InterMat Staff

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -– Five members of the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team brought home top finishes from the 2007 FILA Junior National Championships held in Las Vegas, Nev., last weekend. True freshmen Dave Rella (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio) and Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.) brought home individual crowns. Rella, who went 21-13 as a rookie at 165 this year, took the crown at 74 kg pounds after downing Ryan Patrovich of the New York Athletic Club 3-2, 1-0 in the finals. Rella was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler for his efforts. Classmate Jenkins, who went 23-12 and was a national qualifier at 157 as a rookie, took the title at 70 kg with a 3-0, 2-2, 4-1 win over Matt Ballweg of the Hawkeye Wrestling Club. Three other Nittany Lions earned places at the event as well. Freshman Eric Caschera (South Williamsport, Pa.) placed fourth at 50 kg and red-shirt freshman Mike Ward (Mayfield, Ohio) finished sixth at 79 kg. Heavyweight Stefan Tighe (Erie, Pa.), wrestling at the event for the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club, finished third at 120 kg. Current Penn State Director of Wrestling Operations Adam Smith placed fifth at 55 kg in the ASICS U.S. National Championships, which was held concurrently with junior nationals. Former Nittany Lion All-American Pat Cummins was seventh at 120 kg as well. Penn State's two Junior National Champions have qualified for the Pan Am Junior games later this summer. Wrestlers finishing in the top six are now eligible to attend camp in Colorado in May and can participate final team trials for the FILA Junior World Team.

WATERLOO –- Former University of Iowa wrestling standouts Simon Roberts and Sherwyn Thorson are among seven men who will be inducted into the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa, class of 2007. The inductions will be held April 14 in Waterloo. This will be the sixth class of individuals inducted in the hall of fame. The hall of fame honors those individuals who have achieved greatness in the sport of wrestling and competed in the state of Iowa during their careers. At the 1956 NCAA tournament Simon Roberts broke new ground in the college wrestling world. As a junior, competing at the 147-pound weight class, the former Hawkeye became the first black wrestler to ever win an NCAA title. Entering the tournament seeded sixth, Roberts upset the second and fourth seeded wrestlers on his way to a hard-fought championship victory. A native of Davenport, Roberts was also the first black wrestler to win an individual state title in Iowa. He was a state champion in 1954 at 133 pounds. He is retired from a long career in education and lives in Los Angeles. Sherwyn Thorson was a two-time All-American wrestler, winning the NCAA title in 1962 at heavyweight after finishing runner-up in 1960. He opted not to wrestle the 1961 season as he spent considerable time in the weight room, working to improve his football skills. He was a three-year regular on the Hawkeye football team who went on to a ten-year career in the Canadian football league. He is a member of the Winnipeg Blue Bomber Hall of Fame. The wrestling museum will be moving from Newton to Waterloo later this year. In addition to the move, the facility will be renamed the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute & Museum. The wrestling museum expects to be up and running by early January of 2007. The class of 2007 will be the first induction ceremony held at the new building located at 303 Jefferson Street. Festivities will take place on April 13-14, 2007. In addition to the hall of fame inductions on Saturday, April 14, Championship Productions will be hosting their fourth annual Coaches' Clinic in conjunction with the wrestling museum during the weekend. The clinic is being held one block away from the museum at the Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center. For more information on the event you can call the museum at 319-233-0745 :: Class of 2007 :: Al Baxter was a legendary coach at both Lisbon high school and Buena Vista College. During his nine years at Lisbon, his teams won five traditional state titles. In 1978 he embarked on a 26-year coaching career at Buena Vista, a Division III school. Baxter compiled an overall dual meet record of 376-119-5 and won eight conference team championships. He also coached 71 All-Americans and six national champions. As a wrestler, Baxter was a state champion at Morning Sun in 1965 and an All-American at Morningside College. Tim Johnson is entering his 21st year as the "voice" of Iowa Public Television's long-running sports series COLLEGE WRESTLING. During this time, Johnson has broadcast over 150 college wrestling meets for IPTV, the Fighting Illini Wrestling Network, ESPN, and Real Pro Wrestling. In 1984 he was director of wrestling for the Los Angeles Olympic Games. A native of Morning Sun, Johnson graduated from Coe College in 1976 and was a successful wrestling coach at Mount Vernon high school, which produced four-time state champion Greg Randall. Currently, Tim is head of the Midwest chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and organizes the champions breakfast each year at the NCAA Division I tournament, one of the highlights of the weekend. Gene Lybbert was a two-time All-American for State Teachers College (now Northern Iowa), placing third at 130 pounds in 1951 and winning the NCAA title at the same weight class in 1952. After college, Lybbert embarked on a remarkable coaching career at Blue Earth high school in Minnesota. During his four-year tenure, his teams won three consecutive state titles and were runners-up once. Retired and living in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Lybbert is actively involved with the Northern Iowa wrestling program. Don Parker was a two-time Division II national champion at 177 pounds, winning titles in 1966 & '67 at Northern Iowa. Parker earned All-American honors three times and posted a 65-16-3 career record. He was a Division I All-American in 1967, as well. From 1973 through 1977 Parker was the head coach at Upper Iowa before taking over at the University Wisconsin-Eau Claire in '77, where he is currently the head coach. Parker has coached 12 All-Americans and 18 conference champions during his 30 years at UW-Eau Claire. Parker was a state champion for North Fayette high school in West Union in 1963 at 165 pounds. He was paralyzed in a hunting accident in 1998, and still continues to coach, serving as an incredible testimony to wrestling's ability to provide support in overcoming adversity in life. At the 1956 NCAA tournament Simon Roberts broke new ground in the college wrestling world. As a junior, competing at the 147-pound weight class for the University of Iowa, Roberts became the first black wrestler to ever win an NCAA title. Entering the tournament seeded sixth, Roberts upset the second and fourth seeded wrestlers on his way to a hard-fought championship victory. A native of Davenport, Roberts was also the first black wrestler to win an individual state title in Iowa. He was a state champion in 1954 at 133 pounds. He is retired from a long career in education and lives in Los Angeles. From 1975 through 1978, Frank Santana was one of the most imposing wrestlers to ever wear an Iowa State singlet. Competing at 190 pounds, Santana was a three-time finalist and an NCAA champion 1977. He was also a two-time Big Eight champion and finished his college career with an 86-8 record. Santana was an integral part of leading Iowa State to an NCAA team title in '77 and runner-up finishes in '76 and '78. He is currently heavily involved with marketing and promoting wrestling around the state of Iowa and the nation, on several fronts. A businessman, he lives in Des Moines. Sherwyn Thorson was a two-time All-American wrestler, winning the NCAA title in 1962 at heavyweight after finishing runner-up in 1960. He opted not to wrestle the 1961 season as he spent considerable time in the weight room, working to improve his football skills. He was a three-year regular on the Hawkeye football team who went on to a ten-year career in the Canadian football league. He is a member of the Winnipeg Blue Bomber Hall of Fame.

The 2007 NCAA Champion Minnesota wrestling team will show off its national championship trophy at the Twins-Yankees game on Wednesday, April 11. The Golden Gophers will be recognized on the field during a pre-game ceremony and two-time All-American Mack Reiter will have the privilege of throwing out the ceremonial first pitch. The game is scheduled to begin at 7:10 p.m., at the Metrodome. Select members of the team will also participate in the tradition of leading "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the seventh-inning stretch. The Gophers were also previously scheduled to be recognized at the State Capitol on Wednesday afternoon, but due to scheduling conflicts that appearance has been postponed to a later date to be determined.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -– Penn State senior wrestling manager Jenn Hendrickson (Mercersburg, Pa.) has won a 2007 Fulbright Scholarship and, after graduating in May, will head to Indonesia in July as part of the scholarship program. Hendrickson has been a manager with Penn State's wrestlers for three years. The dual major in International Politics and Latin will leave for Indonesia on July 30 and spend 10 months in Southeast Asia as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant. Her final city and island placement will be made in May. Hendrickson will be one of less than 30 Fulbright Teaching Assistants in Indonesia. The esteemed award is given to a select few of the nation's best candidates for various grants. Hendrickson applied for the East Asia/Pacific grant for 2007. In 2006, just under 650 people applied for this region's grant and under 160 were awarded. Overall, the program awards around 1,300 grants to U.S. students to study overseas while the applicants number in the thousands. The Fulbright Award is part of the U.S. State Department. The program pays all expenses including airfare, housing and a stipend. While in Indonesia, Hendrickson will have the opportunity to travel to other parts of Southeast Asia. Recently, Hendrickson received the Carl A. Winterburn Award at the 2007 awards banquet. That honor is given to the manager who demonstrates year-round support for the Penn State wrestling program. She has also served as Wrestling Affiliate Club Co-President for two years.

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- Head Wrestling Coach Chris Bono claimed his third consecutive U.S. Freestyle National Championship Saturday night at the 2007 U.S. National Championships in Las Vegas, Nevada. Bono, who entered the tournament seeded fourth in the 145.5 pound division, has now won four overall U.S. Freestyle titles. He receives an automatic bid to the U.S. Olympic Trials on June 9 and 10 in Las Vegas. As a seeded wrestler, Bono did not have to go through the preliminary qualifying matches. He defeated Joe Johnston, 3-0, 1-1 and Zack Esposito, 1-1, 0-1, 3-1 to get to the semifinals. In the semis, Bono got past top-seeded Jared Lawrence, 3-0, 0-3, 1-0 before beating second-seeded Jared Frayer, 2-6, 3-1, 1-0 for the title. The championship match came down to the third period which Bono won 1-0 after Frayer stepped out of bounds. "Jared is a tough and dangerous wrestler," Bono said. "This is the first time I have ever beaten him. This is exciting because I'm out of the mini-tournament. I only have to wrestle two matches to be on the World Team. I'll let those other guys beat each other up before they get to me." Six UTC wrestlers also competed at the Nationals with each of them providing good showings. Two-time All-America Matt Keller won four matches at 132.25 pounds to advance to the championship round before an injury ended his run. Josh Keefe went 1-2 in the same bracket. All-America Michael Keefe and Joey Knox wrestled in the same bracket as Bono. Both wrestlers compiled impressive 3-2 marks. Seth Garvin went 2-2 at 163 pounds, and former wrestler and current UTC assistant coach Israel Silva won three matches after losing his initial match and ended up 3-2.

GOLDEN, Colo. -- Colorado School of Mines Director of Athletics Tom Spicer has announced the hiring of Dan Lewis as the CSM wrestling coach. Lewis will take over for Steve Kimpel who resigned the position in March. This will be Lewis' second stint as head coach of the Orediggers as he previously held the position from 1992-2002. During that time, he coached four NCAA II National Champions, 10 All-Americans and was named the 1996 NCAA II Coach of the Year after leading the Orediggers to a seventh place finish at the Division II national championships. He coached three All-Americans and two national champions in 1996. Dan LewisFour of Lewis' teams at CSM captured the National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Academic Team Championship. Those came in 1994-95, 1995-96, 1997-98 and 1998-99. Lewis began his wrestling career at Fountain Valley High School and captured the California Interscholastic Federation Championship in 1971 as he posted a 30-0 record with 23 pins. He also placed third at the High School Nationals contested at Oklahoma State. He then spent two seasons at Orange Coast Community College where he was a two-time All-American and posted 42 falls before moving onto Cal State-Fullerton for his final two collegiate seasons. At Cal State-Fullerton, Lewis was named the team Most Outstanding Wrestler in 1975 and 1976 when he captured conference titles at 177 pounds. He also qualified for the NCAA Championships in 1977. In 1976, Lewis was 17-0-1 in duals. He left the program with a school-record 30 career pins and an overall record of 67-6-1 in two seasons. Lewis' coaching career began at LSU where he was an assistant coach from 1980-82. He then served as the head coach at Cal State-Fullerton for the next 10 seasons and placed in the NCAA top-25 in 1990 and 1991. In 1991, Lewis guided seven wrestlers who qualified for the NCAA Championships. Cal State Fullerton was one of only 14 teams to do so that year. His 1991 team finished with a 13-8 record and knocked off Oklahoma among many other top ranked teams. A national search will begin immediately for the position of full-time assistant wrestling coach at Colorado School of Mines. Applicants must send a cover letter, resume, all transcripts of undergraduate and graduate degrees earned and the names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses of five professional references to: Office of Human Resources, search #07-141260, Colorado School of Mines, 1500 Illinois St., Golden, Colo., 80401. Review of applications will begin by April 16, 2007.

Seven current University of Minnesota wrestlers and two former Golden Gophers placed at the 2007 U.S. National Wrestling Championships held April 4-7 in Las Vegas, Nev. Two-time defending NCAA Champion Cole Konrad (Freedom, Wis.) made it clear that he will be one of the top contenders to make the U.S. World Team after turning in a second-place showing at 120 kg/264.5 lbs in the Senior Freestyle bracket. Konrad, who entered the tournament as the No. 4 seed, knocked off top-ranked Tolly Thompson in the semifinals before being defeated by No. 3 Tommy Rowlands in the finals. Konrad will compete at the 2007 U.S. World Team Trials in Las Vegas, June 8-10. Brandon Sitch (Kelso, Wash.) led a contingent of six Gopher freshmen to place in the FILA Junior National brackets. Sitch captured the 79 kg/174 lbs title in Greco-Roman and also took third in freestyle. Ben Berhow (Albert Lea, Minn.) was the only other Minnesota wrestler to place in both disciplines, taking eighth-place in freestyle and seventh in Greco-Roman at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. Three other Gopher redshirt freshmen medaled in Greco-Roman, with Jake Mellmer (Dickinson, N.D.) taking fourth place at 60 kg/132.25 lbs, Jordan Kolbow (Forest Lake, Minn.) coming in seventh at 79 kg/163 lbs, and Joe Nord claiming sixth at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. Mike Thorn (St. Michael, Minn.), who competed in 16 dual meets as a true freshman this season, took seventh place in freestyle at 60 kg/132.25 lbs. The three former Gophers who competed in the Senior Freestyle tournament were Jared Lawrence, who brought home fifth-place at 66 kg/145.5 lbs, Damion Hahn, who took seventh at 96 kg/211.5 lbs, and Matt Nagel, who competed at 74 kg/163 lbs after advancing through the qualifying bracket. For complete results from the 2007 U.S. Nationals, visit www.usawrestling.org

This week's edition of "On the Mat" will feature Tim Johnson and Al Baxter. Both Johnson and Baxter are among seven individuals who are being inducted into the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa at the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum on April 14. The official induction ceremony begins at 1 p.m. Tim Johnson completed his 21st year as the "voice" of Iowa Public Television's long-running sports series COLLEGE WRESTLING. During this time, Johnson has broadcast over 150 college wrestling meets for IPTV, the Fighting Illini Wrestling Network, ESPN, and Real Pro Wrestling. In 1984 Johnson was director of wrestling for the Los Angeles Olympic Games. A native of Morning Sun, Johnson graduated from Coe College in 1976 and was a successful wrestling coach at Mount Vernon high school, which produced four-time state champion Greg Randall. Currently, Tim is head of the Midwest chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and organizes the "Champions Breakfast" each year at the NCAA Division I tournament. Al Baxter was a legendary coach at both Lisbon high school and Buena Vista College. During his nine years at Lisbon, his teams won five traditional state titles. In 1978 he embarked on a 26-year coaching career at Buena Vista, a Division III school. Baxter compiled an overall dual meet record of 376-119-5 and won eight conference team championships. He also coached 71 All-Americans and six national champions. As a wrestler, Baxter was a state champion at Morning Sun in 1965 and an All-American at Morningside College. "On the Mat" is a weekly wrestling radio program that airs every Wednesday 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.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Five Wildcats competed at last weekend's Freestyle Nationals held in Las Vegas. Redshirt freshman Eric Metzler (Luxemburg, Wis./Luxemburg Casco) took seventh at 60 kg and junior Mike Tamillow (Oak Park, Ill./Fenwick) took eighth at 96 kg. Brandon Precin (Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg) finished third at 60 kg in the FILA Junior Nationals while NCAA champion Jake Herbert (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) and All-American Ryan Lang (North Royalton, Ohio/St. Edward) competed on the senior level. By virtue of his bronze medal at last summer's World University Games, Herbert already secured a spot in this summer's World Team Trials. Metzler's seventh place finish assured him a spot in the team trials and Precin's third-place finish at the junior level clinched him a spot in the Junior World Team Trials. The trials, held at the Las Vegas Convention Center, begin June 10. "Metzler and Precin did some great things during the tournament," head coach Tim Cysewski said. "We have areas to improve on, but their progress as college freshmen is just outstanding. Metzler entered the tournament as a relative unknown on the freestyle circuit and he came away with All-American status and a spot in the U.S. Senior World Team Trials." The senior nationals were broken into two days of competition, with wrestlers needing to win their way through the qualification round on day one in order to advance to the second day's championship bracket. With offseason tournaments such as the U.S. Senior Nationals, the matches are scored differently than in the college ranks. Matches consist of three two-minute periods, and the wrestler who wins two of the three rounds in declared the winner. A technical fall is awarded if a wrestler reaches a lead of six points in a period. Metzler won four matches in the qualifying draw on the first day of competition. He defeated Angel Alegre of thorobred, 4-1, 6-0, before falling to Danny Felix of the Sunkist Kids, 2-0, 1-0. Metzler fought is way back through the consolation bracket of the qualifying tournament, winning three more matches. His last win came over Cory Vombaur of the Cowboy WC, 1-0, 3-0. After a bye in the first round of the main draw, Metzler fell to the Gator WC's Mike Zadick, 7-0, 7-0. He advanced in the consolation draw when his first opponent defaulted due to injury and after a loss to Chris Fleeger of the New York AC, he topped the Warrior WC's Joey Rivera, 3-2, 2-2, for seventh place. Tamillow went 3-0 in the qualifying draw to advance to the main bracket. His first win came over Israel Silva of the Sunkist Kids, 4-0, 1-0, and he defeated Eric Lapotsky of the Bison WC in his second match, 3-1, 4-0. That set up a match against Penn State's Phil Davis, who topped Tamillow during Big Ten season. Tamillow won the freestyle bout, 1-0, 1-1, 3-0. In the main draw, Tamillow won a three-period match over Sean Stender of the Sunkist Kids, 3-1, 0-3, 1-0, before falling to Muhammed Lawal of the Gator WC, 6-0, 4-1. In the consolation bracket, Tamillow won his first match over Brent Jones of the Cavalier WC, 7-1, 2-1, but fell to Iowa State's Kurt Backes, wrestling for the Sunkist Kids, 4-0, 4-2. The junior dropped a two-period decision in the seventh-place match. "Tamillow avenged two losses on the weekend, by beating Phil Davis on Day 1 and Sean Stender on Day 2," Cysewski said. "Mike is a major factor in the 96 kg weight class and it is evident that he would like to once again qualify for the World Team Trials." On the junior level, Precin won three matches in the main draw at 60 kg to advance to the semifinals. He topped Justin Paulsen of Advanced Training Wrestling, 6-2, 4-1, and pinned Nick Outumuro of the Titan Wrestling Club and Rob Tate of the Warrior Wrestling Club in his second and third matches, respectively. The freshman was pinned in the semifinals, but defeated Zach Bigboy of Bakersfield and Mike Gray of Finger Lakes Wrestling to claim third place. "Precin's win over Gray proves that he is making outstanding progress," Cysewski said. "It is very difficult to train the entire year in collegiate style and then turn it around for the freestyle circuit less than three weeks after NCAA's. Precin is maturing fast and it is perfect timing because his world team trials will be here before we know it." At 84 kg, Herbert defeated Terry Madden of New York AC in his first match, but fell to Michigan's Tyrel Todd, wrestling for the New York AC, in his second match, 6-2, 1-2, 3-3. The junior defaulted with an injury out of his consolation match. After winning two matches in the qualifying draw, Lang defaulted due to an injury. "Jake and Lang will continue to train hard," Cysewski said. "They both wanted to be in the tournament to win it. We'll look to both of them for major success at the trials."

Columbia, Mo. -- Missouri Director of Athletics Mike Alden announced today that wrestling Head Coach Brian Smith has signed a five-year contract that will have him leading the Tigers through the year 2012. "We're very pleased to be able to do this for Coach Smith and the Tiger wrestling program," Alden said. "Securing Brian in this way helps ensure the stability of the program and it is undoubtedly a win-win situation for everyone involved. The job that Brian and his staff have done to build this into one of the nation's premier programs has been remarkable to watch, and he's been such an outstanding representative of the University of Missouri over the years. This is a great day for Mizzou." Coming off of a season in which the Tigers recorded a program-high third place finish at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships and tied the previous Missouri wrestling best Big 12 finish at second, Smith will enter his 10th season with the Tigers this coming fall. In dual competition, Smith earned his 100th Missouri career win Dec. 9, 2006, with a 31-9 victory over then-No. 11 Central Michigan. Smith is 110-55-1 in his nine years at Missouri and owns the highest Tiger wrestling coach winning percentage at 66 percent. "When I came to Missouri I had a vision of where I wanted to take the wrestling program," Smith said. "We are getting closer but there is still more work to be done and goals to accomplish. Contrary to the rumors that had me leaving Missouri, I have had no reason to want to leave the University and have had every reason to stay here. Most importantly, my family and I love the Columbia and the University communities. My wife teaches at the same school all three of my children attend and we've been involved in trying to bring a new Catholic High School to Columbia and that is going to happen. Another reason this is one of the best coaching jobs in the country is because of the tremendous support given by the wrestling alumni, boosters and fans. My administrators, Mike Alden and Sarah Reesman have shown continued support for the program since I began my career here in 1998. My goal and theirs is to win a national championship." Since Smith's inaugural season, the Tigers have continued to improve both on the mat and in the classroom. Missouri crowned its first wrestling Big 12 Champion in 2003 with Tyron Woodley (Ferguson, Mo.) and its first wrestling National Champion last season in Ben Askren (Hartland, Wis.), a feat he repeated in 2007. A total of eight wrestlers have earned 15 All-America honors with seven earning nine Big 12 titles. Askren, Missouri's 174 pounder, has received national recognition as a two-time Dan Hodge Trophy Award recipient, wrestling's equivalent to the Heisman, as well as multiple tournament honors and was named the 2006 NCAA Championship Most Outstanding Wrestler. "This was a very important deal for us to complete. Brian's stock has risen tremendously over the past few years and we wanted to recognize him for all the wonderful things he and his staff and student-athletes have accomplished," Senior Associate Athletic Director Reesman said. "There is no one I would rather have running this program. Brian's expectations mirror the department's and institution's in every aspect, from athletics to academics to community service. This program is one in which the entire Mizzou community may take great pride."

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Joe Heskett and Tommy Rowlands, assistant coaches for the Ohio State wrestling team, put their coaching duties on hold for four days to compete in the 2007 U.S. Senior National Championships and walked away with titles in their respective weight classes. Heskett, a volunteer assistant coach for the Buckeyes, wrestled at 74 kg/163 pounds and Rowlands competed at 120 kg/264.5 pounds in the event held at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas April 4-7. It is the first U.S. Senior National championship titles for both wrestlers. Heskett and Rowlands will return to Las Vegas, June 9-10 for the U.S. World Team Trials, as the Top 7 placewinners from the U.S. senior national championships qualify for the world team trials. After losing the first period, 6-1, to Casey Cunningham, Heskett rallied in the second period with a 4-0 win. He then followed that performance with a 2-1 victory in the third period. En route to the finals, Heskett pinned Ryan Churella (:41) and beat Travis Paulson, 2-1, 1-0, and two-time NCAA champion Ben Askren, 2-3, 5-2, 1-1. Although he dropped the first period, Heskett was prepared to battle on and now has his sights set on the world team trials. "It is 26 years of experience," Heskett said. "You can't lose composure. You have to be thinking when the period is over, it's over. You can't look back on it. This is a short-term goal. It feels great to win, but really I have the world team trials on my mind. That is the real test." It was a battle between two-time NCAA champions Rowlands and Cole Konrad in the finals. Rowlands was able to halt the former Minnesota Golden Gopher's run, 3-2, 1-0. On his way to the championship finals, Rowlands beat his first two opponents via a technical fall. Rowlands defeated Bubba Gritter, 6-0, 6-0, and David Zabriskie, 6-0, 7-1. In the semifinals, Rowlands encountered another former two-time NCAA champion in Steve Mocco and handed him a 1-0, 3-0 loss before matching-up against Konrad. Rowlands moved up a weight class, but was not concerned about the effects. "I think I was a tweener," Rowlands said. "It isn't a concern because these guys are big. I weigh in about 240 pounds. I have worked a lot on my strength training. I try to stay faster than them and be highly technical. As long as I can maintain the level of conditioning I have, I don't mind gaining weight." Log on to www.themat.com for complete brackets and information on the 2007 U.S. Senior National Championships.

Olympic gold. Four NCAA titles. Undefeated in college competition. Now Cael Sanderson adds to his list of accomplishments by being named Rev Coach of the Year in his very first year as head wrestling coach of the Iowa State Cyclones. On Wednesday, Sanderson was named Rev Coach of the Year by RevWrestling.com. The award is given annually to the nation's top collegiate coach across all divisions of wrestling as voted on by the writers and executives of RevWrestling.com. 2007 Rev Coach of the Year Voting 1st-5th-Place Votes: 9-7-5-3-1 1. Cael Sanderson, Iowa St.: 68 (7) 2. Brian Smith, Missouri: 35 (1) 3. J Robinson, Minnesota: 32 4. Jeff Swenson, Augsburg: 17 5. Tom Shifflet, Hofstra: 13 6. Tim Cysewski, Northwestern: 10 7. Chris Bono, UTC: 7 7. Luke Moffitt, Iowa Central: 7 9. Jim Miller, Wartburg: 5 10. Jim Zalesky, Oregon State: 3 11. Tom Ryan, Ohio State: 2 12. David James, C. Oklahoma: 1"Cael Sanderson has a burning desire to be the best, whether it's as a wrestler or as a coach," said RevWrestling.com senior writer Andrew Hipps. "He has already established his legacy as one of the all-time greatest wrestlers. Now he's in the process of establishing his legacy as a coach. Based on what he accomplished in his first season, the sky is the limit." When Sanderson was hired to replace Bobby Douglas as Iowa State's sixth head coach just over a year ago (March 31, 2006), many wrestling fans around the country questioned whether his on-the-mat success would translate into coaching success. After all, he spent only two seasons as a special assistant in the athletics department before joining the ISU coaching staff as an assistant coach for the 2004-05 season. But after Iowa State compiled a 13-3 dual meet record, won the Big 12 Championships, and finished second at the NCAA Division I Championships, nobody is questioning whether Cael Sanderson can succeed as a Division I collegiate head wrestling coach. Cael Sanderson (Photo/Tony Rotundo)Sanderson, who is the only Division I collegiate wrestler ever to finish his career undefeated (159-0) and win four NCAA titles, received seven of the eight first-place votes and accumulated a total of 68 votes. Missouri's Brian Smith, who led the Tigers to a third-place finish at the NCAA Division I Championships (that program's highest team finish ever), came in a distant second in the voting with 35 votes. Minnesota's J Robinson, who led the Gophers to their third national title in program history, came in third with 32 votes. Augsburg's Jeff Swenson, who led the Auggies to their record-10th NCAA Division III national championship in the last 17 seasons, was fourth with 17 votes. Hofstra's Tom Shifflet rounded out the top five with 13 votes. Other coaches who received votes included Northwestern's Tim Cysewski (10), Tennessee-Chattanooga's Chris Bono (7), Iowa Central's Luke Moffitt (7), Wartburg's Jim Miller (5), Oregon State's Jim Zalesky (3), Ohio State's Tom Ryan (2), and Central Oklahoma's David James (1). Launched in October 2005, RevWrestling.com covers all aspects of amateur wrestling, including high school, all divisions of college wrestling, freestyle and Greco-Roman competition, and Real Pro Wrestling. The Web site, located at www.RevWrestling.com, provides wrestling fans with timely wrestling news coverage along with unique content features such as Rev Rankings, exclusive athlete profiles, Q &A's, and hard-hitting analysis of major issues affecting amateur wrestling.

This week on Takedown Radio: Brian Keck, joins us LIVE at building for a look inside at building a kids tournament from the ground floor. Tim Cysewski, Northwestern's Head Coach joins is Live from Vegas and the US SR. Nationals to take a look back at the year and what's to look forward to in the fall. Matt Pell, This tiger will join us LIVE from Columbia, Missouri to take a look back at his year and to fill us in on what's next for this exceptional young man. Tim Flynn, The Head Coach of the Fighting Scots will join us Live from Vegas and the US SR. Nationals to talk about the team, the year, Bruce Baumgartner and all things wrestling. Jim Miller, Wartburg's headcoach joins us Live from Vegas and the US SR. Nationals. Jim will fill us in on the years he's seen and the changes that have taken place and those he see's for the future of the sport he loves so well. Join Steve Foster, Ross Peterson and a little from me too as we come to you live from Vets Auditorium with a thousand peewee and junior wrestlers, their family and friends. This will be a great time. Please feel free to join in with us.

PARK RIDGE, Ill. -- The Big Ten Conference office announced April 3 honorees from each of its 11 wrestling squads for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. The student-athletes chosen are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. In addition, the student-athletes must be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting. Penn State senior All-American James Yonushonis (Philipsburg, Pa.) was the Nittany Lion recipient of the honor. Yonushonis, an All-American at 174 in 2006, went 30-6 this year and leaves Penn State with an 83-50 career record. Honorees for wrestling are Illinois' Cassio Pero, Indiana's Angel Escobedo, Iowa's Eric Luedke, Michigan's Casey White, Michigan State's Franklin Gomez, Minnesota's Jayson Ness, Northwestern's Eric Metzler, Ohio State's Chris Vondruska, Penn State's James Yonushonis, Purdue's Jake Patacsil and Wisconsin's Tyler Turner. These 11 student-athletes are now candidates for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award, as the conference office will honor one male and one female student-athlete from each institution at the end of the school year.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State wrestler Chris Vondruska is a nominee for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award, the conference announced Tuesday. Vondruska is one of 11 wrestlers nominated from around the league and the conference will award one male and one female student-athlete from each institution at the end of the school year. The student-athletes chosen are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. In addition, the student-athletes must be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting. Vondruska (Bay Village, Ohio), a transfer from Hofstra (2002-2006), returned to his home state in 2006-07 to conclude his collegiate career with the Buckeyes. In five years of wrestling in the collegiate ranks, Vondruska compiled a career record of 82-32, while in his only year with the Scarlet and Gray he tallied a mark of 30-16. He was one of two Buckeyes to earn 30 wins on the season. In 2007, Vondruska made his second-consecutive trip to the NCAA championships at 165 pounds. As a senior at Hofstra, Vondruska was the Colonial Athletic Association champion at 165 pounds to qualify for nationals. In his first and only appearance at the Big Ten Conference championships, Vondruska finished fifth as a No. 5 seed. 2006-07 Wrestling Big Ten Sportsmanship Award Honorees Wrestler/ School Cassio Pero/ Illinois Angel Escobedo/ Indiana Eric Luedke/ Iowa Casey White/ Michigan Franklin Gomez/ Michigan State Jayson Ness/ Minnesota Eric Metzler/ Northwestern Chris Vondruska/Ohio State James Yonushonis/ Penn State Jake Patacsil/ Purdue Tyler Turner/ Wisconsin

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- Six wrestlers from the Southern Conference Champion UTC wrestling program will compete this week at the 2007 U.S. National Championships. The Nationals will be held Thursday through Saturday in Las Vegas, Nevada. Competing for the Mocs are Seth Garvin, Josh Keefe, Michael Keefe, Matt Keller, assistant coach Israel Silva and head coach Chris Bono. Weigh ins for all but Bono are Thursday with competition beginning Friday. Bono weighs in Friday and wrestles Saturday. The event, held at the Las Vegas Convention Center, includes the Men's and Women's Senior Division National Championships, the Men's FILA Junior World National Championships, the Men's Veterans National Championships, the Western Junior Regional Championships and the Men's and Women's Sombo Nationals and World Team Trials. Bono is seeded fourth in the 145.5-pound division in the Men's Freestyle tournament. Bono placed third at the U.S. Freestyle Nationals in 2002 and won the 2003 145.5-pound national title at the U.S. Senior Freestyle Nationals.

COLUMBUS, Ohio –- Tommy Rowlands, Ohio State wrestling assistant coach added another gold medal to his resume after winning the 120 kg/264.5 lbs division at the 2007 Swiss Grand Prix in Martigny, Switzerland, Wednesday. Rowlands concluded 2006 with a championship at the Sunkist Kids International Tournament in October and the NYAC Holiday International Tournament in November. In the championship bout in Switzerland, Rowlands beat Poland's Maksymilian Witek, 3-3, 2-0. En route to the final match, Rowlands defeated Markus Hamann of Germany, 4-0, 1-0, Baljit Kooner of Great Britain, 6-0, 5-0 and Celik Fatih of Turkey, 0-1, 1-0, 2-0. Rowlands was a part of a U.S. contingent that finished fifth at the event with eight points. Cuba was first with 15 points. Germany's 13 points was good for second, while Hungry and Poland tied for third with nine points to round out the Top 3.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -– The 2006-07 Penn State wrestling team was honored at the Penn State Wrestling Club's annual season-ending banquet today at the Ramada Inn and Conference Center in State College. Head coach Troy Sunderland and his staff handed out the annual team awards at the event. The Charles M. Speidel Award, given to the senior with the most career dual meet wins, went to All-American James Yonushonis (Philipsburg, Pa.). The Nittany Lion co-captain led Penn State in wins this year and went 30-6. He was the 2007 Big Ten Runner-Up and a 2006 All-American (placing seventh at 174). Yonushonis leaves Penn State with an 83-50 career record, including a 44-24 career dual match mark. He was also a 2007 Academic All-Big Ten selection. The Bill Koll Award, given to the outstanding freshman wrestler, went to red-shirt freshman Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.). Vallimont went 22-12 in his first season as a starter at 149, including a 12-7 dual match record (5-3 in Big Ten duals). Vallimont was the No. 12 seed at the NCAA Championships in Detroit and wrestled to his seed by advancing to the ‘round of 12' (finishing just one win shy of All-America status). The Larry Reilly Courage Award, given for showing courage in wrestling to help the team, went to sophomore All-American Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.). Strayer posted a 27-8 record this year, including a 16-3 dual match mark (6-02 in Big Ten action). He entered the 2007 NCAA Championships unseeded but moved through the field to place seventh at 133 and earn his first All-American trophy. Strayer is 53-14 in two years as a starter for Penn State. He was also a 2007 Academic All-Big Ten selection. The Academic Excellence and Community Service Award went to senior Brian Cantalupi (Carlisle, Pa.). Cantalupi went 6-8 this season and started two Big Ten duals for the Nittany Lions. He leaves Penn State with a 39-30 career record, including a 9-3 record in pins. Cantalupi once again served as a major contributor to THON, the nation's largest student-run philanthropic organization. He has been president of Penn State's Student-Athlete Advisory Board (SAAB) and in 2005 represented Penn State at the NCAA Regional Leadership Conference. He was a 2007 Academic All-Big Ten selection. The Eleventh Man Award, given for leadership and dedication to the team, went to junior Tim Haas (Camp Hill, Pa.). Haas, who began the year as Strayer's back-up at 133, started the year 5-0 by winning the ESU Open in November. But an injury ended his season and he has since undergone successful surgery and looks to be back for his senior year in 2007-08. Haas has a 22-8 career record, including a 6-5 dual match record. The Joe Scalzo Award, given to the best freestyle wrestler, went to sophomore Phil Bomberger (Port Royal, Pa.). Bomberger went 8-14 at 184 this season and picked up two dual match wins for the Nittany Lions. He also started for Penn State in four Big Ten duals and participated in the 2007 Big Ten Championships. Bomberger has a 16-20 career record. The Kaye Vinson Award, given to the most improved wrestler; and the William Neidig Award, given to the outstanding wrestler of the year; both went to senior heavyweight Aaron Anspach (Columbia, Pa.). Anspach, who is petitioning for a sixth year of eligibility, ended his first full season as a starter as the 2007 NCAA National Runner-Up. The Nittany Lion co-captain went posted a 22-4 record this season, including a 16-2 dual match record and a 7-1 Big Ten mark. Anspach, the 2007 Big Ten Runner-Up, entered the 2007 NCAA Championships as the No. 2 seed and swiftly advanced to the national title bout. While losing to two-time champion Cole Konrad of Minnesota, Anspach still went 4-1 at nationals and became an All-American for the first time. In addition to the wrestler awards, senior manager Jenn Hendrickon (Mercersburg, Pa.) received the Carl A. Winterburn Award, given to the manager who demonstrates year-round support for the Penn State wrestling program. Hendrickson is a dual major at Penn State, earning degrees in both International Politics and Latin. This was her third year as a manager with the Nittany Lions and she served as Wrestling Affiliate Club Co-President for two years.

GOLDEN, Colo. -- Colorado School of Mines Head Wrestling Coach Steve Kimpel has announced his resignation effective June 30, 2007, in order to pursue other professional opportunities in education. "We thank Steve for five years of service to Colorado School of Mines," CSM Director of Athletics Tom Spicer said. "We are proud of his accomplishments and wish him the best of luck in his new career opportunity." During his tenure at CSM (2002-07), Kimpel led six grapplers to All-American honors. Seven other wrestlers earned All-RMAC honors as a total of 13 student-athletes qualified for the NCAA Division II National Championships under Kimpel's guidance. In addition, 11 wrestlers earned Division II All-Academic honors and Kimpel's teams were in the top five of the All-Academic Team Championship standings in each of his five years at CSM. His 2005-06 squad was crowned the Division II All-Academic Team Champions after maintaining the highest cumulative grade point average in the country. In 2006-07, Kimpel guided CSM to a 6-9 dual meet record, including a fourth place showing at the CSM/ Jack Hancock Dual Invitational in November. The six dual meet wins were the most by a CSM wrestling team since the 1978-79 squad won six.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Purdue head wrestling coach Jessie Reyes has announced his resignation, effective March 31, 2007. "I want to thank Purdue University for providing me the opportunity to be a head coach in the most-prestigious wrestling conference in the country," Reyes said. "But after 15 years, I feel it is in my best interest to pursue other career opportunities. I feel good about what we accomplished at Purdue, and I wish the student-athletes and my staff continued success." Reyes came to the Boilermakers in 1992 and is the winningest wrestling coach in school history with a 179-120-3 record. He coached 16 All-Americans and four Big Ten champions. This past season, Purdue finished with a 10-8 record and tied for 42nd place at the NCAA Championships. The Boilermakers' best national showing under Reyes was 14th place in 2003. "Jessie had a very good run as our wrestling coach, and we appreciate his commitment to Purdue University for the last 15 years," said senior associate athletics director Roger Blalock, who oversees the wrestling program. "He was a tireless worker who did things the right way." Blalock will begin a national search for Reyes' replacement. "With the Intercollegiate Athletic Facility and the Blake Family Wrestling Training Center, combined with the fact that we compete in the Big Ten Conference, I believe our vacancy will be an attractive one," Blalock said. Assistant coach Scott Hinkel, who wrestled at Purdue from 1984 to 1987, will serve as interim head coach, and Tom Erikson will remain as an assistant during the search. Both may elect to pursue the head job.

Blair, NE -- The annual Dana College wrestling awards banquet has been scheduled for Friday April 27th at the Bel Air Banquet room at 12100 West Center Road in Omaha. All Dana College wrestling fans, boosters, parents and alumni are invited to join the Dana College wrestling staff and athletes in celebrating the 2007 season. The banquet is scheduled to begin at 6:00 pm and end around 9:00 pm. A pasta dinner will be served with the individual and team awards being handed out as well as season highlight video and much more. If you want to be a part of the event, please RSVP by Monday April 23, 2007. The cost of the pasta dinner is $8.25 per person at the door. Please make all checks payable to Dana College Wrestling. For more information, please contact Coach Richard Fergola at 402-426-7288 or by e-mail at rfergola@dana.edu

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -– Jeff Byers, the long-time voice of Penn State wrestling, has been named the National Wrestling Media Association's Broadcaster of the Year. He has been broadcasting Penn State wrestling since 1990. "I'm honored to receive recognition for doing something I truly love doing," Byers said. "It has truly been a privilege for me to cover the great coaches and athletes of the Penn State wrestling program for the last 17 years. I have made some great friends and have seen some great wrestling over the years." Byers, who currently works for Fight On State magazine and the fightonstate.com website, has been involved in radio since his junior year at Penn State. He has worked locally for WRSC 1390AM and WBLF 970AM. He also worked at KDKA radio in Pittsburgh. Byers was also the first radio broadcaster to be named the Wrestling Institute Magazine's Journalist of the Year, in 1999. Byers once again served as play-by-play announcer for the Penn State dual match season as well as calling the finals of the Nittany Lion Open and giving extensive, full day coverage of both the Big Ten Championships and the NCAA Championships. He also serves as host to the Troy Sunderland Show, a weekly coach's show that airs locally on WBLF 970 AM, WKVA 920 AM and a state wide radio network that began this year. Penn State's wrestling radio network began this season with the cooperation of the Sports Jam Network. WBLF and WKVA served as flagship stations for both the wrestling broadcasts as well as the coach's show.

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ -- Four Old Dominion wrestling Monarchs were named to the Colonial Athletic Association's All-Rookie Team for 2006-07. ODU boasts the highest number of freshmen on the team with Binghamton and Rider both with two members each. The Monarchs recognized were Kyle Hutter (125), Kaylen Baxter (149), Chris Brown (157), and Matt Pellar (285). Also released were the CAA's yearly awards. Hofstra University swept the awards with coach Tom Shifflet taking Coach of the Year, junior Charles Griffin named Wrestler of the Year, and Lou Ruggirello was named Rookie of the Year. The Monarchs started six freshman this season and nearly every dual started with freshman Kyle Hutter at 125 lbs. Hutter finished third at the CAA Championships. Including unattached results this season, Hutter finished with a 31-17 record with seven major decisions and four falls. The rookie proved he could grind out matches by finishing the season with 19 decisions. At the 149-lb. slot, head coach Steve Martin called on Alaska native Kaylen Baxter. Baxter knocked out more nationally ranked opponents than any other Monarch this season by toppling five, including the top seed at the CAA Championships Mike Parziale (Hofstra). He was one of five Monarchs finishing the season with 30 wins and he had a tournament win at the Virginia Intercollegiates. The freshman class was led by redshirt Chris Brown. Brown finished fourth at the CAA Championships as he ended the season with a team-high 35 wins, including 14 dual victories. He also led the team in major decisions with 13. He placed in five tournaments this season, including a second place finish in the 157-lb. weight class at the Michigan State Open. Finally, rounding out the ODU selections on the All-Rookie Team is Matt Pellar at 285-lbs. The heavyweight jumped into the starting lineup in the second half of the season and finished the year to the tune of a 19-12 record and six pins. He won the weight class at the Virginia Intercollegiates as well as at the Mat Town USA Tournament. Old Dominion returns nine of its ten starters next season. In 2006-07, the Monarchs went 12-7 in dual competition and qualified three wrestlers for the NCAA Tournament. 2006-07 CAA Wrestling Awards Coach of the Year: Tom Shifflett (Hofstra) Wrestler of the Year: Charles Griffin (Hofstra) Rookie of the Year: Lou Ruggirello (Hofstra) All-Rookie Team: 125: Kyle Hutter (ODU) 133: Lou Ruggirello (Hofstra) 141: Cory Dunn (Sacred Heart) 149: Kaylen Baxter (ODU) 157: Chris Brown (ODU) 165: Robbie Morrison (Rider) 174: Josh Patterson (Binghamton) 184: Mike Miller (Rider) 197: Ed Backus (Binghamton) 285: Matt Pellar (ODU)

St. Cloud, Minn. -- The first annual St. Cloud State University wrestling banquet has been set for Friday, April 13, at the Kelly Inn in downtown St. Cloud, Minn. All Wrestling fans, please come out and join first year head coach Steve Costanzo and his Husky squad from 6-9 p.m. at the banquet. Individual and team accomplishments will be announced, and a highlight video of the year's best and most exciting wrestling footage will be viewed. Please RSVP by Monday, April 9, 2007. The cost of the Italian buffet is $14 per person, and please make checks payable to the SCSU Foundation. For more information, please call Coach Costanzo at 320-308-2996 or email him at sscostanzo@stcloudstate.edu

TEMPE, Ariz. –- Five members of the Arizona State University wrestling team have been selected to the 2007 Pacific-10 Conference Wrestling All-Academic teams, Commissioner Tom Hansen announced Wednesday. Led by the first-team accolades of Jason Trulson, the five selections for the Sun Devils marks the most in one year in the history of the program, surpassing the four selections attained in both 2006 and 2000. Trulson, the team's starter at 197 pounds this season, earned his second career selection to the academic lists after also being selected to the first team last year. His selection makes him just the third Sun Devil to earn first team accolades twice in a career and brings the program's total first-team selections to 14 total. Also selected to the Pac-10's honorable mention team were Robert Galvan, Pat Payne, Quinton Pruett and Chris Remsen. Payne, who was sidelined much of the year due to injury, earned his second career selection to the academic lists after garner second team honors last year. The other three Sun Devils earned their first selections to the conference's academic lists. 2007 Academic All-Pac-10 Honorees Arizona State selections: Jason Trulson -- First Team Robert Galvan -- Honorable Mention Pat Payne -- Honorable Mention Quinton Pruett -- Honorable Mention Chris Remsen -- Honorable Mention