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Area wrestler pins down crown
By FRANK DIRENNA
FULTON - Fulton's Danielle Bennett recorded some keys
wins as a member of the Fulton varsity wrestling team this past season.
Bennett also continued her stellar success in
tournaments recently by taking first at 109 pounds at the scholastic girls
folkstyle
nationals in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Bennett cruised to the title by pinning five
opponents in less than 1:50. There were 28 girls in her weight class.
Bennett holds an impressive 182-21 record against
girls in tournament action.
"There were a lot of tough girls there," said
Danielle's father, Randy Bennett.
On her way to the crown, Bennett pinned Hawaii's
Carol Siores (:43), Arkansas' Oksana Khvorova (1:27), California's Sonja
Washburn (:59), Michigan's Anna Haghgooie (:45) and
Bethany Lindle (1:47).
"Obviously, it's a great victory for her," Fulton
varsity wrestling coach Mike Conners said. "She's worked awfully hard. She
took a
few lumps this year, but she's worked very hard and it's a
tremendous victory for her."
Bennett finished 13-14 in varsity and junior varsity
action this past season.
"That's not bad for a girl wrestling in Fulton,"
Randy Bennett said. "She has paid her dues."
Bennett will continue her hectic wrestling schedule
while also touring the world as she will compete in Germany and Belgium
during
the upcoming Easter vacation.
Bennett, a member of the successful Mohawk Valley
Wrestling Club, will join six other girls in the competition.
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Red Raiders rip rivals, 44-19
January 15, 1998
By FRANK DIRENNA
FULTON - It didn't take
sophomore Danielle Bennett very long to become part of a storied
wrestling tradition.
Bennett, one of the few female scholastic wrestlers
in the state, produced the key pin which sparked the state-ranked Fulton
varsity
wrestling team past long-time rival Baldwinsville, 44-19,
before a packed house Wednesday night at G. Ray Bodley High School.
With her team leading 6-3, Bennett broke a 5-5 tie in
the second period with a decisive pin in 3:36 against the Bees' Larry Kline
at
119 pounds.
"He basically shot and I spun behind him," Bennett
said of her pin. "He wasn't going to shoot very well and I just threw a half
on him,
and he gave up."
The Red Raiders never looked back as they continued
their recent domination against Baldwinsville.
Fulton closed the once large gap in the historic
series to 16-17-1. The Bees once led the series, 16-1-1.
The Red Raiders, 6-0, were recently ranked as high as
third in the large school poll, but dipped to 13th after opting not to
compete in
this year's Union-Endicott Tournament. The previously
ranked Bees, 5-1, dropped out of the last poll.
Bennett, who collected a key victory at the recent
Sherburne-Earlville Tournament, was quick to put the team in front of her
personal
accomplishment.
"He (Coach Mike Conners) was very proud of us as a
team," Bennett said. "It's not about one individual person. It's more that
the
team deserved it."
"She did a great job," Conners said. "She got a big
win there, she got a pin. That was fantastic."
Following Bennett's win which rocked the house,
Fulton cruised and when Nick Vieni pinned Craig Beatrand in 3:53 at 160
pounds,
the Red Raiders secured their coveted victory.
In between, Fulton won four of six matches to remain
in control.
In what Conners called a key victory, Chris DeMars
decisioned John Merrill, 15-3, at 125 pounds.
Fulton's Noah Keib was awarded a forfeit win at 130
pounds, while teammate Nick Hansen moved up a weight at 135 pounds, but
still managed to fight off the late charges of Louis
Jenkins for a 4-3 win.
Dan Horning and Mark Prince pulled the Bees closer
with wins in the middleweights before Fulton's highly touted upperweights
iced
the victory.
Horning defeated Joe DeMars, 13-3, at 140 pounds;
while Prince pinned Chad Bush in 2:21 at 145.
Brett Kimball got the Red Raiders back on track with
a convincing 19-6 win over Jason Prusinowski at 152 pounds, giving the hosts
a comfortable 29-13 advantage.
After Vieni put on a clinic at 160, senior Kurt
Kimball dominated Nick Layou for a 9-3 win at 171 pounds. Layou attempted to
intimidate Kimball during the pre-match introductions, but
it was the Red Raider who shined during the match.
"When they come to our house we have to stick up for
ourselves, tell them that we're Fulton wrestlers and that we are not going
to be
messed with," Kimball said of the pre-match introduction.
"He's a good wrestler, I just wrestled hard, I tried to do what I could and
and it
ended up in my favor."
Kyle Barbera completed the scoring for Fulton with a
convincing win against John Allen at 189 pounds as he lifted the Bee and
then
brought him to the mat for a pin in 50 seconds.
Baldwinsville's Don Karlik made the final score more
respectable with a pin of Mike Guyette in 3:41 at 220 pounds.
"We won a lot of the close matches. That was good,"
said Conners, a graduate of Baldwinsville High School. "That was a great win
for Kurt. Chris DeMars had a great win at 125. That kid
has beaten a couple of sectional place winners. I thought it was a super win
for
Nick Hansen. That was a big win for him especially going
up a weight."
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Fulton wrestler eyes international success
June 30, 1998
By FRANK DIRENNA
FULTON - Danielle Bennett has toured the globe as she
attempts to conquer the wrestling world.
Bennett, a key contributor for coach Mike Conners'
varsity wrestling team last winter, continues to enjoy success during the
summer
wrestling season.
Bennett was recently named to represent the United
States at the Junior World Championships Aug. 4-6 in Oslo, Norway.
Bennett placed second at the United States Junior
Freestyle Nationals at 119 pounds in New Orleans, but was given the nod over
champion Katrina Betts because of her international
wrestling experience.
Bennett, 16, prepared for the Junior Nationals by
winning a national tournament in Michigan recently.
Approximately 150 girls competed in New Orleans, with
Bennett settling for second in a nine-person weight class. She won six
matches by pinfall, earning the Garriaran Trophy for most
falls in the least amount of time. Included were pins of 28 and 36 seconds.
The upcoming junior had little time to prepare once
she arrived in New Orleans as she took a final exam the previous day at G.
Ray
Bodley High School and didn't arrive in New Orleans until
4 a.m. the following day. Wrestlers had to be at the competition by 7 a.m.
Bennett's international experience includes a dual
meet in Germany and a tournament in the Netherlands during Easter vacation
this
year.
Bennett defeated German and European champions during
her visit to Germany. She placed third at 110 pounds in the Netherlands.
Bennett is preparing for Norway by begininng a
rigorous training schedule.
"I'm starting to train now and it's not until
August," Bennett said.
Bennett is running 6-7 miles four days a week and is
working out at the Fulton YMCA.
She is hoping that the training and summer
competition will prepare her for the upcoming winter scholastic season at
Fulton.
"I've been training now to get ready for scholastic
wrestling," Bennett said. "If I continue training when I come back from
Norway I
should be able to go right into the guys season."
Bennett's biggest fans have proven to be her parents,
Randy and Lori, but because of limited funds, they won't be able to
accompany
their daughter to Norway.
"Mentally, it doesn't help that they won't be there,
but I have coaches there who know what kind of mental preparation my father
puts
me through," Bennett said.
While Bennett is eager to visit Norway, she
understands funding continues to be a major obstacle. She has to raise
$2,000 or she will
have to cancel her trip.
The Bennett family is seeking donations from area
businesses and individuals to help fund the excursion.
"If I don't raise the money, there's no way I can do
it," Bennett said. "We're just hoping something happens. We're hoping we can
find
someone who wants to chip in something."
Those interested can contact Bennett at 592-5986.
