For Immediate Release

2008-01-19

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Montgomery is a standout athlete in a sport that was, until recently, almost exclusively male. She represented the United States in the first ever women’s wrestling event in 2004 at the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece and returned to the University of the Cumberlands in 2006 as a graduate assistant coach for the women’s wrestling program.

Montgomery grew up in Cleveland, Ohio and attended East Technical High School, where she started wrestling as a sophomore and quickly fell in love with the sport. She attended the University of the Cumberlands from 2001 to 2005 and was the number one wrestler in the country, winning the National Championship in her weight class all four years. Montgomery usually dominated her opponent so much that her match was over in the first round. She was also the youngest World Team Member and the youngest National Champion. She won numerous other championships and awards throughout her collegiate career.

This February, the NWHOFM will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first African American NCAA Division I Wrestling Champion by recognizing all NCAA champions and Olympic team members of African American decent. In 1957, Simon Roberts of the University of Iowa was the first African American to win an NCAA title. Since that feat, over 40 individual African American wrestlers have claimed NCAA titles, along with 32 men and one female wrestler has represented the United States at the Olympic Games in freestyle and Greco-Roman competition.

The exhibit will be on display at the museum in Stillwater, Oklahoma for the remainder of 2008; the NCAA Division I Championships in St. Louis, Missouri this March; and the Olympic Trials in June 2008 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Montgomery will also be honored at the Champions Reunion and Fan Festival scheduled in March during the NCAA Championships.

This project is aimed to celebrate the heritage of Montgomery’s contributions to the sport of wrestling and will hopefully inspire current and future generations to follow in her footsteps. Her achievements have helped forge new ground for women wrestlers everywhere, and the University of the Cumberlands is extremely grateful to have her on their team.

Article provided by Kim Hamby, University of the Cumberlands Sports Information Student Assistant