InterMat Staff

It is with great sadness that the Edinboro University Athletic Department sends its condolences to the family of Shaun Shapert. A former wrestler at Edinboro, Shapert's body was found on a hillside in Shaler Township, Pa., a suburb of Pittsburgh, on Monday night. He had turned 42 on Jan. 1. Shapert was originally a native of Glenshaw, Pa. and attended Shaler Area High School. He would join the Edinboro wrestling program in 1997 along with twin brother Ryan. Shaun would go on to post a 60-28 career record and was a two-time national qualifier, in 1999 and 2000, while competing at 157 pounds. The highlight of his career came in the 1999-2000 season, as he finished third at the EWL Championships at 157 pounds to earn a berth in the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. He went on to earn All-American honors with a seventh-place finish, upsetting third-seeded Bryan Snyder of Nebraska along the way.

Eighteen months after first setting foot at the WWE Performance Training Center in Florida, Denzel Dejournette, 2017 NCAA All-American at Appalachian State University in North Carolina, made his first appearance in the ring at WWE Raw on Monday. Denzel DejournetteIn Dejournatte's WWE Raw debut, Seth Rollins made short work of the former App State heavyweight, in a bout that was over in about a minute-and-a-half. "NXT's Denzel Dejournette certainly has a vibrant future," according to The Union Journal. "However on Raw, he was merely a sacrificial lamb for a livid Seth Rollins, who was fuming after his WrestleMania humiliation [the previous weekend] by the hands of Kevin Owens and certainly seeking to reclaim a few of his messianic mystique within the wake of two WrestleMania losses in a single evening." H "Dejournette, then, was toast earlier than this event started, and Rollins confirmed no mercy towards him, beating Dejournette throughout the ring and dispatching him with the Stomp." The next day, both Dejournette and his college wrestling program offered a mostly upbeat assessment for Monday's WWE Raw match on Twitter. On Tuesday, here's what DeJournette tweeted online: Prior to signing with the WWE in the summer of 2018, Dejournette made a name for himself in amateur wrestling. The native of Winston-Salem, North Carolina graduated from R.J. Reynolds High School where he was a state runner-up as a senior and state fourth-place finisher as a junior. He then enrolled at Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C. where he tallied a 113-35 collegiate mark. The 6'2", 262-pound Dejournette was a three-time NCAA Division I Championships qualifier for the Mountaineers, placing eighth in the heavyweight bracket at the 2017 NCAAs. DeJournette joins a long list of amateur wrestliers who have entered pro wrestling after college. Some examples: Oklahoma State heavyweight champ of the 1920s, Earl McCready... 1940s NCAA champs Verne Gagne of Minnesota, and Oklahoma State;s Dick Hutton... Dan Hodge, 1950s Oklahoma Sooner superstar... OSU Cowboy champ of the mid 1960s, Jack Brisco… and of course, Olympic gold medalist and NCAA champ for Clarion, Kurt Angle,

MANHEIM, Pa. -- The National Wrestling Coaches Association has announced the 2020 Division III All-American teams. Each year the NWCA recognizes the outstanding work of the DIII Student-athletes by naming the All-Americans based on their achievements in the national championship, however, this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic the championships were canceled. All-American honors were based on each wrestler's overall body of work through the regional tournaments and up to the national championships. First Team All-Americans Second Team All-Americans Third Team All-Americans "These athletes deserve to be recognized for their outstanding body of work during the 2019-2020 season.  I'm proud of the NWCA Division III leadership group working so diligently to review the candidates and for developing a meaningful process for recognizing this elite group of young men. " -- Lonnie Morris, NWCA Division III President & Johnson & Wales Head Coach 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.

Action from the 2017 World Championships in Paris (Photo/Tony Rotundo) CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY -- The United World Wrestling bureau has voted to preserve the dates and host cities for the remaining qualification events of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The Bureau also passed a a series of technical adjustments to clarify athletes' Olympic eligibility and announce the 2020 Ordinary Congress. The remaining Continental qualifiers will remain in the month of March and take place in their original host cities. The "Last Chance" qualifier will be held at the end of April in Sofia, Bulgaria. "We want to plan our calendar in alignment with the IOC and the new dates for Tokyo 2020," said United World Wrestling president Nenad Lalovic. "We also find it vital to continue our work with host cities and concerned national federations." After consultation with the concerned organizers, the Technical Commission and the Sports Department, the UWW Bureau also voted to postpone all UWW Championships planned before June 30, 2020. All international tournaments in this time frame are also cancelled. UWW has also suggested that all National Federations cancel their national events during the time to ensure the health of all athletes and participants in protected. The rest of the 2020 calendar will be adjusted to allow for consideration of the COVID-19 pandemic, and will take into account any financial challenges faced by organizers and national federations. For athletes who meet the minimum age requirement in 2021 will be eligible to compete during Olympic qualification and the Games, however no new nationality changes will be allowed prior to the new Olympic Games date of 2021. As stated previously by the IOC and UWW, no existing allocations of Olympic licenses will be changed. In keeping with good governance, the UWW Ordinary Congress is still scheduled for September 6 on the eve of the Junior World Championship in Belgrade. However, as the championship may be postponed it was still agreed to convene to the Congress -- and the call for candidacies -- as though the Congress will proceed as planned.

Andrew Sparks defeated Cael Valencia to win the state title at 160 pounds (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) California state champion Andrew Sparks will be heading to the University of Minnesota. The Calvary Chapel (Calif) senior announced his commitment to Minnesota Monday night on Instagram. Sparks knocked off previous No. 2 Cael Valencia (St. John Bosco) to win a state championship at 160 pounds. He won a title at Battle for the Belt and placed third at the Doc Buchanan. Sparks finished the season ranked No. 11 nationally at 160 pounds.

Justin Gaethje will fight Tony Ferguson at UFC 249 Two former amateur wrestlers -- Tony Ferguson and Jason Gaethje -- will face each other for the interim UFC lightweight (155-pound) title at the main event at UFC 249, a pay-per-view scheduled for Saturday, April 18, as announced by UFC president Dana White Monday. White revealed the main event participants on Twitter: While Dana White's tweet named the combatants, the date, and where it could be viewed, it hinted at the fact that UFC 249 is still an event without a home ... no laughing matter, in this time of coronavirus COVID-19 which has canceled or postponed just about every major sporting event around the world, including the cancelation of the 2020 NCAA Wrestling Championships and the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Ariel Helwani of ESPN reported Sunday night that the UFC is considering a facility located on the West Coast for UFC 249 ... likely in front of no fans. Originally, UFC 249 was to feature the promotion's lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov was scheduled to defend his title against challenger Tony Ferguson. However, Nurmagomedov was replaced by Justin Gaethje. Both headliners bring impressive mixed martial arts credentials to UFC 249. Tony Ferguson sports a 25-3 pro MMA record, with a 12-bout win streak going back to 2012. Justin Gaethje has a 21-2 overall record. In addition, Ferguson and Gaethje brought strong amateur wrestling backgrounds to MMA. Born in California but raised in Michigan, Ferguson won the 152-pound crown at the state tournament in 2002. He then continued his mat career at Central Michigan University, then Grand Valley State, where he claimed the 2006 National Collegiate Wrestling Association national title in 2006 at 165 pounds. Gaethje launched his wrestling career at age 4. At Safford High School in Arizona, Gaethje won two state titles ... then continued his mat career at University of Northern Colorado, where he was a two-time NCAA All-American. While Ferguson-Gaethje is the only match to have been announced for UFC 249, the complete bout order is expected to be announced in the coming days, according to BloodyElbow.com.

MANHEIM, Pa. -- On Tuesday, the National Wrestling Coaches Association announced the Bob Bubb Coaching Excellence Award winner.  This award was scheduled to be presented at the NWCA 2020 Jim Koch Division II Hall of Fame Banquet on the eve of the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships at the Denny Sanford Premier Center. However, the event was canceled along with the Division II Championships due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Bob Bubb Coaching Excellence award is presented annually to an outstanding coach who epitomizes the qualities and characteristics of a role model and mentor for developing young student-athletes. Shawn NelsonThe recipient of this year's NWCA Bob Bubb Coaching Excellence Award is Shawn Nelson of the University of Findlay. Coach Nelson is in his 23rd year as head coach was inducted into the NCAA Division II Jim Koch Hall of Fame in 2019. He has coached 11 national champions during his tenure and has won multiple coach of the year awards at the conference, region, and national levels. “It's an honor to announce Coach Shawn Nelson as the 2020 recipient of the Bob Bubb Coaching Excellence Award. Shawn has built a model program at the University of Findlay and his dedication to the sport and his student-athletes is evident.” The NWCA will recognize Coach Nelson during the NWCA National Convention awards luncheon. This year's convention, presented by Cliff Keen, Defense Soap, and Resilite will be hosted on July 31 – August 2 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino located in Hollywood, FL. 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.

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland -- The stars of United World Wrestling took to social media in massive numbers this week to encourage fellow wrestlers and their fans to "Stay Strong and Stay at Home!" More than 70 of the world's most successful wrestlers, including Olympic champions Jordan BURROUGHS (USA), Hassan YAZDANICHARATI (IRI), Saori YOSHIDA (JPN), and Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) sent in their messages to United World Wrestling, who has shared their video via Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. "We have seen an outpouring of support from our stars," said United World Wrestling president Nenad Lalovic. "I'm very humbled to know that we have such strong and responsive leadership from our athletes. They are the core of who we are and I'm encouraged by their passion to help in this difficult time." Lalovic also shared a short video message of his own asking the community to understand that "courage today means wisdom and responsibility" and that we will all get through this soon. Offline, the wrestling community has also included several athletes who've been on the front lines fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. In Iran, Olympic champions Rasoul KHADEM and Komeil GHASEMI helped deliver medical equipment to highly affected areas of their home nation, while several doctors associated with the sport have been supporting their city's responses.

Russia's Abdulrashid Sadulaev after winning his fourth world title (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) This past weekend was supposed to bring one of USA Wrestling's most anticipated matchups of all time: Kyle Snyder vs. J'den Cox, both multiple-time world champions and Olympic medalists, for the 97-kilogram spot on the 2020 U.S. Olympic freestyle team. However, with the spread of COVID-19, the 2020 Olympic Team Trials, as well as the Tokyo Olympics, were postponed until 2021. Now wrestling fans will have to wait a year for a Snyder-Cox showdown at 97 kilograms. Russia's Abdulrashid Sadulaev, a 2016 Olympic champion and four-time world champion, has faced Snyder twice at the World Championships. In 2017, Snyder knocked off Sadulaev 6-5 in Paris, France. The following year, Sadulaev earned a first-period fall over Snyder in the finals of the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Sadulaev, who secured the No. 1 seed at 97 kilograms for the Tokyo Olympics, recently shared some thoughts on both Snyder and Cox in a soon-to-be released film on the Russian wrestling star produced by United World Wrestling. "I think J'den Cox has a specific wrestling style," Sadulaev said in a video clip released by UWW. "However, Snyder will not be easy to beat. He is a current Olympic champion. And he's a lot bigger than Cox. As it is said, we will see what happens on the mat. I'm interested in seeing them wrestling against each other. "I don't really know how the match between me and Cox will go because we've never wrestled ... We ended up in different brackets. I changed my weight category but he stayed at the same one. We have never met on the mat." Cox, who is moving up from 92 kilograms to 97 kilograms, responded to Sadulaev's comments on Twitter: "You Sadulaev and @Snyder_man45 are two of the greatest, and I have all the respect in the world for you both," tweeted Cox, a two-time world champion and Olympic bronze medalist. "I just want to put my best out there. The tests, fights, and push that I desire to have are coming soon." United World Wrestling's full interview with Sadulaev will be released Wednesday at 7 a.m.

MANHEIM, Pa. -- For the third year in a row, the Saints of Maryville University posted the top team GPA in the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Division II Scholar All-America ranking for the 2019-20 year, released Tuesday. Maryville bested its own record GPA with a 3.695 in this year's edition of the annual ranking. The University of Indianapolis was this year's runner-up with a GPA of 3.513, with Colorado School of Mines coming in third with a GPA of 3.384. Western Colorado (3.343) and Augustana (3.336) rounded out the 2019-20 top five. "We try to treat this on the same level as an All-American in our program. We are proud of our guys for their work on the academic side. The culture that we have is what allows us to keep this going; we are so thankful and grateful. I sincerely thank the NWCA for honoring the academic side of our sport, Jim Koch for starting this and to the current committee for their work to continue these honors." -- Mike Denney, Maryville head wrestling coach Link: Top 10 Scholar All-American Teams Link: Individual Scholar All-Americans A total of 273 student-athletes from 50 institutions were honored individually. Half of the national qualifiers to the 2020 NCAA Division II National Championships were among those honored, with 92 of the 273 Scholar All-American wrestlers also being 2020 National Qualifiers. Maryville led all institutions with 16 individual honorees, while Colorado School of Mines had 14 wrestlers named All-Academic. Upper Iowa had 12 honorees, with Nebraska-Kearney, Indianapolis, Lake Erie and St. Cloud State all putting nine on the Scholar All-American team. Super Region 5 led with 56 total honorees, while Super Region 4 and Super Region 6 each had 50 wrestlers honored. In order for a student-athlete to be nominated to the Division II Scholar All-American Team, he must have a minimum 3.4 cumulative grade point average on a 4.0 scale, with that benchmark at 3.2 for those who qualified for the 2020 NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships. The athlete must also have competed in a minimum of five dates of competition. Eleven student-athletes earned Scholar All-American honors for the fourth time in their career: Brandon Ball (Fort Hays State University), Brody Conner (University of Indianapolis), Jamie Gehlin (Upper Iowa University), Logan Grass (Mercyhurst University), Tyler Harrington (Maryville University), Walker Johnson (University of Nebraska at Kearney), Tyler Makosy (University of North Carolina at Pembroke), JD Rader (University of Nebraska at Kearney), Bret Romanzak (Ashland University), Jason Slaughter (Western Colorado University), and Alex Waggoner (Maryville University). Twelve student-athletes honored posted a perfect 4.0 GPA: Owen Balas (Gannon University), Alex Dilagge (Limestone College), Keaton Fogler (Lindenwood University), Jamie Gehling (Upper Iowa University), Fred Green (Colorado Mesa), Tyler Harrington (Maryville University), Tyler Makosy (University of North Carolina at Pembroke), Brock Schlough (St. Cloud State University), Mac Spotts (Upper Iowa University), Austin Stofer (Lindenwood University), Conrad Vajnar (Fort Hays State University), and Jordan Will (Minot State University). 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.

Tate Orndorff qualified for the NCAAs twice while at Utah Valley (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Tate Orndorff, a two-time NCAA qualifier, is transferring from Utah Valley to Ohio State. The Washington native recently entered the NCAA transfer portal. He made the announcement of his transfer to Ohio State Friday on Instagram. Orndorff compiled a record of 18-4 this past season. He was ranked No. 11 at heavyweight in InterMat's final rankings of the 2019-20 season. He represented the United States at the U23 World Championships in 2019, finishing with a 1-1 record.

MANHEIM, Pa. -- On Thursday, the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) announced the NAIA Women's Wrestling National Coach of the Year Award and Campbellsville's Lee Miracle earned the honor. Lee Miracle (Photo/Campbellsville Athletics)Coach Miracle is in his seventh year as head coach and his squad took home a runner-up trophy from the NWCA National Dual Championships while capturing their second Mid-South Conference and WCWA National Championships. "The NWCA is proud to honor Coach Miracle, and for the amazing job he has done at Campbellsville. He has built the CU Tiger program into a national powerhouse," said Mike Moyer, NWCA Executive Director. Presented annually, this honor goes to a coach who has demonstrated outstanding effort in developing and elevating their program on campus and in the community. The coach of the year awards program is presented by Defense Soap, the official Hygiene partner of the NWCA. Miracle has led the Lady Tigers to two WCWA National Championships and now has 14 WCWA Individual National Champions in just seven seasons. In 2019-20, the Lady Tigers won their second WCWA National Championship including three individual national titles - Mariah Harris, Abby Nette, and Alexandra Castillo. Campbellsville ran away with the national title by over 130+ points over Life University, which finished runner-up. CU set a new WCWA record with 13 All-Americans as well. Miracle delivered the program's first team national championship in 2018 after the Lady Tigers earned 196.5 points to win the team title by just five points. He coached his daughter, Kayla Miracle, to her fourth-straight WCWA National Championship and she became just the fourth individual to do so. Grace Bullen also was a national champion during her freshman campaign at Campbellsville. The 2018-19 season saw more individual accomplishments for the Lady Tigers with four Mid-South Conference Champions, an NAIA National Champion, and the Mid-South Conference Wrestler of the Year. McKayla Campbell won the MSC Women's Wrestler of the Year, Andribeth Rivera was an NAIA National Champion in the Inaugural NAIA Championship event for women's wrestling and the four conference champions included Rivera, Koral Sugiyama, Mariah Harris, and Alexandra Castillo. This award was scheduled to be presented on the eve of the NAIA Women's Wrestling Championships at the University of Jamestown. Unfortunately, the championships were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The NWCA will recognize the 2020 national winners during the NWCA National Convention awards luncheon. This year's convention, presented by Cliff Keen, Defense Soap, and Resilite will be hosted on July 31 - August 2 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino located in Hollywood, Fla.

Steve Costanzo (Photo/SCSU Athletics) The National Wrestling Coaches Association has selected St. Cloud State University's Steve Costanzo as the NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year Award winner for 2019-20. Presented annually, this honor goes to a coach who has demonstrated outstanding effort in developing and elevating their program on campus and in the community. The coach of the year awards program is presented by Defense Soap, the official Hygiene partner of the NWCA. This award was scheduled to be presented at the NWCA 2020 Jim Koch Division II Hall of Fame Banquet on the eve of the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships at the Denny Sanford Premier Center. Unfortunately, the event was canceled along with the Division II Championships due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Costanzo is in his fourteenth year as head coach and his 2020 squad captured its fourth consecutive NWCA Division II National Duals championship and his teams have won four of the past five NCAA Division II National Titles. The Huskies finished the season with a 16-0, 8-0 NSIC record and claimed its ninth consecutive NSIC championship in 2019-20. SCSU won the NCAA Division II Super Region 5 title in 2019-20 and saw seven Huskies win individual region titles and nine individuals qualify for the 2020 NCAA DII championships - the most of any team in the nation. SCSU broke its own NCAA record this season and currently has won 64 consecutive dual matches dating back to 2017. The Huskies finished the season as the nation's number one ranked team in the Division II poll and nine SCSU wrestlers were individually ranked in the final NCAA DII poll. Costanzo has also earned NWCA DII Coach of the Year honors in 2016 and 2011 along with NAIA Coach of the Year honors at Dana College in 2006. He was selected as the 2020 NCAA DII Super Region 5 coach of the year and the 2019-20 NSIC Coach of the Year. "Coach Costanzo has had a long track record of success having coached multiple National Championship teams at the NCAA and NAIA levels. We are proud to honor him as the 2020 NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year," said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. The NWCA will recognize the 2020 national winners during the NWCA National Convention awards luncheon. This year's convention, presented by Cliff Keen, Defense Soap, and Resilite will be hosted on July 31 - August 2 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino located in Hollywood, FL. 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. 2020 NCAA DIVISION II COACH OF THE YEAR AWARD FINALISTS SUPER REGION 1 Pat Pecora - University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown SUPER REGION 2 Derrick Nelson - Coker University SUPER REGION 3 Joey Simcoe - Tiffin University SUPER REGION 4 Todd Steidley - University of Central Oklahoma SUPER REGION 5 Steve Costanzo - St. Cloud State. University SUPER REGION 6 Austin Devoe - Colorado School of Mines

Seth Gross at the 2020 Big Ten Championships (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) After finishing a storied collegiate wrestling career, two-time NCAA finalist and 2018 NCAA champion, Seth Gross will be joining the Wisconsin Regional Training Center as a resident athlete. "I am excited to officially be a part of the Wisconsin Regional Training Center and I am pumped about the opportunity it gives me to continue to chase my goal of becoming an Olympic champion," said Gross. Gross has already qualified for the 2020 Olympic Team Trials, which has now been postponed. Gross said, "fully focusing my time on freestyle and working with coaches that have been on World and Olympic teams, I truly believe that I can reach every single one of my goals." With Gross staying in Wisconsin, he will be able to make an impact in the sport of Wrestling as he will hold a coaching position with the Wisconsin Wrestling Federation. Gross will also be instrumental in helping UW wrestlers progress and reach their goal.

Penn State's Mark Hall and Iowa's Michael Kemerer shake hands before a dual meet (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) The Big Ten Network will air a wrestling marathon today with consecutive wrestling programs airing from Friday morning until Saturday morning. The wrestling marathon includes five major Big Ten dual meets, highlighted by Iowa hosting Penn State at 6 p.m. In addition, the wrestling marathon includes segments of BTN Wrestling in 60 and On The Mat. Note: All times ET.

Johnny Sebastian, a New Jersey native who recently wrapped up his career at the University of Wisconsin joins Chad Dennis on Episode 51 of The MatBoss Podcast. Sebastian was from the wrestling powerhouse at Bergen Catholic and started his career at Northwestern. After graduating, Sebastian was granted an additional year of eligibility and used it to stay in the Big Ten and wrestle at 184 pounds. Sebastian talks about his wild ride in college wrestling and what's next. About MatBoss: Created by coaches for coaches, MatBoss for iPad® integrates wrestling stats directly into the video you record for each match, completely replacing the need for labor-intensive pencil and paper scoring systems. It's the wrestling stats app our sport has been waiting for. Focus on coaching, not busy work Improve through video analysis Make data an advantage Eliminate scoring errors Increase exposure Become a digital coach For more information, visit MatBossApp.com. Follow MatBoss on Twitter and subscribe to the show @MatBossApp | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Spreaker | Google Podcasts | RSS

On Sunday I received a call from a nurse at the Sentara Medical Clinic in Norfolk informing me that I'd tested positive for COVID-19. By the time the call arrives I was confident that my results would come back positive, but how I'd gotten to that point (and the signs that I'd missed) made me realize that others -- especially those outside the hot zone of New York City -- might also overlook signs they were carrying the virus. My timeline starts sometime between March 4 and March 11. I'd gone to the Pan American Championships, leaving on Friday, March 6 and returned on the morning of March 9. On the ground, my days were packed with work, but I'd found time for dinner and trip to the local casino. When I returned to the office on Tuesday, March 10, I felt totally fine. On Wednesday, March 11, I was informed that an upcoming trip to Japan would be canceled and that Tom Hanks had tested positive. He was among the first celebrity and a new barometer for how many people might have been impacted by the disease. The number of positive cases and deaths in New York City were also ticking up on March 11, but it still felt distant. There was no real clarity on what this virus was or was not to be handled. While some state-level leaders were ringing the bell there was a lot at the national level who weren't. Overall, a lack of knowing led me to wonder aloud to my wife just what we should do to prepare. On Thursday, March 12, it became clear (to me) through the actions on Wall Street, the rumors being flung around online about lockdowns, and the sense of dread in the air that New York City was not going to fare well in the coming weeks and months. With a 19-month-old and a 900-square-foot apartment I knew it was important to get to more space and a location my daughter could access reliable non-COVID health care options. That afternoon I purchased a one-way rental car from my West Village Hertz and took the 6.5-hour drive to Ocean View, Norfolk, where my parents have a home on the Chesapeake Bay. Space for the baby, space to work, and some help watching the baby should I need some during the work week. The drive was mostly miserable as my daughter thought it was a great adventure and stayed awake until 10:45 p.m. When she did sleep I was too nervous to listen to music or call friends and mostly sat in silence as I passed through the forgotten towns on the Eastern Shore. I arrived at 1:30 a.m. and headed to bed with my daughter. When she woke up at 630 a.m. on Friday, March 1m feeling I felt like I'd been double legged by Stephen Neal. The stress of the quick-pack, long drive, and little sleep seemed to be affecting me, I thought. "Toughen up," was my constant thought as I limped through a series of chores to get her well-situated in her new environment. On Saturday and Sunday the feeling got worse, but I fought it off and explained it away as a mixture of allergies (to be fair, pollen is caked on the deck furniture) and exhaustion from watching my kid all day. I was out-of-my-head, sleeping a full 9-10 hours at night and napping alongside my daughter for three hours during the day and yet never feeling rested. No matter how long I slept, I never felt energized enough to type text messages, hold decent conversations, or live my everyday life. March 16 was my parents 46th (!!) wedding anniversary and they had a nice Irish whiskey to finish the meal. I'd thought the food we ate that night was simply bland, but I knew that the whiskey had a nice flavor profile. I swirled., smelled, sipped and swished. Nothing. I could sense none of it. The morning of March 17 I couldn't smell my daughter's dirty diaper, couldn't taste the bacon I cooked for breakfast, or sense the garlic in that evening's dinner. I was totally nose deaf and tasteless. I called my sister-in-law, a pediatrician in Oakland, and asked her what it could be. She thought it was highly odd but that the rundown feeling could be allergies or a deeper sinus infection. I used a Neti Pot to try and clear my sinuses (I could breathe fine), but that and nasal spray had no effect. Then on March 22 my other sister-in-law texted a link to the New York Times story about the peculiar case of losing smell and taste when contracting coronavirus. Reading that article was the first time I'd even considered my symptoms to be COVID-19. It didn't seem real. On Monday, March 23, I went to the yard and tried to overcome my nose deafness through exercise and finished 50 burpees. As a consequence I felt as close to death as I will ever feel --coughing uncontrollably, unable to open my eyes, and laid motionless for an hour before going to bed. (I realize this is dumb behavior, but I really thought I was just being 'weak.') On Tuesday, March 24, I drove to a Sentara Medical drive through and was tested. In a too-stupid-for-a-novel twist, the car I was driving broke down as soon as the line started moving. Fortunately, because I was so out of it I'd also forgotten my wallet and my father had just delivered it to me in the car. He headed back and we quickly switched cars, allowing me to get the test. The New York residency, fatigue, absence of smell, and cough were all symptoms enough to determine a test. While I could tell that I wasn't going to be one of the lucky ones to not get deathly ill from COVID-19 (at least in the short term) it was imperative I know for the sake of my wife, daughter, and my parents. Knowing I was sick allows us to better adjust our routines, clean up with more determination and attention to detail, and to create timelines for when they will be clear of the virus. I received my results on Sunday and we discussed with the nurses what to do next. Fortunately, we'd been practicing distancing and some amount of quarantining and separation, like using my own bathroom, towels, and the rest. We were also hyper vigilant about wiping down surfaces. Maybe the best example of our efforts is that I've yet to hug my parents in the three weeks I've been here. My daughter is currently fine. Her major concern seems to be how often we go to the beach to see the waves and how often I will draw her an Elmo. Between the diaper changes, sticking her hands in my mouth, and co-sleeping it's unlikely she avoided the virus, which if she's asymptomatic is certainly a blessing. There is still some fear. I fear for my wife, my parents, and if I somehow affected someone else unknowingly. My parents are heathy, but they are in their 60's and this virus is unpredictable in who it chooses for its most ferocious attacks. Coming to Virginia was a decision we all came to, but I worry it will somehow backfire. In all, that's my story from start to finish. I hope that if nothing else it can provide a little more clarity into any of your situations that you're now facing or may face. These are uncertain times, but we will get through it together. Our worlds will feel different. We will interact in new ways and make adjustments for all types of new technology in our life. We will lose friends and loved ones, but at some point this too will have passed. For now, I'm signing up for plasma donation in New York and investigating the same here in Virginia. Once I'm 14 days post-test I'll also be heading out more to grab groceries and essentials for my family members and any friends who feel they are immuno-compromised. If wrestling needs me to travel somewhere, I'll do that, too. In the meantime, please be sure to keep watching your hands and watch out for each other. To your questions … Chris Pendleton with Zahid Valencia at the 2019 Senior Nationals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Q: What do you think of the Chris Pendleton hiring at Oregon State? -- Mike C. Foley: I'm ashamed to say that I hadn't considered Pendleton in a lot of recent hiring opportunities. Part of that is because he's been an assistant in the Pac-12 and I -- like most readers -- has a bias for East Coast programs and individuals. However, if you look at the accomplishments he can claim as an assistant it would have been surprising for them to NOT hire Pendleton. Guy is a two-time NCAA champion, recruited and coached Zahid Valencia to two titles, has been a top assistant as Arizona State grew to become a top-five program. Check out the release. I think it's well-written and covers all the highlights. Congrats and good luck to Coach Pendleton. Q: Frank Molinaro chose to retire this week after the Olympics were postponed a year. Do you think we will see some other wrestlers do the same? -- Mike C. Foley: Frank Molinaro will be the highest profile athlete to retire. He's an Olympian in his 30's who had a slim chance of capturing the starting spot this year under perfect conditions. No shame in him seeing the end of his career during the pandemic. I've heard he's a good coach and should he choose that route I think the sport would welcome his expertise and motivation. To mention nothing of that hair. I do think we might see a few overseas guys retire. When you can't work out for long enough you both have time for injuries to heal and to spend time with your family, eat donuts, and think about a post-wrestling life. Bound to be a few guys who that more directly impacts. Q: It seems like a lot of summer sporting events are getting canceled. Wimbledon and the British Open are the latest. Do you think USA Wrestling will cancel the Junior Nationals in Fargo this summer? -- Mike C. Foley: Yes, it's really just a matter of seeing how the next month goes on the ground. As the virus spreads to new locations and the death toll rises it will be difficult to imagine wrestling will take place in the summer. The fallout from these canceled events could be immediate and severe. We have not taken enough time (yet) as a community to focus on how the economic impact most directly impacts sports of lower socio-economic status, and how there could be a negative connotation connected with the close contact involved with wrestling. The perception of disease could be a major PR battle we'll need to tackle as a community. Assume, for example, that parents are out of work for several months. The discretionary income that might once have gone to a USA Wrestling membership, club signup, shoes, and gear will now be used for the rent and groceries. That money is what allows large tournaments to go forward, but it's also vital for the local wrestling communities. Now add in concerned mothers -- will they quickly embrace the idea that their son or daughter should step on a mat with 40-plus random strangers? I'm in love with jiu-jitsu and trained 4-5 times a week before the outbreak and I can't imagine heading back into the gym unless there was a vaccine and new increased standards for cleanliness. Wrestling has a powerful story to tell in terms of protecting the health of its athletes with skin and medical checks already commonplace, but we will need to be a leader in addressing the new normal. Parents and athletes will need to feel protected or they won't show up on the mats. That will require ingenuity and broad buy-in and implementation. The other issue is what will happen to many collegiate programs who are run with the assistance of their for-profit brethren. Does the NCAA college wrestling season happen if there is no football season? Will the lost revenue directly and negatively affect the winter sports season? There is no answer to the hypothetical, but we need to start considering ways to backstop that type of situation. We can't allow this become the trigger for widespread elimination of the sport at the NCAA level, and I fear that without a comprehensive plan to explain the sport's relative value to the individual organization's stability could become an issue.

Old Dominion University as seen on March 12, 2020 (Photo/Stephen M. Katz) NORFOLK, Va. -- Old Dominion University Athletics announced it will discontinue the sport of wrestling effective immediately. Currently enrolled students will retain their scholarships through the completion of their fourth academic year if they remain at ODU. Per NCAA rules, the students can be immediately eligible if they transfer to another institution under these circumstances. The students that signed National Letters of Intent for the 2020-21 year will retain scholarships for the upcoming year if they enroll at ODU. Members of the athletics staff have reached out to each of the students impacted and will help with the transition. There are 32 students in the program currently, seven of which are seniors. "We are saddened to have to make this decision, but it's one that was made with the long-term best interest of the athletics program in mind," said director of athletics Dr. Camden Wood Selig. "No one wants to reduce opportunities for young men to compete and represent Old Dominion, but we are required to be responsible with departmental resources. Our decision became even more clear during this coronavirus crisis, which we know will have significant impact on future athletics budgets. This decision will better allow the remaining sports to compete at a national level." The decision in part developed from the findings of a six-month study of the athletics program by an outside consultant. The comprehensive report reviewed the national college sports landscape, identified current and future financial challenges and evaluated Title IX compliance, which led to the recommendation to discontinue a varsity sport. Once completely implemented, it is estimated that athletics will have an expense savings of approximately $1 million. Steve Martin, who was an ultra-successful high school coach at Great Bridge High School in Chesapeake before taking over the ODU program, has been the head coach of the Monarchs for the past 16 seasons. He has agreed to remain on staff to assist the currently enrolled and signed recruits with the transition. "I would like to thank President Broderick and Wood Selig for the support of the wrestling program over my 16-year career at ODU," said Martin. "I understand these are challenging times for everyone, not only in athletics, but in every walk of life. "I care a great deal about the student-athletes and coaches in the wrestling program at ODU, and I'm committed to work with each one of them to assist them during this transition," Martin continued. "I'm proud of what we were able to accomplish over my tenure in the wrestling program, on the mat, but more importantly, off the mat as we were able to use the sport of wrestling to propel many young men into distinguished professional careers." Martin recorded 172 dual meet victories as the head coach at Old Dominion, matching the record set by Peter Robinson, the program's first head coach. The last competition for the Monarch wrestling team was the 2020 Mid-American Conference championships on March 7-8 in Illinois. On March 12, the NCAA canceled winter sport championships, including the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. Four ODU wrestlers had advanced to the NCAA Championships. ODU has sponsored wrestling since the 1957-58 season. The program has a proud history of producing outstanding alumni, including 23 men who earned All-America honors over the history of the program. Wrestling has participated in the Mid-American Conference since the athletics program left the Colonial Athletic Association in 2013. No other Conference USA members sponsor the sport. In the most recent NCAA report, 70 of the 351 NCAA Division I members (19.9%) sponsored the sport of wrestling in 2018-19. There are also five non-Division I institutions that sponsor NCAA Division I wrestling. The sport sponsorship for wrestling has been on a downward trend since the 1981-82 year when there were 146 of the 276 Division I members (52.9%) sponsoring the sport. With the change, ODU will sponsor 16 NCAA sports, nine for women and seven for men, in addition to the non-NCAA sport of women's and coed sailing. This includes women's volleyball, which will begin its first season at ODU in the fall. NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision programs are required to sponsor at least 16 sports.

Cuba's Ismael Borrero recently won a gold medal at the Pan American Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Ismael Borrero, 2016 Olympic gold medalist for Cuba, is one of five Cuban athletes who has tested positive for COVID-19 as announced Thursday by the Cuban Ministry of Public Health and confirmed by the National Sports Institute (Inder) of Cuba. Borrero, 28, won the gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling at 59 kilograms at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Borrero was crowned champ at 67 kilograms at the 2019 World Championships. Just last month, Borrero won the title at 67 kilograms at the 2020 Pan American Championships in Ottawa, Canada in early March. After Borrero returned to Havana on March 17, he began to show symptoms of the infection. On March 28 during an investigation, Borrero was identified as a suspicious case, for which he was hospitalized.

These days, with kids at home from school due to the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, there's no better time to introduce youngsters to all that's great about wrestling. With the pandemic, there's a smart, safe way to introduce them to the oldest and greatest sport … without leaving home: Simply download a proven book that's already in use in thousands of homes ... instantly ... at absolutely NO cost to you. The book: "Wrestling: A Boy's First Book" now available for downloading for free here. "Wrestling: A Boy's First Book" by William "Doc" Bauer is unique. It's NOT a traditional "how-to-wrestle" instructional ... nor is it an old-fashioned storybook designed for kids to read on their own. Rather, "Wrestling: A Boy's First Book" is aimed at young boys and girls ages 7-9 who might be interested in the sport ... but intended to be read to the child by a parent, grandparent or other caring adult. First published in 2009, thousands of copies of the published version of "Wrestling: A Boy's First Book" were sold. Once the printed books were sold out, Bauer decided to take a new direction… and make the book available online, ready to print at home. No waiting… no shopping… and no charge! "Wrestling: A Boy's First Book" provides an introduction that any boy or girl can relate to immediately. It opens with two seven-year-old friends -- Christopher and Michael -- watching professional wrestling on TV. Christopher's older brother Kevin -- himself a high school wrestler -- tells the boys, "Those guys aren't wrestlers." It's an introduction anyone can immediately relate to… especially kids who hear the word "wrestling" and instantly think of pro rasslin.' Bauer -- a former wrestler and educator -- told InterMat in 2009 (at the time the original book was published), "The idea (behind the book) was to have the parent and child bond by reading, and, yes, by pushing the furniture aside and doing some hands-on demonstrations." In fact, "Wrestling: A Boy's First Book" encourages an interactive experience between parent and child by encouraging the adult to go beyond merely reading the text, but also become an active part of the learning process by talking about what's in the book, practicing some of the moves, and even visiting a wrestling room and a high school dual meet, just like the boys in the book … without leaving home. To download your free copy of "Wrestling: A Boy's First Book", simply click here ... and in seconds you'll have a copy of your book to print out and/or share on the screen of your computer or other device.

Missouri's Max Askren defeated Boise State's Kirk Smith in the NCAA finals in 2010 (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Want to catch some NCAA wrestling on TV while in quarantine? ESPNU will be airing five years of NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships on Saturday, April 4, from noon until 9 p.m. Saturday, April 4 on ESPNU Noon 2016 NCAA Wrestling Championships 2 p.m. 2010 NCAA Wrestling Championships 4 p.m. 2013 NCAA Wrestling Championships 6 p.m. 2018 NCAA Wrestling Championships 9 p.m. 2019 NCAA Wrestling Championships

Yet another major amateur wrestling event is doing a major calendar shift. The National Wrestling Hall of Fame has rescheduled its 2020 Honors Weekend from June 5-6 of this year to exactly one year later ... to June 5-6, 2021. The annual event -- which welcomes honorees to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in an induction ceremony the first weekend of June -- has been rescheduled this year out of health concerns associated with the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. "The rescheduling of 2020 Honors Weekend was not an easy decision for us to make. It is our signature event and has been held every year but one since the Hall of Fame opened in 1976," said Lee Roy Smith, Executive Director of the Hall of Fame. "The safety and health of our honorees and attendees is of the utmost importance to us and we believe this is the best decision to ensure that we do not put anyone at risk. "We look forward to June 2021 when we will celebrate the Class of 2020 that will now become our Class of 2021." The National Wrestling Hall of Fame announced in October 2019 that the Class of 2020 inductees are Distinguished Members Bruce Burnett, Dremiel Byers, Mark Lieberman and Bill Zadick ... Meritorious Official Tim Shiels ... Order of Merit recipient Gary Abbott ... Medal of Courage recipient Gary Chopp and Outstanding American Carl Eschenbach. (For more information on the 2020 honorees, check out the original announcement from last fall.) "This group has accomplished and done so much for wrestling and they continue to give back to our great sport," said Lee Roy Smith, Executive Director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. "We are proud to honor these remarkable individuals as our Class of 2020."

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. -- Augustana will add women's wrestling to its varsity athletic lineup beginning with the 2021-22 school year, it was announced today by director of athletics Mike Zapolski. The addition of women is wrestling pushes to 26 the number of intercollegiate varsity sports offered by Augustana. This will give the Vikings 13 women's sports and 13 men's sports. "Wrestling is becoming an increasingly popular sport for girls nationwide, and our goal is that Augustana will become the small college destination for young women who want to excel at a high level academically and continue to compete," said Zapolski. "We are perfectly situated geographically to attract quality women's wrestlers from Illinois, neighboring Midwest states plus other locations such as California and Texas." This will be the seventh varsity sport added since Zapolski became the director of athletics in June of 2008. Women's lacrosse and men's lacrosse were announced in 2010 and added in 2012 while men's volleyball and women's bowling started competition in 2018 after the decision was made in 2016 to add them. In February of 2019, Augustana unveiled plans to add women's water polo and then men's water polo, both of which will begin play in 2021-22. Tony Willaert, who recently completed his third season as the head coach of the men's program, has been tabbed to start the women's program. "Augustana has been discussing the idea of adding women's wrestling for some time, and, institutionally, we believe the program will attract new students to the College," said Zapolski. "Coach Willaert has done a solid job rebuilding our men's wrestling program the last three years, and is eager to be engaged with the launch of a women's team. Similar to our other recent programmatic additions, Tony will have the next 15 months to recruit in advance of our first competitive season in 2021-22." Willaert, who took over for Eric Juergens as the head coach prior to the 2017-18 season, came to Augustana after a stint as the head coach at his alma mater St. John's (Minnesota). He is excited about the opportunity to lead the fledgling women's wrestling program. "I'm really excited to get to work recruiting for our new women's program. Our local area has seen a lot of growth with girls wrestling so this will give us a great base for our recruiting efforts," said Willaert, whose first two Viking teams finished 30th and 20th in the NCAA Division III National Championships, respectively. "I know we can develop a solid base over the next couple years and compete on the national level right away." Women's wrestling will compete in the winter with the same time-frame as the men. Official practice will begin on October 10 each year with the competitive season going from November through March. The NCAA considers it an "emerging sport". The Women's Collegiate Wrestling Association (WCWA) governs women's wrestling and has overseen the national championships since 2008. Augustana is at the front end of a growing trend across the nation with the addition of women's wrestling. "The National Wrestling Coaches Association would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to the Augustana College administration for its extraordinary leadership in establishing our 37th new NCAA affiliated women's wrestling program in the nation," said Mike Moyer, Executive Director of the National Wrestling Coaches Association. "Intercollegiate wrestling has a very high percentage of first generation college bound students so this new program will provide an opportunity for countless young aspiring female student-wrestlers to obtain a college degree who otherwise might not otherwise attend college." Moyer acknowledges that Augustana's announcement helps the sport move closer to an NCAA championship meet. "Further, this announcement moves us one program closer to reaching 40 NCAA member schools that sponsor women's intercollegiate wrestling programs which is the minimum cut point to qualify for an NCAA sanctioned championship," said Moyer. The 2020 WCWA conducted its national championship on March 6-7 of this year at Adrian College in Adrian, Michigan. Similar to the men's program, the women will have a total of 10 weight classes: 101, 109, 116, 123, 130, 136, 143, 155, 170 and 191. Terry Steiner is the head coach of the United States women's national team and he had this to say about the announcement. "Wrestling is a great teacher of life skills. Augustana has always been an institution that has given young adults a great opportunity to succeed in life well beyond their college years," he remarked. "Augustana adding a women's wrestling program is only going to enhance the overall college experience. It will give those student-athletes first-hand knowledge of overcoming obstacles, dealing with adversity, and finding a way to succeed. Women's wrestling is growing at unprecedented rates across the United States. We are excited to welcome Augustana to the wrestling family." Currently, the list of regional NCAA Division III schools that sponsor or are planning to sponsor women's wrestling include Adrian, Augsburg, Aurora, Carthage, Fontbonne, Iowa Wesleyan, Lakeland, North Central, UW-Stevens Point and Westminster. Augustana, and Willaert, will get a preview of what is to come in the women's wrestling world this summer when the College is scheduled to host Team Illinois Women's Wrestling. That will be in late July prior to Team Illinois heading to the national championships in Fargo, North Dakota. "Thanks to Mike and our administration at Augustana for giving me this opportunity," said Willaert. "It's going to be a lot of fun coaching Freestyle again! When I was in Minnesota, I was heavily involved with Minnesota/USA Wrestling by owning a club and regional training center as well as coaching on the national team staff in Fargo. Last summer, I coached with Team Illinois for Freestyle. It'll be great to be involved with the girl's team too." Lee Roy Smith, the Executive Director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, pointed out that female wrestlers are now benefitting across the country from the life-lessons learned by their male counterparts for nearly 100 years. "We are thrilled that Augustana has committed to a women's wrestling collegiate program so that young women will have the opportunity to experience the tremendous benefits that men have received for over a century," he said. "The many values derived from the sport of wrestling equip participants with a work ethic and spirit of resilience that female athletes can depend on for a lifetime." The men's wrestling program at Augustana has been a traditional power in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin and the Vikings have won 37 league titles.

Rich Bender serves as USA Wrestling's executive director (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The decision to postpone the 2020 Summer Olympic Games came down quickly. The International Olympic Committee went from saying postponement was a possibility on March 24 to the historic decision to suspend the Games until 2021 the very next day. And now it seems like new information is coming out daily. The Games will be held July 23-Aug. 8, 2021. The spots countries have already qualified will remain so. The U.S. Olympic Team Trials will be postponed until 2021 and the latest news is that USA Wrestling has suspended all sanctioned and national events through May 10. But in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic there are important things we don't know yet. Here are five questions that should be near the top of the priority list for USA Wrestling. When will the Olympic Team Trials be held? We now know where they'll take place; the Bryce Jordan Center at Penn State. We know the ticket situation; ticket holders will be able to use their tickets for the postponed event or get a refund if they can't attend. But we don't know when. USA Wrestling has said it will be next year, but no date is set yet. Odds are the date will mirror dates from 2020 just as the date of the Olympics did, so look for early April. By the way, the deadline for ticket refunds is June 1, 2020. Will NBC still carry both days, or any, of the Olympic Team Trials? A very important question for wrestling fans not lucky enough to have a ticket. Clearly this can't be answered until there's an answer to the first question of when the tournament will be held, but Trackwrestling and NBCSN had been slated to air the full two-day event. Fingers crossed that its new date won't conflict with something important, like, oh say, American Ninja Warrior. It shouldn't be lost in the conversation how important that coverage is to the sport. It's key to drawing in new fans and through that, contributing to the viability and longevity of the sport. How about the Olympic Team Trials field, is it set? USA Wrestling held all of the qualifying events slated for the 2020 Olympic Team Trials except for the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships and the Last Chance Qualifier. The Last Chance Qualifier qualifies 32 spots (the top two placewinners) between the three styles for the Olympic Team Trials. Hopefully the chances are good that the Last Chance Qualifier gets rescheduled. If it does, it should take place after the 2021 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships so athletes can participate in both. Fun fact: Hawkeye Wrestling Club's Thomas Gilman was the last wrestler to make a world team after qualifying at the Last Chance Qualifier. Should the field be expanded to accommodate wrestlers from 2020 NCAA Championships who had yet to qualify and wrestlers from 2021 NCAA Championships? NCAA champions automatically qualify for the Olympic Team Trials, but with no NCAA tournament in 2020 any wrestler who graduated from the collegiate level and who would have been a champion, lost out on an automatic bid. An argument could be made to expand the field to at least one more wrestler at each weight class and give automatic bids to the winners from the 2021 NCAAs and the No. 1 seeds from the 2020s. Of course, this only works if the Trials are held after the 2021 NCAAs and it could open USA Wrestling up to legal action. A better solution would be to use the Dave Schultz Memorial International as a qualifier or to give one more allocation at each weight class to the Last Chance Qualifier. Will results from the 2019 World Championships be used for bracketing an Olympic Team Trials in 2021? As of March 27 the headline on the USA Wrestling selection procedures for the 2020 Olympic Games (now held in 2021) says "under review for amendments due to the postponement of the Games." But when it comes to seeding the Olympic Team Trials in 2021, it should be a no-brainer -- the 2019 Worlds will be the most recent championships leading into the Games. Usually the brackets are determined this way; A 2019 World Championship team member who qualifies the weight class for the Olympic Games will automatically receive the No. 1 seed at the same weight category in which he or she qualified. That wrestler will compete on the second day of the Olympic Team Trials in a best-of-three series with the winner of a day one tournament. The winner of that best-of-three series will be the U.S. representative at that weight in the Games. Seeding for the first day is determined by a seeding committee made up of one representative of each of the USA Wrestling clubs represented by athletes wrestling in the Olympic Team Trials as well as two or more athlete representatives. The seeding for the opening day follows a couple of criteria such as head-to-head matches and must have a majority vote of the seeding committee members in a meeting. No need for full details here, suffice it to say the easiest and maybe fairest thing for USA Wrestling would be to keep criteria and seeding as it was, regardless of the postponement.

Grapple at the Garden made a highly successful debut at the Hulu Theater (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) NEW YORK -- Beat The Streets, the largest grassroots inner-city wrestling program in the United States, today announced that "Grapple At The Garden," its annual fundraiser which was to be held on Thursday, May 28, has been postponed due to the current COVID-19 outbreak. The organization is entertaining several dates and formats for a rescheduled event later in the summer. "Our primary focus is the health and safety of all involved, especially our supporters, our athletes and staff, and in order to be properly prepared for what is always a celebratory first class event for all, we have decided to postpone our late May date," said Brendan Buckley, Beat the Streets Executive Director. "We are working with our partners at Madison Square Garden and all our stakeholders to find the most effective date in the coming months." "Grapple at the Garden" made a highly successful, sold-out debut at the Hulu Theater in 2019 following nearly a decade at various other iconic New York City venues. About Beat the Streets The mission of Beat the Streets is to develop the full potential of the urban youth and to strengthen the culture of New York City wrestling. BTS works directly with the New York City Department of Education in a public-private partnership to bring the life-changing sport of wrestling to over 3,000 New York City student-athletes to help them achieve their personal and athletic goals. Through the operation of wrestling programs in middle and high schools in the five boroughs, BTS and the DOE provide a safe, positive atmosphere in which disadvantaged and at-risk youth can learn the essential life lessons of grit, personal responsibility and teamwork, physical fitness and nutrition, and life-long learning. The goal of fostering strong, well-rounded student-athletes is delivered through coaching, after-school programs, life skills workshops, and summer camps. More information can be found at www.btsny.org.