InterMat Staff

Matt McDonough (left) coaching Wisconsin against Army West Point (Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) MOUNT VERNON -- Matt McDonough, a two-time NCAA champion at the University of Iowa, has joined Coach Brent Hamm's Cornell wrestling staff as the head assistant for the 2020-21 season. "I am thrilled to have Matt on our coaching staff," Hamm said. "Matt is high energy and relates well with people. His expertise in the wrestling room will raise our program to new heights. Matt will be a great mentor to our athletes and a huge asset on our coaching staff." McDonough was a three-time national finalist for the Hawkeyes, claiming NCAA crowns at 125 pounds in 2010 and 2012. He was NCAA runner-up in 2011. McDonough reached the finals at the Big Ten Championships four consecutive seasons, winning the title in 2011 and 2012. A native of Marion, Iowa, McDonough compiled an impressive 122-9 career record in a Hawkeye singlet. His .931 career winning percentage ranked 11th-highest in Iowa's storied history at the time of his graduation. McDonough went 74-3 in Big Ten duals. McDonough helped lead the Hawkeyes to Big Ten and NCAA team championships during the 2009-10 season. McDonough went on to compete for the Hawkeye Wrestling Club and was a member of the USA Freestyle National Team at 57 kilograms. Prior to landing on the Hilltop, McDonough was assistant coach at the University of Wisconsin. He spent two seasons on the Badgers' staff. McDonough also ran the Eastern Iowa Wrestling Club for three years. McDonough starred at Linn-Mar High School as a three-time Iowa state champion. He finished his prep career with a 151-15 record. McDonough and his wife Cori have two children and reside in Marion, Iowa.

USA Wrestling announced today that it will host UWW Junior and U23 Nationals Nov. 13-15 at the Convention Center at CHI Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska. Each division will feature all three Olympic styles (men's freestyle, women's freestyle and Greco-Roman) with 10 weights in each style. The event was originally slated to serve as a 2020 World Team Trials event for both age-groups; however, United World Wrestling announced last week that it will not hold a U23 World Championships this year. A decision regarding this year's Junior World Championships will be made Oct. 5 by United World Wrestling. As a result, this event will serve as a 2021 World Team Trials qualifier. The winners in each weight at the UWW U23 Nationals (Omaha, Neb.) will secure a bid to the 2021 Senior World Team Trials. The winners in each style of the UWW Junior Nationals (Omaha, Neb.) will earn a bid to the 2021 Senior World Team Trials and the 2021 Junior World Team Trials, if age eligible. Should UWW decide to hold a Junior World Championships in 2020, the winner in each weight will represent the United States at the Junior Worlds in December in Belgrade, Serbia. Please note, this is NOT a qualifying event for the 2021 Olympic Team Trials. The event will be conducted following the requirements of the state and local health authorities, as well as using the safety provisions of the USA Wrestling Return to Events Guidelines. USA Wrestling and the local organizers will monitor data and local trends closely leading up to the event. The official website and online registration system is currently being finalized, and will be opened shortly. Please save this date and location, and look for additional details which will be provided as soon as possible.

Richard Mann and Clay Sauertieg recap the entire Nittany Lion Wrestling Club event on Rokfin. In the main event, Bo Nickal defeated fellow Hodge Trophy winner Alex Dieringer via a 1-1 score. The event also featured Kyle Snyder, Thomas Gilman, Zain Retherford, Jason Nolf and more. 0:00 - Open and overall impression 3:08 - Rick Durso vs. Malik Amine 4:57 - Nick Nevills vs. Jordan Wood 8:02 - Jennifer Page vs. Desiree Zavala (Match of the Night) 10:49 - Jaime Espinal vs. Domenic Abounader 13:41 - Zain Retherford vs. Alec Pantaleo 17:05 - Jason Nolf vs. David McFadden 19:17 - Vincenzo Joseph vs. Dan Vallimont 21:17 - Greg Kerkvliet vs. Youssif Hemida (Performance of the Night) 24:20 - Bekzod Abdurakhmonov vs. Logan Massa (Upset of the Night) 26:15 - Jane Valencia vs. Julia Salata 28:16 - Thomas Gilman vs. Darian Cruz 32:10 - Kyle Snyder vs. Michael Macchiavello 34:41 - Bo Nickal vs. Alex Dieringer 39:24 - Plugs and closing

INDIANOLA, Iowa -- Jeff McGinness, a two-time national champion at the University of Iowa, joins Simpson wrestling head coach Dylan Peters' staff as an assistant ahead of the 2020-21 campaign. Jeff McGinness"It's very exciting to have Jeff McGinness join our program," said head coach Dylan Peters. "I am confident he will be an invaluable asset for the team. During his career at the University of Iowa, he experienced the pinnacle of collegiate wrestling." The 2018 University of Iowa Hall of Fame inductee amassed a record of 127-16 while competing for the Hawkeyes. From 1994-96, he won 43 consecutive matches, which still stands as 10th-most in program history. As a two-time team captain, McGinness was a member of three national champion squads, two of which were coached by Dan Gable. He also received the Mike Howard Award twice, which is handed out annually to the program's most valuable wrestler. "I am excited to join coach Dylan Peters in fostering a new era of excellence at Simpson College," said McGinness. "As yet another apple in the Dan Gable coaching tree, I look forward to using many of the tools I learned to help our student-athletes achieve success on and off the mat." McGinness went an impressive 33-0 to capture his first career national title at 126 pounds as a sophomore in 1995, a year after earning All-American honors with a fifth-place performance. As a senior, he capped off his career with another national title crown, this time coming in the 142-pound division. Among conference competitors, McGinness won two Big Ten titles, was tabbed the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 1994 and received the Outstanding Wrestler of the Big Ten Championships honor as a senior in 1998. In addition to those accolades, he was a two-time runner-up at the conference tournament. McGinness piled on the accolades away from the mat as well by receiving two NCAA Academic All-American First Team honors. In addition to the national accolades, McGinness earned Academic All-Big Ten Awards on three occasions. At the high school ranks, McGinness amassed a dominant record of 172-0 with four state titles while competing for Iowa City to be inducted into the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2006. While in high school, McGinness also won Junior and Cadet National titles and was named to the 1993 Wrestling USA's Dream Team at 130 pounds following his senior year. McGinness graduated from the University of Iowa with a bachelor's degree in psychology and communication studies in 1998. He then went on to obtain his Juris Doctorate from the University of Iowa College of Law in 2001. McGinness is married to Jami and the couple share three children, Gavin, Aiden and Addison.

FAIRFIELD, Conn.-- The Sacred Heart University Pioneers will set a regional precedent with the launch of an NCAA Division I women's wrestling team. This new athletics program officially begins in the fall of 2021. With this team, SHU now has 33 NCAA Division I sports -- including 20 for women. And in true pioneering fashion, the University will become the first college in New England to offer Division I women's wrestling. It's a vision turned into reality for John Clark, men's head wrestling coach. "This is a goal I had since I started three years ago," he said. "This is great for women, this is great for Sacred Heart; this is great for so many people." "I think it's important that the NCAA recently labeled women's wrestling as an emerging sport," Clark said. "But even before that, I saw the potential. Anything that guys can do, girls can do, too. This is an equal opportunity." Clark has worked for the past year on launching the program, which plans on hiring its first coach this coming January. Competition will then start the coming fall. Clark expects rapid growth for the women's team. After all, his men's team has doubled in size -- from 26 athletes to 51 -- since his arrival. "We see tremendous opportunity here," Clark said. "If I had to start a program from scratch, I don't know how much better of a location you could put that program than right here. New York, New Jersey and New England are rich in talent and quantity in terms of both men and women wrestlers. Our location is a huge draw. I am excited to take this step as a University and this wouldn't be possible without the tremendous support from the dedicated leadership on campus. Sacred Heart University is such a special place to be and the addition of women's wrestling will continue to provide broad-base opportunities for the student-athletes on campus." Clark also expects support from the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA), which has already helped him tremendously in organizing the new program. In particular, he thanks Mike Moyer, the NWCA executive director. "The Sacred Heart men's wrestling program has experienced incredible growth and success under head coach John Clark, and we are absolutely certain his leadership will propel the women's program to similar heights," Moyer said. "The NWCA was thrilled to help facilitate the solicitation of substantial start-up funds in support of this historic announcement. Included in this support was a very generous gift-in-kind donation of uniforms from adidas/wrestling." Moyer lauded Sacred Heart's "extraordinary leadership" in setting this important precedent. His praise for the program was echoed by Charlie Dowd, deputy athletic director at SHU. "We are thrilled to announce women's wrestling as SHU's 33rd varsity sport," Dowd said. "This is an exciting step to help grow the sport of women's wrestling across the nation, in addition to rounding out our wrestling program." Being first, however, does present challenges. Who will SHU compete against, if they are the initial college in New England with a Division I women's team? Clark does not foresee problems in finding opponents. "I was asked to do a schedule last week and was able to come up with 11 competitions, between dual meets and tournaments, that would not require us to travel past Pennsylvania," he said. That number of meets and travel schedule are both appropriate for a first-year program, the coach believes. From there, the women's team should grow in the years ahead. "The goal is to promote this as much as we can," Clark said. "In terms of competition, we are all about equal opportunity for male and female athletes." "We are the Sacred Heart Pioneers," he adds, "and we are truly Pioneers."

Former Division I All-Americans Colby Covington and Tyron Woodley face off at the weigh-ins before UFC at Fight Night I don't know about you, but for me, there is something very cool and very exciting about watching two fighters from similarly high-level wrestling backgrounds meet in the cage. When two combatants have both been through the same pressure-cooker that is NCAA Division I wrestling, we can glean much from their shared experience. Having such a considerable body of work to look back on allows us to gauge things like athleticism, strength, competitiveness, heart, determination, etc. Perhaps most fun about these types of matchups? MMA is the great equalizer. The wide-open ruleset that allows for so many ways to win or lose is the ultimate wild card. This weekend's UFC card offered such a matchup. Colby Covington vs. Tyron Woodley is a fantastic piece of matchmaking. And with a nice supporting cast of former wrestlers with considerable resumes, there was much for the wrestling community to enjoy. So what did we learn about each one? Let's take a look… Colby Covington What we learned: Say what you want about the brash Oregonian (originally from California), the guy is a problem for most any fighter in the welterweight class. And while we already knew that the former undefeated NJCAA national champ and Division I All-American was abrasive and lacking in sportsmanship, this fight against Woodley showed that he possesses a ton of resolve, and steadfastness as well. Enduring insult and injury in the form of a cracked jaw and TKO loss, Covington was served up a hefty dose of humble pie in his last fight against Kamaru Usman. Despite fighting well and displaying incredible toughness and a ton of skill, the two-time Pac-12 champ was ultimately overmatched and had to eat his words. Many in the MMA community expected the MAGA hat-donning welterweight would have a tough time coming back from that loss. The thinking was that he was a bully, likely to crumble in the face of adversity. Well, love him or hate him, Covington showed he can walk the walk, that he can dish it out, and he can take it. Undeterred, he showed up against Woodley ready to scrap. Covington found success in every facet of the fight, including the wrestling exchanges. He hit a slick knee tap/double leg early, and never relinquished the upper hand for the duration of the fight. Doing what he does best, Covington leaned heavily on his superb conditioning as he launched a nonstop striking assault and applied heavy pressure in the clinch. Covington scored several impressive takedowns from a multitude of positions, and he executed some very smart tactical grappling as he looked to break the former champ's will. He succeeded, breaking Woodley's rib as well. Covington will spend the next couple years at the top of the welterweight division, and I'd be surprised if he didn't earn another shot at the belt. Great performance by "Chaos" Covington. Tyron Woodley What we learned: Another post-title-reign fight and another underwhelming effort from the former UFC 170-pound king. While it's tough to know for sure what exactly is ailing the former two-time NCAA Division I All-American, we can now say with confidence that if Tyron Woodley does not reignite the fire inside him, he will continue to get whooped inside the cage. Woodley's recent performances are honestly a bit baffling. The man appears to be in phenomenal physical condition, continues to take tough fights, continues to show he is at least capable of executing his high-powered offense, but continues to appear uninspired and/or uninterested in getting after it. We got to see glimpses of the strength, explosive punching, ridiculous hip strength, and veteran savvy from the former champ, and we know he was at least in part fighting with a cause in mind, but it just wasn't enough. This version of Tyron Woodley was overmatched. He just had no answer for the straight left hands, takedowns, and clinch game of his foe, and in the end, he succumbed to the pressure. When Woodley is on, he is a sight to behold. He is a human brick wall inside the clinch, is impossible to take down, even if you get in super deep on his hips, he can cover incredible distance in the blink of an eye, and his right hand can test even the most stout jaw. We haven't seen that Woodley in a minute, though. While I for one believe he hasn't lost his physical ability, he is at a crossroads and must think hard on his desired path. Khamzat Chimaev What we learned: The Chechen-Swede is a damn wrecking ball of a fighter. He is overwhelmingly effective in every aspect of the fight game and looks to win quickly and emphatically every time out. In combat sports we often see terms like beast, savage, and monster tossed around with varying degrees of utility, but this guy is just … dangerous. Chimaev hails from the Russian republic of Chechnya, relocating to Sweden at 17 years old. He brought with him a bronze medal from Russian Cadet Freestyle Nationals and continued to wrestle in Sweden. In a country renowned for its Greco-Roman wrestling, Chimaev had little trouble competing in freestyle, as he shut out four opponents 37-0 in running through 2018 Swedish Senior Nationals. Simply put, Chimaev is a big-move kind of guy. His approach is simple: Come out, take the center, throw a big, high kick or a powerful punch, and if it misses the mark he immediately attacks with a takedown. And speaking of takedowns, he is definitely a wrestler who doesn't wrestle merely to score points, he looks to do damage. Chimaev has drawn comparisons to fellow Caucasus juggernaut Khabib Nurmagomedov, but aside from their affinity for wrestling and their home region, I personally don't see many parallels. In addition to his finishing ability, high amplitude takedowns, and powerful striking, Chimaev has a fluidity and a flow to his game that we are starting to see a lot of from former wrestlers out of Nordic and Scandinavian countries. On Saturday night, Chimaev needed just one punch to topple tough, seasoned fighter Gerald Meerschaert. And with that, you can be sure he will be fast-tracked up the middleweight ladder. Damon Jackson What we learned: After washing out of the UFC several years ago, lifelong wrestler Jackson has sharpened his overall game nicely. An Oklahoma high school state runner-up who went on to become and All-American (fifth place) for Missouri Valley College in the NAIA, Jackson is a study in perseverance and unwavering focus. Both in his career and in this weekend's fight, he leaned heavily on his combat sports experience. A short notice replacement for this fight, Jackson returned to the UFC after almost five years away, only to start the contest getting whooped by Mirsad Bektic. Despite seemingly having the wrestling advantage, at least on paper, Jackson was taken down at will by Nebraska's Bektic, a man who has spent a good bit of time on the mats with none other than Mr. Jordan Burroughs. Unfazed by his early woes, Jackson hung in there and when an opening presented itself, he seized the opportunity and scored a guillotine choke finish for the win. Darrick Minner What we learned: Former All-State Nebraska high school wrestler Darrick Minner is an offensive powerhouse. After plying his trade on the regional MMA scene for the better part of the last decade, the featherweight dynamo has been chomping at the bit to get his hands on some UFC opposition. Perhaps a bit over-eager, this enthusiasm cost him his UFC debut, but now, after dialing it in, he is ready to go. Minner fought the way we like to see wrestlers fight; hardnosed, physical, aggressive, and dynamic. He brought the fight right to his opponent, roughed him up, and slapped on the guillotine choke, making it look easy. Great performance by Minner. Jordan Espinosa What we learned: Another former wrestler on the card who just recently got his ticket to the big show after a decade as a pro, Espinosa has plenty of skill and physical ability, he just may need to overhaul his approach and fight IQ. The former New Mexico high school state champ moves quite well inside the cage, but in this last outing, he was content getting picked apart in the striking game rather than changing levels and dumping his foe on his head. Espinosa needs to remember that though he's been fighting for many years now, he is a wrestler first and foremost. And wrestlers can't forget, when you're getting pieced up on the feet, it only takes a single big takedown to even the scales.

The Nittany Lion Wrestling Club is loaded with top-notch wrestlers. And they put on a heck of a show when the NLWC hosted a high-level Senior freestyle wrestling event on Saturday night. The event was streamed live on Rokfin. The 13-match card included numerous athletes who have excelled at the international and collegiate levels. The event provided fans an opportunity to watch some outstanding competitors take the mat. Here is my breakdown from the evening's matches: 74 kilograms: Malik Amine vs. Rick Durso Durso came out aggressively, scoring on a pair of leg attacks to jump ahead 4-0. Durso continued to pour it on, building an 8-0 lead halfway through the opening period. He fired in on a single leg before finishing for a takedown to win by a 10-0 technical superiority in just 1 minute, 40 seconds. He turned in an impressive performance with the dominating victory. 125 kilograms: Nick Nevills vs. Jordan Wood Nevills took charge early, attacking with his offense to build a 4-1 lead after one period. He moves well for a big man and put that on display early in the match. Wood charged out strong in the second period, scoring on a pushout to close within 4-2. Wood scored on two leg laces in the closing seconds to pull out a dramatic 6-4 win. Wood wrestled hard and it paid off. 62 kilograms: Jennifer Page vs. Desiree Zavala Zavala shot in on a slick fireman's carry off the opening whistle to take a quick 4-0 lead. She followed with a leg lace to jump ahead 6-0 in the first 30 seconds of the bout. Page came back strong with a pair of leg laces late in the opening period to draw within 10-6. She continued her momentum with a takedown and turn to tie it 10-10 early in the second period. Page took the lead while finishing for a takedown off a single-leg shot. She was nearly teched before rallying for an impressive 14-10 comeback win. Page kept her composure and continued to battle before earning the win. 196 pounds: Jaime Espinal vs. Domenic Abounader The explosive Espinal, a 2012 Olympic silver medalist, scored on an early turn after being put on the shot clock. Abounader responded with a flurry of points to lead 5-2 late in the first period. Espinal wasn't overly active and his late rally came up short. Abounader scored in the final seconds to prevail 7-2. 157 pounds: Zain Retherford vs. Alec Pantaleo Retherford, a three-time NCAA champion for Penn State, bumped up in weight for the bout against Pantaleo, a former Michigan star. Retherford led 1-0 at the break after Pantaleo was put on the activity clock. Pantaleo powered in for a double-leg takedown to lead 2-1 early in the second period. Retherford fired in on a textbook single and finished for a takedown to lead 3-2 with just under a minute left. It was a strong showing by Retherford, who earned a hard-fought win over a bigger opponent. 79 kilograms: Jason Nolf vs. David McFadden Nolf, another three-time NCAA champion for the Nittany Lions, is a wrestler with a bright future in freestyle and it showed. Nolf is constantly moving forward and applying pressure. He led 5-2 after an action-packed first period. Nolf continued to attack McFadden with an array of shots before earning a solid 5-2 victory. 77 kilograms: Vincenzo Joseph vs. Dan Vallimont In a battle of former Nittany Lions, Joseph was the aggressor from the outset and led 1-0 after Vallimont was put on the shot clock. Joseph powered in on a single and followed with a quick finish to lead 3-0 early in the second period. He spun behind for another takedown en route to a 5-0 win. It will be interesting to see how Joseph, a two-time NCAA champion, fares as he transitions to freestyle. 125 kilograms: Greg Kerkvliet vs. Youssif Hemida Kerkvliet, a Cadet world champion, is an exciting young prospect with an extremely bright future. He came out with a quick takedown and scored on a leg lace to go up 4-0. Penn State fans are excited to see this guy wrestle and he proved why Saturday. He wrestles at a high level already despite still being very young. Kerkvliet fired in on a double-leg takedown to lead 6-0 before adding another double. He went up 8-0 late in the opening period. Kerkvliet finished it with a single to win by a 10-0 technical superiorty. This kid is really impressive. 77 kilograms: Bekzod Abdurakhmonov vs. Logan Massa Abdurakhmonov, a world medalist and Olympian who competes for Uzbekistan, matched up against a top young athlete in Massa. Bekzod, a savvy veteran, opened the scoring after Massa was put on the shot clock. Massa is strong defensively and continued to fight off Bekzod's attacks. Massa scored on a pushout after a leg attack to tie it 1-1 with two minutes left. He added a second pushout with 1:20 left to lead 2-1. Bekzod shot in on a double-leg attack late, but Massa flipped him over in an exchange where both wrestlers were awarded two points. Massa earned a big win in knocking off Abdurakhmonov 4-3. 62 kilograms: Jane Valencia vs. Julia Salata Valencia powered in with a double-leg shot before transitioning to a leg lace to lead 4-0. Salata won a scramble early in the second period, scoring a takedown to draw within 4-2. Salata spun behind for a takedown and scored a turn before taking a 6-4 lead. Valencia shot in on a leg attack in the closing seconds, scoring a takedown to win the match 6-6 on criteria. 59 kilograms: Thomas Gilman vs. Darian Cruz Cruz came out with a strong single-leg shot to score a takedown on Gilman, a 2017 world silver medalist. Gilman, a hard-nosed, physical wrestler, came back with a series of pushouts to lead 3-2. Cruz responded with a leg attack to score a takedown to lead 4-4 on criteria with two minutes left. Gilman came back with two more pushouts to lead 6-4 before spinning behind for a takedown with 1:20 left. Gilman added a gut-wrench and followed with a double-leg takedown to go up 12-4. He then hit a high-crotch that led to a takedown, giving him a 14-4 win by technical superiority. Gilman used a relentless attack and looked superb in an impressive win. 99 kilograms: Kyle Snyder vs. Michael Macchiavello Snyder, an Olympic gold medalist and two-time world champion, put on a superb display while wrestling a quality opponent. Snyder is the total package with his strength, relentless approach and superb technical skills. He built a quick 8-0 lead over Macchiavello, an NCAA champion. Snyder then spun behind for a takedown he turned into a gut-wrench to prevail 12-0. Snyder has improved on top in par terre and continues to evolve. I'm looking forward to seeing him compete at the Olympics next year in Tokyo. Main event 190 pounds: Bo Nickal vs. Alex Dieringer The main event featured an intriguing matchup between promising international wrestlers who each won three NCAA titles at the collegiate level. The match was tied 1-1 in the final minute, but Nickal held the edge after scoring last. Nickal held off Dieringer in the final seconds, winning 1-1 on criteria in one of the slower paced matches of the night between two high-level athletes. Final thoughts This was an excellent card loaded with standout wrestlers - and it definitely delivered. There was high-level wrestling with an abundance of great matchups. Kudos to Nittany Lion Wrestling Club for delivering with an entertaining event. It was fun to watch and good to see wrestlers have another opportunity to compete during the COVID-19 pandemic. Jeff Byers and David Taylor did an excellent job on the broadcast. Taylor was outstanding with his commentary and analysis. It was interesting to hear all of his perspectives on what it's like to compete at this level. The quality of the Rokfin live stream was excellent. It moved along smoothly with one match after another. Kudos to everyone involved for hitting a home run with this outstanding event. Craig Sesker has written about wrestling for more than three decades. He's covered three Olympic Games, written 10 books and is a two-time national wrestling writer of the year.

Bo Nickal celebrates after winning a gold medal at the U23 World Championships (Photo/Sachiko Hotaka) There seems to be more and more wrestling these days. In the same week as the return of Beat the Street, the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club will host an event featuring some of the best wrestlers the U.S. has to offer. The main event will be a meeting between a pair of Dan Hodge Trophy winners as Alex Dieringer takes on Bo Nickal. The event takes place Saturday at 8 p.m. ET and can be purchased on Rokfin. 74 kilograms: Malik Amine vs. Rick Durso Amine qualified for the NCAA tournament in his final two years at Michigan. During his senior year in 2019, he went 12-11 and picked up wins over Alfred Bannister, Josh Maruca and Jarod Verkleeren. Like his brother, Amine represents San Marino on the international scene and has competed in the 2019 and 2020 European Championships as well as the 2019 World Championships. Durso was an All-American for Franklin and Marshall back in 2014, and he has been mostly absent from competition since leaving college in 2016. That season he went 39-10 and qualified for the NCAA tournament. Along the way, he scored victories over Anthony Abidin, Jared Prince, Chris Mecate and Randy Cruz. Durso seems to have a slight edge in terms of accolades, but Amine has been much more active recently. Oftentimes athletes coming straight out of college are in better condition and form. That may be exaggerated here since Durso has been seemingly out of competition entirely for an extended period. Prediction: Amine over Durso (VSU1) 125 kilograms: Nick Nevills vs. Jordan Wood Nevills was a two-time NCAA All-American at Penn State before backing up Anthony Cassar during his senior season. His best finish came in 2017 when, as a sophomore, he finished fifth and defeated Jacob Kasper, Billy Miller and Michael Kroells at the NCAA tournament. In 2019, Nevills wrestled his way to a pair of fourth-place finishes at the Bill Farrell and Senior Nationals. At Senior Nationals, he had a particularly strong performance with wins over Hemida, Tanner Hall and his brother A.J. Nevills. Wood still has one more year of eligibility at Lehigh. This past year he was looking to become an All-American for the second time before the NCAA tournament was canceled. He went 17-5 and won the EIWA tournament. Following the year, the NCWA awarded Wood with second team All-America honors. This past year in freestyle, he made the finals of the U23 Nationals before falling against Kerkvliet. Wood also finished third at the Alexander Medved with his only loss coming against rival Gable Steveson. Nevills won the only collegiate meeting between these two competitors with a 2-0 score. Since it is a heavyweight match scoring will be at a premium. In theory, the more athletic and dynamic wrestler might have an edge. However, Wood has struggled to deal with larger heavyweights in the past. Look for history to repeat itself as Nevills takes the match. Prediction: Nevills over Wood (VPO1) 62 kilograms: Jennifer Page vs. Desiree Zavala Page appeared to be rounding back into form last year after missing extensive time with injuries. At the 2019 Senior Nationals, she finished fifth and scored victories over Alexis Porter and Michaela Beck. Then this past January, Page got over the hump and picked up a gold medal at the Klippan Lady Open. Zavala made the finals of both the 2019 U23 Nationals and the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament. Unfortunately for her, she fell in the finals of both events against Kayla Miracle. The following month she got back on track with a bronze medal performance at the Canada Cup. Zavala was then invited to be a part of the Women's World Cup team, which finished second behind Japan. These two met in the consolation bracket at the recent Senior Nationals. In that match Zavala got off to a quick start and scored the first three points of the match. However, Page got it together and ended up taking the bout via a 9-6 score. During the match, Page seemed to figure things out, and that should pay dividends here. Prediction: Page over Zavala (VPO1) 196 pounds: Domenic Abounader vs. Jaime Espinal Abounader broke through and became an All-American in his final year at Michigan in 2018. He had it onto the qualified in his first three seasons for the Wolverines, but never made podium. Abounader has represented Lebanon on the international scene with his best result coming at the 2018 Asian Games. He finished second at the event with his only defeat coming in the finals against Hassan Yazdani. Espinal won a surprise silver medal at the 2012 Olympics. In the process, he became only the second silver medalist and ninth medalist overall for Puerto Rico. Espinal qualified for the 2016 Olympics but dropped a pair of matches against Selima Yasar (Turkey) and Reineris Salas (Cuba) to be eliminated. Espinal has always been a boom or bust talent. He will struggle mightily at times and then break through and score dramatic upsets. Abounader has made strides as a competitor, and his style seems better suited for freestyle in a lot of ways. Looks for him to pick up the victory over the Olympic medalist here. Prediction: Abounader over Espinal (VPO1) 157 pounds: Zain Retherford vs. Alec Pantaleo Retherford earned the chance to represent the U.S. at the 2019 World Championships, but he took quite the road to get there. He originally won Final X over Yianni Diakomihalis. After an arbitrator ruled that the second match should be nullified, he would need to beat Diakomihalis again in a wrestle-off, which he did in early September. Despite earning the spot, Retherford would lose his first match at the Worlds against Valdes Tobier of Cuba. The former Hodge Trophy winner and three-time NCAA champion was also sent to the Pan American Olympic Qualification Tournament this past March, but he came up a match short. The U.S. will still need to qualify 65 kilograms for the upcoming Olympic Games. Pantaleo finished his college career at Michigan in 2019. He walked away as a three-time All-American, including a third-place finish as a senior. Pantaleo quickly transitioned into freestyle full time and won a spot on the U23 world team. Last fall he competed at the 2019 Senior Nationals where he scored an impressive 10-2 victory over Tyler Berger but ended up finishing eighth at the event. In his most recent action, Pantaleo won the Cerro Pelado with victories over Cuba's Orislandy Perdomo and Reece Humphrey. These two wrestled three times during the 2016 college season and none of the matches were particularly close. In fact, all three of the matches ended up being falls for Retherford. He should be a solid favorite in this bout. It will be interesting to see if he has made strides from the top position in freestyle. On the college mats, he was a dominant scorer from the top position, but it has not entirely translated to the Olympic style. Prediction: Retherford over Pantaleo (VSU) 79 kilograms: Jason Nolf vs. David McFadden Nolf headlined one of the first events back after the shutdown as he faced Jordan Oliver in the main event of the "Rumble on the Rooftop." Despite the fact that the bout was an inter-weight dream match, it was mostly uneventful. In the end, Nolf escaped with a 4-1 victory. The three-time NCAA champion needed the victory to get back on track after falling in the finals of the Bill Farrell against collegiate rival Isaiah Martinez. McFadden returned to action on the debut Wrestling Underground show. He took a short notice match against Tommy Gantt and pulled out an 8-4 decision. Prior to that, McFadden had his senior year at Virginia Tech cut short. He was awarded All-America honors by the NWCA after going 21-5 with victories over Evan Wick, Zach Hartmann and Thomas Bullard. In addition to his freestyle success, McFadden also represented the U.S. in freestyle at the U23 World Championships in 2018. Historically, Nolf has been the much more accomplished wrestler, but recent results suggest a closer match. Nolf is returning from injuries and looked hesitant to pull the trigger against Oliver. On the other hand, McFadden looked outstanding against Gantt at Wrestling Underground. With that being said, Nolf's ability to scramble and score from anywhere should be enough for him to take the bout. Prediction: Nolf over McFadden (VPO1) 77 kilograms: Vincenzo Joseph vs. Dan Vallimont The 165-pound division at the NCAA tournament would have likely come down to another rematch between Joseph and his rival Alex Marinelli. The two split matches during the year with Joseph winning a 7-5 decision in January, and then Marinelli winning via a 3-2 score in the Big Ten tournament final. The NCAA tournament never occurred, and Joseph finished his career as a four-time All-American and three-time finalist. Last November, Joseph also entered the Bill Farrell where he won his first three matches, including a victory over NCAA champion Mekhi Lewis. However, he then lost against teammate Jason Nolf in the semifinals and defaulted out. Vallimont was an NCAA finalist for Penn State in 2010 and left school as a two-time All-American. He is still competing actively on the freestyle circuit and has placed twice at the U.S. Open including a runner-up finish in 2018. In 2019 he earned medals at both the Dave Schultz Memorial and the Cerro Pelado taking second and third respectively. If Joseph wants to become a contender for World and Olympic teams, he will need to routinely beat opponents like Vallimont. He will get that opportunity here. Joseph's tendency to go upper body should be a factor in this match as he will likely hit a big move or two and hold on for a victory. Prediction: Joseph over Vallimont (VPO1) 125 kilograms: Greg Kerkvliet vs. Youssif Hemida After a lengthy recruitment process and a midseason transfer, Kerkvliet finally ended up at Penn State for his true freshman season last year. He wrestled in only two open tournaments and finished with a perfect 9-0 record. Despite the redshirt season, Kerkvliet still made an impact on the freestyle mats last year. He won the U23 World Team Trials and finished one match away from a medal. This past November, he competed at the 2019 Senior Nationals and finished third with victories over Nick Nevills and Garrett Ryan. Hemida was coach Kerry McCoy's last All-American at Maryland after finishing sixth as a senior in 2019. Following the season he moved to Michigan to train at the Cliff Keen Wrestling Club. In freestyle he finished fourth at both the 2019 World Team Trials Challenge Tournament and the U23 Nationals. Along the way, Hemida defeated the likes of Tate Orndorff, A.J. Nevills and Derek White. Hemida has always had some tricky freestyle counters, which give a lot of heavyweights trouble. However, Kerkvliet's above average athleticism for a heavyweight and his ability to finish leg attacks clean should allow him to score without danger. Look for this one to perhaps be closer than expected, but Kerkvliet should still walk away the winner. Prediction: Kerkvliet over Hemida (VPO1) 77 kilograms: Bekzod Abdurakhmonov vs. Logan Massa Abdurakhmonov famously eliminated Jordan Burroughs from the 2016 Olympic Games. Since then he has represented Uzbekistan at three straight World Championships. He won gold at both the 2017 Asian Championships and the 2018 Asain Games. Last August, the former Clarion wrestler won the Alexander Medved tournament. Massa has one more year of eligibility at Michigan after using an Olympic redshirt for the 2020 season. He finished third as a freshman to become an All-American, but he has yet to return to the podium. Massa certainly made the most of his redshirt year. It started right after the 2019 college season with a fourth-place finish at the U.S. Open. He then made the finals of the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament before falling to Jason Nolf. Massa then won the 2019 Senior Nationals this past December. During 2019, he scored victories over Mekhi Lewis, Nazar Kulchytskyy, Tommy Gantt and Chance Marsteller. Massa certainly comes into this match with a lot of momentum, but Abdurakhmonov may still be too much of a step forward. Abdurakhmonov has a pretty wide experience edge and has proven he can compete with anyone across the world. This was one of the latest matches announced, and it certainly increased the profile of the event. Prediction: Abdurakhomonov over Massa (VPO1) 62 kilograms: Jane Valencia vs. Julia Salata This past March, Valencia won the Pan American Olympic Qualification Tournament to become the first-ever Mexican women's wrestler to qualify for the Olympic Games. In the semifinals, she upset 2019 world champion Linda Morais of Canada and then took a forfeit over Helen Maroulis in the finals. The previous November, Valencia finished second at the Bill Farrell with wins over Tianna Kennett, Batbaatar Enkhtsetseg and Koral Sugiyama. Salata had a rather busy 2019. She placed fifth at the Klippan Lady Open in February. She then returned for the Grand Prix of Germany the same month and took home a bronze medal. Salata then won the Pan American Championships in April. In her most recent action, she finished fourth at the 2019 Senior Nationals with wins over Louisa Schwab, Desiree Zavala, Zoe Nowicki and Alara Boyd. Despite the impressive result from Valencia at the qualification tournament, Salata is the more refined wrestler. She has extensive experience competing against some of the best domestically and internationally. This match might prove a bit closer than expected, but Salata should be the one getting her hand raised. Prediction: Salata over Valencia (VPO1) 59 kilograms: Thomas Gilman vs. Darian Cruz Gilman recently relocated to the NLWC despite spending his college days at Iowa and previously wrestling for the Hawkeye Wrestling Club. At Iowa, Gilman was a three-time All-American and a finalist in 2016. Immediately following his senior season, Gilman earned a spot on the 2017 world team and brought home a surprising silver medal. He tried to return to the world team this past year, but he dropped a three-match series against Daton Fix at Final X. Cruz was a three-time NCAA All-American and he won the 125-pound title in 2017. Since leaving Lehigh and the college ranks, he has placed third at the 2019 Dave Schultz Memorial and finished second at the 2019 World Team Trials Challenge Tournament. In his most recent action, he entered the 2019 Senior Nationals where he picked up wins over Sean Russell and Josh Rodriguez but failed to place. Cruz famously upset Gilman at the NCAA tournament during his senior year. The match went to overtime, and Cruz ended up taking the 4-2 win in sudden victory. Despite this memorable victory, the two have met multiple times since in freestyle with Gilman getting the better of the series. The recently met in the finals of the 2019 World Team Trials Challenge Tournament, and Gilman won the two-match series with 4-0 and 5-2 victories. There is little reason to expect a different result here. Prediction: Gilman over Cruz (VPO) 99 kilograms: Kyle Snyder vs. Mike Macchiavello Last October, Snyder announced that he was making the move from Ohio to the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club. The former Ohio State wrestler has competed in four events since making the change and collected three gold medals and one bronze. He won the Bill Farrell and Alany tournaments to end 2019. After dropping a match against Iran's Mohammad Mohammadian at the Matteo Pellicone, he finished with bronze, but he bounced back to win the Pan American Championships this past March. Snyder is a two-time World champion and an Olympic champion. He hopes to return to the team at 97 kilograms and make another run at the Olympic goal in 2021. Macchiavello somewhat surprisingly won the NCAA title in 2018 after never previously reaching the All-American level, and he has been competing on the senior circuit ever since. The former NC State wrestler had a strong 2019 that saw him finish third at the U.S. Open, second at the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament and second at the Bill Farrell. Unfortunately for Macchiavello, the second-place finish at the Bill Farrell came at the hands of Snyder. The Olympic champion won the match via a 10-0 score inside the first period, and it is hard to see the rematch playing out any other way. Prediction: Snyder over Macchiavello (VSU) 190 pounds: Bo Nickal vs. Alex Dieringer Nickal finished his Penn State career in 2019 with his third straight NCAA title. He went a perfect 61-0 during his final two years and quickly made his intentions to compete for a spot on the Olympic team known. He won the 2019 U.S. Open and earned a berth in Final X. However, his run of success came to an end in a two-match series against J'den Cox. Nickal went on to represent the U.S. at the U23 World Championships where he achieved match termination in three of his four matches and won a gold medal. In his last action, Nickal wrestled at the Matteo Pellicone where he went 2-2 including a forfeit to fellow American Kyle Snyder. The shrinking number of weight classes at the Olympics can create some interesting matches. Dieringer, who wrestled his last two college seasons at 165 pounds is all the way up at 86 kilograms for this cycle. His debut at the new weight came last November at the Bill Farrel, and he won a gold medal with victories over Domenic Abounader and Myles Martin. Dieringer then lost a rematch against Martin at the 2019 Senior Nationals and finished third. In his only action of 2020, he won a silver medal at the Matteo Pellicone and a bronze medal at the Pan American Championships. Dieringer has the skill to compete with anyone. However, his best bet in a match like this is to slow down the scoring and make it a positional battle. That might keep this match close, but in the end, Nickal has a wider array of ways to score. That should be enough to edge the match in his favor. Prediction: Nickal over Dieringer (VPO1)

The Big Ten announced that it would be returning to the football field with games scheduled to begin in late October. The move, advocated for by several prominent alumni and focused on creating income for the school's at-risk athletic department budgets, will put more than 1200 student athletes into a travel and competition schedule. As we know, college athletes are unpaid for their work. We also know that COVID is a highly transmittable disease that has killed 200,000 in only six months. There are also known, and unknown, long-term consequences resulting from the disease. As I'm apt to share online, I still suffer from parasomnia, an ailment in which leads my brain to misinterpret smells and make me believe I'm smelling rotten eggs. Minor, but hyper annoying. The short term economic benefit of the unpaid labor force taking on the risk of death in order to compete in a football contest will make the Big Ten and other conferences vulnerable to lawsuits, and eventually a system that will require the players to have greater agency in their health and career choices. The current system, which limits the complaints of players to their internal "NCAA-approved" communication channels doesn't provide players with enough voice in their health. Add in that a large majority of NCAA football and basketball players (especially starters) are Black and you can readily see that their voices aren't being heard because they are hardly considered by a largely white, and wealthy, governance structure. The return of the players is however good for the nation's NCAA wrestlers. While ODU and Stanford have dropped, the income from football -- even if at 50% pre-COVID expectations -- will help preserve many programs. That preservation won't come without a cost to the wrestlers, too. Should there be events, they will be held in 2021. The window for competition will be limited to something like 8-10 weeks and will be regional-only dual meets. Tournaments, like the ones being held in Pennsylvania, are simply not healthy for the wrestlers or fans. Finally, the NCAA tournament will be held the same time and likely without fans. That's best case. The other option might be something more extreme than we are seeing in football, where some schools compete, and others sit out. And if there are enough schools that sit out, we could be looking at another lost season. Devastating as that might be, it could preserve the future of many wrestling programs who would see significant cost savings through a year of competition hibernation. For now, the benefit of football players taking the field is evident, and real, for wrestling programs around the country. However, after only one week of the current season we still don't know what the spread will be, or if there will be any additional stoppages to conference schedules. Should those occur it will alter the landscape once more. To your questions … Q: Predictions on the NLWC event? What do you think will be the most exciting match? -- Mike C. Foley: Malik Amine (CKWC) df. Rick Durso (F&M) via FALL Nick Nevills (NLWC) df. Jordan Wood (LVWC) via TF Jennifer Page (NLWC) df. Desiree Zavala (Team Takedown), 6-0 Dom Abounader (CKWC) df. Jaime Espinal (NLWC), 7-4 Zain Retherford (NLWC) df. Alec Pantaleo (CKWC), 3-2 Jason Nolf (NLWC) df. David McFadden (Penn RTC), 5-4 Vincenzo Joseph (NLWC) df. Dan Vallimont (PRTC), 11-5 Greg Kerkvliet (NLWC) df. Youssif Hemida (CKWC), 3-3 Bekzod Abdurakhmanov (NLWC) df. Logan Massa (CKWC), 9-1 Jane Valencia (NLWC) df. Julia Salata (Kings), 5-4 Thomas Gilman (NLWC) df. Darian Cruz (LVWC), 7-2 Kyle Snyder (NLWC) df. Mike Macchiavello (Wolfpack WC), 8-3 Alex Dieringer (CKWC) df. Bo Nickal (NLWC), 5-4 Tough to turn away from the action when it comes to this card. The NLWC-based card will be the first on Rokfin, a new cyber coin-based payout system that is supported by $9.99 USD subscriptions -- it'll be interesting to see the quality of the presentation. Outside of the NLWC guys, which will attract a great online audience and feed the need to see our recent graduates and top competitors back on the mat I'm most excited to see the growth of our national team members. The last Flo card showed that David Taylor was back in tip-top shape and I think we will get time to analyze several of our Olympic hopefuls on this card all the same. Weirdly, I'm most excited to see Thomas Gilman and what adjustments he's made since coming to State College. Darian Cruz has a great game to challenge Gilman and push his style adaptations in a real competition. The main goal for him ins 202-2021 is to get on the Olympic team and to do that he has a Murderers Row of familiar faces to look forward to. His approach to this match and specifically if he's created new offensive attacks, will give us insight into how he will matchup up with Spencer Lee, Jack Mueller, Daton Fix, and more in 2021. Jane Valencia was the first women's wrestler from Mexico to qualify for wrestling at the Olympic Games. She's not widely known by fans, but she is a tough-as-nails competitor who is strong, agile, and scores in bunches. Her husband Jaime Espinal was part of the reason she moved to the NLWC and her development has been incredible. Julia Salata brings a solid game to the match. It'll be a match that gives Salata an updated measurement on her standing in the world and provides Valencia the top-level competition she needs in 2021. The Dieringer and Nickal match is an unknown to me. I have no idea what's going to happen once the whistle blows. Nickal is often of two minds; he spends a lot of time attacking when he feels confident in his upper body leverage but will also sit back and absorb attacks in order to rely on his score-heavy defense. Which Nickal will we see? And will Dieringer's typically shoot-first approach be stifled by fear of a Nickal scramble, or does he have a game plan on how to finish quickly? Very interested in how they compete against each other and if either is impressive enough to substantiate a serious challenge at 86 kilograms or 97 kilograms. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Cool interview with King Vlad Reupping this cool Behind the Scenes Q: Any thoughts on the recruiting dead period being extended until January 1? No campus visits, no off-campus visits and no face-to-face contact. -- Mike C. Foley: Makes total and complete sense given the pandemic. We shouldn't be encouraging the coaches to zig zag the country, or worse still feel like they are compelled to travel in order to keep up with other coaches who might be more willing to take the risk. The rules are in place to keep everyone on a level playing field and I think this rule helps accomplish that goal. Q: Michael Chandler signed with the UFC. How do you think he will do? Do you think he has the potential to challenge Khabib? -- Mike C. Foley: I think of Mike Chandler as one of the most sincere and hard-working fighters in the world. Making the UFC and earning a chance to climb that rungs of the organization was no doubt a career goal for him and one that we should all be happy he's achieved. Right now I don't think he can hang with Khabib, but let's wait to see what happens with him and Dustin Poirier, who is a former champion and someone we know will give Chandler a proper welcome to the UFC.

InterMat's Matside show reviews the 2020 edition of the Beat the Streets event, which featured a main event between Yianni Diakomihalis and Vladimir Khinchegashvili.

Beat the Streets stepped up to produce another memorable and entertaining event. And provided fans with another excellent opportunity to view a high-level wrestling competition. The six-match Beat the Streets card was held Thursday night in Hoboken, New Jersey, right across from New York City. It included some compelling matchups and intense competition. The bouts were streamed live on FloWrestling. Here is my breakdown from the evening's matches: 53 kilograms: Emily Shilson vs. Charlotte Fowler Shilson, a Cadet world champion, fired in on a solid leg attack and finished for a takedown in the match's first minute. She followed with another shot for a second takedown and an early 4-0 advantage. Shilson spun behind before another takedown late in the first period before transitioning into a gut-wrench. She took an 8-0 lead into the break. Shilson spun around Fowler early in the second period to earn a 10-0 win by technical superiority. Shilson is a top young prospect with a bright future. 61 kilograms: Joe Colon vs. Seth Gross This match definitely lived up to its billing. Colon, a world bronze medalist, barreled in on an early leg attack and followed with his lethal gut-wrench to lead 4-0. Gross, an NCAA champion, came back with a counter and turn before Colon reversed him to make it 5-2. Gross exposed Colon again late in the period to draw within 7-5. There was non-stop action with both guys wrestling aggressively. Gross came back in a wild sequence, exposing Colon to lead 11-8. Colon then scored a pushout, takedown and turn to lead 13-11. The action kept going and Gross eventually tied it 15-15 with a double-leg takedown. Colon stormed right back with a takedown to lead 17-15 with 40 seconds left. Colon added a late takedown and turn before earning a wild 21-15 victory. That was a really fun match to watch between two high-level wrestlers. Kudos to those guys for letting it fly. 57 kilograms: Rustam Ampar vs. Jack Mueller Ampar, a past Junior world silver medalist for Russia, came out with a physical style and dominated early in taking a quick 5-0 lead. Mueller, a U23 world team member, was kept on his heels as the more experienced Ampar added a stepout to lead 6-0. Mueller had Ampar's leg in the air late in the period, but was unable to finish. Mueller nearly finished on a leg attack in the second period before Ampar countered for a takedown to lead 8-0. Mueller kept battling with an array of shots. He closed within 10-4 on a pair of pushouts in the final minute. Mueller finished on a leg attack for a late takedown before falling 10-6 to Ampar. 78 kilograms: Victoria Francis vs. Alexandria Glaude Francis, a two-time world team member, battled Glaude, a U23 bronze medalist, in a matchup of top women's freestyle athletes. Francis took a 1-0 lead after Glaude was put on the shot clock for passivity. She followed with a pushout to lead 2-0. Glaude shot in to start the second period, but Francis countered effectively and turned her opponent to lead 6-0. Francis followed with a pair of leg laces before winning 11-0 when the call was confirmed after a challenge. Francis looked strong after a slow start to the bout. Heavyweight: Gable Steveson vs. Trent Hillger The matchup of NCAA All-Americans Gable Steveson of Minnesota and Trent Hillger of Wisconsin was one that fans were eager to see. Steveson is an accomplished freestyle wrestler who owns two Cadet world titles and a Junior world title. And it showed. Steveson is a mobile and explosive big man with excellent technique. He took charge early with a takedown near the edge of the mat. He followed with another powerful leg attack and pushout to lead 5-0. Steveson added a textbook underhook and knee pick to go up 9-0. He finished another takedown to notch a dominating 11-0 win and earn a quick first-period victory by technical superiority. Watch out for Gable Steveson in 2021. He could make a run at an Olympic medal. He's that good. Main event 65 kilograms: Vladimir Khinchegashvili vs. Yianni Diakomihalis The main event featured a veteran with outstanding credentials and a bright young star with an impressive resume of his own. Khinchegashvili, from the nation of Georgia, has won Olympic and world titles. Diakomiahlis is a two-time NCAA champion and two-time Cadet world champion. Vladimir Khinchegashvili edged Yianni DiakomihalisKhinchegashvili jumped out in front with an early takedown and led 2-1 after the opening period. He fired in on a textbook low single en route to scoring those early points. His technique is superb, and his shots are crisp and precise. Vlad won a scramble near the edge, locking around Yianni's body for a takedown to lead 4-1 with two minutes to go. Yianni came right back with a superb double-leg attack, finishing for a takedown to draw within 4-3. Yianni scored a late pushout to tie it by 4-4, but Khinchegashvili won the match on criteria by virtue of scoring two takedowns. Vlad has bumped up a couple of weight classes since his Olympic triumph in 2016, but he is still an excellent wrestler at age 29. Yianni is just 21, but he is very advanced for his age. It was an entertaining bout between two excellent wrestlers. It would have been nice to see a tie match go into overtime, but it didn't happen. I would've liked to have seen the wrestlers open up more, but it was still a good match. Final thoughts Beat the Streets has done an amazing job over the years and it was great to see all of the support that donors provided to that organization on Thursday. They always put on an excellent event and this was no exception. BTS put together a good list of matchups and the quality of wrestling was top-notch. The Colon-Gross match alone was worth the price of admission. The rooftop venue with the view of the New York City skyline looked impressive. Kudos to Beat the Streets for including women's matches on Thursday's card. The production by FloWrestling was much better than the previous event it showed during the pandemic. It's definitely great to see these live wrestling events -- let's keep them coming. Craig Sesker has written about wrestling for more than three decades. He's covered three Olympic Games, written 10 books and is a two-time national wrestling writer of the year.

Yianni Diakomihalis at the 2019 Beat the Streets event (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The annual Beat the Streets event was delayed for several months, but it will finally take place on Thursday. The six-match card, which will be broadcast on FloWrestling, features a main event between multiple-time NCAA champion Yianni Diakomihalis and Olympic champion Vladimir Khinchegashvili. All matches will be contested under freestyle rules. The following is a match-by-match preview of the event. Rustam Ampar vs. Jack Mueller The scheduled match between Mueller and Vito Arujau was scrapped over the weekend due to an injury to Arujau. Mueller will now face Ampar. The Russian representative has some very impressive accolades including a gold medal performance at the 2014 Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix as well as a runner up performance two years later. He has been competing consistently on the senior circuit since 2011 and won a Junior world championship in 2009. Mueller had a spot on July's Dake vs. Chamizo card, but he came up short and dropped an 8-1 match against Penn State's Roman Bravo-Young. Prior to that match, Mueller exhausted his eligibility at Virginia. He completed his senior season with a 13-1 record and was awarded All-America honors by the NWCA following the season. The prior year, he was an NCAA finalist and many expected a possible rematch against Spender Lee in the finals. Unfortunately, due to the shutdown, the season never occurred. Mueller was also a bronze medalist at the 2018 U23 World Championships. Ampar certainly has the experience edge and the better accomplishments. However, he took this match on very short notice. On top of that his best results have been down at 57 kilograms, which will put him at a size disadvantage here. Prediction: Mueller over Ampar (VPO1) Gable Steveson vs. Trent Hillger Before ever wrestling a collegiate match for Minnesota, Steveson won three world titles, two at the Cadet level and one at the Junior level. He was expected to run through the collegiate competition, but he dropped a pair of matches against Anthony Cassar as a freshman and finished third at the NCAA tournament. He returned this past year and posted a 15-0 record in an abbreviated season. At the Big Ten tournament, Steveson picked up wins over Anthony Cassioppi (Iowa) and Mason Parris (Michigan), who were considered two of his main competitors for the NCAA title. After finishing eighth to become an All-American for the first time as a freshman, Hillger returned to Wisconsin this past year and appeared to be on pace for another trip to the podium. Despite the cancellation of the season, he earned All-America honors thanks to a 23-6 record that saw him defeat the likes of Tate Orndorff (Utah Valley, Gary Traub (Ohio State) and Josh Hokit (Fresno State). Steveson and Hillger have faced off three times on the college mats. The Minnesota man won the first via major decision, and the other two bouts have been slightly closer. Their most recent meeting was the closest yet with a 10-5 score. On one hand that might give Hillger some hope. On the other hand, all five of his points came via escapes, while Steveson scored with a reversal and four takedowns. Prediction: Steveson over Hillger (VSU) Joe Colon vs. Seth Gross Colon broke through with a bronze-medal winning performance at the 2018 World Championships. He originally failed to qualify for the world team, but an injury to Nahshon Garrett opened up a spot. Colon lost only to Yowlys Bonne Rodriguez on his way to his medal. Last year he represented the U.S. at the Pan American Championships and defeated Rodriguez in a rematch in the finals. Colon nearly returned to the world stage in 2019. He made Final X but ultimately fell in a three-match series against Tyler Graff. Gross won an NCAA title as a junior in 2018 for South Dakota State. After redshirting the next year with an injury, he transferred to Wisconsin for his senior season. He went 27-2 during his senior year with his losses coming against Austin DeSanto (Iowa) and Sebastian Rivera (Northwestern). Following the season, he was named an All-American, which was his third time claiming the honor. Last November, Gross won the Bill Farrell Memorial with victories over Nathan Tomasello, Darian Cruz and Nick Suriano. He outscored his opposition by a combined score of 34-8. The pair met twice in 2017 at both the U.S. Open and the World Team Trials. The match at the Open was a shootout that finished with Colon taking a 16-12 victory. The rematch at the Trials was closer at 10-5, but Colon still took the win. After the scrambly nature of their first match, Colon seemed to approach the rematch with a more strategic mindset. That should help him here. If he can avoid Gross's big moves in the scrambles, he should be able to take this match. Prediction: Colon over Gross (VPO1) Emily Shilson vs. Felicity Taylor Shilson wrestles for Augsburg, but she has already built an expansive resume. She won gold medals at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games and the 2018 Cadet World Championships. The six-time Fargo champion also won titles at the National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championships and WCWA tournaments. This past November, Shilson competed at the Senior Nationals and placed fourth. Taylor recently represented the U.S. at the U23 World Championships. She currently wrestles at McKendree where she was a WCWA runner up in 2020 after bringing home a title the previous year. At the 2019 Senior Nationals, Taylor finished sixth with a 4-3 record in the tournament. Shilson clearly has the talent and ability to one day be a regular on the ladder. However, she is still only 19 years old, and at times, she was muscled a bit during her recent matches at Senior Nationals. On top of that, Taylor regularly competes at 53 kilograms, while Shilson is normally down at 50 kilograms. Do not be surprised if Shilson uses her movement to score on the feet. With that being said, in the end, Taylor will likely be the one slowing the match down and winning a close match. Prediction: Taylor over Shilson (VPO1) Victoria Francis vs. Alexandria Glaude In her second trip to the World Championships in 2019, Francis nearly came home with a medal as she dropped a one-point match against China's Paliha Paliha in the bronze medal match. In 2014, she captured a bronze medal at the Junior World Championships, and Francis nearly made the Olympic team in 2016 as she finished second at the Trials. In her collegiate days, she was a two-time WCWA champion for Lindenwood. Glaude won a title at the National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championships for McKendree. Last year she made Final X and nearly qualified for the world team. However, in the finals, she dropped a pair of matches against Tamyra Mensah-Stock. Last November, she scored a third-place finish at the Bill Farrell Memorial. Francis defeated Glaude at the recent Senior Nationals in a somewhat interesting fashion. Francis scored three points via two shot clock points and a step-out, while Glaude had the only takedown of the match. Trailing 2-0 with under a minute left, Glaude was put on the shot clock for a second time. She got to a single leg and eventually finished. However, the referees ruled that the shot clock expired before she finished the takedown. Despite scoring the takedown, the extra point put Francis over the top. Even though she won the match, Francis never really came close to a takedown, while Glaude had the better attacks. Look for Glaude to open up earlier and take this match. Prediction: Glaude over Francis (VPO1) Yianni Diakomihalis vs. Vladimir Khinchegashvili 2019 really was quite the year for Diakomihalis. He went undefeated during the collegiate season and captured his second NCAA title. The Cornell representative then won the U.S. Open with wins over Frank Molinaro, Jordan Oliver and Zain Retherford. Diakomihalis followed that up with a victory over Bajrang Punia who was ranked No. 1 in the world by UWW at the 2019 Beat the Streets event. However, Diakomihalis then came up short against Retherford Final X and missed out on making the world team. There was an issue in the second match of their series, so the match was remade at a standalone event. Once again Retherford prevailed and took the spot on the team. At the 2019 Senior Nationals Diakomihalis wrestled to a somewhat disappointing fourth-place finish. He dropped a match against Joey McKenna in the semifinals and forfeited the third-place match. The annual Beat the Streets event always seems to bring in at least one big international star, and this year is no exception. Khinchegashvili is a two-time Olympic gold medalist after winning silver in 2012 and gold in 2016. The Georgian is also a three-time world medalist and a seven-time European Games/Championships medalist. Despite the career success, he has not had the best finishes at his recent tournaments. He failed to place at both the 2019 World Championships and the 2020 European Championships. However, he did bring home a bronze medal at the Alrosa Cup last November. Throughout the years, these matches seem to mean a lot more to the Americans than their international counterparts. On top of that, Diakomihalis' scramble-heavy style is a little different than what most international competitors see on a regular basis. Those two factors make Diakomihalis a favorite in this contest. Khinchegashvili certainly has the credentials, but his best results have come at 57 kilograms. Look for the Cornell wrestler to continue the Beat the Streets winning streak he started against Bajrang last year. Prediction: Diakomihalis over Khinchegashvili (VPO1)

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland -- The United World Wrestling executive committee agreed Monday to cancel the U23 Wrestling World Championships originally scheduled for late October in Tampere, Finland. The executive committee also agreed to keep the international tournaments scheduled on the calendar for November and December, but organizers must implement sanitary conditions that protect the health of all participants. The UWW-provided protocols will be subject to review. No decision was made about the Senior and Junior Worlds scheduled for Belgrade in mid-December. Additionally, American Samoa was approved as the host nation for the 2021 Oceania championship and Buenos Aires was approved as the host city for the 2021 approved for the Pan-Am Cadets.

Shannyn Gillespie has been named the new head women's wrestling coach at Lakeland University, director of athletics April Arvan has announced. Shannyn GillespieGillespie is a former NCAA Division I All-American wrestler and an experienced coach and competitor with more than 30 years of national and international experience in the sport. Most recently he was the head coach at Homewood-Flossmoor High School in Flossmoor, Ill., where he spent the past three years. Gillespie also has considerable experience as a coach and advocate for women's wrestling. At Homewood-Flossmoor, he coached boys and girls wrestling teams and organized and hosted the two largest girls high school wrestling tournaments in Illinois to date. He also was head of the Illinois Girls Wrestling Coaches Alliance, leading a successful push to make girls wrestling a championship sport in Illinois starting in 2021-22. Before his time at Homewood-Flossmoor, Gillespie was an assistant coach with the men's wrestling program at NAIA member Lincoln (Ill.) College for one year. His coaching experience also includes eight years from 2004-12 at the U.S. Olympic Education Center at Northern Michigan University in Marquette, Mich. He was a national team staff coach for USA Wrestling, training players and coaches for international competition. In all, Gillespie by his count has coached at 34 national championships, 12 international tournaments and camps, four world championships and one Pan American championship. He also has been a strong promoter for wrestling, writing for online coaching resources as well as wrestling websites such as American Women's Wrestling and The Open Mat. "I'm excited for the opportunity to coach at Lakeland University and the return back to women's college wrestling full-time," said Gillespie. "Lakeland has a good base of women wrestlers now, is centrally located, and will be a fertile recruiting ground for ladies who aspire to be excellent student-athletes." Gillespie is a native of Evanston, Ill., and competed collegiately at Lock Haven (Pa.) University. He won 130 matches over four years for the Bald Eagles, was a four-time NCAA qualifier and placed third at 142 lbs. as a junior for Division I All-American honors. After college, he spent two years at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. Gillespie has been inducted into the halls of fame of the Illinois Wrestling Coaches & Officials Association, Eastern Wrestling League, Lock Haven Wrestling and Evanston Township High School. He received his degree from Lock Haven in health and physical education. He will begin his duties at Lakeland Sept. 21.

Wrestlers battle at the 2020 California State Duals Championships (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com) I heard a statement the other night while watching a show on Netflix that deeply resonated with me. The character, Sensei John Kreese, said, "More than ever, Cobra Kai is needed, the American society has gotten soft." It is not a direct quote, but it is close enough to understand the message. "Cobra Kai" is a TV series based based on the 1984 classic "Karate Kid." The acting in the show "Cobra Kai" is B-rated (at best). Cobra Kai lacks creativity. It is a near-identical story as the original movie. The two main characters are the same, Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence. The plot is the same. A kid is bullied, learns karate, beats up the bullies, and wins a karate tournament. However, "Cobrai Kai" is interesting enough to keep watching. The lessons embedded in the show are worth paying attention to. Mainly, the life-changing power that a combat sport like karate has on a person's confidence and self-esteem. American needs wrestling. As Sensei Kreese said, we have gotten soft. Our society is entitled and expects rewards without putting in the time and effort. We want everything quick and instant. People do not want to struggle. Nor do we value it. We expect things to be easy and comfortable. Each day new inventions provide new options to be even more comfortable. Modern technology allows us to never have to leave our homes or even have direct in-person conversations. It is impressive, but it has allowed us to get lazy, complacent, and "soft." Technology is only one reason we have become soft. Each year while demonstrating proper exercise habits with high school students I teach, I ask the classes, "How many of you ever been in a fight?" Before anyone gets up in arms, I ask the question as an analogy to teach them how to "brace" their core when squatting. Bracing is a technique that promotes safety while lifting weights. It involves taking a breath through the abdomen and pushing out our stomach. Essentially, it makes our stomach tight and keeps our back safe when exercising. I use the fight analogy to highlight our natural instinct to tighten our bodies to keep us safe from harm. I pick a student and tell them to get ready because I am going to punch them as hard as I can in the stomach. I pull my fist back and strike toward the students' stomach. I stop a few inches from the target. The students always laugh, and the student I pick breathes a sigh of relief that I didn't punch him. I then ask him what he did before me throwing the "punch." He says he tensed his entire body with his arms close to his sides as if on cue. From that example, the students understand the idea of bracing and why it is crucial when we lift weights. Going back to the question, I ask my students, "Who has ever been in a fight?" At best, one or two hands go up out of thirty. It perplexes me a little. I know times have changed. And for that matter, I do not think fighting is the answer in any situation. It just surprises me that so few kids have ever been in a physical altercation. I am not encouraging or condoning fighting. I tell my own children, 14 and 16-years-old, to say to an adult or me if they are bullied or harassed. They look at me and ask, "Why are you telling me this?" Since grade school, they have been conditioned to not stick up for themselves and to tell a teacher or adult if they are picked on. In a movie, though, it is celebrated when a child sticks up for himself and challenges the bully. It is an irony. We teach our kids not to fight back but also wonder why they shy away from difficult situations. We want them to be more independent, but we rescue them at the first sign of adversity. America needs wrestling and other combat sports more than ever. Not to fight a bully but to learn to endure, struggle, and deal with discomfort. Life can be a bully. It can beat us down. As a society, we need to learn to get right back up and keep moving forward and not expect someone to rescue us. A person snapping your head down and blasting you with a hard double-leg attack hurts and can knock the wind out of you. A punishing armbar does not feel good. But these types of activities make us tough, more resilient, and ready for when life punches us in the stomach. Wrestling and other combat sports require us to face difficult challenges. It teaches us how to deal with misfortune and setbacks. Wrestling shows us that we become better people by doing difficult things. In a wrestling match, an opponent is trying to physically harm us. It is the nature of the sport. Wrestling and other combat sports are aggressive and physical. But at the same time, the competition prepares us for different areas of life. We become adaptable to challenging life events. We become more equipped and better. I know if more people wrestled, many of our modern-day issues would be resolved. Productivity in the workplace would go up. Accountability would improve. Entitlement would slowly dissipate in favor or people who value working hard and have pride in their effort. I am not naïve to think that putting on a wrestling singlet will solve all of America's problems. I do know that if you ever have wrestled, you see life from different eyes. You have failed, been tested, and understand what it means to struggle. You've been hurt and beat up. Your pride has been damaged and ego bruised. But, if you wrestled, you didn't stay down, quit, and give up. We need more of that right now in our society. If more people wrestled, American would be a better place. John Klessinger has been a high school teacher and wrestling coach for the past 21 years. As a head coach, his teams have won close to 400 matches, and they have won multiple county, region, and tournament championships. Six times he has been named the Baltimore Sun and the Annapolis Capital Gazette Anne Arundel County Coach of the Year. As a competitor, John was twice a Pennsylvania All-State wrestler. He was a four-year starter at the Division I collegiate level and a Division I East Regional champion. John competed in the 1997 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. John wrote an ebook called "Strong Mind Strong Body" that can be found on Amazon.

Julia Salata at the 2019 Senior Nationals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Julia Salata, a past Senior Women's National Team member, has been added to the Nittany Lion WC card on September 19. She will compete against Jane Valencia Escoto, a member of the Nittany Lion WC who competes for Mexico. Originally, Valencia had been scheduled to face current Senior Women's National Team member Lauren Louive in this event. The event will stream exclusively on Rokfin via the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club's Rokfin channel. For information on how to subscribe to the NLWC Rokfin page and view the event, visit https://rokfin.com/NLWC. Salata was a two-time WCWA Nationals champion at King University, where she serves as an assistant coach. She also is the College Initiatives Program Manager for Wrestle Like A Girl. Salata has competed on four U.S. age-group World Teams, two at the UWW Junior level and two at the University level. She was a bronze medalist at the 2014 World University Championships, and won a gold medal at the 2019 Pan American Senior Championships. Valencia qualified Mexico to compete at the 2020 Olympic Games at her weight class by winning a gold medal at the 2020 Pan American Olympic Qualifier in Ottawa, Canada in March. Valencia was a silver medalist at the 2015 Pan American Games. She has won three Pan American Senior Championships bronze medals (2010, 2011, 2013). The other women's freestyle match on the card pits past Junior World medalist Jennifer Page, who is with the Nittany Lion WC against Desiree Zavala, a current Senior Women's National Team member. Wreaper Wrestling: 2020 NLWC X Rokfin Freestyle Event On September 1, the Nittany Lion WC announced this event. Men's freestyle matches will include: Bo Nickal vs Alex Dieringer Kyle Snyder vs Mike Macchiavello Jason Nolf vs. David McFadden Zain Retherford vs. Alex Pantaleo Thomas Gilman vs. Darian Cruz Greg Kirkvliet vs. Youssif Hemida Nick Nevills vs. Jordan Wood Others to have bouts include Bekzod Abdurakhmanov, Vincenzo Joseph, Malik Amine, Dominic Abounader.

Beat the Streets has added Olympic and four-time World champion Jordan Burroughs as a speaker at their Virtual Telethon, which will be held on September 17 at 6:00 p.m. on FloWrestling. Burroughs, who has competed in the Beat the Streets benefit competitions more than any other athlete, is one of three Olympic champions and five Olympians who are participating in this event. Other Olympic champions as part of the Virtual Telethon are Helen Maroulis and Henry Cejudo, as well as 2016 Olympic bronze medalist J'den Cox and 2008 Olympian Ben Askren. All of these Olympians have also competed in Beat the Streets events in the past. World bronze medalist Sally Roberts, founder of Wrestle Like A Girl, will serve as host. MMA star and former college wrestler Justin Gaethje is also featured during the Virtual Telethon. According to Beat the Streets in an email sent earlier this week, the Telethon has raised $326,614 of our $650,000 goal, a little over halfway there. Funds will support Beat the Streets youth wrestling initiatives in New York City. The Virtual Telethon will be a thoughtful and dynamic event that showcases the resilience of Beat the Streets staff, kids, and community. It is free of charge to watch the Beat the Streets Virtual Telethon on FloWrestling. Immediately following the Telethon, Beat the Streets will hold a six-match card of top wrestling stars, which will also be on FloWrestling. Those watching the wrestling matches must have a FloPro subscription. Here's a quick recap of the lineup: 6:00pm ET: Virtual Telethon • Sally Roberts (Host) • J'den Cox • Helen Maroulis • Jordan Burroughs • Ben Askren • Henry Cejudo • Justin Gaethje 7:30pm ET: Wrestling Card • Yianni Diakomihalis vs. Vladimer Khinchegashvili (Georgia) • Joe Colon vs. Seth Gross • Victoria Francis vs. Alexandria Glaude • Gable Steveson vs. Trent Hillger • Emily Shilson vs. Felicity Taylor • Vito Arujau vs. Jack Mueller To learn more about Beat the Streets New York, visit: https://www.btsny.org/ About FloSports Founded in 2006, FloSports is a venture-backed subscription video streaming service dedicated to sports, offering live and on-demand access to hundreds of thousands of competition events across 25+ vertical sport categories in the US and abroad. FloSports' vision is to give underserved sports the love they deserve. With a growing library of more than 300,000 hours of premium content including news, expert commentary, films, documentaries and more, FloSports has established itself as an innovator and leader in sports streaming. Finally, your sport has a home. For more information, please visit: flosports.tv

Beat the Streets New York will be holding its annual event next week and the card assembled is one of the most intriguing of the year with NCAA champions, world champions, and an Olympic champion all scheduled to appear. The event is one of a handful that has been launched since the start of the COVID pandemic and will be the second such event on FloWrestling. The concerns for safety and rule following seem to be at the top of the billing, starting with the location in New Jersey in part being determined by New York State's stringent guidelines for activities (jiu-jitsu and wrestling aren't acceptable yet). The testing, on-the-mat protocols, and health requirements all being met is an incredible testament to the organization that they are once again able to pull together a card and get athletes ready for the spotlight. It's more than just an event -- it's a fundraiser and the monies help to provide programming and opportunities for the young wrestlers of New York City. Our community spends a lot of time discussing innovation and nowhere is it better seen at the grassroots level than in New York City. Yes, they are able to support the purchasing of gear and mats, as well as the education of coaches, but where they really excelled is in addressing the changing needs of the wrestling population. Nowhere is that better seen than in the implementation of mixed gender dual meet teams. With fewer overall competitors per school, Beat the Streets worked with the PSAL via Ken Bigley to implement a mixed gender program. This would allow for one coach to teach both styles, for the athletes to remain on the mat in their school, and to eliminate the unappealing look of a forfeit. Also, it allowed for the general population who may have skipped the women's side of the sport to also see them compete, and hopefully become fans. That simple idea was scaled and its now a reality in the largest public-school system in the United States. Would that also be possible in Pittsburgh, or Denver, or Orlando? Well, it's now been tested so it just requires adoption by local and state officials. As we move forward with the hype for the match there will be plenty of guessing (I do some below) but remember that behind this great event is a large organization that is directly impacting the lives of youths across New York, while also providing a roadmap for positive change in other wrestling communities around the country. Support as you can. To your questions … Daton Fix talks to Oklahoma State assistant coach Chris Perry during the NCAA finals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Q: What is the deal with Chris Perry and the Ostarine in the Daton Fix case? -- Eddy P. Foley: The fact that the consent award reads that Chris Perry recommended the use of Ostarine is very, very interesting. There really isn't much to know, but I don't think that tidbit provided any extra clearance for Daton in the eyes of USADA or WADA. The excuse that maybe resonated was the water bottle in the fridge. I highly doubt that USADA or WADA would accept that at face value so there would have needed to be proof of a prescription that was dated and verified. There are also likely supporting details that were left out of the brief. I don't know much about the Ostarine, but I think it's the same drug that got Obe Blanc a two-year ban in 2014 after a positive test at the World Team Trials in Stillwater. The good news is that Daton Fix is eligible to compete in the 2021 Olympic Team Trials, which I think will improve the field and the chances that the United States could medal at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Q: What are your thoughts on the Beat the Streets card? Any predictions? -- Mike C. Foley: I'm super excited to see live wrestling in the tri-state area and this card has plenty of top-level action for the fans. Vito Arujau vs. Jack Mueller: Mueller looked a little slow in his match against Roman Bravo-Young, but I think he will be in a better competitive spot against the slightly smaller Arujau. Still, I'm bullish on Arujau and think that his two world silver medals in age group categories gives some insight on his ever-growing chance of being a world team member before he leaves college. Who knows? Maybe an Olympic team. Gable Steveson vs. Trent Hillger: If focused, maybe nobody in the country can beat Gable Steveson in freestyle. I'm not certain of his future plans, but in some previous online posts it seemed that MMA and WWE were attractive professional opportunities for him to pursue, post-college. However, I think that he can make the team in 2021 and 2024, with a legitimate chance to medal. Gwizdowski is the guy to beat and he has the potential to win a medal, so by the transitive property Steveson would upset Gwiz and have that same opportunity or set his sights on winning an Olympic gold. Joe Colon vs. Seth Gross: Don't get taken down! Both these wrestlers are fantastic on top, with Colon possessing an especially wicked, rib popping gut wrench. Look for a slow match out of the gate, but some decent single leg defenses that convert to quick scoring opportunities. Genuinely unsure who is the favorite here. Emily Shilson vs. Felicity Taylor: Felicity is a sophomore wrestler at McKendree and is looking to get her career kicking into high gear with an upset of Emily Shilson. Chalk it up to confirmation bias, but after seeing Shilson wrestle several times on the international level I'm bullish on her future. At about 105 pounds, Shilson will need to pack on more muscle before becoming a serious threat at the senior level, but her technical approach to the sport and extreme focus have paid off well for her winning the Youth Olympic Games and Cadet World Championships in 2018. She also won the WCWA national championship. Victoria Francis vs. Alexandria Glaude: Fun match. The two met in the 2019 World Team Trials semifinal with Victoria Francis taking the win, 3-2. Francis has placed in several international events and has been traveling with Team USA for several years on the senior circuit. She took fifth at the Worlds in 2019 and was on the world team in 2017. There are plenty of medals in her past, but it'll be interesting to see how she's performing in 2020 with limited training due to COVID. Another McKendree wrestler, Alexandria Glaude is a Final X runner-up and took bronze at the U23 in 2018. She's positioned to be one of America's best upper weights and could maybe take the 76-kilograms reigns from Adeline Gray after her illustrious career ends. Yianni Diakomihalis vs. Vladimer Khinchegashvili (Georgia): Adjusting for a variety of unknowns (training schedules, weight, and COVID) I think that you have to give King Vlad a good chance of picking up the victory. However, that might be a 2019 assumption that doesn't stand to reason in 2020 or 2021 given that Vlad has been training less, has gotten older, and is coming up to 65 kilograms where he has experienced limited success. On the contrary, Yianni is in his element. At last year's event Bajrang saw just how crafty Yianni was capable of wrestling and suffered a loss. Yianni might be able to repeat that performance if he is able to successfully drag King Vlad into a match that more mirrors interpretive dance than that of freestyle wrestling. Even if Yianni is able to get into more scrambles with Vlad, it's likely that he won't finish as often as he did with Bajrang. Vlad is flexible, creative and a Hall of Fame competitor. The scrambles that Yianni needs to win can be initiated, but I'm suspect they will have the same level of success as normal. Q: I spent my entire childhood wrestling and took up BJJ about a year ago after one of my fellow ex-wrestler friends recommended it to me. I'm still a novice but have thoroughly enjoyed my experience with BJJ during my brief time with the sport (pre-COVID, of course). While there are certainly some similarities between wrestling and BJJ, I have also noticed some differences, particularly as it relates to the cultures of the two sports. Since you have an expertise in both sports, which aspects of BJJ culture do you think that wrestling should adopt/emulate and vice versa? -- John G. Foley: Wrestlers are as sensitive as jiu-jitsu guys are weird. That's the first thing to recognize. You won't find too many BJJ fighters who don't have a few screws loose or aren't constantly discussing the sport in a way that is mostly absent in the wrestling community. The biggest thing I've noticed is that wrestling should adapt the chess-playing perspective of the best athletes and coaches in jiu-jitsu. They spend hours practicing new moves, setups, and concepts for all sorts of moves and finishes, whereas in wrestling we tend to blow past the technique and focus on conditioning and hours spent training live. On the opposite side of that same coin, the jiu-jitsu community could do more to widen their approach to competition and have more of a killer mindset on the mat. As jiu-jitsu has been sportified, there is a temptation to play for advantages and single point wins that is eerily similar to that of wrestling pre-2013. While there are always submission hunters the rule set allows for far too much gaming of the rules, which creates what can often become boring matches played from the seat of the pants. Jiu-jitsu could also put a greater incentive on takedowns, which I think would create more dynamic competition. Another note is that wrestling could adapt some of the martial arts "respect" that we see in jiu-jitsu. There are elements, but it's definitely part of the culture and is something that most schools treat with a high level of seriousness. Q: If there is an NCAA tournament next March, do you expect the arena to be full capacity? Or do you think they would limit the number of seats/tickets? -- Mike C. Foley: I expect there to be an NCAA tournament. I do not expect there will be fans unless there is instant testing and a vaccine. I'm doubtful that either will be available in time, or for use by the NCAA wrestling community.

The Walsh Ironman is held at Walsh Jesuit High School (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) One of high school wrestling's premier events has been canceled for the 2020-21 season. The Walsh Jesuit Ironman, slated for Dec. 11-12 at Walsh Jesuit High School in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, has been canceled. The 2021 edition of the event is scheduled for Dec. 10-11, 2021. Event director Corey Haddad sent the following letter Thursday. On behalf of the Walsh Jesuit Ironman Tournament Committee, we want to inform you of our decision to cancel this year's annual tournament, which would have been held on December 11th and 12th at Walsh Jesuit High School in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. The current state of affairs with regard to the coronavirus, COVID-19 pandemic has presented many health and safety hardships that in consultation with the Summit County (Ohio) Health Department make it inadvisable to hold the event without the risk of potential harm for our wrestlers, coaches, fans, and staff. We will have the 2021 Ironman on Friday and Saturday, December 10th and 11th. We are deeply sorry about not being able to execute our event and any unfulfilled expectations that this may cause. We trust that all involved understand our position and therefore hope to see you next year. In the interim we offer our prayers and best wishes to all who have been affected by this pandemic. Sincerely, Corey Haddad

Yianni Diakomihalis (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Beat the Streets in New York City announced its sixth live wrestling matchup as part of its annual fundraising event on Thursday, September 17, which will be broadcast in partnership with FloWrestling. Two-time Cadet World champion and 2019 U.S. Senior Nationals champion Yianni Diakomihalis will battle Olympic and world champion Vladimer Khinchegashvili of Georgia in a featured men's freestyle bout on its September 17 card. Diakomihalis was a 2015 and 2016 Cadet World champion. He also won the 2020 Pan American Senior Championships. He has won two major Senior international titles at the 2019 Yasar Dogu in Turkey and the 2019 Ziolkowski Memorial in Poland. He won the 2019 U.S. Open and placed second in 2019 Final X, placing him at No. 2 on the Senior National Team. Diakomihalis has won two NCAA titles for Cornell. He is a New York native, hailing from Rochester, N.Y. Khinchegashvili was a 2016 Olympic champion, and won a World gold medal in 2015. His other World-level medals include a 2012 Olympic silver medal, a 2014 World silver medal and a 2017 World bronze medal. Khinchegashvili was also a two-time Junior World champion (2010 and 2011) and a 2008 Junior World bronze medalist. He boasts three Senior European titles and was second in the 2019 European Games. Earlier this month, Beat the Streets announced that it would conduct its annual fundraising event as a Virtual Telethon. The live matches will be held outdoors with no fans in an undisclosed location somewhere in the Tri-State area. The matches will be held with the safety of the participants as the first priority, following state and local health and government restrictions as well as the USA Wrestling Return to Events Guidelines. As part of its partnership with Beat the Streets this year, FloWrestling will produce both portions of the Beat the Streets fundraiser this year. The Virtual Telethon will be free to view, and include live and recorded content as part of the fundraising celebration. The Virtual Telethon will have a variety of different features including prominent athletes, coaches and celebrities. Fans will need a FloPro subscription to view the live matches. Beat the Streets Live Matches Vitali Arujau vs. Jack Mueller, men's freestyle Gable Steveson vs. Trent Hillger, men's freestyle Joe Colon vs. Seth Gross, men's freestyle Emily Shilson vs. Felicity Taylor, women's freestyle Victoria Francis vs. Alexandria Glaude, women's freestyle Headliner - Yianni Diakomihalis vs. Vladimer Khinchegashvili (Georgia), men's freestyle To learn more about Beat the Streets New York, visit: https://www.btsny.org/ About FloSports Founded in 2006, FloSports is a venture-backed subscription video streaming service dedicated to sports, offering live and on-demand access to hundreds of thousands of competition events across 25+ vertical sport categories in the US and abroad. FloSports' vision is to give underserved sports the love they deserve. With a growing library of more than 300,000 hours of premium content including news, expert commentary, films, documentaries and more, FloSports has established itself as an innovator and leader in sports streaming. Finally, your sport has a home. For more information, please visit: flosports.tv

Daton Fix wrestling at the 2019 World Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Beat the Streets in New York City announced its fifth live wrestling matchup as part of its annual fundraising event on Thursday, September 17, which will be broadcast in partnership with FloWrestling. Two-time World Team member and Junior World medalist Victoria Francis will battle U23 World medalist and college national champion Alexandria Glaude in a featured women's freestyle bout. Francis competed for Team USA at the 2017 and 2019 Senior World Championships, with a strong fifth place finish in 2019. She won a Junior World bronze medal in 2014. Francis is a two-time Pan American Championships medalist, and was second in the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. She won two WCWA national titles for Lindenwood. Glaude won a bronze medal at the 2018 U23 World Championships. She was also ninth in the 2017 Junior World Championships. She has been on the Senior Women's National Team since 2018, including a runner-up finish in the 2019 Final X. Glaude won a WCWA national title for McKendree in 2019, then added an NCWWC national title (NCAA teams-only) in 2020. Francis defeated Glaude, 3-2, in the semifinals at the Senior Nationals in Fort Worth, Texas in December 2019. Earlier this month, Beat the Streets announced that it would conduct its annual fundraising event as a Virtual Telethon. The live matches will be held outdoors with no fans in an undisclosed location somewhere in the Tri-State area. The matches will be held with the safety of the participants as the first priority, following state and local health and government restrictions as well as the USA Wrestling Return to Events Guidelines. As part of its partnership with Beat the Streets this year, FloWrestling will produce both portions of the Beat the Streets fundraiser this year. The Virtual Telethon will be free to view, and include live and recorded content as part of the fundraising celebration. The Virtual Telethon will have a variety of different features including prominent athletes, coaches and celebrities. Fans will need a FloPro subscription to view the live matches. Beat the Streets Live Matches announced so far Vitali Arujau vs. Jack Mueller, men's freestyle Gable Steveson vs. Trent Hillger, men's freestyle Joe Colon vs. Seth Gross, men's freestyle Emily Shilson vs. Felicity Taylor, women's freestyle Victoria Francis vs. Alexandria Glaude, women's freestyle To learn more about Beat the Streets New York, visit: https://www.btsny.org/ About FloSports Founded in 2006, FloSports is a venture-backed subscription video streaming service dedicated to sports, offering live and on-demand access to hundreds of thousands of competition events across 25+ vertical sport categories in the US and abroad. FloSports' vision is to give underserved sports the love they deserve. With a growing library of more than 300,000 hours of premium content including news, expert commentary, films, documentaries and more, FloSports has established itself as an innovator and leader in sports streaming. Finally, your sport has a home. For more information, please visit: flosports.tv

Daton Fix wrestling at the 2019 World Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- USADA announced today that a three-member panel of the American Arbitration Association (AAA) has concluded the case of wrestling athlete Daton Fix, of Stillwater, Okla., determining, with agreement of Fix and USADA via a consent award, that Fix should receive a one-year sanction after testing positive for a prohibited substance. Fix, 22, tested positive for ostarine as a result of an out-of-competition drug test conducted on January 22, 2020. Ostarine is a Non-Specified Substance in the class of Anabolic Agents and is prohibited at all times under the USADA Protocol for Olympic and Paralympic Movement Testing, the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee National Anti-Doping Policies, and the United World Wrestling Anti-Doping Rules, all of which have adopted the World Anti-Doping Code and the World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List. The panel found that Fix ingested ostarine by drinking from a water bottle, which contained a supplement mixture as well as ostarine that his father had prepared for himself but left in the family's refrigerator. Fix explained he was unaware that his father had added ostarine to the supplement mixture. Under the Code, an athlete's period of ineligibility for using a prohibited substance may be reduced if the athlete's anti-doping rule violation was unintentional and the athlete lacks significant fault for the violation. Given the circumstances, the panel agreed with Fix and USADA that Fix did not intend to enhance his athletic performance by ingesting ostarine and his degree of fault was low. The panel further agreed that a three-year reduction to the otherwise applicable period of ineligibility was appropriate. Fix's one-year period of ineligibility began on February 10, 2020, the date his provisional suspension was imposed. In addition, Fix has been disqualified from all competitive results obtained on January 22, 2020 through the date of provisional suspension, February 10, 2020, including forfeiture of any medals, points and prizes. The panel's award, as well as other arbitral decisions, may be found here. In an effort to aid athletes, as well as support team members such as parents and coaches, in understanding the rules applicable to them, USADA provides comprehensive instruction on its website on the testing process and prohibited substances, how to obtain permission to use a necessary medication, and the risks and dangers of taking supplements, as well as performance-enhancing and recreational drugs. In addition, USADA manages a drug reference hotline, Global Drug Reference Online (www.GlobalDRO.com), conducts educational sessions with National Governing Bodies and their athletes, and distributes a multitude of educational materials, such as an easy-reference wallet card with examples of prohibited and permitted substances, a supplement guide, a nutrition guide, an athlete handbook, and periodic alerts and advisories. Along with education and testing, robust anti-doping programs enable investigations stemming from tips and whistleblowers. USADA makes available a number of ways to report the abuse of performance-enhancing drugs in sport in an effort to protect clean athletes and promote clean competition. Any tip can be reported using the USADA Play Clean Tip Center, by email at playclean@usada.org, by phone at 1-877-Play Clean (1-877-752-9253) or by mail. USADA is responsible for the testing and results management process for athletes in the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement and is equally dedicated to preserving the integrity of sport through research initiatives and educational programs.

St. Ambrose University will add men's wrestling, along with co-ed competitive winter guard, to an already expansive menu of varsity athletics, beginning in the 2021-2022 academic year. The new additions bring to 31 the number of varsity options St. Ambrose offers student-athletes interested in furthering their education while continuing to compete at a high collegiate level. Men's wrestling is a sanctioned National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) championship sport with a significant history in the two states that send the most students to St. Ambrose. Iowa is a noted hotbed for both high school and college wrestling, with more than 6,300 high school wrestlers competing on an annual basis. Illinois has the nation's second-largest number of boys high school wrestlers. "We believe adding wrestling and winter guard to our athletics menu will give many additional prospective students more reason to consider St. Ambrose University," said Sister Joan Lescinski, CSJ, PhD, president of St. Ambrose. "Currently, varsity student-athletes comprise more than half of our undergraduate student population, and the most rewarding aspect of our growth in the number athletic participants has been the consistent success these student-athletes enjoy in the classroom." Athletics Director Mike Holmes said the university will look to fill the head wrestling coaching position as quickly as possible so that recruiting for the 2021-2022 season can begin. The first class of wrestling recruits is expected to number about 20. The roster should reach 35 in a matter of three years. The university has partnered with Beyond the Baseline, a for-profit facility located on the former campus of Marycrest College, to provide wrestling practice space. Home meets will be held in Lee Lohman Arena. Although the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC), the conference in which most SAU teams compete, does not sanction wrestling, St. Ambrose will become the fifth member school to offer a wrestling program. Holmes noted competition across the state of Iowa also will fill the schedule. St. Ambrose may apply for affiliate membership in the Heart of America Athletic Conference, which includes members from Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Iowa. The season will begin in November and end when the NAIA National Wrestling Championships take place each March. "These programs make sense for St. Ambrose Athletics and they will bring their own unique energy to campus," Holmes said. "Wrestling has a vast footprint in Iowa and college wrestling has a storied history in this state and this region. Winter Guard will give us a niche market in the area, and will allow us to showcase our campus and tremendous facilities to high school students both regionally and nationally."

Beat the Streets in New York City announced its fourth live wrestling matchup as part of its annual fundraising event on Thursday, September 17, which will be broadcast in partnership with FloWrestling. 2018 Youth Olympic Games champion Emily Shilson will battle 2019 U23 World Team member Felicity Taylor in a women's freestyle showdown on the Beat the Streets card. Shilson already has a deep international resume, including becoming the first U.S. athlete to win a gold medal at the Youth Olympic Games, when she won the title in 2018. She was a 2018 Cadet World champion and second in the 2017 Cadet Worlds. She has won two Pan American Cadet titles and was second in the 2019 Pan American Junior Championships. She also competed at the 2019 U23 World Championships. A six-time Fargo national champion, Shilson wrestles for Augsburg University, where she won the National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championships (NCWWC) title in 2020, as well as the 2020 WCWA national title. She placed fourth at the Senior Nationals in December 2019, which has qualified her to compete at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Taylor was ninth in the 2019 U23 World Championships, and also placed fifth at the 2018 Pan American Junior Championships. Taylor is a star for McKendree University, where she was second at the 2020 National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championships, and was also a 2019 WCWA National Championships. She was sixth at the Senior Nationals at 53 kg in December 2019. Among her domestic titles was a 2019 U23 Nationals gold, a 2018 Junior Nationals freestyle title and a 2018 Junior Nationals Folkstyle title. Earlier this month, Beat the Streets announced that it would conduct its annual fundraising event as a Virtual Telethon. The live matches will be held outdoors with no fans in an undisclosed location somewhere in the Tri-State area. The matches will be held with the safety of the participants as the first priority, following state and local health and government restrictions as well as the USA Wrestling Return to Events Guidelines. As part of its partnership with Beat the Streets this year, FloWrestling will produce both portions of the Beat the Streets fundraiser this year. The Virtual Telethon will be free to view, and include live and recorded content as part of the fundraising celebration. The Virtual Telethon will have a variety of different features including prominent athletes, coaches and celebrities. Fans will need a FloPro subscription to view the live matches. Beat the Streets Live Matches announced so far Vitali Arujau vs. Jack Mueller, men's freestyle Gable Steveson vs. Trent Hillger, men's freestyle Joe Colon vs. Seth Gross, men's freestyle Emily Shilson vs. Felicity Taylor, women's freestyle To learn more about Beat the Streets New York, visit: https://www.btsny.org/ About FloSports Founded in 2006, FloSports is a venture-backed subscription video streaming service dedicated to sports, offering live and on-demand access to hundreds of thousands of competition events across 25+ vertical sport categories in the US and abroad. FloSports' vision is to give underserved sports the love they deserve. With a growing library of more than 300,000 hours of premium content including news, expert commentary, films, documentaries and more, FloSports has established itself as an innovator and leader in sports streaming. Finally, your sport has a home. For more information, please visit: flosports.tv

Beat the Streets in New York City announced its third live wrestling matchup as part of its annual fundraising event on Thursday, September 17, which will be broadcast in partnership with FloWrestling. 2018 World bronze medalist Joe Colon will battle NCAA champion Seth Gross in a highly-anticipated men's freestyle match on the Beat the Streets card. Colon won a bronze medal at the 2018 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. He won Pan American Championships titles in 2018 and 2019. Colon was an NCAA All-American for Northern Iowa and was an NJCAA national champion for Iowa Central. Gross won an NCAA title for South Dakota State in 2018 and was a 2017 NCAA runner-up. He transferred to Wisconsin, where he was third in the Big Ten going into the 2020 NCAA Championships, which was cancelled due to COVID-19. Gross won the 2019 Bill Farrell International, which has qualified him for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Earlier this month, Beat the Streets announced that it would conduct its annual fundraising event as a Virtual Telethon. The live matches will be held outdoors with no fans in an undisclosed location somewhere in the Tri-State area. The matches will be held with the safety of the participants as the first priority, following state and local health and government restrictions as well as the USA Wrestling Return to Events Guidelines. As part of its partnership with Beat the Streets this year, FloWrestling will produce both portions of the Beat the Streets fundraiser this year. The Virtual Telethon will be free to view, and include live and recorded content as part of the fundraising celebration. The Virtual Telethon will have a variety of different features including prominent athletes, coaches and celebrities. Fans will need a FloPro subscription to view the live matches. Beat the Streets Live Matches announced so far Vitali Arujau vs. Jack Mueller, men's freestyle Gable Steveson vs. Trent Hillger, men's freestyle Joe Colon vs. Seth Gross, men's freestyle To learn more about Beat the Streets New York, visit: https://www.btsny.org/ About FloSports Founded in 2006, FloSports is a venture-backed subscription video streaming service dedicated to sports, offering live and on-demand access to hundreds of thousands of competition events across 25+ vertical sport categories in the US and abroad. FloSports' vision is to give underserved sports the love they deserve. With a growing library of more than 300,000 hours of premium content including news, expert commentary, films, documentaries and more, FloSports has established itself as an innovator and leader in sports streaming. Finally, your sport has a home. For more information, please visit: flosports.tv