InterMat Staff

Tyler Graff at a press conference before Final X: Lincoln (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Rutgers wrestling head coach Scott Goodale added former Wisconsin four-time All-American and current USA World Team member Tyler Graff as a volunteer assistant coach for the 2019-20 campaign. Graff, who competed collegiately for the Badgers from 2008-14 at 133 pounds, will represent Team USA at the World Wrestling Championships from Sept. 14-22 in Nursultan, Kazakhstan after his 61-kilogram men's freestyle series victory at Final X: Lincoln on June 15. "We're extremely excited to add Tyler Graff to our staff," Goodale said. "By securing a spot on the World Team last month, Tyler has shown he is one of the best wrestlers at his weight in the sport right now and brings Big Ten and freestyle experience into our room. He will do a great job of making our guys better as we continue to build off of last season's success." A collegiate standout at Wisconsin, Graff was a four-time All-American and national runner-up for the Badgers. Graff earned 97 career victories in Madison, which included a 33-6 mark as a senior en route to an appearance in the 133-pound final at the national tournament in 2014. Graff, who also finished third and fifth (twice) at NCAAs, was a four-time Big Ten Championships placewinner and two-time Midlands Champion in 2009 and 2010. Graff made a statement on the national stage earlier last month, as he downed Joe Colon in the 61-kilogram men's freestyle series final at Final X: Lincoln to secure his spot on the USA World Freestyle Team. Graff won the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament this past May to qualify for Final X. Graff is also a three-time University Nationals champion and a 2017 Pan American champion. Scholastically, Graff was a four-time Colorado state champion at Loveland High School where he finished with a 162-1 career record. Graff tallied 101 career pins at Loveland and was a three-time Fargo All-American. Rutgers is coming off an historic 2018-19 campaign which was capped by the program's first individual NCAA titles from Anthony Ashnault and Nick Suriano, as well as its first top-10 finish at the national tournament. Rutgers wrestled to a 12-6 dual record, which included wins over three ranked foes - No. 10 Wisconsin, No. 19 Princeton and No. 20 Purdue. RU returns five national qualifiers next season, including Suriano, who secured a 29-3 record to go along with his Big Ten and NCAA titles.

JohnMark Bentley signed a contract extension through 2022-23 season (Photo/Appalachian State Athletics) BOONE, N.C. -- Appalachian State University wrestling head coach JohnMark Bentley has signed a contract extension that runs through the 2022-23 season, Director of Athletics Doug Gillin announced Tuesday. The extension was approved by Appalachian State Chancellor Sheri Everts and the Appalachian State Board of Trustees. "I am extremely grateful for the support and confidence that Chancellor Everts, Doug Gillin and the Board of Trustees have shown me," Bentley said. "Over the last few years, App State Wrestling has achieved some remarkable things, but I believe the best are yet to come. I am excited for the opportunity to continue leading this historic wrestling program." Named the Southern Conference Coach of the Year four times in his first 10 seasons as App State's head coach, Bentley helped lead the Mountaineers to a fourth consecutive SoCon regular-season title during the 2018-19 season. Bentley's career record stands at 97-66-1 heading into the 2019-20 season, and a 5-1 league record last season is part of a 25-2 run against SoCon competition during the last four seasons. Since the native of nearby Newland, N.C., became App State's head coach, the Mountaineers have had 32 NCAA qualifiers and three All-Americans. "We are excited to have JohnMark continue to lead our wrestling program," Senior Associate Athletics Director Jonathan Reeder said. "The sustained success App State Wrestling has had under his leadership has been exceptional. JohnMark is committed to the success of our student-athletes academically, competitively and in the community, and we are excited for the future of our wrestling program." Appalachian State achieved national top-25 rankings during the 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2018-19 seasons, climbing to as high as No. 16 during a 12-3 season in 2016-17. Bentley finished third in voting for national coach of the year in 2012 and was also a finalist in 2018, when a young App State team swept both the SoCon regular-season and tournament titles. Off the mat, App State posted a team GPA of 3.03 in the spring of 2019, and its number of community service hours recorded by the Helper Helper platform in 2018-19 ranked No. 1 among all Division I wrestling programs. In the last four years, Bentley's program is 37-4 against non-Power Five Conference opponents with six victories against teams from Power Five leagues: Duke (2015-16), Indiana (2015-16), No. 15 Oregon State (2016-17), No. 25 North Carolina (2016-17), Duke (2016-17) and Duke (2018-19). While attracting some of the nation's top teams to Boone, the Mountaineers have consistently wrestled in front of standing-room-only crowds at Varsity Gym. Of the four App State wrestlers who qualified for the NCAA Championships in 2019, Randall Diabe was the only senior, leaving rising senior Cary Miller, rising senior Matt Zovistoski and rising junior Codi Russell among the potential leaders in 2019-20. Miller and Russell both won an NCAA match during their 2019 appearances in Pittsburgh. ­­

Alex Dieringer gets in on a shot against Kyle Dake in the U.S. Open finals in 2018 (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) USA Wrestling announced that returning world champion Kyle Dake and World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion Alex Dieringer will wrestle for a spot on the 2019 World Team at 79 kilograms on Aug. 17 in Austin Texas. The date and city for the special wrestle-off were determined by USA Wrestling's Freestyle Sport Committee. Dake received an automatic berth in Final X as a returning world medalist. However, an injury prevented him from competing at Final X on June 8 at Rutgers. He requested a delay in his best-of-three matchup against Dieringer, which was granted because he met all the requirements for a special wrestle-off. Dieringer won the U.S. Open in April and then claimed the title at the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament. The 2019 World Championships are set for Sept. 14-22 in in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan.

A.J. Ferrari and Braxton Amos headline the InterMat top-100 senior rankings (Photos/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) Link: Top-100 Senior Rankings The beginning of July used to be a very big deal in the recruitment of prospective student-athletes. However, recent changes to NCAA bylaws have shifted the recruiting process to earlier in the high school career of prospects. Instead of July 1 of the rising senior year being a big milestone date, that date is now September 1 of the junior year (i.e. ten months earlier). Even so, early July is still significant. The month of June was a big month in terms of major event opportunities for wrestlers to perform. At the beginning of the month was the UWW Cadet Nationals (aka, World Team Trials) for those that were age-eligible, while at mid-month there were both the AAU Scholastic Duals (aka, Disney Duals) along with the Junior Duals. In the month of July, the Cadet and Junior Nationals will take place in Fargo from July 12-19. Then, at the end of the month, there is a dead period in recruiting from July 29-Aug. 4 for the NWCA Convention. For a third straight year, the top ranked wrestler in the senior class is a projected upper-weight (197 and/or 285); while it marks consecutive years that the top two prospects are both upper-weights. The 2018 class was led by Gable Steveson, while last year's class featured Greg Kerkvliet and Cohlton Schultz. Leading the 2020 is A.J. Ferrari (Allen, Texas) and Braxton Amos (Parkersburg South, W.Va.). Ferrari has been the top-ranked wrestler for this class since November 2017. In the 2018-19 year, Ferrari was repeat champion of the Walsh Jesuit Ironman and won the Beast of the East with a championship match victory over end of season No. 1 at 195 pounds Jacob Cardenas. A.J. started the year at Blair Academy before transferring to Bergen Catholic in early January, but was ineligible for post-season competition as per NJSIAA rules. In the spring, he returned to Allen, where he won state titles in his first two years of high school. Amos has held varying top five positions in this class throughout his high school career. The 2018-19 season was a second consecutive undefeated season after missing his freshman year of high school due to injury. He won second consecutive titles at the Super 32 Challenge, Walsh Jesuit Ironman, and Powerade tournaments. Ranked third in this class is Dustin Plott (Tuttle, Okla.), whose 2018-19 season saw him win a Super 32 Challenge title and dominate through a 46-1 season on the way to a second straight state title. The last two seasons of high school for Plott have seen him win 88 of 89 matches, while in the pre-season advancing to a pair of Super 32 Challenge finals. He is one of five Oklahoma State commits ranked in the top 50 of this class; joining him as Cowboys verbals are No. 12 Trevor Mastrogiovanni (Blair Academy, N.J.), No. 18 Luke Surber (Tuttle, Okla.), No. 37 Jakason Burks (Omaha Burke, Neb.) and No. 48 Konner Doucet (Comanche, Okla.). The top five is rounded out by Jesse Vasquez (Excelsior Charter, Calif.), who is in position to become the ever rare four-time state champion in the Golden State; and Keegan O'Toole (Arrowhead, Wis.) who has won both the Super 32 Challenge and Junior National freestyle tournaments in the last 12 months. Joining them in the top ten are three-time National Prep champion Beau Bartlett (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.); four-star defensive line prospect Nash Hutmacher (Chamberlain, S.D.), who just committed to Nebraska for football; three-time state champions Patrick Kennedy (Kasson-Mantorville, Minn.) and Joshua Saunders (Christian Brothers College, Mo.); along with two-time state champion Sam Hillegas (North Hills, Pa.). Dominating the top-100 recruits are the 19 wrestlers competing for high schools in the Keystone State, including six on the roster at Wyoming Seminary; all four top-100 recruits from WPIAL schools are rated within the top 35. Next in line are the nine top-100 seniors from Ohio and New Jersey, while it's eight from Missouri, and then seven from California and Illinois respectively. Notable among high school programs are the three top-100 recruits for Blair Academy (N.J.) and Tuttle (Okla.), while there are pairs in the top-100 from Liberty (Mo.), Bergen Catholic (N.J.), Elyria (Ohio), Montini Catholic (Ill.), Lake Highland Prep (Fla.), and Mt. St. Joseph's (Md.).

USAFA, Colo. -- Air Force Academy wrestling Head Coach Sam Barber announced the addition of Joe Johnston to the coaching staff for the upcoming 2019-20 season, Monday, July 1. Johnston, who most recently served as an assistant coach at the University of Missouri, will be the Associate Head Coach for the Falcons. He replaces Bart Horton on staff, after Horton departed to become a combatives instructor at the Academy. "We are extremely excited and grateful to welcome Associate Head Coach Joe Johnston, his wife Melisa, and the three children to the United States Air Force Academy," Barber exclaimed. "Joe brings a decade of experience from two of the best programs in the country. As a competitor at the University of Iowa, he stood on the podium twice at the NCAA Championships, which is a top goal for our cadet athletes. As a coach at the University of Missouri, he is a proven leader who connects well to his athletes. He brings an outstanding work ethic and a growth mindset to our program." "I am proud and honored to accept the position of Associate Head Wrestling Coach at the Air Force Academy," Johnston added. "The Academy is a special place, attracting student athletes of the highest standards. I look forward to taking on the challenge of supporting these future leaders and helping them achieve their goals. I am grateful to Coach Barber for this opportunity and the warm welcome my family has received from the Air Force Academy community." Joe JohnstonJohnston comes to the Academy after 11 seasons as an assistant coach at Missouri under head coach Brian Smith. While on staff at Mizzou, Johnston helped to produce 36 All-Americans and six National Champions. He coached the Tiger wrestlers to eight consecutive conference titles in 2012 (Big 12), and 2013-19 (MAC), as well as five consecutive top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships. He joined the Mizzou staff at the start of the 2008-09 campaign after serving two years as an assistant coach at Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, Iowa. While at Cornell College, Johnston coached the team to a seventh place finish at the 2008 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He produced six All-Americans in his two years as a coach for the Rams. Johnston will bring both collegiate coaching and high level wrestling experience to Air Force. He was a two-time All-American for the University of Iowa at 157 pounds, placing second as a junior in 2005, and sixth as a senior in 2006. He tallied a 113-45 career record as a Hawkeye, managing at least 26 victories in each season of competition. A two-time team captain and Most Valuable Wrestler, the Hawkeye was a top-notch student in the classroom, earning J. Donald McPike senior award for highest grade-point average. Johnston graduated from Iowa in 2006 with a bachelor's degree in art education, and went on to earn his master's degree in educational psychology from the University of Missouri in 2013. Johnston also competed internationally in freestyle wrestling from 2006-12 placing multiple times in the U.S. nationals and qualifying for the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Trials. "We were looking for a coach that would compliment our staff," Barber continued. "We have two world class coaches in Chris Heilman and Dustin Kilgore, and Joe will bring the same amount of passion and knowledge to our wrestling room and training plan. We also had to have a coach that shares the values of our Academy and program, and Joe lives out our values of integrity, selfless service, and excellence in all areas of his life. "I would also like to thank and recognize the support of Mr. Nathan Pine, Mr. Jim Trego, Lt. Col. Sean Tiernan, Rich Ramsey, and Doug Wells for their leadership, vision and support in attracting such a high caliber coach to the United States Air Force Academy," Barber said. A native of Kansas City, Mo., Johnston is married to the former Melisa Katterhenry. They have two daughters, Ruby and Ruth, and a son, Joshua.

How do you plan to spend your Independence Day? Many of us plan to go out for a picnic ... host a backyard barbeque ... or chill out by the pool. Perhaps take in a parade. Nick Suriano is grand marshal of a Fourth of July paradeNick Suriano, first Rutgers wrestler to win an NCAA title, will lead the Fourth of July parade in his hometown of Paramus, New Jersey as grand marshal. "My mom used to take me with my grandparents when I was 5 years old," Suriano told NorthJersey.com. "It's cool to be in it, and I know my family is happy. It's a really great honor." In addition to naming Suriano as parade grand marshal, Paramus is honoring the 2019 NCAA 133-pound champ for the Scarlet Knights with a sign to honor him. Initially the red sign will be hung at Borough Hall but will later be transferred to a signpost on Paramus Road, near the Paramus Golf Course. Hanging on the same post will be a sign honoring Suriano's most significant mat accomplishment prior to college, winning four New Jersey state titles as a wrestler at Bergen Catholic High School, where he compiled a perfect 159-0 record. Although Suriano was the first wrestler to win a national title in the long history of the sport at the State University of New Jersey, it was only a matter of minutes when he was joined by teammate Anthony Ashnault who was crowned champ at 149 pounds at the 2019 NCAA Division I championships in Pittsburgh in March.

Chris Williams coaching Michigan State in a dual meet against Northwestern (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State wrestling head coach Roger Chandler announced Monday that longtime assistant and Spartan alum Chris Williams has been promoted to associate head coach. An All-American during his wrestling career at MSU, Williams previously served as an assistant coach at Michigan State for eight years under Tom Minkel (2005-13) and three years under Roger Chandler (2016-2019). "I knew when Chris came back to Michigan State three years ago that he was the perfect fit to help take this program to the next level," said Chandler. "Chris embodies what it means to be a Spartan and has very high expectations and goals for every student-athlete. He brings a tireless work ethic every day and truly has a passion for coaching which is evident in the development of our team." In his three years as an assistant coach under Chandler, Williams has helped elevate the MSU program from a 5-10 dual record in 2016-17 to a 10-8 record in duals this past season. Williams briefly served as the head coach at Adrian College from 2014-2016, where he resurrected a Bulldog wrestling program that was dormant from 1984-2015. In his one season as head coach prior to returning to East Lansing, Williams led the Bulldogs to a 7-3 dual record and a 22nd place finish at the 2016 NCAA Division III Championships where Bulldog wrestler Angus Arthur took fourth-place at 197 pounds. In his return to the Spartan wrestling room, Williams has worked extensively with junior Rayvon Foley, who became Michigan State's first NCAA place winner of the Roger Chandler era following a seventh-place finish at the 2019 NCAA Wrestling Championships. Foley enters the 2019-20 season with an overall career record of 64-17 which includes a 29-6 record in duals and a 35-11 record in tournaments. In his first stop as an assistant at MSU, Williams helped Spartan wrestlers earn All-America honors on eight occasions, including 2009 NCAA Champion Franklin Gomez and four-time All-American Nick Simmons. A native of Fowlerville, Michigan, Williams wrestled at MSU from 1997-2002, earning All-America honors in 2001 at 125 pounds. He recorded 102 career wins, which ranks 18th most in program history, and was named a team captain as a senior. A two-time NCAA Championships qualifier (2001, 2002), Williams took seventh at the NCAA Championships in 2001 and placed third at the Big Ten Championships in 2001 and seventh in 2002. He won a career-high 34 matches as a junior. Williams was a two-time Michigan high school state champion and four-time all-state honoree at Fowlerville High School, compiling a 195-10 record, including a 101-2 mark his last two seasons. He also had extensive success in the freestyle and Greco-Roman ranks as well. He was a Greco-Roman Junior Fila National Champion in 1998, and took Greco-Roman University national champion honors in 2001. Williams received his bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies from Michigan State in 2002. Following his time in East Lansing, Williams earned his certificate in secondary education from Eastern Michigan in social studies and economics in 2011.

Andrew Philibeck (right) on American Ninja Warrior Once wrestlers put their shoes on the mat -- the universal indicator they are retiring from the sport -- what are the career options that let them use the skills gained from wrestling? The most obvious: become a wrestling coach or mat official. Some have found fame and fortune in the pro wrestling ring or in mixed martial arts. A select few have discovered that the NFL is the place to put their wrestling skills to work on the gridiron. (Just ask Stephen Neal, college and world mat champ who earned three Super Bowl rings playing for the New England Patriots.) In addition, InterMat has profiled former wrestlers who now put the basics that worked so well for them on the mat -- stance, strength, flexibility, endurance -- to work as a member of a NASCAR pit crew. Last summer, we told the story of Bryce Abbey, the former University of Nebraska-Kearney who was crowned champion on the CBS series Total Knock Out starring Kevin Hart, taking home a grand prize of $150,000. Others who once wrestled are finding a competitive outlet in American Ninja Warrior. You might be familiar with American Ninja Warrior from TV, having been broadcast on NBC for a number of years, with fresh episodes currently being shown on the network this summer. It's a spin-off of the wildly popular Japanese series Sasuke. Here's how NBC describes American Ninja Warrior at its website: "The action-packed series follows competitors as they tackle a series of challenging obstacle courses in both city qualifying and city finals rounds across the country. Those who successfully complete the finals course in their designated region move on to the national finals round in Las Vegas, where they face a stunning four-stage course modeled after the famed Mt. Midoriyama course in Japan. The winner will take home a grand prize of $1 million." American Ninja Warrior exists beyond the TV series. There are non-televised competitions across the country… along with Ninja gyms in some cities where individuals can work out in a setting which replicates what viewers see on TV. Heath Hertel H.L. Hertel: Author, former wrestler, Ninja believer Among the participants in American Ninja Warrior (on TV and in non-TV competitions) -- as well as those who work out in Ninja gyms -- are former wrestlers. One is Heath Hertel. You may recognize Hertel, who, as H.L. Hertel, is the author of the "To Be The Best" series of young adult novels which tell the story of brothers (and high school wrestlers) Ron and Nick Castle, along with assistant coach Sean McCallister. How did former wrestler-turned-novelist Hertel get involved in American Ninja Warrior? "My daughter would turn on American Ninja Warrior," Hertel told InterMat. "I don't watch much TV but this show captured my attention." "I made a promise to her -- 'If you stick with hockey practice, I'll start working out in a Ninja gym.'" "I started talking to Andrew Philibeck. He had applied for the scholarship fund I had established. Despite having a nasty broken elbow senior year, he ended up as a runner-up at the Wisconsin state tournament." "He was competing on the University of Wisconsin Ninja team. He said, 'My best friend works at a Ninja gym in Minneapolis.'" Hertel checked out that Ninja gym and started working out there. "There are different courses -- for example, 'Intro to Obstacles.' You use muscles you normally don't use." "I now feel comparable to when I was a wrestler in my senior year of high school." "So many of the guys on the show were high school and/or college wrestlers," Hertel continued. "All the tools that make a successful wrestler makes them good in ninja competition." "With so many wrestlers doing well at American Ninja Warrior, I thought it might be an option some might want to explore." With that, wrestler-turned-published-writer Heath Hertel provided contact information on two former wrestlers who now participate in ninja events. Andrew Philibeck's story Andrew Philibeck has serious amateur wrestling credentials. For starters, the twenty-four-year-old grew up in Freedom, Wis., the community that is also the hometown to Garrett Lowney, bronze medalist in Greco-Roman competition at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and University of Minnesota heavyweight early in the 21st century… and Cole Konrad, two-time NCAA heavyweight champ for the Minnesota Golden Gophers in 2006 and 2007 who then launched a successful pro MMA career, winning the Bellator heavyweight belt before retiring. "I started wrestling in third grade," Philibeck said in an interview with InterMat. "In sixth grade, I switched to basketball, but came back to wrestling in eighth grade." As Hertel mentioned earlier, Philibeck suffered a serious elbow injury as a senior, yet persevered to make it to the Wisconsin state championship finals. He had also wrestled for the Wisconsin national freestyle team. However, as a member of the University of Wisconsin club team, Philibeck suffered a concussion which ended his wrestling career. How did this former wrestler get involved in American Ninja Warrior? "I enjoyed the TV show. Because wrestling had been my life, I decided to try out for American Ninja Warrior," said Philibeck. "I started my training on my own just using monkey bars." "Then I saw there was a Ninja Warriors College Edition, with teams of three members each. I made it onto a team, and we were flown to Hollywood. We swept the competition and won the national title." "Our team included Zack Kemmerer, an NCAA All-American wrestler for University of Pennsylvania, and Taylor Amenn, a pole vaulter at Wisconsin," according to Philibeck. "Each team has two guys and one girl." "There are tons of college teams. We were picked." "Drew Knopp -- who had been on the NBC American Ninja Warrior show -- started a gym in Green Bay," Philibeck told InterMat. "Drew, a girl named Sara Heusen, and I were featured as the Wisco Warriors on a USA Network show called American Ninja Warrior: Ninja vs. Ninja in spring 2018. In the finals of our episode, Drew won." "Filming took place long before our episode was shown on TV," said Philibeck. "We were warned there would be a $100,000 fine if we blabbed the results ahead of time." How did wrestling help Philibeck in Ninja competition? "You're used to being in front of people. I really don't notice the cameras or the crowd." "Wrestling is such a mental sport. You have to be tough to wrestle. Wrestlers have a different mentality. No matter what happens, you keep going. You work harder than others." "You learn to tune out distractions." As Philibeck pointed out, in addition to various "flavors" of American Ninja Warrior on TV, there are non-televised competitions all over the country, featuring athletes from various Ninja gyms. Hunter Guerard Hunter Guerard, the Lizard You could say Hunter Guerard inherited his love of the oldest and greatest sport from his father, who had a military background as a Blackhawk helicopter pilot and instructor. "My dad was a wrestler," Guerard told InterMat. "He would wrestle with me and my brothers when we were stationed overseas in Germany." "We came to America when dad retired. We were enrolled in wrestling right away in Royalton, Minnesota. In describing his on-the-mat accomplishments, Guerard modestly said, "I got the standard awards -- all-conference honorable mention, went to state. Did some freestyle and Greco wrestling, too, at 119 pounds." "I did a little bit of wrestling in college at St. John's. Later transferred to St. Cloud State but didn't wrestle there. But I did some post-collegiate competition, including wrestling in the sand at Battle on the Beach." "I didn't know about American Ninja Warrior until I was 25 or 26 years old." "When I was growing up, I watched Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee." "I saw American Ninja Warriors on TV while I was on vacation. Thought it looked like fun. Looked it up online. Learned that there were guys who trained for it." "I was working in construction at the time (late 2015). Met a woman who asked if I could help her build a Ninja gym in Edina (a suburb of Minneapolis). Helped her make it a reality." "We walked into an empty warehouse. Now it's a 6,000 sq. ft. Ninja gym -- a legitimate training facility." Within a year, that Ninja gym -- Obstacle Academy -- was so popular, groups were being organized by age and ability. "We even have a "pre" program to help new people get ready for the facility," said Guerard. "We have a few hundred active participants now, and a wait list." Guerard now participates in the National Ninja League, where he placed third in the first world championship finals, adding "there are events all over the place." "Thousands of people compete nationally, but only a few make it to TV." "It's great to still be competing," said the 30-year-old Guerard, who, at 5'7" and 135 pounds, competes as "the Lizard" in Ninja competitions year around. "I have only three national competitions where I wasn't on the podium." Guerard said that his amateur wrestling background has been instrumental in his success in national Ninja competition. "Physically and mentally, Ninja is very similar to wrestling," adding that sometimes there's hand-to-hand fighting, Ninja vs. Ninja. "I compete all over the country, all year 'round," Guerard said. "The competitive stuff doesn't have to end after your wrestling career."

Ernest James wrestling Adam Coon at the NCAAs (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) EDINBORO, Pa. -- Edinboro wrestling coach Matt Hill has announced the appointment of Ernest James as an assistant wrestling coach for the upcoming season. James is no stranger to the Fighting Scot program, enjoying an outstanding career from 2009-14. The addition of James gives the Edinboro staff an additional Fighting Scot flavor. Hill, who will enter his second year as the head coach, is a former Edinboro standout, while assistant coach Mike DePalma also competed for the Fighting Scots before completing his career at Kent State. Pat Bradshaw, another assistant on the staff, was also a former Boro standout. "I'm extremely pleased to welcome Ernest James, a former Fighting Scot, to our coaching staff," related Hill. "Ernest has a great presence to himself and brings a positive energy to the wrestling room. Ernest had a stellar college career at Edinboro and after pursued a MMA career for a few years in California. He's a true competitor and also an amazing person off the mat. He will focus on training and developing our upper weights but also be a great mentor and friend to our entire team. I look forward to helping him with his new coaching career decision and learning from him as well. " James excelled as a heavyweight for Edinboro. He was a three-time NCAA Division I national qualifier who wrapped up his career with a 100-49 record with 37 falls. He won one EWL and one PSAC championship. He ranks eighth in career falls and is in the top 30 in career victories. After redshirting in 2009-10, James emerged as the starter at heavyweight in 2010-11, posting a 17-16 finish with 8 falls. He would place second at the PSAC Championships and fourth at the EWL Championships. In 2011-12, James qualified for Nationals for the first time thanks to a second place finish at the EWL Championships. He ended the year with a 30-14 record with 14 falls. He captured the PSAC title and placed second at EWL's. The 14 falls are tied for 11th in a season. James picked up his first win at Nationals as a redshirt junior, ending the 2012-13 campaign with a 24-14 ledger and seven falls while earning a trip to Nationals for the second time. He added a third place finish at the PSAC Championships and was fifth at the EWL Championships. As a redshirt senior in 2013-14, James ended the year with a 29-7 record with 8 falls. He won his first EWL Championship, then went on to go 2-2 at Nationals. He picked up career win number 100 at Nationals with a 5-3 decision over Bloomsburg's Justin Grant. He earlier beat Grant 3-1 in sudden victory in the EWL title match, and placed second at the PSAC Championships after a 2-1 loss to Grant. James got his coaching career underway last year, serving as an assistant coach for the West Virginia Regional Training Center. He previously trained with the Valley Regional Training Center, run out of Fresno State, in 2017-18. James earned his Bachelor of Science degree in HPE - Human Performance from Edinboro in December 2014. Her served internships with Saint Vincent Hospital in Cardiac Rehab and Corporate Wellness, along with a stint at Eberle's Physical Therapy. He also competed in MMA for a time, posting a 1-1 record.

Ladd Rupp is returning to Perry High School -- the place where he won four Oklahoma state wrestling titles before going off to Oklahoma State -- to become head coach of the Maroon mat program, the Stillwater News Press reported Saturday. Rupp, who most recently coached at Cushing High in central Oklahoma, replaces Ronnie Delk who announced in early June that he was leaving the helm of one of the nation's winningest prep programs to be an assistant coach at Bentonville High School in Arkansas. "I'm very, very honored and flattered to be blessed with this opportunity, that's for sure," Rupp told the Stillwater paper. "I can remember going and watching high school duals in Perry when I was in grade school, thinking back then that it would be a dream come true to be the coach. It's been a dream of mine for a very long time." Rupp will be returning to a familiar wrestling room. What's more, to help ease the transition, current Perry assistant coach Jared Minor will remain in that position. "I was very, very thankful that he (Minor) wanted to stay," Rupp said. "… He was there to bridge the gap between me and the boys. I think him being there provided that comfort level because you could see some of the guys wanting to ask me something, but they didn't want to step on my toes, so they would go to him and he'd come to me so I could then approach the kids about it. Obviously, having him stay and already knowing the boys was great, but he's also just a great coach." Rupp, who graduated from Perry in 2009, is one of just three Maroon wrestlers to have won four state championships in the long, successful history of the program, having won his titles consecutively from 2006 through 2009 under coach Scott Chenoweth, who, like Rupp, wrestled for Perry before becoming head coach. After graduating from Perry, Rupp headed over to Oklahoma State, where he wrestled for legendary coach John Smith, compiling a 15-3 overall record, with five falls. Rupp returns to head up a wrestling program that has a rich legacy going back more than 90 years. Located in the small town of Perry in north-central Oklahoma -- about halfway between Oklahoma City and Wichita, Kansas -- the Perry Maroon mat program has tallied remarkable accomplishments, especially for a high school that has just over 300 students, including 43 Oklahoma state championship teams ... 20 dual state champion teams ... and 112 individual state champions ... not to mention two Olympic medalists: Jack VanBebber (gold medal, 1932 Los Angeles Olympics) and Dan Hodge (silver medal, 1956 Melbourne Olympics). What's more, just this past season, the Perry Maroons won their 1,000th dual meet… an accomplishment only a handful of high school wrestling programs in the nation can match.

Obe Blanc (Photo/NC State Athletics) FARGO, N.D. -- Obenson Blanc has been named head assistant wrestling coach at North Dakota State University. NDSU head wrestling coach Roger Kish made the announcement on Friday. "I am very excited about this opportunity to help bring my skill sets to a program on the rise, its wonderful community, and student-athletes. I am lucky to have spent five years in Raleigh amongst a great staff and some of the most incredible young individuals you will encounter," said Blanc, a native of Naples, Fla. Blanc has been an assistant coach at NC State since the summer of 2014 following a successful freestyle career that included making five consecutive U.S. National Teams from 2009 to 2013. At the peak of his career, Blanc was a three-time Pan-American finalist, two-time U.S. Open and U.S. World Team Trials Champion in 2010 and 2013, and an alternate for the 2012 London Olympic Games. While at NC State, Blanc mentored a pair of NCAA champions, 10 All-Americans, and 10 ACC champions, as well as 18 NWCA Scholar All-Americans under the direction of head coach Pat Popolizio. He played a major role in the Wolfpack's rocket ascension in the wrestling landscape during his time in Raleigh. NC State placed fourth at the 2018 NCAA Wrestling Championships and also captured ACC tournament titles in 2016 and 2019. That 2016 Wolfpack team finished the regular season ranked No. 2 in the nation with a 23-1 dual record. Blanc served as head coach for the Wolfpack Wrestling Club from 2017-19. He led the WWC to a runner-up finish at the 2018 U.S. Open and helped every club member to qualify for the World Team Trials Challenge. The Wolfpack Wrestling Club has produced multiple World Team Members including Nick Gwiazdowski (2018, 2019), Hayden Hidlay (2018), Sean Fausz (2018), Trent Hidlay (2019), as well as two additional Senior Freestyle Team members in Nick Reenan and Michael Macchiavello. "I look forward to helping student-athletes find success on the mats, excelling in their academic affairs, as well mentorship in their personal lives. It is important that our future leaders can effectively manage, plan, and deliver results while under pressure to perform in the classroom and on the mats," said Blanc. "As a coach I have learned to be a mentor, friend, and sometimes a temporary parent to make sure that there is a 360 approach towards the students that I serve and look forward to bringing that NDSU." Blanc wrestled collegiately at both Lock Haven and Oklahoma State. In 2007 at Lock Haven, he earned All-America honors after finishing sixth at the NCAA Championships. He finished his college career at Oklahoma State, qualifying for his fourth NCAA tournament but falling one win shy of earning All-America status at the 2009 NCAA Championships. For his collegiate career, Blanc compiled a 118-41 record with 25 pins. Blanc earned his bachelor's degree in sports administration from Lock Haven in 2008, and received his master's degree in international business from Oklahoma State in 2010. Obenson and his wife, Kristi, have two daughters, Elliana and Zoa. North Dakota State compiled a 10-6 record overall in 2018-19 including 5-4 in Big 12 Conference duals. NDSU placed eighth at the 2019 Big 12 Conference tournament. The Bison return NCAA qualifiers 133 Cam Sykora, 165 Andrew Fogarty and 174 Lorenzo De La Riva. Fogarty is a two-time Big 12 runner-up at 165 pounds.

MMA fighters strive to develop very high-level skills in all dimensions of the fight game. Perhaps no skill is more vital to the success of a mixed martial artist than the skill of being able to dictate where the fight takes place, be it standing or on the ground. It's simple, if you want to win in MMA you must know how to wrestle. The fingerprints of amateur wrestling can be found all over MMA, even when they're not readily apparent. Case in point, this weekend's UFC on ESPN card in Minneapolis. While you won't find any super high-level wrestlers on this card (a rarity nowadays), if you look just a little bit closer you will find a host of world-class wrestling talent. Here are the mat men who have developed the wrestling skills of this weekend's top combatants. Main Event: Francis Ngannou vs Junior dos Santos Though he is, and has always been, primarily a striker, Junior dos Santos has been lucky enough to have extremely high-level wrestling coaches. He has even showed flashes of wresting brilliance in the cage, even against guys with serious wresting chops (see his fight with NCAA Division II champ Shane Carwin). So far, dos Antos has been coached by the following wrestlers … Eric Albarracin Though undersized and not wrestling until junior year of high school, sheer hard work netted him a spot on the team at Arizona State. After college he joined the U.S. Army, linked up with the Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club, and pursued the Olympics. The U.S. Army captain captured many prestigious domestic and international medals along the way but ultimately came up short of his wrestling goals. He then moved to MMA as a highly sought-after wrestling coach, training mostly Brazilian fighters. He currently coaches Henry Cejudo and Patrício Freire. Both hold two titles at the same time. Junior dos Santos with Khetag Pliev Khetag Pliev Pliev has wrestled all over the world. Born in the Russian Republic of Ossetia, he wrestled at home until relocating to the USA in high school. After a high school career that saw him become a bona fide blue-chip recruit, Pliev suffered a huge setback. A trip home to Ossetia saw him essentially get stuck in his native Russia due to politics and visa/citizenship issues. Pliev wound up in Canada where he made the 2012 Olympic team before relocating to Brazil to coach and pursue MMA and boxing. He was first introduced to MMA when he was brought in to help Anderson Silva train for his rematch with Chael Sonnen. He currently splits his time between Brazil and his native Ossetia-Alania in Russia. Francis Ngannou has undoubtedly made a name for himself by knocking his opponents heads off their shoulders. And while he has been notoriously criticized for not working on his wrestling enough (not even leading up to a title fight against a Division I wrestler), he has been trained by at least one high-level wrestler, Kamaru Usman. Kamaru Usman The current UFC 170-pound champion was born in Nigeria before moving to Texas at 8 years old. He took up wrestling in high school before becoming a national qualifier for William Penn University (NAIA) and three-time All-American for the University of Nebraska-Kearney (Division II). Usman then moved on to the U.S. Olympic Training Center after college to pursue freestyle wrestling. He notched a few medals domestically, defeating multiple NCAA Division I All-Americans in the process, and represented the United States at the University World Championships in 2010. He began MMA after failing to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Team Trials, first as a coach and training partner at Team Takedown in Texas, then moving to Florida to coach and pursue his own career. Co-Main Event: Jussier Formiga vs. Joseph Benavidez Easily one of the most successful flyweights in MMA history, Jussier Formiga's bread and butter was always BJJ. This worked just fine until he got thoroughly beat down by lifelong wrestler Ian McCall in 2011. Formiga reinvented himself, relocating from Brazil to Florida to train with famed American Top Team. With his new team came a career resurgence, largely brought on by training with the following wrestlers … Steve Mocco, Colby Covington and Anthony Rocco MartinSteve Mocco This New Jersey native Mocco was a hugely successful wrestler on every level possible. One of the most successful high school careers in history led to one of the most successful collegiate heavyweight careers in history, and that was followed by an outstanding run at the senior level. After failing to make his second Olympic team in 2012, Mocco shifted his focus to MMA, and while his fighting career was a success (5-1 record), he has really shined as a coach for the world's top MMA fighters. He has found a home in Florida at the main American Top Team location in Coconut Creek, training fighters and even starting a wrestling academy at the facility. Mocco is also the current wrestling coach for headliner Junior dos Santos. Mike Thomas Brown Before being the esteemed coach he is now, Brown himself was a world champion MMA fighter. A grinding, punishing wrestler with extreme strength and superb conditioning, Brown made his background work extremely well for him in the cage. Those skills were forged in Maine as a high schooler where he was state champ as a junior and runner up his senior year. After high school he wrestled for Vermont's Norwich University (D III) where despite showing great promise, his wrestling career was derailed by a serious neck injury. He made his pro MMA debut in 2001 and unofficially retired in 2013. He is now one of the top coaches out there for MMA-based wrestling training, and functions as the second most senior coach at ATT, Coconut Creek. Perennial flyweight contender Joseph Benavidez, himself a New Mexico state champion wrestler in high school, wrestled a single season at William Penn University (NAIA) before jumping over to MMA. His destination? The mecca of lighter weight wrestlers entering MMA, Urijah Faber's Team Alpha Male in Sacramento, Calif. After spending years in Sacramento, Benavidez jumped ship to Elevation Fight Team in Colorado before relocating again to Las Vegas where he currently resides. Along the way he has had access to more high-caliber wrestlers than anyone else on this weekend's card. Some of those wrestlers are … Lance Palmer Growing up in the wrestling hotbed state of Ohio, Palmer completed one of the most successful high school careers in the state's history and then moved on to the NCAA's Division I, making an immediate impact for the Ohio State Buckeyes in 2006. Competing in perhaps the toughest weight class in NCAA wrestling (149 pounds), Palmer was a fantastic collegiate wrestler. And although he came up just short of reaching the top, his body of work serves him extremely well inside the cage. Palmer and Benavidez first linked up at Team Alpha Male and still train together today despite both fighters moving on to other gyms. Today he is known as one of the best fighters not signed to the UFC, recently winning a featherweight tournament and a cool million dollars in the Professional Fighters League. Leister Bowling Colorado wrestling royalty both as a competitor and a coach, Bowling has been around the wrestling scene just about his whole life. Completing his high school wrestling career with a record of 154 wins and just 2 losses (setting a few state records in the process), Leister headed to Nebraska to wrestle successfully for the now defunct Dana College (NAIA). After college, he dabbled in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling a bit, but it didn't take long to find his niche as a coach. While coaching at the Division I level (University of Northern Colorado), Bowling began working with fighters from nearby Grudge MMA Training Center. After a while he devoted himself to coaching MMA exclusively, heading up the cutting-edge Elevation Fight Team before retiring in 2017. Co-Main Event: Damian Maia vs Anthony Rocco Martin Always a phenomenal submission grappler and a very successful MMA fighter, UFC welterweight Damian Maia is perhaps the poster child for fighters upping their focus on wrestling with the interest of being a better fighter. After reaching a title fight in which he was unsuccessful as a 185-pound UFC fighter, Maia dedicated himself to wrestling, cut some weight, and emerged a reinvigorated welterweight hybrid grappler with some of the best wrestling in the UFC. The wrestlers responsible for making Maia such an outstanding wrestler are… Jake Herbert Arguably the most decorated wrestler on this entire list, Herbert grew up wrestling in perhaps the strongest wresting state in the country, Pennsylvania. Though he was a very successful high school wrestler both in Pennsylvania and nationally, he experienced a drastic rate of improvement once in college. Wrestling for Northwestern University, Herbert established roots in the Chicago area which is how he has crossed paths with several top MMA fighters looking to improve their wrestling, most notably, Damian Maia. Herbert trained Maia at the Overtime School of Wrestling in Chicago and although he is still involved with wrestling today, he stepped away from the sport as a competitor after the 2016 Olympic Team Trials. Dave Esposito Establishing himself as one of the top coaches in the MMA, grappling, and club wrestling arena, New Jersey's Dave Esposito has also been a successful wrestler himself. After enjoying a career that saw Esposito wrestle extremely well in high school, Division I (Lehigh), and beyond in freestyle (ranked as high as fifth on the senior level), he dipped his toes into MMA, scoring one big emphatic victory and then focused on coaching. Now heading up the prestigious Edge Hoboken School of Wrestling, Esposito has essentially created a combat sports utopia where wrestlers, submission grapplers, MMA fighters, and other combat athletes can exchange skills and ideas. He has personally coached Damian Maia and other UFC guys for several years now. Surging UFC welterweight Anthony Rocco Martin didn't grow up a wrestler (wrestled one season) and he isn't particularly interested in taking his opponents to the ground. However, in an effort to climb the rankings, Martin trains almost obsessively in another facet of wrestling, takedown defense. To do that he has enlisted the help of fellow American Top Team fighter and lifelong wrestler Colby Covington and so far, the approach is paying off in the form of a four-fight winning streak. Though he has Covington as his main wrestling partner, as an ATT fighter, Martin trains with wrestling studs Will Brooks, the aforementioned Mocco, and BJJ black belt/Brazilian freestyle champ Gleison Tibau, regularly. Colby Covington Born in California, Covington grew up largely in Oregon where he became one of the top high school wrestlers in the state. He would go on to successfully wrestle collegiately at three different colleges (including the legendary University of Iowa) before entering the grappling arena and eventually MMA. Along the way he picked up many impressive accolades, finishing his wresting career in 2011 and entering MMA in 2012. These are just a few of the many elite wrestlers who have gone on to compete and coach in the mixed martial arts arena. Stay tuned for more wrestling/MMA content to come.

USA Wrestling has just released their rosters for the Pan Am Games this August and … wow. While we have been thinking of the drama around certain Final X matches (and even some of the non-Olympic weight talk) it's eye-opening to see the starting six in men's and women's freestyle for Lima. This team is very experience, but not long in the tooth - a rare and usually successful combination. Women's wrestling: 50 kilograms: Whitney Conder 53 kilograms: Sarah Hildebrandt 57 kilograms: Jenna Burkert 62 kilograms: Kayla Miracle 68 kilograms: Tamyra Mensah-Stock 76 kilograms: Adeline Gray Freestyle: 57 kilograms: Daton Fix 65 kilograms: Zain Retherford 74 kilograms: Jordan Burroughs 86 kilograms: Pat Downey 97 kilograms: Kyle Snyder 125 kilograms: Nick Gwiazdowski These are monster lineups! Really. I'm often accused of lacking the proper amount of Team USA loyalty, but in this case I hope it's evident that I'm bullish on these squads' chances to take home a lot of hardware from Peru. The over/under for gold medals is 8.5. Make your picks in the comments. To your questions … J'den Cox walks out on to the mat at Final X: Rutgers (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Q: Who do you view as America's most underappreciated wrestler? -- Mike C. Foley: I don't think this is close: J'den Cox. World champion, Olympic bronze medalist and world bronze medalist. Four-time World Team member. Also, he's fluent in sign language, has the voice of an angel, and can play the guitar. What I will say is that his was a frog boil. Cox loses in the Olympic semifinals, mostly because of a mismanaged final minute. Then he beats David Taylor for the 2017 World Team spot at 86 kilograms (with controversy), takes a bad loss in Paris, then gets dragged by DT online. There just wasn't a lot of good media around Cox for about 18 months. The one additional point, which Cox himself acknowledges, is that he can be hesitant to attack and instead chooses to get ahead and control as needed. That's not a great way to win fans, but I think he is on his way to becoming a bigger star in our sport -- as he should be! Q: I watched Lee Roper's comments about having a dual meet championship to decide the team winner and I couldn't agree more. To maintain the level of support and excitement, you would need to tack it on to the existing individual tournament, which can pose some challenges, most notably making weight and extra matches for the top guys. Here's my thought... Realistically only eight teams have a shot at winning and they will all be bringing large contingents to the individual tournament anyway. Dual meets throughout the year can be used to determine seeding 1-8. Bump the individual tournament back one day and have it run Wednesday-Friday. Three-pound allowance for Saturday weigh in and run the whole tournament that day. It's a lot of wrestling for the best teams but I think they'll be up for it. What do you think? Is that too many matches for the best wrestlers? Too many weigh-ins? Will fans want to watch four days? Capitalizing on the existing weekend with the huge fanbase already there seems to make the most sense. The alternative would be to do it the weekend before at pre-determined location like Carver-Hawkeye or the RAC so fans can plan for it and then could be a Friday-Saturday event. -- Andy S. Foley: Traditionally the problem with dual meet tournament is that you'd be scrambling last minute to find the venue of one of the teams entered in the tournament. I think lacrosse actually has the best system. They host preliminary rounds of the tournament in traditional locations and whittle down until the Final Four, which takes place in a pre-determined location. Bring those teams to a pre-determined location (RAC, Penn State, Atlantic City) and make it a destination event. With a focus on going to the same area each year there will be interest and attendance. The individual tournament is cool. Goofy, but that's our format and it draws a lot of attention and income. I don't think there is any reason to turn your back on something that works, but I also don't think that the team race there is a main driver of attention, partially because passive fans would have no idea how to score it. A dual meet championship makes the sport more approachable to more people. Fans are lazy and like to root for their colors. Let's help them and make access to those types of events easier, not harder. As for the timing. I think the preliminaries can be done midseason and the finals can be two weeks after the individual tournament. But also, I'm not putting a lot of thought into that expansion since I think the first act is to change the season to a single semester, which would also allow for a radical change to the calendar of events. Q: Alex Dieringer has performed well in international events and dominated Zahid Valencia at Final X. Do you think Dieringer has a shot against Kyle Dake (assuming he's healthy) in the wrestle-off later this summer? -- Mike C. Foley: To recap, Kyle Dake was injured late last year, underwent surgery, and is now getting himself healthy to defend his spot on Team USA. As is his right, he deferred the Final X wrestle-off due to the injury and his staff has been locked in negotiations with Dieringer's staff about when and where they will compete. The absolute last day they could compete would be before the start of the three-week world championships training and acclimation camp. That's late August. If the sides can't agree on a location and date (which indications are they cannot), the freestyle competition committee would be expected to set the date. That meeting may have already taken place, but once it does and they announce the details the sides will basically have to accept their determination. My guess is that they meet at the Olympic Training Center in mid-August, but that is really just a guess. And yes, Dieringer is almost even odds to make this year's team. He's amazing to watch and competes with purpose. Should be an exciting match! MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Meet King Vlad. I'm proud of my team's work on this piece and think the world of Vlad. Please enjoy and share! Q: In your opinion which state has the toughest high school state wrestling tournament? -- Gregg Y. Foley: Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New Jersey. They produce the most All-American wrestlers and have for quite some time! Q: Since it seems that most of the colleges that are adding wrestling programs are enrollment-based schools, why haven't we seen any of the historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) launch or resurrect a program and add a women's program? -- Nick M. Foley: Maybe they'll be next. I'm not sure why the HBCUs haven't followed suit, but I do think that our sport has an opportunity to grow there. As many know the HBCUs were the hardest hit by Title IX since female attendance at those schools was so much higher than males. With proportionality as the most enforced prong the schools had to deal with that issue quickly. I think Tamyra Mensah and Jacarra Winchester are great ambassadors for black women in the sport of wrestling,. Add in that Beat the Streets is expanding and the time for an HBCU to start a men's and women's program could be near. Q: Who in your opinion made the best transition from wrestling to MMA? -- Gregg Y. Foley: Depending on the metric for measuring "best" the answer could vary wildly. In terms of titles, gross dollars, and fame the answer should be Daniel Cormier. He took a well-accomplished but not extraordinary wrestling career and parlayed it into two UFC belts, tens of millions of dollars, and recognition among a number of non-MMA fans. He also has a lucrative broadcasting deal. Henry Cejudo would be the other option. He has two belts, has made some good money, and is the most decorated wrestler to ever compete (and win) in the UFC. Using only the feel-good and "wow" metrics I'd say Yoel Romero. He's a fantastic competitor, well-liked, and was an absolute monster on the mats. Always love watching him compete. Khadzhimurat Gatsalov defeated Kyle Snyder 6-3 at Beat the Streets in 2014 (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com) Q: I see Khadzhimurat Gatsalov will be representing Armenia at 97 kilograms. He's 36 now, but obviously tremendously skilled. Do you see expect him to be in the mix to contend with Abdulrashid Sadulaev and Kyle Snyder for gold in 2019/2020? Or as a medal threat? Where does he fit in? -- Mike C. Foley: He won't beat Sadualev and he's a huge dog to Snyder. That said 97 kilograms is a weird weight category. Assuming he qualifies for the Olympics he'll probably just rest and refine his timing. All he'll need to do at the Olympic Games is win three matches on the first day, or alternatively he loses to Sadualev first round and he wrestles once on day one and twice on day two. For an old man that's a pretty manageable schedule. I think in the older format he'd have had much more difficulty making it through the tournament and medaling. Q: Long-time listener, first-time caller. Little bit about our program: We have success locally because we recruit our building well (harass the kids until they come out) and usually fill all 14 classes with average-type kids. Due to Virginia's watered-down system, we send a handful to states every year. However, we can't regularly develop top-level studs so we finish between 10th-20th each year. Couple questions: 1. Best way to raise awareness for a program in an area not known for wrestling? 2. What's the best fundraising idea you've ever heard for a wrestling program? -- Fan Foley: Thanks for the question (and for being a loyal reader!). How to build interest at the local level is a key for growing the sport of wrestling. Walking the halls and plucking strong kids for the team really isn't an option anymore. As you note, there is a need to raise awareness, interest, and money. But again, how? The main driver of interest will always be the appearance of success within your community. When some wrestlers are seen as top of their sport they tend to attract younger kids who want to also find themselves lavished in praise. You mentioned some state-level tournaments. While you noted that Virginia is a watered-down system, the kids in the hallways don't need to know that. Besides, this is the system you were given and although it's imperfect it allows for some pretty stellar marketing opportunities within the high school and especially the middle school. Open practices and events that involve the community are always a great way to pique the interest of decision makers and parents anxious to find their teens an activity. Maybe a wrestling practice or scrimmage on mats outside. You could also host a takedown tournament or all-night practice to raise money. Another idea would be to offer a fun and stripped-down version of wrestling -- maybe takedown only -- and try to get parents and college students to get involved. Even if there are only a handful of entries the first year a carnival atmosphere will attract interest. There are just a few off-the-cuff ideas. Maybe the readers can offer some ideas. Coaches, do you have any ideas that have worked to help spark interest in your program?

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Harvard wrestling has added Jimmy Sheptock and Johnni DiJulius to its coaching staff, The David G. Bunning '88 Head Coach for Harvard Wrestling Jay Weiss announced today. Sheptock will serve as the program's assistant coach with DiJulius set to arrive in Cambridge as the Crimson's volunteer assistant. "I could not be happier with the additions of Jimmy and Johnni to our staff," Weiss said. "Each one brings an energy and passion that will undoubtedly filter into our program. These guys are of high character and driven for excellence. I am very much looking forward to working with them." Jimmy Sheptock (Photo/Maryland Athletics)Sheptock comes to Harvard after a three-year stint at his alma mater, the University of Maryland, where he spent two seasons as an assistant coach before being elevated to associate head coach prior to the 2018-19 campaign. During his time in College Park, Sheptock helped Maryland send eight Terrapins to the NCAA Championships with heavyweight Youssif Hemida earning All-America honors in 2018 and 2019. Youssif became Maryland's eighth wrestler to earn All-America accolades multiple times in a career and the first since Sheptock accomplished the feat in 2014. "I am excited to start my new role at Harvard," Sheptock said. "I am grateful for the opportunity that Coach Weiss and the rest of his coaching staff has given me. I look forward to coaching the best and brightest at the world's greatest institution!" The three-time ACC champion and NCAA qualifier began his coaching career at Drexel where he helped the Dragons to 10 dual-meet wins in 2015-16, the program's most since 2008-09. In that season, Sheptock helped six Drexel wrestlers reach the EIWA podium with two winning conference titles and seven earning a spot at the 2016 NCAA meet. Before moving into the coaching ranks, Sheptock graduated in 2014 as one of Maryland's most storied wrestlers. In addition to his three ACC titles, three NCAA appearances and two All-America honors while competing at 174 and 184 pounds, Sheptock compiled a record of 129-20 and was an unblemished 51-0 in dual matches with 67 bonus-point victories. His finest season came in 2013-14, when he finished with a 32-1 record after clinching an NCAA finals berth, ACC championship and Midlands title. Johnni DiJulius (Photo/Kent State Athletics)DiJulius, meanwhile, brings similar credentials to Cambridge following a stellar collegiate career at Ohio State. Wrestling at 133 pounds, DiJulius posted a record of 115-47 in Columbus, including a 30-8 record as a junior in 2014-15, which ultimately helped the Buckeyes win not only the Big Ten crown, but the program's only NCAA title. DiJulius also qualified for the NCAA Championships four times and won the 133-pound weight class at the 2013 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. "I am so excited to start working at Harvard and not only helping wrestlers become the best version of themselves on and off the mat, but also making myself the best version I can be as well," DiJulius said. "I can't wait to get started." After his collegiate career at Ohio State came to an end, DiJulius relocated to Kent, Ohio, to become a volunteer assistant coach at Kent State. In his one season, DiJulius helped a pair of Golden Flashes - Anthony Tutolo at 133 pounds and 157-pounder Casey Sparkman - qualify for the NCAA meet. The last two years, he has trained at the Ohio Regional Training Center in Columbus.

The nation's first -- and only -- six-time NCAA wrestling champion. Pennsylvania high school state champ (despite being from a school without a wrestling program). NFL All-Pro offensive guard for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. One of just fifteen named to the NCAA 75th Anniversary team as one of the greatest college wrestlers since 1928. All of these accomplishments just scratch the surface of the life and career of Carlton Haselrig. Now the all-time great amateur wrestler/pro football star shares his story -- the good and the bad -- in the new book, "Giant Killer: The Carlton Haselrig Story" by Haselrig and Kevin Emily, now available from OptionalStart.org. Meet the authors Carlton Haselrig is one of the most accomplished wrestlers-turned-pro football players. Born in Johnstown, Pa. in 1966, Haselrig played football as a kid in his uncle's backyard then at Greater Johnstown High School, where he also took up wrestling and participated in various wrestling tournaments on his own, as there was no official wrestling team at the school. Despite those challenges, Haselrig won a state title at the 1984 PIAA (Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association) wrestling championships. To continue his mat career, Haselrig stayed close to home. As a student-athlete at NCAA Division II University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown, he finished in third place in the heavyweight bracket as a freshman at the 1986 NCAA D2 championships. As a sophomore, Haselrig started his title drive, going on to win both the Division I and Division II titles in his sophomore, junior and senior seasons, for a total of six championships. How did Haselrig become the only wrestler to win more than four NCAA titles? Before 1990, individual champs of the Division II and Division III wrestling championships automatically qualified for the Division I championships. This made it possible for Haselrig to win two titles in one year. After Haselrig earned his six NCAA titles, the Division I Wrestling Committee voted to change the rules, no longer allowing Division II and III champions to compete at the D1 championships. After graduating from UPJ, Carlton Haselrig launched his pro football career as an offensive guard with the Pittsburgh Steelers ... despite never having played the sport while in college. After four seasons at the Steelers -- and one with the New York Jets -- Haselrig retired from the NFL because of off-field issues (which he has since overcome). Kevin Emily was born in South Carolina ... but he grew up in one of the hottest of the nation's amateur wrestling hotbeds, Waterloo, Iowa ... hometown of the one and only Dan Gable. Emily wrestled in Waterloo, then at University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, before launching his own teaching and coaching career in his native South Carolina. His passion for the sport continues beyond coaching to include sharing the stories about highly accomplished wrestlers ... like Carlton Haselrig. What's with the title? The title "Giant Killer" did not come from Kevin Emily. Nor is it the result of a focus group, or a brainstorming session at a publishing house or advertising agency. Instead, it is the product of Carlton Haselrig himself. "I like 'Giant Killer' because my whole life I've had to slay the bigger opponents, ya know," Haselrig disclosed in the book of the same name. "When I was in high school, it was winning State without a high school team; in college, I was going up against bigger guys, and then I had to win the D1s coming from a smaller school. Even with the Steelers, I was going against guys bigger than me. Plus not playing college football and all." How "Giant Killer" came together Author Kevin Emily shared the story of how the new book about Carlton Haselrig came together. Carlton Haselrig and Kevin Emily at a book signing in Pittsburgh"It started with Pathfinder Vol. 1, the journey and struggles of African-American wrestlers," Emily told InterMat. "I interviewed Carlton for that book. Funniest thing -- I sent that chapter to Carlton for his review, but instead heard back from his wife Michelle. She really liked it." "Carlton asked her to ask me to write his entire life story." "Michelle asked me, 'Would you like to come to Johnstown, meet with him and his friends?'" "I drove up two years ago," Emily continued. "Spent eight days there. Walked all over town, talked to his high school coach, his college coach (Pat Pecora at University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown), even interviewed writers at the local newspaper." "I started letting it all soak in, and the story came together in my mind." "I wrote from the perspective of being there." "Carlton had said, 'The book needs to tell all of the story -- the good, the bad and the ugly.'" "I decided I should work to get it ready for the 2019 NCAAs in Pittsburgh," Kevin Emily continued. "It was presented at the WIN Fan Fest." "When people read this book, they'll see how he had it all and then threw it away. His life was a rollercoaster. Then, finally, he put his life back together. He kept fighting for himself, his wife, his family." The whole process -- gathering information, and the actual writing of "Giant Killer" -- took one year, eight months to complete, according to Kevin Emily, describing it as a "long-time, long-term investment." "There are things in this book that have never been told before," Emily continued. "Carlton waited until he thought it was time to tell his story. I never thought in a million years I'd have this opportunity." "It was a tremendous honor to help tell Carlton Haselrig's story." "The book is about being a successful human being." Kevin Emily's latest book "Giant Killer: The Carlton Haselrig Story" continues the coach/author's career of sharing the stories of successful, ground-breaking individuals in amateur wrestling ... as demonstrated in his first two books, "Pathfinder I" and "Pathfinder II" which told the stories of pioneering African-Americans in the sport. As with those earlier books, "Giant Killer" does a great job of telling a story about a notable individual in an informative, honest, truly compelling way. Emily has a strong ability to share Haselrig's story -- not just the successes, but past troubles as well -- in a way that is appropriate for readers of any age, whether they are in grade school ... or last stepped onto a mat decades ago. What's next It's not surprising to learn that Kevin Emily is already at work on his fourth book. "My next book is 'King of the Mat'" the high school coach/author told InterMat. "It'll tell the stories of great high school wrestling coaches such as Russ Cozart (Brandon High in Florida) and Bob Siddens (late, legendary coach at Waterloo West in Iowa where Emily himself wrestled and later coached). "I plan to have the book available by the beginning of the 2019 high school wrestling season -- Thanksgiving time," said Emily. "I want to keep sharing knowledge," coach Emily continued. "I try to inform people. I want to let people know what's so great about wrestling and the people who are involved in it." "I want to give back to the sport that did so much for me." To order "Giant Killer: The Carlton Haselrig Story" -- along with Kevin Emily's earlier books "Pathfinder: Vol. I" and "Pathfinder: Vol. II" -- visit coach Emily's official website, OptionalStart.org.

UFC fighter Desmond Green -- a former wrestler at University at Buffalo -- was arrested Monday for his involvement in a five-vehicle crash in Florida which killed two women last August. Desmond GreenGreen, 29, is facing 20 charges, including DUI manslaughter. As of Wednesday, he was still being held in Broward County Jail in southeastern Florida on bonds totaling $194,000. According to police, the multi-vehicle, chain-reaction crash started about 6 a.m. August 18 on I-75 northbound in Pembroke Pines when Green lost control of the 2011 Dodge Durango he was driving and veered into the path of a tractor-trailer. Those vehicles then struck three cars, including a 2007 Toyota Yaris, killing two passengers and seriously injuring the driver and another passenger. As InterMat reported last August, Green sustained minor injuries. The Sun-Sentinel newspaper stated that investigators noted that Green showed signs of impairment, including slurred speech. Toxicology tests later confirmed the presence of drugs and alcohol. Investigators recovered a plastic bag from Green's Durango which tested positive for cocaine. "Green's normal faculties were impaired by alcoholic beverages and/or controlled substance at the time the crash occurred," according to the arrest report. Further investigation revealed Green was driving on a second suspended license and was not wearing a seat belt at the time of last summer's fatal crash. In the ten months since being involved in a fatal crash, Green has fought three times in the UFC, posting a 2-1 mark in the Octagon. He last appeared at UFC Fight Night 152 on May 18, when he captured a unanimous decision victory over Charles Jourdain in a lightweight (155-pound) bout. Green, who has also competed in Bellator and Titan FC promotions, is 23-8 in a pro career he launched in April 2012. Prior to entering MMA competition, Green made a name for himself in amateur wrestling in upstate New York. The Rochester native was a New York state wrestling champ for Rush-Henrietta High School. Green later wrestled for University at Buffalo, where he was a two-time MAC (Mid-American Conference) wrestling champion.

The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved allowing wrestlers to compete in shorts designed for the sport and removing all language in the sport's rules book regarding the length of a wrestler's hair. The changes are effective for the 2019-20 academic year. NCAA Wrestling Rules Committee members wanted to make the rules for hair less rigid and provide an additional option for the competition uniform. Previously, wrestlers could compete only in traditional singlets with or without full-length tights or form-fitting shirts and shorts. This third uniform option requires the form-fitting shirt but allows teams to pair this top with loose-fitting shorts designed for wrestling. Wrestlers' hair still will be required to be free of oils and/or greasy substances. Hair coverings still will be allowed and considered special equipment. The rule that prohibited a wrestler's hair from extending below the level of an ordinary shirt collar and the hair on the side of the head from extending below the earlobes has been eliminated. Warnings The penalty sequence for stalling violations will shift to the following in the 2019-20 academic year: After the initial warning, a single match point will be deducted for the next two violations. A fourth stalling violation will be a 2-point match deduction, and the last stalling violation will be disqualification. Previously, the stalling penalty sequence was a warning followed by single-point deductions on the second, third and fourth stalling violations, and then disqualification. Hands to the face The panel approved the reclassification of “hands to the face” from an unnecessary roughness violation to an illegal hold. Rules for illegal holds indicate that “whenever possible, illegal holds should be prevented rather than called.” This will provide referees more flexibility to use verbal cues, issue formal warnings and/or stop the action as “potentially dangerous” before calling an illegal hold. Referees still may call an illegal hold for hands to the face without warning if they determine it is appropriate. Based on feedback from a membership comment period and from the Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports, the NCAA Wrestling Rules Committee withdrew proposed recommendations regarding video review challenges, medical forfeits and weigh-ins. The rules committee plans to further discuss weigh-in times with CSMAS in the future.

Stevan Micic gets in on a shot against Mahir Amiraslanov in the gold-medal match (Photo/Gabor Martin, United World Wrestling) MINSK, Belarus -- University of Michigan fifth-year seniors Stevan Micic and Myles Amine captured silver and bronze medals, respectively, at the 2019 European Games on Wednesday (June 26) at the Sport Palace. Micic represents Serbia internationally, while Amine wrestles for San Marino. Both are three-time NCAA All-Americans and team captains at Michigan. Micic fell to Azerbaijan's Mahir Amiraslanov, 9-1, in the 57-kilogram gold-medal match. He was unable to overcome an early four-point takedown in the first and could not finish on a couple deep leg attacks in the second. Amiraslanov also defeated defending world champion Zaur Uguev in the semifinals. It was Micic's first competition since the NCAA Championships in March. Micic rallied from deficits in all three of his first-day wins, most notably a 6-5 decision against Turkey's Suleyman Atli -- the current No. 1-ranked wrestler in the world and the 57-kilogram gold medalist at the European Championships in April -- in the quarterfinals. Micic scored two takedowns and a leg turk in the second period to overcome a four-point deficit. Amine used criteria to earn a 3-3 win over Azerbaijan's Alexander Gostiev in his bronze-medal match at 86 kilograms. After trailing, 1-0, at the break, Amine earned a passivity point early in the second before scoring on a high crotch off a restart. Gostiev, a three-time European Championship silver medalist, evened the score with a pair of stepouts but could not overcome Amine's criteria advantage for the two-point takedown. Amine was pulled back into repechage when Russia's Dareun Kurugliev -- the eventual gold-medal winner -- made the final. He defeated Poland's Zbigniew Baranowski, 6-3, on the strength of two first-period takedowns and a late stepout. Baranowski was the 92-kilogram silver medalist at the European Championships in April. It was Amine's first senior-level international medal and the first in wrestling for San Marino. Over his past two tournaments -- the first of his senior-level freestyle career -- Amine has faced a world and/or European medalist in six of seven matches, going 3-3 in those bouts.

Steve Bleise gets his hand raised after a win against Oklahoma State (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine) NORFOLK, Va. -- Old Dominion head wrestling coach Steve Martin announced the addition of Kevin Beazley as assistant coach and Steve Bleise as volunteer assistant coach on Tuesday afternoon. "We are excited to get Kevin and Steve on our coaching staff," explained Martin. "Kevin is an excellent technician as well as a great people person. Kevin will be in charge of the 174-285 pound weight classes. Steve is an awesome addition to our staff and will immediately make an impact with our middleweights. He will be in charge of the 149-174 pound weight classes. Steve is fresh off a career at University of Minnesota where he competed at the highest level." Beazley returns to Norfolk after a successful collegiate career as a Monarch from 2012- 2017 and a graduate at the University of Michigan from 2017-2018. During his career at ODU, Beazley earned All-American status in 2017 taking eighth place at the NCAA Championships at 197 pounds. During his senior season at ODU, Beazley defeated six nationally-ranked wrestlers and was the MAC runner-up. "We expect him to not only push our upper weights but to also give us a recruiting advantage in the state of Michigan. He is a coaches son so he understands the sport and how to help student-athletes reach their goals on and off the mat!" "I am really excited to be coming back to ODU as a coach," explained Beazley. "Working under coach Martin and coach Thomas is a great opportunity for me to learn the other side of the sport. In the short time that I've been on campus, I've already learned that there's a lot more that goes into college wrestling than I thought when I was a competitor. The mentorship I received from coach Martin as an athlete helped put me on the podium and I'm looking forward to how much he is going to help me grow as a coach." Three-time NCAA Qualifier Steve Bleise joins the Monarchs replacing Chris Mecate as the Volunteer Assistant. Bleise spent three seasons wrestling at Northern Illinois before transferring to Minnesota for his final two years of eligibility. Bleise wrestled for current ODU head assistant Daryl Thomas while at NIU. In 2019, Bleise defeated No. 3 Ryan Deakin at the Big Ten Championships. He was also awarded the Verne Gagne Leadership Award from Minnesota and a member of the Academic All-Big Ten Team. "He has an abundance of energy and will be a game changer in helping our guys reach their potential. Both Kevin and Steve are from Michigan so we expect to start recruiting more thoroughly in that state, said Martin." Watch Bleise take out 2019 U.S. Open Champion, Deakin (Northwestern) in the quarterfinals of the 2019 Big 10 Championships. "I would like to thank coach Martin and coach Thomas for giving me the opportunity to coach alongside them at ODU," said Bleise. "Having already had Daryl as a coach, I know I'm joining a program full of people who are just as passionate about wrestling as I am. I'm excited to join the Monarch family and can't wait to get to work."

Harrison coach Chris Baird and Chad Dennis coaching at a tournament Episode 32 of The MatBoss Podcast features Chad Dennis and his high school assistant coach Chris Baird. The main topic of discussion on this episode is the weight class debate in high school wrestling. Should we remove weights, should we shift weights. Two coaches with different viewpoints discuss it. The two also field questions from the live Facebook stream. About MatBoss: Created by coaches for coaches, MatBoss for iPad® integrates wrestling stats directly into the video you record for each match, completely replacing the need for labor-intensive pencil and paper scoring systems. It's the wrestling stats app our sport has been waiting for. Focus on coaching, not busy work Improve through video analysis Make data an advantage Eliminate scoring errors Increase exposure Become a digital coach For more information, visit MatBossApp.com. Follow MatBoss on Twitter and subscribe to the show @MatBossApp | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Spreaker | Google Podcasts | RSS

Clint Musser CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Head coach Josh Moore of the Cleveland State University wrestling program announced the hiring of Clint Musser as assistant coach Tuesday morning. Musser, a two-time All-American at Penn State in his collegiate days, returns to his northeast Ohio roots with this announcement after spending the past four seasons as an assistant coach at American University. "Clint has the coaching experience and wrestling credentials to make an immediate impact in our program," Moore said. "He will assist with our vision of adding the top recruits from northeast Ohio with his relationships and connections." Musser helped American to one of its most successful seasons in recent history, on and off the mat, in 2018-19. The Eagles posted their best dual winning percentage in eight seasons with their 7-4 mark while American's 75.5 points at the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association Championships were its most in seven seasons. American finished second in Division I in team grade point average, its best such finish since 2011, while its 3.56 figure was the program's best since that academic metric was tracked. During the 2017-18 season, Musser helped the Eagles send five wrestlers to the NCAA Championships, the first such occurrence for the program in six years. Over his first two seasons, he helped American have 12 combined EIWA placewinners, including David Terao, who earned NCAA All-American honors, the first-ever for American at 125 pounds. "To my knowledge, this will be the first time in the history of our program that we will have two full-time assistant coaches," Moore said. "I would like to thank our Director of Athletics, Scott Garrett, and the entire administration for supporting our program by helping us add this new position." Prior to American, Musser spent the three previous seasons in northeast Ohio, including a stint at Cleveland State in 2014-15. With the Vikings, Musser helped the program to a 7-3 dual mark, a pair of NCAA qualifiers and the program's best finish at the EWL Championships in 11 years. Musser served as a volunteer assistant at Kent State in his first collegiate coaching stint. Over the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons, he helped two Golden Flashes claim All-America honors, including one who was named MAC Wrestler of the Year in 2013, while helping the team to 21 dual wins. Musser began his coaching career as an assistant coach at both Massillon Perry HS and Walsh Jesuit HS, helping guide nine wrestlers to individual state championships and four wrestlers to high school national titles. He also helped lead his teams to top-five finishes at the state tournament in all seven of his seasons as an assistant coach. As a team captain at Penn State, Musser was an NCAA runner-up at 157 pounds as a senior in 1999. He was a three-time NCAA qualifier, placing in the top three at the Big Ten tournament in three straight seasons. He also earned Academic All-Big Ten honors and was selected to the National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Academic Team. Musser won 123 matches for the Nittany Lions, ranking among the top 10 in career victories. A graduate of Walsh Jesuit High School, Musser earned a Bachelor's degree from Penn State in 1999.

Ohio joins the growing list of states which will now have a separate state wrestling tournament for high school girls next year. The Ohio High School Wrestling Coaches Association (OHSWCA) voted unanimously to officially sponsor a girls' state wrestling tournament for the upcoming 2019-2020 school year. Ohio's first girls state wrestling championship will be held February 22-12, 2020 at Hilliard Davidson High School, 5100 Davidson Road in Hilliard, a suburb of Columbus. "It is our goal to make this a first-class event and build it to 'emerging sport status' with the OHSAA (Ohio High School Athletic Association, the official governing body for high school athletics in Ohio)," said Dean Conley, president of the OHSWCA. "Once we meet the requirements, we plan on handing this over to OHSAA like we did with the state dual tournament." The OHSAA weighed in with their backing for the event. "The OHSAA is in full support of the OHSWCA conducting a girls' tournament," said Tyler Brooks, wrestling administrator for the OHSAA. "This tournament is an important and necessary step for girls wrestling as they seek emerging sport status. Last year there were more than 200 females who wrestled for their school so we look forward to partnering with the OHSWCA in order to help grow the sport of wrestling by increasing participation opportunities for female wrestlers." The OHSWCA stated that wrestlers, coaches and schools can stay informed by visiting the association's official website starting this September. www.ohswca.org Ohio is the nineteenth state to announce the establishment of a separate girls' state wrestling tournament ... and the third in the month of June, joining New Mexico and Arkansas.

MILLERSVILLE, Pa. -- Millersville University wrestling head coach Kerry Regner has named Ryan Whittle as the program's assistant coach. Whittle and Regner have a relationship that dates to Whittle's first season as a collegiate wrestler. Ryan WhittleA 2018 graduate of Williams Baptist, Whittle was a three-time NAIA Championships qualifier and the 165-pound American Midwest Conference Champion in 2017. Whittle began his wrestling career at Clarion while Regner was a graduate assistant coach. After Regner started the wrestling program at Williams Baptist, Whittle followed and was a member of the first-ever team at the university. Whittle also served as a team captain. "I am thrilled to have Coach Whittle and his fiancé Megan join the Millersville wrestling family," said Regner. "I know his addition will bring service and pride to not just the wrestling program, but also the institution and community. Coach Whittle's passion and work ethic for the sport of wrestling will advance the program in the path we are seeking." Millersville is Whittle's first stop as a collegiate wrestling coach, having worked with the Refinery Youth Wrestling Club in Walnut Ridge, Ark., for the last six months. Whittle received a USA Wrestling Bronze Coaching Certification and continues to compete in senior level Greco Roman competition. Whittle aided Williams Baptist in its recruiting efforts as well. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in health and physical education in 2018, Whittle was hired as an admissions counselor, recruiting out-of-state students. As an undergraduate student, Whittle was the assistant director of student activities, creating, promoting and hosting campus-wide events for the students of the university. Whittle and his fiance, Megan Blashford, are set to be married in September.

Stevan Micic gets his hand raised after winning in the semifinals of the European Games (Photo/Gabor Martin, United World Wrestling) MINSK, Belarus -- Stevan Micic earned a spot in the finals of the European Games at 57 kilograms. Competing for Serbia, the 23-year-old Micic picked up a 7-4 win over U23 world bronze medalist Taras Markovych of Ukraine in the semifinals on Tuesday in Minsk, Belarus. Micic, a three-time All-American for Michigan, trailed after the opening period, but battled back to win by three. In Wednesday's gold-medal finals, Micic will face European bronze medalist Mahir Amiraslanov of Azerbaijan. Amiraslanov edged returning world champion Zavur Uguev of Russia 3-2 in the semifinals. Micic becomes Serbia's second medalist ever at the European Games, joining Viktor Nemes, who won a silver medal in 2015. He has a chance to become Serbia's first-ever European Games gold medalist. Two other wrestlers currently competing in NCAA wrestling, Michigan's Myles Amine and Campbell's Jere Heino, will compete in repechage on Wednesday. Amine, representing San Marino, dropped his first match on Tuesday at 86 kilograms, but was pulled back into repechage after the wrestler who defeated him, Russia's Dauren Kurugliev, reached the finals. Heino was placed in repechage at 125 kilograms after the wrestler who beat him, Georgia's Givi Matcharashvili, reached the gold-medal match at 125 kilograms. Repechage matches are scheduled to begin at 4 a.m. ET on Wednesday. Micic will wrestle for gold at approximately 11:50 a.m. ET. It can be viewed on the Olympic Channel.

LA GRANDE, Ore. -- Michael Ayala has been hired as the Eastern Oregon head women's wrestling coach, director of athletics Anji Weissenfluh announced on Monday. "After conducting a national search we are excited to announce Michael Ayala as our women's wrestling coach," said Weissenfluh. "Through the interview process, it was clear to see that not only will Michael's ties to the pacific northwest be beneficial to him leading our program, but Michael is dedicated and excited to be part of growing the sport of women's wrestling. His ability to connect with student-athletes and to identify quality prospects are some of what we believe will help him find success at EOU." Ayala brings a strong resume of work with both women's and men's wrestling at the University of Providence, a Cascade Collegiate Conference rival in wrestling. In 2017, Ayala joined the Argos as the assistant men's wrestling coach. He then filled in as the interim head women's wrestling coach during the first half of the 2018-19 year, later returning to his role as an assistant for both the men's and women's programs. "I'm very honored to coach a group of hardworking women," said Ayala. "I really like the team chemistry and every athlete here wants to get better. I'm excited to get to help these student-athletes reach their goals on and off the mat. We want to be competitive and excel at all levels, and we strive to be the best in the classroom, community, and on the mat." Ayala also has experience as the assistant strength and conditioning coach at Providence where he helped program and develop various workouts for the Argo athletic teams. "Michael's high energy personality, his plan and vision for EOU women's wrestling, past coaching experience, and his competitive drive will no doubt be contributing factors in him raising the bar for our women's wrestling program," said Weissenfluh. Ayala obtained his Bachelor's degree in Psychology from University of Great Falls (now named University of Providence), and has a Master's degree in Clinical Counseling. He is a USA Wrestling Bronze certified coach and has years of experience coaching free style, the style of women's collegiate wrestling. The women's wrestling program wrapped up its third year with two NAIA All-Americans and one WCWA All-American, finishing 13th at the inaugural NAIA Invitational.