MASTERS FELLOWS COMPETE IN SANTO DOMINGO

SANTO DOMINGO, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC —  Martial Arts for Social Transformation Equity and Rights athlete fellows Leana Nelson and Marley Garland placed 5th at the International Judo Federation Santo Domingo Pan American Open in the Dominican Republic.

Ms. Garland and Ms. Nelson both advanced to the semi finals. This was Marley Garland’s first senior continental open. She defeated Anna Tirado from Panama and Maria Cruz from Mexico by ippon. Ms. Nelson had a first round bye and then avenged her loss from San Salvador in the quarter finals against Pozo Flores from Mexico to make the semi finals. Both Ms. Nelson and Ms. Garland fell short in the semi finals and bronze medal matches but won crucial world ranking points with their 5th place finishes. 

Ms. Garland represents High Noon Judo and the US Performance Center in North Carolina. She originally trained in Germany and is now representing the United States. Ms. Nelson represents Top Game Martial Arts in Connecticut but travels to be part of MASTERs events. Her consistent hard work and results caught the eye of the MASTERs team and she continues to prove herself with each challenge.

For media inquiries regarding MASTERs or High Noon Judo, please contact:
Dr. Christopher Round
Executive Director, MASTERs
roundce@martialartsforsocialgood.org
martialartsforsocialgood.org