The following wrestlers have been selected No. 1 in the nation to end the 2010-11 high school campaign, and they comprise the InterMat High School All-American First Team for this season.
Morgan McIntosh (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Weight Class: 189
High School: Calvary Chapel, California
Class: Senior
About McIntosh:On the way to a third state championship, McIntosh had an undefeated senior season in which he did not give up a takedown. The Penn State-bound grappler was champion at the Walsh Ironman, Five Counties Invitational, and FloNationals to go with a pin during the Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic. Last offseason, McIntosh was a Junior National freestyle champion and finished third at the FILA Junior Nationals in freestyle.
103: Nathan Tomasello
High School: CVCA, Ohio
Class: Sophomore
About Tomasello: Tomasello was undefeated at 43-0 in winning a second state title in as many years of high school, as he earned titles at the Walsh Ironman, Medina, and Top Gun tournaments. This past offseason, he was champion of the FILA Cadet Nationals in freestyle, third in freestyle at Cadet Nationals, and a Super 32 Challenge runner-up.
112: Anthony Ashnault
High School: South Plainfield, New Jersey
Class: Sophomore
About Ashnault: Though he was an undefeated state champion as a freshman, and a double Cadet National All-American over the summer, it was at the Super 32 Challenge in late October that Ashnault burst onto the national consciousness. His last five victories on the way to the title were over a quartet of 2010 state champions and an additional National Prep champion. Like in the freshman campaign, Ashnault was an undefeated state champion with a 42-0 record.
119: Jimmy Gulibon
High School: Derry Area, Pennsylvania
Class: Junior
About Gulibon: Despite a maiden Walsh Ironman championship, a third title at the POWERade, and a third state title -- none of those accomplishments will be what defines Gulibon this season. Instead it was a mid-January event in which he went up a weight class to take on fellow No. 1 in the nation Nico Megaludis; despite holding a late lead, Megaludis scored a takedown inside the last 30 seconds to win 4-3. Heading into the senior year, Gulibon has 111 wins against just three losses (the third of which was a disqualification in his first tournament as a freshman for an illegal slam).
125: Nico Megaludis
High School: Franklin Regional, Pennsylvania
Class: Senior
About Megaludis: The Penn State-bound Megaludis capped off one of the finest high school careers of any prep wrestler in Keystone State history with a 135-match winning streak, not losing in high school since a 1-0 state semifinal loss his freshman year. The 170-1 career mark included three state titles and becoming only the third wrestler to win four titles at the POWERade.
130: Jesse Thielke
High School: Germantown, Wisconsin
Class: Senior
About Thielke: His Greco-Roman exploits are known to all across America, as the repeat winner of FILA Junior National titles is now seeking a third straight Junior World team trip. However, Thielke's scholastic record is very distinguished, as the four-time state champion ended high school on a 100-match winning streak after starting his career on a separate 85-match streak. The only loss (to Jake Sueflohn, who is ranked No. 2 at 140 pounds this year) coming in the sectional final as a sophomore, which was avenged the next week in the state final. Thielke also beat No. 2 Zach Horan in the Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic 8-3. After a year at the Olympic Training Center, he is planning to enroll at Wisconsin in 2012-13.
135: Hunter Stieber
High School: Monroeville, Ohio
Class: Senior
About Stieber: While David Taylor is the only four-time champion in Walsh Ironma history, Stieber joined Chris Villalonga as the only other wrestlers to make the finals four times at what is arguably the nation's best in-season high school tournament. Winning as a freshman, Steiber lost in the championship match the next two years, before upending No. 2 Austin Ormsbee (a 2010 Junior National freestyle champion) in this year's final. For the senior year, Stieber went 54-0 to cap off a 203-2 high school career. Like his older brother Logan, Hunter will be attending Ohio State next year.
140: Jason Tsirtsis
High School: Crown Point, Indiana
Class: Junior
About Tsirtsis: The two-time FloNationals champion and Super 32 Challenge runner-up has also been freestyle All-American in three Fargo appearances (twice as a Cadet, and last summer finishing third at the Junior level). Tsirtsis is also a three-time state champion in as many years, undefeated his last two seasons, with an unofficial career mark of 129-2.
145: Nick Hodgkins
High School: Wyomissing, Pennsylvania
Class: Senior
About Hodgkins: Since falling 4-2 in the state semifinal last year to eventual state champion A.J. Schopp, all Hodgkins has done is win. He came back to finish third at state as a junior, won the NHSCA Junior Nationals, won the Super 32 Challenge over No. 3 James Green, won a title at the Beast of the East, was an undefeated state champion at 47-0, and defeated No. 2 Alex Dieringer by a 7-2 score in the Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic. Hodgkins ends his career with two state titles and placements of second, first, third, and first. Hodgkins has yet to select a college.
152: Destin McCauley
High School: Apple Valley, Minnesota
Class: Senior
About McCauley: Like fellow No. 1 Thielke, McCauley will be spending the next year at the Olympic Training Center before planning to enroll at the University of Wisconsin in 2012-13. The anchor of Apple Valley's national championship team was a six-time state finalist, only failing to win a state title his sophomore year. The 2010 Junior National freestyle champion finished his high school career with two 50-0 seasons after that loss.
160: Bryce Hammond
High School: Bakersfield, California
Class: Senior
About Hammond:Having chosen to stay home and attend Cal State Bakersfield, Hammond earned a second consecutive state title; then he finished his high school career with a win in the Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic and a NHSCA Senior National championship.
171: Logan Storley
High School: Webster, South Dakota
Class: Senior
About Storley: The rarest of phenomena, Storley is a six-time state champion. Over the last year, Storley was a NHSCA Junior National champion, Disney Duals Association Division gold medalist, and a Junior National freestyle champion. He has signed to wrestle at the University of Minnesota
215: Tanner Hall
High School: Meridian, Idaho
Class: Senior
About Hall: After going 17-20 as a freshman state qualifier at 171 pounds, Hall finished his last three years with a 123-5 record along with three state titles. Since the end of the junior year, Hall was a double FILA Cadet National champion, double FILA Junior National All-American, and double Junior National finalist (freestyle champion). Also earning a title in this year's Walsh Ironman, Hall will join Thielke and McCauley in delaying his college enrollment by one year to be a resident athlete at the Olympic Training Center.
285: Donny Longendyke
High School: White Bear Lake, Minnesota
Class: Senior
About Longendyke: After a one-and-done state tournament as a freshman 215-pound wrestler, Longendyke made three consecutive state finals earning state titles the last two years. The Nebraska bound grappler had a 92 match win streak from the time of his state finals loss as a sophomore to the loss in the sectional final this past year (that loss was avenged in the state final); he went 138-4 in his last three years of high school. Longendyke has also been a double All-American the last two summers in Fargo.
Below is a count of the number of wrestlers ranked from each state in the top twenty of their respective weight classes.
39: PA
26: OH
25: IL
23: CA, NJ
17: IA
16: MN
12: MI
11: FL
10: NY
9: MO, WI
7: VA
6: IN
5: MD
4: NE, OK, OR, WA
3: CO, KS, SD
2: GA, ID, MT, NC, TX, UT
1: AZ, KY, MA, NM
In all, wrestlers from 32 states appear in the weight class rankings.
InterMat will also be releasing updated grade level rankings this week.
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