InterMat Staff

Mason City -- Head wrestling coach Richard Fergola announced today his four team captains for their inaugural season of 2007-08. The four captains will consist of two freshman and two sophomores. The team captains are freshman Albert White (Harvey, IL), T.J. Moen (Des Moines, IA) and sophomores Jordan Graham (Mason City, IA) and Glenn Rhees (Atascedero, CA). The Trojans are preparing for their first competition in which they host the Kaye Young/NIACC Open on November 3rd. White, a freshman from Harvey, IL via Chicago-St. Rita High School was the number one rated wrestler in 2007 at 152 pounds claiming four Illinois state titles as well as a Junior Freestyle national championship in 2006. Moen, a local product out of Saydel High School in Des Moines was the No. 10 rated wrestler in the country winning two state titles and placing four times. Moen also claimed a national championship in Greco as a Cadet. Graham is originally from Mason City High School. Started out at Wartburg College in Division III, but has transferred back to his home town at NIACC. "Graham has shown great leadership skills so far this year," stated head coach Richard Fergola. Rhees started out his career at Dana College as a freshman when current NIACC wrestling coach Richard Fergola was in his first season as an assistant at Dana. Rhees was a state placer in California for Atascedero High School placing 4th and was a three-time Junior All-American. "I am very excited about these four young men leading our first team. You couldn't ask for a group of better leaders to lead our program," stated Fergola. NIACC had a rich wrestling tradition under previous head coach Kaye Young, ranking among the nation's best junior colleges from 1967 until the program was disbanded in 1976. The Trojans won the National Junior College Athletic Association national championship in 1973 and a number of wrestlers earned individual titles during NIACC's initial decade as a program.

Climb into the Wayback Machine and take a trip back in time… back to a college wrestling event in the 1920s or 30s. The sport you know and love will have some new wrinkles in its old-school form. Sitting in the stands, you'd probably find yourself blurting out immediate reactions such as, "Why are those guys dressed like professional wrestlers?" "What's with the boxing ring?" and "Did you see what that guy did to his opponent -- and he wasn't disqualified or penalized? The ref didn't even say anything!" In the more than a century of intercollegiate wrestling -- and nearly 80 years of NCAA-sanctioned competition -- the sport has undergone significant changes. Not just in the fine points of how matches were scored, but also in "big picture" aspects like what wrestlers wore into competition … the wrestling surface itself … what now-banned holds were once legal … and how wrestlers trained and got into "fighting shape." WRESTLER WEAR Uniform standards Today's one-piece singlets have been standard equipment in amateur wrestling events for over thirty years … so it's difficult for many wrestlers or fans to imagine any other type of wrestling gear. Yet, before the early 1970s, there were no singlets in high school and college wrestling … and, in fact, in much of the country, before the mid 1960s, it was common for wrestlers to compete bare-chested. In the late 1930's Stan Hansen of Oklahoma State wears wool trunks in wrestling ringIn the 1920s and 30s, most amateur wrestlers in the US wore full-length tights, often with what was called an outside supporter (also referred to as a "black Tom") worn OVER the tights. Shirts were optional. A bit later -- the mid 1930s up to World War II -- most schools replaced the outside supporter with close-fitting trunks over the tights. Some programs such as Oklahoma State and Kent State wrestled in wool trunks -- styled very much like those we associate with professional wrestling -- without tights, and without shirts. The idea of amateur wrestlers competing without shirts is very surprising to many fans too young to have seen it for themselves. There was some geography to the whole shirt-or-no-shirt thing: Schools in the eastern US usually had their wrestlers wear sleeveless jerseys, while most schools in the Midwest and west wrestled stripped to the waist. For example, if you were transported back in time to a Lehigh vs. Penn State dual, the wrestlers would be wearing shirts; however, if you found yourself in Gallagher Hall for an Oklahoma State-Oklahoma Bedlam Series dual any time from the 1920s up to the early 1960s, the Cowboys and the Sooners would most likely be shirtless. Shirts and skins There were NCAA rules governing shirts vs. skins, which can be basically boiled down to this: It was up to the host school to determine the uniform requirements, to a point. For example, if Penn State hosted a dual meet or a tournament, they could require all wrestlers to wear shirts … even teams like Iowa, Iowa State or Oklahoma State that normally wrestled shirtless. However, if Oklahoma State hosted an event, they could not require the Nittany Lions or other eastern wrestlers to strip off their jerseys. To prevent any surprises, the NCAA rules at the time dictated that home teams notify visiting teams of the shirt requirements at least ten days in advance of the event. The 1970 NCAA 142-pound finals match shows Washington's Larry Owings (left) in one-piece singlet, while Iowa State's Dan Gable wears the separate shirt and trunks uniform. Both are wearing tights.As for the sleeveless shirts … wrestlers usually didn't wear "wife-beaters" from their underwear drawer onto the mat. There were special jerseys that had long tails that extended below the waist; the front and back tails snapped together at the crotch, covered by the wrestlers' trunks and tights, to stay in place in the heat of battle. The trunks-and-tights, shirt-or-no-shirt "costume" (the word used by the NCAA in its rules until the early 1970s) prevailed in collegiate competition well into the 1960s, with minor exceptions. However, by 1966, the NCAA required a three-piece uniform for all college wrestlers: trunks, tights, and shirt … putting an official end to shirtless wrestling in collegiate dual-meet and tournament competition. Singlet sensation Ad Sand Knit 3-piece Uniform Even well into the 1960s, the one-piece singlet of today was still an unfamiliar sight on wrestling mats in high school and college gyms. In fact, according to the NCAA rules published in the 1963 edition of the Official Collegiate-Scholastic Wrestling Guide, "The one-piece uniform is illegal for interscholastic, intercollegiate and NCAA competition." However, around 1970, the one-piece singlet -- which had been in use in international competition since about the time of the 1960 Rome Olympics -- started to make its appearance in college wrestling. By the late 1970s, the tide had turned; singlets became the standard uniform. A decade or so later, tights pretty much disappeared from sight. Over the years, some schools issued some exceptions to the standard-issue uniforms. For instance, in the mid 1950s, the University of Illinois wore jerseys with side cutaways. In the late 1950s and early 60s, the Iowa Hawkeyes took to the mats sometimes wearing jerseys that revealed more of the chest and back, much like those worn in international competition at the time. More recently, some colleges have worn two-piece, body-hugging uniforms perhaps best known by the brand name DoubleSport. Headgear to footwear Protective headgear (referred to as "earguards" in current NCAA rules) is mandatory for scholastic and collegiate competition in the US … but it hasn't always been so. Headgear was a very rare sight up into the 1950s and early 60s, though it was "highly recommended" in the 1963 Wrestling Guide. Headgear started to make headway as wrestlers and their families became more concerned about cauliflower ears and other injuries. By the early 1970s, headgear became required equipment for amateur wrestlers. Shoes have undergone tremendous changes over the years, in terms of design, construction, features … and price. However, the rules have remained pretty much the same -- wrestling shoes must be light in weight, heelless in design, cover the ankles, and not have any metal eyelets or other sharp parts to potentially injure an opponent. A few years ago, NCAA rules were implemented to require shoelaces to be taped before the start of a match, to prevent potential injury from tripping on an untied shoelace, yes… but, more likely, to prevent unnecessary match delays from wrestlers hoping to catch a break -- and their breath -- with a "my shoe's untied' time-outs. WHERE TO WRESTLE Mat's all, folks! Today's foam-core mats with a bonded, non-porous cover first made their appearance about fifty years ago … and were a giant leap forward in terms of wrestler health and safety. The foam-core construction absorbed shock better than previous materials, reducing wrestler injuries … while the smooth, bonded surface helped prevent mat burns, and could be easily cleaned with disinfectant, reducing rashes and mat-borne infections that were all too common in the "good old days." Before the mid-1950s, mats usually had a canvas surface, sometimes covered with plastic or rubber, but oftentimes with a fabric such as moleskin or canton flannel which could not be easily wiped clean, and, in fact, might be washed only a couple times a year. As to what was underneath the surface … anything from horsehair to shredded newspapers to straw to wood shavings was the stuff inside mats of the past. These materials did not provide the level of shock absorption -- and safety to wrestlers -- that today's foam-filled mats do. The dimensions of the wrestling area have also changed over the years. In the 1920s and 30s, the standard mat size was 20-feet square. The NCAA rules published in the 1947 edition of The Official Wrestling Guide stated, "The area of the mat shall not be less than 20 feet by 20 feet, and a 24-foot by 24-foot mat shall be considered standard." Fifteen years later, the 1963 edition of The Official Wrestling Guide had illustrations of minimum mat sizes, including a 34-foot square mat with a 24-foot square wrestling surface marked on it, as well as a round mat with a circular wrestling area of 28 feet in diameter, with a five-foot safety zone extending beyond that. The latest rules mandate a clearly-marked circular wrestling surface of 32-42 feet in diameter, with a minimum of five feet of mat beyond the wrestling surface. The ring's the thing Walk into a wrestling meet at Oklahoma State, University of Iowa, University of Northern Iowa, Northwestern or some other colleges back in the 1920s or 30s, and, most likely, at the center of the gym you'd find a roped-off wrestling ring. At some schools -- most notably Oklahoma State -- the ring was raised up off the gym floor, much like we associate with professional wrestling or boxing events today. Wrestling ring at the University of Northern Iowa (Called Iowa State Teachers College at the time)The wrestling area inside the ring was the same as on the open mats of other colleges -- 20 feet square, with an apron at the edge of the mat. Rules dictated that there be no less than three parallel ropes on each side of the ring, and that the ring posts be padded and set back from the edge of the corners. Unlike professional wrestling, the ropes could not be used in any way during the match; a wrestler could not gain leverage from the ropes, "rebound" off them, or duck through them to take a break. According to Cowboys Ride Again! -- Bob and Doris Dellinger's book on the history Oklahoma State's wrestling program -- ropes and rings became illegal in 1942, the last full season of college wrestling before a three-year hiatus for World War II. In the 1947 Official Wrestling Guide, in the rules section titled "Mats, Ropes and Costumes" it states in large, bold type: "Ropes and Raised Platforms are Illegal." HISTORY OF WRESTLING RULES 101 To chart every rule change that has occurred over the three-quarters century of NCAA competition would require a book. This presentation is intended merely to show the major highlights (and lowlights) of rule changes affecting scoring of individual matches over the years … and provide some perspective on how things were done in the past compared to today. How to win a match In the early days of NCAA-sanctioned competition, there was no point scoring system like we have today. The outcome of a match was determined one of two ways: by a pin, or by what was called time advantage. Each wrestler had a timekeeper assigned to him to record the length of time that particular wrestler was in control -- akin to today's riding time. The wrestler who had accumulated the most time was awarded the match, reported in results as "Smith 1:10 time advantage over Jones." In 1938, the "time advantage" scoring method to determine a winner was thrown out; outcomes of all matches that did not end in a fall were now in the hands of the officials -- a "referee's decision." This potentially partisan way didn't last too long; by 1941, a point system was introduced for the first time, with a takedown or reversal each worth two points, one point for an escape, and four points for a near fall. A wrestler scored one point for each minute of time advantage, up to two points. (The following season, the near-fall lost half its value, becoming worth two points.) For a time in the early 1960s, takedowns lost some of their value … perhaps in response to Oklahoma State's "take 'em down and let 'em up" aggressive takedown scoring style that helped make the Cowboys the dominant college program in the late 1950s and early 60s. According to the rules installed in 1962, the first takedown in a match was still worth two points, but each subsequent one was worth only one point. By 1966, every takedown was restored to its full two-point value. Even the rules regarding falls have been fiddled with over the years. Until 1931, to score a fall, the opponent's shoulders had to be on the mat for three full seconds. From 1931 to 1964, it took two seconds to score a pin. Now it's just one second. How do you untie a tie score? Once a point system was in place, it was inevitable that matches would end with a tie score. Over the years, there have been various ways to settle a tie. One of the most surprising attempts to solve tied matches arrived in 1949: Overtime periods were abandoned in favor of having the referee determine the winner in a match that ended in regulation knotted up. The "referee decision" rule lasted well into the 1950s; for the 1957 NCAAs, overtime was reinstated, with two two-minute periods, each wrestler starting one period on top. Nearly two decades later (1976), the rules regarding overtime changed again, with a list of criteria being used to determine the winner of match that was still tied even after overtime. That wasn't the end of the overtime dilemma. In 1991, sudden-death overtime was introduced for tournaments, with one two-minute overtime period. The first wrestler to score won the match; if no one scored, the winner was determined in an additional 30-second ride-out period. This procedure was tweaked in 2001 to reduce the overtime period to one minute. In 2004, the present system for handling tie bouts was introduced (and the phrase "sudden death" was killed): first wrestler to score in sudden-victory overtime won the match. If no points were scored, then there were two 30-second periods with each wrestler taking top once. Still tied up? Repeat the overtime sequence, starting with the one-minute sudden-victory period. Match length As you sit in the stands having been transported to that old-school college dual, hope you brought a cushion: In the 1920s and through most of the 1930s, each individual college wrestling bout lasted ten minutes, with two three-minute overtime periods if no winner was determined in regulation. If no takedowns were scored in the first two minutes, the ten-minute match was wrestled non-stop; if there was a takedown, the time remaining after the initial two minutes would be divided into two four-minute periods, with each man having the opportunity to start the period in the top position. In 1938, matches were shortened to nine minutes, with three three-minute periods. In 1967, bout length went down to eight minutes, with the first period being two minutes, followed by two three-minute periods. Today's seven-minute matches debuted in 1982. That year, matches got one minute shorter, with the first period lasting three minutes, followed by two two-minute periods. Weight-y matters At the very first NCAA championships in 1928, there were seven weight classes: 115, 125, 135, 145, 158. 175, and unlimited (heavyweight). The following year, a new weight class was added -- 165 -- and 158 became 155, for a total of eight weights. For the 1932, 1936 and 1948 NCAAs, Olympic weight classes were used; the years immediately after those Olympic qualifier/college championship events, the NCAA reverted back to the pre-Olympic weight classes. Chris TaylorThe weight-class situation remained pretty much the same from the late 1930s through the 1960s, with some additions and adjustments along the way. In 1970, ten weight classes became the norm for the NCAAs and all college duals. The ten weight classes currently in use in college -- 125, 133, 141, 149, 157, 165, 177, 184, 197, and 285 -- were implemented in 1999. In 1987, one huge change was made: After 50 years, the "unlimited" weight class was limited to wrestlers 275 lbs and under. (The top weight limit has since been raised to 285.). If this rule had always been in place before 1987, at least four NCAA heavyweight champs would have been to too hefty to compete. Ohio State's George Bollas (1946), Iowa State's Chris Taylor (1971-72), Oklahoma State's Jimmy Jackson (1976-78), and North Carolina State's Tab Thacker (1984) each tipped the scales at more than 300 pounds. If it's "dangerous", ban it! Wrestling has always been a rugged, demanding sport … but today's fans might be surprised to see just how tough it was in the past, with legal use of some submission-style holds and punishing moves. Over the years, the rules have been modified to ban some dangerous holds or moves, all with an eye to making the sport safer and reduce the potential for broken bones and other serious injuries. In the early 1930s, two-time NCAA heavyweight champ Jack Riley of the Northwestern Wildcats ruled the mats with his double wristlock. This painful hold -- also known as the keylock or hammerlock -- used leverage to force opponents onto their backs for the pin, or got them to submit in agony. Not long after Riley graduated, rules were implemented to prevent forcing the opponent's arm above a right angle to his back, or twisting his arm away from his body. Another rule that's often tied to a specific wrestler is what some call the "Koll rule." Bill Koll, a three-time NCAA middleweight champ for Iowa State Teachers College (now University of Northern Iowa) was a tough wrestler known for lifting opponents up over his head and slamming them to the mat. On one occasion, one of Koll's opponents was knocked out cold, according to college teammate Bob Siddens, a long-time referee and high school coach (now retired). Both Siddens and Koll have said that the present-day rule requiring a wrestler to go down to one knee before bringing an opponent held over the shoulder or above the head to the mat was implemented after Koll's last NCAA appearance in 1948, where he body-slammed a number of opponents. (To read more about Bill Koll and his son Rob, head coach at Cornell University, Click Here.) OTHER OLD-SCHOOL SURPRISES Put down those weights! College wrestlers have always been among the best-built, best-conditioned athletes of any sport. However, up until about 35-40 years ago, the weight room was NOT part of most college mat men's workouts. Generally, most college and high school wrestling coaches believed that weightlifting -- or even working out with light weights -- would make their wrestlers "muscle-bound." In addition to wrestling drill sessions and practice matches, most wrestling workouts included activities such as calisthenics, running, stair climbing, rope climbing, and pull-ups/chin-ups. Myron RoderickAccording to legendary Oklahoma State wrestler and coach Myron Roderick, quoted in the book Cowboys Ride Again!, attitudes about weight training started to change in the mid-1950s. "The 1956 Olympic team -- mainly divers and track and field -- were the first to really get into weightlifting. Wrestlers didn't do any of it." "We started a little bit when I was coaching, probably '58 or '59. Went through a phase of all kinds of things, isometrics, free weights. Then the machines came in. The philosophy when I was wrestling that if you lifted weights, you'd be muscle-bound, couldn't move." "During my time, a lot more kids came off farms," Roderick continued. "They'd worked and were naturally stronger than a lot of kids today. I never did weights, but I threw a lot of bales. It's just a different form of exercise." Tommy Chesbro, who wrestled for Roderick at Oklahoma State in the late 1950s and then became head coach of the Cowboys after Roderick retired, told Cowboys Ride Again! "The machines and weights… it must have been the mid-70s before we saw them." Joe JamesTo provide further perspective, two other Cowboys of coach Roderick's era weighed in with comments regarding their weight-less workout routines. In a 2007 interview for RevWrestling.com, Oklahoma State All-American -- and 1960 Olympic gold medallist -- Shelby Wilson said, "I lived on the chinning bar … During the summer in high school I did 200 chin-ups each day on my mom's clothesline pole. My arms would never tire out during a match." (To read the Shelby Wilson profile, click here.) According to Cowboys Ride Again!, 1964 NCAA heavyweight champ -- and physical specimen -- Joe James was interviewed by ABC-TV after winning his title. When asked if he lifted weights to get his impressive physique, the Chicago native said, "I just do push-ups and one-hand chin-ups." Asked how many, James replied, "Just 50-100 to get loosened up." On-the-job workouts These days, most top-shelf amateur wrestlers compete pretty much year-around in their sport. When it's not wrestling season at their school, they're competing in freestyle or Greco-Roman events, or independent folkstyle tournaments. However, 30+ years ago, most wrestlers competed only during the "traditional" season, and were free to participate in other activities in the off-season. For some, this meant competing in other sports, such as football or baseball, which provided all-year conditioning. For others, when not on the mats, they were on the job. For instance, Stanley Henson, a three-time NCAA middleweight champ for Oklahoma State in the late 1930s, worked summers building oil derricks. "It was very difficult work… Putting this steel together, up high, walking on scaffolds with all the steel you could carry," Henson is quoted in Mike Chapman's 2007 book Legends of the Mat. "This, I think, gave me the strength, which was much more than people thought I had." 1960 Olympic gold medallist and two-time NCAA champ for the University of Iowa, Terry McCann, worked in at an oil refinery. (Click Here to learn more about Terry McCann and his brother Fran.) Oklahoma State's 191-pound NCAA champ in 1965, Jack Brisco, held a variety of demanding summer jobs, once working in a mine. Countless others who lived on farms built up muscle and strength by hoisting hay bales and feed sacks, herding cattle, and doing other demanding chores. Shake hands and … do-si-do? Today's mat aficionados taking in college wrestling event of 50+ years ago would be taken aback by the ritual at the beginning of each match. The two wrestlers stood at opposite sides of the mat, with the referee standing in the middle. The ref signaled to the scorers' table to make sure they were ready, then directed the wrestlers to shake hands, pass by each other to the other side of the mat (in what almost looked like a something from a square dance), then turn around to face each other, and be ready to wrestle when he blew his whistle. Now, in today's hurry-up world, "shake hands and wrestle" is the rule, with no square dance moves before coming to grips. Calm conclusions Modern-day fans traveling back in time to an old-time college wrestling event would probably find the level of combat intensity during each match to be pretty much like they enjoy today. But they might be thrown by the high level of sportsmanship usually on display at the end of each match. The reactions of the winners tended to be much more muted. No fists raised defiantly into the air. No double-bicep poses. No gymnastic back-flips. Instead, there were genuine handshakes between the wrestlers, and sometimes, warm embraces. Wrestlers who had been pinned were helped to their corner by the winner. While during the match it might have been all-out war, the end of the bout seemed to be a "kinder, gentler" time. Hope you enjoyed this trip back in time to see an "old-school" college wrestling event. You might not want to wrestle a ten-minute match… or trade in your high-tech fabric singlet for wool trunks … or say goodbye to wrestling on Resilite mats. However, you now have a sense of college wrestling as it once was … and, hopefully, have gained a new appreciation for generations of wrestlers who wrestled this way every day. Now that wrestling season is about to start again, this is our last InterMat Rewind feature for a while. We hope you've enjoyed this look back at the sport as it once was and the legends who have contributed so much to its history. Watch for more InterMat Rewind "old-school" articles from time-to-time.

America's Wrestling Radio Talk Show is heard around the world. From our Brute Adidas Studios, TDR is 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 week. TDR is available LIVE, Archived and Pod Cast as well. Check out Takedownradio.com for more details This week we take our mobile Brute Adidas Studios out on the road to West Des Moines, Iowa. Billy Joe's Pitcher Show, a long time sponsor of TDR and promoter of wrestling is hosting their annual Chili Cook-off and is celebrating their 20th Anniversary of raising money for the Variety Club with this event. Our guests on air include: 9:05 Chris Ayers- Princeton Head Coach recently announced the hiring of a new assistant coach. Andy Lausier, the head wrestling coach at Stevens Institute of Technology for the past four seasons and a former All-America at Lycoming College, has been named an assistant wrestling coach at Princeton University. Lausier replaces Troy Letters, who left Princeton to pursue a career in commercial real estate. We'll also take a look at the season to come and his roster. 9:20 Jack Childs- Long Time Drexel Dragons Head Coach is also The winningest Coach in D1. Childs recently named Nate Wachter as assistant coach. Wachter served under Childs as a graduate assistant and part-time assistant the past four seasons. Drexel's Ryan Hluschak was announced as the recipient of the Colonial Athletic Association's Scholar-Athlete Award in wrestling. Hluschak, a junior, compiled a 33-10 record at 157-pounds last season and became the second Drexel wrestler to earn All-America status after placing eighth at the NCAA Championships. He is a business administration major. 9:40 Dave Malacek- University of Wisconsin at La Cross. Coach Malecek completed his first season as UW-La Crosse's head wrestling coach in 2006-07. He led the Eagles to a third-place finish at the 2007 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Championships and was named the NCAA Rookie Coach of the Year. Malecek also guided UW-L to its 10th straight Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) title in 2007 and was selected the Mertz Mortorelli WIAC Coach of the Year. The Eagles finished 13-1 in duals in 2006-07. Malecek served as the head assistant coach at Wartburg College (Iowa) since 2000, helping lead the Knights to three NCAA Division III Championships (2003, 2004, 2006). He was selected the NCAA Division III Assistant Coach of the Year in 2006. Wartburg also won Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) titles every season since his arrival on campus. 10:05 Koy Kosek- Former Heavy Weight for Wisconsin, Koy now publishes "2007-08 Wisconsin Wrestling Digest" and is available on wiwrestling.com and wrestlingadvantage.com. It will hopefully become available on amazon.com as well, while supplies last. We'll discuss the essence of the best part of the wrestling mind set. 10:20 Frank Popolizio- is The founder of Journeymen Wrestling in America's Great NE. Let's discuss the Journeymen/ Brute Northeast Duals (Nov. 24th) and how it has come to be so important to the wrestling fabric of the country. A side note- Frank has been a driving force for wrestling. Brute's John Purnell calls Popolizio "One of the greatest Volunteer leaders on the American Wrestling Scene. All he does is for the love of the sport". 10:40 Pat Smith- this 4 NCAA Champion for Oklahoma State Cowboys. Pat is committed to the advancement of Arkansas HS Wrestling and has along with Greg Hatcher has Arkansas Wrestling headed in the right direction. Recently they announced the formation of around 50 HS programs. Unbelievable! Arkansas has no idea how lucky they are to have Hatcher and Smith. Join us for this special broadcast from 9 to 11 AM at Takedownradio.com, KXNO.com, Matchannel.com, Mat-magazine.com. Wrestlers and MMA competitors join us each and every week. You should too! TDR is available LIVE, Archived and Pod Cast as well. Check out Takedownradio.com for more details. Thanks for listening!

125 pounds Redshirt freshman Akif Eren looks to take over the 125-pound duties this year, with several first-years to push him. Throwing their names into the mix will be Matt Fields, George Petrov and Bill Putman. Fields was the 2007 Indiana State Champion, while Putman was an Illinois state qualifier and Petrov was named his team MVP as a senior. 133 pounds Senior captain Sean Schmaltz headlines the 133-pound class after a 14-18 campaign in 2006-07. Schmaltz saw several successes last year including a fourth-place showing at the Reno Tournament of Champions and his first collegiate Big Ten win. Redshirt freshman Matt Hemry will push Schmaltz all year and look to gain some experience of his own. 141 pounds With the 141-pound class vacated by graduating senior Jason Cook and sophomore Nick Bertucci, sophomore Matt Redmond and freshman Kevin Lipp will enter a heated battle for the starting job. Redmond posted a stellar season at 149 pounds last year, including a sixth-place finish at the Midlands Championships, while Lipp was a two-time Ohio state high school champion with over 150 wins to his credit. 149 pounds The 149-pound class is loaded with talent as junior captains Jake Patacsil and Mark Powell vie for the starting job. Patacsil has earned a preseason No. 9 ranking after a breakout sophomore campaign, placing in three tournaments, winning the Reno Tournament of Champions, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament and shattering the Purdue single-season record with an astounding 190 back points. Powell was no slouch, racking up a 17-5 record before concluding his season with injuries. Redshirt freshman Jordan Nettuno adds even more depth as he plans to push the pair. 157 pounds The Boilermakers' deepest weight class, the 157-pound group includes a pair of NCAA qualifiers, three former starters and the 2006 Midwest Open champion. Junior Jake Murphy hopes to defend his starting job and preseason No. 18 ranking as he posted a 3-4 Big Ten Dual record, placed seventh at the Big Ten Tournament last year and earned his first trip to the NCAA Tournament. Standing in his way is former starter and national qualifier Colton Salazar, who returns to the Boilers after a two-year hiatus on his mission, and sophomore Nick Bertucci, who jumps up to 157 pounds after starting for most of last season at 141 pounds. Bolstering the ranks are junior Nick Spohn, who took home the Midwest Open crown last year, sophomore Sam Patacsil and redshirt freshman Kevin Clem. 165 pounds Sophomore Justin Fraga brings a lot of promise to the Boilers' 165-pound class after finishing among the team leaders in most categories last year and entering this season ranked 17th in the country. He won 27 matches, including five in conference play, en route to a fourth-place finish at the Big Ten Championships and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. Fraga led the Boilers with 82 takedowns in his rookie campaign and notched the sixth-highest single-season reversal total in school history. Challenging him for mat time will be redshirt freshman Luke Manuel, who was the 2006 California State runner-up and a high school-All-American. 174 pounds Junior Nick Corpe looks to bounce back from an injury in 2006-07 to climb the 174-pound rankings this winter. In just 19 matches last season, he posted a 13-6 record with 38 takedowns. Corpe placed third in the season-opening Eastern Michigan Open last year, and notched a perfect 3-0 mark at the inaugural ACC/Big Ten Clash. With a healthy 2007-08 campaign ahead, Corpe has his sights set on a high level of performance at the Big Ten and NCAA Championships. 184 pounds Sophomore David Pisarcik holds the Boilermakers' 184-pound hopes after a solid freshman campaign at 197 and 285 pounds. He posted a 50-1 record as a senior at Mars High School, with his only loss coming in the Pennsylvania state championship match, and then filled in as the Purdue heavyweight for the second half of last year. 197 pounds Redshirt freshman Logan Brown is ready to unleash himself on the collegiate wrestling scene this winter after sitting out his first year at Purdue. Brown was the 2006 Ohio state high school champion and received National Top-12 honors after his final year at Covington High School. He now looks to continue that success representing the Old Gold and Black. 285 pounds Sophomore Chris Kasten enters the 2007-08 season with a preseason No. 18 ranking after a 16-6 campaign last year. Kasten placed fifth at the Eastern Michigan Open, and was one match shy of reaching the podium at the Midlands Championships. Pushing him on a daily basis will be redshirt freshman Roger Vukabratovich, who has made great strides in his inaugural year in the Purdue program. Schedule The Boilermakers hope to return to the Top-25 ranks in the 2007-08 year, but will have a daunting schedule in their path. The year opens with yet another trip to the Eastern Michigan open, followed with a return to the second-annual ACC/Big Ten Clash. After a one-year hiatus, Purdue returns to the Las Vegas desert for the annual Cliff Keen Invitational to face some of the nation's top competition. The Boilermakers also return to the Wendy's Duals at Ashland University in Ohio, while dual matches against Mount St. Josephs, Rider University, Drexel University and the Air Force Academy round out their non-conference schedule. The Big Ten schedule is as tough as ever, with nine of the top-15 preseason ranked programs in the nation in the conference. Defending NCAA Champions Minnesota headline the list of Purdue opponents with a No. 1 ranking, followed by third-ranked Michigan, No. 4 Ohio State, No. 7 Northwestern, 12th-ranked Penn State, No. 13 Indiana and No. 14 Illinois. The Boilermakers have the pleasure of hosting the Buckeyes, Hoosiers, Gophers and Wildcats within the conference slate, but will have to travel to Ann Arbor, East Lansing, State College and Champaign. The Big Ten will gather for its annual tournament March 8-9, in Minneapolis, with the season culminating at the NCAA Championships two weeks later in St. Louis, Mo.

VESTAL, N.Y. -- Binghamton University wrestling coach Pat Popolizio has bolstered his staff with the addition of former Sacred Heart coach Andy Seras. Seras, who will serve as a volunteer assistant, is a former undefeated NCAA champion with a resume that includes Olympic and World Championship distinction. He comes directly from Sacred Heart University, where he served as head coach of the Pioneers for the past five seasons. His 2006-07 squad plcaed fifth in the Colonial Athletic Association, crowned on All-American and placed 40th in the nation. Under his leadership, Sacred Heart finished among the top half of the CAA all five years and was completing a steady climb toward the top 25 teams in the nation. "Andy is a world class athlete and coach who will help our program get to the next level," Popolizio said. "His experiences of wrestling in the Olympics, coaching in the Olympics, as well as leading Sacred Heart to their first NCAA Division I All-American last year will be a valuable asset in our wrestling room." In college, Seras compiled an undefeated dual meet career (64-0-2) at University at Albany. He was a four-time conference champion, four-time All-American and won the 1985 NCAA Division III National Championship. He is a distinguished member of both the NWCA Division III and Albany Halls of Fame. Last September, Seras coached the US Greco-Roman Team at the 2006 FILA World Championship in Guangzhou, China. The team equaled its best ever performance, finishing third out of seventy countries. Team USA secured three medals, including a Gold Medal from Joe Warren at 60 KGS and Bronze Medals from Lindsey Durlacher (55 KG) and Harry Lester (66 KG). In 2004, he coached the US Olympic Greco Roman Wrestling Team and in 2005 US Junior World Team (19-20 years). He previously served as the US World Team Head Coach at the World Championship in 2001 and 2002, as well as leading the 2001 and 2003 World Cup Teams for Team USA. Seras has received many National awards in his coaching career. In 2004, he was given the "Bob Bubb Coaching Excellence Award" presented "in recognition of outstanding accomplishments as a college coach who epitomizes the qualities and characteristics of a role model and mentor for developing young student athletes." He was awarded USA Wrestling's "Greco Roman Coach of the Year" in 2001 and 2004, as well as, the US Olympic Committee's "National Wrestling Coach of the Year" in 2002. The 43-year-old Seras has been involved in the sport for 35 years as an athlete and coach. He worked as an assistant coach at Albany from 1985-96 and at Sacred Heart from 1999-2002 before taking over as head coach. As an athlete Seras compiled an impressive resume, earning a spot on the 1988 US Olympic Team which competed in Seoul, Korea, placing ninth. Seras earned the No. 1 ranking in the country for six of seven years from 1988 through 1994. He competed in the World Championships five times, placing sixth in 1991, ninth in 1989 and 10th in 1994. He also won Gold Medals at the 1994 World Cup, 1990 Pan American Championships and 1991 Pan American Games. A five-time National Open Champion, Seras reached the finals of the nationals for 12 consecutive years. A native of Niskayuna, N.Y., Seras is married to Karen and has two daughters Jackie and Morgan.

This week's edition of "On the Mat" will feature Dennis Hastert and Kerry McCoy. Hastert has been a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives since 1987, representing Illinois's 14th congressional district, and served as Speaker of the House from 1999 to 2007. He is the longest serviving Republican Speaker in the history of Congress. Prior to his tenure in Congress, Hastert coached wrestling at Yorkville High School in Illinois. He led his team to a state wrestling title in 1976. Hastert wrestled for Wheaton College in Illinois during the 1960s. He was also the recipient of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame's Order of Merit Award in 1995 and the Ouststanding American Award in 2000. Hastert – who will be retiring from Congress at the end of this term – has been a leader in the fight against the ill effects of Title IX. McCoy wrestled at Penn State University from 1993-97. During his college career he compiled a 150-18 and was a two-time NCAA champion. Internationally, McCoy was a two-time Olympian, a World silver medalist, and a four-time World Cup champion. McCoy is the current head wrestling coach at Standford University and was a co-head coach for the United States's freestyle World Championship team that competed in Baku, Azerbaijan. "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.

TEMPE, Ariz. –- The Arizona State University wrestling team will conduct a coaches and wrestlers clinic inside the Riches Wrestling Complex on the ASU campus Saturday, November 3, Head Coach Thom Ortiz announced Monday. The two-hour session inside the Sun Devils' training center will be followed by wrestle-offs to determine the starting 10 for the 2007-08 ASU season. The clinic, which will cost $20, will start at 9 a.m. and will feature instruction from Ortiz, a three-time All-American and three-time Pac-10 Coach of the Year and his assistant coaches, Eric Larkin, a four-time All-American and 2004 NCAA Champion, and Brian Stith, a two-time All-American and 2006 NCAA runner-up. All three instructors are former Sun Devil student-athletes. Following the clinic, participants as well as fans are invited to attend the team's annual wrestle-offs. Free of charge, the wrestle-offs will begin at 11 a.m. More information on the bouts and the designated teams will be available later this week.

The Wisconsin wrestling team will host an open practice session this Saturday, Oct. 13 for the public and media. The practice begins at 2 p.m. inside the UW Field House and should last until 3 p.m. Any media interested in attending the session, please contact Betsy Golomski at 414-688-0264 or bgolomski@athletics.wisc.edu.

IOWA CITY, IA -- The University of Iowa wrestling team will hold open practice Saturday at 8 a.m. at the Dan Gable Wrestling Complex in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Fans are welcome to stop by and get a sneak peak at the 2007-08 Hawkeyes. The Hawkeyes will also hold their annual coaches clinic October 26-27 at the Dan Gable Wrestling Complex. Registration will be held from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Friday, October 26 outside the wrestling room. The clinic fee will be $45 per coach and will run from 6:30-9 p.m. Friday. The Hawkeyes will hold a team practice Saturday in the practice room. The practice time is dependent on the start time of the Iowa vs. Michigan State football game. The first 100 coaches to register will be given free admission to the football game. Clinic speakers will be Bucknell University Assistant Coach Dave Hoffman and former Hawkeye wrestler John Oostendorp, who is the head wrestling coach at Coe College in Cedar Rapids. For more information, contact the Iowa wrestling office at 319/335-9405. Iowa opens the 2007-08 college wrestling season November 10 at the Harold Nichols Open in Ames.

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 Pod Cast as well. Check out Takedownradio.com for more details This week we take our Mobile Brute Adidas Studios out on the road to the University of Northern Iowa. Our guests will include Panther Head Coach Brad Penrith, Coaches Randy Pugh, Jose DeAnda, Tolly Thompson. We also expect visits from some of the programs past wrestlers who will be back for Homecoming. The University of Northern Iowa wrestling team is ranked No. 30 in the nation in The Wrestling Report's preseason rankings. Four individual Panther wrestlers are also ranked in their respective weight classes. Junior Moza Fay (Anamosa, Iowa) is the highest-ranked Panther in TWR's preseason poll. Fay is ranked No. 6 at 165 pounds after posting a mark of 35-10 last season at 157 pounds. Fay was a national qualifier at 157 pounds at the 2007 NCAA Championships. Senior C.J. Ettelson (Hudson, Iowa) is ranked No. 12 at 141 pounds. Ettelson is a three-time national qualifier (2005, 2006 and 2007). Ettelson has tallied a career mark of 80-37 entering his final season with the Panthers. Senior Alex Dolly (Mishawaka, Ind.) is ranked No. 22 at 174 pounds. Dolly is a two-time national qualifier (2005 and 2007) and is coming off a 21-18 season in 2006-07. Junior Andrew Anderson (Sioux City, Iowa) is ranked No. 26 at 197 pounds. Anderson is a two-time national qualifer (2006 and 2007). Anderson posted a 25-18 mark as a sophomore. Join us for this special broadcast from 9 to 11 AM at Takedownradio.com, KXNO.com, Matchannel.com, Mat-magazine.com. Wrestlers and MMA competitors join us each and every week. You should too! TDR is available LIVE, Archived and Pod Cast as well. Check out Takedownradio.com for more details. Thanks for listening!

In March, legendary college wrestling coach Jeff Swenson retired as the head coach at Augsburg College after 25 seasons (1980-84, 1986-2007). Swenson, who now servers as Augsburg's Athletic Director, built the program into a national small-college wrestling powerhouse. During Swenson's coaching tenure, the Auggies won a record-10 NCAA Division III national titles and produced a career dual-meet record of 321-44 (.879 winning percentage). Sam BarberHis successor: Sam Barber, a former standout wrestler and head coach at Upper Iowa University, who has spent the past six years as Augsburg's assistant coach and associate head coach. RevWrestling.com recently caught up with the new Augsburg head coach, and asked him if he feels any pressure to carry on the storied tradition at Augsburg, his thoughts on the upcoming season, what teams he expects to challenge in Division III this season, his views on MMA, the current state of wrestling in Minnesota, and much, much more. You are replacing a coaching legend, Jeff Swenson, as Augsburg's eighth head wrestling coach. How much pressure do you feel to carry on the storied tradition of the Augsburg wrestling program? Barber: Not too much, Andrew. Actually, no one's expectations for this program are higher than my own. The alumni, the state, the fans, the state of Minnesota, I don't feel any pressure from those people to do well. I want it for my own expectations for this program and what I expect to do as a coach. It's not a situation where I feel a lot of pressure quite honestly. Alan Rice's generous donation to the Augsburg wrestling program has allowed for a new wrestling room to be built, which opened in January. What has it been like working in the new wrestling room? Barber: It's real nice. It's full of full-size mats. It's 7,000 square feet of wrestling mat. We have cardio machines in there and an area for people to come in and watch practice. We have three scoreboards. It's just a great room. It's a great facility. The real benefit has been that the entire state of Minnesota has benefited from the room. It's not only our program that trains in here, but it's also the regional training site for the metro area and the Storm. So Greco and freestyle train here on Mondays and Wednesdays in the spring. And they average about a hundred athletes per training session. And Pinnacle Wrestling is here as well, with their youth program, and their high school program, and they average between 60 and 80 wrestlers. So there's stuff going on in the room all the time and it benefits a lot of different people. Obviously, it benefits our program, but there's wrestling-related stuff going on in the room every day of the week, all year round, 12 months of the year. It has really been a good benefit and it has gotten used by a lot of people, the entire wrestling community. Aside from the coaching changes and the new wrestling room, will there be any other significant changes in the program? Jeff SwensonBarber: No, I've been part of this program going on my seventh year now. The foundation that Jeff (Swenson) has laid … we have a three-pronged philosophy, followed by a four-pronged value system, and that stuff has been in place back since John Grygelko's day. We're going to stick to that. With the pursuit of excellence, one-percent improvement per day, and then focus on the things within your control … those things being the three-pronged philosophy of the program. The values are faith and family first, academics second, social behavior third, and then wrestling fourth. With those things already in place, and the things that I believe in for this program, we're going to continue to run the program based on those principles. On the wrestling side of it, I think that we have a great system here at Augsburg. We're technically sound. We attack and score points. And we're focused in the top position. We're going to work hard on the recruiting trail to make sure that we have the best athletes in our program and make sure that everyone has the opportunity to wrestle a great schedule. You return six of your nine All-Americans from last season. Will anything less than a national title be considered a disappointing season? Barber: We don't talk about winning a national title much. We always talk about when the season starts we'll get ready for the Auggie Open. Then we'll get ready for the Dragon Open. Then we'll get ready for the Augustana dual. We don't look ahead very much. We just take it one day at a time, one run, one lift, one practice at a time, getting one percent better every day. We do those things and hope that we'll have an opportunity to contend for a national title in March, but the focus really isn't on the end, but on the journey. What schools do you expect to challenge for the national title? Barber: I think that there are a lot of good schools out there in Division III. There are some great coaches in Division III too. Wartburg is tough every year. La Crosse has a great program. Luther is tough. Those three schools, along with Augsburg, have been in the top four the last few years. But there are a lot of other schools that are good. Buena Vista, where Mark Schwab is coaching, is tough. There are some schools out East that are tough too. What are some highlights on your schedule this season? Barber: I'm excited about the Auggie Open. There are now nine mats, rather than six mats, with the new wrestling room. The day after the Auggie Open, we're having a youth tournament. We're excited about that. We have Augustana at home on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. The Nationals Duals, Nebraska-Omaha, La Crosse, Wartburg, Great Lakes Regional. We have a great schedule. Are you still involved with Minnesota/USA Wrestling? And if so, what is your role? Barber: Yeah, I'm the FILA Junior and University Director. And I'm the head Junior freestyle coach. So I coach the Junior Duals team and the Junior Nationals team in Fargo. Marcus LeVesseur (Photo/The Guillotine)Last season, Marcus LeVesseur finished his collegiate career with a perfect 155-0 record and won four NCAA titles. Will he have any involvement with the Augsburg wrestling program? Barber: Not at this point. He's pursuing own interests and fighting MMA, while finishing his degree. He's pretty busy with that stuff and has a travel schedule. Do you expect Marcus to ever wrestle competitively again? Or do you see him focusing strictly on mixed martial arts (MMA)? Barber: You'll have to ask Marcus that question. On the topic of MMA, another former Augsburg wrestler, Roger Huerta, has gone on to find great success in the UFC. He was featured on the May 28 issue of Sports Illustrated. What do you make of his success in the UFC? Roger HuertaBarber: It has been great for Roger. He is a great success story. He grew up on the streets of Austin, Texas, and Mexico. His home life wasn't very good. He is a self-made man. Unbelievable adversity that he overcame until he was probably a junior in high school, when his English teacher adopted him. One of my friends was coaching down there. He told me that he had this hardnosed kid that was wrestling for him. He gave me his phone number … and I called and recruited him to Augsburg. Roger decided to pursue MMA instead of wrestling … and he has gone onto be pretty successful doing it. Overall, do you think MMA is good for wrestling? Barber: I think it's good for wrestling post-collegiate years. I think we need to be careful. You have guys that aren't going to go onto college and get a college education, because they can make $500 some Saturday night fighting. As MMA gets better, it's going to be tougher for guys to be successful and make money. I'm worried about guys who won't go onto college so that they can pursue MMA careers. The other thing that it's going to affect is international wrestling. The more that guys like Johny Hendricks and Jake Rosholt don't pursue Olympic medals, the more it's going to affect our performance on the international level. Not that those guys will necessarily make the team, but the guy that makes the World Team has to be as good as the competition. You want that pool to be real deep. Obviously, wrestling gets a lot of publicity as a result of MMA … and that side of it is really good. I'm just concerned about guys that forgo collegiate wrestling, or try both, and some guy is fighting in November, breaks his hand, so he can't wrestle until January or February. So, right now, collegiate athletes can compete in MMA events? Barber: Yeah, and also international events. You can get paid $30,000 to fight in the UFC and still be NCAA eligible. Do you expect to finish your coaching career at Augsburg? Or do you have aspirations of someday coaching at the Division I level? Barber: I would love nothing better than to retire from Augsburg College. I wrestled Division III. I love the idea of being a student-athlete first. The students here are not here for scholarships. But they're here because they choose to be here. They train every bit as hard. They may not be as talented as Division I athletes, but as far as the effort that goes into pursing their dreams, they give one-hundred percent. I love the Division III aspect of it. Augsburg is a great place. I would say Augsburg is one of the top 30 college wrestling jobs in the country. We have a great facility. We have a great tradition. We have great support. We have a great location. We have a great pool of athletes to choose from in the state of Minnesota. Wrestling is important here in the state of Minnesota and at Augsburg. It's a great place to get an education. I believe in the product I'm selling from the education side of it. I think if guys come here, they're going to get an education, a good job, and become men. This is a wonderful opportunity for me to be at Augsburg. I plan to be here a long, long time. Obviously, a lot of your wrestlers come from the state of Minnesota. What can you say about the talent coming out of the high school ranks in Minnesota? Barber: Well, this is a great senior class coming up. I was just looking at the high school rankings in WIN Magazine. We have a guy ranked in the top 15 in the nation at almost every weight. Population wise, we're not even close to being one of the bigger states in the country. If I'm not mistaken, we were fourth in the country this year as a state, all age groups, all styles. I think that speaks volumes of where we are as a wrestling state. School of Champions, Pinnacle, and Competitive Edge, those three schools are opportunities for year-round training for youth wrestling. The work of guys like Cole Konrad, Jared Lawrence, and Brandon Eggum is raising the bar, raising the level of where our youth will be. Some of the young kids coming up are just unbelievable. Is there anything else you would you would like to add? Barber: I'm real fired up about our coaching staff. Mark Matzek is a full-time assistant. He has my old job now. Mark was a three-time All-American for Augsburg, two-time national champ, and three-time scholar All-American with a 3.47 GPA. He's going to be a great young coach. Jim Moulsoff has 18 years of coaching experience. He's the Cadet Director in Minnesota. He's loved by just about everyone. He has great passion for the sport of wrestling. Jared Evans was a three-time All-American for Augsburg. We were able to bring him on staff as our first-ever graduate assistant. Mike Uker is back for his fifth year. He was a two-time All-American for Iowa. He wrestled on four national championship teams under Dan Gable. Jamell Tidwell is back again. He was a three-time All-American for the Auggies … and a huge success story. His road to where he right now is very inspirational. He's a great kid. Ryan Rettke is back with us. He was a two-time All-American at Mankato. Andrew Neumann, our heavyweight last year, is on our coaching staff. He was an All-American for us. John Peterson is coaching with us. Jon was an Olympic champion and silver medalist. It's a great staff. Jeff Swenson will still be involved with the wrestling program. His official title is Camp Director for Augsburg Wrestling Camps. And he's also the Director of Wrestling Alumni Relations at Augsburg. Please Note:This story also appears in the October 12 issue of The Guillotine. The Guillotine has been covering amateur wrestling in Minnesota since 1971. Its mission is to report and promote amateur wrestling at all levels -- from youth and high school wrestling to college and international level wrestling. For information on The Guillotine, Click HERE.

Charleston, S.C. -– The Citadel Athletics Department and head wrestling coach Rob Hjerling announced the release of the Bulldogs' 2007-08 schedule, Friday. "I am very pleased with the way this year's schedule came together. It is still very competitive but it will also help us get a very young team ready for March." This years schedule features trips to major tournaments such as the Reno Tournament of Champions and the Southern Scuffle. The Citadel will be traveling to a few very competitive open tournaments as well as hosting their own, The Citadel Open, to help the young team gain experience. Highlighting the schedule are seven home dual matches affording wrestling enthusiasts the opportunity to check out the Bulldogs from November through February. The Cadets will open their season during Homecoming weekend, Nov. 3, in McAlister Field House at 7 p.m. as they host George Mason. The Homecoming wrestling action will continue through Sunday, Nov. 4, with The Citadel Open, a tournament for freshman and sophomores from around the region. The Bulldogs will be competing against the nation's top competition in December at the Reno Tournament of Champions in Nevada. The tournament schedule will be in full force through the end of the year, closing out 2007 with the Southern Scuffle in Greensboro, N.C. The Citadel could face as many as 13 of the top 25 ranked teams in the country between these two highly touted tournaments. Southern Conference wrestling action will begin with a trip up to UNC Greensboro on Jan. 6, and continues with the Bulldogs' hosting No. 19 ranked Chattanooga at home in McAlister Field House on Jan. 22 at 7 p.m. The Citadel will host Appalachian State on Feb. 9 and close out their home schedule with Senior Day on Feb. 12, against Davidson. Mat Jam 2008, the Southern Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference Championships, will take place on March 8, in Chattanooga, Tenn. The Bulldogs will look to the conference tournament to qualify their cadet-student-athletes for the NCAA Championships in St. Louis from March 20-22. For complete coverage of Bulldog Wrestling, visit the official home of The Citadel Athletics at www.CitadelSports.com.

This week's edition of "On the Mat" will feature Harry Lester and Joe Heskett. Lester recently won a bronze medal at the 2007 Greco-Roman World Championships. He was also part of the United States' first place team finish. It was the first time in the history of the World Championships that the United States won the Greco-Roman team title. This past summer, Lester won both the freestyle and Greco-Roman divisions at the University Nationals. A four-time state champion from the state of Ohio, Lester was a part of the United States Olympic Education Center at Northern Michigan and was the first wrestler from the USOEC to make a U.S. World Team. Heskett recently participated at the Freestyle World Championships and placed fifth. It was his first World Team appearance. While wrestling for Iowa State, Heskett was four-time All-American and an NCAA champion in 2002. His 143-10 record is one of the finest in Cyclone wrestling history. Recently, Heskett – a volunteer assistant coach at Ohio State University – was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy and ventricular tachycardia and underwent surgery at Ohio State University Medical Center's Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital to have a cardiac defibrillator implanted. Due to the severity of the condition, Heskett will no longer be able to compete. He will discuss his future in wrestling and how this condition will affect his life. "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.

A group of more than 80 St. Cloud State University students, including 45 members of the St. Cloud State University wrestling team, collected nearly 600 pounds of garbage from the west bank of the Mississippi River near campus on Saturday, Oct. 6. The University's campus is located on the scenic banks of the upper Mississippi River in the city of St. Cloud, Minn. Saturday's Fall Mississippi River Cleanup, which was sponsored by the University's Outdoor Endeavors, included international students and members of the wrestling team, said Ivan Bartha, Coordinator for Experiential Programs. Outdoor Endeavors is part of the Office of Sport Facilities & Campus Recreation here on campus. Outdoor Endeavors started its Adopt A River Project in May 2006 with about 12 participants, eight of whom were Outdoor Endeavors student staff members, according to Bartha. Outdoor Endeavors is responsible for bi-annual clean up projects from the Newman Center to the St. Cloud Dam through the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Program. "We knew we were on to something good then and still believe today that the Mississippi River is the cornerstone of our community and campus," Bartha said. "It deserves our attention and care." The trash ranged from cigarette butts to old construction materials. Among the unusual items hauled off the river bank were steel pipe and a sleeping bag, according to Bartha. "This has been the biggest turnout by far, and the help we received from the wrestling team was outstanding" Bartha said. The next river clean-up is scheduled for May, 2008 as part of National River Clean Up Week.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University Head Wrestling Coach Duane Goldman has been selected to enter the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame. He will be one of six Iowa wrestling legends to be inducted on April 19, 2008, the seventh class to go into the hall. The Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa is located in the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum. It is dedicated to honoring the great individuals who achieved the highest level of success in the sport of wrestling, whether they were native born Iowans or attended Iowa schools. "The state of Iowa has produced so many outstanding individuals in wrestling," said Goldman. "It is an honor to be included among them." Goldman was a four-time Big Ten champion and four-time NCAA finalist at the University of Iowa, winning the 190-pound NCAA title in 1986. His overall record of 132-10 ranks 10th on the all-time Hawkeye list for career win percentage. A two-time state champion in Colorado, Goldman was an assistant coach under Joe McFarland at Indiana University before being named the head coach in 1992. His 2005 Hoosier squad placed ninth in the NCAA. He has coached 20 All-Americans and is the winningest coach in IU wrestling history.

IOWA CITY, IA -- Three-time all-American and former Hawkeye wrestler Doug Schwab has been named interim assistant wrestling coach at the University of Iowa. Schwab replaces Assistant Coach Dan Gable, who returned to his role as special assistant to the director of athletics earlier this month. "We got the best young coach in the country whose role will now expand into off campus recruiting," said Head Coach Tom Brands. "He has been very valuable to the structure of this program. He knows how to make our student-athletes better people and better wrestlers." Schwab served as Iowa's volunteer assistant coach last season and spent two seasons (2005-06) as an assistant coach at Virginia Tech University under Brands. During his tenure with the Hokies, the team won the 2005 regular season Atlantic Coast Conference title, set a school record for dual meet wins (16) and had a school-record five wrestlers qualify for the NCAA Championships. Virginia Tech also had five conference champions and two all-Americans, and senior heavyweight Mike Faust was named 2006 ACC Wrestler of the Year. The Osage, IA, native was a three-time all-American and Big Ten champion for the Hawkeyes, lettering from 1998-2001. He won the 1999 NCAA title at 141 pounds and finished his collegiate career with 130 wins, which ranks 10th-best in school history. Schwab has remained active in international competition. He won the 2007 U.S. Senior Freestyle title, earned a bronze medal at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and placed fifth at the 2007 World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan. Schwab's other post-college national wrestling accomplishments include winning the 145.5-pound title at the 2003 Sunkist Kids International Open and earning Outstanding Wrestler honors in the freestyle event. In 2005, Schwab won the 145-pound division of Real Pro Wrestling, earning Outstanding Wrestler honors as part of the champion Iowa Stalkers team. Schwab was born August 3, 1977. He earned a B.S. in communication studies from the University of Iowa in 2001, and is working toward a master's degree in kinesiology/sport management.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan wrestling head coach Joe McFarland announced Monday (Oct. 8) the addition of Mark Churella Sr. to the coaching staff. Churella, a three-time NCAA champion and National Wrestling Hall of Fame member, will serve at the Wolverines' volunteer coach during the 2007-08 season. Mark Churella Sr. photo Churella "Everybody affiliated with Michigan wrestling is excited to have Mark back in the program," said McFarland. "I think Mark will able to help us in certain areas where we have recently been deficient. He understands the technical aspect of wrestling and the mental preparation it requires better than anyone I know. He was one of my coaches during my senior year at Michigan, so I personally know what a benefit he will be to our current guys." It will be Churella's second stint with the Wolverine wrestling staff after previously serving three seasons as a U-M graduate assistant coach (1985-87). Churella also was head coach at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas (1979-84) before the Rebels dropped their wrestling program. While at UNLV, he inaugurated the Las Vegas Collegiate Invitational Tournament (now the Cliff Keen Invitational), which remains one of wrestling's most prestigious regular-season events. Considered among the greatest wrestlers in Michigan program history, Churella reigns as the Wolverines' lone three-time NCAA champion, capturing the 150-pound crown in back-to-back seasons (1977, '78) before moving up two weight classes to win at 167 pounds as a senior (1979). Churella is one of five Wolverine wrestlers to earn four All-America citations and was named the most outstanding wrestler at the 1978 national tournament after boasting a technical fall and two pins, including a second-period fall over Iowa's Bruce Kinseth in the final. A two-time Big Ten Conference champion (1977, '78), Churella was awarded the 1979 Big Ten Medal of Honor, given annually to the graduating student-athlete at each conference school who has demonstrated the highest proficiency in scholarship, athletics and service to the community. At one time the U-M school record holder in career wins (132), career falls (41) and single-season wins (44), Churella still ranks among the Wolverines' leaders in all three categories. His career winning percentage of .910 (132-13) lists second in Michigan program history, while his streaks of five straight pins -- a feat he accomplished twice in his career -- rank fourth on U-M's list of consecutive falls. In recognition of his competitive and coaching successes as well as his efforts in promoting wrestling on the local, state and national levels, Churella was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1999. He is also a member of the Michigan Athletics Department's Hall of Honor and is a charter member of the state of Michigan Wrestling Hall of Fame. Originally from Farmington, Mich., Churella earned his bachelor's degree from Michigan in 1979. He is the president and CEO of FDI Group, an insurance services company based in Novi, Mich. His elder sons, Mark and Ryan, both wrestled at Michigan, while his youngest, Josh, is a current member of the Wolverine team.

IOWA CITY, IA -- The University of Iowa has announced its 2007-08 wrestling schedule. The Hawkeyes, who are ranked third in W.I.N. Magazine's pre-season poll, will wrestle 18 duals, and are scheduled to compete at the Midlands Championships (Dec. 29-30) in Evanston, IL, and the N.W.C.A./Cliff Keen National Duals (Jan. 12-13) in Cedar Falls. The Hawkeyes begin the season at two tournaments – the Harold Nichols Open, in Ames, on Nov. 10 and the Kaufman-Brand Open, in Omaha, on Nov. 17. The team's first dual competition will be at the St. Edward's Duals in Lakewood, OH, where the Hawkeyes will face Findlay, North Carolina State, Iowa Central and Old Dominion on Nov. 24. Iowa's home schedule includes duals against Northern Iowa (Dec. 13), Cornell College (Dec. 13), Oklahoma State (Jan. 5), Penn State (Jan. 20), Northwestern (Jan. 27), Indiana (Feb. 15) and Michigan (Feb. 17). The Hawkeyes will face intra-state rival Iowa State as part of the Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series, in Ames, on Dec. 9. Iowa wrestles Big Ten foes Ohio State (Jan. 18), Minnesota (Feb. 1), Wisconsin (Feb. 3) and Illinois (Feb. 24) on the road. The Hawkeyes will also compete at Arizona State (Feb. 8) and Boise State (Feb. 10) in non-conference duals. Wrestling season tickets are $48 for the general public and $42 for University of Iowa faculty and staff. University of Iowa students will be admitted free of charge with a student ID. Tickets can be ordered from the UI Athletics Ticket Office at (319) 335-9327 or online at www.hawkeyesports.com. Defending NCAA champion Minnesota occupies the top spot in W.I.N.'s preseason rankings, which are based on the best individuals and tournament teams. Iowa State is ranked second, Cornell fourth and Oklahoma State fifth. Hawkeye senior and defending NCAA and Big Ten champion Mark Perry is ranked first by W.I.N. at 165 pounds. Junior all-American Charlie Falck is ranked seventh at 125, while senior all-American Alex Tsirtsis (141) and senior Matt Fields (Hwt.) are each ranked eighth in their respective weight classes. Sophomore Brent Metcalf, who will make his collegiate debut this season, is ranked ninth at 149.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Joe Heskett, Ohio State wrestling volunteer assistant coach, was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy and ventricular tachycardia last Thursday and underwent surgery at Ohio State University Medical Center's Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital Tuesday to have a cardiac defibrillator implanted. Heskett, who had a heart rate in excess of 250 beats per minute at a practice session last Thursday, will continue to undergo medical treatment. His condition will no longer allow him to compete as a wrestler, ending his remarkable and successful career. Just a week after finishing fifth for the U.S. Freestyle team at the 2007 World Wrestling Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, Heskett suffered life-threatening ventricular tachycardia at the Steelwood Athletic Training Facility, the practice site for the OSU wrestling team. The prompt action by Todd Miller, the facility's head athletic trainer, as well as the Columbus Fire Department, resulted in life saving shock defibrillation. "I want to first and foremost say thank you to my family and friends, and I am grateful for the support from the Ohio State Athletics Department and the professional first-class care at Ross Heart Hospital," Heskett said. "Through all of this I just know how blessed I am with the love that has surrounded me. Nothing has been more fulfilling than seeing my daughters, although my youngest, Ava, keeps trying to pull on all my wires." Cardiomyopathy, a rare heart condition that can go unnoticed until an episode occurs and likely inherited in Heskett's case, is a weakening and scarring of the heart muscle that reduces the ability of the heart to pump blood efficiently. One of the complications can be ventricular tachycardia, a rapid, uncontrolled heart rhythm that can lead to sudden cardiac death. Several days of tests at the Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital demonstrated both conditions to be present, leading to aggressive treatment with medications and an implanted defibrillator to prevent a recurrent episode. "I have no idea how Joe was able to compete at a world class level in such a demanding sport," Dr. James Ryan, the cardiologist treating Heskett, said. "As I told him, he has a damaged V-6 engine, competing against a bunch of turbo-charged V-8 engines. Some combination of inner drive, technical superiority and intelligence must have allowed him to compensate for his cardiac limitations. The Russian (two-time world champion Makhach Murtazaliev), who defeated him in the world championships last month, certainly would have had his hands full if Joe had a normal heart." "God has blessed Joe with so many talents," Tom Ryan, Ohio State wrestling head coach, said. "It has been a privilege to work with Joe and watch his passion to train and win Olympic gold. It is a difficult and surreal circumstance as all of us close to him stand beside him as he deals with the reality of the situation. Joe is one of the finest men I have met in the sport and looking at the big picture, I am just glad he is alive to share more laughs with. He has a wonderful wife and two beautiful daughters who bring perspective to the situation. Clearly, God has bigger plans for Joe." "We're devastated by Joe's condition and we will definitely miss him on the mat," Kevin Jackson, U.S. Wrestling National Freestyle coach, said. "We're very happy and thankful his health is good and nothing more serious did happen to him. I have a lot of love for Joe and so do his teammates. I'm happy they found out about his condition soon enough to be able to help him. I'm happy to know that Joe will be there for his wife and his children." Emergency action plans are posted outside of every training room, near a telephone, so others, in addition to athletic training staff will be prepared to handle any situation in a calm manner. In addition, Automatic External Defibrillators (AED) are placed throughout competition and practice facilities. The athletic training division at Ohio State evaluates the system annually, making changes if necessary. "The plan worked because Joe knew something was wrong and he came to me seeking advice and soon after, I knew he needed a higher level of care than I could provide," Miller said. "I am remarkably blessed to be alive," Heskett said. "This situation, although unfortunate, is the will of our great Lord and I turn over every fiber of faith to his plan. I don't have time to ask why and ponder. I will get healthy and I look forward to the next chapter of my life. I do not hang up my shoes easily, but the reality of the situation leaves me with one option and that is to stay optimistic and begin to excel in other areas of my life that I have been extremely blessed to possess." Joe Heskett Profile National and International competition Five-time U.S. National Team Member Finished fifth at 2007 World Wrestling Championships 2007 and 2001 Pan American Silver medalist 2004 Summer Olympic Games alternate 2004 Dave Schultz International Champion, earning Outstanding Wrestler 2002 New York Athletic Club Champion Iowa State (1999-2002) Became the Cyclones eighth four-time All-American (1999-2002) with a career record of 143-9 2002 NCAA Champion at 165 pounds Finished third in 1999 at NCAA championships, second in 2000 and 2001 Three-time Big 12 champion (1999, 2001, 2002) Three-time Midlands champion (1998, 2000, 2001) Third on ISU's all-time wins list (143) 1999 and 2000 University National Freestyle champion Four-time Academic All-American, graduated from Iowa State in 2002 with a bachelor's degree in speech communications and earned a masters degree with honors in educational leadership from Cal Poly in 2005 Walsh Jesuit High School Three-time Ohio High School state champion

WATERLOO -- Six new legends of wrestling will enter the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame on April 19, 2008. It will be the seventh class to go into the hall. The group includes two men who each won a pair of NCAA championships (Mike Natvig of Army by way of Decorah and Tim Krieger of Iowa State), another NCAA champion who became a mixed martial arts star (Mike Van Arsdale of Iowa State), an NCAA champion who is now a Big Ten coach (Duane Goldman of Iowa) and two of the most respected coaches in Iowa history (Chuck Patten and Dan Mashek, both of UNI). The inductions will be held 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 19, in the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame inside the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum in Waterloo. It is part of a two-day weekend that includes the Dan Gable Coaching Clinic on Friday and Saturday, with some of the top coaches in the country holding sessions. Mike Natvig won two NCAA championships for the West Point team, capturing titles at 147 pounds in both 1962 and ‘63. He graduated with an overall record of 47-7-1 and is considered the most successful wrestler in the history of West Point. He also attended the University of Iowa prior to attending West Point. Though never a state champion in high school, Natvig was a star at Decorah High School, placing second in the 1958 state meet at 138 pounds. He retired from the Army in 1991 as a lieutenant colonel and today lives in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. Chuck Patten was the head coach at the University of Northern Iowa for 18 years, compiling a record of 217-87-8 and winning two Division II NCAA team titles. Along the way, he produced 16 national champions and 58 wrestlers who won All-American honors. Patten wrestled at East Waterloo High School, placing fourth in the 1955 state meet, and for Bill Koll at UNI. He was president of both the Division I and Division II coaches associations and was chair of the NCAA Wrestling Rules Committee from 1974-1978, the only Division II coach to receive this honor. He also served as a color commentator for Iowa Public Television broadcasts from 1983 to 1986. Today, he lives in Everett, Washington. Dan Mashek did his wrestling at West Waterloo High School (for hall of famer Bob Siddens) and at UNI (for Patten), but earned his greatest fame by far as an Iowa high school coach. In fact, retiring this past season with a record of 519-105-5, he has the most dual meet wins of any coach in Iowa history. He started the program at Don Bosco of Gilbertville in 1970 and quickly made the Dons a perennial power. While there, he claimed four traditional team titles and one dual team title. He saw 20 of his wrestlers win a total of 24 individual state titles. He began coaching at North Scott in 2000 and compiled a record of 93-30. He currently lives in Eldridge. Tim Kreiger was a three-time state champion at Mason City High School who became a four-time All-American at Iowa State University. He claimed two NCAA titles, in 1987 and '89, and won four Big Eight championships at 150 pounds. He was also second in 1988 and fifth in 1986 at the NCAA tournament. His overall record of 116-3-2 is one of the best in the history of Iowa colleges. He lives in Minneapolis, where he works in the financial industry. Duane Goldman was a four-time Big Ten champion and four-time NCAA finalist at the University of Iowa, winning the 190-pound NCAA title in 1986. His overall record of 132-10 ranks tenth on the all-time Hawkeye career win percentage. A two-time state champion in Colorado, Goldman was an assistant coach under Joe McFarland at Indiana University before being named the head coach in 1992. His 2005 Hoosier team placed ninth in the NCAA race, his highest finish as head coach. Mike Van Arsdale placed sixth, third and first at the NCAA meet while wearing the cardinal and gold for Iowa State. His individual title came at 167 pounds in 1988. He made several international freestyle teams and won a gold medal at the 1997 World Cup. He also posted a victory over a young Cyclone star named Cael Sanderson in the 2000 Olympic trials in Dallas. A graduate of West Waterloo High School, he was state champion in 1982. Van Arsdale has earned fame as a mixed martial artist and today runs a kids wrestling program in Albuquerque, New Mexico. For more information on the 2008 coaches clinic and hall of fame inductions, check the museum's web site at www.wrestlingmuseum.org, or call the museum at 319-233-0745, and ask for Kyle Klingman or Kent Sesker.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern finished the 2006-07 season a program-best fourth in the NCAAs and had a national champion wrestler in Jake Herbert (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny). While that is a difficult act to follow, coach Tim Cysewski believes the 2007-08 team cannot only match last year's squad, but improve on the strong finish, as well. "Our team has the potential to become NCAA champions this year. We have a good complement of All-Americans and NCAA qualifiers coming back," Cysewski said. "At Northwestern, we know that we will be in the hunt for an NCAA title year-in and year-out and believe our recent recruiting is indicative of that." Returning to this year's team are nine of the Wildcats' 10 starters, which includes three All-Americans in Dustin Fox (Galion, Ohio/Galion), Ryan Lang (North Royalton, Ohio/Lakewood St. Edward) and Mike Tamillow (Oak Park, Ill./Fenwick). While on the way to garnering All-American status, Lang and Tamillow also collected Big Ten titles last season. Add in Herbert's Big Ten title and the 'Cats three conference crowns became the most individual champions NU has had since 1931. It is also the first time Northwestern has had more than one since 1990. Lang returns to the team after his best year as a wrestler at Northwestern. The senior finished second at last year's NCAA Championships and scored two pins in his five matches while there. Lang also won the Big Ten Championship at 141 lbs by beating sixth-ranked Alex Tsirtsis in the semifinals and 15th-ranked Kyle Ruschell in the finals. Overall at the Big Ten Championships, Lang put up a 4-0 record. The 141-lb. wrestler also won at the 44th Midlands, the NWCA All-Star Classic and the Eastern Michigan Open. A 22-match winning streak to start the season helped Tamillow to a finish with a team-high 37 wins, including a 16-3 dual mark. The senior posted three wins at the NCAA Championships riding the victories to a seventh-place finish. At the Big Ten Championships, Tamillow won his first career Big Ten title, posting a 4-0 record with wins over ninth-ranked Patrick Bond in the semifinals and 10th-ranked J.D. Bergman in the finals. Wins in the Eastern Michigan Open, the Reno Tournament of Champions and the Midlands Championship helped Tamillow earn his first ever All-American honors. Starting the season with a 14-match winning streak, Fox garnered a career-best 33-5 record that included going 13-2 in duals and 6-1 in the Big Ten. In the postseason, Fox won four of five matches in the Big Ten Championships for a third-place finish, which he then matched at the NCAA Championships. Following the 2006-07 season, Fox joined Lang, Herbert and Tamillow on the list of Northwestern All-Americans. Also returning to the team are starters Brandon Precin (Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg), Eric Metzler (Luxemburg, Wis./Luxemburg-Casco), Dominic Marella (Roselle, Ill./Conant) and Nick Hayes (Council Bluffs, Iowa/Lewis Central). Precin started every Big Ten dual for the 'Cats as a freshman and finished 2-2 in his first-ever NCAA Championships. Metzler also started each Big Ten dual for NU and finished sixth at the Midlands Championships defeating then-sixth-ranked and third-seeded Mario Galanakis of Iowa in the quarterfinals. Marella finished the year 6-17 overall and went undefeated in two matches at the NU duals. Hayes wrestled to a mark of 22-14 overall and made an appearance the NCAA Championships finishing seventh. Hayes was named BigElevenWrestling.net Big Ten Wrestler of the Week on Dec. 13 after notching wins in each of Northwestern's duals against Northern Illinois and Eastern Illinois. Pursuing an Olympic redshirt this year is National Champion, Jake Herbert. Herbert still has a year of eligibility left, but will not wrestle for the team this season. "The Olympic redshirt is an opportunity that is rare for collegiate athletes. Most of our current US Olympic hopefuls in the sport of wrestling are post-graduates," Cysewski said. "Jake is very fortunate to be considered for this program and we know that he will be a more seasoned wrestler upon his return to the NU team in 2008-09. He has already competed overseas at the University World Championships and we are hoping that he will once again have this opportunity in the coming months." In addition to its nine returning starters, Cysewski has brought in an all-star crop of freshmen, who look to have an immediate impact on the program. "I couldn't be happier with our freshmen class," Cysewski said. "Some of these guys are going to experience what Big Ten wrestling is all about this year." Frank Battaglia (Hinsdale, Ill./Hinsdale Central) finished high school with a career record of 141-27 and finished first at the IHSA Regionals and Sectionals in 2007 and was an all-state selection his senior year. Coming to NU as the No. 1 heavyweight prospect in the nation, big things are expected of Ben Kuhar (Concord Township, Ohio/St. Edward) as well. Kuhar ended his high school career with a record of 50-13 and was a two-time Cadet Freestyle national champion on the No. 1 high school program in America, according to Amateur Wrestling News. John Schoen (Homer Glen, Ill./Marist) was a two-time ESCC Champion and wrestled to top-three finishes in the state finals in 2006. Schoen also set school records for both takedowns and escapes, while taking the top position at the IHSA Regionals as a senior when he was named and ESCC Outstanding Wrestler. Schoen was ranked 11th nationally in his weight class by W.I.N. Magazine. Perhaps the most highly touted recruit to join the Wildcats squad since Jake Herbert's arrival in Evanston is Mike Benefiel (Aurora, Ill./Montini Catholic). Benefiel overwhelmed his high school competition to the tune of a 195-4 record, won four-straight high school championships and holds the Illinois record for most career wins. His four titles put him in elite company with just eight other Illinois wrestlers to accomplish the feat in his four years. Additionally, Benefiel won the Cadet National Freestyle Championship, was an Ironman Champion in 2004 and was rated as the top high school prospect at his weight class by Intermatwrestle.com. This season's schedule offers plenty of opportunity to return to the glory NU has experienced in the past with a familiar twist to it in the 45th annual Midlands Championships as a tune-up before the conference duals schedule starts. Probable starters by weight class: Brandon Precin, 125 lbs.: Posted 2-2 record at first NCAA Championships ... Finished seventh at Big Ten Championships by pinning Ohio State's Will Livingston ... Started every dual for the Wildcats at 125 lbs. in freshman season ... Entered season-opening Eastern Michigan Open unseeded and placed sixth ... Defeated top-seeded Mark Moos of Michigan in first collegiate match ... Captured third place at the Reno Tournament of Champions with wins over Oklahoma State's then-18th-ranked Tyler Schinn and Central Michigan's then-13th ranked Luke Smith ... Eighth at the 2006 Midlands Championships ... Scored a technical fall against Cornell's Luis Salinas at NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals (1/13) ... First win against a Big Ten opponent came in a triple overtime win over Collin Cudd of Wisconsin (1/26) ... Upset Penn State's then-seventh-ranked Mark McKnight in dual match (2/2) ... Topped Michigan's Mike Watts in last Big Ten dual (2/18). Eric Metzler, 133 lbs.: Started every Big Ten dual at 133 lbs. ... Earned a major decision over Chicago's Ben Hart at the NU Duals (11/12) ... Took fifth place at the 2006 Midlands Championships, defeating then-sixth-ranked and third-seeded Mario Galanakis of Iowa in the quarterfinals ... Pinned West Virginia's Mark Anderson at NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals (1/13) ... Won first career Big Ten dual match against Wisconsin's Zach Tanelli on 1/26 ... Defeated Michigan's Chris Diehl by 4-0 decision to seal NU's 20-14 win in dual finale. Ryan Lang, 141 lbs.: Finished second at NCAA Championships ... Earned second career All-America honor ... Score two pins in five matches at NCAA Championships ... Won Big Ten Championship at 141 lbs. ... Downed sixth-ranked Alex Tsirtsis in the semifinals and 15th-ranked Kyle Ruschell in the finals ... Went 4-0 overall at Big Ten Championships ... Won Eastern Michigan Open by going 5-0, scoring two major decisions and not allowing a point scored against him ... Named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week for week of 11/8 ... Won NWCA All-Star Classic by beating then-fifth-ranked Nathan Morgan of Oklahoma State ... Won 2006 Midlands Championships with wins over fifth-seeded Max Metzler of Harvard and second-seeded Alex Tsirtis of Iowa ... Missed NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals and first five Big Ten duals due to injury ... Returned to action with three-straight Big Ten wins ... Finished Big Ten season with a pin against Purdue (2/16) and technical fall against Michigan (2/18). Keith Sulzer, 149 lbs.: Redshirted ... Went 7-5 while wrestling unattached ... 3-2 record at Wisconsin Open ... Went 3-1 at Edinboro Open. Kyle Bertin, 157 lbs.: Redshirted ... Posted 7-3 record while wrestling unattached ... 4-1 at Edinboro Open. Dominic Marella, 165 lbs.: Went 6-17 overall with a 4-13 record in duals and a 0-8 record in the Big Ten... Posted a 2-2 record at the Eastern Michigan Open and was undefeated in two matches at the NU Duals. Nick Hayes, 174 lbs.: Posted 22-14 overall record ... Went 1-2 at NCAA Championships ... Posted 2-2 record at Big Ten Championships to finish seventh ... Won matches over Michigan State's John Murphy and Illinois' Matt Winterhalter ...Went 3-0 at ACC/Big Ten Clash with wins over Virginia, North Carolina and NC State ... Named BigElevenWrestling.net Big Ten Wrestler of the Week on 12/13 after notching wins in each of Northwestern's duals against Northern Illinois and Eastern Illinois ... Sixth place at Reno Tournament of Champions. Mike Tamillow, 197 lbs.: Moved up to 197 lbs. and enjoyed the best season of his career ... Had team-high 37 wins with only five losses ... Posted 16-3 dual mark ... Second on the team with eight falls ... Went 3-2 and finished seventh at NCAA Championships to earn first career All-America honor ... Won 197 lbs. Big Ten Championship for first career Big Ten title ... Posted 4-0 record at the championships with wins over ninth-ranked Patrick Bond in the semifinals and 10th-ranked J.D. Bergman in the finals ... Won final match by an 11-5 decision ... Started season with 22-match winning streak ... First loss came to Missouri's then-top-ranked Max Askren ... Won Eastern Michigan Open by beating then-ninth-ranked Nathan Moore of Purdue ... Won Reno Tournament of Champions with win over then-eighth-ranked Wynn Michalak of Central Michigan in the finals ... Named BigElevenWrestling.net Big Ten Wrestler of the Week on 12/25 ... Won 2006 Midlands Championship by notching a win over Iowa State's fifth-seeded Kurt Backes in the finals ... Defeated Wisconsin's 12th-ranked Dallas Herbst in NU's 19-18 win ... Topped Purdue's 14th-ranked Nathan Moore by 8-0 major decision in dual match (2/16). Dustin Fox, Hwt.: Posted career-best 33-5 record, 13-2 dual mark and went 6-1 in the Big Ten ... Finished third at NCAA Championships to earn first career All-American honor ... Used wins over third-seeded Bubba Gritter of Central Michigan and fifth-seeded Ty Watterson of Oregon State to earn third place ... Posted 4-1 record for third-place finish at Big Ten Championships ... Topped sixth-ranked Matt Fields in third-place match ... Started season with 14-match winning streak ... Won Eastern Michigan Open with a perfect 5-0 record for his first tournament win ... Knocked off UNC's then-third-ranked Spencer Nadolsky at ACC/Big Ten Clash ... Won second place at the 2006 Midlands Championships defeating Wartburg's eighth-seeded Blake Gillis and Central Michigan's fifth-seeded Bubba Gritter ... Defeated Wisconsin's Kyle Massey 3-2 to secure a 19-18 win against ninth-ranked Wisconsin (1/27) ... Closed Big Ten season with four-match winning streak ... Earned second fall of the season against Purdue's David Pisarcik (2/16).

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Tyron Woodley has been named the assistant coach for the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville wrestling program. SIUE Coach Patrick McNamara welcomed his new assistant, who comes to Cougar wrestling after spending the last two years on staff at the University of Missouri. Woodley joins SIUE as it begins its final year wrestling as an NCAA Division II institution. Beginning with the 2008-2009 wrestling season, SIUE will compete at the NCAA Division I level. "I am really excited to be apart of a rising program. This is a very unique situation. Our administration, parents, and community are showing tremendous support with the resurrection of a once-dominate program," Woodley said. The new coach has been involved at Missouri since 2000. He wrestled for the Tigers from 2000-2005 and coached from 2005-2007. Woodley was involved with the Tiger Total Person Progam, where he oversaw the academic progress of Missouri wrestlers. In addition to his coaching and academic responsibilities, he also coordinated many of the on-campus recruiting activities and TigerStyle camps. As a three-time team captain, Woodley collected several honors and awards. For the 2003 and 2005 seasons, he was a NCAA Division I All-American. In 2003, he claimed Missouri's first individual Big 12 Conference Championship. The Tigers had never won a individual title since the creation of the conference in 1997. While on his way to earning All-American honors, Woodley collected 110 wins and reached the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships three times. He also helped guide the Tigers to their highest NCAA Wrestling Championship finish in 20 years (11th) at the time. "I am very excited to have Tyron on my staff. Tyron is an outstanding wrestler who will bring a lot of skill and intensity to our wrestling room, but more importantly Tyron is a great person who will set a great example for our student-athletes. I am confident that Tyron has the abilities to help us take this program to the next level," said McNamara. The Cougar wrestling squad begins action on Sunday, Nov. 11, at the Central Missouri Open in Warrensburg, Mo

The defending national champion University of Minnesota wrestling program will hold its annual Fall Coaches' Clinic on Friday, Oct. 26, 2007 at the Bierman Athletic Building on the University of Minnesota campus. Highlighting the clinic will be Minnesota head coach J Robinson, Minnesota head assistant coach Marty Morgan, Blair Academy (Blairstown, N.J.) head coach Jeff Buxton and Concordia-Moorhead head coach Clay Nagel. The Golden Gopher wrestling team will also give demonstrations during a live practice. Open to college, high school and club coaches, the clinic and workshop features Golden Gopher coaches and former student-athletes. This year's clinic and workshop will cover topics such as improving positioning, team building, pin/tilt technique and much more. J Robinson has compiled 318-103-3 (.750) record over his 21 seasons as the head coach for the Golden Gophers. He has coached a total of 39 Big Ten individual champions and 85 All-Americans during his time at Minnesota. Last season, Robinson led the Gophers to the National Duals Team title, the Big Ten Championship and the third national championship in program history. Morgan has been the head assistant coach at Minnesota for 15 seasons and is a former NCAA Head Assistant Coach of the Year. In addition to an impressive coaching resume that includes the Gophers' three national and six Big Ten titles, Morgan was a three-time All-American at Minnesota a former member of Team USA. The clinic will also include workshops taught by Buxton, who has coached Blair Academy to 25 national prep team titles and 11 undefeated seasons. He has put together the top high school team in the country eight times, including six in a row. The head coach for the Concordia-Moorhead Cobbers the past four seasons, Nagel is the former head coach at Frazee (Minn.) High School and guided the Hornets to three state championships. He was named the 1999 High School Coach of the Year in Minnesota and compiled a 314-69 record in 17 seasons at the prep level. Advance registration will be $100 (for $135 coaches will receive a USAW card as well), and a $15 fee applies to all registrations after Oct. 22. For additional information and registration, please download the following form and return to the University of Minnesota Wrestling office at the address listed on the form.

Take a look at the wrestling resumes of most Olympic gold medal-winning wrestlers from the US, and just about all of them had considerable international experience, built on a foundation from being state champs back in high school, and NCAA champions in college. Shelby Wilson is a notable exception to that rule. Wilson, who, along with Terry McCann and Doug Blubaugh, won the gold medal for the US in freestyle at the 1960 Olympics, never wrestled in international competition before going to Rome. In fact, he never won an Oklahoma state title while at Ponca City High School… nor did he claim a national collegiate crown as an Oklahoma State Cowboy. Which makes Shelby Wilson winning the Olympic gold medal all the more special. An introduction to the mat Shelby Wilson grew up on a farm outside Ponca City, a community of 25,000 in northern Oklahoma, just south of the Kansas border. He was the oldest of four children, with a sister and two brothers, both becoming Oklahoma high school state champs. Shelby Wilson"In junior high, my P.E. teacher Don Smith taught us wrestling," says Wilson. "He told me I should go out for wrestling. He was assistant wrestling coach to his brother Loren, the head wrestling coach." "My junior high coach was a good teacher of basics." Shelby Wilson had a challenging introduction to the sport in more ways than one. "In seventh grade, it was an especially rough winter. It was hard to get to and from practice from where we lived on the farm. I ended up turning in my gear." "In eighth grade, I kept getting beat out in the practice room. But then my team rival moved away, and, suddenly, I went from not making the team to pinning every opponent the rest of the way through eighth and ninth grades." "I lived on the chinning bar," says Shelby Wilson. "My junior high coach Grady Peninger got me started on chinning and push-ups … During the summer in high school I did 200 chin-ups each day on my mom's clothesline pole. My arms would never tire out during a match." "Both my junior high and high school coaches were Oklahoma State grads. They focused on the basics, and instilled a winning philosophy in us." "Loren Smith turned the junior high over to Grady Peninger my ninth grade year, and then Grady moved up to the high school my tenth grade year." High school highs … and lows Ponca City High was a wrestling powerhouse in the 1950s. In addition to Wilson, the school can also claim eventual Oklahoma State stars such as Gene Nicks (two-time NCAA heavyweight champ 1952 and 1954), Ned Blass (two-time 177-pound champ at the 1953 and 1954 NCAAs), Doug Blubaugh (157 pound champ at the 1957 NCAAs), and Dick Beattie (two-time NCAA champ at 157 pounds in 1958 and 1959). "I learned two lessons right away," says Wilson. "First, never argue with a coach. Second, don't wait around to be told what to do. I never had to be pushed. I was self-motivated." "My parents said, 'Do as I say' and I did. I always obeyed them, and my teachers and coaches … I understood later that it was God's plan to teach me respect for authority." Shelby Wilson had a stellar high school mat career at Ponca City, losing only three matches … all in the Oklahoma high school state tournament. In fact, obedience and respect for authority may have cost Wilson his chance at a state title. In a fall 2003 interview with wrestling writer Matt Krumrie, Wilson said, "When I was a sophomore, I won all duals by fall. I weighed about 120 but the coaches dropped me down to 105 for the state tournament. I was a farm kid, I had no fat to begin with, and I was sucking weight. It was horrible. I lost one match and placed third. My junior year, I moved up to 120, went undefeated, cut down again, and placed third. My senior year, I wrestled at 135, coming down from 142, which was a good weight for me, but I lost fair and square to Paul Aubrey." In the interview for this profile, Wilson tells a story of perseverance in high school: "I was sick with the flu before districts. I missed school except for wrestling practice … Thank goodness I was a pinner, and could end most of my matches quickly. My last match (at districts) I was up against an undefeated Greco technician. I was so tired, but had to go the full six minutes to get the win. Then, the following week, I lost in the finals at the state tournament to Paul." "When I lost (at the finals), it really hit me. It meant more to me than anything. It made me think that life was more than wrestling." "I was NOT a religious person up to that point. I went to church but I wasn't really ‘there.' I didn't smoke, drink or chase around. But something was missing." "After a few months of searching, I found that what was missing was a personal relationship to Jesus Christ. In August of 1955 I committed my life to Christ and follow Him to this day." And that laid a strong foundation for the rest of Shelby Wilson's life. Shelby becomes a Cowboy Shelby Wilson went to Oklahoma State University in nearby Stillwater on a full-ride scholarship -- the first member of his family to go to college. "I changed my major five times," Wilson discloses. "I accordingly got a degree in education." "I was a very average student," Wilson adds. "I only really understood school towards the end of my college career. Wrestling was so consuming." Shelby Wilson"I made the dean's list the year I paid my own way. This was after the Olympics, and I was finishing my last year. I had dropped out to try for the Olympics." How did Wilson choose Oklahoma State? "(Head wrestling coach) Art Griffith called, asking if he could visit me," recalls the 1960 Olympic gold medalist. "He asked, ‘Would you like to wrestle at A&M?' (Back then, the school was called Oklahoma A&M, for Agricultural and Mechanical) and handed me an application." "He didn't wine and dine you. He wanted you because your blood had already started to turn orange." "I was recruited by (the University of) Oklahoma but didn't really ever have a thought of going to school there," says Wilson. "I was just born to be a Cowboy,". What was it like wrestling for long-time Cowboy coach Art Griffith as he concluded his coaching career? "I learned more in that year-and-a-half than at any other time of my wrestling career," according to Wilson. "He taught principles, focusing on the reason you did something, the mechanics of wrestling. He refined some of (Ed) Gallagher's methods." "One of Griffith's favorite sayings was, ‘If muscles were everything, a bull could catch a rabbit.'" "Proper positioning was everything, not bull strength." Change at the top While Shelby Wilson was at Stillwater, his college changed names -- from Oklahoma A&M to Oklahoma State … and the head coach that recruited him, Art Griffith, retired, replaced by one of Wilson's teammates, 23-year-old Myron Roderick. "I had wrestled behind Roderick my first year," recalls Wilson. "We wrestled each other every day. To be behind a three-time NCAA champion, I took my lumps." "Myron was a little powerhouse. He perfected the fireman's carry… He took the coaching job seriously, and stood up for his teams." "(Roderick) wasn't necessarily the same mindset as Griffith," says Wilson when asked about his second college coach. "He was an innovator, a visionary. He started the practice of wrestlers wearing three-quarter-length workout shorts that functioned as kneepads for practice sessions." "He was an innovator in recruiting," continues Wilson. "Before Myron, most wrestlers (at Oklahoma State) were from the state of Oklahoma. For years, (college) coaches didn't have to do much recruiting. The school had turned out so many wrestlers that became high school coaches within the state, so they automatically sent their guys to Oklahoma State. That pretty much kept the program filled with talent." "There had been some exceptions over the years but very few. A fellow named Elias George transferred from Indiana (University) to Oklahoma A&M years ago. His brothers came to OSU while I was there. Elias was not recruited but went on his own." "Myron reached out even further. He recruited from Japan. Masaaki Hatta was on the team while I was there, and, not long after, (Yojiro) Uetake (three-time NCAA champ in the mid 1960s, and two-time Olympic gold medalist for Japan in 1964 and 1968)." When asked about another Cowboy of the late 1950s who was from far beyond Oklahoma -- Adnan Kaisy of Iraq -- Shelby Wilson immediately had a story: "He lived with me in a little one-car garage with bunkbeds, a desk and a bathroom … We had a tab at the local Dairy Queen, and at the grocery store." Cowboy career While at Oklahoma State, Shelby Wilson claimed the distinction of being the school's first-ever Big Eight champion, winning the 137-pound title in the conference's inaugural season in 1958. At the 1958 NCAAs held at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, Wilson was the top seed in the 137-pound class. He earned decisive wins over wrestlers from Cornell College of Iowa, Iowa State Teachers College (now University of Northern Iowa), and Lock Haven … and, in the semifinals, shut out fifth-seeded Dean Corner of Iowa State 5-0. However, in the finals, Wilson lost to cross-state rival Paul Aubrey of the Oklahoma Sooners 11-9 … who he had defeated in the Big Eight finals 17-10 just one week earlier. In 1959, Wilson avenged that finals loss by defeating Oklahoma's Aubrey in the 137-pound finals at the Big Eight championships, winning his second straight conference title. At the 1959 NCAAs at the University of Iowa, Wilson was seeded second behind Aubrey. At Iowa City, the Cowboy from Ponca City got clear-cut victories over grapplers from Bloomsburg, Colorado Mines, Minnesota, and Indiana before facing Iowa State's Larry Hayes in the finals. The fifth-seeded Cyclone got a 10-3 win over Wilson. In fact, those two NCAA finals losses were Shelby Wilson's only defeats in his entire college career. (Two of Shelby Wilson's early college opponents are names InterMat Rewind readers may recognize. In his second college match, Wilson defeated Iowa State's Ron Gray; in his third college bout, Wilson beat the 1957 NCAA 147-pound defending champ, Simon Roberts of Iowa.) During the regular season, Wilson wrestled at 147 … then "Myron put me down to 137 for the NCAAs." It was history repeating itself. The same tactic of wrestling one weight class during the season in high school, then dropping down a class for the championships didn't work in high school… and it failed in college as well. It was just one lesson that Shelby Wilson learned for the 1960 Olympics. Another lesson learned came from going up against Paul Aubrey a number of times (first time was in high school, where Wilson pinned the future Sooner). "When I beat him, I 'outslicked' him. When he beat me, he circled around the edge of the mat and I chased him." "At the Olympics, I used that same strategy. Rather than go after a guy who was playing the edge, I would go to the center of the mat, and the ref made him come to the middle, where I could take him down. This happened in my second match against Finland and I won with no problem." "Coach Griffith said, ‘You make a mistake, you correct it.' By the time of the Olympics, I got my mistakes worked out." First steps toward the Olympics "That fall (after the 1959 NCAAs), I came back to school, thinking I had a redshirt year due to injury that kept me out of my sophomore year, but the decision was ruled against me. I was eligible to compete for everything -- duals, Big Eight -- but not the NCAAs." After the start of the 1960 season, Myron Roderick urged Shelby Wilson to try out for the US Olympic wrestling team competing in Rome in late summer of 1960. "My heart wasn't really in freestyle at the time," Wilson confesses. "My only experience was at the 1959 AAUs … I had no ‘Olympic dream.'" "I started praying on it." "I started training, and continued to ask for God's help. I was confident that I should wrestle at 147.5 pounds, especially after having to cut down in high school and college." "I really didn't have anyone to teach me. Even Myron who was on the '56 Olympic team knew very little freestyle, so I asked God for a plan, and I developed a very good one." "Right after the 1960 NCAAs, the Olympic Trials started," according to Wilson. "There were twelve qualifiers around the country. If you placed first or second in one of those events, you were eligible for the national tourney." "I entered at a local (Oklahoma) event and another in Colorado. I ended up being double-qualified (for the national Olympic Trials in Ames, Iowa) and it was valuable experience -- my only international experience." "At the national tournament, in my first match, at the end of six minutes, I was dying… There was a move I used only once, a whizzer, then stuck my head into his body and dumped him for the fall." "I was totally discouraged. Completely gassed. Ready to go home." "However, in an hour, I was totally recovered. In fact, the more I wrestled, the better I felt. I got into competitive shape during the tournament. Since I had not wrestled my senior year, I had only the two previous tournaments for competition which was not a high level of competition. At the Trials it was time to get rolling." In the semifinals at Ames, Shelby Wilson faced future NCAA champ Greg Ruth. "He came down from 160 to 147.5. Big, tough guy. We battled to a draw, which meant I was in the top three." "In the finals I had to beat (Frank) Bettucci (1956 US Olympic team member). He really didn't want to tangle since he was assured first place even with a tie, which is what happened." according to Wilson. "However, I was in second, and the top three placers went to Olympic training camp." (The Olympic training camp in Norman, Oklahoma was the final event to determine who would be wrestling for the US in Rome.) "Back then, a wrestler could try out for both the freestyle and Greco-Roman teams. I figured, ‘Why not double your chances?' and immediately after the freestyle trials, went into the Greco competition too." Shelby Wilson then told a story with a bit of political intrigue. The top two men in Greco at his weight were Ben Northrup and Mike Rodriguez. The 'powers that be' in Greco wrestling, preferring that Rodriguez be the one to advance to the Olympic training camp, told Wilson to make sure to beat Northrup in their match. However, Wilson realized that if he beat Northrup at the Olympic Trials in Ames, he would face Rodriguez -- a 1957 NCAA champ at Michigan who Wilson considered to be the tougher of the two men -- at the Olympic training camp. With that in mind, Wilson wrestled to a draw with Northrup, assuring Northup a place at the camp in Norman. Wilson had doubled his chances of competing in Rome. However, he had to prepare for the last gauntlet of the winnowing process -- the Olympic training camp. Shelby Wilson wanted to set the record straight on how he got to the training camp. "For some reason, it has been written -- and it's still being written -- that I got to the camp on a hardship case because of injury," says the Ponca City native. "One of my opponents, Jim Burk of Colorado, was allowed in on hardship, and also Terry McCann, but I went through all that was required to be at the camp and wrestled those below me and above me to make the team." Surviving Norman "That summer, I linked up with Phil Kinyon (three-time NCAA finalist and 1961 champ for Oklahoma State at 157 pounds)," says Wilson. "I owe him a lot. We went at each other every day. We worked out, ran, worked his farm, then would wrestle two twelve-minute matches. That's where I perfected my moves." "Phil was a very important part of my Olympic victory and without him, I'm not sure what would have happened." From reports of some of the participants in the Olympic training camp -- held at the University of Oklahoma in Norman -- it sounds more like a military boot camp, or perhaps even a prisoner-of-war camp. Rigorous workout schedules, coupled with extreme late summer heat and humidity -- took its toll on a number of the wrestlers … yet, arguably, prepared the US team for the battle that was to come in Rome, where matches were wrestled outdoors in the Mediterranean sun. Phil KinyonAt the Olympic training camp, Shelby Wilson made the Greco team with two victories over Ben Northrup. Some coaches raised objections to Wilson trying out for the freestyle team -- in essence, saying, 'He's already on the Greco team.' However, as Wilson tells the story, "Port Robertson (long-time Oklahoma coach and 1960 Olympic freestyle coach) stuck up for me, saying it was allowed by the rules … He was a man of great honor, and I am thankful he was our coach or I might have been on the Greco team, and I'm not a Greco wrestler." To be the US freestyle wrestler at 147.5 pounds in Rome, Shelby Wilson would have to defeat in two straight matches the wrestler who came out of Ames in first place. "I had to chase him for eleven minutes 20 seconds, with no points scored. Towards the end of the match, I started to increase the pressure, and got a takedown at the edge of the mat, which the ref gave me." (Wilson won the match 1-0.) "We were scheduled to wrestle the second match the next day, but then I found out the opponent went home." "I was completely prepared for the second match. I don't think there's any way he could have won it." When in Rome … "It was an incredible experience to get to Rome," Shelby Wilson says of his Olympic adventure forty-seven summers later. "It was the easiest tournament I was ever in." Shelby WilsonAsked to clarify that seemingly bold statement, Wilson immediately responded: "It was only one match a day for five days. It wasn't hard because I was totally prepared -- physically, mentally, spiritually … I was in the best shape I'd ever been in. Everything in the plan was coming in line. Perfect preparation." "I was able to use the (Olympic) rules to my advantage," Wilson continues. "I perfected my takedowns, so I could do them in any situation … I put in all my training effort on the bottom, so no one could turn me." "My first three matches were all on my feet, which worked to my advantage, since I had two bad knees, and tried to stay off them as much as possible." "Before my match with the Japanese wrestler, the Russian (Vladimir Sinyavsky) signaled to me, 'Watch for his high crotch.'" "I was able to take the wrestler from Japan down eight times, and score a two-point tilt. He eventually got a two-point tilt, making the final score 10-2." 1960 Olympic gold medalists (from left): Shelby Wilson, Terry McCann, and Doug Blubaugh"That night, (Doug) Blubaugh and (Terry) McCann talked to me. They told me about the Russian, a two-time world champ, saying 'You've got him worried; (in beating the Japanese wrestler) you destroyed the guy who beat him." "While getting ready for the match, I tried for some psych-out moves –- something I normally would not do. Must have worked -- he did not want to wrestle, constantly shying away from me. I got two takedowns in the first period, which forced us into the par terre position. I had a couple of reversals then finished the last two minutes on my feet for the victory." In his fifth and final match, the farm boy from Oklahoma defeated the Iranian, while the Bulgarian beat the Korean … making Shelby Wilson the automatic Olympic champion, and gold medal winner in freestyle at 67 kg/147.5 lbs. Wilson was joined by freestyle teammates Terry McCann and Doug Blubaugh as Olympic gold medalists. From the mat … to a mission After earning his Olympic gold medal, Shelby Wilson became a wrestling coach at both the college and high school level, including seven years as head coach at the University of Colorado. More recently -- from 1985-2005 -- Wilson served as an assistant coach at Owen Valley High School at Spencer, Indiana, not far from his home in Bloomington. It wasn't all wrestling after Rome. Wilson went to Texas to earn a graduate degree … and in the process, met Gretchen, the woman who became his wife in 1962. The two of them raised three daughters, who blessed them with nine grandchildren. While in Colorado in the early 1970s, Shelby and Gretchen Wilson established The Stronghold Youth Foundation, a Christian-based service organization that continues in Bloomington. "I've always felt a need to help people," says Wilson. "Helping stranded motorists, hitchhikers, the down-and-out." "God also blessed me with the ability to repair just about anything. I had a repair business to fix cars, appliances, you name it. Those who could pay, did. Those who couldn't, there was no charge." "Stronghold uses space donated by a local company. If there's a need and we have the means to help, then we help," Wilson explains. "Much of this work is aimed at international students but not exclusively." "Some kids come to school with nothing. We ask them to provide us with a list of what they need – furniture, linens, dishes, appliances -- and we provide them with what they need while they're here at school. Once they finish, they return the items for the next student to use." "It's a form of ministry. I tell them that God is seeing to their needs." While in the Wilsons' home, it was interesting to see Stronghold Youth Foundation in action. During the interview, Shelby took a number of phone calls from incoming Indiana University students who needed furnishings for their college homes as they arrived for fall semester. Shelby handled each of the calls with warmth, patience and grace, almost as if he were the father of each of the callers. Interestingly, there are few outward signs in Shelby and Gretchen Wilson's home that an Olympic gold medal-winner resides there. In a hallway there are a handful of framed photos of Shelby as a wrestler, including a dramatic action shot of him throwing Ben Northrup, and a familiar image of Wilson, Blubaugh and McCann wearing their gold medals -- and their eyeglasses. Wilson weighs in on college wrestling Along with the discussion of his own wrestling career and his work for Stronghold Youth Foundation, Shelby Wilson spoke passionately how his wrestling style at Oklahoma State in the late 1950s measures up to that used by other schools of that era … and how it compares to today's collegiate wrestling. "Wearing the orange and black was the greatest privilege," says the two-time NCAA All-American. "Back then, there was what we at OSU called 'the eastern style', which tended to rely more on brawn," according to Wilson. "Our style was sometimes labeled 'Run Aggie Run' -- they would accuse us of running when we were actually more mobile, more active on the mat. Others referred to it as 'take 'em down and let 'em up' which I think accurately describes my own wrestling style." (Looking at the 1958 and 1959 NCAA brackets, Wilson scored in the double digits in most of his matches.) Harkening back to what his coach Art Griffith had said about strength -- "If muscles were everything, a bull could catch a rabbit" -- Wilson says, "I think more and more wrestlers of today rely on brawn, muscle, rather than movement. I think of past wrestlers as moving around, being active, while today's wrestlers tend to want to 'slug it out' more, and rely on power moves." "In the past, coaches stressed that positioning was important, and emphasized technique. You used to see more duck unders, drags, high crotches. And you'd see more defense." Shelby Wilson and friend with gold medal"Today's fans haven't seen the scientific aspect of the sport." "Take any good caliber wrestler, teach him good technique, and he'll win an NCAA title." While comparing the past to the present, Shelby Wilson is also passionate about the state of officiating. "Refs do not seem to have the courage when it comes to stalling. Too many are afraid to call it. Application is inconsistent." "The first time you go off the mat, it should be a warning, then call stalling. A wrestler should not be given the chance to go off the mat." Nearly fifty years after winning wrestling's ultimate prize, 1960 Olympic gold medalist Shelby Wilson still demonstrates considerable passion for fixing the sport he loves … but channels his considerable fix-it skills and spiritual gifts to making life better for others in the area he now calls home. "I started wrestling at age twelve in grade seven, and, in my eleventh year of wrestling, I won the Olympics," says Wilson. "From junior high until I won the Olympics, I never lost a dual-meet match. I lost three times in high school, and twice in college. I never lost at 147 pounds in any style." "If I have any regrets in my wrestling career, it would be to have been able to wrestle at my normal wrestling weight for all my matches and see what might have happened. The first time I did that was at the Olympics."

This week's edition of "On the Mat" will feature Rich Bender and Dremiel Byers. Bender is the Executive Director of USA Wrestling, the National Governing Body for amateur wrestling in the United States. He has worked full-time for USA Wrestling since 1989, serving as Executive Director of Programs and National Events Director prior to his current position. Byers won the Greco-Roman World Championships in 2002 and recently won a bronze medal at the 2007 Championships. His win gave the United States its first ever World Team title in Greco-Roman competition. He is one of only five American wrestlers to win a Greco-Roman World title. "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.