Marcie Van Dusen reaches finals, one win away from qualifying weight class for Olympics

lo. – Marcie Van Dusen took care of business quickly to move within one win of qualifying her weight class for the 2008 Olympic Games.

Van Dusen (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) pinned Mexico’s Magdalena Arellano in the semifinals of the Pan American Championships on Saturday morning at the U.S. Olympic Training Center.

Van Dusen will now face Olympic silver medalist Tonya Verbeek of Canada in the finals at 55 kg/121 lbs. on Saturday afternoon. The winner will qualify their country for the Olympics in Beijing, China.

Van Dusen, a 2007 World Team member, is looking to qualify the final women’s weight class for the Olympics for the U.S. The Americans qualified the other three Olympic weight classes for women at the 2007 World Championships.

Van Dusen beat Verbeek in the semifinals of the 2007 Pan American Games.

In the other women’s freestyle weight classes, Clarissa Chun (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) reached the finals at 48 kg/105.5 lbs. Also in the finals are Patricia Miranda (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) at 51 kg/112.25 lbs. and Elena Pirozhkov (Colorado Springs, Colo./Gator WC) at 67 kg/147.5 lbs.

In the round-robin competition at 59 kg/130 lbs., Tatiana Padilla (LaVerne, Calif./Sunkist Kids) won her first match by fall and needs to win her second to claim the title.

In the round-robin competition at 72 kg/158.5 lbs., Stephany Lee (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) won her first match. She will compete two more times in the second session.

Tori Adams (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) lost her first matc

lo. – Marcie Van Dusen took care of business quickly to move within one win of qualifying her weight class for the 2008 Olympic Games.

Van Dusen (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) pinned Mexico’s Magdalena Arellano in the semifinals of the Pan American Championships on Saturday morning at the U.S. Olympic Training Center.

Van Dusen will now face Olympic silver medalist Tonya Verbeek of Canada in the finals at 55 kg/121 lbs. on Saturday afternoon. The winner will qualify their country for the Olympics in Beijing, China.

Van Dusen, a 2007 World Team member, is looking to qualify the final women’s weight class for the Olympics for the U.S. The Americans qualified the other three Olympic weight classes for women at the 2007 World Championships.

Van Dusen beat Verbeek in the semifinals of the 2007 Pan American Games.

In the other women’s freestyle weight classes, Clarissa Chun (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) reached the finals at 48 kg/105.5 lbs. Also in the finals are Patricia Miranda (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) at 51 kg/112.25 lbs. and Elena Pirozhkov (Colorado Springs, Colo./Gator WC) at 67 kg/147.5 lbs.

In the round-robin competition at 59 kg/130 lbs., Tatiana Padilla (LaVerne, Calif./Sunkist Kids) won her first match by fall and needs to win her second to claim the title.

In the round-robin competition at 72 kg/158.5 lbs., Stephany Lee (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) won her first match. She will compete two more times in the second session.

Tori Adams (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) lost her first matc