InterMat Staff

This week's edition of "On the Mat" will feature Chuck Bednarik and Steve Knipp. Bednarik was one the toughest and most devastating tacklers in the history of football. During his 14 years with the Eagles, Bednarik was selected to eight Pro Bowls and was the last player to play full time on both offense and defense. He was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967, the first year he was eligible to be inducted. Bednarik is best known for his devastating tackle of the Giants' Frank Gifford, a hit that shortened Gifford's football career. A long-time wrestling fan, Bednarik currently resides in Cooperstown, Pennsylvania, and is a big supporter of Lehigh wrestling. USA Wrestling recently honored Steve Knipp as 2007 National Events Person of the Year. Knipp is the inaugural recipient of this award, which recognizes a dedicated volunteer who has contributed highly to USA Wrestling's regional and national championship events. Knipp also served as the head coach at Waterloo East High School for 26 years, leading his wrestlers to the Iowa state team title in 1983. During his tenure he coached 30 state place winners and eight state champions. "On the Mat" is a weekly wrestling radio program that airs every Wednesday night. This week's broadcast can be heard live from 6-7 p.m. Central Standard Time. The Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum in Waterloo, Iowa, hosts the show. "On the Mat" can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa on 1650, The Fan. Feel free to e-mail radio@wrestlingmuseum.org with questions or comments about the show.

Please Note: RevWrestling.com is dedicated to covering and promoting amateur wrestling on all levels. However, on occasion, RevWrestling.com will look at mixed martial arts (MMA) as it relates to amateur wrestling. Event: UFC 74: Respect Date: August 25 Location: Las Vegas, Nevada (Mandalay Bay Events Center) UFC 74 is about respect. In trying to make money while wagering on the UFC, there are a few key elements worth noting. Disrespecting the oddsmaker's numbers is one of them. Unlike most national sports, MMA odds are usually posted just days before the event. That means that when the oddsmaker finally posts the odds, bettors have little time to react. Educated handicappers then pounce on "juicy" lines, trying to take advantage of weaknesses or flaws in the posted numbers. Unlike most sports, the volume of betting action is relatively low, and more importantly, few oddsmakers are even capable of establishing a fair number, one in which the public's betting action will be evenly split. Often the posted number will induce well-educated MMA bettors the opportunity to take advantage of a weak number. In a sport that is so young and growing, it is mostly pure MMA fans who wager on these events. Unlike football, basketball, baseball, and hockey, where casual fans often throw their money down just to have action. Simply stated, the UFC bettor is a more educated bettor, while the oddsmaker setting the odds is posting numbers is much more vulnerable to posting a bad number than in any other sport. MMA lines get bet and then frequently get adjusted, often dramatically, to the new posted odds. Nowhere is the line movement so dramatic as it is in MMA betting. Like the fights themselves, the betting lines can be very volatile. This means there is money to be made! So let's follow the money. The strategy here will be to "go with the flow" of the educated MMA bettor. Let's look at the opening and current betting lines of tonight's fights. It is often said that late betting money is smart betting money. Often the "wise guys" wait until late before dumping their dough down. It often pays to watch this line movement and then jump on board. More times than not, you should be heading to the winner's window. The UFC Monster recently spent some time at Randy Couture's gym in Las VegasAs expected, the featured fight pits the popular 44-year old phenom, Randy Couture, against the lethal heavyweight, Gabriel Gonzaga, who is coming off a huge upset over Mirko Cro Cop, with one of the most devasting leg kicks in the history of the UFC. And, once again, the oddsmaker opens with Randy a +120 underdog. The betting public pounds him, and the line gets adjusted, and now Randy is a toss-up with the younger Gonzaga. Couture defies logic. He is a money-maker for UFC bettors, and getting anywhere near underdog or even odds is a bargain! TAKE COUTURE. Josh Koscheck is perhaps the most talented wrestler in the UFC. His mission tonight is to beat the very popular and recent welterweight champion George's St. Pierre, who comes off a shockingly disappointing loss to the much smaller and older, Matt Serra. St. Pierre may be my favorite UFC fighter, but the bettors have backed Koscheck. Late money may come in on St, Pierre, but the bettors feel that Koscheck is a fighter on the rise, while St. Pierre needs to regroup and find his bearings again. Koscheck works almost exclusively on his stand-up skills today, and his progress is amazing. He just gets better with each fight, and he recently gave Diego Sanchez his first loss in almost 20 fights! The money flow says, TAKE KOSCHECK. That may be the case, but I tread with great respect here. St. Pierre is a very dangerous man. Joe "Daddy" Stevenson is a physically strong, up-and-comer, who takes on Kurt Pellegrino. Opening at �280, the bettors have loaded up on Stevenson, driving the line to �325. That's a pretty big move. It's also probably a pretty safe bet, as well. Stevenson is better in all phases, stronger, and maybe even hungrier, with so many mouths to feed. TAKE STEVENSON and lay the big number. Kendall Grove is another talented fighter who gets better with each match. His opening odds were posted as �230, a clear favorite to beat down Patrick Cote, a potent slugger with limited ground skills. Grove is now a steeper favorite at �265. He gets the bacon. TAKE GROVE and lay the lumber. In the final "main event" card, former Augsburg wrestler Roger Huerta continues his blistering act in fighting relative unknown, Alberto Crane. Huerta is the niggest favorite on the card at �450. That line has been solid with little, if any, movement. Either nobody is betting this match, or the oddsmaker has effectively split the action, as intended. I'll PASS. I don't like "bridge jumping" on big favorites, and I'm not betting against someone who is 19-1. PASS. PASS. PASS. On the undercard, three of the four matches are getting betting action. Let's throw out Thales Leites against Ryan Jensen. Leites opened at �285, and that's where the line is stuck today. He may get the job done, but there is no value to the line. PASS again. Submission artist Renato "Babalu" Sobral opened at �185 against David Heath. Sobral had been on a major winning streak until getting KO'd by Chuck "the Iceman" Liddell, and then gassing out in the second round against Jason Lambert, who also knocked him out. Today, Sobral is posted at �235, again a big line movement. Why? Because UFC bettors feel that the value lies with him. Babalu is simply the bettor fighter. If he is mentally prepared, this fight will be his. TAKE SOBRAL to avoid his third straight loss. Former heavyweight champion Frank Mir hasn't looked good since he returned almost two years ago from his motorcycle accident. He opened as a -160 favorite to defeat Antoni Hardonk, a slugger with no ground game. Mir is just the opposite, a rare heavyweight with great submission skills and questionable knockout power. Usually, those who control their opponent's bodies, do well in MMA fighting (see Randy Couture). Mir is getting the bettor's action. Some off-shore books have him as �185 now. I'm not sure if I trust old Frank yet, bit a wager for old times sake may be in order. TAKE MIR as a modest favorite. His career may not yet be over. And, in what the oddsmakers have posted as the closest fight of the night, Marcus Aurelio takes on the experienced, long-haired Clay Guida, who opened as a �155 favorite. But, the bettors are pounding Aurelio who is now even money with some books. TAKE AURELIO. In summary, we are playing WITH the smart UFC bettors and AGAINST the weak UFC oddsmakers. Here's our plays: Couture, at any price. Koscheck, as a 'dog for those brave enough to go against St. Pierre. That's not me. Stevenson, a decisive favorite. Grove, another clear favorite. Sobral, avoiding a third straight loss. Mir, a fighter trying to salvage his career. Aurelio, as a 'dog. Passes on Huerta and Leites. Good luck. Play to win … not just to have action. Enjoy the fights. I'll see you at the winner's window! More later. The UFC Monster

Former Titans' wrestler and graduate assistant coach (2006-07) Risto Marttinen has been appointed assistant wrestling coach at Cal State Fullerton. Marttinen will assist sixth-year Head Coach Dan Hicks, for whom he wrestled four of his five years (2001-02 thru 2005-06) in the program, all as the regular at 165 pounds. His career record was 53-65 including a 21-13 mark as a senior. Marttinen won the team's academic award all five years and in 2004-05 he was Cal State Fullerton's male scholar-athlete of the year. Four times he won Pac-10 academic honors. A native of Lappeenranta, Finland, and a product of Dana Hills High School, Marttinen has dual U.S. and Finnish citizenship. In December, he placed fifth in the Finland national wrestling tournament at 163 pounds.

America's Wrestling Radio talk show is now heard around the world. From our Brute Adidas Studios now broadcast on the following internet outlets: Takedownradio.com, KXNO.com, Matchannel.com, Mat-magazine.com. Please be sure to join our live broadcast each and every Saturday as we talk to the worlds greatest athletes. Wrestlers and MMA competitors alike join us each and every week. You should too! TDR is available LIVE, Archived and podcast as well. Check out Takedownradio.com for more details. This week Jeff Murphy of Kemin Industries rejoins us in the Brute adidas Studios as we welcome TDR Guests- 9:05 Steve Rivera- 38 year old professional trainer to athletes like Frank Edger specializing in wrestling. Wrestling has been a passion of Steve's for 33 years. Graduated as a Nat'l champ from Trenton State University, NJ, (D3) went one year prior to NC State for Bob Guzzo. Trains guys for MMA including Chris LiGouri, Jose Rodriguez, Dominique Tafuri, Kevin Roddy and many others. Trains wrestlers like Scott Winston (Jackson Memorial HS), Jess, Luke Lanno (USA Wrestling All American), Matt Oliver USA #6 All American, UNC Scholarship Nick Tenpenny, Winnie Dellefav out of Toms River NJ. EliteWrestling.net Jens Pulver and Steve Rivera doing a fund raiser for Allies Inc. alliesnj.org 9:20 Frank Edgar- 25 year old new asst. head coach at Rutgers under Scott Goodale, wrestling since he was in 6th grade. 2 X state place winner, 4 x NCAA Qualifier for Clarion, EWL Champ SNR Year. Ranked 11th in all time wins 9:40 Jeremy Spates- Asst Coach for the Sooners of Oklahoma joins us to discuss summer camps coming to an end, recruiting, getting the campus and kids back on track and relating to today's youth in general. 9:55 Deanna Gilbert - 2 Big PPV's this weekend. Saturday Night its UFC and Sunday night the WWE is back in action and Takedown Radio's Scott Casber will be there. Will you? 10:05 Scott Hinkle-Purdue's long time assist head coach is now the man! The New head Coach at Purdue University is Scott Hinkle. We'll talk bout the challenges he's faced after taking over from coach Reyes. His assist and friend Tom Erickson and what his plans are for the future of the Boilermaker Wrestling Program. 10:20 Paul Bradley- Former Iowa Hawkeye now Asst Head at SUNY Buffalo with Coach Jim Beichner. How's the transition been? I don't think he knows how much it snows in Buffalo. LOL. He's gonna find out this winter. September 28th he heads to Oklahoma City to face Mike Van Meer for a pro MMA battle. Paul's 4-0 as a pro. How will he battle this veteran? Tune in and find out. 10:40 Johny Hendricks- Makes his Pro MMA Debute September 28th in Oklahoma City, OK for Ted Ehrhardt's Team Takedown. he's been training in Las Vegas with Randy Couture and is now in Dallas with Guy Mesger. He's been training with hands, with a real focus on stand up, his wrestling instincts are certain to kick in during competition. How will he handle that? J. H. got knocked out early in his training. Was that a gut check? how's it been with family? Wife Leah? Just got married sep 2nd last year. Is he still a cowboy at heart?

Make your plans now to participate in the first Annual NIACC Wrestling Golf Tournament! Put together your own foursome or ask us to group you with other Trojan Wrestling supporters or team members. You will enjoy a fun, exciting day of golf, followed by a delicious meal, the fellowship of other golfing enthusiasts, and possibly win some big prizes! At the same time you will be supporting the welcoming back of one of the most successful junior college wrestling programs in the country, the NIACC Trojans. NIACC coaches and wrestlers will be on hand at the tournament participating as well as cheering you on! So get your TEAM together today! Unable to play on Sept. 22, consider becoming a hole sponsor or simply send a donation. The proceeds will be used to aid the Trojan Wrestling Department. Download the Golf Registration form at http://www.niacc.edu/athletics/wrestling/Golf%20Brochure.pdf

It's not merely a suggestion, it's a paramount requirement. That requirement is called leadership. Harvard University wrestling coach Jay Weiss and Hood River Valley High School coach Trent Kroll both not only excel at that requirement, it has been the pivotal piece in helping them mentor and coach student athletes. On Thursday, both were awarded the United States Marine Corps Excellence in Leadership Award at the Horizon Casino Resort as part of the 2007 National Wrestling Coaches Association Convention. As in past years, the award was presented by former Purdue wrestler Sgt. Maj. Larock Benford of the U.S. Marine Corps. Benford outlined his key points to leadership in a powerful motivational speech prior to announcing Weiss and Kroll as the winners of their respective awards. The United States Marine Corps Excellence in Leadership Award is presented yearly to a collegiate and high school coach that represents the core values of the United States Marine Corps in their passion for wrestling and leadership. Weiss, a 1990 graduate of Franklin & Marshall College, has been at the helm at Harvard for the past 14 seasons. As he heads into his 15th season in Cambridge, Weiss has coached 13 All-Americans – including three in 2006-07 – and one NCAA champion. Last season, Weiss led the Crimson to a 22nd place finish at the NCAA championships, quite a feat when you consider they lost former All-American Bode Ogunwole at mid-season and All-American candidate Andrew Flanagan, but did pick up a medal from true freshman J.P. O'Connor – one of only two true freshmen to place at the 2007 NCAA Championships. "Jay Weiss is in an extremely competitive conference and always has his wrestlers prepared," said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. "As any wrestling coach knows, it's not always smooth sailing. He had a litany of injuries in his lineup this season and still came away with a solid showing at the NCAA championships." "It's a testament to his leadership and drive as a head coach that not only makes Jay a great coach, but makes him a valued recipient of this award," said Moyer. "I'm honored," said Weiss. "I don't feel like I've done anything different that I've aspired to do. As coaches, we're supposed to be leaders, that's why I'm the person I am." Weiss has been strong, not just leading his team, but also in leadership roles on the Board of Directors for the National Wrestling Coaches Association as the District I representative in NCAA Division I. He's also served as the president of the Ivy League wrestling coaches and the EIWA. Weiss has also been supportive of the NWCA/USMC Coaching Education initiatives and was one of the first coaches to complete the online leadership course. He's also numerous coaching development and leadership courses through NWCA partner Novations, One thing that Weiss has to deal with is his surroundings and realizing that his wrestlers will be dealing with their own hurdles down the line simply because of where they come from. "I'm dealing with future Harvard graduates, so I have to prepare them for post-college," said Weiss. "A lot of coaches are doing the same thing. Through sport, we get to teach life lessons. My guys are graduating with a Harvard degree and you're expected to lead immediately." "I definitely try to lead by example and try to put my athletes in leadership roles from the get-go," he said. "From the minute they are freshmen … I took a poll on my team to see who were captains of their high school teams and 100 percent were." Weiss explained that his surrounding changed his coaching design and took it from a results based focus to one based around leadership. A part of Harvard's program is getting its wrestlers to join public service inititatives. Recently, Harvard wrestlers have contributed to such groups as the Cambridge School Volunteers, St. Paul's Food Pantry, the Pen Pal program, and the Sports Equipment Drive, just to name a few. "I just felt when I first got into coaching it was about wins and losses," he explained. "When I was younger, the competitive nature in me was wins and losses. I'm fortunate enough to be at a school like Harvard where Harvard changed me." "My job as a leader and a coach is to put my athletes in situations in learning how to lead and what I found out was it eventually came back and we were more competitive. We went in a roundabout way to become a competitive team," he said. With the injuries to Flanagan and Ogunwole, Weiss had to put the pain of losing those two wrestlers aside … and lead by example. "It's very tough," explained Weiss. "You have to be able to keep moving forward. You can't be like ‘Aw, our chances are done without our two guys'." "Bode being a senior and ranked #2 and Flanagan couldn't go, but fortunately he has two years left. Inside, I was devastated for them, but outside -- I have to say, ‘Ok, who's going'." When (the kids) see that kind of attitude, they realize adverse situations, you can get through it, not only that, but you have to get through it." "In real life, they're going to be dealing with a lot harder situations than that," continued Weiss. "You have to keep going, that's my attitude. I was pulling for the kids and myself." Kroll, the current head coach at Hood River Valley High School in Oregon was surprised by the award. "I had no idea, when they said that I had ran the Northwest Wrestling Coaches Clinic for the last seven years, I knew it was me," said Kroll. "When they first started talking, I thought it was Les Combs. I actually turned to him and said ‘Get ready'." Kroll, a humble but appreciative individual, explained his passion for the sport. "I enjoy sharing the sport with the next generation," said Kroll. "I enjoy being around people that enjoy being around the sport and making the sport better in Oregon and I work hard to do it. Sometimes I have to focus on what to attack and what not to attack as far as making the sport better in our community." Not only did he not expect to win an award, he didn't expect to speak. "When they asked me to speak, I looked out into the audience and saw John Smith and Joe Russell," explained Kroll. "Oh my, I'm speaking in front of guys that I had posters of on my wall when I was growing up." "That was pretty cool," said Kroll. "I went to an Oklahoma State wrestling camp in 1987. It was probably the turning point in my career. It took me from being a mediocre wrestler to a person that had an opportunity to compete in college." Kroll went on to wrestle for Mike Clock at then-NAIA Pacific University in Oregon, where he explained he was just a "50/50 wrestler." "Coaches like Trent Kroll show that it's not the most decorated wrestlers that become great mentors and coaches for the next generation of student athletes," said Moyer. "He's directed his athletes to make their own decisions regarding their team captains and he's steered his wrestlers into leadership roles by encouraging them to take the NWCA's online leadership course." It's that leadership course which helped Kroll at Centennial High School before heading to Hood River Valley. "For the last three seasons, I've been working with Jeff Bowyer on the leadership training program," explained Kroll. "I have a mission statement for my team now … and a plan intact for creating leaders, showing them what happens when we do have good leadership and what happens when we don't." Past Winners 2006 College: Jack Maughan, University of Northern Colorado Scholastic: Jose Martinez, North Hills (Pa.) High School 2005 College: Drew Black, Wesleyan University Scholastic: Paul White, South Forsyth (Ga.) High School

University of Minnesota wrestler Brandon Sitch competed in the 2007 Junior World Greco-Roman Championships in Beijing, China on Wednesday, winning his first match but losing his second of the day. Wresting in the 84 kg./184 lbs. weight class, Sitch was one of only four U.S. wrestlers to compete at the event. A native of Kelso, Wash., Sitch defeated Egypt's Mahmoud El Sayed by scores of 3-0 and 3-1 in his first match on Wednesday. However, Sitch lost his next match to Lithuania's Aldas Lukosaitis 0-5 and 0-6, failing to place in the top 10 in his weight class. The Championships were held at the Chinese Agriculture University Gymnasium in Beijing. For more information on the Greco-Roman Championships, visit www.themat.com. Competing at 174 pounds as a freshman for the Gophers last season, Sitch finished with a perfect 4-0 record. All four of his decisions came in the Jan. 27 Jimmie Open in which Sitch recorded two pins and two decisions. Sitch was red shirted during the 2006-07 season and will retain four more years of eligibility. A four-time Washington state champion in high school, Sitch was a four-time Junior All-American and Wrestling USA All-American as well. He figures to challenge for time in the defending national champion Gophers' starting lineup in the 174-pound weight class this winter. The Golden Gophers will begin their national title defense on Nov. 10 when they travel to Fargo, N.D. for the Bison Open. Minnesota's dual meet season starts on Dec. 2 against 2006-07 national runner-up Iowa State.

ARLINGTON, TEXAS -- In the wake of Jake Rosholt and Eric Bradley's stunning SRO victories at 'Masters of the Cage XV' last month, Team Takedown (TTD) is preparing its latest fighting machines, OSU-NCAA wrestling champ Johny Hendricks and his OSU-NCAA/Big 12 teammate Shane Roller, to headline a ten-fight card for 'Masters of the Cage XVI' on September 28, 2007 at the Coca-Cola Bricktown Event Center in Oklahoma City. "Ultimate Night Of Champions: Masters of the Cage XVI" will feature: -- Johny Hendricks v. Victor Rackliff (Welterweight) -- Jake Rosholt v. Mike Messina (Light Heavyweight Title) -- Eric Bradley v. James Head (Middleweight Title) and -- Shane Roller v. Jake Pruitt (Lightweight) Beginning September 28, 2007 at 8pm (Doors Open 6:30pm), tickets range from$35.00 to $175.00, and are available at http://www.fightpass.com and 888-377-2229. College Wrestling Greats Hendricks and Roller Set for Pro MMA Fight Debuts Since "MOTC XV" sold out well before the fights, it is strongly recommended that those wanting tickets should order them now, as the event will sell out quickly. Hendricks and Roller's professional MMA debut will be officiated by MMA's best-known referee, "Big John" McCarthy, and veteran MMA ring announcer A.L. Haizlip will call the shots. With six title fights, the event will be broadcast live via Internet Pay-Per-View, with Scott Casber, host of nationally broadcast Takedown Wrestling Radio (http://www.takedownradio.com) delivering the play-by-play, with Olympic gold medallist and NBC/ESPN wrestling-MMA news personality Jeff Blatnick offering color commentary. There also will be several wrestling/MMA celebrities in attendance, including Oklahoma City's Own IFL-Veteran Fighter Wayne Cole; Oklahoma and NCAA wrestling champions Jared Hess and Cole Province, three-time Iowa All-American Paul Bradley BACKGROUND: TEAM TAKEDOWN FIGHTERS In April 2007, Team Takedown (TTD) signed Jake Rosholt and Johny Hendricks, former Oklahoma State University grapplers who have won five NCAA titles between them. One month later, TTD signed National Collegiate Boxing Champion and two-time NCAA wrestling All-American Eric Bradley out of Penn State. Most recently, TTD added three-time All-American Shane Roller -- another graduate of the Oklahoma State national championship-wrestling powerhouse -- to its roster. To learn more about Team Takedown, TTD's New Message Board and the Team Takedown Store please visit http://www.teamtakedownfighters.com. 'MASTERS OF THE CAGE XVI' FIGHT CARD MASTERS OF THE CAGE XVI -- "ULTIMATE NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS" BRICKTOWN COCA-COLA EVENT CENTER -- Friday, September 28, 2007 –- 8pm RED CORNER *** Denotes Championship Title Fight *** BLUE CORNER PRO MIDDLEWEIGHT - 171 LBS TO 185 LBS 1 JARED HESS 1W-0L --- VS --- DOMINIC BROWN 5W-4L OKLAHOMA CITY, OK KANSAS CITY, KS WRESTLER FREESTYLE PRO LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT - 186 LBS TO 205 LBS 2 MIKE VAN MEER 27W-18L --- VS --- PAUL BRADLEY 5W-0L DES MOINES, IA BUFFALO, NY STRIKER / BJJ WRESTLER PRO LIGHTWEIGHT - 146 LBS TO 155 LBS 3 SHANE ROLLER 0W-0L --- VS --- JAMES PRUITT 1W-0L DALLAS, TX YUKON, OK WRESTLER BJJ / MMA *** PRO FLYWEIGHT TITLE - 136 LBS TO 145 LBS *** 4 AARON WILLIAMS 12W-7L --- VS --- COLE PROVINCE 1W-0L BILOXI, MS OKLAHOMA CITY, OK STRIKER / BJJ WRESTLER *** PRO LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE - 146 LBS TO 155 LBS *** 5 TIM ESTES 3W-1L --- VS --- MARCUS LANIER 5W-0L ROLLA, MO MT. PLEASANT, TX STRIKER / BJJ FREESTYLE *** PRO WELTERWEIGHT TITLE - 156 LBS TO 170 LBS *** 6 TJ WALDBURGER 10W-3L --- VS --- CODY SENSENSEY 2W-0L TEMPLE, TX BILOXI, MS GRAPPLER BJJ *** PRO MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE - 171 LBS TO 185 LBS *** 7 JAMES HEAD 2W-0L --- VS --- ERIC BRADLEY 1W-0L ROLLA, MO LAS VEGAS, NV STRIKER WRESTLER / STRIKER *** PRO LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE - 186 LBS TO 205 LBS *** 8 JAKE ROSHOLT 1W-0L --- VS --- MIKE MESSINA 2W-1L LAS VEGAS, NV OKLAHOMA CITY, OK WRESTLER STRIKER / BJJ *** PRO HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE - 206 LBS TO 265 LBS *** 9 WAYNE COLE 7W-5L --- VS --- HEATH JOHNSON 2W-1L NORMAN, OK DES MOINES, IA STRIKER STRIKER / WRESTLER PRO WELTERWEIGHT - 156 LBS TO 170 LBS 10 JOHNY HENDRICKS 0W-0L --- VS --- VICTOR RACKLIFF 1W-0L LAS VEGAS, NV TALEQUAH, OK WRESTLER BJJ FIGHT CARD SUBJECT TO CHANGE

The University of Minnesota wrestling program announced its schedule for the 2007-08 season today, highlighted by home meets with 2006-07 national runner-up Iowa State, Big Ten rival Iowa and the 2007-08 Big Ten Championships, which will take place March 8 and 9 at Williams Arena. After gaining their third national championship a year ago under head coach J Robinson, the Golden Gophers will attempt to make it back-to-back titles and bring home the another national crown this winter. This year's schedule features the program's typically strong non-conference schedule. The Gophers will participate in two early-season open meets in November – the Bison Open, hosted by North Dakota State University on Nov. 10, and the Kaufman-Brand Open at the University of Nebraska-Omaha the next weekend. Minnesota will also go against three different opponents (Northern Illinois, Northern Colorado and North Dakota State) in the Northern Quad meet in Rochester on Nov. 24. Minnesota open the dual meet season at Williams Arena with the 2006-07 NCAA runner-up Iowa State Cyclones on Dec. 2. The Gophers defeated the Cyclones 19-13 in their dual meet match-up last season and won the national championship by 9.5 points (98.0 - 88.5) last March. Following their meeting with Iowa State, the Gophers will host Nebraska at the Sports Pavilion Dec. 6 before traveling to California that weekend to take on Cal State Fullerton and Cal Poly Dec. 8. Following the holiday break, the Golden Gophers will head to Greensboro, N.C., to compete in the Southern Scuffle from Dec. 29-30. Minnesota then enjoys a two-week break before competing in the National Duals from Jan. 12 through 13, hosted by Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls. After squaring off against South Dakota State on Jan. 20, the Golden Gophers will open Big Ten action with a weekend in Michigan. Minnesota takes on Michigan State Jan. 25 in East Lansing and will travel to Ann Arbor the next day for a dual meet with the Wolverines. The Gophers come back home to do battle with the Iowa Hawkeyes on Feb. 1 in one of the year's marquee match-ups. The Gophers trounced Iowa 29-13 last season in dual meet competition as the Hawkeyes went on to finish ninth at NCAAs. Two days later (Feb. 3), Coach Robinson's squad will travel to Stillwater for their annual meeting with Oklahoma State, which placed fifth a year ago at the NCAA National Championships. The next weekend the Gophers will travel to Northwestern (Feb. 8) and Purdue (Feb. 10) before returning home for three consecutive Big Ten dual meets. Williams Arena will be the setting for competitions with Illinois on Feb. 15 and Wisconsin on Feb. 17, and Minnesota rounds out the regular season with Ohio State on Feb. 24 at the Sports Pavilion. The University of Minnesota will play host to the Big Ten Championships for the first time in 10 years on March 8 and 9. The Gophers have finished first or second in the Big Ten every year since 1999, including six championships. The NCAA Championships will be held in St. Louis, Missouri at the Scottrade Center from March 20-22. Despite losing two-time national champion Cole Konrad to graduation, the Gophers return a number of talented athletes on the mat. Brothers Dustin (third at the NCAA Championships in the 149 lbs. division) and C.P Schlatter (sixth in 157 lbs.) will be back for their junior and senior seasons, respectively, while national placewinners Roger Kish (184 lbs.) and Jayson Ness (125 lbs.) also return. With seven of their top eight wrestlers coming back, Minnesota should once again be a force both in the Big Ten and on the national stage. Fans looking to get in on the Gopher wrestling action will be able to view select meets this season on the Big Ten Network. The Big Ten Network will broadcast between 65-75 live Gopher athletic events this year, including Big Ten Championship events and a nightly show that will keep you up-to-date on what's going at the U of M. In addition, exclusive Gopher wrestling content (including live video webcasts) will be available on the web via the Gold Zone. Stay tuned to www.gophersports.com and www.bigtennetwork.com for more details.

This week's edition of "On the Mat" will feature Doug Brooker and Jason Bryant. Brooker is known for excellence in wrestling media production over the past 30 years. He was the long-time producer of Iowa Public Television's College Wrestling Series and has worked extensively on the production end for the Olympic Games and other international events. Brooker has produced several documentaries on wrestling including "The Gable Touch" and "Cael Sanderson: Portrait of a Champion," which won a local Emmy. In 1991 the National Wrestling Media Association named Brooker Broadcaster of the Year. He was also a past recipient of W.I.N. Magazine's Impact of the Year Award. Bryant, who was recently named Journalist of the Year by W.I.N. Magazine, is the Director of Media Relations and the senior writer for Intermatwrestle.com – a wrestling website sponsored by the National Wrestling Coaches Association. As a journalist, Bryant has recently written some important columns regarding the dropping of several college wrestling programs. Bryant will likely discuss the National Wrestling Coaches Association Convention that recently took place in Lake Tahoe. "On the Mat" is a weekly wrestling radio program that airs every Wednesday night. This week's broadcast can be heard live from 6-7 p.m. Central Standard Time. The Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum in Waterloo, Iowa, hosts the show. "On the Mat" can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa on 1650, The Fan. Feel free to e-mail radio@wrestlingmuseum.org with questions or comments about the show.

NEW YORK -- Tim Foley, one of the finest wrestlers in University of Virginia history, has been named the primary assistant coach at Columbia. Brendan Buckley, Columbia's Andrew F. Barth Head Coach of Wrestling, announced his appointment today. Foley has been promoted to his new position, after serving as a graduate assistant coach in 2005, and working as a full-time assistant last season. "I am happy to be promoting Tim Foley to the first assistant coach position in our program," Buckley said. "Since I coached him as a first-year at Virginia, he has displayed a passion and relentless work ethic that I have always come to respect. This desire to succeed led Tim to become an NCAA All-American and helped Columbia to the 20th nationally ranked recruiting class last year." For the previous two years, Tim has played a large role in the development of our program including last year's breakthrough season where we made the top 25 national rankings, and placed second in the Ivy League standings," Buckley continued. "I look forward to working with Tim in his new role as the first assistant coach. Tim can relate well to our student-athletes as a scholar and an athlete himself. He is currently working on his second masters degree as a student in Columbia's prestigious School of Journalism." "The big city, beautiful campus and great group of guys make Columbia the perfect situation," Foley explained. "I look forward to living and working in New York for several more years and helping our student-athletes achieve their potential in the classroom and on the mat." Foley was a two-time Atlantic Coast Conference champion, in 2002 at 157 pounds and 2004 at 165. He earned All-American honors in 2004, when he finished eighth in the NCAA Championships. He was ranked in the nation's Top 20 for three seasons. A two-time captain and the 2003 UVA MVP, Foley is the second-winningest wrestler in Virginia history, with 114 career victories. He holds two Cavalier records, for season dual-match victories (18 in both 2002 and 2003), and career duals victories (49). His 13 pins in one season and 149 career matches both rank second in Virginia annals. He posted notable victories over three nationally-ranked wrestlers: Jacob Klein of Nebraska, Pat Owen of Michigan and Joe Mazzurco of Cornell. Foley hails from Stafford, Va., where he was a two-time state finalist competing for Brooke Point High. He graduated from Virginia in 2003 with a B.A. in political science, and was awarded a master's in education the following year from UVA's Curry School of Education, in social foundations and public policy. He competed for the Cavaliers while attending graduate school and was chosen a National Wrestling Coaches Association Academic All-American. In addition to coaching and competing, Foley has been active in government. He was an intern on the staff of Congressman Dennis Hastert, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, in the summer of 2001 and the summer of 2002. He served another summer internship in Florida in 2004 with the Mel Martinez for U.S. Senate Campaign, remaining with the campaign through the fall as Field Director for Palm Beach and Broward counties.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. –- Mike Zadick didn't need to look into the bleachers to see what kind of support he had for Thursday's Special Wrestle-Off with Nate Gallick. All he had to do was listen. Backed by a boisterous cheering section that included around 15 of the Iowa wrestlers he helps coach, a couple of former teammates and numerous family members, Zadick was not about to send them home disappointed. Zadick delivered a pair of huge three-point moves at the end of the first and second matches to sweep Gallick at the U.S. Olympic Training Center. That put Zadick, a 2006 World silver medalist, onto his second straight U.S. World Freestyle Team at 60 kg/132 lbs. Zadick won the first match over Gallick 0-1, 1-0, 4-2 before prevailing in the second match 1-0, 0-1, 3-0. "I'm not as excited to be on the World Team as I was last year because I expect it now," Zadick said. "I expected to win today and I'm just glad this whole process of making the Team is over. Now everything is finalized and I can focus on the big goals of winning a World championship this year and winning the Olympics next year." The 29-year-old Zadick (Solon, Iowa/Gator WC) will now represent the U.S. at the 2007 World Championships on Sept. 17-23 in Baku, Azerbaijan. Zadick trailed 2-1 late in the third period of the first match when he blasted in on a double-leg shot. Zadick wrapped both arms around Gallick's legs and finished for a three-point move near the edge of the mat as he exposed Gallick's back to the mat with three seconds left. "I obviously needed to score there," Zadick said. "I looked up and saw there were eight seconds left on the clock and I just penetrated through for a double. I got through deep and put him down for three." The second match in the best-of-3 series also went to a decisive third period. Neither wrestler scored in the first two minutes, sending the match to a coin flip. Gallick won the coin flip and started with Zadick's leg in the clinch. Gallick drove Zadick toward the edge of the mat before Zadick hit a chest lock and flipped Gallick over for what turned out to be the winning points. "Gallick was driving in and I knew I was getting close to the edge," Zadick said. "I felt he was trying to run me off the mat and I had to hit the brakes and throw him. The chest lock is not a move I use a lot – it's a move that all the Russians and a lot of other people use. But in that situation I had to find a way to win and that's what I did." Match officials watched a videotape of the sequence and awarded Zadick three points by determining that he had initiated a counter action. "My interpretation of what happened is the same interpretation that it's always been in the rule book as long as I've been wrestling – it's my offensive move and I took him to his back and he rolled through," Gallick said. "It should have been three points for me and two for him, there's no question. My three came before his two. It's a no-brainer. I watched the video three times. I understand he's a silver medalist at the Worlds, but that shouldn't change anything." Gallick said the loss was "real disappointing." "There were some questionable calls in the first match as well," Gallick said. "In my mind, I won the second match. It's hard for me to accept. I don't mind losing, but to lose the way I did, that bothers me a lot." It was a physical, bruising battle between Zadick, a former Iowa Hawkeye, and Gallick, a former Iowa State Cyclone. Four of the six periods went to coin flips - with Zadick winning 3 of 4 coin flips - as neither wrestle could score in the two minutes of regulation. Zadick said he was disappointed that Gallick didn't shake his hand after the second match. Gallick instead walked over to the scorers' table to protest the final call. "I wanted to wait for a review before I shook his hand," Gallick said. "Even after the review came I wanted a second review because there was no question I won that match. If he wants to shake my hand so bad he can come shake my hand. I have no problem shaking his hand – we were just both out there trying to win. "But I'm not going to shake his hand until I think in my head the match is over. I wasn't trying to be a poor sport. I don't mind shaking anybody's hand. It's nothing personal. I just wanted to make sure it was definitely over until I shook his hand." In the first match, Zadick won a coin flip in the first period but was unable to finish in the leg clinch as Gallick countered effectively and took him out of bounds. Zadick won the coin flip again in the second period and this time finished for a takedown. Zadick then rallied with his late double-leg takedown to win the third period. In the second match, Zadick again won a coin flip after a scoreless first two minutes. Zadick then drove Gallick out of bounds to win the period 1-0. Gallick came back to win the second period when he scored on a pushout in the closing seconds. Zadick then won the third period, and clinched the match, with his counter action in the leg clinch after Gallick had won a coin flip. The Special Wrestle-Off was needed after Gallick (Chattanooga, Tenn./Sunkist Kids) won April's U.S. Nationals, but then suffered a foot injury. He was granted an extension by USA Wrestling to meet the winner of June's U.S. World Team Trials in a Special Wrestle-Off at a later date by virtue of being the U.S. Nationals champion. Zadick, who lost to Gallick in the finals of the U.S. Nationals, won the U.S. World Team Trials to earn a spot in the Special Wrestle-Off against Gallick. Zadick said he appreciated the support he received during the Wrestle-Off on Thursday. "It was great – I loved it," Zadick said. "We had half our team from the University of Iowa out here, I had (former teammates) Matt Anderson and Jessman Smith here, my parents drove down here, Tom Brands, Dan Gable, Mike Duroe, Randy Lewis. I had so much support here – it was great and I really appreciate it. Wrestling is a way of life in Iowa and you saw that today." Zadick's win means there are three past University of Iowa wrestlers on the 2007 U.S. World Freestyle Team. Zadick joins past Hawkeye NCAA champions Doug Schwab (145.5 pounds) and Joe Williams (185) on the U.S. squad. Zadick plans to take part in the final U.S. World Freestyle Camp from Aug. 23-Sept. 2 in Colorado Springs. "I still have plenty of time to prepare and get ready for the Worlds," Zadick said. "I'll be ready to go – you can count on that."

Tom ShiffletTom Shifflet took over as head coach at Hofstra in May of 2006, after spending four years as the head coach at UNC Greensboro. In his first year at Hofstra, Shifflet guided the Pride to an 18-4-2 dual meet record and a seventh-place finish at the 2007 NCAA Division I Championships. RevWrestling.com recently caught up with Shifflet and talked about last season, his thoughts on Lou Ruggirello, Charles Griffin, and Ryan Patrovich, where Alton Lucas fits into the program, his expectations for the upcoming season, and much more. Of the top 10 teams at the NCAA Division I Championships last season, only Hofstra and Edinboro came from outside the Big Ten or Big 12 conferences. When recruiting, how do you sell your program to potential top recruits who are mainly looking at Big Ten and Big 12 programs? Shifflet: If you look at the tradition that Hofstra has in wrestling, and the consistency that it has of sending guys to the national tournament and guys placing and becoming All-Americans, it obviously shows that we have a great attitude within the program. Guys are working towards being national champions and having a great team. We obviously can sell the same type of thing as Big Ten and Big 12 programs. I actually think we somewhat have an advantage because our conference, the CAA, isn't as much of a grind. During the regular season at Hofstra, we go out and wrestle the best teams, wrestle in the best tournaments, we prepare our guys for the national tournament. The difference is that we don't have to go through the Big Ten tournament. We have to go through the CAA. So what happens a lot of times is that we end up taking seven, eight, nine, 10 guys to the national tournament, which is nice. You're not just going as an individual, but you're going there as a team. You have a chance to win as a team. That's something we really sell to the elite kids who are looking at the top schools … 'Hey, we can give you everything the Big Ten and Big 12 schools can give you.' We wrestle all those schools. We wrestle Missouri. We wrestle Penn State. We wrestle Minnesota. We wrestle Oklahoma State. We go to the National Duals. But towards the end of the season, instead of going through the Big Ten or Big 12 tournament to get to nationals, we're in a conference that is tough, but it's not like the Big Ten or Big 12. You're going to get one or two tough matches as opposed to maybe a pigtail at the Big Ten tournament against a kid who has been ranked in the top 10 … so that's a big selling point to a lot of these kids. I'm not downplaying the CAA at all, because this year if you look at the percentage of All-Americans or top 12 finishers, we did pretty darn well. We do have some real good programs that are committed and have some great individuals. In your first year at Hofstra, you led the program to an 18-4-2 dual meet mark and placed seventh at the NCAA Division I Championships. It was a record-breaking season for the program. Did you exceed your own expectations last season? Shifflet: You know, I don't know. When you come in as a new coach and you come into a new environment, I knew that we had a very talented team. I started working out with the guys in the summer. I said, 'Wow, these guys are really, really talented, really good.' Obviously, you shoot for some of these individuals to become national champs. That's what you want. That's what they're working for. As a team, you try to piece it together on how well you think you can do. I can tell you that before the Minnesota match, on paper, I really thought we had a chance to win that dual meet. And we did. Same thing against Penn State. When you get to the national tournament, if you looked at our guys, where they were ranked, and who they beat … certainly anybody who went to the national tournament for us had a shot at becoming an All-American. We sent seven guys … if you have seven All-Americans, you win a national title. I certainly thought we could do really well. But it's the national tournament. You never know what will happen. You may go there, guys might not wrestle well, and things happen. But it ended up working out well for us. To be quite honest, I really think we were one of the teams that had a chance to win the whole thing. Our 125-pounder (Dave Tomasette) was winning in the All-American round with 25 seconds left and got pancaked. He would have been our fifth All-American. I think that would have at least maybe propelled us into getting a trophy with five All-Americans. We were pretty close. I was proud of the guys. Did I think we had a good team? I thought we had a great team. But it was the first time for me being in a situation where the sky is the limit … if we put it all together, heck, we could go all the way. Charles Griffin came into the NCAA Championships as the No. 11 seed en route a third-place finish at 141 pounds. What allowed him to have such a strong finish? Was it confidence? Shifflet: Yeah, a lot of it is confidence. We put our guys in that situation over and over throughout the year with our schedule. We wrestled a lot of these guys already. So when you get to the national tournament, it's not something different, it's the same. It's just a tournament. Just wrestle it as a tournament. Charles has been wrestling the elite wrestlers since he has been in college … and knows that he's going to be in scramble situations where you have to turn the right way. You have to do the right thing. He's just confident that he can beat anybody in the country. He's just real consistent. Tom ShiffletThroughout the whole year, he and two other guys on the team were the most consistent wrestlers. When they walked on the mat, they wrestled in positions they were good at … and they stayed out of the positions that they weren't as comfortable … and they were consistent. James Strouse was the same. They had one hiccup. We flew out to Oklahoma this year for a dual meet and both of those guys were flat. I don't know if it was the flight out there. both of them were on big winning streaks. The Oklahoma dual was like our second to last dual … and both of them just wrestled flat. Nobody wants to lose, but it may have been a good loss … just because it grounds you a little bit. But like I said, Charlie was consistent all year. He is one of the guys who comes to the wrestling room. He comes to the office and looks at his films. He works on his mistakes. He wants to be a national champ. That's a lot of it. He's self-motivated. The self-motivation and consistency will take you a long way. Lou Ruggirello finished his freshman campaign 31-9 and was named CAA Freshman of the Year. He had a tough draw at the NCAA Championships and went 0-2. Overall, how would you characterize his freshman season? Shifflet: Obviously, we were disappointed that he wasn't an All-American. It was a tough weight class. There was a lot of depth to it. Going in as a true freshman, you don't know what to expect. But certainly Louie is a confident wrestler. He is another guy who when he steps on the mat, he just wrestles. He likes it … and he just wrestles. He wrestled (Jake) Strayer earlier in the season. Strayer dominated a lot of situation where Louie was really, really good. When you take that match, and you look from the beginning in November to when March came around and we wrestled in the first round of the national tournament, we took him down and turned him. We were up 5-0 in the first period. We got taken out of the match a little bit, I think. He was a little overwhelmed with, 'Hey, I'm up 5-0.' There were some calls that we could argue, but the bottom line is that towards the end of the match, I think a little anxiety set in. He went for a headlock and headlocked him to his back … and got rolled through and pinned. It kind of sucked the life out of him. It was one of those matches where we had it, but it's a learning experience. Overall, I look at the whole year, I mean, he goes into triple overtime with a two-time national champ (Matt Valenti). He takes a guy like Adam Frey, who was ranked second or third in the country at the time, into overtime in a dual meet. And then goes into Nationals and loses a close one to him. Louie is right there. CAA champion as a freshman. Freshman of the Year in the CAA. Over 30 wins as a freshman. I mean, it's impressive. I look at the beginning of the year to the end, he made huge strides. He knew in the beginning of the year, 'Hey, we have some weaknesses. Let's work on them.' He accepted that. He was self-motivated to work on those things. By the time he got to the national tournament, he was turning a lot of heads … 'Hey, who is this kid from Hofstra? He's up 5-0 on the guy from Penn State.' He's certainly a guy coming back as a sophomore. He'll be at 133. Honestly, I think he could win the whole thing. I think that much of him. Alton Lucas scratched from the NCAA Championships. Can you shed any light on why he did not compete at the NCAA Championships? Shifflet: It was just a violation of some team rules. Do you expect him to be in your lineup this coming season? Shifflet: Yeah, he will be back with us. He was actually just over in Canada at the Canadian Cup. He wrestled real well. He made it to the finals and then hurt his shoulder, so he didn't wrestle in the finals. But he wrestled real well. He's going to be back with us next year … and probably moving up a weight class. Last season, you brought in two-time NCAA champion Joe Dubuque as an assistant coach. What has he brought to the Hofstra program? Joe DubuqueShifflet: Well, obviously when you bring a guy like him in … if you're an athlete in the wrestling room and you look at a two-time national champ, it's motivation. It's ‘Hey, I'm going to do anything Coach Dubuque wants me to do because he's been there and done it.' I think anything he says or does, these guys look up to him for. He's a leader. He was real important to all of our guys one the team to get to them to the next level, whether it was something he said, whether it was him drilling with them, or whether it was watching him watching film with them. He certainly played an important role for us and how well we were able to finish off the season. You lost Mike Patrovich to graduation, but now have his younger brother, Ryan. Where do you see Ryan Patrovich fitting into this year's team? And what kind of season do you see him having? Shifflet: Ryan is very, very talented. He actually went out to the FILA Junior. Unfortunately he got hurt and transferred back … and had a knee injury this year. Once he got it healed up after the season, he was able to go out the FILA Juniors and competed real well. He took second. So he got back and got some competition in, which was good. He's a very hard-working kid. He has a strong work ethic. He loves wrestling. Some of the things he does, you can't really teach it. I think he can have a great season. As a redshirt freshman, I certainly think he can be an All-American. He's going to wrestle at 165. I think he's going to be a guy who is going to be tough to beat. While you were coaching at UNC Greensboro, you founded the Southern Scuffle. In your opinion, where does the Southern Scuffle rank in terms of competitiveness when looking at collegiate events across the country? Shifflet: Well, I think now it's up there with any of the top tournaments they have, whether it's Las Vegas or the Midlands. I mean, for a lot of the better teams in the country, now it's just another option, which is nice. You can go to the Midlands for a couple years and then go back down to the Southern Scuffle for a couple years. And no matter where you go, you're going to find competition. That's where a lot of the best teams go. We're going to go to the Southern Scuffle this year. I'm going there not just because I started the tournament and coached there, but because there is good competition … Ohio State, Cornell, Lehigh, Minnesota, and Missouri. A lot of the top teams will go down there and compete … and that's what we're looking for. They certainly allowed me to start that up down there. It was great for UNC Greensboro. It kind of helped put them on the map a little bit. It was great for wrestling in the south to get something like this started. To have these teams come down there. .. and have all these middle school and high school wrestlers down south come and watch great wrestlers like Ben Askren, it's great. You can't put a price on it. You lost three All-Americans to graduation: James Strouse, Mike Patrovich, and Chris Weidman. Will any of those guys be sticking around and helping the program? Shifflet: Yeah, Chris Weidman is going to be our volunteer coach. And what's nice is that these other guys are always around if some guys want to get other workouts in. James Strouse lives on the island. And Mike Patrovich is on the island. And you have guys like Jon Masa. Those guys are all local guys, so it's nice. They are all there for these guys if they want to go in individually and just work out with them at some point, they can do it. Obviously, because of the NCAA restrictions, you can't have them all in the room as coaches. But in the summertime as workout partners and everything else, it's great. Although you lost three All-Americans, you return five of your NCAA qualifiers from last season, including third-place finisher Charles Griffin. What are your expectations for this year's team? Tom ShiffletShifflet: I think we have a very talented team. I think we have some young guys who are very talented, but we also have some guys who haven't proven themselves at the big tournament. We lose three All-Americans and return one, but I certainly think we have at least three other guys on our team who could place. So I certainly think we could replace the four All-Americans we had last year with the talent we have in the room. But it's guys like Alton Lucas, Mitch Smith at 149, Dave Tomasette, who lost in the All-American round … we're centered around them. They're no longer young guys. They're leaders of the team. They need to get it done at the national tournament. They're hard workers.

This week's edition of "On the Mat" will feature Wayne Baughman and Chuck Barbee. Barbee just completed his seventh year as the head wrestling coach of Army. During his tenure he has coached Phillip Simpson and Maurice Worthy to the finals of the NCAA tournament. As a wrestler, Barbee was a three-time All-American for Oklahoma State. Baughman retired as the Air Force Academy's head wrestling coach in 2006 after a 50-year career as a coach and a wrestler. As an athlete Baughman was a member of three Olympic teams and eight World teams. He also won 16 national titles in the four recognized styles of wrestling. "On the Mat" is a weekly wrestling radio program that airs every Wednesday night. This week's broadcast can be heard live from 6-7 p.m. Central Standard Time. The Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum in Waterloo, Iowa, hosts the show. "On the Mat" can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa on 1650, The Fan. Feel free to e-mail radio@wrestlingmuseum.org with questions or comments about the show.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- The University of Maryland wrestling team and head coach Pat Santoro have announced the incoming class for the 2007-08 season which has been recognized nationally by Wrestling International Newsmagazine (WIN). The publication ranked the Terrapins' recruiting class 21st in the nation. The incoming student-athletes will join a Terps team that recorded their best season in program history in 2006-07 as they went 17-5 in duals. That tied the school record for wins in a season as Maryland also won 17 in 1990. They also finished 5-0 in the ACC and clinched its first outright conference dual meet championship since 1974. Jason Kiessling, sophomore Mike Letts, and sophomore Hudson Taylor all advanced to the NCAA Championships last season which is the most wrestlers Maryland has sent since 2001. Taylor came up one win short of All-America status as he lost the eighth place match, 4-3. The following is a brief list of accomplishments of the incoming class: Rhett Beattie Rockville, Md./Sherwood HS 133 Maryland state finalist ... set the Montgomery County record for most consecutive dual meet wins with 65 ... finished his high school career with a 120-17 record at Sherwood. Matt Bogusz Allentown, Pa./Parkland HS 133/141 2007 District XI Scholar-Athlete Award winner ... 2007 District 11 Champion as well as three-time District 11 finalist ... 2007 Northeast Regional Champion and three time Regional finalist ... amassed 124 wins in his career for Parkland. Cory Biscaha Jackson, N.J./Jackson Memorial HS 141 District 21 and Region 6 Champion ... 2006 New Jersey state placer ... comes to Maryland from New Jersey's powerhouse Jackson Memorial. Owen Duffy Lutherville, Md./Loyola HS 285 2007 National Prep All-American ... capped off his career with a senior season that included 51 wins and 24 falls ... Owen's 51 victories in a season is the most in Loyola. Jake Fedechko Glassboro, N.J./Blair Academy 157 2005 FILA Cadet Freestyle All-American ... finished high school career with 96 wins competing for Dalsea High School and Woodstown High School ... regional champion ... two-time district champion ... attended prestigious Blair Academy for a year before joining Maryland. Dan Hawvermale Sandy Springs, Md./Good Counsel HS 149 Three-time MIAA Independent School state placer ... finished career with over 100 victories at Good Counsel. Kyle John Coopersburg, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic 149/157 Finished sixth at the Pennsylvania State Championships ... two-time District 11 Champion ... two-time regional champion ... accumulated 130 wins for Bethlehem Catholic. Dexter Lederer Levittown, Pa./Neshaminy HS 133 Two-time Pennsylvania state place winner ... three-time Pa. Freestyle State Champion ... two-time Pa. Greco Roman State Champion ... 2005 Cadet Freestyle All-American with a sixth place finish at the FILA Cadet Freestyle National Championships ... concluded high school career with 144 victories at Neshaminy. Brian Letters Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel HS 157/165 Finished third at the 2007 Pennsylvania State Championships ... 2006 Powerade Champion ... placed third at 2007 Ironman ... four-time WPIAL place winner ... finished high school career with 157 wins for Fox Chapel. Matt MacLean Old Tappan, N.J./Old Tappan HS 157 2007 NJ State third place finish ... two-time District 8 Champion ... finished career with 110 victories for Old Tappan. Eric Medina Blair Academy, N.J. 149/157 Three-time National Prep Champion ... Cadet Freestyle National Champion ... two-time Ironman Champion ... 2005 Beast of the East champion as well as a three-time Beast of the East place finisher ... ranked No. 1 in the country at 145 pounds by WIN Magazine and is ranked 10th-best recruit in the country, regardless of weight class, on Intermat. Will Sharbaugh Bethesda, Md./Walt Whitman HS 125 2006 Asics Junior Freestyle All-American ... won 2006 Maryland State Championship and was a three-time Maryland state placer ... finished career with 125 wins which ranks second all time in Walt Whitman history. Shawn Steets Marlton, N.J./Cherokee HS 141 Won a District 27 title for Cherokee at 140 pounds ... two-time Region I place winner ... compiled 30 wins as a senior. Pat Strizki Flemington, N.J./Flemington Hunterdon Central High School 125 2007 New Jersey State runner-up as well as a three-time New Jersey state placer ... three-time N.J. district and regional champion ... NHSCA Senior High School National All-American at 119 pounds ... ranked 10th-best recruit by Intermat among all seniors at 119 pounds.

PHILADELPHIA -- The University of Pennsylvania has announced its 2007-08 wrestling schedule. The Quakers will aim for Ivy League and EIWA championships starting with the Bear Cat Open at Binghamton on Nov. 11. The slate is highlighted by seven home events, including the annual Keystone Classic, which will take place on Nov. 18 at The Palestra. Dual meets with Virginia Tech, Maryland, North Carolina, Columbia, Cornell and Lehigh round out the home schedule. Penn will hit the road to compete against some of the nation's best teams and individuals. The Quakers will once again visit the Las Vegas Invitational on Nov. 30, then take part in the Sun Devil Duals at Arizona State on Jan. 6. After a one-year absence, Penn will return to the Virginia Duals on Jan. 11 and 12 before starting its traditional dual-meet season at Hofstra on Jan. 27. Meets at Harvard and Brown round out the dual slate. The EIWA Championships take place at Franklin & Marshall College in nearby Lancaster, Pa., on March 7-8, while NCAA Championships will be March 20-22 in St. Louis. For ticket information, click on "Tickets" at PennAthletics.com or call (215) 898-6151.

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. –- USA Wrestling, the national governing body for amateur wrestling, has named Bob Anderson of Redondo Beach, Calif. and Jason Townsend of Las Vegas, Nev. as coaches for the U.S. Grappling World Team, which will compete in Antalya, Turkey on Sept. 9. FILA, the international wrestling federation, has named Grappling (also known as submission wrestling) as an international wrestling style. This will be the first Grappling World Championships hosted by FILA, as part of the World Wrestling Games which also features Sombo, Beach Wrestling and Pankration. "We are confident that the coaching staff assembled for this historic competition will provide athletes with a wonderful opportunity to reach the podium at the World Championships," said USA Wrestling Executive Director Rich Bender. "USA Wrestling is firmly committed to this program and all disciplines of international wrestling." Anderson and Townsend both have considerable experience in coaching Grappling and wrestling, and have been instrumental in the development of USA Wrestling's new Grappling initiative. The World Team Coaches will conduct a training camp for the USA Wrestling Grappling World Team Trials champions at the NOLIMITS training center in Irvine, Calif. prior to the U.S. team's departure to Turkey. The coaches selected for the U.S. Grappling World Team were approved by USA Wrestling's ad-hoc Grappling Committee. Bob Anderson, Redondo Beach, Calif. Anderson serves as the Head Wrestling Coach for No Limits Mixed Martial Arts, teaching wrestling and Grappling to the students there. No Limits athlete Don Ortega won the USA Wrestling Grappling World Team Trials, and will represent the United States at the World Championships in Antalya. He has a long history as a successful coach within amateur wrestling and the martial arts, including mentorship of numerous champion athletes in many styles. "We will have a tough challenge at the Worlds with Brazil and other nations," said Anderson. "The USA will be up for this challenge. We will show the Grappling world that America's martial art is wrestling. I believe wholeheartedly that we have the athletes to win it." Anderson served on the coaching staff of the 1996 U.S. Olympic Greco-Roman Team which competed in Atlanta, Ga. He was also a coach on a number of U.S. World Teams. Anderson served on the coaching staff for the 2004 Greco-Roman World Cup as well as the 2002 Junior World Greco-Roman Championships. He served as a coach at the 1990 U.S. Olympic Festival, and has coached U.S. teams in Italy, Romania, Guatemala and other nations. He was the founder and director of the Junior Elite Wrestling Systems (JETS) club, which won 12 age-group national wrestling titles and developed dozens of All-Americans. Anderson is a Gold Certified Coach within USA Wrestling's National Coaches Education Program, the highest coaching achievement in the sport. Henderson coached U.S. Olympic Team Greco-Roman wrestlers Dan Henderson, Heath Sims and Jason Gleasman. Among the other top international wrestling stars he has mentored include Olympic and World champion Rulon Gardner and World Team member Randy Couture. Both Henderson and Couture have gone on to become champions in Mixed Martial Arts. Anderson served as head wrestling coach for Kaahumanu Hou Christian School in Hawaii from 1992-2000. He also served as a coach at Adams State Univ. and El Camino JC, as well as a number of high schools in California. He also has an extensive coaching career in Sombo, serving as the coach and a competitor for the 1977 Pan American Championships Sombo team, which won the team title in Mexico City, Mexico. He was also a coach with the 1979 U.S. Sombo World Team which competed in Madrid, Spain. During this time, he was a friend and mentor for the martial arts legend Hollis Gracie. Anderson is credited with developing the "Americana Arm Bar" submission hold. He also studied judo under respected coach Gene LaBelle. He was a Veterans World freestyle wrestling champion in 2003 and Veterans World Greco-Roman runner-up in 2004. He competed in freestyle, Greco-Roman and Sombo on the national levels. Anderson won national titles within the U.S. Wrestling Federation, the AAU and the YMCA programs. Anderson competed in wrestling at Adams State, where he was an All-American in the NCAA Div. I Championships and the NAIA Championships. He was the first Adams State wrestler to be a Div. I All-American. Previously, he attended El Camino JC, where he was a two-time California Junior College state champion. "I am excited to coach this U.S. team," said Anderson. "To be able to go to the first World Championships and get back into what I did as an athlete and coach in the 1970's is a great honor." Jason Townsend, Las Vegas, Nev. Townsend is a Wrestling/Grappling Coach at Xtreme Couture MMA in Las Vegas, Nev. working with Mixed Martial Arts legend Randy Couture, who was also a U.S. Greco-Roman wrestling World Team member. He serves as Head Wrestling Coach at Marc Laimon's Cobra Kai jiu-jitsu in Las Vegas, Nev. Cobra Kai jiu-jitsu placed two athletes in the finals of USA Wrestling Grappling World TeamTrials, runners-up Jeff Glover and Simpson Go. Glover will compete at the Grappling World Championships in Turkey. "I am honored to be able to represent the USA as a coach of the first-ever U.S. Grappling World Team. It will be nice to use my knowledge of the rules to develop strategies, techniques and training methods necessary to defeat our foreign competition and bring home gold medals for the United States," said Townsend. Townsend serves as a member of the FILA World Grappling Committee, the group within international wrestling which manages Grappling worldwide. Within the committee, Townsend serves as Technical Director for coaches and officials education, as well as rules oversight. He is one of the authors of the FILA Grappling Rulebook. He was the founder and President of the International Submission Wrestling Association, a Grappling organization that hosted competitions, as well as trained officials, coaches and athletes. With the ISWA, Townsend developed the rules of Grappling which have been adopted by FILA. The ISWA ceased operation after FILA and USA Wrestling adopted Grappling as a style of wrestling. Townsend has been a key individual in putting together USA Wrestling's existing Grappling program right from the start of organizational meetings this winter. Townsend served as an assistant wrestling coach at Cal-State Fullerton from 2000-2005. He was a varsity wrestler for Syracuse Univ. and Hofstra Univ. Townsend was a two-time Maryland state high school champion, and was an All-American in freestyle at the Junior Nationals and Espoir Nationals. "This is huge for the development of Grappling as a legitimate international amateur sport," said Townsend. "USA Wrestling has become a leader in the Grappling movement and a model for the implementation of this style into existing national wrestling federations around the world."

St. Cloud, Minn. -- Two-time NCAA national champion and three-time Big 10 champion Cole Konrad will be the guest clinician at the 2007 St. Cloud State University Husky Fall Wrestling Clinic, which will take place on Saturday, Oct. 27, in the Halenbeck Hall Fieldhouse. This informative all-day clinic will start with check-in between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m., and it is open to all individuals from first grade to 12th grade. The final session of the day will conclude at 3:15 p.m. The cost of the clinic is $45, and the fee includes three sessions of expert instruction, a clinic t-shirt and lunch. A special team rate of $40 per person is available for teams that register 10 or more wrestlers for the clinic. The clinic will feature Konrad as its guest clinician. As a member of the University of Minnesota wrestling team, Konrad won NCAA titles at 285-pounds in 2006 and 2007. He placed third at the 2006 World University championships at 120 kilograms and won a gold medal at the 2005 Pan-American championships. His career record at Minnesota was 154-13, and is a native of Appleton, Wis. For more information about registering for the 2007 SCSU Husky Fall Wrestling Clinic, please call SCSU wrestling coach Steve Costanzo at 320-308-2996 or e-mail him at sscostanzo@stcloudstate.edu

TEMPE, Ariz. -– Roye Oliver, a former member of the Arizona State University wrestling program and inductee into the ASU Sports Hall of Fame, was recently named TheMat.com Wrestler of the Week (July 31-August 6) after winning a gold medal at the 2007 Veterans Freestyle World Championships in Istanbul, Turkey. The three-time All-American and two-time Western Athletic Conference (WAC) individual champion won the 85kg weight class in Division D (51-55 years old), making him one of only two Americans to secure gold in the world event. Oliver won his opening bout to reach the semifinals where he defeated 10-time world champion Rahim Abofi of Iran. In the gold-medal bout, Oliver defeated Turkey's Bekir Sahinal for his world title at 187.25 pounds. During his time in Tempe, Oliver captured a pair of WAC individual titles, taking gold at 150 pounds in both 1976 and 1977 with his first crown helping the Sun Devils to just their second team conference title in program history. On the national level, Oliver placed fifth at 150 pounds in the 1976 and 1977 NCAA Championships. He captured his third national accolade by finishing eighth at 158 pounds during the 1979 season to become the program's first three-time honoree. A 1981 inductee into the ASU Sports Hall of Fame, Oliver finished his career with an 81-21-1 overall record.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -– The final spot on the 2007 U.S. World Team in freestyle wrestling will be determined Thursday afternoon. That's when Nate Gallick and Mike Zadick are scheduled to meet in a best-of-3 series at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Gallick beat Zadick in the finals of April's U.S. Nationals at 60 kg/132 lbs., but suffered a foot injury and was unable to wrestle in June's U.S. World Team Trials. Gallick (Ames, Iowa/Sunkist Kids) requested and received permission to take part in the Special Wrestle-Off at a later date because of his injury. He was permitted to do so by virtue of winning U.S. Nationals and having already clinched a berth in the finals of the U.S. World Team Trials. Weigh-ins for the Gallick-Zadick series are scheduled for 3 p.m. on Wednesday. The first match of the series is set for 12:30 p.m. on Thursday with the second match to follow at 1:30 p.m. A third match, if necessary, is scheduled for 2:15 p.m. The event will be held in the upstairs gymnasium at the Sports Center II, above the OTC wrestling room. Video of the matches will be posted on TheMat.com. The event is open to the public and admission is free. The winner of the Special Wrestle-Off will qualify for the World Championships on Sept. 17-23 in Baku, Azerbaijan. Zadick, a 2006 World silver medalist, won the U.S. World Team Trials on June 9 in Las Vegas to earn another shot at Gallick. Zadick, an assistant coach at Iowa, won a silver medal at the Pan American Games late last month in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Gallick, a past World University champion, has won the last three meetings against Zadick (Solon, Iowa/Gator WC). Gallick was an NCAA champion for Iowa State and Zadick was an NCAA All-American for Iowa. Gallick, recently hired as an assistant coach at Tennessee-Chattanooga, is trying to make his first World Team on the Senior level. The Special Wrestle-Off will take place during the U.S. World Team freestyle camp, which started Aug. 5 and is scheduled to conclude Saturday in Colorado Springs.

Former Wisconsin wrestler, Kevin Black, a River Falls, Wis. native, was named as one of two coaches for the 2007 USA Women's World Wrestling Team. Also chosen was Troy Steiner of Corvallis, Ore. The team will compete in the World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 17-23 Black, a four-year letterwinner, took third at the 2002 Big Ten Championships and fourth at the NCAA championship that same year. He then sustained an injury in 2003 and was unable to participate at the Big Ten or NCAA championships. Black has been coaching ever since. The World Team Coaches were chosen by the Women's Coach Selection Committee and approved by USA Wrestling's Executive Committee. Black has coached a number of USA Wrestling age-group women's teams overseas, and has been active as a coach and leader with women's wrestling programs in Wisconsin. He has coached on the college and high school levels, and currently operates the Victory School of Wrestling. He was a NCAA Div. I All-American at the Univ. of Wisconsin, and competed in international freestyle wrestling for a number of years. Steiner is the head assistant coach at Oregon State Univ., and has had assistant coaching positions at the Univ. of Iowa, the Univ. of Wisconsin and Oregon State. He has coached a number of U.S. women's teams overseas and was a finalist for the U.S. Olympic Team women's coaching position in 2004. Steiner was a 1992 World Cup champion in freestyle wrestling and won the 1996 Pan American Championships. He was a NCAA Div. I champion at the Univ. of Iowa, and a four-time All-American. Complete biographies of the U.S. World Team Coaches follow, as well as quotes from each of the coaches. Kevin Black, River Falls, Wis. Black has coached USA Wrestling age-group women's teams for the last two years, taking the U.S. University women's team to compete in El Salvador in 2007 and the U.S. Cadet women's team to China in 2006. He has participated as a coach in a number of Women's Team USA training camps in recent seasons. Black serves as the Women's Director for the Wisconsin Wrestling Federation. He has coached the Wisconsin Junior Nationals Women's team since 200e and has coached Wisconsin athletes at the USGWA Nationals for the last two years. Black has started a new women's wrestling club program at the Univ. of Wisconsin-River Falls. Black has coached and operated the Victory School of Wrestling in River Falls, Wis. He served as an assistant coach for the Univ. of Wisconsin from 2003-05, working with the Div. I program there. He was a wrestling coach at Lodi High School from 2005-06. He has been the Wisconsin Wrestling Federation State Coach from 2004-06, and coached the state's Cadet Freestyle National Team from 2002-06. He conducted the Black Brothers Wrestling Camps from 2000-06. Black was a NCAA Div. I All-American for the Univ. of Wisconsin, where he was a NCAA qualifier three times and served as the team captain three times. Black won four Wisconsin state titles for River Falls High School, with a 160-0 career record. He competed on the Senior level in freestyle, competing in a number of major international tournaments. Troy Steiner, Corvallis, Ore. Steiner enters his second season as an assistant wrestling coach at Oregon State Univ., where he helped head coach Jim Zalesky lead the Beavers to the Pac-10 title in their first year there. Steiner worked the two previous seasons as an assistant coach under Zalesky at the Univ. of Iowa. He also served as an assistant coach at Wisconsin from 1997-2001 and Minnesota in 1996-97 and at Oregon State under Joe Wills for the 1995-96 season. Steiner also owned and operated the ADVANCE School of Wrestling in Madison, Wis., for four years. Steiner has coached a number of U.S. teams in international competition and has participated in Women's Team USA training camps. He was selected as a finalist for the U.S. Olympic Team women's wrestling coaching position in 2004. He is the twin brother of USA Wrestling National Women's Coach Terry Steiner. Steiner was a four-time all-American at Iowa from 1990-93 and a NCAA champion in 1992. He won three Big Ten titles at Iowa, compiling a 148-13 career record at 134 and 142 pounds. He was part of three national and four Big Ten championship teams. Steiner shares Iowa's school record for best season winning percentage for the 42-0 record he compiled during his junior season. He was a top freestyle wrestler, winning gold medals at the 1992 World Cup and the 1996 Pan American Championships. He was third in the 1992 and 1996 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, and fifth in the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. A native of Bismarck, N.D., Steiner was inducted into the North Dakota Hall of Fame in 1998. QUOTES FROM THE WOMEN'S WORLD TEAM COACHES Kevin Black, River Falls, Wis. "I think this is a great opportunity. Since I have been involved in women's wrestling, I have found that I enjoy coaching women very much. Their personalities, the way women communicate, I really enjoy that side of coaching. This is the highest assignment I can have as a coach. We need people who have been around wrestling at all levels to step up for the women's program. Having coaches who stay involved and stay consistent is important to the program. We need more good wrestling people to be involved with women's wrestling. Overall, our entire team, all seven athletes, will be very competitive. The goal is to win the overall World team title in all three styles, and winning is our goal for the women's team." Troy Steiner, Corvallis, Ore. "Right now, we are looking at Japan, China and Russia as some of the teams we have to beat. There may be some things we have to change as a team. I hope to add to what Terry is doing, and help the women in any way they need. I hope to bring a different perspective to help them reach their goals. We have a good core group of athletes. They have the ability to be near the top of the world again." National Women's Coach Terry Steiner of Colorado Springs, Colo. (about Kevin Black) "Kevin brings some new energy to the team and to the program. He is very excited. Kevin is a wrestling junkie. He grew up with wrestling and loves wrestling people. He has been involved as an athlete, a coach and an administrator. He truly knows USA Wrestling, which is good for the organization. He has the right personality to coach our women. They can trust him immediately. The most important thing about Kevin as an athlete is he can find the good in every situation. He finds a way to learn from every experience and walk away with a smile. That attitude is contagious, and I think he will bring that to our program." (about Troy Steiner) "We have talked about having more team unity in the program. The comfort for me with having Troy in this position is that we will be on the same page. Having the same message and philosophy is important. Troy has a good rapport with the women. They believe in him and trust him. We need to get back on track as a team where we are respected in the world as a power. We have the same people from when we were second in the world and won the World Cup. I expect to be back to that, where we are in position to win the team title and individual titles."

Jeff Murphy and our resident nutritionist Ryan Irwin join us in the Brute Adidas studio to start the talk of the season to come. All clubs around the country, this is your time to start marketing the team, the school, the coaches. Lets get down and get to work. Our athletes deserve the best. You have an event coming up and want to get the word out? Email me and we'll do our best to get you on air asap. Svideoman@aol.com This week on TDR: Jack Childs, the venerable Head Coach of the Drexel Dragons Joins us to discuss the summer, the upcoming season and what it feels like to be the winning est coach in D1. Oh, he's also a great Guy! His program, at a very prestigious school has constantly knocked on the door of some of the best in wrestling. Rocky Bonomo, Head Coach at Lock Haven, one of the EWL teams that are on the move. Rock generally likes to let actions and results speak for him but this is one time we've lured him out of "the haven" to talk with us fans. Should be interesting as he, Coach Rogers and the Crimson and White had a tremendous year last season. TJ Sebolt, The new assist at NIACC joins us. What must the pressure been like for this young man being the the winning est wrestler in Iowa history. He joined Iowa State and decided he wanted to take off some time. We'll answer some of the questions that up till now have not been answered. Cary Kolat, this Alabaster, Alabama native, Lock Haven University/ Penn State Graduate joins us to discuss his career as one of the best free style wrestlers in the modern era. His record speaks for itself- Career Highlights -Two-Time NCAA Champion (1996-97) -Four Time NCAA All-American (1993,94,96,97) -Eastern Wrestling champion (1996-97) -PSAC Champion (1996,97) -Big Ten Champion ('93) -Big Ten Runner-Up ('92) -Career NCAA Record: 111-7 (94.1) 53 Falls (45%) -Named "Outstanding Wrestler" at the 1996-97 EWL Championships -Named Big Ten "Wrestler of the Year" 1994 2001 World Cup Silver Medalist -2000 Olympic games 9th (Sydney, Australia) -2000 Pan American Gold Medalist (Columbia) -1999 World Championships 4th (Ankara, Turkey) -1999 Cerro Pelado Champion "Outstanding Wrestler" (Cuba) -1999 Pan American Games Gold Medalist (Winnipeg, Canada) -1998, 1999, 2000 World Cup Gold Medalist -1998 World Championships Bronze Medalist (Tehran, Iran) -1998 Yasar Dogu Tournament Champion -1998 Good Will Games Gold Medalist (New York) -1997 World Championships Silver Medalist (Russia) -1995 Sunkist International Champion -1989 Cadet World Champion "Outstanding Wrestler" -2000 Olympic Team Trials Champion -2000 U.S. Open Champion -1999 World Team Trials Champion -1999 U.S Open Champion -1998 World Team Trials Champion -1997 World Team Trials Champion -1997 U.S. Open Champion -1995 University National Freestyle Champion -1989 Cadet National champion -1988 Cadet National Champion -7 Time U.S. National Team Member Ok, that's not everything but it gives you an idea of how good this guy really was and is. Carykolat.com Matt Lindland, Olympic Silver Medalist will join us for a little grappling talk, the future of wrestling as a combat sport and what he feels we can do to improve our position on the world stage. Team Quest is pleased to bring us this interview. Andrew Nostvick, Iowa MMA Report. Whats going on in MMA in our own back yard and how are wrestlers participating? Tune in and we'll find out more. Join us on America's Wrestling radio talk show as we go coast to coast, border to border and now throughout Europe on Mattv.com and Mat-Magazine.com. Don't forget we air LIVE from 9:06 AM CST to 11:00 AM CST. You can write to us at Takedownradio.com or call in the show at 1-866-333-5966. We're on the air for all of you. Let your voice be heard! Thanks for listening!

Des Moines, IA -- Takedown Radio, a ten year old radio program originating from the U.S. announced a strategic agreement today with UK based on-line publication, Mat Magazine (Martial Arts Television – magazine). Through the new agreement, Mat Magazine adds significant reporting and content regarding wrestling and combat sports in the United States. At the same time, Mat Magazines reach outside the U.S. will increase TakeDown Radio's listener base on a global scale. "We believe this is a natural progression for our publication as well as the radio program" commented Jeroen Winters, Mat Magazines founder. "The ways readers and listeners interests parallel each other are amazing. The growing popularity of mixed martial arts (MMA) in Europe and other countries has developed a strong interest in wrestling, particularly wrestling in the United States. TakeDown Radio's provocative reporting will serve to educate a willing audience." Jeroen Winters, Mat Magazines founder, added. Mat Magazine, a seven year old company, with offices in Los Angeles, London(UK) and the Netherlands, owns matchannel.com, an internet video provider. As part of the strategic agreement, all web sites owned and managed by both companies provide links to audio and video streaming, archived programming, pod casting, up to the minute news, action, and interviews. "We've anticipated the day our relationships with kindred spirits would combine with technology, allowing us to expand our message and mission on a global scale. With Mat Magazine, we've realized our goal and have gone even further to reach the people in those markets that care most" offered TakeDown Radio founder Scott Casber. " TDR has always believed the strongest, most balanced, and successful MMA competitors have a broad understanding of wrestling. We're confident our partnership with Mat Magazine will contribute to enriching the overall experience for all involved." Casber concluded. TakeDown Radio provides over 600 hours of live programming per year, including live broadcasts from major collegiate wrestling events, as well as national and international competitions. Mat Magazine provides free reporting on several combat sports including MMA, kickboxing, and Muay Thai. Matchannel.com provides video programming, including considerable archives of key competitions. Video programming on matchannel.com is available for free and at a charge. More information on TakeDown Radio can be found at http://www.takedownradio.com. More information on Mat Magazine can be found at http://www.mat-magazine.com.

GETTYSBURG, Pa. –- Director of Athletics David Wright has announced the hiring of former Messiah College wrestling standout Andrew Vogel as the 17th head wrestling coach at Gettysburg College. Vogel assumes the position vacated by Troy Dell, who was named the athletic director at Frostburg State University in May. "We are excited to have Andrew Vogel joining our staff as our new Head Wrestling Coach and look forward to many successful seasons in the years to come," said Wright. "Gettysburg College has a long tradition of success in wrestling and I believe Andrew will help our student-athletes build on that tradition." "Andrew was a highly successful wrestler at the collegiate level," he added, "and he will bring a strong work ethic and winning attitude to our program." Vogel, a 2003 graduate of Messiah, was a three-time All-American at 149 lbs., finishing as the NCAA Division III national runner-up in 2001 and earning seventh-place in 2002 and 2003. A three-time Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Champion, he posted a school-record 157 wins over his tenure with the Falcons and was named both the school's Senior Athlete of the Year and the Senior Male Sportsmanship Award recipient. "When I saw Gettysburg had an opening, I thought it would be an ideal situation to come back to central Pennsylvania and be part of the team," said Vogel. "I'm hoping to translate my experience as a wrestler and coach into building the best team possible at Gettysburg." Vogel spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois, planning practices and conditioning sessions for its NCAA Division III wrestling program. He was also involved in the recruiting process and handled administrative duties as assigned. Aside from his collegiate activities, Vogel has been active in the wrestling community for many years, including founding a website completely devoted to NCAA Division III wrestling (www.d3wrestle.com). He has served as a teacher and instructor at various wrestling camps at his undergraduate alma mater as well as the Ken Chertow Gold Medal Training Camp in Lincolnwood, Ill. An outstanding student, Vogel graduated from Messiah with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering before earning a master's in the same subject area at North Carolina State University. He was a member of Messiah's Honors Program and was tabbed a NCAA Academic All-American in each of his final three seasons at the school. In addition, Vogel was named the MAC Winter Male Scholar Athlete of the Year and received a postgraduate scholarship from the NCAA in 2003. "Not only is Andrew a great young wrestling coach, he is very bright and articulate. As a NCAA post-graduate scholarship winner, he fits well into an academically rigorous institution like Gettysburg," said Wright. The 74th season of Bullet wrestling begins on Nov. 3 at the Ithaca Invitational Tournament. Gettysburg returns 11 letterwinners from last season's 3-12-1 team that finished seventh at the conference championships, including national qualifiers and CC champions Andrew Goldstein and Matt Shank. "My hope is to influence their technique and their mind-set so their expectation of winning is at a high level," said Vogel. "I want to draw as many wrestlers from the surrounding area as possible and put them together to have a team that is able to compete for championships in the Centennial Conference and make it to the NCAA Tournament."

Oskaloosa -- One of the Oskaloosa community's favorite sons returns as Eric Reed comes to William Penn as the assistant wrestling coach. Reed, who most recently was the head coach at Central from 2004 to earlier this summer, also skippered the Wabash (Ind.) program from 2002 to 2004, guiding one All-American and as well as helping the squad finish second at the Midwest Regional Tournament in 2004, the highest team finish in 18 years. He has also been an assistant coach at both the high school and college levels. A 1994 graduate of Wisconsin-La Crosse with a degree in biology, Reed extended his education to a graduate program, also at UW-La Crosse, earning his master's in science and sport science-pedagogy in 2000. While at UW-La Crosse, Reed also succeeded on the mat, garnering All-American honors twice. He has also organized and instructed various camps through the Midwest and has competed for the Hawkeye Wrestling Club as well. Reed has extensive teaching experience over the past several years and will be asked to continue those responsibilities as well as work some security detail at the University. Reed begins work August 1.