Three DODDS-Europe wrestling champions — 145-pounder Tony Gagnon of Wiesbaden, 160-pounder Andrew Zachar of Heidelberg and 171-pounder Bryan Isbell of Brussels — are headed for the National High School Coaches’ Association Senior National Wrestling Tournament in Cleveland on Wednesday through April 3.

European runners-up Rex Ely of Heidelberg and Gary King of Vicenza also will participate.

The Senior Nationals, an annual event open to state champions and runners-up, crowns the top eight in each weight class as high school all-Americans.

Heidelberg volunteer coach Brian Davis is overseeing the group.

“Not only is this a chance to compete against the best wrestlers in the United States,” said two-time European champion Zachar, “but it is also a chance for college coaches to recruit wrestlers from Europe.”

Garmisch boarder takes silver

Ethan Morgan, 13, Garmisch Germany, placed second last weekend in the slopestyle portion of the Austrian Master’s snowboard championships in Nordpark-Innsbruck.

The silver capped a season of achievement for Morgan, a member of the German junior national team. In February, he won the under-15 slopestyle gold medal at the Nokia Snowpark Tour’s event in Diedamskopf, Austria, and at a Night on Snow meet in Pfronten, Germany. He also took gold in the big air category at the German Junior Cup meet in Spitzingsee.

This month, Morgan joined his German junior team and placed 13th out of 60 boarders from 25 nations in the halfpipe at the Trofeo Toppolino in Folgarida, Italy.

Morgan’s father, Bill, an educator at Garmisch American School, said his son is most proud of his sixth-place finishes at Chill and Destroy slopestyle meets in March in Obertsdorf, Germany, and Silvretta Nova, Austria. He competed against adults in those meets.

Spangdahlem skater repeats

Figure skater Brianna Checkley, 10, of Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, won the Rheinland-Pfalz state championships in Trier last weekend for the second straight year.

Brianna, daughter of Mia Checkley, a civilian employee at Spangdahlem, won the long and short programs in competition against nine other skaters in her age group.

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