InterMat Staff

IOWA CITY -- University of Iowa Director of Athletics Bob Bowlsby announced Wednesday that Jim Zalesky's contract as head coach of the UI wrestling program will not be renewed and that the search for his replacement will begin immediately. Zalesky, a four-time all-American and a three-time NCAA champion for the UI in the early 1980s, just completed his ninth season as head coach of the Hawkeyes. Iowa finished in sixth place at the 2006 Big Ten Conference Championships and in fourth place at this year's NCAA Championships. Iowa did not have an individual champion at either event for the second consecutive year. "We will move just as quickly and efficiently as we can to focus on those candidates around the country who possess the talent and experience to lead our program back to its traditional position of prominence within the Big Ten and at the national level." Bob Bowlsby, UI Director of Athletics "As we do each year with every sport, we have completed an evaluation of all aspects of our wrestling program. This year's process comes in the aftermath of one of our least successful dual meet seasons in recent history and after our lowest finish in the Big Ten Championship in 39 years," said Bowlsby. "Regretfully, we have come to the conclusion that it is time for new leadership within our wrestling program. Fred Mims and I have met with Jim and his staff and we notified them that we will immediately commence the search to identify and hire that new leadership." "I want to thank Jim and his staff for their efforts and I want to acknowledge the success they have helped to achieve," added Bowlsby. "Unfortunately, at this point in time it is not arguable that we are making the kind of progress that will once again place our program among the elite in the sport." "I have the utmost respect for Jim and his staff," said Mims, an associate athletics director at the UI and the staff member to whom Zalesky reports on a daily basis. "Jim has contributed much to the athletics program at the University of Iowa as a student-athlete and as a member of our coaching staff. It is unfortunate that in recent years the program has not met the expectations we all have for wrestling at the UI." Zalesky's teams compiled a 127-34 dual meet record, a mark that included wins in 56 of 75 matches against Big Ten opponents. However, Iowa's dual meet records in 2005-06 were 11-7 overall and 4-4 against league opponents. This year's record against Big Ten opponents follows records of 5-3 in 2004-05, 6-2 in 2003-04 and 7-1 in 2002-03. Iowa won the national championship in each of Zalesky's first three seasons (1998, 1999 and 2000) as the UI's head coach. The Hawkeyes finished second in 2001 and again in 2004. Iowa finished in seventh place in the 2005 national meet. "We will move just as quickly and efficiently as we can to focus on those candidates around the country who possess the talent and experience to lead our program back to its traditional position of prominence within the Big Ten and at the national level," said Bowlsby.

Before the 2005-06 college wrestling season began, Oklahoma State looked like a shoe-in to win its fourth straight NCAA title and 34th overall. After all, the Cowboys returned six All-Americans and four NCAA champions from a team that scored 153 points and won the 2005 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships by 70 points. John SmithBut this season didn't go as expected. It was a season of ups and downs. Oklahoma State's four defending NCAA champions, Zack Esposito (149), Johny Hendricks (165), Jake Rosholt (197), and Steve Mocco (Hwt), combined for 15 losses. The Cowboys dropped two dual meets to Minnesota. But in the end, Oklahoma State head coach John Smith pulled his team together in time for the Cowboys to claim their fourth straight Big 12 title and fourth straight NCAA title. The Cowboys finished with six All-Americans, the most of any Division I wrestling program in the country. For all these reasons, John Smith has been named 2006 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. "John Smith saved his best coaching performance for last," said RevWrestling.com writer Tom Franck. "There was tremendous pressure on Oklahoma State to win its fourth straight NCAA title, but Smith's wrestlers essentially ran away and hid from the field. The Cowboys earned 28.5 bonus points over the course of the three-day event, which took every other team out of the running." 2006 Rev Coach of the Year Voting 1st-5th-Place Votes -- 9-7-5-3-1 (First-Place Votes) : 1. John Smith, OSU -- 39 (3) 2. Rob Koll, Cornell -- 32 (2) 3. J Robinson, Minnesota -- 31 (1) 4. Steve Costanzo, Dana -- 21 (1) 5. Jim Miller, Wartburg -- 17 6. Mark Cody, American -- 15 7. Mark Schwab, Buena Vista -- 9 (1) 8. Jim Zalesky, Iowa -- 8 9. Jack Spates, Oklahoma -- 7 10. Tom Borrelli, Central Mich. -- 6 11. Tom Ryan, Hofstra -- 5 11. Joe McFarland, Michigan -- 5 13. Troy Sunderland, Penn State -- 4 14. Thom Ortiz, Arizona State -- 1Smith won by seven votes (39-32) over Cornell's Rob Koll, who guided his Big Red squad to an NCAA fifth-place finish. Smith received three of the eight first-place votes. J Robinson of Minnesota, who led the Gophers to a 20-1 dual meet record, a Big Ten title, and an NCAA runner-up finish, came in third with 31 votes. Dana's Steve Costanzo, who guided his team to the school's first-ever NAIA title, was fourth with 21 votes. Jim Miller of Wartburg, who coached his team to its fifth NCAA Division III title since 1996, rounded out the top five with 17 votes. Others coaches who received votes included Mark Cody of American, Mark Schwab of Buena Vista, Jim Zalesky of Iowa, Jack Spates of Oklahoma, Tom Borrelli of Central Michigan, Tom Ryan of Hofstra, Joe McFarland of Michigan, Troy Sunderland of Penn State, and Thom Ortiz of Arizona State. 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, and hard-hitting analysis of major issues affecting amateur wrestling.

The Patriot ladies from University of the Cumberlands (formerly Cumberland College) traveled to Marshall, Missouri on March 24-25, 2006 to compete in the Missouri Valley Showcase. The lady wrestlers claimed seven medals in the tournament. Othella Lucas (San Diego, CA) was named the outstanding wrestler for the senior division of competition. Earning medals for the Patriot ladies were: · Vanity Vasquez (St. Cloud, FL), 48 kg, third place · Jessica Medina (Pomona, CA), 51 kg, first place · Antonesia Giles (Chino, CA), 51 kg, second place · Othella Lucas, 59 kg, first place · Tabetha Golt (Chesapeake, VA), 67 kg, first place · Sherolynn Eppinger (Warrensville, OH), 67 kg, third place · Shelly Ruberg (Harrison, OH), 72 kg, first place The lady wrestlers will travel to Lake Orion, MI March 31-April 1, 2006 to compete in the USGWA Nationals before competing in the Senior National Tournament in Las Vegas, NV April 10-11, 2006. Article Provided by Jesse Clifton, University of the Cumberlands (formerly Cumberland College) Sports Information Assistant

GOLDEN, Colo. -- The Colorado School of Mines Department of Athletics has announced that it will host the Second Annual Scholarship Golf Scramble on Friday, May 5, 2006 and Westwoods Golf Course. The deadline to register for the event is May 1. The entry fee is $125 for an individual or $450 for a foursome and includes green fees, drink tickets, 1/2 cart, lunch at the course, one raffle ticket for a drawing following the tournament and range balls. Registration will begin at 7:00 am at the Westwoods Clubhouse on May 5 and the shotgun start is slated for 9:00 am. Those intersted in being a tournament or hole sponsor, please contact Dan Lewis at 303-273-3374 or Tom Spicer at 303-273-3300.

ERIE, PA -- The Gannon wrestling team continues to uphold its tradition of excellence on and off the mat. Gannon recorded the seventh-highest team grade-point average among NCAA Division II programs in 2005-06, according to the 13th annual All-Academic wrestling selections announced by the Wrestling Coaches Association. In addition, Jacob Tazzi (Chesterfield, Mich./Anchor Bay) was named to the Division II All-Academic All-American second team while Jason Radtke (Smethport, Pa./Smethport) earned All-American honorable-mention accolades. Colorado School of Mines (3.476) won the Academic National Championship for the fifth time since 1995. Truman State (3.413), Nebraska-Omaha (3.400), Findlay (3.370), and Nebraska-Kearney (3.292) completed the top five. West Liberty State (3.207) and Gannon (3.184) narrowly missed the top five. The team GPA is calculated by averaging the cumulative grade-point averages of 10 wrestlers from each team. Eight of those wrestlers must have competed in their team's NCAA Division II Qualifying Tournament. Tazzi landed a spot on the All-American second team with a 3.32 GPA while majoring in Science. The sophomore posted a 19-11 record in 2005-06, improving his career record to 39-28. He finished fifth at the NCAA Division II East Regionals with a 3-3 mark at 184. Radtke earned honorable-mention accolades with a 3.23 GPA as a Elementary/Special Education major. The redshirt senior capped a solid collegiate career with a 73-38 record, including a 15-6 mark in 2005-06. He also finished fifth at the NCAA Division II East Regionals with a 2-2 record at 174. The 2005-06 Division II All-Academic teams consist of 125 student-athletes from 29 universities and colleges. Forty-one were named to the first team, 36 to the second team, and 49 were named honorable mention. A student-athlete must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, be in at least the second full year at his current school, be a member of the varsity team, demonstrate a degree of skill, and have a minimum of two letters of recommendation submitted on his behalf to be nominated for the Division II All-Academic teams. On the mat, Gannon finished 25th at the NCAA Division II National Championships. It was the Golden Knights' seventh top-25 finish in the last eight seasons.

Steve KimpelGOLDEN, Colo. -- The Colorado School of Mines wrestling team recently won its fifth overall National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Academic Team Award. The award is presented to the squad with the highest grade point average among Division II teams. It is the first team award under fourth-year Head Coach Steve Kimpel. CSM has priviously won the award in 1994-95, 1995-96, 1997-98 and 1998-99 under then Head Coach Dan Lewis. In addition, junior 133-pounder Garrett Eller (Kremmling, Colo./West Grand) and junior 157-pounder Nathan Pilcher (Fort Morgan, Colo./Fort Morgan) were honored as Second Team NWCA All-Academic selections.

AMES, Iowa -- The Iowa State wrestling team will host its annual banquet on April 5 in the atrium of the Jacobson Athletic Building. Check-in begins at 6 p.m. with a buffet-style dinner served by Hickory Park starting at 6:30 p.m. An awards program will follow dinner. Cost for the event is $15. Guests can pay at the door or send a check, payable to the ISU Athletic Department and mail it or drop it off to Jeanne Vogel, ISU Wrestling, 1800 S. Fourth St., Ames, Iowa, 50010.

The most anticipated finals match-up of the Division I Championships resulted in a 14-2 blow-out. Missouri's top-ranked Ben Askren dominated undefeated Jake Herbert (No. 2 seed) of Northwestern. For his efforts, Askren was named the tournament's Outstanding Wrestler and now has added wrestling's top individual prize to his trophy case: the 2006 Dan Hodge Trophy. Wrestling's version of the Heisman Trophy is awarded annually to the most dominant collegiate wrestler by the International Wrestling Institute & Museum and W.I.N. Magazine. The 174-pounder finished the season 45-0 with an impressive 25 pins. Of the other 20 wins, Askren had nine technical falls, five majors, an injury default and a forfeit, leaving only four bouts in which he failed to score bonus points. In addition to his convincing 12-point victory in the NCAA finals, he also defeated Lehigh's Travis Frick (19-3) and Hofstra's Michael Patrovich (21-6) in the quarters and semis, respectively. "It's a great honor to win the award, because of Dan Hodge and all the other great wrestlers that have won it," Askren said. "It's been a goal of mine to not only be the best in my weight class, but the best in any weight class, period." Criteria for the award include: record, number of pins, dominance, past credentials, quality of competition, sportsmanship/citizenship and heart. Other finalists for the award were four-time Div. II national champion Les Sigman of the University of Nebraska-Omaha, Iowa State's Nate Gallick, Minnesota's Cole Konrad and Boise State's Ben Cherrington. Sigman, who was wrestling unattached the first semester, was 43-0 with 19 pins. Gallick, who beat defending national champ Teyon Ware four times, was 36-0 with two falls. Konrad was 39-0 with 14 pins, downing defending titlist Steve Mocco four times. Cherrington finished his senior campaign 20-0 with three pins. Missouri head coach Brian Smith said fans won't find a more worthy recipient than his national champion junior. "I've never been around anybody like him," Smith said of his team captain. "I think he's going to be the new torch-holder for our sport. I knew that when I recruited him." Anyone who's around Askren can tell immediately the Tiger junior doesn't fit the typical mold of a wrestler or an average college student for that matter. Not having cut his hair in two years, Askren competes with a huge afro hair style which comes out of the straps of his headgear in every direction. And don't expect many typical 3-2 decisions from Askren either. He revels in the chance to entertain fans and put on a show. "A lot of people complain about wrestling's (media) coverage. Then they go out and take one or two shots in seven minutes. I hate when people do that. A decision is not satisfactory in my books. The ultimate goal is to pin someone. That's what I go after every match," the three-time finalist said. The wrestling community often describes Askren as unorthodox. He's perfectly fine with that. He's also widely known as the best scrambler in the college wrestling. But Smith warned not to mistake Askren's style for a lack of technique. "If you sat down with Ben, he'd teach you the eight stages of funk," Smith said. The Tigers' head man also stressed his star pupil is a tireless student of the sport, studying films on various Russian and other international wrestlers to pick up new techniques. And to go along with the long hours studying the sport, Smith said Askren has an incredibly good work ethic and a happy-go-lucky attitude. Minutes before his finals match, ESPN showed a clip of Hodge crushing an apple with his hand. Smith had to remind his finalist to stay focused as Askren was laughing watching the television in the tunnel saying how cool that was. During a break in the action in the finals, Askren heard the Ford Center crowd cheering. Television cameras then caught him trying to get a peak at the screen on the main scoreboard above him to see what had gotten everyone's attention. He found out later that ESPN had found a few of his friends in the stands who had on colored afro wigs to show their support. The two-time Wisconsin state champ said he always had short hair in high school. Once it started growing out in college, people started giving him a hard time, saying wrestlers shouldn't do that. Askren set out to prove to people you could have fun in the sport and still be successful. "People were saying wrestlers aren't suppose to have goofy hair and you're supposed to be serious. I enjoy bugging people a little bit and getting under their skin. So I let it grow," he said, adding that he planned to get it cut this week. Smith noted an autographed photo of the boxer Muhammed Ali in the Askrens' basement while on a recruiting trip to their Hartland, Wisc. home. Askren informed Smith that Ali was one of his heroes. He now tries to emulate the manner in which Ali carried himself, taking seriously the responsibility of an athlete to entertain the fans. Askren also added that he wanted to just be himself in front of media, not just telling reporters what they want to hear like so many athletes do. "If he wasn't such a hard worker and wasn't doing so well in the classroom, I'd say, ‘Hey, you can't talk like that,' " Smith said. "But that's Ben." Askren excels off the mat as well. The geography major carries a 3.2 GPA and was named an academic All-American his first two years. He also volunteers to read to grade school kids and "absolutely loves it," said Smith. Smith said don't be surprised if you see Askren, who won the Pam Ams this summer, making a U.S. World Team very soon. "He's going to make an Olympic team," Smith said, when asked how far the Dan Hodge Trophy winner could go. "Once he gets that, I think he's going to get a gold medal. That's a goal of his and he's achieved everything he's gone after. He finds a way to get better every day." The award will be officially presented to Askren, April 22, at the team's wrestling banquet and publically next fall at one of the home football games. (Anyone needing additional information on the 2006 Dan Hodge Trophy can contact the W.I.N. Magazine office at 1-888-305-0606.)

State College, Pa. –– The Penn State Wrestling Club held its annual year-end Luncheon today and, in addition to honoring Penn State's five graduating senior wrestlers and one manager, a total of ten team awards were handed out as well. Head coach Troy Sunderland and his team was the center's of attention at the well-attended event, hosted by Jeff Byers, radio voice of Nittany Lion wrestling. The first order of business was honoring Penn State's five senior wrestlers and lone senior manager. Seniors Eric Bradley (Plaistow, N.H.), DeWitt Driscoll (Connellsville, Pa.), Joel Edwards (Upper Darby, Pa.), Jeremy Hart (State College, Pa.) and James Woodall (Dupont, Pa.) as well as manager Carly Sayers each received their senior blankets and awards. The first team award handed out was the Charles M. Speidel Award for the senior with the most career dual meet wins. Two-time All-American Eric Bradley claimed that honor with a 40-5 career record in dual matches. Bradley went 14-6 this season and earned his second All-America honors with an eighth place finish at 184. He was also a two-time Big Ten Champion, winning the crown in 2005 and 2004. The Bill Koll Award for the outstanding freshman wrestler was given to red-shirt freshman Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.). Strayer went 26-6 at 133 this season, finished third at the Big Ten Championship and advanced to the ‘Round of 12' at nationals, finishing just one win out of All-America status. Junior All-American James Yonushonis (Philipsburg, Pa.) won the Kaye Vinson Award for most improved wrestler. Yonushonis posted a 24-9 mark this season and, as the No. 9 seed at nationals, earned All-America laurels with an eighth place finish at 174 in Oklahoma City. The Larry Reilly Courage Award for showing courage in wrestling and helping the team was given to Rohan Murphy (Long Island, N.Y.). The junior posted a 1-3 mark this season but, more importantly, as a bilateral amputee, will represent the United States in the 2006 Paralympics in Korea this summer, competing in the power lifting competition. Junior Brian Cantalupi (Carlisle, Pa.) won the Academic Excellence and Community Service Award. Cantalupi, who went 13-7 at 165 and 174 this year, helped raise money for THON, worked with the Red Cross, helped with Hurricane Katrina relief efforts and is the president of Penn State's Student Athlete Advisory Board. Junior heavyweight Aaron Anspach (Columbia, Pa.) earned the Eleventh Man Award for leadership and dedication to the team. Anspach went 14-8 at heavyweight, including a 3-2 dual match record. The Joe Scalzo Award for best freestyle wrestler went to freshman Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.). Pataky, who went 15-8 as a collegiate grappler at 125 this past season, was fifth at Junior Nationals and was a Junior National All-American in both freestyle and Greco-Roman. Sophomore All-American Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.) won the William Neidig Award for Most Outstanding Wrestler. Davis, now a two-time All-American, was the 2006 NCAA National Runner-Up at 197 this year, advancing all the way to the national title tilt in Oklahoma City. The 2006 Big Ten Champion, Davis went 25-4 this year. Manager Tiffany Clark won the Carl A. Winterburn Award to the manager who demonstrates year round support to the Penn State wrestling program. Senior Jeremy Hart (State College, Pa.), who went 5-1 at 165 before knee surgery ended his career, won the Nittany Lion Club's Academic Achievement Award.

Jeff Blatnick has always had his doubters. In 1982, when he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease, many in the wrestling community gave up on him. After a rigorous series of radiation treatments, Blatnick made the decision to not only train in wrestling again, but to also train for the upcoming 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles. "For me, it was simply believing that I could do that," Blatnick said while in Oklahoma City last weekend, where he was preparing to be an ESPN analyst for the NCAA Wrestling Championships. "There are just so many things you are battling at that time, mentally and physically, that a pure focus on training becomes that much harder. But at the same time, that training gave me a release -- a way to not think about what I was battling through." Blatnick went on to win an Olympic gold medal in 1984, defying all odds. Before 1984, no Greco-Roman wrestler had won an Olympic gold medal. Blatnick was Rulon Gardner, before there the rest of the world had ever heard of Rulon Gardner. Today, Blatnick has to deal with an entirely different set of doubters -- those who don't want him to be an analyst for the NCAA Tournament or the Olympic Games. "You have to look at what you do and try to do it better. Some of the criticisms are true. I mispronounced Ryan Bertin's name on the air when he won a national championship," Blatnick says of his mistakes. "Am I the best broadcaster in the world? I can't say that I am. But I'm going to do my best. I think I'm good at analyzing technique and strategy. But these were the same things I heard about me in my wrestling career." Blatnick also points to less time to meet with wrestlers before competition is aired, as well as a major expansion in ESPN coverage since 2002 as reasons broadcasting the NCAA Tournament has become a tougher task. But broadcasting only takes up a small percentage of Blatnick's life. Since winning his Olympic gold, he has taken up a strong career as a motivational speaker, though he will admit, Rulon hasn't exactly helped business in the past few years. "Rulon deserves everything that he can possibly get," Blatnick said. "The last couple of times I was with Rulon, the relationship was that of training dummy. He's still a physical animal, and I'm a little bit older than he is. I have all the respect in the world for what he's done. I've covered him for years. He's the greatest Greco-Roman wrestler we have. He promotes the sport well. I'm proud of what he's done for wrestling -- both on and off the mat." Blatnick has also started to get more involved with coaching in the last two years. After some gut-check training sessions with Rulon, Blatnick learned that his expertise of the technical aspects of wrestling could be used to help youth wrestlers. Two years ago, Blatnick became a volunteer assistant coach at Burnt Hills High School in New York. Ironically, it is the program that rivaled his high school alma mater, Niskayuna High School, when he was a youth. Jeff Blatnick"It's been fun to get back into the corner and work with kids on a daily basis. I still prefer working with older kids, because they are able to pick up on things a lot quicker, but I do enjoy being involved with all age levels." Yet, with all of this involvement, Blatnick must still find time for his wife, Lori, and his two children, 10 year-old Ian and six year-old Niki. "I used to be able to bring my wife on road trips with me. Once the kids were born, it became tougher. Both of my children are involved with sports, and my wife has become a huge fan of wrestling. I think she screams louder than I do at time," Blatnick stated. But Blatnick can still be heard cheering for wrestlers of all ages. In the past couple of years, he has spent a considerable amount of time working out with Payam Zarrinpour, the Sacred Heart heavyweight who competed at the NCAA Tournament. Zarrinpour, like Blatnick, was not favored to win an NCAA title. Some didn't even think he would earn All-American status. And they were right. But Blatnick's voice could be heard loud and clear when Zarrinpour was on the mat. The excitement in Blatnick's voice had nothing to do with picking favorites. Instead, it had to do with learning never to doubt someone else as many have doubted him.

YPSILANTI, Mich. -- Derek DelPorto, head wrestling coach at Slippery Rock State University for the past two seasons, has been named head wrestling coach at Eastern Michigan University, Athletics Director Derrick Gragg announced today. He will take over the head coaching duties from John Lange who served as the interim head coach this past season. DelPorto will take over an EMU wrestling program that recently opened the Dean Rockwell Wrestling Center and also announced that the program will offer the NCAA maximum scholarships for the first time ever in 2006-07. DelPorto, a former All-American wrestler while a Slippery Rock undergraduate, returned to his alma mater as the head coach at SRU for the 2004-2005 season. DelPorto and his 2005-06 team made the most of the school's final wrestling season, announced at the start of the year, winning the team championship at the NCAA Division I East Regional tournament and advancing a tournament-record 10 wrestlers to weight-class championship final bouts while recording a school record-tying four individual titles. In addition, SRU sent a school-record five wrestlers to the 2006 NCAA Division I National Championships. For his efforts, DelPorto was named NCAA Division I East Regional Coach of the Year. His 2004-05 Slippery Rock squad was the NCAA East Regional runner-up, and had three NCAA Division I championship qualifiers, and had three Academic All-Americans. DelPorto began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Slippery Rock from 1999-2000 before moving on to Oklahoma University as an assistant from 2000-2002. From 2002-2004, DelPorto was an assistant wrestling coach at Cornell University before returning to his alma mater to take over the head coaching duties in 2004. The 29-year-old DelPorto (April 10, 1976) grew up in Erie, Penn. and graduated from Cathedral Prep in Erie, Penn. in 1994. DelPorto went on to wrestle as a collegian at Slippery Rock where he recorded the third-best record in school history at 116-38 in his four seasons. He earned NCAA All-America honors in 1999 after finishing in eighth place in the heavyweight classification at the NCAA Division I championships. He was also a three-time East Regional champion, winning the heavyweight titles in 1998 and 1999 and capturing the 177-pound crown in 1996. DelPorto also won the PSAC heavyweight title in 1998. THE DEREK DelPORTO FILE: Name: Derek Louis DelPorto Born: April 10, 1976 - Erie, Penn. High School: Cathedral Prep (Erie, Penn.-Graduated in 1994) College: Slippery Rock University - graduated in 1999 with a bachelor's in education based English Married: Single Intercollegiate Coaching/Wrestling Experience Year School Position-Highlights 2004-2006 Slippery Rock University Head wrestling coach 2005-2006 Team finished 14-9; NCAA Division I East Regional Coach of the Year; Set tournament record with 10 wrestlers in the East Regional finals; Qualified five wrestlers to the NCAA Division I championships 2004-2005 Team finished 7-16 2003-2004 Cornell University Assistant wrestling coach 2000-2002 Oklahoma University Assistant wrestling coach 1999-2000 Slippery Rock University Assistant wrestling coach 1994-1999 Slippery Rock University Student and varsity wrestling letterman for four years; Finished his career with a 116-38 record; Earned NCAA Division I All-American honors in 1999 with an eighth-place finish in the NCAA Championships; Three-time East Regional champion who won the heavyweight title in 1998 and 1999 and the 177-pound title as a freshman in 1996; Won the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference heavyweight title in 1998

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- After piloting his team to a second straight conference title, North Carolina's C.D. Mock was named Atlantic Coast Conference Wrestling Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season Thursday. The ACC's season-ending awards were determined by a vote of the league's six head coaches. In just his third season at Carolina, Mock mentored three individual ACC champions, seven all-conference wrestlers and six NCAA qualifiers, which was the program's highest total since 2003. And in a year full of injuries, the Tar Heels were able to repeat as conference champions despite missing two of their top wrestlers for essentially the whole season. Carolina went 16-8-1 in duals for their most victories since 1989, and Mock's career record now stands 27-29-1 in three seasons. Mock also coached heavyweight Spencer Nadolsky and 141-pounder Vincent Ramirez to two of the top win totals in program history this season. Nadolsky's 42 victories are the third most for a Tar Heel, while Ramirez's 37 wins tied for sixth on the single-season list. UNC has now captured conference coaching honors 12 times since 1986, as Bill Lam was a 10-time winner before Mock took over the program prior to the 2003-04 season. The future looks bright for the program, as Carolina returns nine of its 10 starters from its 2006 ACC Championships lineup, as well as five of its six nationals qualifiers.

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- The Atlantic Coast Conference announced the recipients of its postseason wrestling awards today, as voted on by the league's six head coaches. Virginia Tech's Mike Faust was named the Wrestler of the Year, while Virginia's Eric Albright was tabbed Freshman of the Year. North Carolina head coach C.D. Mock garnered Coach of the Year accolades for the second straight year. Faust was named the Wrestler of the Year, becoming the first Hokie to garner the award. The heavyweight wrapped up his collegiate career with a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Championships, earning All-America honors. The senior from Baltimore, Md., posted a 37-8 overall record, including a 15-2 record in dual competition. For the second straight year, Faust went undefeated in regular season ACC competition, posting a 5-0 record in his senior campaign. He also won his second consecutive individual heavyweight title at the 2006 ACC Championship. Virginia's Eric Albright becomes the first Cavalier to garner Freshman of the Year honors. Albright compiled an overall record of 29-9, including a 12-3 record in dual matches in his freshman campaign. The York, Pa., native posted a 4-1 mark in regular season ACC competition. The top seed at 133 pounds, Albright earned a third-place finish at the ACC Championship. In just three seasons at the helm of the Tar Heel wrestling program, C.D. Mock has led North Carolina to back-to-back ACC Championships and has been awarded ACC Coach of the Year honors twice. Seven North Carolina wrestlers earned All-ACC honors, having advanced to the finals of their respective weight class, with three capturing individual titles, as the Tar Heels won the 2006 ACC Wrestling Championship. Five Tar Heels participated in the NCAA Championship, as North Carolina posted a 47th-place finish.

NORMAN, Okla. -- Oklahoma Wrestling head coach Jack Spates was today named the Co-Big 12 Coach of the Year along with John Smith of Oklahoma State. Spates earns the honor, voted on by the league coaches, for the third time in his career. "I am extremely excited and grateful," said head coach Jack Spates. "I am very grateful to my staff who I share this honor with because of their hard work and devotion to our program as well." The Sooners turned in a second place finish at the Big 12 Championships in Ames, Iowa, with Sam Hazewinkel winning the 125-pound title and Teyon Ware, Matt Storniolo and Jake Hager all claiming second place finishes. In the process the Sooners qualified eight wrestlers for the NCAA Championships. At the NCAA Championships, the Sooners finished in third place behind Oklahoma State and Minnesota. Ware finished as the national runner-up (141). "I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful group of student-athletes who I can also share this award with. My kids are extremely talented on and off the mat and they are the ones who make these awards possible," continued Spates. Spates has led the Sooner grapplers to top three finishes four out of the last five years. Spates was also named the 2002 Big 12 Coach of the Year and the 1999 Co-Big 12 Coach of the Year following Big 12 Championships both seasons. This is the second coach of the year award for Spates this week. Following the conclusion of the NCAA Championships Spates was named the 2006 NWCA Coach of the Year by the NWCA. The National Wrestling Coaches Association, established in 1928, is a professional organization dedicated to serve and provide leadership for the advancement of all levels of the sport of wrestling with primary emphasis on scholastic and collegiate programs. The membership embraces all people interested in amateur wrestling. Spates has an overall career record of 307-90-8 and a record of 183-74-7 while at OU. Prior to coming to Norman Spates was the head coach at Cornell from 1988-93, and has been at the helm of the Sooners since 1993. For more information on OU wrestling visit www.SoonerSports.com

Shortly after winning the 174-pound title last Saturday night at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships held at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, Missouri's Ben Askren was asked if he was the best pound-for-pound wrestler in the country. "I've worked long and hard not to just be the best wrestler in my weight class, but the best wrestler in the nation, period," said Askren, after dominating Northwestern's previously-unbeaten Jake Herbert, 14-2, in the finals. "I try to go out there and make it exciting every time for the fans, give them what they want." 2006 Rev Wrestler of the Year Voting 1st-5th-Place Votes -- 9-7-5-3-1 (First-Place Votes) : 1. Ben Askren, Missouri -- 63 (7) 2. Cole Konrad, Minnesota -- 58 (1) 3. Nate Gallick, ISU -- 21 4. Les Sigman, Neb.-Omaha -- 19 5. Dustin Schlatter, Minnesota -- 17 6. Shane Webster, Oregon -- 5 7. Johny Hendricks, OSU -- 4 7. Jake Rosholt, OSU -- 4 7. Joe Dubuque, Indiana -- 4 10. Troy Nickerson, Cornell -- 3 11. Matt Valenti, Penn -- 1 11. Earl Jones, Central Oklahoma -- 1On Wednesday night, Askren was named 2006 Rev Wrestler of the Year by RevWrestling.com. The award is given annually to the nation's top collegiate wrestler across all divisions of wrestling as voted on by the writers and executives of RevWrestling.com. Askren, who hails from Hartland, Wisconsin, won by five votes (63-58) over fellow Wisconsin native Cole Konrad, who won the heavyweight title for Minnesota. Askren received seven of the eight first-place votes, with the other vote going to Konrad. Askren finished his junior season with a perfect 45-0 record, which is the only undefeated season in the history of the Missouri program. He also set season records for pins (25), consecutive wins (45), and currently owns the record for most career pins at Missouri (61). "Ben Askren put together one of the most dominating single seasons in the history of NCAA wrestling," said RevWrestling.com senior writer Andrew Hipps. "He made it look easy while wrestling with a wide-open style that is extremely entertaining to watch." Ben Askren (Photo/Danielle Hobeika)Missouri coach Brian Smith, who guided the Tigers to a 15th-place finish at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, has high praise for his junior standout. "It's hard to get mad at a kid who is a straight-A student, does everything right, has a passion for this thing that he loves, which is wrestling, and lives it," said Smith. "That goes to the room. Our team in the summer works out with Ben … and follows Ben. He's the leader of the team. A kid that's like that, you don't want to pull the reins too much because what he's doing is something special and it's something that he loves." Iowa State's Nate Gallick, who won the 141-pound NCAA title and finished his senior season with a 35-0 record, came in third with 21 votes. Nebraska-Omaha's Les Sigman, who capped off his career with a fourth NCAA Division II title at heavyweight, was fourth with 19 votes. Dustin Schlatter of Minnesota, who won the 149-pound title as a true freshman, rounded out the top five with 17 votes. Others wrestlers who received votes included Shane Webster of Oregon, Johny Hendricks and Jake Rosholt of Oklahoma State, Joe Dubuque of Indiana, Troy Nickerson of Cornell, Matt Valenti of Penn, and Earl Jones of Central Oklahoma. 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, and hard-hitting analysis of major issues affecting amateur wrestling.

We unpack and repack from our journey to Oklahoma City, OK. for the National Championships of the NCAA and get ready to head to Cedar Rapids, Iowa and the good folks at the US Cellular Center for the AAU's Iowa State Tourney. Special guests expected to drop by for our second consecutive year include: Mark Ironside, Lee Pamulak, T.J. Seebolt (IA St.) and many others. This show gives us a chance to dip in to the waters of the youth of wrestling and witness first hand some of the many "Next Big Things" as they ready themselves for summer competition and National Best of the Best events. Join us won't you as we will talk with many of the kids, parents, grandparents and Coaches throughout this 2 day event. TDR broadcast schedule is as follows: Saturday, March 25th, 9:05 AM KXNO and Internet (Takedownradio.com) Sunday, March 26th, 10:00 AM Internet (Takedownradio.com) This broadcast is courtesy of The AAU, InterMatWrestle.com, and our great sponsors! Special thanks go to Mike and Stephanie Tasler, who make our jobs much easier!

Oklahoma City, Okla. -- The National Wrestling Coaches Association announced on Saturday, March 18 that University of Oklahoma head wrestling coach Jack Spates was named the NWCA Division I Coach of the Year. Spates led the Sooners to a third-place finish behind Oklahoma State and Minnesota at the 2006 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships held at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, co-hosted by the University of Oklahoma. The Sooners went 11-6-1 in duals this season and were ranked sixth coming into the NCAA tournament. Led by placewinners Sam Hazewinkel (125), Teyon Ware (141), Matt Storniolo (149), Joel Flaggert (197) and Jake Hager (285), the Sooners finished better than expected. "Jack Spates is one of the most respected coaches in the sport of wrestling," said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. "He's a proven winner and his dedication to his athletes is remarkable." "He's truly deserving of the award," said NWCA President Ron Beaschler. "Spates' dedication is unparalleled." "I'm especially grateful, especially since this award is coming from my peers," said Spates. "I feel it's an award that I freely and gladly share with my assistants Robbie Waller and Jeremy Spates, who have done a wonderful job, and the kids we have in our program of whom we are especially proud." As a wrestler, Spates was a Division II national champion 118 pounds for Slippery Rock University in 1973 and a Division I national runner-up at 118 in 1974. Since taking over at Oklahoma in 1994, Spates has led the Sooners to 11 Top 10 finishes in 12 years at the NCAA championships including six Top 5 finishes in the last seven years. Spates' teams have finished third four out of the last five years. "We had a lot of adversity this year," Spates said. "We came into the year with high expectations and lost our 133-pounder essentially for the whole season. Jarrod King tore his shoulder in the first month of the season and was in need of major shoulder sugery and Wes Roberts was out most of the year." "It was a very challenging year in terms of injuries, but our guys never hung their heads," said Spates. "(At Nationals) they pretty much put it together and wrestle, for the most part, hard and well." At OU, Spates has coached four wrestlers to five national championships and in 2000, Spates had six All-Americans, the highest for the program since former coach Stan Abel had six All-Americans in 1982. "It's been his continued passion for the sport," said Waller, who won an NCAA title in 2003 for Spates. "After wrestling for him and coaching for him, you see how much he cares for the kids and the program." "His passion hasn't diminished at all," Waller said. "He cares more, it seems." "Oklahoma wrestling's resurgence can be directly attributed to Jack Spates' hard work in recruiting top-notch talent and developing that talent into All-Americans," said Moyer. The National Wrestling Coaches Association names its Coach of the Year at the conclusion of each NCAA wrestling championship and no coach can receive the honor more than once in a five-year span. Rob Koll of Cornell won the award in 2004. Spates coached at Cornell for three seasons before moving on to Norman.

CLEVELAND (AP) -- Lance Palmer, a 140-pound high school wrestler and four-time state champ, taps into his substantial skills whenever he takes on Ceaser Jr. Skill comes in handy when your opponent is a 650-pound black bear. Palmer recently wrestled Ceaser at the annual Cleveland Sport, Travel & Outdoor Show, pinning the animal on its back. Although he says he never hurts the bear, Palmer and the bear's owner have been criticized by animal rights groups. Norfolk, Va.-based People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has sought to make owner Sam Mazzola a focal point of its national efforts to ban bear wrestling. PETA is demanding that the U.S. Department of Agriculture revoke Mazzola's license to exhibit exotic animals. For a small fee, Mazzola allows people to wrestle the bear or have a picture taken inside a cage with his other bears or a tiger. "Sam Mazzola continues to flout federal regulations and expose the public to very real danger," said Debbie Leahy, PETA director. "Bear wrestling is as ludicrous as it sounds, and it's high time that it was relegated to the dustbin of history." PETA said bear wrestling is banned in 20 states, but not in Ohio. Mazzola said bear wrestling has been part of his business World Animal Studios Inc., in Columbia Station in northeast Ohio for over 20 years, and he has no intention of stopping now. Most of his shows are at county fairs within the state. "To be able to bring an animal out into the public and do what we do is not easy. I mean we're talking about a bear! Do you even realize how much work, time and love we put into that? It's like nobody stops to realize that," Mazzola said. Randy Coleman, a USDA inspector, attended Saturday's wrestling match but declined comment. Palmer, 19, a senior at St. Edward High School in the Cleveland suburb of Lakewood, has been wrestling bears since he was four years old. His father is an animal trainer for Mazzola. Palmer, who gets paid by Mazzola, said animal rights activists are misguided.

In 1999, Kurt Angle made one of the toughest choices of his entire career. Struggling financially and working on a new marriage, he took a risk that not many in amateur wrestling had done in years - certainly not a person with his accolades. Angle joined the ranks of the sports entertainment business, also known as professional wrestling. At the very least, it would pay much better than his broadcasting job in Pittsburgh. Kurt Angle "I was running out of options really," Angle said. "At first, I was on the side that professional wrestling will ruin amateur wrestling. I talked with a lot of people close to me, and we began to feel that with an amateur wrestler gaining that kind of exposure, maybe we could help to draw more non-traditional wrestling fans into dual meets and tournament-venues." Angle admits that moving into the then-WWF was hard. In 1996, he had turned down an offer he received the night after he won his Olympic gold. Jim McMahon was scurrying to find a superstar with a great personality, great look and an established name. At the time -- who better than Angle? Angle had just defeated Abbas Jadidi of Iran to win the Olympic gold in Atlanta -- becoming a true American hero. In fact, in only two World-level competitions, Angle won gold, also capturing the top prize in the 1995 World Championships in Atlanta. Gerald Brisco, the Talent Relations Director with the WWE, was excited about the possibility of pulling Angle into their world. Brisco, a former wrestler at Oklahoma State and brother of Cowboys great Jack Brisco, had started to keep an eye on amateur wrestlers, and convinced McMahon to go after Angle. "It wasn't hard (to convince McMahon)," Brisco said. "At the time, a lot of our talent consisted of bigger men who couldn't move very well. Kurt was an exceptional athlete. He wasn't as tall as we were used to, but we knew he could bring some excitement into our business. And at the time, adding an Olympic hero was also a good niche for us." Angle turned down the job offer in 1996, but couldn't resist re-visiting the possibility in 1999 with not many options left to him. How things may have been different for so many entities if Real Pro Wrestling had existed back then. Would the WWE have been able to recover from its major financial woes in the mid-90's? Would Angle be the superstar that he is today anyways? Would real wrestling be more popular on the Olympic level? Angle has gone on to superstar status in the WWE, capturing the championship belt on more than one occasion. He has released a book, It's True, It's True. But if RPW were running in 1999, would Angle had made the controversial jump over to what many in the wrestling community consider "the dark side?" "Something like Real Pro Wrestling would have changed my entire attitude. I most likely would have never stepped into a WWE ring. At that point in my career, it was great to win a gold medal, but when I began to start a family, I needed to start thinking about a career. I still love to compete, and Real Pro Wrestling would have offered that solution at the time," Angle said. Kurt AngleAngle also continues to give back to wrestling. In 2002, he funded the Kurt Angle Classic in New Orleans, which was one of the first events to showcase amateur wrestling in a different light -- using pyrotechnics, live music and a more fan-friendly atmosphere. It also provided a big payday to the athletes selected to compete, which included numerous future U.S. Olympians as well as athletes from other top countries such as Russia and Belarus. He also continues to donate to Clarion wrestling, the college program he was so successful in. As a former athlete training for the Olympics, Angle knows all about adversity. He was one of the first wrestlers to begin designing and selling his own t-shirts, offering them to anyone with a pulse. This sometimes drew criticism from fellow American wrestlers. "Some guys were jealous," Angle said laughing. "But I didn't have time, or money, to care. I was doing what I could at the time to help my training and to promote myself. Back then, everyone thought I was cocky. But now, all of the top wrestlers have web sites, products -- everything. Wrestlers today are promoting themselves so much better, and that is a promising sign for this sport's future." Helping to secure wrestlers financially is one of RPW's goals for its athletes. Turning wrestling into a mainstream sport is the overall goal, but RPW has now given wrestlers an avenue to be able to train more effectively while leaving behind the stress that comes with financial difficulty. RPW CEO and co-founder Toby Willis feels that Angle's knowledge could be a welcome contributor to the success of the league. "There is much real wrestling can learn from Kurt and the WWE. Competition wrestling has gone to great lengths to distance ourselves from any form of entertainment and promotion. In many ways we need to learn and copy much from the WWE and bring the important elements of fun and entertainment back into our sport. We feel this can be done tastefully and not overshadow the centrality of the competition." "It is ironic that while Kurt took a lot of heat for 'going over to the dark side,' it may be that move that helps wrestling in ways nobody ever imagined. Kurt has proven he not only was a real Olympic champion, but that he continues to identify with and help the wrestling community. Because of this, we hope to find a significant role for Kurt in RPW," Willis added. RPW also hopes to give a new, refreshing meaning to the term "professional wrestling." So far, Angle is impressed. "What (RPW) has done for the sport already is amazing," Angle said. "The sport of wrestling continues to grow at all levels. More and more fans are going to tournaments and dual meets and it is getting more television exposure and media exposure. Now is the time for a group like this to make its move." And who knows -- Angle may even decide to become involved as well. "I learned in 1999 to never say never."

WHO: Ben Askren: 2006 174-pound NCAA Division I Wrestling National Champion WHAT: Askren to get first Hair Cut of the Season WHEN: Thursday, March 23, 2006 at 6 p.m. (CST) WHERE: Cost Cutters located in the Crossroads Shopping Center 2101 W Broadway, Columbia, MO 65203 Ben AskrenMissouri's first individual National Champion in five years is following through on a promise made to local media. Recent 174-pound NCAA Division I Wrestling Champion and Outstanding Wrestler of the Tournament, Ben Askren, will be cutting his hair for the first time since the start of the 2006 campaign in which he vowed not to cut his hair until after winning Missouri's first wrestling title. Askren will have his hair cut Thursday, March 23, at 6 p.m. (CST) at the Cost Cutters in the Crossroads Shopping Center at the intersection of Broadway and Stadium. Members of the media and fans are invited to attend the event. A native of Hartland, Wis., Askren finished the season 45-0, earning 25 falls and nine technical falls while setting the school's longest consecutive win streak, falls in a season and career falls (62) record. Askren became just the 12th student-athlete at the University of Missouri to earn a National Title and the first in the 62-year history of the Tiger wrestling program.

Matt Valenti named EIWA Wrestler of the Year Penn junior Matt Valenti has been named EIWA Wrestler of the Year, by vote of the head coaches of the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association. Valenti had a nearly perfect season, compiling a record of 36-2 while winning both the EIWA and NCAA championships at 133 pounds. He is a history major from Newton NJ, and holds the Penn record for most wins in a season, with 36 and is the first Quaker wrestler to earn more than 100 wins through his junior year. He was also an All-American in 2004, placing fifth at 125. Troy Nickerson named EIWA Freshman of the Year Cornell freshman Troy Nickerson has been named EIWA Freshman of the Year, by vote of the head coaches of the Eastern Intercollegiate Coaches Association. Nickerson compiled a record of 36-2 while winning the EIWA Championship and finishing in second place att the NCAA Championships at 125 pounds. Nickerson is a former five-time New York state champion from Chenango Forks, NY.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State wrestling coach Russ Hellickson announced his retirement Tuesday, effective July 31. Hellickson began his tenure at Ohio State in the 1986-87 season. He mentored 41 All-Americans, the most of any Ohio State wrestling coach, including a record five All-America honorees in 2004. The two-time Big Ten coach of the year (1991, '02) and 2002 NWCA National Coach of the Year coached five national champions to seven championships, including two-time NCAA champions Kevin Randleman in 1992 and 1993 and Tommy Rowlands in 2002 and 2004. He posted a record of 272-170-6 at the helm of the Buckeyes. "I'm extremely proud of the student-athletes and coaches I've worked with over the years," Hellickson said. "We have one of the hardest-working staffs in all of college wrestling. The program has not lived up to my expectations the last few years. By stepping aside at this time, it will allow my successor the opportunity to come in and return the program to national prominence. " "We appreciate Russ' dedication and contributions to the success of the wrestling program over the years," Gene Smith, Ohio State Director of Athletics, said. "We wish him every success in his retirement." Heather Lyke, OSU Associate Director of Athletics who oversees wrestling, will chair the search committee to replace Hellickson. "We will put a national search committee in place as soon as possible to find the best coach," Lyke said. "We expect to have enormous interest in this position and look forward to a strong pool of quality candidates." Ohio State assistant coaches Ken Ramsey and Mitch Clark also will remain on staff until July 31. The current Buckeye staff members will operate the 2006 summer wrestling camps.

OKLAHOMA CITY -- After having one of the most impressive seasons in Northwestern wrestling history, two-time All-American Jake Herbert (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) ended his historic year by finishing a career-best second place at 174 lbs. at the 2006 NCAA Wrestling Championships. Herbert, who fell to Missouri's Ben Askren in the championship bout, finishes the 2006 campaign with a 36-1 record -- his 36 victories are good for ninth place on NU's single-season wins list. Northwestern finished 13th in the team race with 48.5 points. "Jake had a great year," head coach Tim Cysewski said. "He wrestled well at the NCAA Championships. He came out aggressively against Askren and that put him in positions that he normally comes out on top of. He'll learn from this, get better and come back looking for the national championship next season. His best is yet to come." The match between Herbert and Askren was one of the most anticipated bouts of the year. Both wrestlers entered the match with undefeated records and had been ranked No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, throughout the year. Herbert was the aggressor at the beginning of the match, shooting for Askren's left leg as soon as the opening whistle blew, but Askren was able to avoid the takedown and the two took part in a scramble with neither wrestler giving an inch. Askren came out on top following the scramble and went up 2-0 with a takedown. Askren stayed on the offensive with two first-period two-point nearfalls to take a 6-0 lead into the second period. Choosing the down position to begin the second period, Herbert got on the board when he slipped out of an Askren hold and scored a reversal to cut Askren's lead to four. That would be as close as Herbert would come, however, as Askren used two takedowns, a two-point nearfall and an escape over the final two periods to take a 14-2 major decision win with riding time. Despite the loss, Herbert's season goes down as one of the finest in 78-year history of the Northwestern wrestling program. With 36 wins, Herbert moved into ninth place on the single-season wins list, and his 42-straight victories are a Northwestern record. Herbert became the first wrestler in program history to win back-to-back Midlands titles and only the second to win a Midlands title and a Big Ten title in the same season. Herbert, a sophomore, has compiled an 83-4 record over his first two full seasons. He only is 20 wins short of moving into a tie with Mark Whitehead for 10th place on NU's all-time wins list and with a career winning percentage mark of .952, Herbert is on pace to shatter Don Evan's record .896 clip. The 'Cats finished tied with Iowa State for 13th in the team race with 48.5 points. Oklahoma State wins its fifth-straight national title by winning the team race with 122.5 points. Minnesota finished second with 84 points, while host Oklahoma placed third with 80.5 team points. Iowa took fourth with 70 points, and Cornell rounds out the top five with 62 points. "We're happy with the season we had," Cysewski said. "We had a lot of good things happen and we were successful where we thought we would be. We're not satisfied, however, and after spring break we're going to come back and get right back to work."

Oklahoma City, OK -- Hofstra's All-Americans Mike Patrovich, Jon Masa and Chris Weidman placed fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively to lead the Pride to an 11th-place finish at the 2006 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at the Ford Center. The 2006 Pride equaled the best finish in school history, tying the 11th-place finish of the 1969 team that was led by Marty Willigan, Bill Stauffer and Mark Goldberg. Hofstra finished with a school-record 52.5 points, eclipsing the previous mark of 36.5 set in 2005. Oklahoma State captured its fourth consecutive national championship and its 34th wrestling title overall, finishing with 122.5 points. Minnesota was second with 84 points and host Oklahoma was third with 80.5. Iowa (70) and Cornell (62) completed the top five.The Pride were just one point from being in a three-way tie for ninth with Lehigh and Penn State. The three All-Americans are also a school-record topping the previous mark of two set in 2000, 2001 and 2003. Senior Mike Patrovich earned his first All-America honor on Friday by advancing to the championship semifinals before losing to eventual national champion Ben Askren from Missouri. In the consolation semifinals Patrovich defeated Penn's Matt Herrington 9-4 before dropping an 11-2 decision to Iowa's third-seeded Mark Perry in the third place match. He finishes the season with a 34-5 record. Senior Jon Masa, who became Hofstra's first three-time All-American on Friday, lost by fall to Oklahoma's fourth-seeded Matt Storniolo in the consolation semifinals Saturday before posting a major decision win over Michigan's Eric Tannenbaum 9-0 in the fifth-place match. Masa, who went 5-2 in the Championships, ends his season with a 35-7 record and his Hofstra career with a 126-32 mark. Junior Chris Weidman may have been the biggest surprise of the NCAA Championships, defeating top-seeded Wynn Michelak from Central Michigan and eighth-seeded Ryan Bader from Arizona State in the championship bracket before losing to eventual national champion Jake Rosholt from Oklahoma State in the semifinals. Saturday morning, Weidman suffered a hip injury in his consolation semifinal match against Nebraska's third-seeded B.J. Padden and took a medical default at the 5:04 mark of the match. The injury prevented him from coming out for the fifth place match against Oklahoma's fifth-seeded Joel Flaggert. Weidman ends his season with an 18-13 record.

Oklahoma City, Okla. -- Penn State Nittany Lion wrestler Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.) fell in the national title bout at 197-pounds two defending champion Jacob Rosholt of Oklahoma State, but finished as national runner-up as a sophomore. The two-time All-American, just a sophomore, led head coach Troy Sunderland's Penn State team to a ninth finish at the 2006 NCAA Wrestling Championships. Penn State leaves Oklahoma City, host site of this year's event, with three All-Americans. Davis, who finished seventh last year as a freshman, entered the tournament as the No. 6 seed while his opponent, Jacob Rosholt, entered the tournament as the No. 4 seed and was the defending national champion at 197 having won the title a year ago. Rosholt got the first takedown of the match with 2:01 left in the first period and turned Davis quickly to pick up three back points. The first period ended with Rosholt leading 5-1 and holding over a minute's worth of riding time. Davis chose down to begin the second period and escaped to cut the lead to 5-2, but Rosholt added another takedown to lead 7-3 after two period. Rosholt began the final period in the down position and escaped to lead 8-3. Davis applied plenty of offensive pressure for the remaining minutes, but Rosholt held him off and went on to post a 10-3 win. Rosholt claimed his third national title at 197 with the win. Davis became Penn State's first-ever national runner-up at 197. He went 4-1 on the tournament and ends his sophomore year with a 25-4 record. In two years, he is a two time All-American (7th last year, 2nd this year), the 2006 Big Ten Champion and has a 62-14 record. Davis is also 8-3 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, the 20th best NCAA tournament winning percentage (.727) in Penn State history. He is the 24th national runner-up in school history as well. Davis became Penn State's first national runner-up since Josh Moore and Pat Cummins finished 2nd in 2004. Davis and Eric Bradley (Plaistow, N.H.) became the fifth and sixth repeat All-Americans under Sunderland. Junior James Yonushonis (Philipsburg, Pa.) became the 13th different individual to earn All-America laurels under Sunderland as well. Both Bradley and Yonushonis took eighth place in their respective weight classes (184 and 174). In all, the veteran Nittany Lion mentor has now coached 18 All-Americans (including multiple winners who earned their second titles in Sunderland's first year). Penn State finished the 2006 NCAA Championships in ninth place with 53.5 points. Oklahoma State won the team title with 122.5 points, far in front of runner-up Minnesota's 84.0. Oklahoma was third with 80.5. Iowa finished fourth with 70.0, followed by Cornell (62.0), Arizona State (61.5), Michigan (57.5), Edinboro (56.0), Penn State (53.5) and Lehigh (53.5). Penn State's ninth place finish is its best since placing sixth in 2003. The 53.5 total points is the 14th most ever scored by the Nittany Lions in the NCAA Championships. The Nittany Lions ended the tournament with a 22-17 overall record (0-3 today, 12-7 Friday and 10-7 Thursday). Penn State's three All-Americans are the most for the school since it had four in 2003. Sunderland's Nittany Lions received a bulk of its scoring from bonus points. During the course of the tournament, the Nittany Lions had seven pins (worth two bonus points each) and three majors (worth one bonus point each) for 17 bonus points. Penn State concluded an outstanding 2005-06 season with its ninth place finish with three All-Americans at nationals. Sunderland's Nittany Lions went 13-4 in dual matches, including a 5-3 mark in Big Ten action. The Lions crowned one Big Ten Champion and placed fourth at the Big Ten Championships.