22 National Champions Return To Defend Titles At 32nd Annual ASICS-Vaughan Junior and Cadet National
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John Fuller (USA Wrestling)
07/11/2002
The ASICS-Vaughan Junior and Cadet National Championships will take place in Fargo, N.D., July 20-27. These events are considered the most prestigious youth events in the nation and has helped develop numerous athletes who have gone on to win World and Olympic medals for the United States. For the first time in Junior National history, a women's division will be featured. Women's competition will begin on July 26 and conclude July 27. The best high school girls wrestlers in the nation will battle for titles and All-American awards at this historic event. The newest Olympic sport will be showcased at the largest wrestling competition in the world this year. Over 100 women are expected to compete in the first-time age-group event. The ASICS-Vaughan Junior and Cadet National Championships are heralded as the largest wrestling tournament in the world. Over 3,500 wrestlers representing 49 states will compete at the event. It will be the 32nd Annual ASICS-Vaughan Junior National Championships, the oldest and most storied age-group event hosted by USA Wrestling. Two styles of wrestling will be competed at both the Cadet and Junior levels: Greco-Roman and freestyle. Women will compete in freestyle only. In men's Junior freestyle competition, Teyon Ware of Oklahoma will attempt to capture his third Junior National title. Ware, who will attend the Univ. of Oklahoma next fall, is the only wrestler in this year's field looking for his third title. Many 2001 Junior freestyle champions are expected to be back to defend their titles, including Gabriel Mooney of Minnesota, Mack Reiter of Iowa, Mark Moos of Ohio, Johnny Hendricks of Oklahoma and Hetag Pliev of Ohio. Moos has signed a National Letter of Intent to wrestle at the Univ. of Michigan next year, while Hendricks will compete at the Univ. of Oklahoma. Defending Junior National Greco-Roman champions are Mooney, Brock Zollinger of Idaho, Sam Hazewinkel of Florida, Trent Paulson of Iowa and Matt Herrington of New York. Zollinger, Hazewinkel, Paulson and Herrington were all considered among the nation's top college recruits for 2001/2002. Zollinger will attend Boise State Univ., Hazewinkel will attend the Univ. of Oklahoma, Paulson and his twin brother Travis will attend Iowa State Univ. and Herrington, who holds the national high school record for career wins, has enrolled at the Univ. of Pennsylvania. The top 15- and 16-year-old wrestlers in the United States will battle in freestyle and Greco-Roman for national titles and All-American honors at the ASICS-Vaughan Cadet National Championships. Among the returning Cadet Freestyle National champions are Dustin Schlatter of Ohio, Mike Bizzle of Oklahoma, Ryan Adams of Minnesota, Anthony Easter of West Virginia and Michael Poeta of Illinois. Returning Cadet Greco-Roman National champions include Bret Land of California, Nick Gallick of Arizona, Cody Tolliver of Montana, Schlatter and Chris Hogue of Pennsylvania. Eric Tannenbaum and Grant Miller, both from Illinois, won Cadet national titles in both freestyle and Greco-Roman last year but will compete at the Junior level this year. Other 2001 Cadet champions eyeing Junior level success will be Cesar Grajales of Florida, Bryan Nunziato of New Jersey, Angel Cejudo of Arizona, Ryan Davis of Maryland, Alex Pavlenko of Arizona, Scott Loescher of Oregon, Mike Felling of Minnesota, Luke Hogle of Oregon, Matt Maciag of New Jersey, Joe Williams of California, Jon May of Minnesota and Patrick Barrentine of Ohio. To be eligible for Junior competition for both men and women, a wrestler must be born Sep. 1, 1982 or later and be enrolled in grades 9-12 during the 2002 Spring semester. Only wrestlers born in 1986 or 1987 are eligible for Cadet competition.