InterMat Staff

In May 2018, the University of Regina announced it was eliminating its men's and women's intercollegiate wrestling programs. This May, a wrestler for the now-defunct mat program discovered the team's trophies, plaques and awards in the garbage. The discovery was made by Dane (who asked to be identified only by his first name) behind the Kinesiology Building on the Regina campus. "I wasn't happy to see the team's legacy just discarded and thrown in a dumpster," the former wrestler at the Canadian school told CTVnews.ca. Dane said he was looking for wooden pallets in a dumpster behind the Kinesiology Building, when he found the awards, which included two MVP trophies, multiple plaques from the Cougar Invitational wrestling tournament and several Saskatchewan Amateur Wrestling Association (SAWA) medals. Another former University of Regina wrestler, Inga Hammer, said, "Overall it felt very disrespectful. The university wrestling program had a legacy of success while it was here and when it was canceled last year, it was extremely hard to take." Harold Riemer, the University of Regina's dean of the Faculty of Kinesiology and Health Studies, said those medals, plaques and MVP trophies had been sitting in the office of former assistant coach Dan McGee for a full year after the wrestling program was cut, despite multiple requests for McGee to pick up the awards. The university needed to clear the space for construction work and a decision was made to throw out the awards, according to Riemer. "If you've been on this campus, space is extremely tight. We have, in this building, very, very little storage space and any storage space we have is effectively full right now," Riemer told Regina radio station CJME. "To keep personal belongings on the hope that someone, someday is going to come and grab those personal belongings I don't think is being a good steward of this space." Riemer added there was never any intent to be disrespectful to the students involved in the awards. Former Regina wrestler Dane wants to see the original plaques hanging in the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame which has said it would accept the awards rescued from the dumpster. In the meantime, the University of Regina has said the honors are in the process of being sent to the school's archives.

David Taylor announced late last week that he had undergone season-ending knee surgery following his injury during the 2019 Beat the Streets event in New York City. Taylor's announcement left Pat Downey -- winner of the 2019 World Team Trials Challenge Tournament and Taylor's would-be opponent for Final X -- as the de facto 86-kilogram champion and USA representative at the World Championships in Nur-Sultan. While losing Taylor for the World Championships is a disappointment for fans of USA Wrestling, it must be noted that there are serious implications on how his absence will affect Team USA's qualification for the 2020 Olympic Games. As of now Downey can qualify the spot by placing in the top six at the World Championships. While he has a very distant shot at winning the world title, it's reasonable to assume that he could progress to the medal round, which would earn Team USA their ticket at 86 kilograms. However, should he fail to qualify a larger issue may play out over the next several months. Nations who have failed to qualify at the World Championships may attempt to earn their tickets to Tokyo 2020 at the continental qualifier, and if not there, then the Last Chance Qualifier. While it would stand to reason that Downey, not Taylor, would by rule be the wrestler for the continental qualification tournament in Ottawa March 13-15, that regulation hasn't been written. Also, given the severity of Taylor's injury it's unclear if he'd be prepared to compete by March. Still, if it's Downey then he'd be a favorite against most of the Pan Am representatives, save Cuba's Yurieski Torreblanca (who may qualify in Nur-Sultan). But what if he fails to qualify in Ottawa? Well, the Last Chance Qualifier starts April 30 and the USA Olympic team selection process is scheduled for the first week of April. That means whoever makes the team in the Olympic year would have the chance to get back into the starting spot. All of this is barring any changes (known or unknown) to the qualification system. Oh, and if you want to really run loose on what-if's … wrestlers who are qualified for Final X have up until 48 hours before the start of the event to declare injury and reschedule. No matter what they have or have not said in the news. To your questions … Q: Do you expect USA to qualify all 18 weight classes for the 2020 Olympics? -- Mike C. Foley: I don't. This is partly because no country was able to qualify all 18 wrestlers in 2016, and partly because there are just way too many things that can go wrong, especially in Greco-Roman. Russia qualified 17 weights in 2020, USA qualified 14, missing two in women's wrestling and one in Greco-Roman. That might indicate the same problem in 2020, but I think that the women's team will have an easier time qualifying at Worlds than the Greco team. Of course the one massive advantage for the Greco-Roman team is that there just isn't very good Greco-Roman at Pan Ams. Could be an easier ticket for them to punch once it gets to the continental level. Q: Is the nearfall point ever discussed in coming back in freestyle/Greco? Is there a reason they got rid of it? -- @Bloodround Foley: The major rule changes for the sport of wrestling came after the 2013 announcement that wrestling would be removed from the Olympic Games. I wasn't in the room for the actual meetings with the consultants, nor the final votes, but the paperwork kicked off from those meetings showed that there was too much confusion in the rules. I don't remember when the one-point hold was eliminated, but I think that the 2013 rule changes brought on a dominating philosophy that wrestling rules should both err on the side of simplicity and always favor the more aggressive athlete. Given that foundation I'd be very surprised to see any change to one-point techniques, especially in freestyle where the rules have been promoting a lot of action. Adam Coon gets a body lock on Tony Nelson in the U.S. Open finals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Q: Andy Hrovat tweeted that "(Adam) Coon has made no improvement in his wrestling since entering college." Sour grapes and/or some sort of falling out with the Cliff Keen Wrestling Club? Or is there some truth to his tweet? Based on the fact that he won a U.S. Open title, beat Kyle Snyder in college and made a world final in Greco, seems like he has made improvement. I don't think he could have accomplished any of those things in high school. -- Mike C. Foley: I mean that is an OUTRAGEOUS and patently false statement. Not only must he have improved based on his freshman results versus his senior results, but he also won a world silver medal in Greco-Roman wrestling. So where he lost before, now he wins. What other metric for "better" could we use? Coon can look clumsy on his feet sometimes, especially in freestyle, but that is more so in recent years as he's stepped into action more as a habit brought over from Greco-Roman. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Presented without comment: "The Man" by Reece Humphrey Q: Biggest pet peeves in wrestling? For me it's music during the finals of UWW events! It makes it so anticlimactic. -- @FRL_Questioner Foley: I've sat through roughly 63,490 minutes of finals matches at United World Wrestling events and had to assume you meant the Russian and Japanese national anthems since those are the most anticlimactic for me! Went back and listened to some matches. What music? The drums for the award ceremony are famous with several other international federations actually stealing the same soundtrack! During the match I did hear the sonic identity (kind of clubby music) in a few and then some softer background sound music in a few other matches. Post a link! Q: Any idea what weight class Frank Staebler will be going in 2020? Looks like he is getting smaller. -- @FrlInquisitor Foley: He's heading down to 67 kilograms for Kazakhstan. Q: I see Townsend Saunders is getting inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame this weekend as a Distinguished Member. His wife Tricia Saunders is a previous inductee. Any idea what family has the most members in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame? -- Mike C. Foley: There are a lot of brothers and father/son combos in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, but I could only find one surname with three related people: Rex Peery and his sons Ed Peery and Hugh Peery.

MOORHEAD, Minn. -- Concordia head coach Quincy Osborn announced that Greg Barner has been named the new full-time assistant coach in the program. Barner fills the position vacated by Osborn after he was hired as head coach. Barner comes to Concordia after serving as the top assistant at Simpson College for two seasons. "When I set out to hire a full-time assistant coach I made a qualities that were priorities for us and Greg really excels in all of those areas," Osborn commented. "He builds meaningful relationships, he's a hard worker, he loves the sport and he has proven an ability to successfully recruit." Before his time at Simpson, Barner was the head coach at Northeastern Junior College in Colorado. Barner was the head coach after the school reinstated wrestling after a 37-year break. He guided Northeastern to a Top25 finish in the country in 2016-17 and during that season Northeastern had one All-American and advanced three wrestlers to the national championship meet. Barner was an assistant coach at Briar Cliff in Iowa before his head coaching position at Northeastern. During his time at Briar Cliff he helped coach two All-Americans and eight national meet qualifiers. "I am excited about the opportune to coach and mentor student/athletes at Concordia," Barner said. "Concordia has a family environment which is built upon relationships. I coach for relationships. That's a huge reason for me being in this profession and wanting to be a part of Concordia Moorhead. I can't wait to start working with Coach Osborn. We speak a similar language, have identical standards and share a common vision for the program." Barner graduated from Central College in 2014 with a major in exercise science and went on to earn his master's degree in business administration from Briar Cliff in 2015. He lettered three times during his undergraduate days at Central. Barner started his college career at Iowa Central Community College where he was a part of two national championship teams and earned All-America honors. Barner will start his position with the Cobbers on June 1.

Ronnie Perry coaching at the NCAAs (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) LOCK HAVEN, Pa. -- Ronnie Perry, a 2018 NCAA Division I national finalist, has been named the Lock Haven University head women's wresting coach. LHU announced last week its plans to add varsity women's wrestling. The team will compete next year during the 2019-20 academic year. Perry, a 2017 LHU graduate, spent this past season (2018-19) as the volunteer assistant coach with the Bald Eagles. Part of Perry's duties as head women's coach will be to still assist with the men's program. As a volunteer assistant with the men's team, Perry helped in all phases of running a top-20 Division I program. His experience and skill in the wrestling room proved invaluable and he also played an important role in fundraising efforts. Perry is both honored and excited, and he looks forward to being a part of this next chapter in LHU athletics. "I am honored to be selected as the new head women's wrestling coach here at Lock Haven University," Perry said. "Currently, women's wrestling is one of the fastest growing sports at the collegiate level and it's rapidly reshaping the world of wrestling. On the heels of winning our second straight Eastern Wrestling League title, second top-20 showing at nationals and having a long tradition of excellence in men's wrestling, it seems appropriate that Lock Haven is opening the door to a new tradition of excellence with the establishment of a women's wrestling program. This is a remarkable opportunity for me to serve a university that has already given me so much." Perry carved his name deep in the LHU history books with a Cinderella-run to the 2018 NCAA Division I finals. Competing at 149 pounds, Perry capped his remarkable Lock Haven career by becoming the first No. 15 seed in NCAA tournament history to reach the finals. Perry's run to the finals and All-American status helped the senior close a brilliant career on the mats and his chapter was an important one in the rise, and the Bald Eagles' return to national prominence. Perry's win in the 2018 EWL finals marked the 100th of his career as he became the 20th member of LHU's 100-win club. Perry closed his senior season in 2017-18 with a 32-4 record and he finished with a 104-32 career record. Following the 2017-18 season, Perry was named both the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) and EWL Wrestler of the Year. LHU Director of Athletics Dr. Tom Gioglio is excited about the new program and feels confident in Perry's ability to build a championship caliber team. "I am very excited to have Ronnie Perry officially join our coaching staff," Gioglio said. "Ronnie brings a wealth of wrestling knowledge, successful experience and he has demonstrated that he has the ability to accomplish many different things at a high level. Ronnie's enthusiasm and passion for wrestling will also be a strong asset when recruiting. This is a tremendous opportunity for Ronnie and I know he's going to build a women's program that will reach the same success as our nationally recognized men's program." In May 2017, Perry earned his a degree in business administration and he just recently finished (May 2019) his master's in sport science at LHU. On May 22, Lock Haven officially announced its plans to add women's wrestling as a varsity sport. The addition of women's wrestling brings LHU's sport-sponsorship to 20 sports. Lock Haven currently sponsors 17 intercollegiate athletic programs including NCAA Division I field hockey and men's wrestling. All other sports compete at the NCAA DII level and within the PSAC. In August 2018, Lock Haven announced plans to add women's tennis and women's golf. Women's tennis will begin competition next year (2019-20) and women's golf will begin competition in 2020-21.

Brayton Lee wrestling Sammy Sasso in the UWW Junior freestyle competition in Las Vegas (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Indiana native and 2019 U.S. Junior World Team member Brayton Lee joins The MatBoss Podcast with Chad Dennis this week. Lee talks about his redshirt season at Minnesota and his expected weight class next season, but most of the show focuses on Lee earning the spot to represent Team USA in Estonia later this summer at the Junior World Championships. Lee gets into a tactical and technical discussion about his freestyle wrestling abilities and where that came from. About MatBoss: Created by coaches for coaches, MatBoss for iPad® integrates wrestling stats directly into the video you record for each match, completely replacing the need for labor-intensive pencil and paper scoring systems. It's the wrestling stats app our sport has been waiting for. Focus on coaching, not busy work Improve through video analysis Make data an advantage Eliminate scoring errors Increase exposure Become a digital coach For more information, visit MatBossApp.com. Follow MatBoss on Twitter and subscribe to the show @MatBossApp | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Spreaker | Google Play Music | RSS

The Big Ten Conference houses some of the most storied wrestling programs in the history of the sport. When Maryland joined the conference in 2014, the Terps wrestling team was not on par with some other conference members, but the program appeared to be on an upswing. Some thought the conference change would help the team compete against the perennial powers. However, the bottom quickly fell out and the losses began to mount. To an outside observer, the situation appears to be a complete rebuild. However, the next program leader will have the opportunity to be guided by both history and opportunity. In 1954, Ernie Fischer became the first wrestling All-American in University of Maryland history. He made the NCAA finals at 167 pounds but came up short against Joe Solomon of Pittsburgh. Two years later the Baltimore native represented the U.S. at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne. He went 1-2 with his losses coming against eventual silver medalist Ibrahim Zengin of Turkey and gold medalist Mitsuo Ikeda of Japan. Fischer, who was inducted into the Maryland Athletics Hall of Fame in 1989, passed away this past April. He was 88 years old. At the most recent Olympics in 2016, the U.S. finished with two gold medalists: Kyle Snyder and Helen Maroulis. Like Fisher, both Snyder and Maroulis are Maryland natives. However, neither wrestled collegiately for the Terps. While Maroulis' situation speaks to need for a rapid proliferation of NCAA wrestling opportunities for women, the fact that Snyder did not wrestle for the biggest college in his home state remains a sore spot for some local wrestling enthusiasts. A few months prior to winning his Olympic gold medal, Snyder defeated reigning champion Nick Gwiazdowski to become an NCAA champion at heavyweight for Ohio State. In the same tournament, Maryland had a single qualifier. Alex Clemsen coaching at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) On April 23, Maryland named former Missouri assistant Alex Clemsen as the seventh head coach in program history. He takes over a squad that he seen diminishing positive results over the last few seasons of leadership under former coach Kerry McCoy. Despite not being a traditional power in wrestling there is still expectation, history and, of course, opportunity. When Clemsen speaks about his new position, it is hard to not notice both his excitement and practical understanding of the weight of being the top figure at such a program. "Ask me at different times, and I will have different answers, but overall, I am really excited and grateful," he says with a slight chuckle. "I think the biggest word is that I just feel really blessed to be a leader of a Big Ten program and an academic institution of Maryland's caliber." Prior to his five-year stint at Missouri, Clemsen had previous assistant coaching stops at Virginia and Oregon State. Even though this will be his first chance to be a head coach, he feels like his experience has properly prepared him. "I am not sure what is going to change other than going to head coaches' meetings or being on big donor asks, but I may feel different about that in a year," he said. "I know that I have been preparing for this role for literally 14 years. It has been my professional goal, so I have asked for more responsibility from every boss I have had, and a lot of them trust me, empowered me and gave me some pretty good leash and rope. I feel like I have had my hands in just about everything." In addition to Snyder, several other top former Maryland high school wrestlers have managed to slip past the Terps in recent seasons. Myles Martin (Ohio State), Aaron Brooks (Penn State), Kraisser brothers (Campbell) and Kurt McHenry (Michigan) have all gone on to sign with other schools. While an assistant at Missouri, Clemsen made it a point to recruit the Tigers' home state, and he plans to continue that trend at Maryland. Alex Clemsen spent five seasons on Brian Smith's staff at Missouri (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) "I think I am part of the reason why Missouri has done [so well in state] the last five years or so," Clemsen said. "That emphasis has really changed. You know it was maybe not as much of a focus before me, and it was really my primary focus to keep the best kids in the state home, and by and large, we had a lot of success doing that. I think that recruiting success led to a lot more on-mat success. There are plenty of kids in this state who can wrestle at a high level. There are plenty of kids in this immediate region who can wrestle at a really high level, so my biggest goal is to recruit the state and the immediate region to the best of my ability. I think if we do that we will have plenty of success." A common refrain among many in the media was that McCoy was leaving the cabinet basically empty after he announced his departure. The Terps will lose two-time All-American heavyweight Youssif Hemida and former prized recruit Alfred "Baby J" Bannister to graduation, but Clemsen sees some promise in the overlooked roster. "I have had the chance to be with these guys and to run some practices and watch them work out," he said. "I don't want to say pleasantly surprised, but I definitely feel like we have some really great kids on the roster, and we have some good talent and good character that can molded, evolved and grown into some really competitive kids. I told the guys in the room on day one that they -- along with the class that is coming in the fall -- are the 25 to 30 most important wrestlers in the country to me. My job right now is to get these guys to buy in and to really grow and adapt so that we can set the foundation for Maryland wrestling. "It won't be the first or second recruiting class that is the change. It will be the guys that are here right now, because if I can't get them to change, I won't be able get the right recruits. I need these guys on board and all bought in, so I can go find the guys that I can pair with them and continue the trajectory of improving Maryland wrestling." Despite that optimism, it will be a tough road to build the Terps into a contender. When asked about expectations, Clemsen does not want to commit to a specific win total or NCAA placement, but he seems confident that he will have the team moving in the right direction. "I am not going to paint myself into a corner with that, but I think we will be a more competitive product," he said. "I think you will see kids who know the positions better, fight harder, are stronger and in better shape that can give themselves more opportunities to have more success. What that success will look like or how much exactly we will have, I don't have a crystal ball. I can't predict the future, but I think we are going to have more for sure." Alex Clemsen (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) There might not be another Ernie Fischer on the current roster. Clemsen might not be able to convince the next Kyle Snyder to stick around the "Old Line State." However, the new Maryland coach speaks about his plans for the Terps with an uncomplicated and genuine confidence. Being a Division I coach is just as much about technique and tactics as it is about representing and selling the program. Despite this being his first opportunity to be the head coach, he seems to understand that all too well. He did not hesitate to the take the opportunity to have the last word in the interview. "Don't try to make it for a couple of matches," he said bluntly. "Make it to most of them."

Oklahoma State head coach John Smith with Nick Piccininni at the NCAAs (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Imagine a state that's considered a hotbed of amateur wrestling that has a hall of fame to honor its most famous citizens of great accomplishment ... and none of the inductees has a wrestling background. That's the case in the state of Oklahoma, home to the Oklahoma Hall of Fame. This institution, established in 1927, has welcomed hundreds of individuals in nearly a century of its existence ... including 20 athletes and coaches. Not a single honoree has any connection to the oldest and greatest sport. The surprising news was first reported by Seth Duckworth in his "Pistols Firing" blog which weighs in on sports at Oklahoma State University. In his article -- "John Smith, Ed Gallagher and the Hall of Fame Snub No One Is Talking About" -- Duckworth noted that the Oklahoma Hall of Fame had no wrestlers listed in its recently-revealed Class of 2019 honorees. He did a bit of digging ... and discovered that in its 92-year history, the Hall has yet to welcome anyone with an amateur wrestling background, including legendary Oklahoma State wrestling coaches John Smith and Ed Gallagher mentioned in the headline. The 20 individuals with sports backgrounds who reside in the Oklahoma Hall of Fame are names well-known beyond the Sooner State, including early 20th century multisport superstar Jim Thorpe, Major League Baseball Hall of Famers Mickey Mantle and Johnny Bench, and Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast Bart Conner, among others. The Class of 2019 includes former pro football players turned politicians Steve Largent and J.C. Watts, among other honorees. Here's how the Hall -- located in Oklahoma City -- describes its mission: "Founded in 1927, the Oklahoma Hall of Fame was created to honor Oklahomans who had given outstanding service to the state during their lifetime and to provide educational programming for students of all ages. Being inducted to the Oklahoma Hall of Fame is Oklahoma's Highest Honor ..." (And, to be absolutely clear ... the Oklahoma Hall of Fame is not affiliated with the University of Oklahoma, nor Oklahoma State, nor any other public institution of higher learning within the state.) Here's what Duckworth had to say about the wrestling-less Oklahoma Hall of Fame: "With all the history of the sport in this state there is not one wrestler in the Oklahoma Hall of Fame. That includes the greatest American to ever lace them up in John Smith and the father of modern wrestling Edward Gallagher. My initial dive into this topic started simply with wondering why John Smith wasn't a member? He's the GOAT, he's won more World Titles than any American ever. He's also an elite coach. But after digging further you see that there's not a single wrestler at all that's a member of the Oklahoma Hall of Fame. "Ed Gallagher is not a member, no Yojiro Uetake, no Kenny Monday. Even OU (University of Oklahoma) legends Danny Hodge, who the wrestling award equivalent of the Heisman trophy is named after, and Olympic gold medalist Dave Schultz, are not included." According to its official website, the Oklahoma Hall of Fame welcomes nominations from the general public. In the meantime, before the Oklahoma Hall of Fame sees fit to welcome a wrestler or wrestling coach, wrestling fans have two other halls of fame within the state that have honored individuals connected to the sport: the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City ... and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater. The Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame website describes the facility as "a nonprofit organization whose mission is to encourage excellence through sports, academics, health and fitness; preserving our sports heritage while building pride in Oklahoma in the spirit of Jim Thorpe." Established in 1986, the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame has at least a dozen honorees who were involved in the sport as wrestlers, coaches, or, in the case of one member, Bob Dellinger, as a sportswriter who covered the sport for The Daily Oklahoman newspaper and whose name graces the award presented each year since 1960 by Amateur Wrestling News to the nation's top wrestling writer. The National Wrestling Hall of Fame has honored athletes and others who contributed to the ongoing success of the sport since 1976. Despite its location in Oklahoma, the National Wrestling Hall membership is not limited to those who were born and/or competed in the Sooner State. What's more, as Jack Carnefix of the Stillwater Hall pointed out on social media when sharing the link to Seth Duckworth's story about the lack of wrestlers in the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, all of the individuals named in his story -- John Smith, Ed Gallagher, Yojiro Uetake, Kenny Monday, Dan Hodge, and Dave Schultz -- have already been inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Chase Pami with his coach Brandon Slay (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com) Chase Pami, a multiple-time placewinner in freestyle at the U.S. Open and World Team Trials, announced his retirement from the sport of wrestling on his social media accounts on Wednesday. Pami had been training at Pennsylvania RTC since 2015. He was consistently among the nation's top six wrestlers in his weight class throughout his freestyle career. Pami won gold medals at Grand Prix of Paris and NYAC International, as well as medals at the Dave Schultz Memorial International and Sunkist Kids International Open. He was a member of the 2012 and 2013 USA World Cup teams. As a collegiate competitor, Pami was a two-time All-American for Cal Poly, finishing as an NCAA runner-up at 157 pounds in 2010. The Las Vegas native thanked many people who have been instrumental in his wrestling career. Today I would officially like to announce my retirement from competition. It has been an amazing 23 year ride that has taken me around the world. When I first stepped on the mat in Las Vegas, NV 23 years ago I could have never imagined the journey I would go on. Last month at the US Open it only seemed fitting to end it in the same city I began in. Thank you to all those who have supported me and been a part of my career. Thank you to my youth coaches Pete Durazo and Randy Aleman. Thank you to my high school coaches Mike Garcia and Tim Jeffries. Thank you Gray Maynard! Thank you Matt Azevedo and John Azevedo for recruiting me to Cal Poly. Finally Thank you Brandon Slay you coached me for 7 years. Not only on the mat but off the mat. You have helped me grow in my wrestling and my faith. I love you and appreciate you! Thank you Pennsylvaniartc for your support these last few years. Thank you Sunkist Kids! Kim Martori Wickey you talked me through some tough times and supported my goals. Art and Sue Martori you made it possible for me to travel to countries I never would have went to otherwise. Thank you to USA wrestling and all the people involved for making it possible for athletes like myself to do this. Thank you flowrestling, you guys have been great to me and elevated the sport of wrestling. Dad you were there for so many of my tournaments quietly watching and snacking. I love you Dad. Mom what can I say. This journey never happened without you taking me to some random wrestling tournament. You have always been there and loved me, win or lose. I Love You Mom. Thank you God for giving me this gift to wrestle. You deserve all the Glory! It was you who gave me the grace to wrestle all these years! As I write this my heart hurts because a part of me is still on that mat. But now it's my turn to help others achieve their dreams and help USA be the greatest wrestling country in the world.

Richard Figueroa claimed a silver medal at last year's World Championships (Photo/Martin Gabor, United World Wrestling) Each year the UWW Cadet National Championships serve as a testing ground for the wrestlers that will star during the upcoming season(s) of scholastic wrestling. This weekend's event -- Greco-Roman on Friday with freestyle to follow on Saturday and Sunday -- is no exception to that pattern. Based on the current grade level rankings, the No. 1 overall junior high and sophomore wrestler will be in the field. Also brackets currently feature five of the top nine Junior High wrestlers, eight of the top ten freshmen, and five of the top eight sophomores; the lack of top juniors is due to those wrestlers not being age eligible. Eligibility for this event is for wrestlers that turn 15, 16, or 17 during the 2019 calendar year; these competitors either were Cadets for USA Wrestling events last year, and/or are Cadet (now actually U16)-eligible this year. The tournament serves as a qualifying trials for the Cadet World Championships, which will be held July 29-Aug. 4 in Sofia, Bulgaria. The championship final is a best-of-three series, as it is a direct qualifier, though it should be noted that all matches at this tournament are two two-minute periods in length. Four wrestlers that competed on last year's Cadet World Team are slated to compete this weekend in Akron: Richard Figueroa (Selma, Calif.) in the 51 kilograms weight class, Chance Lamer (Crescent Valley, Ore.) and Robert Howard (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) at 55 klos, and Alex Facundo (Davison, Mich.) at 71 kilograms. Figueroa was a Cadet world silver medalist last year at 48 kilograms, Howard seeks a third consecutive Cadet World Team in this weight class, while Facundo earned Cadet world bronze in this same weight clast year. A fifth wrestler, Carson Manville (Shakopee, Minn.) is age eligible, but not registered as of yet. Also not yet registered is Ryan Crookham (Notre Dame, Pa.), the nation's top overall freshman. The following is a weight-by-weight overview of the freestyle tournament, based on entries available in the FloArena system as of Tuesday p.m. ET. 45 kilograms (99 pounds): Three of the nation's top Junior High wrestlers, all of whom will be freshmen in the fall, headline the weight class. No. 2 Marc-Anthony McGowan (Blair Academy, N.J.) won a high school state title this year in Florida, and within the previous twelve months was also a Super 32 middle school division champion and a Schoolboy (now U14) national champion in freestyle and Greco-Roman; No. 8 Kannon Webster (Washington, Ill.) and No. 9 Brandon Cannon (Colorado) both have multiple major event titles on the resume. Other impact incoming freshmen include Beau Mantanona (Palm Desert, Calif.), U16 folkstyle runner-up Caden Horwath (Davison, Mich.), Dylan Gilcher (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.), and Mac Church (Pennsylvania). The joint favorite in this weight, along with McGowan, is probably Mason Gehloff (Waseca, Minn.); Gehloff was a Cadet Triple Crown winner last year, and won a high school state title this season. Others to watch include Cadet freestyle All-Americans Ben Aranda (DeKalb, Ill.), Christopher Martino (Bishop Kelley, Idaho), Jore Volk (Lakeville North, Minn.), Marlon Yarbrough (Copley, Ohio), and Tristan Stafford (Bentonville, Ark.); as well as Daniel Sheen (Montini Catholic, Ill.) 48 kilograms (105.8 pounds): The clear leader of the pack in this weight class is Stevo Poulin (Shenendehowa, N.Y.), who was third last year in both Cadet FS and UWW Cadet FS. Since then the No. 22 overall Class of 2021 wrestler has won a Super 32 title and earned a second high school title. Other prime contenders in this weight class include Junior folkstyle champion Blake West (Owatonna, Minn.), 2017 Junior folkstyle champion Eli Griffin (Cascia Hall, Okla.), NHSCA Freshman Nationals champion Cory Land (Moody, Ala.), and state champion Peyton Fenton (Elyria, Ohio). Additional wrestlers meriting mention include Carter McCallister (Missouri), ranked No. 14 among Junior High wrestlers after a U16 folkstyle title; Greyson Clark (Kaukauna, Wis.), an impact rising freshman; returning Cadet freestyle All-Americans Kaden Ramos (Thunder Ridge, Idaho), Reid Nelson (Forest Lake, Minn.), and Sean Seefeldt (St. Edward, Ohio); 2017 Cadet freestyle All-American Richard Treanor (William Hough, N.C.); and Super 32 placer Kelly Dunnigan (Don Bosco Prep, N.J.) 51 kilograms (112.4 pounds): Though returning Cadet world silver medalist Richard Figueroa (Selma, Calif.) suffered an upset loss during the course of the FloNationals in April, the nation's top overall sophomore is still my pick to represent the United States in Bulgaria come two months from now. Four additional competitors join Figueroa as being grade-level ranked in the field: Cadet National freestyle runner-up Drake Ayala (Fort Dodge, Iowa) is No. 34 in the Class of 2021, Cadet National freestyle champion Jordan Williams (Collinsville, Okla.) is No. 9 in the Class of 2022, Joey Cruz (Clovis North, Calif.) is No. 17 in the Class of 2022, while Levi Haines (Biglerville, Pa.) is No. 20 in the Class of 2022. Additional primary contenders include Kyle Rowan (Perry, Ohio), who was runner-up to Figueroa last year at this tournament; and Sheldon Seymour (Athens, Pa.), third in this event after losing to Rowan in the semifinal round and a two-time Cadet freestyle third place finisher. Others to consider include 2017 Cadet freestyle champion Jett Strickenberger (Discovery Canyon, Colo.); Abraham Hinrichsen (Washington, Ill.) and Max Black (Douglas County, Colo.), both of whom were Cadet freestyle All-Americans last summer; NHSCA Junior National champion Nick Babin (Emerson-Park Ridge, N.J.); state champion Evan Holloway (New Kent, Va.) and Gabe Whisenhunt (Crescent Valley, Ore.); along with incoming freshman Meyer Shapiro (McDonogh, Md.) 55 kilograms (121.25 pounds): Robert Howard (Bergen Catholic, N.J.), ranked No. 17 overall in the Class of 2020, has represented the United States each of the last two years in this weight class. Without a world medal either year, Howard is looking to earn that elusive distinction this go around, though the domestic field is absurdly deep. That depth starts with fellow returning Cadet world participant Chance Lamer (Crescent Valley, Ore.). Ranked No. 50 overall in the Class of 2021, Lamer moves up three weight classes from last year for this weekend's event in Akron. There is an additional returning Cadet world participant Jakason Burks (Omaha Burke, Neb.), as the No. 37 overall Class of 2020 represented the United States at 51 kilograms in Greco-Roman. Four additional members of the field are ranked in their respective grade levels: Nic Bouzakis (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.) is ranked No. 2 in the Class of 2022, Cadet National freestyle champion Nicolar Rivera (Stoughton, Wis.) is No. 14 in the Class of 2022, Zeke Seltzer (Indianapolis Cathedral, Ind.) is No. 24 in the Class of 2022, while Cooper Flynn (McDonogh, Md.) is No. 30 in the Class of 2021 and has earned All-America honors twice in freestyle at both the Cadet Nationals and UWW Cadet Nationals. Additional contenders include returning Cadet National freestyle champion Jesse Ybarra (Sunnyside, Ariz.); Casey Swiderski (Dundee, Mich.) and Tommy Curran (DeKalb, Ill.), each of whom were semifinalists in this tournament last year; two-time U16 folkstyle champion Hunter Garvin (Iowa City West, Iowa); Anthony Noto (Honeoye Falls/Lima, N.Y.) and Colton Drousias (Chicago Mt. Carmel, Ill.), returning Cadet freestyle All-Americans who won state titles in high school this year; NHSCA Freshman Nationals champion Nick Fea (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.); National Prep champon Daniel Wask (Blair Academy, N.J.); state champion Korbin Shepherd (Blue Springs, Mo.); as well as impact Junior High wrestlers in Rocco Welsh (Pennsylvania) and Vincent Robinson (Illinois). 60 kilograms (132.25 pounds): Deep does not begin to describe this weight class with twelve grade level ranked wrestlers. However, amidst all this talent, the clear favorite is Shayne Van Ness (Blair Academy, N.J.); the No. 3 overall Class of 2021 wrestler has won titles at the Super 32 Challenge, Walsh Ironman, and Beast of the East in the last seven-plus months. Five other top 20 sophomores join van Ness in the field: No. 11 Joel Vandervere (Warren Township, Ill.); No. 15 Ryan Franco (Clovis North, Calif.), a two-time Cadet National freestyle runner-up; No. 16 Wyatt Henson (Christian Brothers College, Mo.), a returning All-American in this weight class; No. 18 Caleb Rathjen (Ankeny, Iowa), a returning Cadet National freestyle runner-up); and No. 20 Ryan Sokol (Simley, Minn.), a 2017 Cadet National freestyle champion. Five elite Class of 2022 talents also appear in the field, including four of the top seven overall. No. 3 Daniel Cardenas (Pomona, Colo.) was runner-up to Burks last year in Fargo, No. 4 Caleb Henson (Woodland, Ga.) joined Cardenas in making the semifinal round of the Super 32 this past fall, No. 6 Anthony Ferrari (Allen, Texas) was runner-up last year in this tournament at 51 kilograms, while No. 7 Jesse Mendez (Crown Point, Ind.) won the U16 folkstyle title earlier this spring. Returning Cadet freestyle All-American Jake Niffenegger (Cincinnati LaSalle, Ohio) is ranked No. 23 overall among rising sophomores. The most direct threat to van Ness might come from Dominick Serrano (Windsor, Colo.), who is ranked No. 27 overall in the Class of 2020 and a returning Cadet National freestyle champion who placed sixth at 55 kilograms in this event last year. Three other very notable Class of 2020 talents in the field are Cadet National freestyle champion Josh Edmond (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.), Cadet National freestyle runner-up Mick Burnett (Elyria, Ohio), and NHSCA Junior National runner-up Keegan Slyter (Olathe North, Kansas). Additional wrestlers to watch include Carter Young (Stllwater, Okla.), a semifinalist in this tournament last year at 51 kilograms; returning Cadet freestyle All-American Drew Roberts (University, Wash.); state champions Hayden Taylor (Solon, Iowa) and Matt Bianchi (Two Rivers, Wis.); U16 folkstyle champion Mitch Mesenbrink (Arrowhed, Wis.); and NHSCA Sophomore Nationals champion Ramon Ramos (Valiant Prep, Ariz.) 65 kilograms (143.3 pounds): Compared to the weight class immediately below it with all sorts of high end talent, and the one above it with returning world medalist Facundo among others, this field feels soft in comparison. The favorite here just might be Robert Paul Perez (St. John Bosco, Calif.), a two-time U16 folkstyle champion, and the nation's top overall Junior High wrestler; he was fifth last year in Cadet freestyle at 145 pounds. Four other grade level ranked wrestlers are in the field: Joshua Barr (Michigan), the No. 5 overall Junior high wrestler and a fellow U16 folkstyle champion; Luke Geog (St. Edward, Ohio), ranked No. 21 in the Class of 2022; Vincent Zerban (Christian Brothers College, Mo.), ranked No. 25 in the Class of 2021 and a two-time Cadet freestyle All-American; along with Teague Travis (Father Tolton Catholic, Mo.), a semifinalist last year in this event at 55 kilograms, who is No. 48 in the Class of 2021. Additional wrestlers to watch include a trio of returning Cadet double All-Americans in Chase Warden (Dripping Springs, Texas), Cody Chittum (Blair Academy, N.J.), and Luke Odom (Edwardsville, lll.); two-time state champions Bryce Hepner (St. Edward, Ohio) and D.J. Hamiti (Joliet Catholic, Ill.); Matthew Singleton (Woodward Academy, Ga.), Outstanding Wrestler of the NHSCA Freshman Nationals; state champions Gavin Brown (Legacy Christian Academy, Ohio), John Wiley (Mustang, Okla.), and Nicholas Vafiadis (New Kent, Va.); as well as Antonio Segura (Regis, Colo.), Derek Fields (Brunswick, Ohio), and Joseph Zargo (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) who each were Cadet freestyle All-Americans last summer. 71 kilograms (156.5 pounds): Alex Facundo (Davison, Mich.) earned a bronze medal at the Cadet World championships last year in this weight. Though he has been challenged on a few occasions this spring in folkstyle and freestyle, the No. 2 overall Class of 2021 is still the favorite to represent the United States in Bulgaria at this weight class. The two most direct threats to Facundo would be fellow top ten rising juniors in No. 7 Travis Mastrogiovanni (Blair Academy, N.J.) and No. 8 Cael Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif.); Mastrogiovanni was a Cadet freestyle champion last summer, while Valencia was runner-up to Facundo in Junior folkstyle this spring. The next tier of contenders would include A.J. Kovacs (Iona Prep, N.Y.), a state champion and NHSCA Junior runner-up during the past folkstyle season; Cadet National freestyle runners-up John Martin Best (Parkersburg, W.Va.) and Manuel Rojas (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.); Cadet freestyle All-Americans Jackson Dean (Caesar Rodney, Del.) and Jaxon Smith (Woodland, Ga.); along with Joseph Martin (Buchanan, Calif.), who is ranked No. 10 overall in the Class of 2022. Additional wrestlers to watch include state champion Brant Whitaker (Boonville, Mo.) and Elise Brown Ton (Allen, Texas); along with state runners-up Dylan Fishback (Aurora, Ohio) and Jared Simma (St. Thomas Aquinas, Kansas). 80 kilograms (176.4 pounds): Two returning Cadet National freestyle champions from Fargo last summer anchor the field, both are Class of 2021 wrestlers, No. 14 Tate Picklo (Mustang, Okla.) and No. 26 Quayin Short (Simley, Mnn.); Short was also a Junior folkstyle runner-up this spring, while Picklo earned a maiden high school state title during the scholastic season. Another pair of grade ranked wrestlers reside in the field, both are two-time state champions: No. 19 Bennett Berge (Kasson-Mantorville, Minn.) from the Class of 2022 and No. 33 Greyden Penner (Liberty, Mo.) from the Class of 2020. Seven other Cadet freestyle All-Americans from last summer feature in the field: Super 32 placer Clayton Ulrey (Lower Dauphin, Pa.), NHSCA Junior Nationals champion Colton Hawks (Holt, Mo.), Connor O'Neill (DePaul Catholic, N.J.), Duwayne Villalpando (Maize, Kansas), Jake Null (Dogleville, N.Y.), Josh LaBarbera (Metea Valley, Ill.), and NHSCA Freshman Nationals champion Rylan Rogers (Blair Academy, N.J.). Also in the field are state placers Adrien Cramer (Grayslake Central, Ill.) and Jake Evans (Elyria, Ohio), along with state runner-up Ben Vanadia (Brecksville, Ohio). 92 kilograms (202.8 pounds): Though on not as high a level as last year with A.J. Ferrari, Konnor Doucet, Jacob Cardenas, Braxton Amos, and Peter Christensen as anchor figures in the weight class … the field in the second biggest weight class does feature quality depth with eight grade ranked wrestlers. A trio of rising seniors are the lead contenders: No. 28 Rocky Elam (Staley, Mo.), No. 30 John Poznanski (Colonia, N.J.), and No. 48 Silas Allred (Shehandoah, Ind.). Elam was a Cadet freestyle champion last summer, third at the Super 32 Challenge in the fall, beat Hawks for a state title, and was a Junior folkstyle champion in the spring; Cadet freestyle All-American Poznanski placed at the Super 32 Challenge and was runner-up at the state tournament; while Allred placed third in the Super 32 one weight above Elam and was a state champion. There are a pair of ranked wrestlers from the Class of 2021: No. 12 Kyle Haas (Maize, Kansas) can make the case to be the favorite in this weight class, as he has multiple positive results over Elam within the last twelve months and was a Junior folkstyle champion one weight above Elam; while No. 44 Brandon Hoselton (Prairie Central, Ill.) was a Cadet double All-American last summer in Fargo. Three dynamic talents from the Class of 2022 seek to make statements against wrestlers older than them and break out in ways they may not have yet. No. 5 Seth Shumate (Dublin Coffman, Ohio) clearly passed the "eye test" at the Ohio state high school tournament when he earned a major decision in the state championship match; No. 15 Noah Pettigrew (Valdosta, Ga./Blair Academy, N.J.) was a Cadet National freestyle champion this summer; while No. 22 Kolby Franklin (St. Joseph's Catholic, Pa.) was a Cadet double finalist, winning the Greco-Roman title and losing to Pettigrew in freestyle. Other contenders include state champions Elijah Burns (Commerce, Ga.), Emmanuel Skillings (Broken Arrow, Okla.), and Owen Warren (Yanktown, S.D.); 2017 Cadet freestyle All-American Gavin Carter (Topeka-Washburn Rural, Kansas); Cadet freestyle runner-up Nathan Haas (St. John Bosco, Calif.), a state champion during the scholastic season; NHSCA Junior Nationals Ethan Hatcher (Brecksville, Ohio), who was both a UWW Cadet and Cadet National freestyle All-American last year; and Sam Fisher (Fauquier, Va.), a Super 32 placer and Cadet freestyle All-American. 110 kilograms (242.5 pounds): Leading the way in this heaviest weight class is 2018 state champion Hunter Catka (Sun Valley, Pa.), whose junior season was marred by injury but did end up with a third-place podium finish. Catka was runner-up to Kerkvliet last year in this event, but in Fargo had to default out during the preliminary rounds of freestyle after earning double All-America honors in the summer of 2017. Other contenders include state champions Braxton Mikesell (Central Valley, Wash.) and Danny Striggow (Orono, Minn.); Mikesell was a Cadet Greco-Roman champion last summer, while Striggow was a NHSCA Junior Nationals champion in the spring.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Maryland wrestling coach Alex Clemsen has announced the additions of assistant coaches Nick Brascetta and Devin Mellon to the coaching staff. “I'm excited to add Nick and Devin to our staff,” Clemsen said. “Both coaches bring an immense amount of knowledge and recent wrestling experience that will be valuable in taking our program to the next level on and off the mat. Nick and Devin firmly believe in the culture we are implementing, and I look forward to their arrival in College Park.” Brascetta spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach at University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where he helped lead UTC to the 2019 regular season Southern Conference title. He also guided Tanner Smith to 2019 Southern Conference Freshman of the Year honors and Bryce Carr to 2018 Southern Conference Wrestler of the Year honors. “I couldn't be more excited to join Coach Clemsen and the wrestling program at an outstanding academic institution in the most reputable wrestling conference in the NCAA,” Brascetta said. “I look forward to aiding in the development of a new vision for the program and am committed to creating a culture that encourages our student-athletes to be successful both on and off the mat.” He joined UTC in 2016-17 as the Coordinator of Student-Athlete Development. In three seasons he coached 10 NCAA qualifiers and six Southern Conference individual champions. Brascetta is a 2016 graduate of Virginia Tech where he was a three-time All-American and four-time NCAA qualifier for the Hokies. He finished third at the 2016 NCAA Championships at 157 pounds. He was also a three-time ACC Champion during his career at Virginia Tech. A native of Graham, Ohio, Brascetta was the ACC Rookie of the Year in 2012 after winning the league title at 149 pounds. He repeated his ACC crown and placed eighth at the NCAAs in 2013, before redshirting in 2014. He won another ACC title at 157 in 2015 and went on to finish fourth at the NCAAs. He earned his degree in Accounting at Virginia Tech and received his MBA from UTC in 2019. Mellon joins the Terrapins after coaching tenures at both Missouri and Oregon State. He wrestled for Clemsen as a senior at Missouri. “I'm excited to be coaching at one of the premier public schools in the greatest wrestling conference in the country,” Mellon said. “I had a great meeting with Mark Sherburne and Alex Clemsen and believe we have all the building blocks to build something great at Maryland. I'm excited to get the program rolling.” While serving as a volunteer assistant coach at Oregon State, Mellon helped coach heavyweight Amarveer Dhesi to All-America status and Pac-12 Wrestler of the Year Honors, while helping the program earn its fifth consecutive conference championship. Mellon wrestled for Mizzou from 2010-15 where he qualified for the NCAA Championships three times (2012, 2014 and 2015) and captured the 2015 MAC Championship at heavyweight. In four years, Mellon compiled a 99-39 record, scoring 17 major decisions and nine falls. In his senior campaign (2014-15), the Lawson, Mo., native posted a 33-11 record and won the MAC Championship after going 3-0 at the tournament. A fixture in the starting lineup for three seasons, Mellon posted 20 or more wins in three of four seasons. Mellon is a native of Lawson, Mo., and graduated from Lawson High School in 2010, where he was a three-time state champion.

RALEIGH, N.C. -- NC State wrestling coach Pat Popolizio has announced the promotion of Adam Hall to associate head coach. Hall joined the Wolfpack in the summer of 2015 as an assistant coach, and since that time NC State has finished in the top-20 at the NCAA Championships in all four seasons Hall has been on staff. "Adam's commitment to this program has elevated him to this position," said Popolizio. "He has shown tireless work ethic, along with being a great role model for all of our student-athletes. He has been instrumental in the success our program has achieved both on and off the mat in the recent years. With people like him, that is how we have been able to move forward as a program." During Hall's time on staff with Wolfpack wrestling, NC State has won both a pair of ACC Championships (2019 and 2016) and a pair of ACC Regular season titles (2019 and 2018). The Pack also won both team trophies in 2018-19 for the first time since 2004, and back-to-back regular season titles for the first time since 2001-02. NC State has also posted four straight seasons finishing in the top-10 in the NWCA Coaches' Poll. The Wolfpack has been ranked in the top-10 in 57 straight polls over the last four seasons. NC State has won 67 of its 75 duals (89.3 percent) the last four seasons. That winning percentage sits fourth-best in the NCAA, and the 67 dual victories leads the nation (the next closest is at 60). On the recruiting trial, NC State's 2016 12-person signing class was ranked the nation's best by both FloWrestling.com and InterMatWrestling.com. In that class, the Pack signed two of the top-six ranked wrestlers in the 2016 recruiting class, and five in the top-66 overall. NC State's 2018 class was ranked No. 3 nationally and featured five wrestlers ranked in the top-100 nationally by InterMat, including four in the top-55, and two in the top-25. The class was also No. 6 by both FloWrestling and TheOpenMat. NC State made it back-to-back top-20 recruiting classes in 2019, as NC State's haul was ranked No. 16 by InterMat and No. 17 by FloWrestling. Four of the nine-member class were ranked in the top-100 nationally.

LITTLE ROCK -- Little Rock head wrestling coach Neil Erisman today announced the addition of Javier Maldonado as the first assistant coach in Trojan program history. "Javier is going to be a great addition to our program," Erisman said. "His knowledge, experience and overall character align with who we are and the direction we are going. He has a unique experience in building a program from scratch as well, so those insights will be invaluable as we build ours. I am thrilled to have Javier and his family here at Little Rock." Maldonado comes to Little Rock after spending the past four seasons as the head coach at Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida. Maldonado faced a similar challenge as Erisman, building a program from scratch, and led the Fire to a 41-31 dual meet record in his four years. During his tenure at Southeastern, Maldonado mentored 18 national qualifiers with six wrestlers earning NAIA All-America honors. His teams posted a winning record in three of his four seasons, winning 12 dual meets in both 2015-16 and 2018-19, his first and last seasons, respectively. Additionally, Maldonado's programs have succeeded in the classroom as well as the Fire led the Mid-South Conference in scholar-athlete honorees. Under his leadership, Southeastern finished 12th in the 2019 National Wrestling Coaches' Association Scholar All-American rankings with a combined 3.145 GPA for his starting lineup. Prior to his time at Southeastern, Maldonado spent five seasons as an assistant coach at his alma mater of Osceola High School in Kissimmee, Florida. During his time with the Kowboys, Maldonado coached seven individual state champions, 22 state place winner and nine All-Americans. As a team, Osceola finished in the top five in the state 3A rankings four times. He also previously served as an assistant coach at Las Cruces High School in New Mexico and as a graduate assistant at NCAA Division I University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Maldonado was a three-time NCAA qualifier at 125 during his collegiate career at Chattanooga, capturing the Southern Conference individual title in 2006, 2007 and 2008. Maldonado posted a 79-31 record during his career with the Mocs, but his successes were not just limited to the mat as he was also a three-time NCWA Academic All-American and All-Southern Conference Academic Team member. The Kissimmee, Florida native was a two-time Florida state champion at Osceola, going 44-1 as a senior. Maldonado was named a Senior Nationals Freestyle All-American and was an Academic Hall of Fame member, notching a pair of district titles. Maldonado joins Erisman as the duo continue the task of building Little Rock's inaugural wrestling roster to begin competition in the fall of 2019. The Trojans have secured a conference affiliation, announcing its invitation to join the Pac-12 last week, and are working to complete Little Rock's inaugural schedule, which will be released later this summer.

Seth Gross (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Seth Gross has a new home. The 2018 NCAA Division I 133-pound national champion announced that he will be finishing his college career at Wisconsin after previously competing for South Dakota State. He was recently accepted into Wisconsin's School of Business. Chris Bono, Gross' former coach at South Dakota State, was hired to lead the Badgers in March of 2018. Gross explained his decision to the website H1Story. This was a big decision to make. Surprisingly the toughest choice I had to make, was not which school I wanted to attend, but rather if I wanted to go back to college and compete, or get a head start on my international career. I know at some point my days of competing will come to an end, so I made the decision after entering the transfer portal that if I went to grad school it would be a top school for one of my passions outside of wrestling, which is business. I wasn't going to do an easy grad program for a year just to wrestle and end up not completing it. So, the past two months have been spent studying for my GMAT entrance exam to make sure I earned a competitive score that would admit me into a top business program. With that being said as of May 24th, 2019, I have been accepted into the Wisconsin School of Business and will be working towards a masters degree in Supply Chain Management. He developed spondylolisthesis and underwent surgery in January. Gross won his NCAA title at 133 pounds in 2018 by defeating Michigan's Stevan Micic 13-8 in the NCAA finals. He was an NCAA runner-up to Iowa's Cory Clark in 2017.

"Well, we're movin' on up…" To quote the lyrics to the theme song for the popular 1970s sitcom "The Jeffersons", the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire wrestling program is moving on up in more ways than one... relocating from a lower-level facility upstairs to a new space that's larger, brighter and better. The move actually involves two Olympic sports at the public university located in northwestern Wisconsin. The Blugold mat program is moving into what had been home to the school's gymnastics program, which is relocating out of the on-campus McPhee Center into L.E. Phillips YMCA Indoor Sports Center as part of a partnership between UW-Eau Claire and the community YMCA. Both wrestling and gymnastics will gain additional space to prepare for competition. As UW-Eau Claire athletic director Dan Schumacher described it: "It's a classic win-win for both programs." Head wrestling coach Tim Fader offered a description of the Blugold's current home… and the new wrestling facility set to be ready this fall. "The existing room has about 2,000 square feet of space, and a low ceiling -- no more than 9 or 10 feet tall," Fader told InterMat. "It's on the lowest floor of the building. No windows. It's merely functional." "The room was about right for 15 wrestlers, which is about what we had when I came here five years ago. We now have a team in the 40s, so there's simply not enough space for that many wrestlers to work out effectively." Here's how coach Fader described the challenge of a too-small wrestling room to the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram in terms even a non-wrestler could understand: "If I want to take you down, I'm going to take you down and probably run into three people that are also doing the same thing or we're going to hit the wall. … If you put a wall right around the out-of-bounds line on a basketball court, a brick wall, and said, 'Ok, play,' it would change the way you play." "The new space has about 5,400 square feet -- about two-and-a-half times bigger than what we have now," Fader told InterMat. "And it has much higher ceilings -- about 20 feet tall." With that additional space, there is an additional benefit: There will be room for workout equipment and bikes right in the new wrestling room. With the old room, wrestlers had to go down the hall. Adding up all the benefits of the new Blugold's wrestling room -- greater square footage, taller ceilings -- coach Fader said, "It feels grand. The gymnasts told us, 'You're going from the basement to the penthouse.'" UW-EC AD Dan Schumacher said, "It'll be one of the best Division III facilities in the Midwest." "This new room will help coach Fader recruit top talent," Schumacher continued. "It'll deliver a great student-athlete experience." There are two phases to the relocation of the Blugold wrestling program. Phase 1 is what coach Fader described as "making a functional wrestling room" -- or, as he said later in the interview, "to make it nice enough to preserve and grow the program." That work will be taking place this summer. Phase 2 will incorporate additional features and upgrades, including a student-athlete lounge, and offices for the coaching staff. The new wrestling room will feature the school's blue-gold color scheme on the mats on the floors and walls -- complete with their branded "E" logo -- along with bright, white walls. What's more, "we plan to honor the past," according to Fader. "We're going to tell the story of 60 years of wrestling at UW-Eau Claire. We're going to honor the greats of a program that started here in 1961, so, when they return for a visit with their families, they can see themselves in a place of honor in the new room." "We want the place to be eye-catching. Impressive. First class," said the four-time WIAC (Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) Coach of the Year. "We want recruits to be able to picture themselves here." It's not just about attracting the best wrestlers from northwest Wisconsin… but also retain top talent already enrolled at UW-Eau Claire. Work on the new wrestling room will get underway after June 1, with Phase 1 slated to be completed by Sept. 1. "I can't wait to see the look on the faces of our wrestlers when they see the completed room," said Fader. The new wrestling room at UW-Eau Claire is a tremendous reversal for Blugold mat program. "We had a long-time coach, Don Parker, a University of Northern Iowa wrestler, who really built the program," coach Fader explained. "After he retired, the program went through six coaches in seven years. There had even been a proposal to eliminate wrestling here. "I am really excited that UW-Eau Claire did a 180 and went from considering elimination to investing in the sport on our campus for the long haul." Want to see the current UW-Eau Claire wrestling room before it's replaced? Check out this brief video with a beginning that looks like it was recorded when the room was new in the early 1970s (but was actually recorded in 2016) to see what the Blugolds have been dealing with all these years.

The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) board of directors has voted to petition the National Federation of State High School Associations next year if the NFHS does not reduce the number of the wrestling weight classes from 14 to 12 for the 2020-21 school year ... all with the idea of reducing forfeits, especially in the lower weight classes. Right now, the 14 weight classes are: 106, 113, 120, 126, 132, 138, 145, 152, 160, 170, 182, 195, 220, and 285 pounds. With the proposed change, the 12 new weight classes would be 110, 118, 125, 132, 138, 145, 152, 160, 170, 190, 215, and 285 pounds. The PIAA proposal to the NFHS is for a three-year pilot program to see if reconfiguring the weight classes reduces the number of forfeits in high school wrestling in the Keystone State. As PIAA executive director Robert Lombardi told PennLive.com's's Dustin Hockensmith, "We've had a couple years to look at it and probably next year will be the third, maybe the fourth, that these weight classes have seen an increasing number of forfeits in the lower weights. We think our proposal is a better distribution than 14 and cuts down the number of forfeits and make dual meets more pleasing to fans and to coaches." The reduction in number of weight classes comes at a cost: fewer wrestlers will be able to compete in varsity matches throughout the dual-meet season ... and in individual competition in the postseason. The issue of forfeits is one that many state athletic associations and their member high schools have been wrestling with for a number of years. The PIAA weight-class reduction proposal, coming from a state that is widely considered to be a hotbed of amateur wrestling in the U.S., is sure to be discussed well beyond the borders of Pennsylvania, where 9,720 wrestlers compete at 486 high schools. After all, the sport has a long history in Pennsylvania, with the first program taking to the mat at Bethlehem Liberty High in 1923. The first PIAA state wrestling championships took place in 1938 at Penn State's Rec Center. Back then, there were ten weight classes: 85, 95, 105, 115, 125, 135, 145, 155, 165 and 185 pounds. Thanks to the NFHS and Tom Elling's "Pennsylvania Wrestling Handbook" for statistical and historical information on high school wrestling in the state.

A Florida high school wrestler scheduled to become a lead petty officer in the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps in St. Augustine was struck and killed by a driver this week while on his morning run. Zander LaurinZander Laurin, 16, a sophomore wrestler at Ponte Verda (Fla.) High School, was hit by a pickup truck while out running before classes. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the driver drifted out of the traffic lane into a bicycle lane, striking Laurin, who was transported to a hospital in Jacksonville where he later died. U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps St. Augustine Battalion Commanding Officer Larry Mull said Laurin was jogging Wednesday morning in order to train for an upcoming physical test where he had to run 4 miles in less than 55 minutes with a 40-pound pack on his back. "I feel like he always looked forward to bettering himself. He was really outgoing and had a really good attitude about life in general," Mull told the St. Augustine Record. Laurin was poised to become lead petty officer during a graduation event on Sunday. Instead, the battalion plans to honor his life with video memorial. "He will be missed by his shipmates," Mull said. Laurin's wrestling coach also weighed in with his positive assessment of the varsity wrestler. "He would always pick everybody up. That was … his best quality. I mean, he, no matter, what the outcome of the match was, you know, (win) or lose he was right there with his teammates," said Ponte Verda High wrestling coach Josean Gonzalez. "We're really going to miss him." Born in Indianapolis in March 2003, Zander Xavier Laurin was an active, involved young man. In addition to being on the varsity wrestling team, Laurin was a member of the U.S Naval Sea Cadets Corps and its Cadet Dive Team; in fact, he was set to complete his Rescue Diver Certification this summer. What's more, he had logged over 200 hours of volunteer service while in high school. Services for Zander Laurin will be held Sunday, May 26 at Ponte Vedra Valley Funeral Home in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, with visitation from 10 a.m. - 2 pm with a funeral service to follow immediately. In lieu of flowers please donate to K9's for Warriors of Ponte Vedra in Zander Laurin's name.

Paden Moore hugs his coach Randy Baker after winning a state championship (Photo/The Guillotine) One year after announcing his retirement from a 35-year high school coaching career, Randy Baker has accepted the head coaching position of the wrestling program at Minnesota West Community and Technical College, the two-year school in Worthington, Minn. announced this week. The 64-year-old Baker had retired as head coach at Jackson County Central High School in July 2018, but had served as the program's assistant coach this past season. Baker will be replacing Bryan Cowdin, who stepped down at the conclusion of the 2018-19 season. InterMat once referred to Baker as being "one of the brightest wrestling minds around." Washington Globe sportswriter Doug Wolter wrote that Baker is "one of the most well-known and most decorated high school coaches in the state." Baker's new boss, Minnesota West men's athletic director Bob Purcell, described his new wrestling coach as "an ambassador to the sport of wrestling." Baker launched his coaching career in 1984, serving at a number of prep programs in southwest Minnesota, culminating at Jackson County Central. In that time, Baker guided 14 teams to Minnesota state tournaments, resulting in seven state team titles. In addition, Baker coached 39 individual state champs. For all his accomplishments as coach, Baker earned many honors, including the Augustana (University) Hall of Fame (his college alma mater in South Dakota), Jackson County Wrestling Hall of Fame and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, Minnesota chapter. He was Man of the Year for USA Wrestler Magazine, National Developmental Coach of the Year USA Wrestling, MN USA Coach of the Year and USA Region Coach of the Year. "The hire of Baker brings to Worthington a molder of state high school team and individual champions who now hopes to rejuvenate a local college program that has seen better days," Wolter wrote in his announcement of Baker taking the helm at Minnesota West. "At first, I wasn't very interested (in the MW position). I was really ingrained in the program at JCC," Baker said upon accepting the position at Minnesota West. "The thing that concerned me most was the possibility of losing the West program. That's what really motivated me, to start with." "If you're teaching things that help 'em get better, they're going to buy in," Baker said Thursday. "I've had kids that wanted to work because of that internal drive -- they wanted to get better. And I think sometimes in this world you get some who want it to be easy. They want a re-set button. But they never get a re-set button on their opportunities. Sometimes, too, a lot of people don't know what they're capable of doing until they're committed to something." "I haven't been this excited in a while. The challenge is to get kids in here who you can work with," he said. "I've learned some stuff over a long career." Minnesota West -- formally known as Minnesota West Community and Technical College -- is a two-year public community and technical college with five campuses, including one in Worthington, home to the Bluejays wrestling program which competes in the National Junior College Athletic Association.

David Taylor with Michael Novogratz at the Beat the Streets event (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) David Taylor will not be competing at Final X in June. The returning world champion in freestyle at 86 kilograms injured his knee at the Beat the Streets' "Grapple at the Garden" on May 6. Taylor was scheduled to face World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion Pat Downey at Final X: Rutgers on June 8. Taylor posted a message on his Twitter account Friday, informing the public of his status and wishing the Final X competitors -- as well as Downey -- the best. "Best of luck to the athletes competing in Final X this June," wrote Taylor. "Downey, shoot your shot. Moments like these don't get gifted to you often."

OWENSBORO, KY. -- Rob McCabe has been elevated to Head Wrestling Coach at Kentucky Wesleyan College, as announced by Director of Athletics Rob Mallory on Thursday morning. McCabe spent the 2018-19 season as the Panthers' top assistant. McCabe will be the second head coach in program history. He replaces the outgoing Chris Freije, who made a lateral move to Fairmont State University. "I am excited to introduce Rob McCabe as the next head coach of the Panther wrestling program," commented Director of Athletics Mallory. "Rob was instrumental in helping to start our program and laying the foundation for our future success. His attitude, work ethic, and coaching acumen have been impressive since the day he stepped foot on campus, and no one is more deserving of this opportunity." The Nucla, Colorado native wrestled at Division II powerhouse Adams State of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. In 2005, McCabe earned All-American honors after finishing fourth at 125 pounds. He accomplished the same feat in 2006, again at 125 pounds. "I take the head coaching role at Kentucky Wesleyan College with great enthusiasm and look to continue building the program in the manner that is fitting for the institution and The Wesleyan Way," said Coach McCabe. "We are set in a unique location on an excellent academic campus that provides the opportunity for student-athletes to gain a degree from an esteemed institution while pursuing their athletic dreams on the mat. After college McCabe became an assistant coach at his alma mater before moving into the high school ranks. While with the Grizzlies he helped seven wrestlers reach the National Tournament, including five All-Americans and one National Champion. The Wesleyan wrestling program was established in December of 2017 with the 2018-19 season being its first competitive season. In his first season, McCabe assisted in the development of the entire wrestling program including nutrition, conditioning, recruitment, and training. "I want to thank Rob Mallory and President Bart Darrell with the opportunity to lead the wrestling team to new heights," continued Coach McCabe. "I also want to thank my family, wife Brandie and my children Rylie, Jackson, Kynnlie and Branson for staying by my side through-out my coaching career and supporting this move. This was a family decision that we prayed over. We have become part of the community which has made Owensboro our home." McCabe previously served at Imagine High School in Florida and Pagosa Springs High School in Colorado. Under McCabe's direction, three wrestlers won State Titles along with 11 more placing at in their respective State Tournaments. Stay up to date on all your Panther news by following @KWCpanthers on Twitter and by liking the "Kentucky Wesleyan College Athletics" Facebook page.

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- The next piece of the puzzle for Little Rock wrestling is in place as the Trojans will now have a conference affiliation. Little Rock has accepted an invitation to join the Pac-12 Conference as an affiliate member in the sport of wrestling. Little Rock joins Arizona State, Oregon State, Stanford, Cal State Bakersfield and Cal Poly in providing the Pac-12 with a sixth member in wrestling, beginning in the fall of 2019. "This is a monumental day both for the Little Rock Athletic Department and our wrestling program," said Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Chasse Conque. "Today's announcement is further proof of our commitment to building a nationally competitive wrestling program. We are most appreciative for the support from the Pac-12 Council and conference officials as we look forward to competing this fall in one of the nation's premier conferences. Our membership in the Pac-12 will provide our wrestling program instant credibility and further strengthens the Little Rock Trojan brand. "We are very excited and grateful to the Pac-12 for extending this invitation for a conference affiliation," said head coach Neil Erisman. "I'm incredibly thankful to the conference coaches and administration for believing in us and our vision for the future. We will be a great asset to the Pac-12 and I look forward to being able to compete out west with some of the top programs in the sport." The Pac-12 Conference dropped from six members to five after Boise State discontinued its wrestling program following the 2017 season. While the NCAA requires a conference to have at least six active members that sponsor the applicable sport in order for it to be eligible for automatic qualification in the NCAA Championships, it does provide a two-year transition period to allow for a conference to secure a sixth member. At its recent Pac-12 CEO meetings, the presidents and chancellors approved extending an invite to Little Rock to compete as an affiliate member in wrestling. Little Rock will enter its inaugural season in 2019-20 after becoming one of the newest NCAA Division I wrestling programs and the first in the state of Arkansas. Little Rock announced the addition of wrestling as its 15th intercollegiate athletic program on March 17, 2018 prior to the NCAA Wrestling Championships in Cleveland, Ohio. Erisman was announced as the program's first head coach on June 20, 2018, and has spent the last 11 months building his roster to begin competing in the Trojans' inaugural season in 2019-20. The Pac-12 Conference has sponsored wrestling for its membership since 1963. Arizona State captured the 1998 NCAA title, becoming the first and only team west of the Rocky Mountains to claim an NCAA title in wrestling. In addition, Pac-12 wrestlers have claimed 37 NCAA individual titles, most recently by Arizona State's Zahid Valencia who successfully defended his title at 174 pounds at this year's championships. Erisman continues to put together the Trojans' inaugural schedule, which will begin in November. Home matches will be held at the Jack Stephens Center as season tickets are currently on sale by contacting (501) 569-3393. General admission seats are just $30 with limited mat side seating also available.

Earlier this week it was announced that Lock Haven University will become the latest school to add a women's wrestling program. I spoke to Lock Haven head wrestling coach Scott Moore this week about the announcement. I was surprised to learn that (paraphrasing his thoughts) the idea came about through a mixture of a motivated president, keen athletic director, and the guidance of the NWCA. There are always additional people involved in these decisions (and Moore's success was a main catalyst), but the casual way in which the idea of adding women's wrestling went from cocktail party chatter to implementation is enlightening … and encouraging. Women's wrestling is ready to explode. In 10 years we will look back at the last 20 years like teenagers staring at rotary phones. It'll all seem so outdated and analog. Members of our community spent DECADES moaning about Title IX and all along the solution was something like equal rights. By no means is any of this the official statement of the university, but Moore said plainly that the 10-15 girls they are adding will automatically offset the majority of his Title IX concerns. Donors have attached themselves to the idea and are giving to the program on the back of this call. Money and attention are immediate pay-offs, but for Moore and Lock Haven they will see an increase in national visibility, deeper recruiting pools, and likely a more textured and robust environment for their wrestling team. The women's team will start with as many as five teams within a four-hour drive, increasing the likelihood of its success with lower costs for travel. The school will be announcing their new coach in the coming weeks and Moore said that he predicts the addition of any new staff will only elevate the program even further with more buy-in from more members of the school and local community. Moore knows that he can't fund a $5 million wrestling hall or support a large independent RTC at Lock Haven. At least not in the near future. But he's fighting with the resources he has and winning at every turn. His scrappiness as a competitor and coach are now obvious in his ability to be a leader in the community. A huge congratulations to Lock Haven and to the NWCA for their efforts in helping get this achieved. Should the NCAA recognize women's wrestling at the Division I level, I predict we will all look back and see Lock Haven adding women's wrestling as the turning point in this long effort. To your questions … J'den Cox earned an automatic spot in Final X as a returning world champion (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Q: What's your favorite Final X matchup in each of the three styles? -- Mike C. Foley: Bo Nickal and J'den Cox are about to light up the RAC! I love watching both these guys compete and their styles are going to create a next-level type of match with points on points. I'm taking Cox (he's stupidly underrated by most fans), but I think that Nickal could pop out to a nice lead, or even catch Cox in an upper body position. The big indicator will come in how Nickal creates offense while trailing. He can't rely on tie-ups to find entries to Cox's legs. To get points on the board against Cox he'll need to control the center of the mat and close distance on the edge to ensure that his attacks can result in at least one point. Even still, I think we will see a new Cox on the mats. He's more offensive and is doing a better job at his gamesmanship. Cox in 2. Freestyle matches at Final X: Rutgers (June 8) 65 kilograms: Zain Retherford vs. Yianni Diakomihalis 79 kilograms: Alex Dieringer vs. Kyle Dake 86 kilograms: Pat Downey vs. David Taylor 92 kilograms: Bo Nickal vs. J'den Cox 125 kilograms: Gable Steveson vs. Nick Gwiazdowski Freestyle matches at Final X: Lincoln (June 15) 57 kilograms: Thomas Gilman vs. Daton Fix 61 kilograms: Tyler Graff vs. Joe Colon 70 kilograms: James Green vs. Ryan Deakin 74 kilograms: Isaiah Martinez vs. Jordan Burroughs 97 kilograms: Kyven Gadson vs. Kyle Snyder I'm all in for 53-kilogram match between Sarah Hildebrandt and Katherine Shai at Rutgers. There isn't a huge chance that Shai will upset Hildebrandt, but this is a very marketable matchup. Hildebrandt has Rudis on her back, while Shai has made Final X as a mother and is creating her own brand. On the mat, Shai will need to slow down Hildebrandt's attacks and answer takedowns with points of her own. Hildebrandt can be streaky, so if Shai wants to win she'll need to score in bunches, piling on whenever she finds an edge. Hildebrandt in 3. Women's wrestling matches at Final X: Rutgers (June 8) 50 kilograms: Whitney Conder vs. Victoria Anthony 57 kilograms: Becka Leathers vs. Jenna Burkert 65 kilograms: Forrest Molinari vs. Maya Nelson 68 kilograms: Tamyra Mensah-Stock vs. Alex Glaude 72 kilograms: Alyvia Fiske vs. Victoria Francis Women's wrestling matches at Final X: Lincoln (June 15) 53 kilograms: Sarah Hildebrandt vs. Katherine Shai 55 kilograms: Jacarra Winchester vs. Dominique Parrish 59 kilograms: Alli Ragan vs. Lauren Louive 62 kilograms: Mallory Velte vs. Kayla Miracle 76 kilograms: Adeline Gray vs. Precious Bell Greco-Roman is improving in the USA and Adam Coon is on the leading edge of that development. He's facing a SUPER talented high school wrestler Cohlton Schultz, who he's sure to beat, but who tests him in a way that'll keep him sharp for world competition. The new Greco-Roman rules are helping Team USA. I'm interested to see how they are developing techniques in order to find more points off their active wrestling. The days of block and par-terre are numbered, and the Americans have the most to benefit from the newest rules interpretations. Greco-Roman matches at Final X: Rutgers (June 8) 55 kilograms: Max Nowry vs. Brady Koontz 67 kilograms: Ellis Coleman vs. Jamel Johnson 77 kilograms: Kamal Bey vs. Pat Smith 82 kilograms: Kendrick Sanders vs. John Stefanowicz 87 kilograms: Joe Rau vs. Ben Provisor Greco-Roman matches at Final X: Lincoln (June 15) 60 kilograms: Mike Fuenffinger vs. Ildar Hafizov 63 kilograms: Ryan Mango vs. Xavier Johnson 72 kilograms: Raymond Bunker vs. Alex Mossing 97 kilograms: G'Angelo Hancock vs. Lucas Sheridan 130 kilograms: Adam Coon vs. Cohlton Schultz Q: Dan Gable was likely the most influential force on American wrestling in the 20th century and his "Iowa style" -- aggression, conditioning, intensity, win or die, etc. -- came to define what many folks thought of as "wrestling culture." Do you think it is possible for Cael Sanderson to have enough success at Penn State to redefine overall wrestling culture in the 21st century? Penn State's high-scoring, wide-open culture and focus on fun seem to produce amazing results and attract tip top recruits but I don't feel like it's transforming the culture. Do you think that changes if we see another decade plus of dominance out of Cael and Penn State? -- Bryan R. Foley: Dan Gable was arguably the most influential wrestler and coach of the 20th century. He won on the mat, he won as a coach, and he created a legacy of coaches that now extends two generations. However, the "Iowa style" of Gable-trained athletes wasn't altogether that unique. From discussions I've had with wrestlers of the 1980's and 1990's, plenty of other programs worked out as much, fought hard for position, and were in incredible shape. What they lacked was the mystique of the institution, buffered by an arena filled with championship banners. The "Iowa style" was shorthand for something larger going on at the moment, rather than something wholly and uniquely incumbent on wrestlers from the University of Iowa. I'd argue that Cael's coaching style isn't as easy to define and its slipperiness makes any attempt of glorification (and branding) more difficult. There is no shorthand. No mystique. And the fun-first mentality that you offer up as his style is not very on-brand for the mentality many in the wrestling community want to transmit to each other, or the outside world. Cael is winning because he recruits the best wrestlers in the country, encourages them to buy in to his on-the-mat philosophies, develops their talents, and enjoys alumni support for his efforts. There isn't really a cliché for that, I guess. Maybe that all means he is less transformative, but maybe in some way NOT seeking to be a generational figure might be his biggest contribution. If the real lesson is to stick to what you are good at, develop it and have fun, then I think it's something we are seeing at programs across the country. You don't have to break your body to wrestle. You have to commit, you have to seek answers, but you no longer have to sacrifice everything else. Cael's impact will likely be a soft influence that pedals something closer to the idea that wrestling is a skill to be added to your life, rather than a force extracting every ounce of freedom and joy from your waking hours. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Happy World Wrestling Day! Q: What's the chance Daniel Cormier headlines next year's Beat the Streets card? Who else do you think would fill the stands and be as big a marketing draw as Ben Askren was this year? -- @mikey3rdb Foley: I think you're about to give executive director Brendan Buckley a heart attack. He has to match or outdo Ben Askren vs. Jordan Burroughs?! Raising the bar just a bit, eh? Let's assume that Cormier beats Stipe Miocic in August and then retires from the UFC. Then let's assume that's all buttoned up by next spring. He would then be free to do whatever he wants and given his love for the sport of wrestling; I'd tend to think he would show up for a match. However, I don't think he's going in against Gable Steveson. Not only will he still be in college, but young guys with huge egos are not a good idea for old men looking to raise money for charity. Can you imagine Gable driving Cormier off the stage, like Jordan did Ben? No Bueno. I'd like to see Cormier wrestle Brock Lesnar. Seriously. A charity wrestling match between those two would be the biggest combat sports moment of 2020 (probably inclusive of the Olympics). One thing is for sure, if Brock and DC do meet they will 100 percent need to increase the size of the stage. Q: Were you surprised Alex Dieringer dominated Zahid Valencia the way he did? Do you think maybe Dieringer looked past him last year? -- Mike C. Foley: Yes. Bad moment on the mats for Dieringer last year, a loss that I'm certain motivated him to train harder in 2019 than he did in 2018. Man, tough to say this with world champion Kyle Dake waiting for him at Final X, but I often think that Alex Dieringer might be the best 79-kilogram wrestler in world. He is absolutely unbelievable on his feet and has matured on the mats every year. His international record is impressive as hell too. I'm terrible at predictions, but I'm 50/50 on Dieringer and Dake at Final X. There aren't many wrestlers as mentally tough as Dake, but Dieringer might be close. He's also explosive, smart, and has the type of knack for winning that has defined Dake's career. Q: With all the freestyle matches going on at the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament, could you explain the scoring system for the uninitiated? For example, VPO1, VIN, etc. and any meaning they have in World Cup action. Thanks from the land of never-ending winter, Minnesnowda. -- Jay Foley: A link to the scoresheet can be found here. VFA: 5:0 Victory by fall VIN: 5:0 Victory by injury VCA: 5:0 Victory by 3 cautions VSU: 4:0 Victory by technical superiority VSU1: 4:1 Victory by technical superiority (opponent scores) VPO: 3:0 Victory by points VPO1: 3:1 Victory by points (opponent scores) VFO: 5:0 Victory by forfeit DSQ: 5:0 Disqualification 2DSQ: 0:0 Double disqualification Hope this helps! Also, love the dad joke.

The field for Final X in 2019 has been finalized, based upon the results of the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament in Raleigh, N.C., May 16-19. The 30 champions from the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament advanced to one of the Final X events. Previously, one other athlete had qualified in each weight for Final X, either by winning a medal at the 2018 Senior World Championships or by claiming a title at the 2019 U.S. Open in Las Vegas. Final X: Rutgers will be hosted at the Rutgers Athletic Center (RAC) on the campus of Rutgers University in Piscataway, N.J., on Saturday, June 8. Final X: Lincoln will be hosted at the Bob Devaney Center on the campus of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln on Saturday, June 15. USA Wrestling and FloWrestling have now assigned each weight class to one of the two sessions at the specific Final X location, and have also finalized the order of bouts for each session. The session times for both Final X events are 12 noon and 6 p.m. All 12 of the 2018 Senior World medalists from the United States have been assigned to the 6 p.m. session at their Final X event. There are 30 wrestlers in each Final X event, 10 in each of the Olympic disciplines. This covers a total of 15 weight classes, five in each discipline at each competition. In Final X, the top two wrestlers in each weight class will compete in a best-of-three series, with the Final X winners earning spots on the U.S. Senior World Team to compete at the 2019 Senior World Championships in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, September 14-22, 2019 Ticket prices for Final X are: VIP Floor - $100 Reserved seating (100 level) - $65 General Admission (200 - 300 level) - $40 Group (GA only) - Buy 10 or more tickets and get $40 off To order tickets, go to the tickets tab on the official Final X website at: www.FinalX.tv Final X is an exciting partnership between USA Wrestling, the national governing body for wrestling in the United States, and FloSports, the innovator in live digital sports and original content. Exclusive live and on-demand coverage will be provided on FloWrestling, as well as on the FloSports apps on iOS, Roku and Apple TV 4. FINAL X: RUTGERS At the RAC in Piscataway, N.J., Saturday, June 8 Session 1: Noon Bout 1: Men's GR 87 kg - U.S. Open champion Joe Rau (Chicago, Ill./Titan Mercury WC/Chicago RTC) vs. World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion Ben Provisor (State College, Pa./New York AC/Nittany Lion WC) Bout 2: Women's FS 72 kg - U.S. Olympic champion Alyvia Fiske (Napa, Calif./Titan Mercury WC) vs. World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion Victoria Francis (Litchfield, Ill./Titan Mercury WC) Bout 3: Men's GR 82 kg - U.S. Open champion Kendrick Sanders (Marquette, Mich./New York AC) vs. World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion John Stefanowicz (Camp LeJeune, N.C./U.S. Marine Corps) Bout 4: Women's FS 50 kg -U.S. Open champion Whitney Conder (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army WCAP) vs. World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion Victoria Anthony (Tempe, Ariz./Sunkist Kids) Bout 5: Men's GR 55 kg - U.S. Open champion Max Nowry (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army WCAP) vs. World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion Brady Koontz (Plover, Wis./Ohio RTC) Bout 6: Men's GR 67 kg - U.S. Open champion Ellis Coleman (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army WCAP) vs. World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion Jamel Johnson (Camp LeJeune, N.C./U.S. Marine Corps) Bout 7: Women's FS 57 kg - U.S. Open champion Becka Leathers (Chapel Hill, N.C./Titan Mercury WC/Tarheel RTC) vs. World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion Jenna Burkert (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army WCAP) Session 2: 6 p.m. Bout 1: Women's FS 65 kg - U.S. Open champion Forrest Molinari (Iowa City, Iowa/Titan Mercury WC/Hawkeye WC) vs. World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion Maya Nelson (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids/OTC) Bout 2: Men's GR 77 kg - U.S. Open champion Kamal Bey (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids/OTC) vs. winner at World Team Trials Challenge Tournament Pat Smith (Minneapolis, Minn./Minnesota Storm) Bout 3: Women's FS 68 kg - World bronze medalist Tamyra Mensah-Stock (Colorado Springs, Colo./Titan Mercury WC/OTC) vs. World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion Alexandria Glaude (W. Sacramento, Calif./Titan Mercury WC/McKendree Bearcat WC) Bout 4: Men's FS 86 kg - World champion David Taylor (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC) vs. World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion Patrick Downey (Cranbury, N.J./Titan Mercury WC/NJRTC) Bout 5: Men's FS 125 kg - World bronze medalist Nick Gwiazdowski (Raleigh, N.C./Titan Mercury WC/Wolfpack RTC) vs. World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion Gable Steveson (Apple Valley, Minn./Minnesota RTC) Bout 6: Men's FS 65 kg - U.S. Open champion Yianni Diakomihalis (Rochester, N.Y./Titan Mercury WC/Finger Lakes RTC) vs. World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion Zain Retherford (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC) Bout 7: Men's FS 79 kg - World champion Kyle Dake (Ithaca, N.Y./Titan Mercury WC/Finger Lakes RTC) vs. World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion Alex Dieringer (Stillwater, Okla./Titan Mercury WC/Cowboy RTC) Bout 8: Men's FS 92 kg - World champion J'den Cox (Colorado Springs, Colo./Titan Mercury WC/OTC) vs. World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion Bo Nickal (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC) FINAL X: LINCOLN At Devaney Center in Lincoln, Neb., Saturday, June 15 Session 1: Noon Bout 1: Women's FS 59 kg - U.S. Open champion Alli Ragan (Iowa City, Iowa/Sunkist Kids/Hawkeye WC) vs. World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion Lauren Louive (Iowa City, Iowa/New York AC/Hawkeye WC) Bout 2: Men's GR 60 kg - U.S. Open champion Leslie Fuenffinger (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army WCAP) vs. World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion Ildar Hafizov (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army WCAP) Bout 3: Women's FS 55 kg - U.S. Open champion Jacarra Winchester (Colorado Springs, Colo./Titan Mercury WC/OTC) vs. World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion Dominique Parrish (Scotts Valley, Calif./Titan Mercury WC/Burnaby Mountain WC) Bout 4: Men's GR 72 kg - U.S. Open champion Raymond Bunker (Camp LeJeune, N.C./U.S. Marine Corps) vs. World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion Alex Mossing (Colorado Springs, Colo./Air Force RTC) Bout 5: Men's GR 63 kg - U.S. Open champion Ryan Mango (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army WCAP) vs. World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion Xavier Johnson (Camp LeJeune, N.C./U.S. Marine Corps) Bout 6: Men's GR 97 kg - U.S. Open champion champion G'Angelo Hancock (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) vs. World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion Lucas Sheridan (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army WCAP) Session 2: 6 p.m. Bout 1: Women's FS 62 kg - World bronze medalst Mallory Velte (Sacramento, Calif./Titan Mercury WC) vs. World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion Kayla Miracle (Iowa City, Iowa/Sunkist Kids/Hawkeye WC) Bout 2: Women's FS 53 kg - World silver medalist Sarah Hildebrandt (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC/OTC) vs. World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion vs. Katherine Shai (Denver, Colo./Titan Mercury WC) Bout 3: Women's FS 76 kg - World champion Adeline Gray (Denver, Colo./New York AC) vs. World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion Precious Bell (Lancaster, Calif./unattached) Bout 4: Men's GR 130 kg - World silver medalist Adam Coon (Ann Arbor, Mich./New York AC/Cliff Keen WC) vs. World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion Cohlton Schultz (Parker, Colo./Sunkist Kids/EAP) Bout 5: Men's FS 61 kg - World bronze medalist Joe Colon (Fresno, Calif./Titan Mercury WC/Valley RTC) vs. World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion Tyler Graff (Princeton, N.J./Titan Mercury WC/NJRTC) Bout 6: Men's FS 97 kg - World silver medalist Kyle Snyder (Columbus, Ohio/Titan Mercury WC/Ohio RTC) vs. World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion Kyven Gadson (Ames, Iowa/Titan Mercury WC/Cyclone RTC) Bout 7: Men's FS 70 kg - U.S. Open champion Ryan Deakin (Broomfield, Colo./Titan Mercury WC/Chicago RTC) vs. World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion James Green (Lincoln, Neb./Sunkist Kids/Nebraska WTC) Bout 8: Men's FS 57 kg - U.S. Open champion Daton Fix (Sand Springs, Okla./Titan Mercury WC/Cowboy RTC) vs. World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion Thomas Gilman (Iowa City, Iowa/Titan Mercury WC/Hawkeye WC) Bout 9: Men's FS 74 kg - World bronze medalist Jordan Burroughs (Lincoln, Neb./Sunkist Kids/Nebraska WTC) vs. World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion Isaiah Martinez (Champaign, Ill./Titan Mercury WC/Illinois RTC)

Tony Ramos wrestling Cory Clark at the U.S. Open (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Two-time World Team member and current North Carolina assistant coach Tony Ramos joins The MatBoss Podcast for Episode 28 with host Chad Dennis. Ramos will talk about the decision to leave his shoes on the mat in Raleigh at the recent U.S. World Team Trials Challenge Tournament as well as a number of other topics including his recruitment to Iowa, his start in wrestling, wrestling at Iowa as well as "putting on a show." He'll also share his opinions on youth wrestling and the Carolina Hurricanes. About MatBoss: Created by coaches for coaches, MatBoss for iPad® integrates wrestling stats directly into the video you record for each match, completely replacing the need for labor-intensive pencil and paper scoring systems. It's the wrestling stats app our sport has been waiting for. Focus on coaching, not busy work Improve through video analysis Make data an advantage Eliminate scoring errors Increase exposure Become a digital coach For more information, visit MatBossApp.com. Follow MatBoss on Twitter and subscribe to the show @MatBossApp | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Spreaker | Google Play Music | RSS

LARAMIE, Wyo. -- The University of Wyoming was saddened to hear of the passing of UW Athletics Hall of Famer Steven Suder. Suder passed away on Wednesday. Steven SuderSuder wrestled for the Cowboys from 1975-79 and earned All-America honors as a senior in 1979. He returned to UW to lead the Wyoming wrestling program as head coach from 1989-2008. On Aug. 31, 2018, Suder was inducted into the University of Wyoming Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame -- the highest honor bestowed by UW Athletics. He concluded his UW coaching career with 127 dual wins, which ranks second in program history to only the legendary Everett Lantz. Suder led Wyoming to two Western Athletic Conference team titles. He was named conference Coach of the Year four times, and earned NCAA West Regional Coach of the Year honors twice. "We were shocked and saddened to hear of Coach Suder's passing," said Tom Burman, University of Wyoming Athletics Director. "We respect and appreciate the commitment and leadership Coach Suder brought to his time as both a Cowboy student-athlete and coach. He not only accomplished great things as a coach and athlete, but he was a great role model for young people. He was highly respected as a member of the Laramie community for decades and will be missed by so many. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Suder family." "The Wyoming wrestling family is in pain and heartbroken," said Mark Branch, University of Wyoming Head Wrestling Coach. "Coach Suder was a legend at UW as both a wrestler and a coach, but his impact was so much greater than the sport of wrestling. I was blessed to know him as a friend. He was a respected leader in this community, on this campus and in my church, and he will be greatly missed. My prayers are with his wife, his children and his many dear friends." Memorial services are pending at this time.

Nicole Tyson OKLAHOMA CITY -- Nicole Tyson has been chosen as Oklahoma City University's head women's wrestling coach. Tyson became the first OCU alumna to take over the women's wrestling program. Tyson, nee' Woody, took four Women's College Wrestling Association all-American nods and an individual national title from 2007-11. In 2018-19, Oklahoma City finished as team runner-up with nine all-Americans in the NAIA Invitational and placed seventh with five all-Americans in the WCWA Championships. "We are so fortunate to have someone of Nicole's caliber leading our women's wrestling program," OCU athletic director Jim Abbott said. "Nicole was a gifted student and wrestler herself at Oklahoma City University, and I'm confident that she will hold our student-athletes to the same standards. I'm excited to welcome Nicole back to the OCU campus and look forward to seeing the positive impact she will have with our team." Tyson has made a name for herself since becoming the first girl ever to be a high school state finalist for Gambrills Arundel (Md.). She has experienced success as an Oklahoma City wrestler, then as an assistant coach. "I am truly excited to return to my alma mater as the head women's wrestling coach," Tyson said. "OCU has an historic women's wrestling program that I am eager to contribute my particular coaching style and expertise to. The wrestling program at OCU produced many great teams and has influenced many more great athletes. It is my hope for OCU's women's wrestling team to lead the way in producing great teams, individuals and student-athletes." During her coaching career, Tyson has contributed to three national championships and three NWCA National Duals titles while guiding 10 individual national champs and 55 all-Americans. Most recently, she spent the past two seasons at Campbellsville (Ky.). Tyson has made coaching stops at Missouri Baptist as a graduate assistant and King (Tenn.) as a full-time assistant. She helped King win two national titles and two NWCA National Duals championships. Tyson contributed to Campbellsville winning its first WCWA national title as well as taking fourth in the 2019 NAIA Invitational and sixth in the WCWA Championships this past season. During her OCU wrestling career, she was also a three-time WCWA national finalist while winning the 97-pound (44-kilogram) championship in 2011. She posted a 96-32 record with 16 pins and 21 technical falls. OCU went 51-0-1 during its last 52 duals during her career. Tyson led the Stars to three WCWA national championships and four NWCA National Duals titles. Tyson was her team's Jim Wade Award winner, Dean's List recipient and earned the outstanding senior art award in photography at OCU upon graduation. She graduated with a bachelor of arts from Petree College of Arts and Science at Oklahoma City in 2011. Tyson has extensive experience competing on the international stage. She collected a 2006 junior world championship and a 2008 junior Pan Am championship. In 2011, Tyson was a member of the Senior Pan Am Team, and a Senior National finalist while qualifying for the 2012 Olympic Trials. She placed fourth at the 2015 Senior National Championships and fourth at the 2016 Olympic Trials.