Army wrestlers carry lofty rankings into national championships

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (Army News Service, April 13, 2010) -- Four U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program wrestlers are ranked No. 1 in the nation in their respective weight classes by TheMat.com, the premiere Web site that covers USA Wrestling.

The rankings, released earlier this week, help set the stage for the 2010 U.S. Open Wrestling Championships, slated for April 23-24 at the Wolstein Center on the campus of Cleveland State University.

Sgt. 1st Class Dremiel Byers, a three-time medalist at the World Championships and a 2008 Olympian, sits atop the 120-kilogram/264.5-pound Greco-Roman division.

Sgt. Iris Smith, another former world champion, is ranked No. 1 in the women's 72-kilogram/158.5-pound freestyle class.

Spc. Faruk Sahin, who competed at the 2009 World Wrestling Championships in Herning, Denmark, is ranked No. 1 in the 66-kilogram/145.5-pound Greco-Roman division. Staff Sgt. Glenn Garrison is ranked second and Sgt. Oscar Wood fifth, respectively, in that Soldier-heavy weight class.

Pfc. Jeremiah Davis, another 2009 World Championships competitor, is ranked No. 1 in the 60-kilogram/132-pound Greco-Roman division. He's joined by Spc. Marco Lara and Pfc. Nathan Piasecki, who are listed fourth and fifth, respectively.

Also in Greco-Roman, Spc. Jermaine Hodge is ranked third at 55 kilos/121 pounds; Sgt. Jess Hargrave is No. 3 at 74 kilos/163 pounds; Sgt. Aaron Sieracki is No. 4 and Sgt. Peter Hicks No. 9 at 84 kilos/185 pounds. Spcs. John Lorenz and Justin Millard are ranked fifth and seventh, respectively, at 96 kilos/211.5 pounds. Spc. Timothy Taylor is No. 5 at 120 kilos/264.5 pounds.

Spc. Sharon Jacobson is ranked eighth in the women's 55-kilogram/121-pound freestyle division and 1st Lt. Derek Moore is ninth in men's 60-kilo/132-pound freestyle.

About 20 WCAP and All-Army wrestlers will compete at the U.S. Open, including Pfc. Angel Cejudo, older brother of 2008 Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo, the youngest American ever to win an Olympic gold medal in wrestling. Angel posted a 150-0 record en route to winning four Arizona high school Class 5A state championships for Maryvale High in Phoenix.

The top seven finishers in each weight class at the U.S. Open will qualify to compete at the 2010 U.S. World Team Trials in Council Bluffs, Iowa, June 10-12.

(Tim Hipps writes for Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command.)