Winning the class was Emery Miller who's had a strong competitive season in 2003 building on her momemtum from winning her class at the Cal. Miller is taller, but looks very regal and refined as a lightweight, coming in with a very lean, polished package that isn't as dense, but looks very aesthetic. Miller edged out Mulinazzi for the class, and Jamie Troxel pressed for third. Troxel improved as the judging went on, and was even harder in the evening finals, but it wasn't enough to edge Mulinazzi.

Mulinazzi definitely leveraged her stage experience from fitness, with an interesting routine combining strength moves with muscle shots. Pam Shealy also looked great, and only seven points separated Mulinazzi, Shealy and Troxel from each other after prejudging.

Michelle Burdick wasn't as sharp as when she's won her class before, coming less full and lean, but Sheron Kestler-Falcon was very tight, and once again a bit overlooked as she placed 7th. Tera Guzman was just behind her, and Patricia Lehner rounded out the class. Lehner has nice mass and muscle density, but just needs to get leaner and more ripped, along with a bit darker stage tan, and she will surely move up in her placings.

The middleweights were impressive as they strode upon the stage, and there looked to be at least four or five athletes would could claim the class title. Elena Seiple and Heather Lee, who often train together both looked very impressive and Debbie Bramwell made a lot of improvements and added muscles, while Maya Stone presented very elegant lines and a nice overall package.

Stone ended up in the lead after prejudging, with Seiple and Lee tied for second, but Lee's routine edged her into second. Seiple's routine was a favorite of the crowd though as she didn't spend much time in transitions but proceeded from one shot to another with a deliberate and confident pace that was very complimentary to her impressive muscularity.

Lee on the other hand had a very short routine, and didn't stay on stage for the full time. Bramwell probably got some of the nicest applause during prejudging when she came out for her individual short routine. With impressive conditioning and full muscles, she looked very, very good, and is looking to take a full year to focus on making even more improvements, so watch out when Bramwell hits the stage again!

Maribeth Rossi took fifth, and looked very nice, with a more streamlined physique that didn't have the same amount of muscle as the top four, but was a nice feminine package. Beverly DiRenzo came in shredded down from the heavyweight class and looked good, but may have sacrificed some of her impressive muscularity in the process of making her class.

Michelle Ivers was shredded and impressive as always, but with the amazing class, placed sixth. A lot of people were looking at Dena Westerfield too, coming off her impressive victory at the Junior Nationals and Westerfield looked good, but in her relaxed poses, did not seem to be as full and tight. So when it came to callouts, Westerfield's name was absent from the first two groups - a bit surprising - but when she was added on to the second group and began flexiing, looked like she definitely was a bit underrated.

Westerfield's muscularity really pops when she's hitting shots, but at this show, her relaxed state seemed to bring her placing down. Anne Sheehan looked nice too with a good back, and Amy Neal presented some nice legs with deep cuts in her quads, although their fullness wasn't quite there.

It was time for the heavyweights though, and it was the biggest class of the evening so there had to be cuts made at prejudging to the top 15. Notables not making the cut included Deb Widdis, Kirsten Haug, Tyra Risby, and Lurette Chrystal. Because of such a competitive field though, it was necessary to make cuts, and it's encouraging to see that the biggest class of any of the women's competitions was the women's heavyweight bodybuilders.

Bonnie Priest was a deserving champion of the class though, and she has made impressive gains in both muscularity and conditioning and was easily the choice for the class and overall. Priest looked surprised and elated as she earned her pro card, and should make a strong pro as well.

Two-time defending class champion Collette Nelson took second, but was pressed hard by Annie Rivieccio, Lora Ottenad, and Heather Policky who placed 3rd, 4th and 5th respectively. Ottenad was the biggest competitor on stage, and impressively defined. Rivieccio continues to plug away, and looked pleased with her placing, while the crowd voiced their displeasure at both Policky and Ottenad's placings.

Policky is now aiming for taking the class at the Nationals and will be focusing all her attention towards that goal. Because of a lot of things going on in her life during prep for the USAs, Policky has admitted that she wasn't at her best, but promises to impress for the Nationals.

Ottenad was very impressive, and coming out standing next to Jennifer Gutierrez and Alley Miesch-Nie, while Policky and Dianne Solomons were next to them as well - a very impressive segment of the lineup.

Miesch-Nie was being followed by a crew from the Discovery Channel and a special is being put together that she will star in so keep an eye out for that. Carrie Ledford also looked ripped and shredded while Emily Holder looked strong and similar to the condition she won the Junior Nationals at, but this time around the competition was too deep. Audrey Peden suffered the same fate, and the heavyweight class will continue to be one of the toughest in amateur national-level bodybuilding.

Yamile Marrero was lean, but not as shredded, having heard from the judgest to soften up, but it didn't quite work out that way. Marrero may be at her best coming in leaner and more full, which is the same for Kirsten Haug. Sue Scheppele was cut and thick, but because of her aesthetics, was not able to place above 12th, although she was definitely one of the most muscular and defined women in the competition.

Dianne Solomons was looking thick and cut, but only managed 10th in the class - a real testament to the depth of the talent showcased at this level.

From the looks of it, the USAs were once again a success. It has also set up quite a lot of interesting scenarios for the Nationals, and as there are always those athletes who only compete once a year at Nationals, expect to see some impressive muscle in November when the season's last pro cards are awarded.

Results

Women’s Bodybuilding Overall: Bonnie Priest* Lightweights 1) Emery Miller 2) Lindsay Mulinazzi 3) Jamie Troxel 4) Pam Shealy 5) Tricia Travis 6) Michele Burdick 7) Sheron Kestler-Falcon 8) Tera Guzman 9) Christina Prieto 10) Tina Labok 11) Patricia Lehner Middleweights 1) Maya Stone 2) Heather Lee 3) Elena Seiple 4) Debbie Bramwell 5) Maribeth Rossi 6) Michelle Ivers 7) Dena Westerfield 8) Yvette Bova 9) Beverly DiRenzo 10) Amy Neal 11) Anne Sheehan 12) Kathryn Connors 13) Gina Spengler 14) Carolyn Bryant 15) Yolanda Martinez Heavyweights 1) Bonnie Priest* 2) Collette Nelson 3) Annie Rivieccio 4) Lora Ottenad 5) Heather Policky 6) Carrie Ledford 7) Emily Holder 8) Alley Miesch-Nie 9) Jayne Trcka 10) Dianne Solomons 11) Yamile Marrero 12) Sue Scheppele 13) Audry Peden 14) Stefanie Schueler 15) Gerri Deach cut) Deb Widdis cut) Demetria Franklin cut) Gwendolyn Malone cut) Jennifer Gutierrez cut) Kirsten Haug cut) Lurette Chrystal cut) Malissa Robles cut) Mary E. Hobbs cut) Pamela Franklin cut) Tyra Risby cut) Zoraida Figueroa-Rivera * earns pro card

Fitness Overall: Angela Semsch* Short 1) Kasey Watts* 2) Theil Bradford* 3) Nita Wilson-Marquez 4) Stacy Jensen 5) Carla Freda 6) Sheila Law 7) Brittany Thorsch Medium 1) Angela Semsch* 2) Sandy Grant* 3) Teri Mooney 4) Amy Johnston 5) Lisa McCormick 6) Sandie Ward 7) Kelly Graham 8) Kim Seeley 9) Tara Carrillo 10) Amy Huber 11) Adriana Sandifer 12) Gina Ostarly 13) Wendy Wolbert 14) Lori Smith 15) Trisha Rich (injury) Tall 1) Lea Waide* 2) Kirsten Nicewarner* 3) Luciana Bell 4) Melissa Babers 5) Christine Moore 6) Kelly Wagner 7) Jennifer Flatt 8) Tamara Sherrill 9) Vickie Newton 10) Heidi Larson 11) Celeste Turner 12) Pam Drury 13) Sara Krajnik 14) Michelle Landreth * earns pro card

Last updated: 7/28/2003 @ 2:42 p.m. PT