Articles: College Newshttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/page/403/?d=1Articles: College NewsenHofstra to conduct seminar and wrestle-offs on Sundayhttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/hofstra-to-conduct-seminar-and-wrestle-offs-on-sunday-r65538/
Former Olympic champion and current Greco-Roman United State National Team Coach Steve Fraser will open the day by holding a mental toughness seminar. The seminar will start at 9:30 am with the wrestle-offs to follow at 11:00 am. There will be eight wrestle-offs as the Pride prepare for its season opener at Army on November 15. The match-ups for the wrestle-offs are:

125 lbs Dave Tomasette vs. Jon Fennell
133 lbs Ricky LaForge vs. Charles Griffin
141 lbs John Manarte vs. Mitch Smith
149 lbs Jon Masa vs. Winner of Chris Booth/ Mike Martini
157 lbs James Strouse vs. Winner of Anthony Tortora/Mike Parziale
174 lbs Chris Vondruska vs. John Rothman
184 lbs Joe Rovelli vs. Mike Pucillo
HWT Jon Andriac vs. Gus DelVecchio

The cost of the clinic and wrestle-offs is $10 while the cost of just the wrestle-offs is $5.]]>65538Fri, 21 Oct 2005 16:52:00 +0000Smith: "I felt like a kid at Christmas."https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/smith-i-felt-like-a-kid-at-christmas-r65614/That said, Iris Smith has accomplished much in her mat career, including winning titles at the 2000-02 and 2005 U.S. Nationals, as well as the Pan American Games in 2000 and 2001. Now Smith has added the 2005 World Championship -- and its gold medal -- to her list of list of honors.

A Day to Remember in September

Friday, September 30 was an incredible day for Iris Smith. On her way to the gold medal in the 72kg/158.5 lb women's freestyle competition, Smith had to wrestle four opponents -- all in one day.

Iris Smith defeated five-time World champion Kyoko Hamaguchi of Japan, 3-1, 1-1 and 1-0, to win the 2005 World title at 72 kg (photo by Gary Abbott/USA Wrestling).
"All through the tournament, I was incredibly focused," said Smith in an interview for this profile. "I felt like I was in the zone from the moment I weighed in. I kept my concentration, and wrestled one match at a time. I felt comfortable and confident."

Throughout the day, Iris Smith kept her eyes on the prize. In her first bout, Smith stopped Stanka Zlateva of Bulgaria, 3-1, 1-0 … followed by a shut out of Angnieska Wieczczek of Poland, 2-0, 6-0 to win the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Smith defeated Anita Schaetzle of Germany, 3-1, 2-0.

The Finals Outcome

Those three bouts were the prelude to the finals, where Smith faced off against five-time World champion Kyoko Hamaguchi of Japan. In only her second appearance in a World championship, Smith upset the veteran 3-1, 1-1 and 1-0 to win the 2005 World title in Budapest. And it all played out in an exciting finals bout that could have been straight out of a Hollywood movie.

Smith opened up the best-of-three-periods title match in spectacular fashion, scoring a three-point takedown to take the first period. The next period ended in a 1-1 tie, but Hamaguchi won it because she scored the last point. In the first fifty seconds of the third and deciding period, Smith scored a takedown at the edge of the mat which had to be reviewed by the officials while the wrestlers, coaches and audience waited in nervous anticipation. The point stood, and Smith held Hamaguchi scoreless the rest of the period to claim victory -- and the gold.

Basking In a Golden Glow

In a published interview conducted immediately after winning the championship, Smith said, "I wrestled (Hamaguchi) at the World Cup five months ago. She beat me. But I felt I could beat her. I decided to do my own thing. (U.S. Army coach) Shon Lewis helped me out to get prepared. My strategy was to keep moving. (National women's coach) Terry Steiner had everything ready, and he told me what to do. It worked."

Smith was one of four U.S. women to medal in the tournament, helping the team to place third in the standings at the Worlds. "I think my gold was important to the team," Smith said in a post-match interview. "I wanted to hear the national anthem and see my flag raised. I love my country. It motivated me. I wanted to get my country another gold medal."

Reflecting on the gold-medal match two weeks after bringing home the World championship, Smith noted, "In the finals, I was so focused, I didn't even realize I had wrestled three periods. In fact, I wasn't completely sure I had won until I looked over at Terry Steiner and Shon Lewis."

"I felt like a kid at Christmas," said Smith. "This has been a lifelong dream of mine, a dream that I've had since I first started wrestling."

Georgia: The First Step on the Road to Gold

Born twenty-six years ago in Albany, Georgia – located in the southeastern part of the state -- Smith came to wrestling a bit later than most world champions. She first took up the sport at Darsey Private High School where she also played basketball and served as student council president, according to her USA Wrestling biography.

"I went to my brother Kenderson's wrestling matches to support him, to cheer him on," said Smith. "His coach, Anthony White, tried to talk me into going out for the team. Then my mom started working on me, too. So I decided to check it out."

Smith got a rather rude introduction to the sport. "On the second day of practice, I broke my ankle! I spent the whole summer in a cast."

In June, Iris Smith defeated Ali Bernard to win the World Team Trials in Ames, Iowa.
But that injury didn't stop Smith from returning to the mats. She wrestled as a middleweight on the boys' varsity team, where she was immediately accepted by her teammates. "It helped that coach White had recruited me, and that my older brother was on the team."

When asked if she encountered much resistance to wrestling boys in high school from those outside the team, Smith replied, "I really didn't hear too much in the way of negative comments. I did get some folks saying things like ‘ladies don't wrestle.'"

"As I started to win, I got a bit more flack," according to Smith. "A couple times I heard from parents whose sons lost to me. But that was pretty much the extent of it."

Go West, Young Wrestler!

Immediately after high school, Smith stayed in Georgia for a while, continuing her wrestling training. Then she headed west to the Olympic Training Center (OTC) in Colorado Springs … even though they didn't have a specific program for women at the time.

"The OTC is the perfect place for me," said Smith. "It has tremendous facilities, you get expert coaching, and experienced workout partners. And the scenery! I have an incredible view of the mountains from my house. I love the outdoors, so Colorado is great for me. I can go hiking in the mountains whenever I want."

Smith singled out her coaches for special praise: "I could not have won the Worlds without them. Shon Lewis, with his background as a Greco-Roman wrestler, is a great motivator. And Terry Steiner is the technician, helping me improve my technique. Their unique skills, personalities and backgrounds compliment each other, and make a great coaching team for me."

She's In the Army Now

In her third year at the Olympic Training Center, Smith joined the U.S. Army, where she is a sergeant. She is based at Fort Carson, Colorado, only a few miles from the OTC and her house.

"I'm part of their World Class Athlete Program," said Smith. "I am a soldier, trained as a transportation specialist, but my mission is to represent the Army as a wrestler in international competition." Smith points out that a number of U.S. wrestlers are part of this program, including Dremiel Byers, Keith Sieracki, Oscar Wood, and Tina George.

Building a Ladder…

With her gold medal, Iris Smith joins a very exclusive club: only three other U.S. women -- Tricia Saunders, Kristie Marano, and Sandra Bacher -- have ever won a World wrestling championship.

"As a young woman, I always looked up to Tricia Saunders as my inspiration," said Smith. "She paved the way for women like me to go out for the sport and work hard to be successful at it."

Smith likens her wrestling career to building a ladder over the ten years of international freestyle competition. "Winning the U.S. Nationals is one step in building a ladder to the Worlds, which then serves as a ladder towards the 2008 Olympics," said Smith. "Of course, the ladder includes many elements beyond competing, including working out, staying in shape, and having the right people around me."

As for the top rung of the ladder?

"After I reach my other goals, I might consider a career in coaching," said Smith. "It would be a great way to give back to the sport that has given so much to me."]]>65614Fri, 21 Oct 2005 11:50:00 +0000Adams State to enjoy "travel-friendly" schedulehttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/adams-state-to-enjoy-travel-friendly-schedule-r65609/
The timing could not be better, as Ramstetter's squad will feature 10 previous NCAA Division II National Championship qualifiers and five returning All-Americans. Three of those earned the honors in 2005 as ASC finished in the top 10 of the NCAA Division II National Championships for the third straight year.

The Grizzlies, who had just three home duals in 2004-05, will begin the season by hosting their annual Green & White Dual on Wednesday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. Ramstetter's squad then heads out on the tournament circuit, competing in the Wyoming Cowboy Open on Nov. 13 before Ramstetter will split his squad between the Nebraska-Omaha Kaufman-Brand Open and the Northern Colorado Open on Nov. 19.

ASC then closes out the pre-Christmas portion of the schedule at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational on Dec. 2-3 before a handful of the Grizzlies will compete at the Midlands Championships in Evanston, Ill. on Dec. 29-30. A full squad will then go to the Midwest Classic in Indianapolis, Ind. on Jan. 6-7, 2006.

The dual-meet portion of the schedule then begins on Jan. 12 at arch-rival Western State before the Grizzlies return home to face Division I Air Force just 47 hours later on Jan. 14 at 6 p.m.

The Grizzlies will then host traditional power Central Oklahoma on Friday, Jan. 20 before hosting the Colorado Collegiate Invitational, which the Bronchos will compete in, the next day.

San Luis Valley wrestling fans then will have an opportunity to catch a high school-college doubleheader on Thursday, Jan. 26. Alamosa High School, coached by Gary Ramstetter, Jason's father, will take on Pueblo West at 5 p.m. before the Grizzlies take on New Mexico Highlands, which has restarted its wrestling program, at 7 p.m. A night later, the Grizzlies host Division I Utah Valley State.

The Grizzlies then close out the home stand on Feb. 2 by hosting Fort Hays State, one day before making the quick trip to Golden for an RMAC dual at Colorado Mines.

The Grizzlies then close out the home portion of the schedule on Feb. 9 against Chadron State before facing Nebraska-Kearney and Augustana (S.D.) in Kearney, Neb. in a tri-state triangular on Feb. 11. Augustana finished second at last year's NCAA Division II National Championships.

The RMAC/NCAA West Region Championships are scheduled for Feb. 25 in Golden. The Grizzlies, who sent ten qualifiers to the national meet in 2005, will look to qualify the same number of wrestlers for the 2006 National Championships, slated for Mar. 10 and 11 in Findlay, Ohio, at that meet.]]>65609Thu, 20 Oct 2005 22:54:00 +0000Northern Colorado intra-squad scrimmage and open house set for Oct. 29https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/northern-colorado-intra-squad-scrimmage-and-open-house-set-for-oct-29-r65608/
The intra-squad scrimmage will feature 15 matches and is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. in the Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion. Following the scrimmage, the Bears' wrestling team will host an open house for all those attending the match.

"The scrimmage gives our fans the opportunity to come out free of charge and see what the Northern Colorado wrestling program has to offer in our third-year of Division I wrestling," head coach Jack Maughan said. "The open house will provide a chance for our fans to interact with the coaches, student-athletes, alumni and supporters of Northern Colorado wrestling."

Maughan is entering his 19th year as head wrestling coach at Northern Colorado in 2005-06. The wrestling program is entering its third year of a four-year reclassification process to Division I in 2005-06 and becomes eligible to participate in NCAA postseason beginning in 2006-07.

Northern Colorado will open its regular season on Nov. 13 at the Wyoming Cowboy Open in Laramie, Wyo. Northern Colorado will again host the Old Chicago Northern Colorado Open on Nov. 19 in the Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion.]]>65608Thu, 20 Oct 2005 18:48:00 +0000NCAA Championships: Pick a host city and stick with it?https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/ncaa-championships-pick-a-host-city-and-stick-with-it-r65606/
And, along with arguing about preseason rankings and making predictions as to individual champions, another yearly ritual in the wrestling community: discussing the idea of naming ONE city as THE host for the NCAA Division I Championships, now and forever.

Now, with the recent news stories announcing host cities for the NCAAs in 2008-2011 -- and as the 2005-06 college wrestling season is about to begin -- the discussion of a permanent site for the NCAAs starts all over again.

Host City History 101

The very first NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship was held at Iowa State in Ames in 1928. Among the schools selected most often to serve as host: Iowa State (seven times), Iowa (five), Maryland (five), Oklahoma (five), Penn State (four), and Lehigh (four). Among the schools that have hosted the event in the past that might be a surprise to today's wrestling fans: University of Washington (1973), Auburn (1971), Brown (1931), Washington and Lee (1936) and Franklin and Marshall (1939).

Iowa State University has hosted more NCAA Division I Championships than any other school. Their current arena, Hilton Coliseum (pictured), last hosted in 1993.
The NCAA Championships have always been hosted by a college … even if the site of the tournament was not on campus. For the first seventy years, the tournament was usually held at the host school. There are a handful of exceptions, such as Oklahoma City serving as the site for the championships in 1983, 1985 and 1992, and the Meadowlands outside New York City in 1984.

With the arrival of the new century, the location of the NCAAs seemed to shift away from "college town" sites to "big city" venues. The last on-campus NCAAs appear to have been the 2001 Championships, held at the University of Iowa.

In the new millennium, the NCAAs have been held outside the traditional college towns (with the exception of Iowa City). Since 2002, Albany, Kansas City and St. Louis have all served as host … with upcoming championships booked in Oklahoma City, suburban Detroit, Omaha, Philadelphia, and St. Louis (again) through 2011.

Why the Move Off-Campus?

Some traditionalists lament the decision of the NCAA site selection committee to locate the Division I Wrestling Championships away from college towns to major cities. There's something to be said for holding a collegiate sporting event on a college campus. Having the event on the host school's grounds makes it more readily accessible to students, faculty and staff. And, for fans whose college days are long behind them, there's a bit of a nostalgic rush to be back on a college campus … even if the campus hosting the NCAAs isn't your alma mater.

The principal reason given for moving away from on-campus sites is venue size. In the past two rounds of NCAA site selection in the new century, arena seating capacity has been mentioned repeatedly as the major concern. Most of the sites hosting the NCAAs since 2000 have a seating capacity of approximately 19,000. In the most recent announcement of upcoming sites for hosting the NCAAs in 2008-2011, Des Moines was told that its otherwise attractive bid was rejected because their brand-new Wells Fargo Arena did not have enough seats.

In recent years, the NCAAs have been a virtual sell-out. The largest recorded attendance was at the 2000 NCAAs in St. Louis, with a six-session total of approximately 98,000 fans. A close second was the 2005 NCAAs in the same arena, with a six-session attendance of 95,459.

In 1970, at McGaw Hall on the campus of Northwestern University (pictured), Larry Owings of Washington upset Dan Gable of Iowa State in the NCAA finals.
For a decade or so -- before the move to 19,000-seat arenas -- the NCAAs were usually held in arenas seating approximately 13,000 - 15,000 fans. Before that -- up until the 1970s -- the championships were conducted in large fieldhouses half that size. For example, 8,800 fans filled McGaw Hall at Northwestern University for the 1970 NCAAs, according to published reports on the legendary finals match in which Larry Owings upset Dan Gable.

Even as the venues grew, fan demand was never completely satisfied. Most host schools held a lottery to determine who got a ticket… and who had to stay home and watch the championships on TV. In other words, demand outstripped supply.

Other factors may have also weighed in on the decision to locate the championships to major cities. Some traditional college towns lack adequate accommodations to feed and house the out-of-towners … forcing fans to find hotels an hour or more away. In addition, lack of easy accessibility is also a factor. Some university towns are not located on a major interstate highway, and do not have commercial airline service.

My, How You've Grown!

In addition to greater numbers of wrestling fans wanting to be present for the NCAA championships, the event itself has grown in size and scope. At the 1928 NCAAs at Iowa State, just forty-one wrestlers competed in seven weight classes. Similar numbers were posted at the NCAAs up to World War II.

There was some growth in the years after the war. According to A Turning Point, an excellent account of the 1953 NCAAs held at Penn State, 166 wrestlers competed in ten weight classes -- about sixteen men per weight bracket. A record-breaking crowd of approximately 6,000 fans packed Rec Hall to the rafters. (As authors Jamie Moffatt and Roger Olesen point out in their book, most of the fans and participants were from the eastern U.S. In the 1950s -- before interstate highways and commercial jet service -- it was a huge undertaking to travel from Alabama or Oklahoma to central Pennsylvania.)

In terms of the number of wrestlers participating in the event, the turning point seems to have been the 1967 NCAAs, held at Kent State University in Ohio. That year, 32-man brackets were pretty much the rule in each weight class … up from the approximately 16-20 competitors per weight class at the 1966 NCAAs and years before. This 32-wrestlers-per-weight-class structure is still in place; at the 2005 NCAAs, 318 wrestlers competed.

What's Expected of a Good Host?

The NCAA has a 73-page booklet available online, spelling out in incredible detail the requirements for hosting the Division I wrestling championships. The booklet covers everything from fundamentals such as number of mats required on the floor of the arena for the opening rounds … to seemingly nitpicky items such as how many pens should be at officials' tables. The document also addresses issues such as transportation and accommodations for the participants, tickets, security, and press credentials. .

Just about all of these rules and recommendations focus on the wrestlers, their coaches, officials and NCAA personnel. That's all well and good. But what about the fan experience?

Let's look at the elements that make a site ideal for hosting the NCAAs from the fans' point-of-view:

• Easy access. The city should be within a few hours of the majority of college wrestling fans, with good highway access, and commercial airline and passenger rail service. Icing on the cake: an easy-to-use mass transit system that whisks fans from the arena to hotels, restaurants and entertainment areas.

• An accommodating nature. There should be thousands of hotel rooms at all price points within a few minutes of the arena. Likewise, there should be a wide range of eateries easily accessible from the venue that can accommodate the hungry masses between sessions.

• Things to do when not in the arena. There should be plenty of entertainment, shopping and cultural options nearby.

• Price protection. Fans don't want to feel like they're being gouged with higher-than-normal prices for hotels, parking, and food inside the arena and out.

Should There Be a Permanent Home for the NCAAs?

It would not be unprecedented for the Division I Wrestling Championships to pick a host city as a "permanent" site. The NCAA Division I Baseball Championships are held each year in Omaha, which seems to work well for both the athletes and attendees. There's something to be said for a city and venue that's experienced at hosting the event, and knows all the fine points of accommodating the specific needs and expectations of participants and fans.

The Qwest Center in Omaha (pictured) will host the 2010 NCAA Championships.
However, many college wrestling fans seem to relish the idea of visiting a new location each March. One can argue that an arena is an arena is an arena … but fans appreciate the opportunity to visit a different city each year and experience its unique attractions.

One can also argue that it helps the sport of wrestling to have the event take place in different parts of the country. Bringing the sport to a site that's not in a traditional wrestling hotbed can only generate publicity and interest among would-be fans and participants, expanding the sport's base … and ensuring its survival.

And… not having a permanent location prevents complacency…and price-gouging. It would be all too easy for a city that knows it has the NCAAs all sowed up for the rest of time to get fat and lazy, and become unresponsive to the needs of the wrestling community. Likewise, there might be a temptation on the part of the hosts to feel as if it has participants and fans "over a barrel" in terms of prices for tickets, accommodations and incidentals.

A Referee's Decision

Perhaps the ideal solution is something of a compromise: Select three "permanent" host cities, and rotate the event among those cities each year. Ideally, each location could be in its own geographical area as to attract potential new fans, yet never be too far from fans in wrestling hotbeds like Pennsylvania, Ohio, Iowa and Oklahoma. Possible "permanent" cities could include Philadelphia, Baltimore or Washington in the east … St. Louis, Chicago or Omaha in the center … and Oklahoma City, Tulsa or Denver in the west. (This assumes that each city has facilities that meet NCAA criteria, including a 19,000-seat arena available in mid-March).

This solution brings together the best of both worlds. Each location would become very good at hosting the event… yet would never become too cocky or complacent in terms of meeting the expectations of the wrestling community. And, by rotating the sites -- an eastern site one year, the Midwest the next, and the west the third year -- it would provide participants and fans with a welcome change-of-pace in terms of off-the-mat activities.]]>65606Thu, 20 Oct 2005 07:39:00 +0000Owen hired as Navy assistanthttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/owen-hired-as-navy-assistant-r65604/
"We are very excited to have Scott join our staff. We are very lucky to get someone of his quality this late in the game," said Navy head coach Bruce Burnett. "We had a number of very strong applicants, but Scott's skills and what he can do for the program really stood out. He will fit in very well here. He is goal-oriented, a very hard worker and understands wrestling. His dad was a high school wrestling coach, so he comes from a coaching background and he knows what it takes to be successful. We are very thrilled to have him join our program."

Owen comes to Navy from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Ill., where he helped the Huskies to national recognition on the mats. He served as as a volunteer and assistant coach at the MAC school since 2003, where he helped coach four wrestlers to last year's NCAA Championships. As a collegiate wrestler at Northern Illinois, Owen was a four-time NCAA Qualifier and two-time All-American, placing fifth at 157 pounds in 2002 and 2003. He was the nation's top-ranked wrestler during the 2002-03 season and was a three-time Mid-American Conference champion. He ended his career as the all-time wins leader in Northern Illinois history and is just one of three Northern Illinois wrestlers to finish his career as a two-time All-American.

Following the completion of his collegiate career, Owen has remained active on the mat and has claimed several top honors as a freestyle wrestler. He finished in the top 12 at the 2005 United States Nationals and was ranked as high as seventh in the country at 66 kilograms. Owen is a 2008 Olympic Freestyle Wrestling hopeful, and he continues his training to become a member of the USA Olympic Team in Beijing, China. Owen is currently a member of the New York Athletic Club at 66 kilograms and competed at the prestigious U.S. Open in Las Vegas, Nev., where he lost to eventual Olympic Silver Medalist Jamil Kelly in overtime, 3-1. Based upon his outstanding performance, it's anticipated that Owen will be ranked among the United States' top 10 in his weight class.

Owens came to Northern Illinois as a three-time New Mexico state champion and was a two-time member of the Asics All-American Team in 1996 and 1997.

He also excelled in the classroom, where he graduated for NIU with a 3.63 GPA in biological sciences with an emphasis in pre-med and a minor in chemistry. He was a two-time member of the NWCA First-team Academic All-America team and was named to the Verizon / CoSIDA Academic All-American second team in 2002. He was a four-time Dean's List honoree and a five-time Northern Illinois Victory Scholar, which is given to athletes with a 3.5 GPA or higher. He is currently seeking a master's degree in sport management. from Northern Illinois.

"I am extremely excited about this opportunity," said Owen. "Navy is a program on the rise and I am looking forward to helping our athletes reach some big goals while also helping Navy continue to climb the national rankings to the top."

Owen joins a top-notch staff at Navy, as head coach Bruce Burnett and assistant coach Joel Sharratt enter their sixth year together at the helm.]]>65604Wed, 19 Oct 2005 22:24:00 +0000Rev Blog Entry 2: Jason Lulloff, UW-LaCrossehttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/rev-blog-entry-2-jason-lulloff-uw-lacrosse-r65603/
It takes a special person to fall in love with the sport of wrestling and an even more unique individual to become successful at the sport. Becoming a successful wrestler is not equivalent to simply knowing good wrestling technique. Granted, technique helps, but in my opinion there are other attributes that are just as valuable. Successful wrestlers possess many characteristics that are much deeper than athletic ability. Among these characteristics include courage, a burning desire to win, mental toughness, confidence, and much more.

It is rare to find a sport where athletic talent can be beaten by mental toughness and courage. In most sports, the most athletic person is the most successful. Not that having skill in wrestling is not important, but I believe wrestlers call upon more than athleticism to succeed. When I step foot on the mat, technique and ability are the least of my worries. I know it is possible to beat someone who is more technically talented than I am -- simply by focusing on the special attributes that I listed above.

I have spent 18 years of my life participating in the sport of wrestling. Throughout those years, there have been times when I thought I was at the top of my game. Fortunately for me, each time that occurred -- it was not long before I realized that I was not. From my youth years up through high school, I accomplished most of my goals. I was successful and had a lot of awards to show for those years. Upon graduating high school, I was very confident with my skills and looked forward to a college career. I decided to attend the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (UWL). It was there where I finally realized how the sport of wrestling really works.

When I entered my first season of college wrestling, our team at UWL was very competitive. I found myself battling for a starting position that I had previously thought was easily mine. I earned a spot in the lineup and found early success. Toward the middle part of the season, I lost a match I was expected to win. That was the beginning of my maturing process as a wrestler. I was in a slump because my confidence was low from the loss. My coach came up to me and basically said that I could do one of two things: I could realize that I had everything I needed to be a good a wrestler, work on the mental aspects I was struggling with, and finish top-three in Division III as a true freshman at 174 pounds. Or I could continue to be a decent wrestler, knocking off only the wrestlers who were less talented, and never step foot on the podium.

Jason Lulloff, who competes at 184 pounds, is a two-time All-American for the Eagles.
Those choices haunted me for a long time until I suddenly realized that wrestling is much more than talent and technique. The day I decided that I was going to be the freshman that everyone was out to beat, rather than the freshman who was out to beat somebody, was the day I finally came out of my slump. I went on to place third at nationals that year.

After my freshman year, I was definitely mentally tougher than I had ever been before. I thought then that I had this sport figured out -- I had high expectations and a new attitude. During my sophomore year, I realized that my new attitude was great, but it was not great enough. I lost focus at the NCAA Tournament and was pinned in the first round. Devastated with my fourth place finish, I decided I was going to rededicate myself to the sport of wrestling. I trained that summer like I had never done before. My confidence was so high that I was almost cocky, and my mental state was solid. I could not wait for the season to begin. That is when I ran into a new mental challenge.

Only weeks before practice started, I received the results from my MRI. I was so focused on training and becoming mentally tough that I failed to listen to my body. I was having back pains for about two months and finally went to the doctor to get it checked out. I had a severely ruptured disc slightly above my tailbone. Had I gone to the doctor when I first ruptured the disc, I could have avoided surgery. Because I kept training hard, I spread the disc matter into my nerve stem and needed surgery.

When I heard the news, I was devastated. I was told that I was not only out for the season, but I would possibly never wrestle again. At first I wandered around, feeling sorry for myself, but then suddenly the mental toughness kicked in. I decided I would have the surgery and I would return to the mat because I am not an ordinary patient with back problems -- I am a wrestler with a mean mental attitude and a will to win a national championship.

I found a doctor who said that a return to the mat would be extremely difficult, but not impossible, and booked an appointment with him. He performed the surgery and things went well. I spent a lot of time rehabbing the back and am finally at a state where it is possible to wrestle. Every rehab session and every time there was frustration, I can distinctly recall my mind overcoming the body because there was some driving force more powerful than a painful back -- that force is to win a national championship.

Our season at UWL is now underway. I have been participating in all of the practices and so far have had no troubles with my back. I was told that I would never return to 100% of the wrestler I was before surgery, and yet I am extremely confident that this will be my best season yet. I have gained so much more from this injury that I wish everyone could see wrestling as I see it right now.

I have been in the seat where doctors have told me I would be foolish to continue competing. I have stared at my trophies and at the open spot on my desk that I have designated for a national championship trophy. I have contemplated if I was tough enough to overcome the unlikely return to the mat. I spent the last ten months watching our team from the sideline, wondering if I would ever wear a maroon singlet again. The waiting is over; I have overcome another hardship and conquered the odds. I am convinced that I am tougher than ever before. I realize now that I am mentally stronger and more determined to accomplish my goals. Through my struggles, I know now that I am ready for anything that life decides to throw at me. I am really looking forward to the upcoming battles. The excitement in the room has me eager to get this season underway. I am ready. I am back.

Jason Lulloff

Past UW-LaCrosse Entries:

Entry 1 (10/10/05)]]>65603Wed, 19 Oct 2005 19:26:00 +0000Baker is happy to be back wrestling againhttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/baker-is-happy-to-be-back-wrestling-again-r65601/
It doesn't matter that he was once considered a "can't-miss" wrestler who was going to be the next University of Minnesota great. It doesn't matter that his dream, ever since he was a little boy, was to follow in the footsteps of University of Minnesota four-time All-American Chad Kraft. It doesn't matter that he and Josh McLay were supposed to form a dynamic one-two punch in the middle of the Gopher lineup for years to come. It doesn't matter that he won three Minnesota state high school titles and racked up more than 200 career wins. It doesn't matter that he won the prestigious Junior Nationals, the summer after his senior year, in a weight class that would eventually produce an astonishing four Division I NCAA champions. It doesn't matter that he has beaten the following Division I NCAA champions: Ryan Bertin (twice), Chris Pendleton (twice), and Troy Letters (three times). It doesn't matter that he was named "Mr. Minnesota," an honor bestowed upon the top senior wrestler in the state.

Nate Baker
To understand why none of those things matter anymore, you must first understand what this 24-year-old's journey has been like, and where he wants it to take him.

In the mid-1980s, Nate began tagging along with his father, Randy Baker, a high school wrestling coach, to his practices.

Randy grew up in southwestern Minnesota and has spent virtually his entire life in that area. In high school, he wrestled at Jackson High School in Minnesota, then moved on to wrestle and become an All-American at nearby Worthington Community College (now Minnesota West Community College), before finishing up his competitive wrestling career at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. After Randy graduated from college with his physical education degree, it took him a few years to acquire a teaching and coaching job. But in 1984, Lakefield, (which has since joined with Jackson), hired him as a part-time teacher and wrestling coach. He's been there ever since.

Randy's passion was, and still is, coaching wrestling. He loves every minute of it. He has become one of the most successful wrestling coaches in Minnesota State High School League history. He is also considered to be on one of the brightest wrestling minds around. He has produced great teams, great wrestlers, and great people. He ranks fourth on the all-time list in Minnesota as having coached 17 individual state champions. In 1997, he was named State Wrestling Man of the Year. In 2001, he was named USA Wrestling Developmental Coach of the Year, an award given annually to the top coach in the nation working with age-group wrestlers and programs.

So it was only natural for Randy to pass on his love and passion for the sport to his only son, Nate.

Nate wrestled in his first match when he was in kindergarten. Those who watched him, even at such a young age, could tell right away that he was naturally gifted. He grew up listening to everything his father preached. He emulated the techniques and wrestling styles of the Kraft brothers, Matt and Chad, whom his father had coached on the high school team. Both Matt and Chad were high school standouts who went on to wrestle for the hometown Gophers. Nate wanted to be just like them.

In 2001, Randy Baker was named USA Wrestling Developmental Coach of the Year (TheGuillotine.com).
Nate would go on to reach the Minnesota/USA Kids Freestyle State Tournament finals eight times, winning it five times. While many young wrestlers attended wrestling camps all across the country, at places like Iowa, Oklahoma State, and Arizona State, Nate stayed home and learned from his father. Randy could show him everything he needed to know to be successful.

"He helped me so much throughout my career," says Nate of his father. "He guided me. He helped me with my decisions. He helped me learn the proper ways to cut weight. Pretty much all the technique I learned came from him."

Although Nate saw a lot of success as a youth wrestler, there were still the disappointments along the way. Take, for instance, the time he drew Jacob Clark in the first round of the Minnesota/USA Kids Freestyle State Tournament, and was two and done, after winning the state title the year before. Or the time he lost in the Cadet state finals to Luke Eustice. Or the time he lost to a lesser opponent, because that wrestler stalled the entire match, and Nate didn't get any help from the referee.

"You had to deal with those things," said Randy. "It might have made for a little quieter ride home, but when you talked, it was more than just coaching him. It was a relationship and you didn't give up on each other."

When Nate was in eighth grade, wrestling for his father at Jackson County Central, he placed sixth at 103 pounds at the Minnesota State High School Tournament. The following year, as a freshman, he finished as the state runner-up at 119 pounds. He won his first state high school title as a sophomore wrestling at 140 pounds.

"I was really excited," said Nate of winning his first title. "It was something that I had planned on doing the year before, but I lost in the finals."

Randy Baker led the Jackson County Central Huskies to back-to-back Minnesota state titles in 1999 and 2000 (TheGuillotine.com).
His junior season, he pinned all four opponents en route to another state title, this time at 152 pounds. He also guided the Jackson County Central Huskies to the state team title. That summer, he placed third at Junior Nationals in freestyle. His impressive wrestling resume made him one of the most sought after recruits in the country. Shortly after July 1, 1999, when coaches are permitted to contact recruits, University of Minnesota head coach, J Robinson, and his top assistant, Marty Morgan, called Nate and expressed interest. Iowa, who had won the national title a few months prior (edging Minnesota), waited a little while, before contacting him for a visit. It wasn't long before Tom Brands and Jim Zalesky were sitting in the Baker's living room, trying to persuade him to come to Iowa City and wrestle for the Hawkeyes.

But during the fall of 1999, when the wrestling recruiting season was in full swing, Nate's schedule was jam-packed. He played both ways on the football team and was an avid hunter, so it was tough to find time. He and Matt Shankey, a fellow Minnesota high school standout, took their recruiting visits together. They looked at Wisconsin, Northern Iowa, Iowa, and Minnesota. Baker chose Minnesota. Shankey chose Iowa.

"It came down to Iowa and Minnesota," said Nate. "They were my top two choices. I was very interested in Iowa. Obviously they have a great program. But the reason I went to Minnesota is because I knew a lot of the guys. I just felt a little more comfortable with the situation there."

His senior season, he won his third state title while wrestling with a torn MCL, and once again, he led the Huskies to the team title. After winning his championship match, Nate walked off the mat and hugged his father.

Nate Baker hugs his father, Randy, after winning his third state title (TheGuillotine.com).
"The road we were on together made it pretty emotional," recalled Randy. "It was a long process. We went through a lot of great memories, but also a lot of time and work. I think people sometimes don't realize what kids who win state titles really have to go through. Other people are sitting around in the summer, going to the beach, partying or whatever, while a lot of the top wrestlers are going to camps, working out, or going to Cadet and Junior Nationals."

Even though Nate was already headed to the University of Minnesota in the fall, he still wanted to test the waters that summer at the always tough Junior Nationals. Prior to the tournament, he and Randy had shingled and done carpentry work in the hot, summer heat -- which gave Nate a strong conditioning base.

"At training camp for Junior Nationals, I got my weight down fine, and I just felt really good throughout all the practices," recalled Nate. "So I knew going into the tournament that I was going to have a good performance. Once I got out there, everything started flowing. All of my matches seemed to work out exactly how I had planned them."

Nate dominated at Junior Nationals. He won seven of his nine matches in his pool by technical fall or fall. The only two matches that went the distance in his pool, ironically, were against two eventual two-time NCAA champions, Pendleton and Bertin. In the finals, Nate defeated Letters, 7-5, which marked the second straight year that he had beaten him at Junior Nationals.

Nate Baker claimed the Junior Nationals title in 2000 at 154 pounds (TheGuillotine.com).
With his illustrious prep career behind him, it was time to take care of business at the next level.

Nate enrolled at the University of Minnesota in the fall of 2000. He redshirted his first season with the Gophers. Wrestling unattached at 157 and 165, he posted an impressive 21-3 record. He captured titles at the Kaufman-Brand Open (20-and-under division), Northern Open, Flash-Flanagan Open, and Worthington Open. One of his three losses that season came to his teammate, Luke Becker (who captured the NCAA title at 157 that season), in the finals of the Bison Open, 10-5.

"My first year at Minnesota was really a good experience for me," said Nate. "Going from high school to college, I didn't know how big of a change in levels it would be. I was wrestling with (Luke) Becker, (Brad) Pike, and a lot of great wrestlers. So I learned a lot just from wrestling them. When I went out to wrestle in competitions, it made it a lot easier, because I was already wrestling some of the best wrestlers in the nation. I felt pretty good about the way I was wrestling all the way through my redshirt year."

It was a promising start to what looked to be a great career. He was now ready to make his mark in the Gopher lineup.

In the next season, the Gophers had a logjam at 165 pounds. Nate, John Hardy, and Mitch Marr all battled for the right to start. At the Kaufman-Brand Open in November, Nate lost a tight match, 5-3, to Hardy in the finals. It was back and forth all season. Nate never knew when he would be in the lineup.

In fact, one time that season, Randy had driven up to Minneapolis to visit Nate. The two were sitting at Perkins Restaurant, casually talking, when all of a sudden Nate's cell phone rang. It was J Robinson.

He told Nate to get his weight down, because he had a plane ticket for him to travel Purdue the next day and wrestle in the lineup.

Nate, who had no idea that he might be wrestling, was eight pounds over weight. It was 8:00 at night. He ran all night, made weight, traveled to Purdue, and lost his match by two points. Hardy replaced Nate in the lineup for the next dual.

Nate won two of his last three duals, which included a fall over seventh-ranked Johnny Clark of Ohio State. He earned the right to be in the lineup for the postseason.

"Once I got in the lineup, I tried to show the coaches that I was the one they wanted in there, just by wrestling hard," said Nate. "When it came down to the last couple of duals, I finally earned the spot. So I figured out that all my hard work was paying off."

During the 2001-02 season, Nate Baker compiled a 29-15 record while wrestling at 165 pounds for the University of Minnesota (TheGuillotine.com).
Nate placed fifth at the Big Ten Championships, which qualified him for the NCAA Tournament. At the NCAA Tournament, in Albany, New York, he won his opening round match, 13-11, but then lost 12-2 to top-seeded Joe Heskett of Iowa State. Nate was then eliminated in the consolation bracket by Chris Vitale of Lehigh. He finished that season with an overall record of 29-15.

The NCAA Tournament had been a bitter-sweet experience for Nate. On the one hand, he didn't wrestle as well as he had hoped. But on the other hand, his team, the Gophers, captured their second straight NCAA title.

"It was great to be a part of a national championship team," said Nate. "It was something that I knew a lot of the guys really wanted."

Nate spent the summer lifting and training as he prepared for the 2002-03 season. The first match that season was the much publicized dual between Minnesota and Iowa. Nate weighed in for the dual, but the coaches decided not to wrestle him. A week later, Nate failed to place at the Kaufman-Brand Open in Omaha. In early-December, he finished third at the UNI Open.

At that time, Nate was trying to cope with serious family problems, something no one would ever want to experience. Soon after that, in the fall of 2002, he left the Minnesota program.

In late-February of 2003, Nate stepped back on the mat and claimed the 174-pound title at the USA Wrestling Collegiate Nationals in Rochester, Minnesota. The next fall, Nate got in a car accident, and although no one was seriously hurt, the accident took a financial and emotional toll on him. That winter, with Nate still living in Minneapolis, but no longer wrestling for the Gophers, he began coaching at Eagan High School, a Minneapolis suburb. One of Randy's former wrestlers, Chad Gage, was the head coach at Eagan, and had known the Baker family for years.

The next summer, 2004, Nate moved back home and worked. Last winter, he began coaching with his father at Jackson County Central.

Bryan Cowdin, whom Nate had known for years, a former Minnesota state champion at a school located near Jackson (Worthington), and an All-American at both Minnesota West and South Dakota State, also joined the Baker duo on the coaching staff.

"Bryan and I started wrestling each other when I was in eighth grade," said Nate. "Our matches were a big deal around the area, just because we were both talented wrestlers. A lot of people would show up at our duals. But when he started coaching at Jackson, I got to know him really well."

In January of 2005, just for fun, Nate and Cowdin got back on the mat and wrestled in the Worthington Open, held at Minnesota West. Both won titles.

So what did Randy think of the experience of coaching with his son?

"It was pretty interesting, but it was a lot of fun," said Randy. "It was interesting how he would act, how he would coach. He wasn't really a yeller, but he knew what to do. He did a good job. A couple of times we would have a little disagreement about what we wanted a wrestler to do, but for the most part, we were on the same page."

Last season, Don Hoonhorst, a former wrestler at Minnesota State-Moorhead (Division II), who was living near Jackson, noticed that Nate was coaching. If Nate wanted to return to college wrestling, his only options were Division II, Division III, or NAIA, since his Division I eligibility had run out. So Hoonhorst got on the phone and called his former coach, Keenan Spiess, and mentioned that he should talk to Nate about the possibility of joining the program. So Spiess made the call to Nate.

"It was just a question of whether or not he was ready to go back to school, get his degree, and move on with his life," said Spiess, who is beginning his third season as head coach of the Dragons. "That was the main thing. I didn't really bug him that much. I just told him that we're interested, if he's ready to come back."

Keenan Spiess
Thankfully for Spiess, it worked. Nate made the decision to enroll at Minnesota State-Moorhead this fall. He is expected to compete at 165 pounds for the Dragons. Cowdin will also join the wrestling program second semester, after he finishes up some coursework at Minnesota West.

Randy is happy that Nate made the decision to get back on the mat.

"That was one of my goals, to get him back wrestling," said Randy. "I knew that he would get the itch again, especially if he was around it. I just don't want him to have those questions later in his life, seeing guys he has beaten be national champions, and then have some bitterness about what happened in his life. So I wanted to get him back on the mat, and at least answer those questions himself. If you go back, and you don't want to do it, then you'll know. But if you don't ever go back, you're always going to wonder, and wish you would have. Regrets are really hard."

On Nov. 23, Minnesota State-Moorhead travels to Augsburg College to wrestle the defending Division III national champions. There is a possibility that Nate could meet up with another former Minnesota prep star, who also spent some time in the University of Minnesota room, Marcus LeVesseur. Levesseur, who transferred to Augsburg after just one season at Minnesota, has won three Division III national titles and has compiled a record of 124-0 while wrestling at 157 pounds. There is unconfirmed speculation, however, that LeVesseur might move up to 165 pounds for his senior season.

Nate's goal for this season is to finish on top.

"Hopefully I can win a national title this year," said Nate, who has two years of eligibility remaining. "That's my main goal, especially after making it to the NCAA's in Division I. I think that because of some of the guys I've wrestled, and how they're doing, I should be able to do just as well."

Added Randy, "If Nate can get to where he was, I think you'll see that smile back on his face. For a long time, he was pretty reserved. A lot of negative things were going on and you don't know how to fix them. Really, until you realize you can't fix them, you kind of stumble."

But regardless of what happens on the wrestling mat, Spiess believes that Nate is setting himself up for a prosperous future.

"I'm excited to have him on the team," said Spiess. "He's doing really well in school. He's a construction management major. They set them up really well with jobs when they are done here. As long as he sticks to his guns, he's going to have a great life ahead of him."

Despite the adversity Nate has faced the past few years, he believes the tough nature of the sport is what helped to bring him back.

"I've always known that wrestling is a tough sport," said Nate. "There is a lot of adversity you have to deal with. I've learned a lot through wrestling, like how to deal with different things just from being a wrestler. That's why I'm back in it now."]]>65601Tue, 18 Oct 2005 13:22:00 +0000Sunkist Kids/ASU International Open set for this weekend in Tempehttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/sunkist-kidsasu-international-open-set-for-this-weekend-in-tempe-r65600/
The tournament, which is used as a selection tool for choosing Team USA's winter touring team, will again feature men's and women's freestyle wrestling as well as men's Greco-Roman wrestling. The event opens Friday at 9 a.m. with the men's freestyle and Greco-Roman preliminary and consolation rounds and will last until 1 p.m. The same two groups will compete in preliminary, quarterfinal and consolation rounds starting at 3 p.m. and lasting until it the rounds are completed.

Saturday, the women's preliminary, quarterfinals and consolations, as well as the men's freestyle and Greco-Roman semifinals and consolations, are set for 9 a.m. Saturday until 1 p.m. before the women's semifinals and consolations and all men's third place bouts take the mat from 2:30 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. The event concludes at 4:30 p.m. when the women's third place bouts and all championship matches take the mat.

Included with the tournament is the annual Sunkist Kids/Sun Devil Coaches & Wrestling Clinic. The clinic runs from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and will be hosted by several outstanding members of the ASU and Sunkist coaching staffs, including Sun Devil Head Coach Thom Ortiz and assistants Aaron Simpson and Eric Larkin. Former Sun Devil Joe Romero and two-time Olympic champion Sergei Beloglazav also will be on hand, as well as many members of the current Sun Devil roster.

Tickets to the Open will be available at the front entrances of Wells Fargo Arena both days for $10.]]>65600Tue, 18 Oct 2005 05:05:00 +0000Time to panic? Not yethttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/time-to-panic-not-yet-r65599/
Since the tournament, there has been lots of constructive discussion on what the U.S. freestyle movement needs to do in order to be more successful. How do our freestylers get where they (and we) want to be? The short answer is that there are no easy fixes to more medals and World titles.

Breakup of the USSR

It's difficult to overstate the impact the breakup of the Soviet Union has had on international wrestling. In the days of the USSR, wrestling enthusiasts would often claim that the toughest competition in the world was, in fact, the Tbilisi tournament held annually in Georgia. The challenge of the competition was that you had to face a Russian in each and every round. The World Championships of today are similarly loaded with Russian (or formerly Russian) talent, but it's arguably more difficult -- since the wrestlers on the teams of these former Soviet republics are each able to gain more international experience.

Could Lee Fullhart do some damage at the World level, if given the opportunity?
In the second round of this year's World Championships, at 96 kg, Daniel Cormier lost to Aleksie Krupniakov of Kyrgystan 2-1, 8-1. Wrestling fans may recall that Krupniakov was Russia's representative in the 1998 World Cup. In the dual with the United States, Krupniakov (with the aid of a wicked 3-point hip toss from a whizzer situation) beat standing World champ Les Gutches, 4-2. It was a month before Krupniakov's 20th birthday. If the breakup of the Soviet Union had never occurred, a talent like Krupniakov would most likely been forced to sit behind such great wrestlers as Khadshimurad Magomedov and Adam Satiev at 84 kg or Sazid Murtazaliev, Kuramagomed Kuramagomedov, and Georgi Gogchelidze at 96 kg (all five of whom were World champions). But because the USSR was no more, Krupniakov merely switched citizenship to Kyrgystan and complied a wealth of international experience by the time this year's worlds came around -- where he finally broke through and medaled. It's tough for American fans not to speculate hypothetical World Championship results of guys like John Fisher, Tom Erikson and Lee Fullhart had they had similar opportunities after just missing numerous U.S. spots.

And although the might of the former Soviet Republics are hard on everyone (in 2003, Russia finished fourth and watched Georgia win the title) there is the distinct possibility of Russia being able to stack their lineup even more by cherry-picking seasoned talent from other former Soviet republics. There was much talk in international wrestling circles that (2003 World and 2004 Olympic champion) Artur Taimazov of Uzbekistan would be wearing a Russian singlet this year in Hungary. From 2000 through 2002, Taimazov only lost to David Musulbes of Russia in world competition. When Musulbes was no longer around and Taimazov was winning gold, he would regularly defeat Russian team member Kuramagomed Kuramagomedov. It therefore made sense to merely reclaim Taimazov for mother Russia.

That Taimazov remained a competitor for Uzbekistan this year (and also didn't perform well) doesn't change the fact that the free-floating nature of former Soviet republic citizenship has made the worlds significantly more difficult than in the past. And that if USA indeed becomes a threat to dethrone Russia, that their lineup could instantly become even stronger.

Free looks?

In speculating how the U.S. can be more successful, one simply must look to Russia and examine the habits that contribute to their dominance. A reoccurring trend for Russia is that they give the competition scarce few opportunities to see their top team members in action, or more importantly, actually square off against them.

The ability of world-level wrestlers to make adjustments against an opponent from match to match is huge. Gigantic. But a simple way to prevent an opponent from dissecting your technique is to not show it to them and only break it out on special occasions.

It's been a long-standing tradition for Russia to not send their top guys to the World Cup. Similarly, this year's European championships featured only three of the seven Russian team members who competed in Hungary. Although Russia didn't win either event, please don't shed any tears for them. Their four-champion, 54-point 2005 World team title most surely eases the sting of not winning either of those less-important competitions. And it also shows that they know where their priorities lie.

So should USA, similarly, hold back our top guys from international competitions? Probably not. Our needs are different and any and all international experience does us more good than harm. The rest of the world doesn't need to break away from a career of risky folkstyle habits. We want American wrestlers to face the world's best and get crotch-lifted off a head outside single when it's NOT for a world medal. Otherwise, we'll learn the lesson too late.

But will such lessons simultaneously let the world get a "free look" at our own wrestler's current bag of tricks and allow them to come up with a counter-strategy down the line? Probably, but it's a risk we have no choice but to take.

Focus on freestyle/sticking with it

One obvious obstacle for the American freestyle movement is the lack of a full career committed to the discipline. As I see it, the issue is twofold. At the beginning of a wrestler's career, time is (at best) split between folkstyle and free (or, obviously, Greco-Roman). Moreover, a young freestyle wrestler's experience is mostly national, where they aren't threatened by the same types of scoring holds (or, more importantly, counters) that they'll see in other countries. But in all honesty, I'm not convinced this is our World Team's biggest problem. At the senior level, our top folkstyle-bred wrestlers ARE able to succeed internationally. It takes some time to adjust, but many do what it takes and get the job done. It didn't happen overnight, but Gutches, Sammie Henson, Brandon Slay, Kerry McCoy, etc. all eventually were able to turn the world's best from par terre.

Can our youth freestyle movement improve? Certainly. In fact, we've got a ways to go. Perhaps I'd nominate HOSTING more international events before adding more competitions abroad. Given our non-freestyle-from-birth situation, having our young athletes face opponents with more experience in the style is lesson enough without having to deal with being in a strange land. While our junior world teams have indeed struggled, when we hosted the event in Las Vegas, we did quite well.

In my honest opinion, the bigger problem could well be that many American freestyle careers end too soon. The worlds are obviously an incredibly difficult event, where the tiniest aspects -- both those that you have control over and those that you do not -- cost you a match. However, the more times a wrestler attends the worlds, the greater the odds are of finally putting together a tourney where you do everything right and the breaks fall your way. A good example would be Arif Abdullaev of Azerbaijan, who didn't medal at all at the Worlds until 2003, where, at the age of 35, he took home the gold at 60 kg.

Please don't mistake this as an attack on those who choose to leave their shoes in the center of the mat. I don't begrudge the decision. Again, our situation in the U.S. is different than many parts of the world. American wrestlers simply don't have the same incentives to keep at it year after year. Champion wrestler counterparts in foreign countries are important people, getting all kinds of accolades and money. In the U.S, our top guys simply don't get similar respect.

Tolly Thompson
And it's also tough enough just to keep try and cracking the national team. It would have been easy for Tolly Thompson to not stick with it this long. But he did and put together a great run in winning his bronze medal. USA needs more Tolly Thompson's. But more importantly, we've got to make it less life-draining for American freestyle wrestlers to continue to compete.

One cannot overstate the extent to which Real Pro Wrestling aids in this cause. RPW was taped after the Olympics and the rosters featured names of guys I thought were done -- at least for now. But it makes perfect sense. If you're one of these guys, why not show up and try and make some cash while getting slick TV airtime?

More importantly, training for RPW is in complete harmony with training for a conventional freestyle career. RPW was wise to keep the weights the same and have rules that were similar to FILA's (although RPW's push-out rule came first). If RPW can succeed, I really think that will give more of our top wrestlers an excuse to keep chasing world titles, which will help our overall performance.

Not so bleak

The bottom line is that this year's worlds are not the end of the world. Like the previous quadrennials, we'll probably do better in the next two years and peak at the Olympics. That's been the trend and it makes sense. Many wrestlers end their careers at the Olympics and new U.S. talent generally needs the full four years of freestyle experience to finally get into sync. Can we be at the top and win titles? I think so, but it's a tougher task than ever and there are really no easy answers.]]>65599Tue, 18 Oct 2005 03:51:00 +0000Virginia releases schedulehttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/virginia-releases-schedule-r65598/
The Cavaliers are scheduled to host Ohio State University (Jan. 22, Noon), the University of North Carolina (Jan. 27, 7:00 p.m.), Virginia Tech (Jan. 28, 7:00 p.m.), Ohio University (Feb. 5, 1:30 p.m.), James Madison University (Feb. 5, 3:30 p.m.) and the University of Maryland (Feb. 17, 7:00 p.m.). All of the matches will be held at Memorial Gymnasium.

Virginia's first competition is the annual Blue-Orange intra-squad exhibition match at Memorial Gymnasium on Oct. 30.

UVa opens regular-season competition with matches against the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, Gardner-Webb University and Anderson College in Greensboro, N.C., on Nov. 12. The Cavaliers' other away dual matches are at Old Dominion University (Feb. 3, 7:00 p.m.), at North Carolina State University (Feb. 11, Noon) and at Duke University (Feb. 11, 7:00 p.m.). Virginia also wrestles Virginia Military Institute at Robinson High School in Fairfax, Va., on Jan. 4 (7:30 p.m.).

The Cavaliers are also scheduled to compete at the Keystone Classic (Nov. 20), the Las Vegas Invitational (Dec. 2-3), the Nittany Lion Open (Dec. 4), the Southern Scuffle (Dec. 29-30), the Virginia Intercollegiate Championships (Jan. 7) and the Virginia Duals (Jan. 13-14).

The Atlantic Coast Conference Championships are scheduled for March 4 at Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Va., and the NCAA Championships are scheduled for March 16-18 in Oklahoma City, Okla.]]>65598Fri, 14 Oct 2005 16:59:00 +0000Iris Smith named USOC Athlete of the Monthhttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/iris-smith-named-usoc-athlete-of-the-month-r65597/
Skier Jeret "Speedy" Peterson was its September Male Athletes of the Month. The USOC Team of the Month honor was awarded to the USA Men's National Volleyball Team.

Smith (Colorado Springs, Colo.) won a gold medal at 72kg/158.5 lbs. at the World Wrestling Championships, the most important international event of the year, Sept. 30 in Budapest, Hungary. Smith scored a major upset in the gold-medal finals, defeating five-time World champion Kyoko Hamaguchi of Japan, 3-1, 1-1, 1-0. Smith was the only U.S. woman wrestler to win a World gold medal this year and became only the fourth U.S. woman wrestler ever to win a World title on her way to leading the United States to a strong third-place finish in the team standings at the World Championships.

Smith won four matches on the way to her historic win. In her first bout, Smith stopped Stanka Zlateva of Bulgaria, 3-1, 1-0. In the quarterfinals, Smith stopped Angnieska Wieczczek of Poland, 2-0, 6-0. She also had a strong semifinal win over Anita Schaetzle of Germany, 3-1, 2-0.

Smith was competing in her second World Championships. She is a member of the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program.

Volleyball's Nancy Metcalf (Hull, Iowa) placed second among the women after being named the most valuable player of the NORCECA Continental Championships Sept. 11 in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. She led the USA Women's National Volleyball Team to the gold medal with a 25-13, 22-25, 27-25, 20-25 victory over Cuba. Metcalf, who tied a match high with 21 points in the final, also tied for the tournament lead in scoring with 67 total points on 55 kills, seven blocks and five aces in five matches. Team USA posted a 5-1 record and qualified for the prestigious six-team Grand Champions Cup tournament in Japan in November.

Third place for the women went to snowboarder Hannah Teter (Belmont, Vt.), who earned back-to-back halfpipe wins just three hours apart at the World Cup season opener Sept. 15 in Valle Nevado, Chile. Teter was the lone American woman to qualify for either halfpipe final and the two victories bring her total career World Cup wins to six.

On the men's side, reigning World Cup aerials champion Peterson (Boise, Idaho) won the first World Cup aerials event of the Olympic season Sept. 3 at Mount Buller, Australia. In collecting the fourth World Cup victory of his career, Peterson had 246.25 points and landed two quad-twisting triples (four twists, three flips), a double full-full-full and a full-double full-full.

Second-place honors for the men went to volleyball's Donald Suxho (Redondo Beach, Calif.), who guided the USA Men's National Volleyball Team to its second-straight NORCECA Continental Championship as the squad posted a 25-22, 25-27, 25-23, 25-22 victory over Cuba Sept. 15 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Suxho, who earned the tournament's best server honors after blasting 11 aces, set Team USA to a hitting percentage of 0.441 (195 kills, 43 errors, 345 attempts) and averaged 6.6 points per match.

Rower Beau Hoopman (Plymouth, Wis.) placed third for the men after stroking the men's eight to a gold medal Sept. 3 at the 2005 FISA World Championships in Gifu, Japan, its first World championship title in the event since 1999. Hoopman, who raced in two boats at the world championships, also helped the U.S. men's four to a fifth-place finish Sept. 3.

Freestyle wrestler Tolly Thompson (Cedar Falls, Iowa/Sunkist Kids), a World bronze medalist at 120 kg/264.5 lbs., received first-place votes in the balloting.

In the team category, the USA Men's National Volleyball Team held off a stubborn Cuban squad, 3-1, to win its second-consecutive NORCECA Continental Championship Sept. 15 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The USA posted a 25-22, 25-27, 25-23, 25-22 victory to finish the tournament with a perfect 5-0 record while losing just one set (15-1). The Americans, who also won the last NORCECA Championship in 2003, earned back-to-back crowns for the first time in 20 years.

Second place went to the U.S. Rowing Men's Eight with Coxswain. Despite four members rowing in two events, the squad won the gold medal at the 2005 FISA World Rowing Championships Sept. 3 in Gifu, Japan. The victory marked the first time the U.S. won gold at the World Championships since 1999.

Third place in the team category went to the U.S. International Junior Women's Gymnastics Team, consisting of Natasha Kelley (Katy, Texas) and Bianca Flohr (Creston, Ohio), which earned three gold, five silver and two bronze medals at the International Junior Gymnastics Competition Sept. 18-19 in Yokohama, Japan.

Results (first place votes in parentheses)

WOMEN
1. Iris Smith, Wrestling 20 (5)
2. Nancy Metcalf, Volleyball 16 (3)
3. Hannah Teter, Snowboarding 11 (2)
Also receiving first-place votes: Kristin Armstrong (Cycling), Diandra Asbaty (Bowling), Michelle Guerette (Rowing), Deena Kastor (Track & Field), Jenny Potter (Ice Hockey)

MEN
1. Jeret Peterson, Skiing 17 (2)
2. Donald Suxho, Volleyball 15 (2)
3. Beau Hoopman, Rowing 13 (3)
Also receiving first-place votes: Abdi Abidirahman (Track & Field), Brett Anderson (Baseball), Bill Furbish (Disabled Water Skiing), Royal Mitchell (Paralympic Track & Field), Craig Schmersal (Equestrian), Tolly Thompson (Wrestling)

TEAM
1. USA Men's National Volleyball Team 25 (4)
2. U.S. Rowing Men's Eight 17 (5)
3. U.S. International Junior Women's Gymnastics Team 16 (2)
Also receiving first-place votes: USA Women's Goalball Team, USA Baseball Junior National Pan Am Team, U.S. Wakeboard Team]]>65597Fri, 14 Oct 2005 00:20:00 +0000Dubuque awarded 2007 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championshipshttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/dubuque-awarded-2007-ncaa-division-iii-wrestling-championships-r65596/
"The NCAA Division III Championships Committee is excited for the championships to return to Loras College and the City of Dubuque after the outstanding job they did in administering the NCAA Division III National Championships in 2004. The wrestling fans in Iowa are second to none and we are looking forward to an exciting championship in 2007," Ron Beaschler, Chairman of the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships Committee.

Randy Steward, Loras College Wrestling Head Coach says this will shed a national spotlight on the wrestling program, faculty and staff. "I feel that it is a great honor to host an NCAA Championship one time. To serve as host for the second time, it should send a message that we are one of the top programs in the nation and Loras College is a class institution."

The impact of this decision will be felt across the entire community. Not only will it put some of the nation's best wrestlers on the mat, it will put thousands of people in the stands. In 2004, this major sporting event drew an estimated 8,400 people to Dubuque and the surrounding area.

"Players, coaches, families and fans will drive and fly to Dubuque as well as stay in our hotels, dine, shop and fuel at area restaurants, stores and stations during the tournament. We estimate the economic impact of the 2007 NCAA Division III Championships on the Dubuque area to be about $5.2 million dollars" according to Sue Czeshinski, Director of the Dubuque Area Convention & Visitors Bureau.]]>65596Thu, 13 Oct 2005 23:59:00 +0000Missouri Black and Gold wrestle-offs set for Nov. 3https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/missouri-black-and-gold-wrestle-offs-set-for-nov-3-r65595/
Headlining the matches will be returning All-Americans Ben Askren (174) and Matt Pell (165). Askren, a junior and a native of Hartland, Wis., enters the season ranked No. 1 in the nation and looks to improve on his second straight runner-up finish at the NCAA Championships. Pell (Luxemburg, Wis.), who finished seventh at 184 pounds last season to earn his first All-America honor, returns to his natural collegiate wrestling weight of 165 pounds and enters the 2005-06 campaign ranked No. 5 in the nation.

Missouri fans will also get their first glimpse at the 2005-06 freshmen class, 12 newcomers looking to make an impact at the Division I level. Jumping into the fire immediately will be heavyweights Sean Connole (Erie, Penn.) and Mark Ellis (Peculiar, Mo.), both of whom will likely burn their redshirts and start at the Tigers heaviest weight this season.

"We have several very competitive weight classes this year, and the Black and Gold match is one of the deciding factors in who will start at our opening dual meet," Head Coach Brian Smith said. "It's also a chance for the incoming freshmen to put on a Missouri singlet for the first time and participate in their first collegiate match with referees and the three-two-two clock format."

In addition to the Black and Gold matches, the Tigers will hold a free youth clinic in the Missouri wrestling room (fourth floor of the Hearnes Center) for young wrestlers eighth grade or under. The clinic will be conducted by Smith and the Tiger coaching staff, and will include an information session about the Columbia Youth Wrestling Club. Participants will have a chance to sign up for the club, which practices in the state-of-the-art Missouri wrestling facilities.]]>65595Thu, 13 Oct 2005 23:57:00 +0000USA Wrestling set membership records in four major categories for 2004-05https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/usa-wrestling-set-membership-records-in-four-major-categories-for-2004-05-r65594/
The 2004-05 membership year, which ended on August 31, 2005, set annual records for athletes, coaches, clubs and sanctioned events.

During the 2004-2005 year, USA Wrestling registered 142,624 athlete members, topping the record of 135,519 athletes set during the 2003-04 year.

The number of registered coaches climbed to 19,813 from the previous record set one year ago at 19,362 coach members.

USA Wrestling chartered clubs reached a new record level, with 3,117 club programs, up from record of 2,927 clubs set during the 2002-03 season.

Sanctioned events were also at a new level, with 1,741 USA Wrestling events during the 2004-05 season, breaking the previous year's record of 1,682 events.

The membership records were possible through the efforts of USA Wrestling's volunteer leaders on the regional, state and local levels, who provided the most comprehensive program of wrestling activities in the nation.

"USA Wrestling has again set all-time records for athletes, coaches, clubs and sanction events during its 2005 membership year. This outstanding accomplishment is directly related to the hard work of so many great USA Wrestling volunteers," said Mark Scott, Director of State Services.

"USA Wrestling State Leaders were superlative in attracting new members to the organization as is evidenced by our new membership records. USA Wrestling's State Leaders are a unique group of people who are so dedicated to the ideals that wrestling brings to individuals that they make it a priority to grow the base," said Scott.

For the membership year ending August 31, 2005, USA Wrestling is proud to announce that 33 states increased their athlete membership. Those state organizations and their leaders should be commended for their hard work and effort.

The states with athlete growth this year were: Alabama, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

A total of 28 states experienced growth in the coach membership category: Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Wyoming.

USA Wrestling is excited about the new 2005-06 year, and will work hard to continue to increase opportunities within wrestling all across the nation.]]>65594Thu, 13 Oct 2005 23:47:00 +0000San Francisco State will be led by NCAA champion Pacifico Garciahttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/san-francisco-state-will-be-led-by-ncaa-champion-pacifico-garcia-r65546/
"This season we are looking to finish in the top three in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) and in the top ten at Nationals in March in Findlay, Ohio," stated head coach Lars Jensen. In order to get there, Coach Jensen is looking for returnees Garcia, Eric Fitzpatrick (Sr, 141, Union City, CA/James Logan HS), Mikhail Higa (So, 125, Hilo, HI/Waiakea HS), and Kirk Fitzpatrick (Jr, 157, Union City, CA/James Logan HS) along with freshman Virgil Lockett (Fr, 133, San Francisco, CA/George Washington HS) to lead the way.

Garcia finished his junior season with a 33-7 record. Besides being a returning National Champion, he is also a two-time All-American for the Gators. Eric Fitzpatrick finished last year with a 6-5 record and a placer at the 2003 RMAC/NCAA Division II West Regional Championships. Higa finished his first season as a Gator with a 8-13 record and also was a place at the RMAC/NCAA Division I West Regional Championships while Kirk Fitzpatrick red-shirted last season.

Coach Jensen is also looking for newcomers Will Simmons (Jr, 174, Sacramento, CA/Sac City College), Richard Escobar (Jr, 197, Los Gatos, CA/West Valley College), and Sandeep Singh (Sr, 285, Union City, CA/Fresno State University) to play a major role in the Gators' upcoming season.

In RMAC, Jensen is looking as Nebraska-Kearney, Adams State, and Fort Hays State as the top teams in one of the toughest NCAA Division II conferences in the nation.
Other returnees for the Gators are: Cleveland Berto (Sr, 157, Winter Haven, FL/Lake Region HS), Alek Butler (Sr, 133, Sonora, CA/San Joaquin Delta College), RJ Clifford (Jr, 165, Huntington Beach, CA/Golden West College), Danny Dahl (Jr, 184, Modesto, CA/Grace Davis HS), Jeff Johnson (So, 141, Antelope, CA/Center HS), Tim Pridmore (So, 184, Napa, CA/Will C. Wood HS), Justin Switzler (So, 157, Elverta, CA/Rio Linda HS), Merrick Tan (So, 149, Union City, CA/James Logan HS), and Brian Watanabe (Jr, 125, Napa, CA/Vintage HS).

SFSU's newcomers besides Simmons, Escobar, and Singh include Ben Lockett (Jr, 125, San Francisco, CA/Skyline College), Jamil Smart (Fr, 133, Pittsburg, CA/Pittsburg HS), and Nelson Um (Fr, 133, Oakland, CA/Oakland HS).

The Gators will begin their 2005-06 on Saturday, November 19 in Ashland, Oregon, as they will participate in the Southern Oregon Open. Their first dual meet will be the following Tuesday, November 22 at 7pm against Bay Area rival Stanford University in SF State's Main Gymnasium.]]>65546Thu, 13 Oct 2005 19:04:00 +0000Destined for Greatness: Underclassmen who have the "right stuff"https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/destined-for-greatness-underclassmen-who-have-the-right-stuff-r65593/
Bruce Baumgartner never won state in New Jersey.

John Smith never placed higher than fourth at Junior Nationals and failed to place at NCAA's his freshman year.

Lee Kemp didn't even begin wrestling until he was a sophomore in high school, when he compiled a record slightly above .500.

Mark Schultz had a losing record his junior year in high school.

Nonetheless, it is perhaps second nature for wrestling fans to look for the young wrestler whose sheer dominance indicates that they may be the next transcendent star in our sport. This writer will not even attempt to predict who the next Gable, Smith, or Sanderson (insert your pick for greatest American wrestler of all-time here) will be. However, the following are wrestlers who are likely to at least be the next Dustin Schlatter, Brent Metcalf, or Troy Nickerson -- stars who transcend the sport at the high school level (Note: the wrestlers selected will not necessarily be those at the top of the Rev Power Rakings -- also compiled by this writer -- because those ranking focus on current skill level rather than long-term potential).

Not since the aforementioned Dustin Schlatter has a wrestler entered Ohio with so much acclaim as the young David Taylor. Wrestling for St. Paris Graham (where Schlatter began his career, ironically). The result of nearly every Taylor match for the last three years has been Taylor winning by a technical fall. What separates Taylor from other great young wrestlers is that he is equally proficient on the mat as on his feet. A relentless competitor, he quickly transitions from a takedown to a tilt, arm bar, or other pinning combination, allowing him to pile up points in large quantities.

Consider: In three years of competition at the Ohio Junior High State Tournament, Taylor never went the distance -- and nearly all of his wins (including the finals each year) were by technical fall, in 4 minute 30 second matches. At first glance, one might be inclined to be relatively unimpressed by victories at a Junior High State Tournament. However, the Ohio Junior High State Tournament is actually much tougher, relatively speaking, than the Ohio High School State Tournament, in that it is one division. It is truly a "state tournament" in that it truly contains all of the best competitors in the state. There are, in fact, countless examples of wrestlers placing higher in the Ohio State High School Tournament as freshmen than they had the year prior in the Ohio Junior High State Tournament.

Taylor next dominated all comers at FILA Cadets and in Fargo at Cadet Nationals. Shockingly, Taylor was pinned once in Greco-Roman in his pool -- and also in the finals. However, Taylor's stock should not go down when you consider that Greco-Roman is a very different style -- and not Taylor's specialty by any means -- and in both situations he was approaching a tech fall in the first period when he simply got caught in headlocks. In freestyle, Taylor set things right by pinning or tech falling all opponents, including highly regarded BJ Futrell of Illinois in the finals. Taylor was also unscored upon in the freestyle competition. At FILA's in April, Taylor tech falled all but one opponent in every single period (the international system of a six-point lead being a "tech" for that period was used). You may be sensing a pattern here.

Anthony Valles, who will be wrestling for Blair Academy this winter, dominated the field at Cadet Nationals at 98 lbs (photo by Wyatt Schultz).
The biggest question mark for Taylor this year will be whether he is big enough for 103. Over the summer, he competed at 91 lbs, whereas most of his rivals for the coming year competed at 98 or 105 lbs. A big match-up for Taylor will be at Ironman against two-time Cadet Nationals champion Anthony Valles, who has recently transferred to Blair Academy. Valles dominated the field one weight class above Taylor (98 lbs). In addition, Cadet and Junior Nationals double champion Boris Novachov of California will be in the mix at this weight.

If Taylor is the most anticipated freshman in Ohio since Schlatter, then Collin Palmer would have to be a very close second. The younger brother of three-time state champion and Junior Nationals third-place finisher, Lance Palmer. The reports for years have been that the younger Palmer brother was even better. It has become almost a cliché to hear a great wrestler's younger brother is even better than he is -- but in this case, it is apparently true. The younger Palmer's record of winning youth national titles is unmatched. Over the last three years, Palmer's only loss appears to be to Riley Adamson (the No. 4 rated freshman, who is the only wrestler who may have won more national titles than Palmer and also was FILA Cadet Nationals champion this past spring) at Tulsa Nationals in 2004. Palmer has since avenged that loss with two victories over Adamson.

Palmer joined Taylor as a three-time junior high state champion. Palmer does not wrestle much freestyle and chose not to go to Cadet Nationals this past spring. However, Palmer has previously matched up against most of the high place finishers -- and beaten them all, mostly by large margins. He scored a 12-4 victory over Ben Sergent in the Ohio Junior High State Tournament in the spring of 2004. Sergent finished second at 98 lbs. Palmer owns wins over both finalists at 112 lbs, Graff and Moore. He also owns several wins over Jordan Oliver of Easton, Pennsylvania (also featured in this article), who will begin this season regarded by most as the No. 1 103 in the nation.

Palmer will apparently be competing at 112 lbs for the storied Lakewood St. Ed's squad this season. This writer will make the prediction that Palmer wins both the Ironman and Beast of the East, provided that Juniors Nationals runner-up Aaron Hart of St. Paris Graham competes at 119 lbs -- rather than 112. If Hart should compete at 112, this writer views Palmer's match-up against Hart as a tossup, despite the fact that Hart is a senior and Palmer is a freshman. He is that good. This match-up would also be somewhat ironic in that Hart is a former rival of Palmer's older brother. Palmer could also match-up with highly regarded California state champion Trevor Machado and California state runner-up Filip Novachov at the Ironman.

Eighth graders placing at Cadet Nationals above 119 lbs is exceedingly rare. In addition to the difference in physical maturity -- having 1-2 years of high school experience is obviously a huge advantage in Fargo. If you look at the names of those who have placed in Fargo above 119 lbs before beginning high school, they are consistently names like Brent Metcalf, Matthew Coughlin, David Craig, and Jason Welch. However, none of these competitors placed higher than the only eighth grader to accomplish that feat in 2005, Alec Ortiz of Oregon, who finished fourth. Ortiz's only losses were to one of the nation's top juniors, Luke Ashmore, and to Andrew Howe of Indiana (who finished 49-1 as a freshman at 130 with his only loss to three-time state champion Reece Humphrey). Ortiz pinned or tech falled the rest of his opponents. Even more impressively, Ortiz actually beat Luke Ashmore on his way to a second-place finish at FILA Cadet Nationals. The only wrestler who defeated Ortiz, Matt Ballweg, is a senior in high school this year. Ortiz also owns a win over highly regarded Cadet Nationals runner-up Johnny Koepp of Texas at the 2004 Tulsa Nationals. While Ortiz is ranked No. 3 in the Rev Power Rankings, a strong case could be made for him being No. 1, in the sense that while there is no freshman at Taylor and Palmer's weights who would stand much of a chance of beating them, this writer believes there is no other freshman middleweight who would be remotely competitive with Ortiz at this point. Unfortunately, Ortiz will be competing at none of the major folkstyle tournaments so we will not see him in action against national competition again until the freestyle season.

The underclassman with the most upside potential at this point may be Jason Welch of California. A takedown artist, this sophomore piles up points in bunches. Moreover, this writer likes his approach of never shying away from a challenge. Welch bypassed what would have been an almost guaranteed Cadet Nationals title (with apologies to the outstanding trio of Civan, Stalcup, and Medina) to compete at the Junior Nationals in freestyle. By doing so, he thrust himself into arguably the toughest weight in the competition, a weight class laden with junior and senior stars. Entering the tournament -- most applauded the daring of this 15-year-old freshman, but gave him little chance of placing. Simply put, freshmen generally cannot compete with top upperclassmen in the middle weight classes. Welch proved everyone wrong, coming away with a fifth-place finish. Along the way he dominated highly regarded Wesley English and Sean Nemec.

Ironically, Welch was defeated by another freshman in his own state, Louis Bland, in 2005. Welch moved up a weight from his usual 145 lb class to challenge Bland, who would go on to be the state champion at 152. Welch finished second to the highly regarded Luis Gonzales in the treacherous California State Tournament in 2005. Should Welch and Bland be in the same weight class this season, look for Welch to reverse the result of the previous year.

Alex Meade, who moved from Delaware to Virginia to wrestle for Christiansburg, claimed a Cadet Nationals title over the summer (photo by Wyatt Schultz).
Alex Meade, originally of Delaware, now of Christiansburg, Virginia, is another wrestler to watch. In the era of the "redshirt freshman," Meade is a young sophomore who won Cadet Nationals last summer as a first-year Cadet. Meade's record over the years is one of consistent excellence. Basically, he has won every national tournament he has entered -- whether is it Cadet Nationals, FILA Cadet Nationals, Tulsa Nationals, or the Ohio Super Tournament. Lightning fast, Meade is able to create his offense against anyone. Meade will be competing at both the Ironman and Beast, so there is a possibility of him matching up with a number of top upperclassmen.

Perhaps the diamond in the rough of this year's sophomore class is Michael Mangrum of Washington. Certainly the least polished wrestler on this list, Mangrum epitomizes the word "explosive." After finishing third as an eighth grader at Cadet Nationals, Mangrum dominated both styles of Cadet Nationals this past summer with a very aggressive, powerful style. Mangrum hit the most impressive move of the finals when he lifted Utah state champion Jason Chamberlain completely into the air from a fireman's carry -- it was one of those things you had to see to believe. That finals match in freestyle was not nearly as close as the 7-3 score might indicate -- as Mangrum gave up two meaningless points near the end. In the Greco-Roman tournament, Mangrum did not yield a point until the finals- when he scored an 11-1 technical fall.

Michael Mangrum of Washington dominated both styles of Cadet Nationals this past summer (photo by Wyatt Schultz).
Once David Craig graduates, there will likely be a new upper-weight who stands out from the rest just as he has: Andy Thomas of West Virginia. Thomas completely dominated the Cadet Nationals in freestyle at the 171 lb weight class last summer -- while essentially wrestling folkstyle. In his 8-3 finals triumph, Thomas scored five takedowns while giving up just one -- showing an impressive array of leg attacks.

Thomas took some lumps as a freshman -- as a freshman upper-weight wrestling at Ironman, Beast of the East, and Powerade might be expected to do, but came on enough by the end of the season to win the state title at 160 lbs. Obviously, freshman state champions at such a high weight class are exceedingly rare.

Mario Mason of New Jersey, a sophomore, scored a huge win at the NHSCA Final Four Duals over senior Jordan Frishkorn of Virginia (photo by Wyatt Schultz).
Other strong possibilities for greatness are sophomores Jordan Oliver, Mario Mason, and Louis Bland. The accomplishments of Bland (winning a California state title as a freshman at 152) have already been mentioned. Oliver was second in a donnybrook weight class in Pennsylvania to the No. 1 103 in the nation (Matt Kyler) -- despite being drastically undersized for 103. Oliver is also the last wrestler to defeat David Taylor in folkstyle, doing so back in the spring of 2003. Probably the most technically polished underclassman in the nation, Mario Mason, scored a huge win at the NHSCA Final Four Duals over Jordan Frishkorn, and also dominated highly regarded Johnny Koepp of Texas by a score of 7-0 to win Cadet Nationals in freestyle at 135 lbs.

Predictions of future greatness lack reliability -- and many of America's great wrestlers had surprisingly humble high school careers. However, this writer will pretty much guarantee that the aforementioned young wrestlers will be heard from a lot in the near future. Who the next Dustin Schlatter, Brent Metcalf, or Troy Nickerson is remains to be seen -- but count on them being from this list!]]>65593Thu, 13 Oct 2005 15:41:00 +0000Rev Blog Entry 2: Marshall Marquardt, Dana Collegehttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/rev-blog-entry-2-marshall-marquardt-dana-college-r65542/
Almost every wrestler I have ever known, that no longer competes, preaches that you have to take advantage of every moment in wrestling, because it doesn't last forever. I always heard them saying it, but never really comprehended it. Now I do. I came to this realization as we were running what are known as Pioneer Hills. Pioneer Hill runs through our campus at about a 40 degree angle for about a quarter mile. We run this hill doing buddy carries (piggy back). We only do it four times, which doesn't seem like much, but is extremely difficult … especially when you get down to the last two.

Returning All-American Jimmy Rollins pushes Burke Barnes up the hill.
To get to the bottom of my epiphany, I have to take you back to last year's preseason, when Leister Bowling and I were doing the Pioneer Hill workout. I was struggling on the third one and Leister got off me and told me to get on his back. He then finished my turn to the top and we headed back down. Leister took his turn and we returned to the bottom for my fourth trip up. Once again, I just couldn't push myself up the hill, and Leister jumped off, and finished my turn himself. As I was on his back, I said to him, "You are crazy! How the heck can you keep going?" He simply stated, "You'll know how when you are a senior and it's all you have left."

I guess I never understood exactly what he and everyone else meant, but as I was running the hill this year, I figured it out. You really don't have forever, and you have to take advantage of now -- not counting on what you will do tomorrow. You have to be willing to push yourself past the limit of exhaustion, and go further than you ever thought you could go. I think this is one reason that people are successful. The earlier you understand this theory, the faster you will become successful.

Our last workout was a three-mile run through a park in Omaha, which finishes up with a set of 187 stone steps that seems to be straight up to the sky. This is actually a great run until the stairs, which as most of you could imagine is just plain nuts to run up five to ten times in a row. Leister showed our team the trail last year after he learned about it from Todd Meneely.

Willie Parks, a former JUCO national champion for Iowa Central, is determined to get to the top of the hill.
What was most intriguing to me about the run was not seeing guys on our team run up the stairs time after time, but the fellowship of my teammates. It is amazing to me to see 70 guys getting along and pushing each other, cheering and yelling for everyone else. It really made me feel proud to be a captain of this team. Some guys were struggling to make it, and others were relentlessly pushing them to the top. What really blew my mind, though, was seeing Willie Parks haul a 100-pound stone down the stairs and right back to the top. Granted, I thought he was going to die afterwards, but he did it, and it really makes you think about how you train, and if it's hard enough.

To me, preseason is not just a time to start preparing yourself for the grueling hours of hard work ahead, but a time to see what you are made of. I learned a lot about myself and my teammates this past month, and I can only look forward to building on it over the next five months. Every year, I hear about all these teams that start the season with 50 guys and end up with 25, and I am happy to say that everyone on this team is still holding strong and has a good attitude.

Coach Costanzo gathers the team for a breakdown after a preseason run.
We are getting ready to get in the room this week and I can't wait. I know now that every time I step into that room, I have to make the most out of it. The fun part will be trying to portray this to everyone on the team, because that kind of attitude is what builds and makes champions. I will leave you this time with a quote that I heard in some movie I was watching last week: "If something comes easy, it usually isn't worth having. Are you ready to work for it?"

Until next time, keep getting better.

Marshall Marquardt

Past Entries:

Entry 1 (10/1/05)]]>65542Thu, 13 Oct 2005 09:14:00 +0000Kyle Maynard's book comes in at No. 20 on New York Times bestseller listhttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/kyle-maynards-book-comes-in-at-no-20-on-new-york-times-bestseller-list-r65537/
Maynard is a wrestler who has become a national hero for his inspiring life overcoming challenges in order to pursue his dreams.

On September 29th, Maynard launched his autobiography No Excuses on the set with Oprah Winfrey. Within minutes, he had won the hearts of millions around the world, making his book an instant success and landing the young athlete a spot on the New York Times Bestseller List in its first week.

In his book, inspired by his incredible journey as a congenital amputation (born with no limbs below the elbows and knees), Kyle Maynard shares valuable insight that he has learned and applied to his life, allowing him to overcome his physical obstacles to achieve his dreams. Driven by his will to succeed and supported by a devoted family, Kyle has excelled at nearly everything he has attempted in life. From playing middle school football to becoming a high school wrestling champion to breaking world records in weightlifting, Kyle Maynard has inspired millions around the world with his simple life's message: No Excuses.

At just 19 years old, Kyle Maynard has already achieved greatness - on the wrestling mat and in life, including:

- Receiving the Medal of Courage from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame (June 2005)
- Winning the world record in the modified bench press (March 2005)
- Receiving the ESPY award for the Best Athlete with a Disability
- Being honored with the President's Award for Courage
- Joining the Washington Speakers Bureau as a motivational speaker
- Being named to the Georgia chapter, National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Georgia State Wresting Hall of Fame

Kyle Maynard has been featured on numerous television and radio shows this season, including ABC's 20/20 and CNN's Larry King Live. He will also be a guest on ABC's hit show Extreme Make-Over: Home Edition in November, where he will inspire a family to never give up hope.

As a champion weightlifter and wrestler, Kyle Maynard is the real deal. But as a champion human being, he is one of the most inspiring people I've ever met.
—Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger

What People Are Saying About Kyle Maynard

Stephen R. Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People & The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness says about Kyle:
"Kyle Maynard's inspirational story is about succeeding against odds that most of us can't imagine. How does Kyle do it? His title says it all: ‘No Excuses.' That's a habit we could all adopt from this great book, written by a highly successful young man."

Troy Aikman, former quarterback with the Dallas Cowboys, was also inspired by Kyle:
"Significant achievement occurs to those who have the courage to overcome disappointment and setbacks to pursue their dreams. This is an inspirational book about the perseverance of the human spirit. Let Kyle inspire you!"]]>65537Wed, 12 Oct 2005 16:55:00 +0000Sioux Falls adds wrestling programhttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/sioux-falls-adds-wrestling-program-r65551/
"This is a very exciting day for Cougar athletics," said Athletic Director Willie Sanchez. "The sport of wrestling attracts the type of student-athletes that the USF strives to recruit."

In Homan's presentation, he spoke about his commitment to the program and expectations of the future student-athletes involved.

"I call it a 16:3 commitment," said Homan. "This comes from Proverbs 16:3, ‘Commit unto the Lord whatever you do and your plans will succeed.'"

Homan begins his collegiate coaching career after a decorated high school career. Homan's coaching career began in the Webster school district. From 1981-83, he served as the head wrestling coach and an assistant coach on the football and track teams. In his final year at Webster, Homan was nominated for the South Dakota Wrestling Coach of the Year award.

In 1983 he moved to Brandon, South Dakota. At Brandon Valley High School he was the assistant wrestling coach until 1990 and head coach until 1995. In 1986, Homan was named the South Dakota Assistant Coach of the Year. Homan was also an assistant football coach from 1983 to 1995.

From 1995-2004, Homan led Roosevelt High School's wrestling team. There he was named Sioux Falls Coach of the Year in 2000, 2003, and 2004. He earned Greater Dakota Conference Coach of the Year honors in 2003 and 2004. Homan was named Region I Wrestling Coach of the Year in 2004.

Homan is a 1981 graduate of Augustana College. As a Viking, Homan was an All Conference Academic Team selection, a three-time NCC wrestling place winner, and a two-time NCAA D-II All American. Homan earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Physical Education and also studied geography as a minor. Homan continued his education at the University of South Dakota, where he earned his Master of Arts in Health, Physical Education, and Recreation.]]>65551Mon, 10 Oct 2005 14:45:00 +0000Rider hoping for big things this seasonhttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/rider-hoping-for-big-things-this-season-r65550/
The last two seasons the Broncs placed second in the Colonial Athletic Association Championship tournament to nationally ranked Hofstra. Hofstra is again one of three top 12 teams on Rider's schedule this year, but Taylor feels the Broncs can once again rise to the top. "In order for those goals to occur, several people need to have a breakthrough year," Taylor said. "Several need to take that next step, from being competitive on the national level to winning at that level."

The Broncs will be led by four wrestlers who begin the season nationally ranked, junior 141 Don Fisch (ninth), sophomore 184-197 T. J. Morrison (17th ), senior 157 Dave Miller (18th ), and sophomore 133 Tim Harner (20th ).

"We're very excited about having four of our 10 wrestlers ranked in the top 20 in the country," said Taylor, who has compiled 299 victories at Rider, and has guided 118 Broncs to Nationals, coming home with 11 All-Americans. "We're all looking forward to the upcoming year."

Last year Fisch was named Rider's Most Outstanding Wrestler, winning his 141 pound weight class at the Colonial Athletic Association Championships and coming within one win of All-America honors at the NCAA Nationals Championships, winning three of five bouts. Fisch finished second in the nation in pins last year. "Donnie is extremely talented and explosive, and strong,: said Taylor. "I believe he has the ability to be an All-American, and if he continues to improve he could be a national champion. That's how good I think he is and can be."

Morrison received the Fred Henson Memorial Award last season, presented to "the individual who demonstrates hard work and positive attitude on and off the mat." Morrison placed third in his 184 pound weight class at the CAA Championships and won a bout at Nationals, and could move up to 197 this year.

"Morrison came back bigger this year," said Taylor. "He has a big frame, and may be even better at 197, where he can just concentrate on wrestling, not cutting weight. He's a hard worker who wants to be good. He will need to continue to improve to be what he's capable of. Last season he was very competitive with some of the best wrestlers in the nation."

Miller finished runner-up at the CAA Championships after a 13-0 dual meet season, and won a match at Nationals, finishing sixth in the nation in pins. "Dave got a little banged up at the end of last year, which affected his performance at the CAAs and at Nationals," Taylor said. "We're getting him 100 percent healthy and getting him better on his feet. If we can do that he can be an All-American."

Harner won 26 matches last season as a rookie, including one at Nationals.

Other key returnees include sophomore Ryan Smith at 125, junior Ryan Cunningham at 165/174, sophomore Michael Palma at 141/149, sophomore Jeff Black at 184/197, heavyweight Tyler Rees, sophomore Zack Cunliffe at 133, senior Chris Marold at 165-174, junior Joe Maroney at 165/174, and freshman Doug Umbehauer at 174.

Smith finished seventh in the nation in pins among 125 pounders last season as a rookie, winning 23 matches. "Ryan had a very good freshman year, and he showed he can compete with some of the best wrestlers in the country," Taylor said. "He works hard. Last year he had a year to mature and to grow. He should be a lot better this year. He knows now the price you have to pay to be great at this level. He was so talented coming in, he never had to pay that price before. Now he's ready to make that next step."

Cunningham was a Freshman All-American in 2004, and won three bouts at the CAA Championships last year. "Cunningham finished strong last season after a rough year," Taylor said. "We hope he picks up where he left off last year. He suffered a high ankle sprain last year that he never really recovered from until the end of last season.

Palma and Black were both named to the CAA All-Rookie team last year, with each winning six of eight CAA duals. "Mike is pretty tough, and really improved last year," said Taylor. "He was our most improved wrestler last year as a red-shirt freshman and has really showed signs of making the adjustments needed to be good at the Division I level. He's still growing."

Black placed third at the CAA Championships last season, winning three of four bouts. "Jeff had an injury-riddled season, but certainly came on strong at the end of last year," said Taylor. "He could drop down to 184 this year. We're hoping he will picks up where he left off. This could be a break out year for him."

Rees also was a member of the CAA All-Rookie team last year, winning 17 matches, including 5-1 in CAA duals. "Rees had a good year last season but a disappointing finish," said Taylor. "He was very competitive during the season. Our hope is he gets more offensive in scoring this year. He will be very good if he can do that."

Cunliffe won six bouts as a rookie, and placed fourth in his weight class at the Keystone Classic. "Zack had an adjustment year last season, and filled in nicely when Harner was out," said Taylor. "He's a strong, quick, competitive kid, who is tough on top."

Marold won 10 matches last season after a 17-win sophomore year. "Chris moved down a weight class, where he thinks he can be more competitive, and will look to challenge for that spot this year," Taylor said.

Maroney placed second at the Keystone Classic last season. "Joe will also be a strong candidate for 165," Taylor said.

Umbehauer wrestled three times before being injured and received a hardship waiver for his freshman season. Wrestling unattached, Umbehauer won the Penn State Open last season. "I think Doug has shown that he can compete regionally and nationally for us this year," Taylor said.

The newcomers are led by James Garrett at 125, Tim McGoldrick and Eric Vinores at 141, Michael Kessler at 149, Michael Miller at 165/157, and Peter Reid at heavyweight.

Garrett was a New Jersey State place winner at Egg Harbor Twp., finishing fourth at 125. "James is very talented, quick and explosive," said Taylor. "This will be a valuable learning year for him."

McGoldrick was a Cadet Greco-Roman National Champion and a Junior Freestyle All-American. "Tim is a tough Pennsylvania kid who had an outstanding high school career," Taylor said.

Vinores was a Maryland State Champ at 140 pounds last season. "Eric is a smart and talented young man," said Taylor. "He's a Presidential Scholarship winner, so along with helping us on the mat, he will help us climb from being 30th in the nation in team grade point average."

Kessler was a four-time Maryland State Place winner, wining the 152 pound title as a senior, and is the younger brother of former Bronc and conference champion Gregg Kessler. "Mike is very competitive, very talented, and was the most outstanding wrestler at the Maryland State Championships," Taylor said. "The future looks bright for Mike if he can make adjustments quickly. He could make an impact immediately."

Miller won the 171 pound Delaware State title last year after finishing runner-up the year before. "Mike is a gifted athlete who beat the state champs from Pennsylvania, Ohio and New Jersey last year, and reached the finals of the Beast of East tournament as the 11th seed," said Taylor. "He's a legitimate contender at 165."

Reid was a Junior National Freestyle All-American last season, placing eighth in the nation at the tournament in Fargo. "Peter is a late bloomer and a hard worker, and if he makes the proper adjustments he will be a solid kid."

The schedule features duals with there top 12 teams in Lehigh, Cornell and Hofstra, along with the Virginia Duals, and continues to include the Keystone Classic, Lock Haven's Mat Town, and the CAA Duals. Some of the wrestlers will again compete at the prestigious Midlands tournament, while the rest of the team travels to the Southern Scuffle at UNC-Greensboro.

"The good news is we have a lot of home meets when the students come back from winter break," said Taylor, but the bad news is we're on the road until the end of January. But overall I'm happy with the schedule."

Over the years the team goals have not changed much. "As always, we want to be in the top 20, we want to have All-Americans, and we want to have conference champions again," said Taylor, "and we're heading back to that."

Heading back to the Glory Days.]]>65550Mon, 10 Oct 2005 14:36:00 +0000Jesse Jantzen: No looking backhttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/jesse-jantzen-no-looking-back-r65547/
First four-time New York high school state champion. 2004 NCAA Division I champ at 149 pounds. Three-time NCAA All-American. Three-time EIWA conference champ. One of eight wrestlers in his weight class selected to compete in the inaugural season of Real Pro Wrestling. Subject of a four-page spread in Exercise and Health magazine. Gold medalist at the 2005 World University Games.

Jesse Jantzen is focused on his goal of representing the U.S. at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
But that's all in the past. Despite these incredible accomplishments, Jesse Jantzen is not looking back. When asked about previous achievements and honors, Jantzen is rather modest -- and almost reluctant -- to discuss them. Instead, he's looking forward to the next freestyle event, and the next, and the next … all with the idea of gaining experience to prepare for his ultimate goal of wrestling in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

In fact, at the time of the interview, Jantzen was getting ready to travel to Budapest, Hungary for the 2005 World Wrestling Championships. Not to compete, but, according to Jantzen, to "support the U.S. team." Jantzen adds, "I want to observe the wrestlers from other countries in my weight class, and learn by seeing them in action in person. It's also helpful for me to travel overseas, and gain additional firsthand experience in the differences in food, accommodations, training facilities and officiating so that these won't be as much of a factor for me in international competition."

An Emerging Force in Freestyle

Jantzen is fairly new to the international freestyle wrestling scene, having graduated from Harvard University in 2004. In a little more than a year, the 66kg/145 lb Jantzen was crowned champion of the Henri Deglane International … was runner-up at the NYAC (New York Athletic Club) Open … placed third at the Dave Schultz Memorial … sixth at the U.S. Nationals … and fourth at the 2005 World Team Trials, the event that determined who would take to the mats for the U.S. at the Worlds in Hungary.

Jantzen's most recent -- and arguably most significant -- freestyle accomplishment was winning the gold medal at the World University Games in Turkey this past August, a prestigious tournament open to wrestlers under age 28. Jantzen defeated Russia's Kelaxsaev Berding 4-0, 2-0 in the finals to become only the third U.S. wrestler to win gold at this international event, joining mat legends Wade Schalles (who was champ in 1977) and Bruce Baumgartner, who earned gold in 1981. (Later in the tournament, U.S. wrestlers Nate Gallick and Tommy Rowlands also earned gold at the University Games.)

Jantzen did not lose a single period in the entire event, and shut out his opponents in seven out of ten periods.

"I didn't know any of these guys, being kind of new to international (competition)," Jantzen said in a published interview after winning the gold. "Sometimes I think that is good for your wrestling style. Fortunately, I just had those two periods each time, which definitely helps in this environment and with only 15 minutes between matches."

When asked about the World University Games for this profile, Jantzen said, "This year, there was a University Team Trials qualifying event in Colorado Springs in the spring of 2005. I think that resulted in having one of our stronger teams ever at the Games."

Back to the Beginning: Writing Wrestling History in New York State

Jesse Jantzen was born and raised on Long Island, a long-time hotbed for amateur wrestling.

"My dad was a wrestler, and introduced me to the sport when I was five or six years old," said Jantzen. "When I was in grade school, I also played soccer and baseball, but, by ninth grade, I decided to concentrate on wrestling."

While competing at Shoreham Wading River High School, Jantzen built an impressive 221-3 record … with those three losses coming in seventh and eighth grade. In the state of New York, qualifying seventh and eighth graders are allowed to compete at the state wrestling tournament. Jantzen took advantage of this rule, and placed third both years.

"It provided me with good experience in competing at that kind of event," according to Jantzen. In fact, that experience served Jantzen well in subsequent trips to the state tournament.

Jesse Jantzen competed for the New York Outrage in the inaugural season of Real Pro Wrestling.
He became the first wrestler to win the New York high school championship four times (1997-2000). Adding to the luster of Jantzen's accomplishment: Unlike most states with wrestling championships conducted in multiple divisions based on school enrollment, New York had only one state champ in each weight class at the time Jantzen claimed his titles. And, making it all sweeter was the fact that Jesse was coached by his father Don, who was head wrestling coach at Shoreham Wading River.

When asked if there was pressure to achieve an unprecedented fourth state championship, Jantzen said, "Yes, but most of it was self-imposed. Overall, it was a pretty exciting year, but it was a relief to win the title senior year."

And, as if four state titles weren't enough, Jantzen accomplished even more as a wrestler while still in high school. He was a three-time All-American and two-time national champ … was named ASICS Wrestler of the Year … and National Most Outstanding Wrestler in 2000.

Coming to Harvard

With all these achievements as a high school wrestler, it's no surprise that Jantzen was heavily recruited. However, Jantzen's dream was to attend Harvard University.

"A friend of mine, Andrew McNerney, is a volunteer coach at Harvard," said Jantzen, referring to the 1983 Harvard grad who earned NCAA All-American honors that year. "I was immediately impressed with the coaches, and how Harvard brought together the best of both worlds in terms of athletics and academics."

"Early in my coaching career at Harvard, one of our alums told me about this eighth grader in New York," said Jay Weiss, head wrestling coach for the Crimson. "Through this alum, Andrew McNerney, I met Jesse during his high school career. I told him that we could help him become a national champion."

In 2004, Jesse Jantzen defeated Zack Esposito to claim the NCAA title at 149 pounds.
That NCAA title came in Jantzen's senior year, a capstone to a great career at Harvard.

An Inspiration in the Ivy League

Even as a freshman, Jantzen accomplished great things. He posted a 17-7 record, placed second at the EIWA championships, and was an NCAA qualifier. His achievements were recognized by others, being named Ivy League Rookie of the Year, and first team All-Ivy … and selected to the 2001 All-Rookie team by Amateur Wrestling News.

And, as a portent of things to come, Jantzen was named Most Promising Freshman, and earned his team's Hardest Worker Award.

"I've never had a more dedicated wrestler than Jesse," said Weiss. "His work ethic is incredible. He's a quiet leader, one who inspires others in the wrestling room to work harder and do more on a daily basis. He's a prime example that hard work pays off."

At the 2004 NCAA Tournament, Jesse Jantzen earned Most Outstanding Wrestler of the Tournament honors for his efforts.
As a sophomore, Jantzen was crowned EIWA champion at 149 pounds, and was named the conference's Most Outstanding Wrestler. At the 2002 NCAAs, he placed third -- the best finish of a Harvard wrestler since 1953 -- and earned All-American honors.

In his junior year, Jantzen claimed his second EIWA title, and again took third place at the NCAAs that year. He also earned Academic All-American honors in 2003 -- the only Harvard athlete to do so that year.

Senior year was the pinnacle. Jantzen earned his third straight EIWA title, earning a trip to the 2004 NCAAs. In St. Louis, the top-seeded Crimson wrestler worked his way through the talent-rich 149-pound bracket to make it into the finals, where he achieved a 9-3 win over second-ranked Zack Esposito of Oklahoma State. For his performance at the NCAAs, Jantzen earned Outstanding Wrestler honors.

When Jesse Jantzen won the NCAA title in 2004 -- he became the first Harvard wrestler to accomplish the feat since John Harksness won the title in 1938.
Jesse Jantzen was the first NCAA champ from Harvard since John Harkness won the 175 pound title in 1938. Harkness was in the stands, cheering for Jantzen. "We made sure he would be there," said Weiss. "He was so thrilled to be a part of the event."

Having a Go at Real Pro Wrestling

In addition to his freestyle wrestling career, Jantzen was selected to compete in the first season of RealProWrestling, shown on Fox Sports and PAX-TV in the spring of 2005. One of eight competitors in the 66kg/145 lb weight class, Jesse wrestled for the New York Outrage team.

"I'm glad to have been a part of it," said Jantzen. "I liked the rules that made it easy to score points, and encouraged action. I would do it again."

What's Ahead

Jesse Jantzen continues to focus on the future. A member of the New York Athletic Club freestyle team, Jantzen lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts and continues to work out in Harvard's wrestling room, providing guidance and inspiration to other wrestlers … and preparing himself for the long road towards the 2008 Olympics.

"I try to go to every tournament, to gain more experience and learn by wrestling and observing." said Jantzen.

"Jesse makes a strong impression on all he meets, whether through wrestling, or off the mat," according to Weiss. "He's inspiring on a daily basis."]]>65547Mon, 10 Oct 2005 12:32:00 +0000Hofstra releases schedulehttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/hofstra-releases-schedule-r65545/Tom RyanHEMPSTEAD, NY -- Hofstra Pride Wrestling Coach Tom Ryan has enjoyed competition, both as a wrestler and as a coach. The 11th-year coach will get plenty of it this year as he announced the 2005-06 Hofstra Wrestling schedule Friday.

The Pride will face the Top 4 teams from last year's NCAA Championships, and will have five Top 40 teams visiting Hofstra Arena including national runners-up Michigan, #18 West Virginia and #30 Pennsylvania. The Pride will also battle defending national champions Oklahoma State, #3 Oklahoma, #4 Cornell and #8 Lehigh on the road and will face numerous other Top 40 teams at the 24th annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational in early December, and at the NWCA Cliff Keen National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa, in mid-January.

Hofstra's six-match home schedule at Hofstra Arena begins on Thursday, November 17 when the Pride will host Oregon State University at 7 p.m. Hofstra will host two Ivy League programs on December 11 as Harvard University and Columbia University will provide the competition beginning at 5 p.m. The Pride will open 2006 in fine fashion by hosting the Wolverines of the University of Michigan, who placed second at last year's NCAA Championships, on Monday, January 2 at 7 p.m. The always tough Mountaineers of West Virginia, who placed 18th at last year's Championships, will come into Hofstra Arena on January 6th at 7 p.m. The Pride will wrap up its home schedule on January 25 at 7 p.m. against the Quakers of Pennsylvania. Penn finished 30th at the NCAA Championships and are led by 2004 U.S. Olympic Freestyle Coach and former West Virginia Assistant Coach Zeke Jones.

Coming off their fifth consecutive conference championship and a school-best 17th place finish at the 2005 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, Ryan will be looking to move into the elite air this season with, quite possibly, the deepest roster in school history. Hofstra, which sent nine wrestlers to the NCAA Championships last year after capturing its fourth straight Colonial Athletic Association crown, return 12 letterwinners including seven starters, seven NCAA qualifiers and five conference champions.

Leading the Pride is two-time All-American Jon Masa. The senior from Long Beach, New York, captured his third CAA championship and placed third at the NCAA Championships at 149 pounds. Senior Mike Patrovich also returns after winning the CAA title at 165 pounds and just missing All-America honors at the NCAA Championships. Senior Ricky LaForge was a CAA finalist at 141 pounds and made his second NCAA Championship appearance last year.

The underclassmen are talented and experienced. Junior James Strouse won his first CAA title at 157 and made his second nationals appearance last season. Sophomores Charles Griffin, Joe Rovelli and Dave Tomasette are also coming off outstanding seasons. Griffin, the CAA Rookie of the Year, captured the conference title at 133 pounds and finished the year at 27-6. Rovelli, who challenged Griffin for top CAA newcomer honors, captured the conference title at 184 pounds and finished the year at 23-9. Tomasette was a conference finalist at 125 pounds and posted a 19-14 mark while making his first national championship appearance. Junior John Manarte, a CAA finalist and a NCAA qualifier in 2004, is also expected to challenge for a starting role in 2005-06.

The Pride newcomers are also expected to create some excitement this season. Junior college transfer Chris Weidman, who red-shirted last season, was a two-time All-American at Nassau Community College and is expected to fill the shoes of graduated All-American Chris Skretkowicz at 197 pounds. Another Nassau CC All-American Jon Andriac, the top-ranked heavyweight on the junior college circuit last season, is expected to fill the spot that was vacant most of last season for the Pride. Senior Mike Parziale, a three-time Most Valuable Wrestler at Franklin and Marshall College and a three-time New England scholastic champion at Woburn (MA) High School, is expected to challenge at 157 pounds.

Freshman Alton Lucas, who was a high school All-American at West Babylon (NY) High School and the top-ranked senior wrestler in the country in his weight class, will battle junior Chris Vondruska for the starting role at 165 pounds. Six-time Junior National All-American Mitch Smith, from Ripley High School in West Virginia, and Senior Nationals champion Mike Pucillo, from Walsh Jesuit High School in Ohio, will make Hofstra a more formidable power in 2005-06.]]>65545Fri, 07 Oct 2005 20:25:00 +0000Buffalo gearing up for seasonhttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/buffalo-gearing-up-for-season-r65554/
He made the decision to redshirt 2003-04 All-American Kyle Cerminara (Lewiston, NY/Lewiston-Porter), leaving a gaping hole in the lineup that had produced three Mid-American Conference champions.

The team struggled, as a new core emerged of four freshmen starters and one first-year starting sophomore were thrust into some of the toughest schedules in the country, wrestling six nationally-ranked teams and participating in the prestigious Las Vegas Invitational.

Now a year older and much more seasoned, that core of nine starters has been around the block once, plus Cerminara re-enters the fold and is aiming for a national title. With three other wrestlers who finished in the top 25 in the nation in wins in their weight classes and four MAC placewinners in 2004-05 on the roster, the Bulls already have a core that will make some noise in the conference. Add onto that a Bulls' recruiting class that features two junior college All-Americans, three high school state champions plus two transfers from Ohio State including Ryan Needle (Newfane, NY/Newfane), a three-time New York State High School champion, and the Bulls are ready to become an elite program in the country.

125 pounds

The Bulls took a hit when they lost their only starter at this weight class, when after his sophomore year and two NCAA Championship berths, Mark McKnight left the program for Penn State.

However, Beichner quickly remedied the situation by bringing in five recruits, including two-time New York State champion Dan Bishop (Whitehall, NY/Whitehall). Bishop was ranked 10th by Intermat at 112 pounds in the magazine's 2004-05 senior rankings.
Freshman Tyler Laracy (Foxboro, MA/Foxboro) also has state champion on his resume, winning the Massachusetts championship in 2003-04. Also adding depth in the weight class will be Andrew Stella (Tonawanda, NY/Sweet Home), who was a four-time Section VI champion, and Evan Veney (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool), who won 87 matches in high school.

133 pounds

Junior captain Mark Budd (Orrville, OH/Orrville) has a hold on the starting position heading into the season, after going 23-16 in 2004-05. He finished the year on a 10-2 run that included a third-place finish at the MAC Championships. Budd went 4-1 in MAC dual meets and was sixth in the nation in wins by sophomores at 133 pounds. Budd also placed in three tournaments, including winning the New York State Collegiate Championship title on Jan. 24.
"He's a captain because he leads by example," Beichner said of Budd. "He is absolutely one of our hardest workers. He's got a great attitude. You very rarely see him down."
Also looking for time at 133 are Derek Eamer (Watertown, NY/General Brown) and New York State High School qualifiers Tim Higgins (Merrick, NY/Chaminade) and Luther Ruben (Ithaca, NY/Ithaca).

141 pounds

Sophomore Dana Gingerich (Spring Grove, PA/DeLone Catholic) will fight to keep his starting slot with six other wrestlers. Gingerich finished his first season as a starter by going 17-19 and earning a fourth-place finish at the MAC Championships after battling illness in the first half of the season that ended when he had his tonsils removed in December.

"He's come in healthy, heavy and strong," Beichner said. "We hope that's going to be the difference for him getting to the national championships. Dana can score points faster than anybody on our team. Our expectations are for him to be a leader on this team in many statistical categories."

Senior Cliff Smith (Merrick, NY/Calhoun) comes back from a redshirt year and will fight for a spot in the starting lineup at either 141 or 149 pounds after going 26-16 in 2003-04 at 133 pounds.

"Pound for pound, he may be one of the strongest kids on the team," Beichner said.
Junior Mike Shannon (Albany, NY/Colonie) will look for time on the mats after going 4-6 in his first year at Buffalo after transferring from Binghamton. Shannon started for one season at Binghamton, going 4-16.
"He prepared all summer long," Beichner said. "Keep an eye on him because he may find a way to make a dent."

Freshmen Josh Taylor (Williamsville, NY/Williamsville East) and Jason Hilliard (Genoa, NY/Southern Cayuga) will also find time on the mats along with junior Gus Manzur (Cheektowaga, NY/Oakton), a former member of the El Salvador national team.

149 pounds

Junior Pat Lloyd (Middletown, NY/Valley Central) has started the past two seasons for the Bulls and even placed fourth at the MAC Championships as a freshman, but the transfer of Needle from Ohio State plus Smith also making a run for the starting job in the weight class makes it one of the most contested in the wrestling room.

"There's three guys in there right now that are all very good," Beichner said. "Whoever wins that weight class is going to be a very solid Division I wrestler, just because there's so many good guys in the weight class."

Lloyd went 16-21 overall and 3-10 in dual meets as a sophomore, but he placed in five of the seven tournaments he wrestled in, including earning a second-place finish at the New York State Collegiates.

Needle, a three-time New York State High School champion, transfers in after compiling a 9-7 record and a 1-2 mark in Big 10 dual meets in his redshirt freshman year at Ohio State.

Sophomore Samuel Hermon (Byron, NY/Byron-Bergen) spent a year at West Virginia before transferring closer to home. He could also make an impact in the weight class along with senior Todd Feinkind (Irvington, NY/Irvington).

157 pounds

Sophomore Scott Rendos (Brockway, PA/Brockway) placed in three tournaments his freshman year, good for an 18-23 overall record. The former two-time state champion was 12th in the country in wins by freshmen at 157 pounds and looks to keep his starting slot this year.

"We think he improved a lot over the summer," Beichner said. "We expect a lot from him."

The competition for the spot will be fierce, however, with incoming two-time NJCAA All-American John Cummings (Bay Shore, NY/Bay Shore) and Ohio State transfer Steven Muldrow (Cincinnati, OH/Summitt Country Day).

"This is what good Division I programs look like," Beichner said. "Depth is so important and this year we have depth. It's going to be a tightly-contested weight class and you want that. You want people fighting for those spots."

Cummings spent two seasons at Nassau Community College, finishing fourth in the country at 157 pounds in each season. He also was a New York State High School finalist in 2003, losing to teammate Ryan Needle in the championship.

"Thus far, in the season, he's impressed us very much as far as work ethic and attitude," Beichner said. "You can tell he loves the sport. He will beat people throughout the year by grinding them out. By the end of a match, people get tired, but that's not John."

Muldrow wrestled to a 1-4 record in two years at Ohio State, redshirting in one of the seasons. He won 112 matches at Summit Country Day. Also in the mix for the starting job are junior Chris Nebelecky (Tonawanda, NY/Tonawanda) and sophomore Jeremy Sheffer (Colonie, NY/Colonie), a transfer from Air Force.

165pounds

Three wrestlers each flashed brilliance at 165 pounds last year and all three are back to compete for the starting slot once again in 2005-06, as sophomores Mickey Moran (Pittsburgh, PA/Shaler Area) and Mike Ragusa (Foxboro, MA/Foxboro) and junior Jake Blowers (Johnstown, NY/Broadalbin-Perth) will all contribute during the season.

"We think those three guys are going to give us a great deal of depth," Beichner said. "We feel comfortable sending any of those three guys out on the mat."

Moran went 7-23 in his first year as a starter, splitting time at 165 and 174 pounds, but he did finish second at the New York State championships and fourth at the UB Open and won the starting slot in 2004-05 during wrestle-offs with Blowers and Ragusa.

Blowers entered the lineup in December when an injury moved Moran up a weight class. Blowers excelled in his first year as a starter, going 16-17 overall, earning five falls and finishing third at the MAC Championships. He earned two of those pins at crucial points in dual meet wins against North Dakota State and Kent State.

Ragusa, a former Massachusetts state champ, finished sixth at the Oklahoma Gold Classic, but was injured later that week to force him out for the season after redshirting in 2003-04.

174 pounds

The last time sophomore Nate Rock (Ephrata, PA/Ephrata) stepped on a mat, he delivered one of the most dramatic wins of the year for Buffalo, as he battled with a strained LCL and beat Kent State's Aaron Miller, 7-2, to secure an 18-16 dual meet win. He's back this year after finishing his injury-shortened rookie campaign 10-16 overall.
Competing with Rock are two strong transfers, as junior college All-American Hanif Abdush-Shahid (Uniondale, NY/Ithaca) and Drexel transfer Ray Lamb (Mays Landing, NJ/Absegami) will each look for time on the mats.

Abdush-Shahid finished third at the 2004 NJCAA Championships and was also a Junior Greco-Roman All-American in 2002, finishing third at the Junior Nationals.
"Those two guys are both very capable," Beichner said. "They're very strong and very competitive. Either of them will do a nice job for us."
Lamb, who will wrestle at either 174 or 184 pounds, started one season for the Dragons, splitting time between 157 and 165 pounds and going 9-21 overall and 2-3 in Colonial Athletic Association duals.

184 pounds

Senior Garrett Hicks (Chautauqua, NY/Chautauqua Lake) will serve his first year as a captain after having just completed his first full year as a starter in 2004-05. Hicks went 22-18 overall, finishing 23rd in Division I in wins. He beat MAC Champion Alex Lammers of Central Michigan, 7-2, in a dual meet on Feb. 5. He also placed at three tournaments and won his first collegiate tournament, claiming the UB Open title on Dec. 30.

"He's turned himself into a very valuable member of the program over the years," Beichner said. "He's someone who's turned himself into a leader, a quiet leader. He's not outspoken, but he does what he's supposed to do."

Freshman Ricky Scott (Walden, NY/Valley Central), a two-time state champion, was ranked third in the nation's seniors by Intermat at 171 pounds. The highly-touted recruit could also make an immediate impact with the Bulls.

Freshman Ben Carbrey (Williamsville, NY/Williamsville North) also will look for time on the mat.

197 pounds

Senior All-American Cerminara will search for a national title after redshirting in 2004-05, and he can reach quite a few milestones along the way. Entering his senior year, Cerminara is two wins shy of becoming just the third UB wrestler to reach 100 wins in his career. He is 16 wins away from breaking Gary Cooper's (1998-03) mark of 113 career wins. In 2003-04, Cerminara set a school single-season record with 41 wins as he went on to place eighth at the NCAA Championships to become the first male All-American in UB's Division I era. He was recently ranked sixth in USA Wrestling's annual freestyle rankings at 96 kilograms.

"We think we've potentially got one of the best Division I wrestlers in the country," Beichner said of Cerminara. "Very few people work as hard as Kyle. He's got his goals set in front of him and he knows where he wants to be at the end of the year."

Hwt

Senior Harold Sherrell (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) will adjust to his third weight class in three years as he will be the starter for Buffalo at heavyweight this year. In 2004-05, wrestling at 197 pounds, Sherrell went 22-17 to finish in the top 25 in the nation in wins and also placed third at the MAC Championships. He also placed at five of seven tournaments he wrestled in, including a second-place finish at the Beast of the East Collegiate Invitational on Dec. 17, at which he beat All-American Phil Davis of Penn State, 7-6.

"Harold Sherrell has been a workhorse for us," Beichner said. "He's been a dedicated, loyal wrestler. Everything we've asked of Harold, he has done. He's improved himself as a person and an athlete over the years in a way that I haven't seen over the years. He has single-handedly turned himself into a Division I wrestler."

Junior Jeff Parker (Foxboro, MA/Foxboro) is the only redshirt that Beichner has announced before the season, allowing the former Massachusetts state champion a year to develop, after going 17-24 overall and 1-4 in MAC competition as a sophomore after transferring from Binghamton.

Senior Greg Thomas (Baldwin, NY/Uniondale/Nassau CC) could also see time on the mats.

Schedule

The Bulls have six dual meets scheduled for Alumni Arena three versus Mid-American Conference opponents along with the third annual UB Open.

The Bulls kick off their season with the Slippery Rock Open on Nov. 5 before heading to the Oklahoma Gold Classic, held in Brockport on Nov. 12. UB opens its dual meet and home portion of the schedule Nov. 20, facing Gardner-Webb, Findlay and Bloomsburg who recently named former UB standout John Stutzman its head coach.

The Mat Town USA Invitational (Nov. 26) and the prestigious Las Vegas Invitational (Dec. 2-3) are once again included on the Bulls' slate.

UNC-Greensboro head coach Tom Shifflet will be making a return visit to Western New York on Jan. 15 when his Spartans stop by Alumni Arena. The Amherst native and Sweet Home High School graduate is entering his fourth season at the helm of the UNC-Greensboro program.

The remaining dual-meet opponents coming to UB include Appalachian State and Mercyhurst (Dec. 19); Ohio University, Ithaca and Delaware State (Jan. 28); Eastern Michigan (Feb. 4); and Central Michigan (Feb. 5).

The Bulls' other MAC matchups take place at Northern Illinois (Jan. 6) UB's conference opener and at Kent State (Feb. 10).

The MAC Championships are scheduled for March 4-5 at Northern Illinois, while this season's NCAA Championships will take place March 16-18 in Oklahoma City.]]>65554Fri, 07 Oct 2005 18:55:00 +0000Don't miss it: 10 intriguing match-ups you won't want to miss this collegiate seasonhttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/dont-miss-it-10-intriguing-match-ups-you-wont-want-to-miss-this-collegiate-season-r65558/
Two seasons ago, it was Jesse Jantzen vs. Zack Esposito and Troy Letters vs. Tyrone Lewis. Last season, it was the continuation of two great rivalries -- Ryan Bertin vs. Alex Tirapelle and Chris Pendleton vs. Ben Askren.

So with the season just upon us -- let's take a look at the top-10 match-ups you won't want to miss (from 10 to 1).

10. Nick Simmons (Michigan State) vs. Kyle Ott (Illinois)

Why it's intriguing: These two Big Ten foes are two of the top-four 125-pounders in the nation -- with the other two being NCAA champion Joe Dubuque of Indiana and third-place finisher Sam Hazewinkel of Oklahoma. Simmons and Ott split two matches last season. However, Ott won the all important one, in overtime, in the NCAA semifinals.

Kyle Ott of Illinois and Nick Simmons of Michigan State split two matches season. Ott, however, won the most important one -- in the NCAA semifinals.
Where they could meet before the postseason: While there is a chance they could meet at the All-Star match on Nov. 21 -- it's unlikely unless Dubuque and/or Hazewinkel decline the invitation. Both Michigan State and Illinois will be at the Midlands on Dec. 29-30 -- so there is certainly a possibly that Simmons and Ott could meet there. On Feb. 12, Michigan State heads to Champaign to wrestle the Illini, where Simmons and Ott will wrestle an important match to determine seeds for the Big Ten Championships.

9. Steve Mocco (Oklahoma State) vs. Matt Fields (Iowa)

Why it's intriguing: When Mocco transferred from Iowa to Oklahoma State -- he went from savior to betrayer, literally overnight in the Hawkeye State. His transfer to Oklahoma State ruffled the feathers of a lot of his now ex-teammates. But not Fields. When Fields signed with Iowa, many questioned why he would choose a school where he wouldn't be assured a spot in the lineup for at least two years. His response was, "I'm going to have to beat him anyway, so it's not much of an issue." Last season, as a true freshman, Fields wrestled Mocco three times -- and was shutout all three times (5-0, 4-0, and 4-0). But word out of Iowa City is that Fields believes that he can beat Mocco this season.

Where they could meet before the postseason: On Jan. 7, Oklahoma State comes to Iowa, which will be Mocco's first appearance at Carver Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City since his transfer to Oklahoma State. The only other potential meeting place between these two could be Jan. 14-15 at the National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

8. Pacifico Garcia (San Francisco State) vs. Jason Rhoten (Minnesota State-Mankato)

These two wrestlers are arguably among the top-five in all of Division II -- and ironically, the two combined for exactly one state title. They have risen to the top of Division II wrestling through hard work, dedication, and late blooming. Now, both wrestlers could find a place in many Division I lineups across the country (Rhoten defeated Division I All-American Nate Gallick of Iowa State during the 2003-04 season). Garcia and Rhoten met last year in the NCAA finals at 141 -- with Garcia winning a tight 2-1 decision -- on a clasping call.

Where they could meet before the postseason: Unfortunately, these two will not see each other before the NCAA Tournament.

7. Jake Rosholt (Oklahoma State) vs. B.J. Padden (Nebraska)

Why it's intriguing: Even though Rosholt is a two-time NCAA champion, and Padden has yet to finish higher than fifth at the NCAA Tournament, these two Big 12 rivals had some epic battles last season. In their first meeting, on Nov. 20 at the Kaufman-Brand Open in Omaha, Rosholt pinned Padden. They met again on Feb. 12 in a dual in Lincoln, where Rosholt won a close 3-2 decision. But less than a month later, Padden came back to soundly defeat Rosholt, 6-2, to claim the Big 12 title. The two then met for a fourth time last season, in the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament, which Rosholt won narrowly, 10-9.

Jake Rosholt of Oklahoma State and B.J. Padden of Nebraska met four times last season.
Where they could meet before the postseason: While both teams are scheduled to compete at the Kaufman-Brand Open again on Nov. 19, it's unlikely they will wrestle each other there … especially since the All-Star match will take place two days later, and they could potentially meet up there. Both Oklahoma State and Nebraska will be at the National Duals on Jan. 14-15, so a match-up there is a possibility. On Feb. 3, Nebraska heads to Stillwater to wrestle the Cowboys, where Rosholt will meet Padden, which, like Ott vs. Simmons, will likely be a huge match in determining seeds for the conference tournament.

6. Shawn Bunch (Edinboro) vs. Mack Reiter (Minnesota)

Why it's intriguing: Bunch and Reiter met twice last season -- with Bunch winning both meetings by two points. Their first match-up, which Bunch won 7-5, took place in the semifinals of the Southern Scuffle. The two met again in a thrilling NCAA semifinal match in which Bunch had to hold on for a 6-4 victory. It's a match-up of contrasting styles. Bunch is quicker and better on his feet, whereas, Reiter is a better conditioned, stronger mat wrestler.

Where they could meet before the postseason: If Tom Clum of Wisconsin opts out, the two could meet at the All-Star match on November 21. Otherwise, there is a good chance we could see another Bunch-Reiter match at the Southern Scuffle on Dec. 29-30 -- as both Edinboro and Minnesota will be in Greensboro.

5. Steve Mocco (Oklahoma State) vs. Cole Konrad (Minnesota)

Steve Mocco of Oklahoma State defeated Cole Konrad of Minnesota three times last collegiate season -- all in overtime.
Why it's intriguing: Mocco and Konrad, because of their impressive credentials, stand above all in the heavyweight division. They met three times last season, and all three matches were won by Mocco in overtime. Ironically, the two met again at the World Team Trials last June in Ames, Iowa, where Mocco won another very tight match (1-0, 0-1, 1-0). Despite the fact that the two are about as evenly matched as possible, Mocco has found a way to win every meeting.

Where they could meet before the postseason: Last season, the two met in the All-Star match -- so don't be surprised to see it happen again on Nov. 21 in Oklahoma City. Both teams, Oklahoma State and Minnesota, will be at the National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa on Jan. 14-15, so they could potentially meet there. And then on February 12, Minnesota travels to Stillwater for a dual.

4. Nate Gallick (Iowa State) vs. Teyon Ware (Oklahoma)

Nate Gallick of Iowa State and Teyon Ware of Oklahoma have met five times in the past two seasons.
Why it's intriguing: Their Big 12 rivalry goes back two years to the 2003-04 season -- when both were sophomores. That season, Gallick defeated Ware in the semifinals of the Big 12 Championships, in overtime, and again two weeks later at the NCAA Tournament for fifth place. Last season, Gallick defeated Ware by a score of 6-3 in a January dual in Ames, and again in the Big 12 finals, in overtime. But in the finals of the NCAA Tournament last March, Ware defeated Gallick when it counted, and claimed his second NCAA title.

Where they could meet before the postseason: They potentially could meet in the All-Star match on Nov. 21 in Oklahoma City, since they are the top two wrestlers at 141, but the lineup still hasn't been set. Ware wrestled in the All-Star match last season, where he defeated Cory Cooperman of Lehigh. Ware and Gallick could potentially meet up twice in January -- at the National Duals and again in a dual on Jan. 28 in Norman.

3. Troy Letters (Lehigh) vs. Johny Hendricks (Oklahoma State)

Why it's intriguing: Both Letters and Hendricks are national champions (Letters in 2004, Hendricks in 2005). The two faced off against one another twice last season, with Letters coming away victorious in both matches. Letters first defeated Hendricks at the National Duals (4-3) and again in a February dual (5-2). Both wrestlers possess a rare combination of strength and quickness.

Where they could meet before the postseason: The two could potentially meet twice in a two-week span at the beginning of the season (late November-early December) -- at the All-Star match on Nov. 21 and again in a dual in Stillwater on Dec. 2. Aside from those two early potential meetings, Letters and Hendricks will not see each other during the regular season.

2. Mark Perry (Iowa) vs. Ben Askren (Missouri)

Why it's intriguing: Perry and Askren have some striking similarities. They are both unorthodox wrestlers who love to scramble. They both exude a confidence in their abilities that sometimes gets mistaken for arrogance. Both were NCAA runners-up last March (Perry at 165, Askren at 174) -- and because of that -- both wrestlers view last season as a failure. Expect to see a lot of funk in this match-up. Potentially a lot of scoring, too.

Where they could meet before the postseason: Chances are very good that Perry and Askren will face off on Nov. 21 at the All-Star match in Oklahoma City -- as both enter the season as the top two wrestlers. Aside from that early season match, their only other potential meeting before the NCAA Tournament could take place at the National Duals on Jan. 14-15 in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

1. Darrell Vasquez (Cal-Poly) vs. Nathan Morgan (Oklahoma State)

Why it's intriguing: Vasquez and Morgan were high school teammates at Bakersfield High in California. Vasquez, who is two years older than Morgan, became the first four-time state high school champion ever in the state of California. Morgan, who graduated in 2004, became only the fourth wrestler in California history to become a four-time state finalist -- winning it his last three years and finishing second his freshman year. They are, without question, two of the best wrestlers ever to come out of California -- right alongside 2004 Olympians Stephen Abas and Eric Guerrero. Vasquez was a 2004 All-American, but missed last season because of an illness. Morgan wrestled in the Oklahoma State lineup as a true freshman and was very impressive.

Where they could meet before the postseason: On Jan. 20, Cal-Poly heads to Stillwater to wrestle Oklahoma State -- and you can bet that The Golden State wrestling community will be tuned in to this match. Of course, most California wrestling fans hope to see Vasquez and Morgan wrestling for all the marbles in the 133-pound NCAA finals in Oklahoma City.]]>65558Fri, 07 Oct 2005 13:52:00 +0000Takedown Radio heads to Iowa Statehttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/takedown-radio-heads-to-iowa-state-r65561/

7 Flags Athletic Center and Asics proudly Present "America's Wrestling Radio Talk Show" Takedown Wrestling Radio

This week Steve Foster and I hit the road as the season truly begins again. We find out what the prospects are like at Iowa State. We'll talk with the Cyclones Head Coach Bobby Douglas (One of the winningest coaches of all time) and his assistants as well as Cyclone club President Jeff Murphy. We'll also talk with some of the incoming kids as well as some of the established wrestlers and their families.

Next week its on to University of Northern Iowa, Home of the Panthers and Head Coach Brad Penrith

]]>65561Thu, 06 Oct 2005 19:30:00 +0000Dana signs Kansas star Altmanhttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/dana-signs-kansas-star-altman-r65559/Donny AltmanBLAIR, Neb. -- Dana College Head Wrestling Coach Steve Costanzo is pleased to announce the commitment of Derby (Kan.) High School senior Donny Altman to the Viking Wrestling program. Altman, a standout for Class 6A Derby, announced his decision early this fall. He will compete at 125 pounds for the Vikings in 2006-07.

Altman brings a wealth of wrestling accomplishments and accolades to the Dana program. Most recently, he won his first Kansas State Championship as a junior in 2005, claiming the 103-pound Class 6A title. On the national scene, Altman has placed five times at the prestigious Cadet/Junior National Championships in Fargo, N.D. As a cadet, Altman became a four-time All-American, claiming two Greco-Roman National titles and two Freestyle All-American honors. In 2005, Altman placed sixth in his first year at the junior level in freestyle at 112 pounds.]]>65559Thu, 06 Oct 2005 17:14:00 +0000The debate begins anew: Who is the best of the best?https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/the-debate-begins-anew-who-is-the-best-of-the-best-r65577/
Never was there a better example of the "big three" phenomenon than the top trio of 2005, where Dustin Schlatter, Brent Metcalf, and Troy Nickerson entered the season with stunning resumes of success against older competition in Fargo and elsewhere. Metcalf and Schlatter split two epic bouts that settled little other than their equality.

2005-2006 appears to the exception to the "top trio" phenomenon. At the start of this season, there are two competitors who clearly stand out from the pack: David Craig and Henry Cejudo.

David Craig, hailing from the Brandon (Florida) High School juggernaut has been the top 171 in the nation since his sophomore year. In 2005-2006, to paraphrase Shakespeare, he "stands over all others at his weight class like a colossus." The odds of Craig losing a match this year are approximately the same as the odds of FILA (International Wrestling's beleaguered governing body) making a rationale decision. In other words -- zero.

David Craig of Florida has been the best 171-pounder in the nation since his sophomore year.
Consider: The likely third best 171 in the nation, Clayton Foster, was pinned in Fargo by Craig. The nation's second best 171 is clearly Brent Chriswell. Chriswell pinned or teched all foes in Fargo other than Craig, including a pin over Asics All-American First Team David Erwin, and tech falls over Clayton Foster and Jeff James (likely the fourth best 171). Chriswell also won FILA Cadets all the way up at 187.5 in dominating fashion in April. Chriswell, it may have seemed, posed a legitimate threat to Craig. It was no contest. Chriswell was simply outmatched, as Craig narrowly missed a tech fall, prevailing 8-0.

That Craig would stand head and shoulders above the field at 171 is hardly a surprise. He has been the top 171 in the nation since he was a sophomore -- in a weight class dominated by upperclassmen. Simply put, for a sophomore to be the best in the nation at such a high weight class is unprecedented. Following up a dominating performance in winning Cadet Freestyle at 160 the year before, Craig quickly established himself as possibly the best 171 in the nation that year by defeating defending 171 Cadet Nationals champion Hudson Taylor and defending 171 Junior Nationals champion Rocco Caponi back-to-back in winning the Ironman. Although the nation's best 160, Jarrod King, moved up to 171 and beat Craig that summer in Fargo, Craig merely served to solidify the argument that he was the best at 171 by toppling Pennsylvania's Kurt Brenner for third place.

Perhaps the most impressive, and easy to overlook thing about Craig's performances the last two years is that he has been outsized (although certainly not overpowered) at 171. Anecdotal reports are that his natural weight is around 170 -- that he would have been at 160 but wrestles 171 in deference to his older (former) teammate and fellow multiple-time national champion Rocky Cozart. This has been supported by the fact that even in preseason and post season open tournaments, Craig has not been seen competing higher than 171.

Henry Cejudo of Colorado was a double champion at Junior Nationals in 2004, but was held out of Fargo in 2005 because of an injury.
If Craig is No. 1, Henry Cejudo of Coronado, Colorado, would have to be No. 1a. Whereas Craig is an upper-weight, Cejudo is on the other end of the spectrum, competing at 119. The stock of this competitor just keeps rising. For years, Cejudo was merely "Angel Cejudo's brother" (his older brother has been a four-time state champion, Cadet Nationals champion, Junior Nationals champion, and FILA Junior Nationals champion among other accolades)." Now, it is Angel Cejudo who may come to be known in wrestling circles as "Henry Cejudo's brother." The younger Cejudo made his mark in 2004, winning both styles at Junior Nationals in convincing fashion in a loaded weight. Cejudo knocked off the highly-decorated Mike Grey and Franklin Gomez just to make the finals. In fact, Cejudo unthinkably tech falled Grey and pinned Gomez to add to his double title in 2003 at the cadet level.

Cejudo further raised his stock in the spring of 2005 with a triumph at FILA Junior World Team Trials. At that tourney, he first crushed Obe Blanc, a 2003 Senior High School Nationals champion, and then 2004 Senior Nationals champion/multiple Junior and Cadet Nationals champion Paul Donahoe, twice in a row. None of these matches were really close, with Cejudo actually pinning Donahoe in one of the matches. The real impressiveness of these victories was that these accomplished competitors were two and three years older than Cejudo respectively.

Cejudo added to his resume with an impressive showing at the super-tough FILA Junior World Tournament. Unfortunately, he was injured while competing there, and was thus unable to add to his title count in Fargo this summer. In his absence, rivals Gomez and Grey won titles at 119 and 125 in dominating fashion.

The Best of the Rest:

The remaining contenders for best high school wrestler in the nation might be described as the "super seven." They are, in no particular order: Zach Bailey, Mike Grey, Garrett Scott, Billy Murphy, and Lance Palmer.

Some wrestling fans may feel that Zach Bailey has dropped off the elite list after his failure to place at Junior Nationals in 2005. They would be mistaken. Bailey was reportedly hampered by an injury. Regardless, his other victories in 2005 showed that his surprise win at Juniors in 2004 was no fluke. This season alone he defeated Mitch Mueller, Sean Nemec, and Ashtin Primus among others. Mueller dominated in winning a Junior Nationals title in freestyle in 2005 at Bailey's weight class. Nemec was a Junior Nationals All-American two weight classes higher than Bailey competed.

Mike Grey has a chance to become the first four-time state champion ever in the state of New Jersey.
Only one state has never had a four-time state champion, that being single-division New Jersey. That will likely change this year when Mike Grey is crowned for the fourth year in a row. Grey has amassed over a hundred victories with only a single overtime loss -- to High School Nationals and Junior Nationals double champion Franklin Gomez. While he is a folkstyle specialist, Grey has also shown talents in freestyle. In four trips to Fargo, he has come away with All-American honors all four times, adding a Junior Nationals title to a Cadet Nationals title won in 2002.

The enigma of the "super seven" is Garrett Scott of Pennsylvania. Many wrestling fans in Pennsylvania feel that Scott is the best to come out of their state since Cary Kolat, no small statement in the nation's premier wrestling state. Scott made two appearances in Fargo, winning Cadet Nationals titles in freestyle after his eighth and ninth grade seasons. The list of wrestlers who have won Cadet Nationals titles in freestyle before entering high school at weights above 100 lbs is short and illustrious. Scott has not lost since freshman year, and his only two losses that year were 8-7 and 10-8 in overtime, respectively. As a junior, he captured his third state title with a technical fall in the finals.

However, Scott has not competed in Fargo since winning his second Cadet Nationals title after his freshman season. The only national competition against which he has competed since then was at FILA Juniors this past spring, where he finished a disappointing eighth place (in the same weight where Bailey finished third, although they never met). The bet here is that Scott will return to form in 2005-2006.

Perhaps the most intriguing of the super seven is Billy Murphy. It is safe to say that no other member of the "super seven" is less technically polished than Murphy. Perhaps the best phrase to describe Murphy would be "bull in a china shop". Incomparably quick, powerful, and aggressive, Murphy rarely sees a risk he doesn't want to take on the mat. Moreover, Murphy is the last wrestler you will ever see be content to win a close match. Indeed, after winning 19-5 in the finals of the NHSCA Junior National Championships in April, Murphy threw his headgear and anklet aside in disdain, apparently disgusted by his inability to score a tech fall in the national finals. Murphy reminds this writer of a young Tom or Terry Brands (Editor's note: Subsequent to the submission of this article, ironically, Murphy verbally committed to wrestle for Tom Brands at Virginia Tech).

Justin Kerr's Top 10 Seniors:

1. David Craig, Florida
2. Henry Cejudo, Colorado
3. Billy Murphy, California
4. Garett Scott, Pennsylvania
5. Mike Grey, New Jersey
6. Zach Bailey, Missouri
7. Lance Palmer, Ohio
8. David Rella, Ohio
9. Jordan Frishkorn, Virginia
10. Jonathan Reader, Michigan
One thought that comes to mind watching Murphy's "go-for-broke" style is that the nation's true elite would capitalize on the mistakes of this talented yet raw wrestler. However, in 11 matches at the super-tough California one-division state tournament and the NHSCA Junior Nationals, Murphy failed to score a major decision only once, and he prevailed 12-5 in that bout. Perhaps even more telling, Murphy defeated Zach Bailey at the 2004 Brute Folkstyle Nationals by a score of 3-1 (it is difficult to imagine Murphy wrestling a match this low-scoring).

However, Murphy does lack the national freestyle credentials that the other members of the "super seven" have: he has been to Fargo just once, finishing second in Cadet Freestyle in 2004 to Mike Benefiel of Illinois. Still, even this showing is impressive given Murphy's relative lack of freestyle experience.

Rounding out the "super seven" is Ohio's Lance Palmer. Palmer is a folkstyle specialist who is probably the toughest wrestler in the nation from the top position. As powerful as any wrestler in the nation pound-for-pound (except for maybe Murphy), his power half with the legs in is possibly the most feared combination in the nation. So dominating is Palmer from top that he actually pinned 12 of 12 in Sectionals through States in Ohio. However, it was his match with fellow three-time Ohio state champion Cameron Doggett of St. Paris Graham that vaulted Palmer to superstar status. In that match, Palmer found himself in a quick 4-0 hole. Against a wrestler of Doggett's credentials (two-time Ironman champion, two-time Beast of the East champion, Cadet Nationals champion, Junior Nationals third), this deficit would have seemed insurmountable. However, Palmer showed true grit in clawing his way back to a 6-4 victory.

The best was yet to come, however. Despite having competed very little in freestyle since his youth wrestling days, Palmer moved up from 125 to 140 and finished third at the Junior Nationals. His lone loss was a 4-3 decision to the much-heralded Cyler Sanderson.

Jordan Frishkorn of Virginia is one of the many top wrestlers who will be competing at the Walsh Ironman in December.
While Craig and Cejudo are on opposite ends of the spectrum, most of the remaining members "super seven" will fall between 130-140 pounds this season. Scott, Palmer, and Murphy will all be competing at the Walsh Ironman in December, along with Junior Nationals runner-up Jordan Frishkorn. Also in the mix will be dominating Cadet Nationals champions Mario Mason, Alex Meade, and Kellen Russell. Given that all of the competitors will be bunched between 130-140 pounds, wrestling fans can look forward to multiple elite match-ups. A dominating performance by one of the remaining "super seven" may raise their stock to the level of Craig and Cejudo -- creating a new "top trio" just as we've had in years past. Stay tuned.]]>65577Thu, 06 Oct 2005 15:54:00 +0000Columbia announces establishment of newly endowed head coaching positionhttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/columbia-announces-establishment-of-newly-endowed-head-coaching-position-r65565/
Brendan Buckley, who is entering his sixth season as Columbia's head coach, will be the first coach to assume the new title.

"Wrestling taught me many valuable lessons about life, lessons I use every day," says Barth. "Discipline, persistence and hard work really do make a difference. Some of the best times in my life and some of my best memories are due to wrestling and being a part of this team. Columbia was a wonderful experience and I received a great education. I hope this gift ensures that future generations of Columbia wrestlers will have even better opportunities and an even more positive experience than I did."

Dr. M. Dianne Murphy, the Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Physical Education, says: "Andy's gift to the wrestling program at Columbia will benefit the entire athletics program. His commitment and dedication to Columbia Athletics are fine examples of how passionate Columbians are for Columbia. We thank him for this significant and generous gift."

"I remain honored to be a part of Columbia wrestling, the nation's oldest intercollegiate wrestling program," says Buckley, the 2005 Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) Coach of the Year. "Our continual and improved success over the last five years has been, in part, thanks to the outpouring of support our team has received from our alumni and friends. It is with sincere gratitude that I thank Andy and his family."

"Our student-athletes are amazing people who are future global leaders," says Murphy. "Andy's generosity will touch the lives of our more than 800 current student-athletes and head coaches, and all those who follow their path."

Wrestling is one of the oldest sports at Columbia, dating back to 1903, and Columbia was the first school to host an intercollegiate wrestling match. Although the sport has enjoyed several eras of great success, none has been greater than the first three years of the 1980's, when Columbia won three consecutive Ivy League championships, during which time Barth was a key member of the team.

"Our team took a giant step this past year. I felt a responsibility to respond and demonstrate to the team that the alumni are there with them and ready to take another giant step. I hope that we are at the beginning of a brand new chapter in our history," said Barth. "We hope that this chapter includes more Ivy League Championships, more EIWA placewinners and more All-Americans."

In 2004-2005, the team enjoyed what was arguably the best post-season in Columbia wrestling history. After leading the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) Championships after the first session, to the surprise of Lehigh, Cornell and other top-ranked squads, the Lions proceeded to finish fourth, their best finish since 1931. Columbia finished ahead of Penn and Army, who were both nationally ranked. Among the highlights at EIWA's, six student-athletes were placewinners, including Matt Palmer's second-place, en route to his All-American season. The team received the EIWA Wrestling Officials' highly prized Sportsmanship Award. Team members earned academic accolades as well; Jeff Sato, who was 31-7 on the season, was named to the NWCA Division I All-Academic Team.

Barth will be honored in recognition of his generous gift in a ceremony at wrestling homecoming on February 18, 2006, during the Inaugural Columbia Athletics Hall of Fame weekend. That weekend, the Lions host a tri-meet with Atlantic Coast Conference powerhouse Duke and Ivy League rival Harvard in Columbia's University (Blue) Gym.

Beyond their direct impact on the program, endowments such as Barth's strengthen Columbia University academically and financially, ensuring the long-term vitality of the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics and Physical Education. Gifts towards endowment provide donors with the opportunity to channel their resources into a secure financial investment, and to perpetuate the charitable organizations that have had meaning in their lives. Columbia Athletics is planning for the future to ensure that student-athletes have enhanced athletic opportunities while earning a world-class education.]]>65565Mon, 03 Oct 2005 19:57:00 +0000RevWrestling.com Team Rankings Systemhttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/revwrestlingcom-team-rankings-system-r68691/
1. 16 placement + 4 advancement = 20 points
2. 12 placement + 4 advancement = 16 points
3. 10 placement + 3.5 advancement = 13.5 points
4. 9 placement + 3.5 advancement = 12.5 points
5. 7 placement + 3 advancement = 10 points
6. 6 placement + 3 advancement = 9 points
7. 4 placement + 2.5 advancement = 6.5 points
8. 3 placement + 2.5 advancement = 5.5 points
9-12 2 advancement = 2.0 points
13-16 1.5 advancement = 1.5 points]]>68691Sat, 01 Oct 2005 19:03:00 +0000NCAA 75th Anniversary Team: Did the best men win?https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/ncaa-75th-anniversary-team-did-the-best-men-win-r65579/
When asked, we will jump at the chance to cast our ballot, whether it's for President of the United States, or our favorite on American Idol. We'll endure long lines at the polling station or put up with repeated busy signals on the phone just to be sure we can make a choice … and make our voices heard.

More and more organizations are realizing the power of participatory democracy, including the NCAA. To commemorate the 75th anniversary of their first collegiate wrestling championship, the NCAA and the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) decided to name a team of all-time college wrestling greats.

Power to the People

Once upon a time, the members of the NCAA 75th Anniversary Team would have been determined by an elite group of experts -- wrestling journalists, historians and coaches -- then the wrestling community would have commented on their choices after the fact. However, in the interests of giving the wrestling community an actual voice in the matter, the NCAA opened up the voting to anyone who had online access.

To make things easier for voters -- and not leave the experts out of the equation -- a panel of wrestling historians started with the thousands of wrestlers who have competed at the college level since 1928 (the first year of the NCAA championships). The experts came up with a list of 45 wrestlers, fifteen in each of three weight-based categories -- lightweight (115-141 pounds) … middleweight (142-172 pounds) … and heavyweight (177 pounds and up). (See sidebar for complete list of nominees.) Then they posted this ballot of potential NCAA 75th Anniversary Team honorees online, and invited the wrestling community to choose five names from each weight category. Once the online polls closed, the votes would be counted, and the five top vote-getters in each weight category would be honored at a special ceremony at the 2005 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in St. Louis.

And The Winners Are…

Dan Hodge, who won three NCAA titles for Oklahoma, is the only amateur wrestler ever to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
At an afternoon ceremony held outdoors on a blustery day under the vast former train sheds at the historic Union Station in downtown St. Louis, the NCAA 75th Anniversary Team members were introduced one-at-a-time to the assembled crowd in the three weight-based categories.

The honorees in the lightweight class (listed here in alphabetical order) include Stephen Abas, Tom Brands, Dan Gable, John Smith and Yojiro Uetake. Among the middleweight members of the NCAA 75th Anniversary Team: Lee Kemp, Lincoln McIlravy, Wade Schalles, Pat Smith and Joe Williams. The heavyweight (upper-weight) honorees include Kurt Angle, Ed Banach, Carlton Haselrig, Dan Hodge and Cael Sanderson.

A Difference of Opinion

Once the nominees were introduced, I had two questions:

1. Were they selected strictly on the basis of their college careers?
2. Why is the list so light on "old-time" wrestlers?

Let's take a look at each question.

1. College accomplishments … or lifetime achievement?

In an online article introducing the 45 nominees (see sidebar for complete list) posted in January, the opening text said, "Please know that nominations are selected on NCAA performance only."

Cael Sanderson finished his career at Iowa State with four NCAA titles and a 159-0 record.
As a life-long wrestling fan and long-time professional writer/editor, I read that sentence to say, "We wrestling historians only looked at their college records. We ignored their post-college accomplishments whatever they may be. As a voter, you wrestling fans should NOT consider a candidate's freestyle or Greco-Roman achievements, Olympic medals, coaching records, stardom from professional sports or sports entertainment, service to the sport of wrestling, or any other stuff after college."

It's possible that other wrestling fans read that sentence to say, "The experts may have selected the 45 nominees based on college performance … but that doesn't mean I have to restrict myself to that same criteria." In other words, the voters may have made the NCAA 75th Anniversary Team honors more of a "lifetime achievement" award than an award to honor excellence on the college mats.

2. Why a lack of "old-time" wrestlers?

Look at the NCAA 75th Anniversary Team, and you'll notice something missing: No nominees who wrestled before the mid 1950s. In fact, there are only three wrestlers -- Hodge, Uetake and Gable -- whose college careers predate 1970.

Yojiro Uetake won three NCAA titles (1964-1966) and compiled a 57-0 record while at Oklahoma State.
Some fans might argue, "I voted only for guys I've seen in action." Still others might make a case that, thanks to better training and nutrition -- or in terms of number of matches wrestled in a college career -- today's wrestlers are superior. However, if you were putting together a list of "most significant automobiles of all time" would you leave off the Model T, the Volkswagen Beetle and the original Ford Mustang simply because they're not as sophisticated as today's models?

A Second Look at the Overlooked

When I cast my votes for the NCAA 75th Anniversary Team in early 2005, I had a list of "must-includes" -- guys who were so dominant in college and/or whose accomplishments were so historically significant, they could not be ignored, including (but not limited to) Dan Gable, Carlton Haselrig, Dan Hodge, Cael Sanderson, John Smith, Pat Smith and Yojiro Uetake.

This is NOT to say that the others who made the team are not worthy; far from it. However, I would ask that you take a look at some other all-time greats who for some reason did not earn NCAA 75th Anniversary Team honors:

  • Earl McCready: Historically significant as the very first three-time NCAA champ in any weight class (1928-30), Oklahoma State heavyweight McCready had a perfect career in Stillwater, winning all but three of his matches by pin -- still the highest percentage of wins by pin of any heavyweight. In the 1928 finals, the big Cowboy pinned his opponent in 19 seconds -- still an NCAA record as fastest pin in a championship bout.
    Earl McCready, a heavyweight for Oklahoma State, was the first three-time NCAA champion in any weight class (1928-30).

  • The Peerys: It may be bending the rules to list a family of wrestlers, but, this father-son-son combination is worthy of consideration for their nine total college titles -- a record unmatched by any other family. Father Rex Peery won three NCAA titles at 115 pounds at Oklahoma State 1933-35. Elder son Hugh Peery (who was not on the 75th Anniversary ballot) earned his three championships at 115 pounds while wrestling for his dad at Pittsburgh 1952-1954, compiling a 57-1 record (including a 48-match winning streak); second son Ed (born while Rex was about to win his third title) also won three NCAA titles for Pitt in the 123-pound class 1955-1957, losing just one of 52 college bouts.

  • Stan Henson: The National Wrestling Hall of Fame Web site says of this Distinguished Member, "In the never-ending debate over who has been America's greatest wrestler, the name Stanley Henson always receives plenty of support." This three-time NCAA champ for Oklahoma State (145 pounds in 1937 and '38, 155 pounds in 1939) had only one loss his entire college career, and was the first sophomore to earn NCAA Outstanding Wrestler honors (1937). Named Amateur Wrestling News Wrestler of the Decade for the 1930s.

  • Bill Koll: Some present-day fans may be familiar with Koll's rough, tough image; reportedly the "slam" rule was instituted because of him. While wrestling at what is now Northern Iowa, Koll earned three college titles (1946-47 at 145 lbs; 1948 at 147.5 lbs) and Outstanding Wrestler honors two years in a row (the first to do so). Even more impressive than Koll's perfect 72-0 record: in his entire college career, he was taken down only once, reversed just twice … and pinned all five opponents at the 1948 NCAAs.

  • Dick Hutton: Long before Pat Smith and Cael Sanderson were even born, this barrel-chested heavyweight for Oklahoma State came incredibly close to becoming the first four-time NCAA champion. After winning two straight college titles in 1947 and 1948, Hutton lost on a referee's decision to Minnesota's Verne Gagne in the 1949 NCAA finals -- his only loss in his college career. He came back to win his third title in 1950, concluding with a 42-1-1 record with 15 pins.

  • Chris Taylor: Some fans may only know Chris Taylor for his size. Although he only wrestled two years at Iowa State, the surprisingly agile 415-pound Cyclone dominated the heavyweight ranks in his day … winning the title in 1972 and 1973 without surrendering a point in either finals match. While at Ames, Taylor had a perfect 87-0 record, pinning 42 of 48 opponents his senior year.

    Perhaps we'll give these "overlooked" wrestlers a second look when we cast our votes for the NCAA 100th Anniversary Team in 2027!

    Nominees for the NCAA 75th Anniversary Team:

    *Bold indicates Team member

    Lightweights -- 115-141 pounds:

    Stephen Abas, Fresno State
    Dave Auble, Cornell
    Tom Brands, Iowa
    Mike Caruso, Lehigh
    Dan Gable, Iowa State
    Dwayne Keller, Oklahoma State
    Randy Lewis, Iowa
    Gene Mills, Syracuse
    Rex Peery, Oklahoma State
    Ed Peery, Pittsburgh
    Myron Roderick, Oklahoma State
    Rick Sanders, Portland State
    John Smith, Oklahoma State
    Yojiro Uetake, Oklahoma State

    Middleweights -- 142-172 pounds:

    Darryl Burley, Lehigh
    Nate Carr, Iowa State
    Mark Churella, Michigan
    Tommy Evans, Oklahoma
    Stan Henson, Oklahoma State
    Lee Kemp, Wisconsin
    Cary Kolat, Penn State/Lock Haven
    Bill Koll, Northern Iowa
    Tim Kreiger, Iowa State
    Wayne Martin, Oklahoma
    Lincoln McIlravy, Iowa
    Bill Nelson, Northern Iowa
    Wade Schalles, Clarion
    Pat Smith, Oklahoma State
    Joe Williams, Iowa
    Jim Zalesky, Iowa

    Heavyweights -- 177 pounds and up:

    Kurt Angle, Clarion
    Ed Banach, Iowa
    Chris Campbell, Iowa
    Dick DiBattista, Penn
    Carlton Haselrig, Pitt-Johnstown
    Dan Hodge, Oklahoma
    Dick Hutton, Oklahoma State
    Jess Lewis, Oregon State
    Mark Lieberman, Lehigh
    Earl McCready, Oklahoma State
    Stephen Neal, Cal State Bakersfield
    Ben Peterson, Iowa State
    Cael Sanderson, Iowa State
    Mark Schultz, UCLA and Oklahoma
    Greg Strobel, Oregon State
    Chris Taylor, Iowa State
    ]]>65579Sat, 01 Oct 2005 16:58:00 +0000Gallick wants NCAA, World, and Olympic titleshttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/gallick-wants-ncaa-world-and-olympic-titles-r65590/
    In a three-month span (late March to late June), the 22-year-old Gallick came up just short, placing second, in the three most prestigious wrestling events in the country -- NCAA Tournament, U.S. Nationals, and World Team Trials.

    "It was real frustrating," said Gallick. "Three tournaments in a row I came up just short of accomplishing my goal. I wrestled the best I could. Maybe I could have wrestled a little smarter, but the bottom line is that I'm wrestling good competition. That's wrestling. You have to beat the good guys. And I didn't."

    Thankfully for Gallick, his luck changed in August when he traveled to Izmir, Turkey to wrestle in the World University Games.

    Nate Gallick (second from right) won the World University Games gold medal at 60 kg in Izmir, Turkey.
    Competing at 60 kg (132 lbs), Gallick cruised through his first three matches without surrendering a single point. He got stronger and more confident with every match. In the finals, he met Odabasi Tevfik, a 2004 Olympian from Turkey. After dropping the first period 6-2, the resilient Gallick battled back to win the final two periods by scores of 1-0 and 3-0, to become a University World champion.

    "He came back real strong after falling behind and just crushed his finals opponent," said Iowa State coach Bobby Douglas. "He did a superb job. It wasn't like he beat him up -- he just took him apart with very good technique."

    Added Gallick, "I felt as good as I've ever felt wrestling. I just felt really confident, really comfortable. The competitors that I was wrestling really fit well with my style."

    Now turn back the clock four years to 2001.

    Gallick, a Tucson native, had just captured his second individual state title for Sunnyside High School, a wrestling powerhouse in Arizona (the Blue Devils won the team state title every year of Gallick's high school career). He had compiled a high school career record of 107-3. He was coveted by many of the nation's top collegiate wrestling programs, but he only really considered two schools -- Arizona State, which was less than a two-hour drive away, and Iowa State.

    Douglas, a former coach at Arizona State (1974-1992) and someone who still has very close ties to the state of Arizona, had known Gallick since he was young. He had closely followed Gallick's development from the time he was a maturing middle school wrestler until he became one of the top high school wrestlers in the country. Sunnyside High has become a recruiting haven for Douglas, who had previously recruited three All-Americans, before Gallick, from the school. One of those wrestlers, Thom Ortiz, the current head coach at Arizona State, was an assistant at Iowa State when Gallick was recruited.

    "I originally had my heart set on Arizona State, and then Iowa State recruited me, and I kind of changed my mind," said Gallick. "Thom Ortiz had a pretty big influence on my decision. But I took my visit, met Coach Douglas and the guys, and I knew that it was the right place. As far as workout partners and facilities, Iowa State was the perfect situation for me.

    "Once Nate visited Iowa State, he was sold on coming," added Douglas. "There was no question in his mind that he wanted to come. And there was no question in our minds that we wanted him. What Nate was able to accomplish as a high school wrestler told us that he was the perfect fit for Iowa State, so we pursued him."

    So there he was … a wide-eyed 18-year-old, 1700 miles from home, wrestling in one of the most storied wrestling programs in NCAA history. It was then, in the fall of 2001, that Gallick would devise his eight-year wrestling plan -- a plan that included such milestones as becoming an NCAA All-American, winning an NCAA title, winning a World title, and winning an Olympic gold medal.

    Douglas, who has amassed more than 400 dual meet victories as a coach, almost always has his freshmen redshirt. He believes that redshirting his first-year wrestlers allows for them to adjust to the college environment and to mature as students. In 2001, the Cyclones brought in the top recruiting class in the country, bolstered by Gallick, Harry Lester (four-time Ohio state champion and current U.S. World Team member in Greco-Roman), and Ken Cook (California state champion).

    In 2005, Nate Gallick finished runner-up at both the U.S. Nationals and World Team Trials. He lost to Michael Lightner in the finals of both events.
    It turned out to be a great year for Gallick. He lived in the dorms with Lester, made a lot of new friends, and got acclimated to his new home. Plus, he had a stable of phenomenal workout partners, which included Zach Roberson, Aaron Holker, Cody Sanderson, and Lester.

    "It was actually nice not having as much pressure on me, because I wasn't competing in the lineup," said Gallick. "I got a chance to wrestle a lot of freestyle that year. We had some really good freshmen and we all hung out a lot. So it was great."

    Ironically, that season, Gallick's teammate, Holker, wrestled against one of Gallick's childhood friends and a former Sunnyside wrestler, Eric Larkin, in the NCAA finals at 141 lbs.

    "I was kind of caught between a rock and a hard place," said Gallick, recalling the match. "From a team standpoint, you want your teammate to win and help the team. And from a friend's standpoint, you want him to win and get his NCAA title that he deserves."

    Holker won the match 10-5. But Larkin would go on to win the NCAA title the following year and cap off his senior season with a perfect 34-0 record. Larkin was also awarded the Dan Hodge Trophy, which is presented by the International Wrestling Institute and W.I.N. Magazine, and given annually to the nation's most outstanding collegiate wrestler.

    The next year would prove to be a trying time in Gallick's life. With Roberson and Holker both returning to the Cyclone lineup at 133 and 141 respectively, the only way he could be assured a spot in the lineup was by moving up and wrestling at 149. It might not have been what was best for him, but it was best for the team. And Gallick just wanted to help the Cyclones win. All season he weighed in at 141, even though he competed at 149. Holker, a senior captain, was cutting a lot of weight at the time, so the Iowa state coaches wanted to make sure that Gallick could stay certified at 141 just in case Holker decided to move up to 149.

    "It was a nightmare for me," said Gallick of wrestling at 149. "I was undersized every match and got throttled quite a bit that year. I went through some real tough times. I think it really affected me. I got over it, but it was hard. Real hard. I was pretty unhappy that whole year."

    Gallick finished that season with a 16-16 record. While his technique and athleticism allowed him stay competitive with many of the top 149-pounders in the country, his lack of size and strength prevented him from defeating those wrestlers. He placed fourth at the Big 12 Championships, which kept him out of the NCAA Tournament.

    In 2003, Nate Gallick defeated Todd Meneely to win the FILA Junior National Championships.
    That spring, in April, Gallick won a title at the FILA Junior National Championships at 60 kg and was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler in the process. A month later, he placed seventh at the U.S. Nationals.

    Gallick's sophomore year, with Holker graduated, he settled nicely into the 141-pound slot for the Cyclones. He posted a 26-6 record, won the Big 12 title in his home arena, Hilton Coliseum, and earned the second seed at the NCAA Tournament. But in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament, Gallick lost a heartbreaking match in double overtime to Matt Murray of Nebraska, a wrestler he had beaten twice during the season. Gallick went on to place fifth, while his teammate and close friend, Roberson, won the NCAA title at 133 lbs.

    Last year, as a junior, Gallick cruised through the regular season with an undefeated record. And then, in early March, he won his second straight Big 12 title by narrowly beating Teyon Ware of Oklahoma for the second time that season. It marked the fourth straight victory over Ware dating back to 2003. It had been a perfect season for Gallick. Now he just had one more thing to accomplish -- winning an NCAA title.

    Two weeks later, as expected, Gallick received the No. 1 seed at the NCAA Tournament. After rolling through his first four matches, only giving up 10 points along the way, he met Ware in the NCAA finals. This time everything was on the line. Gallick's 30-0 season record no longer mattered. Gallick's 4-0 career record against Ware no longer mattered. Gallick's two Big 12 titles no longer mattered. The fact that Gallick was the number one seed, Ware the number two seed, no longer mattered. All that mattered was that he was wrestling for an NCAA title.

    "I felt pretty confident going into the finals," said Gallick. "All of our matches were fairly close, though, so I knew anything could happen."

    Teyon Ware of Oklahoma defeated Nate Gallick by a score of 3-2 to win the 2005 NCAA title at 141.
    It wasn't to be. Ware won 3-2.

    "I felt like I was so close to a goal that I wanted to achieve, a goal that I still want to achieve," said Gallick. "I think about that match a lot. It bothered me. It still does."

    Douglas, who has produced six NCAA champions while at Iowa State, was a little more diplomatic in his assessment.

    "I think every loss is a lesson," said Douglas. "That was a valuable lesson to Nate. He knows what he did wrong and he's making steps to prepare to correct that."

    Gallick took a week off after the NCAA Tournament in March to clear his head and refocus, before beginning his freestyle training.

    This past summer, Gallick spent most of his summer training in Ames with Roberson, as he prepared for the University World Games and the upcoming collegiate season. Gallick and Roberson have been close friends and training partners ever since Gallick arrived in Ames in the fall of 2001. While both compete in the same weight class (60 kg), and have the same dream of winning an Olympic gold medal, they insist that nothing will stand in the way of their friendship.

    "It's not tough training and competing with a friend, because of the relationship we have," said Roberson, who finished fourth at the World Team Trials and second in the inaugural season of Real Pro Wrestling. "We keep it kind of lighthearted. We both know that we want to win, and we're going to do everything we can to beat the other one, but we joke around about it a lot. I would rather lose to him than anyone in our weight class. And I'm sure it's the same for him, too."

    Zach Roberson (left) and Nate Gallick have been friends and training partners since 2001.
    Gallick chimed in, "We tease each other all the time about who is going to be on the Olympic Team. It's not like an uncomfortable situation or anything. We just know that we're both after the same thing."

    As Gallick begins his senior season, he has a new roommate -- his younger brother, Nick, a freshman wrestler at Iowa State. Nick won four state titles for Sunnyside and was one of the most sought after recruits in the country. He will follow protocol and redshirt this season for the Cyclones. Gallick is excited to have his younger brother by his side for his final season.

    "It's pretty awesome," said Gallick. "We're spending a lot of time together. I haven't seen him for years, at least not for more than a week at a time. We're regular lifting partners. It's just overall great having him here."

    Gallick's wrestling goals are simply stated. He wants an NCAA title this season. He wants a World title. And then he wants an Olympic title. He believes that he's in the perfect environment to accomplish those goals. He is with his brother. He has great training partners and facilities. And he has a great coach in Douglas.

    Bobby Douglas is beginning his 14th year as head coach at Iowa State.
    "Coach Douglas just cares so much," said Gallick. "On and off the mat, I just see him as a friend. It's real easy for me to think that he cares more than a lot of other coaches. When I win or lose, he genuinely feel as good or bad as I do. If I go to his house to pick up a videotape, or take care of his dog, he's there watching and studying videos late at night. Wrestling is his life. He makes it a point to help out. If there is anything I ever need, he's always right there."

    Douglas, who has twice served as head coach for the U.S. Olympic Team, sees an extremely bright future for Gallick.

    "He has a competitive heart, a passion for wrestling, and he's a good athlete," said Douglas. I'm not one to make predictions, but I will say that Nate has a lot of growth left in him. Technically, he can get 25-30 percent better. Physically, he can get 10-15 percent stronger. If he improves his conditioning and learns to move his hands properly, I think he definitely has a chance to be the man."]]>    65590Sat, 01 Oct 2005 15:50:00 +0000    Division III National Previewhttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/division-iii-national-preview-r65586/
    Augsburg Auggies

    Having won nine national championships in the last 15 years, including 2005, the fact that Jeff Swenson's Augsburg Auggies are among the favorites to hold the trophy should be no surprise. How they will do so after losing three undefeated champions, and five All-Americans overall, is the major question facing them for the upcoming season. Oh, and will three-time undefeated National Champion 157-pounder Marcus LeVesseur be able to finish his college career without a loss?

    Outlook:

    Marcus LeVesseur
    The Auggies have lost five All-Americans from last year to graduation. Of course, this means that the team still has five All-Americans returning this year. Along with LeVesseur, Ryan Valek (165, runner-up), Brad Tupa (184, 4th), and Justin Sorensen (197, 6th) are all seniors looking to repeat or improve upon their All-American finishes in their final season. Jared Evans (149, 7th), a junior, is the only returning All-American who is an underclassmen. With success, naturally, comes greater competition within to even garner a starting spot. Augsburg is one of only a few Division III teams where returning All-Americans are not assured their position for the following year. All will have to again earn their positions.

    Who will replace the lost All-Americans from last season (three of whom -- Joe Moon, Mark Matzek and Matt Shankey were undefeated national champions)? Well, as with most years in Minneapolis, it'll be a battle for spots. Returning at 125/133, will be junior Ben Moss, who had a solid 12-3 record last year. The Auggies hope he will be able to help ease the loss either Shankey or Matzek, depending on which weight he goes. At 141, Rich Taylor (Sr., last year's record: 12-11) and Josh Hansen (Jr., 23-10) will be fighting to fill in the considerable shoes left by two-time national runner-up Jamell Tidwell. Replacing a wrestler of Moon's credentials at 174 will be difficult, but either Travis Birhanzl (Sr., 14-3) or Robbie Gotreau (So., 24-11) -- both platooned during Moon's absence the first part of last season, should be effective. At heavyweight, Andrew Neumann (Jr., 16-7) seems to be the front-runner for departed fourth-place finisher Mark Simmonds.

    Wartburg Knights

    The "other half" of the ‘Burg dynasty in Division III college wrestling, led by veteran coach Jim Miller, is just south of the Minnesota border in Waverly, Iowa. Wartburg has been trading championships with Augsburg over the last decade. The Knights hope to improve upon their second-place finish from last year. Led by two two-time NCAA champions, 141-pounder Dustin Hinschberger and 197-pounder Akeem Carter, the Knights have their aim squarely on the "Burg nemesis" to the north.

    Outlook:

    As with Augsburg, guaranteed spots are non-existent in Knight-land. There's a pretty good chance, however, that Hinschberger and Carter have a stranglehold on their weights. Other All-American's battling for a return trip to national prominence includes Heavyweight Blake Gillis (Jr., runner-up in '05), who will try all the tricks in his bag to try to topple UW-Lacrosse's Ryan Allen this year. Senior Scott Kauffman (184, 5th), a senior, will try to rise higher in the ranks, as will Jacob Naig (149, 6th) who is only a sophomore.

    Akeem Carter
    Gone from last year's national runner-up team are All-Americans Justin McClintock (4th at 125), Tyler Hubbard (3rd at 133), and 2004 All-American's Cory Connell (157) and Mark Sturm (174). Also gone is national qualifier Andrew Knaack at 165. Looking to step in at 125 is junior Corey Kalina, who sported a respectable 13-7 record last year. At 133, another junior, Kyle Blood (15-9), will be battling to represent the Knights. A clear-cut favorite to replace former runner-up Connell doesn't seem to be on the horizon. Perhaps Robert Kuennen (Sr., 13-11) or Dustin Cooper (Jr., 11-9) will move up from 149 to fill in; then again, it's always possible for a new recruit or transfer to fill in the shoes. Sophomores John Galbraith and Adam Swalla (10-7) are possible frontrunners for 165 and 174, respectively.

    University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse Eagles

    Eight-time defending Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champion UW-Lacrosse has had a good run within the state's borders; yet, the school has yet to produce a National Championship team. Eagle faithful -- along with young coach Nate Skaar, are hoping this year's young and decorated UW-Lacrosse team will improve three spots from its fourth-place finish of 2005 -- I'm guessing they will. The team has perhaps the most celebrated Division III wrestler, along with Levesseur, in heavyweight Ryan Allen, who has won the past two national titles. There are a host of teammates who will be working to match their anchor's accomplishments.

    Outlook:

    Along with Allen, who has given both Steve Mocco (two-time Division I champion) and Cole Konrad (Divsion I runner-up) close matches, an astounding six 2005 All-Americans return for the Eagles. Youth is being served in LaCrosse, as five of those All-American's are underclassmen. Starting at 125 should be Jordan Kolinski, who took 7th as a freshman. Another sophomore, Mike Rohowetz, landed an 8th-place finish in a very tough 133 weight class last year. At 149, junior Jake Larsen finished 4th, and will look to improve upon that finish this year. There have been rumblings that senior Nick Ammerman (165, 6th) will not be competing this year; needless to say, Coach Skaar and all LaCrosse supporters are hoping this isn't the case. Other All-American's returning to the lineup in 05-06 are 174-pounder Josh Chelf (6th) and Jim Swanson (197, 5th) -- both juniors.

    Nate Skaar
    Not to be overlooked is junior Ross Needham (157, DNP), who gave Levesseur a bit of a scare at nationals, losing only 5-4 before bowing out in consolations. Also returning to the lineup is senior Adam Kuchnia (141, 19-9), who just missed the national tournament, finishing 2nd at the WIAC Championships, and sophomore Josh Zabel (184, 29-13).

    All this means that UW-LaCrosse likely returns its entire lineup. Also, coupled with the Eagles' massive recruiting class, this is a team to be reckoned with this year and the years to come.

    Luther Norse

    Coach Dave Mitchell has produced some quality Norse teams in his ten-year tenure; in fact, Luther has placed in the top five nationally four times in that span; this includes a 3rd-place finish in 2005. This team might again be headed towards a high national finish, but they need to find some effective replacements for the wealth of talent they lost. Led by returning 149-pound NCAA champion Matt Pyle, a junior, Luther brings a mix of youth and experience into the 2005-06 campaign.

    Outlook:

    The loss of five starters, including four All-Americans (including one National Champion), is tough for any DIII program. It is the hope in Decorah, however, that the more experienced Norse will lead their fledgling teammates by example throughout the year. One comrade Pyle hopes will help him in this quest is All-American Michael Lopez, a senior, who placed 4th last year. There are rumors that Lopez may not be eligible for the upcoming season. If this is the case, then Luther will have another substantial hole to fill in the lineup. Other veterans on the squad include Nathan Evans (125, Sr., 12-15) and former national qualifier Lon Welsh (Sr., 174, 12-8).

    The Norse had a successful national tournament in 2005, culminating in the aforementioned five All-Americans and third-place team finish. Who will they look to take those spots over? Starting at 141, Ben Kissling (Jr., 4-9) and Brad Ernst (So., 3-6) will be fighting to replace Jeff Patzke, who placed 3rd nationally in ‘05. Ryan Lebeau, 2005 runner-up at 157, is gone, leaving a void in the middle of the lineup. Perhaps look for Nate Van Dyke (Jr., 9-10 at 149) to move up a weight, or a new recruit to take the spot. At 165, the move might be the other way, as A.J. Gregg (So., 23-12 at 174) could look to replace Garrett South, the 2005 NCAA champion. 184 looks to be a wide-open weight for Luther, as all of the returning participants had sub-.500 records in 2005. Joe Postuma (Jr., 7-15) and Scott Jennings (So., 2-4) actually had the best-looking records at the weight behind graduated All-American Danny Adams (6th). The top highest weights look like they have serious holes. Gone is starter Wyatt Reyerson at 197, and his successor is a major question mark. Heavyweight also presents a problem, as Luther had no steady heavyweight during the 2004-05 season. How the team fills in those spots will be a good indicator of the team's success.

    State University of New York-Brockport Golden Eagles

    SUNY-Brockport was a wrestling powerhouse in the 1980s, winning three national titles during the decade (1980, 1982, and 1983). They have not tasted national glory since the 1992 season, however; this could be the year they put up a serious challenge. Veteran coach Don Murray, in his 36th season, is well-aware that returning four All-Americans is a very nice start. He hopes that there will be a glorious celebration near Rochester next March.

    Outlook:

    One person who won't be sad to see Augsburg's Mark Matzek graduate is junior Tony D'Ambra. Matzek won a tight 3-1 decision over D'Ambra in the 2005 finals match, giving D'Ambra a runner-up finish -- he will surely look to take it one step further this season. Joining him will be Shaheim Bradshaw, a sophomore, who took 5th place nationally in a meat-grinder of a weight class. Logic would dictate that a freshman, who did so well—at that weight, will be looking for a top-three finish this season. Brockport is well-represented at the upper-weights, as senior 197-pounder Will Weiss (3rd) and heavyweight Pat Bennett (Sr., 8th) anchor the Golden Eagles. Other returning wrestlers who saw time include Allan Boice (So., starter at 125, 15-13), Brett Giehl (So., 174, 11-10) and Donald Williams (So., 157/165, 17-9).

    Brockport did lose two 2005 national qualifiers in Dan Roberts (141, four-time national qualifier) and Pat Hanscomb (149) after last season to graduation. They will look to Kyle Fried (So., 141/149, 14-6) and Andrew Grillo (So., 149, 7-2) to pick up the slack. At 184, the Golden Eagles will return sophomore Steve Speiseleiere, who went 3-13 during his freshman campaign.

    Prediction for 2005-06:

    1. UW-LaCrosse
    2. Augsburg
    3. Wartburg
    4. SUNY-Brockport
    5. Luther

    Up-and-Comers:

    Loras Duhawks

    Coach Randy Steward's Duhawks have a nice mix of youth and experience coming back this season. Last year's team was laden with underclassmen, including junior All-American Terry Morgan, who took third place at the 2005 Championships. A year older and wiser, Loras could be a top-10 team come March.

    Buena Vista Beavers

    Mark Schwab
    There is a lot of excitement surrounding the Buena Vista program -- because of second-year coach Mark Schwab, who has been successful everywhere he has been. Beaver fans hope that the combination of Schwab's experience and the energy of youth, as well as the return of sophomore All-American Jestin Hulegaard (a former transfer from the University of Minnesota), will bring a top-15 finish to Storm Lake.

    Concordia-Moorhead Cobbers

    Coach Clay Nagel is a well-known name in Minnesota high school wrestling circles. He coached small-town Frazee to numerous state titles. His last name might be more familiar in national circles -- as he's the father of current Gopher All-American Matt Nagel, and former two-time Division II All-American Travis Nagel. The name has meant something to the Cobbers: Nagel has brought a huge recruiting class with him, especially by Division III standards. Likely not this year. Maybe not next. But Concordia will be a force in the near future.]]>    65586Sat, 01 Oct 2005 15:15:00 +0000    Rev Blog Entry 1: Marshall Marquardt, Dana Collegehttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/rev-blog-entry-1-marshall-marquardt-dana-college-r65585/
    As much as I hate to admit it, I would have probably been considered a mediocre wrestler in high school, (never even placing at state, but finishing fourth on my high school's all-time win's list and going on to be a Junior Nationals Greco All-American).

    When I was offered a chance to wrestle at the collegiate level, I jumped at the opportunity. I was part of a 20 wrestler recruiting class to Dana College in 2001, which currently had about 20 wrestlers total. My class was the beginning of a new era at Dana College. An era of elite recruiting classes and some of the hardest working athletes and coaches I have seen in the sport.

    So I now enter my fifth year at Dana College, and my last year of eligibility (I redshirted in 01-02), I have a lot to prove to myself. Preseason started for us with a 12-mile run. Honestly, though, this is the easiest preseason practice we go through. This year it was a little different from the past, as we were assigned into groups of four. I did not know two of the three in my group, which I guess was the point because I got to know them much better in the time it took us to run 12 miles.

    Blair Alderman and Wade Jordan push themselves during the 12-mile run
    This run was a big test to see who actually did something over the summer, and it was more than evident that many of the guys didn't do anything. Personally, I was ready for it, but could have been more prepared. I lifted all summer and ran at least once per week, but wish I could have got in the room a little more for some drilling sessions. However, I accomplished many goals this summer. One problem of mine was that I was always really light. I wrestle 174 pounds, and last season I came in around 194 pounds, but towards the end of the year, I was weighing 168-170 after practices, and was weighing in two to three pounds light on tournament days. It is nice not to be sucking weight all the time, but there is definite disadvantage to being light.

    I am coming in this year at 206, the heaviest I have ever been. I plan on wrestling 174 at some point in the season, just when that will be I am not sure. I started my wrestling diet the Monday before the 12-mile run, and after one week, I am down to 196. This is a very serious diet that I had a good friend and old wrestling partner, Sam Melendrez (seventh place at 2002 NAIA Tournament), help me put together. It basically consists of eating about 200-250 grams of protein a day strung out through 6-8 meals. I eat most of my carbohydrates in the morning and lunch meals, and very few at my evening meal. I eat 3-5 snacks throughout the day which usually contain 20-40 grams of protein with little carbohydrates.

    The main goal is to eat every one and a half to two hours to constantly keep your metabolism running full throttle for maximum fat burning (as well as working out of course, but for wrestlers that usually isn't a problem). My goal was to lose 1-3 pounds per week, but 10 in the first week made me pretty happy, considering I wasn't cutting back the amount of food I was eating or my liquid intake, just my fat and carb intake.

    Steve Costanza
    Our second preseason practice of the year was insane. My coach, Steve Costanzo, broke the team up into three groups (we have 70 guys on the team, so we can't all fit in one place at the same time, including our wrestling room, but I'll talk about that sometime in the future.) There were three stations that we switched through, staying at each one for 20 minutes.

    The first station assigned to my group was the weight room. We were basically assigned to do three different exercises, hang/power cleans, front squats, and lunges. My group of three in the weight room got through four sets of both power cleans and front squats (returning later to finish lunges). It was then time to move on to the second station. This was an extreme version of plyometric training, which included squat jumps, stance-in-motion, leap frogs, push-ups, stair-steppers, etc. for twenty minutes. I tried to push as hard as possible, but there comes a point when your body can no longer do one more movement. I was so close to reaching that point, when the whistle blew to hit the next station.

    Jon Goodridge and Jason Bilinski run side-by-side down a dirt road
    It was a nice break to have a 30 second jog to the next station, where we started immediately. This last station was extremely difficult (the worst of the three) and pushed everyone to the limit. I am sure that most of you reading this are familiar with wheelbarrows -- well this is a modified version of those. We do them up a hill that is only about 30 yards long but at a 45 degree angle. It is ridiculous. I made 15 minutes and threw up at the top of the hill. I kept going and as the whistle blew to quit and go run a cool down lap, it came again, then again, then again. However, despite vomiting four times, I felt good. I did not feel out of shape. I thought I was deepening my current condition and getting stronger both mentally and physically. I have to give props out to the whole team, though ... it was a serious test and everyone finished.

    That is one thing that is interesting about an NAIA school and wrestling. Wrestling is a sport that has struggled in the last 30 years in the aspect of school support and maintaining programs. At Dana, everyone can come as long as they are willing to put in the time and effort, and many of them are.

    Until next time, keep getting better.

    Marshall Marquardt]]>    65585Sat, 01 Oct 2005 13:51:00 +0000    The University of the Cumberlands women lend a helping handhttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/the-university-of-the-cumberlands-women-lend-a-helping-hand-r65567/
    Horrified by the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, junior Aquilla Hills (Charlotte, NC) and Coach Flanik joined together to form a relief effort for the hurricane's victims. After careful planning, Coach Flanik called a meeting to inform the team of their goals. The team supported the idea and was ecstatic to help.

    Hills, along with several teammates, planned clothing drives in each of the dorms on campus. They also set aside an entire Saturday to accept donations outside of the local Wal-Mart and raise funds through a carwash. Without the team, Hills feels that the project would not have been successful. "I am very thankful that I have the opportunity to be part of such a loving team. The girls are always willing to help no matter what the situation may be," stated Hills. The ladies raised over $750 to help aid Katrina victims.]]>    65567Fri, 30 Sep 2005 14:48:00 +0000    Simpson's Darrah elected to Brand Wrestling Hall of Famehttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/simpsons-darrah-elected-to-brand-wrestling-hall-of-fame-r65576/
    Bob Darrah
    Darrah will be inducted as part of the Class of 2006 Apr. 8 in the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa wing of the International Wrestling Institute and Museum.

    The Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa was begun in 2002 as a way to further recognize and honor the people who have made an impact on the Iowa Wrestling scene.

    Darrah was the head coach at Morning Sun (1961-67), Urbandale (1967-69), and Dowling Catholic High Schools (1969-89). In 27 years on the prep level, Darrah's teams went undefeated 17 times and did not have a losing record. In his final 11 years at Dowling, the Maroons went 161-1 and won the first three state dual meet championships (1987-89). Dowling won four state championships (1975, 1978, 1984, 1988). The Maroons were second five times at the state tournament. Dowling won the 3A State Tournament Qualifying meet 17 years in a row. He led four of his Dowling wrestlers to five US Federation High School Freestyle Championships (Jeff Carter, two times, Perry Hummel, Tim Anderson, and Kurt Engler).

    For his efforts, Darrah was named the 1977 Iowa Class 3A Coach of the Year, the 1988 Amateur Wrestling News High School Coach of the Year, and the 1990 National High School Athletic Coaches Association National Coach of the Year. He also coached the Iowa Federation Wrestling team for 21 years. His high school teams posted a 340-17-2 record. His 340 dual wins are the second most in Iowa high school history. Darrah held all office of the Iowa High School Wrestling Coaches Association, serving two terms as president.

    Darrah also organized All-Star dual meets between wrestles from Iowa and Pennsylvania and those duals were held in conjunction with the Penn vs USA All-Star meets at the University of Pittsburgh Fieldhouse.

    Darrah served as the head wrestling coach at Simpson from 1989-1995 where he compiled an 86-25-1 record and one Iowa Conference Championship (1991). Five of his wrestlers were named All-Americans and one was a two-time National Champion (Travis Young). He was voted Iowa Conference Wrestling Coach of the Year in 1991. His contributions to the program continue to be remembers as in 1996, the practice facility at Simpson was renamed the Darrah Wrestling Room.

    Simpson has won 87 of 192 meets (a .453 winning percentage) in which they have entered since Darrah took over the team. Darrah has been named Iowa Conference Women's Golf Coach of the Year 10 times and has led the Storm to eight league titles.

    Since 1989, Simpson has finished second at the national women's golf tournament (either NCAA or NCGA) three times, two third place finishes, and one fourth place showing. Simpson golfers have posted 55 All-Conference performances with four; Tracey Voss (1994), Leah Willenborg (1994, 1995, 1996), Hannah Willenborg (1998, 2000), and Fay Bradley (2000), earning All-American honors. Voss earned Academic All-American honors on two occasions as well. In 1994, Leah Willenborg became the first Division III player from Iowa to compete at the NCAA Division I National Championships. Both Leah and Hannah Willenborg were awarded NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarships.

    Darrah also served as the Simpson's men's golf coach from 1994-1998 where his teams finished in the upper division of the conference every year and one player, Jordan Dirks, earned All-Conference honors.

    This is the seventh Hall of Fame that Darrah will be a member of. He is currently a member of the Iowa High School, Dowling Catholic High School, Westmar College (charter member), Chariton High School, Iowa Wrestling Federation (Cresco, Iowa), and National Wrestling Hall of Fames.]]>    65576Tue, 27 Sep 2005 21:31:00 +0000    Knight accepts position with Cyclone Wrestling Clubhttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/knight-accepts-position-with-cyclone-wrestling-club-r65574/
    Knight's duties as Executive Director will include building membership, sponsorship and coordinating special events for the Cyclone Wrestling Club. Knight will also work with wrestlers to continue their careers beyond college while training for international competition and expand the regional training site concept. Iowa State wrestling has been designated as an official USAW Regional Training Site.

    "I'm excited to be back in Cyclone country and I'm honored and proud to be a part of this program again. I have great memories here. My wife and I are also pleased to be back around family," said Knight this past week from the Iowa State campus.

    "We feel fortunate to have the opportunity to hire someone with Steve's experience and background, " stated Jeff Murphy, Cyclone Wrestling Club president. "Coach Douglas and his staff are doing a great job of bringing the best wrestlers in the nation to Iowa State. Our top mission at the Cyclone Wrestling Club is to provide those wrestlers with the opportunity to pursue their post collegiate wrestling goals, and the addition of Steve Knight will help us to achieve that mission.

    Steve Knight received his bachelor's and master's degrees from Iowa State University. He was an Iowa State NCAA All American and Big 8 Champion at 126lbs. He went on to win the 1992 Pan American Championships at 136.5lbs. He wrestled on the US Freestyle circuit through 1992 competing both nationally and internationally. He was also a five time Senior National Freestyle All American while competing for the Cyclone Wrestling Club.

    Knight was an assistant coach for three seasons at Iowa State under Head Coach Jim Gibbons. After finishing his competitive career, he and his wife settled in Colorado.

    For the past ten years, Steve was the Head Coach for Team Excel, a USA Wrestling club that competed on both the Senior Olympic freestyle level as well as the Junior level. Team Excel has seen much success in 10 years with many Senior level All American performances. On the junior level, Team Excel wrestlers earned 62 High School State Championships with many of these wrestlers going on to wrestle on the college level. Two wrestlers from the program have achieved Division I NCAA All American status.

    Knight has been a member of the USA Wrestling National Teams coaching pool for 12 years. He is a USA Wrestling bronze level certified coach and has lead many teams abroad. He was the Head Coach of the US Pan Am team in 2004 that won the Freestyle Pan American Championships in Guatemala City, Guatemala. In 2005, he coached the US World Cup team to Tashkent, Uzbekistan. He has served on two US Olympic Coaching staffs in 2000 and 2004. He also worked for two years with the Australian National team coaching in two World Freestyle Championships in 1998 and 1999.

    In Colorado, Knight was also the founder of the Colorado state chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. He was instrumental in developing USA Wrestling's very first Junior Olympic Program model that is currently being utilized today in several states. Knight is also a committee member for the USA Wrestling Federation of Clubs board. Steve and his wife Kristin have three children, Evan 13, Colby 11 and Mackenzie 9.]]>    65574Mon, 26 Sep 2005 14:47:00 +0000    St. Louis turning into prime locationhttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/st-louis-turning-into-prime-location-r65580/
    "The Wrestling Committee thought it said a great deal about the sport and these championships to have the number of quality bids that we had, and that made our job that much more difficult," said Tom Bold, the previous chair of the NCAA Wrestling Committee who presided over the site selections. "We felt the three cities we selected each offer something very unique and exciting, and will offer an outstanding experience to our student-athletes and fans."

    The University of Missouri, Columbia will co-host the events along with the St. Louis Sports Commission March 20-22, 2008, and March 19-21, 2009. St. Louis has been the host for three previous Division I Wrestling Championships in 2000, 2004 and 2005. In 2000, St. Louis set the all-session attendance record of 96,944 fans, which still stands.

    "St. Louis has done a tremendous job of hosting the wrestling championships in the past," Bold said. "The wrestling committee has been extremely impressed with the dedication of the staff from Missouri, the Savvis Center and the St. Louis Sports Commission to the championships. In addition, the feedback the committee received from the student-athletes, coaches and fans during the last two years in St. Louis was overwhelmingly positive so we are excited to go back."

    In 2010, the University of Nebraska, Lincoln will co-host the event along with the Omaha Sports Commission March 18-20. It will mark the first time the championships have ever been held in the state of Nebraska.

    "We were extremely impressed with the proximity of everything in Omaha," Bold said. "The Qwest Center Omaha, hotels, airport and restaurants are all very close. Also, Omaha is conveniently located with regards to many of our institutions and the fans that have supported this event in the past. With the great partnership the NCAA already has with the city of Omaha through the Men's College World Series, we know that they will to do a tremendous job."

    The championships will be back in the state of Pennsylvania for the first time since 1999, March 17-19, 2011. Rider University and the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference will host the event. Overall, the event has been held in the state 10 times before, but this will be the first time it will be held in Philadelphia. Previous Pennsylvania host sites include Bethlehem, Pittsburgh and State College.

    "The state of Pennsylvania is a wrestling hotbed," Bold said, "and this will give our fans on the East Coast a chance to see wrestling's premier event for the first time in a long while. The Wachovia Center is a state-of-the-art venue, and the city of Philadelphia is a perfect site to showcase the championships."

    Previously announced, the 2006 championships will be held at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, March 16-18, while the 2007 championships will be held March 15-17, at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Michigan.]]>    65580Thu, 22 Sep 2005 21:24:00 +0000    UW-Whitewater names assistant coacheshttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/uw-whitewater-names-assistant-coaches-r65578/
    Zwaschka wrestled for Fader at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse from 2000-2003. He earned National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III Wrestling Coaches Association Scholar All-American honors twice. He was UW-L's team captain in 2003, the same year he won the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship at 165 pounds and qualified for the NCAA III championship. He went 43-26 in his four seasons at La Crosse, and gained international experience as a member of a Division III all-star team that competed in Bulgaria and Turkey in 2002. He served as an assistant coach at Holmen (WI) High School the last two years.

    "I am very familiar with Mat and what he brings to the program," Fader said. "He was the ideal candidate for the position in that he can bring a lot of experience to all this duties on campus. He is a great technician and has the work ethic and attitude that will impact all of the UW-W wrestlers."

    Zwaschka has bachelor's and master's degrees in physical education from UW-La Crosse. His duties at UW-W will include lecturing in the department of health, physical education, recreation and coaching, as well as assisting with the strength and conditioning program in intercollegiate athletics.

    Tony Wright wrestled for the Warhawks for three years (2002-2004), winning the WIAC championship at 157 pounds in 2004 and qualifying for the NCAA III championship. He also qualified for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics championship as a freshman at Mount Saint Clare College (IA) before transferring to UW-W. Wright earned NCAA III Wrestling Coaches Association Scholar Athlete honors in 2004.

    "Tony brings his loyalty to this program back for 2005-2006," noted Fader. "He ahs committed to student teaching and coaching, which I think shows his passion for the UW-W program."

    Wright will graduate from UW-W in December with a bachelor's in fine arts and teaching licensure. He duties at Whitewater will include serving as the head coach of the Warhawk wrestling club.

    Karls concluded his collegiate wrestling career last season with his name scattered throughout the Warhawk record book. He qualified for the NCAA III championship twice, earning All-American honors in 2003 and 2004. He earned NCAA III Wrestling Coaches Association Scholar All-American recognition in 2002, 2003 and 2004. He was the 2004 WIAC champion at 141 pounds, as well as the league's Max Sparger Scholar Athlete for wrestling. The 38 wins he piled up during the 2003-2004 season is the sixth highest in school history; his 102 career wins is ninth; and his career winning percentage of .803 is tenth best in the record book.

    "I wish we had another year to put Nick in a singlet," said Fader. "He loves to be in the room, and will have a big impact on the guys around his weight class. He is a pretty serious athlete in that he is training all the time. I'm excited to have him here again this year."

    Zastrow is another former Warhawk wrestler. He qualified for the NCAA III championship in 2002 and 2004, and earned NCAA III WCA Scholar All-American honors in 2004. He finished second in a state benchpress competition last summer, and competes in ultimate fighting contests.

    "Jeff is one of the strongest forces behind our program right now," commented Fader. "He is learning a lot about the coaching side of the sport while continuing to compete. I challenge our wrestlers to work harder than "Z" and this coaching staff. If they can, we will be in good shape."

    Fader is entering his second year at UW-Whitewater. In his first year he directed UW-W to a fourth place finish in the WIAC, had two wrestlers earn NCAA Division III championship berths, and Karls earned his second All-American honors.

    In a recent compilation of results, UW-W was among the top twenty Division III teams in the country over the thirty year period that that NCAA has offered a Division III championship.]]>    65578Thu, 22 Sep 2005 02:43:00 +0000    Fresno State announces clinic and open wrestle-offshttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/fresno-state-announces-clinic-and-open-wrestle-offs-r65583/
    Among the wrestling icons that will be in attendance at the clinic are the new Fresno State coaching staff, led by head coach Shawn Charles, who takes over the program following four years as an assistant at Big 12 powerhouse Nebraska. In addition, long-time Fresno State head coach and local wrestling legend Dennis DeLiddo will provide his leadership. The program has also invited two world-class wrestlers to help provide leadership in Cael Sanderson and Stephen Abas. Sanderson was a four time NCAA champion at Iowa State and recorded a 159-0 record in four years as a Cyclone, the only wrestler ever to remain undefeated through four years of collegiate competition. He is joined by Abas, a three-time national champion for the Bulldogs and a 2004 Oympic Medalist.

    All attendees will attend two clinics, and the coaches will be able to attend the USA Wrestling seminar and the CIF rules and weight certification clinic with Duane Morgan, which will provide coaches with the required certification for the upcoming year. Any athletes that want to attend will participate in two athlete-only technique sessions, receive a Fresno State wrestling t-shirt and will have dinner provided for them.

    The 2005 Bulldog wrestling squad will finish off the evening by opening the team’s varsity wrestle-offs for viewing. All coaches and athletes attending the clinic will receive admission to the wrestle-offs, which will determine the varsity squad for Fresno State
    during the 2005 season.

    The pre-registration deadline for the 2005 California Coaches Clinic is on October 24. All coaches and athletes interested in attending the clinic can reach the Fresno State wrestling office by email at klake@csufresno.edu or by phone at (559) 278-4804. More information can also be found on the Fresno State Athletics Web site, www.gobulldogs.com.]]>    65583Tue, 20 Sep 2005 05:37:00 +0000    Bono leaves Iowa State to become assistant at Tennessee-Chattanoogahttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/bono-leaves-iowa-state-to-become-assistant-at-tennessee-chattanooga-r65588/Chris BonoCHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- Chris Bono, a nine-year assistant wrestling coach at national-power Iowa State, has accepted an assistant coaching position at UTC, Head Coach Joey Seay announced Thursday.

    Bono is expected to coach the Mocs’ middleweight wrestlers.

    A member of Head Coach Bobby Douglas’ coaching staff since 1997, Bono has held the title of the Cyclones’ head assistant coach for five years. He helped ISU to a 16-4 dual match record in 2004-05, a third-place finish in the Big 12 Conference and a sixth-place showing at the 2005 NCAA Championships.

    Bono is currently preparing to compete at the 2005 World Championships which will take place Sept. 26 in Budapest, Hungary. At the 2005 World Team Trials, Bono, the number one seed, captured the title at 66 kilograms by defeating Jared Lawrence two matches to none. Seay is the head coach of the United States team.

    "I am thrilled that he has decided to take this position," Seay said. "He is another quality individual for our program and gives us, in my opinion, the best staff in the country. You have to have the right people in the right places. These guys will make this thing happen and will certainly help in our nationwide recruiting efforts."

    Bono joins Steve Hamilton, Sammie Henson and Leonce Crump as members of Seay’s first staff at UTC.

    A native of Gilbert, Iowa, Bono holds many coaching and competitive honors. He was named the National Wrestling Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year in 2002 for his role in ISU’s success that season. The Cyclones compiled a 17-5 dual match record and were NCAA runner-ups with five wrestlers earning All-America status.

    Bono, who lettered at Iowa State from 1994-97, ranks fifth on the program’s all-time wins list with 130 victories. He won the NCAA 150-pound title as a junior.

    A four-time NCAA participant, he placed fifth at the Nationals as a sophomore and second as a senior. As a freshman, he placed eighth at the Big Eight Conference Championships. He wrestled to a Big Eight Conference runner-up finish his sophomore year, won the Big Eight title as a junior and was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the inaugural Big 12 Conference Championship in 1997. He registered a 41-11 record as a sophomore, went 37-4 as a junior and was 37-2 his senior season.

    Bono’s wrestling success did not come to a halt upon his graduation from Iowa State. During the summer of 2004 as a freestyle competitor, Bono decisioned Doug Schwab, 5-4, to take third place at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials in Las Vegas, Nevada. In 2003, Bono won the 145.5-pound title at the U.S. Senior Freestyle National Championships in Las Vegas, Nevada, qualifying for the World Team Trials in Indianapolis, Ind., where he was runner-up at that same weight. He was a U.S. World Cup team member, earning the gold medal at the 2003 World Cup Wrestling Championships in Boise, Idaho, and was a member of the national team at the 2003 Titan Games in San Jose, Calif.

    Bono's freestyle accomplishments in 2002 led to a No.1 U.S. Senior Freestyle national ranking at 145.5 pounds and a spot on the U.S. World Team. He began the year with a first-place showing at the Dave Schultz Memorial in Colorado Springs, Colo., followed by a fourth-place finish at the Kiev Grand Prix in Kiev, Ukraine. He won a bronze medal at the Pan American Championships in Caracara, Venezuela, and placed third at the U.S. Freestyle National Championships in Las Vegas, Nevada, earning a berth to the World Team Trials.

    At the 2002 World Team Trials, Bono swept through the mini-tournament beating Reggie Wright (Gator WC) of Colorado Springs, Colo., 3-1 and Schwab (Hawkeye WC) of Iowa City, Iowa, 3-2 to advance to the finals. In the 145.5-pound championship, Bono defeated Jamill Kelly (Gator WC) of Stillwater, Okla., 3-1 and 3-0, earning his second consecutive World Team Trials title.

    In a special wrestle-off for the 145.5-pound spot on the 2002 U.S. World Team, Bono defeated Bill Zadick (Hawkeye WC) of Iowa City, Iowa, two matches to one, 2-3, 3-1, 3-2 OT, to earn his second consecutive trip to the World Championships. The U.S. World Team, however, did not compete at the World Championships in Tehran, Iran.

    Bono also captured top honors at the 2004 NYAC Invitational with a victory in the finals over 2004 NCAA champion Jesse Jantzen, formerly of Harvard, and also earned a 66 kg. title at the 20th annual Sunkist International Open with a win in the finals over former 2003 NCAA 149-pound champion and current Arizona State assistant coach Eric Larkin.

    Bono earned his bachelor's degree in Exercise and Sports Science from Iowa State in 1997. He and his wife, Niki, have two daughters, Josie and Ellie.]]>    65588Tue, 20 Sep 2005 05:25:00 +0000    Brackets released for NCAA Championshipshttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/brackets-released-for-ncaa-championships-r66641/window.location='http://revwrestling.com/scores/98/pdfs/ncaa1.pdf';
    NCAA Division I Championships Brackets]]>    66641Sun, 13 Mar 2005 23:33:00 +0000