Andy Bisek named 2015 USA Wrestling Greco-Roman Wrestler of the Year
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by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
Andy Bisek, second from left, receives the Greco-Roman Wrestler of the Year Award from USA Wrestling president James Ravannack, wrestling legend Dan Gable and USA Wrestling Executive Director Rich Bender in Iowa City, Iowa. Photo by Tony Rotundo, Wrestlers Are Warriors.
Andy Bisek (Colorado Springs, Colo./Minnesota Storm) was named 2015 Greco-Roman Wrestler of the Year by USA Wrestling. It is the second straight year that Bisek has won this prestigious award.
Bisek won a bronze medal at 75 kg/165 lbs. at the World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas, Nev. in September. It was his second career World bronze medal, to go with his 2014 World bronze medal at this weight class.
Bisek opened the tournament with wins over Luis Avendano of Venezuela, 5-2 and Gurpreet Singh of India, 6-4. In the next round, he was defeated by four-time World silver medalist Mark Madsen of Denmark, 0-9. When Madsen reached the finals, Bisek was drawn back into repechage, where he beat a pair of past World champions, Yavor Yanakiev of Bulgaria, 1-0 and Saeid Morad Abdvali of Iran, 2-0 in the bronze-medal round.
Bisek won three straight matches, all by technical fall, to win a gold medal at the Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada in July. In the finals, he stopped Alvis Almendra of Panama, 8-0.
He was dominant in the two major domestic events, winning the U.S. Open in Las Vegas in May and the World Team Trials in Ithaca, N.Y. in June. He beat Dillon Cowan in the U.S. Open finals by an 11-0 technical fall, which also counted as match one of the World Team Trials finals series. At the World Team Trials, he defeated Cowan again, this time with an 8-0 technical fall, to capture the World Team berth.
Bisek added a pair of international gold medals, winning the Granma Cup in Cuba and the Dave Schultz Memorial International in Colorado Springs, Colo. in February. He also won his match over Naoki Hanayama of Japan, 11-0, at the Jack Pinto Cup in Colorado Springs in January. He also defeated Yurisandi Hernandez Rios of Cuba, 4-1 in the Beat the Streets Salsa In the Square event in Times Square in New York City in May.
Bisek is a U.S. Olympic Training Center resident athlete. Previously, he attended Northern Michigan University, where he was a member of its U.S. Olympic Education Center Greco-Roman program.
He is a native of Chaska, Minn., where he placed third in the 2004 Minnesota State High School Championships.
PAST GRECO-ROMAN WRESTLER OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS
2015 – Andy Bisek, Colorado Springs, Colo., Minnesota Storm
2014 – Andy Bisek, Colorado Springs, Colo., Minnesota Storm
2013 – Spenser Mango, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army WCAP
2012 – Chas Betts, Colorado Springs, Colo., Minnesota Storm
2011 – Justin Lester, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army
2010 – Justin Ruiz, Meridian, Idaho, New York AC
2009 - Dremiel Byers, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army
2008 - Adam Wheeler, Colorado Springs, Colo., Gator WC
2007 - Brad Vering, Colorado Springs, Colo., New York AC
2006 - Joe Warren, Colorado Springs, Colo., New York AC
2005 - Justin Ruiz, Colorado Springs, Colo., New York AC
2004 - Rulon Gardner, Wellsville, Utah, Sunkist Kids
2003 - Jim Gruenwald, Colorado Springs, Colo., Sunkist Kids
2002 - Dremiel Byers, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army
2001 - Rulon Gardner, Cascade, Colo., Sunkist Kids
2000 - Rulon Gardner, Afton, Wyo., Sunkist Kids
1999 - Dremiel Byers, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army
1998 - Matt Lindland, Lincoln, Neb., Sunkist Kids
1997 - Rulon Gardner, Gilbert, Ariz., Sunkist Kids
1996 - Dennis Hall, Stevens, Point, Wis., Sunkist Kids
1995 - Dennis Hall, Stevens Point, Wis., Sunkist Kids
1994 - Dennis Hall, Stevens Point, Wis., Sunkist Kids
1993 - James Johnson, Phoenix, Ariz., Sunkist Kids
Andy Bisek (Colorado Springs, Colo./Minnesota Storm) was named 2015 Greco-Roman Wrestler of the Year by USA Wrestling. It is the second straight year that Bisek has won this prestigious award.
Bisek won a bronze medal at 75 kg/165 lbs. at the World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas, Nev. in September. It was his second career World bronze medal, to go with his 2014 World bronze medal at this weight class.
Bisek opened the tournament with wins over Luis Avendano of Venezuela, 5-2 and Gurpreet Singh of India, 6-4. In the next round, he was defeated by four-time World silver medalist Mark Madsen of Denmark, 0-9. When Madsen reached the finals, Bisek was drawn back into repechage, where he beat a pair of past World champions, Yavor Yanakiev of Bulgaria, 1-0 and Saeid Morad Abdvali of Iran, 2-0 in the bronze-medal round.
Bisek won three straight matches, all by technical fall, to win a gold medal at the Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada in July. In the finals, he stopped Alvis Almendra of Panama, 8-0.
He was dominant in the two major domestic events, winning the U.S. Open in Las Vegas in May and the World Team Trials in Ithaca, N.Y. in June. He beat Dillon Cowan in the U.S. Open finals by an 11-0 technical fall, which also counted as match one of the World Team Trials finals series. At the World Team Trials, he defeated Cowan again, this time with an 8-0 technical fall, to capture the World Team berth.
Bisek added a pair of international gold medals, winning the Granma Cup in Cuba and the Dave Schultz Memorial International in Colorado Springs, Colo. in February. He also won his match over Naoki Hanayama of Japan, 11-0, at the Jack Pinto Cup in Colorado Springs in January. He also defeated Yurisandi Hernandez Rios of Cuba, 4-1 in the Beat the Streets Salsa In the Square event in Times Square in New York City in May.
Bisek is a U.S. Olympic Training Center resident athlete. Previously, he attended Northern Michigan University, where he was a member of its U.S. Olympic Education Center Greco-Roman program.
He is a native of Chaska, Minn., where he placed third in the 2004 Minnesota State High School Championships.
PAST GRECO-ROMAN WRESTLER OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS
2015 – Andy Bisek, Colorado Springs, Colo., Minnesota Storm
2014 – Andy Bisek, Colorado Springs, Colo., Minnesota Storm
2013 – Spenser Mango, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army WCAP
2012 – Chas Betts, Colorado Springs, Colo., Minnesota Storm
2011 – Justin Lester, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army
2010 – Justin Ruiz, Meridian, Idaho, New York AC
2009 - Dremiel Byers, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army
2008 - Adam Wheeler, Colorado Springs, Colo., Gator WC
2007 - Brad Vering, Colorado Springs, Colo., New York AC
2006 - Joe Warren, Colorado Springs, Colo., New York AC
2005 - Justin Ruiz, Colorado Springs, Colo., New York AC
2004 - Rulon Gardner, Wellsville, Utah, Sunkist Kids
2003 - Jim Gruenwald, Colorado Springs, Colo., Sunkist Kids
2002 - Dremiel Byers, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army
2001 - Rulon Gardner, Cascade, Colo., Sunkist Kids
2000 - Rulon Gardner, Afton, Wyo., Sunkist Kids
1999 - Dremiel Byers, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army
1998 - Matt Lindland, Lincoln, Neb., Sunkist Kids
1997 - Rulon Gardner, Gilbert, Ariz., Sunkist Kids
1996 - Dennis Hall, Stevens, Point, Wis., Sunkist Kids
1995 - Dennis Hall, Stevens Point, Wis., Sunkist Kids
1994 - Dennis Hall, Stevens Point, Wis., Sunkist Kids
1993 - James Johnson, Phoenix, Ariz., Sunkist Kids
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