Jake Varner gets in on a leg attack against Dustin Kilgore in the finals at 97 kilos (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)On Saturday night, Varner defeated Dustin Kilgore at 97 kilos in the best-of-three finals of the 2014 U.S. World Team Trials at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wisconsin. Varner was dominant in both matches, winning the first match 7-2 and the second 5-2. The only points Kilgore scored were from late takedowns in each of the two matches.
"Coach Cael and Coach Cunningham, Coach Cody, they're always preaching have fun and just wrestle," said Varner. "As long as you do that you'll be fine. That's just what I've been doing. It's been a lot more fun."
Varner was uncertain about whether he wanted to continue competing after winning his Olympic gold medal two years ago at the London Games.
"Once you win something big like the Olympics or Worlds, you kind of hit the pinnacle of wrestling," said Varner, who won a World bronze in 2011 prior to winning his Olympic gold. "You win the biggest thing out there and it's almost like, what's left? So your motivation may wander a little bit. That's why I needed a little time off."
Varner was one of three past World medalist to win titles on the opening day of the U.S. World Team Trials. The others were Tervel Dlagnev and Alyssa Lampe.
Dlagnev, a 2009 World bronze medalist and 2012 Olympian, made his fifth World or Olympic team by blanking Zack Rey in the finals at 125 kilos, 5-0, 5-0. After finishing fifth in each of the past three World-level events, Dlganev is ready to get back on the medal stand.
"I just have to keep having fun, getting better," said Dlagnev. "I have to wake up that day and be the best in the world ... Only God knows. I've just got to keep giving myself opportunities until I wake up on the day when I'm the best."
Alyssa Lampe won a hard-fought three-match series over Victoria Anthony (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Lampe started quickly in the first match and raced out to an 8-0 lead. Anthony, though, battled back in the second period, scoring a two-point takedown, and then a four-point move off an inside trip to cut the deficit to 8-6. But Lampe scored a late takedown to seal the match, 10-6.
Anthony controlled the second match, picking up two takedowns to lead 4-0 before executing a headlock and throwing Lampe to her back to earn the fall and force a third and deciding match.
Lampe then blanked Anthony in the third match, 5-0, scoring a takedown in the first minute and adding a second-period pushout and late takedown.
Lame was confident she could come back after losing by fall in the second match.
"A match like I had in the second round, that probably would have devastated me before," said Lampe. "But I've grown. I've matured. I can come back from a match like that ... Come back to win. We have practices like that where you'll lose and you have to keep wrestling."
Tony Ramos gets his hand raised after winning the title at 57 kilos (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)In the first match Ramos used an ankle lace early in the match to score four points, which is all he would need in a 4-0 victory. He controlled the second match, scoring a takedown in each period before surrendering a late takedown to win 5-4.
"I knew what he had, "Ramos said of Hazewinkel. "He was my camp counselor when I was younger. That's a thing for little kids that come to camps I do. We might be wrestling one day, so if you really have a dream, go for it."
Returning U.S. World Team members Alli Ragan and Veronica Carlson joined Lampe as women's freestyle titlists on Saturday night.
Ragan topped 2012 Olympian Kelsey Campbell in two straight matches at 58 kilos. Ragan won the first match 4-2, scoring two first-period takedowns before surrendering a takedown late in the match. She was completely dominant in the second match, winning by technical fall, 10-0, scoring a first-period takedown followed immediately by four tilts to end the match.
"I was definitely looking forward to that match," said Ragan, who recently moved to Colorado Springs to train at the Olympic Training Center after finishing her collegiate wrestling career at King University. "I've wanted to wrestle her for a while, actually. So I'm glad I got that one out of the way. I was ready for her to win the challenge tournament, so that's what happened."
Carlson took out Julia Salata in two straight matches, 9-2, 5-0, to earn a second straight trip to the World Championships. At last year's Worlds, Carlson won her first match by injury default before losing 8-0 to Zhangting Zhou of China, which ultimately eliminated her from the competition. This year she plans on taking a different approach.
"I think I looked at it as a more grand tournament than I should have," said Carlson. I didn't treat it as just another tournament, which is what I need to do."
Sunday's competition begins at 10 a.m. CT. The six weight classes contested are 65 kilos, 74 kilos and 86 kilos in men's freestyle, and 53 kilos, 63 kilos and 75 kilos in women's freestyle.
Best-of-three finals results
Men's freestyle
57 kilos: Tony Ramos over Sam Hazewinkel, 2 matches to 0
Match 1: Ramos dec. Hazewinkel, 4-0
Match 2: Ramos dec. Hazewinkel, 5-4
97 kilos: Jake Varner over Dustin Kilgore, 2 matches to 0
Match 1: Varner dec. Kilgore, 7-2
Match 2: Varner dec. Kilgore, 5-2
125 kilos: Tervel Dlagnev over Zack Rey, 2 matches to 0
Match 1: Dlagnev dec. Rey, 5-0
Match 2: Dlagnev dec. Rey, 5-0
Women's freestyle
48 kilos: Alyssa Lampe over Victoria Anthony, 2 matches to 1
Match 1: Lampe dec. Anthony, 10-6
Match 2: Anthony pinned Lampe
Match 3: Lampe dec. Anthony, 5-0
58 kilos: Alli Ragan over Kelsey Campbell, 2 matches to 0
Match 1: Ragan dec. Campbell, 4-2
Match 2: Ragan tech. fall Campbell, 10-0
69 kilos: Veronica Carlson over Julia Salata, 2 matches to 0
Match 1: Carlson dec. Salata, 9-2
Match 1: Carlson dec. Salata, 4-0
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