Joe Williams (Coralville, Iowa/Sunkist Kids) has been named the winner of the 2001 John Smith Award as the Freestyle Wrestler of the Year by USA Wrestling. It is the first time that Williams has won this prestigious award.    Williams won a bronze medal at the Freestyle World Championships at 76 kg/167.5 pounds, one of two U.S. World freestyle medalists this year. He had a 5-1 record during the World Championships.    Williams lost only one match the entire year, losing to World and Olympic champion Bouvaisa Saitiev of Russia in the World Championships semifinals in a close, controversial 5-4 match. He battled back to claim the World bronze medal, scoring an impressive 10-0 technical fall over veteran Radion Kertanti of Slovakia in the third-place bout.    Williams claimed gold medals at three major international events, the Freestyle World Cup held in Baltimore, Md., the Takhti Cup in Iran and the Manitoba Open in Canada. It was his second consecutive gold medal at the World Cup, one of the most important international events each season.    Domestically, Williams claimed gold medals at the the U.S. Nationals and the World Team Trials. It was the second time in his career that he won these events, to go along with victories in 1999. Williams defeated Byron Tucker of the Sunkist Kids in the finals of both the U.S. Nationals and World Team Trials.    Williams is an assistant wrestling coach at the Univ. of Iowa. He was one of the top wrestlers in Iowa Hawkeye history, claiming three NCAA Div. I titles during his impressive career. Williams was the outstanding wrestler at the 1998 NCAA Championships. He is originally from Chicago, Ill., where he was a star for nationally respected Mount Carmel High School. Williams was the 1993 ASICS Tiger High School Wrestler of the Year.    USA Wrestling will be announcing major award winners each day this week on TheMat.com, the official web page of the Amateur Wrestling Alliance.    PAST JOHN SMITH AWARD WINNERS AS FREESTYLE WRESTLER OF THE YEAR  2001 - Joe Williams, Coralville, Iowa, Sunkist Kids  2000 - Brandon Slay, Amarillo, Texas, Dave Schultz WC  1999 - Stephen Neal, Bakerfield, Calif., Dave Schultz WC  1998 - Sammie Henson, Norman, Okla., Sunkist Kids  1997 - Les Gutches, Corvallis, Ore., Sunkist Kids  1996 - Kendall Cross, Raleigh, N.C., Sunkist Kids  1995 - Kevin Jackson, Phoenix, Ariz., Sunkist Kids  1994 - Melvin Douglas, Mesa, Ariz., Sunkist Kids  1993 - Terry and Tom Brands, Iowa City, Iowa, Team Foxcatcher  1992 - John Smith, Stillwater, Okla., Sunkist Kids