Tom Meester battled back from a rough start to finish with a 2-2 record and a top 6 finish in the 84KG/185-pound weight class at the 2009 World Team Trials Sunday at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
Meester, an assistant coach for the Augustana wrestling team, made it to the top 6 in the 12-man field. However, Meester dropped a 2-2, 2-1 decision to Keith Gavin in the consolation semifinals, one match shy of the third-place match.
The top 3 wrestlers earned spots will represent the United States later this summer at an international meet in Denmark.
A native of Rock Rapids, Iowa, Meester, who was wrestling for Sunkist Kids, suffered an 8-0, 1-0 setback to Zack Giesen of DSWC-Stanford in the first round.
Meester, a two-time national champion for the Vikings in 2004 and 2005, rebounded well from the loss in the consolation bracket. After a bye, Meester put together a pair of impressive wins. First, he knocked off David Bertolino of the Underdog Wrestling Club 3-0, 5-4. Next, Meester edged Brandon Sinnott of the Gator Wrestling Club 0-1, 3-0, 3-0 to advance to the consolation semifinals against Gavin.
According to Augustana head wrestling coach
Jason Reitmeier, who accompanied Meester at the World Team Trials, Meester will now take the rest of the summer off from competition. Meester will also resume his coaching duties with the Vikings before next year's qualifying tournaments begin.
