InterMat Staff

Sofia Mattsson at the 2016 Olympics (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. 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 mainstays of the Senior Women's freestyle scene over the past three decades has been Swedish star, Sofia Mattsson. During her last trip to the Olympics, Mattsson came away with a bronze medal. Over the course of her 15-year Senior-level career, Mattsson has amassed an impressive amount of accolades. She was a world champion in 2009 and has a total of six world medals. Mattsson also has had the misfortune of competing alongside some of the biggest legends in the sport. Her limited results in 2021 indicate that the Swede may be able to threaten for a gold medal and become the highest placing Swedish woman at the Olympics. Here's a synopsis of the 31-year-old's long international career. Key Wins: Ekaterina Poleshcuk (2019 Poland Open; Bronze), Sumiya Erdenechimeg (2019 Poland Open; Round of 16), Vanesa Kaladzinskaya (2021 Last Chance Qualifier; Finals, 2019 City of Sassari), Vitkoria Vaulina (2019 City of Sassari), Maria Prevolaraki (2019 European Championships; Round of 16), Jacarra Winchester (2021 Henri DeGlane; Finals, 2018 Poland Open, Bronze), Marina Sedneva (2018 Grand Prix of Spain; Finals), Xuechun Zhong (2016 Olympics; Bronze), Odunayo Adekuoroye (2016 Olympics; Round of 16), Irina Kurachkina (2016 European Championship; Final), Key Losses: Olga Khoroshavtseva (2020 European Championships; Semifinals), Tsugumi Sakurai (2020 Klippan Lady Open; Finals), Vinesh Phogat (2019 World Championships; Qualification), 2019 Poland Open; Quarterfinals), Vanesa Kaladzinskaya (2019 European Championships; Quarterfinals), Diana Weicker (2019 Grand Prix of Germany; Finals), Myong Suk Jung (2018 World Championships; Repechage), Mayu Mukaida (2018 World Championships; Quarterfinals), Roksana Zasina (2019 Nikola Petrov; Quarterfinals, 2018 Poland Open; Semifinals), Helen Maroulis (2016 Olympics; Semifinals) The Age Group Years (2004-06) From the moment Sofia Mattson hit the international circuit, she was a medal threat. Mattsson immediately was a force in Europe as she was victorious at the Nordic Junior Championships in January of 2004, at just 14-years-old. Later that year, she captured gold at the European Cadet Championships. It was more of the same in 2015 as Mattsson won both events again. Mattsson came up during a time where there were no Cadet World Championships, so in 2006 while still Cadet-eligible (at 16), she entered the Junior World Championships. This was after winning Nordic Juniors and European Cadets for a third-consecutive year. Age was no factor as Mattsson collected her first Junior World gold medal in Guatemala City, downing Natalya Pulkovska (Ukraine) for her title. The Early Senior Level-Years (2007-08) 2007 marked the first year that Mattsson competed internationally on the Senior-level and despite being 17 for most of the year, she never entered tournaments at her own age group after this year. Her first event was the Dave Schultz Memorial and Mattsson ended up in third place in a bracket that saw American Stephanie Murata and Canadian legend Carol Huynh above her. Over the next two months, Mattsson collected bronze medals at the Klippan Lady Open and the European Championships. At the continental meet, Mattsson made headlines by refusing to accept the antiquated "Miss Europe" award. It was given to the "prettiest wrestler." She did not believe the award was an acceptable part of the sport. Later that year, Mattsson would claim gold in her first Senior-level competition, the Nikola Petrov Tournament. Just a few weeks after that, Mattsson won her second consecutive Junior World title. She prevailed in a weight class that included American Alyssa Lampe (who would get bronze). 2007 also marked Mattsson's first appearance at the Senior World Championships. Though she did not medal, Mattsson finished in a respectable seventh place and tallied three wins. Mattsson continued her ascend on the Senior level in 2008. She opened the year by winning Sweden's prestigious, Klippan Lady Open. It's an event that she would end up winning two more times during her distinguished career. She also moved up a step on the European podium by grabbing a silver medal at 51 kg. 2008 also marked the first of four appearances at the Olympic Games for Mattsson. Most reading this probably rooted against Mattsson in her Olympic debut as she was paired off against American Clarissa Chun in her opening bout. Chun took the match in two straight periods, 2-1 and 4-1. When the American lost in the semis, Mattsson was eliminated. The Prime Years (2009-2016) After the 2008 Olympics, Mattsson moved up to 51 kg, which proved to be a smart decision. It didn't appear to pay dividends right away, though, as Mattsson was tenth at the European Championships and failed to make the finals at the Grand Prix of Germany, the Austrian Ladies Open, and the Golden Grand Prix. She could have been getting accustomed to the new weight, though. Whatever the case, Mattsson was in peak performance at the 2009 World Championships. She knocked off two-time Asian Champion Yuri Kai (Japan) in the semifinals, which locked up her first Senior world medal. Not to be content, Mattsson finished the job by shutting out North Korea's Kum-ok Han 3-0, 4-0 for her world championship. Han was also a silver medalist in Asia. Though Mattsson has had a remarkable career, this remains her only world title. Mattsson would be a top contender at most events she entered for the next seven years. She'd prove this by winning a European title, the Austrian Ladies Open, and the Golden Grand Prix to start the 2010 campaign. The European gold medal would be the first of four (and counting?) at the event. Right off the back in the 2010 World Championships, Mattsson was paired with the Japanese entrant, Yu Horiuchi, also a two-time Junior World Champion. The two engaged in a defensive struggle, won by Horiuchi, 0-1, 1-0, 2-0. Mattsson was able to rebound and pinned each of her two repechage opponents to earn the bronze medal. 2011 saw more weight changes as Mattsson moved up to 55 kg for the first two tournaments of the year, then 59 kg for the World Championships. The new weight was seemingly not an issue at World's as Mattsson pinned her first two opponents before meeting another Japanese foe in the semis. This time it was the 2011 Asian Champion, Takako Saito. Mattsson managed to slip by, 1-0, 2-0 for her second berth in a world final. World Championship number two did not materialize as Mattsson was edged by Ukraine's Hanna Vasylenko 2-2, 2-1. For 2012, Mattsson moved back to 55 kg full-time, which is a weight she'd maintain for the next three years. After winning the Nikola Petrov and the Golden Grand Prix, she was second at the European's, which clinched a spot in the Olympic Games. In London, Mattsson racked up a pair of wins which put her in the quarterfinals, opposite Valeria Zholobova of Russia. Mattsson fell in an incredibly close series of bouts. She took the first period 1-1, then lost the final two on criteria. The Swedish star was eliminated when Zholobova fell to the legendary Saori Yoshida (Japan) in the semis. Coming away from London without a medal did not seem to phase Mattsson as she put together perhaps her finest year of her career in 2013. Mattsson won a total of seven tournaments, including her second European Championship. For that title, she downed Maria Prevolaraki (Greece), who has emerged as a serious medal threat in 2021. Prevolaraki won the Individual World Cup in 2020 and took another silver at the 2021 continental meet. At the World Championships, Mattsson was in a particularly loaded weight class. In the quarterfinals, she won a 7-6 shootout over young Helen Maroulis. After defeating Emese Barka (Hungary), she had another shot at Yoshida. As most others over the past decade-plus, Mattsson was on the wrong end of a bout against the three-time Olympic gold medalist. She'd have to settle for a second world silver medal. 2014 was pretty similar to 2013. Mattsson grabbed European gold for a third time, won a total of four tournaments, and lost only once prior to the World Championships. Mattsson may have been at her best as she made her way to the finals without surrendering a point in her four matches. One of which was a fall over American Whitney Conder. Unfortunately for Mattsson, waiting in the finals again was Yoshida. Like 2013, she was not able to mount any offense and fell 6-0. History repeated itself in 2015 as the Swede had an excellent year with three titles and only one loss before the World Championships. Though she gave up a point or two along the way, Mattsson pinned her way to the finals, for yet another date with Yoshida. This time Mattsson was able to keep Yoshida in check, but it wasn't enough to get a win. She fell 2-1. The silver medal at the 2015 World Championships locked up a place in Rio for the 2016 Olympics. There Mattsson won a pair of bouts which set up another match against Maroulis in the semifinals. This was a much better version of the American and Maroulis pinned the Swede after jumping out to an 8-0 lead. To win Olympic bronze, Mattsson needed to get by two-time Asian champion, Xuechun Zhong (China). Once again, Mattsson was dominant and won by fall after leading 6-0. Contender Status (2017-Present) Mattsson only competed once in early 2017 as she was pregnant with her first child. The pregnancy and her rehabilitation afterward kept Mattsson out of action until mid-2018. In a stunning turn of events, Mattson was victorious at her first tournament since at the Grand Prix of Spain. After a bronze at the Poland Open, she was ready for the 2018 World Championships. Mattsson picked up wins in her first two bouts, which put her in the quarters opposite Mayu Mukaida (Japan). Although she lost 6-4, Mattsson was the only opponent that was closer than seven points against Mukaida. She wasn't able to medal, though, as Mattsson fell by a point in her first repechage bout against Jong Myong-suk (North Korea). Mattsson jumped back into competition with both feet in 2019, entering seven competitions before the World Championships. In one of those tournaments, Mattsson won her sixth Nordic title and her second European Games championships. She had a rough draw at the World Championships and was beaten soundly by Vinesh Phogat (India), 13-0. Before the world shut down in 2020, Mattsson won a silver medal at the Klippan Lady Open and bronze at the European Championships. Now in 2021, Mattsson is showing signs of turning back the clock. She captured a title at the Henri DeGlane and then entered the European OG Qualifier. In three matches, Mattsson put together a pair of 10-0 techs and a fall. Her appearance in the finals clinched a fourth Olympic bid.

Welcome to a new, regular feature for InterMat's collegiate coverage. Each of our conference correspondent's will release videos talking about some of the current events in their respective conference. Our ACC Correspondent Robbie Wendell stops by to talk about key transfers for Pittsburgh, Virginia, and Virginia Tech. Along with UVA rounding out their coaching staff. He also identifies standouts from the conference at the U23 and Junior WTT's, along with the Pan-Am Juniors. Finally, a note about Duke's athletic department.

Skylar Grote at Captain's Cup (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Saturday evening, Senior-level women's freestyle athlete Skylar Grote announced her new training situation. Grote, a New Jersey native, will move across the country and train at Oregon State's “Beaver Dam RTC”. The RTC has already bought into supporting women's wrestling, as Grote will be the fifth woman to join the team. She'll train alongside Adeline Gray, Mallory Velte, Alyssa Lampe, and Alex Glaude. Grote wrestled in high school at fabled Blair Academy, then moved onto Ontario's Brock University for college. Before getting to Brock, Grote was a part of two Pan-American Junior teams. She came home with a silver medal in 2014 and a gold in 2015. Since the pandemic has died down, Grote has been active on the Senior level. She was a runner-up at Senior Nationals in October while competing at 68 kg. A month later, Grote was a U23 national champion at the same weight. She also entered the Last Chance Qualifier in March and went 1-1, with her loss coming to eventual Olympic Trials runner-up Kennedy Blades. In the 2021 edition of Senior Nationals, Grote was a runner-up to now-teammate, Glaude, at Senior Nationals, up at 72 kg. Grote was also a member of “Team Francis” at the Captain's Cup and went 2-1, with wins over Alyvia Fiske and Kayla Marano. Before Grote's announcement on Saturday, she was in action at Wisconsin's “Underground 5” card. She was victorious over Life University assistant Aurum Naylor, 8-1.

Hassan Yazdani (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. 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) YAZDANI THE GREATEST. The trademark namesake of the 3x World/Olympic champ #2 Hassan Yazdani Charati of Iran has made him one of the most popular wrestlers in the world. But behind the hype, Yazdani Charati has made himself into one of the best 86 KG wrestlers of the past decade and, at only 26 years old, can continue to build his legacy. Today's athlete profile will be looking to see if Yazdani really is the greatest. The Stats #2 Hassan Yazdani Charati (IRI) 2019 world champion, 2015 70 KG world runner-up, 2016 74 KG Olympic champ, 2017 86 KG world champ, 2018 world bronze, 2018 Asian games champ, 2019 Dan Kolov champ, 2021 Asian champion Key Wins: Aniuar Geduev (2016 74 KG Olympic finals), #3 Artur Naifonov (2019 world championships quarterfinals), #13 Myles Amine (2019 world championships semifinals), Bekzod Abdurakhmanov (2016 Medved), #2 (92) Kamran Ghasempour (2018 Iranian world team trials, 2021 Iranian Olympic Trials), #10 (97) Alireza Karimimachiani (2017 Iranian world team trials), #13 (74), Khetag Tsabolov (2016 World Cup), #18 Ali Shabanov (2019 Dan Kolov finals), #12 (74) Soner Demirtas (2016 Medved), Boris Makoev (2017 World finals), #8 Vladislav Valiev (2017 World semis), #4 Dauren Kurugliev (2018 World bronze medal match). Key Losses: #1 David Taylor (2017 World Cup, 2018 World's), #18 Ali Shabanov (2016 Grand Prix of Paris), #13 (74) Khetag Tsabolov (2016 74 KG Medved finals), #11 (74) Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov (2015 70 KG world finals), #1 (65) Gadzhimurad Rashidov (2011 55 KG Cadet World finals), Mehdi Teghavi (2014 70 KG World Club Cup) YAZDANI THE GREAT (2011-2016) Hassan Yazdani Charati's career would begin not as the punishing upperweight that he is known as today but a gangly 50 KG Cadet in 2011, where he'd finish bronze at the Cadet Asian championships and improve upon it with a runner-up finish at the World Championships with a runner-up finish to #1 (65) Gadzhimurad Rashidov (RUS). Already only two competitions into his international career, Yazdani was showing his trademark pressure and punishing underhook series, but the superior counter wrestling and leg attacks of Rashidov picked apart the Iranian. After a three-year hiatus and debuting as a Junior, Yazdani would win the Asian championships over 2017 70 KG world bronze medalist Yuji Fujinami of Japan. Yazdani Charati entered the Junior World Championships with impressive accolades but was outshadowed by the dominant Aaron Pico (USA), the 2013 Cadet world champion who had multiple wins over college and Senior level stars while only in high school. Pico, who typically broke opponents with his brutal handfighting, could not get in on the lanky Yazdani. He kept the American talent on the defensive throughout the match and dominated 9-2 for his first world title. At the end of the year, Yazdani would get the opportunity to compete at the World Club Cup in Iran at the Senior level. In his biggest test to date, Yazdani would fall 6-4 to two time 66 KG world champion Mehdi Teghavi (IRI) and establish himself as the #3 senior level 70 KG wrestler in Iran behind Senior world rep Mostafa Hosseinkhani and Teghavi. Yazdani's international debut at the Senior level would be at the Grand Prix of Paris, where he'd earn two tech falls and a pin to make the finals opposite Poland's #16 (65) Magomedmurad Gadzhiev, a 2010 European runner-up and Russian Nationals bronze medalist who'd establish himself as a top world medal threat transferring to Poland. In what was one of the ultimate body and style contrasts, Yazdani absolutely bullied the shorter and more defensive Gadzhiev all over the mat in a dominating 8-0 victory for his first international title. In his first-ever international competition, Yazdani had already put himself on the shortlist of favorites to win gold at world's and he would sustain that momentum at the World Cup going 4-0 with wins over 2014 European champion Ruslan Dibirgadzhiev (AZE) and 2014 74 KG Yasar Dogu champion Nick Marable (USA). All that was left before the world championships for Yazdani was some revenge in the form of a rematch against two-time world champion Mehdi Teghavi at the Iranian world team trials. A victorious Yazdani Charati would emerge over Teghavi and seal his spot as one of the favorites to win gold along with #11 (70) James Green (USA) and #11 (74) Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov (RUS). At his first senior world championships, Yazdani would debut in fashion earning two pins and a tech fall to make the semis opposite another young upstart in American #11 (70) James Green. Green had been one of the biggest developments for the US team. After having won the trials over 74 KG brickhouse Nick Marable, Green entered the Grand Prix of Spain and faced off against 65 KG European Games runner-up, two-time world champion #5 Frank Chamizo (ITA). Green stunned the international wrestling world with a huge upset victory over Chamizo and announced himself as a major contender in the process. The match between Yazdani and Green would be a war of attrition. Yazdani set the pace right off the bat but an early Green uchi mata on the edge would put the American up and show he would not roll over to Yazdani's pressure. Yazdani recuperated from it and figured the best way to fight fire is with fire and continued the pressure to finish the period up 5-3. Now going into the second, Yazdani had gotten his read on Green and kept him on his heels the rest of the match, pulling away with a 9-4 win to face off against #11 (74) Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov of Russia in the finals. Gazimagomedov was an entirely different animal than Yazdani had faced before, having the length to match the Iranian and the physicality to surpass him. Gazimagomedov had done what no one else had been able to so far and big brothered the Iranian, completely negating his underhooks and outhustling him with takedowns from his front headlock and body lock to a 10-3 win. Entering 2016, Yazdani would take over the 74 KG Olympic spot qualified by Alireza Ghasemi's 5th place finish in Las Vegas. Yazdani's debut at 74 KG would come at the Grand Prix of Paris, where he'd be seeking his second title after his 2015 gold at 70 KG. Facing him in the finals would be the wily veteran, two-time World bronze medalist Ali Shabanov of Belarus. Shabanov, considerably more experienced and filled out at 74 KG, was an absolute nightmare of a matchup for Yazdani at the time as he had the speed to surpass Yazdani and incredible defense and a powerful underhook series of his own that frustrated Yazdani to a 6-6 criteria loss. Yazdani's next major competition would be the Medved in Belarus, a loaded tournament that would give him a great look before going into the World Cup. Yazdani was spectacular on his path to the finals, disposing with ease elite contenders the likes of #9 (79) Arsalan Budazhapov (KGZ), two-time World/Olympic medalist #12 Soner Demirtas (TUR) and two-time world medalist Bekzod Abdurakhmanov (UZB). Awaiting Yazdani in the finals would be #13 (74) Khetag Tsabolov (SRB), the 2014 70 KG world champion for Russia and an extremely dangerous crafty veteran who could put matches away at any time with his lethal knee pull single to leg lace and slick counters. Yazdani would bring the fight to Tsabolov early and take command of the match but a deft roll through counter off a whizzer while Yazdani tried to finish an underhook on the edge put Tsabolov in complete control of the match and stunned the Iranian phenom with an incredible pin. There was no man in the world with a less envious position than to be the first person Yazdani wrestled after his finals loss at the Medved. That person would be none other than 2011 World bronze medalist Ashraf Aliyev of Azerbaijan at the world cup. Aliyev, a dangerous veteran who had boasted wins over #2 Kyle Dake (USA) and David Khutsishvili (GEO), was supposed to be a test for Yazdani, which Yazdani passed with flying colors putting the dangerous Azeri veteran away in a 9-5 victory. Next for Yazdani would be the Oklahoma State great, 3x NCAA champion Alex Dieringer (USA), who was coming off a third-place finish at the US Olympic trials. Dieringer, a powerhouse who dominated elite competition in college and domestically, was ragdolled by Yazdani in a 10-0 win for the greatest. A 12-2 layup against Parveen Rana of India put Yazdani finished Yazdani's pool action and put him and team Iran in the World Cup finals, where he'd get a chance of revenge against #13 Khetag Tsabolov (SRB) in their match against Russia. The Yazdani that would face off against Tsabolov was an absolute killer and put the world on notice with a commanding 14-4 tech fall win over the Russian hammer to cap off a 4-0 World Cup run and gold for Iran. The field at the 2016 Olympics is where Yazdani, as good as he was, was seen as an underdog to win it behind 4x World/Olympic champion #8 (74) Jordan Burroughs of the United States and the Russian hulk that was Aniuar Geduev. Yazdani was situated on the opposite side of the bracket of these Geduev and Burroughs and would beat the likes of Asnage Castelly (HAI), #12 (74), Soner Demirtas (TUR), and Galymzhan Usserbaev (KAZ) to make the finals. In lieu of the heavy favorite #8 (74) Jordan Burroughs, who was expected to capture Olympic title #2, it would be the Russian powerhouse Aniuar Geduev facing Yazdani in the finals. Geduev, had gone on a career-best run on the year, beating three-time world champion Denis Tsargush (RUS), four-time World/Olympic champion #8 (74) Jordan Burroughs (USA), four-time World/Olympic medalist Jabrayil Hasanov (AZE) and two-time world medalist Bekzod Abdurakhmanov (UZB) to make the Olympic finals in what was supposed to be a poster book ending for the Russian legend. And early on, that's what it looked like as Geduev raced out to a commanding 6-0 lead to end the first period. But in a 20-minute marathon match heavily slowed down by injury-time stoppages to tend to Geduev's cuts on his face, it would be Yazdani who would seize the day in the second period and with under 10 seconds left to seal a takedown to win 6-6 on criteria and Olympic gold. What had simply been hyperbole was now the truth and Yazdani was the greatest. YAZDANI THE GREATEST (2017-2021) Another year and another weight for Yazdani the conquered; this time his eyes were set on 86 KG. His debut competition would be the World Cup set at Kermanshah, Iran, with Iran gunning for its third straight World Cup title. Yazdani would take a 2-0 pool record to the finals against the US, where he'd face off against a surging #1 David Taylor (USA) who'd upset three World/Olympic medalists in #13 (97) Sharif Sharifov (AZE), #8 Vladislav Valiev (RUS) and Dato Marsagishvili (GEO) going into the finals. In a matchup of the two hottest commodities at 86 KG, it would be the superior scrambling and low attacks of Taylor that would overcome the pressure and underhooks of Yazdani and the Nittany Lion great would walk away with an electrifying pin win over the Yazdani. Now, after his stunning loss to Taylor, many were left wondering if Yazdani would be able to replicate his middleweight success amongst the best at 86 KG. With Yazdani slated to compete at the Islamic Solidarity Games that would field three-time World/Olympic medalist #11 (92) Selim Yasar (TUR) and #13 (97) Sharif Sharifov (AZE), the returning Olympic runner-up and bronze medalist, Yazdani was sure to be tested. But Yazdani was ahead of the curve and absolutely demolished Yasar and Sharifov in tech fall wins to capture the Islamic Solidarity Games gold. With David Taylor's loss at the World Team Trials to Olympic bronze medalist #4 (97) J'den Cox (USA) and three-time World/Olympic champion #1 (97) Abdulrashid Sadulaev (RUS) moving up to 97 KG, Yazdani was the most consistent man in the field and seen as the favorite for gold. Yazdani's world title run in Paris would begin against the likes of the bruiser Azamat Dauletbekov of Kazakhstan, who would be the only man to score on Yazdani the whole tournament after a big first-period takedown Yazdani went into overdrive and mauled Dauletbekov to a 12-2 win. Techfalls over European stalwarts Piotr Ianulov (MDA) and Alexander Gostiev (AZE) put Yazdani into the semifinals opposite #8 Vladislav Valiev (RUS), who would be Yazdani's toughest opponent of the whole tournament, holding the Iranian to a four-point win. Boris Makoev (SVK) had stunned the world after his huge 6-3 upset victory over returning Olympic bronze medalist #4 (97) J'den Cox (USA), who was seen as a lock to face Yazdani and matriculate his immense talent into becoming the new king of 86 KG with Sadulaev gone. With J'den's dreams dashed, Yazdani, the conqueror, did what he had done all tournament and dominated for gold thrashing Makoev 10-0. With two World/Olympic titles at two weight classes under his belt, Yazdani would capture the one title that had evaded him his whole Senior-level career, which was Asian championships gold. Yazdani walked through the field in Bishkek, dominating 2016 Olympian Uitemen Orgodol (MGL) for gold. Two wins over two-time U-23 world champion #2 (92) Kamran Ghasempour at Iranian World Team Trials would make Yazdani the man for the Asian Games and the World championships. The Asian Games title came with ease for Yazdani, bulldozing Michigan All-American Domenic Abounader of Lebanon in the finals. Yazdani's continental dominance would set the stage for a monster rematch against #1 David Taylor (USA) at the world championships. In the "luck" of the random draw, Yazdani and Taylor would face each other in the very first round. This brings to light controversy associated with UWW's random draw and bracketing process that have rightfully been called out for making lopsided brackets where the best don't place and gives extra opportunities to countries who would otherwise be unable to place someone. Regardless of the random draw that had made the world finals a qualification round match, Yazdani and Taylor went to absolute war with each other; both men at their best, it would be the Taylor who would walk away with an 11-6 win. With Taylor's dominant run through the bracket guaranteeing him a spot in the finals, Yazdani was put in the repechage bracket, where he gutted Medved champion #9 (92) Gadzhi Radzhabov (BLR) and Pan-Am runner-up Yurieski Torreblanca (CUB) to qualify for the bronze medal match against #4 Dauren Kurugliev (RUS). Kurugliev and Yazdani would fight tooth and nail, but it would be the Iranian who would pull away to win his fourth World/Olympic medal 11-5. Yazdani's 2019 began with a chance at revenge. Three years before, four-time world medalist #18 Ali Shabanov (BLR) had beaten Yazdani in the finals of the 74 KG Grand Prix of Paris. Yazdani tech falled his way to the finals to get his chance at Shabanov and the match that ensued would be on the shortlist of matches of the year and show how far both men had come. A game Shabanov would scramble out of Yazdani's underhooks with his spectacular athleticism and whizzer series, but the now seasoned Yazdani kept coming forward to take an 8-3 lead to end the first. Another 8 point spread for Yazdani and one counter takedown for Shabanov sealed the match 16-5 for the Greatest and showed he had no intentions of backing down after finishing bronze at world's in 2018. With returning world champion #1 David Taylor (USA) out with injury, #4 (97) J'den Cox (USA) moved up to 92 KG Yazdani was as much of a lock as possible for his third World/Olympic title. Dominance would be an understatement of Yazdani's performance as he pinned world medalists #3 Artur Naifonov (RUS) and Istvan Vereb (HUN) and tech falled #12 Myles Amine (SMR) and 2012 Olympic runner-up Jaime Espinal (PUR) to make the finals where India's Deepak Punia would forfeit to him. Another title for Yazdani the Greatest. All that remained was another Olympic gold. But Yazdani wouldn't get the chance in 2020 for his second Olympic title. Yazdani did win his qualifying match for the 2020 Individual World Cup at Iranian Trials beating Ahmed Bazrigaleh 11-0 but didn't compete as Iran only sent one athlete Rahman Amouzadkhalili who took bronze at 57 KG. Yazdani's full return to international competition would be at this year's Asian Championships in April. He would destroy Indian wrestling star Deepak Punia (IND) for gold. Yazdani would win his Olympic trials match against #2 (92) Kamran Ghasempour to lock up his spot for Tokyo and his second Olympic title. Hassan Yazdani Charati is in a very interesting position. He is on track to become one of Iran's most credentialed upperweight wrestlers and has age on his side at only 26 years old to continue through for a third Olympics. While #1 David Taylor (USA) is peaking and likely at the end of his career, Yazdani Charati has made the adjustments to not only threaten Taylor but take over the American world champion for Olympic title #2. Time will tell if that is to be, but I very much look forward to Yazdani/Taylor round three as both men are clearly the class of the field.

Welcome to a new, regular feature for InterMat's collegiate coverage. Each of our conference correspondent's will release videos talking about some of the current events in their respective conference. Our EIWA correspondent Austin Sommer sits down to discussion recent transfers within the conference, coaching changes at American and Cornell, along with some open coaching positions. And we have our first EIWA schedule of the year!

Tamas Lorincz after winning the 2019 World Championship (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. 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) Today's profile will dive into the career of Hungarian Greco-Roman star Tamas Lorincz. Tokyo will mark the fourth time that Lorincz has competed at the Olympics. A silver medalist in 2012, Olympic gold is just about the only honor missing from the 34-year-old's lengthy resume. Earlier this year, Lorincz captured his fourth European championship and which is his seventh career medal at the event. Additionally, Lorincz has won four medals at the World level. While most 34-year-old's don't get their first Olympic gold medal, Lorincz is not like most normal wrestlers. His lone world title came two years ago and he had little trouble with the field at the continental championships this year. Key Wins: Ashkat Dilmukhamedov (2019 World Championships; Semifinals), Jalgasbay Berdimuratov (2019 World Championships; Round of 32), Alex Kessidis Bjurberg (2019 World Championships; Finals, 2018 European; Bronze), Hyeon-Woo Kim (2018 World Championships; Semifinals, 2017 World Championships; Quarterfinals), Chingiz Labazanov (2017 Poland Open; Bronze), Fatih Cengiz (2017 World Championships; Bronze, 2017 Poland Open; Round of 16), Gela Bolkvadze (2017 European; Round of 16), Karapet Chalyan (2017 European; Quarterfinals) Key Losses: Alex Kessidis Bjurberg (2019 Grand Prix of Germany; Round of 16), Hyeon-Woo Kim (2019 City of Sassari; Quarterfinals), Zoltan Levai (2018 Grand Prix of Germany; Finals), Viktor Nemes (2018 European; Quarterfinals), Aleksandr Chekhirkin (2018 World Championship Finals, 2017 World Championships; Semifinals, 2017 Poland Open; Quarterfinals), Karapet Chalyan (2019 European Games; Semifinals, 2017 Tbilisi Grand Prix; Semifinals), Tarke Abdelslam Sheble Mohamed (2017 European; Semifinals) The Age-Group Years (2002-05) Unlike many wrestlers, we'll discuss during our Olympic profiles, if you looked at the early results from Tamas Lorincz's career, you wouldn't necessarily peg him for super-stardom at the Senior level. Lorincz made his international debut in 2002 at the European Championships, competing at 46 kg as a 16-year-old. Lorincz ended up finishing seventh in that tournament, then fourth, at the same event in 2003. Two years later, he resurfaced at the 2005 Junior World Championships, where he was tenth. The First Olympic Quad (2006-08) Less than a year after taking tenth at Junior World's, Lorincz got his first taste of Senior-level competition and showed he belonged in the early going. In his first individual, international tournament, Lorincz brought home gold at the European Championships. He defeated returning European bronze medalist Sergey Kovalenko for the title. Interestingly enough, he settled for bronze later in 2006 at the European Junior tournament. Lorincz also won Junior World bronze in 2006. He also got his feet wet at the big show, competing at his first Senior World Championships in late 2006. There Lorincz advanced to the quarterfinals before suffering a loss and wasn't able to participate in repechage. The only event we can find on Lorincz's resume for 2007 was the only one that mattered (so to speak). He competed at the World Championships and was shut out in the semifinals by the eventual gold medalist, Farid Mansurov (Azerbaijan). That set up a match for the bronze medal with American Justin Lester. The American took a pair of hard-fought wins (this was the ball draw-era) and won the hardware. While disappointing, Lorincz's fifth-place finish did lock up a berth at his first Olympic Games in Beijing. Heading into the Olympics, Lorincz had mixed results. He was eighth at the continental championships, but did defeat Mansurov in the finals of the Golden Grand Prix, less than two months before the Games. At the Games, Lorincz was able to take one of three periods from the eventual gold medalist, Steeve Guenot (France), which allowed him to compete in repechage. Any medal hopes were dashed by a set of 1-1 losses to Cuba's Alain Milian in the first bout. The Second Olympic Quad (2009-12) Like 2007, the 2009 and 2010 World Championships ended similarly for Lorincz. He competed in the bronze medal match at both tournaments and ultimately came up just short. In 2009, Lorincz lost to Ambako Vachadze for the bronze and in 2010 in the world semifinals. 2011 ended up being the only year in the quad where Lorincz did not wrestle for a world medal. After losing in three periods to Manuchar Tskhadaia (Georgia) in the World quarterfinals, Lorincz would have to fight through repechage in search of his first world medal. As was the case in the 2008 Olympics, it was a Cuba who was responsible for stopping his medal run. Pedro Mulens was victorious in a three-period bout in his second competition in repechage. His seventh-place finish in 2011 meant that Lorincz and Hungary were not automatically qualified for the 2012 Olympics. That meant Lorincz would have to go to Bulgaria in search of Olympic qualification. That journey proved to be fruitless as he ultimately finished 15th. Just a week later, Lorincz traveled to China and won the qualification tournament, securing a place in his second Games. In his final tuneup before London, Lorincz captured gold at the Poland Open. Once the brackets were established for the Olympics, it was clear that Lorincz was done no favors. In the opening round, he had to get by young star, Frank Staebler (Germany), the European Champion that year. Lorincz was tasked with opponents that had previously defeated him in major tournaments in his next two bouts. First up was the American, Lester. Lorincz prevailed in a three-period slugfest, which set up a date with Tskhadaia in the semis. The Hungarian cruised 3-0, 4-0 into the finals, ensuring at least a silver medal. Lorincz's luck would run out as he was edged by Hyeon-Woo Kim (South Korea) for the gold. Kim, like Lorincz, has proven to be a mainstay on the Greco scene. The Third Quad (2013-2016) It was 2012 and the third quad where Lorincz really hit his stride and was in the prime of his career (25-29 years old). Lorincz won four tournaments in 2013, including his second European title, heading into the World Championships. At the World Championships, he advanced to the quarterfinals before losing to 2010 world champion Hasan Aliyev (Azerbaijan). When Aliyev failed to make the finals, Lorincz's tournament was over. He was unable to win a medal in front of his home fans. Once again, in 2014, Lorincz won everything possible in the run-up to the world championships. Some of the notable tournaments, he captured include another European title, a World University Championship, and his fourth straight Golden Grand Prix. All of these wins came at 71 kg, rather than his customary 66 kg weight class. Down at 66 kg for the 2014 World Championships, Lorincz squared off with a fellow European Champion, Adam Kurak (Russia), in the quarterfinals and proved victorious. A match later, he got by 2015 European Games silver medalist, Mirhan Harutyunyan (Armenia), for a slot in the semis. There he was beaten by 2011 World Champion Omid Norouzi (Iran), 4-1. That set up another date with Staebler, with a bronze medal hanging in the balance. Lorincz pitched a 5-0 shutout to down the German and win his first world medal. At the 2015 World Championships, Harutyunyan got his revenge and defeated Lorincz in the Round of 16. The Armenian did not make the finals, which ended Lorincz's tournament without a medal. Just like four years earlier, Lorincz would need to go to a qualifying event to grab a berth in Rio. As was the case in most of this quad, Lorincz was rolling in the early portion of 2016. He won the Grand Prix's of Zagreb and Hungary before getting an Olympic spot at the qualifying tournament. The trip to Rio ended up being anticlimatic for Lorincz as he was blanked by Han-su Ryu (South Korea) in his opening bout. When Ryu fell to Harutyunyan in the next match, his medal hopes were crushed. The Fourth Quad-plus (2017-21) The 2017 year marked a bit of a turning point in Lorincz's career. He had turned 30 the previous December and was close to "grizzled veteran" status. In stark contrast to the last quad, Lorincz rarely won tournaments; however, he always remained in the mix. With age also came a weight change. Lorincz moved up to 75 kg in 2017, then 77 kg after the weights changed in 2018. In his first World Championship event at the new weight, Lorincz advanced to the quarters where he ran into and old foe, 2012 Olympic gold medalist, Hyeon-Woo Kim. This time the Hungarian got his hand raised, 3-1. He was pinned in the semifinals, by a new rival Aleksandr Chekhirkin (Russia). The two would tangle and a handful of essential tournaments this quad. Lorincz would get a medal, though, after getting by Fatih Cengiz (Turkey) the U23 World Champion later in 2017. 2018 saw Lorincz narrow down his competition schedule as he prepared for the World Championships. Once again, it was held in Budapest, though he'd fare much better than the last time it was in his backyard (2013). Lorincz received a relatively favorable draw and cruised to the semifinals, where he'd face Kim again. For the second time in a row, Lorincz got a measure of revenge for 2012. But, waiting in the finals was Chekhirkin, who continued to torment Lorincz with a 3-1 loss. Lorincz started 2019 with a pair of bronze medals before losing early in the Grand Prix of Germany to Alex Kessidis Bjurberg (Sweden). It marked the first time since the 2016 Olympics that Lorincz failed to medal at an international event. That did not foreshadow the future as Lorincz had little trouble with his first three opponents at the World Championships in Nur-Sultan. He made another world final after getting by Ashkat Dilmukhamedov in a 1-1 bout decided on criteria. That set up a rematch with Kessidis Bjurberg for a world title. The match wasn't even in doubt and Lorincz got his elusive world championship with an 8-0 tech. At 32, Lorincz was a first-time world champion. Since the 2019 World Championships, Lorincz has only competed a handful of times. His only appearance thus far in 2021 saw him grab his fourth career gold medal at the European Championships. It's hard to judge Lorincz based on this event. Most of his opponents didn't have long, decorated resumes. Even so, only one of his five opponents even registered a point. Does that mean we can expect a similar level of dominance from the Hungarian veteran in Toyko?

Jason Tsirtsis in the 2014 NCAA Finals (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Joe Caprino, my buddy from IndianaMat.com, wrote me this the other day: Only 3 of the 13 four-time state champs in Pennsylvania have ever won an NCAA title. How come the best high school state for wrestling has such a low percentage of 4xers winning at least ONE title? Indiana has 2 of 9 (Jason Tsirtsis and Angel Escobedo). 8 of the 25 Ohio champs won an NCAA title. I almost wonder if this is very much the same across the board. Figure it out, Brain man! He followed it up with these stats: To add to Joe's totals, California has had 4 four-timers: Darrell Vasquez, Justin Mejia, Seth Nevills, and Jesse Vasquez, who is just starting his college career. None won NCAA top honors. The low percentage is often explained away by message board posters who like to sound smart by quipping that 'they were overrated' and 'I knew he wouldn't pan out.' It's a lame excuse and not entirely accurate. Of course, to be sure, not every state title is equal to the next. California has 25,000 wrestlers and one champ per weight, while some states have six classifications. Ohio and New York expanded classes relatively recently. But let's not rewrite history by saying the four-timers 'weren't that good' in high school. Their success or lack thereof cannot be explained away so simply. Let's say there's a point scale wherein a '10' is a Gable Steveson/Kyle Snyder high school senior. Not all state champions are 10's. And news flash, not all wrestlers that win a state title as a senior were a better version of themselves when they won the title as a Sophomore or Junior. It happens. Gavin Teasdale looked much better as a Junior. All you have to do is look at rankings. Every year there is a four-timer that gets crowned that isn't ranked #1. Heck, there was a four-time finalist this year in Iowa that wasn't ranked at all. It's a big country. But this discussion comes at a very good time. Recruiting season is back in full swing. And here's a message/reminder to all the coaches, parents, and athletes: how many state titles you have is much less important than 1) that you're wrestling your best as a senior and 2) that you're prepared in all aspects of your life to make the transition to college. It's unprovable, but I'd venture to say that of all the legit, top-billed recruits that didn't succeed in college to the level of our expectations, many of them were derailed not because they weren't good enough, but because life threw them curveballs. The transition to college, in a sport that is the most mentally and physically taxing, is far too often understated. New home, new friends, new coaches, balancing a checkbook, picking your own classes and figuring it all out on your own. Jason Tsirtsis publicly dealt with a death in the family in the second half of his career. Chance Marsteller was admittedly not at his peak early in his career, with weight cutting and lifestyle choices being the culprit. I'm positive that if you heard the stories, the Ben Whitford's and Fox Baldwin's and other Top 10 recruits in the country, you'd hear similar stories. In summation, take away two things 1) the goal is not freshman year; it's life and 2) prepare for and be there for your athlete as they make the transition to college. To your questions - Who will be the next Head Coach at Bellarmine? - @DutrowJim Hey Jim! Thanks for running #WrestlingShirtADayinMay. Great stuff. It's tough to say. Our SoCon rep, Rachel Gallardo, says that the entire staff is being replaced. One name that consistently comes up, though, is Army's Ned Shuck, which would be a great hire if they could pry him away. A name that might surprise you is also applying: former UFC star Gray Maynard. What school is most likely to subscribe to that Bouzakis/Mendez package deal? - @VakAttack Ohio State. Iowa also makes sense, but they have a ton of money tied up down low and will also be in on Jesuroga. Penn State is on both their lists but has a similar situation. I don't know what the likelihood of it actually materializing, but the families do discuss it. Why is there not more being done to get freestyle back to ten weights at the Olympics? - @iawrestlingfan Because we fight for scraps. Because the Olympics lost their way. You hear me whine about it all the time. They'd rather have BMX and whatever other nonsense than the sports that got them here. And to make matters worse, they refuse to up the athlete quota. The worst thing, for me anyway, is that having six Olympic weights doesn't mess up just one year of wrestling, but three in every cycle. Follow me here: Year 1 - few participants among the elite because they just put everything into the Olympic year. Plus retirements. Year 2 - The best non-Olympic World Championships of the 4-year cycle and it's not close. Year 3 - The non-Olympic weights at Worlds are a wasteland as all athletes congregate to 1) qualify the weight for the Olympics and 2) gain a seed. Year 4 - Olympic year. 40% less weight class and a paltry 16-man bracket. The only chance for FS (men's and women's) to get back to 10 Olympic weights is under a situation where Greco is no longer in the Olympics. (This is in the works and is the worst kept secret in the sport. One federation (in Europe, if I recall correctly) even sent out a memo. Even still, should Greco get dropped, I wouldn't hold my breath on getting 10 weights back. Adding four weights x 16 for men, plus the same for women = 128 athlete spots they can use to start Olympic Call of Duty or some nonsense. What is your favorite vegetable, if applicable? - @stegallB14 Peas, dog. Love 'em. Also, parsnips don't get enough love. Why haven't they announced World Team Trials will be in Lincoln yet? - @wiems19 It sounded like that was a done deal at one point, but it still isn't set. Apparently, there's also a home football game for the Huskers that weekend. But it's another reminder of how frustrating everything has been since Covid hit. No one knows where anything will be, or where. Heck, UWW didn't even have their schedule and location for Cadet Worlds posted until the other day and the tournament starts in four weeks. It's disappointing for me, as a journalist. I can't imagine the frustration for the athletes and parents.

Takuto Otoguro at the 2018 World Cup (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. 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 historical run to world gold in 2018 at only 19 years old outscoring a loaded 65 KG field by the score of 67-23 put #5 Takuto Otoguro of Japan on the shortlist of favorites to win Olympic gold in Tokyo. The Japanese sensation was heralded as the second coming of two-time World/Olympic champion Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu (JPN), but in a field with the parity of 65 KG, something had to give. While he qualified for Tokyo via a fifth-place finish at the 2019 World Championships, Otoguro's star status from the year prior was put in question. But with 65 as deep as it's ever been, will Takuto Otoguro bring home gold? We'll look at that and more in today's Olympic profile of 2018 world champion Takuto Otoguro (JPN). The Stats #5 Takuto Otoguro (JPN)- 2015 54 KG Cadet world champion, 2018 world champ, 2019 world fifth, 2019 All Japan championships gold, Two-time Asian champion ('20, '21). Key Wins: Akhmed Chakaev (2018 world semis), Bajrang Punia (2018 world finals, 2020 Asian championships finals), Rei Higuchi (2019 Japanese world team wrestle-off, 2018 All Japan championships, 2017 All-Japan championships), Logan Stieber (2018 world cup), Daichi Takatani (2018 All-Japan championships), #6 Haji Aliyev (2019 world championships), #2 Vazgen Tevanyan (2019 world championships), Daulet Niyazbekov (2020 Asian championships) Key Losses: #14 (57) Rei Higuchi (2019 All Japan championships finals), #1 Gadzhimurad Rashidov (2019 world championships), #4 Ismail Musukaev (2019 world championships bronze medal match) 2013-2021 Takuto Otoguro would make his international debut in 2013, taking bronze at the 46 KG Cadet World Championships and he wouldn't return until mid-2014 when he would move up to 50 KG and take gold at the Cadet Asian championships. Otoguro would move up another weight class in 2015 to 54 KG and be completely transformed, bulldozing his way through the competition by a score of 38-6 and beating #1 (61) Abasgadzhi Magomedov (RUS) for gold. But after such a brilliant showing, Otoguro completely went off the map. While he did have a big win at the 2017 All-Japan championships over Olympic silver medalist #14 (57) Rei Higuchi (JPN) and listed as the alternate for the Senior World Championships in Paris behind #6 (57) Yuki Takahashi, Otoguro wouldn't return to the international scene until the 2018 Senior World Cup. Up two weights now at 65 KG, Otoguro would make his Senior-level international debut against a red-hot Logan Stieber (USA), a 2016 61 KG world champion who had just beaten returning 61 KG world champion #6 Haji Aliyev (AZE) in the USA/ Azerbaijan dual meet. Otoguro was absolutely unfazed by Stieber's star power and knocked down the American champion 10-5 showing powerful, heavy hands and lightning-quick reattacks that stifled the four-time NCAA champion. As one of the hottest commodities in wrestling going into the world championships, Otoguro would still have to win the spot. Standing against him was an old rival in Rei Higuchi, a runner-up at 57 KG in Rio. Otoguro would stymie the shorter Higuchi in a 6-0 win and lock down his spot for Budapest and chance at world gold. The World Championships in Budapest were absolutely loaded. 9 World/Olympic medalists in the field stood between Otoguro and his first senior world title. And Otoguro absolutely blew through them, outscoring the competition 36-4 through the semifinals. Against Otoguro would be the Russian veteran #12 Akhmed Chakaev, a 2016 World bronze medalist who had gone his own impressive tear through the bracket, beating 2016 57 KG Olympic champion Vladimir Khinchegashvili (GEO) and 2016 61 KG world champion Logan Stieber (USA) for his semifinal berth. Chakaev, a powerhouse with punishing underhooks and crushing counters off his chest wrap against the precision and lightning-quick leg attacks of Otoguro, resulted in one of the best matches of the whole tournament. Chakaev's counters led the match early, but Otoguro powered through and adjusted his finishes to overcome the fading Russian and win the match 15-10, cementing his spot in the world finals at only 19 years old. The world finals match between Otoguro and Bajrang would be one for the ages. Otoguro rushed out to a dominant 5-0 start with a huge double leg on the edge; Bajrang retaliated back, scoring takedowns off his foot stomp single and over collar tie shuck to close out the period 7-6 with Otoguro leading. The second period would see Otoguro begin to unravel the Bajrang puzzle and take advantage of the Indian's suspect leg defense and pull away on a flat-footed Bajrang for a 16-9 victory and world gold. Standing atop arguably the toughest weight class in the world at only 19 years old, the sky was the limit for Otoguro and even two years out from Tokyo, he was the consensus man to beat. An All-Japan title over Asian championships runner-up Daichi Takatani would conclude Otoguro's poster book year. A knee injury limited most of Otoguro's 2019 and saw him suffer a stunning tech fall loss to #14 (57) Rei Higuchi in the finals of the Meiji Cup. A rehabilitated Otoguro would face off against Higuchi in a final qualifying bout prior to the World Championships and come out to take the series lead 3-1 and lock down his chance to win another world title. Beginning his run for his second world title, Otoguro would blank #2 Vazgen Tevanyan (ARM) 6-0 to make the Round of 16 opposite returning two-time 61 KG world runner-up #1 Gadzhimurad Rashidov (RUS). The stocky powerhouse Rashidov used superior defense to fend off Otoguro and picked his spots to stomp out Otoguro's title aspirations with an 8-1 win. With Rashidov making his third consecutive world finals appearance, Otoguro was given a shot at repechage and qualifying Japan for Tokyo. Otoguro would go head-to-head against three-time 61 KG world champion #6 Haji Aliyev (AZE) in the second round of repechage. Proving that his title run from the year was no fluke, Otoguro went to war with Aliyev and came out the victor in an 11-9 brawl that was followed by a workmanlike 6-1 decision over Haji Ali (BRN) to qualify for the bronze medal match. #4 Ismail Musukaev (HUN) waited for Otoguro in the bronze medal match, a two-time Russian Nationals runner-up who had carved out a reputation as an electrifying and exhausted wrestler who blew through the competition and his gas tank in dominant fashion. 2019 would end with an All-Japan championships title over 2017 61 KG U-23 world champion Rinya Nakamura. A resurgent Otoguro ran over the field at his first Asian championships and in the finals, he left no doubt in his mind who was the better man, decimating Bajrang 10-2 in a rematch of their 2018 world finals match. Returning to competition after the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Otoguro won his second Asian championships title this year by forfeit over Bajrang. Takuto Otoguro is absolutely someone who I see with finals potential in Tokyo. He's clearly shown he's the better man against the likes of Bajrang, #6 Haji Aliyev, and #2 Vazgen Tevanyan and I believe that he can adjust and beat #4 Ismail Musukaev and shouldn't have issues against #7 Ernazar Akhmataliev (KGZ) or Alejandro Valdes Tobier (CUB). While it does seem like something of a cop-out for me to automatically go with the Russian to win the field in #1 Gadzhimurad Rashidov, I do believe that Rashidov's positioning and ability to come up clutch will be what will make him the man to beat in Tokyo, whether Otoguro will be able to do so or not will be one of the biggest questions.

2021 NCAA Champion Shane Griffith (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) This evening, Shane Griffith announced via social media that he would remain at Stanford. In July of 2020, Stanford stated that they would eliminate wrestling along with ten other sports following the 2020-21 school year. Griffith and his teammates remained at Stanford and persevered through a season that was shortened via Covid and even forced them to practice outside, at times. Despite these hurdles, Griffith, the eighth-seed at 165 lbs ran through the weight and became only the second Cardinal wrestler to win an NCAA title. Shane's title and the aftermath, which included the entire arena chanting "Keep Stanford Wrestling", generated nationwide headlines. Along the way, the boosters and alumni raised enough money to save the program. After the NCAA season concluded, the Cardinal head coach Jason Borrelli left to take the same position at American University. Over the Memorial Day weekend, the wrestling community was abuzz as former Cornell head coach Rob Koll accepted the Stanford job. With a coach of Koll's caliber at the helm in Palo Alto, some thought that Griffith would reconsider transferring. He, along with many other Cardinal wrestlers, had been in the transfer portal for most of the 2021 season. Today those hopes were confirmed. Griffith is 40-1 through two years of competition at Stanford. He is a two-time Pac-12 finalist and one-time champion. Shane was named an NWCA first-team All-American as a freshman after going undefeated and garnering the third seed at the NCAA Championships (which were cancelled). At the 2021 NCAA Tournament, Griffith upset top-seeded Alex Marinelli (Iowa) in the quarters, before dominating #5 Zach Hartman (Bucknell) in the semis. He grabbed his national title by taking out #3 Jake Wentzel (Pittsburgh), 6-2.

CHADRON, Neb. -- June 17, 2021 -- Following approval from the Nebraska State College System Board of Trustees, Chadron State College has officially added women's wrestling to its athletics' program. With women's wrestling, the first such collegiate program in Nebraska, CSC will sponsor 14 sports. Women's wrestling, a winter sport, will begin competition in 2021. A search for a head coach is underway. "Chadron State College is proud to add women's wrestling," said CSC President Dr. Randy Rhine. "The addition of this program supports CSC's continued movement toward equity on campus with the addition of another women's sport." CSC will join approximately 28 other NCAA institutions that sponsored the sport in 2020-21. Deemed an Emerging Sport in all three NCAA divisions, women's wrestling is expected to appear at as many as 44 NCAA schools this fall. Under the current guidelines for the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women Program, a sport may establish a National Collegiate Championship or a divisional championship if at least 40 NCAA institutions sponsor the sport at the varsity level. "We're excited to be on the leading edge of this Emerging Sport," said Athletics Director Joel Smith. "Adding women's wrestling will enrich the life of our campus and create new academic opportunities for our community and our region." CSC has a longstanding wrestling tradition dating back to 1958. CSC has produced four national champions, 48 All-Americans, and won 371 dual matches. From 1969-2020, CSC's wrestling team had at least one qualifier at national tournaments. CSC also won a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference championship in 1994-95. "Women's wrestling is rapidly growing and it has made a big impact on the continued growth of our sport," said Head Men's Wrestling Coach Brett Hunter. "The addition of women's wrestling at Chadron State is a great thing for our institution and I'm excited that our administration noticed its importance and got this thing rolling. This is a huge win for our sport and Chadron State College".

Spencer Lee in the 2021 NCAA semifinals (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Even though it's mid-June, it's never too early to look ahead to the next college season. And by ahead, we mean WAY ahead to Detroit and the 2022 NCAA Championships. A reoccurring feature between now and then will be our All-330 projections. What is the all-330? That number represents the total number of wrestlers in action at the tournament. 33 per weight class. Here is our first stab at projecting the wrestlers that will qualify for the 2022 NCAA Championships. Since we are so early in the year, these lists will evolve as wrestlers transfer, go up or down in weight, or change redshirt status. There are some true freshmen listed among the 330. Each weight has been broken up into their respective conference. All wrestlers are listed by their school's name, these are not rankings. To the bottom right of each weight you'll see seven wrestlers in the "just missed" category. Those are the wrestlers that were considered for the top-33 but didn't make the cut...for now. 125lbs This weight, as much as many, has been boosted by the return of the Ivy League wrestlers. We have added four Ivy Leaguers into the mix. That nudges out a handful of 2021 national qualifiers. While the top-tier at 125 is extremely small, it is very deep. 133lbs The 2020 133 lb weight class was one of the most top-heavy of the last decade. We have Sebastian Rivera moving back to give the 2022 more of a 2020 feel. Stevan Micic and Nick Suriano are also possibilities, but we have not listed them yet. 141lbs This weight class only gets deeper with the addition of All-American contenders Sammy Alvarez and Austin Gomez. For now, we have Joshua Saunders at 141 and Yianni Diakomihalis at 149. You'll notice Real Woods in his own category. He'll be added to a conference once he make his intentions known. 149lbs This is the first weight with a wrestler from the Class of 2021. We have Shayne Van Ness as the starter for Penn State. That is not set in stone, but we'll go with it for now. Also, Jaden Abas and Kizhan Clarke, could change the face of this weight once they decide their future homes. 157lbs This weight looks a bit different from 2021 as we've added a handful of wrestlers that are expected to change weights (Austin O'Connor, Jake Keating, Peyton Robb), along with two of the best freshmen in the Class of 2021 (Paddy Gallagher and Dean Hamiti). 165lbs For now, we have Ryan Deakin at 165. There's no way he could make 157 again, could he? We've got the beginning of some weight changes with Ohio State and the new Cal Poly Mustang, Evan Wick in the Pac-12. Shane Griffith will make an impact here (or possibly at 174), based on his decision. 174lbs Some new faces from the ACC (Mekhi Lewis, Hayden Hidlay, and Kennedy Monday) make this weight class an absolute meatgrinder. The Big Ten alone has six returning AA's. 184lbs With transfer Patrick Brucki in Ann Arbor and ready to go at 197, along with a soft commitment from Myles Amine to return, we have him down at 184. 197lbs Missouri's move to the Big 12 now gives the conference four returning AA's and a possible 9 qualifiers. The Big Ten gets a shot in the arm adding Max Dean and Greg Bulsak as transfers, along with Wisconsin super-freshman Braxton Amos. 285lbs The elephant in the room is Gable Steveson's status. We'll probably have a better idea on that after the Olympics in about a month and a half. For now, we have him in. After competing at 125 kg in freestyle, we have Lucas Davison up from 197 lbs. Typically 285 lbs is very senior-heavy, so the extra year of eligibility is really evident here. All seven in the "just missed" category have qualified for nationals at least once.

Two-time All-American Nick Piccininni (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) You could easily make the case that wrestling is the best base for a career in MMA fighting. Many former collegiate and international wrestlers go on to win titles in the sport. The following is a new feature for InterMat, which allows wrestling fans to follow former mat stars in MMA. The following are some of the top former wrestlers competing in MMA and other combat sports. If we missed anyone, be sure to let us know in the comment section. Today, UFC veteran Tom Lawlor will return to action on the undercard of PFL 2021 #5 against Jordan Young in a light heavyweight fight. Lawlor has focused mostly on professional wrestling since leaving the UFC in 2016, but he has fought twice against Deron Winn and Antonio Carlos Junior. During his collegiate days at Central Florida, Lawlor was a three-time NCWA champion and four-time All-American. In some ways, Lawlor is the quintessential representative of the club-level association since his success came at the odd 235-pound weight class. The undercard of PFL 2021 #5 will air live at 5:30pm ET on ESPN+ (Subscription). Four-time Big 12 champion and two-time All-American Nick Piccininni will make his MMA debut at Xtreme Fight Night 371 on Friday. Per UFC.com, the former Oklahoma State Cowboy will take on seven-fight veteran Chancey Wilson. Piccininni hopes to become the latest Cowboy to have success in MMA and has been training with teammates Kyle Crutchmer and Jacobe Smith under the tutelage of Daniel Cormier at American Kickboxing Academy. XFN 371 will air live at 5:00pm ET on UFC Fight Pass (Subscription). Canadian Jesse Arnett is scheduled to face off against former UFC title challenger Ray Borg in the main event of UAE Warriors 20 on Saturday morning in Abu Dhabi. Arnett wrestled for Canada's only NCAA member school, Simon Fraser, in college. In 2004, he won a silver medal at the Junior Pan American Championships. Three years later, he won a bronze medal at the 2007 Commonwealth Championships. The most accomplished wrestler competing in MMA this weekend can be found on the undercard of Saturday night's UFC event. Kanako Murata was a three-time Asian Championships medalist and a World University bronze before ever having her first fight. She was also a three-time member of Japan's World Cup team. In 2011, Murata defeated Helen Maroulis in the finals of the Junior World Championships. Murata moved to MMA in 2016. She went 11-1 fighting mostly for Rizin and Invicta FC before signing with the UFC last year. She won her debut over Randa Markos and meets Virna Jandiroba on Saturday. Also on the UFC undercard, Matt Semelsberger takes on Khaos Williams. Semelsberger played college football at Marist but was also a high school wrestler at Urbana High School in Maryland. The undercard of UFC Fight Night: Korean Zombie vs. Ige will air live at 4:00pm ET on ESPN2. While the long-awaited MMA debut of Pat Downey is not currently scheduled, he appears to be taking another step in that direction. The former Iowa State All-American and 2019 World Team member is set to compete in the Third Coast Grappling Middleweight Grand Prix on Saturday. In the first round of the eight-man Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournament, Downey will face off against Pedro Marinho, who won the No-Gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Championships at the brown belt level in 2019. Downey previously submitted against grappling superstar Gordon Ryan back in 2020. He returned to the submission sport this past May and picked up a decision over Rasheed Perez at Subversiv 5. The Third Coast Grappling Middleweight Grand Prix will air live at 8:00pm ET on Fite.TV (Pay Per View).

Elizbar Odikadze (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. 6/15/21 - Elizbar Odikadze (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 talented competitor who has been a perennial contender for the past decade, #6 Elizbar Odikadze has proven he has the skill to hang with and beat the world's best time and time again. But while Odikadze's skill has never been in question, his consistency has and will be huge if he wants to break through for his first Olympic medal in a loaded field. We're going to see if Odikadze has what it takes to medal in Tokyo in this career recap. #6 Elizbar Odikadze (GEO)- 4x World 5th place finisher (‘14,'15,'17,'19), 2015 European Games runner-up, 2016 Olympics 5th place finisher, 2018 world bronze medalist, 2019 European Games bronze medalist, 2015 Baku GGP champion, 7x European championships bronze medalist (‘15,'16,'17,'18,'19, ‘20, ‘21). Key Wins: #2 Kyle Snyder (2016 World Club Cup), #4 (92) Aslanbek Alborov ( 2017 97 KG European championships, 2018 97 KG world championships, 2015 Baku GGP), #13 Sharif Sharifov (2015 Baku GGP finals), Khetag Gozyumov (2013 Yasar Dogu finals), Reza Yazdani (2012 world cup), Reineris Salas Perez (2017 world championships wrestling). Key Losses: Abdusalam Gadisov (2015 world championships, 2016 World Cup), #2 Kyle Snyder (2016 Olympics, 2016 World Cup, 2019 world championships bronze medal match), #1 Abdulrashid Sadulaev (2015 Alrosa Cup, 2017 world championships, 2018 world championships, 2020 European championships), Khetag Gozyumov (2014 world championships, 2015 world championships, 2015 European Games finals), Georgi Ketoev (2017 world bronze medal match), Valerii Andriitsev (2014 world bronze medal match), #13 Sharif Sharifov (2019 world championships) 2011-2013 Elizbar Odikadze's Senior career would kick off in 2011 at the Tbilsi Grand Prix in June, a two-year gap after an 11th place finish at the Junior European championships. Odikadze would make a major statement in his debut, finishing as runner-up to 2009 world bronze medalist Serhat Balci (TUR). Odikadze concluded his 2011 with a bronze medal finish at the Ziolkowski behind Abdusalam Gadisov (RUS) and Serhat Balci (TUR) and 2012 would be the year things started to change for Turkey, but first, we have to talk about someone else. Giorgi Gogschelidze was a towering presence at 97 KG for over a decade and arguably the face of Georgian upperweight wrestling. And he had entirely earned that reputation earning a world title for Russia in 2001, 5x World/Olympic medals for Georgia and a European title in 2008, where he beat 6x World/Olympic Khadzhimurat Gatsalov (RUS). While Odikadze would have a compelling 2012 with a pair of bronze medal finishes to start the year at the Ziolkowski and International Tournament and a huge win at the World Cup over reigning world champion Reza Yazdani (IRI), it would be Gogschelidze who would go to the Olympics and finish his career with a bronze medal in London. While Gogschelidze finished out his career in London, Odikadze continued to march in with impressive end of the year showings at the Baku GGP, winning gold over Russian Nationals medalist Arslanbek Aliev (RUS) and a runner-up finish at the Intercontinental Cup to 2011 Russian Nationals silver medalist Yuri Belonovski (RUS). 2013 started off with a breakthrough for Odikadze as he upset 2010 world champion, returning Olympic bronze medalist Khetag Gozyumov (AZE) for gold in the finals of the Yasar Dogu, for the biggest international win of his career. High off the biggest achievement of his young career, Odikadze's momentum was stopped abruptly by Yarygin champion Vladislav Baitsaev (RUS) in the second round of the European Championships, where he finished 10th. Odikadze would have to wait yet again for his chance at the world championships as it would be Dato Kerashvili (GEO) who would go in his place, taking fifth. Odikadze wrestled through the end of the year, finishing with bronze at the Dmitri Korkin tournament behind future world medalists Shamil Akhmedov (RUS) and #4 (92) Aslanbek Alborov (AZE). An errant move up to 120 KG for the Baku GGP would result in Odikadze's worst finish of the year, where he took eighth. 2014-2019 2014 would see the beginning of a new stage of Odikadze's career as Georgia's most consistently, inconsistent upperweight fixtures. 100% capable of hanging with the best in the world, but time and time again, be it in the form of gassing out or poor match decision making, Odikadze would grasp defeat from the jaws of victory. Odikadze's 2014 would start off very strong with back-to-back titles at the Stepan Sargsyan Cup and Ziolkowski Memorial and avenged his loss to Vladislav Baitsaev (RUS). But the World Championships would halt that momentum for Odikadze, as the ever consistent powerhouse Khetag Gozyumov (AZE) would stop him in his tracks in second-round action and a bodylock from 2012 Olympic runner-up Valerii Andriitsev (UKR) would put Odikadze away in the bronze medal match. Off a disappointing finish at the world championships, Odiakdze reset his sights in 2015 to the Takhti Cup, where he beat Hassan Rahimi (IRI), a young talent fresh off an upset win over returning world bronze medalist Valerii Andriitsev (UKR). An eighth-place finish at the Medved behind a trio of Olympic medalists in Sharif Sharifov (AZE), Khetag Gozyumov (AZE), and Valerii Andriitsev (UKR) was no shame for Odikadze going into the European Games where he had a favorable shot at medaling if he could stay away from Russian powerhouse Abdusalam Gadisov (RUS) or the Azeri stalwart Khetag Gozyumov (AZE). Odikadze's run in Baku would be a memorable one as he avenged his loss to 2014 World bronze medal loss to Valerii Andriitsev (UKR) in the semis and fall 3-1 to Khetag Gozyumov (AZE). After an impressive showing in Baku, Odikadze followed it up with a head-scratching performance at the Ziolkowski. After beating 2018 84 KG world medalist #8 Mohammad Mohammadian (IRI) and future European champion Riza Yildirim (TUR), he would fall to what should have been an overmatched Abbas Tahan (IRI) 3-1 in the finals. The World Championships would see Odikadze coast through to the semis where he was stopped dead in his tracks 7-2 by returning world champion Abdusalam Gadisov (RUS) and fall again by way of a four-point counter to Khetag Gozyumov (AZE) for bronze in a match he had been winning. Slated as the man to welcome reigning two-time 84 KG world champion #1 Abdulrashid Sadulaev (RUS) to 97 KG at the Alrosa Cup, Odikadze was severely outgunned and tech falled in the Russian great's light heavyweight debut. Odikadze's final competition of 2015 would be his best, winning a loaded Baku Golden Grand Prix field with wins over Olympic champion #13 Sharif Sharifov (AZE) and two-time world bronze medalist Pavlo Oliiynk (UKR) to gain momentum going into 2016. 2016 would be a strange start for Odikadze, losing to the unheralded Ivan Yankouski (BLR) at the Medved and finishing in bronze. Anzor Boltukaev, the brawny Chechen who stunned the wrestling world in 2013 by pinning Abdusalam Gadisov to winning Russian Nationals and go on to win world bronze, would make his return in an emphatic statement with wins over World/Olympic champions #2 Kyle Snyder (USA) and Jake Varner (USA) to win the Yarygin title. The European championship was all but guaranteed for Boltukaev and falling in his warpath was Odikadze, tech falled by the bruiser 12-0 in the quarterfinals. Odikadze rallied back to finish bronze with a tentative 3-1 win over Valerii Andriitsev (UKR). 2016 would be arguably the most Odikadze year of Odikadze's career. What I mean by that is he has a weird loss he shouldn't, beats really solid guys really early in the season or post world's and then falls to the elite of the elites come time for the big show. But even saying that, Odikadze was really closing in on the likes of world champions #2 Kyle Snyder (USA) and Abdusalam Gadisov (RUS), as evident by his razor-thin losses to the two at the World Cup. And his first round 8-1 win over former pound-for-pound great Georgi Ketoev (ARM) made Odikadze seem like he could really bring home hardware on time #3. But a powerful first-period semi against returning world champ #2 Kyle Snyder became a defeated and exhausted second period that culminated with a 9-4 loss and Odikadze was then blown out for bronze against Albert Saritov (ROU), a 2011 84 KG world bronze medalist for Russia. To finish his year, Odikadze goes and beats now Olympic champion, #2 Kyle Snyder (USA) at the World Club Cup and reannounces himself as a major contender at 97 KG going into the new quad. A uniquely Odikadze performance ensued to start off 2017 at the European championships. Impressive on his way to the semifinals, beating the surging #4 (92) Aslanbek Alborov (AZE), who had just unseated #2 Kyle Snyder (USA) at the World Cup, Odikadze was stopped in a slow-paced, defensively-minded loss to eventual champion Riza Yildirim (TUR). Another Odikadze headscratcher in the form of a 4-4 semifinal loss to Mamed Ibragimov (KAZ) would relegate Odikadze for bronze. The world championships would come around for Odikadze and he went through an absolutely loaded bracket going 2-2 placing 5th. Wins over world medalists Reineris Salas Perez (CUB) and Pavlo Oliinyk (UKR) cemented Odikadze as the best of the rest, but a tech fall to runner-up #1 Abdulrashid Sadulaev (RUS) and a stifling loss in the bronze medal match to Georgi Ketoev (ARM) meant Odikadze was on the outside looking in after his fourth straight fifth-place finish at the World/Olympics. Injury defaulting of the Dan Kolov, Odikadze's first competition of 2018 would be at the European championships and he would be no match for old foe Vladislav Baitsaev (RUS), who outscored the competition 42-0 on his way to gold. Odikadze did have a strong win over future world medalist #14 Abraham De Jesus Conyedo Ruano (ITA) in repechage. Back-to-back titles at the ranking series events, the Tbilsi Grand Prix and the Ziolkowski Memorial, meant favorable placement for Odikadze in the bracket for World's. And Odikadze looked at his career-best, upsetting Yasar Dogu champion and returning world bronze #4 (92) Aslanbek Alborov (AZE) in the quarterfinals after Alborov had looked primed for another world medal after upsetting Olympic champions #2 Kyle Snyder (USA) and #13 Sharif Sharifov (AZE). As good as Odikadze was at his best, #1 Abdulrashid Sadulaev (RUS) was a man possessed after falling short in a battle of Olympic championships in the 2017 world finals. Sadulaev had outscored the competition 35-0 going into the semifinals against Odikadze and Odikadze would be another victim of the scoreboard, being dominated in a 10-0 tech fall loss. But there was redemption for Odikadze as he would get his fifth shot at a world medal and would make the most of it, coming out on top of a scramble in a back and forth match against 2016 Olympic bronze medalist #18 Magomed Ibragimov (UZB) for his first world medal. The massive weight off his chest and coming off a career-high now as a world medalist, Odikadze went into the prestigious Alans tournament looking to exact revenge upon his earlier season loss to Vladislav Baitsaev (RUS) but was upset early by Russian Nationals bronze medalist Zaynulla Kurbanov (RUS) and placed ninth. In the final year of the quad, 2019 was a return to form for Odikadze in the good and the bad. New contenders emerged in Europe and made their presence felt against Odikadze. #11 Aleksandr Hushtyn (BLR) beat the talented Georgian 2-1 in the European Championships semifinals, with Odikadze rebounding to a strong bronze medal finish over Nicolai Ceban (MDA) and then an absolute beatdown of a loss in the finals of the International Ukrainian Tournament to 2018 U-23 world bronze medalist Murazhi Mchelidze (UKR) that was followed up by a bronze medal finish at the European Games that saw him beat Mchelidze 5-0 for bronze after a 7-3 quarterfinals loss to Nurmagomed Gadzhiev (AZE). The 2019 World Championships would come and Odikadze would yet again beat a red hot Yasar Dogu champ expected to contend for hardware in #7 Ali Khalil Shahbanibengar (IRI). He was then shut out by Olympic champions #13 Sharif Sharifov (AZE) 6-0 in the quarterfinals and 5-0 by #2 Kyle Snyder (USA) for bronze. Odikadze qualified for his second Olympics, but it would seem the cycle would repeat itself, especially with the new talent-injected 97 KG weight class. A second run at the Alans would be more fruitful for Odikadze as he would take bronze after a loss to Vladislav Baitsaev (RUS) and stymie the rise of young Russian prospect Shamil Ali Musaev (RUS). In the truncated 2020 COVID season, Odikadze was able to win his eighth European Championships/Games medal with a bronze medal in Italy over returning European Games runner-up Nurmagomed Gadzhiev (AZE). So far this year, Odikadze has finished fifth at the International Ukrainian Tournament after a razor-thin loss to 2020 Individual World Cup bronze medalist #5 Suleyman Karadeniz (TUR) and followed it up with European medal #9 with impressive wins over #11 Aleksandr Hushtyn (BLR), 2019 world bronze medalist Magomedgadzhi Nurov (MKD) and 2018 92 KG U-23 world champion Shamil Zubairov (AZE) to go against a 7-5 semifinal loss to #5 Suleyman Karadeniz (TUR). Elizbar Odikadze's position in Tokyo is a strange one. He has the potential to beat the best, but historically not when they are at their best, so I'm not expecting at 32 years old for Odikadze to have this huge career turnaround and start beating the elite ranks of Sadulaev, Snyder, Karadeniz, or Mohammadian in Tokyo. But I think Odikadze is still a threat with a good draw and can still keep young prospects honest and, if luck is on his side, potentially medal. Even if this is Odikadze's final run, Georgia will have a more than capable replacement in 2018 U-23 world champion #12 Givi Matcharashvili (GEO) waiting in the wings.

Yesterday, news made the rounds of social media stating that Mississippi had finally sanctioned wrestling at the high school level. For boys, that would make it all 50 US states that currently sanction the sport. It sounds like a reason for celebration; however, it's not entirely accurate. Earlier today, I spoke with Lonnie Tillman, an Associate Director with the MHSAA (Mississippi High School Activities Association), Mississippi's governing body. He was accommodating in answering my questions surrounding this news regarding high school wrestling in the state. The MHSAA has already sanctioned wrestling, but to this date, they haven't sponsored a state tournament or a postseason. Tillman says wrestling "has always been sanctioned by the MHSAA." He was unable to estimate what "always" entails, but adds the program at Ocean Springs had been in operation for over a decade. The city sits on the Gulf and is located about 60 miles west of Mobile, Alabama and an equal distance east of the Louisiana border. The school will travel to both states to wrestle. The only other known program in Mississippi is the Mississippi School for the Blind, which is located in Jackson. If you were to check out the MHSAA website, there is a tab for wrestling, along with other sanctioned sports; however, there's no additional information. After a meeting in early June, the organization has agreed to sponsor a statewide "Invitational" tournament. Tillman stressed that this is not a "true" state tournament and no state titles will be awarded by his organization. It's unclear exactly how the tournament will run. Tillman estimates that it could have some form of a North vs. South theme. The invitational will take place during the 2021-22 school year. Some other good news is that a girls state tournament will be offered, with the same caveats as above. Girls wrestling has not been sanctioned in Mississippi as per the information provided by Wrestle Like a Girl. The Mississippi wrestling community has been told that they will need a third of the member schools to participate in wrestling for a true state championship to be held and awarded. Tillman has been told that at least 14 or 15 additional schools plan on fielding teams in the 2021-22 season. Currently, the state has about 240 high schools. That would require a total of 80 schools to pledge to offer the sport. Multiple members of the MHSAA confided that facilities seem to be a considerable issue with starting the sport on a statewide basis. A significant percentage of schools in the state were built 30-40 years ago and with only one gymnasium. Aside from basketball; cheerleading, dance, and volleyball also fight for those spaces. While many high school wrestling teams face hurdles like these, these spatial issues are significant concerns for athletic directors and school board members who must approve funding for a new wrestling team. They also stated that the lack of a wrestling culture in-state has hindered its growth. There are very few Mississippi residents that hail from other states, so it's difficult to garner interest in a sport that has never existed in-state and even more of a task to find able coaches. One of the organizations at the center of this push, the Mississippi Wrestling Foundation, is working to change this and help the sport grow in-state. Tillman has noticed interest in wrestling increasing in the Tupelo and Oxford areas. Overall, this is good news for the Mississippi wrestling community. There are more high school teams on the horizon and an opportunity to compete in a postseason, even if not "official" in the eyes of the administrators. Seeing the possibilities of a postseason will make adding the sport more of a chance for all schools without a team.

Risako Kawai at the 2019 World Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) When the Tokyo Olympics finally begin in late July, with wrestling competition scheduled for early August, the host country will be looking forward to few events more than women's freestyle wrestling. The Japanese team has been a dominant force since the beginning of the style, winning at least one individual title in every world championship except for the very first, in 1987. Since women's freestyle was introduced at the Olympic Games, Japan has claimed more than half of all gold medals in the discipline, claiming the top spot in 11 of 16 weight classes contested. After a bit of a down performance at the 2019 world championships, with just one gold and six medals across the 10 weight classes, the Japanese women will be looking to make a statement in front of their home fans. That tournament further proved their superiority, however, as they still took home the team championship despite their subpar performance. That team title pushed the all-time scoreboard, including unofficial Olympic team competitions, to Japan 27, everyone else in women's freestyle 7. While we wait to see what happens in Tokyo, we wanted to put Japan's dominance into perspective. Looking back at the history of international wrestling, only one nation has dominated any style of wrestling as thoroughly as the Japanese are doing now. While that nation no longer exists, the USSR and the many nations who were a part of it continue to loom large over the sport. We wanted to see just how close the Japanese women have come to doing what the Soviet Union was able to do during it's reign. To begin, we'll look at team titles won. Can we just take a minute to appreciate that the USSR claimed every Greco team title at a world championship or Olympic Games that they participated in? From 1952 through 1991, save for the 1984 boycott, if the competition was held, the Soviets were taking top honors. I can't imagine we'll ever see that again. It took them longer to own men's freestyle, but they did rattle off consecutive championships from 1969 through 1990, again with the exception of 1984. Japan's team winning percentage compares favorably to USSR's men's freestyle, though they have yet to have as long of a winning streak. Their best run consisted of eight straight team titles and they are currently winners of the last seven in a row. Team titles are a good start, but when you're head and shoulders above your peers, individual medals may be a better way to measure just how dominant you are. As remarkable as Japan has been, they can't quite match what the USSR did in either of the men's styles. In addition to medaling at a higher rate overall and winning more gold medals, we must remember that all of the USSR's statistics come from a time when there was only one bronze medal. Since 2005, Japan has wrestled under the double bronze system. On the other hand, Japan has had to deal with each of the old Soviet states being able to enter a competitor in each weight, instead of all of them being under one banner. Russia, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, and Belarus have all claimed gold medals in women's freestyle, suggesting the brackets may be deeper now. Japan has won as many as six gold medals in one world championship (1994 when there were 9 weights) and has won a medal at every weight contested 4 times in 34 world or Olympic competitions. Their best team performance came in 2006 when they claimed five golds, one silver, and one bronze across the seven weights on offer in Guangzhou, China. The USSR won as many as seven gold medals in men's freestyle (three times) and eight golds in Greco (1975 when there were 10 weights) at one world-level competition. Greco claimed a medal at every weight six times in 36 competitions, while men's freestyle accomplished the feat 4 times in 36 attempts. Their most dominant teams were 1983 for men's freestyle with seven golds, two silvers, and one bronze across 10 weights in Kyiv and 1976 for Greco with seven golds, two silvers, and one bronze across 10 weights at the Montreal Olympics. Two Japanese individuals that cannot be matched by their Soviet counterparts are Saori Yoshida and Kaori Icho. Those two stand first and second on the all-time list of most world-level gold medals across all three styles of wrestling. Yoshida is first with 16, three Olympic titles and 13 at the world championships, while Icho's four Olympic gold medals are more than any other wrestler, male or female, has claimed. With Icho's 10 world championship crowns, the two legends have 30 world-level championships between them. The only other wrestlers to hit double digits to date are Alexander Medved (10, USSR, MFS), Riza Kayaalp (10, TUR, GR), and Aleksandr Karelin (12, USSR and RUS, GR). As we can see, while Soviet Greco stands alone as the gold standard of dominance in international wrestling, the Japanese women hold their own by most measures. However, while the Soviet story has long since been ended, Japan may very well continue to build on its legacy. They have been even more dominant at the Junior level in recent years so, despite their relative lack of success at the 2019 world championships, there are plenty of reasons to believe that Japan will continue to rule. Can they reach the dizzying heights of the USSR or will developing rivals slow their rate of success? We will see the next chapter written in that story in a little more than a month.

Sergei Kozyrev at the 2021 Last Chance Qualifier(Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) 57 KG 2020 U-23 Russian Nationals champion Musa Mektikhanov returned to the rankings in a big way, making the Yarygin finals opposite three-time Russian Nationals bronze medalist #9 (INT) Aryan Tyutrin (BLR) after an upset win over 2019 Russian Nationals champion #7 Ramiz Gamzatov. Gamzatov, as he did at the 2020 Yarygin, teched Russian Nationals bronze medalist #4 Abubakar Mutaliev. Mektikhanov fell 9-5 to Tyutrin for gold and taking bronze at the Yarygin were #7 Ramiz Gamzatov and Tamir Garmaev. Musa Mekhtikhanov is back in the rankings at Mutaliev falls two spots to #6 for his loss to Gamzatov, who moves up two slots to #5. #8 Akhmed Idrisov won the U-23 European championships in dominant fashion over Aliabbas Rzazade of Azerbaijan. 61 KG Two-time reigning Russian Nationals champion #1 Abasgadzhi Magomedov was in dominant form in winning his first Yarygin title, taking gold with two tech falls and two pins outscoring the competition (that included #4 Nodar Arabidze, #9 Zhargal Damdinov and #10 Rustam Karakhanov) 53-10. Finishing runner-up to Magomedov was Karakhanov and taking bronze at the Yarygin was Damdinov and Eziu Tiuliush. #2 Muslim Mekhtikhanov was upset in the quarterfinals of the U-23 European championships by #7 Nico Megerle (GER) and eliminated when Megerle lost to eventual champion #6 Teimuraz Vanishvili (GEO) in the finals. 65 KG #3 Kurban Shiraev and #6 David Baev moved up to 70 KG for the Yarygin, where Shiraev took gold and Baev took bronze. Shiraev is #3 and Baev is #4 at 70 KG. 2019 61 KG Junior world bronze medalist Alik Khadartsev made a major run at the Yarygin, beating 2018 Russian Nationals bronze medalist Dasha Sharastepanov in the finals after wins over past Russian Nationals medalists #9 Ramazan Ferzaliev and Dinislam Takhtarov. Sharastepanov was also on fire at the Yarygin, beating 2020 U-23 Russian Nationals champion Chaiaan Mongush, 2019 Russian Nationals runner-up #8 Nachyn Kuular, #10 Gadzhimurad Omarov, and 2019 Russian Nationals bronze medalist Julian Gergenov to make the finals. Taking bronze at the Yarygin was Ferzaliev over Dinislam Takhtarov and Mongush over Gergenov. #3 Abdulmazhid Kudiev was runner-up at the U-23 European Championships to 2019 70 KG Junior world champion #8 (INT) Erik Arushanian (UKR). 70 KG Returning 65 KG Yarygin champion #3 (65), Kurban Shiraev made a dominant run to his second Yarygin title defeating three straight Russian Nationals medalists in #6 (65) David Baev, #3 Viktor Rassadin, and #7 Abdulla Akhmedov for gold. #4 Aznaur Tavaev moved up to 74 KG, where he took gold over two-time Russian Nationals bronze medalist #7 (74) Nikita Suchkov. Baev and Rezuan Kazharov took bronze at the Yarygin. Kazharov debuts in the rankings at #10 for placing bronze at the Yarygin and beating 2018 Russian Nationals runner-up Arpak Sat. Shiraev and Baev are back in the rankings at #3 and #4. #6 Inalbek Sheriev took bronze at the U-23 European championships after a semifinal loss to 2019 65 KG Cadet World Champion Dzhabrail Gadzhiev (AZE). 74 KG #4 (70) Aznaur Tavaev returned to 74 KG again after having competed earlier this year at the Oleg Dukanov Memorial, where he took bronze. Tavaev made the most of his return and beat two-time Russian Nationals bronze medalist #6 Nikita Suchkov to take the #6 spot in the rankings and avenge a loss to Suchkov from the semifinals of the Oleg Dukanov Memorial. Finishing in bronze at the Yarygin was Ruslan Bogatyrev and Aiub Abregov. #7 Magomed Abdulkadyrov failed to place after losses to Suchkov and 2020 Junior Russian Nationals champion Khamzat Eldarov and was eliminated from the rankings as was #9 Magomed Dibirgadzhiev, who was qualified in his semifinal match against Tavaev. Ruslan Bogatyrev is in at #10 for taking bronze. #9 Cherman Valiev won gold at the U-23 European championships over Hryar Alikhanyan of Armenia. 79 KG 2020 Russian Nationals bronze medalist Amanulla Gadzhimagomedov made his return to the rankings with a runner-up finish at the Yarygin to #2 Akhmed Usmanov. Gadzhimagomedov made the finals off wins over surging #10 Magomed Magomaev and #9 (INT) Arsalan Budazhapov (KGZ). Taking bronze at the Yarygin was #9 (INT) Arsalan Budazhapov (KGZ) and Iusup Aidaev. Magomaev makes a significant move in the rankings up five spots to #5 after wins over #4 Gadzhimurad Alikhmaev and Dmitri Zainidiinov. 2019 Russian Nationals bronze medalist Khalid Yakhiev was tech falled in the U-23 European championships finals #15 (INT) Ramazan Sari (TUR). 86 KG #6 Magomedsharif Biyakaev improved upon his bronze medal finish from last year's Yarygin with gold beating three past Russian Nationals medalists in #4 Vladislav Valiev, #7 Arsenali Musalaliev and Zelimkhan Minkailov on the way to his title. Valiev beat Musalaliev for bronze and #10 Tazhidin Akaev took bronze with a win over 2018 Alans bronze medalist Slavik Naniev. 2018 Russian Nationals bronze medalist Minkailov is in the rankings at #9 for beating #10 Tazhidin Akaev Amanulla Rasulov won the U-23 European championships over 2019 79 KG Junior world bronze medalist Orkhan Abasov of Azerbaijan. 92 KG #5 Guram Chertkoev won the Yarygin over #8 Tamerlan Tapsiev. Bronze medalists at the Yarygin were #10 Zagid Karimov and Nurgun Sergin. Russian Nationals bronze medalist #6 Azamat Zakuev took bronze at the U-23 European championships after a quarterfinal loss to eventual runner-up #6 (INT) Osman Nurmagomedov (AZE). 97 KG Returning runner-up Magomedkhan Magomedov struck Yarygin gold with a finals victory over 2019 Russian Nationals runner-up #5 Igor Ovsyannikov. Other notable results were 2020 Russian Nationals bronze medalist #7 Aslanbek Gazzaev avenging his loss from last year's U-23 Russian Nationals championships to #6 Maxim Tolmachev in the qualifying round. Gazzaev was beaten by #5 Ovsyannikov in the quarterfinals and lost in the first round of repechage to Devid Dzugaev. Dzugaev and Shamil Gadzhialiev took bronze at the Yarygin. Magomedkhan Magomedov is back in the rankings at #4 for his win over Ovsyannikov and his win from last year over Russian Nationals bronze medalist #4 Khokh Khugaev in the U-23 Russian Nationals finals. Dzugaev enters the rankings at #7 for beating #7 Gazzaev in repechage on his way to taking bronze at the Yarygin. Two-time Russian Nationals runner-up #3 Aslanbek Sotiev won the U-23 European championships by tech fall over Radu Lefter (MDA). 125 KG #1 Sergey Kozyrev made the finals of the world qualifier and qualified Russia for the Olympics. Kozyrev, along with all other Russian athletes, will be under the ROC flag due to doping sanctions against Russia that will not allow them to compete under the traditional Russian Flag. #6 Zelimkhan Khizriev beat Khamzat Khizriev 8-7 to win gold at the Yarygin. Vitali Goloev and Ostap Pasenok took bronze. National runner-up #5 Atsamaz Tebloev was runner-up at the U-23 European championships to #14 (INT) Anil Killicsallyan (TUR). Pound for Pound #16 Zagir Shakhiev and #17 Kurban Shiraev both moved up four spots to #12 and #13. #18 Nachyn Kuular was removed from the rankings due to his loss to 2018 65 KG Russian Nationals bronze medalist Dasha Sharastepanov. Most of the movement this month is Shakhiev and Shiraev and the rest of the 65 KG's being moved up then the middleweights (Naifonov, Kurugliev, Ramazanov) getting a small bump with Chakaev being bumped down and Kuular out. Alik Khadartsev takes the #25 spot in the rankings for winning the Yarygin at 65 kilograms.

Gable Steveson before the 2021 NCAA semifinals(Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Throughout the past couple weeks, we have seen each weight's Top-20 Fantasy Wrestlers on display from the 2021 season with some surprising names in surprising places. For one last look into last season point totals, let's look to see how each Fantasy Rank Grouping would fare as a "team" entering the NCAAs. First, the composition of each Fantasy Team Grouping: Applying NCAA scoring, here is how each Team finishes: First, the composition of each Fantasy Team Grouping: 1st Place: 2nd Place: 3rd Place: 4th Place: 5th Place: 6th Place: 7th Place: 8th Place: 9th Place: 10th Place: Finally (for Clicks & Giggles), where each of these Fantasy Teams would land in the Actual NCAA Team Race. For this, I did not remove the wrestler from their actual school's Team because, you know, it's Fantasy Wrestling. Ah, what the hell, why not. Here is what the NCAA Team standings would be if it was adjusted for those wrestlers on the Fantasy Teams were removed from their actual NCAA Team:

Koumba Larroque (right) (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. 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) Though she has become a staple of the Senior Women's Freestyle circuit and already has a pair of world medals to her credit, Koumba Larroque is still only 22 years old. She won't turn 23 until late August, after the Olympic Games. Larroque is one of the current and rising stars in the women's ranks and could be on the scene for multiple Olympic cycles. What makes Larroque's recent run even more impressive is that she competes for a country (France) that regularly churns out world medalists. Prior to Larroque's world bronze in 2017, only four other women have medaled in the preceding decade. Key Wins: Blessing Oborududu (2021 Poland Open, Finals), Meerim Zhumanazarova (2021 Poland Open; Semis), Danielle Lappage (2021 Poland Open; Quarters), Anna Schell (2021 Poland Open; Round of 16, 2019 Poland Open; Final), Tamyra Mensah-Stock (2018 World Championships; Semi), Yudaris Sanchez Rodriguez (2017 U23 World Championships; Quarterfinals), Buse Tosun (2019 World Championships; Repechage, 2018 European; Semi, 2017 U23 World Championships; Round of 16), Martina Kuenz (2017 World Championships; Bronze Medal), Anastasia Bratchikova (2017 World Championships; Repechage), Elis Manolova (2017 European; Bronze Medal), Khanum Velieva (2021 European; Final, 2017 U23 World Championships; Semi), 2017 European U23; Semi), Jenny Fransson (2017 Klippan Lady Open; Finals), Naruha Matsuyuki (2017 U23 World Championships; Final, 2017 Klippan Lady Open; Semi) Key Losses: Khanum Velieva (2020 Individual World Cup; Quarters), Blessing Oborududu (2020 Matteo Pellicone; Repechage), Tamyra Mensah-Stock (2020 Matteo Pellicone; Quarters), Alla Belinska (2019 World Military Games; Quarters), Battsetseg Soronzonbold (2019 World Championships; Repechage), Jenny Fransson (2019 World Championships; Round of 16), Alla Cherkasova (2020 European; Quarters, 2018 World Championships; Final), Sara Dosho (2017 World Championships; Round of 16), Anastasia Bratchikova (2018 European; Final, 2018 Nikola Petrov; Round of 16, 2017 European; Qualification) The Age Group Years (2013-15) Koumba Larroque hit the international scene in 2013 as a 14-year-old and took eighth place at the European Championships. That was the extent of her travel outside of her native, France, for the year, but her experience in 2013 paid dividends just a year later. During a three-month span in 2014, Larroque earned silver medals at the European and World Championships, before taking bronze at the Youth Olympic Games. Fellow young prodigy and future U23 world champion Grace Bullen (Norway) defeated Larroque in the finals of the continental and world championships and was victorious at the Youth Games. While still Cadet-eligible, in 2015, Larroque entered the European Junior Championships and was fifth at 63 kg. Later that year, Larroque claimed gold at both the European and World Championships, at the Cadet level. In the gold medal match, at Cadet Worlds, Larroque downed Russia's Khanum Velieva, who has been a longtime rival. We'll document it later, but the two have exchanged wins against each other for the better part of six years. There was no doubt about the result this time. In fact, Larroque put together 10-0 techs against all four of her opponents at the 2015 Cadet World Championships, including American Kayla Marano. Larroque may not have realized it that time, but 2015 marked the final full competition slate outside of the Senior-level for the young Frenchwoman. The Takeover (2016-18) Though just 17 for the bulk of the 2016 campaign, Larroque would primarily compete at Senior-level competitions for the remainder of the year and beyond. Her debut against Senior competition was an inauspicious bronze-medal winning performance at the Grand Prix of Paris. In the Spring of 2016, Larroque hit a pair of Olympic Qualification tournaments and took bronze in both instances. Had she made the finals in either event, she would have qualified France for the 2016 Olympic Games at 63 kg. Since Larroque was so young, she dabbled in the Junior division and won her first European Junior title in June. Later that year, in front of a home crowd in Macon, France, Larroque became the first French Junior in 15 years to claim a world title. Vanessa Boubryemm accomplished the feat in 2001 at 54 kg. Larroque's gold medal came at the expense of China's Yue Han, who would go on to earn world bronze at the Senior level, just a year later. The 2017 season started the way 2016 did for Larroque, in France at the Grand Prix of Paris. This time she left with a gold medal. A few weeks later, Larroque grabbed another gold at the Klippan Lady Open. In Sweden, she defeated Swedish Olympic bronze medalist and 2016 World Champion Jenny Fransson in the championship bout. It was a sign of things to come as 2017 ended up being a breakout year for Larroque. She would finish 2017 with five gold medals and only lost twice all year. Between March and May, Larroque competed in the European Championships at three different age groups. She won gold at the Junior and U23 divisions and settled for bronze at the Senior level. The lone loss of the bunch came to Anastasia Bratchikova (Russia), who would be a thorn in Larroque's side over the years. Next on the agenda was the World Championships, which marked Larroque's first time competing at the event on the Senior level. After suffering an early loss to the eventual gold medalist, Sara Dosho (Japan), Larroque battled back and got a measure of revenge against Bratchikova and then defeated Martina Kuenz (Austria) to claim the bronze medal. In her final event of 2017, Larroque emerged victorious at the U23 World Championships against a loaded field. Before downing Japan's Naruha Matsuyuki, Larroque scored another win over Velieva, along with future U23 World Champion Yudaris Sanchez Rodriguez (Cuba), and Buse Tosun (Turkey). 2018 saw Larroque continue her upward trajectory as one of the top contenders at the Senior level. Though she ultimately would compete at the World Championships at 68 kg, Larroque did toy with 72 kg's at multiple events that year. She got a tune-up early in the year, competing in the Indian Pro League. In her first individual event of the year, Bratchikova proved to be pesky and handed her a loss in the Round of 16 at the Nikola Petrov. Once again, Larroque competed in multiple age groups at the continental championships. She was relegated to the silver medal at the Senior European Championships, but won gold at the U23 tournament. For the second time in 2018, Bratchikova handed her a loss, which came in the Senior finals. Sandwiched between the two European events were the World Military Games. Competing for the first time in this event, Larroque walked away with the gold at 72 kg. She would stay at the weight for Junior Worlds and grabbed her second title, which occurred in Trnava, Slovakia. After three straight gold medal performances, Larroque was primed and ready for Senior Worlds. She cruised through her first few matches before meeting American star Tamyra Mensah-Stock in the semifinals. Larroque was able to get by Mensah-Stock, who was the aggressor for the majority of the bout, a defensive struggle, 2-1. Her finals bout was the complete opposite, though she was on the wrong end of a 15-10 shootout against Alla Cherkasova (Ukraine). The Rollercoaster (2019-Present) Growth on the wrestling mat doesn't always occur in a linear fashion. Sometimes for two steps forward is one step back. After two incredible years (2017 and 2018), Larroque dealt with lingering injuries and wasn't able to put together the same type of consistency of years prior. Larroque was out of action from the World Championships in October of 2018 to the Poland Open in August of 2019. Though she won in Poland, Larroque ended up losing to Fransson in the Round of 16 at the World Championships. Later she fell again to Mongolian Battsetseg Soronzonbold, which dashed any medal hopes. Just over a month after world, Larroque would enter the World Military Games. There she lost to Alla Belinska (Ukraine) in the quarters and did not medal. Larroque was able to compete twice before the Covid Pandemic struck in 2020 and those results were not up to her usual standards. Mensah-Stock and Blessing Oborududu both defeated her at the Matteo Pellicone and then Cherkasova stopped her in the quarters of the European Championships. After a nine-month break in competition, Larroque returned to action at the Poland Open, in late 2020, and responded with a gold medal. In December, she competed at the Individual World Cup and fell to old-rival Velieva. When the Russian missed out on the finals, Larroque was eliminated. Since the calendar has turned to 2021, Larroque has shown signs of her 2018 form. She made the finals of the Olympic Qualifier, which secured her place in Tokyo for the first time. At the 2021 European Championships, Larroque met Velieva, yet again, but this time was victorious. Last week, Larroque entered the Poland Open and ended up winning over a bracket full of hammers. In succession, she took out 2019 European silver medalist Anna Schell (Germany), 2018 World silver medalist Danielle Lappage (Canada), Individual World Cup champion Meerim Zhumanazarova (Kyrgyzstan), and Oborududu. With a showing like Larroque put on in Poland, she displayed she's ready to be considered a gold medal favorite at 68 kg in Tokyo. Looking back at her losses from 2019-20, none of them were against "bad" opponents, so while her placements at those events may stick out, they weren't as poor as they seem.

Evan Wick (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Today, three-time NCAA All-American Evan Wick made his transfer destination public. Wick will be returning to his home state of California to compete for the Mustangs of Cal Poly. He, along with 2021 All-American Bernie Truax, will form an impressive 1-2 punch for Jon Sioredas' team at 165 and 174 lbs. This will mark the first time since the 2006-07 season that the Mustangs have a pair of returning All-Americans on the roster. Evan's younger brother, Luka, is set to enroll as a true freshman for Cal Poly in 2021-22, too. Competing for Wisconsin during his first three years of collegiate competition, Wick wrestled in the NCAA third place bout as a freshman and sophomore before being named an NWCA All-American during the 2020 campaign. In 2018-19, Wick amassed a 30-7 record and was seeded tenth at nationals after taking fourth in the Big Ten. After losing in the NCAA quarters, Wick concluded his tournament by majoring the top-seed, Alex Marinelli, and pinning fifth-seeded Chance Marsteller for third place. Wick and Marinelli have met five times throughout their collegiate careers and that was Wick's lone win. As a sophomore, Wick displayed more consistency throughout the regular season, but still was fourth at a loaded Big Ten weight class. That allowed for a fourth seed at the 2019 NCAA Championships. Wick advanced to the NCAA semis, but was upended by red-hot Mekhi Lewis, 5-2. He would drop to finish fourth, losing to Marsteller in the consolation finals. In the same tournament, Wick pinned Marsteller in the quarterfinals. During the 2019-20 season, Wick put together a 23-4 mark. One of those four losses was an injury default in the opening round at the Big Ten Championship. He did not compete for the remainder of the tournament and was given an eighth seed at nationals. In regular season action, Wick has placed top-four at the Midlands on three occasions. He was a finalist in 2018 and was third a year later. He was also fourth while competing unattached as a redshirting freshman in 2016. As a freshman, Evan made the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational finals, as well.

Haji Aliyev celebrates after winning the world title in 2015 (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. 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 talented competitor who would routinely go down to the wire against the very best but falter late during 2011-13, returning 57 KG Olympic bronze medalist #6 Haji Aliyev of Azerbaijan transformed himself into one of the premier pound-for-pound talents with three world titles from 2014-2017. Now established as a dangerous veteran at 65 KG, Aliyev will be a major threat to medal in Tokyo if he's at his best. #6 Haji Aliyev (AZE)- Three-time 61 KG world champion ('14, '15, '17), 2016 57 KG Olympic bronze medalist, three-time European champion ('14, '18, '19), 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games champion, 2019 65 KG European Games champion, 2020 65 KG Individual World Cup bronze medalist. Key Wins: #1 Gadzhimurad Rashidov (2017 61 KG world championships finals), Yowlys Bonne Rodriguez (2014 61 KG world championships, 2017 61 KG world championships), Alexander Bogomoev (2015 61 KG Baku GGP, 2012 60 KG World Cup), #2 Vazgen Tevanyan (2019 65 KG European championships), #11 Ilyas Bekbulatov (2018 65 KG European championships finals), Masoud Esmaeilpourjoubari (2017 61 KG Islamic Solidarity Games, 2012 World Cup), Vladimir Khinchegashvili (2019 65 KG European Games finals). Key Losses: #1 Gadzhimurad Rashidov (2019 65 KG world championships), #2 Vazgen Tevanyan (2021 65 KG European Olympic Games Qualifier finals), #4 Ismail Musukaev (2020 65 KG Individual World Cup semifinals), #5 Takuto Otoguro (2019 65 KG world championships repechage), Vladimir Khinchegashvili ( 2008 54 KG Cadet European championships finals, 2013 60 KG European championships, 2016 61 KG European championships, 2016 57 KG Olympics), Alejandro Valdes Tobier (2018 65 KG world cup, 2018 65 KG world championships), Alexander Bogomoev (2015 61 KG European Games), Bajrang Punia (2019 65 KG Indian Pro League), Alec Pantaleo (2021 70 KG Ziolkowski) 2010-2013 Starting his senior level career at only 19 years old, in 2010, after a runner-up finish at the 2008 54 KG Cadet European championships to Vladimir Khinchegashvili of Georgia, Haji Aliyev would register an eighth-place finish at the Senior European championships notching a win over Tim Schelicher (GER) and losing in the quarterfinals to future rival Andrei Perpelita (MDA). A 17th place and eighth-place finish at the loaded Baku Golden Grand Prix and Dan Kolov tournament would knock Aliyev back down to the Junior level, where he would finish as runner-up at the 2011 Junior European championships to Oemer Uzan of Turkey. Aliyev did conclude his 2011 with a strong runner-up finish at the Ramzan Kadyrov Cup to 2009 Yarygin runner-up #12 Akhmed Chakaev of Russia. 2012 would see a turn of fortunes for Aliyev as he continued to improve, taking bronze at the prestigious International Ukrainian Tournament and absolutely went off at the World Cup, beating the likes of 2010 Asian champion Masoud Esmaeilpourjoubari (IRI) and 2011 57 KG Russian Nationals bronze medalist Alexander Bogomoev (RUS). Aliyev followed up his impressive World Cup showing with a bronze medal at the Grand Prix of Germany and a title at the Baku Golden Grand Prix over 2010 World Military champion Agaguseynov Mustafaev (AZE). 2013 was a mixed bag for Aliyev as while he was able to take bronze at the Yasar Dogu and World University Games along with a runner-up at the Baku Golden Grand Prix, but he failed to place at the European championships and finished in 30th place at the world championships after a contentious 9-7 loss to Masoud Esmaeilpourjoubari (IRI). 2014-2017 2014 would see a significant change in Haji Aliyev's career, the transition from contender to champion in the most dominant year of his career. Aliyev won his first title of the year at the Dan Kolov over Muenir Recep Aktas (TUR). Earlier in the tournament, he tech falled returning world runner-up Vladimir Dubov of Bulgaria. Aliyev's European title run would be even more impressive as he beat two future world medalists in Vasyl Shuptar (UKR) and #3 (61) Beka Lomtadze (GEO) to make the finals, where he'd take on the reigning world champion Bekhan Goygereev of Russia. Goygereev was seen by many as the next superstar, pound-for-pound talent, dominating his way through the world championships with five tech falls and a pin in the finals and most impressively beating four-time world champion Besik Kudukhov at Russian Nationals. Aliyev overcame an early Goygereev surge to overtake the match and win 12-5 for his first European title. Aliyev's dominant run would continue leading up to the world championships as he moved up to 65 KG for the Grand Prix of Germany, where he took out returning world champion Devid Safaryan (ARM) 7-2 in the finals. Aliyev's first Baku Golden Grand Prix title would come by way of a dominant tech fall over returning world runner-up Vladimir Dubov of Bulgaria, which gave him four gold medals on the year going into the world championships. Powering his way through the finals, Aliev would outscore his competition 39-4 to get the chance to get his rubber match against returning world bronze medalist Masoud Esmaeilpourjoubari (IRI), who led the series 1-1 after his win at the 2013 world championships. While Esmaeilpourjoubari was game throughout, Aliyev would not be denied and won his first world title with a wild 12-7 victory. 2015 saw Haji Aliyev move up to 65 KG for the first part of the year, taking bronze at the Grand Prix of Paris with a loss to Masoud Esmaeilpourjouybari (IRI) and eighth in a loaded Medved field from a loss to 2001 54 KG world bronze medalist Alexander Kontoev (BLR). Aliyev would return to 61 KG for the World Cup. He'd go 3-1 with his loss coming to 2013 University World Games runner-up Behnam Ehsanpour (IRI). The European Games would be Aliyev's final competition gearing up for his second world title, but tragedy would strike in the semifinals as he was upset by Alexander Bogomoev (RUS) 5-2 and would have to console himself with a bronze medal over Muenir Recep Aktas (TUR). Haji was a man on a roll in Las Vegas at the World Championships, but he'd cash in the finals where he'd score a dominant 10-0 first period tech fall over Nomin Batbold (MGL). Batbold had a sensational run to the world finals beating the likes of Reece Humphrey (USA), #3 (61) Beka Lomtadze (GEO), Vasyl Shuptar (UKR), and Bajrang Punia (IND) in an electrifying fashion. And Haji Aliyev tore through him like tissue paper. If 2014 wasn't enough proof, the 2015 World Championships were a christening for Aliyev as a premier pound-for-pound talent. A second Baku Golden Grand Prix title and revenge over Alexander Bogomoev was icing on top of the cake for Haji Aliyev as he finished off another spectacular year. 2016 would see Haji Aliyev have to make a serious transition. Azerbaijan hadn't qualified 57 KG yet for the Olympics and 2012 60 KG Olympic champion Toghrul Asgarov had qualified at 65 KG, so the choice for Aliyev was to either torture himself to make 57 or give up tons of size to Asgarov and try and be the 65 KG rep. Haji's first competition of the year was at the Yasar Dogu up at 65 KG, where he ran into an absolute buzzsaw in 2015 65 KG European games bronze medalist Mustafa Kaya (TUR), a highly physical bull of a wrestler at 65. Haji had no answer for Kaya's physicality and was teched by the talented Turk and finished the Yasar Dogu in 5th place. Returning to 61 KG, Aliyev would seek his second European title and stave off reigning 57 KG world champion Vladimir Khinchegashvili in a much-anticipated matchup. Aliyev and Khinchegashvili met in the semifinals and while Aliyev threatened Khinchegashvili early, it would be Khinchegashvili who would be able to score late and pull out a 4-2 win and Aliyev would be relegated to a bronze medal. While Haji had been wrestling up at 61 KG preparing for the weight cut down to 57 KG, 2014 Junior world runner-up Mirjalal Hasanzade had qualified Azerbaijan for the Olympics at 57 Kg with a runner-up finish to Ivan Guidea (ROU). A title at the Grand Prix of Germany at 61 KG would be Aliyev's final warmup before Rio, where he would enter a loaded field that boasted 3 other world champions and eight World/Olympic medalists, including Aliyev. An opening-round tech fall against Jun Sik Yun (KOR) put Aliyev into the quarterfinals against the reigning 57 KG world champion Khinchegashvili. While Aliyev was able to keep the match close early, Khinchegashvili made the necessary adjustments in the second period and exploited Aliyev's depleted gas tank, from the weight cut, and held onto a 5-3 win. With Khinchegashvili making his second straight Olympic finals with an 8-4 semifinal win over Vladimir Dubov (BUL), Aliyev was pulled into repechage. Aliyev overcame an early deficit against future two-time world medalist #5 (61) Nurislam Sanayev (KAZ) to win 10-8 and boosted his record to 3-0 against Vladimir Dubov (BUL) with a pin to win Olympic bronze. Starting 2017 off back up at 65 KG, Aliyev had an excellent World Cup going 4-0 with marquee wins over Olympian Frank Molinaro (USA) and 2010 World silver medalist Alan Gogaev (RUS). A dominant title run at the inaugural Islamic Solidarity Games included a win over longtime rival 2014 world runner-up Masoud Esmaeilpourjouybari (IRI) made it, so Aliyev had plenty of momentum behind him looking for his third world title. Winning #3 would be no easy feat as the field was beastly with returning Olympic champion Khinchegashvili , 2016 World champion Logan Stieber (USA), 2014 World bronze medalist Yowlys Bonne Rodriguez (CUB), 3x European champion Cengizhan Erdogan (TUR) and young Russian phenom Gadzhimurad Rashidov. While a much anticipated fifth match between Khinchegashvili and Aliyev in the finals was the talk of the town of Pairs, Gadzhimurad Rashidov would be the man to stand opposite Aliyev in the finals after upset wins over Khinchegashvili and Cengizhan Erdogan (TUR). Aliyev, off the strength of a dominant run that included wins over future U-23 world champion Rinya Nakamura (JPN) and 2014 world bronze medalist Bonne Rodriguez, was in his best form and dominated Rashidov off reattacks and sealed his third world title with an impressive pin late in the match. Haji Aliyev at the 2017 World Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) 2018-2021 2018 would mark Aliyev's full-time transition up to 65 KG, which he began by competing in the Indian Pro League. After a successful run in India, Aliyev competed in a loaded field at the International Ukrainian Tournament, where he would face returning world runner-up Magomedmurad Gadzhiev (POL) and get another chance at Vladimir Khinchegashvili (GEO). Haji would make the finals facing Magomedmurad Gadzhiev, who, like he had in his semifinal match against Khinchegashvili, was able to use superior defense to take a close win over Aliyev for gold. A mixed bag at the World Cup in Iowa City would see Aliyev fall to a pair of world medalists in Alejandro Valdes Tobier (CUB) and Stieber (USA) and only take a 1-2 mark going into the European championships. Returning European champion Ilyas Bekbulatov looked in peak form and the favorite to not only win Euros, but as the man to beat at the World Championships. Bekbulatov was hot off a dominant showing at the Yarygin where he trounced world champions Nachyn Kuular (RUS) and Stieber and beat 2016 world bronze medalist Akhmed Chakaev (RUS) in the finals. A technical savant who could stop a match at any moment, Bekbulatov would be a tall task for Aliyev and anyone at 65 KG to deal with. And after a first period 5-0 lead for Bekbulatov, it looked like Aliyev had bitten off more than he could chew. But showing the resolve and ice in the veins that got him three world titles, Aliyev clawed back in the second period and rattled off 8 points to beat the Russian dynamo Bekbulatov 8-7 for his second European title. A default in the finals of the Medved after wins over 2017 61 KG Russian Nationals bronze medalist Islam Dudaev (RUS) and Joey McKenna (USA) put Haji Aliyev as one of the premier contenders for his first 65 KG world title and 4th overall world gold. But an opening-round matchup against returning world bronze medalist Valdes Tobier would spell disaster for Aliyev as the powerhouse Cuban was able to shutdown Aliyev's offense in a 2-0 loss. After a rough showing in Budapest to end 2018, Haji Aliyev started off 2019 in a loaded field at the Indian Pro League, where he took on returning world runner-up Bajrang Punia (IND) and 2016 Olympic champion Soslan Ramonov (RUS). Aliyev would fall to Punia and Ramonov but would go into the European championships as the favorite to win his third title. Taking gold with wins over #2 Vazgen Tevanyan (ARM) and Kuular, Aliyev was on a hot streak and the favorite to win the European Games and his fourth European title. Finally getting his fifth matchup against Khinchegashvili, one that had been denied him at the 2017 world finals, Aliyev dominated the Georgian lightweight great in the finals, winning his first European Games title and fourth European title with a 10-2 victory. In what was a terrible "random draw," Aliyev drew two-time 61 KG world runner-up Rashidov in the opening round in a rematch of their 2017 world finals match. Though it was a close match throughout, a controversial score on the edge for Rashidov won him the match 4-2 and relegated Aliyev to repechage where he would meet the returning world champion #5 Takuto Otoguro (JPN). In a true barn burner, Aliyev and Otoguro traded blows back and forth, but it would be Otoguro who would capitalize on a last-second score to win 10-8 eliminate Aliyev from the competition. Haji Aliyev's only competition during the shortened 2020 COVID season would be at the Individual World Cup, where he would meet returning world bronze medalist #4 Ismail Musukaev (HUN) in the semifinals. Leading the explosive Russian ex-pat 1-0 through the first period, Aliyev would make a costly mistake on a chest wrap and give up a big four-pointer to Musukaev and exposure. Aliyev would score 5 points on the retreating Musukaev but fell 7-6 and drop into the bronze medal match where he defeated Ilman Mukhtarov (FRA) 10-4. Starting 2021 at the World Qualifier, Aliyev would reach the finals and qualify for Tokyo opposite #2 Vazgen Tevanyan (ARM) in a rematch from the 2019 European championships won 1-0 by Aliyev. Tevanyan had grown leaps and bounds since then and absolutely dominated Aliyev 9-0 to go along with his wins over fellow World/Olympic medalists Vladimir Khinchegashvili (GEO) and Magomedmurad Gadzhiev (POL). A final competition before Tokyo up at 70 KG in Poland saw Aliyev go head to head with the US's best and, in one of the matches of the year, drop a 6-5 decision to Alec Pantaleo (USA). Aliyev rebounded with a 2-1 win over 2017 65 KG world champion Zurab Iakobishvili (GEO). Haji Aliyev is one of the great lightweights of the past 20 years, but his career , even by his own admission, is coming to an end. Saying that he has been struggling with rib injuries and motivation issues, Aliyev wants to capitalize on one final run and breakthrough for gold in Tokyo in a loaded field. Here's hoping that the three-time world champion can make good on it and cement himself as an all-time great.

Ryan Anderson at the 2018 Walsh Ironman (Photo/SJanickiPhoto.com) Binghamton got a big transfer announcement today as Ryan Anderson of DIII's Centenary University in Hackettstown, New Jersey gave Kyle Borshoff's team a verbal commitment. Anderson was named the Freshman of the Year by D3Wrestle.com in 2020 after he went 30-3 and won a championship at the Mideast Regional while competing at 149 lbs. The 2020 DIII National Tournament was wiped out by Covid, so Anderson was unable to finish his promising freshman campaign. His initial season with Centenary saw him rack up 15 falls, which was the fourth-highest mark in school history. Anderson did not lose to a DIII opponent and did not suffer a loss after a setback at the East Stroudsburg Open in early November. Anderson spent time as a senior at Bethlehem Catholic (PA) ranked number one in the nation after winning the 2018 Walsh Ironman. The opponent that Anderson defeated in the finals was Jaden Abas, who went on to AA at the 2021 NCAA Championships. He also claimed a pair of Pennsylvania AAA state championships and finished his senior year ranked 11th overall among the Class of 2019. Other accolades for Anderson include two finals appearances at the Beast of the East (2nd - 2016, 1st - 2018), three podium finishes at the Super 32 (5th - 2018, 1st - 2017, 7th - 2016), along with two other top-eight showings at the Ironman (3rd - 2017, 2nd - 2016). Out of high school, Anderson was initially slated to head to Iowa State, but switched to Centenary, which is located in his hometown, late in the game. Anderson likely slots in at 141 lbs for the Bearcats. That could be a place of need as the team has not qualified that weight for NCAA's over the last two years.

Mark Branch giving instructions to Stephen Buchanan at the 2021 NCAA Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Since Mark Branch was hired by the University of Wyoming in July of 2008, the program has been one that has developed its share of unheralded recruits. A total of seven wrestlers have combined to earn All-American honors 14 times (including Montorie Bridges NWCA mention in 2020). Only one of these All-Americans was ranked in the top-50 nationally, coming out of high school. That was Tyler Cox, who was ranked #33 in the Class of 2009, the first full class under Branch's direction. 2009 was also the only time in Branch's tenure where the school inked multiple top-50 recruits. Since that time, the Cowboy program has only signed eight top-100 recruits. This isn't meant to be a knock on the Cowboys recruiting efforts in the past; it's more to demonstrate how well Branch and his staff have done at evaluating and developing talent. Maybe it's the rankers who are overlooking the student-athletes that typically head to Laramie. At the beginning of June, recruiting restrictions were lifted for all DI programs. For over a year, coaches were not allowed to host official recruiting visits on campus and could not travel to events to scout potential recruiting targets. Only two weeks into this new recruiting cycle, Wyoming has already put together a Class of 2022 that surpasses any, from a rankings standpoint, of the Branch-era. On Tuesday, June 8th, Wyoming got their Class of 2022 class started in a big way. A pair of high school teammates from Tennessee's Baylor School, #65 David Harper and #80 Garrison Dendy, both committed to Branch's team. In and of itself, getting both Harper and Dendy, marked the first time since 2009 that Wyoming had a pair of top-100 recruits (Patrick Martinez was the other). Then on Friday evening, another shoe dropped. #35 Jore Volk had committed to Wyoming, as well. Volk is the highest-ranked high schooler to commit to Wyoming since #32 Zach Beard in 2013. All three are currently ranked in the top-eight of their respective high school weights by MatScouts. Volk checks in at fifth at 126 lbs, while Harper is seventh at 195, and Dendy is eighth at 145. What's also remarkable about this group is that they hail from states outside of Wyoming's normal recruiting reach. It's been almost 20 years since the Cowboys had a national qualifier from Minnesota (Brad Steele - 285 lbs/2003), while Tennessee to Wyoming is not a typical route for many high schoolers. Both could prove fruitful, as Minnesota consistently churns out quality collegiate wrestlers and Tennessee has been improving on the high school level lately. Volk is the most decorated of the bunch, as he was a double 16U champion in Fargo during the summer of 2019. In the preseason, he finished fourth at the Super 32, competing at 113 lbs. Earlier this year, Volk became the first wrestler in Lakeville North history to capture two state titles. Dendy also found the podium at the Super 32 in 2020, taking sixth at the 145 lb weight class. Harper is a two-time 16U freestyle All-American in Fargo (4th, 7th). Volk projects at either 125 or 133 for the Cowboys. Dendy should fit in at 149 and Harper at 197. Cowboy fans should be salivating over the prospect of the future for Wyoming wrestling. A coach and a program that has thrived off of getting strong results from lesser-known recruits will soon have some thoroughbreds to work with. Of the seven wrestlers to earn All-American honors under Branch's watch, four (Joe LeBlanc, Shane Onufer, Alfonso Hernandez, and Stephen Buchanan), were ranked outside the top-100 heading into Laramie. Cox was ranked #33 in 2009 and Bridges was #93 in 2016. Two-time national finalist Bryce Meredith was ranked #92 in the Class of 2014, though he initially signed with NC State and attended school there for a year. Looking at the 2021 Wyoming team, three of their four Big 12 finalists were not mentioned on a Big Board before starting their collegiate careers. Cole Moody was #97 in the Class of 2018, but Buchanan, Tate Samuelson and Brian Andrews snuck under the radar. Two other recent, notable Cowboys that were missed in recruiting rankings were Archie Colgan and Branson Ashworth. Both grew into wrestlers that were seeded in the top-ten at the national tournament as seniors. What's even more intriguing about the Class of 2022 is that good recruits tend to attach other good recruits. With three top-100 seniors already in the fold, in mid-June, expect to see more high-quality wrestlers give Wyoming attention. Don't be surprised if they nab one or two. MatScouts recent article regarding “School Lists” from many of the top uncommitted seniors proves that point. When published, ten wrestlers had Wyoming on their “short list.” That number was only exceeded by recruiting juggernaut NC State, with 11. Even excluding the three that recently committed to Wyoming, that leaves seven others as having a strong interest in the Wyoming program. We must mention that the official signing period for wrestlers in the Class of 2022 is not until November, so these recruits are not locked in to Wyoming just yet. Below is a listing of all of the Big Board'er's signed by Wyoming during the Mark Branch era. Class information from 2013-21 is courtesy of Willie Saylor at MatScouts. The 2010-12 rankings are via Earl Smith's old D1CollegeWrestling.net website, while the Class of 2009 is from InterMat. No data was used from the Class of 2008, considering Branch was hired in July and the bulk of that class was likely locked in before his arrival. 2021 (Out of Top 300) #85 Quayin Short (Simley, MN) #156 Aidan Noonan (Cascade, IA) 2020 (Out of Top 300) #205 Guillermo Escobedo (Bishop Amat, CA) #214 Gage Hockett (Cushing, OK) 2019 (Out of Top 100) #90 Jake Svihel (Totino-Grace, MN) 2018 (Out of Top 100) #97 Cole Moody (Bingham, UT) 2017 (Out of Top 100) None 2016 (Out of Top 100) #93 Montorie Bridges (Altus, OK) 2015 (Out of Top 100) None 2014 (Out of Top 100) None 2013 (Out of Top 100) #32 Zach Beard (Tuttle, OK) 2012 (Out of Top 150) #44 Ben Stroh (Chinook, MT) #108 Drew Templeman (Orting, WA) #140 Jake Elliott (Oakmont, CA) 2011 (Out of Top 150) None 2010 (Out of Top 150) #119 Zach Zehner (Tomahawk, WI) #145 Shane Woods (Tuttle, OK) 2009 (Out of Top 100) #33 Tyler Cox (Gillette, WY) #48 Patrick Martinez (Temecula, CA)

I'll never forget my first trip to NCAAs to watch my husband, Richard Perry, and five of his teammates from Bloomsburg University compete. On the plane ride to Oklahoma, I was surrounded by wrestlers from another D1 program and their team managers. We began to talk and the team managers told me how excited they were for this vacation; they shared how each of the athletes and staff members were given a few hundred dollars for the week for meals and anything else they needed, how each athlete received their own hotel room. My mind was blown. Watching my husband wrestle for a small D1 program while in college, I was certainly proud, and at the same time, frustrated. As a fan, we hear about these well-funded and well-known wrestling programs with incredible alumni support rallying to get their athletes top of the line equipment, wrestling rooms, trainers, dietitians, sports therapists and whatever else their money can buy. Call it jealousy, or just wanting the best for your own guys, but when it comes to accessibility, the mat certainly isn't level. Most wrestlers talented and fortunate enough to wrestle for a D1 program, especially within the smaller programs, would never bring this to anyone's attention; those athletes know how hard they've worked to get to where they are, and they won't for a second make an excuse as they work towards their goal of becoming an NCAA champion. Actually, I'm pretty certain collegiate wrestlers are incapable of making excuses; they just grind, taking what support and tools they have and making the most of them. But what if it was a level playing field? What if all college athletes, no matter the degree of alumni or financial support we're able to access a diet plan that actually catered to a wrestler's needs, or an agility and strength training program proven to get you the results you want? It would be a game-changer. The unleveled playing field isn't just at the collegiate level - "this disadvantage, or lack of resources starts at the youth level and is seen in every hotbed wrestling state and room across the country. Some chalk it up to a lack of passion or drive - "there is this idea that if your child really was "great," they would earn these benefits, or as a parent, you would somehow afford them the rights to these services. Parents have gone as far as picking up extra shifts, or even a second job just to afford the personal trainers, the dietician, the mindset coaches. Dedication for sure, but think about the added pressure that places on our young athletes. As a parent, I know if I can afford my child the best, that is what they will receive - "unfortunately, the best is just not always feasible. Take into account a pandemic which gripped our economy and put more families between a rock and a hard place financially. Oh, and let's not forget about families new to the sport who may not even know how effective a mindset coach could be, the extra personal training sessions your athlete will benefit from, or the effect having a dietitian will have on your athlete's performance. So how do we produce/shape/mold these young athletes to be the best versions of themselves on and off the mat without putting our kidneys up for sale? It seems an affordable solution is now in our grasps and will soon prove to be a game-changer. Even wrestling at an elite D1 program such as Penn State, creator of the ATAC (Advanced Training Athletic Club) app, Bryan Heller, was well aware of these disadvantages and sought to do something about it, "The mission was inspired by the inequality in resources athletes have available based on socioeconomic stature. Athletes in affluent areas can afford specialty training (private lessons, strength and conditioning coaches, nutritionists, speed and agility coaches, etc.), while athletes in lower socioeconomic areas do not have the means to have those same resources available to them. Therefore the mission is generally, to provide all athletes with these same resources. Where I grew up and where I predominately spent my time as a coach is an area where kids can afford specialty training. I have seen countless athletes make significant athletic gains under fantastic specialty coaches (strength and conditioning coaches, private wrestling instruction, nutritionists, etc.). Those coaches do a great job, and their time is valuable, which means their services cost a lot of money. There are a lot of athletes who just don't have the finances available to afford those services." Take someone with raw strength and talent, grit engrained in their very fiber and a love for the sport of wrestling like no other - "I've witnessed first hand what this looks like, but I also know they need direction; they need guidance when it comes to diet and specific training. Although there are many athletes who find very high levels of success from all demographics, those with specialty trainers, coaches and specific diet plans have a substantial and clear advantage. These advantages come down to money - "which athletes can afford these services; and accessibility- "even if these services are financially feasible, are they in close enough proximity that obtaining them won't burden an already busy athlete or family? "The annual fee for ATAC is less than what most strength and conditioning coaches charge per month, less than the upfront cost of hiring a nutritionist. It is less than the cost of a few private lessons, and less than having a mindset mentor," During the creation of the ATAC app, Heller didn't just take into consideration cost and accessibility for the average athlete, but he is in the process of working with Beat the Street's, a non-profit wrestling and mentoring organization targeting at-risk youth all over the country, "One of the goals of ATAC is to partner with Beat the Streets and/or similar organizations geared towards providing opportunities for disadvantaged youth. This is a way for us to get ATAC to those athletes who don't have the means to afford our services. The work that Beat The Streets and other similar organizations do for their athletes goes way beyond sport, and ATAC wants to be a part of those athlete's growth towards long-term success." Wrestling since the age of 4, traveling all over the country to compete, not only does Bryan understand the disadvantages most wrestlers face, but he also sees the necessity for accountability to keep athletes engaged and motivated, thus providing a scoring system within the app, "we wrapped the whole app in an engaging game to get athletes to challenge themselves and compete against other athletes." As a D1 collegiate wrestler with a pretty impressive resume, and club coach for the past 14 years, Heller produced multiple state placers in one of the toughest state tournaments in the sport of wrestling (New Jersey, sorry PA). It's no secret Heller knows exactly what it takes to achieve success on the mat, "The initial concept came about as I reflected on my competitive career, what I had done that helped me grow as an athlete, and what the best coaches in the country were doing to help their athletes grow. I wanted to build a comprehensive tool for athletes looking to reach their highest potential," Heller explained how different ATAC is from various other training apps we've seen, "ATAC specifically addresses athlete's deficiencies. Our activities have been named to primarily help where an athlete might be struggling. For instance, our mentality activities are titled "Calm Nerves," "Get Motivated," "Build Confidence," and "Get Focused." Some other aspects of the app include full stretching routines, agility workouts, sleep timers and recommendations, hydration assistance, reflection guidance and activities, as well as various interval workouts to improve different physiological aspects of an athlete's endurance system." With an app catering specifically to wrestlers, including such in-depth looks at the various proponents for fierce competitors, it seems like a no-brainer this all-in-one tool may be of some use to help alleviate the financial burden specialty training may accrue. Even so, Bryan takes it one step further, offering not only the advice, but the actual workouts, diet plans and mantras from various senior-level athletes such as the greatest wrestler of all time (not up for debate), 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist and 7x World Medalist, Jordan Burroughs; 3x World Team Member and the most entertaining and athletic breakdancer I've ever seen, Reece Humphrey; one of the quickest and incredibly talented wrestlers, Olympian and 5x Pan Am Champion, Sarah Hildebrandt; well known Penn State 2x NCAA champion Vincenzo Joseph; National Team Member, 3x NCAA qualifier, 2x State Champion and Overcomer, Richard Perry. The list doesn't end there; Bryan is a certified nutritionist himself and sought the advice from well-respected strength and conditioning coaches, many high school, middle school and youth level athletes, coaches and parents. At this point, I know what you're thinking; this article is essentially a marketing promotion. The truth is, it's not meant to be; When I sat down with Bryan Heller, and he began to explain exactly what this app was going to do and for whom it was designed to help, I felt as though that un-leveled playing field I mentioned before, was beginning to look a little more even. When he mentioned Beat the Streets and making these programs accessible for all youth, I knew this could be a complete game-changer. No longer will financial restraints or accessibility stop an athlete from achieving the best version of themselves. Sure, we have Instagram and YouTube with loads of informative videos from various wrestlers; there are plenty of affordable options to gain insight and learn technique with incredible companies such as Fanatic Wrestling and their training series, or free options such as the virtual FCA Truth & Technique Sessions offered on the FCA website this summer. But, this app will aim to keep athletes engaged, to help shape them to be healthier physically, emotionally and mentally. ATAC will help athletes cope with setbacks and injuries, overcome the fear of failure, push themselves on the mat and in the weight room, hold themselves accountable. Wrestlers are built differently, there is no doubt about that. With the help of the ATAC app, its accessibility and affordability, wrestlers from all socioeconomic backgrounds will have one less hurdle to overcome.

Alan Vera at the 2021 Olympic Trials (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Poland Open Day 6 Results - Greco Roman 60 kg Gold Medal: Michal Tracz (Poland) Silver Medal: Ekrem Ozturk (Turkey) Bronze Medal: Mukhammadkodir Yusupov (Uzbekistan) 63 kg Gold Medal: Islomjon Bakhramov (Uzbekistan) Silver Medal: Ayata Suzuki (Japan) Bronze Medal: Christopher Kraemer (Germany); Krisztian Kecskemeti (Hungary) 72 kg Gold Medal: Gevorg Sahakyan (Poland) Silver Medal: Mirzobek Rakhmatov (Uzbekistan) Bronze Medal: Cengiz Arslan (Turkey); Krisztian Vancza (Hungary) 87 kg Gold Medal: Semen Novikov (Ukraine) Silver Medal: Istvan Takacs (Hungary) Bronze Medal: Rustam Assakalov (Uzbekistan); Metehan Basar (Turkey) Alan Vera (USA) over Dogan Goktas (Turkey) 3-3 Assakalov over Vera Fall 97 kg Gold Medal: Mohammadadi Saravi (Iran) Silver Medal: Mehdi Balihamzehdeh (Iran) Bronze Medal: Arvi Savolainen (Finland); Islam Abbasov (Azerbaijan)

Luke Karam (Photo/Lehigh Athletic Department) Transfers as of 6/13/2021 - 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 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 - 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 - 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 Northern Colorado - Baylor Fernandes (Minnesota) 165 Ohio - Tommy Hoskins (Oklahoma) 125 Ohio State - Will Betancourt (Lock Haven) 133 Oklahoma - Keegan Moore (Oklahoma State) 184 Oklahoma - Joey Prata (Virginia Tech) 125 Oklahoma - Gabe Vidlak (Oregon State) 125 Oregon State - Cory Crooks (Arizona State) 149 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 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