InterMat Staff

Alec Pantaleo (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) 57 KG #1 Zavur Uguev (RUS) won the Sassari City tournament up at 61 KG. 2019 European Games runner-up Stevan Micic (SRB) won the Ziolkowski in a round-robin bracket, beating #20 Makmudjon Shavkatov (UZB) and Beka Bujiashvili (GEO) to return to the rankings at #20. #17 Gulomyon Abdullaev (UZB) avenged an earlier loss in pool action to #5 Ravi Kumar (IND) with a 5-3 win in the 61 KG finals of the Ziolkowski to move up #9 in the rankings. Abdullaev also notched a big win over #8 Nurislam Sanayev (KAZ) and #15 Jahongirmirza Turobov (UZB) to build momentum going into Tokyo. 2019 Russian Nationals champion #11 Ramiz Gamzatov (RUS) won the Ali Aliyev with 2019 Russian Nationals bronze medalist Khasanhussein Badrudinov (RUS) and Yarygin runner-up #10 Musa Mekhtikhanov (RUS). Diamentino Fafe (GBS) won the 57 KG Sassari City tournament title. 61 KG #1 (57) Zavur Uguev won the Sassari City tournament title. #8 Muslim Mekhtikhanov (RUS) moves up three spots to #5 for winning the Ali Aliyev title over #20 Eduard Grigorev (POL). This is because Grigorev beat Taras Markovych (UKR) 14-3 in the semis after Markovych had upset #5 Nurislam Sanayev (KAZ) in his opening round match. The results of the Ali Aliyev see Mekhtikhanov go up three spots, Grigorev goes up fourteen spots to #6 and Markovych debut in the rankings at #7 while Sanayev drops three slots in the rankings to #8. #9 (57) Gulomyon Abdullaev (UZB) won the Ziolkowski title with impressive victories over #5 (57) Ravi Kumar (IND), #8 Nurislam Sanayev (KAZ) and #15 Jahongirmirza Turobov (UZB). 65 KG Russian Nationals bronze medalist #9 Abdulmazhid Kudiev (RUS) took gold at the Ali Aliyev with an electrifying 12-9 win over two-time 61 KG Russian Nationals runner-up Ramazan Ferzaliev (RUS) in the finals. Ferzaliev and Kudiev both had impressive runs; Ferzaliev beating 2020 61 KG Russian Nationals bronze Ibragim Abdurakhmanov (RUS) and 2020 61 KG Yarygin bronze medalist Kezhik Chimba (RUS), while Kudiev beat three-time World medalist Bajrang Punia (IND) and Artur Badtiev (RUS). The Ali Aliev was serious redemption for the Indian superstar Punia who returns to the rankings at #12 after making the semis with wins over 2018 Alans champion Muslim Saidulaev (RUS) and 2019 world runner-up Daulet Niyazbekov (KAZ). Niyazbekov makes his return to the rankings at #14 for beating Yarygin champion #13 Alik Khadartsev (RUS) in the round of 16 at the Ali Aliev. Yianni Diakomihalis is back in the rankings for winning the 65 KG Ziolkowski title with victories over US Olympic Trials runner-up #18 Joey McKenna (USA) and Ali Aliyev runner-up #6 (61) Eduard Grigorev (POL). #1 Gadzhimurad Rashidov (RUS) won the City of Sassari tournament title up at 70 KG over 2016 Russian Nationals bronze medalist Ildous Giniytatullin (RUS), while Michael Bucher (SUI) won the 65 KG City of Sassari tournament title over George Ramm (GBR). 70 KG Alec Pantaleo (USA) had an absolutely fantastic run to Ziolkowski gold that saw him overcome a pool loss to #11 James Green (USA) to beat three-time world champion #6 (65) Haji Aliyev (AZE) 6-6 to make the finals and avenge his earlier loss to Green with a 5-3 victory. For his efforts, Green was able to beat Pantaleo and 2017 65 KG world champion #16 Zurab Iakobishvili (GEO) to make the finals, where he was silver to Pantaleo. From this, Pantaleo secures his first top ten spot in the rankings at #6 while Green moves up four spots to #7. Yarygin bronze medalist Rezuan Kazharov (RUS) got the biggest win of his career with a 3-3 victory over veteran Azamat Nurikov (BLR) in the finals of the Ali Aliyev. Nurikov in the semifinals upset #5 Viktor Rassadin (RUS) 8-8. Both men see a significant rise in their stock, with Kazharov skyrocketing from #20 in the rankings to #8 while the veteran Nurikov returns at #9. 2019 U-23 world champion #15 Mirza Skhulukhia (GEO) moved up to 74 KG for the Ali Aliyev, where he failed to place and has been removed from the rankings. 74 KG #1 Zaurbek Sidakov (RUS) teched Jevon Balfour (CAN) for the City of Sassari tournament title. The Ziolkowski was used as the final decider for the Olympic spot for Iran between 70 KG world bronze medalist Mostafa Hosseinkhani (IRI) and Younes Emami (IRI). Hosseinkhani would win the Ziolkowski by way of forfeit over #5 Frank Chamizo (ITA) and beat 2019 European Games bronze medalist #20 Khadzhimurad Gadzhiev (AZE) in the semifinals after Gadzhiev had upended Emami 4-2 in the quarterfinals. For this, Hosseinkhani returns to the rankings at #20. Another qualifier took place at the Ziolkowski, this time for Kazakhstan between two-time Asian champion Daniyar Kaisanov (KAZ) and 2019 70 KG world runner-up Nurkhoza Kaipanov (KAZ). Kaipanov was upset in the first round by Amr Hussen (EGY), while Kaisanov locked up the spot by finishing bronze with wins over Jason Nolf (USA) and Semen Radulov (UKR). Two-time Russian Nationals bronze medalist #15 Nikita Suchkov (RUS) moved up three spots in the rankings to #12 after winning the Ali Aliev title over Saipulla Alibulatov (RUS). Alibulatov (RUS) makes his debut in the rankings at #15 for wins at the Ali Aliev over #9 Magomed Kurbanaliev (RUS) and Daniyar Kaisanov (KAZ). #9 Magomed Kurbanaliev (RUS) falls seven spots in the rankings to #17 after his Ali Aliyev semifinals loss to Saipulla Alibulatov (RUS). Kurbanaliev rebounded for bronze over Kaisanov and confirmed by Instagram he was battling a rib injury going into the tournament. 79 KG #1 Akhsarbek Gulaev (SVK) won the Ziolkowski with victories over #20 Rashid Kurbanov (UZB) and Vasyl Mykhailov (UKR) to maintain his top spot in the rankings. #13 Atsamaz Sanakoev (RUS) reclaims a top-ten spot in the rankings at #4 with a victory over 2020 Individual World Cup champion #4 Akhmed Usmanov (RUS) in the finals of the Ali Aliyev. Usmanov (RUS) won his second Ali Aliyev title by way of 3-3 criteria victory over 2019 Russian Nationals runner-up #13 Atsamaz Sanakoev (RUS). Sanakoev moves up four spots in the rankings to #9 after making the Ali Aliyev finals with wins over Magomedmurad Dadaev (RUS) and Asret Ulimbashev (RUS). Dadaev and Ulimbashev debut in the rankings at #11 and #12 as Ulimbashaev upset 2020 Russian Nationals runner-up #12 Gadzhimurad Alikhmaev (RUS) in the quarterfinals of the Ali Aliyev, and Dadaev pinned Ulimbashev for bronze. #4 Gadzhi Nabiev (RUS) moved up to 86 KG, where he lost in his opening round match to Hadi Vafaeipour (IRI) and failed to place. 86 KG #20 Javrail Shapiev (UZB) put together an exceptional run for Ali Aliev gold beating the likes of Tazhidin Akaev (RUS), 2017 world bronze medalist #8 Vladislav Valiev (RUS) and Yarygin champion #7 Magomedsharif Biyakaev (RUS) for gold and to retake his spot in the top 10 at #7. Shapiev has been improving leaps and bounds this year and put together a killer resume with wins over world medalists Piotr Ianulov (MDA), #9 Vladislav Valiev (RUS), Fatih Erdin (TUR) and Osman Gocen (TUR), plus Russian hammers #8 Magomedsharif Biyakaev (RUS) and Tazhidin Akaev (RUS). Shapiev is very much on the shortlist to contend for a medal in Tokyo and I'm excited to see how he does in a loaded field. U-23 European champion Amanulla Rasulov (RUS) got the first big win of his career over three-time Russian Nationals bronze medalist #11 Arsenali Musalaliev (RUS) to debut in the rankings at #16 while Musalaliev fell 6 spots to #17. #11 Zahid Valencia (USA) looked impressive, winning gold at The Ziolkowski with a win over 2020 European runner-up #12 Myles Amine (SMR), #19 Sandro Aminashvili (GEO) and #20 Sebastian Jezierzanski (POL). #5 Magomed Ramazanov (RUS) won the City of Sassari tournament title. 92 KG 2020 Asian champion Javad Ebrahimi (IRI) made his return to competition by winning the Ali Aliev 6-3 over #16 (86) Zbigniew Baranowski (POL). 92 went through a lot of shakeups with returns from contenders at 86 and 97 KG. First, it started at the Ziolkowski where two-time 92 KG world champion #4 (97) J'den Cox (USA) made his return and dropped a shocking 2-1 semifinal loss to Illia Archaia (UKR). Archaia loses 12-3 in the finals to #16 (86) Zbigniew Baranowski (POL). Fast forward to the Ali Aliyev and Archaia loses to Belarusian Nationals bronze medalist #19 Amarhadzi Magomedov (BLR) and is eliminated from the competition when Magomedov is pinned in the semis by eventual champion Javad Ebrahimi (IRI). So with Cox, Ebrahimi, and Baranowski back, what does that mean for the weight? Then throw in three-time 86 KG World/Olympic medalist #11 Selim Yasar (TUR), upsetting #5 Erhan Yaylaci (TUR) in the Yasar Dogu finals and it's hard to make sense of things, but here's how it all shakes out. Ebrahimi returns to the rankings the highest #3 for winning the Ali Aliyev over Baranowski, who takes the #7 spot for his runner-up finish at the Ali Aliyev and title at the Ziolkowski and victories over Archaia, #17 Guram Chertkoev (RUS) and Alan Bagaev (RUS). Yasar takes the #5 for his win over #5 Yaylaci, who falls one spot to #6. Amarhadzhi Magomedov (BLR) moves up ten places to #9 for his victory over Archaia. Finally, J'den Cox's return to 92 KG sees the two-time world champion fall from #4 at 97 KG to #11 at 92 KG for his Ziolkowski semifinals loss to Archaia. #4 Aslanbek Alborov (AZE) was removed due to inactivity as he hasn't competed since February 2020, where he took bronze at the European championships over #13 Irakli Mtsituri (GEO). ***edit*** Russian Nationals runner-up Anzor Urishev (RUS) was returned to the rankings at #5 after I had mistakenly removed him. 97 KG #1 Abdulrashid Sadulaev (RUS) made the finals of the Ali Aliev with wins over Vladislav Baitsaev (RUS), Magomedkhan Magomedov (RUS) and #20 Mojitaba Goleij (IRI) but forfeited to 2016 Olympic bronze medalist #18 Magomed Ibragimov (UZB) to prevent aggravating a knee injury he had going into the competition. 2018 European champion Vladislav Baitsaev's made his return to 97 KG and takes the #4 spot for past wins over #6 Elizbar Odikadze (GEO), #11 Aleksandr Hushtyn (BLR), #12 Abraham Conyedo Ruano (ITA) and #13 Sharif Sharifov (AZE). #8 Mohammad Mohammadian (IRI) ran through a loaded Ziolkowski bracket to take gold and lock up his spot for the Tokyo Olympics and move up six spots in the rankings to #2. Mohammadian tech falled Matteo Pellicone champion #9 Kollin Moore (USA) in his opening round match, three-time world medalist #10 Alireza Karimimachiani (IRI) and avenged his two losses from Iranian World Team Trials to #7 Ali Khalil Shahbaninbengar (IRI) in the finals. Other significant results from the Sassari were #10 Alireza Karimimachiani (IRI) avenging his Matteo Pellicone finals loss to #9 Kollin Moore (USA) 2-2 for bronze and #14 Abraham Conyedo Ruano (ITA) upsetting 2019 world runner-up #13 Sharif Sharifov (AZE) 2-2 in the qualifying round before being tech falled in the quarters 11-1 by #10 Alireza Karimimachiani (IRI). What these results do is bump Alireza Karimimachiani (IRI) and Abraham Conyedo Ruano (ITA) up to #9 and #11, respectively, while dropping #9 Kollin Moore (USA) five spots to #14. The reason for this is that Moore's Senior-level resume (and top 10 status) were heavily dependent on his win over Karimi at the Matteo Pellicone and when Karimi avenged that loss Moore's resume doesn't really hold up to Hushtyn, Sharifov, Conyedo Ruano, or Matcharashvili (GEO). 2019 world runner-up Sharifov had an impressive run to gold at the Yasar Dogu, beating 2019 U-23 European champion Ibragim Ciftci (TUR) and 2018 U-23 world champion #13 Givi Matcharashvili (GEO). Yarygin champion Magomedkhan Magomedov (RUS) returns to the rankings at #20. #4 J'den Cox (USA) was removed from the rankings as he cut back down to 92 KG, where he won world gold in 2018 and 2019 and is currently ranked 11th after a semifinal loss to #10 (92) Illia Archaia (UKR) at the Ziolkowski. 2019 world bronze medalist Magomedgadzhi Nurov (MKD) won the City of Sassari tournament. 125 KG Heavyweight saw the most movement it has out of the whole year, with a plethora of new and old faces returning and established top ten guys plummeting in the rankings. Starting off the month at the Ziolkowski, #7 Amir Zare (IRI) cautioned out US Olympic Trials runner-up, two-time world bronze medalist Nick Gwiazdowski (USA) for gold. Gwiazdowski made the finals with impressive wins over #4 Yusup Batimurzaev (KAZ) and Youssif Hemida (EGY). Now Hemida had beaten 2020 Iranian World Team Trials champion #8 Amin Taheri (IRI), who had taken bronze at the Asian championships after being upset by #13 Aiaal Lazarev (KGZ). Taheri beat Asian champion #3 Oleg Boltin (KAZ) in his opening round match. Now the Ziolkowski was the qualifier for Iran to decide who they would send to Tokyo and Zare got the spot. Now let's fast forward to the Ali Aliev semifinals, where #4 Yusup Batirmurzaev (KAZ) is taking on 2019 Russian Nationals bronze medalist #16 Zelimkhan Khizriev (RUS). Zelimkhan beat him 7-4 to make the finals, where he beat the brakes off 2018 U-23 European champion Kamil Kosciolek (POL) 18-8 for gold. Now having tied in the results for the USA, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Iran, let's break down how this caused the huge heavyweight shakeup. Zelimkhan Khizriev moved up eleven spots in the rankings to #11 for winning the Ali Aliyev and beating #4 Yusup Batirmurzaev (KAZ), who now sits at #9 behind Gwiazdowski and #8 Alan Khugaev (RUS). The reason Khizriev sits ahead of #6 Gable Steveson (USA), who tech falled Gwiazdowski in the Olympic Trials finals, is because Khizriev has a deeper international resume than Steveson with wins over Zhiwei Deng, Khamzat Khizriev, Yusup Batimurzaev, and Vitali Goloev to outdo Steveson's sole big international win over Gwiazdowski. Now having just talked about Steveson's big win over Gwiazdowski at Trials does put Steveson in the rankings at #6. And for the final part of the Gwiazdowski supply chain, Zare gets a bump based on his dominating win over Gwiazdowski plus his wins over #9 Yusup Batirmurzaev (KAZ) and #2 Geno Petriashvili (GEO). Now let's cover the other action at heavyweight. #8 Amin Taheri (IRI) falls twelve spots in the rankings to #20 for his loss to Youssif Hemida (EGY), who slots in at #19 for beating Taheri. Asian champion #3 Oleg Boltin (KAZ) plummets out of the rankings after losing in the opening round of the Ziolkowski to #19 Amin Taheri (IRI). Boltin also lost at the Ali Aliyev to runner-up Kamil Kosciolek (POL) and finished bronze. In other action, 2x Age group world champion Abbas Foroutanrami (IRI) won the Yasar Dogu title over U-23 European champion #14 Anil Killicsallyan (TUR) to take the #14 spot. and 2020 97 KG Russian Nationals bronze medalist Erik Dzhioev (RUS) won the Sassari City tournament title. Pound for Pound #1 Zaurbek Sidakov (RUS) won the 74 KG Sassari City tournament title. #2 Abdulrashid Sadulaev (RUS) forfeited in the 97 KG Ali Aliev finals to 2016 Olympic bronze medalist #18 (97) Magomed Ibragimov (UZB). #3 Gadzhimurad Rashidov (RUS) won the 70 KG City of Sassari tournament title over 2016 Russian Nationals bronze medalist Ildous Giniyatullin (RUS). #15 J'den Cox (USA) was dropped from the pound-for-pound rankings for his upset loss to #10 (92) Illia Archaia (UKR) at the 92 KG Ziolkowski. Cox is currently ranked 11th at 92 kilograms. #16 Magomed Kurbanaliev (RUS) was removed from the pound for pound rankings after a semifinal upset loss to #15 (74) Saipulla Alibulatov (RUS). In the absence of Cox and Kurbanaliev, 2018 65 KG world champion Takuto Otoguro (JPN) and 2019 57 KG world runner-up Suleyman Atli (TUR) take the #24 and #25 spots.

New Stanford head coach Rob Koll (left) with new Cornell head coach Mike Grey (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) We're only one day away from the calendar turning over into July and there are still dozens of DI programs looking to fill coaching vacancies. Within the last week, InterMat has published a list documenting open positions and another detailing moves that have already been made this offseason. Since this list was compiled, Bucknell and Kent State, released postings looking for new staff members. This list is also not an "official" list because there are other schools with open positions that have yet to be posted by their respective athletic departments. Unfortunately, there are no records of open positions per day in years past to compare the current phenomenon against. This year just "feels" different, though. In speaking with head coaches who are handling these coaching searches, they have noticed the uptick in vacancies and the difficulty in which they've experienced filling said positions. So the question is, "Why are so many coaching positions still available right now?" There isn't a single answer to point to, but in talking to a variety of coaches, we've been able to identify three main points. 1) The Extra Year of Eligibility Whether it's right or wrong, wrestling has the sentiment that the most accomplished athletes will make the best coaches. Of course, this isn't always the case. That is a contrast to most other sports. Still, having a national championship or a bunch of DI All-American finishes on the resume gets your foot in the door. Maybe this will change at some point, but for now, it's still a thing. Wrestling is different in that you can compete one-on-one against legendary figures in your exact role and get a feel for what makes them great. A freshman quarterback doesn't get to clash with an NFL All-Pro QB to improve himself. A first-year collegiate pitcher isn't groomed by a pitching coach who tries to hit against them. So there is a lot of merit to butting heads with an Olympian or a multiple-time national champion everyday, compared to someone with lesser credentials. If you look at the list of open positions, you'll see that the bulk of them are for volunteer or graduate assistants. Who tends to fill those positions? Wrestlers fresh off of completing their collegiate careers. With the NCAA giving an extra year of eligibility to wrestlers active in the 2020-21 (which is a good thing), it does limit the pool of candidates to choose from among graduating seniors. The vast majority of senior All-Americans from 2021 have decided to use their extra year in 2021-22. While there are a few seniors that did not publicly state their intentions to return yet, many have. Only a few have announced that they will not use the free year. Of the returning All-Americans, only Louie Hayes (Virginia), Boo Lewallen (Oklahoma State), Jesse Dellavecchia (Rider), Daniel Bullard (NC State), and Gannon Gremmel (Iowa State) have been ruled out. Out of the coaching changes made public, as of 6/30/21, only Dellavecchia was an active competitor during the 2020-21 season. The lack of top-flight seniors to choose from could end up having a positive impact once new coaching hires have been completed. Without coaches looking for the biggest superstar to hire, they may be forced to think outside of the box more and select a candidate with all the proper coaching intangibles, yet no national titles or AA finishes. For some, just getting their first opportunity is all they need. Once a head coach sees their value, they would be more likely to expand their coaching responsibilities, or it could lead to a more prominent position. Two Big Ten programs that announced new coaching hires this week have looked outside of the standard formula for finding new staff members. Indiana brought in four-time DIII national champion Riley Lefever as an assistant. Lefever has been a part of the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club and has a ton of freestyle experience, so it seems like a wise move. But, with more DI All-Americans in the mix, would he have gotten that opportunity? Yesterday, Maryland announced Elijah Oliver as its volunteer assistant. Oliver was a four-time national qualifier for Indiana that finished up in 2019. By all accounts, Oliver is an excellent selection and will thrive with the young Terrapins. Does someone like him, who graduated two years ago, get lost in the mix in a typical year? Next year will be the one to watch, as far as the coaching movement goes. With two years' worth of seniors looking for jobs, competition will be hot and heavy. 2) The Accessibility of RTC's Within the last decade, Regional Training Centers (RTC) have become commonplace, which has proven to be an excellent development for wrestling at the Senior and collegiate levels. Before RTC's, the vast majority of wrestlers were forced to coach at the collegiate level, train for World/Olympic berths with low wages, or take up second jobs. Or maybe some combination of the three. RTC's have allowed wrestlers to focus on their international aspirations and train in environments conducive to their needs. Having such high-level athletes around also trickles down to the collegiate program. Even if the wrestlers aren't necessarily threatening on the domestic ladder, it still gives a team extra young, talented practice partners/unofficial coaches, if nothing else. So in years past, wrestlers didn't have that opportunity to train out of an RTC for a few years before moving into coaching or into a non-wrestling-related profession. Now that it's an option, many are pursuing that angle and why not? There are many of the perks associated with being a coach, without the actual responsibilities. RTC athletes aren't officially allowed to recruit. They don't have to work alongside the administration. While you'd ideally like for an RTC athlete to be a good role model and care about the student-athletes they work with, there is no responsibility for keeping up with their academics and such. While RTC's aren't responsible for taking away a significant part of the potential coaching population, it's a factor. 3) Covid Hiring Freezes One not-so-talked-about part of this equation is that there were plenty of schools that did not replace coaches that left after the 2019-20 season. Administrators were operating under budget crunches last summer and some teams were shorthanded last season. That has carried into this offseason and coaches are forced to deal with all of the competition for a smaller group of potential candidates. A few coaches I spoke with are just getting the "go ahead" from their bosses to make their hires and round out their staff. This shouldn't come as a surprise since many athletic departments, even in Power 5 Conferences, went through temporary layoffs or pay cuts to make it through 2020. If these schools were in the financial duress they claimed to be in, then hiring a second assistant for the wrestling team is sadly not a top priority. Especially when it was uncertain whether or not the schools would even compete. American University was one of these schools. Teague Moore did not have any assistant coaches due to the hiring freeze. Once the team parted ways with him during the season, they were forced to name Jason Grimes an interim coach. Since the school has hired Jason Borrelli. Nothing has been made public about Grimes' status; however, the team still has a few holes on the staff. Whether it's coincidental or not, the EIWA is a conference that has a lot of vacancies. Two or three on the AU staff, plus Brown, Bucknell, Cornell, Lehigh, and Penn. At least one other school in the conference has a vacancy that has yet to be announced publicly. Army West Point had an opening, but it was filled by Dellavecchia. Some of these vacancies could be filled by candidates currently coaching at other institutions, so as one is filled, others could open. Expect the coaching carousel to continue spinning into August!

Nick Suriano at the 2019 NCAA finals (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Ever since LeBron James and Chris Bosh decided to join Dwyane Wade on the Miami Heat, many NBA fans and pundits have called the current state of the league the “player empowerment era.” Obviously, college wrestling can't be a direct comparison, but the influx of transfers has allowed wrestlers to move around the country and find a spot that works for them. The transfer portal has not only had an effect on individual wrestlers, but this past season it had a pretty significant impact on the NCAA tournament team race. Iowa won their first national title since 2010 with a pair of transfers in the lineup. Those same transfers will need to contribute once again if the Hawkeyes hope to bring home another championship. The following looks at the highest NCAA tournament point scoring performances from wrestlers that previously transferred from the last five tournaments. 2021 Jaydin Eierman transferred to Iowa after three All-American seasons at Missouri. He redshirted his first season with the Hawkeyes, but entered the starting lineup this past season. Eierman won the Big Ten tournament and entered the NCAA championship with an undefeated record. On his way to the finals, he picked up bonus points in three of his four matches. Even though he came up short in the finals against Penn State's Nick Lee in sudden victory, he added 21.5 points to Iowa's team score. Eierman's total was tied for the seventh most with NCAA champions Aaron Brooks (Penn State) and AJ Ferrari (Oklahoma State). If Iowa hopes to pick up another team title, they will likely need another strong performance from Eierman, who has already announced his return. 2019 After a true freshman season at Penn State, Nick Suriano returned to his home state and transferred to Rutgers. The New Jersey high school legend then became the first NCAA champion in program history as he bested Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) in a controversial sudden victory final. Suriano added 23 points to the total of the Scarlet Knights. Two weights later, his teammate Anthony Ashnault became the second NCAA champion in program history. Rutgers finished with 51.5 points, which was good enough for ninth place. After winning his title, Suriano took a redshirt to prepare for the Olympics. Unfortunately, he was eventually forced out of the Trials due to the Covid protocol. Suriano also sat out the 2021 season. In theory, he has a year remaining, but it is currently unknown if he will return to Rutgers, transfer to yet another school or walk away from college wrestling. 2018 Seth Gross started his career at Iowa before transferring to South Dakota State. While on the squad, he won an NCAA title at 133 pounds in 2018. He finished with 28 points, which was tied for third with fellow champions Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) and Michael Macchiavello (NC State). In the process, Gross became South Dakota State's first Division I NCAA champion and helped the Jackrabbits finish 12th with 42 team points. After his title, Gross had one more season of eligibility. He returned to South Dakota State but wrestled only one match before sitting out with an injury. Gross then qualified for another season and followed coach Chris Bono to Wisconsin. He went 27-2 during his final year, but never got a shot at a second title after the international pandemic led to the cancellation of the 2020 NCAA tournament. 2017 Gross was also the highest-scoring transfer during his sophomore season. He finished with 19.5 team points after making the finals of the 2017 NCAA tournament. There he faced off against former teammate Cory Clark in a match that was an instant classic. Gross' team point total was bolstered by a technical fall over Joseph Palmer (Oregon State) and a pair of major decisions over Eric Montoya (Nebraska) and Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State). 2016 Nick Gwiazdowski started his career at Binghamton before following coach Pat Popolizio south to North Carolina State. The accolades quickly followed as he won heavyweight NCAA titles as a sophomore and a junior. During his senior season, he was on a collision course with Olympic gold medalist Kyle Snyder, and the pair ultimately met in the NCAA finals. Eventually, Snyder won the match in sudden victory and denied Gwiazdowski his third NCAA title. Despite the runner-up finish, Gwiazdowski finished with 19.5 team points for the Wolfpack. His total was tied for 16th with Penn's Casey Kent. Transfers are more a part of collegiate wrestling than ever before. In some ways, the ability to attract high-quality transfers is nearly as important as signing top high school recruits for college coaches. Transfers were essential to Iowa's title run, and they will need to be again this year. During this past offseason, the Hawkeyes dipped into the transfer portal again to pick up former Northern Iowa wrestler Drew Bennett as well as Brennan Swafford, who wrestled last year for NAIA Graceland. Rival Penn State added former Cornell finalist Max Dean at 197 pounds, while Michigan added former Princeton All-American Patrick Brucki at the same weight. It remains to be seen who brings home the 2022 NCAA team title, but it does seem certain that the winning squad will receive significant contributions from a wrestler who previously transferred.

Chance Marteller with Cary Kolat (left) at the Olympic Trials (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The Navy-Marine Corps Regional Training Center announced their latest addition on Tuesday as two-time Lock Haven All-American, Chance Marsteller, will join the team. The move reunites Marsteller with Navy head coach Cary Kolat, who coached Marsteller at the club level while in high school. Marsteller and Kolat are perhaps the two best high schooler's ever to come out of Pennsylvania. Both were undefeated four-time state champions. Chance was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the state tournament on three occasions. Following high school, Marsteller enrolled at Oklahoma State University and redshirted immediately. During the 2015-16 season, Marsteller competed at 157 lbs for the Cowboys, sputtered to a 6-5 record, and had difficulty maintaining the weight. He would later transfer to Lock Haven. Back home in Pennsylvania, Marsteller experienced a renaissance and qualified for the NCAA Championships both years competing for the Bald Eagles. He amassed a 72-7 record wrestling for Scott Moore's team and placed fourth at the 2018 NCAA Championships as a junior. As a senior, wrestling in Pennsylvania at the national tournament, Marsteller finished in third place at 165 lbs after defeating notables like Evan Wick (Wisconsin), top-seeded Alex Marinelli (Iowa), and Josh Shields (Arizona State). Wick was responsible for Chance's only defeat of the tournament. Since the conclusion of his collegiate career, Marsteller has been active on the Senior level in freestyle. Earlier this year, he emerged from a talented field at the Last Chance Qualifier to secure a berth at the Olympic Trials. Marsteller downed Alec Pantaleo and Vincenzo Joseph, among others, to lock up his spot in the 74 kg Trials. In Fort Worth, at the Olympic Trials, Marsteller was paired with Joseph in his opening match and won 3-3 on criteria. He was pinned by Wick in the next round, the quarterfinals, of the Challenge Tournament. While Marsteller did not fulfill his goal of becoming an Olympian in April, his brother, John Stefanowicz, made the Greco-Roman team at 87 kg. Stefanowicz trains as a member of the US Marine Corps. Chance has previously trained with the Lehigh Valley Athletic Club.

From left; Logan Stieber, Kyle Snyder, Zack Kemmerer, Jason Welch (Photos/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) At the beginning of June, the dead period for DI recruiting was lifted and coaches were allowed to host recruits on campus or travel to make home visits. For most staffs, their attention shifted from the Class of 2021, to the rising seniors in 2022 or even the Class of 2023. With the renewed ability to focus on recruiting and projecting the collegiate careers of today's stud high schoolers, we've decided to look back at past recruiting lists to see how the elite recruits developed once in college. For purposes of this article, "elite recruits" will be considered the top-15 pound-for-pound wrestlers in a specific year. Not all years are created equal, some classes had a deeper talent pool than others, but this was an easy, uniform way to judge wrestlers from past classes against each other. Before a wrestler's collegiate career begins, it's easy to proclaim that they'll be "at least" a two or three-time NCAA champion, "easily" a four-time All-American. But, how often does that become a reality? Even amongst wrestlers that were head-and-shoulders above their respective senior classes. As we dig into it, the answers vary, but there are fewer than you'd think that go on to super-stardom (on the mat, at least). This article will track wrestlers from the 2005-2015 recruiting classes. Why, you ask? There are very few concrete recruiting rankings available before the 2004-05 school year. And anything after 2015, will include a bunch of wrestlers with collegiate eligibility remaining. Even so, there is a smattering of wrestlers from the Class of 2015, still competing in college. Those wrestlers have been denoted and highlighted in italics. Each wrestler has been grouped into ten categories based on their collegiate results. 1) Four-time NCAA Champions. 2) Two/Three-time NCAA Champions. 3) One-time NCAA Champions. 4) Four-time All-Americans (w/ no titles). 5) Two/Three-time All-Americans. 6) One-time All-Americans. 7) Four-time NCAA Qualifiers (never All-Americans). 8) Two/Three-time NCAA Qualifiers. 9) One-time NCAA Qualifiers. 10) Never Qualified for the DI National Tournament. The results may be surprising as to which group has more members than the others. Four-time NCAA Champions. This one is self-explanatory. The only information you may not realize was their recruiting ranking. Multiple-time NCAA Champions. I think it's interesting that this list is longer than the next list. It's probably a product of our era of wrestling. More kids come into the collegiate level well-equipped for success and more ready to win multiple titles. One-time NCAA Champions. It's pretty remarkable that four members of this list won titles as freshmen (Schlatter, Tsirtsis, Tomasello, and Martin). Again, a testament to the competition in this era and how difficult it is to "just" win one. Everyone here earned All-American honors at least three times. Four-time All-Americans (w/ no titles). All of these wrestlers competed in the Big Ten. I'm not sure if that correlates or is relevant to anything. Also, three are from Minnesota. Two/Three-time All-Americans (w/ no titles). This group encompasses a large segment of the population. Almost everyone on the list was a title threat throughout their entire careers and could have won once with a break or two. One-time All-Americans (w/ no titles). There are a handful of wrestlers mentioned here that dealt with a bevy of injuries that didn't allow them to be in top form for each crack at the NCAA Tournament. Four-time NCAA Qualifiers (never All-Americans). We'll take the time to mention here, actual NCAA placements were only counted here. Taylor Lujan was the top-seed at the canceled 2020 national tournament and likely would have found a place within the top-eight. Aside from the GOATs (Dake/Stieber), this group is the smallest of the bunch. It sort of makes sense. There aren't many guys that stuck it out through four (or five) years of DI competition and performed at a solid level, despite having sky-high expectations. Again, with this group, there are plenty that were banged up at the big show. Two/Three-time NCAA Qualifiers (never All-Americans). This group has the most transfers of the bunch. That makes sense, as maybe they needed a fresh start to experience some success. Many on this list did. Also, if you go, man-for-man, down the list, you'll find that most had at least a postseason (or two) wiped away due to significant injuries. Some even had careers cut short. One-time NCAA Qualifiers (never All-Americans). What an interesting group here! There's not one blanket statement to be made about this cast. Many did not have the full four years of competition in college. Never Made the DI National Tournament. It's pretty amazing that this is the largest group. A few disclaimers. You'll see Henry Cejudo's name on the list. He never went to wrestle in college, but focused on the Senior-level and won the Olympics only two years later. He made the right choice, for him. Others, mainly Joey Davis, Deron Winn, Destin McCauley, all had a lot of success at the non-DI level. It may not be suitable to lump them in with this group. Jake Deitchler also made the 2008 Olympic team in Greco-Roman. Concussions prevented his collegiate career from ever getting off the ground, but his career was very successful, in his own right. For the rest of the wrestlers on this list, there's any number of reasons why they didn't have a similar amount of success compared to the high school level. Many suffered injuries. Others had issues in the classroom or from a discipline standpoint. Some, just found college wrestling is really tough. I'd like to see if this feature is different ten years from now. Some of the earlier recruiting classes were based on much less information than is available now. There are more national-level high school tournaments for wrestlers to participate in and either shine or see their ranking drop. For those that really study the recruiting process, the advent of social media could make it easier to determine if off-the-mat issues will rear their ugly head, too. Also, with the transfer portal available, maybe it's easier for recruits to get out of a situation that's less-than-ideal, which could translate to more success on the mat. But, the big takeaway is success is not guaranteed at the collegiate level, even if you have a fancy resume coming into school. There are plenty of wrestlers not on this list and wrestled during this time period that went on to have outstanding careers. Multiple-time NCAA champions Jordan Burroughs, Kellen Russell, Tony Nelson, Jesse Delgado, and Nick Gwiazdowski are just a few examples.

Two-time world champion Zavur Uguev of Russia (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) As of today, we under 50 days from the start of wrestling at the Olympic Games. Over the next 50 days, we'll bring you one profile per day of a decorated international contender. Make sure you get to know the wrestlers that Team USA will compete against in Tokyo. 6/27/21 - Zhan Beleniuk (Ukraine) 6/26/21 - Sergey Kozyrev (Russia) 6/24/21 - Kenchiro Fumita (Japan) 6/23/21 - Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov (Belarus) 6/22/21 - Erica Wiebe (Canada) 6/21/21 - Myles Amine (San Marino) 6/20/21 - Sofia Mattsson (Sweden) 6/19/21 - Hassan Yazdani Charati (Iran) 6/18/21 - Tamas Lorincz (Hungary) 6/17/21 - Takuro Otoguro (Japan) 6/16/21 - Elizbar Odikadze (Georgia) 6/15/21 - Koumba Larroque (France) 6/14/21 - Haji Aliyev (Azerbaijan) 6/13/21 - Ningning Rong (China) 6/12/21 - Bajrang Punia (India) 6/11/21 - Frank Staebler (Germany) 6/10/21 - Geno Petriashvili (Georgia) #1 Zavur Uguev of Russia has been the pinnacle of lightweight consistency for Russia throughout the 2016-2020. National titles in 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2021 have cemented him as the king in one of the most stacked weight classes domestically. Back-to-back world titles from 2018 to 2019 cemented him the number one spot internationally and top-five status pound-for-pound. But before he goes into Tokyo as the favorite to win Russia's first Olympic title at the weight since Mavlet Batirov in 2004, we have to start at the beginning. Today's Olympic profile will be looking at top-ranked 57 KG gold medal contender Zavur Uguev of Russia. The Stats #1 Zavur Uguev (RUS)- 2x world champion ('18,' 19), 4x Russian Nationals champion ('17, '18, '20,' 21), 2x Cadet world champion ('11,' 12), 2x Yarygin champion ('17,' 18), 2x European medalist ('17,' 18), 2019 European Games bronze medalist, 2020 Individual World Cup champion, 2019 Ali Aliev champion Key Wins: #1 (61) Abasgadzhi Magomedov (2017 Intercontinental Cup finals, 2017 Kunaev finals) #2 Suleyman Atli (2019 world finals), #8 (61) Nurislam Sanayev (2018 world finals), #3 Nachyn Mongush (2021 Russian Nationals finals), #4 Azamat Tuskaev (2018 Yarygin, 2019 Ali Aliev finals, 2020 Russian Nationals finals), #5 Ravi Kumar (2019 world championships), #6 Yuki Takahashi (2018 world championships), #8 Bekhbayar Erdenebat (2019 world championships), #10 Aryan Tyutrin ( 2016 Yarygin, 2019 Russian National Team wrestle-off), Artyom Gebekov (2017 Yarygin finals, 2017 Russian Nationals finals, 2017 Alans semifinals) Key Losses: #2 Suleyman Atli (2017 Yasar Dogu), Makhir Amiraslanov (2019 European Games), #4 Azamat Tuskaev (2017 Alans finals), Artyom Gebekov (2016 Ali Aliev, 2016 Kunaev), Dzhamal Otarsultanov (2016 Russian Nationals), Ulukbek Zholdoshbekov (2016 Ali Aliyev bronze medal match), Giorgi Edisherashvili (2017 & 2018 European championships), Sandeep Tomar (2017 world championships) 2012-2016 Starting off his career with two Cadet world titles at 42 and 46 KG, Uguev made the move up to the Junior level, where he would tech fall #2 Suleyman Atli (TUR) in the finals of the 50 KG Junior World Championships. Along with two-time Cadet world champion #1 (97) Abdulrashid Sadulaev (RUS), Zavur Uguev was the hottest prospect in the world yet to make his Senior level debut going into 2014. But Uguev's bright career would take a sudden detour when he tested positive for a banned diuretic after the 2013 Junior World Championships and was handed a two-year ban from competition. Uguev's much-anticipated return would be at the 2016 Russian Nationals and he faced the stiffest test of his career in the form of 2012 Olympic champion Dzhamal Otarsultanov. Uguev gave the Chechen Olympic champion all he could handle but fell in his Senior debut 5-2 to the eventual bronze medalist. Uguev would make a quick turnaround and compete again at the prestigious Ali Aliyev tournament finishing fifth after losses to champion Artyom Gebekov (RUS) and bronze medalist Ulukbek Zholdoshbekov (KGZ). Uguev's first senior triumph would come at the Intercontinental Cup, where he would take gold with wins over future Russian Nationals finalists Magomedrasul Idrisov (RUS), Ramazan Ferzaliev (RUS), and 2016 Penn State national champion Nico Megaludis (USA). Uguev's 2016 concluded with a bronze medal at the Kunaev, where he fell again to rival Gebekov. 2017-2019 While finishing 2016 with two medals and showing himself capable of hanging in with the best at the weight, Uguev's breakthrough in 2017 was a shock to plenty of fans. Many saw the likes of Ismail Musukaev, Nariman Israpilov, and Artyom Gebekov as the frontrunners to take the reigns at 57 KG with the retirement of two-time world champion Victor Lebedev at the end of the Olympics. While Uguev was acknowledged as a contender, he wasn't by any means the frontrunner for the spot to start 2017. But that would all change with the Yarygin. Uguev was a man possessed on his way to the Yarygin finals. With each match, the competition got harder and harder and Uguev continued to shine even brighter. A rematch of the Intercontinental Cup finals against Magomedrasul Idrisov (RUS) was an 11-0 tech fall for Uguev. Nurtilek Ermekbaev (RUS) was able to score one point on Uguev for a 12-1 tech fall loss. Two-time Russian Nationals bronze medalist #9 Aryan Tyutrin (BLR) was an 8-2 bulldozing for Uguev. Now stepping against the upper echelon of contenders against 2013 World bronze medalist Nariman Israpilov (RUS), Uguev was expected to falter; it was a good run to the semis, but Israpilov would stop the young bull. Uguev thrashed the veteran Israpilov 8-3 and put the world on notice that he was the man to beat. Artyom Gebekov made the finals and had two past wins over Uguev from 2016, of anyone in the field, he should be the most capable of slowing the rise of the Kumyk hammer. Uguev's vast arsenal of offense was on display throughout the finals as he left no doubt in mind that he was the better man with a 10-0 win over Gebekov for Yarygin gold. Uguev hadn't just arrived; he had taken over. A rival from the past would come to take on Uguev in the form of 2016 Olympian #2 Suleyman Atli of Turkey. A runner-up to Uguev at the 2013 50 KG Cadet World Championships, Atli had reestablished himself as a title contender going into the 2016 Olympics with wins over world medalists Vasyl Shuptar (UKR) and #8 Bekhbayar Erdenebat (MGL). An upset loss to Ivan Guidea (ROU) slowed Atli's momentum, but in a weight where the top six placers had moved up to 61 KG, Atli was suddenly in the shortlist of men who could contend for gold in Paris. A rematch four years in the making would come to fruition at the Yasar Dogu and in one of the top matches of the year, Atli was able to come out victorious 7-5 and go on to win gold over 2015 Junior World champion Makhir Amiraslanov (AZE). A rubber match between Uguev and Atli was the logical summation of the European Championships and with both men, on opposite ends of the bracket, it looked to be set in stone they'd see each other. But a pair of resurgent veterans would cut those plans short with a couple of semifinal victories. A 2013 European champion for Georgia, Giorgi Edisherashvili, transferred to Azerbaijan and, after a three-year absence, made his debut for them in 2016, capturing Yasar Dogu bronze and gold at the Baku Golden Grand Prix. Capitalizing off a pivotal flurry, Edisherashvili would upset Uguev 5-1 to make the finals against Andrei Dukov (ROU), the Dan Kolov champion who had upset Atli 7-6 in his semifinal bout. Both Uguev and Atli would rebound with bronze medal finishes, but their consistency as guaranteed title contenders for world gold was put into question leading up to Paris. While there was doubt about Uguev's contention status internationally, his performance at Russian Nationals proved definitively that he not only didn't miss a step, but had gone up another level. 34-5 was the scoring differential between Uguev and his opponents on his way to the finals against the likes of Russian Nationals medalists Ramazan Ferzaliev, #10 Aryan Tyutrin (BLR), Rasul Mashezov (RUS) and Dmitry Aksenov (RUS). In their fourth meeting, Uguev would beat a defensively stingy Gebekov 3-1 and secure his spot in Paris and chance at world gold. The second half of Uguev's 2017 would be a strange one. As a consensus medal contender in Paris, Uguev dropped a lopsided 8-2 opening round match to 2016 Olympian Sandeep Tomar (IND). With Tomar losing by 14-3 tech fall to eventual world champion #6 Yuki Takahashi (JPN), Uguev was eliminated from the competition. A title at the Intercontinental Cup over #1 (61) Abasgadzhi Magomedov (RUS) recovered Uguev's momentum going into the inaugural Alans tournament in Vladikavkaz, Russia. A 5-3 win in their semifinal match would give Uguev his fifth match against Artyom Gebekov and secure his spot in the finals opposite U-23 European runner-up #4 Azamat Tuskaev (RUS). A two-time Russian Nationals bronze medalist, Tuskaev's renowned underhook series, short offense and reattacks made him a Russian National and world title contender when he was on, but consistency had always been a major issue with the talented North Ossetian. Against Uguev, Tuskaev put in one of his best performances of his career, beating Uguev 7-4 for Alans gold. Competing in his final competition of 2017, Uguev won gold against #1 (61) Abasgadzhi Magomedov (RUS) at the D.A. Kunaev tournament, to complete an incredible 8 tournaments on the year with seven medals. While not on par with the dominance he showed in 2017, Uguev's second Yarygin title won him revenge for his Alans finals match against Tuskaev and gold to begin the year. A Dan Kolov title over 2014 European championships bronze medalist Zoheir El Ouarrage (FRA) was a warmup for the European championships. Stevan Micic (SRB), Zoheir El Ourarage (FRA) and Levan Metrevelli Vartanov (ESP) would all fall to Uguev to set up his rematch against reigning European champion Giorgi Edisherashvili (AZE). Leading 3-1 throughout the match, Uguev would fall prey to a lethal Edisherashvili lat drop and lose 5-3. As he had done in 2017, Uguev used the lessons learned from his loss at the European Championships to springboard him to a Russian Nationals title, winning gold over Yarygin Donduk-Ool Khuresh Ool (RUS). Not only a shot at redemption but a chance at gold, Uguev would look sublime at the World Championships in Budapest. Outscoring the likes of Mihran Jaburyan (ARM), 2017 U-23 world champion #16 Reineri Andreu Ortega (CUB) and returning world champion #6 Yuki Takahashi (JPN) 24-2, Uguev would make his first world finals. Awaiting him would be #8 (61) Nurislam Sanayev (KAZ), surging off of dominant wins over returning world runner-up Thomas Gilman (USA) and #2 Suleyman Atli (TUR). In one of the most tightly contested matches of the World Championships, Uguev would walk away with a controversial 4-3 win over Sanayev for his first world title. Fresh off the biggest achievement of his career, Uguev would not make his 2019 debut until May at the Ali Aliyev. Beating a pair of U-23 world medalists in Parviz Ibrahimov (AZE) and Wanhao Zou (CHN), Uguev was given a chance at revenge in a rubber match against 3x European champion Edisherashvili in the quarterfinals. In one of his biggest tests of the tournament, Uguev blew through Edisherashvili, tech falling the Georgian veteran in the first period 10-0. 2018 Pan-Am champion Andreu Ortega would hold Uguev one point closer in a 9-0 semifinal loss. In their third finals match opposite each other, Uguev would take the series lead 2-1 with a 3-0 win over #4 Azamat Tuskaev (RUS). As Uguev was competing at the European Games at the end of June and with Russian Nationals in the first week of July, he was exempt from competing and would take on the winner. Going into his third European Championships/Games appearance, Uguev was determined to improve upon his bronze and silver medal performances, but a loss in the semifinals to Makhir Amiraslanov (AZE) would shut out his chances at gold and relegate him to a bronze medal. The qualification process in 2019 for Russia would be different, quite different. Because of the scheduling issues with the European Games and Russian Nationals, returning national champions/world team members got a bye for a wrestle-off at national team trials. Now, this worked out two ways: 86 KG had #3 (86) Artur Naifonov (RUS) winning Russian Nationals over 2017 world bronze medalist #9 (86) Vladislav Valiev (RUS) and then go to the Ziolkowski as a qualifying event to wrestle against returning national champion #4 (86) Dauren Kurugliev (RUS). Kurugliev gets upset by #8 (92) Zbigniew Baranowski (POL) and Naifonov gets the spot. 57 KG was different in that Russia sent national champion #11 Ramiz Gamzatov (RUS) and #10 Aryan Tyutrin (BLR) to decide who'd wrestle Uguev at the training camp. Now Tyutrin beats Gamzatov and returning world runner-up #8 (61) Nurislam Sanayev (KAZ), so he locks up the wrestle-off spot at the national team camp and loses to Uguev, who goes to worlds. A lot of steps, but still not as confusing as the Yianni/Zain qualifying in 2019. Uguev's bracket at the World Championships was absolutely brutal. An opening-round rematch from the European Games against Amiraslanov was a razor-thin 4-3 victory. Two-time world bronze medalist #8 Bekhbayar Erdenebat (MGL) was next and Uguev crafted a more convincing 5-2 win to put him in the quarters opposite #17 Reza Atri (IRI). 2-0 was the margin of victory for Uguev and now in the semis, he'd have to take out surging #5 Ravi Kumar (IND), who was coming off wins over 61 KG European champion Arsen Harutyanyan (ARM) and 2017 world champion #6 Yuki Takahashi (JPN). A huge fireman's carry would elevate Uguev to a 6-4 win over the talented Indian and his second world finals. A rematch now three years in the making, Uguev would finally get his third match against Atli. A 1-0 lead in the opening period for Uguev was blown wide open to a 13-3 margin in the second that secured the tech fall win and world gold. After running the gauntlet to make the finals and against his toughest competition he'd ever faced, Uguev had come out on top and the man to beat for Tokyo, a far cry from the letdown of the start of the quad in 2017. Even with the shortened season, Zavur Uguev was still able to cement himself as the consensus top man at 57 KG. A third Russian Nationals title over Yarygin and European champion Tuskaev qualified Uguev for the Individual World Cup. The Individual World Cup would serve as the unofficial replacement for the World/Olympic championships but could not officially be considered a World/Olympic championships since it did not have all the top returning countries due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Even with that being the case, Uguev was at the most dominant he's ever been, scoring four tech falls and a pin on his way to gold over Arsen Harutyunyan (ARM). This year Uguev has further cemented his reputation as a dominant technical savant with his fourth Russian Nationals title over #3 Nachyn Mongush (RUS) and gold at the City of Sassari tournament. In a field in Tokyo that is largely the same as the ones Uguev won in impressive fashion in Budapest and Nursultan, I expect to see him bring home title number three and establish himself as one of the all-time lightweight greats of this generation.

NCAA finalist Jaydin Eierman of Iowa (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Lately on InterMat, we've talked a lot about transfers. We've run an updated transfer tracker every two weeks so that fans can keep up with all of the movement on the DI level. With the advent of the transfer portal, the process has never been easier and every couple of days, it seems like another notable name has been added. Now there are plenty of reasons for a student-athlete to transfer; disagreements with the staff, a new coaching staff in place, to get a graduate degree not offered at your previous school, your program has been dropped, get closer to home, studs ahead of them on the depth chart, moving up from the junior college/community college level, or to work with new coaches are some of the most common reasons. We're not necessarily discussing why a wrestler may transfer today, more of analyzing their performances after transferring and comparing it to their previous stop. In 2021, 45 of the 330 NCAA qualifiers (13.6%) had previously transferred at least once during their collegiate careers. Below you'll find all 45 along with information from their initial stop, along with their new location. Is this a "be-all, end-all" on the success of transferring? Of course not. Getting to the NCAA Tournament is considered a success for the bulk of the wrestlers competing. There are plenty of competitors that aren't able to crack the starting lineup, much less qualify for nationals after transferring, so keep that in mind before drawing any conclusions. Each wrestler is listed alphabetically, by weight, with the current school listed first, followed by their former team. 125 Killian Cardinale (West Virginia/Old Dominion) Before Transfer: 38-26 at Old Dominion; 2020 NCAA Qualifier, #15 Seed, MAC Runner-Up Post Transfer: 17-6 at West Virginia; 2021 NCAA 7th Place, #17 Seed, Big 12 3rd Liam Cronin (Nebraska/Indiana) Before Transfer: 54-45 at Indiana; 2020 NCAA Qualifier, #22 Seed, Big Ten 5th Post Transfer: 10-5 at Nebraska; 2021 NCAA Qualifier, #13 Seed, At-Large Berth Zurich Storm (Campbell/NC State) Before Transfer: 16-6 at NC State Post Transfer: 15-10 at Campbell; 2021 NCAA Qualifier, #29 Seed, At-Large Berth Brody Teske (Northern Iowa/Penn State) Before Transfer: Redshirted at Penn State Post Transfer: 19-5 at Northern Iowa; 2021 NCAA Round of 12, #5 Seed, Big 12 Champ Danny Vega (South Dakota State/Iowa State) Before Transfer: Redshirted at Iowa State Post Transfer: 39-18 at South Dakota State; 2021 NCAA Qualifier, #22 Seed, Big 12 4th 133 Paul Bianchi (Little Rock/North Dakota State) Before Transfer: 27-21 at North Dakota State; 2018 NCAA Qualifier, Unseeded, Big 12 7th Post Transfer: 23-14 at Little Rock; 2021 NCAA Qualifier, #29 Seed, At-Large Berth Austin DeSanto (Iowa/Drexel) Before Transfer: 30-7 at Drexel; 2018 NCAA Round of 12, #7 Seed, EIWA 3rd Post Transfer: 52-12 at Iowa; 2x NCAA All-American (3rd, 5th), Big Ten Runner-Up Boo Dryden (Minnesota/NE Oklahoma) Before Transfer: 79-9 at NE Oklahoma; 2019 NJCAA National Champion After Transfer: 19-16 at Minnesota; 2021 NCAA Qualifier, #23 Seed, Big Ten 8th Michael McGee (Arizona State/Old Dominion) Before Transfer: 60-16 at Old Dominion; 2019 NCAA Round of 12, 2019 #12 Seed, 2x MAC Champion After Transfer: 13-4 at Arizona State; 2021 NCAA 6th Place, #9 Seed, At-Large Berth Korbin Myers (Virginia Tech/Edinboro) Before Transfer: 58-23 at Edinboro; 2x NCAA Qualifier, 2x EWL Champion After Transfer: 32-12 at Virginia Tech; 2021 NCAA 4th Place, 2x NCAA Qualifier, 2021 #3 Seed, ACC Champion Micky Phillipi (Pittsburgh/Virginia) Before Transfer: Redshirted at Virginia After Transfer: 56-7 at Pittsburgh; 3x NCAA Qualifier, 2x NCAA Round of 12, 2x NCAA #4 Seed, 2x ACC Champion Matt Schmitt (Missouri/West Virginia) Before Transfer: 41-22 at West Virginia; 2x NCAA Qualifier, 2019 #16 Seed, 2x Big 12 4th After Transfer: 12-3 at Missouri, 2021 NCAA Round of 12, #6 Seed, MAC Champion Ty Smith (Utah Valley/Drexel) Before Transfer: 8-4 at Drexel After Transfer: 8-7 at Utah Valley, 2021 NCAA Qualifier, #28 Seed, At-Large Berth 141 Jaydin Eierman (Iowa/Missouri) Before Transfer: 91-14 at Missouri; 3x All-American (3rd, 4th, 5th), 3x MAC Champion After Transfer: 12-1 at Iowa; 2021 NCAA Runner-Up, #1 Seed, Big Ten Champion DJ Lloren (Fresno State/Utah Valley) Before Transfer: 19-18 at Utah Valley After Transfer: 35-10 at Fresno State; 2x NCAA Qualifier, #13 Seed, Big 12 3rd Sebastian Rivera (Rutgers/Northwestern) Before Transfer: 74-12 at Northwestern; 2x NCAA All-American (6th, 3rd), #1 Seed, Big Ten Champion After Transfer: 12-3 at Rutgers; 2021 NCAA 4th, #3 Seed, Big Ten 3rd Vinny Vespa (Hofstra/US Military Academy Prep School) Before Transfer: 5-8 at USMAPS After Transfer: 40-55 at Hofstra; 2021 NCAA Qualifier, #33 Seed, EIWA 5th 149 Michael Blockhus (Minnesota/Northern Iowa) Before Transfer: 22-10 at Northern Iowa; NCAA Qualifier, #13 Seed, Big 12 5th After Transfer: 9-8 at Minnesota; NCAA Qualifier, #14 Seed, Big Ten 4th Jarrett Degen (Iowa State/Virginia Tech) Before Transfer: Redshirted at Virginia Tech After Transfer: 74-28 at Iowa State; 4x NCAA Qualifier, 2019 NCAA 7th, 2x #8 Seed, Big 12 2nd Greg Gaxiola (Hofstra/Fresno State/Cal Baptist) Before Transfer: 54-37 at Fresno State and Cal Baptist; 2020 NCAA Qualifier, #32 Seed, Big 12 5th After Transfer: 6-5 at Hofstra; 2021 NCAA Qualifier, #32 Seed, EIWA 4th Mitch Moore (Oklahoma/Virginia Tech) Before Transfer: 37-17 at Virginia Tech; 2x NCAA Qualifier, #18 Seed, ACC Runner-Up After Transfer: 12-6 at Oklahoma; 2021 NCAA Round of 12, #13 Seed, Big 12 Runner-Up Marcus Robinson (Cleveland State/Buffalo) Before Transfer: 18-12 at Buffalo After Transfer: 8-6 at Cleveland State; 2021 NCAA Qualifier, #30 Seed, EWL Runner-Up 157 Jesse Dellavecchia (Rider/Binghamton) Before Transfer: 15-9 at Binghamton After Transfer: 67-10 at Rider; 3x NCAA Qualifier, 2021 NCAA Runner-Up, 2x #4 Seed, 2x MAC Champ Parker Kropman (Drexel/Binghamton) Before Transfer: 19-12 at Binghamton After Transfer: 28-23 at Drexel; 2x NCAA Qualifier, #25 Seed, EIWA 5th Nick Palumbo (Sacred Heart/Buffalo) Before Transfer: 13-21 at Buffalo After Transfer: 18-13 at Sacred Heart; 2021 NCAA Qualifier, #24 Seed, EIWA Runner-Up Jacob Wright (Wyoming/Fresno State) Before Transfer: 53-20 at Fresno State; 2020 NCAA Qualifier, #25 Seed, Big 12 5th After Transfer: 18-6 at Wyoming; 2021 NCAA Qualifier, #23 Seed, At-Large Berth 165 Alex Cramer (Central Michigan/Old Dominion) Before Transfer: 18-18 at Old Dominion After Transfer: 7-4 at Central Michigan; 2021 NCAA Qualifier, At-Large Berth Jake Silverstein (Rider/Nebraska) Before Transfer: 9-7 at Nebraska After Transfer: 9-5 at Rider; 2021 NCAA Qualifier, #27 Seed, At-Large Berth Luke Weber (North Dakota State/Nebraska) Before Transfer: 20-6 at Nebraska After Transfer: 41-22 at North Dakota State; 2021 NCAA Round of 12, #9 Seed, Big 12 Champ 174 Jackson Hemauer (Northern Colorado/Fresno State) Before Transfer: 33-21 at Fresno State; 2019 NCAA Qualifier, #23 Seed, Big 12 5th After Transfer: 10-4 at Northern Colorado; 2021 NCAA Qualifier, #13 Seed, Big 12 Runner-Up Mason Kauffman (Northern Illinois/Eastern Michigan) Before Transfer: Redshirted at Eastern Michigan After Transfer: 40-32 at Northern Illinois; 2021 NCAA Qualifier, #22 Seed, At-Large Berth Demetrius Romero (Utah Valley/Boise State) Before Transfer: 21-16 at Boise State After Transfer: 75-16 at Utah Valley; 2021 NCAA 6th Place, #2 Seed, 2x Big 12 Champion 184 Joe Accousti (Sacred Heart/Appalachian State) Before Transfer: 32-18 at Appalachian State After Transfer: 19-18 at Sacred Heart; 2021 NCAA Qualifier, #33 Seed, EIWA 6th Place Alan Clothier (Northern Colorado/Appalachian State) Before Transfer: 46-25 at Appalachian State; 2018 NCAA Qualifier, SoCon Runner-Up After Transfer: 36-13 at Northern Colorado; 2x NCAA Qualifier, #18 Seed, 2x Big 12 4th Dakota Geer (Oklahoma State/Edinboro) Before Transfer: 31-10 at Edinboro; 2017 NCAA Qualifier, #14 Seed, EWL Champ After Transfer: 75-20 at Oklahoma State; 2x NCAA All-American (7th, 5th), 3x Big 12 3rd Ryan Reyes (Oregon State/Fresno State) Before Transfer: 5-7 at Fresno State After Transfer: 7-6 at Oregon State; 2021 NCAA Qualifier, #31 Seed, At-Large Berth Charles Small (Hofstra/NW Kansas Tech/Notre Dame) Before Transfer: 34-12 at NW Kansas Tech; 2019 NJCAA National Champion After Transfer: 19-20 at Hofstra; 2021 NCAA Qualifier, #23 Seed, EIWA 3rd Matthew Waddell (Chattanooga/Oklahoma) Before Transfer: 8-21 at Oklahoma After Transfer: 33-15 at Chattanooga; 2x NCAA Qualifier, #20 Seed, 2x SoCon Runner-Up Owen Webster (Minnesota/Augsburg) Before Transfer: NCAA DIII All-American (3rd) at Augsburg After Transfer: 28-31 at Minnesota; 2x NCAA Qualifier, Round of 12, #17 Seed, Big Ten 8th Chris Weiler (Wisconsin/Lehigh) Before Transfer: 55-29 at Lehigh; 2x NCAA Qualifier, Round of 12, #13 Seed, EIWA Runner-Up After Transfer: 6-6 at Wisconsin; 2021 NCAA Qualifier, #13 Seed, Big Ten 5th 197 Owen Pentz (North Dakota State/Fresno State) Before Transfer: Did not compete at Fresno State After Transfer: 9-6 at North Dakota State; 2021 NCAA Qualifier, #31 Seed, At-Large Berth 285 Brian Andrews (Wyoming/NE Oklahoma) Before Transfer: 43-5 at NE Oklahoma; 2018 NJCAA National 3rd After Transfer: 73-25 at Wyoming; 3x NCAA Qualifier, 2x #13 Seed, Big 12 Champ Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State/Ohio State) Before Transfer: Redshirted at Ohio State After Transfer: 10-4 at Penn State; 2021 7th Place, #9 Seed, Big Ten 4th Zachary Knighton-Ward (Hofstra/Nassau CC) Before Transfer: 24-4 at Nassau CC After Transfer: 31-19 at Hofstra; 2x NCAA Qualifier, #27 Seed, EIWA 3rd Tate Orndorff (Ohio State/Utah Valley) Before Transfer: 45-13 at Utah Valley; 2x NCAA Qualifier, #8 Seed, Big 12 3rd After Transfer: 11-11 at Ohio State; 2021 NCAA 8th, #21 Seed, Big Ten 6th

Four-time national champion Riley Lefever (Photo/Indiana Sports Information BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – IU head coach Angel Escobedo has announced the addition of four-time national champion Riley Lefever as an assistant coach for the Indiana wrestling program. Lefever, who grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana, wrestled at Wabash College, where he was a four-time DIII National Champion (three times at 184 and once at 197). "I'm excited to welcome Riley Lefever to our staff," Escobedo said. "Riley had a tremendous career at Wabash College, becoming only the second wrestler in DIII history to win four NCAA titles. Riley also brings international experience to his resume as he trained at Penn State for the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club. Riley will work with our upper weights and will look to help them achieve their goals on and off the mat." Lefever posted a 158-6 record at Wabash and graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in English. He was a team captain and a CoSIDA First Team Academic All-American. Lefever earned two NCAA DIII Most Domination Wrestler awards and was also a junior national team member in freestyle. Lefever graduated from Wabash in 2017 and moved to State College, Pa., to train freestyle with the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club for the last five years. In 2018 he earned the bronze medal at the Dave Schultz International Memorial tournament at 92kg and bronze medal at the Outstanding Ukrainian Tournament. In 2019 he earned third place in the World Team Challenge Tournament. "My wife and I are very excited to return to the Hoosier state and join the Indiana community," Lefever said. "Angel Escobedo really made this decision easy for my wife and I because of the direction he has the program headed in. I think it is really special that Angel, Jason, and myself are all from Indiana and are now all on staff together. The university and wrestling program has a great group of staff and faculty who are committed to helping the program and the student-athletes achieve success and also create a culture that is comprised of men of character."

Two-time world champion Zhan Beleniuk of Ukraine (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) As of today, we under 50 days from the start of wrestling at the Olympic Games. Over the next 50 days, we'll bring you one profile per day of a decorated international contender. Make sure you get to know the wrestlers that Team USA will compete against in Tokyo. 6/26/21 - Sergey Kozyrev (Russia) 6/24/21 - Kenchiro Fumita (Japan) 6/23/21 - Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov (Belarus) 6/22/21 - Erica Wiebe (Canada) 6/21/21 - Myles Amine (San Marino) 6/20/21 - Sofia Mattsson (Sweden) 6/19/21 - Hassan Yazdani Charati (Iran) 6/18/21 - Tamas Lorincz (Hungary) 6/17/21 - Takuro Otoguro (Japan) 6/16/21 - Elizbar Odikadze (Georgia) 6/15/21 - Koumba Larroque (France) 6/14/21 - Haji Aliyev (Azerbaijan) 6/13/21 - Ningning Rong (China) 6/12/21 - Bajrang Punia (India) 6/11/21 - Frank Staebler (Germany) 6/10/21 - Geno Petriashvili (Georgia) One of the top contenders at the 87 kg Greco-Roman weight class at the Olympic Games in Tokyo will be Ukraine's Zhan Beleniuk. At 30 years old, Beleniuk has a long track record of success and captured his second world title at the most recent world championships. This will also be his second trip to the Olympics as he was a silver medalist in Rio. Not only is Beleniuk a superstar on the mat, but he's also a trailblazer at home. Beleniuk, who has a Ukrainian mother and father from Rwanda, is the first black member of Ukraine's Parliament. He currently serves as the First Deputy Head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Youth and Sports. Key Wins: Viktor Lorincz (2019 World Championships; Finals), Radik Kuliyeu (2019 European Games; Semifinals), Maksim Manukyan (2019 European Games; Round of 16), Hossein Nouri (2018 World Championships, Quarterfinals), Artur Shahinyan (2018 World Championships; Round of 16, 2018 International Ukrainian; Semifinals), Evgeny Saleev (2017 World Military Championships; Finals), Islam Abbasov (2019 European Games; Finals, 2019 European Championships; Finals, 2018 World Championships; Semifinals, 2018 Vehbi Emre&Hamit Kaplan; Finals, 2018 International Ukrainian; Finals, 2017 World Military Championships; Semifinals), Mikalai Stadub (2019 World Championships; Quarterfinals, 2016 Golden Grand Prix; Quarterfinals), Javid Hamzatov (2016 Olympic Games; Semifinals), Robert Kobliashvili (2016 European Championships; Finals), Denis Kudla (2019 World Championship; Semifinals, 2016 European Championships; Quarterfinals) Key Losses: Zurabi Datunashvili (2021 European Championships; Semifinals), Metehan Basar (2018 World Championships; Finals), Khalis Ghilmanou (2018 Oleg Karavaev; Quarterfinals), Evgeny Saleev (2016 Golden Grand Prix; Repechage), Islam Abbasov (2016 Golden Grand Prix; Semifinals), Davit Chakvetadze (2016 Olympic Games; Finals) The Age Group Years (2007-11) There are many wrestlers that we will profile that rose from obscurity as a young wrestler. Zhan Beleniuk is not one of those competitors. Beleniuk showed promise from the moment he stepped on the international scene and has been a contender at every age group he's entered. It was 2007 when Beleniuk got his international start, taking silver at the European Cadet Championships. Since it was prior to the Cadet World Championships being reinstated (2011), that was the farthest Beleniuk could travel. A year later, Beleniuk entered the European Cadet Championships and left with another piece of hardware. This time it was a bronze medal at the 76 kg weight class. It would be another two years before Beleniuk was able to make a difference as a Junior. By then, he moved up to 84 kg, a weight range (84-87kg) that he would maintain for the next decade-plus. Despite taking tenth at the 2010 European Junior Championships, Beleniuk would improve upon that finish at his first World Championship event. Beleniuk's only loss came at the hands of future four-time World/Olympic champion Artur Aleksanyan (Armenia) and he would capture a bronze medal. During Beleniuk's final year as Junior-eligible, he claimed his first major victory, winning gold at the European Championships. Later in 2011, Beleniuk made the Junior world finals, but came up short against Revazi Nadareishvili (Georgia), one of his opponents at the continental championships. Also in 2011, Beleniuk got his first taste of Senior-level competition. He was fifth at Finland's Vantaa Painicup. Climbing the Ladder (2012-14) While Beleniuk was on the younger end of the spectrum on the Senior-level in 2012, he proved himself capable of competing with top-level competition. His best showing that year was a bronze medal performance at the European Championships. He was also third at the Moscow Lights and Azovmash Cup. In 2013, Beleniuk continued to grow and turned in some solid performances. At the World University Games, Beleniuk was a bronze-medal winner and he won his first Senior-level event a couple of months later. It came at the President Cup of Kazakhstan in a field that was heavy on entrants from the host country. That momentum carried into 2014, as Beleniuk started to show the consistency that he has lacked during his first couple of years on the Senior-level. He began the year with a championship at the Dan Kolov-Nikola Petrov Tournament. Two months later, Beleniuk won his first European Championship at the Senior-level. For the gold, he downed Rami Hietaniemi (Finland), a world bronze medalist just three years prior. After a bronze medal at the German Grand Prix, Beleniuk was Ukraine's entry at the World Championships for the first time. In his first bout at worlds, Beleniuk defeated Hietaniemi again. He advanced all the way to the semifinals before getting cautioned out against Azerbaijan's Saman Tahamasebi. Beleniuk was able to regain his footing and downed Ramsin Azizsir (Germany) to come away with a bronze medal. Elite Status (2015-Present) From 2015 to 2021, Beleniuk only has lost a handful of bouts and has been in the gold medal hunt at almost every tournament he's entered. His 2015 started off with a win at the Takhti Cup, before taking silver at the European Games. Those performances set the stage for the World Championships in Las Vegas. In his second match, Beleniuk gathered a win over his bronze medal foe from the previous year, Azizsir. Next up was Viktor Lorincz (Hungary), a two-time world bronze medalist at the time. Beleniuk was able to sneak by, 3-1. A match later, Beleniuk defeated Olympic bronze medalist and world silver medalist, Damian Janikowski (Poland). That win put Beleniuk in line for a rematch with Tahamasebi, the only opponent to defeat him the previous year. Beleniuk turned the tables in a 3-1 win and earned a spot in the world finals. To claim his first world championship, Beleniuk shut out two-time Asian Champion Rustam Assakalov (Uzbekistan), 6-0. At 24 years old, Beleniuk was the best in the world! The win at the 2015 World Championships allowed Beleniuk a berth in his first Olympic Games in 2016. Beleniuk did not drop a match before the Olympics as he won the International Ukrainian, his second world title, and Trophee Milone. At the Olympics, Beleniuk cruised into the semifinals with a pair of lopsided wins. There he would continue his dominance by crushing 2013 World bronze medalist Javid Hamzatov (Belarus), 6-0. With an Olympic gold medal on the line, Beleniuk faced Russia's Davit Chakvetadze. Chakvetadze was also responsible for one of Beleniuk's losses in 2015, at the European Games. Once again, the Russian came out on top and Beleniuk would settle for the silver medal. Beleniuk would finish the year with losses to Islam Abbasov (Azerbaijan) and Evgeny Saleev (Russia) and fell to fifth-place at the Golden Grand Prix. Though he didn't compete at the World Championships in 2017, Beleniuk was able to have some good takeaways from the year. He won his first World Military Championships with wins over Abbasov and Saleev in the finals. Beleniuk would prove his win over Abbasov was not a fluke in 2018 by defeating the Azeri star at both the International Ukrainian and the Vehbi Emre & Hamit Kaplan Tournament. 2018 also saw one of the more head-scratching losses of Beleniuk's career as he lost in the quarterfinals of the Oleg Karavaev Tournament to France's Khalis Ghilmanou. Ghilmanou didn't have much of an international pedigree before the loss and no major placements since. Less than a month after finishing eighth at the Karavaev, Beleniuk was ready for the World Championships in Budapest. After a pair of hard-fought wins, Beleniuk faced returning world medalist Hossein Nouri (Iran) in the quarterfinals. The Ukrainian star was able to squeeze out a 4-2 win, which led to yet another date with Abbasov. Once again, he Beleniuk won and earned another shot at a world title. This time it was for naught, as he was held in check by Turkey's Metehan Basar in a 2-1 loss. 2019 was different from previous years as Beleniuk only entered the big events. Just the European Championships, the European Games, and world's. It proved to be a sound strategy, as he won all three events and finished the year without a loss. His world title came at the expense of Lorincz in the finals for a second time. With a spot in the 2020 Olympics locked up, Beleniuk was a four-time world medalist, two-time champion and ready to win his second medal at the Games. That didn't happen as the Covid pandemic struck and Beleniuk did not have the opportunity to compete during the entire year. This year, Beleniuk jumped back into the fray and was a winner in his first event, the Grand Prix of Zagreb. He was unable to claim his fourth European title, though, falling to Serbia's Zurabi Datunashvili 1-1 in the quarterfinals. Beleniuk did win his next two bouts to capture bronze, which was his fifth career medal at the European's.

Quinn Kinner (Photo/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Transfers as of 6/27/2021 - received by DI schools. (New school listed first) Wrestlers added since our last edition have been bolded. Appalachian State - Diavantae Reddick (Campbell) 165 Appalachian State - Jacob Sartorio (Fresno City College) 285 Arizona State - Kyle Parco (Fresno State) 141/149 Binghamton - Ryan Anderson (Centenary) 141/149 Binghamton - Nick Lombard (Michigan) 149 Buffalo - Trent Svingala (Columbia) 141 Cal Poly - Evan Wick (Cal Poly) 165 Campbell - Anthony Molton (Fresno State) 125 Chattanooga - Brayden Palmer (Clarion) 141 Clarion - Will Feldkamp (Northern Illinois) 184/197 Clarion - Brent Moore (Virginia Tech) 149 Clarion - Cameron Pine (Campbell) 165 CSU Bakersfield - Jacob Hansen (Moorpark JC) 165 CSU Bakersfield - Mateo Morales (Fresno State) 197 CSU Bakersfield - Jayden Smith (NEO A&M) 184/197 Edinboro - Jack Kilner (Fresno City College) 197 George Mason - Laurence Kosoy (Columbia) 165 Hofstra - Michael Leandrou (American) 157 Illinois - Luke Ramussen (North Dakota State) 197 Illinois - Joe Roberts (NC State) 157 Indiana - Kasper McIntosh (Minnesota) 157 Iowa - Drew Bennett (Northern Iowa) 141 Iowa - Brennan Swafford (Graceland) 174 Iowa State - Austin Kraisser (Campbell) 165/174 Iowa State - Sam Schuyler (Buffalo) 285 Kent State - Michael Ferree (Campbell) 174 Kent State - Tyler Johnson (George Mason) 141 Kent State - Najee Lockett (Cornell) 174 Kent State - Louis Newell (Pittsburgh) 133 Lehigh - Gaige Garcia (Michigan) 197 Lock Haven - Ben Barton (Campbell) 157 Lock Haven - Jake Beeson (Pratt CC) 149/157 Lock Haven - Michael Spangler (Pratt CC) 125 Lock Haven - Colby Whitehill (Pittsburgh) 285 Maryland - John Martin Best (Air Force Prep) 165 Maryland - Zach Schrader (Cal Baptist) 285 Michigan - Patrick Brucki (Princeton) 197 Minnesota - Jared Krattiger (Wisconsin) 174 Northern Colorado - Baylor Fernandes (Minnesota) 165 Ohio - Tommy Hoskins (Oklahoma) 125 Ohio State - Will Betancourt (Lock Haven) 133 Oklahoma - Keegan Moore (Oklahoma State) 184 Oklahoma - Joey Prata (Virginia Tech) 125 Oklahoma - Gabe Vidlak (Oregon State) 125 Oregon State - Cory Crooks (Arizona State) 149 Oregon State - Cameron Enriquez (Clackamas CC) 125 Oregon State - Tanner Harvey (American) 184 Oregon State - Gary Traub (Ohio State) 285 Penn State - Max Dean (Cornell) 184/197 Pittsburgh - Gage Curry (American) 125 Pittsburgh - Elijah Cleary (Ohio State) 157 Purdue - Matt Ramos (Minnesota) 125 Rider - Quinn Kinner (Ohio State) 141/149 Rider - Jacob Perez-Eli (Iowa State) 133 Rutgers - Greg Bulsak (Clarion) 197 Rutgers - Nick Raimo (Arizona State) 133 South Dakota State - Tate Battani (Iowa State) 184 South Dakota State - AJ Nevills (Fresno State) 285 Utah Valley - Haiden Drury (Fresno State) 133/141 Virginia - Jarod Verkleeren (Penn State) 149 Virginia Tech - Nathan Traxler (Stanford) 285 West Virginia - Luke Karam (Lehigh) 149 Wisconsin - Austin Gomez (Iowa State) 141 Wisconsin - Andrew McNally (Kent State) 174

New Utah Valley assistant coach Jason Chamberlain(Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Yesterday, we brought you a listing of all of the current DI coaching vacancies. It felt like a huge number for this time of year. Along those same lines, here are the DI positions that have been filled this offseason. We're aware that there are some other hirings that have been rumored or unofficially announced, but these are only ones that have been published by their respective schools. American - Jason Borrelli (Head Coach) Army West Point - Jesse Dellavecchia (Volunteer Assistant) Cornell - Mike Grey (Head Coach) Illinois - Mike Poeta (Head Coach) Indiana - Riley Lefever (Assistant Coach) Maryland - Elijah Oliver (Volunteer Assistant) North Dakota State - Cam Sykora (Volunteer Assistant) Penn - Mark Hall (Volunteer Assistant) Rutgers - Anthony Ashnault (Assistant Coach) Stanford - Rob Koll (Head Coach) Stanford - Enock Francois (Assistant Coach) Stanford - Vincenzo Joseph (Assistant Coach) Utah Valley - Jason Chamberlain (Assistant Coach) Virginia - Jack Mueller (Volunteer Assistant)

Top-Ranked 195 lber Rylan Rogers (Photo/Josh Conklin) The University of Michigan received its first commitment from the Class of 2022 today when top-ranked 195 lber Rylan Rogers (Coeur d'Alene, ID) verballed via video on the True Wrestling Rokfin page. In addition to Rogers' weight class ranking by MatScouts, the site has also deemed him the fifth-best recruit in the Class of 2022. According to the site's School List article, Rogers also had NC State, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon State, and Penn State among his final choices. Rogers is a 2019 16U freestyle national runner-up in Fargo and also a Cadet World Team Trials runner-up the same year. Rylan spent the first two years of his high school career at Blair Academy in New Jersey, where he placed twice at the National Prep Championships. As a freshman, Rogers was third at 195 lbs. A year later, he won the 182 lbs bracket. While at Blair, Rogers was a 2019 finalist at the Walsh Ironman and the Beast of the East. He ended up winning the Ironman. Even before entering high school, Rogers had already earned All-American honors by placing sixth in Cadet freestyle in Fargo. Last fall, Rogers was selected to participate in FloWrestling's Who's #1 dual meet. He fell in a hard-fought match to Nebraska-signee Lenny Pinto (Stroudsburg, PA). Like a handful of others at Blair Academy, the pandemic made it difficult for Rogers and the team to meet in person, so he moved out west to Idaho. He competed for Coeur d'Alene high school in 2020-21 and finished the year as an Idaho 5A state champion at 195 lbs. For the Wolverines, Rogers fits in at 184 or 197 lbs. Either should fit in with Michigan's current depth chart, though getting an athlete of his caliber supersedes filling a need. The Wolverines are expected to have the services of seniors Myles Amine and Patrick Brucki at 184 and 197 lbs, respectively. Neither weight has a sure-fire, set-in-stone replacement for the 2022-23 season, so Rogers could fill a need, as well. Rogers' commitment marks the second time in as many years that the Michigan staff has been able to reel in a top-ten talent from the Pacific Northwest. The Class of 2021 was headlined by #8 overall Chance Lamer (Crescent Valley, OR).

Sergey Kozyrev at the 2021 Last Chance Qualifier (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) As of today, we under 50 days from the start of wrestling at the Olympic Games. Over the next 50 days, we'll bring you one profile per day of a decorated international contender. Make sure you get to know the wrestlers that Team USA will compete against in Tokyo. 6/24/21 - Kenchiro Fumita (Japan) 6/23/21 - Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov (Belarus) 6/22/21 - Erica Wiebe (Canada) 6/21/21 - Myles Amine (San Marino) 6/20/21 - Sofia Mattsson (Sweden) 6/19/21 - Hassan Yazdani Charati (Iran) 6/18/21 - Tamas Lorincz (Hungary) 6/17/21 - Takuro Otoguro (Japan) 6/16/21 - Elizbar Odikadze (Georgia) 6/15/21 - Koumba Larroque (France) 6/14/21 - Haji Aliyev (Azerbaijan) 6/13/21 - Ningning Rong (China) 6/12/21 - Bajrang Punia (India) 6/11/21 - Frank Staebler (Germany) 6/10/21 - Geno Petriashvili (Georgia) A much needed shot in the arm for an aging division that hadn't medaled all quad, #6 Sergey Kozyrev of Russia is one of the big five at heavyweights along with #1 Taha Akgul (TUR), #2 Geno Petriashvili (GEO), #7 Amir Zare (IRI) and Gable Steveson (USA) as the cream of the crop of the weight. In today's Olympic profile, we're going to look at Russian Nationals champion Sergey Kozyrev. The Stats #6 Sergey Kozyrev (RUS)- 2018 110 KG Cadet European champion, 2018 Youth Olympic Games 110 KG champion, 2018 100 KG Cadet world bronze medal, 2021 Russian Nationals champion, 2021 European championships runner-up, 2021 World Olympic Qualifier champion. Key Wins: #8 Amir Zare (2018 110 KG Youth Olympic Game), #11 Anzor Khizriev (2021 Russian Nationals), #15 Atsamaz Tebloev (2021 Russian Nationals finals), #16 Zelimkhan Khizriev (2021 Russian Nationals). Key Losses: #1 Taha Akgul (2021 European championships finals), Greg Kerkvliet (2018 110 KG Cadet world championships semifinals), Rasul Magomedov (2020 97 KG Russian Nationals championships). 2018-2021 Sergey Kozyrev's career began in 2018 as a standout at the Cadet level, winning the European Championships and finishing bronze at the World Championships after a loss to Penn State All-American Greg Kerkvliet (USA). Kozyrev had an impressive title to end the year at the Youth Olympic Games over 2019 U-23 World Champion #7 Amir Zare (IRI) that made him a young prospect to keep an eye on. Making his Senior level debut in 2020 at 125 KG the prestigious Yarygin, Kozyrev would be matched in the first round against returning Russian Nationals runner-up Said Gamidov (RUS). While he was game throughout, the experience edge was evident for Gamidov as he eliminated Kozyrev from competition with a 13-6 loss. After being outsized at the Yarygin, Kozyrev would cut down to 97 KG, wherein the opening round of Russian Nationals, he would face 2017 bronze medalist Rasul Magomedov. Magomedov, a lengthy counter-oriented wrestler, would hold onto a 4-3 win over the young Kozyrev and Kozyrev would be left on the outside looking again, clearly a future talent, but still yet to fully grow into the division. Kozyrev's breakthrough would come this year at Russian Nationals in a loaded field with past medalists and champions Anzor Khizriev, Batraz Gazzaev, Vladislav Baitsaev, Baldan Tsyzhipov, Vitali Goloev, and Eric Dzhioev. In an absolutely loaded field, it would be Kozyrev who would make his name. Kozyrev's tournament started with a 2-1 win over returning 97 KG Russian Nationals bronze medalist Eric Dzhioev and an 8-5 win in the round of 16 against 2018 U-23 European runner-up Khasan Khubaev would put him in the quarters opposite the tournament favorite in two-time Russian Nationals champion Anzor Khizriev. Khizriev is an absolutely massive heavyweight, cutting down to 125 KG and boasted a lethal counter game that had bested 3x World/Olympic champion #1 Taha Akgul (TUR) two years earlier for Yarygin gold. Khizriev was the biggest test of Kozyrev's young career and what happened next no one, but Kozyrev, could have predicted. In the quarterfinal, Kozyrev showed no fear of the veteran and pulled out an astonishing 6-5 victory to make the semis opposite 2019 Russian Nationals bronze medalist Zelimkhan Khizriev. The younger Khizriev would be an easier match for Kozyrev, whose 5-1 victory put him in the finals opposite a surging Atsamaz Tebloev. Culminating his Cinderella run, Kozyrev would win a razor-thin 3-3 criteria victory over Tebloev to take home his first Senior medal and Senior Russian National title. Even with his Russian national title, Kozyrev's path to Tokyo still wasn't paved. A dominant champion at the 2020 Individual World Cup and the 2020 Russian Nationals runner-up, Shamil Sharipov, had suffered a shocking semifinal loss at the European qualifier to #5 Dzianis Khramiankov (BLR), which meant Russia still had to go to the world qualifier and place top two to ensure they could go to Tokyo. With the fall of Sharipov and the rise of Kozyrev, and Kozyrev's runner-up finish at the European championships to #1 Taha Akgul (TUR) was picked as their man. Kozyrev looked excellent, making the finals with wins over European medalists #20 Robert Baran (POL) and Daniel Ligeti (HUN) and winning by forfeit over Sumit Sumit (IND) for gold. Heavyweight is in a golden age right now with legends in #1 Taha Akgul (TUR) and #2 Geno Petriashvili (GEO) making history every time they step on the mat and electrifying young contenders in #6 Sergey Kozyrev (RUS), #7 Amir Zare (IRI) and Gable Steveson (USA) being right there with them ready to take the crown. Add in #5 Dzianis Khramiankov (BLR) and heavyweight has never been better. But the question is, it's known that Kozyrev can beat the best of the rest but come time in Tokyo, when he has to stare down Akgul, Petriashvili, Zare, or Steveson. Will he be able to pull the trigger and get the job done?

(Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com)With July only a handful of days away, we're at an odd position, as there are more DI coaching vacancies available now more than ever. Later in the week, we'll explore why this may be the case. But, for now, here's the list. Please email me (earl@intermatwrestle.com) if there are others that are not listed. This is list is expected to grow, or be modified, as jobs are filled and some additional positions come open.

Kenchiro Fumita at the 2019 World Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) As of today, we under 50 days from the start of wrestling at the Olympic Games. Over the next 50 days, we'll bring you one profile per day of a decorated international contender. Make sure you get to know the wrestlers that Team USA will compete against in Tokyo. 6/23/21 - Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov (Belarus) 6/22/21 - Erica Wiebe (Canada) 6/21/21 - Myles Amine (San Marino) 6/20/21 - Sofia Mattsson (Sweden) 6/19/21 - Hassan Yazdani Charati (Iran) 6/18/21 - Tamas Lorincz (Hungary) 6/17/21 - Takuro Otoguro (Japan) 6/16/21 - Elizbar Odikadze (Georgia) 6/15/21 - Koumba Larroque (France) 6/14/21 - Haji Aliyev (Azerbaijan) 6/13/21 - Ningning Rong (China) 6/12/21 - Bajrang Punia (India) 6/11/21 - Frank Staebler (Germany) 6/10/21 - Geno Petriashvili (Georgia) When it was announced that Tokyo would host the 2020 Olympics, most fans focused on the Japanese women's team and how they could dominate in front of a home crowd. What some may not have considered were the contenders on the Greco-Roman front. Japan has the top-seed at 60 kg Kenchiro Fumita, one of the young stars of this discipline. At 25 years old, Fumita already has a pair of world titles at the Senior level under his belt, along with a U23 Championship and a couple of Asian gold medals. In each of Fumita's world championship runs, he is emerged from stacked weight classes and has been given no gifts. With a more condensed field in Tokyo, expect for Fumita to have another tall task ahead of him. Even so, don't be surprised to see him celebrating on his home soil in August. Key Wins: Zholaman Sharshenbekov (2020 Asian Championships; Finals), Islomjon Bakhramov (2020 Asian Championships; Semifinals), Sergey Emelin (2019 World Championships; Finals), Alireza Nejati (2019 World Championships; Semifinals), Victor Ciobanu (2019 World Championships; Quarterfinals), Elmurat Tasmuradov (2019 World Championships; Round of 16), Sailike Walihan (2019 Asian Championships; Bronze), Stepan Maryanyan (2017 World Championships; Quarterfinals), Shinobu Ota (2018 Japanese Championships; Finals, 2017 Grand Prix of Spain; Semifinals), Mirambek Ainagulov (2017 World Championships; Finals, 2017 Asian Championship; Finals), Key Losses: Se-Ung Ri (2019 Asian Championships; Quarterfinals), Shinobu Ota (2017 Poland Open; Quarterfinals, 2017 Cerro Pelado; Finals) The Age-Group Years (2010-2014) The early years for Fumita were not unlike most wrestlers that compete on an international stage. Some flashes of greatness, but at the same time, nothing that would indicate he was a lock to become a multiple-time world champion and top-seed at the Olympic Games. Fumita first hit the international scene as a 14-year-old in 2010, taking a silver medal at the Asian Championships. Since Cadet World's wasn't reinstated until the following year, that was the limit for his competition. In 2011, Fumita did just that and competed at the Cadet World Championships. Fumita advanced to the semifinals, where he was defeated by Murad Bazarov (Azerbaijan) and the weight was won by Mirambek Ainagulov (Kazakhstan), who will be an important player in Fumita's story later. After the loss in the semis, Fumita prevailed over Kemal Muelayim (Turkey) to come away with the bronze medal. Fumita returned to the Cadet World Championships in 2012, but was unable to bring home any hardware, as he finished tenth. He did not compete again internationally for the remainder of 2012 or at all in 2013. Fumita returned to the world scene in 2014, as a Junior, but bowed out of the World Championships early, settling for 16th place. Finding His Way (2015-16) Although only 19-years-old for most of 2015, Fumita hopped into Senior-level competition and never looked back. He was also growing into his body. As a Cadet and Fumita started at 46 kg and moved up to 54 kg. In 2014, Fumita began to settle in at 60 kg and he would compete at that weight or 59 kg to this day. During Fumita's initial year on the Senior level, he entered three Grand Prix's. The FILA, the Spanish Grand Prix, and the Golden Grand Prix. In Spain, Fumita earned his first tournament title at this age group, by downing 2013 Junior World Champion Serif Kilic (Turkey) in the finals. Fumita continued to progress in 2016, but he had a significant hurdle in front of him to make the Olympic team. Two-time Asian medalist Shinobu Ota was the frontrunner for the Olympic spot and ended up getting the nod in Rio. Ota would prove to be the stiffest challenge for Fumita for the rest of the next quad. With Fumita on the sideline, Ota went to Rio and came away with the silver medal at 59 kg. Fumita continued to compete in 2016 and captured wins at the Poland Open and the Golden Grand Prix. In Poland, Fumita captured his biggest win, to date, by downing Soslan Daurov (Belarus), a returning fifth-place finisher at the World Championships. The Best in the World (2017-Present) While Fumita won his only two events of 2016, he went to another level in 2017. His only two losses came to his countryman Ota at the Cerro Pelado and the Poland Open. In May, Fumita captured his first Asian Championship by defeating Ainagulov in the finals. 2017 also marked Fumita's first crack at the Senior World Championships. Even though he was amid an absolutely loaded 60 kg weight class, Fumita avoided landmine after landmine, just to make the finals. Along the way, he took out Stephen Maryanyan (Russia), who would move up the next year and won a world title at 63 kg. Fumita then gutted out 2-1 wins in both the semifinals and the gold medal match. For the top spot, it was Ainagulov on the opposite end of the mat. Just three years after a 16th place finish at Junior World's, Fumita ascended to the top of the heap and was a world champion. Despite a title early in 2018 at the Dan Kolov, and Fumita's success in 2017, it was Ota who won the spot on the 2018 world team. Ota fell in the second round to the eventual bronze medalist Aidos Sultangali (Kazakhstan). Since Fumita wouldn't turn 23 until December of 2018, he was eligible to compete at the 2018 U23 World Championships. For the most part, Fumita cruised to a U23 gold medal. He won by fall in the world finals and shut out two of his three other opponents. Late in 2018, Fumita competed in the national championships and grabbed an all-important win over Ota. After this point, Ota would move up to 63 kg for the 2019 season. With Ota out of the picture in 2019, there would be no bumps in the road for Fumita, right? In his first tournament of the year, the Asian Championships, Fumita was knocked off by North Korean Se-Ung Ri. That loss proved to be an aberration as Fumita once again battled through a meatgrinder at the 2019 World Championships. In the Round of 16, Fumita teched the returning world silver medalist (at 63 kg), Elmurat Tasmuradov (Uzbekistan). A match later, it was another returning world runner-up Victor Ciobanu (Moldova), that went down at the hands of Fumita. While it wasn't a tech, Fumita was able to put 12 points on the board. The semis had another meeting with Ainagulov and, once again, Fumita came out on top, 8-0. For the world championship, Fumita put together a 10-5 win over returning champion, Sergey Emelin (Russia). Fumita was now two-for-two in his shots at winning Senior world titles. Fumita started the 2020 campaign with his second gold medal at the Asian Championships. After the continental championships, the world was shut down due to the Covid pandemic. He returned to action in December, though, and won another national title. Since Fumita has not competed internationally in 2021, it's difficult to gauge where he's at heading into the Olympics. If anywhere near top-form, Fumita will be the man to beat at 60 kg, which reflects his top-seed.

From left: Gable Steveson, Dustin Schlatter, Logan Storley (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) On Tuesday evening, the Minnesota staff received their second top-five verbal commitment from the Class of 2023. Cadet World Team member and number five overall Gavin Nelson (Simley, MN) has pledged to stay in-state and wrestle for the Gophers. He'll join number two overall, Cody Chittum (Cleveland, TN), to set the foundation for an incredible recruiting class. While we have almost 23 months until final recruiting rankings will be released for the Class of 2023, it will be hard to top the star power in this Minnesota class. Add in the fact that great wrestlers tend to stick together, so it's safe to bet that another couple of elite recruits will probably commit to Minnesota because of Chittum and Nelson's presence. With the pair of top-five recruits on board for the Gophers, it led us to wonder, “How does this group compare to Minnesota's top classes?” Minnesota has been a consistent force on the recruiting trail, though they have not been in the hunt for the top spot very frequently in the last decade. From 2012-21, Minnesota has garnered a top-five team ranking only two times (2015 and 2018). Individually, Minnesota has signed the number-one overall recruit twice since 2005 (2005 and 2018). We have various means to compare Minnesota's potential Class of 2023 to their recruiting classes since 2005 (the first year in-depth recruiting rankings are available). Individual pre-collegiate rankings, elite individual talent, recruiting class depth, and impact on the program. Top Rankings (Pre-College) Both Chittum and Nelson are great prospects. Based on what we've seen from each, through two years of high school, they could have the ability to compete for multiple high NCAA finishes, provided they continue on an upward trajectory. It also should be noted that the recruiting “Big Boards” are updated regularly. Either could ascend (or descend) as we obtain more points of data regarding their future. So, it's possible that one could finish as the top recruit in the Class of 2023. As mentioned above, the Gophers have been able to ink the top overall wrestler in the country twice since 2005. They were Dustin Schlatter (2005) and Gable Steveson (2018). Schlatter was deemed the best high school wrestler in an absolutely stacked senior class that included a staggering 13 future NCAA champions (Schlatter, Brent Metcalf, Troy Nickerson, Jake Varner, Angel Escobedo, Jayson Ness, Jay Borschel, Max Askren, Franklin Gomez, David Zabriskie, Mike Pucillo, Gregor Gillespie, Mark Ellis). He would go on to win an NCAA title as a true freshman before injuries derailed his career. Even so, Schlatter finished as a three-time All-American and two-time Big Ten champion. The book at Minnesota has yet to be completed on Steveson; however, he was labeled as perhaps, “The Greatest Recruit of All-Time” coming out of high school. While that may be hyperbolic, it's safe to say Steveson was likely the top high schooler during this period (2005-21) and probably the most heralded since Steve Mocco in 2001. Reiterating, Chittum and Nelson do have time to add to their already impressive resumes, but it will be hard to match the accomplishments and legitimate hype surrounding Steveson coming out of high school. Edge: 2018 (Steveson) Elite Individual Talent Sometimes in recruiting rankings, we can get bogged down in the number of top-100/200/300 recruits that a particular college signs. What largely influences the rankings, particularly at a top-tier school, like Minnesota, is their superstars. Now it's difficult to surmise, what exactly entails a superstar, but to make things easy, let's say it's a top-ten recruit. Both Chittum and Nelson are safely within that realm. So, how often have the Gophers been able to sign talent ranked that high? The only time since 2005 that Minnesota managed to sign a pair of top-ten recruits in the same season occurred in 2008 when they got #3 Mario Mason and #9 Jake Deitchler. Although Deitchler made the 2008 Olympic Team before ever enrolling at Minnesota, the two combined to qualify for the NCAA Tournament once. Others classes that came close include 2018 when Minnesota added Steveson and #13 Brayton Lee. The 2007 class didn't have any top-10 recruits, but did include #11 Sonny Yohn and #15 Zach Sanders. Those two combined to All-American seven times. Not far off either is 2005 with Schlatter and #16 Jayson Ness. As of now, this would be the top twosome from Minnesota since 2005. Both were NCAA champions and combined to AA seven times with three Big Ten titles, three NCAA finals appearances and a Hodge Trophy. The wrestlers mentioned above (Steveson, Mason, Deitchler, and Schlatter), along with #5 Logan Storley, are the only top-ten recruits signed by Minnesota since 2005. I wish that recruiting information would have been more prevalent in the 1990's so we could figure out where the Gophers Class of 1998 belongs. Jared Lawrence and Luke Becker were both first-team Asics All-Americans that year. Both went on to earn All-American honors four times, each winning a national title, and becoming integral players in the school's first NCAA title-winning team. Edge: 2023 Recruiting Class Depth So we've already touched on your top-top tier of recruits, but let's look at some of the best recruiting classes amassed by Minnesota top-to-bottom, during this time period. Obviously, we won't be able to judge 2023 against these groups for at least two years, but what are they shooting for? What's the highwater mark? Both the 2007 and 2008 classes featured six of the top-100 recruits from that respective year. Even with such numbers, that didn't automatically translate to collegiate success. The only recruit to get on the podium from 2008 was Cody Yohn. The 2007 group had the older Yohn and Sanders; however, they were the only two from the group that ever qualified for nationals. In terms of overall production, the 2009 and 2010 classes yielded the most All-Americans (four) for any Minnesota class since 2005. #30 David Thorn (2x), #49 Tony Nelson (3x - 2x national champion), #84 Kevin Steinhaus (3x), and NR Danny Zilverberg (1x) all got onto the podium for the Gophers from the Class of 2009. #15 Dylan Ness (4x), #20 Nick Dardanes (1x), #78 Scott Schiller (3x), and #81 Chris Dardanes (3x) were from 2010. It should come as no surprise that Minnesota finished second in the nation in 2012 and 2014 and third in 2013. A class that we have yet to mention thus far, but ranked highly coming out of high school was the Class of 2015. That group was ranked third in the nation and featured three top-20 recruits #11 Bobby Steveson, #19 Larry Early, and #20 Fredy Stroker. Steveson is the only of this trio that qualified for nationals for the Gophers. Early and Stroker both transferred, to Old Dominion and Cornell, respectively. Early would end up making the NCAA Tournament on three occasions and earned All-American honors in 2019. Edge: 2010 (with three 3+ All-Americans making the difference). Impact on the Program Minnesota won their most recent NCAA title in the 2007 season. Since then, the landscape of college wrestling has shifted dramatically. Iowa has reemerged as a perennial favorite. Ohio State and Penn State have shredded the “sleeping giant” reputation and won and won often. Ohio State captured the program's first national title in 2015, while Penn State won eight in nine years (2011-19). Could this be the class that puts Minnesota back into national championship contention? Since the school's runner-up finish in 2014, they have not placed higher than seventh (2017 and 2021) at the NCAA Championships. NCAA scoring is predicated on stars, so one or two elite performers can catapult a team into the top ten. With contributions from a couple of others, they can contend for a trophy or perhaps the top spot. We have to go all the way back to 2005 to find the class that had the most positive impact on the Gopher program, as it included Schlatter and Jayson Ness. Schlatter was a sophomore and Ness a redshirt freshman during that most recent 2007 title run. That team snapped a four-year run of NCAA titles for Oklahoma State. While Schlatter wasn't able to repeat his NCAA title-winning performance of 2006, he still finished third. Ness notched three falls in a fifth-place showing. In an NCAA tournament decided by 9.5 points, those two were difference makers. Ness also left his stamp on the program by becoming its all-time pins leader with 73. In 2010, he was the first Hodge Trophy winner for the Gophers. Steveson joined him as a co-champ in 2021. With the amount of talent already in the stable for programs like Penn State, Iowa, Oklahoma State, and Ohio State, it will probably be a more remarkable feat if the Class of 2023 provided the foundation for a future team title. But for now, 2005 is the leader. Edge: 2005 Here are past recruiting classes 2005-2021 for Minnesota. Rankings from 2013 to 2021 are courtesy of MatScouts Big Board. 2010-12 are from my old D1CW site and 2005-09 are from InterMat. 2021 #39 Bennett Tabor (Simley, MN) #64 Vance Vombaur (Windsor, CO) #66 Drew Roberts (University, WA) #92 Blaine Brenner (Stanley, WI) #101 Gabe Nagel (Little Falls, MN) #143 Tagen Jamison (Plano West, TX) 2020 #30 Isaiah Salazar (Windsor, CO) #49 Andrew Sparks (Calvary Chapel, CA) #77 Aaron Nagao (Esperanza, CA) #209 Sam Skillings (Menomonie, WI) 2019 #27 Devin Winston (Park Hill, MO) HM - Martin Wilike (Havre, MT) HM - Matt Ramos (Lockport, IL) 2018 #1 Gable Steveson (Apple Valley, MN) #13 Brayton Lee (Brownsburg, IN) #29 Ryan Thomas (Graham, OH) #38 Patrick McKee (St. Michael-Albertville, MN) HM - Jake Gliva (Simley, MN) 2017 #25 Jake Allar (St. Michael-Albertville, MN) 2016 #13 Mitchell McKee (St. Michael-Albertville, MN) HM - Hunter Marko (Amery, WI) 2015 #11 Bobby Steveson (Apple Valley, MN) #19 Larry Early (Oak Park-River Forest, IL) #20 Fredy Stroker (Bettendorf, IA) 2014 #22 Tommy Thorn (St. Michael-Albertville, MN) #46 Ethan Lizak (Parkland, PA) #60 Nathan Rose (Sibley East, MN) HM - Jack Bass (Robinson, VA) HM - Stephen Polakowski (Libertyville, IL) 2013 #11 Jake Short (Simley, MN) #29 Nick Wanzek (Simley, MN) #41 Mitch Bengston (St. Cloud Apollo, MN) HM - Judson Preskitt (Wyoming Seminary, PA) 2012 #22 Michael Kroells (Scott West, MN) #37 Brandon Kingsley (Apple Valley, MN) #74 Sam Brancale (Eden Prairie, MN) #79 Dakota Trom (Apple Valley, MN) #89 Dylan Reel (Washington, IL) #171 Brent Pfarr (LeSeur, MN) 2011 #5 Logan Storley (Roslyn, SD) #76 Brad Dolezal (Marshfield, WI) #79 Steven Keough (Apple Valley, MN) #138 Jordan Kingsley (Apple Valley, MN) 2010 #15 Dylan Ness (Bloomington-Kennedy, MN) #20 Nick Dardanes (Fenwick, IL) #57 Tyler Lehman (West Fargo, ND) #78 Scott Schiller (West Fargo, ND) #81 Chris Dardanes (Fenwick, IL) #137 Seth Lange (Sturgis, SD) 2009 #22 Alec Ortiz (Newberg, OR) #30 David Thorn (St. Michael-Albertville, MN) #49 Tony Nelson (Cambridge, MN) #84 Kevin Steinhaus (Kerkhoven, MN) NR - Danny Zilverberg (Wayzata, MN) 2008 #3 Mario Mason (Blair Academy, NJ) #9 Jake Deitchler (Anoka, MN) #34 Matt Mincey (Apple Valley, MN) #39 Atticus Disney (Washburn, KS) #44 Ryland Geiger (Scappose, OR) #91 Cody Yohn (Alamosa, CO) 2007 #11 Sonny Yohn (Alamosa, CO) #15 Zach Sanders (Wabasha, MN) #33 Torrey Line (Eagle Valley, MN) #73 Cody Marcicki (Powers, MI) #80 Joe Grygelko (St. Michael-Albertville, MN) #99 Austin Enoch (Redmond, OR) 2006 #17 Brandon Sitch (Kelso, WA) #28 Scott Glasser (Bismarck, ND) #51 Mike Thorn (St. Michael-Albertville, MN) #106 Adam Everson (Mitchell, SD) #127 Joe Nord (Waconia, MN) #138 Brent Eidenschink (Detroit Lakes, MN) NR - Ben Berhow (Hayward, MN) 2005 #1 Dustin Schlatter (Massillon Perry, OH) #16 Jayson Ness (Bloomington, MN) #23 Nate Matousek (Glencoe, MN)

Ismael Borrero Molina at the 2019 World Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) United World Wrestling has announced top-four seeds for each of the six Greco-Roman weights for the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Here are the men's freestyle seeds released Monday and the women's seeds from Tuesday. 60 kg 1. Kenichiro Fumita (Japan) 2. Sergey Emelin (Russia) 3. Kerem Kamal (Turkey) 4. Islomjon Bakramov (Uzbekistan) 67 kg 1. Ismael Borrero Molina (Cuba) 2. Mohamed Elsayed (Eygpt) 3. Artem Surkov (Russia) 4. Mate Nemes (Serbia) 77 kg 1. Tamas Lorincz (Hungary) 2. Alex Kessidis (Sweden) 3. Karapet Chalyan (Armenia) 4. Mohammadali Geraei (Iran) 87 kg 1. Viktor Lorincz (Hungary) 2. Zhan Beleniuk (Ukraine) 3. Rustam Assakalov (Uzbekistan) 4. Daniel Gregorich Hechavarria (Cuba) 97 kg 1. Musa Evloev (Russia) 2. Artur Aleksanyan (Armenia) 3. Mohammadhadi Saravi (Iran) 4. Tadeusz Michalik (Poland) 130 kg 1. Riza Kayaalp (Turkey) 2. Abdellatif Mohamed (Egypt) 3. Muminjon Abdullaev (Uzbekistan) 4. Amin Mirzazadeh (Iran)

Lance Palmer at the 2007 NCAA Championships (photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The InterMat Wrestling Fan's Guide to the MMA Weekend is back once again. As always, there is plenty of MMA action across the globe this weekend, and that means there are also several former wrestlers campaigning in their new sport of choice. Bellator 261 On Friday, former Minnesota State Moorhead wrestler Tim Johnson takes on Valentin Moldavsky in the main event of Bellator 261 with the promotion's interim heavyweight title on the line. While Wikipedia, and a variety of other sources, label Johnson a two-time Division II All-American, that does not appear to be the case. The heavyweight did wrestle in the NCAA tournament twice while competing for the Dragons, but per the brackets, he went 0-2 in 2009 and 1-2 as a senior in 2010. In addition to the main event, the Bellator card features a variety of former wrestlers. Recent Fresno State competitor Isaiah Hokit will make his MMA debut against Corey Samuels. Hokit went 28-25 for the Bulldogs during their revival in the 2018 and 2019 seasons. Taylor Johnson wrestled for both Oregon State and Southern Oregon. He was a three-time NAIA All-American and a 2014 champion. Johnson has faced off against fellow wrestlers in his last two fights as he stunned multiple-time NCAA champion, Ed Ruth, via submission and dropped a decision against former Missouri wrestler Johnny Eblen. He faces Lance Wright on Saturday. Jaylon Bates and Cody Matthews have only four combined fights, but their fight on the undercard will also feature plenty of wrestling experience from the high school level. Bates was a Nevada state champion. In 2015, he made the Freakshow finals and picked up a victory over current Oklahoma wrestler Troy Mantanona along the way . Matthews was a four-time Maryland state placer. He made the finals in 2015 before coming up short against current Maryland starter Danny Bertoni. Matthews also finished seventh at NHSCA Freshman Nationals in 2012. Sidney Outlaw, who wrestled for Souderton Area Senior High School in Pennsylvania, is also set to face off against UFC veteran Myles Jury on the main card. Bellator 261 takes place Friday night with the preliminary card airing live on YouTube at 6:30pm ET and the main card starting at 9:00pm ET on Showtime. PFL 2021 #6 Lance Palmer returns to action for the first time since suffering an upset against collegiate rival Bubba Jenkins. The former Ohio State wrestler who was a four-time All-American and finalist will take on Movlid Khaybulaev. Once again, Palmer will be dealing with a fellow wrestler as Khaybulaev came up wrestling freestyle and is a protege of former UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. Jamelle Jones was a two-time NJCAA champion at both Meramec and North Idaho. He then transferred to Campbellsville, where he became an NAIA All-American . Jones faces off against Klidson Abreu in a heavyweight fight. Mo DeReese was a Florida state champion in high school before choosing to play football at Central Florida. He is currently the head wrestling coach at Astronaut High. DeReese will reach for the stars against Bruno Cappelozza in another heavyweight bout. The preliminary card of the PFL event airs live on ESPN+ at 6:30pm ET. The show then moves to ESPN2 for the main card at 10:00pm ET. UFC Fight Night This weekend's UFC event is somewhat light on former wrestlers. However, there are still a few scheduled for the card. Yancy Medeiros placed third in the Hawaii state tournament in high school and is set to face Damir Hadzovic at lightweight. Also on the card, Justin Jaynes faces off against Charles Rosa. Jaynes was a state finalist in Michigan before coming up short against fellow UFC fighter Drakkar Klose. He continued his wrestling career at Division III Olivet College before starting his fighting career. The entire UFC card will be broadcast on ESPN+ starting at 1:00pm ET. RIZIN 29 Kaszuma Kuramoto was a regular on the Japanese Greco scene for years before making his MMA debut in 2017. He won silver medals at the 2008 World University Championships and the 2012 Asian Championships and also represented Japan at the 2013 and 2014 World Championships. Kuramoto also regularly competed at the Dave Schultz and Sunkist Kids tournaments, so he has had his fair share of matches against the likes of Spenser Mango and Joe Betterman. Kuramoto is now 8-1 after winning his Rizin debut last December. He is set to face off against Alan Yoshihiro Yamaniha this weekend. Rizin 29 will air live as an internet pay-per-view on Sunday morning at 12:30am ET.

Bill Swink (right) with Patrick Grayson who later wrestled at Nebraska InterMat has learned that Virginia Hall of Fame wrestling coach Bill Swink has been named the head coach at Connellsville Area High School in Connellsville, Pennsylvania. Connellsville has a long history of success as they have qualified for every WPIAL (Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League) team tournament since its inception in 1979. For more on Swink... Bill Swink began his coaching career in 1985 at Connellsville Junior High West. He coached there until 1991 when he moved to Virginia with his wife Andrea. While in Virginia, he continued to coach for 25 years, six of those as an assistant high school coach and 19 years as a head high school coach. Swink spent most of his years as the head coach at Colonial Forge High School. He went to the school in the fall of 1999, when it opened, and spent 17 years at the helm of the Eagles wrestling program. While at Colonial Forge his teams won 16 District/Conference championships, 15 Region championships and 6 State championships. His high school head coaching record stands at 427 wins, 86 losses and 2 ties. Swink's wrestlers have won 23 individual state championships and earned All State honors 130 times. He is currently the State Chairman of VAWA (Virginia Wrestling Association) and Activities Director at Spotsylvania High School. He has been involved with USA Wrestling for many years having served on the Board of Directors and the Junior Olympic Wrestling Committee. He has been the Athletic Director of Spotsylvania High School since 2016. During his five-year stint with the Knights, Spotsylvania captured the Class 3 state baseball championship in 2018, reached the girls soccer state semifinals that same year and they rebuilt their football and wrestling programs into Battlefield District contenders. Bill is closing in on his retirement at the end of June. He was inducted into the Virginia Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2016. In 2015 he was named USA Wrestling's State Chairperson of the Year and in 2017 received the President's Award from USA Wrestling. He was named Virginia Coach of the Year by the National Wrestling Coaches Association in 2004, 2007, 2012, and 2016. Bill currently lives in Spotsylvania, Virginia with his wife Andrea and their daughter Natalie.

HENNIKER, N.H. - New England College Athletic Director, Dave DeCew, is pleased to announce the addition of women's wrestling as a varsity sport for the 2022-23 season. "We see this as a great opportunity to grow our department by offering Women's Wrestling as our next varsity sport," stated DeCew. "Coach Powell is prepared to take on this next challenge and bring us forward. We know the young women in our program will receive great mentorship and coaching, but also will add to our community as a whole." Women's wrestling is currently an emerging sport in the NCAA, as there are 22 current Division III programs, and New England College will be the first in New England to sponsor it as a varsity sport. Current Wrestling Head Coach Robert Watson-Powell will lead the recruitment efforts during the 2021-22 academic year, while there is a national search for a Women's Head Coach that will begin in the Spring of 2022. With the addition of women's wrestling, NEC will boast 20 varsity sports in competition in 2022-23. "I believe this is a great step forward, not only for New England College but for the Northeast region as a whole," said Watson-Powell. "With the fast-growing popularity of women's wrestling across the Northeast at the High School level, it is only right that we provide these young women, with an opportunity to compete at the next level. With being the second NCAA program in New England and the first at the Division III level, I believe this is the start of something that will forever change the New England wrestling landscape. I am extremely excited about what the future has in store for New England College Wrestling"

(Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) STANFORD, Calif. - Dr. Enock Francois and Vincenzo Joseph have been named assistant coaches for the Stanford wrestling program, head coach Rob Koll announced today. "I had the pleasure of working with Enock for three years at Cornell and couldn't be more excited to have him join us at Stanford," said Koll. "I also had the displeasure of having to compete against Vincenzo and I am thrilled to finally have him on my team!" Dr. Francois comes to The Farm from Florida, where he has been the Buffalo Stampeders Wrestling Club Director and the Special Services Coordinator at The Villages Charter School since 2018. He also served as an associate head wrestling coach at The Villages Charter School during that time. Dr. Francois brings a wealth of experience in leadership, coaching and teaching to the Cardinal program. A student-athlete at California Baptist, he received his undergraduate degree in psychology with a concentration in social work. He was a three-time collegiate All-American and a national finalist. He earned his master's in special education in 2012 and a Ph.D. in education leadership from the University of Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Kentucky. "I am looking forward to joining the Stanford staff and being able to coach our student-athletes and help them achieve excellence, maximize their potential and build the self-worth to become key contributing citizens in society for life," said Francois. "The student-athletes come to us with dreams to begin as seeds in their hearts that take time and diligent care to be fulfilled. I hope to play an essential part in helping our guys realize those dreams." Dr. Francois was a member of the U.S. Senior National Greco Team in 2017 and a Senior Nationals placewinner in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. He spent time with Koll while training fulltime with the Cornell wrestling program from 2014-18 within the regional training center, and served as a coach with the Finger Lakes Wrestling Club (FLWC). A 2016 Olympic Trials U.S. qualifier, he placed fourth at the 2015 USA Wrestling World Team Trials challenge tournament. In 2020, Dr. Francois was the Pan Am Games Ju-Jitsu Blue Belt Masters 1 champion and placed second at the Ju-Jitsu Blue Belt Masters 1 World Championships. A two-time NCAA champion and three-time NCAA finalist at Penn State, Joseph will begin his collegiate coaching career with the Cardinal. "I am very excited and grateful to accept this position at Stanford University," said Joseph. "We have high aspirations for the program and I am thrilled to get started. Stanford athletics has a history of excellence and we see ourselves competing with the best. We are looking to bring this program to new heights and are ready to get to work!" A three-time NCAA All-American, Joseph won the 165-pound national title as a freshman (2017) and sophomore (2018) before falling in the finals as a junior (2019). His senior year was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent cancellation of the 2020 NCAA Championships. He finished his illustrious career with the Nittany Lions with an 89-9 overall record, including 25 falls. A 2020 graduate of Penn State with a degree in communication, Joseph originally hails from Pittsburgh.

Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov at the Last Chance Qualifier (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) As of today, we under 50 days from the start of wrestling at the Olympic Games. Over the next 50 days, we'll bring you one profile per day of a decorated international contender. Make sure you get to know the wrestlers that Team USA will compete against in Tokyo. 6/22/21 - Erica Wiebe (Canada) 6/21/21 - Myles Amine (San Marino) 6/20/21 - Sofia Mattsson (Sweden) 6/19/21 - Hassan Yazdani Charati (Iran) 6/18/21 - Tamas Lorincz (Hungary) 6/17/21 - Takuro Otoguro (Japan) 6/16/21 - Elizbar Odikadze (Georgia) 6/15/21 - Koumba Larroque (France) 6/14/21 - Haji Aliyev (Azerbaijan) 6/13/21 - Ningning Rong (China) 6/12/21 - Bajrang Punia (India) 6/11/21 - Frank Staebler (Germany) 6/10/21 - Geno Petriashvili (Georgia) An exceptional run in 2017 that saw him capture Russian Nationals gold and establish himself as a frontrunner for gold in a loaded 70 KG world bracket helped #3 Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov (BLR) establish himself as one of Russia's great talents for gold in the 2016-2020 quad. Two years behind incredibly deep 74 and 70 KG weight classes saw Kadimagomedov's star dim, but a transfer to Belarus in 2020 revitalized the dynamic Dagestani and since then, he has won a 79 KG European title and a loaded world qualifier to put himself on the shortlist of title contenders for gold in Tokyo. For today's Olympic profile, we're going to look at Belarus's Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov. The Stats #3 Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov (BLR)- 2020 Individual World cup 79 KG bronze, 2021 74 KG World Olympic Qualifier champion 2017 70 KG Yarygin bronze, 2017 70 KG Yasar Dogu champion, 2017 70 KG Russian national champion, 2018 74 KG Dan Kolov bronze medalist, 2019 74 KG Sargsyan Cup champ, 2019 74 KG Medved bronze medalist, 2020 79 KG European Championships champion. Key Wins: #1 Zaurbek Sidakov (RUS; 2017 Russian nationals), #4 Taimuraz Salkazanov ( 2020 World Olympic Qualifier), #5 (86) Magomed Ramazanov (2020 79 KG European championships finals), #8 Timur Bizhoev (2017 Yarygin), #12 Soner Demirtas (2021 European Olympic Qualifier, 2021 World Olympic Qualifier), #9 (79) Arsalan Budazhapov (2021 World Olympic qualifier), #13 Khetag Tsabolov (2019 Stepan Sargsyan Cup), #14 Nikita Suchkov ( 2018 Alans), #11 Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov (2017 70 KG Yasar Dogu), #16 (65) Magomedmurad Gadzhiev ( 2017 70 KG Yasar Dogu) Key Losses: Yakup Gor (2017 world championships), #3 (74) Zaurbek Sidakov ( 2017 Yarygin), #14(79) Evgheni Lapshov ( 2018 Russian nationals), #7 Magomed Kurbanaliev ( 2019 Ali Aliev), #18 Cherman Valiev (2019 Russian 70 KG Nationals), #6 Razambek Zhamalov (2019 70 KG Russian Nationals), Bekzod Abdurakhmanov ( 2019 Medved), #2 (79) Akhmed Usmanov (2021 79 KG Individual World Cup), Alipasha Umarpashaev (2021 European Olympic qualifier). 2014-2016 Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov's Senior-level career would start at 20 years old in 2014, where he would take bronze at the 2014 Intercontinental Cup after a semifinal loss to 2014 Azerbaijan world rep Magomed Muslimov (AZE). Kadimagomedov's return to competition would be in March 2015, where he'd take bronze in his new weight class of 70 KG after an opening-round loss to returning Russian Nationals bronze medalist #11 Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov (RUS). Russian Nationals would be a significant turning point for Kadimagomedov. An impressive semifinal run with a win over #9 (79) Arsalan Budazhapov (KGZ) put Kadimagomedov against Gazimagomedov with a chance at revenge, but Gazimagomedov powered through Kadimagomedov in an 8-0 win. No shame to losing to the eventual world champion, Kadimagomedov dropped to the bronze medal match where he faced U-23 European bronze medalist #2 (70) Evgheni Zherbaev, who had just upset the returning world champion #13 (74) Khetag Tsabolov (SRB) in repechage. Running into another absolutely dominant offensive talent, Kadimagomedov would be game early, but lost 15-4 and finished fifth. Fresh off his fifth-place finish at Russian Nationals and no longer an unknown like he was in 2014 and early 2015, Kadimagomedov had his greatest breakthrough in the finals of the Ali Aliyev. Both Kadimagomedov and his finals opponent Khabib Magomedov had great tournament runs. Kadimagomedov beating the likes of three-time Russian Nationals bronze medalist Kamal Malikov in the semis. Khabib Magomedov was exceptional with wins over #1 (70) Israil Kasumov (RUS), 2018 70 KG European championships bronze medalist Murtuz Muslimov (AZE), Magomed Khizriev (RUS) and two-time world bronze medalist Bekzod Abdurakhmanov (UZB). In the battle between the two red hot prospects, it would be Kadimagomedov who would emerge the victor in a tight 2-1 match. Kadimagomedov would have a very busy 2016, competing a total of six times. A ninth-place finish at the Yarygin saw Kadimagomedov make the quarterfinals but fall to two-time U-23 European champion Rasul Arsanaliev (RUS) 22-14. His second international title would come in the form of gold at the Stepan Sargsyan Cup over 2014 European runner-up Grigor Grigoryan (ARM). Kadimagomedov made the quarterfinals of the Russian Nationals championships but was eliminated from competition when he, along with the rest of team Dagestan, left in protest due to the controversial officiating of the 57 KG match between returning national finalists Victor Lebedev (RUS) and #4 (65) Ismail Musukaev (HUN). The returning Ali Aliyev champion, Kadimagomedov, had a strong showing on his way to the finals repeating his win from 2015 over three time Russian Nationals bronze medalist Kamal Malikov (RUS) and adding a win over 2020 Individual World Cup champion #2 (79) Akhmed Usmanov (RUS). His finals opponent would be the dangerous #7 Khalil Aminov (RUS), who has some of the best reattacks among all middleweights. Aminov's reattacks would make the difference in the match as the crafty Dagestani was able to negate the high-paced counter exposure of Kadimagomedov to win 9-8 for gold. A tech fall loss in the second round of the Intercontinental Cup to 2014 74 KG Russian Nationals bronze medalist #6 (86) Akhmed Gadzhimagomedov (RUS) placed Kadimagomedov 8th and a 10th place finish at a loaded Kunaev tournament with losses to 2012 66 KG Olympic bronze medalist Akzhurek Tanatarov (KAZ) and 2015 Russian Nationals bronze medalist #2 (70) Evgheni Zherbaev (RUS) ended Kadimagomedov's year on a sour note. But 2017 would be the year that would change Kadimagomedov's career forever. 2017-2019 Kadimagomedov had garnered strong medal placements at respected Russian tournaments the likes of the Ali Aliyev and the Intercontinental Cup and even taken fifth at Russian Nationals in 2015, but the one that had a piece of hardware that had evaded him in his career was from the prestigious Ivan Yarygin Memorial tournament. The unofficial “Russian Nationals before Russian Nationals,” the Ivan Yarygin Memorial, was a legendary tournament where the best of Russia would go face to face for valuable experience against each other early in the season and the chance if they win to wrestle at the European championships. Battles between European, World, and Olympic champions were the norm at the Yarygin as the tournament was the ultimate flex of Russia's unsurpassed depth. To say that Kadimagomedov was a changed man from who he was from 2014-2016 would be an understatement. Kadimagomedov had the best win of his career in the quarterfinals of the Yarygin over returning 74 KG Russian Nationals bronze medalist and Yarygin runner-up Khusey Suyunchev (RUS) to face returning Yarygin and national champion #1 Zaurbek Sidakov (RUS). In a foreshadowing of their battles to come, Kadimagomedov pushed Sidakov to the brink, but the North Ossetian star would walk away with a 9-7 win and finals berth. Kadimagomedov's opponent in the bronze medal match would be his polar opposite, a punishing hand fighter that slowed matches down to a snail's pace and won off one or two takedowns in the form of 2013 69 KG Cadet world bronze medalist #10 Timur Bizhoev (RUS). Opening up Bizhoev, Kadimagomedov was able to come away with an 8-5 win over the talented Kabardian for the biggest medal of his career. After an impressive showing against elite domestic competition at the Yarygin, Kadimagomedov was selected as the World Cup rep. While a 1-2 record may not be impressive on paper, this was really Kadimagomedov's big tournament outside of Russia and having an 8-6 shoot out with #11 James Green (USA) early in the tournament, a win over David Suynyuchakhanov (AZE) and a lopsided 14-7 loss to finish the tournament to two-time world bronze medalist Mandakhnaran Ganzorig (MGL) are a mixed bag, but not a sign of the end of days for Kadimagomedov. Looking to regain momentum after his World Cup performance, Kadimagomedov entered a loaded field at the Yasar Dogu. 2016 European runner-up #16 (65) Magomedmurad Gadzhiev (POL), 2017 U-23 world bronze medalist Muhammet Akdeniz (TUR), 2009 66 KG world runner-up Rasul Dzhukaev (RUS), two-time world champion #11 Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov (RUS) and 2016 Russian Nationals bronze medalist Ildous Giniyatullin (RUS) all fell to the power of Kadimagomedov. To say Kadimagomedov had momentum behind him would be an understatement, and he'd be one of the premier contenders for Russian Nationals gold. Russians Nationals was absolutely loaded with talent in 2017. Sidakov, #2 Evgheni Zherbaev, returning world champion #9 Magomed Kurbanaliev, 2009 world runner-up Rasul Dzhukaev and 2019 70 KG world champion #4 (70) David Baev all combined made for a bracket with a landmine around every corner. Kadimagomedov would make it to the quarterfinals where he'd face returning national champion in Sidakov; Kadimagomedov would show himself to be the better man capitalizing on a late chest wrap exposure to beat the returning champion and cause the biggest riot of Russian Nationals. Kadimagomedov's semifinals opponent Dzhukaev had upset top-ranked Israil Kasumov 4-4 in the quarterfinals, but Kadimagomedov held off the Cinderella run of the decorated Chechen to make his first Russian Nationals finals. A departure from the explosive, edge-of-your-seat action from their earlier matches at Russian Nationals, Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov, would emerge victorious against Magomed Dibirgadzhiev 2-1 for Russian Nationals gold. A final tuneup before the World Championships at the Ziolkowski would sow the seeds of unrest in Kadimagomedov, as a lopsided finals loss to 2016 65 KG Olympian #16 (70) Zurab Iakobishvili (GEO) made Kadimagomedov's susceptibility to slow starts and letting his opponents in his legs rear its ugly head again. Tech falls over Lennard Wickel (GER) and Mihail Sava (MDA) put Kadimagomedov into the quarterfinals against returning two-time world medalist Yakup Gor (TUR). Gor, using his powerful underhooks and impressive gas tank, outlasted the dynamic Kadimagomedov to a 6-5 win and the major upset. With Gor falling by way of 5-2 decision to returning 65 KG Olympic bronze medalist #5 Frank Chamizo (ITA), Kadiamgomedov's biggest year of his career ended in heartbreak as he placed seventh at the world championships. 2018-2021 Now calling 74 KG his new home, Kadimagomedov would make his debut in the weight class at the Dan Kolov, taking bronze after a semifinal loss to Chamizo. While his incredible 2017 run had only appreciated with the success of Sidakov (RUS) and Gazimagomedov (RUS) in 2018, Kadimagomedov was still having trouble adjusting to 74 KG early in 2018 and it showed as he dropped a disappointing decision at Russian Nationals to #14 (79) Evgheni Lapshov (RUS) and failed to place. Kadimagomedov's penultimate competition of the year would take place at the Ugra cup where he'd finish runner-up to #2 (79) Akhmed Usmanov (RUS) and had an impressive 10-8 quarterfinal win over Khabib Magomedov (RUS) in a rematch of their 2015 70 KG Ali Aliev finals. Kadimagomedov did have a reprise at the end of the year, as he was able to make the semifinals of the Alans with an impressive quarterfinal win over two-time Russian Nationals bronze medalist #15 Nikita Suchkov (RUS) but would be outdone by world runner-up #7 Avtandil Kentchadze (GEO) and #17 Kakhaber Khubezhty (RUS) and took fifth. Kadimagomedov's 2019 saw a mixed schedule, losing in the opening round of the 79 KG Ali Aliev to #9 Magomed Kurbanaliev (RUS) followed up by competing in a shark tank of a bracket at 70 KG Russian Nationals that saw him fall to a pair of future Russian Nationals champions in #6 Razambek Zhamalov (RUS) and #18 Cherman Valiev (RUS) in two absolute shoot outs. Kadimagomedov would make a move back up to 74 KG, where he'd get the biggest win of his career at 74 KG over returning two-time Russian Nationals runner-up #13 Khetag Tsabolov (SRB) in the finals of the Stepan Sargsyan Cup. Concluding 2019 with a bronze medal finish at the Medved, Kadimagomedov was at a crossroads going into the final year of the 2020 quad, as 70 KG wouldn't be a weight class in the Olympics and 74 was too deep and he couldn't make the cut down to 65. A change of scenery was in order. Kadimagomedov's debut for Belarus would be at the 2020 European Championships, his debut appearance at a continental competition and in a new weight class at 79 KG. Kadimagomedov, who reportedly was cutting no weight for this at all and was training less than 100%, breezed through to the finals where he would face then top-ranked Yarygin champion #5 (86) Magomed Ramazanov (RUS), who was a returning 86 KG Russian Nationals bronze medalist. Not fazed by the hard-nosed, handfighting snatch singles and duck unders of Ramazanov, Kadimagomedov put on an absolute counter masterclass thrashing the lauded 10-3 with a spectacular superducks and exceptional scrambling. Entering the Individual World Cup at the end of the year as the #1 wrestler in the world, Kadimagomedov would get his chance at his rubber match against Russian Nationals champion #2 (79) Akhmed Usmanov (RUS), who led the series 1-1 after a 2018 Ugra Cup finals win. The positioning and precise leg attacks of Usmanov would prove to be too much for Kadimagomedov and he would fall 4-1 in the quarterfinals and rebound with a 13-0 tech fall for bronze against Asian championships runner-up Baliyan Gourav (IND). Kadimagomedov's first attempt at qualifying Belarus at the European Olympic Qualifier for the Olympics was a return to form in two ways. On one end, he beat two-time World/Olympic medalist #12 Soner Demirtas (TUR), but on the other end, he was eliminated from competition in the quarterfinals 4-4 by Alipasha Umarpashaev (BUL). Kadimagomedov would have to go to the substantially deeper World qualifier in May if he wanted to qualify Belarus for Tokyo and in a field that had world medalists #12 Soner Demirtas (TUR), #13 Khetag Tsabolov (SRB) and #4 Taimuraz Salkazanov (SVK), Kadimagomedov's chances in Tokyo seemed slim. But Kadimagomedov tore through the credentialed bracket beating world medalists Demirtas, #4 Taimuraz Salkazanov (SVK), Mihail Sava (MDA) and 2020 Asian champion #9 (79) Arsalan Budazhapov (KGZ) to make the finals and qualify Belarus for Tokyo. Not letting up in the finals, Kadimagomedov mounted a late comeback to take gold over 2020 Individual World Cup 79 KG bronze medalist Vasyl Mykhailov (UKR). #3 Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov is in a very, very unique position for Belarus going into the Tokyo Olympics. Because he doesn't have a huge body of work competing at “ranking series” events that by UWW rules give athletes points that affect their “seeding” at official UWW events and give them better bracket placement, Kadimagomedov, along with two-time 79 KG world champion #2 Kyle Dake (USA) and 2018 world runner-up Kentchadze will all be unseeded at the Olympics. Meaning the 74 KG bracket is gonna be an absolute bloodbath as the “random draw” will ensure Kadimagomedov will be given an elite match early in the tournament, truly testing if he is ready to put it all together and bank on his immense talent.

Clackamas CC wins their third consecutive NJCAA national championship (Photo/NJCAA.com) Clackamas Takes on COVID and Nature to Secure Third Consecutive Title Unprecedented times took on a new meaning this past wrestling season. Overlooked are the unimaginable circumstances that piled on for the Clackamas Community College Cougars. "In true Oregon fashion," Clackamas head coach Josh Rhoden said. "We [were] going to be super conservative on the COVID side compared to the states that our competitors are in." Move-in week for the Cougars was at the end of August 2020. Routinely, fall camp would start around a month later, at the end of September. COVID and local forest fires as close as 17 miles away caused the team to evacuate campus. Having lost multiple recruits over COVID and forest fire concerns, October seemed to look promising as the team was able to participate in outdoor weights and cardio training. "We were just trying to keep everyone on the same page, all along knowing good and well we may not wrestle this year," Rhoden said. The national tournament was scheduled for April 21-22, where the Cougars planned to compete for their third team title in a row. Behind closed doors, conversations centered around concerns of having a season on the mat continued. Rhoden opened up communication with Nick Mitchell at NAIA power Grand View in Iowa, in hopes of using Grand View's facilities for his team to train. In the midst of attempting to find an alternative training plan, a COVID outbreak shut down the Clackamas athletic programs for the remainder of the quarter, followed by a January ice storm that removed all power from campus. Come February, the team was granted permission to use North Idaho College's training facilities twice with proper quarantine, but the request to train in Iowa in a "bubble" setup was denied. "We have social media. So it's easy to see that Western Wyoming and Iowa Central and all of these places are wrestling," Rhoden said. At the end of March, COVID regulations finally allowed the Cougars to use their training facilities, less than one month before the team would claim their third team title in a row. "We got the lead at 133 with Zeth's win," Rhoden said. "You go from maybe not even being in the venue to [getting to] compete for a chance to win a third title in a row, to securing a third title in the most dramatic fashion." The Cougars finished the season on top with 152.5 points, outscoring Western Wyoming, who had 147 at the conclusion of the tournament. One thing this season did do, however, was strengthen Rhoden's relationship with wrestling. "I'm already blessed," Rhoden said in regards to his relationship with the sport. "I like [wrestling] more, as a result of having it taken away."

Adam Coon at the Last Chance Qualifier (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Earlier this month, news broke that the Tennessee Titans had signed World silver medalist Adam Coon as an offensive lineman. In some ways, it was an interesting signing considering Coon had not played football since high school and chose to focus on wrestling while in college at Michigan and Greco Roman wrestling following the exhaustion of his eligibility. While there is a limited track record of success for this type of transition, Coon certainly faces a tough road to make the final squad. The following looks at some of the toughest aspects of the transition, and checks in on Coon's status. At 6'5" and roughly 280 pounds, Coon was one of the bigger heavyweights during his collegiate wrestling days. He had a similar size advantage during his days in the Olympic styles as well. That will likely not be the case on the football field. Veteran guard Rodger Saffold also appeared to like what he saw. "The fact that he's out here shows that he wants to be here," Saffold said. "I see him working on drills off to the side, just constantly trying to learn. He seems to have a good attitude. Very critical of himself, which are good qualities to have as an offensive lineman." Perhaps the most important words of all came from head coach Mike Vrabel. During his playing days, Vrabel was teammates with Neal, which may have played a factor in his decision to sign Coon. "Wrestlers, especially at that elite level, have unbelievable balance, core strength, things that I think would translate well into being an offensive lineman," Vrabel said. "But having not played the game, there's a lot of development that has to go on pretty quickly for him to compete. But he's got a great attitude. He shows up. He competes. He goes hard. He just might not know what to do all the time. I think we just have to continue to coach him, develop him and see what we can get out of him and how he develops."