InterMat Staff

While the NCAA wrapped up their tournaments back in March, the NJCAA held their national tournament last week. The junior college ranks often feature a mixture of wrestlers who will go on to compete at various levels of the NCAA and NAIA. This year's tournament featured a wrestler that fans may end up seeing on the World's largest stage in the near future. Chinzorig Tsermaa of Northwest Kansas Tech entered the NJCAA tournament at 141 pounds as the 11th seed. However, it quickly became apparent that he was anything but the typical double-digit seed. His presence in the bracket promptly caught the attention of InterMat's international guru Seth Petarra. Northwest Kansas Tech is a small two-year college located in Goodland, Kansas. With a population under 5,000, the city is the county seat of Sherman County and sits near the Colorado border. One of its main attractions is an 80-foot high reproduction of Vincent van Gogh's painting 3 Sunflowers in a Vase. On April 24, 2020, Northwest Tech announced via Facebook that Tsermaa was joining the program "for one year to study in America." The post featured a graphic with the expected graphic featuring "signed" in big block letters. Below that, in much smaller print, the graphic indicated that Tsermaa was from Dornogovi Province, Mongolia. The province is located in the Gobi desert in the southeast corner of the country and along the border with China. It is also roughly 7,000 miles from Kansas. Luckily for Tsermaa he would not be alone in the new country. His older brother Chinges was already a member of the squad. Per head coach Chris Guillot, that relationship significantly contributed to the recruitment of Tsermaa and his overall success. "Chinzorig ended up at NWKTC to spend time and train with his older brother," Guillot said. "Chinges is a mentor and protector to Chin. They have a deep bond full of love and respect for one another. Chinges works on small technical details, and they are great workout partners." While Tsermaa listed learning English on the fly as one of the most challenging adjustments, he arrived on campus already fluent in the language of wrestling. He has already represented Mongolia at both the Asian and World Championships. He won a bronze medal at the 2019 U23 Asian Championships and placed fifth at the 2019 Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix. Tsermaa vs. 2019 Junior and U23 silver medalist Adlan Askarov (Kazakhstan) Much like Yonger Bastida (Iowa State) and Anthony Echemendia (Ohio State), who also transitioned to folkstyle after accolades in freestyle, Tsermaa had some trouble adjusting to the bottom position. However, by the end of the season, he appeared to have figured it out. At the NJCAA tournament, he won all five of his matches and the title at 141 pounds. He scored 31 takedowns and did not allow an opponent to score a single one. Tsermaa's closest match came in the semifinals against Marckis Branford. The Clackamas wrestler scored an early reversal and tried to take advantage of the freestylers' bottom game. However, Tsermaa was up to the challenge and pulled out the victory. "Bradford was ready to wrestle and did all he could to keep Chin down," Guillot. "We had worked hard on getting our arms caught underneath us, never felt in danger of being turned, but it was a good ride. He just needed to stay patient." With an NJCAA title under his belt, Tsermaa is ready to return to Mongolia and his freestyle roots. "Chinzorig was going to stick around, but with the World Championships in October, he will be leaving in late July to try to make the World team for Mongolia," his coach explained. "He then plans to train in Mongolia and Dagestan, Russia, over the next three years to win Olympic and World gold medals." With the success of the Tsermaa brothers, Guillot thinks that there will be more international competitors in the junior college ranks going forward. "The chances are high," he said. "We can learn a lot from each other. We learn a tremendous amount from the neutral position from the internationals. It is not easy to coach internationals to learn our sport in a year or two. They have the advantage on the feet, and we have a big advantage on top and bottom. Hard work and dedication are the big things. Chin, without the work on top and bottom, would not have won in the semifinals." In addition to Tsermaa, NWKTC also won the NJCAA title at 184 pounds with Jacari Deal, and the squad finished in seventh place with four All-Americans. Even with their 141 pounder returning to Mongolia, the team looks poised for another strong season next year. "We are excited about the finish this year in our first full season as coaches," Guillot explained. "We have been able to put an incredible staff together that believes in the mission of our school and wrestling program. We are dedicated as a staff to always grow, keep our program diverse and bring in quality young men and ladies to reach their goals. Our administration has stood behind our goals and let us put together a coaching staff that is second to any in the county. With myself as head coach, Lelund Weatherspoon as head assistant, Ben Kritsonis as a second assistant and part-time assistant Ramico Blackmon, we want to give what we have inside of us to our wrestlers and help them meet their potential. Our goal is to win a national title at NWKTC."

This Friday, many of the top stars in the Greco-Roman world will be in action from Coralville, Iowa, as 2021 Senior Nationals takes place. The entire Greco tournament will be held on Friday. Even though the Olympics will be held later this summer, there will also be a World Championship event from Oslo, Norway, in early October. This event is the first step towards qualification for the World Championships. The top-five wrestlers from Senior Nationals will lock up a place at the World Team Trials in September. Anyone who competed at the Olympic Trials already has punched their ticket, as well. With the Olympics only having six weight classes (boo!), plenty of wrestlers had to make significant cuts to find a weight class. Now that we're focusing on the World Championships, with ten weight classes in contention, there are plenty of men that will be testing out new weight classes in Coralville. Here is a preview of the action that will go down on Friday, along with picks for the top-two finishers. Entries are as of Tuesday afternoon and could be subject to change. 55 kg There should be a distinct favorite at 55 kg as 2019 World Team member Max Nowry is among the entrants. During his first Senior World appearance, in 2019, Nowry wrestled for a bronze medal, but ended up short. Nowry was forced to move up to 60 kg for the Olympic Trials, where he ended up taking fourth in the Challenge Tournament. 55 kg has been Nowry's best weight as he has three Pan-American Championships under his belt here. One of the top contenders has to be Dalton Duffield. Dalton was a U23 World Team member in 2018 and took silver at the Dave Schultz Memorial in early 2019. Another key player in this bracket is Brady Koontz. Brady has made World Teams at the Cadet, Junior, and U23 levels. Duffield and Koontz met in the 2019 World Team Trials, a series won by Koontz, which allowed him to face Nowry at Final X. Prediction Max Nowry over Brady Koontz 60 kg Dalton Roberts is the most seasoned competitor in this bracket on the Senior level, but he still will get pushed by some young talent. Roberts competed at the Senior World Championships while he was only 22 in 2018. He also has made a pair of Junior and U23 World Teams. His best stretch came in 2018, before World's when he was top-three at the Cerro Pelado, the Bill Farrell, and the Grand Prix of Germany. One of the more pleasant surprises on the Greco front from 2020 was Nebraska's national qualifier, Alex Thomsen. Thomsen was seeded ninth at Senior Nationals and knocked off Taylor LaMont in the second round, before grabbing two more wins and the tournament title. The Husker was not quite as successful at the Last Chance Qualifier, where he finished fourth, but was unable to lock in a spot at the Trials. A semifinalist at Senior Nationals, on the other half of the bracket, was Dylan Koontz. He ended up sixth and then went 1-2 at Last Chance. A young competitor to watch at this weight is King Sandoval. He was a Fargo Junior finalist in 2018 and earned a Cadet Pan-American bronze medal in 2017. Prediction Dalton Roberts over Alex Thomsen 63 kg Here's another example of notable wrestlers changing weight post-Trials as Randon Miranda is up from 60 kilos at the Trials. He was held without a win in a very deep weight. Miranda is trying to make his first Senior World Team after earning a spot on two Junior and one U23 squad. He was also the second seed in the Senior National bracket that was turned on its head by Thomsen. Miranda ended up fifth. While it may be difficult to foresee anyone in the field challenging Miranda, some other notables include David Stepanian and Matthew Floresca. Stepanian notched three wins at the Last Chance Qualifier and Floresca won two at Senior Nationals in 2020. Also, don't discount Lillashawn Coleman of the Army WCAP. Coleman was seventh in a deep 60 kg weight class at Senior Nationals in 2019. Predictions Randon Miranda over Lillashawn Coleman 67 kg The next two weight classes are two of the deepest and most wide open in the entire Greco-Roman portion of the tournament. Of the bunch, Nolan Baker progressed the deepest into the Olympic Trials, as he was fourth in the Challenge Tournament. The former Northern Illinois wrestler can end a match instantly with his headlocks and has been busy over the last year. He was also fifth at Senior Nationals and fourth at U23's in 2020. Another Trials participant here is Alston Nutter. The 2019 Junior World bronze medalist garnered a win before getting eliminated by Baker. Colton Rasche also competed in the Trials, though he was held without a win. Earlier this year, Rasche traveled to France and was in action at the Henri Deglane. A pair of capable competitors that participated in the Last Chance Qualifier, but were not able to clinch a spot in Forth were Hayden Tuma and Jessy Williams. Tuma has been a part of the Cadet and Junior World teams on two occasions. He also has made the Bill Farrell finals twice. Williams made the LCQ finals and was sixth at Senior Nationals after losing by fall to Baker in his final bout. Morgan Flaherty also won three matches at the LCQ, but suffered losses to Tuma and Benji Peak. Predictions Nolan Baker over Hayden Tuma 72 kg There's a large group of competitors that could come away with the title at 72 kg. Both Jamel and Xavier Johnson are US Marine Corps teammates that made Final X in 2019. Xavier was at 63 kg and Jamel was at 67. Both were in the 67 kg bracket at the Olympic Trials in early April. Xavier advanced to the Challenge Tournament semifinals before losing to Ellis Coleman. He regrouped to take third. During the consolations, both were slated to meet, though Jamel ended up forfeiting. The Marines have two contenders, so we need to have one from the Army in Michael Hooker. Hooker teched Nolan Baker in his opening match at the Trials, but proceeded to drop his next two. He was also sixth in a 2019 Senior National weight that included both Johnson's. He downed Jamel on the front side, but lost to both in the consolations. This bracket also includes Austin Morrow, who competed at the Trials at 77 kg. He clinched a spot by winning the Last Chance Qualifier and defeating the eventual Trials Champion, Jesse Porter, in the finals. Collegiate fans will be familiar with Purdue national qualifier Griffin Parriott. Parriott was a Fargo Junior champion in Greco and came from the famous PINnacle school in Minnesota. Predictions Xavier Johnson over Austin Morrow 77 kg There's a little more uncertainty at 77 kg, but Alec Ortiz and Britton Holmes could be two of the men to beat. The pair squared off in the quarterfinals of the Last Chance Qualifier. Though losing at the time, Ortiz was able to secure a fall and advance. He fell in his next bout and was unable to qualify for the Trials. Ortiz was also third at Senior Nationals in 2020, with his only loss coming to teammate Pat Smith in the semifinals. Holmes ended up reeling off four straight wins after his LCQ loss to Ortiz, though it was not enough to punch a ticket to Fort Worth. A name that has found the top-eight at most recent events is Fritz Schierl. Fritz was seventh at Senior Nationals and fifth at U23's in 2020. Also placing at both tourney's were Ryan Epps and Eddie Smith. The most unusual entry for this bracket is two-time Lock Haven All-American Chance Marsteller. Chance has a Fargo Greco title to his name but hasn't competed in the discipline in almost a decade. Predictions Alec Ortiz over Fritz Schierl 82 kg After a move down to 77 kg for the Olympic year, it looks as if we'll see Ben Provisor back at 82 kg. He seems like a strong favorite here and has an extraordinary list of credentials. Provisor made the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Teams and was a World team member in 2017. He also has a pair of Pan-American Championships to his credit, one of which came in freestyle in 2018. But, the opponent who stopped Provisor at the Olympic Trials this year, Peyton Walsh, is among the field. Walsh had quite the run teching Provisor, 12-4, and edging Jacob Fisher to earn a place in the Trials finals. Also in the field is George Sikes, who was a 2018 U23 World Team member. Sikes is coming down to 82 after competing at 87 kg and finishing third at last year's U23 tournament. Prediction Ben Provisor over Peyton Walsh 87 kg The only participant in this bracket from the Olympic Trials is Spencer Woods, who fell in a tight first-round bout, but battled back for third in the challenge tournament. Woods had a 2019 that saw him make the finals at the Bill Farrell Memorial. Some others that could challenge Woods include Tommy Brackett, the winner of the 82 kg bracket at U23's last year. Brackett picked up four wins at the Last Chance Qualifiers, but still came up shy of a Trials bid. Other names to remember from strong programs are Joel Nivar of the Marine Corps and Lukas Poloncic of the Minnesota Storm. Poloncic won four bouts at the LCQ, while Nivar had one. Also entered in both styles is NC State's 197 lb NCAA qualifier Nick Reenan. Reenan has always been known for having a nasty headlock and good hips, so he could be a wild card. Prediction Spencer Woods over Tommy Brackett 97 kg While Dan Miller is the most accomplished Greco practitioner of this group, he has a host of other credible entrants to worry about. For most of the last quad, Miller has gone back and forth with Lucas Sheridan, for second at this weight, behind Olympian G'Angelo Hancock. Miller was a Senior National champion in 2019 and was a runner-up at the World Team Trials that same year. At the Olympic Trials, Miller fell to Sheridan for third place in the Challenge Tournament. The 2020 Senior National champion is here as well, with Nicholas Boykin. Boykin was a Challenge Tournament finalist and lost to Sheridan for a place on the National Team. He was also a Junior World Team member in 2019, before taking fourth at Senior's. Arizona State's Chad Porter is another Junior World Teamer at this weight. He also made the U23 team in 2019. Porter was denied a shot at the Trials after losing to veteran Jake Clark in the semis of the Last Chance Qualifier. James Souza, the third-place finisher in that bracket, has entered here, too. Predictions Dan Miller over Nicholas Boykin 130 kg We could see a rematch from the semifinals of the Last Chance Qualifier at 130 kgs. At that event, Thomas Helton edged Lee Herrington, 1-1. Helton would later need to win a true second-place bout to secure his spot at the Trials. While he went 0-2, Helton gained valuable experience against Olympian Adam Coon in his opening bout. Herrington was the winner in 2020 at the U23 event after ending his finals bout with a first-period fall. There are also a couple of former DI national qualifiers in this bracket with Rider's Mauro Correnti and North Dakota State's Brandon Metz. Predictions Thomas Helton over Lee Herrington

Today is one of the most anticipated days of the year on the sporting calendar and it has nothing to do with an actual game or match. It's NFL Draft Day! Why the NFL Draft on a wrestling website? Why not? Let's have some fun! Earlier this year, as I was reading one of the hundreds of NFL Mock Draft's I tweeted something to the effect of, "There is nothing more useless and inaccurate than an NFL Mock Draft, yet I will read them all." Someone replies and said you could say the same about wrestling rankings and pre-tournament predictions. Touche. Since football is the most popular sport in the country (after wrestling, of course), there are plenty of wrestling people who double as hardcore football fans. Instead of the InterMat staff publishing an NFL Mock Draft, we decided to get people from all walks of the wrestling community involved in our little bit of fun. There are some wrestlers, coaches, wrestling media members, fans, an SID, along with an athletic administrator who got in the mix and made picks for their favorite teams. So were these picks serious or a joke? Well, there were no ground rules, so a couple of our guest "GMs" may have had some fun with their respective selections. Most picks came with a rationale behind their choice, too, just like an actual mock draft. 1) Jacksonville Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence-Clemson (QB) "There's no suspense here. Trevor Lawrence has been regarded as perhaps the best quarterback prospect since Andrew Luck in the 2012 NFL draft. Lawrence can do it all and should be a cornerstone for new head Urban Meyer. He'll instantly become the face of a franchise for a team who has desperately needed one for years" - Earl Smith (InterMat) 2) New York Jets: Zach Wilson-Brigham Young (QB) "If they were smart, they'd go with Justin Fields (Ohio State) because you should never trust a school that doesn't have wrestling. Remember this is the Jets we're talking about" - Matt Valenti (Associate AD; University of Pennsylvania; 2x NCAA champion) 3) San Francisco 49ers: Justin Fields-Ohio State (QB) "He can move in the pocket and run the ball, but also drop back and throw it. He reminds me of Cam Newton with a better arm and better decision-making" - Nate Engel (Assistant Coach; Oregon State) 4) Atlanta Falcons: Trey Lance-North Dakota State (QB) "Matt Ryan is on his way out whether it comes this year or next and there aren't many times a franchise gets the chance at a top-five pick. Lance has all the goods. He's big, fast, has a strong arm, and takes care of the football. (30 TD's to 1 INT in his last two years)" - Jacob Hewgley (MatGeeks on Rokfin) 5) Cincinnati Bengals: Penei Sewell-Oregon (OT) "The Bengals drafted their franchise quarterback with the number one pick last year in Joe Burrow. He went down with a torn ACL after looking the part of an elite QB. The Bengals need to prioritize protecting him and Sewell is the best option to do so" - Ben Watson (Host - The Inside Trip podcast) 6) Miami Dolphins: Kyle Pitts-Florida (TE) "Best non-QB in the draft. The Dolphins WR room isn't as bad as advertised and Pitts/Mike Gesicki will create a ton of mismatches. Pitts is a pass catcher, not just a TE" - Joe Esposito (@jespo134) 7) Detroit Lions: Micah Parsons-Penn State (LB) "He's an animal on the field, tweets about wrestling, has a crazy-fast 40 time for a linebacker, and can do it all at a need position for the Lions. Best Linebacker in the draft" - Kevin Claunch (Host - Bloodround podcast) 8) Carolina Panthers: Mac Jones-Alabama (QB) Wait… .we've got a trade. Carolina and San Francisco have swapped quarterbacks at the request of Carolina's General Manager. Mac Jones will go to the 49ers and Carolina will take Justin Fields. "Even though Fields is two inches shorter, he has similar characteristics to Cam Newton in his ability to extend plays. He's dynamic and mobile with a lot of accuracy. He'll fit in well with Christian McCaffrey and help us get to another Super Bowl" -Michael Macchiavello (2018 NCAA champion/Wolfpack WC) 9) Denver Broncos: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah-Notre Dame (LB) "We really need a QB, though" - Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado) 10) Dallas Cowboys: Patrick Surtain II-Alabama (CB) "Best CB in the draft and Dallas needs help defending the passing game and overall on the defensive side of the ball" - Tony Ramos (Associate Head Coach - North Carolina) 11) New York Giants: Jamarr Chase-LSU (WR) "Chase will bring pure electricity to this dormant offense. With the addition of Golladay and Saquon coming back from injury, Danny Dimes has nuclear weapons at his disposal" - Joe Dubuque (Assistant Coach - Princeton) 12) Philadelphia Eagles: Asante Samuel Jr. - Florida State (CB) We're getting a little nostalgic as Samuel's father, by the same name, was a cornerback for the Eagles from 2008-11. - Kevin McGuigan (Philly Wrestling) 13) Los Angeles Chargers: Christian Darrisaw - Virginia Tech (OT) "The Chargers found their franchise QB last year with Justin Herbert; they just need to keep him upright going forward. That's where Darrisaw comes in. Good athletic ability for a lineman, especially in the run game" - Earl Smith (InterMat) 14) Minnesota Vikings: Alijah Vera-Tucker - Southern California (G/OT) "Since the highest graded Minnesotan, Trey Lance, is off the board and it's probably too early to draft Gopher Rashad Bateman, I guess the Vikings will draft for a position of need. With the 14th pick in the 2021 NFL draft, the Minnesota Vikings select Alijah Vera-Tucker tackle/guard from USC. He is a versatile player and will be a much-needed upgrade on the offensive line" - Cody Arnold (@CodyOcho5) 15) New England Patriots: Devonta Smith - Alabama (WR) "I'm thrilled to select Devonta Smith. The Patriots have missed on wideout after wideout, but with Smith falling, this is a no-brainer. There are questions about his size, but no player in college consistently generated the separation Smith did at Alabama. The Patriots love versatile players and Smith brings exciting possibilities to this offense in both the slot and out wide" - Dylan Ryan (Duke Wrestling 2011-15, @rhino184) 16) Arizona Cardinals: Jaycee Horn - South Carolina (CB) "With the departure of Patrick Peterson, the Cardinals desperately need help at the cornerback position" - (Denis Ryan - Arizona/Columbia Wrestling, @denisryan52) 17) Las Vegas Raiders: Trevon Moehrig - TCU (S) "My beloved Oakland Raiders skid to the finish line in 2020 after starting the season looking like a formidable playoff contender. They are close to being an upper-echelon team, like half the other teams on any given Sunday. I think offensive tackle is in need of an upgrade, and 315 lb Christian Darrisaw of VT would be great, but he's off the board. So, ultimately the Raiders turn to Safety Trevon Moehrig of TCU, as he's one of the best overall players still available. He is a playmaker and has the size and range to play. The Raiders need to improve on some dismal defensive performances from a year ago, and will look to Moehrig for immediate help" - Kevin Roberts (RobertsWrestling.com) 18) Miami Dolphins: Rashawn Slater - Northwestern (OT) "Miami needs to continue to build a wall in front of Tua, and can't pass up top 10 value at 18" - Joe Esposito (@jespo134) 19) Washington Football Team: Caleb Farley - Virginia Tech (CB) "You could make a case that the 7-9 Football Team hurt themselves by winning late last season and making the playoffs. But I'll take the division title no matter what the record. That being said, we don't draft until #19. I winced every time an analyst gave us a defensive player. We're LOADED on defense. But the way the projections (and this mock itself) are, there's no sure thing at Wide Receiver (I'm skeptical of both Jaylen Waddle and Kadarius Toney), no uber stud O-Lineman (Slater was taken the pick prior), and all the franchise QB's are gone. So give me Caleb Farley, who, if not for injury concerns, would be the consensus #1 Corner in the draft. The guy's a unicorn. At 6'2, 207lbs, he was recorded during a game at 24.1mph. You know the fastest time Tyrek Hill EVER registered? 22.3! No one's scoring on us next year" (Willie) 20) Chicago Bears: Greg Newsome II - Northwestern (CB) "Let's keep this Northwestern stud in the 2nd city. He gave up just one reception over 10 yards in 2020 and is praised for how quickly he reacts to routes. You can always use another CB and help replacing Kyle Fuller" - Tommy Baranoski (Host - Bloodround Podcast) 21) Indianapolis Colts: Kwity Paye - Michigan (Edge) "Kwity Pay is a fast and powerful player that fits one of the Colts biggest current needs in an edge rusher. Paye is built like former Colts great, Dwight Freeney, and could slide into Matt Everflus' aggressive defense nicely. Has consistently been named one of Michigan's hardest workers, and when you match that with his other traits, it suggests he could be a future impact player" - Austin Early (Host - Changing Levels Podcast/InterMat Big Ten correspondent) 22) Tennessee Titans: Jaylen Waddle - Alabama (WR) "The Titans need some more wideout options to give them diversity as opposed to just running the ball with Derrick Henry. Jaylen Waddle may slip by because he's coming off an injury. And remember, the Titans have a history with 'Bama players" - Cody Cleveland (Chattanooga All-American) 23) New York Jets: Teven Jenkins - Oklahoma State (OT) Jake Aferiat (Daily Collegian) 24) Pittsburgh Steelers: Najee Harris - Alabama (RB) "Steelers haven't had a true RB1 who can carry the load since Le' Veon Bell and it's a huge need. Ben can carry them anymore and they rushed for less than 55 yards in seven of the last 11 games last season and the team collapsed. As the running game goes, so do the Steelers. Harris helps make them a far more complete offense and his style of running fits the franchise" - Mason Beckman (Rudis/Lehigh two-time All-American) 25) Jacksonville Jaguars: Elijah Moore - Mississippi (WR) "You've got a nice new shiny toy in top-overall pick Trevor Lawrence; you may as well get him a friend. Elijah Moore is an excellent weapon out of the slot and has the toughness you like despite not having ideal size" - Earl Smith (InterMat) 26) Cleveland Browns: Zaven Collins - Tulsa (LB) J Jaggers (Associate Head Coach - Ohio State) 27) Baltimore Ravens: Christian Barmore - Alabama (NT) Baltimore's DLine stinks. It stinks. Their best player in the unit is Calais Campbell, who was drafted two months after J Jaggers beat Chad Mendes. Jesus. Barmore will be the next Campbell. He's by far the best interior DL in the draft. (Willie) 28) New Orleans Saints: Rondale Moore - Purdue (WR) "It's a win from every angle. The Saints have been searching for another WR to take the pressure off of Michael Thomas and the last time they picked up a Boilermaker, it worked out pretty well for them. Moore has incredible big-play potential and Sean Payton will find ways to get him the ball in space" - Tanner Lipsett (Purdue - Sports Information Director) 29) Green Bay Packers: Rashod Bateman - Minnesota (WR) "Aaron Rodgers finally gets his WR! Bateman brings size, speed, and productivity to a high-powered Packers offense. Aaron Rodgers is all smiles after this pick" - Cory Kundert (@CKundert10) 30) Buffalo Bills: Azeez Ojulari - Georgia (Edge) "The Bills front seven needs to get younger and more dynamic and Ojulari fills this need. He is aggressive, has high football IQ and a frame to build on" - Scott Green (Head Coach - Wyoming Seminary) 31) Baltimore Ravens: Gregory Rousseau - Miami (DE) I'm going back to the DL. Who the heck drafts two DL's in the first round? I sincerely don't care. The Ravens unit is that bad. Kiper's 3rd best DE is here, and that's a steal. (Willie) 32) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jayson Oweh - Penn State (Edge) "I'll be flying to Tampa on Thursday to personally oversee what's going to happen at One Buccaneer Place. Since we can probably get wrestler Osa Odighizuwa of UCLA in a later round, I'm waffling between Washington's Levi Onwuzurike, Penn State's Jayson Oweh, and Clemson's Travis Etienne. The Bucs' own experts seem to think those are the top choices at the 32nd position in the first round, which, as you know, go to the Super Bowl CHAMPION Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Washington doesn't have wrestling, so Onwuzurike is out. I don't trust Jayson's, since they spell their names with unnecessary Ys. I also can't go with Etienne because the RB by committee, coupled with the fact Clemson has no wrestling, eliminates him from contention. Screw it, the Bucs can make that D even more fearsome with Oweh, so he's the pick. He went to Blair Academy and Penn State. He might not be a wrestler, but he's as close as you can get without actually wrestling simply by proximity!" - Jason Bryant (Mat Talk Online)

(Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) This Friday, many of the top stars in the women's freestyle world will be in action from Coralville, Iowa, as 2021 Senior Nationals takes place. The entire women's tournament will be held on Friday. Even though the Olympics will be held later this summer, there will also be a World Championship event from Oslo, Norway, in early October. This event is the first step towards qualification for the World Championships. The top-five wrestlers from Senior Nationals will lock up a place at the World Team Trials in September. Anyone who competed at the Olympic Trials already has punched their ticket, as well. With the Olympics only having six weight classes (boo!), plenty of women had to make significant cuts to find a weight class. Now that we're focusing on the World Championships, with ten weight classes in contention, there are plenty of women that will be testing out new weight classes in Coralville. We even have one Olympian (Jacarra Winchester) slated to wrestle above her Olympic weight. Here is a preview of the action that will go down on Friday, along with picks for the top-two finishers. Entries are as of Tuesday afternoon and could be subject to change. 50 kg Entrants: Alyssa Lampe (Sunkist Kids) Alleida Martinez (TMWC) Erin Golston (New York AC) Hannah Michael (Twin Cities RTC) Natalie Reyna-Rodriguez (McKendree Bearcat WC) Chloe Krebsbach (Grand View WC) The two favorites at this opening weight class are Alyssa Lampe and Erin Golston. Lampe made the National Team by winning a true-third place match at the Olympic Trials. Along the way, the two-time World bronze medalist pinned two of the top contenders at this weight, Golston and Alleida Martinez. Earlier this year, at the Captain's Cup, Lampe registered another win over Golston, 9-3. Golston won three matches at the Trials, but is still seeking to make her first World team at the Senior level. As a Junior, Golston captured a World silver medal and two bronzes. Martinez also has an impressive resume at the age-group level. She was a Cadet World silver and bronze medalist and competed on a pair of Junior teams. In the collegiate ranks, Natalie Reyna-Rodriguez was a third-place finisher this year at the NCWWC Championships. Predictions Alyssa Lampe over Erin Golston 53 kg Entrants Alisha Howk (Sunkist Kids) Alex Hedrick (TMWC) Vanessa Ramirez Arelys Valles (Grand View WC) A pair of women who have some international experience under their belt in Alisha Howk and Alex Hedrick should be the favorites in this small weight class. Hedrick has made a pair of Junior World Teams, while Howk has done so once as a Cadet and another time as a Junior. Each won three bouts at the Olympic Trials, at this weight class, but did not meet up. They hit at the Captain's Cup, earlier this year, and the bout went to Hedrick, 5-1. A pair of collegiate All-Americans will round out the weight with Vanessa Ramirez and Arelys Valles. Ramirez was fifth at the WCWA's in 2019, while Valles placed twice for University of The Cumberlands in 2015 and 2018. Predictions Alex Hedrick over Alisha Howk 55 kg Entrants Amy Fearnside (TMWC) Jacarra Winchester (TMWC) Areana Villaescusa (Army WCAP) Estrella Dorado Marin (Army WCAP) Samantha Klingel (Army WCAP) The most significant favorite at any women's weight this tournament will be Jacarra Winchester at 55 kg. Just a few weeks ago, Winchester secured a berth on the Olympic team by downing Ronna Heaton two-matches-to-none in their series at 53 kg. Winchester should have no problem up a couple of kilos as she won her 2019 world title in this class. While Winchester is a prohibitive favorite, there are a few other highly capable contenders in the bracket. Amy Fearnside competed in the Olympic Trials at 50 kg and has bumped up for the Open. She was a finalist in the Challenge Tournament at the Trials after pinning 2019 World Team member, Whitney Conder. Areana Villaescusa went 1-2 at the Trials, at 53 kg, and is a familiar face for Winchester. The two tangled in the 2019 US Open finals, a match Jacarra won by technical superiority. Samantha Klingel was a national champion for King University in 2016, while Estrella Dorado Marin was a two-time Fargo All-American. Predictions Jacarra Winchester over Amy Fearnside 57 kg Entrants Vayle Baker (Twin Cities RTC) Gabrielle Skidmore (Twin Cities RTC) Tateum Park (Twin Cities RTC) Sophia Smith Lauren Mason This weight class could be the most up-for-grabs on the women's side. There is a whole lot of familiarity between the competitors. Three women train at Augsburg's Twin Cities RTC, while Vayle Baker and Sophia Smith were high school teammates at Wyoming Seminary. The two renewed acquaintances at the Last Chance Qualifier and Smith got her hand raised after a 10-0 tech. Baker was a WCWA national runner-up in 2020, as was her teammate Gabrielle Skidmore. At the Last Chance Qualifier, Skidmore split matches with two-time WCWA All-American Lauren Mason. Mason finished third in the tournament and had the opportunity to wrestle for true second. Tateum Park was Iowa's Ms. Dan Gable Wrestler of the Year in 2020, before enrolling at Augsburg. Predictions Lauren Mason over Gabrielle Skidmore 59 kg Entrants Xochitl Mota-Pettis (Rise RTC) Maya Nelson (Sunkist Kids) Megan Black (Army WCAP) Briana Kellin 59 kg could be the place with one of the best matches in the entire tournament. That is provided Xochitl Mota-Pettis and Maya Nelson both make the finals. Both are moving to 59 kgs after competing at a different weight during the Trials. Mota-Pettis was down at 57 kg, while Nelson was at 62 kg. Nelson is a two-time Junior World medalist, taking the bronze in 2016; before winning the whole tournament a year later. She also has made a pair of U23 teams. Mota-Pettis is typically a lock to put up a handful of points and is dangerous from any position. She outscored the competition at the Last Chance Qualifier 44-2. Two-time WCWA runner-up, Megan Black, could also make an impact. She earned a pair of wins at the Last Chance Qualifier, but was ultimately stopped short of earning a place at the Trials. Briana Kellin was an NAIA All-American this year at Life, but has spent the bulk of her career wrestling for King. Predictions Maya Nelson over Xochitl Mota-Pettis 62 kg Entrants Sierra Brown Ton (Twin Cities RTC) Gracie Figueroa (TMWC) Alex Liles (Army WCAP) Andrea Schlabach (Grand View WC) The two favorites at 62 kg are Gracie Figueroa and Alex Liles. Both have plenty of international experience on the age-group level. Figueroa has made three Cadet and two Junior world teams. In 2016, she was able to come away from Cadet Worlds with a bronze medal. Additionally, she was a WCWA national champion as a freshman at Menlo in 2019. Liles earned a spot on two Cadet World Teams and one Junior squad. She also has a pair of silver medals from the Dave Schultz and the Bill Farrell. These two met in the semifinals of the Last Chance Qualifier and it was Liles who grabbed a 5-3 win. The remainder of the weight class is rounded out by Andrea Schlabach and Sierra Brown Ton. Schlabach was a third-place finisher at NAIA's this year, as a sophomore. Brown Ton was a WCWA All-American in 2019, as a true freshman, for Colorado Mesa, but has since transferred to Augsburg. She entered the Last Chance Qualifier and notched a 2-2 record. Pick: Alex Liles over Gracie Figueroa 65 kg Entrants Jennifer Page (TMWC) Zoe Wight Obviously, with just two entries at this weight class, 65 kg should be easy to break down. Since action started again in 2020, Jennifer Page has been very active on Nittany Lion Wrestling Card's and in tournament action. Page was third in the Challenge Tournament at the Olympic Trials and, in late-2020, won Senior Nationals. At Senior's, she scored a win over eventual Olympic Trials runner-up, Macey Kilty. Zoe Wight is a graduate assistant at Life University, where she competed collegiately and twice made the WCWA Round of 12. Predictions Jennifer Page over Zoe Wight 68 kg Entrants Alyvia Fiske (TMWC) Rachel Watters (New York AC) Solin Pearcy (Menlo WC) Anna Naylor A solid group of experienced, young women will take the stage at 68 kg. One of the contenders is Alyvia Fiske, the 2019 US Open Champion at 72 kg and a Final X participant later that summer. Also that year, Fiske was third at WCWA's for Simon Fraser. Most probably pegged Fiske as someone who'd emerge from the Last Chance Qualifier to grab a spot at the Trials. She picked up a couple of wins before getting upset in the finals by high schooler, Kylie Welker. Since Welker ended up making the finals at 76 kg, that doesn't look like a bad loss. She was eliminated from the tournament in her next bout against Solin Pearcy. Pearcy was a 2019 WCWA national champion for Menlo and medaled three times at the event. Another collegiate national title-winner is in the group with Rachel Watters. Rachel also got on the podium two other times for Oklahoma City. Watters has made three Junior World Teams and a pair of U23 World Teams during her decorated career. In 2020, she was third at Senior Nationals and then competed at the Olympic Trials earlier this month. Finally, Anna Naylor was a two-time AA for University of The Cumberlands and is now an assistant at Life. Predictions Alyvia Fiske over Solin Pearcy 72 kg Entrants Skylar Grote (New York AC) Alex Glaude (TMWC) It's pretty cut-and-dry what we have going on at 72 kg with Skylar Grote and Alex Glaude, but it should be a solid matchup. Glaude was a two-time national champion for McKendree and earned a spot in Final X 2019. She was third at the Olympic Trials Challenge Tournament but dropped a match to Forrest Molinari for a berth on the National Team. Glaude has plenty of international experience, as she was a Junior World Team member in 2017 and a U23 World bronze medalist two years later. Grote was a second-place finisher at Senior Nationals and 2020 and the top seed at the Last Chance Qualifier. There she notched a win over Pearcy before running into phenom Kennedy Blades. Predictions Alex Glaude over Skylar Grote 76 kg Entrants Marylnn Deede (Twin Cities RTC) Dymond Guilford (TMWC) Precious Bell (TMWC) Emily Cue Hunter Robinson (Grand View WC) Ashley Lekas (Texas Pride) We've got one of the larger weights, in terms of participants, at 76 kg. The headliners are high school teammates Dymond Guilford and Precious Bell. The pair meet quite frequently with the last time coming at the Olympic Trials, where Guilford prevailed 14-1 in the consolations of the Challenge Tournament. Recently she also got the upper hand at the Captain's Cup, in the finals of 2020 U23's, and at Senior Nationals last year. Guilford was a Junior World Team member in 2018. Bell won the US Open in 2019 and then the World Team Trials, the same year, ensuring her a place in Final X, opposite Adeline Gray. If anyone may spoil another Guilford/Bell matchup, it could be 2016 Cadet World Team member Emily Cue. Emily also was a third-place finisher for Simon Fraser at the 2020 NCWWC Championships. Also in the field is Hunter Robinson and Ashley Lekas. Robinson was a fourth-place finisher at the 2021 NAIA National Championships for Grand View, while Lekas was a 2019 Texas state champion. Predictions Dymond Guilford over Precious Bell

(Photo/Sam Janicki; Sam JanickiPhoto.com) How many wrestlers hear their coach bark at them every day at some point, maybe many points, during practice : "You gotta work hard every day to be the best!"? How many coaches are guilty of using this phrase as a mechanism to get their athletes to give their best effort in a workout? What do coaches actually mean by working hard? Working hard is such a subjective concept that has different meanings to different people. For some, working hard is training at Austin Desanto's pace, and for others, it's somewhat slower. Not everyone is wired to train and wrestle at Desanto's pace. Could wrestlers and coaches be more efficient with their training if they trained smart, as opposed to just working hard? The purpose of this article is to differentiate between the concepts of working hard and training hard and smart to illustrate a better preparation model for wrestlers that they should be following in whatever cycle of training they are currently working in. Some coaches feel that working hard is training smart. Distinguishing between these concepts will also help the coach make practices much more effective and meaningful; instead of the wrestler going through the same motions day in and day out, they should strive to make every moment in a practice count. If it doesn't count, the motion is meaningless. Working Hard To the athlete, the idea of working hard focuses solely on output: number of reps, intensity of those reps, and energy throughout the practice. Working hard is a vague concept, other than the wrestler needing to get as many reps of a skill in a drill period at a very high intensity or pace, and use up as much energy as possible in the session. Working hard generally yields a significant weight loss by the end of practice, something too many wrestlers (and coaches) focus on. But working hard is not a concrete concept; it merely focuses on picking up the pace or intensity level of the workout. Shouldn't the purpose of a wrestling workout be something other than just working hard? Most wrestlers will tell you that they work hard in practice and give it their all, but did they actually improve as a wrestler during that session? Practice sessions that focus on the concept of working hard should take place the day before an event: the I need to cut a few pounds to make weight, workout, or used as a way to "shake things up" during the week to get the wrestler to build wrestling endurance, especially if the athlete gasses out at the end of a match. Simply having working hard practices every day won't help the individual improve on the things they lack; the end result is producing wrestlers who are in great shape, but make the same mistakes in competition. I was guilty of scheduling mostly working hard practices early in my coaching career. I felt that if my wrestlers were in better condition than their opponents, we could wear them down late in a match and grind out victories. Technique instruction took place early in the season, but adjustments were not addressed on a daily basis. Monday practices were work sessions to fix the mistakes made over the weekend. In retrospect, most of my wrestlers plateaued before the end of the season, because I did not consistently fix mistakes or add to their system of wrestling. It was all about getting in as many reps as possible, pushing the pace during live, and grueling conditioning activities at the end of practice. The working hard model of training does not benefit the whole; only athletes who fully embrace the grind of the model can find it as their best path to success. The rest of the team needs something else. There is nothing wrong with working hard in practice, but working hard should not be the only practice goal. Every coach wants to get the maximum output from their wrestlers every day, but if there isn't an opportunity to learn, fix, and correct technique, the wrestler will not make significant improvements. Creating a Culture to Focus on Improvement For the last thirteen years, I have been fortunate to coach in a program and work with coaches that strive for their athletes to improve every day in practice. We want our athletes to work hard, but at the same time, we focus on getting better every day. The coaching staff spends considerable time developing practice plans that address our bread and butter system, making fixes and corrections to the problem areas, all while expecting every athlete to be held accountable for working hard. This model has been pretty successful for our program. In twelve years, we have won six state titles and finished second six times, while reaching the top ten at the National Prep Wrestling Championships at Lehigh University each year. Many of our drives back to Richmond, VA, after competition, involve a lot of discussion about the things we need our athletes to improve upon for the upcoming week. We are brutally honest with each other and with our wrestlers in this regard because we want every single athlete on the roster to get better. This gives the coaching staff a framework to begin planning practices for the week. We realize that no wrestler ever reaches perfection on technique and there are always things to fix and improve upon. Training Smart Focuses the Athlete I like to use the term training smart for the model we use to focus the entire team on the correct mechanics of technique, constantly fixing mistakes, and working with them to develop focus and concentration in the teaching and learning process. Training smart does require hard work, but the main concept revolves around daily improvement and giving the best effort possible. Sure, there are periods in practices where we push the pace- especially in live wrestling, but we also incorporate time to slow things down and work on specifics of technique. The training smart model requires coaches who are extremely detail-oriented; if you have ever spent time watching Jeff Buxton teach, you know what I mean. Coach Buxton breaks down every aspect of a specific technique down, so the athlete understands the mechanics of the technique. Before coaching at my current school, I was more of a general concept coach: explaining technique in the broadest means possible so every kid would have an idea of what I am teaching. But since coaching with guys who are detail-oriented, I have adapted my teaching style to reflect the details. This has made me a more effective wrestling coach, and a better teacher in the classroom. Training smart requires the wrestler to have laser focus when the coach is teaching, so they understand every aspect of what is being taught. It also encourages the wrestler to ask questions, especially if they are unsure of the specifics. Far too many wrestlers watch what their coaches teach and accept it as perfect, even if they don't quite understand something. Training smart also allows the wrestler to learn how to drill correctly, giving their partner a good feel and not giving zero resistance while practicing. Making the drilling periods more realistic, in terms of resistance, pressure, and feel, provides the athlete with the opportunity to drill the technique correctly, so when faced with it in a match situation, they instinctively know what to do. Another positive benefit of training smart is developing communication skills between workout partners. If a wrestler is not getting the correct resistance and cooperation from their partner, they have to communicate this so their partner can adjust. Instead of getting frustrated with their partner, training smart requires wrestlers to compromise and do their best for their partner because drilling correctly will benefit both in terms of offense and defense. This concept helps both wrestlers improve and develop a rhythm that works for both sides. Athletes should reflect on their daily workouts by keeping a journal. Journaling is a great way for the wrestler to review practice and be honest with themselves about whether or not they just worked hard, trained smart, or something else. Furthermore, keeping a daily journal allows the wrestler to delve deeper into their effort during practice and what they can do to improve. Simply going through the motions of practice, just because the coach said to workout, does not provide the opportunity for growth and improvement. Coaches who use the training smart model are actively engaged in practice. They do not stand against the wall in silence. Rather, they circulate around the room, engaging with the athletes, correcting mistakes as they arise. They do not focus on "just' the best kids, but with the entire team. And while the focus may be different for different athletes, it gives every wrestler a sense of belonging and meaning. Training smart also includes activities like cardio-respiratory conditioning, strength training, and diet/nutrition in practice. Since wrestling is such a unique sport that requires multiple types of fitness: muscular strength, muscular endurance, cardio-respiratory endurance, and flexibility, it is essential that these are components in practice. There are plenty of activities that can be incorporated into practices that focus on the components of fitness; bodyweight activities such as rope climbing, push-ups, squat jumps, etc., are examples to add muscular strength and muscular endurance to practices. Proper nutrition and weight management need to be part of the training smart model. Most young wrestlers do not have a depth of knowledge about eating correctly and managing their weight, so they do not have to drop ten pounds in the days leading up to competition. If left to their own devices, many wrestlers will not eat food that will help them have energy to use for training smart and try to cut all of their weight in less than two days before a match, leading to underperforming and a lack of energy. Coaches who use the training smart concept will stress weight management over weight cutting, so the focus in practice can be on improvement. Wrestlers can and should work hard using the training smart model; maximum effort in every practice is essential. But making practices worthwhile in order for wrestlers to make improvements each day should be a primary focus of training. Coaches should strive for their athletes to learn and improve their fundamentals every day, regardless of whether they are the best or worst kid on the team. A central goal of wrestling should be to improve every day, fix things when improvements don't happen, and remain positive and working smart each day. Focusing on improvement should make the sport fun and will lead to success for all. There is much more to the training smart model. This article is a short introduction to the important concepts of training smart, as opposed to just working hard. Feel free to send me your thoughts about training smart. You can email me at: robinson.prebish@virginiawrestling.com

(Photo/Sam Janicki; Sam JanickiPhoto.com) Less than a week after elevating Mike Poeta to the head coach of Illinois' Fighting Illini the program received their first win on the recruiting trail. One of Illinois' top high school sophomores has decided to stay in-state and wrestle for the home team. Late last night, Kannon Webster (Washington, IL) announced via social media that he would wrestle for Illinois after his graduation in 2023. Webster is currently ranked 11th in the nation at 113 lbs by MatScouts and was an Illinois 2A state champion in 2020 as a freshman. Prior to his freshman year of high school, Webster was a third-place finisher at the Cadet World Team Trials in freestyle and Greco-Roman. Later in the summer of 2019, Webster went on to take third in Fargo in both styles in the 16U division. Last weekend, Webster was fifth at the Cadet WTT's while competing at 55 kg's. At this point, Webster looks to be a 125/133 lber for the Illini. That could certainly change as there will be more than two years before he officially steps on the campus for Poeta's team. Illinois is relatively young at their lightweights as 125 lb starter Justin Cardani was a sophomore in 2021 and All-American Lucas Byrd was a redshirt freshman at 133. The commitment from Webster could be symbolic for the early days of Poeta's regime. Most observers, including this one, stated that the first-year head coach would have to reel in a couple more big fish from within Illinois' border to climb up the Big Ten ranks.

Roman Bravo-Young moments after winning the 2021 NCAA championship (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Dreaming of becoming an NCAA champion is what drives most young wrestlers to continue to train past their personal setbacks, career-altering injuries, major losses and the grueling task of pushing your body and mind just beyond its breaking point. For Roman Bravo-Young, better known as RBY, becoming an NCAA champion wasn't even on his radar as a young wrestler. Instead, wrestling acted as a means of stability and survival, it was the one consistency in his life. (Photo courtesy of Roman Bravo-Young) Growing up in Tucson, Arizona, where gangs and drugs thrive, RBY was no stranger to the streets or their struggles. When his dad left, he was forced to live in low-income housing with his brother and mother. However, soon after his little sister was born, his family was forced to move from house to house, living with different family members and friends. This meant often going without the very things so many of us take for granted, like a bed of our own, food on our table and running water or electricity. Gratitude for the small things, was a concept RBY learned at a very young age; it is this same concept of gratitude that he insists creates the winning culture at Penn State, "Cael and Cody teach us all to have a mindset of gratitude. We all are blessed to be in the position we are in and we don't take any of it for granted; we work hard to make every moment count and enjoy it while it lasts. Ultimately, we know everything we do is God's plan in motion. We won't always be wrestlers; Cael and Cody aim to make us great men." Gratitude and grace are recurring themes that seem to intertwine themselves with this phenom of a wrestler. Despite all of the struggles and adversity RBY has witnessed and overcome, he still finds peace with a purpose-filled calling over his life. We all know overcoming plays a significant role in wrestling. It's literally what produces grit and growth, which go hand in hand with a sport that is just as much a mental game, as it is a physical one. Maybe that's why RBY has seen so much success on the mat. Aside from being a 2021 NCAA Champion, he was the 2019 Junior Pan Am champ and three-time USAW Cadet National Champion. Clearly fighting was a way of life; in fact, for RBY, every day was a battle, "if I wasn't fighting my brother, I was fighting or getting in trouble in school. Not because I wanted to, but because I had to, until my coach, Sanchez, took me in to live with him." During Roman's 7th grade year, Sanchez, a well-known Arizona wrestling coach, saw something in RBY that he couldn't yet see in himself. Sanchez knew Roman could be successful, and not just on the mat, but in life. He wasn't the only one who recognized this greatness either. Other members of the wrestling community always seemed to provide for Roman when he needed it most. If that meant new wrestling gear or travel expenses paid, families were willing to, and even happy to pitch in as needed. Roman Bravo-Young in the midst of an undefeated HS career (Photo courtesy of Roman Bravo-Young) By his freshman year in high school, RBYs commitment on and off the mat was evident. Coach Sanchez provided a roof over his head, safety and the stability every child seeks. Living with his coach allowed for the structure RBY needed to focus on schoolwork, and the guidance to help get him out of Tucson and away from the streets that slowly seemed to call so many others he grew up with. RBY recognized that wrestling was his way out of a drug-ridden city and used every opportunity within his grasp to get better, stronger, and faster. By his senior year, he was a Penn State commit with a perfect 182-0 record and four state titles under his belt. Once in college and starting for one of the most well-known and dominant wrestling programs in the past decade, RBY was able to recognize in himself what so many others previously saw within him. However, he was faced with what he felt was a responsibility to provide for those he left in Arizona. Every chance he had to step on a mat, was an opportunity to represent hope, to give back to those who sacrificed and gave so generously for him to be in this very position. Every clinic and camp was an opportunity to send money home to his mother and siblings. Early wrestling days for RBY (Photo courtesy of Roman Bravo-Young) For some of his teammates and opponents, wrestling at the DI level is merely a part of a lifelong dream, one they set their eyes on at a young age, determined to be the best, to prove themselves to their peers. But, for RBY, wrestling was still just a means of survival that allowed for a college education, housing, and food on the table. While proud of his effort and accomplishments in becoming an All-American as a freshman, RBY knew he had more to give and wasn't about to settle for eighth-place. As a sophomore, RBY continued to push himself in the classroom and on the mat. He believed he could become an NCAA National Champ and set out to do so until Covid cancelled the 2020 NCAA tournament. This roadblock didn't stop the determined wrestler, instead, it fueled him to continue the uphill battle. As he returned to Arizona for the first time in a while, RBY trained with anyone willing to get on the mat with him. When it was time to return to Penn State as a junior, although certain of his own abilities, RBY became skeptical of what the year would hold for the sport of wrestling. At no fault of his own, RBY was once again thrown into a situation that held so many uncertainties and lacked the consistency we all so deeply need. It was amid adversity that he and his teammates took the advice of their coach, and discovered a Truth that would never fail them, despite what was happening on the mat, on their campus, or in the world. These young men who came together because of their talents, and passion for the sport of wrestling, decided to begin their own Bible study where they tokened the phrase, "it's in motion." They aren't referring to their stance and motion, but rather God's plan, "whatever happens, whatever is going on, it's God's plan in motion," and that was enough for Roman; he knew whatever happened during this year of uncertainty and unpredictability, no matter how inconsistent, it was all a part of a bigger plan. With his teammate's encouragement, RBY sought to make life changes, focusing on the person he was becoming just as much as what he was doing on the mat, "It was a lifestyle change, a mindset switch. I didn't want to just follow God because it allowed for relief during a challenging point in my life. I wanted to change how I was living and why I lived that way, I wanted to grow in my relationship with Christ and that changed everything!" Anyone who is a fan of collegiate wrestling knows the path to becoming a DI NCAA Champion is treacherous, yet this tenacious young man, who has overcome adversity since a young age, set out to do what so many dream of and so few accomplish, "I look back and that moment I won nationals, I just was so overwhelmed because, for a split moment, I thought of that little boy living on section 8 housing waiting for the food stamps to eat so we could finally have some decent food instead of beans and rice...And I thought of that boy who did not even believe in going to college and realized, at that moment, I just won a national title and it was all Glory to God! Growing up, I thought wrestling was my only way to escape, but I realized the whole time I had God and no matter where I am, win or lose, He is with me." Wrestlers, especially this one, are built differently. When met with adversity and uncertainty, they don't run or make excuses; they tend to embrace the struggle and use it to create grit. In my opinion, wrestlers literally define what it means to persevere. For this talented wrestler, who once had to literally fight for a place in this world, a National title is just the beginning; RBY is currently training in San Diego with Dominick Cruz in preparation for his next fight, with plans to make his first Senior World Team at 61kg and return to Penn State to once again earn his chance at becoming a two-time NCAA champion. More importantly, he continues to pursue his goals to provide hope for all the children who come from similar backgrounds living in what seems like a hopeless situation, "I want to leave a legacy for myself and any other kids that need someone to look up to," and he plans to do just that while he connects with youth at various camps and clinics this summer.

2021 NCAA Consolation Finals between Keegan O'Toole and Travis Wittlake (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) On Thursday, news broke to confirm a long whispered rumor that Missouri was on its way back to the Big 12 Conference. In the 2012-13 school year, Missouri's athletic department left the Big 12 for the SEC. The Tigers were forced to join the MAC, as a wrestling-only affiliate since the SEC does not have any other schools that sponsor the sport. During the Tigers run in the MAC, they have accounted for nine conference titles in nine tries and 40 individual conference championships. While Mizzou head coach Brian Smith has been able to secure some solid non-conference opponents, the Tigers haven't always faced the same level of competition competing in the MAC. That will change as Missouri is back in the Big 12 with Oklahoma State, who finished third at the 2021 NCAA Championships, along with traditional rivals like Iowa State and Oklahoma. Throw in others like Northern Iowa the handful of new faces that have joined in Missouri's absence and you have an extremely tough conference. So how does Missouri stack up against their new (old) rivals? The Tigers finished the 2021 regular season unbeaten in dual competition. Along the way, they crushed a handful of Big 12 teams. Iowa State, Northern Iowa, North Dakota State, South Dakota State, Wyoming, all failed to tally more than nine points against a loaded Tiger squad. So that brings us to Oklahoma State. The Cowboys racked 99.5 points, which was 35.5 more than seventh-place Missouri. So give Oklahoma State the edge there, but in dual competition, they are almost identical. Oklahoma State was also unbeaten in 2021. We've decided to delve deeper into a hypothetical dual between the schools in 2021. InterMat has picked winners at each weight, though we have deferred to actual results from 2021, if the wrestlers from each school met. Just for fun, we've also run the dual through the great site WrestleStat , which yielded some surprising results. 125 - Noah Surtin/Connor Brown (Missouri) vs. Trevor Mastrogiovanni (Oklahoma State) Missouri would have a couple of options in this hypothetical matchup. Connor Brown was well on his way to a strong seed at NCAA Championships; however, he was injured off the mat and lost for the season. His 6-2 mark saw him knock off three eventual national qualifiers. Both of his losses came at the hands of top-five seeds, #4 Drew Hildebrandt (Central Michigan) and Brody Teske (Northern Iowa). In each of those defeats, Brown took his opponent to sudden victory. With Brown out of the picture, Noah Surtin got the nod at the Cowboy Challenge and defeated Trevor Mastrogiovanni 9-6. The Cowboy freshman went on to win a pair of bouts in St. Louis, while Surtin went 1-2. But, using the head-to-head win for Surtin, we'll give this match to OSU. InterMat Pick: Surtin by decision; 3-0 Missouri WrestleStat: Surtin by decision; 3-0 Missouri 133 - Matt Schmitt (Missouri) vs. Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) On paper, this looks like one of the best matchups of the dual with the top-seeded 133 lber, Daton Fix, against number six, Matt Schmitt. It's a battle of the Big 12 and MAC champions. Even so, it's hard to envision a scenario where Schmitt is that close to Fix. Daton has amassed a 48-3 record in collegiate competition and two of those defeats came in the NCAA finals. In 2021, Fix wrestled 14 matches. He was able to roll up bonus points in 11 of his 13 wins, one of which was a pin of NCAA seventh-place finisher, Chris Cannon (Northwestern). Schmitt was in his first year competing officially for Missouri, as he transferred from West Virginia. That meant the two have squared off before and Fix was 3-0 in those contests. While Daton never broke the bonus point threshold against Schmitt, he did log a trio of one-sided decision on the then-Mountaineer. InterMat Pick: Fix by decision; 3-3 tie WrestleStat: Fix by major decision; 4-3 Oklahoma State 141 - Allan Hart (Missouri) vs. Kaden Gfeller (Oklahoma State) 141 lbs was a problem for the Cowboys in 2021 as they lost two-time All-American, Kaid Brock, to a season-ending injury in mid-January and then Dusty Hone later in the year. That forced Kaden Gfeller to cut down to the weight for the first time at the Big 12's. Gfeller went 1-2 and did not qualify for nationals. On the other hand, Allan Hart really emerged as a force for the Tigers at a new weight class. A national qualifier in 2020 at 133, Hart rolled into the MAC Championships undefeated, though he had to settle for third at the event after getting his perfect record tarnished. As the sixth seed in St. Louis, Hart made it to the quarterfinals before suffering back-to-back losses to Sebastian Rivera (Rutgers) and Chad Red Jr. (Nebraska). InterMat Pick: Hart by decision; 6-3 Missouri WrestleStat: Hart by decision; 6-4 Missouri 149 - Brock Mauller (Missouri) vs. Boo Lewallen (Oklahoma State) Here's a bout that would be one of the marquee attractions in a clash between Mizzou and Oklahoma State. Boo Lewallen eventually finished fourth in the country, while Brock Mauller was just behind him at number five. But looking deeper into it, the two have battled in each of the last two years, and both decisions went Mauller's way. Each contest was decided by the slimmest of margins as Mauller edged Lewallen this season in tiebreakers, 7-5, and in sudden victory in 2020. While there is a good chance that Lewallen bucks the trend and gets a win against Mauller, we'll stick with history and choose the Tiger. InterMat Pick: Mauller by decision; 9-3 Missouri WrestleStat: Mauller by decision; 9-4 Missouri 157 - Jarrett Jacques (Missouri) vs. Wyatt Sheets (Oklahoma State) Both sides will be ready to fight over this one and really, each team could present a legitimate case for their respective 157 lber. Jarrett Jacques entered the NCAA tournament with a pair of losses on his resume, though both were to the eventual NCAA finalists. He still was granted the seventh seed, but was knocked off in the opening round by #26 Johnny Lovett (Central Michigan). Jacques had majored him at the MAC Championships and picked up a win against him in dual competition. The Tiger battled through the consolations before getting eliminated by Brayton Lee in the Round of 12. Wyatt Sheets suffered a severe knee injury early in the 2021 campaign but fought through it and received a bid to nationals as a late-injury replacement and assumed the 33rd seed. Sheets also fought back through the consi's and even grabbed a win over Lovett in the process. That proved to be an All-American clinching win as he received a medical forfeit from Kendall Coleman (Purdue) in the Round of 12. If these two couldn't be any closer, consider that they've met once in 2019 and 2020, with Sheets winning the first bout and Jacques evening the score. If this match takes place in 2021, with a less-than-100% Sheets, we'll give Jacques the slight advantage. InterMat Pick: Jacques by decision; 12-3 Missouri WrestleStat: Jacques by decision; 12-4 Missouri 165 - Keegan O'Toole (Missouri) vs. Travis Wittlake (Oklahoma State) This was the matchup we saw in the NCAA third-place bout as true freshman Keegan O'Toole got by Travis Wittlake, 4-3. Both were probably a bit underseeded, as O'Toole was sixth and Wittlake tenth. In a typical season, O'Toole would have seen more top-flight competition and justified a better ranking. Wittlake was penalized for sudden victory loss to Luke Weber (North Dakota State) in the Big 12 finals; his only loss of the year, heading into nationals. The good news is that with O'Toole going into his second year at Mizzou and Wittlake being a redshirt sophomore, we'll have plenty of opportunities to see these two tangle for Big 12 and perhaps NCAA titles in upcoming seasons. InterMat Pick: O'Toole by decision; 15-3 Missouri WrestleStat: O'Toole by decision; 15-4 Missouri 174 - Peyton Mocco (Missouri) vs. Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State) Here's another one that will probably rile up both fanbases. Peyton Mocco was a MAC runner-up and received the tenth seed at nationals as that conference final was his only loss during the regular season. Mocco actually started the year at 165 lbs and grabbed a win over the Big 12 champion at the weight, Weber. He would beat three others that ended up qualifying for nationals. Dustin Plott was a true freshman in 2021 and was considered by many to be one of the top recruits in the Class of 2020. Plott was obviously slowed down by a shoulder injury and his 15-6 record wasn't truly representative of his talent. Provided he has a full recovery, this matchup could look completely different in 2021-22 or another year in the future. But looking at this hypothetical dual in 2021, you probably have to get the nod to Mocco. The two have similar records against common opponents, though the Tiger did major Anthony Mantanona (Oklahoma), a foe that split matches with the Cowboy freshman. InterMat Pick: Mocco by decision: 18-3 Missouri WrestleStat: Mocco by decision; 18-4 Missouri 184 - Jeremiah Kent (Missouri) vs. Dakota Geer (Oklahoma State) This is another extremely even matchup that could end up going either direction. Jeremiah Kent is yet another Tiger wrestler that cruised into the postseason with a zero in the loss column. Kent ended up as the MAC runner-up after getting pinned by Brit Wilson (Northern Illinois) in the conference finals. Jeremiah was the ninth seed and went 2-2 before his elimination. One of his wins makes this matchup a little more challenging to predict. During the consolations, Kent downed the 10th seed, Tate Samuelson (Wyoming), a Big 12 runner-up. Samuelson was responsible for both of Dakota Geer's losses before the national tournament. Kent also defeated Samuelson in the regular season, too. Geer was seeded just behind Kent and Samuelson at 11. He rebounded from a second-round loss to wrestle back for fifth-place, his second time on the NCAA podium. Along the way, Geer defeated Taylor Venz (responsible for Kent's second-round loss) and Wilson, Kent's MAC finals opponent. The Cowboy was six points better than both foes. We've given Missouri the edge in a handful of these toss-up bouts, so Geer should get the nod here. InterMat Pick: Geer by decision; 18-6 Missouri WrestleStat: Geer by decision; 18-7 Missouri 197 - Rocky Elam (Missouri) vs. AJ Ferrari (Oklahoma State) These are a pair of blue-chip, true freshman All-Americans at 197 lbs, a rarity at the DI level. As everyone that follows college wrestling is aware, AJ Ferrari went on to win a national championship and has made himself one of the faces of the sport going forward, with his promotional skills on the microphone and his propensity to lose his shirt and flex. Kidding aside, Ferrari earned the right to flex after going 20-1 and knocking off world fifth-place finisher Myles Amine (Michigan) in the national semifinals, before shutting down Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) in the championship bout. At nationals, he downed the eventual 2nd-4th place finishers. The highest placewinner that Ferrari missed, was…..Rocky Elam. Rocky was unbeaten during the regular season and was granted the seventh seed as he did not meet any of the upper echelon 197 lbers. At nationals, Elam was upset in the first round by the 26th seed, Jake Woodley (Oklahoma). He wrestled all the way back to the fifth-place bout and avenged his loss to the Sooner, 9-3. The only other blemish on his rookie campaign came in sudden victory to Amine in the consolation semis. If you like getting into the common opponent's game, Elam has a win over Noah Adams (West Virginia), the only wrestler to defeat Ferrari at the collegiate level. On the other hand, Ferrari has three wins over Woodley, too. Take a look at who WrestleStat picked, though we're not that bold! InterMat Pick: Ferrari by decision; 18-9 Missouri WrestleStat: Elam by decision; 21-7 Missouri 285 - Zach Elam (Missouri) vs. Austin Harris (Oklahoma State) At first glance, you have to give this bout Mizzou's Zach Elam! Zach was the 11th seed in 2021 and wrestled his way into the Round of 12 at the 2019 NCAA tournament as a true freshman. A year earlier, he took silver at the Junior World Championships. While his pre-NCAA record (10-4) was unsightly compared to the majority of his Missouri teammates, three of Elam's four losses came to wrestlers seeded in the top-seven this year. All signs point to Elam giving his team the win in this de facto Big 12 Champion. All except the fact that the two met in the consolations at the 2021 tournament and it was Harris who got the victory...by fall! That victory put Harris into the Round of 12, where he fell a match shy of All-American status. Pretty shocking for the 29th seed. Harris wasn't just a one-hit-wonder; he did manage to defeat returning All-American Matt Stencel (Central Michigan), a four-time MAC Champion, just to set up the match with Elam. Does lightning strike again??? InterMat Pick: Harris by fall; 18-15 Missouri (Missouri wins 18-15) WrestleStat: Elam by decision; 24-7 Missouri

195 lbs NHSCA Freshman National Champion Sawyer Bartelt (Photo/Jason Fulmore; SEWrestle.com) 2021 NHSCA Freshman National Placewinners 106 lbs placewinners 1st - Beric Jordan (OH) 2nd - Isaiah Quintero (CA) 3rd - Ethan Rivera (FL) 4th - Draegen Orine (MO) 5th - Matthew Marlow (NY) 6th - Peyton Ellis (RI) 7th - Bryson Valdez (NM) 8th - Porter Matecki (MO) 113 lbs placewinners 1st - Colby Crouch (IL) 2nd - Ryan Bennett (OH) 3rd - Mason Ziegler (PA) 4th - Tyson Sherlock (MD) 5th - Mason Kernan (PA) 6th - Brycen Arbogast (VA) 7th - Cooper Hornack (PA) 8th - Terry Langley Jr. (OH) 120 lbs placewinners 1st - Jake Crapps (GA) 2nd - Matthew Hart (OH) 3rd - Nick Jones (PA) 4th - Omar Ayoub (OH) 5th - Kyrel Leavell (IN) 6th - Michael Trujillo (AZ) 7th - Bryce Luna (CA) 8th - Blake Aumiller (PA) 126 lbs placewinners 1st - LJ Araujo (ND) 2nd - Mitchell Faglioni (VA) 3rd - Gabriel Bouyssou (RI) 4th - Gavin Linsman (MO) 5th - Andrew Wittenberg (FL) 6th - Bryce Griffin (IL) 7th - Gavin Bauder (CA) 8th - Chase Frameli (PA) 132 lbs placewinners 1st - Cameron Catrabone (NY) 2nd - Judah Aybar (MD) 3rd - D'mitri Alarcon (CO) 4th - EJ Parco (CA) 5th - Landon Desselle (TN) 6th - Tristin Greene (OH) 7th - Brandon Cody (FL) 8th - Austin Simmons (CA) 138 lbs placewinners 1st - Miguel Estrada (CA) 2nd - Ethan Birden (OH) 3rd - Jake Honey (CA) 4th - Tyler Bienus (NJ) 5th - Brent Nicolosi (MA) 6th - Luke Greiner (NY) 7th - Eli Murray (NC) 8th - Brandon Bauer (NJ) 145 lbs placewinners 1st - Seth Larson (GA) 2nd - Oliver Howard (AL) 3rd - Latrell Schafer (GA) 4th - Noah Hall (VA) 5th - Thomas Potter (VA) 6th - Tyrus Jangula (ND) 7th - Eddie Nietenbach (OH) 8th - Gunner Holland (FL) 152 lbs placewinners 1st - Zack Ryder (NY) 2nd - Bodie Morgan (PA) 3rd - Kevin Olavarria Montilla (PA) 4th - Shawn Taylor (PA) 5th - Ryan Gavick (PA) 6th - Tyler Secoy (GA) 7th - Griffin Lundeen (MN) 8th - Joseph LaPenna (PA) 160 lbs placewinners 1st - Nate Taylor (CT) 2nd - Gunner Cramblett (OH) 3rd - Hoke Poe-Hogan (GA) 4th - Creed Thomas (GA) 5th - Vincent Lee (NJ) 6th - Calvin Lachman (PA) 7th - Sam Szerlip (NY) 8th - Ryan Gallagher (PA) 170 lbs placewinners 1st - Rune Lawrence (PA) 2nd - Landen Shurtleff (UT) 3rd - Ryland Whitworth (CA) 4th - Cayaen Smith (UT) 5th - Tre Wilfong (NC) 6th - Bryce Phillips (MD) 7th - Manny Aller (OH) 8th - Jayden Ashlock (MO) 182 lbs placewinners 1st - Tucker Paynter (PA) 2nd - Landon Williams (AL) 3rd - Michael Murillo (CA) 4th - Eugenio Franco (CA) 5th - Andrew Wier (MO) 6th - Dom Iaquinto (CT) 7th - Adam Zumbar (OH) 8th - Liam Carroll (PA) 195 lbs placewinners 1st - Sawyer Bartelt (FL) 2nd - Carter Neves (OH) 3rd - Parker Ferrell (VA) 4th - Ricky Thomas (OK) 5th - Cash Henderson (UT) 6th - Jason Heming (VA) 7th - Aiden Hight (PA) 8th - Dylan Greenstein (MA) 220 lbs placewinners 1st - Dante Burns (PA) 2nd - Jaylen Young (IN) 3rd - Chefren Spodnik (CT) 4th - Mike Fell (PA) 5th - Timothy Wine (IN) 6th - Judd Harvey (CO) 7th - Diego Pelletier (KY) 8th - Garrett Shaffer (PA) 285 lbs placewinners 1st - Navarro Schunke (SD) 2nd - Spencer Lanosga (LA) 3rd - Brandon Toranzo (NJ) 4th - JaQuavian Daniels (GA) 5th - Austin McNaughtan (UT) 6th - Joe Collins (PA) 7th - Colton Naylor (WV) 8th - Connor Bushey (NY)

132 lbs NHSCA champion Carter McCallister of Missouri (Photo/J Thomas Taylor/Columbia Tribune) 2021 NHSCA Sophomore National Placewinners 106 lbs placewinners 1st - Brady Roark (MO) 2nd - Carson Wagner (PA) 3rd - Bryson Terrell (TN) 4th - Caleb Uhorchuk (TN) 5th - Ty Tice (SC) 6th - Luke Sirianni (PA) 7th - Hunter Sloan (PA) 8th - Toby Billerman (IN) 113 lbs placewinners 1st - Jackson Baglio (NC) 2nd - Jacob Joyce (RI) 3rd - Zachary Jacaruso (PA) 4th - Anthony Ferraro (PA) 5th - Clay Gates (OK) 6th - Tyler Chappell (PA) 7th - Charlie Bunting (PA) 8th - Hayden Myers (RI) 120 lbs placewinners 1st - Luke Poore (DE) 2nd - Joel Brown (MD) 3rd - Cooper Haase (FL) 4th - Jaden Pepe (PA) 5th - Amantee Mills (GA) 6th - Ethan Lebin (PA) 7th - Tyler Knox (MA) 8th - Michael Pizzuto (MD) 126 lbs placewinners 1st - Eligh Rivera (FL) 2nd - David McClelland (FL) 3rd - Spencer Barnhart (PA) 4th - David Cross (MO) 5th - Gage Owen (MD) 6th - Eric Doran (VA) 7th - Matthew Repos (PA) 8th - Ethan Kolb (PA) 132 lbs placewinners 1st - Carter McCallister (MO) 2nd - Weston Dalton (CO) 3rd - Collin Arch (MO) 4th - Zachary Marrero (CO) 5th - Brock Woodcock (MO) 6th - Nathan Roth (PA) 7th - Frank Volpe (NY) 8th - Spencer Von Savoye (CA) 138 lbs placewinners 1st - JT Chance (OH) 2nd - Collin Dupill (VA) 3rd - Antonio Rodrigues (MD) 4th - Luke Bender (DE) 5th - Andrew Harmon (PA) 6th - Jonathon Malovich (CO) 7th - Luke Belcher (TN) 8th - Cooper French (AZ) 145 lbs placewinners 1st - Jeremiah Price (NC) 2nd - Dagen Condomitti (PA) 3rd - Ethan Mojena (FL) 4th - Brayden Shelton (MO) 5th - Cale Roggie (VA) 6th - Irish Furthmyre (MT) 7th - Lane Ewing (WY) 8th - Tyler Berish (PA) 152 lbs placewinners 1st - KJ Evans (OK) 2nd - Colby Isabelle (PA) 3rd - Michael Duggan (PA) 4th - Abraham Wojckiewicz (IL) 5th - Gavin Fernandez (CA) 6th - Justin Crutchmer (AR) 7th - Hunter Andel (OH) 8th - Landon Muth (PA) 160 lbs placewinners 1st - Sergio Montoya (CA) 2nd - Markell Rivera (AZ) 3rd - Rafael Hipolito (AL) 4th - Patrick Jackson (WV) 5th - Tim McDonnell (CA) 6th - Riggin Boger (UT) 7th - Brett Smith (MO) 8th - Dakota Hagedorn (WY) 170 lbs placewinners 1st - Dylan Newsome (OH) 2nd - Omaury Alvarez (GA) 3rd - David Barrett (MA) 4th - Justin Griffith (NJ) 5th - Daniel Comer Williams (FL) 6th - Toby Schoffstall (VA) 7th - Nathan Fury (KS) 8th - Dominic Joyce (FL) 182 lbs placewinners 1st - Camden McDanel (OH) 2nd - Max Agresti (DE) 3rd - Kingsley Menifee (VA) 4th - Elijah Edge (WV) 5th - Matthew Furman (PA) 6th - Thomas Stadel (TN) 7th - John Roberts (OK) 8th - Cole DuBois (NJ) 195 lbs placewinners 1st - Sonny Sasso (PA) 2nd - Brendan Gilchrist (CT) 3rd - Brady Colbert (VA) 4th - Jacob Scheib (PA) 5th - Corey Boerio (PA) 6th - Justin Soriano (NY) 7th - Eli Makel (PA) 8th - Ronin Hammond (IN) 220 lbs placewinners 1st - Dylan Russo (OH) 2nd - Sam Sorenson (NY) 3rd - Noah Todd (TN) 4th - Myles Johnson (OH) 5th - Erick Brothers Jr. (WV) 6th - Zachary Evans (PA) 7th - John Vinciguerra (NJ) 8th - Trent Sibble (NY) 285 lbs placewinners 1st - Riley Robell (PA) 2nd - Emmanuel Ulrich (PA) 3rd - Bill Brosko (PA) 4th - Logan Looney (VA) 5th - Derrick Hart (FL) 6th - Gage Howard (UT) 7th - Nathaniel Box (FL) 8th - Maddox Sunderman (AL)

2021 NHSCA national champion Michael Kilic (Photo/Amber Cloy; SEWrestle.com) NHSCA Junior National Placewinners 106 lbs placewinners 1st - Codie Cuerbo (OH) 2nd - Billy Smith (OH) 3rd - Isiac Paulino (MA) 4th - Christian Guzman (FL) 5th - Jacob Levin (NY) 6th - Dante DiStefano (MA) 7th - Brandon Baldanado (CA) 8th - Elijah Nguyen (CA) 113 lbs placewinners 1st - Cole Hunt (GA) 2nd - Yanni Vines (AL) 3rd - Ethan Perryman (CA) 4th - Bridger Ricks (UT) 5th - Gavin Caprella (OH) 6th - Glenn Price (LA) 7th - Noah Luna (NC) 8th - Sefton Douglass (WY) 120 lbs placewinners 1st - Joey Cruz (CA) 2nd - Kyle Montaperto (NC) 3rd - Evan Binder (MO) 4th - Mason Leiphart (PA) 5th - Dylan Coy (PA) 6th - Carter Tate (NV) 7th - Zander Phaturos (PA) 8th - Damion Ryan (OH) 126 lbs placewinners 1st - Fernando Barreto (CA) 2nd - Nash Singleton (OR) 3rd - Braden Basile (FL) 4th - Damian Mendez (KS) 5th - Anthony Aniciete (NV) 6th - Cole Thomas (KY) 7th - Jackson Polo (NY) 8th - Andrew Austin (FL) 132 lbs placewinners 1st - Danny Nini (FL) 2nd - Jake Niffenegger (OH) 3rd - Jordan Soriano (NY) 4th - Jimmy Harrington (MA) 5th - Ismael Ayoub (OH) 6th - Angelo Centrone (NY) 7th - Colton Stoneking (PA) 8th - Cody Phelps (WY) 138 lbs placewinners 1st - Kelvin Griffin (PA) 2nd - Benny Rogers (NY) 3rd - Thomas Snipes (SC) 4th - Owen Cline (WA) 5th - Jacob Woodburn (NC) 6th - Reese Davis (OK) 7th - Jack Roszko (NY) 8th - Zachary Parker (CA) 145 lbs placewinners 1st - Michael Kilic (GA) 2nd - Fin Nadeau (MT) 3rd - Logan Ours (OH) 4th - Michael Bobola (MA) 5th - Jeremy Paradice (GA) 6th - Derek Raike (WV) 7th - Drake Acklin (OK) 8th - Cole Homet (PA) 152 lbs placewinners 1st - Nick Vafiadis (VA) 2nd - Nick Fea (PA) 3rd - MJ Gaitan (CA) 4th - Alex Poore (DE) 5th - Jonathan Ley (FL) 6th - Mark Takara (CA) 7th - Nick Sanko (NY) 8th - Samuel Beckett (PA) 160 lbs placewinners 1st - Luke Geog (OH) 2nd - Gunner Filipowicz (GA) 3rd - Dom Baker (VA) 4th - Derek Matthews (ID) 5th - Ceasar Garza (CA) 6th - Sergio Desiante (FL) 7th - Carter Baer (NY) 8th - Chase Kranitz (PA) 170 lbs placewinners 1st - Matthew Singleton (GA) 2nd - Jonathan Conrad (FL) 3rd - Michael Altomer (NY) 4th - Brody Conley (OH) 5th - Brock Fettig (ND) 6th - Chase Cordia (MO) 7th - Devon Bell (NC) 8th - Orion Thivierge (MT) 182 lbs placewinners 1st - Dylan Fishback (OH) 2nd - Kole Mulhauser (NY) 3rd - Gunnar Garriques (TN) 4th - Mitchell Broskie (OH) 5th - Hunter Adams (GA) 6th - Caleb Uhlenhopp (NV) 7th - Remington Peterson (CO) 8th - Royce Hall (VA) 195 lbs placewinners 1st - David Harper (TN) 2nd - Evan Anderson (OH) 3rd - Michael Bartush (CT) 4th - Jacob Meissner (MN) 5th - Luke Rasmussen (SD) 6th - Chris Murphy (CT) 7th - Owen Warren (SD) 8th - Chase Levey (PA) 220 lbs placewinners 1st - Nicholas Feldman (PA) 2nd - Eli Fortuner (VA) 3rd - Austin Kohlhofer (OH) 4th - Carson Floyd (NC) 5th - Levid Rodriguez (TN) 6th - Nico Rodriguez (ID) 7th - JT Connors (WA) 8th - Jairo Caceras (NY) 285 lbs placewinners 1st - Antonio Ramos (MA) 2nd - Jamier Ferere (NC) 3rd - Aiden LaComa (VA) 4th - Adolfo Betancur (RI) 5th - Nolan Neves (OH) 6th - Matthew Jimenez (FL) 7th - Matthew Cruise (PA) 8th - Harrison Merriman (MO)

2020 CIF state champion Alex Ramirez (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) NHSCA Senior National Placewinners 113 lbs 1st - Nicholas Curley (MA) 2nd - Evan Kinney (MA) 3rd - James Levy (SC) 4th - Kevin Lopez (NY) 5th - Josh Brault (CT) 6th - Mick Chagnon (MT) 7th - Conner Hueck (FL) 8th - Logan Pugh (UT) 120 lbs 1st - Chris Calderon (CA) 2nd - Daniel Uhorchuk (TN) 3rd - Kaden Ramos (ID) 4th - Quade Smith (UT) 5th - Jace Schafer (NY) 6th - Marlon Yarbrough (OH) 7th - Zachary Soda (MA) 8th - Evan Rawls (VA) 126 lbs 1st - Nico Provo (CT) 2nd - Carter Bailey (CA) 3rd - Josh Kodernadt (IL) 4th - Sebastian Melguizo (FL) 5th - Maximilian Leete (MA) 6th - James Joplin (NC) 7th - Owen Wolcott (PA) 8th - Brice Barton (TN) 132 lbs 1st - Richard Treanor (NC) 2nd - Joel Mylin (IL) 3rd - Christian Colman (PA) 4th - Dylan Chappell (PA) 5th - Kyren Butler (OH) 6th - CJ Shea (CT) 7th - Dayne Dalrymple (TN) 8th - Trenton Grant (DE) 138 lbs 1st - Rudy Lopez (CO) 2nd - Caleb Tyus (IL) 3rd - Jaekus Hines (FL) 4th - Nate Wade (NY) 5th - Joshua Sharron (NH) 6th - Kaleb Sanchez (UT) 7th - Reese Osborne (WY) 8th - Preston Walls (FL) 145 lbs 1st - Caine Tyus (IL) 2nd - Justin Mastroianni (CT) 3rd - Damon McGee Jr (VA) 4th - Nicholas Pallaria (NH) 5th - Jack Haskin (OH) 6th - Analu Benabise (WY) 7th - Cade Lucio (CA) 8th - J'Mari Lowman (CT) 152 lbs 1st - Alex Ramirez (CA) 2nd - William Miller (AL) 3rd - Darian Estevez (FL) 4th - Steven Mitchell (WV) 5th - Kaleb Burgess (NY) 6th - Marek Bush (NY) 7th - Ty Finn (CT) 8th - Connor Eck (PA) 160 lbs 1st - Peyten Kellar (OH) 2nd - Chandler Amaker (SC) 3rd - Aidan Faria (RI) 4th - Kaden Hart (MO) 5th - Cody Rice (FL) 6th - Ulises Varner (NC) 7th - Hayden Crow (WY) 8th - Nicholas Ross (NY) 170 lbs 1st - Nicholas Fine (RI) 2nd - Tylynn Lukens (FL) 3rd - Dylan Kohn (FL) 4th - Max Wilner (CA) 5th - Sean Babitt (AK) 6th - Draygan Colonese (CO) 7th - Wyatt Haynes (MO) 8th - Tyler Joseph (NY) 182 lbs 1st - Lucas Cochran (UT) 2nd - Justin Mayes (OH) 3rd - Gaven Bell (NY) 4th - Aiden Warren (IN) 5th - CJ Glaropoulos (MA) 6th - Isaiah Reinert (PA) 7th - Christian Smoot (UT) 8th - Remington Winmill (ID) 195 lbs 1st - Conor Maslanek (NH) 2nd - Luke Duthie (PA) 3rd - Jack Forbes (CO) 4th - Holden Cypher (NC) 5th - Dan Stradley (DE) 6th - Logan Stafford (WA) 7th - Nasir Dreuitt (DE) 8th - Starr Kelly (OH) 220 lbs 1st - Mason Cover (OH) 2nd - MacIntyre Thacker (UT) 3rd - Tristan Middlebrook (FL) 4th - Joshua Evans (VA) 5th - Jayden Dobson (AZ) 6th - Xavier Stillgess (FL) 7th - Jake Boley (CO) 8th - Bracken Hibbert (VA) 285 lbs 1st - Sebastian Garibaldi (NY) 2nd - Jacob Christensen (CA) 3rd - Triston Norris (NC) 4th - Emilio Franco (CA) 5th - Jake Andrews (CA) 6th - Charles Tamburin (WV) 7th - Chris Esparza (UT) 8th - Nate Miller (PA)

(Photo/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Cadet Freestyle World Team Trials Results 45 kg finals - Bo Bassett (PA) over Mack Mauger (ID) 10-0, Fall 1:49 3rd - Brandon Morvari (MN) 4th - Dru Ayala (IA) 5th - Edwin Sierra (AZ) 6th - Davis Motyka (PA) 7th - Javaan Yarbrough (OH) 8th - Colyn Limbert (OH) 48 kg finals - Luke Lilledahl (MO) over Nathan Desmond (PA) 8-5, 3-0 3rd - Daniel Guanajuato (AZ) 4th - Benjamin Bast (WI) 5th - Noah Nininger (VA) 6th - Benjamin Dunne (IL) 7th - Elias Navida (CA) 8th - Dominic Ducato (IL) 51 kg finals - Nathan Jesuroga (IA) over Aden Valencia (CA) 5-2, 2-0 3rd - Marc-Anthony McGowan (FL) 4th - Dalton Perry (PA) 5th - Alan Koehler (MN) 6th - Logan Swensen (MN) 7th - Marcello Milani (MI) 8th - Gylon Sims (IL) 55 kg finals - Spencer Moore (KY) over Kael Lauridsen (NE) 3-5, 11-4, 2-1 3rd - Mason Gibson (PA) 4th - Cael Hughes (OK) 5th - Kannon Webster (IL) 6th - Clayton Giddens (OK) 7th - Grigor Cholakyan (CA) 8th - Paul Kelly (CA) 60 kg finals - Beau Mantanona (CA) over Brock Bobzien (CA) Fall 2:51, 3-6, 12-10 3rd - Emilio Ysaguirre (AZ) 4th - Dylan Gilcher (MI) 5th - Jace Roller (OK) 6th - Christopher Coates (MO) 7th - Greyson Clark (WI) 8th - Ryder Block (IA) 65 kg finals - Meyer Shapiro (MD) over Jadon Skellenger (ID) 17-6, 10-0 3rd - Angelo Ferrari (OK) 4th - Noah Tolentino (CA) 5th - Jude Swisher (PA) 6th - Kael Voinovich (OH) 7th - Pierson Manville (PA) 8th - Christopher Moore (IL) 71 kg finals - Levi Haines (PA) over Aiden Riggins (IA) 12-2, 6-6, 10-4 3rd - Joshua Barr (MI) 4th - Braeden Scoles (WI) 5th - Antrell Taylor (NE) 6th - Joseph Sealey (NC) 7th - Thor Michaelson (WA) 8th - Grant MacKay (PA) 80 kg finals - James Rowley (OR) over Connor Mirasola (WI) 10-0, 9-4 3rd - Ryder Rogotzke (MN) 4th - Cody Merrill (CA) 5th - Drake Buchanan (IN) 6th - Tate Naaktgeboren (IA) 7th - Gabe Arnold (GA) 8th - Antony Tuttle (MN) 92 kg finals - Gavin Nelson (MN) over PJ Casale (NJ) 10-0, 10-0 3rd - Ben Kueter (IA) 4th - McCrae Hagarty (IA) 5th - Max Ramberg (WI) 6th - Blake Jouret (KS) 7th - Jersey Robb (OK) 8th - Nicholas Pavlechko (PA) 110 kg finals - Jim Mullen (NJ) over Bradley Hill (IA) 18-5, 9-7 3rd - Koy Hopke (WI) 4th - Aden Attao (ID) 5th - Ashton Davis (TN) 6th - Jacob Walker (IA) 7th - Nicholas Sahakian (CA) 8th - Sampson Stillwell (MO) U15 Freestyle World Team Trials Results 38 kg finals - Slater Hicks (CA) over Grey Burnett (OH) 6-4, 12-2 3rd - Ignacio Villasenor (CO) 4th - Nico DeSalvo (PA) 5th - Domenic Munaretto (IL) 6th - Lincoln Sledzianowski (FL) 7th - Caleb Noble (WI) 8th - Cole Welte (NE) 41 kg finals - Haakon Peterson (IA) over Michael Romero (CA) 6-2, 6-0 3rd - Rocco Cassioppi (IL) 4th - Bruno Cassioppi (IL) 5th - Lawson Eller (MN) 6th - Gus Cardinal (AZ) 7th - Griffin Rial (CO) 8th - Moses Mendoza (CA) 44 kg finals - Cooper Hilton (TN) over Seth Mendoza (IL) 1-1, 4-4 3rd - Isaiah Cortez (CA) 4th - Derek Barrows (CO) 5th - Deven Casey (IL) 6th - Aiden Smith (IA) 7th - Kellen Wolbert (WI) 8th - Ryker Graff (IA) 48 kg finals - Marcus Blaze (OH) over Matthew Martino (ID) 5-1, 8-4 3rd - Elijah Cortez (CA) 4th - Isaiah Schaefer (IN) 5th - Johnny Green (OH) 6th - Jacob Herm (WI) 7th - Christian Castillo (AZ) 8th - Gabriel Ramirez (AZ) 52 kg finals - Benjamin Davino (IL) over Anthony Knox (NJ) 4-6, 9-2, 4-4 3rd - Aaron Stewart (IL) 4th - Brock Mantanona (CA) 5th - Jackson Heslin (CA) 6th - Jake Knight (IA) 7th - Joshua Requena (CA) 8th - Angel Serrano (CO) 57 kg finals - Landon Robideau (MN) over Tyson Charmoli (MN) 7-1, 7-2 3rd - Vince Bouzakis (PA) 4th - Gunner Andrick (WV) 5th - Mason Gutenberger (MT) 6th - Alex Braun (MN) 7th - Kyler Knaack (IA) 8th - Garrett Reece (CO) 62 kg finals - Ladarion Lockett (OK) over Coby Merrill (CA) 10-0, 17-8 3rd - Brodie Dominique (OH) 4th - Travis Grace (CA) 5th - Claudio Torres (IL) 6th - Wyatt Krejsa (IN) 7th - Damarion Ross (IA) 8th - Nevin Smith (CO) 68 kg finals - Bas Daiz (FL) over Justin Avila (IA) 6-3, 7-2 3rd - Gor Vardanyan (ISU) 4th - Israel Ibarra (AZ) 5th - Bryce Burkett (MN) 6th - Emil Necula (GA) 7th - Angelo Posado (CA) 8th - Hudson Rogers (ID) 75 kg finals - Aeoden Sinclair (WI) over Terrell McFarland (PA) 3rd - Peyton Westpfahl (MO) 4th - Arvin Khosravy (CA) 5th - Dreshaun Ross (IA) 6th - Tyson Martin (WI) 7th - Luke Hancock (KS) 8th - Sir Friday (AZ) 85 kg placewinners 1st - De'Alcapon Veazy (IN) 2nd - Garett Kawczysnki (WI) 3rd - Espyn Sweers (WI) 4th - Joshua Francis (WI)

(Photo/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Cadet Greco-Roman World Team Trials Results 45 kg finals - Bo Bassett (PA) over Mack Maguer (ID) 7-1, 11-2 3rd - Edwin Sierra (AZ) 4th - Cadyn Coyle (NE) 5th - Davis Motyka (PA) 6th - Javaan Yarbrough (OH) 7th - Andrew Fox (UT) 8th - Brayten Casey (WI) 48 kg finals - Aden Valencia (CA) over Otto Black (CO) 10-2, 9-1 3rd - Luke Lilledahl (MO) 4th - Noah Nininger (VA) 5th - Sam Herring (PA) 6th - Nathan Desmond (PA) 7th - Elias Navida (CA) 8th - Tyler Washburn (FL) 51 kg finals - Kaedyn Williams (PA) over Treygen Morin (ID) 11-9, 11-14, 9-1 3rd - Elyle Francisco (AK) 4th - Alan Koehler (MN) 5th - Miles Anderson (NE) 6th - Logan Swensen (MN) 7th - Reid Spurley (WI) 8th - Turner Campbell (WI) 55 kg finals - Cory Land (AL) over Gable Porter (IA) 8-0, 8-4 3rd - Zan Fugitt (MO) 4th - Joe Fernau (IL) 5th - Kamdyn Williams (PA) 6th - Rhett Peak (OK) 7th - DJ Gillett (OR) 8th - Tanner Frothinger (ID) 60 kg finals - Brock Bobzien (CA) over Ayson Rice (SD) 8-0, 8-0 3rd - Keith Smith (NE) 4th - Jake Hubby (WA) 5th - Cole Rhemrev (IL) 6th - Colton Parduhn (AK) 7th - Jake Hall (WI) 8th - Elijah Paulson (MN) 65 kg finals - Jadon Skellenger (ID) over Joel Adams (NE) 11-8, 8-0 3rd - Pierson Manville (PA) 4th - Jayden Colon (IL) 5th - Tyler Antoniak (NE) 6th - Brett Back (WI) 7th - Gunnar Hamre (WI) 8th - Q'Veli Quintanilla (WA) 71 kg finals - Braden Stauffenberg (IL) over Malachi Rider (KY) 7-3, 9-3 3rd - Jake Jones (PA) 4th - Dylan Elmore (KS) 5th - Nicholas Hall (DE) 6th - Thor Michaelson (WA) 7th - Jed Wester (MN) 8th - Holden Garcia (NJ) 80 kg finals - Ryder Rogotzke (MN) over Antony Tuttle (MN) :48 3rd - Cody Merrill (CA) 4th - Soren Herzog (CO) 5th - Gabe Arnold (GA) 6th - Cole Han-Lindemyer (MN) 7th - Joshua Knudten (IL) 8th - Jacob Hansen (WI) 92 kg finals - Nathan Wemstrom (IL) over Connor Barket (IN) 8-0, 7-2 3rd - Robert Plympton (OR) 4th - Ryder Depies (WI) 5th - PJ Casale (NJ) 6th - Max Ramberg (WI) 7th - Jackson Dewald (IA) 8th - Sean Carroll (KS) 110 kg finals - Jim Mullen (NJ) over Aden Attao (ID) 12-3, 10-0 3rd - Koy Hopke (WI) 4th - Nicholas Sahakian (CA) 5th - Peyton Hahn (MO) 6th - Ashton Davis (TN) 7th - Sampson Stillwell (MO) 8th - Pierce Cunningham (KS) U15 Greco-Roman World Team Trials Results 38 kg finals - Domenic Munaretto (IL) over Slater Hicks (CA) 3-2, 2-0 3rd - Grey Burnett (OH) 4th - Lincoln Sledzianowski (FL) 5th - Ignacio Villasenor (CO) 6th - Nathan Rioux (IN) 7th - Cole Welte (NE) 8th - Allen Woo (IL) 41 kg finals - Haakon Peterson (IA) over Ezekiel Witt (KS) 6-2, 11-0 3rd - Michael Romero (CA) 4th - Griffin Rial (CO) 5th - Gus Cardinal (AZ) 6th - Cooper Stivers (KS) 7th - Revin Dickman (IN) 8th - Czar Quintanilla (WA) 44 kg finals - Cooper Hilton (TN) over Isaiah Cortez (CA) 1-4, 5-1, 6-3 3rd - Ryker Graff (IA) 4th - Jaxton Packer (ID) 5th - Aiden Smith (IA) 6th - Cole Rogers (MT) 7th - Derek Barrows (CO) 8th - Gianni Bottone (CO) 48 kg finals - Matthew Martino (ID) over Thomas Verrette (PA) 6-4, 8-5 3rd - Christian Castillo (AZ) 4th - Marcus Blaze (OH) 5th - Brodie Christmas (AL) 6th - Adam Butler (OH) 7th - Elijah Cortez (CA) 8th - Jeremiah Wachsmuth (OR) 52 kg finals - Jackson Heslin (CA) over Brock Weiss (PA) 8-0, 10-0 3rd - Aaron Stewart (IL) 4th - Brayden Canoyer (NE) 5th - Angel Serrano (CO) 6th - Lane Foard (VA) 7th - Joshua Requena (CA) 8th - Noah Koyama (WA) 57 kg finals - Vince Bouzakis (PA) over Phoenix Contos (OH) 14-5, 8-0 3rd - Landon Robideau (MN) 4th - Garrett Reece (CO) 5th - Hunter Sturgill (TN) 6th - Grady Mittasch (OK) 7th - Cittadino Tuttle (MN) 8th - Marco Dalakishvili (MO) 62 kg finals - Ladarion Lockett (OK) over Brodie Dominique (OH) 4-0, 8-0 3rd - Coby Merrill (CA) 4th - Travis Grace (CA) 5th - Wyatt Krejsa (IN) 6th - Jackson Marr (MN) 7th - Nevin Smith (CO) 8th - Jesse Penchi (WI) 68 kg finals - Hudson Rogers (ID) over Emil Necula (GA) 7-5, 5-4 3rd - Bryce Burkett (MN) 4th - Bas Diaz (FL) 5th - Angelo Posada (CA) 6th - Anthony Gutierrez (IL) 7th - Justin Avila (IA) 8th - Treston Eckstein (WI) 75 kg finals - Aeoden Sinclair (WI) over Brent Slade (IA) 10-0, 9-0 3rd - Terrell McFarland (PA) 4th - Peyton Westpfahl (MO) 5th - Luke Hancock (KS) 6th - Tyson Martin (WI) 7th - Sir Friday (AZ) 85 kg 1st - Garett Kawczysnki (WI) 2nd - De'Alcapon Veazy (IN) 3rd - Kayden Cartee (CA) 4th - Espyn Sweers (WI) 5th - Joshua Francis (WI)

Clackamas CC wins their third consecutive NJCAA national championship (Photo/NJCAA.com) Final Team Scores 1. Clackamas 152.5 2. Western Wyoming 147 3. Iowa Central 129 4. Pratt 126.5 5. Northeastern Oklahoma 125 6. North Idaho 92.5 7. Northwest Kansas Tech 81.5 8. Indian Hills 81 9. Iowa Western 80 10. Rochester CTC 79 Championship Finals 125 - Michael Spangler (Pratt) tech Cameron Enriquez (Clackamas) 18-2 133 - Zeth Brower (Clackamas) fall Jason Henschel (Pratt) 3:18 141 - Chinzorig Tsermaa (Northwest Kansas Tech) tech Bret Minor (Iowa Central) 24-9 149 - Sal Silva (North Idaho) dec Jacob Beeson (Pratt) 3-1 157 - Isaiah Crosby (Iowa Western) maj Dayton Porsch (Pratt) 16-4 165 - Christian Minto (North Iowa Area) dec Keaton Geerts (Iowa Central) 13-6 174 - Jose Rodriguez (Iowa Central) fall Mason Christensen (Western Wyoming) 6:17 184 - Jacari Deal (Northwest Kansas Tech) dec Gavin Christofferson (Rochester CTC) 7-4 197 - Zach Ferris (Cloud) dec Jose Valdez (North Iowa Area) 3-2TB 285 - Mitchell Williamson (Iowa Lakes) dec Jorden Pryor (Iowa Central) 3-1SV Third Place 125 - Garrett Ricks (Western Wyoming) dec Aidan Harris (Iowa Central) 9-3 133 - Parker Dobrocky (Rochester CTC) dec Caleb Meekins (Indian Hills) 5-3 141 - Marckis Branford (Clackamas) fall Caleb Nathan (Western Wyoming) 3:51 149 - Deville Dentis (Clackamas) fall Alex Young (Labette) 6:45 157 - Anthony Herrera (Western Wyoming) dec Chinges Tsermaa (Northwest Kansas Tech) 4-2SV 165 - Seth Brossard (Rochester CTC) dec Austin Raby (SW Oregon) 15-13SV 174 - Dax Bennett (Clackamas) dec Navarro Nanpuya (North Idaho) 14-12SV 184 - Deron Pulliam (Indian Hills) dec Jackson White (Northeastern Oklahoma) 5-2 197 - Tarik Sutkoivc (Clackamas) dec Tyler Scheurn (Western Wyoming) 6-3 285 - Dan Baker (Northeastern Oklahoma) fall Cohle Feliciano (North Idaho) 1:21 Fifth Place 125 - Chris Busutil (Indian Hills) fall Aseel Almudhala (Henry Ford) 2:41 133 - James Davis (Cloud) MedFFT Ryan Smith (Cowley) 141 - Creighton Baughman (Iowa Western) fall Blake Gonzalez (Northeastern Oklahoma) 2:01 149 - Dylan Brown (Northeastern Oklahoma) MedFFT Malik Johnson (Cowley) 157 - Trent Silva (Clackamas) dec Brandon Bollinger (North Idaho) 9-8 165 - Fabian Padilla (Iowa Western) dec Collin Smith (Western Wyoming) 4-1 174 - Dayton Fields (Northeastern Oklahoma) dec Jacobi Deal (Northwest Kansas Tech) 7-3 184 - Michael Gasper (Clackamas) MedFFT Jaden Roberts (Rowan) 197 - Josh McFarland (Iowa Western) dec Seth Sarasua (Northeastern Oklahoma) 3-2 285 - Devon Dawson (Pratt) fall Curtis Ruff (Triton) 6:28 Seventh Place 125 - Andres Russi (Joliet) fall Riley Weir (Labette) 1:56 133 - Destin Summers (Western Wyoming) fall Marquis Kemp (Otero) 6:56 141 - Victor Guzman (Indian Hills) dec Jacob Mitchell (Pratt) 11-10 149 - Cameron Metcalf (Western Wyoming) maj Nathan Lendt (Ellsworth) 11-3 157 - Josh Parks (Northeastern Oklahoma) fall Jake Patterson (Cowley) 1:42 165 - Weston Presser (North Idaho) tech Tyson Villalpando (Neosho) 16-1 174 - Massoma Endene (Iowa Lakes) dec Wyatt Simon (Rochester CTC) 7-0 184 - Andrew Nicholson (Western Wyoming) dec Deston Miller (Pratt) 6-4 197 - Khris Walton (Indian Hills) dec Ryan Murphy (Neosho) 4-2 285 - Jared Roehl (Mott) fall Wyatt Kearn (Western Wyoming) 1:29

Jim Dutrow sporting one of his many wresting shirts In our first "Fan Podcast Friday" we talk to Jim Dutrow who started Wrestling Shirt a Day in May last year. We discuss why and how Jim started this movement and how it gained steam throughout May of 2020. He also shares some new wrinkles to this year's edition and recounts some fun stories from last May.

Mike Poeta was named the head coach at the University of Illinois on Wednesday (Photo/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Mike Poeta was announced as the new Head Coach of Illinois on Wednesday. A star prep wrestler from the Chicago area, he was a monster for the Illini when he won two Big Ten titles and reached two NCAA finals. Perhaps most importantly, Poeta was a redshirt freshman in 2005, the year in which Illinois won the Big Ten when they put five in the finals. Iowa was 4th that year. Penn State 7th. Ohio State? Dead last at 11th. Maryland, Nebraska, and Rutgers weren't even in the conference yet. Two things to take away from that: 1) Poeta witnessed firsthand what it took to be a top-level team and 2) the landscape of college wrestling has changed a lot in 16 years. Rather quietly, Jim Heffernan had a fantastic career. In his 29 years on staff, they were Top 10 at NCAA's thirteen times. He coached 73 All Americans and had at least one AA every season for the last 28 years. Poeta keeping that kind of pace should be attainable. But job #1 will be recruiting. Illinois, and Chicago in particular, is one of the nation's hotbeds of high school talent. And yet, not many of those prospects make their way to Champaign. Since 2016, when Poeta began as an Assistant at Illinois, the state has produced 22 Top 50 recruits. Illinois landed just 2 of them. Top 50 Recruits From Illinois Since 2016: Isaiah White, Eric Schultz, Nathan Traxler, Rudy Yates, Travis Piotrowski, Jacob Warner, Austin Gomez, Austin O'Connor, Jason Renteria, Patrick Brucki, Kordell Norfleet, Anthony Cassioppi, Real Woods, Will Lewan, Markus Hartman, Kendall Coleman, Peter Christensen, Abe Assad, Luke Luffman, Dean Hamiti, Joel Vandevere, and Hayden Copass. Those That Went To Illinois: Piotrowski and Luffman How well will Poeta do as Head Coach? I really don't know. Some of the finest college coaches I spoke to say the man can coach. And in my limited experience with him, he came across as an awesome guy. I have to think if he can raise the retention rate of home-state blue-chippers even a little bit, he'll be in a great position to succeed. What I do know, however, is that it was one of the more bizarre job searches I've ever heard of. The position wasn't actually opened up. No one could actually 'apply.' The administration had a shortlist of four candidates: Poeta, Doug Schwab, Mark Branch, and Tony Ramos. Each of them had a 30 to 60-minute Zoom call, and that was that. Branch never heard back. Ramos never heard back. Schwab was offered the job and turned it down. The next day they announced that Poeta got the job. To your questions... What are the most common reasons a top recruit doesn't pan out? - @oldestgreatest Drinking and drugs and it's not close. Sure there is a percentage of clean living top prospects that just don't get it at the next level. But the majority of blue-chippers that don't meet next-level expectations are hittin' the bottle and partying on campus. Will the NCAA ever police the $$ involved with the RTC's? - @FarnhamBrian No. Nor should they. This topic could use a full article, or at least a solid rant by me on a show. But the short answer is: money for our senior athletes is good. The blue bloods having more RTC money is what makes them blue bloods. Jumping levels in this sport (or anything in life) requires hard work, whether that's in recruiting, training, coaching, or, yes, fundraising. Quit whining and get to work. You're limited to three toppings on a burger. Go - @wormbofello Fried onions, Bacon, BBQ sauce. Here's another one - when your burger is just about done cooking, hit it with an obscene amount of Italian season and let it seer in on both sides. Then mayo. Then ketchup. (No cheese needed). Thank me later. A Rewind - From the mailbag last week. What are your top 5 teams for next week's NJCAA Championship?! - @CCCWrestling Clackamas Pratt NE Oklahoma Western Wyoming Iowa Central Reality Clackamas Western Wyoming Iowa Central Pratt NE Oklahoma How Many States will Adopt the new Weight class options that were given? And Does it provide any Benefit to High school athletes with this "Suggestion"? - @OfficialMachuta The NFHS (National Federation of High Schools) released 3 sets of new weight class options for next season. To be honest, I don't know what power they even have. But one thing is for sure - the ability to enforce weight classes is certainly not among them. Michigan, Idaho, Montana, and a handful of other states use different weights than the Federation uses. PA and NY last year just made up their own. I don't know what the point of coming up with three new options really does, when they have been proven impotent on the matter previously. Shrug. I quite like wrestling people in the state making wrestling decisions for their state. It's a non-issue for me. What's your thoughts on New England wrestling? Is it not recruited as heavy as it should be? - @jrc0311 New England keeps getting better. There are numerous kids in my Junior High rankings or on my radar from that region. You're going to see some straight-up hammers for Blair from NH and CT and RI in the future. I don't know that it has been 'under-recruited' to this point, but they are coming. Like almost everything in high school wrestling these days - the credit (or deficiency) in any geographic location goes to the clubs.

Bubba Jenkins (left) and Lance Palmer (right) (Photos; Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) On Friday, the Professional Fighters League will launch their 2021 season on ESPN2. One of the marquee fights will feature former Penn State and Arizona State wrestler Bubba Jenkins taking on former Ohio State wrestler Lance Palmer. While this will be their first fight, the then Big Ten rivals had a rather extensive four-match series during the 2007-2008 season. The following looks back at how those matches were covered by Penn State's sports information department. Jenkins and Palmer first faced off in a dual match during the 2008 National Duals event on Jan. 13, 2008. “In another highly anticipated bout, No. 4 Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.) took on No. 10 Lance Palmer of Ohio State at 149. After a short break due to a false fire alarm in the UNI-Dome, Jenkins seemed energized and began to force the tempo. With Palmer on defense, the Nittany Lion sophomore was able to pick his spots, getting in on two consecutive high single legs and finishing off the second attempt for a 2-1 lead with :30 left in the period (after the Palmer escape). Down by one, Palmer chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 2-2 tie. Jenkins continued to set the tempo, forcing Palmer back towards the edge of the mat. The Buckeye caught Jenkins by the shoulders, however, and took him down for two points and two back points. But Jenkins immediately reversed him and after a furious :30 of wrestling, Palmer held a 7-4 lead. Down by three heading into the final period, Jenkins chose down to start the third. Jenkins escaped to a 7-5 deficit with 1:20 left to wrestle and immediately tied the bout at 7-7 with a quick double ankle pick. Palmer escaped to an 8-7 lead with :52 left. With :10 left, Palmer countered a late Jenkins shot and got a clinching takedown to post a stunning 10-7 upset win and push OSU out to a 12-0 lead.” The rematch came less than two weeks later as Penn State traveled to Columbus for the regularly scheduled Big Ten match. “The bout began at 149, where Penn State's Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.), ranked No. 6, took on No. 5 Lance Palmer in one of the dual's marquee match-ups. The duo spent the first part of the bout working for an opening, focusing on the upper body. Jenkins took a quick shot with 1:00 left but was countered by Palmer, who gained control of Jenkins' leg, but the Lion sophomore fought out of the situation to keep the bout scoreless. Jenkins was called for a first stall warning as the first period ended in a scoreless tie. Jenkins chose down to start the middle stanza and, after three resets (and a first Palmer stall warning), escaped to a 1-0 lead at the 1:15 mark. Jenkins shot low on Palmer and gained control of Palmer's shoulders, nearly getting a takedown. After a short scramble, Jenkins completed the takedown to up his lead to 3-0 with :20 left. Palmer worked feverishly for a reversal, but Jenkins maintained control to keep his 3-0 lead after two periods. Palmer chose down to start the final period and escaped to a 3-1 deficit. Jenkins completed another single-leg, gaining control of Palmer's left leg. Working steadily for a second takedown, Jenkins grabbed onto Palmer's left ankle and got the points to lead 5-2 (after a Palmer escape) with :36 left in the bout. Jenkins was able to fight off Palmer's last-second attempts at a takedown and walked off with an impressive 5-2 decision. The victory, which avenged a loss to Palmer at the National Duals, put the Nittany Lions up 3-0 early.” Jenkins moved ahead in the series with a 6-5 decision victory over Palmer in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament. After advancing, Jenkins ran into Brent Metcalf in the next round and dropped into the consolation bracket via a 15-3 major decision. Palmer and Jenkins would meet once again in the fifth-place match. “In the fifth-place bout against Palmer, Palmer came out early and pressured Jenkins, forcing the Nittany Lion to the outside circle. But after a reset with 2:00, Jenkins got in deep on Palmer's left ankle and began working for a go-ahead takedown. After a brief scramble, Jenkins got the two points with 1:30 left, but gave up a point for locking his hands. Palmer then escaped to knot the score at 2-2 with just over a minute left in the period. That score held for the final minute of the opening period. Tied 2-2 after one period, Jenkins chose down to start the second stanza. Jenkins scrambled around underneath Palmer and, after a protracted struggle, gained control of the Buckeye's ankle, pulled him back onto the mat and got a reversal to take a 4-2 lead with a minute left. Palmer re-aggravated an injury during the scramble and, with Nationals just two weeks away, opted to take an injury default. The win gave Jenkins a fifth-place finish and ends his tournament run 2-2. He heads to the NCAA Tournament with a 22-5 record.” Despite the fifth-place finish at the Big Ten tournament, Jenkins would rebound in a big way at the NCAA tournament. He made the finals before falling once again to Brent Metcalf. After transferring to Arizona State in 2011, Jenkins would return to the finals and famously score a fall over David Taylor to become an NCAA champion. He made his MMA debut about nine months later. Palmer would finish the season with an eighth-place finish at the NCAA tournament to become an All-American for the second time. He would exhaust his eligibility during the 2010 season with a runner-up performance against Metcalf. The four-time All-American eventually made the switch to MMA the following year.

The West Liberty team at the 2021 NCAA DII National Championships (Photo/West Liberty athletics) Is it just me, or is it difficult to come up with a great title for an article? Don't get me wrong, sometimes they write themselves, but I just could not come up with something catchy this time. And frankly, this is an important look at the premier dual tournament in the country. The NWCA National Duals tournament is just 262 short days away and it's time to get excited about it. I remember waking up on my wife's birthday last year and wondering why she was not celebrating by bringing me breakfast in bed. Instead, I found her weeping in the kitchen, her entire morning routine in shambles because of a breaking news story. I joined her on our beautiful vinyl plank floor, wailing at an unjust wrestling god as I, too, learned that the NWCA 2021 Multi-Division National Duals Championship had been canceled. I may be embellishing this story a little, but I am sure that I uttered expletives that had my wife yelling “ear muffs” at my five-year-old daughter when I heard the news. The 2021 season was just one “canceled” release after another for wrestling fans and this one hurt. There was a silver lining to the season, though, as the NCAA tournament did take place and the athletes were given a chance to compete. More than that, they were also provided an extra year of eligibility that turned the entire season into a “do-over.” Which is the route that it looks like the coaches committee initially took in regards to selecting the teams for the 2022 Division II dual tournament. In theory, inviting all of the teams that were extended welcomes to the 2021 National Dual tournament seems the fairest route. It was through no fault of their own that the opportunity to participate in this great showcase was taken from them. On the merit of their 2019 seasons, they had earned the right to travel to Louisville and battle for the title. The field was stacked with the return of the national champion St. Cloud State and runner-up McKendree. The University of Central Oklahoma, Nebraska-Kearney, Pitt-Johnstown, Notre Dame College, Upper Iowa, and Tiffin all earned their spot based on how they finished the 2019 season in Cleveland, which earned them automatic entry. The application process to fill the bracket was opened and another eight teams made the cut. Gannon, Lindenwood, Mercyhurst, Newberry, Colorado-Mesa, Kutztown, Indianapolis, and Maryville were all in. The bracket was sure to be loaded and the wrestling was going to be a madhouse of talent. Of those programs, only Kutztown University sat out all of 2020, joining much of the PSAC in not competing. Pitt-Johnstown competed in their Super Regional despite skipping the rest of the season, while the rest of the programs wrestled the abbreviated schedule allowed by the pandemic. The fact is that they were robbed of their chance to wrestle each other in the showcase that is National Duals. To right a wrong, they deserved a chance to compete. Here is where things get a little murky, though. If those are the 16 teams that make the tournament in 2022, it leaves out some excellent programs. You may notice that three squads are missing from that list that just finished in the top-10 of the 2021 NCAA Men's National Wrestling Tournament. Just like those other programs, their athletes have the opportunity to return and compete after the “free” year. Those teams are just as loaded and deserving of a trip to Louisville to battle for a national dual title. If we extend the “missing” list out to the top-16 finishing teams at the 2021 tournament, six teams are missing from the NWCA tournament right now. But thankfully, there is hope on the horizon. It appears that the powers that be have recognized how just weird or ridiculous it would be to have a “national championship” without the best possible teams in attendance. After taking time to reflect and search for solutions, the application process has opened for teams not currently invited. What does that mean for us? MORE WRESTLING! That is correct; the field is going to be expanded. Right now, it is not set in stone how much, but with six top-16 teams still available, the bracket could be as large as 24. Who is out right now and why they could/should be in (in alphabetical order). *spoiler alert they all deserve to be in Ashland University -7th Ashland had an excellent finish in their first season under new head coach Colt Sponseller, returning to the top-10 and finishing 17 team points ahead of, already in, Colorado-Mesa University. The Eagles could return five All-Americans and six total national qualifiers. Not to mention, they will finally add the talented Drew Weichers to the starting roster after his transfer from Mount Olive. He could jump into the lineup next to Chance Esmont, the redshirt junior who just missed out on qualifying for the national tournament in 2021. Their lineup features an All-American in the lead-off spot, Christian Wellman, who finished fourth. He defeated Josh Portillo, Paxton Rosen, and Isaiah DeLaCerda all in the wrestlebacks to battle back to the consolation finals after losing in the first round. At 149, Carson Speelman reached the quarterfinals before falling to Noah Hermosillo. He fought back and was able to avenge that defeat in the 5th place match earning All-American honors. Daniel Beemer made the 174 semifinals before losing to eventual national champion Abner Romero. His third-place finish shows that he is a contender again next year for a national title. The Eagles have an All-American anchoring their lineup, Tristen Weirich, who is now a three-time AA after his sixth-place finish. This is a great lineup and arguably a top-five dual team. There is no possible way to keep them out. Colorado School of Mines - 14th Head coach Austin DeVoe had his Orediggers on the cusp of a top-10 team finish in 2021. They finished just two points shy of breaking through! The Orediggers managed the feat with just two national qualifiers after a tough Super Regional tournament. Big man Weston Hunt fell in the NCAA finals to Kam Teacher, but added falls in two matches along the way. Anderson Salisbury entered the 184 weight class undefeated and after a tough battle through the tournament, managed an eighth-place finish and All-American honors. With their return, much like Findlay, they have a start to a strong dual lineup. Ryan Fidel (174) just missed out on qualifying for the national tournament with the ridiculous changes to the process. He will return and be a force. I also expect 2020 national qualifier, Nolan Funk, to bounce back after a rough 2021. That puts a lot of firepower on the top part of this lineup with studs from 174 through heavyweight. They also have 2019 Round of 12 athlete Skyler Lykins (165) and 2019 qualifier Noah Ottum (149). Sophomore Noah Carter (157) just missed out on his trip to St Louis, and if you look at the athletes they could send out from 149 through heavyweight, this is a team that could do serious damage at a national dual tournament. They have to be in. Fairmont State University - 16th It was a historical year for Fairmont State University and head coach Colin Johnston. In just their second season as a program, they crowned a Super Regional champion, and then the icing on the cake, Lukas Martin, won the 149-pound national championship. The sophomore transfer from West Virginia shocked the weight class after beating three of the best to earn his crown. With his return, the Falcons will still need more help to be ready to compete as a full dual lineup. Last season they finished 2-2 with wins over Glenville State and Wheeling. A close loss to West Liberty and a bit of a drubbing at the hands of Davis & Elkins showed that there is work still to be done. Who else in the lineup can make waves? Keep an eye on freshman Noah Kiszka; he put together a 5-1 season with a loss to Caleb Morris that ended his hopes of a trip to St Louis. Cade Moisey should return at 174, while TJ Boyd earned some quality wins at heavyweight. This lineup needs help down low though, hopefully recruiting went well because they need a strong 125 and 133. Nothing drums up interest in a program like its first national champion. And we all know this region has plenty of quality athletes. Looking at the potential rosters of other teams already invited, I say, “they are in.” Findlay University - 12th We knew that Findlay was going to have a solid wrestling team in 2021. They returned national qualifiers Zach Collins (125) and Branson Proudlock (141). And they were getting back their senior All-American leader James Wimer (157). Proudlock earned himself All-American honors in 2021, finishing eighth, while James Wimer surprised no one by finishing as the 2021 national champion. This lineup will feature the three amigos if Wimer takes advantage of the extra year, and those three athletes are a great building block for a good dual team. Head coach Shawn Nelson has some holes to fill in this Roughneck lineup overall, but the cupboard is far from bare. Much like Fairmont State, they have a core to build around and I say, “in.” Minnesota State University Mankato - 10th The Mavericks finished 10th this season under the leadership of head coach Jim Makovsky. All three athletes who qualified for the NCAA national tournament finished as All-Americans. Trevor Turiff fell in the 174 national finals to Abner Romero, and if the senior returns, it will be a legitimate national title threat. Seniors Trenton McManus (125) and Kyle Rathman (149) both found their way to the podium as well. McManus finished eighth while Rathman came in at seventh. You have to think that all three of these seniors have a tough decision to make, but if they return, this Mavs lineup is going to be fire. There is help for them though, Brock Luthens (133) returns as well as Kolbe O'Brien (141) and Cooper Siebrecht (157). All three were major contributors during the shortened season, notching very good wins. If they can find a solution at 165 and 184, this lineup gets even stronger. They could return senior Matt Blome at 197 and if he can return to freshman form, he is a national qualifier level talent. Not traditionally a team that heads to this national dual tournament lately, I would love to see them in Louisville. I am crossing my fingers and saying, “in.” West Liberty University - 4th Easily the most notable and glaring omission under the original team list, the Hilltoppers are coming off a historic season under second-year head coach Danny Irwin. The highest finish in program history came after the addition of two former Wheeling Jesuit national champions to an already solid young lineup. West Liberty finished fourth, just a half a point behind Lindenwood University in an exciting team race that came down to the 184-pound match finish. West Liberty left the building with four All-Americans, three of them finalists. No school crowned more national champions than the Hilltoppers with two and only St. Cloud State had more athletes reach the finals. This lineup will return all four All-Americans, including national champion Cole Laya (125) and two-time champion Tyler Warner (133). Connor Craig (184) could return after his runner-up finish, and the 2019 national champion remains a title threat. They also bring back All-American big man Francesco Borsellino who finished seventh. National qualifiers Chase Morgan (165) and Logan Kemp (197) are essential parts of the lineup and for the senior Kemp, when healthy, he's one of the best in the country. Ty McGeary (174) showed why he was such a great transfer grab as well; he notched big wins and only a loss to All-American Dan Beemer at the Super Regional kept him from reaching the national tournament. There are a few holes in this lineup that need athletes to step up in 2022 to give them a real shot at ending St. Cloud's win streak, but Irwin always seems to find an athlete or two in the transfer portal. West Liberty is a better tournament than a dual team, but there is no way they are not deserving of a trip to the NWCA tournament in Louisville. If they are not “in,” I am crying foul. This tournament is where St. Cloud State's winning streak could come to an end. It nearly happened in 2020 when Central Oklahoma University pushed them to the limit, but 2022 will present the Huskies with a host of challengers. Their undoing could come at the hands of one of these teams trying to make the tournament, but only if they are given a chance. I look forward to making my way to Kentucky for the first time and watching some great wrestling while there.

Luke Smith (left) was the Roadrunners interim head coach in 2020-21, but was named head coach Wednesday (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Bakersfield, Calif. – CSU Bakersfield Director of Athletics and AVP of Student Affairs Dr. Kenneth 'Ziggy' Siegfried has announced the hiring of Luke Smith as the department's head wrestling coach. Smith served as the program's interim head coach during an abbreviated 2020-21 season and was the Roadrunner's lead assistant for two seasons under Manny Rivera. "Luke did an excellent job guiding our wrestling student-athletes through a tumultuous season," said Siegfried. "In the face of adversity, the team remained engaged academically and within the CSUB community, and competed to a high standard in both the Pac-12 Conference and at the National level. Luke is a tremendous leader and role model for our student-athletes, well respected in the wrestling community and believes deeply in the tradition and character of CSUB Wrestling." Chance Rich, Angelo Martinoni and Dominic Ducharme all reached the 2021 NCAA Championship Tournament under Smith's tutelage, as the `Runners sent a wrestler to the National Event for the 47th-consecutive season. Rich won three times in St. Louis and finished just one win shy of All-American Honors in the 133 lb weight class. Ducharme earned his bid to the tournament by winning the Pac-12 Championship at 184 lbs. Rich was the conference runner-up at 133 lbs, while Martinoni placed third in the 141 lb bracket. "I've been thoroughly impressed by Luke's leadership this season under unimaginable circumstances" said Senior Associate AD for External Affairs & Capital Projects Karen Langston. "He has more than proven himself over three years on our wrestling staff, and in particular this past year as our Interim Head Coach. Luke is highly regarded around the country and will undoubtedly build on the storied culture and success our wrestling program has enjoyed throughout its history. I am thrilled to see the interim tag removed from his title and for him to take the reins of CSUB Wrestling." Prior to CSUB, Smith coached seven seasons at Eastern Michigan, including the last three as the program's top assistant. In his final season at EMU, he mentored a school-record five national qualifiers and the program's first All-American since 1999. Smith also coached two seasons at Old Dominion, after starting his coaching career with a single season on the staff of his alma mater Central Michigan. ­­ "I want to thank Dr. Siegfried, Karen Langston and the entire search committee for believing in my ability to lead the wrestling program at CSUB," Smith said. "I'd also like to thank my family for their support, as well as all the coaches and student-athletes, who have given me opportunities to do what I love over the past 13 seasons. I'm looking forward to continuing the rich tradition and culture of CSUB Wrestling, and work with our student-athletes, day in and day out, to represent a Bakersfield community that means so much to our program." Smith was a four-time NCAA Qualifier as a student-athlete for the Chippewas and ranked as high as #4 in the country during his senior season at 125 lbs, leading CMU to a #2 National Ranking. Smith earned 2005 Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year honors and holds the record for the two fastest pins in CMU history at 0:11 and 0:13 seconds, respectively. He graduated from Central Michigan in 2008, with a degree in Sports Management & Coaching. Smith also boasts a pair of top-five finishes at United States' Team Trial competition in his career and was a two-time Wisconsin State Champion as a prep athlete.

Mike Poeta (center) at the 2020 Big Ten Championships (Photo/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Our Big Ten correspondent Cody Goodwin joined us last night to talk about Mike Poeta's assuming the head coaching role at his alma mater, the University of Illinois. Poeta was a two-time NCAA runner-up and has served on previous head coach Jim Heffernan's coaching staff since the 2017-18 season.

Mike Poeta coaching at the 2020 Big Ten Championships; Photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com Champaign, Ill. -- Mike Poeta, who established himself as one of Illinois's all-time greatest wrestlers and top assistant coaches in the nation as a member of the Fighting Illini staff, was named head wrestling coach today by Illinois Director of Athletics Josh Whitman. "We are thrilled to welcome Mike Poeta to our Fighting Illini head coaching family," Whitman said. "Mike is a native of our great state, is a proud University of Illinois alumnus, and is one of the most decorated wrestlers in our program's rich history. From our first conversations about this position, Mike impressed us with his leadership skills, energy, and vision for the future of the Fighting Illini wrestling program. He has unrivaled passion for Illinois Wrestling, and we are confident that enthusiasm will carry forward into his recruiting and coaching. "Mike has first-hand appreciation for, and will build upon, the longstanding tradition of wrestling success built by Mark Johnson and Jim Heffernan over the past three decades. Congratulations and welcome to Mike, Callie, and their four children for joining us on this journey and leading Illinois Wrestling to a bright, successful future." Poeta, 35, is considered one of the top recruiting and development coaches in the nation, and this spring finished his fourth season on recently retired head coach Jim Heffernan's staff. "I'm so happy for Mike, and the program," Heffernan said. "It's been fun watching this process come full circle from Mike's days as an Illini student-athlete, to running a successful club, coming back to campus as an assistant coach and now leading the program. I love the fact that we will have an alum as our new head coach. I've always been a big fan of Mike's coaching and look forward to watching his impact on the Illini wrestling program." "I am honored and excited to be the next head wrestling coach at the University of Illinois," Poeta said. "It was an absolute dream come true to be part of this institution as a wrestler, assistant coach, and now head coach. I have so much love for the wrestlers on the team, this program, this school, and this state. We have a great young team that can do great things. I want to thank coach Heff, who I have learned so much from over the last four years. He's a class act and represented this university how it should be. He left some big shoes to fill but my goal is to lift this program from great to elite. Poeta was a member of Illinois's 2005 Big Ten title team and earned three All-America honors and two Big Ten titles. "Mike Poeta is one of the truly special people and athletes who I've had a chance to work with during my career," said former Illini head coach Mark Johnson. "He is one of the all-time best wrestlers to compete for Illinois. Personally, he is one of the guys I remain in close contact with and I am excited to see this position stay in the Illini family that we started in 1992. I look forward to the continuation of great things from the Fighting Illini wrestling program for many years under Mike." Before joining Heffernan's staff for the 2017-18 season, Poeta spent the previous five years as owner and head coach of the Poeta Training Center in Lake Forest, Illinois. During its inaugural year, Team Poeta grew from 40 wrestlers to 200 wresters. Since then, the training center has produced 19 high school and junior high state champions. As the former owner of the team and training center, Poeta brought both administrative and coaching experience to the Illinois staff. From an administrative side, Poeta managed the club's budget and payroll for its 10 assistant coaches, while also directing fundraising events for non-profit organizations that benefited young wrestlers in the Chicago area. Additionally, Poeta built strong connections with some of the top high school athletes and coaches in the state of Illinois through various recruiting combines and clinics. Prior to creating the Poeta Training Center, Poeta spent three years wrestling professionally. In 2010, Poeta represented the United States at the 2010 World Cup in Moscow, Russia. Two years later, Poeta competed at the 2012 Olympic Trials. A 157-pounder from 2004-08 for the Illini, Poeta became one of the most successful wrestlers in Fighting Illini history and was a member of Illinois's 2005 Big Ten championship team. Individually, Poeta was a three-time All-American, two-time NCAA finalist, two-time Big Ten champion (2008, 2009) and two-time Midlands champion (2007, 2008). After finishing third at the 2007 NCAA Championships, he was a finalist in both 2008 and 2009. Poeta left Illinois with a career collegiate record of 105-14 to rank second all-time in win percentage (.891) and 15th in career wins, and he currently ranks third and 22nd in those categories. Poeta graduated from the College of Applied Health Sciences with a bachelor's degree in community health in 2009. A native of Highwood, Illinois, Poeta was rated the No. 1 pound-for-pound high school recruit in 2004 after winning three High School National Championships and two IHSA state championships. He was a four-time Illinois state placewinner (3rd-3rd-1st-1st) and compiled a career prep record of 175-5. Poeta was the 2004 Junior Freestyle National champion (152 pounds), two-time Cadet Freestyle National champion (2001, 2002) and a member of the Wrestling USA Dream Team (2004). Poeta will receive a four-year contract starting at $160,000 annually, with his appointment subject to University of Illinois Board of Trustees approval.

Recently, InterMat took a road trip to Boone, North Carolina to check out the Appalachian State wrestling facilities and other areas of interest on and around campus. Head coach John Mark Bentley, NCAA qualifier Will Formato, and Rachel Gallardo were our hosts for the trip. "The Grind" podcast host Jeremy Barnes also joined us for lunch at the Daniel Boone Inn, a Boone, North Carolina institution. Some technical difficulties prevented us from having more footage at the Daniel Boone Inn, as intended. Appalachian State Wrestling Room (Part One) Appalachian State Wrestling Room (Part Two) Appalachian State Team Room The Chancellor's Suite The Daniel Boone Inn (Part One) The Daniel Boone Inn (Part Two)

Rei Higuchi at the 2016 Olympic Games (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The Uzbekistan freestyle team had a disappointing World Championships back in 2019 at Nur-Sultan when it failed to qualify even a single weight out of the six Olympic categories. A delay in the qualifying tournaments due to the COVID-19 had their wrestlers struggling to maintain weight and had restricted training. But a week back, when the Uzbekistan team left Almaty after the Asian Olympic Qualifiers, they were the most successful freestyle team with four qualified athletes including veterans Bekzod Abdurakhamonov (74kg) and Magomed Ibragimov (97kg). The two others were youngsters Muminjon Abdullaev (57kg) and Javrail Shapiev (86kg). Despite their success, a surprising result at 65kg spoiled their party. Ilyas Bekbulatov arrived in Almaty as the favorite to win the 65kg weight category but he was stunned in the semifinal. In all likelihood, he will now wrestle at the last chance World Olympic Qualifier in Sofia, Bulgaria next month. His result was not the only surprising one in Almaty. Japan had a disastrous tournament in freestyle and Greco-Roman. India, which had three qualified wrestlers in Nur-Sultan, failed to qualify even one in Almaty, despite all three reaching the semifinals. The following are some of the biggest names that are yet to qualify for the Olympic Games in Tokyo Freestyle: Ilyas Bekbulatov (Uzbekistan): Two points. That was all Bekbulatov needed to qualify for the Olympics. After dominating the field at 65kg in Almaty, the Russia-transfer to Uzbekistan was up against Ernazar Akmataliev of Kyrgyzstan. After the Uzbek had built a 8-0 lead in the first period, Akmataliev threw him on his back with a head lock and got the pin eight seconds before the end of the first period. Having won the 70kg Asian title in 2020, Bekbulatov went back to his native Dagestan to continue his training. He had completed the transfer in a hope to compete at the Olympic Games, as it became harder and harder from Russia. Now, as only two weeks remain for the Sofia tournament, it becomes a huge challenge for him to qualify given that he has to undergo the whole process of reducing his weight. Not to talk about the opponents he will face in Sofia. Jordan Olivier from the USA, Rio Olympic champion at 57kg Vladimer Khinchegashivili (GEO) and Poland veteran Magomedmurad Gadzhiev are all eyeing the two spots available. Turkey's Selahattin Kilicsallayan will also pose big trouble for him. Niurgun Skriabin of Belarus, Ukraine's Vasyl Shuptar, Vladimir Dubov of Bulgaria and David Habat of Slovenia are the underdogs of the category. Rei Higuchi (Japan): The biggest story from Almaty has to be Rio Olympics silver medalist Higuchi failing to make the weight in the 57kg category. After winning the All-Japan Championships in December 2019 to represent his country at the Asian Olympic qualifiers, a delay of one year did not help his plans. His quest for his second Olympic medal ended when he was disqualified for being overweight by 50 grams. He is unavailable for the last chance as the Japan Wrestling Federation had already decided that Yuki Takahashi will go to Sofia in a bid to win the spot for Japan. The JWF is considering a trial in case Takahashi wins. Sohsuke Takatania (Japan): A former world silver medalist and two-time Olympian, Takatani could have given Japan their quota at 86kg but he flopped in stunning fashion. After leading 6-1 against unheralded Zushen Lin of China, he gave up six points to lose 8-7. Lin scored the final takedown with just 23 seconds left on the clock. Women's Wrestling Seema (India): India's recent success in women's wrestling have made them a strong force in Asia. The lightweight wrestlers have always been more successful than their heavier counterparts. So when Seema was entered for the Almaty tournament, she was expected to qualify for the Tokyo Games, given that she had finished seventh at the World Championships. Unfortunately, she failed to do so after big losses to eventual champion Yui Susaki of Japan and 2019 Ivan Yargyin champion Namuuntsetseg Ochir of Mongolia. Her performance did not replicate the success she had in the lead up to the World Championships, having won two ranking series gold medals and being a top-three wrestler for United World Wrestling throughout the year. It is yet uncertain who will represent India at the last chance qualifiers in Sofia and Seema may have to appear for a second trial back home in India. Tserenchimed Sukhee (Mongolia): Mongolia could not have asked for a better tournament as they qualified four wrestlers out of the five they brought to Almaty. The unlucky one being Tserenchimed Sukhee. Having jumped up a weight category to 62kg from 57kg, Tserenchimed was looking good to qualify as she reached the semifinal despite a 4-4 loss to Ayaulym Kassymova. But Chinese wrestler Jia Long handed her a 10-0 loss in the semifinal to end the Mongolian's dream. Mongolia is likely to send Bolortuya Khurelkhuu to Sofia as she won a silver medal at the following Asian Championships in Almaty. Greco-Roman Meiirzhan Shermakhanbet (Kazakhstan): Wrestling at home could have been enough motivation for Shermakhanbet to win an Olympic quota for Kazakhstan. But Marlen Asikeev of Kyrgyzstan had other ideas. Both met in the qualification round at 67kg weight category and Asikeev controlled the bout to perfection. He not only took the lead but maintained it to win 8-2. The Kazak wrestler will have to go through the tough process of qualifying via the last chance in Sofia. Kim Hyeonwoo (Korea): Korea's 2012 Olympics champion and bronze medalist in Rio had a forgetful tournament as he lost in the quarterfinal of the 77kg category in Almaty. Wrestling against India's Gurpreet Singh, Kim gave up two four-point throws and suffered a 9-0 loss. To add insult to injury, Kim failed to medal at the Asian Championships at 82kg. It will be interesting to see if Korea sends a new entry to Sofia or will stick with 33-year-old Kim. Gurpreet Singh (India): He managed to beat two-time Olympic medalist Kim Hyeonwoo in Almaty but was tossed around by Akzhol Makhmudov of Kyrgyzstan as India's biggest hope to qualify for the Olympics ended in Almaty. A former Asian Championships medalist Gurpreet came to Almaty as one of the favorites to qualify, but Makhmudov handed him a 8-2 defeat to end his chance. It is likely that India may have a trial between Gurpreet and Sajan, a multiple-time age-group world medalist, to decide who goes to Sofia. Hossein Nouri (Iran): The favorite to qualify from Almaty in the 87kg weight category was Hossein Nouri of Iran. A three-time Asian champion and winner of Asian Games, Nouri suffered a 4-4 loss to Fei Peng of China. Leading 4-0 in the second period, Nouri was sent on his back when Peng produced a surprise move to win on criteria. Iran had won three quotes in Nur-Sultan and two more in Almaty. A quota at 87kg would have completed their squad for Tokyo, but now Iran will be racing against time to find a candidate for the Sofia tournament.

Gable Steveson at the Olympic Trials in early April (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) One of the main reasons why the Olympic/World Team Trials falls on the calendar where it does is because the NCAA tournament is a Trials qualifier. The winner of each of the ten weight classes has the option to enter the Trials with the hope of making the World or Olympic team. Some proponents have advocated for moving the Trials since many NCAA champions still need time to develop and convert to freestyle. However, a few college wrestlers have walked right off the folkstyle mats and then represented the U.S. on the international scene. The following looks at the wrestlers who made men's freestyle Olympic/World teams right after winning an NCAA title, and a few who came very close, from the last five NCAA tournaments. NCAA Champions who made the Olympic/World Team in the same year Kyle Snyder (2016, 2017, and 2018) Snyder might be a special case. He accomplished the rare feat of winning his first Senior-level World title before winning an NCAA title. He made the Olympic/World team after each one of his NCAA titles, as a sophomore, junior and senior. In 2016, Snyder sat and waited in the 97 kg finals as the reigning World champion. 2012 Olympic gold medalist Jake Varner earned the right to face him after winning the challenge tournament. Varner defeated Snyder in the first match 4-4 on criteria. However, the Ohio State wrestler won the next two matches by a combined 10-1 score to make the Olympic team. Snyder went on to become the youngest Olympic gold medalist in the history of American wrestling. After yet another NCAA title, Snyder found himself with a bye to the finals, once again. This time, his opponent was a familiar rival. Kyven Gadson had previously shocked Snyder in the finals of the 2015 NCAA tournament. Two years later, they would face off in the best-of-three finals with a trip to the World Championships on the line. This time, Snyder dominated the contest and took 10-0 and 13-2 victories to make the team. He would go on to pick up his second World championship. Snyder finished his collegiate eligibility with another NCAA title. USA Wrestling implemented the Final X concept in 2018, which meant that Snyder waited in the finals due to his previous World title. Once again, he faced off against Gadson in the finals, and once again, Snyder advanced with a two-match sweep. Snyder would go on to finish second at the World championships. Interestingly enough, Snyder's opponent in the NCAA finals, Adam Coon would win Final X on the Greco Roman side to also make the World team. He went on quite a run at 130 kg and brought home a silver medal. J'den Cox (2016 and 2017) It would be wrong to say that Cox came out of nowhere at the 2016 Olympic Trials. However, few thought he would be able to make the run he did. Not only did he make the team, but he also managed to defeat a pair of Hodge Trophy winners along the way. Cox first ran into veteran Jake Herbert and took an 8-1 decision. He then got by with a 3-1 win over Keith Gavin in order to make the best-of-three series against Kyle Dake. Dake was clearly giving up a lot of size. However, he managed to win one of the three matches. In the end, Cox pulled it out and made the team. At the Games, he broke through and brought home a bronze medal. The following year, Cox found himself facing off with yet another Hodge Trophy winner. He sat in the finals before facing off against David Taylor. The former Penn State wrestler got off to a hot start and handed Cox a 9-3 defeat in the first match. However, Cox leaned on his stellar defense and won the next two 4-3 and 5-3 to advance to the World championships. Zain Retherford (2017) The three-time NCAA champion made his first World team while still in college. Following his second NCAA title as a junior, he entered the 2017 World Team Trials. Retherford made the best-of-three finals after winning the challenge tournament with match-termination victories over Jaydin Eierman (14-2), Nick Dardanes (11-0) and BJ Futrell (10-0). He then bested 2016 Olympian Frank Molinaro in the finals. The reigning U.S. representative won the first match, but Retherford stormed back with a 6-0 win and a 7-4 victory in the deciding match. The Penn State product failed to medal at the 2017 World championships, but he was part of the country's team title. Gable Steveson (2021) During this past collegiate season, Steveson appeared to be on another level. He won his first NCAA title and shared the Hodge Trophy with Spencer Lee. The Minnesota wrestler carried that momentum into the recent Olympic Trials. He won all four of his matches, including a pair over two-time World medalist Nick Gwiazdowski to make the Olympics. The three-time age-group World champion is expected to make a strong push for a medal at the upcoming Games. Best of the Rest Zahid Valencia (2nd at Final X in 2018) After winning his first NCAA title as a sophomore, Valencia walked into a crowded field at the 2018 World Team Trials. He won the challenge tournament with victories over Josh Apser and Alex Dieringer (twice) by a combined 22-1 score. The Arizona State wrestler then advanced to Final X against Kyle Dake. Valencia remained competitive but he dropped two matches via 4-0 and 4-3 scores. Bo Nickal (2nd at Final X in 2019) Following his senior season that saw him claim his third NCAA title and the Hodge Trophy, Nickal entered the 2019 World Team Trials. He advanced to Final X after a pair of victories over former NCAA champion Michael Macchiavello. However, at Final X, Nickal ran into J'den Cox and dropped both matches in the best-of-three series. Nickal would then challenge for a berth on the U23 World team. He won the spot with a pair of victories over Jake Woodley and went on to claim gold at the World event. Yianni Diakomihalis (2nd at Final X 2019) After winning his second NCAA title as a sophomore, Diakomihalis qualified for the World Team Trials in 2019 by winning the U.S. Open. That victory also allowed him to sit in Final X and wait for an opponent. That opponent ended up being Zain Retherford. The former Penn State wrestler won both of the Final X matches and seemingly won the spot on the World team. However, after a challenge to the result in the deciding match, Diakomihalis was granted a special wrestle-off. Once again, Retherford won and took the spot. From the last five NCAA tournaments, only four wrestlers have gone on to make an Olympic or World team. In some ways, this may support the idea of moving the Trials to a more prime position. However, even when college champions do not win their respective brackets, they can still have a sizable and important impact on the resulting team. The tradition alone will keep many fans in favor of the status quo. On top of that, it is hard to top the excitement of a recent NCAA champion taking on some of the best on the senior level.