(Myrtle Beach, S.C.) – Competition begins on Saturday at the USA Judo Senior National Championships with athletes fighting in the men’s and women’s middle and heavyweight divisions in Myrtle Beach..
Preliminary, repechage and bronze medal matches will begin at 9 a.m. at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, 2101 N. Oak Street, and continue until approximately 1 p.m. Gold medal matches will be contested at 5 p.m.
Divisions to be contested include the men’s 81kg, 90kg, 100kg and +100kg and the women’s 63kg, 70kg, 78kg and +78kg.
The Senior National Championships also will serve as the World Team Trials for athletes seeking to compete at the 2010 Senior World Championships, Sept. 9-13 in Tokyo.
For each division being contested on Saturday, the #1 seeds will automatically be named to the team as the top seeds in each division are mathematically unable to be passed on the USA Judo Senior Elite National Roster. All top seeds are required to compete at the Nationals, however, in order to be named to the World Team. If the #1 seed wins the National Championships, the second highest ranked player on the roster, as of the conclusion of the Nationals, will be named to the World Team.
The second slots aren’t a lock for anyone, though, as any player – regardless of seed – who wins the Nationals will be named to the Team. And everyone – from Olympians to junior players looking for an upset – must compete at the Nationals to be eligible for the World Team.
A preview of the divisions is as follows:
Men’s 81kg
Travis Stevens (Wakefield, Mass. / NYAC / USA Judo National Team FORCE) enters the division as the #1 seed who hasn’t lost to an American since 2007. A ninth-place finisher at the 2008 Olympic Games, Stevens has reached new levels of international success within the past year, medaling at two Grand Slam events – including the prestigious Paris Grand Slam. Jose Bencosme (San Jose, Calif. / USA Judo National Training Site at San Jose State University) has never won a Senior National title, but the #2 seed had a career first in September when he won the B-Level U.S. Open and would like to see another in Myrtle Beach. If Stevens wins the gold, Bencosme will qualify for his first Senior World Team. Olympians Ryan Reser (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center) and Taraje Williams-Murray (Bronx, N.Y. / NYAC / Spartak), who are ranked #3 and #5, respectively, are not slated to fight this weekend. This moves Ross MacBaisey (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. / San Shi Judo) moves up to the #3 seed – placing him on the same side of the draw as Bencosme. The fourth seed, Harry St. Leger (Brooklyn, N.Y. / NYAC / Legrosports Starrett) will be on the same side of the draw as Stevens. St. Leger hasn’t competed in a major event since winning the bronze medal at the 2009 Senior Nationals, but St. Leger has medaled at every Seniors since 2005 and is favored to add a sixth to his resume.
Men’s 90kg
Garry St. Leger (Brooklyn, N.Y. / NYAC / Legrosports Starrett) regained his status as the #1 seed in the division after he won his third bronze medal in the division at the Pan Am Championships in April. The #2 seed in the division, Jake Larsen (Santa Rosa, Calif. / Team FORCE / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center) defeated St. Leger at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials and the 2009 Senior Nationals medalist could qualify for his first Senior World Team if either he or St. Leger wins the event. It’s the #3 seed, however, that could be the favorite going into the Nationals. A five-time Pan Am medalist in the 81kg division, Aaron Cohen (Buffalo Grove, Ill. / NYAC / Cohen’s Judo) has never lost to either Larsen or St. Leger since moving up to 90kg last year. Cohen defeated St. Leger three times at the 2009 Senior Nationals and World Team Trials, but the two haven’t fought in nearly a year. Most recently, he also defeated Larsen at the Northglenn Championships two weeks ago. Cohen and Larsen are on the same side of the draw in Myrtle Beach and could meet again in the semifinals. Fourth seed Iavor Kostadinov (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center) was the top-finishing U.S. player when he placed fifth at the 2009 U.S. Open and will be on the same side of the draw as St. Leger.
Men’s 100kg
Top seed Kyle Vashkulat (Glenville, N.Y. / NYAC / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center) is a two-time Junior World Team member, but the 19-year-old has never won a Senior National title. Vashkulat has had the best results of his international career within the last six months as he won the B-Level Rendez-Vous Canada in 2009 and earned a bronze earlier this month at the Pan American Championships. If Vashkulat wins, the second slot on the World Team would be awarded to #2 Shintaro Higashi (Scarsdale, N.Y. / NYAC / Kokushi Budo Institute). Higashi won the 2007 Senior Nationals and the former 90kg player placed fifth at his first World Cup outing at the 2009 Belo Horizonte World Cup. As the #3 seed, Beijing Paralympian Myles Porter (Colorado Springs, Colo. / NYAC / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center) is on the same side of the draw as Higashi. In October, Porter placed third at the Rendez-Vous Canada to become the second visually impaired U.S. athlete ever to medal at a B-Level event. A medal in Myrtle Beach would make him the first visually impaired athlete ever to place at a Senior Nationals. Forty-five-year-old Billy Worthington (Richmond, Calif. / Cahill’s Judo) surprised everyone when he medaled at the U.S. Open in September to earn his #4 seed in Myrtle Beach. Djamaldin Aliev (Centennial, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center) comes in as the fifth seed, but the three-time Senior World Team member has won three National titles.
Men’s +100kg
Beijing Olympian Daniel McCormick (Wakefield, Mass. / NYAC / USA Judo National Team FORCE) is the top seed in the division and the reigning National Champion. It’s the unseeded players, however, who are among the other favorites to join McCormick on the podium. Anthony Turner (Miami, Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at South Florida), a 2008 U.S. Olympic Team alternate, will be competing at the Senior Nationals for the first time since placing second in 2008. Mark Fletcher (Atlanta, Ga. / Ultimate Challenge Judo), the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team alternate in the 100kg division will be competing as a heavyweight for the first time at a Senior Nationals. Mike Prieditis (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center), a former highly ranked 100kg player, medaled at +100kg when he fought in the division for the first time at the 2008 Senior Nationals. Prieditis will be competing for the first time this weekend at Seniors since 2008.
Women’s 63kg
Top seed Janine Nakao (Wakefield, Mass. / NYAC / USA Judo National Team FORCE) is the two-time defending National Champion. Competing at her first Pan Ams in April, Nakao had a breakthrough performance with her silver medal win. Nakao’s toughest competition could come from #2 seed Christal Ransom (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center). The two fought five times in 2009 with Nakao winning four of the matches, but Ransom won their last fight at the Rendez-Vous Canada in October. The 63kg division includes any number of athletes who could earn trips to the podium, including unseeded Kayla Chappell (Oklahoma City, Okla. / USA Stars), the 2009 Senior World Team member at 52kg, and Mindy Chow (Honolulu, Hawaii / Hawaii Tenri), a 15-year-old who medaled in the 57kg division in 2009 and the 52kg division in 2008.
Women’s 70kg
Olympic and World medalist Ronda Rousey (Santa Monica, Calif. / NYAC) is in an entirely unfamiliar position as she comes into this event entirely unseeded. The 23-year-old is the owner of five back-to-back Senior National titles and is undefeated against U.S. players in senior competition, but this will be her first major event since winning bronze at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Rousey needs to win her sixth title to qualify for the Worlds where she will be joined by 2009 World Team member and top seed Katie Sell (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center). If Rousey doesn’t win the title, LaQuinta Allen (Lauderdale Lakes, Fla. / Onikusu) and Samantha Bleier (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center) could be candidates for the Senior World Team as well.
Women’s 78kg
Kayla Harrison (Wakefield, Mass. / NYAC / USA Judo National Team FORCE), a three-time World Cup medalist and the top seed in the division, hasn’t lost to a U.S. player since the 2007 Senior Nationals. At only 19-years-old, Harrison is aiming for her fourth Senior National title. If Harrison wins, second and third seeds Kaitlin McKim (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center) and Suzie Rizek (Naperville, Ill. / Fox Valley Judo & Jujitsu) will be vying for the second World Team slot. McKim and Rizek are one point apart on the roster and the World Team berth could come down to head-to-head results between the two. Fourth seed Allison Clifford (San Jose, Calif. / USA Judo National Training Site at San Jose State University) advanced to her first Senior Nationals finals in 2009 where she won a silver medal.
Women’s +78kg
Toni Geiger (Dumont, N.J. / Tech Judo) is the top seed in the division. A xxx-time Senior National medalist, Geiger will be aiming for her first gold. Second seed Nina Cutro-Kelly (San Antonio, Texas / Universal Judo) moved up from 78kg to the heavyweight division in 2009 where she won her first Senior National title and qualified for her first Senior World Team. One of Cutro-Kelly’s top competitors during her 78kg days was 2005 World Team member and Pan Am medalist Molly O’Rourke (El Cerrito, Calif. / East Bay Judo Institute) who will be competing in a major event for the first time since 2008.
Tags:
Aaron Cohen, Anthony Turner, Christal Ransom, Daniel McCormick, Djamaldin Aliev, Garry St. Leger, Harry St. Leger, Iavor Kostadinov, Jacob Larsen, Janine Nakao, Janine Nakao, Jose Bencosme, Kayla Chappell, Kyle Vashkulat, Mark Fletcher, Michael Prieditis, Mindy Chow, Molly O'Rourke, Myles Porter, Ronda Rousey, Ross MacBaisey, Shintaro Higashi, Travis Stevens, William Worthington
