Evan Centopani proved to be the best of the best at the 2007 NPC National Championships November 17, as he earned the super-heavyweight and overall crown in front of a near-capacity crowd at the Fairmont Hotel in downtown Dallas.
In the super-heavyweight class, Centopani held off all challengers, taking the big step from second a year ago (behind 2006 overall champ Desmond Miller) to first. The Trumbull, Connecticut, resident enters the IFBB ranks needing some refinements to his back and legs (the latter of which are already improved significantly in the past year) to successfully rumble with the pros, but at a youthful 25 years old, has plenty of time to mature into a force to be reckoned with. Meanwhile, runner-up Grigori Atoyan, the 2007 USA super-heavy second-place finisher, could only equal his best-ever showing at the Nationals (in 2004, he was runner-up as a heavyweight).
Speaking of heavyweights, Adorthus Cherry finally tasted victory after a number of near misses, the most recent at the 2006 Nationals, where Lionel Brown edged him out in this division. Cherry, who has battled personal demons in the form of alcohol addiction (a fight which he continues to win thanks to bodybuilding), was able to fend off a young phenom, 2007 USA heavyweight runner-up Brandon Curry. A relatively new face on the national level, Curry may not have fulfilled his goal on this night, but he seems destined for the IFBB in short order with his potent blend of classic lines and impressive muscularity.
The light-heavyweight class was a row between 2005 and 2006 Nationals light-heavy runner-up Charles Dixon of Piedmont, South Carolina, and Knoxville, TennesseeÂs Peter Putnam, with the former coming out on top. Both combatants displayed ample condition, but the thick muscularity of Dixon was perhaps the difference in the judges eyes over the refined lines of Putnam. If the 2007 USA heavyweight champion can take any solace in this five-point loss, itÂs that often a gut-wrenching defeat at the National level might mean he has officially paid his dues, and heads into next yearÂs season as a favorite to earn a pro card.
The middleweights were ruled by a familiar name in NPC lore. Woburn, Massachusetts Jose Raymond added the 2007 NPC Nationals middleweight title to his list of accomplishments, which also include the 2007 USA middleweight, the 2005 Nationals welterweight and the 2005 Team Universe overall crowns.
In the lighter classes, Carlo Filippone of Fort Lee, New Jersey, won in welterweights, Leonardo Ortiz of Puerto Rico earned top honors among lightweights, and a familiar face, 2007 USA bantamweight runner-up David Candy, took the bantams.
In womenÂs bodybuilding, Beni Lopez (lightweight), Tina Chandler (middleweight), Kristy Hawkins (light heavyweight) and Beverly DiRenzo (heavyweight) each took home their respective divisions and earned pro cards. Hawkins, who is currently getting her PhD at Cal Tech in chemical engineering, won the overall after finishing third in the light-heavy class in the 2006 Nationals and fourth in 2005.
In fitness, Alexandria, VirginiaÂs Tina Durkin won the overall over the short class champ Kristina Rojas and the tall class victor Tanya Merryman, adding the trophy to the 2007 Junior Nationals fitness overall she claimed earlier this year. All three, along with second-place finishers in each division — Tonya Burkhardt in short, Siene Silva in medium, and Traci Redding in tall — are now eligible to turn pro. Thanks and accolades go out to Steve Karel, whose team put together a well-oiled (literally and figuratively) event. Next year, the Nationals move to Atlanta, Georgia, in their usual mid-November timeframe that caps off the competitive bodybuilding season.
2007 NPC National Championships Final Results (Top 5 in each class) Dallas, Texas.
Mens Bodybuilding Note: Winner in each class earns pro card.
35 Beni Lopez 36 Kirsten Anne Haratyk 37 Claire Rohrbacker 38 Pamela Ty 39 Galina Serchtsev 40 Anne Marie Kam 41 Barbara Fletcher 42 Suzanne Germano 43 Tera Guzman 44 Tammy Patnode 45 Kristen Mundo 46 Cassie Faussett
Womens Bodybuilding Middleweight
48 Julia Korfhage 49 Denise McMahon 50 Janet Kaufman 51 Tina Chandler 52 Michelle Morrison 53 Lindsay Mulinazzi 54 Tammi Burdelski 55 Pam Shealy 56 Carolyn Bryant 57 Ellen Woodley 58 Yasha 59 Annette Costa 60 Kate Cooper 61 Patricia Houston 62 Yahaiva Agosto Vives 63 Terri Harris
Womens Bodybuilding Light-Heavyweight
65 Amy Neal 66 Karen Choat 67 Kristy Hawkins 68 Myra Adams 69 Cheryl Faust 70 Britt Ashley Miller 71 Elena Seiple 72 Devon Keeth 73 Anna-Lisa Morris 74 Brenda ÂBee Smith 75 Jenetta Thompson 76 Christina Rhodes 77 Lisa Burton 78 Janelle Gallo 79 Sylvia Cowan 80 Deborah Reboynas 81 Akila Pervis
100 Jose Vargas 101 Alphonso Jones Jr. 102 Jerry Bell Jr. 103 Dave Candy 104 Paul Gillison 105 Fernando Abaco 106 Steven Bell 107 Rafael Campuzano 108 Michael Echevarria 109 Chris Darby 110 Tom Silavanh 111 Andre Hill 112 Timoney Fernandez 113 Richie Langit 114 Art Santellan 115 John Mcknight IV 116 John Fama 117 Calvin Choy 118 Tim Sahr
Mens Bodybuilding Lightweight
119 Alex Azarian 120 Jeffrey Olcsary 121 Kob Yan 122 James Miles 123 Travis Rogers 124 Chris Norton 125 James Williams 126 Leonardo Ortiz 127 Tim Ward 128 Wills Francois 129 130 Timothy Holder 131 Greg Cosentino 132 Michael Tyndall 133 Rafael Gonzalez 134 Chris Groetsch 135 Ray Douglas 136 Pernell Garrison 137 Leonardo Pacheco 138 Joshua Olmeda 139 John Carraccio 140 Otis Anderson
190 Manny Torres 191 Joshua Fred 192 William Ayoubi 193 Anthony DeAngelis 194 Miguel Neil 195 Anthony Todd 196 Prince Fontenot 197 Eric Underwood 198 Al Auguste 199 Curtis McGovert 200 Christopher Donaldson 201 Chris Nardoni 202 Justin Dees 203 Danny Samaniego 204 Neko Roberson 205 Brett Becker 206 Lance M. Johnson 207 Dario Ferrer 208 Peter Putnam 209 Charles J. Dixon 210 Mike Yablon 211 Kert McLean 212 Shaun Lasley 213 Stephen Connally 214 Norberto Rivera 215 Joe McRee 216 T.J. Hewitt 217 Jason Wojo 218 John Dural 219 Monty Mabry
Mens Bodybuilding Heavyweight
221 Marvin Harper Jr. 222 Shaun Crump 223 Randy Moore 224 Jeff Schwartzer 225 Jack Colten 226 George Asmus 227 Steven Preza 228 Tab Hunter 229 Abbas Khatami 230 Curtis Bryant 231 Marion Benton 232 Darrell Terrell 233 Mark W. Smith 234 Eric Perkins 235 Adorthus Cherry 236 Mark Erpelding 237 David Fenty 238 Anthoneil Champagne 239 Ralph Garcia 240 Chulsey Graham 241 Lee Banks 242 Brandon Curry 243 Nate Brock 244 Michael Moore 245 Louie Magnone 246 Fred S. Smalls 247 Eric Shannon 248 Marvin Phillips Jr. 249 Brandon Lowe 250 David Hughes 251 Sean Calder 252 Chad Martin 253 Henry Everette
