InterMat Staff

Matthew Kolodzik placed third at the NCAAs last season (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) MANHEIM, Pa. -- Mitch Finesilver, born and raised in Greenwood Village, is the only competitor to wrestle in this year's NWCA All-Star Classic that hails from Colorado. Mitch is one of four Finesilver brothers that will be wrestling for the Duke Blue Devils in the upcoming 2018-19 season. Coming into his redshirt senior season he has compiled a 62-25 career record while making three trips to the NCAA National Championships and was the 2018 Southern Scuffle runner-up. Mitch is looking forward to returning to his hometown to wrestle in front of his friends and family and against Princeton University's Matthew Kolodzik. Returning two-time All-American and No. 1-ranked wrestler at 149 pounds Matthew Kolodzik is ready to bring the fire in his second consecutive NWCA All-Star Classic. Following a great 2018 season which included an EIWA championship and a third-place finish at the 2018 NCAA Championships, Kolodzik is looking for redemption following his tough 4-3 loss in last year's NWCA All-Star Classic. He holds a career 59-10 record and was an All-American in 2017. Kolodzik was the first freshman Princeton wrestler to accomplish All-American status since 2002. This will be the first collegiate match between Kolodzik and Finesilver. Kolodzik is here to prove that he is the best 149 pounder in the nation, while Finesilver is looking to kick off the season at the 149 pound weight class with a bang. Men 141: No. 1 (133) Seth Gross (South Dakota State) vs. No. 3 (133) Tariq Wilson (North Carolina State) 141: No. 2 Joey McKenna (Ohio State) vs. No. 5 Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State) 149: No. 1 Matthew Kolodzik (Princeton) vs. No. 8 Mitch Finesilver (Duke) 174: No. 3 Myles Amine (Michigan) vs. No. 10 (184) Jacobe Smith (Oklahoma State) 184: No. 3 Taylor Venz (Nebraska) vs. No. 8 Max Dean (Cornell) vs. 285: No. 4 Derek White (Oklahoma St.) Women 109: Charlotte Fowler (Campbellsville) vs. Maria Vidales (Emmanuel) 123: Gabriela Ramos-Diaz (Wayland Baptist) vs. Dominique Parrish (Simon Fraser) 130: Erika Mihalca (Missouri Baptist) 143: Nicole Joseph (King) 170: Brittany Marshall (Wayland Baptist) vs. Mariah Harris (Campbellsville)

Sarah Hildebrandt on the medal stand after finishing with a silver medal (Photo/Larry Slater) BUDAPEST, Hungary -- Sarah Hildebrandt's gold-medal effort fell short on the final day of the women's wrestling competition at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Hildebrandt, competing at 53 kilograms, had the tough task of defeating the returning world champion, 19-year-old Haruna Okuno of Japan. On Thursday, it was all Okuno as she attacked first, scoring a takedown to take a 2-0 lead into the break. She would increase her lead and eventually earn a technical fall at 11-0 with a variety of takedowns. The Japanese women were dominant at the World Championships, crowning four gold medalists and running away with the team title. "I had a game plan and she shut it down pretty well," Hildebrandt said. "You just train so hard. To come up short it stings. I really did believe I was going to win. I'm going to have a good 2019 and set myself up for 2020. Mallory Velte celebrates after winning her bronze-medal match (Photo/Larry Slater) Mallory Velte scrapped for a bronze medal at 62 kilograms and earned it. Facing Brazil's Lais Nunes de Oliveira in the bronze-medal match, Velte struggled to score early in the match, but remained calm and persistent. It worked for Velte as Nunes was put on the activity clock in both periods and by virtue of her not scoring, Velte was awarded two inactivity points giving her a 2-1 victory. "I feel like a million bucks," Velte said. "I knew it was going to be a grinder she's hard to score on. I just had to [stay] on my offense the whole time. U.S. women's coach Troy Steiner had a positive outlook after the way the women's team wrestled. "I think everyone stepped up," Steiner said. "You look at the overall performance of a team when one of their leaders goes down, we had some great things happen and it's going in the right direction." The women's team finished third in the overall standings and had four medalists. Adeline Gray won a gold medal, Hildebrandt won silver and Velte and Tamyra Mensah-Stock finished with bronze. Olympic champion Helen Maroulis, who was just coming back from a brain injury, dropped her first match on Wednesday. The Americans were without the services of 2017 world silver medalist Alli Ragan, who suffered an injury and was unable to compete. The U.S. women finished third in the team competition (Photo/Larry Slater) In Greco-Roman, veteran Sam Hazewinkel was not awarded a repechage match, so his tournament has come to an end. Hazewinkel said this is most likely his last world championship, but he might take one more shot at the Olympics in 2020. "Not being able to come back for third hurts," Hazewinkel said. "I would have liked to [wrestle back] for third, but it's a part of the deal and you know that coming in. You can't lose expecting to get pulled in."

RaVaughn Perkins talks to U.S. coaches Matt Lindland and Momir Petkovic (Photo/Larry Slater) BUDAPEST, Hungary -- It was a tough day for the U.S. Greco-Roman team on the opening day of the Greco-Roman competition at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. The team struggled in many aspects and are searching for answers. All four wrestlers who competed lost their opening bouts. Three of the four scored points and had competitive matches that they were in until the very end. The lone wrestler waiting to see if he receives a repechage match is Sam Hazewinkel. The first American wrestler was RaVaughn Perkins who started his day against Murat Dag of Turkey. Perkins started strong and held a 3-0 lead after scoring with a gut wrench. His lead was short lived as he found himself trailing 6-3 at the break. But Perkins continued to battle, fighting until time expired. Perkins climbed back into the match and closed the gap to 8-7, but was unable to score again and that was the score when the final whistle blew. Perkins, a replacement for Team USA, was critical of himself and his performance. "It was an embarrassment for me and for my country to go out there like that," Perkins said. "Having this opportunity, I shouldn't have [gone] out there like that. I'm a veteran in this sport and should have done better." Perkins was eliminated from competition when Dag lost his next match. Jesse Thielke dropped his opening match at the World Championships (Photo/Larry Slater) Jesse Thielke also suffered a close defeat. Wrestling against Donior Islamov of Moldova, Thielke began the match strong, sprinting out to an early 5-0 lead by virtue of two firm gut wrenches. Thielke would relinquish his lead as Islamov stormed back with some gut wrenches of his own to build a 6-5 lead heading into the break. Islamov built his lead to 8-5 with a gut wrench and held on for the victory. "It's disappointing but you [have] to find a way to move forward," Thielke said. "I have to find a way to score, champions find a way to win and I didn't do that. It's a learning lesson, you have no choice but to move forward." Thielke was not eligible for a repechage match after Islamov dropped his quarterfinal match. Geordan Speiller scores with a gut wrench (Photo/Larry Slater) Geordan Speiller found himself in an early hole against Luis Avendano Rojas of Venezuela. Losing 4-0 at the break, Speiller wrestled his way back into the match, getting ahead 5-4 by the use of two gut wrenches. Rojas would not be behind for long as he scored to go up 8-5, that would be the final scoring as Speiller suffered and arm injury and was forced to default out. Speiller was eliminated when Rojas lost. Veteran Sam Hazewinkel, a 2012 Olympian in freestyle, made a miniscule mistake and allowed his opponent, Ekrem Ozturk of Turkey, to get behind him and make a four-point throw and then Ozturk used a gut wrench for the final scoring, completing the technical fall 8-0. Hazewinkel is waiting to see if he will receive a repechage match as Ozturk has moved on to the semifinals, this afternoon. If Ozturk wins, then Hazewinkel will wrestle his repechage match on Friday.

The MMA world is abuzz over reports Wednesday that UFC and ONE are working on a deal that appears to be the first major trade in mixed martial arts history. Ben AskrenIn the deal, UFC would release former flyweight champ Demetrious Johnson from his contract so that he could sign with ONE ... while ONE would free its former welterweight (170 pound) champ Ben Askren from his contract so he could realize his long-held dream of fighting in the UFC. While what is being referred as a trade -- considered to be the first of its kind in professional MMA -- is not yet a done deal, the general consensus is that it is close to being finalized. Askren, a two-time NCAA wrestling champ for the University of Missouri before becoming an MMA superstar, weighed in on Twitter with what he thought the odds of the deal going through, ranking it at 98 percent. The 34-year-old Askren has an 18-0 (with one no-contest) record since launching his pro MMA career in Feb. 2009. The Wisconsin native became welterweight champ for the Bellator organization from 2010 until he was released from his contract in 2013. Askren then moved to ONE, where he won the welterweight title in 2014. His last fight -- a first-round victory over Shinya Aoki in November 2017 -- had been announced as the capstone of his unbeaten career ... but the member of the U.S. men's freestyle team at the 2008 Beijing Olympics has long made know that his dream was to compete in UFC. Johnson, 32, had held the UFC flyweight (125-pound) crown until August, losing it to Olympic gold medal-winning wrestler Henry Cejudo in August, breaking a 13-bout win streak. Johnson sports an impressive overall record of 27-3-1 in a pro career stretching back to April 2007.

Myles Amine placed third at the NCAAs last season (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) MANHEIM, Pa -- Hailing from Brighton, Michigan, Myles Amine talked about his excitement of the 2018 NWCA All-Star Classic, "I'm most excited to be able to compete on a big stage early in the season. I want to wrestle the best guys in the country, and this event gives me an opportunity to start my season off doing that." Amine is a well decorated NCAA student-athlete with a 71-16 career record and two All-American finishes under his belt, a fourth and third place finish in 2017 and 2018, respectively. Amine will be looking for All-American honors for his third consecutive season but will look to get started on the right foot by taking on Oklahoma State's Jacobe Smith, in their first-ever matchup at the 2018 NWCA All-Star Classic. From a two-time NJCAA national champion to an NCAA Division I All-American, Jacobe Smith is ready to start his Redshirt Senior season off with a bang. Entering the season with a career record of 22-8, the Oklahoma native wants to prove that he can compete with the best of the best. During the 2018 National Championships, Smith lost a tough 4-2 decision in the second round. He then made his way through the wrestle backs where he beat number seven ranked Lujan, from Northern Iowa, in a close 10-8 decision to secure his first All-America honor. Smith would go on to finish in eighth place. This will be the first time that Myles Amine and Jacobe Smith face off as they were one match away, twice, at the 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. ANNOUNCED MATCHUPS Men 141: No. 1 (133) Seth Gross (South Dakota State) vs. No. 3 (133) Tariq Wilson (North Carolina State) 141: No. 2 Joey McKenna (Ohio State) vs. No. 5 Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State) 149: No. 8 Mitch Finesilver (Duke) 174: No. 3 Myles Amine (Michigan) vs. No. 10 (184) Jacobe Smith (Oklahoma State) 184: No. 3 Taylor Venz (Nebraska) vs. No. 8 Max Dean (Cornell) vs. 285: No. 4 Derek White (Oklahoma St.) Women 109: Charlotte Fowler (Campbellsville) vs. Maria Vidales (Emmanuel) 123: Gabriela Ramos-Diaz (Wayland Baptist) vs. Dominique Parrish (Simon Fraser) 130: Erika Mihalca (Missouri Baptist) 143: Nicole Joseph (King) 170: Brittany Marshall (Wayland Baptist) vs. Mariah Harris (Campbellsville)

Adeline Gray with the gold medal after winning her fourth world title (Photo/Larry Slater) BUDAPEST, Hungary -- After falling short at the 2016 Olympics and not competing in the 2017 World Championships, Adeline Gray is standing on the top of the podium again. On Wednesday, Gray defeated 2017 world champion Yasemin Adar of Turkey in dominant fashion to become a four-time world champion. Gray now joins John Smith, Tricia Saunders and Jordan Burroughs as the only four-time world champions in U.S. wrestling history. Gray won her last world title in 2015 and was a two-time returning champion heading into the Rio Olympics where she fell short of a medal. Gray was facing a 1-0 deficit early in the gold-medal match but wasted little time before securing a takedown and locking up her iconic leg lace for a 13-1 victory, seconds before the first period ended. "I took care of business I only needed one takedown to get my tech on top," Gray said. "The talent in this bracket is insane and I came out on top. You have world champions that didn't even get the chance to be on the medal stand." Sarah Hildebrandt celebrates after reaching the finals (Photo/Sandy Slater) Sarah Hildebrandt continued her strong year by reaching the gold-medal match at 53 kilograms. In an overpowering fashion, Hildebrandt cruised to the world championship finals. Wrestling against Mary Weicker of Canada, Hildebrandt used a takedown and her leg lace to build an 8-0 lead heading into the break. Hildebrandt did not waste much time once the second period began, securing the technical fall 38 seconds into the period. "It feels good," Hildebrandt said with an exuberant scream. "It's been my goal to really learn par terre so you can put matches away. There was a match this year where I was up 8-0 and all I had to do was put it away, I went out and got pinned. That was in the back of my mind. My mantra is 'Be demanding. Be solid. Be Sarah ' ... and I think doing all those things will lead me to a world title." She will meet Haruna Okuno of Japan in the gold-medal match on Thursday. In the other American semifinal match on Wednesday, Mallory Velte, competing at 62 kilograms, was pinned in the opening minute by Turkey's Taybe Yusein. Velte made a simple mistake allowing her to lock up the cradle and once Yusein had it tight she rolled Velte over for the fall. Velte will wrestle tomorrow for the bronze medal. Tamyra Mensah-Stock gets her hand raised after winning her bronze-medal match (Photo/Larry Slater) Tamyra Mensah-Stock claimed the bronze medal at 68 kilograms, her first world medal. In the bronze-medal match against Olivia Di Bacco of Canada, Mensah-Stock held a slim 1-0 lead at the break, but used a takedown and a turn to build a 6-0 lead that she wouldn't relinquish. Di Bacco would get on the scoreboard, but Mensah-Stock stayed aggressive through the final whistle for a 7-4 victory. An overjoyed Mensah-Stock was unable to contain herself as she paced back and force, tears streaming down her face with excitement while trying to speak. "It's a heck of a step up from last year," Mensah-Stock said. "I don't know what it does for my confidence, but I know I'm praising God for whatever happens." Forrest Molinari lost her bronze-medal match in heart breaking fashion at 65 kilograms. Molinari was never able to get any offense going in her bronze-medal match against Irina Netreba of Azerbaijan. In a match that only saw scoring on inactivity points, Molinari lost 1-1 on criteria. She scored first and was up 1-0 at the break, but Netreba was the victor by virtue of having scored the last point. "I'm disappointed right now that I wasn't able to come out with a medal," Molinari said. "It's just refocusing and not letting this drag me down. Where I'm best is where I'm shooting and getting on people's legs." U.S. women's coach Terry Steiner was proud of the results, but understands there is room for improvement. "I thought we performed well," Steiner said. "We got some holes in our wrestling that we need to get better at. We need to clean some things up and keep moving forward."

Sarah Hildebrandt gets her hand raised after a victory over Anzhela Dorogan of Azerbaijan (Photo/Larry Slater) BUDAPEST, Hungary -- In a day that world and Olympic gold medalist Helen Maroulis faltered, there was a ray of hope for the U.S. women's wrestling team at the World Championships. Both Sarah Hildebrandt and Mallory Velte wrestled their way to the semifinals in their respective weight classes. Maroulis suffered a defeat in her opening match to Alonya Kolesnik of Azerbaijan. The match was tied at 2-2, shortly after the break with Kolesnik winning on criteria, before she used a takedown and put Maroulis to her back and pinned her early in the second period. Maroulis was stymied by an apparent shoulder injury that she suffered during the match. An emotional Maroulis who did her post-match interview with her arm in a sling, also just recently resumed wrestling after having been out with a brain injury. "I hate losing everyone here hates losing," Maroulis in tears said. "This time when I lost [I said] let me sit down and think about everything. I want to be the best support for the girls today. I feel really responsible to do the right thing to set an example I really believe that I can come back, if not I, then I believe that I will walk away with my head held high." Hildebrandt, competing at 53 kilograms, began her day against Zhuldyz Eshimova, a multiple-time world medalist from Kazakhstan. Hildebrandt got on the board first with a step out, which turned out to be the only point scored in the first period. Coming back from the break Hildebrandt used a takedown and a turn to build a 5-0 lead. She eventually surrendered one point for a 5-1 victory. To earn a semifinal match, Hildebrandt had to defeat Anzhela Dorogan of Azerbaijan. Dorogan got on the board first with a takedown, but Hildebrant stormed back, quickly taking the lead at 3-2. She then used a magnificent leg lace to build an insurmountable lead at 9-2. There were a few different exchanges in the scoring, before the final whistle, but it was Hildebrant who advanced with a 15-9 victory. She will wrestle Diana Weicker of Canada in this afternoon's semifinals. Mallory Velte advanced to the semifinals at 62 kilograms (Photo/Larry Slater) Velte was powerful in both of her matches at 62 kilograms. Against two-time Olympic bronze medalist (2012, 2016) Jackeline Renteria Castillo of Colombia, Velte started quickly getting out a 6-2, with some exciting takedowns. She used a few more takedowns to cruise to a 14-6 victory. In her quarterfinals match, Velte fell behind 2-0, before getting a takedown and turn to build a 4-2 lead at the break. She then used a series of takedowns and turns extend her lead and eventually get the 14-4 technical fall. She will wrestle Taybe Yusein of Bulgaria in the semifinals this evening. Whitney Conder suffered a tough loss to 2017 world bronze medalist Sonhyang Kim of North Korea at 50 kilograms. Kim got on the scoreboard with a takedown and led 2-0 at the break. Conder would get a takedown and even led on criteria with the score tied at 2, but Kim earned a few takedowns to come away victorious 7-2. Conder is waiting to see if she receives a repechage match as Kim is currently in the semifinals. Forrest Molinari won her repechage match in Wednesday's first session and will wrestle for bronze. Facing Maria Kutnetsova of Russia, Molinari found herself in a 4-0 hole early. She cut the deficit to two on to occasions before Kutnetsova increased it to four. But it was a well-timed headlock by Molinari to make the match score 8-8 before she heard a whistle signifying the fall with 34 seconds remaining, advancing her to the bronze-medal match.

Adam Busiello seeks to become the first four-time Super 32 Challenge champion (Photo/Josh Conklin) Whenever the Super 32 Challenge comes around, one knows that the high school wrestling regular season is right around corner. Over the last ten-plus years, this tournament has seen many of the nation's stars and future stars compete on its mats. Furthermore, every year one can count on this tournament producing a match/event -- or more -- that people will talk about for years to come. Year-to-year this field is absolutely loaded. The October 2017 edition of the tournament had over 115 wrestlers that would be nationally ranked by InterMat in their respective weight classes at the end of the 2017-18 season. In addition, over 300 participants in the even won a state-level tournament title (i.e. state tournament, New England regional, or National Preps). From a past participant standpoint, approximate one-half of the qualifiers for the 2018 NCAA Division I wrestling tournament competed in the high school division of the Super 32 at least once; the same applies in terms of All-Americans. Looking back at the Super 32 Challenge high school division from five years ago, the list of champions is illustrious. It includes Yianni Diakomihalis and Spencer Lee, who each won national titles as true freshmen in 2018; two-time NCAA champion Jason Nolf; plus additional NCAA All-Americans including Luke Pletcher, Ryan Millhof, Logan Massa, Chance Marsteller, Zack Zavatsky, and Chip Ness. Highlighting the 2013 finals program was a match at 113 between Lee and Nick Suriano, the NCAA final this past spring at 125 pounds; while there also was a showdown at 145 between eventual NCAA All-Americans in Massa and Grant Leeth. The lead story for this year's tournament is Penn State commit Adam Busiello (Eastport-South Manor, N.Y.), who seeks to become the event's first four-time champion in the high school division. He will be competing in the 126-pound weight class. Those to win three titles in the "Greensboro Era" include Joey Silva, Yianni Diakomihalis, Sam Krivus, and Sam Brownlee; while Jordan Frishkorn, Ashtin Primus, Chris Brown, and Patrick Bond won three tournament titles prior to the event moving to Greensboro. Six additional wrestlers return to the tournament after winning titles last year: Cullan Schriever (Mason City, Iowa) at 113, Ryan Crookham (Notre Dame, Pa.) at 120, Ryan Anderson (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) at 145, Brevin Balmeceda (South Dade, Fla.) at 152, Patrick Kennedy (Kasson-Mantorville, Minn.) at 170, and Braxton Amos (Parkersburg South, W.Va.) at 220. Antonio Lorenzo (St. John Bosco, Calif.) is in this year's tournament at 120 having won the Super 32 in 2016. To show the depth of talent in this year's field, the field also features approximately 110 wrestlers that are ranked in their respective grade levels by InterMat, and over 50 that ended the 2017-18 season in the national weight class rankings. Below is a weight-by-weight preview for this year's tournament, which takes place on Saturday and Sunday in Greensboro, N.C. Note: This preview is based on entries (and weight classes) as of Sunday evening. 106: Leading the way in this field is returning Super 32 runner-up Richard Figueroa (Selma, Calif.), who is ranked No. 3 overall in the Class of 2021 and was a Cadet World silver medalist this summer at 48 kilos. Other primary contenders in this field include 2017 Cadet World freestyle participant Cole Skinner (Cincinnati LaSalle, Ohio) along with Cadet folkstyle and freestyle champion Jordan Williams (Collinsville, Okla.); Skinner is ranked No. 28 in the Class of 2021, while Williams is No. 5 in the Class of 2022. Additional ranked incoming freshmen are No. 15 Alex Almeyda (Bergen Catholic, N.J.), twice fourth at the UWW Cadet freestyle nationals, and No. 23 Nick Fea (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.). Two wrestlers ranked top five among Junior High wrestlers nationally feature in this weight class, No. 3 Maxximus Martinez (California) and No. 4 Nasir Bailey (Illinois); Martinez was champion in Cadet folkstyle and freestyle this past off-season. Others to note in this weight class include state champions Stevo Poulin (Shenendehowa, N.Y.), Braxton Brown (Allen, Texas), and Gary Steen (Reynolds, Pa.); as well as state runners-up Drake Ayala (Fort Dodge, Iowa), Diego Sotelo (Marmion Academy, Ill.), and Alexzander Cottey (Perry Meridian, Ind.). 1113: Cullan Schriever (Mason City, Iowa) was champion last year in this tournament at 106 pounds, and is ranked No. 25 overall in the Class of 2020 after winning a Junior National freestyle title this summer. Two others in this weight class have placed top three at the Super 32 previously. Greg Diakomihalis (Hilton, N.Y.), ranked No. 17 in the Class of 2020, was runner-up at 106 pounds in 2016; while Jeremiah Reno (Liberty, Mo.) was third at 106 last year. Six additional wrestlers in this weight class enter the tournament with a national grade-level ranking. Daniel Cardenas (Pomona, Colo.) and Troy Spratley (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) are both ranked top 15 among Class of 2022 wrestlers; Cardenas was a Cadet freestyle runner-up this summer in Fargo, while Spratley was one match from placing in last year's high school 106 weight class at this event. Those ranked among the Class of 2021 top 50 include No. 20 Cooper Flynn (McDonogh, Md.), No. 35 Nicholas Nardone (Delbarton, N.J.), No. 37 Dean Peterson (St. John Vianney, N.J.), and No. 47 Jacob Moon (Oregon Clay, Ohio). Another subset of four wrestlers ended the 2017-18 season ranked nationally at 106 pounds: Logan Agin (Lancaster, Ohio), Nick Kayal (Bergen Catholic, N.J.), Dustin Norris (Cincinnati LaSalle, Ohio), and Nick Babin (Emerson-Park Ridge, N.J.); Norris was also a Junior National freestyle All-American this summe, while Babin placed at the Super 32 last year. Others to watch include NHSCA Sophomore Nationals champion Tristan Lujan (Selma, Calif.), NHSCA Junior Nationals champion Jacob Moran (Portage, Ind.), Junior National freestyle All-American Joey Thompson (Totino Grace, Minn.), along with Cadet National freestyle All-Americans Zeke Seltzer (Indianapolis Cathedral, Ind.) and Garrett Lautzenheiser (Louisville, Ohio). 120: The nation's top overall Class of 2022 wrestler Ryan Crookham (Notre Dame, Pa.) is listed as competing in this weight class; last year he was champion of the high school division 113-pound weight class as an eighth grader. This is a weight class robust with talent, as 13 additional wrestlers enter the tournament with a grade-level national ranking, led by 2017 Cadet World freestyle participant Julian Tagg (Brecksville, Ohio/USOTC), who is ranked No. 8 in the Class of 2020. Also ranked in the Class of 2020 are No. 15 Anthony Clark (Delbarton) and No. 44 Eddie Ventresca (Pope John XXIII), both from New Jersey; Clark placed last year at the Super 32, and is a two-time state champion, while Ventresca is a two-time state placer. Five ranked members of the Class of 2019 are present: No. 56 Lucas Byrd (Cincinnati LaSalle, Ohio), No. 73 Sam Latona (Thompson, Ala.), No. 83 Antonio Lorenzo (St. John Bosco, Calif.), No. 89 Kyle Gollhofer (Woodland, Ga.), and No. 100 Noah Surtin (Edwrdsville, Ill.). Byrd placed fourth at this tournament in 2016, Latona placed seventh at 113 last year, Lorenzo won this event at 106 in 2016 before placing fourth at 113 last year, Gollhofer was sixth in this weight last year, while Surtin was third at 113 last year. Three ranked Class of 2021 are present in this field: No. 9 Maximo Renteria (Buchanan, Calif.), No. 27 Brock McMillen (Glendale, Pa.), and No. 45 Ramon Ramos (Valiant College Prep, Ariz.); Renteria was a state champion last year and a UWW Cadet freestyle All-American in the spring, while state runner-up McMillen won a FloNationals title this past spring. A pair of wrestlers join Crookham in this field from the top 25 of the Class of 2022: No. 2 Nick Bouzakis (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.) and No. 6 Jesse Mendez (Crown Point, Ind.). Bouzakis was a Cadet National folkstyle champion this spring, along with placing fifth at 106 in the high school division of this tournament last year; while Mendez was runner-up to Bouzakis in Cadet folkstyle and third at the FloNationals in the high school division. Others to watch in this field include Junior National freestyle All-American Corey Gamet (Parma Western, Mich./TBD), two-time state champions Nick Masters (Woodward Academy, Ga.) and Adam Allard (West Sioux, Iowa), state champion Nick Oldham (West Des Moines Valley, Iowa), along with NHSCA Junior Nationals runner-up Destin Summers (Snake River, Idaho). 126: Though it would be a significant surprise if Busiello -- ranked No. 8 overall in the Class of 2019 -- did not clear this weight to win his fourth Super 32 high school division title, there are fourteen other grade-level ranked wrestlers in the field. The group includes three others from the Class of 2019: No. 54 Sammy Alvarez (St. Joseph Montvale, N.J.), No. 75 Kai Orine (Seckman, Mo.), and No. 96 Jake Svihel (Totino Grace, Minn.); Alvarez is a two-time state runner-up to Anthony Clark, Orine was fifth in Junior freestyle this summer after finishing as a FloNationals runner-up in the spring, while three-time state runner-up Svihel was a Junior folkstyle champion in the spring. The most direct threat to Busiello would be Dominick Serrano (Windsor, Colo.), who won FloNationals and Cadet freestyle titles since picking up a second scholastic state title; Serrano is ranked No. 14 overall in the Class of 2020. Six other contenders in this field are among the top 50 overall nationally in the Class of 2021: No. 13 Shayne Van Ness (Blair Academy, N.J.), No. 15 Reid Ballantyne (Stillwater, Minn.), No. 21 Teague Travis (Father Tolton Catholic, Mo.), No. 22 Joey Olivieri (Hanover Park, N.J.), No. 29 Vinny Zerban (Christian Brothers College, Mo.), and No. 40 Zack Witmer (St. Joseph's Academy, Pa.). Out of this group, Van Ness was a NHSCA Freshman Nationals champion; Ballantyne, Travis, and Zerban were Cadet freestyle All-Americans; and Olivieri won a state title as a freshman. Three others are ranked among the top 25 of rising freshmen in the Class of 2022: No. 18 Caleb Henson (Woodland, Ga.), No. 21 Gavin Brown (Legacy Christian Academy, Ohio), and No. 25 Michael Kilic (Woodward Academy, Ga.). Additional wrestlers to watch include returning Super 32 placer Tyler Hunt (Dalton, Ga.); FloNationals runner-up Sean Pierson (Nazareth, Pa.); Junior National freestyle All-American Earl Blake (Liganore, Md.); state runner-up and FloNationals placer Colton Camacho (Franklin Regional, Pa.); state champions Hunter Watts (Jimtown, Ind.), Brayden Palmer (Beech, Tenn.), and Zach Redding (Eastport-South Manor, N.Y.); two-time state champions Brayden Curtis (Yorktown, Ind.) and Vincent Mannella (Woodward Academy, Ga.); Cadet freestyle All-American Noah Horst (Baylor School, Tenn.); New England regional champion Ryan Jack (Danbury, Ct.); and Junior Greco-Roman champion Austin Almaguer (Kamaikin, Wash.). 132: Another absurdly deep weight class, and this one is headlined -- at least per the registration list -- by a pair of top five overall wrestlers in the Class of 2020. Joshua Saunders (Christian Brothers College, Mo.) was a participant in both the UWW Cadet and UWW Junior world freestyle championships this year, while Beau Bartlett (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) is a two-time National Prep champion. In this event, Bartlett was runner-up last year at 126 pounds while Saunders is a two-time placer (last year sixth in this weight class). Four others in this field join Saunders and Bartlett inside the top 50 overall for the Class of 2020 nationally: No. 12 Sam Hillegas (North Hills, Pa.), No. 31 Joshua Edmond (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.), No. 35 Frankie Tal-Shahar (American Heritage, Fla.), and No. 50 Bretli Reyna (South Dade, Fla.). Two-time state champ Hillegas placed fourth at 126 in this event last year, Edmond was a Cadet National freestyle champion this summer, Tal-Shahar finished runner-up to Saunders at the UWW Cadet Nationals in freestyle, while two-time state champion Reyna was runner-up at the NHSCA Sophomore Nationals. Bolstering the depth and breadth of this weight class is five top 100 seniors from the Class of 2019: No. 21 Dylan D'Emilio (Genoa, Ohio), No. 27 Julian Chlebove (Northampton, Pa.), No. 66 Malyke Hines (Osceola, Fla.), No. 91 Asa Garcia (Avon, Ind.), and No. 94 Jordan Hamdan (Hudson, Mich.). D'Emilio is a two-time placer at both the Super 32 and Junior freestyle, two-time state champion Chlebove has placed twice at this tournament, Hines placed fifth at 120 in this tournament last year and was a NHSCA Junior Nationals champion in the spring, two-time state champion Garcia placed at this tournament and FloNationals during the last scholastic season, while three-time state champ Hamdan was a FloNationals placer. Rounding out the group of 15 grade level ranked wrestlers are No. 10 in the Class of 2022 Nick Vafiadis (New Kent, Va.) and a trio from the Class of 2021 in No. 8 Ryan Sokol (Simley, Minn.), No. 11 Wyatt Henson (Christian Brothers College, Mo.), and No. 49 Nick Moore (St. Paris Graham, Ohio). Sokol was a Cadet National freestyle champion in 2017 before missing the 2017-18 scholastic season due to injury, while Henson was an All-American at both the UWW Cadet Nationals and Cadet Nationals in freestyle. Additional wrestlers to watch include Junior National freestyle All-Americans Kellyn March (Canton, S.D.) Aand Ryder Ramsey (Tuttle, Okla.), NHSCA Junior Nationals chamion Gabe Hixenbaugh (Thompson, Ala.), Cadet freestyle runner-up Mick Burnett (Elyria, Ohio), returning Super 32 placer Julian Sanchez (Genoa, Ohio), NHSCA Sophomore Nationals champion Patrick Noonan (Stroudsburg, Pa.), FloNationals placer Justin Rivera (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.), and NHSCA Junior Nationals runner-up Shannon Hanna (Lake Gibson, Fla.). 138: A pair of California state champions that were runners-up at the Super 32 last year anchor the field, Jaden Abas (Rancho Bernardo, Calif.) and Jesse Vasquez (Santiago Corona, Calif.); Abas is ranked No. 11 in the Class of 2019, while Vasquez is No. 7 in the Class of 2020. Five other rising seniors join Abas as top 100 Class of 2019 wrestlers in this field. No. 34 Gabriel Tagg (Brecksville, Ohio/USOTC) was a Junior National freestyle runner-up this summer; No. 35 Jordan Crace (Elyria, Ohio) placed at both the Super 32 and in Junior freestyle during 2017-18; No. 41 Lucas Revano (Camden Catholic, N.J.) was a state champion and Junior freestyle All-American; No. 55 Devin Schwartzkopf (Greenway, Mo.) was third at the FloNationals and a NHSCA Junior Nationals runner-up; while No. 74 Luke Baughman (Wadsworth, Ohio) finished as a state runner-up. Three additional rising juniors join Vasquez as top 50 Class of 2020 wrestlers in the field. No. 40 Peyton Hall (Oak Glen, W.Va.) placed at the Flo Natonals and is a two-time state champion, No. 46 Ed Scott (DuBois, Pa.) placed both at the UWW Cadet Nationals and the Junior Nationals in freestyle, while No. 47 Aidan Medora (Brookfield Academy, Wis.) placed at the FloNationals and was a 2017 Cadet freestyle runner-up. Two other wrestlers in this field are grade-level ranked, Alek Martin (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) and Jagger Condomitti (Northampton, Pa.), they are ranked No. 30 and No. 44 respectively in the Class of 2021. Additional contenders in this field include FloNationals champion Mosha Schwartz (Ponderosa, Colo.), NHSCA Junior Nationals runner-up Bryce Nickel (Valiant College Prep, Ariz.), 2017 state champions Cayden Rooks (Columbus East, Ind.) and Noah Castillo (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.), two-time state third placer Luke Odom (Edwardsville, Ind.), and state champion Dylan Gilcher (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.). 145: Returning Super 32 champion Ryan Anderson (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) is ranked No. 9 in the Class of 2019. He enters as the favorite to repeat, though it's a very deep field, most notably featuring five additional top 100 seniors: No. 23 Kevon Davenport (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.), No. 36 James Whitaker (St. Johns, Mich.), No. 53 Michael North (Wadsworth, Ohio), No. 82 Chris Donathan (Mason, Ohio), and No. 92 Ryan Vulakh (Pope John II, Pa.). Whitaker and North were both FloNationals champions this spring, while Whitaker also placed fifth last year at 138 in this tournament; Davenport is a three-time state champion; Donathan finished as state runner-up this past season; while Vulakh is a two-time placer in this tournament. Junior National freestyle champion Keegan O'Toole (Arrowhead, Wis.) is among four top 50 overall Class of 2020 wrestlers in the field, O'Toole is ranked No. 18 among junior nationally. The other three are No. 16 Fidel Mayora (Montini Catholic, Ill.), No. 27 Sonny Santiago (St. John Bosco, Calif.), and No. 45 Manzona Bryant (Hudson WRA, Ohio); Mayora was runner-up in freestyle at the UWW Cadet Nationals, Santiago was a UWW Cadet freestyle All-American, while Bryant was runner-up at the FloNationals. Two other wrestlers in this weight class are grade-level ranked, both from California. Luka Wick (San Marino) is No. 23 in the Class of 2021, while Joseph Martin (Buchanan) is No. 7 in the Class of 2022. Others to watch in this field include Junior National freestyle All-American Johnny Lovett (Miami Southridge, Fla.), multi-time state champions Ezekiel Williamson (Jerome, Idaho) and Chance McLane (Bozeman, Mont), state runners-up Caleb Dowling (St. Joseph's Academy, Pa.) and Alex Mosconi (Indianapolis Cathedral, Ind.), NHSCA Sophomore Nationals champion Andrew Cerniglia (Notre Dame, Pa.), FloNationals placer Avry Mutschler (Lowell, Mich.), 2017 Junior freestyle All-American Gabe Miller (Pequea Valley, Pa.), and Cadet freestyle All-American Cael Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif.). 152: Returning Super 32 champion Brevin Balmeceda (South Dade, Fla.) is one of three high end Class of 2019 wrestlers in the field, as he is ranked No. 16; also in the field are No. 10 Connor Brady (Olentangy Liberty, Ohio) and No. 32 Cameron Amine (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.). Balmeceda was also a NHSCA Junior Nationals champion this past year; Brady and Amine have both placed fifth previously at the Super 32, and each was a Junior freestyle All-American this summer. Three others in the field are ranked nationally in the Class of 2020: No. 22 Thayer Lawrence (Frazier, Pa.), No. 28 Drew Eller (Evans, Ga.), and No. 30 Aaron Gandara (Poway, Calif.); Lawrence placed third at the FloNationals this spring, Eller is a two-time state champion, while Gandara placed at both the UWW Cadet Nationals in freestyle and the Junior Nationals in Greco. Also grade-ranked in the field is Bennett Berge (Kasson-Mantorville, Minn.), No. 20 in the Class of 2022 and already a high school state champion. Additional contenders in this field include two-time state champions Jacob Mariakis (Ridgeland, Ga.) and Nathan Moore (White River, Wash.), 2017 state placer Baylor Fernandes (Lockport, Ill.), state champion Nathan Haubert (Palisades, Pa.), Cadet National freestyle runner-up John Martin Best (Parkersburg, W.Va.), and state runner-up Elliot Rodgers (Indianapolis Cathedral, Ind.). 160: Cadet World bronze medalist Alex Facundo (Davison, Mich.), who is ranked No. 2 overall in the Class of 2021, is the clear anchor figure in this weight class. Only three other grade-ranked wrestlers reside in this weight class: Joshua Otto (Arrowhead, Wis.), Jacob Lagoa (Ashtabula Lakeside, Ohio), and Cole Rees (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.). Returning Super 32 placer Otto is ranked No. 72 in the Class of 2019, and was runner-up to Facundo at the UWW Cadet Nationals in freestyle; two-time state champion Lagoa is ranked No. 39 in the Class of 2020; while NHSCA Freshman Nationals champion Rees is ranked No. 33 in the Class of 2021. Other contenders in this weight class include state champions Matthew Ortiz (Montini Catholic, Ill.), Todd Perry (South Dade, Fla.), and Nick South (Columbus East, Ind.); two-time state champions Christian Minto (Mariner, Fla.) and Gavin Kane (Cambridge, Ga.); multi-time state placers Noah Blake (Del Oro, Calif.), Donnell Washington (Portage, Ind.), Farouq Muhammed (Elyria, Ohio), Corey Peterson (Desmet, Mo.), Ben Pasiuk (Carrollton, Ohio), and Aurelius Dunbar (Mercersburg Academy, Pa.); along with NHSCA Sophomore Nationals champions Clayton Ulrey (Lower Dauphin, Pa.) and Graham Calhoun (Plymouth, Ind.). 170: A pair of returning Super 32 finalists anchor this weight class, both of whom are elite Class of 2020 wrestlers. No. 6 Dustin Plott (Tuttle, Okla.) has verbally committed to Oklahoma State, while No. 11 Patrick Kennedy (Kasson-Mantorville, Minn.) has verbally committed to Iowa; Plott was runner-up at 160 last year in this tournament, while Kennedy was champion of this weight class. Two other ranked juniors are in this field, No. 19 Kai Bele (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.) and No. 37 Greyden Penner (Liberty, Mo.). So are three top 100 overall seniors: No. 43 Alex Cramer (Grayslake Central, Ill.), No. 67 Edmund Ruth (Susquehanna Township, Pa.), and No. 84 Troy Fisher (Goddard, Kansas). State champion Cramer was runner-up at the NHSCA Junior Nationals and champion in Junior Greco-Roman; two-time state champion Ruth placed fifth in that same weight at the NHSCA Junior Nationals; while state champion Fisher, a three-time state finalist, was fourth in that weight at the NHSCA Junior Nationals. Other contenders in this weight class include state runner-up Luke Nichter (Chambersburg, Pa.), NHSCA Sophomore Nationals runner-up Ashton Habeil (Lake Gibson, Fla.), state placer Shane Reitsma (Howell, N.J.), and two-time state champion Kolton Clark (Scottsboro, Ala.). 182: Cadet World bronze medalist Abe Assad (Glenbard North, Ill.) is ranked No. 24 overall in the Class of 2019 and one of five top 50 seniors in this weight class. Those joining him are No. 15 Carter Starocci (Erie Cathedral Prep, Pa.), No. 25 Chris Foca (Bergen Catholic, N.J.), No. 42 Jackson Turley (St. Christopher's, Va.), and No. 50 Zach Glazier (Albert Lea, Minn.). State champion Starocci was fourth in Junior freestyle this summer, NHSCA Junior Nationals champion Foca was a Super 32 runner-up last year at 170, returning Super 32 placer Turley is a two-time National Prep runner-up and was also champion at the NHSCA Junior Nationals, while state champion Glazier placed at the UWW Cadet Nationals in freestyle. Two other grade-level ranked wrestlers reside in this field, both from the Class of 2020, No. 26 Gerrit Nijenhuis (Canon-McMillan, Pa.) and No. 41 Rocky Elam (Staley, Mo.); FloNationals runner-up Nijenhuius is twice third at state, while state medalist Elam was a Cadet National freestyle champion this summer. Others to watch in the weight class include two-time state placers Christian Rodriguez (California) and Jaden Glauser (Richmond-Burton, Ill.), state runner-up Julian Gorring (Fort LeBoeuf, Pa.), state placers Ryan Cosio (Temecula Valley, Pa.) and Sammy Deprez (Hilton, N.Y.), NHSCA Sophomore Nationals runners-up Chase Stegall (Northwest Cedar Hill, Mo.) and John Poznanski (Colonia, N.J.), two-time state champions Sam Fisher (Fauquier, Va.) and Zane Lanham (Huntington, W.Va.), Cadet National freestyle runner-up Nathan Haas (St. John Bosco, Calif.), along with FloNationals placer Carson Brewer (Avon, Ind.). 195: State champion Jacob Cardenas (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) followed up that feat with titles at the NHSCA Junior Nationals and FloNationals, and is now ranked No. 12 overall in the Class of 2019. Two other top 100 overall seniors reside in the field, No. 76 Wyatt Hendrickson (Newton, Kansas) and No. 97 Christian Knop (Alexandria, Ala.); Hendrickson was a Junior National double All-American this summer, while Knop earned that distinction last summer. Other contenders in the field include state champions Stephen Buchanan (Neillsville, Wis.), Kevin Makosy (Urbana, Md.), Easton Turner (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.), Logan Andrew (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.), Santos Cantu (Sprague, Ore.), and Nathan Dugan (Lake Norman, N.C.); Junior National freestyle All-American Matthew Cover (Bay Village, Ohio); two-time National Prep placer Jack Wimmer (McDonogh, Md.); California state placers Jacob Good (Clovis) and Guillermo Escobedo (Bishop Amat); along with Cadet National freestyle runner-up Kolby Franklin (St. Joseph's Acdemy, Pa.), who is ranked No. 22 overall in the Class of 2022. 220: Returning champion from this weight class Braxton Amos (Parkersburg South, W.Va.) is ranked No. 3 overall in the Class of 2020. His primary threats are going to be returning Super 32 placers from the 195-pound weight class, Yaruslav Slavikouski (Northfield Mt. Hermon, Mass.) and Konner Doucet (Comanche, Okla.); Slavikouski was runner-up at National Preps last year, while Doucet is ranked No. 43 in the Class of 2020 after finishing runner-up in freestyle at the UWW Cadet Nationals. Additional contenders in this weight class include Junior National double All-Americans Josh Heindselman (Piedmont, Okla.) and Garrett Kappes (McDonogh, Md.), two-time state champion Tarik Sutkovic (Ironwood, Ariz.), state medalists Kyle Cornwell (Elwood, Ind.) and Jacob McMaster (Greenville, Pa.), along with Cadet National freestyle champion Nathaniel Deasey (Chandler, Ariz.). 285: As is the case in many years, football leaves upper-weights in these fall preseason tournaments relatively bare when compared to the rest of the weight classes. The lone returning Super 32 placers in this weight class are Michael Kramer (Wilson Central, Tenn.) and Jordan Pryor (Dunbar, Md.); along with NHSCA Junior Nationals runner-up Louden Haga (Parkersburg South, W.Va.), they would be your favorites at the head of this field. Others to watch include two-time state champions Andy Garcia (Pueblo East, Colo.), Aidan Conner (Highland Park, Texas), and Thomas Mukai (Robinson, Va.); Cadet National double runner-up Colby Whitehill (Brookville, Pa.); along with state medalist Tyler Deloof (Lowell, Mich.).

Abdulrashid Sadulaev defeated Kyle Snyder for the gold medal on Tuesday (Photo/Max Rose-Fyne, United World Wrestling) BUDAPEST, Hungary -- Entering the 2018 World Championships, Kyle Snyder had not suffered a defeat at a world-level event on the senior level. On Tuesday, it happened. Russia's Abdulrashid Sadulaev earned first-period fall over Snyder in the gold-medal match at the World Championships to claim the gold medal at 97 kilograms in a highly-anticipated rematch being promoted as Snyderlaev II. Snyder won the first meeting 6-5 at last year's World Championships in Paris. Sadulaev, now a three-time world champion and 2016 Olympic champion, took a shot early in the match, hooked Snyder's arm and put the American on his back where he would eventually get the fall. "Everybody knows Sadulaev is a very talented wrestler," Snyder said. "He hit me in a good move and it worked out well for him tonight." The men's freestyle team finished in second place behind Russia. The Americans won seven medals in freestyle, including three golds. Kyle Dake (79 kilograms), David Taylor (86 kilograms) and J'den Cox (92 kilograms) won gold. Kyle Snyder (97 kilograms) won silver. Joe Colon (61 kilograms), Jordan Burroughs (74 kilograms) and and Nick Gwiazdowski (125 kilograms) finished with bronze medals. U.S. head freestyle coach Bill Zadick was upbeat about how competitive his team was. "We had a great team performance," Zadick said. "One thing we do really well is we compete really hard and when we're aggressive and go after it we're hard to beat. We have a lot of room to improve. I know these guys will do the work we'll make the adjustments and come back stronger." Adeline Gray celebrates her semifinal victory (Photo/Larry Slater) Three-time world champion Adeline Gray made a triumphant return to the world stage at 76 kilograms, reaching the gold-medal match with a victory over Olympic champion Erica Wiebe of Canada in a match that had the American's and the Canadians on the edge of their seats Wiebe scored the first point of the match off the shot clock. But Gray was not to be deterred, scoring a takedown on the edge to take a 2-1 lead into the break. Gray would widen the gap to 3-1, but Wiebe was relentless until the final buzzer, nearly scoring a takedown as time expired. "Erica's obviously a gamer," Gray said. "It's fun to wrestle her." Gray will wrestle 2017 world champion Yasmin Adar of Turkey for gold on Wednesday. "I'm looking forward to competing against Turkey," she said. "It's been a fun time wrestling with her in the past. I'm looking to an exciting match tomorrow." Jacarra Winchester fell short in her bronze-medal at 55 kilograms match against Lianna Montero Herrera of Cuba. Winchester stayed on the attack, but found herself facing a 5-1 deficit midway through the second period. She would cut the deficit to 5-4 with a double leg takedown on the edge, but there were only 10 seconds left. "I think I wrestled my hardest there are [things] I could have done better," Winchester said. "I got to keep getting better, even if I won this tournament. My plan is to be the greatest in the world every day of the day." Tamrya Mensah-Stock lost a tight semifinal match to Koumba Larroque of France at 68 kilograms. All the points scored in the match came from the shot clock, with Larroque getting the final one for a 2-1 victory. Mensah-Stock will wrestle Wednesday for a bronze medal. Forrest Molinari received a repechage match at 65 kilograms by virtue of Danielle Lappage of Canada reaching the gold-medal match. She will wrestle on Wednesday.

Adeline Gray celebrates after getting a fall in the quarterfinals (Photo/Sandy Slater) BUDAPEST, Hungary -- The second day of the women's wrestling competition at the World Championships began with a lot of positivity for the U.S women's team. Tamrya Mensah-Stock and Adeline Gray both reached the semifinals and the four women competing combined for a 6-2 record in the opening session. Tamrya Mensah-Stock talks with her coaches (Photo/Sandy Slater) Mensah-Stock, competing at 68 kilograms, started her day beating Yudaris Sanchez Rodriguez of Cuba. She used her quickness and strength to direct a series of takedowns and turns to obtain the technical decision with 1:40 left in the match. In her second match against two-time world champion Battsetseg Soronzonbold of Mongolia, Mensah-Stock showed absolute confidence getting on the scoreboard early and building a quick lead before using a takedown to secure the technical shortly into the second period. "My mental game, it's working," Mensah-Stock said. "[Thank] God in heaven." In the semifinals, Mensah-Stock will wrestle Koumba Larroque of France. Three-time world champion, Adeline Gray found herself having to overcome a three-point deficit to make the semifinals at 76 kilograms. Facing Elmira Syzdykova of Kazakhstan, Gray was losing 4-3 at the break after a challenge reversed her 3-2 lead. Beginning the second period Syzdykova scored to bring her lead to 6-3. With time not on her side, Gray was resilient and scored a takedown to cut the gap to one. She then used an arm bar to turn and pin Syzdykova with a 1:10 left in the match. In her first match of the day against Epp Mae of Estonia, Gray got on the board quickly and orchestrated a well-planned attack to dominate with takedowns and finished with back exposure to earn the 10-0 technical. She will face 2016 Olympic champion Erica Wiebe of Canada in the semifinals. Forrest Molinari fell just short of qualifying for the semifinals at 65 kilograms. In her match against Danielle Lappage of Canada, Molinari found herself behind 2-0 at the break. The deficit increased to 4-0, but she seemed to rally as she scored a takedown bringing the score to 4-2. However, Lappage had the final score, countering Molinari's attacks to win 6-2. Molinari was aggressive in her first match, beating Leidy Izquerdo Mendez of Colombia earlier in the day. She will wait to see if Lappage makes the finals, which would put her in repechage. Also, competing on the day was Erin Clodgo at 72 kilograms. She defeated Anastasia Zimiankova of Belarus in her opening match. Clodgo started sluggish, only leading 1-0 at the break, but two beautiful take downs allowed her to build a 5-0 final victory. Clodgo would suffer a tough loss to Tatiana Kolesnikova of Russia in her second match. She found herself down 4-0 at the break which would turn into 6-0 shortly after. But Clodgo was determined to score. She climbed back into the match with a takedown and turn, making the score 6-4. However, time ran out before she could mount a comeback. "It was a bummer losing in the last few seconds," Clodgo said. "I got the takedown and turned her and I [said] I'm only two behind, I still got to make it happen. There are endless things to work on." Clodgo was eliminated from competition when Kolesnikova lost in the quarterfinals.

Kyle Dake runs with the American flag after winning gold at 79 kilograms (Photo/Larry Slater) BUDAPEST, Hungary -- Kyle Dake and J'den Cox captured gold medals on Monday at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, giving the United States three freestyle gold medals overall with one day of freestyle competition remaining. Dake won his gold medal at 79 kilograms without surrendering a point, outscoring his opposition 37-0. "It feels pretty great," Dake said. "I need to keep getting better. That's the biggest thing. I think a lot of guys are respecting my leg defense. If they want to shoot and test their luck, I welcome it." Dake defeated 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Jabrayil Hasanov of Azerbaijain 2-0 in the gold-medal match. J'den Cox defeated Ivan Yankouski of Belarus to win the gold at 92 kilograms (Photo/Larry Slater) Cox battled Ivan Yankouski of Belarus in the gold-medal match at 92 kilograms. The American stayed in great position and pushed the pace, forcing his opponent into two shot clock points and when Cox was hit with a caution and one -- making the score 2-1 -- he timed a perfect single leg takedown for a 4-1 triumph. "I was expecting to be a world champion this year," Cox said. "It was a goal I set in place and I did the sacrifices and did everything I had to do to get here today." Kyle Snyder talks to his coach Tervel Dlagnev (Photo/Sany Slater) Olympic champion Kyle Snyder advanced to the gold-medal match at 97 kilograms. He will be looking for his fourth straight world-level gold when he competes on Tuesday. Snyder was methodical and concise in his semifinal match against two-time world medalist Pavlo Oliinyk of Hungary. He led 1-0 at the break and then scored a single-leg takedown in the second period to secure a 3-0 victory. In a highly anticipated rematch from last year's World Championships, Snyder will face 2016 Olympic champion and multiple-time world champion Abdulrashid Sadulaev of Russia. "I feel like I'm better than I was last time," Snyder said. "I got better on a couple hand fighting things. No more added motivation (to help USA beat Russia in the team race). My motivation to wrestle is because I love wrestling." U.S. coach Joe Russell was ecstatic about the men's team and their accomplishments following Dake and Cox's gold-medal matches. "It's pretty amazing to see guys accomplish a dream they've had their whole life," Russell said. "They worked super hard for so many years, [now] to come up with that gold medal, I'm just so happy for them." In the other American semifinal match on Monday, Jacarra Winchester suffered a tough defeat to Zalina Sidakova of Belarus. In a 2-1 match, Winchester took a double-leg shot that landed Sidakova on her hip with seconds left in the match, giving Winchester a 3-2 victory. A video review determined that Sidakova got her hip up and there was no takedown. U.S. coach Coleman Scott was optimistic that Winchester can rebound in the bronze-medal match. "She's going to have to regroup," Scott said. "Winning a medal is way more important than walking away with a fifth. She'll be fine, she's got more in the tank and I'm looking forward to tomorrow for her." Winchester will wrestle for bronze on Tuesday. Thomas Gilman, a returning world silver medalist, fell short in the bronze-medal match. He found himself in a 5-1 deficit which he was able to work down to 5-4, but it was not enough as time ran out. "When you take [things] away from the losses you learn a lot," Gilman. "I need to get to my leg attacks and figure out the hand fight more." Jenna Burkert did not receive a repechage match.

Kyle Snyder opened with three wins to reach the semifinals (Photo/Larry Slater) BUDAPEST, Hungary -- As the U.S men's team attempts to keep its small margin of a lead over Russia, the team needs each wrestler to perform well. The ever-reliable Kyle Snyder, two-time world champion and Olympic gold medalist, did his part. Snyder started slowly in his first match versus Baasanjargal Ulziisaikhan of Mongolia, falling behind 3-1, but that was when Snyder inflamed his fire rattling off seven unanswered points to an 8-3 victory. Snyder used a series of powerful takedowns to secure his victory. In his second match against Nathaniel Tuamoheloa of American Samoa, Snyder did not waste much time using an early takedown to secure gut wrench turn for a 10-0 technical victory in just 29 seconds. In his third match, Snyder again faced a small deficit with his opponent, Abraham Conyedo Ruan, an advantage on criteria, with the score tied at 2. Conyedo Ruan would not score again, Snyder roared to an 11-2 victory, using a series of takedowns to push him into the semifinals. In the semifinals, Snyder will wrestle Pavlo Oliinyk of Ukraine. The much-anticipated rematch of last year's finals between Snyder and Abdulrashid Sadulaev of Russia is still possible as Sadulaev remains alive in the other semifinals. Jacarra Winchester advanced to the semifinals at 55 kilograms (Photo/Larry Slater) On the women's side, qualifying for the semifinals was Jacarra Winchester at 55 kilograms. She quickly defeated Ramona Galambos of the hometown Hungary with some unstoppable takedowns to secure a 12-1 technical victory. Winchester needed a gutsy 4-2 win to defeat Tetyana Kit of Ukraine, in her second match to advance to the semifinals. Winchester led 4-0 at the break but gave up a takedown midway through the second period to decrease her lead to 4-2 and had to defend shot attempts by Kit for the closing 30 seconds to escape with the victory. Winchester will wrestle Zalina Sidakova of Belarus in the semifinals. James Green talks with his coaches Bryan Snyder and Mark Manning (Photo/Larry Slater) The freestyle team took a setback when returning world silver medalist James Green lost to Byambadorj Bat Erdene of Mongolia in the closing seconds. Green was winning on criteria with the scored tied 2-2, before Bat Erdene got in on a leg for the takedown on the edge. Green did win his first match of the afternoon, defeating Khadzhimurad Gadzhiyev of Azerbaijan 6-5. Green's explosiveness was evident as he used his strength and quickness to takedown Gadzhiyev with swift double-leg attacks. Green's chances at a repechage match were lost when Bat Erdene suffered defeat in the quarterfinals. Jenna Burkert had a tough draw at 59 kilograms as she faced Shoovdor Baatarjav of Mongolia in her first match. Burkert fought hard and was persistent with her shot attempts but was unable to get her leg attacks. She would lose the match 1-1 on criteria. Burkert is waiting to find out if she will receive a repechage match as Baatarjav defeated her last opponent and will wrestle this afternoon in the semifinals. Kyle Dake and J'den Cox will wrestle for gold tonight, while Thomas Gilman will compete for bronze.

Joe Keeton, long-time wrestling coach at a number of schools -- including the University of Missouri-Rolla (now Missouri University of Science and Technology), passed away a month shy of his 78th birthday. Joe KeetonAlthough he passed away two weeks ago at KU Medical Center in Kansas City, Kan., word of Keeton's death was made public only this week, with an obituary in the Kansas City Star on Oct. 17. Keeton coached the NCAA Division II wrestling program at Missouri-Rolla, an engineering school southwest of St. Louis (renamed Missouri S&T a decade ago), from 1968-1985. He produced over a dozen Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association conference champions and 12 national qualifiers during his tenure. Keeton was also voted MIAA Wrestling Coach of the Year in 1982 by his fellow coaches. "He coached a non-scholarship-based program and still managed to produce a dozen national qualifiers," according to long-time friend Greg Schoenberg. "As I understand it, the program was to be cut in 1984 due to Title 9, but Joe fought hard with the Athletic Department to keep the program alive until 1985, when he had 3 wrestlers qualify for D2 nationals." Although his stint at Missouri-Rolla was his longest, Keeton's coaching career spanned nearly 40 years, most recently at William Chrisman, his high school alma mater. Larry Joe Keeton was born November 2, 1940, in Adrian, Mo. to Kenneth and Eulah Mae Keeton. Keeton is survived by wife, Vicky, daughter Amy (David) Lundquist, daughter Kelly (Eva Brodzic) Keeton , and infant grandson, David Kaden Lundquist. He is also survived by three brothers. A Ceremony of Life will be held, October 28 at 2:00 p.m. at the Gladstone Community Center, 6901 N. Holmes, Gladstone, Mo., 2:00 PM, Casual dress. Please no flowers. Memorials may be made to Missouri S&T University, Athletic Dept., 705 W. Tenth, Rolla, Mo. 65409, OR Independence Public School Foundation, 201 N. Forest, Independence, Mo. 64050, OR KC Pet Project, c/o Donations, 4400 Raytown Road, Kansas City, Mo. 64129. Please designate memorials are for Joe Keeton. Plans were to honor Keeton at this past Sunday's induction ceremony for the Missouri chapter of the National Wrestling Hal of Fame in Columbia, Mo.

Texas, one of the first states to have separate wrestling competition for girls and boys, may change rules that would allow girls to wrestle boys, opening the possibility of inclusion of transgender athletes in competition, the Dallas News reported Thursday. The potential change may be the product of Texas transgender high school wrestler Mack Beggs, a young athlete transitioning from female to male who won two girls state championships in 2017 and 2018 ... but wanted to wrestle boys. However, Texas' University-Interscholastic League required Beggs to wrestle opponents that were the same gender as listed on his or her birth certificate. The UIL met this past weekend to consider a UIL Legislative Council proposal which states, "Girls may try out for, and if selected, participate on any boys' team regardless of the fact that there may be a girls' team in the same sport." Note that the UIL already allows girls to try out for boys' teams if there's not a corresponding alternative -- such as football -- or enough participation to field girls' soccer or basketball squads. However, in Texas, there are separate competitions in wrestling for boys and girls at the high school level. In fact, a line in the proposal also addresses wrestling: "Girls may try out for and, if they are selected, wrestle on a boys' wrestling team and wrestle boys." While the proposed rule does not specifically address transgender athletes such as Mack Beggs, it is hoped that it would open up new competitive opportunities to transitioning athletes. Meanwhile, Mack Beggs has graduated from high school. The 19-year-old is enrolled at Life University in Marietta, Ga. just outside Atlanta. Beggs is now a member of the school's men's intercollegiate wrestling program. UPDATE 10/22/18 The UIL's policy committee on Sunday declined to pass language that would have allowed females to participate on male sports teams. The Dallas News reported that, after less than three minutes of discussion Sunday among the policy committee members, the group decided not to send the proposal to the full legislative council Monday for a vote... meaning that all athletes -- including wrestlers -- must compete against opponents who match the sex listed on their birth certificate, per a rule approved by UIL member schools in 2016.

David Taylor with the American flag after winning a world title at 86 kilograms (Photo/Larry Slater) BUDAPEST, Hungary -- It was another impeccable day for the American wrestling team. Sunday at the 2018 World Championships was arguably one of the greatest days in USA Wrestling history. The team won a gold medal, pushed two wrestlers to gold medal matches tomorrow and won three bronze medals. USA leads in the team race after two days of competition and has the most medalists with five. David Taylor, competing in his first World Championships, captured the gold medal in dominant fashion at 86 kilograms, beating Fatih Erdin of Turkey 12-2. Taylor got his offense going early to take a 6-2 lead going into the break. He used more offense to get the technical fall shortly into the second period. "This gold medal means everything to me and my wife," Taylor said. "I wouldn't be where I am without her, my coaches, my training partners. I have the best training in the world I'm so thankful for that." Kyle Dake and J'den Cox convincingly won their semifinal matches. Each will wrestle for the gold medal. Joe Colon, Jordan Burroughs and Nick Gwiazdowski captured bronze medals. Kyle Dake throws Akhmed Gadzhimagomedov of Russia in the semifinals (Photo/Larry Slater) Dake advanced to the gold-medal match at 79 kilograms by beating Akhmed Gadzhimagomedov of Russia. Dake used a colossal throw on the edge of the mat in front of the American fans to go up 4-0. He added a few more to points to go up 8-0 at the break. Dake then used a stupendous throw, causing the American fans to break out in chants of U-S-A, U-S-A. It was almost as if Dake was trying to out due the other throw, this one for a five-point move securing the technical victory 13-0. Dake has not been scored on this tournament. "To beat a guy like that I had to stay in positions I knew I could win," Dake said. "I couldn't be happier for tonight. I have another big one tomorrow and I'm here to put on a show for sure." Dake will wrestle Jabrayil Hasanov of Azerbaijain in the gold-medal match. J'den Cox advanced to the gold-medal match by beating Iran's Alireza Karimimachiani (Photo/Larry Slater) In Cox's semifinal match, he beat world bronze medalist Alireza Karimimachiani of Iran. It was a match that started slowly before Cox opened up with some offense for a 5-2 victory. "It feels amazing," Cox said. "I had to [change] a lot of things in my life to get here now. I moved, I left my family, I got with a dietitian and I eat vegetables which is a very hard transition." This is how Cox responded when asked about his emotions on making the finals, "Honestly after the initial thing now I kind of feel pretty chill," Cox said. "We have to come back and take out Russia." Cox will wrestle Ivan Yankouski of Belarus in the gold-medal match. Jordan Burroughs edged Frank Chamizo for a bronze medal at 74 kilograms (Photo/Larry Slater) In a back-and-forth match between Burroughs and Chamizo, the American wrestling great found a way to win 4-4 on criteria. It was exactly what fans would expect from two multiple world champions who were wrestling for the third time this year, this match being the rubber match. "I never thought I'd be this happy to win bronze," Burroughs said. "Things don't always go the way you plan them to. I think that's part of God's elaborate plan for each and every one of us as individuals. Sometimes you forget how awesome it is to savor the small victories when you win so many big ones." Joe Colon gets his hand raised after winning a bronze medal (Photo/Larry Slater) At 61 kilograms, Joe Colon captured his bronze medal beating Mohammadbagher Yakhkeshi of Iran 13-2, using a gut wrench to lock up the technical victory. "I'm feeling great," Colon said. "I don't think it's set in yet, but it's an amazing opportunity and I had to take advantage of it." Colon was a late replacement for Nahshon Garrett, who was injured and unable to wrestle. "I got the call about 17, 18 days ago," Colon said "Nahshon got hurt it's unfortunate, but a new life [for me] and all my hopes and dreams that have always been there." It was a tough semifinal round for Thomas Gilman as he was never able to get his offense going. His opponent Nurislam Sanayev of Kazakhstan was persistent with concise attacks, building a 2-0 lead at the break. Sanayev opened up to a 11-0 technical victory after. He will now wrestle for a bronze medal. Logan Stieber was eliminated from competition when Akhmed Chakaev of Russia failed to make the finals. "It's tough when you don't accomplish your goals," Stieber said. "But I'm still cheering on my teammates." USA freestyle head coach Bill Zadick is proud of his guys and is trying to stay focused. "I'm so happy for David (Taylor)," Zadick said. "I'm excited for Kyle (Dake) and his opportunity tomorrow. It's just awesome to see when they get what they're really searching for. [Today] was good, I try to stay focused on the individuals and help them get their jobs done and I know if they get their jobs done the team takes care of itself."

J'den Cox was one of three Americans to advance to the semifinals on Sunday (Photo/Martin Gabor, UWW) BUDAPEST, Hungary -- The Americans had a strong start to Day 2 at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Thomas Gilman (57 kilograms), Kyle Dake (79 kilograms) and J'den Cox (92 kilograms) wrestled their way to the semifinals. Gilman, a returning world silver medalist began his day against Givi Davidovi of Italy. Gilman got to his attacks with a few takedowns and built a 5-0 heading into the break. He coasted to a 6-3 victory. In his second match, Gilman wrestled Giorgi Edisherashvili of Azerbaijan. It was a match that showed Gilman's great position and strength as he successfully scored on four step outs for a decisive 4-0 victory. In the semifinals he will face Nurislam Sanayev of Kazakhstan. Kyle Dake, known as Kid Dynamite, wrestled exceptionally well in both of his matches in the opening session. He dominated Martin Obst of Germany by the score of 11-0 to move into the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Dake was dominant yet again, winning by the same score, 11-0, over Davit Khutishvili of Georgia. This time Dake used a few takedowns to a snug gut wrench to turn Khutishvili for the technical victory, prior to the end of the first period. Notwithstanding, Dake has yet to be scored on this tournament and will face a tough competitor in Akhmed Gadzhimagomedov of Russia, in the semifinals. Cox, an Olympic and world bronze medalist, got off to a sluggish start in his opening match against world medalist Dato Marsagishvil, of Georgia. Cox was losing 2-0 at the break, but turned up his offense in the second period and was able to reach Marsagishvil's legs for three consecutive takedowns to build a commanding lead, 6-2, which would be the final score. Cox put on a takedown clinic in his second match against Nicolai Ceban of Moldova, scoring three takedowns to breeze to a 6-0 victory. He will face Alireza Karimimachiani of Iran in the semifinals. It was a tough day for 2016 world champion Logan Stieber as he opened with Akhmed Chakaev, of Russia. Stieber found himself losing 4-0, before using an enormous four-point throw to even the score and giving Stieber the lead on criteria. But Chakaev would rebound and take a 6-4 into the break, before winning 7-5. Chakaev won his quarterfinal match, keeping Stieber alive. If Chakaev wins his semifinal match, Stieber will be pulled back into repechage. Each American who competed on Saturday will compete for a medal tonight. Yesterday David Taylor advanced to the gold-medal match at 86 kilograms, while Joe Colon secured a spot in the bronze-medal match at 61 kilograms. In Sunday's first session, Jordan Burroughs, a four-time world champion and 2012 Olympic champion, won his repechage match convincingly over Miroslav Kirov of Bulgaria. Burroughs stayed offensive and was able to build a commanding lead to win 9-0. He will face world champion Frank Chamizo of Italy in the bronze-medal match at 74 kilograms. It will mark the third meeting between the two, with each winning a match. Nick Gwiazdowski claimed a victory in his repechage match over Amar Dhesi of Canada 7-0 at 125 kilograms. Although he represents Canada, Dhesi wrestled collegiately for Oregon State, while Gwiazdowski wrestled for North Carolina State.

Cael Swensen of Wayzata was named Outstanding Wrestler at the InterMat Classic (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine) EDINA, Minn. -- The ninth edition of the InterMat Classic was held for the first time at Edina High School in suburban Minneapolis. As has been the case in the previous eight events, it had a very strong in-state flavor. This year saw 12 of 15 champions won by Minnesota wrestlers. Two of the three out-of-state champions came from national power St. Paris Graham in Ohio. Sophomore Nick Moore and senior Jeffrey Thomas, both state finalists as freshmen, earned titles on Saturday afternoon at 138 and 145 pounds respectively. Sophomore Nick Moore was one of two champs for St. Paris Graham (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine) Moore, the nation's No. 49 sophomore, upended 2017 state champion Blake Legred (United South Central, Minn.) by 4-2 decision in the finals after surviving a pair of 3-1 overtime victories earlier in the tournament, most notably in the semifinals against two-time state placewinner Tanner Kroells (Delano, Minn.). Thomas, a two-time Ohio State placewinner, knocked off Illinois state qualifier Giovanni Cassioppi (Hononegah, Ill.) 5-2 in the finals after beating two-time state placewinner, returning state runner-up Brady Gross (Apple Valley, Minn.) 3-1 in the semifinals. Nolan Craine cruised to a title with a 9-0 victory in the finals (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine) The other out-of-state title was earned by sophomore Nolan Craine (Goddard, Kansas), last year a state third-place finisher. He earned gold in the 160-pound weight class with a 9-0 major decision victory over Tayte Harazin (Redwood-River Valley, Minn.). Two other high schools joined St. Paris Graham in producing multiple InterMat Classic champions, Owatonna and Northfield. The pair of winners from Owatonna were state placewinner Blake West and state champion Cade King at 106 and 182 pounds, while those from Northfield were state runner-up Drew Woodley and Antonio Carter at 132 and 285 pounds. Drew West defeated Pierson Manville in overtime at 106 pounds (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine) In his championship match, West upended seventh-grader Pierson Manville (Shakopee, Minn.) 11-6 in overtime, while for King it was a 16-6 major decision over state qualifier Carl Leuer (St. Michael-Albertville, Minn.). For Woodley in his title bout it was a 5-3 decision over fellow state runner-up Drew Steidler (Bismarck St. Mary's, N.D.), while Carter won a five-person round robin at 285 pounds; most notably it was a 3-2 victory over Ryan Fitz (Mound Westonka, Minn.) in the last of five round-robin rounds. There were four pins among the 15 championship bouts in the afternoon program, including the one earned by tournament Outstanding Wrestler Cael Swensen (Wayzata) at 113 pounds. Swensen, a Fargo Greco-Roman All-American, ecked returning state runner-up Landon Parent (Princeton, Minn.) at the 3:32 mark. In the semifinals, he beat top-seeded Ryan Henningson (Winona, Minn.) 4-3, while in the quarterfinal it was a 3-2 decision over returning state champion Kelby Armstrong (Minot, N.D.). Christian Noble pinned his way to a title at 100 pounds (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine) Earning pins in all four tournament bouts was 100-pound champion Christian Noble (Big Lake), a state qualifier last season. His finals match pin came at the 3:36 mark over Matt Hogue (East Ridge, Minn.). Other championship bout pins came from Chase DeBlaere (Simley) and Seth Brossard (Kenyon-Wanamingo) at 120 and 152 pounds. Chase DeBlaere picked up a pin in the finals at 120 pounds (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine) DeBlaere placed third at the North Dakota state tournament last year as an eighth grader, and pinned state medalist Brandon Psyk (St. Michael-Albertville, Minn.) at the 4:37 mark of his final bout, while 2017 state placewinner Brossard pinned Wisconsin state runner-up Jake Baldwin (Coleman) at the 3:03 mark in his bout. Ezayah Oropeza topped 2017 state champion Cole Fibranz (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine) Additional weight class champions were state placewinner Nic Cantu (Albert Lea) at 126 pounds, state placewinner Wyatt Lidberg (St. Michael-Albertville) at 170, state qualifier Jagger Greenwood (Hibbing) in a four-person round-robin at 195, and state runner-up Ezayah Oropeza (Rosemount) at 220. Of most note was the 5-3 finals win for Oropeza over 2017 state champion Cole Fibranz (Sartell-St. Stephen). Placewinners 100: 1st: Christian Noble (Big Lake) pinned Matt Hogue (East Ridge), 3:36 3rd: Parker Kratochvill (LAW) pinned Jore Volk (Lakeville North), 4:21 5th: Brendan Howes (Anoka) pinned Shane Corrigan (De Pere), 1:28 106: 1st: Blake West (Owatonna) dec. Pierson Manville (Shakopee), 11-6 SV 3rd: Teagan Block (Prior Lake) dec. Joey Novak (New Prague), 2-1 5th: Dylan Enriquez (Sartell) pinned Thomas Matteson (Hazelton), 3:16 113: 1st: Cael Swensen (Wayzata) pinned Landen Parent (Princeton), 3:32 3rd: Ryan Henningson (Winona) maj. dec. Kelby Armstrong (Minot), 9-0 5th: Cody Minor (Ashwaubenon) dec. Jaden Verhagen (Kaukauna), 4-0 120: 1st: Chase DeBlaere (Simley) pinned Brandon Psyk (St. Michael-Albertville), 4:37 3rd: Mitchell Mesenbrink (Arrowhead) pinned Kanin Hable (Owatonna), 0:59 5th: Nick Novak (New Prague) won by forfeit over Javon Taschuk (Stillwater) 126: 1st: Nic Cantu (Albert Lea) dec. Jake FitzPatrick (Mahtomedi), 5-3 3rd: Jordan Driscoll (Blaine) dec. Ryan Scherber (Buffalo), 7-5 5th: Bryce Dagel (Eden Prairie) pinned Brady Kasprick (Thief River Falls), 7:30 132: 1st: Drew Woodley (Northfield) dec. Drew Steidler (St Marys), 5-3 3rd: Ryder Rogotzke (East Ridge) pinned Samuel Kulseth (St. James), 1:47 5th: Cole Becker (St. Michael-Albertville) maj. dec. Gabe Bellefeuille (Perham), 14-6 138: 1st: Nick Moore (St. Paris Graham) dec. Blake Legred (United South Central), 4-2 3rd: Tanner Kroells (Delano) dec. Kieler Carlson (Forest Lake), 9-2 5th: Cade Lundeen (Thief River Falls) dec. Jack Ganos (Arrowhead), 6-2 145: 1st: Jeffrey Thomas (St. Paris Graham) dec. Giovanni Cassioppi (Hononegah), 5-2 3rd: Sebas Swiggum (Apple Valley) dec. Brady Gross (Apple Valley), 7-2 5th: Ben Durocher (Wrightstown) dec. Bryce FitzPatrick (Mahtomedi), 10-8 152: 1st: Seth Brossard (Kenyon-Wanamingo) pinned Jake Baldwin (Baldwin), 3:03 3rd: Gavin Nelson (Simley) pinned Adam Sylvester (Totino Grace), 2:33 5th: Roman Rogotzke (East Ridge) won by injury default over Matthew Pettis (Kasota) 160: 1st: Nolan Craine (Goddard) maj. dec. Tayte Harazin (Redwood Falls), 9-0 3rd: TJ Turinske (White Bear Lake) dec. Dylan Fudge (Perham), 5-1 5th: Moses Madimba (Coon Rapids) by forfeit over Hayden LeMonds (St. Michael-Albertville) 170: 1st: Wyatt Lidberg (St. Michael-Albertville) dec. Ian Frenzel (Blackduck), 6-4 3rd: Marques Fritsche (Tomah) dec. Mitchell Nowlan (Andover), 10-7 5th: Logan Collins (Forest Lake) dec. Eric Thomas (St. Paris Graham), 10-8 182: 1st: Cade King (Owatonna) maj. dec. Carl Leuer (St. Michael-Albertville), 16-6 3rd: Ben Schmalz (Mound Westonka) tech. fall over Danny Reynolds (Andover), 19-4 5th: Isaiah Thompson (Eden Prairie) dec. Rowan Jungling (Anoka), 10-4) 195: 1st: Jagger Greenwood (Hibbing) dec. Mason Smid (Blackduck), 12-10 3rd: Bram Fitzsimonds (Waconia) dec. Muktar Ali (Hastings), 4-3 220: 1st: Ezayah Oropeza (Rosemount) dec. Cole Fibranz (Sartell), 5-3 3rd: Chase McCleish (Newman Catholic) pinned Brennan Rutt (New Prague), 3:22 5th: Tanner Schultz (Linn Mar) pinned Vincent Johnson (Andover), 2:19 285: 1st: Antonio Carter (Northfield) dec. Ryan Fitz (Mound Westonka), 3-2 3rd: Denis Tokin (Woodbury) pinned Nick Lopez (Northfield), 4:45

David Taylor (Photo/Martin Gabor, UWW) BUDAPEST -- Resilience! That is the word to describe the Magic Man, David Taylor, at the 2018 World Championships. Taylor trailed in two out of three matches, on day one of the championships. But it was his resilience that allowed him to make the finals. "I just got to create," Taylor said. "I don't know if I'm wrestling my best, but I continue wrestling always. That's where I pride myself on as an athlete and a person, to always wrestle and fight through positions." Trailing 5-1 at the break, in the semifinals, Taylor kicked into another gear, scoring three takedowns in a row to defeat Dauren Kurugliev of Russia 7-5. "These guys wrestle hard to score early because they know I'm going to keep coming," Taylor said. "So, I just have to keep coming early, late whatever it may be." To make his comeback even more incredible, Taylor was kicked in the face as Kurugliev kicked out to prevent a takedown. Taylor went down with an apparent injury and might possibly have had a concussion. "He kicked me in the face," Taylor said. "But I'll trade a kick in the face to be in the world championship, tomorrow. I'm one match away from being a world champion which is something I've dreamt about for a really, really long time, so I don't care how I feel I'm ready to roll for tomorrow." Coach Cunningham called the comebacks Taylor's ability to adjust to change in his matches. "David does a really good job of adjusting in all of his matches he adjusted," Cunningham said. "I don't think (being behind in the match) bothers him, he's going to wrestle six minutes hard, so someone's got to be ready to wrestle six minutes. Obviously, he would like to be up, but if he's down he's ok with that because he knows he's going to score a bunch of points in the second period." Taylor will wrestle Fatit Erdin of Turkey for the gold. In the other semifinal match, Joe Colon didn't fair too well. He found himself losing 5-0 at the break to Yowlys Bonne Rodriguez of Cuba. That deficit increased to 9-0, before Colon would get on the scoreboard. He did get some offense going, but it was a little too late as time expired with the score 9-4, in favor of Bonne Rodriguez. Colon will find out tomorrow who he faces to advance to the bronze medal round. In great news for the Americans, both Jordan Burroughs and Nick Gwiazdowski received repechage matches and get an opportunity to wrestle for Bronze. Burroughs was pulled back in when Zaurek Sidakov defeated two-time world champion Frank Chamizo of Italy, to advance to the finals. Burroughs will find out his opponent tomorrow as he attempts to wrestle back for a bronze. Gwiazdowski was awarded a repechage match when Zhiwei Deng of China defeated Sumit Malik of India. Gwiazdowski will learn who his opponent is during the course of tomorrow's opening session. Wrestling will begin 10:30 a.m local time and 4:30 a.m. ET.

David Taylor knocked off Olympic champion Hassan Yazdanicharati (Photo/Robbert Wijtman) BUDAPEST -- Day 1 of the World Championships was full of excitement and anticipation. How would team USA, the returning team champions perform, specifically with the newcomers? The American fans didn't have to wait very long to see. All four Americans competing on Day 1 were victorious in their opening bouts, with Joe Colon and David Taylor punching tickets to the semifinals. David "Magic Man" Taylor ignited the engine coming from behind to defeat Olympic and world champion Hassan Yazdanicharati of Iran at 86 kilograms. Yazdanicharati led 6-2 at the break, building a lead from a series of takedowns. But after the break, it was all the Taylor. He quickly scored a takedown to cut the deficit to 6-4 and another to tie it at 6. Taylor added a takedown, showing his resilience, to make the score the 8-6 with 1:05 left. A step out and a takedown in the last thirty seconds made the final score 11-6 in favor of Taylor much to the delight of the American fans in attendance. The Magic Man came into his own in his second match, opening up some offense against Hajy Rajabau of Belarus. Taylor overwhelmed Rajabau with a mix of takedowns and step outs and even a turn to complete the technical victory 10-0, shortly before the final buzzer. He will face Dauren Kurugliev of Russia in the semifinals. Joe Colon, a newcomer on the scene, began his inaugural championship vs Ivan Bileichuk of Ukraine and found himself trailing 6-4, at the break at 61 kilograms. Colon responded right out the gate with a step out to close the gap 6-5. A takedown gave Colon a 7-6 lead that he would not relinquish. Another takedown with 5 seconds remaining improved his lead to 9-6. In his second bout, Colon scored early and often. A combination of offense allowed him to end the bout early 10-0, punching his ticket to the semifinals. He will face 2016 world silver medalist Beka Lomtadze of Georgia. Jordan Burroughs, the four-time world champion and 2012 Olympic gold medalist, received a forfeit in his opening bout because his opponent did not show at weigh ins. Burroughs would give the American fans a scare in his next bout vs Mostafa Hosseinkani of Iran 2016 world bronze medalist. Burroughs was put on the passivity clock and went down 1-0, but would tie the match at 1, with a step out. Burroughs scored a takedown and lead 3-1 at the break, but Hosseinkani responded with a takedown of his own and was winning on criteria with 1:16 left in the match. During the process of Hosseinkani's takedown he went for a leg lace and it seemed Burroughs who slow to get up was injured. In true Jordan Burroughs fashion, he scored a step out with 17 seconds left to calm the nerves of the American fans for the final score of 4-3. In Burroughs next bout, he faced Zaurbek Sidakov of Russia. In a back-and-forth match that saw a few lead changes, ended in a 5-5 tie as Sidakov scored a step out as time expired. That step out would give him the victory on criteria, however the Americans did challenge and the call was upheld. Burroughs will wait to hear if he receives a repechage match. Nick Gwiazdowski, returning bronze medalist, met Zolboo Natsagsuren of Mongolia in his opening match and his consistent defense and counter offense allowed him to build a 3-2 lead at the break. A few more takedowns made a final score of 9-4 for Gwiazdowski. In his next match, Gwiazdowski faced Deng Zhiwei of China and led 2-0 at the break. A big four-point throw allowed Deng to go up 5-2. Gwiazdowski would respond with a takedown, but it wasn't enough making the final score 5-4. He will wait to hear if he receives a repechage match.

Joey McKenna (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) MANHEIM, Pa. -- Joey McKenna has been one of college wrestling's most consistent winners throughout his career. Kaid Brock has developed a reputation for toppling decorated opponents. The two-time All-Americans will tangle on Nov. 2 at 141 pounds at the NWCA All-Star Classic in Denver. The event will be streamed live on Trackwrestling. McKenna, a senior at Ohio State, has compiled a 79-8 record at 141 during his first three college seasons. He placed third at the 2016 NCAA Championships as a freshman at Stanford and placed third again last year during his first season with the Buckeyes. The Towaco, New Jersey, native is also a three-time conference champion, a 2017 U23 World bronze medalist, a 2014 Junior World silver medalist, and he's currently second on the United States men's freestyle ladder at 65 kilograms. Brock immediately established himself as a national title threat three years ago when he debuted in an Oklahoma State singlet with a 42-second fall against returning NCAA champion Cody Brewer. Over the course of the last two seasons, the Stillwater, Oklahoma native, has compiled a 59-9 record with 10 wins against All-Americans, including a victory against 2017 national champion Cory Clark. Those results occurred at 133 pounds. The junior is taking on a new challenge at 141. This is one of two 141-pound matches on the All-Star Classic bout card. The other one features two of last year's top finishers at 133 -- returning NCAA champion Seth Gross of South Dakota State against All-American Tariq Wilson. ANNOUNCED MATCHUPS Men 141: Seth Gross (South Dakota State) vs. Tariq Wilson (North Carolina State) 141: Joey McKenna (Ohio State) vs. Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State) 149: Mitch Finesilver (Duke) 174: Myles Amine (Michigan) 184: Max Dean (Cornell) vs. Taylor Venz (Nebraska) 285: Derek White (Oklahoma St.) Women 109: Charlotte Fowler (Campbellsville) 123: Gabriela Ramos-Diaz (Wayland Baptist) 130: Erika Mihalca (Missouri Baptist) 143: Nicole Joseph (King) 170: Brittany Marshall (Wayland Baptist) vs. Mariah Harris (Campbellsville)

Carson Kharchla won a Fargo freestyle title this past summer (Photo/Jim Thrall) On Friday, Ohio State added to an already strong recruiting class with the addition of Carson Kharchla (Olentangy Liberty, Ohio), one of the nation's top seniors. He announced his commitment to Ohio State on Twitter. Kharchla is ranked as the nation's No. 5 overall senior recruit. He becomes the fifth top-100 commit for the Buckeyes in the Class of 2019, joining Greg Kerkvliet, Dylan D'Emilio, as well as Jordan and Jacob Decatur. Ohio State has now landed three of the nation's top five recruits in the Class of 2019. Kharchla won a state title this past season and carried the momentum into the summer as he won a Junior National freestyle title in Fargo.

The 2018 InterMat Classic takes place on Saturday at Edina High School in Edina, Minn. It marks the ninth year of the event, but first year in the Twin Cities. The event was previously held in Rochester, Minn. Wrestlers from nine different states are entered in this year's event. Wrestling is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. CT. Trackwrestling.com will be providing a live stream and results. Links: Live Results | Purchase Subscription Let's examine a few storylines to watch at this year's InterMat Classic. Cole Fibranz, a 2017 state champion, will look to repeat as InterMat Classic champion at 220 pounds (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine) Five returning finalists back Five finalists from last year's InterMat Classic return this year. The group is headlined by returning champion Cole Fibranz (Sartell, Minn.). Fibranz, a state champion in 2017 and third-place finisher last season, is competing at 220 pounds, the same weight class he won a Classic title in last year. This past summer, Fibranz became a Junior freestyle All-American by placing sixth in Fargo. Also in the 220-pound weight class is another returning finalist, Ezayah Oropeza (Rosemount, Minn.). Last year he competed in the heavyweight division at the InterMat Classic, losing in the finals to Anthony Cassioppi. Oropeza was a state runner-up last season. At 100 pounds, Brendan Howes (Anoka, Minn.) is back in the same weight class in which he finished as a runner-up last year. Howes had bonus-point victories in his first four matches at last year's Classic before falling in the finals. He was a state qualifier at the high school level, as well as a MN/USA Triple Crown winner and folkstyle All-American. Ryan Henningson posted a 44-2 record last season (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine) Ryan Henningson (Winona, Minn.) will look to capture his first InterMat Classic title after finishing as a runner-up a year ago. He posted a 44-2 record last season and finished third in the state tournament. Henningson was a quarterfinalist in the Junior freestyle competition in Fargo this past summer. Sebas Swiggum was an InterMat Classic runner-up last year and placed third in 2016 (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine) Junior National folkstyle finalist Sebas Swiggum (Apple Valley, Minn.), a University of Minnesota commit, was a runner-up at last year's InterMat Classic after placing third in the event in 2016. He will attempt to climb one more spot and bring home a title as a senior. Junior high rising stars The InterMat Classic has seen junior high wrestlers make their mark against high school competition. In 2011, Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.) became the first junior high wrestler to win an InterMat Classic title when he accomplished the feat as an eighth-grader. He would go on to become a five-time InterMat Classic champion. In 2016, two eighth-graders, Isaac Klinkhammer (Brandon Valley, S.D.) and Reid Ballantyne (Stillwater, Minn.), won titles. Last year, eighth-grader Logan Vaughan (Kasson-Mantorville, Minn.) won the title at 100 pounds. So who are the junior high wrestlers to watch at this year's event? Below are three wrestlers to keep an eye on. Ryder Rogotzke, ranked as the nation's No. 7 junior high wrestler by InterMat, is entered at 132 pounds (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine) Ryder Rogotzke (East Ridge, Minn.): Rogotzke, an eighth-grader, is ranked No. 7 among all junior high wrestlers in the country by InterMat. As a seventh-grader competing at the high school level, Rogotzke compiled a 47-6 record with 39 pins. He won a USA Wrestling folkstyle national title this year, going 5-0 with five pins. He was also a national runner-up in Greco-Roman and placed third in freestyle. He is competing at 132 pounds on Saturday. Pierson Manville (Shakopee, Minn.): Pierson Manville, like his older brothers Mason and Carson, won multiple national titles at the youth level. He claimed a Schoolboy national title this year in freestyle and finished as a runner-up in Greco-Roman. In 2017, Pierson won national titles in both freestyle and Greco-Roman. He will look to become the first Manville to win a title at the InterMat Classic. Mason placed third in 2011 as an eighth-grader, while Carson was a runner-up as a seventh-grader in 2015. He is entered at 106 pounds. Gavin Nelson (Simley, Minn.): Nelson, who is competing at 152 pounds, won a Schoolboy national title this year in Greco-Roman and finished third in freestyle. He was a 2018 Minnesota/USA Triple Crown winner, claiming state titles in all three styles. Last season, Nelson compiled a 23-7 record as a seventh-grader competing at the high school level. St. Paris Graham makes InterMat Classic debut St. Paris Graham (Ohio) has one of the nation's most storied high school wrestling programs. The program consistently produces nationally ranked high school wrestlers, NCAA All-Americans and Olympic hopefuls. This year, for the first time ever, St. Paris Graham will be represented at the InterMat Classic. Ohio state finalists Nick Moore and Jeffrey Thomas, along with sophomore Eric Thomas, will be making the trip to Minnesota to compete against top wrestlers from the Midwest. Moore, who has two older brothers on the Virginia Tech wrestling team, finished as a state runner-up last season as a freshman. He is ranked among the nation's top-50 sophomores by InterMat. He has been a finalist at the Super 32 Challenge in the middle school division. Moore will compete at 138 pounds, a weight class that includes state champion Blake Legred (United South Central, Minn.), state finalist Jack Ganos (Arrowhead, Wis.) and multiple-time state placer Tanner Kroells (Delano, Minn.), among others. Jeffrey Thomas, the younger brother of Minnesota Gopher freshman Ryan Thomas, was a state runner-up as a freshman and NHSCA All-American in 2016. He was a state third-place finisher as a sophomore, and last season was unable to compete due to injury. He will compete at 145 pounds, while sophomore Eric Thomas will wrestle at 170 pounds.

The 2018 World Championships begin Saturday in Budapest, Hungary, with wrestling kicking off on Saturday morning with competition at 61, 74, 86 and 125 kilograms. For the American squad it's a mixed bag of talent, from unproven Joe Colon to Olympic champion Jordan Burroughs and all the in-betweens. David Taylor, arguably the hottest wrestler in the world at the moment, could help ignite a three-day run of finalists for the United States. Having seen his results against the world's best it's tough to see anything but a head-to-head matchup with Hassan Yazdanicharati. Like the NCAA Championships, the World Championships are a celebration of a wrestler's hard work. It's everyone's job around them (even mine) to make sure they have the best experience possible. The tournament -- the challenge of the event -- is the reward. Tonight, I watched as members of the Russian team stretched, ran laps, and did sit-ups in full sweat gear -- each hoping to wrench out those last pounds of sweat. Despite the sunken cheek bones and gaunt expressions, anticipation was in every technique practiced and a slight intensity beneath every friendly handshake among opposing nations. While Paris was the start of the 2020 Olympic cycle, many of the wrestlers consider the post-Olympic year a throwaway season. Some choose that year to start families, while others relax and enjoy time with friends and family. Not Budapest. For everyone not named Mijain Lopez (who is waiting until the 2019 World Championships to compete), the Budapest Championships are the start of the Olympic 2020 journey. There will be hundreds of matches over the next several days and some with bad officiating, or poor sportsmanship, and maybe even some criteria. But I'm predicting that in total the product we see on the mat will be the best the sport has ever seen. I hope you'll join me and the rest of the world in watching, and discussing, everything that happens during #BudaWrestle2018. To your questions … In lieu of questions I thought I'd provide helpful links for fans who want to watch and follow along this weekend. Fan and Press Guide: This has EVERYTHING you need to get caught up to speed on the World Championships. Social media accounts to follow, past champions, who to watch, and links to about 300 matches from the top competitors. Entry lists: Always fun to give these a run-through. Please take the time (10 minutes) to watch the first episode of Wrestling 360: "From Many, One" which takes an inside look at the United States' men's freestyle team's historic 2017 team championship and previews their attempt to repeat. I'm producing several more episodes in the coming year, with the next one scheduled to be on Dagestan and released later this year, or in early 2019. Other links: Jason Bryant's Buda Facts | World Championship Event Page InterMat will be providing session recaps from Budapest. Event Schedule NBC Olympics Schedule on NBCSN and Olympic Channel

Al Fontes, state editor of The California Wrestler since 1995 -- and a wrestling writer for nearly four decades -- has been named by Amateur Wrestling News as recipient of its 2018 Dellinger Award, presented each year to the nation's top wrestling writer since 1960. The award was announced in the Oct. 15, 2018 print edition of AWN. Al FontesIn addition to his work for The California Wrestler, Fontes has served as a contributing editor for a number of wrestling publications and websites, including InterMat, Wrestling USA magazine, Amateur Wrestling News, WIN magazine, and TheMat.com. Fontes has earned a number of awards for his writing, including Wrestling USA Editor of the Year in 2001, WUSA Person of the Year in 2001, and was an Irv Oliner Award recipient for his contributions to wrestling in the state of California. If that weren't enough, Fontes coached wrestling for 25 years at a number of schools and wrestling clubs in the Golden State. For all his contributions to the sport, Al Fontes was welcomed into the California Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2016. Fontes brings actual on-the-mat experience to his wrestling writing. He wrestled for Livermore High School in the early 1980s, then at Chabot College before graduating from the University of San Francisco. When he's not writing stories, sharing historical information or compiling statistics about wrestling in California, Fontes works at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Bob Preusse, long-time high school writer for Amateur Wrestling News, said, "Al is the man I turn to when I need advice or info on the California wrestling scene. He's a great guy who loves the sport, and is always willing to lend his expertise. I've quoted him often in my column over the last 23 years." California Wrestler's Pablo DiMaria weighed in with his thoughts on Al Fontes. "Al Fontes IS California Wrestler," DiMaria told InterMat. "We have been blessed to have him on the staff as he is an almanac when it comes to records and stats. It is an honor to get to work with such an outstanding individual on a daily basis." Al Fontes with Buvaisar SaitievHere's what Al Fontes told InterMat about his latest honor: "Wrestling has been an integral part of my life since middle school (40 years now). I've competed on mat, coached, and promoted the sport for many years ... I can only give back to something that has taught me so much about life." The Dellinger Award, first established in 1960, is named for the late Bob Dellinger, long-time sports writer and editor for "The Daily Oklahoman" newspaper based in Oklahoma City. In addition, he collaborated with his wife Doris in writing two books on the history of the Oklahoma State wrestling program: "Ride 'Em Cowboys" and "The Cowboys Ride Again". Dellinger was also the first director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Editor's note: Among the past recipients of the Dellinger Award: Mike Finn, Jason Bryant, Andy Hamilton, Tom Elling, Brian Brakeman, AWN writers Don Sayenga, Jim Kalin and Ron Good, author Jamie Moffatt, late historian and "The History of Collegiate Wrestling" book author Jay Hammond, and Mark Palmer, InterMat senior writer.

Curtis LeMair won the InterMat Classic title in 2014 (Photo/The Guillotine) Curtis LeMair, a past InterMat classic champion and freshman wrestler at Northern State University, was found dead in his residence hall room early Wednesday morning, the South Dakota-based school announced Wednesday. He was 18. Local police in Aberdeen, S.D. are working with the university to investigate LeMair's death. Right now, authorities say that foul play is not suspected. LeMair, who attended Prior Lake High School in Minnesota, won the InterMat Classic title at 100 pounds in 2014. LeMair was a two-time state placewinner, placing third at 113 pounds in 2016, and a fifth place finish in 2017 at 126 pounds at the Minnesota's state wrestling tournament. In addition, LeMair was a three-time Minnesota Christmas Tournament place winner, a two-time Fargo All-American in Greco-Roman, and a Folkstyle All-American. He trained at PINnacle, a wrestling club run by Olympic silver medalist Brandon Paulson and Jared Lawrence, during his youth and high school career. NSU is making counselors available to teammates, fellow students and others at the school. Founded in 1901, Northern State University is a four-year public university located in Aberdeen, S.D. The school has an enrollment of approximately 2,700 students. NSU sports teams -- including wrestling -- participate in NCAA Division II. UPDATE 10/20/18 Initial autopsy reports released to the media this weekend indicate that LeMair likely died from an undetected genetic heart condition.