FEATURE: Like father like daughter, Lee and Katherine Fulp-Allen receive top honors together

When Katherine Fulp-Allen and Lee Allen of Menlo College attended the Women's College Wrestling Association National Championships in January, neither of them expected the highest recognition one could receive at the tournament.

Not only did Fulp-Allen claim the 2009 WCWA national title at 51 kg/112 lbs., she was recognized as the WCWA Athlete of the Year.

Allen, a 1960 U.S. Greco-Roman Olympic Team member, was recognized as WCWA Coach of the Year a few minutes after his daughter.

"Getting the award was a big surprise," Fulp-Allen said. "I didn't think about it at all, so it was really nice. It was just a summary of the season and a three-year span of working really hard."

As soon as her father's name was called for Coach of the Year, the reality of the award really set in.

"It was more emotional when my dad got the award right after me," she said. "I was like 'Thanks! That is a big accomplishment!' and then when my dad got the award, he started tearing up and so did I."

When Allen heard his name called for the award, it was bittersweet.

"It was a really emotional moment," he said. "Even though our team placed fifth in the tournament, we had a lot of success and had five All-Americans. I was so surprised and gratified that they chose me but being right there with Katherine when she got her award was really special. It's a tribute to her. She works really hard and sets high goals for herself."

Not only has Allen coached Katherine for a majority of her life but he has coached his other daughter, Sara who is older than Katherine. Sara was a three-time national champ and a two-time WCWA Athlete of the Year while at Menlo College. Also involved in this family story is Katherine's mother Joan, who is there for the major events that the daughters compete in.

Allen was never a pushy parent but he did expose his girls to international competitions at an early age. This paid off last summer when Katherine won the 2008 World University Championships.

"He is very quiet and reserved and not the type of coach to get in your face about things," she said. "Winning at World Universities was so surreal. My dad said something about when something like that happens you have to realize that you were ready to go and your body was in shape. It was great to see what my training accomplished."

As Fulp-Allen is emerging on the Senior level circuit, her father looks to her to be a leader on the college team. He said that moving onto the Senior level is a step up for her with many challenges, but he knows she is up to the task.

"There are moments of family time on campus because I see her everyday but it's a collaboration when it comes to coaching," Allen said. "Everyone has always looked to her for technical and skills advice. They always respect her so she is my resource person. I involve all of my team members but with her skill level, I depend on her a lot."

Fulp-Allen has set extremely high goals for herself. This year, she plans on continuing to get better and better and focus on the World Team Trials.

"Everything is a focal point because you go from one tournament to the next," she said. "When I am done with school, I can focus on wrestling more. Right now, I am thinking about each step on the Olympic cycle. I saw the Olympics but I felt pretty young in wrestling so I wanted to find where I could make a dent in the sport. Now it is time to make those goals a reality."

Allen and Fulp-Allen are accomplishing their goals not only as a coach and athlete but as father and daughter as well.

"Our family is was really proud and excited for us when we won our awards because we did it together," she said. "We are still accomplishing our own goals together. Even though my dad is not an athlete anymore, he is still accomplishing great things."