InterMat Staff

What Kyle Dake accomplished as a true freshman at Cornell, winning an NCAA title at 141 pounds and going 33-2, is nothing short of incredible. Almost equally incredible, though, is the fact that a year ago Dake was ranked behind three other Class of 2009 wrestlers. David Taylor (Photo/BuckeyeWrestling.com)In the final InterMat grade level rankings for the 2008-09 season, Dake, a two-time New York state champion, was ranked fourth in the Class of 2009 ... behind No. 1 David Taylor (Graham, OH), No. 2 Eric Grajales (Brandon, FL), and No. 3 Chris Perry (Stillwater, OK). Taylor (Penn State), Grajales (Michigan), and Perry (Oklahoma State) all redshirted this past season. One has to wonder, considering Dake's immediate success, what kind of impact Taylor, Grajales, and Perry will have in their first official season of collegiate wrestling. Could the Class of 2009 go down as one of most accomplished classes ever? If this past collegiate wrestling season is any indication, it certainly has the makings of what looks to be a special class. Dake was not the only Class of 2009 wrestler to earn All-American honors as a true freshman. Two other InterMat Top 100 recruits from the Class of 2009, Tyler Caldwell (Goddard, KS) and Cashe Quiroga (Lawrence North, IN), found places on the All-American podium at the Qwest Center in Omaha. Interestingly, Caldwell and Quiroga were ranked 43rd and 65th respectively coming out of high school. Of the InterMat Top 10 recruits from the Class of 2009, only three started this past season as true freshmen. Below is a look at how the InterMat Top 10 recruits fared this past collegiate wrestling season ... and what other wrestlers in the Top 100 made an impact. 1. David Taylor (Penn State) Taylor began his redshirt season with an 11-4 exhibition loss to teammate Cyler Sanderson, a two-time All-American, at Penn State's intrasquad. Taylor, a four-time state champion who won everything under the sun as a high school wrestler, went on to compile a 21-2 record at 157 pounds in open tournament competition. His first loss came to two-time All-American Bubba Jenkins, a teammate at the time, 4-3, at the East Stroudsburg Open. His only other loss came to Sanderson, 9-7, at the Nittany Lion Open. 2. Eric Grajales (Michigan) Grajales tore his ACL before stepping foot on the Michigan campus, which prevented him from competing as a true freshman. He wrestled one match, picking up a pin at the Simonson Open on January 23, before injury defaulting out of the tournament. Chris Perry3. Chris Perry (Oklahoma State) Perry, the younger brother of four-time All-American and two-time NCAA champion Mark Perry, went 15-1 as a redshirt at 184 pounds. His only loss came to teammate and All-American Clayton Foster, 7-4, in the championship match at the Central Missouri Open. Of his 15 victories, 10 came with bonus points. Perry won tournament titles at the Missouri Open, Fort Hays State Open, and Roger Denker Open. 4. Kyle Dake (Cornell) Dake put together a sensational true freshman campaign at Cornell. The Lansing, New York native went 33-2 and became the first true freshman since Dustin Schlatter in 2004 to win an NCAA title. He was named 2010 InterMat Freshman of the Year. 5. Ed Ruth (Penn State) Ruth compiled a 14-3 mark as a redshirt at 184 pounds. He won the Floyd 'Shorty' Hitchcock Memorial Open on January 17. Two of his losses came to teammate Quentin Wright, a 2009 true freshman All-American who redshirted this past season, and his other loss came to redshirt Chris Honeycutt of Edinboro, who went 26-1 with a victory over All-American Dustin Kilgore of Kent State. Collin Palmer6. Collin Palmer (Ohio State) Palmer, the younger brother of Buckeye four-time All-American Lance Palmer, saw limited action this season as a redshirt. The four-time Ohio state champion was runner-up at the Cleveland State Open on December 13, losing in the finals at 149 pounds, 3-2, to Purdue's Sam Patcsil. 7. Jake Kemerer (Penn State) Kemerer redshirted and competed in three open tournaments, going 11-4 at 165 pounds. He placed third at both the Washington & Jefferson Open and East Stroudsburg Open. 8. R.J. Pena (Oregon State) Pena started for the Beavers at 149 pounds and put together a solid true freshman season. He placed seventh at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and spent much of the season ranked nationally. But Pena struggled mightily at the end of the season, losing his final four matches of the regular season. At the Pac-10 Championships, Pena lost in the opening round, but bounced back to place fifth, which was not good enough to get him into the NCAA Championships. He finished the season with a 29-13 record. 9. Joey Napoli (Lehigh) Napoli earned the starting nod at 149 pounds for Lehigh. He compiled a season record of 21-12. His season ended with a disappointing 0-2 performance at the EIWA Championships. 10. Tony Ramos (Iowa) Ramos redshirted and went a perfect 12-0 at 133 pounds while competing in open tournaments. He won tournament titles at York Open, Grand View Open, and Duhawk Open. Other InterMat Top 100 recruits from the Class of 2009 who made an immediate impact … No. 14 John Nicholson (Old Dominion) Nicholson started for Old Dominion at 149 pounds and finished with a 23-8 record. He won the Hokie Open and placed seventh at the Southern Scuffle. No. 27 David Klingsheim (Nebraska) Klingsheim started at 125 pound s for Nebraska and went 15-16. No. 28 Alex Ekstrom (Oklahoma) Ekstrom was the starter for the first part of the season at 133 pounds for Oklahoma before Kendric Maple took over the spot. He finished with a 6-8 record. No. 29 Shane Young (West Virginia) Young went 16-10 and qualified for the NCAA Championships at 125 pounds for West Virginia. No. 32 Sean Boyle (Michigan) Boyle went 20-21 as Michigan's starter at 125 pounds. His season ended with a 1-2 performance at the Big Ten Championships. No. 36 Robby Fisher (Minnesota State-Mankato) Fisher went 20-15 for Division II Minnesota State-Mankato, but failed to qualify for the NCAAs. His biggest win of the season was a pin over two-time NCAA Division I qualifier Elijah Nacita of Cal State Bakersfield at the Reno Tournament of Champions. No. 37 Ellis Coleman (USOEC/U.S. Olympic Training Center) Coleman started the season in the USOEC program in Northern Michigan, but transferred out and is now a resident athlete at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, focusing on Greco-Roman full-time. He recently placed No. 39 Eloheim Palma (North Carolina State) Palma started at heavyweight for North Carolina State and went 23-16. No. 40 Orlando Scales (Notre Dame) Scales was an NAIA runner-up for national team champion Notre Dame College at heavyweight, losing in the finals to Simon Fraser's Arjan Bhullar, the Canadian World Team member in men's freestyle. No. 41 CJ Napier (Nebraska) Napier was the starter at 133 pounds for Nebraska and compiled a record of 16-15. No. 42 Ian Paddock (Ohio State) Paddock was an NCAA qualifier at 133 pounds for Ohio State, going 2-2 in Omaha. No. 43 Tyler Caldwell (Oklahoma) Oklahoma's Caldwell earned All-American honors, finishing fifth at 165 pounds. He won over 30 matches. No. 52 Cory Lear (Bucknell) Lear went 20-11 at 165 pounds for Bucknell during the absence of All-American Andy Rendos from the lineup. No. 61 Joe Colon (Iowa Central) Colon was an undefeated NJCAA champion for Iowa Central. He registered a victory over Division III champion Clayton Rush of Coe during the regular season. No. 62 Joe Waltko (Clarion) Waltko earned the starting spot at 125 pounds for Clarion and went 15-16 on the season. No. 64 Steven Keith (Harvard) Keith started at 125 pounds for Harvard and qualified for the NCAA Championships after a third-place finish at the EIWA Championships. No. 65 Cashe Quiroga (Purdue) Quiroga, who started at 125 pounds for Purdue, earned All-American honors with a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Championships. He finished with a 28-15 mark. No. 68 Brendan Ard (Wisconsin) Ard earned the starting spot in the Wisconsin lineup at 174 pounds, finishing with a 1-11 record. No. 72 Brian Stephens (Virginia Tech) Stephens was thrust into the starting lineup for Virginia Tech at 149 pounds after an injury to Pete Yates. He made the most of the opportunity. Stephens won 23 matches (including 12 in a row at one point) and captured the ACC title to earn an automatic berth into the NCAA Championships. No. 73 Dale Shull (North Carolina State) Shull dropped down to 133 pounds for the latter part of the season for North Carolina State after wrestling 141 pounds. He was 18-16 on the season and finished 4th at the ACC Championships at 133 pounds. 80. Justin LaValle (Old Dominion) LaValle started at 133 pounds for Old Dominion, which allowed two-time NCAA qualifier Kyle Hutter to redshirt. He compiled a 17-13 mark and placed fourth at the CAA Championships. No. 81 Erik Spjut (Virginia Tech) Spjut began the season as the starter at 133 pounds for Virginia Tech, but knee injury cut his season short. He finished with a 7-6 record. No. 88 Nick Pica (Iowa Central) Pica placed third in the NJCAA Championships at 184 pounds for Iowa Central. No. 90 Luke Vaith (Hofstra) Vaith spent much of the season as Hofstra's starter at 141 pounds before dropping down to 133 pounds at the end of January. He finished with an overall record of 16-18. No. 91 Bret Baumbach (Stanford) Baumbach started for Stanford at 141 pounds and finished with a 10-22 record. No. 96 Roger McCovey (North Idaho) McCovey was an NJCAA runner-up at heavyweight for North Idaho. No. 100 Ryan Mango (Stanford) Mango, the younger brother of 2008 Olympic Greco-Roman wrestler Spenser Mango, started at 125 pounds for Stanford and qualified for the NCAA Championships, going 1-2 in Omaha, after a third-place finish at the Pac-10 Championships. He compiled a 25-15 record.

TEMPE, Ariz. –- Arizona State University wrestler Jason Trulson has been honored by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) for his academic success this year, selecting the Sun Devil junior as one of its NWCA All-Academic Team members, the Association announced Monday. Trulson, a biology major, was one of only 57 wrestlers selected for the national honor and ranked 10th overall and third among 197-pound wrestlers based on overall grade point average (3.74). Trulson enjoyed a successful season in 2006-07, his first as a starter, where he went 24-15 overall and recorded a 10-7 mark in dual competition and a 14-8 record in tournaments, the second-most wins on the team in tournament action this year. A 5-1 record holder in Pac-10 Conference duals, Trulson won three total bouts by fall, including a pin of Liberty's Josh Moore in just 15 seconds at the Virginia Duals in January. After placing sixth at the Reno Tournament of Champions, his first tournament placement, Trulson went on to finish third at the Pac-10 Championships by scoring a 13-1 major decision over Travis Gardner of Oregon State to secure his first berth into the NCAA Wrestling Championships. At the national event in Auburn Hills, Mich., Trulson posted a 2-2 record and did not place in the event. Trulson is the third Sun Devil to earn academic honors from the NWCA after both Curtis Owen and Rocky Smart were honored in 2003. Owen was chosen for the first team while Smart garnered a place on the honorable mention team. The national honor is the second academic award of the year for Trulson after he was selected to the Pac-10 All-Academic First Team earlier this year.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -– Penn State Nittany Lion wrestler Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.) has been named a first team Academic All-American by the National Wrestling Coaches Association. In addition, head coach Troy Sunderland's squad once again earned a spot among the nation's top 20 academic teams. Strayer sports a 3.22 grade point average as a sophomore Kinesiology major. A starter for the past two seasons at 133 pounds, Strayer earned All-America status this year by placing seventh at the 2007 NCAA Wrestling Championships in Detroit this past March. The honor is Strayer's second straight first team selection to the team. The South Fork, Pa., native went 27-8 this year, including a 6-2 mark in Big Ten duals. He was 16-3 in duals overall. Over the course of his two-year stint in the starting line-up, Strayer has amassed a 53-14 record and is 12-4 in Big Ten duals. He was a national qualifier in 2006 as a freshman, finishing just one win shy of earning All-America status in Oklahoma City. He was an Academic All-Big Ten selection this past winter as well. Penn State's team GPA was a lofty 2.8991, good enough for 17th on the NWCA's listing of All-Academic teams. Duke was the top team with a 3.3861 GPA. Only Northwestern among Big Ten school's had a higher team GPA than Penn State as the Wildcats checked in with a 3.0152 mark. Purdue (20th), Indiana (29th) and Michigan State (30th) round out the Big Ten teams listed among the top 30.

This week's edition of "On the Mat" will feature Brian Kilmeade, Jim Raschke, and Jeff Swenson. Kilmeade is a sport's anchor for FOX News Channel and is the co-host of "FOX & Friends", the number one morning program on cable television. He is also the author of two books: "The Games Do Count: America's Best and Brightest on the Power of Sports" and "It's How You Play the Game: The Powerful Sports Moments That Taught Lasting Values to America's Finest." In "The Games Do Count" Kilmeade compiled stories from 74 prominent people about how sports have influenced their lives. Included in the book are 10 individuals who had a background in wrestling. Included in this list are Senator John McCain, author John Irving, and actor Robin Williams. Jim Raschke was a professional wrestler best known at Baron Von Raschke. Stomping into the ring using his feared claw hold, Raschke was a top box-office draw for two decades and won many titles. He is currently starring in a play about his life called "The Baron." Raschke was also a pioneer in the Greco-Roman style of wrestling. A former Big Eight champion for the University of Nebraska, Raschke became only the second American to win a medal at the Greco-Roman World Championships when he placed third in 1963. Swenson recently retired from an impressive 25-year coaching career at Augsburg College. Under Swenson's leadership, Augsburg won a record10 NCAA Division III national championships and produced a career dual-meet record of 321-44. He will continue his duties as the school's Assistant Dean for Athletics and Recreation. "On the Mat" is a weekly wrestling radio program that airs every Wednesday night. This week's broadcast can be heard live from 5-6 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.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern's recruiting class is complete as Frank Battaglia (Hinsdale, Ill./Hinsdale Central) has signed a National Letter of Intent and will join the Wildcats for the 2007-08 campaign. Battaglia, who projects to be a 165/174-pound wrestler for the Wildcats, compiled a 141-27 career record with 71 career falls. In his senior year for the Hinsdale Central Red Devils, he was 46-2 with 22 pins. He earned first-place finishes at both the IHSA Regionals and Sectionals in 2007 and finished third in the 2007 state tournament. He owns his high school records in career and single season wins. He is a four-time All-West Suburban Conference selection and was All-State in 2007. Battaglia is a four-year honor roll student and is an All-Academic West Suburban Conference selection. Battaglia joins Mike Benefiel (Aurora, Ill./Montini Catholic), Robert Kellogg (Sioux City, Iowa/Sioux City North), Ben Kuhar (Concord Township, Ohio/St. Edward) and John Schoen (Homer Glen, Ill./Marist) in this year's recruiting class. Full bio appears below: Frank Battaglia 5-10 • 165/174 Hinsdale, Ill./Hinsdale Central High School: Career record of 141-27 with 71 falls ... first place at IHSA Regionals (2007) ... First Place at IHSA Sectionals ... Third Place at IHSA State Finals (2007) ... Owns high school single season and career wins records ... Four-time All-West Suburban Conference selections ... 2007 All-State selection. Personal: Born Frank A. Battaglia on 11/21/88 ... Son of Ernie and Rosalie Battaglia ... Plans to major in economics ... Chose Northwestern over Wisconsin, Old Dominion and Northern Illinois.

Columbia, Mo. – The Missouri wrestling team earned National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) academic honors by finishing 28th in the nation with a collective 2.81 grade-point average, while three members of the Tiger team were recognized for their outstanding academic and athletic accomplishments for the 2006-07 campaign. Leading the way for the Tigers is junior Tyler McCormick (Leawood, Kan.), a two-time All-American and sixth place finisher at 133 pounds in 2007. McCormick, a business major, owns a 3.95 GPA and tops a list that includes 57 individuals from 35 different universities. The NWCA honor is the second in McCormick's career. Next on the list for Missouri is redshirt freshman Maxwell Askren (Hartland, Wis.). Earning his first NWCA Academic All-America honor with a 3.42 GPA, Askren is majoring in linguistics. Askren was a 2007 NCAA Qualifier at 197 pounds and earned his first Big 12 title on March 3. Missouri's final honor was awarded to senior Ben Askren (Hartland, Wis.). His third honor in four seasons, Askren owns a 3.19 GPA and will graduate in May with a degree in geography. Askren is Missouri's only two-time National Champion in the sport of wrestling and claimed the prestigious Dan Hodge Award both this season and last. Missouri was one of three Big 12 schools to have at least one individual tabbed to the Academic All-America team and one of 11 schools overall to boast more than one recipient.

University of Minnesota wrestler C.P. Schlatter has been named to the National Wrestling Coaches Association Academic All-America Team for the 2006-07 season. Schlatter, a junior majoring in pre-nursing, has earned a 3.220 cumulative GPA in his college career, including a 3.396 during the fall semester. This is his second Academic All-America accolade, as he was also honored following his redshirt freshman season in 2004-05. Earlier this year, Schlatter garnered his third straight Academic All-Big Ten selection. He is also a three-time U of M Scholar-Athlete. The reigning two-time Big Ten Champion at 157 pounds, Schlatter earned his first All-America citation in 2007 by finishing sixth at the NCAA Championships. He compiled a 28-8 overall record on the season, including 10-5 in dual meets. He was named Minnesota's Most Dedicated Wrestler at the team's awards banquet in April. "C.P. is the epitome of a student-athlete," assistant coach Joe Russell said. "Not only does he do a great job on the mat, but he does a great job in the classroom and is an excellent leader for our team." Schlatter missed more than six weeks of the season after suffering a knee injury at the Northeast Duals on Nov. 25. He made his return at the National Duals in mid-January and sparked Minnesota to its second straight team title, compiling a 4-0 record including an upset of Iowa State's Trent Paulson in the semifinals. He provided the pivotal victory in the finals with a 6-5 come-from-behind win over No. 12 Mike Chandler of Missouri. For his performance at the National Duals, Schlatter was named TheMat.com Wrestler of the Week for Jan. 9-15. Overall, Schlatter went 19-6 following his return and captured his second straight Big Ten title. After entering the conference championships as the No. 4 seed, Schlatter won four straight matches to claim the title, including a 2-1 overtime victory over Illinois' top-ranked Mike Poeta in the semifinals. He went on to capture his first All-America certificate by compiling a 5-3 record to finish sixth at the NCAA Championships in Auburn Hills, Mich. A former recipient of the prestigious Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award as the top prep wrestler in the nation, Schlatter was an Academic All-American and graduated fourth in his class with a 4.06 GPA in high school.

Hollister, CA -- California's best youth programs take center stage in San Jose May 11-13, 2007 at the McEnery Convention Center. Teams from all corners of the Golden State will be competing for State Championship titles in one of the nation's top youth wrestling events. Last year's tournament drew nearly 2,000 wrestlers and their families to the area, filling hotels and restaurants in downtown San Jose. This year, California USA Wrestling Inc and Dollamur Inc. have teamed up to make the 2007 Dave Schultz Kids/Cadets Junior FILA State Freestyle wrestling event the premier youth tournament in the country. "We are extremely proud to have Dollamur Inc as our title sponsor," said Duane Morgan, California USA Wrestling State Chairman & Event Director. "They are the best mat manufacturers in the country. Their generous contribution to California USA Wrestling will make this event even bigger and better." This annual championship is an important event for the sport of wrestling, according to Gary Abbott, of USA Wrestling, "California is a wrestling hotbed that takes a leadership role in the sport at all levels. There are more active wrestlers in the state of California than any other state, and many of its top wrestlers achieve at the highest levels. The Kids/Cadet Freestyle Championships should be an outstanding showcase of talent, as top young stars from across the state will battle for state titles. You can see the stars of the future by watching the champions from this event." Gary also talked about the tournaments namesake. "Dave Schultz was an ambassador of goodwill within wrestling, with so many friends all around the world. This native Californian changed the sport of wrestling forever, and we recognize his many achievements by naming this outstanding tournament in his honor." On the local level, Stanford Head Wrestling Coach and Olympian, Kerry McCoy talks about the value of his freestyle wrestling experience as a young competitor, "Freestyle was important because it helped me continue to learn the sport and continue to improve. Many of the kids in my area took time off or played other sports in the spring, I was getting better. So it was very important in my development to wrestle freestyle when the folkstyle season ended. I would not be where I am today if I did not wrestle freestyle as a youth." Competition begins at 8am on both Saturday and Sunday at the McEnery Convention Center, 150 W. San Carlos St. San Jose, CA

The National Wrestling Coaches Association has announced its annual All-Academic Top 30 and individual All-Academic wrestling teams for the 2006-07 season. The 2006-07 Top 30 teams has a new champion, as Duke University edged Stanford and last year's winner, Brown – with an overall team GPA of 3.3861. Coach Clar Anderson's squad has continually excelled in the class room. Stanford came in second as second-year coach Kerry McCoy's squad sported a 3.368, followed by Princeton – one of two Ivy League schools in the Top 10. The Tigers scored a 3.1890 amongst its 12 combined entries. Brown didn't fall too far from the top as Dave Amato's team came in third with a team GPA of 3.3649. Northern Iowa rounded out the top five and is one of two West Region/Western Wrestling Conference teams in the Top 10. The Panthers came in fifth with a 3.1441 overall GPA. Rounding out the Top 10 were: Duquesne (East Region, 3.1036), American (EIWA, 3.0950), Drexel (CAA, 3.0383), Northwestern (Big Ten, 3.0152) and North Dakota State (3.0151). North Dakota State makes the list in its first full season as a Division I championship-eligible team. A pair of NCAA Champions found their way onto the All-Academic Team in the form of Missouri's senior 174-pounder Ben Askren and Northwestern junior 184-pounder Jake Herbert. Askren repped a 3.19 GPA in Geography to compliment his undefeated season, while Herbert's 3.06 in Communication Studies complimented his own undefeated season. Business major Tyler McCormick of Missouri had the top GPA among wrestlers that were All-Americans in 2007. The junior sported an impressive 3.95 in Business Management Among Bucky Maughan's North Dakota State wrestlers, 197-pounder Jacob Bryce came in third overall with a 3.93 in Business Administration. Brown had two wrestlers in the Top 10 individually – Shawn Kitchner (Mechanical Engineering, 3.92) and Levon Mock (Commerce, 3.75). Boise State's Luke Smith had a 3.88 in Biology, good for fourth. The rest of the Top 10 were: Tanner Gardner, Stanford (Public Policy, 3.88); Dustin Tillman, Columbia (Political Science, 3.85); Max Dean, Indiana (Marketing Operations Management, 3.83); Wynn Michalak, Central Michigan (Mathematics, Physical Education, 3.81) and Jason Trulson, Arizona State (Biolgy, 3.74). Overall, of the 57 wrestlers named to the All-Academic Team, 38 different schools were represented with American, Brown, Central Michigan, Duke, Duquesne, Missouri, Northern Iowa, Northwestern, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, and Stanford all having more than one representative. Northern Iowa led all schools with five wrestlers named All-Academic. By weight class, 165 and 197 pounds had the most representatives, with 10 in each weight. "This is something the NWCA, it's board members and staff are always pleased to announce," said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. "It's one thing to always talk about how good these guys are on the mat, but we must remember that academics are more important than any particular sport, and it's great to see these programs doing it in the classroom." "What I'm most pleased about this year is the cross-section of teams in the Top 25," added Moyer. "It's not just your Ivy League teams or your highly-competitive academic environments, it's schools from the little conferences as well as the power conferences that are ensuring their wrestlers are becoming suited for life after college." For teams to be eligible for consideration, teams comprise 12 student athletes, including the 10 wrestlers that were the entries in the NCAA tournament conference qualifier. If teams had less than 10 entries for their respective qualifier, they may fill those spots with wrestlers that competed in at least one varsity dual during the season. Individually, wrestlers must have at least a 3.2 cumulative GPA, been an NCAA qualifier or won 60 percent of his total schedule – and must have competed in at least 60 percent of said schedule. The other way to qualify for the All-Academic team is have a 3.0 cumulative and been an NCAA All-American. All-Academic Teams and Individuals

Five high school seniors have signed national letters of intent to attend Augustana College and wrestle for the Vikings, head coach Jason Reitmeier announced today. The signees include Elliot Bloom and Tyler Jacob of Rapid City, S.D., Jason Jermiason of Marshall, Minn., Casey Mouw of Sioux Center, Iowa, and Gavin Nelson of Missouri Valley, Iowa. The five new signees join three other recruits who signed with the Vikings in November. That group includes Robert Eklund of Friend, Neb., Matthew Morris of Albert Lea, Minn., and Brett LeBrun of New Ulm, Minn. "I am excited to announce another strong recruiting class at Augustana College," Reitmeier said. "We have addressed our needs for more depth throughout our team with truly exceptional student-athletes. These spring signings, along with Brett LeBrun, Robert Eklund, and Matt Morris from last fall's signing period, have brought the kind of talent Augustana wrestling needed to compliment the rest of the team." Elliot Bloom 141/149 Rapid City, S.D. A four year letter-winner at Central High School in Rapid City, S.D., Bloom was the South Dakota State Champion at 140 pounds in his senior season and posted a 29-16 record. He also placed 5th in the same weight class at state in his junior year. "Elliot is coming off an outstanding senior year were he won his first state title," Reitmeier said. "I see a lot of potential in Elliot with a big heart. Elliot is one of those kids that will outwork everyone around him in order to become the best. I am looking forward to working with this young man next fall." Tyler Jacob Hwt Rapid City, S.D. Jacob was a four year letterwinner at Rapid City Central High School as well as a team captain in his senior season. He won the South Dakota State Tournament this season at 215 pounds and posted a 103-40 record. He also placed third at state in his junior year in the same weight class. "Tyler is another great student-athlete," Reitmeier said. "He brings a hard working attitude to the wrestling room and the classroom. He brings much needed depth to an inexperienced weight at Augustana. Tyler is a strong, powerful kid with a with strong desire to learn." Jason Jeremiason 125/133 Marshall, Minn. Jeremiason was a four year letterwinner and team captain at Marshall High School in Marshall, Minn. He posted a 40-2 record his senior season and placed 3rd at the Minnesota State Tournament at 119 pounds. He set the school record for most career wins with 154 and most pins with 66. "We are excited to have Jason in the program," Reitmeier said. "He brings with him a great knowledge of wrestling and a lot of national experience having competed in various national tournaments. Jason has a great attitude about the sport and will add depth to the lower weights." Casey Mouw 174 Sioux Center, Iowa After posting a 11-8 record at West Point, Mouw comes to Augie with three years of eligibility. In his senior high school season, Mouw placed second at the Iowa State Tournament at 171 pounds and posted a 45-4 record. He was named to the Siouxland All-Conference Team. "Casey is transferring in after a year at West Point Military Academy," Reitmeier said. "I recruited Casey out of high school and am very pleased to have him coming back to the Midwest to wrestle for Augustana College. Casey brings a year of Division I experience to our room and will look to make an impact in the upper weights." Gavin Nelson 157 Missouri Valley, Iowa Nelson placed second in the Iowa State Tournament in his senior season at and posted a 49-1 record. He was named to the Iowa All-State team his senior year and the Academic All-State team his junior year. He lettered all four years at Missouri Valley High School and was a team captain for three years. "Gavin is an exceptional student-athlete," Reitmeier said. "He is a one of the most well- rounded wrestlers we have coming in, exceptional in all areas of the sport. I am excited to have Gavin in a Viking singlet. He will round out our middle weights and make an impact immediately."

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -– Penn State Nittany Lion wrestler Rohan Murphy (Long Island, N.Y.) will be honored with the 2007 Wilma Rudolph Student-Athlete Award. A Penn State graduate this past December who is currently a graduate student at Penn State, Murphy is one of five nationwide honorees. The National Association of Academic Advisors for Athletics (N4A) presents the award, as it has done annually since 1991. It is named in honor of Wilma Rudolph whose life is a story of achieving against the odds. Diagnosed with polio at a young age, Wilma was told that she would never walk again. With undying love and assistance from her family, by the age of 12, she could walk normally without crutches, braces or corrective shoes. It was then that she decided to become an athlete. In the 1960 Rome Olympics, Wilma Rudolph became the first America woman to win three gold medals: 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, and the anchor on the 400-meter relay team. The award named in her honor recognizes student athletes who have overcome great personal, academic, and/or emotional odds to achieve academic and athletic success while participating in intercollegiate athletics. Award winners may not the best athletes or students and therefore may not have been recognized by other organizations or awards. Nonetheless, they have persevered and made significant personal strides toward success. The common thread for each year's recipients is motivation or drive to succeed and the work ethic that overcomes difficult situations. Murphy, who received a B.S. in Kinesiology in December 2006 and is pursuing an M.S. in Health, Policy and Administration, has lived an almost parallel life to Ms. Rudolph's. Growing up, Murphy loved sports, but being a double bilateral-amputee, he couldn't compete in most sports. Determined to be a "winner," he tried wrestling, and his love for the sport is still with him today. Murphy will be honored at the N4A's National Convention at the Pointe South Mountain Resort in Phoenix, AZ, on Sunday, June 10. For more information on N4A, contact Sandy Meyer at 814-865-0407.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Rutgers head wrestling coach John Sacchi has announced his retirement after coaching for 40 years, including the last 17 at the helm of the Scarlet Knights program. John SacchiHis devotion to the sport he holds dear to his heart has guided him to an astonishing 447-162-9 career record, making him the second winningest active coach in college wrestling at any level with regard to dual victories. "There have been so many great things that have happened with individual wrestlers over the years and it gives me great pleasure to know that some of the kids I coached are now coaching themselves," Sacchi said. "It's giving back to the sport. I feel very, very fortunate that I was able to find a career where I could make a living and enjoy every day of it. I just feel blessed that I was able to do that." Rutgers Director of Athletics Bob Mulcahy said, "John has been an integral member of the Rutgers athletics family for the past 17 years, and I am thankful for the leadership that he has provided our wrestling program. John has been an ambassador for the sport of wrestling, and for Rutgers University, through the years. He has had a positive impact on so many. He will be missed." While Sacchi will retire from Rutgers as head wrestling coach, he's uncertain whether he'll return to coaching. He intends to return to teaching part-time at Middlesex Community College. "I'll get to stay involved in young people's lives and hopefully have a positive impact on them. It will just be in a different venue," he said. "As far as wrestling goes, I've been approached about some possibilities, but right now, I'm not even going to think about that. I'm just going to finish what I'm doing here and look forward to going back into the classroom and have some time to enjoy some of the things I want to do." The Ithaca, N.Y. native became the winningest coach in Rutgers history with his 159th career win, a 36-13 victory over Franklin & Marshall on Jan. 6. Before the victory, Sacchi was tied with the late former coach Deane Oliver. Oliver led Rutgers to a 158-147-9 record in 21 years of coaching (1969-1990) and had a winning percentage of .511. Sacchi closed out his career with a 167-102-5 record (a winning percentage of .619). "The demands of being successful at the Division I level are overwhelming at this point in my life," Sacchi said. "I'm reaching the point where I've left a lot of things undone, that I want to do. I just need the time now to do it. I can't continue to coach at the Division I level and do the things that I want to do and that's what it boils down to." Sacchi has coached wrestling for 40 seasons, and his success has not been confined to Rutgers. Sacchi took his first and only Division I head coaching job at Rutgers in May of 1990 after 24 highly-successful years at Middlesex County College. Sacchi's passion and eye for talent led to Rutgers' representation at the NCAA Championships annually.Two seasons ago, Andy Roy competed in his fourth-straight NCAA Championships – a feat that had never been accomplished before in the program's history. Roy, who wrestled at 174, ended his career with an outstanding 102 victories to rank ninth on the school's all-time wins list. Twenty-two of the top-30 wrestlers in the program's storied history achieved their success under Sacchi. When Sacchi won his 400th career match during the 2001-2002 season, he joined a select group of only 16 collegiate head coaches who have reached that pinnacle. It was just one of the crowning achievements of the season, which also included his first Division I All-American, senior Tom Tanis. During his first season, the Scarlet Knights went 6-12 in 1990-91. With his first recruiting class, he brought state champion Kevin McCann, junior college All-Americans Jason Hawk, Jim Ferguson and Alex Lombardo, and top New Jersey place-winner Mike Kwapniewski and guided the Scarlet Knights to a school-record 17 dual match wins that season (the old record was 13), for an overall 17-4-1 record. Sacchi's ambition, desire and energy helped build the Middlesex County College's wrestling program, where he was head coach for 24 years. He became the second all-time winningest junior college coach in the nation with a record of 280-59-4. His teams were undefeated three times - in 1970 (18-0), in 1986 (13-0) and in 1990 (13-0). He was inducted into the National Junior College Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame in 1979. A master coach and motivator, Sacchi's tournament records speak volumes. His Middlesex teams won 38 tournament championships, placed second 24 times, and harnessed 160 individual championships. His squads captured an unprecedented five NJCAA Mid-Atlantic Wrestling titles during the 1980's, in addition to his four championships in the 70's. His teams won 12 conference championships and finished second eight times. He kept Middlesex in the top 20 polls 17 times and placed fourth in 1973, 1983 and 1986. He also placed fifth once and sixth twice. Individually, Sacchi produced thirty-nine Junior College All-Americans, and five national champions. In September, Sacchi will be inducted into the New Jersey chapter of the National Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame.

Des Moines, IA -- Another significant step toward the merging of the amateur wrestling and mixed martial arts (MMA) worlds was made today through the formation of a strategic agreement between Takedown Wrestling Radio and Team Quest. Takedown Radio has reported on amateur wrestling throughout its ten year history and has steadily added MMA content as the interest in the sport continuously grows. Team Quest, formed by Olympic Silver Medalist wrestler and MMA pioneer Matt Lindland, is one of the top MMA training facilities in the world and is home to the International Fight League (IFL) Wolfpack professional MMA team. The Takedown/Team Quest announcement is similar to another one made on April 11 when USA Wrestling, the Governing Body of collegiate and amateur wrestling, and the IFL formed their own strategic agreement. The evident goal of both partnerships is much the same as all organizations work to grow the awareness of amateur wrestling and MMA programs. "We've reported on MMA since its infancy. It's long been a strategic goal for many wrestlers to compete in MMA after their collegiate and Olympic careers conclude." commented TakeDown Radio founder Scott Casber. "It's fantastic to see wrestlers applying their skills to MMA, getting paid for it, and continue to give back to wrestling community. That is exactly what Team Quest has done through our agreement", Casber continued. Wrestling is far and away one of the most important components of MMA. More than 30% of the coaches and athletes in the IFL have a wrestling background. That number is expected to grow as more opportunities are developed via the type of agreements formed between TakeDown Radio and Team Quest as well as the agreement between USA Wrestling and the IFL ABOUT TAKEDOWN RADIO Based in Des Moines , IA, Takedown Radio is heard weekly throughout the world via KXNO-1460 AM, Des Moines Sports Station, and on the web at takedownradio.com. TakeDown radio is broadcast each Saturday from 9AM-11AM Central Time. TDR also provides live coverage from several major events including the NCAA Championships, Big 12, National Duals, and many others. In total, TDR provides over 550 hours of programming each year. TDR is made possible through the sponsorship of over 25 Universities as well as a long list of commercial sponsors. ABOUT TEAM QUEST Based in Portland , OR, Team Quest is one of the most respected and well known MMA gyms in the world. Team Quest is committed to excellence in competitive fighting and self defense. Team Quest is headed by former Nebraska wrestler, Olympic Silver Medalist, and #1 MMA Middleweight Matt "The Law" Lindland, and by Pride fighting sensation and two time Olympian "Dangerous Dan" Henderson.

2000 Olympic Greco-Roman silver medalist Matt Lindland, one of the world's most popular mixed martial arts athletes, along with his successful Team Quest club, will host a USA Wrestling sanctioned qualifying event for the U.S. Grappling World Team Trials. The Team Quest Northwest World Team Grappling Qualifying Trials will be held at Olympia High School in Olympia, Wash., Saturday, May 19. There will be 15 men and 12 women who qualify from the event in Olympia, Wash. for the U.S. Grappling World Team Trials in Las Vegas, Nev., June 8-10. Athletes who are U.S. citizens and who place in the top three of their weight classes earn the right to compete in Las Vegas. The U.S. Grappling World Team Trials is the qualifying event for the U.S. team to compete in the Grappling competition at the World Wrestling Games in Antalya, Turkey on Sept. 7-9. "It is great for a sport like Grappling to be associated with a reputable national governing body like USA Wrestling. It is great for USA Wrestling to be forward thinking by adding more sports such as Grappling. It is a great opportunity for both USA Wrestling and the Grappling community to work together in the future," said Lindland. This event will use the weight classes and rules for Grappling set by FILA, the international wrestling federation. The FILA international Grappling weight classes are: Men (5 weight classes): 62 kg/136.5 lbs., 70 kg/154 lbs., 80 kg/176 lbs., 92 kg/202.5 lbs., 125 kg/275 lbs. Women (4 weight classes): 48 kg/105.5 lbs., 55 kg/121 lbs., 63 kg/138.75 lbs., 72 kg/158.5 lbs. The FILA Grappling Rules can be downloaded from the FILA website at: http://www.fila-wrestling.com/images/documents/ grappling/grappling_international_regulations.pdf This is the fourth USA Wrestling sanctioned qualifying event for the U.S. Grappling World Team Trials, joining events in Virginia Beach, Va. (May 12), Irvine, Calif. (May 12) and Alpharetta, Ga. (May 26). Weigh-ins for the event will be on Friday May 18th from 4:00-5:00pm at Fight Planet in Lacey, Wash., or on Saturday, May 19th from 8:30-9:30am at the Olympia High School Gym. There is a $40 entry fee, and all participants must be USA Wrestling members. A complete flier on this event will be completed soon and posted on TheMat.com. Lindland won a silver medal at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia in Greco-Roman wrestling. He was also a 2001 World silver medalist, and won many other major international events including the Pan American Games and the World Cup. He competed for the Univ. of Nebraska and Clackamas CC during his college wrestling career. Lindland's MMA career has been very successful, with a 20-5 career mark and currently ranked No. 1 in the middleweight division by MMA Weekly. He has competed in major fights all over the world including events in the UFC, the IFL, Bodog Fight, the WFA, Raze MMA and others. Nicknamed "the Law," he competes for Team Quest, and is a promoter and coach for numerous athletes in the Team Quest program. Lindland is the coach for the Portland Wolfpack of the International Fight League. Serving as the Event Director for the Team Quest Northwest World Team Grappling Qualifying Trials is Dennis Hallman, who lives in the Olympia area and is very successful Grappling athlete. Hallman placed fourth in the 2005 Abu Dhabi World Championships, and has won major Grappling events such as the 2004 Grapplers Quest West Championships and the 2003 Team Quest Grappling Tournament. He was a state high school wrestling champion in Washington in 1994. He also has a number of Mixed Martial Arts honors, including an AFC Middleweight title, as well as competition with the UFC, King of the Cage, Shooto and the IFL. The four USA Wrestling sanctioned Grappling World Team Trials qualifiers, all set for May, include: Three USA Wrestling-sanctioned events, using the FILA Grappling rules and weight divisions, will also serve as qualifying events. Those participating in these events will be required to have a USA Wrestling membership. May 12 – Mid-Atlantic Grappling Championships, Virginia Beach, Va. Held at Green Run High School in Virginia Beach Qualifiers for men (15): Top three place finishers in each of the five FILA weight classes Qualifiers for women (12): Top three place finishers in each of the four FILA weight classes http://www.themat.com/eventfliers/2007/07MidAtlanticGrappling.jpg May 12 – No Limits West Coast World Team Grappling Qualifier Trials, Irvine, Calif. Held at No Limits Mixed Martial Arts & Fitness, 1962 Barranca Parkway, Irvine, CA 92606 949-251-8822 phone, 949-251-8833 FAX Qualifiers for men (15): Top three place finishers in each of the five FILA weight classes Qualifiers for women (12): Top three place finishers in each of the four FILA weight classes http://www.nolimitsmma.com/el-10.aspx May 19 – Team Quest Northwest World Team Grappling Qualifying Trials, Olympia, Wash. To be held in Olympia High School, 1302 North Street, Olympia, WA 98501 Qualifiers for men (15): Top three place finishers in each of the five FILA weight classes Qualifiers for women (12): Top three place finishers in each of the four FILA weight classes May 26 – No Limits East Coast World Team Grappling Qualifier Trials, Alpharetta, Ga. "Last Chance" Held at The Cooler, 10800 Davis Drive, Alpharetta, GA 30004 Qualifiers for men (15): Top three place finishers in each of the five FILA weight classes Qualifiers for women (12): Top three place finishers in each of the four FILA weight classes Other Major Grappling organizations within the United States have agreed to name some of their most competitive existing Grappling events as qualifiers for the USA Wrestling Grappling World Team Trials. Three of these events have been held, and two more remain. May 26 – North American Grappling Association (NAGA) Midwest Championships, Milwaukee, Wis. http://www.nagafighter.com June 4 – World Grappling Games Pan American Submission Championships. Los Angeles, Calif. http://www.grapplingtournaments.com For questions about Grappling, contact Gary Abbott of USA Wrestling at 719-598-8181 or via e-mail at gabbott@usawrestling.org.

This week's edition of "On the Mat" will feature Andy Hamilton and Lee Kemp. Hamilton currently covers wrestling for the Iowa City Press Citizen. His articles have appeared in a variety of prominent wrestling publications. Considered one of the best wrestling journalists in the nation, Hamilton was selected by the National Wrestling Media Association as their journalist of the year in 2003. Kemp is arguably the greatest wrestler the United States has ever produced. While competing at the University of Wisconsin, Kemp was a four-time NCAA finalist and a three-time NCAA champion. His career college record was 143-6-1. Internationally, Kemp won three World titles in 1978, 1979, and 1982, becoming the first American wrestler to win more than two World Championship gold medals. He was also a member of the 1980 Moscow Olympic team that was boycotted by the United States. "On the Mat" is a weekly wrestling radio program that airs every Wednesday night. This week's broadcast can be heard live from 5-6 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.

Simpson freshman wrestler Curtis Barber (Winterset, Iowa, Winterset H.S.) is scheduled to be featured on Saturday's CBS Sports NCAA Winter Sports Highlights show. The show will air locally in Des Moines on KCCI-TV at 12 p.m. CDT. Barber will be featured in a story on his relationship with his father Kevin, who was deployed to Iraq, just prior to Barber's appearance at the national tournament. In tribute to his father, Curtis has "DAD" written on the side of his wrestling head gear. Barber was the only Simpson wrestler to qualify for the 2007 NCAA Division III Championships. Barber lost both of his matches at nationals. In the first round of the 149-pound championship bracket, he lost to the No. 6 seed, Don Ooten of Brockport State in the first round. He was eliminated from the tournament when he lost 16-5 to NYU's Eugene Koblinsky in the first round of the consolation bracket. He ended the year with a 19-14 overall record and 2 pins. The NCAA Winter Highlights Show typically features highlights and unique NCAA student-athlete stories from the Division II and III championships. Check your local listings for channel and air time information in your part of the country.

The National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum has announced that five-time state high school champion Zach Sanders from Wabasha-Kellogg High School in Wabasha, Minnesota is the National winner of the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award and will be invited to attend Honors Weekend to receive this award June 1 & 2 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Five Regional winners were selected from the 48 state-by-state winners announced last week. Each State and Regional winner is invited to attend the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Leadership Camp at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO, June 18-21, 2007. In alphabetical order, the Regional winners are: * Cody Gardner of Christiansburg High School in Christiansburg, Virginia (Southeast) * Kellen Russell of Blair Academy in Blairstown, New Jersey (Northeast) * Zach Sanders of Wabasha-Kellogg High School in Wabasha, Minnesota (Midwest/National) * Kirk Smith of Centennial High School in Boise, Idaho (West) * Sonny Yohn of Alamosa High School in Alamosa, Colorado (Central) The Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award is presented by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame annually to a high school senior who has demonstrated outstanding wrestling success, scholastic achievement, and citizenship or community service. This awards program is named in the honor of the late Dave Schultz, an Olympic and World champion, who set an example for excellence, both on and off the mat. Dave's wife Nancy Schultz has played an important role in supporting this award program. This year the National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum will expand its Dave Schultz High School Excellence program to include a Leadership Camp for those individuals selected for the award. "Thanks to a grant from a private foundation, we are pleased to expand this program and provide the winners of our Dave Schultz Award with the opportunity to attend an all-expense-paid Leadership Camp at the United States Olympic Training Center from June 18-21, in Colorado Springs, Colo.," Smith said. The camp will be hosted and organized at the Olympic Training Center by USA Wrestling, the sport's governing body. A short biography of the Regional and National winners follows: SOUTHEAST: Cody Garder, Christiansburg High School, Christiansburg,Virginia Gardner is a four-time Virginia AA High School State Champion, with a 182-6 career record that includes a National Junior Freestyle championship in 2006 at 215 pounds. He also claimed championship titles at the Beast of the East in 2005 and 2006 and won the Ironman Tournament in 2005. He has a 3.1 grade point average and will attend Virginia Tech in the fall. He is a member of several student groups including SADD – Students Against Destructive Decisions, DECA – an association of Marketing Students, and FBLA – Future Business Leaders of America. He is also an active volunteer for Goodwill Industries. WEST: Kirk Smith of Centennial High School, Boise, Idaho Smith is a two-time Idaho High School State Champion with a career record of 122-24 at 171 pound weight class. He won the 2007 Junior FILA National Championships and National Senior High School Championship at 189 lbs. He was champion of the 2006 National Junior Freestyle Championships and Reno Tournament of Champions and was a FILA Cadet National Champion. He has a 3.9 grade point average and will be attending Boise State in the fall. He is a volunteer Kids and Middle School Coach for the local Folkstyle, Freestyle, and Greco Roman Club and is a USA Wrestling Licensed Official. He serves as a Teachers Aid for Spanish and is an active volunteer for the High School Booster Club. CENTRAL: Sonny Yohn of Alamosa High School, Alamosa, Colorado Yohn is a three-time Colorado High School State Champion at 189 pounds, with a career record of 153-15. He was a National Junior Freestyle runner up in 2006 and National Senior High School Runner-Up in 2007 at 215 lbs. He has a 3.8 grade point average and will attend the University of Minnesota in the fall. Yohn volunteers his time working with the local youth wrestling club in Alamosa. NORTHEAST: Kellen Russell of Blair Academy, Blairstown, New Jersey His high school weight class is 130 pounds. Russell is a three-time National Prep School Champion with a career record of 145-7. He is a National Cadet and Junior Freestyle Champion, and the 2007 National Senior High School Champion at 135 lbs. Other major accomplishments include championship titles at the Beast of the East and Ironman Tournaments. He has a 3.2 grade point average and will attend the University of Michigan in the fall. MIDWEST: Zach Sanders of Wabasha-Kellog High School, Wabasha, Minnesota Sanders' high school weight class is 119 pounds. He is a five-time Minnesota High School State Champion, with a career record of 223-5. He is a National Cadet and Junior Freestyle Champion, the 2007 National Senior High School Champion at 125 lbs. and an Asics All-American First Team Member in 2006. He has a 3.5 grade point average and will attend the University of Minnesota in the fall. Sanders serves as an assistant coach for the elementary youth program and has officiated several youth tournaments in Wabasha. He has accumulated many hours of community service through the Kellogg Legion and the Faith Lutheran Church in Wabasha.

Dear friends, Pinning Down Autism is made up of members of the community that is the sport of wrestling whose families are affected by autism. Since wrestlers are defined not only by their strength, endurance and perseverance, but their compassion, good will and responsibility, we are coming together to act on behalf of our kids that need the assistance that we can provide. Our mission is to develop a nationwide effort to take action against the epidemic of autism, primarily through our tournaments and functions. Learn more about us at www.pinningdownautism.com Special thanks to Danielle Hobeika for providing her energy and talents in creating our website and working to launch this effort. This endeaver of raising awareness comes from the grass roots as it is based on activities that involve our youth, their parents and educators. It also sets an example for other youth sports and activities that may wish to follow a similar path. Whether or not you are associated with the sport of wrestling, you most likely have a family member, friend or associate who has a child with autism. On behalf of that family, we ask that you take a moment to understand the national crisis that is autism. I hope you will find this message worthy of forwarding, and spreading as far as your network of contacts can take it. Sincerely, Jason Bross Pinning Down Autism

This is a huge weekend for TDR as we along with our friends at Extreme Contact Fighting are producing a LIVE iPPV MMA event featuring many former wrestlers. Over 19 bouts. Further information can be found on line at Fightsportglobal.com This week on the show we will talk with: Ryan Irwin of Nutri-Sport has a event coming up for Body Builders in Des Moines May 12th- we'll visit with him as he guest hosts with us in studio. James Yonushonis, Penn State Senior/Grad. Yonushonis came to Penn State five years ago from nearby Philipsburg-Osceola High School. A talented high school wrestler, Coach Troy Sunderland saw something in Yonushonis that had him excited about his inclusion on the Nittany Lion roster. We'll visit with him to discuss his career. Steve Martin, Head Coach of Old Dominion- We'll talk with Coach Martin on the passing of his father, a true legend in the sport. A man who always had time for his students and athletes. Greg Strobel, Head Coach Lehigh University. Summer Camps are around the corner. have you made your plans? Coach Strobel also has some new training DVD's available at Championshipproductions.com The following 4 athletes are all Mat.com-TDR Athletes of the Week- We'll do our best to get caught up on our athletes of the week by interviewing these fine kids. Seth Bregman, Bregman was selected by the officials as the O W in the men's division at the U.S. Sombo Nationals and World Team Trials, held in Las Vegas, Nev., April 7. He was the champion at 74 kg/163 lbs. In the championship finals, Bregman stopped Roman Mitichyan (Glendale, Calif./Hayastan), 5-3 for the gold medal. Bregman won four matches on the way to the title. He opened the tournament with a 13-0 technical fall over Robert Lusk of J.E.T.S./No Limits, then scored a submission of Enrique Manibusan of the Spartan WC in 5:00. In the semifinals, he had a 2:51 submission victory over Ara Muradyan of Hayastan. Bregman qualified to compete on his first USA Wrestling World Sombo Team with the victory. Winners in the tournament qualified to compete at the World Sombo Championships in Antalya, Turkey, Sept. 7-9. Sam Hazewinkel, Hazewinkel was named OW in Greco-Roman wrestling at the U.S. Nationals after knocking off World University champion Spenser Mango and World bronze medalist Lindsey Durlacher on April 7 in Las Vegas. The unseeded Hazewinkel beat the second-seeded Mango 0-8, 6-0, 6-4 in the quarterfinals before he downed the top-seeded Durlacher 2-1, 3-1 in the finals at 55 kg/121 lbs. Hazewinkel, who last month became a four-time All-American for the University of Oklahoma, finished second behind Durlacher at the 2005 and 2006 U.S. World Team Trials. Hazewinkel also won the U.S. Nationals in 2005. Hazewinkel rebounded to win in Las Vegas just two weeks after falling 3-1 in overtime to Nebraska's Paul Donahoe in the NCAA finals at 125 pounds. Mary Kelly, Mary knocked off a pair of past World champions at 48 kg/105.5 lbs. as the United States women's freestyle team placed fifth at the World Cup on March 22-23 in Krasnoyarsk, Russia. Kelly defeated World champion Xueceng Ren of China 3-1, 2-1 and downed World champion Brigitte Wagner of Germany 5-0, 1-0. Kelly went 2-1 in the dual-meet event. Kelly was a 2006 U.S. World Team member. Deanna Gilbert of Billy Joes will join us to promo the WWE PPV on Sunday Maureen Roshar will join us to promo the Mississippi Belle 2 in Clinton, Iowa for Wildrose Casino and Resorts What a packed show! Please be sure to join us LIVE or archived or subscribe to our Pod Casts at Itunes.com Its free of charge and sounds like its LIVE. That's pretty cool. Even cooler, thousands of you are doing this already each week. Thank you!

Former Oklahoma State stars Jake Rosholt and Johny Hendricks recently made the decision to forgo their international wrestling careers to train and compete in mixed martial arts (MMA) events. Both have signed on with Team Takedown, a company of elite fighters based out of Dallas, Texas. RevWrestling.com recently caught up with the two Cowboy greats and spoke to them about why each made the decision to enter MMA, John Smith's reaction, their current training situation, their MMA goals, and much more. Jake, you capped off a remarkable career at Oklahoma State in March of 2006 with your third NCAA title. How have you spent the last year since your collegiate wrestling career ended? Rosholt: I basically spent the last year just in a whirlwind of different things, doing wrestling camps, coaching a wrestling club in Dallas, which is how I met the owners and the people behind Team Takedown. I was at Oklahoma State the first couple moths of the fall semester, working out and helping coach. That's when I decided that wasn't what I wanted to do. I took a job coaching a wrestling club in Dallas � and that's how I came to meet the guys in Team Takedown. Johny, you won NCAA titles at Oklahoma State, but lost in the NCAA finals this year to Mark Perry of Iowa. How much did that loss bother you � and does it give you extra motivation as you begin your MMA career? Hendricks: Yeah, definitely. It bothers me just because of the way things happened. I'm not going to say exactly what bothered me. Certain things do bother me, but life goes on. All that you can do is learn from the past and get better at whatever you're going to do. That's the way I'm looking at it. When was the decision made to get into MMA? How did it come about? Rosholt: It has always been in the back of my mind. I always kind of thought it would be fun to do. I was always interested in it, but I never had totally decided that was what I wanted to do. I met Ted Ehrhardt. I was coaching the wrestling club, and his kids wrestled in it, so I met him through that. He talked to me about MMA and getting into it. When he first talked to me about it, I was like, 'Nah, I've thought about doing it, but I don't know.' The more I thought about it, the more I got interested in it. The more I thought about it, the better it sounded. I went and tried it � and loved it. So that's where I am right now. Hendricks: A while back, I wanted to do it. I've been watching it and looking at it. I thought I would be very good at it. So, probably about five or six years ago. Did you grow up watching MMA? Rosholt: I have hardly watched any of it. I mean, I know what it is. I've watched some of the bigger fights. All of my friends watch every Ultimate Fighter show and all the fights, but I was never somebody who was like, 'I have to watch every fight that comes on.' Hendricks: No. John Smith obviously had a big influence on your career. What was his reaction when he found out that you were getting into MMA? How did you take the news? Did it bother him that you weren't continuing on in freestyle? Rosholt: I had made the decision quite a while before getting into MMA not to continue wrestling, so that wasn't an issue at all. It wasn't like I was giving up wrestling to go into MMA. It wasn't an issue at all. I think Coach Smith might have been a little bit surprised about my decision to get into MMA, but I believe he knows that it's a good opportunity for me and a good opportunity for wrestling. Hendricks: Yeah, it got to him because he wanted me to compete internationally. But other than that, now that it's over, he's happy for me. He says, 'I hope you do well. Best of luck. And I hope everything goes the way you want it to go.' Is wrestling completely out of the picture now, Johny? Or do you think you could make a comeback at some point? Hendricks: Probably not. My attitude is, I'm going to do the best I can at this and become very good at it. With that in mind, I want to hold the belt. That is where my mind is set. If I hold that belt, I'll probably never wrestle again. What's your current training situation? Where do you live? And who do you train with? Johny Hendricks and Jake Rosholt with Ted Ehrhardt of Team Takedown Rosholt: I just moved to Las Vegas like two weeks ago. I'm living in Las Vegas � and all I'm doing is working out. I work out at Randy Couture's gym. Depending on the day, there are 10 to 20 different pro fighters in there working out. So there are a lot of different people to learn from. Right now, I'm just trying to get in shape and learn as much as possible. I don't know anything but wrestling, so I'm just trying to get everything figured out. Hendricks: I live in Stillwater. Training wise, it's very hard to find people. I practice around and do stuff on my own. I'm just trying to practice what I've learned from going out to Randy Couture's gym. I'm practicing everything on my own, really, because it's hard to find partners around this area. Editor's Note: He and his wife will be moving to Las Vegas on May 15. Couture also wrestled in college at Oklahoma State. Did you know Couture on a personal level prior to getting into MMA? Rosholt: No. But when I became very interested in MMA, obviously I knew of Randy Couture. He's one of the best fighters ever. And I knew he wrestled at Oklahoma State. So I did a little looking around, got his phone number, got in contact with him, came out to Las Vegas, and sat down and had lunch with him. I just talked to him about the idea of me getting into MMA and what he thought about it. I just kind of got his personal opinion as to whether he thought it was a good idea, if he thought my wrestling would be a good transition to MMA. That was the first time I ever met Randy. Hendricks: No. I did not. I heard the name and knew he wrestled at OSU. Coach told me about him and how he is a great guy. I haven't really followed him much, but I have realized what type of person he is. And hearing things about him through his gym, he's everything that Coach told me he is. Is it more physically demanding to go through a wrestling match or an MMA fight? Rosholt: I have no idea. I've never been in a fight. I've never been in the cage, so I don't know. I don't have any grounds to decide that on. Hendricks: Um � I would have to say � I don't know. I've been through two MMA practices. It was hard, but I would have to say that wrestling was 10 times harder than that training. And it's broken up in sessions. That's why I didn't think it was as hard as wrestling. It is demanding, but I would say that I would rather fight than go through a wrestling practice. Is there a timetable as to when your first fight will be? Rosholt: I'm just trying to learn everything I can right now, get in shape, and get ready to fight. I'm anxious to get my first fight. I'm really anxious to get my first fight. But I want to be smart. And I want to be ready. Basically, I'm just going off people's feedback that they give me from working out. When I get down the road a little ways, and they say, �You look ready. You look like you're ready to fight.' More than that, that I feel ready. And I know that I'm ready to get in there and that I've had enough training and enough time to adjust from wrestling to fighting. Then we'll go out and find a fight. I'm looking at next fall sometime, whether it's as early as August, or a little bit later than that. Hendricks: I'm just trying to learn, train, and become the best I can. What are your MMA goals? Jake RosholtRosholt: My MMA goal right now is just to learn everything I can. I don't want to be just one dimensional. I don't want to be just a wrestler. I want to be good on my feet. I want to be good on the ground. I want to dictate where the fight is at. My ultimate goal is to win a title, to hold the UFC title. I'm not just doing it just to win a few fights or be average. I want to be the best. Hendricks: Well, like I said, hold the belt. That belt means everything to me now, just like that national championship was. That's the way I'm looking at it. That's what I'm going to strive for. How much do you weigh now? And in which weight class do you plan to compete? Rosholt: I weigh about 210 right now, but I'm going to fight at 185. Hendricks: I weigh about 185, 188, but plan to compete at 170. What part of your game do you think needs the most work at this point? Rosholt: My standup, like the boxing and the kickboxing. Those sorts of things. I've never done it before. I started out working on that � and working really hard at it. I want to be good on my feet. Obviously, I want to be able to not get knocked out by getting punched or kicked, but I also want my hands to be good. I want to be able to dictate if I want to fight on my feet or take them down. Hendricks: Probably submissions and striking. Those two. I believe that if I know how to strike, I can take anybody down. What I need to do is be able to get in close to them. And once I get in close to them, be able to overpower them, keep lifting the way that I do and keep my strength up. Obviously, MMA has greatly risen in popularity in recent years. Do you think we'll see a trend in the coming years of successful collegiate wrestlers forgoing their international careers to train MMA? Rosholt: I hope so. I think it's a good opportunity. It gives something else for wrestlers to do. It gives them another option after college. Johny HendricksHendricks: I don't know. It depends. Obviously, I felt like I was someone who could compete for that World title. I really did see myself as that. But I looked at other things. I've wanted to fight for a long time and also help my family. Now I have to provide for a family. This is a better opportunity to provide for my family. Plus, I can become bigger than I ever thought I could. If I do everything I say that I want to do � How many people know all these fighters? It's a growing sport. I can help myself out that way. That's the way I'm looking at everything right now. I can provide for my family and one day not have to worry about anything. Through wrestling, I didn't see myself being able to do that. Some people can, but I just didn't see myself that way. Are there any other recent college wrestlers training MMA that you know of? Rosholt: I know just the three names that come to mind: Rashad Evans, Josh Koscheck, and Gray Maynard. Gray Maynard actually trains here at Randy Couture's gym. And Johny will be moving out here soon. Hendricks: Other than Jake, I don't know who is in it and who is not. Johny, Ben Askren has expressed interest in getting into MMA. What are your thoughts about him getting into the MMA arena? Knowing the type of competitor he is, do you expect him to be successful if he gets into MMA? Hendricks: I don't know. I don't know what type of person he is. If he is the type of person for it, things are going to have to work out, just like for me. I know my mentality. And I know that whatever I do, I put one-hundred and ten percent into it. I believe that I have the meanness to do it. Those are all things that play a factor in getting into MMA. I don't know what type of personality he has, so I can't say anything on him. Please Note:If you would like to read more about Jake Rosholt and Johny Hendricks and follow their MMA careers, check out their MySpace.com pages at the links below. Jake Rosholt's MySpace Johny Hendricks' MySpace

This week's edition of "On the Mat" will feature former college coaches Kaye Young and Chuck Patten. Young was the head coach of North Iowa Area Community College from 1967 – 1976. During a four-year stretch between 1969 and 1973, NIACC placed second on three different occasions at Nationals before winning the title in 1973, when Coach Young earned National Junior College Coach of the Year honors. After dropping the program in 1976, NIACC announced that it would be reinstating wrestling this season under the guidance of Rich Fergola. NIACC is hosting a "Celebration of Excellence" that will honor the 1973 championship team with Dan Gable as the keynote speaker. The event will take place on Sunday, April 29, in the NIACC gymnasium at 4 p.m. This event is free and open to the public. Patten was the head coach at the University of Northern Iowa from 1965-1982. During his tenure with the Panthers his teams won two NCAA Division II titles and placed in the top three on nine other occasions. By the end of his 18-year career Patten had compiled a 217-87-8 dual meet record and had coached 58 All-Americans. "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.

NORMAN, Okla. -- Nine University of Oklahoma Sooner wrestlers competed at the University Freestyle Nationals on the campus of the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio April 21-22. Four Sooners finished in the top eight which earned them All-America status. At 154 pounds sophomore Will Rowe finished fifth, freshman Jeff James finished sixth at 174 pounds and freshman Nathan Fernandez finished fourth at 264.5 pounds. Also competing for the Sooners were freshman Greg Cannon at 121 pounds, junior Trey Blakely at 138 pounds, sophomore Jake Jackson at 163 pounds and sophomore Blake Allen at 174 pounds. Former Sooner and two-time National Champion Teyon Ware competed for the New York Athletic Club and won the 145,5 pound title. With the victory Ware qualifies to compete in the U.S. Senior World Team Trials in Las Vegas June 8-10. For more information on OU wrestling visit www.SoonerSports.com

AKRON, OH –- The University at Buffalo wrestling squad sent 20 of its best last weekend to Akron, Ohio to compete in the ASICS Men's FILA Cadet and University National Championships hosted by the University of Akron at the Athletics Field House. Comprised of top-notch competitors from across the nation at both the FILA Cadet Division as well as the University Division, two Bulls successfully earned All-American status while two others were on the verge. At 145.5 lbs., junior Ryan Needle (Newfane, NY/Newfane) bounced back in dramatic fashion following a sub-par 2006-07 season to claim fifth out of 60 participants. New York State Section VI's all-time winningest wrestler advanced to the semifinals after defeating four straight opponents, including Michael Keefe of Chattanooga, who was crowned the SoCon Championship at 141 pounds. However, Needle met stiff competition from Jordan Burroughs of Nebraska, who took the decision 4-2, 3-2. A second consecutive defeat positioned Needle for a fifth-place finish, as he decisioned Nathaniel Holt of Central Michigan, 1-0, 3-0. Junior Mickey Moran (Pittsburgh, PA/Shaler Area) entered the weekend's festivities after having redshirted this past season. Moran shook off the rust by winning seven matches in the 185 lbs. bracket, en route to a seventh-place finish. Moran's first loss came in the form of Matt Pell of Missouri, who placed third at the NCAA Championships this past March. Pell decisioned Moran, 3-1, 1-1, sending the junior Bull into the wrestleback. After battling past five straight opponents, Moran met Pell once again, who in turn sent Moran to the seventh-place match with Kent State's Eric Chine. Having never faced his Mid-American Conference adversary, Moran earned the decision, 1-0, 2-1. Redshirt freshman Dan Bishop (Whitehall, NY/Whitehall) and freshman Jimmy Hamel (Natick, MA/Natick) were both on the verge of earning All-American finishes, providing strong efforts in the wrestlebacks. Bishop was handed his first loss against 2007 NCAA All-American Obe Blanc of Lock Haven, 2-0, 3-0, before earning two victories in the wrestlebacks. Bishop would be denied an All-American placing after falling to Matt Steintrager of Central Michigan, 2-1, 9-0. Hamel was another Bull who redshirted the 2006-07 season, providing a glimpse of next season as he went 4-2 on the weekend. Hamel fell to Kent State's Eric Chine, 2-0, 2-0 in the wrestlebacks. The Bulls finished the 2006-07 season with a 8-7 record

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -– Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling All-American Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.) continued his outstanding year by claiming the 2007 University Freestyle National Championship at 63 kilograms. Strayer was one of seven Penn State place-winners at the national championships held in Akron, Ohio, this past weekend. Strayer claimed his title by going 6-0 at 63 kg, downing Cody Cleveland 2-3, 3-3, 2-1 in the title bout. Strayer earned his first NCAA All-America tag this past March with a seventh place finish at the NCAA Championships. He went 27-8 in 2006-07. Three-time All-American Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.) went 4-1 at 96 kg to take third place as well. Davis earned his third All-America honor this past season after his fifth place finish at nationals. He posted a 28-5 overall record. Dave Erwin (Urbana, Ohio), who started as a freshman two years ago and red-shirted last year, finished third at 79 kg. Erwin went 5-1 to claim the bronze medal. Erwin went 23-8 at 165 as a true freshman for Penn State at 165 in 2005-06. Junior Mark McKnight (McDonald, Pa.) went 3-2 at 55 kg and took home fourth place at the event. McKnight lost a close three period decision in the semifinals before bouncing back to claim fourth place. He went 23-11 at 125 pounds this past season. True-freshman Dave Rella (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio) posted a strong 5-2 mark at 74 kg and took home fifth place. Rella, who went 21-13 this past season, claimed a three-period win over Iowa State's Trent Paulson in the process of taking fifth place. Senior All-American James Yonushonis (Philipsburg, Pa.) also went 5-2 and placed fifth at 84 kg. Yonushonis, a 2006 All-American, went 30-6 this past year, leading Penn State in wins. Sophomore heavyweight John Laboranti (Scranton, Pa.) was strong at 120 kg, going 4-3 and taking home sixth place. Laboranti red-shirted this past year after his transfer from Virginia Tech. True freshman Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.) had a solid showing at 70 kg. Jenkins went 2-2 and did not place. Red-shirt freshman Brendan Herlihy (Fairfield, Conn.) went 2-2 at 120 kg; freshman Mike Eagan (Wharton, N.J.) went 2-2 at 63 kg; freshman Michael Lorenzo (Bellefonte, Pa.) went 2-2 at 74 kg; sophomore Jack Decker (Roseland, N.J.) went 3-2 at 74 kg; Phil Bomberger (Port Royal, Pa.) went 0-1 at 79 kg and Joe Farina (Denville, N.J.) was 0-1 at 120 kg.

PHOENIX –– Grand Canyon University (GCU) Head Wrestling Coach R.C. LaHaye has chosen the inaugural recruiting class to kick-off the wrestling program at GCU for fall 2007. Class standouts include 14 individual prep state champions and seven transfer students with previous college wrestling experience. GCU is still actively recruiting out-of-state wrestlers and training will begin at the start of the fall semester. "We couldn't have asked for a better class," said Coach LaHaye. "We have a great balance of local high school standouts along with a few guys with previous college wrestling experience, we couldn't be happier." Prep standouts expected to compete for the Antelopes include 2007 State champions Eric Garcia (Coolidge). Andy Jay (Mesa), David Leaphart and Ricky Abril (Thunderbird), Justin Felix and RJ Rios (Safford), Harley Feinrich (Sunrise Mountain), Tony Colvert (Mesa Mt. View), and Nick Peidmont (Suahrita). Transfer students expected to make an impact at GCU include NJCAA All-American Efrain Escudairo (Pima CC) along with NJCAA National Qualifiers Adrian Rios (Pima CC), Adam Barnett (Glendale CC) and Anthony Birhcak (Pima CC). Other standout transfers to note are former three-time state champ Jose Palencia (ASU), along with former state champs Clint Casteneda (Mesa CC), Mike Abril (Glendale CC) and Lonnie Brunson (Pima CC), also included is California Community College finalist Jack Porter (Cerritos CC). Out of state recruits also committed to GCU include 3x Texas State placer Daniel Caraveo (El Paso, TX), and 2x Indiana State Placer Chris Pingleton (Greencastle, IN). Chris is the brother of Indianapolis All-American Charlie Pingleton. Rounding out the recruiting class are prep athletes and state medal winners Sonny Esquivel (Maryvale), Brandon Wendt (Centennial), twins Corey Cross and Casey Cross (Centennial) Josh Calteaux (Hamilton), Julian Hamilton (Boulder Creek), and Tim Carillo (Desert Vista). Also expected to compete for GCU are Daniel Rubio and Vince Arollo (Ceasar Chavez), Nick Caprario (Millennium), Cale Errigo (Thunderbird), Juan Aquayo (Dysart), Matt Gordon (Dobson HS) and Lowen Sniff (Saguaro). About Grand Canyon University Founded in 1949, Grand Canyon University is a one of Arizona's leading higher learning institutions and one of the nation's fastest-growing. Based in Phoenix, the regionally accredited, private, non-denominational Christian university offers online and campus-based bachelor's and master's degree programs through the Ken Blanchard College of Business, College of Education, College of Nursing, and College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The school was recently ranked as having the top online education program by OEDb (Online Education Database). With a total enrollment of approximately 13,000 students, GCU emphasizes individual attention for both traditional undergraduate students as well as the working professional. For more information visit www.gcu.edu.