Whitney Conder adjusts her hair after winning a match Saturday at the 4A Region II meet. She won the 103-pound title later in the day.
Puyallup's Whitney Conder, top, shown here Saturday, finished sixth at 103 pounds in last year's Class 4A wrestling tournament.
Catalina Foothills High wrestler Andrea Hughes holds her fourth-place medal after the state wrestling championships, held at the Glendale Arena last Saturday. Andrea was the first girl ever to place in the state tournament.
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DOVER — Her old wrestling mates were trying to get to the Maine state finals.
Two time zones away, Deanna Rix was getting her head back into wrestling after
the most challenging time of her young life.
Last Saturday, Feb. 4, the former 100-win wrestler at Marshwood High School
finished second in a field of top North American women wrestlers at the Dave
Shultz Memorial International meet in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Rix, 18, was pinned by 24-year-old Canadian graduate student Breanne Graham in
the championship bout. Graham is currently ranked 13th internationally in the
59-kilogram (130-pound) division, by USA Wrestling's official website,
TheMat.com. Fifth-ranked Sally Roberts, the top American and a two-time World
Champion bronze medalist, finished third. Rix was unranked.
"This last tournament I wasn't in as good a shape as I should have been because
I hadn't been on the mat for two weeks," Rix said in a telephone conversation
Wednesday night.
Why wasn't the former three-time Junior National champion been wrestling? Wasn't
she attending the elite United States Olympic Education Center (USOEC) in
Marquette, Mich., so she could continue her wrestling career, and get a paid-for
education in the process?
The short answer would go like this: No. Rix dropped out after a semester at
Northern Michigan University, where the USOEC is housed. Therefore, she was no
longer eligible to practice with the USOEC team.
"It became apparent we had a different track that would be better suited for
Deanna," USA Wrestling national women's coach Terry Steiner said.
As is so often the case, there is a longer, more detailed answer. In the details
are the real reasons why Rix has left Marquette and has no plans to return.
Rough start
Rix started her freshman year on a high note, going to Marquette shortly after
winning the National Junior Women's Championship, in Fargo, N.D., last July
29-30. In winning the 128-pound weight class, Rix was named the meet's
outstanding wrestler. It was her third career Junior National title, a record
for girls.
The campus experience was strained from the start. By choosing cosmetology as
her course major, she locked herself into a 6.5-hour a day class schedule. The
instructors teaching her the beauty business weren't particularly interested in
her Olympic dream. Her Olympic training center coaches weren't particularly
understanding of the hair-and-nail thing.
Balancing school with sport is a challenge for any college athlete. Rix was
doing it far away from her family, in a place where the team, in reality, is not
part of the university. Then on Oct. 2, 2005, her on-campus support system was
shattered.
That morning, Rix's good friend and wrestling teammate Toni Copeland knocked on
the door of the room shared by Rix and fellow 130-pound wrestler Amberle
Montgomery of Maple Valley, Wash. Copeland and a friend, NMU freshman Cassiano
Huckabee, were going for a swim in Lake Superior, the coldest, deepest and
largest of the Great Lakes. Did Rix want to come along?
"We went swimming there a lot. The water was really cold there," Rix said. "They
asked if I wanted to go that day and I had been sleeping, I was too tired."
Rix skipped the swim.
Copeland and Huckabee drowned.
"They were swimming in Lake Superior and the undertow came and her and (Huckabee)
couldn't fight the current," Rix said.
"I knew Toni through wrestling. I met her in fifth grade, she was the same age
as me," Rix said of the McDonough, N.Y., native. Copeland was still in high
school, attending classes at Marquette High as a senior, but had become Rix's
best friend on the USOEC team.
"I had other friends but me and Toni we were always together," Rix said. "Me,
Toni and Amberle, we called ourselves the Trio, we were always together. Amberle,
she went back home to Washington. I think it was about another month before she
left."
Matt Rix was pretty sure his daughter would be coming home, too.
"It was quite devastating for DeeDee," her father said. "Toni, she was on the
same scholarship as DeeDee. They'd been to China and Germany together. ¿ I
really thought she was going to wind up going home. That's a long ways without
any family or anything and to go through something like that."
Even with the class conflicts and the tragic death of her friend, Rix and her
father believe Deanna might have made a go of it at the Northern Michigan
outpost if it had been a better fit for her wrestling goals. Her father says
there was a lack of practice competition.
"The coaches were the only ones giving her a workout," he says.
Deanna tried to be more diplomatic.
"The training just wasn't what I thought it would be like," she said. "It wasn't
as hard as, oh, I don't know. It didn't fit my training. It's more of a building
program I think. For people who are starting out, and go at a slower pace."
New start
Despite the personal turmoil, Rix has continued to excel in competition. Prior
to leaving the USOEC program, she was ranked the No. 1 North American women's
collegiate wrestler at 130 pounds. But she never did officially wrestle for the
USOEC team. Even at the Sunkist Invitational on Oct. 20-22, Rix was listed as
affiliated with the New York Athletic Club. Wrestling up a weight class, to
138.5 pounds, she finished fourth. That was followed up with a second at the New
York Athletic Club meet in November, losing a championship decision to Canada's
Graham, and a first at the Canadian Cup.
Following the recent Schultz Memorial, Rix was invited to stay in Colorado
Springs to train with the U.S. Olympic team and a visiting squad from France.
She came home this past weekend for a visit with her father and to see her
younger brother Matthew — and three other Marshwood wrestlers — compete at the
Maine State Championships on Saturday.
In time — either a couple of weeks or later — she intends to return to Colorado
Springs to resume training under the direction of the Olympic coaching staff
headed by Steiner.
"The training's a lot better out (in Colorado Springs)," Rix said. "It's more
upbeat. There's more competition out here. Everyone's at a more advanced level."
Matt Rix and Steiner want her back in Colorado quickly.
"If we didn't think Deanna was in the picture with our future world and Olympic
teams, we wouldn't be making this move," Steiner said. "With the right guidance
and leadership she's someone we think can be on our world and Olympic teams."
Steiner said accepting Rix to the national training center without having had
the desired year or two at the USOEC development site is "definitely bending the
rules a little bit for her."
They're willing to do it because of her potential and her performance.
"As a wrestler, she has performed up to ability," Steiner said. "She has that
drive for wrestling. We feel comfortable with that."
The next major competition is in mid-April in Las Vegas at the U.S. Senior
Nationals. The top six in each weight qualify for the World Team Trials in late
June, where the winner makes the world team. Another option for Rix is the
Junior Worlds, for wrestlers age 17-20. Rix will likely compete at 59 kg this
year, one of the seven World Championship weights, with an eye toward getting
down to the 55 kg (121 pounds). That weight is one of the four Olympic women's
wrestling divisions.
Future education plans, she said, are "probably on hold for another year."
What hasn't been waylaid is her desire to wrestle, something she's done
competitively since she was a little girl, through a high school career that
earned her national attention.
"It got hard but I love wrestling. I wouldn't want to give it up," she said.
SHE'LL PIN YA ; Female wrestler loves the sport and has the
strength to be
great at it
KIERA HAY Journal Staff Writer. Albuquerque Journal. Albuquerque, N.M.: Feb
12, 2006. pg. 9
People: Lucero, Vanessa, Rael, Mel
Author(s): KIERA HAY Journal Staff Writer
Section: SPORTS
Publication title: Albuquerque Journal. Albuquerque, N.M.: Feb 12, 2006.
pg. 9
Full Text (760 words)
Copyright Albuquerque Journal Feb 12, 2006
Asked to cite her favorite high school sports memory, Vanessa Lucero
responded by recalling a tough wrestling match against the son of Mel Rael,
her coach at West Las Vegas. The crux of the account was that Lucero pinned
Rael's son during triple overtime.
It's a nice story, although perhaps not what the typical New Mexico prep
sports fan would expect to hear. Lucero is, after all, "the girl who scored
the touchdown" during a 2003 West Las Vegas football game against Pojoaque.
The then-freshman ran the ball in from the 1-yard line to became the first
female in the state to score a touchdown in a varsity football game.
Lucero gained instant fame, becoming something of a media darling with
appearances on national talk shows such as NBC's "Today" show.
Lucero said she's proud of her touchdown. It's just that wrestling is the
sport she holds most dear to her heart.
And Lucero's accomplishments as a grappler, not to mention what she has the
potential to accomplish within the next few years, could very well relegate
that touchdown to also-ran status for even the most diehard sports fans.
Just don't expect Lucero to stop breaking gender barriers anytime soon. Due
to a lack of female wrestlers in the state, the high school junior has spent
her prep wrestling career competing mostly against males.
In 2004 and 2005, she became the first female to win a medal at the state
wrestling championships. The 103-pounder accomplished the feat by placing
sixth at both tournaments.
This season, Lucero has amassed a 26-6 record, with just two of her wins
coming against females.
"This has been my best season yet in high school," she said.
Rael believes Lucero will likely be seeded second in her weight class when
the state tournament rolls around next weekend.
The reason for Lucero's success, according to Rael, is a combination of
strength and good technique.
Rael said Lucero has worked hard to bring her body to a level where she
feels she can physically compete with males.
"She's not a typical female on the mat. She has the strength of a male," he
said.
In addition, "there hasn't been a wrestler in the state who can compete with
her, technique-wise," Rael said.
Lucero admitted that many of her male opponents don't like wrestling against
her. She's grown used to verbal taunts before matches, especially if her
opponents are wrestling her for the first time.
She said she's learned to answer the provocations by winning on the mat.
In one particularly vivid account, Lucero recalled competing at the 2004
Rocky Mountain Nationals, a national wrestling tournament held in Denver.
She overheard an opponent telling his coach he had his match against Lucero
"wrapped up" because he was competing against a girl.
Not only did Lucero win the match, she accidentally broke her opponent's
ribs.
Confronting sexist attitudes is one of the things she enjoys most about
wrestling against males, Lucero said.
She considers herself something of a role model for girls interested in the
sport and is happy that an increasing number of females are becoming
interested in the sport.
"There's a lot of girls now," she said.
Lucero has one more year of high school competition, then hopes to move on
to college wrestling. She's already in contact with some programs in
California.
"She could probably walk into an NCAA women's program now and be ranked in
the nation," Rael said.
The Lady Don even has Olympic aspirations -- possibly as early as the 2008
Beijing games.
Yet despite the honors and awards, Lucero said she ultimately wrestles for
one reason -- she loves the sport.
"I just think it's fun, and if you're mad, you can take it out on the other
person," she said with a smile.
[Illustration]
Caption: JOURNAL FILE Vanessa Lucero, shown here practicing with the West
Las Vegas football team during the 2003 season, is preparing for the state
wrestling tournament, which begins Friday Lucero, now a junior, has placed
sixth in the tournament for the last two years and will enter this year's
tournament as one of the favorites ; JOURNAL FILE Yolanda Montano-Wood,
left, shows her daughter Vanessa Lucero photos of Lucero in her homecoming
gown during a break in a West Las Vegas football practice in 2003 Lucero,
now a junior, became the first female in New Mexico prep history to score a
touchdown in a varsity football game that season, but her first love is
wrestling, as she has placed sixth at the last two state tournaments
Priscilla Brownfield, right, won the regional consolation final and advances to this week's Kentucky state tournament.
Northampton athletic director T.J. Johnson awards Nicole Beasly with the championship trophy for winning the 103-pound weight class.
Melissa Watkins, Camas wrestling: The junior became the first female wrestler in Clark County history to win a district title. The sister of 1999 state champion Micaiah, Watkins was trailing Kelso's Jason Baker 4-2 in the Class 3A 103-pound final Saturday at Kelso before catching Baker with a throw. Watkins pinned the freshman at 1 minute, 21 seconds.
Girls make inroad at Phillips, Pentucket
Methuen's Kassie Archambault has certainly made an impact at Phillips
Academy.
A three-year varsity starter who was 17-14 last year and won her weight
class at the New England girls tournament, Archambault has not only remained
competitive (10-6, including 8-6 against boys) despite moving up to 119, but
she's become a tremendous recruiter. Largely because of her, seven girls are
on the Phillips team this year.
A returnee from last year, sophomore Rachel Cohen from Philadelphia, was 2-2
at the girls nationals last year (Archambault was 4-3). Also on the team are
junior Amy Fenstermacher of Andover, junior Thao Nguyen of Methuen, freshman
Cora Lewis from New York City, junior Alice Nam of North Andover and junior
Aliyah Bilal-Gore from Charlotte, N.C.
At the recent Girls Open at Brookline High, Archambault went 2-0 and was
awarded a gold medal, and Fenstermacher, Nguyen and Cohen were all 1-1.
Archambault is 41-24 against boys in her career and hasn't lost to a girl in
New England in two years.
At Pentucket, freshman Autumn Gadd has gotten varsity time at 112 and has a
pin to her credit. She basically replaced another girl, junior Melissa
Williams, who was also at 112 but left the team. Both girls are also
football cheerleaders.
The Massachusetts girls state meet and New England girls tournament are
scheduled for March 11 and March 18, respectively. The U.S. girls nationals
are April 1-2 in Lake Orion, Mich.
Local briefs
February 7, 2006
GIRLS' WRESTLING
Five wrestlers qualify for national tourney
Five area athletes qualified for the national high school girls' wrestling
championships by medaling in the California Girls State Invitational
Saturday in Hanford.
Cassandra Wolpe of Buena High finished third in the 235-pound weight class
with a 3-1 record. Agoura resident Megan Agajanian, who attends Louisville
High, was runner-up at 146 pounds. Royal's Jade Anderson (132) was 5-1 and
finished third, Samantha Stych of Oxnard was fourth in the 126-pound
division and Rebecca Leigh-Polich of Agoura was fifth at 118.
The girls' national tournament will be held March 31-April 2 in Lake Orion,
Mich.
WHO'S NEXT? Michaela Hutchison made national high school wrestling history
last weekend by winning a 103-pound state championship in the Alaska state
wrestling tournament.
According to the Anchorage Daily News, Hutchison's 1-0 victory - an escape
with 15 seconds remaining - made her the first girl to win a state title
while competing against boys.
In Iowa, Heather Morley of Urbandale became the first female to compete in
either state wrestling tournament when she wrestled in the dual-meet state
meet last season.
Cindy Johnson of West Burlington Notre Dame was one victory shy of
qualifying for the traditional state meet in 2004.