Valley's Lee one win shy of American world team

Valley sophomore Rachel Billerbeck (right) won three of four matches for third place at the U.S. World Team Trials last month. [Click to enlarge]

COLORADO SPRINGS -- Missouri Valley College junior Stephany Lee keeps inching closer to her goal of being No. 1 in the U.S.

Two years ago, Lee -- a native of Honolulu, Hawaii -- reached the challenge tournament finals in the Olympic Team Trials at Indianapolis, only to be pinned by veteran Kristie Marano. Ultimately she was the second alternate behind Tocarra Montgomery, who represented Team USA in the Athens games, and Marano and went on claim the gold medal in the University Women's World Championships at Lodz, Poland.

After missing the 2005 meet with a knee injury, Lee was back at it last month in Colorado Springs -- having taken second place at the U.S. Senior Nationals -- but once more was halted by Marano, albeit in the final series of the meet to give her first alternate status at 72 kilograms.

Lee beat Lady Vikings freshman Lacey Novinska in the first round June 29 with a 7-0 technical fall in the first period and 6-0 decision in the second. Downing the Gator Wrestling Club's Ali Bernard, 5-1, 1-0, in the semifinals put Lee into the June 30 challenge tournament finals against the U.S. Army's Iris Smith.

Smith, the defending world champion, was stopped 65 seconds into the second period by Lee to set up the finals series clash with Marano. However, the top-ranked Marano, 27, an eight-time world team member, pinned Lee -- the current PanAmerica Games champion -- at the 1:03 mark of the second frame of their first match and took the second contest by the narrow scores of 2-0, 1-0 to return to the team for the first time since '03.

Lee wasn't the only Valley grappler with a strong showing. Sophomore Rachel Billerbeck of Pflugerville, Texas, won her first-round 63-kilogram bout by pinning Laura McDonald of the U.S. Air Force in 1:27, but then was stopped in 50 seconds by No. 3 Alaina Berube of the New York Athletic Club in the semifinals.

Billerbeck, ranked fourth in the latest poll of U.S. Senior women by TheMat.com, rebounded to halt Vanessa Oswalt of the Gators in 1:32 and take a 2-1, 2-0 decision over Vision Quest's Amberle Montgomery for third place.

The Lady Vikings' three other entries were unable to post a win. Novinska was knocked out of the meet the round after losing to Lee, pinned in 1:59 by the NYAC's Tabetha Golt. Freshman Samantha Schuman (51 kilograms) was on the short end of decisions against Joey Miller and Jessica Medina, both of the New York AC. And freshman Sara Hilliard (67 kg) was beaten 3-0, 4-0 by No. 4 Stefenie Shaw of the U.S. Olympic Education Center in her only match of the three-entry division.

Valley had four other wrestlers -- junior Clarissa Calibuso at 55 kilograms, senior Brooke Bogren and junior Erika Chew at 59, and freshman Michelle Hooker at 67 -- qualify for the trials, but not make the trip.

While the season is over for the Lady Vikings, Marano and the other U.S. team members head to the World Championships, set for Sept. 26 to Oct. 2 at Guangzhou, China.