U.S. wrestling champ trains at Marquette
BY JO-ANN BARNAS
Knight Ridder Newspapers
DETROIT – (KRT) – Almost six years after establishing its Greco-Roman wrestling program, the U.S. Olympic Education Center in Marquette has its first national champion in the sport.
Harry Lester, a political science major at Northern Michigan University, defeated Marcel Cooper of Colorado Springs, Colo., last Saturday to claim the 145.5-pound division at Las Vegas.
Lester, a junior who transferred from Iowa State in 2003, also was named outstanding wrestler of the Greco-Roman tournament. Seeded fourth, he defeated the top seed – 2004 Olympian Oscar Wood of the U.S. Army – in the semifinals and beat Mike Ellsworth of Caro in the quarterfinals.
As U.S. champion, Lester earns the top seed in his weight class and advances to the finals of the U.S. world team trials, June 18-19 in Ames, Iowa.
“It’s a milestone for the program, “said Jeff Kleinschmidt, program director for the Marquette center. “It takes a long time for wrestlers to reach their peak, and these athletes are primarily college-age. It proves that the program is working, and this will be the first of many in the future.”
Two more senior athletes with Michigan ties, including another from the Upper Peninsula, also claimed their first U.S. titles last weekend. Alaina Berube of Escanaba won the 138.75-pound division of the women’s freestyle tournament, and 2000 Michigan grad Joe Warren of Grand Rapids defeated Jacob Hey of the U.S. Air Force in the 132-pound Greco-Roman final.
Berube, a junior at Cumberland College in Williamsburg, Ky., pinned Kaci Lyle of Colorado Springs at the 1:36 mark of the second period.
“Obviously, the person she pinned in the finals was a very high-quality opponent, “said USA Wrestling spokesman Gary Abbott. “Alaina’s the top college wrestler in the country right now. She’s setting the standard.”
Berube, runner-up at the 2004 U.S. Olympic trials, also was honored at the tournament as outstanding wrestler in the women’s division. She dominated her class, defeating two of her opponents by technical falls and one by pin.
At the junior freestyle national tournament, also in Las Vegas, three Michiganders won titles: Brent Metcalf (145.5) and Paul Donahoe (121) of Davison, and Steve Luke (163) of Ann Arbor
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