14 freestyle wrestlers capture Challenge Tournament titles at the World Team Trials in Saint Paul, M

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Gary Abbott (USA Wrestling)
06/22/2002


The wrestling was spectacular, as 14 athletes claimed the Challenge Tournament title in their weight divisions and qualified for the Championship Series at the 2002 World Team Trials in men's and women's freestyle wrestling in Saint Paul, Minn.    Among the winners in the freestyle division was a naturalized U.S. citizen from Cuba, and in the women's division a talented high school junior from Michigan.     Jesus Wilson (Fayette, Iowa/Minnesota Storm) claimed the Challenge Tournament title at 60 kg/132 lbs., defeating Jason Kutz (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army), 4-0 in the final match. Wilson, who placed fifth for Cuba in the 1993 World Championships, defected to the United States during a wrestling competition tour in 1994. He received his citizenship in 2001, in time to place fifth at the World Team Trials. A year later, Wilson, a student and athlete at Upper Iowa University, has put himself in position to challenge for a spot on the U.S. team    Wilson advances to the Championships Series on Sunday, where he will face 2002 U.S. Nationals champion Eric Guerrero (Stillwater, Okla./Gator WC) in a best-of-three series for the position on the U.S. World Team. Guerrero has competed on two U.S. World teams.    At 59 kg/130 lbs., high school star Brandy Rosenbrock (Warren, Mich./Shamrock) stopped Erin Tomeo (Volant, Pa./Sunkist Kids), 5-2 in the Challenge Tournament finals. Rosenbrock is a junior at East Detroit High School, and one of the best athletes in USA Wrestling's age-group program. She is competing at her first Senior World Team Trials event. Tomeo competed for the United States at the 2001 World Championships.    Rosenbrock's opponent in Sunday's Championship series will be 2002 U.S. Nationals champion Lauren Lamb (Farmington, N.Y./Michigan WC), a veteran who has competed in the World Championships five times.    All of the winners of the Challenge Tournament earned the right to advance to the Championship Series of the World Team Trials on Sunday, a best-of-three series against the 2002 U.S. Nationals champion. Sunday's sessions will feature all three styles of international wrestling, men's freestyle, men's Greco-Roman and women's freestyle wrestling. The Greco-Roman Challenge Tournament was held on Saturday morning.    The winner of Sunday's series earns a spot on the 2002 U.S. World Team. The men's freestyle team will compete in Tehran, Iran in September and the women's freestyle team will compete in Halkida, Greece in November. The men's Greco-Roman team will compete in Moscow, Russia in September.    Three athletes who competed for the U.S. at the 2002 Freestyle World Championships for men and women in Sofia, Bulgaria won their Challenge Tournament finals: Stephen Abas (Fresno, Calif./Sunkist Kids) at 55 kg/121 lbs., Chris Bono (Ames, Iowa/Sunkist Kids) at 66 kg/145.5 pounds and Toccara Montgomery (Cleveland, Ohio/Sunkist Kids) at 72 kg/158.5 pounds.    Abas was dominant in a 13-3 technical fall victory over Jody Strittmatter (Iowa City, Iowa/Hawkeye WC) in the Challenge Tournament finals. Abas did not compete at the 2002 U.S. Nationals, after a long season which included his third NCAA Div. I title for Fresno State. Abas will now battle 2002 U.S. Nationals champion Teague Moore (Norman, Okla./Gator WC) in the championship series.    Bono got by Doug Schwab (Iowa City, Iowa/Hawkeye WC), 3-2 in his Challenge Tournament finals.     Bono will now face 2002 U.S. Nationals runner-up Jamill Kelly (Stillwater, Okla./Gator WC) in a best-of-three series. The winner qualifies for a Special Wrestle-off at a date and location to be determined against 2002 U.S. Nationals champion Bill Zadick (Iowa City, Iowa/Hawkeye WC), who extended his finals series due to injury. Only a U.S. Nationals champion has the right to get a delay on his World Team Trials finals series.    Montgomery was a 2002 U.S. Nationals champion at 67 kg/147.5 pounds, but gave up her No. 1 position in the World Team Trials to move up to 72 kg/158.5 pounds, one of the four weights that will be contested at the Olympic Games. Montgomery edged Satrinina Vernon (Rodeo, Calif./Missouri Valley), 8-6 in a very competitive finals bout. Montgomery will battle three-time U.S. Nationals champion Iris Smith (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) in the Championship series on Sunday.    Other men's freestyle Challenge Tournament champions were Casey Cunningham (Mt. Pleasant, Mich./Sunkist Kids) at 74 kg/163 pounds, Lee Fullhart (Iowa City, Iowa/Gator WC) at 84 kg/185 lbs., Chad Lamer, Iowa City, Iowa (Hawkeye WC) at 96 kg/211.5 pounds and Tommy Rowlands (Columbus, Ohio/Dave Schultz WC) at 120 kg/264.5 lbs.    Cunningham defeated 1998 Junior World Champion Donny Pritzlaff (Madison, Wis./Dave Schultz WC), 4-2 in the Challenge Tournament finals. Cunningham will now battle 2002 U.S. Nationals champion Joe Williams (Iowa City, Iowa/Sunkist Kids) in the Championship series. Williams was a 2001 World bronze medalist. Williams beat Cunningham 9-1 in the finals of the U.S. Nationals in April.    Fullhart stopped 2000 Olympian Charles Burton (Bloomington, Ind./New York AC), 5-1 in the finals of the Challenge Tournament. Fullhart's next obstacle will be 2002 U.S. Nationals champion Cael Sanderson (Ames, Iowa/Sunkist Kids) in the best-of-three series. Sanderson made history this year by becoming the first undefeated four-time NCAA champion in wrestling. Sanderson qualified for the 2001 U.S. World team, but did not compete, so he will be trying to have a chance to wrestle in his first World Championships. Sanderson beat Fullhart in the U.S. Nationals finals, 4-0.     Lamer defeated Daniel Cormier, Stillwater, Okla. (Gator WC), 5-3 in the championship finals. Lamer also competed in the Championship Series of the 2001 World Team Trials, placing second. He will face 2002 U.S. Nationals champion Tim Hartung (Minneapolis, Minn./Minnesota Storm) for the World Team spot. Hartung edged Lamer, 4-2 in this year's U.S. Nationals finals.    Rowlands, the 2002 NCAA champion for Ohio State, topped veteran Tolly Thompson (Lincoln, Neb./Sunkist Kids), 6-1 in the Challenge Tournament finals. Rowlands moves on to face 2000 Olympian Kerry McCoy (State College, Pa./New York AC) in the deciding best-of-three series.    Among the stars in the Women's Freestyle Challenge Tournament finals was 2000 World Champion Kristie Marano (Albany, N.Y./ATWA), who won a 3-1 overtime decision over talented young Tori Adams (Amarillo, Texas (Missouri Valley). The regulation match ended tied at 1-1, and Marano scored the winning points on a throw from the clinch position. Marano will seek to avenge a loss to 2002 U.S. Nationals champion Sara McMann (Lock Haven, Pa./Sunkist Kids) in a best-of-three series. McMann stopped Marano 7-1 in the U.S. Nationals finals.    At 55 kg/121 lbs., three-time U.S. World team member Tina George-Wilson (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) scored a quick 12-0  technical fall over Marcie Van Dusen (Twin Peaks, Calif./MFWC) to advance to the Championship Series. George-Wilson will battle 2001 World silver medalist Stephanie Murata (Minden, Nev./Sunkist Kids)  in Sunday's series.    Other women who won their Challenge Tournament finals were Clarissa Chun (Kapolei, Hawaii/Missouri Valley) at 48 kg/105.5 lbs., Katie Kunimoto (Kaneohe, Hawaii/Pacific) at 51 kg/112 lbs. and Mollie Keith (Aurelia, Iowa/Missouri Valley) at 67 kg/147.5 lbs.    Chun pinned high school sensation Mary Kelly (Mahomet, Ill./Dave Schultz WC), in 4:03, after Kelly jumped to an early lead. Chun advances to face 2000 World silver medalist Patricia Miranda (Stanford, Calif./Dave Schultz WC) in the Championship series.    Kunimoto stopped 2002 U.S. Nationals runner-up Danielle Hobeika (Cambridge, Mass./Dave Schultz WC), 5-1 to move onto the finals series, where she will battle 2002 U.S. Nationals champion Jenny Wong (Stillwater, Minn./Sunkist Kids) in a best-of-three series.    Keith defeated Cindy Herceg (Los Angeles, Calif./Spartak), 3-2 avenging an 11-3 loss to Herceg in the fifth-place match at the national championships. Keith now battles 2002 U.S. Nationals runner-up Katie Downing (Pendleton, Ind./UM-Morris) in a best-of-three series.