Few surprises in first session of 2004 Olympic Team Trials
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Jason Bryant (USA Wrestling)
05/21/2004
With the quality of competition in the RCA Dome in Indianapolis on Friday morning, there were relatively few upsets in the first round as most of the top seeded wrestlers had first round byes. The biggest match of the first round was in Men's Freestyle at 60kg where Tony DeAnda of Team Excel, a recent drop from 66kg, ended Eric Akin's (DSWC) run for Athens with a 10-0 technical fall at 3:51. DeAnda scored both in the neutral and par terre positions and will face Mike Zadick in this evening's quarterfinal. The event's first match on Mat 2 went to the clinch, where Eric Albarracin topped T.J. Hill at 55kg. Tim Dernlan topped University of Buffalo freshman Mark McKnight while Michigan State's Nick Simmons made quick work of Angel Alegre with a technical fall. Other featured bouts had Tony Davis edging Matt Lackey 6-4 and Kirk White knocking off Bryce Hasseman 3-1 at 74kg. At 96kg, John Trenge edged Dominic Black 3-1, scoring two points stepping over in the clinch in overtime. Tommy Rowlands topped Carlos Eason 6-1, and Dawid Rechul battled Chad Lamer to a wild 9-8 finish. In Men's Greco-Roman, Harry Lester got the Greco-Roman competition with the Trials' first crowd-pleasing throws. Lester scored a 13-0 technical fall over Corey Posey of the NYAC at 66kg. Lester's match wasn't the highlight of the first round, as Lester's Gator Club teammate Mark Rial knocked off Marcel Cooper of the U.S. Marines, 6-3. Rial popped his hips from the clinch after a scoreless first period and tossed Cooper to his back to score three points for a feet-to-back exposure and get a lead he would never relinquish. He'll next face T.C. Dantzler. The oldest wrestler in the Trials, 42-year-old Ramie Mohlman, spent just 35 seconds on the mat in the first round, losing to Joe Betterman of the NYAC 11-0 at 55kg. In Women's Freestyle, Michigan's Brandy Rosenbrock survived a first period scare against Cumberland's Shelly Ruberg to advance with a 14-5 decision. Ruberg nearly pinned Rosenbrock in the first period, but scored just one point the remainder of the bout. Grace Magnusson knocked off Dave Shultz WC teammate Danielle Hobieka 7-6 in overtime at 55kg. Five of the six high school wrestlers also won matches. Illinois' Caitlyn Chase beat Julie Gonzales 7-1 at 48kg; Stefanie Shaw of Connecticut beat Molly Keith of Missouri Valley 6-0 and Vanessa Oswalt of Ohio edged Iris Mucha of Cumberland 4-3, both at 63kg. Ali Bernard of Minnesota pinned Kelly Branhan of Missouri Valley in 35 seconds at 72kg.