Wrestling: Morrison In World Spotlight
July 21, 2003 02:19 PM | General
July 21, 2003
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- Dean Morrison, former WVU National Champion, will participate in a special wrestle-off for the U.S. World and Pan American Games team at 96 kg/211.25 pounds in freestyle wrestling on Friday, July, 25 in Fargo, N.D.
There will be a best-of-three series held between 2003 U.S. Nationals Champion Daniel Cormier (Stillwater, Okla./Gator WC) and 2003 World Team Trials champion and former WVU All-American Dean Morrison (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC).
The winner of the series will represent the United States at the 2003 World Championships of Freestyle Wrestling in New York City, September 12-14, as well as at the Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, August 6-8.
Morrison assumed the No. 1 seed at the World Team Trials in Indianapolis, Ind., June 20-22, and won the event at the weight class, earning the right to face Cormier in the Special Wrestle-off. Morrison needed three matches to defeat 2002 World Team member Tim Hartung (Minneapolis, Minn./Minnesota Storm). Morrison won the first match, 4-1 in overtime, then lost the second match 2-0 in overtime. In the third and deciding match, Morrison defeated Hartung, 3-2.
The special wrestle-off will be a rematch of the finals of the 2003 U.S. Nationals, which Cormier won by a 3-0 margin over Morrison. It was Cormier’s first U.S. Nationals freestyle title.
Morrison previously qualified for Freestyle Team USA in 1997, when he placed third at the World Team Trials at 187.25 pounds. His second place at the U.S. Nationals this year was his best career finish.
While at WVU, Morrison was a 1994 NCAA champion and the school's first three-time EWL champion. The New York native ranks fourth on the Mountaineer's all-time wins list with a 103-32-2 record.
