InterMat Staff

Jake Hager at weigh-ins for Bellator 221 (Photo/Bellator) Jake Hager, a former University of Oklahoma All-American wrestler and WWE star, has been booked for his third Bellator bout in his one-year-old pro MMA career. Hager -- who signed with the Bellator MMA promotion in November 2017 -- is set to fight Anthony Garrett in a heavyweight (265 pound) match at Bellator 231 at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn. on Friday, Oct. 25. The 37-year-old Hager seeks to improve his professional MMA record to 3-0. In his first two appearances under the Bellator banner -- the first taking place in Jan. 2019 -- the former Oklahoma Sooner mat star secured first-round submission victories. Hager's opponent at Bellator 231, Anthony Garrett, 29, has a 3-1 pro MMA mark in his career launched in June 2016. The Kansas native secured all his wins in the first round -- one by submission, and two by TKO -- in all the Shamrock FC promotion. In addition to the Hager-Garrett match, Bellator 231's top-of-the-card event will feature two other heavyweights: Frank Mir and Roy Nelson. Jake Hager may be best known to the general public as former WWE superstar Jack Swagger. However, Hager has brought impressive amateur wrestling credentials to his MMA career. Hager is a native of Perry, Okla., which has produced a number of all-time great amateur wrestlers (including the legendary Dan Hodge). Hager was a two-sport athlete at Perry High School, competing in football and wrestling. He was a two-time finalist at the Oklahoma state wrestling championships, winning the 215-pound title as a junior. Hager was recruited by Oklahoma for both football and wrestling, but quit football as a sophomore to concentrate on wrestling. He was a runner-up at the 2006 Big 12 conference championships, falling to Oklahoma State's Steve Mocco in the finals. Hager was a two-time NCAA championships qualifier, earning All-American honors as a senior, placing seventh in the 285-pound bracket at the 2006 NCAAs, defeating future heavyweight champ Dustin Fox of Northwestern along the way before losing to defending national champ Mocco. That year, Hager set a Sooner record for the most pins in one season, with 30.

Adeline Gray with the gold medal at the 2019 World Championships (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Adeline Gray grew up like many female wrestlers from her era. Fighting for acceptance and respect. And trying to prove she belonged. She battled the usual stigmas of trying to excel while wrestling on a team full of boys in Denver, Colorado. Many of her first opponents were boys, but she embraced the challenge and enjoyed her share of success. And once she started wrestling against people of her own gender, Gray continued her quest to help women gain more notoriety and attention in a male-dominated sport. That quest continued halfway around the world when Gray made history on Thursday night in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. For the fifth time in her legendary career, Gray captured a gold medal at the World Championships when she won the 76-kilogram title in women's wrestling. She became the first American wrestler in any style to capture five world titles, surpassing the record of four titles she had shared with John Smith, Jordan Burroughs and Tricia Saunders. It's an incredible accomplishment that needs to be recognized and celebrated. Winning a world title in wrestling is extremely difficult in any style. Adeline Gray (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Yes, she's a female wrestler. But Adeline Gray deserves just as much respect as anyone who has worn a red, white and blue singlet. The quality of wrestling on the Senior level for women is top-notch now. Gray has made major contributions to the sport in so many ways. She was one of the leaders in the fight to keep wrestling in the Olympics in 2013. She was a great ambassador and spokesperson for the sport during that tumultuous time. She played an important role as women's wrestling became a key part of keeping the sport in the Olympics. Gray has continued to lead the charge as women's wrestling has experienced significance growth in the U.S., especially in recent years. She's impacted and inspired countless young girls who are now wrestling. She has helped legitimize the sport as the number of participants have skyrocketed in this country. Gray will be one of the first to tell you she can be stubborn at times, but that's part of what makes her so successful. Terry Steiner talks to Adeline Gray at the 2016 Olympic Games (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) She has her own unique way of approaching the sport and it works for her. And she has worked well with U.S. Coach Terry Steiner in finding a training plan that works best for her. The hard-charging, intense Iowa Hawkeye style of wrestling that Steiner prefers doesn't necessarily work for Gray, but they've come up with a program that works best for her. Gray also has evolved considerably as a wrestler. Earlier in her career, she was lethal with the arm bar that her father taught her. She then developed a leg lace that is virtually unstoppable when she locks it up. Once she takes you down, the match could be over in a matter of seconds with her ability to turn an opponent. Gray also has developed an effective offense to go with her rock-solid defense. She's a complete wrestler who can overpower opponents. She's a tough matchup in the heavyweight class. She's also mentally tough and doesn't become rattled, even if she falls behind. She proved that when she won her second world title in 2014. When the bright lights go on, Gray is as good as anyone on the planet. She has an uncanny ability to stay calm, composed and focused even when the stakes are highest. In the eight World Championships she has entered, she has won five gold medals, two bronze medals and finished fifth. It was the two toughest setbacks of her career that ultimately led to her high level of success. Ten years ago, Gray was an 18-year-old on the verge of winning her first world medal on the Senior level. She nearly recorded a fall during a dominant first period against a wrestler from Nigeria, but then lost the next two periods and finished fifth. Helen Maroulis and Adeline Gray with their gold medals at the 2015 World Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) It was a devastating and emotional loss, but Gray came back more determined than ever. She won three world titles in 2012, 2014 and 2015 while also winning world bronze medals in 2011 and 2013. She was ranked No. 1 and favored to win the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio before being upset in the quarterfinals and falling short of the medal podium. Gray didn't say anything about it at the time, but she had been wrestling with an injured shoulder that eventually required surgery. Being the great champion that she is, Gray didn't want to go out that way. She came back with a vengeance. She made the commitment for another four-year Olympic cycle during a time she was thinking about starting a family of her own. She missed the 2017 season after having surgery, but came back strong to win world titles in 2018 and 2019. It was awesome seeing her parents, George and Donna, standing and cheering in the stands in Kazakhstan after their daughter won gold Thursday. Adeline is part of a close-knit family and I know their support has played a huge role in her success. Now the 28-year-old Gray turns her focus to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. That's the main reason she came back for another Olympic cycle. To have another shot at adding one final golden achievement to her Hall of Fame career. It's the final piece of the puzzle. Gray knows what she needs to do. She's confident in her abilities and believes in what she's doing. And she's obviously still wrestling at a high level. She will be more driven, motivated and determined than ever after what happened in 2016. I know one thing for certain. I wouldn't bet against Adeline Gray when the wrestlers take the mat next year in Tokyo. She is one of the greatest champions in American wrestling history. And she will be on a mission to land a spot on the top step of the medal podium at the 2020 Olympic Games. It would be a fitting finish to a fabulous career. Craig Sesker has written about wrestling for more than three decades. He's covered three Olympic Games and is a two-time national wrestling writer of the year.

CLARION, Pa. -- Clarion head wrestling coach Keith Ferraro today announced his coaching staff for the upcoming 2019-20 season. The Golden Eagles welcome a pair of new coaches -- Nathan Kraisser and Malik McDonald -- to fill positions formerly held by Kyle Kiss and TJ Ruschell, respectively. In addition, Nick Deloia returns as a volunteer assistant for the Golden Eagles. "I'm extremely pleased to welcome Nathan and Malik to the staff," Ferraro said. "Both of them enjoyed great success as competitors and I'm confident that they will not only push the guys currently on the roster, but will assist us in bringing more high-level athletes to Clarion. In addition to those two, Nick has been a huge asset for our program working behind the scenes over the last several years, and I'm excited that he will continue to be here to help us moving forward." Nathan KraisserKraisser was a four-time NCAA qualifier and took eighth place at 125 pounds during the 2017 NCAA Championships in St. Louis, defeating SIU-Edwardsville's Freddie Rodriguez in a 4-1 decision to clinch his All-American status. He finished that senior season with a 30-10 overall record including an 11-4 mark in duals and a runner-up finish at the Southern Conference (SoCon) Championships. He was the 133-pound champion at the SoCon Championships as a junior in 2016, earning a spot at the NCAA Championships with a 34-9 overall record. That year he claimed the eighth spot in the top-10 NCAA leaders in the Fall category with 10 wins over Division I opponents. Kraisser transferred to Campbell after a short stint at North Carolina, where he was named the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Freshman of the Year in 2012-13 and tallied a 33-7 record at 125 pounds. Also an accomplished student, he was named to the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) All-Academic Individual list in 2017. A graduate of Centennial High School in Ellicott City, Md., Kraiser posted a 152-6 overall high school record, including a 42-0 mark as a junior. He was the fifth Maryland wrestler to win four state championships, and set a school record for career wins during his tenure there. Kraisser graduated from Campbell in 2017 with a degree in Sport Management. Malik McDonaldMcDonald was a two-time NCAA qualifier at North Carolina State, and helped the Wolfpack claim the 2019 ACC Tournament championship with his first career individual title. He defeated a pair of top-11 wrestlers en route to the 197-pound championship, including a 13-6 decision over Virginia's Jay Aiello, who ranked seventh in the nation. McDonald finished his senior season with a 19-11 overall record and a trip to NCAA's, reaching the second round after defeating West Virginia's Noah Adams by decision. He punched his ticket to the championships in 2017 thanks to a 20-9 regular season record and an at-large bid, including an 8-4 mark in duals and a three wins over nationally-ranked opponents. McDonald took third at the ACC Championships as a sophomore, and as junior in 2017-18 he split time as the Wolfpack's starter at heavyweight. He went 20-4 that year, including a 9-2 mark in duals and a 5-0 record at the National Collegiate Open. McDonald earned All-American honors at the U23 World Team Trials that year with a fourth-place finish at 97 kg. He was named to the ACC Academic Honor Roll in 2017-18. A graduate of South View High School in Hope Mills, N.C., McDonald was the North Carolina 4A state champion at 182 pounds as a senior and was the third-place finisher as a junior the year before. He took second place at the 2013 NHSCA Junior national tournament. McDonald graduated from North Carolina State in 2019 with a degree in Social Work.

The referee who ordered a New Jersey high school wrestler to have his dreadlocks cut prior to being allowed to compete last December has been suspended for two years, according to multiple media reports. On Wednesday, a decision was reached between the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association and New Jersey's Division on Civil Rights (DCR), stating that the referee -- Alan Maloney -- will be suspended from his mat officiating duties for two wrestling seasons. In addition, the decision requires that officials and staff involved in high school athletics across New Jersey must participate in implicit bias training. The DCR also issued new "Guidance on Race Discrimination Based on Hairstyle" rules to clarify that policies banning, limiting or restricting hairstyles closely associated with those of African-American descent -- including twists and dreadlocks -- may violate existing New Jersey law. "Student athletes should be able to compete with each other on a level playing field," New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said in a statement. "Racial discrimination in the enforcement of the rules of any sport is inconsistent with the spirit of fair play. The Division on Civil Rights' action today makes it less likely that any student athlete will have to endure discrimination that not only undermines fair competition but also violates our state laws." Andrew Johnson gets a haircut before competingThe incident which launched this investigation took place at dual meet between two New Jersey schools -- Buena Regional High School and Oakcrest High -- on Wednesday, Dec. 19. As InterMat reported on Dec. 26, Andrew Johnson, a 120-pound junior for the Buena Chiefs, was ready to face off against David Flippen of Oakcrest. When Johnson, an African-American, stepped onto the mat with his dreadlocks covered, the primary mat official, Alan Maloney, 62, reportedly told the wrestler he could either have his hair cut, or forfeit the match. An athletic trainer for Buena trimmed Johnson's dreadlocks matside with scissors until Maloney said the length of the wrestler's hair was in compliance with the rules. After Johnson had his dreadlocks cut, the match began. Johnson earned a sudden victory, 4-2. Buena went on to win the dual. The incident was captured on video by SJN News Today sports director Mike Frankel. The video went viral ... generating millions of views around the world, and debate well beyond the amateur wrestling community in New Jersey. The impromptu matside haircut incident has generated lasting changes. The National Federation of High Schools to amend the hair-length rule. Rule 4-2-1 now states that hair shall not extend below the top of an ordinary shirt collar in the back; and on the sides, the hair shall not extend below earlobe level; in the front, the hair shall not extend below the eyebrows. The term "natural state" was eliminated from the rule. As part of the Wednesday's announced agreement, the NJSIAA has agreed to provide in-person training to all of its local rules interpreters and to all wrestling officials in the state, emphasizing that Rule 4.2.1 is based solely on hair length, not hair style. Furthermore, NJSIAA will provide implicit bias training to all high school sports officials in New Jersey and will require NJSIAA member schools to provide such training to all athletic administrators, coaches and athletic trainers who work in high school sports by the end of the 2020-2021 school year. Initial reactions to the suspension of referee Alan Maloney varied widely. "Two years is tough," Camden (N.J.) High wrestling coach Sandy Thame told the Philadelphia Inquirer. "My concern is that we are going too far in the other direction, with knee-jerk reactions to things." By contrast, Walter Hudson, founder of the Salem County-based National Awareness Alliance, said, "It needs to be a lifetime ban. A two-year suspension is like a slap on the wrist." Larry White, executive director of the NJSIAA, weighed in with his assessment, saying that he was confident that the changes announced Wednesday "will ensure that a situation like this does not happen in the future." Want to know more? Check out InterMat's coverage of the end-of-the-year incident, including an overview article "Impromptu haircut in New Jersey recap, reactions" and Caryn Ward's "Impromptu haircut not a good look for wrestling" opinion piece.

MEQUON, Wis. -- Concordia University Wisconsin Director of Athletics Dr. Rob Barnhill has announced the addition of Women's Wrestling, the University's 33rd sport within the athletic department. A nationwide search for a head coach begins immediately. The Falcons will begin competition in 2020-21. “I am very pleased to announce the addition of women's wrestling to our growing list of sport offerings,” Barnhill said. “Girls wrestling in high school is one of the fastest-growing sport activities in the United States and we want to be an option for young women that want a first-class Christian education and pursue their sport of choice. There are dozens of colleges and universities across the country that have made the decision to begin women's programs and we are excited to join them.” Collegiate women's wrestling is currently classified as a winter sport, with competition beginning in October and running through February. The Women's Collegiate Wrestling Association (WCWA) governs the sport and has overseen the national championships since 2008. A total of 63 collegiate institutions currently field a varsity women's wrestling team. The Committee on Women's Athletics has recommended Emerging Sport Status for Women's Wrestling to the NCAA. “Recently the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics (CWA) has recommended that the membership at division 1, 2, and 3 vote to structure and add women's wrestling to their list of championship sports at the NCAA national convention,” Barnhill added. “We are hopeful that this legislation will pass and we want to be among the pioneers that are looking to grow the great sport of wrestling.” The expansion to 33 sports continues to make Concordia Wisconsin's athletic department one of the largest in the region. The Falcons have added seven other new sports in recent years: acrobatics & tumbling (2013-14), triathlon (2014-15), field hockey (2015-16), men's volleyball (2016-17), ACHA club men's hockey (2017-18) and men's and women's club shooting (2017-18). Until the NCAA structure has been approved and implemented Concordia Wisconsin will join and compete in the Women's Collegiate Wrestling Association.

Adeline Gray with the American flag after claiming her fifth world title (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan -- Adeline Gray made history on Thursday at the World Championships in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. The 28-year-old American defeated Japan's Hiroe Suzuki in the gold-medal match at 76 kilograms, becoming the first American wrestler across all three styles to win five world titles. It's Gray's second straight gold medal at the World Championships after not competing in 2017. Suzuki scored the first point of the match off the activity clock. Gray came back late in the first period, getting a takedown off a double leg and then an exposure to go up 4-1 at the break. The score stayed that way until late in the match when Suzuki scored a point off a step out. But it would be too little, too late and Gray would take the 4-2 victory. Gray becomes the second world champion for the United States at the 2019 World Championships, joining Jacarra Winchester, who won gold in women's wrestling on Wednesday. Forrest Molinari, who lost in the semifinals on Wednesday, wrestled in the bronze-medal match at 65 kilograms, falling to China's Xiaoqian Wang, 10-0. Wang scored a takedown 30 seconds into the period before locking up a gut wrench and scoring with four turns to get the first-period technical superiority. It marks the second straight year in which Molinaro has finished fifth at the World Championships Tamyra Mensah-Stock gets her hand raised after winning in the semifinals (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Mensah-Stock reaches finals in dominant fashion Tamyra Mensah-Stock was dominant en route to reaching the finals at 68 kilograms, securing her second straight world medal. Mensah-Stock, a returning world bronze medalist, started her tournament with a 10-0 technical superiority over Michelle Montague of Great Britain. She then defeated Nigeria's Blessing Oborududu, 6-1, setting up a quarterfinal meeting with Olympic champion Sara Dosho of Japan. The 26-year-old American proved to be too much for Dosho. Mensah-Stock picked up two takedowns in the first period to take a 4-0 lead into the break. Dosho found her first point 40 seconds into the period after getting a step out. With just under a minute left, Mensah-Stock shot a double leg and scored a takedown before transitioning to a lace, scoring another two off a turn, to make the score 8-1. Mensah-Stock scored a fourth takedown with 15 seconds remaining in the match and advanced with 10-1 win over the reigning Olympic champion. Mensah-Stock punched her ticket to the finals with a 10-0 technical superiority over Germany's Anna Schell in the semifinals. She fired off a single leg and took the German to her back, nearly securing a fall before settling for a 4-0 lead. Mensah-Stock built her lead to 8-0 after a takedown and exposure. She then put the match away with a takedown off a double leg late in the first period. Her finals opponents will be Sweden's Jenny Fransson, a 2012 world champion and 2016 Olympic bronze medalist. Kayla Miracle works for a lace against Nabira Esenbaeva of Uzbekistan (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Kayla Miracle, a three-time age-group world medalist, went 2-1 at 62 kilograms on Thursday and was eliminated in the first session. She opened her day with dominant 11-0 technical superiority over Nabira Esenbaeva of Uzbekistan. Miracle advanced to the round of 16 by getting another technical superiority, beating Laís Nunes of Brazil, 15-4. In the round of 16, Miracle faced Jong Sim Rim of North Korea, and was edged on criteria, 6-6. Miracle looked strong early, getting her first point off the activity clock before getting an exposure to take a 3-0 lead. Late in the period, Rim took a shot and scored a takedown to make the score 3-2 in favor of Miracle at the break. Early in the second period, Miracle countered a shot and scooted behind Rim. She was initially awarded two points. However, the call was challenged and reversed. Rim was given two points for an exposure and Miracle a point for a reversal, making the score 4-4 and giving the North Korean wrestler the lead on criteria. Midway through the period, Rim took a shot and secured a takedown to go up 6-4. Miracle came back with a takedown of her own in the final minute, but still trailed on criteria. She was unable to score again and Rim moved on. Rim was defeated in the semifinals by Kyrgyzstan's Aisuluu Tynybekova, which ended Miracle's tournament. Daton Fix with coaches Derek Fix and Kevin Jackson (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Fix, Retherford eliminated in first session The American freestyle team got off to a tough start as both wrestlers competing on Thursday, Daton Fix (57 kilograms) and Zain Retherford (65 kilograms), were eliminated in the opening session. Fix opened with a 12-1 technical superiority over Vladimir Egorov of North Macedonia. He was dominant on his feet, scoring three takedowns in each of the two periods while only giving up a point off a step out. Next, Fix met 2017 world champion Yuki Takahashi of Japan and was defeated narrowly, 4-2. Takahashi scored the only point of the first period off the activity clock and led 1-0 at the break. Fix came out aggressively in the second half, getting a takedown in the first 10 seconds to grab a 2-1 lead. Later in the period, Fix went back on the shot clock and failed to score, giving Takahashi a point with a minute left. With under 20 seconds left, Takahashi forced Fix out of bounds for a step out, giving the Japanese wrestler the lead. The United States challenged the call, but it was upheld, and Takahashi held on for the win. Takahashi lost his next match to India's Kumar Ravi, eliminating Fix from the tournament. Zain Retherford dropped his first match to Alejandro Valdés Tobier of Cuba (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Retherford was edged in his first match by two-time world bronze medalist Alejandro Valdés Tobier of Cuba, 10-9. The Cuban raced out to a 6-0 lead after a takedown two gut wrenches. Retherford came back with a takedown late in the first period before adding another one early in the second period to cut the deficit to two. With just under a minute remaining, there was a 2-and-2 exchange, which still gave Valdés the two-point lead at 8-6. After another 2-and-2 exchange in the final 15 seconds, Retheford came behind for a reversal to get within a point in the final 10 seconds. But he was unable to get a turn and Valdés claimed the victory. Valdés Tobier picked up a win in his next match before losing to Bahrain's Haji Ali, ending Retherford's hopes of getting a pulled back into repechage. Stevan Micic gets his hand raised after picking up a victory over Chakir Ansari of Morocco (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Stevan Micic, competing for Serbia, remains alive in the competition at 57 kilograms. He picked up a pair of wins to reach the quarterfinals before losing to Turkey's Suleyman Atli, 5-4. Atli kept Micic in the tournament by defeating Kazakhstan's Nurislam Sanayev in the semifinals. Another Michigan wrestler, Malik Amine, competing for San Marino, notched two victories at 65 kilograms before losing in the quarterfinals to Hungary's Iszmail Muszukajev. Amine was eliminated when the Hungarian wrestler failed to make the finals. David Habat, a former collegiate standout at Edinboro who trains with the Cliff Keen Wrestling Club and competes for Slovenia, fell to India's Bajrang Punia, 3-0, in the round of 16 at 65 kilograms. He was eliminated when Bajrang lost in the semifinals to Kazakhstan's Daulet Niyazbekov. United States freestyle wrestlers James Green (70 kilograms), Jordan Burroughs (74 kilograms), J'den Cox (92 kilograms) and Nick Gwiazodwski (125 kilograms) will open their tournaments on Friday.

Branson Ashworth (Photo/Kyle Spradley) The Wyoming Wrestling Regional Training Center (WWRTC) bolstered its roster this week by adding former University of Wyoming wrestling standout Branson Ashworth. Ashworth will begin his journey in senior freestyle competition under the WWRTC banner this fall. In addition to competing, he will serve as a volunteer coach for the UW wrestling program. Ashworth will be the first full-time resident of the center since former WWRTC athlete Bryce Meredith competed from 2018-19. Meredith joined the New Jersey Regional Training Center in summer 2019. "I can't tell you how fortunate we are to have Branson with us," UW Coach and WWRTC Director Mark Branch says. "Having him in the room will be a blessing. With (former WWRTC athlete) Tanner Harms leaving to work on his doctorate of engineering, Branson's presence in our room will have an enormous impact on our middle and upper weights. I am also very excited to see what he can do on the senior circuit." "In my opinion, his style bodes very well with freestyle, and although his experience in freestyle is limited, I think we will see him be very competitive," continued Branch. In 2019, Ashworth finished his senior year for the Pokes with a 33-5 overall record with three falls, 11 technical falls and four major decisions. He was flawless in dual competition, going 20-0 to help UW to a 16-4 overall record. He beat 11 ranked opponents and qualified for his third NCAA Championships as the No. 10 seed at 165 pounds. "The opportunity to come back to Wyoming and compete and train in freestyle was too great to pass up," Ashworth says. "I loved wrestling here. I'll always be a Cowboy, so when I was offered a spot, I said yes immediately. I'm looking forward to learning and growing and going against some of the best in the world, and I hope to bring some medals back to Laramie." The Spanish Fork, Utah, native twice was named the Big 12 Wrestler of the Week and wrapped up his career with 121 wins to rank sixth on the program's all-time list. He also was named to the Academic All-Big 12 first team. The WWRTC is a non-profit organization designed to support world-class athletes and coaches in their quest to win World and Olympic medals at every level.

Jacarra Winchester with the American flag after winning a world title at 55 kilograms (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan -- Last year, Jacarra Winchester left the World Championships heartbroken after having match-winning takedown overturned in the semifinals. She called it a "painful but necessary" moment in her life. On Wednesday, she showed why. Winchester defeated Japan's Nanami Irie, 5-3, to capture the gold medal at the 2019 World Championships at 55 kilograms, becoming America's first gold medalist in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. "I'm just excited because I've worked to hard for so many years," said Winchester. "It all just paid off." Jacarra Winchester with her medal and championship belt (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) The 26-year-old American scored the first points of the match off a takedown with a minute remaining in the first period and took a 2-0 lead into the break. Irie came out strong in the second period, shooting a double leg thirty seconds into the period and scoring a takedown, which was initially called a four-point takedown before being changed to two. Irie then scored with a step out to go up 3-2. Winchester battled back, scoring a takedown off a single leg midway through the period to retake the lead, 4-3. Irie continued to press forward, but Winchester fended her off and won by two after a late failed challenge by Japan. Victoria Francis finished fifth at 72 kilograms after losing in the bronze-medal match to China's Paliha, 2-1. Francis scored the first point of the match off the activity clock, but Paliha came back in the second period, scoring first off the shot clock before getting a step out. Adeline Gray gets her hand raised after winning in the semifinals at the World Championships (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Gray to wrestle for fifth world title, Molinari edged in semifinals Adeline Gray will wrestle for her fifth world title after notching a 5-2 victory over Germany's Aline Focken, a 2014 world champion, in the semifinals at 76 kilograms. Gray trailed 1-0 at the break after surrendering a point off the activity clock. In the second period, Gray scored her own point off the activity clock to take the lead on criteria. With just under a minute remaining, Focken fired off a shot, which Gray countered and scored two points to go up 3-1. She extended her lead with an exposure before Focken came behind for a late reversal. Gray would hold on to win by three. The 28-year-old reigning world champion will face Japan's Hiroe Suzuki for the gold medal on Thursday. Gray was untested before the semifinals picking up three 10-0 technical superiorities. She opened her day by first beating Italy's Elani Pjollai, then Kazakhstan's Elmira Syzdykova (Kazakhstan) and Chinese Taipei's Hui Tsz Chang in the quarterfinals. Forrest Molinari attempts to counter a shot from Ukraine's Iryna Koliadenko in the semifinals (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Forrest Molinari, a fifth-place finisher at last year's World Championships, reached the semifinals before losing to Ukraine's Iryna Koliadenko, 6-5. She will wrestle for bronze. Molinari scored the first point of her semifinal match off the activity clock and led 1-0 after the opening period. In the second period, Koliadenko got in on a single leg and drove Molinari out of bounds for a step out. Molinari responded with a takedown and then added a point off a caution to go up 4-1. The Ukrainian came back with a takedown to cut the deficit to 4-3, and then nearly had a step out, but the call was challenged and upheld, giving Molinari a 5-3 lead. With just over 30 seconds remaining in the match, Koliadenko took a shot and caught Molinari's ankle before a scramble ensued. Koliadenko was able to expose Molinari with just under 15 seconds left in the match and hang on for the win. Earlier in the day, Molinari shut out two-time world bronze medalist Johanna Mattsson of Sweden, 3-0, in the quarterfinals. Molinari scored a point in the first period off the activity clock before adding a takedown in the second period. She started her day by getting a fall over Thi Vinh Nguyen of Vietnam. Jenna Burkert and Alli Ragan, were eliminated in Wednesday's first session. Jenna Burkert after getting a win in her first match (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Burkert opened her tournament at 57 kilograms by shutting out Lenka Martinakova of Czechia, 8-0. She then lost by fall to Russia's Marina Simonyan in her second match. Simonyan led 7-2 after the first period. In the second period, Simonyan countered a shot from Burkert and drove her to her back and secured the fall. Simonyan was defeated by world champion Ningning Rong of China in her next match, eliminating Burkert from the tournament. Alli Ragan locks up with Anzhelina Lysak of Ukraine (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Ragan, a two-time world silver medalist, lost by fall in her first match at 59 kilograms to Anzhelina Lysak of Ukraine. The 27-year-old American scored a takedown off a single leg 30 seconds into the match to go up 2-0. Midway through the period, Lysak threw Ragan to her back and picked up a fall. Sarah Hildebrandt gets in on a shot against Vinesh in a repechage match at 53 kilograms (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Hildebrandt defeated in repechage A day after losing to Japan's Mayu Mukaida in the quarterfinals, world silver medalist Sarah Hildebrandt dropped her first repechage match at 53 kilograms to India's Vinesh Phogat, 8-2. Vinesh, a gold medalist at the Asian Games, controlled the match from start to finish, scoring two first-period takedowns and adding two more in the second period before Hildebrandt scored a takedown in the closing moments of the match. It marks the second time Vinesh has defeated Hildebrandt this year. The first victory came by fall in February at the Dan Kolov in Bulgaria. Four U.S. wrestlers will begin their tournaments on Thursday. Kayla Miracle (62 kilograms) and Tamyra Mensah-Stock (68 kilograms) will compete in women's wrestling, while Daton Fix (57 kilograms) and Zain Retherford (65 kilograms) will wrestle on the first day of freestyle competition.

Kyle Conel celebrates after pinning Kollin Moore in the NCAA quarterfinals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Penn State graduate transfer Kyle Conel has been cleared by the NCAA and is ready to wrestle for the Nittany Lions in the 2019-20 season, a wrestling spokesperson confirmed to the Centre Daily Times Tuesday. Back in March, Conel had announced his plans to transfer from Kent State to Penn State to earn a master's degree, with hopes to continue his collegiate wrestling career. The Ashtabula, Ohio native had earned All-American honors for the Golden Flashes by placing third at 197 pounds at the 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. However, an injury limited Conel's college mat time last season. Conel is enrolled in Penn State's management and organizational leadership program, an accelerated graduate degree in the Smeal College of Business, according to the Centre Daily Times. OnwardState.com reported that Conel will be vying for the starting position at 197 against Michael Beard to replace three-time national champion Bo Nickal who concluded his collegiate career last spring with a number of honors, including the 2019 Hodge Trophy, and InterMat Wrestler of the Year. The 2019-20 season will be Conel's last for collegiate eligibility.

Jacarra Winchester celebrates after winning in the semifinals at the World Championships (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan -- The United States has its first finalist at the 2019 World Championships. Jacarra Winchester, a fifth-place finisher at last year's World Championships, advanced to the finals at 55 kilograms on the first day of the women's wrestling competition in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. She defeated Turkey's Bediha Gun, 6-4, in the semifinals. Two other Americans, Sarah Hildebrandt (53 kilograms) and Victoria Francis (72 kilograms), lost in the quarterfinals. Both will compete in repechage on Wednesday. Winchester, who entered the tournament as the No. 3 seed, found herself in a 2-0 hole in the semifinals after giving up two-point exposure when Gun was on the activity clock. The 26-year-old American came back with a takedown off a leg attack late in the first period to grab the lead on criteria. In the second period, Winchester scored another takedown in just under a minute into the period to go up 4-2. A short time later, Gun was in a leg attack and drove Winchester out of bounds for a step out to make the score 4-3. Winchester responded with another takedown in the final minute to extend her lead to 6-3. Gun would add a late point off a caution, but Winchester would hold on to win by two. She will face Japan's Nanami Irie for the gold medal on Wednesday. Earlier in the day, Winchester cruised to a 13-2 technical superiority over Bolortuya Bat Ochir of Mongolia in the quarterfinals. She scored two two-point takedowns and a step out before getting a four-point takedown late in the first period and nearly securing the fall before the period ended. In the second period, the Mongolian scored her first points off an arm spin before Winchester turned the tables, getting four points to close the match. Winchester started her day with a 10-0 technical superiority over Madina Nadirova of Kyrgyzstan. After getting a takedown, Winchester blew the match open with a four-point throw to go up 6-0. She added a turn and another takedown a short time later to end the match. Sarah Hildebrandt fell in the quarterfinals to Japan's Mayu Mukaida (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Returning world silver medalist Sarah Hildebrandt reached the quarterfinals at 53 kilograms before losing to two-time world champion Mayu Mukaida of Japan, 12-1. After a scoreless first period, Mukaida scored a takedown off a go-behind to take a 2-0 lead. The Japanese star scored a second takedown midway through the first period off a single leg to extend her lead to 4-0. Late in the first period, Mukaida scored a third takedown and followed it up with a gut wrench before Hildebrandt came behind for a reversal, making the score 8-1 in favor of Mukaida at the break. In the second period, Mukaida picked up another takedown and closed out the technical superiority with a gut wrench. Hildebrandt dominated her first opponent, Thi Dao Bui of Vietnam, getting a first-period technical superiority. She scored a takedown before locking up a lace and getting four turns to end the match in just over a minute. The 25-year-old Hildebrandt will have a chance to wrestle back for a bronze medal after Mukaida reached the finals. She will face the winner of a match between Vinesh of India and Yuliia Khavaldzhy Blahinya of Ukraine. If Hildebrandt win that match, she will wrestle for the bronze medal and also qualify the weight class for the United States at the Olympic Games. Victoria Francis, like Hildebrandt, reached the quarterfinals before losing. She was shut out by Ukraine's Alina Stadnik Makhynia, 4-0. Makhynia, a 2013 world champion, threw Francis in a headlock in the first period, nearly securing a fall before settling for a 4-0 lead. The headlock would prove to the difference in the match as neither wrestler scored the rest of the way. Victoria Francis gets her hand raised after beating Dejah Slater of Canada in her first match (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Francis started her tournament with a first-period fall over 2019 Pan American champion Dejah Slater of Canada. She scored with a step out and takedown to go up 3-0 before driving Slater to her back and securing the fall with 30 seconds remaining in the period. Whitney Conder walks off the mat after losing her first match to Son-Hyang Kim of North Korea (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Whitney Conder dropped her first match at 50 kilograms to Son-Hyang Kim of North Korea, 6-0. It was the second straight year that Conder drew Kim in the first round at the World Championships. Kim scored two takedowns in the first periods and added another one in the second period while shutting down Conder's offense. Conder was eliminated from the tournament when Kim lost her next match to 2013 world champion Yanan Sun of China. Four more American women will begin their tournaments on Wednesday: Jenna Burkert (57 kilograms), Alli Ragan (59 kilograms) Forrest Molinari (65 kilograms), and Adeline Gray (72 kilograms).

On Sept. 11, 1976, the now-familiar facility to honor the oldest and greatest sport first opened its doors to the public. On that date 43 years ago, the iconic National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum in Stillwater, Okla. was officially dedicated and opened to the public for the first time, welcoming its first class of Distinguished Members. Amateur Wrestling News, the nation's oldest magazine covering the sport, reported on that historic day with an article in its Oct. 9, 1976 issue posted at the official Hall of Fame website this past week. Here's how AWN opened its coverage of opening day: "The sport of wrestling has reached a long-awaited milestone with the opening of its hall of fame and museum in Stillwater, Oklahoma." "Dedication and formal opening of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame were conducted Saturday, September 11, 1976 by the United States Wrestling Federation (now USA Wrestling). The weekend's activities were highlighted by induction of the charter class of 14 Distinguished Members during the first annual Honors Banquet." Meet the first group of inductees: Dr. Raymond G. Clapp, University of Nebraska coach, 1911-1926 Fendley A. Collins, Michigan State coach, 1930-1962 Jay T. "Tommy" Evans, early 1950s University of Oklahoma wrestler Edward Clark Gallagher, Oklahoma State University coach between World War I and World War II Art Griffith, Oklahoma State University coach in the 1940s and 50s Dan Hodge, mid 1950s University of Oklahoma wrestling superstar Cliff Keen, University of Michigan coach from 1925-1970 David McCuskey, head coach at University of Northern Iowa then University of Iowa, 1930-1972 George Mehnert, two-time U.S. Olympic gold medalist in men's freestyle, 1904 St. Louis and 1908 London Games Hugo Otopalik, Iowa State University coach, 1920-1953 Rex Peery, 1930s Oklahoma State champion wrestler and legendary coach for three decades at the high school and collegiate level, concluding at University of Pittsburgh Myron Roderick, Oklahoma State University wrestler and coach in the 1950s and 60s William "Billy" Sheridan, Lehigh University head coach for 41 years beginning in 1911 Jack VanBebber, Oklahoma State University wrestling champion and 1932 Olympic gold medalist in freestyle Master of ceremonies for the grand opening festivities: Frank Gifford, "voice" of ABC-TV's coverage of wrestling at the 1972 Munich and 1976 Montreal Olympics (as well as a member of the broadcast team for ABC's Monday Night Football telecasts). The original National Wrestling Hall of Fame featured 11,000 square feet of display space, at a total construction cost of $550,000, according to the 1976 Amateur Wrestling News article. Just over three years ago -- in June 2016 -- the Stillwater Hall of Fame reopened after undergoing a complete renovation and update of its facilities and displays at a cost of $3.8 million. Included in the upgrades: interactive displays and electronic kiosks, along with the opportunity to watch NCAA championship matches from the 1930s to the present day.

The Olympic Team Trials will be held at Bryce Jordan Center on the campus of Penn State Bryce Jordan Center on the campus of Penn State University in University Park, Pa. has been selected to host the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for wrestling on Saturday, April 4 and Sunday, April 5. Penn State University is serving as the local organizing committee. The champions from the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Wrestling will become eligible to represent the United States at the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, August 2-8. The competition will be held in the 18 Olympic weight classes in wrestling, which includes six weight classes in men's freestyle (57 kg, 65 kg, 74 kg, 86 kg, 97 kg, 125 kg), women's wrestling (50 kg, 53 kg, 57 kg, 62 kg, 68 kg, 76 kg) and Greco-Roman (60 kg, 67 kg, 77 kg, 87 kg, 97 kg, 130 kg). Tickets for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for wrestling will become available to the general public this Friday, September 20. Click here to purchase tickets. Tickets start at $49 for an all-session ticket. Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets right away, as this event is expected to be sold out. In the two-day format, Saturday, April 4 will include start of the Challenge Tournament in all 18 weight classes. Included in Saturday's action will be the Challenge Tournament finals, which will determine one athlete in each weight class who advances to the Final X Championship Series on Sunday. On Sunday, April 5, all 18 best-of-three Final X Championship Series will be held, which determines the U.S. Olympic Team Trials champions in each weight class. This series will feature the top seed and the Challenge Tournament champion, as determined by the 2020 Olympic Games Team Selection Procedures. In addition, the completion of the consolation rounds of the Challenge Tournament will be held on Sunday. Click here for the 2020 Olympic Games team selection procedures. The Bryce Jordan Center has already established itself as a historic wrestling venue. It served as the site of the 1999 NCAA Championships, which ironically featured current Penn State head coach Cael Sanderson's first of four NCAA titles and Penn State assistant coach Casey Cunningham's 157 pound crown. The Bryce Jordan Center was also the site of the 1998 and 2009 Big Ten Championships and will serve as the host site in March of 2021. The top four (and six of the top 10) all-time NCAA wrestling dual meet attendance records indoors have taken place at the Bryce Jordan Center, including the all-time indoor record of 15,998 who saw Penn State down Iowa 28-13 on Feb. 10, 2018. That record crowd is the largest crowd to ever witness a Penn State Athletics event not held in Beaver Stadium, Penn State's 100,000-plus capacity football stadium. University Park becomes only the 10th U.S. city to host a U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Wrestling since USA Wrestling became national governing body for wrestling in the United States in 1983. The only previous time it was held in Pennsylvania was in 1992, when the U.S. Freestyle Olympic Team Trials were hosted in Pittsburgh. This will be the fifth straight U.S. Olympic Team Trials in which all three Olympic wrestling teams were determined at the same time, with men's freestyle, women's freestyle and Greco-Roman all featured in the event. The previous U.S. Olympic Team Trials with all three teams determined were in Indianapolis (2004), Las Vegas (2008) and Iowa City (2012, 2016). Host Penn State is one of college wrestling's most successful teams in history, boasting nine NCAA Div. I national team titles. Included are eight of the last nine NCAA Div. I national team titles, under head coach Cael Sanderson, a 2004 Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling. U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM TRIALS - Freestyle 1984 - Allendale, Mich. 1988 - Pensacola, Fla. 1992 - Pittsburgh, Pa. 1996 - Spokane, Wash. 2000 - Dallas, Texas 2004 - Indianapolis, Ind. 2008 - Las Vegas, Nev. 2012 - Iowa City, Iowa 2016 - Iowa City, Iowa 2020 - University Park, Pa. U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM TRIALS - Greco-Roman 1984 - Allendale, Mich. 1988 - Pensacola, Fla. 1992 - Concord, Calif. 1996 - Concord, Calif. 2000 - Dallas, Texas 2004 - Indianapolis, Ind. 2008 - Las Vegas, Nev. 2012 - Iowa City, Iowa 2016 - Iowa City, Iowa 2020 - University Park, Pa. U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM TRIALS - Women's Freestyle 2004 - Indianapolis, Ind. 2008 - Las Vegas, Nev. 2012 - Iowa City, Iowa 2016 - Iowa City, Iowa 2020 - University Park, Pa.

Ildar Hafizov lifts Germany's Etienne Kisinger in his first mach at the World Championships (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan -- The United States Greco-Roman team posted a 1-3 record on Monday at the World Championships in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, failing to advance a wrestler beyond the round of 16. Ildar Hafizov (60 kilograms) picked up a win, while both Pat Smith (77 kilograms) and Adam Coon (130 kilograms) lost their first match. Hafizov, a 2008 Olympian for Uzbekistan, rolled to a 6-1 victory in his first match at 60 kilograms against Germany's Etienne Kisinger. The first point was scored by Kisinger off a passivity, but Hafizov dominated the rest of the way. He used a pair of throws to build his lead to 4-1 at the break. Hafizov added a takedown in the final 30 seconds of the match to win by five. In the round of 16, Hafizov met returning world bronze medalist Lenur Temirov of Ukraine, and fell 8-2. Hafizov led 2-1 with two minutes remaining before Temirov turned it up. The Ukrainian countered a throw attempt by Hafizov and earned a reversal before following it up with a gut wrench to go up 4-2. Hafizov continued to press forward and look for opportunities to score, but the Ukrainian would use a body lock to score four points in the closing seconds to seal the victory. Hafizov was eliminated from the tournament when Temirov lost by technical superiority in the quarterfinals to world champion Sergey Emelin. Pat Smith walks out with coaches for his first match at the World Championships (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Smith dropped his first match at 77 kilograms to Germany's Roland Schwarz, 5-3. The 28-year-old American was in control for most of the match. He led 2-0 at the break. In the second period, Schwarz scored off a passivity to cut the deficit to 2-1. With just over a minute remaining in the match, the German then lifted Smith and scored with a four-point throw to go up 5-2. Smith would score a step out with 40 seconds left, but ultimately fall short. Schwarz dropped his next match to Paulius Galkinas of Lithuania, eliminating Smith from the tournament. Adam Coon looks to score with gut wrench against China's Lingzhe Meng (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Coon, a returning world silver medalist, was defeated in his opening match at 130 kilograms by China's Lingzhe Meng, 3-1. Meng was hit for passivity eighty seconds into the match, giving Coon a 1-0 lead and a chance in par terre. Coon attempted a gut wrench, which Meng countered and picked up a reversal in the process. Meng then scored with a gut wrench to go up 3-1. Ultimately, the scoring sequence would decide the match as no more points were scored in the final four minutes. Coon's tournament officially came to a close when Meng was defeated in his next match by Turkey's Rıza Kayaalp, a three-time world champion and two-time Olympic medalist. The United States Greco-Roman team failed to win a medal at the World Championships and compiled a combined record of 8-12. Max Nowry (55 kilograms) was the highest American finisher in Greco-Roman, placing fifth. Women's wrestling gets underway on Tuesday at the World Championships. Whitney Conder (50 kilograms), Sarah Hildebrandt (53 kilograms), Jacarra Winchester (55 kilograms) and Victoria Francis (72 kilograms) will compete for the United States.

Justin Gaethje scored a first-round knockout of Donald Cerrone in a top-of-the-card lightweight (155-pound) bout at UFC Fight Night 158 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia on Saturday night. "Justin Gaethje put an absolute beating on Donald Cerrone," according to MMAmania.com. "From the literal first strike of the night -- a searing low kick that dug deep into Cerrone's thigh with an unpleasant THWACK -- Gaethje was ahead of his opponent," MMAmania.com continued. "For all of Cerrone's creative offense, Gaethje seemed to have him figured out almost immediately." Justin GaethjeHere's how Sherdog.com described the fight: "Gaethje disposed of his longtime friend with a chopping counter right hand and follow-up punches." "The 30-year-old Gaethje met straight punches and front kicks to the body from 'Cowboy' with heavy uppercuts and hooks, as the two men fought to a virtual standstill for roughly four minutes," Sherdog.com continued. "Late in the first round, he caught Cerrone coming forward with his hands low and connected with a devastating right hand to the side of the head. Gaethje engaged his loopy counterpart at close range, cut loose with right uppercuts and dropped him to his knees with another right hook ..." The fight ended at 4:18 of Round 1. After the bout, Gaethje -- know as "The Highlight" -- offered his assessment. "I'm always surprised," said Gaethje, ranked No. 5 in the world. "I go in there and I'm not sure I'm good enough. Gaethje, a two-time Arizona high school state wrestling champ who earned NCAA Division I All-American honors for University of Northern Colorado at 157 pounds at the 2010 Nationals, is now 21-2 in his pro MMA career going back to August 2011 ... while Cerrone, 36, is now 36-12 overall in his 13-year pro career, and 23-10 in UFC.

Joe Rau went 1-1 Sunday at the World Championships (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan -- It was a day of disappointment for the U.S. Greco-Roman wrestling team at the World Championships in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. Ellis Coleman (67 kilograms), Joe Rau (87 kilograms) and G'Angelo Hancock (97 kilograms) competed on Sunday, and all three failed to advance past the round of 16. The three Greco-Roman wrestlers eliminated from the tournament in the opening session. Coleman got off to a strong start at 67 kilograms, beating returning world bronze medalist Meirzhan Shermakhanbet of Kazakhstan in his first match by technical superiority, 10-2. Coleman used a four-point throw in the first minute of the match to go up 4-0. Later in the period, an exchange saw the Kazakhstan wrestler get two points before Coleman turned the tables, getting four points and nearly securing the fall. With just under minutes remaining in the match, Coleman scored a takedown to close out the match. Ellis Coleman won his first match before losing to Bulgaria's Devyid Dimitrov (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) In his second match, Coleman faced Bulgaria's Devyid Dimitrov. The Bulgarian went up 4-0 in the first 20 seconds of the match after scoring four points off an arm spin. Dimitrov would add another point off a step out and shut down Coleman's offense on his way to a 5-0 victory. Coleman was eliminated from the tournament when Dimitrov lost his next match to Fredrik Bjerrehuus of Denmark, 6-0. Rau opened his tournament at 87 kilograms with a 6-0 shutout over Asian silver medalist Kumar Sunil of India. The American scored with a couple step outs before getting a takedown late in the first period, which he followed up with a gut wrench to go up 6-0 at the break. There would be no scoring in the final period and Rau would move on with a six-point victory. He met Nikolai Stadub of Belarus in the round of 16. Rau scored a point off a passivity in the first period and led 1-0 at the break. A minute into the second period, Rau was called for passivity and the Belarusian had his chance in par terre. He took advantage of it, scoring with four turns with a gut wrench to earn a 9-1 technical superiority. Rau's tournament ended when Stadub was defeated by Olympic silver medalist Zhan Beleniuk in the quarterfinals. G'Angelo Hancock opened his tournament with a win over Nikolai Krysov of Ukraine (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Hancock, competing at 97 kilograms, cruised to a 6-0 victory in his first match against Nikolai Krysov of Ukraine. He led 3-0 at the break after scoring with a passivity and gut wrench. In the second period, Hancock added a step out and late caution and two. Next up for Hancock was a meeting with 2014 world champion Melonin Noumonvi of France in the round of 16. Hancock took a 1-0 lead into the break. The American led 2-1 into the final minute of the match before the 36-year-old Noumonvi used a five-point throw to go up 6-2, and then held on for the final 45 seconds. Noumonvi was defeated by Giorgi Melia of Georgia in his next match, eliminating Hancock from the tournament. Max Nowry placed fifth at 55 kilograms (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Nowry places fifth Max Nowry finished in fifth place at 55 kilograms. He won his first repechage match by technical superiority over Algeria's Abdelkarim Fergat, 11-3. Nowry was then dominated by returning world champion Eldaniz Azizli of Azerbaijan, 8-0, in the bronze-medal match. John Stefanowicz competed in repechage at 82 kilograms, falling to China's Haitao Qian, 9-0. The final three American Greco-Roman wrestlers will compete on Monday. Those wrestlers are Ildar Hafizov (60 kilograms), Pat Smith (77 kilograms) and Adam Coon (130 kilograms).

NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan -- The United World Wrestling bureau passed a series of decisions yesterday during a meeting before the start of the 2019 Senior Wrestling World Championships at the Barys Arena in Nur-Sultan. Topping the outcomes was the selection of Krasnoyarsk as host of the 2022 Senior Wrestling World Championships. The Russian city is well known to wrestling fans as host city of the prestigious Ivan Yaryiguin Invitational held each January in memory of the two-time Olympic champion. The 2022 championships will be Krasnoyarsk's first time hosting the combined world championships and the first world championships since the Siberian city welcomed men's freestyle in 1997. The bureau also named several cities as hosts for the 2021 season, highlighted by Guatemala City (Pan-Am) and Katowice (Europe) each set to be senior-level hosts of the continental championships. The Russian city of Ufa was also named the host of the Junior World Championships and Belgrade as host the U23 World Championships. The full and updated calendar of events can be found at www.unitedworldwrestling.org/events. In a move meant to better align with established Olympic norms Bureau members approved limiting the age of Bureau members to 75 years old and the term of president to two (2) six-year terms. For consistency across the organization, the bureau also approved a limitation on the term of continental presidents, who may now serve no more than three terms of four years each. Changes to the UWW constitution require the affirmation of the Congress which will take place in fall of 2020. In addition to host city allocations and self-governance the bureau also approved the nominees for the 2020 Hall of Fame ceremony in Tokyo. Three-time Olympic gold medalist Saori YOSHIDA (JPN) will be added to the Hall of Fame in 2020 under the "Legend" category. (Photo: Gabor Martin) Saori YOSHIDA (JPN) a three-time Olympic champion, Olympic silver medalist and 13-time world champion was nominated to the Hall of Fame in the "Legend" category. She will be joined by former teammate, Olympic champion and eight-time World Champion Hitomi OBARA SAKAMOTO (JPN) who looks to enter the Hall of Fame as a member of women's wrestling. The men's freestyle nominations included twin brothers John PETERSON (USA) and Ben PETERSON (USA). The Peterson's each won Olympic gold, Olympic silver, world silver and world bronze. In Greco-Roman, Gheorghe BERCEANU (ROU) - who won Olympic gold, Olympic silver and was a two-time world champion - was nominated alongside Olympic and world gold medalist Pertti UKKOLA (FIN). Mr. MOLINA (CUB) was nominated as a referee and Yuri SHAKHMURADOV (RUS) as a coach. Mr. Shakhmuradov was also added to the Women and Sport commission. The 2019 Senior Wrestling World Championships begin at 11am local with action in four Greco-Roman weight categories. Semifinals will begin at 6pm local.

Max Nowry gets his hand raised after winning his first match at the World Championships (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan -- The United States Greco-Roman team picked up three wins in the opening session of the 2019 World Championships but failed to advance a wrestler past the quarterfinals on Saturday in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. However, two wrestlers who competed on Saturday remain alive in the competition. Max Nowry (55 kilograms) and John Stefanowicz (82 kilograms) will wrestle in repechage, while Ryan Mango (63 kilograms) and Raymond Bunker (72 kilograms) were eliminated from the competition. The four Greco-Roman weight classes contested on the opening day are non-Olympic weight classes. Nowry started his tournament at 55 kilograms with a 10-1 technical superiority over 2019 European bronze medalist Fabian Schmitt of Germany. Schmitt led 1-0 at the break after scoring off a passivity. Nowry turned it up in the second period. He used a four-point throw to go up 4-1. A short time later, Nowry secured a takedown off a snap down and then scored with two trap-arm gut wrenches to close out the match. In the quarterfinals, Nowry met crowd favorite Khorlan Zhakansha of Kazakhstan, a bronze medalist at the Asian Championships. Nowry struck first, scoring two points off a counter. He would take a 2-0 lead into the break. In the second period, Nowry was called for passivity, giving Zhakansha his first point. Trailing 2-1, Zhakansha scored with a gut wrench to go up 3-2 and held on for the win. Nowry remained alive in the competition after Zhakansha knocked off returning world champion Eldaniz Azizli of Azerbaijan, 11-5. John Stefanowicz went 1-1 in the opening session of the World Championships (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Stefanowicz, competing at 82 kilograms, was shut out in his opening match by Georgia's Lasha Gobadze, 7-0. Gobadze scored first off a passivity and then extended his lead to 3-0 late in the first period off an arm throw. In the second period, the Georgian once again earned a point off passivity to go up 4-0 and then scored two points off a caution. The call was challenged by the United States and upheld, giving Gobadze a seven-point lead. Stefanowicz was unable to score and Gobadze advanced. Stefanowicz still has a chance to wrestle back for a bronze medal after Gobadze earned a 3-1 win in the semifinals over Nurbek Khashimbekov of Uzbekistan. Ryan Mango lifts Rahman Bilici of Turkey (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Mango cruised to a technical superiority in his opening match over Portugal's Julinnho Corriea Diu, 11-0. After scoring off a passivity midway through the opening period, Mango used a gut wrench to turn the Portugal wrestler five times and end the match in the first period. Next up for Mango was world bronze medalist Rahman Bilici of Turkey. Bilici scored the first point of the match off a passivity before Mango turned the tables, scoring with a four-point move to go up 4-1. Bilici then reversed Mango and scored two points before getting another two points off an exposure to grab a 5-4 lead. Bilici would add a takedown in the second period and win by three. Bilici was beaten by Kazakhstan's Almat Kebispayev 7-4 in his next match, ending Mango's tournament. Raymond Bunker talks with U.S. Greco-Roman coaches Matt Lindland and Brandon Paulson (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Bunker opened his tournament at 72 kilograms by edging India's Yogesh, 6-5. The American used a strong first period to grab a 4-0 lead at the break. In the second period, after a scoreless first minute, Bunker was called for passivity, giving Yogesh a point and the top position in par terre. Yogesh then locked up a gut wrench and scored two turns before Bunker came behind for a reversal, making the score 5-5 with the India wrestler leading on criteria. Bunker wasted little time, retaking the lead, 6-5, off a step out. He then held on for the victory. In his second match, Bunker faced returning world bronze medalist Aik Mnatsakanian of Bulgaria. Bunker went up 2-0 in the first period off the strength of a passivity and a step out. The Bulgarian came back in the second period, scoring his first point off a step out before getting a passivity point to give him the criteria lead with two minutes remaining. Mnatsakanian was given an opportunity in par terre after the passivity call and took advantage of it. He scored with a gut wrench and then a lift for another two points to grab a 6-2 lead, which would close out the scoring in the match. Bunker's tournament came to close when Mnatsakanian was defeated by Uzbekistan's Aram Vardanyan 4-1 in the semifinals. Three more American Greco-Roman wrestlers will begin their tournaments on Sunday: Ellis Coleman (67 kilograms), Joe Rau (87 kilograms) and G'Angelo Hancock (97 kilograms).

Braxton Amos (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) Ranked No. 2 overall in the Class of 2020, Braxton Amos (Parkersburg South, W.Va.) verbally committed to the University of Wisconsin on Friday evening. After missing his freshman season of high school due to injury, Amos is undefeated in two seasons over high school competition, in which he has been completely dominant; he has earned titles at the Walsh Ironman and Powerade tournaments during each season before going on to win the state tournament. Outside the high school season, Amos has won titles at the Super 32 Challenge each of the previous two years in October. He was a Cadet (now 16U) Nationals double champion in Fargo during the summer of 2016 and 2017. This summer Amos was a Junior National champion in freestyle, and advanced to the finals of Greco-Roman, both coming at 220 pounds. He projects most likely as a 285 in college, and will join No. 95 Aidan Medora (Brookfield Academy, Wis.) as an early commit to the Badgers for their 2020 class.

Funeral arrangements have been announced for Ben Knaub, former Colorado high school and college wrestler who served as a high school coach for nearly a quarter-century, and as a mat official for a dozen years. Ben KnaubKnaub passed away in Greeley, Colo. on Monday, Sept. 2 at age 92. The funeral for Knaub, a student-athlete at Greeley High School and Colorado State Teachers College will take place Monday, Sept. 16 at 10 a.m. at the Allnutt Macy Chapel, 6521 West 20th Street, Greeley. Burial will take place following the funeral at City of Evans Cemetery. At Greeley High School, Knaub was a two-time Colorado state wrestling championships placer. Two days after his high school graduation in 1944, Knaub was drafted by the U.S. Army to serve in the last year of U.S. involvement in World War II. After concluding his military service, Knaub enrolled at Colorado State Teachers (now the University of Northern Colorado) and later earned his Master's degree at University of Denver. While in college, Knaub was a two-time NCAA championships qualifier. At the 1949 NCAAs, Knaub wrestled in the 121-pound bracket, where he lost to eventual champ Arnold Plaza of Indiana's Purdue University, 13-11. The following year, Knaub moved up to 128 pounds, but was knocked out of title contention by Walter Romanowski of Cornell College of Iowa, 6-2, in the quarterfinals. (The eventual champ in that weight class was Purdue's Joe Patacsil.) Knaub served as a public school teacher for 35 years ... 31 of those years in the Denver Public Schools. A major portion of his career in education -- over two decades -- was at John F. Kennedy High School in Denver. According to his obituary, Knaub started the wrestling program at Kennedy "from scratch and built it into a conference powerhouse" where his wrestlers won 14 conference championships over the span of 20 years before retiring in 1986. He also served as a high school and wrestling official for 12 seasons. "I remember watching my dad referee the college match when UNC (University of Northern Colorado) upset Oklahoma State," said son Rob. "I even recall watching him on Wide World of Sports, refereeing individual NCAA finals matches." Beyond wrestling, Knaub also participated in slow-pitch softball until age 85, and ran races barefoot. In 2017, Ben Knaub was inducted into the Colorado Wrestling Hall of Fame, as well as being welcomed into the National Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Knaub is survived by his wife of 69 years, Joanne; three children; eight grandchildren, and twelve great-grandchildren.

A look at the venue for the 2019 World Championships in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan (Photo/Kadir Caliskan, United World Wrestling) The 2019 Senior Wrestling World Championships start this week in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. The competition starts with Greco-Roman, moves to women's wrestling, and ends with freestyle wrestling, and likely Snyderlaev III. The hype for the World Championships has been plenty discussed. The season saw a number of stars arise and capture the attention of the worldwide wrestling community. In freestyle that was Bajrang Punia, who wrestled in six international events in 2018 and won over a hostile crowd in Dagestan. The victory gave Bajrang a cult following in Russia. His performance 48 hours later against Yianni in NYC also won him fans stateside. For the women this year has seen considerable improvement from Team USA but headlined by a Team Japan that's been completely overhauled. Yoshida is long retired, but Icho's comeback at 57 kilograms pushed teammate Risako Kawai into a third and decisive wrestle-off. Kawai won and then so did her sister. A fact that was made more remarkable by Yuki Irie who upended two-time defending world champion Yui Susaki to take the 50-kilogram starting spot. She too will be joined by her sister Nanami in Nur-Sultan, who is competing at 55 kilograms. The Japanese team brings back 2016 Olympic champions Sara Dosho at 68 kilograms, but overall has five faces in their lineup this year that weren't there in 2018. As for Greco-Roman, the story will be who can catch the Russian side. They dominated the field in 2018 en route to winning six of 10 gold medals. Add in a healthy two-time Olympic champion in Roman Vlasov and there is high likelihood that the Russian team could capture at least five gold medals in Nur-Sultan. The competition starts in just 24 hours, with the first draws starting Friday at 4 p.m. local time. Here is the schedule in ET. Date Preliminary Rds Gold, Bronze Finals Saturday, September 14: GR: 55-63-72-82 kilograms Sunday, September 15: GR: GR: 67-87-97 kilograms // GR: 55-63-72-82 kilograms Monday, September 16: GR: 60-77-130 kilograms // GR: 67-87-97 kilograms Tuesday, September 17: WW: 50-53-55-72 kilograms // GR: 60-77-130 kilograms Wednesday, September 18: WW: 57-59-65-76 kilograms // WW: 50-53-55-72 kilograms Thursday, September 19: WW: 62-68/FS: 57-65 // WW: 57-59-65-76 kilograms Friday, September 20: FS: 70-74-92-125 kilograms // FS: 57-65 kilograms /WW: 62-68 kilograms Saturday, September 21: FS: 61-79-86-97 kilograms // FS: 70-74-92-125 kilograms Sunday, September 22: FS: 61-79-86-97 kilograms Prelims start daily 1 a.m. ET Day 1 and Day 2 semifinals will start at 8 a.m. Day 2 finals start at 9 a.m. Days 3 semifinals will start at 7 a.m., finals at 8 a.m. Days 4-8 semifinals will be 6:45 a.m., finals at 8 a.m. Day 9 finals 8 a.m. To your questions … Q: We need your picks, Timothy. -- William S. Foley: See below. Freestyle: 57 kilograms: Zaur Uguev (Russia) 61 kilograms: Yowls Bonne Rodriguez (Cuba) 65 kilograms: Bajrang Punia (India) 70 kilograms: Zurabi Iakobishvili (Georgia) 74 kilograms: Jordan Burroughs (USA) 79 kilograms: Kyle Dake (USA) 86 kilograms: Hassan Yazdanicharati (Iran) 92 kilograms: J'den Cox (USA) 97 kilograms: Abdulrashid Sadulaev (Russia) 130 kilograms: Taha Akgul (Turkey) Women's wrestling: 50 kilograms: Yanan Sun (China) 53 kilograms: Vinesh Vinesh (India) 55 kilograms: Nanami Irie (Japan) 57 kilograms: Risako Kawai (Japan) 59 kilograms: Xinru Pei (China) 62 kilograms: Taybe Yusein (Bulgaria) 65 kilograms: Forrest Molinari (USA) 68 kilograms: Sara Dosho (Japan) 72 kilograms: Alina Berezhna Stadnik (Ukraine) 76 kilograms: Adeline Gray (USA) Greco-Roman: 55 kilograms: Eldaniz Azizli (Azerbaijan) 60 kilograms: Victor Ciobanu (Moldova) 63 kilograms: Stepan Maryanyan (Russia) 67 kilograms: Artem Surkov (Russia) 72 kilograms: Balint Korpsi (Hungary) 77 kilograms: Roman Vlasov (Russia) 82 kilograms: Aleksandr Komarov (Russia) 87 kilograms: Zhan Beleniuk (Ukraine) 97 kilograms: Artur Aleksanyan (Armenia) 130 kilograms: Riza Kayaalp (Turkey) For a full guide to the World Championships you can/should scan the 70-page Media and Fan Guide. The guide has several helpful features for fans looking to learn more about the championships, including the tournament schedule, links to prior results, downloadable event photos, graphics, entry lists, seeding, and a glimpse at all the anticipated matchups across the 30 championship weight categories. There will be some updates over the next few days so look for a new version on the UWW event site. Q: With so many NCAA All-Americans taking Olympic redshirts, do you think this college wrestling season will be less exciting than previous seasons? -- Mike C. Foley: There are many Olympic redshirts this cycle. The increase has as much to do with opportunity for improved training as it does the belief they could actually qualify for the team. That's not to dismiss the opportunity of the Olympics or the talent of the athletes, but some of the names aren't synonymous with an Olympic medal. To their credit, the training opportunity in an Olympic year is incredible. Team USA camps and the number of like-minded collegiate athletes making the rounds will certainly mean that individual athletes will improve dramatically. In addition, the ability to see international competition should also mean improved an competitive outlook and overseas training camps. While the lack of the biggest stars might depress the appeal of the NCAA, it will also mean that we have a number of athletes improving out of site. It's a trade-off, but one that most of us can agree is worth the burn. Q: What do you view as the deepest weight class at the World Championships across all three styles? -- Mike C. Foley: The 65-kilogram freestyle category has 51 entries! While not a printable fact, in some discussions with members of the staff and press it was mentioned that 48 might be the most entries ever in a weight category. It's a full half of all nations with athletes entered at the championships. When you look at the athletes it's even more impressive. Bajrang Punia (India), Takuto Otoguro (Japan), Vladimer Khinchegashvili (Georgia), Gazimuradov Rashidov (Russia), Haji Aliyev (Azerbaijan), and third seed Selahattin Kilicsallayan (Turkey). And oh by the way, Zain Retherford (USA). Greco-Roman at 67 kilograms has 44 entries with a massive number of world and Olympic champions in Rasul Chunayev (Azerbaijan), Frank Staebler (Germany) Ismael Borrero (Cuba), Hansu Ryu (Korea), and Artem Surkov (Russia). Women's wrestling is dominated by 57 kilograms which is loaded with the next generation of superstars (plus Olympic champion Risako Kawai) and the top weight, 76 kilograms. The latter has five world and Olympic champions: Adeline Gray (USA), Erica Wiebe (Canada), Aline Focken (Germany), Qiian Zhou (China), and Yasmin Adar (Turkey). World Championships required viewing Bajrang: India's next golden grappler Russia vs. USA

JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- Nicholas Gravina, a former four-year standout on the mat at Division I Rutgers University, has been named the first-ever assistant men's wrestling coach in New Jersey City University history, head coach Harry Turner announced on September 12. Gravina, a native of Allendale, N.J., was a four-time national qualifier for the Scarlet Knights from 2016-19, and the first four-time Academic All-Big Ten student-athlete in Rutgers history, graduating as a five-time Academic All-Big Ten recipient. He will be making his coaching debut at NJCU. "Nick embodies everything I'm looking for in our team members, not just as an athlete but as a person," said Turner. "His toughness, willingness to put the team ahead of himself, and commitment to community make him an ideal role model for our guys to look up to." Nick GravinaJust the sixth four-time national qualifier in program history, Gravina collected 77 career varsity victories during his collegiate career. He began his career in the 165-pound weight class before finishing at 184 pounds. Along the way, he earned an appearance in the 2017 NCAA 'Round of 12' and was a two-time Big Ten Championships placewinner, placing fourth in 2016 and sixth in 2019. Gravina was a three-time Midlands Championships placewinner (sixth-2017, sixth-2016, eighth-2015) and claimed the 2016 East Stroudsburg Open Championship. He had a final collegiate mark of 77-35. His career culminated with being honored by the Big Ten Conference as Rutgers University's Outstanding Sportsmanship Award winner. Two Outstanding Sportsmanship Award winners are selected annually from each institution among student-athletes who distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. Off the mat, he was a Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) representative of the men's wrestling program for five years (2014-19). He completed a Bachelor of Science in Psychology in 2017 with an impressive 3.73 grade point average and completed his eligibility while earning a Masters of Education in Counseling Psychology. A 2013 graduate of Northern Highlands Regional High School, Gravina was a two-time NHSCA All-American during his freshman and junior seasons and chalked up an astounding career record of 148-12. He was a four-time District V, Region II and Bergen County champion for the Highlanders while wrestling at the 103, 125, 145 and 152 weight classes. Turner will continue to announce additional members of his inaugural coaching staff throughout the month of September.

It's no secret wrestlers are tough, hardworking, and resilient. Kevin AhernKevin Ahern was all of those and more as a student-athlete, wrestler, and football player at Simley High School in Inver Grove Heights in the late 1980s. After high school, Ahern went on to become an All-American wrestler at the University of St. Thomas, and for these accomplishments, and more, he is being inducted into the Simley High School Hall of Fame Friday, September 13 at halftime of the Simley football game against North Saint Paul. Ahern -- the 1988 Simley High School Male Athlete of the Year, finished in the top 10 in his class, was a three-time state qualifier, two-time state placewinner, 1988 state runner-up, and key member of Simley's 1987 and 1988 state championship wrestling teams -- the first in school history. He also earned Academic All-State honors in wrestling and finished his career with a record of 102-28-2. "It was a great experience to be a part of Simley wrestling, and on the teams that won the first state titles in school history," said Ahern. "What I remember is, we wanted to win, not just for the wrestling team, but for the school, and our families. We all rooted for each other individually, and really came together as a team." Simley wrestling: A look back The Simley wrestling program has won 12 state championships, is consistently ranked among the top high school programs in the country, and year-after-year, turns out some of the best wrestlers in the state. But back in 1987, when Ahern was a junior, he and fellow Spartan wrestlers, led by now Hall of Fame coach Jim Short, were trying to win the school's first state championship in any sport. Simley was not yet the traditional wrestling powerhouse that it is now -- but it at all came together in March of 1987 at the St. Paul Civic Center. The Spartans sent nine wrestlers to the state individual tournament that year and had two state champions -- Derek Jones at 138 and Chris Short at 185. Dan Harrison finished third at 145 and Ahern fourth at 155. In the team portion of the tournament, Simley defeated Grand Rapids 30-17 in the state finals to win the Class AA state title. Back then there were only two classes and Class AA was home to the state's bigger schools. In 1988, seven Spartans qualified for the individual state tournament, including Kevin's younger brother Michael Ahern, then a sophomore 98-pounder. Will Short (138) and Dan Harrison (155) won state titles, Kevin Ahern (145) was a runner-up, and Brady Harrison (167) placed fourth. In the team portion, the Spartans were ranked No. 1 in the state the entire season, and defeated Apple Valley 31-14 in the Class AA finals to win the school's second straight state title. In that championship match against Apple Valley, the Spartans trailed 12-6 early. But a Will Short pin at 138 tied the match at 12-12, and Ahern's 10-0 decision over Bobby Green put the Spartans up 16-12 -- and gave them a lead they would never relinquish. Simley would go on to win the state title again in 1989 to make it a three-peat. Mark Madigan has been an assistant coach with the Simley wrestling program for over 30 years. He's been a part of all 12 state championships and has fond memories of every state championship team -- including those in 1987 and 1988. "Every team is different, every kid is different, every road to a state championship is different, that's what makes each one so special," said Madigan. "There were some really good kids in that room back on those teams. I think they fed off of each other and just wanted to compete." That's what drove Ahern, said Madigan -- he would compete against anyone, he always wanted to get better, and would take on any challenge if it meant he could improve. "He was just such a hard worker," said Madigan. "He kept working and improving all the time. He was in excellent shape and would always finish matches strong. He won a lot of matches because of his conditioning and the fact he was just mentally tough." Will Short, current Simley head coach, was a two-time state champion for the Spartans (1988 and 1989) and spent countless hours drilling with Ahern in the Simley wrestling room. "Kevin was a wrestler that just wore you down over the course of a match," said Short. "He would grind out takedowns and score a bunch of points late in matches. Kevin was an extremely hard worker throughout his career. His work ethic was his strength through high school and college. Kevin was a role model to me. He was a person who made every day and every practice an opportunity to improve his skills. That made an impact on me in wrestling and in life." Ahern was also a state qualifier as a sophomore in 1986 at 138. In 1987 Ahern opened the 155-pound Class AA state tournament with a 7-1 win over Chad Propyl of Monticello. He then defeated Dan Swanson of Little Falls 9-2, before losing to eventual state champion Tom Kirpach of Saint Francis, 6-4. Ahern then defeated Dave Wroblewski of Northfield 6-4 before losing to Troy Wondrasch of Winona 6-4 in the third-place match. In a Wednesday, March 2, 1988 Star Tribune article -- where Ahern was named to the Star Tribune All-Metro wrestling team -- Simley coach Jim Short talked about Kevin. "His greatest strength is his intelligence on the mat," Jim Short said. "He knows where he is at all times and doesn't get out of position. He just doesn't make many mistakes." Ahern entered the 1988 state tournament with a record of 29-1-1. He earned a 9-1 win over Todd Musterteiger of Buffalo, and then pinned Leif Simonson of Blake/Breck. In the semi-finals, Ahern defeated Stacey Nelson of St. Francis 6-2, before losing to Jones -- who went back to Minneapolis Roosevelt after competing at Simley in 1987, 14-8 in the state finals. Ahern said defeating Nelson to make it to the state finals was one of the best moments of his wrestling career -- not because he made it to the state finals, but because his older brother Patrick Ahern, then an assistant coach with the Spartans, was in his corner during that match. "To have my brother on the mat coaching me when I made it to the state finals my senior year is something I will never forget," said Ahern. Chris Boys, a 1991 Simley graduate, was a three-time state placewinner (6th, 4th, 4th) and member of three Simley state championship teams (1987, 1988, 1989), a 4th place team (1990) and a second place team (1991). He went on to wrestle at St. John's University where he was a four-time MIAC All-Conference selection and NCAA Academic All-American. Boys vividly remembers being a wide-eyed eighth-grader when he stepped into that Simley wrestling room, looking up to guys like Kevin Ahern, Dan Harrison, Will Short, Chris Short, and the many others who are now legends in the Simley wrestling family. "I was an eighth-grader in 1987 when Simley wrestling really came to life," said Boys. "As a middle-school student at the time, I can remember having a sense that what we were doing was important and that attitude was directed by Kevin and the upperclassmen. It was clear that those guys, driven by Mr. Short, had goals, and we younger guys did not want to let them down. I truly believe that they were the foundation for the winning that Simley wrestling has experienced over the years. I can recall wanting to always practice hard and not mess around so as to not let the older wrestlers down. Whether it was at a practice midway through the season or morning runs before school as we prepared for the state tournament, I always wanted to go hard. That legacy allowed us to win two more consecutive state titles after Kevin graduated, plus a fourth place and second place finish. I was fortunate enough to go on to wrestle in college and was in the same conference as Kevin. I can recall him approaching me at tournaments and still giving me guidance and encouragement, even when our schools were competing directly against each other. He truly never stopped caring and taught me a lot about life without even maybe realizing it." The College Years: St. Thomas After high school, Ahern went on to find success at the University of St. Thomas. He originally wrestled for Coach Dan Chandler and finished his career competing for head coach Joe Gribben, becoming an All-American at 158, finishing third his senior year in 1991. Kevin Ahern had a successful career at St. Thomas"Kevin was so coachable, he understood good positioning, and he was so mentally tough in the tight matches," said Gribben. "He wouldn't panic. I would say he is the best third-period wrestler that I have ever coached. When the match came down to who could deal with the pain of being tired, I would put a lot of money on Kevin. He was just a grinder." In 1991, St. Thomas finished third at the NCAA Division III national tournament. What's remarkable about that season is the Tommies did it with only three wrestlers -- Ahern, Jason O'Brien (Waseca) and Rich Elliott (Forest Lake). One of the Tommies' key wrestlers -- and close friend to all -- Todd English, ended up in the hospital with a collapsed lung the day before the NCAA qualifier. He was expected to compete for All-American honors that year, so it was a tough blow for the team. "The 1991 season, and in particular the national tournament, was by far the most rewarding thing in my career as an athlete or a coach," said Gribben. "We had three wrestlers in that tournament. Jason O'Brien was the champ at 118, Rich Elliott was 2nd at 134, and Kevin was 3rd at 158. It was an amazing run that those three had. Kevin lost his first match and then went on to beat several returning All Americans on his way to third. Of course, he just wore them out and won the matches in the third period. I think those three were 13-2 for the tournament." O'Brien said two words come to mind when looking back at Ahern on the mat: Relentless and consistent. "Kevin's MO was constant pressure," said O'Brien. "He never stopped wrestling and was always moving forward, always trying to score points. He won a lot of matches on pure will as his opponents couldn't keep up with that pace. He was also very consistent. For the most part you knew exactly what you were going to get when he went out there. He didn't have the letdowns most wrestlers suffer during the course of a long season. I was always impressed by that -- both from a physical and mental perspective." Kevin lost his first match in the 1991 NCAA tournament -- which can quickly lead to an early exit for any wrestler with just one more loss. Not Kevin. "Kevin lost his first match which would set up one of the most incredible run of wins I had ever witnessed," recalled O'Brien. "In Kevin's second wrestleback match I remember him getting caught in a funky position and going down 5-0 to a pretty tough wrestler. True to form he kept battling, putting the guy to his back in the next period and going on to win 8-6. In all, he would win five matches in a row coming from behind in at least two of them and pinning a three-time finalist and defending champ in the 3rd place match with one second left on the clock." Just like in high school, Ahern motivated his college teammates by actions, not words. "If you know him at all, you are well aware that half time speeches are not his thing," said O'Brien. "Kevin's wrestling partner on most days was Gordy Morgan (who in 1990 was a member of the USA World Team and was a 1996 Olympian). If you needed a little motivation all you had to do was look to that end of the room and see him butting heads with Gordy; his shirt soaked through in sweat, of course. There were days I felt bad for him, but he never stopped competing." While not one to speak loudly, Ahern was one many could count on to speak with, when needed. "Early on in that 1990-91 season was tough for me as I struggled with balancing school, job interviews, and wrestling," said O'Brien -- then a senior. "The team struggled early as well. I remember conversations with a lot of my teammates and coaches on how to right the ship. Kevin was always a participant in these conversations. He was as solid as they come, always in your corner in good times and in bad." The family behind it all When told he was selected to the Simley Hall of Fame, Ahern was honored, humble, but quickly thought of others and their accomplishments, including his younger brother, Michael Ahern -- Simley's 1990 Male Athlete of the Year. In addition to being a member of Simley's 1988 state championship team, Michael Ahern finished 6th in state in the Class AA 125 pound weight class in 1990, was also a standout cross country runner, competed in track and field, and went on to compete in rugby and boxing while graduating from the University of Notre Dame with a degree in Finance. "Having my brother on the team meant we had another person that was dedicated and driven," said Ahern. "And then to have another brother as a coach, that combination is about as good as it gets." Kevin also has three sisters (Shawn, Shannon, Erin) and grew up in a house that emphasized academics and faith before athletics. Parents Walter "Jay" Ahern and Patricia Ahern were supportive and encouraging when it came to athletics, but academics and doing things the right way always came first. "One of the reasons I believe I had a successful career in wrestling was because of how great my mother and father were," said Kevin. "They taught me the value of hard work and respect." Ahern was also a two-time letter winner and 1987 All-Conference honorable mention selection as a linebacker for the Spartans football team. He also earned Academic All-State Football honors (1987) and was named the 1988 Steichen's Scholarship Award winner as the Twin Cities Outstanding Male Student-Athlete. He also earned a Master's degree in Education from St. Mary's University and went on to partner with his dad in the family business and eventually take over as his own company, St. Paul Plastic. A dedicated volunteer, Ahern has also volunteered more than 1,000 hours at Feed My Starving Children in Eagan. "The same discipline and work ethic that Kevin had in wrestling, he had in other areas of life," said Gribben. "They do go hand in hand. You have to give that credit to Mr. and Mrs. Ahern. They are a close, supporting family and Kevin's work ethic was learned long before he stepped foot on campus." That's what stands out most to Gribben. "I'm just glad he was at St. Thomas when I was there because I got the honor of coaching him, to call him my friend and to get to know the Ahern family," said Gribben. O'Brien shared the same experience. "He is a true friend, as loyal as they come," said O'Brien. "He is the type of friend that is there when you need him and cares enough to tell you when you're wrong or out of line. He is generous and spends a lot of his time giving back to others. I was fortunate to have worked with Jay, Kevin, and Michael for a while when I graduated from college. The lessons I learned at the company and hanging around the Ahern family are lessons I've carried with me and passed down to my kids. Kevin is representative of them all; smart, hardworking, fair, and caring. No doubt he and the rest of the family deserve this honor." Madigan said the same. Over the years he and Kevin's brother Patrick have remained close friends. "His family was the first to take me in and welcome me when I came to Simley," said Madigan. "He comes from a great family. And more so than anything he did on the mat or football field, he's just an awesome person, and I am lucky to have the opportunity to coach him and be a part of his life." Matt Krumrie is an Inver Grove Heights-based freelance writer and contributor to The Guillotine, USA Wrestling, and MatBoss. He can be reached at mattkrum@yahoo.com.

A GoFundMe page has been established for Mark Kerr, a champion wrestler in high school, college and national freestyle competition who went on to find success in a mixed martial arts career where he was known as "The Smashing Machine" and "The Specimen." Kerr, 50, has been battling peripheral neuropathy for the last 3 years, according to the text at the GoFundMe page, which goes on to state that, over the last 6 months, the disease has made it almost impossible to work. The fund is intended to help pay medical expenses not covered by insurance. Born in Toledo in December 1968, Mark Kerr launched his amateur wrestling career as a freshman at Bettendorf High School in Iowa. His family returned to Ohio, where Kerr won an Ohio state wrestling title for Toledo Waite High School. Mark Kerr battles Randy CoutureKerr then headed east to Syracuse University in upstate New York, which had an intercollegiate wrestling program at the time. Kerr won the 190-pound title at the 1992 NCAA Division I Championships, defeating fellow future MMA star Randy Couture who wrestled at Oklahoma State in the finals. In 1994, Kerr was crowned USA Senior Freestyle Champion at 220 pounds. In January 1997, Kerr had his first pro MMA fight. He tallied eleven straight wins, with all but two of those ending in the first round. His last fight was a decade ago -- a first-round knockout loss at the hands of Muhammed Lawal, a former wrestler at Oklahoma State. Kerr was the subject of a 2003 HBO documentary, The Smashing Machine.

Japan has been the dominant force in women's wrestling since the sport was introduced. Last year, Japan claimed seven of the 10 gold medals in Budapest and won the team title by 37 points. This year, Japan will be without world champions Yui Susaki and Haurna Okuno, but bring a loaded lineup to Nur-Sultan that includes returning world champions Risako Kawai and Mayu Mukaida. However, there are many talented women's wrestlers outside of the Japanese team. Adeline Gray of the United States is a multiple-time world champion, while Canada's Erica Wiebe and Russia's Natalia Vorobeva are Olympic champions. Let's examine the five most likely champions in women's wrestling at this year's World Championships in Nur-Sultan. Risako Kawai after winning a gold medal at the 2018 World Championships (Photo/Gabor Martin, United World Wrestling) 1. Risako Kawai (Japan, 57 kilograms) Kawai was one of four gold medalists for the Japanese women's wrestling team at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. Since then, Kawaii has added a pair of world titles. Last year, Kawai's world title came at 59 kilograms where she completely dominated the competition. In the finals, Kawai won 8-0 over Elif Yeşilırmak of Turkey. She moved down a weight class to 57 kilograms and earned her spot by beating out four-time Olympian champion and 10-time world champion Kaori Icho. Kawai is the biggest lock to win gold in the women's wrestling field this year. Mayu Mukaida wrestling at the 2018 World Championships (Photo/Gabor Martin, United World Wrestling) 2. Mayu Mukaida (Japan, 53 kilograms) Mukaida enters Nur-Sultan in search of her third world title. The 22-year-old Japanese star won her first world title in 2016. After getting upset in the finals of the 2017 World Championships in a match in which she went up 6-0, Mukaida bounced back in a big way in 2018, torching the field at 55 kilograms, outscoring her opposition 44-7. Her toughest match came in the quarterfinals, where she beat Sweden's Sofia Mattsson, 6-4. Mukaida took a surprising loss in the finals of the Asian Championships, where she gave up a takedown in the closing seconds to lose 4-3 to Pak Yongmi of North Korea. She looks to be in top form entering this year's World Championships after beating out two-time returning world champion Haruna Okuno for the spot on the Japanese team. 3. Sara Dosho (Japan, 72 kilograms) Dosho won an Olympic gold medal in 2016 and added a world title in 2017. In 2018, Dosho was recovering from a shoulder injury and missed the World Championships. She returned this year and won her fourth Asian championship in April, beating 2018 world bronze medalist Zhou Feng of China. In addition to her Olympic and world titles, Dosho has three other world medals. She has not been defeated since the 2015 World Championships in Las Vegas. Adeline Gray after getting a fall at Beat the Streets in Los Angeles (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) 4. Adeline Gray (USA, 76 kilograms) Gray, a four-time world champion and the reigning world champion, enters the World Championships as the No. 2 seed behind 2017 world champion Yasemin Adar of Turkey, who won gold medals at the Dan Kolov and European Championships. Also in the weight class is 2016 Olympic champion Erica Wiebe of Canada, who will be seeded No. 4. The top four seeded wrestlers combine for six world and Olympic titles. Still, despite the talent in the weight class, Gray has to be considered a solid favorite. She beat Adar by technical superiority in last year's finals. In addition, Gray beat Wiebe 3-1 in the semifinals of last year's World Championships before getting a 10-0 technical superiority over the Canadian Olympic champ at the Pan American Championships this year. 5. Yuki Irie (Japan 50 kilograms) Irie made the Japanese team at the lightest weight class by knocking off reigning two-time world champion Yui Susaki, 6-1, in their special wrestle-off in July. She is a past Junior world champion and earned a gold medal at the Asian Championships in April. Japan has dominated this weight class, winning six straight world or Olympic gold medals. Before Susaki burst on the scene and won two straight gold medals, Eri Tosaka had a stranglehold on the weight class worldwide, winning four straight world or Olympic titles.

Tervel Dlagnev after a victory in the finals of the Olympic Team Trials (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Tervel Dlagnev, 2012 Olympic bronze medalist and two-time NCAA Division II wrestling champ who is now on the coaching staff at Ohio State, is one of four former student-athletes and a coach who will be inducted into the University of Nebraska-Kearney (UNK) Athletic Hall of Fame during the school's Homecoming weekend on Oct. 4-5, 2019. Born in Bulgaria, Dlagnev was introduced to wrestling as a high school student in Texas. As a walk-on for the UNK wrestling program, Dlagnev became arguably one of the school's all-time great wrestlers. Dlagnev was a two-time NCAA Division II heavyweight champ (winning back-to-back titles in 2007 and 2008) and four-time All-American. As a senior, Dlagnev didn't allow a single offensive point that season, helping UNK win its' first-ever team national team title. In addition to demonstrating his prowess on the mat, Dlagnev was a four-time NCAA Academic All-American. After graduating from UNK in 2008, Dlagnev took his outstanding wrestling skills to the world beyond Nebraska. Arguably at the top of his international mat accomplishments: a two-time U.S. Olympic team qualifier, earning a bronze medal at the 2012 London Games, then placing fifth at the 2016 Rio Olympics ... making is UNK's only Olympic medal winner. In addition, Dlagnev qualified for eight national teams and twice earned the bronze medal at the World Wrestling Championships. Now an assistant coach at Ohio State, Dlagnev joined the Buckeye coaching staff just prior to the 2016-17 wrestling season. In addition to Dlagnev, other honorees for the Class of 2019 of the University of Nebraska at Kearney Athletics Hall of Fame include baseball player Neal Arnold, track athlete Lesley (Crutcher) Hulett, football player Roger Suelter, and women's track and cross country coach Mary Iten. The UNK Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet begins at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 4, in the Ponderosa Room with a social hour. A dinner follows at 6:30 p.m. with the class being inducted into the UNK Athletic Hall of Fame. To purchase a ticket for the Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet, visit unkalumni.org/homecoming. Tickets are $35 per person ($40 starting Sept. 27). On Saturday, Oct. 5, the class will be recognized at half time of the homecoming football game vs. Northeastern State. That contest kicks off at 2 p.m.