Penn State Coach Casey Cunningham Thanks the NLWC for Its Service to Our Sport
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
® Volume 16 Number 1 V olume 2 Number1 Summer 2014 www.nittanylionwrestling.com Penn State Coach Casey Cunningham Thanks the NLWC for Its Service to Our Sport The following letter from Casey makes clear how the NLWC continues to support wrestling at all levels in Central, Pennsylvania even as it has become the most successful Regional Olympic Training Center in the USA. Dear Nittany Lion Wrestling Club Members: As the guest writer for this update to the NLWC members I just want to say a big Thank You for everything you do for this club. We have an unbelievable club that cannot be matched anywhere in the country. We also have a designated Olympic Regional Training Center here which allows the guys that are employed by the NLWC a place to train. The regional training center here at Penn State just won the Regional Cup in Las Vegas at the U.S. Open. This is given to the training center that scores the most points with the guys that train at their facility. There is no place in the country doing what we are doing right now with our freestyle club. Guys are able to live and train full time in State College at the Regional Training Center and then are able to represent the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club in the events they wrestle in. The support that you the members have given us allow our guys a very unique situation. The NLWC offers incredible experiences for young wrestlers/kids in our community as well. I signed my kids up this past year for the Fitness and Balance, Beginning Wrestling, and the Advanced Youth Wrestling programs offered by the NLWC. Here is a list of the coaches that my 3 boys had through these programs: Jake Varner-Olympic Champion, 3rd in the World Championship, 4x NCAA Finalist Franklin Gomez-World Silver Medal, NCAA Champion, 3x All-American Jaime Espinal-Olympic Silver Medalist Quentin Wright- 4x All-American, 2x NCAA Champion, U.S. Open All-American Les Sigman-World Team Member, 4 x NCAA D2 Champion Mark McKnight-Pan Am Champion, NCAA All-American, U.S. Open All-American Nick Fanthorpe-NCAA All-American John Fritz-NCAA Champion and Big 10 and NCAA Coach of the Year Dave Hart-2x NCAA All-American These are the guys that were coaching these young kids so it was an amazing opportunity for the community to take advantage of. Again these guys are here because of your generous support. With a few exceptions these guys are also allowed to work out with our college guys per NCAA rules so that is a huge advantage to our guys. We also just recently welcomed three new resident athletes, Frank Molinaro (4x All-American, NCAA Champion), Ed Ruth (First 3x National Champion in school history) and David Taylor (4x NCAA Finalist, 2x NCAA Champion). Like I mentioned above we are very thankful that we have the opportunity to allow these guys to stick around and train to reach their goals of being World and Olympic Champions while making the Penn State Wrestlers tougher along the way. We hope that we will be able to continue to allow young men to have a place to train to reach their goals and also provide an opportunity for people in this community to take advantage of the talent we have here. Yours, with Many Thanks, Casey Cunningham 1 NLWC Resident Athletes Include Many 2015 World Team and 2016 Olympic Hopefuls: Varner and Ruth on USA World Team to Compete for 2014 World Titles in Uzbekistan, September, 8-14, 2014. A simple listing of this year’s (2013’14) New Resident Athletes: Resident Athletes and their major Recent collegiate graduates have achievements makes clear their already proven themselves World and extraordinary international visibility as Olympic Team contenders. Several did a group as well as their collective ability extremely well against world elites at to inspire and teach the elementary, the US Open Wrestling Championships high-school, and collegiate wrestlers in Las Vegas, April 16-19 and then in they work with in NLWC programs. the final 2014 USA World Team Trials The NLWC individual performances in early June, in Madison, Wisconsin. earned the team title at the US Open Championships in Vegas (by outscoring all other USA Wrestling’s approved Regional Olympic Training Centers). Jake Varner beat Kilgore Continuing Resident Athletes: in World Team Trials Final. 2012 Olympic Champ, 2014 US Open Varner also finished ahead of J.D. Champ and winner of US World Team Bergman who was on last year’s USA Trials, Jake Varner just qualified for World Team. the US World Team that will vie for World Championships this September 2012 Olympic Silver Medalist Jaimie in Tashkent, Uzbekistan at 97 kgs (213 Espinal has recently restarted his lbs). At the World Team Trials, former training towards a spot on Puerto NCAA Champ for Kent State, Dustin Rico’s World Team. Puerto Rico’s Ed Ruth faces off with Keith Gavin. Kilgore won the right to challenge World Silver Medalist and Olympian Varner. Varner beat Kilgore 7-2, 5-2. Franklin Gomez is currently ranked Ed Ruth, Penn State’s first-ever 3X #2 in the world at 65 kgs (143 lbs). NCAA Champ, placed 3rd at 86 kgs Former USA World Teamer, Les (189 lbs)behind former Pitt star Keith Sigman is currently recovering from Gavin and long-time USA World Team The Nittany Lion Wrestling Club Newsletter injury and will be back in the hunt for contender, Clayton Foster who edged is published & distributed free of charge him 13-12 in a donnybrook at the US to all club members in recognition of their a place on the 2015 USA World Team support of the NLWC Program. at 125 kgs (275.5 lbs.) Open in Vegas. But at the final World Team Trials, it was Ruth who beat 2014 US Open Placers, Mark Jim Martin President Foster in the final and finished ahead McKnight 7th, and Nick Fanthorpe Judd Arnold Vice President, of Gavin, Chris Perry and John Reader. Co-Editor 4th at 57 (125 lbs) and 65 kgs (143 That’s a remarkable break-through for Bob & Mary Noll Clothing Sales lbs). In May, Fanthorpe also won the someone who didn’t focus on freestyle Other Board Members NE Regional title with a TF in East until after the NCAAs last March. David Becker Bill Buckley Stroudsburg. This qualified him for the He’ll join Jake Varner on the 2014 Matt Gaul Darrel Zaccagni World Team Trials where he finished USA World Team Championships this 4th. Rich Lorenzo Executive Director September in Uzbekistan. Dave Hart Co-director of Programs Quentin Wright, was winless in David Taylor, in the Open, Membership Chair, his first outing at the World Trials at Treasurer, Co-Editor, dominated three opponents at 74 kgs 86 kgs (189 lbs), but has shown in Business Manager (163 lbs) -- with a TF, Fall, and a 4-0 earlier matches against world-class Nick Fanthorpe Co-director of Programs shutout of Tyler Caldwell -- before opponents that he, too, can be a force. and Coach dropping a 6-7 decision in the final on He placed 7th in Vegas with a 5-2 a late takedown by 3X World, and 2012 record. His dominating win over this The IRS approves the NLWC as a tax- Olympic Champ, Jordan Burroughs. exempt, charitable, educational organization year’s World Team runner up, Dustin [IRS code Sec 501(c)(3)]. All contributions above Taylor got another shot at Burroughs Kilgore, in the 2013 NCAA finals is a regular membership dues are tax deductible. in the June USA World Team Trials, better clue to his potential. Printed by Advanced Color Graphics after beating Andrew Howe, but lost 2 to Burrowes again 2-6 and 5-6. The and finished ahead of Angel bouts between young men and latest Amateur Wrestling News had Escobedo. women from New York City still a great cover photo highlighting the Zain Retherford, now a learning freestyle were featured. muscle tension in both wrestlers sophomore, competed in the The US won eight of the 11 All during intense combat throughout the Junior World Team Trials and went Star matches, three of which were Open final. AWN envisions a new epic 4-0 at 66kgs (145.5 lbs) in the wrestled by World-Class women. In rivalry between Taylor and Burroughs challenge rounds, before losing to the final and feature match of the through at least the next two Olympic Aaron Pico in the final. day at 74 kgs, USA’s reigning World cycles. Taylor and Burroughs, with and Olympic Champion, Jordan mutual respect, agree on the rivalry, Burrowes , pinned Russia’s Alsamaz but not on how it might end. Sanakoev. There were no matches at 96 and 126kgs. Taylor shut out Azerbaijan’s former World Bronze Medalist, 6-0 at 74 kgs. Ruth TF’d a Spanish All Star, 10-0, at 86 kgs. 3. Several other returning collegians also competed in the US Open in April under the NLWC banner. David Taylor beats World Metalist Freshmen Garrett Hammond at “Beat The Streets”. went 6-3 at 74kgs, and Cody Law 2. Ruth and Taylor won outdoor, 5-3 at 70kgs. Both placed 8th In nationally televised, challenge the Junior Open. Freshman Matt matches between USA and World McCutcheon also looked good at All-Stars on a closed street in Times 86 kgs. In the senior Open, Matt Square on May 7. USA Wrestling Brown went 3-2 at 86 kgs, James has been producing such “Beat the Vollrath (graduate) 2-2 at 70 kgs, Steet” matches for the past few years Zach Beitz and Cade Moss (from to promote interest in Freestyle South Jordan, Utah), both went 1-2 wrestling.