Aug. 2, 2008

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- U.S. National Team member Scott Steele (Baltimore, Md.), a rising senior at the Naval Academy, will accompany his USA Wrestling teammates to Beijing for the 2008 Olympics. Steele, who placed third at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in June, will serve as an alternate at 120 kg to Olympian Steve Mocco.

The invitation to punch his ticket to Beijing came as a small surprise to Steele who reported to training camp on July 3 in Tempe, Ariz. The top three placewinners at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials were obligated to participate in the training camp sponsored by the Sunkist Kids at Arizona State University. When Steele arrived, however, he was the only workout partner for Mocco at 120 kg. It was at that point, the wheels began to turn and Steele wondered what if.

"I worked out with Mocco last year and knew he liked me and my style of wrestling. I think they knew going into camp that they would extend the invitation for me to be Steve's workout partner in Beijing," said Steele via telephone from the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

"Coach Burnett thought there was about a 75 percent chance of me going with the team to Beijing," added Steele. "He pointed out that when he was the Olympic coach he would never let the No. 2 guy wrestle the No. 1 guy.

"Even though I knew there was a chance, when Coach Jackson told me I was going to Beijing, I just thought `wow, who would have thought?'. What an opportunity!"

"I've seen people train for years for the opportunity to wrestle in the Olympics," said ninth-year Navy head coach Bruce Burnett, who served as the U.S. Olympic Team head coach in 1996 and 2000 and the assistant coach in 1992. "The fact that he has performed at this level indicates what he has accomplished and what he is capable of achieving in the future.

"I'm very proud of what Scott has been able to accomplish. He is a tremendous leader and he truly displays all the characteristics we strive for at the Naval Academy. He will represent the Naval Academy and the United States well."

Steele's trek began in April when he placed seventh at the 2008 U.S. Freestyle National Championship in Las Vegas.

It would not be an easy task for him, however, as he was one of several wrestlers who were forced to qualify via a "mini" tournament with the top eight moving into the competition bracket. Steele swept both his competitors in the qualifying tournament and extended his winning streak in the opening round of the competition bracket.

While Steele owned a 3-0 record heading into the quarterfinal round, he would face perhaps the toughest competitor he's seen during his collegiate career. The most decorated wrestler in Ohio State history, Tommy Rowland was a four-time All-American for the Buckeyes, winning national titles in 2002 and `04. Now a volunteer assistant coach at his alma mater, Rowland is a former U.S. World Team medalist who came into the tournament as the reigning U.S. Freestyle National Champion. Steele hung tough in the opening match, sparring to a 3-1 loss before succumbing in the match in the second, 2-0.

Now in the consolation bracket, Steele faced North Carolina's Justin Dobies, a redshirt freshman for the Tar Heels whom Steele defeated at the University Nationals a week prior. Steele was once again the victor, earning back-to-back 1-0 wins over Dobies, a 2008 NCAA qualifier.

Steele went on to square off against one of the premier heavyweight wrestlers in the country, 2005 Freestyle Wrestler of the Year, Tolly Thompson. Thompson, who would go on to finish fourth in the tournament, is also a past U.S. World Team medalist who was the 1995 NCAA National Champion. A Nebraska graduate, he has spent the last six years as an assistant coach at the University of Northern Iowa. Steele fought off Thompson in the opening round, 1-1, but Thompson caught Steele in a vulnerable position and pinned him.

The loss sent Steele to the seventh-place match, giving him a final opportunity to earn a spot in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Steele was matched up against Dom Bradley, who just finished up his rookie season at Missouri. Though a young talent, Bradley came into the year as the nation's top-ranked freshman at the heavyweight division. Bradley claimed the opener, 1-0, but Steele rallied to even the match at one apiece by taking the second, 1-0. Steele earned the match win, 1-1, by scoring the last point of the match.

"Going into the tournament, I fully expected to qualify for the Trials," Steele recounted. "I saw a solid five guys with two wildcards, if you will, up for grabs. Once I made it past the mini tournament, I felt my chances were really good to finish in the top seven."

"I'm an optimist, so even though I knew he's have some tough matches to win along the way, I thought he had a solid chance of making the Trials," said Burnett. "It came down to the last match, the match that would give him the chance to advance to the Trials. I told him we'd get him there."

Prior to his arrival in Las Vegas for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Steele spent some time in Colorado Springs training. It was there that he saw who is first-round opponent would be.

"I remember seeing that Tolly Thompson would be my opening round opponent in the Trials," said Steele. "Then I replayed the match from the Freestyle National Championship in my head. I was winning the match when I slipped up and he took advantage of it and beat me. In my mind, I was in better shape than him, so I thought I had every opportunity to beat him at the Trials."

And he did just that, besting the 2005 World Bronze Medalist and third-seeded Thompson in the best-of-three match, 1-0, 0-2, 1-0.

"When I beat Tolly, I went forward with a `nothing to lose' mentality," said Steele. "I approached each match with the thought I was going to compete as hard as I could and give everything I could to win the match."

There was little time for Steele to bask in his victory over Thompson, however, as the competition would continue to get tougher. Steele's semifinal opponent was 2008 Nebraska-Kearney graduate Tervel Dlagnev, who won back-to-back Div. II national titles in 2007 and `08 and was seeded No. 2 in the Olympic Trials. In what was a physical match, Steele won by the narrowest of margins, taking the match, 2-2, 0-3, 1-1. The win catapulted him into the championship bout of the challenge matches and assured him the opportunity to fight for at worst a chance to be an alternate.

Steele battled top-seeded Mocco, a former two-time NCAA Champion and 2006 Pan American Games gold medalist, in the championship match. Though Steele put up a tremendous fight, the more experienced Mocco snapped the youngster's winning streak by earning a 2-0, 7-0 decision.

The loss, however, was a brief setback as Steele moved on to the "True 3rd's" match with the winner serving as the second alternate for the Olympics. Steele was more than happy to take advantage of that opportunity as he claimed the match over Virginia Tech assistant coach and former Real Pro Wrestling champion Patrick Cummins, 3-2, 2-0.

Steele will serve as Mocco's workout partner for the duration of his stay at the Olympic Training Center before heading to Beijing on Aug. 6.

"To get to where I am right now has been a culmination of stepping stones. Each accomplishment has helped shaped where I am today and it's become a reality. It's been my dream to wrestle at this level and now I'm wrestling with the guys I have held in such high regard. It's a little bit difficult to grasp at times. It's all coming together now and I'm really happy."