John Fuller/TheMat.com
Sara Fulp-Allen is only a sophomore in college, and that clearly made her the youngest champion at the U.S. Nationals in the women’s freestyle division. Winning the 48 kg/105.5-pound title is the biggest accomplishment of Fulp-Allen’s young and promising career.
In a weight class that lost its first-ever Olympian, and is loaded with young women, Fulp-Allen has taken the early lead towards the 2008 Olympic Team.
TheMat.com sat down with Fulp-Allen to discuss her national title and how she will prepare for the future.
TheMat.com: You put together probably your best freestyle tournament yet in Las Vegas. What has been the difference for you in the past year?
Fulp-Allen: I think having wrestled everybody that was in my weight and having that confidence.
TheMat.com: In your finals match against Caitlyn Chase, you lost the first period and seemed to be struggling before you pinned her. How did you keep your focus in that match?
Fulp-Allen: I knew the first round was just the first round and that I’ve beaten her by a lot before. I knew I could come back and I’ve done it in a lot of matches this year in this scoring system.
TheMat.com: How will you prepare differently for the Trials this year, now that you won’t be competing in the Challenge Tournament?
Fulp-Allen: I really don’t know yet. That’s hard to say. I know I’m going to keep training hard. Since I’ve wrestled everybody that qualified, I know that anybody that comes up in that finals match, I can wrestle. As I keep preparing, I’m just going to keep working hard on the things I’ve been doing the past year. I’m not really changing anything, though.
TheMat.com: You would now be at a point in your career where you need to start focusing on international competitors. Which foreign opponents have you begun to keep an eye on?
Fulp-Allen: Last year, I was doing a lot of that before the Olympics. A lot of people from my weight class have moved up, or done what Patricia Miranda did by taking some time off. That’s something I really need to do “is start looking at people, following people and watching more tapes. That’s something I’m going to do before Trials, and focusing off what my opponents do and improving off that.
TheMat.com: What kind of progressions have you seen in women’s wrestling since you first began competing?
Fulp-Allen: Numbers for sure and quality. I’ve gone up with the quality as well. Definitely everybody has taken steps forward.
TheMat.com: How exciting is it for you to have your father, Lee Allen, a two-time Olympian, coaching you every day?
Fulp-Allen: It’s great. He’s been my coach my whole life. He’s just always there and it’s great.
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