InterMat Staff

Three high school standouts have signed national letters of intent to attend Augustana College and wrestle for the Vikings, Augustana head coach Jason Reitmeier announced Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period. Signing with the Vikings were Jay Sherer of Columbus, Neb., Kyle Svendsen of Omaha, Neb., and Lance Peters of LeRoy, Minn. Sherer is one of the top wrestlers in Nebraska. Entering his senior season at Columbus High School, he has a 113-4 career record. A three-time Class A state finalist, Sherer won the 2004 state title at 125 pounds and the 2005 state crown at 135 pounds. He posted a 40-1 record as a junior and 38-0 as a sophomore. He is on pace to be the Discoverer's first four-time state finalist in Columbus High School history. Svendsen has a 107-17 career record in his first three seasons at Omaha Skutt Catholic High School. Last season, he posted a 37-6 record and finished third at the Class B state tournament while leading Skutt to its eighth-straight Class B state championship. As a sophomore, he was 36-6 and qualified for the state tournament, in addition to placing second at the Rocky Mountain Nationals. As a freshman in 2002-03, Svendsen posted a 34-5 record and placed third at the state meet. Peters enters his fourth season as a starter at LeRoy-Ostrander High School. He begins the 2005-06 season with a 95-16 career record. Last year as a junior, Peters posted a 43-6 record and was the state runner-up at the Class AA state tournament. As a team, the Bulldogs placed fifth at the state meet. A three-time All-Three Rivers Conference performer, Peters was also an academic all-conference selection in 2004-05. "We are extremely pleased to have signed young men of this caliber," Reitmeier said. "Jay is the total packeage. He is a great wrestler and student, having him inked will help us sign more of the areas top wrestlers. He will make and immediate impact on this team. Kyle comes from one of the nations top programs. He will be a great addition in the middle to upper weights and brings in the swagger of a winner. Lance gives us another athletic big man to the upper weight. He is very personable and will fit in great with the team. He is one of four wrestlers on our team from the LeRoy, Minnesota, area." Augustana won the North Central Conference and North Central Regional championships last season and placed second at the 2005 NCAA Division II National Championships. This season, the Vikings were ranked No. 4 in the preseason top 20 poll.

The 2006 USA Wrestling World Team Trials, will be hosted at Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa, May 27-28. The best wrestlers in the nation in the three international styles of wrestling will be on display in this exciting and important event, featuring men's freestyle, men's Greco-Roman and women's freestyle wrestling. The USA Wrestling World Team Trials determines who will represent the U.S. at the 2006 World Wrestling Championships in Guangzhou, China, Sept. 26 – Oct. 1. This will be the second straight year that USA Wrestling will host its World Team Trials in the state of Iowa. The 2005 USA Wrestling World Team Trials were held at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. Other past World Team Trials held in Iowa were the 1983 Freestyle World Team Trials in Iowa City, the 1990 Greco-Roman World Team Trials in Cedar Falls and the 1998 Freestyle World Team Trials in Waterloo. The 2006 USA Wrestling World Team Trials will be organized by the Sioux City Championships Committee. "Sioux City is very proud to be the host of the 2006 USA Wrestling Senior Men's and Women's Freestyle, and Senior Men's Greco-Roman World Team Trials, including many current and future US Olympians. Wrestling is a wonderful part of our Midwestern heritage and enjoys tremendous popularity here," noted Sioux City Mayor Karen Van De Steeg. "Wrestling reflects many of our Midwestern traits, including the values of hard work, patience, focus and discipline. We look forward to hosting this exciting event." "Being selected as the site of this world-class event is a tribute to the support and dedication of our local wrestling community. We know the World Team Trials will be a success in Sioux City – an event not only the fans but the participants will remember for years to come," added Tournament Director Tim Tushla. The Challenge Tournament, featuring all of the qualifiers for the tournament except the 2006 U.S. Nationals champions, will be held on Saturday, May 27. The Final World Team Trials, featuring a best-of-three championship series between the 2006 U.S. Nationals champion and the Challenge Tournament winner in each weight class, will be held on Sunday, May 28. Many of the star wrestlers who competed in the 2004 Olympic Games, as well as the 2005 World Wrestling Championships are expected to participate. This event will also showcase many young talents who are training to make the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team. There will be numerous athletes in the field who have a strong tie to the host state of Iowa, including athletes who competed at Iowa State, the Univ. of Iowa or at Northern Iowa, in addition to other wrestlers who grew up in the state of Iowa or reside there. Three members of the 2005 U.S. World Freestyle Team were residing in Iowa when they made the team: Chris Bono (Gilbert, Iowa/Sunkist Kids) at 66 kg/145.5 lbs., Joe Williams (Ames, Iowa/Sunkist Kids) at 74 kg/163 lbs. and Tolly Thompson (Cedar Falls, Iowa/Sunkist Kids) at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. Bono attended Iowa State and Williams attended the Univ. of Iowa. Thompson went to high school in Janesville, Iowa. In addition, Howells, Neb. native Brad Vering (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC) grew up near Sioux City. Vering competed on the 2004 U.S. Greco-Roman Olympic Team and has competed in the last three World Championships for the U.S., placing fifth in two of those years. 2005 U.S. Greco-Roman World Team member Harry Lester at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. attended Iowa State for a season. 2005 Women's World Team member Sara McMann at 63 kg/138.75 lbs. resides in Iowa City. The Tyson Events Center will seat 7,000 fans for the World Team Trials. Sioux City has hosted numerous outstanding wrestling competitions in the past, as well as a number of other major sports competitions. Among the USA Wrestling events previously hosted in Sioux City were a USA vs. Turkey World Dual meet, a USA vs. Korea World Dual meet and a USA All-Star World Dual Meet. Sioux City is also the current host of the NAIA National Wrestling Championships. Sioux City currently hosts the NAIA Women's Basketball Championships, and has recently hosted the NAIA Baseball Championships and the ISC Men's World Fast-Pitch Softball Championships. The local wrestling community is large and well-respected. Two college wrestling teams are based in the city, Morningside and Briar Cliff. Among the top athletes who come from this community are Tony DeAnda, the assistant wrestling coach for the USOEC women's team at Northern Michigan Univ., and current NCAA Division II National Champion Patrick Allibone of the Univ. of Nebraska-Omaha. A number of other local wrestling stars are competing in major college wrestling programs. "The state of Iowa has proven its love and passion for the sport of wrestling over the last 50 years, and there is no better place to be able to take the 2006 USA Wrestling World Team Trials than to Sioux City," stated USA Wrestling Director of National Events Pete Isais. "We are confident that the Sioux City community will embrace this event and provide a great backdrop for some of the World's top wrestlers to complete the final step in earning a spot on the 2006 U.S. World Team." A website has been established that will provide ticket information, schedules and updates on the World Team Trials event this year. Visit: www.2006trials.org. Past World Team Trials sites 1983 – Iowa City, Iowa (FS), Colorado Springs, Colo. (GR) 1985 – Baton Rouge, La. (FS)*, Colorado Springs, Colo. (GR) 1986 – Indianapolis, Ind. (FS), Albany, N.Y. (GR) 1987 – Houston, Texas* 1989 – Stillwater, Okla.* 1990 – Philadelphia, Pa. (FS), Cedar Falls, Iowa (GR), Toledo, Ohio (W) 1991 – Philadelphia, Pa. (FS), Warrensburg, Mo. (GR). Las Vegas, Nev. (W) 1992 – Las Vegas, Nev. (W) 1993 – Philadelphia, Pa. (FS), Rochester, Minn. (GR), Las Vegas, Nev. (W) 1994 – Philadelphia, Pa. (FS), LaCrosse, Wis. (GR), Las Vegas, Nev. (W) 1995 – Philadelphia, Pa. (FS), Colorado Springs, Colo. and Atlanta, Ga. (GR), Norman, Okla. (W) 1996 – Las Vegas, N.M. (W) 1997 – Las Vegas, Nev. (FS), Minneapolis, Minn. (GR), Roseville, Calif. (W) 1998 – Waterloo, Iowa (FS), Metarie, La. (GR), St. Paul, Minn. (W) 1999 – Seattle, Wash. (FS), Tampa, Fla. (GR), Rochester, Minn. (W) 2000 – Battle Creek, Mich. (W) 2001 – Cincinnati, Ohio 2002 – St. Paul, Minn. 2003 – Indianapolis, Ind. 2005 – Ames, Iowa 2006 – Sioux City, Iowa *- Held during U.S. Olympic Festival

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. -- Four Panther wrestlers traveled to Slippery Rock last weekend to compete in the Slippery Rock Open. The competition was held on Saturday and featured a number of tri-state teams. Junior Matt Kocher (State College, Pa./State College) led the Panthers, capturing the tournament title at 157 pounds. Kocher defeated Rob Hermo of Clarion 7-0 in the first round and Al Wonesh of Lycoming 17-2 in the second round. He went on to pin Mike Vacarier of Gannon in the third round at the 2:58 mark on his way to winning the finals, 12-5, over Chris Wade. Keith Gavin (Factoryville, Pa./Lackawanna Trail) was on his way to being undefeated after winning his first match against Chris Swan of Bloomsburg, 23-11, and pinning Jacob Tazzi of Gannon at 1:42. Gavin had to forfeit his third match against Ben Hepburn of Lock Haven because of an injury. Dave Kapetanovich (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills/CCAC), a redshirt freshman and Panther newcomer, went 2-2 in the tournament. Kapetanovich posted wins over both Jared Hirtz of Thiel, 11-5, and Brad Shrum of Duquesne by a 9-3 count. Redshirt freshman Matt Darnell (Lyndhurst, Ohio/Cuyahoga Valley C.A.) competed for the Panthers at 197 this weekend, also finishing with a 2-2 record. He secured two wins over Morgan Wanzer of AIC, 4-0, and Adam Lange of Mt. Union College in the second and third rounds of the tournament, respectively. The Panthers will officially open their season on Tuesday, November 15, at Bloomsburg.

Charleston, SC -- The University of North Carolina at Pembroke's Brandon Wallace and Justin McEntire both won his respective weight class at The Citadel Open wrestling tournament on Saturday, November 5 at the Burke High School gym in Charleston. Wallace pinned Addison Nuding of Duke at the 3:25 mark of the finals match to win the 157-pound title, while McEntire took the 174-pound crown after Duke's Turner Rooney forfeited for medical reasons. Wallace, who was the four seed at 157, reached the finals on a first-round forfeit, a 19-3 quarterfinals techfall against Spartanburg Methodist's Cody Galloway and a 13-6 decision over Duke's Cameron harms in the semi-finals. McEntire, who was one of eight UNCP wrestlers competing at 174-pounds, downed Duke's Tad Anderson 8-1 in his opening match, while pinning Anthony White of Auburn in the quarterfinals and earning a 7-0 decision over Pembroke's own Andre Adams in the semis to advance to the championship bout. Fellow Brave Michael Hall reached the 197-pound finals but fell to South Carolina's Eric Lambert 3-2 to earn runner-up honors, as teammate Richard Alstrom placed third at 174 by defeating The Citadel's Clint Degain 9-2. After winning his first match, Alstrom was sent to the wrestleback bracket by Degain in the quarterfinals, only to avenge that loss in the championship 's consolation match. UNCP will next host the 25th Annual UNCP Classic on Friday, November 11 and Saturday, November 12 in the Jones Center. Action will get underway at 5 pm on Friday, while wrestling will begin at 9 am on Saturday with the finals tentatively set for 6 pm Saturday evening.

Nick SimmonsEAST LANSING, Mich. -- Junior All-American Nick Simmons was named Co-Big Ten Wrestler of the Week for his 125-pound championship performance at the Eastern Michigan Open Nov. 5. He shares the honor with Purdue's Ben Wissel, who claimed the 184-pound title at the EMU Open. Simmons dominated his first three matches of the tournament, recording falls against wrestlers from Edinboro and Michigan in less than a minute, before pinning Central Michigan's Josh Williams at 3:14 of their quarterfinal match up. Simmons capped off his 5-0 weekend record by earning a pair of 3-0 decisions in the semifinals against Ricky Deubel of Edinboro, and in the finals against his teammate, freshman Franklin Gomez. Simmons last earned Big Ten Wrestler of the Week honors for his performance at the 2004 EMU Open, where he was named Outstanding Wrestler Simmons and the rest of the Spartan wrestling team return to action this weekend, Nov. 12-13, when they host the Michigan State Open at Jenison Field House. Wrestling begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. on Sunday.

Manheim, Pa. -- University of Michigan All-American Eric Tannenbaum has been selected to replace Hofstra' Jon Masa at 149 pounds in the 40th NWCA All-Star Classic presented by the United States Marine Corps. Tannenbaum, a red-shirt sophomore, placed fourth last season at the NCAA Championships in St. Louis after winning the Big 10 Championship at 149 pounds. He went 36-5 in 2004-05, including 15-1 in dual meets. Esposito beat Tannenbaum 7-2 in the semifinals of the 2005 NCAA Championships. This is Tannenbaum's first appearance in the All-Star Classic and he is the second replacement from the original lineup. Last week, Cal Poly's Darrell Vasquez was selected to replace Wisconsin's Tom Clum at 133 pounds. Tannenbaum is one of two University of Michigan participants in the event, Ryan Churella will wrestle Johny Henrdricks at 165 pounds. Updated Line-up: 125: Sam Hazewinkel (Oklahoma) vs. Nick Simmons (Michigan State) 133: Darrell Vasquez (Cal Poly) vs. Mack Reiter (Minnesota) 141: Teyon Ware (Oklahoma) vs. Nate Gallick (Iowa State) 149: Eric Tannenbaum (Michigan) vs. Zack Esposito (Oklahoma State) 157: Joe Johnston (Iowa) vs. Alex Tirapelle (Illinois) 165: Ryan Churella (Michgan) vs. Johny Hendricks (Oklahoma State) 174: Mark Perry (Iowa) vs. Jake Herbert (Northwestern) 184: Paul Bradley (Iowa) vs. Pete Friedl (Illinois) 197: Joel Flaggert (Oklahoma) vs. Jake Rosholt (Oklahoma State) 285: Cole Konrad (Minnesota) vs. Steve Mocco (Oklahoma State) Exhibition: 285: Josh LeadingFox (Central Oklahoma) vs. Tervel Dlagnev (Nebraska-Kearney)

It's OK to be envious of Andy Hamilton. Hamilton, the National Wrestling Media Association's 2004 Wrestling Print Journalist of the Year for the Iowa City Press-Citizen, has what many of us would consider to be a dream job: writing about wrestling in one of the sport's prime hotbeds … and having inside access to one of the legendary college programs in the nation, the Iowa Hawkeyes. It's the fulfillment of a lifelong dream for Hamilton. As a kid, he wrote sports stories about the games he'd see on TV for himself. Now the guy who grew up collecting newspaper clippings and photos of Iowa wrestlers Jim Zalesky, Barry Davis, Dan Gable and the Kistler brothers now covers the Hawkeye wrestling program. The Early Chapters Andy Hamilton grew up in the heart of the heartland, in Williams, Iowa, about an hour straight north of Des Moines … where he gave an indication of his career path at an early age. "I wrote sports stories for myself before I was a teen," says Hamilton. "As a sophomore I had a project for PE class to write about sports. I did a preseason overview for Big Ten basketball. The teacher gave it to the local paper, which ran every word of it -- probably the longest story I've ever had published." After graduating from Northeast Hamilton High School, Hamilton continued his education at Ellsworth Community College in nearby Iowa Falls, where he played baseball … and did some writing for the Iowa Falls Times-Citizen. "When I turned 20, I realized I couldn't play baseball my whole life," says Hamilton. "I enjoyed writing, and my folks encouraged me to continue in it." From Iowa Falls to Iowa City After earning an associate's degree at Ellsworth, Hamilton made the move to the University of Iowa, where his writing career really took off. "I was fortunate enough to get a sports writing job at the Daily Iowan," says Hamilton. "One of my teammates at Ellsworth went to school at Waterloo East with Chris Snider, who was assistant sports editor at the Daily Iowan at the time, and my editor at the Iowa Falls paper wrote a strong recommendation." As a sports writer at the independent student paper for the University of Iowa, Hamilton gained experience covering just about every sport on campus. However, in his two-and-a-half years at Iowa, he filed only one wrestling story -- "when it was announced that the word �interim' was being taken off Jim Zalesky's title, and he was being made head coach in 1998. And the only way I got that story was that the guy who usually covered Hawkeye wrestling had gone out of town for the weekend," muses Hamilton. Hamilton's high school did not have a wrestling program when he was in school. However, he wrestled in some youth tournaments as a kid… and counts himself as a lifelong fan. "My dad wrestled at what is now called University of Northern Iowa," says Hamilton. "We went to lots of wrestling events as a family. I remember taking the trip all the way out to Corvallis (Oregon) to see the NCAAs as a kid." "I had so much fun working at Daily Iowan," says Hamilton. "I made some incredible friendships with guys who have jobs all over the country now, yet we all stay in touch." Hamilton graduated from the University of Iowa with a bachelor's degree in journalism in December 1998. He landed a part-time job at the Iowa City Press-Citizen where he stayed for four months … then headed a couple hours west to Ames, Iowa to cover sports for the Tribune. When the Press-Citizen contacted him about a job to write about wrestling, Hamilton jumped at the chance and found himself back in Iowa City almost exactly one year after graduation. Covering Takedowns and Touchdowns Hamilton's wrestling writing isn't limited to the Hawkeyes; his beat also includes the high school mat scene in eastern Iowa, and he covers the Iowa state championships in Des Moines each year. In addition, three years ago Hamilton was tasked with covering the Hawkeye football program as well. "The access for the media is quite a bit different between the two sports," notes Hamilton. "I remember the first day I showed up at the wrestling room, coach Zalesky said, 'Call anytime you need anything.' And that kind of access hasn't changed." "The media doesn't have that kind of access to the coach or players when covering Iowa football," says Hamilton. "We're pretty much limited to a once-a-week press conference with coach (Kirk) Ferentz, in a room with thirty other writers and media people." Hamilton also noted a difference in the types of responses when interviewing campus gridiron stars and grapplers. "Football players are generally more guarded and maybe a little more careful in what they say to with the media," says Hamilton. "Wrestlers seem to be more relaxed and candid." Hamilton adds, "Here in Iowa City, the dynamics surrounding the athletes of the two sports is so different, too. Iowa football players are almost treated like rock stars. By contrast, the Hawkeye wrestlers seem like regular college kids." Asked about what guides his sports reporting -- whether it's wrestling or football -- and Hamilton replies, "I always try to paint a picture for those who weren't at the event. I strive to be fair and accurate in my writing. Occasionally I hear from readers who say I'm too harsh, while others might read the same story and think I'm too positive." Hamilton has also heard from his fellow wrestling writers at the National Wrestling Media Association (NWMA), who awarded him their prestigious Wrestling Print Journalist of the Year award in 2004. In its article announcing the award, the NWMA said, "Hamilton's articles show an understanding of wrestling and an insight into the athletes and coaches involved in the sport." Andy Hamilton gathers quotes while interviewing Iowa's Alex Tsirtsis.Weighing In On Iowa Fans … In six years of covering the Hawkeye wrestling program, Hamilton has witnessed the high of Iowa winning the national team title in 2000 … and considerable struggles as well. But he put it all in perspective: "This is a program where coming in eighth place at nationals isn't going to get them a parade. For other college programs, that might be viewed as a great accomplishment." When asked if Iowa fans might still be expecting the same results now as during the Dan Gable dynasty when national titles seemed to be almost a birthright, Hamilton answers, "I don't think the expectations have changed. The Iowa fans still want national championships. But they want to see action. They want to see effort and heart. If you give them that, they'll get behind you. That's why Joe Johnston and Mark Perry are probably two of the fan favorites. But that's probably because they win a lot." "Everybody thought the program was set up for great success when they signed (Steve) Mocco and then added Todd Meneely, Willie Parks and other guys," says Hamilton. "They've been trying to fully recover for a couple years since those guys left." … and the Hawkeyes Themselves Asked to name some of the more interesting Hawkeye wrestlers he's covered while at the Press-Citizen, Hamilton immediately named these guys from earlier in his career: Eric Juergens, Doug Schwab, Jody Strittmatter, Mike Zadick and Jessman Smith. As for the current crop, Hamilton says, "Adam Fellers, Mark Perry and Ty Eustice are the guys who fill up my notebook with quotes now. I'll say this about Perry -- I can ask him five minutes of questions and end up with thirty minutes of interesting quotes." Hamilton also mentioned both Tom and Terry Brands as being especially fascinating people to talk to -- "I would venture to guess a lot of people meet them for the first time and come away with a much different perception that what they might have formed of them as competitors," says Hamilton. "I've learned a lot about life from Tom Brands in particular. One of the most memorable quotes I've ever heard came from him: 'Anyone can act tough when things are going their way. But the sign of someone who's truly tough is when they can be tough when times are tough.'" What Will The New Season Bring? When asked for a forecast for the upcoming season, Hamilton responds, "I'm as intrigued as anybody as to what the season will bring. So much can happen." "Right now I'm interested to see what Iowa's starting lineup will be," adds Hamilton. "So many guys who were in the lineup at the end of last season aren't going to be there. Mario Galanakis isn't enrolled in school, Charlie Falck has a broken foot, Luke Lofthouse is on a Mormon mission to Africa." This early in the season, Hamilton is reluctant to make any predictions for the much-anticipated arrival of the Oklahoma State Cowboys on January 7. "The school is expecting a huge crowd. It's scheduled for the evening, after a big Iowa vs. Illinois basketball game," says Hamilton. One prediction is safe to make: Whatever the new season holds for the Hawkeyes, wrestling fans from Iowa City to Islip, Long Island can count on Andy Hamilton to provide not only clear coverage of the action on the mat, but insight into the behind-the-scenes activities as well.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Ohio State wrestling team begins the 2005-06 season at the Michigan State Open Saturday and Sunday at Jenison Field House in East Lansing, Mich. TOURNAMENT BREAKDOWN Approximately 300-400 wrestlers from 35-40 programs will participate in the double-elimination tournament. The wrestlers will compete for the Top 8 placings with no team score kept. Participating schools from last year included Big Ten programs Michigan State, Michigan, and Northwestern, as well as Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Ohio University, Kent State, Northern Illinois, Pittsburgh and Findlay. Log on to msuspartans.com for complete results and tournament information. MICHIGAN STATE OPEN 2004 As the top seed at 197 pounds, J.D. Bergman claimed the tournament title, while T.J. Enright scored his second-consecutive tournament crown at 133 en route to being named outstanding wrestler for the open. Overall, eight Buckeyes placed, including six freshmen. As a true freshman, Keegan Mueller made his first appearance as a Buckeye and took fourth place at 157 pounds. Fellow freshman Jason Johnstone also made his OSU debut with an eighth-place finish at 149. Another freshman, J Jaggers, defaulted to sixth place because of injury. At 165, Zach Craiglow took fifth place after benefiting from a win via injury default in his final match. COACHING CHANGES AND ADDITIONS Head coach Russ Hellickson announced the addition of Jim Humphrey, a former Buckeye and Ross Thatcher to the OSU wrestling staff. Humphrey replaces four-time OSU All-American Tommy Rowlands as the volunteer assistant coach and will head the Ohio International Wrestling Club based in Columbus. Rowlands will move to Director of Program Operations and Thatcher is the Program Director for Recruiting and Conditioning. "The changes in our staff give our team phenomenal depth," Hellickson, who is entering his 20th year at the helm of the Buckeyes, said. Humphrey owns an extensive wrestling background that includes All-America honors and a 1972 Big Ten Championship at 134. A member of the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame, Humphrey is a five-time freestyle national champion, as well as the 1977 World Games silver medalist. Humphrey also holds an impressive head coaching resume that consists of leading the 1984 Canadian Olympic Team and the 1988 U.S. Olympic squad. In the collegiate ranks, Humphrey was the head coach at Indiana from 1984-1989. Both of Humphrey's sons, Jordin and Reece, are members of the 2005-06 Buckeye squad. Thatcher, who will serve as Humphrey's assistant at the Ohio International Wrestling Club, was a Penn State letterwinner from 1997-2000 and served as an assistant coach at PSU from 2000-2003. While with the Nittany Lions, Thatcher was named team captain and garnered All-America honors. Following his time at Penn State, Thatcher wrestled for the New York Athletic Club, where he was a two-time Sunkist International Open Champion, New York Athletic International Open Champion, Dave Schultz International Open Champion and North East Regional Outstanding Wrestler and Champion. A two-time Ohio state champion and a three-time Ohio state finalist at Bishop Ready High School in Columbus, Thatcher won bronze as a member of the 2001 U.S. Pan American team and was a member of the U.S. University World squad. Rowlands, who is training as an Olympic hopeful for the 2008 games, graduated from Ohio State as the most decorated wrestler in the history of the program with four All-America accolades and two heavyweight national championships (2002 and 2004). During the summer, Rowlands won gold at the World University Games, becoming the fifth U.S. wrestling gold medalist in the history of the games. Earlier in 2005, Rowlands earned a silver medal at the Yarygin Memorial tournament in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, and followed his second-place performance with a bronze medal showing at the Cerro Pelado tournament in Cuba. Mitch Clark and Ken Ramsey return as Buckeye assistants. Clark will enter is eighth year and Ramsey will serve his 12th. PRESEASON RANKINGS Buckeye wrestlers T.J. Enright, J Jaggers and Kirk Nail earned Top 20 preseason rankings in amateur wrestling publications W.I.N. Magazine, Intermat.com and WrestlingMall.com. Enright, who jumped from the 133 to 141 weight class, is 16th in both the WrestlingMall.com and W.I.N. Magazine polls. Jaggers holds down the 19th spot at 149 in W.I.N. Magazine and Nail is 15th at heavyweight in W.I.N. Magazine and WrestlingMall.com. Nail is 19th in the Intermat.com standings and also cracked the Top 20 in the USA Today/National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) poll at No. 20. 2005-06 REDSHIRTS All-American J.D. Bergman, Jason Johnstone and Keegan Mueller will redshirt the 2005-06 season. Bergman qualified for the 2005 NCAA championships after placing second at 197 in the Big Ten championships. During his freshman campaign, the Oak Hills, Ohio, native earned All-America honors after placing third in nationals in 2004. As a freshman last season, Johnstone placed eighth at the MSU Open in the 149 weight class to start the season. The Massillon, Ohio, native switched to 141 after an injury to classmate J Jaggers and preceded to knock off nationally-ranked wrestlers Rene Hernandez (No. 20), 9-5, at the Purdue dual and No. 14 Tyler Laudon of Wisconsin, 6-3. Mueller wrestled all but one match at 157 in the 2004-05 regular season as a freshman. The Dallas, Texas, native assumed the 165 slot at the Big Ten championships after facing a ranked wrestler in five of the last seven dual meets last season. STRENUOUS SCHEDULE Nine of the Buckeyes' 14 dual meet opponents are ranked in the Top 25 of the USA Today/NWCA Preseason polls. Michigan leads the way at No. 3, with No. 4 Illinois and No. 6 Minnesota rounding out the Top 10. Northwestern and Penn State are ranked back-to-back at No. 11 and No. 12, respectively. Missouri, which opens Ohio State's dual meet schedule, is 14th. Big Ten opponents, Wisconsin and Indiana hold down the 15th and 16th spots, while Pittsburgh is 20th. GOLDEN BOY Buckeye director of program operations Tommy Rowlands recently captured the gold medal in the 120 kg (264.5 pounds) freestyle weight class at the Clansmen International in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, Nov. 5. Rowlands also won gold at the 2005 World University Games August 14 in Izmir, Turkey. Rowlands, who competed in the 211.5-pound (96kg) freestyle weight class, claimed his fourth medal, including his first gold, for Team USA in four competitions since completing his OSU career in 2004. "I knew it was going to be a lot of fun," Rowlands said after his win at the World games. "My whole goal was to take the crowd out of it right away. I scored that three-point move in the first 30 seconds of the first period and that was big." FORMER BUCKEYE JOHN CLARK HIRED AT STANFORD Former Ohio State wrestler John Clark accepted an assistant coaching position at Stanford University Aug. 26. Clark, who lettered at Ohio State from 2001-2004, is a two-time All-American, becoming the ninth Buckeye to earn multiple All-America honors after placing sixth and fifth, respectively, at the 2003 and 2004 NCAA Championships. A 2004 team captain, Clark finished his OSU tenure fourth in career wins (134) and is third all-time in takedowns (486) and team points (432.0). Clark joins OSU's Tommy Rowlands and Adam DiSabato as the only Buckeye wrestlers to reach 400 career takedowns and 400 team points. 2005-06 OUTLOOK Ohio State is embarking upon a daunting task of facing the challenges of the 2005-06 campaign as a young and inexperienced team. However, Russ Hellickson, who is entering his 20th season as OSU head coach, and the Buckeyes refuse to use youth as an excuse. Hellickson's team will try to become a Top 20 squad in the nation by the end of the season, as well as a Big Ten contender. For Ohio State, the challenge to improve from an 8-11 dual mark and a 1-7 conference record in 2004-05 will depend on the mindset of a group that is composed of 18 true and redshirt freshmen, nine sophomores, seven juniors and four seniors. A pair of sophomores in T.J. Enright and Kirk Nail is expected to lead this developing squad, as both qualified for the NCAA championships, along with junior J.D. Bergman, who will be redshirting this season. "We are a team dominated by freshmen and sophomores," Hellickson said. "But that is no excuse. We have to be competitive because there is a lot of talent here. We may be a young team, but we can't act like it." TIMING IS EVERYTHING The Buckeyes will be forced to confront the reality they do not have much time to develop their skills and prove their talents on the mats. With a tough upcoming schedule, many will receive a fresh start at the collegiate ranks. However, Ohio State is prepared to bring its work ethic to a higher level, which can produce All-Americans by the end of the season, Hellickson said. The Buckeyes missed out on All-America accolades last year, but that is of little worry to Hellickson and Co. The 40-time producer of OSU All-Americans predicts Ohio State can garner multiple All-America candidates at the conclusion of the year, fulfilling an expectation that eluded the Buckeyes last season. "With the challenge in front of them, there is no time for adjustment," Hellickson said. "They have to think like seasoned veterans and act like they have been at the top before." There also will be greater expectations for the four seniors returning to the team. The senior class, comprised of Nathaniel Augustson, Brent Billet, Nathan Costello and Steve Sommer is presented with the same situation many of the underclassmen will work through; "they will have to do more than their experience would dictate they are capable of doing," Hellickson said. Augustson was a mainstay at 174 and was voted "Most Dedicated" by his teammates last season, leading the team in reversals (18) and was third in takedowns (53) and team points (48). Billet will step up at 184 after serving in a reserve role last season. Costello (125) recorded his best statistics to date at the collegiate level in 2004-05, registering career highs in wins (8), takedowns (30) and team points (28.5). At 157, Sommer also competed for Ohio State in a reserve role last year, but he too is predicted to be a stronghold in the 2005-06 starting lineup. Adam Huddle, Jordin Humphrey, Jermaine Jones, Alex Picazo and Steve Wolery make up a sound junior class. Huddle will return after spending majority of last season as a back-up. Humphrey who transferred to Ohio State and Jones, who did not compete for the Buckeyes last season, will battle teammate Costello for the start at 125. At 184, Picazo recorded career highs last season in wins (14), dual wins (6), takedowns (43) and team points (30.5). Wolery received the starting nod at 149 in 2004-05 as a walk-on. UNDAUNTED UNDERCLASSMEN Several sophomores, many redshirt freshmen from a year ago and numerous true freshmen will be thrust into action in 2005-06. In addition to qualifying for the NCAA championships, Enright, who will be jumping from 133 to 141, finished sixth at the Big Ten championships and was ranked in the Top 20 throughout the season, including a ranking as high as 11th. James King will compete for the starting role at 165 with Augustson and redshirt freshman Charlie Clark. Nail will be the go to guy at HWT after a successful 2004-05 campaign in which he finished eighth at the Big Ten championships before qualifying for the NCAA championships. Corey Morrison will vie for the starting spot at 197 with fellow freshman James Aston, who competed for the 2005 football Buckeyes. Reece Humphrey, the younger brother of Jordin, is projected to handle the reigns at 133, while J Jaggers, Blake Maurer and Eric Wanner should receive a start at 149, 174 and 133, respectively. "We have two good recruiting classes that will fortify what the seniors will bring to the table," Hellickson said. A LOOK BACK: 2004-05 SEASON REVIEW Ohio State featured a line up that consisted of up to seven freshmen in 2004-05. The Buckeyes started the dual season with a 1-3 record, but rolled to five-consecutive wins after the first of the year. OSU went 4-0 as host of the Buckeye Duals before hitting the road and knocking off then-No. 25 Pittsburgh, 20-17. The Pittsburgh win would be the last, however, until the final dual of the season, when the Buckeyes topped Penn State, 21-17, in University Park, Pa. In the midst of the losing streak, the Buckeyes dropped tight decisions to Purdue, Wisconsin and Minnesota. In tournament action, T.J. Enright became the first Buckeye freshman to win his first two events when he took first place at the Oklahoma Gold Classic and the Michigan State Open. All-American J.D. Bergman also performed well in tournament fields with a first-place finish at the MSU Open, a third-place stand at the Las Vegas Invitational and a second-place finish at Midlands. Bergman, who will be redshirting in 2005-06, closed the season with a runner-up performance at the Big Ten championships. UP NEXT Ohio State is back in action at the Las Vegas Invitational Dec. 2-3. The Buckeyes will compete at the Cashman Center before kicking off their dual meet schedule at Missouri at 2 p.m. Dec. 11 at the Hearnes Center in Columbia, Mo.

BLACKSBURG -- The Virginia Tech wrestling team will kick off its 2005-06 season by competing at the West Virginia Open Saturday at Morgantown. Eighteen of the 21 athletes on the roster are expected to compete, but only about half will represent Virginia Tech. The other half will wrestler unattached. In college wrestling, a wrestler can compete as "unattached" to preserve his eligibility status. The Tech athletes choosing this route must find their own transportation and lodging, as well as pay for all meals. On the mat, they can't wear Hokie singlets or have Tech coaches or trainers help them out during the match. Their records also will not count toward their season results and their results will not count toward the team competition at the Open. After this tournament, most of the team will compete in another open tournament. Tech will travel to Omaha, Neb., for the Kaufman-Brand Open, one of the top open tournaments in the Midwest. That will take place on Nov. 19. Here's a breakdown of the Tech wrestlers competing Saturday, as well as projected weight classes. This list, as well as each athlete's status, could change: Representing Virginia Tech: Eddie Baughan, 165 pounds Mark Czarny, 165 pounds Mike Faust, 285 pounds David Hoffman, 141 pounds John Laboranti, 197 pounds Sheridan Moran, 133 pounds Christian Smith, 125 pounds Justin Staylor, 125 pounds Tech wrestlers competing unattached: Steve Borja, 184 pounds Jay Borschel 174 pounds Dave Kiley, 157 pounds Dan LeClere, 141 pounds T.H. Leet, 165 pounds Mark Logan, 285 pounds Brent Metcalf, 149 pounds Anton Prater, 125 pounds Joe Slaton, 133 pounds Matt Woods, 197 pounds Not expected to compete: Jon Bonilla-Bowman, 157 pounds Tyde Prater, 149 pounds Joe Thompson, 125 pounds

LINCOLN -- The Nebraska wrestling team opened the early signing period with a flourish by receiving National Letters-of-Intent from three accomplished prep recruits, Husker Head Coach Mark Manning announced on Wednesday. "We got three really outstanding kids today," Manning said. "These guys all are good students, good wrestlers and have good character." NU's class is led by in-state recruit Matt Vacanti. The Papillion-LaVista product is 103-0 in his high school career and is slated to wrestle at either 133 or 141 pounds for the Huskers. Vacanti was 35-0 with all wins by fall last season en route to his third career state championship. Vacanti is also accomplished on the national stage, as a two-time cadet national champion. "Matt has a great work ethic and is a tough, hard-nosed kid," Manning said. "His style of wrestling fits in well with the rest of our team. He's an exciting wrestler to watch and he gets after it." Joining Vacanti is Curtis Salazar of Greeley, Colo. Salazar is a two-time Colorado state champion and a three-time state finalist. Salazar, who is projected to wrestle at 149 pounds in college, is another valuable addition to the NU wrestling team, according to Manning. "He's a good wrestler who wants to get better, and he is a great student," Manning said. "He's been dominating in state and national competition and beat a lot of good, ranked opponents. He's come to our camp the last couple years and gets along well with our guys. We're happy to have him be part of our family now." Rounding out Wednesday's signings is Alex Ward, from Mount Saint Joseph High School in Baltimore, Md. Ward, projected to wrestle in the middle weights in college, is a two-time state champion at 145 pounds. A fourth-place finisher the last two years in the national prep tournament, Ward is the son of three-time NCAA finalist and former NU assistant wrestling coach Kelly Ward. "He's an outstanding kid from a heralded program in Mount Saint Joseph High School," Manning said. "We expect him to improve and develop a lot in our program. He's an intelligent young man with great potential and upside. He will help us out in the future." The early signing period continues until Nov. 16.

#25 McDaniel College (1-0) won three of the first four bouts to upset #10 Delaware Valley (0-1) 22-17 in the first dual meet of the season for both teams, each of which was ranked in the Adidas / Brute NWCA preseason poll. McDaniel swept the upper half of the middleweights to pull away from the Aggies in a non-conference dual held at John Carroll High School in Harford County. Steve Colasuonno's (Holtsville, NY/Sachem, NY) major decision over Adam Olin at 125 pounds was followed by a 10-8 overtime decision by Rob Willey (Baltimore / McDonogh) to give McDaniel a quick 7-0 lead. The Aggies cut it to 10-8 following Ryan Herwig's major decision over McDaniel's Zach Hetrick (Hanover, PA / Southwestern). Then Delaware Valley ran into the strength of McDaniel's lineup. The nation's second ranked wrestler at 165 pounds, Tony Howard (Rockville, MD / Magruder), worked a 4-2 decision over Justin Powell. That was followed by Andrew Winfield's (New Windsor, MD / S. Carroll) win. Winfield, a sophomore transfer from Penn State, pinned Ryan Pope in the third period to give McDaniel an 11-point cushion. Delaware Valley was poised to climb back into the match heading into the final two bouts when Paul Donnell ran out to a 9-3 lead on McDaniel's Sucba Steve Jennings (Baltimore / Pallotti) in the 174-pound bout, but Jennings rallied for a 12-11 win to put the match out of reach. "I am proud of, but not shocked by the way we wrestled tonight," said head coach Sam Gardner. "After the 53-0 drubbing they put on us two years ago, I probably would have been pleased with it being respectable, but we showed grit and wrestled like we know we can. No one showed more grit than Jennings rallying to seal the win." The Aggies swept the night's final pair of bouts gaining a decision and a pin. With the win, McDaniel starts its dual meet season at 1-0, while the Aggies fall to 0-1 in head-to-head competition. The Green Terror returns to action on Saturday when McDaniel hosts the Sam Case Green Terror Duals. Festivities get underway in the Gill Center at 9:00am.

Cornell College upset #12 Simpson 32-18 in the season opener for both schools Nov. 9 in Mount Vernon. The dual began at 174 pounds where Simpson's Cody Downing (Sr., Creston, Iowa, Creston H.S.) pinned Kyle Kheril at 1:17. Adam Sandoval defeated freshman Sean Miller (Kansas City, Mo., Park Hill H.S.) 10-6 at 184. John Ugaste put the Rams into the lead at 197 with a technical fall victory over Chris Downing (So., Creston, Iowa, Creston H.S.) 22-7. Storm heavyweight Brett Christensen (Sr., Lenox, Iowa, Lenox H.S.), who is ranked fifth in the nation, pinned Lucas White 1:16 into the match to give Simpson a 12-8 lead. The Rams went ahead for good when Chris Heilman pinned Matt Koch (Fr., Indianola, Iowa, Indianola H.S.) 6:04 into the 125-pound match. Greg Murphy pinned Brooke Irlmeier (Fr., Exira, Iowa, Audubon H.S.) at 4:58 of the 133-pound match. Dave Parmski won by default at 141 with Aron Kindelsberger pinning Ben Hektoen (Fr., Birmingham, Iowa, Fairfield H.S.) at 4:50 of the 149-pound match. The Storm won the final two matches of the night when Kellen Delaney (Jr., Kansas City, Mo., Park Hill H.S.) defeated Pat McAuley 6-5 at 157 and Bryan Llewellyn (Sr., St. Charles, Iowa, I-35 H.S.) defeated Drew Vickers 5-3 at 165. Cornell's victory only marked the second time in the past 12 duals (since 1995) that the Rams have defeated the Storm. The Storm lead the all-time series 18-5.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- The Navy wrestling team travels to California for its first dual-meet action of the year, as it will battle Cal State-Fullerton, Cal State-Bakersfield and UC-Davis on Friday and Saturday. The Mids will take on Cal State-Fullerton on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. (PST) at Temecula Valley High School in Temecula, Calif. On Saturday, Navy will face Cal State-Bakersfield at 1:00 p.m. (PST), followed by UC-Davis. Both of Saturday's matches will be at Cal State-Bakersfield. Navy is coming off a 12-3 dual-meet record a year ago. Last year, Navy won all three of its duals on its California trip, defeating Cal State-Fullerton, 23-12, 13th-ranked Cal Poly, 26-16, and 21st-ranked Cal State-Bakersfield, 23-19. Tanner Garrett and John Cox went 3-0 during the duals to lead the Mids to victory. Cal State-Fullerton lost all three of its 2004-05 NCAA Tournament qualifiers to graduation, and will feature a balanced mix of young and old in its line-up this weekend. The Titans, which finished tied for 52nd in the NCAA Championship, could start as many as five freshmen and sophomores in the first seven weight classes. The final five line-up spots will likely be occupied by seniors, and just three of the returnees (Paul Tice, 141; Risto Marttinen, 165; and Jesse Taylor, 184) wrestled against Navy last year. None of the three won a match against Navy. Cal-State Bakersfield returns one NCAA qualifier off last year's team that finished 22nd at the NCAA Championship. Anthony Baza returns at 149 pounds and is ranked 12th in the country at the same weight. Bakersfield lost two All-Americans (Efren Ceballos, 125; and Matt Sanchez, 133) due to graduation. Another wrestler to keep an eye on for the Roadrunners is 174-pounder Christian Arellano, who is ranked 14th in the nation's top 20. UC-Davis returns one NCAA qualifier, with 11th-ranked Derek Moore (qualified at 133 pounds; wrestling at 141 this year) being the leader. It is not known what weight Moore is wrestling at this year. UC-Davis lost two NCAA qualifiers to graduation, Ron Silva at 174, and Branden Bear at 184. Navy is coming off a solid showing at last week's season-opening Eastern Michigan Open. Eight Mids placed in the top six of their respective weight classes, including John Jarred's (Kansas City, Mo.) title at 157 pounds and Tanner Garrett's (Tulsa, Okla.) victory at heavyweight. With the wins, Garrett moved into a tie for 23rd on the school's all-time victory list. Also of note, Garrett has won 21 straight dual meets, dating back to the 2003-2004 season. He went a perfect 14-0 last season. Navy leads the all-time series with Cal State-Fullerton, 1-0 (2004 was the lone meeting), is tied with Cal State-Bakersfield, 1-1, and leads the series with UC-Davis, 2-1. With this year's contest, the Mids will have wrestled UC-Davis in four of the last five years.

PITTSBURGH -- The Panthers have signed Jimmy Conroy as their first wrestling recruit for the 2006-07 season. Conroy has been listed as a top 50 recruit in a number of wrestling polls and is ranked fourth nationally at his weight class. Conroy (South Plainfield, N.J./South Plainfield) currently holds a 106-5 record going into his senior year and is a three-time state placewinner, capturing the championship in 2004. Last year, Conroy was named "Junior of the Year" by the New Jersey Star Ledger. "He's one of New Jersey's better guys," said Head Coach Rande Stottlemyer. "We're very excited to have him. He's a lightweight, and we don't know if he'll wrestle 125 or 133, but he'll definitely help us out in those lower weight classes. This is a good start to our recruiting class." In an interview earlier this year, Conroy told the Courier News, "I just loved the whole city. The coaches are nice guys, and they have a brand new wrestling room. It's really a hotbed for wrestling." Conroy will join a program that's currently ranked in the top 20 and has seven returning NCAA qualifiers for the 2005-06 season.

Ames, Iowa -- Iowa State (2-0, 0-0), coming off season-opening victories against Upper Iowa and Wisconsin-La Crosse, returns home to face the Wolverines of Utah Valley State Friday at 4:30 p.m. in Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones topped UVSC last year in the schools' only meeting, 35-9. The Wolverines are coached by former Iowa State two-time All-American Cody Sanderson. "They are a young team but should not be overlooked," head coach Bobby Douglas said. "Coach (Sanderson) will have them ready to go and his program is on the rise." ISU returns five starters from last year's squad which topped the Wolverines at the Utah Valley State Open. All-Americans Nate Gallick (141), Trent Paulson (157), Travis Paulson (165) and Kurt Backes (184) each scored bonus points at their respective weight class to lead the Cyclones. Trent Paulson and Backes scored pins and will face the same opponent again. Sophomore David Bertolino will see his first action of the season at 174 pounds. Utah Valley State, which finished 3-12-1 in its second season of competition at the Div. I ranks, will feature five freshmen who are making their first collegiate dual start. The Wolverines will be bolstered by the return of 133-pounder Erkin Tadzhimetov, a native of Uzbekistan who holds team records in most wins in a single season (18) and quickest fall (0:38). While competing for the Cyclones, Sanderson was a two-time All-American, Big 12 champion and most outstanding wrestler, four-time NCAA qualifier, Midlands champion and three-time Academic All-American. ISU heads to Fort Dodge on Saturday to compete at the annual Harold Nichols/Cyclone Open. Gallick, the Paulsons and Backes are returning champions. Amateur Wreslting News All-Americans Nick Fanthorpe, Nick Gallick, David Zabriskie and Mitch Mueller will make their anticipated Cyclone debuts.

Pembroke, NC -- The University of North Carolina at Pembroke wrestling team will host its annual UNCP Classic, an open wrestling tournament, on Friday, November 11, and Saturday, November 12 at the Jones Center. The tournament will feature over 200 wrestlers from approximately 20 schools. Participating schools include UNCP, The Citadel, NC State, Carson Newman, Central Florida, Duke, Campbell, Gardner-Webb, Newberry, Anderson, Campbellsville, Spartanburg Methodist, Pensacola Christian, Limestone, Apprentice, Cumberland, Southern Virginia, Belmont Abbey and Kings College. Last year, Pembroke's Willie Hilton took the 141-pound Classic title, while fellow Brave Dwayne Coward was the 165-pound champion. Eventual All-American Aaron Gunning lost in the finals and earned runner-up honors at 157. Eric Burrell of Campbell (174) tallied the quickest pin, 16 seconds, while Davidson's Matt Pendle (157) earned the Most Falls Award with five pins. Action will get underway at 5 pm on Friday and 9 am on Saturday morning with the finals tentatively set for 6 pm Saturday evening. Admission is $8 for adults and $1 for students.

ALAMOSA, Colo. -- The green team, led by three All-Americans, won five of the first six matches and then hung on for a 20-11 win over the white team in Adams State College's annual Green & White Dual on Wednesday night in Plachy Hall. The dual was the first competitive action of the season for the Grizzlies, ranked ninth in the NCAA Division II National Wrestling Coaches Association Preseason Poll. Wednesday's action started with a battle of returning All-Americans in a 125/133-pound match-up. Sophomore 133-pounder Raymond Dunning (Nashville, Tenn.) scored five takedowns and a second period near fall to post a 13-7 win over senior 125-pound Rob McCabe (Nucla, Colo.). Dunning finished sixth in last year's NCAA Division II National Championships and begins 2005-06 ranked fifth. McCabe finished fourth at last year's national championships and is tabbed second this year. The green team extended its lead to 6-0 after junior Brian Pitts (Rio Rancho, N.M.) scored a 6-4 win 141-pound win over Joey Deaguero (Commerce City, Colo.). Pitts, a 2002 All-American at 125 pounds, trailed 3-2 after the first period but rallied to defeat the 3-time state champion from Adams City High School. The white team got on to the scoreboard in dominating fashion as Jacob Sheridan (Manassa, Colo.) thrashed Joe Kelso (Monte Vista, Colo.) in a battle of San Luis Valley natives. Sheridan scored all four of the white team's near falls throughout the evening and posted a 15-0 technical fall win that closed the overall deficit to 6-5. The green team quickly regained momentum as Dan Intlekofer (Fort Collins, Colo.) edged Noomis Jones (Arvada, Colo.) in a 149-pound battle of 2005 Class 5A State Champions. Intlekofer, a 2-time state champion at Rocky Mountain High School, scored the only takedown of the match in the first period and then escaped the Pomona High School product's grasp to secure the win in the third period. Intlekofer wrestled at 145 pounds in high school while Jones grappled at 152 pounds. The Green team then went up 12-5 with a key win at 157 pounds. Senior Aaron Thompson (Newton, Kan.) reversed junior Dusty Vaughn (Montrose, Colo.) to begin the second period and then scored a 3-point near fall while using riding time to post the 6-0 win. The punches kept on coming as returning All-American Evan Copeland (Las Cruces, N.M.) blasted freshman Andre' Jones (Gold Canyon, Ariz.) in the 165-pound match-up giving the green team a 17-5 lead. Copeland, who finished third at nationals in that weight class, scored 10 of the green team's 21 takedowns and then ended the match 44 seconds early with a near fall to close out a 23-8 win. Jones, a 2-time freestyle state champion from Apache Junction High School, scored all of his points on escapes. The white team closed the gap in one of the most exciting matches of the night at 174 pounds. Sophomore Max Smith (Parker, Colo.) scored a first period takedown of returning national qualifier James Reynolds (Monte Vista, Colo.) to take a 2-0 lead. Smith then escaped for the only second period action before Reynolds, a returning national tournament qualifier, closed the gap to 3-2 with a third period takedown. He also erased Smith's riding time advantage but could not turn him as the white squad closed the gap to 17-8. The white team also squeaked out a 5-4 win thanks to riding time at 184 pounds as returning national qualifier Josh Vialpando (Walsenburg, Colo.) overcame an early 2-0 deficit to 4-time state champion Torben Walters (Olney Springs, Colo.) with a pair of escapes. Vialpando then scored a second period takedown before Walters, a Crowley County High School graduate, tied the score at 4 with two escapes of his own. However, he could not find a late takedown to overcome Vialpando's 82 seconds of riding time. That win closed green's lead to 17-11 heading into the final match-up of the night, a inter-weight class battle of former national tournament qualifiers. 197-pound junior Casey Woodall (Morenci, Ariz.), a 2004 184-pound qualifier, scored the first point of the match senior Heath Soderstrom (Englewood, Colo.) tied the score at 1 with an early third period escape. Woodall then scored a pair of takedowns on the heavyweight to close out his win and the dual win for his team. The Grizzlies will begin their regular season at the University of Wyoming's Cowboy Open on Sunday in Laramie, Wyo. Action in UW's War Memorial Fieldhouse begins at 9 a.m.

Wow! What can I say? The last two weeks have been very interesting to say the least, and very trying. As many of you may have heard, I lost in the Black/Red Classic (our varsity wrestle-offs). I lost 12-10 to Kyle Frawley, a transfer from North Idaho. Anyway, it was a very hard loss to swallow. I mean, what fifth-year senior wants to lose his spot the last year of his collegiate career? But again, our wrestle-offs are a bit different than most other schools. Our coaches name a No. 1 wrestler at each weight (usually the returning starter). The rest of the guys at that weight are then seeded into a mini-tournament, which is wrestled out and the winner of that bracket wrestles the number one guy in the Black/Red Classic. Therefore, even though I lost in the Classic -- that was only the first match of a best-of-three series. It is basically just like the Olympic Team Trials. I knew that I had another shot at winning the varsity spot, but I would have to beat Frawley the next two matches. We found out that the next set of matches were going to be held the following Wednesday. The first would be wrestled before practice, and if necessary, the second (or third overall) would be wrestled immediately following practice. Every wrestler that gets beaten in the Classsic has the option of wrestling the guy who beat him again, so not everyone wrestles, but there were to be four matches. I was the last match since I was the last weight to be re-contested. I watched the other three matches basically end up the same way they did before, and then it was my turn. I was a bit nervous, as always, but knew I could win. Marshall Marquardt rides Kyle Frawley in a 174-pound match-up at the Black/Red Classic.Before I can get into the matches, I have to take you back a little bit to let you know exactly how I was feeling and my overall mindset. The previous Thursday (the night before the Classic was held) I started to get a sore throat. I thought it was just one of those things that would come and go, but when I woke up Friday mornings for weigh-ins, it was extremely painful. I tried to drink as much as I could Friday, trying to attribute my sore throat to maybe being a little dehydrated, but nothing seemed to work. I didn't want to take any medicine for fear of its effects it could have on my match later that night. After the match, I went to the store and got some over-the-counter medicine. The next day we had an all-day camp, so I swooped by the local clinic and got prescribed some real medicine. I felt pretty bad all day, but managed to make it through, showing a little technique along the way. On Monday, nothing was happening and I still was pretty sick. I didn't end up going back to the clinic until Tuesday, where they gave me some different medicine, promising me that it would work this time. Anyway, by the time the second and third match of the wrestle-off came around, I was still not up to par. It was wearing on me mentally, but I tried to put it in the back of my mind, focusing on the task at hand. I knew that what I was doing and how I was training would pay off. I watched video of the match and did some "problem-solving" with my brother, Jake Marquardt, late Sunday night. The second match was a success, as I was victorious -- 4-2. I got a takedown with 45 seconds to go in the third period and rode him out to win. I was pleased with the match, but still knew I could do better. I was the only person to wrestle the third match, so I was up right away after practice. It went very well, as I prevailed in the match, 11-5. I know it was only a wrestle-off, but I was so happy to get my hand raised. It let so much hype and pressure off my back. I felt like a brand new person inside and out. The stress that had been building the last week was instantly gone when my hand was raised after the last match. I felt a new energy and growing confidence I have been missing for a while now. I don't know when exactly I went into hibernation, but I am glad I am finally awake, and on the hunt. Until next time, keep getting better. Marshall Marquardt Past Entries: Entry 3 (10/26/05) Entry 2 (10/13/05) Entry 1 (10/1/05)

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The Indiana wrestling team will host an intra-squad scrimmage on Tuesday, Nov. 15, at 7 p.m. The event will take place at the Brown County High School gym and will feature 12 matches in weight classes ranging from 125-HWT. Competing at the scrimmage are senior 125-pound national champion Joe Dubuque, NCAA qualifiers senior Brady Richardson, junior Isaac Knable and sophomores Brandon Becker and Max Dean. Senior Nick Spatola, juniors Marc Bennett, Josh Buuck, Ian Campbell and Matt Cooper, sophomores Blane Culp, Justin Curran and Dave Herman and redshirt freshmen Jose Escobedo, Andrae Hernandez and Heath Vandeventer also will see time on the mat. Hoosier newcomers include freshmen Matt Coughlin, Angel Escobedo, Wesley Fike, Maurice Gunn, Hunter Hughes, Scott Kelley and Trevor Perry also will take to the mat on Tuesday. The Hoosiers are coming off an open competition at the Eastern Michigan Open, where Perry took the crown at 174 pounds followed by Herman in second at heavyweight and Angel Escobedo taking bronze at 133. Indiana will open its season at the Missouri Open in Columbia, Mo., Nov. 20.

State College, Pa. -- Penn State Nittany Lion head wrestling coach Troy Sunderland and his outstanding staff are seeing the fruits of their recruiting labors pay off as a trio of the nation's best high school wrestlers have signed National Letters of Intent to attend Penn State on day one of the signing period. Alphabetically, high school standouts Dave Rella (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio), Josh Rohler (Akron, Ohio) and Garrett Scott (Alexandria, Pa.) will attend Penn State in 2006-07 as members of one of the nation's top recruiting classes. "We are extremely pleased to get commitments from wrestlers and young men of this caliber," Sunderland said. "All three are ranked number one in their weights in at least one poll, so getting wrestlers ranked that high across the board adds to the credibility of this class being considered one of the best incoming classes in the nation." Rella, who projects at 165 for Penn State, is the defending Ohio State Champion heading into his senior season at Walsh Jesuit High School in Cleveland, Ohio. The 2005 Junior National Freestyle runner-up, he was a Junior National All-American. Rella was also runner-up at the FILA Junior National Freestyle Championships and is a two-time Powerade Champion and an Ironman Champion. "Dave is the total package," Sunderland said. "He's a great wrestler and student and he is so personable that he'll fit right in with his teammates. His presence will help us sign even more of the nation's top high school wrestlers." Not only ranked No. 1 in his weight class, Intermat ranks him as the No. 8 overall high school recruit in the country. Rohler, who projects at 157 at Penn State, is heading into his senior season at St. Vincent/St. Mary High School. The 2005 Ohio Division II third place finisher also placed third in the 2005 Beast of the East Championships. Rohler was the 2004 Ironman runner-up and an Ohio State runner-up in 2004. Rohler also is a two-time Cadet National All-American. "Josh has tremendous flow and he's good in all three positions," Sunderland said. "His athletic ability is an outstanding plus for him and he's a welcome addition to the Penn State wrestling family." Not only ranked at the top in his weight, Rohler is ranked as the No. 15 overall high school recruit in the nation by Intermat. Scott, who projects at 141 or 149 for the Nittany Lions, is a three-time defending Pennsylvania AA State Champion at Juniata Valley High School. He heads into his final season at JVHS looking to join an elite group of four-time champs. Scott was the 2005 FILA Junior National Freestyle eighth-place finisher and the 2004 Cadet National Greco runner-up. He won the Cadet Freestyle National title in 2002 and 2003 and was National Greco runner-up both those years as well. "Garrett brings a natural style with him," Sunderland said. "He has great balance and flow and is seemingly never panicked. He's always cool under pressure. It's always very gratifying to get one of Pennsylvania's top high school wrestlers." In addition to his lofty weight class ranking, Scott is ranked No. 13 overall in the country by Intermat. Penn State's incoming recruiting class, which is considered among the best in the nation by nearly every wrestling publication and outlet, follows closely on the heals of last year's 12-man recruiting class, which was ranked No. 5 by Intermat. Intermat is the official website and media outlet of the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA).

USA Wrestling will add a Junior division to its annual National Folkstyle Championships, which will be held at the UNIDome in Cedar Falls, Iowa, April 7-9, 2006. There are currently two other divisions which are contested at this annual competition: Kids (ages 9-14) and Cadet (ages 15-16). The Junior division is for wrestlers who are currently enrolled in grades 9-12, and features the best high school wrestlers in the nation. "USA Wrestling strives to provide quality wrestling opportunities for America's youth and the Junior Folkstyle Nationals is sure to be just that," stated USA Wrestling Executive Director Rich Bender on the addition of this event. "We are proud to add this event to our National Events Program." Folkstyle is the American-style of wrestling, also known as scholastic or collegiate style. This form of wrestling is only practiced in the United States. With the addition of a USA Wrestling Junior Folkstyle National Championships, USA Wrestling will now institute a Triple Crown award for the Junior division. Any wrestler who wins USA Wrestling national titles in all three styles (folkstyle, freestyle, Greco-Roman) during the same year will receive this outstanding honor. 2004 Olympic gold medalist and Iowa State Univ. assistant coach Cael Sanderson will be in Cedar Falls to hand out awards to the placewinners. While a competitor at Iowa State, Sanderson became the first collegiate wrestler to finish his career undefeated (159-0) with four NCAA titles. The final two legs of the Junior Triple Crown, the 2006 ASICS/Vaughan Junior Freestyle and Greco-Roman National Championships, will be held in Fargo, N.D., July 23-29. Currently, USA Wrestling recognizes Triple Crown winners in the Kids and Cadet age levels. The USA Wrestling Folkstyle Nationals is the first leg of the Triple Crown in these three age divisions. This is one of the most sought-after awards within USA Wrestling. The USA Wrestling Kids Folkstyle Nationals has developed into one of the most important events on the annual Kids wrestling calendar. The tournament marks the conclusion of USA Wrestling's Ultimate Challenge Series of Folkstyle Wrestling, an 11-event series of major youth competitions around the nation. At the conclusion of the USA Wrestling Kids Folkstyle Nationals, nine "Dominator Belts" as well as the prestigious "Ultimate Dominator" award are presented to the most successful athletes in this program. USA Wrestling now annually recognizes all champions from each Kids National Championship as members of USA Wrestling's Kids National Team at the conclusion of each events season. For more information on the Folkstyle National Championships for the Kids, Cadet or Junior levels, contact USA Wrestling Director of National Events Pete Isais at (719) 598-8181 or by e-mail at pisais@usawrestling.org.

RevWrestling.com recently named Cary Kolat the best high school wrestler over the past 20 years. In high school, the Rices Landing, Pennsylvania native compiled an unblemished career record of 137-0, won four state titles, and placed twice at the prestigious Midlands Championships (third as a sophomore and fourth as a junior). Kolat was a four-time NCAA All-American and two-time NCAA champion while wrestling for Penn State and Lock Haven (1993-1997). He then went on to have great success in his post collegiate freestyle career. His freestyle resume includes World medals at the 1997 and 1998 World Championships -- silver and bronze respectively. He is said to be the best wrestler in U.S. wrestling history without a World or Olympic gold medal. Kolat was a member of the U.S. National Freestyle Team seven times and placed ninth at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. He won gold medals at the World Cup (three times), Pan American Games, Goodwill Games, Cerro Pelado, Yasar Dogu, and Sunkist International. Cary Kolat was a member of the U.S. National Freestyle Team seven times.RevWrestling went one-on-one with Kolat to discuss his high school, college, and international careers, his wrestling club (Team Kolat), his camps, his mixed martial arts experience, and his future. Put yourself in our shoes, taking you out of the equation, who would you rank as the best high school wrestler over the past 20 years? Kolat: Geez, man, that's a difficult question. I read the article. It was really a well-written article. I liked all of the information about each wrestler. It's a very tough choice. I think when you get into the top-five guys, you start playing the tossup game, going back and forth. Even though this guy doesn't fall into the last 20 years, I would have to say the guy who inspired me to have success at such a young age was Jimmy Carr, who was on the 1972 Olympic Team. So, if you say, who do I pick? Well, I can't stay within the 20-year parameter, so I'm going to go right to Jimmy Carr. Amazingly, you placed third at the Midlands Championships as a sophomore in high school and fourth as a junior. The Midlands is considered to be one of the toughest collegiate tournaments in the country, especially back then. Talk about the experience of wrestling at the Midlands when you were in high school. What drove you to want to do that? Kolat: One of the guys I idolized when I was a kid growing up was Jimmy Carr. I got to know his brother, Nate, because he coached at West Virginia University, which was 20 minutes from my home. I got to know Nate and read some information about Jimmy. So I just tried to tackle his accolades and kind of follow in his footsteps and take the path he did to have success at a young age. One of the things he did was win the Midlands when he was in high school. So from about the age of 13 or 14, I started entering open tournaments and wrestling college guys. From there, Nate was able to make a call for me to the tournament director of the Midlands. That's what got me in. I felt a lot of pressure at first going in. I was kind of out there with the idea that I had nothing to lose. I really wanted to gauge where I was at -- how far I was off of Jimmy's target. You finished fourth at the 1992 Olympic Team Trials -- the summer after your senior of high school. What do you recall of that tournament and your performance out there? Kolat: It was disappointing. I felt like I could have easily started tackling the ladder and going up it. Looking back now, I wasn't mature enough to knock those guys off yet. I lost a match to Steve Knight with three seconds on the clock. He took me down right into a gut wrench and turned me with about three seconds on the clock. He began to start working his way up the ladder and I didn't get the opportunity. So it was disappointing. Wrestling fans across the country still talk about your epic match with Chris Bono at the 1992 Dapper Dan Classic during the spring of your senior year. The match ended in a 4-4 draw. What are your memories of that match? Kolat: I really have no memory of the match. I laugh because people always bring that up. It was a bad night for me. I didn't feel any pressure. A lot of folks felt like the pressure got to me being that it was the feature match and the last one of the night. I really don't know what happened. It was just a bad night for me and a great night for Chris. He deserved it. He wrestled tough that night. All I can do is look back and reflect on it. It was just one of those things that if I could change it would be great. But it's kind of how it wound up. Shortly after the Dapper Dan Classic, you entered the NHSCA Senior Nationals. Bono was in your weight class, but lost a match earlier in the tournament, which prevented you from wrestling him again. Were you disappointed that you didn't get a chance to wrestle Bono again? Kolat: Yeah, that was a big reason why I entered. I had no intentions of entering the tournament. I'm a competitor, so I wanted another crack at him. The tournament was the following weekend, so I jumped up a weight class and entered the event. He was beaten by somebody before that. Actually, Bono and I laugh to this day because there is a lot of controversy surrounding that match -- about the back points that were given. It's always a big joke between us. We're actually really good friends now. Have you watched that match against Bono since high school? Kolat: Never have. I've only seen bits and pieces. I've been on the Web site where you can see past events. I've actually never watched the match. But that's probably not uncommon for most wrestlers. I've watched matches that I lost before, but I usually try to stay away from them. Who is the one wrestler in U.S. history you would pay to watch wrestle and why? Kolat: Again, it would have to go back to Jimmy Carr. He was my inspiration for trying to wrestle in the events that I did at a young age. Here's a little insight to this guy. Craig Turnbull (the current head coach at West Virginia) was a sophomore at Clarion University when they were on top. He said, 'Cary, let's put it into perspective. Imagine an eighth-grader calling you up when you're a sophomore in college and saying, Hey, are you going to be home this summer? Because I want to make a World Team and I want to work out with you.' That's a great way to sum it up. Jimmy Carr was unbelievable and was an inspiration for me. Cary Kolat won silver and bronze medals at the World Championships -- and finished ninth at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.Your wrestling career has taken you all over the world. What is your most memorable wrestling experience or event? Kolat: The World Cups were always fun for me. You have the American flags waving. You have the Iranian flags waving. The fans go crazy. In Spokane, Washington, we had the Iranians in the finals for the team championship. We had a set back. Sammie Henson, our World champion from the previous year, went out and just had a bad match. In freestyle, you can easily get locked into a lace or a gut. And Sammie wound up getting teched. Tony Purler then went out and was beating the World champion from Iran, but wound up losing in the last few seconds. So that stung us pretty hard. We had two losses right off the bat and one was a tech, which hurt us team-wise. It just kind of fired me up. I came out and ended up beating my guy by a technical fall -- and the place just erupted. It kind of got the team back on track. Then McIlravy came out next. From there, we just kept opening up. So I'd have to say the World Cup was always my most enjoyable tournament because it was a team race. You always want to do well when you're representing the United States. You have had crucial matches overturned and have been on the wrong side of controversial decisions made by FILA (the international governing body for amateur wrestling). Have any of these negative experiences with FILA changed your love or passion for the sport? Kolat: No, those things haven't changed my love and passion for the sport. My father had a rule for me growing up that said you always have to be better than the referees. When you step on the mat, you assume that you're down by two or thee points -- and that's how you have to wrestle every bout. That was rule that I lived by my whole life -- and it just got me in the end. To this day, I always tell myself, if only I would have been just a little better. I have a youth club now here in Baltimore. I run camps. I have a club. I work with guys individually. So I take my experiences and what happened to me and say, 'This is why you always have to be better than the competition and better than the referees.' Referees are going to make bad calls unintentionally. And internationally, we've had calls that are intentional. You just have to wrestle through it. You wear a United States singlet. People in Europe and other countries have a certain opinion about us, so we just have to be better wrestlers all around. In 2002, FILA changed the weight classes. You had been wrestling at 63 kg, but the weight classes changed to 60 kg and 66 kg. It seemed like you were kind of caught in the middle. How did the weight class changes affect you? Kolat: I had the old, one foot in retirement, one foot out of retirement. After the Olympics, I was a little disappointed with what had happened. I had a little bit of anger in me, so I wanted to make another run. The weight below was just too far. The last time I saw that weight was when I wrestled 134 during my junior year of college. Then I bumped up to 142 when I was a senior -- but the freestyle weight was still 136.5. Anything between 136 and 142 was a great weight for me. When you start getting above that for me, it gets tough. I'm short. I just ended up giving up more and more leverage. If you actually look, you'll see guys who I competed with at 138 doing fine at 145. But a big part of that is the fact that they were like a head taller than me, so the jump to 145 wasn't such a big deal to them. That extra weight and extra strength just wound up getting up there too high for me. At the 1997 World Championships, you lost a controversial match to Abbas Hajd Kenari of Iran. He untied his shoe out of the view of the referee. And then once the referee was looking, he took a timeout to catch his breath and retie his shoes. Do you think that match caused FILA to reexamine their rules -- and the subsequent decision that you must have your laces taped or covered during competition? Kolat: It did. That's why we tape the laces now. That's one of the reasons for it. So, yeah, it had an effect. I mean, that's not necessarily why I lost the match. But it changed the momentum. I felt, had he not untied his shoes, I would have worn him down and come back. But for me, I always relate it to wrestling -- and the first mistake was made by me in the first 30 seconds of the bout. I gave up an early takedown right to a gut wrench. Kenari had an unbelievable low gut at the time. I was still young, maturity-wise. It was my first World Championships. If you look at World Cup Soccer, you'll see those guys go down and try to get those red and yellow cards -- and they'll do some acting. Internationally, that's just kind of how it is. You have to deal with it. What do you think about the recent changes that FILA implemented? Like the three individual match periods? Kolat: I actually talked to some guys about this. For me, I feel that the benefit was the one five-minute period. It was constant action. Conditioning played a factor -- as did technique. Right now, they're looking at judo and their rules. So, yes, technique is critical in wrestling. But I'm the kind of guy, I like to battle. I like to scrap. I like to get in the wrestling room sometimes when there is blood flying from a bloody nose, or somebody gets cut, or somebody gets hurt. I like to compete under those conditions. It's a lot more technique right now. Would I have enjoyed it? Yeah, I would have competed and enjoyed it. But I always preferred the one five-minute period. You are now a spokesman for Sharpie and Paper Mate's youth wrestling sponsorship program. Talk about your involvement the company and what exactly you do. Kolat: I am the national event marketing manager. The program is called Under Sponsored Sports. So we did a test model, wrestling, one of those sports with a large fan base. You have the NCAA Tournament that draws 90,000 fans over the course of three days. And you don't really see any large corporate sponsors involved in it. So we kind of had an initiative to start tackling some of these and testing them out -- and wrestling was our test model. Me being with the company at the time, it was a perfect fit. That's kind of how we got involved. We're sponsoring events all over the United States -- with Paper Mate leading the charge. It's my way to help give back to the sport that has given me so much. You run a successful youth wrestling club called Team Kolat. When did the club start? And what is your club's training schedule? Kolat: It really kicked off in April. We have different cycles. We have preseason folkstyle training. We have in-season folkstyle training. We have out of season folkstyle training. And then also freestyle and Greco-Roman in the summer. My wife is originally from Baltimore and I've got two children -- and my family is here, so it made it easier for us to move back to Baltimore. One of the others things is that I like challenges. My feeling is that Maryland has been a little behind when it comes to the caliber of wrestling that has been put out on the mat in states like Pennsylvania and New Jersey, which are right next door. There are a lot of kids who love the sport of wrestling. They just need the coaching. They just need somebody to get in there and design practices and put the hours in that it takes to boost Maryland wrestling. It was a great fit for my family -- and a challenge for me. I really enjoy coaching at the youth level, more than I enjoyed coaching at the college level. For me, I feel like it's a way to get my hands on kids early and fix those mistakes before they happen and really give a kid an advantage in a young wrestling career. You have been an assistant coach at numerous Division I collegiate programs. Do you have aspirations of taking over a Division I program? Kolat: You don't ever want to say no to anything. But I really like working with the kids. I like the flexibility, time-wise. There is more of a creation process, too. When you get a kid who has never wrestled and he signs up for your club, you get to start out and show him things. This is the way you should do your stance. This is how you should move. This is how you should attack. This is the defense you should use. You really get to put a product out there that is you. And then you try to give that kid the best experience he can have with the sport. It's nice to see them enjoy winning -- and it's nice to be a part of that. And then you send them off to college and hope they continue to have that success. And then when they look back, they think of you as the guy who mentored them and got them in the right direction. I really like where I'm at. If it presented itself to me, a college coaching position, I would give it a thought. I would definitely think about it. But I really like what I'm doing now. Do you still follow collegiate wrestling pretty closely? Kolat: Yeah, but I really have to catch up on these high school athletes. I stay on top of it as much as possible. I'm checking to see who's doing well and who's not from guys I've known since they were kids or in high school. You run a very successful series of wrestling camps. Talk about your different camps and how people can get more information or register for them. Kolat: You can go to my Web site, carykolat.com. We'll also have brochures that will go out throughout the United States. I offer a variety of camps. I have Kolat Youth Camps for guys who are just getting started in the sport. We have Kolat Competitor Camps, which is an intermediate technique camp that focuses on technique, proper drilling, and proper training habits. And then we have a third level called Kolat World, which is for advanced techniques. That's where you expect to see your throws and your inside trips. It moves at a high pace. These are for guys who have been wrestling for years. They don't want to go to camp and see the typical stance, motion kind of stuff. Again, there we emphasize combination drilling, teaching yourself how to scramble. I also offer something called Kolat Specialty Camps. These are focus camps. It's four days of either takedowns, top, or bottom. You get to put emphasis on an area where you need more work. A lot of guys have trouble getting off the bottom, so they can sign up for the bottom camp and it's four straight days of learning how to gain hand control, free your hips, and get off the mat. And we also offer our Kolat Intensive Camps. Those run in packages of 5, 10, and 15 days. I try to put those during the season for guys getting ready for Junior Nationals, Cadets, that kind of stuff. Cary Kolat won two NCAA titles for Lock Haven (1996 and 1997). OK, looking back on your career, who is the best wrestler you competed against during your college days at Penn State and Lock Haven? Kolat: Oh, man, that's a tough question. I haven't really given those things too much thought. Best guy in college … hmmm … Mark Ironside? Kolat: Yeah, you know what, Mark would be. I always felt that I wasn't ready for that match. I had been sitting out. But I've watched Mark over the years. I have a lot of respect for him. He was tough. I've been tired in bouts before. I always wanted to get a rematch on that and set the record straight. No, Mark is a great guy. There's no doubt, he pushed me to the wall that day. So I'd have to say that Mark Ironside was the toughest competitor in college. Who was the best wrestler you ever wrestled in freestyle here in the United States? Kolat: Let me think … hmmm … I'll tell you who it was, and it wasn't in competition. At the 2000 Olympics, I was going to take Sanshiro Abe as my training partner. While we were at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, he got injured. John Smith walked this guy over and said, 'Hey, this guy will drill with you if you want. His name is Jamill Kelly.' Man, I put my hands on that guy and I was like, 'This kid has all the tools to be a really great wrestler.' So Jamill came to my house in Morgantown, West Virginia and stayed with us for two weeks. He helped me prepare for the Olympics. He trained with me. I took him over to Sydney. He went over there as my training partner. I always said that he was going to be really good. At the time, Jamill was just mentally having some trouble busting into the U.S. Open scene in the United States. When I retired, he just turned it on. So we never competed in a tournament, but we competed in the practice room, and that kid was tough. I always knew that he would do well. So you weren't too surprised by Jamill Kelly's success at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, where he brought home a silver medal? Kolat: Not at all. Not one bit. Another story … When McIlravy came out of retirement, he called me up. This was after they had changed the weight classes, so some of the guys had bumped up from my weight class. McIlravy said, 'Can you just give me a little insight on some of these guys?' I told Lincoln, 'The guy you want to watch out for is Jamill. The guy is underestimated. I've trained with him. He's strong. He's technical. And he has explosive hips. If he puts it together, he can wrestle.' That was always my call. The guy is tough. Who is the best wrestler you have ever wrestled outside of the United States? Kolat: Kenari. He had great position. He really tried to slow you down when you wrestled him. He was tough with his turns. He had great hips and an unbelievable gut wrench. I wrestled him in the finals of the World Championships in 1997 and then again at the World Cup at Oklahoma State University in 1998. He was tough. I always felt like he was the toughest guy. In September, you competed in a mixed martial arts event while fighting for Team Quest. Do you plan on still training and continuing your MMA career? Kolat: I don't know. I'm always on the mats and stuff. I don't really have any desire to step on the wrestling mat anymore. I was rolling around with a couple of guys who did it, so I decided to jump in and try a fight. I enjoyed it. I had fun. It was exciting for me. It's my kind of style. But with my job duties and with my club and things of that nature, for me, that's first and foremost. I dedicated so much of my life to wrestling and put family engagements on hold. I have two girls. So when it comes to training, if I have a choice to go see my daughter at a school play, or go practice, I'll go see my daughter. I'm not training the way that I should to be a competitive athlete. So … I'm not sure. I'm still kind of up in the air with that. So a wrestling comeback is out of the question? A lot of wrestling fans, including me, would love to see you get back on the mat and make a run at the 2008 Olympic Games. Kolat: Yeah, that's out of the question. It's nice to know that people still think about you and what you did in your career. You get old, you know, so you want to reflect on some of those memories. No wrestling comeback for me. But I'm on the mats every day wrestling with my guys. Related: 20/20 Vision Part 1: The 20 best high school wrestlers over the past 20 years (20-11) 20/20 Vision Part 2: The 20 best high school wrestlers over the past 20 years (10-1) Video: 1992 Dapper Dan Classic -- Cary Kolat vs. Chris Bono (wrestlingreport.com)

ALAMOSA, Colo. -- A battle of returning All-Americans will kick-off and highlight Adams State College's annual Green & White wrestling dual, slated for 7 o'clock on Wednesday night in Plachy Hall. Senior Rob McCabe (Nucla, Colo.), who finished fourth in the 125-pound weight class at the 2005 NCAA Division II National Championships, will represent the white team and will take on 133-pound sophomore Raymond Dunning (Nashville, Tenn.), who finished sixth at the national championship. That match in the first of nine bouts on the slate, set and announced by Grizzly head coach Jason Ramstetter Tuesday. Ramstetter, in his seventh year with the Grizzlies, will guide the green team, which also includes returning All-American Evan Copeland (Las Cruces, N.M.) at 165 pounds. Assistant coach Rob Odell will coach the white team, which will be led by McCabe, two other returning national qualifiers and a host of talented recruits. Another intriguing match-up will come in the second bout of the night between green team representative Brian Pitts (Rio Rancho, N.M.), a 2002 All-American at 125 pounds, and white team freshman Joey Deaguero (Commerce City, Colo.), a 3-time Class 5A State Champion from Adams City High School. San Luis Valley wrestling fans will be quite familiar with both wrestlers in a 141/149-pound inter-weight class tilt between Joe Kelso of Monte Vitsta High School and Jacob Sheridan (La Jara, Colo.) of Centauri High School. Kelso, who went 142-23 with two career state placings while wrestling for the Pirates will represent the green team. Sheridan, who finished in the top three at state during all four years of his Falcon career, will wrestle for the white squad. The 149-pound match-up will pit another pair of 5A State Champions against each other. Dan Intlekofer (Fort Collins, Colo.), who won the 145-pound title at last year's state tournament while wrestling for Rocky Mountain High School will compete for the green team and will face the 152-pound champion in Noomis Jones (Arvada, Colo.), a recent graduate of Pomona High School. Green team senior Aaron Thompson (Newton, Kan.) will square off with junior Dusty Vaughn (Montrose, Colo.), the white team's representative, in the 157-pound match before Copeland, who finished third at last year's national championships, will face Andre' Harris (Gold Canyon, Ariz.), a 2-time regional champion and 2-time state placer from Apache Junction High School. Returning national qualifier James Reynolds (Monte Vista, Colo.) will then take on white team sophomore Max Smith (Parker, Colo.) in the 174-pound match-up before Grizzly fans will have the chance to see heralded recruit Torben Walters (Olney Springs, Colo.) for the first time of his collegiate career in the 184-pound battle. Walters, became just the 13th Colorado prep wrestler of all-time to win four state titles while wrestling for Crowley County High School. Going a combined 163-3 in his prep career, Walters will wrestle for the green team will take on senior Josh Vialpando (Walsenburg, Colo.), who will drop down a weight class after qualifying for the national championships last year at 197 pounds. The final match-up of the night will be between returning national qualifying heavyweight Heath Soderstrom (Englewood, Colo.), who will wrestle for the white team against 197-pound junior Casey Woodall (Morenci, Ariz.). Woodall qualified for the national championships at 184 pounds as a sophomore in 2003 before redshirting a year ago. To offset the weight difference, Ramstetter noted that all three periods of that match will begin in the neutral position. Admission to the dual is free. The Grizzlies will begin intercollegiate competition on Sunday at the University of Wyoming's Cowboy Open, which is slated to begin at 9 a.m. inside the War Memorial Fieldhouse in Laramie, Wyo.

SEASON OPENER Iowa will open the 2005-06 wrestling season Sunday at the Spartan Classic in Dubuque, IA. Competition will start at 9:30 a.m. in the Stoltz Sports Center. 2005-06 SEASON PREVIEW Iowa returns eight of 10 starters, and six of seven NCAA qualifiers from 2004-05. That number includes Iowa's four individual all-Americans and two NCAA finalists. The senior trio of Ty Eustice (149), Joe Johnston (157) and Paul Bradley (184) have two seasons of varsity competition and NCAA Championship experience. Bradley is a two-time all-American, while Eustice and Johnston each earned the honor last season. Iowa's other seniors looking to fight their way into the lineup are Trent Goodale (133), Cole Pape (165), and Adam Fellers (197). Also returning for Iowa is sophomore all-American and NCAA finalist Mark Perry, who will be moving up to 174 pounds. Junior Ryan Fuller (Hwt.), who competed in the varsity lineup in 2003-04, also returns and looks to make a run at the starting spot this season. The sophomore trio of Charlie Falck (125), Alex Tsirtsis (141) and Matt Fields (Hwt.) were newcomers who earned varsity spots last season. Tsirtsis and Fields qualified for the NCAA Championships. ON THE AIR Radio - Morrie Adams and four-time Hawkeye all-American Mark Ironside will call this season's action live on AM-800 KXIC. Broadcasts will start with the Iowa-Arizona State dual on November 26. To listen to the broadcast online, go to the wrestling schedule page on www.hawkeyesports.com. Broadcasts are available using the CSTV All-Access subscription, which can be purchased for $6.95 per month or $49.95 per year. Television - Iowa Public Television, in its 30th season of televising college wrestling, will air live telecasts of Iowa's duals at Iowa State (Dec. 5), vs. Oklahoma State (Jan. 7) and vs. Illinois (Feb. 10). Tim Johnson, Jim Gibbons and former Iowa Wrestling Coach Dan Gable will call the action. HEAD COACH JIM ZALESKY Jim Zalesky is in his ninth season as head coach at the University of Iowa. He has a school and career record of 116-27 (.811). Named National Coach of the Year in 1998 and 1999, and Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2000 and 2004, he has led the Hawkeyes to three NCAA (1998-00) and three Big Ten titles (1998, 2000, 2004). Zalesky has coached 10 NCAA Champions, 20 Big Ten Champions and 40 all-Americans at Iowa. He was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in June 2004, the University of Iowa Letterman's Club Hall of Fame and the Iowa High School Athletic Association Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2002, and the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1994. A three-time national champion and one of Iowa's 15 four-time all-Americans, Zalesky was an assistant coach and head recruiter at Iowa under Dan Gable for seven seasons (1991-97). He was named Assistant Coach of the Year by the N.W.C.A. in 1992 and 1997. Undefeated as a junior and senior, Zalesky ended his career on an 89-match winning streak. 2005 NWCA All-STAR CLASSIC Three Hawkeye have been invited to compete at the 40th annual NWCA All-Star Classic presented by the United States Marine Corps. The event will be held November 21 at 7 p.m. (CT) at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, OK. Iowa seniors Joe Johnston (157) and Paul Bradley (184) and sophomore Mark Perry (174) will compete in the event. All three are scheduled to face Big Ten opponents. Johnston will wrestle Illinois' Alex Tirapelle, Perry will wrestle Northwestern's Jake Herbert and Bradley will face Illinois' Pete Friedl. Johnston has a 2-3 career mark against Tirapelle, scoring his most recent win (6-5) in the quarterfinals of the 2005 NCAA Championships. It will be the first meeting between Perry and Herbert, as Perry wrestled at 165 last season. It will also be the first meeting between Bradley and Friedl, as Friedl is moving up from 174. It will be Bradley's second appearance at the event, and Johnston and Perry's first. Bradley lost a 3-2 decision to West Virginia's Greg Jones last year. 2005 NWCA All-Star Classic Tenative Lineup 125 - Sam Hazewinkel (Oklahoma) vs. Nick Simmons (Michigan St.) 133 - Tom Clum (Wisconsin) vs. Mack Reiter (Minnesota) 141 - Teyon Ware (Oklahoma) vs. Nate Gallick (Iowa St.) 149 - Zack Esposito (Oklahom St.) vs. Jon Masa (Hofstra) 157 - Joe Johnston (Iowa) vs. Alex Tirapelle (Illinois) 165 - Johny Hendricks (Oklahoma St.) vs. Ryan Churella (Michigan) 174 - Mark Perry (Iowa) vs. Jake Herbert (Northwestern) 184 - Paul Bradley (Iowa) vs. Pete Friedl (Northwestern) 197 - Jake Rosholt (Oklahoma St.) vs. Joel Flaggert (Oklahoma) Hwt. - Steven Mocco (Oklahoma St.) vs. Cole Konrad (Minnesota) HAWK TALK WITH JIM ZALESKY KXIC Radio (AM-800) will air the Hawk Talk with Jim Zalesky radio show this season. The show will be live from LaCasa Mexican Restaurant in Iowa City from 6-7 p.m. Here are the show dates: November 16 February 15, 28 December 7 March 7 January 3, 17, 31 IOWA WRESTLING HISTORY Iowa's overall dual meet record is 784-202-30 (.786) in 93 seasons. The Hawkeyes have won 20 national titles, including nine of the last 15, and 31 Big Ten titles. Iowa's 47 NCAA Champions have won a total of 73 NCAA individual titles, crowning six three-time and 13 two-time champions. The Hawkeyes' 99 Big Ten Champions have won a total of 180 conference individual titles. There have been seven four-time, 18 three-time and 24 two-time Iowa winners. Iowa's 127 all-Americans have earned all-America status 258 times, including 16 four-time, 27 three-time and 29 two-time honorees. IOWA TICKET INFORMATION Season tickets and single meet tickets for Iowa's seven home duals are on sale at the University of Iowa Athletic Ticket Office. University of Iowa students will be admitted free of charge for all duals except Oklahoma State on January 7. Season Tickets $56 - General Public; $49 - University Faculty & Staff Single-Match Tickets (Purchased in Advance)* $8 - Adults; $4 - Youth * - Iowa vs. Oklahoma State tickets are $10 each. Single-Match Tickets (Purchased at the Door)* $10 - Adults; $5 - Youth * - Iowa vs. Oklahoma State tickets are $10 each. Group Rates* $4 - Per person with a group of 15 or more * -- The group rate for the Iowa vs. Oklahoma State dual is $5 per person. PACK THE PLACE - BREAK THE RECORD The Hawkeyes will try to regain the dual meet national attendance record when they host defending NCAA champion and top-ranked Oklahoma State on January 7. Match time is set for 7:30 p.m. The current national attendance record of 15,646 was set February 1, 2002, when Iowa wrestled at Minnesota. CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA Carver-Hawkeye Arena has been the home for Iowa wrestling since 1983. The Hawkeyes have a record of 146-12 (.924) in the arena, which includes a record 10 victories during the 1986 season. Iowa has recorded 16 undefeated seasons in the arena, with the most recent (8-0) occurring in 2002-03. The dual wrestling attendance record for Carver-Hawkeye Arena is 15,291, set when Iowa defeated Iowa State on February 22, 1992. The arena seats 15,500 for a dual wrestling meet. CHAMPIONSHIP EXPERIENCE The Hawkeye wrestling staff of Jim Zalesky, Troy Steiner, Tim Hartung, Luke Eustice and Mike Zadick earned a total of six NCAA titles, 10 Big Ten titles and 15 all-America honors. Their combined college career wrestling record is 596-90-1 (.881), including four undefeated seasons. HAWKEYES LEAD NATION IN ATTENDANCE Iowa wrestling fans love their Hawkeyes, and have no problem coming out to show it. Iowa led the nation in home dual meet attendance last season, posting a season average of 5,073 fans per home dual. Oklahoma State was second (4,542) and Lehigh third (2,488). The Hawkeye's ability to draw crowds on the road has helped 10 schools set dual attendance records. In 2004-05, Cal Davis (5,150) and Illinois (3,573) set records when they hosted the Hawkeyes. The other eight schools are Minnesota (15,646 - 2002), Iowa State (14,507 - 1982), Penn State (11,245 - 1996), Northern Iowa (10,200 - 1976), North Dakota State (6,307 - 1992), Pennsylvania (5,109 - 2002), Wisconsin (4,800 - 1978) and Cleveland State (3,620 - 1987). Iowa has been a part of the 35 largest recorded dual meet crowds, helping to set the national attendance record 10 times. The current attendance record of 15,646 was set February 1, 2002, when Iowa wrestled at Minnesota. Thirty-two of the top 35 matchups were with intra-state rival Iowa State. The Hawkeyes have also wrestled in front of 44 of the 47 recorded dual crowds over 10,000. In 2004-05, Iowa competed in 11 of the top 20 reported dual crowds, hosting six (Iowa State, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Virginia Tech, Indiana and Arizona State) and visiting for five (Oklahoma State, Cal-Davis, Illinois, Penn State and Northern Iowa). OH BROTHER There are four sets of brothers on the 2005-06 University of Iowa wrestling roster. Lucas and Thomas Magnani from Long Island, NY, Jacob and Justin Neuzil from Riverside and Ainsworth, IA, Cole and Dane Pape from Maquoketa, IA, and Ben and Brett Stedman from Sioux City, IA. There have been 10 sets of brothers to wrestle together in the Hawkeye varsity lineup since the 1950s. They are Don and Tom Huff (1961), Mark and Scott Trizzino (1981), Lenny, Larry and Jim Zalesky (1981-82), Ed and Lou Banach (1981-83), Marty and Lindley Kistler (1984-85), Jim and John Heffernan (1987), Tom and Terry Brands (1989-92), Troy and Terry Steiner (1991-93), Ryan and Randy Fulsaas (2001) and Luke and Ty Eustice (2003-04). Juniors Ben and Brett Stedman are the fifth set of twins to wrestle for the University of Iowa. Ed and Lou Banach, Tom and Terry Brands, Troy and Terry Steiner and Randy and Ryan Fulsaas are the other four.

A big thanks to all who made my journey to Chattanooga, TN both possible and very enjoyable. The folks at UTC have a vision for the future and they'll accomplish much under the leadership of coach's Seay, Bono, Henson, Hamilton and Crump. Great kids, Great program, Thanks again! Join us this week as we get back in the studio for a very different kinda of show. We start with North Dakota State University (NDSU) grad and former WWF Star Bob Backlund Don Taber -- Head Coach of Shippenburg University of Pennsylvania Scott Kluever -- Founder and Host along with Shane Sparks of The Wrestling Room Radio Show (heard weekly throughout the Appleton Wisc. area). Kluever also Coaches Middle School in Wisconsin. Tony Robie -- New Head Coach at Binghamton University, 2 x AA, NCAA Runner Up and assist for last for years at U of Mich Kelly Rundle -- Motion Picture Producer/Actor -- New Movie Valisca Patricia Miranda -- Big Announcement to be made by Olympic Medalist, 2003 World Silver, 2003 Pan Am Champion, 2003 World Cup Champion. Now attending classes at Yale Law Thanks to all of our coaches who do their job with the basic understanding of the real reason they are in the job that they are in, To impart knowledge to the young men in their charge. For you to lead by example is the best possible gift you can share with these young men and with the rest of the wrestling family. Thank you! Scott Casber AM 1460 KXNO in Iowa 101.5 FM KRRW Minnesota Takedownradio.com 515-707-8657