U.S. to send strong team to CISM World Military Championships in New Jersey, Oct. 3-6
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by Gary Abbott USA Wrestling
The United States has an experienced and talented team which will compete in the CISM World Military Wrestling Championships at Joint Base McGuire – Dix – Lakehurst, in New Jersey, October 3-6.
“CISM is a very important tournament, not just for the athletes but for the military. CISM is an organization that makes friendships through sport. This has a long tradition. You have a lot of World medalists that compete here. It gives our military athletes a chance to compete against many of the best wrestlers in the world,” said U.S. coach Shon Lewis.
The Greco-Roman team features a number of top American stars, led by 2012 Olympian and two-time World bronze medalist SGT Justin Lester of the U.S. Army at 71 kg and two-time Olympian SGT Spenser Mango of the U.S. Army at 59 kg.
Mango, who has made every U.S. World and Olympic team since 2008, a streak of seven straight years. Mango placed fifth at the World Championships in both 2013 and 2014. Lester, who also competed on the 2014 U.S. World Team, has made six U.S. World Teams along with his Olympic team berth.
Another member of the 2014 U.S. World Team, 1stLt Bryce Saddoris of the U.S. Marine Corps, will compete at 66 kg in Greco-Roman. Saddoris was an NCAA Div. I All-American for the U.S. Naval Academy. Past U.S. Open champion SSgt David Arendt of the U.S. Marine Corps will wrestle at 130 kg.
Rounding out the Greco-Roman team are CPT Jon Anderson of the U.S. Army at 75 kg, MSgt Sherwin Severin of the U.S. Air Force at 80 kg, A1C Nathaniel Hartley of the U.S. Air Force at 85 kg and SPC Pete Gounaridis of the U.S. Army at 98 kg.
The men’s freestyle team features a pair of past NCAA Div. I All-Americans, SGT Moza Fay of the U.S. Army at 74 kg and SPC Jack Jensen of the U.S. Army at 96 kg. Fay won his All-American honors for Northern Iowa, while Jensen was an All-American for Oklahoma State.
Others on the men’s freestyle team are 1stLt Aaron Kalil of the U.S. Marine Corps at 57 kg, PO3 Sheldon Wilder of the U.S. Navy at 61 kg, SGT Jamel Johnson of the U.S. Army at 65 kg, Cpl Joseph Foreman of the U.S. Marines Corps at 70 kg, MSgt Sherwin Severin of the U.S. Air Force at 80 kg and SPC Eric Nye of the U.S. Army at 125 kg
The women’s freestyle team is led by 2008 Olympic bronze medalist and 2014 U.S. World Team member SGT Randi Miller of the U.S. Army at 69 kg/152 lbs., along with 2005 World champion SSG Iris Smith of the U.S. Army at 75 kg/165 lbs.
Two-time U.S. World Team member and 2007 Junior World champion SGT Whitney Conder of the U.S. Army will compete at 53 kg/116.5 lbs. Another two-time U.S. World Team member, CPT Leigh Provisor of the U.S. Army, is wrestling at 63 kg. SGT Othello Feroleto of the U.S. Army, who was third in the 2008 University World Championships, is entered at 60 kg.
There will be wrestle-off for the 58 kg team berth between SGT Sally Roberts of the U.S. Army and Cpl Melissa Apodaca of the U.S. Marine Corps. Roberts is a two-time World bronze medalist.
Smith was a CISM World Military champion at 72 kg at the 2010 CISM Championships in Lahti, Finland, while Feroleto was a CISM World Military bronze medalist at 63 kg the same year.
Coaching the team are U.S. Army coach Shon Lewis and U.S. Marine Corps coach Jason Loukides. Loukides was a CISM World Military bronze medalist at 96 kg in freestyle in 2003 when he was enlisted in the U.S. Army.
“When it comes to CISM, it is one team, one fight, one war, one win. All four branches of the U.S. military will be represented at the CISM Championships. We become one Armed Forces team,” said Lewis.
There are 24 nations entered, with over 200 athletes expected. The participating nations include: Algeria, Armenia, Brazil, China, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, Germany, India, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Mongolia, Morocco, Pakistan, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, United Arab Emirets, Ukraine, and the United States.
The United States last hosted the CISM World Military Championships in 2000 at the U.S. Marine Corps base at Camp Lejeune, N.C. The team won 12 medals at that event, led by Greco-Roman champion Duaine Martin at 58 kg and freestyle champions Jeff Bedard at 63 kg and Mike Van Arsdale at 97 kg.
“A good performance for us is four or five gold medals and winning the team title. We have the individuals who can win gold medals. We can put them together and win the team title,” said Lewis.
CISM WORLD MILITARY WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Joint Base McGuire – Dix – Lakehurst, N.J., October 3-6
U.S. Greco-Roman roster
59 kg – SGT Spenser Mango, U.S. Army
66 kg – 1stLt Bryce Saddoris, U.S. Marine Corps
71 kg – SGT Justin Lester, U.S. Army
75 kg – CPT Jon Anderson, U.S. Army
80 kg – MSgt Sherwin Severin, U.S. Air Force
85 kg – A1C Nathaniel Hartley, U.S. Air Force
98 kg – SPC Pete Gounaridis, U.S. Army
130 kg – SSgt David Arendt, U.S. Marine Corps
U.S. Men’s Freestyle roster
57 kg - 1stLt Aaron Kalil, U.S. Marine Corps
61 kg - PO3 Sheldon Wilder, U.S. Navy
65 kg – SGT Jamel Johnson, U.S. Army
70 kg – Cpl Joseph Foreman, U.S. Marines Corps
74 kg – SGT Moza Fay, U.S. Army
86 kg - MSgt Sherwin Severin, U.S. Air Force
96 kg – SPC Jack Jensen, U.S. Army
125 kg – SPC Eric Nye, U.S. Army
U.S. Women’s Freestyle roster
53 kg - SGT Whitney Conder, U.S. Army
58 kg - SGT Sally Roberts, U.S. Army or Cpl Melissa Apodaca, U.S. Marine Corps
60 kg - SGT Othello Feroleto, U.S. Army
63 kg - CPT Leigh Provisor, U.S. Army
69 kg - SGT Randi Miller, U.S. Army
75 kg - SSG Iris Smith, U.S. Army
Coach – Shon Lewis, U.S. Army
Coach – Jason Loukides, U.S. Marine Corps
Chief of Mission Col. James Hodge
Team Captain and Tournament Director Floyd Winter
CISM Committee member Maj (Ret.) Jay Antonelli
Medical LTC Anthony Johnson
Medical LTC David Haight
Medical Lt Col Anthony Beutler
Medical MAJ Christopher Ledford
Medical MAJ Jesse DeLuca
Medical MAJ Patrick Carey
Referee – Rick Tucci
Referee – Mike Swisher
Referee – Tim Pierson
Pairing Official – Sue Hesser
Pairing Official – Paul DeFosse
Competition Schedule
Friday, 3 October
Competition in Men’s freestyle (57 kg, 61 kg, 65 kg, 70 kg) and women’s freestyle (48 kg, 53 kg, 55 kg, 58 kg)
Saturday, 4 October
Competition in Men’s freestyle (74 kg, 86 kg, 97 kg, 125 kg) and women’s freestyle (60 kg, 63 kg, 69 kg, 75 kg)
Sunday, 5 October
Competition in Greco-Roman (59 kg, 66 kg, 71 kg, 75 kg)
Monday, 6 October
Competition in Greco-Roman (80 kg, 85 kg, 98 kg, 130 kg)
“CISM is a very important tournament, not just for the athletes but for the military. CISM is an organization that makes friendships through sport. This has a long tradition. You have a lot of World medalists that compete here. It gives our military athletes a chance to compete against many of the best wrestlers in the world,” said U.S. coach Shon Lewis.
The Greco-Roman team features a number of top American stars, led by 2012 Olympian and two-time World bronze medalist SGT Justin Lester of the U.S. Army at 71 kg and two-time Olympian SGT Spenser Mango of the U.S. Army at 59 kg.
Mango, who has made every U.S. World and Olympic team since 2008, a streak of seven straight years. Mango placed fifth at the World Championships in both 2013 and 2014. Lester, who also competed on the 2014 U.S. World Team, has made six U.S. World Teams along with his Olympic team berth.
Another member of the 2014 U.S. World Team, 1stLt Bryce Saddoris of the U.S. Marine Corps, will compete at 66 kg in Greco-Roman. Saddoris was an NCAA Div. I All-American for the U.S. Naval Academy. Past U.S. Open champion SSgt David Arendt of the U.S. Marine Corps will wrestle at 130 kg.
Rounding out the Greco-Roman team are CPT Jon Anderson of the U.S. Army at 75 kg, MSgt Sherwin Severin of the U.S. Air Force at 80 kg, A1C Nathaniel Hartley of the U.S. Air Force at 85 kg and SPC Pete Gounaridis of the U.S. Army at 98 kg.
The men’s freestyle team features a pair of past NCAA Div. I All-Americans, SGT Moza Fay of the U.S. Army at 74 kg and SPC Jack Jensen of the U.S. Army at 96 kg. Fay won his All-American honors for Northern Iowa, while Jensen was an All-American for Oklahoma State.
Others on the men’s freestyle team are 1stLt Aaron Kalil of the U.S. Marine Corps at 57 kg, PO3 Sheldon Wilder of the U.S. Navy at 61 kg, SGT Jamel Johnson of the U.S. Army at 65 kg, Cpl Joseph Foreman of the U.S. Marines Corps at 70 kg, MSgt Sherwin Severin of the U.S. Air Force at 80 kg and SPC Eric Nye of the U.S. Army at 125 kg
The women’s freestyle team is led by 2008 Olympic bronze medalist and 2014 U.S. World Team member SGT Randi Miller of the U.S. Army at 69 kg/152 lbs., along with 2005 World champion SSG Iris Smith of the U.S. Army at 75 kg/165 lbs.
Two-time U.S. World Team member and 2007 Junior World champion SGT Whitney Conder of the U.S. Army will compete at 53 kg/116.5 lbs. Another two-time U.S. World Team member, CPT Leigh Provisor of the U.S. Army, is wrestling at 63 kg. SGT Othello Feroleto of the U.S. Army, who was third in the 2008 University World Championships, is entered at 60 kg.
There will be wrestle-off for the 58 kg team berth between SGT Sally Roberts of the U.S. Army and Cpl Melissa Apodaca of the U.S. Marine Corps. Roberts is a two-time World bronze medalist.
Smith was a CISM World Military champion at 72 kg at the 2010 CISM Championships in Lahti, Finland, while Feroleto was a CISM World Military bronze medalist at 63 kg the same year.
Coaching the team are U.S. Army coach Shon Lewis and U.S. Marine Corps coach Jason Loukides. Loukides was a CISM World Military bronze medalist at 96 kg in freestyle in 2003 when he was enlisted in the U.S. Army.
“When it comes to CISM, it is one team, one fight, one war, one win. All four branches of the U.S. military will be represented at the CISM Championships. We become one Armed Forces team,” said Lewis.
There are 24 nations entered, with over 200 athletes expected. The participating nations include: Algeria, Armenia, Brazil, China, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, Germany, India, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Mongolia, Morocco, Pakistan, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, United Arab Emirets, Ukraine, and the United States.
The United States last hosted the CISM World Military Championships in 2000 at the U.S. Marine Corps base at Camp Lejeune, N.C. The team won 12 medals at that event, led by Greco-Roman champion Duaine Martin at 58 kg and freestyle champions Jeff Bedard at 63 kg and Mike Van Arsdale at 97 kg.
“A good performance for us is four or five gold medals and winning the team title. We have the individuals who can win gold medals. We can put them together and win the team title,” said Lewis.
CISM WORLD MILITARY WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Joint Base McGuire – Dix – Lakehurst, N.J., October 3-6
U.S. Greco-Roman roster
59 kg – SGT Spenser Mango, U.S. Army
66 kg – 1stLt Bryce Saddoris, U.S. Marine Corps
71 kg – SGT Justin Lester, U.S. Army
75 kg – CPT Jon Anderson, U.S. Army
80 kg – MSgt Sherwin Severin, U.S. Air Force
85 kg – A1C Nathaniel Hartley, U.S. Air Force
98 kg – SPC Pete Gounaridis, U.S. Army
130 kg – SSgt David Arendt, U.S. Marine Corps
U.S. Men’s Freestyle roster
57 kg - 1stLt Aaron Kalil, U.S. Marine Corps
61 kg - PO3 Sheldon Wilder, U.S. Navy
65 kg – SGT Jamel Johnson, U.S. Army
70 kg – Cpl Joseph Foreman, U.S. Marines Corps
74 kg – SGT Moza Fay, U.S. Army
86 kg - MSgt Sherwin Severin, U.S. Air Force
96 kg – SPC Jack Jensen, U.S. Army
125 kg – SPC Eric Nye, U.S. Army
U.S. Women’s Freestyle roster
53 kg - SGT Whitney Conder, U.S. Army
58 kg - SGT Sally Roberts, U.S. Army or Cpl Melissa Apodaca, U.S. Marine Corps
60 kg - SGT Othello Feroleto, U.S. Army
63 kg - CPT Leigh Provisor, U.S. Army
69 kg - SGT Randi Miller, U.S. Army
75 kg - SSG Iris Smith, U.S. Army
Coach – Shon Lewis, U.S. Army
Coach – Jason Loukides, U.S. Marine Corps
Chief of Mission Col. James Hodge
Team Captain and Tournament Director Floyd Winter
CISM Committee member Maj (Ret.) Jay Antonelli
Medical LTC Anthony Johnson
Medical LTC David Haight
Medical Lt Col Anthony Beutler
Medical MAJ Christopher Ledford
Medical MAJ Jesse DeLuca
Medical MAJ Patrick Carey
Referee – Rick Tucci
Referee – Mike Swisher
Referee – Tim Pierson
Pairing Official – Sue Hesser
Pairing Official – Paul DeFosse
Competition Schedule
Friday, 3 October
Competition in Men’s freestyle (57 kg, 61 kg, 65 kg, 70 kg) and women’s freestyle (48 kg, 53 kg, 55 kg, 58 kg)
Saturday, 4 October
Competition in Men’s freestyle (74 kg, 86 kg, 97 kg, 125 kg) and women’s freestyle (60 kg, 63 kg, 69 kg, 75 kg)
Sunday, 5 October
Competition in Greco-Roman (59 kg, 66 kg, 71 kg, 75 kg)
Monday, 6 October
Competition in Greco-Roman (80 kg, 85 kg, 98 kg, 130 kg)
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