W C W AWomen's College Wrestling Association – Providing Opportunities for Female College Wrestlers

By Trent Sillanpaa Menlo College
04/19/2010

Retiring Allen Hands Women’s Wrestling to Olympian Van Dusen

ATHERTON, Calif. – If ever Menlo College women’s wrestling could find a worthy replacement for retiring head coach Lee Allen it may have done just that with the hiring of 2008 Olympian Marcie VanDusen as only the second head coach in program history.

“We are extremely fortunate to hire someone of Marcie’s caliber to continue the great tradition left behind by Lee Allen,” Menlo College Athletic Director Keith Spataro said. “We are pleased to be the first intercollegiate wrestling program to hire a female head coach and, in doing so, set the trend for many others to follow.”

Stepping into the position vacated – and essentially made – by Allen will be anything but easy to do considering his career accomplishments. Allen is a wrestling legend who was a two-time Olympian himself before spending nearly 50 years as a coach and leading the movement to legitimize women’s wrestling as a recognized sport. As the leader of the Oaks women’s wrestling program since its inception in 2001, Allen coached four national champions and 26 national place-winners. He was also named 2009 Women’s College Wrestling Association Coach of the Year.

Van Dusen spent eight years as a member of the U.S. National Team, culminating with a spot on the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team and a ninth-place finish at the Beijing Games. During her stretch on the U.S. National Team, Van Dusen was a 2004 World University champion and 2008 World Cup gold medalist, and also represented the U.S. as a member of the 2007 World Team. She is a two-time national champion.

While Van Dusen’s coaching career is at an early stage, she has been just as successful as a leader off the mat as she was a competitor on it. Van Dusen currently coaches the California USA Wrestling women’s team which she led to a dominant first-place performance at the National Junior Duals in 2009. She also serves as an instructor at Rim of the World Wrestling Club in her native Lake Arrowhead, Calif., as well as a number of clinics across the country.

“It is an honor to be the next head coach of the women’s wrestling program at Menlo College,” said VanDusen. “Coach Allen has been an amazing leader in the women’s wrestling community for a decade, and I am thankful for all the hard work and dedication he put into building the women’s wrestling program.”

Within USA Wrestling, Van Dusen is a proven leader as a member of the Board of Directors. She has also served on the Executive Committee, Women’s Sports Committee, and Athletes Advisory Committee. VanDusen graduated from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs in 2010 with a BA in Geography & Environmental Studies.

In his days as a wrestler, Allen competed for the U.S. National Team at the 1956 Melbourne Games and again at the 1960 Rome Games. He again represented the U.S. at the 1961 FILA World Championships in Yokohama, Japan. Prior to his stint as a member of the national team, Allen was the second four-time state champion (1949-52) in the history of Oregon prep wrestling – never losing a match – and a star at the University of Oregon.

Once Allen hung up his wrestling shoes he continued at the highest levels of wrestling as a coach. Allen served as an assistant coach for the U.S. at the 1972 and 1976 Olympic Games, and was the head coach of the team which ultimately boycotted the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow along with the entire U.S. delegation. He was also the head coach for the 1973 and 1977-79 FILA World Championship teams. In 1998, Allen coached the 1998 Pan Am Games women’s team.

Allen’s final stop before Menlo was Skyline College in San Bruno, Calif., where he led the men’s wrestling program for 32 years while incorporating a women’s program later in his tenure. Allen also hosted the first women’s wrestling tournament in American history. His career has already been honored by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Hall of Fame, and San Mateo County Sports Hall of Fame.

During his time at Menlo, Allen and his family have been a key part of the campus community. Allen’s daughters Sara and Katherine Fulp-Allen spent their college careers at Menlo, each winning a pair of national titles while representing the U.S. at international competitions. Both are current members of the U.S. National Team. His wife, Joan Fulp, acted as an assistant coach for the Oaks. Lee and Joan make their home in El Granada.

Ashley Hudson (59 kg), Amberle Montgomery (63 kg) and Brittney Delgado (77 kg) won individual titles at the ASICS University National Championships in Akron, Ohio on Sunday, April 11th.  All three athletes qualify to represent the United States at the University World Games held in Italy in October.

The University National Championships also serve as a qualifying tournament for the 2010 US World Team Trials.  The top two athletes at each weight class will have the opportunity to advance to the Trials in Council Bluffs, IA July 8-10.

Other notable WCWA athletes who competed at the University National Championships were WCWA champion Victoria Anthony of Simon Fraser, Amy Whitbeck and Veronica Carlson from Missouri Baptist.  Anthony and Carlson finished second at 48 kg and 63 kg, respectively, while Whitbeck was the champion at 51 kg.  All three women represented the New York Athletic Club.

Gabrielle Henry and Christen Paysse from the University of the Cumberlands finished second.  Henry lost to Whitbeck in the championship finals at 51 kg and Paysse was defeated by America’s top 67 kg athlete, Elena Pirozkhova (Gator WC).

Randi Beltz from Missouri Valley College also qualified for the World Team Trials by finishing second at 59 kg.  The Vikings Jordan Hagerman finished second at 77 kg.

In the first wave of college commitments, newly established King College leads WCWA schools with five signees including two-time Junior National Champion Hanna Martin from El Reno, OK.  Martin won her national titles in 2007 and 2009.  She was 2nd in 2008.  Additionally, she is a three-time FILA Cadet National Champion and three-time USAW Folkstyle All-American.  Head coach Jason Moorman also inked Kayla Bartosch (Triangle, VA), a two-time Folkstyle All-American, Emilii Russell (Henderson, TN), Victoria Nguyen (Gray, TN) and Katrina Perez (El Centro, CA).

Cisco Cole, head coach of Jamestown College in Jamestown, ND, has announced that he has signed Natalie Rutt, Rio Crismore and Ariel Oster.  Rutt, a Belle Plaine, MN native, is a returning Junior National runner-up.  She also placed 7th in 2008.  Natalie’s brother, Travis, compete at the University of Wisconsin and was a national qualifier in 2010 as well as a 2009 US Junior World Team member.

2009 and 2010 team champions Oklahoma City University have started their reloading process by adding Junior National runner-ups Brittney Goebel and Kristi Garr.  Garr competed at Goodrich High School in Michigan and won multiple USGWA National titles.  She was a high school teammate of USOTC resident athlete C.C. Weber.

The Dave Schultz International Memorial is one of three international wrestling tournaments in the United States and one of the toughest in the world.  One week following the WCWA National Championships, some top collegiate athletes competed in this prestigious event.

The tournament is held in honor of the late-Dave Schultz, a former world and Olympic gold medalist for USA.   It is held the first weekend in February at the United State Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO.  Men’s and women’s freestyle and Greco-Roman events are offered over three days of competition.  Additionally, an international training camp takes place prior to the event every year.

WCWA national champions Victoria Anthony (Simon Fraser), Katherine Fulp-Allen (Menlo), Michaela Hutchison (Oklahoma City), Helen Maroulis (Missouri Baptist) and Amberle Montgomery (Oklahoma City) all competed as did many other college stars.

Participating athletes from the WCWA:

48 kg/105.5 lbs – Victoria Anthony (NYAC),  Lisa Jo Martinez (Cumberlands), Nicole Woody (OCU-Gator WC)

51 kg/112 lbs – Amy Whitbeck (MBU) – 4th place, Katherine Fulp-Allen (NYAC), Emily Harper (Victory)

55 kg/121 lbs – Helen Maroulis (NYAC) – 2nd place, Michaela Hutchison (OCU-Gator WC), Kristen Strickler (OCU-Gator WC)

59 kg/130 lbs – Schuyler Brown (Gator WC) – 5th place,  Nena Garcia (Cumberlands), Cianria Hee (Cumberlands), Ashley Hudson (OCU-Gator WC), Shelia McCabe (OCU-Gator WC)

63 kg/138.75 lbs – Veronica Carlson (NYAC) – 5th place, Lauren Louive (Cumberlands), Tessa Plana (OCU-Gator WC)

67 kg/147.5 lbs – Christin Paysse (Cumberlands) – 5th place, Amberle Montgomery (OCU-Gator WC),  Brittney Roberts (OCU-Gator WC)

72 kg/158 lbs – Amber Floyd (Cumberlands), Melissa Simmons (OCU-Gator WC)