2006 U.S. World Team Trials Saturday Afternoon Recap

SIOUX CITY, Iowa -- The Saturday afternoon session at the 2006 U.S. World Team Trials in Sioux City played out virtually as expected as six of the seven champions successfully defended their titles. Only one wrestler, Mike Zadick of the Hawkeye WC, became a first-time Trials champion.

Two freestyle veterans, Sammie Henson of the Sunkist Kids WC at 55 kg and Daniel Cormier of the Gator WC at 96 kg won their fourth Trials titles while Greco-Roman wrestlers Harry Lester of the Gator WC at 66 kg, T.C. Dantzler of the Gator WC at 74 kg, Justin Ruiz of the New York AC at 96 kg, and Dremiel Byers of the New York AC at 120 kg came out victorious.

The seven champions crowned on Saturday will now represent the U.S. at the World Wrestling Championships in Guangzhou, China, Sept. 26-Oct. 2. The remaining seven spots on the Men's 2006 U.S. World Team will be determined on Sunday.

Zadick, who finished runner-up at the 2003 World Team Trials and 2004 Olympic Team Trials, picked up the first Trials title of his career with two straight victories over 2005 Trials champion Michael Lightner of the Sunkist Kids, 2-0, 1-0 and 2-1, 1-0.

After coming up just short so many years, did Zadick ever worry that his time might never come?

"No, I never worried about it," said the 27-year-old Zadick. "It wore on me a little bit more because it wasn't coming sooner than I wanted it to. But it's here now."

Zadick can't say enough about the fact that his longtime coach and mentor, Tom Brands, is now with him in Iowa City, having recently taken over as head coach of the Hawkeyes.

Tom Brands (Photo/John Sachs)

"Overall, it's a goldmine," said Zadick, who has known Brands personally sine his older brother, Bill, began competing for the Hawkeyes in the early 90's. "I don't how to say it. It's the most important thing in wrestling anywhere. It's like taking John Smith out of Oklahoma State. It just doesn't fit. Tom Brands, Iowa. John Smith, Oklahoma State. That's just how it is. I know people say Dan Gable … Dan Gable has had his time. Tom Brands is huge in the sport of wrestling. He's huge at the University of Iowa. And being able to work one-on-one with him is huge for me."

Henson, a 1998 world champion and 2000 Olympic silver medalist, made a statement against his likely successor, 19-year-old Henry Cejudo of the Sunkist Kids, that he's not quite ready to pass the torch to the high school phenom. Henson dropped the first period of the first match to Cejudo, but won the next four periods to win in consecutive matches (1-3, 3-1, 2-0 and 2-0, 3-2).

"He outwrestled me," admitted Henson after the match. "I had a lot of off-the-mat things going on. So I'm pretty happy with my performance having to deal with that."

Henson had high praise for Cejudo after the match.

"That kid is well beyond his years as a wrestler," said Henson. "He's a great wrestler. He's going to win some world titles and Olympic Gold maybe someday for our country."

When asked how much longer he plans to compete, the 35-year-old Henson refused to give a straight answer.

"My wife says China is it," said Henson, referring to this year's World Championships in Guangzhou. "But there's two China's. There's this one and the one in 08 (Beijing Olympics), so I agreed with her. She just doesn't know which one."

Cormier won easily in consecutive matches against Damion Hahn of the Minnesota Storm, 3-0, 4-0 and 4-0, 4-0. Cormier has won the Trials every year since 2003, but still understands the importance of coming out on top at this event.

"It's not tough to get motivated, because this is what we try to do," said Cormier. "We want to have an opportunity to win an Olympic gold medal, so this is just a step in the process. So you have to be motivated otherwise you don't get the opportunities you train for."

Cormier still believes his toughest title was his first.

"The first time I won, it was really, really tough," said Cormier of his Trials title in 2003. "It was the same year my daughter passed. I was wrestling Dean Morrison. To this day, I still believe Dean Morrison was on of the best wrestlers in the world. In that sense, it's gotten a little easier because there's no Dean Morrison. But these guys are tough. Damion is a good wrestler. He wrestles hard and I tip my hat to him."

Lester, who opted not to wrestle in this year's U.S. Nationals because he was recovering from a rib injury he sustained at the Petrov International in March, won his second straight Trials title with a finals victory over Marcel Cooper of the U.S. Army.

"I still have a lot to learn," said Lester, who failed to place at the 2005 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. "I have to learn everything from my feet, everything from par terre. I'm pretty good on my feet. I just have to get a lot better in par terre. You saw that last year throughout tournaments and at Worlds."

Ruiz, a 2005 world bronze medalist who recently won a U.S. Nationals title, was the lone wrestler in Saturday's competition who did not have to wrestle in the morning session because he met USA Wrestling's criteria to advance directly into the finals. In the finals, Ruiz defeated Phil Johnston of the U.S. Army consecutive matches, 5-0, 5-0 and 6-3, 1-1 to earn his second straight Trials title.

Byers, a 2002 world champion and six-time U.S. Nationals champion, defeated Russ Davie of the New York AC in consecutive matches, 6-0, 4-0 and 1-1, 3-0 to earn his fourth Trials title.

Action resumes on Sunday morning at 9 a.m.

Saturday's Finals Results (Courtesy of USA Wrestling):

55 KG/121 LBS. FREESTYLE
Henry Cejudo, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) vs. Sammie Henson, Flintstone, Ga. (Sunkist Kids)

Match 1: Henson dec. Cejudo 1-3, 3-1, 2-0
Match 2: Henson dec. Cejudo 2-0, 3-2 (Henson wins series 2-0)

60 KG/132 LBS. FREESTYLE
Mike Zadick, Solon, Iowa (Hawkeye WC) vs. Michael Lightner, Norman, Okla. (Sunkist Kids)

Match 1: Zadick dec. Lightner 2-0, 1-0
Match 2: Zadick dec. Lightner 2-1, 1-0 (Zadick wins series 2-0)

96 KG/211.5 LBS. FREESTYLE
Daniel Cormier, Stillwater, Okla. (Gator WC) vs. Damion Hahn, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm)

Match 1: Cormier dec. Hahn 4-0, 4-0
Match 2: Cormier dec. Hahn 4-0, 4-0 (Cormier wins series 2-0)

66 KG/145.5 LBS. GRECO-ROMAN
Marcel Cooper, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) vs. Harry Lester, Akron, Ohio (Gator WC)

Match 1: Lester dec. Cooper 4-0, 2-0
Match 2: Lester dec. Cooper 3-0, 1-1 (Lester wins series 2-0)

74 KG/163 LBS. GRECO-ROMAN
TC Dantzler, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Gator WC) vs. Brandon McNab, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army)

Match 1: Dantzler dec. McNab 2-4, 1-1, 3-1
Match 2: Dantzler dec. McNab 4-0, 4-3 (Dantzler wins series 2-0)

96 KG/211.5 LBS.
Justin Ruiz, Colorado Springs, Colo. (NYAC) vs. Phil Johnston, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army)

Match 1: Ruiz dec. Johnston 5-0, 5-0
Match 2: Ruiz dec. Johnston 5-0, 1-1 (Ruiz wins series 2-0)

120 KG/264.5 LBS.
Dremiel Byers, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) vs. Russ Davie, Colorado Springs, Colo. (NYAC)

Match 1: Byers dec. Davie 6-0, 4-0
Match 2: Byers dec. Davie 1-1, 2-1 (Byers wins series 2-0)

Complete Brackets

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