| Dave Schultz WC, led by five champions, wins team title at Henri Deglane Challenge in Nice, France, |
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By Gary Abbott USA Wrestling
11/28/2000
Led by five individual champions, the Dave Schultz Wrestling Club of the United States won the team title at the 26th Henri Delgane Challenge, held in Nice, France, Nov. 24-25. This annual competition includes both freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling, and features club and national teams from a number of nations. Winning gold medals for the Dave Schultz WC team were freestyle wrestlers Dustin Denunzio (Cambridge, Mass./Dave Schultz WC) at 138.75 pounds, Yoshi Nakamura (Philadelphia, Pa./Dave Schultz WC) at 152 pounds, Sam Kline (Morgantown, W.Va./Sunkist Kids) at 167.5 pounds and Markus Mollica (Cambridge, Mass./Dave Schultz WC) at 187.25 pounds plus Greco-Roman Olympian Heath Sims (Huntington Beach, Calif./Dave Schultz WC) at 167.5 pounds. Three of the freestyle champions were past college wrestling stars, Denunzio for Harvard Univ., Kline for the Univ. of West Virginia and Mollica for Arizona State. Nakamura, who is a current college star for the Univ. of Pennsylvania, was named Oustanding Wrestler among the Dave Schultz WC participants. Sims competed in the 2000 Olympic Games for the United States in Greco-Roman wrestling, and wrestled up one weight class from his normal 152 pounds. He was also the 2000 U.S. Nationals champion. All 12 of the Dave Schultz WC entries placed in the top four of their weight divisions. Claiming silver medals were freestyle wrestlers Jeff Bedard (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) at 138.75 pounds and Raphael Davis (Bakersfield, Calif./Dave Schultz WC) at 213.75 pounds plus Greco-Roman wrestler Joe Dansby (Pebble Beach, Calif./Dave Schultz WC) at 127.75 pounds. Bronze medalists included Chris Fleeger (W. Lafayette, Ind./Dave Schultz WC) at 127.75 pounds and Glen Pritzlaff (Philadelphia, Pa./Dave Schultz WC) at 167.5 pounds, plus two-time Greco-Roman Olympian Dan Henderson (Gresham, Ore./Dave Schultz WC) at 187.25 pounds. Henderson was a member of the 1992 and 1996 Olympic teams. Placing fourth at 167.5 pounds was Ethan Harris (Salt Lake City, Utah/Dave Schultz WC). Coaching the team was Chris Horpel of Stanford, Calif., the head coach at Stanford Univ. and head coach of the Dave Schultz WC, along with Eric Akin of Overland Park, Kan. Nancy Schultz of Foster City, Calif., the president of the Dave Schultz WC, served as delegation leader, and Karen Reina of Philadelphia, Pa., was the event organizer. In addition to the wrestling action, a group of U.S. wrestling fans accompanied the team on the trip, witnessing world-class wrestling along with tours of Monaco and Monte Carlo, the French Riviera, lodging at Hotel Normandie and much more. Coaches - Chris Horpel, Stanford, Calif. and Eric Akin, Overland Park, Kan. Delegation Leader - Nancy Schultz, Foster City, Calif. Official - Pete Gomez, Walsenburg, Colo. Event Organizer - Karen Reina, Philadelphia, Pa.
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