U.S. champions quotes from second day of Dave Schultz Memorial International
2/6/2005
Gary Abbott/USA Wrestling
MEN’S FREESTYLE CHAMPIONS
55 kg/121 lbs. – Matt Azevedo (Sunkist Kids)
“I feel like I’m wrestling well. Winning this tournament is big. I was third here last year. It is a confidence builder. I won the Sunkist Kids International and now this. I am wrestling well. I am doing the things I need to do to win these matches. I knew (Patel) had a good front headlock. I knew he liked to push people out of bounds, and that is how he scored his first point. I knew if I got my motion going, I could hit my shots. He tried to force something and I put him on his back. I knew I would hit my takedowns, and felt real confident with them.”
66 kg/145.5 lbs. – Jared Lawrence (Minnesota Storm)
“I feel good. It seems like last year, I would give up points early in matches. That is something I am capitalizing on this year. I am staying in position and seeing what happens. I ended up with a trapped arm gutwrench in the finals, and said let’s finish it here. It is early in the season. It’s good. Everything is on track. There is still a long way to go and a lot to learn.”
74 kg/163 lbs. – Joe Williams (Sunkist Kids)
“It was a close match again in the finals. Every one of these guys I wrestled today are capable of scoring points. I just went out to wrestle a smart match. I got a lot out of this tournament. Talking with Coach (Kevin) Jackson, we went over the expectations for this year, which is to dominate when I am out there.”
WOMEN’S FREESTYLE CHAMPIONS
59 kg/130 lbs. – Sally Roberts (Gator WC)
“Holy cow. Tela O’Donnell knows me better than anybody does. She has been my roommate, my college teammate, my warmup partner for every major event in my career. I knew I had to go and fight because she wasn’t going to give up on anything. I was tired. It was mental at the end. I knew I had to fight because I knew she was going to fight. She is one of those people who make you better by force.”
67 kg/147.5 lbs. – Katie Downing (Sunkist Kids)
“I would have liked to make more offensive things happen in the finals. Overall, I felt good in the tournament. I scored off a leg attack, and hit a throw that was not forced. It felt good that I worked some things. The Canadian I wrestled here, and the Spanish girl I wrestled were at a camp here and I knew where I was with them. It was a tough tournament, but I won. It feels like I am making steps forward.”
GRECO-ROMAN CHAMPIONS
60 kg/132 lbs. – Joe Warren (New York AC)
“I won. He’s a great competitor. He was an Olympian at 66 kg, and he dropped down in weight. I am satified. He beat me last week. I think I wrestled well this week. Coach Momir (Petkovic) and I are working on a lot of things. If I listen to him, I can win the Olympics. It’s a long road ahead. We will be on that road for awhile. I am real satisfied with this victory.”
74 kg/163 lbs. – Darryl Christian (New York AC)
“They stocked the tournament for me. I first had a top 10 guy in the world. then a guy who was top in the Europeans. I wrestled them back to back to back. The coaches want to get me ready for the World Championships. I am going to do my best. I don’t care about respect. I’m going for my fourth straight national team. I am trying to win respect for USA Wrestling at 74 kg. Coach Momir (Petkovic) and Brad Vering and my training partners in the room push me. That’s what we train for. Sometimes, calls go against you. You just keep wrestling. You understand the goal. I am trying to step up for USA Wrestling. I have faith in my coaches and they have faith in me. I feel I disappoint my coaches if I don’t win.”
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