Provisor, Perkins, seek second career Greco golds at Dave Schultz Memorial International after semifinal wins
Share:
by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
Two-time Olympian Ben Provisor, competing at 85 kg this morning, seeks a second career Dave Schultz title. Photo by Robbert Wijtman.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo – U.S. Greco-Roman stars Ben Provisor of the New York AC and RaVaughn Perkins of the Sunkist Kids won their semifinal matches and will be seeking their second career gold medals at the Dave Schultz Memorial International, which opened on Wednesday at the U.S. Olympic Training Center.
Provisor, a two-time Olympian for Team USA, also had a strong semifinal performance, scoring a technical fall over Vaughan Monriel-Berner of the U.S. Marines, 12-4 at 5:06. Provisor kept up the pressure and scored a number of techniques before finishing off the bout in the second period.
“I'm just happy to be wrestling again. I'm blessed to have the opportunity to be healthy and wrestle, and I'm just excited to be wrestling in this tournament and getting better until World Team Trials. I feel great. I had two weeks out here in camp, adjusting to wrestling every day again. It's great. I feel good,” said Provisor.
Provisor, a 2015 Dave Schultz Memorial champion, will battle 2017 U.S. Open Kevin Radford of the Sunkist Kids in the championship finals.
“I get to wrestle Kevin (Radford), the guy that won the U.S. Open. I didn't wrestle for three months prior to the U.S. Open. I was working on a lot of strength and conditioning stuff, and I took time off after the Olympics. Now I'm ready to go full swing into this World Championships,” said Provisor.
Provisor looks to show off his offense in the finals.
“I've been keeping my pressure up. I know if I'm trying to score and actually trying to be offensive, I'm going to win. At the beginning of [the semifinals] match, I got arm thrown because I was sort of being lackadaisical. I wasn't really setting up what I should have set up. I know if I'm actually trying to do that stuff, I shouldn't lose to anybody,” he said.
In his semifinal, Radford battled Khymba Johnson of the New York AC in a rematch of the U.S. Open finals. The result was the same, as Radford stopped Johnson, 8-4. The match was tied at 4-4, with Johnson holding criteria, when he hit a takedown to a quick gut wrench for four points and the margin of victory. Radford beat Johnson in Las Vegas in December by a 4-1 margin.
Perkins, a Dave Schultz Memorial champion in 2016, was dominant in the semifinals in an 8-0 technical fall over J. Mejia Sambula of Honduras at the 4:09 mark at 71 kg/156 lbs. Perkins was a 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials champion, but did not compete in Rio when his weight class did not qualify for the Games.
“This is my first match back since the Olympic Qualifier in May. It was a little rough. I had a bye to start the tournament. I usually like to get a warm-up match in. Getting a bye to the semis is tough, especially with me being out so long, but I got the job done. I felt alright. I've got a lot of stuff to work on,” he said.
Perkins is up a weight from last year, competing in the 71 kg/156 lbs. weight class, where he will face Shogo Takahashi of Japan in the finals.
“After the Olympic Qualifiers, I was pretty down. It was kind of a tough weight cut, but not too bad. I felt I could get stronger going up a weight. When I had that back injury, it was especially hard on me losing that weight. Now that I gained some weight and gained some muscle, I feel pretty good and no problems with the back at all,” he said.
Perkins is motivated to win the Schultz Memorial for the second straight year, and use the event to prepare for the international season ahead.
"It was real important to me [to wrestle this tournament]. I wrestled in the Dave Schultz last year and won it, and I'm ready to come back and win it again this year. At the same time, I'll be going out to Denmark at the end of this month, and I wanted to get some matches in before. That's the main reason I'm here,” he said.
The gold-medal and bronze-medal matches of the Dave Schultz Memorial International will be held at 4:00 p.m. Mountain Time. The event is being broadcast live by Flowrestling.
There are 12 U.S. wrestlers who have qualified for the finals, including four finals which are battles between a pair of Americans.
There are two gold-medal finals which will be rematches of the 2017 U.S. Open in Las Vegas in December.
At 98 kg/215 lbs., national champion G’Angelo Hancock of the New York AC will take on national runner-up Hayden Zillmer of the Minnesota Storm. In the semifinals, Hancock blasted Yuta Nara of Japan in an 8-0 technical fall, while Zillmer edged 2016 Dave Schultz Memorial champion Kevin Mejia Castillo of Honduras, 1-1 by criteria.
This will be the third meeting between Hancock and Zillmer this season, with Hancock winning in the finals at the Bill Farrell International in November and the U.S. Open in December.
At 75 kg/165 lbs., the U.S. Open rematch will feature national champion Kamal Bey of the Sunkist Kids against Jesse Porter of the New York AC. Both won dominant technical falls in the semifinals. Porter needed just 43 seconds to put away Alec Ortiz of the Minnesota Storm away, 11-0. Bey’s match went into the second period, when he stopped Kodei Sakaruba of Japan, 8-0.
The U.S. Open finals between Bey and Porter was a 9-0 technical fall in favor of Bey.
Sam Jones of the New York AC defeated his Northern Michigan teammate Dalton Roberts of the New York AC in the 59 kg/130 lbs. finals, hitting a number of high-amplitude throws on the way to a 12-1 victory. His opponent in the finals in Masuto Kawana of Japan.
There was another all-Northern Michigan semifinal at 66 kg/145.5 lbs., when Alejandro Sancho of the New York AC beat teammate Travis Rice in a 9-1 technical fall. Sancho battles Tsuchika Shimoyamada of Japan in the finals.
The heavyweight finals features a pair of Americans, Malcolm Allen of the Minnesota Storm against Pete Gounaridis of Army WCAP. The other U.S. finalist is Geordan Speiller of the Florida Jets, who has drawn Mahmoud Sebie of Egypt for the gold at 80 kg/176 lbs.
2016 U.S. Olympian Jesse Thielke of the New York AC, competing for the first time since the Rio Olympic Games, was beaten in the quarterfinals by Mostafa Mohamed of Egypt, 5-3. Mohamed, who won African titles in 2006 and 2007, scored a key second period arm spin for his margin of victory.
DAVE SCHULTZ MEMORIAL INTERNATIONAL
At Colorado Springs, Colo., Feb. 1
GRECO-ROMAN FINALIST PAIRINGS
59 kg/130 lbs. – Masuto Kawana (Japan) vs. Sam Jones (USA/NYAC)
66 kg/145.5 lbs. - Tsuchika Shimoyamada (Japan) vs. Alejandro Sancho (USA/NYAC)
71 kg/156 lbs. – Ravaughn Perkins (USA/NYAC) vs. Shogo Takahashi (Japan)
75 kg/165 lbs. - Kamal Bey (USA/Sunkist Kids) vs. Jesse Porter (USA/NYAC)
80 kg/176 lbs. – Mahmoud Sebie (Egypt) vs. Geordan Speiller (USA/Florida Jets)
85 kg/187.25 lbs. – Kevin Radford (USA/Sunkist Kids) vs, Ben Provisor (USA/NYAC)
98 kg/215 lbs. - G’Angelo Hancock (USA/NYAC) vs. Hayden Zillmer (USA/Minnesota)
130 kg/286 lbs. - Malcolm Allen (USA/Minnesota Storm) vs. Pete Gounaridis (USA/Army WCAP)
SEMIFINAL RESULTS
59 kg/130 lbs.
Masuto Kawana (Japan) pin Mostafa Mohamed (Egypt), 4:10-
Sam Jones (NYAC) tech. fall Dalton Roberts (NYAC), 12-1, 2:46
66 kg/145.5 lbs.
Tsuchika Shimoyamada (Japan) dec. Rodolpho Gullen (unattached), 13-5
Alejandro Sancho (USA/NYAC) tech. fall Travis Rice (NMU-OTS), 9-1, 5:38
71 kg/156 lbs.
Ravaughn Perkins (USA/NYAC) tech. fall J. Mejia Sambula (Honduras), 8-0, 4:09
Shogo Takahashi (Japan) dec. Anthonie Linares (USA/NYAC), 4-0
75 kg/165 lbs.
Kamal Bey (USA/Sunkist Kids) tech. fall Kodei Sakaruba (Japan), 8-0, 3:23
Jesse Porter (USA/NYAC) tech. fall Alec Ortiz (USA/Minnesota Storm), 11-0, 0:43
80 kg/176 lbs.
Mahmoud Sebie (Egypt) tech. fall Cheney Haight (USA/NYAC), 11-0, 2:26
Geordan Speiller (USA/Florida Jets) dec. S. Yakibu (Japan), 6-3
85 kg/187.25 lbs.
Kevin Radford (USA/Sunkist Kids) dec. Khymba Johnson (USA/NYAC), 8-4
Ben Provisor (USA/NYAC) tech. fall. Vaughan Monriel-Berner (USA/Marines), 12-4, 5:06
98 kg/215 lbs.
G’Angelo Hancock (USA/NYAC) tech. fall Yuta Nara (Japan), 8-0, 1:08
Hayden Zillmer (USA/Minnesota) dec. Kevin Mejia Castillo (Honduras), 1-1
130 kg/286 lbs.
Malcolm Allen (USA/Minnesota Storm) dec. Arata Sonada (Japan), 7-4
Pete Gounaridis (USA/Army WCAP) dec. Randy Lambert Martinez (Honduras), 5-0
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo – U.S. Greco-Roman stars Ben Provisor of the New York AC and RaVaughn Perkins of the Sunkist Kids won their semifinal matches and will be seeking their second career gold medals at the Dave Schultz Memorial International, which opened on Wednesday at the U.S. Olympic Training Center.
Provisor, a two-time Olympian for Team USA, also had a strong semifinal performance, scoring a technical fall over Vaughan Monriel-Berner of the U.S. Marines, 12-4 at 5:06. Provisor kept up the pressure and scored a number of techniques before finishing off the bout in the second period.
“I'm just happy to be wrestling again. I'm blessed to have the opportunity to be healthy and wrestle, and I'm just excited to be wrestling in this tournament and getting better until World Team Trials. I feel great. I had two weeks out here in camp, adjusting to wrestling every day again. It's great. I feel good,” said Provisor.
Provisor, a 2015 Dave Schultz Memorial champion, will battle 2017 U.S. Open Kevin Radford of the Sunkist Kids in the championship finals.
“I get to wrestle Kevin (Radford), the guy that won the U.S. Open. I didn't wrestle for three months prior to the U.S. Open. I was working on a lot of strength and conditioning stuff, and I took time off after the Olympics. Now I'm ready to go full swing into this World Championships,” said Provisor.
Provisor looks to show off his offense in the finals.
“I've been keeping my pressure up. I know if I'm trying to score and actually trying to be offensive, I'm going to win. At the beginning of [the semifinals] match, I got arm thrown because I was sort of being lackadaisical. I wasn't really setting up what I should have set up. I know if I'm actually trying to do that stuff, I shouldn't lose to anybody,” he said.
In his semifinal, Radford battled Khymba Johnson of the New York AC in a rematch of the U.S. Open finals. The result was the same, as Radford stopped Johnson, 8-4. The match was tied at 4-4, with Johnson holding criteria, when he hit a takedown to a quick gut wrench for four points and the margin of victory. Radford beat Johnson in Las Vegas in December by a 4-1 margin.
Perkins, a Dave Schultz Memorial champion in 2016, was dominant in the semifinals in an 8-0 technical fall over J. Mejia Sambula of Honduras at the 4:09 mark at 71 kg/156 lbs. Perkins was a 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials champion, but did not compete in Rio when his weight class did not qualify for the Games.
“This is my first match back since the Olympic Qualifier in May. It was a little rough. I had a bye to start the tournament. I usually like to get a warm-up match in. Getting a bye to the semis is tough, especially with me being out so long, but I got the job done. I felt alright. I've got a lot of stuff to work on,” he said.
Perkins is up a weight from last year, competing in the 71 kg/156 lbs. weight class, where he will face Shogo Takahashi of Japan in the finals.
“After the Olympic Qualifiers, I was pretty down. It was kind of a tough weight cut, but not too bad. I felt I could get stronger going up a weight. When I had that back injury, it was especially hard on me losing that weight. Now that I gained some weight and gained some muscle, I feel pretty good and no problems with the back at all,” he said.
Perkins is motivated to win the Schultz Memorial for the second straight year, and use the event to prepare for the international season ahead.
"It was real important to me [to wrestle this tournament]. I wrestled in the Dave Schultz last year and won it, and I'm ready to come back and win it again this year. At the same time, I'll be going out to Denmark at the end of this month, and I wanted to get some matches in before. That's the main reason I'm here,” he said.
The gold-medal and bronze-medal matches of the Dave Schultz Memorial International will be held at 4:00 p.m. Mountain Time. The event is being broadcast live by Flowrestling.
There are 12 U.S. wrestlers who have qualified for the finals, including four finals which are battles between a pair of Americans.
There are two gold-medal finals which will be rematches of the 2017 U.S. Open in Las Vegas in December.
At 98 kg/215 lbs., national champion G’Angelo Hancock of the New York AC will take on national runner-up Hayden Zillmer of the Minnesota Storm. In the semifinals, Hancock blasted Yuta Nara of Japan in an 8-0 technical fall, while Zillmer edged 2016 Dave Schultz Memorial champion Kevin Mejia Castillo of Honduras, 1-1 by criteria.
This will be the third meeting between Hancock and Zillmer this season, with Hancock winning in the finals at the Bill Farrell International in November and the U.S. Open in December.
At 75 kg/165 lbs., the U.S. Open rematch will feature national champion Kamal Bey of the Sunkist Kids against Jesse Porter of the New York AC. Both won dominant technical falls in the semifinals. Porter needed just 43 seconds to put away Alec Ortiz of the Minnesota Storm away, 11-0. Bey’s match went into the second period, when he stopped Kodei Sakaruba of Japan, 8-0.
The U.S. Open finals between Bey and Porter was a 9-0 technical fall in favor of Bey.
Sam Jones of the New York AC defeated his Northern Michigan teammate Dalton Roberts of the New York AC in the 59 kg/130 lbs. finals, hitting a number of high-amplitude throws on the way to a 12-1 victory. His opponent in the finals in Masuto Kawana of Japan.
There was another all-Northern Michigan semifinal at 66 kg/145.5 lbs., when Alejandro Sancho of the New York AC beat teammate Travis Rice in a 9-1 technical fall. Sancho battles Tsuchika Shimoyamada of Japan in the finals.
The heavyweight finals features a pair of Americans, Malcolm Allen of the Minnesota Storm against Pete Gounaridis of Army WCAP. The other U.S. finalist is Geordan Speiller of the Florida Jets, who has drawn Mahmoud Sebie of Egypt for the gold at 80 kg/176 lbs.
2016 U.S. Olympian Jesse Thielke of the New York AC, competing for the first time since the Rio Olympic Games, was beaten in the quarterfinals by Mostafa Mohamed of Egypt, 5-3. Mohamed, who won African titles in 2006 and 2007, scored a key second period arm spin for his margin of victory.
DAVE SCHULTZ MEMORIAL INTERNATIONAL
At Colorado Springs, Colo., Feb. 1
GRECO-ROMAN FINALIST PAIRINGS
59 kg/130 lbs. – Masuto Kawana (Japan) vs. Sam Jones (USA/NYAC)
66 kg/145.5 lbs. - Tsuchika Shimoyamada (Japan) vs. Alejandro Sancho (USA/NYAC)
71 kg/156 lbs. – Ravaughn Perkins (USA/NYAC) vs. Shogo Takahashi (Japan)
75 kg/165 lbs. - Kamal Bey (USA/Sunkist Kids) vs. Jesse Porter (USA/NYAC)
80 kg/176 lbs. – Mahmoud Sebie (Egypt) vs. Geordan Speiller (USA/Florida Jets)
85 kg/187.25 lbs. – Kevin Radford (USA/Sunkist Kids) vs, Ben Provisor (USA/NYAC)
98 kg/215 lbs. - G’Angelo Hancock (USA/NYAC) vs. Hayden Zillmer (USA/Minnesota)
130 kg/286 lbs. - Malcolm Allen (USA/Minnesota Storm) vs. Pete Gounaridis (USA/Army WCAP)
SEMIFINAL RESULTS
59 kg/130 lbs.
Masuto Kawana (Japan) pin Mostafa Mohamed (Egypt), 4:10-
Sam Jones (NYAC) tech. fall Dalton Roberts (NYAC), 12-1, 2:46
66 kg/145.5 lbs.
Tsuchika Shimoyamada (Japan) dec. Rodolpho Gullen (unattached), 13-5
Alejandro Sancho (USA/NYAC) tech. fall Travis Rice (NMU-OTS), 9-1, 5:38
71 kg/156 lbs.
Ravaughn Perkins (USA/NYAC) tech. fall J. Mejia Sambula (Honduras), 8-0, 4:09
Shogo Takahashi (Japan) dec. Anthonie Linares (USA/NYAC), 4-0
75 kg/165 lbs.
Kamal Bey (USA/Sunkist Kids) tech. fall Kodei Sakaruba (Japan), 8-0, 3:23
Jesse Porter (USA/NYAC) tech. fall Alec Ortiz (USA/Minnesota Storm), 11-0, 0:43
80 kg/176 lbs.
Mahmoud Sebie (Egypt) tech. fall Cheney Haight (USA/NYAC), 11-0, 2:26
Geordan Speiller (USA/Florida Jets) dec. S. Yakibu (Japan), 6-3
85 kg/187.25 lbs.
Kevin Radford (USA/Sunkist Kids) dec. Khymba Johnson (USA/NYAC), 8-4
Ben Provisor (USA/NYAC) tech. fall. Vaughan Monriel-Berner (USA/Marines), 12-4, 5:06
98 kg/215 lbs.
G’Angelo Hancock (USA/NYAC) tech. fall Yuta Nara (Japan), 8-0, 1:08
Hayden Zillmer (USA/Minnesota) dec. Kevin Mejia Castillo (Honduras), 1-1
130 kg/286 lbs.
Malcolm Allen (USA/Minnesota Storm) dec. Arata Sonada (Japan), 7-4
Pete Gounaridis (USA/Army WCAP) dec. Randy Lambert Martinez (Honduras), 5-0
Read More#
Olympic medalists Snyder, Blades among 20 U.S. Open champions qualified for 2025 Final X in Newark, N.J.
Media Reports: Freestyle National Team member and NCAA runner-up Sammy Sasso reportedly sh...
Drury, Matthews and Voelker pulled into repechage in Greco-Roman at U20 World Championships
Mesenbrink on to second World final, Berge drops finals rematch
