By Molly Irene Olmstead molly-olmstead@uiowa.edu Every odd was against him. Steve Andrus finished eighth at the Big Ten Championships on March 4 and barely qualified for the NCAA Championships. He lost in the first round at nationals, and then lost his first wrestleback. He didn’t even place. He entered the Roman-Greco tournament as the last [...]

By Cody Goodwin cody-goodwin@uiowa.edu The U.S. Greco-Roman Olympic team left no doubt who its strongest members were on Saturday night. In front of a record crowd of 13,750 screaming wrestling fans, Spenser Mango (Army), Justin Lester (Army), Chas Betts (MN Storm), and Dremiel Byers (Army) all won two straight matches to claim the first four [...]

By Cody Goodwin cody-goodwin@uiowa.edu Justin Lester’s accomplishments practically reach the stars. The two-time World Bronze medalist has always been known as a go-getter who will take on any challenger. He’s fresh off of a fifth-place finish at last year’s World Championships, and even claimed the U.S. Open Championship this year at a different weight class. [...]

By Cody Goodwin cody-goodwin@uiowa.edu When Army’s Spenser Mango qualified for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, critics claimed it was a “fluke.” This year was no surprise to the self-proclaimed veteran. Mango said this year’s trials were strictly business. “The first time, I’ll admit, I surprised myself,” the St. Louis-area native said. “I knew I could do [...]

By Cody Goodwin cody-goodwin@uiowa.edu Passive wrestling isn’t Justin Lester’s style. He’s an attacker, and he has always been known for his adrenaline-rush type of style. Lester likes his throws, and loves to do them up on a big stage. But when it comes to a tournament like the Olympic trials, what he accomplished in his [...]

By Molly Irene Olmstead molly-olmstead@uiowa.edu 55 kg: Helen Maroulis (NYAC) vs. Kelsey Campbell (Sunkist Kids) Maroulis earned a free pass to the championship match after winning the 2012 U.S. Open — her third U.S. Open title — and taking home fifth place in the 2011 World Championships. The Maryland native also claimed the Pan American [...]

By Cody Goodwin cody-goodwin@uiowa.edu There’s a distinct smell in the air — one of similarity, parallelism, and uniformity. Tonight’s 55-kg Greco-Roman finals matchup pits Army’s wrestling giant Spenser Mango against the New York Athletic Club’s little man Max Nowry. Mango has been inked down, by many experts, as the man to beat at 55 kg. [...]