InterMat Staff

Nick SimmonsEAST LANSING, Mich. -- Seniors Darren McKnight and R.J. Boudro, along with junior All-Americans Nick and Andy Simmons, will serve as team captains for the Michigan State wrestling team for the 2005-06 season. The four upperclassmen had a combined record of 114-32 in 2004-05. "Seldom has MSU had more leadership than it does this year," head coach Tom Minkel said. "These four men have not only had great success on the mat, but they have demonstrated outstanding leadership skills as well." McKnight will serve as a captain for the second straight season after making his second appearance at the NCAA Championships in March 2005. He was an NWCA Academic All-American last season, and improved on his 2003-04 finish at every tournament. McKnight led the team in takedowns and finished second in major decisions with seven. Boudro will make the drop from 174 pounds to 165 pounds after taking fourth at the 2005 Big Ten Championships. Despite sustaining various injuries through the course of the season, Boudro persevered to finish the season ranked as high as No. 12 in the polls. Nick Simmons will once again compete for a national title at 125 pounds. He took fourth at the 2005 NCAA Championships and claimed State's first Big Ten Championship since 2000. Simmons wrestled competitively throughout the summer, winning the Freestyle University National Championship, taking third at the U.S. Senior National Championships and fifth at the University World Games. He was also named MSU Male Athlete of the Year for the 2004-05 season. Andy Simmons claimed All-American honors for the first time in 2005 despite suffering a knee injury late in the season. Simmons took second at 141 pound at the 2005 Big Ten Championships, and defeated third-place finisher Cory Cooperman of Lehigh by fall in the national quarterfinals before having to injury default his final two matches. He tied his brother, Nick, for the team lead in victories with 32. Official practices begin for the team Tuesday, Oct. 11, and the first competition of the year will be at the Eastern Michigan Open on Nov. 5 in Ypsilanti, Mich.

In every collegiate season there are key head-to-head match-ups that wrestling fans anxiously await. They circle dates on calendars, breakdown the matches months in advance, and make travel arrangements to see these great match-ups. Two seasons ago, it was Jesse Jantzen vs. Zack Esposito and Troy Letters vs. Tyrone Lewis. Last season, it was the continuation of two great rivalries -- Ryan Bertin vs. Alex Tirapelle and Chris Pendleton vs. Ben Askren. So with the season just upon us -- let's take a look at the top-10 match-ups you won't want to miss (from 10 to 1). 10. Nick Simmons (Michigan State) vs. Kyle Ott (Illinois) Why it's intriguing: These two Big Ten foes are two of the top-four 125-pounders in the nation -- with the other two being NCAA champion Joe Dubuque of Indiana and third-place finisher Sam Hazewinkel of Oklahoma. Simmons and Ott split two matches last season. However, Ott won the all important one, in overtime, in the NCAA semifinals. Kyle Ott of Illinois and Nick Simmons of Michigan State split two matches season. Ott, however, won the most important one -- in the NCAA semifinals.Where they could meet before the postseason: While there is a chance they could meet at the All-Star match on Nov. 21 -- it's unlikely unless Dubuque and/or Hazewinkel decline the invitation. Both Michigan State and Illinois will be at the Midlands on Dec. 29-30 -- so there is certainly a possibly that Simmons and Ott could meet there. On Feb. 12, Michigan State heads to Champaign to wrestle the Illini, where Simmons and Ott will wrestle an important match to determine seeds for the Big Ten Championships. 9. Steve Mocco (Oklahoma State) vs. Matt Fields (Iowa) Why it's intriguing: When Mocco transferred from Iowa to Oklahoma State -- he went from savior to betrayer, literally overnight in the Hawkeye State. His transfer to Oklahoma State ruffled the feathers of a lot of his now ex-teammates. But not Fields. When Fields signed with Iowa, many questioned why he would choose a school where he wouldn't be assured a spot in the lineup for at least two years. His response was, "I'm going to have to beat him anyway, so it's not much of an issue." Last season, as a true freshman, Fields wrestled Mocco three times -- and was shutout all three times (5-0, 4-0, and 4-0). But word out of Iowa City is that Fields believes that he can beat Mocco this season. Where they could meet before the postseason: On Jan. 7, Oklahoma State comes to Iowa, which will be Mocco's first appearance at Carver Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City since his transfer to Oklahoma State. The only other potential meeting place between these two could be Jan. 14-15 at the National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa. 8. Pacifico Garcia (San Francisco State) vs. Jason Rhoten (Minnesota State-Mankato)

RALEIGH, N.C. -- This year's NC State Fall Wrestling Clinic and Red-White scrimmage will feature a little added sizzle with four-time national champion and Olympic Gold Medalist Cael Sanderson slated to serve as one of the clinic's instructors. The clinic will be held on Sunday, November 13, at Reynolds Coliseum. Registration will be from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m., with the clinic running from 1-4 p.m. The day's events will wrap up with the annual Red-White scrimmage from 4 o'clock until 5:30. The wrestling clinic will be geared towards club, middle school and high school wrestlers of all abilities and experience. Coaches are invited to attend free of charge. The clinic should give wrestlers and coaches an opportunity to receive instruction on technique, while meeting and interacting with the NC State wrestlers and Sanderson, one of the greatest wrestlers in the history of the sport. His popularity has grown world-wide since winning a gold medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. As a collegiate competitor, he became the first wrestler in history to win four NCAA titles while also completing an undefeated career (159-0) from 1998-99 through 2001-02 at Iowa State University. In 2001 and 2002, he also earned spots on the U.S. Men's Freestyle World teams. However, in 2001 he was unable to compete when the September 11 attacks on New York City postponed the event to a date that conflicted with his college schedule. USA Wrestling decided not to attend the 2002 World Championships in Tehran, Iran, due to a credible threat placed against the team. Sanderson was vindicated in 2003, when he won a silver medal at the World Championships held in New York City's Madison Square Garden before achieving wrestling greatness with his gold medal in 2004. Currently, Cael resides in Ames, Iowa with his wife Kelly where he is an assistant wrestling coach at Iowa State University. Originally from Heber City, Utah, Sanderson was coached by his father Steve with great support from his mother Debbie. His two older brothers, Cody and Cole, both excelled as wrestlers at Iowa State as well. Cael's younger brother Cyler is a freshman at Iowa State and will wrestle for the Cyclones beginning with the 2005-06 school year.

Donny AltmanBLAIR, Neb. -- Dana College Head Wrestling Coach Steve Costanzo is pleased to announce the commitment of Derby (Kan.) High School senior Donny Altman to the Viking Wrestling program. Altman, a standout for Class 6A Derby, announced his decision early this fall. He will compete at 125 pounds for the Vikings in 2006-07. Altman brings a wealth of wrestling accomplishments and accolades to the Dana program. Most recently, he won his first Kansas State Championship as a junior in 2005, claiming the 103-pound Class 6A title. On the national scene, Altman has placed five times at the prestigious Cadet/Junior National Championships in Fargo, N.D. As a cadet, Altman became a four-time All-American, claiming two Greco-Roman National titles and two Freestyle All-American honors. In 2005, Altman placed sixth in his first year at the junior level in freestyle at 112 pounds.

Every year, the debate rages in wrestling circles: Who is the best high school wrestler in the nation? Perhaps by coincidence, in recent years there has been a clear-cut consensus top three whom fans debated between as the top wrestler -- yet their status as the top three was never really disputed. In 2002, wrestling fans argued amongst Zack Esposito, Teyon Ware, and Johny Hendricks -- all NCAA champions today. In 2003, they debated between Mark Perry, Roger Kish, and CP Schlatter. In 2004, it was Alex Tsirtsis, Michael Poeta, and Matt Fields that captured the most attention. Never was there a better example of the "big three" phenomenon than the top trio of 2005, where Dustin Schlatter, Brent Metcalf, and Troy Nickerson entered the season with stunning resumes of success against older competition in Fargo and elsewhere. Metcalf and Schlatter split two epic bouts that settled little other than their equality. 2005-2006 appears to the exception to the "top trio" phenomenon. At the start of this season, there are two competitors who clearly stand out from the pack: David Craig and Henry Cejudo. David Craig, hailing from the Brandon (Florida) High School juggernaut has been the top 171 in the nation since his sophomore year. In 2005-2006, to paraphrase Shakespeare, he "stands over all others at his weight class like a colossus." The odds of Craig losing a match this year are approximately the same as the odds of FILA (International Wrestling's beleaguered governing body) making a rationale decision. In other words -- zero. David Craig of Florida has been the best 171-pounder in the nation since his sophomore year.Consider: The likely third best 171 in the nation, Clayton Foster, was pinned in Fargo by Craig. The nation's second best 171 is clearly Brent Chriswell. Chriswell pinned or teched all foes in Fargo other than Craig, including a pin over Asics All-American First Team David Erwin, and tech falls over Clayton Foster and Jeff James (likely the fourth best 171). Chriswell also won FILA Cadets all the way up at 187.5 in dominating fashion in April. Chriswell, it may have seemed, posed a legitimate threat to Craig. It was no contest. Chriswell was simply outmatched, as Craig narrowly missed a tech fall, prevailing 8-0. That Craig would stand head and shoulders above the field at 171 is hardly a surprise. He has been the top 171 in the nation since he was a sophomore -- in a weight class dominated by upperclassmen. Simply put, for a sophomore to be the best in the nation at such a high weight class is unprecedented. Following up a dominating performance in winning Cadet Freestyle at 160 the year before, Craig quickly established himself as possibly the best 171 in the nation that year by defeating defending 171 Cadet Nationals champion Hudson Taylor and defending 171 Junior Nationals champion Rocco Caponi back-to-back in winning the Ironman. Although the nation's best 160, Jarrod King, moved up to 171 and beat Craig that summer in Fargo, Craig merely served to solidify the argument that he was the best at 171 by toppling Pennsylvania's Kurt Brenner for third place. Perhaps the most impressive, and easy to overlook thing about Craig's performances the last two years is that he has been outsized (although certainly not overpowered) at 171. Anecdotal reports are that his natural weight is around 170 -- that he would have been at 160 but wrestles 171 in deference to his older (former) teammate and fellow multiple-time national champion Rocky Cozart. This has been supported by the fact that even in preseason and post season open tournaments, Craig has not been seen competing higher than 171. Henry Cejudo of Colorado was a double champion at Junior Nationals in 2004, but was held out of Fargo in 2005 because of an injury.If Craig is No. 1, Henry Cejudo of Coronado, Colorado, would have to be No. 1a. Whereas Craig is an upper-weight, Cejudo is on the other end of the spectrum, competing at 119. The stock of this competitor just keeps rising. For years, Cejudo was merely "Angel Cejudo's brother" (his older brother has been a four-time state champion, Cadet Nationals champion, Junior Nationals champion, and FILA Junior Nationals champion among other accolades)." Now, it is Angel Cejudo who may come to be known in wrestling circles as "Henry Cejudo's brother." The younger Cejudo made his mark in 2004, winning both styles at Junior Nationals in convincing fashion in a loaded weight. Cejudo knocked off the highly-decorated Mike Grey and Franklin Gomez just to make the finals. In fact, Cejudo unthinkably tech falled Grey and pinned Gomez to add to his double title in 2003 at the cadet level. Cejudo further raised his stock in the spring of 2005 with a triumph at FILA Junior World Team Trials. At that tourney, he first crushed Obe Blanc, a 2003 Senior High School Nationals champion, and then 2004 Senior Nationals champion/multiple Junior and Cadet Nationals champion Paul Donahoe, twice in a row. None of these matches were really close, with Cejudo actually pinning Donahoe in one of the matches. The real impressiveness of these victories was that these accomplished competitors were two and three years older than Cejudo respectively. Cejudo added to his resume with an impressive showing at the super-tough FILA Junior World Tournament. Unfortunately, he was injured while competing there, and was thus unable to add to his title count in Fargo this summer. In his absence, rivals Gomez and Grey won titles at 119 and 125 in dominating fashion. The Best of the Rest: The remaining contenders for best high school wrestler in the nation might be described as the "super seven." They are, in no particular order: Zach Bailey, Mike Grey, Garrett Scott, Billy Murphy, and Lance Palmer. Some wrestling fans may feel that Zach Bailey has dropped off the elite list after his failure to place at Junior Nationals in 2005. They would be mistaken. Bailey was reportedly hampered by an injury. Regardless, his other victories in 2005 showed that his surprise win at Juniors in 2004 was no fluke. This season alone he defeated Mitch Mueller, Sean Nemec, and Ashtin Primus among others. Mueller dominated in winning a Junior Nationals title in freestyle in 2005 at Bailey's weight class. Nemec was a Junior Nationals All-American two weight classes higher than Bailey competed. Mike Grey has a chance to become the first four-time state champion ever in the state of New Jersey.Only one state has never had a four-time state champion, that being single-division New Jersey. That will likely change this year when Mike Grey is crowned for the fourth year in a row. Grey has amassed over a hundred victories with only a single overtime loss -- to High School Nationals and Junior Nationals double champion Franklin Gomez. While he is a folkstyle specialist, Grey has also shown talents in freestyle. In four trips to Fargo, he has come away with All-American honors all four times, adding a Junior Nationals title to a Cadet Nationals title won in 2002. The enigma of the "super seven" is Garrett Scott of Pennsylvania. Many wrestling fans in Pennsylvania feel that Scott is the best to come out of their state since Cary Kolat, no small statement in the nation's premier wrestling state. Scott made two appearances in Fargo, winning Cadet Nationals titles in freestyle after his eighth and ninth grade seasons. The list of wrestlers who have won Cadet Nationals titles in freestyle before entering high school at weights above 100 lbs is short and illustrious. Scott has not lost since freshman year, and his only two losses that year were 8-7 and 10-8 in overtime, respectively. As a junior, he captured his third state title with a technical fall in the finals. However, Scott has not competed in Fargo since winning his second Cadet Nationals title after his freshman season. The only national competition against which he has competed since then was at FILA Juniors this past spring, where he finished a disappointing eighth place (in the same weight where Bailey finished third, although they never met). The bet here is that Scott will return to form in 2005-2006. Perhaps the most intriguing of the super seven is Billy Murphy. It is safe to say that no other member of the "super seven" is less technically polished than Murphy. Perhaps the best phrase to describe Murphy would be "bull in a china shop". Incomparably quick, powerful, and aggressive, Murphy rarely sees a risk he doesn't want to take on the mat. Moreover, Murphy is the last wrestler you will ever see be content to win a close match. Indeed, after winning 19-5 in the finals of the NHSCA Junior National Championships in April, Murphy threw his headgear and anklet aside in disdain, apparently disgusted by his inability to score a tech fall in the national finals. Murphy reminds this writer of a young Tom or Terry Brands (Editor's note: Subsequent to the submission of this article, ironically, Murphy verbally committed to wrestle for Tom Brands at Virginia Tech). Justin Kerr's Top 10 Seniors: 1. David Craig, Florida 2. Henry Cejudo, Colorado 3. Billy Murphy, California 4. Garett Scott, Pennsylvania 5. Mike Grey, New Jersey 6. Zach Bailey, Missouri 7. Lance Palmer, Ohio 8. David Rella, Ohio 9. Jordan Frishkorn, Virginia 10. Jonathan Reader, MichiganOne thought that comes to mind watching Murphy's "go-for-broke" style is that the nation's true elite would capitalize on the mistakes of this talented yet raw wrestler. However, in 11 matches at the super-tough California one-division state tournament and the NHSCA Junior Nationals, Murphy failed to score a major decision only once, and he prevailed 12-5 in that bout. Perhaps even more telling, Murphy defeated Zach Bailey at the 2004 Brute Folkstyle Nationals by a score of 3-1 (it is difficult to imagine Murphy wrestling a match this low-scoring). However, Murphy does lack the national freestyle credentials that the other members of the "super seven" have: he has been to Fargo just once, finishing second in Cadet Freestyle in 2004 to Mike Benefiel of Illinois. Still, even this showing is impressive given Murphy's relative lack of freestyle experience. Rounding out the "super seven" is Ohio's Lance Palmer. Palmer is a folkstyle specialist who is probably the toughest wrestler in the nation from the top position. As powerful as any wrestler in the nation pound-for-pound (except for maybe Murphy), his power half with the legs in is possibly the most feared combination in the nation. So dominating is Palmer from top that he actually pinned 12 of 12 in Sectionals through States in Ohio. However, it was his match with fellow three-time Ohio state champion Cameron Doggett of St. Paris Graham that vaulted Palmer to superstar status. In that match, Palmer found himself in a quick 4-0 hole. Against a wrestler of Doggett's credentials (two-time Ironman champion, two-time Beast of the East champion, Cadet Nationals champion, Junior Nationals third), this deficit would have seemed insurmountable. However, Palmer showed true grit in clawing his way back to a 6-4 victory. The best was yet to come, however. Despite having competed very little in freestyle since his youth wrestling days, Palmer moved up from 125 to 140 and finished third at the Junior Nationals. His lone loss was a 4-3 decision to the much-heralded Cyler Sanderson. Jordan Frishkorn of Virginia is one of the many top wrestlers who will be competing at the Walsh Ironman in December.While Craig and Cejudo are on opposite ends of the spectrum, most of the remaining members "super seven" will fall between 130-140 pounds this season. Scott, Palmer, and Murphy will all be competing at the Walsh Ironman in December, along with Junior Nationals runner-up Jordan Frishkorn. Also in the mix will be dominating Cadet Nationals champions Mario Mason, Alex Meade, and Kellen Russell. Given that all of the competitors will be bunched between 130-140 pounds, wrestling fans can look forward to multiple elite match-ups. A dominating performance by one of the remaining "super seven" may raise their stock to the level of Craig and Cejudo -- creating a new "top trio" just as we've had in years past. Stay tuned.

MOSCOW -- Russia took the team title at the 2005 World Wrestling Championship team with eight medals, including five gold. The team won four gold medals in freestyle wrestling, a gold and a silver in Greco-Roman wrestling and two bronze medals in the women's competition. The Japanese national team took second place with four golds, a silver and a bronze, and the Chinese team was third with two golds, two silvers and a bronze. In all, 22 teams won medals at the 2005 championship in Budapest last week.

BUDAPEST -- Olympic champion Armen Nazarian of Bulgaria won the gold medal Sunday in the 132-pound Greco-Roman division on the last day of the World Wrestling Championships. Justin Ruiz of the United States won a bronze medal in the 212-pound category after Margulan Assembekov of Kazakhstan was disqualified for three cautions by the referee. "This is the biggest accomplishment I have had in wrestling," said Ruiz, a two-time U.S. national champion. "I feel great winning a world medal. It is one of my goals. I had a setback last year not making the Olympic team." Ruiz said the new scoring rules, which seemed to confuse some wrestlers and coaches as much as referees and the public, contributed to his victory. "I think (Assembekov) didn't know what was going on," he said. Hungary took the Greco-Roman team title with 41 points, ahead of Russia (27) and Turkey (26). Turkey's Hamza Yerlikaya defeated Hungary's Lajos Virag to win the 212-pound category, while the title at 265 pounds went to Cuba's Mijail Lopez, who beat Hungary's Mihaly Deak-Bardos. Nazarian defeated Iran's Ali Ashkani Agboloag in winning his third world title. He was elected to wrestling's Hall of Fame on Sunday. "I want to continue because you can never have too much success," he said. Yerlikaya, a two-time Olympic champion, also took home his third world crown, although the previous two were at 181 pounds, in 1993 and 1995. "Losing didn't even cross my mind," Yerlikaya said. "I feel I've managed to get settled in this weight category, where I'd like to remain." Lopez, a five-time winner at the Pan American Games, easily beat Bardos. Bardos was competing in his fourth consecutive worlds final and fifth overall, but has had to settle for silver each time. "It's been a long time since I felt so much pressure," Lopez said. "The home venue, the large crowd, everything favored the Hungarian."

Mark Perry of Iowa is an immensely talented sophomore who remains extremely confident in his abilities. The nephew of Lee Roy, John, Pat, and Mark Smith, arguably the most successful wrestling family in the U.S. during the modern era -- Perry grew up bleeding Oklahoma State orange. His father, Mark, was also a long-time assistant coach for the Cowboys. Perry was born and bred to be a Cowboy. But to everyone's surprise, when it came time to choose a college, the former Blair Academy standout chose Iowa over Oklahoma State. Last season, as a freshman, Perry entered the NCAA Tournament as the No. 4 seed and proceeded to knock off the defending national champion and heavy favorite, Troy Letters of Lehigh, in the NCAA semifinals. In the NCAA finals, Perry lost to Johny Hendricks of Oklahoma State. In an exclusive interview with RevWrestling.com, Perry discusses his move up to 174 this season, his thoughts on Steve Mocco, his relationship with Jim Zalesky, his expectations for the Hawkeyes this season, and his future aspirations. There has been a lot of speculation that you're moving up a weight class to wrestle 174 this season. Is that a done deal? Perry: I would say that I'm about 95 percent certain that I'm moving up. Unless, somehow, in the next month I lose 15 or 20 pounds just naturally, that's the only way I'd go back down. I lifted real hard this last summer with the team. It's a lot better with me going up, because we have two guys who are tough competitors at 165 -- Cole Pape and Eric Luedke, who is a JUCO national champion. So it's just better for me … and it's better for the team. So how much are you weighing these days? Perry: I'm weighing about 190 right now. You have a wide-open style, but you're also a bit unorthodox. How would you best describe your wrestling style? Perry: Yeah, I guess I'm a little unorthodox. I honestly think a lot of people enjoyed watching me wrestle last year. Something I went over quite a bit with my coaches this summer was for me to be a little more open this season. Sometimes I was a little hesitant last year, even though it might not have seemed that way to the spectators. But, yeah, I need to open up more this season. You had an outstanding freshman season. You finished runner-up at both the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments. But I know you have extremely high expectations for yourself. How would you characterize your freshman season? Perry: For me, if I don't win, I'm not satisfied. Regardless of whether I'm a freshman or a senior, I'm not one of those kids who wrestles at the national tournament just hoping to become an All-American. My goal is pretty plain and simple -- I want to be the national champion. Anything but that, I'm not going to be satisfied with. I don't train for second. So it was a disappointing season. But luckily it was my freshman season. So I have this season to win my first title and go from there. Mark Perry upset top-seeded Troy Letters of Lehigh in the NCAA semifinals.In the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament, you defeated Troy Letters of Lehigh, the defending NCAA champion and a wrestler many thought was unbeatable. What was your mindset going into that match? Perry: I was actually pretty excited to wrestle Letters. Obviously he was the defending national champion. The thing with Letters is that he's just an all-around good wrestler. He's good in every position. And he's strong. I was looking forward to that match, though, because most people don't like to scramble with me, and I knew that he wouldn't be afraid to get into some scrambles. I said that I could beat him. And I knew that I was going to beat him. I kept a good game plan. I was attacking the whole match and I think that's why I beat him. Midway through the second period against Letters, in a scoreless match, you were able to tilt him for three near-fall points to go up 3-0. What was going through your mind at that point? Perry: I pretty much knew the match was over after I got the three near-fall points. For him to win, he was going to have to get a takedown, let me go, and then take me down a bunch more times. People have a hard enough time taking me down once, let alone a bunch of times. I didn't give up a single takedown the entire NCAA Tournament, besides the takedown in the finals … and that wasn't even really a takedown. In the NCAA finals, you met a familiar opponent in Johny Hendricks of Oklahoma State. You had lost twice to Hendricks during the regular season. Was it tough wrestling him, because of how familiar you are with his style? Perry: For one, it was just pretty embarrassing wrestling him. I can't take anything away from him, but I let him attack me the whole time. Our first two matches, he got me. I don't think I was nearly as strong in the head as I am now, because I grew a lot over the summer. I let my uncles kind of … I don't know … it just kind of affected me a little bit. Mentally, I was just not quite in those matches with Hendricks. The first few times I wrestled him, I just fatigued and didn't hold up too well in those matches. But in the finals, I was pretty confident that there was no way that he was going to get me fatigued. They gave him a takedown that wasn't even close to a takedown in the first period. That resulted in a scramble that lasted over one minute -- and then add on the riding time. I just made a freshman mistake. I was trying to look for two, trying to reverse him, not going for my one, and that's what really cost me the match. I just wasn't being smart after a bad call. I'm not going to blame it on the ref. Stuff like that happens all the time in all kinds of sports. You just have to bounce back from it, and I didn't do a real good job of it. It cost me that match. He didn't really have to do much after that except just kind of hang on. Mark Perry lost in the NCAA finals to Johny Hendricks of Oklahoma State, 5-2. Perry's uncles, Pat Smith and John Smith, look on.You mentioned your uncles. How tough was it competing in the NCAA finals against an Oklahoma State wrestler who was coached by your uncles, Pat Smith and John Smith? How did that play on your psyche? Perry: I always told myself that it wasn't going to be that big of a deal. But for some reason, it was a lot harder for me than I thought it was going to be. I just have so much respect for them. When I signed to wrestle at Iowa, I felt like I let them down a lot. I'm a pretty strong-minded, independent person, so I told myself that I wasn't going to let it bother me. But it got to me. Usually I'm pretty focused when I wrestle in the sense that I can't hear anybody or anything. But for some reason, I wasn't focused. I was always able to hear my uncles, and they would kind of take me out of my game plan. I just think that was more me just not being as mentally tough as I should have been last year. But that is something I worked on a lot over the summer, along with technique. Last year it kind of affected me a little bit, but they won't have any effect on my career the rest of the way. After the NCAA finals match, you went over and shook both of your uncles' hands, and they said something to you. Do you remember what they said to you? Perry: I don't really remember. I was pretty upset. I just shook their hands out of respect. They probably said something, but I just don't really remember what it was. How much motivation does that NCAA finals loss give you going into this season? Perry: The feeling that I had after my NCAA finals loss is something I think about every day, every hour. I'm pretty obsessive about my wrestling. I think about it probably more than any other person thinks about a lot of stuff. It's a feeling that I don't want to experience again. But I don't plan on experiencing it again. Every day when I was doing my training this summer, it was something that would drive me. It wasn't necessarily about losing to him, but more about making sure that I don't have that empty feeling again, once the year ends. What was your off-season training like? Did you spend most of your time in Iowa City? Perry: Yeah, I spent the whole time in Iowa City. For the most part, my number one training partner was Coach Hartung. We wrestled quite a bit. There were numerous guys that I worked out with, but Coach Hartung was really the one who I did 90 percent of my training with. A lot of wrestling fans across the country are excited about the possibility of you wrestling against Ben Askren of Missouri. You are both considered to be unorthodox wrestlers. Is that a match-up that you're looking forward to this season? Perry: I've never wrestled him. But, yeah, it's a match-up that I'm looking forward to. I'll probably wrestle him in the All-Star match (on November 21). My coaches have stressed all along that it's the beginning of the year. So I don't want to put too much emphasis on that one match, more so because they want me to be prepared for the end of the year. But at the same time, I never go into a match looking at the end of the year. I have to look at that match at that time. He's a wide-open wrestler. He likes to scramble a lot more than other guys do. I think he'll enjoy wrestling me, though. A lot of people, like Pendleton, who is a great wrestler, would wrestle him real solid. And other guys would try to wrestle him that same way. I'm not afraid to scramble with him if he wants to scramble. I feel that I'm a better scrambler than anybody. But I think we'll enjoy wrestling each other. On January 7, the Oklahoma State Cowboys come to Iowa City for a dual. Obviously you have family ties to that program, does that match carry any special significance? Perry: No, it's just another dual. I'll never see it any different again. It's another dual that we're trying to win. And that's it. It'll be interesting, though. It'll be the first time that Mocco will be back in Iowa City. So I think it will be a pretty crazy dual. Steve Mocco was a former teammate of yours both at Blair Academy and Iowa. Talk about his decision to leave the Iowa program, and how you felt about having one of your friends transfer to a rival program. In 2003, Mark Perry won the NHSCA Senior Nationals title at 160 while at Blair Academy and earned Outstanding Wrestler of the Tournament in the process.Perry: We had a really tight friendship. And then he just backed out. He left for no real reason. There are no coaches at Oklahoma State for heavyweights. They have Daniel Cormier and Muhammed Lawal, who are both great wrestlers at bigger weights, but they don't wrestle like heavyweights. I just don't quite understand it. It was just upsetting. I'm not going to say they have never had a good heavyweight, but in the last 15 years -- that hasn't been one of their more solid weight classes. It just made no sense. Everyone on our team kind of took it like he was just going there to be on a team that was going to win the national title. Basically, the main reason why I was so upset is because at that point in time, I looked at like he just ruined two years of college wrestling for everybody. They're probably going to have four guys in the All-Star match, and we're going to have three. We feel we're going to have three or four guys in the national finals this year, and they're probably going to have four. But you take that one guy away from Oklahoma State, while they still might be good enough to win the national title, it's a whole different story without Steve Mocco. Not just me, but my whole team kind of took it personally. We just thought that he was being kind of selfish. It just made no sense. He has nothing there that was better than what he had at Iowa. I'm not going to say that he hasn't improved, because I'm not going to be critical of Oklahoma State, but it's not like he got a whole lot better last year. I didn't see any drastic changes. I've kind of gotten to the point where … whatever … he's done after this year. He got married. You know, I'm happy that he's doing well. I'm not going to lie -- I'm still upset about it. But it's over, so there's nothing I can do. I wish the best of luck to him. I still think deep down inside, some of the guys are upset, not so much just upset at him for going there. If he would have gone somewhere else, I think it would have been a little different. But when he left here, we kind of had to start over. It just makes it a little harder to win that national title when one of your best wrestlers leaves to go the school that already won the national title the year before. A team that you're trying to catch up to. And now you really have to try to catch up. But we'll be fine. We have a good heavyweight, Matt Fields, who believes that he can beat Mocco. As long as keeps that attitude, then it's fine not having Mocco. You had five freshmen starting in the lineup last season. So you're obviously a young -- but talented team. What are your expectations from a team standpoint this season? Perry: I think it will be a huge disappointment for our team if we are not in the top two by the end of the year. Obviously we're looking to be national champions this year. But realistically, I feel that for us to accomplish that goal, we're pretty going to have to be a lot like Minnesota was when they won their first national title (in 2001). We're just going to have to be good all-around, balanced team. I really think we're capable of doing that. We could have 8, 9, or 10 All-Americans this year. But we're not there yet. I feel that we could be after some of our guys, get a little more experience. I expect some of the true freshmen last year, who had up and down seasons, to have breakthrough seasons this year. Basically, we're going to have to be a balanced team to win the national title. Talk about your relationship with your coach, Jim Zalesky. And in your opinion, what makes him such a successful coach? Jim Zalesky is beginning his ninth season as head coach of the Hawkeyes.Perry: He's not one of those guys who screams and gets in your face, and says, it's my way or the highway. I like those people to a point. There are a lot of coaches like that. But when I came to Iowa, I thought they were going to make me change my style. He lets me wrestle the way I want, and then he works on little things that can help me. He just has a good, laid-back personality. I think people that don't know him, if they talk to him a few times, it might come across that he's arrogant or whatever, just because he doesn't speak a lot. But he's a funny guy. I think our personalities just click real well. You wrestled some freestyle in high school. Do you plan on continuing your freestyle career in the near future? Perry: Yeah, I'll probably compete quite a bit next summer. I think … I'm not sure. I wanted to wrestle this last summer, but I was just starting to get my weight up. I was getting up to 183 or something. I was trying to lift to get bigger. And then what am I supposed to do, cut 20 pounds that I just tried to put on? What weight would you wrestle internationally, 74 kg (163 lbs) or 84 kg (185 lbs)? Perry: I don't know. I'm caught in between there, big time. I'm not nearly the size that I need to be to wrestle at 185, but I feel like I can wrestle with those guys to a certain point. They are just so much bigger than me. Compared to guys like Lee Fullhart and Muhammed Lawal, they're like twice the size of me. Mark Perry has Olympic aspirations.Do you train much freestyle in practice, even though you're not competing in that style? Perry: Yeah, I used to work out with Tyler Nixt. And Joe Williams and Tom Brands as well when they were here. Just whomever. I wrestled Junior World Trials when I was a freshman. I feel like I am actually better at freestyle. In high school, I wasn't that good at it, because I started late. Not like super late, but I started when I was a sophomore. Most kids start really young. I just got good at it. In high school, I wasn't really that great on my feet. I feel that right now I'm as good as anyone on my feet. I only gave up like five or six takedowns last year. In freestyle, if a guy gets to my leg, I feel that they might get one, but I know I'm going to get two. I feel like I can turn about anybody, and I'm pretty hard to turn. After college, I would like to take a shot at trying to make the World or Olympic Team. Like I said, I'm kind of caught in between weight classes right now. I might contemplate going 163 in Vegas (for the 2006 U.S. Nationals). I'm obviously not going to grow that much before that.

NEW YORK -- Columbia University announces the establishment of a newly endowed varsity head coaching position, thanks to a gift from Andrew F. Barth '83CC '85BUS. The official title of Columbia's head wrestling coaching position will be the Andrew F. Barth Head Coach of Wrestling. Brendan Buckley, who is entering his sixth season as Columbia's head coach, will be the first coach to assume the new title. "Wrestling taught me many valuable lessons about life, lessons I use every day," says Barth. "Discipline, persistence and hard work really do make a difference. Some of the best times in my life and some of my best memories are due to wrestling and being a part of this team. Columbia was a wonderful experience and I received a great education. I hope this gift ensures that future generations of Columbia wrestlers will have even better opportunities and an even more positive experience than I did." Dr. M. Dianne Murphy, the Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Physical Education, says: "Andy's gift to the wrestling program at Columbia will benefit the entire athletics program. His commitment and dedication to Columbia Athletics are fine examples of how passionate Columbians are for Columbia. We thank him for this significant and generous gift." "I remain honored to be a part of Columbia wrestling, the nation's oldest intercollegiate wrestling program," says Buckley, the 2005 Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) Coach of the Year. "Our continual and improved success over the last five years has been, in part, thanks to the outpouring of support our team has received from our alumni and friends. It is with sincere gratitude that I thank Andy and his family." "Our student-athletes are amazing people who are future global leaders," says Murphy. "Andy's generosity will touch the lives of our more than 800 current student-athletes and head coaches, and all those who follow their path." Wrestling is one of the oldest sports at Columbia, dating back to 1903, and Columbia was the first school to host an intercollegiate wrestling match. Although the sport has enjoyed several eras of great success, none has been greater than the first three years of the 1980's, when Columbia won three consecutive Ivy League championships, during which time Barth was a key member of the team. "Our team took a giant step this past year. I felt a responsibility to respond and demonstrate to the team that the alumni are there with them and ready to take another giant step. I hope that we are at the beginning of a brand new chapter in our history," said Barth. "We hope that this chapter includes more Ivy League Championships, more EIWA placewinners and more All-Americans." In 2004-2005, the team enjoyed what was arguably the best post-season in Columbia wrestling history. After leading the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) Championships after the first session, to the surprise of Lehigh, Cornell and other top-ranked squads, the Lions proceeded to finish fourth, their best finish since 1931. Columbia finished ahead of Penn and Army, who were both nationally ranked. Among the highlights at EIWA's, six student-athletes were placewinners, including Matt Palmer's second-place, en route to his All-American season. The team received the EIWA Wrestling Officials' highly prized Sportsmanship Award. Team members earned academic accolades as well; Jeff Sato, who was 31-7 on the season, was named to the NWCA Division I All-Academic Team. Barth will be honored in recognition of his generous gift in a ceremony at wrestling homecoming on February 18, 2006, during the Inaugural Columbia Athletics Hall of Fame weekend. That weekend, the Lions host a tri-meet with Atlantic Coast Conference powerhouse Duke and Ivy League rival Harvard in Columbia's University (Blue) Gym. Beyond their direct impact on the program, endowments such as Barth's strengthen Columbia University academically and financially, ensuring the long-term vitality of the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics and Physical Education. Gifts towards endowment provide donors with the opportunity to channel their resources into a secure financial investment, and to perpetuate the charitable organizations that have had meaning in their lives. Columbia Athletics is planning for the future to ensure that student-athletes have enhanced athletic opportunities while earning a world-class education.

BUDAPEST -- Iris Smith (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) turned in monumental performance in winning her first World Championship gold medal at the World Wrestling Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Sept. 30. She defeated five-time World Champion Kyoko Hamaguchi of Japan, 3-1, 1-1, 1-0 in the finals at 72 kg/158.5 lbs. Iris SmithSmith's performance, along with a bronze medal by Katie Downing (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) at 67 kg/147.5 lbs., led the United States to a third-place finish in the team race. Japan won the team title, and China finished second. Smith scored a decisive three-point takedown midway through the first period using a two-on-one that finished with a scramble and exposure. Hamaguchi was able to score her lone point of the period with a late takedown off of another scramble. In the second period, Smith again got on the board using a two-on-one and driving Hamaguchi out-of-bounds. Hamaguchi forced a third period with a one-point double leg to even the score at 1-1 and win the period. Smith gained the match-winning point 50 seconds into the third period when both wrestlers scrambled out-of-bounds. After a video review, the referee awarded Smith the point that decided the match. For the next minute, Smith kept the pressure on as Hamaguchi wasn't able to create any offense. Smith advanced to the gold medal match with a strong performance in a semifinal win over Anita Schaetzle of Germany, 3-1, 2-0. Schaetzle jumped out to an early one-point lead when she scored 29 seconds into the match as the wrestlers scrambled for position. Smith next scored two consecutive points, driving the German off the mat with a series of double leg attacks. Smith sealed the period with a late one point go-behind. In the second period, Smith controlled the center of the mat and earned two points countering Schaetzle's leg attacks. The two points were enough to send Smith to the gold medal championship, securing her first ever world medal. In the quarterfinals, Smith shut out Agnieszka Wieszczek of Poland, 2-0, 6-0. Smith scored both of her points midway through the first period with back-to-back takedowns. In the second period, Smith scored a three point takedown at the halfway point and then followed up with a go-behind for one point at the 1:44 mark. She finished off the period with a two-point counter exposure at the final whistle. Smith was competing in her second World Championships, winning her first medal. She is a member of the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program (WCAP). Katie DowningDowning defeated Ashlea McManus of Great Britain for a 6-0, 7-0 victory in her bronze-medal match. The bronze was Downing's first World Championship medal, as she was competing in her first World meet. There was no scoring through nearly two minutes of the first period, until Downing put six points on the board in the last 17 seconds. At 1:43, Downing scored on a reverse headlock trip for three points and a hold for one point. She then closed out the period with a two point power half. Downing quickly got on the board in the second period with a one-point double leg followed up by two exposure points. She closed out the period and the match on a three point head lock and a hold for one, nearly earning a fall. Downing was defeated earlier in the day when she lost a tight match to Martine Dugrenier of Canada, 1-0, 1-0 in the quarterfinals. Dugrenier scored both of her points on single leg attacks; driving Downing out of bounds in the first period and finishing the takedown in the second. In both periods, Downing was unable to create an offensive attack. When Dugrenier advanced to the gold medal finals, Downing was sent to the repechage (wrestlebacks) and a chance for the bronze medal. In her repechage match, Downing battled to a tight 0-2, 1-0, 3-1 win over Eri Sakamoto of Japan. Downing lost the first period when Sakamoto scored two exposure points off of a scramble from the clinch. After a short video review of the move, the points were awarded to Sakamoto. Downing scored the lone point of the second period when the referee called a caution against Sakamoto for inactivity. Downing fended off the Japanese to force a third and decisive period. In the third period, Downing scored one point on a go-behind at the midway point and added a two point gut wrench to secure the victory. Sakamoto's only score came on a late reversal for one. The men's Greco-Roman competition started with competition in one weight class, the 55 kg/121 lbs. division. In the evening session, Lindsey Durlacher (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC) was eliminated from the competition when his second round opponent, Istvan Majoros of Hungary failed to reach the gold medal finals. Durlacher won his first match of the morning session, but then lost to Majoros in the second round. QUOTES: 67 kg/147.5 lbs. � Katie Downing, (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids): "I didn't come here for bronze at all. It's pretty hard. I had to wrestle back for it, something I did not want to do. Later, I've have more perspective. Right now, I know this is not what I came for." (about the match with Degrenier of Canada) "I have to figure something out. I worked on my high single and double leg defense a lot. She is just strong. It's not pretty technique, very simple. But it works. I have to never let it get there. She can't score singles on me if I am in on her leg. I'll figure it out next year." "I didn't have any choice but to wrestle back. I guess there is a part I had to turn on the switch. After I lost, I didn't feel like wrestling. I wanted to go home. I had to take the disappointment and use it to make me want to win more. In the match against Japan, where it seemed neither of us wanted to be there, there was a point in the third period where we were both sore and tired. She gave up a little and I knew I had it." "This is just the first time I've been here. I have dreamed of this so long. I wasn't nervous or stressed. I was excited to be here. I just knew I would win it. This is the beginning of my dream. This is the first time I'm here. I have imagined for so long what it would feel like. When I got to feel it for real, it was a neat experience." 72 kg/158.5 lbs. � Iris Smith (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army): "It feels so good. I was raised religious. Before my match, I prayed. I feel like through Him all things are possible. I totally believe in miracles. I wrestled every match to the best of my ability. I didn't care who wrestled. I went out and did my best. And it worked." "Before the finals match, I got a good warmup in. I wrestled her at the World Cup five months ago. She beat me. But I felt I could beat her. I decided to do my own thing. (U.S. Army coach) Shon Lewis helped me out to get prepared. My strategy was to keep moving. (National coach) Terry Steiner had everything ready, and he told me what to do. It worked." "I think my gold was important to the team. I wanted to hear the national anthem and see my flag raised. I love my country. It motivated me. I wanted to get my country another gold medal." "When it was over, I looked at Shon and Terry's faces. When I saw them, I thought, �I guess I won.' I was instantly thanking God. I was so pumped and teary eyed." (about starting her wrestling career in Georgia) "Every little wrestler's dream is to go to the Olympics or win the World gold. My first coach, Anthony White, always told me I could do it. At the time, I had posters of (four-time World champion) Tricia Saunders. I wanted to be like Tricia Saunders. Now it is my turn." USA Wrestling National Women's Coach Terry Steiner: "It was a huge comeback. We knew Katie Downing and Iris Smith were capable of medals and capable of winning the tournament. Being capable and doing it are different things. A gold medal is great to get. Iris went for the gold and ran with it. She looked great in all the training camps. It was well deserved." "As a team, we had matches that showed character. Sara McMann, Katie Downing and Sally Roberts showed great character. They had an opportunity to wrestle back after their losses and they did it. They fought through it. We have two teams ahead of us who are not slowing down. We need to move forward however. But this is a great place to start going forward to 2008." "In all of Iris' matches, she never beat herself. This was something she had to work on. She kept good position, nothing fancy, just good solid wrestling. She stayed focused." "This was a huge step for Katie Downing. She wanted a gold medal. It started by making the team and beating a seven-time World medalist. She did a great job here. She is a very focused and disciplined individual. Good things happen to those who work. This is just a start for Katie Downing." 55 kg/121 lbs. - Lindsey Durlacher, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC): "I felt good in my first match. Things were working for me. I created the right angles. I got my confidence real high, going against the Olympic champion in his own country. I knew it would be a dogfight. I would make it go my way. I didn't get that done. I'm upset about that. I tried to force a few things against the Olympic champion. This is my first World Championships. I got overzealous a bit and it cost me." Steve Fraser, USA Wrestling National Greco-Roman Coach: "His first match against the Italian, he wrestled smart and he stayed focused. We were happy with that first match. The second match, he made one mistake. He tried to gutwrench the guy with two seconds on the clock and gives up points. You take that away and Lindsey wins the period. The guy is the Olympic champion. He is tough. Lindsey wrestled tough in the second period, and had a good defense. You can't make mistakes against the Olympic champion. He was ready. He prepared like we wanted him to. He worked hard, and was focused, ready and confident. Lindsey was well prepared today."

BUDAPEST -- Two U.S. women wrestlers, Sally Roberts (Colorado Springs, Colo./Gator WC) at 59 kg/130 lbs. and Sara McMann (Iowa City, Iowa/Sunkist Kids) won bronze medals at the World Championships of Women's Freestyle wrestling in Hungary, Roberts defeated Anna Zwirydowska of Poland, 7-0, 6-2 in the bronze-medal match. Roberts ended the first period of the match quickly, scoring a 1-point arm spin only 11 seconds into the match. She then scored three consecutive 2-point gut wrenches, ending the period 7-0. In the second period, Zwirydowska scored first, earning 1 point off a leg attack and following up with a 1-point leg lace. That would be all the scoring for Zwirydowska as Roberts rallied with a 1-point high crotch followed by two consecutive 2-point gut wrenches to take a commanding 5-2 lead. Roberts closed the match out with a 1-point go-behind as time expired. Sally RobertsThe bronze medal is Roberts' second world-level medal as she also won bronze at the 2003 World Championships in New York City. Earlier in the day, Roberts lost a high scoring match in the semifinals to eventual silver medalist Mariann Sastin of Hungary, 7-4, 7-6. The loss to the local crowd favorite sent Roberts to the bronze medal match. Roberts started the semifinal match scoring a 2 point arm spin to a gut wrench and quickly followed with another 2 point gut wrench. Sastin stopped Roberts third gut wrench attempt, stepping over her to close the score to 4-2. The Hungarian then scored a 3 point double leg to gain the lead at 5-4. She closed off the period with a 2-point exposure off Roberts escape attempt as time ran out in the period. The two wrestlers scored a combined 13 points in a wild second period as Sastin built a strong 4-0 lead off of an out-of-bounds point and a 3-point hip toss. Roberts responded with a 1-point high crotch but was again stopped in a gut wrench attempt, giving up a 2-point exposure and a 1-point hold. Although Roberts was down by 6 points, she was allowed to continue her hold and finish her gut wrench for 2 points. She again scored on a 2 point gut wrench and was awarded another point for the fold to close within one. The flurry of points wasn't enough as time ran out on Roberts, giving Sastin a 7-6 win. McMann followed up Roberts's performance with a bronze medal of her own, earning a solid 1-2, 2-1, 4-2 victory over Anna Polovneva of Russia. McMann lost the first period as Polovneva scored a 2-point hip toss 22 seconds into the match. The only scoring the rest of the period came when McMann was able to fight off her back and score a 1 point reversal midway through the period. In the second period, McMann controlled the tempo and earned two consecutive points when she drove Polovneva off the mat. Polovneva scored a late 1-point double leg to close the gap to 2-1 before time expired and forced a third and decisive period. McMann scored early in the third period with a single leg attack that drove Polovneva off the mat for a 1-0 lead. She then hit a 3-point hip toss that sealed the win and the bronze medal as Polovneva was only able to muster two late 1 point scores before the match ended. The bronze medal is McMann's third world level medal and follows her silver medal performance from last year's Olympic Games. McMann was pushed to the repechage (wrestlebacks) when her first round opponent, Kaori Icho of Japan reached the championship match. In her repechage match, McMann defeated Helena Allandi of Sweden, 2-5, 4-2, 2-2 to advance to the bronze medal match. In the first period, McMann scored twice to take an early lead. Allandi tied the match at the halfway point on a reversal before scoring late on a flurry with back exposure and a hold to take the period 5-2. The second period saw McMann fall behind early, giving up a one point single leg and a 1 point exposure. She fought back scoring two consecutive takedowns and a late exposure to win the period 4-2. In the final period, the two traded scores before McMann stopped Allandi's bow and arrow attempt and earned the decisive 1-point reversal. Tina George (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) was eliminated from medal contention at 55 kg/121 lbs. when her second-round opponent, 2004 Olympic silver medalist Tonya Verbeek of Canada, failed to reach the gold medal finals. The U.S. women and men continue competition on Friday with Katie Downing at 67 kg and Iris Smith at 72 kg wrestling in the women's freestyle competition and Lindsey Durlacher at 55 kg wrestling in the Greco-Roman competition. QUOTES: 59 kg/130 lbs. – Sally Roberts, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Gator WC): "I am the eternal bronze medalist, darn it! Against Hungary, I had no idea what the score was. I tried to get as many points as I coud, but sometimes they gave it to her. I knew I was wrestling against a Hungarian in Hungary. I had to make it more clean. I get a step closer each year, but I haven't made it yet. I'm closer; I miss the top step to the finals. I'm not giving up until I get the gold. I want to win that at the Olympics. I have to talk to FILA about getting this weight class there." "My quarterfinals match against the Italian was a dogfight. Fifteen minutes later, I had to wrestle the Hungarian superstar. I'm in condition. I lost my head a little. That had to do with me getting third place. I thought I would go bam, bam, bam. I need to do that in the finals. My match against Italy was at knotch 11. I had to stay at knotch 11." "I'm pretty happy with it. I give this tournament everything I had. I pulled it out. I'm not mad. I have to work on little things. My list is long, but it's little things. My goal for next year is to go to as many international tournaments as I can. It's learning to wrestle only 15 minutes later that is hard." 63 kg/138.75 lbs. – Sara McMann, Iowa City, Iowa (Sunkist Kids): "It is a quote from someone else, but it is my favorite. ‘Winning does not develop our strength. Our struggles develop our strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.'" U.S. Women's World Team Coach Bill Scherr: "We got a few medals today. It is better than nothing. I thought the two women who were bronze could have been gold. Things happen. They showed a lot of guts wrestling back and getting bronze. Sara could have packed it in but she fought back hard. She helped the team and helped herself. Sally was the same way. She's a fighter, no matter what. She lost a tough match, then came back to win a tough match. You could cut your head off and she'd still be wrestling you." "I'm glad to get the bronzes, but we are not satisfied. We need two medals and we need a champion tomorrow. They are tough women and they want to win. We will see how it turns out."

RevWrestling.com employs the following system of team rankings based on tournament strength. The individuals are ranked up through the top 16 at each weight class to signify the consolation Round of 16 at the NCAA Championships. From the individual rankings, the following team points are assigned: 1. 16 placement + 4 advancement = 20 points 2. 12 placement + 4 advancement = 16 points 3. 10 placement + 3.5 advancement = 13.5 points 4. 9 placement + 3.5 advancement = 12.5 points 5. 7 placement + 3 advancement = 10 points 6. 6 placement + 3 advancement = 9 points 7. 4 placement + 2.5 advancement = 6.5 points 8. 3 placement + 2.5 advancement = 5.5 points 9-12 2 advancement = 2.0 points 13-16 1.5 advancement = 1.5 points

We Americans cherish our right to vote. When asked, we will jump at the chance to cast our ballot, whether it's for President of the United States, or our favorite on American Idol. We'll endure long lines at the polling station or put up with repeated busy signals on the phone just to be sure we can make a choice … and make our voices heard. More and more organizations are realizing the power of participatory democracy, including the NCAA. To commemorate the 75th anniversary of their first collegiate wrestling championship, the NCAA and the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) decided to name a team of all-time college wrestling greats. Power to the People Once upon a time, the members of the NCAA 75th Anniversary Team would have been determined by an elite group of experts -- wrestling journalists, historians and coaches -- then the wrestling community would have commented on their choices after the fact. However, in the interests of giving the wrestling community an actual voice in the matter, the NCAA opened up the voting to anyone who had online access. To make things easier for voters -- and not leave the experts out of the equation -- a panel of wrestling historians started with the thousands of wrestlers who have competed at the college level since 1928 (the first year of the NCAA championships). The experts came up with a list of 45 wrestlers, fifteen in each of three weight-based categories -- lightweight (115-141 pounds) … middleweight (142-172 pounds) … and heavyweight (177 pounds and up). (See sidebar for complete list of nominees.) Then they posted this ballot of potential NCAA 75th Anniversary Team honorees online, and invited the wrestling community to choose five names from each weight category. Once the online polls closed, the votes would be counted, and the five top vote-getters in each weight category would be honored at a special ceremony at the 2005 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in St. Louis. And The Winners Are… Dan Hodge, who won three NCAA titles for Oklahoma, is the only amateur wrestler ever to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated.At an afternoon ceremony held outdoors on a blustery day under the vast former train sheds at the historic Union Station in downtown St. Louis, the NCAA 75th Anniversary Team members were introduced one-at-a-time to the assembled crowd in the three weight-based categories. The honorees in the lightweight class (listed here in alphabetical order) include Stephen Abas, Tom Brands, Dan Gable, John Smith and Yojiro Uetake. Among the middleweight members of the NCAA 75th Anniversary Team: Lee Kemp, Lincoln McIlravy, Wade Schalles, Pat Smith and Joe Williams. The heavyweight (upper-weight) honorees include Kurt Angle, Ed Banach, Carlton Haselrig, Dan Hodge and Cael Sanderson. A Difference of Opinion Once the nominees were introduced, I had two questions: 1. Were they selected strictly on the basis of their college careers? 2. Why is the list so light on "old-time" wrestlers? Let's take a look at each question. 1. College accomplishments … or lifetime achievement? In an online article introducing the 45 nominees (see sidebar for complete list) posted in January, the opening text said, "Please know that nominations are selected on NCAA performance only." Cael Sanderson finished his career at Iowa State with four NCAA titles and a 159-0 record.As a life-long wrestling fan and long-time professional writer/editor, I read that sentence to say, "We wrestling historians only looked at their college records. We ignored their post-college accomplishments whatever they may be. As a voter, you wrestling fans should NOT consider a candidate's freestyle or Greco-Roman achievements, Olympic medals, coaching records, stardom from professional sports or sports entertainment, service to the sport of wrestling, or any other stuff after college." It's possible that other wrestling fans read that sentence to say, "The experts may have selected the 45 nominees based on college performance … but that doesn't mean I have to restrict myself to that same criteria." In other words, the voters may have made the NCAA 75th Anniversary Team honors more of a "lifetime achievement" award than an award to honor excellence on the college mats. 2. Why a lack of "old-time" wrestlers? Look at the NCAA 75th Anniversary Team, and you'll notice something missing: No nominees who wrestled before the mid 1950s. In fact, there are only three wrestlers -- Hodge, Uetake and Gable -- whose college careers predate 1970. Yojiro Uetake won three NCAA titles (1964-1966) and compiled a 57-0 record while at Oklahoma State.Some fans might argue, "I voted only for guys I've seen in action." Still others might make a case that, thanks to better training and nutrition -- or in terms of number of matches wrestled in a college career -- today's wrestlers are superior. However, if you were putting together a list of "most significant automobiles of all time" would you leave off the Model T, the Volkswagen Beetle and the original Ford Mustang simply because they're not as sophisticated as today's models? A Second Look at the Overlooked When I cast my votes for the NCAA 75th Anniversary Team in early 2005, I had a list of "must-includes" -- guys who were so dominant in college and/or whose accomplishments were so historically significant, they could not be ignored, including (but not limited to) Dan Gable, Carlton Haselrig, Dan Hodge, Cael Sanderson, John Smith, Pat Smith and Yojiro Uetake. This is NOT to say that the others who made the team are not worthy; far from it. However, I would ask that you take a look at some other all-time greats who for some reason did not earn NCAA 75th Anniversary Team honors: Earl McCready: Historically significant as the very first three-time NCAA champ in any weight class (1928-30), Oklahoma State heavyweight McCready had a perfect career in Stillwater, winning all but three of his matches by pin -- still the highest percentage of wins by pin of any heavyweight. In the 1928 finals, the big Cowboy pinned his opponent in 19 seconds -- still an NCAA record as fastest pin in a championship bout. Earl McCready, a heavyweight for Oklahoma State, was the first three-time NCAA champion in any weight class (1928-30). The Peerys: It may be bending the rules to list a family of wrestlers, but, this father-son-son combination is worthy of consideration for their nine total college titles -- a record unmatched by any other family. Father Rex Peery won three NCAA titles at 115 pounds at Oklahoma State 1933-35. Elder son Hugh Peery (who was not on the 75th Anniversary ballot) earned his three championships at 115 pounds while wrestling for his dad at Pittsburgh 1952-1954, compiling a 57-1 record (including a 48-match winning streak); second son Ed (born while Rex was about to win his third title) also won three NCAA titles for Pitt in the 123-pound class 1955-1957, losing just one of 52 college bouts. Stan Henson: The National Wrestling Hall of Fame Web site says of this Distinguished Member, "In the never-ending debate over who has been America's greatest wrestler, the name Stanley Henson always receives plenty of support." This three-time NCAA champ for Oklahoma State (145 pounds in 1937 and '38, 155 pounds in 1939) had only one loss his entire college career, and was the first sophomore to earn NCAA Outstanding Wrestler honors (1937). Named Amateur Wrestling News Wrestler of the Decade for the 1930s. Bill Koll: Some present-day fans may be familiar with Koll's rough, tough image; reportedly the "slam" rule was instituted because of him. While wrestling at what is now Northern Iowa, Koll earned three college titles (1946-47 at 145 lbs; 1948 at 147.5 lbs) and Outstanding Wrestler honors two years in a row (the first to do so). Even more impressive than Koll's perfect 72-0 record: in his entire college career, he was taken down only once, reversed just twice … and pinned all five opponents at the 1948 NCAAs. Dick Hutton: Long before Pat Smith and Cael Sanderson were even born, this barrel-chested heavyweight for Oklahoma State came incredibly close to becoming the first four-time NCAA champion. After winning two straight college titles in 1947 and 1948, Hutton lost on a referee's decision to Minnesota's Verne Gagne in the 1949 NCAA finals -- his only loss in his college career. He came back to win his third title in 1950, concluding with a 42-1-1 record with 15 pins. Chris Taylor: Some fans may only know Chris Taylor for his size. Although he only wrestled two years at Iowa State, the surprisingly agile 415-pound Cyclone dominated the heavyweight ranks in his day … winning the title in 1972 and 1973 without surrendering a point in either finals match. While at Ames, Taylor had a perfect 87-0 record, pinning 42 of 48 opponents his senior year. Perhaps we'll give these "overlooked" wrestlers a second look when we cast our votes for the NCAA 100th Anniversary Team in 2027! Nominees for the NCAA 75th Anniversary Team: *Bold indicates Team member Lightweights -- 115-141 pounds: Stephen Abas, Fresno State Dave Auble, Cornell Tom Brands, Iowa Mike Caruso, Lehigh Dan Gable, Iowa State Dwayne Keller, Oklahoma State Randy Lewis, Iowa Gene Mills, Syracuse Rex Peery, Oklahoma State Ed Peery, Pittsburgh Myron Roderick, Oklahoma State Rick Sanders, Portland State John Smith, Oklahoma State Yojiro Uetake, Oklahoma State Middleweights -- 142-172 pounds: Darryl Burley, Lehigh Nate Carr, Iowa State Mark Churella, Michigan Tommy Evans, Oklahoma Stan Henson, Oklahoma State Lee Kemp, Wisconsin Cary Kolat, Penn State/Lock Haven Bill Koll, Northern Iowa Tim Kreiger, Iowa State Wayne Martin, Oklahoma Lincoln McIlravy, Iowa Bill Nelson, Northern Iowa Wade Schalles, Clarion Pat Smith, Oklahoma State Joe Williams, Iowa Jim Zalesky, Iowa Heavyweights -- 177 pounds and up: Kurt Angle, Clarion Ed Banach, Iowa Chris Campbell, Iowa Dick DiBattista, Penn Carlton Haselrig, Pitt-Johnstown Dan Hodge, Oklahoma Dick Hutton, Oklahoma State Jess Lewis, Oregon State Mark Lieberman, Lehigh Earl McCready, Oklahoma State Stephen Neal, Cal State Bakersfield Ben Peterson, Iowa State Cael Sanderson, Iowa State Mark Schultz, UCLA and Oklahoma Greg Strobel, Oregon State Chris Taylor, Iowa State

To say that 2005 has been an emotional rollercoaster for Iowa State senior Nate Gallick would be understatement. In a three-month span (late March to late June), the 22-year-old Gallick came up just short, placing second, in the three most prestigious wrestling events in the country -- NCAA Tournament, U.S. Nationals, and World Team Trials. "It was real frustrating," said Gallick. "Three tournaments in a row I came up just short of accomplishing my goal. I wrestled the best I could. Maybe I could have wrestled a little smarter, but the bottom line is that I'm wrestling good competition. That's wrestling. You have to beat the good guys. And I didn't." Thankfully for Gallick, his luck changed in August when he traveled to Izmir, Turkey to wrestle in the World University Games. Nate Gallick (second from right) won the World University Games gold medal at 60 kg in Izmir, Turkey.Competing at 60 kg (132 lbs), Gallick cruised through his first three matches without surrendering a single point. He got stronger and more confident with every match. In the finals, he met Odabasi Tevfik, a 2004 Olympian from Turkey. After dropping the first period 6-2, the resilient Gallick battled back to win the final two periods by scores of 1-0 and 3-0, to become a University World champion. "He came back real strong after falling behind and just crushed his finals opponent," said Iowa State coach Bobby Douglas. "He did a superb job. It wasn't like he beat him up -- he just took him apart with very good technique." Added Gallick, "I felt as good as I've ever felt wrestling. I just felt really confident, really comfortable. The competitors that I was wrestling really fit well with my style." Now turn back the clock four years to 2001. Gallick, a Tucson native, had just captured his second individual state title for Sunnyside High School, a wrestling powerhouse in Arizona (the Blue Devils won the team state title every year of Gallick's high school career). He had compiled a high school career record of 107-3. He was coveted by many of the nation's top collegiate wrestling programs, but he only really considered two schools -- Arizona State, which was less than a two-hour drive away, and Iowa State. Douglas, a former coach at Arizona State (1974-1992) and someone who still has very close ties to the state of Arizona, had known Gallick since he was young. He had closely followed Gallick's development from the time he was a maturing middle school wrestler until he became one of the top high school wrestlers in the country. Sunnyside High has become a recruiting haven for Douglas, who had previously recruited three All-Americans, before Gallick, from the school. One of those wrestlers, Thom Ortiz, the current head coach at Arizona State, was an assistant at Iowa State when Gallick was recruited. "I originally had my heart set on Arizona State, and then Iowa State recruited me, and I kind of changed my mind," said Gallick. "Thom Ortiz had a pretty big influence on my decision. But I took my visit, met Coach Douglas and the guys, and I knew that it was the right place. As far as workout partners and facilities, Iowa State was the perfect situation for me. "Once Nate visited Iowa State, he was sold on coming," added Douglas. "There was no question in his mind that he wanted to come. And there was no question in our minds that we wanted him. What Nate was able to accomplish as a high school wrestler told us that he was the perfect fit for Iowa State, so we pursued him." So there he was … a wide-eyed 18-year-old, 1700 miles from home, wrestling in one of the most storied wrestling programs in NCAA history. It was then, in the fall of 2001, that Gallick would devise his eight-year wrestling plan -- a plan that included such milestones as becoming an NCAA All-American, winning an NCAA title, winning a World title, and winning an Olympic gold medal. Douglas, who has amassed more than 400 dual meet victories as a coach, almost always has his freshmen redshirt. He believes that redshirting his first-year wrestlers allows for them to adjust to the college environment and to mature as students. In 2001, the Cyclones brought in the top recruiting class in the country, bolstered by Gallick, Harry Lester (four-time Ohio state champion and current U.S. World Team member in Greco-Roman), and Ken Cook (California state champion). In 2005, Nate Gallick finished runner-up at both the U.S. Nationals and World Team Trials. He lost to Michael Lightner in the finals of both events.It turned out to be a great year for Gallick. He lived in the dorms with Lester, made a lot of new friends, and got acclimated to his new home. Plus, he had a stable of phenomenal workout partners, which included Zach Roberson, Aaron Holker, Cody Sanderson, and Lester. "It was actually nice not having as much pressure on me, because I wasn't competing in the lineup," said Gallick. "I got a chance to wrestle a lot of freestyle that year. We had some really good freshmen and we all hung out a lot. So it was great." Ironically, that season, Gallick's teammate, Holker, wrestled against one of Gallick's childhood friends and a former Sunnyside wrestler, Eric Larkin, in the NCAA finals at 141 lbs. "I was kind of caught between a rock and a hard place," said Gallick, recalling the match. "From a team standpoint, you want your teammate to win and help the team. And from a friend's standpoint, you want him to win and get his NCAA title that he deserves." Holker won the match 10-5. But Larkin would go on to win the NCAA title the following year and cap off his senior season with a perfect 34-0 record. Larkin was also awarded the Dan Hodge Trophy, which is presented by the International Wrestling Institute and W.I.N. Magazine, and given annually to the nation's most outstanding collegiate wrestler. The next year would prove to be a trying time in Gallick's life. With Roberson and Holker both returning to the Cyclone lineup at 133 and 141 respectively, the only way he could be assured a spot in the lineup was by moving up and wrestling at 149. It might not have been what was best for him, but it was best for the team. And Gallick just wanted to help the Cyclones win. All season he weighed in at 141, even though he competed at 149. Holker, a senior captain, was cutting a lot of weight at the time, so the Iowa state coaches wanted to make sure that Gallick could stay certified at 141 just in case Holker decided to move up to 149. "It was a nightmare for me," said Gallick of wrestling at 149. "I was undersized every match and got throttled quite a bit that year. I went through some real tough times. I think it really affected me. I got over it, but it was hard. Real hard. I was pretty unhappy that whole year." Gallick finished that season with a 16-16 record. While his technique and athleticism allowed him stay competitive with many of the top 149-pounders in the country, his lack of size and strength prevented him from defeating those wrestlers. He placed fourth at the Big 12 Championships, which kept him out of the NCAA Tournament. In 2003, Nate Gallick defeated Todd Meneely to win the FILA Junior National Championships.That spring, in April, Gallick won a title at the FILA Junior National Championships at 60 kg and was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler in the process. A month later, he placed seventh at the U.S. Nationals. Gallick's sophomore year, with Holker graduated, he settled nicely into the 141-pound slot for the Cyclones. He posted a 26-6 record, won the Big 12 title in his home arena, Hilton Coliseum, and earned the second seed at the NCAA Tournament. But in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament, Gallick lost a heartbreaking match in double overtime to Matt Murray of Nebraska, a wrestler he had beaten twice during the season. Gallick went on to place fifth, while his teammate and close friend, Roberson, won the NCAA title at 133 lbs. Last year, as a junior, Gallick cruised through the regular season with an undefeated record. And then, in early March, he won his second straight Big 12 title by narrowly beating Teyon Ware of Oklahoma for the second time that season. It marked the fourth straight victory over Ware dating back to 2003. It had been a perfect season for Gallick. Now he just had one more thing to accomplish -- winning an NCAA title. Two weeks later, as expected, Gallick received the No. 1 seed at the NCAA Tournament. After rolling through his first four matches, only giving up 10 points along the way, he met Ware in the NCAA finals. This time everything was on the line. Gallick's 30-0 season record no longer mattered. Gallick's 4-0 career record against Ware no longer mattered. Gallick's two Big 12 titles no longer mattered. The fact that Gallick was the number one seed, Ware the number two seed, no longer mattered. All that mattered was that he was wrestling for an NCAA title. "I felt pretty confident going into the finals," said Gallick. "All of our matches were fairly close, though, so I knew anything could happen." Teyon Ware of Oklahoma defeated Nate Gallick by a score of 3-2 to win the 2005 NCAA title at 141.It wasn't to be. Ware won 3-2. "I felt like I was so close to a goal that I wanted to achieve, a goal that I still want to achieve," said Gallick. "I think about that match a lot. It bothered me. It still does." Douglas, who has produced six NCAA champions while at Iowa State, was a little more diplomatic in his assessment. "I think every loss is a lesson," said Douglas. "That was a valuable lesson to Nate. He knows what he did wrong and he's making steps to prepare to correct that." Gallick took a week off after the NCAA Tournament in March to clear his head and refocus, before beginning his freestyle training. This past summer, Gallick spent most of his summer training in Ames with Roberson, as he prepared for the University World Games and the upcoming collegiate season. Gallick and Roberson have been close friends and training partners ever since Gallick arrived in Ames in the fall of 2001. While both compete in the same weight class (60 kg), and have the same dream of winning an Olympic gold medal, they insist that nothing will stand in the way of their friendship. "It's not tough training and competing with a friend, because of the relationship we have," said Roberson, who finished fourth at the World Team Trials and second in the inaugural season of Real Pro Wrestling. "We keep it kind of lighthearted. We both know that we want to win, and we're going to do everything we can to beat the other one, but we joke around about it a lot. I would rather lose to him than anyone in our weight class. And I'm sure it's the same for him, too." Zach Roberson (left) and Nate Gallick have been friends and training partners since 2001.Gallick chimed in, "We tease each other all the time about who is going to be on the Olympic Team. It's not like an uncomfortable situation or anything. We just know that we're both after the same thing." As Gallick begins his senior season, he has a new roommate -- his younger brother, Nick, a freshman wrestler at Iowa State. Nick won four state titles for Sunnyside and was one of the most sought after recruits in the country. He will follow protocol and redshirt this season for the Cyclones. Gallick is excited to have his younger brother by his side for his final season. "It's pretty awesome," said Gallick. "We're spending a lot of time together. I haven't seen him for years, at least not for more than a week at a time. We're regular lifting partners. It's just overall great having him here." Gallick's wrestling goals are simply stated. He wants an NCAA title this season. He wants a World title. And then he wants an Olympic title. He believes that he's in the perfect environment to accomplish those goals. He is with his brother. He has great training partners and facilities. And he has a great coach in Douglas. Bobby Douglas is beginning his 14th year as head coach at Iowa State."Coach Douglas just cares so much," said Gallick. "On and off the mat, I just see him as a friend. It's real easy for me to think that he cares more than a lot of other coaches. When I win or lose, he genuinely feel as good or bad as I do. If I go to his house to pick up a videotape, or take care of his dog, he's there watching and studying videos late at night. Wrestling is his life. He makes it a point to help out. If there is anything I ever need, he's always right there." Douglas, who has twice served as head coach for the U.S. Olympic Team, sees an extremely bright future for Gallick. "He has a competitive heart, a passion for wrestling, and he's a good athlete," said Douglas. I'm not one to make predictions, but I will say that Nate has a lot of growth left in him. Technically, he can get 25-30 percent better. Physically, he can get 10-15 percent stronger. If he improves his conditioning and learns to move his hands properly, I think he definitely has a chance to be the man."

For over a decade, this article might have been titled "Augsburg or Wartburg? Division III Teams to Watch." Not this season. A number of Division III teams will be making a strong run at the 'Burgs this season. And while this list is obviously not comprehensive, here is a preview of five teams I think will make some noise at the Division III level this year. And guess what? I'm not picking either one of the ‘Burgs to win it all. Read on. Augsburg Auggies Having won nine national championships in the last 15 years, including 2005, the fact that Jeff Swenson's Augsburg Auggies are among the favorites to hold the trophy should be no surprise. How they will do so after losing three undefeated champions, and five All-Americans overall, is the major question facing them for the upcoming season. Oh, and will three-time undefeated National Champion 157-pounder Marcus LeVesseur be able to finish his college career without a loss? Outlook: Marcus LeVesseurThe Auggies have lost five All-Americans from last year to graduation. Of course, this means that the team still has five All-Americans returning this year. Along with LeVesseur, Ryan Valek (165, runner-up), Brad Tupa (184, 4th), and Justin Sorensen (197, 6th) are all seniors looking to repeat or improve upon their All-American finishes in their final season. Jared Evans (149, 7th), a junior, is the only returning All-American who is an underclassmen. With success, naturally, comes greater competition within to even garner a starting spot. Augsburg is one of only a few Division III teams where returning All-Americans are not assured their position for the following year. All will have to again earn their positions. Who will replace the lost All-Americans from last season (three of whom -- Joe Moon, Mark Matzek and Matt Shankey were undefeated national champions)? Well, as with most years in Minneapolis, it'll be a battle for spots. Returning at 125/133, will be junior Ben Moss, who had a solid 12-3 record last year. The Auggies hope he will be able to help ease the loss either Shankey or Matzek, depending on which weight he goes. At 141, Rich Taylor (Sr., last year's record: 12-11) and Josh Hansen (Jr., 23-10) will be fighting to fill in the considerable shoes left by two-time national runner-up Jamell Tidwell. Replacing a wrestler of Moon's credentials at 174 will be difficult, but either Travis Birhanzl (Sr., 14-3) or Robbie Gotreau (So., 24-11) -- both platooned during Moon's absence the first part of last season, should be effective. At heavyweight, Andrew Neumann (Jr., 16-7) seems to be the front-runner for departed fourth-place finisher Mark Simmonds. Wartburg Knights The "other half" of the ‘Burg dynasty in Division III college wrestling, led by veteran coach Jim Miller, is just south of the Minnesota border in Waverly, Iowa. Wartburg has been trading championships with Augsburg over the last decade. The Knights hope to improve upon their second-place finish from last year. Led by two two-time NCAA champions, 141-pounder Dustin Hinschberger and 197-pounder Akeem Carter, the Knights have their aim squarely on the "Burg nemesis" to the north. Outlook: As with Augsburg, guaranteed spots are non-existent in Knight-land. There's a pretty good chance, however, that Hinschberger and Carter have a stranglehold on their weights. Other All-American's battling for a return trip to national prominence includes Heavyweight Blake Gillis (Jr., runner-up in '05), who will try all the tricks in his bag to try to topple UW-Lacrosse's Ryan Allen this year. Senior Scott Kauffman (184, 5th), a senior, will try to rise higher in the ranks, as will Jacob Naig (149, 6th) who is only a sophomore. Akeem CarterGone from last year's national runner-up team are All-Americans Justin McClintock (4th at 125), Tyler Hubbard (3rd at 133), and 2004 All-American's Cory Connell (157) and Mark Sturm (174). Also gone is national qualifier Andrew Knaack at 165. Looking to step in at 125 is junior Corey Kalina, who sported a respectable 13-7 record last year. At 133, another junior, Kyle Blood (15-9), will be battling to represent the Knights. A clear-cut favorite to replace former runner-up Connell doesn't seem to be on the horizon. Perhaps Robert Kuennen (Sr., 13-11) or Dustin Cooper (Jr., 11-9) will move up from 149 to fill in; then again, it's always possible for a new recruit or transfer to fill in the shoes. Sophomores John Galbraith and Adam Swalla (10-7) are possible frontrunners for 165 and 174, respectively. University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse Eagles Eight-time defending Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champion UW-Lacrosse has had a good run within the state's borders; yet, the school has yet to produce a National Championship team. Eagle faithful -- along with young coach Nate Skaar, are hoping this year's young and decorated UW-Lacrosse team will improve three spots from its fourth-place finish of 2005 -- I'm guessing they will. The team has perhaps the most celebrated Division III wrestler, along with Levesseur, in heavyweight Ryan Allen, who has won the past two national titles. There are a host of teammates who will be working to match their anchor's accomplishments. Outlook: Along with Allen, who has given both Steve Mocco (two-time Division I champion) and Cole Konrad (Divsion I runner-up) close matches, an astounding six 2005 All-Americans return for the Eagles. Youth is being served in LaCrosse, as five of those All-American's are underclassmen. Starting at 125 should be Jordan Kolinski, who took 7th as a freshman. Another sophomore, Mike Rohowetz, landed an 8th-place finish in a very tough 133 weight class last year. At 149, junior Jake Larsen finished 4th, and will look to improve upon that finish this year. There have been rumblings that senior Nick Ammerman (165, 6th) will not be competing this year; needless to say, Coach Skaar and all LaCrosse supporters are hoping this isn't the case. Other All-American's returning to the lineup in 05-06 are 174-pounder Josh Chelf (6th) and Jim Swanson (197, 5th) -- both juniors. Nate SkaarNot to be overlooked is junior Ross Needham (157, DNP), who gave Levesseur a bit of a scare at nationals, losing only 5-4 before bowing out in consolations. Also returning to the lineup is senior Adam Kuchnia (141, 19-9), who just missed the national tournament, finishing 2nd at the WIAC Championships, and sophomore Josh Zabel (184, 29-13). All this means that UW-LaCrosse likely returns its entire lineup. Also, coupled with the Eagles' massive recruiting class, this is a team to be reckoned with this year and the years to come. Luther Norse Coach Dave Mitchell has produced some quality Norse teams in his ten-year tenure; in fact, Luther has placed in the top five nationally four times in that span; this includes a 3rd-place finish in 2005. This team might again be headed towards a high national finish, but they need to find some effective replacements for the wealth of talent they lost. Led by returning 149-pound NCAA champion Matt Pyle, a junior, Luther brings a mix of youth and experience into the 2005-06 campaign. Outlook: The loss of five starters, including four All-Americans (including one National Champion), is tough for any DIII program. It is the hope in Decorah, however, that the more experienced Norse will lead their fledgling teammates by example throughout the year. One comrade Pyle hopes will help him in this quest is All-American Michael Lopez, a senior, who placed 4th last year. There are rumors that Lopez may not be eligible for the upcoming season. If this is the case, then Luther will have another substantial hole to fill in the lineup. Other veterans on the squad include Nathan Evans (125, Sr., 12-15) and former national qualifier Lon Welsh (Sr., 174, 12-8). The Norse had a successful national tournament in 2005, culminating in the aforementioned five All-Americans and third-place team finish. Who will they look to take those spots over? Starting at 141, Ben Kissling (Jr., 4-9) and Brad Ernst (So., 3-6) will be fighting to replace Jeff Patzke, who placed 3rd nationally in ‘05. Ryan Lebeau, 2005 runner-up at 157, is gone, leaving a void in the middle of the lineup. Perhaps look for Nate Van Dyke (Jr., 9-10 at 149) to move up a weight, or a new recruit to take the spot. At 165, the move might be the other way, as A.J. Gregg (So., 23-12 at 174) could look to replace Garrett South, the 2005 NCAA champion. 184 looks to be a wide-open weight for Luther, as all of the returning participants had sub-.500 records in 2005. Joe Postuma (Jr., 7-15) and Scott Jennings (So., 2-4) actually had the best-looking records at the weight behind graduated All-American Danny Adams (6th). The top highest weights look like they have serious holes. Gone is starter Wyatt Reyerson at 197, and his successor is a major question mark. Heavyweight also presents a problem, as Luther had no steady heavyweight during the 2004-05 season. How the team fills in those spots will be a good indicator of the team's success. State University of New York-Brockport Golden Eagles SUNY-Brockport was a wrestling powerhouse in the 1980s, winning three national titles during the decade (1980, 1982, and 1983). They have not tasted national glory since the 1992 season, however; this could be the year they put up a serious challenge. Veteran coach Don Murray, in his 36th season, is well-aware that returning four All-Americans is a very nice start. He hopes that there will be a glorious celebration near Rochester next March. Outlook: One person who won't be sad to see Augsburg's Mark Matzek graduate is junior Tony D'Ambra. Matzek won a tight 3-1 decision over D'Ambra in the 2005 finals match, giving D'Ambra a runner-up finish -- he will surely look to take it one step further this season. Joining him will be Shaheim Bradshaw, a sophomore, who took 5th place nationally in a meat-grinder of a weight class. Logic would dictate that a freshman, who did so well—at that weight, will be looking for a top-three finish this season. Brockport is well-represented at the upper-weights, as senior 197-pounder Will Weiss (3rd) and heavyweight Pat Bennett (Sr., 8th) anchor the Golden Eagles. Other returning wrestlers who saw time include Allan Boice (So., starter at 125, 15-13), Brett Giehl (So., 174, 11-10) and Donald Williams (So., 157/165, 17-9). Brockport did lose two 2005 national qualifiers in Dan Roberts (141, four-time national qualifier) and Pat Hanscomb (149) after last season to graduation. They will look to Kyle Fried (So., 141/149, 14-6) and Andrew Grillo (So., 149, 7-2) to pick up the slack. At 184, the Golden Eagles will return sophomore Steve Speiseleiere, who went 3-13 during his freshman campaign. Prediction for 2005-06: 1. UW-LaCrosse 2. Augsburg 3. Wartburg 4. SUNY-Brockport 5. Luther Up-and-Comers: Loras Duhawks Coach Randy Steward's Duhawks have a nice mix of youth and experience coming back this season. Last year's team was laden with underclassmen, including junior All-American Terry Morgan, who took third place at the 2005 Championships. A year older and wiser, Loras could be a top-10 team come March. Buena Vista Beavers Mark SchwabThere is a lot of excitement surrounding the Buena Vista program -- because of second-year coach Mark Schwab, who has been successful everywhere he has been. Beaver fans hope that the combination of Schwab's experience and the energy of youth, as well as the return of sophomore All-American Jestin Hulegaard (a former transfer from the University of Minnesota), will bring a top-15 finish to Storm Lake. Concordia-Moorhead Cobbers Coach Clay Nagel is a well-known name in Minnesota high school wrestling circles. He coached small-town Frazee to numerous state titles. His last name might be more familiar in national circles -- as he's the father of current Gopher All-American Matt Nagel, and former two-time Division II All-American Travis Nagel. The name has meant something to the Cobbers: Nagel has brought a huge recruiting class with him, especially by Division III standards. Likely not this year. Maybe not next. But Concordia will be a force in the near future.

What's up everyone? My name is Marshall Marquardt and I wrestle for Dana College, which is in the NAIA. We are located smack in the heart of America, in Blair, Nebraska. I will be writing entries every other week during the collegiate wrestling season. Each entry will be a look into my life as a Dana College wrestler. As much as I hate to admit it, I would have probably been considered a mediocre wrestler in high school, (never even placing at state, but finishing fourth on my high school's all-time win's list and going on to be a Junior Nationals Greco All-American). When I was offered a chance to wrestle at the collegiate level, I jumped at the opportunity. I was part of a 20 wrestler recruiting class to Dana College in 2001, which currently had about 20 wrestlers total. My class was the beginning of a new era at Dana College. An era of elite recruiting classes and some of the hardest working athletes and coaches I have seen in the sport. So I now enter my fifth year at Dana College, and my last year of eligibility (I redshirted in 01-02), I have a lot to prove to myself. Preseason started for us with a 12-mile run. Honestly, though, this is the easiest preseason practice we go through. This year it was a little different from the past, as we were assigned into groups of four. I did not know two of the three in my group, which I guess was the point because I got to know them much better in the time it took us to run 12 miles. Blair Alderman and Wade Jordan push themselves during the 12-mile runThis run was a big test to see who actually did something over the summer, and it was more than evident that many of the guys didn't do anything. Personally, I was ready for it, but could have been more prepared. I lifted all summer and ran at least once per week, but wish I could have got in the room a little more for some drilling sessions. However, I accomplished many goals this summer. One problem of mine was that I was always really light. I wrestle 174 pounds, and last season I came in around 194 pounds, but towards the end of the year, I was weighing 168-170 after practices, and was weighing in two to three pounds light on tournament days. It is nice not to be sucking weight all the time, but there is definite disadvantage to being light. I am coming in this year at 206, the heaviest I have ever been. I plan on wrestling 174 at some point in the season, just when that will be I am not sure. I started my wrestling diet the Monday before the 12-mile run, and after one week, I am down to 196. This is a very serious diet that I had a good friend and old wrestling partner, Sam Melendrez (seventh place at 2002 NAIA Tournament), help me put together. It basically consists of eating about 200-250 grams of protein a day strung out through 6-8 meals. I eat most of my carbohydrates in the morning and lunch meals, and very few at my evening meal. I eat 3-5 snacks throughout the day which usually contain 20-40 grams of protein with little carbohydrates. The main goal is to eat every one and a half to two hours to constantly keep your metabolism running full throttle for maximum fat burning (as well as working out of course, but for wrestlers that usually isn't a problem). My goal was to lose 1-3 pounds per week, but 10 in the first week made me pretty happy, considering I wasn't cutting back the amount of food I was eating or my liquid intake, just my fat and carb intake. Steve CostanzaOur second preseason practice of the year was insane. My coach, Steve Costanzo, broke the team up into three groups (we have 70 guys on the team, so we can't all fit in one place at the same time, including our wrestling room, but I'll talk about that sometime in the future.) There were three stations that we switched through, staying at each one for 20 minutes. The first station assigned to my group was the weight room. We were basically assigned to do three different exercises, hang/power cleans, front squats, and lunges. My group of three in the weight room got through four sets of both power cleans and front squats (returning later to finish lunges). It was then time to move on to the second station. This was an extreme version of plyometric training, which included squat jumps, stance-in-motion, leap frogs, push-ups, stair-steppers, etc. for twenty minutes. I tried to push as hard as possible, but there comes a point when your body can no longer do one more movement. I was so close to reaching that point, when the whistle blew to hit the next station. Jon Goodridge and Jason Bilinski run side-by-side down a dirt roadIt was a nice break to have a 30 second jog to the next station, where we started immediately. This last station was extremely difficult (the worst of the three) and pushed everyone to the limit. I am sure that most of you reading this are familiar with wheelbarrows -- well this is a modified version of those. We do them up a hill that is only about 30 yards long but at a 45 degree angle. It is ridiculous. I made 15 minutes and threw up at the top of the hill. I kept going and as the whistle blew to quit and go run a cool down lap, it came again, then again, then again. However, despite vomiting four times, I felt good. I did not feel out of shape. I thought I was deepening my current condition and getting stronger both mentally and physically. I have to give props out to the whole team, though ... it was a serious test and everyone finished. That is one thing that is interesting about an NAIA school and wrestling. Wrestling is a sport that has struggled in the last 30 years in the aspect of school support and maintaining programs. At Dana, everyone can come as long as they are willing to put in the time and effort, and many of them are. Until next time, keep getting better. Marshall Marquardt

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- The University of Maryland Fall Wrestling Coaches/Wrestlers Clinic is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, October 21 & 22, 2005. This clinic is designed for coaches and wrestlers to learn and interact with their team on the instruction. Registration needs to be completed by Oct. 19. Walk-ins are welcome. A $10 additional fee will be charged for those who do not pre-register by Oct. 19. The clinic will be held at the Comcast Center Wrestling Room on the University of Maryland's campus. Directions will be provided upon receipt of registration. Fees for the clinic include instructional costs, supplies, educational materials, a t-shirt, dinner on campus and a coach's social. Coaches cost: $75 per coach for both days $50 second coach from the same high school $25 each additional coach from the same high school Cost for a single wrestler includes a Maryland Wrestling t-shirt $45 for both days (starting at 5:30 pm on Oct. 21) $35 for Saturday only Make checks payable to Pat Santoro's Minds in Motion For additional information and questions, or to register for the clinic, please contact Todd Beckerman at (301) 314-6677 or via email at tfb@umd.edu. University of Maryland Fall Wrestling Coaches/Wrestlers Clinic October 21 & 22, 2005 University of Maryland Comcast Center-Wrestling Room College Park, MD Clinic Schedule: October 21, 2005 1:45 -- 2:30 pm - Registration in the Comcast Wrestling Room, College Park, MD 2:30 -- 3:30 pm -- Session I 3:30 -- 5:00 pm -- MD wrestling practice 4:45 - 5:30 pm -- Dinner 5:30 -- 7:00 pm -- Session II (Coaches and Wrestlers) 7:30 -- 9:00 pm -- Coaches Social October 22, 2005 9-11 am -- Session III (Coaches/Wrestlers session) 11- 12 pm -- Wrestlers only in wrestling room 11- 12 pm -- Session IV- Coaches (Strength and Conditioning with MD wrestling team) 12 pm -- Final Comments Hotel Information: Comfort Inn & Suites, Phone: (301) 441-8110 Holiday Inn: Phone: 301-345-6700 Quality Inn & Suites, Phone: (301) 276-1000 Days Inn College Park, Phone: 301-345-5000

The University of the Cumberlands (formerly Cumberland College) has one of the largest and most successful women's wrestling programs in North America. The Patriot ladies come to UC from all corners of the United States. Coach Kip Flanik (Cleveland, OH) has been very successful in finding and recruiting the nation's top wrestlers. Although there are close to fifty wrestlers from eighteen different states on the team, Coach Flanik could not ask for a closer group of student-athletes. Horrified by the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, junior Aquilla Hills (Charlotte, NC) and Coach Flanik joined together to form a relief effort for the hurricane's victims. After careful planning, Coach Flanik called a meeting to inform the team of their goals. The team supported the idea and was ecstatic to help. Hills, along with several teammates, planned clothing drives in each of the dorms on campus. They also set aside an entire Saturday to accept donations outside of the local Wal-Mart and raise funds through a carwash. Without the team, Hills feels that the project would not have been successful. "I am very thankful that I have the opportunity to be part of such a loving team. The girls are always willing to help no matter what the situation may be," stated Hills. The ladies raised over $750 to help aid Katrina victims.

BUDAPEST, Hungary -- Former Oklahoma State wrestler Muhammed Lawal was eliminated in the quarterfinal round of the World Wrestling Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Lawal was defeated by 2004 Olympic bronze medalist Sazhid Sazhidov of Russia in the quarterfinals. Sazhidov was defeated in the semifinals and finished fifth for the tournament at 84 kg (185 lbs.). It was the first international tournament for Lawal and he posted a 2-1 record.

The mats were delivered to the Blake Family Wrestling Training Center on Monday evening.WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The clock is ticking towards the beginning of the 2005-06 wrestling season, and that brings extra excitement for the Purdue Boilermakers. When practice begins on Oct. 12, the Boilermakers will no longer be in the basement of Mackey Arena. The Blake Family Wrestling Training Center is nearing completion, with the practice mats being delivered on Monday evening, Sept. 26. With the mats in the room, and the new sound system installed, the finishing date is just around the corner. "The new facility is vital for our training and recruitment of blue-chip student-athletes," head coach Jessie Reyes said. "This room will bring our program to the forefront of college wrestling." The new room, built in Lambert Fieldhouse in the location of the former swimming pool, features two full-size competition mats, plus extra room for drilling as well as designated space for cardio machines and a video/sound room. "The floor surface and mat surface in this room will be second to none," assistant coach Tom Erikson said. "The way this place was put together, there won't be a better wrestling surface in the country."

Simpson College's Bob Darrah, a high school and college wrestling coach for 33 years, has been elected for induction into the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa. Bob DarrahDarrah will be inducted as part of the Class of 2006 Apr. 8 in the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa wing of the International Wrestling Institute and Museum. The Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa was begun in 2002 as a way to further recognize and honor the people who have made an impact on the Iowa Wrestling scene. Darrah was the head coach at Morning Sun (1961-67), Urbandale (1967-69), and Dowling Catholic High Schools (1969-89). In 27 years on the prep level, Darrah's teams went undefeated 17 times and did not have a losing record. In his final 11 years at Dowling, the Maroons went 161-1 and won the first three state dual meet championships (1987-89). Dowling won four state championships (1975, 1978, 1984, 1988). The Maroons were second five times at the state tournament. Dowling won the 3A State Tournament Qualifying meet 17 years in a row. He led four of his Dowling wrestlers to five US Federation High School Freestyle Championships (Jeff Carter, two times, Perry Hummel, Tim Anderson, and Kurt Engler). For his efforts, Darrah was named the 1977 Iowa Class 3A Coach of the Year, the 1988 Amateur Wrestling News High School Coach of the Year, and the 1990 National High School Athletic Coaches Association National Coach of the Year. He also coached the Iowa Federation Wrestling team for 21 years. His high school teams posted a 340-17-2 record. His 340 dual wins are the second most in Iowa high school history. Darrah held all office of the Iowa High School Wrestling Coaches Association, serving two terms as president. Darrah also organized All-Star dual meets between wrestles from Iowa and Pennsylvania and those duals were held in conjunction with the Penn vs USA All-Star meets at the University of Pittsburgh Fieldhouse. Darrah served as the head wrestling coach at Simpson from 1989-1995 where he compiled an 86-25-1 record and one Iowa Conference Championship (1991). Five of his wrestlers were named All-Americans and one was a two-time National Champion (Travis Young). He was voted Iowa Conference Wrestling Coach of the Year in 1991. His contributions to the program continue to be remembers as in 1996, the practice facility at Simpson was renamed the Darrah Wrestling Room. Simpson has won 87 of 192 meets (a .453 winning percentage) in which they have entered since Darrah took over the team. Darrah has been named Iowa Conference Women's Golf Coach of the Year 10 times and has led the Storm to eight league titles. Since 1989, Simpson has finished second at the national women's golf tournament (either NCAA or NCGA) three times, two third place finishes, and one fourth place showing. Simpson golfers have posted 55 All-Conference performances with four; Tracey Voss (1994), Leah Willenborg (1994, 1995, 1996), Hannah Willenborg (1998, 2000), and Fay Bradley (2000), earning All-American honors. Voss earned Academic All-American honors on two occasions as well. In 1994, Leah Willenborg became the first Division III player from Iowa to compete at the NCAA Division I National Championships. Both Leah and Hannah Willenborg were awarded NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarships. Darrah also served as the Simpson's men's golf coach from 1994-1998 where his teams finished in the upper division of the conference every year and one player, Jordan Dirks, earned All-Conference honors. This is the seventh Hall of Fame that Darrah will be a member of. He is currently a member of the Iowa High School, Dowling Catholic High School, Westmar College (charter member), Chariton High School, Iowa Wrestling Federation (Cresco, Iowa), and National Wrestling Hall of Fames.

BUDAPEST, Hungary -- Former Oklahoma State wrestler Muhammed Lawal advanced to the quarterfinals of the World Freestyle Wrestling Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Lawal had a quick pin over Ibrahim Al Khatib of Libya in just 22 seconds. He advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating Ruslan Sumenkov of Kyrgyzstan. The 84 kg (185 lbs.) bracket will be completed later today. Lawal will face Olympic bronze medalist Sazhid Sazhidov of Russia in the quarterfinals. Daniel Cormier did not fare as well 96 kg (211.5 lbs.). Cormier won his first match, but was defeated in the second round by Aleksei Krupnykov of Kyrgyzstan. Cormier must hope for Krupnykov to reach the finals in order to compete in the wrestle-back rounds.

Sara McMannCOLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- No stranger to the national wrestling experience, former Lock Haven University wrestler Sara McMann will compete at this year's World Championships in Budapest, Hungary Thursday Sept. 29. A former member of the Bald Eagle wrestling squad, McMann was an Olympic Silver Medalist in 2004, also taking second in the 2003 World Cup. She also added championships in the Manitoba Open in both 2001 and 2003. McMann is the top ranked grappler at the 63 kg class for Team USA. With a new format this season, the World Championships take each day to work through an entire weight class. McMann will wrestle Sept. 29, while another former LHU grappler, Jenny Wong, will compete Sept. 28.