Army Olympian update: Secretary stops by, Lester takes top honor, WCAP web update
May 7th, 2012 | After Action Army Wrestling | Posted by Kevin Lilley
Army Secretary John McHugh, middle right, chats with soldier-athletes including Sgt. 1st Class Dremiel Byers, far right, during a recent visit to the Olympic training center in Colorado Springs, Colo. (Army photo)
Some quick Olympic updates while you attempt to schedule a therapy session after watching the latest Tim Kennedy video:
1. Hosting the secretary. It’s the setup to the oldest joke in the book: Some wrestlers, a racewalker, a bobsledder and the secretary of the Army walk into a cafeteria …
No, seriously — Army Secretary John McHugh made the trip to Colorado Springs, Colo., to chat with soldier-Olympians and Paralympic athletes over lunch May 2, giving him a close-up look at competitors who’ll represent his service on the world stage this summer. Tim Hipps of the Army’s Installation Management Command has the full report here, including snippets of conversations McHugh had with London-bound wrestlers Sgt. Spenser Mango and Sgt. 1st Class Dremiel Byers. (Byers identifies himself as a heavyweight. McHugh: “I can see that.”) McHugh also related his experience on a bobsled run at Lake Placid, N.Y., and praised the soldiers in the Army World Class Athlete Program for their commitment to both sport and service.
2. Web makeover. We’d prefer you get all your military Olympics news here, but if you absolutely, positively have to go somewhere else, check out the revamped WCAP Olympian site for full bios on all Army participants, including coaches. Tell them we sent you.
3. Lester’s spotlight. Speaking of elite Army athletes, Spc. Justin Lester added another title recently — the best U.S. Greco-Roman wrestler of 2011. Lester, who qualified for the Olympics in the 66-kilogram weight class last month in Iowa City, earned USA Wrestling’s Wrestler of the Year honors after winning U.S. Open titles in two weight classes (74 and 66 kg) in 2011. He also took fifth in the 66-kg class at the 2011 World Championships in Turkey, which qualified the U.S. for the Olympics in that weight class.
It was the first such honor for Lester. Fellow WCAP and Team USA wrestler Byers has won the award three times (2009, 2002, 1999).
Wrestling roundup: Meet your new military Olympians
April 23rd, 2012 | After Action Army Wrestling | Posted by Kevin Lilley
Sgt. Spenser Mango (blue) claimed an Olympic bid with a win over Max Nowry on Saturday in Iowa City in the 55-kilogram Greco-Roman final. (Getty Images photo by Matthew Stockman)
For two soldiers, it’s a return to the grandest stage in athletics. For another, it’s his first chance at his sport’s highest honor. For a fourth, all of that was just out of reach.
Sgt. 1st Class Dremiel Byers and Sgt. Spenser Mango did what was expected of them over the weekend in Iowa City at the Team USA Olympic wrestling trials, winning their weight classes with 2-0 sweeps of their respective best-of-three championship finals. Byers had a bye to the 120-kilogram final and was without his highest-profile competition after Rulon Gardner decided not to weigh in, stalling his comeback before it even started. Mango earned a pinfall in the first round of the 55-kg final, the only pin in a championship match all weekend. It will be the second Olympics for both grapplers, but the first for Mango as a soldier.
Spc. Justin Lester will wrestle in his first Olympics thanks to a win over C.P. Schlatter in the 66-kg final. It won’t be his first time on the world stage, though — Lester won bronze at the 2006 and 2007 world championships.
The trio of Greco-Roman Olympians punched tickets to London on Saturday. On Sunday, the only soldier to reach the final was less fortunate — Sgt. Aaron Sieracki lost the 74-kg final to 21-year-old Ben Provisor 2-1 after winning the first fall and having a point taken away on a scoring challenge in the final fall. Sieracki, 37, who also finished second in the 2008 finals, announced his retirement after Sunday’s match, expressing interest in a coaching position with the Army wrestling squad. See more about the battle of Wisconsin-born grapplers here and here.
For more about the event itself, check out comprehensive coverage from our good friends at the Des Moines Register here or a roundup of Saturday’s action from TheMat.com. Greco-Roman wrestlers take to the mats in London beginning Aug. 5.
Byers, Mango lead strong military presence at Team USA wrestling trials
April 19th, 2012 | After Action Army Marine Corps Wrestling | Posted by Kevin Lilley
Dremiel Byers reacts after winning a spot on the 2008 Olympic Team at the U.S. trials in Las Vegas. He'll be grappling for a trip to the London games this weekend in Iowa City. (US Presswire photo by Marlene Karas)
The London Olympics are less than 100 days away, and while some military athletes have already punched their tickets (and keep checking here for new Army qualifiers), the trials have yet to start in earnest.
That changes this weekend in Iowa City. About 30 wrestlers with military affiliations will compete in the Greco-Roman and freestyle (men’s and women’s) tournaments to determine who’ll represent the U.S. on the mats. Click through for a quick guide for the once-every-four-years wrestling fan — the troops, the favorites, the story lines, the TV coverage and, of course, the flying squirrel.
Wednesday update: Navy QB Proctor resigns, Falcons look forward, Byers makes a promise
April 18th, 2012 | Air Force Army Football Navy Wrestling | Posted by Kevin Lilley
Navy quarterback Kriss Proctor looks downfield during the 2011 Army-Navy football game, his last game as a Midshipman. (US Presswire photo by Danny Wild)
Three quick hits from around the web on a Wednesday morning:
1. Proctor resigns: Bill Wagner at The (Annapolis, Md.) Capital broke the news yesterday — Navy quarterback Kriss Proctor, who finished his senior season with a win over Army in December, has resigned from the Naval Academy and will not graduate. The resignation hasn’t been accepted, according to the report, but it likely will be, and was reportedly triggered by an alleged honor code violation.
2. Falcon free agents: Frank Schwab at The (Colorado Springs, Colo.) Gazette brings better news, reporting on the pro football dreams of Air Force receiver Jonathan Warzeka and safety Jon Davis. Don’t expect to hear either name during NFL draft coverage, but both hope they’ll get a look as free agents despite the service commitment that comes with an academy education. Warzeka tied for the team lead with 31 receptions and caught four touchdowns while also handling kick return duties, racking up 254 rushing yards and throwing a touchdown pass. Davis had a team-best four interceptions and was second in tackles with 94.
3. Byers’ medal hunt: From Tim Hipps of Army Installation Management Command public affairs (via TheMat.com) comes this story about Army Sgt. 1st Class Dremiel Byers, who will attempt to make his second U.S. Olympic team this weekend. Byers has owned the 120-pound Greco-Roman wrestling division for years — a 10-time national champion who’s earned gold, silver and bronze at the world championships. Byers opens up about the Olympic medal he promised his grandfather, along with his thoughts on the return of Rulon Gardner, his time with the Army’s World Class Athlete Program and his career plans beyond the London games. Byers, 37, won’t have to participate in the Olympic qualifier tournament on Saturday in Iowa City; he will meet the winner of that event Saturday night in a best-of-three showdown for the Olympic berth. Gardner will attempt to make weight on Friday.
Olympic wrestling update: Soldiers Byers, Mango earn spots for Team USA
March 27th, 2012 | After Action Wrestling | Posted by Kevin Lilley
Army Sgt. Spenser Mango wrestled to a silver medal last weekend in the 121-pound Greco-Roman class at the Pan American Olympic Games Qualifying Tournament in Kissimmee, Fla. (Army photo by Larry Slater)
Wrestling’s rarely looked at as a team sport, especially at the elite level — one on one, no substitutions, no help beyond shouts from the sidelines.
But Olympic qualifying for Team USA wrestling may be the ultimate team sport — still one on one, still no substitutions, but if a wrestler earns a qualifying bid in his weight class, it doesn’t go directly to that individual: Slap “USA” into the Olympic bracket for now, and whoever wins the U.S. qualifier in Iowa City next month gets the golden ticket.
Need somebody to fight for their country, not just themselves? Find some soldiers. Sgt. 1st Class Dremiel Byers and Sgt. Spenser Mango did just that at the FILA Pan American Olympic Games Qualifying Tournament in Kissimmee, Fla., over the weekend, taking first and second, respectively, in their Greco-Roman weight classes to claim spots in the London games for Team USA.
Both Byers (heavyweight/264.5 pounds) and Mango (121 pounds) are ranked first by TheMat.com in their classes. Byers was not scored upon in three matches en route to the gold in Kissimmee, while Mango fell 1-0, 1-0 to Cuba’s Javier Gonzalez in the final.
Byers and Mango each reached the quarterfinals in Beijing in 2008. Byers was already part of the Army’s World Class Athlete Program; Spenser joined the Army and the WCAP after his Olympic appearance. Spenser’s top competition in Iowa likely will be fellow WCAP member Spc. Jermaine Hodge, ranked second in the nation by TheMat. After Action’s already introduced you to Byers’ top competition.
Byers has qualified for a best-of-three final against the winner of the Iowa City tournament (for a 15-page refresher on qualifying procedures, if you’re curious, go here). “Two matches, and let two matches determine — it better not be three. Just let it fall where it’s going to fall,” he said in an Army write-up. “I’m going to put my best effort forward. I have my teammates behind me and my coach pushing me. Let’s go get some medals.”
Byers as the bad guy? Soldier could stop Rulon Gardner’s feel-good story
March 20th, 2012 | After Action Wrestling | Posted by Kevin Lilley
Army Sgt. 1st Class Dremiel Byers, right, grapples with Army World Class Athlete Program teammate Spc. Timothy Taylor in 2010. (Army photo by Tim Hipps)
Wednesday night, NBC’s “Rock Center” will air a feature piece on Rulon Gardner, the 2000 Olympic Greco-Roman wrestling gold medalist whose post-gold medal escapades have come straight out of the “News of the Weird” archives: A 2002 bout with frostbite that cost him a toe, a 2004 motorcycle wreck, a mixed-martial-arts bout in Japan against a 1992 Olympic judo gold medalist (Gardner won), a 2007 plane crash, and an appearance on the NBC weight-loss reality show “The Biggest Loser.”
In its online teaser, NBC reports that as of February, Gardner needed to lose 45 pounds to make weight at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Iowa City in April.
What’s the military connection? It’s the man Gardner could find waiting for him on the other side of that scale.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Dremiel Byers hasn’t been on reality TV or having sub-zero adventures over the past decade or so — he’s been on the mat, racking up a series of tournament titles that point toward a spot on Team USA in London this summer. He won the Dave Schultz Memorial International event at Colorado Springs, Colo., in February, placed seventh in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, enters the trials as the top-ranked heavyweight and a nine-time national champion … read his USA Wrestling bio if you’re still not convinced and don’t mind small type.
Byers and Gardner have tangled before, with mixed results. Come April, if Gardner makes weight and can come close to his 2000 form, they’ll likely square off in Iowa — soldier vs. Olympic icon/reality star.
Cole VonOhlen leads service academy grapplers into NCAA wrestling tournament
March 9th, 2012 | After Action Air Force Army Navy Wrestling | Posted by Kevin Lilley
Not a follower of Air Force wrestling? Then you might not know much about junior 149-pounder Cole VonOhlen.
A quick primer: Of the nine service academy grapplers headed to the 2012 NCAA Division I Wrestling Tournament next week in St. Louis, he’s the only one ranked, claiming the third seed in his weight class. His 36-2 record this year includes a 13-0 mark in dual meets, and according to his official bio, his “craziest ambition” is to “fight a grizzly bear with a samurai sword.”
At least he has a fallback career as a reality TV producer. Here’s an interview he gave to USA Wrestling after claiming the NCAA West Regional championship; give it a watch, then click through for more on VonOhlen and other academy wrestlers gunning for a national title.
Military wrestling championships at Lejeune
March 20th, 2010 | After Action Air Force Army Marine Corps Navy Wrestling | Posted by Sean Smyth
I’d really prefer not to face one of these guys on the mat. The Armed Forces Wrestling Championships are taking place this weekend at Camp Lejeune, N.C., with titles awarded in seven different weight classes, and Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling featured. Action started Thursday and runs through Monday.
The Army team dominated last year’s championships at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, capturing 12 of 14 gold medals.