Pacific Index

Issue date: 4/11/08 Section: Sports

Assistant coach Lewis Coy provided The Pacific Index with a personal account of the women's wrestling team's results from the National Collegiate Wrestling Association Women's National Championships in Lakeland, Fla.



After a seven and a half hour plane ride, a half an hour road trip, six months of academic stress, weight cutting, everyday personal problems, big injuries, nagging injuries, morning runs, and last but not least, two and a half to three hours a night with one of the meanest men they know, they wrestled for two straight days to become the number two team in the nation, being beaten only by the Canadian national champions.



105 LBS: Candice Sakamoto, having wrestled with a torn ligament in her left hand, placed second.

112 LBS: Valerie Prise, after four years of wrestling in the toughest weight class year after year, followed in the footsteps of school heroes. She too has earned the honor of being in the top two in the nation

121 LBS: This weight class was loaded. There was a Canadian national champion, an undefeated American, a tough Floridian. Summer Scott placed third, losing a controversial match to the Canadian. Teresa Ayala wrestling through bad shoulders and placed fifth.



130 LBS: Alenna Nilsen pinned her way to the finals and placed second in the nation, even with a separated shoulder. Placing third was Summer Steenberg, a super freshman, that is a wrestler to always be reckoned with.



138 LBS: Samantha Stych, another freshman. Wrestled her very best tournament this year, placing second.



149 LBS: Jade Anderson's first match was with a top Canadian that had beaten her three times already this year. Jade turned the tide and beat her six to zero. When all was said and done, Jade placed second.

176 LBS: The Canadians have some of the very best upper-weight women in the world, and Ashley Truchan has always competed well against them. Ashley placed second.



Editor's Note: Scott Miller, head coach of both the men's and women's wrestling teams, was named the NCWA Division Coach of the Year at the women's national championships.

However, on April 4 Miller announced his retirement from wrestling after a 17-year career. Miller was in his sixth year of coaching both of Pacific's wrestling squads, and pointed to his exhaustion from taking on such an ambitious task as a factor in the decision to step down.

Miller was the driving force behind moving the women's team from freestyle wrestling to collegiate style wrestling, helping Pacific to become one of the first institutions to take such a step. They would not have participated in the nationals without this change.

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