Third session notes - NCAA National Championships

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Gary Abbott (USA Wrestling)
03/22/2002


Friday NCAA Notebook    An annual tradition at the NCAA Tournament each year is the NWCA/Fellowship of Christian Athletes Breakfast. The event is free for NWCA members, but open to the public for a small fee. The keynote speaker this year was USA Wrestling National Greco-Roman Coach Steve Fraser, the 1984 Olympic Greco-Roman champion. Fraser showed video of his victory in Los Angeles, as well as the highlights of the U.S. team at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. His stories about the U.S. athletes, as well as his own personal journey and struggle, was inspiring.    Another featured speaker at the breakfast was Jose Campo, a high school coach from California who is the son of New York coaching legend Joe Campo. Campo gave his personal testimony about his disgrace from a cheating scandal at West Point, and his retreat into a personal life of alcohol and drugs. A former wrestler for his father, Iowa State star Bob Antonacci, led Campo to a California church, and Campo turned his life around. He is now a teacher and coach and father, and has been named as the National High School Coach of the Year. The program was concluded by 1976 Olympic champion John Peterson, who challenged each of the attendees to resist evil in their lives and continue their personal struggle for righteousness.    One of the nation's top college wrestlers is in Albany, but is not competing this weekend. In fact, this wrestler is working behind a camera, serving as a photographer for the college team. The reason the wrestler is not on the mats is not because of injury or other challenges, but because she is female. U.S. World team member Sara McMann of Lock Haven is the athlete and photographer. She is currently ranked first in the USA and North American in women's college wrestling rankings, and is also the No. 1 athlete in her weight class on Women's Team USA. McMann is featured in an article on women's college wrestling in the NCAA event program, as well. Lock Haven has four women on their varsity wrestling team, all who, like McMann, are internationally respected.    There is something missing at these NCAA Championships that may never return. Two colleges that had announced that they are dropping wrestling after this season did not qualify any athletes for the tournament: Bucknell and Boston College. Bucknell's last competition was the EIWA Championships two weeks ago, and Boston College closed its program for good at the Colonial Athletic Association Championships the same weekend. This drops Div. I wrestling down to 84 programs, down from 152 in 1979-80.    This has been a tremendous week for wrestling fans, as two major fan activities have been available between sessions. The city of Albany has created a FanFest in the streets outside the arena, with food and activities available for everybody. Only one block away is the annual W.I.N. Memorabilia Show, which features numerous booths from major wrestling companies and organizations (including USA Wrestling). Former champion wrestlers are signing autographs and meeting fans at both sites, and the activity level has been brisk.