Back to home     |     What's new?

For Immediate Release: November 11, 2002

      Marti Malloy, Tim DeBoom and U.S. National Women's Field Hockey Team Honored by the United States Olympic Committee as Top Performers of October 2002

      COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. - The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) announced today the selection of Judo's Marti Malloy and Triathlete Tim DeBoom as its October 2002 Athletes of the Month.  Team of the Month honors were awarded to the U.S. National Women's Field Hockey Team.

      Malloy (Vallejo, Calif.) garnered the Athlete of the Month titleafter the 16-year-old became the only U.S. woman to win a gold medal on the October North American Tour.  She beat 2000 U.S. Olympian Ellen Wilson in the finals of the women's 57kg division at the RendezVous Judo Championships in Montreal, Canada, Oct. 17.  Malloy opened the day with three quick Ippon victories (instant win, like a pin in wrestling or knockout in boxing) including wins againstCanadian Senior National bronze medalist Maryse Guilbault and former U.S. Champion Carrie Chandler. Marti defeated Great Britain's Jennie Brien - the 2002 Commonwealth Games silver medalist - to get to the finals and set up the match with 2001 and 2002 British Open Champ Wilson. Malloy was able to overcome a scoring deficit in the match and forced the older, more experienced player into uncharacteristic errors that earned her the medal.  Malloy also finished in fifth place in the U.S. Open in Las Vegas.

      For the men, DeBoom (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) won his second straight Ironman World Title on Oct. 19 in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.  An Ironman distance race consists of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike and a 26.2-mile run.  DeBoom completed the race in 8:29:56.

      The U.S. National Women's Field Hockey Team earned the Team of the Month award after it won the inaugural International Atlantic Cup, Oct. 9-13, at the team's National Training Center in Virginia
Beach, Va.  The U.S. defeated Ireland, 3-2, in extra time in the championship game, avenging a 2-1 loss to the Irish in pool play.  The U.S. downed Scotland, 2-1, and Mexico, 7-0, on its way to the title game.  The tournament served as the team's final tune-up for the FIH World Cup, Nov. 24-Dec. 8 in Perth, Australia.

      Finishing second among females nominated was Field Hockey's Tracey Fuchs.  Fuchs (Virginia Beach, Va.) scored four goals in four games to help lead the U.S. National Women's Field Hockey Team to the tournament championship at the International Atlantic Cup, Oct. 9-13, in Virginia Beach.  The most-capped player in U.S. Field Hockey history with 223 career international appearances, Fuchs scored two goals in the championship game, including the game-winner in extra time, to give the USA a 3-2 victory over Ireland in the championship game.

      In third place was USA Fencing's Carolyn Wright.  Wright (Arlington, Va.) earned silver and gold at the 2002 Junior and Cadet Pan American Fencing Championships in Santiago, Chile, Oct. 21-26.  She earned the silver in the Under-17 competition, losing the gold to Brazil's Elora Ugo Pattaro.  She avenged the loss two days later by defeating Pattaro in the Under-20 women's sabre event to win the gold. In the gold medal bout, Wright won a tight match, 15-14, after being down at one point 9-13.  She competed with fencers from Brazil, Mexico, Columbia, Chile, El Salvador, Bolivia, Ecuador, Guadeloupe, Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay.

      In balloting for Male Athlete of the Month, speedskater Alex Izykowski (Bay City, Mich.) took second place for his record-breaking October performances.  At the CODA Invitational, Oct. 11-13, held at the Calgary Olympic Oval, Izykowski set American junior/senior records in the 1500m and 3000m.  In his first 1500m race, he eclipsed the U.S. Junior record in the event with a time of 2 minutes 14.65 seconds.  The time broke the previous American standard held by Apolo Anton Ohno, who skated a time of 2:15.977 in Calgary on Oct. 20, 2000.  Izykowski placed second.  In his second 1500m, he bested his record with a time of 2:13.35, setting a new U.S. Senior and Junior record in the event.  His time beat the 2:13.728 time posted by Ohno.  He finished third in the race.  On Oct. 13, Izykowski broke the American record in the 3000m with a time of 4 minutes 39.362 seconds, shattering the record of 4:47.03 set by Ron Biondo on March 24 in Neville Island, Pa.  Izykowski placed fourth overall.

      Equestrian's Custom Made (The Plains, Va.) finished third in voting. The Sydney Olympic gold medal horse carried David O'Connor to victory in its farewell competition at the 2002 Fair Hill International Eventing Championship, Oct. 24-27, in Fair Hill, Md.  O'Connor had announced that the Fair Hill International would be the final event for the 17-year-old thoroughbred who carried him to the individual gold medal at Sydney.  O'Connor and Custom Made topped a starting field of 78 horses from six countries to win both the Fair Hill   International and the U.S. Equestrian Team Eventing Three-Star Fall Championship.

      Placing second for the team honor was the U.S. National Luge Doubles Team of Mark Grimmette and Brian Martin.  Grimmette (Muskegon, Mich.)and Martin (Palo Alto, Calif.) returned to the same track where they      won their 2002 Olympic silver medal and claimed their first title of the new luge season when they raced to a first place finish, Oct. 31, at the Verizon North American Championships in Park City, Utah.
This is the duo's third consecutive Verizon North American Championship crown.

      The University of Louisiana-Monroe Water Ski Team and the USA Baseball Professional Team tied for third among the team honorees. The University of Louisiana-Monroe knocked off defending champion Arizona State to win back the Division 1-A national title at the 2002 Collegiate Water Ski National Championships, Oct. 17-19, at The Aquaplex in Austin, Texas. ULM finished with 7,150 points, edging runner-up ASU by less than 100 points. The win, which marks ULM's 17th national title in the 24-year history of the Collegiate Nationals, served as justification for ULM's number-one ranking in the final 2002 National Collegiate Water Ski Association's Coaches Poll, released Oct. 24.

      The 2002 USA Baseball Professional Team captured the silver medal at the America Series Championship, Oct. 1-8, and at the same time qualified the United States for the 2003 Pan Am Games.  USABaseball's elite professional team reached its fourth consecutive gold medal game in major international competition, and the Americans captured their fourth straight medal since professional players began participating in 1999.

      RESULTS: (First place points)

      Women
      1.    Marti Malloy - 35 (24)
      2.    Tracey Fuchs - 33 (21)
      3.    Carolyn Wright - 20 (9)
            Also receiving first place votes: Shannon Pluhowsky, Beezie
            Patton Madden, Toccara Montgomery and Natalie Brown

      Men
      1.    Tim DeBoom - 42 (30)
      2.    Alex Izykowski - 27 (12)
      3.    Custom Made - 22 (15)
            Also receiving first place votes: Dan DeMarco, Brian Ward and Anthony Dirrell

      Team
      1.    U.S. National Women's Field Hockey Team - 53 (45)
      2.    U.S. National Luge Doubles Team (Mark Grimmette/Brian Martin) - 31 (6)
      3.    (Tie) USA Baseball Professional Team - 21 (6) 
            University of Louisiana-Monroe Water Ski Team - 21 (6)

      For more information, contact Julie Eversgerd at Julie.Eversgerd@usoc.org or (719) 866-3503, Jake Fehling at Jake.Fehling@usoc.org or (719) 866-2221, or USOC Media and Public Relations Division, at (719) 866-4529.  This release is also available on the USOC's public web site (www.usolympicteam.com) and our media-specific web site (http://usocpressbox.org.)

      Jake Fehling
      Media and Public Relations
      U.S. Olympic Committee
      1 Olympic Plaza
      Colorado Springs, CO  80909
      719-866-2221 (office)
      919-260-2811 (cell)
      719-866-4785 (fax)
      www.usocpressbox.org
      www.usolympicteam.com