U.S. NATIONALS: Harry Lester caps superb showing by winning Greco-Roman title at 74 kg/163 lbs.
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by Craig Sesker
Harry Lester controls Jake Fisher in the Greco-Roman finals at 74 kg/163 lbs. Photo by Larry Slater.
LAS VEGAS - Harry Lester isn't where he wants to be yet.
But he's definitely moving closer to that point.
And that's bad news for the rest of the World's Greco-Roman wrestlers at 74 kg/163 lbs.
The powerful, dangerous Lester capped a triumphant return to Las Vegas by winning a U.S. Nationals title in his new weight class Friday night at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
The 25-year-old Lester swept close friend and training partner Jake Fisher 2-0, 1-0 in the finals. Lester, a two-time World bronze medalist at 66 kg/145.5 lbs., won his second career U.S. Nationals crown. He was named Outstanding Wrestler.
"I'm very fat and happy now," Lester said with a laugh. "I'm just enjoying the sport now. I'm having a lot more fun than I was before. I'm not at my best, not even close. I'm just getting back into it. I need to get into better shape. I need to put on more muscle and get rid of some of this baby fat."
The last time Lester was in Las Vegas he was upset in the Olympic Trials and finished third. Following his last match in June 2008, Lester took his shoes off and said he was retiring from the sport.
The retirement was short-lived as he returned to competition in February, bumping up a weight class and winning the Dave Schultz Memorial International in Colorado Springs.
"I felt 10 times better here than I did at the Schultz," Lester said. "I had a little knee injury I was still nursing at Schultz and I couldn't move that much. But here, I was pretty active. I didn't move as quickly as I normally do, but I'm getting better."
Lester advanced to the finals with a 5-0, 5-1 win over Olympian Jake Deitchler, the guy who upset Lester at the Olympic Trials last year.
"I didn't come here to beat (Deitchler), I came here to win Nationals," Lester said. "He was just one of the people I had to wrestle here."
The champions in each weight class earn No. 1 seeds for the U.S. World Team Trials on May 30-31 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The top seven finishers in each weight class qualify for the World Team Trials.
Lester's good friend, T.C. Dantzler, captured his fourth straight U.S. Nationals title, but first at 84 kg/185 lbs. Dantzler also has moved up a weight class. Dantzler swept Aaron Sieracki in the finals.
Dantzler said he expects Lester to excel at Dantzler's old weight class.
"It's great to have Harry back - I love seeing him come back," Dantzler said. "He can win a World title this year, he can win it. He has all the tools. He has the right attitude and he has the skills. These new rules, they're made for Harry Lester. I think he may have sold his soul so he could get an extra 30 seconds on the feet."
The U.S. Army edged the New York AC 82-78 for the team title. The Army squad crowned four champions. Jermaine Hodge, Faruk Sahin, Brad Ahearn and Dremiel Byers each won titles for the U.S. Army.
Byers, a 2008 Olympian and past World champion, captured his eighth U.S. Nationals title. Byers downed Brandon Rupp in the finals at 120 kg/264.5 lbs.
Ahearn, another wrestler who has moved up a class, won his second straight U.S. Nationals title. Ahearn beat R.C. Johnson in the finals at 96 kg/211.5 lbs. Ahearn won the 2008 U.S. Nationals at 84 kg/185 lbs.
Hodge won his first career U.S. Nationals title, holding off two-time U.S. Nationals champion Sam Hazewinkel in three periods at 55 kg/121 lbs.
Hodge caught Hazewinkel with a three-point throw near the edge of the mat to take a 4-0 third-period lead. Hazewinkel fought back in the closing stages, catching Hodge on his back and nearly pinning him. The period ended with a 4-4 deadlock, but Hodge was awarded the win by virtue of his three-point throw.
Sahin, second in the 2008 Olympic Trials, captured his first U.S. Nationals title by taking two straight periods from 2008 U.S. Nationals champion Mark Rial at 66 kg/145.5 lbs.
Joe Betterman won his first U.S. Nationals title by sweeping 2008 Olympian Spenser Mango in the finals at 60 kg/132 lbs. Betterman was second in this event the previous three years.
Mango bumped up a weight class for this event after placing eighth in the Olympics at 55 kg/121 lbs. Mango and Betterman are former U.S. Olympic Education Center teammates.
The final day of the competition is set for Saturday with the Senior men's freestyle competition. The wrestling will resume at 10 a.m. Saturday.
U.S. NATIONALS GRECO-ROMAN - FINALS RESULTS
55 kg/121 lbs.
Jermaine Hodge (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) dec. Sam Hazewinkel (Springboro, Ohio/Sunkist Kids), 1-0, 0-3, 4-4
60 kg/132 lbs.
Joe Betterman (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC) dec. Spenser Mango (St. Louis, Mo./New York AC), 3-0, 2-0
66 kg/145.5 lbs.
Faruk Sahin (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) dec. Mark Rial (Cedar Falls, Iowa/Gator WC), 2-0, 1-0
74 kg/163 lbs.
Harry Lester (Marquette, Mich./New York AC) dec. Jake Fisher (Platte City, Mo./New York AC), 2-0, 1-0
84 kg/185 lbs.
T.C. Dantzler (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC) dec. Aaron Sieracki (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army), 1-0, 3-0
96 kg/211.5 lbs.
Brad Ahearn (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) dec. R.C. Johnson (Sunkist Kids), 2-0, 1-0
120 kg/264.5 lbs.
Dremiel Byers (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) dec. Brandon Rupp (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC), 5-0, 1-0
LAS VEGAS - Harry Lester isn't where he wants to be yet.
But he's definitely moving closer to that point.
And that's bad news for the rest of the World's Greco-Roman wrestlers at 74 kg/163 lbs.
The powerful, dangerous Lester capped a triumphant return to Las Vegas by winning a U.S. Nationals title in his new weight class Friday night at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
The 25-year-old Lester swept close friend and training partner Jake Fisher 2-0, 1-0 in the finals. Lester, a two-time World bronze medalist at 66 kg/145.5 lbs., won his second career U.S. Nationals crown. He was named Outstanding Wrestler.
"I'm very fat and happy now," Lester said with a laugh. "I'm just enjoying the sport now. I'm having a lot more fun than I was before. I'm not at my best, not even close. I'm just getting back into it. I need to get into better shape. I need to put on more muscle and get rid of some of this baby fat."
The last time Lester was in Las Vegas he was upset in the Olympic Trials and finished third. Following his last match in June 2008, Lester took his shoes off and said he was retiring from the sport.
The retirement was short-lived as he returned to competition in February, bumping up a weight class and winning the Dave Schultz Memorial International in Colorado Springs.
"I felt 10 times better here than I did at the Schultz," Lester said. "I had a little knee injury I was still nursing at Schultz and I couldn't move that much. But here, I was pretty active. I didn't move as quickly as I normally do, but I'm getting better."
Lester advanced to the finals with a 5-0, 5-1 win over Olympian Jake Deitchler, the guy who upset Lester at the Olympic Trials last year.
"I didn't come here to beat (Deitchler), I came here to win Nationals," Lester said. "He was just one of the people I had to wrestle here."
The champions in each weight class earn No. 1 seeds for the U.S. World Team Trials on May 30-31 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The top seven finishers in each weight class qualify for the World Team Trials.
Lester's good friend, T.C. Dantzler, captured his fourth straight U.S. Nationals title, but first at 84 kg/185 lbs. Dantzler also has moved up a weight class. Dantzler swept Aaron Sieracki in the finals.
Dantzler said he expects Lester to excel at Dantzler's old weight class.
"It's great to have Harry back - I love seeing him come back," Dantzler said. "He can win a World title this year, he can win it. He has all the tools. He has the right attitude and he has the skills. These new rules, they're made for Harry Lester. I think he may have sold his soul so he could get an extra 30 seconds on the feet."
The U.S. Army edged the New York AC 82-78 for the team title. The Army squad crowned four champions. Jermaine Hodge, Faruk Sahin, Brad Ahearn and Dremiel Byers each won titles for the U.S. Army.
Byers, a 2008 Olympian and past World champion, captured his eighth U.S. Nationals title. Byers downed Brandon Rupp in the finals at 120 kg/264.5 lbs.
Ahearn, another wrestler who has moved up a class, won his second straight U.S. Nationals title. Ahearn beat R.C. Johnson in the finals at 96 kg/211.5 lbs. Ahearn won the 2008 U.S. Nationals at 84 kg/185 lbs.
Hodge won his first career U.S. Nationals title, holding off two-time U.S. Nationals champion Sam Hazewinkel in three periods at 55 kg/121 lbs.
Hodge caught Hazewinkel with a three-point throw near the edge of the mat to take a 4-0 third-period lead. Hazewinkel fought back in the closing stages, catching Hodge on his back and nearly pinning him. The period ended with a 4-4 deadlock, but Hodge was awarded the win by virtue of his three-point throw.
Sahin, second in the 2008 Olympic Trials, captured his first U.S. Nationals title by taking two straight periods from 2008 U.S. Nationals champion Mark Rial at 66 kg/145.5 lbs.
Joe Betterman won his first U.S. Nationals title by sweeping 2008 Olympian Spenser Mango in the finals at 60 kg/132 lbs. Betterman was second in this event the previous three years.
Mango bumped up a weight class for this event after placing eighth in the Olympics at 55 kg/121 lbs. Mango and Betterman are former U.S. Olympic Education Center teammates.
The final day of the competition is set for Saturday with the Senior men's freestyle competition. The wrestling will resume at 10 a.m. Saturday.
U.S. NATIONALS GRECO-ROMAN - FINALS RESULTS
55 kg/121 lbs.
Jermaine Hodge (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) dec. Sam Hazewinkel (Springboro, Ohio/Sunkist Kids), 1-0, 0-3, 4-4
60 kg/132 lbs.
Joe Betterman (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC) dec. Spenser Mango (St. Louis, Mo./New York AC), 3-0, 2-0
66 kg/145.5 lbs.
Faruk Sahin (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) dec. Mark Rial (Cedar Falls, Iowa/Gator WC), 2-0, 1-0
74 kg/163 lbs.
Harry Lester (Marquette, Mich./New York AC) dec. Jake Fisher (Platte City, Mo./New York AC), 2-0, 1-0
84 kg/185 lbs.
T.C. Dantzler (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC) dec. Aaron Sieracki (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army), 1-0, 3-0
96 kg/211.5 lbs.
Brad Ahearn (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) dec. R.C. Johnson (Sunkist Kids), 2-0, 1-0
120 kg/264.5 lbs.
Dremiel Byers (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) dec. Brandon Rupp (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC), 5-0, 1-0
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