 167.5 pounds against Mourad Gaidarov will be a former NCAA Div. I champion, either Donny Pritzlaff (Madison, Wis./Dave Schultz WC) or Casey Cunningham (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids). Pritzlaff won two NCAA titles for Wisconsin, while Cunningham was a NCAA champion for Central Michigan.    Michael Lightner (Norman, Okla./Sunkist Kids), a 2001 NCAA Champion for the Univ. of Oklahoma, will battle Alexander Karnitzki at 127.75 pounds.    Daniel Cormier (Stillwater, Okla./Gator WC), who was a NCAA Div. I runner-up last year for Oklahoma State, will face Alexander Shemarov at 213.75 pounds.    World Dual meets are among the most popular events hosted by USA Wrestling. The USA faces a top international team in a dual meet format. This event provides fans an opportunity to cheer for Team USA and witness top international Olympic wrestling.  A special youth wrestling clinic, featuring USA Wrestling National Freestyle Resident Coach Lincoln McIlravy, will be held prior to the dual meet at 6:30 p.m. All ticketholders will be permitted to attend the wrestling clinic for free. McIlravy was a 2000 Olympic bronze medalist, a two-time World medalist and a three-time NCAA champion for the Univ. of Iowa.    Tickets will cost $8 for adults and $5 for students, if purchased in advance. Tickets sold at the door will cost $10 for adults and $7 for students.    Tickets will be available for sale at the four Pueblo Little Caesars locations, at the wrestling office at the Univ. of Southern Colorado or at the national headquarters of USA Wrestling in Colorado Springs.    Any individuals who can not attend the event but wish to support the USC wrestling program will be encouraged to purchase a ticket as a donation to the club.    For information about the Little Caesars "Save USC Wrestling" Showdown, contact USC Coach Doug Moses at (719)549-2712 or Gary Abbott of USA Wrestling at (719)598-8181.    LITTLE CAESARS "SAVE USC WRESTLING" SHOWDOWN  USA vs. Belarus Athlete matchups  54 kg/119 lbs. - Tim Dernlan, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Dave Schultz WC) vs. Herman Kontoev  58 kg/127.75 lbs. - Jason Kutz, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) vs. Alexander Guzov  58 kg/127.75 lbs. - Michael Lightner, Norman, Okla. (Sunkist Kids) vs. Alexander Karnitzki  63 kg/138.75 lbs. - Mike Eierman, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Team Excel) vs. Nikolai Savin  69 kg/149.5 lbs. - Ramico Blackmon, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Team Excel) vs. Sergei Demtchenko  76 kg/167.5 lbs. - Donny Pritzlaff, Madison, Wis. (Dave Schultz WC) or Casey Cunningham, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) vs. Mourad Gaidarov  85 kg/187.25 lbs. - Bobby Lashley, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) vs. Beibulat Musaev  85 kg/187.25  lbs.- Jason Tapia, Pueblo, Colo. (USC Thunderwolves WC) vs. Sergei Borchenko  97 kg/213.75 lbs. - Daniel Cormier, Stillwater, Okla. (Gator WC) vs. Alexander Shemarov  130 kg/286 lbs.- Kerry McCoy, Bethlehem, Pa. (New York AC) vs. Boris Grinkevich