2001 World Champion Dremiel Byers to lead U.S. team at 2003 Greco-Roman World Cup in Almaty, Kazakhs

<< Back to Articles
John Fuller (USA Wrestling)
10/23/2003


USA Wrestling has announced its team that will compete in the 2003 Greco-Roman World Cup in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Oct. 25-26.    The squad includes six 2003 Greco-Roman National Team members, all of whom placed second at the 2003 U.S. World Team Trials.    2002 World Champion Dremiel Byers (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) will lead the way for the U.S. squad at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. Byers has posted a 17-3 international record this season. In 2001, he won a gold medal at the World Cup.    Also on the U.S. team is Justin Ruiz (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC) at 96 kg/211.5 lbs. Ruiz was named to the 2003 U.S. Greco-Roman World Team after a neck injury to Garrett Lowney (Minneapolis, Minn./Minnesota Storm) forced him out of the lineup. Ruiz won a silver medal at the Pan American Games in August and recently competed at the World Championships in Creteil, France.    Also competing for the United States is 2001 World Team member Keith Sieracki (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) at 74 kg/163 lbs. Sieracki placed fourth at the 2001 World Cup.    Other U.S. National Team members on the World Cup team are Lindsey Durlacher (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC) at 55 kg/121 lbs., Glenn Nieradka (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) at 60 kg/132 lbs. and Jacob Clark (Quantico, Va./U.S. Marine Corps) at 84 kg/185 lbs.    Durlacher is a two-time U.S. Nationals runner-up. In international competition this year, he placed second at the Pan American Championships in Guatemala and fourth at the Granma Cup in Cuba.    Clark is a promising young wrestler who has won the University National Championships twice.     Nieradka has battled injuries throughout the past year. He was second in the 2003 U.S. Nationals, a tournament he has won twice in his career. He also placed fifth at the Concord Cup in Concord, Calif.    Mike Ellsworth (Colorado Springs, Colo./Michigan WC) will round out the squad at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. Ellsworth was the 2003 U.S. Nationals runner-up and has competed in numerous international tournaments. He won a gold medal at the 2003 Takhti Cup in Iran earlier this year.    Serving as coaches for the U.S. Greco-Roman World Cup team will be Andy Seras (Fairfield, Conn.) and Jay Antonelli (Quantico, Va.).    Seras served as the head coach of the 2002 U.S. Greco-Roman World Team and is currently the head coach at Sacred Heart Univ. Antonelli served as assistant coach of the 2003 U.S. Greco-Roman World Team and is currently the head coach for the All-Marine Team.    The U.S. team will face many of the countries in the world, including 2003 team champion Georgia, runner-up Russia, Egypt, Turkey and host Kazakhstan.    2003 Greco-Roman World Cup  at Almaty, Kazakhstan  Oct. 25-26, 2003  U.S. Roster  55 kg/121 lbs. - Lindsey Durlacher, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC)  60 kg/132 lbs. - Glenn Nieradka, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army)  66 kg/145.5 lbs. - Mike Ellsworth, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Michigan WC)  74 kg/163 lbs. - Keith Sieracki, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army)  84 kg/185 lbs. - Jacob Clark, Quantico, Va. (U.S. Marine Corps)  96 kg/211.5 lbs. - Justin Ruiz, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC)  120 kg/264.5 lbs. - Dremiel Byers, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army)  Coaches: Andy Seras, Fairfield, Conn.; Jay Antonelli, Quantico, Va.