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Howdy all and welcome to the InterMat Jagger Mailbag, brought to you by Carl’s Jr. I deeply regret missing last week but sometimes real life gets in the way. But now I have returned and I’m ready to start cranking out mailbags once again. A few of you reached out to me personally and I do thank you for that. As the wrestling world is focused on the U20 World Championships, some news from the college scene dominated the day so let’s get right into it. Should it be Tony time? Rhino Let’s just get into it, since this is big news for any time of year and it happened to come out in August. Perhaps even play a bit of devil’s advocate along the way. First and foremost, yes. Tony Ramos, who has already been named the North Carolina coach in the interim, seems like the logical successor to Coleman Scott. Continuity is important for a rising program and judging by some of the replies I got today, the team seems more than willing to support their new coach. So what of the Coleman Scott and OSU situation? Certainly, the timing is odd as we are roughly six weeks away from the start of practice. But I guess when the opportunity for a job that hasn’t been available in over thirty years you can’t just say you’re busy right now. That’s thirty years of John Smith disciples who at one point or another were likely mentioned as a possible successor. To end up being the name who is chosen to succeed John Smith is quite the honor, so I can’t fault someone for jumping at the chance. And what about this whole “coach-in-waiting angle?” Is the school on board with this? Did they give John W. carte blanche to pick his guy as long as he can mentor him on the staff? Will they pull the rug out from under them when the time comes? And when is that time? Is this the last year of John Smith? Two more years? Three? I guess we just have to wait and see. If you could pick one famous non-wrestling venue to host a dual or tourney what would it be? Mat Jerms Media That’s a good one and I’ll have to think about it for a minute. By non-wrestling you basically mean any non-sports venue. I thought that one dual at Moss Arts Center with Virginia Tech was pretty cool. I almost feel like watching matches from that vantage point is even better than some seat in a gym. Definitely nothing outdoors. I loathe all the outdoor gimmicks. Maybe have one in the office of Old Dominion President Brian O. Hemphill. Lord knows no wrestling goes on in that venue. (This joke has been approved by Jason Bryant) When taking the Lincoln Tunnel from New Jersey, why do they make it so incredibly difficult for travelers wishing to reach South Manhattan? If you don’t make it into the right lane, you get stuck going uptown. What’s the move here? Kevin McGuigan The move is to screw up the first time and never make the same mistake again. I plan my spot about two miles before the tollbooth depending on what direction I’m going, then stay as far that way as possible to avoid getting sucked into the hellscape funnel entering the tunnel and coming out on the wrong end. If you’re headed uptown stay to the left and if you’re going downtown then stay all the way to the right. Did you see the Michael Lorenzen no-hitter? What did you think about Westin Wilson's first MLB swing a home run? Mickadelphia This is actually why I needed a mental health day. What’s the O/U for number of times the feed cuts out during Helen’s series tomorrow? Thicccholas Hope you took the over. I’m new to InterMat so excuse the question. Why is California not represented at the top of the NCAA D1 stand each year? Michael C. I’m just gonna go ahead and excuse the question.

Thursday at the 2023 U23 World Championships saw the first medals awarded in women’s freestyle. After two days of competition, the United States squad sits in second place, behind India, but ahead of traditional superpower Japan. All five of the team members that started their tournaments yesterday, came into the medal round still in contention. Four left today’s final session with a world medal. The first weight class, 50 kg, featured returning U20 World silver medalist Audrey Jimenez who was the lone finalist for the American team on Thursday. Jimenez ran into a buzzsaw in China’s Yanrong Li and had to settle for silver once again. Jimenez was the aggressor and got into deep on an early leg attack; however, Li was able to expose Jimenez for the first points of the bout. During that same sequence, Li locked up a cradle and turned Jimenez three different times before securing a fall. The next American to take the mat was Amani Jones at 55 kg. Her opponent, Albina Rillia (Ukraine), struck first, but Jones was able to battle back and won a bronze medal after a 5-5 win on criteria. Yesterday, we detailed the controversial final sequence in the 59 kg semifinals where Alexis Janiak fell to Aurora Russo (Italy). After the final whistle, the Italian corner challenged the final sequence and a caution and one was awarded to Russo, which gave her a 9-8 victory. Nothing was left to the officials today as Janiak tore through Elena Kurova (Russia - Individual Neutral Athlete) for an 11-0 first-period tech. Janiak will leave with a bronze medal in her first world-level event. Russo went on to win gold. 2021 U20 World Champion Kennedy Blades didn’t look like herself during yesterday’s semifinal loss to India’s Priya. Blades was reportedly dealing with an illness during the lead-up to the tournament. She was able to fight through it during her bronze medal bout with Mariia Silina (Russia - Individual Neutral Athlete) and responded with a 6-2 victory. The lone member of the team that started on Wednesday and came away without a medal was Isabella Mir at 68 kg. Alina Shauchuk (Belarus - Individual Neutral Athlete) used a dominant first period to coast to an 8-1 victory over the American. Shauchuk got the bronze. The remainder of the women’s team started their respective tournaments on Thursday. Only one woman advanced to Friday’s final and there’s no surprise who it was. Amit Elor put herself in a position to win a third consecutive U20 world championship with another awesome showing. Elor started with a 10-0 tech and a first-period fall, before teching Japan’s Yuka Fujikura in the semifinals. Elor has yet to surrender a single point in her quest for U20 title number three. Aside from Elor, the only other woman from day two to still be in the medal hunt is Katie Gomez at 53 kg. Gomez, a 2022 U20 World bronze medalist, will have the opportunity to compete for bronze this time around, too. She advanced to the semifinals where she met Ukraine’s Mariia Yefremova (Ukraine). Early in the bout, Yefremova caught Gomez in a cradle and ended the bout in only 1:11. Final Results 50 kg Gold Medal Match - Yanrong Li (China) over Audrey Jimenez (USA) Fall 2:29 Bronze Medal Match - Miruko Sakane (Japan) over Reka Hegedus (Slovakia) 10-0 Bronze Medal Match - Viktoriia Slobodeniuk (Ukraine) over Svenja Jungo (Switzerland) Fall 5:19 55 kg Gold Medal Match - Aryna Martynava (Russia - Individual Neutral Athlete) over Georgiana Lirca (Romania) 10-0 Bronze Medal Match - Amani Jones (USA) over Albina Rillia (Ukraine) 5-5 Bronze Medal Match - Moe Kiyooka (Japan) over Roza Szenttamasi (Hungary) 10-0 59 kg Gold Medal Match - Aurora Russo (Italy) over Alesia Hetmanava (Belarus - Individual Neutral Athlete) 4-1 Bronze Medal Match - Kalmira Bilimbek Kyzy (Kyrgyzstan) over Sevin Akbas (Turkey) 11-0 Bronze Medal Match - Alexis Janiak (USA) over Elena Kurova (Russia - Individual Neutral Athlete) 11-0 68 kg Gold Medal Match - Ray Hoshino (Japan) over Elizaveta Petliakova (Russia - Individual Neutral Athlete) 4-3 Bronze Medal Match - Arju (India) over Elif Kurt (Turkey) 8-1 Bronze Medal Match - Alina Shauchuk (Belarus - Individual Neutral Athlete) over Isabella Mir (USA) 8-1 76 kg Gold Medal Match - Priya (India) over Laura Kuehn (Germany) 5-0 Bronze Medal Match - Kennedy Blades (USA) over Mariia Silina (Russia - Individual Neutral Athlete) 6-2 Bronze Medal Match - Veronika Niykos (Hungary) over Daniela Tkachuk (Poland) Fall 4:24 US Results 50 kg Gold Medal Match - Yanrong Li (China) over Audrey Jimenez (USA) Fall 2:29 53 kg Round of 16 - Katie Gomez (USA) over Carla Jaume Soler (Spain) 10-0 Quarterfinals - Katie Gomez (USA) over Altyn Shagayeva (Kazakhstan) 10-0 Semifinals - Mariia Yefremova (Ukraine) over Katie Gomez (USA) Fall 1:11 55 kg Bronze Medal Match - Amani Jones (USA) over Albina Rillia (Ukraine) 5-5 57 kg Round of 16 - Volha Hardzei (Belarus - Individual Neutral Athlete) over Cristelle Rodriguez (USA) 8-4 59 kg Bronze Medal Match - Alexis Janiak (USA) over Elena Kurova (Russia - Individual Neutral Athlete) 11-0 62 kg Round of 16 - Adaugo Nwachukwu (USA) over Ana Cretu (Moldova) 12-2 Quarterfinals - Melanie Jimenez Villalba (Mexico) over Adaugo Nwachukwu (USA) 9-7 65 kg Round of 16 - Kseniya Tsiarenia (Belarus - Individual Neutral Athlete) over Maddie Kubicki (USA) Fall 4:00 68 kg Bronze Medal Match - Alina Shauchuk (Belarus - Individual Neutral Athlete) over Isabella Mir (USA) 8-1 72 kg Round of 16 - Amit Elor (USA) over Shamshiyabanu Tastanbek (Kazakhstan) 10-0 Quarterfinals - Amit Elor (USA) over Patrycja Cuber (Poland) Fall 1:40 Semifinals - Amit Elor (USA) over Yuka Fujikura (Japan) 10-0 76 kg Bronze Medal Match - Kennedy Blades (USA) over Mariia Silina (Russia - Individual Neutral Athlete) 6-2

Huge news today on the college coaching front. University of North Carolina head coach Coleman Scott has stepped down from his position. Scott informed the team of his decision last night during a team meeting. There are sure to be many dominos that fall based on Scott leaving Chapel Hill. For the time being, Associate Head Coach Tony Ramos has been named the interim head coach. The school will conduct a national coaching search, with Ramos being one of the key applicants. North Carolina is sure to be an attractive destination as the Tar Heels have finished in the top-20 at the NCAA Tournament every year it has been held since 2018. Each year during that time frame they have improved, as well. The 2023 tournament saw Scott’s team put three wrestlers on the podium (for a second straight year), led by Austin O’Connor, who became a two-time national champion, the first for North Carolina since TJ Jaworsky’s three in 1993-95. Scott himself was once an interim head coach for a couple of months in 2015 before being named the full-time head coach in August of that year. He joined the UNC staff in 2014 as an assistant coach. We’ll monitor this situation and how it impacts the rest of the coaching landscape as a vacancy at North Carolina is sure to interest many coaches around the country. There is also plenty of speculation, much of it warranted, about Scott’s next move.

In late June, news broke that James Green was returning to competition and leaving his post as USA Wrestling’s National Freestyle Development Coach. Today, USA Wrestling announced that Oklahoma State assistant coach Zack Esposito will be Green’s successor. Esposito has spent the last seven years as Oklahoma State’s Associate Head Coach and he was on staff for a total of 14 years at his alma mater. During his time on the OSU staff, Esposito saw four wrestlers combine to win 10 national titles. As a team, Oklahoma State captured 11 Big 12 championships during that time period. As a competitor, Esposito was a three-time All-American and 2005 national champion. His title came on the storied 2005 squad that featured a total of five national champions and outdistanced second-place Michigan by 70 points. The Cowboys claimed national titles in each year that Esposito started. When his collegiate career concluded, in 2006, Esposito had amassed a 120-12 record and won three Big 12 championships. The National Freestyle Development Coach position had been an important one for USA Wrestling. In 2022, the U17, U20, and U23 World Teams combined to bring home 18 medals in men’s freestyle alone. This week, in Amman, Jordan, the U20 men’s freestyle team claimed eight medals, two of which were gold, and finished in second place to Iran. In the coming days, more news should come to the forefront regarding Esposito’s replacement on the Cowboy staff.

Wednesday in Amman, Jordan saw the men’s freestyle portion of the 2023 U20 World Championships come to a close. The American team finished with a remarkable eight medals, yet still finished in second place to an Iranian team that crowned four champions amongst their eight medalists. The final session on Wednesday saw Mitchell Mesenbrink put the cherry on top of an already incredible tournament when he put together a tech fall victory in the world finals at 74 kg. Mesenbrink used relentless pressure and attacking to wear down 2022 U20 World bronze medalist Hossein Mohammad Aghaei (Iran), 16-5. Right off the opening whistle, Mesenbrink was in on Aghaei’s leg and wasn’t able to lock up a takedown, but did get credit for a step-out point. Mesenbrink blew the match wide open off of the ensuing restart when he used a body lock finish to a single leg for a takedown, then transitioned into a gut wrench for two turns. Aghaei ended the sequence with a reversal and a leg lace; however, the damage was done and Mesenbrink led 7-3. Undeterred by the scoring from the Iranian, Mesenbrink got back on the offensive and split the middle to finish another takedown and led 9-3. Late in the first period, Aghaei was able to withstand Mesenbrink’s heat and grabbed a takedown of his own, only to give up a step on point and trail 11-5 at the break. Despite holding a six-point lead, Mesenbrink continued to be the aggressor and managed to get a set of exposure points, while attempting to finish a high-c. The Iranian corner challenged the ruling, which was upheld, and pushed Mesenbrink’s lead to 14-5. Mesenbrink put the finishing touches on his gold medal performance by scoring a takedown off of a low single, to push the score into tech fall territory (16-5). With his gold medal and a silver in 2022, Mesenbrink becomes only the third US man in the last decade to make the U20/Junior finals twice. The other two were Spencer Lee and Mark Hall. Mesenbrink wasn’t the only medalist for the United States men’s freestyle team. Nic Bouzakis (61 kg) and Bennett Berge (86 kg) both locked up bronze medals with strong performances. Bouzakis was all over Besir Alili (North Macedonia) from the outset and prevailed 11-1 in a first-period tech. Wrestling directly after Mesenbrink’s lap with the American flag, Berge needed just over two minutes to tech Shakjir Bislimi (North Macedonia), 11-0. Berge is now a two-time U20 world medalist after taking silver at the 2022 tournament. In addition to the exploits from the men’s freestyle team, the women’s freestyle squad saw their tournament commence today, as well. Audrey Jimenez, a 2022 U20 World silver medalist, is back on the main stage after going 3-0 on the day. In the quarterfinals, Jimenez came back from a 2-0 deficit at the break to down Japan’s Miruko Sakane, 4-2. She was also down momentarily in the semi’s against Reka Hegedus (Slovakia), but was not flustered. Jimenez responded with a takedown of her own and managed to stay in bounds to rattle off five turns via leg lace to end the contest 12-2 in just over a minute. Jimenez will head to tomorrow’s 50 kg gold medal match against China’s Yanrong Li. The performance of the women’s 50 kg fireplug was a high note, while the ending of the 59 kg semifinal was definitely a downer from an American perspective. Alexis Janiak held a seemingly comfortable 8-4 lead with less than :30 seconds left in her bout against Aurora Russo (Italy). Janiak even had the edge on criteria due to a four-point throw early in the period. Russo grabbed a pair of takedowns, to pull even with Janiak, though the Italian still trailed on criteria 8-8 with a restart with :05 remaining in the bout. Like most international wrestlers in a similar situation, Janiak did not actively attack and was totally in a defensive mode fending off potential attacks from Russo. After the final seconds ticked off the clock, the Italian corner threw a seemingly hopeless challenge brick. That closing sequence was reviewed and the official gave a point for caution and one to Russo, which gave her the bout, 9-8. It was truly a puzzling ruling given Janiak had no passivity warnings and conducted herself as most wrestlers do in that situation. Frankly, the match had no business being decided on a caution challenge after the final whistle. Janiak will try and regroup and wrestle for the bronze tomorrow after a challenger is determined via repechage. The rest of the women who wrestled on Wednesday are all still in the tournament and in the hunt for a bronze medal. Amani Jones (55 kg) and Isabella Mir (68 kg), will go through repechage, while Janiak and Kennedy Blades (76 kg) drop from the semis to a bronze medal match. Blades was teched in the semifinals by two-time U17 world champion and 2022 U20 silver medalist Priya (India). While her opponent had impressive credentials, Blades did not appear to be herself and may have been dealing with a lingering injury or another ailment. In addition to these four women, the remainder of the women’s freestyle team will be in action on Thursday morning. Final Results Men’s Freestyle 61 kg Gold Medal Match: Kumar Mohit (India) over Eldar Akhmadudinov (Russia - Individual Neutral Athlete) 9-8 Bronze Medal Match: Nic Bouzakis (USA) over Besir Alili (North Macedonia) 11-1 Bronze Medal Match: Ali Khorramdel (Iran) over Tamazi Sulamanidze (Georgia) 10-0 74 kg Gold Medal Match - Mitch Mesenbrink (USA) over Hossein Mohammad Aghaei (Iran) 16-5 Bronze Medal Match - Giorgi Gogritchiani (Georgia) over Anton Suchkov (Russia) 3-2 Bronze Medal Match - Jaideep (India) over Zhakshylyk Baitashov (Kyrgyzstan) Fall 2:07 86 kg Gold Medal Match - Rakhim Magamadov (France) over Fumiya Igarashi (Japan) 6-4 Bronze Medal Match - Bennett Berge (USA) over Shakjir Bislimi (North Macedonia) 11-0 Bronze Medal Match - Eugeniu Mihalcean (Moldova) over Mushegh Mkrtchyan (Armenia) 3-0 92 kg Gold Medal Match - Mohammadmobin Azimi (Iran) over Rizabek Aitmukhan (Kazakhstan) 5-4 Bronze Medal Match - Giorgi Romelashvili (Georgia) over Nurbolot Adyl Uulu (Kyrgyzstan) 8-1 Bronze Medal Match - Mustafagadzhi Malachdibirov (Russia - Individual Neutral Athlete) over Knyaz Iboyan (Armenia) 11-0 125 kg Gold Medal Match - Amirreza Masoumi Valadi (Iran) over Said Akhmatov (Russia - Individual Neutral Athlete) 11-0 Bronze Medal Match - Hakan Buyukcingil (Turkey) over Volodymyr Kochanov (Ukraine) 11-1 Bronze Medal Match - Rajat Ruhal (India) over Karanveer Mahil (Canada) 9-8 USA Results Men’s Freestyle 61 kg Repechage - Nic Bouzakis (USA) over Dmitri Carastoianov (Moldova) 10-0 Bronze Medal Match - Nic Bouzakis (USA) over Besir Alili (North Macedonia) 11-1 74 kg Gold Medal Match - Mitch Mesenbrink (USA) over Hossein Mohammad Aghaei (Iran) 16-5 86 kg Bronze Medal Match - Bennett Berge (USA) over Shakjir Bislimi (North Macedonia) 125 kg Repechage - Hakan Buyukcingil (Turkey) over Christian Carroll (USA) 13-0 Women’s Freestyle 50 kg Round of 16 - Audrey Jimenez (USA) over Zerda Demir (Turkey) 16-6 Quarterfinals - Audrey Jimenez (USA) over Miruko Sakane (Japan) 4-2 Semifinals - Audrey Jimenez (USA) over Reka Hegedus (Slovakia) 12-2 55 kg Round of 16 - Amani Jones (USA) over Lina Nita (Moldova) 11-1 Quarterfinals - Aryna Martynava (Belarus - Individual Neutral Athlete) over Amani Jones (USA) 10-0 59 kg Round of 16 - Alexis Janiak (USA) over Jovana Radivojevic (Serbia) 10-0 Quarterfinals - Alexis Janiak (USA) over Annatina Lippuner (Switzerland) Fall 1:56 Semifinals - Aurora Russo (Italy) over Alexis Janiak (USA) 9-8 68 kg Round of 16 - Isabella Mir (USA) over Manola Skobelska (Ukraine) 12-8 Quarterfinals - Ray Hoshino (Japan) over Isabella Mir (USA) 12-1 76 kg Round of 16 - Kennedy Blades (USA) over Mariia Zenkina (Ukraine) 10-0 Quarterfinals - Kennedy Blades (USA) over Ayano Moro (Japan) 4-3 Semifinals - Priya (India) over Kennedy Blades (USA) 10-0