The Army dominated the mats to win 12 of 14 gold medals at the Armed Forces Wrestling Championships held March 14 and 15 at Mountain Home Air Force Base.

The Army strong armed its way through the Greco-Roman rounds March 14, winning six of seven gold medals and continued to overwhelm competitors from the Marines, Air Force and Navy in the freestyle events the following day.

During the opening day's competition, Army started the day by shutting out Navy 28-0 in round one. The Soldiers went on to crush the Air Force 26-3 in round two followed by a decisive 19-3 win over the Marines. In the freestyle rounds March 15, the Army thwarted wrestlers from its sister services to easily surpass the Air Force 28-1 in round one followed by 26-2 and 27-3 victories against the Navy and Marines respectively.

"I'm pleased at this point in the year with my guys; out of 42 matches over the weekend, we lost two matches to go 40-2 over the weekend," said Army Coach Shon Lewis, a native of Oakland, Calif. "It would've been nice to have gone 42-0, but out of 14 weight classes, we were able to win 12 gold and two silver."

Jermaine Hodge from Hillsborough, N.C., returned to this year's championships as the first of three double gold medal winners for the Army, easily dispatching Air Force's Tyler Moore, Navy's Dante Santos and Marines' Jonathan Pattison. Aaron Sieracki of Richland Center, Wis., took gold medal honors for the Army in 84 kilogram weight class both days while Orange Park, Fla., native Kevin Ahearn led all competitors in the 96 kilogram class.

The last match of the evening involving Army's Timothy Taylor and Marines' David Arendt capped off what Coach Lewis considered an exciting competition filled with some unexpected turning points for his Soldiers.

"Taylor won the first period and started getting a little winded coming off of shoulder surgery," Lewis said. "He didn't have really any time to train, so we put him in there and told him [the tournament] was going to be his on-the-job training. In the second period, the Marine was doing a great job putting on the pressure because he knew [Taylor] was tired and a bit out of shape. [Arendt] started racking up points but got a little too far ahead of himself, and my guy was able to roll him and pin him. [Taylor] had to go with everything he had because he didn't have much left in his 'tank.' "

Steven Forrest of Bennington, Vt., gave the Marines their first gold medal of the championships by defeating Air Force's James Hodges in the opening Greco-Roman round followed by a 3-0, 2-0, decision over Navy's Greg Crane and Army's Jess Hargrave later that day.

"Steve Forrest is really coming along and starting to make a mark in the national scene," said Marines Head Coach Dan Hicks. "We're looking forward to seeing him do well in the nationals."

The gold medal win gave the Marines a one-medal advantage over the Air Force in the first day's events with both services each receiving three silver.

Ryan Bridge claimed the Marines' second individual gold medal by overpowering Air Force's Chris Bloom and Army's Alfredo Varela in the 60-kilogram freestyle events March 15. Bridge's battle against Varela came down to the last 11 seconds in round three as the Marine scored to pull ahead until Varela claimed another point to knot the score. Undaunted, Bridge racked up the deciding point just before the final whistle, Hicks said.

Forrest continued to shine for the Marines, winning the silver on day two. Despite an injury during the March 14 bouts, Tyler Moore bounced back to become the Air Force's two-time silver medalist at the championships.

The Marines finished the weekend with 12 medals, picking up three silver on March 15. The Air Force improved in the medal count by earning three silver in the freestyle competition.

"The team that is always defending the 'home turf' [at Mountain Home] typically does well and steps it up a little bit more," said Richard Estrella, an Erie, Pa., native who has spent the past 22 years as the Air Force's head coach. "The team kept the intensity going, fought for every point and wrestled every single moment of every match."

Lewis was cautiously optimistic of the Army's performance as they prepare for the national championships in Las Vegas in April followed by the 2009 World Team Trials, which run from May 30 to 31 in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

"My guys really buy into the system and believe in what we're doing," Lewis said. "The Army black and gold supports each other. We're not afraid to get in each other's faces at times when we need to, but when it's time to go to battle, we stick together."

Conducted under the support of the Armed Forces Sports Council, the armed forces championships promote understanding, goodwill and competition among U.S. service branches through inter-service sports competition. The championships also provide the means of selecting teams and individuals to represent the armed forces in national and international competition. In addition to wrestling, armed forces sports competitions select men and women to represent the U.S. military in basketball, bowling, volleyball, softball, rugby, boxing, golf, soccer, cross country as well as Marathons and triathlons.

Participants for each sport are selected at training programs and trial camps hosted by each service branch. Mountain Home played host for the Air Force wrestling championships starting in mid-February.


March 14 Greco-Roman results

Overall team placement:
1. Army
2. Marines
3. Air Force
4. Navy

Individual placement:
55 kg (121 lbs.) - 1, Jermaine Hodge, Army; 2, Tyler Moore, Air Force; 3, Dante Santos, Navy; 4, Caleb Patton, Marines
60 kg (132 lbs.) - 1, Jeremiah Davis, Army; 2, Chris Bloom, Air Force; 3, Ryan Bridge, Marines; 4, forfeit
66 kg (145.2 lbs.) - 1, Faruk Sahin, Army; 2, Donavan Depatto, Marines; 3, Daniel Caywood, Navy; 4, Dean Maraj, Air Force
74 kg (162.8 lbs.) - 1, Steven Forest, Marines; 2, Jess Hargrave, Army; 3, Greg Crane, Navy
84 kg (184.8 lbs.) - 1, Aaron Sieracki, Army; 2, Walter Hoffman, Air Force; 3, Courtney Meyers, Marines; 4, Gabriel Sprigel, Navy
96 kg (211.2 lbs.) - 1, Kevin Ahearn, Army; 2, Moises Hernandez, Marines; 3, Jeffrey Zastrow, Air Force; 4, Chris Michael, Navy
120 kg (264 lbs.) - 1, Dremiel Byers, Army; 2, David Arendt Jr., Marines; 3, Nader Maghribi, Air Force; 4, David Arendt Jr., Marines

Round one results:

Army 28, Navy 0
55 kg (121 lbs.) - Jermaine Hodges, Army, tech. over Dante Santos, Navy, 6-0, 7-0
60 kg (132 lbs.) - Jeremiah Davis, Army, win by forfeit
66 kg (145.2 lbs.) - Faruk Sahin, Army, dec. over Daniel Caywood, Navy, 7-0, 5-0
74 kg (162.8 lbs.) - Jess Hargrave, Army, dec. over Greg Crane, Navy, 7-0, 2-0
84 kg (184.8 lbs.) - Aaron Sieracki, Army, tech. over Gabriel Sprigel, Navy, 6-0, 6-0
96 kg (211.2 lbs.) - Kevin Ahearn, Army, tech. over Chris Michael, Navy, 6-0, 7-0
120 kg (264 lbs.) - Dremiel Byers, Army, win by injury over Tim Smeal, Navy

Marines 15, Air Force 11
55 kg (121 lbs.) - Tyler Moore, Air Force, dec. over Dante Santos, Marines, 3-0, 1-0
60 kg (132 lbs.) - Chris Bloom, Air Force, dec. over Ryan Bridge, Marines, 0-2, 1-0, 1-0
66 kg (145.2 lbs.) - Donavan Depatto, Marines, dec. over Dean Maraj, Air Force, 1-0, 3-0
74 kg (162.8 lbs.) - Steven Forrest, Marines, tech. over James Hodges, Air Force, 6-0, 7-3
84 kg (184.8 lbs.) - Walter Hoffman, Air Force, dec. over Courtney Meyers, Marines, 6-0, 1-0
96 kg (211.2 lbs.) - Moises Hernandez, Marines, dec. over Jeffrey Zastrow, Air Force, 7-0, 5-2
120 kg (264 lbs.) - David Arendt, Marines, tech. over Nader Maghribi, Air Force, 6-0, 7-0

Round two results:

Marines 25, Navy 5
55 kg (121 lbs.) - Dante Santos, Navy, dec. over Caleb Patton, Marines, 0-1, 7-2, 0-4
60 kg (132 lbs.) - Ryan Bridge, Marines, win by forfeit
66 kg (145.2 lbs.) - Donavan Depatto, Marines, dec. over Daniel Caywood, Navy, 3-0, 2-0
74 kg (162.8 lbs.) - Steven Forrest, Marines, dec. over Greg Crane, Navy, 6-0, 1-0
84 kg (184.8 lbs.) - Courtney Meyers, Marines, dec. over Gabriel Sprigel, Navy, 6-1, 3-4, 6-4
96 kg (211.2 lbs.) - Moises Hernandez, Marines, tech. over Chris Michael, Navy, 6-0, 8-1
120 kg (264 lbs.) - David Arndt, Marines, win by injury

Army 26, Air Force 3
55 kg (121 lbs.) - Jermaine Hodges, Army, dec. over Tyler Moore, Air Force, 7-0, 7-0
60 kg (132 lbs.) - Jeremiah Davis, Army, tech. over Chris Bloom, Air Force, 7-0, 7-1
66 kg (145.2 lbs.) - Frank Sahin, Army, tech. over Dean Maraj, Air Force, 6-0, 6-0
74 kg (162.8 lbs.) - Jess Hargrave, Army, tech. over James Hodges, Air Force, 9-2, 7-0
84 kg (184.8 lbs.) - Aaron Sieracki, Army, dec. over Walter Hoffman, Air Force, 3-1, 1-0
96 kg (211.2 lbs.) - Kevin Ahearn, Army, tech. over Jeffrey Zastrow, Air Force, 7-0, 6-0
120 kg (264 lbs.) - Dremiel Byers, Army, dec. over Nader Maghribi, Air Force, 6-0, 4-0

Round 3 results:

Army 19, Marines 3
55 kg (121 lbs.) - Jermaine Hodges, Army, dec. over Caleb Patton, Marines, 6-0, 7-2
60 kg (132 lbs.) - Jeremiah Davis, Army, dec. over Ryan Bridge, Marines, 1-0, 5-0
66 kg (145.2 lbs.) - Faruk Sahin, Army, dec. over Donavan Depatto, Marines, 3-0, 7-0
74 kg (162.8 lbs.) - Steven Forrest, Marines, dec. over Jess Hargrave, Marines
84 kg (184.8 lbs.) - Aaron Sieracki, Army, dec. over Courtney Meyers, Marines, 3-0, 7-0
96 kg (211.2 lbs.) - Kevin Ahearn, Army, dec. over Moises Hernandez, Marines
120 kg (264 lbs.) - Dremiel Byers, Army, dec. over David Arendt, Marines, 3-1, 1-0

Air Force 21, Navy 7
55 kg (121 lbs.) - Tyler Moore, Air Force, dec. over Dante Santos, Navy, 6-0, 9-3
60 kg (132 lbs.) - Chris Bloom, Air Force, win by forfeit
66 kg (145.2 lbs.) - Daniel Caywood, Navy, dec. over Dean Maraj, Air Force, 3-1, 4-0
74 kg (162.8 lbs.) - Greg Crane, Navy, dec. over James Hodges, Air Force
84 kg (184.8 lbs.) - Walter Hoffman, Air Force, tech. over Gabriel Sprigel, Navy, 7-0, 6-0
96 kg (211.2 lbs.) - Jeffrey Zastrow, Air Force, tech. over Chris Michael, Navy, 7-0, 10-0
120 kg (264 lbs.) - Nader Maghribi, Air Force, dec. over Tim Smeal, Navy, 1-0, 7-0

March 15 Freestyle results

Overall team placement:
1. Army
2. Marines
3. Air Force
4. Navy

Individual placement:
55 kg (121 lbs.) - 1, Jermaine Hodge, Army; 2, Tyler Moore, Air Force; 3, Jonathan Pattison, Marines; 4, Dante Santos, Navy
60 kg (132 lbs.) - 1, Ryan Bridge, Marines; 2, Alfredo Varela, Army; 3, Chris Bloom, Air Force; 4, forfeit
66 kg (145.2 lbs.) - 1, Glenn Garrison, Army; 2, Collin Kelly, Navy; 3, Brandon Wilson, Air Force; 4, Donavan Depatto, Marines
74 kg (162.8 lbs.) - 1, Gordon Wood, Army; 2, Steven Forrest, Marines; 3, Greg Crane, Navy; 4, James Hodges, Air Force
84 kg (184.8 lbs.) - 1, Aaron Sieracki, Army; 2, Jeffrey Zastrow, Air Force; 3, Andrew Loos, Navy; 4, Courtney Meyers, Marines
96 kg (211.2 lbs.) - 1, Kevin Ahearn, Army; 2, Walter Hoffman, Air Force; 3, Madison Kubat, Marines; 4, Tim Smeal, Navy
120 kg (264 lbs.) - 1, Timothy Taylor, Army; 2, David Arendt, Marines; 3, Chris Michael, Air Force; 4, Nader Maghribi, Air Force

Round one results:

Marines 18, Navy 11
55 kg (121 lbs.) - Jonathan Pattison, Marines, dec. over Dante Santos, Navy, 2-4, 8-2, 7-0
60 kg (132 lbs.) - Ryan Bridge, Marines, win by forfeit
66 kg (145.2 lbs.) - Collin Kelly, win by injury over Donavan Depatto, Marines
74 kg (162.8 lbs.) - Steven Forrest, Marines, dec. over Greg Crane, Navy, 3-0, 1-1
84 kg (184.8 lbs.) - Andrew Loos, Navy, dec. over Courtney Myers, Marines, 6-5, 4-3
96 kg (211.2 lbs.) - Madison Kubat, Marines, dec. over Tim Smeal, Navy, 2-0, 5-2
120 kg (264 lbs.) - David Arendt, Marines, dec. over Chris Michael, Navy, 7-0, 1-0

Army 28, Air Force 1
55 kg (121 lbs.) - Jermaine Hodge, Army, fall over Tyler Moore, Air Force, 1:22
60 kg (132 lbs.) - Alfredo Varela, Army, dec. over Chris Bloom, Air Force, 4-0, 5-1
66 kg (145.2 lbs.) - Glenn Garrison, Army, dec. over Brandon Wilson, Air Force, 2-0, 2-0
74 kg (162.8 lbs.) - Gordon Wood, Army, fall over James Hodges, Air Force, 1:06
84 kg (184.8 lbs.) - Aaron Sieracki, Army, dec. over Jeffrey Zastrow, Air Force, 6-0, 1-0
96 kg (211.2 lbs.) - Kevin Ahearn, Army, tech. over Walter Hoffman, Air Force, 6-0, 6-0
120 kg (264 lbs.) - Timothy Taylor, Army, win by injury over Nader Maghribi, Air Force

Round two results:

Army 26, Navy 2
55 kg (121 lbs.) - Jermaine Hodge, Army, tech. over Dante Santos, Navy, 6-0, 7-1
60 kg (132 lbs.) - Alfredo Varela, Army, win by forfeit
66 kg (145.2 lbs.) - Glenn Garrison, Army, dec. over Collin Kelly, Navy, 2-1, 6-0
74 kg (162.8 lbs.) - Gordon Wood, Army, dec. over Greg Crane, Navy, 4-0, 3-0
84 kg (184.8 lbs.) - Aaron Sieracki, Army, dec. over Andrew Loos, Navy, 4-0, 6-0
96 kg (211.2 lbs.) - Kevin Ahearn, Army, tech. over Tim Smeal, Navy, 7-0, 6-0
120 kg (264 lbs.) - Timothy Taylor, Army, tech. over Chris Michael, Navy, 7-0, 7-0

Marines 18, Air Force 13
55 kg (121 lbs.) - Tyler Moore, Air Force, dec. over Jonathan Pattison, Marines, 1-8, 1-1, 3-2
60 kg (132 lbs.) - Ryan Bridge, dec. over Chris Bloom, Air Force, 6-0, 6-0
66 kg (145.2 lbs.) - Brandon Wilson, Air Force, win by injury over Donavan Depatto, Marines
74 kg (162.8 lbs.) - Steven Forrest, Marines, dec. over James Hodges, Air Force, 6-0, 1-1
84 kg (184.8 lbs.) - Jeffrey Zastrow, Air Force, fall over Courtney Myers, Marines, 6-0, 1:08
96 kg (211.2 lbs.) - Walter Hoffman, Air Force, dec. over Madison Kubat, Marines, 8-1, 0-5, 7-3
120 kg (264 lbs.) - David Arendt, Marines, win by injury over Nader Maghribi, Air Force

Round three results:

Army 27, Marines 3
55 kg (121 lbs.) - Tyler Moore, Air Force, fall over Dante Santos, Navy, 7-0, 0:23
60 kg (132 lbs.) - Chris Bloom, Air Force, win by forfeit
66 kg (145.2 lbs.) - Collin Kelly, Navy, dec. over Brandon Wilson, Air Force, 4-0, 4-0
74 kg (162.8 lbs.) - Greg Crane, Navy, fall over James Hodges, Air Force, 1:16
84 kg (184.8 lbs.) - Jeffrey Zastrow, Air Force, tech. over Andrew Loos, Navy, 8-0, 8-0
96 kg (211.2 lbs.) - Walter Hoffman, Air Force, tech. over Tim Smeal, Navy, 7-0, 8-0
120 kg (264 lbs.) - Chris Michael, Navy, win by injury over Nader Maghribi, Air Force

Air Force 18, Navy 13
55 kg (121 lbs.) - Jermaine Hodge, Army, tech. over Jonathan Pattison, Marines, 7-0, 8-0
60 kg (132 lbs.) - Ryan Bridge, Marines, dec. over Alfredo Varela, Army, 4-1, 6-1
66 kg (145.2 lbs.) - Glenn Garrison, win by injury over Donavan Depatto, Marines
74 kg (162.8 lbs.) - Gordon Wood, Army, win by injury over Steven Forrest, Marines
84 kg (184.8 lbs.) - Aaron Sieracki, Army, dec. over Courtney Meyers, Marines, 4-0, 6-0
96 kg (211.2 lbs.) - Kevin Ahearn, Army, tech. over Madison Kubat, Marines, 6-0, 7-0
120 kg (264 lbs.) - Timothy Taylor, Army, win by fall over David Arendt, 4-2, 1:37

USA Earns Three Medals in Greco-Roman Wrestling at 2008 Military World Wrestling Championships

In 66 Kg., SPC Faruk Sahin, of the Army's World World Class Athlete Program at Fort Carson, Colorado, took the silver medal after losing the championship bout to Afshin Biabanger, of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 0-5, 0-5.  Both periods were scoreless after the first minute.  Sahin was in the down position first in each period, and Biabanger took full advantage of Sahin with a lift and throw in each period for the margin of victory.

Sahin gained the championship bout by beating Mykola Savchenko, Ukraine, 1-1, 2-1 in the qualification round.  Later, Sahin needed all three periods to defeat Hyouk Eom, Korea, 3-4, 5-2, 3-0.

At 55Kg., SPC Jermaine Hodge won the bronze medal by defeating Song Buer, China, 0-2, 4-2, 3-0.  Hodge lost his opening bout to Gyu-Jin Choi, Korea, 1-3, 0-3.  Choi, the gold medalist in the competition, pulled Hodge into the Repechage bout for the bronze against Buer, who lost to Choi in the semi-final bout.  

Against Buer, the first minute of each period was scoreless.  Hodge lost the draw in each of the three periods but seemed undaunted in the down position.  Buer gained an exposure with a gut wrench and went on to win the first period.  In the second period, Hodge lost two points when he was unable to execute the start, but quickly gained them back by turning Buer for two, and then hitting a high gut wrench for the margin. 

The final period belonged to Hodge who was placed down first, and then kept Choi from scoring.  Hodge picked up two more points when Buer was penalized for the start. 

The other bronze medal was earned at 74 Kg. by SGT James Shillow, USMC, who beat Ju Bo of China, 7-0 in the first period.  Bo was knocked out of the bout by a separated shoulde after Shillow stuck two gut wrenches and a tilt in the first period.    

SPC Aaron Sieracki, Army, lost his bronze medal match at 84 Kg. to Jan Fischer, Germany, 1-1, 0-4, 1-2.  Sieracki beat Antti Hakala, Finland, 1-1, 2-1, to gain the medal match

At 96 Kg., SSG Deon Hicks of the Army was eliminated from medal contention in his first match, when he lost to Yasin Deliktas, Turkey, 2-2, 1-3.

At 60 Kg. SGT Donovan Depatto, USMC, defeated Alijaksandr Ruchko, Belarus, 3-0, 0-3, 1-1, before losing his quarterfinal bout to Artem Kudyk of Ukraine, 0-4, 0-6.  Depatto was tossed in each period, and finished the competition out of medal contention.

At 120 Kg., SGT David Arendt, USMC, lost his opening bout to Hay Devender of India, 6-0, 1-2, 2-3, who subsequently lost in the semi-finals to the eventual gold medalist, Oleksandr Chernetskyi of Ukraine. 

 SSG Shon Lewis, of the Army, and the Head Coach of the Armed Forces Team, had high praise for the quality of the competition.  "As I watched the guys warm up, I am looking at four or five European or World Medalists," said Lewis.  "This is an international first class tournament.  I can't stress enough how tough it is."

When looking at the USA wrestlers, Lewis noted, "This is big for them because this is at such a high level.  They need these international matches."  Lewis said, "This is huge."

Click on “Wrestling” Section for Freestyle Re-Cap

Greco-Roman results

55 kg/121 lbs.
Gold – Mohsen Hajipoor (Iran)
Silver – Gyu-Jin Choi (Korea)
Bronze - SPC Jermaine Hodge (USA)
Bronze – Vugar Ragymov (Ukraine)
5th – Song Buer (China)
5th – Maksim Zaharski (Belarus)

60 kg/132 lbs.
Gold – Mohammad Mohseni (Iran)
Silver – Suresh Kumar (India)
Bronze – Seung-Jae Wo (Korea)
Bronze – Ismail Goze (Turkey)
5th – Svajunas Asomaitis (Lithuania)
7th - SGT Donovan Depatto (USA)

66 kg/145.5. lbs.
Gold – Afshin Biabangard (Iran)
Silver - SPC Faruk Sahin (USA)
Bronze – Heinz Marnette (Germany)
Bronze – Viasheslav Silivonchyk (Belarus)
5th – Bhauso Patil (India)
5th – Mykola Savchenko (Ukraine)

74 kg/163 lbs.
Gold – Neven Zugaj (Croatia)
Silver – Yauheni Silivonchyk (Belarus)
Bronze – Dmytro Pyshkov (Ukraine)
Bronze - SGT James Shillow (USA)
5th – Kim-Jussi Nurmela (Finland)
5th – Bo Ju (China)

84 kg/185 lbs.
Gold – Artur Michalkiewicz (Poland)
Silver – Andrei Baranovski (Belarus)
Bronze – Nenad Zugaj (Croatia)
Bronze – Jan Fischer (Germany)
5th – Bolat Abdulayev (Ukraine)
5th - SPC Aaron Sieracki (USA)

96 kg/211.5 lbs.
Gold – Andrzej Deberny (Poland)
Silver – Sergiy Yeroshkin (Ukraine)
Bronze – Reza Farzizadeh (Iran)
Bronze – Mindaugas Ezerskis (Lithuania)
5th – Han Zengfeng (China)
5th – Yasin Deliktas (Turkey)
10th - SSG Deon Hicks (USA)

120 kg/264.5 lbs.
Gold – Oleksandr Chernetskyi (Ukraine)
Silver – Bashir Babajanzadeh (Iran)
Bronze – Mindaugas Mizgaitis (Lithuania)
Bronze – Ioseb Chugoshvili (Belarus)
5th – Marek Mikulski (Poland)
5th – Hay Devender (India)
8th - SGT David Arendt (USA)

U.S. performances

55 kg/121 lbs. - SPC Jermaine Hodge (U.S. Army), 3rd
LOSS Gyu-Jin Choi (Korea), 1-3, 0-3.
WIN Song Buer (China), 0-2, 4-2, 3-0

60 kg/132 lbs. - SGT Donovan Depatto (U.S. Marine Corps), 7th
WIN Alijaksandr Ruchko (Belarus), 3-0, 0-3, 1-1
LOSS Artem Kudyk (Ukraine), 0-4, 0-6.

66 kg/145.5. lbs. - SPC Faruk Sahin (U.S. Army), 2nd
WIN Mykola Savchenko (Ukraine), 1-1, 2-1
WIN Hyouk Eom (Korea), 3-4, 5-2, 3-0
WIN Viacheslav Silivonchyk (Belarus), 4-0, 3-3
LOSS Afshin Biabangard (Iran), 0-5, 0-5

74 kg/163 lbs. - SGT James Shillow (U.S. Marine Corps), 3rd
WIN Kumare Suranga (Sri Lanka), 7-0, 4-0
LOSS Yauheni Silivonchyk (Belarus), 1-2, 1-2
WIN Bakhit Sharif Badr (Qatar), 6-0, 4-0
WIN Ju Bo (China), 7-0, inj.

84 kg/185 lbs. - SPC Aaron Sieracki (U.S. Army), 5th
LOSS Andrei Baranovski (Belarus), 0-3, 0-2
WIN Antti Hakala (Finland), 1-1, 2-1
LOSS Jan Fischer, Germany, 1-1, 0-4, 1-2.

96 kg/211.5 lbs. - SSG Deon Hicks (U.S. Army), 10th
LOSS Yasin Deliktas (Turkey), 2-2, 1-3.

120 kg/264.5 lbs. - SGT David Arendt (U.S. Marine Corps), 8th
LOSS Hay Devender (India), 6-0, 1-2, 2-3

Greco-Roman Team Standings
1. Ukraine, 53 pts.
2. Iran, 50 pts.
3. Belarus, 45 pts.
4. United States, 39 pts.
5. Poland, 33 pts.
6. Korea, 25 pts.
7. India, 24 pts.
8. Lithuania, 23 pts.
9. Turkey, 23 pts.
10. China, 20 pts.
of 20 nations

The Army won the Greco-Roman and Freestyle competitions at Armed Forces Wrestling Championships conducted March 15-16 in New Orleans.  Following the two days of Olympic style wrestling, Army wrestlers won ten of the fourteen gold medals handed out at the competition.  The Marines placed second in the Greco-Roman competition, while the Navy took silver in the Freestyle.

In the 120 Kg. weight class of the Greco-Roman competition, Dremiel Byers, Army, was stunned by David Arendt, Marines, who pinned Byers in 1:32 of the first period.  Byers, who was caught in a reverse and thrown to his back fully extended, was unable to escape the grip of Arendt.  As the match continued in the pinning situation, Arendt was able to gain the fall over the Army’s two-time world medalist.

Shon Lewis, Army Coach, was axiomatic with the bout.  “”We are going to try to make this a blessing in disguise.  This lets us know we have some work to do,” said Lewis.  “To make good out of it, it has to happen here. It could have happened at the Olympic Trials.  It lets us know we need to put the medals in the drawer and go and get another one.”

Arendt, along with the other gold medalists, has qualified to represent the United States Armed Forces at the World Military Wrestling Championships, September 1-8, in Split, Croatia.  Arendt also won placed second in Freestyle behind Mark Simmonds of the Navy.

The only double gold winner was Jermaine Hodge, Army, in 55 Kg.  Lewis was high on his young wrestler.  “I am pleased with Hodge, especially for him to fight through an eye injury in his first match.  You have to be impressed with anybody going out there and winning in both styles,” said Lewis.  Hodge defeated Anthony Brooker, Air Force, for the gold in Greco-Roman, and beat Miquel Pena, Marines, for first place in Freestyle. 

The winners of the Greco-Roman competition qualified for the Olympic Trials, June 13-15 in Las Vegas.  While the Freestyle competition was not used as a qualifier for the Olympic Trials, many of the military wrestlers are now headed for USA Wrestling’s National Championship, April 24-26 in the Las Vegas Convention Center.