Oct.
24, 2005: The Wrestling Mall, High School News
Mountain Top Wrestling Members Clinch
13 Medals, 1st Place Team at Gladiator World Championships
(Sandy, Utah) — Fifteen Mountain Top
Wrestling Club (formerly Jordan Freestyle Wrestling)
members competed in the Gladiator World Championships
folkstyle wrestling tournament held Oct 21_22, 2005, at
the McKay Event Center on the UVSC campus. Of the 15
competitors, 13 placed; six received Outstanding
Sportsmanship Awards; and the team was named the 1st Place
In-State Team in the 6-12 and Under division.
"This was a great tournament for the
guys," said Coach Bill Kilpack (III). "The first of the
Rocky Mountain Nationals series, we got together for five
weeks, practiced hard, and came out ready to go. William
and Brigg lost killer one-point decisions that kept them
out of the finals, but they kept their heads and fought
through the consolation bracket to finish third. The
competition was extremely tough, but all the guys stepped
up and wrestled their guts out."
Three athletes came away with 2nd place
trophies: 6-year-old Devin Johnson of Draper, 6 and Under
46 lbs., his brother, 8-year-old Tayler, 8 and Under 62
lbs.; and 11-year-old Brayden Schwendiman of South Jordan,
12 and Under 62 lbs.
Four wrestlers earned 3rd place trophies:
7-year-old Riley Tatum of West Jordan, 8 and Under 46
lbs.; 10-year-old Brigg Butler of Saratoga Springs, 10 and
Under 69 lbs.; 10-year-old William Kilpack of Sandy, 10
and Under 73 lbs.; and 14-yrear-old Josh Davis of Sandy,
15 and Under 88 lbs.
One young athlete took a 4th place medal:
8-year-old Taylor Kump of Herriman, 8 and Under 58 lbs.
Three wrestlers took 5th place medals:
7-year-old Tia Kump of Herriman, 8 and Under 42 lbs.;
10-year-old Hayden Butler of Saratoga Springs, 8 and Under
50 lbs.; and Tyler Schwendiman of South Jordan, 8 and
Under 54 lbs.
Two wrestlers took 6th place medals:
4-year-old Garrick Kilpack of Sandy, 6 and Under 37 lbs.;
and 10-year-old Kyler Machan of West Jordan, 10 and Under
61 lbs.
These accomplishments accumulated points
for Mountain Top Wrestling Club in the team competition
for the 6-12 and Under age division, earning the club the
1st Place In-State Team Trophy.
"This was very exciting for us, to take a
first Place Team Trophy at a national tournament like
this," said Kilpack. "Particularly how it happened. They
announced that we took second, and the
Champions-Diamondbacks coach, Craig LaMont, after
receiving the award, realized that the score tabulated for
his team just didn't make sense. So he recalculated the
numbers himself, made a phone call, and discovered that
his team had received credit for some wrestlers who were
not on his team. So he called me, explained the problem,
and told me that we were the legitimate winners. So he
gave the award to us. That was a very upstanding thing to
do, and we really respect him for standing up for what was
right."
In addition to these victories, six
wrestlers were recognized for their sportsmanship on the
mat. These wrestlers were awarded Outstanding
Sportsmanship Awards by the mat official following one of
their matches, Kilpack said, "for wrestling hard, not
giving up, maintaining a positive attitude and, in
general, being a good example for others in the sport."
Receiving these awards were Garrick Kilpack, Tia Kump,
Hayden Butler, Justin Schwendiman of West Jordan, Brayden
Schwendiman and Josh Davis.
Justin Schwendiman competed in 10 and
Under 61 lbs.; also competing was Dylan Carlson of Kearns,
15 and Under 123 lbs.
"This was a good experience," said Coach
Bill Kilpack (Jr.). "And I certainly hope that we get to
see more tournaments like this in Utah ... ones that
attract such high-caliber athletes, as well as exposing
more talented Utah athletes to a more national audience.
We're very proud of the kids."
Mountain Top Wrestling Club is a nonprofit
501(c)3 corporation dedicated to providing a venue for
individuals to learn, develop and refine their athletic
skills and abilities; and teaching the rules and
regulations of freestyle, folkstyle and Greco-Roman
wrestling. It is open to male and female athletes ages
four and older who live anywhere in the State of Utah. The
program will start back up for the freestyle and
Greco-Roman wrestling season in mid-January. For more
information, call 641-9832, e-mail
coach@mountaintopwrestling.com or visit them on the
Worldwide Web at
www.mountaintopwrestling.com.
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