| Member News
April 20, 2007
2007 Senior National Championships Results
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Asma Sharif (blue) defeated Heidi Moore (white) in the +78kg final. |
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Rick Hawn (blue) defeated Garry St. Leger (white) in the 90kg final. |
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Ronda Rousey pins Katie Sell in the 70kg final after throwing her for a waza-ari. |
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Joel Brutus (white) def. Anthony Turner in the +100kg final. |
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Marti Malloy (white) attempts to throw Kayla Harrison in the 63kg final. |
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Marina Lambert (white) defeated Nina Cutro-Kelly in the 78kg division to become the youngest National Champion of the event at 15-years-old. |
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Travis Stevens earns his first Pan Am Games and World Team slots with a three-match sweep of Aaron Cohen. |
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Shintaro Higashi (blue) throws Adler Volmar in the 100kg final. |
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Garry St. Leger looks to the referees after being thrown by Rick Hawn in the 90kg final. |
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Marti Malloy (white) throws Kristin Allan in the 63kg Trials. |
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Rick Hawn (white) throws Garry St. Leger in the 90kg Trials. |
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(Miami, Fla.) – The 2007 USA Judo Senior National Championships began on Friday with National Champions crowned in eight weight divisions at Florida International University.
In addition to being a National Championships, the event also included the Trials for the Teams that will compete at the 2007 Pan American Games, July 19-22, and the World Championships, Sept. 16-19, both in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Senior National competition continues on Saturday with the lightweight and Open divisions.
Rick Hawn (Wakefield, Mass. / USA Judo National Team FORCE) was successful in his second major tournament since moving up to 90kg in February. A 2004 Olympian at 81kg, Hawn won the National Championships, throwing 2006 National Champion Garry St. Leger (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Starrett Judo) in the final and forcing St. Leger into a best-of-three fight-off for the Pan American Games and World Teams.
Hawn then went on to throw St. Leger in two more matches to secure his berth on the Pan Am Games and World Teams.
Hawn was just one of three athletes coached by two-time Olympic medalist Jimmy Pedro (Wakefield, Mass.) to qualify for the team.
Ronda Rousey (Wakefield, Mass. / NYAC) dominated the 70kg division in her first domestic event since moving up from 63kg to win the Vienna World Cup in February. Rousey threw 2006 Senior Nationals medalist Katie Sell (Harlingen, Texas / USA Judo National Training Site at Harlingen) for a waza-ari, moving straight into a pin for ippon (instant win) in just over 40 seconds.
The third of Pedro’s athletes to qualify for the Team was Asma Sharif (Wakefield, Mass.) A fifth place finisher at this event last year, Sharif moved up to +78kg in March.
“When I moved out to Jimmy’s my goal was to make a team and when they first suggested moving up I was concerned about my health. I thought they’d want to make me gain weight and I was cautious, but they told me I didn’t have to put on weight so I thought I’d give it a try,” Sharif said.
“I was a little worried [about being smaller than her opponents] but honestly, I’m used to Rick landing on me and that hurts a whole lot more!” she laughed.
After pinning 2006 National Champion Melinda Swanson (Honolulu, Hawaii / Hawaii Tenri) in the semifinals, Sharif won her final match against 2005 World Team member Heidi Moore (Englewood, Colo. / Denver Judo) by a penalty.
As Sharif was unseeded, she then fought #1 Brittni Bradford (Live Oak, Texas / Universal Judo) in the Trials, throwing her for ippon with a seoi nage (shoulder throw) in the first two minutes and then racking up waza-ari (half-point) and koka (smallest points) in their second Trials match before throwing Bradford for ippon with jus over a minute remaining to win the Trials.
“It’s going to be a lot of work when I get home, a whole lot of training and I’m not sure what to expect, but I know I’m not gonna rest until I go home for Christmas!” Sharif said.
Travis Stevens (Scotia, N.Y. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center / 81kg) pulled a trio of upsets against top-ranked 2006 Pan Am medalist Aaron Cohen (Buffalo Grove, Ill. / NYAC / Cohen’s Judo). Cohen breezed through the early rounds, but got thrown by Stevens early in the final for a waza-ari (half-point). Stevens threw Cohen again for what was originally called as a waza-ari, but was later downgraded to a yuko (quarter-point) and Cohen was unable to return the score.
In the Trials, Stevens and Cohen were tied with a shido (penalty) a piece to send the match into Golden Score which Cohen lost on a penalty for untying his belt. In the second match Stevens threw Cohen with a sumi gaeshi (sacrifice throw) for ippon.
After a disappointing +100kg semifinal loss to 2006 Senior National Champion Joel Brutus (Matawan, N.J. / NYAC) where he got thrown for in the first 10 seconds of the match, top-ranked Kirk Hoffmann (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center) thought to himself: “It’s gonna be a long day.”
And he was right. Brutus would go on to win the division while Hoffmann finished fifth, forcing a fight-off between the two.
What neither knew, though, was that making the Pan Am Games and World Teams would come down to a matter of penalties.
Hoffmann won the first match three penalties to two and the second match went to Golden Score after three penalties were earned each. Brutus earned the first penalty in overtime, giving Hoffmann the win and the Team slot.
“The last couple of years, the top group of heavyweights have all really come up in terms of quality which I think has made us all better and pushed us which will make the U.S. better internationally,” Hoffmann said. “Brutus is a seasoned vet and I used to watch him fight as a kid, so I’m not gonna say I wasn’t worried… this morning I just didn’t have enough ‘go juice,’ but I had a long break and a chance to think and I found just enough to get me going again.”
Top-ranked Adler Volmar (Coral Springs, Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at North Miami / 100kg) lost his final round match to former 90kg player Shintaro Higashi (Scarsdale, N.Y. / Kokushi) as well as the first of their Trials matches.
Volmar was down by a penalty in the second Trials match when Higashi was ejected from the tournament with less than two minutes to go for attempting to throw Volmar on the inside of his supporting leg – a move deemed illegal with a high rate of injury.
The mistake lost Higashi the Team slot which went to Volmar.
It was also a penalty that helped Marti Malloy (San Jose, Calif. / USA Judo National Training Site at San Jose State University) win the 63kg division. A silver medalist at the Senior Nationals and U.S. Open last year, Malloy moved up to 63kg and finally won her first National Championship after long being considered one of the best young players in the country.
Malloy fought Kayla Harrison (Middletown, Ohio / Renshuden), last year’s National Champion at 70kg, in the finals, winning the final off a penalty scored by Harrison in the first minute for stepping out of bounds.
The unseeded Malloy then fought top seed Kristen Allan (Springfield, Va. / Sport Judo) in the Trials. Malloy had beaten Allan earlier in the day and took two more wins to earn her first Pan Am Games and World Team slot.
In the women’s 78kg division, second-ranked Nina Cutro-Kelly (Schertz, Texas / Universal Judo) produced two of the day’s biggest upsets. In the quarter-finals, Cutro-Kelly pinned Katie Mocco (Glenville, N.Y. / NYAC / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center) for waza-ari, but received a penalty for gripping the inside of her sleeve. Cutro-Kelly then threw Mocco again and ultimately won the match.
In the semifinals, Cutro-Kelly pinned 2006 Senior National Champion Nikki Kubes (Fort Worth, Texas / Fort Worth Judo) to advance to the final against 15-year-old Marina Lambert (Chesapeake, Va. / Washington Judo). Lambert, competing in her first Senior Nationals and third senior tournament of any kind, won the title, throwing Cutro-Kelly for ippon.
The following is the roster of athletes named to the team that will compete at the Pan American Games, July 19-22, and the World Championships, Sept. 16-19, both in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Women's Team
63kg: Marti Malloy (San Jose, Calif. / USA Judo National Training Site at San Jose State University)
70kg: Ronda Rousey (Wakefield, Mass. / NYAC / USA Judo National Team FORCE)
78kg: Marina Lambert (Chesapeake, Va. / Washington Judo)
+78kg: Asma Sharif (Wakefield, Mass. / USA Judo National Team FORCE)
Men's Team
81kg: Travis Stevens (Scotia, N.Y. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center)
90kg: Rick Hawn (Wakefield, Mass. / USA Judo National Team FORCE)
100kg: Adler Volmar (Coral Springs, Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at North Miami)
+100k: Kirk Hoffmann (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center)
Complete results of the Senior Nationals are as follows:
Women’s 63kg
1. Marti Malloy (San Jose, Calif. / USA Judo National Training Site at San Jose State University)
2. Kayla Harrison (Middletown, Ohio / Renshuden Judo)
3. Janine Nakao (Marina, Calif. / USA Judo National Training Site at San Jose State University)
3. Emily Lilly (Camarillo, Calif. / Sawtelle)
Women’s 70 kg
1. Ronda Rousey (Wakefield, Mass. / NYAC / USA Judo National Team FORCE)
2. Katie Sell (Harlingen, Texas / USA Judo National Training Site at Harlingen)
3. Jennifer Tutass (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center)
3. Tomoyo Yoshinaga (San Jose, Calif. / USA Judo National Training Site at San Jose State University)
Women 78 kg
1. Marina Lambert (Chesapeake, Va. / Washington Judo)
2. Nina Cutro-Kelly (Schertz, Texas / Universal Judo)
3. Nicole Kubes (Fort Worth, Texas / Fort Worth Judo)
3. Katie Mocco (Scotia, N.Y. / NYAC / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center)
Women’s +78 kg
1. Asma Sharif (Wakefield, Mass. / USA Judo National Team FORCE)
2. Heidi Moore (Englewood, Colo. / Denver Judo)
3. Brittni Bradford (Live Oak, Texas / Universal Judo)
3. Melinda Swanson (Honolulu, Hawaii / Hawaii Tenri)
Men’s 81 kg
1. Travis Stevens (Scotia, N.Y. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center)
2. Aaron Cohen (Buffalo Grove, Ill. / NYAC / Cohen’s Judo)
3. Harry St. Leger (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Starrett Judo)
3. Andrew Hung (San Jose, Calif. / USA Judo National Training Site at San Jose State University)
Men’s 90 kg
1. Rick Hawn (Wakefield, Mass. / USA Judo National Team Force)
2. Garry St. Leger (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Starrett Judo)
3. Atsushi Yoshinaga (San Jose, Calif. / San Jose State University)
3. David Ellis (Westfield, N.J. / Cranford Judo)
Men’s 100 kg
1. Shintaro Higashi (Scarsdale, N.Y. / Kokushi)
2. Adler Volmar (Coral Springs, Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site)
3. Dariusz Mikolajczak (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Starrett Judo)
3. Kyle Vashkulat (Scotia, N.Y. / USA Judo National Training Site a the Jason Morris Judo Center)
Men +100 kg
1. Joel Brutus (Matawan, N.J. / NYAC)
2. Anthony Turner (Miami, Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at North Miami)
3. J Daniel McCormick (Wakefield, Mass / USA Judo National Team FORCE)
3. Jonathan Leonhardt (San Jose, Calif. / USA Judo National Training Site at San Jose State University) |
