InterMat Staff

2019 16U national champion Daniel Cardenas (Photo courtesy of John Sachs; Tech-Fall.com) We are less than a week away from the first whistle blowing at the FargoDome as the Junior/16U National Championships will occur for the first time since 2019. Because of the cancelation of the 2020 tournament, the wrestlers have decided to show up in full force at Fargo. Early entries indicate that it will be the deepest in 10-15 years. Over the next couple of days, we'll go conference-by-conference to preview recruits from each school and their chances for success. We have only included recruits that have been tabbed to participate in one of the tournaments. Today we're looking at the EIWA. The conference contains the Ivy League, which is full of teams that have improved their recruiting efforts in recent years. In fact, Ivy teams have two of the largest contingents heading to Fargo. But it isn't just the Ivies getting it done on the recruiting trail. The service academies have been excellent, too. With the amount of talent heading into the conference, there's only one way to go! Here are some of the future stars of the EIWA, which will be on display in Fargo. American Max Leete (Massachusetts) - Class of 2021: 126 lbs Antonio Segura (Colorado) - Class of 2021: 160 lbs New American University head coach Jason Borrelli is reportedly continuing to bring in the entire recruiting Class of 2021. There is no attrition. That is good news as the Eagles had some solid signees, two of which will be in action. Max Leete was a 16U Greco-Roman All-American here in 2019, when he was eighth at the 126 lb weight class. He's sent to enter that weight class again in 2021, just at the Junior level. Replicating a podium finish may be extremely difficult as 126 is very deep, particularly on the freestyle side. Leete finished his senior year among the top-200 on MatScouts Big Board. The other future Eagle in the mix is Antonio Segura. Segura has had success in Fargo, too. He was a Junior Greco-Roman sixth-place finisher in 2019, and eighth in Cadet freestyle the previous year. Placing in freestyle at the 160 lb bracket may be a tough ask for Segura, but getting on the Greco podium may be more feasible. Army West Point Gage Cook (Washington) - Class of 2022: 285 lbs Gunner Filipowicz (Georgia) - Class of 2022: 160 lbs We've been very high on Army West Point's recruiting effort in the recent past and there are no signs of letting up as two talented rising HS seniors are set to compete this week. Most notably is Gage Cook, who is 4-for-4 in attempts at placing in Fargo. In 2018 and 2019, he was eighth in 16U freestyle. Those same years he was a finalist in Greco-Roman, winning the tournament in 2019 at 220 lbs. Expect Cook to contend for prominent spots on the podium in both styles. Though Cook has a long list of credentials, he's actually behind Gunner Filipowicz on the Big Board (121 to 129). Filipowicz's stock has risen after making the finals of NHSCA Junior Nationals. He is a part of a team in Georgia that continues to improve and impress. Currently ranked #16 in the nation, Filipowicz may have to pull an upset or two to place, but expect a deep run from him. Binghamton Carter Baer (New York) - Class of 2022: 160 lbs Logan Gumble (New York) - Class of 2021: 160 lbs Binghamton has a pair of entrants that may not be very well known outside the northeast, but that could change in the next week. Both Carter Baer and Logan Gumble are expected to compete at 160 lbs, so head coach Kyle Borshoff should be able to easily keep tabs on both. Baer has won a pair of titles in New York and was seventh at NHSCA Junior's this spring. Though currently at #143 on the Big Board and #19 at 160 lbs, he doesn't have any major results in freestyle. Gumble was a state placewinner as a junior and has put together some solid results in the international styles at the Regional level. Both should be able to amass some wins and could be a factor late in the tournament. Brown Sam McMonagle (Pennsylvania) - Class of 2021: 145 lbs Tony Pray (Nebraska) - Class of 2021: 195 lbs Brown Class of 2021 was an underrated group that deserves mention though they ultimately missed the cut in InterMat's rankings. Two notable members of that class, Sam McMonagle and Tony Pray, are expected to lace ‘em up in Fargo. McMonagle is a two-time Pennsylvania state placer, taking seventh as a junior and fourth this year. The PA native won't be phased by the level of competition in Fargo; however, his weight is loaded with talent. The same can be said for Pray's 195 lb group. A Nebraska state champion as a junior, Pray was not able to wrestle in the high school postseason. If healthy, Pray could notch some quality wins, even in a deep weight class. Bucknell Michael Bartush (Connecticut) - Class of 2022: 195 lbs Braden Bower (Pennsylvania) - Class of 2021: 138 lbs Riley Bower (Pennsylvania) - Class of 2021: 145 lbs Kolby DePron (Oklahoma) - Class of 2021: 160 lbs There's a whole herd of future Bison ready to storm the mat in the FargoDome, also the home of the NDSU Bison. The Bucknell recruit that looks best equipped for a deep run is their only rising senior, Michael Bartush. Michael was third at NHSCA Juniors and a New England runner-up. The Bower twins are capable in the middleweights. Kolby DePron is a three-time Oklahoma state champion that finished his high school career at #283 on the Big Board. This spring, DePron swept Oklahoma's freestyle and Greco-Roman titles. He will have his hands full in a 160 lb weight class that features 16 ranked wrestlers and that doesn't account for graduated seniors. Columbia Richard Fedalen (Maryland) - Class of 2022: 138 lbs Yanni Vines (Alabama) - Class of 2022: 113 lbs The Columbia staff is assembling a monster recruiting Class of 2022 and a pair of their young lions are expected to battle, with Richard Fedalen and Yanni Vines showing up in the entry list. Fedalen is no stranger to the Fargo podium, having made it twice already. He was fifth in 16U Greco-Roman in 2019, a year after achieving the same placement in Cadet freestyle. Fedalen's 138 lb weight class is a bunch of talent, but no clear-cut favorite. He's capable of standing out and placing highly at the weight. Alabama's Yianni Vines is also in good position to place. He is ranked 17th in the nation at 120, but expected to enter at 113. Vines was an NHSCA Junior National finalist at the weight and seventh at Preseason Nationals. As the field is currently constructed at 113, it's not hard to imagine Vines placing prominently. Cornell Evan Canoyer (Nebraska) - Class of 2021: 170 lbs Daniel Cardenas (Colorado) - Class of 2022: 145 lbs Luke Duthie (Pennsylvania) - Class of 2021: 195 lbs Ethan Fernandez (New Jersey) - Class of 2021: 132 lbs Erik Gibson (Pennsylvania) - Class of 2022: 152 lbs Myles Griffin (Florida) - Class of 2021: 145 lbs Christian Hansen (New York) - Class of 2021: 170 lbs Nico Provo (Connecticut) - Class of 2021: 126 lbs There's plenty of young talent already in the Friedman Center at Cornell for first-year head coach Mike Grey and the good news is there's more on the way. Six wrestlers from the Class of 2021 and two from 2022 are slated to hit the mat in Fargo. The only member of the bunch with past Junior level credentials to his name is Nico Provo, a freestyle finalist in 2019 at 113 lbs. He's expected to be a top contender at the loaded 126 lb bracket. The only past champion of the bunch is Daniel Cardenas, who has made the 16U freestyle finals on two occasions (he won in 2019). Cardenas' success isn't limited to freestyle, as he was seventh in Greco in 2019. He'll be one of the “guys to beat” in an imposing 145 lb weight class. The other member of this class with past placement in both styles is Evan Canoyer. Evan was fourth in 16U Greco and sixth in freestyle in 2019. His 170 lb weight class is extremely deep, but without a clear favorite. He could be a major factor. The other returning freestyle All-American is Erik Gibson. Gibson was seventh in 16U freestyle in 2019 and is expected to improve upon that finish in 2021. He's on the shortlist of potential champs at 152 lbs. Luke Duthie, Ethan Fernandez, Myles Griffin, and Christian Hansen have all shown flashes during their careers that would lead you to believe they can have some success this time around. Fernandez was actually a Greco-Roman AA in 2019, taking sixth in at 126 lbs in 16U. We'll have to keep an eye out to see if Griffin/Cardenas or Hansen/Canoyer run into each other. Lehigh Caden Rogers (Pennsylvania) - Class of 2022: 195 lbs Lehigh's most recent commit, Caden Rogers, is their only one expected to wrestle next week. Rogers is a prospect that has gained significant steam over the past year. He was a National Prep Open champion in a very solid weight class. Rogers also has a past track record in Fargo. In 2019, Rogers took fifth in 16U Greco-Roman. Though the 195 lb weight class is overflowing with talent, Rogers is capable of a high finish, further displaying his recent growth. He comes into the weekend with a #28 overall ranking on the Big Board. Navy Jake Niffenegger (Ohio) - Class of 2022: 132 lbs Danny Wask (New Jersey) - Class of 2022: 152 lbs A pair of rising seniors represent that excellent class that head coach Cary Kolat has assembled already for the Class of 2022. Both Jake Niffenegger and Danny Wask have gotten onto the podium at Fargo in the past. Niffenegger was fourth in Cadet freestyle in 2018, before he entered high school. In the 2020-21 season, Niffenegger was a state runner-up at 138 lbs. He is expected to drop down to 132 for this week. That weight is extremely deep, with at least 15 past All-Americans set to compete. Even so, expect Jake to be in the mix. Wask was placed in both styles as a Cadet in 2018 at 106 lbs. He's grown significantly since and will be at 152 lbs this time. Since moving up in weight, Wask has experienced the same type of success at national-level events. Penn Alex Almeyda (New Jersey) - Class of 2022: 138 lbs Louis Colaiocco (New Jersey) - Class of 2021: 145 lbs Martin Cosgrove (New Jersey) - Class of 2022: 220 lbs Richard Delsanter (Ohio) - Class of 2021: 132 lbs Kelly Dunnigan (New Jersey) - Class of 2021; 126 lbs Hunter Gandy (New Jersey) - Class of 2021: 152 lbs Evan Mougalian (New Jersey) - Class of 2022: 126 lbs Jackson Polo (New York) - Class of 2022: 132 lbs Sean Seefeldt (Ohio) - Class of 2021: 120 lbs Lance Urbas (Pennsylvania) - Class of 2021: 170 lbs The award for most recruits competing in Fargo goes to Roger Reina and the Penn Quakers. That extends across all conferences, not just the EIWA. An amazing ten future Quakers are expected to compete in the FargoDome! The highest-ranked of this plethora of Penn prospects is Martin Cosgrove, who is sixth at 220 lbs and 23rd overall in the Class of 2022. Cosgrove won his first New Jersey state title at a sophomore at 195 lbs and has been able to compete against, and defeat, older competition even at an upper weight. He should be in the mix for a title here. The only returning Junior placewinner out of this group is Kelly Dunnigan, who was fourth in freestyle in 2019. He was also a two-time state runner-up and a two-time placer at the Super 32. Alex Almeyda is the only one with a past finals berth on the resume. Almeyda was a Cadet freestyle runner-up in 2018. He has also taken third at the Super 32 on two occasions. Of the rest of this crew, Sean Seefeldt is the only other to achieve All-American status in Fargo. Seefeldt was has been top-six in Cadet/16U freestyle twice. He could make an impact at 120 lbs. The highest-ranked wrestler that hasn't been mentioned yet, is Evan Mougalian, a two-time state finalist. Mougalian was a champion in 2020 as a freshman. He hasn't had any national-level credentials in the international styles yet. Expect each of Penn's recruits to win multiple matches and maybe come away with a couple of All-Americans. Princeton Christopher Martino (Idaho) - Class of 2022: 132 lbs Dean Peterson (New Jersey) - Class of 2021: 126 lbs Ty Whalen (New Jersey) - Class of 2022: 138 lbs The trio that Princeton will send to Fargo is very intriguing, each in its own unique way. Christopher Martino has placed four times at the Cadet/16U level. Each came at under 100 lbs, so we'll have to see how he fares up 30 pounds. Martino's best results have come in Greco, as he was third in 2018. Dean Peterson was the cornerstone of the Tigers 2021 recruiting class and spent a portion of his senior year ranked number one in the nation. He finished as a three-time New Jersey champion and a four-time finalist. Based on talent, you'd assume that Peterson will be one of the favorites at 126, along with Iowa's Drake Ayala; however, he doesn't have the freestyle pedigree of some of the top contenders. Ty Whalen broke out big time in the 2020-21 season, which was led off by a sixth-place showing at the Super 32. He went on to capture a New Jersey title at 132 lbs. The 138 lb bracket has plenty of capable challengers, but no one that stands out above the rest. Whalen has the goods to emerge as the champion on his best day.

American University head coach Jason Borrelli Earlier this week, InterMat visited the campus of American University and spoke with its new head coach Jason Borrelli. Coach Borrelli talks about the adversity that he, his team, and staff faced at Stanford during the last year. Now at American, Borrelli talks about what was attractive about his new position and how the future is bright in the EIWA. We close by talking about milkshakes and his video game marathon while in college at Central Michigan.

2016 Junior National freestyle champion Anthony Artalona (Photo courtesy of John Sachs; Tech-Fall.com) For years the U.S. Junior Nationals, affectionately known as Fargo, has been a proving ground for the top collegiate wrestling prospects. With the tournament quickly approaching, let's take a look back at the freestyle champions from the 2016 edition and see how those wrestlers panned out on the college level. 100 Malik Heinselman In many ways, Fargo was a second home for Heinselman. He was a multiple-time champion winning titles in both freestyle and Greco. In 2016, he outscored the field by a combined 46-6 score and surrendered only a single point until the finals. In the first-place bout, Heinselman defeated fellow Colorado native Brandon Garcia via a 15-5 superiority score. Heinselman eventually signed with Ohio State and joined the squad for the 2018-19 season. It appeared as if he was going to redshirt his first season, but his shirt was pulled after the first semester and he qualified for the NCAA tournament. Heinselman is now a three-qualifier and will be a favorite to become an All-American this upcoming season. 106 Jason Holmes Holmes is the only Fargo freestyle champion from 2016 to not wrestle on the Division I level yet. He defeated a few who did go on to wrestle on that level, including Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State) and Rayvon Foley (Michigan State). Following high school, Holmes did go on to wrestle for North Idaho College at the NJCAA level. He competed during the 2017-2018 season, but it does not appear that he wrestled in the NJCAA tournament. 113 Nic Aguilar Aguilar won the title at 113 pounds with match termination victories in four of his six matches. In the finals, he knocked off current Ohio State wrestler Dylan D'Emilio. The California state champion then signed with Rutgers. After redshirting his first season on campus in 2019, he joined the starting lineup for the 2020 season. He went 24-11 on the year and qualified for the NCAA tournament after finishing ninth in the Big Ten. This past year, Aguilar struggled through a limited schedule but is expected to be a player in the conference this upcoming year. 120 Gavin Teasdale On his way to the 120-pound title, Teasdale picked up key victories over Michigan's Drew Mattin and Arizona State's Brandon Courtney. After initially committing to Iowa, Teasdale eventually signed with Penn State. However, after not taking the mat as a freshman, Teasdale transferred to Iowa. During the 2020 season, he went 9-4 in open tournaments, with victories coming over Caleb Gross (South Dakota State) and Cayden Rooks (Indiana) at the Midlands. After one season, Teasdale left the Iowa program. Earlier this year, news broke that he was involved in a serious car accident, and he is still working his way back. 126 Austin Gomez Gomez made the 126-pound final with victories over Bryce West (Northern Illinois) and Paul Bianchi (Little Rock). Once in the final bout, he scored a first-period fall over Paul Konrath, who has gone on to wrestle at both Wisconsin and Indiana. Gomez selected Iowa State for college. After a strong redshirt year, he became a starter for the 2019 season. He went 24-7 and finished one bout short of All-American status. Since that tournament, Gomez has dealt with injuries and been out of action. This past winter, Gomez announced that he was retiring from the sport due to assorted medical issues. However, in April, he walked back that retirement and transferred to Wisconsin. He is expected to move up to 141 pounds and will likely have two years of eligibility remaining. 132 Ian Parker Parker had match termination victories in five of his six matches on his way to the finals. Along the way, he defeated future Iowa wrestlers Max Murin and Brock Rathbun. Parker then edged Utah Valley's Taylor Lamont in a tight 3-2 match in the finals. Parker continued his rivalry with Iowa on the collegiate level as he attended Iowa State. Even though Parker has already wrestled four years and a redshirt year, he will get another shot this upcoming season. He is a three-time NCAA qualifier who has picked up victories over the likes of Dom Demas (Oklahoma), Josh Heil (Campbell), and Chad Red (Nebraska). 138 Nick Lee Lee knocked off three wrestlers who would eventually wrestle in the Big Ten on his way to the Fargo championship at 138 pounds. He defeated Carter Happel (Iowa), Mitch McKee (Minnesota) and Kanen Storr (Michigan). Lee has always had a motor and that was certainly on display as he averaged 11.29 points per match in the tournament. After moving up to the college level, Lee has continued to make strides. He finished fifth at the NCAA tournament in his first two years on campus, but broke through last season and won an NCAA title at 141 pounds. In the finals, he avenged his only loss on the season and defeated Jaydin Eierman (Iowa) via a 4-2 score in sudden victory. 145 Anthony Artalona In a final between wrestlers who would go on to compete for Pennsylvania colleges, Artalona defeated eventual Penn State wrestler Jarod Verkleeren via a 2-1 score to take the 145-pound title. The title was the first of two at the Junior freestyle level for Artalona. He had another as a Cadet. Artalona would go on to wrestle for Penn. He went right away as a true freshman and made the Round of 12 at 149 pounds. Artalona moved up to 157 pounds the following year and went 14-6 before suffering a season-ending injury. He sat out last year after the Ivy League made the decision to not compete due to the pandemic. Artalona is expected back down at 149 pounds this upcoming season. 152 Griffin Parriott Parriott outscored his opposition by a combined score of 69-2 on his way to the title at 152 pounds. In the finals, he bested Zander Wick with a 10-0 stoppage in less than two minutes. Parriott would then move on to Purdue. After a redshirt season, he took over the starting spot at 157 pounds in 2018. He qualified his final three seasons in the lineup for the Boilermakers, but he was never able to make it on the All-American podium. 160 Jake Allar While Allar's victory at 160 pounds was impressive at the time, it might be even more impressive in hindsight. On his way to the finals, he knocked off both Trent Hidlay, who was an NCAA finalist for NC State this past season, and Evan Wick, who is already a two-time All-American. Allar signed with Minnesota and started at 165 pounds as a true freshman in 2019. This past season, he qualified for the NCAA tournament for the first time after moving up to 174 pounds. During the year, he picked up key victories over Jackson Turley (Rutgers), DJ Shannon (Indiana) and Drew Hughes (Michigan State). 170 Canten Marriott On his way to the title, Marriott picked up key victories over Anthony Mantanona (Oklahoma) and Andrew McNally (Wisconsin). In the finals, he defeated Owen Pentz (North Dakota State), who went on to shock number-two seed Eric Schultz (Nebraska) at this past NCAA tournament. Marriott joined the Missouri wrestling team in 2017. After a redshirt year, he qualified for the NCAA tournament during the 2018 season and finished with a 26-8 record. Marriott has remained a solid member of the Tiger squad, but he has yet to return to the NCAA tournament. He will have one season of eligibility left this year. 182 Owen Webster Webster's Fargo winning campaign at 182 pounds included a 3-0 victory over Jake Woodley (Oklahoma). He then went on to defeat Kevin Parker in the finals via a 10-0 score. Webster took a circuitous route to Minnesota as he spent his freshman year at Division III Augsburg. He finished third at the Division III NCAA tournament before transferring to Minnesota. With the Gophers, he finally rounded into form during the 2020 season. He went 22-12 and qualified for his first NCAA tournament. Last year, he finished one match away from All-American status as he fell in the bloodround. During the year, Webster scored signatures over Max Lyon (Purdue), Jeremiah Kent (Missouri) and John Poznanski (Rutgers). 195 Ben Darmstadt Darmstadt won the Fargo title at 195 pounds with victories over multiple wrestlers who would go on to be standouts on the Division I level. He defeated the likes of Andrew Davison (Michigan), Patrick Brucki (Michigan) and John Borst (Virginia Tech). After spending a grey shirt year wrestling with the Finger Lakes RTC, Darmstadt started at Cornell in 2018. He finished sixth to become an All-American in his first year. He missed the following year with an injury but bounced back in 2020 with a 28-6 record and an EIWA title. Darmstadt missed last season when the Ivy League did not compete. He is expected back in the lineup for Cornell next year under new coach Mike Grey. 220 Sam Colbray Before going on to wrestle for Iowa State, Colbray defeated a pair of wrestlers who would join him in the Big 12 conference Ashton Seely (Utah Valley) and Keegan Moore (Oklahoma State/Northern Iowa/Oklahoma). Colbray has wrestled four different weight classes for the Cyclones and qualified for the NCAA tournament three times. He came closest to All-American status as a sophomore when he went 28-8 and came up just short in the Round of 12. 285 Gannon Gremmel Iowa State recruits had a strong performance at the 2016 edition of Fargo. Before joining Colbray in Ames, Gremmel also brought home the title at heavyweight. In the finals, he knocked off future Iowa heavyweight Anthony Cassioppi. After a redshirt year, Gremmel started four-straight years for Iowa State. After qualifying as a sophomore and junior, he finally broke through last season and became an All-American with a fifth-place finish.

2019 16U double champion Seth Shumate (Photo courtesy of John Sachs; Tech-Fall.com) We are less than a week away from the first whistle blowing at the FargoDome as the Junior/16U National Championships will occur for the first time since 2019. Because of the cancelation of the 2020 tournament, the wrestlers have decided to show up in full force at Fargo. Early entries indicate that it will be the deepest in 10-15 years. Over the next couple of days, we'll go conference-by-conference to preview recruits from each school and their chances for success. We have only included recruits that have been tabbed to participate in one of the tournaments. Today we're focusing on the big one...actually the Big Ten (or 14). The Big Ten has long been the most powerful conference in the nation and has shown no hints of slowing down. Six of the top ten teams at the 2021 NCAA Championships came from the conference, including national champion Iowa and runner-up Penn State. The league has also dominated in recruiting, which leads to their own-mat success. Six of the top ten spots in InterMat's Class of 2021 recruiting rankings were held by Big Ten schools. So expect Fargo to include some future Big Ten stars shining brightly and prominently. Illinois Christian Carroll (Indiana) - Class of 2023: 220 lbs Kannon Webster (Illinois) - Class of 2023: 120 lbs There are only a few rising juniors in the nation that have already made the collegiate commitments publicly and two of them are Illinois recruits, Christian Carroll and Kannon Webster. Because of an injury and eligibility concerns, Carroll has the opportunity to win a Fargo title before a state championship. The Indiana native is expected to be the highest-ranked 220 lber in action, so he'll be among the shortlist of favorites at the weight. Other major wins for Carroll, before winning a state crown, include the Super 32 and the Grappler Fall Classic. Webster will make his second appearance in Fargo. In 2019, he took third place in both styles, while competing at 120 lbs. Expect Webster to contend and possibly exceed his previous placements. Indiana Jake Evans (Ohio) - Class of 2021: 182 lbs Tyler Lillard (Pennsylvania) - Class of 2022: 170 lbs Henry Porter (California) - Class of 2021: 145 lbs The Hoosiers have stepped up their recruiting efforts under head coach Angel Escobedo and have a solid trio set to compete. Incoming freshmen Jake Evans and Henry Porter are both well-traveled and rarely miss an opportunity to compete. The two-time Ohio state placewinner, Evans, finished in the top-three at the Walsh Ironman and Beast of the East in 2019. Porter is a three-time California state medalist and never finished lower than third at the event. Both Evans and Porter are looking forward to earning All-American honors for the first time in Fargo and are capable of deep runs. The rising senior, Tyler Lillard, got onto the Fargo 16U freestyle podium in 2019, when he was fourth at 152. Lillard comes into this tournament as the highest-ranked high schooler at 170 lbs. He has the goods to win it all. Iowa Drake Ayala (Iowa) - Class of 2021: 126 lbs Caleb Rathjen (Iowa) - Class of 2021: 145 lbs The Iowa Junior National Dual team captured their first freestyle title since 2005 and the state has now turned its attention to Fargo. Leading the way for an Iowa team that will push for top-team honors in Junior freestyle are a pair of future Hawkeyes, Drake Ayala and Caleb Rathjen. Ayala has already been there and done that as far as Fargo goes. He is seeking his third freestyle championship after getting one as a Cadet and another as a Junior in 2019. Winning a second would only further cement his status as an Iowa high school legend. While Ayala will have to contend with a dangerous field, led by Princeton recruit Dean Peterson, he should be considered a favorite. Rathjen has had success in his own right in the FargoDome, but is seeking his first title. He was a finalist in Cadet freestyle in 2018 and seventh the previous year. Rathjen's 145 lb weight class is extremely deep, but he should be among those select few capable of winning it all. Maryland Kal Miller (Missouri) - Class of 2022: 145 lbs Maryland will have top-100 recruit Kal Miller in action at the FargoDome. Miller has some past experience at Fargo, as he was seventh as a Cadet in 2018 in freestyle, before setting foot in high school. That occurred down at 113 lbs. Miller has grown into the 145 lb weight class, which is imposing even with some top contenders that went down due to injury. Expect for Miller to be in the hunt for the podium and he'll be a cornerstone of another strong class for head coach Alex Clemsen. Michigan Rylan Rogers (Washington) - Class of 2022: 195 lbs We've mentioned already that 195 lbs is likely one of the most top-heavy weights in Fargo. Six of the top-seven wrestlers in the nation are expected to enter and that doesn't include any graduated seniors. The top-ranked 195 lber in the land is Rylan Rogers, who recently committed to Michigan. The number-five overall senior will come in as the favorite. In 2019, Rogers was a runner-up in Akron at the Cadet World Team Trials and did the same in Fargo's U16 division. Both placements came in freestyle. He'll try to move up a step on the podium and possibly his ranking overall in the Class of 2022. Minnesota Blaine Brenner (Wisconsin) - Class of 2021: 138 lbs Tagen Jamison (Texas) - Class of 2021: 138 lbs Hunter Lyden (Minnesota) - Class of 2022: 170 lbs Troy Spratley (Texas) - Class of 2022: 126 lbs Bennett Tabor (Minnesota) - Class of 2021: 220 lbs The largest contingent of recruits expected to hit the mat in Fargo belongs to Minnesota. That takes into account Cody Chittum, one of the favorites at 145 lbs. Even so, there are a handful of future Gophers that could earn All-American honors and possibly take home a stop-sign, if all breaks well. High school teammates Tagen Jamison and Troy Spratley are rare recruits that will head to Minneapolis from Texas. Spratley is currently the top-ranked 126 lber in the nation after all of the seniors were removed. To get a title, he'll have to contend with a pair of favorites from the Class of 2021, Drake Ayala and Dean Peterson. Jamison has done well at national-level events, but hasn't placed at Fargo. The remaining three recruits, Blaine Brenner, Hunter Lyden, and Bennett Tabor, have all found a place on the podium, at one time or another. Brenner's best results have come on the Greco side as he was a Cadet sixth-place finisher twice. He'll compete in the same bracket as Jamison. Lyden was sixth in 16U freestyle in 2019 and represents one of maybe five possible champions at 170 lbs. Dangerous big man Bennett Tabor will be in the mix of a loaded 220 lb weight class. He was fifth in 16U freestyle in 2019 and took home the crown at the most recent Super 32. Nebraska Harley Andrews (Oklahoma) - Class of 2022: 220 lbs Antrell Taylor (Nebraska) - Class of 2022: 160 lbs Adam Thebeau (Illinois) - Class of 2021: 160 lbs Above, we mentioned that the 220 lb bracket is expected to be lined with contenders. One of those is Harley Andrews, who currently holds the #3 ranking nationally. Andrews was fifth at 182 lb in 16U freestyle during his last trip to Fargo. One of the top recruits from Nebraska over the last decade is Antrell Taylor, who decided to stay in-state and attend Nebraska. Taylor saw his stock soar in 2019 after making the 16U national finals in freestyle, down at 132 lbs. 160 is pretty wide open this year. There isn't any reason why Taylor couldn't be the one winning on the raised stage. Also in that weight class is Adam Thebeau. Adam was an under-the-radar pickup for the Cornhusker staff that ended up winning Folkstyle Nationals and earning himself a spot on the Senior Big Board (#138). Northwestern Evan Bates (Indiana) - Class of 2021: 195 lbs Sammy Hayes (Illinois) - Class of 2022: 113 lbs One of the darlings of the 2019 tournament was Evan Bates, who was relatively unheralded and ran through a gauntlet to make the 16U freestyle finals. For good measure, Bates also took third in Greco. Since then, Bates has had some up and down results, but tends to do well at national events. He was fifth at the 2019 Super 32 and seventh a year later. Bates could be in the mix to place in the upper half of the podium in 2021. Northwestern's first recruit from the Class of 2022, Sammy Hayes, is looking to place in Junior freestyle for the second time. He was fourth in 2019 at 100 lbs. He'll move up slightly to 113 this time. That weight should have some younger, more heralded entrants, but don't be surprised if Hayes knocks them off and has another high showing. His experience may be too much for the younger competition. Ohio State Gavin Brown (Ohio) - Class of 2022: 145 lbs Seth Shumate (Ohio) - Class of 2022: 195 lbs Earlier this week, we learned that Ohio State's top recruit from the Class of 2022, Nick Feldman, is not expected to compete due to injury. Even without Feldman, there are a pair of future Buckeyes that could make an impact. Seth Shumate dismantled the field in 2019 and became a double 16U champion at this same weight. He has placed four times in two years and never lower than fifth. He'll be one of the top contenders again in 2021. Gavin Brown also is a returning All-American. He was fifth in 16U freestyle in 2019, but is currently ranked #22 nationally. Brown will have his hands full getting back to the AA round again, as 145 is very deep. Purdue Ben Vanadia (Ohio) - Class of 2021: 220 lbs Before heading to West Lafayette, Ben Vanadia has an order of business left. He aims to end his high school career on a high note and earn All-American honors in Fargo for the first time. Vanadia's senior year was disrupted by injury, though he was unbeaten and headed for his first state crown. Vanadia has put together an impressive resume with high finishes at the Beast, the Ironman, and NHSCA grade-level tournaments. Since he's in the Class of 2021 and missed the high school state tournament, Vanadia may be overlooked in Fargo. That shouldn't be the case. If healthy, he'll contend for yet another high placement. Rutgers Brandan Chletsos (Pennsylvania) - Class of 2022: 138 lbs Brian Soldano (New Jersey) - Class of 2022: 182 lbs The Scarlet Knights have both of their 2022 recruits to follow in Fargo. Brian Soldano is a 16U All-American in freestyle (7th) from 2019. He was victorious at the Super 32 before his junior season and recently had an impressive Junior Duals performance. Soldano is on the very short list of favorites at 182 lbs. Brandan Chletsos doesn't have any Fargo credentials next to his name (yet?), but is capable. He was top-seven at the Ironman and Beast in 2019. His in-season placements have continued to progress in Pennsylvania. He went from sixth, as a freshman, to third in 2020, before making the AA state finals this year. Wisconsin Cale Anderson (Wisconsin) - Class of 2021: 152 lbs The lone Badger recruit expected to compete will be Cale Anderson, an undefeated 2021 state champion in Wisconsin. Anderson had been close to capturing a state championship on two previous occasions, finishing third as a sophomore and junior. His resume doesn't have any significant national credentials, so Anderson would be considered a dark horse at the 152 lb weight class. That weight is expected to contain three of the top-five wrestlers in the nation plus a host of graduated seniors.

Boston University's two-time national qualifier Nestor Taffur (Photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) If you follow college wrestling, you would know there was a huge success story in the past two months. Stanford wrestling made its incredible return. It was cut during COVID, along with ten other sports. Amazingly, all sports were reinstated a year later. In addition to this, there has been a recent influx of wrestling programs starting from scratch (mainly at the D2, D3, and NAIA levels). Some of these programs have been added both men's and women's wrestling. It is insane how fast the sport is evolving, while spreading into different areas – especially the southern part of the country. This area is not known for its wrestling, but the landscape may be starting to change. This had me thinking about which schools would be great additions to the EIWA Conference. I made my decisions based on the school's geographical location, academic requirements, and size of the school. Plus, the school should not belong to another conference that already has wrestling. This is why a school like Syracuse is not on my list. It used to be an EIWA member, but if the school were to reinstate the program, it would be included in the ACC conference. Honorable Mention – Lafayette Leopards This would be a phenomenal addition to the EIWA conference. Lafayette is located in one of the most well-known wrestling hotspots of Easton, Pennsylvania. A few famous Easton wrestlers include Bobby Weaver, Jordan Oliver, Jack Cuvo, Jamarr Billman, Brian Snyder and the people's champ Willie Saylor. With only 2,700 or so students enrolled, it is a small school. The huge benefit of potentially adding wrestling to this school would be what realtors drool over: LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION. It would be in prime location to start a program, residing in the Lehigh Valley, 5 minutes from New Jersey. It would take a lot to get a program started here, and a big-time coach to help get it off the ground. Local wrestling coach legend, Barry Snyder (Nebraska assistant's father – and longtime Easton high school assistant coach) was the last coach at Lafayette before the program was cut in 1989. He was working as a volunteer with zero pay before the program was ultimately hacked. An ideal, dream coach would be someone like Brian Snyder taking over the reins over 30 years after the program was cut. Lastly, local prominent wrestling names like Jordan Oliver and Willie Saylor would be great additions to the staff. As a bonus, the university's main rival is Lehigh. Who wouldn't love to see this dual meet every year to claim “King of the Lehigh Valley”!? #5 - Dartmouth Big Green Dartmouth is one of two Ivy League schools without wrestling. The New Hampshire school is a typical-sized Ivy League school, with around 4,500 undergrad students, all of which are smarter than me. With academics being a top priority, recruiting for this school would be difficult – no different than any other Ivy League program. The challenge this team would have is the time it would take to become competitive in the league and a long-term commitment from admissions. All current Ivy League programs have been on the rise in the past decade. Dartmouth would be leaps and bounds behind their rivals. I am not saying it is impossible to add wrestling to this school, but considering the school dropped 5 sports during COVID, adding any sports in the near future seems impossible. Although, we have seen Stanford bring the wrestling program back (plus 10 other sports), Dartmouth's endowment is one-fifth of Stanfords. I know Dartmouth's nearly $6 Billion endowment is not meant to be used for wrestling, but there should be something it can do – right? Obviously, Dartmouth would be a great addition to the Ivy League and EIWA Conferences. The quality of student-athletes the college could bring to the table would raise the bar so high, it would make it even more difficult for other conferences to match. Plus, the conference could use another team with Green in it. Binghamton is sick of always wearing the green anklet! #4 – Yale University Bulldogs The next team on my list is the other Ivy League school without a wrestling team, as previously mentioned. Yale has a pretty historic wrestling tradition. The team was officially sanctioned in 1903, but was around before that. 27th President William Taft was an intramural champion, while attending Yale in the 1870s. If it were not cut in 1991, the program would have been one of the oldest teams in NCAA wrestling history. They claimed the first 4x EIWA champ, George Dole. He won titles in 1905, 1906, 1907, and 1908. He also won the gold medal at the Olympic Games in freestyle wrestling, held in London. Yale would be a perfect addition to the EIWA Conference. Their tradition is the main reason why they are slightly higher on my list than Dartmouth, which has very little wrestling history. Being located in New Haven, CT (the city that Dave Portnoy, of Barstool Sports fame, proclaims as the “Pizza Capital of the World”), it makes a perfect location just off I-95 between New York and Boston. You can head in either direction on I-95 and hit a handful of EIWA schools within 5 or 6 hours – including the horrendous traffic around New York City. The undergrad size is nearly 6,000 students. Yale also currently has an active club team, competing in the NCWA division. This is a good sign, as we all know club teams at this level can sometimes pick up steam and make the jump to the NCAA level. The Bulldogs would be a terrific add-on to the oldest conference in wrestling. Their tradition, location, academic standards and among other reasons, make Yale the perfect candidate to be an additional EIWA program. #3 – Georgetown University Hoyas I'm not sure what a “Hoya” is, but we need them in the sport of wrestling. Originally, I thought it was an old wooden ship, used in the Civil War era. (Yes, that was an “Anchorman” movie reference). After doing a bit of research, the university's main sports chant in the late 1800's was a Greek/Latin phrase “Hoya Saxa” – which loosely translates to ‘What Rocks!” The term stuck and the university officially adopted it as the mascot. Enough with the history, back to wrestling talk. Georgetown is located in Washington D.C., as is American University (who is also an EIWA member). This is a great location for an EIWA school, as most conference schools are within driving distance. A private institution, with academics mostly on par with Ivy League schools, Georgetown makes sense to join the conference. The school would be an average-sized EIWA school with 7,500 undergrad students. To name a head coach that could potentially take over, a good option would be Teague Moore. He was the coach at American until he stepped down last season. He knows the area, can recruit well. Plus, he was doing good things at American until his departure. I hate to be Debby-Downer, but it looks like getting wrestling at this school may be a tall task. I do not see any evidence of Georgetown ever having a program. They do not even have an official club team. This is never a good sign. With the longtime success of their basketball team, plus already having 24 sports, I do not see any rush to get wrestling started up from scratch. If the stars were to align, and Georgetown would get into the wrestling scene, the ACC may swoop in and steal them. We can all dream though… #2 – Temple University Owls Temple would be a rare state-funded school to participate in the EIWA. It would be the largest EIWA school with nearly 30,000 undergrad students. With a price tag on par with other state schools, they would have a recruiting advantage over just about any other school in the EIWA. Plus, their university is in Philadelphia – which some claim is the best wrestling city in the country. Drexel and Penn are already in the City in the Brotherly Love; what's wrong with adding another cheese-steak eating school to the mix? Temple is no slouch when it comes to wrestling tradition. During their time as a DI program, nine wrestlers earned a total of ten medals at the NCAA Championships. The program was cut in 1986, due to Title IX implications. Just a year prior, Temple's Bill Hyman won a national title at heavyweight in 1985. He was also fourth the previous season. Because of these results, Hyman is now a member of the EIWA Hall of Fame. The squad made a promising resurgence in 2015 as a club team, competing at the NCWA level. Seriously striving to pump out All-Americans every year, and now looking for an assistant coach, this is a legitimate club team that competes annually against Division II and Division III teams. There may be something promising coming out of North Philly. Sometimes I like to include a dream-scenario coach that will likely never happen- so here we go. There is only one person for this job that would put Temple on the map immediately. The guy I'm thinking of is a four-time world champion, and Olympic gold medalist, and recently moved to Philadelphia from Nebraska. Yes, him. Jordan Burroughs would be a massive signing as head coach to get this program up and running faster than Rocky Balboa up those museum steps. Just imagine the kids flocking to Temple to visit the incredible Jordan Burroughs. Kids would be sold on the city, Temple's modernized campus, and it Jordan freakin' Burroughs! His recruiting pool would be enormous. The potential this school has would make any coach salivate like they just walked into a Reading Terminal Market on a Saturday afternoon. #1 – Boston University Terriers The program was a longtime CAA member, until the conference collapsed in 2013. Boston's final season was in 2014, where they joined the EIWA during their final season before being cut. What a season they had too. They came away with four conference placewinner. Their best performance came from Nestor Taffur (now representing the country of Colombia at 74 kg). He won an EIWA title as 157 lbs, after a battle in the semi-finals with yours truly. Taffur went on to finish Round of 12 at NCAAs that year. Not quite the Cinderella story we were all hoping for, but what a fantastic year he had to represent Boston University wrestling one last time. He was ranked as high as fifth during the year. I think Boston University would be a great school to add to the conference. The NERTC already has Brown and Harvard as partners when it comes to Regional Training Centers. Adding another school, will only help that RTC continue to grow and prosper. The location of Boston is ideal, as it is driving distance for everyone in the conference. With another DI wrestling school in the area, it may help grow the sport of wrestling in the New England area. I'm not sure who an ideal head coach would be for a resurgence of the program, but the aforementioned Taffur would be a great addition to the coaching staff. He put his heart and soul into that program, as a wrestler, to help try and save it. In terms of other factors, Boston is on par with the EIWA schools regarding academics and costs. With private university costs, and roughly 18,000 undergrad students, it would be one of the largest universities in the conference (in terms of student population). A good-sized school, located in a historic city, who also had a program within the past ten years – sounds like a perfect scenario to add another school to the EIWA conference. In conclusion, I understand that some of these schools may never add wrestling, and that's fine. Not every school can have a wrestling program, due to financial restraints, Title IX laws, and just plain lack of interest from the community. Now that the COVID pandemic is slowly fading into the past, maybe some universities will be open to the idea of adding a sport. Wrestling is in a great position recently, too, due to the incredible growth of women's wrestling. This makes Title IX an easier path to navigate around – where in the past, wrestling was only a men's sport. This made it very hard to add wrestling without dropping another male sport. Regardless, seeing any of the schools above be added to the EIWA Conference would be like Cinderella's foot and that glass slipper… the perfect fit! I'll see myself out.

2019 World bronze medalist Artur Naifonov (Photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) As of today, we under 50 days from the start of wrestling at the Olympic Games. Over the next 50 days, we'll bring you one profile per day of a decorated international contender. Make sure you get to know the wrestlers that Team USA will compete against in Tokyo. 7/11/21 - Vazgen Tevanyan (Armenia) 7/10/21 - Khadzhimurad Ghadzhiev (Azerbaijan) 7/8/21 - Ali Shabanov (Belarus) 7/7/21 - Gadzhimurad Rashidov (Russia) 7/6/21 - Suleyman Karadeniz (Turkey) 7/5/21 - Frank Chamizo (Italy) 7/3/21 - Yui Susaki (Japan) 7/1/21 - Amir Zare (Iran) 6/28/21 - Zavur Uguev (Russia) 6/27/21 - Zhan Beleniuk (Ukraine) 6/26/21 - Sergey Kozyrev (Russia) 6/24/21 - Kenchiro Fumita (Japan) 6/23/21 - Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov (Belarus) 6/22/21 - Erica Wiebe (Canada) 6/21/21 - Myles Amine (San Marino) 6/20/21 - Sofia Mattsson (Sweden) 6/19/21 - Hassan Yazdani Charati (Iran) 6/18/21 - Tamas Lorincz (Hungary) 6/17/21 - Takuro Otoguro (Japan) 6/16/21 - Elizbar Odikadze (Georgia) 6/15/21 - Koumba Larroque (France) 6/14/21 - Haji Aliyev (Azerbaijan) 6/13/21 - Ningning Rong (China) 6/12/21 - Bajrang Punia (India) 6/11/21 - Frank Staebler (Germany) 6/10/21 - Geno Petriashvili (Georgia) A spectacular run from the end of 2017 through 2018 that saw him take the spot as Russia's uncrowned king at 86 KG, #3 Artur Naifonov has been one of the biggest developments at middleweight throughout the 2016-2020 quad. A world bronze medal in 2019 and Russian Nationals title in 2019 and 2021 have made Naifonov into a fearsome challenger for gold in Tokyo. Today's Olympic profile will look at 2019 world bronze medalist #3 Artur Naifonov of Russia. The Stats #3 Artur Naifonov (RUS)- 2019 World bronze medalist, 3x European champion (‘18,'20,'21), 2x Russian Nationals champion (‘19,'21), 2020 Yarygin champion, 2016 Junior Russian Nationals bronze medalist, 2017 Alans champion, 2017 Junior World champion, 2018 U-23 World runner-up, 2018 Yarygin bronze medalist, 2019 Ali Aliev champion, 2019 Ziolkowski champion. Key Wins: #4 Dauren Kurugliev (2018 Yarygin, 2019 Ali Aliev, 2020 Yarygin, 2021 Russian Nationals finals), Shamil Kudiyamagomedov (2018 Dan Kolov, 2018 European championships), #9 Vladislav Valiev (2017 Alans finals, 2018 Dan Kolov, 2019 Russian Nationals finals), #5 Magomed Ramazanov (2019 Russian Nationals, 2021 Russian Nationals), #12 Myles Amine (2019 World bronze medal match, 2020 European championships, 2021 European championships), #5 (97) Alikhan Zhabrailov (2018 Yarygin), #7 Javrail Shapiev (2019 world championships), #17 Arsenali Musalaliev (2020 Russian Nationals), #11 Zahid Valencia (2017 Junior world finals) Key Losses: #1 David Taylor (2018 Yarygin), #2 Hassan Yazdani Charati (2019 world championships), Slavik Naniev (2018 Alans), #4 Dauren Kurugliev (2018 Russian Nationals finals, 2020 Russian Nationals finals), Shamil Kudiyamagomedov (2017 Russian Nationals), #14 (92) Soslan Ktsoev (2017 Russian Nationals), #17 Arsenali Musalaliev (2017 Junior Russian Nationals), #2 (92) Kamran Ghasempour (2018 U-23 world finals), Zaur Makiev (2017 Stepan Sargsyan tournament). 2017-2021 After a bronze medal finish at the Junior Russian Nationals behind eventual world champion #17 Arsenali Musalaliev (RUS) in 2016, #3 Artur Naifonov made his senior level debut at the 2017 Yarygin losing in the first round to Ahmed Magamaev (RUS). Naifonov would compete next at Senior Russian Nationals where after a strong 6-1 opening round win over 2016 74 KG Yarygin champion Zaur Makiev (RUS), Next, Naifonov went up against 2016 European champion Shamil Kudiyamagomedov (ITA). Kudiyamagomedov was too much, too soon for Naifonov and Naifonov would be put into repechage from an 11-4 loss to the 2013 national champion. Opening his repechage run, Naifonov beat 2016 Russian Nationals runner-up Alexander Zelenkov (RUS) to move onto the second round where he'd face 2010 world bronze medalist #14 (92) Soslan Ktsoev (RUS). The veteran savvy of Ktsoev would carry him to a 5-3 win over the North Ossetian and end Naifonov's first Senior Russian Nationals with a 2-2 record. After having competed at the Senior level for the majority of 2017, Naifonov made his return to Junior's in August for the Junior World Championships. Having proven himself capable of going against the best at the Senior level Russia had to offer, Naifonov was ready to tear through the Junior world bracket. Naifonov made light work of returning Junior world runner-ups Ahmad Bazrigaleh (IRI) and Osman Gocen (TUR) to make the finals where he faced off against #11 Zahid Valencia (USA). Valencia, the top seed at the 174 LB NCAA championships, had fallen in the semifinals to 2016 Junior world champion Mark Hall (USA) and came back to take bronze. Naifonov and Zahid were clearly the class of the weight and their finals match showed it with both men having their moments in the match but ultimately Naifonov coming away with a heart pounding 7-5 victory for the world title. Coming off the conquest of the Junior World Championships, Naifonov made his return back to the Senior level for the Stepan Sargsyan tournament in October winning gold over #4 (92) Batyrbek Tsakulov (RUS). Later in the month, Naifonov competed at the Ugra Cup, where he'd take bronze after an upset loss to Zaur Makiev. A prospect to watch, Naifonov went into a loaded field at the Alans that had World bronze medalist #9 Vladislav Valiev (RUS) and European runner-up Alexander Gostiev (AZE). Naifonov had beaten Gostiev 4-4 on criteria earlier in November at the Alrosa Cup, but Valiev was seen as a major test for Naifonov as the reigning national champion and world bronze medalist for Russia. Winning wasn't an issue, Naifonov didn't just win, he shined. Tsakulov, Alexander Gostiev (AZE) both went down to Naifonov on his way to the finals. Going against the #1 in Russia in Valiev (RUS), Naifonov stood strong and came away with a 1-1 win on criteria and cemented himself as Russia's #1, after having not placed at Nationals earlier in the year. 2018 began with Naifonov returning to the Yarygin, now Russia's uncrowned king at 86 KG. U-23 world champion #5 (97) Alikhan Zhabrailov (RUS) would be Naifonov's opening round match, and the Chechen would push Naifonov, but ultimately fall 3-0, as Naifonov moved onto the Round of 16. Zushen Lin (CHN) was a layup for Naifonov as he won 10-0 to make the quarterfinals against 2017 European champion #4 Dauren Kurugliev (RUS). In what would be the beginning of a long ongoing rivalry between the two, Naifonov would take match one 3-2 off a clutch single leg takedown. Now in the semifinals, Naifonov faced off against American standout #1 David Taylor, who was on a warpath. Having had beaten three-time World/Olympic medalist #5 (92) Selim Yasar (TUR) the match prior and been the favorite to win world's in 2017 before being upset domestically by #11 (92) J'den Cox (USA), Taylor was hell bent on winning gold. While Naifonov would strike first with an arm drag and a high gut to take a 4-0 lead over the American, Taylor answered back with a high crotch takedown and exposure to take the 4-4 lead. Late in the first, Taylor shot in on an ankle pick and Naifonov defended with Taylor transitioning to an underhook and throwing a leg in for the takedown and 6-4 lead and went to work on an arm bar from top. Taylor wretched and cranked Naifonov all over the mat and up 14-4 sealed the match win with a pin to make the finals. Now in the bronze medal match, Naifonov would win a close 2-1 win over 2015 Pan-Am champion Yurieski Torreblanca (CUB). Sent to the Dan Kolov, alongside returning world bronze medalist Valiev (RUS), to decide who would represent Russia at the European championships, Naifonov would have a chance at further solidifying himself as Russia's top 86 and get a chance at revenge as well. 2016 European champion Shamil Kudiyamagomedov had made the transfer to Italy and was entered in the field at the Dan Kolov in his field for his debut for Italy. Naifonov's defeat to Kudiyamagomedov was fresh in his mind, but first he'd have to get past his opener against Vladislav Valiev. Extending the gap from their 2017 Alans finals match, Naifonov beat the returning world bronze medalist 3-2 to move on to the Round of 16, where he beat Ahmet Bilici (TUR). Now in the quarterfinals, Naifonov would get his chance at revenge against Kudiyamagomedov and it was clear that Naifonov had jumped levels since their encounter last year, beating Kudiyamagomedov 5-4 to avenge his 11-4 loss from 2017 Russian Nationals. Naifonov won gold in the finals over two-time Russian Nationals medalist Taimuraz Friev Naskideava (ESP). Winning the Dan Kolov qualified Naifonov to be Russia's representative for the European Championships in Dagestan. Competing in a loaded field, Naifonov put together wins over 2013 World bronze medalist Istvan Vereb (HUN), 2016 Olympian #7 (92) Zbigniew Baranowski (POL), Shamil Kudiyamagomedov (ITA), and Yarygin runner-up Fatih Erdin (TUR) to make the finals. Facing returning European runner-up Alexander Gostiev (AZE), Naifonov would take a 1-1 win on criteria for his first European championship. Having now won the Dan Kolov and the European Championship, Naifonov was the favorite going into the Russian Nationals. Naifonov looked the part as he beat Alik Shebzukov (RUS) and Zelimkhan Minkailov (RUS) to make the finals opposite #4 Dauren Kurugliev (RUS). In a rematch from the 2017 Yarygin, Kurugliev would be the one to come away with gold after a passivity point and pushout against Naifonov won him the match 2-1. While not the result he wanted, at only 21 years old and having been the #1 in Russia leading up to Russian Nationals, the progress Naifonov had made in only a year's time meant that Russian Nationals gold and a world medal would be in his future. Competing up at the new non Olympic weight class of 92 KG, Naifonov beat 92 KG Russian Nationals runner-up #5 (92) Anzor Urishev (RUS) to win gold at the Dmitri Korkin tournament. Now back down at 86 KG, Naifonov would wrestle at the U-23 World Championships where he would tech fall his way through to the finals, including an impressive win over Yasar Dogu runner-up Murad Suleymanov (AZE). In the finals, Naifonov would face International Ukrainian Tournament champion #2 (92) Kamran Ghasempour (IRI). Ghasempour shut down Naifonov's outside step shots and walked away with U-23 world gold after a 4-1 victory. Concluding 2018 at the Alans looking to win his second consecutive title, Naifonov was shockingly upset by 2015 69 KG Cadet World runner-up Slavik Naniev (RUS) who went on to take bronze. After having climbed so high at the end of 2017 and through early 2018, Naifonov was having to put himself together again going into 2019 after domestic losses at Russian Nationals and Alans put into question whether he could take the spot in 2019. Naifonov would make his 2019 debut in May at the Ali Aliev. Putting together an exceptional run, Naifonov beat the likes of #7 Javrail Shapiev (UZB), 2020 European bronze medalist Rasul Tikhaev (BLR) and returning Russian Nationals champion Kurugliev for gold. Back on top domestically, Naifonov would go to Russian Nationals looking for his first national title. Notably absent from the field was returning champion Kurugliev and the reason for this is that those selected as the European Games reps at the Olympic weights (57,65,74,86,97,125) were exempt from competing at the Russian Nationals championships as the European Games (last week of June) was a scheduling conflict with the Russian Nationals championships (week of 4th of July). The arrangement would be that champions of the Russian Nationals championships would wrestle the European Games representatives at the Russian Nationals training camp or they would compete at an international event against each other and international competition to see who'd be a better pick. What would happen between Naifonov and Kurugliev would be the latter option. Back at Russian Nationals, Naifonov looked powerful throughout the competition with dominating wins over #5 Magomed Ramazanov (RUS), #14 Soslan Ktsoev (RUS), and Valiev for his first Russian Nationals title. With Naifonov winning Russian Nationals and Kurugliev winning the European Games, both men were slated to compete at the Ziolkowski to decide who would go to the world championships. Russia had used the Ziolkowski in 2018 to decide who would go to the world championships at 61 and 65 between #1 (65) Gadzhimurad Rashidov (RUS) and Magomedrasul Idrisov (RUS) and #13 (65) Akhmed Chakaev (RUS) and #11 (65) Ilyas Bekbulatov (UZB). Rashidov and Bekbulatov were the reps and took silver and bronze at 61 and 65. As the brackets were laid out, Naifonov and Kurugliev were to meet in the finals with Naifonov keeping his end of the bargain with wins over returning world runner-up Fatih Erdin (TUR), Adilet Davlumbaev (KAZ) and #20 (92) Radoslaw Marcinkiewicz (POL). Kurugliev would not do the same as in the semifinals against 92 KG European runner-up #7 (92) Zbigniew Baranowski (POL), he'd fall to a late takedown from the Pole to lose 3-1. Naifonov beat Baranowski 4-1 in the finals while Kurugliev won gold 1-1 over #6 (92) Selim Yasar (TUR) and Naifonov was now the rep for Russia going into the World Championships. Making his Senior World Championships debut, Naifonov made the quarterfinals with wins over Ville Heino (FIN), European runner-up Piotr Ianulov (MDA) and Shapiev to get the chance to face two-time World/Olympic champion #2 Hassan Yazdani Charati (IRI). Rarely outpowered, the pressure of Yazdani was able to break Naifonov and a costly tactical error from a counter to a Yazdani underhook cost Naifonov the match by pin. With Yazdani tech falling European Games bronze medalist #12 Myles Amine (SMR) 11-0 in the semifinals, Naifonov was pulled into repechage tech falling 2017 European bronze medalist Istvan Vereb (HUN) 11-1 to make the bronze medal match. In what would become the beginning of their trilogy of matches, Naifonov would shut out #12 Myles Amine (SMR) for the world bronze medal. Concluding the year at the World Military Games, Naifonov won gold over 2019 European Games bronze medalist Akhmed Dudarov (GER). Naifonov's abbreviated 2020 season began with his third Yarygin where he won gold beating Russian Nationals medalists #17 Arsenali Musalaliev (RUS) and Kurugliev 2-1 in the finals. Going into Russian Nationals, even with how close the scores were for Naifonov and Kurugliev in their matches, Naifonov was rightfully picked as the favorite to win his second national title after three wins over Kurugliev from 2019 Ali Aliev, 2019 Russian Nationals and the 2020 Yarygin. #8 Magomedsharif Biyakaev (RUS) and Musalaliev would be those that would fall to Naifonov to make his third Russian Nationals finals match opposite Kurugliev. In one of the most evenly matched matches of the Russian Nationals championships he was able to repeat his winning effort in 2018 over Naifonov with a shot clock violation point and a stepout for a 2-1 win and his second Russian National title. With the Olympics being postponed to 2021, the loss to Kurugliev, while not optimal, didn't really hurt Naifonov too much and he still would have a chance to win back the spot for 2021. Naifonov's 2021 campaign began in March at the Russian Nationals championships where after surviving a semifinal upset scare from #5 Magomed Ramazanov (RUS) 10-8 to get his chance at revenge against Kurugliev. As had been the case for their last three matches, it would come down to a shot clock point and a step out which this time went in favor of Naifonov for the 2-1 victory and his second Russian Nationals title. At his final competition before the Olympics, Naifonov won the European championships in April with wins over #12 Myles Amine (SMR), #20 Sebastian Jezierzanski (POL), and #18 Sandro Aminashvili (GEO). From his domestic battles against Dauren Kurugliev, Magomed Ramazanov and Vladislav Valiev to his losses to #1 David Taylor (USA) and #2 Hassan Yazdani Charati (IRI) is a true veteran at 86 KG. Having cemented himself as the #3 man behind Taylor and Yazdani Charati, #3 Artur Naifonov (RUS) is a strong medal contender in Tokyo and in the future looks to be in the running for world gold if Taylor and Yazdani are to retire or move up in weight.

Two-time Florida state champion and Campbell signee Sebastian Melguizo (Photo/SEWrestle.com) We are less than a week away from the first whistle blowing at the FargoDome as the Junior/16U National Championships will occur for the first time since 2019. Because of the cancelation of the 2020 tournament, the wrestlers have decided to show up in full force at Fargo. Early entries indicate that it will be the deepest in 10-15 years. Over the next couple of days, we'll go conference-by-conference to preview recruits from each school and their chances for success. We have only included recruits that have been tabbed to participate in one of the tournaments. We're moving on to the SoCon. Traditionally the SoCon has not been able to match the other leagues when it comes to recruiting; however, they are improving. Campbell has become a consistent top-25 team and boasts a pair of top-200 recruits, both of which will be in Fargo. Chattanooga and Appalachian State each have a member of the senior Big Board, who is scheduled to be in action. Here are the recruits to watch from the SoCon next week in Fargo. Appalachian State Chad Bellis (Illinois) - Class of 2021: 120 lbs Appalachian State's lone entry, Chad Bellis, finished his senior year at #185 overall on the Big Board. Bellis spent the first three years of his high school career in Illinois, but moved into Iowa for his senior season. He was an Illinois 2A state champion as a sophomore and fifth as a junior. In Iowa, Bellis made the state finals in the 3A classification. Bellis' best national results have come on the Greco front. He was a Junior Greco All-American in 2019, placing fourth in the 106 lb weight class. The previous year Bellis took sixth in Cadet Greco while competing at 94 lbs. I'd expect another podium-worthy showing during the Greco tournament and a deep run in freestyle, as well. Campbell Brandon Hoselton (Illinois) - Class of 2021: 220 lbs Sebastian Melguizo (Florida) - Class of 2021: 126 lbs The SoCon recruit with the best national credentials and slated to compete in Fargo is Brandon Hoselton. In 2018, Hoselton placed top-four in both styles at the Cadet level. He was fourth at 220 lbs in freestyle, before making an appearance in the Greco finals at 195. Hoselton also made the state finals in each of his first three seasons. He won titles in the first two. Prior to his junior year of high school, Hoselton made the 195 lb finals at the Super 32. The 220 lb field in Fargo contains a handful of legitimate title contenders. Hoselton is one of those and could come away with a title in either style on his best day. The other future Camel in the field is Sebastian Melguizo. The two-time Florida state champion, Melguizo, was one of the breakout stars from the 2020 Journeymen Fall Classic. Melguizo defeated a pair of Fargo Junior National freestyle finalists en route to a title. Wins like those show that Melguizo is capable of pulling the upsets necessary to reach the podium in Fargo; however, those were in folkstyle. Chattanooga Blake Boarman (Indiana) - Class of 2021: 138 lbs Dayne Dalrymple (Tennessee) - Class of 2021: 138 lbs Both of the incoming recruits for Chattanooga will compete at the 138 lb weight class next week. Blake Boarman placed third or higher in all four years of high school while wrestling in Indiana's one-class system. His exploits have earned him a place on the Senior Big Board at #189, which made him the Moc's highest-ranked incoming freshman. Boarman does not have past placements at a tournament like Fargo; however, most of his damage has been within Indiana's borders. Speaking of in-state, Chattanooga's top in-state recruit is Dayne Dalrymple, a two-time Tennessee state champ. Dalrymple doesn't have the national accolades either, but has plenty of experience on a national stage. Both should be able to get deep into the tournament.

Cleveland State recruit Ben Aranda (Photo/John Sachs; Tech-Fall.com) We are less than a week away from the first whistle blowing at the FargoDome as the Junior/16U National Championships will occur for the first time since 2019. Because of the cancelation of the 2020 tournament, the wrestlers have decided to show up in full force at Fargo. Early entries indicate that it will be the deepest in 10-15 years. Over the next couple of days, we'll go conference-by-conference to preview recruits from each school and their chances for success. We have only included recruits that have been tabbed to participate in one of the tournaments. Our next conference will be the MAC. It is a league in transition as traditional power Missouri has moved on to the Big 12. At this point, there isn't a clear-cut favorite as to who will step up and take charge of the conference. With some strong recruits, any number of teams is capable of leading. Here are some of the future MAC stars to watch in Fargo: Buffalo Eli Sheeran (Texas) - Class of 2021: 195 lbs The honorable mention “Big Boarder” Eli Sheeran will compete in one of the most loaded brackets of the week when he does battle at 195 lbs. The two-time state champion Sheeran was named the Houston-area Wrestler of the Year after pinning his way to his most recent title. Sheeran is certainly a recruit on the upswing, as he has gradually improved throughout his high school career. Though the 195 lb bracket is daunting, Sheeran is capable of a deep run and could turn heads against quality competition. Sheeran has tasted national-level success before as he was eighth in 2019 at NHSCA Sophomore Nationals. Clarion John Altieri (Pennsylvania) - Class of 2021: 152 lbs Nate Burnett (Ohio) - Class of 2022: 145 lbs The Golden Eagles have a pair of commits ready to hit the mat, including Nate Burnett, the only rising senior in the conference. Burnett is an Ohio state fifth-place finisher that has excellent bloodlines and legacy at Clarion. His father, Erik, was an All-American for the school in 1992. Additionally, his brother, Mick, a starter for Pittsburgh in 2021, was a Cadet and Junior finalist in freestyle. The younger Burnett has the potential to be one of the better gets in some time for coach Keith Ferraro's team. A 2021 signee also worthy of that title is 2021 PIAA AAA state runner-up, John Altieri. John's a two-time state medalist in Pennsylvania and will not be phased by the competition in Fargo. Cleveland State Ben Aranda (Illinois) - Class of 2021: 113 The only recruit in the conference that's a returning Fargo All-American? That distinction belongs to Ben Aranda of Illinois and soon-to-be Cleveland State. Before moving along to the collegiate scene, Aranda has some unfinished business. He was a 16U Greco-Roman runner-up in 2019 and a fifth-place finisher in 2018 in freestyle. Also in 2019, Aranda was sixth at the Cadet World Team Trials in Akron, while competing in freestyle. Aranda's success also bled over into the folkstyle scene, as he was a two-time state medalist, taking fourth and second, at some rugged Illinois lightweight brackets. In Fargo, the Junior 113 lb entries tend to be smaller than most weights above it, so getting onto the podium will be slightly more feasible. Also, having someone with Aranda's experience should bode well against younger competition. Edinboro Cayden Dotson (Missouri) - Class of 2021: 126 lbs Caleb Edwards (Ohio) - Class of 2021: 126 lbs Trent Schultheis (Pennsylvania) - Class of 2021: 195 lbs Cam Soda (Massachusetts) - Class of 2021: 126 lbs Zachary Soda (Massachusetts) - Class of 2021: 126 lbs The award for the largest group of incoming freshmen in the conference at Fargo goes to Matt Hill's Fighting Scots, who have five recruits signed up. It should be easy to follow them as four of the five are slated to compete at 126 lbs. We'll see if any of them hit and make a de facto wrestle-off. The Soda twins hope to be the next in a long line of quality wrestlers for Edinboro from New England. The pair both won New England titles in 2020. Caleb Edwards was a fourth-place finisher in Ohio's DIII, while Cayden Dotson achieved an identical placement competing in Missouri. Up at 195 lbs will be four-time Pennsylvania state medalist Trent Schultheis. Trent was second as a sophomore and third as a senior. He has spent time in the national rankings and likely has the best shot at a deep run out of the bunch. It bodes well for Edinboro that they have such as large group still hungry to compete in Fargo. Rider Matt Hoelke (New Jersey) - Class of 2021: 152 lbs Rider will be represented by 2021 state runner-up Matt Hoelke. Matt was one of the surprises of the 2021 state tournament as he made the finals after coming in as the ninth seed. One of his bigger wins came in the quarterfinals when he upset a top-seeded opponent that had previously defeated him in the postseason. Could Hoelke be capable of such magic again? Getting a wrestler that could be labeled a late-bloomer (on the national scene) seems appropriate for Rider, a program that thrives off of such competitors. A strong showing from Hoelke could indicate that he's ready to push for a starting spot in year one with the Broncs. SIU Edwardsville Caine Tyus (Illinois) - Class of 2021: 145 lbs Caleb Tyus (Illinois) - Class of 2021: 138 lbs The Tyus' are the second set of twins among recruits in the MAC. Caine and Caleb combined to capture state medals as both sophomores and juniors. In 2020, Caleb was a state runner-up, while Caine finished third. Both were on the Senior Big Board (Caine #173 and Caleb #211), which represent huge signee's for an improving Cougar team. While competition at 138 and 145 will be fierce, both have their coaching and home state on their side. Traditionally, Illinois has dominated the international styles. The state tends to regular produce wrestlers that outproduce their pre-tournament predictions, year in and year out. The Tyus twins have the feel of wrestlers that could extend this trend.

Ned Shuck (center) is Bellarmine's new head coach Our SoCon correspondent Rachel Gallardo and Earl Smith had the opportunity to speak with new Bellarmine head coach Ned Shuck. Just a few days after he was hired by Bellarmine, Shuck stopped by to talk about the new position and his plans for the future. Camps, clinics, fundraisers, an RTC, and helping grow wrestling at the youth level in Kentucky are all on the list for Shuck. He also discusses recruiting and what makes a good recruiter, as well as his time at West Point and what he learned during his three years with Army.

Tristan Moran (Photo/Sam Janicki; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Tristan Moran, a two-time NCAA qualifier who wrestled at Oklahoma State and Wisconsin, has been hired by Cal Poly head wrestling coach Jon Sioredas as a volunteer assistant coach. While at Wisconsin, Moran placed fourth in the 2020 Big Ten Championships at 141 pounds and qualified for the nationals, which were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He was seeded ninth. Moran also qualified for the 2019 nationals after a sixth-place Big Ten performance and finished one win shy of All-American honors. Moran was 43-16 in two seasons at Wisconsin after transferring from Oklahoma State, where he posted a 61-16 record in three seasons on the mat, primarily as a reserve 141-pounder. He placed sixth and seventh in the Midlands during his two seasons at Wisconsin. Of his 104 collegiate victories, 32 were by fall. "Tristan will bring significant experience to our middle weights," said Sioredas. "Our young student-athletes will benefit from Tristan, who competed at both Oklahoma State (Big XII) and Wisconsin (Big X). Tristan has notable wins over Nick Lee, Jaydin Eierman, and Chad Red, and was selected as an All-American by the National Wrestling Coaches Association in 2020." At Oklahoma State, Moran was 5-1 in the 2017 Reno Tournament of Champions and won nine matches in a single day at the 2016 event to finish third at 141 and help the Cowboys to the team title. Moran is a graduate of Stillwater High School in Stillwater, Okla., compiling an overall record of 85-10. He was a four-time state finalist, including an Arizona high school state title in 2012 while wrestling at Chandler High School and an Oklahoma high school state champion in 2014. Moran graduated from Wisconsin in May 2020 with a degree in life science communications. Most recently, he was working as manager of the Askren Wrestling Academy in Madison, Wisc.

NC State recruit Chase Horne of Georgia (Photo/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) We are less than a week away from the first whistle blowing at the FargoDome as the Junior/16U National Championships will occur for the first time since 2019. Because of the cancelation of the 2020 tournament, the wrestlers have decided to show up in full force at Fargo. Early entries indicate that it will be the deepest in 10-15 years. Over the next couple of days, we'll go conference-by-conference to preview recruits from each school and their chances for success. We have only included recruits that have been tabbed to participate in one of the tournaments. Let's start with the ACC. Even though they only have six teams, the bulk of the conference has established themselves as juggernauts on the recruiting trail, as well as the mat. In each of the last three NCAA Tournaments, a different ACC team has crowned a national champion. Prior to this run, the conference only had three between 1996 and 2017. While these recruits will be battling for stop signs next week, they could be DI All-Americans sooner rather than later. Here is the future of the ACC: Duke Zack Burroughs (Ohio) - Class of 2022: 195 lbs Duke doesn't get a whole lot of early commitments, so I'm intrigued to see how Burroughs performs. The school has traditionally been able to draw from Ohio relatively well; could be the next best Blue Devil? Burroughs is from the storied Graham High School in St. Paris, so he has been well-coached. NC State Jackson Arrington (Pennsylvania) - Class of 2022: 145 lbs Dylan Fishback (Ohio) - Class of 2022: 195 lbs Chase Horne (Georgia) - Class of 2022: 285 lbs NC State has done an excellent job of recruiting at a high level for the last five-plus years. The 2022 class will be on display in Fargo. Expect this group to be another top-ten ranked class for Coach Pat Popolizio and crew. Each of the three future members of the Wolfpack could have an outside shot at winning titles. Arrington and Fishback have jumped levels over the past year and are trending in the right direction. Both will be competing in two of the deepest weight classes, so factor that in as you view their results. Horne has held the top spot in the nation at times as a junior. He should be considered more of a “favorite” than the other two. North Carolina Cole Hunt (Georgia) - Class of 2022: 120 lbs Noah Pettigrew (Georgia) - Class of 2020: 220 lbs The North Carolina staff got into Georgia early and have been able to establish connections in the state that's blown up with DI talent over the past few years. The fruits of the Tar Heel staff's recruiting labors will be on display as two future UNC studs from Georgia will be in action. Hunt has moved up the rankings significantly within the last year and really could declare himself one of the nation's top lightweights. To do so, he'll have to contend with a 120 lb weight class that is ridiculously deep with talent. Pettigrew has already had plenty of success in Fargo, with a 2018 Cadet title to his name and three overall placements on his resume. With top-ranked Nick Feldman (Pennsylvania) missing due to an injury, the 220 lb weight class is loaded, but without a clear favorite. It will be no shock if Pettigrew ends up with a stop sign. Pittsburgh Cole Hivnor (Ohio) - Class of 2021: 182 lbs Jared Keslar (Pennsylvania) - Class of 2022: 160 lbs The Panthers will get to see one of their 2021 signees Cole Hivnor in action at the 182 lb weight class. Hivnor has been on the fringes of the national rankings and is capable of pulling an upset or two. He'll compete in a bracket that contains plenty of future DI stars; it's nice to see him testing himself before heading to Pitt. Keslar is one of those Pennsylvania kids that could deceive you based on his resume. He's a two-time state fourth-place finisher, but if you look at his 2021 weight, the three wrestlers ahead of him were ranked in the top ten nationally for the bulk of the year. 160 is a group without a clear-cut favorite, so Keslar could have a big showing here. Virginia Kyren Butler (Ohio) - Class of 2021: 132 lbs Garrett Grice (Nebraska) - Class of 2022: 132 lbs Landen Hacker (Ohio) - Class of 2021: 145 lbs Nick Sanko (New York) - Class of 2022: 160 lbs Marlon Yarbrough (Ohio) - Class of 2021: 120 lbs The ACC squad with the largest contingent of current recruits is Virginia. Three graduated seniors and two rising seniors comprise the group of future Cavaliers. Two, Butler and Grice, will compete at a deep 132 lb weight class that features over 15 past Fargo All-Americans. Both contributed to that count with top-six finishes in 2019. The Cavaliers have been able to reel in a handful of talented lightweights with the Class of 2021 and 2022. Another on display is Marlon Yarbrough. Yarbrough is a past Cadet/16U placer in both styles. He should have another deep run at 120 lbs this year. The third Ohio native in the group is Landen Hacker. Hacker doesn't have the national-level credentials of the rest of the future Cavs, so seeing him compete in a loaded weight class will be a good barometer for the UVA staff. The most recruit commit is Sanko. He has had limited opportunities to shine during the last year, due to New York's rules, so he could take the 160 lb class by storm. Virginia Tech Cooper Flynn (Tennessee) - Class of 2021: 120/126 lbs Caleb Henson (Georgia) - Class of 2022: 152 lbs While the list of future Hokies in Fargo is not long, their highly skilled duo could return with some serious hardware. Flynn is a graduated senior that has placed four times in Fargo. The 2020 Super 32 champion is proficient in both styles and is expected to compete in both. Early registration figures show that he may bump up to 126 for Greco. Back in 2019, Flynn earned All-American honors in both styles, while competing at the Junior level. Because of the cancelation of the 2020 tournament, there are very few entrants returning with Junior All-American credentials. Another one of them is Henson, who was sixth in Junior freestyle before his sophomore year of high school. Both future Hokies could be considered favorites at their respective weights.

Three-time NCAA qualifier Gage Curry (Photo/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) As the NCAA has loosened restrictions and penalties for student-athletes to transfer, navigating the transfer portal has become an important aspect of roster management. The transfer portal has been much more active this year than in years past. With the craziness of the last two seasons and Covid shutdowns and protocols, it's understandable that there is chaos here as there is in the coaching carousel. Other reasons play a role in the increase in athletes in the portal--Fresno State shutting down the program caused an early flood and the extra year of eligibility has caused both lineup and scholarship jams causing many to find another home for their last year of eligibility. ACC teams have seen mostly not-starters or spot-starters searching for new homes. Four of the programs have added transfers that should make an immediate impact. UVA was the first to hit the portal and added one transfer from Penn State in 149 pounder Jarod Verkrleeren. He will slide into the starting lineup between Brian Courtney, who will stay at 141, and Jake Keating, who will be dropping to 157 this year. Verkleeren is already on Grounds and says he feels at home with the team and the staff. “The team bond is amazing and I feel that Coach Garland and the Paulson's (Associate Head Coach Travis and Assistant Coach Trent) are an ingredient I was missing.” Verkleeren spoke highly of his time at Penn State but said he was ready for a change of scenery and a fresh start--and this extra year allowed for that at UVA. Pitt hit a double on the transfer market adding Elijah Cleary from Ohio State and Gage Curry from American. Both will step into starting roles shoring up weight classes that weren't as strong for the Panthers last season. Curry, a Pittsburgh native, moved back last year after the NCAA tournament and completed his courses online while evaluating his options for this season. “Being back home around friends and family was a big factor in my decision...then seeing the success Pitt has had recently made me excited to get on board and learn from the coaching staff for the next season.” Curry, a four-time NCAA qualifier, will jump into the starting spot at 125, bringing valuable experience to the Panther lineup. “My goal has always been to be on the podium in March; I think I can do that here and I think the team has what it takes to be a top 10 program and push for a team trophy at nationals”. Cleary will also add veteran experience and leadership to the 157 pound weight class. A Florida native, Cleary is looking forward to a change of pace in moving to Pittsburgh….and some Primanti Brothers sandwiches! “I like the coaches' approach to the sport, and they are very knowledgeable. I have goals to be an ACC and NCAA champion, large goals, but I'm confident I have the resources, support and ability to achieve them”. Both wrestlers will also be a positive bump in training partners-Curry with Micky Phillippi and Cleary with Jake Wentzel and Luke Kemerer. Virginia Tech brought a heavyweight scholar with an amazing head of hair to Blacksburg from the west coast. Nathan Traxler joins the Hokies after finishing up a stellar career at Stanford. Traxler has been in Blacksburg for a couple weeks and has been enjoying the small-town life and atmosphere. “I wanted to give myself a new atmosphere and a fresh perspective on my wrestling...the motivated atmosphere and quality of training partners and coaches drew me to VT”. Traxler will stay at heavyweight this season, while Hunter Catka will take a redshirt season. Traxler is a Pac-12 Champion, four-time NCAA qualifier and was named Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year last season. He will provide a solid anchor on the top half of a very strong Hokie lineup. North Carolina was the final team to announce a transfer addition; the Tar Heels added Khizan Clarke from American. Clarke will complete Law School at UNC while filling the 149 slot vacated by National Champion Austin O'Connor, who is moving up to 157. Clarke had a fantastic season in the COVID-shortened 2019-2020 season and was named NWCA Honorable Mention All-American after finishing the year 36-7. “Coleman (Head Coach Coleman Scott) is breeding a champion mentality in the UNC room and that's what I will need to become an NCAA Champion. UNC School of Law is also a very prestigious program that will set me up for success in the legal community”. Clarke will make an immediate impact at 149 in the ACC and will be a high-pace training partner for Austin O'Connor. “I want to be a National Champion and help UNC win their first conference championship.” This addition will allow freshman Lachlan McNeil to redshirt and will make the Tar Heels an even stronger competitor for the ACC title. The transfer portal has been good to the ACC this season and these five are ready to hit the mat. Curry said, “The excitement around the ACC has been something that I have noticed the last two years, but last year in particular with some of the great dual matches, so I'm looking forward to being part of that. The competition within the ACC has shown that it is among the best in the country, so I'm excited for all of the matchups”. The ACC is primed for a strong conference battle, and these new faces are going to add to the level of competition across the board.

New Cornell assistant coach Kellen Russell (Photo/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) All offseason we have monitored the movement on the coaching front, just like any other year. However, as the spring and summer of 2021 has progressed, we've discovered that this year was unlike any other, because of the amount of vacancies still unfilled. Two weeks ago, we provided some reasons why this has happened. Today, we're circling back around to look at the list of coaches who have accepted new jobs this offseason. Remember, we have only listed signings that have been announced by the schools themselves. Also, we have a current list of DI openings, which is still lengthy as we approach mid-July.

2020 World Cup champion Vazgen Tevanyan (Photo courtesy of UWW) As of today, we under 50 days from the start of wrestling at the Olympic Games. Over the next 50 days, we'll bring you one profile per day of a decorated international contender. Make sure you get to know the wrestlers that Team USA will compete against in Tokyo. 7/10/21 - Khadzhimurad Ghadzhiev (Azerbaijan) 7/8/21 - Ali Shabanov (Belarus) 7/7/21 - Gadzhimurad Rashidov (Russia) 7/6/21 - Suleyman Karadeniz (Turkey) 7/5/21 - Frank Chamizo (Italy) 7/3/21 - Yui Susaki (Japan) 7/1/21 - Amir Zare (Iran) 6/28/21 - Zavur Uguev (Russia) 6/27/21 - Zhan Beleniuk (Ukraine) 6/26/21 - Sergey Kozyrev (Russia) 6/24/21 - Kenchiro Fumita (Japan) 6/23/21 - Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov (Belarus) 6/22/21 - Erica Wiebe (Canada) 6/21/21 - Myles Amine (San Marino) 6/20/21 - Sofia Mattsson (Sweden) 6/19/21 - Hassan Yazdani Charati (Iran) 6/18/21 - Tamas Lorincz (Hungary) 6/17/21 - Takuro Otoguro (Japan) 6/16/21 - Elizbar Odikadze (Georgia) 6/15/21 - Koumba Larroque (France) 6/14/21 - Haji Aliyev (Azerbaijan) 6/13/21 - Ningning Rong (China) 6/12/21 - Bajrang Punia (India) 6/11/21 - Frank Staebler (Germany) 6/10/21 - Geno Petriashvili (Georgia) An underdog who broke through to contender status with an incredible run to end 2020, #2 Vazgen Tevanyan of Armenia has been one of the biggest developments at 65 KG to end the 2016-2020 quad. A follow-up performance at the European Olympic qualifier that saw him beat four World/Olympic medalists to qualify for the Olympics, Tevanyan has quickly become one of the premier contenders for gold at 65 KG at the Tokyo Olympics. Today's Olympic profile will look at the career of #2 Vazgen Tevanyan of Armenia. The Stats #2 Vazgen Tevanyan (ARM)- 2014 46 KG Cadet European 5th, 2015 54 KG Cadet European champion, 2018 61 KG Junior European champion, 2018 61 KG Junior world bronze medalist, 2019 U-23 European champion, 2019 Junior world championships 5th, 2019 Intercontinental Cup bronze medalist, 2020 Individual World Cup champion, 2021 European Olympic qualifier champion. Key Wins: #3 Zagir Shakhiev (2019 Intercontinental Cup), #4 Ismail Musukaev (2020 Individual World Cup finals), #6 Haji Aliyev (2021 European Olympic Qualifier finals), Vladimir Khinchegashvili (2021 European Olympic Qualifier), #18 Magomedmurad Gadzhiev (2021 European Olympic Qualifier), Ilman Mukhtarov (2019 U-23 European Championships), Maxim Sacultan (2019 U-23 European championships), Abbos Rakhmonov (2018 61 KG Junior world bronze medal match), Edemi Bolkvadze (2019 U-23 European championships finals), Gor Oganesyan (2020 Individual World Cup), #9 (61) Teimuraz Vanishvili (2014 46 KG Cadet European championships) Key Losses: #5 Takuto Otoguro (2019 world championships), Daton Fix (2015 54 KG Cadet world championships), Ismail Gadzhiev (2014 46 KG Cadet European championships), Nikolai Chaban (2014 46 KG Cadet European championships), Ali Sheriev (2016 58 KG Cadet European championships finals), Selim Kozan (2019 U-23 world championships), Evan Henderson (2019 Intercontinental Cup), #6 Haji Aliyev (2019 European championships), Amirhossein Maghsoudi (2016 58 KG Cadet world championships), Vadim Bikoev (2016 58 KG Cadet world championships repechage), Peyman Biabani (2019 Takhti Cup quarterfinals), Khirollah Gahremani (2020 Takhti Cup quarterfinals). 2014-2018 Vazgen Tevanyan's career would begin in 2014 at the 46 KG Cadet European Championships, taking fifth with losses to Ismail Gadzhiev (RUS) and Nikolai Chaban (UKR). Tevanyan would make his return to competition in mid-2015, moving up to 54 KG and winning the Cadet European title over Cabbar Duyum of Turkey. At the Cadet World Championships, Tevanyan was matched up with Daton Fix of the United States in the qualification round and was eliminated after a 7-1 loss. Tevanyan's final year of Cadet eligibility, in 2016, saw him move up to 58 KG where he was runner-up at the European Championships to Ali Sheriev (RUS) and placed seventh at the World Championships with losses to Amirhossein Maghsoudi (IRI) and Vadim Bikoev (RUS). Tevanyan's debut at the Junior level would see him move up another weight class to 61 KG, where he'd take gold at the Junior European Championships with wins over Intigam Valizada (AZE) and Igor Nikiforuk (UKR). Making the quarterfinals of the World Championships, Tevanyan faced off against top Russian prospect #1 (61) Abasgadzhi Magomedov (RUS) and was tech falled 10-0 in the first period. With Magomedov making the finals, Tevanyan was pulled into repechage where he made the bronze medal match and beat 2016 57 KG Olympian Abbos Rakhmonov (UZB) to take his first world medal. 2019-2021 Coming off Junior world bronze at 61 KG, Vazgen Tevanyan would make his Senior-level debut at 65 KG at the Takhti Cup. Making the quarterfinals, Tevanyan fell to 2018 Military World runner-up Peyman Biabani (IRI) and was eliminated from the competition after Biabani's semifinal loss to Giorgi Revazishvili (GEO). Tevanyan's next competition would see him claim his first Senior title at the U23 European Championships with victories over Ilman Mukhtarov (FRA), Edemi Bolkvadze (GEO) and Maxim Sacultan (MDA). Opening his tournament at the Senior European championships with a 10-0 tech fall over George Ramm (GBR), Tevanyan faced the biggest test of his career in three-time world champion #6 Haji Aliyev of Azerbaijan in the Round of 16. The offensive dynamo Aliyev struggled against the stingy defense of Tevanyan, but was ultimately able to pull away with a 1-0 win. Aliyev would go on to win his third European title and Tevanyan was pulled into repechage but defaulted out in the first round to Hussein Shakhbanov (BLR). At the Junior World Championships, Tevanyan would be matched against 2018 Alans runner-up #3 (70) Kurban Shiraev of Russia. Shiraev put on a clinic against Tevanyan for a 10-4 victory and with Shiraev's semifinal win over 2021 70 KG Asian champion Syrbaz Talgat (KAZ), Tevanyan would get his chance to wrestle for bronze. Talgat pulled away with a close 4-3 win over Tevanyan, leaving the Armenian with a fifth-place finish. Continuing to push through a loaded Senior level debut season, Tevanyan competed at the Senior World Championships facing returning world champion #5 Takuto Otoguro (JPN) in the first round. The Japanese phenom who'd outscored his competition 67-23, was too much, too soon for Tevanyan and broke through the Armenian's defense for a 6-0 win. Otoguro was eliminated by returning 61 KG world runner-up #1 Gadzhimurad Rashidov of Russia and Tevanyan's inaugural Senior world championships ended early. Tevanyan concluded his 2019 competing at the Intercontinental Cup and the U23 world championships. At the Intercontinental Cup, Tevanyan opened with an impressive 6-5 win over #3 Zagir Shakhiev (RUS) before falling to Evan Henderson (USA) in the semifinals and taking bronze over Shamil Guseinov (RUS). Tevanyan's U23 world championships would not be as prosperous as the reigning U-23 European champion lost 3-3 on criteria to 2016 60 KG Junior world runner-up Selim Kozan of Turkey. Tevanyan's 2020 began with a rocky start, finishing 8th at the Takhti Cup after a quarterfinal loss to Khirollah Gahremani (IRI). Not competing again until December, Tevanyan went in as a potential darkhorse contender at the Individual World Cup, but was not expected to be able to beat the likes of World/Olympic medalists in Gadzhimurad Rashidov (RUS), Haji Aliyev (AZE) and Ismail Musukaev (HUN). Through the semifinals, Tevanyan had looked like a completely different wrestler, outscoring his competition 27-0 to get the chance to face 2019 Ziolkowski runner-up Gor Oganesyan (UKR). Oganesyan, an unorthodox wrestler who's extremely dangerous from tie-ups with throws and counters, was seen as the one to slow Tevanyan's roll. Tevanyan shut down the diverse offense of the Ukrainian to take a 7-2 win and make the finals opposite returning world bronze medalist Ismail Musukaev (HUN). Ismail Musukaev (HUN), one of Russia's best lightweight prospects with runner-up finishes at the 2015 57 KG and 2018 61 KG Russian National championships, had beaten world medalist and champion-caliber athletes his whole career. But never breaking through to make a world team, Musukaev made the transfer to compete for Hungary in 2019 and broke through in a major way to take gold at the world championships with wins over World/Olympic champions Vladimir Khinchegashvili (GEO) and #5 Takuto Otoguro (JPN). Making the finals by beating three-time 61 KG world champion Haji Aliyev (AZE), the Individual World Cup title was seen as locked up for Musukaev. But come time to decide who'd win gold, things were different; Tevanyan was no pushover, it was his time. Leading Musukaev 1-0 at the break, the second period saw Musukaev take a 1-1 lead on criteria off a shot clock violation. But in the waning moments of the match, off an arm drag reattack, Tevanyan would explode through for a takedown and two rib-crushing gut wrenches to seal an 8-1 win and the biggest title of his career. Coming off the high of winning the Individual World Cup, Tevanyan began 2021 still having to qualify Armenia for the Tokyo Olympics. Competing in a loaded field at the European Olympic qualifier, Tevanyan would have to beat out a trio of World/Olympic medalists in Vladimir Khinchegashvili (GEO), Magomedmurad Gadzhiev (POL), and Haji Aliyev (AZE) just to get the chance to compete in Tokyo. 2013 61 KG World runner-up Vladimir Dubov (BUL) was the first to fall to Tevanyan in an 11-0 loss. 2020 European runner-up Nyurgun Skryabin (BLR) would push Tevanyan but still be a 7-5 win for the Armenian. 2016 57 KG Olympic champion Vladimir Khinchegashvili (GEO) was a 6-4 win for Tevanyan. Standing between Tevanyan and the chance to compete for gold in Tokyo would be 2019 70 KG world bronze medalist Magomedmurad Gadzhiev (POL), a defensive stalwart notorious for pulling away close offensively stifling matches. Beating out the defense of Gadzhiev, Tevanyan would qualify Armenia for the 65 KG Tokyo Olympics with a 4-2 victory. Concluding his brilliant run at the European qualifier, Tevanyan faced three-time 61 KG world champion Haji Aliyev of Azerbaijan. His best competition of the day saw Tevanyan at his best, dominating Aliyev 9-0 for gold. Tevanyan had not only proved his run from the Individual World Cup wasn't a fluke, he'd announce himself as a serious threat for gold in Tokyo. The rapid improvements #2 Vazgen Tevanyan has made in just his second full year of Senior level competition have been absolutely spectacular. From failing to place at the Takhti Cup to beating five World/Olympic medalists at the Individual World Cup and European Qualifier means the Armenian has put himself on the shortlist of gold medal contenders in Tokyo. I'm very excited to see how Tevanyan handles himself against the rest of the field and the chance of a rematch against #5 Takuto Otoguro (JPN) and a match against reigning world champion #1 Gadzhimurad Rashidov (RUS) makes 65 KG a weight to watch in Tokyo.

Caden Rogers at the 2019 Walsh Ironman (Photo/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) The Lehigh staff started their Sunday morning with some good news as #28 overall Caden Rogers (Malvern Prep, PA) gave the school a verbal commitment. Rogers is third top-50 recruit to pledge to Lehigh already, joining #4 Ryan Crookham (Saucon Valley, PA) and #44 PJ Casale (Delbarton, NJ). With Rogers' commitment, only ten of the top-30 rising seniors in the nation are currently uncommitted. Rogers was a champion at the 2021 National Prep Open and defeated a pair of DI recruits along the way. In the semifinals, he downed senior Luke Duthie (Wyoming Seminary, PA), who is headed to Cornell, and for the title he beat junior David Harper (The Baylor School, TN), a Wyoming commit. Recently, Rogers also picked up another victory over Harper at the Disney Duals. In his two previous appearances at the National Prep Championships, Rogers was third as a sophomore and sixth his freshman year. That improvement is on par with his growth, as Rogers has continued to rise up the rankings as he gets older. Rogers has shown on a national stage that he's capable of being one of the top big men in the nation. He was a placewinner at the Beast of the East (eighth) in 2019. After his freshman year at Malvern Prep, Rogers was seventh at NHSCA Freshman Nationals at 138 lbs. Just a few months later, he was fifth in Fargo in Junior Greco-Roman, all the way up at 170 lbs. This season, Rogers was a finalist at the Powerade after knocking off one of the favorites, Mac Stout (Mt. Lebanon, PA) in the semifinals. Next week, Rogers will be in action as he has registered for the Fargo at 195 lbs. Rogers hails from the Lancaster, Pennsylvania area and is the son of two-time DI All-American Mike Rogers, currently the head coach at Franklin & Marshall. Pat Santoro's Mountain Hawks will be getting help in a 197 lbs that is typically one of the most difficult to fill. The school's 2021 starter, Jake Jakobsen, is not expected to return in 2021-22 so there is some uncertainty surrounding the weight. Sophomore Elijah Jones could be penciled in and Michigan-transfer Gaige Garcia should be a factor, too. Garcia is also expected to play football so he won't be able to help full-time. Lehigh also has a verbal from Casale who could project at 197 or 285 in the future. We'll have to pay attention to see what it means regarding his future. There have been some whispers that Casale may be still up-in-the-air regarding his collegiate plans. For Intermat's full recruiting lists, check out our Commitment Page.

Khadzhimurad Gadzhiev of Azerbaijan (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) As of today, we under 50 days from the start of wrestling at the Olympic Games. Over the next 50 days, we'll bring you one profile per day of a decorated international contender. Make sure you get to know the wrestlers that Team USA will compete against in Tokyo. 7/8/21 - Ali Shabanov 7/7/21 - Gadzhimurad Rashidov (Russia) 7/6/21 - Suleyman Karadeniz (Turkey) 7/5/21 - Frank Chamizo (Italy) 7/3/21 - Yui Susaki (Japan) 7/1/21 - Amir Zare (Iran) 6/28/21 - Zavur Uguev (Russia) 6/27/21 - Zhan Beleniuk (Ukraine) 6/26/21 - Sergey Kozyrev (Russia) 6/24/21 - Kenchiro Fumita (Japan) 6/23/21 - Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov (Belarus) 6/22/21 - Erica Wiebe (Canada) 6/21/21 - Myles Amine (San Marino) 6/20/21 - Sofia Mattsson (Sweden) 6/19/21 - Hassan Yazdani Charati (Iran) 6/18/21 - Tamas Lorincz (Hungary) 6/17/21 - Takuro Otoguro (Japan) 6/16/21 - Elizbar Odikadze (Georgia) 6/15/21 - Koumba Larroque (France) 6/14/21 - Haji Aliyev (Azerbaijan) 6/13/21 - Ningning Rong (China) 6/12/21 - Bajrang Punia (India) 6/11/21 - Frank Staebler (Germany) 6/10/21 - Geno Petriashvili (Georgia) A 2018 70 KG Junior World championship title over Russian phenom Razambek Zhamalov put Khadzhimurad Gadzhiev of Azerbaijan on the map, but it would be his follow-up performance in 2019 that would announce him as a contender. At the 2019 World Championships, Gadzhiev beat three past World/Olympic medalists in 2010 66 KG world champion Sushil Kumar (IND), two-time World/Olympic medalist #13 Soner Demirtas (TUR) and two-time World medalist Bekzod Abdurakhmanov to make the 74 KG World Championships quarterfinals. While he would lose 8-1 to #8 Jordan Burroughs (USA), Gadzhiev had announced himself as a presence at 74 KG. Today's Olympic profile will look at the career of Khadzhimurad Gadzhiev of Azerbaijan. The Stats Khadzhimurad Gadzhiev (AZE)- 2017 63 KG Cadet world bronze medalist, 2018 70 KG Junior world champion, 2019 Takhti Cup champion, 2019 European championships 5th, 2019 European Games bronze, medalist, 2019 Junior World bronze medalist, 2019 Korkin bronze medalist, 2020 Yasar Dogu bronze medalist, 2021 European Olympic qualifier runner-up, 2021 Henri Deglane Grand Prix bronze medalist, 2021 Ziolkowski bronze medalist Key Wins: #6 Razambek Zhamalov (2018 70 KG Junior world championships), #13 Soner Demirtas (2019 world championships), Sushil Kumar (2019 world championships), Bekzod Abdurakhmanov (2019 world championships), Younes Emami (2021 Ziolkowski), Vasyl Mykhailov (2019 European Games). Key Losses: #8 Jordan Burroughs (2019 world championships), #13 Soner Demirtas (2019 European Games), #5 Frank Chamizo (2019 European championships, 2020 European championships), #9 Timur Bizhoev (2019 European championships), Nadirbek Khizriev (2019 Korkin), #2 Kyle Dake (2021 Henri Deglane Grand Prix), #7 (70) James Green (2018 70 KG world championships), David Carr (2019 Junior world championships semifinals), Mostafa Hosseinkhani (2021 Ziolkowski semifinals). 2016-2021 Khadzhimurad Gadzhiev's career began at the 2016 63 KG Cadet European Championships, where he took bronze over #8 (65) Erik Arushanian (UKR) after a 10-0 semifinal loss to Inal Dzhhopua (AZE). Gadzhiev would return to action in the summer of 2017, finishing runner-up to Inar Ketiia (RUS) 9-5 at the 63 KG Cadet European Championships and taking bronze at the Cadet World Championships after a loss to eventual champion Inar Ketiia (RUS). 2018 would see Gadzhiev grow into the 70 KG weight class. He'd debut at the Junior European Championships, taking silver to 2017 65 KG Yarygin runner-up #19 Cherman Valiev of Russia. Making the finals of the Junior World Championships, Gadzhiev would be faced with #6 Razambek Zhamalov of Russia, who'd come off an explosive run at Russian Nationals where he finished fifth behind world champions #10 Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov (RUS) and #4 (70) David Baev (RUS). Trailing Zhamalov 3-1 throughout the bout, he was able to hit a counter late in the second period to take the 3-3 criteria lead and hold on for the win and the 70 KG Junior world title. After the success of his Junior world campaign, Gadzhiev was selected as the Senior world rep for Azerbaijan and, in his opening round, faced returning world runner-up #7 (70) James Green (USA). Close with Green throughout, Gadzhiev would fall to the American standout 6-4. Completing in 2018, Gadzhiev would enter the Kadyrov Cup, where he beat Bekzhan Dzhambulov (KGZ) and Sumiyabazar Zandanbud (MGL). 2019 came and Gadzhiev made the move up to 70 KG, where he continued to build momentum after his strong finish to 2018. Starting the year off with a title at the Takhti Cup over 2014 Asian champion Reza Afzali Paemani (IRI). At the Senior European championships, Gadzhiev would make the semifinals opposite two-time World champion #5 Frank Chamizo (ITA) and fall to the talented Italian 6-2 and fall to the bronze medal match. Against 2018 Russian Nationals bronze medalist #9, Timur Bizhoev (RUS) lost 6-4 to take fifth. An opening-round loss to two-time World/Olympic medalist #13 Soner Demirtas (TUR) put Gadzhiev into the repechage of the European Games, where he came back to take bronze with wins over Kyrillos Binenmpaoum (GRE) and Vasyl Mykhailov (UKR) for his first Senior European medal. As the returning 70 KG Junior world champion, Gadzhiev was seen as the rightful favorite to win his second Junior world title, but a shocking upset by tech fall to American David Carr would snub out Gadzhiev's chances at consecutive Junior world titles. Rebounding for bronze with a victory against David Betanov (RUS), Gadzhiev would enter the 2019 Senior world championships. Gadzhiev's run at the 2019 Senior world championships would change his career forever. In his opening round match, Gadzhiev faced off against the 2x World/Olympic medalist Sushil Kumar (IND), who went up big after an early arm throw. Fighting and clawing back against the powerful Indian, Gadzhiev pulled out an 11-9 win to move onto the Round of 32 against Demirtas. In a rematch of his opening-round loss from the European Games, Gadzhiev proved himself to be the better man beating his second straight World/Olympic medalist in Demirtas for a 5-2 win. The Round of 16 would be Gadzhiev's toughest test yet, as returning World bronze medalist Bekzod Abdurakhmanov (UZB) was coming off gold at the Asian Games and looked fantastic. A fireman's carry in the opening seconds of the match put up 4-0 over Abdurakhmanov and a takedown and stepout for Abdurakhmanov made the score 4-3 Gadzhiev. In an absolute shoot-out, Gadzhiev would pull away with 8 points in the second period to Abdurakhmanov's 6 and win the match 12-9 to make the quarterfinals. Having beaten three past World/Olympic medalists to make the quarterfinals, Gadzhiev was matched against none other than 5x World/Olympic champion #8 Jordan Burroughs (USA). Gadzhiev, having gone through an absolutely brutal trio of opponents to make the quarters, was absolutely drained and the veteran Burroughs dominated the younger Gadzhiev 8-1 to make the semis. With Burroughs 4-3 semifinal loss to returning world champion #1 Zaurbek Sidakov (RUS), Gadzhiev's brilliant world title run was ended. Gadzhiev's 2019 ended with a bronze medal at the Dmitri Korkin tournament after a loss to Nadirbek Khizriev (RUS). Gadzhiev's abbreviated 2020 season began with a bronze medal finish at the Yasar Dogu, where he lost to eventual champion Alipasha Umarpashaev (BUL) in the semifinals. After an opening-round win over 2019 70 KG U-23 European runner-up Patryk Olenczyn (POL), Gadzhiev would default out of European championships after hurting his arm defending a 4 point fireman's carry from #5 Frank Chamizo (ITA) in the round of 16. Gadzhiev made his return to competition in January of this year, taking bronze at the Henri Deglane Grand Prix after losing to 2x 79 KG world champion #2 Kyle Dake (USA). Competing at the European Olympic qualifier, Gadziev was able to qualify Azerbaijan for the Olympics by making the finals with wins over Murad Kuramagomedov (HUN), Maxim Vasilioglu (MDA), and Charles Andre Afa (FRA). In his final competition of 2021 before the Olympics, Gadzhiev took bronze at the Ziolkowski, beating 2019 70 KG world bronze medalist Younes Emami (IRI) in the quarterfinals before falling to 2016 70 KG world bronze medalist Mostafa Hosseinkhani (IRI) in the semis. While he had an exceptional run in 2019 that saw him beat three past World/Olympic medalists, Khadzhimurad Gadzhiev of Azerbaijan is very much facing an uphill battle to place in Tokyo. If he has anything but a top bracket, he is gonna have to contend with #1 Zaurbek Sidakov, #2 Kyle Dake (USA), #3 Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov (BLR), #5 Frank Chamizo (ITA) or #7 Avtandil Kentchadze (GEO) before the semifinals. While Gadzhiev has made lots of growth, stylistically, those matches are just too much for Gadzhiev to pull through. The upcoming 2022-2024 Olympics should see Gadzhiev's profile continue to rise and a Senior world medal is a real possibility.

2020 NCAA qualifier Kizhan Clarke (Photo/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Transfers as of 7/10/2021 - received by DI schools. (New school listed first) Wrestlers added since our last edition have been bolded. Appalachian State - Diavantae Reddick (Campbell) 165 Appalachian State - Jacob Sartorio (Fresno City College) 285 Arizona State - Kyle Parco (Fresno State) 141/149 Binghamton - Ryan Anderson (Centenary) 141/149 Binghamton - Nick Lombard (Michigan) 149 Buffalo - Trent Svingala (Columbia) 141 Cal Poly - Evan Wick (Cal Poly) 165 Campbell - Anthony Molton (Fresno State) 125 Chattanooga - Brayden Palmer (Clarion) 141 Clarion - Will Feldkamp (Northern Illinois) 184/197 Clarion - Brent Moore (Virginia Tech) 149 Clarion - Cameron Pine (Campbell) 165 CSU Bakersfield - Jacob Hansen (Moorpark JC) 165 CSU Bakersfield - Mateo Morales (Fresno State) 197 CSU Bakersfield - Jayden Smith (NEO A&M) 184/197 Edinboro - Jack Kilner (Fresno City College) 197 George Mason - Laurence Kosoy (Columbia) 165 Hofstra - Michael Leandrou (American) 157 Illinois - Luke Ramussen (North Dakota State) 197 Illinois - Joe Roberts (NC State) 157 Indiana - Kasper McIntosh (Minnesota) 157 Iowa - Drew Bennett (Northern Iowa) 141 Iowa - Brennan Swafford (Graceland) 174 Iowa State - Austin Kraisser (Campbell) 165/174 Iowa State - Sam Schuyler (Buffalo) 285 Kent State - Michael Ferree (Campbell) 174 Kent State - Tyler Johnson (George Mason) 141 Kent State - Najee Lockett (Cornell) 174 Kent State - Louis Newell (Pittsburgh) 133 Lehigh - Gaige Garcia (Michigan) 197 Lock Haven - Ben Barton (Campbell) 157 Lock Haven - Jake Beeson (Pratt CC) 149/157 Lock Haven - Anthony Noto (NC State) Lock Haven - Michael Spangler (Pratt CC) 125 Lock Haven - Colby Whitehill (Pittsburgh) 285 Maryland - John Martin Best (Air Force Prep) 165 Maryland - Zach Schrader (Cal Baptist) 285 Michigan - Patrick Brucki (Princeton) 197 Minnesota - Jared Krattiger (Wisconsin) 174 North Carolina - Kizhan Clarke (American) 149 Northern Colorado - Baylor Fernandes (Minnesota) 165 Ohio - Tommy Hoskins (Oklahoma) 125 Ohio State - Will Betancourt (Lock Haven) 133 Oklahoma - Joe Grello (Rutgers) 165/174 Oklahoma - Keegan Moore (Oklahoma State) 184 Oklahoma - Joey Prata (Virginia Tech) 125 Oklahoma - Gabe Vidlak (Oregon State) 125 Oklahoma State - Austin Boone (Penn State) 157 Oregon State - Cory Crooks (Arizona State) 149 Oregon State - Isaiah Crosby (Iowa Western CC) 157/165 Oregon State - Cameron Enriquez (Clackamas CC) 125 Oregon State - Tanner Harvey (American) 184 Oregon State - Gary Traub (Ohio State) 285 Penn State - Max Dean (Cornell) 184/197 Pittsburgh - Gage Curry (American) 125 Pittsburgh - Elijah Cleary (Ohio State) 157 Purdue - Matt Ramos (Minnesota) 125 Rider - Quinn Kinner (Ohio State) 141/149 Rider - Jacob Perez-Eli (Iowa State) 133 Rutgers - Greg Bulsak (Clarion) 197 Rutgers - Nick Raimo (Arizona State) 133 South Dakota State - Tate Battani (Iowa State) 184 South Dakota State - AJ Nevills (Fresno State) 285 Utah Valley - Haiden Drury (Fresno State) 133/141 Virginia - Jarod Verkleeren (Penn State) 149 Virginia Tech - Nathan Traxler (Stanford) 285 West Virginia - Luke Karam (Lehigh) 149 Wisconsin - Austin Gomez (Iowa State) 141 Wisconsin - Andrew McNally (Kent State) 174

Our EIWA correspondent Austin Sommer stops by to talk about some of the big coaching changes in the conference, along with new vacancies. Plus the cooking and field goal kicking abilities of some of the EIWA coaches. Past EIWA Reports June 19th, 2021

North Carolina head coach Coleman Scott (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) With the hiring of Ned Shuck by Bellarmine it looks like the head coaching portion of the coaching carousel may be intact for the year. "May" being the key word! Since we have a new crop of head coaches, it's a good time to look at where these men came from. Over the years, the Iowa and Oklahoma State coaching trees have been discussed at great length. After a spring and summer of musical coaching chairs, do the two superpowers still lead in producing head coaches? We've got the answer to that question and plenty others you probably never asked below. These figures have been generated centered around 78 current DI teams (including Bellarmine and Cal Baptist who are transitioning to DI status). Jason Borrelli (American), Shuck (Bellarmine), Mike Grey (Cornell), Luke Smith (CSU Bakersfield), Mike Poeta (Illinois), and Rob Koll (Cornell) will be "new" head coaches in the 2021-22 season. Of the six coaches that were hired in the spring/summer of 2021, two were Central Michigan alums. Jason Borrelli and Luke Smith being the two. Smith guided the Roadrunners under an interim tag during the 2021 season. Currently there are 18 DI coaches who have the head job at their alma mater (Z. Jones; Stutzman, Grey, Hill, Elliott, Papadatos, Poeta, Escobedo, Brands, Andrassy, Patrovich, Bormet, Eggum, J Smith, Reina, Gavin, Hangey, Garland). That's slightly over 23% of the current head coaching population. Six current DI head coaches attended schools that compete at non DI-levels. (Marcus Gordon, Ryan Ludwig, Andy Lausier, Joe Patrovich, Mark Manning, Sam Barber). Two current DI head coaches attended schools that no longer sponsor wrestling (Mark Manning - Nebraska-Omaha, and Greg Williams - Utah State). Ten current DI head coaches attended PSAC (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference) schools, which is just under 13% of the population. Bloomsburg (Beasley), Edinboro (Clemsen, Gibson, Hill, Robie, Rosselli), Lock Haven (Ferraro, Goodale, Kolat, Rogers). Additionally, the above ten coaches plus nine others went to college in Pennsylvania. That accounts for almost 25% of all current head coaches. (Weiss - F&M, Ayres - Lehigh, Reina - Penn, Flynn; J. Moore; S. Moore - Penn State, Gavin; Santoro - Pittsburgh; Lausier - Lycoming). Oklahoma State retains the crown with most alumni in DI head coaching ranks (Branch, Erisman, Lanham, Pendleton, Popolizio, Scott, J. Smith, Ward). Speaking of Oklahoma State, all three of the North Carolina schools that sponsor wrestling in the ACC are led by Cowboy alums. (Lanham - Duke, Popolizio - NC State, Scott - North Carolina). Shuck's hire gives Iowa seven alums in the DI head coach ranks (Brands, Dresser, Ersland, Ryan, Schwab, Shuck, L Zalesky). After Shuck's addition, Iowa would have tied Oklahoma State had Fresno State (Troy Steiner) not dropped its program. Jim Heffernan (Illinois) also stepped down this year, which could have put Iowa over Oklahoma State, had Shuck been hired and Fresno State kept the team. All three division one programs in Iowa are led by former Hawkeyes (Brands, Dresser - Iowa State, Schwab - Northern Iowa). Every NCAA title since 2008 has been won by a head coach that went to college in Iowa (Brands (4), Sanderson (8), Ryan (1). Penn State has three current alums among the head coaching ranks. None is from the Cael Sanderson-era, so expect that number to grow in the future. The same can be said for Iowa who does not have a former wrestler under Brands as a head coach, yet. Minnesota has three former Gophers in the division one coaching ranks. Coincidentally, all three wrestled 184 lbs while in college. Damion Hahn did so for his first two years, while Roger Kish did for his entire career. Brandon Eggum moved to 184 for his final two seasons after the weights were shifted. The only two NCAA champions for the University of Pittsburgh over the last 54 years are both currently head coaches (Gavin/Santoro). Two collegiate teams featured three current DI head coaches competing at the same time, while in college. The 2005 Oklahoma State Cowboys (Scott, Ward, Pendleton). Edinboro's 2007 team (Hill, Clemsen, Gibson). Wrestling is a unique sport that tends to promote its superstars for coaching positions. 16 of the 77 current head coaches were DI national champions during their collegiate career. Of these 16 national champions, there were two separate occasions where three current DI head coaches won national titles in the same year. 1988 (J. Smith, Santoro, Koll). 2008 (Escobedo, Scott, Gavin). Current DI head coaches have met in the NCAA finals on two occasions. In 1999, Cael Sanderson defeated Brandon Eggum. Two years prior, Cary Kolat had beaten Roger Chandler in the finals. Eight current head coaches wrestled in the Olympic Games (Z. Jones, Rosselli, Brands, Schwab, Sanderson, Kolat, J. Smith, Scott). Below are the current DI head coaches listed under their alma mater's. They are listed under their school names with their current job in parentheses. Note: We have Scott Moore listed under Penn State since he graduated from the school before enrolling at Virginia to exhaust his eligibility and attend graduate school. American Kyle Borshoff (Binghamton) Arizona State Zeke Jones (Arizona State) Bloomsburg Frank Beasley (George Mason) Buffalo John Stutzman (Buffalo) Chattanooga Jon Sioredas (Cal Poly) Central Michigan Jason Borrelli (American) Scotti Sentes (Campbell) Luke Smith (CSU Bakersfield) Cornell Mike Grey (Cornell) Troy Nickerson (Northern Colorado) Edinboro Alex Clemsen (Maryland) Jim Gibson (VMI) Matt Hill (Edinboro) Tony Robie (Virginia Tech) Lou Rosselli (Oklahoma) Franklin and Marshall Jay Weiss (Harvard) Gardner-Webb Daniel Elliott (Gardner-Webb) Hofstra Dennis Papadatos (Hofstra) Illinois Mike Poeta (Illinois) Indiana Roger Chandler (Michigan State) Angel Escobedo (Indiana) Ryan LeBlanc (The Citadel) Iowa Tom Brands (Iowa) Kevin Dresser (Iowa State) Tony Ersland (Purdue) Tom Ryan (Ohio State) Doug Schwab (Northern Iowa) Ned Shuck (Bellarmine) Lennie Zalesky (Cal Baptist) Iowa State Matt Azevedo (Drexel) Chris Bono (Wisconsin) Cael Sanderson (Penn State) Kent State Jim Andrassy (Kent State) Lehigh Chris Ayres (Princeton) Lock Haven Keith Ferraro (Clarion) Scott Goodale (Rutgers) Cary Kolat (Navy) Mike Rogers (Franklin & Marshall) Michigan Sean Bormet (Michigan) Michigan State Brian Smith (Missouri) Dan Wirnsberger (Bucknell) Minnesota Brandon Eggum (Minnesota) Damion Hahn (South Dakota State) Roger Kish (North Dakota State) Missouri Mark Cody (Presbyterian) Jeremy Spates (SIU Edwardsville) Nebraska Todd Beckerman (Brown) North Carolina JohnMark Bentley (Appalachian State) Rob Koll (Stanford) Northern Iowa Joel Greenlee (Ohio) Ohio State John Clark (Sacred Heart) Oklahoma Matt Storniolo (Northwestern) Oklahoma State Mark Branch (Wyoming) Neil Erisman (Little Rock) Glen Lanham (Duke) Chris Pendleton (Oregon State) Pat Popolizio (NC State) Coleman Scott (North Carolina) John Smith (Oklahoma State) Kevin Ward (Army West Point) Penn Roger Reina (Penn) Penn State Tim Flynn (West Virginia) Josh Moore (Cleveland State) Scott Moore (Lock Haven) Pittsburgh Keith Gavin (Pittsburgh) Pat Santoro (Lehigh) Rider John Hangey (Rider) The Citadel Tom Borrelli (Central Michigan) Utah State Greg Williams (Utah Valley) Virginia Steve Garland (Virginia) Wisconsin Kyle Ruschell (Chattanooga) Zach Tanelli (Columbia) Non DI Schools Ashland Marcus Gordon (Bloomsburg) CW Post - Now Long Island Joe Patrovich (Long Island) Findlay Ryan Ludwig (Northern Illinois) Lycoming Andy Lausier (Davidson) Nebraska-Omaha Mark Manning (Nebraska) Upper Iowa Sam Barber (Air Force)

BJ Futrell at the 2017 US Open (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The University of Pennsylvania announced their new Assistant Coach today, one who is familiar with the program and its' principles - BJ Futrell, a former PRTC athlete and incredible asset to the Philadelphia wrestling community. Futrell was most recently the Director of Mentoring for Beat the Streets Philadelphia where he worked very closely with Penn Wrestling, Drexel Wrestling, and the Pennsylvania Regional Training Center to deliver mentoring and academic enrichment to BTSP Student-athletes. Thus Futrell will prove to be a tremendous asset to Penn's program both on and off the mat. Futrell returns to coaching after serving as an Assistant Coach at the United States Naval Academy during the 2019-2020 season. Under his leadership, Navy qualified five wrestlers for the NCAA Tournament and crowned two EIWA champions. Additionally, Navy had three wrestlers become NWCA Scholar All-Americans. Collegiately, Futrell was a 2x All-American for the University of Illinois. He was a 3x Academic All-Big Ten selection, and achieved NWCA Scholar All-American status twice. Futrell earned a Bachelor of Science degree in kinesiology in 2012, and earned a Masters of Education in Education Policy, Organization & Leadership in 2013. As a member of the Pennsylvania Regional Training Center from 2016-2019, Futrell was an essential member of the Philadelphia wrestling eco-system as he participated as a mentor for the BTS program, offered team clinics and spoke at various FCA events. Futrell was the first PRTC athlete to become a member of the U.S. National Team, which he accomplished in 2017. Throughout his career, Futrell placed at over 20 different Senior-level events and won titles at the Dave Schultz Memorial International, the Bill Farrell International and the Ion Corneanu & Ladislau Simon Memorial. Despite facing various injuries over the course of his athletic career, BJ's positive attitude, faith and solid understanding of discipline and hard work, continues to propel his career forward. “Beat the Streets Philadelphia is an amazing organization and I am super proud of the impactful work we were able to accomplish for our students during this extremely challenging academic year. BTS is positively altering life's trajectory for students in under invested communities and I'm glad that in my new position at Penn, I will be able to strengthen the partnership between BTS and the University. At this time I feel a calling on my life to go back into coaching. The opportunity to learn from a Hall of Fame Coach like Coach Reina, who is CEO-minded and also understands the importance of community, I had to take it. The University of Pennsylvania athletic department as a whole, and the wrestling team, has a set of core values that I truly believe in. The University of Pennsylvania is a world class institution, and I am passionate about the holistic development of these students athletes; I am excited to not only help them become better wrestlers, but better men.” Futrell was welcomed into the infamous wrestling room earlier this week by UPenn's team, “BJ brings tremendous talent, and a broad experience set both nationally and internationally to Penn Wrestling at exactly the right time in our national climb,” said Reina. “Moreover, he embodies our program's core values of Character First, Aiming Big, and Community Matters.” The energy and experience Futrell has to offer, will prove to be valuable as UPenn once again takes the mat and enters the competitive scene after taking a season off due to Covid restrictions.

Four-time World bronze medalist Ali Shabanov of Belarus (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) As of today, we under 50 days from the start of wrestling at the Olympic Games. Over the next 50 days, we'll bring you one profile per day of a decorated international contender. Make sure you get to know the wrestlers that Team USA will compete against in Tokyo. 7/7/21 - Gadzhimurad Rashidov (Russia) 7/6/21 - Suleyman Karadeniz (Turkey) 7/5/21 - Frank Chamizo (Italy) 7/3/21 - Yui Susaki (Japan) 7/1/21 - Amir Zare (Iran) 6/28/21 - Zavur Uguev (Russia) 6/27/21 - Zhan Beleniuk (Ukraine) 6/26/21 - Sergey Kozyrev (Russia) 6/24/21 - Kenchiro Fumita (Japan) 6/23/21 - Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov (Belarus) 6/22/21 - Erica Wiebe (Canada) 6/21/21 - Myles Amine (San Marino) 6/20/21 - Sofia Mattsson (Sweden) 6/19/21 - Hassan Yazdani Charati (Iran) 6/18/21 - Tamas Lorincz (Hungary) 6/17/21 - Takuro Otoguro (Japan) 6/16/21 - Elizbar Odikadze (Georgia) 6/15/21 - Koumba Larroque (France) 6/14/21 - Haji Aliyev (Azerbaijan) 6/13/21 - Ningning Rong (China) 6/12/21 - Bajrang Punia (India) 6/11/21 - Frank Staebler (Germany) 6/10/21 - Geno Petriashvili (Georgia) One of the premier contenders at 74 KG from 2013-2017, #19 Ali Shabanov of Belarus, put together an exceptional run at the weight that saw him win three world bronze medals and establish himself as one of the best wrestlers in the world at any weight. Shabanov, who was known as one of the bigger 74's, made the move up to 79 KG in 2018, where he'd win his fourth world bronze medal. In 2019, he jumped up to his fifth weight class after competing at 66, 70, 74, and 79 from 2012-2018. Shabanov reached elite contender status at 86 KG with strong finishes at the European Championships and European Games. A shocking upset at the world championships to #12 Myles Amine (SMR) meant the Belarusian stalwart would have to compete at the European and world qualifiers to compete in Tokyo. Now coming off gold at the European qualifier and bronze at the European championships, we're going to take a look at four-time world bronze medalist #19 Ali Shabanov of Belarus in today's Olympic profile. The Stats #19 Ali Shabanov (BLR)- Four-time world bronze medalist ('13,'14,'17,'18), 2019 86 KG European championships bronze medalist, 2019 86 KG European Games runner-up, 2019 Dan Kolov runner-up 2016 74 KG Henri Deglane Grand Prix champion, 2013 74 KG Ali Aliyev runner-up, 2021 86 KG European Olympic Games qualifier champion, 2021 86 KG European championships bronze medalist. Key Wins: #2 Hassan Yazdani Charati (2016 74 KG Henri Deglane finals), Ezzatollah Akbari (2018 79 KG world bronze medal match), #12 Myles Amine (2019 86 KG European championships), Bekzod Abdurakhmanov (2017 74 KG world bronze medal match), #13 (74) Soner Demirtas (2013 74 KG world championships, 2014 Ali Aliyev finals), #13 Sosuke Takatani (2013 74 KG world championships, 2017 74 KG world championships), Akhmed Dudarov (2019 86 KG European Games), Fatih Erdin (2019 86 KG European Games), Ramazan Sahin ( 2011 66 KG world championships, 2012 66 KG Olympic Games), Purevjav Unurbat (2015 74 KG world cup) Key Losses: Jabrayil Hasanov (2012 66 KG Olympics, 2018 79 KG world championships, 2015 74 KG world cup), #13 (74) Soner Demirtas (2015 74 KG world cup), #2 (74) Kyle Dake (2013 Baku GGP), #8 (74) Jordan Burroughs (2013 74 KG world championships, 2015 74 KG Medved, 2017 74 KG world championships), #2 Hassan Yazdani Charati (2019 86 KG Dan Kolov finals), #12 Myles Amine (2019 86 KG world championships), #9 Vladislav Valiev (2019 86 KG European championships), #4 Dauren Kurugliev (2019 86 KG European Games finals), #14 (74) Khetag Tsabolov (2014 70 KG world championships). 2011-2013 Ali Shabanov's career began at 66 KG in 2011 and started off with a huge title at the Medved over 2007 European champion Albert Batyrov (BLR). Shabanov, having previously competed for Russia as he originally hailed from Dagestan, had put his name on the map in just his first competition with Belarus. Off his victory over Batyrov at the Medved, Shabanov was selected as the representative for the European Championships. Making it to the semifinals, Shabanov dropped a 3-0 match across two periods to Leonid Bazan of Bulgaria. Falling to the bronze medal match, Shabanov would lose 3-0 to Yarygin champion Adam Batirov of Russia and take fifth. A seventh-place finish at the Ali Aliev slowed down the earlier momentum Shabanov had built in the year, but going into the world championships, Shabanov was still seen as a potential dark horse contender. Shabanov delivered on his promise early in the tournament, upsetting two-time World/Olympic champion Ramazan Sahin (TUR) in the Round of 32 and would meet 2009 world champion Mehdi Teghavi (IRI) in the Round of 16. A 1-0, 1-1 loss for Shabanov would put an early end to his world championships run, but it was clear that Shabanov would be a contender for years to come. Still having to qualify for the London Olympics, Shabanov began his 2012 winning the European qualifier over European bronze medalist Devid Safaryan (ARM). As a warmup for the Olympics, Shabanov competed all the way up at 66 KG at the Grand Prix of Spain, where he'd take 10th. Now came the big day and Shabanov was ready. An opening-round win over American standout Jared Frayer (USA) put Shabanov in the quarterfinals opposite two-time World bronze medalist, 2011 European champion Jabrayil Hasanov (AZE). Shabanov would win the first period 2-2 over Hasanov, Hasanov reclaiming the second period 1-1 and in the ultimate period, it would be the Azerbaijani who pulled away with the 2-0 score and the match win. Hasanov's loss to eventual champion Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu (JPN) in the semifinals meant Shabanov's Olympic run would be ended early, as would his time spent at 66 KG. Shabanov, making the official move up to 74 KG, competed at the Moscow Lights tournament to end the year where competing in team action, Belarus finished in 6th. Shabanov's first full season at 74 KG began in 2013, with his first competition of the year being at the Ivan Yarygin Memorial. An opening-round win against 2011 Russian Nationals bronze medalist Ramazan Shamsudinov (RUS) put Shabanov opposite Saba Khubezhty (RUS), who'd net a 7-4 win over the Belarusian. With Khubezhty's run to the finals, Shabanov was pulled back into repechage where he beat the likes of two time Russian Nationals runner-up #4 (79) Atsamaz Sanakoev (RUS) and Isa Daudov (RUS) to make the bronze medal match opposite 2009 66 KG world silver medalist Rasul Dzhukaev (RUS). Dzhukaev would prove to be too much for Shabanov and he would be relegated to a fifth-place finish after a 5-0 loss. Shabanov's competition would be at the World Cup, where he'd put together wins over world medalist Nurlan Bekzhanov (KAZ) and Ashraf Aliyev (AZE) but fall to #18 (74) Kakhaber Khubezhty (RUS) and #8 (74) Jordan Burroughs (USA). After a decent showing at the World Cup, Shabanov was expected to contend for hardware at the European Championships, but a second-round upset loss to Giya Chykhlandze (UKR) cut his run short. Shabanov's losses at the World Cup and European championships would be a thing of the past as he put together an exceptional run to make the finals of the Ali Aliyev, beating the likes of 3x Russian Nationals medalist Kamal Malikov (RUS), 2018 79 KG world bronze medalist #6 Akhmed Gadzhimagomedov (RUS) and 2004 Olympian Kryzstain Brzozowski (POL). Even with his runs over Russian standouts and Olympian Brzozwski, Shabanov would still be stopped in his tracks in the final match, losing 2-2 on criteria to #13 (74) Soner Demirtas (TUR) and taking silver. Having proven himself at the Ali Aliyev, Shabanov entered the 2013 World Championships a real medal contender. Revenge against #13 (74) Soner Demirtas (TUR) for Shabanov would come by way of a 6-2 win in the Round of 16 and Grigor Grigoryan (ARM) would be decimated by Shabanov in the quarters by tech fall. Facing off against the reigning two-time World/Olympic champion #8 Jordan Burroughs (USA), Shabanov was out gunned offensively, but was extra physical with the American, but as game as he was, the offense of Burroughs won through and cautioned Shabanov out of the match while up 7-1. In the bronze medal match, Shabanov faced off with surprise contender Narsingh Yadav of India, who'd upset Hasanov and Kakhaber Khubezhty (RUS) earlier in the tournament. A potent upper body specialist, Yadav was seen as a capable threat, but Shabanov not only matched his strength in ties but bullied him around, face planting the Indian powerhouse around the mat for a 6-1 win and his first world bronze medal. To conclude his year, Shabanov competed at the Golden Grand Prix in Baku, Azerbaijan. In his opening round match, Shabanov drew 4x NCAA champion #2 (74) Kyle Dake (USA), who was fresh off a runner-up finish at the US World Team Trials to Jordan Burroughs. Dake proved himself capable of going with the best in Burroughs but had yet to get a marquee international win and Shabanov would be his shot. The American standout would defeat Shabanov and 3x World champion Denis Tsargush (RUS) on his way to a 5th place finish at the Golden Grand Prix. 2014-2017 2014 for Shabanov began with his second Medved title, winning over 2013 Ali Aliyev champion #13 (74) Soner Demirtas (TUR). Shabanov's performance at the European Championships would see him make the semifinals opposite returning champion, two-time Russian Nationals medalist Aniuar Geduev (RUS). Leading Geduev early in the match, the Kabardian standout would retaliate against Shabanov with a huge double leg and win 7-4. Now in the bronze medal match, Shabanov lost a controversial 4-4 bout on criteria to Kryzstian Brzozowski (POL) and took fifth. Making the surprising cut down to the new Non-Olympic weight class of 70 KG, Shabanov tech falled his way into the quarterfinals, where he met Nick Marable (USA), who'd upset Burroughs at the Yasar Dogu earlier in the year. Shabanov was able to fight by the powerful Marable for a 5-2 win and a semifinals berth opposite #14 (74) Khetag Tsabolov (SRB). Tsabolov, a 5x Russian Nationals finalist now competing for Serbia, was on another level than Shabanov and teched him 11-0 to make the world finals. Shabanov would face Cleopas Ncube of Canada in the bronze medal match and put on an offensive masterclass, chaining his chest wrap go behinds and low singles to a dominating 13-1 win and his second back to back world bronze medal. 2015 began with a surprising jump up in weight for Shabanov, competing all the way up at 86 KG for the Yarygin where, after beating 2014 Asian Games bronze medalist Adilet Davlumbaev (KAZ), he forfeited to #4 Dauren Kurugliev (RUS) and placed eighth. Making the cut back down to his more natural weight of 74 KG, Shabanov made the semifinals of the Medved off a 5-1 win over two-time world bronze medalist Hasanov. Getting his chance of redemption against Burroughs, Shabanov would push the American standout to his limit in an 8-6 loss. Falling behind 1-0 after the first, Shabanov rallied back to beat #6 (79) Khalil Aminov (RUS) for bronze. After his run at the Medved that saw him push Burroughs to the limit and unseat beat out Jabrayil Hasanov, expectations were high for Shabanov going into the World Cup. But the World Cup would not be kind to the Belarusian standout as he had a 1-3 record with losses to Hasanov, Soner Demirtas, Morteza Rezaei Ghiasi (IRI) to a sole win over Purevjav Unurbat (MGL). The European Games began for Shabanov with an opening-round match against two-time European champion Aniuar Geduev of Russia. Geduev left Shabanov scoreless in a 6-0 loss for the Belarusian and when Geduev made his third straight European championships/Games finals, Shabanov was pulled into repechage. Breezing past an overmatched Giorgis Savvoulidis (GRE) in the first round, Shabanov would come away with a 6-5 victory in a highly physical match against 2014 Junior world champion Zelimkhan Khadjiev (FRA). Returning world fifth-place finisher, Jumber Kvelashvili (GEO) would be all that stood between Shabanov and his first European medal, but the Georgian would be superior to Shabanov on the day and win 6-5. After back-to-back world bronze medals to start the quad, Shabanov failed to place at the 2015 World Championships bowing out after a 2-1 loss to 2013 world bronze medalist Rashid Kurbanov (UZB). After arguably the worst year of his career, Shabanov rallied back in a major way to start his 2016 with a huge title at the Grand Prix of Paris in a 6-6 barn burner against future 3x World/Olympic champion #2 Hassan Yazdani Charati of Iran. Competing with the momentum of his Grand Prix of Paris title, Shabanov was seen as a favorite to win his third Medved title but a shocking opening round upset to #9 (79) Arsalan Budazhapov (KGZ) put Shabanov out of the competition early. Tragedy would strike at the European championships when against 2013 European bronze medalist Gia Chykhlandze (UKR), Shabanov would tear his ACL and be forced out of competition for the rest of 2016 until May 2017. Coming off a long injury lay off going back to his match against Chykhlandze from the 2016 European championships, Shabanov began his 2017 campaign in May at the European Championships with a win over Aleksey Scherbak (UKR), before losing his next match to Yarygin champion #6 Akhmed Gadzhimagomedov (RUS) and being eliminated from competition. Shabanov would return to compete at the Ziolkowski, winning the title in impressive fashion with wins over 2017 U-23 European champion #7 Avtandil Kentchadze (GEO) and Zhiger Zakirov (KAZ) before entering the world championships. With the memory of his 2015 failure still fresh in his mind, Shabanov entered the world championships wrestling the best he ever had. Taking a 5-0 lead at the end of the first against Burroughs in their opening round match, Shabanov would fail to stop the furious comeback of Burroughs and would fall 7-5. Put into repechage, Shabanov would start his campaign for his third world bronze medal with a 6-1 win over 2014 world runner-up #13 Sosuke Takatani (JPN) before moving on to face the surging Zelimkhan Khadjiev (FRA). Shabanov took no mercy on the explosive Khadjiev and blew through him in a 10-0 tech fall win to make the bronze medal match. Bekzod Abdurakhmanov (UZB) had stunned the wrestling world the year before at the 2016 Olympics with an 11-1 tech fall win over the returning Olympic champion Burroughs and was seen as one of the serious contenders at 74 KG for the 2016-2020 quad. A 31-0 scoring difference between Abdurakhmanov and his opponents made it clear that the hype was real and going into the semifinals, it was a very real possibility Abdurakhmanov could upset Burroughs again and eliminate Shabanov from the competition. But Burroughs, as he had shown throughout the whole world championships, had ice running through his veins and was able to pull away for a 6-5 win against the dangerous Abdurakhmanov to make the world finals. Now off the back of his 6-5 semifinal loss to Burroughs, Abdurakhmanov was faced with the surging Shabanov in a battle of 2014 70 KG world bronze medalists. Close throughout the bout, a crucial flurry that put the freakish athleticism of Shabanov on full display allowed for the Belarusian to get a bodylock on Abdurakhmanov and throw him for four and pull away with the match for the 8-4 win and his third world bronze medal. In winning his bronze, Shabanov had proven himself to be not only one of the best at 74 KG but one of the best in the world at any weight. Shabanov would conclude his 2017 with a final competition in November up at 86 KG, where he took bronze at the Kunaev after a loss to 2015 86 KG world bronze medalist #18 Sandro Aminashvili (GEO). 2018-2021 After the high of the 2017 world championships, Shabanov would debut at his fifth weight class of his career at the 2018 79 KG Takhti Cup in February. Having proven himself in the toughest bracket at the toughest weight in the world at 74 KG at the end of 2017, Shabanov was expected to be a front runner for world gold at his new weight class of 79 KG. The momentum of Shabanov as a title contender at 79 KG hit a speed bump in the form of a loss to Murad Suleymanov (AZE) and Shabanov would be eliminated after Suleymanov's shocking loss to eventual runner-up Mihail Nagy (HUN). The European Championships would come around for Shabanov in May, and opening with a shutout victory against 2015 74 KG European Games bronze medalist Jumber Kvelashvili (GEO) pitted Shabanov against Takhti Cup runner-up Mihail Nagy (HUN). Opposing the powerful underhooks, low singles, and chest wrap of the Belarusian standout, Nagy was able to notch his second big upset of the year and defeat Shabanov to make the semifinals, where he'd fall to Martin Obst (GER). Shabanov would injury default out of the Medved in September and go to the world championships with a lot of question marks surrounding his health and repeat his exceptional performance from 2017. Outscoring Santiago Martinez (COL) and Dovletmurat Orazgylygov (TKM) 18-0 to make the quarterfinals, Shabanov would meet against old foe 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Hasanov. Close throughout, a critical tactical mistake from Shabanov on a chest wrap would cost him a four-point double leg against Hasanov and the match by a 6-2 score. With Hasanov beating 2013 74 KG world runner-up Ezzatollah Akbari (IRI) 3-3 in the semis, Shabanov was given a chance at repechage that he'd make the most of. A surprisingly tough match against Ethan Ramos of Puerto Rico was a 16-12 win for the Belarusian and late match heroics would be needed again as after going to a substantial early lead, Shabanov would hang on by the skin of his teeth for an 8-8 win on criteria over Ezzatollah Akbari (IRI) and his fourth world bronze medal. 2019 would begin Shabanov's full-time move up to 86 KG to qualify Belarus at the weight for the Olympics. Shabanov's year started with the Indian Pro League, where he made the finals competing for the Haryana Hammers and avenged an early-season loss to two-time World/Olympic bronze medalist Dato Marsagishvili (GEO) with a 3-2 victory. Shabanov would make the finals of the Dan Kolov against now 2x World/Olympic champion #2 Hassan Yazdani Charati (IRI) in a rematch of their 2016 Grand Prix of Paris finals match. Yazdani and Shabanov put on the front runner for match of the year and the early counters and reversals kept him alive 8-2 at the end of the first, but the continuing punishing hand fighting and leg attacks of Yazdani broke Shabanov on his way to a 16-5 tech fall loss that showed Yazdani had jumped levels in a major way. Shabanov's next competition would be at the European Championships, where he'd go head to head with 2017 world bronze medalist #9 Vladislav Valiev (RUS) in the opening round. Valiev's power stunned Shabanov and his powerful underhook takedowns shut down any of the counters of the Belarusian, with Valiev handing him a lopsided 11-0 tech fall loss. Pulled into repechage, Shabanov got past Giorgis Savvoulidis (GRE) 4-0, #12 Myles Amine (SMR) 6-2 and would avenge his 2018 loss to 2018 U-23 world bronze medalist in an impressive 11-2 victory. Shabanov's run at the European Games was what would really cement him as a contender at 86 KG as he took out Akhmed Dudarov (GER) and upset returning world runner-up Fatih Erdin (TUR) with a clutch underhook throwby in the last three seconds of the match to make the finals opposite #4 Dauren Kurugliev (RUS). In the continued tradition of Shabanov facing the most physical 86's that Russia and Iran could offer, Kurugliev would scrape by Shabanov for a 3-2 victory and his second European title. Now, as a serious medal contender, Shabanov began his world championships against European Games bronze medalist Amine. What was supposed to be a tough, but winnable opening-round match for Shabanov would be a commanding 5-1 win for Amine. Amine would finish fifth at the world championships after mounting consecutive upset wins over Yurieski Torreblanca (CUB), #13 Sosuke Takatani (JPN), and European Games bronze medalist Dudarov against losses to #2 Hassan Yazdani Charati (IRI) and #3 Artur Naifonov (RUS). With Shabanov eliminated from the competition, he would have to claw and fight his way to qualify Belarus for the Olympics, but his shot at the Olympics would have to wait. Shabanov would not compete for the entirety of the abbreviated 2020 season and would make his return to competition this year in March at the European Olympic qualifier. Shabanov qualified for his second Olympic Games with wins over 2020 Individual World Cup medalists Piotr Ianulov (MDA) and Osman Gocen (TUR). Reestablishing his spot in the top 10 of 86 KG, Shabanov was considered a front runner for gold at the European championships. But a late high crotch in the semifinals for 2015 world bronze medalist #18 Sandro Aminashvili (GEO) would stop Shabanov from making the finals from a 3-2 loss and relegate him to bronze that he'd take over Henri Deglane Grand Prix runner-up Sebastian Jezierzanski of Poland 4-2. As one of the most consistent performers at the World Championships through the 2012-2016 and 2016-2020 quads, #18 Ali Shabanov (BLR) has cemented himself as a man you can never count out. Combining incredible technique with ridiculous technique and absurd strength from his underhooks, Shabanov is very much the unwanted draw in Tokyo. If he is firing on all cylinders, he could very well make a medal run.

(Photo/Bellarmine Athletics) On Wednesday, Bellarmine announced that they hired Ned Shuck as their next head coach. After the official announcement, we put together an article that documented some of Shuck's history prior to his hiring. Today we're focusing on the job that Shuck will inherit rather than his background. Bellarmine is a school that most probably don't know about as it is new on the DI landscape. Spencer Adams was the Knights previous head coach and stepped down in late May after leading the program since 2016. Prior to that, he was the leader of the St. Catherine program, and we'll explain later how he moved from St. Catherine to Bellarmine. Along with Adams, the rest of the coaching staff will not return. To explain the Bellarmine job, we'll focus on a handful of factors that will impact the school. This is an exercise we did prior to the hirings at Illinois and Stanford, earlier this offseason. The Conference Just over a year ago, on July 1st, 2020, Bellarmine's athletic department formally began a transformation from Division II to Division I status. Most sports will compete in the Atlantic Sun Conference, but since they do not sponsor wrestling, Bellarmine has joined the Southern Conference (SoCon). The SoCon has traditionally received the least amount of national qualifiers and, in turn, has produced the lowest number of All-Americans over the last decade. Since 2012, only nine SoCon wrestlers have gotten onto the NCAA podium. That doesn't include four wrestlers that garnered first or second-team All-American honors when the 2020 national tournament was canceled. Despite a so-so history, the conference could be on the upswing. Campbell received a shot in the arm when Cary Kolat transformed the team from an afterthought, nationally, to one regularly among the top-25. Despite Kolat's departure, top assistant Scotti Sentes has taken over the Camels and continued to recruit well and produce on the mat in 2021. Campbell logged their third-straight SoCon regular season and tournament title and sent seven wrestlers to St. Louis. Campbell had one wrestler advance to the 2021 NCAA Round of 12 and another earn a top-15 seed. Appalachian State continues to improve and has been excellent at developing under-the-radar recruits. 149 lber Jonathan Millner was the conference's lone AA in 2021. Chattanooga has long been a traditional force in the SoCon. Under fourth-year head coach Kyle Ruschell, the Moc program should continue to gain steam. New head coaches are a theme for the bulk of the conference. Davidson, Presybetrian, The Citadel, and VMI all have leaders that have been at the helm for less than five years. This is important because most have new blood on staff that has reinvigorated their respective squads. Initially, Bellarmine could have difficulties getting wrestlers through to nationals, like the rest of the league. But, the SoCon is improving and could see its automatic qualifier number rise in the future. The School After the transition, Bellarmine became the only private DI institution located in Kentucky. It is also a Catholic institution. Located in Louisville, Bellarmine has approximately 4,000 students, with about 2600 being undergraduates. Academically, the school is best known for its nursing program and majors within the healthcare industry. Bellarmine's tuition is over 40k per year, which is steep; however, they have very generous financial aid packages. Average financial aid is over 30k per student and almost all of their student body received some sort of assistance. The campus is located close to downtown Louisville, in the city's Belknap area. So while Bellarmine may be more of an urban campus, compared to most schools that offer DI wrestling, it's not totally in the midst of a big city. Those factors could be attractive to some recruits, while a turnoff for others. The Roster The Knights roster carried almost 30 wrestlers during the 2021 season. Oftentimes, during coaching changes, a bit of attrition is expected. This will undoubtedly be the case with Bellarmine. The athletic department announced in 2019 the move to DI status, so there are plenty of wrestlers on the roster that signed with the expectation to compete on the DII level. Though the school was not permitted to participate in postseason competition, due to the transition, Bellarmine wrestled a SoCon schedule in 2021. As one may expect, the bulk of their lineup took some lumps. 165 lber Eric Beck and 174 lber Devan Hendricks were the only Knight wrestlers to finish with a .500 record or better. Beck was 6-4, while Hendricks was 7-3. Digging deeper into the results, all three of Hendricks' losses came to eventual NCAA qualifiers. Beck was able to produce a win over Bilal Bailey, who was a notable recruit for Campbell in the Class of 2020. No offense, but Shuck will need to upgrade the roster for the Knights to be more competitive against DI foes. The Facilities Bellarmine's facilities are in the midst of an upgrade, which is common as schools undergo a transition to DI status. Below you will see a picture of their current wrestling room. (Photo/Bellarmine Athletics) You may be able to tell it was converted from a church. It has locker rooms, as well and will continue to improve. The Salary The actual salary for the position is unknown. But from what we've been able to obtain, it will not stack up with Power Five schools. Because of that, you didn't hear the usual suspects that are assistants in the Big Ten associated with rumors surrounding this position. Even so, Bellarmine was able to hire a high-quality candidate in Shuck. The entire coaching staff from 2020-21 has left, so two assistants and a graduate assistant will need to be hired. Again, salaries are unclear for these positions, too. Expect to see some young, hungry recent graduates fill these roles. The Administration Before we get into the actual administration, the story of how Bellarmine's wrestling program even came to be is pretty unique. In 2016, St. Catharine College, located in Bardstown, approximately 45 mins away, shut down due to financial problems. Not the wrestling program, the entire school. Bellarmine absorbed the wrestling team. Members of the St. Catherine team were allowed to transfer in and Adams remained the head coach. Seeing that the school took on a wrestling program that they never started is a positive sign. They must have really wanted to add wrestling. Most schools wouldn't have batted an eyelash in a similar predicament. The entire department is led by Scott Wiegandt, a Bellarmine alum that has held the position since 2006. Since Wiegandt presided over the relocation of the wrestling team, he has to have some appreciation for the sport and its place at Bellarmine. Wiegandt is a baseball guy; he was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies and spent ten years playing professional baseball. At smaller institutions, having a football team can prove to be detrimental to the health of wrestling and other "non-revenue" sports. Dedicating so many scholarships to football, along with funding, can place the program on shaky footing (see: Eastern Michigan/Old Dominion). Bellarmine does not have a football team. On the other side of the coin, having a team gives a school promotion and level of prestige that is difficult to replicate otherwise. Now that isn't to say that football won't be at Bellarmine, sort of. In the fall of 2022, sprint football is coming. The team, which will not be sanctioned by the NCAA, has a 178 lb weight limit and will compete against a handful of other institutions in the Midwest Sprint Football League. InterMat plans to speak with coach Shuck in the coming days and weeks to obtain a possible plan for growth. The wrestling team is not fully funded, so we'll see if there are any plans or avenues in place to increase scholarships. The Recruiting Base Bellarmine is the only DI wrestling program in Kentucky. Being the only school does have plenty of advantages; however, Kentucky has not been traditionally a hotbed for DI talent. Since 2010, ten Kentucky natives have combined to qualify for the NCAA Tournament on 14 occasions. The last All-American from the state was Kyle Ruschell (now head coach at Chattanooga) in 2010. The 2021 national tournament saw two Kentucky natives compete in St. Louis (Saul Ervin - SIU Edwardsville and Ben Barton - Campbell). Wrestling in Kentucky does appear to be on a slight upswing. After Ruschell's graduation, only one Kentucky resident (Caleb Ervin - Illinois) made it to nationals between 2011-15. With two last year and in 2019, things are headed in the right direction. Wrestling, as a whole, is improving in the south, led by Georgia, Florida, and, to a lesser extent, Tennessee. Could Kentucky be next in line? Even as Kentucky grows, it will be a long time before Shuck can rely primarily on in-state talent. He'll have to look outside its border and most likely to the north in Ohio. His track record recruiting in Ohio and his history coaching at Heidelberg is well documented. Aside from Ohio, Louisville is located on the Indiana border and less than two hours from Indianapolis, so getting recruits from that vicinity should also be a priority. Looking even further away, Illinois, then St. Louis, are not that far, in the grand scheme of things. Once the rapidly improving talent from Tennessee gets college-ready, Bellarmine could get into some recruiting battles for kids that otherwise may have looked at staying in-state and wrestling for UTC.

2019 World Champion Gadzhimurad Rashidov (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) As of today, we under 50 days from the start of wrestling at the Olympic Games. Over the next 50 days, we'll bring you one profile per day of a decorated international contender. Make sure you get to know the wrestlers that Team USA will compete against in Tokyo. 7/7/21 - Suleyman Karadeniz (Turkey) 7/6/21 - Frank Chamizo (Italy) 7/3/21 - Yui Susaki (Japan) 7/1/21 - Amir Zare (Iran) 6/28/21 - Zavur Uguev (Russia) 6/27/21 - Zhan Beleniuk (Ukraine) 6/26/21 - Sergey Kozyrev (Russia) 6/24/21 - Kenchiro Fumita (Japan) 6/23/21 - Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov (Belarus) 6/22/21 - Erica Wiebe (Canada) 6/21/21 - Myles Amine (San Marino) 6/20/21 - Sofia Mattsson (Sweden) 6/19/21 - Hassan Yazdani Charati (Iran) 6/18/21 - Tamas Lorincz (Hungary) 6/17/21 - Takuro Otoguro (Japan) 6/16/21 - Elizbar Odikadze (Georgia) 6/15/21 - Koumba Larroque (France) 6/14/21 - Haji Aliyev (Azerbaijan) 6/13/21 - Ningning Rong (China) 6/12/21 - Bajrang Punia (India) 6/11/21 - Frank Staebler (Germany) 6/10/21 - Geno Petriashvili (Georgia) Twice a world runner-up at 61 KG, #1 Gadzhimurad Rashidov of Russia has jumped levels to an entirely new echelon of the elite from his move up to 65 KG. Three straight Russian National titles, a world championship and wins over #3 Zagir Shakhiev (RUS), #4 Ismail Musukaev (HUN), #5 Takuto Otoguro (JPN), #6 Haji Aliyev (AZE), #9 Abdulmazhid Kudiev (RUS) and #10 Murshid Mutalimov (RUS) has skyrocketed Rashidov to the number three spot in the pound for pound rankings. As the favorite to win gold in a loaded field in Tokyo, Rashidov truly has the makings of a defining generational talent. In today's Olympic profile, we will look at the rise of 2019 65 KG world champion #1 Gadzhimurad Rashidov of Russia. The Stats #1 Gadzhimurad Rashidov (RUS)- 2x Cadet world champion ('11 at 50 KG, '12 at 54 KG), 2015 61 KG Russian Nationals bronze medalist, 2x 61 KG world runner-up ('17 & '18), 2x European champ ('16 & '18), 2018 Yarygin champ, 2018 Ziolkowski champ, 4x Russian Nationals champion ('17, '19, '20, '21), 2019 65 KG world champion. Key Wins: #3 Zagir Shakhiev (2021 65 KG Russian Nationals finals), #4 Ismail Musukaev (2018 61 KG Yarygin finals, 2019 world champion), #5 Takuto Otoguro (2019 65 KG world championships), #6 Haji Aliyev (2019 65 KG world championships), #17 Nachyn Kuular (2019 Russian nationals finals), #13 Akhmed Chakaev (2017 61 KG Russian nationals semis, 2020 65 KG Russian Nationals finals ), #14 Daulet Niyazbekov (2019 65 KG world finals) Daichi Takatani (2019 world cup), Vladimir Khinchegashvili (2017 world quarters), Logan Stieber (2017 world's Round of 16), Alexander Bogomoev (2018 Yarygin), Magomedrasul Idrisov (2018 61 KG Ziolkowski) Key Losses: #13 Akhmed Chakaev (2017 & 2019 Yarygin), #6 Haji Aliev (2017 61 KG world finals), Yowlys Bonne Rodriguez (2018 61 KG world finals), Alexander Bogomoev ( 2015 61 KG Ivan Yarygin Memorial, 2015 61 KG Russian Nationals, 2016 57 KG Ivan Yarygin Memorial) 2011-2016 Gadzhimurad Rashidov's career would begin with back-to-back Cadet titles from 2011 and 2012 at 50 and 54 KG. In his 2011 final, Rashidov would face off against future 3x World/Olympic champion #2 (86) Hassan Yazdani Charati of Iran. Arguably the best upperweight hand fighter in the whole world, who terrorizes the most elite of 86 KG, Yazdani had yet to grow into his considerable frame and refine the skillset that would make him a legend in his own right. The more compact Rashidov tactfully countered the Iranian to dominate 6-2, and 5-0 scores across two periods for his first world gold. 2012 would be a far less credentialed field for Rashidov and he would win his second Cadet World title over Abhisek Mann of India. Rashidov's Senior-level debut would take place at the end of 2017, when at, only the age of 17, he won a bronze medal at the prestigious Ali Aliyev tournament behind Russian Nationals medalists Artem Gebek (RUS) and #4 Ismail Musukaev (HUN). Rashidov would not make his return to international competition until May 2014 up at 61 KG, again at the Ali Aliyev but was unable to replicate his early success from 2012 and failed to place after a loss to Rustam Abdurashidov (RUS). At 18 years old and going into his first Junior World Championships, Rashidov would begin one of his early defining rivalries, this time in the form of Iman Sadeghikoukandeh of Iran. Rashidov, already a proven Senior level commodity, could not match the Iranian who cemented himself in the place of countless highlight reels with a jaw-dropping backflip counter of a Rashidov single leg. Rebounding from his 7-3 semifinal loss to Sadeghikoukandeh, Rashidov took bronze by 10-0 tech fall over Ivan Bileichuk of Ukraine. Only 19 years old, Rashidov would compete for the first time at the legendary Ivan Yarygin Memorial. The unofficial Russian Nationals before Russian Nationals, the Yarygin fielded brackets so deep with Russian talent they boasted greater talent than the world and Olympic championships. In his inaugural showing, Rashidov made the quarterfinals against returning Russian Nationals champion Alexander Bogomoev. The king without a crown at 61 KG, Bogomoev had carved out an intimidating resume of domestic dominance at the time of their match and, as the favorite going into the 2014 World Championships, was upset by Yowlys Bonne Rodriguez of Cuba. While Rashidov was talented, Bogomoev was a star. 3-0 would be the margin of victory for the talented Buryat wrestler over Rashidov, but Rashidov was given a chance at repechage after Bogomoev won 8-2 over 2012 55 KG Olympic champion Dzhamal Otarsultanov (RUS). Showing himself to be right there with the best, Rashidov would ultimately fall 8-6 to Otarsultanov and finish fifth at his first Yarygin. A bronze medal at Senior Russian Nationals after another loss to Bogomoev would be Rashidov's penultimate competition before competing at his second Junior World Championships. Even showing himself capable of pushing consensus Senior level top talent the likes of Bogomoev and Otarsultanov, Rashidov was still unable to get by returning Junior World champion Iman Sadeghikoukandeh and would have to console himself with a bronze medal. 2016 began with a more mature Rashidov making the cut down to 57 KG for the Yarygin. Notching an impressive win over 2014 Russian Nationals bronze medalist #10 (70) Viktor Rassadin (RUS) on his path to the semis where he'd fall in his third time in as many times against two time Russian Nationals champion Alexander Bogomoev (RUS). Rashidov won bronze over Vladimir Flegontov (RUS). With his bronze medal at the Yarygin and with Bogomoev and Rustam Ampar not making the cut down, Rashidov was selected as the Russian representative for the European Championships. Wins over Georgi Vangelov (BUL) and Asadulla Lachinov (BLR) would pit Rashidov in the finals against 2014 Cadet World champion Andrey Yatsenko (UKR), who'd upset 2014 55 Kg Junior world champion Makhir Amiraslanov (AZE) and Andrei Dukov (ROU) to make the finals. Showing that he was too much for Yatsenko, Rashidov beat the Ukrainian standout 6-0 for the 57 KG European championships title. Coming off his European title, Rashidov was selected as Russia's 57 KG rep for the World Cup. Compiling a 1-2 record, Rashidov clashed horns with the elite of the elite at 57 KG, beating #2 Suleyman Atli (TUR) and losing to a pair of world champions in Hassan Rahimi (IRI) and Vladimir Khinchegashvili (GEO). Going into Russian Nationals as a Yarygin bronze medalist and European champion, Rashidov was expected to contend for the title but withdrew in the quarterfinals against #18 (61) Aldar Balzhinimaev (RUS) due to Dagestan protesting the Russian Nationals after the controversial quarterfinal between two-time world champion Viktor Lebedev (RUS) and returning national runner-up #4 Ismail Musukaev (HUN). Context is critical to understand the highly controversial 2016 Russian Nationals championships. In the 57 KG quarterfinals, two-time world champion Lebedev faced Musukaev in a rematch of the 2015 national finals won by Lebedev. Originally scored a controversial 4-3 win for Lebedev, upon review it was correctly scored 4-2 for Musukaev after mistakes were found with the officiating, but even then Lebedev was still allowed to compete in the semifinals and went on to win gold 1-1 over returning two-time 61 KG Russian Nationals champion Bogomoev. It should be noted that all of this controversy does have a solid base in home cooking as Lebedev was the face of Yakut wrestling and taking place in Yakutsk; there was a clear agenda to see their hometown hero get his spot at the Olympics. After the controversy to end 2016, Rashidov would have to make the move back up to a loaded 61 KG weight class filled with divisional veterans and Olympic standouts from 57 KG making their move back. Time would tell what lies ahead for Rashidov. 2017-2021 Back at the weight that saw him put his name on the map, Rashidov would be thrown into the fire right away in another loaded Yarygin field. In his opening round match, Rashidov faced the returning 57 KG Olympic runner-up #15 (57) Rei Higuchi (JPN), the uncrowned champion of the weight who had upset three past/future world champions in Rahimi , Kyong Il Yang (PRK) and Bonne Rodriguez before losing in a controversial final to returning world champion Khinchegashvili. Rashidov and Higuchi had past history that leaned in Rashidov's favor, a dominating tech fall win for the Russian from the 2015 Junior World championships where Rashidov took bronze. While not to the same degree, Rashidov was still able to show he was the better man against Rashidov and beat the Japanese standout 3-1 to move on in the bracket. 2015 133 LB NCAA champion Cody Brewer (USA) would be next for Rashidov and he blew past the American standout 12-1 to move onto the Round of 16 against returning Yarygin champion Nyurgun Skryabin (BLR). Skryabin would be a tighter 4-1 win for Rashidov, but a win nonetheless, that put him in the quarterfinals against 2013 World Champion Bekhan Goygereev (RUS). Goygereev, whose 2013 Russian National and world title run included wins over 5x World champion Besik Kudukhov (RUS) and 2x world medalist Masoud Esmaielpour (IRI), was supposed to be capable of stopping the freight train Rashidov, but he fell harder than those before him in an 8-0 loss. In the semifinals, Rashidov crushed Bulat Batoev to make the finals opposite, returning world bronze medalist #13 Akhmed Chakaev (RUS). In a tense showdown, it would be the length and power of Chakaev that would win him the day against Rashidov as he converted a low single to win the Yarygin gold 2-2. Off a runner-up finish at the Yarygin, a rejuvenated Rashidov made mincemeat of the U-23 European Championships beating Sedat Oezdemir (TUR) in the finals for gold. Those U-23 European Championships would serve as Rashidov's final warmup before a monster bracket at the Russian Nationals championships. Returning Russian Nationals bronze medalist Nyrugun Skryabin (BLR) would be Rashidov's first test in the Round of 16 that Rashidov would pass by a 3-0 score. A tactical Goygereev would hold Rashidov to a nail-biting 2-1 win in the quarterfinals to set up a rematch against #13 Akhmed Chakaev (RUS). Chakaev, who had missed weight but was still allowed to compete at 61 KG as Russian Nationals occurred concurrently with Ramadan, was the man to beat at 61 (even if he didn't make the weight) as he had a world bronze medal, Yarygin gold and European silver to his name. Rashidov, right from the get-go, showed no fear of Chakaev and prevented the bullying Chechen from establishing his underhooks and turned the tables on Chakaev, powering through the Chechen standout with an excellent underhook series for a high octane 11-8 win and a berth to the finals. Yarygin bronze medalist #10 (70) Viktor Rassadin (RUS) had looked the best he ever had, as the returning national runner-up had outscored the competition 45-6 on his way to the finals. Rassadin looked to be in control throughout the match and not to be denied gold, but Rashidov, as clutch as he had ever been, scored a last-second single leg to take the 3-3 win and Russian Nationals gold. Having had successfully run the gauntlet at Russian Nationals, Rashidov was now without a doubt on the shortlist of contenders to win world gold in Paris. But returning World/Olympic medalists Khinchegashvili, #6 Haji Aliyev (AZE), Logan Stieber (USA) and Bonne Rodriguez, plus the return of 3x European champion Cengizhan Erdogan (TUR), meant that Rashidov would have his work cut out for him if he was truly determined for gold. The unheralded Josef Molnar of Hungary would serve as a beginning for Rashidov's World Championships in the form of an 11-0 tech fall. Next would come the returning world champion Logan Stieber of the United States. Stieber had stunned the world in 2016, beating the likes of Chakaev (RUS), Vasyl Shuptar (UKR), Behnam Ehsanpour (IRI) and #3 (61) Beka Lomtadze (GEO) for gold and looked to be a serious title threat in Paris. Rashidov put out the Stieber fire with an 11-0 tech fall win that showed he was on another level than America's best. Having bested the returning world champion, Rashidov would get his chance at revenge against the returning Olympic champion in Khinchegashvili. Right from the get-go of their match, Rashidov was in total control, not allowing Khinchegashvili to get to his low single, knee pull single, or chest wrap that had won him Olympic Gold at 57 KG the year before. A slide-by for Khinchegashvili would transition him into a big side lift, but the refs controversially waved off the 4 point takedown, giving Khinchegashvili only a 2 point takedown and penalizing him for his failed challenge resulting in a 6-3 win for Rashidov. Cengizhan ErdoÄŸan (TUR), the wrestler formerly known as Opan Sat, had been a four-time Nationals runner-up and three-time European champion while competing for Russia and was seen as one of the serious dark horses upon his return to competition. Rashidov put any talk of Erdogan the contender to bed with an 8-2 win in the semifinals. The man opposite Rashidov would be returning two-time world champion #6 Haji Aliyev of Azerbaijan. While Rashidov had proven himself to be better than those before, Aliyev was a completely different animal and punished the composed Russian with counter-attacks on his way to a victory by pin while up 7-1 on the Russian standout. Having gotten so close to reaching the top of the mountain, Rashidov was pushed down and forced to start his climb again. With Stieber, Khinchegashvili, and Aliyev all moving up to 65 KG, Rashidov was now, without a doubt, the clear favorite to win world gold in 2018. Rashidov's year began as the year prior had with an exceptional run at the Yarygin, but this time would be finished with a title after avenging three past losses to Bogomoev and beating Musukaev for gold. Rashidov walked through the field at the Dan Kolov on his way to gold over 2015 61 KG world bronze medalist Vasyl Shuptar (UKR). Rashidov's second European title would be another showing with him as the cream of the crop, as he took apart 2016 world runner-up #3 (61) Beka Lomtadze (GEO) for gold. Rashidov was allowed to not compete at the Russian Nationals championships and would wrestle-off against the champion at a later tournament before the World Championships to decide who would go. That champion who would be Magomedrasul Idrisov (RUS), who'd upset the favorites Zelimkhan Abakarov (RUS) and Ismail Musukaev for gold. As fate would have it, Rashidov and Idrisov would meet in the first round of the tournament, with Rashidov walking away the victor over Idrisov on his way to Ziolkowski gold. Rashidov's World Championships would be defined by precise dominance with a 24-2 margin over his opponents going into the finals against returning world bronze medalist Bonne Rodriguez. Bonne had looked vulnerable the whole world championships and it was the wise choice that Rashidov would take apart the wily veteran and claim his title. But Bonne Rodriguez, who'd carved out a reputation for himself as a man who only needs one shot to win, made it count the most with an absolutely massive five-point fireman's carry in the first that would carry him to a 6-5 win over Rashidov and hand the Russian his second back to back world finals loss. After having spent the majority of his career at 61 KG, Rashidov made the move up to 65 KG, where he would begin his 2019. The year started as 2018 and 2017 had, with him competing at the prestigious Ivan Yarygin memorial. NCAA wrestling legend, 3x national champion Zain Retherford (USA) was Rashidov's first match and Rashidov was pushed to his very limit and snatching victory from the jaws of defeat took out the American 4-3 to move on. A lingering hand injury was bothering Rashidov the whole tournament and old rival Chakaev took advantage of it for a 3-2 win in the quarterfinals. A diminished Rashidov beat Cristian Solezal Lopez (CUB) 2-1 for bronze and looked to recover going into his next world competition. Healed from his hand injury at the Yarygin, Rashidov competed at the World Cup in Yakutsk, Russia, where he notched an impressive 10-0 win over 2018 Asian Games runner-up Daichi Takatani of Japan. Competing again at the Russian Nationals championships, Rashidov was eager for his second national title. On his path to the finals, Rashidov beat a pair of national runner-ups in Bekhan Goygereev (RUS) and #10 Murshid Mutalimov (RUS). In the finals, Rashidov handled returning bronze medalist #18 Nachyn Kuular (RUS) for gold. The World Championships in Nursultan would be incredibly deep as it was the final year of the quad and a top 6 finish at the world championships would guarantee a spot in the Olympics. #5 Takuto Otoguro (JPN), Aliyev, Alejandro Valdes Tobier (CUB), #12 Bajrang Punia (IND), #14 Daulet Niyazbekov (KAZ) and Khinchegashvili were the returning World/Olympic medalists and the addition of Musukaev and #2 Vazgen Tevanyan (ARM) meant that Rashidov would be pushed to his limit for gold. Right out of the gate, Rashidov had his most challenging match of the tournament, a rematch of his lopsided 2017 world 61 KG world finals loss to #6 Haji Aliyev (AZE). Aliyev and Rashidov went to war, but it was a controversial score on the edge that would be ruled in Rashidov's favor that gave him revenge over Aliyev in a 4-2 win. Amr Reda Hussen (EGY) was a surprisingly close 5-3 win for Rashidov and rumors of a lingering rib injury began to pop up after his lackluster performance in the match. Returning world champion #5 Takuto Otoguro (JPN) was the man of anyone in the field to beat Rashidov next to Aliyev, but he was thoroughly dismantled by the Russian in an 8-1 loss. Having already beaten two past world champs to make the quarters, Rashidov made light work of Haji Ali (BRN) in a 9-0 quarterfinals win. In the semis would be a blast from the past, Musukaev had outscored his competition 43-7 that included a win over 2x World/Olympic champion Khinchegashvili to make the semis. As he had done in 2018 down at 61 KG, Rashidov would play the matador to Musukaev's bull and take away a 3-2 victory and his third world finals appearance. Three-time Asian champion #14 Daulet Niyazbekov (KAZ) had then top-ranked #13 Bajrang Punia (IND) 9-9 in a highly controversial semifinal win, but Rashidov gave the Kazakh no chance for victory as he thrashed him 11-0 for world gold. The top of the mountain, having beaten the best, Rashidov had done it and the king had been crowned. Rashidov's final title over the year at the World Military Games was a lay-up against Vasyl Shuptar (UKR) and the future looked bright for the king of 65 KG. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Rashidov would only compete twice in an abbreviated 2020 season. First at the Russian Nationals, where he looked fantastic in beating the likes of Alan Gogaev (RUS), #10 Murshid Mutalimov (RUS) and Chakaev and look every part of the man destined for Olympic gold and then a stunning injury loss at the Individual World Cup to #6 Haji Aliyev (AZE) would end Rashidov's year in heartbreak. 2021 has seen the return of a healthy and refocused Rashidov who's path to his fourth Russian Nationals title was punctuated by impressive victories over the likes of #3 Zagir Shakhiev (RUS), #9 Abdulmazhid Kudiev (RUS), #10 Murshid Mutalimov (RUS) and two-time 61 KG Russian Nationals runner-up Ramazan Ferzaliev (RUS). A title up at 70 KG at the City of Sassari tournament against 2016 70 KG Russian Nationals bronze medalist Ildous Giniyatullin (RUS) puts Rashidov as the clear favorite in a loaded field in Tokyo for gold. Rashidov, twice denied gold, will now be in a position to cement himself as one of the generation's lightweight best with a second consecutive title in Tokyo. I, for one, believe the Russian's chances are fantastic and look forward to his performance.

Ned Shuck at the 2021 EIWA Championships (Photo/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Today, Bellarmine University announced that Ned Shuck would be the school's next head coach. Shuck has spent the last three years at Army West Point and was most recently their associate head coach. During his time at West Point, Shuck has earned the reputation of being a stalwart on the recruiting trail and has been a critical component of a staff that has seen a recent uptick in recruiting. The Black Knights Class of 2021 was ranked 24th in the country and featured nine of the nation's top 300 seniors. On the mat, Shuck assisted with an Army squad that has sent seven wrestlers to the national tournament in each of the last three years. The team produced a pair of EIWA champions (PJ Ogunsanya - 149 and Ben Pasiuk - 174) in 2021 and six conference finalists during that same span. In dual action, Army went 20-9 with Shuck on staff. The Black Knights have gone on to take third place in the EIWA in each of the last two seasons. This won't be Shuck's first head coaching position, as he led a pair of DIII programs before moving on to West Point. Shuck spent three years at the helm at Heidelberg University in Ohio, then was at Wisconsin-Whitewater for four seasons. At Wisconsin-Whitewater, Shuck coached two-time national champion Jordan Newman, along with a total of 11 All-Americans. Shuck has obviously established a recruiting network in Ohio during his time at Heidelberg, as Army has done well at recruiting in the state. That could be extremely useful at Bellarmine, given the proximity of the school (Louisville) to the Ohio border (approximately 250 miles). The Minnesota native, Shuck, wrestled collegiately at the University of Iowa from 2000-05. Bellarmine is an athletic department that is in the process of transitioning from DII to DI status. That means the school will not be eligible for postseason competition until the 2024-25 season. The team competed in the SoCon for the first time during the 2021 season. Under previous head coach, Spencer Adams, the Knights went 1-9 with their lone win coming over Presbyterian, 32-18.

From left, Sage Mortimer, Jordan Williams, Robert Perez III (Photo/John Sachs; Tech-Fall.com) We are just over a week from the Junior and 16U National Championships, otherwise simply known as "Fargo". Before we get into any previews for the 2021 action, take a look at the 16U national champions from the last ten tournaments. Of course, there was no tournament in 2020. Junior Champions Men's 16U Freestyle Women's 16U Freestyle Men's 16U Greco-Roman