InterMat Staff

This week on Takedown Radio: Tom Erickson -- Asst. Head at Purdue Mark Weader -- Head Coach George Mason Brian Smith -- Head Coach at Missouri Bas Rutten -- Head Coach IFL Anaconda's

Mixed martial arts (MMA) have become one of the most popular sports over the past decade –- not just in the American culture, but in the entire world. With worldwide exposure of MMA productions such as Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) and Pride, the sport has blown up. And with that exposure has come the popularity of its athletes. Names such as Randy Couture, Tito Ortiz and Matt Hughes are known worldwide. Before them, athletes such as Mark Coleman and Kevin Randleman were controlling the ranks. What is common among them? A wrestling background. And while the martial arts have helped many MMA athletes to earn wins by submission or knock out, it is tough to get that end result without taking your opponent down. In other words, a wrestling background is becoming more and more important in MMA. A case in point is the recent fight between UFC Hall Of Fame member Royce Gracie, the man who single-handedly popularized jiu-jitsu in the United States. Gracie, however, was no match for former Eastern Illinois All-American Matt Hughes, who dismantled Gracie in less than five minutes. The fight was won with Hughes riding the legs of Gracie, a common wrestling technique. From there, he used hip pressure to hold Gracie down and punch his head until the official stopped the match. Jiu-jitsu, in a sense is a form of wrestling. It is in the same family, just as a kitten is related to a lion. Jiu-jitsu, judo, wrestling –- they all learn from each other. Though it could be said that the sport of wrestling is the most refined of all of the mixed martial arts styles. As the UFC recently celebrated its 12-year existence with its 60th pay-per-view event on Sunday night and Pride prepares to enter its 10 th year of competition, it is inevitable that more wrestlers will inch their way to the top of each circuit. History of MMA Mixed martial arts (MMA) is an intense and evolving combat sport in which competitors use interdisciplinary forms of fighting. These forms include jiu-jitsu, judo, karate, boxing, kickboxing, and wrestling among others. Athletes use these martial arts forms in a supervised and controlled environment to compete against one another. The interesting part comes with the relation of these sports to one another. Each discipline gives and takes from one another. Many wrestlers have also excelled in judo because of the takedown aspects involved. Jiu-jitsu can be used in many ways to help with wrestling, especially when the competitors are on the mat and not on their feet. Boxing and kickboxing can help with set-ups for shots and takedowns. The sport began centuries ago with the ancient Olympic Games in Greece. Then, it was known as pancratian, which today, simply means athletics. Often times, these contests were fights to the death. Surrendering before that point may have proved shameful to the losing competitor then. The ones who did surrender, or had merciful opponents, lost limbs, were greatly disfigured and in some cases, left brain-dead, which led to certain death. Over time, these sporting events evolved into the early forms of wrestling throughout many civilizations. Sand and oil were used on the bodies, and the competition area often resembled a modern day sumo ring, only larger. Different regions of the world began to specialize in different areas of the combat sports world. The South Americans became skilled in the martial arts such as judo and jiu-jitsu. Those in the European region became skilled in wrestling. All of these were infused with each other. What is today known as mixed martial arts was resurrected following the brutal combat sports of the 1906 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. Soon after that event, Brazilians began to compete in a combat fighting sport named Vale Tudo, which translated from Portuguese means "anything goes." The Brazilians, not known for their wrestling skills, began to incorporate many of the martial arts into these Vale Tudo competitions. Over time, the sport made its way to the Eastern hemisphere and grew a major fan base in Asia. Then, like a wave of killer bees, MMA began to migrate north from Brazil. The sport really took off in 1993 with the inception of the UFC, the first MMA promotion geared at popularizing the sport. Gracie brought jiu-jitsu into the fold and dominated using only those skills. Since then, Pride and K1, a kickboxing league, have always gained worldwide notoriety and in the last five years, numerous independent promotions have popped up all across the United States. Each promotion has its own niche. The UFC is fought in a cage, and has many restrictions on how you can attack and strike your opponent. Pride, however, looks to keep restrictions to a minimum. One of those independent promotions is LA Sub X, a purely submission fighting league, which held its first show in Santa Monica, Calif. this past weekend. The league was started by former Iowa wrestling great Rico Chiapparelli. Wrestling and MMA Chiapparelli may be one of the first great U.S. wrestlers to get involved with MMA. He has competed in numerous leagues over the years and has helped involved many former wrestlers gain experience through the promotions he is involved with. In 1987, Chiapparelli won an NCAA title in wrestling for the Hawkeyes. In 1989, he won a U.S. freestyle national title. After that, he fell behind some of the greatest U.S. wrestlers of all time, including eventual Olympic gold medalist Kevin Jackson and Royce Alger. He then dove into the world of MMA. "I found it to be an intriguing sport," Chiapparelli said of his early involvement with MMA. "You have to have a different mindset to want to compete in any MMA production. It's not like in wrestling, where if you fall behind you can come back. If you fall behind in MMA, you might not get up." And while it has its differences from wrestling, there is no doubt that wrestling is a crucial component to winning any MMA bout, not matter what production it is in. "I've made a career in the UFC out of wrestling my opponents. I've grown to develop skills in other areas, but getting a takedown in any match gives me a surefire advantage every time," stated Randy Couture, who is known as "The Natural" when he fights in the UFC. "Wrestling has changed MMA overall, and definitely the UFC. It is so tough to get the distance on your feet when in a fight to strike an opponent the way you would want to, so your next option would be to take him down. It's a big reason you are starting to see so many college wrestlers train in MMA all across the world," Couture added. The main wrestling skill used in MMA is the takedown. Double-legs are the most common, though the athletes will execute single-legs from at times as well. "Getting your man on the mat is half the battle," said UFC commentator Joe Rogan. "I would go as far to say that in a round where a submission takes place or a knock out occurs, the man who scored the takedown won that bout. In a decision, the man with the most takedowns will usually win." The leg ride is also very common in MMA fights. In wrestling, riding an opponent is crucial, especially at higher levels. It wears an opponent down, which makes them prone to mistakes. In college, one minute of riding time even earns one point for the offensive wrestler. In MMA, it is used for the same effect –- to wear an opponent down and make them prone to mistakes. Punches to the head and body are used from this position, and good hip control is what keeps an opponent on the mat. This skill is developed through wrestling. "There is a reason wrestlers are dominating in the UFC and in other MMA leagues," Rogan said. "It is because they are using half the necessary skills their entire lives. Kids grow up learning proper takedowns and riding techniques. They don't necessarily grow up learning how to strike someone else." It was those techniques that helped Couture defeat former junior college wrestler Tito Ortiz in a fight nearly two years ago. Ortiz had said before that fight that he would take down Couture throughout the entire match. It was the 42 year-old Couture who did all the taking down, though, and consequently won the match. Couture has not officially retired, but he admits his competition days are slowing down. He is now helping former Olympic silver medalist Matt Lindland with the day-to-day operations of Team Quest, which represents another former Olympic wrestler –- Dan Henderson. "When it comes to submission, that is what half of pinning combinations in wrestling are – a submission. A lot of times when you get a pin in wrestling, it's because your opponent gave up," Chiapparelli said. "If I have to choose between a martial arts star and a wrestling star to work with or train, I'm going with the wrestling star every time. It's easier to teach you to strike than it is to get your opponent on the mat." The Future of Wrestling and MMA In the past decade, more and more wrestlers have looked for ways to try their hat in an MMA bout. On any given week, one could walk into the wrestling room at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., and see a wrestler working on his MMA skills. At a point two years ago, Hughes spent time training in Colorado Springs with Olympian Kevin Bracken. "Around that time, I was just getting to where I wanted to be as a fighter," Hughes said. "Wrestling was becoming more important in the UFC, and it was a good way to hone my skills, but also, those guys know some good tactics for when you're on the ground, too." Lindsey Durlacher, a current U.S. Greco-Roman World Team member, has fought numerous times in smaller promotions in the Denver area. Fresh out of college stars such as NCAA champion Josh Koscheck have made their mark as well. Koscheck was featured on the show Ultimate Fighter, and is considered one of the sport's up-and-coming stars. Even Olympic great Rulon Gardner dabbled in the sport, competing in a Pride fight on New Year's Eve, 2004. With the development of Real Pro Wrestling (RPW), though, will any of these born fighters be swayed to continue to compete in wrestling? Possibly. "If Real Pro Wrestling was around when I was moving into fighting, I definitely would have considered that option," Couture said. "I love the fight game, but wrestlers need viable options financially for when they are done competing in college, or even in freestyle and Greco-Roman. If Real Pro Wrestling can provide that, then you'll see a lot of wrestlers stay with wrestling." And that is something RPW is providing. They are not competing with MMA promotions. RPW and wrestling in general does not focus on the amount of pain one individual can bring to his opponent. It focuses on the skill that is involved in defeating your opponent. While chokes and moves that will break someone's arm or leg are glorified in the MMA world, it is illegal in the sport of wrestling, and is more likely to get an athlete disqualified than cheered. Indeed, RPW is not competing with MMA. Instead, they are promoting wrestling, the truest mixed martial art of them all.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State wrestling coach Tom Ryan announced the team's 2006-07 schedule Tuesday. The Buckeyes will host six duals at St. John Arena and will host Northwestern in Lakewood, Ohio, because of a scheduling conflict. "This schedule will challenge our student-athletes in preparation for the Big Ten and NCAA championships," Ryan said. Ohio State again will open the season at the Michigan State Open Nov. 12 in East Lansing, Mich. Last year, the Buckeyes' J Jaggers finished first in the 149-pound division. The Scarlet and Gray's home schedule gets underway when it welcomes Missouri to St. John Arena Nov. 16. A trip to Ithaca, N.Y., is on tap Nov. 26 when the Buckeyes face Cornell for their ninth meeting all-time and second in three years. OSU will participate in two tournaments in the month of December, beginning with the Las Vegas Invitational Dec. 1-2. A dual meet against Tennessee-Chattanooga in Columbus is scheduled Dec. 17 before Ohio State returns to the road to see action in the Southern Scuffle Dec. 28-29 in Greensboro, N.C. The Buckeyes kick off the 2007 portion of their schedule at home against Kent State Jan. 7, 2007. The Big Ten slate begins Jan. 14 against Purdue at St. John Arena and is the first of four conference home matches. Before traveling to Penn State Jan. 26, OSU will participate in the Ashland Duals Jan. 21 in Ashland, Ohio. Ohio State then will compete in its second dual in three days when it welcomes Indiana to Columbus Jan. 28. A home match vs. Michigan State is featured Feb. 2. The Buckeyes and Spartans did not meet during the 2005-06 season. Ohio State's final home dual vs. Northwestern is Feb. 4. OSU will compete in its final three regular-season duals on the road against Michigan (Feb. 11), Iowa (Feb. 16) and Illinois (Feb. 18). The Buckeyes will not meet 2005 Big Ten Champion Minnesota and Wisconsin during the regular season. Michigan State will host the 2007 Big Ten Championships at Jenison Field House March 3-4. The Scarlet and Gray will return to the state of Michigan for the NCAA championships hosted by Michigan and the Detroit Metro Sports Commission in Auburn Hills, Mich. The event is March 15-17 at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

ALAMOSA, Colo. -- The grunting, grinding and shoes squeaking all over the wrestling room are the future of high school wrestling for the San Luis Valley. These are the youngsters who will undoubtedly blossom into the state qualifiers and state champions in several years. For now, however, they are busy learning and applying the fundamentals of wrestling learned here at the Cool Sunshine Wrestling Commuter Camp under the direction of Adams State College head coach Jason Ramstetter. Ramstetter, assistant Rob Odell and the camp staff, which includes several Grizzly wrestlers, are teaching the youngsters the fundamentals for a lifetime of grappling. "I'm very happy with the turnout," Ramstetter said. "We ended up way bigger than in the past year. It looks like it's growing and I'm very pleased with the local interest in wrestling. In the past we've right around 25 kids come to our camp and this year we're right at 50." "The majority of the kids participating are local. We had a few kids traveling from a long ways away, but the connection there usually was because a cousin was coming or something of that nature. It's not an overnight camp and we usually don't get kids from too far away." This year's camp features ASC NCAA All-Americans Evan Copeland, Brian Pitts and Raymond Dunning. Also helping out are Grizzlies wrestling team members Jacob Sheridan, Joey Deaguero and Noomis Jones. The camp, which features five sessions of premier technique, runs through Wednesday. The Cool Sunshine Wrestling Team Camp that runs from June 11-14 features technique sessions, weight classes, a camp store and ASC wrestling team members to coach teams in dual competitions. "We're looking at about the same amount of teams," Ramstetter noted. "Last year we had a lot of nationally ranked teams and some of them will not be able to make it this year due to changes. We do still have a team from California coming," For more information on the team camp, please contact Ramstetter at (719) 587-7274.

BLACKSBURG -- The Virginia Tech athletics department, along with head wrestling coach Kevin Dresser, announced Tuesday the hiring of Tony Robie as the associate head coach for the Tech wrestling program. Tony RobieRobie comes to Blacksburg after serving as the head coach at Binghamton University in New York last year. A two-time collegiate All-American and 1997 NCAA runner-up, Robie took over a program that had been discontinued after the 2003-04 school year because of budget constraints. Before taking over at Binghamton, he resided in Ann Arbor, Mich., for four seasons as an assistant coach for the University of Michigan. "I'm very excited to work with Tony Robie," Dresser said. "Tony brings experience, a great work ethic and super people skills to Virginia Tech. We will be a great team." In six years as a Division I assistant coach, Robie helped coach 23 All-Americans, nine Academic All-Americans and one national champion. As the Wolverines' top assistant coach, Robie recruited three top-10 classes, including the No.-2 ranked class in 2004. His one-on-one work with Michigan student-athlete Ryan Bertin culminated in Bertin's 2003 NCAA championship - the school's first national champion in 18 years. In all, Michigan's team earned national top-10 status all four years that Robie was a coach. His dedication and influence off the mat resulted in the wrestling team winning the 2003 community service award at the school. A world-class wrestler in his own right, Robie racked up a 126-23 record on the collegiate mat. A two-time captain for former Olympic gold medalist Bruce Baumgartner at Edinboro University, Robie was a three-time Eastern Wrestling League Champion and a three-time Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) champion. As a senior, Robie led the Fighting Scots to a sixth-place national finish -- the highest in school history. He ranks fourth on the school's all-time wins list and went on to earn a bronze medal at the 1998 U.S. Open Freestyle Championships. A native of Erie, Pa., Robie was a Dean's List student at Edinboro, and received the school's Academic Achievement Award before graduating with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice in 1997. Robie brings strong ties to the eastern wrestling hotbed as he also served as an assistant coach at West Virginia (1998-99) and Edinboro (1999-00). The other positions on Dresser's staff will be announced as they are filled.

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. –- The Lock Haven University wrestling program and head coach Rocky Bonomo announced its 2006 recruiting class, bringing 17 talented student-athletes to the Thomas Fieldhouse. Young men from five different states will join the Bald Eagle squad in the 2006-07 season, including seven from Pennsylvania, four from New Jersey, three from New York, two from Florida and one from Maryland. With five state champs and four nationally-ranked grapplers, this group of 17 is primed to make an immediate impact on the Bald Eagle squad. "Our staff worked very hard this year to bring in one of the best recruiting classes in Lock Haven Wrestling history and one of the best in the country," Bonomo said. "With five state champs and 10 state place winners the future of Lock Haven Wrestling looks good. This class will bring great ability and depth to our wrestling room and lineup. The room will be very competitive as we want the entire incoming freshman class to jump right in and compete." Jim Almy - 285 lbs. - Delanson, N.Y./Duanesburg Was a two-time state champion in his junior and senior seasons ... Took fifth at the Fargo tournament in freestyle competition ... Finished his career at 125-20 ... Ranked No. 18 nationally by Intermat. Jeremie Cook - 197 lbs. - Venice, Fla./Venice Was a two-time Florida State Champion ... Added another state place in 2004, taking third ... Posted a 177-17 career record, winning 99 straight to finish his high school career ... Took third at the High School Nationals ... Ranked No. 13 in the Intermat National Rankings. Alex Dalrymple - 174/184 lbs. - Branchville, N.J./Highpoint Took fifth in the New Jersey States in 2006 ... Finished 113-29 in his high school career. George Ester - 125 lbs. - Odenton, Md./Arundel Took sixth in the Maryland State Tournament his senior year ... Finished in the top-12 at the High School Nationals. Jesse Harrington - 149/157 lbs. - New Providence, N.Y./Bound Brook Took second in the New Jersey States during his senior season ... Finished with 128-17 career mark. Nick Hyatt - 125 lbs. - Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown Was a two-time state placewinner, taking seventh in both 2006 and 2005 ... Wrapped up his career at 124-35 ... High school teammate of fellow Bald Eagle recruit Josh White. Zach Kell - 133 lbs. - Ikesburg, Pa./West Perry Was a 2004 State Qualifier in Pennsylvania ... Picked up 111 career wins and was a Pennsylvania State Junior National Team Member. Steve Loomis - 174 lbs. - Oxford, Pa./Oxford Academy Picked up a pair of New York State places, taking third in 2006 and fourth in 2005 ... Finished his career with 214 wins ... Was a Third-Team Cadet Greco All-American in 2004 ... Slotted No. 27 in the USA Wrestling National Rankings. Brent Parsons - 285 lbs. - Lakeland, Fla./Lake Gibson Won the Florida State Championship in 2006. Dustin Pine - 197 lbs. - Mercersburg, Pa./James Buchanan Earned state qualifier status in his senior season. David Richmond - 157/165 lbs. - Oxford, N.J./Warren Hills Placed in the New Jersey state meet three times, taking third in both his junior and senior seasons ... Finished with a 128-17 record. Travis Stern - 184 lbs. - Bellfonte, Pa./Bald Eagle Was a three-time Pennsylvania State Qualifier, taking sixth in 2006 ... Took second at the 2006 High School Nationals ... Finished with a 117-46 overall record ... High school teammate of fellow recruit Landis Wright. Josh White - 197 lbs. - Gilbertsville, Pa./Boyertown Finished as runner-up at the state meet in 2006 ... High school teammate of fellow Bald Eagle recruit Nick Hyatt. These 13 grapplers join the nationally-ranked early signing period group of Donnie Ament (Acme, Pa./Mount Pleasant), Anwar Goeres (Phoenix, N.Y./Phoenix), Danny Lopes (Oakhurst, N.J./Ocean Township) and Landis Wright (Bellefonte, Pa./Bald Eagle).

Well the World Team Trials 2006 are over for another year. Congratulations to the newly crowned champions and a special heart felt thanks to all of the wrestlers who competed. To USA Wrestling's staff. As always, from what I hear, a well run event! This week on TD: Tom Borrelli -- Cent. Mich Head Coach Anthony Robles -- Inspirational Wrestler, HS Champion Kerry McCoy -- Head Coach at Stanford Mike Chapman of the International Wrestling Institute and Museum Mario Mercado of Double Sport Jay Weiss -- Head Coach of Harvard This will be a great show. Lots to talk about. Thanks for listening each week. God Bless you and Wrestling!

OREM, Utah -- Utah Valley State wrestling coach Greg Williams announced that Ben Kjar of Viewmont High School has signed a national letter of intent to wrestle at Utah Valley State. Kjar comes to Utah Valley with solid wrestling credentials. At Viewmont he was a three-time state champion. In 2002 he was the National Junior Freestyle, Greco-Roman and Folkstyle champion. He was also a two-time FILA Espoir National Champion in 2003. That same year he was third in the Greco-Roman and Freestyle University National Championships. "This is huge for our program," Williams said. "Ben is the type of kid that will make an immediate impact for our whole program. He has high expectations for himself and he cares about everybody around him. Even though he will redshirt this year, his impact in our room will be tremendous." This isn't the first time Kjar has worked with Williams. Kjar wrestled for Williams on the club level from for over five years. "Working with Greg Williams again is a sweep opportunity," Kjar said. "I am excited to come to UVSC. There is not another program in the country like this. It will be exciting to put our own personality into building this."

PRINCETON -- Chris Ayres, no stranger to EIWA individual or team success, has been hired as the head coach of Princeton wrestling, it was announced today by Director of Athletics Gary Walters. Ayres, who spent the last five years as an assistant coach at Lehigh University, becomes the 10th head coach of Princeton wrestling and takes over for Michael New, who resigned following the 2005-06 campaign. "We are thrilled to have Chris Ayres take over our wrestling program," Walters said during the announcement. "We believe he is one of the very talented coaches in collegiate wrestling, and we're confident he will provide excellent leadership as we attempt to restore the fortunes of Princeton wrestling." "I am honored and excited to be part of the Princeton athletics staff," Ayres, a 1999 graduate of Lehigh, said. "Every time I met somebody affiliated with Princeton, whether it was a staff member, alumnus, student-athlete or fan, I came away impressed. Throughout the process I was more and more drawn to Princeton with each person I met. My goal is to help student-athletes reach their goals in wrestling, school, and ultimately life, and the Princeton Athletics staff shares those same ideals. Princeton seems to bring the best out of people and I can't imagine a better place to continue my coaching career." A former EIWA champion and All-America during his undergraduate career at Lehigh, Ayres joined the coaching staff in June 2001. During his tenure, the Mountain Hawks claimed five straight EIWA team championships and produced 12 All-Americas and two national champions. Ayres worked specifically with five of the All-Americas in all aspects of training. A superior mat coach, Ayres also brings a highly regarded recruiting ability to Princeton. He was an integral part of every aspect of five recruiting classes, and his most recent recruiting class will bring a combined 14 state championships to Lehigh. Among those was arguably the top New Jersey high school recruit, Delbarton's Mike Grey. "Although there are a lot of factors that contribute to the development of a top national wrestling program, my main goal is to provide each individual on the Princeton wrestling team the direction and opportunities necessary to be the best they can be in wrestling," Ayres said. "Through this process I also hope to shed light on the lessons learned in sport that will later be applied in life. As well as training the current team, I look forward to recruiting and training the next generation of Princeton wrestlers. Princeton athletics has a long history of attracting and developing the best and brightest student-athletes and it is my intention to continue that tradition in wrestling." Ayres also had significant administrative duties at Lehigh, including monitoring the academic careers of the student-athletes and raising money for the renovation of the weight room and locker room. He also served as the assistant director of the wrestling summer camps, a role he has served since 1999. Ayres came to the Lehigh wrestling program as an undergraduate walk-on, but ended his career among the best in Mountain Hawk history. While at Lehigh, Ayres established a new school record with 120 career victories, and in 1998 he amassed the most wins in a single season for a Lehigh wrestler with 39. He won the 150-pound EIWA championship as a junior and earned All-America honors at 157 points as the NCAA sixth-place finisher during his senior season. Over his four-year career, he never missed a dual match. In the summer of 2001, Ayres placed fourth in the U.S. Senior Open Nationals and fourth at the U.S. World Team Trials. He also finished fifth at the 2002 Team Trials. Prior to wrestling for Lehigh, Ayres wrestled at Newton High School and Blair Academy in New Jersey, where he won 69 bouts. In his senior season Ayres was a District Champion and a regional runner-up at 135 pounds. With a model work ethic, Ayres was the first Lehigh Wrestler in 38 years to become an All-American without earning a medal at the state championship level. He earned his undergraduate degree in marketing and earned his master's in elementary education at Lehigh in 2001. Ayres and his wife Lori have one daughter, Chloe.

USAFA, Colo. -- Former national team member and three-time All-American Joel Sharratt was named the new head wrestling coach at the Air Force Academy, as released by athletic administrators this morning. Sharratt replaces Wayne Baughman, who retires after 27 years at the helm of the Falcons' wrestling program. Joel Sharratt"Air Force has a great program, a great staff and I'm looking forward to the chance to get it going," said Sharratt. "My goals for the Air Force wrestling program are for every athlete to graduate and be commissioned as an Air Force officer, for our wrestlers to be leaders in the Cadet Wing, and for each individual to reach his full potential on the mat. This team has a good nucleus of leaders to move forward, such as the Lord brothers (Bridger and Zach), who have a great work ethic, and athletic kids such as Chris Nissen. I look forward to helping them improve." "Following Coach Baughman, who is a legend in our sport, is a great opportunity for me," said Sharratt. "I'm fired up about the opportunity to work for the direct chain of command of Col. Walker and Dr. Mueh. Hopefully, I will be able to continue to get our alumni involved and everyone moving in one common direction -- and that's forward." Sharratt comes to the Academy after spending the last six seasons as the head assistant wrestling coach at the United States Naval Academy. This past season, Sharratt helped lead the Midshipmen to a 13-2 dual record, its best win total since the 1990-91 season, while also sending five wrestlers to the NCAA Championships. Sharratt is also a tenured assistant professor at the Naval Academy, teaching physical education courses in wrestling, martial arts, judo and hand-to-hand combat, while also serving as the faculty chair of the USNA combative courses. A 1995 graduate of the University of Iowa, Sharratt was a three-time All-American, a two-year team captain and a four-year letterwinner for the Hawkeyes, training under the tutelage of legendary coach Dan Gable. During his college career, Sharratt competed for the NCAA title in three-straight seasons, winning the individual crown in 1994 and was a member of NCAA National Championship teams in 1993 and 1995. Following his college career, Sharratt was a two-time member of the U.S. National Team, and has also coached multiple national team members, including world team members and national champions. Prior to his stint at Navy, Sharratt served as a graduate assistant at the University of Minnesota, where he earned his masters degree in sports administration in 2000. While there, Sharratt also served as the Developmental Freestyle Coach for the state of Minnesota. Sharratt also worked as an assistant coach at Lehigh from 1996-98 after serving as a graduate assistant at his alma mater during the 1995-96 season. "We're tremendously excited about welcoming Joel Sharratt, his wife, Jamie, and their two little girls to the Air Force Academy athletic department family," said deputy director of athletics Col. Billy Walker. "Joel rose to the top as our choice in an extremely competitive pool of candidates. He comes with tremendous credentials not only as a competitor, but as an assistant coach in four of the most successful programs in the country. Joel brings a level of enthusiasm, excitement and intensity to our program that will translate perfectly into our wrestling room. We anticipate Air Force wrestling to be very competitive nationally under Joel's leadership." "Coach Baughman will be missed after 27 years at the helm of our program," continued Walker. "I can say personally, as I've known him since I began wrestling for him as an 18-year-old, that there has been no better role model and mentor for our cadets. Coach Baughman leaves an impressive legacy indeed." Sharratt is slated to begin his tenure at the Academy following Baughman's retirement on July 31, 2006.

All four of the distinguished members who will be inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame this weekend in Stillwater, Okla. have achieved some incredible firsts during their careers in wrestling. The Hall of Fame Honors Weekend will be held June 2-3. THE FIRST WOMAN INDUCTED Tricia Saunders of Phoenix, Ariz., a four-time World champion wrestler and coach of the historic 2004 U.S. Olympic women's wrestling team, will be the first woman inducted as a distinguished member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum. THE FIRST FOUR-TIME NCAA DIV. I CHAMPION Pat Smith of Stillwater, Okla. was the first to win four NCAA Div. I wrestling titles, competing for Oklahoma State Univ. He won his historic fourth NCAA title at the 1994 NCAA Championships held in Chapel Hill, N.C. THE FIRST U.S. REFEREE AT AN OLYMPIC GAMES Josiah Henson of Tulsa, Okla. was the first U.S. wrestling referee to work at an Olympic Games, when he officiated at the Olympics in the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia. THE FIRST TWIN WORLD CHAMPIONS INDUCTED Tom and Terry Brands became the first twin brothers to win World gold medals the same year when they captured World titles at the World Freestyle Championships in Toronto, Canada. Terry Brands of Colorado Springs, Colo. is being inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame this year. His twin brother Tom was inducted in 2001. They now become the first twin brother world champions to be in ducted into the Hall of Fame. SPECIAL AWARD WINNERS In addition to the induction of Distinguished Members, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame has a number of other special awards given each year during Honors Weekend. OUTSTANDING AMERICAN TO CHAMPION JOCKEY Pat Day of Louisville, Ky., a Kentucky Derby winner as a jockey and one of the greatest riders in racing history, is being inducted as an Outstanding American. LONGTIME LEADER TO RECEIVE ORDER OF MERIT Larry Sciacchetano of Baton Rouge, La., who has served on the FILA Bureau, the governing council of the international federation, and as USA Wrestling's president, will receive the Order of Merit. BLIND MAYOR TO RECEIVE MEDAL OF COURAGE Randy Meyer of Sheboygan Falls, Wis., who was an All-American wrestler in college, will receive the Medal of Courage. Blind since the age of two, Meyers became a success in school and in business and is now the mayor of Sheboygan Falls, Wis. LIFETIME OFFICIALS AWARD TO LONGTIME REFEREE Sam Williams of Fall Creek. Pa., a top referee in international, high school and college wrestling for almost 40 years, will receive the Lifetime Achievement for Officials award. He was one of the founders of the U.S. Wrestling Officials Association. FLORIDA PREP STAR TO RECEIVE HIGH SCHOOL AWARD David Craig of Brandon, Fla., a four-time high school state champion, Junior National double champion and 3.58 GPA student will receive the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award.

One thing was certain on Sunday at the 2006 U.S. World Team Trials in Sioux City, Iowa: You could expect the unexpected. After Saturday's competition saw only one new Trials champion crowned, Sunday's competition saw four new Trials champions crowned in the seven weight classes contested. In freestyle, Donny Pritzlaff at 74 kg and Andy Hrovat at 84 kg, both of the New York AC, became first time Trials champions, and Bill Zadick of the Gator WC won his second Trials title. Jake Clark of the U.S. Marines at 84 kg became a first-time champion in Greco-Roman. Tolly Thompson of the Sunkist Kids (120 kg/freestyle), Lindsey Durlacher of the New York AC (55 kg/Greco-Roman), and Joe Warren of the New York AC (60 kg/Greco-Roman) successfully defended their Trials titles on Sunday. The 14-member squad is now set and will represent the U.S. at the 2006 World Wrestling Championships in Guangzhou, China, Sept. 26-Oct. 1. Pritzlaff, who was runner-up at the New York AC Holiday meet and fifth at the Ivan Yarygin Memorial in Russia, parlayed the momentum he gained from winning his first U.S. Nationals title in April into his first Trials title with a dramatic finals victory over Tyrone Lewis of the Gator WC, 0-2, 2-0, 1-0, 1-1, 2-1, and 0-1, 1-1, 1-1. "I felt confident the whole year," said Pritzlaff, a former two-time NCAA champion at Wisconsin. "I felt that I could compete on the international level. In the last few years before this, I didn't have enough confidence to go overseas and win. This year, I felt like I made that jump where I could compete against guys around the world." Andy Hrovat (Photo/John Sachs)Hrovat, who won the Sunkist Kids and Henri Deglane events earlier this year, pulled the shocker of the semifinals when he pinned defending Trials champion Mo Lawal of the Gator WC in the first period. Hrovat then defeated his training partner and friend Clint Wattenberg in the finals, 2-0, 0-3, 1-1 and 1-1, 4-2 to make his first U.S. World Team. Hrovat said that he and Wattenberg, who are both coached by Sean Bormet at the Overtime School of Wrestling in Chicago, put everything aside as they prepared for this event. "We just talked to each other and we said, 'Look, I know that we wrestle each other all the time, our goal is to get to the finals of the World Team Trials,'" said Hrovat. "We pushed each other and we helped each other. And we both ended up in the finals. That was our goal. It was just unfortunate that one of us had to lose." The 33-year-old Zadick, who won his first Trials title in 2001, is wrestling as well as he ever has throughout his career. He finished runner-up at the U.S. Nationals in April to Chris Bono of the Sunkist Kids in arguably the deepest weight class, but turned in an even better performance at the Trials, outscoring his opponents 27-2 on the way to his title. In the finals, Zadick defeated Jared Frayer of the Gator WC, 5-0, 3-1 and 1-0, 2-0. On Saturday, Zadick's younger brother, Mike, won the 60 kg title and earned his first trip to the World Championships. The elder Zadick was excited about his brother's accomplishment, but knew that it was important for him to focus on the task at hand. "Yesterday I was so excited for Mike," said Zadick. "I really had to focus, concentrate, and put a cap on my emotions, and not carried away with the whole deal. I knew the best thing that I could do to achieve our goal of us both winning gold medals at the Worlds was to just try ignore it for a day." Jake Clark (Photo/John Sachs)Clark, who won his first U.S. Nationals title in April and earned Outstanding Wrestler honors in the process, defeated another Armed Forces wrestler in the finals, Aaron Sieracki of the U.S. Army, in three matches, 1-1, 1-1, 5-0, 4-0, and 3-2, 1-1. After the match, Clark saluted the crowd at the Tyson Events Center. "It's memorial weekend," said Clark. "At Nationals, I was able to get one out, too. It's my way of representing, my way of thanking everyone out there. This is a big weekend to be able to win this title here, just to represent not only myself, the military, but especially the Marine Corps and all of the people serving overseas. For me to able to be here, that's because of them. Without them, I wouldn't be able to be here. That's my way of showing respect for them." Clark was thrilled to get his first Trials title. "It's a great feeling," said Clark. "I mean, it's something that I've always thought about. To just finally be here, it's kind of surreal in a way. It's something that my family and everybody else always told me. They've been supporting me forever. It's something that I finally had to believe in myself to do." Thompson claimed his second straight Trials title with a pin in the second match over the same opponent he defeated in last year's finals, Steve Mocco of the New York AC. "I'm real motivated now getting back on this team and going out and winning a world title," said Thompson. "I was right there last year. You always have to prove yourself. You make it one time, people might say, 'Oh, it was a fluke that you're on the team.' But I'm on the team again, that's the bottom line." Joe Warren (Photo/John Sachs)Warren, who placed ninth at the 2005 World Championships, won convincingly in the finals over Jeremiah Davis of the Sunkist Kids WC, 4-0, 6-0 and 3-0, 7-1. Warren defeated Davis in last month's U.S. Nationals, but later had his title stripped after he tested positive for a banned substance. Warren was given a three-month suspension according to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. However, because the suspension was deferred, he was allowed him to compete at the Trials. "I made a mistake," said Warren. "I'm extremely sorry about everything for USA Wrestling. It's a black eye on it. I'm hoping to be a role model for the kids. Things happen. I learned how to deal with and I moved on. I'm the same person as I was before. I'm just happy to be on top again and on another World Team." Warren is now focused on winning a world title. "Personally, I'm proud of myself and the coaching staff," said Warren. "They really got me tuned in. I'm really focused on winning a gold medal for the U.S. in China." Sunday's Finals Results (Courtesy of USA Wrestling): 66 KG/145.5 LBS. FREESTYLE Bill Zadick, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Gator WC) vs. Jared Frayer, Cambridge, Mass. (Gator WC) Match 1: Zadick dec. Frayer 3-0, 3-1 Match 2: Zadick dec. Frayer 1-0, 2-0 55 KG/121 LBS. GRECO-ROMAN Lindsey Durlacher, Colorado Springs, Colo. (NYAC) vs. Sam Hazewinkel, Pensacola, Fla. (Gator WC) Match 1: Durlacher dec. Hazewinkel 3-2, 2-0 Match 2: Durlacher dec. Hazewinkel 4-1, 4-0 74 KG/163 LBS. FREESTYLE Donny Pritzlaff, Northport, N.Y. (NYAC) vs. Tyrone Lewis, Stillwater, Okla. (Gator WC) Match 1: Pritzlaff dec. Lewis 0-2, 2-0, 1-0 Match 2: Lewis dec. Pritzlaff 1-1, 2-1 Match 3: Pritzlaff dec. Lewis 0-2, 1-1, 1-1 60 KG/132 LBS. GRECO-ROMAN Jeremiah Davis, El Cajon, Calif. (Sunkist Kids) vs. Joe Warren, Colorado Springs, Colo. (NYAC) Match 1: Warren dec. Davis 3-0, 6-0 Match 2: Warren dec. Davis 3-0, 7-1 84 KG/185 LBS. FREESTYLE Andy Hrovat, Ann Arbor, Mich. (NYAC) vs. Clint Wattenburg, Ithaca, N.Y. (NYAC) Match 1: Hrovat dec. Wattenberg 2-0, 0-3, 1-1 Match 2: Hrovat dec. Wattenberg 3-0, 4-2 84 KG/185 LBS. GRECO-ROMAN Jake Clark, Quantico, Va. (U.S. Marine Corps) vs. Aaron Sieracki, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) Match 1: Sieracki dec. Clark 1-1, 1-1 Match 2: Clark dec. Sieracki 5-0, 4-0 Match 3: Clark dec. Sieracki 3-2, 1-1 120 KG/264.5 LBS. FREESTYLE Tolly Thompson, Cedar Falls, Iowa (Sunkist Kids) vs. Steve Mocco, N. Bergen, N.J. (NYAC) Match 1: Thompson dec. Mocco 1-0, 1-0 Match 2: Thompson pins Mocco 1:59 Complete Brackets Sunday Morning Session Recap Saturday Afternoon Session Recap Saturday Morning Session Recap

SIOUX CITY, Iowa -- Day Two of the 2006 U.S. World Team Trials kicked off on Sunday morning at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City and produced some shocking results as four defending Trials champions suffered defeats. Today's afternoon session will determine who the final seven wrestlers will be to represent the U.S. at the 2006 World Wrestling Championships in Guangzhou, China, Sept. 26-Oct. 1. Freestyle: Only one of the four 2006 U.S. Nationals champions competing in Sunday morning's session, Donny Pritzlaff of the New York AC at 74 kg, won both his quarterfinal and semifinal matches to advance to the Challenge Tournament finals. Tolly Thompson of the Sunkist Kids WC at 120 kgs, a 2005 world bronze medalist who claimed the third U.S. Nationals title in April, did not have to wrestle in the morning session and advanced directly into the finals. Only 2006 U.S. Nationals champions who are returning world medalists in freestyle (like Thompson) or returning top five world finishers in Greco-Roman receive automatic berths into the finals. For the second straight year, Thompson will face Steve Mocco in the Trials finals. Mocco defeated a pair of ex-collegiate heavyweight stars, both of the Sunkist Kids WC, in four-time NCAA Division II champion Les Sigman and Tommy Rowlands. Pritzlaff, who shocked the wrestling world last month when he handed Joe Williams his first loss against a U.S. wrestler in six years, defeated Travis Paulson of the Sunkist Kids WC in the quarterfinals, 2-0, 4-1, and then went on defeat longtime rival Joe Heskett of the Gator WC, 4-1, 4-4, 3-0, to advance to the finals. Trent Paulson the Sunkist Kids pulled the biggest upset of the morning session when he handed Williams his second loss in two months in a USA Wrestling event, 1-0, 2-0. Tyrone Lewis of the Gator WC then defeated Paulson in the semifinals, 3-0, 0-1, 3-0, to advance to the finals against Pritzlaff. Jared Frayer of the Sunkist Kids at 66 kg had arguably the toughest road en route the finals. Frayer, who finished third at this event in 2005, won a pair of hard-fought battles over U.S. National Team members Jared Lawrence of the Minnesota Storm, 1-1, 3-3, 2-1, and Chris Bono of the Sunkist Kids, 1-0, 0-3, 4-0. He will now face another tough test in the finals against 33-year-old veteran Bill Zadick of the New York AC, who finished runner-up at last month's U.S. Nationals and was on the 2001 U.S. World Team. Zadick came through the Challenge Tournament by beating Mitch Mueller of the Sunkist Kids WC, 6-0, 7-1, and Doug Schwab of the Gator WC, 2-0, 1-0. At 84 kg, Andy Hrovat of the New York AC pulled a huge upset when he pinned defending Trials champion Mo Lawal at 1:52 of the first period. Hrovat, who has placed fifth at the U.S. Nationals, will now face fellow New York AC wrestler Clint Wattenberg in the finals in 2005. Wattenberg pulled an upset of his own in the semifinals by defeating five-time Trials runner-up Lee Fullhart of the Gator WC, 3-0, 2-1. Greco-Roman: All three U.S. Nationals champions competing in Greco-Roman on Sunday, Lindsey Durlacher of the New York AC at 55 kg, Jeremiah Davis of the Sunkist Kids at 60 kg, and Jake Clark of the U.S.Marines at 84 kg, advanced to the afternoon session's Challenge Tournament finals. Durlacher, who won his first U.S. Nationals title in April, advanced to the finals with wins over two U.S. Army wrestlers, Duaine Martin (6-0, 3-0) and Neil Rodak (1-1, 5-0, 6-0). Durlacher will now face the same he wrestler he defeated to make his first U.S. World Team last June: Sam Hazewinkel of the Gator WC. Hazewinkel had to battle through two very tough opponents in Josh Habeck of the U.S. Army and Spencer Mango of the Gator WC. Habeck defeated Hazewinkel at the U.S. Nationals, while Mango was a U.S. Nationals runner-up to Durlacher. Davis lost in the U.S. Nationals finals last month in Las Vegas, but was later awarded the title after Joe Warren of the Michigan WC tested positive for a prohibited substance (metabolites of cannabis or THC). He was given a three-month deferred suspension, which means that Warren was allowed to immediately return to competition. Both Davis and Warren came out victorious in their quarterfinal and semifinal matches and will now face off against one another for the second time in two months. Clark cruised through to the finals with win over Chas Betts of the Minnesota Storm 3-3, 7-0, 6-0, and Brad Ahearn of the U.S. Army, 1-1, 1-1, 2-1. He will now face surprise finalist Aaron Sieracki of the U.S. Army, who scored a big upset victory over four-time Trials champion Brad Vering of the New York AC, 4-0, 3-0. The finals will begin at 4 p.m. CST. Complete Brackets Saturday Afternoon Session Recap Saturday Morning Session Recap

SIOUX CITY, Iowa -- The Saturday afternoon session at the 2006 U.S. World Team Trials in Sioux City played out virtually as expected as six of the seven champions successfully defended their titles. Only one wrestler, Mike Zadick of the Hawkeye WC, became a first-time Trials champion. Two freestyle veterans, Sammie Henson of the Sunkist Kids WC at 55 kg and Daniel Cormier of the Gator WC at 96 kg won their fourth Trials titles while Greco-Roman wrestlers Harry Lester of the Gator WC at 66 kg, T.C. Dantzler of the Gator WC at 74 kg, Justin Ruiz of the New York AC at 96 kg, and Dremiel Byers of the New York AC at 120 kg came out victorious. The seven champions crowned on Saturday will now represent the U.S. at the World Wrestling Championships in Guangzhou, China, Sept. 26-Oct. 2. The remaining seven spots on the Men's 2006 U.S. World Team will be determined on Sunday. Zadick, who finished runner-up at the 2003 World Team Trials and 2004 Olympic Team Trials, picked up the first Trials title of his career with two straight victories over 2005 Trials champion Michael Lightner of the Sunkist Kids, 2-0, 1-0 and 2-1, 1-0. After coming up just short so many years, did Zadick ever worry that his time might never come? "No, I never worried about it," said the 27-year-old Zadick. "It wore on me a little bit more because it wasn't coming sooner than I wanted it to. But it's here now." Zadick can't say enough about the fact that his longtime coach and mentor, Tom Brands, is now with him in Iowa City, having recently taken over as head coach of the Hawkeyes. Tom Brands (Photo/John Sachs)"Overall, it's a goldmine," said Zadick, who has known Brands personally sine his older brother, Bill, began competing for the Hawkeyes in the early 90's. "I don't how to say it. It's the most important thing in wrestling anywhere. It's like taking John Smith out of Oklahoma State. It just doesn't fit. Tom Brands, Iowa. John Smith, Oklahoma State. That's just how it is. I know people say Dan Gable … Dan Gable has had his time. Tom Brands is huge in the sport of wrestling. He's huge at the University of Iowa. And being able to work one-on-one with him is huge for me." Henson, a 1998 world champion and 2000 Olympic silver medalist, made a statement against his likely successor, 19-year-old Henry Cejudo of the Sunkist Kids, that he's not quite ready to pass the torch to the high school phenom. Henson dropped the first period of the first match to Cejudo, but won the next four periods to win in consecutive matches (1-3, 3-1, 2-0 and 2-0, 3-2). "He outwrestled me," admitted Henson after the match. "I had a lot of off-the-mat things going on. So I'm pretty happy with my performance having to deal with that." Henson had high praise for Cejudo after the match. "That kid is well beyond his years as a wrestler," said Henson. "He's a great wrestler. He's going to win some world titles and Olympic Gold maybe someday for our country." When asked how much longer he plans to compete, the 35-year-old Henson refused to give a straight answer. "My wife says China is it," said Henson, referring to this year's World Championships in Guangzhou. "But there's two China's. There's this one and the one in 08 (Beijing Olympics), so I agreed with her. She just doesn't know which one." Cormier won easily in consecutive matches against Damion Hahn of the Minnesota Storm, 3-0, 4-0 and 4-0, 4-0. Cormier has won the Trials every year since 2003, but still understands the importance of coming out on top at this event. "It's not tough to get motivated, because this is what we try to do," said Cormier. "We want to have an opportunity to win an Olympic gold medal, so this is just a step in the process. So you have to be motivated otherwise you don't get the opportunities you train for." Cormier still believes his toughest title was his first. "The first time I won, it was really, really tough," said Cormier of his Trials title in 2003. "It was the same year my daughter passed. I was wrestling Dean Morrison. To this day, I still believe Dean Morrison was on of the best wrestlers in the world. In that sense, it's gotten a little easier because there's no Dean Morrison. But these guys are tough. Damion is a good wrestler. He wrestles hard and I tip my hat to him." Lester, who opted not to wrestle in this year's U.S. Nationals because he was recovering from a rib injury he sustained at the Petrov International in March, won his second straight Trials title with a finals victory over Marcel Cooper of the U.S. Army. "I still have a lot to learn," said Lester, who failed to place at the 2005 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. "I have to learn everything from my feet, everything from par terre. I'm pretty good on my feet. I just have to get a lot better in par terre. You saw that last year throughout tournaments and at Worlds." Ruiz, a 2005 world bronze medalist who recently won a U.S. Nationals title, was the lone wrestler in Saturday's competition who did not have to wrestle in the morning session because he met USA Wrestling's criteria to advance directly into the finals. In the finals, Ruiz defeated Phil Johnston of the U.S. Army consecutive matches, 5-0, 5-0 and 6-3, 1-1 to earn his second straight Trials title. Byers, a 2002 world champion and six-time U.S. Nationals champion, defeated Russ Davie of the New York AC in consecutive matches, 6-0, 4-0 and 1-1, 3-0 to earn his fourth Trials title. Action resumes on Sunday morning at 9 a.m. Saturday's Finals Results (Courtesy of USA Wrestling): 55 KG/121 LBS. FREESTYLE Henry Cejudo, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) vs. Sammie Henson, Flintstone, Ga. (Sunkist Kids) Match 1: Henson dec. Cejudo 1-3, 3-1, 2-0 Match 2: Henson dec. Cejudo 2-0, 3-2 (Henson wins series 2-0) 60 KG/132 LBS. FREESTYLE Mike Zadick, Solon, Iowa (Hawkeye WC) vs. Michael Lightner, Norman, Okla. (Sunkist Kids) Match 1: Zadick dec. Lightner 2-0, 1-0 Match 2: Zadick dec. Lightner 2-1, 1-0 (Zadick wins series 2-0) 96 KG/211.5 LBS. FREESTYLE Daniel Cormier, Stillwater, Okla. (Gator WC) vs. Damion Hahn, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) Match 1: Cormier dec. Hahn 4-0, 4-0 Match 2: Cormier dec. Hahn 4-0, 4-0 (Cormier wins series 2-0) 66 KG/145.5 LBS. GRECO-ROMAN Marcel Cooper, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) vs. Harry Lester, Akron, Ohio (Gator WC) Match 1: Lester dec. Cooper 4-0, 2-0 Match 2: Lester dec. Cooper 3-0, 1-1 (Lester wins series 2-0) 74 KG/163 LBS. GRECO-ROMAN TC Dantzler, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Gator WC) vs. Brandon McNab, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) Match 1: Dantzler dec. McNab 2-4, 1-1, 3-1 Match 2: Dantzler dec. McNab 4-0, 4-3 (Dantzler wins series 2-0) 96 KG/211.5 LBS. Justin Ruiz, Colorado Springs, Colo. (NYAC) vs. Phil Johnston, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) Match 1: Ruiz dec. Johnston 5-0, 5-0 Match 2: Ruiz dec. Johnston 5-0, 1-1 (Ruiz wins series 2-0) 120 KG/264.5 LBS. Dremiel Byers, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) vs. Russ Davie, Colorado Springs, Colo. (NYAC) Match 1: Byers dec. Davie 6-0, 4-0 Match 2: Byers dec. Davie 1-1, 2-1 (Byers wins series 2-0) Complete Brackets Saturday Morning Session Recap

SIOUX CITY, Iowa -- The 2006 U.S. World Team Trials in freestyle and Greco-Roman got underway on Saturday morning at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa. Saturday morning's competition featured Challenge Tournament action for freestyle at 55 kg, 60 kg, and 96 kg, and Greco-Roman at 66 kg, 74 kg, 96 kg, and 120 kg. This event determines which wrestlers will represent the U.S. at the 2006 World Wrestling Championships in Guangzhou, China, Sept. 26-Oct. 1. Freestyle: Two of the three 2006 U.S. Nationals champions competing on Saturday advanced to tonight's Challenge Tournament finals: Henry Cejudo of the Sunkist Kids at 55 kg and Daniel Cormier of the Gator WC at 96 kg. Cejudo, who sent shock waves through the wrestling community last month when he became the first high school competitor in USA Wrestling's history to win a U.S. Nationals title, reached the finals with wins over Franklin Gomez of the Michigan WC, 0-1, 2-1, 3-1, and former NCAA runner-up Luke Eustice of the Hawkeye WC, 2-4, 3-2, 2-2. Cejudo, who lives and trains at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, will now get the biggest test of his young career when he faces Olympic silver medalist and world champion Sammie Henson of the Sunkist Kids WC in the finals. Henson, who sat out U.S. Nationals, entered the event as the No. 3 seed. Sammie Henson (Photo/John Sachs)So did it bother Henson that he was seeded below two wrestlers whose wrestling accomplishments pale in comparison to his? "No, I'm too old to worry about stuff like that," joked Henson, who cruised through to the finals with wins over Mark McKnight of the New York AC and Matt Azevedo of the Sunkist Kids WC. "If I was 25 it might be different, but I'm 35, so I don't care. Seed me whatever you want to seed me." Henson has never faced the 19-year-old Cejudo in competition, but is very familiar with his older brother, Angel, who competes at 60 kg. "(Angel and Henry) are two totally different wrestlers," said Henson. "Angel's more upper body, but Henry can throw, too. Henry is slicker and faster. He's a tough, tough wrestler. He has a lot of tools. I think it's going to be a good match." Daniel Cormier (Photo/John Sachs)Cormier, who placed fourth at the 2004 Olympics, dominated Max Askren of the Sunkist Kids WC, 6-0, 5-2, in the quarterfinals, and then scored a semifinal victory over J.D. Bergman of the Sunkist Kids WC (who recently switched over from Greco-Roman to freestyle), 1-1, 4-3, to advance to the finals. Cormier will now take on Damion Hahn of the Minnesota Storm, a former two-time NCAA champion who placed third at the U.S. Nationals, in the finals. Hahn defeated fellow New Jersey native Nick Fekete, 1-0, 0-3, 3-1, in the semifinals. Zach Roberson of the Sunkist Kids WC was the lone U.S. Nationals champion in freestyle who failed to reach the finals. Mike Zadick of the Hawkeye WC avenged a U.S Nationals loss to Roberson, 0-1, 1-0, 2-0, to reach the finals. Despite the win, Zadick wasn't overly satisfied with his performance. "I wasn't as dominating as I would have liked to have been, but there's still more to go" said Zadick. So what was the difference this time against Roberson as opposed to the match last month in Las Vegas? "Just being relentless on him this time," said Zadick, who placed third at this event last year. "I didn't stand in front of him and I moved him more. There were certain positions that could have gone either way … and I just happened to be the better guy in those positions." Zadick will now battle U.S. World Team member Michael Lightner of the Sunkist Kids in the finals. Greco-Roman: All four U.S. Nationals Greco-Roman champions competing on Saturday qualified for the finals: Marcel Cooper of the U.S. Army at 66 kg, T.C. Dantzler of the New York AC at 74 kg, Justin Ruiz of the New York AC at 96 kg, and Dremiel Byers of the U.S. Army at 120 kg. Cooper, a two-time U.S. Nationals champion and former U.S. World Team member, defeated U.S. Army teammate Glenn Garrison in the semifinals, 2-0, 1-2, 1-1 to reach the finals. He will now face a tough test in the finals against U.S. World Team member Harry Lester of the USOEC and Gator WC, who sat out of the recent U.S. Nationals due to injury. Dantzler, who captured his first U.S. Nationals title last month, reached the finals with wins over Kevin Lazano of the Gator WC, 3-1, 4-0, and Jess Hargrave of the U.S. Army, 2-1, 3-1. Dantzler will now face Brandon McNab of the U.S. Army, who scored a 3-0, 1-1 upset victory over four-time U.S. Nationals champion and teammate Keith Sieracki. Ruiz, a 2005 world bronze medalist who recently won a U.S. Nationals title, was the lone wrestler in Saturday's competition who did not have to wrestle in the morning session and advanced directly into the finals. Only 2006 U.S. Nationals champions who are returning world medalists in freestyle or returning top five world finishers in Greco-Roman receive automatic berths into the finals. Ruiz will face Phil Johnston of the U.S. Army in the finals. In the semifinals, Johnston scored a 2-1, 1-1 upset victory over Adam Wheeler of the USOEC/Gator WC. Byers, who is one of only four U.S. Greco-Roman world champions ever (2002), shutout his first two opponents, Everette McDaniel of the U.S. Army, 5-0, 5-0, and Brandon Ruiz of the Sunkist Kids WC, 6-0, 3-0. He will now face a very familiar opponent in the finals in Russ Davie of the New York AC, who he has met and defeated several times throughout his career, including in the finals of last month's U.S. Nationals in Las Vegas. Davie, who placed 10th at the 2005 World University Games, believes the match will be won or lost in the par terre position. "If I can stop him in par terre defense, I think I'm right there," said Davie. "I'm comfortable wrestling on the feet with him." There are four sets of brothers competing this weekend: -- Trent Paulson (Freestyle/74 kg) and Travis Paulson (Freestyle/74 kg) -- Keith Sieracki (Greco-Roman/74 kg) and Aaron Sieracki (Greco-Roman/84 kg) -- Nick Gallick (Freestyle/60 kg) and Nate Gallick (Freestyle/60 kg) -- Mike Zadick (Freestyle/60 kg) and Bill Zadick (Freestyle/66 kg) Saturday's best-of-three finals are set to begin at 4:00 p.m. Complete Brackets

SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio -- Notre Dame College will offer wrestling during the 2006-07 academic year. The new offering will give Notre Dame's athletic program a total of 17 varsity teams, each affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The addition will compete within the winter sports season along with men's and women's basketball. "The decision to add wrestling was a very logical one for the College," said NDC Director of Athletics Sue Hlavacek. According to the 2004-05 National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), wrestling was the sixth most popular boys sport in the country with 243,009 male participants. With the addition, Notre Dame College will offer five of the top six most popular boys programs. "Wrestling is very popular in Ohio," said Hlavacek, "especially in the northeast. Notre Dame is looking to offer those talented student-athletes a way to continue their participation at the collegiate level, while at the same time offering them an opportunity to receive a quality education." In the sport of wrestling, Ohio has 249 high schools that participate in the sport, according to figures tallied by the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA). Scholarships are available to student-athletes interested in participating in any of Notre Dame's athletic programs.

The U.S. World Team Trials for both freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling will take place this weekend in Sioux City , Iowa. And while USA Wrestling has changed the format of the event which decides who will compete at the 2006 World Championships in China, one certainty remains –- a lot of Real Pro Wrestling's stars will be competing. As many as six of the seven RPW Season One champions could be competing this weekend, with the lone exception being 132-pound champion Tony DeAnda of the New York Outrage, who stopped competing in freestyle this year after accepting a coaching position at the U.S. Olympic Education Center at Northern Michigan Univ. Zach Roberson of the Iowa Stalkers, who lost to DeAnda in the finals, is expected to compete at 132 lbs. But at all of the other men's freestyle weights classes, a seasoned champion will have to take down some of RPW Season Two's potential young stars to earn a place in this year's World Championships. The deepest of these "RPW weight classes" will be at 145 and 163 lbs. in freestyle, as five of the eight Season One wrestlers are expected to compete –- and any one of those five could come away with the World Team spot in those respective weight classes. At 145 lbs., Season One champion Doug Schwab of the Iowa Stalkers will be looking to earn his first World Team spot. However, veteran Chris Bono of the Chicago Groove will be looking for revenge from their heated Season One bout. Also competing will be Eric Larkin of the Texas Shooters, who lost to Schwab in the Season One finals, Jared Lawrence of the Minnesota Freeze and Jared Frayer of the Oklahoma Slam. All three are wildcards and on any given day, could take out Schwab or Bono. Olympian and Season One champion Joe Williams of the Chicago Groove and Donny Pritzlaff of the Pennsylvania Hammer will be the top two seeds at 163 lbs., but also expected to compete are Joe Heskett of the Iowa Stalkers, Tyrone Lewis of the Oklahoma Slam and Ramico Blackmon of the New York Outrage. At 121 lbs., Olympic silver medalist and Season One champion Sammie Henson of the Pennsylvania Hammer is the favorite going into this event, but he could see challenges from the California Claw's Matt Azevedo and possibly even the Texas Shooters' Eric Akin, who has a tendency to show up at these events when he is least expected. 2005 U.S. World Team members Mo Lawal of the Oklahoma Slam (184 lbs.), Daniel Cormier of the Oklahoma Slam (211) and Tolly Thompson of the Iowa Stalkers (264) are also heavy favorites within their weight classes. Thompson, however, was the only one of those three not to capture a Season One title. Pat Cummins of the Pennsylvania Hammer did. But Thompson came back last year to win a bronze medal at the World Championships. Tommy Rowlands of the New York Outrage will also compete at 264 lbs. Lawal will see Season One challengers Lee Fullhart of the Iowa Stalkers and Andy Hrovat of the Chicago Groove. Lawal and Fullhart have become rivals on the mat over the past couple of years, beginning with their Season One bout when Lawal danced his way to a semifinal victory. Cormier has dominated his weight class in the U.S. since 2003, though he could see challenges this year from Damion Hahn of the Minnesota Freeze and Nick Preston of the Pennsylvania Hammer, who are both improving at a steady rate. Greco-Roman wrestlers Lindsey Durlacher of the Chicago Groove (121 lbs.), Joe Warren of the Oklahoma Slam (132), Mike Ellsworth of the Pennsylvania Hammer (145), T.C. Dantzler of the Minnesota Freeze (163) and Olympian Brad Vering of the New York Outrage (184) will also compete and have strong chances at earning World Team spots. Last year, Durlacher, Warren, Dantzler and Vering all competed in the World Championships. Vering, as many may remember, also took Lawal to the wire in what many consider to be the greatest RPW match ever. With all of this talent already competing, it is hard to think of this weekend having room for any Season Two talent. But some of these matches may be preliminary auditions for some of the top young wrestlers in the nation. Wrestlers such as Henry Cejudo, Nate Gallick, Greg Jones and Steve Mocco could all make some noise this weekend, and if they do, you can bet that the eight RPW franchises will start their bidding wars for such talent.

Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) will host Anthony Robles, a national champion wrestler born with just one leg, at their UFC 60 event at The Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif. on Saturday, May 27. During the event, Anthony will be honored by the UFC for his amazing accomplishments. The UFC brings together the some of the top mixed martial arts competitors in a world to compete in a controlled environment. Many of the top UFC stars are former elite-level wrestlers, including Randy Couture, Matt Lindland, Tito Ortiz and Matt Hughes, who will fight in the UFC 60's feature bout. Born with just one leg, 17 year-old Anthony Robles of Mesa, Ariz. capped off an amazing career on March 26 by winning the National High School Coaches Association (NHSCA) national title at 112 lbs. with a 9-1 victory in the finals. The NHSCA invites only seniors in high school who won state titles to its national meet. Robles became the first disabled wrestler to win a title at the NHSCA national championships. The win also finished off a perfect 53-0 senior season for him. For his four-year career, he posted a record of 131-15 and won two Arizona state titles. He was also undefeated as a junior. Amazingly, Anthony never wrestled until his family moved from just outside of Los Angeles to Mesa before his freshman year. He aspires to someday compete in mixed martial arts after he completes his collegiate wrestling career at Arizona State Univ., where he will study Business. Recently, Anthony has been featured on ESPN's Cold Pizza, CNN, Fox News Channel's Fox & Friends and this week will be featured on ABC World News Tonight as their Person of the Week. He is expected to be nominated for a 2006 ESPY Award for Best Disabled Athlete. For more information on the UFC and this event, please visit www.UFC.com.

University of Arizona president Peter Likins and his wife, Patricia, have not only shared 50 years of marriage; they've also shared duties as coaches of a wrestling team. The Likinses' story begins at age 13, when the couple met in their hometown of Santa Cruz, Calif. At 5 feet 5 inches tall, "Pete" Likins began wrestling in high school after one of his football coaches said, "Let's start a wrestling team." Likins placed second in the state championships at 154 as a junior, then won the title and outstanding wrestler honors as a 145-pound senior. He also captured a Junior AAU championship. Because Likins had skipped a grade, he graduated with his brother, Tod, who as senior placed second in the state following a referee's decision in overtime and went on to captain the wrestling team at Berkley. As a youngster, Pete Likins was already experiencing the value of being a wrestler. "It has nothing to do with matches won and lost," he said. "It had to do with my believing in myself. I was young for my class and small for my age, and my hand-eye coordination was nothing to write home about. "Then came wrestling. I found myself able not to just try hard but to prevail. It enabled me to become an athlete. I needed to prove myself to myself," he said. "As a kid with all these insecurities, I'd get into fights. Wrestling gave me security; I didn't have to fight anymore. I learned through wrestling that even though I'm a little guy, I don't have to worry about the big guys. It removed from me a source of self-doubt." At the same time, Likins' future wife was a cheerleader. "That meant she was exposed to the sport as a kid," he said, "so you learn the sport in a very deep way." Likins acted as Stanford University's wrestling captain and went undefeated in dual meets for four years. "But I never had a season without getting beat," he said. "I went through high school and college testing myself," he explained. "I learned through wrestling how important it is to persist, to prepare and to bounce back in defeat. My defeats were rare, but it was critical to my self-confidence. I developed a sense of myself as able to compete with the best of them." Peter LikinsWith little guidance at Stanford from a gymnastics coach who simply supervised the wrestlers, Likins watched a teammate named Vaughn Hitchcock (who would eventually coach Cal Poly to eight NCAA team titles). Hitchcock perfected a move that involved attempting a fireman's carry; when the opponent typically flattened out in defense, Hitchcock tied up both arms and did a sit-out, putting the wrestler on his back with Hitchcock's back on the opponent's chest. "I called the move ‘The Hitchcock,'" Likins said. "I spent the rest of my (wrestling) career making a living on that hold." That career ended as Likins received civil engineering degrees at Stanford and MIT, later earning a doctorate in engineering mechanics at Stanford. He began his professional career as a developmental engineer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory of the California Institute of Technology. He later served as a member of the engineering faculty and as an associate dean at UCLA and as a Ford Foundation Fellow. Then Likins and his wife moved what he calls "an adopted, interracial, All-American family" of two sons and a daughter to New Jersey, and he became Dean of Engineering and Applied Sciences and University Provost at Columbia University. Son John wanted to wrestle, but there was no team. "Finally, I decided we'd start a team for kids 14 and under, so my wife and I became parent coaches," Likins said. With a squad numbering 75, Patricia Likins coached the first- and second-graders after school, as John demonstrated moves. "She, too, has a plaque on the wall that says, ‘Thanks, Coach.'" Likins said. The family moved to Pennsylvania in 1982, when Likins was named president of Lehigh University. John won a state championship as a junior and placed second as a senior for Bethlehem Lehigh Catholic High School. Occasionally, Likins would drop in for workouts in the Lehigh wrestling room. One day he and trustee Kirk Franklin, a former NCAA champion and three-time All-American for the Engineers, agreed to a three-minute match that would be videotaped and shown before a televised dual meet. The referee would be another former national champion, Mike Caruso. "I was about 55, and Kirk was about 45," Likins recalled, "and we agreed not to do any defensive moves, since we figured fans wanted to see offense." Once the match got underway, Likins said, "Kirk forgot how old I was, I think, and he was beating the hell out of me." Then Likins pulled off "The Hitchcock" to close the match ahead, 6-5. "But then Caruso said he was giving one point to Pendleton on principle," Likens said, "so it ended in a tie." The next day, the university president dragged himself out of bed, tape recorder in hand. "I listed the top 10 reasons to say ‘No' the next year," he said. "They were the top 10 places I hurt." Likins spent 15 years as Lehigh's president before moving to the University of Arizona nine years ago. He will retire from that post June 30, shortly before he turns 70 on July 4. But he credits his days as a competitor and coach as a basis for his successful tenure at Lehigh and Arizona. "I learned to be a professor in the classroom," he said, "but I learned to be a university president on the wrestling mats."

Big thanks go to all of our guests on last weeks program. Steve Martin, Bucky Maughan, Greg Strobel, Chris Bono, Tim Cavanagh and Bob Zany. Thanks for the fun and information. This week on TDR: Steve Garland -- New Head Coach at Virginia Kevin Dresser -- New Head Coach at V Tech Jeremy Spates -- Live from the World Team Trials Vaughn Hitchcock -- Hall of Famer, Athlete and Coach Jason Bryant -- Intermatwrestle.com John Rizzuti -- InsideTexasWrestling.com Thanks to all of our colleges and coaches who join with our traditional advertisers in helping to make this program possible. Our listeners from around the country value this show and its content. Your support does not go unnoticed! Thank You!

Simpson College head wrestling coach Ron Peterson has announced the hiring of Clint Manny as a full-time assistant wrestling coach. Manny will also serve as Simpson's equipment manager. Manny was a student assistant for the Storm in 2005-06 as he completed his physical education degree. Manny became the all-time winningest wrestler at Simpson when he won three matches at the 2005 NCAA Division III National Championships. Manny concluded his career with a 148-24 record, breaking the old record of 146 (146-17-1) set by Travis Young (1989-92). A three-time All-American for Simpson at 149 pounds, Manny was the national runner-up at 149 as a junior and as a senior. The Peru, Iowa, native spent all of his senior season ranked first in the weight class. Of his five losses as a a senior (34-5), two were to wrestlers from NCAA Division I Oklahoma State including then No. 1 Zack Esposito and three were to nationally ranked Division III opponents. A Winterset High School graduate, Manny was named Most Outstanding Wrestler of the 2004 Division III NWCA Duals. He was chosen Iowa Conference Male Athlete and Wrestler of the Week a total of four times in his career. Manny replaces Rick Schweitzberger who resigned his full-time position to enter private business. Schweitzberger will attempt to assist the Storm on a part-time basis as his schedule allows.

Ken Ramsey, an Ohio State native, accepted the position as Head Wrestling Coach of the Embry-Riddle Eagles early Monday the 15th of May ending the search for the vacant position left open when John Petty (2003-2006) left to coach at Northwestern College in Iowa. "We are thrilled that Ken has joined the ERAU coaching team," commented Athletic Director Larry Stephan. "He brings with him a wealth of experience, both as a coach and as an athlete and I expect that he will enhance and generate the recent success of our wrestling program." Ken RamseyKen was most recently on the coaching staff at the Ohio State University where he helped lead the Buckeyes to a 3rd place finish in 2004 and was in large part responsible for the success and accomplishments of five NCAA Champions and twenty-five NCAA All-Americans. Before his ten year stint at OSU, Coach Ramsey was the second assistant at Purdue University, another NCAA Division I Big Ten school. While at Purdue, Coach Ramsey helped lead the team to a 16th place finish in the NCAA National Tournament and also helped mold three All-Americans and two Academic All-Big Ten selections. During his time at OSU, Coach Ramsey became known for his ability to recruit and retain quality student-athletes, even posting the 3rd best recruiting class in the country in 2004. "His long history of success in the wrestling world will undoubtedly help bring in some of the best young wrestlers in the country and we are confident that he will build and surpass the 5th Place finish from 2006," said Larry Stephan of Coach Ramsey's ability to recruit and generate success in this already top performing sport at ERAU. Coach Ramsey also brings with him tremendous personal success in the sport of wrestling. He was a four time Ohio State Champion before heading to OSU where he was a two time All-American. Up until 2000, he still wrestled competitively and was a 5-time U.S. National Freestyle, a Sunkist International Champion in 163 lbs and a Final Olympic Trials participant in 152 lbs. He will be joining the Eagles the 1st of June and has already begun recruiting for the squad. Coach Ramsey's Wrestling Accomplishments 2000 Final Olympic Trials Participant, 152 lbs. 2000 South Regional Olympic Qualifier Champion 1998 USA Wrestling National Open Freestyle Champ. 6th Place 1997 Northeast Regional Champion/Most Outstanding Wrestler 1997 World Team Trials 4th Place 1997 USA Wrestling National Open Freestyle Championships 4th Place 1996 Sunkist International Champion 163 lbs. 1994 U.S. International Grand Prix 2nd Place 1994 World Team Trials 5th Place 1994 USA Wrestling National Open Freestyle Champ. 7th Place 1993 U.S. Olympic Festival Freestyle Bronze Medalist 1993 World Team Trials 5th Place 1993 USA Wrestling National Open Freestyle Champ. 6th Place 1992 U.S. International Grand Prix 6th Place 1992 USA Wrestling National Open Freestyle Champ. 4th Place 1992 NCAA All-American 150 lbs. NCAA Champ. 3rd Place 1992 Midlands Tournament Champion 158 lbs. 1991 NCAA All-American 150 lbs. NCAA Champ.5th Place 1989 USA Wrestling Espoir National Freestyle Champion 1988, 89, 91, 92 NCAA Qualifier The Ohio State University 1988, 89, 91, 92 Big Ten Championships 2nd, 3rd, 2nd, 2nd 1987 USA Wrestling Junior National Greco-Roman Runner-up 1986 USA Wrestling Junior National Freestyle Champion 1984-1987 4-Time Ohio State High School Champion

MADISON, Wis. -- Senior Kelly Flaherty (Big Lake, Minn.) was named the USA Wisconsin Wrestling Club strength coach by the National Office of USA Wrestling. Flaherty will join former teammate Tom Clum who was recently named the Wisconsin club head coach. "I'm very excited to have Kelly join the staff," said Clum. "His work ethic and strength training knowledge will be very useful to the athletes that will be working out with us." A senior elite level club, the group will train in the UW wrestling room. "Wrestling and working out at Wisconsin the last four years has been a great experience," said Flaherty. "I'm looking forward to staying in the area and working at strengthening the athletes in our club. Wisconsin has a great facility for doing that."