UM-Morris women's team places second in Gord Garvie Memorial Festival in Canada

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Doug Reese (UM-Morris coach)
01/08/2001


The University of Minnesota-Morris Women's Wrestling Team wrestled to a second place finish in the 11th Annual Gord Garvie Memorial Wrestling Festival hosted by Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada on Janaury 6.    Junior Katie Downing (Pendleton, Ind.) celebrated her 21st birthday with a tournament championship in the 70 kilo/154 pound weight class.  Downing notched three pins during the tournament. She pinned Michelle Araya of the Northwest Ontario Wrestling Club in 1:56, pinned Lulu Burstun of MacMaster University in 1:05, and pinned Laura Jones of Brock University in the championship finals in 50 seconds.  This is the third time this season Downing has won the championship title in tournament action.    Freshman Katie Ross (Greensboro, N.C.) placed second at 61 kilos/134 pounds. Ross produced her best performance of the season.  Ross won by technical fall versus Therese Traynor of MacMaster University 11-0, and won by fall over Jennie Brown of Lakehead University in 1:20.  In the championship finals, Ross lost a 10-0 technical superiority to Megan Dolan of Brock University.    Junior Stephanie Looney (Portsmouth, Va.) and sophomore Samantha Branka (Lincoln Park, Mich.) placed in third place in the tournament.  Looney wrestled at 65 kilos/143 pounds and Branka in the 77 kilo/169 pound division.     The tournament was won by Brock University, followed by the University of Minnesota-Morris, MacMaster University, Lakehead University, Northwest Ontario Wrestling Club, University of Manitoba, and Niagara University.