InterMat Staff

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."

Gavin Nelson at the 2021 Cadet World Team Trials (Photo/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) The Minnesota wrestling program has taken the early lead in the 2023 recruiting arms race. Earlier this month, the Gophers landed the services of Cody Chittum, the nation's top-ranked 145-pounder and the No. 2-ranked prospect in the 2023 class. On Wednesday, they added another large - literally - recruit to their haul. Gavin Nelson, out of nationally-renowned Simley High School, announced his commitment to the Gophers on Tuesday. Nelson's addition gives Minnesota two top-five recruits in the 2023 class. Nelson is considered the No. 5 overall 2023 prospect, according to MatScouts, and the third-ranked 220-pounder nationally. He is a 2021 Minnesota state champ, and will represent the United States at the Cadet World Championships next month at 92 kilograms (202 pounds). Over the last two months, Nelson has showcased his top-tier wrestling talent at some of the country's toughest competitions. In April, Nelson stormed to first-place at the Cadet World Team Trials in freestyle. He went 5-0 and outscored his opponents 53-1. He notched a 10-0 win over Max Ramberg, a top-200 2022 recruit, in the quarterfinals; a 13-1 win over McCrae Hagarty, a top-100 2023 recruit, in the semifinals, then swept PJ Casale, a top-50 2022 recruit, in the finals, by scores of 10-0 and 10-0, to make the Cadet world team. Then, just last weekend, Nelson repped Minnesota Blue at the Junior National Duals. He went a combined 13-0 over the four-day competition - 6-0 with 6 technical falls in Greco, 7-0 with 6 technical falls in freestyle - to help Minnesota Blue to a third-place team finish in both styles. Nelson's commitment is the latest in what's been fast-rising recruiting momentum for Minnesota. The Gophers' 2021 class ranked seventh nationally by MatScouts, highlighted by five top-100 recruits. The 2022 haul features two more top-100 recruits, in #22 Troy Spratley and #63 Hunter Lyden. Now Nelson and Chittum have become the centerpiece guys in Minnesota's 2023 haul, which is shaping up to be perhaps the best in the country by the time these juniors-to-be officially sign.

Erica Wiebe at the 2016 Olympic Games (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. 6/21/21 - 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) In 2016, many American fans expected to see Adeline Gray make history by becoming the first American woman to win Olympic gold, as she was a solid favorite in the 75 kg weight class. Many were shocked as another North American woman, Erica Wiebe of Canada, emerged victoriously and left with a gold medal. Fast forward to 2021 and both will be contenders for the top spot on the podium at 76 kg in Tokyo. As you'll see in our profile of Wiebe, she is one of the favorites in perhaps the deepest weight class in the entire women's tournament. We have noted some of Wiebe's most significant wins and losses during the last quad+ and all of her defeats have come against high-quality competition. When Erica won gold in 2016, she became only the third Canadian wrestler to do so and the second woman. Obviously, Wiebe has her mind set on putting herself in a class of her own for Canadian wrestling and doubling up on the gold medals. Here's a look at the career of the Canadian superstar. Key Wins: Qian Zhou (2020 Matteo Pellicone; Finals), Aline de Silva Ferreira (2021 Matteo Pellicone; Quarterfinals, 2019 Bill Farrell; Finals, 2019 Yasar Dogu; Finals), Justina DiStasio (2019 Canada Cup; Finals), Natalia Vorobeva (2019 City of Sassari; Finals), Epp Mae (2018 World Championships; Bronze), Aline Focken (2020 Matteo Pellicone; Quarterfinals, 2019 Yasar Dogu; Semifinals, 2019 City of Sassari; Semifinals, 2018 World Championships; Quarterfinals, 2018 Poland Open; Finals), Yasemin Adar (2019 Yasar Dogu; Quarterfinals, 2018 Poland Open; Semifinals), Adeline Gray (2018 Grand Prix of Spain; Finals), Jenny Fransson (2018 World Cup), Naruha Matsuyuki (2018 World Cup), Elmira Syzdykova (2021 Poland Open, Quarterfinals, 2021 Matteo Pellicone; Semifinals, 2018 Grand Prix of Spain; Quarterfinals, 2018 Klippan Lady Open; Repechage), Guzel Manyurova (2016 Olympics; Finals), Vasilisa Marzaliuk (2020 Matteo Pellicone; Semifinals, 2018 Poland Open; Quarterfinals, 2017 International Ukrainian; Quarterfinals, 2016 Olympics; Semifinals, 2016 Grand Prix of Germany; Finals), Fengliu Zhang (2016 Olympics; Quarterfinals, 2016 UWW Test Event; Semifinals) Key Losses:Aline Focken (2021 Poland Open; Semifinals), Aiperi Medet Kyzy (2021 International Ukrainian; Semifinals), Vasilisa Marzaliuk (2020 Individual World Cup; Bronze), Ekaterina Bukina (2019 Poland Open; Quarterfinals), Epp Mae (2019 World Championships; Quarterfinals, 2019 Poland Open; Repechage, 2019 Klippan Lady Open; Round of 16), Yasemin Adar (2020 Individual World Cup; Semifinals, 2018 Klippan Lady Open; Qualification), Justina DiStasio (2017 Klippan Lady Open; Finals), Adeline Gray (2019 Pan-American Championships; Quarterfinals, 2018 World Championships; Semifinals, 2016 UWW Test Event; Finals) 2007-2009 (The Age Group Years) After briefly being exposed to wrestling in seventh and eighth grade, Erica Wiebe joined the wrestling team as a ninth-grader growing up in Ontario. Just a couple of years later, Wiebe competed in her first international competition, taking the silver medal at the Junior Pan-American Championships, while competing at 67 kg. Her weight class was won by American Amberlee Ebert. A year later, in 2008, Wiebe got her first taste of Senior-level competition competing at the Grand Prix of Germany. She finished seventh in an 11-woman weight class. Later that year, Wiebe competed at a World Championship-level event, for Juniors and was 13th. This also marked the year that Wiebe moved up to 72 kg and she would compete around that weight for the balance of her career. It was more of the same in 2009 as Wiebe started the year at the Grand Prix of Germany, but also added the Austrian Ladies Open to the docket. Top-ten finishes at these competitions, along with the Junior World Championships, showed that Wiebe was slowly improving. Though she lost, Wiebe did wrestle for the bronze in Germany. 2010-2015 (Climbing) Wiebe graduated to the Senior level, full-time, in 2010 but still had a formidable competitor ahead of her on Canada's domestic ladder. Ohenewa Akuffo would earn a silver medal at the World Championships at Wiebe's 72 kg weight class. Akuffo also won world bronze in 2008. It would be a few years before Wiebe was able to claim the weight class as her own, as Akuffo made the world team in 2011 and Leah Callahan claimed the Olympic spot in 2012. Even so, Wiebe was able to register her first top-three finish when she took third at the Sunkist Kids Open. She was the only international competitor in a field that otherwise consisted of Americans. More improvements were evident in 2011, as Wiebe broke into the top-three at the Austrian Ladies Open in her third time entering the tournament. She also won Australia's Commonwealth Cup, her first tournament title at the Senior level. The wins started to pile up in 2012 as Wiebe captured gold at three events (Nordhagen Classics, Ion Corneanu Memorial, and the Canada Cup). The field at the Canada Cup was extremely small, but included American Adeline Gray and countrywoman Justina DiStasio, both future world champions. A couple months later, Gray and Wiebe met in the finals of the World University Championships. This time it was Gray who prevailed and a longtime rivalry was born. 2013 saw Wiebe compete at the Pan-American Championships for the first time at the Senior level. She acquitted herself well by finishing with the bronze medal. For the second straight year, Wiebe represented Canada at the World University Championships. Again, she came away with some hardware, a bronze medal. The weight was won by Ekaterina Bukina (Russia), another opponent Wiebe would clash with many times in the future. Less than a month later, Wiebe won the Poland Open, over a loaded field. It seemed as if she was on the right track heading into her first Senior World Championships. In the first bout, Wiebe dismantled Lizette Hechavarria (Cuba), who was the Pan-American Champion that year. Next up was 2012 world champion Jenny Fransson (Sweden). Wiebe would pin Fransson for a place in the quarters. Unfortunately, her title run ended in the quarters as 2012 Olympic gold medalist Natalia Vorobieva (Russia) prevailed by a pin herself. Wiebe lost her first repechage bout to Ochirbatyn Burmaa (Mongolia) and had to leave Budapest without a medal. Early returns from 2014 indicated that Wiebe was ready to compete for a world medal as she opened the year with wins at the Dave Schultz Memorial and the Klippan Lady Open. Competing at a revamped 75 kg weight class, Wiebe defeated the returning world champion, Fengliu Zhang (China), at the Dave Schultz and Bukina for the title in Sweden. The Klippan weight class also included Gray. A pair of losses at the World Cup (Bukina and Zhang) accounted for the only two setbacks of 2014 prior to the World Championships. In Uzbekistan, at the World Championships, Wiebe grabbed a win in her opening bout, which set the stage for a quarterfinal clash with Epp Mae (Estonia). Mae ended up winning via fall. After Gray downed Mae in the semis, Wiebe was eliminated. 2015 was similar to 2014 as Wiebe was largely dominant. She racked up tournament's left and right, winning six in total. Most notable were the Yarygin and the Klippan Lady Open. In the finals of the Klippan, she picked up another win over the former world champion Zhang. A win in the finals of the Grand Prix of Germany saw Wiebe get a small measure of revenge by defeating Mae. Wiebe did everything in 2015, but compete at the World Championships. 2016 (The Breakout) Since Wiebe did not compete at world's in 2015, the 75 kg weight class was not qualified at the Rio Olympics for Canada. That forced Wiebe to head to Frisco, Texas, to compete at the Pan-American Olympic qualifier. She was able to cruise against the competition and locked up a spot in her first Olympic Games. After solidifying her place in Rio, Wiebe still had a few tournaments to hit down the stretch. She grabbed wins at the Grand Prix of Germany and the Canada Cup. In the German finals, Wiebe downed Vasilisa Marzaliuk of Belarus. Marzaliuk was a World bronze medalist in 2015 and would clash with Wiebe many times in the future. At her first Olympic Games, Wiebe got off to a good start by shutting out Maria Salmaier (Germany), 8-0. That set a quarterfinal match against her Chinese rival Zhang. In the next quarterfinal, Marzaliuk shocked Gray, who was a significant favorite. Wiebe was able to get by the Belarusian 3-0 to earn a berth in the Olympic finals. The only person standing between Wiebe and an Olympic gold medal was Guzel Manyurova (Kazakhstan), an Olympic bronze medalist in 2012. As was the case with the rest of the tournament, Wiebe's defense was on point. She cruised to a 6-0 win and became only the second Canadian woman (Carol Hyunh) to win an Olympic gold medal. 2017-21 (The Post Olympic Years) After winning the Olympics, Wiebe was out of action for the remainder of 2016, then headed to compete in the Indian Pro Wrestling League. After going undefeated in India, Wiebe took runner-up honor at the Klippan Lady Open to DiStasio. Her only other competition in 2017 was a win at the International Ukrainian. An injury before the Canadian Trials prevented her from wrestling at the world championships. In 2018, Wiebe was as busy as ever, winning five of six tournaments before the World Championships. In Budapest, she took out Paliha (China) and perennial contender Aline Rotter Focken (Germany) to set up another meeting with Gray in the semifinals. The American won a defensive struggle 3-0, which relegated Wiebe to the bronze medal contest. Wiebe rebounded and neutralized Mae in a 4-0 win. Despite almost a decade on the scene and with an Olympic gold medal to her credit, this was Wiebe's first world medal. Despite maintaining a busy schedule in 2019, Wiebe also battled a variety of injuries that could have contributed to some placements that were lower than her usual standards. The year still had its share of highlights as the Canadian won a loaded weight at the City of Sassari and prevailed in a meeting of Olympic champions, with Vorobieva. In total, Erica had three tournament wins before heading to Nur-Sultan for the World Championships. At the World Championships, Wiebe notched a pair of wins before, yet another meeting with Mae in the quarterfinals. This time the Estonian edged her for a 4-3 decision. When Mae fell in the semifinals, Wiebe was eliminated. After missing out on a world medal in 2019, Wiebe looked poised for a big 2020. She started with a tournament title at the Matteo Pellicone and defeated a "who's who" of contenders at the weight (Marzaliuk, Focken, Zhou). Right before the world shut down due to Covid-19, Wiebe qualified for the Olympics at the Pan-American Qualifier. After the long break, Wiebe did compete once more in 2020 at the Individual World Cup. She was prevented from medaling after losing to Marzaliuk and Yaseman Adar (Turkey). 2021 has shown that Wiebe will continue to be in the mix in Tokyo. She prevailed in another loaded Pellicone bracket and has grabbed bronze medals at the International Ukrainian and the Poland Open.

Tamyra Mensah-Stock at the 2019 World Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) United World Wrestling has announced top-four seeds for each of the six weights for the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Seeds for Greco-Roman will be forthcoming, as well. Here are the men's freestyle seeds released yesterday. 50 kg 1. Mariya Stadnik (Azerbaijan) 2. Emilia Vuc (Romania) 3. Oksana Livach (Ukraine) 4. Valentina Islamova Brik (Kazakhstan) 53 kg 1. Vinesh Phogat (India) 2. Mayu Mukaida (Japan) 3. Luisa Valverde Melendres (Ecuador) 4. Qianyu Pang (China) 57 kg 1. Risako Kawai (Japan) 2. Odunayo Adekuoroye (Nigeria) 3. Iryna Kurachina (Belarus) 4. Ningning Rong (China) 62 kg 1. Aisuluu Tynybekova (Kyrgyzstan) 2. Taybe Yusein (Bulgaria) 3. Yuliia Tkach (Ukraine) 4. Yukako Kawai (Japan) 68 kg 1. Tamyra Mensah-Stock (USA) 2. Blessing Oborududu (Nigeria) 3. Koumba Larroque (France) 4. Anna Schell (Germany) 76 kg 1. Adeline Gray (USA) 2. Aline Rotter Focken (Germany) 3. Hiroe Minigawa Suzuki (Japan) 4. Elmira Syzdykova (Kazakhstan)

EPHRAIM, Utah (June 21, 2021) - Snow College Athletics Director Rob Nielson today announced Snow College will be adding men's and women's wrestling. Recruiting will begin in the fall of 2021 with competition beginning in 2022. "We are excited to be able to announce the addition of men's and women's wrestling," Nielson said. "Wrestling for both men and women is a very popular sport here in the state of Utah. With only limited collegiate level opportunities in Utah, it made sense for us to add wrestling to our lineup of highly competitive sports." Snow College President, Bradley J. Cook, said the wrestling program will be located on the Richfield campus as a way to enhance the college experience for those who attend there. "It is appropriate that we situate the wrestling program in Richfield as a way to continue building campus life and activities for that campus," Cook said. "Central Utah is the center of gravity for top-notch high school wrestling programs, and we look forward to building national-championship caliber teams." Home matches will be held at the Sevier Valley Center in Richfield. The Richfield campus is located just over 50 miles south of Ephraim. A search will begin immediately to hire a head coach for both the men's and women's programs. More information regarding the wrestling programs will be released as it becomes available. With the addition of wrestling, Snow College, a Division-I member of the NJCAA, will now sponsor 14 different teams, including football, men's and women's basketball, women's volleyball, men's and women's soccer, softball, e-sports, men's and women's rodeo, the Badgerettes (dance team) and the cheer team.

Myles Amine 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. 6/20/21 - 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 perennial contender with three All-American honors at the 174 pound weight classes for the University of Michigan, #12 Myles Amine (SMR) made a huge decision at the end of the 2019 NCAA season to compete internationally for San Marino at 86 KG and qualify the small Mediterranean country for the Tokyo Olympics. Amine's biggest freestyle credential up until that point had been a runner-up finish at the 63 KG Cadet Pan-Am championships. With elite folkstyle wins over prestigious competitors the likes of Ethan Ramos, Brian Realbuto, Daniel Lewis and Bo Jordan, Amine was a proven commodity still and his international freestyle debut was much anticipated. The Stats #12 Myles Amine (SMR)- 2019 European Games bronze medalist, 2019 world's 5th, 2020 European championships runner-up, 2021 European Championships bronze medalist, 2021 Ziolkowski bronze medalist Key Wins: #16 Zbigniew Baranowski ( 2019 European Games), Alexander Gostiev (2019 European Games), #13 Sosuke Takatani (2019 world's), #18 Ali Shabanov (2019 World's), Rasul Tikhaev ( 2020 Euros), #19 Sebastian Jezierzanski (2021 Ziolkowski bronze medal match), Stefan Reichmuth (2021 Ziolkowski quarterfinals) Key Losses: #4 Dauren Kurugliev (2019 European Games), #8 Vladislav Valiev ( 2019 European championships), Fatih Erdin ( 2020 Matteo Pellicone invitational tournament), #2 Hassan Yazdani Charati ( 2019 world championships), #3 Artur Naifonov ( 2019 world championships bronze medal match, 2020 European championships finals, 2021 European championships quarterfinals), #18 Ali Shabanov (2019 European championships), #10 Zahid Valencia (2021 Ziolkowsi semifinals), Trent Hidlay (2020 RTC Cup) 2019-2021 Myles Amine would make his international debut for San Marino at the 2019 European championships. In his debut, Amine would take a win over 2015 World bronze medalist #17 Sandro Aminashvili (GEO), but would fall to powerhouse world medalists #8 Vladislav Valiev (RUS) and #18 Ali Shabanov (BLR). Already having faced three world medalists at the European championships and coming away with a victory over one and fought tooth and nail with the other two, Amine proved he had a strong learning curve and would be someone to keep an eye on moving forward even with a ninth-place finish in the bracket. The European Games in Baku would be another chance where Amine would be thrown in against the best and have to prove himself. Right out of the gate, Amine faced off against #4 Dauren Kurugliev, a powerhouse Russian who had taken European gold in 2017, won Russian Nationals and finished 5th at the World Championships in 2018. Kurugliev would be too much for Amine and handed him a 6-0 loss that put him in repechage with the powerful Lezgin making the finals. In his first repechage match, Amine would face off against the reigning 92 KG European runner-up #16 Zbigniew Baranowski (POL), a perennial contender with great leg attacks and finishing ability, but susceptible to scrambling and poor in-match decisions. Against the difficult style of Baranowski, Amine was able to overcome the talented Pole 4-3 to move onto the bronze medal match opposite three-time European championships runner-up Alexander Gostiev of Azerbaijan. Against the veteran's defense and positioning, Amine would pull away and win a 3-3 criteria match and the first medal for San Marino. Amine had proven capable of beating the middle tier of 86 KG and hanging in with the best and carved out a spot for himself as an up-and-coming talent to watch at the World Championships in Nursultan, Kazakhstan, who, if given a good draw, had a threat of medaling. But that view of Myles Amine would be shattered when he toed the line in Kazakhstan. Two world medalists, a Pan-Am champion and a European Games bronze medalist, stood in Amine's way just to reach the semifinals to qualify San Marino for the Olympics. On paper, Amine would be an early trip home, too much too soon. But Amine absolutely went on a tear through the bracket, beating the likes of four-time world medalist #18 Ali Shabanov (BLR), 2014 74 KG world silver medalist #13 Sosuke Takatani (JPN), 2019 Pan-Am Games champion Yurieski Torreblanca (CUB) and 2019 European Games bronze medalist Akhmed Dudarov (GER) to qualify San Marino for the Olympics by making the semifinals. Two-time World/Olympic champion #2 Hassan Yazdani Charati (IRI) was too much for Amine and beat him 11-0 to put Amine against 21-year-old phenom #3 Artur Naifonov, a 2017 Alans and 2018 European champion who had staked his claim as the consensus #3 behind world champions #1 David Taylor (USA) and Yazdani Charati (IRI). A game Amine hung in with Naifonov, but it would be the North-Ossetian talent that would come away victorious with world bronze after a 6-0 win. Myles would only take an Olympic redshirt for the 2019-2020 season and compete at the Matteo Pellicone Memorial and the European Championships before the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now a consensus top 10 talent at 86 KG, Amine would fall in an early-round matchup against the powerful, but inconsistent 2018 world runner-up Fatih Erdin of Turkey. In his next match, Erdin was dominated and tech falled by two-time NCAA champion Zahid Valencia of the United States and Amine was eliminated from the competition. Amine would have a better showing at the European championships netting a silver medal finish with a 4-0 loss to Naifonov (RUS). Amine would finish 2020 competing at the RTC Cup, beating Nate Jackson (USA) and falling to 2019 Junior world bronze medalist Trent Hidlay (USA). The #1 seed going into this year's 197 LB NCAA championships after a BIG 10 title, Amine lost in the semifinals to AJ Ferrari (ITA/OSU) and finished with his fourth All-American status by taking third. Amine's return to international competition would be in April at the European Championships, where he netted his second continental medal taking bronze with a win over International Ukrainian Tournament champion #19 Sebastian Jezierzanski (POL). A bronze medal at the Ziolkowski memorial after a loss to US Olympic Trials bronze medalist Valencia (USA) would be Amine's final competition before the Tokyo Olympics in August. Myles Amine is in a very interesting position going into the Olympics. Effectively behind the trio #1 David Taylor (USA), #2 Hassan Yazdani Charati (IRI) and #3 Artur Naifonov, Amine is the fourth highest-ranked competitor in the field at #12. Even if he is to run into one of the three on his side of the bracket, Amine still has a very strong chance at coming back and wrestling for bronze against the field and if his bracket is good enough, he could make the finals. Either way, I think there's a really good chance for Amine to be able to win San Marino's first medal in Olympic wrestling.

Iowa signee Drake Ayala (Photo/Cam Kramer; CamKramerPhoto.smugmug.com) This weekend the Junior National Duals took place in Tulsa, Oklahoma. A bit of history was made on the freestyle side of things as the team from Iowa captured its first title since 2005. On the Greco-Roman front, Illinois won their third straight crown. The event featured plenty of squads packed with talent, sure to make an impact at the next level. We have combed through the results and found five college teams that “won” the Junior Duals, based on the performance of their recruits. These didn't necessarily have to be wrestlers that have signed with a program; they can come from wrestlers that have verballed. Iowa The Hawkeyes two recruits in action, Drake Ayala and Caleb Rathjen, are both from the Class of 2021 and incoming freshmen for Tom Brands' crew. Ayala was among the top pound-for-pound seniors in the country (#4), so it's not surprising to see him on this list. He has the goods to be the next great lightweight for a University that has produced dozens over the last 40+ years. Ayala was a late addition to the loaded Iowa team at Junior Duals and ended up leaving with the OW award from the freestyle tournament. Ayala crushed the competition with tech falls in all nine of his bouts. Only three opponents even got on the scoreboard against the 126 lber from Fort Dodge. Some of his notable wins from the duals include double Fargo Junior National Champion, Andre Gonzales (California) and Vincent Robinson (Illinois). Ayala's teammate, Rathjen, won eight of his nine freestyle bouts on the weekend. His only setback was a one-point loss to Jordan Williams (Oklahoma), the #14 recruit in the Class of 2022. Rathjen managed to put double-digits on the board in all eight of his wins. His most significant win was by a 10-5 score over Matt Bianchi (Wisconsin), who finished one spot (#48) ahead of Rathjen on the final Big Board of 2021. Rathjen also had a dominating 10-0 tech over freshman sensation, Kael Voinovich (Ohio). NC State The program that brought you upperweight national champions like Mike Macchiavello and Nick Gwiazdowski has another couple of studs in the pipeline. #16 Chase Horne (Georgia) and #32 Dylan Fishback (Ohio) both were 8-0 in freestyle competition. Both are rising seniors from the Class of 2022. Fishback projects at 197 lbs, while Horne is definitely a heavyweight. Horne distanced himself from the field by outsourcing the competition 52-1, a total that doesn't include a forfeit or a fall. He was able to pick up three wins over two ranked opponents. Horne teched #23 (weight class rank) Max Acciardi (New Jersey) and defeated #13 (weight class rank) Nicholas Rowland (Oklahoma), twice. Once via tech and the second time with a fall. Horne went 3-0 in Greco and did not surrender a point. Fishback took out an impressive group of opponents. He teched a pair of top-100 graduated seniors in Quayin Short (Minnesota) and Aaron Azyerov (New Jersey) and pinned #15 (weight class ranked) AJ Heeg (Oklahoma), who is one of the top sophomore big men in the nation. Also on the hit list was Wyatt Voelker (Iowa), who was ranked one slot ahead (#4) of Fishback in the latest national rankings at 195 lbs. His 9-4 win over Voelker was the closest of the tournament. Team Ohio did not have an entry in Greco, so Fishback did not compete in that tournament. Oklahoma The future is looking bright for the Oklahoma Sooners as they saw two of their verbals from the Class of 2022 combine to go 12-1 in freestyle. 106 lber Christian Forbes was a perfect 6-0, while 160 lber John Wiley was 6-1. In Greco, it was Wiley who went unbeaten and Forbes who suffered a lone loss. Only one of Forbes' six freestyle wins came via regular decision. He was able to tech California stud Ray Ray Harris (though Harris returned the favor in Greco). Wiley hung on to edge #94 MJ Gaitan (California) 9-8 in one of his early bouts, then proceeded to pin his next three opponents. The last of which was #83 Landon Johnson (Minnesota), whom he pinned in under a minute. Gaitan was the only opponent who could go the full distance with Wiley in Greco, though he nearly teched him, winning by nine points. South Dakota State Two of the cornerstones of South Dakota State's #12th ranked recruiting class were on display in Tulsa, as #59 Derrick Cardinal and #71 Cael Swensen combined to go 11-1 in freestyle for Minnesota Blue. Cardinal either teched or pinned all five opponents. His last victory was a 13-2 tech over Nain Vasquez (Illinois), which was the final match in the third-place win over Team Illinois. In addition to teching the three-time Illinois state medalist, Vasquez, Cardinal also teched 16U freestyle All-American Ismael Ayoub (Ohio). Derrick only saw action in two Greco bouts, going 1-1. His loss came in a 15-12 shootout to Nasir Bailey (Illinois). Though Swensen suffered a loss to #14 Victor Voinovich (Ohio), he did register a pair of high-quality wins beating New Jersey state champ Andrew Troczynski and Oklahoma State recruit Angelo Ferrari. Swensen put up ten points on Troczynski and eight against Ferrari. In Greco Swensen was even better. He went 7-0 and picked up a win against Cadet Greco-Roman World Team member Braden Stauffenberg, 3-2. Wyoming Last week after Wyoming received a verbal commitment from #35 Jore Volk, we did a deep dive into Cowboy recruiting under head coach Mark Branch (2008-present). The Class of 2022 is shaking out to be the best in recent memory for Wyoming. The future Cowboy stars were on display in Tulsa, as Class of 2021 signee Quayin Short joined Volk on Minnesota's Blue team, which took third at the duals. In freestyle, Volk went unbeaten with techs or falls in three of his five wins. The two opponents that went the distance with him were National Prep champ, Brennan Cernus (Ohio) and Illinois third-place finisher William Baysingar. Short went 4-1 in freestyle. Minnesota's depth allowed for substitutions for both Volk and Short. Similar results were compiled in Greco. Short won eight of nine bouts, while Volk won all four. Volk crushed three opponents before prevailing in a 9-9 shootout against Carter Bailey (California). Short only went the distance in one of his eight wins.

SMSU All-American Cade Steffen (Photo/SMSU athletics) And then there was one. There is just one final head coaching gig available in Division II right now. The promotion of three-time Division III finalist Bebeto Yewah to head coach at Davenport University means that only Southwest Minnesota State University is without a leader. The clock is ticking for the Mustangs to add a captain to steer this ship and we have seen no real sense of urgency thus far. The Mustangs are coming off their best NCAA finish in the last 22 years. This is a program that will return All-Americans in sophomore Cade Steffen and super senior Jackson Ryan. Ryan became the first Mustang to reach the semifinals of the national tournament since Steffen's father, Link, accomplished the feat in 1998 on his way to winning the only NCAA title for SMSU. This is a team that put two unseeded wrestlers onto the podium in this crazy season and will return them both. What a place to build from! After the season, Southwest Minnesota State University athletics went through a bit of an upheaval, losing head coach Jesse Nelson and athletics director Chris Hmielewski. That is a recipe for, if not disaster, then at the very least apathy towards locking down a new Mustang coach. That being the case, I feel like I should just go ahead and make the program a perfect landing spot; I have even found them their new head coach. Why Southwest Minnesota State University? Who better to sell SMSU than their last NCAA champion, Link Steffen? I asked him this question and here is what he had to say. "SMSU is an attractive spot because there is more to do there than the average high school student-athlete may realize. If the next coach can sell that philosophy, along with the idea that sometimes a quieter place is the perfect place to focus on life, academic, and athletic goals, I think even more recruits may show up. It's kinda like taking a 4-year vacation at the cabin….less hustle & bustle and more focus on yourself and those immediately around you. This is why SMSU was attractive to me and helped me reach my potential as a student-athlete. It's also an excellent opportunity to start building onto what Jesse has created at SMSU wrestling. They are a young team with talent but also have a couple of All-Americans returning to the lineup. The foundation is set and with a few more top recruits, SMSU wrestling could climb the ranks quickly." He is not wrong. The campus is located in Marshall, Minnesota. A small community of fewer than 15,000 residents, the University boasts an enrollment of less than 9,000. For those prospective student-athletes wanting to wrestle at the Division II level, but do not want to be in a large city, this is the perfect place. A head coach can recruit Minnesota, both Dakotas, Nebraska, Wisconsin, and Iowa with ease. There is so much talent surrounding this location. A head coach familiar with the midwest and with ties to the area could build a talented team traveling less than six hours in any direction. Sell the small town midwest location to parents as well as affordability. Full-time tuition with room and board can run an undergrad student less than $15,000 a year after student aid. Price out some of the other institutions competing at Division II and you will see this is a bargain! Why did I ask alumni Link Steffen about Southwest Minnesota State? Because I have decided that he is the perfect fit for the job! If you want to be successful, you go out and find a person who has done just that. Link Steffen was a two-time All-American for the Mustangs and is the last Southwest Minnesota State wrestler to win a national title. He is the only one to do so since the program joined Division II. Those who can, do. He has done it as an athlete. He knows intimately what it takes to be successful at the NCAA Division II level. He can also help energize an alumni base that is ripe for some excitement. Bringing a national champion back to the athletic department is an immediate win for a new athletic director as well. I know what you are thinking; what about his coaching chops? How about being the head coach of two different state championship teams? How about a team seemingly always putting athletes on the podium, including his two-time state champion son Cade. How about being the coach of a program that every other college coach in the region knows? If college coaches know and respect him, then what do you think other high school coaches think? He already has a built-in recruiting base there. Look at the splash that the University of Wisconsin-Parkside just made in hiring their all-time great Nick Becker to head up their program after long-time head coach Corey VanGroll moved on. An immediate impact hire that returned a fabled son to the fold. That is what this would be. Bringing back a Hall of Fame athlete to head up a program trending upwards. The NSIC is quickly becoming one of the toughest conferences in the country, right up there with GVLC and if SMSU wants to keep up, they need to make a big move. I even took the time to ask Link if he was wanted to be a head coach and found out he is already taking the steps in his professional career to be an even better candidate. "I have thought about coaching at the next level and am in the process of earning my masters to make me a more qualified candidate. Right now, I'm just a high school coach, which qualifies me for not much more than that…..a high school wrestling coach. Even with a master's and if the right opportunity was offered, it would be a big decision I'd have to discuss with my family. But, I like change, I like goals, and feel it's important to challenge ourselves daily to find out who you really are as a person." He is too humble and kind! His wife is a saint. His sons are amazing. And with the graduation of his daughter, the Steffen's are officially "empty-nesters." Let's start a whole new chapter! Come back to Southwest Minnesota State University. I promise to make the drive to watch you on the sideline live. In closing, if you have a better candidate for this job, I would love to hear from you, that way I can tell you you are wrong.

Mark Hall at Senior Nationals in 2021 (Photo/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com.com) PHILADELPHIA - The University of Pennsylvania's Hall of Fame Head Coach of Wrestling, Roger Reina C'84, WEV'05, is excited to announce the addition of Mark Hall to his staff as a volunteer assistant coach for #TheMovement. "Mark brings extraordinary competitive experience and success, combined with a wealth of technical knowledge and 'wrestling IQ' across collegiate and Olympic styles," said Reina, who will enter his 24th season at the helm in 2021-22. "He embodies the highest marks of competitive excellence along with a great desire to elevate athletes to their ultimate potential." Following a stellar collegiate career at Penn State, and three age-group World freestyle titles, Hall joined the Pennsylvania Regional Training Center (PRTC) and this spring captured the US Open title in freestyle. "The Penn Wrestling community welcomes Mark to our staff, as we accelerate our climb up the national ladder while he continues to represent the PRTC in pursuit of his national and international competitive goals," said Reina. A 2020 graduate from Penn State, Hall was the 2016-17 NCAA champion at 174 pounds. A three-time NCAA finalist, Hall was the NCAA's top seed at 174 going into the 2020 NCAA Championships before they were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He also was a four-time All-America and three-time Big Ten champion while compiling a remarkable 116-6 collegiate record. The Nittany Lions won the NCAA team title every year in which Hall competed. "Becoming a coach has been a dream of mine since my freshman year of college," Hall said. "Prior to that, I was going to school to become a teacher. It is in my blood to provide others with life and athletic advice, and I could not be prouder to join the Penn wrestling staff so I can do just that. I can't wait to get to work and help these young men achieve their goals on and off the mat. I also believe this will be a step forward in continuing to commit my energy to accomplishing my competitive goals nationally, and internationally, to become the best athlete I can be." Hall was one of the most decorated high school wrestlers over the past decade. He won the 2016 Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award and became the first person to win six Minnesota State High School Championships. Hall ended an incredible interscholastic career with a 277-4 record "including 171 consecutive wins"and 189 career pins. Hall was a driving force as Apple Valley High School captured six straight state championships. He is the only wrestler ever to earn 12 combined individual and team state titles. At the national level, Hall is the reigning US Open freestyle champion thanks to going 5-0 at 86kg last month in Iowa. During the tournament, he won four matches by tech fall en route to his fifth freestyle gold medal. Hall also brought home gold at the 2021 America's Cup, the 2019 US Last Chance World Teams Qualifier, and the 2016 US Last Chance Olympic Team Trials Qualifier. Hall's freestyle accolades also include being a two-time USA Wrestling UWW Junior National Champion and winning the 2016 UWW Junior Freestyle Outstanding Wrestler award. He won the FILA Cadet World Championship in 2014, won two Junior World Gold medals (2016 & 2017), was the 2018 Pan American Gold Medalist, and silver medalist at the 2021 Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series event in Rome, Italy.

Kyle Snyder after winning Olympic gold in 2016 (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Seeds for Men's Freestyle at the 2020 Olympics United World Wrestling has announced top-four seeds for each of the six weights for the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Seeds for the other two styles will be forthcoming, as well. 57 kg 1. Stevan Micic (Serbia) 2. Zavur Uguev (Russia) 3. Suleyman Atli (Turkey) 4. Kumar Ravi (India) 65 kg 1. Gadzhimurad Rashidov (Russia) 2. Bajrang Punia (India) 3. Daulet Niyazbekov (Kazakhstan) 4. Ismail Muszukajev (Hungary) 74 kg 1. Frank Chamizo (Italy) 2. Daniyar Kaisanov (Kazakhstan) 3. Zaurbek Sidakov (Russia) 4. Mostafa Hosseinkhani (Iran) 86 kg 1. Hassan Yazdani Charati (Iran) 2. Deepak Punia (India) 3. Myles Amine (San Marino) 4. Artur Naifonov (Russia) 97 kg 1. Abdulrashid Sadulaev (Russia) 2. Kyle Snyder (USA) 3. Alisher Yergali (Kazakhstan) 4. Magomedgadji Nurov (Macedonia) 125 kg 1. Geno Petriashvili (Georgia) 2. Yusup Batirmurzaev (Kazakhstan) 3. Taha Akgul (Turkey) 4. Oleksandr Khotsianivskyi (Ukraine)

2021 NCAA Champion David Carr (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Heading into the 2021-22, here are the top 12 wrestlers from the Big 12 (plus a couple of honorable mentions) 12. Everyone at 197 I should probably put an asterisk next to this one as we will see a few 197 pounders listed individually later on, but the Big 12 is absolutely stacked at this weight class. Four of the eight All-Americans from 2021 at 197 will be in the Big 12 next season. You could make a strong argument that Noah Adams and Tanner Sloan could've also finished in the top eight had they not matched up with other Big 12 wrestlers in the bracket. Rather than list all of them, I'll just say that this entire weight class deserves a nod. 11. Dom Demas-141 Oklahoma I have two individuals that were not All-Americans this past season on this list and Demas is one of them. The Big 12 champ at 141 last season and U23 World Team member has anchored the Co-Big 12 Champion Sooners for years and is expected to continue to do that into next season. Unfortunately, not getting an All-American nod at the NCAA tournament last season, dropped him a bit here, but it's safe to expect he'll be back next season and get back on the podium at the NCAA tournament. 10. Dakota Geer-184-Oklahoma State Geer makes this list even though he was a senior and has not officially announced if he's coming back, though the current expectation is he will. Geer doesn't necessarily dominate and hasn't won a Big 12 title yet, but he wins close matches, and he performs well at the NCAA tournament. At the last two NCAA tournaments, Geer has been seeded outside of the top eight and each year, he has become an All-American. He's not the dominant bonus point machine we see with some of the guys on this list, but he wins on the big stage and that carries a lot of weight and is what puts him in my top ten here. 9. Travis Wittlake-165 Oklahoma State Travis Wittlake was the Big 12 champ in 2020 as a redshirt freshman and finished third this past season as a sophomore. He came into the Big 12 tournament as the #1 seed and one of the favorites, but was knocked off by Luke Weber early, shifting the dynamic of the tournament and bracket dramatically. Still, Wittlake has been one of the best in the Big 12 and bounced back with a fourth-place finish at the NCAA tournament to land here. 8. Luke Weber-165 North Dakota State One spot ahead of Wittlake is the guy that beat him at the Big 12 tournament. Luke Weber knocked off Wittlake in OT of the semifinals of the Big 12 tournament, then went on to beat Wyoming's Cole Moody in the finals to win the 165-pound title. He received arguably the toughest draw of any wrestler at the NCAA tournament when he had to take on NCAA champion Shane Griffith followed shortly after by 3rd place finisher Keegan O'Toole. He fell to both, which left him off the podium at NCAA's, but it's safe to expect him on it in the near future. 7. Rocky Elam-197 Missouri Rocky Elam finished fifth at the NCAA tournament as a freshman this season and finished with a 22-4 record. He lost early at the tournament to Jake Woodley from OU, then bounced back to make the consolation semifinals and avenge his loss to Woodley in the fifth-place match. You could make a reasonable argument to have him ahead of, behind, or in between Weber and Wittlake, but with Elam's youth, I think it's reasonable to expect him to make a jump next season. 6. Brock Mauller-149 Missouri Mauller dropped two matches at the NCAA tournament, one in tiebreakers to eventual champion Austin O'Connor and one to red-hot third-place finisher Yahya Thomas, who came in as the #25th seed. Mauller finished fifth, but is right in the mix with the elite at this weight class and a legitimate title threat next season. 5. Keegan O'Toole-165 Missouri 165 in the Big 12 will go from being a somewhat overlooked weight class on the national stage to one with three All-American caliber wrestlers with Keegan O'Toole, Travis Wittlake, and Luke Weber. O'Toole beat both Wittlake and Weber and finished third at the NCAA tournament last year. Another freshman, O'Toole, has a lot of upside and, with a level jump, could compete for a title at the weight next season. 4. Parker Keckeisen-184 Northern Iowa Keckeisen is another NCAA tournament third-place finisher and another freshman with a lot of upside. He somewhat surprisingly didn't get the start until midseason, but once he did, he was an absolute force for the Panthers. Keckeisen only suffered one loss in the 2021 season and it came at the hands of eventual NCAA Champion Aaron Brooks. Northern Iowa's never been lacking at the 184-pound weight class recently and it looks like that trend will continue with Keckeisen over the next few years. 3. Daton Fix-133 Oklahoma State Outside of the next guy on this list, Fix was talked about more than any wrestler in the Big 12 this past season after a somewhat controversial suspension left him out until the last few weeks of the season. Fix came in late and went undefeated into the NCAA tournament and received the #1 seed. He worked his way to the finals, where he lost to Penn State's Roman Bravo-Young 4-2 in sudden victory overtime. A win there and he's probably #1 on this list. 2. AJ Ferrari-197 Oklahoma State A true freshman NCAA champion, a 665-pound deadlift, electric interviews and celebrations made this man the most talked about wrestler at the NCAA tournament. The celebrations, the talk, the flexing are all backed up by one of the best wrestlers in the country. Ferrari's only loss of the season came to 2020's Big 12 Wrestler of the Year Noah Adams. He flipped a switch at that point and was basically untouchable at the Big 12 and NCAA tournament, winning over fans and doubters alike. All signs point to Ferrari being the favorite to win the Big 12 and NCAA tournament at the Big 12's best weight again next year, though Ferrari has floated the idea of a move to HWT. At 197, another superstar freshman Braxton Amos at Wisconsin, will enter the fray next season and could create one of wrestling's biggest rivalries. 1. David Carr-157 Iowa State An undefeated season and NCAA title gives David Carr the #1 spot on this list. What can't you say about this kid? Junior World Champion, two-time All-American, Iowa State legacy, and did it all by his sophomore year! He has a chance to be a four-time champion if he chooses, as last season isn't required to count against eligibility. Will he go for that? Who knows? But he will be considered the flag bearer of the Big 12 by many entering next season, and should be a force over the next few years for Iowa State. Honorable Mention Clay Carlson-South Dakota State-Finished eighth at 141 at the NCAA tournament as just a sophomore. Allan Hart-Missouri-Sixth-seed at the NCAA tournament at 141, but missed the podium. Ian Parker-Jarrett Degen-Sammy Colbray-Iowa State- All three of these guys were injured at various points this season and that uncertainty keeps them off the list, but all could easily shift the dynamics of things if healthy. Their return could easily put Iowa State in the conference title conversation next season. Wyatt Sheets-Oklahoma State-The guy became an All-American with no knees and as the #33 seed. Who knows what he'll do if healthy next year? Jarrett Jacques-Mizzou-Tough NCAA tournament dropped his stock a bit, but definitely All-American caliber. Demetrius Romero-Utah Valley-174-Probably deserved a spot on the list. #2 seed at the NCAA tournament and finished 5th. The only reason I left him off is I don't know if he's coming back? He was a senior last season and, to my knowledge, has not announced if he'll return.

Sofia Mattsson at the 2016 Olympics (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. 6/19/21 - 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 mainstays of the Senior Women's freestyle scene over the past three decades has been Swedish star, Sofia Mattsson. During her last trip to the Olympics, Mattsson came away with a bronze medal. Over the course of her 15-year Senior-level career, Mattsson has amassed an impressive amount of accolades. She was a world champion in 2009 and has a total of six world medals. Mattsson also has had the misfortune of competing alongside some of the biggest legends in the sport. Her limited results in 2021 indicate that the Swede may be able to threaten for a gold medal and become the highest placing Swedish woman at the Olympics. Here's a synopsis of the 31-year-old's long international career. Key Wins: Ekaterina Poleshcuk (2019 Poland Open; Bronze), Sumiya Erdenechimeg (2019 Poland Open; Round of 16), Vanesa Kaladzinskaya (2021 Last Chance Qualifier; Finals, 2019 City of Sassari), Vitkoria Vaulina (2019 City of Sassari), Maria Prevolaraki (2019 European Championships; Round of 16), Jacarra Winchester (2021 Henri DeGlane; Finals, 2018 Poland Open, Bronze), Marina Sedneva (2018 Grand Prix of Spain; Finals), Xuechun Zhong (2016 Olympics; Bronze), Odunayo Adekuoroye (2016 Olympics; Round of 16), Irina Kurachkina (2016 European Championship; Final), Key Losses: Olga Khoroshavtseva (2020 European Championships; Semifinals), Tsugumi Sakurai (2020 Klippan Lady Open; Finals), Vinesh Phogat (2019 World Championships; Qualification), 2019 Poland Open; Quarterfinals), Vanesa Kaladzinskaya (2019 European Championships; Quarterfinals), Diana Weicker (2019 Grand Prix of Germany; Finals), Myong Suk Jung (2018 World Championships; Repechage), Mayu Mukaida (2018 World Championships; Quarterfinals), Roksana Zasina (2019 Nikola Petrov; Quarterfinals, 2018 Poland Open; Semifinals), Helen Maroulis (2016 Olympics; Semifinals) The Age Group Years (2004-06) From the moment Sofia Mattson hit the international circuit, she was a medal threat. Mattsson immediately was a force in Europe as she was victorious at the Nordic Junior Championships in January of 2004, at just 14-years-old. Later that year, she captured gold at the European Cadet Championships. It was more of the same in 2015 as Mattsson won both events again. Mattsson came up during a time where there were no Cadet World Championships, so in 2006 while still Cadet-eligible (at 16), she entered the Junior World Championships. This was after winning Nordic Juniors and European Cadets for a third-consecutive year. Age was no factor as Mattsson collected her first Junior World gold medal in Guatemala City, downing Natalya Pulkovska (Ukraine) for her title. The Early Senior Level-Years (2007-08) 2007 marked the first year that Mattsson competed internationally on the Senior-level and despite being 17 for most of the year, she never entered tournaments at her own age group after this year. Her first event was the Dave Schultz Memorial and Mattsson ended up in third place in a bracket that saw American Stephanie Murata and Canadian legend Carol Huynh above her. Over the next two months, Mattsson collected bronze medals at the Klippan Lady Open and the European Championships. At the continental meet, Mattsson made headlines by refusing to accept the antiquated "Miss Europe" award. It was given to the "prettiest wrestler." She did not believe the award was an acceptable part of the sport. Later that year, Mattsson would claim gold in her first Senior-level competition, the Nikola Petrov Tournament. Just a few weeks after that, Mattsson won her second consecutive Junior World title. She prevailed in a weight class that included American Alyssa Lampe (who would get bronze). 2007 also marked Mattsson's first appearance at the Senior World Championships. Though she did not medal, Mattsson finished in a respectable seventh place and tallied three wins. Mattsson continued her ascend on the Senior level in 2008. She opened the year by winning Sweden's prestigious, Klippan Lady Open. It's an event that she would end up winning two more times during her distinguished career. She also moved up a step on the European podium by grabbing a silver medal at 51 kg. 2008 also marked the first of four appearances at the Olympic Games for Mattsson. Most reading this probably rooted against Mattsson in her Olympic debut as she was paired off against American Clarissa Chun in her opening bout. Chun took the match in two straight periods, 2-1 and 4-1. When the American lost in the semis, Mattsson was eliminated. The Prime Years (2009-2016) After the 2008 Olympics, Mattsson moved up to 51 kg, which proved to be a smart decision. It didn't appear to pay dividends right away, though, as Mattsson was tenth at the European Championships and failed to make the finals at the Grand Prix of Germany, the Austrian Ladies Open, and the Golden Grand Prix. She could have been getting accustomed to the new weight, though. Whatever the case, Mattsson was in peak performance at the 2009 World Championships. She knocked off two-time Asian Champion Yuri Kai (Japan) in the semifinals, which locked up her first Senior world medal. Not to be content, Mattsson finished the job by shutting out North Korea's Kum-ok Han 3-0, 4-0 for her world championship. Han was also a silver medalist in Asia. Though Mattsson has had a remarkable career, this remains her only world title. Mattsson would be a top contender at most events she entered for the next seven years. She'd prove this by winning a European title, the Austrian Ladies Open, and the Golden Grand Prix to start the 2010 campaign. The European gold medal would be the first of four (and counting?) at the event. Right off the back in the 2010 World Championships, Mattsson was paired with the Japanese entrant, Yu Horiuchi, also a two-time Junior World Champion. The two engaged in a defensive struggle, won by Horiuchi, 0-1, 1-0, 2-0. Mattsson was able to rebound and pinned each of her two repechage opponents to earn the bronze medal. 2011 saw more weight changes as Mattsson moved up to 55 kg for the first two tournaments of the year, then 59 kg for the World Championships. The new weight was seemingly not an issue at World's as Mattsson pinned her first two opponents before meeting another Japanese foe in the semis. This time it was the 2011 Asian Champion, Takako Saito. Mattsson managed to slip by, 1-0, 2-0 for her second berth in a world final. World Championship number two did not materialize as Mattsson was edged by Ukraine's Hanna Vasylenko 2-2, 2-1. For 2012, Mattsson moved back to 55 kg full-time, which is a weight she'd maintain for the next three years. After winning the Nikola Petrov and the Golden Grand Prix, she was second at the European's, which clinched a spot in the Olympic Games. In London, Mattsson racked up a pair of wins which put her in the quarterfinals, opposite Valeria Zholobova of Russia. Mattsson fell in an incredibly close series of bouts. She took the first period 1-1, then lost the final two on criteria. The Swedish star was eliminated when Zholobova fell to the legendary Saori Yoshida (Japan) in the semis. Coming away from London without a medal did not seem to phase Mattsson as she put together perhaps her finest year of her career in 2013. Mattsson won a total of seven tournaments, including her second European Championship. For that title, she downed Maria Prevolaraki (Greece), who has emerged as a serious medal threat in 2021. Prevolaraki won the Individual World Cup in 2020 and took another silver at the 2021 continental meet. At the World Championships, Mattsson was in a particularly loaded weight class. In the quarterfinals, she won a 7-6 shootout over young Helen Maroulis. After defeating Emese Barka (Hungary), she had another shot at Yoshida. As most others over the past decade-plus, Mattsson was on the wrong end of a bout against the three-time Olympic gold medalist. She'd have to settle for a second world silver medal. 2014 was pretty similar to 2013. Mattsson grabbed European gold for a third time, won a total of four tournaments, and lost only once prior to the World Championships. Mattsson may have been at her best as she made her way to the finals without surrendering a point in her four matches. One of which was a fall over American Whitney Conder. Unfortunately for Mattsson, waiting in the finals again was Yoshida. Like 2013, she was not able to mount any offense and fell 6-0. History repeated itself in 2015 as the Swede had an excellent year with three titles and only one loss before the World Championships. Though she gave up a point or two along the way, Mattsson pinned her way to the finals, for yet another date with Yoshida. This time Mattsson was able to keep Yoshida in check, but it wasn't enough to get a win. She fell 2-1. The silver medal at the 2015 World Championships locked up a place in Rio for the 2016 Olympics. There Mattsson won a pair of bouts which set up another match against Maroulis in the semifinals. This was a much better version of the American and Maroulis pinned the Swede after jumping out to an 8-0 lead. To win Olympic bronze, Mattsson needed to get by two-time Asian champion, Xuechun Zhong (China). Once again, Mattsson was dominant and won by fall after leading 6-0. Contender Status (2017-Present) Mattsson only competed once in early 2017 as she was pregnant with her first child. The pregnancy and her rehabilitation afterward kept Mattsson out of action until mid-2018. In a stunning turn of events, Mattson was victorious at her first tournament since at the Grand Prix of Spain. After a bronze at the Poland Open, she was ready for the 2018 World Championships. Mattsson picked up wins in her first two bouts, which put her in the quarters opposite Mayu Mukaida (Japan). Although she lost 6-4, Mattsson was the only opponent that was closer than seven points against Mukaida. She wasn't able to medal, though, as Mattsson fell by a point in her first repechage bout against Jong Myong-suk (North Korea). Mattsson jumped back into competition with both feet in 2019, entering seven competitions before the World Championships. In one of those tournaments, Mattsson won her sixth Nordic title and her second European Games championships. She had a rough draw at the World Championships and was beaten soundly by Vinesh Phogat (India), 13-0. Before the world shut down in 2020, Mattsson won a silver medal at the Klippan Lady Open and bronze at the European Championships. Now in 2021, Mattsson is showing signs of turning back the clock. She captured a title at the Henri DeGlane and then entered the European OG Qualifier. In three matches, Mattsson put together a pair of 10-0 techs and a fall. Her appearance in the finals clinched a fourth Olympic bid.

Welcome to a new, regular feature for InterMat's collegiate coverage. Each of our conference correspondent's will release videos talking about some of the current events in their respective conference. Our ACC Correspondent Robbie Wendell stops by to talk about key transfers for Pittsburgh, Virginia, and Virginia Tech. Along with UVA rounding out their coaching staff. He also identifies standouts from the conference at the U23 and Junior WTT's, along with the Pan-Am Juniors. Finally, a note about Duke's athletic department.

Skylar Grote at Captain's Cup (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Saturday evening, Senior-level women's freestyle athlete Skylar Grote announced her new training situation. Grote, a New Jersey native, will move across the country and train at Oregon State's “Beaver Dam RTC”. The RTC has already bought into supporting women's wrestling, as Grote will be the fifth woman to join the team. She'll train alongside Adeline Gray, Mallory Velte, Alyssa Lampe, and Alex Glaude. Grote wrestled in high school at fabled Blair Academy, then moved onto Ontario's Brock University for college. Before getting to Brock, Grote was a part of two Pan-American Junior teams. She came home with a silver medal in 2014 and a gold in 2015. Since the pandemic has died down, Grote has been active on the Senior level. She was a runner-up at Senior Nationals in October while competing at 68 kg. A month later, Grote was a U23 national champion at the same weight. She also entered the Last Chance Qualifier in March and went 1-1, with her loss coming to eventual Olympic Trials runner-up Kennedy Blades. In the 2021 edition of Senior Nationals, Grote was a runner-up to now-teammate, Glaude, at Senior Nationals, up at 72 kg. Grote was also a member of “Team Francis” at the Captain's Cup and went 2-1, with wins over Alyvia Fiske and Kayla Marano. Before Grote's announcement on Saturday, she was in action at Wisconsin's “Underground 5” card. She was victorious over Life University assistant Aurum Naylor, 8-1.

Hassan Yazdani (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. 6/18/21 - 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) YAZDANI THE GREATEST. The trademark namesake of the 3x World/Olympic champ #2 Hassan Yazdani Charati of Iran has made him one of the most popular wrestlers in the world. But behind the hype, Yazdani Charati has made himself into one of the best 86 KG wrestlers of the past decade and, at only 26 years old, can continue to build his legacy. Today's athlete profile will be looking to see if Yazdani really is the greatest. The Stats #2 Hassan Yazdani Charati (IRI) 2019 world champion, 2015 70 KG world runner-up, 2016 74 KG Olympic champ, 2017 86 KG world champ, 2018 world bronze, 2018 Asian games champ, 2019 Dan Kolov champ, 2021 Asian champion Key Wins: Aniuar Geduev (2016 74 KG Olympic finals), #3 Artur Naifonov (2019 world championships quarterfinals), #13 Myles Amine (2019 world championships semifinals), Bekzod Abdurakhmanov (2016 Medved), #2 (92) Kamran Ghasempour (2018 Iranian world team trials, 2021 Iranian Olympic Trials), #10 (97) Alireza Karimimachiani (2017 Iranian world team trials), #13 (74), Khetag Tsabolov (2016 World Cup), #18 Ali Shabanov (2019 Dan Kolov finals), #12 (74) Soner Demirtas (2016 Medved), Boris Makoev (2017 World finals), #8 Vladislav Valiev (2017 World semis), #4 Dauren Kurugliev (2018 World bronze medal match). Key Losses: #1 David Taylor (2017 World Cup, 2018 World's), #18 Ali Shabanov (2016 Grand Prix of Paris), #13 (74) Khetag Tsabolov (2016 74 KG Medved finals), #11 (74) Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov (2015 70 KG world finals), #1 (65) Gadzhimurad Rashidov (2011 55 KG Cadet World finals), Mehdi Teghavi (2014 70 KG World Club Cup) YAZDANI THE GREAT (2011-2016) Hassan Yazdani Charati's career would begin not as the punishing upperweight that he is known as today but a gangly 50 KG Cadet in 2011, where he'd finish bronze at the Cadet Asian championships and improve upon it with a runner-up finish at the World Championships with a runner-up finish to #1 (65) Gadzhimurad Rashidov (RUS). Already only two competitions into his international career, Yazdani was showing his trademark pressure and punishing underhook series, but the superior counter wrestling and leg attacks of Rashidov picked apart the Iranian. After a three-year hiatus and debuting as a Junior, Yazdani would win the Asian championships over 2017 70 KG world bronze medalist Yuji Fujinami of Japan. Yazdani Charati entered the Junior World Championships with impressive accolades but was outshadowed by the dominant Aaron Pico (USA), the 2013 Cadet world champion who had multiple wins over college and Senior level stars while only in high school. Pico, who typically broke opponents with his brutal handfighting, could not get in on the lanky Yazdani. He kept the American talent on the defensive throughout the match and dominated 9-2 for his first world title. At the end of the year, Yazdani would get the opportunity to compete at the World Club Cup in Iran at the Senior level. In his biggest test to date, Yazdani would fall 6-4 to two time 66 KG world champion Mehdi Teghavi (IRI) and establish himself as the #3 senior level 70 KG wrestler in Iran behind Senior world rep Mostafa Hosseinkhani and Teghavi. Yazdani's international debut at the Senior level would be at the Grand Prix of Paris, where he'd earn two tech falls and a pin to make the finals opposite Poland's #16 (65) Magomedmurad Gadzhiev, a 2010 European runner-up and Russian Nationals bronze medalist who'd establish himself as a top world medal threat transferring to Poland. In what was one of the ultimate body and style contrasts, Yazdani absolutely bullied the shorter and more defensive Gadzhiev all over the mat in a dominating 8-0 victory for his first international title. In his first-ever international competition, Yazdani had already put himself on the shortlist of favorites to win gold at world's and he would sustain that momentum at the World Cup going 4-0 with wins over 2014 European champion Ruslan Dibirgadzhiev (AZE) and 2014 74 KG Yasar Dogu champion Nick Marable (USA). All that was left before the world championships for Yazdani was some revenge in the form of a rematch against two-time world champion Mehdi Teghavi at the Iranian world team trials. A victorious Yazdani Charati would emerge over Teghavi and seal his spot as one of the favorites to win gold along with #11 (70) James Green (USA) and #11 (74) Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov (RUS). At his first senior world championships, Yazdani would debut in fashion earning two pins and a tech fall to make the semis opposite another young upstart in American #11 (70) James Green. Green had been one of the biggest developments for the US team. After having won the trials over 74 KG brickhouse Nick Marable, Green entered the Grand Prix of Spain and faced off against 65 KG European Games runner-up, two-time world champion #5 Frank Chamizo (ITA). Green stunned the international wrestling world with a huge upset victory over Chamizo and announced himself as a major contender in the process. The match between Yazdani and Green would be a war of attrition. Yazdani set the pace right off the bat but an early Green uchi mata on the edge would put the American up and show he would not roll over to Yazdani's pressure. Yazdani recuperated from it and figured the best way to fight fire is with fire and continued the pressure to finish the period up 5-3. Now going into the second, Yazdani had gotten his read on Green and kept him on his heels the rest of the match, pulling away with a 9-4 win to face off against #11 (74) Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov of Russia in the finals. Gazimagomedov was an entirely different animal than Yazdani had faced before, having the length to match the Iranian and the physicality to surpass him. Gazimagomedov had done what no one else had been able to so far and big brothered the Iranian, completely negating his underhooks and outhustling him with takedowns from his front headlock and body lock to a 10-3 win. Entering 2016, Yazdani would take over the 74 KG Olympic spot qualified by Alireza Ghasemi's 5th place finish in Las Vegas. Yazdani's debut at 74 KG would come at the Grand Prix of Paris, where he'd be seeking his second title after his 2015 gold at 70 KG. Facing him in the finals would be the wily veteran, two-time World bronze medalist Ali Shabanov of Belarus. Shabanov, considerably more experienced and filled out at 74 KG, was an absolute nightmare of a matchup for Yazdani at the time as he had the speed to surpass Yazdani and incredible defense and a powerful underhook series of his own that frustrated Yazdani to a 6-6 criteria loss. Yazdani's next major competition would be the Medved in Belarus, a loaded tournament that would give him a great look before going into the World Cup. Yazdani was spectacular on his path to the finals, disposing with ease elite contenders the likes of #9 (79) Arsalan Budazhapov (KGZ), two-time World/Olympic medalist #12 Soner Demirtas (TUR) and two-time world medalist Bekzod Abdurakhmanov (UZB). Awaiting Yazdani in the finals would be #13 (74) Khetag Tsabolov (SRB), the 2014 70 KG world champion for Russia and an extremely dangerous crafty veteran who could put matches away at any time with his lethal knee pull single to leg lace and slick counters. Yazdani would bring the fight to Tsabolov early and take command of the match but a deft roll through counter off a whizzer while Yazdani tried to finish an underhook on the edge put Tsabolov in complete control of the match and stunned the Iranian phenom with an incredible pin. There was no man in the world with a less envious position than to be the first person Yazdani wrestled after his finals loss at the Medved. That person would be none other than 2011 World bronze medalist Ashraf Aliyev of Azerbaijan at the world cup. Aliyev, a dangerous veteran who had boasted wins over #2 Kyle Dake (USA) and David Khutsishvili (GEO), was supposed to be a test for Yazdani, which Yazdani passed with flying colors putting the dangerous Azeri veteran away in a 9-5 victory. Next for Yazdani would be the Oklahoma State great, 3x NCAA champion Alex Dieringer (USA), who was coming off a third-place finish at the US Olympic trials. Dieringer, a powerhouse who dominated elite competition in college and domestically, was ragdolled by Yazdani in a 10-0 win for the greatest. A 12-2 layup against Parveen Rana of India put Yazdani finished Yazdani's pool action and put him and team Iran in the World Cup finals, where he'd get a chance of revenge against #13 Khetag Tsabolov (SRB) in their match against Russia. The Yazdani that would face off against Tsabolov was an absolute killer and put the world on notice with a commanding 14-4 tech fall win over the Russian hammer to cap off a 4-0 World Cup run and gold for Iran. The field at the 2016 Olympics is where Yazdani, as good as he was, was seen as an underdog to win it behind 4x World/Olympic champion #8 (74) Jordan Burroughs of the United States and the Russian hulk that was Aniuar Geduev. Yazdani was situated on the opposite side of the bracket of these Geduev and Burroughs and would beat the likes of Asnage Castelly (HAI), #12 (74), Soner Demirtas (TUR), and Galymzhan Usserbaev (KAZ) to make the finals. In lieu of the heavy favorite #8 (74) Jordan Burroughs, who was expected to capture Olympic title #2, it would be the Russian powerhouse Aniuar Geduev facing Yazdani in the finals. Geduev, had gone on a career-best run on the year, beating three-time world champion Denis Tsargush (RUS), four-time World/Olympic champion #8 (74) Jordan Burroughs (USA), four-time World/Olympic medalist Jabrayil Hasanov (AZE) and two-time world medalist Bekzod Abdurakhmanov (UZB) to make the Olympic finals in what was supposed to be a poster book ending for the Russian legend. And early on, that's what it looked like as Geduev raced out to a commanding 6-0 lead to end the first period. But in a 20-minute marathon match heavily slowed down by injury-time stoppages to tend to Geduev's cuts on his face, it would be Yazdani who would seize the day in the second period and with under 10 seconds left to seal a takedown to win 6-6 on criteria and Olympic gold. What had simply been hyperbole was now the truth and Yazdani was the greatest. YAZDANI THE GREATEST (2017-2021) Another year and another weight for Yazdani the conquered; this time his eyes were set on 86 KG. His debut competition would be the World Cup set at Kermanshah, Iran, with Iran gunning for its third straight World Cup title. Yazdani would take a 2-0 pool record to the finals against the US, where he'd face off against a surging #1 David Taylor (USA) who'd upset three World/Olympic medalists in #13 (97) Sharif Sharifov (AZE), #8 Vladislav Valiev (RUS) and Dato Marsagishvili (GEO) going into the finals. In a matchup of the two hottest commodities at 86 KG, it would be the superior scrambling and low attacks of Taylor that would overcome the pressure and underhooks of Yazdani and the Nittany Lion great would walk away with an electrifying pin win over the Yazdani. Now, after his stunning loss to Taylor, many were left wondering if Yazdani would be able to replicate his middleweight success amongst the best at 86 KG. With Yazdani slated to compete at the Islamic Solidarity Games that would field three-time World/Olympic medalist #11 (92) Selim Yasar (TUR) and #13 (97) Sharif Sharifov (AZE), the returning Olympic runner-up and bronze medalist, Yazdani was sure to be tested. But Yazdani was ahead of the curve and absolutely demolished Yasar and Sharifov in tech fall wins to capture the Islamic Solidarity Games gold. With David Taylor's loss at the World Team Trials to Olympic bronze medalist #4 (97) J'den Cox (USA) and three-time World/Olympic champion #1 (97) Abdulrashid Sadulaev (RUS) moving up to 97 KG, Yazdani was the most consistent man in the field and seen as the favorite for gold. Yazdani's world title run in Paris would begin against the likes of the bruiser Azamat Dauletbekov of Kazakhstan, who would be the only man to score on Yazdani the whole tournament after a big first-period takedown Yazdani went into overdrive and mauled Dauletbekov to a 12-2 win. Techfalls over European stalwarts Piotr Ianulov (MDA) and Alexander Gostiev (AZE) put Yazdani into the semifinals opposite #8 Vladislav Valiev (RUS), who would be Yazdani's toughest opponent of the whole tournament, holding the Iranian to a four-point win. Boris Makoev (SVK) had stunned the world after his huge 6-3 upset victory over returning Olympic bronze medalist #4 (97) J'den Cox (USA), who was seen as a lock to face Yazdani and matriculate his immense talent into becoming the new king of 86 KG with Sadulaev gone. With J'den's dreams dashed, Yazdani, the conqueror, did what he had done all tournament and dominated for gold thrashing Makoev 10-0. With two World/Olympic titles at two weight classes under his belt, Yazdani would capture the one title that had evaded him his whole Senior-level career, which was Asian championships gold. Yazdani walked through the field in Bishkek, dominating 2016 Olympian Uitemen Orgodol (MGL) for gold. Two wins over two-time U-23 world champion #2 (92) Kamran Ghasempour at Iranian World Team Trials would make Yazdani the man for the Asian Games and the World championships. The Asian Games title came with ease for Yazdani, bulldozing Michigan All-American Domenic Abounader of Lebanon in the finals. Yazdani's continental dominance would set the stage for a monster rematch against #1 David Taylor (USA) at the world championships. In the "luck" of the random draw, Yazdani and Taylor would face each other in the very first round. This brings to light controversy associated with UWW's random draw and bracketing process that have rightfully been called out for making lopsided brackets where the best don't place and gives extra opportunities to countries who would otherwise be unable to place someone. Regardless of the random draw that had made the world finals a qualification round match, Yazdani and Taylor went to absolute war with each other; both men at their best, it would be the Taylor who would walk away with an 11-6 win. With Taylor's dominant run through the bracket guaranteeing him a spot in the finals, Yazdani was put in the repechage bracket, where he gutted Medved champion #9 (92) Gadzhi Radzhabov (BLR) and Pan-Am runner-up Yurieski Torreblanca (CUB) to qualify for the bronze medal match against #4 Dauren Kurugliev (RUS). Kurugliev and Yazdani would fight tooth and nail, but it would be the Iranian who would pull away to win his fourth World/Olympic medal 11-5. Yazdani's 2019 began with a chance at revenge. Three years before, four-time world medalist #18 Ali Shabanov (BLR) had beaten Yazdani in the finals of the 74 KG Grand Prix of Paris. Yazdani tech falled his way to the finals to get his chance at Shabanov and the match that ensued would be on the shortlist of matches of the year and show how far both men had come. A game Shabanov would scramble out of Yazdani's underhooks with his spectacular athleticism and whizzer series, but the now seasoned Yazdani kept coming forward to take an 8-3 lead to end the first. Another 8 point spread for Yazdani and one counter takedown for Shabanov sealed the match 16-5 for the Greatest and showed he had no intentions of backing down after finishing bronze at world's in 2018. With returning world champion #1 David Taylor (USA) out with injury, #4 (97) J'den Cox (USA) moved up to 92 KG Yazdani was as much of a lock as possible for his third World/Olympic title. Dominance would be an understatement of Yazdani's performance as he pinned world medalists #3 Artur Naifonov (RUS) and Istvan Vereb (HUN) and tech falled #12 Myles Amine (SMR) and 2012 Olympic runner-up Jaime Espinal (PUR) to make the finals where India's Deepak Punia would forfeit to him. Another title for Yazdani the Greatest. All that remained was another Olympic gold. But Yazdani wouldn't get the chance in 2020 for his second Olympic title. Yazdani did win his qualifying match for the 2020 Individual World Cup at Iranian Trials beating Ahmed Bazrigaleh 11-0 but didn't compete as Iran only sent one athlete Rahman Amouzadkhalili who took bronze at 57 KG. Yazdani's full return to international competition would be at this year's Asian Championships in April. He would destroy Indian wrestling star Deepak Punia (IND) for gold. Yazdani would win his Olympic trials match against #2 (92) Kamran Ghasempour to lock up his spot for Tokyo and his second Olympic title. Hassan Yazdani Charati is in a very interesting position. He is on track to become one of Iran's most credentialed upperweight wrestlers and has age on his side at only 26 years old to continue through for a third Olympics. While #1 David Taylor (USA) is peaking and likely at the end of his career, Yazdani Charati has made the adjustments to not only threaten Taylor but take over the American world champion for Olympic title #2. Time will tell if that is to be, but I very much look forward to Yazdani/Taylor round three as both men are clearly the class of the field.

Welcome to a new, regular feature for InterMat's collegiate coverage. Each of our conference correspondent's will release videos talking about some of the current events in their respective conference. Our EIWA correspondent Austin Sommer sits down to discussion recent transfers within the conference, coaching changes at American and Cornell, along with some open coaching positions. And we have our first EIWA schedule of the year!

Tamas Lorincz after winning the 2019 World Championship (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. 6/17/21 - 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) Today's profile will dive into the career of Hungarian Greco-Roman star Tamas Lorincz. Tokyo will mark the fourth time that Lorincz has competed at the Olympics. A silver medalist in 2012, Olympic gold is just about the only honor missing from the 34-year-old's lengthy resume. Earlier this year, Lorincz captured his fourth European championship and which is his seventh career medal at the event. Additionally, Lorincz has won four medals at the World level. While most 34-year-old's don't get their first Olympic gold medal, Lorincz is not like most normal wrestlers. His lone world title came two years ago and he had little trouble with the field at the continental championships this year. Key Wins: Ashkat Dilmukhamedov (2019 World Championships; Semifinals), Jalgasbay Berdimuratov (2019 World Championships; Round of 32), Alex Kessidis Bjurberg (2019 World Championships; Finals, 2018 European; Bronze), Hyeon-Woo Kim (2018 World Championships; Semifinals, 2017 World Championships; Quarterfinals), Chingiz Labazanov (2017 Poland Open; Bronze), Fatih Cengiz (2017 World Championships; Bronze, 2017 Poland Open; Round of 16), Gela Bolkvadze (2017 European; Round of 16), Karapet Chalyan (2017 European; Quarterfinals) Key Losses: Alex Kessidis Bjurberg (2019 Grand Prix of Germany; Round of 16), Hyeon-Woo Kim (2019 City of Sassari; Quarterfinals), Zoltan Levai (2018 Grand Prix of Germany; Finals), Viktor Nemes (2018 European; Quarterfinals), Aleksandr Chekhirkin (2018 World Championship Finals, 2017 World Championships; Semifinals, 2017 Poland Open; Quarterfinals), Karapet Chalyan (2019 European Games; Semifinals, 2017 Tbilisi Grand Prix; Semifinals), Tarke Abdelslam Sheble Mohamed (2017 European; Semifinals) The Age-Group Years (2002-05) Unlike many wrestlers, we'll discuss during our Olympic profiles, if you looked at the early results from Tamas Lorincz's career, you wouldn't necessarily peg him for super-stardom at the Senior level. Lorincz made his international debut in 2002 at the European Championships, competing at 46 kg as a 16-year-old. Lorincz ended up finishing seventh in that tournament, then fourth, at the same event in 2003. Two years later, he resurfaced at the 2005 Junior World Championships, where he was tenth. The First Olympic Quad (2006-08) Less than a year after taking tenth at Junior World's, Lorincz got his first taste of Senior-level competition and showed he belonged in the early going. In his first individual, international tournament, Lorincz brought home gold at the European Championships. He defeated returning European bronze medalist Sergey Kovalenko for the title. Interestingly enough, he settled for bronze later in 2006 at the European Junior tournament. Lorincz also won Junior World bronze in 2006. He also got his feet wet at the big show, competing at his first Senior World Championships in late 2006. There Lorincz advanced to the quarterfinals before suffering a loss and wasn't able to participate in repechage. The only event we can find on Lorincz's resume for 2007 was the only one that mattered (so to speak). He competed at the World Championships and was shut out in the semifinals by the eventual gold medalist, Farid Mansurov (Azerbaijan). That set up a match for the bronze medal with American Justin Lester. The American took a pair of hard-fought wins (this was the ball draw-era) and won the hardware. While disappointing, Lorincz's fifth-place finish did lock up a berth at his first Olympic Games in Beijing. Heading into the Olympics, Lorincz had mixed results. He was eighth at the continental championships, but did defeat Mansurov in the finals of the Golden Grand Prix, less than two months before the Games. At the Games, Lorincz was able to take one of three periods from the eventual gold medalist, Steeve Guenot (France), which allowed him to compete in repechage. Any medal hopes were dashed by a set of 1-1 losses to Cuba's Alain Milian in the first bout. The Second Olympic Quad (2009-12) Like 2007, the 2009 and 2010 World Championships ended similarly for Lorincz. He competed in the bronze medal match at both tournaments and ultimately came up just short. In 2009, Lorincz lost to Ambako Vachadze for the bronze and in 2010 in the world semifinals. 2011 ended up being the only year in the quad where Lorincz did not wrestle for a world medal. After losing in three periods to Manuchar Tskhadaia (Georgia) in the World quarterfinals, Lorincz would have to fight through repechage in search of his first world medal. As was the case in the 2008 Olympics, it was a Cuba who was responsible for stopping his medal run. Pedro Mulens was victorious in a three-period bout in his second competition in repechage. His seventh-place finish in 2011 meant that Lorincz and Hungary were not automatically qualified for the 2012 Olympics. That meant Lorincz would have to go to Bulgaria in search of Olympic qualification. That journey proved to be fruitless as he ultimately finished 15th. Just a week later, Lorincz traveled to China and won the qualification tournament, securing a place in his second Games. In his final tuneup before London, Lorincz captured gold at the Poland Open. Once the brackets were established for the Olympics, it was clear that Lorincz was done no favors. In the opening round, he had to get by young star, Frank Staebler (Germany), the European Champion that year. Lorincz was tasked with opponents that had previously defeated him in major tournaments in his next two bouts. First up was the American, Lester. Lorincz prevailed in a three-period slugfest, which set up a date with Tskhadaia in the semis. The Hungarian cruised 3-0, 4-0 into the finals, ensuring at least a silver medal. Lorincz's luck would run out as he was edged by Hyeon-Woo Kim (South Korea) for the gold. Kim, like Lorincz, has proven to be a mainstay on the Greco scene. The Third Quad (2013-2016) It was 2012 and the third quad where Lorincz really hit his stride and was in the prime of his career (25-29 years old). Lorincz won four tournaments in 2013, including his second European title, heading into the World Championships. At the World Championships, he advanced to the quarterfinals before losing to 2010 world champion Hasan Aliyev (Azerbaijan). When Aliyev failed to make the finals, Lorincz's tournament was over. He was unable to win a medal in front of his home fans. Once again, in 2014, Lorincz won everything possible in the run-up to the world championships. Some of the notable tournaments, he captured include another European title, a World University Championship, and his fourth straight Golden Grand Prix. All of these wins came at 71 kg, rather than his customary 66 kg weight class. Down at 66 kg for the 2014 World Championships, Lorincz squared off with a fellow European Champion, Adam Kurak (Russia), in the quarterfinals and proved victorious. A match later, he got by 2015 European Games silver medalist, Mirhan Harutyunyan (Armenia), for a slot in the semis. There he was beaten by 2011 World Champion Omid Norouzi (Iran), 4-1. That set up another date with Staebler, with a bronze medal hanging in the balance. Lorincz pitched a 5-0 shutout to down the German and win his first world medal. At the 2015 World Championships, Harutyunyan got his revenge and defeated Lorincz in the Round of 16. The Armenian did not make the finals, which ended Lorincz's tournament without a medal. Just like four years earlier, Lorincz would need to go to a qualifying event to grab a berth in Rio. As was the case in most of this quad, Lorincz was rolling in the early portion of 2016. He won the Grand Prix's of Zagreb and Hungary before getting an Olympic spot at the qualifying tournament. The trip to Rio ended up being anticlimatic for Lorincz as he was blanked by Han-su Ryu (South Korea) in his opening bout. When Ryu fell to Harutyunyan in the next match, his medal hopes were crushed. The Fourth Quad-plus (2017-21) The 2017 year marked a bit of a turning point in Lorincz's career. He had turned 30 the previous December and was close to "grizzled veteran" status. In stark contrast to the last quad, Lorincz rarely won tournaments; however, he always remained in the mix. With age also came a weight change. Lorincz moved up to 75 kg in 2017, then 77 kg after the weights changed in 2018. In his first World Championship event at the new weight, Lorincz advanced to the quarters where he ran into and old foe, 2012 Olympic gold medalist, Hyeon-Woo Kim. This time the Hungarian got his hand raised, 3-1. He was pinned in the semifinals, by a new rival Aleksandr Chekhirkin (Russia). The two would tangle and a handful of essential tournaments this quad. Lorincz would get a medal, though, after getting by Fatih Cengiz (Turkey) the U23 World Champion later in 2017. 2018 saw Lorincz narrow down his competition schedule as he prepared for the World Championships. Once again, it was held in Budapest, though he'd fare much better than the last time it was in his backyard (2013). Lorincz received a relatively favorable draw and cruised to the semifinals, where he'd face Kim again. For the second time in a row, Lorincz got a measure of revenge for 2012. But, waiting in the finals was Chekhirkin, who continued to torment Lorincz with a 3-1 loss. Lorincz started 2019 with a pair of bronze medals before losing early in the Grand Prix of Germany to Alex Kessidis Bjurberg (Sweden). It marked the first time since the 2016 Olympics that Lorincz failed to medal at an international event. That did not foreshadow the future as Lorincz had little trouble with his first three opponents at the World Championships in Nur-Sultan. He made another world final after getting by Ashkat Dilmukhamedov in a 1-1 bout decided on criteria. That set up a rematch with Kessidis Bjurberg for a world title. The match wasn't even in doubt and Lorincz got his elusive world championship with an 8-0 tech. At 32, Lorincz was a first-time world champion. Since the 2019 World Championships, Lorincz has only competed a handful of times. His only appearance thus far in 2021 saw him grab his fourth career gold medal at the European Championships. It's hard to judge Lorincz based on this event. Most of his opponents didn't have long, decorated resumes. Even so, only one of his five opponents even registered a point. Does that mean we can expect a similar level of dominance from the Hungarian veteran in Toyko?

Jason Tsirtsis in the 2014 NCAA Finals (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Joe Caprino, my buddy from IndianaMat.com, wrote me this the other day: Only 3 of the 13 four-time state champs in Pennsylvania have ever won an NCAA title. How come the best high school state for wrestling has such a low percentage of 4xers winning at least ONE title? Indiana has 2 of 9 (Jason Tsirtsis and Angel Escobedo). 8 of the 25 Ohio champs won an NCAA title. I almost wonder if this is very much the same across the board. Figure it out, Brain man! He followed it up with these stats: To add to Joe's totals, California has had 4 four-timers: Darrell Vasquez, Justin Mejia, Seth Nevills, and Jesse Vasquez, who is just starting his college career. None won NCAA top honors. The low percentage is often explained away by message board posters who like to sound smart by quipping that 'they were overrated' and 'I knew he wouldn't pan out.' It's a lame excuse and not entirely accurate. Of course, to be sure, not every state title is equal to the next. California has 25,000 wrestlers and one champ per weight, while some states have six classifications. Ohio and New York expanded classes relatively recently. But let's not rewrite history by saying the four-timers 'weren't that good' in high school. Their success or lack thereof cannot be explained away so simply. Let's say there's a point scale wherein a '10' is a Gable Steveson/Kyle Snyder high school senior. Not all state champions are 10's. And news flash, not all wrestlers that win a state title as a senior were a better version of themselves when they won the title as a Sophomore or Junior. It happens. Gavin Teasdale looked much better as a Junior. All you have to do is look at rankings. Every year there is a four-timer that gets crowned that isn't ranked #1. Heck, there was a four-time finalist this year in Iowa that wasn't ranked at all. It's a big country. But this discussion comes at a very good time. Recruiting season is back in full swing. And here's a message/reminder to all the coaches, parents, and athletes: how many state titles you have is much less important than 1) that you're wrestling your best as a senior and 2) that you're prepared in all aspects of your life to make the transition to college. It's unprovable, but I'd venture to say that of all the legit, top-billed recruits that didn't succeed in college to the level of our expectations, many of them were derailed not because they weren't good enough, but because life threw them curveballs. The transition to college, in a sport that is the most mentally and physically taxing, is far too often understated. New home, new friends, new coaches, balancing a checkbook, picking your own classes and figuring it all out on your own. Jason Tsirtsis publicly dealt with a death in the family in the second half of his career. Chance Marsteller was admittedly not at his peak early in his career, with weight cutting and lifestyle choices being the culprit. I'm positive that if you heard the stories, the Ben Whitford's and Fox Baldwin's and other Top 10 recruits in the country, you'd hear similar stories. In summation, take away two things 1) the goal is not freshman year; it's life and 2) prepare for and be there for your athlete as they make the transition to college. To your questions - Who will be the next Head Coach at Bellarmine? - @DutrowJim Hey Jim! Thanks for running #WrestlingShirtADayinMay. Great stuff. It's tough to say. Our SoCon rep, Rachel Gallardo, says that the entire staff is being replaced. One name that consistently comes up, though, is Army's Ned Shuck, which would be a great hire if they could pry him away. A name that might surprise you is also applying: former UFC star Gray Maynard. What school is most likely to subscribe to that Bouzakis/Mendez package deal? - @VakAttack Ohio State. Iowa also makes sense, but they have a ton of money tied up down low and will also be in on Jesuroga. Penn State is on both their lists but has a similar situation. I don't know what the likelihood of it actually materializing, but the families do discuss it. Why is there not more being done to get freestyle back to ten weights at the Olympics? - @iawrestlingfan Because we fight for scraps. Because the Olympics lost their way. You hear me whine about it all the time. They'd rather have BMX and whatever other nonsense than the sports that got them here. And to make matters worse, they refuse to up the athlete quota. The worst thing, for me anyway, is that having six Olympic weights doesn't mess up just one year of wrestling, but three in every cycle. Follow me here: Year 1 - few participants among the elite because they just put everything into the Olympic year. Plus retirements. Year 2 - The best non-Olympic World Championships of the 4-year cycle and it's not close. Year 3 - The non-Olympic weights at Worlds are a wasteland as all athletes congregate to 1) qualify the weight for the Olympics and 2) gain a seed. Year 4 - Olympic year. 40% less weight class and a paltry 16-man bracket. The only chance for FS (men's and women's) to get back to 10 Olympic weights is under a situation where Greco is no longer in the Olympics. (This is in the works and is the worst kept secret in the sport. One federation (in Europe, if I recall correctly) even sent out a memo. Even still, should Greco get dropped, I wouldn't hold my breath on getting 10 weights back. Adding four weights x 16 for men, plus the same for women = 128 athlete spots they can use to start Olympic Call of Duty or some nonsense. What is your favorite vegetable, if applicable? - @stegallB14 Peas, dog. Love 'em. Also, parsnips don't get enough love. Why haven't they announced World Team Trials will be in Lincoln yet? - @wiems19 It sounded like that was a done deal at one point, but it still isn't set. Apparently, there's also a home football game for the Huskers that weekend. But it's another reminder of how frustrating everything has been since Covid hit. No one knows where anything will be, or where. Heck, UWW didn't even have their schedule and location for Cadet Worlds posted until the other day and the tournament starts in four weeks. It's disappointing for me, as a journalist. I can't imagine the frustration for the athletes and parents.

Takuto Otoguro at the 2018 World Cup (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. 6/16/21 - 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 historical run to world gold in 2018 at only 19 years old outscoring a loaded 65 KG field by the score of 67-23 put #5 Takuto Otoguro of Japan on the shortlist of favorites to win Olympic gold in Tokyo. The Japanese sensation was heralded as the second coming of two-time World/Olympic champion Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu (JPN), but in a field with the parity of 65 KG, something had to give. While he qualified for Tokyo via a fifth-place finish at the 2019 World Championships, Otoguro's star status from the year prior was put in question. But with 65 as deep as it's ever been, will Takuto Otoguro bring home gold? We'll look at that and more in today's Olympic profile of 2018 world champion Takuto Otoguro (JPN). The Stats #5 Takuto Otoguro (JPN)- 2015 54 KG Cadet world champion, 2018 world champ, 2019 world fifth, 2019 All Japan championships gold, Two-time Asian champion ('20, '21). Key Wins: Akhmed Chakaev (2018 world semis), Bajrang Punia (2018 world finals, 2020 Asian championships finals), Rei Higuchi (2019 Japanese world team wrestle-off, 2018 All Japan championships, 2017 All-Japan championships), Logan Stieber (2018 world cup), Daichi Takatani (2018 All-Japan championships), #6 Haji Aliyev (2019 world championships), #2 Vazgen Tevanyan (2019 world championships), Daulet Niyazbekov (2020 Asian championships) Key Losses: #14 (57) Rei Higuchi (2019 All Japan championships finals), #1 Gadzhimurad Rashidov (2019 world championships), #4 Ismail Musukaev (2019 world championships bronze medal match) 2013-2021 Takuto Otoguro would make his international debut in 2013, taking bronze at the 46 KG Cadet World Championships and he wouldn't return until mid-2014 when he would move up to 50 KG and take gold at the Cadet Asian championships. Otoguro would move up another weight class in 2015 to 54 KG and be completely transformed, bulldozing his way through the competition by a score of 38-6 and beating #1 (61) Abasgadzhi Magomedov (RUS) for gold. But after such a brilliant showing, Otoguro completely went off the map. While he did have a big win at the 2017 All-Japan championships over Olympic silver medalist #14 (57) Rei Higuchi (JPN) and listed as the alternate for the Senior World Championships in Paris behind #6 (57) Yuki Takahashi, Otoguro wouldn't return to the international scene until the 2018 Senior World Cup. Up two weights now at 65 KG, Otoguro would make his Senior-level international debut against a red-hot Logan Stieber (USA), a 2016 61 KG world champion who had just beaten returning 61 KG world champion #6 Haji Aliyev (AZE) in the USA/ Azerbaijan dual meet. Otoguro was absolutely unfazed by Stieber's star power and knocked down the American champion 10-5 showing powerful, heavy hands and lightning-quick reattacks that stifled the four-time NCAA champion. As one of the hottest commodities in wrestling going into the world championships, Otoguro would still have to win the spot. Standing against him was an old rival in Rei Higuchi, a runner-up at 57 KG in Rio. Otoguro would stymie the shorter Higuchi in a 6-0 win and lock down his spot for Budapest and chance at world gold. The World Championships in Budapest were absolutely loaded. 9 World/Olympic medalists in the field stood between Otoguro and his first senior world title. And Otoguro absolutely blew through them, outscoring the competition 36-4 through the semifinals. Against Otoguro would be the Russian veteran #12 Akhmed Chakaev, a 2016 World bronze medalist who had gone his own impressive tear through the bracket, beating 2016 57 KG Olympic champion Vladimir Khinchegashvili (GEO) and 2016 61 KG world champion Logan Stieber (USA) for his semifinal berth. Chakaev, a powerhouse with punishing underhooks and crushing counters off his chest wrap against the precision and lightning-quick leg attacks of Otoguro, resulted in one of the best matches of the whole tournament. Chakaev's counters led the match early, but Otoguro powered through and adjusted his finishes to overcome the fading Russian and win the match 15-10, cementing his spot in the world finals at only 19 years old. The world finals match between Otoguro and Bajrang would be one for the ages. Otoguro rushed out to a dominant 5-0 start with a huge double leg on the edge; Bajrang retaliated back, scoring takedowns off his foot stomp single and over collar tie shuck to close out the period 7-6 with Otoguro leading. The second period would see Otoguro begin to unravel the Bajrang puzzle and take advantage of the Indian's suspect leg defense and pull away on a flat-footed Bajrang for a 16-9 victory and world gold. Standing atop arguably the toughest weight class in the world at only 19 years old, the sky was the limit for Otoguro and even two years out from Tokyo, he was the consensus man to beat. An All-Japan title over Asian championships runner-up Daichi Takatani would conclude Otoguro's poster book year. A knee injury limited most of Otoguro's 2019 and saw him suffer a stunning tech fall loss to #14 (57) Rei Higuchi in the finals of the Meiji Cup. A rehabilitated Otoguro would face off against Higuchi in a final qualifying bout prior to the World Championships and come out to take the series lead 3-1 and lock down his chance to win another world title. Beginning his run for his second world title, Otoguro would blank #2 Vazgen Tevanyan (ARM) 6-0 to make the Round of 16 opposite returning two-time 61 KG world runner-up #1 Gadzhimurad Rashidov (RUS). The stocky powerhouse Rashidov used superior defense to fend off Otoguro and picked his spots to stomp out Otoguro's title aspirations with an 8-1 win. With Rashidov making his third consecutive world finals appearance, Otoguro was given a shot at repechage and qualifying Japan for Tokyo. Otoguro would go head-to-head against three-time 61 KG world champion #6 Haji Aliyev (AZE) in the second round of repechage. Proving that his title run from the year was no fluke, Otoguro went to war with Aliyev and came out the victor in an 11-9 brawl that was followed by a workmanlike 6-1 decision over Haji Ali (BRN) to qualify for the bronze medal match. #4 Ismail Musukaev (HUN) waited for Otoguro in the bronze medal match, a two-time Russian Nationals runner-up who had carved out a reputation as an electrifying and exhausted wrestler who blew through the competition and his gas tank in dominant fashion. 2019 would end with an All-Japan championships title over 2017 61 KG U-23 world champion Rinya Nakamura. A resurgent Otoguro ran over the field at his first Asian championships and in the finals, he left no doubt in his mind who was the better man, decimating Bajrang 10-2 in a rematch of their 2018 world finals match. Returning to competition after the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Otoguro won his second Asian championships title this year by forfeit over Bajrang. Takuto Otoguro is absolutely someone who I see with finals potential in Tokyo. He's clearly shown he's the better man against the likes of Bajrang, #6 Haji Aliyev, and #2 Vazgen Tevanyan and I believe that he can adjust and beat #4 Ismail Musukaev and shouldn't have issues against #7 Ernazar Akhmataliev (KGZ) or Alejandro Valdes Tobier (CUB). While it does seem like something of a cop-out for me to automatically go with the Russian to win the field in #1 Gadzhimurad Rashidov, I do believe that Rashidov's positioning and ability to come up clutch will be what will make him the man to beat in Tokyo, whether Otoguro will be able to do so or not will be one of the biggest questions.

2021 NCAA Champion Shane Griffith (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) This evening, Shane Griffith announced via social media that he would remain at Stanford. In July of 2020, Stanford stated that they would eliminate wrestling along with ten other sports following the 2020-21 school year. Griffith and his teammates remained at Stanford and persevered through a season that was shortened via Covid and even forced them to practice outside, at times. Despite these hurdles, Griffith, the eighth-seed at 165 lbs ran through the weight and became only the second Cardinal wrestler to win an NCAA title. Shane's title and the aftermath, which included the entire arena chanting "Keep Stanford Wrestling", generated nationwide headlines. Along the way, the boosters and alumni raised enough money to save the program. After the NCAA season concluded, the Cardinal head coach Jason Borrelli left to take the same position at American University. Over the Memorial Day weekend, the wrestling community was abuzz as former Cornell head coach Rob Koll accepted the Stanford job. With a coach of Koll's caliber at the helm in Palo Alto, some thought that Griffith would reconsider transferring. He, along with many other Cardinal wrestlers, had been in the transfer portal for most of the 2021 season. Today those hopes were confirmed. Griffith is 40-1 through two years of competition at Stanford. He is a two-time Pac-12 finalist and one-time champion. Shane was named an NWCA first-team All-American as a freshman after going undefeated and garnering the third seed at the NCAA Championships (which were cancelled). At the 2021 NCAA Tournament, Griffith upset top-seeded Alex Marinelli (Iowa) in the quarters, before dominating #5 Zach Hartman (Bucknell) in the semis. He grabbed his national title by taking out #3 Jake Wentzel (Pittsburgh), 6-2.

CHADRON, Neb. -- June 17, 2021 -- Following approval from the Nebraska State College System Board of Trustees, Chadron State College has officially added women's wrestling to its athletics' program. With women's wrestling, the first such collegiate program in Nebraska, CSC will sponsor 14 sports. Women's wrestling, a winter sport, will begin competition in 2021. A search for a head coach is underway. "Chadron State College is proud to add women's wrestling," said CSC President Dr. Randy Rhine. "The addition of this program supports CSC's continued movement toward equity on campus with the addition of another women's sport." CSC will join approximately 28 other NCAA institutions that sponsored the sport in 2020-21. Deemed an Emerging Sport in all three NCAA divisions, women's wrestling is expected to appear at as many as 44 NCAA schools this fall. Under the current guidelines for the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women Program, a sport may establish a National Collegiate Championship or a divisional championship if at least 40 NCAA institutions sponsor the sport at the varsity level. "We're excited to be on the leading edge of this Emerging Sport," said Athletics Director Joel Smith. "Adding women's wrestling will enrich the life of our campus and create new academic opportunities for our community and our region." CSC has a longstanding wrestling tradition dating back to 1958. CSC has produced four national champions, 48 All-Americans, and won 371 dual matches. From 1969-2020, CSC's wrestling team had at least one qualifier at national tournaments. CSC also won a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference championship in 1994-95. "Women's wrestling is rapidly growing and it has made a big impact on the continued growth of our sport," said Head Men's Wrestling Coach Brett Hunter. "The addition of women's wrestling at Chadron State is a great thing for our institution and I'm excited that our administration noticed its importance and got this thing rolling. This is a huge win for our sport and Chadron State College".

Spencer Lee in the 2021 NCAA semifinals (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Even though it's mid-June, it's never too early to look ahead to the next college season. And by ahead, we mean WAY ahead to Detroit and the 2022 NCAA Championships. A reoccurring feature between now and then will be our All-330 projections. What is the all-330? That number represents the total number of wrestlers in action at the tournament. 33 per weight class. Here is our first stab at projecting the wrestlers that will qualify for the 2022 NCAA Championships. Since we are so early in the year, these lists will evolve as wrestlers transfer, go up or down in weight, or change redshirt status. There are some true freshmen listed among the 330. Each weight has been broken up into their respective conference. All wrestlers are listed by their school's name, these are not rankings. To the bottom right of each weight you'll see seven wrestlers in the "just missed" category. Those are the wrestlers that were considered for the top-33 but didn't make the cut...for now. 125lbs This weight, as much as many, has been boosted by the return of the Ivy League wrestlers. We have added four Ivy Leaguers into the mix. That nudges out a handful of 2021 national qualifiers. While the top-tier at 125 is extremely small, it is very deep. 133lbs The 2020 133 lb weight class was one of the most top-heavy of the last decade. We have Sebastian Rivera moving back to give the 2022 more of a 2020 feel. Stevan Micic and Nick Suriano are also possibilities, but we have not listed them yet. 141lbs This weight class only gets deeper with the addition of All-American contenders Sammy Alvarez and Austin Gomez. For now, we have Joshua Saunders at 141 and Yianni Diakomihalis at 149. You'll notice Real Woods in his own category. He'll be added to a conference once he make his intentions known. 149lbs This is the first weight with a wrestler from the Class of 2021. We have Shayne Van Ness as the starter for Penn State. That is not set in stone, but we'll go with it for now. Also, Jaden Abas and Kizhan Clarke, could change the face of this weight once they decide their future homes. 157lbs This weight looks a bit different from 2021 as we've added a handful of wrestlers that are expected to change weights (Austin O'Connor, Jake Keating, Peyton Robb), along with two of the best freshmen in the Class of 2021 (Paddy Gallagher and Dean Hamiti). 165lbs For now, we have Ryan Deakin at 165. There's no way he could make 157 again, could he? We've got the beginning of some weight changes with Ohio State and the new Cal Poly Mustang, Evan Wick in the Pac-12. Shane Griffith will make an impact here (or possibly at 174), based on his decision. 174lbs Some new faces from the ACC (Mekhi Lewis, Hayden Hidlay, and Kennedy Monday) make this weight class an absolute meatgrinder. The Big Ten alone has six returning AA's. 184lbs With transfer Patrick Brucki in Ann Arbor and ready to go at 197, along with a soft commitment from Myles Amine to return, we have him down at 184. 197lbs Missouri's move to the Big 12 now gives the conference four returning AA's and a possible 9 qualifiers. The Big Ten gets a shot in the arm adding Max Dean and Greg Bulsak as transfers, along with Wisconsin super-freshman Braxton Amos. 285lbs The elephant in the room is Gable Steveson's status. We'll probably have a better idea on that after the Olympics in about a month and a half. For now, we have him in. After competing at 125 kg in freestyle, we have Lucas Davison up from 197 lbs. Typically 285 lbs is very senior-heavy, so the extra year of eligibility is really evident here. All seven in the "just missed" category have qualified for nationals at least once.

Two-time All-American Nick Piccininni (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) You could easily make the case that wrestling is the best base for a career in MMA fighting. Many former collegiate and international wrestlers go on to win titles in the sport. The following is a new feature for InterMat, which allows wrestling fans to follow former mat stars in MMA. The following are some of the top former wrestlers competing in MMA and other combat sports. If we missed anyone, be sure to let us know in the comment section. Today, UFC veteran Tom Lawlor will return to action on the undercard of PFL 2021 #5 against Jordan Young in a light heavyweight fight. Lawlor has focused mostly on professional wrestling since leaving the UFC in 2016, but he has fought twice against Deron Winn and Antonio Carlos Junior. During his collegiate days at Central Florida, Lawlor was a three-time NCWA champion and four-time All-American. In some ways, Lawlor is the quintessential representative of the club-level association since his success came at the odd 235-pound weight class. The undercard of PFL 2021 #5 will air live at 5:30pm ET on ESPN+ (Subscription). Four-time Big 12 champion and two-time All-American Nick Piccininni will make his MMA debut at Xtreme Fight Night 371 on Friday. Per UFC.com, the former Oklahoma State Cowboy will take on seven-fight veteran Chancey Wilson. Piccininni hopes to become the latest Cowboy to have success in MMA and has been training with teammates Kyle Crutchmer and Jacobe Smith under the tutelage of Daniel Cormier at American Kickboxing Academy. XFN 371 will air live at 5:00pm ET on UFC Fight Pass (Subscription). Canadian Jesse Arnett is scheduled to face off against former UFC title challenger Ray Borg in the main event of UAE Warriors 20 on Saturday morning in Abu Dhabi. Arnett wrestled for Canada's only NCAA member school, Simon Fraser, in college. In 2004, he won a silver medal at the Junior Pan American Championships. Three years later, he won a bronze medal at the 2007 Commonwealth Championships. The most accomplished wrestler competing in MMA this weekend can be found on the undercard of Saturday night's UFC event. Kanako Murata was a three-time Asian Championships medalist and a World University bronze before ever having her first fight. She was also a three-time member of Japan's World Cup team. In 2011, Murata defeated Helen Maroulis in the finals of the Junior World Championships. Murata moved to MMA in 2016. She went 11-1 fighting mostly for Rizin and Invicta FC before signing with the UFC last year. She won her debut over Randa Markos and meets Virna Jandiroba on Saturday. Also on the UFC undercard, Matt Semelsberger takes on Khaos Williams. Semelsberger played college football at Marist but was also a high school wrestler at Urbana High School in Maryland. The undercard of UFC Fight Night: Korean Zombie vs. Ige will air live at 4:00pm ET on ESPN2. While the long-awaited MMA debut of Pat Downey is not currently scheduled, he appears to be taking another step in that direction. The former Iowa State All-American and 2019 World Team member is set to compete in the Third Coast Grappling Middleweight Grand Prix on Saturday. In the first round of the eight-man Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournament, Downey will face off against Pedro Marinho, who won the No-Gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Championships at the brown belt level in 2019. Downey previously submitted against grappling superstar Gordon Ryan back in 2020. He returned to the submission sport this past May and picked up a decision over Rasheed Perez at Subversiv 5. The Third Coast Grappling Middleweight Grand Prix will air live at 8:00pm ET on Fite.TV (Pay Per View).

Elizbar Odikadze (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. 6/15/21 - Elizbar Odikadze (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 talented competitor who has been a perennial contender for the past decade, #6 Elizbar Odikadze has proven he has the skill to hang with and beat the world's best time and time again. But while Odikadze's skill has never been in question, his consistency has and will be huge if he wants to break through for his first Olympic medal in a loaded field. We're going to see if Odikadze has what it takes to medal in Tokyo in this career recap. #6 Elizbar Odikadze (GEO)- 4x World 5th place finisher (‘14,'15,'17,'19), 2015 European Games runner-up, 2016 Olympics 5th place finisher, 2018 world bronze medalist, 2019 European Games bronze medalist, 2015 Baku GGP champion, 7x European championships bronze medalist (‘15,'16,'17,'18,'19, ‘20, ‘21). Key Wins: #2 Kyle Snyder (2016 World Club Cup), #4 (92) Aslanbek Alborov ( 2017 97 KG European championships, 2018 97 KG world championships, 2015 Baku GGP), #13 Sharif Sharifov (2015 Baku GGP finals), Khetag Gozyumov (2013 Yasar Dogu finals), Reza Yazdani (2012 world cup), Reineris Salas Perez (2017 world championships wrestling). Key Losses: Abdusalam Gadisov (2015 world championships, 2016 World Cup), #2 Kyle Snyder (2016 Olympics, 2016 World Cup, 2019 world championships bronze medal match), #1 Abdulrashid Sadulaev (2015 Alrosa Cup, 2017 world championships, 2018 world championships, 2020 European championships), Khetag Gozyumov (2014 world championships, 2015 world championships, 2015 European Games finals), Georgi Ketoev (2017 world bronze medal match), Valerii Andriitsev (2014 world bronze medal match), #13 Sharif Sharifov (2019 world championships) 2011-2013 Elizbar Odikadze's Senior career would kick off in 2011 at the Tbilsi Grand Prix in June, a two-year gap after an 11th place finish at the Junior European championships. Odikadze would make a major statement in his debut, finishing as runner-up to 2009 world bronze medalist Serhat Balci (TUR). Odikadze concluded his 2011 with a bronze medal finish at the Ziolkowski behind Abdusalam Gadisov (RUS) and Serhat Balci (TUR) and 2012 would be the year things started to change for Turkey, but first, we have to talk about someone else. Giorgi Gogschelidze was a towering presence at 97 KG for over a decade and arguably the face of Georgian upperweight wrestling. And he had entirely earned that reputation earning a world title for Russia in 2001, 5x World/Olympic medals for Georgia and a European title in 2008, where he beat 6x World/Olympic Khadzhimurat Gatsalov (RUS). While Odikadze would have a compelling 2012 with a pair of bronze medal finishes to start the year at the Ziolkowski and International Tournament and a huge win at the World Cup over reigning world champion Reza Yazdani (IRI), it would be Gogschelidze who would go to the Olympics and finish his career with a bronze medal in London. While Gogschelidze finished out his career in London, Odikadze continued to march in with impressive end of the year showings at the Baku GGP, winning gold over Russian Nationals medalist Arslanbek Aliev (RUS) and a runner-up finish at the Intercontinental Cup to 2011 Russian Nationals silver medalist Yuri Belonovski (RUS). 2013 started off with a breakthrough for Odikadze as he upset 2010 world champion, returning Olympic bronze medalist Khetag Gozyumov (AZE) for gold in the finals of the Yasar Dogu, for the biggest international win of his career. High off the biggest achievement of his young career, Odikadze's momentum was stopped abruptly by Yarygin champion Vladislav Baitsaev (RUS) in the second round of the European Championships, where he finished 10th. Odikadze would have to wait yet again for his chance at the world championships as it would be Dato Kerashvili (GEO) who would go in his place, taking fifth. Odikadze wrestled through the end of the year, finishing with bronze at the Dmitri Korkin tournament behind future world medalists Shamil Akhmedov (RUS) and #4 (92) Aslanbek Alborov (AZE). An errant move up to 120 KG for the Baku GGP would result in Odikadze's worst finish of the year, where he took eighth. 2014-2019 2014 would see the beginning of a new stage of Odikadze's career as Georgia's most consistently, inconsistent upperweight fixtures. 100% capable of hanging with the best in the world, but time and time again, be it in the form of gassing out or poor match decision making, Odikadze would grasp defeat from the jaws of victory. Odikadze's 2014 would start off very strong with back-to-back titles at the Stepan Sargsyan Cup and Ziolkowski Memorial and avenged his loss to Vladislav Baitsaev (RUS). But the World Championships would halt that momentum for Odikadze, as the ever consistent powerhouse Khetag Gozyumov (AZE) would stop him in his tracks in second-round action and a bodylock from 2012 Olympic runner-up Valerii Andriitsev (UKR) would put Odikadze away in the bronze medal match. Off a disappointing finish at the world championships, Odiakdze reset his sights in 2015 to the Takhti Cup, where he beat Hassan Rahimi (IRI), a young talent fresh off an upset win over returning world bronze medalist Valerii Andriitsev (UKR). An eighth-place finish at the Medved behind a trio of Olympic medalists in Sharif Sharifov (AZE), Khetag Gozyumov (AZE), and Valerii Andriitsev (UKR) was no shame for Odikadze going into the European Games where he had a favorable shot at medaling if he could stay away from Russian powerhouse Abdusalam Gadisov (RUS) or the Azeri stalwart Khetag Gozyumov (AZE). Odikadze's run in Baku would be a memorable one as he avenged his loss to 2014 World bronze medal loss to Valerii Andriitsev (UKR) in the semis and fall 3-1 to Khetag Gozyumov (AZE). After an impressive showing in Baku, Odikadze followed it up with a head-scratching performance at the Ziolkowski. After beating 2018 84 KG world medalist #8 Mohammad Mohammadian (IRI) and future European champion Riza Yildirim (TUR), he would fall to what should have been an overmatched Abbas Tahan (IRI) 3-1 in the finals. The World Championships would see Odikadze coast through to the semis where he was stopped dead in his tracks 7-2 by returning world champion Abdusalam Gadisov (RUS) and fall again by way of a four-point counter to Khetag Gozyumov (AZE) for bronze in a match he had been winning. Slated as the man to welcome reigning two-time 84 KG world champion #1 Abdulrashid Sadulaev (RUS) to 97 KG at the Alrosa Cup, Odikadze was severely outgunned and tech falled in the Russian great's light heavyweight debut. Odikadze's final competition of 2015 would be his best, winning a loaded Baku Golden Grand Prix field with wins over Olympic champion #13 Sharif Sharifov (AZE) and two-time world bronze medalist Pavlo Oliiynk (UKR) to gain momentum going into 2016. 2016 would be a strange start for Odikadze, losing to the unheralded Ivan Yankouski (BLR) at the Medved and finishing in bronze. Anzor Boltukaev, the brawny Chechen who stunned the wrestling world in 2013 by pinning Abdusalam Gadisov to winning Russian Nationals and go on to win world bronze, would make his return in an emphatic statement with wins over World/Olympic champions #2 Kyle Snyder (USA) and Jake Varner (USA) to win the Yarygin title. The European championship was all but guaranteed for Boltukaev and falling in his warpath was Odikadze, tech falled by the bruiser 12-0 in the quarterfinals. Odikadze rallied back to finish bronze with a tentative 3-1 win over Valerii Andriitsev (UKR). 2016 would be arguably the most Odikadze year of Odikadze's career. What I mean by that is he has a weird loss he shouldn't, beats really solid guys really early in the season or post world's and then falls to the elite of the elites come time for the big show. But even saying that, Odikadze was really closing in on the likes of world champions #2 Kyle Snyder (USA) and Abdusalam Gadisov (RUS), as evident by his razor-thin losses to the two at the World Cup. And his first round 8-1 win over former pound-for-pound great Georgi Ketoev (ARM) made Odikadze seem like he could really bring home hardware on time #3. But a powerful first-period semi against returning world champ #2 Kyle Snyder became a defeated and exhausted second period that culminated with a 9-4 loss and Odikadze was then blown out for bronze against Albert Saritov (ROU), a 2011 84 KG world bronze medalist for Russia. To finish his year, Odikadze goes and beats now Olympic champion, #2 Kyle Snyder (USA) at the World Club Cup and reannounces himself as a major contender at 97 KG going into the new quad. A uniquely Odikadze performance ensued to start off 2017 at the European championships. Impressive on his way to the semifinals, beating the surging #4 (92) Aslanbek Alborov (AZE), who had just unseated #2 Kyle Snyder (USA) at the World Cup, Odikadze was stopped in a slow-paced, defensively-minded loss to eventual champion Riza Yildirim (TUR). Another Odikadze headscratcher in the form of a 4-4 semifinal loss to Mamed Ibragimov (KAZ) would relegate Odikadze for bronze. The world championships would come around for Odikadze and he went through an absolutely loaded bracket going 2-2 placing 5th. Wins over world medalists Reineris Salas Perez (CUB) and Pavlo Oliinyk (UKR) cemented Odikadze as the best of the rest, but a tech fall to runner-up #1 Abdulrashid Sadulaev (RUS) and a stifling loss in the bronze medal match to Georgi Ketoev (ARM) meant Odikadze was on the outside looking in after his fourth straight fifth-place finish at the World/Olympics. Injury defaulting of the Dan Kolov, Odikadze's first competition of 2018 would be at the European championships and he would be no match for old foe Vladislav Baitsaev (RUS), who outscored the competition 42-0 on his way to gold. Odikadze did have a strong win over future world medalist #14 Abraham De Jesus Conyedo Ruano (ITA) in repechage. Back-to-back titles at the ranking series events, the Tbilsi Grand Prix and the Ziolkowski Memorial, meant favorable placement for Odikadze in the bracket for World's. And Odikadze looked at his career-best, upsetting Yasar Dogu champion and returning world bronze #4 (92) Aslanbek Alborov (AZE) in the quarterfinals after Alborov had looked primed for another world medal after upsetting Olympic champions #2 Kyle Snyder (USA) and #13 Sharif Sharifov (AZE). As good as Odikadze was at his best, #1 Abdulrashid Sadulaev (RUS) was a man possessed after falling short in a battle of Olympic championships in the 2017 world finals. Sadulaev had outscored the competition 35-0 going into the semifinals against Odikadze and Odikadze would be another victim of the scoreboard, being dominated in a 10-0 tech fall loss. But there was redemption for Odikadze as he would get his fifth shot at a world medal and would make the most of it, coming out on top of a scramble in a back and forth match against 2016 Olympic bronze medalist #18 Magomed Ibragimov (UZB) for his first world medal. The massive weight off his chest and coming off a career-high now as a world medalist, Odikadze went into the prestigious Alans tournament looking to exact revenge upon his earlier season loss to Vladislav Baitsaev (RUS) but was upset early by Russian Nationals bronze medalist Zaynulla Kurbanov (RUS) and placed ninth. In the final year of the quad, 2019 was a return to form for Odikadze in the good and the bad. New contenders emerged in Europe and made their presence felt against Odikadze. #11 Aleksandr Hushtyn (BLR) beat the talented Georgian 2-1 in the European Championships semifinals, with Odikadze rebounding to a strong bronze medal finish over Nicolai Ceban (MDA) and then an absolute beatdown of a loss in the finals of the International Ukrainian Tournament to 2018 U-23 world bronze medalist Murazhi Mchelidze (UKR) that was followed up by a bronze medal finish at the European Games that saw him beat Mchelidze 5-0 for bronze after a 7-3 quarterfinals loss to Nurmagomed Gadzhiev (AZE). The 2019 World Championships would come and Odikadze would yet again beat a red hot Yasar Dogu champ expected to contend for hardware in #7 Ali Khalil Shahbanibengar (IRI). He was then shut out by Olympic champions #13 Sharif Sharifov (AZE) 6-0 in the quarterfinals and 5-0 by #2 Kyle Snyder (USA) for bronze. Odikadze qualified for his second Olympics, but it would seem the cycle would repeat itself, especially with the new talent-injected 97 KG weight class. A second run at the Alans would be more fruitful for Odikadze as he would take bronze after a loss to Vladislav Baitsaev (RUS) and stymie the rise of young Russian prospect Shamil Ali Musaev (RUS). In the truncated 2020 COVID season, Odikadze was able to win his eighth European Championships/Games medal with a bronze medal in Italy over returning European Games runner-up Nurmagomed Gadzhiev (AZE). So far this year, Odikadze has finished fifth at the International Ukrainian Tournament after a razor-thin loss to 2020 Individual World Cup bronze medalist #5 Suleyman Karadeniz (TUR) and followed it up with European medal #9 with impressive wins over #11 Aleksandr Hushtyn (BLR), 2019 world bronze medalist Magomedgadzhi Nurov (MKD) and 2018 92 KG U-23 world champion Shamil Zubairov (AZE) to go against a 7-5 semifinal loss to #5 Suleyman Karadeniz (TUR). Elizbar Odikadze's position in Tokyo is a strange one. He has the potential to beat the best, but historically not when they are at their best, so I'm not expecting at 32 years old for Odikadze to have this huge career turnaround and start beating the elite ranks of Sadulaev, Snyder, Karadeniz, or Mohammadian in Tokyo. But I think Odikadze is still a threat with a good draw and can still keep young prospects honest and, if luck is on his side, potentially medal. Even if this is Odikadze's final run, Georgia will have a more than capable replacement in 2018 U-23 world champion #12 Givi Matcharashvili (GEO) waiting in the wings.