InterMat Staff

Hello Wrestling Fans! This week we head to The Home of the Wildcats of Northwestern University. We'll check out the New Ken Kraft Center, the night life and some crab cakes with head coach Tim Cysewski and new head Asst. Drew Pariano. Next week we push on to The Mocs of Tennessee Chattanooga for a special Friday show. and then its on to THE Ohio State and more. Join Steve Foster and I 10 AM to 12 Noon CST at Takedownradio.com for LIVE shows and for archived shows as well. My thanks to all Coaches and SID's who have invited us to broadcast room shows or tournaments at their sites. We are doing as many as we can and next year plan to do more. Want us at your school or tournament? Let me hear from you as we are putting together next years calendar already. Man this is fun and I LOVE IT! It's Wrestling!

Steve Marianetti Steve Marianetti has tasted success both as a wrestler and as a coach. Since taking over as head coach at Elmhurst College (Illinois) in 2002, Marianetti has built the program into a Division III national power. Last season, he guided the Bluejays to their first CCIW title since 1958 and an eighth-place finish at the NCAA Division III Championships. For his efforts, Marianetti was honored as the Division III Coach of the Year by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA). As competitor, Marianetti became one of the most accomplished wrestlers ever at the University of Illinois. He was a three-time All-American and won the NCAA title at 150 pounds in 1995 -- defeating University of Iowa all-time great Lincoln McIlravy in the NCAA finals. He holds the Illinois single-season record for wins with 44 during the 1992-93 season. Marianetti ranks second on the school's career wins list with 120. After his collegiate career, he earned a gold medal at the 1997 Pan-American Championships, silver medals at the 1998 Goodwill Games and World Cup, and a gold medal at the 1998 U.S. Nationals. He also represented the United States at the 1998 World Championships in Tehran, Iran. RevWrestling.com recently went one-on-one with Marianetti to discuss his expectations for the season, his future outlook, and his memories of beating McIlravy. You were the second assistant at Illinois before coming to Elmhurst. How did you become interested in the Elmhurst position? Marianetti: A few things happened. My wife and I are from this area, so we eventually wanted to get back here. It was a combination of my wife finding a job in this area and me wanting to have my own program. While you were at Illinois -- you were coached by Mark Johnson and Jim Heffernan. And then you spent seven years on the same coaching staff. What did you take away from that experience of working with them? Marianetti: They formed the foundation of my coaching philosophy. When I first got to Illinois, they weren't there. They came my sophomore year. My freshman year, I had a record of 13-9. The year they came, I had a record of 44-9 and finished fourth in the country. That's when it really hit me how important coaching was. That's when I first even became interested in coaching -- and it really seemed like a pretty rewarding career. Last season, you had a 16-3 dual meet record. You guided your program to its first conference title since 1958 and an eighth-place finish at the NCAA Division III Championships. What are your expectations from a team standpoint this season? Marianetti: I think we're going to be good again. I have goals for my team. After last year, we have high goals and high expectations now. We have some very good kids on the team. But we also lost quite a few of our starters. We have some young wrestlers who will have to step up, so I'm interested to see how they're going to do in competitions. Last March, you were named Divsion III Coach of the Year by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA). What does that honor mean to you? Marianetti: It's certainly an honor to be recognized by your peers. It told me that we're at least on the right track and that we can have a successful program at Elmhurst College. What was the biggest change coming from a Division I program to a Division III program? Marianetti: I think initially it was expectations -- expectations of success and expectations of work ethic. But now that I've been here a few years, a lot of those differences have changed. You've got kids who want to be successful wrestlers. At both places, you've got guys who are working very hard. So a lot of the differences have lessened greatly. The Elmhurst program has made great strides since you took over in 2002. What was the program like when you took over in comparison to where it is now? Marianetti: The good news is that I had nowhere to go but up. I think there are a lot of wrestlers out there who want to be a part of a competitive program. But at the same time, there just aren't enough scholarships. Now we're starting to get some outstanding wrestlers who are looking at us -- and want to wrestle in our program. Steve MarianettiIllinois has great high school wrestling. Is that where you do most of your recruiting? Marianetti: Yeah, I mostly focus on Illinois. I'll have some kids contact me from other states. Just from a numbers perspective, I know Illinois well. There are only so many hours in a day to be recruiting, so I really focus on our state. What are some of the key attributes you look for in high school wrestlers when you recruit? Marianetti: Obviously, they have to have good grades … because it's a good school. The biggest thing, though, is finding out from coaches what their work ethic is like. Certainly you want success, but if I get guys who have strong work ethics, I'm confident that I can teach them to be better wrestlers. But they have to want that. So the desire is the biggest thing I look for. And I look for that by talking to their coaches. You have had a lot of success coaching in Division III, but you came from a Division I program. Do you have aspirations of becoming a head coach at a Division I program? Marianetti: I would say that I haven't given it much thought. So the answer to that question is no, not necessarily. I want to be somewhere where I can be successful. If we continue to be successful at Elmhurst College -- that's where I want to stay. In 1995, you defeated Lincoln McIlravy of Iowa in the NCAA finals -- in one of the most historic matches in NCAA history. What was your mindset like going into that match? And what were your emotions like after you won? Marianetti: I had been an All-American for two years before that -- and it just wasn't enough anymore. I know there is big chasm between being an All-American and being a national champion. So there was a certain sense of urgency. I didn't want to make excuses and decide that, 'Well, I shouldn't win this match and second place is really good.' I really felt it and built it up in myself that excuses weren't going to be good enough. Winning a match like that, it was a culmination of a really long, stressful year -- one that was focused on one specific goal. To see all of the mental preparation, all of the physical preparation come down to a seven minute match, and for it to go your way, it's obviously just an incredible experience. When was the last time you watched your match against McIlravy? Do you ever pull out the video -- just to relive some of those memories? Marianetti: I don't. But my wrestlers do. So I end up seeing it every once in a while. But it's not something that I go back to very often. My guys enjoy watching it. When the new recruits come in, somehow the older guys usually show it to them. After your collegiate career was over, you wrestled on some national teams with McIlravy. Did you workout out with him much? And did you get to know him on a personal level? Marianetti: Yeah, we competed at the World Cup together, at the Goodwill Games together, and at the World Championships together. We didn't necessarily train so much together. But I got to know him better. He's really a fantastic guy and a very sincere guy. As a wrestler, I have unbelievable respect for him. I think he is an amazing wrestler. I think I was very fortunate to beat him on that given day. He's not somebody that I would want to have a rematch with in the national finals. Buvaisar SaitievDuring your international career, you wrestled against Buvaisar Saitiev of Russia, a two-time Olympic champion, six-time World champion, and one of the best technicians ever. What was it like wrestling Saitiev? Marianetti: As far as going from college to international, he was the first superstar that I wrestled. Frankly, I was a little starstruck when I wrested him and very intimidated. I think it would have been different if I would have wrestled him a second time. He is very unorthodox and he destroyed me. Last question, who was the toughest wrestler you ever wrestled here in the United States? Marianetti: I've definitely wrestled some good guys. Well, the toughest guy had to be McIlravy because wrestling him is not just a battle of wrestling -- it's a battle of wills. He takes you to a place physically where you've probably never been. I wrestled him three different times throughout college. The first time I wrestled him was when he was a freshman and I was a sophomore. Then I wrestled him once in the Big Ten finals and once in the national finals. Wrestling McIlravy was pure torture.

Eric LarkinTEMPE, Ariz. -- The final day of the 21st Sunkist Kids/Arizona State University International Open came to a close Saturday afternoon with a trio of former Sun Devil All-Americans reaching the finals of their respective weight classes at the longest running international open in the United States being held Oct. 21-22 at Wells Fargo Arena. Eric Larkin won the 66kg event while Aaron Simpson and Kellan Fluckiger placed second at 84kg and 120kg, respectively. Larkin, the 2003 NCAA Champion and Dan Hodge Award winner, defeated Cliff Moore, 2-1, 6-3, to win the event held on his former home mat. Simpson, who also is an assistant coach with Larkin this season at ASU, dropped a tough 7-1, 5-3 decision to Andy Hrovat (NYAC) in the finals of his tournament. Kellan Fluckiger, a former heavyweight student-athlete and coach with the Sun Devils, fell to Pat Cummings (NYAC), 1-0, 2-0, in the final bout. Current Sun Devils also competed in the tournament with five competing on the day. Jeremy Mendoza placed fifth at 55kg after falling to Henry Cejudo (Sunkist Kids), 1-0, 4-0. Teammate Alex Contreras, who defeated Mendoza in the consolation quarterfinals, lost a 7-0, 3-0 decision to Matt Azevedo (Sunkist Kids) in the third place bout to finish fourth in the event, the highest finish for a current Sun Devil this year. Ryan Bader finished sixth at 96kg following a pair of close loses on the day, first dropping a 1-0, 2-1 decision to Steve Snijders of Canada before Mike Neufeld (Canada) handed down a 2-0, 4-3 decision in the fifth-place bout. C.B. Dollaway, competing at 84kg, did not place in the event as he was pinned by Greg Parker in the consolation fifth round. Quinton Pruett, the lone Sun Devil to compete in the Greco-Roman event, fell in the consolation third round at 96kg after Phillip Johnson of the US Army scored a 7-0, 6-0 technical fall. The 2005 collegiate season gets underway for the Sun Devils in three weeks as the team heads to Portland, Ore., Nov. 12 for the Portland State Duals. ASU will face Pacific at 10 a.m. before meeting Southern Oregon at 11:30 a.m. The final dual of the day will see the Sun Devils and host Vikings meet at 1 p.m. in a Pac-10 Conference contest.

MANHEIM, Pa. -- The National Wrestling Coaches Association has announced the lineups for the 40th annual NWCA All-Star Classic presented by the United States Marine Corps to be held inside Oklahoma State's Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla. on Nov. 21. Twenty All-Americans will be wrestling, including five defending national champions. Two weight classes will have a rematch of the 2005 national title match. Host Oklahoma State will be represented by its four returning champions. Oklahoma will send three wrestlers to Stillwater to compete in the event as well. Oklahoma's two-time All-American Sam Hazewinkel will meet Michigan State's Nick Simmons. This is a rematch of the consolation final that Hazewinkel won at the 2005 NCAA Championships. Hazewinkel defeated Simmons, 2-0, in last year¹s All-Star Classic. In a rematch of last year¹s national title match at 141, two-time national champion Teyon Ware of Oklahoma will meet Big 12 rival and two-time Big 12 champion Nate Gallick of Iowa State. OSU¹s defending national champion at 149, Zack Esposito, will square off with Hofstra¹s three-time All-American Jon Masa. Esposito defeated Masa four times last season, including the national quarterfinals. Masa went on to finish third in the tournament. Masa is the only wrestler not represented by the Big Ten or the Big 12. Johny Hendricks is the second Cowboy to take the mat. Hendricks, a two-time All American and defending national champion at 165, will face Michigan¹s Ryan Churella in a rematch of last year¹s national semifinal. It will be Bedlam at 197 when OSU¹s two-time national champion Jake Rosholt will meet OU¹s Joel Flaggert. Rosholt won his second national title last season, while Flaggert went on to earn his first All-America honor with a fourth-place finish. Rosholt won their only meeting last season with a major decision in a dual back in December. Steve Mocco will be the last Oklahoma State wrestler to trot out onto the mat when he faces Minnesota's Cole Konrad in a rematch of last year¹s national title match. Mocco beat Konrad three times last season, all in overtime. At 133, there will be rematch of the consolation finals when Wisconsin¹s Tom Clum meets Minnesota¹s Mack Reiter. Clum defeated Reiter for third-place last season and both wrestlers will be making their first appearance in the NWCA All-Star Classic. Returning national runner-up Joe Johnston of Iowa will meet Illinois¹ two-time All-American Alex Tirapelle. Johnston defeated Tirapelle, two-time Big Ten champion, in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament. Tirapelle is the only wrestler in the classic who did not place in the 2005 NCAA Tournament. Two more Iowa Hawkeyes will be wrestling at consecutive weights. Stillwater native Mark Perry will take the mat at 174. Perry, 2005 national runner-up at 165, will face Northwestern¹s Jake Herbert. Herbert is coming off of a third-place finish at the NCAA Championships. Paul Bradley will be the third Hawkeye to take the mat when he faces Illinois' Pete Friedl. Bradley finished fifth at the 2005 NCAA Championships, while Friedl is bumping up a weight after he finished fourth at 174. Central Oklahoma¹s Josh Leadingfox will take on three-time national champion Les Sigman of Nebraska-Omaha in the NWCA All-Star Classic¹s traditional exhibition match. The honorary coaches for the event are OSU¹s own John Smith, Northwestern¹s Tim Czyewski, Dana College¹s Steve Costanzo and Labette Community College¹s Joe Renfro. 40th Annual NWCA All-Star Classic Presented by the Unites States Marine Corps Gallagher-Iba Arena -- Stillwater, Okla. November 21, 2005 125- Sam Hazewinkel (Oklahoma) vs. Nick Simmons (Michigan State) 133- Tom Clum (Wisconsin) vs. Mack Reiter (Minnesota) 141- Teyon Ware (Oklahoma) vs. Nate Gallick (Iowa State) 149- Zack Esposito (Oklahoma State) vs. Jon Masa (Hofstra) 157- Joe Johnston (Iowa) vs Alex Tirapelle (Illinois) 165- Johny Hendricks (Oklahoma State) vs. Ryan Churella (Michigan) 174- Mark Perry (Iowa) vs. Jake Herbert (Northwestern) 184- Paul Bradley (Iowa) vs. Pete Friedl (Illinois) 197- Jake Rosholt (Oklahoma State) vs. Joel Flaggert (Oklahoma) 285- Steve Mocco (Oklahoma State) vs. Cole Konrad (Minnesota) Exhibition: 285: Josh Leadingfox (Central Oklahoma) vs. TBA Note: Lineup is subject to change. 2004 Results: At Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville 125 Sam Hazewinkel (Oklahoma) Defeated Nick Simmons (Michigan State), 2-0 133 Mark Jayne (Illinois) Defeated Sam Hiatt (Northern Illinois), 3-1 141 Teyon Ware (Oklahoma) Defeated Cory Cooperman (Lehigh), 2-1 OT 149 Zack Esposito (Oklahoma State) Defeated Dustin Manotti (Cornell), 8-3 157 Jake Percival (Ohio University) Defeated Ryan Bertin (Michigan), 11-7 165 Troy Letters (Lehigh) Defeated David Bolyard (Central Michigan), 3-2 174 Chris Pendleton (Oklahoma State) Defeated Ben Askren (Missouri), 6-3 184 Greg Jones (West Virginia) Defeated Paul Bradley (Iowa), 3-2 197 J.D. Bergman (Ohio State) Defeated Scott Barker (Oregon), 8-3 285 Steve Mocco (Oklahoma State) Defeated Cole Konrad (Minnesota), 2-1 OT

The National Wrestling Coaches Association announced Thursday the matchups for the 40th annual NWCA All-Star Classic. Dana College Wrestling Coach Steve Costanzo was selected as honorary coach for this prestigious event. Steve CostanzoPresented by the United States Marine Corps, the NWCA All-Star Classic pits the nation's top collegiate wrestlers against each other in challenge matches that are often seen as a preview of the NCAA championships. The event will be held at historic Gallagher-Iba Arena on the campus of Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Okla., on November 21 at 7 p.m. This year's lineup ranks as one of the best of all time, as five NCAA Champions and six pre-season number one ranked wrestlers will take to the mat. There are currently four matches scheduled featuring the number one and two ranked wrestlers in the nation according to the NWCA Division I Coaches poll. "This is a great event at a place steeped in wrestling tradition -- Oklahoma State has 33 national championships. I am excited to coach in the Gallahger-Iba arena," said Costanzo. "I attribute this opportunity to the kids that have gone through the Viking wrestling program." Other Honorary coaches for the event are John Smith of the host Cowboys, Northwestern's Tim Czyewski, and Labette Community College's Joe Renfro. 2005 NWCA All-Star Classic presented by the United States Marine Corps * 125: Sam Hazewinkel (Oklahoma) vs. Nick Simmons (Michigan State) * 133: Tom Clum (Wisconsin) vs. Mack Reiter (Minnesota) * 141: Teyon Ware (Oklahoma) vs. Nate Gallick (Iowa State) * 149: Zack Esposito (Oklahoma State) vs. Jon Masa (Hofstra) * 157: Joe Johnston (Iowa) vs. Alex Tirapelle (Illinois) * 165: Johny Hendricks (Oklahoma State) vs. Ryan Churella (Michigan) * 174: Mark Perry (Iowa) vs. Jake Herbert (Northwestern) * 184: Paul Bradley (Iowa) vs. Pete Friedl (Illinois) * 197: Jake Rosholt (Oklahoma State) vs. Joel Flaggert (Oklahoma) * 285: Steve Mocco (Oklahoma State) vs. Cole Konrad (Minnesota) * Exhibition 285: Josh Leadingfox (Central Oklahoma) vs. TBA Note: Lineup is subject to change.

Upper Iowa University will open its 2005-06 wrestling campaign by hosting national power Iowa State University Sunday, Nov. 6. The dual meet begins at 2 p.m. in Dorman Gymnasium in Fayette, Iowa. Tickets for this historic event go on sale Monday, Oct. 24. All seating is general admission. Tickets are $7 for adults and $4 for students with student IDs. For more information or to order tickets, contact the UIU Ticket Office at 563-425-5700. Tickets are also good for the Iowa State and Wisconsin-La Crosse dual, which immediately follows the UIU-ISU match-up. Upper Iowa University, located in Fayette, is the only NCAA Division II institution in the state of Iowa.

University of Minnesota All-Americans Mack Reiter and Cole Konrad have been selected to participate in the 40th annual Marines All-Star Classic on Monday, Nov. 21, on the campus of Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Okla. The event attempts to pit the top two ranked wrestlers at each weight class in a dual meet format. College Sports Television will air the event tape-delayed on Wednesday, Nov. 23, at 7:30 p.m. Reiter will face Wisconsin senior Tom Clum at 133 pounds. Clum won a pair of tight decisions last year, including a 2-1 victory in the consolation finals at the NCAA Championships. A native of Gilbertville, Iowa, Reiter was the 2005 Big Ten Freshman of the Year after compiling a 40-7 overall record. Reiter was also named the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the Big Ten Championships after winning the title at 133 pounds. In a rematch of last year's NCAA heavyweight final, Konrad will meet two-time NCAA Champion Steve Mocco of Oklahoma State. Mocco won all three meetings between the two wrestlers with a pair of those wins coming in overtime. Konrad is ranked second in the nation entering his junior season. With a 41-3 record last year, he posted the fourth- highest win total in school history. Konrad is also the defending Big Ten Champion. Minnesota opens its 2005-06 season on Nov. 12 at the Bison Open. The Golden Gophers begin their dual meet season on Dec. 2 at Northern Iowa. 2005 NWCA All-Star Classic presented by the United States Marine Corps 125: Sam Hazewinkel (Oklahoma) vs. Nick Simmons (Michigan State) 133: Tom Clum (Wisconsin) vs. Mack Reiter (Minnesota) 141: Teyon Ware (Oklahoma) vs. Nate Gallick (Iowa State) 149: Zack Esposito (Oklahoma State) vs. Jon Masa (Hofstra) 157: Joe Johnston (Iowa) vs. Alex Tirapelle (Illinois) 165: Johny Hendricks (Oklahoma State) vs. Ryan Churella (Michigan) 174: Mark Perry (Iowa) vs. Jake Herbert (Northwestern) 184: Paul Bradley (Iowa) vs. Pete Friedl (Illinois) 197: Jake Rosholt (Oklahoma State) vs. Joel Flaggert (Oklahoma) 285: Steve Mocco (Oklahoma State) vs. Cole Konrad (Minnesota)

HEMPSTEAD, NY -- The Hofstra University Wrestling Team will preview its 2005-06 season this Sunday, October 23 when the Pride conduct its annual Fall seminar and wrestle-offs at the Hofstra Arena. Former Olympic champion and current Greco-Roman United State National Team Coach Steve Fraser will open the day by holding a mental toughness seminar. The seminar will start at 9:30 am with the wrestle-offs to follow at 11:00 am. There will be eight wrestle-offs as the Pride prepare for its season opener at Army on November 15. The match-ups for the wrestle-offs are: 125 lbs Dave Tomasette vs. Jon Fennell 133 lbs Ricky LaForge vs. Charles Griffin 141 lbs John Manarte vs. Mitch Smith 149 lbs Jon Masa vs. Winner of Chris Booth/ Mike Martini 157 lbs James Strouse vs. Winner of Anthony Tortora/Mike Parziale 174 lbs Chris Vondruska vs. John Rothman 184 lbs Joe Rovelli vs. Mike Pucillo HWT Jon Andriac vs. Gus DelVecchio The cost of the clinic and wrestle-offs is $10 while the cost of just the wrestle-offs is $5.

Once the mats were put away at the 2005 World Wrestling Championships in Budapest, Hungary, only one wrestler from the U.S. brought home gold. This U.S. freestyle competitor had never won a World championship, an NCAA title, or a state high school crown. That said, Iris Smith has accomplished much in her mat career, including winning titles at the 2000-02 and 2005 U.S. Nationals, as well as the Pan American Games in 2000 and 2001. Now Smith has added the 2005 World Championship -- and its gold medal -- to her list of list of honors. A Day to Remember in September Friday, September 30 was an incredible day for Iris Smith. On her way to the gold medal in the 72kg/158.5 lb women's freestyle competition, Smith had to wrestle four opponents -- all in one day. Iris Smith defeated five-time World champion Kyoko Hamaguchi of Japan, 3-1, 1-1 and 1-0, to win the 2005 World title at 72 kg (photo by Gary Abbott/USA Wrestling)."All through the tournament, I was incredibly focused," said Smith in an interview for this profile. "I felt like I was in the zone from the moment I weighed in. I kept my concentration, and wrestled one match at a time. I felt comfortable and confident." Throughout the day, Iris Smith kept her eyes on the prize. In her first bout, Smith stopped Stanka Zlateva of Bulgaria, 3-1, 1-0 … followed by a shut out of Angnieska Wieczczek of Poland, 2-0, 6-0 to win the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Smith defeated Anita Schaetzle of Germany, 3-1, 2-0. The Finals Outcome Those three bouts were the prelude to the finals, where Smith faced off against five-time World champion Kyoko Hamaguchi of Japan. In only her second appearance in a World championship, Smith upset the veteran 3-1, 1-1 and 1-0 to win the 2005 World title in Budapest. And it all played out in an exciting finals bout that could have been straight out of a Hollywood movie. Smith opened up the best-of-three-periods title match in spectacular fashion, scoring a three-point takedown to take the first period. The next period ended in a 1-1 tie, but Hamaguchi won it because she scored the last point. In the first fifty seconds of the third and deciding period, Smith scored a takedown at the edge of the mat which had to be reviewed by the officials while the wrestlers, coaches and audience waited in nervous anticipation. The point stood, and Smith held Hamaguchi scoreless the rest of the period to claim victory -- and the gold. Basking In a Golden Glow In a published interview conducted immediately after winning the championship, Smith said, "I wrestled (Hamaguchi) 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 women's coach) Terry Steiner had everything ready, and he told me what to do. It worked." Smith was one of four U.S. women to medal in the tournament, helping the team to place third in the standings at the Worlds. "I think my gold was important to the team," Smith said in a post-match interview. "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." Reflecting on the gold-medal match two weeks after bringing home the World championship, Smith noted, "In the finals, I was so focused, I didn't even realize I had wrestled three periods. In fact, I wasn't completely sure I had won until I looked over at Terry Steiner and Shon Lewis." "I felt like a kid at Christmas," said Smith. "This has been a lifelong dream of mine, a dream that I've had since I first started wrestling." Georgia: The First Step on the Road to Gold Born twenty-six years ago in Albany, Georgia – located in the southeastern part of the state -- Smith came to wrestling a bit later than most world champions. She first took up the sport at Darsey Private High School where she also played basketball and served as student council president, according to her USA Wrestling biography. "I went to my brother Kenderson's wrestling matches to support him, to cheer him on," said Smith. "His coach, Anthony White, tried to talk me into going out for the team. Then my mom started working on me, too. So I decided to check it out." Smith got a rather rude introduction to the sport. "On the second day of practice, I broke my ankle! I spent the whole summer in a cast." In June, Iris Smith defeated Ali Bernard to win the World Team Trials in Ames, Iowa.But that injury didn't stop Smith from returning to the mats. She wrestled as a middleweight on the boys' varsity team, where she was immediately accepted by her teammates. "It helped that coach White had recruited me, and that my older brother was on the team." When asked if she encountered much resistance to wrestling boys in high school from those outside the team, Smith replied, "I really didn't hear too much in the way of negative comments. I did get some folks saying things like ‘ladies don't wrestle.'" "As I started to win, I got a bit more flack," according to Smith. "A couple times I heard from parents whose sons lost to me. But that was pretty much the extent of it." Go West, Young Wrestler! Immediately after high school, Smith stayed in Georgia for a while, continuing her wrestling training. Then she headed west to the Olympic Training Center (OTC) in Colorado Springs … even though they didn't have a specific program for women at the time. "The OTC is the perfect place for me," said Smith. "It has tremendous facilities, you get expert coaching, and experienced workout partners. And the scenery! I have an incredible view of the mountains from my house. I love the outdoors, so Colorado is great for me. I can go hiking in the mountains whenever I want." Smith singled out her coaches for special praise: "I could not have won the Worlds without them. Shon Lewis, with his background as a Greco-Roman wrestler, is a great motivator. And Terry Steiner is the technician, helping me improve my technique. Their unique skills, personalities and backgrounds compliment each other, and make a great coaching team for me." She's In the Army Now In her third year at the Olympic Training Center, Smith joined the U.S. Army, where she is a sergeant. She is based at Fort Carson, Colorado, only a few miles from the OTC and her house. "I'm part of their World Class Athlete Program," said Smith. "I am a soldier, trained as a transportation specialist, but my mission is to represent the Army as a wrestler in international competition." Smith points out that a number of U.S. wrestlers are part of this program, including Dremiel Byers, Keith Sieracki, Oscar Wood, and Tina George. Building a Ladder… With her gold medal, Iris Smith joins a very exclusive club: only three other U.S. women -- Tricia Saunders, Kristie Marano, and Sandra Bacher -- have ever won a World wrestling championship. "As a young woman, I always looked up to Tricia Saunders as my inspiration," said Smith. "She paved the way for women like me to go out for the sport and work hard to be successful at it." Smith likens her wrestling career to building a ladder over the ten years of international freestyle competition. "Winning the U.S. Nationals is one step in building a ladder to the Worlds, which then serves as a ladder towards the 2008 Olympics," said Smith. "Of course, the ladder includes many elements beyond competing, including working out, staying in shape, and having the right people around me." As for the top rung of the ladder? "After I reach my other goals, I might consider a career in coaching," said Smith. "It would be a great way to give back to the sport that has given so much to me."

ALAMOSA, Colo. -- After selling his soul and travel budget to the proverbial devil over the last two seasons, Adams State College wrestling coach Jason Ramstetter is now reaping the benefits as he has put together a very travel-friendly 2005-06 season schedule. The Grizzlies will have six home duals, five in a 3-week stretch, and will also host the Colorado College Invitational on Saturday, Jan. 21. The timing could not be better, as Ramstetter's squad will feature 10 previous NCAA Division II National Championship qualifiers and five returning All-Americans. Three of those earned the honors in 2005 as ASC finished in the top 10 of the NCAA Division II National Championships for the third straight year. The Grizzlies, who had just three home duals in 2004-05, will begin the season by hosting their annual Green & White Dual on Wednesday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. Ramstetter's squad then heads out on the tournament circuit, competing in the Wyoming Cowboy Open on Nov. 13 before Ramstetter will split his squad between the Nebraska-Omaha Kaufman-Brand Open and the Northern Colorado Open on Nov. 19. ASC then closes out the pre-Christmas portion of the schedule at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational on Dec. 2-3 before a handful of the Grizzlies will compete at the Midlands Championships in Evanston, Ill. on Dec. 29-30. A full squad will then go to the Midwest Classic in Indianapolis, Ind. on Jan. 6-7, 2006. The dual-meet portion of the schedule then begins on Jan. 12 at arch-rival Western State before the Grizzlies return home to face Division I Air Force just 47 hours later on Jan. 14 at 6 p.m. The Grizzlies will then host traditional power Central Oklahoma on Friday, Jan. 20 before hosting the Colorado Collegiate Invitational, which the Bronchos will compete in, the next day. San Luis Valley wrestling fans then will have an opportunity to catch a high school-college doubleheader on Thursday, Jan. 26. Alamosa High School, coached by Gary Ramstetter, Jason's father, will take on Pueblo West at 5 p.m. before the Grizzlies take on New Mexico Highlands, which has restarted its wrestling program, at 7 p.m. A night later, the Grizzlies host Division I Utah Valley State. The Grizzlies then close out the home stand on Feb. 2 by hosting Fort Hays State, one day before making the quick trip to Golden for an RMAC dual at Colorado Mines. The Grizzlies then close out the home portion of the schedule on Feb. 9 against Chadron State before facing Nebraska-Kearney and Augustana (S.D.) in Kearney, Neb. in a tri-state triangular on Feb. 11. Augustana finished second at last year's NCAA Division II National Championships. The RMAC/NCAA West Region Championships are scheduled for Feb. 25 in Golden. The Grizzlies, who sent ten qualifiers to the national meet in 2005, will look to qualify the same number of wrestlers for the 2006 National Championships, slated for Mar. 10 and 11 in Findlay, Ohio, at that meet.

GREELEY, Colo. -- The University of Northern Colorado wrestling team will be in action next Saturday on Homecoming weekend with an intra-squad scrimmage and open house in the Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion. The intra-squad scrimmage will feature 15 matches and is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. in the Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion. Following the scrimmage, the Bears' wrestling team will host an open house for all those attending the match. "The scrimmage gives our fans the opportunity to come out free of charge and see what the Northern Colorado wrestling program has to offer in our third-year of Division I wrestling," head coach Jack Maughan said. "The open house will provide a chance for our fans to interact with the coaches, student-athletes, alumni and supporters of Northern Colorado wrestling." Maughan is entering his 19th year as head wrestling coach at Northern Colorado in 2005-06. The wrestling program is entering its third year of a four-year reclassification process to Division I in 2005-06 and becomes eligible to participate in NCAA postseason beginning in 2006-07. Northern Colorado will open its regular season on Nov. 13 at the Wyoming Cowboy Open in Laramie, Wyo. Northern Colorado will again host the Old Chicago Northern Colorado Open on Nov. 19 in the Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion.

The NCAA Championships are a much-anticipated annual ritual. Not just for college wrestlers and coaches, but also for wrestling fans who schedule their vacations -- and their lives -- accordingly. And, along with arguing about preseason rankings and making predictions as to individual champions, another yearly ritual in the wrestling community: discussing the idea of naming ONE city as THE host for the NCAA Division I Championships, now and forever. Now, with the recent news stories announcing host cities for the NCAAs in 2008-2011 -- and as the 2005-06 college wrestling season is about to begin -- the discussion of a permanent site for the NCAAs starts all over again. Host City History 101 The very first NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship was held at Iowa State in Ames in 1928. Among the schools selected most often to serve as host: Iowa State (seven times), Iowa (five), Maryland (five), Oklahoma (five), Penn State (four), and Lehigh (four). Among the schools that have hosted the event in the past that might be a surprise to today's wrestling fans: University of Washington (1973), Auburn (1971), Brown (1931), Washington and Lee (1936) and Franklin and Marshall (1939). Iowa State University has hosted more NCAA Division I Championships than any other school. Their current arena, Hilton Coliseum (pictured), last hosted in 1993.The NCAA Championships have always been hosted by a college … even if the site of the tournament was not on campus. For the first seventy years, the tournament was usually held at the host school. There are a handful of exceptions, such as Oklahoma City serving as the site for the championships in 1983, 1985 and 1992, and the Meadowlands outside New York City in 1984. With the arrival of the new century, the location of the NCAAs seemed to shift away from "college town" sites to "big city" venues. The last on-campus NCAAs appear to have been the 2001 Championships, held at the University of Iowa. In the new millennium, the NCAAs have been held outside the traditional college towns (with the exception of Iowa City). Since 2002, Albany, Kansas City and St. Louis have all served as host … with upcoming championships booked in Oklahoma City, suburban Detroit, Omaha, Philadelphia, and St. Louis (again) through 2011. Why the Move Off-Campus? Some traditionalists lament the decision of the NCAA site selection committee to locate the Division I Wrestling Championships away from college towns to major cities. There's something to be said for holding a collegiate sporting event on a college campus. Having the event on the host school's grounds makes it more readily accessible to students, faculty and staff. And, for fans whose college days are long behind them, there's a bit of a nostalgic rush to be back on a college campus … even if the campus hosting the NCAAs isn't your alma mater. The principal reason given for moving away from on-campus sites is venue size. In the past two rounds of NCAA site selection in the new century, arena seating capacity has been mentioned repeatedly as the major concern. Most of the sites hosting the NCAAs since 2000 have a seating capacity of approximately 19,000. In the most recent announcement of upcoming sites for hosting the NCAAs in 2008-2011, Des Moines was told that its otherwise attractive bid was rejected because their brand-new Wells Fargo Arena did not have enough seats. In recent years, the NCAAs have been a virtual sell-out. The largest recorded attendance was at the 2000 NCAAs in St. Louis, with a six-session total of approximately 98,000 fans. A close second was the 2005 NCAAs in the same arena, with a six-session attendance of 95,459. In 1970, at McGaw Hall on the campus of Northwestern University (pictured), Larry Owings of Washington upset Dan Gable of Iowa State in the NCAA finals.For a decade or so -- before the move to 19,000-seat arenas -- the NCAAs were usually held in arenas seating approximately 13,000 - 15,000 fans. Before that -- up until the 1970s -- the championships were conducted in large fieldhouses half that size. For example, 8,800 fans filled McGaw Hall at Northwestern University for the 1970 NCAAs, according to published reports on the legendary finals match in which Larry Owings upset Dan Gable. Even as the venues grew, fan demand was never completely satisfied. Most host schools held a lottery to determine who got a ticket… and who had to stay home and watch the championships on TV. In other words, demand outstripped supply. Other factors may have also weighed in on the decision to locate the championships to major cities. Some traditional college towns lack adequate accommodations to feed and house the out-of-towners … forcing fans to find hotels an hour or more away. In addition, lack of easy accessibility is also a factor. Some university towns are not located on a major interstate highway, and do not have commercial airline service. My, How You've Grown! In addition to greater numbers of wrestling fans wanting to be present for the NCAA championships, the event itself has grown in size and scope. At the 1928 NCAAs at Iowa State, just forty-one wrestlers competed in seven weight classes. Similar numbers were posted at the NCAAs up to World War II. There was some growth in the years after the war. According to A Turning Point, an excellent account of the 1953 NCAAs held at Penn State, 166 wrestlers competed in ten weight classes -- about sixteen men per weight bracket. A record-breaking crowd of approximately 6,000 fans packed Rec Hall to the rafters. (As authors Jamie Moffatt and Roger Olesen point out in their book, most of the fans and participants were from the eastern U.S. In the 1950s -- before interstate highways and commercial jet service -- it was a huge undertaking to travel from Alabama or Oklahoma to central Pennsylvania.) In terms of the number of wrestlers participating in the event, the turning point seems to have been the 1967 NCAAs, held at Kent State University in Ohio. That year, 32-man brackets were pretty much the rule in each weight class … up from the approximately 16-20 competitors per weight class at the 1966 NCAAs and years before. This 32-wrestlers-per-weight-class structure is still in place; at the 2005 NCAAs, 318 wrestlers competed. What's Expected of a Good Host? The NCAA has a 73-page booklet available online, spelling out in incredible detail the requirements for hosting the Division I wrestling championships. The booklet covers everything from fundamentals such as number of mats required on the floor of the arena for the opening rounds … to seemingly nitpicky items such as how many pens should be at officials' tables. The document also addresses issues such as transportation and accommodations for the participants, tickets, security, and press credentials. . Just about all of these rules and recommendations focus on the wrestlers, their coaches, officials and NCAA personnel. That's all well and good. But what about the fan experience? Let's look at the elements that make a site ideal for hosting the NCAAs from the fans' point-of-view: • Easy access. The city should be within a few hours of the majority of college wrestling fans, with good highway access, and commercial airline and passenger rail service. Icing on the cake: an easy-to-use mass transit system that whisks fans from the arena to hotels, restaurants and entertainment areas. • An accommodating nature. There should be thousands of hotel rooms at all price points within a few minutes of the arena. Likewise, there should be a wide range of eateries easily accessible from the venue that can accommodate the hungry masses between sessions. • Things to do when not in the arena. There should be plenty of entertainment, shopping and cultural options nearby. • Price protection. Fans don't want to feel like they're being gouged with higher-than-normal prices for hotels, parking, and food inside the arena and out. Should There Be a Permanent Home for the NCAAs? It would not be unprecedented for the Division I Wrestling Championships to pick a host city as a "permanent" site. The NCAA Division I Baseball Championships are held each year in Omaha, which seems to work well for both the athletes and attendees. There's something to be said for a city and venue that's experienced at hosting the event, and knows all the fine points of accommodating the specific needs and expectations of participants and fans. The Qwest Center in Omaha (pictured) will host the 2010 NCAA Championships.However, many college wrestling fans seem to relish the idea of visiting a new location each March. One can argue that an arena is an arena is an arena … but fans appreciate the opportunity to visit a different city each year and experience its unique attractions. One can also argue that it helps the sport of wrestling to have the event take place in different parts of the country. Bringing the sport to a site that's not in a traditional wrestling hotbed can only generate publicity and interest among would-be fans and participants, expanding the sport's base … and ensuring its survival. And… not having a permanent location prevents complacency…and price-gouging. It would be all too easy for a city that knows it has the NCAAs all sowed up for the rest of time to get fat and lazy, and become unresponsive to the needs of the wrestling community. Likewise, there might be a temptation on the part of the hosts to feel as if it has participants and fans "over a barrel" in terms of prices for tickets, accommodations and incidentals. A Referee's Decision Perhaps the ideal solution is something of a compromise: Select three "permanent" host cities, and rotate the event among those cities each year. Ideally, each location could be in its own geographical area as to attract potential new fans, yet never be too far from fans in wrestling hotbeds like Pennsylvania, Ohio, Iowa and Oklahoma. Possible "permanent" cities could include Philadelphia, Baltimore or Washington in the east … St. Louis, Chicago or Omaha in the center … and Oklahoma City, Tulsa or Denver in the west. (This assumes that each city has facilities that meet NCAA criteria, including a 19,000-seat arena available in mid-March). This solution brings together the best of both worlds. Each location would become very good at hosting the event… yet would never become too cocky or complacent in terms of meeting the expectations of the wrestling community. And, by rotating the sites -- an eastern site one year, the Midwest the next, and the west the third year -- it would provide participants and fans with a welcome change-of-pace in terms of off-the-mat activities.

STILLWATER, Okla. -- Five retired high school coaching legends will be inducted into the Arizona State Chapter Hall of Fame for Lifetime Service to Wrestling, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame has announced. The Arizona Chapter has been re-activated since its last banquet in 1995 and this is the first group of new honorees. The Lifetime Service Award is given annually to coaches, officials and contributors who have given a minimum of 20 years of service to the sport of wrestling, to their communities and most importantly, to the young people they have coached, taught and inspired. This year's honorees are John Carlson from Chandler, John Mulay from Tucson, Dennis Pirch from Payson, Glenn McMinn from Apache Junction, and Russell Winer from Mesa. McMinn starred for the Sun Devils in the early days of the program's varsity status and was the first ASU grappler to reach the finals of the NCAA tournament, placing second in 1965 to earn his first All-America accolade. He also finished third in 1967 to become the program's first two-time All-American. In 1964, he won the WAC title at 123 and one year later helped the Sun Devils secure their first WAC team championship. Carlson has been a long time supporter of local wrestling not only in Chandler, but also with the Sun Devils. He currently serves as the official score keeper for all of ASU's home events, including the Sunkist Kids/ASU International Open that will be held this weekend. The National Wrestling Hall of Fame banquet and induction ceremony honoring these individuals will be held at the Sheraton Phoenix Airport Hotel, 1600 S. 52nd Street in Tempe on Sunday, Nov. 13. The reception will begin at 3 p.m., with dinner at 4 p.m. followed by the induction ceremony. Tickets are $40 per person. For more information, contact Shane Roller at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame by email at sroller@wrestlinghalloffame.org or phone 405-377-5243. RSVP's are requested by Nov. 7, 2005.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Navy head wrestling coach Bruce Burnett has announced the hiring of Scott Owen as an assistant coach to replace Todd Beckerman, who left for a similar position at the University of Maryland. Owen began his duties on Monday, Oct. 17, and brings a wealth of experience to the Navy wrestling program. "We are very excited to have Scott join our staff. We are very lucky to get someone of his quality this late in the game," said Navy head coach Bruce Burnett. "We had a number of very strong applicants, but Scott's skills and what he can do for the program really stood out. He will fit in very well here. He is goal-oriented, a very hard worker and understands wrestling. His dad was a high school wrestling coach, so he comes from a coaching background and he knows what it takes to be successful. We are very thrilled to have him join our program." Owen comes to Navy from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Ill., where he helped the Huskies to national recognition on the mats. He served as as a volunteer and assistant coach at the MAC school since 2003, where he helped coach four wrestlers to last year's NCAA Championships. As a collegiate wrestler at Northern Illinois, Owen was a four-time NCAA Qualifier and two-time All-American, placing fifth at 157 pounds in 2002 and 2003. He was the nation's top-ranked wrestler during the 2002-03 season and was a three-time Mid-American Conference champion. He ended his career as the all-time wins leader in Northern Illinois history and is just one of three Northern Illinois wrestlers to finish his career as a two-time All-American. Following the completion of his collegiate career, Owen has remained active on the mat and has claimed several top honors as a freestyle wrestler. He finished in the top 12 at the 2005 United States Nationals and was ranked as high as seventh in the country at 66 kilograms. Owen is a 2008 Olympic Freestyle Wrestling hopeful, and he continues his training to become a member of the USA Olympic Team in Beijing, China. Owen is currently a member of the New York Athletic Club at 66 kilograms and competed at the prestigious U.S. Open in Las Vegas, Nev., where he lost to eventual Olympic Silver Medalist Jamil Kelly in overtime, 3-1. Based upon his outstanding performance, it's anticipated that Owen will be ranked among the United States' top 10 in his weight class. Owens came to Northern Illinois as a three-time New Mexico state champion and was a two-time member of the Asics All-American Team in 1996 and 1997. He also excelled in the classroom, where he graduated for NIU with a 3.63 GPA in biological sciences with an emphasis in pre-med and a minor in chemistry. He was a two-time member of the NWCA First-team Academic All-America team and was named to the Verizon / CoSIDA Academic All-American second team in 2002. He was a four-time Dean's List honoree and a five-time Northern Illinois Victory Scholar, which is given to athletes with a 3.5 GPA or higher. He is currently seeking a master's degree in sport management. from Northern Illinois. "I am extremely excited about this opportunity," said Owen. "Navy is a program on the rise and I am looking forward to helping our athletes reach some big goals while also helping Navy continue to climb the national rankings to the top." Owen joins a top-notch staff at Navy, as head coach Bruce Burnett and assistant coach Joel Sharratt enter their sixth year together at the helm.

Hello wrestling fans. This is Jason Lulloff from the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse. I have been elected to continue our blog entries. I hope you're looking forward to the upcoming season as much as we are. I decided to write a little bit about my personal challenges in wrestling and share with you how our sport has shaped my mental outlook on life. It takes a special person to fall in love with the sport of wrestling and an even more unique individual to become successful at the sport. Becoming a successful wrestler is not equivalent to simply knowing good wrestling technique. Granted, technique helps, but in my opinion there are other attributes that are just as valuable. Successful wrestlers possess many characteristics that are much deeper than athletic ability. Among these characteristics include courage, a burning desire to win, mental toughness, confidence, and much more. It is rare to find a sport where athletic talent can be beaten by mental toughness and courage. In most sports, the most athletic person is the most successful. Not that having skill in wrestling is not important, but I believe wrestlers call upon more than athleticism to succeed. When I step foot on the mat, technique and ability are the least of my worries. I know it is possible to beat someone who is more technically talented than I am -- simply by focusing on the special attributes that I listed above. I have spent 18 years of my life participating in the sport of wrestling. Throughout those years, there have been times when I thought I was at the top of my game. Fortunately for me, each time that occurred -- it was not long before I realized that I was not. From my youth years up through high school, I accomplished most of my goals. I was successful and had a lot of awards to show for those years. Upon graduating high school, I was very confident with my skills and looked forward to a college career. I decided to attend the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (UWL). It was there where I finally realized how the sport of wrestling really works. When I entered my first season of college wrestling, our team at UWL was very competitive. I found myself battling for a starting position that I had previously thought was easily mine. I earned a spot in the lineup and found early success. Toward the middle part of the season, I lost a match I was expected to win. That was the beginning of my maturing process as a wrestler. I was in a slump because my confidence was low from the loss. My coach came up to me and basically said that I could do one of two things: I could realize that I had everything I needed to be a good a wrestler, work on the mental aspects I was struggling with, and finish top-three in Division III as a true freshman at 174 pounds. Or I could continue to be a decent wrestler, knocking off only the wrestlers who were less talented, and never step foot on the podium. Jason Lulloff, who competes at 184 pounds, is a two-time All-American for the Eagles. Those choices haunted me for a long time until I suddenly realized that wrestling is much more than talent and technique. The day I decided that I was going to be the freshman that everyone was out to beat, rather than the freshman who was out to beat somebody, was the day I finally came out of my slump. I went on to place third at nationals that year. After my freshman year, I was definitely mentally tougher than I had ever been before. I thought then that I had this sport figured out -- I had high expectations and a new attitude. During my sophomore year, I realized that my new attitude was great, but it was not great enough. I lost focus at the NCAA Tournament and was pinned in the first round. Devastated with my fourth place finish, I decided I was going to rededicate myself to the sport of wrestling. I trained that summer like I had never done before. My confidence was so high that I was almost cocky, and my mental state was solid. I could not wait for the season to begin. That is when I ran into a new mental challenge. Only weeks before practice started, I received the results from my MRI. I was so focused on training and becoming mentally tough that I failed to listen to my body. I was having back pains for about two months and finally went to the doctor to get it checked out. I had a severely ruptured disc slightly above my tailbone. Had I gone to the doctor when I first ruptured the disc, I could have avoided surgery. Because I kept training hard, I spread the disc matter into my nerve stem and needed surgery. When I heard the news, I was devastated. I was told that I was not only out for the season, but I would possibly never wrestle again. At first I wandered around, feeling sorry for myself, but then suddenly the mental toughness kicked in. I decided I would have the surgery and I would return to the mat because I am not an ordinary patient with back problems -- I am a wrestler with a mean mental attitude and a will to win a national championship. I found a doctor who said that a return to the mat would be extremely difficult, but not impossible, and booked an appointment with him. He performed the surgery and things went well. I spent a lot of time rehabbing the back and am finally at a state where it is possible to wrestle. Every rehab session and every time there was frustration, I can distinctly recall my mind overcoming the body because there was some driving force more powerful than a painful back -- that force is to win a national championship. Our season at UWL is now underway. I have been participating in all of the practices and so far have had no troubles with my back. I was told that I would never return to 100% of the wrestler I was before surgery, and yet I am extremely confident that this will be my best season yet. I have gained so much more from this injury that I wish everyone could see wrestling as I see it right now. I have been in the seat where doctors have told me I would be foolish to continue competing. I have stared at my trophies and at the open spot on my desk that I have designated for a national championship trophy. I have contemplated if I was tough enough to overcome the unlikely return to the mat. I spent the last ten months watching our team from the sideline, wondering if I would ever wear a maroon singlet again. The waiting is over; I have overcome another hardship and conquered the odds. I am convinced that I am tougher than ever before. I realize now that I am mentally stronger and more determined to accomplish my goals. Through my struggles, I know now that I am ready for anything that life decides to throw at me. I am really looking forward to the upcoming battles. The excitement in the room has me eager to get this season underway. I am ready. I am back. Jason Lulloff Past UW-LaCrosse Entries: Entry 1 (10/10/05)

Stanford, Calif. -- Stanford fifth-year seniors Ray Blake, Ryan Hagen and Imad Kharbush and redshirt sophomore Tanner Gardner were selected by their teammates to be captains of the 2005-06 squad. "I am very excited to have these men represent our program," noted first-year head coach Kerry McCoy. "We have a good mixture of veteran leadership and experience with fifth year seniors Ray, Ryan and Imad. And even though Tanner is redshirt sophomore, he has a tremendous amount of experience and will be the cornerstone of this program over the next few years. They all bring something different to the table and are all committed to lead Stanford to the top." Blake, a Chicago native, will compete at 165 pounds for his final campaign on The Farm. Last season, he picked up 10 wins during the collegiate season, including three wins at the Lone Star Duals, and in the spring Blake came one match away from All-America honors at the U.S. National Championships. Hagen, who hails from Sidney, Mont., has accumulated more than 40 wins during his time on The Farm and finished his junior year with seven dual wins at 184 pounds. Kharbush, a two-time NCAA Qualifier and the 2004 Pac-10 Champion from Livonia, Mich., is ranked in the top-6 in the preseason polls and will be looking for his first All-America honors in Oklahoma City in March. Gardner is the Cardinal's second returning NCAA qualifier, after placing fifth at Pac-10's as a true freshman and earning a wildcard spot. Gardner redshirted last season but continued to compete at tournaments throughout the year, picking up fourth-place finishes at the University National Championships and at the 2005 FILA Junior National Championships last spring. Stanford Wrestling begins the 2005-06 season on Tuesday, Nov. 1, as the Cardinal competes in wrestle-offs at 7 p.m. in Burnham Pavilion.

Nate Baker, now a junior at Minnesota State-Moorhead, is happy to be back wrestling in college again. That's all that matters right now. It doesn't matter that he was once considered a "can't-miss" wrestler who was going to be the next University of Minnesota great. It doesn't matter that his dream, ever since he was a little boy, was to follow in the footsteps of University of Minnesota four-time All-American Chad Kraft. It doesn't matter that he and Josh McLay were supposed to form a dynamic one-two punch in the middle of the Gopher lineup for years to come. It doesn't matter that he won three Minnesota state high school titles and racked up more than 200 career wins. It doesn't matter that he won the prestigious Junior Nationals, the summer after his senior year, in a weight class that would eventually produce an astonishing four Division I NCAA champions. It doesn't matter that he has beaten the following Division I NCAA champions: Ryan Bertin (twice), Chris Pendleton (twice), and Troy Letters (three times). It doesn't matter that he was named "Mr. Minnesota," an honor bestowed upon the top senior wrestler in the state. Nate BakerTo understand why none of those things matter anymore, you must first understand what this 24-year-old's journey has been like, and where he wants it to take him. In the mid-1980s, Nate began tagging along with his father, Randy Baker, a high school wrestling coach, to his practices. Randy grew up in southwestern Minnesota and has spent virtually his entire life in that area. In high school, he wrestled at Jackson High School in Minnesota, then moved on to wrestle and become an All-American at nearby Worthington Community College (now Minnesota West Community College), before finishing up his competitive wrestling career at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. After Randy graduated from college with his physical education degree, it took him a few years to acquire a teaching and coaching job. But in 1984, Lakefield, (which has since joined with Jackson), hired him as a part-time teacher and wrestling coach. He's been there ever since. Randy's passion was, and still is, coaching wrestling. He loves every minute of it. He has become one of the most successful wrestling coaches in Minnesota State High School League history. He is also considered to be on one of the brightest wrestling minds around. He has produced great teams, great wrestlers, and great people. He ranks fourth on the all-time list in Minnesota as having coached 17 individual state champions. In 1997, he was named State Wrestling Man of the Year. In 2001, he was named USA Wrestling Developmental Coach of the Year, an award given annually to the top coach in the nation working with age-group wrestlers and programs. So it was only natural for Randy to pass on his love and passion for the sport to his only son, Nate. Nate wrestled in his first match when he was in kindergarten. Those who watched him, even at such a young age, could tell right away that he was naturally gifted. He grew up listening to everything his father preached. He emulated the techniques and wrestling styles of the Kraft brothers, Matt and Chad, whom his father had coached on the high school team. Both Matt and Chad were high school standouts who went on to wrestle for the hometown Gophers. Nate wanted to be just like them. In 2001, Randy Baker was named USA Wrestling Developmental Coach of the Year (TheGuillotine.com).Nate would go on to reach the Minnesota/USA Kids Freestyle State Tournament finals eight times, winning it five times. While many young wrestlers attended wrestling camps all across the country, at places like Iowa, Oklahoma State, and Arizona State, Nate stayed home and learned from his father. Randy could show him everything he needed to know to be successful. "He helped me so much throughout my career," says Nate of his father. "He guided me. He helped me with my decisions. He helped me learn the proper ways to cut weight. Pretty much all the technique I learned came from him." Although Nate saw a lot of success as a youth wrestler, there were still the disappointments along the way. Take, for instance, the time he drew Jacob Clark in the first round of the Minnesota/USA Kids Freestyle State Tournament, and was two and done, after winning the state title the year before. Or the time he lost in the Cadet state finals to Luke Eustice. Or the time he lost to a lesser opponent, because that wrestler stalled the entire match, and Nate didn't get any help from the referee. "You had to deal with those things," said Randy. "It might have made for a little quieter ride home, but when you talked, it was more than just coaching him. It was a relationship and you didn't give up on each other." When Nate was in eighth grade, wrestling for his father at Jackson County Central, he placed sixth at 103 pounds at the Minnesota State High School Tournament. The following year, as a freshman, he finished as the state runner-up at 119 pounds. He won his first state high school title as a sophomore wrestling at 140 pounds. "I was really excited," said Nate of winning his first title. "It was something that I had planned on doing the year before, but I lost in the finals." Randy Baker led the Jackson County Central Huskies to back-to-back Minnesota state titles in 1999 and 2000 (TheGuillotine.com).His junior season, he pinned all four opponents en route to another state title, this time at 152 pounds. He also guided the Jackson County Central Huskies to the state team title. That summer, he placed third at Junior Nationals in freestyle. His impressive wrestling resume made him one of the most sought after recruits in the country. Shortly after July 1, 1999, when coaches are permitted to contact recruits, University of Minnesota head coach, J Robinson, and his top assistant, Marty Morgan, called Nate and expressed interest. Iowa, who had won the national title a few months prior (edging Minnesota), waited a little while, before contacting him for a visit. It wasn't long before Tom Brands and Jim Zalesky were sitting in the Baker's living room, trying to persuade him to come to Iowa City and wrestle for the Hawkeyes. But during the fall of 1999, when the wrestling recruiting season was in full swing, Nate's schedule was jam-packed. He played both ways on the football team and was an avid hunter, so it was tough to find time. He and Matt Shankey, a fellow Minnesota high school standout, took their recruiting visits together. They looked at Wisconsin, Northern Iowa, Iowa, and Minnesota. Baker chose Minnesota. Shankey chose Iowa. "It came down to Iowa and Minnesota," said Nate. "They were my top two choices. I was very interested in Iowa. Obviously they have a great program. But the reason I went to Minnesota is because I knew a lot of the guys. I just felt a little more comfortable with the situation there." His senior season, he won his third state title while wrestling with a torn MCL, and once again, he led the Huskies to the team title. After winning his championship match, Nate walked off the mat and hugged his father. Nate Baker hugs his father, Randy, after winning his third state title (TheGuillotine.com)."The road we were on together made it pretty emotional," recalled Randy. "It was a long process. We went through a lot of great memories, but also a lot of time and work. I think people sometimes don't realize what kids who win state titles really have to go through. Other people are sitting around in the summer, going to the beach, partying or whatever, while a lot of the top wrestlers are going to camps, working out, or going to Cadet and Junior Nationals." Even though Nate was already headed to the University of Minnesota in the fall, he still wanted to test the waters that summer at the always tough Junior Nationals. Prior to the tournament, he and Randy had shingled and done carpentry work in the hot, summer heat -- which gave Nate a strong conditioning base. "At training camp for Junior Nationals, I got my weight down fine, and I just felt really good throughout all the practices," recalled Nate. "So I knew going into the tournament that I was going to have a good performance. Once I got out there, everything started flowing. All of my matches seemed to work out exactly how I had planned them." Nate dominated at Junior Nationals. He won seven of his nine matches in his pool by technical fall or fall. The only two matches that went the distance in his pool, ironically, were against two eventual two-time NCAA champions, Pendleton and Bertin. In the finals, Nate defeated Letters, 7-5, which marked the second straight year that he had beaten him at Junior Nationals. Nate Baker claimed the Junior Nationals title in 2000 at 154 pounds (TheGuillotine.com).With his illustrious prep career behind him, it was time to take care of business at the next level. Nate enrolled at the University of Minnesota in the fall of 2000. He redshirted his first season with the Gophers. Wrestling unattached at 157 and 165, he posted an impressive 21-3 record. He captured titles at the Kaufman-Brand Open (20-and-under division), Northern Open, Flash-Flanagan Open, and Worthington Open. One of his three losses that season came to his teammate, Luke Becker (who captured the NCAA title at 157 that season), in the finals of the Bison Open, 10-5. "My first year at Minnesota was really a good experience for me," said Nate. "Going from high school to college, I didn't know how big of a change in levels it would be. I was wrestling with (Luke) Becker, (Brad) Pike, and a lot of great wrestlers. So I learned a lot just from wrestling them. When I went out to wrestle in competitions, it made it a lot easier, because I was already wrestling some of the best wrestlers in the nation. I felt pretty good about the way I was wrestling all the way through my redshirt year." It was a promising start to what looked to be a great career. He was now ready to make his mark in the Gopher lineup. In the next season, the Gophers had a logjam at 165 pounds. Nate, John Hardy, and Mitch Marr all battled for the right to start. At the Kaufman-Brand Open in November, Nate lost a tight match, 5-3, to Hardy in the finals. It was back and forth all season. Nate never knew when he would be in the lineup. In fact, one time that season, Randy had driven up to Minneapolis to visit Nate. The two were sitting at Perkins Restaurant, casually talking, when all of a sudden Nate's cell phone rang. It was J Robinson. He told Nate to get his weight down, because he had a plane ticket for him to travel Purdue the next day and wrestle in the lineup. Nate, who had no idea that he might be wrestling, was eight pounds over weight. It was 8:00 at night. He ran all night, made weight, traveled to Purdue, and lost his match by two points. Hardy replaced Nate in the lineup for the next dual. Nate won two of his last three duals, which included a fall over seventh-ranked Johnny Clark of Ohio State. He earned the right to be in the lineup for the postseason. "Once I got in the lineup, I tried to show the coaches that I was the one they wanted in there, just by wrestling hard," said Nate. "When it came down to the last couple of duals, I finally earned the spot. So I figured out that all my hard work was paying off." During the 2001-02 season, Nate Baker compiled a 29-15 record while wrestling at 165 pounds for the University of Minnesota (TheGuillotine.com).Nate placed fifth at the Big Ten Championships, which qualified him for the NCAA Tournament. At the NCAA Tournament, in Albany, New York, he won his opening round match, 13-11, but then lost 12-2 to top-seeded Joe Heskett of Iowa State. Nate was then eliminated in the consolation bracket by Chris Vitale of Lehigh. He finished that season with an overall record of 29-15. The NCAA Tournament had been a bitter-sweet experience for Nate. On the one hand, he didn't wrestle as well as he had hoped. But on the other hand, his team, the Gophers, captured their second straight NCAA title. "It was great to be a part of a national championship team," said Nate. "It was something that I knew a lot of the guys really wanted." Nate spent the summer lifting and training as he prepared for the 2002-03 season. The first match that season was the much publicized dual between Minnesota and Iowa. Nate weighed in for the dual, but the coaches decided not to wrestle him. A week later, Nate failed to place at the Kaufman-Brand Open in Omaha. In early-December, he finished third at the UNI Open. At that time, Nate was trying to cope with serious family problems, something no one would ever want to experience. Soon after that, in the fall of 2002, he left the Minnesota program. In late-February of 2003, Nate stepped back on the mat and claimed the 174-pound title at the USA Wrestling Collegiate Nationals in Rochester, Minnesota. The next fall, Nate got in a car accident, and although no one was seriously hurt, the accident took a financial and emotional toll on him. That winter, with Nate still living in Minneapolis, but no longer wrestling for the Gophers, he began coaching at Eagan High School, a Minneapolis suburb. One of Randy's former wrestlers, Chad Gage, was the head coach at Eagan, and had known the Baker family for years. The next summer, 2004, Nate moved back home and worked. Last winter, he began coaching with his father at Jackson County Central. Bryan Cowdin, whom Nate had known for years, a former Minnesota state champion at a school located near Jackson (Worthington), and an All-American at both Minnesota West and South Dakota State, also joined the Baker duo on the coaching staff. "Bryan and I started wrestling each other when I was in eighth grade," said Nate. "Our matches were a big deal around the area, just because we were both talented wrestlers. A lot of people would show up at our duals. But when he started coaching at Jackson, I got to know him really well." In January of 2005, just for fun, Nate and Cowdin got back on the mat and wrestled in the Worthington Open, held at Minnesota West. Both won titles. So what did Randy think of the experience of coaching with his son? "It was pretty interesting, but it was a lot of fun," said Randy. "It was interesting how he would act, how he would coach. He wasn't really a yeller, but he knew what to do. He did a good job. A couple of times we would have a little disagreement about what we wanted a wrestler to do, but for the most part, we were on the same page." Last season, Don Hoonhorst, a former wrestler at Minnesota State-Moorhead (Division II), who was living near Jackson, noticed that Nate was coaching. If Nate wanted to return to college wrestling, his only options were Division II, Division III, or NAIA, since his Division I eligibility had run out. So Hoonhorst got on the phone and called his former coach, Keenan Spiess, and mentioned that he should talk to Nate about the possibility of joining the program. So Spiess made the call to Nate. "It was just a question of whether or not he was ready to go back to school, get his degree, and move on with his life," said Spiess, who is beginning his third season as head coach of the Dragons. "That was the main thing. I didn't really bug him that much. I just told him that we're interested, if he's ready to come back." Keenan SpiessThankfully for Spiess, it worked. Nate made the decision to enroll at Minnesota State-Moorhead this fall. He is expected to compete at 165 pounds for the Dragons. Cowdin will also join the wrestling program second semester, after he finishes up some coursework at Minnesota West. Randy is happy that Nate made the decision to get back on the mat. "That was one of my goals, to get him back wrestling," said Randy. "I knew that he would get the itch again, especially if he was around it. I just don't want him to have those questions later in his life, seeing guys he has beaten be national champions, and then have some bitterness about what happened in his life. So I wanted to get him back on the mat, and at least answer those questions himself. If you go back, and you don't want to do it, then you'll know. But if you don't ever go back, you're always going to wonder, and wish you would have. Regrets are really hard." On Nov. 23, Minnesota State-Moorhead travels to Augsburg College to wrestle the defending Division III national champions. There is a possibility that Nate could meet up with another former Minnesota prep star, who also spent some time in the University of Minnesota room, Marcus LeVesseur. Levesseur, who transferred to Augsburg after just one season at Minnesota, has won three Division III national titles and has compiled a record of 124-0 while wrestling at 157 pounds. There is unconfirmed speculation, however, that LeVesseur might move up to 165 pounds for his senior season. Nate's goal for this season is to finish on top. "Hopefully I can win a national title this year," said Nate, who has two years of eligibility remaining. "That's my main goal, especially after making it to the NCAA's in Division I. I think that because of some of the guys I've wrestled, and how they're doing, I should be able to do just as well." Added Randy, "If Nate can get to where he was, I think you'll see that smile back on his face. For a long time, he was pretty reserved. A lot of negative things were going on and you don't know how to fix them. Really, until you realize you can't fix them, you kind of stumble." But regardless of what happens on the wrestling mat, Spiess believes that Nate is setting himself up for a prosperous future. "I'm excited to have him on the team," said Spiess. "He's doing really well in school. He's a construction management major. They set them up really well with jobs when they are done here. As long as he sticks to his guns, he's going to have a great life ahead of him." Despite the adversity Nate has faced the past few years, he believes the tough nature of the sport is what helped to bring him back. "I've always known that wrestling is a tough sport," said Nate. "There is a lot of adversity you have to deal with. I've learned a lot through wrestling, like how to deal with different things just from being a wrestler. That's why I'm back in it now."

TEMPE, Ariz. -- The 21st Annual Sunkist Kids/Arizona State University International Open will be held this weekend, Oct. 21-22, inside Wells Fargo Arena on the campus of ASU in Tempe. The longest standing international open wrestling tournament in the United States, the Open is a premiere event that kicks off each USA Wrestling season and includes numerous elite wrestlers from around the world. The tournament, which is used as a selection tool for choosing Team USA's winter touring team, will again feature men's and women's freestyle wrestling as well as men's Greco-Roman wrestling. The event opens Friday at 9 a.m. with the men's freestyle and Greco-Roman preliminary and consolation rounds and will last until 1 p.m. The same two groups will compete in preliminary, quarterfinal and consolation rounds starting at 3 p.m. and lasting until it the rounds are completed. Saturday, the women's preliminary, quarterfinals and consolations, as well as the men's freestyle and Greco-Roman semifinals and consolations, are set for 9 a.m. Saturday until 1 p.m. before the women's semifinals and consolations and all men's third place bouts take the mat from 2:30 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. The event concludes at 4:30 p.m. when the women's third place bouts and all championship matches take the mat. Included with the tournament is the annual Sunkist Kids/Sun Devil Coaches & Wrestling Clinic. The clinic runs from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and will be hosted by several outstanding members of the ASU and Sunkist coaching staffs, including Sun Devil Head Coach Thom Ortiz and assistants Aaron Simpson and Eric Larkin. Former Sun Devil Joe Romero and two-time Olympic champion Sergei Beloglazav also will be on hand, as well as many members of the current Sun Devil roster. Tickets to the Open will be available at the front entrances of Wells Fargo Arena both days for $10.

The U.S. World Freestyle Team did not meet their goals this year at the World Championships in Hungary. It was a very tough tournament for each and every member of the seven-man squad -- as well as the U.S. fans following the event. Team USA came home with two shared bronze medals (Joe Williams at 74 kg and Tolly Thompson at 120 kg) and an eighth-place finish in the team race with 20 points. Since the tournament, there has been lots of constructive discussion on what the U.S. freestyle movement needs to do in order to be more successful. How do our freestylers get where they (and we) want to be? The short answer is that there are no easy fixes to more medals and World titles. Breakup of the USSR It's difficult to overstate the impact the breakup of the Soviet Union has had on international wrestling. In the days of the USSR, wrestling enthusiasts would often claim that the toughest competition in the world was, in fact, the Tbilisi tournament held annually in Georgia. The challenge of the competition was that you had to face a Russian in each and every round. The World Championships of today are similarly loaded with Russian (or formerly Russian) talent, but it's arguably more difficult -- since the wrestlers on the teams of these former Soviet republics are each able to gain more international experience. Could Lee Fullhart do some damage at the World level, if given the opportunity?In the second round of this year's World Championships, at 96 kg, Daniel Cormier lost to Aleksie Krupniakov of Kyrgystan 2-1, 8-1. Wrestling fans may recall that Krupniakov was Russia's representative in the 1998 World Cup. In the dual with the United States, Krupniakov (with the aid of a wicked 3-point hip toss from a whizzer situation) beat standing World champ Les Gutches, 4-2. It was a month before Krupniakov's 20th birthday. If the breakup of the Soviet Union had never occurred, a talent like Krupniakov would most likely been forced to sit behind such great wrestlers as Khadshimurad Magomedov and Adam Satiev at 84 kg or Sazid Murtazaliev, Kuramagomed Kuramagomedov, and Georgi Gogchelidze at 96 kg (all five of whom were World champions). But because the USSR was no more, Krupniakov merely switched citizenship to Kyrgystan and complied a wealth of international experience by the time this year's worlds came around -- where he finally broke through and medaled. It's tough for American fans not to speculate hypothetical World Championship results of guys like John Fisher, Tom Erikson and Lee Fullhart had they had similar opportunities after just missing numerous U.S. spots. And although the might of the former Soviet Republics are hard on everyone (in 2003, Russia finished fourth and watched Georgia win the title) there is the distinct possibility of Russia being able to stack their lineup even more by cherry-picking seasoned talent from other former Soviet republics. There was much talk in international wrestling circles that (2003 World and 2004 Olympic champion) Artur Taimazov of Uzbekistan would be wearing a Russian singlet this year in Hungary. From 2000 through 2002, Taimazov only lost to David Musulbes of Russia in world competition. When Musulbes was no longer around and Taimazov was winning gold, he would regularly defeat Russian team member Kuramagomed Kuramagomedov. It therefore made sense to merely reclaim Taimazov for mother Russia. That Taimazov remained a competitor for Uzbekistan this year (and also didn't perform well) doesn't change the fact that the free-floating nature of former Soviet republic citizenship has made the worlds significantly more difficult than in the past. And that if USA indeed becomes a threat to dethrone Russia, that their lineup could instantly become even stronger. Free looks? In speculating how the U.S. can be more successful, one simply must look to Russia and examine the habits that contribute to their dominance. A reoccurring trend for Russia is that they give the competition scarce few opportunities to see their top team members in action, or more importantly, actually square off against them. The ability of world-level wrestlers to make adjustments against an opponent from match to match is huge. Gigantic. But a simple way to prevent an opponent from dissecting your technique is to not show it to them and only break it out on special occasions. It's been a long-standing tradition for Russia to not send their top guys to the World Cup. Similarly, this year's European championships featured only three of the seven Russian team members who competed in Hungary. Although Russia didn't win either event, please don't shed any tears for them. Their four-champion, 54-point 2005 World team title most surely eases the sting of not winning either of those less-important competitions. And it also shows that they know where their priorities lie. So should USA, similarly, hold back our top guys from international competitions? Probably not. Our needs are different and any and all international experience does us more good than harm. The rest of the world doesn't need to break away from a career of risky folkstyle habits. We want American wrestlers to face the world's best and get crotch-lifted off a head outside single when it's NOT for a world medal. Otherwise, we'll learn the lesson too late. But will such lessons simultaneously let the world get a "free look" at our own wrestler's current bag of tricks and allow them to come up with a counter-strategy down the line? Probably, but it's a risk we have no choice but to take. Focus on freestyle/sticking with it One obvious obstacle for the American freestyle movement is the lack of a full career committed to the discipline. As I see it, the issue is twofold. At the beginning of a wrestler's career, time is (at best) split between folkstyle and free (or, obviously, Greco-Roman). Moreover, a young freestyle wrestler's experience is mostly national, where they aren't threatened by the same types of scoring holds (or, more importantly, counters) that they'll see in other countries. But in all honesty, I'm not convinced this is our World Team's biggest problem. At the senior level, our top folkstyle-bred wrestlers ARE able to succeed internationally. It takes some time to adjust, but many do what it takes and get the job done. It didn't happen overnight, but Gutches, Sammie Henson, Brandon Slay, Kerry McCoy, etc. all eventually were able to turn the world's best from par terre. Can our youth freestyle movement improve? Certainly. In fact, we've got a ways to go. Perhaps I'd nominate HOSTING more international events before adding more competitions abroad. Given our non-freestyle-from-birth situation, having our young athletes face opponents with more experience in the style is lesson enough without having to deal with being in a strange land. While our junior world teams have indeed struggled, when we hosted the event in Las Vegas, we did quite well. In my honest opinion, the bigger problem could well be that many American freestyle careers end too soon. The worlds are obviously an incredibly difficult event, where the tiniest aspects -- both those that you have control over and those that you do not -- cost you a match. However, the more times a wrestler attends the worlds, the greater the odds are of finally putting together a tourney where you do everything right and the breaks fall your way. A good example would be Arif Abdullaev of Azerbaijan, who didn't medal at all at the Worlds until 2003, where, at the age of 35, he took home the gold at 60 kg. Please don't mistake this as an attack on those who choose to leave their shoes in the center of the mat. I don't begrudge the decision. Again, our situation in the U.S. is different than many parts of the world. American wrestlers simply don't have the same incentives to keep at it year after year. Champion wrestler counterparts in foreign countries are important people, getting all kinds of accolades and money. In the U.S, our top guys simply don't get similar respect. Tolly ThompsonAnd it's also tough enough just to keep try and cracking the national team. It would have been easy for Tolly Thompson to not stick with it this long. But he did and put together a great run in winning his bronze medal. USA needs more Tolly Thompson's. But more importantly, we've got to make it less life-draining for American freestyle wrestlers to continue to compete. One cannot overstate the extent to which Real Pro Wrestling aids in this cause. RPW was taped after the Olympics and the rosters featured names of guys I thought were done -- at least for now. But it makes perfect sense. If you're one of these guys, why not show up and try and make some cash while getting slick TV airtime? More importantly, training for RPW is in complete harmony with training for a conventional freestyle career. RPW was wise to keep the weights the same and have rules that were similar to FILA's (although RPW's push-out rule came first). If RPW can succeed, I really think that will give more of our top wrestlers an excuse to keep chasing world titles, which will help our overall performance. Not so bleak The bottom line is that this year's worlds are not the end of the world. Like the previous quadrennials, we'll probably do better in the next two years and peak at the Olympics. That's been the trend and it makes sense. Many wrestlers end their careers at the Olympics and new U.S. talent generally needs the full four years of freestyle experience to finally get into sync. Can we be at the top and win titles? I think so, but it's a tougher task than ever and there are really no easy answers.

MOUNT PLEASANT -- Home dual meets against Michigan State and Michigan highlight the 2005-06 Central Michigan University wrestling schedule. The Chippewas will make a total of four appearances in Rose Arena during the upcoming season. Michigan State and Michigan visit Mount Pleasant on Dec. 7 and 11, respectively, while CMU will also host Northern Illinois and Ohio on Feb. 10 and 17, respectively. CMU opens the season at the MSU Open in East Lansing on Nov. 12-13. The Midlands Tournament will again be held in Evanston, Ill. on Dec. 29-30, while the National Duals are slated for Jan. 14-15 in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Northern Illinois will serve as host for the MAC Championships on March 3-4, while the NCAA Championships are slated for March 16-18 at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City. The CMU ticket office is accepting ticket orders now for nationals, with packages costing $110 or $130 depending on the section. The ticket office can be reached at (989) 774-3045 or 1-888-FIRE UP2 (347-3872). Tom Borrelli, entering his 15th season as the head coach at CMU, has guided the Chippewas to seven MAC Tournament titles in the past eight years, including each of the past four.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- A 2005-06 schedule featuring six home dual matches was released on Thursday by University of Virginia head wrestling coach Lenny Bernstein. The Cavaliers are scheduled to host Ohio State University (Jan. 22, Noon), the University of North Carolina (Jan. 27, 7:00 p.m.), Virginia Tech (Jan. 28, 7:00 p.m.), Ohio University (Feb. 5, 1:30 p.m.), James Madison University (Feb. 5, 3:30 p.m.) and the University of Maryland (Feb. 17, 7:00 p.m.). All of the matches will be held at Memorial Gymnasium. Virginia's first competition is the annual Blue-Orange intra-squad exhibition match at Memorial Gymnasium on Oct. 30. UVa opens regular-season competition with matches against the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, Gardner-Webb University and Anderson College in Greensboro, N.C., on Nov. 12. The Cavaliers' other away dual matches are at Old Dominion University (Feb. 3, 7:00 p.m.), at North Carolina State University (Feb. 11, Noon) and at Duke University (Feb. 11, 7:00 p.m.). Virginia also wrestles Virginia Military Institute at Robinson High School in Fairfax, Va., on Jan. 4 (7:30 p.m.). The Cavaliers are also scheduled to compete at the Keystone Classic (Nov. 20), the Las Vegas Invitational (Dec. 2-3), the Nittany Lion Open (Dec. 4), the Southern Scuffle (Dec. 29-30), the Virginia Intercollegiate Championships (Jan. 7) and the Virginia Duals (Jan. 13-14). The Atlantic Coast Conference Championships are scheduled for March 4 at Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Va., and the NCAA Championships are scheduled for March 16-18 in Oklahoma City, Okla.

The U.S. Olympic Committee today named World Champion wrestler Iris Smith as its Female Athlete of the Month for September. Skier Jeret "Speedy" Peterson was its September Male Athletes of the Month. The USOC Team of the Month honor was awarded to the USA Men's National Volleyball Team. Smith (Colorado Springs, Colo.) won a gold medal at 72kg/158.5 lbs. at the World Wrestling Championships, the most important international event of the year, Sept. 30 in Budapest, Hungary. Smith scored a major upset in the gold-medal finals, defeating five-time World champion Kyoko Hamaguchi of Japan, 3-1, 1-1, 1-0. Smith was the only U.S. woman wrestler to win a World gold medal this year and became only the fourth U.S. woman wrestler ever to win a World title on her way to leading the United States to a strong third-place finish in the team standings at the World Championships. Smith won four matches on the way to her historic win. In her first bout, Smith stopped Stanka Zlateva of Bulgaria, 3-1, 1-0. In the quarterfinals, Smith stopped Angnieska Wieczczek of Poland, 2-0, 6-0. She also had a strong semifinal win over Anita Schaetzle of Germany, 3-1, 2-0. Smith was competing in her second World Championships. She is a member of the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program. Volleyball's Nancy Metcalf (Hull, Iowa) placed second among the women after being named the most valuable player of the NORCECA Continental Championships Sept. 11 in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. She led the USA Women's National Volleyball Team to the gold medal with a 25-13, 22-25, 27-25, 20-25 victory over Cuba. Metcalf, who tied a match high with 21 points in the final, also tied for the tournament lead in scoring with 67 total points on 55 kills, seven blocks and five aces in five matches. Team USA posted a 5-1 record and qualified for the prestigious six-team Grand Champions Cup tournament in Japan in November. Third place for the women went to snowboarder Hannah Teter (Belmont, Vt.), who earned back-to-back halfpipe wins just three hours apart at the World Cup season opener Sept. 15 in Valle Nevado, Chile. Teter was the lone American woman to qualify for either halfpipe final and the two victories bring her total career World Cup wins to six. On the men's side, reigning World Cup aerials champion Peterson (Boise, Idaho) won the first World Cup aerials event of the Olympic season Sept. 3 at Mount Buller, Australia. In collecting the fourth World Cup victory of his career, Peterson had 246.25 points and landed two quad-twisting triples (four twists, three flips), a double full-full-full and a full-double full-full. Second-place honors for the men went to volleyball's Donald Suxho (Redondo Beach, Calif.), who guided the USA Men's National Volleyball Team to its second-straight NORCECA Continental Championship as the squad posted a 25-22, 25-27, 25-23, 25-22 victory over Cuba Sept. 15 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Suxho, who earned the tournament's best server honors after blasting 11 aces, set Team USA to a hitting percentage of 0.441 (195 kills, 43 errors, 345 attempts) and averaged 6.6 points per match. Rower Beau Hoopman (Plymouth, Wis.) placed third for the men after stroking the men's eight to a gold medal Sept. 3 at the 2005 FISA World Championships in Gifu, Japan, its first World championship title in the event since 1999. Hoopman, who raced in two boats at the world championships, also helped the U.S. men's four to a fifth-place finish Sept. 3. Freestyle wrestler Tolly Thompson (Cedar Falls, Iowa/Sunkist Kids), a World bronze medalist at 120 kg/264.5 lbs., received first-place votes in the balloting. In the team category, the USA Men's National Volleyball Team held off a stubborn Cuban squad, 3-1, to win its second-consecutive NORCECA Continental Championship Sept. 15 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The USA posted a 25-22, 25-27, 25-23, 25-22 victory to finish the tournament with a perfect 5-0 record while losing just one set (15-1). The Americans, who also won the last NORCECA Championship in 2003, earned back-to-back crowns for the first time in 20 years. Second place went to the U.S. Rowing Men's Eight with Coxswain. Despite four members rowing in two events, the squad won the gold medal at the 2005 FISA World Rowing Championships Sept. 3 in Gifu, Japan. The victory marked the first time the U.S. won gold at the World Championships since 1999. Third place in the team category went to the U.S. International Junior Women's Gymnastics Team, consisting of Natasha Kelley (Katy, Texas) and Bianca Flohr (Creston, Ohio), which earned three gold, five silver and two bronze medals at the International Junior Gymnastics Competition Sept. 18-19 in Yokohama, Japan. Results (first place votes in parentheses) WOMEN 1. Iris Smith, Wrestling 20 (5) 2. Nancy Metcalf, Volleyball 16 (3) 3. Hannah Teter, Snowboarding 11 (2) Also receiving first-place votes: Kristin Armstrong (Cycling), Diandra Asbaty (Bowling), Michelle Guerette (Rowing), Deena Kastor (Track & Field), Jenny Potter (Ice Hockey) MEN 1. Jeret Peterson, Skiing 17 (2) 2. Donald Suxho, Volleyball 15 (2) 3. Beau Hoopman, Rowing 13 (3) Also receiving first-place votes: Abdi Abidirahman (Track & Field), Brett Anderson (Baseball), Bill Furbish (Disabled Water Skiing), Royal Mitchell (Paralympic Track & Field), Craig Schmersal (Equestrian), Tolly Thompson (Wrestling) TEAM 1. USA Men's National Volleyball Team 25 (4) 2. U.S. Rowing Men's Eight 17 (5) 3. U.S. International Junior Women's Gymnastics Team 16 (2) Also receiving first-place votes: USA Women's Goalball Team, USA Baseball Junior National Pan Am Team, U.S. Wakeboard Team

Dubuque, IA -- The Dubuque Convention & Visitors Bureau and Loras College have teamed up to bring the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships back to Iowa! We are proud to announce that Dubuque has been awarded the 2007 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships. The event will take place March 2-3, 2007 at the Five Flags Center and will showcase some of the top wrestling programs and talent in the country. "The NCAA Division III Championships Committee is excited for the championships to return to Loras College and the City of Dubuque after the outstanding job they did in administering the NCAA Division III National Championships in 2004. The wrestling fans in Iowa are second to none and we are looking forward to an exciting championship in 2007," Ron Beaschler, Chairman of the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships Committee. Randy Steward, Loras College Wrestling Head Coach says this will shed a national spotlight on the wrestling program, faculty and staff. "I feel that it is a great honor to host an NCAA Championship one time. To serve as host for the second time, it should send a message that we are one of the top programs in the nation and Loras College is a class institution." The impact of this decision will be felt across the entire community. Not only will it put some of the nation's best wrestlers on the mat, it will put thousands of people in the stands. In 2004, this major sporting event drew an estimated 8,400 people to Dubuque and the surrounding area. "Players, coaches, families and fans will drive and fly to Dubuque as well as stay in our hotels, dine, shop and fuel at area restaurants, stores and stations during the tournament. We estimate the economic impact of the 2007 NCAA Division III Championships on the Dubuque area to be about $5.2 million dollars" according to Sue Czeshinski, Director of the Dubuque Area Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Columbia, Mo. -- The Missouri wrestling program announced today that it will hold its annual Black and Gold wrestle-offs Thursday, Nov. 3, in the Hearnes Center Fieldhouse. The Tigers, sitting at No. 14 in the preseason rankings, will begin action at 7 p.m. (CT). Admission is free to the public. Headlining the matches will be returning All-Americans Ben Askren (174) and Matt Pell (165). Askren, a junior and a native of Hartland, Wis., enters the season ranked No. 1 in the nation and looks to improve on his second straight runner-up finish at the NCAA Championships. Pell (Luxemburg, Wis.), who finished seventh at 184 pounds last season to earn his first All-America honor, returns to his natural collegiate wrestling weight of 165 pounds and enters the 2005-06 campaign ranked No. 5 in the nation. Missouri fans will also get their first glimpse at the 2005-06 freshmen class, 12 newcomers looking to make an impact at the Division I level. Jumping into the fire immediately will be heavyweights Sean Connole (Erie, Penn.) and Mark Ellis (Peculiar, Mo.), both of whom will likely burn their redshirts and start at the Tigers heaviest weight this season. "We have several very competitive weight classes this year, and the Black and Gold match is one of the deciding factors in who will start at our opening dual meet," Head Coach Brian Smith said. "It's also a chance for the incoming freshmen to put on a Missouri singlet for the first time and participate in their first collegiate match with referees and the three-two-two clock format." In addition to the Black and Gold matches, the Tigers will hold a free youth clinic in the Missouri wrestling room (fourth floor of the Hearnes Center) for young wrestlers eighth grade or under. The clinic will be conducted by Smith and the Tiger coaching staff, and will include an information session about the Columbia Youth Wrestling Club. Participants will have a chance to sign up for the club, which practices in the state-of-the-art Missouri wrestling facilities.

USA Wrestling, the national governing body for amateur wrestling in the United States, is proud to report that the organization's membership set records in four major categories during the 2004-05 year. The 2004-05 membership year, which ended on August 31, 2005, set annual records for athletes, coaches, clubs and sanctioned events. During the 2004-2005 year, USA Wrestling registered 142,624 athlete members, topping the record of 135,519 athletes set during the 2003-04 year. The number of registered coaches climbed to 19,813 from the previous record set one year ago at 19,362 coach members. USA Wrestling chartered clubs reached a new record level, with 3,117 club programs, up from record of 2,927 clubs set during the 2002-03 season. Sanctioned events were also at a new level, with 1,741 USA Wrestling events during the 2004-05 season, breaking the previous year's record of 1,682 events. The membership records were possible through the efforts of USA Wrestling's volunteer leaders on the regional, state and local levels, who provided the most comprehensive program of wrestling activities in the nation. "USA Wrestling has again set all-time records for athletes, coaches, clubs and sanction events during its 2005 membership year. This outstanding accomplishment is directly related to the hard work of so many great USA Wrestling volunteers," said Mark Scott, Director of State Services. "USA Wrestling State Leaders were superlative in attracting new members to the organization as is evidenced by our new membership records. USA Wrestling's State Leaders are a unique group of people who are so dedicated to the ideals that wrestling brings to individuals that they make it a priority to grow the base," said Scott. For the membership year ending August 31, 2005, USA Wrestling is proud to announce that 33 states increased their athlete membership. Those state organizations and their leaders should be commended for their hard work and effort. The states with athlete growth this year were: Alabama, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming. A total of 28 states experienced growth in the coach membership category: Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Wyoming. USA Wrestling is excited about the new 2005-06 year, and will work hard to continue to increase opportunities within wrestling all across the nation.