InterMat Staff

SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio -- Notre Dame College wrestling head coach, Sonny Marchette announced on Monday that his team will be adding Nate Skonieczny as an assistant coach. Nate SkoniecznySkonieczny comes to NDC after spending the past two years coach at the University of Mount Union and Rootstown High School. Last season, as Rootstown High School's co-head coach, his team had a State Champion and five place winners as the team finished as the runner-ups. An assistant coach during the 2017-18 season at Mount Union, Skonieczny helped lead the team finished 10th in the country while boasting an individual National Champion and two All-Americans. "I am very excited to add Nate as a full-time assistant coach," Marchette said. "Nate is going to make a great addition to the NDC wrestling program as he brings in a wealth of knowledge about the sport. He has been part of top pedigree teams, which gives him the ability to coach at a high level. His youth will allow him to practice with our guys and show them techniques up close." Skonieczny was a four-time state placer and two-time state champion for Walsh Jesuit High School. His 186 career wins is the most in Walsh Jesuit history. He went on to wrestle collegiately at Iowa, Kent State and Jamestown Community College. "I've known Nate since he was in youth programs in North Akron," Marchette said. "He competed at Walsh Jesuit High School where I am an alumnus. I have known him and his family for a long time and I am excited to add someone of his caliber to our winning program. It is going to be great for our guys to be exposed to the experience and leadership Nate and [assistant coach] Cory Stainbrook possess. "We are looking forward to a great season."

Elena Pirozhkova at the 2016 Olympic Games (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- Former world champion and two-time United States Olympian Elena Pirozhkova has been selected as the first-ever head coach of the New Jersey City University women's wrestling program. Pirozhkova, 32, one of the most decorated American women in the history of the sport, will have the unique opportunity to develop the first-ever collegiate program in the state of New Jersey or the tri-state area, from the ground floor. Pirozhkova, a 2012 and 2016 U.S. Olympian, was crowned the 2012 World Champion. A 2010 and 2014 World silver medalist and a 2013 World bronze medalist, she finished fifth at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. She wrestled for Team USA for 10 years (2007-17), wrapping up her competitive career in 2016-17 ranked No. 1 in the United States at 63 kilograms/138.75 pounds. "Having a women's program at NJCU is very exciting and I'm looking forward to being a part of this momentum in women's wrestling in the NCAA," said Pirozhkova. "NJCU is a great place to build a women's program due to its location and resources. It's exciting to start a new program and be part of history in the making." Shawn Tucker, Director of Athletics and Associate Vice President, added: "This is a great day in the history of New Jersey City University and our athletics program. We have hit a grand slam with the hiring of Elena Pirozhkova as our first-ever women's wrestling coach. Elena is a world champion and an Olympian. She has done it all in the sport of wrestling and is a hero to young women in the sport around the country and the world. Her experience level cannot be understated. Coming on the heels of our historic announcement as the first women's wrestling program in the state of New Jersey, the excitement level is very high. Adding Elena as the leader of this program will only elevate that excitement. NJCU will be a destination for girls from around the country who will want to be coached as a collegian by a true champion, both on the mat and in life." Pirozhkova was a member of Team USA world championship and Olympic teams for nine straight years from 2008-16 and won an eight-time U.S. Open champion (2009-15, 2017). She captured the 2008 and 2010 University World championship, was a four-time Pan American Championships champion and a three-time Golden Grand Prix Finals champion. Pirozhkova was the 2010 USA Wrestling Women's Wrestler of the Year. "Elena Pirozhkova was one of the mainstays on our Senior National Team for a decade," said Terry Steiner, USA Wrestling National Women's Coach. "Elena is a past World champion with five World-level medals to her credit. She earned every bit of those medals. She started as just a normal kid and grew into a great champion for Team USA! There is no doubt in my mind that Elena will have a positive effect on the athletes she is around on a daily basis. I'm excited for Elena and also excited for New Jersey City University and the athletes she is coaching." Kyra Tirana Barry, the Team Leader for USA Wrestling Women's Freestyle at the 2016 Rio Olympics noted: "I am thrilled that Elena will be continuing her wrestling career as a collegiate coach in New Jersey. Over the last 10 years, I have watched Elena grow from a young senior team participant into a talented and thoughtful student of all aspects of the sport. She has long supported her peers, mentored up-and-coming athletes and more recently been an active board member guiding Beat the Streets. As women's wrestling moves toward NCAA Emerging Sport status, the sport will be fortunate to have Elena leading a program and contributing to collegiate wrestling's development and success." At NJCU, Pirozhkova will serve as a head coach for the first time. During her competitive career, she has coached for Team New York at the Fargo Junior Nationals and has trained younger girls at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She has also served as an instructor at numerous clinics throughout her competitive years and worked with Beat the Streets as a coach. "Having this program so close to home is an amazing opportunity for me as a coach and for the women on the East Coast," Pirozhkova noted. "I'm excited to build a great, high-level program here in Jersey City." Pirozhkova has been a board member for Beat the Streets New York for nearly two years. She received her bachelor's degree from the University of Bridgeport and is currently completing her PhD in Bridgeport's Doctor of Chiropractic program. A native of Greenfield, Massachusetts, she attended Greenfield High School where she was a 2005 ASICS High School All-American Second Team member and the 2005 United States Girls' Wrestling Association (USGWA) national champion. She placed third in the 2003 and 2004 USGWA Nationals. She started wrestling at the age of 13, competing primarily against boys in high school. Born in Russia, she moved to the United States at the age of three. Pirozhkova resides in Jersey City, N.J. with her husband, Alan Vera, an international Greco-Roman wrestling star for Team USA, and formerly the Cuban National Team.

Youssif Hemida battles Amar Dhesi at the NCAAs (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The Cliff Keen Wrestling Club has added former Maryland heavyweight standout Youssif Hemida to its 2019-20 senior-level freestyle roster, the club announced on Monday (Aug. 5). Hemida, a two-time NCAA All-American (2018, '19), will compete internationally in the 125kg/275-pound freestyle weight class. "We look forward to Youssif joining our team and bringing his enthusiasm, motivation and hard work to the mat," said Michigan head coach Sean Bormet. "He is very excited about competing at the international level, and I see a ton of potential in him. He will be a great contributor to our wrestling room. He will add a lot of value to what is already one of the top upperweight rooms in the country." A collegiate standout at Maryland (2016-19), Hemida was a two-time NCAA All-American at heavyweight, claiming eighth place as a junior (2018) and sixth as a senior (2019), and a three-time NCAA qualifier. He was the eighth multi-time All-American in Maryland program history. Hemida was ranked as high as fourth nationally as a senior, posted a 21-9 record and placed third at the Big Ten Championships -- the highest placement for Maryland wrestler at the conference tournament since the Terrapins joined the Big Ten. He was a three-time Terp team captain and compiled an 86-44 career record, including a 51-17 mark over his final two seasons. Hemida also represented the United States at the 2018 U23 World Championships in Bucharest, Romania, where he claimed the freestyle silver medal at 125kg. Originally from Mamaroneck, New York, Hemida will relocate to Ann Arbor this month.

Tyler Berger after a victory over Iowa's Kaleb Young (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Former Huskers Robert Kokesh and Tyler Berger will return to the Nebraska wrestling program in coaching capacities, Nebraska head coach Mark Manning announced Monday. Kokesh will rejoin the wrestling program as an assistant coach, while Berger will be a volunteer assistant. "Robert Kokesh and Tyler Berger are both Huskers through and through," Manning said. "Both had tremendous success as competitors and were successful in the classroom. When I was looking to fill these positions, I sought after guys that were not only natural teachers, but young men that commanded respect and have pride in our Husker program. These guys are part of our culture and will make such a smooth transition for our program to grow and develop." "Robert (Kokesh) will bring his loyalty and work ethic to our program that will have such a positive impact on our athletes," said Manning. "His relentless pursuit of excellence and passion for our Husker program will flow into our team." Most recently, Kokesh spent time as an administrative assistant for the Nebraska wrestling program in 2016. From 2011 to 2015, Kokesh racked up 144 individual wins, which currently ranks second in school history. He earned All-America accolades on three occasions, finishing third at the NCAA Championships in 2013 and 2015, while taking fourth in 2014. Kokesh also won a pair of Big Ten titles in 2014 and 2015. Kokesh was a member of the NWCA All-Academic Team, and he was a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection. He also spent five semesters on the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll. A Wagner, South Dakota, native, Kokesh was a three-time South Dakota Class B State Champion (2008-10) and led Wagner High School to team state titles both seasons. He graduated from Nebraska in August of 2015 with a degree in agronomy. "Tyler Berger is a natural coach and will continue to compete on the international level," Manning said. "We're extremely fortunate to have both of these guys joining a strong coaching staff that will seek new heights." Recent graduate and three-time NCAA All-American Tyler Berger will also be rejoining the Husker wrestling program as a volunteer assistant. Berger garnered All-America honors on three occasions, finishing second at the NCAA Championships in 2019, third in 2018 and fifth in 2019. Last season, Berger was a runner-up at both the NCAA Championships and Big Ten Championships. He was voted Nebraska's Best Male Athlete for all sports. Berger wrapped up his collegiate career last season with an overall record of 28-4, bringing his career total to 116-32. Berger earned NWCA All-Academic honors in 2017 and 2018 and was a four-time Academic All-Big Ten selection. He also earned a place on the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll on three occasions. The Prineville, Oregon, native was a four-time State Champion at Crook County High School and amassed a career record of 198-3. Berger was the Oregon Athlete of the Year in 2013. He graduated from Nebraska with a degree in psychology last May.

Cain Velasquez Former amateur wrestling titlewinner. Two-time UFC champ. Now Cain Velasquez can add "potential pro wrestling star" to his resume after a successful lucha libre (Mexican pro wrestling) debut at TripleMania XXVll, arguably the biggest annual event for the top pro wrestling organization in Mexico, on Saturday night. "Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez made his pro wrestling debut Saturday at Mexican wrestling's answer to WrestleMania -- and absolutely KILLED it," according to MMAJunkie.com. MMAfighting.com weighed in, adding, "Cain Velasquez surprised just about everyone, except those who had seen him train, pulling out several acrobatic moves in a very successful pro wrestling debut Saturday night." "Velasquez was one of the most intriguing stars of TripleMania, the annual major show of the year for the AAA promotion, the most popular pro wrestling group on Mexican television," MMAfighting.com continued. "The show was at Arena Ciudad in Mexico City, the same venue where Velasquez lost his UFC heavyweight championship to Fabricio Werdum four years earlier." MMAjunkie.com agreed, saying, "After about a year of training, the former UFC champion shined during his debut, and showed off some of his athleticism as well." The former Arizona State wrestler teamed up with All Elite Wrestling star Cody Rhodes and Mexico's most popular pro wrestler, Psycho Clown ... two individuals from legendary pro wrestling families. "Velasquez's team won, as they should have, but that was a foregone conclusion, and reviews were strong," MMAfighting.com continued. "With the exception of Ronda Rousey and Floyd Mayweather in WWE and former NFL star DeAngelo Williams, Velasquez made probably the most impressive debut of a superstar pro athlete in going into pro wrestling in more than a decade." Velasquez, a fan of lucha libre (Mexican pro wrestling), sought to be an authentic luchador -- complete with a black mask -- but did incorporate some of his MMA background to end the match. Velasquez used a kimura on one of his three opponents -- Texano -- to win the match by submission. MMA websites weren't the only ones to be impressed with the former Sun Devil's pro ring debut. "Cain was a great student, not just because he's a great athlete, but because he as a great mind for lucha libre," said Vinnie Massaro, who helped train Velasquez at the Pro Wrestling Revolution school in San Jose, California. "He wants to learn everything and he isn't afraid to go out of his comfort zone." In addition to working with Massaro, Velasquez also spent several days last year training with WWE at its Performance Center in Orlando, Fla. Does this mean that Velasquez is planning to leave the Octagon for a career in the squared circle? He may want to experience the best of both worlds, as he remains under contract with UFC. The 36-year-old Velasquez has compiled a 14-3 record since launching his pro MMA career in December 2006, and 12-3 in UFC bouts. Prior to entering MMA, Cain Velasquez made a name for himself on the wrestling mat. He was a two-time Arizona high school state wrestling champ who started his collegiate career at Iowa Central Community College, where he won the 2002 NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) heavyweight title. Velasquez then transferred to Arizona State where he was a 2005 Pac-10 conference champ, then went on to earn NCAA Division I All-America honors by placing fifth at the 2005 NCAAs. He was welcomed into the Arizona State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018.

SOFIA, Bulgaria -- The United States failed to advance a wrestler past the quarterfinals in Greco-Roman at the Cadet World Championships for the second consecutive day. Tyler Hannah, competing at 92 kilograms, is the lone wrestler alive for the United States despite losing his only match on Saturday. He fell 10-0 to Russia's Muhammad Evloev, a 2017 Cadet world silver medalist and 2018 Youth Olympic Games bronze medalist. Hannah earned a spot in repechage after Evloev reached the finals. Parker Decker reached the quarterfinals at 60 kilograms before losing 11-1 to Arman Vardanyan of Armenia. Decker opened his tournament with a 9-0 shutout over Arturs Seskens of Latvia. Also getting a win for the United States on Saturday was Jett Strickenberger, who defeated Ou Deng of China 9-0 in his first match. He then lost in the round of 16 to 2018 U15 European bronze medalist Denis Mihai of Romania 13-4. Mason Gehloff (45 kilograms) and Daniel Segura (71 kilograms) dropped their first match and were eliminated in the opening session.

Nearly one year after a former New Jersey high school mat star was gunned down outside his family's home, a jury has found a suspected heroin dealer guilty of the crime Thursday. As InterMat reported late last August, Davontae Randall, a 2015 Paulsboro High School graduate who was a state championships placer as a senior, was found shot outside his mother's home in Paulsboro. Anthony Kille was convicted of aggravated manslaughter and two separate gun charges in Randall's death. Kille shot and killed the 21-year-old Randall in front of family and friends at a cookout to celebrate the family dog's first birthday at his mother's home on Aug. 25, 2018. Kille showed up at the party and fought with Randall before shooting him. The crime appears to have been the culmination of an earlier road-rage incident. Just a few days before the shooting, Kille and Randall had a verbal altercation when they nearly crashed into each other in a nearby community, according to NJ.com. With the guilty verdict, Kille can be sentenced to up to 40 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled to take place Sept. 20. As a wrestler for the Paulsboro Red Raiders, Randall compiled a 110-52 career record… capped off by a sixth-place finish in the heavyweight bracket at the state championships as a senior. For those accomplishments, NJ.com named Randall the Colonial Conference Wrestler of the Year for 2015.

NORTH MANCHESTER, Ind. -- Manchester head wrestling coach Kevin Lake has added Jeff Mucha as an assistant coach. Mucha arrives in North Manchester after two successful campaigns at Wheeling Jesuit University in Wheeling, West Virginia. During his two seasons as the graduate assistant coach with the Cardinals, Mucha coached eight NCAA Division II All-Americans, and three National Champions. The Cardinals placed second nationally this past season, and 13th in 2018. Jeff's duties with the Cardinals included coordination of recruitment; WJU produced the No. 4 ranked non-Division 1 recruiting class in the country. Mucha also took a lead role in coordinating academic services for student athletes, which included managing study tables, and assigning student meetings with the academic resource center. No stranger to the Hoosier State, Mucha wrestled for four years at Wabash College. He earned four varsity letters for the Little Giants, who finished in the top 10 in all of NCAA Division III during his wrestling career. Mucha graduated from Wabash with a bachelor's degree in mathematics in 2017. He earned his MBA from Wheeling Jesuit in 2019.

Kyle Snyder with the Olympic gold medal in Rio (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Not long after I laced up my first pair of wrestling shoes in fourth grade, I set the first significant goal in my life. I wanted to be an Olympic gold medalist. Growing up in Iowa in the 1970s and 1980s, every kid wanted to be like Gable. Gable, of course, was the legendary Dan Gable. The 1972 Olympic champion who went on to coach the University of Iowa to 15 NCAA titles. It was Gable who was head coach of the first Olympic Games I recall watching on television. It was 1984 and the U.S. team was stacked with studs. The team featured four of my favorite wrestlers of all-time -- Randy Lewis, Barry Davis, Ed Banach and Lou Banach. They were Gable proteges that had all starred for the Iowa Hawkeyes. The Russians weren't there for the 1984 Olympic Games, but it didn't matter to me. It was amazing seeing Lewis, my favorite Hawkeye, win an Olympic gold medal before the Banach brothers followed suit by striking gold. It also broke my heart to see Barry Davis, another wrestler I idolized, finish with a silver medal. Seeing brothers Dave and Mark Schultz win gold also was inspiring during the 1984 Olympics. Twenty years later, my favorite wrestler of all-time won an Olympic title when Cael Sanderson struck gold in Athens, Greece. Cael was a tremendous wrestler with an entertaining style. He was amazing to watch. He was the ideal wrestler -- an excellent athlete who was driven to be the best. He was very good technically and tactically. He was constantly moving and attacking, and always looking to score points. He wrestled the way you are supposed to. Rulon Gardner's epic 2000 upset of three-time Olympic champion Alexander Karelin of Russia remains one of the biggest Olympic stories in any sport. Gardner followed by winning a world title before earning an Olympic bronze medal in Greco in 2004. There obviously is something very special about an Olympic Games. And with the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, just a year away, the memories have come flooding back from how special this event is to the sport of wrestling. The Olympics are the pinnacle in international wrestling. Winning a world title is a huge accomplishment, and it's very difficult to do, but winning the Olympics is the ultimate. The U.S. has high hopes for 2020 and with good reason. The American freestyle roster is loaded with superstar wrestlers. That impressive list includes Olympic gold medalists Jordan Burroughs and Kyle Snyder along with world champions Kyle Dake, David Taylor and J'den Cox. The strong women's freestyle roster features Olympic gold medalist Helen Maroulis and world champion Adeline Gray. I've been to the last three Olympic Games and each one has been magical in its own way. When I worked my first Olympic Games, as the communications manager for USA Wrestling in 2008, I was like a kid in a candy store. It was always a dream of mine to go to the Olympics, and to finally make it there was an amazing and unforgettable experience. Watching these elite athletes perform on the sport's biggest stage was nothing short of remarkable. I had been to the World Championships, but the Olympics was a whole different level. The stakes were higher and the amount of attention focused on the Olympics was much greater. Henry Cejudo after winning Olympic gold at the age of 21 in 2008 (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com) I was fortunate to be on the floor matside when Henry Cejudo stunned many observers by winning the 2008 Olympic Games. He became the youngest U.S. wrestling champion at an Olympics at age 21. Now in his early 30s, Henry has gone on to win two world titles in the Ultimate Fighting Championships. Henry was totally focused during that special day in China, under the tutelage of coach Terry Brands, and he turned in the performance of his life to win the Olympics. He was a gifted wrestler who was very advanced technically for his age. He also was quick and athletic, and was determined to reach his gold-medal goals. Jordan Burroughs with the American flag after winning a gold medal in London (Photo/Larry Slater) Four years later, in London, I was witness to the incredible gold medal run of Jordan Burroughs. The 2011 world champion won an epic semifinal battle over world champion Denis Tsargush of Russia en route to capturing the 2012 Olympic gold medal. Burroughs is a tremendous athlete with a determination and a resolve to match. Nothing rattled the guy. His confidence level was sky-high and nobody was going to stop him. Not even the Queen of England. Burroughs said after winning gold that he would have double-legged her if she was standing in his way. Jake Varner also won gold in London. It was a surprise performance to many as Jake delivered with the biggest day of his superb career. It was overshadowed by the win by Burroughs, but Varner was the best wrestler on the planet the day he won. And he earned that trip to the top of the medal podium. 2016 was another special Olympics for me. I covered the event as a freelancer writer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and had the opportunity to see Helen Maroulis and Kyle Snyder win gold for the U.S. The Maroulis upset over three-time Olympic champion Saori Yoshida of Japan ranks as one of the most memorable scenes that I have witnessed in 30-plus years as a sportswriter. Helen Marouls and Saori Yoshida drop to the mat after their match at the 2016 Olympics (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The scene after the match, where both Maroulis and Yoshida dropped to the mat with their heads down while overcome with emotion, was one of the most powerful you will ever see. It was an incredible achievement by Maroulis. Yoshida was virtually unbeatable on the women's circuit for more than a decade. And Maroulis found a way to knock her off. Her training was focused primarily on beating Yoshida and it paid off for her on the biggest stage. Snyder followed with his own historic moment, becoming the youngest U.S. wrestler to win the Olympics at age 20. The maturity and composure shown by Snyder is like nothing I've ever seen before. It's impressive to watch. The gold-medal moments obviously stand out most from my experiences at the Olympics, but I've seen some awesome moments by other U.S. medal winners as well. Adam Wheeler and Randi Miller had never made a World or Olympic team before 2008, but both wrestlers earned Olympic bronze medals in Beijing. And did it with excellent performances. Neither wrestler was picked to win a medal, but that didn't matter to them. They took advantage of their opportunities. It was awesome to see the joy on the face of Clarissa Chun when she captured an Olympic bronze medal in 2012. Chun had nearly made the 2008 Olympic finals before just falling short of a medal in Beijing. It was a crushing loss for Chun and to see her come back and medal in London definitely was something to see. The huge smile on her face after winning bronze was priceless. And it was great seeing Coleman Scott battle back to win a bronze medal in 2012. He was another wrestler who took advantage of his opportunity. Coleman wrestled a great tournament and it paid off for him. J'den Cox delivered to win a bronze medal in 2016, a few months before starting his senior season at Missouri. He's carried that over with world bronze and gold medals at the start of this Olympic cycle. The high level that Cox has competed at to start his international career needs to be appreciated and applauded. Those wrestlers obviously were shooting for more at the Olympic Games. Nobody sets a goal to win bronze, but winning an Olympic medal certainly means something. And it definitely is better than going home empty-handed. 2020 is going to be an interesting year, that's for sure. The Olympic Trials are always a compelling event and next year's event may be one of the best ever. With only six weight classes now in each style, you will see Olympic and world champions from Team USA battling each other for Olympic spots. You could see Burroughs facing Dake at 74 kilograms or Dake meeting Taylor at 86 kilograms. You could see Cox facing Taylor or moving up to challenge Snyder at 97 kilograms. It is unfortunate there are just six Olympic weight classes now, but that's the reality. The quality of competition at the Olympic Trials next year will be off the charts. No doubt, the 2020 Olympic Games will be something to see. There is never a shortage of compelling storylines when the best wrestlers on the planet gather every four years. It seems like just yesterday when the 2016 Olympics were contested in Rio. It's hard to believe the 2020 Tokyo Olympics are only a year away now. It promises to be a memorable event. I can't wait to see what happens. 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.

Sterling Dias with her silver medal from the Cadet World Championships (Photo/Kadir Caliskan, United World Wrestling) SOFIA, Bulgaria -- A year after winning a bronze medal at the Cadet World Championships, Sterling Dias upgraded her medal. The 15-year-old Dias reached the gold-medal match at 40 kilograms before losing 4-4 on criteria to India's Komal on Friday at the Cadet World Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria. She becomes the third silver medalist for the United States in this year's women's wrestling competition. Cristelle Rodriguez and Skylar Hattendorf finished with silver medals on Thursday. Two other Americans, Kylie Welker and Amit Elor, won bronze medals on Friday. The United States finished third in the women's wrestling team standings with 106 points. Japan won the team title with 195 points and had six champions. China finished second with 127 points. Dias, a Las Vegas native, jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the finals after scoring a takedown just over a minute into the match. Komal came back with a takedown in the second period to grab a 2-2 lead on criteria. A short time later, Dias snapped Komal to the mat and scored a takedown to go up 4-2. With 15 seconds left, Komal hit an arm spin and scored a takedown to go ahead on criteria and then held on for the narrow victory. Welker earned a bronze medal at 61 kilograms with a fall in 59 seconds over Cadet Asian silver medalist Laylokhon Sobirova of Uzbekistan. The 15-year-old Wisconsin native fought off a leg attack from Sobirova and scored a takedown. She then used a gut wrench to go up 4-0 before putting Sobirova on her back and securing a fall. Welker's only loss came in the semifinals to eventual champion Nonoka Ozaki of Japan, who did not surrender a point throughout the entire tournament. Amit Elor gets her hand raised after winning a bronze medal (Photo/Kadir Caliskan, United World Wrestling) Elor cruised to a 10-0 first-period technical superiority in her bronze-medal match against Zaineb Sghaier of Tunisia. Her points came from two four-point throws and a takedown. Like Welker, Elor suffered her only loss of the tournament in the semifinals to the eventual champion. She fell to Japan's Honoka Nakai 3-1 on Thursday. USA posts 3-5 record on opening day of Greco-Roman, Perez remains alive The United States failed to advance a wrestler to the semifinals on the first day of the Greco-Roman competition, but one wrestler, Robert Perez III, remains alive in the competition. He will compete in repechage at 65 kilograms on Saturday. Perez, the nation's No. 1 freshman, opened his tournament by defeating Kristjian Bosnjak of Croatia 8-0. He was then blanked 6-0 in the quarterfinals by Cadet Asian bronze medalist Sheraz Ochilov of Tajikistan. Perez earned a spot in repechage after Ochilov reached the gold-medal match. Cory Land and Tate Picklo also picked up victories but were eliminated in the opening session. Land, competing at 48 kilograms, defeated Berat Keskin of Turkey. He then lost his next match to India's Rupin Rupin 6-1. Tate Picklo went 1-1 at 80 kilograms (Photo/Kadir Caliskan, United World Wrestling) Picklo, the nation's No. 18 overall junior, dominated Estonia's Robyn Paulberg 8-0 in his first match at 80 kilograms. He was then defeated by Jonni Sarkkinen of Finland 8-4 in his next match. Conor Knopick (55 kilograms) and Braxton Mikesell (110 kilograms) both dropped their first matches and were eliminated in the opening session. Five more Greco-Roman wrestlers will compete for USA on Saturday: Mason Gehloff (45 kilograms), Jett Strickenberger (51 kilograms), Parker Decker (61 kilograms), Daniel Segura (71 kilograms) and Tyler Hannah (92 kilograms).

A look at the medals for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo One year from now -- Sunday, Aug. 2, 2020 -- wrestlers will take to the mat for the first day of competition at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. For seven days -- through Saturday, Aug. 7, 2020 -- wrestlers from around the world will be vying for medals ... and glory. Tokyo will be the host city for the Summer Olympics for the second time in the history of the Modern Olympics (going back to 1896). Back in 1964, Japan's largest city welcomed the world's best amateur athletes for the Olympics 55 years ago. (More about that later.) Looking forward: The 2020 Tokyo Olympics Competition, by the numbers At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, there will be a total of 288 slots for wrestlers in 18 competitions -- six weight-class competitions in men's freestyle, six weight classes in women's freestyle, and six in Greco-Roman. This translates to 16 wrestlers per weight class. The six Olympic men's freestyle weight classes are 57 kilograms/125.4 pounds; 65 kilograms/143 pounds; 74 kilograms/163 pounds; 86 kilograms/183 pounds; 97 kilograms/213 pounds; and 125 kilograms/275 pounds. The six weight classes for women's freestyle wrestling are 50 kilograms/110 pounds; 53 kilograms/116.5 pounds; 57 kilograms/125 pounds; 62 kilograms/136 pounds; 68 kilograms/149.5 pounds; and 75 kilograms/167 pounds. The six Olympic Greco-Roman weight classes: 60 kilograms/132 pounds; 67 kilograms/147 pounds; 76 kilograms/167 pounds; 87 kilograms/191 pounds; 97 kilograms/213 pounds; and 130 kilograms/286 pounds. Fewer wrestlers next year in Tokyo: Why? When you hear that 288 wrestlers will be competing at the 2020 Olympics, that number sounds impressive. But it's significantly fewer than in recent Games. Take the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. There was a total of 344 wrestlers at the Rio Games three years ago. That's a loss of 56 available slots for wrestlers in Tokyo next summer ... which translates to approximately one-fifth fewer wrestlers compared to the last Olympics. What gives? Since the 2016 Rio Games, the International Olympic Committee has revealed a number of new sports for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, including karate, 3-on-3 basketball, BMX freestyle cycling, skateboarding, sport climbing, surfing ... along with the return of baseball/softball, which had been banished from the Olympics a few years ago, only to make a return appearance at the next Summer Olympics. In addition, there will additional competitions added to some existing sports, such as swimming and track ... including some mixed-gender competitions. All that said, it's not as if there will be hundreds of more athletes descending on Tokyo next summer compared to Rio in 2016. In the past decade or so, the IOC has had a goal of approximately 10,500 athletes at each Summer Olympics, with an attempt to have equal numbers of male/female competitors. (The IOC expects women to make up 48.8 per cent of all athletes at the 2020 Olympics.) Why all these changes? It's all an attempt to make the Summer Games more appealing to a wider segment of the population by adding sports designed to attract young, urban athletes and fans ... while offering more competitive opportunities for women. "I am delighted that the Olympic Games in Tokyo will be more youthful, more urban and will include more women," IOC President Thomas Bach said back in June 2017 when some of these new sports were first announced. The 2020 Olympic wrestling competition will be held at Makuhari Messe Wrestling venue and location Wrestlers, coaches and fans at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will be spending many hours at Hall A of Makuhari Messe, a huge convention center located in the Mihama-ku ward of Chiba city outside of Tokyo. Built in 1989, the venue is easily accessible by Tokyo's commuter rail system. Makuhari Messe is approximately 25 kilometers east of Olympic Village, and 30 kilometers east of the Olympic Stadium, site of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the 2020 Games. Got some downtime? The wrestling venue is conveniently located not far from the Tokyo Disney Resort in Urayasu, and to Chiba prefecture's black sand beaches. And, for those who remember the "issues" with some 2016 Olympic venues still being under construction as participants and guests were arriving for the Rio Games ... no such worries for Tokyo, as construction on Olympic Stadium and Olympic Village have long been completed. Day-by-day schedule Back in April of this year, United World Wrestling -- the international governing body for the sport -- revealed the competition schedule for wrestling at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics ... incorporating the two-day format for each weight-class. Greco-Roman competition will take place for the first four days, with men's freestyle starting on Wednesday, Aug. 5 ... and women's freestyle events spread throughout the seven days of wrestling competition. Day 1: Sunday, August 2, 2020 Greco-Roman competition at 60 kilograms/132 pounds and 130 kilograms/286 pounds -- opening rounds through semifinals Women's wrestling at 76 kilograms/167 pounds -- opening rounds through semifinals Day 2: Monday, August 3, 2020 Greco-Roman at 60 kilograms/132 pounds and 130 kilograms/286 pounds -- Repechage; gold and bronze medal matches Women's wrestling at 76 kilograms/167 pounds -- Repechage; gold and bronze medal matches Greco-Roman at 77 kilograms/169 pounds and 97 kilograms/213 pounds -- opening rounds through semifinals Women's wrestling at 68 kilograms/149.5 pounds -- opening rounds through semifinals Day 3: Tuesday, August 4, 2020 Greco-Roman at 77 kilograms/169 pounds and 97 kilograms/213 pounds -- Repechage; gold and bronze medal matches Women's wrestling at 68 kilograms/149.5 pounds -- Repechage; gold and bronze medal matches Greco-Roman at 67 kilograms/147 pounds and 87 kilograms/191 pounds -- opening rounds, quarterfinals and semifinals Women's wrestling at 62 kilograms/136 pounds -- opening rounds through semifinals Day 4: Wednesday, August 5, 2020 Greco-Roman at 67 kilograms/147 pounds and 87 kilograms/191 pounds -- Repechage, gold and bronze medal matches Women's wrestling at 68 kilograms/149.5 pounds -- Repechage; gold and bronze medal matches Freestyle at 57 kilograms/125 pounds and 86 kilograms/189 pounds -- opening rounds through semifinals Women's wrestling at 57 kilograms/135 pounds -- opening rounds through semifinals Day 5: Thursday, August 6, 2020 Freestyle at 57 kilograms/125 pounds and 86 kilograms/189 pounds -- Repechage, gold and bronze medal matches Women's wrestling at 57 kilograms/125 pounds -- Repechage, gold and bronze medal matches Freestyle at 74 kilograms/163 pounds and 125 kilograms/275 pounds -- opening rounds through semifinals Women's wrestling at 53 kilograms/116.5 pounds -- opening rounds through semifinals Day 6: Friday, August 7, 2020 Freestyle at 74 kilograms/163 pounds and 125 kilograms/275 pounds -- Repechage, gold and bronze medal matches Women's wrestling at 53 kilograms/116.5 pounds -- Repechage, gold and bronze medal matches Freestyle at 65 kilograms/143 pounds and 97 kilograms/213 pounds -- opening rounds through semifinals Women's wrestling at 50 kilograms/110 pounds -- opening rounds through semifinals Day 7: Saturday, August 8, 2020 Freestyle at 65 kilograms/143 pounds and 97 kilograms/213 pounds -- Repechage, gold and bronze medal matches Women's wrestling at 50 kilograms/110 pounds -- Repechage, gold and bronze medal matches Here's what United World Wrestling president Nenad Lalovic had to say about the 2020 Olympic schedule when it was released this past April: "The schedule announced by Tokyo 2020 will help wrestling ensure high attendance for each day of the competition. We saw nice crowds in Brazil and expect that this schedule will help us reach even more fans and create a positive and energetic environment for all our competitors. The stars of women's wrestling will guarantee that interest-level." Watching the clock: a difference in time One challenge for wrestling fans unable to make the trip to the 2020 Olympics who want to keep up with on-the-mat developments as they happen in Japan: the significant time difference between the U.S. and Tokyo. Realize that there is a 13-hour time difference between the Eastern Time Zone and Japan. That means that when it's 4:12 p.m. Thursday in New York, it will be 5:12 a.m. Friday in Tokyo. Looking back: The 1964 Tokyo Olympics Half a century ago, Tokyo played host to the world's top athletes ... as host of the 1964 Summer Olympics. Unlike the 2020 Tokyo Games which are scheduled for August, the 1964 Games took place a bit later on the calendar, with wrestling taking place October 11-19 at Komazawa Gymnasium, a 3,875-seat facility completed in 1962. Wrestling competition at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics featured 275 athletes from 42 countries. All of the wrestlers were men. (Women's wrestling competition did not arrive at the Olympics until the 2004 Athens Games.) There were competitions in men's freestyle and Greco-Roman in eight weight classes each. The U.S. sent sixteen wrestlers to Tokyo -- a full complement of athletes, one per weight class. (Only the Soviet Union had the same number wrestlers.) It was the first time African Americans were on the U.S. Olympic wrestling roster: Bobby Douglas, Charlie Tribble, and Bob Pickens. Here were the results for Team USA at the '64 Games: Freestyle: Gray Simons, 114.5 pounds (fourth place) Dan Auble, 125.5 pounds (fourth place) Bobby Douglas, 138.5 pounds (fourth place) Greg Ruth, 154 pounds (sixth place) Charles Tribble, 171.5 pounds Dan Brand, 191.5 pounds (third place -- bronze medal) Gerry Conine, 213.5 pounds (sixth place) Larry Kristoff, heavyweight Greco-Roman: Dick Wilson, 114.5 pounds Andy Fitch, 125.5 pounds Ron Finley, 138.5 pounds James Burke, 154 pounds Russ Camilleri, 171.5 pounds Wayne Baughman, 191.5 pounds Pat Lovell, 213 pounds Bob Pickens, heavyweight Just one U.S. wrestler earned a medal at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics: Dan Brand won bronze in freestyle at 191.5 pounds. That was a disappointing difference compared to the 1960 Rome Games, where three freestyle wrestlers on Team USA brought home gold medals: University of Iowa alum Terry McCann, and Oklahoma State wrestlers Shelby Wilson and Doug Blubaugh. One 1964 Olympic gold medalist wrestler with U.S. ties was Yojiro Uetake, who was the champion at 143 pounds for his native Japan at the Tokyo Games ... while he was on roster at Oklahoma State. Uetake was a three-time NCAA and Big 8 champ at 130 pounds for the Cowboys from 1964-1966, with a perfect 57-0 record.

BISMARK, N.D. -- The University of Mary wrestling staff has announced the addition of Colin Ayers and CJ Bostwick to the staff. Ayers will serve as an assistant coach and Bostwick will be an assistant coach and the director of wrestling operations. Colin Ayers"I am very excited to have Colin and CJ joining the coaching staff." stated Head Coach Adam Aho "These two will bring a different dynamic to the program and I am excited to learn from them for the next couple of years." Colin Ayers joins the University of Mary Wrestling Coaching staff fresh off an All-American campaign and a national runner up finish. Ayers, a 2019 graduate of Augustana will join the Marauders coaching staff as a graduate assistant. Ayers brings a tremendous work ethic to the University of Mary, winning the hardest worker award all four years he started at Augie. Additionally he won the most intensity award three times. While wrestling for the Vikings, he attained a 101-51 record, was NSIC all-academic team, and a Myles Brand Distinction Award Winner. A graduate of Watertown-Elysian-Morristown High school, Ayers set school records for wins, technical falls, and takedowns his senior season. "Colin is no stranger to the NSIC and with his wrestling credentials and wrestling experience, Colin's main role will be wrestling development and recruiting." said Head Coach Adam Aho "He is a mat rat and loves working out so I am excited to have Colin in the room pushing the team on a daily basis." CJ Bostwick comes to us from Fort Wayne, IN where he was coaching with the Warrior Elite Wrestling Club this summer. During the 2018-2019 season, CJ was the Head Wrestling Coach at North Side High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana. During his time with the Legends he guided them to 11 dual wins, produced one conference champion, and four regional qualifiers. Prior to North Side, he was an Assistant Coach at his alma mater, Bishop Dwenger High School for the 2016-2017 season. During his stint with the Saints, he helped coach and mentor one state qualifier. CJ wrestled at Heidelberg University in Tiffin, Ohio from 2013-2016 where he was a two year letter winner and part of the 2014 Ohio Athletic Conference Championship Team. CJ graduated from the University of St. Francis with a Bachelor's Degree in Special Education. He plans to pursue Secondary Administration at UMary. "CJ's role will be an assistant coach with an emphasis on handling all of the wrestling operations of our program." stated Head Coach Adam Aho "He brings some great experience from coaching at the high school level for the past couple of years along with coaching at an elite wrestling club in Indiana. He is very organized and punctual with his work. I am excited to get him on campus." Ayers, Bostwick, and the Marauders will be in action for the first time on November 2 at the Jamestown Open. The Marauders host their home opener against Concordia College on November 7 in the MAC.

Jay Albis with head coach Lonnie Morris (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) PROVIDENCE, RI -- While Jay Albis '19 may have wrapped up his wrestling career on the mat with a second national championship, he will still be a part of the Johnson & Wales University wrestling program. Head coach Lonnie Morris has announced that Albis will join the coaching staff this fall as an assistant. This March, Albis solidified his place in school history when he won his second-straight NCAA title at 125 pounds. A year early he became the school's first NCAA National Champion in any sport. In addition to his two trophies, Albis is JWU's first three-time All-American. Named Most Outstanding Wrestler at the 2019 NCAA Championships, Albis finished his career as the Wildcats' all-time leader with 152 wins and a 92.12 winning percentage. As a junior he set the single-season record with 48 victories while leading the country in tech falls. The back-to-back NEWA Wrestler of the Year and the most decorated wrestler in NEWA history, Albis collected a trio of regional championships as well as three-straight All-NEWA selections. A native of Fishkill, NY, Albis graduated from Johnson & Wales this spring with a 3.02 grade point average in criminal justice. He earned the NWCA Scholar-Athlete award in 2016.

Like most wrestlers who were on the mats in the 1990's and 2000's I have an outsized, irrational, and deeply personal affection for the band Tool. While I can't guarantee that EVERY other wrestler from the 1990's had the same CD's in their wrestling room, I'm willing to bet a Krispy Kreme that the majority of collegiate wrestlers during that time ripped through an extra minute on the Aerodyne while rocking to 46 & 2. Tool has everything a wrestler would need: power chords, well-articulated angry prose, and some epic cover art. For the fellow fans I'm happy to relay some very good news. Today, after keeping their catalog off any and all digital platforms, Tool will now be on all streaming and download sites. So now instead of assuaging your workplace angst with Kenny G, you can slap in the AirPods and crank up 'Sober' before power doubling Dave in accounting. Ahh, but there is even more great news. After 13 years Tool will also be releasing their newest album on Aug. 30. "Fear Inoculum" will be their first album wince 10,000 Days in 2006. Want to talk about staying power? Tool released their first album "72826" in December 1991. I feel like I've been involved in wrestling for two lifetimes and I only started wrestling in 1995. Anyway, for those that needed this little piece of good news, rock on. To your questions … Adeline Gray raises her arms in triumph after winning at Final X (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Q: The United States women's freestyle team looks great year after year under Terry Steiner et al., with Helen Maroulis winning world/Olympic titles at three different weights and Adeline Gray's dominance for the 2010s era. The U.S. women's freestylers definitely had some great squads in the '90s (Saunders, Marano, Bacher) and '00s (Chun, Montgomery, Smith) as well. So, who are your all-time women's freestyle greats at today's weight classes? To my knowledge the United States women have only won Worlds once (1999). Are we on track for a 20th anniversary run at the title in Nur-Sultan? Who has to outperform to keep up the United States close with the ever-dominant Japanese? -- Nate H. Foley: All-time team and using today's weight classes is very difficult. I'll just slide people into weights that seem best fitting and make a lineup of who I think are the best. 50: Eri Tosaka (Japan) 53: Helen Maroulis (USA) 55: Saori Yoshida (Japan) 57: Ningning Rong (China) 59: Risako Kawai (Japan) 62: Kaori Icho (Japan) 65: Battsetseg Soronzonbold (Mongolia) 68: Sara Dosho (Japan) 72: Adeline Gray (USA) 76: Erica Wiebe (Canada) The USA women's team is improving faster now than it had been in previous years. There were gains that would plateau for a bit before the next upswing. I think right now the plateau is that we expect at least two world champions and five medalists from the 2019 World Championships. That's a big expectation, but one that seems supported by this year's results. Given that growth I think it's entirely possible that the American women can win a team title before the 2024 Games in Paris. The young girls coming through are winning big matches early in their career and developing new go-to techniques. If they are already challenging during these formative years of their competition imagine what they could accomplish at the peak of their careers? Let us also not discount the huge impact that NCAA wrestling could have on that trajectory. When you factor in those additional people, hours, and the competitions these women could be on an accelerated schedule. Q: Man, I need you to explain freestyle a little bit. I didn't see the match, but I just saw Richard Figueroa lost at the Cadet World Championships after a takedown and couple laces. I think ankle laces and exposure are the dumbest things in freestyle, but that may just be because I don't understand it. I don't see how getting the lace and then rolling around the mat a few times proves any kind of superiority. I could understand if they got two for exposure and then restarted, but a guy doing four rolls and the match ending just seems ridiculous. -- Matt W. Foley: First, I'd ask that you go try to leg lace a top-flight international wrestler and let me know if it is as simple as "rolling round the mat a few times." Freestyle wrestling draws heavily from a variety of traditional styles of wrestling from around the world. The most common examples are like those seen in the USA, Vietnam, India, Turkey, or really anywhere ground wrestling is popular. In each of those styles showing your stomach, or as the Turkish phrase it "exposing umbilicus to the Gods" is cause for losing the bout. Makes sense that if your opponent had a weapon you'd be most vulnerable on your back. Anyway, the idea that exposing your belly would be a cause for points has been around for a long time. As recently as 2012 you couldn't do a move more than one time in a row, but when the sport went through the overhaul in 2013 the recommendation was to simplify the rules and allow for continuous laces and guts. The thinking was that scoring is tough enough and even if someone gets laced out it's actually exciting for fans -- like a knockout punch in boxing. I have to say that I agree with those consultants. When someone gets a gut going, or a leg lace tight I get excited to see if they can close out the match. Also, it is a VERY rare occurrence for them to get the immediate technical superiority. More common is to see two scores back-to-back. Overall, the rule has added to the action since it encourages athletes to wrestle from position to position rather than just get one move and then lay flat on their opponent's back. Also, if leg laces bother you I think you'd have an aneurysm watching someone giving up four points for getting tilted! Q: It seemed like USA had a somewhat disappointing performance in freestyle at the Cadet World Championships based on expectations. One gold medalist, one bronze and fifth place as a team. Did you expect more? -- Mike C. Foley: I don't tend to expect much from the Cadets! I know it can seem otherwise, but the real objective is (or should be) to learn how to compete on this stage and how to have a good time on the mats. And while I would have liked to see a few more medals I've seen some of the monsters these other countries are sending over to these tournaments. It can be a bit much. Team USA does a great job preparing its athletes for success at the senior level and while that training starts in high school the athletes aren't being prepared and peaked for top performance. I'll take the long game and the Olympic titles over the Cadet world championships. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Cover of 46 & 2 Q: In regards of Artur Taymazov being stripped of his medal (and Tervel being rightfully awarded his), I read and understand that samples can be re-tested for 10 years following the event. However, what I don't understand is what causes, if any, does the IOC (or whatever body does the testing) need to have to re-test samples? Can they just do it for any reason, or does there have to be either probable cause, new testing methodology, or some other defined event in order to re-test? -- Vincent M. Foley: The IOC has the prerogative to re-test the samples of suspected athletes if they have new technology to determine new outcomes. The new tests could test for Turnibol in a new way and they chose to review all the athletes in the sports where that was most common, such as wrestling and weightlifting. Q: There's a lot of talk about a potential Ben Askren vs. Demian Maia fight. If that goes down, how do you see it playing out? -- Mike C. Foley: The good news for Ben is that he'll be awake for more than five seconds of the fight! The bad news is that Demian Maia is a land shark who lives for fights that want to end up on the ground. Let's be clear: this matchup kind of sucks for Ben. Best case scenario is that he takes Maia down. Right? That's THE best case for the two-time NCAA champion, right? No. When he gets on the ground Maia is going to take his arm, tear an ACL, or simply choke Askren unconscious. Askren would need to take down Maia and somehow keep him down with strikes without getting close enough for Maia to find a grip. I don't like the chances of Askren being able to maintain that position and distance for 15 minutes. I've had the chance to roll with Maia in the Gi and in NoGi and the man is an absolute terror on the mats. And while Askren's wrestling is superior to mine, my jiu-jitsu is better. We don't strike when we roll, but I can't neutralize Maia with my wrestling. He's smart with his defense and is next-level at finding submissions when he does end up on his back. The man is always hunting for a submission, but he does it maintaining good position. Let's also not forget that for all the talk of ground superiority Maia is also a far better striker that Askren. His standup isn't devastating, but he can cause damage and control the pace and location of the fight with his low leg kicks and straight jabs. Best of luck to Askren. I like what he's been doing for the sport of wrestling, but Maia is not an ideal matchup Q: Is there any update on the transfer status of Kyle Conel? The school year is close to starting and I have not seen any news. -- David B. Foley: Penn State. Or did I miss something? Q: Yianni Diakomihalis is competing in Poland this weekend at the Ziolkowski Memorial. What's the competition like? Do you see him as a medal contender this weekend? -- Mike C. Foley: Usually pretty great competition! Russia is figuring out their situation at 86 kilograms and several other nations are sending top guys for a tune-up before the training camps start for Nur-Sultan. Yianni will get great looks and barring injury, yes, he should medal.

Army Paratrooper Pfc. Brandon Kreischer, a former wrestler at Bryan High School in northwest Ohio, was killed in an ambush in Afghanistan on Monday, one year after his graduation. He was 20. Army Paratrooper Pfc. Brandon KreischerA native of nearby Stryker, Ohio, Private Kreischer was shot and killed in an insider attack at a base in the Shah Wali Kot district, 100 miles north of Kandahar. U.S. officials told the Associated Press that an Afghan soldier had shot and killed two American service members. The other one was 24-year-old Spec. Michael Isaiah Nance of Chicago. "There was never any fear that I detected from him. It was always like, 'I get to do this. I don't have to do this. I get to do this,'" Amy Johnson, Kreischer's former high school social studies teacher told WTVG-TV, the ABC affiliate in Toledo about 50 miles away, who described him as "a patriotic teenager" who was in wrestling, football, track, and choir. In his Bryan High School senior Memory Book, Kreischer wrote: "Throughout my life, I have had one huge goal. That one was to enlist in the Army as an infantryman, and I achieved that goal on April 25, 2017. It was without a doubt the proudest day of my life, ..." " ... I am very proud to be an American. I believe that whatever cause America believes in, I have an obligation to believe in, because I am a patriot. If I die in the combat zone for America, I do not call it a tragedy, I call it a glory." A rifleman, Kreischer had been in the Army since June 2018. His awards and decorations include the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terror Service Medal, the Combat Infantryman Badge, and the Basic Parachutist Badge. Kreischer's body was returned Wednesday to the United States, according to the 82nd Airborne Division in Fort Bragg, N.C. He was stationed there before deploying to Afghanistan less than a month ago. Kreischer leaves behind a wife who is expecting their first son in December 2019. Here is a statement issued by the family: "We would like to thank the entire community for the incredible outpouring of love and support that has been shown for Brandon and for all of us, thus far. This is an extremely difficult time for us as we begin this unfathomable journey of loss. As you can imagine, we are quite overwhelmed and therefore, we would appreciate you respecting our privacy at this time. "Brandon was a remarkable young man, who believed in his Country and had dreams of becoming a soldier for as long as we can remember. We are grateful that he was able to realize that dream if only for a short while, but we will forever mourn the loss of our courageous American soldier. "Our hearts go out to the family of his fellow fallen comrade, Spc Michael Isaiah Nance, for we know that they too, share our pain and grief." What you can do to help WTOL-TV, Toledo's CBS affiliate, shared two ways that others can help support the Kreischers: 1. A Memorial Fund has been opened at Farmers & Merchants State Bank for Brandon Kreischer's wife Grace and their unborn son, Callum. Brandon paid the ultimate sacrifice and will forever be in our hearts. Deposits can be made at any F&M location or mailed to F&M, PO Box 216, Archbold OH 43502- Brandon Kreischer Memorial Fund. 2. Monetary donations can be made through the nonprofit organization Inspired By Grace (Grace Kreischer is a founding member ) PayPal account at https://www.PayPal.Me/WeAreInspiredByGrace indicating that funds are to be directed to Kreischer Family Fund. UPDATE 8/7/19: Funeral arrangements announced Services for Pfc. Kreischer will be held on Friday, Aug. 9 and Saturday, Aug. 10 in the gymnasium at Bryan High School, 1000 W Fountain Grove Drive in Bryan in northwest Ohio. The visitation will be held on Friday from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern with the funeral being held on Saturday at 11 a.m. Doors open at 10 a.m. Graveside services will be private. "The Community of Bryan and Williams County will be mourning our soldier, said Bryan mayor Carrie Schlade in a statement. "The family has graciously allowed communities from within and outside of Williams County to join us in honoring Pfc. Brandon Kreischer, but we all must respect their privacy and give them space during this devastating time."

Alex Clemsen (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Two former Fighting Scot wrestling teammates - Alex Clemsen and Deonte Penn -- are among nine honorees to be named to the Edinboro Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2019, the Pennsylvania-based university announced Wednesday. Edinboro's 38th Annual Hall of Fame Ceremony will take place on Friday, September 27 at 7 p.m. The ceremony moves to the Pogue Center after previously being held in McComb Fieldhouse or Van Houten Dining Hall. "We have decided it would be in the best interests of everyone who wants to partake in the many festivities associated with Homecoming Weekend to split up the dates," said Bruce Baumgartner, former Edinboro Athletic Director and legendary wrestler who is now the school's Hall of Fame chairman. "We like the move to the fall, but now the Hall of Fame will have its own entity. This is another outstanding class of inductees and we look forward to a great day to celebrate their inductions." Two top wrestlers of the 21st century who happened to be teammates are among the 2019 Edinboro Athletics Hall of Fame honorees: Alex Clemsen was a standout on the Edinboro wrestling team from 2002-07 while competing at 184 pounds. Despite battling injuries, he was a four-time national qualifier who earned All-American honors as a senior. He also won one Eastern Wrestling League title and became just the 14th wrestler at the time to win four PSAC (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference) championships. He was also a three-time place winner at the Southern Scuffle. Clemsen concluded his career with a 121-35 record, currently ranking 14th in career victories. Clemsen earned his bachelor's degree in Finance and Marketing in 2007, graduating with the highest GPA ever by an Edinboro wrestler. Since that time he has embarked on a rising coaching career, serving as an assistant coach at Oregon State, Virginia, and Missouri before being named the head coach at University of Maryland in April 2019. He and his wife Lindsay have two children, Payten and Porter. https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/21844 Deonte Penn also wrestled for Edinboro from 2002-07. He began his career at 149 pounds before eventually moving up to 165 pounds. He was a three-time national qualifier who earned NCAA All-American honors as a junior and senior. In addition, Penn won two Eastern Wrestling League and two PSAC titles. He finished his career with a 114-43 record and set school records for pins in a career with 53, now ranking second. Penn currently resides in Las Vegas, Nev. Along with his wife, Vanessa, and daughters Mariah and Makayla and son Deonte. He completed work on his Bachelor of Arts degree in 2017. He is the Human Resource Director of the family-run business, Visiting Angels Senior Homecare. In addition to Clemsen and Penn, other former Edinboro athletes to be welcomed into the Edinboro Athletics Hall of Fame this fall include former football standouts Chris Amico and Chris Avery; former cross country and track & field standout Gabriela Hnilkova; former volleyball standout Jenna Newman; former swimming standout Gregg Sarbak; and former softball standout Dana Webb. In addition, Ed Mailliard will be inducted as the Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.

Cristelle Rodriguez claimed a silver medal at the Cadet World Championships (Photo/Kadir Caliskan, United World Wrestling) SOFIA, Bulgaria -- A pair of American women fell in the finals of the Cadet World Championships on Thursday in Sofia, Bulgaria. Cristelle Rodriguez and Skylar Hattendorf will leave with silver medals after both lost to Japanese wrestlers in the finals. Rodriguez fell 5-2 in the finals at 49 kilograms to Japan's Moe Kiyooka. The 15-year-old Californian trailed 1-0 at the break but came back with a takedown early in the second period to grab a 2-1 lead. Kivooka quickly responded with a takedown of her own to retake the lead. She then added another takedown with 40 seconds remaining. Skylar Hattendorf lost 4-0 in the finals to Japan's Ruka Natami (Photo/Kadir Caliskan, United World Wrestling) Hattendorf, a 14-year-old from New Hampshire, was blanked 4-0 by Japan's Ruka Natami in the gold-medal match at 57 kilograms. Natami scored a takedown in each of the two periods, the final one coming with 15 seconds left in the match. Sterling Dias gets her hand raised after a semifinal win (Photo/Kadir Caliskan, United World Wrestling) Dias reaches finals Sterling Dias, a returning world bronze medalist, secured her second straight world medal by reaching the finals at 40 kilograms. She topped Mushtariy Tolipbekova of Uzbekistan 4-1 in the semifinals. Dias scored the first point of the match off the activity clock and led 1-0 at the break. In the second period, Dias scored off a step out to go up 2-0 before Tolipbekova scored a point off a caution for fleeing the hold. Dias came back with another step out to go up 3-1. With short time on the clock, Tolipbekova came close to scoring a takedown, but Dias fought it off and claimed the victory to earn a spot in the finals. Dias opened her day with two straight technical superiorities before her semifinal match against Tolipbekova. She will face 2019 Cadet Asian silver medalist Komal Komal of India for the gold medal. Kylie Welker and Amit Elor reached the semifinals before losing. They will both wrestle for bronze medals on Friday. Welker was dominated by returning world champion Nonoka Ozaki of Japan 10-0 in the semifinals. Ozaki scored eight of her 10 points off four takedowns en route to a first-period technical superiority. Welker had not surrendered a point prior to her semifinal match. She won by fall in 33 seconds in the quarterfinals over Russia's Tatyana Kabanova after opening with an 11-0 technical superiority over Yu Lin Lo of Taipei. Elor dropped her semifinal match to Japan's Honoka Nakai 3-1. The 15-year-old Californian led 1-1 on criteria in the second period before giving up a takedown with 20 seconds left in the match, which proved to be the difference. Elor had a pair of technical superiorities earlier in the day over Ukraine's Karolina Povk and Hungary's Lili Ujfalvi. Sage Mortimer and Adriana Dorado Marin dropped their opening matches. Both were eliminated when the wrestlers who defeated them failed to make the finals. Mortimer, who became the first female to become a Fargo Greco-Roman All-American, fell 10-6 to Canada's Serena DiBenedetto. Dorado Marin lost 12-1 to Alessia Hetmanava of Belarus. Greco-Roman competition gets underway on Friday at the Cadet World Championships with five weight classes being contested. Friday's medal matches are scheduled for 11 a.m. ET.

The InterMat Classic will take place at Edina High School in Edina, Minn., on Oct. 19 Registration is now open for the 2019 InterMat Classic high school wrestling tournament. Links: Register | InterMat Classic Website The 10th edition of this premier preseason event will take place on Saturday, Oct. 19, at Edina High School, 6754 Valley View Road, in Edina, Minn. The InterMat Classic is open to wrestlers in grades 7-12. It offers competition in 15 weight classes -- the 14 standard NFHS (National Federation of State High School Associations) weight classes, plus an additional 100-pound weight class. Mark Hall, now a three-time NCAA finalist, was a five-time InterMat Classic champ (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) A history of great competition The InterMat Classic has provided junior and senior high wrestlers with an unbeatable opportunity to test themselves against the best wrestlers from the Midwest ... and beyond, with past champions from all over the United States. Only one wrestler can claim five InterMat Classic titles: Mark Hall, 2017 NCAA champ for Penn State, tallied five straight InterMat Classic crowns as a wrestler at Minnesota's Apple Valley High School from 2011 through 2015. In 2017, Alex Lloyd (Shakopee, Minn.) became a four-time InterMat Classic champion. Other notable wrestlers who have participated in the InterMat Classic in the past include: Gable Steveson, Junior/Cadet world champ in freestyle, NCAA All-American Seth Gross, NCAA Division I champion Michael Kroells, NCAA Division I All-American Tommy Thorn, NCAA Division I All-American Mitchell McKee, NCAA Division I All-American Sam Stoll, NCAA Division I All-American Taylor Venz, NCAA Division I All-American Luke Zilverberg, NCAA Division I All-American Jacob Holschlag, NCAA Division I All-American Jake Waste, NCAA Division II champion Lucas Jeske, NCAA Division III champion Mason Manville, U.S. World Team member in Greco-Roman Great wrestling ... for a great cause As in the past, proceeds from the InterMat Classic will go to the Justin Kukowski Foundation, a foundation whose mission is to fund research, development, to provide complementary alternative therapies and psychological support for cancer patients. In addition, it provides scholarships to cancer patients in need. The foundation is named in honor of Justin "JJ" Kukowski, an avid sports fan who passed away from cancer in 2007. Register early and save Registration for the 2019 InterMat Classic opened on Thursday, Aug. 1 ... and extends right up until weigh-ins. However, there is a money-saving, early-bird registration special. The cost is $40 if you register during the month of August, $45 in September and $50 if you register in October. For more information and to register, visit the InterMat Classic Website

Alex Dieringer gets in on a shot against Kyle Dake in the U.S. Open finals in 2018 (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The time and location for the Final X Special-Wrestle-off between Kyle Dake and Alex Dieringer have been announced by USA Wrestling. The two wrestlers will meet in a best-of-three series on Aug. 17, with the start time set for 1 p.m. CT. The Special-Wrestle-off will be held at Round Rock High School in Round Rock, Texas, a suburb of the Austin. There will be a 30-minute break between each match. The winner will represent the United States at the 2019 World Wrestling Championships in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. The 79-kilogram weight class in freestyle will be contested Sept. 21-22. It will be broadcast live on FloWrestling. Tickets are available at the door for $10 (adults) and $5 (youth). Dake received an automatic berth in Final X as a returning world medalist. However, an injury prevented him from competing at Final X on June 8 at Rutgers. He requested a delay in his best-of-three matchup against Dieringer, which was granted because he met all the requirements for a special wrestle-off. Dieringer won the U.S. Open in April and then claimed the title at the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament.

Dan Bedoy Dan Bedoy -- former Purdue University wrestler, and, most recently, head coach at Calumet College - has been named head wrestling coach at Andrean High School. Bedoy will be taking the helm at Andrean, a 500-student Roman Catholic high school in Merrillville in northwest Indiana, a natural rival to Bishop Noll, a similarly-sized school in nearby Hammond ... and Bedoy's high school alma mater. The Northwest Indiana Times described Bedoy as "the rare four-tool candidate," citing his being an Indiana state wrestling championships runner-up as a senior at Noll in 2002… an NCAA championships qualifier for Purdue in 2006 ... a collegiate coach at Calumet College of St. Joseph for the past two years ... and, before that, head coach at Griffith High School from 2013-16 ... all within the same part of the Hoosier State. "Having gone through it at a pretty high level, kids seem to be more responsive, knowing that their coach has gone through it," Bedoy said. "It's easier to relate to them, because you were once in their position, and you get to draw on your experiences -- both good and bad. I think my own athletic journey really equipped me to help guide my athletes." Kelly Fitzgerald, Andrean's athletic director, said of her school's new wrestling coach Bedoy, "He's bringing knowledge to the sport of wrestling here at Andrean that we weren't necessarily lacking, but we needed just a little bit more knowledge with the sport and dedication. He's the full package."

Daniel Lewis looks for the fall (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Purdue wrestling head coach Tony Ersland made a splashy hire Wednesday, welcoming four-time NCAA All-American Daniel Lewis into the Boilermaker wrestling room as a graduate assistant. The former Missouri Tiger competed at 165 and 174 pounds over the last four NCAA seasons, graduating as one of the top wrestlers in program history. "It's not every day you have the opportunity to bring a four-time All-American into your room, and we're thrilled to welcome Daniel to our team," said Ersland. "His success on the mat speaks for itself, his abilities in the classroom are even more impressive and I can't wait to get him around our guys." The Blue Springs, Missouri native racked up a career record of 118-17 for the Tigers, earning All-America at 165 pounds as a freshman and sophomore and then at 174 pounds in his final two seasons. He's one of only three four-time All-Americans in Missouri wrestling history, joining Ben Askren and J'den Cox. "I feel blessed to be granted such an amazing opportunity to continue my education and start giving back to the sport that gave me so much," said Lewis. "My glory days of college wrestling are over, but I plan to find success in the lessons and experiences I pass on to my new Boilermaker family." Lewis won four straight Mid-American Conference individual titles, leading Missouri to the team championship in every season and was named the MAC Most Outstanding Wrestler in 2018. Fifty-three of his 118 career wins came by fall (44.9%), good for second-most in Missouri history, and he took home the 2019 Gorarrian Award for recording the most falls at the NCAA Championships. He earned MAC Freshman Wrestler of the Year honors and Missouri's Marshall Esteppe Most Outstanding Freshman award in 2016, finishing 29-6 at 165 pounds and finishing fourth at the NCAA Championships. He followed up with a 28-6 mark in 2017, again at 165, and took sixth at the national tournament. After moving up to 174 pounds as a junior in 2017-18, Lewis reeled off 32 straight victories to start the season, including a flawless 26-0 mark in the regular season and his third straight MAC title. His 17 falls were a team and career high, and he went on to finish fourth at the NCAA Championships. Lewis's senior season brought a similar level of success, posting a 28-3 overall mark with 17 falls, earning his fourth straight MAC crown and another fourth-place effort at the national tournament. He went undefeated in duals over his final two years and finished 25-1 in dual competition for his career. He shared Missouri's Most Outstanding Wrestler honors in each of his last two seasons and was named the University of Missouri Male Athlete of the Year in 2019. Lewis earned his Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering in May of 2019 from Missouri with an emphasis in aerospace engineering and will be pursuing his master's degree in Business Administration from the Krannert School of Management at Purdue. He completed a construction/property management internship with The Kroenke Group in Columbia, Missouri in the summer of 2018, and worked at ProCraft Mechanical in Broomfield, Colorado as a project operations intern in 2019.

Marc-Anthony McGowan celebrates after winning his world title (Photo/Kadir Caliskan, United World Wrestling) SOFIA, Bulgaria -- For the ninth consecutive year, the United States has a Cadet world champion in freestyle. Marc-Anthony McGowan captured a gold medal at the Cadet World Championships on Wednesday in Sofia, Bulgaria, beating Iran's Ali Firouzjaie 3-1 in the finals at 45 kilograms. McGowan, the nation's No. 2 overall freshman, scored the first point off the activity clock and took a 1-0 lead into the break. With just over a minute remaining in the match, McGowan was placed on the activity clock but was unable to score, giving the Iranian a point. Trailing on criteria, McGowan shot a single leg with just under 30 seconds remaining, which Firouzjaie fended off. McGowan then snapped Firouzjaie to the mat and scored a takedown off a go-behind, which turned out to be the winning points. It was McGowan's third straight come-from-behind victory at the Cadet World Championships. McGowan, who turned 15 years old in May, trailed after the opening period in both his semifinal and quarterfinal matches. He becomes the 15th U.S. wrestler to win a Cadet world title in freestyle since 2011. Alex Facundo won a bronze medal for the second straight year (Photo/Kadir Caliskan, United World Wrestling) Also winning a medal in freestyle for the United States on Wednesday was Alex Facundo, who claimed his second straight bronze medal at the Cadet World Championships. The 17-year-old Michigan native came back to defeat 2019 Cadet European silver medalist Davit Kutchuashvili of Georgia 5-2 in the bronze-medal match. Kutchuashvili scored a takedown in the first period and led 2-0 at the break. But Facundo scored a lightning-quick takedown off a duck under with 50 seconds remaining. The takedown was challenged and upheld, giving Facundo a 3-2 lead. He then added a second takedown in the closing seconds to win by three. Earlier in the day, Facundo picked up wins over Italy's Francesco Masotti (11-0) and India's Vijay in repechage. The United States freestyle team finished fifth in the team competition. Cristelle Rodriguez gets her hand raised after winning in the semifinals (Photo/Kadir Caliskan, United World Wrestling) Rodriguez, Hattendorf reach finals in women's wrestling Cristelle Rodriguez and Skylar Hattendorf advanced to the finals for the United States on the opening day of the women's wrestling competition at the Cadet World Championships. Both earned falls in the semifinals. Rodriguez needed just 19 seconds to earn a fall over Yung Hsun Lin of Taipei in her semifinal match at 49 kilograms. She shot a single leg and locked up a standing cradle and drove Lin to her back for the fall. She won by scores of 10-5 and 7-2 in her first two matches of the day. Hattendorf faced Birgul Soltanova of Azerbaijan in the semifinals at 57 kilograms. Soltanova scored the match's first point off a step out. Hattendorf responded with a four-point throw on the edge of the mat just over a minute into the match to take a 4-1 lead. A short time later, Hattendorf countered a shot and tossed Soltanova to her back to secure a fall late in the first period. Both Rodriguez and Hattendorf will face Japanese wrestlers in the finals. Rodriguez meets 2018 U15 Asian champion Moe Kiyooka, while Hattendorf will battle 2018 Cadet Asian silver medalist Ruka Natami. Alexandra Szkotnick and Lillian Freitas lost before the semifinals but remain alive in the competition. They will wrestle in repechage on Wednesday. Szkotnick, a U15 world champion, dropped her first match of the day at 43 kilograms to Nagisa Harada of Japan, 2-0. Harada scored off a step out and activity clock. The Japanese wrestler then went on to reach the finals, keeping Szkotnick alive in the competition. Freitas reached the quarterfinals at 65 kilograms before losing 7-1 to multiple-time world medalist Sonam of India, who then went on to advance to the finals. She edged Mexico's Sandra Menchaca 2-1 in her first match. At 72 kilograms, Kennedy Blades, a Fargo champion in both the 16U and Junior division this summer, picked up a quick fall over Daria Klimovich of Belarus in her first match. She was then beaten by 2018 world silver medalist Julia Fridlund of Sweden 9-5 in the quarterfinals. Blades was eliminated from the tournament when Fridlund lost in the semifinals. The final five women's wrestling weight classes will be contested on Thursday. Sterling Dias (40 kilograms), Sage Mortimer (46 kilograms), Adriana Dorado Marin (53 kilograms), Kylie Welker (61 kilograms) and Amit Elor (69 kilograms) will compete for the United States. Thursday's medal matches are scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. ET.

Jody KaramJody Karam has resigned after 26 seasons as head wrestling coach at Liberty High School in Bethlehem, Pa. Karam built a record of 362-150-1 at the helm of the Hurricane mat program, making him the winningest head coach of any sport in the Bethlehem Area School District (BASD). While at Liberty, Karam could claim 26 District 11 champions, 18 regional champs, 31 state placers and one state champ: Andrew Gunning, in 2016. For those accomplishments, Karam was named Coach of the Year six times. Here's how Coach Karam announced his plans to leave coaching and concentrate on his real estate career on Twitter: When asked why he was concluding his coaching career, Karam told LehighValleyLive.com, "It's a culmination of things. I have been having thoughts (of resigning) the last three or four years and this was probably the right time to do this." Here's how LehighValleyLive's Brad Wilson described the about-to-retire coach and his wrestlers: "Jody Karam's vision for Liberty High School wrestling never changed -- tough, gritty kids battling ferociously for themselves, their teammates, their school, and their community." "What wrestling teaches is that it can take time to be successful," Karam said. "Kids today are used to immediate gratification; put something on social media and immediately see how many 'likes' it gets. Wrestling's not like that. It takes time and dedication and improvement to become successful, and I enjoy teaching that to kids." Even coaches of competitive programs were impressed. "I really admire what Jody Karam has done at Liberty," said Jon Trenge, newly installed head coach at nearby Parkland High School, his alma mater. "They are tough, they are fighters, they never take injury time. If you let up against a Liberty wrestler for a second, you got beat." BASD superintendent Dr. Joseph Roy said, "Coach Karam built a program that grows young men of character. Sportsmanship, integrity, loyalty and dedication are traits Coach Karam taught and are traits that serve our wrestlers well in their adult lives." A search for Karam's replacement will begin immediately.

Julian Valtierrez Everyone calls him Jules. He moves like water. He's a hardworking and dedicated athlete. But Julian Valtierrez wasn't built for basketball. Or football. Or baseball. He'll be a senior at William Howard Taft High School in Chicago this year where he'll wrestle at 113 pounds. Valtierrez has an impressive resume for someone who only started to wrestle as a freshman; one match away from all-state as a junior and a Fargo qualifier. For all he's accomplished in a short time, imagine what might have been if he'd wrestled sooner. If all of the future Julians in Chicago knew of wrestling at a younger age, had it as an easily accessible opportunity and knew the names of its stars, the sport would have an abundance of riches. While those riches go widely untapped, overall participation numbers for boys in both youth and high school wrestling are down. According to surveys by the National Federation of State High School Associations, participation has dropped in four of the last five years. Based on those same surveys, the sport has lost nearly 24,000 boys in those years for an average of almost 4,800 per year. But it doesn't have to continue that way. The solution to slowing, reversing and then building our youth and high school numbers lies in our most populous areas and that's where Beat the Streets is positioned to spearhead the effort. There are currently eight Beat the Streets programs recognized by our umbrella organization, the newly created Beat the Streets National; Los Angeles, Philadelphia, New York, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Cleveland, Boston, Providence and Chicago. The combined population of those eight cities, not including the suburban populations surrounding them, is nearly 18 million people. This is almost as populous as New Mexico, Nebraska, West Virginia, Idaho, Hawaii, New Hampshire, Maine, Montana, Rhode Island, Delaware, South Dakota, North Dakota, Alaska, the District of Columbia, Vermont and Wyoming combined. Historically, wrestling has been dominated by small town heroes and programs. Doug Blubaugh, Dan Gable, John Smith conjure images of small-town kids going on to become global champions. Oklahoma State and Iowa have combined for 57 national team titles. But there are only so many USA memberships that can be sold in Del City, Oklahoma. Chicago has 2.7 million people residing in the city proper. With the help of boosters, coaches, volunteers and contributors, Beat the Streets Chicago is poised to grow by leaps and bounds with the hope that the declining numbers in Illinois rebound beyond the previous high. A tiny glimpse of that success can be seen in the nearly 500 more IL/USAW memberships in Chicago in 2018-2019 than in the previous year. It's not just in Chicago where change is slowly taking shape. Support organization Beat the Streets National added four accredited programs this year throughout the country's most populous cities. That means nearly 115,000 young people now have wrestling opportunities they didn't have before. New York, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles are leading the way through leadership, arduous work, and significant resources. The goal for BTS National Executive Director Jeffrey Marsh is to reach more kids and to make the organizations in individual cities into difference makers. That difference making is sorely needed, not just for the sport, but for the young people who would benefit from the lessons wrestling teaches, arguably better than any other discipline. A reminder of the need came at the annual Beat the Streets Chicago gala in June. Just blocks from the fundraiser someone shot four people. We heard the gunfire loud and clear. It was an audible, painful and very real call to action. The gunfire underscored the importance wrestling can play in the lives of Chicago's youth. It's why we are doing what we do. Julian Valtierrez But the wrestling community can do more. More to grow resources and organizations in places that are not traditional wrestling strongholds, but where there is wealth of young people who are in desperate need of distraction, direction and discipline. Wrestling needs our cities and our cities need wrestling. Join the movement. Make a difference. Jules and the young men like him are our future. Mike Powell is Executive Director of BTS Chicago. Caryn Ward is a BTS Chicago advisory board member.

Harry Lester walks out on to the mat for a match at the 2012 Olympic Games in London (Photo/Larry Slater) Harry Lester, 2012 U.S. Olympic Greco-Roman wrestler and two-time world medalist, was indicted by the Summit County Grand Jury on six criminal charges Monday, reported WOIO-TV, the CBS affiliate in Cleveland. Lester was indicted on three charges of sexual battery -- a third-degree felony -- and three charges of failure to comply with underage alcohol laws -- an unclassified misdemeanor -- by a grand jury in the county where he has served as head wrestling coach at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron for three years. He was put on unpaid leave by the school in mid-April 2019, and was fired in early May, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer Monday. Akron police have said Lester, 35, had a sexual relationship with a female student for approximately one year, ending in April 2019. The victim was 18 years old at the start of the relationship. As InterMat reported, Lester turned himself in to the Summit County Jail on July 4 but has been out on bond. Lester is expected to be arraigned on Friday, Aug. 2. An Akron native, Lester had been an eight-time U.S. World Team member. In addition to being a 2012 Olympian and Pan American Games champion, among Lester's other Greco-Roman wrestling career highlights: Two-time world bronze medalist (2006, 2007), six-time U.S. Open champion, 2005 World University Games bronze medalist, and 1999 Cadet world champion.