A former Olympic silver medalist is on trial this week on charges of sexually assaulting a female wrestler in her room at the Olympic Training Center in May 2008.

Prosecutors contend Stephen Anthony Abas, a member of the U.S. Olympic wrestling team in 2004, had sex with the woman against her will after she had passed out drunk at a downtown Colorado Springs bar.

Deputy District Attorney Jessica Gysin told jurors that a friend of the victim had confronted Abas that night after friends brought the woman back to her dorm room.

When the friend warned him not to have sex with the woman, Gysin said Abas told the friend, “C’mon. She’s passed out drunk. I wouldn’t do that.”

But that’s exactly what happened, Gysin said. The woman woke up to find Abas on top of her. When she later confronted him with a text message, Gysin said Abas replied, “I couldn’t help myself. I just found you so sexy.”

A defense attorney for Abas, 33, countered that the sex was consensual.

Attorney Dennis Hartley told the jury that his client and the woman had known each other since 2005 and that they started having “a little closer relationship” by the time of the May 15, 2008 incident.

Hartley said she once went on a motorcycle ride with Abas dressed in short shorts and a skinny halter top. She also unbuttoned her pants and showed him her panties on another occasion, the lawyer said.

Abas went out drinking on the night of the incident at the woman’s invitation, Hartley said.

“He’s not hovering over her,” Hartley said. “He’s not trying to push himself onto her. He’s letting her be herself.”

Hartley also argued that the woman was athletic enough that she could have pushed Abas off her if she wanted to.

The Gazette, which normally does not identify alleged sex assault victims, is withholding the woman’s name.

Abas won a silver medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. He competed at the 2008 Olympic trials, but retired when he did not make the national team.

He was one of two Olympic athletes arrested in Colorado Springs in 2008 on charges of sexually assaulting female athletes who had passed out drunk.

Last year, a jury acquitted Adler Volmar, a former member of the U.S. Olympic Judo team of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl who was competing in a judo tournament.

Volmar was found guilty of a misdemeanor charge of having oral sex with a juvenile more that 10 years younger than he was. In February, a judge sentenced him to 60 days in jail plus five years probation.

Gazette reporter Brian Gomez contributed to this story.

For more court coverage, visit “The Sidebar” blog at gazettedev.gazette.com

Colorado College men’s lacrosse players surround midfielder Jack Kreitler after he scored against Birmingham-Southern College on April 10 at Colorado College. CC won 9-5. Photo by CHRISTIAN MURDOCK/THE GAZETTE