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Note: To nominate a wrestler for TheMat.com Wrestler of the Week, send the athlete’s name, accomplishments for the week and career accomplishments to John Fuller at [email protected]
Tolly Thompson (Cedar Falls, Iowa/Sunkist Kids) has been named TheMat.com Wrestler of the Week for the week of August 23-29.
Each week, TheMat.com will select an Athlete of the Week, based upon performance within wrestling for that week. The selection committee will consider any level of wrestling, from youth programs through the Senior level. The announcement will be made each week on Wednesday.
Thompson is one of the seven athletes who are members of the 2005 U.S. World Freestyle Team, which spent the week in training camp in Colorado Springs, Colo. Thompson, who competes at 120 kg/264.5 pounds, will compete at the World Championships of Wrestling in Budapest, Hungary, Sept. 26-Oct. 2.
According to Freestyle National Coach Kevin Jackson, Thompson had a successful week of training during the week, and has looked very strong in his training as well as in the live matches held during the training camp.
Thompson will be competing in his first World Championships, after a number of years competing on the national level within the United States. Thompson was a 2005 U.S. Nationals champion, then won the World Team Trials, defeating Steve Mocco in the finals of both events. Thompson was also a 1998 U.S. Nationals champion, but was unable to compete in the World Team Trials that year due to injury. He was second at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials.
Thompson was a NCAA champion for the Univ. of Nebraska in 1995, and a three-time All-American. He attended Janesville High School in Iowa, where he was a state runner-up. Thompson has won two Pan American Championships gold medals.
He is currently an assistant wrestling coach for the Univ. of Northern Iowa.
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