Montana's Jade Rauser knocks off Triple Crown winner as ASICS/USA Wrestling Folkstyle Nationals kicks off
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by Craig Sesker
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - Montana's Jade Rauser figured the rematch with Minnesota's Hayden Zillmer would come in the finals.
After all, Zillmer was a returning USA Wrestling Triple Crown winner in Cadets and he defeated Rauser in the freestyle and Greco-Roman finals last year in Fargo, N.D.
As it turns out, Rauser didn't have to wait that long and he was ready for the rematch when they met Friday night at the ASICS/USA Wrestling Folkstyle Nationals.
Rauser fired in on an early leg attack and converted it into a double-leg takedown en route to a methodical 6-0 win over Zillmer in the Cadet Round of 16 at 98 pounds. The match highlighted the first of three days of wrestling at the UNI-Dome.
"I was pumped - I was ready to get him," said Rauser, who went undefeated and won a Montana state title as a high school freshman. "I was kind of hoping to see him in the finals, but that doesn't matter now. I got him out of the way early instead. After he beat me in Fargo, I've been looking forward to this match."
Rauser advances to Saturday's quarterfinals, where he will face Hunter Weber of Wisconsin. Rauser's twin brother, Valyen, also reached the quarterfinals on Friday at 105 pounds. Valyen won Cadet Nationals in Greco-Roman and was second in freestyle last year. Valyen also was second in Folkstyle Nationals last year.
Jade Rauser scored early on a shot and then rode Zillmer out to lead 2-0 after the first period.
"I had an underhook and I tried to knee pick him, but he got away from that," Rauser said. "Then I just grabbed a double leg and got him down."
Both wrestlers chose neutral in the final two periods. The score was still 2-0 before Rauser slipped out of a Zillmer throw attempt for a takedown with two seconds left in the second period. Rauser added a takedown in the closing seconds of the match when Zillmer tried a desperation throw attempt.
Zillmer pinned Rauser in the third period of the 2007 Cadet freestyle championship match. It was a rematch of the Greco-Roman finals in Fargo, when Zillmer beat Rauser 0-4, 5-0, 3-0.
Rauser, from Townsend, Montana, prepared for this event by working out last week at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
"Coming out to the Olympic Training Center helped me a lot," Rauser said. "We learned some new technique and we went through some mental training. All the coaches taught us a lot. (USA Wrestling coaches) Ike Anderson and Doc Bennett worked with us, and we learned quite a bit from them."
He grew up wanting to follow in the footsteps of fellow Montana natives Bill and Mike Zadick. Bill was a 2006 World champion and Mike was a 2006 World silver medalist.
"I look up to those guys a lot," Rauser said. "They're great wrestlers."
Both wrestlers received a first-round bye on Friday before Zillmer won by a first-period fall in the second round and Rauser won by an 18-4 major decision.
The three-day event is scheduled to run through Sunday afternoon on the University of Northern Iowa campus. Wrestlers from 30 of the 50 states are represented here.
Competition for Juniors and Cadets kicked off late Friday afternoon. Wrestling in the Kids divisions - Bantam, Midget, Novice and Schoolboy - is scheduled to begin on Saturday morning at 8:30. Veterans competition will take place on Sunday.
Another weight class featuring two of USA Wrestling's top young standouts is the Cadet 119 class. Wisconsin's Jesse Thielke and Florida's Clark Glass are on opposite sides of the bracket. Thielke won USA Wrestling's Ultimate Dominator Award last year and Glass has won numerous USA Wrestling National titles. Both wrestlers are state high school champions.
This year's field is expected to easily surpass the most number of entrants in the event's history.
As of late Friday afternoon, nearly 2,400 wrestlers had entered the event. Wrestlers from the Veterans division will weigh-in on Saturday.
Dan Gable to appear at Wrestling Museum on Saturday
Wrestlers and fans attending the Folkstyle Nationals will have an opportunity to meet wrestling legend Dan Gable on Saturday.
Gable will appear at the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum on Saturday from 2-3:30 p.m. He will sign autographs and talk wrestling with fans that stop by the museum.
The Wrestling Museum is located at 303 Jefferson Street in Waterloo, Iowa. It is about a 10-minute drive from the UNI-Dome, site of the Folkstyle Nationals. The museum will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. It will open from noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Gable was an Olympic and World champion wrestler before coaching the Iowa Hawkeyes to 15 NCAA team titles.
The museum features over 600 exhibits that cover the history of the sport, from ancient Greece through the present-day Olympics.
After all, Zillmer was a returning USA Wrestling Triple Crown winner in Cadets and he defeated Rauser in the freestyle and Greco-Roman finals last year in Fargo, N.D.
As it turns out, Rauser didn't have to wait that long and he was ready for the rematch when they met Friday night at the ASICS/USA Wrestling Folkstyle Nationals.
Rauser fired in on an early leg attack and converted it into a double-leg takedown en route to a methodical 6-0 win over Zillmer in the Cadet Round of 16 at 98 pounds. The match highlighted the first of three days of wrestling at the UNI-Dome.
"I was pumped - I was ready to get him," said Rauser, who went undefeated and won a Montana state title as a high school freshman. "I was kind of hoping to see him in the finals, but that doesn't matter now. I got him out of the way early instead. After he beat me in Fargo, I've been looking forward to this match."
Rauser advances to Saturday's quarterfinals, where he will face Hunter Weber of Wisconsin. Rauser's twin brother, Valyen, also reached the quarterfinals on Friday at 105 pounds. Valyen won Cadet Nationals in Greco-Roman and was second in freestyle last year. Valyen also was second in Folkstyle Nationals last year.
Jade Rauser scored early on a shot and then rode Zillmer out to lead 2-0 after the first period.
"I had an underhook and I tried to knee pick him, but he got away from that," Rauser said. "Then I just grabbed a double leg and got him down."
Both wrestlers chose neutral in the final two periods. The score was still 2-0 before Rauser slipped out of a Zillmer throw attempt for a takedown with two seconds left in the second period. Rauser added a takedown in the closing seconds of the match when Zillmer tried a desperation throw attempt.
Zillmer pinned Rauser in the third period of the 2007 Cadet freestyle championship match. It was a rematch of the Greco-Roman finals in Fargo, when Zillmer beat Rauser 0-4, 5-0, 3-0.
Rauser, from Townsend, Montana, prepared for this event by working out last week at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
"Coming out to the Olympic Training Center helped me a lot," Rauser said. "We learned some new technique and we went through some mental training. All the coaches taught us a lot. (USA Wrestling coaches) Ike Anderson and Doc Bennett worked with us, and we learned quite a bit from them."
He grew up wanting to follow in the footsteps of fellow Montana natives Bill and Mike Zadick. Bill was a 2006 World champion and Mike was a 2006 World silver medalist.
"I look up to those guys a lot," Rauser said. "They're great wrestlers."
Both wrestlers received a first-round bye on Friday before Zillmer won by a first-period fall in the second round and Rauser won by an 18-4 major decision.
The three-day event is scheduled to run through Sunday afternoon on the University of Northern Iowa campus. Wrestlers from 30 of the 50 states are represented here.
Competition for Juniors and Cadets kicked off late Friday afternoon. Wrestling in the Kids divisions - Bantam, Midget, Novice and Schoolboy - is scheduled to begin on Saturday morning at 8:30. Veterans competition will take place on Sunday.
Another weight class featuring two of USA Wrestling's top young standouts is the Cadet 119 class. Wisconsin's Jesse Thielke and Florida's Clark Glass are on opposite sides of the bracket. Thielke won USA Wrestling's Ultimate Dominator Award last year and Glass has won numerous USA Wrestling National titles. Both wrestlers are state high school champions.
This year's field is expected to easily surpass the most number of entrants in the event's history.
As of late Friday afternoon, nearly 2,400 wrestlers had entered the event. Wrestlers from the Veterans division will weigh-in on Saturday.
Dan Gable to appear at Wrestling Museum on Saturday
Wrestlers and fans attending the Folkstyle Nationals will have an opportunity to meet wrestling legend Dan Gable on Saturday.
Gable will appear at the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum on Saturday from 2-3:30 p.m. He will sign autographs and talk wrestling with fans that stop by the museum.
The Wrestling Museum is located at 303 Jefferson Street in Waterloo, Iowa. It is about a 10-minute drive from the UNI-Dome, site of the Folkstyle Nationals. The museum will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. It will open from noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Gable was an Olympic and World champion wrestler before coaching the Iowa Hawkeyes to 15 NCAA team titles.
The museum features over 600 exhibits that cover the history of the sport, from ancient Greece through the present-day Olympics.
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