Finalists receive fight shorts

Oct. 19 -- Each of the 28 finalists at the JJ Classic will receive custom fight shorts from Cradle Gear. See photo below. To learn more about Cradle Gear, check out the story on InterMatWrestle.com.



Returning champ enters

Oct. 18 -- Coyte Kuefner (Owatonna, Minn.), a 2010 JJ Classic champion, has entered this year's JJ Classic. He will compete at 220 pounds. Kuefner is a two-time Junior National folkstyle All-American and state placewinner.



Nation's No. 20 freshman registers

Oct. 4 -- Lance Benick (Totino Grace, Minn.), who is ranked as the No. 20 freshman in the country by InterMat, has registered for the 2011 InterMat JJ Classic at 182 pounds. Benick went undefeated at the Schoolboy National Duals this year in both styles. He also went 15-1 at the AAU Junior Olympics and claimed a silver medal.



Another state champ enters at 132

Oct. 2 -- Mitchel Lexvold (Kenyon-Wanamingo, Minn.) is the latest state champion to register for the 2011 InterMat JJ Classic. He will compete at 132 pounds. Lexvold has reached the state finals in each of the past two seasons. He posted a record of 42-4 last season en route to winning his state championship at 119 pounds in Class A.



Two-time state champ registers

Sept. 29 -- Jordan Shearer (West Fargo, N.D.), a two-time state champion going into his freshman season, has registered for the 2011 InterMat JJ Classic at 113 pounds. Shearer went 44-4 last season en route to capturing his second state championship. He was undefeated at The Clash. Shearer was also a Cadet National Greco-Roman All-American this summer in Fargo.



Koethe registers

Sept. 27 -- The nation's No. 31 recruit, Justin Koethe (Iowa City West, Iowa), has registered for the 2011 InterMat JJ Classic at 160 pounds. Koethe is a five-time Cadet and Junior National All-American in Fargo. He was a Cadet National freestyle champion in 2009. Koethe was also a FILA Junior National double All-American this year, winning a title in Greco-Roman.



Woiwor registers

Sept. 25 -- Daniel Woiwor (Apple Valley, Minn.), who is ranked as the No. 37 junior in the country by InterMat, has registered for the 2011 InterMat JJ Classic at 170 pounds. Woiwor is a state champion and three-time state placewinner. Maolu Woiwor will also be returning to the InterMat JJ Classic. He will compete at 106 pounds.



Manville registers

Sept. 23 -- Mason Manville (South County, Va.), the nation's third-ranked junior high wrestler, has registered for the 2011 InterMat JJ Classic at 152 pounds. Manville was a Super 32 Challenge champion in the middle school division last year. He is a USAW National Triple Crown winner this year, winning national titles in all three styles. Manville was named Outstanding Wrestler at the 2011 Cliff Keen Reno World Championships.



State champion Sykora registers

Sept. 22 -- The latest state champion to register for the 2011 InterMat JJ Classic is Cameron Sykora (Border West, Minn.), who will compete at 106 pounds. Sykora went 44-4 last season as an eighth-grader en route to winning his state title at 103 pounds in Class A. He was a Minnesota/USA Wrestling Triple Crown winner this year, winning state titles in all three styles.



NHSCA finalist Sullivan registers

Sept. 18 -- Ben Sullivan (Apple Valley, Minn.), a state champion and NHSCA Junior National finalist, has registered for the 2011 InterMat JJ Classic at 160 pounds. Sullivan is a returning JJ Classic champion.



Apple Valley's Kingsley enters

Sept. 8 -- One of the nation's top high school wrestlers, Brandon Kingsley (Apple Valley, Minn.), a three-time state champion, has entered the 2011 InterMat JJ Classic at 152 pounds. Kingsley has a career record of 169-6 with 126 pins. He is ranked as the No. 6 senior in the U.S. by InterMat. Kingsley has committed to the University of Minnesota.



Kroells registers

Sept. 4 -- The heavyweight class at the 2011 InterMat JJ Classic just got stronger with the addition of Michael Kroells (Scott West, Minn.), an undefeated state champion last season. Kroells is ranked as the No. 63 recruit in the country by InterMat. The heavyweight class for the 2011 InterMat JJ Classic also includes Sam Stoll (Kasson-Mantorville, Minn.), a Cadet National double champion.



Brancale registers

Sept. 1 -- The nation's 56th-ranked recruit, Sam Brancale (Eden Prairie, Minn.), has registered for the 2011 InterMat JJ Classic at 132 pounds. Brancale is a state champion and three-time state placewinner. He was a FILA Cadet National double All-American this year. Sam's younger brother, Ben, a state qualifier last season as an eighth-grader, registered for the InterMat JJ Classic at 126 pounds.



Fargo champion Gross registers

Aug. 31 -- Seth Gross (Apple Valley, Minn.), a Cadet National freestyle champion this summer in Fargo, has registered for the 2011 InterMat JJ Classic at 120 pounds. Gross is the 44th-ranked sophomore in the country by InterMat.



State champion registers

Aug. 31 -- Brett Stolarzyk (Stewartville, Minn.), a state champion and Cadet National Greco-Roman All-American, has registered for the 2011 InterMat JJ Classic at 126 pounds. Stolarzyk was an InterMat JJ Classic runner-up last year.



Returning OW registers

Aug. 30 -- Last year's InterMat JJ Classic Outstanding Wrestler, Tristan Manderfeld (Foley, Minn.), has registered for the 2011 InterMat JJ Classic at 113 pounds. Manderfeld was a Cadet National Greco-Roman finalist this summer in Fargo.



Alber, Rouser register

Aug. 29 -- Two notable wrestlers to register on Monday for the 2011 InterMat JJ Classic were Josh Alber (Dakota, Ill.) and Hayden Rouser (ACGC, Minn.). Alber, an undefeated state champion and Cadet National freestyle All-American, registered at 120 pounds. Rouser, a two-time state placewinner with a career record of 162-20 and 80 pins, registered at 132 pounds.



Fargo double champion registers

Aug. 23 -- The nation's 12th-ranked sophomore, Sam Stoll (Kasson-Mantorville, Minn.), will be returning to the InterMat JJ Classic at heavyweight. Stoll was a Cadet National double champion this summer. He was also undefeated at the Cadet National Duals and AAU Junior Olympics.



Stroker registers

Related Link: Well-traveled Stroker has high goals

Aug. 18 -- One of the nation's top incoming freshmen, Fredy Stroker (Bettendorf, Iowa), has registered for the 2011 InterMat JJ Classic at 106 pounds. Stroker was a Cadet National Greco-Roman All-American this summer in Fargo.



Hall enters

Aug. 10 -- The nation's top-ranked junior high wrestler, Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.), will be wrestling in the 2011 InterMat JJ Classic. Hall won a state championship this past season as a seventh-grader at 130 pounds while wrestling for the nation's No. 1 program, Apple Valley.



Oftedahl registers

Aug. 5 -- Jarred Oftedahl (Benilde-St. Margaret's, Minn.), a 2011 Junior National folkstyle champion, has registered for the 2011 InterMat JJ Classic at 113 pounds. Oftedahl was a Junior National double All-American this summer in Fargo at 105 pounds. He finished as a state runner-up this past season at 103 pounds, posting a season record of 39-3.



Seeking volunteers

Aug. 4 -- The InterMat JJ Classic is seeking volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering, please send an email to Kathleen Hennessy Rehbein at kukowskijustin@gmail.com.

We are looking for volunteers in a variety of areas, including table workers, pairers, hospitality, weigh-ins/registration (Friday), tickets, awards, setup, take down, concessions, merchandise, runners, clock, and tappers.

Frost named head official

Aug. 4 -- Rod Frost (Farmington, Minn.) has been named head official for the 211 InterMat JJ Classic. It marks the second straight year in which Frost has served as head official for the event.

Frost has officiated for 20 years and is a board member for the Gold Country Wrestling Officials Association, where he serves as the head of the mentoring program. He has worked/qualified for 17 state tournaments, officiated in the Big Ten, MIAC, NCC, and has worked the NCAA Division III National Duals, as well as the NCAA Division I West Regional twice, and several years at the NCAA Division III Iowa Conference national qualifier.

Frost has served on the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) wrestling board as Charter Clinician for nine years. He was also on the MSHSL Officials Advisory Committee for two years, representing all wrestling officials.

Frost has been an official at The Clash eight of the nine years. He has been an official at the Minnesota Christmas Tournament for 18 years -- eight of those years as the head official. He has officiated high school section/regional tournaments for 20 years.

Frost wrestled in high school at Don Bosco High School in Gilbertville Iowa, and at the college level for Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, Iowa.

Registration Opens

Aug. 3 -- Registration for the 2011 InterMat JJ Classic has opened. Below you will find information about the event.

Overview

The InterMat JJ Classic is an annual preseason high school wrestling tournament open to wrestlers in grades 7 through 12. This year's event takes place on Saturday, Oct. 22 at the UCR Regional Sports Center in Rochester, Minn. The tournament is sponsored by InterMat and organized by 360 Sports and Events Agency.

InterMat is a leading national wrestling website that covers all aspects of amateur wrestling, including high school, college, freestyle and Greco-Roman competition, as well as mixed martial arts.

360 Sports and Event Agency is a sports management company that specializes in organizing, coordinating, and operating national sport-themed events, including the All American Bowl and Nike Coach of the Year Clinic.

Cause

The InterMat JJ Classic is named in honor of Justin "JJ" Kukowski, an athlete and avid sports fan who lost his long, hard-fought battle with brain cancer days after his 27th birthday in 2007.

Proceeds from the event will go toward the Justin Kukowski Center for Spiritual and Physical Healing, a cancer support center that was opened in his memory two years after his passing, and is located in the Minneapolis suburb of Chaska.

Wrestler Registration

Wrestlers can register online for the 2011 InterMat JJ Classic at http://www.intermatwrestle.com/jjclassic/register. The registration fee is $40 if registered in August, $45 if registered in September, and $50 if registered in October. The event is a USA Wrestling-sanctioned event, so a wrestler must have a USA Wrestling Card to participate. Not a USA Wrestling member? Purchase a USA Wrestling card now.

Format

Scholastic style (folkstyle) rules will be used. The matches will be four minutes in length with periods of 2-1-1. Headgear is not required.

Weight Classes

The new high school weight classes approved by the National Federation of State High School Association's rules committee in 2011 will be used. Those weight classes are 106, 113, 120, 126, 132, 138, 145, 152, 160, 170, 182, 195, 220, and 285.

Venue

The 2010 InterMat JJ Classic will be held at the UCR Regional Sports Center (Field House) in Rochester, Minn. The UCR Regional Sports Center has hosted many premier wrestling events, including The Clash, Minnesota Christmas Tournament, Northern Quad, Cadet National Duals, and the NJCAA Wrestling Championships. The address for the UCR Regional Sports Center is 851 30th Avenue Southeast, Rochester, MN 55904.

Event Hotel

The Kahler Grand Hotel is the official event hotel. The address for the Kahler Grand Hotel is 20 SW Second Avenue Rochester, MN 55902.

Weigh-Ins

Weigh-ins will take place on Friday, Oct. 21, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. CDT at the Kahler Grand Hotel. There will be no weight allowance.

Admission/Coaches Pass

Admission will be $10 for adults and $7 for students (18 and under). Admission is free for children under 6. A coaches/floor pass may be purchased at the door for an additional $5.

Social

There will be a social at the Kahler Grand Hotel on Friday, Oct. 21, 8:30 p.m. to midnight CDT. All coaches, parents, volunteers, referees, and media members are invited. Beer, soda, and snacks will be provided.

History

The first InterMat JJ Classic took place on Oct. 23, 2011, at the UCR Regional Sports Center in Rochester, Minn. Wrestlers from Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Texas competed in the inaugural event. Tristan Manderfeld of Foley High School (Minn.) was named Outstanding Wrestler of the 2010 InterMat JJ Classic after defeating multiple age group national champions en route to winning the championship at 103 pounds.

Awards

The top six placewinners in each of the 14 weight classes will receive medals. In addition, each of the 28 finalists will receive a custom, limited edition 2011 InterMat JJ Classic finalist singlet.

Exhibitors & Sponsors

If you are interested in being an exhibitor or sponsor, please send an email to Terry Sullivan at info@360sportsevents.com.

Volunteers

The InterMat JJ Classic is seeking volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering, please send an email to Kathleen Hennessy Rehbein at kukowskijustin@gmail.com.

We are looking for volunteers in a variety of areas, including table workers, pairers, hospitality, weigh-ins/registration (Friday), tickets, awards, setup, take down, concessions, merchandise, runners, clock, and tappers.

If you have a preference on what position you would like to volunteer for, please specify in the email.

Questions/Comments

Questions and comments about the event can be directed at InterMat or 360 Sports and Events Agency depending on the nature of the question(s) or comment(s).

InterMat

General Questions, Rules, Format
Email: contact@intermatwrestle.com
Phone: 612-460-5824

360 Sports and Events Agency

Logistics, Hotel, Facilities, Exhibitors, Sponsors
Email: info@360sportsevents.com
Phone: 612-356-2880