It only stands to reason that the Jason Morris Judo Center team would have the edge when it comes to winning the Morris Cup.
After all, it’s the only time all year when the Glenville-based club can send most of its judokan on to the mats.
JMJC won the team title for the sixth time in the Morris Cup’s 10-year existence last Saturday at Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School after claiming 19 medals, including seven gold medals. JMJC finished with 65 points, 18 points ahead of Upper Canada and Combat Sambo Center.
The main reason why [we have won six titles] is because it’s local, and I can get most of my team here, said JMJC and Morris Cup founder Jason Morris.
Kyle Vashkulat led JMJC by winning the men’s plus-100 kilogram weight class. The victory earned Vashkulat a $250 pay day and a $1,000 bonus for sweeping all four events on the `Zebra Tour` ` the Morris Cup, the Starrett Cup, Pedro’s Challenge and the Ocean State International. Brad Bolen (66kg) and Jake Stromecki (100kg) also won men’s division titles.
On the women’s side, Angela Woosley (48kg), Natalie Lafon (52kg) and Muffa Hermansson (57kg) took home gold medals for JMJC. Woosley also received the Jimmy Pedro Award as the Morris Cup’s most outstanding senior female.
Other special awards went to Alexis Morin-Martel of Shidokan (outstanding senior male), Quentin Cook of Anderson YMCA (outstanding junior male), Briana McCracken of Upper Canada (outstand-ing junior female), Steven Cherny of Combat Sambo Center (potential and sportsmanship) and Mikhael Charlidze of Spartak (most inspirational).
More than 500 athletes representing 16 states and 10 foreign countries competed in this year’s Morris Cup.
`I never envisioned this level of success [for the tournament],` said Morris. `The original intent is still intact ` to service our local judo community by bringing in all this [international] talent. Luckily for us, it keeps growing.`
The following athletes took home medals at the Morris Cup:
Junior division
Girls 7-8
23kg: 1. Jade Corbeil (Mira-bel); 2. Taylor Vandersanden (Upper Canada)
27kg: 1. Alexa Michaelson (JMJC); 2. Ashley Martucci (Cohoes)
+27kg: 1. Emily Kapustin (Tsunami); 2. Krysten Proksa (Granite State Judo Institute)
Girls 9-10
27kg: 1. Junellia Vazquez (New Britain Judo); 2. Karilynn Tramacera (Browns); 3. Victoria Goncalves (War Memorial Judo)
32kg: 1. Niki King (Legrosports); 2. Molly Sauter (Bushido Kai); 3. Elizabeth Lapshina (Tsunami)
37kg: 1. Nicole Gonik (Combat Sambo Center); 2. Ilhem Quali (AMS); 3. Hannah Bonke (Upper Canada)
42kg: 1. Kiana Tyler (Jedan); 2. Mary Patterson (Browns)
Girls 11-12
32kg: 1. Dominique Domingo (Mayo Quanchi); 2. Georgai Forsyth (Kawasaki Rendokan); 3. Caitlin Lewis (Phoenix)
37kg: 1. Erin Reim (Shidokan); 2. Madison Vandersanden (Upper Canada); 3. Nicole Gonik (Combat Sambo Center)
47kg: 1. H. Grace Scotthimer (Tohoku); 2. Chelsea Casabona (Kokushikai); 3. Ashley Hall (Long Island Sport Judo)
52kg: 1. Kaelin O’Sullivan (Pedros); 2. Gabrielle Proksa (Granite State Judo); 3. Brea Bennett (Legrosports)
+52kg: 1. Jelena Veskov (Sport Judo); 2. Kaelin O’Sullivan (Pedros); 3. Hunter Good (Upper Canada)
Girls 13-16
44kg: 1. Mackenzie Burt (Upper Canada); 2. Marika Boileau (Academic Ste-Therese); 3. Stephanie Monette (Seikikodan)
52kg: 1. Brianna McCracken (Upper Canada); 2. Maria Dhami (Boston Judo Club); 3. Audrey Mercier (Seikikodan)
57kg: 1. Eugenie Lemieux (Club Judo Levis); 2. Alina Fusch (Kawasaki Rendokan); 3. Adriana Portuondo-Isasi (Boucherville)
63kg: 1. Meghan Arena (Pedros); 2. Pearlene Augustin (Legrosports); 3. Katherine Weidner (Tohoku)
+70kg: 1. Ana Laura Portuondo-Isasi (Boucher-ville); 2. Charlie Giguere-Letourneau (Asbestos)
Girls 17-19
48kg: 1. Roxanne Smith-Robitaille (Judo Sen); 2. Marika Boileau (Academic Ste-Therese)
52kg: 1. Briana McCracken (Upper Canada); 2. Whitney Lohnes (Bridgewater); 3. Kayla Dewhirst (ATC)
+78kg: 1. Sophie Vaillancourt (Asbestos); 2. Christie Woosley (JMJC)
Mixed 5-6
Light: 1. Lenny Sheynfeld (Combat Sambo Center); 2. Gabriel Bouyssou (Mayo Quanchi); 3. Maxim Ivanov (Tsunami)
Medium: 1. Nikita Chebountchak (Tsunami); 2. Conner Lawson (Legrosports); 3. Jared Vandersanden (Upper Canada)
Heavy: 1. Jacob Casabona (Kokushikai); 2. Phaedra Kappers (Granite State Judo)
Boys 7-8
23kg: 1. Liam Atayants (Combat Sambo Center); 2. Alexander Polyakov (Tsunami); 3. Zakaria Mahmoud (Dutton)
27kg: 1. Michael Lapshin (Tsunami); 2. Matthew Cherny (Combat Sambo Center); 3. Daniel Abramov (Combat Sambo Center)
37kg: 1. Dimitri Gamkredlidze (Georgian Wrestling School); 2. Joseph Matrofine (Mayo Quanchi); 3. Michael Short (ATC)
Boys 9-10
27kg: 1. Anthony Kurovskiy (Combat Sambo Center); 2. Joziah Fry (Mayo Quanchi); 3. David Zilinski (Brighton Judo)
32kg: 1. Justin Vodoff (Georgian Wrestling School); 2. Ivan Khvaline (Tsunami); 3, AJ Caba (War Memorial Judo)
37kg: 1. Sandro Chaladze (Georgian Wrestling School); 2. Kiernan Shanahan (JMJC); 3. Devin Rivet (Mayo Quanchi)
42kg: 1. Alexander Ivanov (Tsunami); 2. Edward Kam (Georgian Wrestling School); 3. Giuseppi Inserra (Sport Judo)
47kg: 1. Giorgi Tsiklauri (Georgian Wrestling School); 2. Daniel Shleyger (Combat Sambo Center); 3. Nikita Afanasyev (Georgian Wrestling School)
Boys 11-12
32kg: 1. Ben Widmann (Upper Valley Judo); 2. Zacharie Cheng-Boivin (Lycee Claudel); 3. Mikael Corbeil (Mirabel)
37kg: 1. Matthew Puzhitsky (Tsunami); 2. Nethaneel Jarrell (Mayo Quanchi); 3. Emmanuel Ferman (Combat Sambo Center)
42kg: 1. Steven Cherny (Combat Sambo Center); 2. Zachary Jose (AMS); 3. Ethan Vandersanden (Upper Canada)
47kg: 1. Ari Berliner (Kokoru Tatsu); 2. Leo Rabinovich (Combat Sambo Center); 3. Eduardo Manuel Guzman Lara (Club Naco)
52kg: 1. Quentin Cook (Anderson YMCA); 2. Georgy Chediya (White Eagles); 3. Otar Guinashuili (White Eagles)
58kg: 1. Rafael Chelidze (Spartak); 2. Daniel Felkel (Mayo Quanchi); 3. Ricardo Arturo Garrido Tejada (Club Naco)
Boys 13-14
42kg: 1. Ossama Mahmoud (Dutton); 2. Obdulio Santiago III (New Britain Judo); 3. Christopher Gilbert (Labaie)
47kg: 1. AJ Pedro (Pedros); 2. Devin Gannido (Kokushikai); 3. Max O’Connell (Mayo Quanchi)
52kg: 1. Quentin Cook (Anderson YMCA); 2. Anthony Pepin (Seikikodan); 3. Georgy Chedia (White Eagles)
58kg: 1. Philippe Dube (Seikikodan); 2. Nick Widmann (Upper Valley Judo); 3. James Sauro (Mayo Quanchi)
65kg: 1. Armani Ellison (Legrosports); 2. Alex Marieau (Ile Perrot); 3. Rafal Kolodziel (SGJC)
+65kg: 1. Olivier Gobeil-St-Amand (Seikikodan); 2. Jonathan Brock (Brighton Judo); 3. Kevin Velazquez (Taki-Gawa)
Boys 15-16
55kg: 1. George Poklitar (A.M Serei); 2. Charles Bilodeau-Berube (Shidokan); 3. Villy Grapp (Combat Sambo Center)
60kg: 1. Nicholas Brockington (Formokan); 2. Said Yokub Kakhromonov (Georgian Wrestling School); 3. Jean-Philippe Nepton (Labaie)
66kg: 1. Patrick Cantin (Judosphere); 2. Riley Densmore (Kaizen Judo Club); 3. Eric Borvkhov (Spartak)
73kg: 1. Michael Proietti (Upper Canada); 2. Giga Gambashitze (White Eagles); 3. Jack Hatton (JMJC)
81kg: 1. Mikhael Cherlidze (Spartak); 2. Petro Poklitar (A.M. Serei); 3. John Tucker (Legrosports)
90kg: 1. David Gilkarov (Spartak); 2. Matt Koch (Camal)
100kg: 1. Arturas Lanchinskas (Brighton Judo); 2. Robert Tkach (Spartak); 3. Mattew Tucci (Shidokan)
Boys 17-19
60kg: 1. Max Benjamin (Spartak); 2. Charles Maltais (Labaie); 3. Bradley Powell (Kawasaki Rendokan)
66kg: 1. Everet Desilets (Mayo Quanchi); 2. Jeremie Morales (A.M. Serei); 3. Harrison Hatton (JMJC)
73kg: 1. Zachary Burt (Upper Canada); 2. Iurii Merezhnikov (Liberty Bell); 3. Antonio Ferre (Club Naco)
81kg: 1. Joe Turcotte (Labaie); 2. Matheus Coutinho (Bresil); 3. Petro Poklitar (A.M. Serei)
90kg: 1. Marc Deschenes (Shidokan); 2. Orion Krauss (Capital City Judo)
100kg: 1. Mathias Tardif (St-Paul L’Ermite); 2. John Osilovsky (Browns)
+100kg: 1. Akbar Iminov (Spartak); 2. Navid Larouche (Labaie); 3. Andrew Oratovsky (Pedros)
Senior Division
Women 48kg: 1. Angela Woosley (JMJC); 2. Roxanne Smith-Robitaille (Judo Sen); 3. Mariak Boileau (Academic Ste-Therese)
Women 52kg: 1. Natalie Lafon (JMJC); 2. Andrea Madgett (Upper Canada); 3. Audrey Mercier (Seikikodan)
Women 57kg: 1. Muffa Hermansson (JMJC); 2. Cammi Kaichi (JMJC); 3. Eugenie Lemieux (Club Judo Levis)
Women 63kg: 1. Janine Nakao (Pedros); 2. Hannah Martin (JMJC); 3. Elodie Lavoie (St-Hyacynthe)
Women 70kg: 1. Maria Perez (Pedros); 2. Leah Fisher (DC Judo); 3. Sarah Mazouz (AMS)
Women 78kg: 1. Nadezhda Emelianova (Georgian Wrestling School); 2. Ana Laura Portuondo-Isasi (Boucherville)
Novice men 60kg: 1. Valentine Adesman (Brighton Judo); 2. Anthony Elliott (JMJC)
Novice men 81kg: 1. Kerry Boughton (Black and Blue Judo); 2. Emmanuel Magsino (RIT Judo); 3. Bijoy Rodriguez (Camal)
Novice men 90kg: 1. Rolando Rodriguez (Camal); 2. Jepthe Michel (Legrosports)
Novice men 100kg: 1. Alex Radoman (Kawasaki Rendokan); 2. John Osilovsky (Browns); 3. Peter Stanley (JMJC)
Novice men +100kg: 1. Aaron Cote (Sen-I Judo Club); 2. Andrew Oratovsky (Pedros)
Men 55kg: 1. Villy Grapp (Combat Sambo Center)
Men 60kg: 1. Alaa Idrissi (Mayo Quanchi); 2. Ernest Ojito (College Park Judo Club); 3. Mirzomurosd Kholov (JMJC)
Men 66kg: 1. Brad Bolen (JMJC); 2. Modeste Lara-Arias (Dominican); 3. Harrison Hatton (JMJC)
Men 73kg: 1. Alexis Morin-Martel (Shidokan); 2. Vincent Marticotte (Shidokan); 3. Billy Shanahan (JMJC)
Men 81kg: 1. Nick Delpopolo (Team Force); 2. Tony Sangimino (JMJC); 3. Edwin Vallejo (Tech Judo)
Men 90kg: 1. Marc Deschenes (Shidokan); 2. Mathew Koch (Camal); 3. Orion Krauss (Capital City Judo)
Men 100kg: 1. Jake Stromecki (JMJC); 2. Mathias Tardif (St-Paul L’Ermite); 3. Maxime Ouimet (Judosphere)
Men +100kg: 1. Kyle Vashkulat (JMJC); 2. Jose Vasquez (Club Naco); 3. Mourad Elfetaoui (Mayo Quanchi)
Masters division
Men 94kg: 1. William Wilcox (Shinza); 2. Ian Sibbert (Formokan)
Men +94kg: 1. Jose Vasquez (Club Naco); 2. Israel Lopez (Sen-I Judo Club); 3. Aaron Cote (Sen-I Judo Club)“
