The Olympic wrestling team wrapped up its team trials on Thursday with a wrestle-off between three 60-kg contenders: Shawn Bunch, Reese Humphrey, and Coleman Scott.
Scott won the Olympic berth, defeating Bunch in the finals, 1-0, 5-0.
Scott also won the preliminary team trials held in Carver-Hawkeye arena on April 21-22, but Bunch and Humphrey were withheld from the trials to rest for international competition that would qualify the 60-kg weight class for the London Games.
Scott beat Humphrey in the first wrestle-off, 1-0, 0-1, 1-0, and advanced to the best-of-three championship series.
The former-Oklahoma State Cowboy also won the first match against Bunch, 1-0, 0-1, 7-0 but Bunch took the send, 1-1, 0-1, 1-0.
The victor won his ticket to his first Olympic Games with a 5-point move. Coleman was able to throw Bunch from off his feet and to the mat and into a position of immediate danger, with Bunch’s feet traveling directly over his head.
The move was originally deemed a 3-point, but Bunch challenged the call. The officials reviewed video playback and determined it was actually a 5-point maneuver for the win.
— by Molly Irene Olmstead