Feb. 1, 2008

WASHINGTON - The lineups for the Team USA vs. Belarus freestyle wrestling showcase being held at American University's Bender Arena on Thursday, Feb. 14, at 7 p.m. have been finalized, AU Head Coach Mark Cody announced Friday. The U.S. lineup includes two wrestlers currently ranked No. 1 in the country and the Belarus lineup features two former Senior World Championships medal winners.

"Both teams are bringing in a great group of guys," Cody said. "I'm excited to see what will happen when we get this much talent on the mat. Any sports fan who enjoys seeing competition at its highest level will be lucky to see these two teams in action."

Team USA's lineup will include 55 kg Matt Azevedo, 60 kg Mike Zadick, 66 kg Jesse Jantzen, 74 kg Muzaffar Abdurakhmanov, 84 kg Chris Pendleton, 96 kg Daniel Cormier and 120 kg Tolly Thompson. Team USA will be coached by the current AU wrestling coaching staff.

Zadick and Cormier highlight the list of wrestlers on the U.S. side as the current No. 1's in their respective weight class. Zadick placed second at the 2007 Pan American Games and is a 2006 World silver medalist. Cormier was a bronze medalist at the 2007 World Championships and placed fourth in the 2004 Olympic Games.

The U.S. lineup also includes two national No. 2 wrestlers in Azevedo and Pendleton. Azevedo placed second at the 2007 U.S. World Team Trials and second at both the 2005 and 2006 Nationals. Pendleton finished 10th at the 2005 World University Games and won back-to-back NCAA Championships in 2004 and 2005.

AU Assistant Coach Muzaffar Abdurakhmanov will wrestle for Team USA at 74 kg

Current AU assistant coach and former Eagle himself, Abdurakhmanov is no stranger to Bender Arena. Abdurakhmanov wrestled for two seasons at AU after winning two junior college national championships at Colby Community College. Abdurakhmanov became just the second grappler in program history to be crowned an All-American in 2006 and was also a two-time EIWA Champion for AU.

"It will be nice to wrestle in front of my home crowd again after competing in several international competitions recently," Abdurakhmanov said. "I am excited to have this opportunity and excited that the local wrestling community will get to see wrestling at its highest level."

Jantzen and Thompson round out Team USA's lineup for the showcase and each brings a full resume to the mat. Jantzen was a 2005 World University Games Champion and in 2004 won an NCAA Championship for Harvard. Thompson is a former pupil of Coach Cody and is a three-time U.S. Nationals Champion and two-time U.S. World Team Trials Champion.

Belarus is bringing a lineup to Washington, D.C., which includes 55 kg Rizvan Gadzhiev, 60 kg Mahamedkamil Mahamedau, 60 kg Aliaksandr Karnitski, 66 kg Albert Batyrov, 74 kg Aliaksandr Matyl, 84 kg Ivan Yankouski, 96 kg Ruslan Sheikhov and 120 kg Maksim Mikhalevich. Belarus will be coached by Valiantsin Murzinkou and Siarhei Huryeu.

Gadshiev and Sheikov are each Senior World Championships bronze medalists, having placed third in 2007 and 2006, respectively. Batyrov and Gaidarov each took fifth place at the 2006 Worlds. Mikhailevich, another prominent Belarusian wrestler, placed second at the 2006 World Military Games.

Tickets for the showcase are on sale now and available by calling 202-885-TIXX or by clicking here. Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for seniors, kids 18 and under, groups of 20 or more or anyone with a valid AU ID. A pre-ordered ticket to the showcase will also get you into a one-hour wrestling clinic being taught by the U.S. Olympic Committee's 2007 Wrestling Male Athlete of the Year, Brad Vering. The clinic will begin at 4 p.m. in the Marilyn Meltzer Wrestling Room. Space for the clinic is limited.