Gary Abbott/USA Wrestling
If there is any athlete in the nation with a Greco-Roman wrestling pedigree, it is 2005 U.S. Nationals champion Sam Hazewinkel of the Gator WC. Both his father and his uncle, the famous Hazewinkel brothers, were members of the U.S. Olympic Team. Sam was able to be ranked high on the Senior level while he was still a high school athlete in Florida. Now in college at the Univ. of Oklahoma, he has been third at the NCAA Championships for two straight years.
Many were uncertain if he could get back in top Greco-Roman form in the few short weeks between the NCAA meet and the U.S. Nationals, but Hazewinkel handled that assignment without missing a step. He won his first three matches without allowing a point, then defeated veteran Lindsay Durlacher of the New York AC in the championship finals, again by a 3-0, 3-0 score. Nobody scored on Hazewinkel, and he showed he had the offense to win every period of every match. Now he enters the World Team Trials as the No. 1 athlete in the division for the first time.
Durlacher has never been No. 1 either. For years, he battled with Olympic silver medalist Brandon Paulson in this division, falling just short on a number of occasions. Another Olympic silver medalist, Dennis Hall of the Sunkist Kids, dropped to this division for the Olympic Trials, and Paulson and Hall had a classic battle for the Olympic spot, with Hall winning in one of the most memorable matches in history. Paulson is retired, and Hall has not wrestled since the Athens Olympics, and is never expected to get down to this weight class again anyway.
Durlacher has had tremendous success on international tours, and improved his craft as a U.S. Olympic Training Center resident athlete. However, he has now lost to Hazewinkel in two straight events, the Olympic Trials and the U.S. Nationals. He will need to win the Challenge Tournament in Ames to get another shot at the young phenom, and based upon the depth in this division, Durlacher will be favored to earn that spot in the Championship Series.
The rest of this division is still climbing the ladder of success, and have a way to go if they expect to be defeating a Hazewinkel or Durlacher this season. Placing third at the U.S. Nationals was the surprising Eric Albarracin of the U.S. Army, who just came over to Greco-Roman after many years as a nationally prominent freestyle wrestler. Albarracin lost to Hazewinkel in the quarterfinals, then won four straight bouts in the wrestle-backs to claim the bronze medal. His last two wins were in matches that went the full three periods, and he displayed toughness and a big heart in pulling out the wins. His lack of Greco-Roman experience could be a problem, but he has momentum after his Las Vegas performance.
Anthony Brooker of the U.S. Air Force was also a bit of a surprise, placing fourth at the U.S. National;s after receiving the No. 7 seed in the division. Brooker’s first loss came to Durlacher, then he won three straight times before losing to Albarracin. He is a young athlete who is gaining experience and confidence with every competition.
Perhaps the biggest disappointment in Las Vegas was the fifth-place finish of Joe Betterman of the New York AC, who has developed into a star at the USOEC program in Northern Michigan. Betterman won a gold medal at the Dave Schultz Memorial this season, and has a long list of age-group national honors. He gave Durlacher a tough match in the U.S. Nationals semifinals, but lost to Albarracin in his next bout. Betterman has shown the skills and passion to be a winner in Greco-Roman, and would like to get another shot at Durlacher in the World Team Trials if he can get past the other opponents.
Another USOEC wrestler showing great promise is Spenser Mango of the Gator WC, who was sixth in the field in Las Vegas. The USOEC program continues to develop contenders on the Senior level, and Mango had his best career performance on the Senior level with his finish in Las Vegas.
The final qualifier for the World Team Trials from the U.S. Nationals was Neil Rodak of the U.S. Army, who placed seventh. Rodak competed a number of years for the U.S. Navy, but switched services this year and won an Armed Forces title for his new employer. Rodak was as high as No. 3 on the national ladder in the past, and many expect him to move up in the standings if he puts together a good tournament in Ames.
Other athletes who earned a spot in the field here are Wesley Hartman of the U.S. Marines, who captured a title at the Northern Plains Regionals, and Jermaine Hodge of the U.S. Army, who grabbed a gold medal at the Rocky Mountain Regionals. Both are young and learning the ropes on the Senior level. They will have a difficult time with some of the more experienced athletes in this division.
A possibility at this weight class, if he chose to drop the weight, is veteran Duaine Martin of the U.S. Army, who wrestled at the U.S. Nationals at 60 kg this year. Martin has been down to 55 kg in recent seasons, and would be a top challenger if he made the move down again. Martin has been a Greco-Roman Team USA member many times. He moved over to the U.S. Army after many years of competing for the U.S. Marine Corps.
There are two established stars at this division, in young Sam Hazewinkel and veteran Lindsey Durlacher. In spite of falling short of his goals at the U.S. Nationals, Joe Betterman could be the top challenger to Durlacher at the World Team Trials. Former freestyler Eric Albarracin was a big surprise in his Greco-Roman debut in Las Vegas. Neal Rodak has the experience to battle for a spot in the Championship Series. Whoever emerges from the Challenge Tournament will have to figure out how to score on Hazewinkel, who shut down everybody during his gold-medal win at the U.S. Nationals.
2005 U.S. NATIONALS RESULTS AT 55 KG/121 LBS.
1st “Sam Hazewinkel, Pensacola, Fla. (Gator WC) dec. Lindsey Durlacher, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC), 3-0, 3-0
3rd “Eric Albarracin, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) dec. Anthony Brooker, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Air Force), 1-0, 0-1, 6-0
5th “Joseph Betterman, Chicago, Ill. (USOEC/New York AC) dec. Spenser Mango, Flourissant, Mo. (USOEC/Gator WC), 6-1, 5-0
7th – Neal Rodak, San Diego, Calif. (U.S. Army) dec. Jermaine Hodge, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army), 1-0, 1-0
QUALIFIERS FOR 2005 WORLD TEAM TRIALS AT 55 KG/121 LBS.
U.S. Nationals Champion “Sam Hazewinkel, Pensacola, Fla. (Gator WC)
U.S. Nationals, second place – Lindsey Durlacher, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC)
U.S. Nationals, third place “Eric Albaracin, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army)
U.S. Nationals, fourth place “Anthony Brooker, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Air Force)
U.S. Nationals, fifth place “Joseph Betterman, Chicago, Ill. (USOEC/New York AC)
U.S. Nationals, sixth place “Spenser Mango, Flourissant, Mo. (USOEC/Gator WC)
U.S. Nationals, seventh place “Neil Rodak, San Diego, Calif. (U.S. Army)
Rocky Mountain Regional Champion “Jermaine Hodge, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army)
Northern Plains Regional Champion “Wesley Hartman, Quantico, Va. (U.S. Marines)
Olympic Team member “Dennis Hall, Plover, Wis. (Sunkist Kids)
Olympic Team member “Brandon Paulson, Coon Rapids, Minn. (Minnesota Storm)
’04 Sunkist Kids International champion “Lindsey Durlacher, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC)
’04 NYAC Christmas Open champion “Lindsey Durlacher, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC)
’05 Dave Schultz Memorial champion “Joseph Betterman, Chicago, Ill. (USOEC/New York AC)
International Tour medalist (within 2 yrs) “
*’03 Vantaa Cup silver medalist – Lindsey Durlacher, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC)
*’04 Petrov Tournament gold medalist “Dennis Hall, Plover, Wis. (Sunkist Kids)
*’05 Granma Cup bronze medalist – Lindsey Durlacher, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC)
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