InterMat Staff

Princeton Associate Head Coaches Joe Dubuque (front) and Sean Gray (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) On Thursday, Brown University announced that head coach Todd Beckerman was stepping down. Beckerman had spent nine seasons at Brown and oversaw the school's fourth All-American in school history among his 12 national qualifiers. With the new head coaching vacancy, it's time to look forward and project some possible coaching candidates. As always, with these types of exercises, we're looking for candidates who actually make sense for the actual job opening. Certain coaches, while great, may not fit in with an Ivy League school like Brown. So, here are eight great fits for the Brown head coaching job, listed alphabetically. Brad Dillon (Lehigh) Lehigh Associate Head Coach Brad Dillon (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Why He Makes Sense: Dillon has been Pat Santoro's right-hand man for the last 17 years. 13 at Lehigh and the previous four at Maryland. While not at an Ivy level, recruiting at Lehigh requires a coach to seek out high-quality student-athletes. The experience at Maryland was basically a rebuild, something that will have to take place at Brown. When Santoro/Dillon left Maryland, the program was on top of a rapidly-improving ACC. Dillon has been in the mix for head coaching jobs in the past and this may be the perfect opportunity for him. Joe Dubuque (Princeton) Why He Makes Sense: Cornell proved, almost 20 years ago, that you can win consistently at a high level in the Ivy League. Princeton head coach Chris Ayres saw this and put together one of the most remarkable turnarounds in college athletics, taking Princeton from the bottom of the DI ranks to an Ivy and EIWA title in 2020. Now the program regularly churns out high All-Americans and can recruit with the best in the nation. That means it's time for some of Ayres' pupils to get some shine of their own. Dubuque has the most credentials, on the mat, of anyone on this list, with a pair of NCAA titles while at Indiana. He also has coached at Hofstra and his alma mater before moving back to his home state and Princeton. Having varying levels of coaching experience comes in handy when it comes to interview time. Dubuque competed and coached in the Big Ten, likely had to be more resourceful while at Hofstra, now has had the opportunity to work around the lofty academic requirements at Princeton. Individually, Dubuque has worked closely with 2022 NCAA runner-up, Pat Glory, one of the Tigers biggest recruits and best performers. Sean Gray (Princeton) Why He Makes Sense: Like Dubuque, Sean Gray is a part of the Ayres coaching tree at Princeton and, at some point, his assistants will start getting opportunities to lead their own programs. Gray is the longest-tenured member of the Tiger assistants, having worked with the team for the past 11 years. Prior to being hired at Princeton, Gray was in the New England area as an associate head coach, under the legendary Carl Adams, at Boston University. At the time, Gray was responsible for the more "hands-on" aspects of the Terriers team. With only 50 miles separating Boston and Providence, Gray should have some existing relationships and connections in the New England area with high schools, clubs, and potential donors. Adam Hall (NC State) NC State Associate Head Coach Adam Hall (right) (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Why He Makes Sense: People talk about Dan Gable and John Smith's coaching trees; both of which are very impressive in their own rights. NC State head coach Pat Popolizio has one that continues to grow every year. When we spoke with Popolizio last year, he insinuated that "It's not if, but when," Adam Hall gets the chance to lead a program of his own. Hall is the most tenured assistant and instrumental in a program that has notched top-five recruiting classes for each of the last three years. The 2023 class is shaping up to be excellent and could make it four straight. Like Dubuque, Hall has a resume with a couple of interesting stops. He hails from Idaho and competed at Boise State, earning a pair of All-America honors along the way. His first coaching job came at Columbia, where he spent four years around an Ivy League program. Since the Ivies operate a little differently than the rest of the country, it's good having someone with previous experience on that front. Hall also has had plenty of experience traveling overseas with Wolfpack Wrestling Club, if Brown has aspirations to make more of an impact on the freestyle circuit. Jordan Leen (Pittsburgh) Pittsburgh Assistant Coach Jordan Leen (right) (Photo/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Why He Makes Sense: We started off with some Princeton flair, now we'll move on to some candidates that have Cornell ties. Jordan Leen was a three-time All-American and 2008 national champion for the school in Ithaca. Leen just finished his fifth year on staff at Pittsburgh, a team that has continued to improve under his and head coach Keith Gavin's direction. While Leen doesn't have direct experience coaching at an Ivy League school, he did spend five years at Virginia and one at Duke, both institutions that have very high academic standards. At Duke, he had to function in a program that doesn't give out wrestling scholarships. During his time at Virginia, and now at Pittsburgh, Leen has earned a reputation as an excellent recruiter. With Cornell, Penn, Princeton, and Columbia now mainstays in the recruiting rankings, getting comparable talent to Providence is imperative. Troy Nickerson (Northern Colorado) Northern Colorado head coach Troy Nickerson (left) (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Why He Makes Sense: Nickerson is the lone head coach on our list. He has been at the helm for Northern Colorado since 2014. During that time, Nickerson brought credibility to a program that was often overlooked on the DI scene. The Bears have now moved into the Big 12 and have produced 27 national qualifiers under Nickerson's watch. This past season, Northern Colorado saw their first Big 12 champion crowned, as Andrew Alirez won the title at 141 lbs. Alirez was one of the top recruits in the Class of 2019, a group ranked in the top ten by every service in the country. Nickerson is a Cornell grad and a four-time All-American (2009 national champion) for then-head coach Rob Koll. He was the first mega-recruit to sign with the Big Red. After graduating, Nickerson stayed on to coach the Finger Lakes Wrestling Club for a year. In addition, before coming to Greeley, Nickerson spent two years on staff at Iowa State under Kevin Jackson. Should Nickerson be interested in leaving Northern Colorado, he could be an interesting candidate for Brown. Bryan Pearsall (Penn) Penn Associate Head Coach Bryan Pearsall (Photo/Tony DiMarco) Why He Makes Sense: So, why Bryan Pearsall makes sense here, also may be why he doesn't, if that's as clear as mud. Pearsall has been alongside Penn head coach Roger Reina, as they have built the Quakers into a program that looks ready to threaten Cornell and Princeton for Ivy and EIWA supremacy. Penn just crowned their first All-American in Reina's second tenure and the fruits of their labor are starting to be realized on the mat. His efforts on the recruiting trail and behind the scenes deserve to be rewarded. However, there's a line of thinking that Pearsall could be next-in-line, once the Penn Hall of Famer, Reina, decides to step aside. There's a good chance that Pearsall remains in Philadelphia; however, I'd expect a call from Brown, nonetheless. The Bears athletic director, Grace Calhoun, is only in her 13th month on the job. Prior to Brown, Calhoun spent seven years as the Director of Athletics and Recreation at Penn. Oftentimes in athletics (and life, in general), people hire individuals they're familiar with. I assume Calhoun has taken notice of the work that Pearsall, Reina, and the rest of the Penn Wrestling staff have put in while she led the department. Donnie Vinson (Cornell) Cornell Associate Head Coach Donnie Vinson (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Why He Makes Sense: Vinson has a couple of ties to individuals and programs we already have mentioned here. Like Hall, Donnie Vinson has learned under Pat Popolizio. First, as a wrestler at Binghamton and later as a coach at NC State. After starting his coaching career at Binghamton, Vinson spent time on the Cornell staff as a volunteer assistant under Rob Koll. Once Mike Grey assumed the reins of the Big Red program, Vinson returned as the associate head coach. It's telling that Vinson was given such a lofty title in such a high-profile program like Cornell. Could a head coaching gig be next?

Dazjon Casto at the 2022 NCAA Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The transfer tracker continues to grow. Since our last update, we have Wyoming with a couple of NJCAA transfers from in-state Western Wyoming, along with The Citadel picking up and losing a graduate transfer. Arizona State has made an already stacked lineup look even more imposing. One of the schools on ASU's heels, Virginia Tech, added an NCAA qualifier. Also, an All-American 197 lber moved on from the defending champion Penn State Nittany Lions. Finally, Purdue got an under-the-radar solid pickup to fill in at the upper-middleweights. Don't blink, you might miss the next one. But if you do, we'll surely have another DI Transfer Tracker update soon.

U20 National Champion Adriana Dorado-Marin (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) U23 Nationals 50 kg Championship - Nyla Valencia (Bulldog WC) over Nina Pham (Texas WC) 19-8, 10-0 Third Place - Emily Shilson over Danielle Garcia Fall 2:08 Fifth Place - Alex Szkotnicki over Dianna Holmes 13-4 Seventh Place - Jasmine Howard over Kaelani Shufeldt 5-0 53 kg Championship - Felicity Taylor (TMWC) over Samara Chavez (Team Tornado WC) Fall 1:07, 10-0 Third Place - Chloe Ayers over Avery Ashley 8-8 Fifth Place - Angela Lorusso over Itzel Medina-Valdez Fall 5:37 Seventh Place - Angela De La Cruz over Katherine Heath 16-14 55 kg Championship - Alisha Howk (Sunkist Kids) over Alana Vivas (Menlo WC) 6-2, 7-0 Third Place - Torieonna Buchanan over Trinity Howard 18-8 Fifth Place - Nia Perez over Julian Yates 11-8 Seventh Place - Annathena Pontillo over Ariana Jones 12-2 57 kg Championship - Nichole Moore (Kansas) over Sara Sterner (Morro Bay Wrestling) 12-2, 10-0 Third Place - Melanie Mendoza over Charlotte Kouyoumtjian Fall 4:04 Fifth Place - Ashley Whetzel over Jerzie Estrada Fall 1:01 Seventh Place - Elvie Villa over Josie Davis 12-2 59 kg Championship - Brenda Reyna (Army WCAP) over Niya Gaines (Cardinal WC) 12-2, 11-0 Third Place - Lexie Basham over Lana Perez Fall 1:33 Fifth Place - Montana Delawder over Alexandra Baudhuin Fall 3:48 Seventh Place - Hailey Corona over Marissa Riojas 10-0 62 kg Championship - Macey Kilty (Sunkist Kids) over Zoe Nowicki (Bulldog WC) Fall, Injury Default Third Place - Alex Liles over Madyson Gray 12-5 Fifth Place - Louisa Schwab over Ellyana Kuzma 10-0 Seventh Place - Sierra Brown Ton over Emmily Patneaud Medical Forfeit 65 kg Championship - Ashlynn Ortega (Team Tornado WC) over Emma Walker (Tennessee) Fall, 2-0, 3-1 Third Place - Maya Letona over Viktorya Torres 10-0 Fifth Place - Salome Walker over Grace Stem Fall 1:02 Seventh Place - Hailey Chapman over Jamilah McBryde 11-0 68 kg Championship - Ana Luciano (Team Tornado WC) over Lydia Krauss (Simmons Academy of Wrestling) Fall, 10-0 Third Place - Kaylynn Albrecht over Dalia Garibay 15-4 Fifth Place - Aspen Barber over Sarina Bertram InjDef Seventh Place - Tiyahna Askew over Leah Brown Fall 1:30 72 kg Championship - Amit Elor (TMWC) over Marlynne Deede (Twin Cities RTC) Fall, Fall Third Place - Kenya-Lee Sloan over Latifah McBryde Fall 2:32 Fifth Place - Malea Palahniuk over Alicia Pieper 10 Seventh Place - Leila Martin over Jessica Kemgne 10-7 76 kg Championship - Yelena Makoyed (TMWC) over Ashley Lekas (Texas Pride WC) Fall, Fall Third Place - Joye Levendusky over Tristan Kelly InjDef Fifth Place - Brooklyn Hays over Bailey Dennis Fall 1:50 Seventh Place - Tabitha Breitrick over Nikita Dhaliwal Fall 4:08 U20 Nationals 50 kg Championship - Audrey Jimenez (Sunkist Kids) over Sage Mortimer (TMWC) 11-0, 7-2 Third Place - Nyla Valencia over Samara Chavez 10-0 Fifth Place - Brianna Gonzalez over Julianne Moccia 15-4 Seventh Place - Sydney Petzinger over Alex Szkotnicki 12-2 53 kg Championship - Katie Gomez (California) over Estrella Dorado-Marin (Army WCAP) 12-1, 10-0 Third Place - Hannah Hall/Juliana Diaz; No contest Fifth Place - Kendra Ryan over Alexis Montes Injury Default Seventh Place - Fernanda Lopez over Belle Foard 8-4 55 kg Championship - Adriana Dorado Martin (Army WCAP) over Amani Jones (Cardinal WC) 15-2, 10-5 Third Place - Melanie Mendoza over Haley Vann 8-4 Fifth Place - Torieonna Buchanan over Carissa Qureshi Fall :30 Seventh Place - Khaleah Kirk over Angelina Doral 10-0 57 kg Championship - Sophia Macaluso (New York) over Claire DiCugno (Colorado Mesa WC) 8-3, 9-2 Third Place - Carolina Moreno over Jennifer Soto 10-2 Fifth Place - Sarah Savidge over Joanna Vanderwood 9-4 Seventh Place - Ngao Shoua Whitethorn over Anna Krejsa Fall 4:04 59 kg Championship - Savannah Cosme (Sunkist Kids) over Nanea Estrella (Hawaii) Fall, 7-1 Third Place - Ella Schmit over Mia Macaluso Fall :54 Fifth Place - Jaclyn Dehney over Piper Cadden 7-2 Seventh Place - Lana Perez over Anya Knappenberger InjDef 62 kg Championship - Adaugo Nwachukwu (Swamp Monsters WC) over Skylar Hattendorf (New Hampshire) 11-16, 11-1, 10-0 Third Place - Janida Garcia over Skye Realin 10-5 Fifth Place - Yele Adcock over Paige Wehremeister 10-7 Seventh Place - Emmily Patneaud over Addison Messerly MedFFT 65 kg Championship - Reese Larramendy over Elleni Johnson 10-0, 10-0 Third Place - Maddie Kubicki over Maya Letona Fall 1:06 Fifth Place - Chloe Ogden over Isabella Mir 12-2 Seventh Place - Emma Walker over Isabella Amaro 13-0 68 kg Championship - Destiny Rodriguez (All Phase WC) over Tiera Jimerson (Cardinal WC) 9-3, 3-9, 15-11 Third Place - Clarissa Agostini over Aubrey Yauger Fall 5:03 Fifth Place - Sarina Bertram over Celina Cooke 10-0 Seventh Place - Lydia Krauss over Kaylee Anderson 1:16 72 kg Championship - Amit Elor (TMWC) over Latifah McBryde (Bulls WC) 12-2, 11-0 Third Place - Haley Ward over Alicia Pieper Fall :54 Fifth Place - Shannon Workinger over Kayley Rada Fall :44 Seventh Place - Jessica Kemgne over Autumn Perez 1:06 76 kg Championship - Tristan Kelly (Army WCAP) over Rose Cassioppi (Hononegah WC) Third Place - Brooklyn Hays over Alivia White 12-9 Fifth Place - Emma Carter over Lily El-Masri Fall 4:27 Seventh Place - Grace Doering over Fiona McConnell 5-4 U17 Nationals 40 kg Championship - Megan Valdez (California) over Annalise Maralit (Misfit Girls) 14-12, 10-0 43 kg Championship - Erica Pastoriza (Wyoming Seminary WC) over Katey Valdez (Betterman Elite) 6-4, 4-3 46 kg Championship - Gabriella Gomez (Illinois) over Valarie Solorio (Florida) 8-3, 4-1 49 kg Championship - Audrey Jimenez (Sunkist Kids) over Ava Ward (Sunkist Kids) 6-0, 4-0 53 kg Championship - Elena Ivaldi (MatTime) over Persaeus Gomez (Pomona Elite) 5-2, Fall 57 kg Championship - Shelby Moore (Takedown Express WC) over Skylar Little Soldier (Hastings WC) 11-0, 5-0 61 kg Championship - Valerie Hamilton (Illinois) over Marissa Rumsey (Team Pennsylvania) Fall, Fall 65 kg Championship - Lizzie Shunn (Champions WC) over Sydney Perry (Illinois) 7-2, 10-0 69 kg Championship - Jasmine Robinson (Best Trained) over Mishell Rebisch (Michigan Revolution WC) 8-3 Fall 73 kg Championship - Amarisa Manuel (Michigan Revolution WC) over Piper Fowler (Higher Calling WC) 11-1, Fall

Pan-American champions Forrest Molinari (left), Thomas Gilman (center), and Sam Jones (Photos/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Over the weekend, many of our top Senior-level competitors headed to Acapulco, Mexico. Not for a vacation, but to compete at the 2022 Pan American Championships. Overall, Team USA cleaned up with 24 medals in 30 weight classes. The men's freestyle team lost one contested match, and overall, the Americans left with more than half of the gold medal (17) awarded. Here are the final results for each of the American competitors that represented us at the event. Men's Freestyle 57 kg Gold Medal - Thomas Gilman (USA) over Darian Cruz (Puerto Rico) 11-0 61 kg Gold Medal - Daton Fix (USA) over Joey Silva (Puerto Rico) 11-0. Silva was silver medalist in round robin. This wasn't a gold medal match. 65 kg Gold Medal - Joey McKenna (USA) over Sebastian Rivera (Puerto Rico) 10-0 70 kg No Medal - Injury Default by Zain Retherford (USA) 74 kg Gold Medal - Kyle Dake (USA) over Franklin Gomez (Puerto Rico) 10-1 79 kg Gold Medal - Jordan Burroughs (USA) over Samuel Barmish (Canada) 12-1. Barmish was silver medalist in round robin. This wasn't a gold medal match. 86 kg Gold Medal - Zahid Valencia (USA) over Lazaro Hernandez (Cuba) 4-1 92 kg Gold Medal - J'den Cox (USA) over Jeremy Poirier (Canada) 11-0. Poirier was silver medalist in round robin. This wasn't a gold medal match. 97 kg Gold Medal - Kyle Snyder (USA) over Arturo Silot Torres (Cuba) 12-1 125 kg Gold Medal - Amar Dhesi (Canada) over Nick Gwiazdowski (USA) 5-3 Women's Freestyle 50 kg Gold Medal - Sarah Hildebrandt (USA) over Madison Parks (Canada) 10-0 53 kg Gold Medal - Dom Parrish (USA) over Luisa Valverde Melendres (Ecuador) Fall 55 kg Gold Medal - Karla Godinez Gonzalez (Canada) over Jacarra Winchester (USA) 8-5 57 kg Bronze Medal - Giullia Rodrigues Penalber de Oliveira (Brazil) over Cameron Guerin (USA) 7-7 59 kg Bronze Medal - Ameyalli Jessel Rojas (Mexico) over Xochitl Mota-Pettis (USA) 19-8 62 kg Gold Medal - Ana Godinez Gonzalez (Canada) over Kayla Miracle (USA) Default 65 kg Gold Medal - Forrest Molinari (USA) over Miki Rowbottom (Canada) Fall 72 kg Gold Medal - Skylar Grote (USA) over Brenda Aguiar Dos Santos (Brazil) 10-0. Aguiar Dos Santos was silver medalist in round robin. This wasn't a gold medal match. 76 kg Gold Medal - Dymond Guilford (USA) over Genesis Reasco Valdez (Ecuador) 1-1 Men's Greco-Roman 55 kg Gold Medal - Brady Koontz (USA) over Axel Salas Esquivel (Mexico) 9-1 Salas Esquivel was silver medalist in round robin. This wasn't a gold medal match. 60 kg Gold Medal - Randon Miranda (USA) over Samuel Gurria Vigueras (Mexico) 12-8 63 kg Gold Medal - Sam Jones (USA) over Jose Rodriguez Hernandez (Mexico) 10-0 67 kg No Medal - Hayden Tuma went 1-1 72 kg Gold Medal - Patrick Smith (USA) over Edsson Olmos Gutierrez (Mexico) 4-2. Olmos Gutierrez was silver medalist in round robin. This wasn't a gold medal match. 77 kg Bronze Medal - RaVaughn Perkins (USA) over Emmanuel Benitez Castro (Mexico) 3-2 82 kg Bronze Medal - Tyler Cunningham (USA) over Nestor Taffur (Colombia) Cautions 87 kg No Medal - Richard Carlson went 0-1 97 kg Bronze Medal - Nicholas Boykin (USA) over Eduardo Gajardo Meneses (Chile) Injury Default 130 kg No Medal - Tanner Farmer went 0-2

#1 ranked at 92 kg Magomed Kurbanov (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) 57 KG March Aslan Minkailov won the North Caucasian Federal District tournament over Nasir Shikhuev. Bronze medalists were Ibragim Khasiev and Shamil Suleymanov. Artyom Gobaev won Junior Russian Nationals over Lev Pavlov. Bair Bayanduev and Imran Khunkerov finished bronze at Junior Russian Nationals. Artyom Gobaev also won the North Ossetian wrestling championships over Khasan Kusov with Tamik Gobozov and David Abacharaev (RUS) finishing with bronze. 2020 Russian Nationals bronze medalist #3 Akhmed Idrisov teched Artyom Gobaev 11-0 in the Dagestan vs. North Ossetia match. April Artyom Gobaev won the championships of North Ossetia over Khasan Khusov with Tamik Gobozov and David Abacharaev taking bronze. Osman Sultanov won Russian U-23 nationals over Osman Tekeev with Murad Aliev and Asker Khezhev taking bronze. Kharyskhal Grigorev won the RFSO tournament over Petr Kopylov with Alexei Kopylov and Dulustan Fedotov taking bronze. Alexey Danilov won the Siberian Federal District tournament over Kuder Mongush with Amyr Khomushku and Alexander Kochevoi taking bronze. No changes at 57 KG. 61 KG March #1 Abasgadzhi Magomedov teched Alexander Sabanov 11-0 in the Dagestan vs. North Ossetia dual meet. #7 Bashir Magomedov won Junior Russian Nationals over Magomed Baitukaev with Ramazan Bagavudinov and Magomedamin Bekbulatov taking bronze. Alexander Sabanov won the North Caucasian Federal District tournament over Tamerlan Karaev with Alik Dzaurov and Gadzhimagomed Gadzhiev taking bronze. April Rustam Dolaev won the U-23 Russian championships over Lev Polomov with Ramaz Shamilov and Soslan Bagov finishing with bronze. Vadim Bikoev took gold at the championships of North Ossetia against Taimuraz Dzgoev with Alik Dzaurov taking bronze. Kezhik Seden was the champion of the Siberian Federal District over 2018 57 KG Russian Nationals runner-up Donduk-Ool Khuresh Ool. Gennady Shtygashev and Amri Chamzyn took bronze at the Siberian Federal District. Uigulaan Ivanov won gold at the RFSO tournament over Magomed Sebedinov with Vitaly Espek and Alexander Avelov taking bronze. No changes in the rankings. 65KG March Magomedemi Eltemirov (RUS) won Junior Russian Nationals over Umar Umarov (RUS) with Magomed Labazanov (RUS) and Magomed Tazhudinov (RUS) taking bronze. #5 Ibragim Ibragimov (RUS) beat Dzhambol Kizinov (RUS) in the Dagestan vs. North Ossetia dual meet. April 2021 Russian Nationals bronze medalist #8 Abdulmazhid Kudiev won the U-23 Russian championships over Alexander Sabanov with Abdurakhman Dalgatov and Muratbi Badtiev taking bronze. Alexander Ivanov won the RFSO tournament over Aykhan Antonov with Magomedkhabib Akhmadulaev and Dyuluskhan Totonov finishing in bronze. 2021 61 KG Russian Nationals bronze medalist Cherman Tavitov took gold at the championships of North Ossetia over Elbrus Valiev with bronze medalists being Dzhambulat Kizinov and Inal Karsanov. Kezhik Mongush won the Siberian Federal District tournament over Robert Manasyan with Gasrat Tinaev and Ezir Tyulyush taking bronze. 2021 61 KG Russian Nationals bronze medalist Cherman Tavitov makes his debut in the rankings after winning the championship of North Ossetia. 70KG March Dzhokhar Dzhabaev won the North Caucasian Federal District tournament over Akhmed Kasumov with Said-Ibragim Elbderdov and Mairbek Saidov taking bronze. 2021 Junior World bronze medalist Stanislav Svinoboev won his second Junior national title with a victory over Zaurbek Bugulov. Akhmed Zhiletezhev and Farhad Atakhanov took bronze at Junior Russian Nationals. #4 Kurban Shiraev pinned Mohammed Kardanov in the Dagestan vs. North Ossetia duel meet. April 2021 65 KG U-23 world runner-up Ibragim Abdurakhmanov won the U-23 Russian Nationals over Magomed Gazimagomedov with Abdulmuslim Abdulmuslimov taking bronze. Kezhik Chymba was the Siberian Federal District champion over 2021 Yarygin bronze medalist Chaiaan Mongush with bronze medalists being Rostislav Korolev and Sergey Yakimov. Georgy Sekinaev won the championships of North Ossetia over Batyrbek Tskhovrebov with Arsen Tegetaev and Ruslan Gasiev finishing with bronze. Aisen Potapov won the RFSO tournament over Konstantin Kaprynov with Nurgustaan Ivanov and Walter Vladimirov taking bronze. #10 (65) Ibragim Abdurakhmanov takes the #10 spot in the rankings after winning U-23 nationals. 74KG March Two-time Russian Nationals champion #4 Magomed Kurbanaliev has been removed from the rankings due to injury. 2020 Russian Nationals champion Razambek Zhamalov made his return to competition after a year-long layoff to recover from a shoulder and knee injury. Zhamalov slots back in at #2 after injury defaulting out of the North Caucasian Federal District finals to #10 Mohamad Nasirkhaev. Bronze medalists at the North Caucasian Federal District tournament were Magomedrasul Asluev and Khalid Elberdiev (RUS). Kamil Abdulvagabov won Junior Russian Nationals over Anton Suchkov with Ibragim Kadiev and Albik Petrosyan taking bronze. Magomed Abdulkadyrov beat Alan Kudzoev 6-6 in the Dagestan vs. North Ossetia dual meet. April #1 Zaurbek Sidakov won the marquee matchup of the championship of North Ossetia against Yarygin champion #3 Cherman Valiev. Bronze medalists at the championships of North Ossetia were Alan Kudzoev and Robert Dzukaev. Dinislam Bolurov won the U-23 Russian nationals over 2021 Umakhanov tournament champion #7 Mohamed Nasirkhaev to debut in the rankings at #9. Bronze medalists at U-23 Russian Nationals were Muhammad Beshtoev and Gadzhimurad Gasanov. Konstan Vlasov won the RFSO over Grigory Shumilov with bronze medalists being Nikolay Svitsev and Andrian Lensky. Konstantin Topshinoev won the Siberian Federal District over 2018 70 KG Russian Nationals runner-up Arpak Sat. Anton Suchkov and 2018 65 KG Junior world champion Sayin Kazyryk took bronze at the Siberian Federal District. 79KG March #1 Radik Valiev and #3 Gadzhi Nabiev both moved up to 86 KG where Valiev won the North Ossetia wrestling championships and Nabiev won the North Caucasian Federal District tournament. Valiev and Nabiev have been removed from the rankings. Akhmad Shakhbanov won the North Caucasian Federal District tournament by injury default over #7 Amanulla Gadzhimagomedov. Bronze medalists were Yusup-Khadzhi Aidaev and Begkhan Misrikhanov. #8 Magomed Magomaev teched Alik Badtiev in the Dagestan vs. North Ossetia dual meet. Arseny Dzhioev won Junior Russian Nationals over Magomedgadzhi Daitbekov with Kadir Saipudinov and Arsen Balayan taking bronze. April Two-time Russian Nationals bronze medalist Nikita Suchkov won the Siberian Federal District tournament over Ertine Mortuy-Ool with bronze medalists being Denis Korolev and Semen Tereschenko. Timur Nikolaev won the RFSO tournament over Jamal Akhmadudinov with bronze medalists being Dulustan Kalachev and Ilya Ponomarev. Akhmad Shakhbanov won the U-23 Russian Nationals over Akhmed Manilov with Magomet Kardanov and Ramazan Aliev taking bronze. David Betanov won the championships of North Ossetia over Alan Gutsaev with Alik Badtiev and Zhavid Zaseev taking bronze. Akhmad Shakhbanov and Nikita Suchkov fill in at #9 and #10 after the departure of #1 Radik Valiev and #3 Gadzhi Nabiev. Shakhbanov won the North Caucasian Federal District Tournament in March and U-23 Russian Nationals in April while Suchkov is a two-time Russian Nationals bronze medalist coming off a title at the Siberian Federal District Tournament. 86KG March Gadzhi Nabiev won the North Caucasian Federal District tournament over Slavik Naniev. Bronze medalists were Magomed Murtazaliev and Magomedmurad Dadaev. Mustafagadzhi Malachdibirov won Junior Russian nationals over Timur Kotaev. Bronze medalists were Magomed Nurov and Vitaly Tuskaev. April 2021 79 KG world bronze medalist Radik Valiev won the championships over North Ossetia over Slavik Naniev with bronze medalists being Aslan Khapsaev and Azamat Khadzaragov. Mustafagadzhi Malachdibirov won the U-23 Russian Nationals over Stanislav Gochichaev with bronze medalists being Liuan Khakov and Yasin Gozgeshev. Azret Ulimbashev won the Siberian Federal District tournament over #5 (79) Dmitri Kuprin with Timur Kotaev and Alexei Bazdyrev taking bronze. Muslim Shamsudinov won the RFSO tournament over Aisen Kopyrin with Leonid Danilov and Alexei Efimov taking bronze. No changes to the rankings. 92KG March #2 Vladislav Valiev won the North Caucasian Federal District tournament over Muslim Magomedov. Bronze medalists were Adam Anzorov and #10 Khabib Gadzhiev. #5 Alan Bagaev beat Ashkaab Sadulaev in the Dagestan vs. North Ossetia match. Magomed Sharipov won Junior Russian Nationals over Alan Pliev. Bronze medalists at Junior Russian Nationals were Ivan Kirillov and Igor Belskikh. April Lambert Kharonov won the RFSO tournament over Bogdai Ovchinnikov with Artyom Sivtsev and Sergey Nikolaev taking bronze. Abdulla Badyrgov won the Siberian Federal District tournament over Roman Khvostov with Alexander Dorzhu taking bronze. Berd Kusov won the championships of North Ossetia over Alan Kappoev with Arsen Edzoev and Aslan Gabuev taking bronze. Ashkab Saadulaev won U-23 Russian Nationals over Alikhan Kotsoev with Alik Shebzukhov and Saikhan Imeev taking bronze. 97KG March Abdulla Kurbanov beat Akhmed Tazhudinov to win the Russian Junior Nationals. Bronze medalists were Erik Dzhioev and Irbek Tavgazov. Kurbanov debuts in the senior rankings at #9 for winning Junior Nationals over 2020 Senior Russian Nationals bronze medalists Erik Dzhioev. Artem Tskharebov (RUS) won the North Caucasian Federal District tournament over Akhmed Tazhudinov. Zhorik Dzhioev and Tamik Dzhikaev finished bronze at the North Caucasian Federal District tournament. Shamil Imam Gadzhialiyev lost to #4 Sergey Kozyrev at the Dagestan vs. North Ossetia duel meet. April Georgi Gogaev won the North Ossetian championships over Arsamag Zaseev. Bronze medalists were Arsen Alborov and Tamerlan Kotsoev. 2021 Tokyo Olympian #3 (125) Sergey Kozyrev made the move back down to 97 KG where he won the U-23 Russian Nationals over Islam Kilchukov with Arip Abdulkhalikov and Marat Tokhtaulov. Kozyrev debuts in the 97 KG rankings at #4. 2019 Russian Nationals bronze medalist Georgi Gogaev won the championships of North Ossetia over Arsamag Zaseev with Arsen Alborov and Tamerlan Kotsoev taking bronze. Konstantin Pshenichnikov won the Siberian Federal District tournament over Nikita Akulinchev with Bady-Maady Samden and 2019 Russian Nationals runner-up Igor Ovsyannikov taking bronze. 125KG 2021 Russian Nationals runner-up #4 Atsamaz Tebloev won the championships of North Ossetia over Soslan Khinchagov with Andrey Bestaev and David Dzugaev taking bronze. Tebloev doubled up on titles in the month of April with another gold at the U-23 Russian Nationals over Tamerlan Kumyshev. Bronze medalists at the U-23 Russian Nationals were Said Gairbekov and Gamzat Alizhudinov. Andrey Aronov won the RFSO tournament over Evgeny Alekseev with Danila Grishin and Artyom Platov taking bronze. Ostap Pasenok won the Siberian Federal District tournament over Pavel Krivstov with Erik Dzhioev and Vladimir Kalashnikov taking bronze. Pound for Pound 2020 74 KG Russian Nationals champion Razambek Zhamalov is back in the pound-for-pound rankings at #5. Zhamalov has wins over #6 Cherman Valiev, #7 Timur Bizhoev, #8 Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov, and #16 David Baev. #15 Magomed Kurbanaliev has been removed due to injury.

2022 US Open Nico Megaludis (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) 57 KG 2021 Olympic silver medalist Ravi Kumar (IND) was successful in winning his third straight continental title, with an impressive 12-2 technical superiority victory over Rakhat Kalzhan (KAZ) in the Asian championships finals. Kumar, ranked 7th at 61 kilograms in last month's rankings, returns to 57 KG at #3 behind 2021 world champion, #2 Thomas Gilman (USA), and 2021 Olympic champion #1 Zavur Uguev (RUS). Kalzhan made a serious impact in his Senior Asian championships debut, beating #8 (61) Gulomyon Abdullaev (UZB) and #13 Almaz Smanbekov (KGZ) to make the finals. A minor upset took place in the bronze medal match, as Yasar Dogu champion Smanbekov defeated 2021 Ziolkowski champion #8 (61) Gulomyon Abdullaev (UZB) 13-7. Japan's Rikuto Arai took the second bronze medal of the competition, winning a tight 9-8 match against 2017 Asian championships runner-up Zanabazar Zandanbud (MGL). Other than the return of Kumar into the top three, other changes to the rankings from the Asian championships includes; Kalzhan's top ten debut at #7, Smanbekov moving up five spots to #8 and Abdullaev returning to the rankings at #9. #3 Reza Atri (IRI) falls in the rankings to #10 due to my overvaluing of his wins over #18 Bekhbayar Erdenebat (MGL), #11 Alireza Sarlak (IRI) and #20 (61) Suleyman Atli (TUR), that do not hold up to the performances of Kalzhan, Smanbekov or Abdullaev. 2018 51 KG Cadet world champion Matthew Ramos (USA) won the U.S. Open over Anthony Molton (USA). Artyom Gobaev (RUS) won the championships of North Ossetia over Khasan Khusov (RUS) with Tamik Gobozov (RUS) and David Abacharaev (RUS) taking bronze. Osman Sultanov (RUS) won Russian U-23 nationals over Osman Tekeev (RUS) with Murad Aliev (RUS) and Asker Khezhev (RUS) taking bronze. Kharyskhal Grigorev (RUS) won the RFSO tournament over Petr Kopylov (RUS) with Alexei Kopylov (RUS) and Dulustan Fedotov (RUS) taking bronze. Alexey Danilov (RUS) won the Siberian Federal District tournament over Kuder Mongush (RUS) with Amyr Khomushku (RUS) and Alexander Kochevoi (RUS) taking bronze. 61KG After well-documented struggles with his weight cut during the qualifying process for the 57 KG 2021 Olympic Games that culminated in losing his wrestle-off to 2017 world champion #14 (57) Yuki Takahashi (JPN), 2016 57 KG Olympic silver medalist Rei Higuchi (JPN) made his return back up to 61 KG with his first Asian championships title over Darioush Tanzevan (IRI). Bronze medalists at the Asian championships were #17 Ulukbek Zholdoshbekov (KGZ) and Akbar Kurbanov (KAZ). Higuchi returns to the rankings at #4 while Zholdoshbekov moves up five spots to #12 after taking bronze and beating 2021 Asian champion #10 Jahongirmirza Turobov (UZB) in the quarterfinals. #19 Nico Megaludis (USA) makes his debut in the top ten at #8 after beating 2019 57 KG Pan-Am champion #9 Josh Rodriguez (USA) to win the U.S. Open. Rustam Dolaev (RUS) won the U-23 Russian championships over Lev Polomov (RUS) with Ramaz Shamilov (RUS) and Soslan Bagov (RUS) finishing with bronze. Vadim Bikoev (RUS) took gold at the championships of North Ossetia against Taimuraz Dzgoev (RUS) with Alik Dzaurov (RUS) taking bronze. Kezhik Seden (RUS) was the champion of the Siberian Federal District over 2018 57 KG Russian Nationals runner-up Donduk-Ool Khuresh Ool (RUS). Gennady Shtygashev (RUS) and Amri Chamzyn (RUS) took bronze at the Siberian Federal District. Uigulaan Ivanov (RUS) won gold at the RFSO tournament over Magomed Sebedinov (RUS) with Vitaly Espek (RUS) and Alexander Avelov (RUS) taking bronze. 65KG 2021 61 KG Junior world champion Rahman Amouzadkhalili (IRI) made his 65 KG debut in a big way, taking out three-time Asian champion and returning Olympic bronze medalist #5 Bajrang Punia (IND) to take gold at the Asian championships. Amouzadkhalili makes his 65 KG rankings debut at #7 while Punia falls three spots to #8. Taking bronze at the Asian championships were 2019 61 KG Junior world champion Kaiki Yamaguchi (JPN) and Abbos Rakhmonov (UZB). Kendric Maple (USA) won the U.S. Open over Matthew Kolodzik (USA). 2021 Russian Nationals bronze medalist #15 Abdulmazhid Kudiev (RUS) won the U-23 Russian championships over Alexander Sabanov (RUS) with Abdurakhman Dalgatov (RUS) and Muratbi Badtiev (RUS) taking bronze. Alexander Ivanov (RUS) won the RFSO tournament over Aykhan Antonov (RUS) with Magomedkhabib Akhmadulaev (RUS) and Dyuluskhan Totonov (RUS) finishing in bronze. 2021 61 KG Russian Nationals bronze medalist Cherman Tavitov (RUS) took gold at the championships of North Ossetia over Elbrus Valiev (RUS) with bronze medalists being Dzhambulat Kizinov (RUS) and Inal Karsanov (RUS). Kezhik Mongush (RUS) won the Siberian Federal District tournament over Robert Manasyan (RUS) with Gasrat Tinaev (RUS) and Ezir Tyulyush (RUS) taking bronze. #17 Umidjon Jalolov (UZB) won the Junior Journeyman classic over Cody Chittum (USA). 70KG 2017 world silver medalist #3 James Green (USA) retired from competition to take the helm as a developmental coach for team USA. Green has been removed from the rankings and the #3 spot is now held down by 2021 world bronze medalist Evgheni Zherbaev (RUS). The group of Zherbaev, #7 Israil Kasumov (RUS), #4 Viktor Rassadin (RUS), and #8 Kurban Shiraev (RUS) all got moved into the top five after #5 Ernazar Akmataliev (KGZ) lost in the finals of the Asian championships to Taishi Narikuni (JPN). Narikuni debuts at #9 for beating Akmataliev. Bronze medalists at the Asian championships were Syrbaz Talgat (KAZ) and Naveen Naveen (IND). #13 Alec Pantaleo (USA) won the U.S. Open over 2021 65 KG Olympic Trials champion Jordan Oliver (USA). 2021 65 KG U-23 world runner-up Ibragim Abdurakhmanov (RUS) won the U-23 Russian Nationals over Magomed Gazimagomedov (RUS) with Abdulmuslim Abdulmuslimov (RUS) taking bronze. Kezhik Chymba (RUS) was the Siberian Federal District champion over 2021 Yarygin bronze medalist Chaiaan Mongush (RUS) with bronze medalists being Rostislav Korolev (RUS) and Sergey Yakimov (RUS). Georgy Sekinaev (RUS) won the championships of North Ossetia over Batyrbek Tskhovrebov (RUS) with Arsen Tegetaev (RUS) and Ruslan Gasiev (RUS) finishing with bronze. Aisen Potapov (RUS) won the RFSO tournament over Konstantin Kaprynov (RUS) with Nurgustaan Ivanov (RUS) and Walter Vladimirov (RUS) taking bronze. 74KG #1 Zaurbek Sidakov (RUS) won the marquee matchup of the championship of North Ossetia against Yarygin champion #6 Cherman Valiev (RUS). Bronze medalists at the championships of North Ossetia were Alan Kudzoev (RUS) and Robert Dzukaev (RUS). #7 Jason Nolf (USA) won the U.S. Open over Joshua Shields (USA). 2019 70 KG world bronze medalist Younes Emami (IRI) enters the rankings at #14 for beating two-time Asian champion Nurkhoza Kaipanov (KAZ) to win his first Senior Asian championships title. Bronze medalists at the Asian championships were Islambek Orozbekov (KGZ) and Daichi Takatani (JPN). Kaipanov slots in at #15 behind Emami. U-23 European champion #20 Dzhabrail Gadzhiev (AZE) moves up four spots to #16 and Turan Bayramov (AZE) makes his 74 KG debut at #17. The reason for this is to just continually add guys (Magomedrasul Asluev, Soslanbek Budaev, Dinislam Bolurov) who beat 2021 Umakhanov tournament champ Mohamed Nasirkhaev (RUS) into the middle of the rankings and just put them over each other back and forth is stupid when you have guys with outright better resumes like Emami, Kaipanov, Gadzhiev and Bayramov. Dinislam Bolurov (RUS) won the U-23 Russian nationals over 2021 Umakhanov tournament champion Mohamed Nasirkhaev (RUS) to debut in the rankings at #20. Bronze medalists at the U-23 Russian Nationals were Muhammad Beshtoev (RUS) and Gadzhimurad Gasanov (RUS). Konstan Vlasov (RUS) won the RFSO over Grigory Shumilov (RUS) with bronze medalists being Nikolay Svitsev (RUS) and Andrian Lensky (RUS). Konstantin Topshinoev (RUS) won the Siberian Federal District over 2018 70 KG Russian Nationals runner-up Arpak Sat (RUS). Anton Suchkov (RUS) and 2018 65 KG Junior world champion Sayin Kazyryk (RUS) took bronze at the Siberian Federal District. 79KG The U.S. Open saw a major domestic and international shakeup as 2x NCAA champion Vincenzo Joseph (USA) upset #5 Alex Dieringer (USA) to make the finals. In the finals, Joseph would fall in a barnburner of a match against David McFadden (USA). From the aftermath of the U.S. Open, David McFadden (USA) and Vincenzo Joseph (USA) make their top ten debut at #5 and #6 respectively while Dieringer falls two spots to #7. #11 Ali Savadkouhi (IRI) won the Asian championships over 2020 Asian championships runner-up Baliyan Gourav (IND). Bronze medalists at the Asian championships were Yudai Takahashi (JPN) and Arsalan Budazhapov (KGZ). Baliyan Gourav (IND) makes his debut in the rankings at #20 after winning a rematch of the 2020 Asian championships finals against #18 Arsalan Budazhapov (KGZ) in the semifinals of the Asian championships. Two-time Russian Nationals bronze medalist Nikita Suchkov (RUS) won the Siberian Federal District tournament over Ertine Mortuy-Ool (RUS) with bronze medalists being Denis Korolev (RUS) and Semen Tereschenko (RUS). Timur Nikolaev (RUS) won the RFSO tournament over Jamal Akhmadudinov (RUS) with bronze medalists being Dulustan Kalachev (RUS) and Ilya Ponomarev (RUS). Akhmad Shakhbanov (RUS) won the U-23 Russian Nationals over Akhmed Manilov (RUS) with Magomet Kardanov (RUS) and Ramazan Aliev taking bronze. David Betanov (RUS) won the championships of North Ossetia (RUS) over Alan Gutsaev (RUS) with Alik Badtiev (RUS) and Zhavid Zaseev (RUS) taking bronze. Yarygin champion and 2021 world bronze medalist Radik Valiev (RUS) moved up to 86 KG where he won the championships of North Ossetia title over Slavik Naniev (RUS) and has been removed from the rankings. 86KG #9 Azamat Dauletbekov (KAZ) won the Asian championships over Indian superstar Deepak Punia (IND). Bronze medalists at the Asian championships were Mohsen Alanjagh (IRI) and Bobur Islamov (UZB). Two-time Junior world champion Mark Hall (USA) won the U.S. Open over Marcus Coleman (USA). 2021 79 KG world bronze medalist Radik Valiev (RUS) won the championships over North Ossetia over Slavik Naniev (RUS) with bronze medalists being Aslan Khapsaev (RUS) and Azamat Khadzaragov (RUS). Mustafagadzhi Malachdibirov (RUS) won the U-23 Russian Nationals over Stanislav Gochichaev (RUS) with bronze medalists being Liuan Khakov (RUS) and Yasin Gozgeshev (RUS). Azret Ulimbashev (RUS) won the Siberian Federal District tournament over #16 (79) Dmitri Kuprin (RUS) with Timur Kotaev (RUS) and Alexei Bazdyrev (RUS) taking bronze. Muslim Shamsudinov (RUS) won the RFSO tournament over Aisen Kopyrin (RUS) with Leonid Danilov (RUS) and Alexei Efimov (RUS) taking bronze. No changes to the rankings. 92KG Amirhossein Firouzpourbandpei (IRI) won the Asian championships over Orgilokh Dagvadorj (MGL). Bronze medalists at the Asian championships were Viky Viky (IND) and Adilet Davlumbaev (KAZ). Cam Caffey (USA) won the U.S. Open over Isaac Trumble (USA). Lambert Kharonov (RUS) won the RFSO tournament over Bogdai Ovchinnikov (RUS) with Artyom Sivtsev (RUS) and Sergey Nikolaev (RUS) taking bronze. Abdulla Badyrgov (RUS) won the Siberian Federal District tournament over Roman Khvostov (RUS) with Alexander Dorzhu (RUS) taking bronze. Berd Kusov (RUS) won the championships of North Ossetia over Alan Kappoev (RUS) with Arsen Edzoev (RUS) and Aslan Gabuev (RUS) taking bronze. Ashkab Saadulaev (RUS) won U-23 Russian Nationals over Alikhan Kotsoev (RUS) with Alik Shebzukhov (RUS) and Saikhan Imeev (RUS) taking bronze. 97KG Michael Macchiavello (USA) won the U.S. Open over Joe Rau (USA). #4 Mohammad Mohammadian (IRI) won the Asian championships 11-0 over Batsul Ulzaisaikhan (MGL). Bronze medalists at the Asian championships were Satywart Kadian (IND) and Mamed Ibragimov (KAZ). European Championships bronze medalist Zbigniew Baranowski (POL) has been added to the rankings at #11 because I thought both Baranowski and Odikadze placed. The actual medal order for Euros in March was 1. Magomedkhan Magomedov (AZE) 2. Vladislav Baitsaev (HUN) 3. Zbigniew Baranowski (POL) and 3. Batyrbek Tsakulov (SVK). 2021 Tokyo Olympian #7 (125) Sergey Kozyrev (RUS) made the move back down to 97 KG where he won the U-23 Russian Nationals over Islam Kilchukov (RUS) with Arip Abdulkhalikov (RUS) and Marat Tokhtaulov (RUS). Kozyrev debuts in the 97 KG rankings at #15. 2019 Russian Nationals bronze medalist Georgi Gogaev (RUS) won the championships of North Ossetia over Arsamag Zaseev (RUS) with Arsen Alborov (RUS) and Tamerlan Kotsoev (RUS) taking bronze. Konstantin Pshenichnikov (RUS) won the Siberian Federal District tournament over Nikita Akulinchev (RUS) with Bady-Maady Samden (RUS) and 2019 Russian Nationals runner-up Igor Ovsyannikov (RUS) taking bronze. Pshenichnikov enters the rankings at #20 after #19 Erik Dzhioev moved up to heavyweight. 125KG The only major change this month was 2021 Tokyo Olympian #7 Sergey Kozyrev (RUS) moving down to 97 KG. Everyone from #8 below gets a move up and European bronze medalist Robert Baran (POL) is back in the rankings at #20. #13 Yadollah Mohebbi (IRI) won the Asian championships over Alisher Yergali (KAZ). Bronze medalists at the Asian championships were Batmagnai Enkhtuvshin (MGL) and Yeihyun Jung (KOR). 2021 Russian Nationals runner-up #10 Atsamaz Tebloev (RUS) won the championships of North Ossetia over Soslan Khinchagov (RUS) with Andrey Bestaev (RUS) and David Dzugaev (RUS) taking bronze. Tebloev doubled up on titles in the month of April with another gold at the U-23 Russian Nationals over Tamerlan Kumyshev (RUS). Bronze medalists at the U-23 Russian Nationals were Said Gairbekov (RUS) and Gamzat Alizhudinov (RUS). Andrey Aronov (RUS) won the RFSO tournament over Evgeny Alekseev (RUS) with Danila Grishin (RUS) and Artyom Platov (RUS) taking bronze. Ostap Pasenok (RUS) won the Siberian Federal District tournament over Pavel Krivstov (RUS) with Erik Dzhioev (RUS) and Vladimir Kalashnikov (RUS) taking bronze. Pound for Pound #23 Bajrang Punia (IND) is out of the rankings after losing in the 65 KG Asian championships finals to #7 (65) Rahman Amouzadkhalili (IRI). With Bajrang being removed from the ranking, 2021 92 KG world champion #1 (92) takes the #25 spot.

Macey Kilty at the 2020 Olympic Trials (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The U20 Division did not disappoint on day one of USA Wrestling's Women's Nationals in Fort Worth, Texas on Friday. The finals and medal matches are set at all 10 weights and will kick off this morning. We can then turn our sights on the U23 division, set to kick off at 2:30 this afternoon. Plenty of our U20 place finishers intend to test themselves against the upper-level college juggernauts - many of them are scheduled to wrestle in the U20 medal matches this morning - and a number of the same faces will likely end up at, or near, the top of the podium. Let's take a weight-by-weight look at the top competitors in the U23 division. 50kg High School stars Nyla Valencia and Alex Szkotnicki will wrestle for 3rd and 7th, respectively, in the U20 division on Saturday morning before testing their luck in the U23 division at 50 kilos. The top college stars include 2021 U23 World Champion Emily Shilson, a 3x NCWWC champion for Augsburg, Nina Pham, a 2x NAIA Champ for Wayland Baptist, and Sage Mortimer, a freshman All-American for King University this season who will wrestle in the U20 finals on Saturday morning. Favorites: Shilson and Pham Dark Horse: Nyla Valencia 53kg Estrella Dorado Marin of WCAP will wrestle in the U20 finals before trying her luck with the U23s. She will have plenty of college talent standing in her way of making back-to-back finals. Felicity Taylor of McKendree is a 3x NCWWC finalist and won the title in 2021. She was also the champion at the US Open last weekend in an unseeded run to the title that included a tech fall over Alyssa Lampe in the finals. Kaitlyn Pizzo, a multiple-time All-American for perennial NAIA power Campbellsville, is also entered at this weight. Favorite: Taylor Dark Horse: Estrella Dorado Marin 55kg 55 kilos offers plenty of high-level talent vying for the title. Adriana Dorado Marin won the US Open at 57kg last weekend and will wrestle in the U20 finals on Saturday morning. Marissa Gallegos of Titan Mercury Wrestling Club was 3rd at the Senior World Team Trials last fall and 4th at last weekend's US Open. The 3x NCWWC All-American for Colorado Mesa is always one of the most dangerous competitors in any bracket she enters. Alisha Howk of Sunkist Kids was 5th at the Open and King's Melanie Mendoza is a 2x NCWWC All-American. Favorites: Dorado Marin and Gallegos Dark Horse: Howk 57kg Alex Hedrick, a 2x NCWWC Champion for Simon Fraser, enters the event as the clear favorite at this weight wrestling for Titan Mercury. She won this event at 55kg in 2021 and represented Team USA at the U23 World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia. She was 3rd at the US Open last weekend. High School star Sofia Macaluso is ranked #1 in the country at 122 pounds and will wrestle in the U20 final on Saturday morning before trying her hand against the older competition in the U23 division. Nichole Moore and Anya Knappenberger are college All-Americans entered at the weight as well. Favorite: Hedrick Dark Horse: Macaluso 59kg An arguable favorite at 59 looks to be Nanea Estrella. The 2022 NAIA runner-up and University of Iowa transfer won the Open last weekend and will wrestle in the U20 finals on Saturday morning. But Lexie Basham of Texas Wesleyan beat her in that NAIA final just a couple months ago and looks to play spoiler in her home state this weekend. Claire DiCugno will also wrestle in the U20 finals on Saturday morning and was an NCWWC All-American for Colorado Mesa this season who plans to make a run in the U23 division. Niya Gaines of North Central is entered here and defeated DiCugno in the NCWWC semis, and WCAP's Brenda Reyna was an NCWWC Champion for McKendree in 2021. Favorites: Basham and Estrella Dark Horse: Brenda Reyna 62kg Macey Kilty made an impressive run to the Olympic Trials finals in 2021 before a tragic injury in the final match of the best 2 of 3 finals against Kayla Miracle. She enters the 62kg bracket in the U23 division as a heavy favorite. Zoe Nowicki of Adrian College was the NCWWC Champion this year, winning her second of two collegiate national titles. Alex Liles was 8th at the US Open and is always dangerous in any bracket she enters. Favorites: Kilty Dark Horse: Nowicki 65kg World Silver medalist Skylar Hattendorf will wrestle in the U20 finals at 62 on Saturday morning before competing in the U23 division at 65. Maya Letona, third at the US Open, will wrestle for third in the U20 division at 65 and then try her hand against the U23s. The college veteran here is King's Ashlynn Ortega who won an NCWWC title this past season after winning a U23 World Team spot in 2021. Dalia Garibay is a 2x All-American for Colorado Mesa and was 4th at the US Open last weekend at 68kg. Elleni Johnson and Kendall Bostelman are top-ranked High Schoolers who will test their luck in the U23 division here. Favorite: Ortega Dark Horse: Dalia Garibay 68kg Tiyanna Askew of Missouri Baptist was 2nd at this event last year and has been a college All-American in the NAIA. Kaylynn Albrecht was the NAIA runner-up for Baker this year and Ana Luciano is a multiple-time All-American for King in the NCWWC. Favorites: Askew and Luciano Dark Horse: Albrecht 72kg Amit Elor will wrestle in the U20 finals on Saturday morning before competing in the U23 division. She entered this tournament as the heavy favorite in both divisions after winning World Championships in both in 2021. Marylynne Deede is a 2x NCWWC All-American for Augsburg and was 2nd at the US Open last weekend. Kenya Sloan was the NAIA Champion for Campbellsville and Malea Palahniuk is a 2x NCWWC All-American for North Central. Keep an eye on Latifah McBryde who will wrestle in the U20 finals on Saturday morning. She made deep runs at this event in the U17 and U20 divisions last year as well. Favorite: Elor Dark Horse: Latifah McBryde 76kg 2x NCWWC Champion Yelena Makoyed of North Central was 3rd at the US Open last weekend and enters as the favorite here in the U23 division. She is a 3x college All-American and was second in this bracket to Kylie Welker in 2021, taking a match in the best of three series. Joye Levendusky of McKendree is a multiple-time college All-American, as well, who has finished as the NCWWC runner-up to Makoyed each of the last two seasons. Tristan Kelly was 3rd at the NCWWC tournament in 2021 and 5th at the US Open last weekend. The High School star to keep an eye on here is Brooklyn Hays who will wrestle for 3rd in the U20 division on Saturday morning. Ashley Lekas is a notable contender here who has pushed Makoyed in their matches in the past. Lekas was 8th at the US Open last weekend. Favorite: Makoyed Dark Horse: Ashley Lekas

Justin Gaethje (left) at the 2010 NCAA Championships (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The MMA slate of wrestlers this weekend includes some veterans who are winding down their careers, some legitimate title challengers and some up-and-coming prospects. As always the sport of wrestling is well represented in its caged sister sport. Bellator 280 The second largest promotion in the U.S. will be the first major promotion to host a show in France after the sport was legalized there. Bellator 280 takes place Friday afternoon in Paris Ryan Bader vs. Cheick Kongo While Bader lost the promotion's light heavyweight title back in 2020, he successfully defended the heavyweight title earlier this year. He will put that belt on the line against Kongo, who is a 45-fight veteran. During his college days, Bader wrestled for Arizona State where he was a three-time Pac-10 champion and a two-time All-American. After finishing his college eligibility in 2006, he turned professional in MMA the following year. His record stands at 29-7 and he is a two-time Bellator champion. Yoel Romero vs. Alex Polizzi Romero is one of the highest decorated international wrestlers to ever compete in MMA. He is a six-time World/Olympic medalist with his Olympic medal coming when he took silver in 2000. The Cuban defected to Germany in 2007and fought mostly on small MMA shows until making his U.S. debut for Strikeforce in 2011. He then signed with the UFC in 2013. During his tenure with the UFC, he fought for the middleweight title three times, but came up short in each fight. Polizzi was a three-time NCAA qualifier for Northwestern. After exhausting his eligibility in 2015, he turned to MMA and ultimately made his professional debut in 2018. Polizzi signed with Bellator in 2020 after building a 6-0 record. In his first fight for the promotion, he defeated former middleweight champion, Rafael Carvalho. He is currently riding a three-fight winning streak and is taking this bout on short notice. Polizzi just fought on March 12 when he scored a three-round submission over Jose Augusto Azevedo. Both of these fights will be part of the Bellator 280 main card, which airs live on Showtime at 4:00pm ET on Friday afternoon. Titan FC 76 Richie Lewis vs. Kelvin Bowen Lewis started his college wrestling career at Iowa Central where he was a two-time NJCAA All-American. The New Jersey native then transferred to Rutgers where he was a two-time NCAA qualifier and won a gold medal in the 70-kg division at the 2017 U23 World Championships. As a senior in 2018, Lewis made the round of 12. He began his MMA career in 2021 and has won both of his fights over Banny Vega and Ernesto Rodriguez. Lewis will face off against Bowen who has been fighting professionally since 2019 and has a 1-0-1 record. The Titan FC 76 card will air live on UFC Fight Pass at 8:00pm ET on Friday. UFC 274 The UFC returns to pay per view with a lightweight title fight in the main event. A former Northern Colorado All-American will get a shot against current champion Charles Oliveira. Justin Gaethje vs. Charles Oliveira As a junior at Northern Colorado in 2010, Justin Gaethje finished seventh at 157 pounds at the NCAA tournament to become an All-American. In the process, he also became the first All-American for the Bears since 1970. After building an undefeated 16-0 professional MMA record, Gaethje signed with the UFC 2017. After losing two of his first three fights with the promotion, it looked like Gaethje might end up being better known for his entertaining fights than his accomplishments. However, he has now won five of his last six and earned a second crack at the lightweight title. Oliveira will not be an easy challenge for Gaethje. He won the title over Dustin Poirier in 2021 and has since defended it against former Missouri wrestler Michael Chandler. He holds a 32-8 MMA record and has a UFC record of 15 wins by submission in the Octagon. Carla Esparza vs. Rose Namajunas Esparza was an All-American for Menlo. After graduating in 2009, she made her professional MMA debut in 2010. In 2014, she won the 20th season of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality show to become the inaugural UFC strawweight champion. Her opponent in the finals was Namajunas. Since then Namajunas has won the title and cemented herself as the top 115-pound fighter. Esparza earned a title shot after winning five-straight fights, but she will be the underdog here despite the history. Michael Chandler vs. Tony Ferguson Chandler signed with the UFC in 2021 after an extensive career in Bellator that saw him hold the lightweight title on multiple occasions. While putting on exciting fights, he has gone only 1-2 in his three trips into the Octagon. A win here should help him turn around his momentum. Chandler was a two-time Big 12 champion and a three-time NCAA qualifier for Missouri during his collegiate days. Ferguson was a Michigan state champion in high school who went on to compete at Grand Valley. For the NCWA squad, he was a two-time All-American and won a national title at 165 pounds in 2006. Ferguson joined the UFC in 2011 after winning the 13th season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” At one point he went on a 12-fight winning streak and held an interim version of the UFC lightweight title. However, he is now riding a three-fight losing streak and coming off a decision loss against Beneil Dariush. All three of these fights will be part of the UFC 274 main card, which airs live on pay per view via ESPN+ at 10:00pm ET.

59 kg US Open Champion Nanea Estrella (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) What a weekend we saw out in Las Vegas last weekend at the US Open. There was little time to process the results before turning our sights on the event that will determine age-level world teams on the women's side. Let's take a weight-by-weight look at the U20 National Championships going on this weekend in Fort Worth, Texas. The U20 division offers a great mix of the best high school and underclassmen college talent from across the country, and this year seems prepared to entertain. 50kg This weight is an interesting one because it contains two college weight classes with the 101s and the 109s from both NCAA and NAIA schools, with a smorgasbord of High School talent. Top high schoolers include California's Nyla Valencia, an Iowa commit, and Kaelani Shufeldt along with Arizona's Audrey Jimenez and Nevada's Jenavi Alejandro. The Gonzalez twins, Brianna and Emily - both headed to Iowa, should also be in the conversation, along with Maryland's Alex Szkotnicki. The top college contenders include North Central's Sydney Petzinger, who was 2nd at the NCWWC Championships this year at 109, and a pair of King University stars in Samara Chavez and Sage Mortimer, both who finished 3rd at the NCWWCs at 109 and 116, respectively. Favorites: Mortimer and Petzinger Dark Horse: Brianna Gonzalez 53kg 53 kilos offers two top-tier high school stars in Elena Ivaldi and Katie Gomez, both of California. Both competed at 53kg last year. Gomez was 4th in the U20 division last year and Ivaldi was 5th in the U17 bracket. Jasmine Godinez and Camille Fournier were both 5th for Texas Wesleyan at the NAIA Championships this year, at 109 and 116 respectively. Kendra Ryan was 6th for North Central at 116 at NCWWCs. Keep an eye on Chloe Ayres of the New Jersey Regional Training Center as well - she doesn't compete collegiately attending Princeton University, but earned several big wins in High School. Favorites: Fournier and Gomez Dark Horse: Kendra Ryan 55kg There's not much in the way of ranked High School wrestlers at 55 kilos, but WCAP's Adrian Dorado Marin opened plenty of eyes last weekend by winning the US Open at 57 and drops to 55 this weekend to try and make a U20 world team. She had huge Senior level wins over Amanda Martinez and Cameron Guerin in taking the stop sign. Cristelle Rodriguez was a Cadet World Silver Medalist in 2019 and Amani Jones, who was 5th at NCWWCs for North Central at 123 this season, was the runner-up here last year. North Central's Mateah Roehl and King's Melanie Mendoza are both 2x NCWWC All-Americans in this bracket as well. Favorites: Dorado Marin and Jones Dark Horse: Cristelle Rodriguez 57kg Ranked high school wrestlers are much more prevalent at 57 kilos. New Yorks' Sofia Macaluso currently sits at #1 nationally at 122 pounds, while California's Jennifer Soto is ranked #2 at 127. Alexis Janiak of Illinois was 2nd at the weight last year and returns for a shot at the title. Claire DiCugno of Colorado Mesa University defeated Janiak in that 2021 final and went on to have a great freshman season in Grand Junction, finishing 6th at the NCWWCs. Adrienna Turner was an NAIA All-American for Grand View University and Ngao Shoua Whitethorn of Minnesota didn't wrestle in college this season, but was the Junior National Champ in Fargo last summer. Favorites: DiCugno and Macaluso Dark Horse: Jennifer Soto 59kg Savannah Cosme won this event last year in the U17 division at 57kg and looks to repeat this year as a U20 at 59. The High School senior will head to Arizona State next season. She joins a wealth of college stars in search of the world team spot. Nanea Estrella of Menlo was second at NAIAs and won the US Open in impressive fashion just last weekend. Montana DeLawder of King had a rough go at the NCWWCs finishing in 7th, but she had a fantastic season before that as she went into the event as the #1 seed. East Stroudsburg's Mia Macaluso was 4th in that same NCWWC bracket, and was the champion of the U20 59kg bracket last year. Janida Garcia of California and Ella Schmit of Iowa enter the event both ranked #6 in the country at 138 and 122 respectively. Favorites: Estrella and Macaluso Dark Horse: Montana DeLawder 62kg Five high school competitors entered the event at 62 kilos ranked in the top 5 nationally in Skylar Hattendorf, Marissa Jimenez, Madyson Gray, Savannah Gomez and Paige Wehrmeister. Any one of them has the potential to make a deep run in this bracket. Four college All-Americans join them in Sara Sulejmani of North Central, Emmily Patneaud and Skye Realin of McKendree and NAIA National Champion Adaugo Nwachukwu of Iowa Wesleyan. Nwachukwu and Patneaud were 3rd and 5th last weekend at the US Open. Favorites: Nwachukwu and Patneaud Dark Horse: Hattendorf 65kg Emma Walker certainly has the most experienced amongst the top competitors at 65 kilos as she was 2nd at the NAIA Championships at 143 this season. Numbers 1-4 and 6 in the High School rankings will look to challenge her in Iowa commit Reese Larramendy, Lock Haven commit Grace Stem, North Central commit Kendall Bostelman, Missouri's Maddie Kubicki and Iowa commit Isabella Mir - wow. Chloe Ogden is also an interesting entry here. She spent most of her High School career nationally ranked before heading off to UNC where she is currently a freshman - she was 4th here last year. Favorites: Walker and Larramendy Dark Horse: Kendall Bostelman 68kg This weight looks to be a battle of young stars all in search of their first world team appearance. Oregon's Destiny Rodriguez, a Junior Fargo national champ last summer, enters the tournament as the #2 ranked High School wrestler at 152 pounds. Lydia Krauss of Michigan is ranked 8th at the same weight. Two college All-Americans look to stand in their way. Sacred Heart's Maddie Sandquist was 3rd at NCWWCs at 143 and North Central's Tiera Jimerson was 5th at 155. Favorites: Rodriguez and Sandquist Dark Horse: Jimerson 72kg We don't need to look very far for the heavy favorite at 72kg. Amit Elor enters the event after winning Junior World Gold in 2021. She entered the US Open last weekend but pulled out, with an illness. We are excited to see her enter again here and eager to see her on the mat this weekend in Fort Worth. Her largest challenger will likely be Missouri's Haley Ward or Washington's Shannon Workinger. Skylar Chakouian of Elmira was an NCWWC All-American at 155 this season. Favorite: Elor Dark Horse: Chakouian 76kg Tristan Kelly is likely the most experienced wrestler in the field at 76. She was 3rd at the NCWWCs in 2021, before discontinuing her college career to go full-time with WCAP. She was 5th at last weekend's US Open. The top-ranked High School wrestlers in the field include Washington's Alivia White and Utah's Brooklyn Hays. Illinois' Rose Cassioppi is also an intriguing name here. Journey Land was an NCWWC All-American for Limestone at 191 this season. Favorites: Kelly and White Dark Horse: Rose Cassioppi

David McFadden (left) and Vincenzo Joseph in the 2022 US Open finals (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Lost in the commotion of the US Open was the news of a new pro league on the horizon. A true professional league has always kind of been the Holy Grail of the wrestling world. Meet the new league. Same as the old league. The American Wrestling League is back and under new management. History shows that it won't work, but Uncle Jagger is here to tell you why it can work. I think the biggest problem was that wrestlers retired at an earlier age thus leaving a shallow pool to choose from. That's not exactly true anymore with men and women consistently competing into their thirties. Let's face it, the endgame for competing past college is to make a world/Olympic team. The percentage of wrestlers that make that world team is microscopic. Now, a different circuit gives the wrestlers another venue to pursue while still doing what they love. You didn't make a world team? Sorry to hear that. You had a good season in the AWL while enjoying the camaraderie of a team again and got paid for it? Sounds pretty cool. The next reason is that it's 2022. This isn't the age of once a week newsletters and trading videotapes. We're used to watching everything at home now and freestyle wrestling appeals to fans all over the world. My paisan Seth Petarra watches Kyrgyzstan Cadets just as a hobby. I'm sure there's a Kyrgyzstan Seth out there who's willing to watch the AWL. Zach and Tyler from Stalemates run a successful league with good marketing and a desire to give the fans what they want. The talent is available. The streaming options are available. Hopefully, the money is available. Will the fans show up? We shall see. Speaking of fans, you guys sent a few questions and I answered. Who were you most impressed with at the US Open? @PelikanHead Dan Verr in the Greco-Roman Masters division D at 58 kilograms. The guy is so good that nobody even entered the tournament at his weight. National champ without even breaking a sweat. Stud. Vincenzo Joseph and David McFadden were pretty good, too. I wouldn't mind seeing them mix it up a few more times. What's the average setup time for your TV's? @Michwrestlinref Mostly depends on the situation and how I pre-plan it, but I can get you four screens up and running in five minutes or less. I admit I flew too close to the sun last time and started feeling the radiation and it got weird. I may tone down the screens in the future. I may also quit smoking and stop being a curmudgeon, but there's no guarantee on any of these things. No questions. Just appreciation for his repping of #PhillyWrestling to kick off #WrestlingShirtADayinMay. @WrestlingPhilly You know I love my Philly wrestling! I hope you're all enjoying the brainchild of Jim Dutrow and judging by the tweets you definitely are! It's fun to see all the cool shirts folks have collected over the years and I've seen a few that I want for myself. Even Hoboken Mike on Survivor brought a Wesleyan Wrestling sweatshirt to the island knowing the show would be for the month of May. I say we take it a step further and go singlet a day in January and really get this cooking. If you could dox the identity of any anonymous wrestling Twitter account, who would it be? @theGOATfollower Karen at Flo is certainly someone whose identity people have speculated about. The thing with anonymous accounts is it's likely just someone you don't know. This isn't the Marvel Cinematic Universe where everyone is connected in some way. It's just random fans making random accounts to talk about the sport or have some fun while maintaining privacy. Isn't that right, Andy? How do you handle your Twitter fame? Does it affect your day-to-day lifestyle? @gutbench69 Shockingly not a problem in everyday life. Put me in Iowa and you'll see the press on the runway like I'm "Weird Al" Yankovic. Which NCAA wrestler would be best off signing an NIL with Marlboro? @jkos11 Well, we already missed the boat with Chad "Marlboro" Red, so I think that ship has sailed. Probably not a good idea anyway. Do you....never mind don't want to upset you. @MaceikoW As a matter of fact, I do. That's it for this week, my friends! First X is in the books and things are looking spicy for Middle X, before all the returning champs inevitably win at Final X. And so it goes...

Todd Beckerman (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Todd Beckerman announced he is stepping away as the Marvin Wilenzik '56 Head Coaching Chair for Brown Wrestling and transitioning to a new role. "I want to thank Coach Beckerman for his time leading our wrestling program," Chancellor Samuel M. Mencoff '78 Vice President for Athletics and Recreation M. Grace Calhoun '92, Ph.D. said. "We appreciate his dedication to Brown Wrestling and look forward to seeing him in a new role. He established a strong foundation for the program, and we appreciate his commitment to so many student-athletes through the years. The success on and off the mat was evident. We will immediately begin a national search to identify our next wrestling coach." "I want to thank Grace Calhoun for this wonderful opportunity to pursue this next chapter in my career," said Beckerman. "I'm honored and forever grateful for the opportunity to have coached at this prestigious institution for the last nine years, and am proud of what we accomplished together, building a strong, and fully endowed program that is positioned for future success under a new head coach. Most importantly, I'm excited to be able to spend more time with my wife and daughters in ways I couldn't before." In his nine seasons at Brown, Beckerman featured several EIWA placers and 12 NCAA qualifiers, including Ophir Bernstein '15, the program's first All-American in 16 years (2014-15) and fourth ever.

65 kg U17 World Team member Tyler Kasak (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) On Sunday afternoon, in Las Vegas, our U17 (Cadet) men's freestyle team was assembled. The group consists of ten wrestlers from eight states, nine of which will compete at the World Championships for the first time. The lone returner is Luke Lilledahl, who brought home a silver medal last year. The 2022 team features two wrestlers who knocked off returning medalists from the previous year's squad, so they should have an impact of their own. This group has big shoes to fill as the 2021 team finished second at World's, ahead of Russia and behind India by just four points. We'll have the U17 Greco-Roman team for you tomorrow and the women's team is being determined this weekend. Below are the members of the 2022 freestyle team along with their past accomplishments and their wins from Las Vegas. 2022 U17 Freestyle Team 45 kg - Domenic Munaretto (Illinois) 5x Tulsa National Champion Path to the World Team: Revin Dickman (Indiana) 12-2 Carter Pearson (Iowa) 4-0 Slater Hicks (California) 3-0 Haakon Peterson (Wisconsin) 4-0, 3-0 48 kg - Christian Castillo (Arizona) 2021 Super 32 sixth place 2021 16U Freestyle national runner-up Path to the World Team: Cole Faircloth (Nevada) 10-0 Ezekiel Witt (Kansas) Fall 1:07 Dru Ayala (Iowa) 11-0 Seth Mendoza (Illinois) 4-4, 5-2 51 kg - Luke Lilledahl (Missouri) 2021 Walsh Ironman runner-up 2021 Super 32 Champion 2021 Cadet World silver medalist (freestyle) 2021 UWW Cadet WTT Champion (freestyle) 2021 UWW Cadet WTT third place (Greco-Roman) 2022 National Prep third place 2021 Missouri Class 4 state champion Path to the World Team: Julian Antonio Salazar-Marquez (Colorado) 10-0 Elijah Cortez (California) 7-2 Isaiah Schaefer (Indiana) 10-0 Nathan Carrillo (California) 12-2 Bo Bassett (Pennsylvania) 6-1, 10-0 55 kg - Jax Forrest (North Carolina) 2021 Super 32 third place 2021 16U freestyle national fourth-place 2021 16U Greco-Roman national sixth-place Path to the World Team: Sergio Vega (Arizona) 10-0 Collin McDowell (Wisconsin) 10-0 William Anderson (Alabama) 12-1 Ben Davino (Illinois) 10-6 Kale Peterson (Iowa) 10-0 Nate Jesuroga (Iowa) 2-12, 11-10, 4-4 60 kg - Kyler Larkin (Arizona) 2021 16U freestyle national champion Path to the World Team: Emanuel Cater (Washington) 10-0 Alex Mentzer (South Dakota) 5-5 Omar Ayoub (Ohio) 11-1 Zan Fugitt (Missouri) 10-0 Tanner Frothinger (Idaho) 17-11 Dalton Perry (Pennsylvania) 10-0, 9-2 65 kg - Tyler Kasak (Pennsylvania) 2021 Beast of the East Champion 2021 Walsh Ironman Champion 2x Super 32 Placer (5th, 7th) 2021 16U Freestyle national runner-up 3x Pennsylvania AAA state medalist (3rd, 1st, 5th) Path to the World Team: Royce Uhring (Colorado) Fall 1:14 Ronald Theilacker (Florida) 10-0 Collin Guffey (California) 10-0 Ivan Acosta (Washington) 11-0 Brock Herman (Ohio) Fall 3:23 Zach Hanson (Minnesota) 4-4 Joel Adams (Nebraska) 3-4, 7-0, 6-4 71 kg - Joseph Sealey (North Carolina) 2021 Beast of the East Champion 2021 Super 32 Runner-Up 2021 UWW Cadet WTT sixth place (freestyle) 2022 National Prep Champion Path to the World Team: Leister Bowling (Colorado) 10-0 Austin Simmons (Oregon) 10-0 Tyren Schaefer (Colorado) 10-0 Erik McCown (California) 10-0 Latrell Schafer (Georgia) 10-0 Zane Licht (Wisconsin) 14-4 KJ Evans (Oklahoma) 9-2, 15-7 80 kg - Zack Ryder (New York) 2021 Walsh Ironman third place 2021 Super 32 fifth place 2021 16U Freestyle national champion 2x New York DI state champion Path to the World Team: Bradlee Shaw (California) 10-0 Dalton Loyden (Arizona) Fall 2:51 Mike Avelar (Arizona) 10-0 Gabe Arnold (Georgia) 3-2 Aeoden Sinclair (Wisconsin) 5-3 Connor Mirasola (Wisconsin) 8-0, Fall 1:07 92 kg - Max McEnelly (Minnesota) 2021 16U Freestyle national champion 3x Minnesota state champion Path to the World Team: Kade West (New York) 10-0 Melvin Whitehead (Nevada) 10-0 Austin Johnson (Pennsylvania) 12-0 Sawyer Bartelt (Florida) 6-5 Camden McDanel (Ohio) 12-12, 5-3, 15-14 110 kg - Koy Hopke (Wisconsin) 2021 16U Freestyle national champion 2021 16U Greco-Roman national champion 2021 UWW Cadet WTT third place (freestyle) 2021 UWW Cadet WTT third place (Greco-Roman) 2x Wisconsin D2 state champion Path to the World Team: Brooks McFarland (Nebraska) 10-0 Dominic Burgett (South Dakota) 10-0 Connor Aney (Wisconsin) 10-0 Parker Ferrell (Virginia) Fall :50 Carter Neves (Ohio) 14-4, 20-9

Campbell head coach Scotti Sentes and associate head coach Wynn Michalak (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Summer wrestling camps are one of the best resources to use when looking to improve your skillset and improve upon your most recent season. There are also a lot of other benefits to attending summer wrestling camps; I am going to focus on attending the camps that are held and put on by college wrestling programs. Growing up, there was not a summer that I did not attend at least one camp in the summer, from elementary school, attending the kids-level technique camps all the way to attending prospect camps in high school, while trying to get my name out in front of college coaches to be recruited. These camps help fund a lot of your smaller programs, but after speaking with college coaches here in North Carolina about their opinions on camps and the importance of them, I am starting to gather that as much of a fundraising opportunity these camps are, it is also a great way for coaches to see an athlete firsthand in a setting that they can control. The common question that I asked coaches when beginning this article was, "What do you think is the best thing your program gets out of running camps?". Daniel Elliott, Head Coach of Gardner Webb University, places a focus on providing a small environment with more personal instruction. Similar to the experience of competing at Gardner Webb, they want to use their camp as a way to build relationships. When I asked Elliott the question above, he responded "For me, it's as much about relationships as anything else. Getting to know kids and them getting to know us. For us, it's more of providing an opportunity for kids to get better at an efficient price." Wynn Michalak of Campbell University responded, "For a college coach, camps are a way to give back, a way to connect with the community, and a way to see wrestlers train, interact and really get an eye on some possible prospects they may not have seen yet." Coaches constantly tell me stories of how kids showed up at their camp over the summer, kids that were never on their radar and by the end of the camp, those exact kids were instantly towards the top of their list. A lot of those stories also end with the kids talking about receiving scholarship offers to those colleges and finding success at the college level. To get an athlete's perspective we spoke with Caleb Smith NCAA Qualifier at 125 for Appalachian State in 2022, we asked him what was the biggest part of his recruiting process and in him choosing Appalachian State, "I started going to the App camp in eighth grade and that is when I started to really want to go App. I saw the culture of the program, how the coaches coached and how the guys on the team interacted with each other and I could just tell it was a family. I wanted to be a part of that." With Covid-19, wrestling camps took a hit over the past few years, but we are finally back and operating! Camps are popping up left and right from every major program and even your smaller local ones. Opportunities like Prospect Camps, Team Camps, Technique Camps, Intensive Camps and more! Camps are a great way to not only receive top-notch instruction from high-level coaches, but also receive instruction from current college wrestlers. On top of the instructional value of camps, there is the aspect of the competition that comes with them! A lot of camps have tournament-like events that take place, especially your team camps that normally conclude at the end with a dual-style tournament. Attending camps like this allows you to compete with high-level competition without it being at a national event or without it really having any large repercussions. Go compete and have fun without worrying about the pressure of winning a title, just get better! Use the technique taught and test it out before breaking it out in real competition. Now let's talk about the mindset when entering a camp! It is easy to get absolutely overwhelmed at college camps, big-name coaches, big-name wrestlers you may have seen on ESPN wrestling at nationals, and the amount of technique being thrown at you. Whatever it is, there are plenty of reasons that college camps can overwhelm you. So how do you combat that? You go into the camp with a plan or a goal, and you control what you can control within the camp! Have a plan of things you want to get better at or certain things that you hope to get better at, there are normally opportunities to request areas to learn at some point in the camp! Be selfish and be honest and look back at your season and think of positions that you can get better at. Next is to have a filter. Not everyone can hit a blast double like Jordan Burroughs, but you better believe that if JB himself is at a camp showing blast doubles, you better be there watching! The point of that example is, to watch and listen to every piece of technique shown and attempt it while at camp, but if it's not working for you when it's time to wrestle live, learn to keep it in the toolbox, per se, but maybe just further in the back drawer! The most common advice given to someone heading to a wrestling camp or clinic is to be a total sponge. Soak up every bit of knowledge from coaches and clinicians that you can! I totally agree, but one thing that I think is commonly left out is they need to have that filter. Be willing to try anything that is shown, in other words, be EXTREMELY coachable at camps, because as we have learned from the coaches we have spoken with, they are always watching! A piece of advice given a lot is to bring a notepad to every camp you go to, and after each session write in your own words what you learned from the technique taught that day and give step-by-step instructions on how to do each technique. The goal is to get better with these camps and use every opportunity to get better to reach the goals you have set for yourself. Use these camps as a tool to be recruited and see how campuses function, how a staff leads and the culture of the programs. Most of all have some fun and get back on the mat!

70 kg US Open champion Alec Pantaleo (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Last week and into the weekend, the US Open invaded Las Vegas. Because of Covid and its aftermath, it was the first time that the event, in its normal glory, alongside a handful of other age-group tournaments returned to Sin City. After a few days to digest all that went down in Vegas, we have five big takeaways from the Senior-level events. Note: Maybe the best story of all was Kendric Maple's return to the mat and subsequent title at 65 kg. We'll have an interview with him on the Earl-Y Verbal Show tomorrow morning! 1) Is Alec Pantaleo in the driver's seat? In the days and weeks leading up to the Open, we speculated on who could be the successor to James Green at 70 kg. Green has made every world team since the formation of the weight class in 2015. With Green out of the picture, there are plenty of capable contenders to the domestic throne at 70 kg. Alec Pantaleo, Jordan Oliver, Zain Retherford, and Ryan Deakin comprise the top-tier of favorites. Pantaleo's win now gives him the top seed at the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament. Even so, to make the finals, Pantaleo would likely have to go through one of the other three, along with maybe Bryce Andonian, Anthony Ashnault, or Sammy Sasso in the quarterfinals. Pantaleo has been trending up over the last year-plus. He's a select wrestler with multiple wins over Oliver, a longtime mainstay at 65/70kg and the Olympic Trials winner. Between a loaded coaching staff and a bevy of talented training partners at the Cliff Keen Wrestling Club, Pantaleo has an excellent training situation that is conducive to continued growth at the Senior level. Looking at Pantaleo's 2021, he may very well have unseated Green if not for an injury suffered at the World Team Trials. Pantaleo jumped out to a 4-0 lead on Deakin in the semifinals, before injuring a rib. He initially tried to wrestle through the injury, but ended up having to default out of the tournament. Earlier in the year, Pantaleo won titles at both the Pan-American Championships and the Matteo Pellicone. Pantaleo on the world team would definitely represent a medal threat. 2) Nico Megaludis? Not only did we have a Nico Megaludis sighting, but he won the whole thing! The same Nico Megaludis that has been out of commission for the better part of three years due to a pair of knee injuries. The same Nico Megaludis that has a high-powered day job as a financial analyst. This shouldn't have happened. It's not supposed to happen. But that's the beauty of our sport. As he said in our post-match interview, "He doesn't "have" to wrestle, he does it because he loves it." For full disclosure, there were some weights at this tournament deeper than others. I'll let you look at the results to determine which was which. The 61 kg bracket that Megaludis won was not one of them. The 2016 NCAA champion teched wiley Brandon Wright in the quarters, before picking apart Seth Gross in the semis, then held off Josh Rodriguez, 3-1 for the title. Others of note in this weight were, 2019 World Teamer Tyler Graff, Daniel DeShazer, and Shelton Mack. To put things in perspective, Megaludis' finals win came over Rodriguez, ranked #9 in the world in our April International Rankings. Nico was 19th in those same rankings, but will certainly move up in the forthcoming set. If Megaludis can replicate his feat at the World Team Trials, he could be in for a date with Daton Fix in Final X. Having a positive result, like an Open title, combined with more mat time to knock off the rust, and a body without three years of wear and tear (excluding his surgeries), could put Megaludis in line to extend his margin of victories over similar opponents a few weeks from now. The US Open and World Team Trials always seem to bring out fun stories like Megaludis. I'm sure he's ready to prove he's more than just a nice human interest piece with his performance at the WTT's and perhaps Final X. 3) Chaos at 79 kg! The potential finals at 79 kg's looked to be maybe the most intriguing contest of the Senior Men's freestyle portion of the week, pre-tournament. A clash between Alex Dieringer and Isaiah Martinez looked to be a headline-worthy. The two combined to win five national titles and made the final wrestle-off of the World Team Trials or Final X on four occasions. Once again, that's why they don't wrestle the matches on paper. Had Vegas bookmakers set odds on that type of thing, you could have made a pretty penny betting that neither would even make the semis; which ended up being the case. Both luminaries at this weight were shocked in the quarterfinals, Dieringer with a late throw from Vincenzo Joseph and Martinez, who was pinned by David McFadden. Those two would stay hot and proceed to the finals. On the big stage, McFadden and Joseph turned in a match for the ages. It was a back-and-forth affair filled with big moves, fun exchanges, a late score, and some close calls. I think anyone that watched the McFadden/Joseph final, excluding other 79 kg competitors and coaches, would love to see another chapter in their rivalry at the World Team Trials. Meanwhile, Martinez will have to head to Atlantic City to earn a WTT bid through the Last Chance Qualifier. Provided he does qualify, he and Dieringer still figure to be central figures in this weight at the Trials. Now, it's just not a two-horse race, as some may have figured. 4) Guilford atop a wide-open 76 kg Earlier today, six-time world champion Adeline Gray officially confirmed what the rest of the wrestling world already knew. Since she is pregnant with twins, Gray will not be able to accept her berth in Final X and will not be eligible to compete at the World Championships this year. That may not be groundbreaking news, but merely a formality. So without one of the most talented women ever to step on a wrestling mat holding down the 76 kg weight class, who will Team USA turn to? After Gray, the rest of the weight is pretty wide open. US Open champion Dymond Guilford defeated her close friend and former Open champ, Precious Bell, to gain the top seed in Coralville. She leads a relatively young field, compared to the legendary Gray. Even with an Open title and the top seed, there will be plenty of able challengers for Guilford. Junior World Champion Kylie Welker, the Olympic Trials runner-up, figures to be in the mix and one of the favorites. Though she finished fourth in Vegas, two-time world team member Victoria Francis is always a tough out. The opponent that defeated Francis for third, Yelena Makoyed, defeated Guilford for third place at the 2021 WTT's (This year Guilford reversed that result with a fall in the semis). There are plenty of other college-aged or recently graduated women at this weight that could make an impact. 5) Forfeits galore in the Greco finals We saw earlier this year, at the Big Ten Championships, that forfeits in the finals of a major tournament make for an ugly product. I get it, the US Open, while prestigious in its own right, is not the end game for these Senior-level athletes. They all want to be at their best (and healthiest) for the Trials/Final X and possibly the World Championships. Having three in a ten-match final, as was the case on the Greco-Roman side, makes for an anticlimactic, weird final for the fans. I know, these wrestlers aren't necessarily competing for fan's enjoyment, but the more fans, the more eyeballs, the more exposure. Hopefully, this is just a "one-time" thing and we are treated to some great Greco action at the Trials.

New Lehigh Mountain Hawk Michael Beard (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Today, 2021 NCAA All-American Michael Beard announced the destination of his transfer. Beard, a Pennsylvania native, is leaving Penn State and will stay in the Commonwealth and wrestle for Lehigh. A top-15 recruit in the Class of 2018, Beard took a grayshirt year before enrolling and redshirting for Penn State in 2019-20. During the abridged 2021 season, Beard went 10-6, placing sixth in the Big Ten and seventh at the NCAA Championships. In the 2021 campaign, Beard notched wins over notables like Stephen Buchanan (Wyoming), Gavin Hoffman (Ohio State), Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) and Thomas Penola (Purdue). With Max Dean transferring into State College, prior to the 2021-22 season, Beard only saw action in one dual meet this past season. Beard finished the year with an 8-2 record and was a runner-up at the Southern Scuffle. Dean went on to win an NCAA title and returns in 2022-23. Three-time Big Ten runner-up, Eric Schultz (Nebraska), was responsible for Beard's only regulation loss of the year. The other came via injury default in the first period of the Scuffle finals. Along the way, Beard downed two eventual NCAA qualifiers, Cam Caffey (Michigan State) and JT Brown (Army West Point). For the immediate future, Beard fits in perfectly with the Lehigh lineup. The Mountain Hawks boasted a talented team that was besieged by injuries in 2021-22. Their starter at 197 was freshman JT Davis, who went 13-17. Also in the pipeline is Caden Rogers (Malvern Prep, PA), the #68 overall senior in the Class of 2022. Rogers projects at 197 lbs, as well. Beard could have as many as three years of eligibility remaining as he was a redshirt freshman during the 2021 Covid year. Beard will make a deep EIWA 197 lb class even tougher. The returning champion, Louie DePrez (Binghamton), was an All-American in 2021, while Luke Stout (Princeton), Jacob Cardenas (Cornell), and Jake Koser (Navy) were top-20 seeds at nationals. Penn's Cole Urbas is another qualifier that returns. The 2022-23 Mountain Hawks could feature a lineup with Beard alongside three past EIWA champions: Jaret Lane (125), Malyke Hines (133), and Josh Humphreys (157). NCAA All-American Jordan Wood was the only one of the seven 2022 national qualifiers that is not expected to return.

74 kg US Open champion Jason Nolf (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Last weekend's US Open had plenty of drama and intrigue in the men's freestyle division. Perhaps the strongest performance came from Jason Nolf. The three-time NCAA champion won the 74-kg bracket, and had some of the best numbers of the weekend. The following is a look at the top statistical performers in men's freestyle from the U.S. Open. Point Differential It will certainly still be a tough challenge to qualify for the World team at 74 kg, but Nolf made about as strong of a statement as possible at the U.S. Open. The former Penn State wrestler averaged 5.16 points per minute, allowed absolutely zero points and therefore finished with a +5.16 point differential. That measure was, far and away, the highest across the entire senior-level men's freestyle bracket. Nolf did not even enter the second period until his finals match against Joshua Shields. This is thanks in large part to his turning ability on the ground. After finishing college in 2016, he has clearly made strides in par terre. Of the 48 match points he scored, 26 came in the par-terre position. Nolf was also diverse with his grounded offense. Of those 26 points, he added 12 via gut wrench, 10 with the leg lace and four with a bar and half combination. With another five victories at the Open, Nolf has gone 9-1 in 2022 with his only loss coming against U23 World champion Chermen Valiev in the finals of the Yarygin tournament. Kyle Dake will be sitting in Final X thanks to his gold medal from the 2021 World Championships. At this point, it looks like Nolf might be the favorite to meet him there, and the rematch might be a lot closer than their match at last year's Olympic Trials. Another standout in terms of point differential was fellow former Penn State wrestler Mark Hall. He finished with a +3.24 differential, which was the third-highest across all weight classes. He allowed only two points (0.19 per minute) on his way to the title at 86 kg. Hall averaged 3.43 points per minute and achieved match termination in all four of his bouts. It was a vintage performance for Hall who has occasionally struggled to get to his offense since making the move up to 86 kg. Jesse Mendez, the number-one recruit in the class of 2022, entered the senior-level Open at 61 kg despite having U20 eligibility. He lost a front side match against Daniel DeShazer in the Round of 16, but wrestled all the way back to finish third. Mendez scored 3.57 points per minute, while allowing only 0.57 and therefore had a +3.00 differential, which was the fifth-highest of the tournament. Top Five Points Differential Performances 1. Jason Nolf +5.16 2. Matthew Kolodzik +3.70 3. Mark Hall +3.24 4. Brock Mauller +3.21 5. Jesse Mendez +3.00 Points per Minute As is occasionally the case, the highest-scoring wrestler in the tournament was not actually a champion. Former Princeton wrestler Matthew Kolodzik averaged 5.36 points per minute across his five matches at 65 kg, which slightly edged Nolf's 5.16 rate. Of Course, Kolodzik's rate is somewhat bolstered by his quick loss via fall in the finals against Kendric Maple. Despite that blemish, Kolodzik had a strong performance at the Open. He scored at least 11 points in all four of his matches leading up to the finals. In the semifinals, Kolodzik defeated the number-one seed Evan Henderson by a 16-6 score. The 16 points scored were tied for the sixth-most points scored by a wrestler in any match. Current Princeton wrestler Nathan Dugan had a boom or bust tournament at 86 kg. He went 3-2 in the tournament with all five of his matches ending via match termination. His 4.33 points per minute rate was impressive, but his two losses came by a combined 21-0 score. Former Oklahoma state high school runner-up and Northern Michigan OTS trainee Alec McDoulett had a similar tournament down at 70 kg. He went 2-2 in the bracket with his wins over Seonghun Chung and Leo Rodriguez coming via 10-0 superiority, while his losses against Riley Gurr and Luke Wick went 14-3 and 10-1 respectively. Top Five Points per Minute Performances 1. Matthew Kolodzik 5.36 2. Jason Nolf 5.16 3. Nathan Dugan 4.53 4. Alec McDoulett 4.26 5. Brandon Wright 3.96 Points Against per Minute Nolf was the only wrestler in men's freestyle to not surrender a single point, so obviously, he would be the leader in terms of points allowed per minute. The second-best performer in terms of this metric was Kendric Maple. The former Oklahoma national champion allowed only two points on his path to the tournament title at 65 kg. Both of those points came in his semifinal match against Pat Lugo. Another competitor with a strong defensive performance was Ty Walz. The Virginia Tech veteran moved back up to heavyweight and finished third. His lone loss of the tournament came against Dominique Bradley. This was also the only match where Walz allowed any points. Defense was an essential element of Walz's success on the weekend. Three of his wins came by VPO, and there were only 20 matches that ended via that result throughout the entire tournament. Rounding out the top five in terms of points per minute was Michael Macchiavello. The 2019 NCAA champion allowed only three total points on his path to the title at 97 kg. Timothy Dudley scored two points in the semifinals Top Five Points Allowed per Minute Performances 1. Jason Nolf 0.00 2. Kendric Maple 0.14 3. Mark Hall 0.19 4. Ty Walz 0.20 5. Michael Macchiavello 0.24 Highest Scoring Matches The highest-scoring match of the tournament came in the Round of 32 in the 74-kg division. George Mason's Loranzo Rajaonarivelo had a bye in the opening round, while current Oregon State competitor and former NJCAA champion Isaiah Crosby scored an 11-0 match termination victory over Victor Montes to advance. Rajaonarivelo started the scoring with an exposure off a crotch lift. Crosby then got back into the match with a four-point turn as his opponent tried to hold in the quad pod position. Rajaonarivelo then appeared to take over with six-straight points, and he went to the break leading 10-7. In the second, Crosby got off to a hot start with his own six-point run. He scored a pair of takedowns and a leg lace to go ahead. However, Rajaonarivelo immediately scored a reversal and went to his own leg lace to retake the lead by a 20-13 score. After an injury timeout, Rajaonarivelo added another takedown and gut wrench to seal the 24-13 victory. Highest Scoring Matches 1. Loranzo Rajaonarivelo VSU1 over Isaiah Crosby (24-13) 2. Steven Kroesen VSU1 over Matthew Minton (22-12) 3. Nick Incontrera VPO1 over Quentin Perez (16-15) 4. Jacen Petersen VPO1 over Hayden Hastings (15-14) 5. Evan Wick VPO1 over Isaiah White (16-12) 5. Keller Rock VFA over Hunter Mullin (15-13) 5. Alec Pantaleo VPO1 over Luka Wick (18-10) 5. Mitchel Hrnyak VPO1 over Jordan Monroe (16-12)

Six-time World/Olympic Champion John Smith Two-time Olympic champion John Smith is finalist for U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame; Fans can vote daily through May 16 1988 and 1992 Olympic freestyle wrestling gold medalist John Smith has been named as one of 15 finalists for the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame. Smith is one of just three wrestlers from the United States to win two Olympic gold medals, joined by George Mehnert (1904, 1908) and Bruce Baumgartner (1984, 1992). In spite of the fact that wrestling is the No. 3 medal producing sport for Team USA at the Summer Olympics, only two wrestlers are currently in the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame: Dan Gable and Bruce Baumgartner. ONLY FIVE OF THE 15 OLYMPIAN FINALISTS WILL BE INDUCTED. USA Wrestling is asking the wrestling community to rally behind John Smith and actively participate in the fan vote for the Hall of Fame, which runs from today through May 16. Vote here for John Smith for the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame YOU ARE ALLOWED TO VOTE ONCE PER DAY. Vote Now and Vote Often. In addition to his two Olympic gold medals, Smith won four World titles, stringing them all in a row. He is the only U.S. wrestler to win six World and Olympic gold medals in successive year. His amazing streak went 1987 World gold, 1988 Olympic gold, 1989 World gold, 1990 World gold, 1991 World gold, 1992 Olympic gold. In addition to his great achievements as an athlete, John Smith has also coached the U.S. Olympic Freestyle Wrestling Team in 2000 and 2012. John Smith has won these honors. Let's add U.S. Olympic U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame to them: Smith was the first wrestler to ever claim the James E. Sullivan Award as America's outstanding amateur athlete when he won the award in 1990. Smith was the first American ever chosen as the Master of Technique and Wrestler of the Year by the International Wrestling Federation (now UWW) when he received the honor in 1990. Smith was recognized as one of the 100 Greatest Olympians of All Time at the 1996 Atlanta Games. Smith won the Sportsman of the Year honors from the U.S. Olympic Committee in 1990. In 1992, Smith was presented with the Amateur Athletic Foundation's World Trophy, becoming the first North American wrestler to earn the honor. A 2003 inductee into the UWW International Wrestling Hall of Fame A 1997 distinguished member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame A 1997 inductee into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame, That same year, Smith was inducted into the OSU Athletic Hall of Honor. And many others. HELP GET SUPERSTAR WRESTLER JOHN SMITH IN THE U.S. OLYMPIC & PARALYMPIC HALL OF FAME!!!! Vote here for John Smith for the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame

Dakota Geer at the Bout at the Ballpark (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) CLARION, Pa. – Clarion University head wrestling coach Keith Ferraro announced today that Dakota Geer, a three-time All-American with ties to western Pennsylvania, will join the Golden Eagle program as a volunteer assistant coach. He recently finished his own collegiate wrestling career earlier this year, having spent the last four seasons at Oklahoma State. "Coach Geer brings a history of success on the mat and comes from a program that expects greatness," Ferraro said. "This addition will be a huge benefit to our upper weights in the practice room, and I am excited to see his impact on the team. I would also like to thank Friends of Clarion Wrestling (FOCW) and our passionate group of alumni and fans. Without them, it would not be possible to bring coaches like this to Clarion." Geer finished his career with a record of 123-38, including 31 major decisions, 25 technical falls and 11 wins by fall. Twenty of those tech falls came as a member of Oklahoma State's program from 2018-22, placing him sixth all-time in program history in that category. His best national finish came in 2021, when he went 21-5 on the season and led the Cowboys in bonus point victories with seven tech falls and seven major decisions. Geer rattled four consecutive wins in the 184-pound wrestlebacks – including a pair of wins over top-10 opponents – to clinch fifth place in the bracket. Geer placed seventh at the 2019 Division I Championships, beating third-seeded Zach Zavatsky of Virginia Tech in the seventh-place bout, and earned NWCA All-American honors in 2020 after that year's tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. His collegiate career began at former Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) rival Edinboro in 2016-17, where Geer was named the EWL Freshman of the Year, and also to the 2017 Amateur Wrestling News All-Rookie Team and TheOpenMat.com's All-Freshman team. He was the EWL champion at 184, clinching his first trip to the NCAA Championships. Geer was a three-time PIAA placewinner for head coach Kevin Hesson at Franklin Area, where he finished his career with a 145-13 record, one state title and two third-place finishes. He became Franklin's second PIAA champion as a junior, and won FloWrestling's "Who's No. 1?" Tournament that same year.

Aden Reeves in the US Open semis (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) 57 kg Aden Reeves finished his first year at Grand View on the bench as two of the best flyweights in the NAIA were ahead of him: National Champ Esco Walker and 5x AA Justin Portillo. Aden Reeves will immediately contend for a title next season, but for now, he's got his first Senior World Team Trials to prepare for! He qualified when he beat multiple-time DI qualifier, Joey Prata of Oklahoma, in the quarterfinals. Noah Cortez placed 8th and competes for Grays Harbor, an NCWA college. 61 kg We had to check out the history books for our non-D1 flair at 61. Both Brandon Wright of Grand View and Daniel Deshazer of UNK have been notorious on the Senior circuit after winning titles in NAIA and DII. B-Wright was the only one capable of scoring more than 2 points on eventual champ Nico Megaludis (6 points to be exact). Meanwhile, Dap's hitlist on his way to fourth place included Sean Fausz, Jesse Mendez, Sam Latona, and Cullan Schriever. 65 kg I don't have a lot of info on Timothy Nevarez, who collected two wins in a DEEP bracket littered with D1 talent. It appears that he competes domestically for a club in California. The other top 15 of 16 guys were all DI products. 70 kg Dayne Morton of Northern State has been on the Senior circuit for a while despite also competing for DII Northern State. His Folkstyle escapades have not typically been as kind to him, but he collected the best win of his career to qualify for the World Team Trials when he beat Brock Mauller 3-3 for 7th place. Mauller has placed twice in the Division I tournament and is a U23 world team member from Mizzou. Also, John Diener of Morningside hit a SWEET headlock on Ed Scott of NC State. He followed it with another nice throw for a quick pin. 74 kg Keller Rock, an NAIA blood-rounder from Embry-Riddle, had 2 pins on his run to the quarters. He would, unfortunately, finish in the round of 12 once again. Brandon Murray from Loras was a DIII AA in 2019 and was many people's pick to win nationals in 2020 when it got canceled. Here, he collected two dominant wins, but was halted by Tommy Gantt and Cam Amine. He was darn close to beating Gantt, 6-4. 79 kg Grand View's National Champion Casey Randles was one match away from placing. Isaiah Martinez ended his run on the backside, 5-3. Casey had 3 dominant victories. 86 kg Caden Steffen was the highest placer not from or associated with a D1 program. The 2x DII AA did better at the US Open than he did his own national tournament (6th in DII, 4th at the Open)! He had two big wins over SoCon-associated grapplers Andrew Morgan and Caleb Hopkins. He competed for Southwest Minnesota State. 92 kg Rodsean Graham is another DII athlete who faired better at the Open than in his national tournament. Actually, Graham did not qualify for his national tournament out of the loaded Super Region V. He took eighth place this weekend. He competed at Wisconsin-Parkside. 97 kg Duncan Lee was robbed of a national tournament his senior year after he won his region for DIII Central College in Pella, Iowa. He still got AA status, technically. But I bet he is happier to have a stop sign now. He's been coaching at his alma mater since 2020. Let's hope he straps up for the upcoming World Team Trials. He qualified by taking seventh this weekend. 125 kg Two placers here have ties outside of DI and inside of DI. Demetrius Thomas won an NAIA title in 2017 for Williams Baptist before transferring to Pittsburgh and winning ACCs in 2020. The same year Thomas won his NAIA title, Christian Lance started his career out at Fort Hays State, winning 44 matches and qualifying for nationals in 2017 as a freshman. He took some time off and after a long path, he finally earned AA status this year for Nebraska. Thomas and Lance, placing fourth and sixth, respectively at the Open, are still universally claimed by the divisions whence they came.

61 kg champion Nic Bouzakis (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Somewhat lost amidst all of the action taking place on the Senior level from Las Vegas was the U20 tournament. The freestyle portion featured many collegiate stars, some up-and-comers, and high schoolers. Here are some fun facts about the tournament and the wrestlers that made the top-eight. Note: Recruits, be it signed or unsigned, have been credited to their respective school's total in each category below. # of All-Americans by School 7: NC State 5: Nebraska 4: Ohio State, Penn State 3: Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota State, Virginia Tech 2: Arizona State, Bucknell, Iowa, Lehigh, Northwestern, Oklahoma State, South Dakota State, Stanford 1: American, Army West Point, Cal Baptist, Cal Poly, Colorado Mesa, Columbia, Cornell, Dakota Wesleyan, Dubuque, George Mason, Iowa State, Little Rock, Maryland, Missouri, Navy, North Carolina, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, Oklahoma, Penn, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Rutgers, Utah Valley, Virginia, UW Eau-Claire, Wisconsin, Wyoming Non DI Schools with an All-American: Colorado Mesa (Braden Baumgartner - 6th at 97 kg), Dakota Wesleyan (Colten Hink - 7th at 97 kg), Dubuque (Zeb Gnida - 6th at 74 kg), UW-Eau Claire (Jared Stricker - 5th at 79 kg). Ohio State was the only school with multiple finalists (3). Therefore, they were also the only school with two champions. Neither of the champions credited to Ohio State have entered college yet. Penn State had four All-Americans, however, they came in only two weights (57/74kg). Bucknell had two All-Americans, both of which were at 61 kg. NC State's seven All-Americans came in six different weight classes. Half of the ten champions are still currently in high school (Troy Spratley/57, Nic Bouzakis/61, Mitchell Mesenbrink/70, Ben Kueter/97, Nick Feldman/125). Mitchell Mesenbrink and Jaxon Smith are the only two champions to have teched their way through the tournament. Ironman Alert! Robbie Howard lost in the opening round at 57 kg to the eventual champion, Troy Spratley, then proceeded to win eight straight bouts to claim third. He was the only wrestler to lose in the first round and take the tough road back through the consi's. Minnesota and Virginia Tech were the only two schools with three or more AA's that saw all of their placewinners victorious in their final bouts. National Champions by conference were as follows Big Ten: 6, ACC: 2, EIWA: 1, Big 12: 1 31 of the 80 All-American are still currently in high school. Below you'll find wrestlers sorted by their year of high school graduation, their home state and their future college, if applicable. Class of 2022 (25) Ryan Boersma (IL - Missouri), Nic Bouzakis (FL/PA - Ohio State), Martin Cosgrove (NJ - Penn), Jack Darrah (MO - Stanford), Nick Feldman (PA - Ohio State), Kolby Franklin (PA - Iowa), Hunter Garvin (IA - Stanford), Nathan Glass (NV - Cal Poly), Garrett Grice (NE - Virginia), Levi Haines (PA - Penn State), Chase Horne (GA - NC State), Tagen Jamison (TX - Minnesota), Kaleb Larkin (AZ - Arizona State), Mitchell Mesenbrink (WI - Cal Baptist), Noah Pettigrew (GA - North Carolina), Caden Rogers (PA - Lehigh), Matthew Singleton (GA - NC State), Brian Soldano (NJ - Rutgers), Troy Spratley (NY/TX - Minnesota), Wyatt Voelker (IA - Northern Iowa), Jore Volk (MN - Wyoming), Danny Wask (NJ - Navy), Nathan Wemstrom (IL - Nebraska), Jordan Williams (OK - Oklahoma State), Emilio Ysaguirre (AZ - Arizona State) Class of 2023 (5) Aden Attao (ID), Dylan Gilcher (MI - Michigan), Ben Kueter (IA - Iowa), Nicco Ruiz (CA), Rocco Welsh (PA - Ohio State) Class of 2024 (1) Grigor Cholayan (CA) Final U20 freestyle placewinners 57 kg 1st - Troy Spratley (Minnesota) 2nd - Andre Gonzales (Ohio State) 3rd - Robbie Howard (Penn State) 4th - Max Leete (American) 5th - Cooper Flynn (Virginia Tech) 6th - Jore Volk (Wyoming) 7th - Gary Steen (Penn State) 8th - Yusief Lillie (Utah Valley) 61 kg 1st - Nic Bouzakis (Ohio State) 2nd - Dylan Chappell (Bucknell) 3rd - Garrett Grice (Virginia) 4th - Emilio Ysaguirre (Arizona State) 5th - Grigor Cholayan 6th - Richard Treanor (Army West Point) 7th - Kurtis Phipps (Bucknell) 8th - Carter Bailey (Lehigh) 65 kg 1st - Vince Cornella (Cornell) 2nd - Kaleb Larkin (Arizona State) 3rd - Tagen Jamison (Minnesota) 4th - Dylan Gilcher (Michigan) 5th - Ryan Jack (NC State) 6th - Joe Zargo (Wisconsin) 7th - Teague Travis (Oklahoma State) 8th - Joel Vandevere (Northwestern) 70 kg 1st - Mitchell Mesenbrink (Cal Baptist) 2nd - Paniro Johnson (Iowa State) 3rd - Jordan Williams (Oklahoma State) 4th - Hunter Garvin (Stanford) 5th - Cael Swenson (South Dakota State) 6th - Chance Lamer (Michigan) 7th - Ramon Ramos 8th - AJ Kovacs (NC State) 74 kg 1st - Alex Facundo (Penn State) 2nd - Vince Zerban (Northern Colorado) 3rd - Mikey Caliendo (North Dakota State) 4th - Levi Haines (Penn State) 5th - Jack Thomsen (South Dakota State) 6th - Zeb Gnida (Dubuque) 7th - Nicco Ruiz 8th - Derek Fields (NC State) 79 kg 1st - Luca Augustine (Pittsburgh) 2nd - Danny Wask (Navy) 3rd - Rocco Welsh (Ohio State) 4th - Elise Brown Ton (Nebraska) 5th - Jared Stricker (UW Eau Claire) 6th - Aaron Ayzerov (Columbia) 7th - Matthew Singleton (NC State) 8th - Logan Messer (George Mason) 86 kg 1st - Sam Fisher (Virginia Tech) 2nd - Brock DelSignore (NC State) 3rd - Brian Soldano (Rutgers) 4th - Tate Picklo (Oklahoma) 5th - DJ Parker (North Dakota State) 6th - Nathan Haas (Nebraska) 7th - Wyatt Voelker (Northern Iowa) 8th - Joey Milano (NC State) 92 kg 1st - Jaxon Smith (Maryland) 2nd - Silas Allred (Nebraska) 3rd - Kolby Franklin (Iowa) 4th - Caden Rogers (Lehigh) 5th - Martin Cosgrove (Penn) 6th - Evan Bates (Northwestern) 7th - Gabe Nagel (Minnesota) 8th - Jack Darrah (Stanford) 97 kg 1st - Ben Kueter (Iowa) 2nd - Noah Pettigrew (North Carolina) 3rd - Dzhabrail Khurshidov (Michigan) 4th - Nathan Glass (Cal Poly) 5th - Nathan Wemstrom (Nebraska) 6th - Braden Baumgartner (Colorado Mesa) 7th - Colten Hink (Dakota Wesleyan) 8th - Zak Taylor (Nebraska) 125 kg 1st - Nick Feldman (Ohio State) 2nd - Ryan Boersma (Missouri) 3rd - Hunter Catka (Virginia Tech) 4th - Juan Mora (North Dakota State) 5th - Hayden Copass (Purdue) 6th - Chase Horne (NC State) 7th - Josiah Hill (Little Rock) 8th - Aden Attao

2022 65 kg US Open champion Kendric Maple (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The finals of the US Open Senior men's freestyle division concluded Saturday night with plenty of fireworks from Las Vegas. Wrestlers who placed in the top seven in their respective weight class qualified for the World Team Trials in three short weeks. The night began with a matchup between former Lockport (Ill) high school teammates Matt Ramos and Anthony Molton. As expected, the pair was tentative for the bulk of the match; however, Ramos capitalized on all of the flurries of action. He kicked off the scoring with a big double leg for four points and managed to avoid giving up points in a throw situation near the edge of the mat and actually picked up points for himself. That provided the cushion he needed for a 9-3 victory. That bout wasn't the only one between friends. At 74 kg, western Pennsylvania natives Jason Nolf and Josh Shields squared off. In his post-match interview, Nolf claimed to have worked on his par terre positioning leading up to the event. That was evident as he got two sets of exposure points to finish the match 11-0. There was also some familiarity at 61 kg as former Penn State national champion defeated Nittany Lion Wrestling Club member Josh Rodriguez, 3-1, for the title. Megaludis is coming off a three-year layoff due to multiple knee injuries, but looks as good as ever. He'll be another name to look out for in a deep 61 kg bracket. One of the biggest subplots of the tournament took place at 65 kg as Kendric Maple made his return to pay off a bet to his Missouri team after 165 lber Keegan O'Toole won an NCAA title. Maple not only showed up and wrestled, but he also won the entire thing. The 2017 US Open champion added a second career title to his resume with a fall over Matt Kolodzik in under a minute. Now we can add Maple to the list of contenders at an always competitive 65 kg weight class. Speaking of open weights. The retirement of James Green has left 70 kg up for the taking. Green had been the US rep at the weight every year since the weight classes' inception in 2015. Could Alec Pantaleo be that guy? He held off a dangerous Jordan Oliver, 3-2, to take the upper hand heading into the WTT's. Just over a month ago, at the Rudis SuperMatch, Pantaleo stifled Oliver, as well. Penn RTC teammates, David McFadden and Mark Hall, will bring titles back home to Philadelphia, from 79 kg and 86, respectively. McFadden was victorious in the most exciting bout of the evening. He was shaken up by an exchange at the edge of the mat and trailed Vincenzo Joseph in the waning seconds of the bout. McFadden, who rallied late in his quarter and semifinal matches, used a crotch lift to expose Joseph and take the victory 7-6. A point for a lost challenge made the official score 8-6. There was no such drama for Hall as he pull up his third tech fall of the tournament, downing Iowa State All-American Marcus Coleman, 10-0 in the finals. The win marks back-to-back years with an Open title for Hall. One of the more enjoyable matches of the evening took place at 92 kg as current collegiate wrestlers Cam Caffey (Michigan State) and Isaac Trumble (NC State) did battle. The two exchanged scores the entire bout, but it was Caffey who blew the match open with a four-pointer in the second period. Mike Macchiavello grabbed a title at 97 kg after fending off veteran Joe Rau, 6-1. The past Greco world team member, Rau, kept the match close late, hoping to steal one from the top seed. Macchiavello cautious to go underneath the Greco star, picked his spots perfectly and got two scores late to widen the margin. The evening was capped by a contest between two very different heavyweights. Hayden Zillmer, a 2018 Final X participant at 92 kg, has been competing at 125 kg this year and looks as good as ever. He repeated his victory from the Bill Farrell by downing the hulking Dom Bradley. Tentative around the much larger opponent, Zillmer was able to get a step-out point with :33 seconds remaining to nudge ahead of Bradley on criteria. The US Open will conclude Sunday with the finals and medal round matches for Senior Men's Greco-Roman. Senior Men's Freestyle Finals Results 57 kg - Matt Ramos (Boilermaker RTC) over Anthony Molton (Buies Creek RTC) 9-3 61 kg - Nico Megaludis (Pittsburgh WC) over Josh Rodriguez (NLWC) 3-1 65 kg - Kendric Maple (Sunkist Kids) fall Matt Kolodzik (NYAC) :54 70 kg - Alec Pantaleo (CKWC) over Jordan Oliver (Sunkist Kids) 3-2 74 kg - Jason Nolf (NLWC) over Josh Shields (Sunkist Kids) 11-0 79 kg - David McFadden (Penn RTC) over Vincenzo Joseph (California RTC) 8-6 86 kg - Mark Hall (Penn RTC) over Marcus Coleman (Iowa) 10-0 92 kg - Cam Caffey (Michigan WC) over Isaac Trumble (Wolfpack WC) 11-7 97 kg - Mike Macchiavello (Wolfpack WC) over Joe Rau (Wildcat WC) 6-1 125 kg - Hayden Zillmer (Gopher WC) over Dom Bradley (Sunkist Kids) 2-2

55 kg finalist Max Nowry (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) 2022 US Open Senior Men's Greco-Roman Semifinals 55 kg Max Nowry (Army WCAP) over Camden Russell (MWC) 10-0 Dalton Duffield (Army WCAP) over Jacob Cochran (NYAC) 12-2 60 kg Max Black (NYAC) InjDef Dalton Roberts (Army WCAP) Ildar Hafizov (Army WCAP) over Dylan Koontz (Ohio) 8-0 63 kg Aidan Nutter (NYAC) over Corbin Nirschl (MWC) 2-1 Jesse Thielke (Army WCAP) over Nicholas Leonetti (Suples WC) 11-0 67 kg Alex Sancho (Army WCAP) over Alston Nutter (Sunkist Kids) 6-5 Lenny Merkin (NYAC) over Peyton Omania (NYAC) 8-7 72 kg Benji Peak (Sunkist Kids) over Eddie Smith (Pickaxe WC) 12-10 PJ Ogunsanya (West Point WC) over Ryan Wheeler (Colorado Mesa WC) 10-1 77 kg Alec Ortiz (Minnesota Storm) over Kamal Bey (Army WCAP) InjDef Britton Holmes (Army WCAP) over Payton Jacobson (Sunkist Kids) 5-2 82 kg Spencer Woods (Army WCAP) over Ryan Epps (Minnesota Storm) 8-0 Ben Provisor (NYAC) over Tommy Brackett (Tennessee) 7-1 87 kg Alan Vera (NYAC) fall Timothy Young (Illinois) 2:38 George Sikes (NYAC) dec Christian DuLaney (Minnesota Storm) 5-2 97 kg Lucas Sheridan (Army WCAP) over Guy Patron (Dubuque WC) 8-0 Khymba Johnson (NYAC) over Chad Porter (Sunkist Kids) 4-0 130 kg Cohlton Schultz (Sunkist Kids) over Tate Orndorff (Ohio RTC) 8-0 West Cathcart (NYAC) over Courtney Freeman (Marines) 7-1

79 kg finalist Vincenzo Joseph (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) 2022 US Open Senior Men's Freestyle Semifinal Results 57 kg Anthony Molton (Buies Creek WC) over Aden Reeves (Viking WC) 14-4 Matt Ramos (Boilermaker RTC) over Jakob Camacho (Wolfpack WC) 3-3 61 kg Josh Rodriguez (NLWC) over Tyler Graff (NJ RTC) 9-5 Nico Megaludis (TMWC) over Seth Gross (Sunkist Kids) 4-1 65 kg Matt Kolodzik (NYAC) over Evan Henderson (Ohio RTC) 16-6 Kendric Maple (Sunkist Kids) over Pat Lugo (HWC) 3-2 70 kg Alec Pantaleo (CKWC) dec Doug Zapf (Penn RTC) 3-2 Jordan Oliver (Sunkist Kids) over Tyler Berger (California RTC) 6-2 74 kg Jason Nolf (TMWC) over Andrew Cerniglia (Pennsylvania) 10-0 Josh Shields (Sunkist Kids) over Tommy Gantt (Wolfpack WC) 11-7 79 kg Vincenzo Joseph (TMWC) over Taylor Lujan (TMWC) 10-0 David McFadden (TMWC) over Chance Marsteller (TMWC) 11-10 86 kg Mark Hall (Penn RTC) over Caden Steffan (Mustang WC) 10-0 Marcus Coleman (Iowa) over Owen Webster (Gopher WC) 10-0 92 kg Isaac Trumble (Wolfpack WC) over Max Shaw (THWC) 15-4 Cam Caffey (Michigan WC) over Michael Battista (Cavalier WC) 13-1 97 kg Michael Macchiavello (Wolfpack WC) over TJ Dudley (Sunkist Kids) 5-2 Joe Rau (Wildcat WC) fall Jay Aiello (Cavalier WC) :24 125 kg Hayden Zillmer (Gopher WC) over Demetrius Thomas (Pittsburgh WC) 6-1 Dom Bradley (Sunkist Kids) over Ty Walz (Spartan Combat) 5-3

53 kg US Open champion Felicity Taylor (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Ten champions were crowned Friday evening during the finals of the Senior Women's US Open. World medalists Jacarra Winchester and Kayla Miracle were among the stars on the raised mat. Winchester took on her Olympic Trials finals opponent Ronna Heaton. The 2019 World Champion, Winchester, took an early lead she would never relinquish. Her first score came just :29 seconds into the first period and she was never in danger. Winchester cruised to win the 55 kg weight class 8-1. You may have turned away and missed Miracle's finals bout. She needed just :18 seconds to dispose of a tough challenger in Jennifer Page. The win gives Miracle three career US Open titles. The first champion of the evening was another veteran Erin Golston. Golston put together a pair of techs, back-to-back, to get into the championship bout. While her finals contest with Nina Pham went the distance, Golston was not seriously threatened. Golston scored twice in the first period and once in the second period to take her second consecutive US Open title. It only took until the second match of the finals to get the first big upset. Unseeded Felicity Taylor knocked off second-seeded Alyssa Lampe, a past world medalist. The bout started off slowly with Lampe getting the only point of the opening period due to a shot-clock violation. Lampe added to her lead in the second, but Taylor didn't flinch. She earned a takedown of her own followed by six consecutive leg laces for a stoppage via tech. Two matches later, at 57 kg, Adriana Dorado Marin and Cameron Guerin engaged in a high-scoring affair that resulted in Dorado Marin getting her hand raised. Down 10-5 with under :20 remaining in the bout, Dorado Marin reeled off two scores (a two, followed by a four) to grab control of the match. A failed challenge resulted in another point, which made the final tally 12-10 in favor of the Army WCAP athlete, Dorado Marin. Like the previous match, a first-time champion was crowned at 59 kg as Nanea Estrella took a surprisingly convincing win over the top seed, Xochitl Mota-Pettis. The dangerous Mota-Pettis was making a second-period charge, down only 5-2, and was pancaked to her back by Estrella for four points. In one of the headline bouts of the evening, two of the top 65 kg women on the ladder did battle and the result lived up to its hype. With under :15 seconds left in the match and trailing 4-2, Emma Bruntil finished a clutch takedown to put her ahead of world bronze medalist Mallory Velte on criteria. They, along with Forrest Molinari, will be the key contenders for the world team slot at 65 kg. Also needing late-match heroics to claim a title was Dymond Guilford at 76 kg. Guilford had a late takedown to push her ahead of close friend Precious Bell. The two have met frequently at notable tournaments such as this one. Due to an early four-pointer, Bell held criteria, while up 4-4 late in the second period. Unphased, Guilford secured the winning takedown with :37 seconds left in the match and prevented Bell from scoring. There was no such drama at 72 kg as Skylar Grote cruised to a title with a 10-0 tech of Marlynne Deede. In Grote's two matches this tournament, she did not surrender a point. The win marks a milestone in Grote's career as she was a runner-up in each of the last two Opens. It was a bittersweet first title at 68 kg for Sienna Ramirez, as her match was stopped in the opening :20 due to injury. Her opponent, Katerina Lange, was forced to default out. Ramirez just finished a storied career at Southern Oregon, where she became her school's first national champion. Senior Women's Championship Final Results 50 kg - Erin Golston (NYAC) over Nina Pham (Texas WC) 6-0 53 kg - Felicity Taylor (McKendree Bearcat WC) over Alyssa Lampe (Sunkist Kids) 14-3 55 kg - Jacarra Winchester (TMWC) over Ronna Heaton (Sunkist Kids) 8-1 57 kg - Adriana Dorado Marin (Army WCAP) over Cameron Guerin (TMWC) 12-10 59 kg - Nanea Estrella (Spartan Combat) over Xochitl Mota-Pettis (Rise RTC) 9-3 62 kg - Kayla Miracle (Sunkist Kids) fall Jennifer Page (NLWC) :18 65 kg - Emma Bruntil (TMWC) dec Mallory Velte (TMWC) 4-4 68 kg - Sienna Ramirez (Southern Oregon RTC) injury default Katerina Lange (Twin Cities RTC) 72 kg - Skylar Grote (NYAC) over Marlynne Deede (Twin Cities RTC) 10-0 76 kg - Dymond Guilford over Precious Bell (TMWC) (TMWC) 6-4

David McFadden of the Pennsylvania RTC (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Senior Men's Freestyle Quarterfinal Results 57 kg Anthony Molton (Buies Creek WC) fall Gabe Townsell (NYAC) 2:19 Aden Reeves (Viking WC) over Joey Prata (Oklahoma RTC) 6-5 Jacob Camacho (Wolfpack WC) over Derek Wilson (Nevada) 10-0 Matt Ramos (Boilermaker RTC) over Dalton Henderson (Virginia) 12-2 61 kg Tyler Graff (NJRTC) over Henry Porter (Indiana RTC) 14-4 Josh Rodriguez (NLWC) over Daniel DeShazer (Gopher WC) 5-2 Seth Gross (Sukist Kids) over Paul Bianchi (Arkansas RTC) 18-7 Nico Megaludis (TMWC) over Brandon Wright (NYAC) 16-6 65 kg Evan Henderson (Ohio RTC) over Brock Zacherl (Clarion RTC) 13-2 Matt Kolodzik (NYAC) over Ian Parker (Iowa) 10-0 Kendric Maple (Sunkist Kids) fall Luke Pletcher (Pittsburgh WC) 2:42 Pat Lugo (HWC) over Dean Heil (Oklahoma RTC) 12-2 70 kg Alec Pantaleo (CKWC) over Ed Scott (Wolfpack WC) 8-1 Doug Zapf (Penn RTC) over Michael Blockhus (Gopher WC) 5-4 Tyler Berger (California RTC) over Will Lewan (CKWC) 7-0 Jordan Oliver (Sunkist Kids) over Sammy Sasso (Ohio RTC) 7-1 74 kg Jason Nolf (TMWC) fall Peter Pappas (Patriot Elite WC) 1:21 Andrew Cerniglia (Pennsylvania) over Josh Ogunsanya (New York RTC) 6-4 Josh Shields (Sunkist Kids) over Keller Rock (Whammer Wrestling Academy) 11-0 Tommy Gantt (Wolfpack WC) over Shane Gantz (Higher Level Wrestling) 3-0 79 kg Vincenzo Joseph (TMWC) over Alex Dieringer (CKWC) 7-6 Taylor Lujan (TMWC) fall Evan Wick (TMWC) 3:38 Chance Marsteller (TMWC) over Brayden Thompson (Illinois) 11-0 David McFadden (TMWC) fall Isaiah Martinez (TMWC) 2:59 86 kg Mark Hall (Pennsylvania RTC) over Julien Broderson (Iowa) 12-2 Caden Steffen (Mustang WC) over Andrew Morgan (Spartan Combat) 8-6 Owen Webster (Gopher WC) over Caleb Hopkins (Buies Creek WC) 10-7 Marcus Coleman (Iowa) over Timothy Young (Illinois) 10-0 92 kg Isaac Trumble (Wolfpack WC) over Clayton Wahlstrom (South Dakota) 10-0 Max Shaw (Tar Heel WC) over Jake Koser (Navy-Marine Corps MC) 10-0 Michael Battista (Cavalier WC) over Zachary Peterson (SMI WC) 9-2 Cam Caffey (Michigan WC) over Levi Hopkins (Buies Creek WC) 10-6 97 kg Mike Macchiavello (Wolfpack WC) over Marco Retano (La Grange WC) 10-0 TJ Dudley (Sunkist Kids) over Samuel Mitchell (Bulls WC) 10-0 Joe Rau (Wildcat WC) over Ethan Laird (Broncs WC) 10-0 Jay Aiello (Cavalier WC) over Duncan Lee (Iowa) 4-0 125 kg Hayden Zillmer (Gopher WC) over Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force RTC) 8-5 Demetrius Thomas (Pittsburgh WC) over Christian Lance (Nebraska WC) 5-2 Ty Walz (Spartan Combat) over Jordan Wood (LVWC) 5-0 Dom Bradley (Sunkist Kids) over Lucas Davison (Wildcat WC) 5-0