Oct. 7, 2011
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Twelfth-year Navy wrestling head coach Bruce Burnett has been selected by USA Wrestling to serve among its coaching staff at the 2011 Pan American Games scheduled for Oct. 20-24 in Guadalajara, Mexico. Joining Burnett on the men's freestyle coaching staff in Guadalajara will be Ohio State Associate Head Coach Lou Rosselli, who also coached alongside Burnett at the 2010 FISU University World Championship in Italy, as well as National Freestyle Coach Zeke Jones.
"It's always an honor to represent your country," said Burnett, a former U.S. Olympic head coach (1996, 2000). "It turned out to be a perfect window of opportunity for me to work with some of the elite athletes in the country and keep current with the sport. I gladly accepted the assignment and have high hopes in bringing the gold back to America."
The Pan American Games is a major continental sports event which is held every four years. It features the top athletes from North America, Central America and South America in 43 Olympic and Pan American sports programs.
The U.S. will send 15 wrestlers to compete in Guadalajara, with six men's freestyle athletes, six Greco-Roman athletes and three women's freestyle athletes. Greco-Roman will be held October 20-21, with women's freestyle on October 22 and men's freestyle on October 23-24.
The U.S. men's freestyle team features four past World medalists, including 2011 World champion Jordan Burroughs at 74 kg/163 lbs.
The other past medalists on the men's freestyle team include 2009 World silver medalist Jake Herbert at 84 kg/185 lbs., 2011 World bronze medalist Jake Varner at 96 kg/211.5 lbs. and 2009 World bronze medalist Tervel Dlagnev at 120 kg/264.5 lbs.
Rounding out the men's freestyle team are 2011 World Team members Nick Simmons, who placed fifth at the 2011 World Championships, at 55 kg/121 lbs. and Teyon Ware at 66 kg/145.5 lbs.
The last Pan American Championships were held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in July of 2007. The U.S. had six individual champions, Greco-Roman athletes Justin Lester at 66 kg. Brad Vering at 94 kg and Justin Ruiz at 96 kg, women's freestyle athletes Sara McMann at 63 kg and Kristie Marano at 72 kg and men's freestyle athlete Henry Cejudo at 55 kg.
None of the U.S. athletes competing in Guadalajara have previous Pan American Games experience.
No stranger to international competition, Burnett has held several coaching posts in leading the United States across foreign waters. Burnett came to Annapolis fresh off a coaching stint in Sydney, Australia, where he served as the United States Olympic Freestyle Coach at the 2000 Olympic Games. His athletes captured one gold, two silver and two bronze medals.
Burnett has helped prepare the United States' elite athletes for world and Olympic competition as the national freestyle coach since 1992. His resume is nothing short of impressive. His teams won five medals at the 1996 Olympic Games (three gold, one silver and one bronze) and eight medals at the 1999 Pan American Games (six gold, one silver and one bronze). Additionally, his teams captured World Team Titles in 1993 and 1995, the World Cup of Wrestling in 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000 and the Pan American Championship in 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1996.
During that time, Burnett coached Kurt Angle, Tom Brands, Kendal Cross, Kevin Jackson, Brandon Slay and John Smith to Olympic gold medals, while cornering Terry Brands, Tom Brands, Angle, Jackson and Smith to World Championships.
He was named the Freestyle Wrestling Coach of the Year in 1995 and 1996 and was named the United States Olympic Committee Elite Coach of the Year in 1996. Additionally, he was named a finalist for the 2004 Olympic Freestyle Staff.
At the conclusion of Navy's 2001-02 season, Burnett served as the head coach of the United States World Cup Team at the 2002 Freestyle World Cup of Wrestling Championship in Spokane, Wash. He was also selected as the head coach for the U.S. World University Games in 2005.
Burnett has guided the Midshipmen to a 101-50 (.669) record in his 11 seasons at the Academy which featured six-straight seasons of 10 or more wins (2002-07). Along the way, he has helped produce nine EIWA Champions, while nine of his wrestlers have garnered All-America recognition including 2011 graduate Bryce Saddoris. The two-time All-American and 2009 recipient of the Coaches Trophy which is presented to the most valuable wrestler at the EIWA Championship, Saddoris amassed a 147-40 career record en route to becoming Navy's all-time wins record holder.
The Midshipmen have flourished under Burnett's leadership, finishing among the top 25 at the NCAA Championship in three of the last five seasons and among the top five at the EIWA Championship in five of the last seven seasons.
2011 U.S. PAN AMERICAN GAMES WRESTLING LINEUPS
Men's freestyle
55 kg/121 lbs. - Nick Simmons, Corvallis, Ore. (Sunkist Kids)
66 kg/145.5 lbs. - Teyon Ware, State College, Pa. (Nittany Lion WC)
74 kg/163 lbs. - Jordan Burroughs, Lincoln, Neb. (Sunkist Kids)
84 kg/185 lbs. - Jake Herbert, Ann Arbor, Mich. (New York AC)
96 kg/211.5 lbs. - Jake Varner, State College, Pa. (Nittany Lion WC)
120 kg/264.5 lbs. - Tervel Dlagnev, Columbus, Ohio (Sunkist Kids)
National Freestyle Coach - Zeke Jones, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Pan American Games Coach - Bruce Burnett, Annapolis, Md.
Pan American Games Coach - Lou Rosselli, Columbus, Ohio
Team Leader - Mike Novogratz, New York, N.Y.
College programs - Michigan State (Simmons), Oklahoma (Ware), Nebraska (Burroughs), Northwestern (Herbert), Iowa State (Varner), Nebraska-Kearney (Dlagnev)
Greco-Roman
60 kg/132 lbs. - Joe Betterman, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids)
66 kg/145.5 lbs. - Glenn Garrison, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army)
74 kg/163 lbs. - Ben Provisor, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids)
84 kg/185 lbs. - Cheney Haight, Orem, Utah (New York AC)
96 kg/211.5 lbs. - Pete Gounaridis, Leominster, Mass. (Sunkist Kids)
120 kg/264.5 lbs. - Tim Taylor, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army)
National Greco-Roman Coach - Steve Fraser, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Pan American Games Coach - Shon Lewis, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Pan American Games Coach - John Matthews, Phoenix, Ariz.
Team Leader - Dave Barry, Hoboken, N.J.
College programs - Northern Michigan (Betterman, Provisor, Haight, Gounaridis), Montana-State Northern (Garrison), Clackamas CC (Garrison), Portland State (Garrison)
PAN AMERICAN GAMES WRESTLING SCHEDULE
At Guadalajara, Mexico, October 20-24
(match times reflect those in Guadalajara, which is the same at the U.S. Central Time Zone)
Thursday, October 20 (U.S. wrestlers Garrison, Haight, Taylor)
10:00 a.m. - Preliminaries, semifinals, repechage for Greco-Roman 55, 66, 84, 120 kg
6:00 p.m. - Medal matches for Greco-Roman 55, 66, 84, 120 kg
Friday, October 21 (U.S. wrestlers Betterman, Provisor, Gounaridis)
10:00 a.m. - Preliminaries, semifinals, repechage for Greco-Roman 60, 74, 96 kg
6:00 p.m. - Medal matches for Greco-Roman 60, 74, 96 kg
Sunday, October 23 (U.S. wrestlers Simmons, Ware, Herbert, Dlagnev)
10:00 a.m. - Preliminaries, semifinals, repechage for freestyle 55, 66, 84, 120 kg
6:00 p.m. - Medal matches for freestyle 55, 66, 84, 120 kg
Monday, October 24 (U.S. wrestlers Burroughs, Varner)
10:00 a.m. - Preliminaries, semifinals, repechage for freestyle 60, 74, 96 kg
6:00 p.m. - Medal matches for freestyle 55, 66, 84, 120 kg
### Go Navy ###
