Olympians and other world champion wrestlers will be in attendance as Abraham Lincoln High School hosts the Denver Prep League’s 15th Annual Championship Wrestling Clinic on Friday, Nov. 28. The event will run from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Admission is free, and participants will receive a t-shirt.

Presenters will include Sergei Beloglazov, two-time Olympic Gold Medalist and six-time World Champion from Russia; Dave “Doc” Bennett, USA Wrestling National Freestyle Developmental Coach and Director of Broadcasting; Mitch Hull, USA Wrestling National Teams Director and two-time NCAA All American; and Kevin Jackson, National Freestyle Coach - USA Wrestling World Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist (see brief bios below).

All presenters will provide tips and coaching advice to coaches and athletes. Interested athletes and coaches are urged to wear appropriate clothing for participation. Wrestling shoes will be on sale from Coaches Choice.

A coaches’ clinic will be presented by Dave “Doc” Bennett from 8:30-9:30 a.m. Bennett has received the Gold-level certification from the National Coaches Education Program (NCEP), the highest level of coaching achievement in the nation. He has coached a number of US teams on international tours as well as World Dual meets against foreign nations.
The event is sponsored by USA Wrestling, Southwest Optimist Club, the Denver Prep League and Don Joy.

Mitch Hull has been the National Teams Director for USA Wrestling since June 1992. He coordinates and supervises all aspects of USA Wrestling’s international programs. During his tenure, the USA won the World Team Title in freestyle wrestling in 1993 and 1995 and the Women’s World Championships in 1999. The USA won the most medals of any nation in wrestling in the 1996 Olympics.

Kevin Jackson was named National Freestyle Coach for USA Wrestling in January 2001 and serves as the full-time professional coach working with the national freestyle wrestling program. He joined USA Wrestling as its National Freestyle Resident Coach in July 1998. His efforts helped build a successful freestyle resident program, which included 2000 Olympic Champion Brandon Slay.

Sergei Beloglazov, one of the greatest freestyle wrestlers of all time, was named as USA Wrestling’s National Freestyle Resident Coach in August 2003. He will be working with the freestyle resident athletes training at the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs as well as other elite freestyle wrestlers who visit there for short-term training. He came to USA Wrestling after serving as one of the national Coaches for Russia, one of the world’s great wrestling powers. Russia won the most medals in freestyle wrestling at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, with Beloglazov as one of their coaches.

Abraham Lincoln High School is located at 2285 S. Federal Blvd. For more information, contact the DPS Athletics Department at 720-423-3650.