U.S. Olympic Festival : Wrestler Scores 51st Win in Row

John Smith stretched his personal victory streak to 51 consecutive matches Wednesday when the third-seeded wrestler took an 8-3 decision over second-seeded Glenn Goodman in the first of their best-of-three matches at the U.S. Olympic Festival.

Free-style and Greco-Roman wrestling matches were held side-by-side at the Walker Center at North Carolina Central University, and the second night of swimming was to get under way at Koury Natatorium at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

In Wednesday’s competition, the lower-seeded free-style wrestlers met second-seeded contestants, who were competing for the first time. Smith’s victory at the 136 1/2-pound class was one of just three victories by fourth- and third-seeded wrestlers.

Third-seeded Kenny Monday downed second-seeded Nate Carr, 5-2, in the 163-pound class, and fourth-seeded Rico Chiapparelli was a 3-1 victor over Melvin Douglas in the 180 1/2-pound division. Chiapparelli now has won two of three meetings with Douglas.