By stringing three straight technical falls late in the dual meet, the U.S. Army defeated the U.S. Air Force, 25-17, to win the men’s freestyle team title at the Armed Forces Championships on Sunday.
After the first five matches, host Air Force led the Army 11-9 in the team standings. Army stars SPC Kamal Bey (79 kg), SPC Ryan Epps (86 kg) and SPC Timothy Young (92 kg) blitzed their Air Force opponents with technical falls to blow the dual meet open.
Bey, a World Team member in Greco-Roman, defeated 2d Lt Vincent Dolce, 14-1. Epps, who did not compete in the first dual of the day to focus on this bout, put away Griffyn Broyles, 11-0. Young then stopped A1C Ronnie Caudill, 10-0.
The Air Force strong start included three victories in the first five bouts. 2d Lt Sidney Flores scored an impressive 10-0 technical fall over Greco-Roman Olympian SGT Ellis Coleman, 10-0 at 65 kg. SrA Mitch Brown edged PFC William Sullivan, 11-8 at 57 kg. Capt Gerald McGinty scored the only two takedowns to defeat Greco-Roman Olympian SPC Jesse Thielke, 4-0 at 74 kg.
After giving up an injury default at 97 kg, the Army did not clinch the win until the final bout at 125 kg, when 1LT Jermiah Imonode scored a 10-0 technical fall over SMSgt Donald Degamo.
In their first match, the U.S. Army overwhelmed the U.S. Navy, 37-7, taking nine of the 10 bouts. The Army won six matches by technical fall, and one by decision, and also had two forfeits. The only Navy win was a 0:01 injury default win.
In the first match of the day, the U.S. Air Force dominated the U.S. Navy, 35-9. The Air Force secured five straight technical falls, then added a pin from A1C Ronnie Caudill (92 kg). They also secured two matches by forfeit. Navy had a pair of technical falls, as well.
The U.S. Army had five of the 10 men’s freesty gold medalists, with Bey, Young and Imonode claiming titles, along with SPC Dalton Duffield (61 kg) and PFC Justus Scott (70 kg) also taking gold. Scott and Imonode repeated as freestyle champions.
The U.S. Air Force had four individual champions, Brown, Flores, McGinty and SSgt Diante Cooper (97 kg). The other individual champion was GySgt John Stefanowicz of the U.S. Navy (86 kg). Flores repeated as Armed Forces freestyle champion.
Many of the champions had college wrestling backgrounds. Of the Army champions, Duffield wrestled at Oklahoma, Young wrestled at Old Dominion and Imonode wrestled for Army West Point. For the Air Force, Brown, Flores and McGinty all wrestled for the U.S. Air Force Academy, while Brown also wrestled for Utah Valley. Cooper wrestled for Campbellsville.
There were five double champions, winners of both freestyle and Greco-Roman this year: Duffield, Scott, Bey, Stefanowicz and Young.
There were two women’s freestyle matches, both won by U.S. Army athletes. The winner receives a gold medal, with the loser getting a silver medal.
At 50 kg, SPC Nina Pham of the U.S. Army came from behind with two second-period takedowns to edge SrA Mariah Anderson, 4-3. Pham was a two-time NAIA champion for Wayland Baptist before joining Army WCAP.
Past Senior World Team member SPC Abigail Nette of the U.S. Army opened up her offense in an 11-0 technical all over A1C Claire Betz. Nette won college national titles for Emmanuel and for Campbellsville
ARMED FORCES CHAMPIONSHIPS
At U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo., March 3
Men’s freestyle results
Men’s freestyle team Standings
1. Army, 2-0 record
2. Air Force, 1-1 record
3. Navy, 0-2 record
Men’s freestyle dual meets
U.S. Air Force 35, U.S. Navy 9
57kg/125.6 lbs. – SrA Mitch Brown (U.S. Air Force) by forfeit
61kg/134.4 lbs. – SrA Siavash Sarvestani (U.S. Air Force) tech fall PO3 Sheldon Ealy (U.S. Navy), 11-0
65kg/143.3 lbs. – 2d Lt Sidney Flores (U.S. Air Force) tech fall PO3 Pablo Monreal (U.S. Navy), 10-0
70kg/154.3 lbs. – Capt Brian Friery (U.S. Air Force) tech fall AN Dominic Bruinius (U.S. Navy), 10-0
74kg/163.1 lbs. – Capt Gerald McGinty (U.S. Air Force) tech fall LT Dan Richardson (U.S. Navy), 12-2
79kg/174.1 lbs. – 2d Lt Vincent Dolce (U.S. Air Force) tech fall Sgt Marciano Ali (U.S. Navy), 10-0
86kg/189.5 lbs. – GySgt John Stefanowicz (U.S. Navy) tech fall SrA Griffyn Broyles (U.S. Air Force), 10-0
92kg/202.8 lbs. – A1C Ronnie Caudill (U.S. Air Force) pin SSgt Ian Mills (Quantico, Va.), 1:32
97kg/213.8 lbs. – SSgt Diante Cooper (U.S. Air Force) by forfeit
125kg/275.5 lbs. – Capt Courtney Freeman (U.S. Navy) tech fall SMSgt Donald Degamo (U.S. Air Force), 10-0
U.S. Army 37, U.S. Navy 7
57kg/125.6 lbs. – PFC William Sullivan (U.S. Army) by forfeit
61kg/134.4 lbs. – SPC Dalton Duffield (U.S. Army) tech fall PO3 Sheldon Ealy (U.S. Navy), 10-0
65kg/143.3 lbs. – SGT Ellis Coleman (U.S. Army) tech fall PO3 Pablo Monreal (U.S. Navy), 11-0
70kg/154.3 lbs. – PFC Justus Scott (U.S. Army) tech. fall AN Dominic Bruinius (U.S. Navy), 10-0
74kg/163.1 lbs. – SPC Jesse Thielke (U.S. Army) dec. LT Dan Richardson (U.S. Navy), 2-2
79kg/174.1 lbs. – SPC Kamal Bey (U.S. Army) tech fall Sgt Marciano Ali (U.S. Navy), 12-1
86kg/189.5 lbs. – GySgt John Stefanowicz (U.S. Navy) inj dft. SPC Ryan Epps (U.S. Army), 0:01
92kg/202.8 lbs. – SPC Timothy Young (U.S. Army) tech fall SSgt Ian Mills (Quantico, Va.), 10-0
97kg/213.8 lbs. –SPC Spencer Woods (Fort Carson, CO) by forfeit
125kg/275.5 lbs. – 1LT Jermiah Imonode (U.S. Army) tech fall Capt Courtney Freeman (U.S. Air Force), 10-0
U.S. Army 25, U.S. Air Force 17
57kg/125.6 lbs. – SrA Mitch Brown (U.S. Air Force) dec. PFC William Sullivan (U.S. Army), 11-8
61kg/134.4 lbs. – SPC Dalton Duffield (U.S. Army) tech. fall SrA Siavash Sarvestani (U.S. Air Force), 10-0
65kg/143.3 lbs. – 2d Lt Sidney Flores (U.S. Air Force) tech fall SGT Ellis Coleman (U.S. Army), 10-0
70kg/154.3 lbs. – PFC Justus Scott (U.S. Army) tech fall Capt Brian Friery (U.S. Air Force), 13-2
74kg/163.1 lbs. – Capt Gerald McGinty (U.S. Air Force) dec. SPC Jesse Thielke (U.S. Army), 4-0
79kg/174.1 lbs. – SPC Kamal Bey (U.S. Army) tech fall 2d Lt Vincent Dolce (U.S. Air Force), 14-1
86kg/189.5 lbs. – SPC Ryan Epps (U.S. Army) tech fall SrA Griffyn Broyles (U.S. Air Force), 11-0
92kg/202.8 lbs. – SPC Timothy Young (U.S. Army) A1C Ronnie Caudill (U.S. Air Force), 10-0
97kg/213.8 lbs. – SSgt Diante Cooper (U.S. Air Force) inj. dft. SPC Spencer Woods (Fort Carson, CO), 0:01
125kg/275.5 lbs. – 1LT Jermiah Imonode (U.S. Army) tech fall SMSgt Donald Degamo (U.S. Air Force), 10-0
Men’s Freestyle medalists
57kg/125.6 lbs.
Gold– SrA Mitch Brown (U.S. Air Force)
Silver - PFC William Sullivan (U.S. Army)
61kg/134.4 lbs.
Gold – SPC Dalton Duffield (U.S. Army)
Silver -SrA Siavash Sarvestani (U.S. Air Force)
65kg/143.3 lbs.
Gold – 2d Lt Sidney Flores (U.S. Air Force)
Silver - SGT Ellis Coleman (U.S. Army)
70kg/154.3 lbs.
Gold – PFC Justus Scott (U.S. Army)
Silver - Capt Brian Friery (U.S. Air Force)
74kg/163.1 lbs.
Gold – Capt Gerald McGinty (U.S. Air Force)
Silver - SPC Jesse Thielke (U.S. Army)
79kg/174.1 lbs.
Gold – SPC Kamal Bey (U.S. Army)
Silver - 2d Lt Vincent Dolce (U.S. Air Force)
86kg/189.5 lbs.
Gold – GySgt John Stefanowicz (U.S. Navy)
Silver - SPC Ryan Epps (U.S. Army)
92kg/202.8 lbs.
Gold – SPC Timothy Young (U.S. Army)
Silver - A1C Ronnie Caudill (U.S. Air Force)
97kg/213.8 lbs.
Gold – SSgt Diante Cooper (U.S. Air Force)
Silver - SPC Spencer Woods (Fort Carson, CO)
125kg/275.5 lbs.
Gold– 1LT Jermiah Imonode (U.S. Army)
Silver - Capt Courtney Freeman (U.S. Navy)
Women’s Freestyle results
50kg/110 lbs. – SPC Nina Pham (U.S. Army) dec. SrA Mariah Anderson (Lackland AFB, TX), 4-3
57 kg/125.5 lbs. – SPC Abigail Nette (U.S. Army) tech fall A1C Claire Betz (Oflutt AFB, NE), 11-0
Women’s medalists
50kg/110 lbs.
Gold – SPC Nina Pham (U.S. Army)
Silver - SrA Mariah Anderson (Lackland AFB, TX)
57 kg/125.5 lbs.
Gold – SPC Abigail Nette (U.S. Army)
Silver - Claire Betz (Oflutt AFB, NE)