| Marcie Van Dusen named TheMat.com Wrestler of the Week for May 13-19 |
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By Craig Sesker USA Wrestling
05/19/2008
Marcie Van Dusen (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) has been named TheMat.com Wrestler of the Week for May 13-19.
Each week, TheMat.com will select an Athlete of the Week, based upon performance within wrestling for that week. The selection committee will consider any level of wrestling, from youth programs through the Senior level.
Van Dusen qualified the United States for the Olympic Games at 55 kg/121 lbs. by reaching the finals of Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament No. 1 on May 17 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Van Dusen pinned Romania's Ana Maria Paval 3-3, 1:05 in the semifinals. By finishing in the top two, Van Dusen qualifies the U.S. for the Olympics at 55 kilos. The Olympics for wrestling will be held Aug. 12-21 in Beijing, China.
Van Dusen, a 2007 World Team member, opened with a 5-0, 2-0 win over past World University champion Sylwia Bilenska of Poland. She followed by downing India's Alka Tomar 8-1, 3-2 in the second round. She beat Chinese Taipei's Ying-tzu Su 7-0, 7-0 in the quarterfinals.
She advanced to the finals, where she was paired against Venezuela's Marcia Andrade. Van Dusen did not compete in the championship match since she had already qualified the weight for the Olympics.
The U.S. has now qualified for Beijing in all four weight classes for women that will be contested in the Olympics. Women's wrestling made its Olympic debut in 2004 in Athens, Greece.
Van Dusen, who placed 10th at the 2007 World Championships, won the U.S. Nationals last month in Las Vegas. That earned her a spot in the best-of-3 finals for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, set for June 13-15 in Las Vegas. She now needs to win the Olympic Trials to earn herself a trip to Beijing.
Note: To nominate a wrestler for TheMat.com Wrestler of the Week, send the athlete's name, accomplishments for the week and career accomplishments to Craig Sesker at csesker@usawrestling.org
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