InterMat Staff

Jacori Teemer celebrates after getting a win against Penn State (Photo/Arizona State Athletics) SAN FRANCISCO -- Pac-12 Networks is set to air a pair of wrestling matches from the 2019-20 season, including the Pac-12 Championships, this Sunday on Pac-12 Network. First up at 12 p.m. PT / 1 p.m. MT is the then-No. 5 Arizona State bout from November 22, when it handed then-No. 1 Penn State its first loss in a dual since 2015. Brandon Courtney (125) put the Sun Devils up early with an 18-7 major decision, and Kordell Norfleet (197) helped seal the victory with a 10-4 decision en route to the upset. At 2 p.m. PT / 3 p.m. MT, fans can relive the 2020 Pac-12 Championships in which Arizona State earned its third Pac-12 title in four years. The then-No. 6 Sun Devils scored 141.5 points behind five individual titles by Courtney (125), Jacori Teemer (157), Anthony Valencia (174), Norfleet (197) and Tanner Hall (HWT). Then-No. 24 Stanford placed second and had two individual Pac-12 Champions, Real Woods (141) and Shane Griffith (165). Pac-12 wrestling encore schedule: Sunday, May 3 Then-No. 1 Penn State at then-No. 5 Arizona State - November 22 12 p.m. PT / 1 p.m. MT on Pac-12 Network and the Pac-12 Now app 2020 Pac-12 Championships - March 8 2 p.m. PT / 3 p.m. MT on Pac-12 Network and the Pac-12 Now app PAC-12 NOW APP All broadcasts are also available in HD via the Pac-12 Now app (for iOS, Android and Apple TV). For more information and to see a list of the multiple options to access Pac-12 Networks anywhere across the United States, please visit GetPac12Networks.com. GET PAC-12 NETWORKS All Pac-12 Networks coverage can be seen on Pac-12 Network, the Pac-12 Now app (for iOS, Android and Apple TV) or the appropriate regional channel. Pac-12 Networks subscribers have access to all seven HD channels via the Pac-12 Now app. More information on the multiple options to access and receive Pac-12 Networks anywhere in the United States is available at GetPac12Networks.com. Coverage of the 2019-20 season for all Pac-12 sports can also be followed all year long across the Pac-12 and Pac-12 Networks' digital and social media channels on Pac-12.com, Twitter (@Pac12Network and @Pac12), Facebook (facebook.com/Pac12Conference), Instagram (@Pac12Conference), Snapchat (@pac12conference) and Pac-12 Networks' YouTube channel.

Like many of you, this quarantine is making me anticipate a return to something like normal. I'm tired of cooking all my own meals. I'm tired of doing Instagram workouts. And I'm oh-so-tired of balancing parenting an oversized 20-month-old with a full workday, while cohabitating with my mom and dad. And yet here I am, and here you are, and we are making it work. It's never perfect, but when I'm really frustrated, I think of my friends in New York City who are cramped into impossibly small apartments, having just lost their income, and still finding a way to cheer on front line workers. I'm not always optimistic about humanity but keeping these people in mind has given me some hope for what comes the day after this all ends. And that optimism grows even more when I consider the worldwide response to this pandemic. In almost every nation there are teams of scientists, virologists, biologists striving to find a vaccine, a cure, and a treatment. That collective brainpower and the immeasurable willpower of our frontline workers -- all focused on solving a single problem is incredible in its scope. The wrestling community has felt these feelings of unity in the past. In 2013 we fought together to save our sport's place in the Olympics. Not only did we get back on the Olympic program, we widened our community, made significant improvements, and influenced a massive growth in worldwide participation. That effort wasn't the result of a silver bullet. It was hard work and a sense of common purpose. The world is not free of COVID-19 and it's not entirely clear the effect this virus will have on our sport in the short or long term. It's frightening, but at the moment it's largely outside our direct control. So, when you get down about the lack of competition, or training, or the fact your 20-month-old banged on the keys of your computer and called up some unknown setting in Photoshop -- just remember that we as a people and a sport have an excellent track record of success and we are on our way to another victory. To your questions … Q: Tim, I'm curious to hear your thoughts on Flo's recent film, Bad Cut. Do you think the timing of its release could negatively influence the shot callers of universities with at-risk programs? Would it be a stretch to presume the film (a) reaches this audience and (b) has a significant impact? -- Ethan S. Foley: I haven't watched the film but have heard positive feedback in terms of its quality, storytelling, and cinematography. I will give it a shot this weekend. Though I missed the primary content I did see some of the kids telling their stories of tremendous weight loss, many of whom seemed to take some pride, or joy, in their accomplishment. That's maybe disheartening en masse, but it makes sense when we stop to acknowledge that those moments also create moments of incredible comradery. Overcoming a daunting weight cut does show tremendous discipline and dedication to yourself and your teammates. On the other hand, I think that those stories are just another side effect. In my opinion, we have to air our dirty laundry at times to help inform each other of the pitfalls and the other options that remain available to athletes and coaches. More information is almost always going to influence a better set of outcomes, and I think that exposing these stories to the masses will create positive change. Olympic champ Vladimer Khinchegashvili is still looking to qualify for the Olympics (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Q: What's the likelihood the United States qualifies 65 kilograms in freestyle for the Olympics? Who are some notable wrestlers the U.S. rep will have to beat? -- Mike C. Foley: The unqualified 65-kilogram freestyle wrestlers are arguably the single best in any weight category. There is world champion Haji Aliyev (Azerbaijan), Olympic champion Vladimer Khinchegashvili (Georgia) and a ton of talent with Selahattin Kilicsallayan (Turkey), Amirmohammad Yazdanicherati (Iran) and Erik Arushanian (Ukraine). Not all those guys will qualify at their respective continental championships, which means that they could appear at the Last Chance Qualifier. Worst case, Aliyev or King Vlad don't qualify out of Europe and are sent to Last Chance where they land on the same side of the bracket with the American representative. It's a little early to set the expectation that the USA will or won't qualify given we don't know who is competing for the USA, nor who will show up at the Last Chance. I will say that the loss at Pan Am Qualification put the qualification at-risk in a way that we all recognize. But everything happens for a reason and I think that the team we field in Tokyo will be positioned to win the most golds in over 20 years. Q: The NWCA announced the All-Americans. Do you think national champions (team and individual) should have been named also? -- Mike C. Foley: No. That is an outcome that should not be measured off the mat. The norms are just too in place to award the titles on paper. They used to do this with football (that feels like forever ago), but it was often derided as unfair. There was enough going on in the world that felt negative and combative, and awarding those titles may have only made things feel a little crappier than need be. I did like the All-America honors as that matched the other norms in the sporting world and could be accepted as an outcome of the season's performance. Q: When do you think wrestling will resume in the United States? -- Mike C. Foley: Certainly I can't answer that question with any clarity, but I might be able to provide some context for how decisions are sometimes made. For this problem -- a global pandemic featuring a virus passed through close contact -- wrestling is ill fit to lead the march back to sports. More likely, we will be the sport featured as a capstone to a worldwide effort to defeat this awful virus and return to normalcy. Other sports will filter on and off our screens for months or years before we see wrestling. But it will be when we, the world, first watch a wrestling match and not think of transmission, that we will know we've won the battle against the disease. That will be the role of wrestling -- to welcome us back to something like normal. It's not scripture, but to me it can feel that way now as it did in 2013. The opening of "Magnificent Scufflers" perfectly encapsulates the notion that you can't kill off wrestling. It might suffer, it may be ignored, but it always, always, always rises again. Almost certainly wrestling is the oldest sport of mankind … It came to town with the Olympiads of Ancient Greece and went back to the country after the decline of Rome -- there to remain, at least in greatest part, for nearly two thousand years. Preponderantly in and because of the country the sport has lived on in the general manner of pasture bluets, or field daisies, or other more or less global and substantially invincible wildflowers. Time and time again pasture bluets can be and have been burned away by the heavy hoofs or close-grazing herds. Yet with mystic stubbornness and effectiveness the pasture bluets somehow rise and bloom again. Wrestling is like that. It thrives, meets apparent destruction or widespread abandonment only to rise again, taking resurrection from a good and folkish earth. This has come to pass in many nations and it keeps happening in our own. Q: Any show recommendations during the quarantine? -- Mike C. Foley: The coloring is AWFUL, but I'm trying to get back into Ozark, which I hear has a great third season. We just finished the final episode of "Homeland" and found that to always be a great show, though I don't know how it would feel to binge. Some friends are going back and watching the Sopranos start to finish. I'm thinking of starting Downton Abbey. Season 2 of Killing Eve is out (I think) and you can start Waco, which is an eye-opening adventure through that terrible event and what led up to it. I'm also watching a lot of TikTok videos. I would recommend, "Dadasaurus" …

MANHEIM, Pa -- On Thursday, the National Wrestling Coaches Association announced the full slate of 2019-2020 Scholar All-American Team and Individual honorees for NCAA Division I with awards going to 175 individuals representing 63 institutions. Links: Top 30 Scholar All-American Teams | Individual Scholar All-Americans "On behalf of the NWCA and our Board of Directors, we are ecstatic to honor the amazing academic achievement demonstrated by this year's Scholar All-American teams and individuals," said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. "NCAA Division I institutions continue to demonstrate their commitment to academics." In the team race, Drexel University finished atop the field with a 3.5895 GPA followed by American University (3.5497) and Harvard University (3.4962). For the individual awards, the University of Iowa led the list of honorees with eight All-Americans while Illinois, NC State, and Ohio St. each had six individuals reach All-American status.

Earlier this week, the NFHS Wrestling Rules Committee announced nearly a dozen new rules with an impact on high school wrestling -- eliminating restrictions on hair length, and clarification of weigh-in requirements to eliminate potential issues with having male and female wrestlers stepping onto the scales in the same locker room, to name two of some of the most-discussed -- but some in the wrestling community are focusing on what was NOT in the new NFHS rules for 2020-21. No changes to the long-standing 14-weight class structure. In recent years, however, a number of high school wrestling coaches have expressed concern that 14 weight classes cause problems of their own. For starters, that many weight classes can make it more difficult for many smaller schools to have a minimum of one wrestler for each weight class ... or risk costly forfeits. From another perspective, an even number of weight classes can more readily result in a team-score tie that requires some sort of tiebreaker that would be avoided if there's an odd number of wrestlers on each team in a dual meet. It's an issue that folks in at least one "wrestling hotbed" state have been grappling with for a number of years ... and now even more willing to share some ideas to eliminate perceived problems with an even-number of individual weight classes. However, the organization that governs school wrestling programs in Pennsylvania -- the PIAA (Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association) -- is now proposing changes to upper weight classes for the upcoming season. Among those changes: reducing the number of weight classes down to 13. The PIAA wrestling steering committee crafted a proposal Wednesday to reduce the number of weight classes from 14 to 13 while leaving all of the weights from 106-160 pounds intact, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. The Pittsburgh paper went on to report, "In the new set of weight classes outlined in the proposal, the 170-pound weight class would be bumped up to 172 pounds, the 182-pound weight class would be increased to 189 pounds and the 220-pound weight class would be lowered to 215 pounds, while the 195-pound weight class would be scrapped altogether." From the other end of Pennsylvania, LehighValleyLive.com explained the committee's following rationales: "minimal changes to the current 14-class structure (nothing changes at 160 and below); ties easier to break in dual meets; and for facing out-of-state competition, whether it be in Pennsylvania under this proposal or out of the state under the current NFHS classes (170, 182, 195, 220, 285), only three weight classes would have to adjust weight descent plans." This proposed new weight-class structure of 13 classes wasn't cooked up in the days after this week's announced wrestling rules from the NFHS, but, in fact were a year in the making, according to Canon-McMillan athletic director Frank Vulcano, who also serves as the chairman of the WPIAL (Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League) wrestling committee and represented the WPIAL at Wednesday's annual committee meeting. "It all started last year at our committee meeting when we proposed going to 12 [weight classes] and hoping the [National Federation of State High Schools] would do something this year," Vulcano told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "The federation came out with their new rules changes for next year yesterday, and there was no movement in the weight-class changes." This proposed restructuring of Pennsylvania high school wrestling classes will be considered by the PIAA board of directors for final approval on May 20.

Ursinus College Athletics is devastated by the recent loss of former standout student-athlete Daniel Manganaro. Earlier this month Manganaro '15, a star on the Bears' wrestling team, was reported to have been one of two men paddling in a canoe on Seneca Lake in New York when the canoe overturned. Despite intense recovery efforts, he was never found. "Dan was one of a kind," said longtime Ursinus assistant coach Pat Curry '01. "Whenever he walked into a room, he became the center of attention. There was just something about his presence, his attitude, his smile, and that hair. People were always just naturally drawn to him. Mango enjoyed every day of his life and you could see it just by looking at him." Daniel ManganaroManganaro was a standout on the mat for the Bears. He reached the 184-pound Centennial Conference title bout all four years of his career, claiming gold as a sophomore in 2013, and was a three-time place-winner at the NCAA East Regional championship. During Manganaro's time with the program, Ursinus lost only two conference duals and captured back-to-back CC crowns in 2013 and 2014. In 2015, Manganaro received the Chris Clifford Award, given to the senior wrestler who accumulated the most career points at the CC tournament. That year, he was runner-up at regionals to earn his first career bid to the NCAA championships, where he upset the No. 5 national seed in the opening round. "I'll never forget when Dan qualified for nationals," Curry said. "He was so close the year before, losing in the 3rd place match by a point in overtime. The next day he was out there training on his own and I asked him what he was doing and his simple response was 'I am never letting that happen to me again.' His senior year, he didn't - he took second at the qualifier and made it to nationals." For teammate Chris Donaldson, the trip to nationals was the culmination of a pact between the two of them and Richie Jasinski, the team's three seniors. It was also a richly deserved reward for someone who had magnified the joy when Donaldson had earned a place at nationals two years prior. "I got back to campus around dinner time," Donaldson recalls. "As soon as I got back to our dorm room Mango had decorated the room congratulating me. He also immediately picked me up and carried me to Wismer and ran me around the whole dining hall while people cheered and congratulated me. He was just that type of person - he loved seeing his friends reach their goals and celebrating with them. "Fast forward to senior year, all three seniors had the goal from freshman year of going to nationals together. This was our last year to make it happen. I was so proud and happy when Dan qualified for nationals, especially since it was going to be in our own back yard at the Hershey Arena. I was able to return the favor and celebrate with him. I remember picking him up right after his match and carrying him up the stairs. We had finally reached our goal of all being able to experience Division III nationals." An exercise and sport science major, Manganaro also excelled in the classroom, garnering Scholar All-America recognition from the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA). He recently graduated from the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine and was set to begin his career as a surgeon at a Philadelphia hospital. "He was one of the brightest I've ever worked with," said Dr. Richard Terry, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at LECOM. "A wonderful human being who would have made a wonderful physician." Classmates, teammates, and coaches remember Dan as someone who always put others first, for his cheerful smile and his heart of gold. "The word 'athlete' is derived from the Greek word "athlein" which means 'competes for a prize,'" said Chelsy (Paulose) Heydt '15, a former wrestling manager and friend of Manganaro. "Dan is the ultimate athlete. He conquered every situation like it was the championships. For Dan, there was no practice round, no semifinals. Everything he did was as if he was going for that trophy. He gave it his all no matter if he was on the mat for practice or for a tournament. He would take tests or do labs as if it was his final thesis. He had fun and celebrated like the world would end tomorrow. He loved and protected his family and friends like he would win a medal for it. Dan gave his all in every aspect of his life." Perhaps most of all, Manganaro was renowned for his hair, a curly mop that often drew the ire of the late, great Bill Racich. "He would always drive Coach Racich nuts about the length of his hair," Curry said. "The rule back then was that your hair could not be past your eyebrows in the front and below your neck in the back. I'll never forget Mango said to Coach one day, 'If I don't win, I will let you cut my hair' with this huge smile on his face. Dan of course won that match and gave a little smile over at Coach Racich as he was getting his hand raised." Colleen Fida, Ursinus' Assistant Director of Annual Giving and a fellow 2015 graduate, said Manganaro was an unforgettable person who lived for others. "From his kind heart that always put others before himself, to his cheerful smile and ability to light up every room he entered … he's a soul that's impossible to forget. He had a heart of gold, constantly thinking of his family and friends and looking for ways to make them smile, laugh, or help them in some way. I personally have Dan to thank for teaching me how to study more efficiently and ultimately helping me to pass a few tests that I thought I was doomed for. Mind you, the many times he spent helping me, he was putting off studying for his anatomy tests coming up the following day and yep, you guessed it, that genius still aced them all!" Manganaro's infectious spirit even left an indelible mark on the Bears' rivals. "He was a fierce competitor and impossible not to love," Stevens coach Mike Clayton said. "Even when he was beating up on a Duck." One thing is certain: The man they called Mango will never be forgotten. "Dan Manganaro was an exceptional person who always pushed you to be a better version of yourself," Donaldson said. "He had a unique personality and ability about him that if you met him once you never forgot him. He will be missed but never forgotten." "The world has lost a wonderful person, but Heaven has gained one great soul," Fida said. "Rest In Peace, Mango... we will miss you so much."

One of the top high school wrestling coaches in Oklahoma is about to take the helm as principal at his school. Matt SurberMatt Surber, head wrestling coach at Tuttle High School, has been named principal at the school just outside Oklahoma City. In the words of The Oklahoman -- the daily newspaper of Oklahoma City -- in its news story on Thursday, "Surber took over the wrestling program in 2006, and the Tigers dominated their competition during his tenure." With Surber at the helm, Tuttle claimed its 12th consecutive state tournament title this year, setting a record. The Class 4A Tigers concluded the 2019-20 season with a record nine wrestlers who won individual state championship titles, and recorded the most team points (247) in state tournament history. If that weren't enough, Tuttle also won its 11th straight dual state title. If the name Surber sounds familiar -- and you're not from Oklahoma -- you may already recognize the last name as belong to Luke Surber, son of the Tuttle High mat coach, who, as one of the nation's top stars, won the 2020 Class 4A title at 182 pounds. Luke will be wrestling for the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Matt Surber said his decision to quit coaching was difficult, but he is proud of the impact he had on the wrestling program. "We've had kids go to a lot of places," he said. "I'm most proud of that. The opportunity that wrestling has provided our kids to further their education and, of course, all of the relationships and influences I've had over the years." Surber's appointment must be approved by the school board prior to July 1.

The COVID-19 pandemic is having a huge impact on our lives. Disrupting long-standing ways of doing things. Like conducting wrestling practice in these times of shuttered schools, "shelter-in-place" orders, mandatory "home schooling" and "social distancing." Even in these challenging times, there are ways you can use advanced technology and distance learning to help your wrestlers master the vital skills to become even more successful in the oldest and greatest sport. To help coaches and wrestlers come out on top in these trying times, InterMat thought now is the time to share proven wrestling techniques by using available distance-learning technology from multiple sources. As we see it, there are at least two options to conduct wrestling lessons and training sessions using distance-learning technologies. Share your proven wrestling instruction using the latest-and-greatest tech tools. (We'll introduce you to a trio of experienced coaches around the country who are making technology work for them to instruct and inform wrestlers even when wrestling rooms are shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic.) Tap into the considerable educational resources of USA Wrestling. Coaches like you share what works for them Fellow coaches are using their proven techniques -- along with today's technology -- to conduct wrestling practice remotely ... ensuring the safety you and your wrestlers deserve in these times of social distancing. In just the past week, I came across wrestling coaches in opposite corners of the country -- one in the Pacific Northwest, one in the Southeast, along with a yet another in the Northeast -- who are overcoming obstacles to instruction in the era of coronavirus. Let's take a look at each facility. Sweet Home, Oregon: Despite the cancellation of local sporting events and stay-at-home orders, a wrestling coach in Sweet Home, Ore. wrestling coach is making sure his athletes are still training." "We can't get to a mat right now so we needed to come up with something that people can do from their living rooms or outside," Steve Thorpe told KTVL-TV. "Without being able to come together with a big practice, this is kind of what we came up with." Since the first Facebook live practice on March 26, Thorpe said his online training sessions have had over 6,000 views. "We've had such a big following that I have people reaching out wanting to be a part of running the sessions and I get a lot of pictures sent to me from the kids and parents working out and doing it with the kids." See for yourself. Get in on the Sweet Home High School wrestling's practice sessions by visiting the Oregon Wrestling Association's Facebook page . (They host several practices throughout the week.) North Alabama Elite Wrestling Club coach Jason Guyton uses Zoom to watch his wrestlers at home Sweet Home, Alabama: Two thousand miles to the southeast of Oregon, a wrestling club coach in Athens, Ala. isn't letting COVID-19 stop him from training his wrestlers. Instead, Jason Guyton is now instructing his mat stars from a distance ... using Zoom, a technology tool usually used by businesses to bring together individuals virtually from multiple locations, providing services such as video conferencing, online meetings, chat and mobile collaboration. "We're not sitting around being idle," said Guyton, who has been involved in wrestling for thirty years, and now coaches at North Alabama Elite Wrestling Club. "I have a parent who advised me about the Zoom app," Guyton said in an interview with WZDX-TV. "There's a feature called 'gallery' which lets me watch all my wrestlers at home (during practice) and they can see me and see each other too." New York-New England border: Grant Paswall owns GPS Wrestling, a traditional wrestling training facility located in Armonk, N.Y., just north of New York City on the New York/Connecticut border, that works with wrestlers "from ages 3 years and up," to quote Paswall, who wrestled at Blair Academy, then at University of Illinois, and Cal State Bakersfield prior to launching his own business. When asked how GPS Wrestling made the move to distance learning, Paswall replied, "We made the call first to close down the facility for a couple weeks and put a "pause" on things (prior to shelter-in-place rules were put in place). We decided to do our part to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus before the government had made the decision to shut down gyms and other sports facilities." "For our last in-person classes, we put together a schedule for them to work out at home, and talked about film review. Then later, I put out four videos on Instagram, skills you can work on by yourself. I also asked wrestlers to put together their own their own videos to make connections, getting them to think about how to use technology to continue learning and working out." "I've created a curriculum for online learning -- eight basic fundamentals -- the stuff that's basic to successful wrestlers," Pasweal continued. "I wanted to share what has worked for me at my facility, and can work for wrestlers and coaches beyond my area." Paswall has even gone so far as to encourage coaches and wrestlers across the country to submit their own videos online, so others can benefit from new training perspectives. To see what Grant Paswall is doing online, visit the GPS Wrestling Facebook page and website. Put the power of USA Wrestling to work for your wrestlers The considerable resources of USA Wrestling are available to you and your wrestlers -- anytime, anywhere. Mike Clayton, manager of USA Wrestling's National Coaches Education Program (NCEP) and owner of Session6Wrestling.com, shared with InterMat some ideas for taking on one of the toughest opponents any coach or wrestler has to take on: the COVID-19 pandemic. "To help our members focus training on other key areas, USA Wrestling has launched TheMat.tv, a portal with thousands of free wrestling videos, including instruction videos, competition video and interview videos," according to Clayton. "USA Wrestling is also producing daily 'Moments off the Mat' video interviews, which are streamed on TheMat.tv each weekday at 3 p.m." "We've also launched a new USA Wrestling app to best communicate info to our members: Step 1: Download the free app at "Team USA Mobile Coach App" Step 2: Click the three dashes in the upper right to open the options menu and click "add account" (enter your USA Wrestling ID) Add "USA Wrestling" "As coaches, parents, and athletes, we can make gains through education," Clayton told InterMat. "As a benefit to all current Wrestling Leader members, USA Wrestling has made the online Copper (ages 12 and under) and Bronze (13 and over) Certification courses available for free. A $50 membership now provides $130 in free educational courses for a limited time. Having both Copper and Bronze qualifies members to start Silver tasks. These tasks include coaching clinics at the Olympic and Paralympic Training Center and several other tasks that help coaches reflect and refine their coaching philosophies." Dan Gable University Legends Series. USA Wrestling's Mike Clayton also recommended these videos for wrestlers who are now unable to train in their usual facilities ... providing over three hours of video tips from amateur wrestling legend Dan Gable. It's easy to tap into this knowledge from just about anywhere: Step 1: Access the Legends Series at www.USAWmembership.com Step 2: Click "Extras then "Dan Gable University Legends Series pricing: Non-members with guest log-in: $34.95 USA Wrestling members: $24.95 Note: Become a USA Wrestling member ... and save over 20% NWCA launches Scholastic Wrestling Webinar Series presented by the US Marine Corps: The National Wrestling Coaches Association has announced the launch of its new coaching development initiative -- the Scholastic Wrestling Webinar Series presented by the United States Marine Corps --timed just right for today's reality. "Coaches are currently operating in uncharted waters as they deal with school closings and social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic," according to Mike Moyer, NWCA Executive Director. "It is our hope that these free webinars will help connect coaches and give them an opportunity for continuous coaching development." The free webinar series is available for all coaches interested in learning from the team of NWCA Scholastic Leadership Academy facilitators. Membership is not required for participation. Each one-hour webinar will be offered on Wednesday and Sunday evenings at 7:30 p.m. Eastern. Following the session, the archived video will be available in the NWCA Member's Only Portal for on-demand viewing. Here's the schedule for upcoming webinars: How a Better Culture Can Improve your Team's Experience and Performance Presenter: Dave Crowell, Nazareth High School (Pa.) Wednesday, April 29 Sunday, May 3 REGISTER Building Champions: Creating a Culture of Commitment and Mental Toughness This Year Presenter: Pete Jacobson, Edgemont High School (N.Y.) Wednesday, May 6 Sunday, May 10 REGISTER Long-Term Athletic Development: Age-Appropriate Training/Competition Guidelines Presenter: Dr. Dennis Johnson, HEM-VIEW Consultants LLC Wednesday, May 13 Sunday, May 17 REGISTER Details for additional webinar topics will be released as they get scheduled going forward. Scheduling updates will be available via the NWCA Events Page. Sports psychology tools to enhance wrestling performance in this time of quarantine The feature article you're reading is intended to provide practical ideas to help wrestlers develop skills at a time when access to the wrestling room is limited. Now ... here's a development tool that coaches and wrestlers like you may never considered, and, if fact, may not even know about. InterMat interviewed Dr. Rob Elliott Owens to learn about his techniques to help athletes (and others) maximize performance and give them a performance edge. Dr. Owens, an adjunct professor in sport and performance psychology at the University of Western States, is a member of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) which describes itself as "the leading organization for sport psychology consultants and professionals who work with athletes, coaches, non-sport performers (dancers, musicians), business professionals, and tactical occupations (military, firefighters, police) to enhance their performance from a psychological standpoint." The core psychological/mental skills needed for optimal performance for grappling sports like wrestling include the ability to build confidence, set realistic and measurable goals, manage emotions and anxiety effectively, use positive self-talk and mental imagery to prepare for competition, and maintain high levels of intrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation is about competing for the fun or sake of competition versus competing just to win medals or trophies. What's more, Dr. Owens has a background in online teaching, faculty/professional development, wellness coaching, program evaluation, credentialing and accreditation ... the kind of skills coaches and wrestlers will truly appreciate in their search for skills that are relevant. In order to enhance an athlete's mental skills, Dr. Owens recommends the following resources for wrestling coaches and athletes: Finding Mastery and Z Wrestling Midset podcasts. Dr. Jim Afremow's Mental Skills Training App for Athletes, and the second edition of noted wrestling historian Mike Chapman's book Wrestling Tough. Mental Skills Training Made Easy. Develop pro level mental skills by following the mental training routines used by the world's top athletes .... Ready for you to download via the Appstore and Googleplay (access download apps by clicking on the link within in the subhead in this section. For athletes looking for a more personal approach to develop their mental edge, Dr. Owens recommends that wrestlers of all levels consider working with a certified mental performance consultant (CMPC). AASP maintains a directory where wrestlers can search for mental skills consultants based on geographic location, sport, and specialization. For additional information, please contact Dr. Owens at reowens@uncg.edu Got specific questions for Dr. Owens? Contact him via email him: reowens@uncg.edu. Get a great wrestling workout at lunchtime -- online! If you're locked out of your wrestling room nowadays, you can still get in a great workout, thanks to Lewis Baker's Facebook group Wrestling Lunch Break -- Live Wrestling Practice (with Rotating Coaches). Every day at 12:30-1:30 p.m. ET, the Facebook group lets you get in on a practice session run by some of the nation's best club, private and/or high-level coaches There's absolutely no charge for these unbeatable lessons and coaching. (Feel free to offer payment to the coach's own PayPay/Vemmo account or the charity of the week.) What are the lessons like? Most coaches will record a brief introduction to themselves and their lesson plans, along with any equipment that might make it easier for you to complete your workout. So tell your friends, tell your teammates, but most importantly check in and check out some of the best the wrestling world has to offer ... for free!

"The NCAA takes biggest step yet toward allowing college athletes to be compensated for name, image and likeness." That's the headline on a MSN.com news story Wednesday reporting that the NCAA Board of Governors -- the association's highest governing body -- expressed support for recommended rule changes that would allow college athletes to be compensated for their name, image and likeness. After meeting earlier this week, the NCAA Board of Governors agreed that student-athletes should be allowed to receive compensation for third-party endorsements "both related and separate from athletics." Additionally, athletes would be permitted to receive payment for other opportunities "such as social media, businesses they have started and personal appearances" all based on a framework established by the NCAA last October. "While student-athletes would be permitted to identify themselves by sport and school, the use of conference and school logos, trademarks or other involvement would not be allowed," according to the NCAA Board of Governors statement issued Wednesday. "The board emphasized that at no point should a university or college pay student-athletes for name, image and likeness activities." In fact, the board is requiring limitations around any future name, image and likeness activities. These would include no name, image and likeness activities that would be considered pay for play; no school or conference involvement; no use of name, image and likeness for recruiting by schools or boosters; and the regulation of agents and advisors. "Throughout our efforts to enhance support for college athletes, the NCAA has relied upon considerable feedback from and the engagement of our members, including numerous student-athletes, from all three divisions [Div. I, II and III]," said Michael V. Drake, chair of the board and president of Ohio State. "Allowing promotions and third-party endorsements is uncharted territory."

Spencer Lee wrestling in the Big Ten Championships quarterfinals (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) IOWA CITY, Iowa -- University of Iowa junior Spencer Lee was named co-winner of the AAU James E. Sullivan Award on Wednesday, presented annually since 1930 to the most outstanding amateur athlete in the United States. The winner is determined by public vote, media vote, and committee vote. Lee shared the award with Oregon women's basketball player Sabrina Ionescu. It is the third time in the 90-year history of the Sullivan Award that co-winners were selected. "I am incredibly humbled," Lee said. "It was an honor to be nominated and reach the finals, so to be selected among this incredible group of individuals is pretty special. It is great to be the fifth wrestler to win the award, and it is really special to be able to represent the University of Iowa. I am happy to share this award with Sabrina. All of the finalists are deserving. I am very surprised and very thankful." Lee is the fourth wrestler to be recognized. He joins Bruce Baumgartner, Rulon Gardner, John Smith, and Kyle Snyder as past amateur wrestling award winners. He and Ionescu were selected among 10 finalists, including Evita Griskenas (USA rhythmic gymnastics), Grant Holloway (Florida track & field), Markus Howard (Marquette basketball), Trevor Lawrence (Clemson football), Dana Rettke (Wisconsin volleyball), Kyla Ross (UCLA gymnastics), Megan Taylor (Maryland lacrosse), and Abby Weitzeil (Cal swimming & diving). The Sullivan Awards are held annually at the New York Athletic Club. This is the first year they were held virtually. All 10 of this year's finalists will be invited to visit the NYAC in 2021. Lee and Ionescu are both invited to celebrate their awards with the AAU at Walt Disney World. Representatives from the AAU created the AAU James E. Sullivan Award with the intent to recognize amateur contributions and achievements from non-professional athletes across the country. The AAU Sullivan Award is presented to the athlete who has demonstrated the most athletic success, as well as leadership, character and sportsmanship in the past year. World renowned golfer Robert "Bobby" Jones received the inaugural award in 1930 and swimmer Anne Curtis became the first female to accept the award in 1944. Other notable athletes to win the award include famed Olympians Carl Lewis (1981), Jackie Joyner-Kersee (1986), Michael Phelps (2003) and Shawn Johnson (2008), former UCLA basketball star Bill Walton (1973) and University of Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning (1997).

Last week, a decision made by the governor of Florida that deemed professional wrestling to be "an essential activity" generated headlines -- and some derision -- well beyond the Sunshine State. This week, the Florida High School Athletic Association took an historic first step in opening new opportunities for real wrestling, voting unanimously to endorse the sanctioning of the sport for girls. If approved by the FHSAA Board of Directors this summer, Florida will join 23 other states in sanctioning girls' wrestling, the Miami Herald reported Wednesday. A number of coaches made their case for making girls' high school wrestling an official sport in Florida in a virtual public meeting using Zoom video technology to avoid large in-person assemblies in this era of the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. "As soon as a state association legitimizes a sport, more girls flock to the sport," Orlando Freedom High School girls' wrestling coach Lynzie Doll told the FHSAA's Athletic Directors Advisory Committee. During the most recent school year, there were 708 girls listed on Florida high school wrestling rosters. "That's 708 girls that are brave enough to wrestle on a boys wrestling team," said Mike Crowder, Tallahassee Lincoln coach. "When you change this to an all-girls sport, the numbers are gonna be outrageous." "It's usually easier the second time after getting the unanimous approval the first time but we did a good job presenting it," Crowder told the Orlando Sentinel. What's more, once high school girls' wrestling is officially sanctioned in Florida, girls will have their own competition at the state wrestling championships.

Heath Gray MANHEIM, Pa -- On Wednesday, the National Wrestling Coaches Association announced the winners of both the Division II Wrestler of the Year and Rookie Wrestler of the Year awards. "We are proud to honor two very deserving athletes on their outstanding achievements during the 2020 season. They were each selected from a group of highly decorated athletes and should be proud of the manner in which they represented their institutions," said Mike Moyer, NWCA Executive Director. NWCA DIVISION II WRESTLER OF THE YEAR The NWCA is proud to announce the NWCA Division II Wrestler of the Year is Heath Gray from the University of Central Oklahoma. Gray, a junior from Chandler, Oklahoma, who competes at 184 pounds, completed his season with a 29-1 record and was named one of six NWCA Division II Super Regional Wrestlers of the Year. Gray's impressive 2020 season was highlighted by winning the Super Regional Title and securing the No. 1 seed for the NCAA Division II Championships. This followed his sophomore campaign in which he secured All-American honors with a third-place finish at the Division II National Championships. Heath will enter his senior campaign looking to achieve his third All-America honor. SUPER REGION WRESTLER OF THE YEAR WINNERS Super Region 1 - Andrew Dunn, Kutztown University Super Region 2 - Isiah Royal, Newberry College Super Region 3 - Hunter Bray, Notre Dame College Super Region 4 - Heath Gray, University of Central Oklahoma Super Region 5 - Nick Baumler, Upper Iowa University Super Region 6 - Robert Gambrell, Colorado School of Mines NWCA DIVISION II ROOKIE WRESTLER OF THE YEAR This year's NWCA Division II Rookie Wrestler of the year is Joseph Bianchini of St. Cloud State University. The Elk Grove Village, IL native, finished his redshirt freshman campaign with a 20-1 record and was named one of six NWCA Division II Super Regional Rookie Wrestlers of the Year. The 2020 season saw Bianchini, 141-pound wrestler, win the Super Regional Title, earn All-NSIC First Team honors, and capture NWCA All-American honors. SUPER REGION ROOKIE WRESTLER OF THE YEAR WINNERS Super Region 1 - Jacob Ealey, University of Pitt-Johnstown Super Region 2 - Josh Blatt, Belmont Abbey College Super Region 3 - Jared Campbell, Notre Dame College Super Region 4 - Dalton Abney, University of Central Oklahoma Super Region 5 - Joseph Bianchini, St. Cloud State University Super Region 6 - Patrick Allis, Western Colorado University ABOUT THE NWCA The National Wrestling Coaches Association, established in 1928, is a non-profit organization for the advancement of all levels of the sport of wrestling with primary emphasis on developing coaches who work in academic environments. The three core competencies of the NWCA are: Coaching Development, Student-Athlete Welfare, and the Promotion of Wrestling.

J'den Cox (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The date is March 18, 2017. J'den Cox has just defeated Minnesota's Brett Pfarr, 8-2, to win his third national championship in front of 18,000 fans at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis. In his home state, he has just finished one of, if not the most magnificent collegiate career in Mizzou history, becoming the first three-time National Champion in Mizzou Athletics history. Three national titles. Four All-America honors. Four conference championships. 136 victories. The resume is lengthy. But when asked about his journey to get to where he is, Cox simplifies it. "I'm just a boy from Columbia, Missouri, named J'den Cox and I just love to wrestle," said the homegrown talent after finishing off his spectacular collegiate career. It's a mindset he still carries to this day. "Obviously there's more that stems on to it, but that right there carries it," said Cox. "I'm just a boy from CoMo who likes to scrap it out. That will never change. It will always be that for me and I am proud of that. I'll carry that for a long time." But for Cox, life has always been about more than wrestling. On top of his training and sponsorship fulfillments, Cox has become an advocate for the mental health and hearing-impaired communities. His weekly instructional videos on sign language have become a hit within his following. The relationships and interactions he has made throughout his journey have meant the world to him. "My goal has always been to not be recognized as a wrestler, but as a person," said Cox. "My growth can't just come on a mat, it has to come throughout my life. I think the person, the man I've become to be and still am growing to be, it's something that I take seriously and I hold to a very high standard. I think people see that and respect that. With time, as I grew, it really started to show. And I think people were really able to take in who I was and I think that added to how awesome it was and what I accomplished. But I definitely think fans cheer for the person more than the wrestler." In the summer of 2016, just weeks after winning his second national title, Cox exploded onto the international wrestling scene, cumulating in a bronze medal at the Rio Olympics. His remarkable summer began with a run through his weight class (86 kg) at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, where he was seeded 10th and beat the likes of Dan Hodge Trophy winners Jake Herbert and Kyle Dake to earn his first spot on the U.S National Team. With his weight class not yet qualified for the Olympics, Cox's next step to Olympic glory included a trip to Mongolia for a Qualifying Tournament. One issue, Cox didn't have a passport. So he hopped on a quick flight to Denver, and drove to Colorado Springs so the US Olympic committee could assist in the sped-up process. The Columbia-grown superstar was ready for international travel. Once in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Cox needed to finish in the top-three of his weight class to qualify the red white and blue for Rio. In dominating fashion, he finished first, outscoring the opposition, 36-3, in five matches. He was ready for Rio. On that fateful day in August, Cox came so close to wrestling gold, falling in the semifinals in controversial fashion. But he rebounded in fashion, just like he always has, to earn the bronze medal at 86 kg following a win over Cuba's Reineris Salas Perez. He became just the seventh Mizzou athlete – and the first since 2008 – to win a medal at the Olympics. Fast forward four years to 2020. Add on another World bronze medal and two World Championships to Cox's resume. This was supposed to be Cox's year. He was ready to win gold at the Olympics. Until life changed. For Cox and for the entire world, as the Olympics and every other sporting event around the globe was postponed or canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "That's where we are right now, people's health and people's well-being have to come first," said Cox. "So we are making the adjustments as we go along, I think it's hard because there is a lot of bad news as far as how we train and how we want to go along things as athletes, but we have to roll with the punches and do our best and make the adjustments as we need to." "My goal has always been to not be recognized as a wrestler, but as a person. My growth can't just come on a mat, it has to come throughout my life. I think the person, the man I've become to be and still am growing to be, it's something that I take seriously and I hold to a very high standard. I think people see that and respect that. With time, as I grew, it really started to show. And I think people were really able to take in who I was and I think that added to how awesome it was and what I accomplished. But I definitely think fans cheer for the person more than the wrestler." Don't worry, though. Cox is confident this will not slow him down. "Whenever I get the chance again, I'll be ready to take it back out there," said the Olympic hopeful. Cox's goals have always been ambitious, but that's not what he hopes to be remembered for. "My career is going to happen however it sees fit," said Cox. "Whether I make teams or don't. Whether I win medals or don't. But I believe the things that I have done, the interactions that I have had, the person I am and how I carry myself is what makes Missouri proud. And that is what I would like people to recognize, because at the end of the day, there are going to be plenty more Olympians after me. There will be plenty more World Medalists and Olympic Medalists, and all that, but there will forever be one J'den Cox. My goal to make Missouri proud is to carry myself with dignity, honor and respect, and treat others with love and care and passion and go from there living day-by-day."

Hungry to watch some college wrestling in the off-season? Feeling housebound because of the COVID-19 quarantine? University of Tennessee-Chattanooga wrestling has just what you're looking for: old-school wrestling films available for your viewing pleasure ... this Thursday, April 29 at 8 p.m. Eastern at Facebook.com/ChattanoogaMocs. If that weren't fun on its own, how about this: You can help UTC Moc wrestling identify some of the unidentified wrestlers on the film. Here's the story: "Earlier this year, we digitized a number of old 8MM and 16MM film cannisters from our archives. Most of the cans were old football games, but there was a handful that were unmarked and a mystery to us. "When we the digital copies were returned, we were surprised to see a few of the cans were old wrestling footage. There are some we can figure out, but most we don't know who is wrestling or when the match occurred." (The UTC MocsVision crew encourages wrestling fans to "speak up" during the show if you know who is competing.) "We thought we could use them somewhere down the road, but had no idea that fans would soon be starving for Mocs action due to the COVID-19 pandemic." All that restored film has added up to enough footage for four of these UTC Old-School Wrestling Watch Party sessions. According to UTC wrestling, this first edition includes footage from the 1977 NCAA Division II National Championship, and "we also think there are some matches from the 1979 Midlands Tournament. All totaled, about 35 minutes of action." Now you can't say, "There's nothing to watch tonight ..."

The point cannot be mentioned enough, but in an individualized team sport such as wrestling, talent matters. While there are clearly factors such as attrition, development, and culture that play integral roles in the success of teams and individuals at the college level -- there is a strong tie between ability level and success. When looking at the All-American finishes from the last four NCAAs (top eight seeds were used this year due to the tournament being canceled), here is a look at the ratio of All-Americans based on the prospect rankings: Top-10 recruits: (2017) 19/80 (2018) 23/80 (2019) 25/80 (2020) 18/80 Top-20 recruits: (2017) 33/80 (2018) 32/80 (2019) 35/80 (2020) 34/80 Top-30 recruits: (2107) 40/80 (2018) 38/80 (2019) 45/80 (2020) 45/80 Top-100 recruits: (2017) 60/80 (2018) 63/80 (2019) 67/80 (2020) 68/80 The rosters of the two dominant teams in the 2019-20 season, Iowa and Penn State, personify the "talent matters" premise. Recruiting class rankings for Iowa's 10 NCAA qualifiers: 125: Spencer Lee -- No. 1 Class of 2017 133: Austin DeSanto -- No. 14 Class of 2017 (was transfer from Drexel) 141: Max Murin -- No. 30 Class of 2017 149: Patricio Lugo -- No. 75 Class of 2015 (was transfer from Edinboro) 157: Kaleb Young -- No. 26 Class of 2016 165: Alex Marinelli -- No. 3 Class of 2016 174: Michael Kemerer -- No. 11 Class of 2015 184: Abe Assad -- No. 26 Class of 2019 197: Jacob Warner -- No. 7 Class of 2017 285: Anthony Cassioppi -- No. 18 Class of 2018 Recruiting class rankings for Penn State's seven NCAA qualifiers: 133: Roman Bravo-Young -- No. 15 Class of 2018 141: Nick Lee -- No. 5 Class of 2017 149: Jarod Verkleeren -- No. 16 Class of 2017 165: Vincenzo Joseph -- No. 7 Class of 2015 174: Mark Hall -- No. 1 Class of 2016 184: Aaron Brooks -- No. 14 Class of 2018 197: Shakur Rasheed -- No. 56 Class of 2014 Below are the top-25 recruiting classes for 2020. Dustin Plott is one of six InterMat top-100 recruits in Oklahoma State's recruiting class (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com) 1. Oklahoma State Top-100 recruits: No. 2 A.J. Ferrari (Allen, Texas), No. 3 Dustin Plott (Tuttle, Okla.), No. 16 Trevor Mastrogiovanni (Blair Academy, N.J.), No. 36 Jakason Burks (Omaha Burke, Neb.), No. 55 Luke Surber (Tuttle, Okla.), No. 58 Konner Doucet (Comache, Okla.) Weight class ranked: Daniel Jezik (Coal City, Ill.) Additional notable: Elise Brown Ton (Allen, Texas) Commentary: The years in which Oklahoma State has finished outside the top seven at the NCAAs can be counted on one hand, the most recent of those were in 2009 (16th) and 2018 (13th). The InterMat tournament rankings had the Cowboys slotted to finish eighth. This recruiting class is designed to ensure the Cowboys return to finishing within the top four at the NCAAs sooner rather than later. Ferrari, Plott and Mastrogiovanni all had super-elite talent and production during their scholastic careers; Burks, Surber, and Doucet also have strong in-season resumes with national productivity of their own. 2. Missouri Top-100 recruits: No. 5 Keegan O'Toole (Arrowhead, Wis.), No. 13 Rocky Elam (Staley, Mo.), No. 19 Josh Edmond (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.) Weight class ranked: Steven Kolcheff (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.) Additional notable: Trey Crawford (Holt, Mo.), Colton Hawks (Holt, Mo.) Impact transfer: Matthew Schmitt (West Viginia) Commentary: The canceled 2020 NCAAs might have marked an end to the Tigers' run of five consecutive top-10 NCAA finishes. The three top-end wrestlers that Brian Smith and staff brought into Columbia are designed to ensure that "Tiger Style" returns to its position as a top-10 program sooner rather than later; O'Toole and Elam ended the season ranked No. 1 in their respective weight classes, while Edmond was ranked No. 2. Two-time NCAA qualifier Schmitt has two remaining years of eligibility, and immediately upgrades the lineup at 133/141. 3. Penn State Top-100 recruits: No. 6 Beau Bartlett (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), No. 14 Robert Howard (Bergen Catholic, N.J.), No. 28 Austin Boone (Lowell, Mich.), No. 80 Matthew Lee (Evansville Mater Dei, Ind./NLWC) Additional notable: Aurelius Dunbar (Mercersburg Academy, Pa.) Commentary: This type of recruiting class is one of the obvious reasons why Penn State has been the national power for the last ten years, and is well-positioned to extend that into the next decade. Bartlett and Howard were both the No. 1 overall recruit at various points in time during the Class of 2020 evaluation cycle. Unless Howard is an immediate solution at 125 pounds in terms of size, both him and Bartlett should get the luxury of a redshirt year to develop behind clear national title contenders. Boone was a relatively late commitment, though he comes from a perennially strong high school program, one that produced Gabe and Max Dean; while Matthew Lee is the youngest brother of Nick (and Joe) Lee, and has already been acclimating in Happy Valley for one year. 4. Cornell Top-100 recruits: No. 10 Joshua Saunders (Christian Brothers College, Mo./USOTC), No. 17 Greg Diakomihalis (Hilton, N.Y.), No. 44 Ethan Hatcher (Brecksville, Ohio), No. 81 Cole Handlovic (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) Weight class ranked: Gage McClenahan (Bald Eagle Area, Pa.) Additional notable: Chayse LaJoie (Gaylord, Mich.), Najee Lockett (Shaker Hts, Ohio) Commentary: The Big Red were sitting on a stretch of 12 straight top-10 finishes at the NCAAs before this year's cancellation. Though ranked to finish outside that position in the team standings, it was due to three returning All-American wrestlers with eligibility remaining choosing to take Olympic redshirts. Strong recruiting will be the backbone of next year's roster (No. 12 in 2016, No,. 2 in 2017, and No. 3 in 2019). In terms of this class, Saunders and Diakomihalis are the most obvious stars; Saunders has competed in multiple age-group freestyle world championships, while Greg Diakomihalis has not lost a scholastic match since eighth grade and is the younger brother of a two-time NCAA champion. 5. North Carolina Top-100 recruits: No. 8 Lachlan McNeil (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), No. 24 Julian Tagg (Brecksville, Ohio/USOTC), No. 40 Sonny Santiago (St. John Bosco, Calif.), No. 49 Gavin Kane (Cambridge, Ga.), No. 57 Clay Lautt (St. Thomas Aquinas, Kansas) Additional notable: Curtis Ruff (Seminole, Fla.) Commentary: This is a third top-10 recruiting class in four years (No. 10 in 2017, No. 9 in 2018). This past season, the Tar Heels were a top-10 dual meet team in a highly competitive ACC. The talent in this class provides further foundation to stabilize as a top-10 (+/-) dual meet program and emerge into that in tournament strength. McNeil had arguably the greatest leap of any Class of 2020 wrestler in the last calendar year, and should only continue to grow with Austin O'Connor as a drill partner. The other four top-100 recruits provide this class very broad coverage throughout the lineup with legitimate talent. 6. Iowa Top-100 recruits: No. 4 Patrick Kennedy (Kasson-Mantorville, Minn.), No. 25 Jesse Ybarra (Sunnyside, Ariz.), No. 45 Bretli Reyna (South Dade, Fla.), No. 53 Cullan Schriever (Mason City, Iowa), No. 92 Gabe Christenson (Southeast Polk, Iowa) Commentary: Iowa currently has a roster that is as loaded as any in the country, probably the most loaded headed into the 2020-21 season. The Hawkeyes add to that in this class with the superlative Kennedy, who fits in as a candidate at 174 pounds after a redshirt year behind Kemerer; Ybarra and Schriever adding to an already strong Hawkeye stable; while Reyna comes from the same high school as Pat Lugo, and Christenson is a talented in-state upper-weight. 7. Nebraska Top-100 recruits: No. 15 Dominick Serrano (Windsor, Colo.), No. 43 Silas Allred (Shenandoah, Ind.), No. 61 Jeremiah Reno (Liberty, Mo.), No. 82 Nathan Haas (St. John Bosco, Calif.) Impact transfer: Liam Cronin (Indiana University) Commentary: A program whose hallmark has been consistent production and success epitomized that in 2019-20. The Cornhuskers were ranked No. 4 in both the dual meet and tournament rankings at the end of the season, while finishing second in the standings at the Big Ten Tournament and winning the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Cronin provides a potential one-year solution at 125 pounds, while Reno could be the long-term answer after a redshirt year in which he should add strength to his excellent ability level. Serrano is a high-end potential replacement to Chad Red at 141 pounds after a redshirt, while Haas and Allred are excellent upper-weight options. 8. North Carolina State Top-100 recruits: No. 39 Ed Scott (DuBois, Pa.), No. 46 Isaac Trumble (Millard South, Neb.), No. 47 Ryan Jack (Danbury, Ct.), No. 94 A.J. Kovacs (Iona Prep, N.Y.) Weight class ranked: Anthony Noto (Honeoye Falls/Lima, N.Y.), Dylan Reinert (Gettysburg, Pa.) Additional notable: Joe Roberts (Montini Catholic, Ill.) Commentary: The talent development and procurement train continued with the results of the 2019-20 season in which the Wolfpack went undefeated in dual meet competition, and were champions of the ACC Championships. It further continues with the haul that Pat Popolizio and staff have brought in with this class. Two of the four top-100 recruits come from areas where NC State has mined success in the past -- Jack is the younger brother of multiple-time All-American Kevin Jack, while Kovacs is also a Connecticut resident though he attended high school in Long Island. The anchors of this class are middle-weight talent Scott and projected heavyweight Trumble, whose improvement in the last calendar year is second to none (some similarities to Gwiazdowski in that you're talking about a rangy athlete who will be competing at heavyweight after being lighter for much of his high school career). 9. Virginia Tech Top-100 recruits: No. 27 Hunter Catka (Sun Valley, Pa.), No. 31 Sam Hillegas (North Hills, Pa.), No. 56 Eddie Ventresca (Pope John XXIII, N.J.), No. 93 Clayton Ulrey (Lower Dauphin, Pa.) Additional notable: Sam Fisher (Fauquier, Va.), Nathan Warden (Christiansburg, Va.) Commentary: Tony Robie and his Hokies staff continues to recruit at a level that will enable Virginia Tech to contend for top-10 type finishes at the NCAAs, and to compete for titles in the ever-improving ACC environment. Catka has the potential to be a high-end heavyweight, Ventresca and Hillegas should help in the lighter weights, while Ulrey is a talented middle-weight. Fisher and Warden are solid in-state talents that should bolster the overall competitiveness of the Virginia Tech practice room. 10. Northern Iowa Top-100 recruits: No. 23 Cael Happel (Lisbon, Iowa), No. 35 Nevan Snodgrass (Kettering Fairmont, Ohio) Weight class ranked: Ethan Basile (Tampa Jesuit, Fla.) Additional notable: Adam Allard (West Sioux, Iowa), Julian Farber (Veterans, Ga.) Impact transfer: Brody Teske (Penn State) Commentary: For Doug Schwab and staff, this is a fifth recruiting class in six years that is ranked within the top 25, a run that started with the No. 4 Class of 2015. That is important for the Panthers if they are to compete directly with Iowa State and Oklahoma State for supremacy within the Big 12. Now the challenge is to build upon the accomplishments of Taylor Lujan, Bryce Steiert, Max Thomsen, Jacob Holschlag, and Jay Schwarm from that 2015 group. This class is one with clear potential, as Happel and Snodgrass both placed third in robust Junior freestyle weight classes last summer; while Teske returns home with three years of eligibility, even though things did not work out for the four-time high school state champ as a 133 pounds at Penn State. Basile and Farber continue Northern Iowa's connection with the Southeastern United States. 11. Lehigh Top-100 recruits: No. 26 Thayne Lawrence (Frazier, Pa.), No. 37 Manzona Bryant (Hudson WRA, Ohio), No. 67 Drew Munch (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) Weight class ranked: Sheldon Seymour (Athens, Pa.) Additional notable: Chris Barnabae (Mt. St. Joseph, Md.), J.T. Davis (Smyrna, Del.), Connor Herceg (Nazareth, Pa.) Commentary: Lehigh was ranked inside the top 10 in both the tournament strength and dual team rankings from InterMat at season's end. Bringing in a recruiting class such as this with capable high-end talent will enable the trend to continue for the Mountain Hawks. Seymour and Munch are projected to help out the lower-weights, while Bryant and Lawrence fit as middle-weights. 12. Michigan Top-100 recruits: No. 20 Gaige Garcia (Southern Columbia, Pa.), No. 30 Dylan Ragusin (Montini Catholic, Ill.) Weight class ranked: Fidel Mayora (Montini Catholic, Ill.), Joseph Walker (Mishawaka, Ind.) Additional notable: Jaden Bullock (Oscar Smith, Va.), Brendin Yatooma (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.) Commentary: Last year's Wolverines recruiting class was ranked No. 11 overall with two basically top-20 recruits and not too much depth behind it, though it ended up being that Cole Mattin had a positive true freshman season despite missing out on NCAA tournament qualification. Yet again two excellent talents anchor; Ragusin as a clear lower-weight (125/133) and Garcia as a clear upper-weight (197/285), though Garcia is likely going to be shared with the football program in Ann Arbor. Garcia has multiple state records in the Keystone State as a running back, though he projects more to fullback in college. In terms of the complimentary pieces, Mayora joins classmate Ragusin and fellow Montini alum Lewan on the roster; Bullock and Walker possess upside in the middle-to-upper weights; while Yatooma was a football/wrestling athlete at national power Detroit Catholic Central. 13. Rutgers Top-100 recruits: No. 21 John Poznanaski (Colonia, N.J.), No. 63 Connor O'Neil (DePaul Catholic, N.J.), No. 68 Dylan Shawver (Elyria, Ohio) Additional notable: Andrew Clark (Collingswood, N.J.) Impact transfer: Boone McDermott (Iowa Central) Commentary: Though the on-mat momentum of the pair of national champions from 2019 did not continue in the 2020 season, the Scarlet Knights' fan base is emerging to be among the most passionate and strong within the sport; that manifested itself in a most excellently attended Big Ten Championships hosted by Rutgers in early March. Enthusiasm and passion have demonstrated itself as Scott Goodale and staff bring in yet another strong class, which is anchored by in-state wrestlers Poznanski and O'Neil. JUCO national champion McDermott has the potential to be an impact heavyweight for the next three years, Shawver should help in the lighter-weights, while Clark is a third New Jersey state champion in this class. 14. West Virginia Top-100 recruits: No. 29 Peyton Hall (Oak Glen, W.Va.), No. 60 Brayden Roberts (Parkersburg South, W.Va.), No. 76 Carter Dowling (St. Joseph's Catholic, Pa.), No. 86 Anthony D'Alesio (Canfield, Ohio) Additional notable: Joey Blumer (Kiski Area, Pa.), Colton Drousias (Chicago Mt. Carmel, Ill.) Commentary: This is Tim Flynn's second recruiting class of his own as head wrestling coach at West Virginia after leaving Edinboro to take the job in April of 2018. This is by far the best Mountaineers class since the 2015 group that was ranked No. 3 overall; however, that one was marred by attrition and underachievement, part of why there was a coaching transition in Morgantown. This class happens to be very heavy on middle-weight types, with four that competed at either 152 pounds or 160 pounds as high school seniors, and all within a three-hour drive from West Virginia University. Getting high-end in-state wrestlers such as Hall and Roberts to combine with Noah Adams is a crucial statement for the program. 15. Michigan State Top-100 recruits: No. 7 Chase Saldate (Gilroy, Calif.), No. 73 Tristan Lujan (Selma, Calif.) Weight class ranked: Caleb Fish (Eaton Rapids, Mich.) Additional notable: Andrew Chambal (Davison, Mich.), Skyler Crespo (Mendon, Mich.), Eddie Homrock (Brighton, Mich.) Commentary: The building blocks for Roger Chandler as head wrestling coach at Michigan State have been rather slow, but they are present. The 2016 recruiting class was ranked No. 25, the next two classes were not ranked, with last year's as honorable mention. From the 2019-20 season, a dual meet victory over Wisconsin and finishing 10th at the conference tournament were the probable highlights. Getting two-time state champion Lujan and national No. 1 Saldate from California can only help build on that momentum. MSU also brings in three in-state wrestlers that have won multiple state titles, which ultimately will help build that lineup depth and roster quality needed to compete in the Big Ten. 16. Wisconsin Top-100 recruit: No. 1 Braxton Amos (Parkersburg South, W.Va.) Weight class ranked: Graham Calhoun (Plymouth, Ind.) Additional notable: Aidan Medora (Brookfield Academy, Wis.), Joseph Zargo (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) Impact transfer: Chris Weiler (Lehigh) Commentary: The 2019 class that was basically Chris Bono's first class as head coach was ranked No. 4 overall. While this class is ranked lower, getting the services of No. 1 overall recruit Braxton Amos is a clear tone setter that things are continuing to be on the up in Madison; Amos projects to be a high-end NCAA heavyweight. Weiler comes in from Lehigh after qualifying for the NCAAs as the No. 13 seed, and will be the starter in his senior season at 184 pounds for the Badgers. 17. Ohio State Weight class ranked: Bryce Hepner (St. Edward, Ohio) Delayed enrollee: Anthony Echemandia (Sunnyside, Ariz./USOTC) Impact transfer: Tate Orndorff (Utah Valley) Commentary: The previous two classes for the Buckeyes were absolutely loaded with projected talent; in fact the 2019 group was ranked No. 1 overall (it should be noted that Kerkvliet has since left Columbus, and is on the Penn State roster). This class is different in structure, though Echemandia comes in with super blue-chip potential; he defected from Cuba and won a Junior National freestyle champion in 2018 after winning a state title for Sunnyside in Arizona, but will not matriculate to college until this fall. Orndorff is the most notable of a couple incoming transfers for Ohio State, as he was seeded No. 8 at 285 pounds for the NCAAs this year and has two years of eligibility remaining. 18. Princeton Top-100 recruits: No. 32 Luke Stout (Mt. Lebanon, Pa.), No. 62 Anthony Clark (Delbarton, N.J.) Weight class ranked: Nick Masters (Woodward Academy, Ga.) Additional notable: Nick Kayal (Bergen Catholic, N.J.), Jonathon Miers (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) Commentary: Four of the last five recruiting classes for head coach Chris Ayres have been extremely positive for a Princeton program that ended the Cornell monopoly on the Ivy League title this past season. It's a pair of top-100 recruits as anchors this season; in 2018 there were four top-100 recruits including Patrick Glory and Quincy Monday; 2017 featured a pair of top-30 recruits in Travis Stefanik and Patrick Brucki; while three top-100 wrestlers committed in 2016. Clark comes from the same high school program as Patrick Glory, while Stout is the younger brother of multi-time NCAA qualifier Kellan Stout from Pitt. 19. Minnesota Top-100 recruits: No. 18 Anthony Nagao (Esperanza, Calif.), No. 54 Isaiah Salazar (Windsor, Colo.), No. 84 Andrew Sparks (Calvary Chapel, Calif.) Commentary: As things stand, the Golden Gophers are squarely in the mid-tier of Big Ten wrestling, with a clear gap between them and the Iowa/Penn State/Ohio State tier; which if one looked at where collegiate wrestling was 15 years ago would come as a shock (you had the Iowa/Oklahoma State/Minnesota trio at the top of the whole sport). Getting back very close to the top is going to be hard in an increasingly competitive landscape, though it's possible if they hit on the vast majority of recruits they bring in and can get that development piece right. The three key wrestlers in this class, all out of state, each have potential to be legitimate at the college level; which would serve Minnesota very well. 20. Purdue Top-100 recruits: No. 12 Gerrit Nijenhuis (Canon-McMillan, Pa.), No. 38 Jacob Rundell (Oak Park River Forest, Ill.) Additional notable: Dorian Keys (Brownsburg, Ind.), Trey Kruse (Stillwater, Minn.) Commentary: The Boilermakers have seen incremental progress over the six seasons that Tony Ersland has served as head wrestling coach. After finishes of 40th or lower in the first three years at the NCAAs, Purdue finished inside the top 30 in 2018 and 2019 with a tournament strength ranking at the end of 2019-20 right around 20th. The fifth-place finish at this year's Big Ten tournament was a high-water mark for Purdue in that event for a relatively long time. Getting a pair of top-40 wrestlers to commit to Lafayette, especially one from Western Pennsylvania, is a clear feather in the cap for Ersland and staff. 21. Campbell Top-100 recruits: No. 59 Justin Rivera (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.), No. 89 Chris Rivera (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.) Weight class ranked: Chad Nix (Jensen Beach, Fla.) Additional notable: B.J. Bailey (Thornton Fractional North, Ill.), Chase Warden (Dripping Springs, Texas) Commentary: Cary Kolat built something very positive in his time as head coach at Campbell, as the Camels have won SoCon titles in three of the last four years; while their six NCAA qualifiers this past season tied a school record. Though Kolat moves on to Navy, lead assistant Scotti Sentes was promoted to head coach; while Darryl Thomas will bring his recruiting wizardry from the disbanded Old Dominion program to help Sentes and the Camels. This class is anchored by three wrestlers from Sentes' home state of Florida, including the Rivera twins from national power Lake Highland Prep; while Nix has excellent potential as a 197/285. Warden has potential in the middle-weights, as does Bailey who came along with Thomas when Old Dominion's program sadly went belly-up. 22. Navy Top-100 recruits: No. 22 Andrew Cerniglia (Notre Dame-Green Pond, Pa.) Weight class ranked: Grady Griess (Northwest, Neb.) Additional notable: Gavin Bell (Beavercreek, Ohio), Matthew Rogers (Wantagh, N.Y.), A.J. Tamburrino (Hatboro Horsham, Pa.) Commentary: Navy underwent a head coaching transition after the just completed season, as former Campbell head coach Cary Kolat takes the helm in Annapolis. In six seasons under Joel Sharratt, the Midshipmen only had one All-American, and only finished inside the top 25 at the NCAAs one time. This was the second top-25 recruiting class produced by Sharratt, his first class in 2015 was ranked 21st, which means that Kolat will come in with some young building blocks. Anchoring this class -- no pun intended -- is two-time Pennsylvania state champion Cerniglia. Griess could also be an asset as a heavyweight, while Super 32 placer Bell moved up three weight classes for his senior season and was undefeated at 182 pounds before his scholastic state tournament was canceled due to the coronavirus. 23. Arizona State Top-100 recruit: No. 9 Jesse Vasquez (Excelsior Charter, Calif.) Impact transfer: Michael McGee (Old Dominion) Commentary: The last chunk of years, the Sun Devils have operated on a every other year basis in terms of big class, not so big class. The 2015 (anchored by Zahid Valencia and Anthony Valencia) was ranked No. 1 overall, 2017 was a top-10 class, while last year's haul was ranked No. 2 overall. Headlining the group this year is four-time California state champion Vasquez, who should be a high-end middle-weight. McGee qualified for the NCAAs as a true freshman (1-2) and sophomore (3-2/round of 12) before redshirting this past year at Old Dominion; he has two years of eligibility remaining after transferring when the Monarchs' program was discontinued. 24. Iowa State Top-100 recruit: No. 52 Kysen Terukina (Kamehameha-Kapalama, Hawaii), No. 70 Zach Redding (Eastport-South Manor, N.Y.), No. 78 Cameron Robinson (Council Rock South, Pa.) Weight class ranked: Cody Fisher (Woodward-Granger, Iowa) Commentary: On-the-mat performance in Year 3 under Kevin Dresser was similar to that of Year 2, which was clear improvement from Year 1. The Cyclones have yet to make that aspirational leap into the top 10/upper echelon, which is an increasingly high standard, but stabilization and competence have been achieved. Bringing in three top-100 recruits is very positive from the standpoint of building the roster, but the lack of a true high-end talent shifts the ranking downward. Terukina and Redding fit in as lower-weights, Robinson is a middle-weight, while Fisher is likely a 197/285. 25. Edinboro Top-100 recruit: No. 97 Gabe Willochell (Greater Latrobe, Pa.) Weight class ranked: Ryan Burgos (Hilton, N.Y.), Jacob Lagoa (Ashtabula Lakeside, Ohio), Max Millin (Massillon Perry) Additional notable: Ethan Ducca (Ashtabula St. John, Ohio) Commentary: Much has been said about the state and vitality of Edinboro wrestling since Tim Flynn left as head coach after the 2017-18 season. A transition at the head wrestling coach position and exit via transfer of multiple NCAA qualifiers have created some struggles for the Fighting Scots program. Matt Hill took over as head coach at his alma mater, and just finished his second season. Said season saw incremental improvement, the dual meet record went from 2-9 to 10-10 and the NCAA qualifiers went up from one to two. Getting commitments from a group of talented wrestlers within the footprint of Edinboro University is key to the stability and success of the program. Willochell and Burgos fit in the lower-weights, Lagoa and Ducca are middle-to-upper weights, while Millin is a heavyweight after being a multi-sport athlete in high school. Honorable mention (alphabetical): Columbia, Lock Haven, Northwestern, Oklahoma, Pitt

As the result of a concerted effort to accommodate the growing number of female wrestlers, the 2020-21 high school wrestling rules changes are headlined by significant adjustments to weigh-in protocol and appropriate hair length requirements. The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Wrestling Rules Committee met April 5-6 and recommended 11 rules changes to take effect next school year. In accordance with current health safety guidelines, the rules meeting was held in an online format. All rules revisions recommended by the Wrestling Rules Committee were approved by the NFHS Board of Directors. "These rule changes are some of the most prolific modifications in the history of high school wrestling," said Elliot Hopkins, NFHS director of sports and student services and liaison to the Wrestling Rules Committee. "The rules committee made necessary, drastic changes to attract more young people to our sport without sacrificing the health and safety of the participants." The weigh-in procedure was altered through a combination of changes to Rule 4, Section 5 (Weighing-In) of the Wrestling Rule Book. Following an amendment to the legal uniform laid out in Rule 4-1-1c, which now permits female wrestlers to wear a form-fitted compression shirt that completely covers their breasts in addition to a one-piece singlet and a suitable undergarment, Rule 4-5-7 was rewritten to require that a legal uniform be worn during weigh-in and that no additional weight allowance be granted. An additional clause prohibiting shoes and ear guards during weigh-in was also written into 4-5-7. Weighing-in with a legal uniform allowed the Committee to break down more gender barriers with subsequent changes to Rules 4-5-1, 4-5-2 and 4-5-4. Previously, weigh-ins consisted of shoulder-to-shoulder lineups of each contestant that: were separated by gender (4-5-2), took place a maximum of one hour prior to competition (4-5-1) and required supervision by a referee of each respective gender (4-5-4). With the institution of the legal uniform (one-piece singlet or two-piece), male and female wrestlers are now able to weigh-in together in the same lineup, allowing gender-specific language to be removed from all three rules. Additionally, the form-fitted compression shirt offers females a more suitable uniform for post-weigh-in skin checks, which are typically done by male officials. "The change to the weighing-in process is remarkably timely, as schools have struggled in the past to identify adult females to weigh-in the female wrestlers," Hopkins said. "This action accommodates transgender children as well; it respects their rights and dignity and addresses any modesty concerns for any affected children. We anticipate that the entire weigh-in process will be expedited and more efficient." Significant changes to the hair length rule (Rule 4-2-1) were also linked to the committee's focus on inclusion. Previously, a wrestler's hair could not "extend below the top of an ordinary shirt collar" in the back, below earlobe level on the sides or below the eyebrows in the front. Those confinements, along with the requirement that a hair cover be used for hair that exceeded said limitations, were deleted. Considerable support for this rule change from coaches and officials was generated by an initiative of the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association, which successfully experimented with relaxed hair restrictions this past winter. "Removing the hair-length rule is a monumental change," Hopkins said. "It is important to embrace the current culture of young boys and girls who are expressing themselves through their appearance, making this the perfect opportunity to extend wrestling to young people who otherwise would not be attracted to our sport. While the hair-length restriction has been removed, the requirement that hair control devices/treatment items cannot be hard, abrasive or sharp remains. If a hair cover is used, it shall be attached to the ear guards. Additionally, the barring of oils, or greasy substances on or in the hair is still in effect." Another modification to the wrestling uniform came through Rule 4-1-3. In order to curtail participants from intentionally lacing their shoes too loosely to cause a stoppage in the action and potentially thwart an opponent's scoring opportunity, a technical violation will be assessed in any instance where a shoe comes off, and the injury clock will be started to correct the situation. This change is made under the assumption that a wrestler is, in fact, properly equipped to wrestle when the match begins, as a wrestling shoe that is properly laced and secured will not typically come off. Technical violations were the subject of change in Rule 7-3-1 as well. To avoid penalizing a participant twice for the same sequence of events, wording was added to 7-3-1 declaring that points will not be awarded to a wrestler whose opponent has fled the mat if that wrestler has already scored for a near-fall or takedown. Under Rule 8-1-4, a match will now automatically be stopped and restarted in the event a wrestler commits a fourth stalling violation. Previously, if the offender was called for a fourth stall of the match while in the defensive or neutral position, there was no guarantee his or her opponent would be awarded choice of position through a restart if the violation occurred during the third period. "This rule remedies that if the fourth stall occurs in the third period there might not be an opportunity to restart before the end of the match," Hopkins said. "This rule change assures that the offending wrestler is held accountable and subsequent points are awarded to the opponent." Based on the hair-length changes, Rule 5-29-1, which addresses unnecessary roughness, was edited to include "pulling an opponent's hair" as an additional example of the offense. Finally, a new article was added to Rule 8-2 dealing with participant injuries. Rule 8-2-9 has been designed to discourage wrestlers from requesting injury time from the official as an attempt to stop an opponent from scoring. If the referee determines a wrestler would have scored had the injury time-out not taken place, the injured contestant will be charged an injury time-out and applicable points will be awarded to the non-injured party. According to the 2018-19 NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey, wrestling is the seventh-most popular sport for boys with 247,441 participants in 10,843 schools. In addition, the number of female wrestlers increased by almost 5,000 participants in 2018-19, as 21,124 girls competed in 2,890 schools.

The Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) Executive Board unanimously voted to make girls wrestling an official team sport, removing its "emerging sport" status. The organization responsible for high school sports in the state of Arizona has further refined its state championships for girls wrestling to include team titles, not just individual champions. The AIA will award state tournament-qualifying section championship plaques for girls in each of its eight sections as well as state championship winners and second-place trophies. With these AIA-approved changes -- to be implemented for the 2020-21 season -- girls' wrestling competition will bear a stronger resemblance to the way boys' competition works. AIA Sports Administrator Dean Visser told the Arizona Republic that the AIA's intent for these changes is to continue combining its four boys wrestling divisions and the girls' division to occur during the same weekend and at the same location. The boys' and girls' wrestling state tournaments are headed to Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix next season, moving from its usual venue at the Findlay Toyota Center in Prescott. Despite these changes, some things will remain the same. Girls wrestling teams will continue to compete in one division, with ten weight classes. "The AIA is excited to continue promoting the sport of girls wrestling and we look forward to seeing our young female athletes participate in the great sport of wrestling," Visser told the Arizona Republic.

JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- Barry Hart, a successful coach with the Beat The Streets wrestling organization in New York City, has been named as an assistant women's wrestling coach at New Jersey City University, head coach Elena Pirozhkova has announced. Hart is the second member of the first-ever women's wrestling staff in NJCU history, which launches as a varsity program in Fall, 2020. Barry HartHart, 25, has been a wrestling coach at Beat The Streets Wrestling -- a grassroots organization that has transformed the landscape and culture of wrestling in New York City, developing the athletic potential of urban youth and strengthening the wrestling culture within the city and beyond. Hart has coached with BTS since 2013 and has served as a program associate with the organization since 2016. He was honored as the 2019 Beat the Streets Assistant Coach of the Year. "Barry is the perfect addition to the program because he really knows wrestling in this area," Pirozhkova said. "His perspective of working with inner city kids is so valuable. Additionally, his ability to connect with the kids and recruit is going to be key moving our program forward.". In addition to Beat The Streets, Hart has also served as a high school assistant coach at the Wingate Educational Campus in Brooklyn, N.Y., helping the program to a 40-21 overall record, the 2019 Blended 2 Division Champions and the 2017 Girls Brooklyn Division championship. Hart, a 2017 graduate of Hunter College with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, wrestled collegiately for four years. He competed for the Hawks at 149 pounds from 2014-16 for coaches Chris Mazzatta and Carlos Dolmo. He began his collegiate career at Niagara County Community College, where he was an NJCAA All-Academic Team selection, competing from 2012-14 for coach Keith Maute. Hart is a 2012 alum of Wingate Educational Campus where he was a four-year wrestler for the Generals (2008-12) for coach Steven Flanagan. A 2012 New York Greco all-state selection, Hart was a two-time PSAL finalist (2011 and 2012). He was crowned the 2012 NYC Mayor's Cup champion and captured the 2012 Brooklyn Borough championship. He was a two-year team captain as a junior and senior (2011-12). He resides in New York City.

ASHLAND -- Southern Oregon University Director of Athletics Matt Sayre is staying in-house to pick Mike Ritchey's successor, at least for now. Sayre announced Monday that Joel Gibson, who completed his first season as the Raiders' head women's wrestling coach in 2019-20, will additionally oversee the men's program in 2020-21. A national search to replace Ritchey, SOU's head men's coach of 25 years, had been in progress before the COVID-19 disruption prompted SOU to enact a hiring freeze. The search will be revisited next year. Joel GibsonIn a pair of coinciding moves, Bob Bergen will be elevated to head women's assistant coach and Tucker Van Matre to head men's assistant. Both served on Gibson's women's staff this season. "We're experiencing strange times right now and have had to make adjustments to our normal process," Sayre said. "Fortunately, we have a strong leader like Joel to take our wrestling programs through this challenging period. He's a dynamic coach who knows the strong tradition of our men's wrestling program. He's an alum, a great recruiter, and team builder. The men's team will definitely benefit from his experience and the women's team will continue to grow and compete at the high level they expect." Gibson guided his first SOU women's team to an 8-2 dual record. The Raiders were No. 3 in the NAIA coaches' poll and boasted eight individuals with top-10 rankings going into the NAIA Invitational Tournament, which was canceled the day before it was scheduled to begin. Gibson finished his collegiate wrestling career with the Raiders in 2006-07 and was an All-American at 165 pounds. From 2007-19, he was on Ritchey's staff for a total of eight seasons - during which time the Raiders produced 10 individual national championships and 31 All-America performances - and between stints was Phoenix High School's head coach from 2014-17. "I'm excited to have the challenge and opportunity to lead both programs next year," Gibson said. "We had a great group of young women who brought the program to national title contention and will no doubt be in contention again next year, and the men's program has a talented young core that's ready to get back to national prominence. We have a lot of hungry, motivated wrestlers and we're continuing to put together an already talented coaching staff that will get the most out of them." In addition to Bergen - who was an assistant under Bob Riehm for 10 years, and has been back at SOU coaching in a volunteer capacity since retiring from Eagle Point High in 2007 - and Van Matre, who was a three-time national qualifier at SOU from 2010-14, the staffs will be stacked with standout alums. Miguel Baltazar and Derek Rottenberg will remain in place and be joined by four-time national champion Brock Gutches from the men's side, and Olivia Pizano and Anesia Ramirez will be back from the women's side after recently completing their senior seasons. The Raider men went 5-8 in dual action in 2019-20. They were limited to one point at the national tournament, though they've posted 11 top-five finishes in the last 20 years.

Cash Wilcke wrestling Minnesota's Owen Webster in a dual meet (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) ESTHERVILLE, Iowa -- Iowa Lakes head wrestling coach Cody Alesch announced the addition of three-time NCAA qualifier Cash Wilcke to the staff as a graduate-assistant coach. "We couldn't be more excited about Cash joining our staff," Alesch said. "He had a great career at the University of Iowa and was a very accomplished Iowa high school wrestler. He will bring a great skill set to our room, be a great mentor for our guys and will have an immediate impact on our program. I have always enjoyed the way he competes and there is no doubt his character will be influential around Iowa Lakes. The graduate assistants here are my assistants so they get to be hands on in every aspect of the program." "I'm really excited to be part of the Iowa Lakes wrestling organization and start working with the guys," Wilcke said. "Looking forward to build off the strong season they had last year and put our athletes in the best possible position for success." A native of Ida Grove, Iowa, Wilcke spent five seasons as a Hawkeye, reaching the NCAAs in 2017, 2018 and 2019. In 2017 and 2018 Cash competed at 197 pounds. His redshirt freshman season ended with a 7-6 loss in the blood-round and earned Amateur Wrestling News All-Rookie second team. As a sophomore Cash won the Midlands title while posting a 21-8 overall record that started with a 13-match win streak. He took sixth at the Big Tens earning his second trip to the NCAA tournament before again losing in the blood round. His junior season he dropped down to 184 pounds where he won a career high 23 matches, placed fifth in the Big Tens and was 2-2 at the NCAAs. The 184-pounder reached as high as No. 10 in the national rankings. During his time at OA-BCIG High School, Wilcke was a two-time Iowa state champion, four-time state placer and four-time conference champion.

Josh Hokit was ranked No. 10 at 285 pounds in the final rankings of the season (Photo/Fresno State Athletics) Josh Hokit, Fresno State heavyweight wrestler and running back, will continue his football career after signing an undrafted free agent agreement with the San Francisco 49ers. The former Bulldog walk-on agreed to his UDFA deal shortly after Saturday's NFL Draft. Here's what Hokit posted on his Twitter account this weekend: "The Bulldog career of Josh Hokit is one the most successful and unique paths that Fresno State has seen," the website 247sports.com reported this weekend. "The local prospect from Clovis High School walked onto the football team in 2016 after turning down wrestling scholarships elsewhere. His freshman year began at linebacker, but by the season's final two games he had moved into a starting running back role." "It meant everything," Hokit said. "Coming out of high school, I didn't think I was going to be here. I was going to go back East. My gut was telling me to stay here and play in front of my friends and family and it was the best decision I ever made." In addition to his success on the gridiron at Fresno State, Hokit managed to make a name for himself on the mat for the Bulldogs, earning NCAA All-American honors as a junior (placing fifth in the 197-pound weight class at the 2019 NCAAs), then named an All-American as a senior in the 285-pound weight class for the 2020 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. (Hokit had been the No. 12 seed for the NCAAs, which were canceled prior to the event because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.) Prior to arriving at Fresno State, Hokit had wrestled at Clovis High where he earned the 182-lb. state title in 2016, and was three-time CIF State Medalist. He was ranked as high as number three in the nation as a senior.

Noah Adams after picking up a win in the semifinals of the Southern Scuffle (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) Noah Adams, 197-pound redshirt sophomore wrestler at West Virginia University, has been named winner of the annual Hardman Award for West Virginia's amateur athlete of the year, as selected by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association. In the 86-year history of the award, Adams is only the second WVU grappler to receive the honor, which is named after the late A. L. (Shorty) Hardman, longtime Charleston Gazette newspaper sports editor/columnist. Prior to Adams, Mountaineer multi-time mat champ Greg Jones earned back-to-back Hardman honors in 2004 and 2005. Adams, a Coal City, West Virginia, native, became WVU's first Big 12 Wrestler of the Year on April 1, and was named a finalist for the 2020 WIN Magazine/Culture House Dan Hodge Trophy, presented by ASICS, on March 20. He finished the 2019-20 campaign with a 32-0 record, marking the third time a WVU grappler ended a season undefeated. Adams became the second wrestler in program history to win a Big 12 Conference title on March 8, earning a 5-1 decision over South Dakota State's Tanner Sloan at 197 pounds. He completed the season with a 13-0 record against conference opponents and was named the Big 12 Wrestler of the Week on Dec. 31 and Jan 21. Although Adams was announced as the No. 2 seed at 197 pounds at the 2020 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, the Nationals were canceled by the NCAA because of the coronavirus pandemic. "His success is certainly deserved," WVU head coach Tim Flynn told West Virginia Metro News. "While some people look at his record and his ranking and are shocked, but, believe me, if you saw what he did all summer, the amount of work he put in, how hard he trains, you wouldn't have that reaction at all." Adams echoed his coach's comments, saying, "My work effort has gone up and I've stepped it up in practice. I took my offseason work seriously and really worked on my conditioning. Those have been the big things I really wanted to work on heading into the season." In this year's voting, Adams' hard work helped him edge out three other athletes from the state of West Virginia, including InterMat No. 1 recruit Braxton Amos, a 220-pound wrestler at Parkersburg South High with three state titles and an unbeaten record. Amos has signed with University of Wisconsin.

Quincy Monday wrestling Rider's Jesse Dellavecchia (Photo/Beverly Schaefer, Princeton Athletics) NCAA wrestling may be over prematurely, but the lives of the student-athletes go on. COVID-19 put a halt to the NCAA wrestling season right before the national tournament was to start, ending the careers of many seniors, and the season for all. The NWCA announced its selections for All-America honors regardless. On that list was Princeton sophomore Quincy Monday. Monday wrestled to a 24-4 record and was one of three Princeton wrestlers selected by the NWCA for All-America honors. While the honor is nice, Monday says it's a bitter-sweet moment for him, wishing he could have had the opportunity to wrestle in the NCAAs this season. Regardless, he's thankful to be thought of for this award. "It feels good," Monday said. "In the sport of wrestling, everything comes down to that that last tournament in March. So to kind of have that taken away, it's kind of weird to still be named All-American." Outside of wrestling, Quincy Monday is still a student. He just declared his major and looks to continue his education. "I just declared my major, actually," said Monday. "I'm going to be majoring in medical anthropology. "I'm a pre-med student. So I'm interested in going to med school. I've been focused on that, trying to get those science classes out of the way." Quincy Monday's Olympic influence Monday's dad, of course, is Kenny Monday. He was an Olympic gold medalist and a huge part of Quincy's start in wrestling. Kenny won gold at the Seoul Olympic Games in 1988 and earned an Olympic silver in 1992. He also competed in the 1996 Olympics. Quincy credits his dad for his early love in wrestling. It was the natural son looking up to a father that got him involved early on. "My dad ran a kids club and a teen club back in Texas," said Quincy. "When I was too young to wrestle, I still liked to go on to the practices and watch them. I couldn't wait to get on the mat. When I was old enough, about like 5 or 6, I started attending the practices. And so I've just been wrestling ever since." Quincy says his father was his inspiration. He was fortunate enough to be coached by someone who has succeeded at the highest levels of the sport and knew exactly how to make sure Quincy stayed healthy. "He's been like this coach since day one," said Quincy. "He's always been in my corner. He's always been the one to push me, get me to go the extra mile. I'm putting in the work. But also he also makes sure I keep a love for the sport because a lot of kids burn out when they start wrestling so young. So he's done a good job of keeping my love for the sport going. I'm grateful for that." Quincy Monday says there's a shadow he stands in of his father and what he's accomplished in the sport. But he is quick to point out how the pressure from being his father's son is not always a bad thing. "I would say it does bring some pressure, but you don't have to look at pressure negatively," said Monday. "I think it's kind of like an opportunity. My dad was a three-time Olympian. That's the pinnacle of our sport. So I think it would be amazing if I were able to someday reach that and kind of achieve what he achieved. He has kind of like set the goal for me. He was a trailblazer for me. I look up to him a lot. I'm just I'm thankful that I even have the opportunity to try to achieve what he has." With COVID-19 putting a halt to the season, Monday has taken it upon himself to keep in shape and continue training. He says the entire situation has been wild, but he has the tools to continue getting better. "It's kind of surreal," said Quincy. "Just like every other university, I was sent off campus. I'm back home now in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. I kind of took I took some time off a little bit. Now I've just kind of been running on my own. I go in and wrestle with my dad. And then just trying to hang out with my brother. So it's really just kind of slowly getting back into it. I'm doing what we can under the circumstances." When asked about who wins the father-son matches, Quincy admits his dad has still got it. But he says his father's time is coming. "He's got me in the past, but I'm just getting faster and stronger at this point. He's getting a little old. I'll give them about one more year." Monday knows his dad won't go away quietly. "It's coming soon," said Quincy. "My dad, he's going to want to get me back. He's not going to want to go out on a loss." As for the future in college wrestling, Monday has one goal in mind: NCAA champion. He is continuing to work to become that dominant force he dreams of being. "I want to be the best that I can be, so of course national champion is the clear goal," said Quincy. "I want to reach a level in my wrestling where I'm just dominant. I'm just kind of like blowing everyone out of the water. So I think eventually I've got to aim for like the Hodge Trophy because that goes to the most dominant wrestler. If I am aiming for that, my training and wrestling will continue to grow." Quincy Monday also has Olympic goals. He plans to finish med school and keep training in the meantime. "I think I probably wait one or two years before applying to med school and keep training," said Quincy. "I want to make a team in those couple years. That's definitely the goal." Don't expect Monday to make the jump to mixed martial arts just because his father coached at Blackzilians. Monday isn't a fan of being punched in the face and would like to keep it that way. However, his brother Kennedy Monday is making the jump. "I really don't look forward to getting punched in the face, so I don't think that's the path for me. My brother actually talks a lot about going into MMA. But whenever we fight, he can't handle getting hit, so I don't know how that's going to work out," Monday said in brotherly jest. While this past season was cut short, Quincy Monday will make a run at the tournament next year as a junior at Princeton. Make sure to follow Quincy Monday's wrestling journey on Twitter and Instagram.

It's not every day that a school can add two women's intercollegiate sports programs in one day -- and welcome aboard a head coach for one of those new women's programs. Nick SotoYet that's what just happened at St. Andrews University in North Carolina, which announced Friday the addition of women's wrestling ... and along with hiring Nick Soto as the head coach for that new program. (St. Andrews also added beach volleyball to its roster of sports for female sports.) Thanks to explosive growth at the high school level in recent years, college-age women are finding more and more opportunities to compete in the "oldest and greatest sport." Soto is eager to guide women wrestlers to new competitive opportunities at St. Andrews. "We are extremely excited about the start of our women's wrestling program," according to Soto. "It's great to see more and more women competing in the sport and we are grateful to be able to provide an opportunity where these student-athletes can earn a quality education and compete at a high level. Laurinburg is a great place with a tight-knit, friendly community and we're eager to get going!" Athletic Director Elizabeth Burris weighed in with her support for these new competitive opportunities for female student-athletes, saying, "this is really good for our institution and something we've wanted to do for a long time." Burris added that these are the third and fourth sports that have been added to St. Andrews athletics in the last two years. St. Andrews University, a branch of Webber International University, is a private, Presbyterian, liberal arts college in Laurinburg, North Carolina. The University describes its mission is to offer students an array of business, liberal arts and sciences, and pre-professional programs of study that create a life-transforming educational opportunity which is practical in its application, global in its scope, and multi-disciplinary in its general education core. Students will acquire depth of knowledge and expertise in their chosen field of study, balanced by breadth of knowledge across various disciplines, while pursuing a degree at associate, bachelor, or master level. Special emphasis is placed on enhancing oral and written communication, and critical thinking skills. The international quality of the student body enriches personal experience and promotes understanding of international cultures and influences. Through an atmosphere in which self-discipline, creativity and cultivation of ethical standards are enhanced, the University is dedicated to teaching its students the "how to learn, how to think, and how to apply method" to each new challenge.

WHEELING, W.Va. -- Wheeling University has appointed August Wesley as Head Coach of the wrestling program, with the anticipation to be back on the mat for this upcoming season. August WesleyWesley joins Wheeling after a successful four-year stint running the Iowa State University club wrestling program. During his time in Ames, Wesley tutored 27 national qualifiers, four All-Americans, six Academic All-Americans, and guided the Cyclones to a fifth place in the 2018 NCWA National Championships. "I would like to thank Wheeling University President Ginny Favede, Carrie Hanna and the hiring committee for the opportunity to take the helm of this decorated program," Wesley said. "I feel confident that with the continued support from the administration and fans, we will foster a championship environment displaying continued growth on the mat and in the classroom. Together we will reignite the wrestling flame here in our community and showcase our fighting spirit." President Ginny R. Favede said, "Wheeling University is excited to rebuild its wrestling program and I am confident that in August Wesley we have found a superb coach who will lead our wrestlers with professionalism, technical knowledge, ambition and confidence along with the manner in which he exudes the enthusiasm to continue Wheeling University's history of success." "There are high expectations on this campus stemming from a strong culture with a history of success," Wesley added. "People from the region have already started reaching out to me and they can't wait to see our lineup plus watch us compete. They love wrestling here in the Northern Panhandle and are hungry for a national championship team and that inspires me to get the job done!" Prior to his time at Iowa State, Wesley spent four years as the head coach at California State University-Sacramento from 2011-15. He helped tutor six national qualifiers, one academic All-American and was named the NCWA Conference Coach of the Year. Wesley has led 14 United States teams in international competitions during his coaching career. His coaching efforts have taken him to 24 different countries on five continents. He has been honored twice with the Outstanding Coach's Award at competitions in Australia and Austria. As an athlete, Wesley had top-10 finishes in the 2012 and 2015 World Championships and competed in the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Trials. He represented the U.S. on multiple international teams and was a six-time medalist throughout his wrestling career. Wesley has strong ties to the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, having resided at the center during several trainings and competitions. "We can't sneak up on anyone because it's not a secret that the program has tallied 10 All-Americans, including three NCAA National Champions," he continued. "We will aim to build on that tradition, coupled with discipline, commitment and a challenging schedule. These are all vital in building a lasting program." "I am excited to continue building relationships with our alumni, boosters and wrestling family within West Virginia. My plan is to recruit nationally to bring in the best student athletes that will fit into our program goals and team mindset, so they can have a superior collegiate experience here at Wheeling University. We will to hit the ground running with a mix of young hungry Cardinals and seasoned grapplers. This 2020-21 brand of wrestling will be to stalk and attack our opponents, which will make for exciting matches. This is the most competitive region in the country so every dual or tournament is always meaningful."

Iowa attracted 14,905 fans against Penn State (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) In the previous 13 years, the University of Iowa's wrestling program led the nation in home attendance. One thing it hadn't done, though, was put over 10,000 fans into Carver-Hawkeye Arena for every dual in a season. That changed in 2019-20 as the Hawkeyes averaged a record 12,568.4 with seven home dates for a total of 87,979. It's not the largest total Iowa's ever produced, but the 87,979 is the largest total attendance for events solely at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The top crowd in Carver-Hawkeye was the 14,905 against Penn State. Penn State, which has sold out 55 straight duals in Rec Hall and 61 of the last 63 duals including its action in the Bryce Jordan Center, comes in second for the 10th straight season. With the 15,995 at the Bryce Jordan Center against Ohio State, Penn State's average came in at 7,604.1, approximately 1,200 more than what the capacity is at Rec Hall. Iowa State checked in third with an average of 4,794.6, which jumped the Cyclones to its highest attendance ranking since 2010 when they Cyclones averaged just north of 4,500 a dual. The 2019-20 home schedule was anchored by the CyHawk dual with Iowa, which drew 11,238, the 10th largest dual in Hilton Coliseum history. Rutgers set a school record for the number of wrestling season tickets sold this season and their home attendance showed through. The Scarlet Knights finished fourth, with an average of 4,155.9 fans in seven home dates. The opening of the Covelli Center gave Ohio State an engaging and intimate home mat experience. The Buckeyes averaged 4,117.5 fans in eight home dates. It's the sixth straight year Tom Ryan's squad has been ranked in the top five. Oklahoma State, Minnesota, Arizona State, Fresno State and Lehigh rounded out the Top 10. The 2019-20 numbers tied a record for most schools reporting an average of 1,000 fans per match, tying last year's mark of 24. There were 14 more schools that exceeded averages of 700 per dual, where last year, there were just seven. Of the Top 25 teams, 15 saw increases in average attendance from last season. The largest average increase was Iowa, which jumped 4,042.1, while Iowa State improved by 1,224.9 and Arizona State, which grew 1,161.5. Princeton and North Carolina also tracked attendance for the first time this year. Notes: The NCAA Division I wrestling attendance figures have been tracked by several members of the media since 2002. Denny Diehl of Roby Publishing started the process, while Alex Steen of The Open Mat and Jason Bryant of Mat Talk Online have also taken hold of the project. The numbers are collected in various ways, including official ticket counts. Some schools have less home dates reported as they held events that were not ticketed. Of the 79 Division I institutions in 2019-20, 59 reported numbers. Davidson was unable to complete its reporting, while Clarion's information was incomplete. There were 18 schools that did not track wrestling home attendance this year. By comparison, last season noted 17 schools not tracking attendance and five more schools that did not respond to attendance inquiries.