InterMat Staff

Stevan Micic (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) University of Michigan wrestler Stevan Micic has been named as a recipient of the 2019 Big Ten Outstanding Sportsmanship Award. Emma McLean of Michigan's gymnastics program is also receiving the prestigious honor from the conference. "McLean and Micic were chosen from Michigan's 29 Big Ten Sportsmanship Award recipients to represent the Block 'M' as individuals who distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior," according to Michigan's announcement issued Wednesday. A three-time NCAA All-American at 133 pounds, Micic placed third at the 2019 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Pittsburgh. The Cedar Lake, Indiana native posted a 19-1 record -- including a 13-0 mark in dual meets -- and earned bonus points in 12 of his 19 wins ... all while overcoming multiple injuries over the course of his senior season. A three-time academic All-Big Ten selection, Micic earned a bachelor's degree in sociology this spring. He will pursue a master's degree in sport management while completing his final collegiate season next year. Micic joins previous U-M wrestlers Pat Owen (2004) and Adam Coon (2016) as recipients of the Big Ten Outstanding Sportsmanship Award.

Chance Marsteller wrestling Wisconsin's Evan Wick in the NCAA quarterfinals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Two-time NCAA All-American wrestler Chance Marsteller has been named recipient of Lock Haven University's Bald Eagle Award as the school's male senior student-athlete for 2019, the Pennsylvania-based university announced this week. In addition, Bekah Slattery was named Lock Haven's Charlotte E. Smith Award winner as the school's top female senior student-athlete for the just-completed school year. Winners of both awards are determined by Lock Haven sports coaches. In describing Marsteller's Bald Eagle Award, the school's announcement said, "This award goes to a senior male student-athlete who has demonstrated overall excellence in athletics, academics and service and whose efforts during his time at The Haven have made us all proud to have him represent not only his individual team, but also the overall athletics program." Chance Marsteller concluded his Lock Haven wrestling career on a high note, with a number of significant accomplishments. He was crowned the 165-pound champ at the 2019 EWL (Eastern Wrestling League) championships, and was named Outstanding Wrestler of the event. Marsteller was a two-time NCAA Division I All-American, placing third at the 2019 NCAAs, and fourth in 2018 ... and led Lock Haven to back-to-back top-20 finishes in the team standings at the NCAAs those years. Marsteller, a 2019 Southern Scuffle finalist, finished his senior year with a 28-3 overall record ... and 72 wins in two seasons for the Bald Eagles. In addition to those on-the-mat accomplishments, Marsteller was a two-time PSAC Top 10 Selection athlete, an award which honors academic success. The 2019 LHU Bald Eagle Award is just one of a trio of honors Chance Marsteller earned this school year from organizations beyond his university. Marsteller also was named 2018-19 Eastern Wrestling League Athlete of the Year, and Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Division I Wrestler of the Year for 2019.

Jim Miller with his trophies won as Wartburg's head wrestling coach WATERLOO, Iowa -- The National Wrestling Hall of Fame announced on Thursday that it has hired Jim Miller as the director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. Miller will be responsible for the museum's daily operations, including the preservation of artifacts, programming, planning, communications and fundraising, while also overseeing the Dan Gable Learning Center, a wrestling training facility inside the museum. He replaces Kyle Klingman, who resigned in April to accept a position with Trackwrestling. "We are elated to have someone with Jim Miller's background leading the Dan Gable Museum for the National Wrestling Hall of Fame," said Lee Roy Smith, Executive Director, National Wrestling Hall of Fame. "He has a keen knowledge of the sport's heritage while also contributing significantly to its history as a competitor, coach and motivational speaker. I am confident that he will advance our mission and the impact that the museum and its programs and services will have upon wrestling in Iowa and across the nation." "I am looking forward to getting started as the Director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum," said Miller, who will begin his duties on July 1. "I see this next step in my life journey as an awesome and unique opportunity to get back involved with a sport that I love while working with Dan Gable and many others to advance wrestling right here in the Cedar Valley and in my hometown of Waterloo, Iowa." "The National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum is newly renovated and having Jim Miller as its new director adds even more excitement to its overall potential," said Dan Gable, the museum's namesake and a Distinguished Member inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1980. "I am looking forward to working with a wrestling great and many others to enhance the great sport of wrestling." "We could not be more excited about Jim Miller coming on board to lead the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum," said Tom Slowey, Chairman of the Board of Governors, National Wrestling Hall of Fame. "Jim is a proven and admired leader who is universally respected within the wrestling community. The Hall of Fame is fortunate to have him on our team and we are confident that he is going to take the Dan Gable Museum to new heights." Miller wrestled at East Waterloo High School and finished third in the state in 1971 and had a career record of 43-11. He attended the University of Northern Iowa where he had a career record of 128-22 while winning NCAA Division II championships in 1974 and 1975 and finishing second and fourth, respectively, in Division I the same year. Miller competed in the East/West All-Star meet two times and was a National Freestyle runner-up in 1976. After coaching at the high school level, Miller returned to UNI as the top assistant coach from 1983-91 when he became head coach at Wartburg. He had a career record of 413-37-2, winning 10 NCAA Division III team championships, 21 consecutive Iowa Conference championships and seven National Wrestling Coaches Association National Duals championships before stepping down after the 2013 season. He coached 37 individual national champions, 147 All-Americans and 72 NWCA Academic All-Americans at Wartburg. "I want to thank Wartburg College for the past 28 years," said Miller, who has been Emeritus Coach and also has been teaching at Wartburg for the last six years. "My 22 years as head coach of the wrestling program was the highlight of my 37-year coaching career and I will be forever grateful." Miller was inducted into the Dan Gable Museum's Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa in 2005 and he received the Lifetime Service to Wrestling award from the Iowa Chapter of the Hall of Fame in 2001. He is a member of the Division II Hall of Fame and the Division III Hall of Fame and Wartburg dedicated the Jim Miller Championship Mat in 2018. Miller was inducted into the University of Northern Iowa Hall of Fame in 2001 and into the Wartburg Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019. He was named National Division III Coach of the Year in 1993, 1996, 1999, 2003 and 2009 and the National Assistant Coach of the Year in 1989. Miller was named Dan Gable Coach of the Year, which recognizes coaches from Division I, Division II and Division III, in 2004 and 2013. He was named Rookie Coach of the Year by Amateur Wrestling News in 1992 and received the Coaching Excellence Award from the National Wrestling Coaches Association in 1999. He and his wife, Kathy, have three sons and four grandchildren. National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum America's shrine to the sport of wrestling, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum was founded as a nonprofit organization in 1976 to honor the sport of wrestling, preserve its history, recognize extraordinary individual achievements, and inspire future generations. The National Wrestling Hall of Fame has museums in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and Waterloo, Iowa. The Stillwater, Oklahoma, location reopened in June 2016 following a $3.8 million renovation while the Waterloo, Iowa, location reopened in March 2019 after undergoing a $1.4 million renovation. Both museums now feature interactive exhibits and electronic kiosks, as well as the opportunity to watch NCAA Championship matches from the 1930s to present day. Stillwater also has the John T. Vaughan Hall of Honors where the greatest names in wrestling are recognized, including iconic granite plaques presented to Distinguished Members since the Hall of Fame opened in 1976. The museum has the largest collection of wrestling artifacts and memorabilia in the world, including the most collegiate and Olympic wrestling uniforms. Wrestling truly is for everyone and the diversity and accessibility of the sport continues to be highlighted through exhibits featuring females, African-Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and Latino Americans. There is also a library featuring historical documents, including NCAA guides and results, as well as books on the sport. For more information about the Hall of Fame, please visit www.NWHOF.org.

After eight years as head coach at Oklahoma's Perry High School -- the nation's most successful prep wrestling program -- Ronnie Delk is heading east to Arkansas, where he will be joining the coaching staff at Bentonville High School, according to multiple media reports. Delk told The Oklahoman -- the daily newspaper of Oklahoma City -- this move is what's best for he and his family. "My wife and I have been doing a lot of talking and praying," Delk said. "(The move) is allowing me to get back to what's really important to me, and that's my family." Delk led the Perry wrestling program for eight seasons. During that span, the Maroons captured eight dual state titles and five team titles. Delk coached 16 individual state champions during his time, including three this season. Delk was the first Perry head coach since 1931 not to have wrestled for the Maroons. Instead, Delk was a two-time Oklahoma state champion at Collinsville, then wrestled for John Smith at Oklahoma State in the early 2000s. He came to Perry High as an assistant coach, serving for five years under Hall of Fame coach Scott Chenoweth, who headed up the Maroon mat program for 16 years. Delk first took the helm at Perry High for the 2011-12 school year. Delk will be moving from the top wrestling program in Oklahoma to arguably the best large program in Arkansas. With nearly 3,900 students in grades 9-12, Bentonville High competes in Class 6A in Arkansas -- the state's largest classification -- and won the 2019 state championship by nearly 100 points. The wrestling program at Perry High School has a rich legacy going back more than 90 years. Located in the small town of Perry in north-central Oklahoma -- about halfway between Oklahoma City and Wichita, Kansas -- the Perry Maroon mat program has tallied remarkable accomplishments, especially for a high school that has just over 300 students, including 43 Oklahoma state championship teams ... 20 dual state champion teams ... and 112 individual state champions ... not to mention two Olympic medalists: Jack VanBebber (gold medal, 1932 Los Angeles Olympics) and Dan Hodge (silver medal, 1956 Melbourne Olympics). Earlier this year, with coach Ronnie Delk at the helm, the Perry Maroons won their 1,000th dual meet ... a record only three other high schools in the nation can claim. If that weren't enough, the program is the subject of a documentary in the works, "The Price of Legacy: Wrestling with a Dynasty." And its wrestlers have been honored with a Perry Wrestling Monument Park in downtown Perry. As Ronnie Delk plans to leave this legendary program, the coach offered this statement to The Oklahoman: "It was an amazing opportunity. To be a part of it for the past 8 years is just a blessing."

North Idaho College has hired Michael Sebaaly as its head wrestling coach, the Coeur d'Alene-based school announced this week. Michael SebaalySebaaly comes to NIC from Northwest Kansas Technical College, having spent five years at the school. Each year, NWKTC improved on its national finish at the NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) Championships, placing fourth in the team standings in 2019, with two individual national champions and six All-Americans. If that weren't enough, Sebaaly coached NWKTC through an impressive regular season this past year, finishing No. 3 in the final NJCAA national polls, and winning the NWCA National Duals Championship. Prior to NWKTC, Sebaaly spent two seasons at Alfred State (2012-2014) as the assistant wrestling coach, where he helped develop three All-Americans. Before launching his coaching career, Sebaaly wrestled at NCAA Division I University at Buffalo, graduating with a bachelor's degree in History. He then earned a master's degree in History at Buffalo State College. Sebaaly recently completed his doctorate in Educational Leadership from Southwestern University. "The search committee is very pleased with this outstanding candidate," NIC Athletics Director Al Williams said. "Coach Sebaaly has an exceptional record as a head wrestling coach and is known as a hardworking recruiter. We are looking forward to welcoming Michael and his family to Coeur d'Alene." Sebaaly responded, "I recognize the expectations are high for the wrestling team at North Idaho College. I take those expectations, which are steeped in the great traditions of this program, seriously. I am honored to be a part of this team and look forward to continuing the program's success, including the popular Tri-State Wrestling Tournament in December and summer wrestling camps." Sebaaly takes the helm of a successful mat program led for 22 seasons by Pat Whitcomb, who was fired by North Idaho College officials for undisclosed reasons in January. In a written response after his firing, Whitcomb denied any knowledge of NIC's academic integrity violations prior to an investigation in the fall of 2018. "I refused to resign, as I had done nothing wrong," Whitcomb wrote. Whitcomb led the Cardinals to four national titles as wrestling coach, was honored as National Coach of the Year twice and was Region 18 Coach of the Year eight times. Whitcomb has been a major figure on the North Idaho College campus as both a successful athlete and coach. He was a two-time NJCAA wrestling champ for the NIC Cardinals in the 1980s. Since Whitcomb was hired as head coach just over two decades ago, NIC could claim 18 individual national champions and 108 All-Americans. He was honored as National Coach of the Year twice and Region 18 Coach of the Year eight times. Founded in 1933, North Idaho College is a public, two-year community college located in Coeur d'Alene. It has a total enrollment of approximately 7,800 students.

For the second straight year the path to the U.S. World Team goes through Final X. The first of the two events takes place this Saturday on the campus of Rutgers University. Thirteen spots on the Greco Roman, women's freestyle and men's freestyle will be determined. Injuries to World champions David Taylor and Kyle Dake took some of the star power away from the card, but there are several key matches remaining. The following is a weight-by-weight preview. Greco-Roman 87 kilograms: Joe Rau vs. Ben Provisor Rau qualified for Final X with a victory at the U.S. Open. After besting Provisor on criteria in the semifinals, Rau defeated the No. 1 seed Patrick Martinez 3-1 to take home the tournament title. In addition to the Open, Rau also competed this year so far at the Dave Schultz Memorial where he took third in Greco and fourth in freestyle. After falling against Rau at the Open, Provisor needed to win the World Team Trials to find a place in Final X. He outscored his first three opponents 21-0 before facing off against Martinez in the best-of-three series. Provisor won the first match 1-1 on criteria and then seal with his trip to this final qualifier with a 3-1 victory. Provisor had defeated Rau in the finals of the 2017 and 2018 editions of the Open before the former Division III champion got to him this year. In the match this year, both wrestlers got a chance from the top, and neither was able to score. It will clearly be a close match, but Provisor has historically been the one able to score on the feet, so he should be the favorite in this series. Prediction: Provisor over Rau Women's wrestling 72 kilograms: Alyvia Fiske vs. Victoria Francis Fiske has already locked up spots on both the 2019 Junior and U23 World Teams at this weight class. She accomplished this feat with a very strong showing at the Women's Nationals last month where she outscored her opponents in both tournaments 86-10. Fiske also won the Open where she scored a 5-4 victory over Francis in the finals. Francis bounced back at the World Team Trials to make Final X. She defeated Nahela Magee 16-5 in the semifinals before knocking off Iman Kazem in two straight matches. Francis put on a stamp on the tournament victory with a fall in the final match. Even though Fiske is still a college student at Simon Fraser, she seems to be primed to earn a spot on three World Teams. In their match at the Open, Fiske was the aggressor throughout the contest. Francis was able to get an early lead with some veteran counters. However, Fiske never stopped coming forward and attacking legs. That persistent will likely lead her to another victory in the rematch. Prediction: Fiske over Francis Greco-Roman 82 kilograms: Kendrick Sanders vs. John Stefanowicz Spencer Woods really busted up the 82-kilogram bracket at the Open with upset victories over Vladyslav Dombrovskiy and Cheney Haight. However, he could not get past Sanders in the finals. To reach that final, Sanders scored 7-3 win over Stefanowicz. He scored seven points in the first period and managed to hold on. Following his semifinal loss against Sanders, Stefanowicz had to go through the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament in order to make Final X. He entered the field as the sixth seed, but he went on a run with wins over former Oklahoma State wrestler Chandler Rogers and No. 2 seed Gordon Speiller to make the best-of-three finals. There he knocked off two-time World Team member Haight with a pair of 5-1 wins. Sanders has experienced a resurgence this year in what turned out to be a wide-open weight class. He should in their first match he can control position and put up points against Stefanowicz. With such a short turnaround before Final X, it is hard to see this result turning out any differently. Prediction: Sanders over Stefanowicz Whitney Conder gets her hand raised after winning a U.S. Open title in April (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors) Women's wrestling 50 kilograms: Whitney Conder vs. Victoria Anthony These two have a long history, and their most recent match went to Conder. She defeated Anthony 4-4 on criteria in the semifinals of the Open on her way to earning this spot in Final X. In the finals, she took home a commanding victory over No. 1 seed Erin Golston via a 7-0 score. Anthony also needed to get past Golston to reach Final X. She achieved that accomplishment twice in the best-of-three finals of the World Team Trials. Anthony won the first match 8-2 and sealed her ticket with a 5-1 victory in the second match. Not only did these two meet at the Open, but they also had a three-match series as part of Final X last year. Conder has won five of their last six matches. In their most recent bout, she put her trademark neutral defense on display and put up enough points to take the title. This will likely be a close series, and it will probably go to three matches. However, Conder has showed the strategic tactics necessary to advance to the World Championships. Prediction: Conder over Anthony Greco-Roman 55 kilograms: Max Nowry vs. Brady Koontz Nowry won his first three matches at the Open without surrendering a single point. Prior to the finals, he outscored his three opponents 24-0. Once he made the finals, he took home a gritty 5-3 decision over Dalton Duffield to qualify for this event. Koontz represented the U.S. at the Junior World Championships last year, and this allowed him to immediately qualify for the World Team Trials. The Ohio State wrestler will be a sophomore next year for the Buckeyes, but he is focusing on Greco for the summer. He entered the Trials as the seventh seed, and he defeated Jabari Moody, Ibrahim Bunduka and Duffield to take the tournament title. Despite being shy of his 30th birthday, Nowry seems to have been around the Greco scene forever. He seems to finally be putting together after being a National Team member four times. Koontz has a youthful exuberance that has served him well up to this point. However, Nowry has the veteran savvy to survive this match and continue the journey. Prediction: Nowry over Koontz Greco-Roman 67 kilograms: Ellis Coleman vs. Jamel Johnson On his way to winning the Open and qualifying for Final X, Coleman average 9.5 points per match. In the finals, he dispatched Army WCAP teammate 12-3 in the only match in which he allowed points. Coleman is an Olympian and a two-time World Team member, but he is still looking for his first Senior world medal. Johnson got smoked by Tuma in the semifinals of the Open. He gave up an early takedown to his back and was teched in less than a minute and a half. The two entered the World Team Trials as the top two seeds. The seeds held, and they faced off in the best-of-three final series. This time Johnson was able to control the pace of the match and won in straight matches via 4-1 and 5-1 scores. This will be an interesting match. Both wrestlers like to go for throws and put up points. Johnson showed that he can transition into a more conservative style when necessary, but he will likely have issues dealing with the offensive explosions from Coleman. Prediction: Coleman over Johnson Women's wrestling 57 kilograms: Becka Leathers vs. Jenna Burkert Leathers upset Burkert in the finals of the Open. She entered the field as the third seed and made her way to the top of the podium. The 2017 world bronze medalist came up short in Final X last year and is looking to earn another spot on the World Team. Burkert bounced back with a strong performance at the World Team Trials. She defeated 2012 Olympian Kelsey Campbell and Arian Carpio (twice) by a combined score of 29-3. Like Leathers, Burkert also fell in Final X last year, but she ended up going to the World Championships as an injury replacement. In their match at the Open, Leathers was persistent with her offense. It got her in trouble early as Burkert was able to score on counters with short offense. However, Leathers got back into it with a reversal and a gut wrench. Eventually she was able to breakthrough with her leg attacks and iced the match. Leathers was the one pushing forward and dictating the action. If she cleans up her offensive finishing, this one could end up with a wider margin. Prediction: Leathers over Burkert Women's wrestling 65 kilograms: Forrest Molinari vs. Maya Nelson This bout will be yet another rematch. Molinari knocked off Nelson in the U.S. Open finals to earn this spot in Final X. Along the way, she also defeated Melissa Jacobs via fall and Macey Kilty via a 7-3 score. Molinari nearly picked up a world medal last year, and she is certainly looking to get back and reach the podium this time. Since falling against Molinari, Nelson has gotten back on track with a pair of tournament victories. First, she won a spot on the U23 World Team. She then knocked off Kilty in straight matches at the World Team Trials. Despite the recent result, Nelson does hold a win over Molinari from the 2017 edition of the Open. However, their recent match seemed to show a growing divide between the two. Molinari has had the better results of late and therefore she should be the favorite going into Final X. Prediction: Molinari over Nelson Kamal Bey claimed a 7-5 victory over Pat Smith in the U.S. Open finals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors) Greco-Roman 77 kilograms: Kamal Bey vs. Pat Smith Many expect Bey to have a stranglehold over this weight for at least the next few years. That certainly appeared to be the case at the U.S. Open. Bey made his way to the finals by winning four matches via a combined score of 44-1. He then defeated Smith in a close 7-5 match. Smith needed a victory at the World Team Trials to reach Final X following his loss against Bey. He got it done in the finals with a pair of wins over former World Team member and current Penn State wrestler Mason Manville. As expected, the matches were low scoring with Smith taking the first 3-0 and the second 3-2. Their match at the Open was closer than some expected. However, Bey's ability to put up big points with big moves gives him the clear advantage in this match. Even if Smith is able to hold position for the majority of the match, one small lapse could give the edge to Bey. Prediction: Bey over Smith Women's wrestling 68 kilograms: Tamyra Mensah-Stock vs. Alexandria Glaude There are few wrestlers on this card who are on a roll like Mensah-Stock. She picked up a bronze medal at the World Championships last year, and she has continued to win in 2019. The run includes a victories at the Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix, Dan Kolov, Sassari City and Pan American Championships. She advanced directly to Final X based on her bronze medal. Randi Beltz was waiting for Glaude in the finals of the World Team Trials based on her victory at the U.S. Open. Glaude knocked off Skylar Grote and Jayden Laurent before facing off against Beltz in the best-of-three finals. After giving up a fall in the opening match, Glaude picked up back-to-back decisions to advance to this event. These two met earlier this year, and it was not close at all. Mensah-Stock has been running through the competition recently, and this series is not expected to keep her off the world stage. Prediction: Mensah-Stock over Glaude Freestyle 125 kilograms: Nick Gwiazdowski vs. Gable Steveson Over the last few years Gwiazdowski has cemented himself as the best heavyweight domestically and one of the best in the world. He enters this event coming off back-to-back bronze-medal performances at the World Championships. In his last action, he scored a dominant 9-0 performance over Derek White at the annual Beat the Streets event. Even though he was only a true freshman, most in the wrestling world expected Steveson to run through the NCAA field and pick up a championship. However, he ended up dropping a pair of matches to Penn State's Anthony Cassar and finishing third. Despite that result, Steveson was able to put on a masterful performance at the World Team Trials. He advanced to the finals with a 5-1 victory over Tony Nelson. The Minnesota wrestler then went on to dominate returning Greco world silver medalist Adam Coon in a pair of matches by a combined score of 21-4. Steveson's performance at the Trials shows that he will be a player on the international stage going forward. However, this appears to be a tough match for him. He thrives by being quicker than most heavyweights. Against Gwiazdowski that might not have a huge advantage. Plus, the former North Carolina State wrestler will likely be able to come out on top of the scrambles and take the match. Prediction: Gwiazdowski over Steveson Yianni Diakomihalis topped Zain Retherford in the U.S. Open finals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors) Freestyle 65 kilograms: Yianni Diakomihalis vs. Zain Retherford After running through the field at the U.S. Open, Diakomihalis put himself directly into contendership for a World championship with a victory over world No. 1 Bajrang Punia of India at Beat the Streets. If he gets past Retherford he could easily be considered a favorite to medal despite still being in college and wrestling for Cornell. Retherford fell against Diakomihalis at the U.S. Open, and therefore he needed a win at the World Team Trials in order to qualify for Final X. Not only did he need to go through the field, but also needed to win a pair of matches against Jordan Oliver in the finals. Both matches were wild and full of scrambles, but in the end, Retherford won both via 7-6 scores. This was a 6-4 match is favor of Diakomihalis in the finals of the Open. The Cornell wrestler got out to a 2-0 lead early in the first period and carried that lead into the break. Early in the second, Retherford got on the board with a takedown that led directly to an exposure to take a 4-2 lead. However, Diakomihalis then scored off a pair of shots from Retherford and took the match 6-4. If the Penn State wrestler wants to be successful here, he will need clean finishes. That is likely easier said than done. Prediction: Diakomihalis over Retherford Freestyle 92 kilograms: J'den Cox vs. Bo Nickal Cox finally scaled the mountain in 2018 and became a world Champion. Since then he has won a gold medal at the 2018 Pan American Championships and blitzed Patrick Brucki 13-0 at Beat the Streets. In the past, he has had a few head-scratching matches, but he has appeared to put that behind him and could be the favorite for gold in 2019 and beyond. Nickal finished his collegiate wrestling career with another NCAA title and a Hodge Trophy. He then went right into freestyle and won the Open. Since Cox had already qualified for Final X, Nickal's path also had to go through the World Team Trials. In the finals, he knocked off fellow NCAA champion Mike Macchiavello in two straight matches. This should be an interesting style match. Nickal is known for his wide open and improvisational style. On the other hand, Cox is extremely technically sound and rarely gets pulled out of position. In the end this match will likely end up with Cox scoring on a counter and holding on to a lead. Prediction: Cox over Nickal

Justin Signorelli has been named the new wrestling coach at Alfred State. Signorelli has already jumped into his duties as the Pioneers prepare for the 2019-20 season. Justin Signorelli is excited to take over the program. "I am grateful for the confidence being shown in my abilities and my vision for the program by Athletic Director Jason Doviak in affording me the opportunity to lead the Pioneers NCAA DIII Wrestling program." "Justin emerged from a strong pool of candidates as the obvious choice," stated Director of Athletics Jason Doviak. "He has a versatile background and is certainly going to strengthen our wrestling program. His vision and enthusiasm is a perfect fit for Alfred State." Alfred State President Dr. Skip Sullivan echoed Doviak's thought's. "I like the enthusiasm that is being brought to our teams and potential impact that will have for our student-athletes. I appreciate the "student-athlete" approach that the Justin is bringing to the wrestling program." Signorelli comes to Alfred State after spending last season as a graduate assistant coach at Western New England University. This year at WNE he coached three NWCA Academic All-Americans and two NCAA National Qualifiers including NCAA DIII 184 lb Champion John Boyle. Prior to his time at Western New England, Signorelli spent two years as the head wrestling coach at SUNY Ulster Community College. While at Ulster, Signorelli was tasked with resurrecting and building the wrestling program that had not been active since 1979. During his two seasons Signorelli coached an Academic All-American, led 14 wrestlers to All-District honors including a North East District individual champion, and he qualified seven wrestlers to compete at the NJCAA National Championship Tournament. Along with his coaching duties at Ulster he also served as Assistant Athletic Director within the Ulster Athletic Department and was an Adjunct Professor working in the Physical Education Department. Signorelli previously was an assistant coach at Highland High School for three years, leading Highland to its first team sectional title during his tenure. Collegiately he was a four-year letter winner at NCAA DIII SUNY Cortland, serving two of those seasons as team captain. In 2013, he helped lead his team to a 4th place finish at the NWCA DIII National Duals. His Red Dragon teams were consistently ranked in the top 10 in the country and he placed in many tournaments including winning the Jamestown Open. He graduated from SUNY Cortland earning his Bachelors of Arts degree in Communications. At Highland High School he competed in football, wrestling, and lacrosse. On the mat he was a four-year varsity team captain and was a three-time Section 9 D2 Champion, three-time MHAL Champion and he won over 85% of his varsity matches in his four seasons en route to becoming the first member of Highland's 100-win club. He was a captain on Highland's varsity football Section 9 Class B Championship team in 2008 and graduated with honors in 2009. "I plan to lead a program full of student athletes who are committed to living a championship lifestyle academically, socially and athletically. By recruiting and leading student athletes committed to this philosophy in conjunction with our programs goals we will become competitive not only on the regional level but on the national level as well."

Mo Lawal (Photo/Bellator) Muhammed Lawal -- better known as "King Mo" -- has retired from a nearly 11-year professional mixed martial arts career. The news about Lawal -- who made a name for himself in amateur wrestling before racking up honors in MMA as former Strikeforce light-heavyweight (205-pound) champ, 2013 Bellator light-heavyweight tournament winner, and 2015 RIZIN heavyweight Grand Prix champion -- was revealed in a statement by American Top Team on Instagram: "I just wanted to give @kingmofh a shout out and congrats for all he's accomplished in this sport. For those that aren't aware, he's decided to 'hang em up' and dedicate the next chapter of his life to coaching our pro fighters. I have to note, I've seen countless fighters train and walk through our doors and King Mo is hands down one of the best teammates I have ever seen. Beyond selfless. Proud to call him a teammate and even more excited to have him working and coaching full time with the squad. All the best Mo!! Congrats on a hell of a career!! Let's keep it positive and show this man some love!" In an interview with MMAfighting.com, the 38-year-old Lawal cited having undergone dozens of surgeries -- "probably 30 or 40 surgeries" according to the fighter -- as a prime reason for retiring from MMA. "It's been on my mind for a while," Lawal told MMAFighting about his decision to retire. "I just put it in the back of my head. It was the pain from the injuries that was messing me up and my lack of range of motion from my hip and my knee. I've been fighting most of my career with no legs, a messed-up knee or a messed-up hip and after I had that hip surgery where they put titanium metal in my hip, it kind of made me think -- I'm going to need a knee replacement, I'm going to need an elbow replacement, I'm going to need a hip replacement. "I was like I'm getting old, I'm 38, I've got kids. I can't even run right now. I can't even jog really. I'm that bad. It's to the point where if I can't jog or sprint or be explosive, then I've got to stop." Lawal built a 21-9 record (with one no contest) in a pro MMA career going back to Sept. 2008. The native of Murfeesboro, Tenn. got off to a great start. Within two years after making his pro debut, Lawal had scored seven straight victories ... and defeated Gegard Mousasi to capture the Strikeforce light heavyweight championship. Later, Lawal had joined the Bellator organization, where he won their light-heavyweight tournament in 2013, where he compiled a 10-6 overall record. He also competed in the Japan-based RIZIN promotion, starting by winning their Heavyweight World Grand Prix in 2015. However, in recent years, Lawal had struggled, losing his last three bouts, including his most recent in April, where he suffered a third-round TKO loss at the hands of Jiri Prochazka. Prior to entering MMA, Lawal had crafted a successful amateur wrestling career. He was a Texas state champ for Plano East High School near Dallas. Lawal then headed north to the University of Central Oklahoma, where he earned the national title at the 2002 NCAA Division II championships. As a senior, Lawal transferred to Oklahoma State, where he was crowned the Big 12 conference champ at 197 pounds in 2003 and placed third in the same weight class at the 2003 NCAA Division I championships, earning All-American honors. After college, Lawal found success in men's freestyle competition. Among his career highlights: three Senior National titles (2005, 2006, 2008), and member of the 2005 U.S. men's freestyle team competing at the 2005 World Championships at 84 kilograms/185 pounds. What's next for "King Mo"? He's not leaving MMA completely. While his fighting career may be finished, Lawal has already made the move into coaching at the American Top Team academy in Florida, where he's already working with a number of top coaches, many who are retired fighters. "I'm going to be around the sport," Lawal stated. "I'm going to be in MMA, maybe dip into boxing and help some fighters out in boxing ... " "Coaching, giving back the information I've received from coaches in the past. It's a great option."

It's been a couple months since the college wrestling mats were rolled up and put away for the season. Even though it's the offseason, now is an unbeatable time for three national wrestling magazines -- WIN (Wrestling Insider Newsmagazine), Wrestling USA and Amateur Wrestling News -- to reveal their award winners for the 2018-2019 season. WIN 2019 special award winners In terms of wrestling awards, WIN magazine may be best known for its Dan Hodge Trophy, given each year to the nation's top college wrestler a week or so after the conclusion of wrestling season. (This year's honoree: Bo Nickal of Penn State.) The May 29, 2019 issue of WIN unveiled its choices for its annual collegiate awards beyond the Hodge, including: Rutgers coach Scott Goodale with NCAA champion Anthony Ashnault (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Dan Gable Coach of the Year: Rutgers' Scott Goodale: Goodale, head coach at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, since 2007, was honored with year's award for guiding the Scarlet Knights to their first top ten finish at the NCAA championships… and for coaching the program's first national champions in Nick Suriano at 133 pounds, and Anthony Ashnault at 149. "We needed a year like this. Top guys growing up wanting to wrestle at a top-brand school," the 47-year-old Goodale told WIN Editor Mike Finn. "The elite schools are brand names so it's been super, super hard to get those guys to believe in what we're trying to do. I like to think, from a wrestling standpoint, we are making Rutgers a brand name." WIN first presented its Coach of the Year award in 1997. Schalles Award: Penn State's Bo Nickal: Nickal, who concluded his college mat career with his third NCAA title, the 2019 Hodge Trophy and 2019 InterMat Wrestler of the Year honors, also managed to be the nation's top pinner for the second straight season… making the Nittany Lion fall guy a natural choice to receive an award named in honor of Wade Schalles, one of the all-time top collegiate pinners in his time at Clarion in the early 1970s. "Being in the Penn State room and having the amazing partner and coaches that I have, I've seen ten times the in practice every situation I've been in during a match," according to Nickal, who also won the Schalles Award in 2018. Cal State Bakersfield heavyweight champ (and future New England Patriots star) Stephen Neal was the first wrestler to pin down the award, in 1999. Junior Schalles Award: Greg Kerkvliet: Kirkvliet earned WIN's annual award for top prep pinner. One stat to demonstrate the pinning prowess of the 225-pounder for Simley High School in Minnesota: Kirkvliet never had a match go beyond the first period. In fact, he spent just less than 15 minutes total on the mat this season. "I did my work in the wrestling room so I'd just get the first hold that I saw and locked up," said Kirkvliet, who plans to redshirt in his first season of college before taking to the mat for Ohio State. Wade Schalles, who was a phenomenal pinner himself in high school, created the Junior Schalles Award in 1999. First recipient: Nick Simmons. Journalist of the Year: Justin Hoch, photographer: Hoch created "The Fire Inside" project which WIN described as an "extremely up-close and intense group of portraits of at least 1,800 people who are currently associated with the sport of wrestling. (Images available for viewing at www.jhoch.com/the-fire-inside.) J.R. Ogden of the Cedar Rapids Gazette was the first journalist to receive this award, in 1999. Wrestling USA 2019 awards Wrestling USA's May 30, 2019 issue featured a handful of yearly, national awards, including two college-related honors: Coach of the Year: Rutgers' Scott Goodale: As Wrestling USA pointed out in its announcement, Goodale had produced ten NCAA All-Americans in the past six seasons, and since 2009, has earned five top ten finishes and eight top 25 finishes in the USA Today/NWCA (National Wrestling Coaches Association) Division I Coaches Poll. Sportswriter of the Year: Shannon Heaton: Heaton had covered wrestling in Iowa, but his career took him to Florida, where he put his passion for the sport into developing the Northeast Florida Matmen website in 2013. Over the years, the website has grown to cover 96 schools in northern Florida and southern Georgia. As Wrestling USA described it, "His website is an encyclopedic home for northern Florida wrestling with links to results going all the way back to the 2013-14 season ..." Amateur Wrestling News 2019 awards AWN -- the oldest publication devoted to covering wrestling on a national basis -- has revealed some of its national collegiate wrestling honors in two separate issues over the past couple months. The May 15 issue celebrated first-year successes, with its annual Rookie of the Year wrestler award, and Rookie Coach of the Year honors. Mekhi Lewis celebrates after beating Alex Marinelli of Iowa in the NCAA quarterfinals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) "Virginia Tech's Mekhi Lewis is our hands-down Amateur Wrestling News pick for annual Rookie of the Year honors," is how the magazine opened its story announcing its choice for top college freshman mat star. The article went on to mention that Lewis defeated two-time champ Vincenzo Joseph of Penn State to win the 165-pound title, becoming the Hokies' first national wrestling champ ... and was also named the tournament's Outstanding Wrestler. The same issue of AWN tabbed University of Michigan head coach Sean Bormet as its choice for 2019 Rookie Coach of the Year. Among the highlights of Bormet's first season at the helm: the Wolverines' 19-17 dual-meet upset of second-ranked Ohio State in Columbus ... and taking his team to its second consecutive top-five finish in the team standings at the 2019 NCAA championships in Pittsburgh. Some previously-announced awards and honors Prior to the WIN, Wrestling USA and Amateur Wrestling News awards published in their May print editions, other sources which cover the national collegiate wrestling scene had announced their annual honors. The April 15 issue of Amateur Wrestling News had named Arizona State's Zahid Valencia -- crowned 174-pound champ at the 2019 NCAAs -- as recipient of the publication's "Hammer Award" presented each year for the past five years to the top collegiate wrestler in the country. (Previous recipients include Ohio State's Logan Stieber, Alex Dieringer of Oklahoma State, Bo Nickal of Penn State, and Iowa's Spencer Lewis.) InterMat revealed its annual awards at the end of the college wrestling season. In addition to naming Bo Nickal as 2019 InterMat Wrestler of the Year, the website's staff selected Mekhi Lewis of Virginia Tech as 2019 InterMat Freshman of the Year, and Penn State's Cael Sanderson as 2019 InterMat Coach of the Year.

Gene Lybbert, successful wrestler at two of the top mat programs in the state of Iowa in the post-World War II era -- Cresco High School, and University of Northern Iowa -- passed away Saturday, June 1 in Cedar Falls, Iowa. He was 89. Gene LybbertBorn outside Cresco in northern Iowa in January 1930, Eugene "Gene" Lybbert first made a name for himself at Cresco High, one of the legendary prep wrestling programs in the state from the 1930s into the 1950s which produced, among others, future Iowa State head coach Harold Nichols and future Iowa Hawkeye head coach Gary Kurdelmeier. Lybbert was a two-time finalist for Cresco at the Iowa high school state wrestling championships, as a runner-up at 105 pounds in 1947, and placing second at 112 pounds in 1948, the year the program placed second in the team rankings at state. Lybbert continued his academic and athletic career at Northern Iowa (then called Iowa State Teachers College) in Cedar Falls, wrestling for head coach Dave McCuskey. A two-time NCAA All-American, Lybbert wrestled most of his matches at 130 pounds. At the 1951 NCAAs, Lybbert placed third in the 130 bracket. The following year, Lybbert won the 130-pound crown at the 1952 NCAAs at Colorado A&M in Fort Collins. He compiled a 27-2 record at ISTC, with six pins. After graduating from ISTC, Lybbert served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He then worked as a teacher and wrestling coach for four years in Blue Earth, Minnesota where he guided his teams to three consecutive state team championships from 1956-58. For all his wrestling accomplishments, Lybbert was welcomed into the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame in his hometown of Cresco in 1987, the UNI Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame in 1989, and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2007. Lybbert remained connected to the Northern Iowa Panther wrestling program up until his death, according to the Des Moines Register. "Gene's presence and support for the program has been unmatched," Northern Iowa head coach Doug Schwab tweeted Monday. "He will be missed by the whole UNI wrestling family." Visitation for Gene Lybbert will take place Thursday from 4-7 p.m. at Richardson Funeral Service in Cedar Falls. The funeral service will take place Friday at St. Patrick Catholic Church, with one hour of visitation prior to the 10 a.m. service, with burial with full military honors immediately after the service in Greenwood Cemetery, also in Cedar Falls. The family requests that memorials be made to the church, the University of Northern Iowa wrestling program, or the Hon. Nordly & Gene Lybbert Athletic Training Scholarship at UNI.

An attorney who recently returned to the high school where he once wrestled to become the program's head coach died after participating in a wrestling match at a tournament in his native Florida this weekend. Tracy LeeTracy Lee, 51, passed away after taking on a college-age opponent at the Sunshine State Games in West Palm Beach, Fla. on Saturday. Lee, who just last month had left his law practice to become head wrestling coach at Sarasota High School, took some of his wrestlers to the Sunshine State Games, which had wrestling competitions for a wide range of age groups, up to age 70. Lee pulled on a Sarasota Sailor singlet and faced off against a college-age competitor who was the Ukrainian national champion in Greco-Roman wrestling, according to his former high school teammate -- and more recently, assistant coach -- Cam Holland. "The place is crowded, there are five mats, a huge gym, and when Tracy and this man started wrestling, everybody circled the mat," Holland told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. "It was like five rows deep and when they got done wrestling, everybody just stood and clapped. That was a match. That was respect. "It was something totally different than you were seeing on other mats. It was a championship-caliber match." However, according to the newspaper, not long after the match ended, Lee collapsed and was taken to a West Palm Beach area hospital, where he died of an apparent heart attack. "He hated the practice of law and he just wanted to get out of it so bad and he was so excited that he had taken the job as Sarasota High's wrestling coach," according to Derek Byrd, who, like Lee, was a member of the school's Class of 1986. Ron Jones, Tracy Lee's coach at Sarasota High, offered his perspective on his former wrestler's return to the sport. "He wanted it more than anything," Jones said. "He never stopped being a Sailor. It was sort of a no-brainer having someone who loved Sarasota the way (he) loved Sarasota." Born in Sarasota in January 1968, Richard Tracy Lee was captain of the Sarasota Sailor mat program all four years. After graduating from Sarasota High in 1986, Tracy continued his education, earning his bachelor's degree at University of Florida. He then studied law, first at Widener University School of Law, then focusing on trial advocacy at Temple University School of Law. Visitation for Tracy Lee will take place Friday, June 7 from 5-7 p.m. at Robert Toale and Sons Funeral Home, 170 Honore Ave., Sarasota, with funeral service scheduled for Sunday, June 9 at 2 p.m. at The Shore Church, 3375 Fruitville Road in Sarasota.

MOUNT VERNON -- Tim Prescott, an NCAA Division II champion and two-time NJCAA all-American, has been named head assistant coach on Cornell College's wrestling staff. Tim PrescottPrescott joins Coach Brent Hamm's program after serving the past two years as a graduate assistant at Division II Northern State University in Aberdeen, S.D. “We are excited to welcome Coach Prescott in our wrestling program,” said Hamm, entering his second season as head coach. “Tim has been a national champion and part of championship teams. He's been highly successful because of his work ethic and discipline, which make him a great fit for our program. “Tim won't settle for anything but the best and he can help us get to the top. He's extremely motivated and passionate about wrestling, but more importantly, understands the impact we have on student-athletes.” Prescott wrestled two years at Neosho County (Kan.) Community College. The McPherson, Kan., native placed fifth at the NJCAA Championships at 125 pounds in 2013 and 2014. Prescott helped lead the 2014 team to an eighth-place finish at nationals. Prescott finished his competitive career with two strong seasons at St. Cloud State (Minn.) University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in liberal studies with an emphasis in recreation & sport management/education in 2017. As a junior at St. Cloud State, Prescott was crowned 2015 NCAA Division II champion at 125 pounds. That season, he was tabbed Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Wrestler of the Year. Prescott was the nation's top-ranked wrestler at his weight for most of his senior campaign, enduring only two losses. Prescott guided St. Cloud State to back-to-back NCAA team titles in 2015 and 2016. It marked the school's first national championships in any team sport. A three-time academic all-American, Prescott was part of a turnaround effort as assistant coach at Northern State. In his second year there, the Wolves posted their first winning season in a decade and earned a Top-25 national ranking with five freshmen in the lineup. Prescott received his master's degree from Northern State in sports performance and leadership in May 2019. Prescott spent one season as an assistant at Sartell Saint Stephens (Minn.) High School. He coached three state placewinners, highlighted by one individual state champion. Prescott was a four-time Kansas state placewinner wrestling at McPherson High School (2009-12). He took runner-up as a freshman and senior. Prescott finished third at state twice. Cornell's wrestling program has claimed nine Top 20 NCAA Division III team finishes since 2007. The Rams have crowned 21 all-Americans during that period.

Kyle Dake runs with the American flag after winning gold at 79 kilograms (Photo/Larry Slater) Returning world champion Kyle Dake has requested a delay in his best-of-three matchup for a spot on the 2019 U.S. World Team in freestyle. Dake was scheduled to compete on Saturday against World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion Alex Dieringer at 79 kilograms. He was able to request a delay as a 2018 senior world medalist who earned an automatic berth into the final wrestle-off. Dake posted a message Tuesday on Instagram. Many have speculated, and today I am announcing that I have requested a delay for the best two out of three series for the 2019 World Team. I had a freak accident happen that required surgery and kept me off the mat for some time. We are waiting to get the details for the wrestle off date and I will keep you posted. I will continue to train as intelligently and diligently as I can towards becoming the 2019 79kg World Champion. Thank you to all my sponsors, family, and fans for their unparalleled support! It marks the second match that has been removed from the Final X Rutgers card. On May 24, returning world champion David Taylor (86 kilograms) announced that he would not be competing due to injury.

Jordan Burroughs wrestling Isaiah Martinez at Final X Lincoln in 2018 (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors) It is crazy to think we are just over a year away from the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. It seems like it was just yesterday when Helen Maroulis and Kyle Snyder captured gold medals in wrestling at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. As many of you already know, the year before an Olympic Games is hugely important. And the pressure mounts even more on athletes to perform with so much at stake. The World Championships in the year before the Olympics serve as the main qualifier for the Games. The top six finishers in each Olympic weight category at the 2019 World Championships will qualify their countries for the 2020 Olympics. That's what makes the upcoming Final X events for Team USA wrestlers paramount. The Final X winners will make up the 2019 United States World Team. The Final X champions in the 18 Olympic weight classes -- six in men's freestyle, six in women's freestyle and six in Greco-Roman -- will receive the first crack at qualifying the U.S. for the 2020 Olympic Games. There already is plenty at stake when you are battling to make a world team, but this year obviously takes on much more significance with Olympic qualifying spots being contested. Believe it or not, it's become even tougher to qualify for the Olympics in international wrestling. In 2020, only 16 athletes will qualify per weight class. That is a reduction from 2016. Russia qualified the most overall weight classes for the 2016 Olympics with 17 while the U.S. qualified in 14 of 18 weight categories for Rio. The U.S. qualified in all six freestyle Olympic weight classes in 2016 with the Americans making it in four classes in women's freestyle and four divisions in Greco-Roman. In addition to the 2019 World Championships, 2020 Olympic qualifiers include the four continental qualifiers and one last chance qualifier. The top two finishers in each weight class from each of those events also qualify their countries for the Olympics. The U.S. will compete in the Pan American qualifier in early 2020 in weight classes it did not qualify at the 2019 World Championships. The World Championships are hugely important to qualify as many wrestlers as you can. As you can imagine, the pressure magnifies significantly for wrestlers and countries who have to qualify in their continental event or in the last chance meet. In 2016, J'den Cox went overseas in a last chance event and qualified the U.S. for the Olympics in men's freestyle at 86 kg. Cox followed by earning a bronze medal in Rio. In 2008, Justin Ruiz came through with a dramatic win over Cuba at the Pan American qualifier in Greco-Roman. Ruiz then lost to Adam Wheeler at the U.S. Olympic Trials before Wheeler won an Olympic bronze medal in Beijing, China. Just qualifying a weight class for the Olympic Games certainly is not easy. Wrestlers who have been in those situations will tell you how difficult it is. Especially in those final qualifiers where they are not only trying to qualify for themselves but for their country. One interesting scenario for the U.S. this year will be at 86 kilograms. Reigning world freestyle champion David Taylor has been sidelined after a recent knee injury and Pat Downey is expected to replace him at this year's World Championships. Downey is a past Junior world silver medalist and a talented wrestler, but he's obviously not the proven commodity that Taylor is on the Senior level. Another scenario involves Maroulis, who became the first American women's wrestler to win Olympic gold in 2016. The two-time world champion will not compete at the worlds this year after being sidelined by injuries the past two seasons. If the U.S. falls short of qualifying at the World Championships in their weight classes, would Taylor and Maroulis be called upon to help their country qualify for the Olympics in the Pan American and last chance events? The U.S. could potentially have a men's freestyle world team in 2019 with four young wrestlers -- Daton Fix, Yianni Diakomihalis, Bo Nickal and Gable Steveson -- in Olympic weight classes. Each of those guys competed in college this past season. Would those young athletes be ready to step up and deliver at their first Senior World Championships? And qualify the U.S. for the Olympics in their respective weight classes? They definitely could with the high level of success they've had at age-group world events. The U.S. has had plenty of wrestlers do well at their first Senior Worlds. Jordan Burroughs, Kyle Snyder, Kyle Dake and David Taylor all won gold medals in their first trip to the World Championships. No question, this is a huge year for the United States wrestling team and it is no secret that plenty of pressure-packed matches are on the horizon. And that's why the Final X is so important this year in determining the U.S. World Team reps at the 18 Olympic weight classes. The Americans obviously are loaded in men's and women's freestyle right now with a number of superstar athletes. The U.S. Greco-Roman team received a boost from world silver medalist Adam Coon last year and hopes to build on that this year. No doubt, all eyes will be on the 2019 World Championships this fall in Kazakhstan. It will have a significant bearing on what might transpire on the big stage at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. The stakes are extremely high and the pressure is definitely on for wrestlers and countries to be at their best this year to set them up for a memorable 2020.

Tamyra Mensah-Stock flexes after weighing in at Final X (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors) MARYSVILLE, Ohio -- RUDIS, the fastest growing athletic apparel brand in wrestling, continues to invest in wrestling and the Olympic Dream by signing its third female wrestler, Tamyra Mensah-Stock. Tamyra is a fierce competitor. She will be competing at this week's Final X at Rutgers as she hopes to secure her spot on the 2019 Wrestling World Team. RUDIS Chief of Staff and Director of the Athletic Program, Matt Dernlan speaks about Mensah-Stock and what it means for the brand. "We are thrilled to add Tamyra to the RUDIS family. It is an honor to continue building our roster of elite athletes. Continuing an already impressive career in the sport, Tamyra will compete in Final X this weekend and we are proud to be by her side." RUDIS Co-Founder and President, Jesse Leng speaks about Mensah-Stock and the alignment with RUDIS. "Tamyra embodies the unique mentality required of an ambitious athlete. She brings both passion and determination to the mat, showing her ability to attain the highest levels of achievement for wrestlers. This mindset is what makes Mensah-Stock a perfect fit for the RUDIS family. We are honored to help elevate women's wrestling by signing our third female athlete this year." Tamyra joins RUDIS after an already accomplished career. Mensah-Stock was a four-time All-American at Wayland Baptist, where she was also a two-time national champion. She won the 2016 Wrestling U.S. Open, which afforded her the No. 1 qualifying spot at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Tamyra also went on to win bronze at the 2018 UWW World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Mensah-Stock has proven she is one to watch for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Serving the amateur wrestling community, RUDIS honors some of the greatest names in the history of the sport including Dave Schultz, Kyle Snyder, Cary Kolat, Brandon Slay, Lincoln Mcllravy, and more. The company states: "Born from wrestling and built for wrestling. RUDIS was created with a single vision in mind: be the most accurate and authentic expression of the sport through apparel. The core values of wrestling govern our every action and drive us to continually innovate, serve, and connect with those who love this sport."

The U.S. wrestling community, including its leading organizations, is celebrating today's announcement from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) concerning women's wrestling. The NCAA's Committee on Women's Athletics (CWA) has "recommended that all three divisions of the NCAA governance structure add women's wrestling as an NCAA emerging sport, effective August 1, 2020." Each NCAA division (Division I, Division II and Division III) will address this recommendation separately, and will determine independently if women's wrestling is added to the division's Emerging Sports list. Beginning in August 2017, a coalition of wrestling organizations, including Wrestle Like A Girl, the National Wrestling Coaches Association, USA Wrestling, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, the U.S. Olympic Committee, and expanding to include the National Collegiate Wrestling Association, worked together to submit an application to the NCAA CWA for women's wrestling to attain Emerging Sport Status. All of the national leaders in wrestling have supported this effort and supplied information for the bid that was sent to the NCAA CWA, in compliance with all of the requirements of Emerging Sport Status. The wrestling community applauds and thanks the NCAA's Committee on Women's Athletics for its governance and vision in reviewing the women's wrestling application and recommending wrestling for NCAA Emerging Sport Status. The wrestling community celebrates the role Title IX has played in developing women's wrestling opportunities, and pledges to continue to build the sport with that spirit of inclusion until it achieves official Championship status within the NCAA, and thereafter. "This is a great day for wrestling. The recommendation from the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics could impact the lives of thousands of women student-athlete wrestlers for generations to come. We thank the efforts of all the wrestling organizations who have led the charge seeking Emerging Sport Status. USA Wrestling is fully committed to supporting wrestling for women and girls at all levels and is excited about the future. We are encouraged by today's decision, and fully expect it to help accelerate the growth of women's wrestling," said Rich Bender, Executive Director of USA Wrestling. "The NWCA is eternally grateful for all of the collaborative efforts between the wrestling community and the NCAA to make this day possible. This is a great day for countless young women across the nation who are one step closer to having access to an NCAA championship for women's wrestling," said Mike Moyer, Executive Director of the National Wrestling Coaches Association. "Wrestle Like A Girl and its national partners share in the glory of the women's wrestling recommendation to the NCAA Div. I, II, and III Committees for Emerging Sports Status. Collaborating with state high school athletic associations and the Olympic movement, and powered by Title IX, thousands of women will now have access to the NCAA's annual pool of $2.9 billion in athletic scholarships providing powerful sports experiences and educational opportunities. Wrestling, as a one-on-one contact sport, uniquely teaches women agency over space, voice and body. We are proud to be a leading voice for equality in the sport of wrestling, and at-large," said Sally Roberts, two-time World Bronze medalist, combat veteran and founder of Wrestle Like A Girl." "The National Wrestling Hall of Fame fully supports Emerging Sports status for women's wrestling and takes great pride in sharing the message that wrestling does not discriminate based on gender, size, ethnicity or physical limitations and it is truly a 'Sport For All' and 'Any BODY Can Wrestle'," said Lee Roy Smith, Executive Director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. "We look forward to welcoming many more females into the Hall of Fame as women's wrestling continues to grow as a result of this decision." "The NCWA is proud to have been a small part of this collaborative effort to provide women the inclusive opportunity to compete at the highest levels in college sport through the NCAA. With this outstanding victory for wrestling we remain committed in our efforts to the expansion of wrestling opportunities to student athletes at all levels," said Jim Giunta, Executive Director of the National Collegiate Wrestling Association. Currently, there are 23 NCAA programs (varsity or club) that have met the qualifications to be included in the NCAA ESS bid, with a minimum roster size of six, and a competition schedule with at least five contests. An additional 13 NCAA programs are scheduled to add women's wrestling for the upcoming 2020 or 2021 competition season. In addition, dozens of women's wrestling clubs have been established on other NCAA-affiliated campuses and are working towards increasing their rosters and competition schedules. Current varsity or club programs that have met the minimum requirement of a roster size of 6, and 5-contest competition schedule include: Adrian College, Colorado Mesa University, Colorado State University, Dixie State University, Emmanuel College, Ferrum College, Gannon University, King University, Lakeland University, Liberty University, Lindenwood University, MacMurray College, McKendree University, Pacific Lutheran University, Pacific University, Presbyterian College, Simon Fraser University, Tiffin University, Schreiner University, University of Houston, Fresno State University, and University of Texas - Arlington, Texas A&M. NCAA programs that are adding women's wrestling for the upcoming seasons, as of May 30, 2019: 1. Alderson Broaddus University 2019-2020 (Div. II) 2. Augsburg University 2019-20 (Div. III) 3. Davenport University 2020-2021 (Div. II) 4. Delaware Valley University 2019-2020 (Div. III) 5. East Stroudsburg University 2019-2010 (Div. II) 6. Fontbonne University 2019-2020 (Div. III) 7. Iowa Wesleyan University 2020-2021 (Div. III) 8. Limestone College 2019-2020 (Div. II) 9. Lock Haven University 2019-20 (Div. II) 10. New Jersey City University 2020-21 (Div. III) 11. North Central College 2019-2020 (Div. III) 12. University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point 2019-2020 (Div. III) 13. Westminster College 2019-2020 (Div. III) Overall, the number of women's college wrestling programs from all college sports associations combined (both existing and announced) is over 83 and growing. Girls and women's wrestling is one of the fastest growing sports in the United States. There are currently 16 state high school athletic associations that have created or approved official girls state high school wrestling championships, with many other states in-process. With inclusive wrestling opportunities, and girls and women being afforded the opportunity to wrestle other girls and women, female wrestling has grown rapidly in recent years. The high school state associations with sanctioned girls divisions (alphabetically): Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, Tennessee, Texas, Oregon, Washington, Washington, DC. We encourage more state associations to create or add girls high school divisions to support the female wrestlers in their states. USA Wrestling Girls High School Development Committee co-chairs Joan Fulp and Andrea Yamamoto, (usawgirlssanctioning@gmail.com), as well as Wrestle Like A Girl's Director of Programs Amy Zirneklis (amy@wrestlelikeagirl.org) are uniquely positioned and prepared to assist. Women's college wrestling has existed since the early 1990's, with the first varsity team created in 1993. There have been women's college wrestling national championships, including institutions from all affiliations since 2004. This past year, the NAIA gave invitational sport status to women's wrestling and held its first national invitational championships at Jamestown University in 2019. Women's wrestling has been an Olympic sport since 2004, and will be contested in its fifth Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020. United World Wrestling has conducted Senior World Championships in women's wrestling since 1987. The most recent sport which has been added to the list of NCAA emerging sports was Beach Volleyball in 2010. To date, five women's sports have moved from NCAA Emerging Sports Status to Championship Status: rowing, ice hockey, water polo, bowling and beach volleyball. The NCAA emerging sports process was created in 1994, with a new guide released in September 2016. Under these new procedures, which provided additional guidance and objectivity in the process, wrestling submitted its initial bid in August 2017, followed by a resubmission in August 2018, with two more updates in 2019. Through the combined and unified effort of the wrestling community, today's decision by the NCAA CWA has moved wrestling to the next stage of the process. With the possibility of reaching official Emerging Sport Status in August 2020, the wrestling community is poised to continue the excitement and momentum moving forward.

Competitors shake hands at Minnesota's girls high school state wrestling tournament (Photo/Deb Scherber, Minnesota/USA Wrestling) The NCAA announced on Monday that the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics has recommended women's wrestling as an emerging sport by their member institutions. If adopted, this means that any Division I program that determines it wants to fund women's wrestling will get an immediate Title IX offset, earn Championships Cup points for winning titles, and be afforded all other institutional and governmental advantages assessed with any other sport. The importance of the announcement cannot be overstated. There will be an immediate rush of programs looking to institute a women's program, but the real benefit will be in 5-10 years when the wrestlers who are motivated to compete -- and who can now do so at the youth, state, and NCAA level -- are making an impact on the international stage. The United States will now be in position to knock off Japan. The battle left will be for style. There will be some who want the women to wrestle folkstyle. That would be an awful, terrible, tremendously selfish and plainly dumb idea. Freestyle is women's folkstyle. The sport was brought to them by the international community and rules in 1989 and then cemented with Olympic inclusion in 2004. There is no longstanding history of women wrestling their own (i.e. folk) style of the sport. Only freestyle. Incredible. A monumental day for the sport of wrestling in America. Congrats to USA Wrestling, NWCA, Wrestle Like A Girl, and the thousands of coaches and parents who helped push the cause of women's wrestling over the past several years. But most importantly thank you and congratulations to all the little girls out there who had the grit, determination and confidence to step on the mat and pursue your dream to wrestle like the boys. Without you there would never be this incredible opportunity for the next generation of girls who now have the option to wrestle at the NCAA level. Girls like my daughter who, if she chooses to wrestle, might one day be able to do it at my alma mater. What an absolutely wonderful day for the sport of wrestling.

The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics has recommended that all three divisions of the NCAA governance structure add two sports -- women's wrestling, plus acrobatics and tumbling -- to the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program. If adopted, the sports would join the program Aug. 1, 2020. The committee identifies sports to be added to the Emerging Sports for Women program, which is a pipeline supporting the advancement of women's sports to NCAA championship status. The program also provides athletics opportunities for women and sport-sponsorship options for colleges and universities. Schools also may use an emerging sport to help meet membership minimum sports-sponsorship requirements and financial aid requirements. A sport must have a minimum of 20 varsity teams and/or competitive club teams that have competed in a minimum of five contests to be considered for the emerging sports program. The sport must reach 40 varsity programs to move forward to the NCAA governance structure for championship consideration. The Wrestle Like a Girl organization, in conjunction with USA Wrestling, indicated there are 23 NCAA schools currently sponsoring the sport. The committee applauded the groups for the overall continued growth of women's wrestling, and specifically for the potential growth of the sport at colleges and universities that currently sponsor men's wrestling. They also noted the relatively low cost to sponsor women's wrestling and the organizations' commitment to increasing opportunities for a more diverse student-athlete base and to expanding coaching opportunities for women. The National Collegiate Acrobatics and Tumbling Association currently has 20 NCAA colleges and universities sponsoring the sport, which is a discipline of gymnastics involving tumbling, tosses, acrobatic lifts and pyramids. The Committee on Women's Athletics commended acrobatics and tumbling for showing how its student-athletes already were integrated fully within athletics departments; how they are enjoying experiences comparable to those of other NCAA student-athletes; and how the sport could grow. “On behalf of the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics, I would like to commend the leaders of both the acrobatics and tumbling and the women's wrestling communities and thank them for their extensive work to ensure young female athletes in these sports are able to continue their participation at the collegiate level,” said Julie Cromer Peoples, committee chair and senior deputy athletics director for administration/senior woman administrator at Arkansas. “The CWA worked with representatives of both sports for several years to prepare them for advancement to NCAA emerging sport status, and we encourage all three divisions to support this expansion of opportunities for young women on NCAA campuses that choose to sponsor these sports.” The Emerging Sports for Women program has been in existence since 1994. In the past 21 years, several sports have reached championship status, including beach volleyball, rowing, ice hockey, water polo and bowling. The program currently has three sports: equestrian, rugby and triathlon.

Stephen Abas (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com) It's not every day that a high school wrestling program lands a coach who was an Olympic medalist. Stephen Abas, 2008 Olympic silver medalist and three-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion at Fresno State, has been named head wrestling coach at Fresno High School, the Fresno Unified School District announced Friday. "We are excited to welcome Coach Abas to Fresno Unified, knowing that he brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to share with our Fresno High student-athletes," said Fresno Unified Superintendent Bob Nelson. The statement said Abas would take the helm of the Warriors wrestling program at Fresno High immediately. "One of the greatest wrestlers of his generation" is how the 41-year-old Abas is described in his National Wrestling Hall of Fame biography, welcomed as a Distinguished Member of the Stillwater, Oklahoma-based Hall in June 2018. Among his freestyle career highlights: Olympic silver medalist in freestyle competition at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece ... 2003 Pan American gold medalist ... and three-time member of the U.S.A. World Team. Stephen Abas' collegiate mat career was no less impressive. As a wrestler at Fresno State University, Abas was a four-time NCAA All-American, winning three NCAA titles at 125 pounds in 1999, 2001, and 2002. Abas tallied a 144-4 overall record for the Bulldogs, including 46 pins. Abas' career winning percentage of 97.3 percent is also a school record. For all these accomplishments, Abas was named the Fresno State Male Athlete of the Year in 1999 and 2001. What's more, Abas was one of 15 former college wrestlers named to the NCAA 75th Anniversary Team in 2005, joining Tom Brands, Dan Gable, John Smith and Yojiro Uetake among the five honorees in the lightweight (115-141 pound) category. Before launching his collegiate and freestyle wrestling career, Abas won three California high school state championships at Canyon Springs High School in Moreno Valley. Abas can also claim a perfect 3-0 career as a professional mixed martial arts fighter in 2010-2011. Established in 1889, Fresno High School is a public high school located in Fresno, Calif. It has a total enrollment of approximately 2,300 students in grades 9-12.

Greg Kerkvliet works for a pin at Minnesota's state wrestling tournament (Photo/Mary Christen, The Guillotine) Greg Kerkvliet, the nation's No. 1 senior recruit by InterMat, says that he plans to redshirt during the 2019-20 season at Ohio State. He spoke about it after beating NCAA All-American Jordan Wood of Lehigh to win the U23 World Team Trials Tournament at 125 kilograms on Sunday in Akron, Ohio. "I'm going to redshirt, get bigger, stronger," Kerkvliet said in his post-match interview. Ohio State heavyweight Chase Singletary, an NCAA qualifier as a redshirt freshman this past season, claimed the U23 World Team Trials title at 97 kilograms. Five of the top eight heavyweights from the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships are eligible to return next season. NCAA champion Anthony Cassar of Penn State was recently granted two more seasons of eligibility by the NCAA, according to a story on NJ.com. Steveson, who qualified for Final X at 125 kilograms, has stated that he plans to compete for the Gophers next season and not to take an Olympic redshirt. Kerkvliet has torn his ACL twice in the last year. He had surgery to repair the first tear last year. He is most recent tear occurred at the Dmitriev Memorial in Russia on March 9. He says he has no plans to get his ACL repaired.

AKRON, Ohio -- The first weekend of June saw many of the nation's finest young wrestling talents convene upon Akron, Ohio, for the UWW Cadet Freestyle Nationals. Wrestlers born in 2002, 2003, and 2004 sought to earn one of ten spots on a world team that will compete in Sofia, Bulgaria come late July into early August. Both returning (age-eligible) Cadet world freestyle medalists qualified for this year's team, though they were both extended to three matches in the best-of-three finals. Richard Figueroa (Selma, Calif.) -- ranked No. 1 overall in the Class of 2021 -- lost 4-2 in the first match of the finals series against Jordan Williams (Collinsville, Okla.); Williams was able to score a takedown late in the first period to level the score at 2-2, and then late in the bout he scored on a counter takedown off a seemingly forced Figueroa attack. In the second match of the series, Figueroa dominated to the tune of a 10-0 technical superiority at the 2:32 mark; while the winner-take-all match was a 6-0 shutout victory for Figueroa. He will compete at the 51-kilogram weight class this summer, after earning world silver last year at 48 kilos. Alex FacundoLast year a Cadet world bronze medalist at 71 kilograms, it was far from an easy journey for No. 2 overall Class of 2021 wrestler Alex Facundo (Davison, Mich.) to earn a repeat world berth. Facundo needed a step-out with 25 seconds remaining in the bout to outlast Jaxon Smith (Woodland, Ga.) 2-1 in the quarterfinal round, while the match-winning takedown in a 4-3 semifinal victory over A.J. Kovacs (Poly Prep, N.Y.) came with 38 seconds remaining. Facundo lost the first of three bouts in the championship series to Trevor Mastrogiovanni (Blair Academy, N.J.), who is ranked No. 7 overall in the Class of 2021. Mastrogiovanni made a takedown and a turn inside the first minute of the bout last in a 4-2 victory over Facundo. The second match started well enough as well, as Mastrogiovanni scored the match's first point early on, before six points in the last minute of the bout gave him a 6-1 victory and forced a third bout. The winner-take-all bout was a decisive 5-0 win for Facundo, who had a 1-0 lead after one period before two takedowns in the second period propelled him to a second straight world team. Those two finals series were the only ones to go the distance. Also returning to the Cadet World Team in freestyle is Robert Howard (Bergen Catholic, N.J.), who will be make a third straight appearance -- all coming at essentially the same weight class (54 kilograms in 2017 and 55 kilos the last two years. Yet to medal at the world level, the 2020 Penn State verbal commit steamrolled his way to the championship series -- five shutout technical superiorities in five bouts. Howard swept the championship series with 6-0 and 5-2 wins over Jesse Ybarra (Sunnyside, Ariz.), who won a Cadet National freestyle title in Fargo last summer. Earning a second world team berth on the week was Kyle Haas (Maize, Kansas), who won a Greco-Roman title on Friday to go with the freestyle title, with both coming at 92 kilograms. Navigating a gauntlet of a weight class, he won a back-and-forth bout in the round of 16 with Cadet double All-American Sam Fisher (Fauquier, Va.) by fall in 3:15; the bout was tied 8-8 at the time. His next two victories came over returning Cadet National freestyle champions, 8-4 over Rocky Elam (Staley, Mo.) in the quarterfinal and a 10-0 technical superiority over Noah Pettigrew (Valdosta, Ga./Blair Academy, N.J.) in the semifinal round. In the other half-bracket, No. 5 overall Class of 2022 Seth Shumate (Dublin Coffman, Ohio) dominated his way to the final as well. It was a 10-0 technical superiority in 2:54 over returning Cadet double finalist Kolby Franklin (St. Joseph's Catholic, Pa.) in the quarterfinal before a pin in 1:10 over returning Cadet freestyle All-American John Poznanski (Colonia, N.J.), a match in which he led 8-0 at the time. No. 12 overall Class of 2021 wrestler Haas swept the championship series. Haas rallied from a 3-0 deficit with a pair of takedowns inside the last 35 seconds of the bout to win a 4-4 criteria decision in the opening match. Shumate would have a 5-4 lead over Haas in the second match with a minute left before a takedown followed by five turns would yield to Haas winning a 16-5 technical superiority at the 3:57 mark. The lower weight contingent will be led off by No. 1 overall rising freshman Mark-Anthony McGowan (Blair Academy, N.J.), who will be the representative at 45 kilograms. He swept the championship series over Mac Church, an incoming freshman from Waynesburg, Pa. McGowan won the first bout 6-0 before securing a fall at the 2:31 mark of the second bout to confirm the world team spot. The 48-kilogram representative will be Stevo Poulin (Shenendehowa, N.Y.), who is ranked No. 22 overall in the Class of 2021. He had four technical superiorities in four bouts to reach the championship series, where he would face off with Greco-Roman representative Cory Land (Moody, Ala.). That series was similarly non-competitive to Poulin's preliminary matches, as the world spot was confirmed for Poulin by a pin in 1:32 and a 10-0 technical superiority at the 1:14 mark. Continuing his revenge tour in 2019 is Jesse Mendez (Crown Point, Ind.), who is the No. 7 overall Class of 2022 wrestler nationally. In 2018, Mendez failed to place at this tournament, Cadet freestyle in Fargo, and the Super 32 Challenge -- though he was very close to podiums in each event. This year he was an undefeated state champion in high school, won a Cadet National folkstyle title, and was named Outstanding Wrestler of this tournament after winning the 60-kilogram weight class. A shutout technical fall and a dominating fall, each within a minute, placed Mendez into a round of 16 match against returning Cadet National freestyle runner-up Mick Burnett (Elyria, Ohio). Mendez would dominate from start-to-finish in a 13-5 victory. He then dominated his quarterfinal match against yet another returning Cadet National freestyle runner-up, this time scoring a 13-1 technical superiority in 3:23 over Caleb Rathjen (Ankeny, Iowa). The semifinal match was a barnburner against returning Cadet National freestyle champion Dominick Serrano (Windsor, Colo.). Mendez made a five-point throw during the first period last in a 7-7 criteria victory, as Serrano lost in this round for a second straight year. That would set up a finals series against Anthony Ferrari (Allen, Texas), who had very narrow wins in his round of 16, quarterfinal, and semifinal against very tough opposition. With 9-4 and 1-1 (criteria) victories, Mendez relegated Ferrari to a second straight runner-up finish in this tournament. Ryan Sokol (Simley, Minn.), who is ranked No. 20 overall in the Class of 2021 steamrolled his way to the spot at 65 kilos. The Iowa verbal commit reached the finals series with three shutout technical falls and a dominant pin, while needing to rally from a 6-4 deficit with 70 seconds remaining to beat two-time state champion Bryce Hepner (St. Edward, Ohio) in the round of 32. Sokol would sweep Derek Fields (Brunswick, Ohio), a returning Cadet freestyle All-American to earn the spot; an 11-5 decision in the first match before using a front headlock turned into a cradle to secure a pin in 1:34 despite trailing 6-0 before that sequence. Rounding out the Cadet world team are a pair of wrestlers from the Keystone State, Clayton Ulrey (Line Mountain) at 80 kilograms and Hunter Catka (Sun Valley) at 110 kilograms. Finals results 41-45 kg: Marc-Anthony McGowan over Mac Church, 2 matches to 0 Match 1: McGowan dec. Church, 6-0 Match 2: McGowan pinned Church, 2:31 48 kg: Stevo Poulin over Cory Land, 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Poulin pinned Land, 1:32 Match 2: Poulin tech. fall Land, 10-0 1:14 51 kg: Richard Figueroa over Jordan Williams, 2 matches to 1 Match 1: Williams dec. Figueroa, 4-2 Match 2: Figueroa tech. fall Williams, 10-0 2:32 Match 3: Figueroa dec. Williams, 6-0 55 kg: Robert Howard over Jesse Ybarra, 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Howard dec. Ybarra, 6-0 Match 2: Howard dec. Ybarra, 5-2 60 kg: Jesse Mendez over Anthony Ferrari, 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Mendez dec. Ferrari, 9-4 Match 2: Mendez dec. Ferrari, 2-1 65 kg: Ryan Sokol over Derek Fields, 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Sokol dec. Fields, 11-5 Match 2: Sokol pinned Fields, 1:34 71 kg: Alex Facundo over Travis Mastrogiovanni, 2 matches to 1 Match 1: Mastrogiovanni dec. Facundo, 4-2 Match 2: Facundo dec. Mastrogiovanni, 6-1 Match 3: Facundo dec. Mastrogiovanni, 5-0 80 kg: Clayton Ulrey over Rylan Rogers, 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Ulrey dec. Rogers, 8-4 Match 2: Ulrey dec. Rylan Rogers, 9-4 92 kg: Kyle Haas over Seth Shumate, 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Haas dec. Shumate, 4-4 Match 2: Haas dec. Shumate, 16-5 3:57 110 kg: Hunter Catka over Braxton Mikesell, 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Catka dec. Mikesell, 7-1 Match 2: Catka dec. Mikesell, 8-0

Five of the ten spots for the U23 men's freestyle World Team were claimed Sunday afternoon in Akron. However, it is unknown which five spots they will be. Five of the trials tournament winners can still be challenged by U23 eligible wrestlers that are competing for a Senior World Team spot in Final X. The wrestlers eligible to challenge include Daton Fix, Yianni Diakomihalis, Ryan Deakin, Bo Nickal, and Gable Steveson. While the aforementioned wrestlers are penciled in for Final X at, 57 kilograms, 65 kilograms, 70 kilograms, 92 kilograms, and 125 kilograms respectively, they have the ability to challenge whichever U23 weight they are inclined to. The U23 World Team will compete at the U23 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, this October. Read complete story on TheMat.com ... Finals Results 57: Gabe Townsell over Danny Vega, 2 matches to 1 Match 1: Vega tech. fall Townsell, 10-0 Match 2: Townsell tech. fall Vega, 12-2 Match 3: Townsell tech. fall Vega, 10-0 61 kg: Chas Tucker over Micky Phillippi, 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Tucker dec. Phillippi, 4-0 Match 2: Tucker tech. fall Phillippi, 10-0 65 kg: Jaydin Eierman over Luke Pletcher, 2 matches 1 Match 1: Eierman dec. Pletcher, 8-5 Match 2: Pletcher dec. Eierman, 12-11 Match 3: Eierman dec. Pletcher, 9-6 70 kg: Alec Pantaleo over Jimmy Hoffman, 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Pantaleo dec Hoffman, 7-2 Match 2: Pantaleo tech. fall Hoffman, 11-0 74 kg: Brady Berge over Philip Conigliaro, 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Berge tech. fall Conigliaro, 11-0 Match 2: Berge tech. fall Conigliaro, 16-4 79 kg: Muhamed McBryde over Anthony Mantanona, 2 matches to 0 Match 1: McBryde dec. Mantanona 6-6 Match 2: McBryde tech. fall Mantanona, 12-2 86 kg: Max Dean over Devin Skatzka, 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Dean tech. fall Skatzka, 10-0 Match 2: Dean tech. fall Skatzka, 14-2 92 kg: Jake Woodley over Christian Brunner, 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Woodley tech. fall Brunner, 10-0 Match 2: Woodley dec. Brunner, 7-4 97 kg: Chase Singletary over Michael Boykin, 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Singletary dec. Boykin, 8-5 Match 2: Singletary dec. Boykin, 10-10 125 kg: Greg Kerkvliet over Jordan Wood, 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Kerkvliet dec. Wood, 6-5 Match 2: Kerkvliet dec. Wood, 6-3

TJ Ruschell (center) spent this past season on the Clarion coaching staff (Photo/Clarion Athletics) University of Tennessee at Chattanooga head wrestling coach Kyle Ruschell announced the hiring of former Clarion University assistant coach TJ Ruschell, today. He replaces Hunter Gamble, who took a position outside of coaching after earning his MBA from the UTC Rollins College of Business this spring. TJ is the younger brother of the Mocs second-year head coach. He spent last season as a volunteer assistant at Clarion. There he helped lead the Golden Eagles to a third place conference finish in the regular season. TJ's primary focus was the middleweight classes, which proved beneficial for Clarion as 165-pound senior Evan DeLong qualified for the NCAA Championships for the first time in his career. "It's obviously pretty special for me to be hiring my younger brother to be a part of my staff," Ruschell said. "However, the main reason I'm looking forward to him joining UTC Wrestling is the perspective he brings to our sport. We're very different in our approach as coaches and together I believe our guys will get a well-rounded experience that will help elevate us to the level we're working towards." Prior to his time at Clarion, TJ served a brief stint as an assistant coach at Lindsey Wilson College (Ky.). The team finished fifth at the 2018 NAIA Championships with five Blue Raiders earning All-American honors. Ruschell worked closely with 149-pound national champion Cam Tessari, as well as other middleweight wrestlers during his time at Lindsey Wilson. "I am very excited to join the UTC coaching staff and look forward to helping Kyle continue working towards his vision for the Mocs future," said TJ. "I enjoyed watching their fight last season and can't wait to start working with these guys. There is a ton of untapped potential in the area that I am eager to discover. Chattanooga is a great city with amazing people, and I'm thrilled to be a part of it. Go Mocs!" Ruschell competed for the University of Wisconsin from 2012-2017. During his tenure as a Badger he compiled a 54-52 overall record at the 149 and 157-pound weight classes. Although his final season was shortened by a knee injury, TJ came back in December to reach as high as 15th in the FloWrestling rankings while posting a 16-11 overall record and a 5-3 dual meet record. This earned him an at-large bid to the 2017 NCAA Championships in St. Louis. TJ was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten Selection; as well as a National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Academic All-American in 2017. Ruschell graduated from Wisconsin with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics in 2016. He also earned a Master's degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from UW in 2018. A native of Crittenden, Kentucky, Ruschell attended Ryle High School where he compiled a 219-21 career record - the best in school history - and was a four-time state placer and four-time regional champion, winning a state championship his junior season. These impressive credentials earned him an induction into the Ryle High School Athletic Hall of Fame this April.

NEWBERRY -- Newberry wrestling head coach Cy Wainwright has announced the hiring of Daniel Ownbey as the new assistant coach. Daniel OwnbeyOwnbey make his way to Newberry after a one-year stint at Greensboro College where he helped coach four regional placers. Prior to Greensboro College, Ownbey had one-year stints with the N.C. Pride Club, UNC Pembroke, and Ferrum College. During his coaching experience, Ownbey had helped coach a combined eight regional placers and four national qualifiers. "We're excited to bring coach Ownbey to Newberry," said Wainwright. "He brings a lot of knowledge and knows what it takes to compete at the highest level and to become a champion." Ownbey, a 2015 graduate of UNC Pembroke, was a four-time All-American along with being a two-time national champion in the 141-pound weight class. He became UNC Pembroke's first-ever two-time champion, its third four-time All-American, and graduated as the program's third-winningest wrestler with a career mark of 133-18 (.881).

Thirty-seven former Ohio State athletes have filed a lawsuit against the university involving Dr. Richard Strauss, the school's team doctor from 1978 to 1998. According to the lawsuit, which was filed this week in U.S. District Court in Columbus, "OSU had actual notice of and was deliberately indifferent to the fact that Richard Strauss, M.D., an OSU employee, tenured faculty member, and the Associate Director of OSU's sports medicine program, sexually assaulted and abused hundreds of male OSU student-athletes and other male OSU undergraduates for over nineteen years. Moreover, OSU officials aided, abetted, and actively concealed Strauss' sexual predation on OSU's students." Nearly all the names inside the new lawsuit are listed as John Does. Former wrestler Michael DiSabato was the only named plaintiff, according to WBNS-TV, the CBS affiliate in Columbus. A majority of the participants in this latest lawsuit -- approximately two dozen -- were former Ohio State football players. The remaining former student-athletes were Buckeye wrestlers, swimmers, gymnasts and volleyball players. One wrestler -- identified as John Doe No. 6 -- was a member of the Buckeye wrestling squad from 1978-1981. The former Buckeye wrestler states in the lawsuit that he was sexually assaulted by Strauss more than 20 times. He was told by Strauss to drop his pants whenever he visited the doctor, no matter the injury, including when being treated for eye and finger injuries. Sexual assault under the guise of a legitimate medical exam was not the only issue relating to Strauss in his time at Ohio State. There have been reports of inappropriate behavior involving Strauss and others at Larkins Hall, the on-campus home to a number of sports programs, including wrestling, when Strauss was team doctor. John Doe No. 19, an Ohio State wrestler for just one season (1983-1984), is quoted in the lawsuit claiming he was "regularly propositioned in the showers of Larkins Hall by voyeurs and found notes in his locker room asking him to meet up for sex." When he complained to an assistant coach (not named in the lawsuit) about the constant sexual harassment in Larkins Hall, he was told to "grow up" and that he was "not in high school anymore." (The lawsuit states this wrestler gave up the sport after leaving Ohio State.) The lawsuit also reported on the ongoing efforts by former head wrestling coach Russ Hellickson who "repeatedly complained to OSU administrators about the environment in Larkins Hall because the conditions seriously impacted the psyche and morale of his wrestlers." In addition, the lawsuit alleges that Strauss watched wrestling practices, was the first one in the shower once practice ended and stayed in the shower area until the last wrestler finished. For these reasons, coach Hellickson reportedly requested "a separate team shower area." According to the lawsuit, "OSU denied the request." The lawsuit also claimed that Hellickson, "begged to have the wrestling team moved to another building. The lawsuit stated, "OSU denied his request." (Note: The Ohio State wrestling program was eventually relocated to the Steelwood Athletic Training Center a couple miles west of campus in 2002, and, just last week, moved into the brand-new Jennings Family Wrestling Facility at Covelli Center on campus. Larkins Hall was demolished in 2005.) http://intermatwrestle.com/articles/21939 Two weeks ago, a 232-page investigative report was released, stating that 177 individuals had come forward to say that they had been assaulted by Strauss in the two decades he was on staff at Ohio State. The entire 46-page lawsuit is available online. Note that it contains graphic descriptions of groping and other sexual abuse which some may find disturbing.