Borzio Wins Dramatic Pin, but USA Wrestling Loses to Belarus, 21-10

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Pete Nevins (ESU)
02/13/2002


EAST STROUDSBURG - Angelo Borzio, East Stroudsburg University wrestling coach, wrote a perfect ending to the Team USA match against Belarus before close to 1,000 fans in ESU's LeRoy J. Koehler Fieldhouse Tuesday night.    Borzio pinned Boris Grinkevich at the buzzer in the first period of the 120 KG (264 pounds) finale for one of the two USA victories. Belarus won the international freestyle match, 21-10.    The pin was sudden and dramatic. Grinkevich got a hip lock on Borzio and tried to bear hug to the mat, but the ESU coach was too strong, got an underarm on him and used his own bear hug to send the Belarus wrestler tumbling flat to his back.    The official called the pin immediately just before the buzzer would have sounded ending the three-minute period. Borzio was leading at the time, 1-0, on a takedown midway through period.    It was Borzio's first win in an international dual match. He had lost twice to Russian wrestlers in matches in New Orleans and Edinboro. The third-year ESU head coach is coming off his best year of freestyle competition having finished third in the 2001 United States Nationals and fifth in the World Team Trials.    Grinkevich had finished tenth in the 2001 World Championships and fourth in the 2001 Junior World Championships.    The only other USA winner was Bob Lashley, a three-time NAIA champion at Missouri Valley College, who beat Sergei Borchenko, 7-3, at 84 KG (184.4 pounds).    Behind 3-0, he scored a takedown and two exposure points near the end of the first period and four takedowns in the second period.    Belarus, which was 11th in the 2001 World Championships, was led by Alexander Karnitzki, who two matches at 60 KG (132 pounds). He edged Jason Kutz, 4-1, going ahead with two first-period exposure points and then won by technical superiority over Jeremy Sluyter, 10-0 in 1:55.    Herman Kontoev, the 2001 world champion, defeated T.J. Hill, 8-1, at 55 KG (121 pounds), breaking open the match with a four-point move on a takedown and a three-point exposure early in the second period.    Other Belarus winners were Nikolai Savin over Dave Esposito, 5-2, at 65KG (145.2 pounds); Beibulat Musaev over Chris Ayers, 7-0, at 74 KG (162.8 pounds) and    Alexander Shemarov (B) on technical superiority over Ross Thatcher, 10-0 in 4:19. at 96 KG (211.1 pounds).    Belarus 21, Team USA 10  60 KG (132 pounds) - Alexander Karnitzki (B) dec. Jason Kutz, 4-1  55 KG (121 pounds) - Herman Kontoev (B) dec. T.J. Hill, 8-1  65 KG (145.2 pounds) - Nikolai Savin (B) dec. Dave Esposito, 5-2  74 KG (162.8 pounds) - Beibulat Musaev (B) dec. Chris Ayers, 7-0  84 KG (184.4 pounds) - Bob Lashley (USA) dec. Sergei Borchenko, 7-3  96 KG (211.1 pounds) - Alexander Shemarov (B) won by technical superiority over Ross Thatcher, 10-0 (4:19)  60 KG (132 pounds) - Karnitzki (B) won by technical superiority over Jeremy Sluyter, 10-0 (1:55)  120 KG (264 pounds) - Angelo Borzio (USA) pinned Boris Grinkevich, 2:59