InterMat Staff

Three-time NCAA All-American and three-time EIWA (Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association) titlist at Lehigh. Two-time Pennsylvania state champ. Assistant coach at his college and high school alma maters. Star of a number of instructional videos, and a 2006 documentary "Veritas." Creator of a program helping inner-city youth and girls to find their way in wrestling. Now Jon Trenge can add "head coach" to his already impressive resume. Jon TrengeThe 38-year-old Trenge has been named head wrestling coach at Parkland High School, the place where he won two PIAA (Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association) state titles and compiled a 144-16 record two decades ago. Trenge replaces fellow Parkland state champion Mike Ottinger, who took a full-time teaching position in the Upper Perkiomen School District. In being able to land Trenge for the head coaching position, Parkland athletic director Bill Dreisbach told the Allentown Morning Call, "It's unbelievable. He can interview anywhere in the country and basically get hired." "He is Parkland wrestling," Dreisbach continued. "And, besides wrestling, he is a really good person, a great teacher. Kids love him. It's a win-win for Parkland." "I wouldn't have wanted to coach anywhere else," said Trenge, who, in addition to having served as an assistant coach at Parkland, has been an earth science and astronomy teacher at the high school for over a decade. Just last year, Trenge earned a superintendent teaching award. Prior to being offered the head coaching position at his high school alma mater, Trenge and his fiancée Brooke Zumas started the Allentown Beat the Streets wrestling program, working with inner-city youths. She'll continue that venture while Trenge will focus on his students and wrestlers at Parkland. That experience introducing boys and girls to the sport has helped the former Lehigh mat star known for his on-the-mat intensity -- and protective eye goggles (he wrestled with detached retinas) -- shift his focus as a coach. "It's all about helping kids," according to Trenge. "My strengths are as a technician. I can motivate kids very well."

Spencer Lee gets in on a shot in the finals of the 2014 Cadet World Championships (Photo/Gabor Martin, United World Wrestling) Since UWW relaunched the Cadet World Championships as a 17-and-under event in 2011, there was have 14 U.S. representatives to win gold medals. Next week another 10 will compete in Sofia, Bulgaria. In many cases the event represents one of the last international competitions before these wrestlers head off to college. Even though it is a freestyle event, the Cadet event is often thought of a strong predictor of college success. Is this actually the case? The following takes a look at those 14 world champions and how they have done on the NCAA mats. NCAA champions Zain Retherford (63 kilograms in 2012): After winning his gold medal at 63 kilograms in 2012, Retherford went on to have a storied career for Penn State. His run included three NCAA titles and two Hodge Trophies. He recently made his second senior-level world team will represent the U.S. this fall if he remains injury free. Mark Hall (76 kilograms in 2014): Three years after his Cadet world championship, Hall came out of redshirt for Penn State. He dropped his first match out of the gate, but he went on to capture an NCAA title in his true freshman season. Since then he has made back-to-back finals appearance but fell both times against Zahid Valencia (Arizona State). Spencer Lee (50 kilograms in 2014): After an absolutely dominant run through the NCAA tournament in his true freshman season, many believed that Lee would be basically untouchable in his second season. That did not turn out to be the case, but he still got things in order by the time March rolled around. At the tournament he defeated Sean Fausz (NC State), Sean Russell (Minnesota), Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State) and Jack Mueller (Virginia). Despite his success on the collegiate mats, Lee has remained entirely absent from the freestyle world where he was quite dominant at multiple age levels. Many anticipate his return to the international style more and more each day. Yianni Diakomihalis (58 kilograms in 2015, 63 kilograms in 2016): Unlike Lee, Diakomihalis has remained active on the freestyle scene while running through the college ranks. This past winter, he picked up his second NCAA title with a sudden victory win over Joey McKenna (Ohio State). Diakomihalis then won the U.S. Open, knocked off world No. 1 Bajrang Punia of India and nearly defeated Retherford at Final X for a spot on the 2019 U.S. World Team. NCAA All-Americans Adam Coon (100 kilograms in 2011):Coon almost certainly would have been an NCAA champion if he had not been in the same weight class as multiple-time world champion Kyle Snyder. During his senior season, Coon knocked off Snyder in the dual meet, but he failed to repeat the feat in either the Big Ten or NCAA tournaments. Since graduating the three-time All-American has continued to compete in both freestyle and Greco, where he was a 2018 world silver medalist. Gable Steveson (100 kilograms in 2015, 100 kilograms in 2016): Heading into his true freshman season, Steveson was the prohibitive favorite in the heavyweight division. However, he developed an unlikely rivalry with Penn State's Anthony Cassar and ended up falling in the finals of both the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments. After a solid summer that saw him nearly make the 2019 U.S. World Team, Steveson should be one of the favorites for the NCAA title again this year if he finds his way back to campus. Wildcards Aaron Pico (63 kilograms in 2013): Pico was always going to have an unusual path after he turned professional in high school and forfeited the opportunity to wrestle in college. He made the Olympic Team Trials finals in 2016, but he came up short against Frank Molinaro. Pico then began his MMA career, where he was regarded as perhaps the best prospect in the history of the sport. Unfortunately, things haven't been than easy, and he currently sits at only 4-3 in Bellator. The promotion recently announced a tournament in his weight class, and he was left out after back-to-back losses Mason Manville (69 kilograms in 2014): The former super prep has had trouble cracking the lineup at Penn State. This past season he filled in with some spot duty, and he might not be a starter for another few seasons. However, he has remained active on the Greco circuit where he was a member of the 2017 U.S. World Team and remains a threat to make the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team. Too early to tell Jarod Verkleeren (63 kilograms in 2015): Verkleeren spent some time in the starting lineup for the Nittany Lions last year, but he ended up sitting behind Brady Berge when tournament time came around. He is expected to be a starter this upcoming season since Berge is likely to move up to 157 pounds after the graduation of multiple-time NCAA champion Jason Nolf. Will Lewan (68 kilograms in 2017): This past season the former Cadet world champion redshirted for Michigan. He competed in the Michigan State Open, Ohio Intercollegiate Open and the Midlands. Lewan finished with a 9-2 record, which included a victory over teammate Alec Pantaleo. He is expected to start for the Wolverines next year. Next wave The 2017 U.S. Cadet World Team finished with four gold medalists, three of which are scheduled to begin college in the fall. Kurt McHenry left high school early to enroll at Michigan. Aaron Brooks spent a year at the Olympic Training Center. He will report to Penn State for this year. Greg Kerkvliet is the second highest profile heavyweight prospect over the last few seasons, and he will join Ohio State. Matt Ramos was the lone U.S. champion from the 2018 Cadet World Championships, and he will attend Minnesota in the fall.

Tervel Dlagnev coaching Kyle Snyder at Final X (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Uzbekistan wrestler Artur Taymazov, two-time Olympic gold medalist in men's freestyle at 120 kilograms/264 pounds, has just been stripped of his 2012 London title, two years after giving up his Olympic championship from the 2008 Beijing games. One result: U.S. wrestler Tervel Dlagnev, who placed fifth in Taymazov's bracket at the 2012 London Olympics, is now expected to be awarded an Olympic bronze medal at this weight class, USA Wrestling reported Tuesday afternoon. Dlagnev, a two-time world bronze medalist, lost to Taymazov by a fall in the 2012 Olympic Games semifinals. The American heavyweight then lost to Iran's Komeil Ghasemi in the bronze-medal match. For Taymazov, there may have been a sense of history repeating itself ... as it was the same issue that cost Taymazov his 2008 and 2012 gold medals: a retest of samples originally taken at the time of those past Olympics tested positive for the banned steroid turinabol. (In addition, his sample from the 2008 Games also retested positive for the banned steroid stanozolol.) Artur Taymazov at the 2012 Olympics in London (Photo/Andrew Hipps) Taymazov is only the second athlete to have been stripped of two Olympic gold medals, according to the NBC Sports Olympic website. He now joins Kazakh weightlifter Ilya Ilyin who also lost 2008 and 2012 titles after having original doping samples retested long after the Games. Taymazov was a four-time Olympic medalist. In addition to the 2008 and 2012 Olympic gold medals, the Uzbek superheavyweight wrestler had won silver at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and gold at the 2004 Athens Games. After Taymazov was stripped of his 2008 gold medal in April 2017, the results for the other placers were updated, and the finishers received upgraded medals. For the 2012 Olympics, the situation is more complicated, as now both 120-kilogram men's freestyle finalists have failed drug retests. The silver medalist, Davit Modzmanashvil of Georgia, was stripped of his medal in January after retesting of the original doping sample. The remaining medalists in that division -- Iran's Komeil Ghasemi and Russia's Bilyal Makhov -- both earned bronze medals. As mentioned earlier, USA's Tervel Dlagnev -- who placed fifth in London -- is expected to receive a bronze medal. The International Olympic Committee has asked United World Wrestling to update its official results. The 40-year-old Taymozov becomes the 68th athlete to have either failed a drugs test at London 2012 or been caught at a later date in retests.

Juan StimpsonSPARTANBURG, S.C. -- Spartanburg Methodist College athletic director Megan Aiello is pleased to announce that Juan Stimpson will be the new men's wrestling coach. Stimpson replaces Matt Oliver, who left SMC in June to join the coaching staff at Huntingdon College. Stimpson comes to Spartanburg Methodist College from UNC Pembroke, where he spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach. During his time with the Braves, he assisted in coaching 12 NCAA National Qualifiers and 4 NCAA All Americans. An accomplished college athlete in his own right, Stimpson was a NJCAA All-American for Rend Lake College in 2013 and a NCAA Super Regional Champion and DII National Qualifier for UNC Pembroke in 2015. Stimpson earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.

Earlier we looked at five 16U wrestlers who raised their stock in Fargo. Now let's turn our attention to the Juniors. Below are five Junior wrestlers who raised their stock in Fargo with strong performances. Andre Gonzales (Poway, Calif.), 106-pound champion in both freestyle and Greco-Roman Gonzales was closed out of the lineup as a freshman before placing third in the always tough California state tournament at the opening weight class during his sophomore season. He entered Fargo off a 13-0 run at Junior Duals in contested matches across Greco-Roman and freestyle. Three early technical superiorities placed Gonzales into the quarterfinal round, though two of those victories came against high school state champions in Quade Smith (Layton, Utah) and Ryan Rowland (Hagerty, Fla.), Smith would place eighth in this bracket despite that round of 32 loss. In the quarterfinal, it was yet another technical superiority, 14-1 over state medalist Kelly Dunnigan (Don Bosco Prep, N.J.), a semifinalist this past fall in the Super 32 Challenge. The semifinal match was a 6-4 victory over Eli Griffin (Cascia Hall, Okla.), a two-time state champion who ended the season weight class ranked at 106 pounds; while it was a 19-7 technical superiority win over Junior folkstyle champion Blake West (Owatonna, Minn.) in the championship bout. Nathan Pulliam (Rolla, Mo.), fourth place at 132 pounds in freestyle Though Pulliam has a high school mark of 76-1 with two state titles in two seasons of high school wrestling, he still entered Fargo an unheralded wrestler on the national level, even after an 8-0 performance at the Junior Duals in freestyle last month in Oklahoma City. However, last week in Fargo would serve to change that narrative. The tournament for Pulliam started with a pair of technical superiority victories before a 6-4 win over multi-time state champion Gabe Hixenbaugh (Thompson, Ala.) put people on notice. Next was a pin against Caleb Rathjen (Ankeny, Iowa), a wrestler ranked No. 14 overall in the Class of 2021, to advance him to the quarterfinal round. Pulliam would lose to eventual champion Dominick Serrano (Windsor, Colo.) by fall in that match before earning his podium spot with a 13-2 technical superiority victory over NHSCA Junior All-American Anthony DiBartolo (Hauppauge, N.Y.). Pulliam would reach the consolation final with a 12-6 win over 2018 16U freestyle All-American Drew Roberts (University, Wash.) and a 13-6 win over Mosha Schwartz (Ponderosa, Colo.), who finished as the No. 83 overall wrestler in the Class of 2019. His tournament ended with an 11-1 loss to Cael Happel (Lisbon, Iowa). John Martin Best (Parkersburg, W.Va.), 152-pound runner-up in freestyle Last year's 16U runner-up in freestyle had a very mixed 12-month period preceding last week's Fargo event. Among those notable credentials on the resume were a seventh at the Ironman, fifth at the Powerade, fifth at the NHSCA Junior Nationals, and seventh at UWW Cadet freestyle. It saw him positioned outside the top 100 overall in the Class of 2020. Within his first three wins of the Junior freestyle event, a pair came over credential opposition; 8-2 over two-time state runner-up Ben Monroe (Ankeny Centennial, Iowa) in the opening round and then 14-0 over state champion Brant Whitaker (Boonville, Mo.) in the third round. A signature moment came in the round of 16 when he beat Luka Wick (San Marino, Calif.) 4-3, who entered as the No. 24 overall Class of 2021 wrestler. Next was an 11-4 win over state medalist Kaden Reetz (Madison Memorial, Wis.) in the quarterfinal round. Best advanced to the final on the strength of a 7-0 win over Daniel Manibog (Katy, Texas), a returning Junior freestyle All-American who finished as the No. 68 overall wrestler in the Class of 2019. His championship match was an 8-2 loss to Jace Luchau (Selma, Calif.), who finished No. 48 overall in the Class of 2019. Derek Gilcher (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.), seventh place at 152 pounds in freestyle Like Best, Gilcher entered Fargo a two-time state champion ranked outside the top-100 overall in the Class of 2020. His tournament started with a 10-0 technical fall, before having to draw eventual champion Luchau in the round of 64; Gilcher jumped out to a 3-0 lead with two minutes remaining the bout, but lost 7-3. Then, it was onto the marathon of consolation wrestling, where he needed seven wins to merely reach the podium. The first four of those wins came by technical superiority, in which Gilcher gave up just one point along the way; the third of those came against state medalist Brock Ellis (Chesterton, Ind.). Needing three more wins to earn All-American honors, Gilcher ran into Matt Lee (Evansville Mater Dei, Ind.), a wrestler ranked No. 33 overall in the Class of 2020, and one that had beaten Gilcher by pin in the Central Regional final. However, on this occasion, it was a 12-1 technical superiority win. Still needing two wins, it was on to a match against No. 41 overall Class of 2020 wrestler Aaron Gandara (Poway, Calif.); Gilcher would win on this occasion by 16-5 technical superiority. In the last of seven consolation wins he needed to get on the podium, Gilcher outlasted state champion Donald Cates (Northern Durham, N.C.) 6-3; Cates was a 16U freestyle All-American last summer and a UWW Cadet freestyle All-American earlier in the spring. Gilcher then lost 12-6 to Legend Lamer (Crescent Valley, Ore.) before beating Cael Carlson (Willmar, Minn.) 17-6 for seventh place; both of those graduated seniors were top 15 at 145 at the end of 2018-19, while Gilcher was not ranked at 138. Patrick Kennedy dominated the field at 170 pounds in Junior freestyle (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine) Patrick Kennedy (Kasson-Mantorville, Minn.), 170-pound champion in freestyle To say a wrestler ranked No. 8 overall in the Class of 2020 raised his stock during the Fargo week takes a lot of doing. One can argue that three-time state champion and two-time Super 32 Challenge finalist (2017 champion) Patrick Kennedy did just that during his destruction of the field at 170 pounds on the way to winning the Junior National freestyle title. Six of Kennedy's seven matches were shutout victories by technical superiority in the first period; the lone match to go the distance was a 9-5 semifinal win over Nevan Snodgrass (Kettering Fairmont, Ohio), who entered the event ranked No. 27 in the Class of 2020 (something that might go up in its own right). Within Kennedy's first three matches were wins over two-time state medalist Matthew Rogers (Wantagh, N.Y.) and state medalist Spencer Mooberry (Osage, Iowa). In the round of 16, it was a 10-0 destruction of Grayden Penner (Liberty, Mo.) in 1:45, who entered the tournament ranked No. 53 overall in the Class of 2020. The quarterfinal was a 10-0 technical superiority in 1:34 over state medalist Angel Garcia (Marian Bracetti Academy, Pa.), the Northeast Regional champion in freestyle, who would win Greco-Roman later in the week. In the championship match it was a 10-0 technical superiority in 2:20 over state champion Gerrit Nijenhuis (Canon-McMillan, Pa.), who is ranked No. 16 in the Class of 2020.

Fargo is one of the pinnacle events for scholastic-aged wrestlers on the calendar. There are four tournaments for males during the seven-day wrestling extravaganza, though the freestyle events that take place during the first four days are the ones of greater import from the scholastic wrestling perspective. The freestyle tournaments in both the 16U (formerly Cadet) and Junior divisions provide arguably the most robust fields that wrestlers will see during the calendar year. Given such robust fields, there are wrestlers that inherently perform above prior conceived notions about their ability level. Below are five such wrestlers who thrived in the freestyle (and in some cases Greco-Roman) tournaments in the 16U division. Evan Tallmadge (Brick Memorial, N.J.), 106-pound champion in freestyle As a freshman in high school competing at 106 pounds, Tallmadge advanced to the state tournament with a 31-3 record. However, that state tournament run ended with a 2-2 record, finishing two matches short of the podium after a 9-6 loss to eventual state medalist Kelly Dunnigan (Don Bosco Prep) in the round of 16 before getting eliminated by the score of 7-4 against Nicholas Diaz (St. John Vianney). In Fargo, Tallmadge started his tournament with a pair of technical superiority victories to set up a showdown with state champion Trevor Anderson (Ankeny, Iowa) in the round of 16; the 6-2 victory put Tallmadge on notice to all. His quarterfinal match was a win by fall in 28 seconds over No. 21 overall Class of 2023 wrestlers Greyson Clark (Kaukauna, Wis.). This set up a semifinal clash against a returning 16U freestyle All-American in Sean Seefeldt (St. Edward, Ohio), who was a state runner-up during his high school season; an 8-6-win propelled Tallmadge to a championship match against incoming freshman Mitchell Neiner from Washington, a match that he won 10-8. In the title run for Tallmadge the last four wins came over All-Americans. Kyren Butler (Copley, Ohio), third place at 126 pounds in freestyle In each of his two high school seasons to date, Butler won his opening round match at the state tournament before losing both matches on Friday morning (quarterfinal and consolation round of 12) to finish at 1-2 for the weekend, one match short of placement. However, just over one week ago in Fargo, Butler was locked in and had a most excellent tournament. It started with three decisive wins - 10-2 and 10-1 decisions, then a 10-0 technical superiority - before a round of 16 bout raised eyebrows. In that match, Butler trailed 4-3 late before a pair of late scores gave him a 6-4 victory over two-time state champion Alejandro Herrera-Rondon (Seneca Valley, Pa.); admittedly Herrera-Rondon is much stronger in folkstyle, but one is still talking about a wrestler ranked No. 13 overall in the Class of 2021. In the following match, Butler advanced to the semifinal with a 7-2 win over state medalist Eli Rocha (Platte County, Mo.); both Herrera-Rondon and Rocha would bounce back to earn All-American honors. After a 12-2 loss in the semifinal to eventual runner-up Ramon Ramos (Valiant Prep, Ariz.), Butler bounced back with two more wins in consolation to earn third place. Those wins came 4-4 by criteria over two-time state champion Derrick Cardinal (Forest Lake, Minn.) and then 8-4 over Ismael Ayoub (Dublin Coffman, Ohio). John Wiley scores with a big throw in the in the round of 16 in Greco-Roman (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com) John Wiley (Mustang, Okla.), 138-pound champion in both freestyle and Greco-Roman Wiley entered Fargo ranked No. 29 overall in the Class of 2022, coming off a state championship high school season plus going 11-0 across freestyle and Greco-Roman at the 16U Duals in Spokane last month. It should be noted that he bounced back from a fourth-place regional finish to win state at 126 pounds with a 5-1 finals victory over Carter Young one week after he lost 8-5 to Young in the regional semifinal. In Fargo freestyle, Wiley's tournament started with three technical superiority shutout victories. The round of 16 yielded a fourth consecutive such victory, 10-0 over state champion Justin Bartee (Point Pleasant, W.Va.). Wiley gave up his first points of the tournament in a 12-2 technical superiority over two-time state placer Preston Owens (Kuna, Idaho), who would bounce back with a win in his next bout to earn All-American honors. Next up was his toughest match of the tournament, a 10-6 victory over Joshua Barr (Davison, Mich.), the 16U folkstyle champion who is ranked No. 6 overall in the Class of 2023. Wiley capped off freestyle with a 10-4 win over Nicholas Vafiadis (New Kent, Va.), who is ranked No. 50 overall in the Class of 2022. Then, he would double up with gold in Greco to end the week, which was a one position improvement from a runner-up finish last year in that tournament. Leonard Pinto (Stroudsburg, Pa.), 170-pound champion in freestyle, third in Greco-Roman Pinto was already known as a clear talent entering the Fargo week, coming in off a third-place finish at state as a high school sophomore competing in Pennsylvania Class 3A at 170 pounds. He would follow that up with a NHSCA Sophomore Nationals title, and then a Northeast Regional 16U title that included a win over UWW Cadet Nationals runner-up Rylan Rogers (Blair Academy, N.J.). Ranked No. 23 overall in the Class of 2021, Pinto was a clear contender entering the freestyle tournament. Three shutout technical superiority victories put him into a quarterfinal match against 16U folkstyle national champion Andrew Wenzel (Dakota, Ill.), a match that ended in another 10-0 technical superiority win. Then it was an anticipated semifinal clash with returning 16U freestyle champion Tate Picklo (Mustang, Okla.); however the match with Picklo, ranked No. 18 overall in the Class of 2021, was yet another 10-0 technical superiority victory. The championship match was a 7-1 win over Rogers, who is ranked No. 15 in the Class of 2022. Picklo followed that up with a third place finish in Greco-Roman. Evan Bates (Chesterton, Ind.), 195-pound runner-up in freestyle, third in Greco-Roman Though Bates went 48-3 as a sophomore, placing third at the state tournament, and went 7-0 in both freestyle and Greco-Roman at last month's 16U Duals he was a relative unknown nationally. However, that scenario would vanish after the first match of his Fargo freestyle tournament in the form of a 4-1 win over Noah Pettigrew (Valdosta, Ga./Blair Academy, N.J.). Pettigrew won a 16U freestyle national title in this weight class in 2018, and was a UWW Cadet freestyle All-American this year, entering the tournament ranked No. 12 in the Class of 2022. Two subsequent technical superiority victories would propel Bates to the quarterfinal round, where he would pick up two more wins by technical superiority over eventual All-Americans to reach the final. Those wins came 14-2 over state medalist Bennett Tabor (Simley, Minn.) and 11-0 over state medalist Wyatt Voelker (West Delaware, Iowa). The championship match was an 11-0 technical superiority defeat to Seth Shumate (Dublin Coffman), ranked No. 4 overall in the Class of 2022. Bates subsequently finished third in Greco-Roman.

Anthony Echemendia was a double champion in Fargo Anthony Echemendia, a Junior National double champion in Fargo last week, took to Twitter to chronicle his journey from Cuba to the United States.

Two unique Celebration of Life services have been scheduled to honor the memory of Joe Seay... one next month in Oklahoma, the other, in California in October. Seay, a legendary wrestler who went on to success as a high school, college and freestyle coach, passed away on July 11 at age 80. Celebration at National Wrestling Hall of Fame in August The National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Oklahoma State Wrestling will host Cheryl Seay and family of Joe Seay for a celebration of the life and legacy of Joe Van Seay on Wednesday, August 14 from 5 to 7 p.m. Central at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Seay has strong connections to Oklahoma, as a 1998 inductee of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member... and as head coach of the Oklahoma State wrestling team from 1985 to 1992, leading the Cowboys to back-to-back NCAA Division I championships in 1989 and 1990. Individuals wishing to join in the Hall of Fame's Celebration of Life are asked to RSVP at http://weblink.donorperfect.com/JoeSeayCelebration or by telephone at (405) 377-5243 by Friday, August 9. Scattering of ashes and celebration in California in October Joe SeayThis fall, Joe Seay's memory will be celebrated first by a scattering of ashes, immediately followed by a Celebration of Life service on Saturday, October 5. Both events are open to friends, family and the wrestling community, according to the invitation from Cheryl Seay posted on Sunday on The California Wrestler. First, the aerial scattering of Joe Seay's ashes will take place at 1:00 p.m. Pacific time on October 5 over Morro Bay Rock in Morro Bay, Calif. To participate, head north of San Luis Obispo on California Route 1 (the Pacific Coast Highway), turn left on San Jacinto, then continue until reaching the dead end of the road. Turn left on Sandalwood Ave., then turn right into parking area. Immediately following the scattering of ashes is a Celebration of Life at Moonstone Cellars at 812 Cornwall Street in Cambria, Calif., north of Morro Bay Rock. The celebration will take place from 2:30 - 6:30 p.m. Guests are encouraged to bring a favorite photo and/or story about Joe Seay to share. In addition, those wishing participate in person should RSVP to Cheryl Seay at clcroneis@gmail.com or Mike Stricker at mikesticker@sbcglobal.net by Monday, Sept. 9. Those who are unable to attend are invited to send a favorite Joe Seay memory to be shared at the Celebration of Life service to either email address.

COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. -- Joe Jamison has been named head coach of the Ursinus College wrestling program, announced Monday by Director of Athletics Laura Moliken. "Joe stood out to us in this search for his enthusiasm as an educator and his achievements at a leading Division I institution," Moliken said. "His technical knowledge and ability to implement a successful training regimen are second to none, and we firmly believe those qualities make him an ideal leader here at Ursinus as we move into a new era for the program." A longtime assistant at Princeton University, Jamison is the successor to legendary coach Bill Racich, who passed away last September after a 38-year tenure in Collegeville. "I am honored and excited to join Ursinus College as its next head wrestling coach," Jamison said. "Ursinus is a very special place and I look forward to moving the wrestling program forward while upholding the tradition and legacy that Coach Racich created. My goal is to help our student-athletes reach their goals athletically, academically, and ultimately in life. The entire athletic department at Ursinus shares these same ideals, which make this the perfect place for my family and me. I'd to thank Laura Moliken, Kevin Small, and the entire search committee for putting their faith in me and believing that I am person to lead Ursinus wrestling as this new era for the program begins. I'd also like to thank my wife, Brooke, and my entire family for their constant support throughout my coaching career. Coming to Ursinus is an ideal move for us, and without their support this would not be possible. Finally, I'd like to thank the entire staff at Princeton University and Princeton Wrestling Club, especially Chris Ayres. We've worked together for almost 15 years and I've been fortunate to call them friends, colleagues, and mentors." Jamison brings with him an extensive resume of high-level collegiate coaching experience. He spent a decade as an assistant at Princeton, where he also served as head coach of the Princeton Wrestling Club and executive director of the Princeton Olympic Regional Training Center. During his tenure, which began as an assistant in 2005, Jamison worked primarily with wrestlers in the 125, 133, and 141-pound weight classes. Thirty-six of his charges qualified for the NCAA Championships, with three going on to become All-Americans, and Jamison's impressive list of trainees includes the 2016 university national champion in freestyle wrestling. Jamison was heavily involved in all aspects of the wrestling program at Princeton, coordinating team community service projects and assisting with the organization and execution of numerous alumni events and helping to raise endowment funds. He was also the assistant director of the team's wrestling camp for almost ten years (2005-2014). In his role as director of the Olympic Regional Training Center, Jamison assisted with training regimens and oversaw all living and travel arrangement for the athletes, who ranged in age from elementary school to college. Jamison has spent the last two years as head coach of the wrestling program at the Cranbury School, where he also worked as a first-grade teacher. During his time at the Cranbury School, he increased middle-school wrestling participation to over a quarter of the male student population. A longtime educator, Jamison was a teacher in the Lawrence Township Public School system from 2001 to 2015. For the past three years he has worked as a pedagogy innovation specialist with Pencils of Promise, a New York-based organization that has built more than 400 schools worldwide since its founding in 2008. Jamison helped to develop a literacy program for public schools in Ghana and Guatemala, training staff in order to implement a professional development workshop for teachers in those countries. He was a 2014 recipient of a New Jersey Governor's Teacher Recognition Award. Jamison graduated from Wilkes University in 2001 before earning a master's of science from Saint Joseph's University in 2008 and completing post-master's graduate credits at North Dakota State University. He lives in Langhorne with his wife, Brooke, and children Henry (6) and Ella (4).

Kevin Jackson coaching J'den Cox at Final X (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Kevin Jackson, 1992 Olympic gold medal-winning wrestler who went on to use those skills as a coach and in mixed martial arts, has been named to the Class of 2019 of the Louisiana State University Athletic Hall of Fame, the school announced this week. Jackson, along with six other former LSU athletes, will be welcomed at an induction ceremony to be held on Friday, October 11, at the Capitol Park Museum in downtown Baton Rouge. Jackson posted this message on Twitter: As a wrestler for the LSU Tigers, Kevin Andre Jackson was a three-time NCAA Division I All-American, placing second at 150 pounds in 1983, third at 158 in 1984, and seventh in the 167-pound bracket at the 1985 NCAAs. After the Baton Rogue-based school eliminated its wrestling program, Jackson headed north to Iowa State, where, at the 1987 NCAAs, he was runner-up at 167 pounds. Beyond his collegiate wrestling success, Jackson made a name for himself in international freestyle competition. He won the gold medal at 82 kilograms/180.5 pounds at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, becoming only the second African-American wrestler to claim Olympic gold. Jackson also was a two-time World champion, earning gold in 1991 and 1995, and, in those same years, won gold at the Pan American Games. Jackson shared his wrestling expertise as a coach, first as national freestyle coach at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs ... then, later, as head coach at Iowa State from 2010-2017. If that weren't enough, Jackson fought in MMA in the mid-1990s - including a handful of bouts in UFC -- compiling a 4-2 record as a light-heavyweight. In addition to Kevin Jackson, other athletes who will be welcomed into the LSU Athletic Hall of Fame this fall include NCAA track and field champion Walter Davis, Olympic wrestling gold medalist Kevin Jackson, All-American linebacker Bradie James, All-American baseball infielder Jason Williams, NCAA gymnastics champion Susan Jackson, All-American softball infielder Ashlee Ducote and All-American women's golfer Meredith Duncan. All were selected by the LSU Athletic Hall of Fame Election Board. "There is no greater honor for a former student-athlete at LSU than to be selected to this venerable hall of fame," said LSU Director of Athletics Scott Woodward. "It's a very difficult hall of fame in which to be inducted. Those in the hall represent the very best of LSU Athletics as students, as athletes and as all-around contributors to this university and its great history. We are so proud to welcome this new class." In addition to being welcomed into the LSU Athletic Hall of Fame, Jackson has earned a number of honors, including the 1995 John Smith Award as National Freestyle Wrestler of the Year, 1992 Amateur Wrestling News Man of the Year and 1991 USA Wrestling and USOC Wrestler of the Year. Jackson is a member of the International Wrestling Hall of Fame, the United States National Wrestling Hall of Fame (as a distinguished member) and the Iowa State University Athletics Hall of Fame.

READING, Pa. -- Alvernia University Director of Athletics Bill Stiles announced on Friday the hiring of Kriss Bellanca as the Head Wrestling Coach of the Golden Wolves. Bellanca joins the Alvernia staff following 12 seasons with Division II Kutztown University. "Coach Bellanca is a lifelong educator, and shared our vision of what a successful Division III wrestling program looks like," said Stiles. "He is committed to the development of the whole-student athlete - academically, athletically, spiritually, and socially. His familiarity with our primary recruiting markets and his extensive network of wrestling contacts in those areas will serve Alvernia." At Kutztown, Bellanca was the primary recruiter and was responsible for bringing in five NCAA Division II National Champions, 19 NCAA Division II All-Americans, and 40 NCAA Qualifiers. He also coached 56 wrestlers to podium finishes in the PSAC, and 62 NCAA Region One place winners. Kutztown also finished in the Top 20 in the NCAA on nine occasions, and in the top five in the region on eight occasions, during Bellanca's time with the program. Bellanca, a Berks County native, was a PIAA place-winner at Reading High School, and was a Team PA member. Bellanca wrestled for Bucknell University, but transferred to Kutztown University when Bucknell was preparing to drop Division I wrestling. With Kutztown, Bellanca finished his career in the top-15 in all-time wins. He finished third on two occasions in NCAA Regionals, and also had a second place finish in the regional tournament. Bellanca graduated with honors in 2001 from Kutztown University with a degree in Elementary Education. He worked in the Muhlenberg school district for 19 years as a teacher and behavior specialist. He also has seven years of experience coaching at the high school level with Wyomissing. With the Spartans, Bellanca coached nine PIAA State qualifiers and four PIAA State medalists, including a PIAA State Finalist in 2007. Bellanca is the founder and director of the nationally-recognized Steel Mat Club, where he trained a number of Pennsylvania State Champions, All-Americans, and National Tournament qualifiers. "I am grateful for all those who participated in the search and interview process," said Bellanca. "I want to thank Bill Stiles and the Athletic Department for trusting me to lead the Golden Wolves Wrestling program. It was amazing to learn about Alvernia University through this process and exciting to hear of the vision, support, and resources Alvernia has in providing its student-athletes a quality and holistic education." "I am committed to guiding student-athletes toward becoming champions in the classroom, on the wrestling mat, as well as socially and spiritually" added Bellanca. "It will be an honor to be part of this new journey full of many 'firsts' for Alvernia University Wrestling." Bellanca begins his work with Alvernia immediately. The Golden Wolves inaugural season gets underway on Sunday, November 3rd at the Lycoming Tournament. The full 2019-20 schedule will be released later this summer.

Andre Gonzales became a double champion at 106 pounds (Photo/John Sachs-Tech-Fall.com) FARGO, N.D. -- Andre Gonzales (California) has yet to wrestle in a state final in high school, but is leaving Fargo as a national champion in both freestyle and Greco-Roman at 106 pounds. Gonzales, a state third-place finisher in one-class California, claimed a Junior freestyle title earlier this week and capped off a double title in Fargo on Friday afternoon by winning the Junior National Greco-Roman championship over Ryan Rowland (Florida), 5-2. Gonzales took a 1-0 lead into the break. He extended his lead to 5-0 after a four-point throw in the second period. Rowland would score two points late off a caution but ultimately fall short. Gonzales was one of three Fargo double champions in the Junior division. Also winning double titles were Anthony Echemendia (Arizona) and Luke Luffman (Illinois). Anthony Echemendia nearly securd a fall after a four-point throw (Photo/David Peterson, Minnesota/USA Wrestling) Echemendia won in dominant fashion at 145 pounds, picking up a 10-0 technical superiority in the finals over Edward Scott (Pennsylvania). The 19-year-old Cuban scored with a body lock early in the match and nearly secured a fall before settling for four points. He then used three turns -- the final one a gut wrench -- to end the match. Echemendia was an undefeated state champion this past season for Sunnyside High School in Arizona. Luffman, who will attend Illinois, dominated Spencer Trenary (Iowa) in the finals at 285 pounds, winning by 10-0 technical superiority. He built a 9-0 lead after the opening period and put the match away 40 seconds into the second period with a step out. Three wrestlers won their second straight as Junior National Greco-Roman champions: Chayse La Joie (Michigan) at 120 pounds, Ridge Lovett (Idaho) at 138 pounds and Jace Punke (Illinois) at 220 pounds. La Joie, a three-time state champion, won his second straight title with a 12-2 technical superiority over Fargo freestyle champion Anthony Molton (Illinois) at 120 pounds. He went up 8-2 in the first period and then used a four-point throw in the second period to end the match. Lovett, a Nebraska signee, won his second straight title with a 10-0 technical superiority over Cade Lucio (California) in the finals at 138 pounds. After going up 6-0, Lovett threw Lucio for four points to finish the match in two minutes. Lovett became a 10-time All-American in Fargo. Punke repeated as champion by earning a medical forfeit in the finals at 220 pounds over Braxton Amos (West Virginia), a five-time Fargo champion and the nation's No. 2 senior. Illinois won its 12th straight team title in Junior Greco-Roman, finishing with 61 points. Iowa finished second in the team standings, 15 points behind Illinois, and had a pair of champions: Brandon O'Brien (100) and Cade DeVos (160). O'Brien exacted some revenge on Daniel Sheen (Illinois) en route to winning the title at 100 pounds. After Sheen defeated O'Brian in the freestyle finals, the 16-year-old Iowan flipped the result in the Greco-Roman finals, winning 8-5 in a back-and-forth match. Sheen led 3-0 at the break. O'Brien grabbed the lead in the second period after a takedown and gut wrench. Sheen quickly regained the lead. But with 20 seconds left, O'Brien picked up a takedown and then scored with a gut wrench to win by three. DeVos, a South Dakota signee, used a strong first period to pace him to a 5-1 victory in the finals over Ryan Cody (Florida). DeVos scored his first point off a passivity and then two used a gut wrench to score two turns and go up 5-0. Cody would score his only point in the second period off a passivity. Nebraska crowned two champions: Camden Russell (126) and James Burks (152). Camden Russell defeated InterMat Classic champion Cael Swensen to win the title (Photo/David Peterson, Minnesota/USA Wrestling) Russell captured the title at 126 pounds by topping InterMat Classic champion Cael Swensen (Minnesota) 8-5 in the finals. Swensen went up 3-0, but Russell battled back to take a 3-3 criteria lead before scoring with a four-point throw. Swensen would score two points late off a throw, but Russell would hang on for the win. James Burks knocked off returning champion Cael Carlson (Photo/David Peterson, Minnesota/USA Wrestling) Burks turned in a very impressive finals performance, beating returning Junior Greco-Roman champion Cael Carlson (Minnesota) 11-0 in the finals at 152 pounds. He went up 4-0 with a takedown and gut wrench and then continued to pile on the points, scoring with a step out, then arm throw before ending the match with a four-point move. Billy Sullivan throws Sheldon Seymour (Photo/David Peterson, Minnesota/USA Wrestling) Billy Sullivan (Nevada) was named the Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament after rolling to the title at 113 pounds with a 12-0 technical superiority over Sheldon Seymour (Pennsylvania), a 2018 U16 Greco-Roman national champion. Sullivan becomes Nevada's second Junior Greco-Roman champion ever. He scored with two four-point throws in the first period and then closed out the match by scoring two points off an arm throw. Haiden Drury (Washington) won his second consecutive Fargo Greco-Roman title, but first at the Junior level. He edged Mosha Schwartz (Colorado) 4-3 in the finals at 132 pounds. Drury scored first off a passivity, but Schwartz came back to take the lead after countering a gut wrench attempt by Drury and scoring two points. In the second period, Schwartz extended his lead to 3-1 before Drury scored a takedown to grab a criteria lead. He then held on for the win. Chris Foca (New Jersey), a state champion for Bergen Catholic, made quick work of Jacob Anderson (Alaska) in the finals at 182 pounds. He scored a takedown off a drag and then used a gut wrench to score two turns and go up 6-0. He closed the match with a four-point move. Foca, who is headed to Cornell, was a runner-up in the Junior Greco-Roman competition last summer. Angel Garcia (Pennsylvania) shut out Lance Runyon (Iowa) 7-0 to earn the title at 170 pounds. Garcia scored a takedown off a drag to go up 2-0. He then went up 4-0 after a caution and two. Garcia then scored with a step out and late score after Runyon tried a late desperation throw. At 195 pounds, Vincent Baker (Georgia), who will wrestle collegiately for Duke, picked up a 13-2 technical superiority in the finals over Artem Loginov (California). Placement Match Results 100: 1st: Brandon O'Brien (Iowa) dec. Daniel Sheen (Illinois), 8-5 3rd: Kaleb Casey (Wisconsin) dec. Christan Forbes (Oklahoma), 15-11 5th: Michael Longo (Connecticut) tech. Carson Nishida (Illinois), 11-1 4:28 7th: Cael Keck (Missouri) dec. Robert Gardner (Pennsylvania), 11-8 106: 1st: Andre Gonzales (California) dec. Ryan Rowland (Florida), 5-2 3rd: Jeremy Bockert (Alaska) tech. Chad Bellis (Illinois), 17-6 5:54 5th: Caleb- Coyle (Nebraska) dec. Quade Smith (Utah), 9-2 7th: Kenny Sailas (Colorado) tech. Steven Foster (Pennsylvania), 11-0 1:55 113: 1st: Billy Sullivan (Nevada) tech. Sheldon Seymour (Pennsylvania), 12-0 2:02 3rd: Joseph Couch (Maryland) dec. Angelo Lozado (Colorado), 10-4 5th: Nathan Rubino (Nebraska) dec Christian Decatur-luker (North Carolina), 6-3 7th: Gary Steen (Pennsylvania) dec. Richard Treanor (North Carolina), 10-1 120: 1st: Chayse La Joie (Michigan) tech. Anthony Molton (Illinois), 12-2 3:37 3rd: Jakason Burks (Nebraska) tech. Cooper Flynn (Tennessee), 10-0 2:34 5th: Chris Kim (Pennsylvania) dec. Grant Treaster (Kansas), 6-4 7th: Zach Keal (Kansas) pinned Christian Cabuag (California), 2:40 126: 1st: Camden Russell (Nebraska) dec. Cael Swensen (Minnesota), 8-4 3rd: Adam Allard (Iowa) dec. Nick Masters (Georgia), 11-11 5th: Brody Norman (Illinois) dec. Tj Long (Oklahoma), 5-3 7th: Theorius Robison (Colorado) pinned Chase Randall (Washington), 2:40 132: 1st: Haiden Drury (Washington) dec. Mosha Schwartz (Colorado), 4-3 3rd: Kellyn March (South Dakota) tech. Caleb Gross (Wisconsin), 10-0 0:29 5th: Tarrell Wallace jr (Florida) dec. Ezekiel Hulet (Illinois), 12-4 7th: Preston Martin (Kansas) dec. Khyler Brewer (Missouri), 10-8 138: 1st: Ridge Lovett (Idaho) tech. Cade Lucio (California), 10-0 2:00 3rd: Caden Mccrary (Georgia) dec. Joshua Saunders (Missouri), 7-4 5th: Robby Vaughn (Washington) inj. dft Antonio Segura (Colorado) 7th: Bretli Reyna (Florida) tech. Logan Hatch (Wisconsin), 13-1 5:37 145: 1st: Anthony Echemendia (Arizona) tech. Edward Scott (Pennsylvania), 10-0 1:20 3rd: Chandler Mooney (Minnesota) dec. Payne Carr (Kentucky), 16-10 5th: Luke Odom (Illinois) dec. Chance Mclane (Montana), 4-1 7th: Vincent Zerban (Illinois) tech. Aaden Valdez (Colorado), 10-0 1:51 152: 1st: James Burks (Nebraska) tech. Cael Carlson (Minnesota), 11-0 1:59 3rd: Aaron Gandara (Arizona) dec. Kaden Reetz (Wisconsin), 14-9 5th: Grigol Khochiashvili (Pennsylvania) dec Kevin Contos ii (Ohio), 13-10 7th: Maxwell Kristoff (Illinois) pinned Steven Villalobos (Florida), 0:55 160: 1st: Cade DeVos (Iowa) dec. Ryan Cody (Florida), 5-1 3rd: Adrian St.germain (Washington) pinned Weston Milnes (Colorado), 1:43 5th: Cael Valencia (California) inj dft Jace Luchau (California) 7th: Wyatt Pfau (Colorado) inj dft Caleb Waddell (Georgia) 170: 1st: Angel Garcia (Pennsylvania) dec. Lance Runyon (Iowa), 7-0 3rd: Nevan Snodgrass (Ohio) tech. Nico Zavala (California), 15-4 4:10 5th: Caden Rogers (Pennsylvania) tech. Dajun Johnson (Wisconsin), 10-0 0:35 7th: Greyden Penner (Missouri) dec. Jaden Bullock (Virginia), 10-6 182: 1st: Christopher Foca (New Jersey) tech. Jacob Anderson (Alaska), 10-0 0:42 3rd: Colton Hawks (Missouri) dec. Josh Labarbera (Illinois), 8-6 5th: Kalyn Jahn (Wisconsin) tech. Jackson White (Missouri), 10-0 0:24 7th: Ashton Habeil (Florida) pinned Trevor Swier (Illinois), 1:58 195: 1st: Vincent Baker (Georgia) tech. Artem Loginov (California), 13-2 4:19 3rd: Isaac Trumble (Nebraska) dec. Matthew Kaylor (North Dakota), 14-8 5th: Jonovan Smith (California) tech. Denzel Mabry (California), 11-1 6:00 7th: Kasten Grape (Nebraska) inj dft. Matthew Cover (Ohio) 220: 1st: Jace Punke (Illinois) inj dft. Braxton Amos (West Virginia) 3rd: Gabe Christenson (Iowa) tech. Cade Lautt (Kansas), 11-1 2:02 5th: Cody Fisher (Iowa) pinned Cabe Dickerson (Oklahoma), 5:57 7th: Jacob Christensen (California) tech. Ramin Abraham (Illinois), 10-0 1:12 285: 1st: Luke Luffman (Illinois) tech. Spencer Trenary (Iowa), 10-0 3:40 3rd: Nash Hutmacher (South Dakota) inj dft Donovan King (Michigan) 5th: Alex Coleman (Ohio) pinned Joey Slackman (New York), 0:40 7th: Ryan Johnson (Texas) inj. dft. Aydin Guttridge (Illinois) Outstanding Wrestler: Billy Sullivan (Nevada), 113 pounds Most Falls in Least Time: Preston Martin (Kansas), 132 pounds, 6 falls in 10:26 Team Standings (Top Five) 1. Illinois 61 2. Iowa 46 3. California 44 4. Nebraska 38 4. Pennsylvania 38

Jason Tsirtsis at the 2018 NCAAs (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- IU head coach Angel Escobedo has announced the addition of three time All-American and NCAA Champion Jason Tsirtsis as a volunteer assistant coach. Tsirtsis, a native of Crown Point, Ind., where he won four state championships in high school, started his college career at Northwestern where in his redshirt freshman season he won the NCAA Championship at 149 lb. That year, in 2014, Tsirtsis also was the Big Ten Champion, Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Intermat Freshman of the Year and Midlands Champion. Tsirtsis concluded his collegiate career in 2017-18 with Arizona State as an All-American with a seventh-place finish at NCAAs. He was named the Comeback Wrestler of the Year at the NCAA Championships by FloWrestling. I'm very excited to add Jason Tsirtsis to our staff," Escobedo said. "Since day one, our focus has been to keep the best kids in state and I believe having an Indiana legend like Jason will help achieve this goal. He will work directly with our middle weights (149-165) and we are excited to have him join our program." "I am extremely excited to join the wrestling family down in Bloomington," Tsirtsis said. "Angel has done a great job at changing the culture within the program and I'm thrilled to help further the growth and development of our wrestlers. I can't wait to get down to Bloomington!"

Clarissa Chun is all smiles at the Azraq Refugee Camp (Photo/T.R. Foley) I'm in Jordan this week providing coverage for United World Wrestling's refugee-focused efforts at the Azraq Camp close to the Syrian border. The project is the first of its kind for United World Wrestling, who in recent years has sought to contribute a number of wrestling initiatives to developing nations around the world but had yet to enter into providing programming for displaced people. With some help from other international federations located in the area, wrestling was able to implement a project. The project is still underway, but one of the ambassadors for this trip is Olympic bronze medalist and USA Women's National Team assistant coach Clarissa Chun. While I'm here to make a short documentary, write articles, and oversee the creation of other media assets, Chun is here primarily to give back through the sport she loves. As such, I thought that hearing from her about this camp, women's wrestling, upcoming World Championships and more might be something the readers of the column would value. So instead of your questions, these are mine. Hope you enjoy. To my questions … Clarissa Chun interacts with children at the Azraq Refugee Camp Q: We are here in Amman and just spent our first day interacting with children at the Azraq Refugee Camp. What is your Day 1 takeaway? What was your favorite moment? -- Foley Chun: I was impressed! Especially with the guy wrestlers. We showed up in the middle of training and they had something like four days and they looked amazing. So strong. So athletic. They had like a week of training and with the short amount of time I was impressed. I guess I would have wanted to see some more female-led interaction too, but culturally I'm not sure the protocol. I don't know how they feel about women on the mats and what they require for clothing. Still, for me the best part was just playing with the girls. Roughhousing and kind of doing little body awareness drills, running around and playing tag. That whole moment was probably the best part. These girls were hungry for sport, or maybe just fun. And you could feel they were the sweetest, kindest kids. I mean they were offering us water. Giving kisses. Giving hugs. You could sense their toughness, or resilience. We were off to the side as the boys practiced and they were asked to not interrupt so we tried to copy and just have fun. The whole day was full of laughter. Whatever they've gone through I couldn't tell their struggles or hardship in that moment. I could just feel them being curious. They were unsure of what we were there for, but once we mixed in they wanted more. Clarissa Chun coaching the USA women's wrestling team at Beat the Streets (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Q: Wrestling has a way of creating positive life-affirming values. Hard work, discipline, appreciation for others are some of the outcomes. What values have you learned and what do you hope to see these children develop through this type of programming? -- Foley Chun: I think discipline. You could feel their toughness. They have that in them, but I feel like that with discipline some of them will see better futures. I want them to know the values of what's good in the world, what's morally right, what's proper. Not to learn self-defense of wrestling and apply it in a negative way. Use these lessons for something good. I don't want them starting fights and creating hardships for themselves or their families. One thing I thought was cool was meeting one of the taekwondo girls who was a black belt and had come from a family of seven. That sport is huge here and she'd done so much. I want that for the sport of wrestling and for these girls. Q: United World Wrestling or outside, what are some ways you or the wrestling community can assist these types of development projects? I work in media and sometimes I can be a little overwhelmed with who is doing what project and why, so feel free to speak generally or specifically. -- Foley Chun: I kind of asked myself and my partner Waylon that today. Could I be here? Could I live here and help these kids every day? I don't know. I guess what I do know is what I feel. I feel that this is a great opportunity for them, but I imagine what my life would be like if it was flipped upside down by war. And it hurts me to feel that. I mean what is the follow-up after this? Who will come in and make this a consistent thing? Who is the person in their life to help them through this struggle? Overall, it was interesting to have the conversation of whether you can commit to this type of lifestyle. Hopefully this isn't their forever, but I think it's tough to think about the possibility they spend their childhood here. I think that UWW and taekwondo are trying to start something positive and bring positivity into the world and I think that with some second efforts wrestling will make these types of countries and situations a priority Clarissa Chun with her bronze medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com) Q: You mentioned to me a few days ago that you often get noticed in Hawaii. How does that feel? Does having that celebrity status give you hope for the future of women's wrestling? Also, is it because you wear your Olympic bronze medal from London to the restaurants and bars? -- Foley Chun: Haha. That's not me! I don't feel like I'm a star. I feel like I'm known in the wrestling community there because of what's happened on and off the mat since the Olympics. Hopefully what I can help others from Hawaii like Tiare Ikei, but I'm not home to show the moves often. I hope my journey inspires them. I do a clinic every year, some high schools and the tournaments. I enjoy it. I don't forget that being from Hawaii and wrestling are elements of my path. I will say, it was weird going back this last time and I was like, 'Man, I'm the old person in the stands!' Wasn't that long I was on the mat and was learning and thinking about how I could wrestle more. Now I'm in the stands. It all happens too fast. I just want them to have more opportunities, especially the girls and women in Hawaii. I hope that coming from Hawaii that some of these girls can get a college education and wrestle like I did. Back to the refugees, though, I think of what doors could open if these kids could wrestle and get a college education on the backs of their athletic efforts. Some of those girls ... man, I just love thinking of what they can do. I always get teary-eyed. That's what's so good about wrestling. You don't need much to do it and there is no limit to what you can achieve. Q: On that point, what is the best example you have of where women's wrestling was, and where it is today? -- Foley Chun: Women's wrestling in the U.S. is opening doors because more people are understanding what it's about. I was fortunate coming from Hawaii because I didn't have to struggle for acceptance so it's harder for me to say because I didn't have to fight with coaches for mat time and all that nonsense. When I graduated, Missouri Valley offered me a scholarship. And that was a big, new deal. I think there are just more of those same opportunities available now to more people. I actually think social media changed a lot of people's minds in the wrestling community and outside. The whole movement of strong women being naturally accepted is here now, like 'I am a woman, I am strong.' That's not something that was known or was utilized as a movement when I was in school. I always felt like there was a fight to have. We were always proud to be strong female athletes, but now there is an energy behind us all. It's like the Women's World Cup and Megan Rapinoe's speech. I have purple hair. We are White. Black. Lesbian. Straight. There is not one type of woman that does this. Being accepted as a full human who just happens to be a woman -- that's cool. I mean even in my family my parents are all-in for my wrestling. That maybe came from the judo mentality of all on the mat together. But my pau-pau (grandmother in Chinese) just didn't understand why I was wrestling. She thought it was too physical to put yourself through. The concept of judo seemed like a martial art, while wrestling maybe wasn't. I don't know. Maybe if she had been exposed to these strong women then her thinking would have been more accepting. Q: Where can it go? -- Foley Chun: Everywhere hopefully. Here. The Middle East. I think the effort needs to be consistent and worldwide. I feel like some people already enjoy women's wrestling more than men's wrestling, so I think that more people opening their minds to the idea that this is all the same sport. This is all wrestling. Happy to see it start happening in the United States. To put this in focus, I know girls who in the past ten years have been rejected from training at men's programs and now those same programs have plenty of women! Takes time, I think. Q: Seems to me that all these new women's wrestling programs need some coaches. Are you concerned about coaching education for women? What are the main issues moving forward in order to professionalize coaching? -- Foley Chun: Coaching education, period. I think that regardless of their level, these coaches can be women. But, and this is important, I think that coaching education is vital. I love taking courses, not only can I share my knowledge, but I always pick up new and important things from coaches across sports. I feel that coaching is evolving through things like Safe Sport and concussion protocols. Overseas the profession of coaching is something you study in college, and I think that's something we need more of across even women's wrestling. Maybe all of wrestling could benefit from that education. Another thing is that it's not good to think that only former college women wrestlers should coach. I'm excited that more women want to coach. I feel that if it's something they are passionate about they can be successful. Whether this is something they can continue to do and share their experiences, or something they learn I think that we can achieve more female role models. Q: Tell me about Team USA's chances in Nur-Sultan and then on to Tokyo. -- Foley Chun: We have a team that can win it. Really. We have experience, young talent, and we are closing the gap within that top three. Jacarra, Sarah, Tamyra, Kayla … oh my gosh, all of them. They are all getting better at wrestling. That's the key. Watch out!

Robert Perez III (California) repeated as 16U Greco-Roman champion (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com) FARGO, N.D. -- In two weeks, Robert Perez III, the nation's No. 1 freshman, will compete at the Cadet World Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, so he headed to Fargo for a tune-up. The tune-up resulted in Perez capturing his second straight 16U Greco-Roman title on Thursday, beating Matthew Singleton (Georgia) 7-2 in the finals at 145 pounds, the same wrestler he defeated to make the Cadet World Team. Singleton led 1-1 on criteria with under a minute remaining before Perez scored an exposure off a front headlock to grab the lead. Singleton picked up a reversal to make the score 3-2. Perez would score a four-point throw in the finals seconds to win by five. Minnesota's Jore Volk (100), Oklahoma's John Wiley (138) and Ohio's Seth Shumate (195) capped off double titles in Fargo by winning 16U Greco-Roman stop signs on Thursday. Volk won his title by beating Benjamin Aranda (Illinois) 4-1 in the finals at 100 pounds. Aranda scored the first point off a step out, but Volk came right back with a four-point throw, which turned out to be enough to get the victory. Wiley, a runner-up last summer in the 16U Greco competition, topped Cody Chittum (Tennessee) 4-1 to earn his title at 138 pounds. Chittum grabbed an early lead after a step out, but Wiley took the criteria lead at the break. He added to his lead with a step out in the second period. With 15 seconds left, Chittum attempted a throw, which Wiley countered and nearly secured the fall before time expired. Shumate, the nation's No. 4 sophomore, capped off a dominant run to the title at 195 pounds with a 10-0 technical superiority in the finals over Isaiah Anderson (Washington). He scored with two four-point throws before ending the match with a gut wrench in just over a minute. Illinois won the team title in the 16U Greco-Roman competition for the seventh straight year, finishing five points ahead of runner-up California. Bradley Gillum (160) was the lone champion for Illinois. He defeated Adam Ahrendsen (Iowa) 6-3 in the finals at 160 pounds. California and Minnesota both had three champions. Ray Ray Harris (94) and Brock Bobzien (113) won titles for California before Perez became the Golden State's third champion. Harris won by 14-3 technical superiority in the finals at 94 pounds over 16U freestyle champion Cael Hughes (Oklahoma). Bobzien needed just 40 seconds to earn a 10-0 technical superiority in the 113-pound finals against Isaiah Kainoa Medina (California) at 113 pounds. In addition to Volk, Caleb Thoennes (88) and Gavin Nelson (170) won titles. Thoennes (Minnesota) shut out Hunter Taylor (Kansas) 6-0 in the finals at 88 pounds. Gavin Nelson (Minnesota) after winning the title at 170 pounds (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine) Nelson, a third-place finisher in the InterMat Classic, hung on to beat Tate Picklo (Oklahoma) 7-6 in the finals at 170 pounds. After Nelson went up 7-0 in the opening period, Picklo battled back. He threw Nelson to his back with a minute remaining and nearly secured a fall, but had to settle for two points, which put him down a point. But Nelson held strong position and took the victory. Robert Weston (Georgia) was named Outstanding Wrestler of the event. He cruised to a first-period 11-0 technical superiority in the finals over Jared Simma (Kansas) at 152 pounds. Weston did not surrender a point in the Greco-Roman competition and won every match by technical superiority or fall. Jacob Barnes (Oregon) won the title at 285 pounds with a 31-second fall over Hayden Copass (Illinois). It halted Copass' bid at a 16U Triple Crown. Other champions included Christian Tanefeu (North Dakota) at 106 pounds, Nicolar Rivera (Wisconsin) at 120 pounds, Ramon Ramos (Arizona) at 126 pounds, Michael Kilic (Georgia) at 132 pounds, Nicholas Feldman (Pennsylvania) at 182 pounds and Gage Cook (Washington) at 220 pounds. Placement Match Results 88: 1st: Caleb Thoennes (Minnesota) dec. Hunter Taylor (Kansas), 6-0 3rd: Grigor Cholakyan (California) dec. Alan Koehler (Minnesota), 6-4 5th: Kolby Warren (Missouri) tech. Cael Alderman (Kansas), 11-0 3:39 7th: Kyison Garcia (Utah) tech. Cosmo Damiani (New York), 11-0 2:00 94: 1st: Ray Ray Harris (California) tech. Cael Hughes (Oklahoma), 14-3 3:39 3rd: DJ Gillett (Oregon) tech. Coleman Nogle (Maryland), 12-1 2:34 5th: Kenneth Hendriksen (Texas) dec. Christopher Martino (Idaho), 5-4 7th: Carson Wagner (Pennsylvania) dec. Joey Showalter (Wisconsin), 9-6 100: 1st: Jore Volk (Minnesota) dec. Benjamin Aranda (Illinois), 4-1 3rd: Kannon Webster (Illinois) dec. Beau Mantanona (California), 4-3 5th: Kai Owen (Florida) tech. Keith Smith (Nebraska), 12-12 7th: Brayden Sonnentag (Wisconsin) dec. Trason Oehme (South Dakota), 5-3 106: 1st: Christian Tanefeu (North Dakota) dec. Kyle Rice (Idaho), 7-4 3rd: Zeth Romney (California) dec. Greyson Clark (Wisconsin), 11-9 5th: Horacio Godinez (Washington) dec. Joseph Fernau (Illinois), 4-0 7th: Jacob Van dee (Pennsylvania) tech. Marlon Yarbrough (Ohio), 14-4 1:40 113: 1st: Brock Bobzien (California) tech. Isaiah kainoa Medina (California), 10-0 0:40 3rd: Stevie Barnes (Iowa) dec. Trae Mcdaniel (Tennessee), 6-3 5th: Gabe Whisenhunt (Oregon) by forfeit over Dante Rigal (New York) 7th: Damian Mendez (Kansas) dec. Abraham Hinrichsen (Illinois), 8-6 120: 1st: Nicolar Rivera (Wisconsin) tech. Kayd Craig (Idaho), 12-2 3:13 3rd: Joey Cape (Illinois) dec. Hunter Garvin (Iowa), 11-8 5th: Richard Fedalen (Maryland) dec. David Panone (Georgia), 9-6 7th: Q'veli Quintanilla (Washington) tech. AJ Smith (Minnesota), 15-4 2:00 126: 1st: Ramon Ramos (Arizona) tech. Gavin Drexler (Wisconsin), 13-2 2:53 3rd: Colin Roberts (Ohio) dec. Kaleb Larkin (Arizona), 4-3 5th: Conor Goucher (Washington) pinned Ethan Fernandez (New Jersey), 12-2 3:58 7th: Nicco Ruiz (California) dec. Maximilian Leete (Massachusetts), 3-2 132: 1st: Michael Kilic (Georgia) dec. Jack Milos (Illinois), 8-5 3rd: Ivan Morris (Colorado) pinned Jaden New (Alabama), 4-1 1:57 5th: Kyle Boeke (Minnesota) tech. Kyle Dutton (Missouri), 12-2 1:18 7th: Robert Avila (Iowa) tech. Mateo De la pena (Washington), 11-1 3:37 138: 1st: John Wiley (Oklahoma) dec. Cody Chittum (Tennessee), 4-1 3rd: Garrison Dendy (Georgia) dec. Nick Hamilton (Iowa), 5-3 5th: Matthew Bianchi (Wisconsin) dec. James Johnston (Michigan), 12-11 7th: Daniel Cardenas (Colorado) tech. Preston Owens (Idaho), 11-0 1:33 145: 1st: Robert Perez III (California) dec. Matthew Singleton (Georgia), 7-2 3rd: Paniro Johnson (Pennsylvania) dec. CJ Hamblin (Washington), 8-6 5th: Matthew Rodriguez (California) dec. Jared Stricker (Wisconsin), 7-3 7th: Cael Berg (Minnesota) tech. David Capron (Illinois), 11-0 1:19 152: 1st: Robert Weston (Georgia) tech. Jared Simma (Kansas), 11-0 1:42 3rd: Kamdyn Munro (Georgia) dec. Caden Ernd (Illinois), 9-5 5th: David Brooks (Missouri) pinned Ryder Rogotzke (Minnesota), 4-0 0:36 7th: Derek Matthews (Idaho) tech. Robert Major (Illinois), 12-1 2:34 160: 1st: Bradley Gillum (Illinois) dec. Adam Ahrendsen (Iowa), 6-3 3rd: Nicholas Hall (Delaware) pinned Colton Lindquist (Alaska), 6-2 1:59 5th: Fernando Villaescusa (Arizona) dec. Kaleb Smith (Idaho), 12-3 7th: Dawson Mathews (Georgia) pinned Gunner Endicott (Ohio), 5-4 1:35 170: 1st: Gavin Nelson (Minnesota) dec. Tate Picklo (Oklahoma), 7-6 3rd: Leonard Pinto (Pennsylvania) dec. Evan Canoyer (Nebraska), 14-7 5th: Damion Schunke (South Dakota) dec. Andrew Wenzel (Illinois), 2-1 7th: Michael Altomer (New York) pinned Thomas Stewart (Maryland), 4-4 1:25 182: 1st: Nicholas Feldman (Pennsylvania) dec. Jack Darrah (Missouri), 4-1 3rd: Owen Warren (South Dakota) dec. Wyatt Voelker (Iowa), 16-12 5th: Michael Tal-shahar (Florida) tech. Branson Britten (Texas), 10-0 1:26 7th: Isaiah Huus (North Dakota) tech. Maxwell Gourley (Pennsylvania), 12-0 2:31 195: 1st: Seth Shumate (Ohio) tech. Isaiah Anderson (Washington), 10-0 1:10 3rd: Evan Bates (Indiana) dec. Tom Culp (Illinois), 14-10 5th: Andrew Blackburn-forst (Illinois) dec. Jordan Hilford (California), 12-8 7th: Leighton Jones (Indiana) dec. Corbin Phelps (Texas), 11-4 220: 1st: Gage Cook (Washington) dec. Kolby Franklin (Pennsylvania), 6-4 3rd: Chase Horne (Georgia) dec. Dustin Swanson (Pennsylvania), 9-0 5th: Jaren Rohde (Wisconsin) pinned Riley Ucker (Ohio), 8-0 3:06 7th: Juan Mora (California) dec. Chase Thompson (Florida), 3-1 88: 1st: Jacob Barnes (Oregon) pinned Hayden Copass (Illinois), 4-0 0:31 3rd: James Howard (Tennessee) dec. Griffin Liddle (Iowa), 11-1 2:38 5th: Michael Fanz (Missouri) FOR Gavin Layton (Minnesota) 7th: Jacob Moore (Arizona) dec. Ryan Elrod (Ohio), 4-2 Outstanding Wrestler: Robert Weston (Georgia), 152 lbs. Most Falls: Mendez (Kansas) 4 falls at 113 lbs. Team Standings (Top Five) 1. Illinois 64 2. California 59 3. Georgia 46 4. Minnesota 42 5. Pennsylvania 37

Donny Wichmann Donny Wichmann, champion wrestler and assistant coach at Augsburg University who only recently was announced for induction into the National Wrestling Coaches Association NCAA Division III Hall of Fame, passed away Tuesday at age 53. For the past four years, Wichmann had been battling glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. A memorial service and celebration of Wichmann's life will be held on Saturday, Aug. 17 at Si Melby Hall on the Augsburg campus at 715 23rd Ave South in Minneapolis. The Augsburg wrestling program posted this message on its Facebook page Wednesday afternoon: "We are sad to share that we have lost an amazing athlete, coach and man. We are so grateful for all that Donny Wichmann has done for the Augsburg community and our wrestling program. He will forever be an Auggie and we will miss him tremendously. Thank you, Donny; rest peacefully ❤️" Born in Marshall, Minn., Wichmann was a three-time Minnesota state high school tournament qualifier and a third-place finisher at 119 pounds in 1984. However, it was at Augsburg that Wichmann truly made a name for himself as a wrestler and member of the Auggie coaching staff. Donny Wichmann was a three-time MIAC champion and 1989 All-American Considered one of the top middleweight wrestlers in Augsburg history, Wichmann won 137 matches in his Auggie career, claiming three MIAC (Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) individual titles -- 1986 and 1987 at 142 pounds, and 1989 at 150 pounds -- while winning MIAC Tournament Most Valuable Wrestler honors in both 1987 and 1989, and the most falls award in 1987. Wichmann earned All-American honors with a fourth-place finish at 150 pounds in the 1989 NCAA Division III National Championships, and was instrumental in helping the Auggies place third in the team standings at the NCAAs. For these accomplishments, Wichmann was named an Augsburg co-Honor Athlete in 1989. That same year, Wichmann earned his bachelor's degree from Augsburg, having majored in marketing and management. After completing his on-the-mat career, Wichmann served as an Augsburg men's wrestling assistant coach for 19 seasons, first under head coach Jeff Swenson from 1989-2007, then for head coach Mark Matzek from 2008-09. With Wichmann on staff, the Auggies won 10 NCAA Division III national titles, while finishing second seven times, third once and fourth once ... the beginning of the Augsburg wrestling dynasty. In addition, during Wichmann's tenure, the Auggies could claim 134 Division III All-Americans and 34 individual national champions. Incredibly, that nearly quarter-century relationship between Donny Wichmann and Augsburg may have been cut short after only two years as a wrestler ... if it hadn't been for Jeff Swenson. Here's how InterMat owner and senior editor Andrew Hipps described the situation in a November 2015 profile of Wichmann which was written not long after Wichmann's cancer diagnosis: "Donny won a conference championship as a sophomore in 1986. But that spring he was ready to leave Augsburg. The program had fallen on hard times. Augsburg went from an NCAA runner-up finish in 1984 to 16th place in 1986. "I was just going to leave Augsburg, leave wrestling and go to Arizona State, go to school down there and enjoy the nice weather," said Donny. "Around that time Swenson was getting calls about returning to Augsburg to become the head wrestling coach again. "Swenson, while weighing his decision, met with Donny. "I told Donny if he stayed with the program that I was going to come back as the head coach," said Swenson, a national champion wrestler at Augsburg in 1979. "That's the kind of respect that I had for Donny." "Both Donny Wichmann and Jeff Swenson made the decision to return to Augsburg. "I knew that he was the glue that I needed in order to come back and lead the Augsburg wrestling program after I had left it after my first four years," said Swenson. "It was always a special relationship." For his accomplishments and contributions to the success of the Auggie mat program, Wichmann had earned significant honors in the past decade. He was welcomed into the Augsburg Athletic Hall of Fame in 2010. Just last year, Wichmann was presented with the State Medal of Courage Award from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, Minnesota Chapter at a ceremony in Austin, Minn. Less than two weeks ago, it was announced that Wichmann would be inducted as a member of the Class of 2019 of the National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III Hall of Fame. He will be welcomed posthumously during a ceremony on Aug. 3 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. In addition to his involvement with Augsburg wrestling, Wichmann owned his own wrestling equipment and apparel company, DW Wrestling Products, and worked for Gopher Stage Lighting, a lighting equipment supplier in Minneapolis. Wichmann leaves behind a wife, Mindy, who he married in 2000. Andrew Hipps offered this tribute to Donny Wichmann on Facebook Wednesday: "Donny Wichmann, who was recently inducted into the NCAA Division III Wrestling Hall of Fame, passed away last night. He was such a wonderful person who made the world a better place. I first met him when I was a kid. He was this cheerful, super friendly guy selling gear at youth wrestling tournaments. Always had a huge smile on his face. Then later he coached my brother Jeremy on the Augsburg wrestling team. Donny's impact will be felt for years to come. I saved a voicemail from him that he left me in 2015 after I wrote an article on him. He ended the voicemail with, 'Anything I can do for you, you let me know.' He meant it. That's the kind of person Donny was."

Joey Palmer wrestling in the semifinals of the U.S. Open (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- University of Maryland head wrestling coach Alex Clemson announced the addition of three-time NCAA qualifier Joey Palmer to his staff as a volunteer assistant coach on Wednesday. A native of Covington, Wash., Palmer helped lead Oregon State to a second-place finish in the Pac-12 as the Beavers' volunteer assistant, while also producing five NCAA qualifiers for the 2017-18 season. "I'm really excited to complete my staff with the addition of Joey," head coach Alex Clemsen said. "Joey recently took third at the U.S. Open and I know that he wants to continue to compete at an extremely high level. Having that mindset and work ethic on display everyday inside the Mark A. Andersen Wrestling Room will be priceless." Palmer was a three-time NCAA qualifier and Pac-12 champion at 133 pounds while a member of the Oregon State wrestling program, in addition to being a two-time Pac-12 Conference All-Academic selection. In his senior season, he went 3-2 at the NCAA Championships, just missing All-American honors. Palmer won the 133 pound Pac-12 Championship his senior year, and finished his collegiate career with an 88-48 record. Most recently, Palmer finished third at the U.S. Open in the senior men's division and qualified for the 2019 World Team Trials. "Joey wants to coach and help our athletes get better in every facet of their lives," Clemsen said. "That's what excited me the most about him and the way he can help us build Maryland Wrestling and jump start Turtle Power. Lastly, Joey has his master's degree and really values education. Coaching at one of the premier academic institutions in America, he can help our young men navigate the rigors of being a true student-athlete." Palmer received his undergraduate degree from Oregon State in 2017 with a degree in Human Development/Family Science paired with Education, and received his Master's Degree in Special Education in 2019 while teaching English and academic skills for special education students at Tahoma High School. During his prep years, Palmer was a two-time Washington 4A state champion, and a member of the 4A State Championship team at Tahoma High School. The addition of Joey Palmer rounds out head coach Alex Clemsen's coaching staff alongside assistants Nick Brascetta and Devin Mellon, whose hires were announced in late May.

Shelton Mack NEW YORK -- Andrew F. Barth Head Coach of Wrestling Zach Tanelli, on Wednesday, July 17, announced the addition of a new member to the Columbia Wrestling coaching staff, with the hiring of Shelton Mack as a Volunteer Assistant Coach for the upcoming 2019-20 season. "Shelton is the perfect addition to the Columbia wrestling program," said Tanelli. "His thoughtfulness and disposition, in addition to his great wrestling background, will provide much for our men to learn from. He brings very valuable coaching and recruiting experience from both the Atlantic Coast Conference and Big Ten conferences that we look forward to incorporating within our team." Mack comes to Columbia after spending the 2018-19 season on the Maryland staff. During the previous season, Mack helped heavyweight Youssif Hemida place third at the 2019 Big Ten Championships and with Mack's help, Hemida earned 2019 All-American honors following the 2019 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. Before joining the Maryland staff, Mack spent three seasons, from 2015-18, at Virginia as a member of the Cavalier staff. Mack's success at Virginia included developing NCAA All-Americans Jack Mueller and George DiCamillo. During his collegiate career, Mack was a three-time NCAA Qualifier at the University of Pittsburgh. He recorded 84 wins while wrestling at 133 pounds for the Panthers and qualified for the NCAA Championships in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Mack reached the round of 12 in 2012 before falling one-win shy of All-American status. He earned a career-best 26 wins during his senior season and went 2-2 at the NCAA Championships, where he took eventual national champion Tony Ramos of Iowa down to the wire before narrowly falling, 3-1. Mack is currently training to make the United States World and Olympic teams, and he most recently placed fourth at the 2019 World Team Trails (61kg). In 2014, Mack finished third at 133 pounds at the ACC Championships. He previously recorded back-to-back runner-up finishes at the EWL Championships in 2012 and 2013. A native of Meadville, Pa., Mack graduated from Pitt in 2015 after double majoring in sociology and history. FOLLOWING THE LIONS: Stay up to date on all things Columbia Wrestling by following the Lions on Twitter (@columbiaWR), Instagram (@columbiawr) and on Facebook (@ColumbiaAthletics).

Emily Shilson gets her hand raised after picking up a technical superiority to claim the title at 106 pounds (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine) FARGO, N.D. -- Emily Shilson made it look easy in Fargo. The 18-year-old Minnesotan capped off a dominant run through the Junior freestyle competition on Wednesday in Fargo with 10-0 finals victory over Faith Cole (Missouri) in just over a minute in the finals at 106 pounds. It was Shilson's sixth technical superiority shutout in six matches. She outscored her opposition 60-0 and earned the tournament's Outstanding Wrestler award. Shilson becomes the second six-time Fargo girls champion, joining Teshya Alo (Hawaii). Last summer, Shilson won a Cadet world title and then became the first U.S. wrestler to win a Youth Olympic Games gold medal. She is headed to Augsburg University. Shilson was one of three repeat champions in the women's Junior freestyle competition. Also repeating were a pair of Texans, Xochitl Mota-Pettis (127) and Gabrielle Holloway (225). Mota-Pettis dominated Lana Perez (Hawaii) 14-1 in the finals at 127 pounds. She led 8-1 at the break and put the match away in the second period after a four-point hip toss. Holloway came back to defeat Isabeau Shalack of Illinois, in the finals at 225 pounds. Shalack led 1-0 at the break, but Holloway came back to get a fall in the second period. At 138 pounds, Alara Boyd (Indiana), a multiple-time Cadet world medalist, won the title at 138 pound with a first-period fall in the finals over Morgan Norris (Nevada). U.S. Open champion Tiare Ikei (Hawaii) claimed the title at 117 pounds with a first-period fall over Jennifer Soto (California). Ikei finished the tournament with two falls and three technical superiorities in five matches. Kennedy Blades, the Outstanding Wrestler in the U16 women's wrestling competition, cruised to the title at 164 pounds with a 10-0 technical superiority in the finals over Tristan Kelly (Colorado). Blades did not surrender a single point en route to winning the title. Washington won its first team title ever in the women's Junior freestyle competition in Fargo, fishing with 65 points, 12 points ahead of runner-up Illinois. Washington finished with 14 All-Americans, but only one champion, Kaylee Moore. She topped follow Washington wrestler Viktorya Torres 8-4 in the finals at 132 pounds. Placement Match Results 100: 1st: Sage Mortimer (Utah) pinned Rayana Sahagun (Michigan), 0:34 3rd: Jessica Corredor (Florida) tech. Elizabeth Dosado (Virginia), 10-0 1:33 5th: Heaven Fitch (North Carolina) tech. Amanda Newcomb (Kansas), 15-5 4:55 7th: Estrella Dorado Marin (Colorado) tech. Valerie Carreon (Texas), 13-3 3:19 106: 1st: Emily Shilson (Minnesota) tech. Faith Cole (Missouri), 10-0, 1:08 3rd: Emily Mendez (Washington) pinned Jenavi Alejandro (Nevada), 2:29 5th: Caitlyn Walker (Pennsylvania) pinned Tehani Soares (Nevada), 1:10 7th: Julianne Moccia (Maryland) pinned Tatyana Ortiz (Pennsylvania), 4:08 112: 1st: Montana Delawder (Pennsylvania) dec. Josie Bartishofski (Wisconsin), 9-3 3rd: Nichole Moore (Kansas) VPO1 Trinity Berry (Virginia), 13-10 5th: Jaslynn Gallegos (Colorado) tech. Alexis Janiak (Illinois), 10-0 2:37 7th: Lexy Beadles (California) pinned Torieonna Buchanan (Indiana), 2:19 117: 1st: Tiare Ikei (Hawaii) pinned Jennifer Soto (California), 2:04 3rd: Camille Fournier (Texas) tech. Holly Beaudoin (Washington), 17-7 5:15 5th: Phoenix Dubose (Washington) tech. Molly Williams (Washington), 10-0 2:29 7th: Adriana Dorado Marin (Colorado) tech. Jazmin Mercado (Washington), 10-0 1:54 122: 1st: Gabrielle Skidmore (Wisconsin) dec. Nanea Estrella (Hawaii), 5-2 3rd: Payton Stroud (Washington) tech. Riley Dalrymple (New York), 10-0 5:24 5th: Emily Paulino (Hawaii) inj dft Leilah Castro (Ohio) 7th: Brelane Huber (Idaho) tech. Katie Gomez (California), 11-1 4:54 127: 1st: Xochitl Mota-Pettis (Texas) tech. Lana Perez (Hawaii), 14-1, 4;25 3rd: Waipuilani Beauchamp (Hawaii) pinned Mia Macaluso (New York), 0:15 5th: Amor Tuttle (Minnesota) tech. Sydney Harper (Texas), 13-2 1:15 7th: Andrea Schlabach (Ohio) inj. dft. Asia Nguyen-smith (Illinois) 132: 1st: Kaylee Moore (Washington) dec. Viktorya Torres (Washington), 8-4 3rd: Louisa Schwab (Illinois) tech. Emma Walker (Tennessee), 10-0 2:44 5th: Avia Bibeau (Pennsylvania) pinned Grace Pauls (New York), 1:13 7th: Nonnie Justice (Missouri) tech. Elleni Johnson (Utah), 10-0 1:02 138: 1st: Alara Boyd (Indiana) pinned Morgan Norris (Nevada), 1:32 3rd: Sara Sulejmani (Illinois) tech. Aine Drury (California), 10-0 2:12 5th: Esther Han (Missouri) pinned Chloe Ogden (Florida), 2:10 7th: Maggie Palmore (Maryland) tech. Kya Rybachek (Minnesota), 12-1 2:57 144: 1st: McKenzie Cook (Alaska) dec. Jerzie Estrada (Colorado), 8-7 3rd: Nia Miranda (Texas) dec. Ivy Kraght (Washington), 3-2 5th: Krista Warren (Washington) pinned Annie n. Hua (California), 2:53 7th: Tiyahna Askew (Georgia) pinned Alexandria Hernandez (Washington), 3:41 152: 1st: Tiffani Baublitz (Pennsylvania) dec. Kiley Hubby (Washington), 4-2 3rd: Jewel Gonzalez (New Jersey) dec. Francesca Lopresti (California), 4-2 5th: Alexandria Sanford (Washington) pinned Brooke-lynn Rush (Missouri), 3:50 7th: Michelle Kamyshin (California) dec. Morgan Mayginnes (Kansas), 6-0 164: 1st: Kennedy Blades (Illinois) tech. Tristan Kelly (Colorado), 10-0, 2:40 3rd: Ashley Lekas (Texas) dec. Olivia Robinson (Oregon), 4-1 5th: Mckenzie Samuels (New York) dec. Jennifer Curry (Arizona), 5-0 7th: Ariana Pereira (California) pinned Ava Miller (Missouri), 1:24 180: 1st: Kelani Corbett (Hawaii) dec. Elisa Robinson (Kansas), 8-0 3rd: Jaycee Foeller (Missouri) dec. Brianna Staebler (Wisconsin), 10-2 5th: Joanna Jones (New York) dec. Faith Tuttle (Minnesota), 8-0 7th: Brittyn Corbishley (Texas) pinned Shania Gowan (Florida), 1:56 200: 1st: Gabrielle Hamilton (Illinois) pinned Angela Buenrrostro (California), 1:33 3rd: Olivia Brown (Oklahoma) dec. Juliannah Bolli (California), 8-0 5th: Tatum Heikkila (Washington) tech. Elizabeth Saleapaga (California), 11-0 4:26 7th: Stacey Pgouda (Georgia) tech. Kayvette Osorio (California), 12-0 0:51 225: 1st: Gabrielle Holloway (Texas) pinned Isabeau Shalack (Illinois), 3:37 3rd: Cristina Santoyo (California) pinned Kyleigh Haney (Georgia), 3:33 5th: Hannah Francis (Texas) inj dft. Jasmine Guerrero (California) 7th: Lexie Cole (Missouri) pinned Cassidy Curtiss (California), 1:50 Outstanding Wrestler: Emily Shilson (Minnesota), 106 pounds Most Falls: Caitlyn Walker (Pennsylvania) 6 falls in 7:33 Team Standings (Top Five) 1. Washington 65 2. California 53 3. Texas 44 4. Hawaii 40 5. Illinois 39

Alireza Dabir, 2000 Olympic gold medalist in men's freestyle wrestling, has been elected president of the Iran wrestling federation. Alireza DabirDabir received 31 votes out of 46 in the second round of the election in Tehran on Wednesday to win the position, according to Mehr News, an Iranian news agency. "I'm neither happy nor sad," said Dabir after being voted to head up the Iranian wrestling organization for a four-year term. Dabir takes the helm of the Iran wrestling federation which had been managed by an acting president after Rasoul Khadem stepped down from the post back in November 2018 after Iran wrestling's poor performance at the 2018 World Championships. ' Dabir earned the gold medal in men's freestyle competition at the 2000 Sydney Olympics at 58 kilograms/127 pounds. (Among the wrestlers Dabir defeated on the way to winning that title: Team USA's Terry Brands.) The 42-year-old also won a gold medal at 1998 World Championships in his hometown of Tehran. Dabir also earned three silver medals of World Championships and one silver of Asian Games in the next four years before announcing his retirement.

A view of the Covelli Center (Photo/ ElevenWarriors.com) Be among the first to get an "inside look" at the brand-new Covelli Center and Jennings Wrestling Facility at Ohio State -- and meet Buckeyes head wrestling coach Tom Ryan -- at the Wrestling Open House on Tuesday, July 23, the Buckeye wrestling program announced Tuesday. The event will take place next Tuesday evening from 6-8 p.m. at Covelli Center, located on the Ohio State campus at 2640 Fred Taylor Drive, just east of Ohio 315 at the Lane Avenue exit, in Columbus. Admission is free; parking is $5. Wrestling fans interested in attending the open house should use the entrance at the southwest corner of Covelli Center. The open house is an unbeatable opportunity for fans to get a behind-the-scenes, full-access look at the new home of Ohio State wrestling, including the Covelli Center 3,700-seat arena that will be home to the Buckeye wrestling events… along with the wrestling room, workout facilities and other aspects of the Jennings Wrestling Facility that's part of the same structure. In addition, visitors to the wrestling open house will have plenty of meet-and-greet opportunities… including the chance to talk to head coach Tom Ryan. What's more, there will be fun activities for kids on the Covelli Center concourse. Food will be available for purchase from the Iron Grill BBQ food truck. Ohio State wrestling fans may purchase new season tickets at the open house, as account executives will be on site to answer questions and take orders. Seat selection will follow online later that week by assigned seat selection windows. Covelli Center will host its first dual meet as Ohio State welcomes Stanford on Saturday, Nov. 10.

Abe Assad gets his hand raised after beating Dustin Plott (Oklahoma) to win the title at 182 pounds (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com) FARGO, N.D. -- On Tuesday, Abe Assad avenged a recent loss on his way to winning a Junior National freestyle title while leading Illinois to a third straight team championship in Fargo. Assad, a 2018 Cadet world bronze medalist, handled two-time state champion Dustin Plott (Oklahoma) 8-2 in the Junior National freestyle finals on Tuesday afternoon to claim the title at 182 pounds, avenging a loss from the Junior National Duals last month. It marks the second straight year in which Plott finished as a runner-up in the Junior freestyle competition in Fargo. Assad, who signed with Iowa, led 3-0 at the break before adding two takedowns in the finals period to win by six. He was one of four titlists for team champion Illinois. Also winning titles for Illinois were Daniel Sheen (100), Anthony Molton (120) and Luke Luffman (285). Sheen came through to win the title at 100 pounds, edging Brandon O'Brien (Iowa) 2-1 in the finals. He scored his only points off a first-period takedown, but it was enough to get him the victory. Molton, an Old Dominion signee and top-100 recruit from the Class of 2019, won a wild, high-scoring affair, 17-16, over Oklahoma State commit Jakason Burks (Nebraska), a U16 Fargo freestyle champion last summer. Burks led 15-13 with 45 seconds left before Molton picked up a takedown and used a lace to go up 17-15. Burks would score a late point, but Molton would hang on for the victory. Luffman became the lone wrestler to repeat as a Junior National freestyle champion by winning the title at 285 pounds. He topped fellow Illinois wrestler Aydin Guttridge 4-1 in the finals. Ohio finished runner-up to Illinois in the team standings and crowned a pair of champions, Angelo Rini (126) and Paddy Gallagher (160). Both hail from the same high school, St. Edward. Rini, who will be attending Columbia, rolled to a 14-4 technical superiority in the finals at 126 pounds over Ethen Miller (Missouri). After Rini jumped out to a 6-0 lead, Miller battled his back into the match and made it 6-4 in the second period. But a short time later Rini would get a takedown, lock up a lace and turn Miller three times to close out the match. Gallagher, the nation's No. 3 junior, also won by technical superiority in the finals, beating South Dakota State signee Cade Devos (Iowa) 12-2 to take the title at 160 pounds. He used four takedowns and two turns off a lace to get the victory in the first period. California crowned three champions, which was the second most of any state behind Illinois. Winning titles for California were Andre Gonzales (106), Jace Luchau (152) and Jonovan Smith (195). Gonzales, a state third-place finisher, used three four-point moves in the third period to earn a technical superiority over InterMat Classic champion Blake West (Minnesota). Luchau, who will be attending Fresno State, topped John Martin Best (West Virginia) 8-2 in the finals at 152 points, scoring all eight of his points from a pair of four-point moves in the opening period. He was named Outstanding Wrestler of the event. Smith, state runner-up, won his title by defeating Cole Urbas (Pennsylvania) 11-5 in the finals at 195 pounds. Urbas, a three-time state placewinner, trailed by one in the second period before Smith picked up three straight takedowns to blow the match wide open. Two-time state champion Braxon Amos (West Virginia), the nation's No. 2 senior, cruised to the title at 220 pounds, beating Dorian Crosby (Pennsylvania) 10-0 in the finals. It was Amos' fifth Fargo title in as many attempts. Drake Ayala (Iowa), ranked as the nation's No. 21 junior by InterMat, turned in an impressive finals performance at 113 pounds, picking up a 19-8 technical superiority over Nico Provo (Connecticut) in the finals. Provo led 8-7 at the break, but Ayala pulled away in the second period and closed out the victory with a lace. State champion Anthony Echemendia (Arizona), a native of Cuba, won a stop sign at 145 pounds with a 10-4 victory over Victor Voinovich (Ohio), the nation's No. 7 junior. Patrick Kennedy (Minnesota) won the title at 170 pounds (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine) Three-time state champion Patrick Kennedy, the nation's No. 8 senior, was untested in the finals at 170 pounds, winning by 10-0 technical superiority over Gerrit Nijenhuis (Pennsylvania). Kennedy has committed to Iowa. Cornell commit Joshua Saunders (Missouri) won a hard-fought match in the 138-pound finals over Nebraska signee Ridge Lovett (Idaho). Lovett, a four-time state champion, took a 3-1 lead in the second period after scoring a takedown off a slide-by, but Saunders came back with a takedown and turn off a lace to earn the 5-3 victory. Three-time state champion Dominick Serrano (Colorado) won his second straight Fargo freestyle stop sign by beating state champion and top-100 recruit Mick Burnett (Ohio) 10-0 in the finals at 132 pounds. The two wrestlers met in last year's U16 freestyle finals in Fargo, with Serrano winning that meeting 10-0 as well. Placement Match Results 100: 1st: Daniel Sheen (Illinois) dec. Brandon O'Brien (Iowa), 2-1 3rd: Cael Keck (Missouri) dec. Samuel Hayes (Illinois), 6-2 5th: Andrew Dalrymple (Alaska) pinned Cameron Hines (Connecticut), 3:38 7th: Robert Gardner (Pennsylvania) tech. Noah Savageau (North Dakota), 13-2, 3:00 106: 1st: Andre Gonzales (California) tech. Blake West (Minnesota), 19-7, 5:55 3rd: Eli Griffin (Oklahoma) tech. Kelly Dunnigan (New Jersey), 10-0, 0:43 5th: Kenny Sailas (Colorado) pinned Caleb- Coyle (Nebraska), 3:57 7th: Elijah Rivera (New York) dec. Quade Smith (Utah), 8-4 113: 1st: Drake Ayala (Iowa) tech. Nico Provo (Connecticut), 19-8, 4:44 3rd: Jeremiah Reno (Missouri) pinned Yusief Lillie (Washington), 3:00 5th: Joziah Fry (Rhode Island) tech. Aedyn Concepcion (Alaska), 12-0, 1:59 7th: Cruz Aguilar (Oklahoma) tech. Angelo Lozado (Colorado), 10-0, 1:43 120: 1st: Anthony Molton (Illinois) dec. Jakason Burks (Nebraska) 17-16 3rd: Chayse La joie (Michigan) tech. Destin Summers (Idaho), 11-1, 5:23 5th: Jackson Cockrell (Oklahoma) dec. Joseph Thompson (Minnesota), 10-8 7th: Cooper Flynn (Tennessee) dec. Richard Sandoval (California), 6-5 126: 1st: Angelo Rini (Ohio) tech. Ethen Miller (Missouri), 14-4, 4:05 3rd: Wyatt Henson (Missouri) tech. Kyle Burwick (North Dakota), 17-6 5:50 5th: Cameron Johnson (Illinois) tech. Jayden Gomez (California), 14-3 3:56 7th: Carter Young (Oklahoma) tech. Camden Russell (Nebraska), 10-0 0:59 132: 1st: Dominick Serrano (Colorado) tech. Michael Burnett (Ohio), 10-0, 2:58 3rd: Cael Happel (Iowa) tech. Nathaniel Pulliam (Missouri), 11-1 2:01 5th: Mosha Schwartz (Colorado) dec. Domenic Zaccone (Illinois), 11-5 7th: Trey Crawford (Missouri) tech. Drew Roberts (Washington), 12-1 3:20 138: 1st: Joshua Saunders (Missouri) dec. Ridge Lovett (Idaho), 5-3 3rd: Lachlan Mcneil (Pennsylvania) dec. Samuel Hillegas (Pennsylvania), 10-3 5th: Caleb Henson (Georgia) no contest Caden Mccrary (Georgia) 7th: Marcos Polanco (California) pinned Luke Sloan (Texas), 1:37 145: 1st: Anthony Echemendia (Arizona) dec. Victor Voinovich (Ohio) 10-4 3rd: Manzona Bryant (Ohio) pinned Chance Mclane (Montana), 12-3 5:10 5th: Joseph Zargo (New Jersey) tech. Maxx Mayfield (Nebraska), 12-1 1:33 7th: Joshua Ogunsanya (Illinois) tech. Gabe Miller (Pennsylvania), 19-9 5:40 152: 1st: Jace Luchau (California) dec. John Martin Best (West Virginia) 8-2 3rd: Keegan O'toole (Wisconsin) tech. Chase Saldate (California), 14-3 5:51 5th: Daniel Manibog (Texas) tech. Legend Lamer (Oregon), 11-0 1:57 7th: Derek Gilcher (Michigan) tech. Cael Carlson (Minnesota), 17-6 6:00 160: 1st: Paddy Gallagher (Ohio) tech. Cade Devos (Iowa) 12-2, 2:20 3rd: Baylor Fernandes (Illinois) tech. Colby Njos (Minnesota), 14-2 5:22 5th: Dajun Johnson (Wisconsin) tech. David Rubio (Oregon), 11-0 2:36 7th: Luke Surber (Oklahoma) tech. Bilal Bailey (Illinois), 10-0 1:47 170: 1st: Patrick Kennedy (Minnesota) tech. Gerrit Nijenhuis (Pennsylvania) 10-0. 2:20 3rd: Nevan Snodgrass (Ohio) tech. Gavin Kane (Georgia), 10-0 4:44 5th: Alex Cramer (Illinois) dec. Lance Runyon (Iowa), 11-4 7th: Connor Oneill (New Jersey) forfeit Trent Munoz (California) 182: 1st: Abe Assad (Illinois) dec. Dustin Plott (Oklahoma) 8-2 3rd: Parker Keckeisen (Wisconsin) dec. Rocky Elam (Missouri), 6-2 5th: Luke Stout (Pennsylvania) dec. Zach Glazier (Minnesota), 13-9 7th: Christopher Foca (New Jersey) tech. John Poznanski (New Jersey), 12-2 1:55 195: 1st: Jonovan Smith (California) dec. Cole Urbas (Pennsylvania) 11-5 3rd: Ethan Hatcher (Ohio) tech. Isaac Trumble (Nebraska), 10-0 0:38 5th: Vincent Baker (Georgia) tech. Matthew Cover (Ohio), 11-0 3:55 7th: Samuel Mitchell (Wisconsin) pinned Michael Baker (Ohio), 1:04 220: 1st: Braxton Amos (West Virginia) tech. Dorian Crosby (Pennsylvania) 10-0, 2:23 3rd: Cade Lautt (Kansas) tech. Konner Doucet (Oklahoma), 10-0 1:12 5th: Gabe Christenson (Iowa) pinned Daniel Striggow (Minnesota), 5:59 7th: Cody Fisher (Iowa) dec. Cabe Dickerson (Oklahoma), 5-4 285: 1st: Luke Luffman (Illinois) dec. Aydin Guttridge (Illinois) 4-1 3rd: Nash Hutmacher (South Dakota) dec. Spencer Trenary (Iowa), 13-4 5th: Joshua Heindselman (Oklahoma) inj. dft Roberto Pena (Illinois) 7th: Braxton Mikesell (Washington) tech. John Wiese (Oklahoma), 10-0 1:08 Outstanding Wrestler: Jace Luchau (California) Most Falls: Alex Coleman (Ohio) Team Standings (Top Five) 1. Illinois 51 2. Ohio 42 3. Iowa 40 4. Missouri 37 5. Pennsylvania 34

ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- Fontbonne head men's and women's wrestling coach Amond Prater announced Marcus Hoehn as his assistant coach heading into the 2019-20 season. After winning a Big 12 Conference Championship and Qualifying for the NCAA National Championships for the University of Missouri in 2009, Coach Hoehn moved into coaching at the High School level at Union County in Western Kentucky. Marcus HoehnDuring his five-year tenure, Coach Hoehn guided two KHSAA State Championship Teams, five top-3 KHSAA State Teams, Kentucky's first ever five-time State Champion, three High School National Champions, 14 Individual State Champions, and 21 Individual State Medalists. In the summer of 2014, Coach Hoehn and his wife, Katie, moved back to Missouri in order for her to complete her Master's Degree through Fontbonne. The following spring, Coach Hoehn opened a private wrestling club, Thoroughbred Wrestling Academy, in Maryland Heights. Coach Hoehn has spent the last several years developing youth and high school wrestlers for college success, through running his club, camps, and coaching on Missouri National Teams. Coach Hoehn and his wife, Katie, currently reside in St. Louis with their two-year old daughter, Jameson. Coach Hoehn received his Bachelor's Degree from the University of Missouri and in 2012 earned his Master's Degree from Campbellsville University. Fans make sure to stay updated on fontbonnegriffins.com throughout the year for full updates and recaps on the men's and women's wrestling teams.

Jordan Williams (Oklahoma) came from behind late to win the title at 120 pounds (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com) FARGO, N.D. -- A year ago, Jordan Williams (Oklahoma) came from behind late to win a 16U Fargo freestyle title On Monday, Williams did it again. This time it was even more dramatic. Facing Zeke Seltzer (Indiana), a high school state runner-up, in the finals at 120 pounds, Williams trailed 5-2 in the final minute. But the nation's No. 6 sophomore scored two late takedowns -- the final one coming off a slide-by with 10 seconds remaining -- to earn a 6-5 victory and his second straight Fargo freestyle stop sign. Joining Williams as a repeat champion in the 16U freestyle competition was Hayden Copass (Illinois) at 285 pounds. Copass, a state runner-up in high school, dominated Griffin Liddle (Iowa) 11-1 in the finals. He picked up three first-period takedowns and two turns off a lace to grab a 10-1 lead at the break. Copass ended the match early in the second period off a step out. He finished the tournament with four technical superiorities and two falls. Pennsylvania claimed the 16U team title with 61 points and crowned a pair of champions, Leonard Pinto (170) and Kolby Franklin (220). Pinto, the nation's No. 23 junior, topped No. 15 sophomore Rylan Rogers (Washington) 7-1 in the finals at 170 pounds. He led 4-1 at the break after a takedown and exposure before adding a third takedown with just over a minute remaining. Franklin, a 16U Greco-Roman champion last year, secured a second Fargo stop sign by defeating fellow Pennsylvania wrestler Dustin Swanson 10-0 in the finals at 220 pounds. Minnesota finished second in the team standings, 10 points behind Oklahoma, and had a pair of champions, Jore Volk (100) and Bennett Berge (182). Jore Volk defeated Caden Horwath (Michigan) in the finals at 100 pounds (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine) Volk, a runner-up in the 16U freestyle competition last summer, used a trap-arm gut wrench to break open a close match in the second period on his way to a 12-5 victory in the finals against Caden Horwath (Michigan). Volk led 4-0 at the break, but Horwath battled back late to take a 5-5 criteria lead in the second period before Volk earned a reversal and then used a trap-arm gut wrench to score three turns and win by seven. Bennett Berge earned his title with a 10-0 victory in the finals (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine) Berge, a two-time high school state champion and the nation's No. 19 sophomore, cruised to a 10-0 technical superiority in the finals against Michael Tal-Shahar (Florida). He led 4-0 at the break after a takedown and gut wrench. Berge eventually put the match away in the second period with a lace. Oklahoma crowned the most individual champions with three. In addition to Williams (120), Oklahoma wrestlers Cael Hughes (94) and John Wiley (138) won stop signs. Hughes, who will be a freshman at Stillwater High School, came through to win the title at 94 pounds in dominant fashion, beating Dillon Campbell (Ohio) 12-2 in the finals. Hughes scored eight of his 12 points off a lace. He picked up a takedown in the first period and then used a lace to go up 8-0. After giving up a takedown with a minute remaining in the match, Hughes came back with a takedown of his own before locking up a lace to finish out the technical superiority. Wiley, a high school state champion and the nation's No. 29 sophomore, earned his title by beating No. 50 sophomore Nicholas Vafiadis (Virginia) 10-4 in the finals at 138 pounds. Eight of Wiley's 10 points came in the opening period, which included a four-point throw. Michigan crowned a pair of champions in Braeden Davis (88) and Stoney Buell (152). Davis, a Central Regional freestyle champion, claimed the title at 88 pounds with a 10-0 technical superiority over Alan Koehler (Minnesota). Davis scored a late first-period takedown and led 2-0 at the break. He came out strong in the second period, getting an early takedown before locking up a trap-arm gut wrench for three consecutive turns to end the match. Buell won his title at 152 pounds by beating another Michigan wrestler in the finals, Manuel Rojas, 5-0. Buell scored the only point in the opening period off the activity clock, then two takedowns in the second period gave him a five-point lead. But Rojas mounted a late rally, picking up two late takedowns, with the final one coming in the last second. Wilfried Tanefeu (North Dakota) turned in a dominating finals performance at 113 pounds, winning by 10-0 technical superiority over Gabe Whisenhunt (Oregon) in the first period. He scored a takedown to go up 2-0 and then built his lead to 6-0 off a four-point counter. Tanefeu then finished it off with a takedown and gut wrench. Two of the nation's top five sophomores won stop signs on Monday, No. 2 Nic Bouzakis (Florida) at 126 pounds and No. 4 Seth Shumate (Ohio) at 195 pounds. Bouzakis, a three-time high school state champion, won his crown at 126 pounds with a last-second fall over Ramon Ramos (Arizona). The match was competitive throughout. Bouzakis led 10-9 late in the match before Ramos attempted a desperation arm spin and Bouzakis planted him for the fall. Shumate, a high school state champion and NHSCA Freshman Nationals champion, was untested in the finals at 195 pounds as he cruised to an 11-0 technical superiority over Evan Bates (Indiana). At 106 pounds, Evan Tallmadge (New Jersey) used a strong start to pace him to a 10-8 victory in the finals against Mitchell Neiner (Washington). Tallmadge used a four-point move early to go up 4-0. He then transitioned to a lace to pick up two turns and race out to an 8-0 lead. Neiner came back with an exposure from a front head and then a takedown to make the score 8-4 at the break. Tallmadge extended his lead to 10-4 in the second period. Neiner made it interesting late, picking up a takedown and gut wrench to get within two points, but Tallmadge hung on for the win. T.J. Stewart, the nation's No. 43 sophomore, claimed Maryland's 12th all-time 16U title in freestyle with a 5-0 shutout over Mac Stout (Pennsylvania) in the finals at 160 pounds. Stewart used a takedown and gut wrench to go up 4-0 at the break. He added a point off a caution early in the second period. Daniel Cardenas (Colorado), the nation's No. 7 sophomore, won a stop sign at 132 pounds after finishing as a runner-up last summer at 113 pounds. He defeated Antrell Taylor (Nebraska) 10-8 in the finals at 132 pounds. Cardenas found himself in a 5-0 hole early in the match, but used a trap-arm gut wrench to score eight of his 10 points in a come-from-behind victory. Two-time high school state champion Dean Hamiti Jr. (Illinois) won the title at 145 pounds with a first-period fall in the finals over Matthew Singleton (Georgia). Hamiti held 2-2 criteria lead before throwing Singleton to his back with 40 seconds remaining in the first period to secure the fall. Placewinners 88: 1st: Braeden Davis (Michigan) tech. Alan Koehler (Minnesota), 10-0 2:23 3rd: Kolby Warren (Missouri) dec. Grigor Cholakyan (California), 4-0 5th: Caleb Thoennes (Minnesota) tech. Hunter Taylor (Kansas), 10-0 0:37 7th: Kyison Garcia (Utah) tech. Benjamin Bast (Wisconsin), 10-0 0:43 94: 1st: Cael Hughes (Oklahoma) tech. Dillon Campbell (Ohio), 12-2 3:43 3rd: Tristan Stafford (Arkansas) dec. Codie Cuerbo (Ohio), 10-8 5th: Jaden Pepe (Pennsylvania) tech. Paul Kelly (Arizona), 12-2 2:53 7th: Coleman Nogle (Maryland) tech. Christopher Martino (Idaho), 14-3 3:16 100: 1st: Jore Volk (Minnesota) dec. Caden Horwath (Michigan), 12-5 3rd: Kannon Webster (Illinois) dec. Kai Owen (Florida), 10-1 5th: Beau Mantanona (California) dec. Christian Forbes (Oklahoma), 3-1 7th: Darrell Rochester (Georgia) dec. Koy Buesgens (Minnesota), 5-2 106: 1st: Evan Tallmadge (New Jersey) dec. Mitchell Neiner (Washington), 10-8 3rd: Carter Mccallister (Missouri) tech. Sean Seefeldt (Ohio), 10-0 1:17 5th: Charlie Farmer (Illinois) dec. Joseph Fernau (Illinois), 5-4 7th: Greyson Clark (Wisconsin) tech. Trever Anderson (Iowa), 10-0 2:27 113: 1st: Wilfried Tanefeu (North Dakota) tech. Gabe Whisenhunt (Oregon), 10-0 1:29 3rd: Nash Singleton (Oregon) tech. Levi Haines (Pennsylvania), 10-0 2:00 5th: Brady Hankin (Colorado) pinned Brock Bobzien (California), 1:30 7th: Damian Mendez (Kansas) dec Trae Mcdaniel (Tennessee), 7-4 120: 1st: Jordan Williams (Oklahoma) dec Zeke Seltzer (Indiana), 6-5 3rd: Brennan Van hoecke (Florida) tech. Nicolar Rivera (Wisconsin), 10-0 0:33 5th: Rocco Welsh (Pennsylvania) tech. Garrett Grice (Nebraska), 12-2 3:20 7th: Jacob Mann (Missouri) by injury default over Zachary Espalin (Arizona) 126: 1st: Nic Bouzakis (Florida) pinned Ramon Ramos (Arizona), 4:00 3rd: Kyren Butler (Ohio) dec. Ismael Ayoub (Ohio), 8-4 5th: Derrick Cardinal (Minnesota) tech. Ethan Stiles (Illinois), 10-0 2:53 7th: Alejandro Herrera-rondon (Pennsylvania) dec. Eli Rocha (Missouri), 10-5 132: 1st: Daniel Cardenas (Colorado) tech. Antrell Taylor (Nebraska), 10-8 3rd: Matthew Bianchi (Wisconsin) dec. Michael Kilic (Georgia), 7-2 5th: Mitchell Mesenbrink (Wisconsin) dec. Jack Crook (Florida), 6-2 7th: Jack Milos (Illinois) dec. Kage Lenger (Missouri), 9-5 138: 1st: John Wiley (Oklahoma) dec. Nicholas Vafiadis (Virginia), 10-4 3rd: Cody Chittum (Tennessee) pinned Joshua Barr (Michigan), 1:46 5th: Nick Hamilton (Iowa) dec. Thor Michaelson (Washington), 2-1 7th: Preston Owens (Idaho) dec. Cole Becker (Minnesota), 7-0 145: 1st: Dean Hamiti jr (Illinois) pinned Matthew Singleton (Georgia), 1:25 3rd: Paniro Johnson (Pennsylvania) tech. Cael Berg (Minnesota), 13-0 3:19 5th: Gavin Brown (Ohio) tech. Cj Hamblin (Washington), 11-2 7th: Erik Gibson (Pennsylvania) dec. Travis Ragland (Virginia), 10-6 152: 1st: Stoney Buell (Michigan) dec. Manuel Rojas (Michigan), 5-4 3rd: Robert Weston (Georgia) dec. Tyler Lillard (Ohio), 9-5 5th: Kamdyn Munro (Georgia) by injury default over Hunter Lyden (Minnesota) 7th: Jared Simma (Kansas) pinned Brayden Thompson (Illinois), 0:39 160: 1st: Thomas Stewart (Maryland) dec. Mac Stout (Pennsylvania), 5-0 3rd: Clayton Whiting (Wisconsin) dec. Bradley Gillum (Illinois), 2-2 5th: Cayleb Atkins (Kansas) dec. Drake Buchanan (Indiana), 7-6 7th: Nicholas Hall (Delaware) tech. Dawson Mathews (Georgia), 19-9 4:00 170: 1st: Leonard Pinto (Pennsylvania) dec. Rylan Rogers (Washington), 7-1 3rd: Tate Picklo (Oklahoma) dec. Branson Britten (Texas), 9-4 5th: Gavin Nelson (Minnesota) dec. Evan Canoyer (Nebraska), 3-2 7th: Brian Soldano (New Jersey) tech. Damion Schunke (South Dakota), 10-0 0:36 182: 1st: Bennett Berge (Minnesota) tech. Michael Tal-shahar (Florida), 10-0 3:00 3rd: Nicholas Feldman (Pennsylvania) tech. Michael Altomer (New York), 6-0 1:46 5th: Harley Andrews (Oklahoma) tech. Isaiah Huus (North Dakota), 11-0 1:19 7th: Jack Darrah (Missouri) dec. Talmage Carman (Utah), 8-2 195: 1st: Seth Shumate (Ohio) tech. Evan Bates (Indiana), 11-0 2:49 3rd: Noah Pettigrew (Georgia) dec. David Harper (Georgia), 6-0 5th: Bennett Tabor (Minnesota) dec. Wyatt Voelker (Iowa), 4-2 7th: Kaden Glass (Oklahoma) dec. Ashton Davis (Tennessee), 7-4 220: 1st: Kolby Franklin (Pennsylvania) tech. Dustin Swanson (Pennsylvania), 10-0 1:50 3rd: Chase Horne (Georgia) tech. Lucas Walker (Iowa), 10-0 2:12 5th: Riley Ucker (Ohio) tech. Jaren Rohde (Wisconsin), 17-6 4:00 7th: Nathan Taylor (Pennsylvania) by injury default over Gage Cook (Washington) 285: 1st: Hayden Copass (Illinois) tech. Griffin Liddle (Iowa), 11-1 2:05 3rd: James Howard (Tennessee) dec. Ethan Kremer (Kansas), 7-2 5th: Jacob Barnes (Oregon) dec. Jacob Moore (Arizona), 2-1 7th: Gavin Layton (Minnesota) tech. Ryan Elrod (Ohio), 10-0 1:16 Outstanding Wrestler: Nic Bouzakis of Florida, 126 lbs. Team Standings (Top Five) 1. Pennsylvania 61 2. Minnesota 51 3. Ohio 50 4. Georgia 42 5. Illinois 40

Kennedy Blades gets in on a double leg in the finals at 164 pounds (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com) FARGO, N.D. -- Four wrestlers repeated as Fargo champions in the women's 16U division on Sunday afternoon. Sterling Dias of Utah (94), Sage Mortimer of Utah (100), Kennedy Blades of Illinois (164) and Olivia Brown of Oklahoma (200) captured their second straight Fargo 16U titles. They were among the 14 champions crowned in the 16U women's wrestling competition, which included a tournament-record 360 competitors, on Day 2 in Fargo. Dias, a 2018 Cadet world bronze medalist, blanked Isabella Morales (Washington) 8-0 in the finals at 94 pounds. She led 6-0 at the break after a takedown and two exposures from a high gut. She added another takedown in the final period. Mortimer, a 2019 UWW Cadet Nationals champion, rolled to a 13-3 technical superiority in the finals at 106 pounds against Shea Reisel (Illinois). After going up 7-3 at the break, Mortimer put the match away in the second period, scoring with a four-point throw and then takedown with just over a minute remaining in the match. Blades, a Cadet World Team member, capped off a dominant tournament with a 29-second fall over Dasia Yearby (South Carolina) in the finals at 164 pounds. She scored two takedowns in the first 15 seconds before locking up a cradle and securing the fall. Blades was unscored upon throughout the competition, picking up three shutout technical superiorities before her fall in the finals. She was named Outstanding Wrestler of the event. Her younger sister Korina Blades claimed the title at 127 pounds, edging Haley Ward (Missouri) 2-2 on criteria in the finals. Brown won by fall over Raina Herzog (Oregon) to earn the title at 200 pounds. She took an 8-0 lead into the break after picking up two four-point, feet-to-back takedowns. With just over a minute remaining, Brown shot a double leg and drove Herzog to her back for the fall. California's champs Jennifer Soto and Hannah Ricioli, along with the coaches, hold the trophy (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com) California ran away with the team title in the 16U women's wrestling competition, finishing with 91 points. Winning titles for California were Jennifer Soto (117) and Hannah Ricioli (152). Illinois placed second in the team standings, 44 points behind California. Missouri, Washington and Oregon rounded out the top five. Placewinners 94: 1st: Sterling Dias (Nevada) dec. Isabella Morales (Washington), 8-0 3rd: Heaven Fitch (North Carolina) dec. Eva Diaz (Florida), 12-4 5th: Alexandra Szkotnicki (Maryland) pinned Avery Kibelbek (Tennessee), 1:38 7th: Makayla Young (Ohio) dec. Madison Avila (California), 12-5 100: 1st: Sage Mortimer (Utah) tech. Shea Reisel (Illinois), 13-3, 2:56 3rd: Karina Vang (California) dec. Ella Schmit (Iowa), 8-5 5th: Riley Banyas (Ohio) dec. Logan Farnsworth (Rhode Island), 6-5 7th: Janessa George (Colorado) pinned Marisol Rodriguez (California), 2:25 106: 1st: Faith Cole (Missouri) dec. Alexis Janiak (Illinois), 8-2 3rd: Julianne Moccia (Maryland) pinned Greta Gustafson (California), 2:33 5th: Genesis Cejudo (Arizona) pinned Ava Bayless (Pennsylvania), 4:00 7th: Abbygale Duke (Pennsylvania) dec. Chloe Ayres (New Jersey), 7-0 112: 1st: Amani Jones (Georgia) pinned Arieana Arias (California), 1:10 3rd: Salyna Shotwell (Washington) pinned Lexy Beadles (California), 3:10 5th: Lily Grismer (Montana) pinned Torieonna Buchanan (Indiana), 2:58 7th: Elizabeth Duvall (Texas) dec. Hannah Hall (Florida), 11-5 117: 1st: Jennifer Soto (California) dec. Katie Gomez (California), 2-0 3rd: Adriana Dorado-Marin (Colorado) pinned Claire Dicugno (Washington), 3:09 5th: Ally Fitzgerald (New York) pinned Kaila Del toro (Illinois), 0:44 7th: Anya Knappenberger (Maryland) tech. Jenna Beddow (Washington), 10-0, 3:07 122: 1st: Sofia Macaluso (New York) tech. Kelly Escamilla (California), 10-0, 1:04 3rd: Emily Paulino (Hawaii) dec. Savannah Cosme (Colorado), 6-5 5th: Jaclyn Dehney (New Hampshire) pinned Cayden Condit (Colorado), 1:15 7th: Charlotte Kouyoumtjian (California) dec. Nadine Quijada (California), 6-0 127: 1st: Korina Blades (Illinois) dec. Haley Ward (Missouri), 2-2 3rd: London Houston (Washington) dec. Sofia Brynman-Metcalf (Wisconsin), 6-2 5th: Isabella Amaro (Oregon) dec. Devin Patton (Texas), 5-2 7th: Sarah Savidge (Colorado) tech. Piper Staniford (Oregon), 10-0, 0:49 132: 1st: Nonnie Justice (Missouri) dec. Maddie Kubicki (Missouri), 4-4 3rd: Lily Sherer (Pennsylvania) dec. Elleni Johnson (Utah), 12-9 5th: Athena Willden (California) pinned Anna Krause (New Hampshire), 0:54 7th: Piper Cadden (Arizona) dec. Alicia Pieper (Michigan), 5-2 138: 1st: Reese Larramendy (Nevada) dec. Sara Sulejmani (Illinois), 10-5 3rd: Esther Han (Missouri) dec. Abby Mcintyre (Iowa), 12-8 5th: Annie n. Hua (California) pinned Marissa Jimenez (Idaho), 1:02 7th: Veronica Whitacre (New Jersey) dec. Mariah Wahl (Montana), 2-0 144: 1st: Destiny Rodriguez (Oregon) pinned Kayley Rada (Michigan), 0:50 3rd: Ella Nichols (Connecticut) dec. Sydney Manos (Illinois), 8-0 5th: Ayala Wolak (Ohio) pinned Alexandria Hernandez (Washington), 0:43 7th: Rose Cassioppi (Illinois) pinned Samantha Archer (Missouri), 1:18 152: 1st: Hannah Ricioli (California) dec. Dakota-Marie Dinielli (Connecticut), 8-7 3rd: Mariyah Casados (California) dec. Annabel Garcia (California), 10-2 5th: Jillian Wold (Texas) inj. dft. Abigail Bolling (Missouri) 7th: Shannon Workinger (Washington) tech. Amanda Pace New Jersey (New Jersey), 12-1 1:32 164: 1st: Kennedy Blades (Illinois) pinned Dasia Yearby (South Carolina), 0:29 3rd: Alivia White (Washington) pinned Alyssa Arana (California), 3:50 5th: Alycia Pidgeon (Washington) pinned Kiersten O'neill (Indiana), 3:09 7th: Leilani Hernandez (Texas) dec.Mckenzie Samuels (New York), 6-0 180: 1st: Brianna Staebler (Wisconsin) dec. Brittyn Corbishley (Texas), 3-2 3rd: Sam Calkins (California) pinned Fiona Mcconnell (Oregon), 1:21 5th: Kailyn Garrett (Michigan) pinned Riley Dempewolf (Indiana), 2:50 7th: Cheyenne Meade (Ohio) pinned Brooke Leedahl (North Dakota), 1:12 200: 1st: Olivia Brown (Oklahoma) pinned Raina Herzog (Oregon), 3:45 3rd: Millie Peach (Iowa) pinned Sujeydy Matos (New York), 1:27 5th: Debranna Bealer (Alaska) dec. Cassidy Curtiss (California), 2-2 7th: Brooke Bennett (Missouri) pinned Andrea Smith (Florida), 0:51 Outstanding Wrestler: Kennedy Blades (Illinois), 164 Most Falls: Greta Gustafson (California), 5 falls in 5:27 at 106 Team Standings (Top Five) 1. California 91 2. Illinois 47 3. Missouri 42 4. Washington 40 5. Oregon 25