Missouri Valley, Cumberland have strong team efforts at USGWA Can-Am Freestyle Championships

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Gary Abbott (USA Wrestling)
03/30/2003


The two top ranked college teams in the United States, Missouri Valley College and Cumberland College, had strong team efforts at the USGWA Can-Am Collegiate Freestyle Championships, held in Lake Orion, Mich., March 29.    This year, the USGWA college freestyle tournament was sanctioned with USA Wrestling, and featured USA Wrestling mat officials.    Missouri Valley captured the team title with 44 points, with Cumberland close behind with 37 points. UM-Morris, Pacific and Neosho County CC rounded out the top five teams.    Missouri Valley featured a pair of individual champions, Leigh Jaynes at 138 pounds and Emilee Murphree at 145 pounds, as well as three runners-up.    Jaynes pinned Cumberland's Brooke Bogren in the gold-medal finals in overtime, at 6:24. Murphree won a three-athlete roundrobin competition, including a pin and a technical fall.    Cumberland had one individual champion, Alaina Berube at 133 pounds, as well as four runners-up. Berube captured a five-athlete roundrobin, scoring three technical falls and a pin. She defeated runner-up Kiersten Hyatt of Missouri Valley by technical fall, 13-2.    Besides Missouri Valley, the other team with two individual champions was Neosho County CC, led by champions Mary Kelly at 107 pounds and Alicia Mena at Over 165 pounds.    Kelly scored a 9-4 victory over veteran Julie Gonzalez of San Francisco State, 9-4. Mena won a four-athlete roundrobin, with two falls and an 11-1 technical fall over runner-up Melyssa Fuqua.    Other American individual champions were Danielle Hobeika of the Dave Schultz WC at 114 pounds, Stephanie Lee of Hawaii at 154 pounds and Samantha Lang of Tualatin HS (Ore.) at 165 pounds.    Hobeika pinned Patrice Crenshaw of UM-Morris in the finals in 2:45. Lee captured a six-athlete roundrobin with three pins, a technical fall and a decision. Lang edged 2001 World silver medalist Toccara Montgomery of Cumberland, 6-5 in overtime, and won a four-athlete roundrobin.    Two Canadian college athletes also captured gold medals, Teresa Piotrowski of Guelph at 121 pounds and Heather Sweezey of Brock at 128 pounds. Piotrowski scored a 12-2 technical fall over Erin Soli of Missouri Valley in the finals. Sweezey also won her gold-medal match by technical fall, stopping Jessi Shirley of Cumberland, 11-1.    For complete coverage of the USGWA folkstyle national championships in all age levels, visit  http://www.usgwa.com