University of Minnesota Athletics
GARRETT LOWNEY CAPTURES TITLE AT 2001 WORLD TEAM TRIALS
6/25/2001 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
Lowney, competing for the Minnesota Storm Wrestling Club, posted 5-0 and 3-0 (OT) decisions over Jason Loukides of the U.S. Army in the best-of-three finals. Lowney, a redshirt freshman for the Golden Gophers in 2000-01, won the 2001 Big Ten heavyweight title and earned his first All-America honor with a third-place finish at the NCAA Championships. Lowney is a native of Freedom, Wis.
"Last year was an amazing feeling," Lowney said. "I wasn't expected to be on the team. This year, we will see about New York City. I know I can accomplish my goal and win it [there]."
Former Golden Gopher Brandon Paulson also earned a spot on the World Championships team, winning the Greco-Roman title at 119 pounds. Paulson, a 1996 Olympic silver medalist, defeated Jeff Cervone of the U.S. Air Force 3-2 and 5-0. Paulson, a native of Coon Rapids, Minn., wrestled at Minnesota from 1994-95 and 1997-98, capturing All-America honors in 1998 with a seventh-place finish at the national meet.
Former Golden Gophers Brandon Eggum and Tim Hartung also competed at the World Team Trials. Eggum, wrestling at 187.25 pounds in the freestyle division, won the challenge tournament and advanced to the finals where he lost to Cael Sanderson, the three-time NCAA champion from Iowa State, 9-0 and 4-0. Hartung went 0-3 and finished in sixth place at 213.75 pounds in the freestyle division in the challenge tournament.
At the World Championships, the men's U.S. Greco-Roman team will feature four past Olympic medalists and six Olympians, and only two team members who have never wrestled at a World Championships or Olympic Games. The men's freestyle team features one Olympian and three other past World Team members. Four of the eight wrestlers will be competing for the U.S. on the Senior World level for the first time.
