InterMat Staff

STAMFORD, Conn. -- NBC Olympics will showcase the UWW World Wrestling Championships in Budapest, Hungary, with nearly 30 hours of coverage, including more than 20 hours of live coverage on Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA. Event coverage begins with men's freestyle finals this Sunday, Oct. 21, at 1 p.m. ET on Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA. In addition, NBCSN will provide same-day encore coverage of most of the events throughout the tournament. Trackwrestling, an NBC Sports Group company, will live stream complete coverage of the UWW World Wrestling Championships across desktops, mobile devices, tablets and connected televisions. Users can visit http://www.trackwrestling.com/uww to watch every match live, and for live scoring and on-demand coverage, beginning this Saturday, Oct. 20, at 4:30 a.m. ET. The World Wrestling Championships will include 30 total weight classes, 18 of which are Olympic weight classes. The U.S. men's freestyle team, led by 2012 Olympic gold medalist Jordan Burroughs (74kg/163 lbs) and 2016 Olympic gold medalist Kyle Snyder (97kg/213.75 lbs), is looking to defend its 2017 world team title with a second consecutive win in Budapest. Helen Maroulis (57kg/125.5 lbs), who in 2016 became the first American woman to win an Olympic wrestling gold medal, and three-time world champion Adeline Gray (76kg/167.5 lbs) will look to help the U.S. women improve upon last year's second-place finish. JORDAN BURROUGHS SEEKING SIXTH WORLD OR OLYMPIC TITLE 2012 Olympic gold medalist Jordan Burroughs is aiming for his sixth world or Olympic title, which would tie him for most all-time among American wrestlers with John Smith, who won two Olympic gold medals and four world titles between 1987 and 1992. Burroughs is expected to compete on Sunday, October 21. NBC Olympics' eight-day presentation of the World Championships begins this Sunday at 1 p.m. ET on Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA and concludes Sunday, Oct. 28, at 11 p.m. on NBCSN, with same-day delay coverage of Greco-Roman finals. Coverage on NBCSN will be streamed via authentication on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app. Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA content will be streamed via authentication on NBCSports.com, OlympicChannel.com, the NBC Sports app, and the Olympic Channel app. In addition, all matches will be streamed, live and on-demand, on Trackwrestling.com. An event subscription can be purchased here for $29.99. As part of its extensive coverage, Trackwrestling will provide pre and post-session shows, as well as live commentary of all U.S. and top international matches. The following is a schedule of events on NBCSN & Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA: Date Time (ET) Event Network Sunday, Oct. 21 1 p.m. Day 1 - Men's Freestyle Finals Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA 12 a.m. Day 1 - Men's Freestyle Finals* NBCSN Mon., Oct. 22 12 p.m. Day 2 - Men's Freestyle Finals Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA Tues., Oct. 23 12 p.m. Day 3 - Men's Freestyle & Women's Finals Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA 6 p.m. Day 3 - Men's Freestyle & Women's Finals* NBCSN Wed., Oct. 24 12 p.m. Day 4 - Women's Finals Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA 12:30 a.m. Day 4 - Women's Finals* NBCSN Thurs., Oct. 25 12 p.m. Day 5 - Women's Finals Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA 6 p.m. Day 5 - Women's Finals* NBCSN Friday, Oct. 26 12 p.m. Day 6 - Greco-Roman Finals Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA 6 p.m. Day 6 - Greco-Roman Finals* NBCSN Sat., Oct. 27 12 p.m. Day 7 - Greco-Roman Finals Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA 9:30 p.m. Day 7 - Greco-Roman Finals* NBCSN Sun., Oct. 28 10:30 a.m. Day 8 - Greco-Roman Finals Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA 11 p.m. Day 8 - Greco-Roman Finals* NBCSN *Same-day delay The following is a schedule of events on Trackwrestling.com: Date Session Weight Classes Time (ET) Sat., Oct. 20 Session I Qualification rounds Men's Freestyle - 61 kg, 74 kg, 86 kg, and 125 kg 4:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. Session II Semifinals Men's Freestyle - 61 kg, 74 kg, 86 kg, and 125 kg 10:45 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. Sun., Oct. 21 Session I Qualification rounds Men's Freestyle - 57 kg, 65 kg, 79 kg, and 92 kg Repechage Men's Fresstyle - 61 kg, 74 kg, 86 kg, and 125 kg 4:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. Session II Semifinals Men's Freestyle - 57 kg, 65 kg, 79 kg, and 92 kg 11:45 a.m. - 12:45 a.m. Finals Finals Men's Freestyle - 61 kg, 74 kg, 86 kg, and125 kg 1:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Mon., Oct. 22 Session I Qualification rounds Men's Freestyle - 70 kg and 97 kg Qualification rounds Women's Freestyle - 55 kg and 59 kg Repechage Men's Fresstyle - 57 kg, 65 kg, 79 kg, and 92 kg 4:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. Session II Semifinals Men's Freestyle - 70 kg and 97 kg Semifinals Women's Freestyle - 55 kg and 59 kg 10:45 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. Finals Finals Men's Freestyle - 57 kg, 65 kg, 79 kg, and 92 kg 12:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Tues., Oct. 23 Session I Repechage Men's Freestyle - 70 kg and 97 kg Repechage Women's Freestyle - 55 kg and 59 kg Qualification rounds Women's Freestyle - 65 kg, 68 kg, 72 kg and 76 kg 4:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. Session II Semifinals Women's Freestyle - 65 kg, 68 kg, 72 kg and 76 kg 10:45 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. Finals Finals Men's Freestyle - 70 kg and 97 kg Finals Women's Freestyle - 55 kg and 59 kg 12:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Wed., Oct. 24 Session I Qualification rounds Women's Freestyle - 50 kg, 53 kg, 57 kg, and 62 kg Repechage Women's Freestyle - 65 kg, 68 kg, 72 kg and 76 kg 4:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. Session II Semifinals Women's Freestyle - 50 kg, 53 kg, 57 kg, and 62 kg 10:45 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. Finals Finals Women's Freestyle - 65 kg, 68 kg, 72 kg and 76 kg 12:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Thurs., Oct. 25 Session I Qualification rounds Greco-Roman - 55 kg, 63 kg, 72 kg, and 82 kg Repechage Women's Freestyle - 50 kg, 53 kg, 57 kg, and 62 kg 4:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. Session II Semifinals Greco-Roman - 55 kg, 63 kg, 72 kg, and 82 kg 10:45 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. Finals Finals Women's Freestyle - 50 kg, 53 kg, 57 kg, and 62 kg 12:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Fri., Oct. 26 Session I Qualification rounds Greco-Roman - 60 kg, 67 kg, and 87 kg Repechage Greco-Roman - 55 kg, 63 kg, 72 kg, and 82 kg 4:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. Session II Semifinals Greco-Roman - 60 kg, 67 kg, and 87 kg 11:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. Finals Finals Greco-Roman - 55 kg, 63 kg, 72 kg, and 82 kg 12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Sat., Oct. 27 Session I Qualification rounds Greco-Roman - 77 kg, 97 kg, and 130 kg Repechage Greco-Roman - 60 kg, 67 kg, and 87 kg 4:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. Session II Semifinals Greco-Roman - 77 kg, 97 kg, and 130 kg 11:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. Finals Finals Greco-Roman - 60 kg, 67 kg, and 87 kg 12:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Sun., Oct. 28 Session I Repechage Greco-Roman - 77 kg, 97 kg, and 130 kg 8:30 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. Finals Finals Greco-Roman - 77 kg, 97 kg, and 130 kg 10:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. ABOUT NBC OLYMPICS A division of NBC Sports Group, NBC Olympics is responsible for producing, programming and promoting NBCUniversal's Olympic Games coverage. It is renowned for its unsurpassed Olympic heritage, award-winning production, and ability to aggregate the largest audiences in U.S. television history. NBCUniversal owns the U.S. media rights on all platforms to all Olympic Games through 2032. ABOUT UNITED WORLD WRESTLING United World Wrestling is the international governing body for the sport of wrestling and is headquartered in Corsier-­Sur-­Vevey, Switzerland. To learn more about United World Wrestling and the activities of its 180 national federations, please visit: www.UnitedWorldWrestling.org, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

The 2018 U.S. World Wrestling Teams in the three Olympic disciplines have set high goals for the 2018 World Wrestling Championships, set for the Papp Laszlo Sports Arena in Budapest, Hungary, October 20-28. The United States was the 2017 World Team Champions in men's freestyle, and will be seeking to win back-to-back World titles for the first time in history. Last year was only the third time ever, and the first time in 22 years, that Team USA won the World Team title in men's freestyle wrestling. The team was led by two champions and six individual medalists. The U.S. women's freestyle team placed a strong second at the 2017 World Championships, one of its greatest performances ever. The 2017 team featured three medalists, including a World champion. The USA is seeking to win the World Team title in women's freestyle for only the second time, with its previous team title in 1999. The U.S. Greco-Roman program, led by a group of young talents, is poised to challenge for individual medals and improve upon its team finish from recent World Championships. The USA has won one Greco-Roman World Team title in 2007. The U.S. team in men's freestyle and women's freestyle were determined through the Final X series over three weekends in June. The U.S. Greco-Roman team was set at the Greco-Roman World Team Trials in Tulsa, Okla. in June. The final U.S. World Championships lineup has included three injury replacements, one in each style, which occurred during training for the event. The World Team in each style had a series of training camps during the summer in preparation for the World Championships. Each team had a final overseas acclimation camp prior to arriving in Budapest, with men's freestyle at Ramstein AFB in Germany, women's freestyle in Ostia, Italy and Greco-Roman in Tata, Hungary. The competition begins with men's freestyle, which will be held October 20-23. The team is led by a pair of Olympic gold medalists, 2012 Olympic champion Jordan Burroughs at 74 kg and 2016 Olympic champion Kyle Snyder at 97 kg. Burroughs owns four World Championship gold medals (2011, 2013, 2015, 2017), while Snyder has also won two World Championship gold medals (2015, 2017). Also on the team is 2016 Olympic bronze medalist and 2017 World bronze medalist J'den Cox at 92 kg, as well as 2016 World champion Logan Stieber at 65 kg. James Green, a 2017 World silver medalist and 2015 World bronze medalist, holds down 70 kg. Add in 2017 World silver medalist Thomas Gilman at 57 kg and 2017 World bronze medalist Nick Gwiazdowski and the 2018 lineup has seven past medalists. The three freestylers in their first Senior Worlds are already successful internationally, Joe Colon at 61 kg, Kyle Dake at 79 kg and David Taylor at 86 kg. Colon replaces the injured Nahshon Garrett in the lineup. Five U.S. men's freestyle wrestlers have received seeds in Budapest through the UWW Ranking Series standings: Gwiadowski (No. 1), Gilman (No. 2), Taylor (No. 2), Colon (No. 4) and Dake (No. 4). "Having won last year, we have a huge target on our backs and the rest of the world will be coming at us even more fiercely than they have in the past, so we're using that to strengthen our own resolve and our own determination. It's an amazing opportunity. I think we have a very skilled and talented team, and ultimately the determination and fight that they step onto the mat with will decide our destiny," said National Freestyle Coach Bill Zadick. The women's freestyle competition is held next from October 22-25. Team USA is led by 2016 Olympic champion, two-time World champion (2015 and 2017) and five-time World and Olympic medalist Helen Maroulis at 57 kg, plus three-time World champion (2012, 2014, 2015) and Olympian Adeline Gray at 76 kg. In addition to her gold medals, Maroulis has won a 2012 World silver medal and a 2014 World bronze medal. In addition to her gold medals, Gray won World bronze medals in 2011 and 2013. Competing on her fourth U.S. Senior World team is Whitney Conder at 50 kg. On their second U.S. Senior World teams are Sarah Hildebrandt at 53 kg, Jenna Burkert at 59 kg, Mallory Velte at 62 kg, Tamyra Mensah-Stock at 68 kg and Erin Clodgo at 72 kg. The first-time World Team members are Jacarra Winchester at 55 kg and Forrest Molinari at 65 kg. Burkert replaces the injured Alli Ragan on the World Team. Five U.S. women's freestyle wrestlers have received seeds in Budapest through the UWW Ranking Series standings: Hildebrandt (No. 1), Molinari (No. 2), Mensah-Stock (No. 2), Gray (No. 2) and Conder (No. 3). "We are there. We just have to perform. Last year, as a second-place team, I don't think we had a great performance. Who's going to step up and perform on the days of the World Championships? We have a team right now that is capable of that. But we are going to have to do it. We have to get in there and do the things we need to do to be successful. We need to get to the World Championships and let it fly," said National Women's Coach Terry Steiner. The Greco-Roman team includes three past Olympians. At the 2012 Olympics, Ellis Coleman competed in Greco-Roman and Sam Hazewinkel competed in freestyle. In Budapest, Coleman will be at 67 kg and Hazewinkel will wrestle Greco-Roman at 55 kg. Jesse Thielke, now competing at 63 kg, was a 2016 Olympian. Coleman will compete in his third World Championships, Thielke in his second World Championships, while Hazewinkel will be wrestling in his first Senior World Championships. Competing in his third Senior World Championships is Patrick Martinez at 87 kg. G'Angelo Hancock is wrestling in his second straight Senior World Championships. Five of the team members in Greco-Roman are on their first Senior World Team: Dalton Roberts at 60 kg, RaVaughn Perkins at 72 kg, Kamal Bey at 77 kg, Geordan Speiller at 82 kg and Adam Coon at 130 kg. Perkins replaced the injured Jon Jay Chavez on the U.S. team. "I am super thrilled with the talent. I've said the same narrative for a while. It will be younger athletes who will be getting medals for us soon. We have had tough veterans keeping these young guys at bay for a while, and these guys have now stepped up," said National Greco-Roman Coach Matt Lindland. The entire U.S. group includes three Olympic champions, five World champions (who have won a combined 12 World gold medals), four Olympic medalists, nine World medalists (with a combined 22 World medals) and eight Olympians. There are 19 athletes who have competed in at least one previous Senior World Championships, and another 11 who will be wrestling in their first Senior World Championships. Included on the roster are seven past NCAA Div. I champions (with a combined 20 NCAA titles) and six past WCWA women's college national champions (with a combined 13 WCWA titles). The combined U.S. World Team includes 16 different athletes who have won age-group World medals, amassing 22 total medals. There are six age-group World champions on the roster: Adeline Gray (Junior and University), Kyle Snyder (Junior), Whitney Conder (Junior), Sam Hazewinkel (University), Kamal Bey (Junior) and Adam Coon (Cadet). All nine days of the 2018 World Wrestling Championships will be streamed live in the United States by TrackWrestling. Budapest time is six hours ahead of U.S. Eastern time zone. Trackwrestling will donate to U.S. athletes through the Living the Dream Medal Fund each time the promo code WINUSA is used at checkout on Trackwrestling.com for a UWW Streaming Season Pass now until October 31, 2018. The UWW Season Pass provides customers with access to watch the upcoming Junior, Senior, and U23 World Championships. USA Wrestling will provide complete daily coverage from the 2018 World Championships on its website TheMat.com (http://www.TheMat.com), and through all of its social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. You can get updated content from USA Wrestling in its World Championships Special Section. Additional coverage will also be provided by United World Wrestling, the international governing body, as well as by USA Wrestling broadcast partners FloWrestling and Trackwrestling. 2018 U.S. SENIOR WORLD WRESTLING TEAMS At Budapest, Hungary, October 20-28 Men's freestyle 57 kg/125.5 lbs. - Thomas Gilman, Iowa City, Iowa (Titan Mercury WC/Hawkeye WC) 61 kg/134 lbs. - Joe Colon, Fresno, Calif. (Titan Mercury WC/Valley RTC) 65 kg/143 lbs. - Logan Stieber, Columbus, Ohio (Titan Mercury WC/Ohio RTC) 70 kg/154 lbs. - James Green, Lincoln, Neb. (Titan Mercury WC/Nebraska WTC) 74 kg/163 lbs. - Jordan Burroughs, Lincoln, Neb. (Sunkist Kids/Nebraska WTC) 79 kg/174 lbs. - Kyle Dake, Ithaca, N.Y. (Titan Mercury WC/New York RTC) 86 kg/189 lbs. - David Taylor, State College, Pa. (Nittany Lion WC) 92 kg/202.5 lbs. - J'den Cox, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Titan Mercury WC/OTC) 97 kg/213.75 lbs. - Kyle Snyder, Columbus, Ohio (Titan Mercury WC/Ohio RTC) 125 kg/275 lbs. - Nick Gwiazdowski, Raleigh, N.C. (Titan Mercury WC/Wolfpack RTC) National Team Coaches - Bill Zadick, Joe Russell, Kevin Jackson (Colorado Springs, Colo.) World Team Coach - Tervel Dlagnev, Columbus, Ohio Team Leader - Jamie Dinan, New York, N.Y. Women's freestyle 50 kg/110 lbs. - Whitney Conder, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP) 53 kg/116.5 lbs. - Sarah Hildebrandt, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC/OTC) 55 kg/121 lbs. - Jacarra Winchester, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Titan Mercury WC/OTC) 57 kg/125.5 lbs. - Helen Maroulis, New York, N.Y. (Sunkist Kids/NYCRTC) 59 kg/130 lbs. - Jenna Burkert, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP) 62 kg/136.5 lbs. - Mallory Velte, Sacramento, Calif. (Titan Mercury WC) 65 kg/143 lbs. - Forrest Molinari, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Titan Mercury WC/OTC) 68 kg/149.75 lbs. - Tamyra Mensah-Stock, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Titan Mercury WC/OTC) 72 kg/158.5 lbs.- Erin Clodgo, Richmond, Vermont (Sunkist Kids) 76 kg/167.5 lbs. - Adeline Gray, Kingston, Pa. (New York AC) National Team Coaches - Terry Steiner, Clarissa Chun (Colorado Springs, Colo.) World Team Coaches - Troy Steiner, Fresno, Calif. and Coleman Scott, Chapel Hill, N.C. Team Leader - Jim Bennett, Stamford, Conn. Greco-Roman 55 kg/121 lbs. - Sam Hazewinkel, Guthrie, Okla. (Sunkist Kids) 60 kg/132 lbs. - Dalton Roberts, Fowlerville, Mich. (New York AC/USOEC) 63 kg /138.75 lbs. - Jesse Thielke, Beresford, S.D. (New York AC/Legends of Gold) 67 kg/147.5 lbs. - Ellis Coleman, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP) 72 kg/158.5 lbs. - RaVaughn Perkins, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC) 77 kg/169.5 lbs. - Kamal Bey, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids/OTC) 82 kg/180.5 lbs. - Geordan Speiller, Oviedo, Fla. (Florida Jets) 87 kg/191.5 lbs. - Patrick Martinez, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC/OTC) 97 kg/213.75 lbs. - G'Angelo Hancock, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) 130 kg/286 lbs. - Adam Coon, Fowlerville, Mich. (New York AC/Michigan RTC) National Team Coaches - Matt Lindland, Momir Petkovic, Gary Mayabb (Colorado Springs, Colo.) World Team Coaches - Spenser Mango, Colorado Springs, Colo. and Zac Dominguez, Papillion, Neb. Team Leader - Christina 'Kiki' Kelley, Minneapolis, Minn. Referees - Zach Errett, Plainfield, Ind.; Umberto Fasolino, Cutchogue, N.Y., Casey Goessl, Omaha, Neb., Sammy Julian, Schuylkill Haven, Pa. National Teams Staff - Les Gutches, Cody Bickley, Jaimie McNab Doctor - Dr. Jason Holm Athletic Trainers - Corey James (FS), Carrie Moore (W), Robert Rodriguez (GR) Nutritionist - Rob Skinner Massage Therapists - Cyrus Poitier, Amy Murry Event Schedule (Budapest is six hours ahead of U.S. Eastern time) Saturday, October 20 Men's freestyle - 61 kg, 74 kg, 86 kg, 125 kg (preliminaries through semifinals) Sunday, October 21 Men's freestyle - 61 kg, 74 kg, 86 kg, 125 kg (repechage and finals) Men's freestyle - 57 kg, 65 kg, 79 kg, 92 kg (preliminaries through semifinals) Monday, October 22 Men's freestyle - 57 kg, 65 kg, 79 kg, 92 kg (repechage and finals) Men's freestyle - 70 kg, 97 kg (preliminaries through semifinals) Women's freestyle - 55 kg, 59 kg (preliminaries through semifinals) Tuesday, October 23 Men's freestyle - 70 kg, 97 kg (repechage and finals) Women's freestyle - 55 kg, 59 kg (repechage and finals) Women's freestyle - 65 kg, 68 kg, 72 kg, 76 kg (preliminaries through semifinals) Wednesday, October 24 Women's freestyle - 65 kg, 68 kg, 72 kg, 76 kg (repechage and finals) Women's freestyle - 50 kg, 53 kg, 57 kg, 62 kg (preliminaries through semifinals) Thursday, October 25 Women's freestyle - 50 kg, 53 kg, 57 kg, 62 kg (repechage and finals) Greco-Roman - 55 kg, 63 kg, 72 kg, 82 kg (preliminaries through semifinals) Friday, October 26 Greco-Roman - 55 kg, 63 kg, 72 kg, 82 kg (repechage and finals) Greco-Roman - 60 kg, 67 kg, 87 kg (preliminaries through semifinals) Saturday, October 27 Greco-Roman - 60 kg, 67 kg, 87 kg (repechage and finals) Greco-Roman - 77 kg, 97 kg, 130 kg (preliminaries through semifinals) Sunday, October 28 Greco-Roman - 77 kg, 97 kg, 130 kg (repechage and finals) Colleges attended by World Team members as undergrads Northern Michigan (Conder, Burkert, Clodgo, Roberts, Coleman), Daymar (Bey, Hancock), King (Hildebrandt, Molinari), Missouri Baptist (Maroulis, Molinari), Nebraska (Green, Burroughs), Ohio State (Stieber, Snyder), Simon Fraser (Maroulis, Velte), UCCS (Burkert, Gray), Binghamton (Gwiazdowski), Central Florida (Speiller), Cornell (Dake), Devry (Gray), Ellsworth CC (Perkins), Iowa (Gilman), Iowa Central (Colon), Michigan (Coon), Missouri (Cox), Missouri Valley (Winchester), NC State (Gwiazdowski), Nebraska-Kearney (Martinez), Northern Iowa (Colon), Oklahoma (Hazewinkel), Wayland Baptist (Mensah-Stock), Wisconsin (Thielke), Wyoming (Martinez)

Deron Winn battles J'den Cox at the U.S. Open (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Deron Winn -- who divides his time between his professional mixed martial career, amateur wrestling competition, and as a high school coach in California -- will be concentrating on the MMA aspect in the coming weeks as he takes on UFC veteran Tom "Filthy" Lawlor at Golden Boy Promotions' MMA event Saturday, Nov. 24 at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif. Here's what Winn wrote on his Facebook page: "Happy to announce I'll be fighting on Golden Boy Boxing first MMA card on November 24 against UFC vet Tom Lawlor. Chuck Liddell & Tito "The People's Champ" Ortiz are the main event. I'll be on the main card fighting live on PPV which is held in LA @ the forum. This is my first TV card and absolutely thrilled to show the world what I'm truly about. It's finally time for my takeover. Let's goooooo!" Winn brings a perfect 4-0 pro MMA record -- a string of first-round TKO victories -- in a career he launched in March 2017. Lawlor, who started his pro career 10 years before Winn, is 10-6 in MMA, with approximately ten years of competing in UFC. Lawlor has not fought professionally in two-and-a-half years. Winn has impressive amateur wrestling credentials. He was a three-time Missouri state wrestling champ for Liberty High School outside Kansas City. Winn then enrolled at St. Louis Community College, Meramec where he was a two-time NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) champ. At the 2008 NJCAA Nationals, Winn was named the Outstanding Wrestler at the championships. In addition, Winn has also wrestled freestyle for USA Wrestling at 98 kilograms/189 pounds. He is now a wrestling coach at Gilroy High School in central California. The Winn-Lawlor bout is on card headlined by former UFC champs Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz in their third fight. And, in case you were wondering, yes, Golden Boy Promotions was founded in 2002 by former boxing champ Oscar de la Hoya, aka "the Golden Boy."

Harry Lester Harry Lester, a 2012 Olympian and two-time world bronze medalist in Greco-Roman, joins The MatBoss Podcast for Episode 9. Lester now serves as head wrestling coach St. Vincent-St. Mary High School (Ohio). Host Chad Dennis talks with Lester about his wrestling journey, coaching philosophy, Team USA's potential at the Worlds and much more. About MatBoss: Created by coaches for coaches, MatBoss for iPad® integrates wrestling stats directly into the video you record for each match, completely replacing the need for labor-intensive pencil and paper scoring systems. It's the wrestling stats app our sport has been waiting for. Focus on coaching, not busy work Improve through video analysis Make data an advantage Eliminate scoring errors Increase exposure Become a digital coach For more information, visit MatBossApp.com. Follow MatBoss on Twitter and subscribe to the show @MatBossApp | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Spreaker | Google Play Music | RSS

Taylor Venz defeated Max Dean at the NCAAs (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine) Nebraska's Taylor Venz and Cornell's Max Dean established themselves last season as up-and-coming 184-pound stars when the freshmen earned All-America honors. Their path to podium in Cleveland included a head-to-head consolation battle. Venz scored a pair of first-period takedowns and maintained control of the bout on his way to an 11-6 victory. But Dean will get a rematch on Nov. 2 in Denver when he takes on Venz in the 184-pound bout at the NWCA All-Star Classic. The event will be streamed live on Trackwrestling.com. Venz compiled a 29-9 record last season. After suffering a second-round loss at the NCAA Championships, he reeled off five consecutive consolation victories on his way to a fourth-place finish. Dean went 32-6 as a freshman. He gave two-time national champion Bo Nickal one of his toughest battles of the NCAA Championships. He pulled within a takedown in the final minute before Nickal pulled away for a 13-7 win. Dean will try to duplicate his older brother's All-Star success. Two-time NCAA champion Gabe Dean was the last Cornell wrestler to participate in the event. He won All-Star matches in 2015 and 2017. Venz is Nebraska's first All-Star representative in three years. James Green and Robert Kokesh each posted victories for the Huskers in the 2015 All-Star Classic. This is the second announced pairing on the men's card for the All-Star Classic. NCAA champion Seth Gross of South Dakota State is slated to take on North Carolina State All-American Tariq Wilson at 141 pounds. What: 53rd NWCA All-Star Classic hosted by RMNevents, Nuway, and the University of Northern Colorado. Presented by, ARMS Software and Denver Chapter WIBN When: Friday, November 2, doors open at 4 p.m. Where: National Wrestling Complex, 4655 Humboldt St, Denver, CO 80216 Tickets: $20 (matside tables available) Click Here! Social Media: #allstarclassic Watch: www.trackwrestling.com Info: www.goallstarclassic.com ANNOUNCED MATCHUPS Men 141: Seth Gross (South Dakota State) vs. Tariq Wilson (North Carolina State) 141: Joey McKenna (Ohio State) 174: Myles Amine (Michigan) 184: Max Dean (Cornell) Vs. Taylor Venz (Nebraska) 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)

In 2017, the United States men's freestyle team came together to win the nation's first team title in 22 years. "From Many, One" is the story of the American style of wrestling and how it helped drive these eight wrestlers to win one of the most intense and memorable team titles in the world.

Robert Howard celebrates after winning gold BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -- With an inspiring finals performance, Robert Howard of Cranford, N.J. won a gold medal at 55 kg in men's freestyle on the final day of wrestling at the Youth Olympic Games. Howard opened up his offense on the way to a 17-6 second-period technical fall over two-time Pan American Cadet bronze medalist Hernan David Almendra of host Argentina in the championship finals. A two-time U.S. Cadet World Team member, Howard came out on fire, jumping to a 11-2 lead after the first period, scoring a variety of different scoring techniques, including takedowns and turns. In the second period, Almendra hit a four-point headlock to attempt to stay close, but Howard scored three more two-point moves, ending the match with the technical fall. "The Argentinian crossed over from Greco-Roman to freestyle, and hit two headlocks, catching Robbie in them. Three times, Robert had a nine-point lead, working for the tech. It was a great crowd, a huge home advantage for the Argentinian. We talked about that, and he knew what to expect. Robbie embraced the moment. He did a great job with that. He wrestled his match. He had an unbelievably tough tournament. He did a fantastic job down here, bouncing back from a disappointing Worlds. This is a huge boost for him and for USA Wrestling," said U.S. Youth Olympic Games coach Sam Barber. Howard, a two-time Cadet World Team member for the United States, finished his Group B pool competition with a perfect 2-0 record. He opened with an impressive 13-2 technical fall over 2018 Cadet World silver medalist Hayato Fujita of Japan. To clinch the pool, he stopped 2018 European Cadet champion Vladyslav Ostapenko of Ukraine, 10-5. Howard had lost to Ostapenko at the 2017 Cadet World Championships in Athens, Greece by technical fall. "I wrestled better than I had in my entire life. In the pool, I beat the kid who was second in the World in my weight class. There has been only one kid who teched me, and that happened at Worlds in Athens, Greece last year. I beat him today, 10-5. I hold myself to a high standard. It was great to get over the hump today. It was a tough finals. The place was loud. But, I wasn't going into this to lose. I hated to be the guy to take it from him, but I had a job to do. It was an amazing experience and something I will never forget," said Howard. Carson Manville of Kingston, Pa. finished fourth at 65 kg, after falling to 2017 Asian Cadet silver medalist Inayat Ullah of Pakistan in the bronze-medal match, 6-2. Ullah scored first to go up 2-0, but Manville answered to tie up the bout at the break, 2-2. In the second period, Ullah scored four unanswered points to secure the decision and win the bronze medal. On Sunday morning, Manville completed his Pool B competition with a 1-1 record. He opened with a 12-3 decision over 2018 African Cadet champion Fathi Tarek Fathi Attia Ismail of Egypt. In his second pool match, he was defeated by 2018 Cadet World bronze medalist Mohammad Baghi Karimiseifabad of Iran, in a 10-0 technical fall. "Carson never really got his offense going. He is capable of wrestling very well at this level. This tournament showed that it is important for him to grow his offense, to get points when he needs them, and to wrestle with focus for the entire match," said Barber. Manville was eighth in the 2018 Cadet World Championships in freestyle. He competes for Wyoming Seminary in Pennsylvania, where he was a 2018 Prep National champion. He is the second athlete from his family to compete at the Youth Olympic Games, as his older brother Mason Manville won a silver medal at 69 kg in Greco-Roman at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China. Team USA finished with two Youth Olympic Games wrestling gold medals this year. On Saturday, Emily Shilson of Maple Grove, Minn. became the first U.S. wrestler to win a gold medal at the Youth Olympic Games with her victory at 43 kg in women's freestyle. The U.S. coach, Sam Barber of Colorado Springs, Colo., is the head coach at the U.S. Air Force Academy. He had considerable help with other members of the USA Wrestling delegation, which led to a successful weekend. "We had a great team effort. All four athletes competed to the best of their ability. It was a great effort by all. They carried themselves like the professional athletes that they will become. With one coach down here, I couldn't get it done without that team effort. I want to thank the parents, Kelly Howard, Susan Manville, Chad Ikei and Chad Shilson, for stepping in as part of the team. Everyone came together, and the result was a great trip to Argentina," said Barber. YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES At Buenos Aires, Argentina U.S. Men's freestyle wrestling performance 55 kg/121 lbs. - Robert Howard, Cranford, N.J., gold medal WIN Hayato Fujita (Japan), tech. fall 13-2 WIN Vladyslav Ostapenko (Ukraine), 10-5 WIN Hernan David Almendra (Argentina), tech. fall, 17-16 65 kg/143 lbs. - Carson Manville, Kingston, Pa., 4th place WIN Fathi Tarek Fathi Attia Ismail (Egypt), 12-3 LOSS Mohammad Baghi Karimiseifabad (Iran), tech. fall 10-0 LOSS Inayat Ullah (Pakistan), 6-2 Men's Freestyle Medal Matches 48 kg Gold - Umidjon Jalolov (Uzbekistan) dec. Giorgi Gegelashvili (Georgia), 8-2 Bronze - Halil Gokdeniz (Turkey) pin Diego Zuluaga Cuevas (Colombia) 5th - Fernando Booysen (South Africa) 6th - Daiziel Detudamo (Nauru) Gold bout - Jalolov dec. Gegelashvili, 8-2 Bronze bout -Gokdeniz pin Zuluaga Cuevas 55 kg Gold - Robert Howard (USA) Silver - Hernan David Almendra (Argentina) Bronze - Vladyslav Ostapenko (Ukraine) 4th - Oussama Laribi (Algeria) 5th - Hayato Fujita (Japan) 6th - Gavin Sablan Whitt (Guam) Gold bout - Howard tech. fall Almendra, 17-6 Bronze bout - Ostapenko tech. fall Laribi, 10-0 65 kg Gold - Turan Bayramov (Azerbaijan) Silver - Mohammad Baghi Karimiseifabad (Iran) Bronze - Inayat Ullah (Pakistan) 4th - Carson Manville (USA) 5th - Fathi Tarek Fathi Attia Ismail (Egypt) 6th - Westerly Ainsley (New Zealand) Gold Bout - Bayramov dec. Karimiseifabad, 6-1 Bronze Bout - Ullah dec. Manville, 6-2 80 kg Gold - Akhmedkhan Tembotov (Russia) Silver - Fateh Benferdjallah (Algeria) Bronze -Mukhammadrasul Rakhimov (Uzbekistan) 4th - Carson Lee (Canada) 5th - Ryan Marshall (New Zealand) 6th - Valentine Yairegpie (Federated States of Micronesia) Gold Bout - Tembotov tech. fall Benferdjallah, 10-0 Bronze Bout -Rakhimov tech. fall Lee, 10-0 110 kg Gold - Sergei Kozyrev (Russia) Silver - Amir Hossein Abbas Zare (Iran) Bronze - Ahmed Mahmoud Elsayed Khalil (Egypt) 4th - Luis Orozco Cortez (Mexico) 5th - Thomas Barns (Australia) 6th - Dragan Velinov (Macedonia) Gold Bout - Kozyrev dec. Zare, 6-5 Bronze Bout -Khalil dec. Orozco Cortez, 6-2

Fedor Emelianenko defeated Chael Sonnen (Photo/Bellator) In a battle of battle-tested mixed martial arts veterans, 42-year-old Fedor Emelianenko scored a first-round TKO of former collegiate wrestler Chael Sonnen, 41, at Bellator 208 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale on Long Island, New York Saturday night. "The finish came when Sonnen curled up in the fetal position on the floor, as Emelianenko dropped hammerfists from the top," according to ESPN.com ... while Sherdog.com said that Sonnen was hit with "a tidal wave of punches" in the closing seconds of their bout. Some fans claimed Sonnen had fixed the fight when he rolled out of a potential submission attempt from back mount on Fedor and got finished seconds later. Sonnen later claimed he made a mistake attempting the move. "The dive roll, I was going to lose that position anyway," Sonnen said. "I was falling over the top so I tried to tuck his chin and go. I used to do that move all of the time in college and I always got it. But I missed it tonight. I rolled right over." Emelianenko, who launched his career in May 2000, is now 38-5... while Sonnen, who was an NCAA All-American for the now-defunct wrestling program at University of Oregon, falls to 30-16. His pro MMA career goes back more than two decades. With the victory at 4:46 of Round 1, the Russian advances to the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix finals, where he will face Ryan Bader, NCAA All-American for Arizona State, for the big man title in Inglewood, Calif. on Jan. 25. (Bader got a unanimous decision over Matt Mitrione at Bellator 207 Friday night)

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -- It was a historic day for USA Wrestling, as Emily Shilson of Maple Grove, Minn. became the first U.S. wrestler to win a gold medal at the Youth Olympic Games with her victory at 43 kg on Saturday at the Asian Pavillion. Shilson, who was a Cadet World champion earlier this summer, defeated 2017 Cadet World bronze medalist Simran Simran of India in the Youth Olympic Games gold-medal finals, 11-6. Shilson jumped out to a big 9-2 lead at the break, then closed out the victory in the second-period. This is the second time this year that Shilson had beaten Simran, to go along with a 10-0 technical fall in the quarterfinals of the 2018 Cadet World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia. "I felt I started well today. I set a game plan and was able to stick with it throughout the tournament. In the finals, I lost my focus a little bit. But that is OK, because I know that I still have a lot of stuff to work on going forward. It meant a lot to win ," said Shilson With the victory, Shilson became the first member of Team USA in any sport to win a gold medal at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games, another tremendous milestone on day six of the competition. "It is cool representing the wrestlers on Team USA. For a wrestler to win the first gold medal for the United States is a great honor. The Youth Olympics has been a great experience. There are so many different countries and sports here. Everyone here has similar goals as I have, to be the best in the world," said Shilson. Shilson won all four of her Group B matches on Saturday morning to qualify for the championship finals. Included in her pool victories was a third-round 12-1 technical fall over 2018 Cadet World silver medalist Shahana Nazarova of Azerbaijan, a rematch of the Cadet World finals also won by Shilson. Her other pool victories included a pin of 2018 Youth African Games champion Christianah Tolulope Ogansanya of Nigeria, a technical fall over Heloisa Elena Martinez of Brazil and a 5-0 decision over 2018 European Cadet bronze medalist Justine Fanny Vigouroux of France. Shilson is a high school senior this year. "She came into this event with a target on her back, having won the World Championships in Croatia. She made several adjustments and dealt with many adjustments from her opponents. In the finals, the girl from India made some nice adjustments, and Emily wrestled through those positions and scored. It was an outstanding world-class effort by Emily and we are very proud of her," said U.S. Youth Olympic Games coach Sam Barber. Coming into today's finals, the USA has won five previous Youth Olympic Games medals. Included were four silver medals, won by Mason Manville (Greco-Roman 69 kg in 2014), Cade Olivas (men's freestyle 46 kg in 2014), Daton Fix (men's freestyle 54 kg in 2014) and Jordan Rogers (men's freestyle, 76 kg in 2010). At the 2010 Youth Olympic Games, Jenna Burkert won a bronze medal in the YOG Beach Wrestling tournament. "It was a great team effort here today, with Tiare Ikei also competing very well. Emily's father Chad is an outstanding coach and helped with the team today. Clarissa Chun is also here and part of our team effort working with our wrestlers," said Barber. 2018 World bronze medalist Tiare Ikei of Honolulu, Hawaii finished sixth at 49 kg, after dropping her fifth-place match to 2018 European Cadet silver medalist Roza Szenttamasi of Hungary, 3-0. Szenttamasi led 1-0 at the break, and added two more second-period points to secure the win. A 2016 Cadet World bronze medalist, Ikei finished her Group A competition on Saturday morning with a 2-2 record. She scored victories over 2018 Pan American Cadet silver medalist Maria Jose Mosquera Rojas of Venezuela and 2018 Asian Cadet bronze medalist Nilufar Raimova of Kazakhstan. Her losses were to 2018 Cadet World bronze medalist Natalia Varakina of Belarus and 2018 Asian Cadet silver medalist Shokina Akhmedova of Uzbekistan. Ikei, also a high school senior, is currently a resident athlete at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. The USA has two men competing in freestyle on Sunday, by Robert Howard of Cranford, N.J. at 55 kg/121 lbs. and Carson Manville of Kingston, Pa. at 65 kg/143 lbs. Their draw in pool competition was set on Friday. YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES At Buenos Aires, Argentina, October 13 U.S. Women's freestyle performances 43 kg/94.5 lbs - Emily Shilson, Maple Grove, Minn., gold medal WIN Justine Fanny Vigouroux (France), 5-0 WIN Heloisa Elena Martinez (Brazil), tech. fall 10-0 WIN Shahana Nazarova (Azerbaijan), tech. fall 12-1 WIN Christianah Tolulope Ogansanya (Nigeria) pin WIN Simran Simran (India), 11-6 49 kg/108 lbs. - Tiare Ikei, Honolulu, Hawaii, 6th place WIN Maria Jose Mosquera Rojas (Venezuela), tech. fall 12-2 LOSS Natalia Varakina (Belarus), 6-0 LOSS Shokina Akhmedova (Uzbekistan), pin WIN Nilufar Raimova (Kazakhstan), 8-0 LOSS Roza Szenttamasi (Hungary), 3-0 Women's freestyle results 43 kg Gold - Emily Shilson (USA) Silver - Simran Simran (India) Bronze -Shahana Nazarova (Azerbaijan) 4th - Enkhzul Batbaatar (Mongolia) 5th - Justine Fanny Vigouroux (France) 6th - Maria Leorda (Moldova) 7th - Sara Fouda Farouk Mahmoud (Egypt) 8th - Heloisa Elena Martinez (Brazil) 9th - Christianah Tolulope Ogansanya (Nigeria) 10th - Ella Mae Derry (New Zealand) Gold bout - Shilson dec. Simran, 11-6 Bronze bout - Nazarova dec. Batbaatar, 7-6 49 kg Gold - Emma Jonna Malmgren (Sweden)' Silver - Shokhida Akhmedova (Uzbekistan) Bronze - Natalia Varakina (Belarus) 4th - Zineb Ech-Chaki (Morocco) 5th - Roza Szenttamasi (Hungary) 6th - Tiare Ikei (USA) 7th - Maria Jose Mosquera Rojas (Venezuela) 8th - Paulina Jean Duanas (Guam) 9th - Nilufar Raimova (Kazakhstan) 10th - Sopealai Sim (Cameroon) Gold Bout -Malmgren pin Akhmedova Bronze Bout - Varakina tech. fall Ech-Chaki, 12-1 57 kg Gold - Nonoka Ozaki (Japan) Silver - Anna Hella Szel (Hungary) Bronze - Anastasia Blayvas (Germany) 4th - Irina Ringaci (Moldova) 5th - Andrea Lopez Martinez (Mexico) 6th -Mayra Parra Alvarez (Venezuela) 7th - Hala Wael Imbabi Ahmed (Egypt) 8th - Mansi Mansi (India) 9th - Kaetlyn-Rae Quintanilla (Guam) 10th - Lydia Todia (Cameroon) Gold bout - Ozaki tech. fall Szel, 10-0 Bronze bout - Blayvas dec. Ringaci, 6-3 65 kg Gold - Xinru Zhou (China) Silver - Oksana Chudyk (Ukraine) Bronze - Oyun-Erdene Tamir (Mongolia) 4th - Sunmisola Idowu Balogun (Nigeria) 5th - Viktoria Vesso (Estonia) 6th - Amina Capezan (Romania) 7th - Zaineb Sghaier (Tunisia) 8th -Yetzis Ramirez Marquez (Cuba) 9th - Sandra Escamilla Menchaca (Mexico) 10th - Natacha Veronique Nabaina (Cameroon) Gold bout - Zhou tech. fall Chudyk, 10-0 Bronze bout -Tamir tech. fall Balogun, 15-4 73 kg Gold- Milaimys Marin Potrille (Cuba) Silver - Linda Marilina Machuca (Argentina) Bronze -Yuka Kagami (Japan) 4th - Kseniya Szibuk (Belarus) 5th - Julia Fridlund (Sweden) 6th - Svetlana Oknazarova (Uzbekistan) 7th - Khadija Jlassi (Tunisia) 8th - Anika White (Canada) 9th - Vahide Nur Gok (Turkey) 10th - Iona Ludgate (American Samoa) Gold bout - Marin Potrille (Cuba) pin Marilina Machuca Bronze bout - Kagami dec. Szibuk, 8-0

Ryan Bader (Photo/Bellator) Ryan Bader, two-time NCAA All-American wrestler at Arizona State, came out on top of Matt Mitrione in the top-of-the-card event at Bellator 207 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. Friday night. The 35-year-old Bader, Bellator light-heavyweight champ, defeated Mitrione, 40, by unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-24) in a semifinals event in Bellator's Heavyweight Grand Prix. The former ASU mat star will now face the winner of Fedor Emelianenko vs. Chael Sonnen in a finals match slated for Jan. 2019. BloodyElbow.com and FrontProofMedia.com both described "Darth" Bader's victory as "dominant." "Three rounds of Bader's dominant wrestling mixed in with some ground and pound was more than enough to secure his position as the man waiting to fight for the heavyweight title," according to FrontProofMedia.com. "Mitrione was noticeably bigger than Bader, he had a size and reach advantage as well as some concerning speed as a heavyweight. None of it would matter as Bader was able to enforce his wrestling since the first bell. There was a moment in round two where it seemed Mitrione could have put together a chain of strikes that may have helped but a simple slip from Bader would open up a takedown that pretty much dictated the entire fight." BloodyElbow.com reported, "It took about 15 seconds for Bader to shoot in and put Mitrione on his back. When Mitrione did scramble up to his feet, Bader took him right back down, forcing his foe to carry his weight. Several heavy ground strikes landed from the top for Bader, and then a few landed on the feet before the round ended. "Mitrione came out swinging in the second round, but was again quickly put on his back. Bader did a sound job of pinning one of Mitrione's arms with his arm, allowing himself to punch freely. From side control, Bader nearly hit a Kimora, but Mitrione hung tough and escaped the hold. This was another round that Mitrione was unable to do anything other than survive. Bader immediately shot in on Mitrione to get a takedown in the opening moments of the final round. More of the same from Bader as Mitrione had zero answers for the wrestling of Bader." With the win, Bader is now 25-6 in his pro career launched in 2007 (and still in the running for the Bellator heavyweight title) while Mitrione falls to 13-6. Bader brought an impressive amateur wrestling background to his MMA career. He was a two-time Nevada high school state champion who continued that success as a Sun Devil. In addition to earning All-American honors for Arizona State in 2004 and 2006 at 197 pounds, Bader was a three-time Pac-10 conference champion.

Stevan Micic gets his hand raised after a win at the NCAAs (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan senior/junior Stevan Micic has been forced to withdraw from the 2018 World Wrestling Championships due to injury. Micic, previously a junior world bronze medalist, was set to make his senior world debut at 57kg/125 pounds wrestling for Serbia. "Our staff and team are obviously very disappointed for Stevan," said head coach Sean Bormet. "He worked very hard, made a lot of improvements and had a lot of international success this spring and summer. He was right on track to peak at the World Championships. Stevan, our medical staff and our coaching staff did everything possible so he might still have an opportunity to wrestle in Budapest, but unfortunately time was just not on his side. Stevan is one of the most positive and optimistic young men that I have ever coached. He has handled this situation like a champion and will be back in good health soon. We look forward to his return to our lineup sometime this semester." "I've had time to process it, but it's definitely something that I've been down about and upset to miss this opportunity," said Micic. "I was really confident in my training and my ability to compete with the best. My mindset was to go in there and get gold. But with missing so much mat time over the last month, I didn't want to go if I wouldn't be as prepared as I should or be able to wrestle to my full ability. I don't want to make this worse. So, I'm not going to regret it. I'm excited to win an NCAA title this year. That's my focus now, and I'm very motivated." Micic suffered the injury in the semifinals at the Poland Open in early September. He finished out the tournament, however, earning a 10-0 technical superiority win over Italy's Givi Davidovi in the 57kg championship bout for his first international gold medal. Micic also took bronze at the 2018 European Championships in May, earning Serbia its first ever European medal in freestyle wrestling, and up at 65kg at the Mediterranean Games in June. Micic is a two-time NCAA All-American for Michigan, claiming runner-up honors last season after taking fourth place as a freshman in 2017. He captured the Big Ten 133-pound title last year and has two collegiate seasons remaining.

Wrestling at the Youth Olympic Games starts Friday in Buenos Aires with 30 Greco-Roman competitors in five weight classes competing for gold. While the brackets aren't full of the absolute best Cadet-level wrestlers from around the world, the Youth Olympic Games is still an important quadrennial event for the sport. It's at tournaments like these that a lot of the leadership skills present in future national programs are being taught and those lessons lead to improved institutional knowledge of things like anti-doping education and proper sportsmanship. Beyond the positive internal impact on the Olympic movement and its partners, the event itself feels uniquely joyful for participants, media, and the stakeholders. The wins and losses matter, but the atmosphere is always forward-looking and optimistic -- losses are moments to learn, wins are moments to reflect. At this point I've covered well more than 50 of these international tournaments and still the 2014 YOG remains one of my all-time favorites. Not only does the IOC know how to host an event, the faces of the competitors remind me of how we all felt about the Olympic movement in our teens, before the recent scourge of scandals pockmarked the brand, assisted in no small part by our middle age glum. These wrestlers seem hopeful and carefree, like the solo baseball player taking swings in his backyard reciting "It's the bottom of the ninth ..." The Games bring us a combination of nostalgia and hope that even the most curmudgeon of sports fan doesn't want to swat away. If you're interested in watching (and maybe gaining a little inspiration), head over to the Olympic Channel or check out the United World Wrestling updates on the website, Instagram and Twitter. To your questions … Q: If you watch the video, you will see that McGregor punched Khabib's trainer before anyone else punched McGregor. I really don't blame Khabib and his crew much for the attacks after the conclusion of the fight last Saturday. But I do blame Dana White for letting the taunting go way to far just to build up hype and money. McGregor, although, very talented goes way overboard with very personal verbal attacks towards his opponent. I am not a big fan of all the taunting and trash talk. It turns the sort into a spectacle like pro wrestling. Maybe on your column you should talk about sportsmanship? Win, lose or draw it is all your own responsibility! Never blame the ref for your loss. -- Ibraoul Foley: As the story of UFC 229 progresses to the end of its first full week, the media coverage of the event has been hyperbolic, breathless and determined to capture every angle. "Who is to blame? Who threw the first punch? Why? What were the real motivations? Where does the UFC go from here? … " To fans of professional wrestling the plotlines from following UFC 229 feel familiar. In the WWE writers work hard to create characters who are consumable at face value. From Hulk Hogan to Iron Sheik to Jinder Mahal, professional wrestling is geared towards a simple form of high school cafeteria tribalism: us, them and others. That baseline difference making was present throughout the hype for 229 with Conor calling out Khabib's religion, homeland and family members. All leading to the ultimate storyline carryover, the unsanctioned out-of-cage fight with a new, unexpected character. Now, with the UFC careening towards this vacuous money-first, divisive promotional model, it's time for the wrestling community to ask if it really wants its sport to "be more like MMA." And if so, what elements? Wrestling, which at all levels bans needless aggression and striking, is by its character different in nature than MMA. Wrestling requires restraint and the mutual contract between both parties to not escalate their physical tete-a-tete into something more than a mettle testing endeavor. Harm comes from that lack of constraint, any action meant to break out of norms and rules in order to be proven more masculine, or macho. Wrestling is not that. Wrestling is steeped in restraint and discipline, not lavished in self-indulgence and grandiosity. As such, the wrestling community should look at Saturday night's event and know for certain that it should look to preserve its differences with MMA, not draw a closer comparison. That's not to say that our athletes shouldn't enjoy their careers or boast of their achievements. Our community benefits when wrestlers speak with confidence about upcoming matches, or their invincibility on the mat. Such is a warrior's mindset. What goes down poorly is the type of regional and ethnic tension being brought forward during the hype up to UFC 229. On a path that mirrors that of the UFC and WWE it would only be a matter of time until wrestlers began speaking of their nation's differences rather than promoting their confidence, while still cuddling up to the cross-border unity that has defined our sport. Jordan Burroughs with Sadegh Goudarzi of Iran after their gold-medal match at the 2012 Olympic Games Wrestling's most media-ready images of late have been those with back stories told through the lens of sportsmanship and an apolitical outlook on competition and competitors. Jordan Burroughs with his arm draped on Sadegh Goudarzi, or reaching into the stands to shake hands with Iranian fans in Tehran. Kiki Kelley as a Team Leader during the Greco-Roman World Cup. A Chinese wrestler carrying his opponent off the mat after a loss. As an aside, this is the exact behavior that Khabib Nurmagomedov displayed in most of his fights previous to Conor McGregor. But stoked by the ethnic tension, insults about his father and that bus attack he seemed ill-equipped to allow those insults to roll off his back. Our sport can remain above the fray. It can be something inspirational. If our world champions and Olympic heroes want to speak trash about their opponents, they are welcome to step off the mat and into the cage. In the meantime, let's keep spectacles like the ones witnessed at UFC 229 divorced from our sport and focus on the ideals of sportsmanship and fair play. Q: With the NCAA announcing seeding all the seeds at the NCAA tournament, would it be prudent for established rankings like InterMat to move to the top 30 or 35 in each weight class? -- Ken K. Foley: The short answer is no. InterMat's NCAA Division I wrestling rankings committee has its own rankings process to determine the top 20 wrestlers in every weight class each week. InterMat's rankings process is unrelated to the Division I Wrestling Committee's seeding process. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME The United States men's freestyle team came together in 2017 to win their first team title in 22 years. Will they repeat in 2018? Or will Sadulaev and Team Russia get their revenge? Find out more about Team USA's journey on Oct. 15 with the release of "From Many, One" the first short film in the Wrestling 360 documentary series. Q: My 8-year-old has expressed interest in wrestling this winter. I started looking at the local youth club's webpage and the fees associated with being a part of the club. The club has a regular fee, as they should to cover various costs. What bothered me was in order to register for the club, my 8-year-old would have to be a member of USA Wrestling, which is another $40, I think. The registration states that the membership to USA Wrestling is for insurance purposes but at the bottom of the registration you have to sign a statement saying that the coaches and the club are not responsible for any injuries. So my question is, why does an 8-year-old need to create a profile and be a member of USA Wrestling to figure out if they want to give the sport a try? I would rather pay the USA Wrestling fee to the local program, so I could see firsthand where the money is going. I'm not against supporting USA Wrestling, but I would rather do it on my own terms. Is this common practice in the sport now, and how does the wrestling club benefit from having all the wrestlers become members of USA Wrestling, because I find it hard to believe that this is for insurance purposes. If I'm being too petty feel free to tell me. Thanks. -- Mark M. Foley: Insurance is a major reason for the USA Wrestling card. Local programs would never be able to insure their programs and limit personal liability were it not for USA Wrestling's large membership pool. Though not all $40 goes into that insurance, it's a small individual price to pay for the secondary coverage it can provide to an injured wrestler. However, also some of that $40 does help fund various age-level national tournaments and supports the staffing necessary to ensure that there is a youth program. That said, I get your frustration in terms of signing up to try a sport and needing to create a whole profile and pay the extra money. Though to be fair the money also goes into ensuring every coach is SafeSport certified, which adds a few extra layers of protection for you child when entering the sport. Best of luck to you and your little one!

DOYLESTOWN, Pa. -- Delaware Valley University has announced that Caitlyn Baker of Lansdale, Pennsylvania has been selected as the first head coach in Aggie women's wrestling history. Caitlyn BakerBaker joins DelVal less than a month after the University announced the addition of women's wrestling as an intercollegiate sport. She will hit the ground running with recruiting and organizing the program with the intention to a field a team in the 2019-20 season. "I'm really excited about the opportunity to start the women's wrestling program at DelVal," Baker said. "DelVal is in a great location and women's wrestling has grown so much and I'm excited to see what we can do here." Baker has been a coach for Team Pennsylvania Women's Wrestling and Contender Elite in nearby Telford, Pennsylvania since 2015. During that time, she has also flown out to Colorado Springs, Colorado to be a clinician for the Wrestle Like A Girl program. Baker's coaching experience also includes being a National Team Coach, first for Missouri in 2009-10, later for Illinois in 2014-15 and then recently for Pennsylvania in 2017-18. Baker shined on the wrestling mat herself with 20 years of experience. She was four-time high school All-American, a three-time junior national freestyle champion and a two-time Women's Collegiate Wrestling Association (WCWA) All-American. In 2013, she was a college national finalist as well as an Academic All-American. Baker has been a world team trials qualifier on multiple occasions in both high school and college and was a fifth-place finisher at the 2004 Olympic Trials. Baker graduated from Missouri Baptist University with a bachelor of arts degree in public relations in 2014. "We are thrilled to have someone of Caitlyn's stature in wrestling to join us in starting the Aggie women's wrestling program," DelVal director of athletics Steve Cantrell said. "Her success on and off the mats speaks for itself and her connections in the sport are at all levels throughout the country. Our new program is in great hands."

Tervel Dlagnev coaching Kyle Snyder at the World Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Tervel Dlagnev, Ohio State assistant coach, has been selected to serve in a similar role for Team USA's 2018 Senior World Championships squad competing in Budapest, Hungary, Oct. 20-22. He'll coach alongside the U.S. National Team staff of head coach Bill Zadick and assistant coaches Joe Russell and Kevin Jackson. Buckeyes will be everywhere in Budapest as Ohio State graduates Kyle Snyder and Logan Stieber are in the American lineup once again. Snyder clinched the 2017 World Freestyle Championship for Team USA by defeating Russia's Abdulrashid Sadulaev in "the match of the century." The team title ended a 22-year drought and marked the third men's freestyle World crown in United States history. Now back to Dlagnev, who has helped Ohio State earn Big Ten titles and NCAA runner-up accolades in each of his first two seasons as a Buckeye coach. As an athlete, he found much international success when representing the Stars & Stripes and placing fifth at both the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games. Dlagnev was a four-time World Team member, winning bronze medals in 2009 and 2014.

Sean Russell was a runner-up at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Sean Russell realized it wasn't going to be easy. But leaving Edinboro was something he felt like he needed to do. "I love Coach (Tim) Flynn and the coaching staff I wrestled for," Russell said. "Those guys were awesome. I had a great four years there." When Flynn left Edinboro following the 2017-18 season to take over as the head coach at West Virginia, Russell had a decision to make. Stay at Edinboro for his senior season, follow Flynn to his new school or transfer somewhere else. Russell considered West Virginia, but his decision ultimately came down to two schools. Minnesota and Missouri. After visiting both schools, and liking them both, he chose the Gophers. "I've worked my whole life to be an NCAA champion," Russell said. "This is my last year and my last shot. I want to make the most of it." Russell, a four-time Georgia state champion, was superb as the starting 125-pounder over the last three seasons for Edinboro. He went 97-24, was a three-time NCAA qualifier and won three Eastern Wrestling League titles. He also was an All-American after placing seventh at the 2017 NCAA Championships. Russell has an 8-6 career record at the NCAA tournament. He considered following Flynn to West Virginia, but there were issues with not enough of his credits transferring from Edinboro. Russell instead arrived at the University of Minnesota in early June, taking summer classes and working out with his new teammates. He is scheduled to graduate in May. "It's going awesome up here," he said. "Minnesota has an unbelievable atmosphere to train in. We have great coaching with a high level of wrestling minds in our room. And I love the guys on our team. There are a lot of wrestlers in here with high goals. It's a great team environment with everything you need here to be successful. I'm loving it." Russell's move to Minnesota provides the Gophers with a lethal lineup of lightweight wrestlers. NCAA runner-up Ethan Lizak (133 pounds), national qualifier Mitch McKee (141) and All-American Tommy Thorn (149) are each bumping up a weight this season. Minnesota also has a top lightweight coach in past Gopher All-American Zach Sanders, who is still competing internationally in freestyle. "We have an awesome training situation -- there are so many good, tough guys to wrestle with," Russell said. "I don't think there is a better room in the country for a 125-pounder. It's as deep as you can get." Sean Russell (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Russell is expected to begin the season ranked in the top eight at 125 pounds. "Sean's been great -- he's come in here and fit in very well with our guys. He's very well-liked," Minnesota coach Brandon Eggum said. "He has a very positive attitude and he's been working hard. He's very coachable and he's a high-character guy. He's excited to be here and we're excited to have him here. He's really fun to work with." Russell is a wrestler that Eggum knows well. "We recruited Sean coming out of high school, so we knew him and had followed his career in high school and college," Eggum said. "We were fortunate to have another chance to recruit him again when he was looking to transfer. "He's very dedicated and he's a very mature wrestler. He knows what it takes to be successful. I know he really wants to go out with a strong showing as a senior." Russell's bid to earn back-to-back All-American honors at Edinboro came up just short this past March. The No. 11 seed at the NCAA tournament, Russell went 2-2 in the event. "It was heartbreaking," he said. "It was tough to finish the season like that. It was very hard and very frustrating for me. There were definitely some things I could've done better." Russell addressed a number of those areas after he arrived in Minneapolis. "I've always been a smaller 125-pounder and I worked really hard with a strength coach this summer. I can definitely feel the difference with how much stronger I am," he said. "I'm also in better shape than I've ever been going into a season. I want to wrestle at a high pace. At the same time, I hope to strategize a little more and watch more film this year. "I'm also being more diligent with my diet and nutrition. I want to give myself every opportunity to excel this season. I want to win that national title. It's always been a goal of mine" Sean Russell (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Russell is part of a Golden Gophers team that hopes to surprise a few people this season. Minnesota tied for 17th at the 2018 national tournament. The Gophers feature one of the country's most highly touted recruits in freshman heavyweight Gable Steveson, a Junior and Cadet world champion who was ranked No. 1 nationally coming out of high school. "Our team is really motivated and really determined," Russell said. "We've got a bunch of good wrestlers in our room who are working really hard. Our goal is to come away with a team trophy at the national tournament this season. We're excited to see what we can do." Craig Sesker has written about wrestling for more than three decades. He's covered three Olympic Games and is a two-time national wrestling writer of the year. This story also appears in the Oct. 12 issue of The Guillotine. The Guillotine has been covering wrestling in Minnesota since 1971. Its mission is to report and promote wrestling at all levels -- from youth and high school wrestling to college and international level wrestling. Subscribe to The Guillotine.

Nestor Taffur NEW YORK -- Nestor Taffur begins his tenure as a volunteer assistant coach for the Columbia wrestling program, announced by the Andrew F. Barth Head Coach of Wrestling Zach Tanelli. "More than Nestor's extensive wrestling background and accolades, it's his temperament and style of communication that make him so inspiring as a coach," said Tanelli. "He adds tremendous value to the program and is an ideal addition to the Columbia wrestling family and the culture we are continuing to build here." A former standout on the mats at Boston University, Taffur has also impressed in his post-collegiate career. In the 74-kilogram (163 pounds) weight class, Taffur was a member of the 2017 and 2018 World Team while wrestling for his native Colombia. He won three consecutive national titles in his home country from 2016-18, and in 2018 earned bronze medals at the Pan Am Championships, the Central American Games, and the Cerro Pelado competition. Taffur was a silver medalist during the 2017 Pan Am Games, and also picked up All-American honors during the 2015 U.S. Open. During his collegiate career, Taffur twice qualified for the NCAA Championships. The 157-pounder earned an EIWA Title in 2014, a CAA Championship in 2013, and graduated from BU as the program's winningest wrestler with 119 victories. In his senior season, Taffur went 37-4 and was ranked as high as No. 4 at 157. "I am excited to join to the wrestling program at Columbia University, an opportunity to work with unique student athletes that are competing at the highest level of collegiate wrestling while balancing the rigor of Ivy League academics," said Taffur. "Zach and the staff are a passionate group of leaders that have put the tools in place for these student athletes to succeed and I'm honored to join them as they continue to build." In the coaching arena, Taffur helped out Franklin & Marshall as an assistant coach during the 2014-15 season. He also serves as a resident athlete with the New York City Regional Training Center (NYC RTC) as he trains for the 2020 Olympics in in Tokyo, Japan.

Vince Turk talking to Iowa coach Tom Brands during a dual meet against Michigan (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) IOWA CITY, Iowa -- University of Iowa head wrestling coach Tom Brands announced Wednesday that Sam Stoll and Vince Turk will each serve a one-match suspension when the Hawkeyes open the 2018-19 season at Kent State on Nov. 9. "This program holds its wrestlers to a high standard and our team expects everyone to meet those standards," Brands said. "When a student-athlete falls short of those expectations, it is the coach's job to hold them accountable." The suspensions are due to a violation of team policy and rules. "Sam and Vince have accepted the consequences of their actions," Brands said. "The infractions were a first for both men, and I am very pleased with their response. We are moving forward."

Jon Jay Chavez (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Jon Jay Chavez (Boise, Idaho/Finger Lakes WC) has withdrawn from the 2018 World Wrestling Championships in Budapest, Hungary, at 72 kg/158.5 lbs. in Greco-Roman due to an injury. Chavez, who made his first Senior World Team with his victory at the 2018 Greco-Roman World Team Trials in Tulsa, Okla., in June, will be replaced by World Team Trials runner-up RaVaughn Perkins (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids/OTC). Perkins will be competing on his first Senior World Championships team. The 72 kg Greco-Roman competition in Budapest will be held on Thursday, October 25 and Friday, October 26. Chavez was a 2013 Cadet World Greco-Roman bronze medalist, who has been on four age-group World teams, two as a Cadet (2013 in both styles) and two as a Junior (2014 and 2015). He qualified for his first Senior National Team in 2017, when he placed third in the Greco-Roman World Team Trials and second in the U.S. Open. Chavez was also a University Nationals Greco-Roman runner-up in 2017. Chavez was an NCAA Div. I All-American for Cornell last year, placing seventh at 165 pounds. Chavez competed in high school in both Idaho and California. A native of Omaha, Neb., Perkins has qualified for the Senior Greco-Roman National Team for the last three years. Perkins won the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials but did not compete at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games because the weight class was not qualified for the United States. He was second in the 2018 World Team Trials and third in the 2016 World Team Trials. Perkins has won U.S. Open national titles in 2014 and 2018 and is a two-time Dave Schultz Memorial International champion (2016-17). He won a Pan American Championships gold medal in 2018 and was third in the Thor Masters in Denmark. After winning the 2016 Olympic Trials, he placed third in the 2016 World Olympic Games Qualifier in Mongolia, but lost in a special wrestle-off match for an Olympic spot. As a youth, he was also a 2010 Junior Nationals champion. Perkins is a U.S. Olympic Training Center resident athlete. He was a three-time Nebraska state champion for Omaha North High School, and competed at Ellsworth CC for a time before focusing full-time on Greco-Roman.

Action from the 2018 NCAAs (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) All 33 wrestlers in each weight class in the Division I Wrestling Championships will be seeded, starting with the 2019 championships. The Division I Competition Oversight Committee approved the proposal during its in-person meeting last week in Indianapolis. Seeds 29-33 may be assigned randomly to the brackets but will always be paired with the top four seeds and assigned to all pigtail matches. The Division I Wrestling Committee believes the weighted selection criteria provide a clear and consistent quantitative process, enabling the committee to effectively seed the entire bracket. The modification also will produce more balanced brackets and removes random matchups.

MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. -- Jake Patacsil has been named the inaugural head men's wrestling coach, it was announced by Vice President for Athletics Jeff Eisen. Jake Patacsil"Jake has an outstanding wrestling and coaching background, and we are excited to have him become our first head men's wrestling coach. His experience, energy, and enthusiasm make him the ideal coach for starting a new program," said Eisen. "I am honored to be given the responsibility of leading and developing Mount Olive's first wrestling team. I look forward to bringing in student-athletes in that will set a great example for the future of the program and will look to achieve their goals in college and beyond. I want to thank President Dr. David Poole, Director of Athletics Jeff Eisen, and the rest of the search committee for giving me this opportunity. I am thrilled to be joining the University of Mount Olive's community and it's athletic program," said Patacsil. Patacsil comes to Mount Olive after spending the last four years as an assistant coach at Division I Hofstra University. During his time at Hofstra, Patacsil helped coach two two-time NCAA National Qualifiers and one All-American. His responsibilities at Hofstra included recruiting, working with the team on top and bottom positions, and running practices. He helped the wrestling team win the Pride Cup (given to the most social/academically/athletically successful team) three years in a row. Prior to his time at Hofstra, Patacsil was an assistant at Duke University from 2013-14 where he assisted in recruiting top-level talent, assisted in planning and running practices, and worked heavily with the Blue Devils NCAA All-American Connor Hartman. Patacsil also served as an assistant coach at Notre Dame College from 2011-13. At Notre Dame, he headed up the recruiting efforts that brought in two top recruiting classes for a program which had a third place team finish in Division II and seven Division II All-Americans during his tenure. Prior to his stint at Notre Dame, Patacsil was an assistant coach for the Dutch of Central College from 2010-11 and helped Central get their first national qualifier in seven years. Patacsil graduated with a B.S. in Math Education from Purdue University, where he was a four-year member of the Boilermakers wrestling team and an NCAA All-American at 149 pounds. In the Purdue record books, he ranks third all-time in career wins (120), second in reversals (51), and is the all-time leader in back points (803). He was a recipient of the prestigious Big Ten Medal of Honor, given to senior student-athletes for athletics, academics, and service. He has also attended the National Wrestling Coaches Association Leadership Academy four times. Patacsil will spend this academic year recruiting and preparing for the program to begin competition during the 2019-20 academic year. UMO will become the eighth school in the wrestling conference created through a partnership between Conference Carolinas and South Atlantic Conference.

Seth Gross defeated Tariq Wilson in the NCAA semifinals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) MANHEIM, Pa. -- Seth Gross and Tariq Wilson staged one of the most entertaining bouts of the NCAA Championships in March. Next month they'll put on a rematch. The returning national champion from South Dakota State is slated to take on the rising star from North Carolina State in the 141-pound bout at the NWCA All-Star Classic on Nov. 2 in Denver. If it's anything like their previous battle, it'll be quite a show. Wilson racked up five takedowns against the No. 1 seed -- three of which came in the final 72 seconds of the third period -- erasing an 8-3 deficit to force overtime. In the extra frame, however, Gross put his superb counter skills to work, fending off a shot and putting Wilson on his back for a fall. Gross went on to win an NCAA title the following night, defeating Michigan's Stevan Micic 13-8 to become the first South Dakota State athlete to win a Division I individual national title. It capped a 29-1 junior season for the Apple Valley, Minnesota, native, one that began with a victory against Micic in last year's All-Star Classic. Wilson was one of the breakout wrestlers of the NCAA Championships. He entered the tournament as an unseeded freshman after placing fourth two weeks earlier at the ACC Championships. But he toppled No. 5 seed John Erneste of Missouri in the opening round, took down fourth-seeded Kaid Brock of Oklahoma State in the quarterfinals and finished his tournament run with a major decision win against Ohio State's Luke Pletcher, the No. 3 seed. What: 53rd NWCA All-Star Classic hosted by RMNevents, Nuway, and the University of Northern Colorado. Presented by, ARMS Software and Denver Chapter WIBN When: Friday, November 2, doors open at 4 p.m. Where: National Wrestling Complex, 4655 Humboldt St, Denver, CO 80216 Tickets: $20 (matside tables available) Click Here! Social Media: #allstarclassic Watch: www.trackwrestling.com Info: www.goallstarclassic.com ANNOUNCED MATCHUPS Men 125: 133: 141: Seth Gross (South Dakota State) Vs. Tariq Wilson (North Carolina State) 149: 157: 165: 174: Myles Amine (Michigan) 184: Max Dean (Cornell) 197: 285: Women 101: 109: Charlotte Fowler (Campbellsville) 116: 123: Gabriela Ramos-Diaz (Wayland Baptist) 130: 136: 143: Nicole Joseph (King) 155: 170: Brittany Marshall (Wayland Baptist) 191:

Troy Tirapelle hugs Maximo Renteria after winning a state title (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Troy Tirapelle, head wrestling coach at Buchanan High School in California, joins The MatBoss Podcast on Episode 8. Host Chad Dennis talks to Coach Tirapelle about California wrestling, Clovis, weight cutting, rules, film study and much more. About MatBoss: Created by coaches for coaches, MatBoss for iPad® integrates wrestling stats directly into the video you record for each match, completely replacing the need for labor-intensive pencil and paper scoring systems. It's the wrestling stats app our sport has been waiting for. Focus on coaching, not busy work Improve through video analysis Make data an advantage Eliminate scoring errors Increase exposure Become a digital coach For more information, visit MatBossApp.com. Follow MatBoss on Twitter and subscribe to the show @MatBossApp | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Spreaker | Google Play Music | RSS

There are wrestling tournaments that raise funds for programs that could use new gear or mats. Then there are fundraising tournaments that are more a matter of life and death. The purpose of the "Wrestling to Save Lives" tournament -- to be held Saturday, Oct. 27 in Canton, Mich. -- is to help save the life of someone in desperate need of a liver transplant. The event -- taking place at Canton High School in Canton just west of Detroit -- will offer great competition for wrestlers ages 5-18 in all weight classes... plus opportunities to meet Frank Jasper, "Shute" from the classic wrestling movie "Vision Quest" and participate in a pre-tournament mini-clinic put on by legendary coach Mike Krause. Proceeds from the event will go to Wilfredo Pacheco and his family (including son J.C. Morgan, who wrestles at Canton High) as he donates a portion of his liver to the husband of a co-worker in need of a liver transplant. Funds raised at the tournament will help cover medical expenses as well as expenses during recovery which could take 3-6 months. The 411 on the "Wrestling to Save Lives" Tournament When: Saturday, Oct. 27, starting at 9 a.m. Where: Canton High School, 8415 North Canton Center Road in Canton, Mich... a couple miles west of the I-275/I-96 interchange Registration: Register online at Trackwrestling.com by Thursday, Oct. 25 at 10 pm Weigh-ins: Friday, Oct. 26 at Canton High School or Cutler Event Center, 320 S. Main, Olivet, Mich. from 6-8 p.m. or Saturday, Oct 27 at Canton High 7-7:30 a.m. Prizes: First-place wrestlers in each age/weight class will receive a custom singlet; wrestlers who place 2d-4th will receive a custom medal Entry fee for wrestlers: $20 per athlete Guest admission: $5 adult; $2 child; special $12 family rate for two parents and children. Donations also welcomed. Rules: Modified high school rules Want to know more? Check out the event flyer or contact Greg Woochuk, Canton High wrestling coach, at gregwoochuk@hotmail.com.

Greg Diakomihalis, pictured with his older brother Yianni Diakomihalis, topped Jakason Burks (Photo/Juan Garcia) BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Sunday afternoon saw the lid lifter of the fall preseason scholastic wrestling showcase events with the Who's Number One event that is conducted each season by FloWrestling. Hosted at Grace Hall on the campus of Lehigh University, it is an exhibition that features many of the nation's best wrestlers in mostly one-off matches. The lone weight class where contestants wrestled multiple bouts was at 138 pounds. The opening round matches for the group of four saw Jojo Aragona (Pope John, N.J.) upend Gabriel Tagg (Brecksville, Ohio/USOTC) 8-4 in a showdown of top 35 wrestlers in the Class of 2019, while Junior National freestyle champion Keegan O'Toole (Arrowhead, Wis.) earned an upset victory over No. 11 overall senior Jaden Abas (Rancho Bernardo, Calif.) by 8-0 major decision. Then in the last match of the afternoon program, it was Aragona -- ranked No. 29 overall in the Class of 2019 -- beating No. 18 overall Class of 2020 wrestler Keegan O'Toole by a 5-2 decision. Kurt McHenry (Photo/Juan Garcia) In addition to O'Toole, two additional wrestlers from the Badger State earned victories in the Who's Number One event on Sunday afternoon. At 120 pounds, Junior National freestyle champion Eric Barnett (Hortonville, Wis.) beat two-time Cadet world freestyle champion Kurt McHenry (St. Paul's, Md.) 1-0; Wisconsin commit Barnett is ranked No. 33 in the Class of 2019, while Michigan commit McHenry is ranked third. The other victorious wrestler was Cadet World champion Macey Kilty, who beat Cadet National freestyle champion Kennedy Blades 6-5 in a female freestyle bout at 152 pounds. The featured bout of the day in terms of talent level was probably the 170-pound bout between top six Class of 2019 prospects Carson Kharchla (Olentangy Liberty, Ohio) and Julian Ramirez (Blair Academy, N.J.). No. 5 Khachla avenged a 4-3 tiebreaker loss from the consolation semifinal of the Walsh Ironman with a dominating 11-4 victory over No. 6 Ramirez. Another arguable feature bout saw another Ohio native earn the win, as senior Jordan Decatur (CVCA, Ohio) beat junior Josh Saunders (Christian Brothers College, Mo.) in a battle of No. 4 overall wrestlers in their respective grade levels; the match contested at 132 pounds. Five other matches were contested during the afternoon program. At 152 pounds, it was a battle of top 100 seniors, as No. 7 Andrew Alirez (Greeley Central, Colo.) beat No. 70 Jace Luchau (Selma, Calf.) 3-2. At 160 pounds, No. 2 overall Class of 2021 wrestler Alex Facundo (Davison, Mich.) beat No. 16 overall Class of 2019 wrestler Brevin Balmeceda (South Dade, Fla.); Facundo was a Cadet World bronze medalist this summer, while Balmeceda won a Super 32 Challenge title last fall. At 106 pounds, Cadet World silver medalist Richard Figueroa (Selma, Calif.) avenged a 4-3 semifinal loss at the Walsh Ironman, as he beat Jacob Decatur (CVCA, Ohio) 1-0; Figueroa is ranked No. 3 in the Class of 20201, while Decatur is slotted No. 52 in the Class of 2019. At 182 pounds, a battle of top 40 Class of 2019 wrestlers, saw No. 38 Devin Winston (Park Hill, Mo.) upset No. 24 Abe Assad (Glenbard North, Ill.) 6-2; the North Carolina commit Winston used a big move late in the match to beat the Cadet World bronze medalist Assad, an Iowa commit. At 113 pounds, it was a battle of top 35 Class of 2020 wrestlers were No. 17 Greg Diakomihalis (Hilton, N.Y.) upended No. 33 Jakason Burks (Omaha Burke, Neb.) 6-4; Diakomihalis was a Super 32 Challenge champion in 2016, while Burks won a Cadet National freestyle title this summer. Results: 138: Jojo Aragona dec. Gabe Tagg, 8-4 138: Keegan O'Toole maj. dec. Jaden Abas, 8-0 120: Eric Barnett dec. Kurt McHenry, 1-0 152: Andrew Alirez dec. Jace Luchau, 3-2 160: Alex Facundo dec. Brevin Balmaceda, 7-3 152: Macey Kilty dec. Kennedy Blades, 6-5 106: Richard Figueroa dec. Jacob Decatur, 1-0 182: Devin Winston dec. Abe Assad, 6-2 113: Greg Diakomihalis dec. Jakason Burks, 6-4 170: Carson Kharchla dec. Julian Ramirez, 11-4 132: Jordan Decatur dec. Joshua Sanders, 5-3 138: Jojo Aragona dec. Keegan O'Toole, 5-2

Alli Ragan and Jenna Burkert embrace after their Final X series (Photo/Richard Immel) Two-time World silver medalist Alli Ragan (Iowa City, Iowa/Sunkist Kids/Hawkeye WC) has been withdrawn from the 2018 World Wrestling Championships in Budapest, Hungary at 59 kg/130 lbs. in women's freestyle due to an injury. Ragan, who qualified for her sixth straight Senior World Team with her victory in Final X in Lincoln on June 9, will be replaced by Final X runner-up Jenna Burkert (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army WCAP). Burkert will be competing in her second Senior World Championships, having competed at 60 kg at the 2014 World Championships. The 59 kg women's freestyle competition in Budapest will be held on Monday, October 22 and Tuesday, October 23. "It is disappointing that Alli Ragan can't compete in the World Championships in Budapest and go after another World medal. She has earned the right to represent Team USA at the Worlds for six straight years, and has been very important to our team's success. Jenna Burkert has been training hard as part of our National Team, and we are confident she will contend for a World medal herself. As a past Senior World Team member, Jenna has the experience and the ability to be very successful in Budapest," said National Women's Coach Terry Steiner. Ragan, a two-time WCWA champion for King University, defeated Burkert in two straight matches in Final X, by the scores of 4-0, 5-0. Burkert had wrestled up at 62 kg at the 2018 U.S. Open, where she placed third, Burkert came down to 59 kg for the Freestyle World Team Trials Challenge Tournament in Rochester, Minn., where she qualified for Final X. As a 2017 World medalist, Ragan sat out until Final X. A native of Carbondale, Ill., Ragan won two consecutive World silver medals at 60 kg, first in Budapest, Hungary in 2016 and then in Paris, France in 2017. She also placed fifth at the 2014 World Championships, and competed on the 2013 and 2015 World Teams. Ragan won a pair of Junior World bronze medals for the USA in 2011 and 2012. She was also a silver medalist at the 2013 World University Games. Ragan has won a pair of U.S. Open titles in 2013 and 2014. She was a four-time WCWA finalist with King, with titles in 2013 and 2014 and runner-up finishes in 2011 and 2012. Ragan trains with the Hawkeye WC at its Regional Training Center in Iowa City. Ragan was previously a resident athlete at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, which she joined after she completed her college career. A native of Rocky Point, N.Y., Burkert qualified for three U.S. Junior World Teams, competing from 2011-2013 and was a Junior World teammate with Ragan in 2011 and 2012. In high school, Burkert was a member of the women's wrestling team at the Northern Michigan U.S. Olympic Training Site, and attended high school there. She was the ASICS Girls High School Wrestler of the Year in both 2010 and 2011, and placed fifth at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games. In addition to a 2017 U.S. Open title, she was a U.S. Open runner-up in both 2014 and 2015. Burkert placed fourth in the 2017 CISM Military World Championships. She placed third in the World Team Trials Wrestle-offs in 2012 and 2013, which qualified her for the National Team those seasons. Burkert is currently enlisted in the U.S. Army and is a member of the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program. She was a U.S. Olympic Training Center resident athlete prior to joining the Army.