April 10, 2004
LAS VEGAS--Former Northwestern wrestlers Tom Ciezki (Evergreen Park, Ill./St. Laurence) and Scott Schatzman (Chesterfield, Mo./Parkway Central) each placed in the top eight of their respective divisions at the U.S. National Championships last Saturday to advance to the U.S. Olympic wrestling team's final qualification tournament, held May 21-23 in Indianapolis.
Ciezki, a 2000 graduate, finished sixth in the 185-pound class of Greco-Roman. Meanwhile, Schatzman, a three-time All-American and another 2000 graduate, took eighth at 132 lbs. in men's freestyle.
Both NU alumni will next compete in the Challenge Tournament portion of the final trials event, which will be staged at the RCA Dome. The winners move on to the Championship Finals Series; champions of each weight class in each style will earn the right to compete at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.