ISLE FILE
Chun, Lee win wrestling titles
Advertiser Staff
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Hawai'i's Clarissa Chun and Stephany Lee won women's freestyle wrestling titles last night at the U.S. Nationals in Las Vegas.
Chun, a Roosevelt High alum and 2008 Olympian and World champion, beat Sara Fulp-Allen, 3-0, 1-0, in the 48-kilogram (105.5 pounds) final and was named the tournament's Outstanding Wrestler. She won three matches earlier in the day to advance to the championship match.
"It's cool that I won Worlds," Chun said. "I soaked it all in, but I look at this year as a new day and another challenge. I have to get after it again. I want to win another championship. Rather than try to defend my World title, I've got to grab it again and win it again."
In winning her second national title, Chun beat a familiar foe in Fulp-Allen, whom she lost to twice last year before beating her in the Olympic Trials.
Chun headlocked Fulp-Allen just before time ran out in the first period to take control.
"I didn't want to slip and miss her head," Chun said. "If that happens, she gets one point and I lose that period. I knew I needed to make sure I had that locked up tight. I had to make sure I had it.
"She's a tough wrestler who is really flexible and counters really well. It's always a tough matchup for me."
Lee, a Moanalua High alum and World University champion, looked strong in downing Jenna Pavlik in the final at 72 kilograms (158.5 pounds) by a 3-0, 4-0 score.
Lee called upon her experience at the 2009 World Cup, where she beat 2008 Olympic gold medalist Wang Jiao of China.
"The World Cup really helped me," Lee said. "I pinned the Olympic gold medalist and that helped me really believe. I knew I had the ability to do great things, but this was just confirming I could do it. It really helped me mentally."
Chun, Lee and the other five national champions will earn No. 1 seeds for the U.S. World Team Trials on May 30-31 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The top seven finishers in each weight class will qualify for the World Team Trials, and the seven champions will advance to September's World Championships in Denmark.
www.TheMat.com provided information for this report.
TENNIS
HAWAI'I DOMINATES PACWEST FIRST ROUND
All four Hawai'i schools won opening-round matches to advance to the semifinals of the Hawaiian Airlines Pacific West Conference Women's Tennis Championships yesterday at the Holua Resort of the Mauna Loa Village on the Big Island
Top-seeded Brigham Young-Hawai'i beat Notre Dame de Namur, 9-0; second-seeded Hawai'i Pacific beat Dixie State, 9-0; third-seeded Hawai'i-Hilo beat Academy of Art, 6-0; and fifth-seeded Chaminade beat Grand Canyon, 5-4.
BYUH will play Chaminade at 9 a.m. and HPU will play Hilo at 11 a.m. in today's semifinals. The winners advance to tomorrow's final.
