Wrestling: Norfolk Academy's Runzo, Indian River's Lambert win national titles

By Amber Kuehn

Three South Hampton Roads wrestlers earned All-America status Monday at the USA Wrestling Cadet and Junior Nationals in Fargo, N.D.

Aaron Runzo of Norfolk Academy and Marina Lambert of Indian River High School won national titles; Grassfield's Caleb Richardson turned in a third-place finish.

Runzo, a rising junior at Norfolk Academy, won the cadet Greco title at 119 pounds. He defeated defending champion Daniel Deshazer of Kansas in the finals. Runzo won nine consecutive matches to become the first wrestler from Virginia to win a national Greco title since heavyweight Luke Owens of Grundy did it in 1998.

"I'm very proud of him," said his father, Chris, Norfolk Academy's wrestling coach. "He came out and did what he wanted to do."

Richardson, a rising sophomore at Grassfield, placed third in the 91-pound Greco group, defeating Joey Dance of Poquoson in an all-Virginia consolation final between workout partners.

"Caleb's worked so hard and he deserves the recognition," said his father, Brian, a former state wrestling champion and former coach at Kempsville.

Greco, which does not allow competitors to attack below the waist, never has been one of Virginia wrestling's strongest areas, said Jason Bryant, an Old Dominion University graduate and former writer for IntermatWrestle.com. But as a team, Virginia placed eighth - its highest Greco finish ever - and had six All-Americans, more than ever before.

Mark Strickland, national team coach in Fargo and head coach at Poquoson, said the tournament results solidify South Hampton Roads as a hotbed of wrestling in Virginia.

"This is the premier event in the country, the toughest high school event in the country," Strickland said. "The best college coaches come here. With this many kids doing so well, it really says a lot for Virginia wrestling."

Lambert, a rising junior, won the women's freestyle title at 165 pounds, defeating Katie Crouch of Florida. Lambert is also a judo competitor and last summer placed fifth in her weight division at the Pan American Games.

Women's Olympic team members were at the tournament scouting wrestlers; Strickland said Lambert turned some heads.

"She crushed the field, just absolutely dominated," Strickland said. "She pinned the No. 2 seed in eight seconds and destroyed last year's winner in the semifinals."

Strickland said Olympic team coach Rob Ider spoke with Lambert, who figures to have her choice between judo and freestyle wrestling when the 2012 Olympics roll around. "She's on their radar now," Strickland said.

Amber Kuehn, (406) 321-1210, amber.kuehn@pilotonline.com