InterMat Staff

Shayne Van Ness brings Jesse Mendez to the mat at Who's Number One on Oct. 6, 2019 (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Penn State has landed its second top-five recruit from the Class of 2021. Blair Academy's Shayne Van Ness, who finished the 2019-20 season ranked No. 1 at 132 pounds, gave a verbal commitment to Penn State on Labor Day. He chose the Nittany Lions over Cornell and Ohio State. Van Ness made the announcement on social media and included a video. Last season, Van Ness picked up a pair of wins during Who's Number One in early October against the two wrestlers that ended the season ranked directly behind him. Upon return, Van Ness dominated his way to a National Prep championship with three pins and two technical falls in five bouts, including wins over three of the other four top-five finishers. Van Ness joins Alex Facundo as the second top-five recruit from the Class of 2021 to commit to Penn State.

Beat the Streets in New York City announced its second live wrestling matchup as part of its annual fundraising event on Thursday, September 17, which will be broadcast in partnership with FloWrestling. Late Friday afternoon, Beat the Streets posted that Cadet and Junior World champion and NCAA All-American heavyweight star Gable Steveson will battle Trent Hillger of Wisconsin as part of its card. Steveson won Cadet World titles in 2015 and 2016, and followed with a Junior World title in 2017. Steveson also placed eighth in the 2018 Junior World Championships. He has made the U.S. Senior Freestyle National Team the last two years, rising to the No. 2 spot in the nation by reaching Final X in 2019. Steveson was third in the 2019 NCAA Championships for Minnesota, and was a favorite to win the 2020 NCAA Championships which were cancelled due to COVID-19. Hillger is a two-time NCAA qualifier for Wisconsin. He was fourth in the 2020 Big Tean Championships and received the No. 6 seed before the NCAA Championships were cancelled. The NCAA named Hillger (and Steveson) as 2020 Div. I First Team All-Americans based upon their success in the 2019-20 season. In the first Beat the Streets matchup, which was announced Friday morning, Cornell All-American Vitali Arujau will battle past NCAA runner-up Jack Mueller in a battle of two talented freestyle wrestlers. 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 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 first live wrestling matchup as part of its annual fundraising event on Thursday, September 17, which will be broadcast in partnership with FloWrestling. Cornell All-American Vitali Arujau will battle past NCAA runner-up Jack Mueller in a battle of two talented freestyle wrestlers. Mueller placed fifth in freestyle at the 2018 U23 World Championships at 57 kg. He was 2019 NCAA runner-up for Virginia. He returned for the 2020 season and placed second at the ACC Championships, before the NCAAs was cancelled due to COVID-19. He was also sixth at the 2017 NCAA Championships as a freshman. Mueller boasts numerous national level achievements going back to his youth in Texas. Arujau is from the New York metropolitan area, having gone to high school in Syosset on Long Island. He boasts two age-group World silver medals, winning a Junior World silver in 2019 and a Cadet World silver in 2016. He has qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials after placing third at the Senior Nationals at 57 kg in December 2019 in Fort Worth, Texas. He was fourth in the 2019 NCAA Championships for the Big Red. 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. 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

Kimball Bastian (Photo/Gabriel Mayberry, UVU Marketing) OREM, Utah -- Utah Valley University head wrestling coach Greg Williams has announced the hiring of former standout UVU wrestler Kimball Bastian to his coaching staff. Bastian, who was a three-time NCAA qualifier and a four-time NWCA Scholar All-American on the mat for the Wolverines at 174 pounds, will now move into the coaching ranks as the team's volunteer assistant. "We are excited to have Kimball join the UVU coaching staff. He is a great addition," Williams said. "Not only has he been a successful wrestler for us the past five years, he has also been a great example to his teammates. They look up to him, trust him and will be excited to have him help lead them. Kimball has a great understanding of our expectations of a Wolverine student-athlete and is excited to begin working with our guys to help them achieve the highest levels of success." Not only was Bastian a three-time NCAA qualifier and a four-time NWCA Scholar All-American during his time in a UVU singlet, but he was also a four-time first team academic All-Big 12 Conference honoree and a four-time Big 12 Championship placewinner. Bastian, who wrestled for Utah Valley from 2015-2020, recently capped his stellar collegiate career with 77 total victories to move him into fourth-place in the all-time UVU record books (77-44). After redshirting the 2015-16 campaign, Bastian had an impressive freshman season for UVU in 2016-17 in which he posted a career-best 21 wins (21-13) and a sixth-place finish at the Big 12 Championships as the team's starter at 174 pounds. After just missing out on qualifying for his first trip to nationals that season, he followed that up with a 20-11 record as a sophomore in 2017-18, a fifth-place finish at the Big 12 Championships, and an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships. He then posted a 19-12 mark as a junior in 2018-19, a fourth-place finish at the Big 12 Championships, and entered his second trip to the NCAA Championships as the No. 14 seed. He then capped his career with a 17-8 record as a senior in 2019-20, a fifth-place finish at the 2020 Big 12 Championships, and was set to enter the 2020 NCAA Championships as the No. 19 seed in his weight class before they were unfortunately canceled due to COVID-19. Bastian, who was nationally ranked in the top-10 of his weight class for the majority of his senior season at UVU, hails from Mapleton, Utah, where he was a two-time Utah Wrestling State Champion at Maple Mountain High School. He also went a perfect 56-0 during his senior year at Maple Mountain and took home a 2014 Reno Tournament of Champions championship as well as a third-place finish at USA Folkstyle Nationals during his senior year of high school. Bastian is a proud graduate of Utah Valley University, as he recently earned his bachelor's degree in exercise science in the fall of 2019. He also received a certificate in Student Leadership and Success Studies in the spring and is looking forward to staying on at UVU and moving into the coaching ranks. "I'm excited for the opportunity to be involved in wrestling still, especially after the sudden end to last season with the NCAA Championship being canceled. I believe some of my biggest strengths in this coaching role will be my knowledge in developing the wrestlers as athletes, due to my education in exercise science," Bastian said. "Also, I see myself as being a great mentor for a lot of the wrestlers. Between wrestling in the same program and being their former teammate, I have a special relationship that will hopefully allow me to reach their needs on a deeper level. I believe the greatest key to being effective with individuals is the ability to understand them. My knowledge and understanding of what the student-athletes are experiencing will be one of my greatest advantages." Bastian replaces Luke Lofthouse on UVU's staff, as Lofthouse recently moved on to pursue other career interests.

High school wrestling within the state of Ohio -- arguably one of the strongest states for the oldest and greatest sports in the U.S. -- took a hit yesterday. The Ohio High School Athletic Association informed schools Thursday in a memo that it is suspending the state duals tournament, which annually crowns three team champions and precedes the individual state tournament. "It saddens me to relay this information to the wrestling community," Director of Officiating and Sport Management Tyler Brooks, told Cleveland.com. "We all know that the dual team tournament provides a unique team environment and atmosphere for our sport that the individual tournament simply cannot. I don't know what the future holds for the dual team tournament, if and when it could be resumed, or when that determination would be made." The OHSAA has yet to announce expected dates for the 2021 individual state wrestling championships, but it has set dates for the boys and girls basketball championships. The girls state semifinals and finals are slated for March 12-14, 2021 at the University of Dayton. The boys state basketball championships are scheduled for March 18-20, 2021 at St. John Arena in Columbus. However, with concerns centered around the coronavirus pandemic, the OHSAA already moved up the final day for the state football championships by two weeks to Nov. 21. The OHSAA suspended all of last season's remaining winter sports tournaments on March 12, a day before the individual state wrestling championships were slated to begin in Columbus. It canceled those events within two weeks because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Brooks noted the OHSAA hopes to provide an update next week on the 2020-21 wrestling season and how it fits with the Ohio Department of Health's orders. The OHSAA began conducting the state duals tournament in 2013.

Students and employees at University of the Cumberlands are grieving the passing of student-athlete Grant Brace, who died unexpectedly Monday night, August 31, while at on campus. Brace, hails from Louisville, Tennessee, was a junior at Cumberlands and a Patriots wrestling team member. "It is with a heavy heart and great sadness that we announce the loss of Grant Brace," said Cumberlands President Larry Cockrum. "Grant's life was cut far too short, and he will be deeply missed by all who knew him. I ask the entire Cumberlands family to join me in praying for Grant's family and friends." Grant BraceThe Whitley County Coroner's office is in the very early stages of its review, but there is no indication at this time to suspect that Brace's death was related to anything other than natural causes. "We are all shocked and saddened by the unexpected passing of Grant," said Chris Kraftick, Director of Athletics at U of the Cumberlands. "He has brought high character and integrity to the Patriots family over the past two years and has always been part of our OneBigTeam. The entire athletic department is devastated by this news, and our hearts and prayers go out to his family, teammates, and friends." Brace came to Cumberlands as a wrestler in the fall of 2018. He was a featured varsity wrestler on the men's team, tallying three falls in his career, including a pin in the 2018 Patriot Open. His last win was a 13-5 Major Decision over Keiser University. Brace previously attended Alcoa High School just outside of Knoxville, Tennessee, and was majoring in business administration. He was 20 years old. "It is with a heavy heart and great sadness that we announce the loss of Grant Brace," said Cumberlands President Larry Cockrum. "Grant's life was cut far too short, and he will be deeply missed by all who knew him. I ask the entire Cumberlands family to join me in praying for Grant's family and friends." The Whitley County Coroner's office is in the very early stages of its review, but there is no indication at this time to suspect that Brace's death was related to anything other than natural causes. Brace came to Cumberlands as a wrestler in the fall of 2018. He was a featured varsity wrestler on the men's team, tallying three falls in his career, including a pin in the 2018 Patriot Open. His last win was a 13-5 Major Decision over Keiser University. Brace previously attended Alcoa High School just outside of Knoxville, Tennessee, and was majoring in business administration. "We are all shocked and saddened by the unexpected passing of Grant," said Chris Kraftick, Director of Athletics. "He has brought high character and integrity to the Patriots family over the past two years and has always been part of our OneBigTeam. The entire athletic department is devastated by this news, and our hearts and prayers go out to his family, teammates, and friends." Additional details of Brace's death are unavailable at this time and are being investigated by local officials with the city police and coroner's office. Cumberlands asks that the campus community help to maintain a sense of privacy for the family. Classes at the university's Williamsburg campus were canceled for Tuesday, September 1. Throughout the day in Gatliff Chapel, ministry and counseling teams were available to support the campus community through this difficult time. Students, faculty, and staff who need further assistance are encouraged to contact the university's Counseling Center at counselingcenter@ucumberlands.edu or 606.539.3566. The University of the Cumberlands is a private university located in Williamsburg, Ky. between Lexington, Ky. and Knoxville, Tn., with a main rural campus in far southern Kentucky with an enrollment of approximately 13,000, competing in NAIA.

Wrestling Underground entered the wrestling space this past Sunday as the newest of the professional leagues willing to offer prize money to top level competitors. Competed in a cage with several alternative rules in play, the matches were not easily identifiable as freestyle or Greco-Roman. In one match a key gut wrench was halted and in others the fence played a major factor in delegating points. No rule set is perfect, but these felt out of place and reminiscent of the free market push in 2013 to see overtime added to the Olympics (where criteria has been a clear benefit to the pace of matches). The event was also hosted by Chael Sonnen, who spoke … and spoke … and spoke … and spoke some more. Never that interesting and almost always professing something either untrue or ill informed. But, oh well, that's Chael. (I did like the camera work at the event.) Unfortunately, the night featured something that was more than a mild irritant -- a fixed match. While I understand the urge for athletes to bring positive light to their chosen style, the idea that athletes would pre-arrange maneuvers runs counter to everything the sport is meant to represent. If you would like to make pre-arranged lateral drops there is always space for you in the regional circuits of professional wrestling. These types of matches had so far avoided the temptation to promote through fixed fights, but that ended with Wrestling Underground. Will the promotion do it again? Will fans care? It's unclear, but for the future of the sport and the authenticity it's meant to represent in modern culture I'd ask that our national team members and others avoid stooping to that level. Greco-Roman can be fun. It doesn't have to be make believe. To showcase it in that way is, to me, runs antithetical to the promotional goals the athletes had in fixing the match in the first place. To your questions … Cael Sanderson battles Russia's Albert Saritov at the 2011 World Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Q: How many Americans do you think could beat Cael in a match right now if Cael was given one month notice to prepare? -- @VNCAAs via @OldestandGreatest Foley: Half a dozen? Cael is 41 years old! That is not the age group that should be taking on J'den Cox, Kyle Snyder, Kyven Gadson, and others (to say nothing of the heavyweights). If you figure he lost twice in 2011 and TEN YEARS have passed since, then you have to acknowledge that there is some young blood in the wings that can push Cael for six minutes, score points, and come out with a victory. Also, you figure the 74-kilogram and 86-kilogram crew could also take a few wins off of Cael. For one, Jordan Burroughs, for two Kyle Dake. They could easily score and shut down a match. Q: What do you think of the NLWC event on Sept. 19? Seems like some good matchups. -- Mike C. Foley: Agreed! Let's hope the matches aren't fixed. I'm excited to see Bo Nickal wrestle in another main event. I know that he has his eyes set on MMA, but he can be a dangerous competitor and has always displayed brilliant techniques and mat savvy that is second-to-none. Facing Alex Dieringer is a massive challenge, given the former Cowboy's explosive attacks. Thomas Gilman and Darian Cruz will be fireworks and it should be interesting to see who gets world bronze medalist Bekzod Abdurakhmanov. Jane Valencia, who qualified Mexico for the 2021 games at 57 kilograms, will also be taking on Lauren Louive. Valencia is an awesome example of what the right coaching and training environment can mean for a talented and focused wrestler. Bo Nickal (NLWC) vs. Alex Dieringer (Cliff Keen Wrestling Club) Kyle Snyder (NLWC) vs. Mike Macchiavello (Wolfpack RTC) Jason Nolf (NLWC) vs. David McFadden (Pennsylvania RTC) Zain Retherford (NLWC) vs. Alec Pantaleo (CKWC) Thomas Gilman (NLWC) vs. Darian Cruz (Lehigh Valley Wrestling Club) Greg Kerkvliet (NLWC) vs. Youssif Hemida (CKWC) Nick Nevills (NLWC) vs. Jordan Wood (LVWC) Jennifer Page (Titan Mercury Wrestling Club) vs. Desiree Zavala (Unattached) Jane Valencia (NLWC) vs. Lauren Louive (Hawkeye Wrestling Club) MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME The greatest! Cool conversation Do it. Q: What's the status of Daton Fix? Is he eligible to wrestle in college and/or compete for the Olympic team? -- Mike C. Foley: Unclear at the moment, but I think we can expect to see him again in the coming weeks and months. Q: I know the Senior, Junior and U23 World Championships are still on the UWW calendar for 2020. When will the final determination be made on these events? -- Mike C. Foley: The United World Wrestling Bureau is meeting in the next few weeks to determine the future of these events. For now, they are still on the schedule and with judo announcing recently that they are intending to complete their calendar starting in late October I'm guessing that cancellations of these events held later in the year could be delayed. The real issue is testing and ease of travel. If rapid tests are more readily available and are made available to the athletes, staff, and team leaders then its plausible tournaments could proceed. You'd have to undertake measures to ensure that the spread at the events were contained, but that is much more achievable given what we now know about how the virus is spread. I can't tell you what is going to happen, but the leadership of many European leaders in containing the virus could lead to sports coming back sooner in that part of the world. I can't say the same for the United States or Brazil who are facing uncontained outbreaks with more than 1000 people dying each day.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Nittany Lion Wrestling Club (NLWC) will host a freestyle event on Saturday, Sept. 19, in an event available exclusively online. Upwards of 15 premier match-ups of some of the nation's top freestyle wrestlers will compete, without in-person fans, live in an event available on Rokfin. Action is set to begin at 8 p.m. Eastern. A full slate of NLWC wrestlers will wrestle and the list of wrestlers competing and the match-ups on tap is extensive (please note that due to the rapidly changing environment changes to this line-up can occur leading up to Sept. 19). A meeting of NCAA champions is set with former Nittany Lion Bo Nickal (NLWC) taking on former Oklahoma State Cowboy champ Alex Dieringer. United States Olympic and NCAA champion Kyle Snyder (NLWC) takes on former NC State NCAA champion Mike Macchiavello. Former Penn State NCAA titlist Jason Nolf (NLWC) will meet another Virginia Tech All-American in David McFadden. Another Lion former NCAA titlist, Zain Retherford (NLWC), will take on former Michigan All-American Alex Pantaleo and former Iowa All-American Thomas Gilman (NLWC) will battle former Lehigh NCAA champion Darian Cruz. Nittany Lion big man Greg Kirkvliet will face off against former Maryland All-American Youssif Hemida. Former Penn State All-American Nick Nevills will step on the mat to take on former Lehigh All-American Jordan Wood. A number of other NCAA champions will take part as well against competitors to be announced in the coming days. Former Penn State NCAA champion Vincenzo Joseph (NLWC) and Clarion All-American Bekzod Abdurakhmonov (NLWC) will compete as will former Michigan Wolverines Malik Amine and Domenic Abounader. Two women's freestyle match-ups are also set for the event with two NLWC competitors competing. Jennifer Page (NLWC) will face off against Desiree Zavala and Jane Valencia (NLWC) will meet Lauren Louive. 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. Rokfin Inc. is a creator-first digital platform that rewards media companies and content creators for the full value they generate. Every subscriber on Rokfin pays $9.99 and can access all channels on the platform. The Nittany Lion Wrestling Club (NLWC) is a tax-exempt, charitable, educational organization with the purpose of educating and promoting amateur wrestling. The NLWC is supported by the many generous individuals and businesses who donate to the Club through the annual membership/sponsorship campaign, the annual golf tournament and other fund-raising efforts. The Nittany Lion Wrestling Club's goal is to be the premier wrestling club in the United States, and the NLWC is well on its way to achieving this goal. USA Wrestling, the national governing organization for the sport of amateur wrestling, has designated Penn State University as a U.S. Olympic Regional Training Center with practices held in the Penn State Wrestling Room in the Lorenzo Wrestling Complex. The NLWC supports wrestling at all levels but focuses on the Olympic Development of the athletes who train at the Club's Olympic Regional Training Center.

Devin Skatzka works to turn Nebraska's Mikey Labriola (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine) Four-time NCAA qualifier Devin Skatzka will join the Gopher Wrestling Club Regional Training Center, a training site for elite athletes pursing national and international success. A native of Richmond, Mich., Skatzka competed the last two years for the Golden Gophers after beginning his career at Indiana University. Wrestling at 174 pounds, he was a two-time All-American and compiled a 58-21 record with the Maroon and Gold. Skatzka had four straight top-eight finishes at the Big Ten Championships, including third- and fourth-place finishes with Minnesota. A four-time Michigan state high school champion, Skatzka will join teammate Mitch McKee, as well as train alongside fellow Gopher alums Tony Nelson, Brett Pfarr, Sean Russell and Zach Sanders. The group will be coached by former Minnesota NCAA Champion and 2009 World Team member Dustin Schlatter.

Caleb W. Stockmaster, of Castalia, Ohio, truly a multiple-sport amateur athlete -- passed away Monday evening, August 24, 2020, in his residence, surrounded by his family and friends, after a long, courageous battle with cancer. He was age 24. Caleb StockmasterHe was born May 3, 1996, in Bellevue, and graduated from Margaretta High School in 2015. Caleb was a member of Zion Lutheran Church, Sandusky. While attending Margaretta High School, Caleb was a triple threat athlete, participating in football, wrestling and track. He was a state qualifier during his junior and senior year of wrestling and was a state placer his senior year. Upon graduation he continued his wrestling career at the collegiate level with Division I Kent State. He then transferred to Cleveland State where he placed third in the All American Open and took first place in the Storm Open. During his spare time, he made it a priority to give back to his Alma Mater, the Margaretta Wrestling Program and be an assistant coach. He was an athlete from birth with a true fighting spirit. Giving up was not in his blood. He was a wonderful son, a kind and caring brother, and a compassionate uncle. Those who were blessed to call him friend, know that Caleb was selfless and was always just a call a way. We would like him to be remembered as a true and courageous fighter. He is survived by his mother and stepfather Veronica and Michael Spayd; father Francis Stockmaster; two sisters Natasha McCowan and Taylor Stockmaster; brother Brock (Heather) Thompson; grandfather Lanny Gilbert Sr.; nieces Madelynn Evans and Rosalie Thompson; and nephew Jackson Thompson. Caleb was preceded in death by maternal grandmother Joan Perry and paternal grandparents Elton and Patricia Baum. Friends may call from 1-5 PM Saturday, August 29, 2020, at Ransom Funeral & Cremation Service, 610 S. Washington St., Castalia. Memorial services will be held at 11 AM Monday, August 31, 2020, at Trinity Lutheran Church, 121 Broad St, Monroeville Oh. Pastor Amy Little will officiate. Due to the ongoing pandemic, we ask everyone to please wear a mask and practice social distancing while in attendance. ' In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Piggy Back Foundation, P.O. Box 436 Norwalk, OH 44857, and to the Margaretta Wrestling Program, 209 Lowell St., Castalia, OH 44824. Online condolences may be shared with the family by visiting www.ransomfuneralhome.com Caleb was a triple threat athlete, participating in football, wrestling and track. He was a state qualifier during his junior and senior year of wrestling and was a state placer his senior year. Upon graduation he continued his wrestling career at the collegiate level with division 1 Kent State. He then transferred to Cleveland State where he placed 3rd in the All American Open and took 1st place in the Storm Open. During his spare time, he made it a priority to give back to his Alma Mater, the Margaretta Wrestling Program and be an assistant coach. He was an athlete from birth with a true fighting spirit. Giving up was not in his blood. He was a wonderful son, a kind and caring brother, and a compassionate uncle. Those who were blessed to call him friend, know that Caleb was selfless and was always just a call a way. We would like him to be remembered as a true and courageous fighter. He is survived by his mother Veronica and stepfather and Michael Spayd; father Francis Stockmaster; two sisters Natasha McCowan and Taylor Stockmaster; brother Brock (Heather) Thompson; grandfather Lanny Gilbert Sr.; nieces Madelynn Evans and Rosalie Thompson; and nephew Jackson Thompson. Caleb was preceded in death by maternal grandmother Joan Perry and paternal grandparents Elton and Patricia Baum. A memorial service had already been held Saturday, August 29. In addition, a memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, August 31, 2020, at Trinity Lutheran Church, 121 Broad St, Monroeville OH. Pastor Amy Little will officiate. Due to the ongoing pandemic, we ask everyone to please wear a mask and practice social distancing while in attendance. Funeral Service Monday, August 31 2020 11:00 a.m. Trinity Lutheran Church 121 Broad St Monroeville, OH 44870

Beat the Streets in New York City is pleased to announce that it will host several live wrestling matches as part of its annual fundraising event on Thursday, September 17, which will be broadcast in partnership with FloWrestling. The matches will feature both men and women wrestlers, on the Senior level as well as age-group levels, including many prominent athletes on the international and national scene. 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. Information on each of the matches for this year's Beat the Streets competition will be announced in the upcoming days. 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. The decision to include live competition alongside this year's Beat the Streets fundraiser continues a tradition of 11 straight years of high-level competition held in numerous iconic locations. These unique and electrifying annual events have helped Beat the Streets, Inc. raise millions of dollars to support local youth wrestling programs which empower young people in New York City. The first Beat the Streets competition was held in 2010. Previous locations for the matches have included the U.S.S. Intrepid aircraft carrier, Times Square, Grand Central Terminal, the Seaport District and the Hulu Theater in Madison Square Garden. Stay tuned for more information. 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

Kyven Gadson and Nick Gwiazdowski face off after weighing in for Wrestling Underground (Photo/Wrestling Underground) It was another golden opportunity for fans to view another high-level wrestling competition. Sunday night's Wrestling Underground event, held at an undisclosed location in the Pacific Northwest, featured a six-match Senior-level card. Wrestling Underground collaborated with former UFC competitor and U.S. Greco-Roman National Team member Chael Sonnen to host the event. It was streamed on UFC Fight Pass. Matches were held inside a cage, simulating the setup for a mixed martial arts event. It was the third wrestling show that has been shown online since the COVID-19 global pandemic shut down numerous sports in March. Here is my breakdown from the evening's matches: Tyler Berger vs. Joey McKenna (159 pounds) This was an interesting matchup between two NCAA runner-up finishers. Berger wrestled two weight classes higher than McKenna in college. Berger shot in early and scored on a double-leg takedown. He followed with a second double later in the opening period while enjoying a size advantage over McKenna. Down 6-0, McKenna fought back for a takedown with a leg attack midway through the second period. Berger came back with a counter and takedown late in the bout to prevail 8-2. The size difference appeared to weigh heavily in Berger's favor against a high-level freestyle wrestler in McKenna. Main event: Nick Gwiazdowski vs. Kyven Gadson (heavyweight) Gadson, a past NCAA champion, bumped up a weight class to battle Gwiazdowski, a two-time world bronze medalist, in the featured bout that didn't make it through the first period. Gadson fired in on an early leg attack, but the larger Gwiz countered for a quick early takedown. The athletic Gwiz shot in on a textbook leg attack and followed with a turn to lead 6-0. He added another shot and TD to take a commanding 8-0 advantage. Gwiz came back to record a fourth takedown to win 10-0 on technical superiority. Gwiz looked powerful and fast in a dominating performance while enjoying a noticeable size advantage over Gadson. Final thoughts We haven't seen much live wrestling over the past six months, so it was great to have actual matches to watch between quality competitors. It was cool having this in a mixed-martial arts cage, but it looked like the wrestlers kept running out of room and needed a bigger area to compete in. There were times when a wrestler scored a takedown, but couldn't follow with a gut-wrench while running into the fence. It also was interesting that there weren't any coaches in the corners of the athletes. I wouldn't have minded having a Shane Sparks or Jason Bryant providing play-by-play while Chael Sonnen did the color. I also would have liked to have seen some women's matches on the card. They announced the winners after the bouts, but I would have liked to have seen the wrestlers introduced before the matches. It was a unique and interesting format, and it provided us a chance to watch some Senior-level wrestling. Kudos to the UFC and Chael Sonnen for giving us another opportunity to see live matches. It was good to watch wrestling again. I would be interested to see a wrestling event in a cage when fans are allowed into the venue to watch. 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.

Betting odds for Wrestling Underground have been released by BetDSI.com. The event takes place Sunday at 9 p.m. ET and will be streamed on UFC Fight Pass. To register for an online account to wager on the event, visit BetDSI.com. Note: Betting odds are subject to change.

Nick Gwiazdowski gets in on a shot at the 2020 Pan American Olympic Qualifier (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Wrestling Underground will launch its debut event on Sunday at 9 p.m. EST on UFC Fight Pass. The promotion will be the sister promotion of Submission Underground, which has been promoting submission grappling events since 2017. The event will feature five freestyle matches and one Greco Roman match with a unique caveat. All the matches will take place in an MMA-style cage, which obviously modifies the rules a bit. The following is a match-by-match preview of Sunday's event. 159 pounds: Tyler Berger vs. Joey McKenna Berger finished his college career at Nebraska as a three-time All-American in 2019. During his senior season, he went 28-4 and made the NCAA finals at 157 before dropping a major decision against Jason Nolf. Along the way he picked up victories over the likes of Kaleb Young, Larry Early, Kennedy Monday, Ryan Deakin and Hayden Hidlay. Prior to the pandemic shutdowns, Berger competed at both the 2019 Bill Farrell and Senior Nationals. At the two events, he went a combined 5-4 with victories over multiple-time All-American Dylan Ness and former InterMat High School Wrestler of the Year Carson Kharchla. McKenna also wrestled in the finals at the 2019 NCAA tournament. Two weight classes below Berger, he faced off against Yianni Diakomihalis in the finals and ultimately fell in sudden victory. He finished his career at Ohio State at a two-time All-American, and he previously finished third during his freshman year at Stanford. At the 2019 Senior Nationals, McKenna got a bit of revenge on Diakomihalis as he scored a 6-5 decision over him in the semifinals. He made the finals where he came up short against Jordan Oliver. McKenna also finished fourth at the Bill Farrell with victories over Dean Heil and Ben Whitford. The Ohio State alumnus also represented the U.S. at the 2017 U23 World Championships where he brought home a bronze medal. This will be an interesting and somewhat unexpected clash. Berger should have a size advantage, which might pay dividends for him. McKenna likes to take advantage of his physical advantages, but that might not be an option here. If this match plays out at range it will probably favor Berger's ability to score from range. However, McKenna should be able to close the distance and slow down the contest. However, size remains a bit of a wild card factor. Prediction: McKenna over Berger (VPO1) 180 pounds: Ben Provisor vs. RaVaughn Perkins (Greco Roman) Provisor is looking to make his third straight trip to the Olympics. After representing the U.S. at both the 2012 and 2016 Games, he faces some tough tests to return to the team this year. In 2019, he failed to make the world team after dropping matches against Joe Rau at both the U.S. Open and Final X. Provisor is a four-time medalist at the Pan American Championships/Games including a gold in freestyle after filling in as a late replacement. Perkins also won the Olympic Trials in 2016, but the U.S. never qualified the weight. Prior to the shutdown, he picked up a bronze medal at the 2019 Senior Nationals with victories over Andrew Berreyesa and Kendrick Sanders. He has won gold at the last two Pan American Championships at 72 kilograms, and he will be moving up in weight for the Olympic year. This could easily be a preview of the Olympic Trials final at 77 kilograms. Provisor seemed much smaller than Joe Rau in their series at Final X last year, so he should benefit from the weight drop. He has had the better results over the course of his career compared to Perkins. Then again, Perkins could be rounding into form. Expect Provisor to take this one, but the result could say a lot about the pecking order at 77 kilograms for the upcoming Trials. Prediction: Provisor over Perkins (VPO1) 190 pounds: Sammy Brooks vs. Shakur Rasheed Brooks was a two-time All-American for Iowa who finished fourth as a senior in 2017. After college he stayed in Iowa City to compete for the Hawkeye Wrestling Club and quickly had success. In the fall following his senior season, he earned a spot on the U23 world team with a victory over former NCAA champion Myles Martin in the finals of the Trials. Brooks had a strong performance in the first half of 2019. He won the Henri Deglane Challenge, finished third at the U.S. Open and made the finals of the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament. In December, he finished fifth at the 2019 Senior Nationals, but he scored victories along the way over Aaron Brooks, Nathan Jackson and Drew Foster. After spending his first two seasons at Penn State wrestling as low as 165 pounds, Rasheed moved up to 197 pounds for the 2018 season and became a somewhat surprising All-American with a seventh-place finish. Last season, he got a late start due to injury and finished with an 8-6 record. At the Big Ten tournament, he upset Jacob Warner to make the semifinals but ended up finishing fourth. There are two key factors at play in this match. First, Rasheed has not appeared to be healthy for multiple seasons now. If he is 100% then this is a different match, but that is a big "if." Second, Brooks has been competing full time in freestyle for years now while Rasheed has been focused on folkstyle. On top of that, one of his strongest abilities as a wrestler is his cradle series from the top. That likely will not be a factor under this rule set. Prediction: Brooks over Rasheed (VSU1) 213 pounds: Kollin Moore vs. Deron Winn The early end to the 2020 season means that Moore missed out on his last shot at an NCAA title. After finishing third as a freshman, fourth as a sophomore and second as a junior, he was undefeated heading into the NCAA tournament. He won his three Big Ten tournament matches by a combined score of 38-11. Moore has also had impressive age-level results in freestyle. He won a bronze medal at the 2017 Junior World Championships and a silver medal at the 2018 U23 World championships. At the recent 2019 Senior Nationals, he finished second after defeating Erik Hinckley, Derek White, Kyven Gadson then falling against Hayden Zillmer in the finals. Winn began his professional MMA career in 2017 and continued to compete at a high level on the freestyle circuit. In 2018, he finished fourth at the US Open and fell against Zillmer in the finals of the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament. He originally retired from wrestling in order to focus solely on fighting after dropping a match against Mike Machiavello at the inaugural American Wrestling League show. Winn signed with the UFC in 2019. He won his first fight over Eric Spicely before dropping back-to-back contests against Darren Stewart and Gerald Meerschaert. Historically wrestlers who make the full-time transition to MMA have trouble coming back. This recently happened when Darrion Caldwell returned against Luke Pletcher. Winn has had success competing in both sports at the same time, but he has been out of competitive wrestling for nearly two years at this point. Prediction: Moore over Winn (VPO1) 185 pounds: David McFadden vs. Tommy Gantt McFadden steps into this match on short notice after Mark Hall pulled out with an injury on Wednesday night. The former Virginia Tech wrestler entered his senior year looking for his fourth All-American season, and he accomplished that goal despite the cancellation of the NCAA tournament. As a senior, he went 21-5 with victories over Evan Wick, Zach Hartman and Thomas Bullard. On the freestyle side, McFadden also represented the U.S. at the 2018 U23 World Championships where he won his first two matches but failed to make the repechage. Gantt was an All-American for NC State and has been competing full time on the freestyle circuit since finishing his collegiate career in 2016. He had multiple medal winning performances in 2019. He began the year by winning the tournament title at the Henri Deglane Challenge. Gantt then finished second at both the Cerro Pelado-Granma and U.S. Open. At the 2019 Senior Nationals, Gantt finished third after picking up victories over Josh Shields, Branson Ashworth, Anthony Valencia and Evan Wick. Gantt should have the edge in this match especially since McFadden took this match on extremely late notice. The former Virginia Tech wrestler is certainly a game opponent, but Gantt has the better results in freestyle. He also has looked good against multiple wrestling coming right out of college. Prediction: Gantt over McFadden (VPO1) Nick Gwiazdowski vs. Kyven Gadson Gwiazdowski finished his career at NC State as a multiple time All-American and two-time champion in 2016. In his final match, he came up just short against Olympic champion Kyle Snyder. In about a year, he established a lockdown on the heavyweight division on the U.S. freestyle ladder. He has been the representative for the past three World Championships and picked up bronze medals at the 2017 and 2018 editions of the tournament. In 2019, he finished second at the Yasar Dogu and won the Pan American Championships. While Gwiazdowski lost to Snyder in his final collegiate match, Gadson famously won his final match over Snyder to win the 2015 NCAA title at 197 pounds. Last year he won both the U.S. Open and the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament. However, he ran into Snyder once again at Final X and was unable to earn a spot in the World team. At the 2019 Senior Nationals, Gadson fell in the semifinals against Kollin Moore and ended up finishing fourth. Normally, a lighter wrestler moving up to heavyweight might have a significant speed advantage. However, that might not be the case here. Gwiazdowski is exceptionally nimble for a competitor at 125 kilograms. When he faced off against Snyder in college, he did not score the victory, but he was able to compete from a quickness perspective. Of all the matches on this card, the cage may play the biggest role in this match. Gadson has the ability to drive pretty much anyone off the mat. The cage takes away that advantage. Look for this one to be closer than expected, but Gwiazdowski should be able to escape with the victory. Prediction: Gwiazdowski over Gadson (VPO1)

Kyven Gadson gets in on a shot against Kollin Moore at Senior Nationals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Kyven Gadson will move up in weight to heavyweight and face Nick Gwiazdowski Sunday in the main event of the inaugural Wrestling Underground show. It will not only be a different weight class, but the freestyle match will also take place in an unfamiliar setting, an MMA-style cage. These will be new challenges for Gadson, but like most wrestlers, he relies on a mix of adaptability and persistence to overcome adversity. At the highest levels of wrestling, a single shot or takedown attempt will likely not suffice. If you have been in a wrestling room, you have probably heard coaches preach the importance of putting multiple attempts together. For example, a quick YouTube search unearths the following wisdom from legendary coach and wrestler John Smith. "We put two things together. I hit a high crotch, I get stopped, I go to my drag immediately and score my points. That's chain wrestling." The ability to adapt on the mat can be key to scoring a crucial takedown, but it extends far beyond technique. Persistence and adaptability can also pay dividends in preparation and life in general. Gadson has relied on these traits to excel in both wrestling and the community. Like most athletes across the world, Gadson has been dealing with delays and postponements due to the global pandemic. Despite the upheaval he has remained focused on his wrestling goals. "I have been dealing with it the best way I know how, which is trying to work on communication, focusing on my spiritual and mental health, just trying to work through stuff, because life is never without its trials," Gadson says. "I have still been able to work out and basically with the postponement and everything it has put a bigger focus on people that maybe could do a better job of figuring out ways to work that don't need that oversight all the time to get things done. I have a really strong team, or as I like to call it, my Gadson Strong Family that supports me and helps me really lock in on the things that I feel like I need to lock into, being able to prepare and compete and perform at a high level." Earlier this month, a weather event known as a derecho swept into Gadson's home state of Iowa. A derecho is defined as a "widespread, long-lived wind storm that is associated with a band of rapidly moving showers or thunderstorms." Per Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, the storm caused an estimated $4 billion in damage. When it arrived, Gadson was in a training session. "That derecho was crazy, because literally it was sunny, and then someone was like, 'I think we are going to have a storm,'" Gadson says. "All of a sudden the lights were out and it was like 'Wait, what just happened?' We had to pause the training session, go in the bathroom and hunker down." After witnessing the devastation, Gadson was spurred to action and personally took part in the recovery. "I had a friend who reached out to me that said, they had some people that needed some help or could use some help," he says. "I went down there to help them and got to move some trees, got to use my new axe to chop some wood, which is a really cool hobby. A lot of the work was already done so shout out to all the people who had already got down there and really put in a lot of the work to help start the healing process, because it is not going to happen overnight. For me going through life is always, if I were in this situation what would I want from other people. If I was in a peculiar or unfamiliar situation or something as devastating as this derecho was to the communities of Iowa, specifically over in Eastern Iowa, what would I want? I have always tried to live that way in my own daily life as much as possible." Through all of this, Gadson has been looking for competition on the wrestling mat. He tried to get on several of the recent shows and even offered to face world champion David Taylor on short notice. In the end, Wrestling Underground, a new show promoted by former wrestler and UFC contender Chael Sonnen, came along. "The Wrestling Underground camp that put this on reached out to me and said basically, 'How big are you?' I said big enough to wrestle anyone," Gadson says. "They were like, 'Alright do you want to wrestle Gwiaz? I was like, 'Yeah.' It kind of like fell into my lap. When you haven't had any formal competition for nine months, you are like chomping at the bit to wrestle. I have still been training and stuff like that, so it is like, OK, this is something if in a regular cycle right now, in a regular year that is non-Olympic, we would be getting ready for the World Championships right now. I would be wrestling Gwiaz at national team camp anyway, so basically all this is a national team camp happening, and it is going to be televised on UFC Fight Pass." Kyven Gadson at Final X (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The move up to heavyweight may seem like a burden for the mainstay of the 97-kilogram ladder. However, Gadson believes his experience working with a top heavyweight in practice gives him an edge. "My best training partner that I have ever had has been Dom Bradley," Gadson says. "He is down at the University of Missouri in Columbia, and the reason he has been my best training partner, and he was the most consistent in 2017, is we were both world team alternates that year, so we both fell short but we were both aiming for the same goal. We were at different weight classes. I was at 97 kilos. He was at 125, but that is one of the strongest and most powerful guys I have ever wrestled in my life. I am not going to be feeling anything different for the most part in terms of power and strength that I haven't already felt before, because I have had training partners like Dom Bradley." The Wrestling Underground matches will take place in a cage. The venue immediately brings to mind questions about Gadson possibly transitioning to MMA in future. While that might not be in his immediate plans, he seems ready to show off his adaptability once again if necessary. "It has given me maybe a little bit of an itch to maybe start thinking about MMA," Gadson says. "I hadn't given a bunch of thought to it, but with so much being unknown in the sport of wrestling, RTCs and everything like that it is definitely something that has crossed the mind a lot more recently, about making that wrestling transition to MMA. There is a blueprint that has already been done. You look at what [Daniel] Cormier did. You look at what [Henry] Cejudo has done. You just follow those blueprints. If you follow those blueprints, then you can probably have a successful career coming from the background that we come from with the wrestling." Kyven Gadson celebrates after pinning Kyle Snyder in the NCAA finals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) For now Gadson is still focused on making the Olympic team. Despite famously defeating Kyle Snyder in the 2015 NCAA finals, Snyder has dominated the 97-kilogram division domestically and picked up his fair share of international medals. For this cycle world champion J'den Cox is also looking to nail down the spot. "For me it is just about being consistent, bringing consistency and maybe constant pressure to my daily work, bringing constant pressure to my daily work by making sure that last year when I made a shirt in August of last year it said, 'Today wins Tokyo,' he says. "It is about what happens on that day, but it is also every day before that. You have been training. You have to have put in the fire. You have to have worked through the highs, the lows, the downs, the ups, and you put yourself in the position to win on those two days, because it is the work that gets done before that not everybody sees. People might see more of it now with social media and things like that, but the work that goes into everything beforehand is what is going to be called upon when it comes crunch time." Things do not always go according to plan in life. Whether it is a global pandemic, natural disaster or an unfamiliar competitive arena, people are always forced to make changes and adapt to new circumstances on the fly. If his initial takedown attempt fails against Gwiazdowski on Sunday, he will move to another attack and continue to try to score. Wrestling is often used as a metaphor for life, and it seems apt for Gadson. His adaptability and persistence inspire hope on and off the mat. Gadson, along with several other top athletes, recently launched the Black Wrestling Association, which is yet another example of those traits in action. "The Black Wrestling Association came about through conversation," Gadson says. "President Nate Jackson and myself just had a simple conversation after we saw what happened to George Floyd in Minneapolis, and we said, 'Well, what can we do in our position and our sport to kind of bring light to some of the injustices in our sport?' We wanted to help promote, we wanted to inspire, we wanted to connect and empower black wrestlers, female and male. We wanted to increase representation, equality and opportunity in our sport for black wrestlers, female and male, and with that we felt that we could do that by coming together, creating a strategic plan, focusing on not with just the black wrestlers, but people who want to see the sport grow as a whole, people that can reflect and see that there are certain disparities in our great sport and the oldest, greatest sport in wrestling. We can grow our sport positively through connection, through conversation, through discussion and understanding, so that is what we are trying to do just increase the ability of our sport to grow."

A two-time All-American at Michigan, Dr. Airron Richardson has quite a dynamic background. The Ohio native started his collegiate career playing football at Morehouse, a historically black college in Georgia. A chance appearance as a spectator at a wrestling tournament brought Richardson to Michigan. Richardson went into the medical profession, and recently with a group of other African-American doctors, opened up the first black-owned urgent care facilities in Chicago. Richardson has recently been in the news speaking up about the sexual abuse allegations against former Michigan doctor Robert E. Anderson. Richardson also talks about his battles with Tolly Thompson, Kerry McCoy and Shelton Benjamin during his college career as well as the current state of affairs for African Americans. The MatBoss Podcast is also sponsored by Barbarian Apparel. About MatBoss: Created by coaches for coaches, MatBoss for iPad® integrates wrestling stats directly into the video you record for each match, completely replacing the need for labor-intensive pencil and paper scoring systems. It's the wrestling stats app our sport has been waiting for. Focus on coaching, not busy work Improve through video analysis Make data an advantage Eliminate scoring errors Increase exposure Become a digital coach For more information, visit MatBossApp.com. Follow MatBoss on Twitter and subscribe to the show @MatBossApp | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Spreaker | Google Podcasts | RSS

Frankie Edgar (Photo/Chris Unger, Getty Images) Along with the UFC, Bellator MMA is now up and running and in full swing in terms of promoting mixed martial arts events despite the difficulties presented by COVID-19. It's a welcome addition to the combat sports world and one that we should be excited for as Bellator has a rich stable of former high-profile wrestlers on its roster. Both of these industry leaders held events this past weekend, and between them there were four former wrestlers with impressive resumes in action. Including each event's headliner. Each fight functioned nicely as a showcase for where each athlete currently stands. So what did we learn? UFC on ESPN 15 Frankie Edgar What we learned: Intriguing as it is to finally see Frankie Edgar competing against guys his own size (for probably the first time since high school), cutting the extra weight is a fine move, but not one that will result in another UFC belt. Not that Edgar will be unsuccessful at 135 pounds; he won this fight against No. 5-ranked Pedro Munoz, and he will win more than he loses in subsequent fights. However, he will likely experience the same result should he stay at 145, or perhaps even return to 155 pounds where he began his MMA career and captured the UFC title. A New Jersey high school state runner up, NHSCA Senior Nationals finalist, and four-time NCAA Division I national qualifier for Clarion, Edgar made his bones on the strength of his super-slick, super smooth, highly technical wrestling and a speed advantage that was nearly impossible to nullify. The Toms River native was not your typical MMA wrestler armed with a good double leg, weight-cutting expertise, and the ability to stall out for the win. Not by a long shot. Edgar was hitting hip tosses, throws from the body lock, he was faking singles to create openings for his punch combos, he was pulling off exciting reversals in transition, and he was shooting takedowns with backup attacks loaded in the chamber. In short, he was effectively chain wrestling, and via his varied takedown assault, was finding his way to all kinds of dominant positions. Having such an assured takedown threat and being hell on wheels from top position allowed Edgar to develop, and largely work behind, some very clean boxing ability. And while his punching prowess rarely resulted in a finish, it was stylish, made his wrestling more effective, and was impressive to judges as he racked up the wins. Sound Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and a bit of a mean streak was added to his wrestling and ground fighting repertoire along the way, and the results speak for themselves. Heading into this weekend's fight, Edgar can boast a four-fight title reign at 155 pounds, three title shots earned at 145 pounds, 10 performance bonuses, and a 23 (now 24)-8-1 overall record. Edgar won this weekend's fight by being busier, scoring enough takedowns, and by being tough as nails in sustaining this approach despite eating a whole lot of very effective low kicks. His lead leg was a mess but he never so much as grunted. Edgar won, but it was close. In many ways this fight was typical of what we've seen from him the last few years. Which brings us back to whether or not cutting to 135 pounds is a worthwhile endeavor. So, the good news? Edgar won his 135-pound debut against a highly ranked opponent. The weight cut didn't seem to affect his performance. And, his chin held up under fire. The bad news? He was unable to control his foe after the takedown, his punches were only slightly more damaging than before, and his speed advantage is minimized at this weight. Something not aided by being 38. After a long and successful career, Edgar should explore this division. However, he needs to focus on ground control and cut loose with more punching power if he is to seize any advantages created by dropping a weight class. Ryan Bader and Vadim Nemkov at weigh-ins before Bellator 244 (Photo/Bellator) Bellator 244 Ryan Bader What we learned: Despite being on a real tear as of late, the limitations in Bader's game that have hindered him in the past are still present and were exploited violently by Vadim Nemkov. Though he may be a bit more refined, more comfortable, and likely more skilled as a mixed martial artist, for the most part, Ryan Bader in 2020 wins fights with the same basic weapons he used since the start. Now, as the Bellator MMA heavyweight champ and the now former light-heavyweight champ, we are seeing just how a far powerful double leg and a couple powerful punches can take a fighter. The answer, as we've learned, is pretty darn far, but the clock is ticking and the sun setting on that reality. Bader was a highly touted MMA prospect back in 2008. He was a two-time Nevada high school state champ, a Fargo All-American in Greco-Roman, and had a stellar collegiate career at Arizona State University that resulted in three conference titles and two All-America plaques. His wrestling was great for MMA too, especially for a young buck. His takedowns were powerful and aesthetically pleasing, and his explosive shot lent itself well towards developing a huge right hand. Eventually Bader added a nice left uppercut and some good knees in close, he took some losses that seasoned him, and he soldiered on. On Friday night we saw that some good old-fashioned Division I wrestling will always be good enough to take down just about anybody. We just didn't see enough of it, and Bader paid for that. Bader is and was still very formidable. But his standup skills are just not where they'd need to be to defeat this new breed of fighter like Nemkov, a fighter that can match Bader's brawn and horsepower while also having the fluidity and comfort everywhere to make every single attack appear flawless. Chris Gonzalez What we learned: Chicago native Gonzalez is progressing nicely and has a tremendous amount of potential as an MMA fighter. A while back, we named Gonzalez a former wrestler to watch for, and thus far he has not let us down. At this point in his development, the highly accomplished Greco-Roman star (two-time Fargo All-American, JUCO All-American, 2016 world team member, etc.) is undefeated (5-0) and beginning to really dial in his fighting identity. In this most recent outing, Gonzalez was very physical and athletic, looked to land powerful punches, and was a monster on the inside (no surprise there). He also moved forward and stalked his foe for much of the fight, something judges reward greatly. Matched up with a very tough Russian foe in Vladimir Tokov, Gonzalez flashed some of the Greco prowess that won him bronze and silver medals at the 2017 Dave Schultz and the 2018 Bill Farrell respectively, using that uncanny core strength and ridiculous upper body squeeze. Gonzalez' frame and style made for effective use of range striking with the straight left hand, but I'd like to see him unleash some more left high kicks and straight punches to the midsection. Expect Gonzalez to show a new wrinkle to him game with each successive outing. John Salter What we learned: After failing to make his mark in the UFC back in the beginning of the decade, Alabama native John Salter has slowly and steadily made himself into one of the sport's most effective grinders currently fighting. Those aforementioned early setbacks led Salter to double down and embrace his athletic limitations, choosing to lean heavily on his fantastic wrestling and some miserable topside submission grappling. Salter defeated a tough opponent on Friday night, out-wrestling and eventually choking out a guy who had knocked out Mo Lawal in his last fight. An Alabama high school state champ who went on to win an NAIA national title at Lindenwood University, Salter employed his no-frills, straight forward wrestling to perfection. Salter's game is largely built around the following sequence; flash some rather underwhelming striking to lure foes in, time the level change and penetration perfectly, takedown, pass the guard, hunt for submissions, rinse and repeat (if necessary). Now finding himself in the top end of Bellator MMA's 185-pound class, Salter will likely get a chance to see just a far his skills can take him.

Phil Davis A pair of UFC veterans - including a 2008 Penn State NCAA 197-pound wrestling champ, Phil Davis -- will square off in a rematch seven years in the making vs. Lyoto Machida - along with a a vacant bantamweight title bout will headline a doubleheader of major cards Bellator MMA announced Friday for Sept. 11-12 in Uncasville, Connecticut. Phil Davis (21-5, 1 NC) will meet former UFC light heavyweight champion Loyoto Machida (26-9) in the headlining bout on Friday night's Bellator 245 for the second time after Davis took home a unanimous decision in 2013. The next night, top contender Juan Archuleta (24-2) will meet red-hot Patrick "Patchy" Mix (13-0) for the vacant 135-pound title in the main event of Bellator 246.

Jim McCloe, one of the winningest high school wrestling coaches in New York state history, died this week at age 69. Jim McCloeAccording to his obituary, the longtime Waverly High School head coach died Aug. 17 at his home in Williamsburg, Va. -- where Jim and his wife owned a bed-and-breakfast -- after a battle with an aggressive form of leukemia. McCloe retired from coaching after the 2006-07 season. Over 32 seasons, he guided Waverly to two small-school state titles, 14 Section 4 team championships and seven sectional runner-up finishes. He finished with 435 coaching victories, which at the time ranked first in Section 4 wrestling history and seventh in New York state history. Vestal's Tony Policare passed McCloe for the Section 4 wins record in 2014. McCloe had been a member of the USA Wrestling Hall of Fame, the National Junior College Wrestling Hall of Fame, the Section 4 Hall of Fame, the Section 4 Wrestling Hall of Fame and the Waverly High School Hall of Fame. He coached 40 Section 4 individual champions at Waverly, along with seven New York state champions and six National High School All-Americans. Assistant coach Charlie Hughes was also a key part of Waverly's success and he took over as head coach when McCloe retired. As a student at Waverly, McCloe excelled in wrestling, football and track. He went on win a National Junior College Athletic Association wrestling title at SUNY Delhi before two highly-successful seasons at Division I East Carolina University. Policare, a Vestal graduate, was wrestling for the University at Buffalo when McCloe was competing for East Carolina. "We got out of school at the same time and coached during the same era," Policare said. "It just saddens me, but I'm also very proud that I had the opportunity to coach and be around Jim a lot. Everyone learned from him. He's just a great man and he'll be sorely missed. "You break a record of a coach of his standing, it's significant. But I never thought of it as beating Jim, it's just all respect because he was a contemporary and just a great guy." Along with coaching at Waverly, McCloe was also a physical education teacher and the school's athletic director for 16 years. Area businesses owned by him and his wife, Cindy, included Camp Olympia, McCloe's Storage and Apple Ridge Bed & Breakfast. McCloe and his wife raised three daughters: Kristi (Eric) Clayton of Williamsburg, Tori (Aaron) Freeman of Williamsburg and Brandi (Peter) Rogers of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. "I would just want his family to know how much love and respect we have for Jim," Policare said. "The Vestal wrestling community is saddened by his loss." A memorial service is being planned for late November in Waverly. Details will follow. The Jim McCloe Memorial Scholarship Fund has been created at Waverly High School in his honor. Donations can be sent to the Waverly Administration Office, 15 Frederick Street, Waverly, NY 14892. Jim is survived by his devoted wife of 48 years, Cindy. He is also survived by his adoring daughters and their families; Kristi (Eric) Clayton of Williamsburg, Tori (Aaron) Freeman of Williamsburg, and Brandi (Peter) Rogers of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He was an amazing "Papa" to Reid and Walker Clayton, Grace Freeman and Isabella and Gabe Rogers. He is also survived by his loving family, including his parents James and Helen (Ennis) McCloe, brother Duane (Patty) McCloe, sister-in-law Cathy (Paul) Petrozzo of Danville, Virginia, brother-in-law Scott (Cara) Tyrrell of Horseheads, nephew Tom McCloe, niece Lisa (Tony) Jenner, nephew Cole Jenner, niece Hali Jenner, niece Melissa Harris of Binghamton, Josh (Michelle) Schwartz of Sidney, nephews Jacob and Mikey Schwartz, and niece Brooke Tyrrell of Richmond, Virginia. Jim was born to parents James and Helen McCloe of Waverly, New York on October 29, 1950. As a student at Waverly High School, Jim was an Eagle Scout and a stand-out athlete, earning multiple awards in football, wrestling and track. It was his love of wrestling that launched his outstanding collegiate career at SUNY Delhi, where he earned a National Junior College Championship in 1971. In the fall of 1971, Jim was recruited to wrestle at Division I East Carolina University. While at ECU, Jim won many titles including: two-time North Carolina Collegiate Champion; Southern Conference Champion; first and fourth at the prestigious Wilkes Tournament; two-time First Colonies Champion; the Pembroke Open Champion; the Maryland Federation tournament Champion; was selected to the NCAA East-West All Star Team; and was an NCAA qualifier. After graduating from ECU with his degree in Education, he became a graduate assistant and coach at West Chester University where he was awarded his master's degree. He concluded his academic career with an Administrative degree from SUNY Cortland in 1988. Jim returned to Waverly in 1975 with his wife, Cindy and raised their three daughters while developing an outstanding wrestling dynasty with his best friend, Charlie Hughes and the support of family and friends. Coach Jim McCloe retired from Waverly High School in 2007 after serving 33 years as Head Wrestling Coach of an incredibly successful wrestling program. For 16 of those years, he was also the Director of Athletics for the district. Prior to that, Jim taught Health and Physical Education and coached JV football. Over those 33 years, Jim's teams won fourteen Section IV Team Championships and he coached 40 Section IV Individual Champions, seven New York State Champions, 21 NYS place winners, and six National High School All-Americans. Overall, he coached his teams to 435 dual meet victories. In recognition of his efforts and accomplishments, Jim was named Section IV Coach of the Year seven times and New York Wrestling Coach of the Year twice. He was elected to the National Junior College Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1985, the Waverly High School Hall of Fame in 1999, he was one of eight finalists for the honor of National High School Coaches Association coach of the Year in 2007, and inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2008 and Section IV Hall of Fame in 2009. In 2016, he was inducted into the SUNY Delhi Hall of Fame for his accomplishments as an athlete. Of all his life accomplishments, Jim could be heard saying that one of his favorites was his time spent in retirement. He was the best Papa that any grandchild could ask for and was always cheering them on in their activities from near and far. He loved to be outdoors with his grandchildren, playing games and sharing his love of gardening. He enjoyed cheering on East Carolina University, Ohio State and Alabama sports with his family and especially enjoyed tailgating with his antique car at ECU football games. Jim and Cindy were able to vacation in some amazing locations and enjoyed world-wide travel. He always looked forward to returning to Waverly to the annual class of '69 reunions that his good friend, Jerry Arnold, hosted. Jim's smile and contagious laugh during the good times will be cherished forever. His strength and encouragement will continue to be felt during the toughest times. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Waverly Youth Recreation Department located at Village of Waverly, 32 Ithaca Street, Waverly, NY 14892. In addition, the Jim McCloe Memorial Scholarship Fund has been created through Waverly High School to honor Jim's life and legacy. To contribute to the scholarship fund, donations may be sent to the Waverly Administration Office, 15 Frederick Street, Waverly, NY 14892. A memorial service to be held in Waverly, New York to celebrate Jim's life is being planned for late November.

In 30 or 40 years, when the next generation is reviewing the history of the COVID-19 pandemic, a few moments of tremendous selfishness and stupidity are likely going to be studied. There is the Herman Cain tragedy -- a man who promoted not wearing a mask before attending a political rally where he contracted the virus and later died from its complications. There is the refusal to shut down airports, and Texas' decision to reopen too soon. On the flip side there will be the efforts of New Zealand and Germany who've done brilliantly to combat the disease. Though something we discuss often a lesser historical point will be the impact on sports and how the easy transmission of the disease prevented most mass gatherings, cancelled tournaments, and delayed seasons. Inside that chapter could be a discussion of this weekend's historically terrible idea: The Rocky Mountain Nationals in Kansas City where 2500 wrestlers from 40 states are expected to gather in the Hy-Vee Arena to compete in a three-day tournament. The tournament is proceeding in spite of warnings from local health officials, the Mayor of Kansas City, and a multitude of organizations who say they don't have protocols in place and are in a state with an active outbreak. The tournament is only being allowed to go forward because the organizers are using the health advisories initial broad language to justify allowing minors to be mask-free. The organizers understand that their tournament is a grift. They are knowingly placing minors in harm's way so that they can make a financial profit (they are not a 501c3) from the actions of those children. The wrestling teams and individuals headed to compete should share some burden of responsibility as well given more than 160,000 Americans have been killed by the virus in five months. But, hey, a trophy. The Kansas City health department warned organizers of the tournament that they will be in attendance and are prepared to the shut down the tournament should protocols not be followed. The warning, and the pressure from the government, are almost certain to cause a cancellation, which the organizers also understand. But the grift must go on and so they will offer discounted sign-up for next year's event or something similarly stupid and insulting to those families who traveled out to the event. I get that we want to see wrestling. I get that we want to be wrestling. And I even get that we want to make money off wrestling. But this is a pandemic and no matter what anyone on your Facebook feed says there is no long-term mental health consequence from not participating in one season of wrestling. If that were the case the injured athletes who miss seasons would all have ongoing mental health complications. Is it frustrating? Yes. Is it sad? Yes. Will it cause long-term damage? Unequivocally not. That arguments and those in the same stratosphere of self-serving strawman arguments are being made by fathers desperate to live through their child's achievements, coaches in need of validation, and an organizer willing to create a super-spreader event because they want to make money. To your questions … Roman Bravo-Young with his coaches Cael Sanderson and Cody Sanderson (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Q: How awesome is RBY? Does he have a chance to become "The guy" at any weight? -- Fred G. Foley: I'm not sure RBY is done growing as a wrestler. If RBY is able to cut down and compete at 57 kilograms or add bulk and wrestle 65 kilograms at the international level he could make himself an option on the international scene. RBY's game isn't too dependent on doing a few things well it's mostly dependent on his creativity, athleticism, and willingness to outwork opponents on the mat. Recently I saw a post from him on Twitter that acknowledged how important it was to train with a variety of opponents and to make yourself uncomfortable in training. That's something almost every coach has said to their team, but it's been my experience that very few wrestlers like to be disadvantaged while training. Egos in our sport can be fragile so it was positive to see someone of RBY's trajectory making those type of statements. I'm interested to see where he competes in the coming months and years. There is probably a bit of time before he can beat Bajrang Punia or Vladimer Khinchegashvili, but with his concentration on improvement its certainly possible that he is in position to make a big leap in the near future. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Link: Gevorgyan becomes first Armenian to win freestyle world gold Sweet slide-by Karelin Interview Q: Who is the world's most popular wrestler in each of the three styles? Mike C. Foley: See below. Women's wrestling: Helen Maroulis. The win over Saori and the dominance at the 2017 World Championships proved that she is the most technical wrestler in the world and has a personality that people want to know more about. With her looking to compete at the 2021 Olympic Games her popularity will only grow in the coming years. The other option is Vinesh Phogat. She's a massive star in India and has an appeal that is tough to describe, but impossible to deny. Greco-Roman: Artur Aleksanyan. When UWW posts a video of him walking down the street it'll be watched more than two million times. There are no other athletes that receive that level of immediate and overwhelming response when fans see an image. Freestyle: Abdulrashid Sadulaev. More than one million followers on Instagram and a huge presence in the minds of all wrestlers. With only one loss in his recent senior-level career he's the standard bearer in wrestling celebrity. Q: The NCAA Division I council recommended that fall sports move to the spring. What do you think this means, if anything, for NCAA wrestling? -- Mike C. Foley: The guidance here is that wrestling won't start prior to January 1 and that is still dependent on the success of the football season, vaccine, or an increase in available testing. There is some thought that the season will still be dual meet only and truncated to still end in March. Qualifications will also need to be adjusted. For now, I'd guess we are at 50/50 to see the NCAA tournament, but it will mostly depend on the level of testing applied to the other sports and applying the lessons from these first sports. Q: Will the handshake be dead in wrestling? -- Mike C. Foley: For now, yes. However, once we have a vaccine it's likely to return.

GREELEY, Colo. -- Northern Colorado head wrestling Coach Troy Nickerson elevated Garett Kiley to the position of head assistant wrestling coach after his strong first two seasons working with Northern Colorado. He has made an impact in three key components of coaching: training, recruiting and academics. Over the past two years, Kiley's helped send eight wrestlers to the NCAA Championships, sign a top five ranked recruiting class and have five NWCA Scholar All-Americans. Garett Kiley"Coach Kiley has grown to become an integral part of our wrestling program and his abilities have proven to be superior," Nickerson said. "He is committed to being with us for the long haul and is very deserving of the title change. I look forward to him continuing to push me and the program to new heights." In his first season at UNC, Kiley coached up three Bears to the NCAA Championships in Rico Montoya, Chris Sandoval and Jacob Seely. He assisted in the recruiting efforts of a top five ranked recruiting class that included Andrew "Boo" Alirez and Mosha Schwartz who would go on a qualify for the NCAA's their freshman season. Two Bears earned NWCA Scholar All-America status in Montoya and Seeley. Montana was also the Big 12 Wrestling Scholar-Athlete of the Year and a CoSIDA Academic All-American. Kiley helped raise the bar for the program in 2019-20 as UNC qualified five wrestlers to compete in the NCAA Championships before the COVID-19 pandemic canceled it. Three of the five wrestlers who qualified earned NWCA All-America honorable mention honors in Mosha Schwartz, Andrew Alirez and Dalton Robertson. He played a key role in the transformation of Robertson from wrestling at 174 lbs when Kiley arrived at UNC to qualifying at heavyweight two seasons later. That trio automatically qualified for the NCAA Championships and was a big part of the Bear best-ever finish at the Southern Scuffle. Three Bears earned NWCA Scholar All-America status in 2019-20 in Jacob Seely, Alan Clothier and Jace Koelzer.

Chandler Rogers after picking up a fall in his final match at Oklahoma State (Photo/Oklahoma State Athletics) LITTLE ROCK -- Little Rock wrestling has named Chandler Rogers as its newest addition to the staff, as announced by the program on Wednesday. Rogers, a former Oklahoma State wrestler, was also coached by current Little Rock head coach Neil Erisman in high school. "Chandler brings an exciting new dynamic to our staff and program," said Erisman. "His character, background and wrestling knowledge have instantly elevated us. We are already seeing dividends of having him here on staff and we are grateful for him and his wife, Tori, for believing in our mission and joining us here in Little Rock." Rogers joins the Trojans as an assistant coach after spending a year as Director of Operations for Air Force wrestling, where his duties included logistics, management, and social media support. Concurrently, Rogers spent his time in Colorado Springs pursuing his wrestling career as a 2020 Olympic Trials qualifier and fourth on the ladder in the nation. His post-collegiate wrestling career is fairly new yet highly impressive. In April of 2019, Rogers represented the United States men's freestyle team at the 2019 Pan American Championships in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Rogers was instrumental in the USA's momentous showing as the squad swept all 10 gold medals in freestyle for the first time in history. Since then, Rogers took third at the U.S. Open in Senior Greco and later recorded a second-place finish at the U23 Greco World Team Trials. Rogers graduated from Oklahoma State in 2019 with a degree in general education after a successful four years with the decorated Cowboy wrestling program. He was a four-year starter for Oklahoma State, three-time NCAA qualifier, two-time All-American and Big 12 champion at 165 pounds. During his five years with the Cowboys, he compiled a record of 110-30, claiming top honors at several tournaments. The Stillwater, Oklahoma native had a successful prep career as well, finishing with a 169-6 record with Stillwater High School. Rogers's accomplishments included being a Fila Cadet World team member in 2012, four-time state champion, three-time Greco National Champion, Folkstyle National Champion and six-time All-American. "I'm excited to join the Little Rock staff and I'm really grateful that Neil could give me the opportunity to start my coaching career at the Division I level," said Rogers. "I feel like I'm going to be in good hands with experienced coaches like Coach Neil and Coach Javi. I'm looking forward to working with all the guys and seeing what we can do this year." Rogers will assist in all aspects of the Little Rock wrestling program as the Trojans head into their second season this year. For the latest information on Little Rock Wrestling, make sure to check out LRTrojans.com. You can also find the team on social media at @LittleRockWRES on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Oklahoma City University has selected Nate Gomez as its men's wrestling head coach. Gomez became a part of a national championship wrestling team in college and a state finalist in high school. In 2019-20, five Stars earned all-American honors to equal their program-best number in the 2020 NAIA Championships. Oklahoma City (8-3) took eighth in the team standings and the eighth spot in the postseason national top 25. OCU secured its first conference championship in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference-Sooner Athletic Conference Championships behind six individual league champions. "I'm excited to have Nate Gomez joining our staff to lead the Oklahoma City University men's wrestling team," OCU athletic director Jim Abbott said. "Nate has a comprehensive understanding of what it takes to succeed as a student, athlete and person in our program, and I have no doubt that he will contribute positively to the tradition of success that we enjoy in men's wrestling." Gomez was a member of Central Oklahoma's 13th national championship team in 2001-02 and its national runner-up team in 1999-2000. Gomez held a starting position on the team for four years. During his prep days, Gomez snared Oklahoma Coaches Association all-state honors and a state runner-up finish at Yukon, Okla. "I am excited to accept the position of head men's wrestling coach at Oklahoma City University," Gomez said. "This team is special with a great group of guys in the room. I am looking forward to getting to know these student-athletes better and do everything I can to help them succeed on and off the mat." Gomez has been developing young athletes as a coach at Oklahoma Wrestling Academy. He has served as a representative for Fellowship of Christian Athletes, speaking with many wrestlers across the state. He has been a wrestling official in Oklahoma. OCU produced an 11-5 record, two top-10 finishes, nine all-Americans and 16 national qualifiers the past two years under Sam Hazewinkel. "Sam Hazewinkel has done an amazing job and has put this program in a position to achieve great things," Gomez said. "I want to continue to build on the foundation that he has set and keep the momentum going in the right direction."

Travis Rutt is taking over the helm of the wrestling program at Rochester Community and Technical College, the Post-Bulletin reported this week. Travis RuttRutt will be replacing for head coach Randy Rager, who is stepping down after 15 seasons. The 29-year-old Rutt brings solid mat experience from two top-notch programs: As a 184-pounder at the University of Wisconsin ... then moving up to 197 for the University of Oklahoma. Since 2014, RCTC has won three non-scholarship national championships in 2014, 2017 and this past year. Now Rutt is ready to take the next step up in his career ... and the 43-year-old Rager thinks Rutt is more than ready, saying, "RCTC wrestling is good right now," Rager said. "But Travis is going to make it even better." "It's his demeanor and just the way he is with the guys," Rager said. "Recruiting wise, he's done a great job here. He is easy to get along with." Rutt is a high school graduate of Jackson County Central, though he began at New Prague. His high school wrestling career spanned six years, Rutt making it to state in all of them and winning Minnesota state titles twice. Rutt has been an assistant coach at Cretin-Derham Hall High School in St. Paul, Augsburg College in Minneapolis, the University of Oklahoma (graduate assistant) and the University of Iowa, where he was the wrestling program's strength and conditioning coach before joining Rager's staff. Now, it is his turn to be a head coach. He's off to a nice start, with 16-18 new RCTC recruits set to join the 13-14 wrestlers returning to the program. It's a different feel than last year, when RCTC returned just a handful of wrestlers from the year before. Rutt would still love a replay of the previous season. Not only did the Yellowjackets finish as national champions, but Rutt had the time of his life. "That was the most fun I've ever had in coaching," Rutt said. "Watching the development of these guys through the year was so fun. Guys bought in. They realized the work they put in would pay off in the back end. We had a lot of fun, with a balanced lifestyle socially, academically and athletically. It all fed off the other." Rutt is primed for a successful second season at RCTC. Now, it is Rutt's turn to see what he can do. Rager, who will be acting as an assistant for him, is optimistic. "RCTC wrestling is good right now," Rager said. "But Travis is going to make it even better." "It's his demeanor and just the way he is with the guys," Rager said. "Recruiting wise, he's done a great job here. He is easy to get along with." "It's his demeanor and just the way he is with the guys," Rager said. "Recruiting wise, he's done a great job here. He is easy to get along with." Rutt's plan is to keep building on what Rager's already established at RCTC. He has a sense of what goes into coaching at the junior college level, having served as Rager's assistant the last two years. Rutt had college wrestling coaching experience prior to landing at RCTC two years ago, where he's employed as its Student Life Coordinator, helping organize campus events. Rutt has been an assistant coach at Cretin-Derham Hall High School in St. Paul, Augsburg College in Minneapolis, the University of Oklahoma (graduate assistant) and the University of Iowa , where he was the wrestling program's strength and conditioning coach before joining Rager's staff. Now, it is his turn to be a head coach. He's off to a nice start, with 16-18 new RCTC recruits set to join the 13-14 wrestlers returning to the program. It's a different feel than last year, when RCTC returned just a handful of wrestlers from the year before. Still, he'd love a repeat of last season. Not only did the Yellowjackets finish as national champions, but Rutt had the time of his life. "That was the most fun I've ever had in coaching," Rutt said. "Watching the development of these guys through the year was so fun. Guys bought in. They realized the work they put in would pay off in the back end. We had a lot of fun, with a balanced lifestyle socially, academically and athletically. It all fed off the other." For all these reasons, Travis Rutt is primed for a successful second season at RCTC. Founded in 1915, Rochester Community and Technical College is located in southeastern Minnesota. It serves appropriately 8,000 students each year.

Adeline Gray with the American flag after winning her fifth world title (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Adeline Gray had the dates circled on her calendar. August 2 and 3. That is when Gray was supposed to compete in women's freestyle wrestling at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. The five-time world champion was set to cap her Hall of Fame career with an Olympic gold medal. But Gray's dreams, similar to those of athletes around the globe, were put on hold when the sports world was shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Olympics were postponed to next year. "It's obviously disappointing the Olympics didn't happen this year," Gray said. "It's been a challenge to stay focused and find training opportunities." Adeline Gray works for the fall at the Pan American Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Gray last competed in March's Pan American Championships. The sports world was virtually shut down in March because of the widespread impact of the pandemic. The U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, where Gray trains, has been closed since then. Gray, 29, is one of the most decorated women's wrestlers in international history. She has won seven world medals on the Senior level in addition to capturing Junior and University world titles. She fell short of medaling at the 2016 Olympics before storming back to earn world titles in 2018 and 2019 for the United States. "I had gained a lot of momentum going into the Olympics," she said. "But it's a new territory with this pandemic and it being postponed. We've been off the mat and we haven't been able to compete." Gray's return may come at October's U.S. Senior Nationals in Coralville, Iowa. She has already clinched a berth into the finals of next year's Olympic Trials. She competes at 76 kilograms. "I'm thinking about competing," she said of the U.S. Senior Nationals. "It's been a while without any mat time and it's something I'm considering." Last September in Kazakhstan, Gray became the first American wrestler in any style to capture five world titles. She surpassed the American record of four titles she had shared with John Smith, Jordan Burroughs and Tricia Saunders "It meant a lot to be able to do that," she said. "It's always nice to be a part of history. I was able to put two good seasons together - it's awesome anytime you reach the top of the podium." Tamyra Mensah-Stock, Adeline Gray and Jacarra Winchester won world titles (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Gray was joined in the winner's circle at the 2019 World Championships by teammates Jacarra Winchester and Tamyra Mensah-Stock. "It was awesome to see Jacarra and Tamyra win world titles," Gray said. "It was great to see them so focused and determined. Watching them wrestle, it inspires me and motivates me." More performances like that are expected to follow with women's wrestling in the U.S. experiencing a significant jump in participation at all levels. Gray has inspired her share of young athletes with her strong run of success and by being one of the sport's best ambassadors. "It's really neat to see women's wrestling continue to grow," she said. "It's amazing to see how many opportunities are available now for girls. It's exciting to see." For now, Gray and U.S. Senior-level athletes continue to play the waiting game with the pandemic numbers still high. "There is a lot of uncertainty with not knowing our schedule - everything is still up in the air," she said. "We're ready to get back on the mat, but I'm just eager for the world to get back to normal. It will obviously be nice when we can get back out there and wrestle again. I don't want to rush - I want to make sure we're safe when we do come back. We need to understand the dynamics of everything." Wrestling fans can follow Gray on social media on Twitter and Instagram Craig Sesker has written about wrestling for more than three decades. He's covered three Olympic Games and is a two-time national wrestling writer of the year.