InterMat Staff

Jose Champagne battles Alec Pantaleo of Michigan in Las Vegas (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) LITTLE ROCK -- Head wrestling coach Neil Erisman has announced five additions to the Trojans' inaugural wrestling roster, set to begin competing this November. Jose Champagne, Justin Grant, Cash Jones, Hasan Krigger and Blake Mateu are all enrolled in classes and are on campus, beginning to build Little Rock's wrestling program. Along with freshman Conner Ward, who has been on campus and training since the start of the Fall 2018 semester, the six comprise the initial six signees for the Trojan wrestling program, laying the ground work for the NCAA's newest Division I program. "These six young men embody what it means to be Rocked Up," Erisman said. "They have all bought in to what we are building, our beliefs and who we are going to be on and off the mat. I wouldn't want to start a program with any other student-athletes and I can't wait to see them competing in the maroon singlet next season." Jose Champagne 5-8 | 157 | Sophomore Griffith, Indiana (Marian Catholic H.S./Minnesota) Prior to Little Rock: Spent two seasons at the University of Minnesota, utilizing his redshirt season in 2016-17 … Posted a 7-7 overall record as a redshirt freshman with three pins and a pair of major decisions … State champion in 2016 at Marian Catholic High School … Posted a high school record of 103-3 … Four-time all-conference and all-state honoree … 11-time cadet and junior All-American … Three-time folkstyle national champion and one-time freestyle national champion … A and B honor roll. Personal: Son of Tim and Rebecca Champagne … Has a brother, Carlos, who wrestled at Wabash College … Plans to be a Spanish teacher. Erisman on Champagne: "Having Jose here has been incredible. He comes from a historic program at the University of Minnesota and has been a life long winner and successful at all levels. He is a seasoned wrestler that has brought a strong positive attitude and a new level to our program. In his short time here he has already taken the responsibility upon himself to mentor the younger athletes" Justin Grant 5-10 | 165 | R-Freshman Tallahassee, Fla. (Lincoln H.S.) Prior to Little Rock: Three-time All-state selection at Lincoln High School … Placed third at the Florida state championships in 2017 and 2018 after finishing fourth in 2016 … Four-time first team All-Big Bend selection … Four-time district champion and three-time regional champion … 2018 North West Florida Class 2A Wrestler of the Year … Posted an overall high school record of 172-16 … Two-time All-Star Division All-American in 2017 and 2018 … Placed first at the 2017 Florida AAU Spring States tournament … Finished with six high school letters after lettering once in football and twice in track and field. Personal: Son of James and Nancy Grant … Originally committed to North Carolina State before signing with Little Rock … Older brother Jamie plays baseball at Florida A&M … Plans to major in education with the goal to be a high school coach. Erisman on Grant: "Justin came to us via North Carolina State, one of the nation,s premier programs. I'm very excited about Justin's size and athleticism. He's big, strong, fast and has a great attitude, and Justin should be fan favorite to watch wrestle at the Jack." Cash Jones 6-0 | 174 | R-Freshman Bentonville, Ark. (Bentonville H.S.) Prior to Little Rock: Three-time Arkansas state champion at Bentonville High School … Helped lead the Tigers to back-to-back Class 6A/7A state titles in 2017 and 2018 … Posted a career high school record of 227-11, including a mark of 62-1 as a senior … Represented Arkansas at the Junior Freestyle and Greco-Roman nationals in Fargo … Placed first in the 2016 Arkansas Greco/Freestyle tournament and second in 2017 … 2017 Big West Conference champion … Recorded 15 individual tournament championships during his high school career … Four year honor roll student. Personal: Son of David and Sheila Jones … Originally committed to Campbell before signing with Little Rock … Plans to major in communications. Erisman on Jones: "I'm really excited about having Cash as part of our program. Being our first Arkansas student-athlete is incredible and I expect him to set the bar high for future in-state Trojans. Cash has great size and athletic ability and we will be looking for him to be a dominant force in the upper weights." Hasan Krigger 5-4 | 125 | Sophomore Atlanta, Ga. (Central Gwinnett H.S./Iowa Lakes C.C) Prior to Little Rock: Spent two seasons at Iowa Lakes Community College, utilizing his redshirt season … Posted a pair of wins for the Lakers in his freshman season … Three year letterwinner at Central Gwinnett High School … 2016 Georgia state champion … Posted an overall high school record of 95-20, including going 23-1 as a senior … Two-time All-American after finishing first in cadet nationals in Fargo … Captured 13 individual tournament titles during his prep career. Personal: Son of Musa Krigger and Shamimara Siddique … Plans to major in psychology. Erisman on Krigger: "Hasan comes to us from Iowa Lakes Community College and brings us experience. Hasan has competed and won at the highest level. He is a great person and he really displays the drive and determination we are looking for. I'm very excited about having him here at the Rock." Blake Mateu 5-6 | 125 | Freshman Metairie, Louisiana (Archbishop Rummel H.S.) Prior to Little Rock: Three-time Louisiana state champion at Archbishop Rummel High School … Three-time first team all-state selection … Posted a 157-5 record during high school, including a perfect 25-0 season as a senior and a 44-0 season as a sophomore … Named the 2018 Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award winner for the state of Louisiana … Placed second at the 2017 Junior Cadets Freestyle national meet … Captured 25 individual tournament titles during his high school career. Personal: Son of Luis and Jodie Mateu … Plans to major in business. Erisman on Mateu: "Blake comes to us from Louisiana and has been winner, not just in his home state, but on the national scene as well. I am excited to see his progress as the next year unfolds. He knows how to wrestle and how to win." Season tickets for the inaugural Trojan wrestling season are now on sale through the Trojan ticket office by calling (501) 569-3393. Coach Erisman is in the process of putting together Little Rock's 2019-20 schedule, which will begin in November.

CLEVELAND -- The Mid-American Conference (MAC) announced today a historic membership expansion in the sport of wrestling as the MAC has added seven new affiliate members -- Bloomsburg, Clarion, Edinboro, Lock Haven, Rider, George Mason and Cleveland State -- to begin competing in the MAC with the 2019-20 wrestling season. The addition of seven new affiliate members increases MAC wrestling membership to 15 total members. Bloomsburg, Clarion, Edinboro, Lock Haven, Rider, George Mason and Cleveland State all have joined the MAC from the Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) making the MAC the second largest NCAA Division I Wrestling conference. MAC wrestling membership includes Buffalo, Central Michigan, Kent State, Northern Illinois and Ohio, along with current affiliate members Missouri (since 2013), Old Dominion (since 2013) and SIU Edwardsville (since 2018). The eight current MAC members will compete in the 2019 MAC Wrestling Championship on March 8-9 in Norfolk, Va. on the campus of Old Dominion University. Next season the 15 MAC wrestling programs will compete in the 2020 MAC Wrestling Championship on the campus of Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Ill. This addition to wrestling membership enhances the MAC's stature as one of the leading Division I Wrestling Conferences in the nation with legendary collegiate wrestling programs and solidifies membership and future growth in the sport of wrestling. This addition will also provide the MAC footprint across the Midwest towards the East Coast. "I am pleased to welcome our new additions to the Mid-American Conference that have strong traditions in the sport of wrestling. Our membership spent significant time discussing and studying the possible inclusion of these new members and we believe this will strengthen what has already grown into an elite wrestling league," said Dr. Jon A. Steinbrecher, Commissioner of the Mid-American Conference. "This addition of affiliate members is good for the Mid-American Conference, and good for collegiate wrestling. It broadens our footprint across a part of the country where youth, high school, and collegiate wrestling is very strong. I look forward to the 2019-20 season when our new and enhanced membership begins competition." The Missouri Tigers, who are currently ranked No. 5 in the nation, are currently 16-1 overall this season, 7-0 in the MAC. The Tigers are current six-time defending MAC wrestling champions and have won the MAC Wrestling Championship six consecutive years since joining the MAC in 2013. MAC wrestling history features 12 MAC wrestlers as NCAA National Champions, as the MAC has witnessed five individual NCAA Champions in the last eight years - including Kent State's Dustin Kilgore in 2011 (197 weight class), Missouri's J'Den Cox in 2014, 2016 and 2017 (197 weight class), the MAC's first-ever three-time NCAA Champion, and Missouri's Drake Houdashelt in 2015 (149 weight class). Last week, the MAC was allocated 27 qualifiers for the 2019 NCAA Wrestling Championships coming March 21-23 in Pittsburgh. The NCAA will announce the 330 qualifiers for the Division I Wrestling Championships on Tuesday, March 12. During the 2018 NCAA Wrestling Championships in Cleveland, Ohio, the MAC was represented with 34 wrestlers. Annually, the MAC is a consistent leader in Division I Wrestling in sending wrestlers to the NCAA Wrestling Championships - 2017 - 45 wrestlers - 3rd most in NCAA; 2016 - 45 wrestlers - 3rd most in NCAA; 2015 - 38 wrestlers - 3rd most in NCAA. Also, in 2018 the MAC hosted for the first time in Conference history the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland and set the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships total attendance record with 113,743 over the three-day, six-session, tournament and the single-session wrestling attendance record of 19,776 during Saturday's Finals session on March 17, 2018.

Pitt's Micky Phillippi is the top seed at 133 pounds (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) GREENSBORO, N.C. -- The Atlantic Coast Conference has announced the seedings for the 2019 ACC Wrestling Championship, which will be held this Saturday at Virginia Tech's Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Virginia. Action begins at 11 a.m. Saturday, with the Championship Finals set for 7 p.m. Tickets are priced at $10 for adults. Admission is free for youth 18 and under. ACC students are admitted free with a valid student ID. To purchase tickets, click here. Two-time defending ACC champion Virginia Tech leads all schools with three No. 1 seeds, while 2018-19 ACC dual meet co-champion NC State and Virginia landed two top seeds apiece. Co-champion North Carolina, Duke and Pitt each have one wrestler seeded atop his weight class. Seeds were determined by a vote of the league's six head coaches. Each weight class champion and runner-up at the 2019 ACC Championship will earn All-ACC recognition. In addition to ACC honors, student-athletes will be vying for berths and seeding in the 2019 NCAA Wrestling Championships, which will be held March 21-23 at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. The ACC has been awarded a league-record 37 automatic berths and is hopeful of earning several more at-large selections. The NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee will select 44 at-large qualifiers, which will be announced on March 12. Twenty-three Atlantic Coast Conference student-athletes are listed among the top 20 of their individual weight classes in the most recent InterMat rankings, including 15 among the top 10. Virginia Tech senior Zack Zavatsky holds the highest ranking at No. 3 in the 184-pound class (which includes three ACC wrestlers among the top 10). Duke senior Mitch Finesilver (149), and NC State sophomores Hayden Hidlay (157) and Nick Reenan (184) each hold No. 4 rankings. The doors to Cassell Coliseum will open at 10 a.m. on Saturday, with first-round action kicking off the event at 11 a.m. Semifinals are set for 1 p.m., followed by the consolation semifinals at 3:30 p.m. and the consolation finals at 5 p.m. Championship matches begin at 7 p.m., followed by the awards presentation. ACC Network Extra again plans nearly 10 hours of live coverage from 11 a.m. through 9 p.m. Matches will be delivered on two concurrent live streams. Shawn Kenney and Tim Foley will handle the call on Mat 1, with Dean Linke and Rock Harrison manning Mat 2. The wealth of wrestling knowledge among the talent promises fans great insight into the competition. Seeds for the 65th Annual ACC Wrestling Championship are listed below. Brackets for each weight class may be viewed here. Entries are subject to change until noon on Friday. 125: 1. Jack Mueller, Virginia 2. Sean Fausz, NC State 3. Joey Prata, Virginia Tech 4. Joel Heilmann, North Carolina 5. Brendon Fenton, Pitt 6. Harrison Campbell, Duke 133: 1. Micky Phillippi, Pitt 2. Tariq Wilson, NC State 3. Gary Wayne Harding, North Carolina 4. Korbin Myers, Virginia Tech 5. Louie Hayes, Virginia 6. Arien Leigh, Duke 141: 1. Jamel Morris, NC State 2. Mitch Moore, Virginia Tech 3. A.C. Headlee, North Carolina 4. Josh Finesilver, Duke 5. LJ Bentley, Pitt 6. Sam Krivus, Virginia 149: 1. Mitch Finesilver, Duke 2. Austin O'Connor, North Carolina 3. Justin Oliver, NC State 4. Ryan Blees, Virginia Tech 5. Michael Murphy, Virginia 6. Dallas Bulsak, Pitt 157: 1. Hayden Hidlay, NC State 2. Taleb Rahmani, Pitt 3. B.C. LaPrade, Virginia Tech 4. Josh McClure, North Carolina 5. Jake Keating, Virginia 6. Ben Anderson, Duke 165: 1. Mekhi Lewis, Virginia Tech 2. Cam Coy, Virginia 3. Thomas Bullard, NC State 4. Zach Finesilver, Duke 5. Sawyer Davidson, North Carolina 6. Tommy O'Brien, Pitt 174: 1. David McFadden, Virginia Tech 2. Matt Finesilver, Duke 3. Daniel Bullard, NC State 4. Devin Kane, North Carolina 5. Gregg Harvey, Pitt 6. Robert Patrick, Virginia 184: 1. Zack Zavatsky, Virginia Tech 2. Nino Bonaccorsi, Pitt 3. Nick Reenan, NC State 4. Chip Ness, North Carolina 5. Kaden Russell, Duke 6. Will Schany, Virginia 197: 1. Jay Aiello, Virginia 2. Tom Sleigh, Virginia Tech 3. Malik McDonald, NC State 4. Kellan Stout, Pitt 5. Alec Schenk, Duke 6. Brandon Whitman, North Carolina 285: 1. Cory Daniel, North Carolina 2. Demetrius Thomas, Pitt 3. Billy Miller, Virginia Tech 4. Tyler Love, Virginia 5. Deonte Wilson, NC State 6. Araad Fisher, Duke

Duke's Mitch Finesilver recently defeated UNC's Austin O'Connor (Photo/Duke Athletics) This weekend all eight Division I wrestling conference will officially kick off the 2019 postseason. The parity across college wrestling leads to a variety of interesting matches between the superpowers and some mid-major squads. The following is a breakdown of the most interesting potential matches from each conference tournament. SoCon: No. 18 Neal Richards (VMI) vs. No. 19 Andrew Morgan (Campbell) at 174 The SoCon tournament could end up hosting this ranked match at 174 pounds. If it happens, it would be a trilogy match. The two wrestlers have already met twice this year. Morgan won the first meeting back in November via a 5-2 decision. However, the rematch was an entirely different story. In late February, Richards took home a commanding 14-7 victory over Morgan. In fact, Richards has not lost since falling against No. 1 Mark Hall (Penn State) in the semifinals of the Keystone Classic back in November. He will bring a 19-match winning streak into the SoCon championship tournament. During the streak, he captured the 174-pound crown at the All Academy Championships. Morgan has dropped seven matches on the season, but he has picked up some key wins in addition to his win over Richards. On the year, he has defeated the likes of Mitch Bowman (Iowa), Ben Harvey (Army) and Anthony Mantanona (Oklahoma). This will be his first match back since Richards stopped his four-match winning streak. Once Richards got going this season, he has looked like a different wrestler. Their most recent meeting is much more emblematic of his style of wrestling. Look for the VMI to take the match and the top spot on the podium at the SoCon tournament. Prediction: Richards (VMI) dec. Morgan (Campbell) EIWA: No. 3 Patrick Brucki (Princeton) vs. No. 7 Ben Honis (Cornell) at 197 Brucki has been one of the top wrestlers at this weight class all season, and he has only one loss on the season. That lone defeat came against Honis in Princeton's dual against Cornell. In their first meeting, Brucki got out to a 4-2 lead based on two first-period takedowns. He then chose bottom, but Honis was able to ride him out. In the third period, Brucki scored yet another takedown. He could not cut into the riding time from the top position. Late in the period, Honis scored a takedown. To tie it at 6-6 with the riding time. Brucki appeared to score a reversal at the buzzer, but the referee said it was after the bell. Honis finish the regular season with a 16-3 record. The senior saw two of his losses come against No. 2 Kollin Moore (Ohio State). Brucki was in the driver's seat against Honis in their previous match. If he avoids the bottom, he should be able to rack up the takedowns and take the match. Prediction: Brucki (Princeton) dec. Honis (Cornell) EWL: No. 10 Thomas Haines (Lock Haven) vs. No. 16 Matt Voss (George Mason) at 285 Coming into this season, Haines owned a pair of victories over Voss. However, when they met in November, it was Voss who left with the 5-2 decision. Haines will likely get another shot at Voss at the EWL tournament. Haines went 20-3 on the season and is currently riding an eight-bout winning streak that dates back to the Southern Scuffle. Haines has twice qualified for the NCAA tournament, and his quest to make it onto the podium starts right here. Voss nearly picked up his biggest win of the season. He dropped a sudden victory match against No. 9 Youssif Hemida (Maryland) two weeks ago. In addition to his victory over Haines, Voss has also defeated No. 18 Joey Goodhart (Drexel). Voss, like the rest of the George Mason program, has seemed to take a step forward this year. He has looked like the best version of himself so far in his senior season. His ability to shutdown Haines' offense in their first meeting this year was impressive, and he will likely be able to make it happen again. Prediction: Voss (George Mason) dec. Haines (Lock Haven) MAC: No. 9 Larry Early (Old Dominion) vs. No. 16 Jarrett Jacques (Missouri) at 157 Early burst onto the scene this season with a victory over No. 4 Hayden Hidlay (North Carolina State) in November. He picked up some losses on the season and finished 20-4. However, he enters the MAC tournament as the highest ranked wrestler at this weight in conference. Jacques locked down the starting job for the Tigers in early December. After the Cliff Keen Invitational, he has gone 13-2 with his only losses coming against Jake Keating (Virginia) and No. 14 Christian Pagdilao (Arizona State). During the run, he has picked up victories over Chase Straw (Iowa State), Wyatt Sheets (Oklahoma State) and Fredy Stroker (Cornell). Early has recently regained some of his early season momentum, and he should be able to control the match against Jacques. He might not have the dynamic scoring ability that Jacques has shown at times, but he has more experience and the ability to control tempo. That should put him in the driver's seat to win a MAC title. Prediction: Early (Old Dominion) dec. Jacques (Missouri) ACC: No. 4 Mitch Finesilver (Duke) vs. No. 5 Austin O'Connor (North Carolina) at 149 Finesilver and O'Connor have wrestled three times already this season. Their first meeting came at the Hokie Open where Finesilver won a 3-2 decision. In the rematch at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, O'Connor took another close match via a 3-1 score. The rubber match was the last regular season action for both wrestlers, and Finesilver took home the 6-4 victory. Finesilver has gone 26-3 on the season and picked up victories over the likes of No. 8 Justin Oliver (NC State), Jared Prince (Navy), No. 13 Brady Berge (Penn State) and No. 10 Josh Heil (Campbell). Outside of his two losses to Finesilver, O'Connor has only dropped matches against Matt Kolodzik (Princeton) and Micah Jordan (Ohio State). He finished the regular season with a 28-4 record including victories over Oliver, Prince, Heil and No. 17 Tommy Thorn (Minnesota). These two will likely meet at the ACC tournament and could possibly run into each other at the NCAA tournament. Finesilver showed in their last meeting that he can put up points if he turns on his offense, and that confidence will likely carry him to a victory here. Prediction: Finesilver (Duke) dec. O'Connor (North Carolina) Big Ten: No. 1 Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) vs. No. 2 Alex Marinelli (Iowa) at 165 In order for this match to happen per the pre-seeds, Marinelli will need to pick up a third victory over Evan Wick (Wisconsin) for these two to meet in the finals. Last year Marinelli handed Joseph one of his two losses of the year. They met in a dual meet at Penn State, and the Iowa wrestler picked up a 9-6 victory. This year, they have both gone undefeated, which sets up a clear battle for No. 1 at the Big Ten tournament. Both wrestlers have looked unstoppable at moments during this season. Joseph continues to be hard to score against, while Marinelli has controlled matches in the tie. Last season Marinelli went undefeated in the regular season before dropping six matches at the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments. He will need to get over his postseason issues in order to pick up the win here. Based on his savvy approach to matches and his previous history with Joseph, he should be able to get it done. Prediction: Marinelli (Iowa) dec. Joseph (Penn State) Big 12: No. 9 Branson Ashworth (Wyoming) vs. Joe Smith (Oklahoma State) at 165 Smith recently won a challenge match against No. 10 Chandler Rogers to earn the starting spot for the rest of the season for the Cowboys. Smith has gone 14-4 this season and picked up some impressive victories, but all of those matches have come at 174. At 165 he is mostly an unknown commodity. Ashworth his risen to the top of a deep 165-pound division in the Big 12. The field will include three other ranked wrestlers. Ashworth has gone 31-3, and he holds victories over all of them. If Smith wants to start his postseason campaign with a Big 12 title, he will certainly need to go through Ashworth. Smith has shown that he has dynamic takedown ability. A lot of his problems getting to his offense could be due to the fact that he was wrestling up a weight class. However, Ashworth will certainly be a test and a good barometer of his chances to become an All-American for a third time. Prediction: Smith (Oklahoma State) dec. Ashworth (Wyoming) Pac-12: No. 14 Christian Pagdilao (Arizona State) vs. Paul Fox (Stanford) at 157 On paper Pagdilao comes into the Pac-12 tournament as the favorite. However, there are reasons to believe that Fox is a live underdog. First, Fox has struggled the past two regular seasons, but he has turned it on at tournament time. He made the round of 12 last year and placed seventh the previous season to become an All-American. Fox dropped eight matches this season, but this is normally when he shines. The good news for Pagdilao is that the loss to Fox came all the way back in 2015, and he has had the better results recently. He finished the season 21-8 including a signature victory over No. 5 Alec Pantaleo (Michigan). In the last month, he has gone 4-0 with a win over No. 16 Jarrett Jacques (Missouri). Pagdilao has clearly made strides this season and should be able to handle Fox. Regardless of his status as an underdog, Fox's history makes this one of the most interesting matches at the Pac-12 tournament. Prediction: Pagdilao (Arizona State) dec. Fox (Stanford)

INDIANAPOLIS -- The NCAA Division III Wrestling Committee has announced the participants and brackets for the 2019 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships. The championships will be held March 8-9 at the Berglund Center in Roanoke, Virginia. Ferrum College will serve as the host. CHAMPIONSHIP INFO: Brackets | 2018 championship highlights | Complete championship history A total of 180 participants will compete in the championships. Student-athletes qualified for the championship by placing top-three in their respective weight classes at one of the six NCAA regional tournaments held on Feb. 22, 23 and 24. NCAA.com will stream all sessions of the championships.

Lee Kemp -- arguably one of the greatest amateur wrestlers of all time -- is the subject of a new documentary, now in production, with a planned release for summer 2019. "Wrestled Away: The Lee Kemp Story" is a full-length documentary film chronicling the life, loss and legacy of one of America's finest athletes that most folks outside of wrestling do not know. Horizons Companies -- a Columbus, Ohio-based digital media production company which is involved in the production of "Wrestled Away" -- posted this description of the documentary on Lee Kemp at its website: "Few stories resonate as powerfully as those about elite athletes who are denied the glory they so richly deserve because of circumstances beyond their control. One such story is that of Leroy Kemp -- a once-in-a-generation wrestler who drove himself to unparalleled achievements at the scholastic, collegiate and international levels. In 1980, Kemp was widely regarded as the greatest in his sport -- and one of the greatest ever -- when he lost his shot at certain Olympic Gold, and its accompanying acclaim, because of the U.S. decision to boycott the Summer Olympics in Moscow." Kemp's life story is the stuff of a fictional Hollywood movie. He was born in Cleveland but given up at birth and raised in foster homes until he was adopted by a couple who raised him on a farm outside Chardon in northeast Ohio. He took on the name of his adoptive father, Leroy P. Kemp. In ninth grade, Kemp was introduced to wrestling. Despite that relatively late start, Kemp managed to win two Ohio state titles for Chardon High School, going undefeated in his junior and senior years. Kemp then headed north to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he was a four-time NCAA championships finalist, and three-time champ, compiling an incredible 110-3 overall record. It was in freestyle where Kemp truly made his mark, as America's first three-time World Champion, winning his first title in 1978 at age 21. In addition, he was a four-time World Cup Champion, 7-time United States Freestyle National Champion and was a heavy favorite for gold earning a berth on the 1980 United States Olympic Freestyle Wrestling Team but was unable to compete because of the U.S. boycott of the Moscow Olympics. Kemp was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1990. Nearly two decades later, at the 2008 Beijing Olympics (where he was one of the freestyle coaches for the U.S.), Kemp became just the fifth American to be welcomed into the United World Wrestling Hall of Fame. He is now a motivational speaker, business entrepreneur, and author of the 2018 book "Winning Gold: Success Secrets of a World Champion." Want to know more? Watch the opening credits of "Wrestled Away: The Lee Kemp Story" here ... and, to learn more about Lee Kemp himself, check out his official website.

UNI's Josh Alber earned the No. 1 seed at 141 pounds (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Link: Preliminary Brackets The Big 12 has released the pre-seeds for the Big 12 Wrestling Championship set to take place on March 9-10 at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Oklahoma State leads the way heading into the championship with six No. 1 seeds, while Iowa State, Northern Iowa, Oklahoma and Wyoming earned the remaining four top seeds. The pre-seeds were voted into their positions by the leagues 12 head coaches and are subject to change. Final seeds will be confirmed at Friday's pre-championship coaches meeting. OSU's Nick Piccininni (125), Daton Fix (133), Kaden Gfeller (149), Jacobe Smith (174), Preston Weigel (197) and Derek White (HWT) earned top seeds. ISU's Sam Colbray (184), Northern Iowa's Josh Alber (141), OU's Justin Thomas (157) and Wyoming's Branson Ashworth (165) were also voted No. 1 seeds. Tickets for the 2019 Big 12 Wrestling Championship can be purchased online through TicketMaster or the Big 12 Wrestling Championship page. This is the fourth year in which the Big 12 Championship has taken place at a neutral site which makes the Big 12 Wrestling Championship the only Division I Conference Championship to be hosted at a neutral site. FloWrestling will broadcast the first three sessions here, while the fourth and final session (championship finals) will be telecast by Fox Sports Regional Networks.

Penn State's Mark Hall is seeded No. 1 at 174 pounds (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) ROSEMONT, Ill. - The Big Ten Conference announced the preliminary seeds for the 2019 Big Ten Wrestling Championships, which are set for March 9-10 at Minnesota. Seven schools boast at least one top-seeded wrestler, with Penn State leading the way with four No. 1 seeds. Iowa, Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State will bring a seeded wrestler in each of the 10 weight classes, while Nebraska and Northwestern boast a seeded grappler in nine classes. The pre-seeds, as voted on by the conference's coaches, rank the top eight wrestlers in three weight classes, along with all 14 starters in seven weight classes due to the Big Ten receiving nine or more NCAA Championships qualifier allocations in those classes. Penn State boasts four top-seeded wrestlers, with 157-pounder Jason Nolf, 165-pounder Vincenzo Joseph, 174-pounder Mark Hall and 197-pounder Bo Nickal. The Fighting Illini's Michael Carr (141), the Wolverines' Stevan Micic (133), the Gophers' Gable Steveson (285), the Wildcats' Sebastian Rivera (125), the Buckeyes' Myles Martin (184) and the Scarlet Knights' Anthony Ashnault (149) round out the group of top-ranked grapplers. This year's field contains a combined 10 Big Ten individual championships (eight wrestlers) and eight NCAA individual championships (five wrestlers). For more information on the 2019 Big Ten Wrestling Championships, visit the Big Ten Championships Central page. The complete list of Big Ten Championships pre-seeds can be found below. 125: 1. Sebastian Rivera, NU 2. Spencer Lee, IOWA 3. Sean Russell, MINN 4. RayVon Foley, MSU 5. Travis Piotrowski, ILL 6. Drew Mattin, MICH 7. Zeke Moisey, NEB 8. Malik Heinselman, OSU 9. Devin Schroder, PUR 10. Elijah Oliver, IND 11. Brandon Cray, MD 12. Devin Schnupp, PSU 13. Shane Metzler, RU 14. Ethan Rotondo, WIS 133: 1. Stevan Micic, MICH 2. Austin DeSanto, IOWA 3. Nick Suriano, RU 4. Roman Bravo-Young, PSU 5. Luke Pletcher, OSU 6. Ethan Lizak, MINN 7. Ben Thornton, PUR 8. Dylan Duncan, ILL 9. Anthony Tutolo, MSU 10. Colin Valdiviez, NU 11. Jens Lantz, WIS 12. Paul Konrath, IND 13. Jevon Parrish, NEB 14. Orion Anderson, MD 141: 1. Michael Carr, ILL 2. Nick Lee, PSU 3. Joey McKenna, OSU 4. Tristan Moran, WIS 5. Kanen Storr, MICH 6. Mitch McKee, MINN 7. Max Murin, IOWA 8. Chad Red, NEB 9. Pete Lipari, RU 10. Nate Limmex, PUR 11. Kyle Luigs, IND 12. Austin Eicher, MSU 13. Danny Bertoni, MD 14. Alec McKenna, NU 149: 1. Anthony Ashnault, RU 2. Micah Jordan, OSU 3. Pat Lugo, IOWA 4. Thomas Thorn, MINN 5. Cole Martin, WIS 6. Brady Berge, PSU 7. Shayne Oster, NU 8. Malik Amine, MICH 157: 1. Jason Nolf, PSU 2. Tyler Berger, NEB 3. Ryan Deakin, NU 4. Alec Pantaleo, MICH 5. Kaleb Young, IOWA 6. Steve Bleise, MINN 7. Ke-Shawn Hayes, OSU 8. Eric Barone, ILL 9. Griffin Parriott, PUR 10. John Van Brill, RU 11. Jake Danishek, IND 12. Jake Tucker, MSU 13. Garrett Model, WIS 14. Adam Whitesell, MD 165: 1. Vincenzo Joseph, PSU 2. Alex Marinelli, IOWA 3. Evan Wick, WIS 4. Isaiah White, NEB 5. Logan Massa, MICH 6. Te'Shawn Campbell, OSU 7. Bryce Martin, IND 8. Carson Brolsma, MINN 9. Joseph Gunther, ILL Tyler Morland, NU 10. Phillip Spadafora, MD 11. Stephan Glasgow, RU 12. Austin Hiles, MSU 13. Cole Wysocki, PUR 174: 1. Mark Hall, PSU 2. Myles Amine, MICH 3. Dylan Lydy, PUR 4. Mikey Labriola, NEB 5. Devin Skatzka, MINN 6. Ethan Smith, OSU 7. Ryan Christensen, WIS 8. Drew Hughes, MSU 9. Joe Grello, RU 10. Mitch Bowman, IOWA 11. Carver James, ILL 12. Jake Covaciu, IND 13. Josh Ugalde, MD 14. Braxton Cody, NU 184: 1. Myles Martin, OSU 2. Shakur Rasheed, PSU 3. Tyler Venz, NEB 4. Emery Parker, ILL 5. Cash Wilcke, IOWA 6. Mason Reinhardt, WIS 7. Jelani Embree, MICH 8. Max Lyon, PUR 9. Nick Gravina, RU 10. Cameron Caffey, MSU 11. Norman Conley, IND 12. Brandon Krone, MINN 13. Kyle Jasenski, MD 14. Brendan Devine, NU 197: 1. Bo Nickal, PSU 2. Kollin Moore, OSU 3. Jacob Warner, IOWA 4. Christian Brunner, PUR 5. Eric Schultz, NEB 6. Jackson Striggow, MICH 7. Dylan Anderson, MINN 8. Brad Wilton, MSU 285: 1. Gable Steveson, MINN 2. Anthony Cassar, PSU 3. Mason Parris, MICH 4. Trent Hillger, WIS 5. Chase Singletary, OSU 6. Conan Jennings, NU 7. David Jensen, NEB 8. Sam Stoll, IOWA

NCAA champion Yianni Diakomihalis will look to repeat as EIWA champion (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) The nation's senior college wrestling tournament debuts at Binghamton University this weekend. This is the first time in more than fifty years that the EIWA has enjoyed consecutive first-time hosts; Hofstra hosted a year ago. At Hempstead Lehigh broke Cornell's record run of eleven consecutive team titles, a string equal to the next two longest winning streaks combined. The Mountain Hawks hope to defend their title while the Big Red seek to reclaim the top perch. The two teams sport multiple new faces, not due to graduation so much as to injuries that have unsettled both rosters. Both teams have managed to patch together quality lineups so it's unlikely that another team can contend for top honors. The Black Knights of Army West Point may be in the best position to claim third place, possibly moving higher if things break right. Army returns seven veterans from last year's tournament, all of whom could return in 2020 as well. The likeliest challenge comes from Princeton; the Tigers feature more stars but less balance and, as with Army, we'll see their team again next year. Other contenders for the top positions are the host Binghamton Bearcats, the Diplomats of American University, and the Midshipmen of the Naval Academy. Beyond the team and individual titles, awards will be presented for outstanding wrestler, most career points, and best pinner; the coaches will choose the top coach and the referees will honor the most sportsmanlike team. The EIWA tournament holds forty-seven automatic qualifying bids for the NCAA Championships to be held in Pittsburgh in two weeks; wrestlers not receiving those bids hope to receive the at-large selections to be extended next week. The weight-by-weight preview: 125 NCAA bids: 4 Returning champion: None This class looks to be dominated by freshmen. Leading the way is Cornell's Vitali Arujau, who began the season at 133 and made the cut in December. Arujau pinned Princeton's top newcomer, Patrick Glory, in their dual meet matchup. In other seasons Penn's Carmen Ferrante or Hofstra's Dylan Ryder might win top freshman honors at this weight. Columbia's Joe Manchio and Navy's Jacob Allen are the other top first years. Not to say that there aren't some older wrestlers still making the lightest weight. Harvard senior Nolan Hellickson looks to improve upon last year's seventh place. Army junior Trey Chalifoux (fifth, sixth) and American sophomore Gage Curry (fourth) also look to make the youngsters wait their turn. Binghamton will send out soph Audey Ashkar; Ashkar ended Ryder's 11-dual winning streak. Brown's Trey Keeley (wins over Manchio and Ryder) and Bucknell's Jakob Campbell could also figure in the medals. 133 NCAA bids: 4 Defending champion: Scott Parker, Lehigh This is the first of three weight classes where the defending champion won't be present. Scott Parker's hopes of a third title were derailed by a shoulder injury, suffered last season, that prevented him from completing his career. The other 2018 finalist, Chas Tucker of Cornell, took control of this weight and has held the EIWA's top rankings all season. American's Josh Terao, a finalist at 125 two years ago, and Lehigh's Brandon Paetzell appear to be the challengers for the other finals position, with Navy's Casey Cobb also in the picture. No shortage of past medalists at this class: Princeton soph Jonathan Gomez was fifth last year; Army soph Lane Peters was seventh and beat Cobb in the Star Dual; Bucknell's David Campbell was eighth. Binghamton's freshman Zack Trampe missed the fall semester but he's won eight straight EIWA duals and wants to stand on the podium at home. Matt Kazimir (Columbia) and Doug Zapf (Penn) are two more freshmen who could go home with hardware. 141 NCAA bids: 3 Defending champion: Yianni Diakomihalis, Cornell Graduation and injuries resulted in heavy turnover in this weight. The two returning 2018 medalists are champion Yianni Diakomihalis and fourth-place Nicholas Gil of Navy, 25-5 this year. Yianni won NCAAs as well, despite a torn ACL that hampered him in Cleveland; regardless, he was the first to win both the EIWA's Freshman of the Year and Wrestler of the Year awards in the same season. Both men have been ranked all season and seem the likely finalists. At this weight there's no shortage of ranked wrestlers, as no fewer than eight additional EIWA grapplers appear in current rankings. Moving down by class, they are senior Jack Mutchnik (American); juniors Anthony Sparacio (Binghamton) and Ryan Pomrinca (Lehigh); sophomore Wil Gil (Franklin & Marshall); and freshmen Corey Shie (AWP), Danny Fongaro (Columbia), and Marshall Keller (Princeton). In other years it would be tempting to bet the field. 149 NCAA bids: 5 Defending champion: Matthew Kolodzik, Princeton Junior Matt Kolodzik is the only two-time returning champion in the 2019 tournament; ranked third in the nation, he's the favorite in this field. If anyone can mount a challenge, it should come from Penn freshman Anthony Artalona, ranked 15th, or Navy junior Jared Prince, twice third in this tournament. But that assumes no surprises, like those provided by the host's Frank Garcia a year ago; he beat three higher- seeded wrestlers on his way to the finals, where he gave Kolodzik a handful. Or those by Lehigh senior Cortlandt Schuyler, fourth last year, who sandwiched a loss to Prince at EIWAs between wins in their dual and at NCAAs. Prefer your surprises more recent? Drexel's Parker Kropman, seventh two years ago with Binghamton, recently upset Kolodzik in their dual. Or maybe you like American's Michael Sprague, a two-time medalist, who just upset Prince in their dual and also holds a win over Kropman. Cornell's Jonathan Furnas was sixth two years ago and that red singlet is always dangerous; Harvard's Brock Wilson was seventh last year as a freshman but has been out of the lineup recently with injuries. Others? Maybe Cole Corrigan, yet another Columbia freshman, with eight straight EIWA dual wins. Or Hofstra newcomer Holden Heller, who has put together a good campaign and could survive the blood round. 157 NCAA bids: 6 Returning champion: None Top returnee Mike D'Angelo took the year off from Princeton, leaving three freshmen as the top contenders. The young trio -- Bucknell's Zach Hartman, Lehigh's Josh Humphreys, and Princeton's Quincy Monday -- have been in the rankings most of the year. Hartman and Monday haven't met, Humphreys edged Monday early in the season, Hartman turned a scoreless duel against Humphreys into a pin with a Navy ride to a cradle. That could settle the top three seeds right there. Five additional wrestlers appear in the national rankings, so it's not a done deal that the new faces will sweep the top places. Army junior Lucas Weiland was fourth in his first EIWA last year, Harvard junior Hunter Ladnier was fifth at 149 last year after a second place in 2017. Hofstra senior Ryan Burkert was eighth last year at 149. Columbia senior Dan Reed came back for his finest season after taking last year off; he was eighth at 149 two years ago and recently upset Hartman. There's no easy path to the medal round, with at least a half dozen other solid wrestlers in the field. 165 NCAA bids: 4 Defending champion: Jon Jay Chavez, Cornell Last year's champ, Jon Jay Chavez, has missed the season with injury and weight issues; his absence throws the class wide open. Leading contenders are Brown senior Jon Viruet, sixth twice, riding 12 straight dual wins; and Drexel junior Ebed Jarrell, seventh last year. Half a step back is Lehigh senior Gordon Wolf, twice fifth at this weight but nagged by injuries throughout the season. Making their first EIWA appearances are Army junior Cael McCormick (dual win over Wolf) and Navy soph Tanner Skidgel (Star Dual win over McCormick), both of whom are in the rankings. Others looking to make a statement are Bucknell senior DJ Hollingshead, Columbia junior Laurence Kosoy, Cornell newcomer Andrew Berreyesa, Sacred Heart senior Brandon Levesque, soph Ricky Stamm of Hofstra, and Leonard Merkin or Dale Tiongson of Princeton. 174 NCAA bids: 5 Defending champion: Jordan Kutler, Lehigh Returning champion: Brandon Womack, Cornell (165) Defending champ Jordan Kutler heads the only weight with two former champions and All-Americans. He's been ranked in the top five all year. Cornell's Brandon Womack, third last year, was the 165 champion two years ago. Two-time placewinner Ben Harvey, Army, would like to crash the finals party, as would Navy junior Spencer Carey, in his first tournament. A mix of old and new look to move up; also ranked are Binghamton senior Vince DePrez, with more than 90 wins in his career, and Princeton freshman Travis Stefanik. Columbia's Max Elling bumped up from 165 and the higher weight seems to agree with him, as his six EIWA dual wins suggest. Drexel freshman Bryan McLaughlin or Bucknell soph Frankie Guida could surprise. 184 NCAA bids: 6 Defending champion: Ryan Preisch, Lehigh 2018 champion Ryan Preisch, winner of the Outstanding Wrestler and Sheridan awards, should be a shooin for the title .... except that Cornell sophomore Max Dean was the EIWA's All-American at this weight .... except that Binghamton freshman Lou DePrez has a win over Dean (and many others); De Pre Three ended the regular season with a dozen straight wins. All three have been in or near the top ten in the rankings all season, making this one of the EIWA's best chances for multiple A/A's. Top man this weekend? We should know by 5:30 pm Saturday. Five more wrestlers are ranked: American soph Tanner Harvey, Army junior Noah Stewart (with a win over Harvey), Brown senior CJ LaFragola (fifth last year), Bucknell junior Kyle Inlander, and Princeton junior Kevin Parker. Unranked but looking good are Navy's Anthony Cable and Sacred Heart's Kyle Davis. Looking for a dark horse? Maybe Columbia soph Brian Bonino, who seems to keep things close. 197 NCAA bids: 6 Defending champion: Ben Darmstadt, Cornell Ben Darmstadt is the third missing champion. His brilliant inaugural season ended with All-American status and a lower back injury. Rest was the best medicine, and so .... he's not here. The EIWA has been well-represented at the top of the rankings, though, with both Princeton soph Patrick Brucki (fifth last year) and Army senior Rocco Caywood (seventh) appearing in the top 5. Don't write that finals matchup down in ink just yet, though; in recent duals Caywood lost to Bucknell's Drew Phipps (eighth at 184), and Brucki dropped a tight decision to Cornell's Ben Honis (third two years ago). Drexel senior Stephen Loiseau, in the meantime, finished higher (third) than any of them at last year's tournament; he dropped a sudden victory decision to Caywood in their dual. Lehigh is still deciding between Chris Weiler, sixth last year, and John Jakobsen; both have been ranked Top 25 this season. Navy's Josh Roetman has support in the rankings; Brown's Tucker Ziegler grabbed eighth place and wouldn't mind a higher spot on the podium in his senior season. Seniors Phil Robilotto of F&M and Nezar Haddad of Hofstra have their work cut out for them if they want to score placement points. 285 NCAA bids: 4 Defending champion: Jordan Wood, Lehigh Jordan Wood became a rare freshman heavyweight champ last year, the first in Lehigh's long history. Wood doesn't believe in sharing, so anyone wanting to wrest the title away will need to come prepared. Those most likely to do so are Drexel senior Joey Goodhart, second two years ago; Cornell senior Jeramy Sweany, third last year; and Army plebe Ben Sullivan, the best of the Point's platoon of 285s. Brown senior Ian Butterbrodt was eighth last season and has won 11 straight; anyone who's seen F&M senior Antonio Pelusi leap into his coach's arms after clinching his two trips to NCAAs hopes for an encore. Navy senior Thomas Ott, Hofstra senior Omar Haddad, and Binghamton soph Joe Doyle might have the best chances for the remaining medals. Add American freshman Niko Camacho, with wins over Sullivan and Ott, to the list of potential surprises. For those planning ahead, the 116th EIWA tournament will return to Stabler Arena at Lehigh University on March 7-8, 2020.

UFC light-heavyweight (205-pound) champion Jon Jones retained his title with a unanimous decision over Anthony Smith in the main event at UFC 235. All three judges scored the five-round bout 48-44 for Jones, who, prior to launching his pro MMA career, won a New York high school wrestling championship as well as a NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) title at Iowa Central Community College. "If there is such a thing as a casual UFC title defense, Jon Jones' victory over Anthony Smith was it," according to ESPN.com, describing the fight as "tepid." "Jon Jones made it look easy against Anthony Smith in the UFC 235 main event Saturday night, but he nearly lost his light heavyweight title in the process," is how Sherdog.com summed up the bout. "A Jones elbow busted up Smith's nose in the fourth, but that was also the stanza in which Jones nearly lost his title," Sherdog continued. "Jones was pouring on the attrition with Smith on the canvas, but when "Lionheart" was down on one knee, Jones landed a knee to the head. Referee Herb Dean intervened, watched the replay and swiftly took two points from the champ. With Jones avoiding a disqualification, he coasted down the stretch and won a lopsided unanimous decision." Jones holds onto the light-heavy UFC belt with a 24-1 overall record, while Smith drops to 31-14. Usman wrests welterweight title from Woodley In a battle of former college wrestlers, Kamaru Usman left the Octagon with the welterweight (170-pound) belt, having earned a unanimous decision over Tyron Woodley in their five-round title bout at UFC 235. Kamaru UsmanUsman, a 2010 NCAA Division II wrestling champ and three-time All-American for University of Nebraska-Kearney, defeated Woodley, a two-time NCAA Division I All-American at University of Missouri by the score of 50-44, 50-44 and 50-45. "The UFC and many within the MMA media were touting Tyron Woodley as the greatest welterweight the promotion ever saw," Sherdog.com asserted. "Kamaru Usman made sure that narrative ended on Saturday night as he dominated Woodley from pillar to post in the UFC 235 co-main event." "'The Nigerian Nightmare' did whatever he wanted in what was the biggest fight of his career," Sherdog continued. "He controlled the pace of the bout, landed timely punches and mauled the champ on the ground." Yahoo Sports described the fight as "not even remotely competitive. Usman repeatedly took the one-time Missouri wrestling star down and held him, as Woodley could generate no offense." With the win, Usman gains a shiny title belt and a 15-1 pro MMA record, while Woodley is now 19-4-1 in his MMA career. Askren makes UFC debut with controversial submission Ben Askren, who had been lobbying for a decade for the opportunity to fight in the UFC, finally realized his dream, securing a technical submission of Robbie Lawler at 3:20 of the first round… but not without some controversy. MMAmania.com describe the welterweight bout featuring the UFC debut of the two-time NCAA champ for Missouri as a "simultaneously amazing and disappointing fight between former welterweight champ Robbie Lawler and new UFC arrival Ben Askren. Lawler mauled Askren for the first two minutes of the bout, only to end up in a bulldog choke that prompted the referee to step in and stop the fight, thinking 'Ruthless' was unconscious." "Lawler nearly authored a quick finish, as he answered a clinch from the four-time NCAA All-American wrestler with a powerful slam, swooped into top position and cut loose with devastating punches and elbows, one of which opened a cut," according to Sherdog. "Even so, Askren survived, staggered to his feet and slowly recovered. He closed the distance yet again, tripped Lawler to the canvas and advanced to the back before threatening with a rear-naked choke. Askren transitioned to the bulldog choke when 'Ruthless Robbie' attempted to scramble free. Lawler's arm appeared to go limp for a brief moment, prompting referee Herb Dean to intervene. However, the American Top Team star protested immediately once Askren released the choke." Even UFC President Dana White weighed in on the side of Lawler, a former high school wrestler from Bettendorf, Iowa. "Bad stoppage," White declared at the press conference. "And we had a debate, me, the ref, and the commission, about being choked out. I've been choked out many times before, too, and one of the things you don't do is jump right up and say 'What the f**k did you just do?' It just never happens that way. That was a bad stoppage, it happens. What are you gonna do? Sucks. It was a good fight." With his winning debut in the Octagon, Askren remains perfect in his pro MMA career (19-0) and in UFC (1-0), while Lawler now sports an overall record of 28-13, (13-7 in UFC).

Donnie Vinson coaching at the 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) SMYRNA, Del. -- Donnie Vinson has been named Coach of the Year by the 2019 National Collegiate Open. Vinson serves as an assistant coach at NC State where his athletes have recognized him as being instrumental in their training and development throughout the season. The Wolfpack program finished the day with an NCO record ten student-athletes claiming All-American honors at the 2019 Championship with two athletes claiming Championships.

Shane Griffith of Stanford claimed the title at 165 pounds (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) SMYRNA, Del. -- The Wolfpack of NC State made a statement at the 2019 National Collegiate Open in Delaware on Saturday with ten athletes earning NCO All-American honors at the 11th annual event. NC State broke the event's record for All-Americans which it had previously set in 2017 with nine placewinners. While Athletic Coast Conference rival Virginia turned in their best ever performance with six athletes earning All-American honors--the second most of any programs on the year. The Caveliers have now tied Central Michigan (2010), Indiana (2009), Maryland (2010), and Purdue (2012) for the eighth most NCO All-Americans in one season. Minnesota (Lee, Joles), Stanford (Woods, Griffith), and NC State (Camacho, Hidlay) led all programs with two champions each. With the addition of two champions, NC State has crowned seven all-time champions and overtaken Rutgers for the most all-time NCO Champions. The record for most champions in one season was set in 2012 when Minnesota crowned three champions. Arizona State (Teemer), California Baptist (Schrader), Campbell (Perez), Nebraska (Sjomeling), and Stanford all crowned their first-ever NCO champions. Markus Hartman (Army West Point) posted the fastest fall at 0:17 for the 2019 championship. Message from the event: "To all the coaches, athletes, and volunteers who made the 2019 NCO happen. Your participation and support helped make 2019 one of the best events yet. A few programs helped provide table work which made the event keep moving along throughout the day. Smyrna, DE high school was an excellent host and we appreciate all their admin and volunteers did to make our participants feel welcome and supported. This event began as an idea 11 years ago and now we have a highly competitive, nationally supported event that showcases the future stars of NCAA wrestling. Thank you all for helping us move the sport of wrestling forward." - Teague Moore,event co-creator For more information on the National Collegiate Open, visit the event website. 2019 National Collegiate All-Americans (Note: Affiliation listed is not official record): 125: 1st: Jakob Camacho (NC State) 2nd: Joey Melendez (North Carolina) 3rd: Zurich Storm (NC State) 4th: Cody Phippen (Air Force Prep) 5th: Dalton Rohrbaugh (Lock Haven) 6th: Tommy Cox (NC State) 133: 1st: Tucker Sjomeling (Nebraska) 2nd: Jevon Parrish (Nebraska) 3rd: Andrew Wert (Army Prep) 4th: Jarrett Trombley (NC State) 5th: Sam Brook (Virginia) 6th: Cole Manley (Lock Haven) 141: 1st: Real Woods (Stanford) 2nd: Nick Lirette (North Carolina) 3rd: Matt Fields (NC State) 4th: Alex Urquiza (NC State) 5th: Robert Cleary (Rider) 6th: Chase Zollmann (Wyoming) 149: 1st: Brayton Lee (Minnesota) 2nd: Daxton Gordon (Cal Baptist) 3rd: Denton Spencer (Virginia) 4th: AJ Jaffe 5th: PJ Ogunsanya (Army) 6th: Matt Grippi (NC State) 157: 1st: Jacori Teemer (Arizona State) 2nd: Justin McCoy (Virginia) 3rd: Micha Hoffman 4th: Markus Hartman (Army) 5th: Tyler Eischens (Stanford) 6th: Joe Casey (Rider) 165: 1st: Shane Griffith (Stanford) 2nd: Samuel Cokeley 3rd: Philip Conigliaro (Harvard) 4th: Hadley Harrison 5th: Mason Smith (Army Prep) 6th: Owen Brown (Army) 174: 1st: Quentin Perez (Campbell) 2nd: Brad Laughlin (Army) 3rd: Clay Lautt (North Carolina) 4th: Michael O'Malley (Drexel) 5th: Drew Peck (Virginia) 6th: Evan Bockman (Cal Baptist) 184: 1st: Trent Hidlay (NC State) 2nd: Victor Marcelli (Virginia) 3rd: Jonathan Lowe 4th: Garret Strang (Cal Baptist) 5th: Micael Battista (Virginia) 6th: Connor Doyle (Navy) 197: 1st: Garrett Joles (Minnesota) 2nd: Chasen Blair (North Carolina) 3rd: Bennett Paulson (Army) 4th: Mike Bulkin (Columbia) 5th: Paul Carson (Appalachian State) 6th: Cole Forrester (Air Force Prep) 285: 1st: Zach Schrader (Cal Baptist) 2nd: Keaton Kluever (North Carolina) 3rd: Zachary Knighton-Ward (Hofstra) 4th: Deonte Wilson (NC State) 5th: Tyrie Houghton (NC State) 6th: Sean O'Malley (Drexel)

125: 1st: Jordan Marshall (Northwest Kansas) maj. dec. Mason Naifeh (Northeast Oklahoma), 9-0 3rd: Zeth Brower (Clackamas) pinned Greg Quinn (Niagara), 1:04 5th: Kevin Radcliff (Iowa Central) dec. Esco Walker (North Idaho), 6-3 7th: Tre Ponce (Labette) by medical forfeit over Tramon Jenkins (Spartanburg Methodist) 133: 1st: Boo Dryden (Northeast Oklahoma) dec. Hector Candelaria (Ellsworth), 8-5 3rd: Jacob Ruiz (Iowa Western) dec. Quintel Fuchs (Northeastern), 11-7 5th: Jason Shaner (Clackamas) by medical forfeit over Munkhbat Bat-erdene (Northwest Kansas) 7th: Brock Luthens (Niacc) dec. Nathaniel White (Lackawanna), 5-3 SV 141: 1st: Elijah Ozuna (Clackamas) dec. Zack Donathan (Ellsworth), 3-1 SV 3rd: Bat-erdene Boldmaa (Northwest Kansas) pinned Anthony Fisher (Iowa Lakes), 3:37 5th: Kyle Evans (Western Wyoming) maj. dec. Gad Huseman (Iowa Western), 17-3 7th: Freddy Eckles (Niagara) dec. Joshua Franich (Highline), 7-5 149: 1st: Cardeionte Wilson (Ellsworth) pinned Kendon Lee (Northeast Oklahoma), 4:47 3rd: Bryce Parson (North Idaho) pinned Austin Eldredge (Cloud County), 6:57 5th: Tony Mendoza (Niacc) by medical forfeit over Enkhbold Sukhbaatar (Northwest Kansas) 7th: Kolby Drogemeier (Barton) dec. Yarhoski Aldiva (Iowa Central), 11-5 157: 1st: Ethan Karsten (Iowa Central) maj. dec. Joel Romero (Clackamas), 17-5 3rd: David Hollingsworth (Iowa Lakes) maj. dec. Tristin Guaman (Harper), 12-3 5th: Cooper McCullough (North Idaho) tech. fall Dallas Boone (Neosho), 21-6 4:43 7th: Shae Chafin (Labette) dec. Zach Porter (Northeast Oklahoma), 9-7 165: 1st: Michial Foy (Harper) dec. Travis Willers (Iowa Central), 8-2 3rd: Mason Mcdaniel (Clackamas) dec. Kyle Caldwell (Northeast Oklahoma), 8-5 5th: Noah Tarr (Thaddeus Stevens) by medical forfeit over Nick Lucas (Pratt) 7th: Garrett Lange (Cowley) dec. Noah Aziere (Cloud County), 5-3 174: 1st: Trajan Hurd (Clackamas) maj. dec. Ashton Eyler (Iowa Central), 11-3 3rd: Shane Siewert (Rochester) dec. Gage Mcbride (Barton), 6-2 5th: Caleb Spears (Spartanburg Methodist) by medical forfeit over Tsogtbayar Tserendagua (Northwest Kansas) 7th: Dominic Mancina (Henry Ford) dec. J'havon Innocent (Sullivan), 4-3 184: 1st: Charles Small (Northwest Kansas) dec. Marcus Placide (Iowa Lakes), 11-10 3rd: Cameron Page (Jamestown) dec. Alex Kauffman (Northeast Oklahoma), 5-3 5th: Trevor Senn (Clackamas) dec. Brian Stanford (Iowa Central), 6-4 7th: Bailey Shutt (Thaddeus Stevens) dec. Corey Perkins (Muskegon), 4-3 197: 1st: Tyree Sutton (Iowa Central) dec. Joey Daniel (Clackamas), 6-2 3rd: Connor Kirkland (Western Wyoming) dec. Hunter Harnish (Mercyhurst), 9-6 5th: Zeke Silva (Northeast Oklahoma) dec. Morgen Moreno (Rochester), 5-2 7th: Chris Henderson (Pratt) pinned Hunter Gregerson (North Idaho), 2:15 285: 1st: Antonio Andrade (Northeast Oklahoma) dec. Charles Griffin (Ellsworth), 6-0 3rd: Landon Brown (Western Wyoming) dec. Connor Sullivan (North Idaho), 6-4 SV 5th: Zach Santee (Niacc) maj. dec. Andre Bissainthe (Iowa Lakes), 9-1 7th: Tommy Mommer (Clackamas) pinned Gunner Cash (Iowa Central), 3:40

1. Clackamas 176.5 2. Northeast Oklahoma 152 3. Iowa Central 125.5 4. Northwest Kansas 109.5 5. Ellsworth 89 6. North Idaho 84.5 7. Iowa Lakes 72.5 8. Western Wyoming 71.5 9. Harper 52 10. Iowa Western 51.5 11. Northeastern 48.5 12. Rochester 45 13. Niacc 44.5 14. Cloud County 44 15. Barton 41 16. Jamestown 31 16. Niagara 31 18. Thaddeus Stevens 30.5 19. Pratt 25.5 20. Mercyhurst 24.5 21. Spartanburg Methodist 24 22. Highline 23.5 23. Labette 23 24. Itasca 15.5 25. Henry Ford 14.5 25. Nassau 14.5 25. Umpqua 14.5

DES MOINES, Iowa -- The No. 2-ranked Indiana Tech men's wrestling team concluded its 2018-19 season on Saturday on the second day of the NAIA National Championships inside the Richard O. Jacobson Exhibition Center with a four-place performance after scoring 81 points and getting two national champions and five All-Americans. Sawyer Miller and Erique Early each won their first national titles and become the second and third wrestlers in program history to stand atop the podium at the national meet, joining Mitch Pawlak (2016) on the exclusive list. Early became just the second grappler in program history to make it to back-to-back finals, etching his name next to Pawlak again. Miller kicked off his day with a first round fall in the semifinals, pinning 11th-ranked Koby Millner of Reinhardt University in 60 seconds to earn a spot in the national title bout. The South Adams High School product needed extra time in the finals as he was tied 2-2 with Life University's Randy McCray. The second-ranked wrestler at 125-lbs. would not be deterred though, as he took down Millner 14 seconds into extra time to score first and come away with sudden victory at 4-2. Early, the defending national runner-up at 133-lbs. started his day off with a 10-7 victory in the semifinals to secure a matchup with top-ranked Shiquan Hall of Grand View University in the finals. After battling to a 1-1 draw through three periods, the top-two wrestlers in the division need two extra sessions to decide a champion. Trailing 2-1 with under 15 seconds to go, Early recorded a takedown to take a 3-2 lead with six seconds in the second overtime and held off advances from Hall in the third overtime to prevail 4-2 and claim his first national title. Gaige Torres fell to top-ranked David Berg in the semifinals of the 141-lbs. division and suffered an 11-8 setback in the consolation semifinals before ending his tournament on a high note by defeating Oklahoma Wesleyan's Dayton Marvel, 6-4, to finish in fifth place. Justin Atkinson started off his day with a 9-8 decision over teammate Robert Humphrey before falling to top-ranked Tres Leon of University of the Cumberlands and fourth-ranked Terrill Sidner of Menlo College to finish in his fifth place and cap his career with All-American honors. After falling to Atkinson, Humphrey dropped the seventh-place match to sixth-ranked Latrell Davis of Lindsey Wilson College to finish in eight place and add an All-American plaque to his mantle. It is the fourth straight season the Warriors have finished inside the top-10 at the NAIA National Championships while it is the second time in the last four years they have recorded top-five finishes.

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Brett Bradford and Brandon Reed both won individual national titles as Bradford won at the 165-pound class and Reed took home the Heavyweight crown after they both finished a perfect 5-0 for the tournament. As a team, Lindsey Wilson wrestling posted a second-place finish at the 2019 NAIA Wrestling National Championships held at the Jacobson Exhibition Center on Saturday. Bradford (No. 2 at 165) earned the first individual NAIA National Championship of the night after topping Ryan Niven (No. 5 at 165) of Grandview (Iowa) on a 6-5, come from behind victory in the finals. Brett would fall behind Niven in the first period when he was taken down with a minute left but a quick reversal would level the score. Niven scored an escape point to lead after the first three minutes. Bradford would start the second frame on top and managed to ride out nearly 1:30 of time off the clock before Niven was able to break free, doubling his lead to 4-2. The senior from Byron, Minnesota would open the third period on bottom and managed to quickly escape from Niven's hold. Niven would increase his lead to 5-3 with just over a minute to wrestle but Bradford would battle back scoring a takedown with five seconds left in the match. He was then awarded an additional point for racking up over one minute of ride time to claim the 165-pound 2019 NAIA National Championship. Bradford opened his day in the championship bracket semifinals where he defeated Andrew Bartel (No. 6 at 165) of MSU-Northern on a 5-2 decision. Reed (No. 1 at HW) picked up the Blue Raiders second Individual National Championship of the day when he was able to defeat Korey Walker (No. 3 at HW) of Oklahoma City. Reed scored two points halfway through the first frame but was unable to secure Walker as he quickly escaped, to cut Reed's advantage to one. Reed would hold on to this advantage after three minutes. Reed opened the second period on bottom and managed to break free early. Leading 3-1 Reed and Walker would challenge each other in a neutral position but neither could score any points. Walker earned an early escape to cut Reed's lead to 3-2 but Reed would manage to ward off Walker's effort for the rest of the match. The sophomore from Louisville, Kentucky would score a two-point takedown in the waning seconds of the match to claim the heavyweight class 2019 NAIA National Championship on a 5-2 decision. Reed defeated Jesse Gomez (No. 5 at HW) of Missouri Valley in the semifinals in dominating fashion with a 15-0 technical fall. For the tournament, Reed defeated his five opponents by a 63-12 margin that included two technical falls, two decisions and one major decision. Bradford and Reed both earned All-American honors for their efforts. The honor is Reed second of his career after also earning the status last season. Both of their accomplishments mark the eight time in program history a Lindsey Wilson wrestler has won an individual national championship. Grand View (Iowa) won the team title after finishing the event with 219 total points. The win marks the eighth straight year the Vikings have won the championship. Mid-South Conference member Life (Ga.) took third at the tournament after scoring 82.5 team points. Reeds win in the final match of the championship secured second place in the team standings for the Blue Raiders as they were able to jump past Life. LWC sent five competitors in total to the podium on Saturday. Latrell Davis (No. 6 at 149) and Mark Taijeron placed in the top eight of their respective weight classes to earn their first NAIA All-American distinctions, while Brady Moser (No. 8 at 133) also place in the top eight and earns his second career All-American honors after receiving the honor last season. Moser opened Saturday's action with a 5-1 decision victory over Mid-South Conference foe Jacob Seto of Cumberlands (Ky.) but would then fall to the fifth place title bout when he lost to No. 3 Gresh Jones of Dickinson State on an 8-1 decision. He would then fall to No. 10 Dearion Stokes of Briar Cliff to take sixth-place overall for the championship in the 133-pound weight class on a 13-5 major decision. Davis opened his day with an 8-5 decision victory over No. 9 Shonn Roberts of Providence but would fall to the seventh-place match when he lost to No. 4 Terrill Sidner of Menlo on a tight 6-5 decision. He then closed out the competition in style with a 15-4 major decision over No. 8 Robert Humphry of Indiana Tech. The win gave him a seventh-place podium finish for the championship. Taijeron managed a pinfall over No. 10 Tanner stone of Dickinson State, accomplishing the feat in just 3:24. He would then fall in back-to-back matches to take eighth place for the championship in the 157-pound weight class. He first fell to No. 11 Justin George of Reinhardt on a close 6-5 decision before falling to No. 9 Casey Dobson on a 5-1 decision. The five Blue Raider All-Americans brings Lindsey Wilson's total to 41 in ten seasons as a program. The runner-up team finish matches a program best as the Blue Raider also finished the 2017 season in second place at the championship.

125: 1st: Sawyer Miller (Indiana Tech) dec. Randy McCray (Life), 4-2 SV 3rd: Trevor Murano (Grand View) pinned Keegan Hessler (Morningside), 0:27 5th: Justin Portillo (Grand View) tech. fall Koby Millner (Reinhardt), 19-0 7th: Jordan Martinez (Campbellsville) dec. Alexander Nunez (Life Pacific), 5-3 133: 1st: Erique Early (Indiana Tech) dec. Shiquan Hall (Grand View), 4-2 TB1 3rd: Gresh Jones (Dickinson State) dec. Alberto Garcia (Concordia), 9-6 5th: D'earion Stokes (Briar Cliff) maj. dec. Brady Moser (Lindsey Wilson), 13-5 7th: Blaysen Terukina (Menlo) maj. dec. Jacob Seto (Cumberlands), 13-2 141: 1st: David Berg (Midland) dec. Eric Clarke (Grand View), 2-1 3rd: Ethan Owen (Southeastern) dec. Nick Henneman (Lourdes), 5-3 5th: Gaige Torres (Indiana Tech) dec. Dayton Marvel (Oklahoma Wesleyan), 6-4 7th: Jaedin Sklapsky (Campbellsville) maj. dec. Devin Poppen (Southern Oregon), 15-4 149: 1st: Josh Wenger (Grand View) pinned Devin Reynolds (Grand View), 4:15 3rd: Tres Leon (Cumberlands) pinned Anthony Maia (Cumberland), 2:32 5th: Terrill Sidner (Menlo) dec. Justin Atkinson (Indiana Tech), 5-3 7th: Latrell Davis (Lindsey Wilson) maj. dec. Robert Humphrey (Indiana Tech), 15-4 157: 1st: Nosomy Pozo (Life) dec. Brandon Weber (MSU-Northern), 6-5 3rd: Justin George (Reinhardt) dec. James Williams (Embry Riddle), 10-4 5th: Steven Lawrence (Grand View) by medical forfeit over Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer (Grand View) 7th: Casey Dobson (Providence) dec. Mark Taijeron (Lindsey Wilson), 5-1 165: 1st: Brett Bradford (Lindsey Wilson) dec. Ryan Niven (Grand View), 6-5 3rd: Andrew Bartel (MSU-Northern) dec. Drake Randall (Eastern Oregon), 3-2 5th: Adrian Lyons-Lopez (Providence) pinned Matt Landgraff (Oklahoma City), 0:47 7th: Brennan Swafford (Graceland ) maj. dec. Cole Tenety (Reinhardt), 17-6 174: 1st: Lucas Lovvorn (Baker) dec. Lucius Van Rensburg (Life), 8-6 SV 3rd: Lawton Benna (Grand View) dec. Chase Vincent (Oklahoma City), 9-2 5th: Michael Carew (Reinhardt) pinned Daniel Butler (Embry Riddle), 4:06 7th: Nathan Walton (Cumberland) dec. Dalton Tipton (Missouri Valley), 8-3 184: 1st: Anthony Orozco (Menlo) maj. dec. Joseph Robinson (Lindenwood-Bellville), 12-2 3rd: Antonio Stewart (Reinhardt) dec. Artie Bess (Grand View), 3-1 5th: Jacob Smith (Baker) dec. Brooks Climmons (Brewton-Parker), 7-4 7th: Tyler Hall (Embry Riddle) dec. Jason Davis (Southeastern), 4-0 197: 1st: Evan Hansen (Grand View) dec. Isaac Bartel (MSU-Northern), 6-4 3rd: David Hamil (Brewton-Parker) dec. David Dow (Baker), 3-2 5th: Eli Mason (Embry Riddle) dec. Harley Dilulo (Eastern Oregon), 7-3 7th: Tanner Fischer (Southern Oregon) dec. Dialo Matsimela (Life), 5-2 285: 1st: Brandon Reed (Lindsey Wilson) dec. Korey Walker (Oklahoma City), 5-2 3rd: Jesse Gomez (Missouri Valley) dec. Shawn Beeson (Graceland ), 2-1 5th: Quandre Chisolm (Cumberlands) dec. Brandon Hill (Life), 4-3 7th: Bryson McGowan (Oklahoma City) dec. Aaron Johnson (Cumberlands), 3-1 SV

1. Grand View 219 2. Lindsey Wilson 85 3. Life 82.5 4. Indiana Tech 81 5. Reinhardt 71 6. Oklahoma City 56 7. Cumberlands 55 8. Menlo 53 9. Baker 52.5 10. MSU-Northern 50.5 11. Embry Riddle 45 12. Providence 39 13. Midland 35 14. Missouri Valley 35 15. Brewton-Parker 30 16. Campbellsville 29.5 17. Eastern Oregon 29.5 18. Graceland 28 19. Southeastern 26 20. Briar Cliff 24.5 21. Morningside 24.5 22. Cumberland 24 23. Dickinson State 20 24. Southern Oregon 18.5 25. Lourdes 18

Don Sayenga, long-time amateur wrestling historian who was welcomed into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as an Order of Merit recipient in 1993, passed away in his home in Bethlehem, Pa. on Tuesday, Feb. 26 after a long battle with cancer. He was 84. In its March 1 announcement of his passing, the Hall of Fame described Sayenga as "wrestling's foremost historian." He was known and respected for his historical column, "The Oldest Sport," an enduring feature in Amateur Wrestling News from 1964 to 2014 which revealed little-known facts about wrestling in the early 20th century. Sayenga was a two-time winner of Amateur Wrestling News' Bob Dellinger Award, presented each year to the nation's top wrestling writer, most recently in 2014. Don SayengaIn addition, Sayenga was chairman of the Veterans Committee of the Hall of Fame beginning with the first election of Distinguished Members in 1976. Born in Pittsburgh on June 4, 1934, Donald A. Sayenga attended Lafayette College in northeast Pennsylvania, where participated in football, track and field, choir, and wrestling. After graduating from Lafayette with a Bachelor's Degree in Metallurgic Engineering in 1956, Sayenga then pursued his graduate studies at Lehigh University. He took military leave in 1957 to attend the U.S. Army Ordinance School and served in the Army Reserve as an ordinance officer for eight years. Sayenga was actively involved in wrestling in a number of ways over the course of seven decades. He wrestled heavyweight for Lafayette College, competing in the 1956 NCAA Championships, and at the Tulsa YMCA where eventual Hall of Fame Distinguished Members Terry McCann, Shelby Wilson and Doug Blubaugh trained for their gold medal-winning performances at the 1960 Rome Olympics. In the early 1960s, Sayenga helped launch high school wrestling in Florida, and began writing "The Oldest Sport" column. A long-term resident of Bethlehem, he was active in wrestling programs in the area, particularly Lehigh University where he trained with wrestlers in the upper weights for more than two decades after his graduation, and was a familiar competitor in senior-level competition. Sayenga wore many hats during his life. In addition to his participation in wrestling as an athlete and researcher, Sayenga had a long career as a sales executive for Bethlehem Steel's wire rope division. His job required extensive travel, which afforded him opportunities to conduct wrestling research. His career also led to Sayenga becoming a consultant, author, researcher and historian for two transglobal industrial trade associations: the Associated Wire Rope Fabricators, and the Wire Association International. In 2001, he received the Mordica Medal for his efforts to document the world history of wire, and in 2010 he received the History and Heritage Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers for Washington Roebling's Father: A Memoir of John A. Roebling. Beyond his historical wrestling writings, Sayenga also wrote for Encyclopedia Britannica and authored the book "Ellet and Roebling" which tells the story of suspension bridge pioneers Charles Ellet and John A. Roebling. Over his long career, Sayenga earned a number of honors in wrestling and beyond. In addition to his two Dellinger Awards, Sayenga received the Order of Merit from National Wrestling Hall of Fame for his writing and research of amateur wrestling in 1993. He was also a member of the Helms Hall of Fame, the Lafayette College Hall of Fame and the Citizens Savings Athletic Foundation Wrestling Hall of Fame. In 2001, Sayenga received the Mordica Medal for his efforts to document the world history of wire, and in 2010 he received the History and Heritage Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers for "Washington Roebling's Father: A Memoir of John A. Roebling."

Clackamas won the NJCAA team title COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA -- For the third time in Clackamas wrestling program history, the Cougars can call themselves NJCAA national champions. Clackamas also won the team title in 1971 and more recently in 2011. In dominating fashion the Cougars led wire-to-wire in the 2019 edition of the NJCAA Wrestling Championships. The Cougars advanced four into the finals of which they saw Elijah Ozuna (141) and Trajan Hurd (174) claim individual national championships. Entering the final 10 title bouts, it was a foregone conclusion that the Cougars would be champions at the end of the night-- entering the Saturday evening round with a 23-point lead over second-place. The 2018 champions, Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, finished in a distant second with 152 team points. The Norsemen saw Boo Dryden (133) and Antonio Andrade (285/HWT) walk away with individual titles. Iowa Central's Ethan Karsten (157) and Tyree Sutton (197) had redemption on their minds. Both Tritons lost their respective national title match a year ago but were able to come out on top this time. Northwest (Kansas) Tech had a breakout year, claiming a pair of individual national champions for the first time in program history. Jordan Marshall won the program's first title at 125, while Charles Small won at 184. Cardeionte Wilson (Ellsworth) at 149 and Michial Foy (Harper) at 165 rounded out the 10 individual national champions. Clackamas point total of 176.5 is a new NJCAA record for a team score at a national tournament. The result gave the Cougars' head coach Josh Rhoden his second national title while at the helm of the program. He was also voted by his peers as the Coach of the Year. It was the third consecutive year that Clackamas, Iowa Central, and NEO finished in the top three, each winning one title in that time. Four teams (Clackamas, Ellsworth, Iowa Central, and NEO) advanced four wrestlers into the championship finals round. Ellsworth sent four wrestlers into the championship round for the first time in program history. Mercyhurst North East's Hunter Harnish tallied the Bruce Traphagen Award for Most Falls of the championship (5/20:58). Jamestown (NY) earned Academic Team of the Year honor, accumulating a team 3.28 GPA. Harper finished with the highest team point total among non-scholarship programs.

Grand View claimed the NAIA team title (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) DES MOINES, Iowa -- No. 1 Grand View wrestling clinches their 8th consecutive national team title while crowning two individual national champions at the 2019 NAIA National Championship hosted by Catch Des Moines. Josh Wenger (149) and Evan Hansen (197) both earned individual national titles, collecting a total of five between the two of them over the past three years. Grand View scored a total a 219 team points, 134 points ahead of second place Lindsey Wilson. Grand View becomes only the second university nationally to claim eight-consecutive national titles, joining the University of Iowa in NCAA Division I. The Vikings are one of three schools with eight total titles in the NAIA. Evan Hansen joins the short list of three-time NAIA National Champions. The last grappler to join this list was Grand View alum Eric Thompson (2012-2014). Hansen won by decision over No. 2 seed Isaac Bartel of MSU-Northern, 6-4. He finished the season with a 19-1 record. Wenger, who came into the tournament as the No.5 seed, claimed his second individual national title as a Viking, pinning teammate and second-seeded Devin Reynolds, who finished national runner-up, in the second period. Wenger was the national champion as a freshman in 2017 in the 141 bracket and ends his season with a 30-8 record. Reynolds finishes his season with a 30-4 record and 17 pins, with four coming in the NAIA National Championships. Seniors Shiquan Hall and Eric Clarke also finished as national runner-ups at 133 and 141, respectively. Hall dropped 4-2 in a tiebreaker to second-seeded Erique Early of Indiana Tech. Second-seeded Clarke dropped to top-seeded David Berg of Midland, 2-1 At 165 pounds, fifth-seeded Ryan Niven also came in runner-up, after suffering a last-second setback. Brett Bradford, the second seed from Lindsey Wilson, scored a takedown in the closing seconds to even the match, and the riding time point gave him the 6-5 decision. Trevor Murano (125) and Lawton Benna (174) both brought home third place finishes. Benna became the fourth Viking in program history to earn four NAIA All-American honors. Benna defeated the No.6-seed Chase Vincent of Oklahoma City, 9-2. Murano brings home his second All-American honor after dropping a match early on before battling through the backside of the bracket to finish 7-1 in the tournament, including three pins. In the third place match, Murano pinned third-seeded Keegan Hessler of Morningside in 27 seconds. Artie Bess (184) placed fourth, dropping the third-place match to top-seeded Antonio Stewart of Reinhardt, 3-1. Justin Portillo finished fifth in the 125 bracket, and earned his second NAIA All-American honor, after defeating Koby Millner of Reinhardt by 19-0 in his final match of the tournament. In the 157 bracket, Steven Lawrence and Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer were scheduled to face another in the fifth-place match. Rodriquez-Spencer was forced to withdraw due to medical forfeit and finished sixth with Lawrence earning fifth place accolades. Grand View has earned a total of 94 NAIA All-Americans and 28 individual national championships, the fourth most in the NAIA.

INDIANAPOLIS -- The NCAA has announced the qualifier allocations for the 2019 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships as listed in the chart below. Each qualifying tournament was awarded automatic bids per weight class based on current year data. Each wrestler was measured on the following: Division I winning percentage at the weight class; ratings percentage index (RPI); and coaches' ranking. For each wrestler that reached the threshold in at least two of the three categories, his conference tournament was awarded a qualifying spot in that weight class. Each conference was awarded a minimum of one automatic bid per weight class, which will go to the tournament champion, even if they did not have any wrestlers reach at least two of the three thresholds. NCAA tournament spots for each qualifying event will be awarded at the tournament based solely on place-finish. After all of the conference tournaments have concluded, the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee will meet in-person to select the remaining 44 at-large qualifiers, which will be announced on March 12, while brackets and seeding will be announced on NCAA.com at 6 p.m. on March 13. All weight classes will consist of 33 wrestlers. The at-large selections will be made based on the following criteria: head-to-head competition; quality wins; coaches' ranking; results against common opponents; RPI; qualifying event placement; and winning percentage. The coaches' rankings are compiled by a vote of coaches representing each conference. For ranking purposes, coaches may only consider a wrestler that has been designated as a starter at a respective weight class. To be eligible for the rankings, wrestlers must have participated in at least five matches against Division I opponents in the weight class and have wrestled within the last 30 days. To be eligible for an RPI ranking, a wrestler must have a minimum of 17 Division I matches at a given weight class. For a full list of the coaches rankings by weight class please click here. For the full RPI please click here. Sebastian Rivera of Northwestern (125 pounds), Vincenzo Joseph of Penn State (165), Mark Hall of Penn State (174) and Myles Martin of Ohio State (184) are all ranked No. 1 by both the coaches and in the RPI. The remaining top ranked wrestlers by the coaches are Stevan Micic of Michigan (133), Yianni Diakomihalis of Cornell (141), Anthony Ashnault of Rutgers (149), Jason Nolf of Penn State (157), Bo Nickal of Penn State (197) and Gable Steveson of Minnesota (285). The remaining top-rated wrestlers in the RPI include Daton Fix of Oklahoma State (133), Joey McKenna of Ohio State (141), Matthew Kolodzik of Princeton (149), Ryan Deakin of Northwestern (157), Kollin Moore of Ohio State (197) and Derek White of Oklahoma State (285). The 2019 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships takes place at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh March 21-23. Wrestling fans can buy and sell official tickets through the NCAA Ticket Exchangeâ„¢. This gives ticket holders who are unable to attend a session a place to safely sell their tickets. Buyers can also get their tickets knowing the tickets are authentic and guaranteed, visit https://www.ncaa.com/tickets/wrestling/d1 for more information. A full description of the entire selection process is in the 2019 Division I Wrestling Championships Pre-Championships Manual which is available at NCAA.org.

Ty Smith (Photo/Drexel Athletics) A GoFundMe page has been established for Ty Smith, a four-time Nevada high school state wrestling champion who has been forced to take a medical withdrawal as a freshman from Drexel University because of a serious medical condition. Wracked with stomach pain, Smith lost weight. In January, the 2017 national champ was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. Smith spent a couple weeks in a hospital in Utah where he underwent five blood transfusions and other medical treatment. He is now recovering at home, receiving appropriate medical care. "He is battling this disease with vigor and there is no question that he will overcome it and make a return to college and the wrestling mat," according the GoFundMe page set up on Ty Smith's behalf. "It will take some time and he will endure great pain in this process. During this time there is a financial need for both Ty and his family. As a community, let's help them out so Ty can get back to good." Before taking his medical leave from Drexel, Ty Smith had been a freshman at the Philadelphia-based school, majoring in engineering. Prior to heading east for college, Smith had made a name for himself on the wrestling mat in Nevada and beyond. He was a four-time state champion -- only the 13th in Nevada state history -- for Virgin Valley High School in Mesquite, Nev. Smith went on to win four regional titles, and become a junior national champ at Fargo. For all his wrestling accomplishments, Ty Smith was named Male Athlete of the Year for 2018 by the Las Vegas Sun.

I'm on the road this week covering the Dan Kolov Ranking Series in Ruse, Bulgaria, where the United States has sent a deep women's and men's freestyle wrestling team. Though traveling I was able to read up on the TV vs. Streaming Twitter battle that seemed to consume Wrestling Twitter for the better part of 48 hours. I won't dive deep into anyone's intent in writing their pieces, as I believe that InterMat, Track, and Flo want what is best for wrestling. I also happen to know that there are a lot of people on these sites and other sites who work incredibly long hours (and aren't getting rich) to deliver fans more wrestling content. There is also no battle between streaming and live television. In wrestling, streaming has been a massive buoy to the popularity and sustainability of our sport. Total and complete game changer with rippling effects felt through every aspect of the sport both in the United States and abroad. The amount of video content, both live and creative, being supported by media companies, organizations, teams, and individuals is simply remarkable. The value of television (as it stands right now) is that it services a neutral sports crowd. Running on TV is like taking out a full-page print ad in the New York Times. There is intrinsic validation in having your product associate with legacy media, not to mention a massive audience reach (both potential and actual). TV can be a neat entry drug for someone to fall back in love with the sport or make positive connections since last seeing their "high school friend spit in a cup and run up and down stairs." I'm not too concerned with whether linear is the best option for 2024 or 2034, because trend lines won't be impacted by our opinions. They'll be impacted by the needs of the advertisers, consumers, and distribution companies. However, I think that we should encourage (when possible, legal, and convenient) that the larger meets also be included on TV. From a fan's perspective that feels obvious, but from a business perspective it's much more complicated. Robbie Lawler and Ben Askren at media day before their fight on Saturday night at UFC 235 (Photo/Getty Images) To your questions … Q: It seems like people are overlooking Robbie Lawler on Saturday night. I'm putting some money on him. He's a massive underdog and has serious knockout power. I realize he's on the backside of his fighting career, but he has beaten a lot of really good fighters. Ben Askren has built his resume beating fighters nobody knows. Do you think Lawler is a smart bet at odds of better than 2-1? -- Mike C. Foley: Yes, you bet the puncher especially when he knows how to wrestle. Wrestling ability is important, but quickly negated when fighting another wrestler, especially one with KO power. 2-1 is great value. Q: Which rule changes below would you like to see at the high school level: (A) Step-out rule in neutral position. (B) Takedowns are worth 3 points. (C) Change team scoring for dual meets. Every other sport is simplistic and the casual fan can understand team scoring pretty quickly. Team score should be cumulative. Wrestler A scores 4 points and wrestler B scores 10 points, Team A would have 4 team points and Team B would have 10 team points. You could do a 10-point tech (you get 10 team points too), and 12 team points for pins, forfeit, disqualification, etc. (D) Every swipe for back points is a point up to 4. (E) Technical falls should be 10-point difference rather than current 15. -- Frank S. Foley: (A) Needs to happen as soon as possible. Long overdue. (B) No. Would be solved by A. (C) Some variation, but only if tied to larger changes in concentrating on dual meets overall. (D) No, No, No. Too many points being given already. (E) Would make for some quick matches at the high school level, especially with four-point exposure calls! Q: If you could train or compete against any wrestler/coach, who would it be? My picks are Dave Schultz, John Smith and Dan Gable. -- Frank S. Foley: I'll go international: Abdulrashid Sadulaev, Buvaisar Saitiev and John Smith. Q: I know it has been talked about to death but seriously when are we going to make a change to folkstyle rules? The thing that got me worked up was Derek White vs. Sam Stoll and in the second period they went out several times just trying to bring him back the mat. This is ridiculous and turns people off the sport watching critical minutes of match time being wasted trying to bring a guy back to the mat when it could be brought back to the feet, promoting action, as opposed to who can keep the guy on the ground longer. -- Casey L. Foley: Well said. The constant out-of-bounds restarts, with no added drama but the ticking of a clock, is beginning to make some NCAA matches obnoxious to watch, especially when you watch a lot of freestyle and see how much offense is generated near the edge. Does it sometimes feel like buck 'em bronco? MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME First of the video content from India! Q: I know there is a difference between high school and college, but I do not understand how Daton Fix riding parallel for two minutes is not stalling. Again, I know it's not high school but if that match was a high school match people would be screaming for a stalling call and rightfully so. Why don't we expect more from our top athletes instead of less? Very boring conclusion in my opinion. On the other hand, I thought Fix had a takedown at the end of the second period. Any thoughts on that? -- Dan B. Foley: Look, riding time is not that interesting! They only ride bulls for like 20 seconds and that's a 1200-pound animal with horns. Why would I want to watch one dude ride another with no turns, or even hints of going perpendicular? I don't! The incentive of riding time was to encourage more riding and thus more falls -- the true aim of the sport being to pin. However, through years and years of gamesmanship the sport has become more about who can clip an extra second during their turn on top, then run away with a 2-1 lead. The sport suffers when the rules aren't adjusted to ensure that gamesmanship is limited. Wrestling loves to compare itself to other sports. Well, look at the new rules issued for golf. That sport is wildly successful and profitable, played by millions of Americans every weekend and the governing body made slight, but significant, rule changes and mostly to positive reviews. Why can't wrestling do the same? Odd that the referee missed the takedown call. DeSanto was clearly on his hip and ceding both legs. Calls get missed, I suppose. Q: I was browsing the NAIA brackets and it appears an NAIA team can have more than one national qualifier per weight class up to a maximum number of 12 participants per team. Is this new? Do you think this would be a good idea to allow more entrants at a weight class for small school divisions in high school to help fill their brackets? -- John W. Foley: I don't know much about the rule or its history, but I (without knowing much more than you shared) like the idea as a way to retain larger numbers of athletes at smaller schools. By implementing this in smaller high schools would the idea be to fill out more programs, or to fill out more spots in a 32-man bracket? I'm a little suspect that for meaningful tournaments there should be more than one wrestler from a school allowed unless there are more than 40 varsity-level wrestlers in which case I think there should be two separate squads. Retaining athletes and giving them an opportunity to enjoy the sport is the most important aim of the rule so I'd definitely like to learn more. More thoughts on youth wrestling By Anon We are a small school in a rural area. We are trying to rebuild our youth program after it was run into the ground. We had some old school coaches that thought it was funny to scream at 5 and 6-year-olds and run them into the ground. Laughing as those kids quit the sport after just the first practice. Just a couple years ago the team would start with 20 kids and by the end of the year had 10 or less. Normally less. Luckily those coaches have moved on and our high school coaching staff has taken over the program. Our current coaching staff has only been in charge for the last four years. A member of the coaching staff runs each youth practice, making sure that there is an emphasis on technique and fun. Games are played every practice that promote competition, but the wrestlers don't realize they are developing useful skills. Games such as sumo wrestling, relay races and a bit of dodgeball. When they get out in dodgeball they have to do five pushups, situps or frog hops to get back in. Never a complaint. They do the exercise and right back in the game. We practice three days a week, but tell parents two days a week is good, especially for the novice kids. We do not have the kids go to many tournaments. We have our youth team wrestle before our varsity in dual meets with whatever team the varsity is wrestling. Coaches before the dual match up kids by weight and experience. We want the kids to be evenly matched so the match will go the distance and each kid has an opportunity to win. Doesn't always happen but we do try. We also have our middle school team with the varsity for duals. At home we have two mats that are rolled out with the middle school on one mat and the youth on the other mat wrestling at the same time. One mat is then rolled up and the other is slid to the middle of the gym floor. We turn down the lights, put a spotlight on and then wrestle the varsity match. Our crowds for home matches have increased dramatically and interest in the sport is starting to go up. We now have about 20-25 kids on the youth team and they are coming back the next year. We shortened the season, starting around Dec. 1 and ending in February. If kids have the drive to continue to compete then we work with another team in the area and send them to continue with them. No emphasis is put on competing at states or any type of postseason. We want the kids to learn good technique, have fun and learn to love the sport. The winning will come later.

Josh Saunders won a Walsh Ironman title (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) Joshua Saunders (Christian Brothers College, Mo.), the nation's No. 4 overall wrestler in the Class of 2020, committed to Cornell University on Thursday evening. The three-time state champion competed at both the Cadet and Junior World Championships in 2018. He also was a Walsh Jesuit Ironman champion in December of 2018. Saunders is currently ranked No. 8 nationally at 145 pounds, and projects to compete as a 149/157 in college. He joins Greg Diakomihalis (Hilton, N.Y.) as a high-end commit for the Big Red in their 2020 recruiting class.