Maria McQueen Dunn (born March 6, 1986) is a freestyle wrestler from

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

. She participated in Women's freestyle 63 kg at

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

losing to

Elina Vaseva Elina Vaseva ( bg, Елина Васева; born August 21, 1986 in Kyustendil) is an amateur Bulgarian freestyle wrestler, who played for the women's middleweight category. She won the bronze medal for her division at the 2010 European Wrestlin ...

. She also competed in the same division at the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

, and lost to competitor

Lubov Volosova Lubov Mikhaylovna Volosova (russian: Любовь Михайловна Волосова; born August 16, 1982) is a female wrestler from Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spann ...

. Maria Dunn has won ten

Oceania Championships An Oceania Championship is a top level international sports competition between Oceania athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs. List of Championships * 49er & 49er FX Oceania Championships ...

in women's freestyle wrestling.

Biography

Early life and education

Maria Dunn was born March 6, 1986, in Tamuning, Guam. Dunn wrestled on her high school team. Dunn's mother was worried, saying "I tried to stop her because I'm afraid for her". Her mother tried to get her into modeling, enrolling her into classes, but Dunn chose wrestling instead. Dunn's mother relented and allowed her to join the wrestling team. Dunn was the first female college wrestler to receive an athletic scholarship at

Missouri Valley College Missouri Valley College is a private college that is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and located in Marshall, Missouri. The college was founded in 1889 and supports 40 academic majors and an enrollment close to 1,500 students. Misso ...

. She attended the university from 2004 to 2008. Dunn graduated with a bachelor of arts degree at the

University of Guam University of Guam ( ch, Unibetsedåt Guåhan) (U.O.G.) is a public land-grant university in Mangilao, Guam. It is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and offers thirty-four degree programs at the undergraduate level a ...

in 2011.

Olympic career

Dunn was the first-ever Guamanian female wrestler to participate in the Olympic Games, via invitational slot or 'wild card'. She was the flagbearer for the Opening Ceremonies of the Games. Dunn finished in last place during the

in the women's freestyle 63 kg. Dunn qualified for the

with a tripartite allocation. If the rules were the same as in 2008, she would have qualified after she won the 2012 Oceania Wrestling Championships. Dunn was one of three female wrestlers to receive a tripartite allocation, and the only female wrestler from Oceania to receive one. She trained for the

with Roy Wood in the city of

Wigan Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas, Lancashire, River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the nor ...

, and stayed with his family while practicing freestyle wrestling. While training in England, Maria met her future husband, English wrestler Nathan Tully. She was the flagbearer for Guam during the Opening Ceremonies, during which time she was pregnant with her first child. Dunn was pinned by Russian

early in the match. Dunn believed only one of her shoulders were down, which would mean she was not pinned, and believed the official called the pin because it was near the end of the period.

International career

Dunn won silver at the 2002 Oceania Championships, and won gold at the 2007, 2008, and 2010 Oceania Championships. Dunn was named the outstanding female wrestler of the 2010 Oceania Championships. She did not lose a single match between the 2002 and 2011 Oceania Championships, and decided to move up a weight class to have more competition. She lost to New Zealand's Tayla Ford in the championship match of the 2011 Oceania Championships and took home a silver medal. She also won the 2012 Oceania Wrestling Championships, moving back to the 63 kg weight class.

Personal life

Maria married English wrestler Nathan Tully and the pair set up home together on Maria's home island of Guam. They co founded Snakepit Wrestling Academy Guam to teach Wrestling to children and young people. Their daughter, Marleya Louise, was born in 2012 and their son, Tyson Avoca, was born in 2015. Maria is a teacher and artist. She currently resides in Yigo, Guam, with her 2 children and her mother. Her husband, Nathan, died in July 2020 aged 32 after a battle with oral cancer.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dunn, Maria Living people 1986 births Olympic wrestlers for Guam Wrestlers at the 2008 Summer Olympics Wrestlers at the 2012 Summer Olympics Guamanian women Guamanian female sport wrestlers People from Tamuning, Guam 21st-century American women