Sanderson, McMann and Men’s Freestyle Olympic Team honored as 2004 USOC Athletes and Team of the Year
1/21/2005
Gary Abbott/USA Wrestling
The U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) has honored its 2004 Wrestling Male and Female Athletes of the Year, as well as its Wrestling Team of the Year.
The Male Athlete of the Year is 2004 Olympic gold medalist Cael Sanderson (Ames, Iowa/Sunkist Kids). The Female Athlete of the Year is 2004 Olympic silver medalist Sara McMann (Lock Haven, Pa./Sunkist Kids). The 2004 Wrestling Team of the Year is the 2004 U.S. Olympic Men’s Freestyle Wrestling Team. It is the first time that either Sanderson or McMann have won this award.
Each year the USOC recognizes the top male and top female athletes and the top team as selected by their respective member organizations. The names of the athletes and teams are placed on ballots used to select the USOC SportsMan, SportsWoman and overall Team of the Year. Members of the USOC Board of Directors along with representatives of the national media participate in the voting to select the USOC SportsMan, SportsWoman and Team of the Year.
Honored last year for their accomplishments in 2003 were cyclist Lance Armstrong, figure skater Michelle Kwan and the U.S. Women’s Gymnastics Team.
Forty-nine males and 49 females, as well as 39 teams, are being honored by the USOC for their athletic accomplishments in 2004.
Sanderson won the Olympic gold medal in men’s freestyle wrestling at 84 kg/185 lbs. at the Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. He was the only U.S. wrestler to win a gold medal during the Athens Games, one of six U.S. medallists in all three styles.
Sanderson won five matches on the way to the title, and he defeated 2000 Olympic silver medalist Moon Eui Jae of Korea in the gold-medal finals, 3-1.
His semifinal victory was a thrilling 3-2 decision over 1999 World champion and 2000 Olympic silver medalist Yoel Romero of Cuba. Sanderson scored two second-period takedowns for the margin of victory. He had lost his previous two meetings with Romero prior to the Olympic showdown.
In the quarterfinals, in an exciting match, Sanderson stopped 2002 World bronze medalist Majid Khodaei of Iran, 6-5. Sanderson fell behind. and battled back with some outstanding wrestling late in the match. He also captured two matches in his pool competition, beating Magomed Kurguliev of Kazakhstan, 4-2 and Siarhei Borchanka of Belarus, 9-1.
Sanderson earned his spot on the U.S. Olympic Team, winning the title at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials “Wrestling in Indianapolis, Ind in May. He defeated Lee Fullhart (Colorado Springs, Colo./Gator WC) in the championship series, two matches to one.
Sanderson won both of his matches at the Titan Games, held in Atlanta, Ga in June. He also won a gold medal at the Manitoba Open in Canada, and a silver medal at the Ivan Yarygin International in Russia. At the Yarygin Tournament, he defeated 2000 Olympic champion Adam Saitiev. He also won a silver medal at the U.S. National Championships in Las Vegas, Nev.
In 2002, Sanderson achieved national attention in college at Iowa State, when he became the first athlete to go undefeated and won four NCAA wrestling titles. Sports Illustrated said it was the No. 2 achievement in college sports history.
McMann won the Olympic silver gold medal in women’s freestyle wrestling at 63 kg/138.75 lbs. at the Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. She was one of two U.S. women wrestlers to claim a medal during the Athens Games, and the highest placement of the U.S. women wrestlers. It was a historic performance as women’s freestyle wrestling was contested at the Olympic Games for the first time.
McMann was impressive in reaching the gold-medal finals, scoring pins in two of her first three bouts. In her opening match, she pinned 2001 World champion Lili Meng of China in 2:01. Her second bout was a 5-2 loss to Canadian Viola Yanik, but McMann’s pin over Meng allowed her to win the pool and advance. In the semifinals, she pinned Stavroula Zygouri of Greece in just 50 seconds, silencing the pro-Greek crowd and guaranteeing McMann a medal at the Olympics.
In the gold medal finals, facing her archrival, McMann lost a very close 3-2 decision to two-time World champion Kaori Icho of Japan.
McMann earned her spot on the U.S. Olympic Team, winning the title at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials “Wrestling in Indianapolis, Ind in May. She defeated Alaina Berube (Escanaba, Mich./New York AC) in the championship series, two matches to zero.
McMann also won a gold medal at the Olympic Testing Event held in Athens, Greece in February. She won a gold medal at the Manitoba Open in Canada, and a bronze medal at the Dave Schultz Memorial International in Colorado Springs, Colo. McMann won her match during the Titan Games in Atlanta, Ga., scoring a pin. She was a silver medalist at the U.S. Nationals in Las Vegas, Nev.
The 2004 U.S. Olympic Men’s Freestyle Wrestling Team won three medals during the Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. The Men’s freestyle team was the discipline that won the most medals for the United States in wrestling during the 2004 Olympics.
The U.S. men freestyle wrestlers placed second behind Russia in the medal count in freestyle wrestling, and was also second in the unofficial team standings.
Claiming a gold medal was Cael Sanderson (Ames, Iowa/Sunkist Kids) at 84 kg/185 lbs. Winning silver medals were Stephen Abas (Fresno, Calif./Sunkist Kids) at 55 kg/121 lbs. and Jamill Kelly (Stillwater, Okla./Gator WC) at 66 kg/145.5 lbs.
Daniel Cormier (Stillwater, Okla./Gator WC) placed fourth at 96 kg/211.5 pounds. Joe Williams (Iowa City, Iowa/Hawkeye WC) was fifth at 74 kg/163 lbs. Kerry McCoy (Bethlehem, Pa./New York AC) placed seventh at 120 kg/264.5 pounds. Competing at 60 kg/132 lbs. was Eric Guerrero (Stillwater, Okla./Gator WC).
Coaching the U.S. team were Kevin Jackson of Colorado Springs, Colo., Tom Brands of Blacksburg, Va., Zeke Jones of Morgantown, W.Va. and Bobby Douglas of Ames, Iowa. The team leader was Jim Ravannack of Metairie, La.
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