InterMat Staff

Grant Henderson (Photo/Doug Wells) Grant Henderson, who wrestled in Iowa in high school and college, will remain in Iowa to launch his coaching career. The two-time NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) champ for Grand View University in Des Moines, will now be doing double duty, as an assistant coach at Coe College in Cedar Rapids ... and at the school's Eastern Iowa Wrestling Club, IAwrestle.com reported Wednesday. According to the website, Henderson posted news of his double-hire on Instagram: "I'm excited to announce I have accepted a full time coaching position with Coe College. I will have the role of Head Director for the Eastern Iowa Wrestling Club and assistant coach for Coe. I want to thank everyone at Grand View and the people that have supported me in this process from the bottom of my heart. I will treasure the friendships and memories Des Moines and GV has given me. I'm not far so I'll still visit all the time! Keep doing more! I also can't thank my coaches that have helped me get to where I am; I have been truly blessed to have amazing mentors and friendships with all of my coaches." InterMat attempted to verify the hire with Coe but did not receive confirmation. Henderson is originally from Alburnett High School, where he was a three-time Iowa state championships qualifier and two-time state medalist. He then wrestled at Grand View, where he won back-to-back national NAIA titles for the Vikings in 2017 and 2018 at 165 pounds. Now as a member of the Kohawks wrestling staff, Henderson will be working with head coach John Oostendorp and assistant coaches Jimmy Gotto, Eric Casey, Ted Drees, and Mason Cook. The EIWC, headed up Jim Kelly, recently added former University of Iowa All-American Brandon Sorensen as head coach. Coe College is a private, four-year liberal arts college in Cedar Rapids, Iowa with a student enrollment of 1,400. The Kohawks wrestle in NCAA Division III.

The U.S. women's wrestling team before competing against Japan at Beat the Streets in LA (Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) "Nostalgia is denial, denial of the painful present." -- Midnight in Paris, 2011 Really? All the things going on this week with Mejia, Iowa recruits, and awesome Final X matches, yet half of the posts are about women's events as if anyone cares. I don't even watch the events live on Flo anymore because their matches are intolerable. They shouldn't even be allowed in the sport to begin with, let alone sports in general because it doesn't build anything moderately useful for their practical future. Ever since Title IX was passed, men have been getting screwed (especially wrestling programs). The arts suffer because there are no woman to promote them and society continues its epic descent. Art builds grace, beauty, confidence, and precision in women. Sport only turns them to brutish amazonians. Please, I am begging, respect what these men are doing. Respect their craft, their skill, their athletic prowess. Promoting women only leads to less ladies while depriving good men of the honor they deserve and the support they rightfully need. This comment, posted by anonymous mailbag commenter "Mustang98" in response to a discussion of the Whitney Conder vs. Victoria Anthony matchup at Final X, drew immediate and sharp criticism by the wrestling community. The comment section of this column was filled with a mixture of debate and dismissal, while men and women on Twitter lambasted the poster for his more regressive thoughts on gender, including this gem by Jason Bryant. The complaints of the affected male athlete have been mushrooming for the past forty years. Even as women life-boated the sport in 2013, some men blamed Title IX. Why? As one female wrestler recently told me she felt that the discrimination women have felt in wrestling is largely due to men losing the gender-specificity of the pursuit. The justification for failures in the classroom, or personal life, could always be padded with a single-sex athletic experience like wrestling, rugby, or football. A barrier to entry was enough to support a weak ego. Now, with women achieving in sports where has-beens and never-weres are losing their unearned dominion, men are acting like toddlers being told to share their toy. With balding gender-warrior Stephen Miller (who once joined a women's track meet mid-race to prove he was faster) in the White House the new masculine mantra of "No Girls Allowed" might as well be scribbled in crayon on the $1 bill beneath "In God We Trust." Mustang98's comment is so oafish that any number of takes have, and were, jotted down in the comments, on Twitter and in text messages. So, for the sake of brevity and clarity, I wanted to take the most backward of Mustang98's comments and provide the reader transparency and texture. The arts suffer because there are no woman to promote them and society continues its epic descent. Art builds grace, beauty, confidence, and precision in women. Sport only turns them to brutish amazonians. That "the arts suffer because there are no woman (sic) to promote them" is an unsubstantiated claim. Was I not aware that there a fewer operas or dance recitals? What is true is that there are a historic number of female-led shows on television, female-produced films in Hollywood and the highest-grossing musician in the world is Beyoncé (whose name auto-corrects in Microsoft Word, unlike "Mustang98"). And what about the lack of promotion for the arts (by women) leading to society's "epic descent." By what metric? The president paying off a porn star is the fault of, who, Julia Roberts (?) for choosing to have an acting career? Connecting the dots here is an act of madness. I'm guessing that the "Art builds grace, beauty, confidence, and precision in women" was meant to read "THE Arts …" which would make the sentence true! But sadly, for Mustang98, "the arts" builds those characteristics in both men and women. Too bad he didn't take enough art classes to be "precise" with his words. No rant is over until you slip in a cultural or racial slur, and Mustang98 was mindful of his audience and added that "Sport only turns them to brutish amazonians (sic)." Imprecise racial smears notwithstanding, I'm guessing our bold and scrupulous commenter was trying to equate women who have dedicated 20-plus years to the craft of wrestling to nothing more than some type of jungle-dwelling half-humans swinging from vines. Of course, that depiction (and verbiage) has no reflection of people of the Amazon who are intelligent, diverse and creative. Also, ironically, many early humans are known for the egalitarian nature of their male-female hierarchies. Seems relevant. But let's put that all aside and focus on the most destructive, regressive, oppressive and half-witted idea of this troglodyte manifesto. Please, I am begging, respect what these men are doing. Respect their craft, their skill, their athletic prowess. Promoting women only leads to less ladies while depriving good men of the honor they deserve and the support they rightfully need. This idea is known as "enforced celibacy," known colloquially as incels, who are a group or men who are unable to find romantic relationships and think enforced monogamy and the retrenchment of traditional gender roles will increase their likelihood of their having sex with women. By their logic, through their male sex society we will see a reduction in angst and hormonal, which would make men less violent and more productive members of society. By Mustang98's logic: Men = Good and Women = Bad (unless servicing males). To "deprive" men of "honor" is to deprive them of the sex and recognition they "rightfully need." While Mustang98 is off base it's important to remain hopeful about the next generation of men. Progress is never secured on the first iteration of an idea. The march of men pining for nostalgia will go on, but soon enough it will be in silence, canceled out by the hushing sounds of fellow men who want to watch, enjoy the spectacle and love nothing more than watching these "Amazonian" women display their strength, beauty, grace and precision. A society growing and maturing together. Helen Maroulis executes a foot sweep in the finals of the World Championships in Paris (Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) To Mustang98 and anyone else yelling at their computer screens because women are strong, intelligent and powerful: Take a breath. Go on a walk. Read a novel. Allow some seed of joy to take root in your heart. And if you don't want to do that, use your rational brain to conclude that for all the peacocking done by these repressed beta males, Adeline Gray would stuff you in a mailbox; Victoria Anthony would ankle pick you into a sewer; and Helen Maroulis would foot sweep you through the floor. I'm not answering questions this week, but I'll be back next week to cover post-Fourth of July hangovers and what could be the best-ever women's (and men's) national teams.

Seth Lansberry WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. -- A two-time All-American and the college's all-time wins leader, Seth Lansberry '17 is set for his first season as an assistant wrestling coach at Lycoming College, 25th-year head coach Roger Crebs announced on Wednesday, June 26. He will join Crebs' staff, which also features Sean Reese '05, who has served as an assistant in nine of the past 10 years. Lansberry, who graduated Lycoming with a Bachelor of Science in ecology in 2017, spent the past year working with React Environmental in Philadelphia. He also served as an assistant wrestling coach at Haverford High School. Lansberry was a four-year letterwinner and starter for the Warriors, earning two All-American honors after finishing fourth at 149 pounds at NCAA Division III Championships in 2016 and 2017. As a senior, Lansberry went 41-2, starting the season with a school-record 40-match winning streak. He won the 2017 MAC Championship and NCAA Mideast Regional titles at 149 pounds and was also named to Budd Whitehill Duals All-Tournament Team. He set a school-record with 13 technical falls and he was just the second Warrior in school history to win 40 matches in a season. Lansberry finished his career with a school-record 145 career wins, while also setting school's career records with 25 technical falls and 27 major decisions. He is the only wrestler in program history to win 30 matches in all four years of career. Topping off his career, the ecology major was also named an NWCA Scholar All-American as a senior. The Warriors finished 12-5 under 25th-year head coach Roger Crebs in 2017-18 and finished fifth at the NCAA Southeast Regional, the program's highest finish since moving to the regional format in 2012.

The MMA fighter known as "Bigg Rigg" is shifting gears, leaving direct competition to share his wrestling knowledge as a coach. Johny HendricksJohny Hendricks, a former UFC welterweight champ -- and before that, a successful amateur wrestler -- announced his retirement from combat sports to become a wrestling coach at a private school in Texas. Hendricks made his plans known in an interview on MMAJunkie Radio Wednesday. "I'm done," said the former Oklahoma State wrestling champ and MMA pro for a decade. "I'm retiring. I'm getting out of the MMA world. "I've been thinking about this long and hard for a while. I'm going to get back to my roots. I'm going to start coaching at All Saints (Episcopal School in Fort Worth, Texas). "I coached a little bit of high school last year, but I'm going to make the move over to All Saints and start doing those things." Hendricks said being away from training for a fight for more than a half-year helped lead to his decision. "One of the things that's nice is being home the last seven months, spending time with the kids, not worrying about what I needed to do," Hendricks said. "I looked at my wife and said, 'Do we really want to do this. I know I'm the one who has to do it, but do we want to do it? Do we want to go through the grind that I used to do, be gone for long periods of time, put my family second, do those kinds of things?' Right now, I can't really say that. "I made this decision two weeks ago, but I prayed about it and wanted to make sure I was going to be OK with it." The 34-year-old known as "Bigg Rigg" because "he hit like a Mack truck" promises his retirement won't be one of those where he could be drawn back to the Octagon by an especially tough rival or a supersized payday. "Even if you threw Georges St-Pierre at me, the world knows (I beat him)," Hendricks said. "Realistically, I'm satisfied unless they say, 'Johny, here's a million-dollar payday. Come fight this dude.' You can't turn that down. That would be stupid. But everything I set my mind to, I achieved it. That's the gist of what I'm feeling at this moment and what I've been feeling the last month. "… I'll call the UFC and tell them I'm done. I'll call USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency) and tell them I'm done. It's never a honeymoon phase with me. My goal is to get (high school) wrestlers into national champions. I want to get wrestlers better than I was, better than I could ever be. … For me to do that, I have to put the past in the past and start moving forward." Hendricks launched his pro MMA career in Sept. 2007… and had his first fight in the UFC in May 2010. In his long career in the Octagon, the Oklahoma native compiled an 18-8 overall record, with nine straight wins right from the start. In March 2014, Hendricks was crowned UFC welterweight (170-pound) champ after defeating Robbie Lawler at UFC 171 in Dallas. He lost that title in rematch in December. Hendricks' last six fights have resulted in five losses. His last appearance saw him suffer a second-round TKO loss to Paulo Costa at UFC 217 in November 2017. Prior to putting on the gloves and fight trunks, Hendricks was a formidable force in amateur wrestling. He was a three-time Oklahoma state champ at Edmond Memorial High School just outside Oklahoma City, compiling a 101-5 record. Hendricks then headed up I-35 to Oklahoma State, where he won two Big 12 and NCAA titles in 2005 and 2006. The next gig for "Bigg Rigg" will be coaching at All Saints Episcopal School, a K-12 school with approximately 1,200 students in suburban Fort Worth, Texas.

Kyle Snyder (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Kyle Snyder has pinned down yet another wrestling honor. The Ohio State heavyweight has been named the 2018 Big Ten Male Athlete of the Year, the second straight time the Buckeye big man earned this honor also known as the Jesse Owens Athlete of the Year in 2017. Snyder is the first male athlete in the 36-year history of the Big Ten award to have won the annual honor two times. Snyder's Big Ten award came the same week that the Maryland native had been selected as 2018 Ohio State Male Athlete of the Year. Honorees selected as male and female athlete of the year from each of the fourteen Big Ten member schools were automatically in the running for the Big Ten Athlete of the Year awards. Snyder was the only wrestler in the running for the 2018 Jesse Owens Athlete of the Year honor. Snyder is widely considered one of the most accomplished collegiate wrestlers of all time. He is the only American to ever finish college as a three-time NCAA Division I champion (2016, 2017, 2018), Olympic gold medalist and two-time world champion. Snyder's individual performance helped propel the Buckeyes to Big Ten titles in three of his four seasons (including 2018) as well as energize Ohio State to the team title at the 2015 NCAAs. Snyder's on-the-mat performance was nearly matched by academic success. He was a Second-Team CoSIDA Academic All-American in 2017 and has been named Academic All-Big Ten in each of the last four years. In addition to the Ohio State and Big Ten honors already mentioned, Snyder won the 2018 AAU Sullivan Award as well, presented to the most outstanding amateur athlete in the United States. He became just the fourth wrestler to seize the prestigious honor, joining fellow Olympic gold medalists John Smith (1990), Bruce Baumgartner (1995) and Rulon Gardner (2000). Snyder is the tenth individual wrestler from any Big Ten school to receive the conference's Male Athlete of the Year, and the second Ohio State mat champ to win the honor, joining Logan Stieber, 2015 winner. Other wrestlers to win the Jesse Owens award include Ed Banach (1983), Barry Davis (1985), and Brent Metcalf (2008) for Iowa; Matt Lackey of Illinois (2003); Damion Hahn (2004) and Cole Konrad (2007) for Minnesota; Jake Herbert of Northwestern (2008); and David Taylor of Penn State in 2014. Ohio State owns nine total Big Ten Athlete of the Year awards (six male, three female) since the honor's launch (1982 for men, '83 for women), ranking second all-time. Michigan leads the way with 10 recognitions overall, though the Wolverines' last award came in 2006. Indiana University women's swimmer Lilly King was named Big Ten Female Athlete of the Year for the second straight year.

Oklahoma's Bacone College, which has been struggling financially in rent years, has announced major changes, including elimination of its men's and women's wrestling programs in addition to some additional intercollegiate sports. Men's wrestling -- along with the women's mat programannounced three years ago -- have been axed, along with football, lacrosse, cheerleading and dance, effective immediately. A number of coaching positions have also been eliminated, along with Bacone's athletic director. Sports that will remain are men's and women's basketball, volleyball, baseball, softball, track, cross country, and men's and women's soccer. At the same time these changes to Bacone's roster of intercollegiate sports were being revealed, the Muskogee, Okla.-based school also announced it was selling a shopping center it owned which housed a number of facilities, including the library, for $3.5 million. The sale was conducted with an eye to have a "streamlined operation" this fall after basically shutting down operations to a "skeleton crew" after graduation ceremonies in May, according to the Tulsa World, which reported that approximately 90 of the 95 full-time staff had been laid off, with the hope that many could be brought back on staff as Bacone's financial situation improves. "My message is: 'We're open,'" Dr. Ferlin Clark, president of Bacone College, told the Tulsa World. "We want our students to come back. We want our potential students to come." Clark said 18 employees' jobs have been terminated, with other faculty and staff to return in stages as finances allow. He said he is "right-sizing" the college and "re-aligning" it with its historic mission -- educating Native American students in a Christian environment, with education taking priority. Ken Adams, Bacone's Board of Trustees chairman, offered his explanation as to how the school got into its financial situation. "Over the past several years, Bacone College has gone through some very difficult times," Adams said. "We've suffered through a series of financial ups and downs, some because of poor decisions and some because of natural disasters. "In spite of the serious difficulties we faced and still face, the Board of Trustees has demonstrated their faith in the future of Bacone College and our intent to keep the college open." Bacone College is a private four-year liberal arts college in Muskogee, Okla. Founded in 1880 as the Indian University by Almon C. Bacone, Bacone College is the oldest continuously operated institution of higher education in Oklahoma. The college has strong historic ties to various tribal nations, including the Cherokee Nation and the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, and also to the American Baptist Churches USA. During the 2017-18 academic year, Bacone had an enrollment of approximately 700 students.

Greg Kerkvliet is the nation's No. 1 senior recruit (Photo/Mary Christen, The Guillotine) Link: Top 100 Senior Rankings The end of June has traditionally marked the release of the initial top 100 for the rising senior class. This year is no exception, as the rankings are being published today, most notably with a change in the No. 1 position. For close to 2.5 years (since mid-January 2016), Cohlton Schultz (Ponderosa, Colo.) has occupied the top position for the Class of 2019. The new occupant is another projected collegiate heavyweight, Greg Kerkvliet (Simley, Minn.). Both wrestlers were Cadet world champions last summer at 100 kilograms, Schultz in Greco-Roman and Kerkvliet in freestyle. For this year's World Championships, Kerkvliet is still an age-eligible Cadet (2001 birthday), while Schultz (a 2000 birthday) is now only Junior eligible. Kerkvliet qualified for both the Cadet and Junior world teams in freestyle, with all wins on the way to qualification coming via shutout technical fall; those matches coming at the UWW Junior National tournament in April, the best-of-three series in May during the Junior World Team Trials, and the UWW Cadet National Championships in June. He will be competing next week at 110 kilos (243 pounds) in Croatia at the Cadet Worlds, while competing at 97 kilos (214 pounds) in Slovakia at the Junior World come mid-September. Cohlton Schultz (Photo/Sam Janicki) Similarly, Schultz will represent the United States on two world teams in Greco-Roman at 130 kilos (286 pounds), the Junior and U23 squads. At the UWW Junior National tournament, Schultz won all matches by shutout technical fall. Then at the U23 National Championships in June, Schultz won all but one match by technical fall, that one by pin; while the following weekend at the Junior World Team Trials for Greco-Roman, he was extended to a third match in his finals series by Anthony Cassioppi. During the 2017-18 scholastic season, each wrestler demonstrated clear dominance during almost all their schedule. Kerkvliet did have one blemish, that coming by a 3-2 score while bumping up to 285 pounds for a dual meet matchup against InterMat High School Wrestler of the Year Gable Steveson. All but two of his other matches were wins by fall or forfeit; those coming in a 15-5 victory over nationally ranked Boone McDermott in the finals of the Minnesota Christmas Tournament and a 19-4 technical fall in the state finals bout at 220 pounds. Schultz was undefeated competing at 285 pounds, including a signature 3-2 victory over four-time California state champion Seth Nevills in the finals of the Doc Buchanan Invitational. All but four other matches during the season ended in pin or were forfeits, a pair each at the Walsh Jesuit Ironman (10-3 and 5-3 decisions) and the Reno Tournament of Champions (15-0 technical fall and 3-0 decision). Rounding out the top five are two-time Cadet world freestyle champion Kurt McHenry (St. Paul's, Md.), 2017 Cadet World Team member Jordan Decatur (CVCA, Ohio), and National Prep champion Julian Ramirez (Blair Academy, N.J.). Additional top ten wrestlers are Junior World Team Trials finals series participant Andrew Alirez (Greeley Central, Colo.), Connor Brady (Olentangy Liberty, Ohio), three-time Super 32 Challenge champion Adam Busiello (Eastport-South Manor, N.Y.), Super 32 Challenge champion Ryan Anderson (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.), and state champion Carson Kharchla (Olentangy Liberty, Ohio). Wrestlers from and/or attending high schools in New Jersey and Ohio dominate the Class of 2019 top 100, 15 and 13 from those states respectively are ranked. Seven of the 15 New Jersey wrestlers are from either Blair Academy (four) or Bergen Catholic (three), while four pairs of teammates are among those ranked from the Buckeye State (CVCA, Olentangy Liberty, St. Edward, and Wadsworth). Ten wrestlers from Illinois, including three from Lockport and a pair from Montini Catholic, are the third most for any state; while it's eight each from California (including a pair from St. John Bosco) and Pennsylvania to round out the top five.

Tyler Smith Tyler Smith has followed the advice of Horace Greeley: "Go west, young man." Without leaving Pennsylvania. Weeks after graduating from Bucknell University, the four-time NCAA qualifier for the Bison has headed west 2.5 hours to Clarion University to serve as a graduate assistant coach, the Golden Eagles revealed Wednesday. Smith brings a wealth of wrestling experience gained in his native Pennsylvania at both Bucknell and at Franklin Regional High School to share with Clarion wrestlers. While at Bucknell, Smith became only the fifth Bison to qualify for the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships four straight seasons (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018). He also was a three-time EIWA (Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association) medalist, placing second in 2018, 3rd in 2015, and 4th in 2017. As a Bison, Smith compiled an overall record of 107-37. Before heading to Bucknell, Smith built a successful high school career at Franklin Regional. He recorded a 158-21 record through four years, winning the PIAA (Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association) state championship as a junior and placing third and fifth as a senior and sophomore, respectively. What's more, Smith was a Freestyle All-American and USA Wrestling "Dream Team" selection in 2013, as well as an All-USA First Team pick in 2014. Clarion head coach Keith Ferraro is eager to have Smith on the sidelines this season. "We are excited to welcome Tyler to our program and staff for the upcoming year," said Ferraro. "Coming off a distinguished four-year career at Bucknell, he has an understanding of what it takes to compete against high-level competition at the most important time of the year. He's going to make this program better with his knowledge and experience." Smith graduated from Bucknell this past spring with a degree in Political Science. He intends to pursue a Master's degree at Clarion.

Demetrius Thomas PITTSBURGH -- University of Pittsburgh head wrestling coach Keith Gavin announced Monday the additions of Brendon Fenton and Demetrius Thomas to the 2018-19 roster. Fenton will be an incoming freshman out of Amherst, Ohio, while Thomas joins the Panthers as a junior after spending his first two years at Williams Baptist University in Walnut Ridge, Ark. "We are very excited about our two late signees," Gavin said. "Brendon and Demetrius are in weight classes we need and both can make a major contribution to our team right away." An aggressive and athletic wrestler, Fenton will compete at 125 pounds in college. The 2018 Elyria High School graduate is a two-time state champion with 144 career wins, is a Super 32 All-American, four-time state placer and three-time state finalist. At the conclusion of his senior campaign, Fenton was given the Paul Reynolds Trophy for Outstanding Wrestler of the Year, given to the top senior wrestler in Lorain County. Fenton was a three-time Ohio Freestyle National Team member. "I chose Pitt because I'm excited about the young coaching staff helping reach my wrestling and academic goals," Fenton said. "I also really like the great group of teammates and I want to be a part of helping this program become a national powerhouse." Thomas, a two-time All-American heavyweight out of St. Louis, spent his first two seasons at Williams Baptist University where he was the NAIA national champion as a freshman. That same year he was also a NAIA Midwest national qualifier champion, American Midwest Conference champion, and set a program record with 40 wins in a season. Thomas earned a runner-up finish at nationals a year ago, finishing the season 27-4 and was named AMC Wrestler of the Year while garnering All-America accolades. "I saw not only a great place to succeed academically, but also a great program rising on a solid foundation," Thomas said. Thomas graduated from McCluer High School where he placed third at the Missouri State Championships. According to Gavin, Thomas' work ethic and athletic ability leads the coaching staff to believe that he can do big things at the Division I level. Fenton and Thomas join incoming freshmen Luke Kemerer, Louis Newall, Cole Matthews and David Crawford who signed back in November. The Panthers look to replace three starters after losing Dom Forys (133), Nick Zanetta (141) and Ryan Solomon (285) to graduation. Pitt returns redshirt junior and 2017 ACC Champion Taleb Rahmani (157), while redshirt freshmen Micky Phillippi (133) and Nino Bonaccorsi (184) will make their way into the lineup this season as well.

Zach Glazier won a state championship last season (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine) Zach Glazier (Albert Lea, Minn.), a state champion and InterMat Classic champion, announced his verbal commitment to the University of Iowa via Twitter on Wednesday. Glazier compiled a 47-1 record last season as a junior en route to winning the state championship at 170 pounds. He was a state runner-up the previous year. Last summer, Glazier became a freestyle All-American in Fargo, finishing fifth at 160 pounds. In the fall, he topped Peyton Robb to win a title at the InterMat Classic. He projects as a 184-pounder in college.

In 1831, Abraham Lincoln and Jack Armstrong engaged in a long wrestling match Abraham Lincoln: 16th U.S. President. The Great Emancipator. Author of the Gettysburg Address. Arguably the most famous president who once wrestled. More than 150 years after he was murdered at Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C., Lincoln finds himself in a serious predicament not even a wrestler who reportedly had a record of 300-1 -- yep, the same Abe Lincoln -- would find an easy reversal. Or, more accurately, not Lincoln himself but his Presidential Library and Museum in his adopted hometown of Springfield, Illinois is in the predicament ... as some of that facility's most prized possessions that were once Lincoln's may have to be auctioned because it is wrestling with a historic debt. Abraham Lincoln's gloves The museum's private foundation is more than $9 million short on a $23 million loan that was used to purchase Lincoln artifacts from a private collector. Among the artifacts: the bloody gloves Lincoln wore to Ford's Theater the night of his assassination ... and a wanted poster seeking his assassin. Carla Knorowski, who runs the museum's private foundation, has come up with various ways to generate publicity ... and funds. She was recently featured on CBS Morning News ... in newspaper articles across the country ... and, in perhaps one of the most surprising, set up a GoFundMe page last month. There is some urgency to this quest. The Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum needs the $9.7 million to pay off the loan by October 2019. As of this writing, the GoFundMe page has collected approximately $9,500 ... not too bad for a month-old fundraiser, but only 1/1000th -- a microscopic fraction -- of the ultimate total needed in approximately 16 months. How did the Lincoln Library and Museum get into this predicament? The aforementioned Carla Knorowski of the museum foundation shared the museum's plight in a May 2018 article originally featured in the Chicago Tribune, and posted at the Lincoln Library and Museum's GoFundMe page: "In 2007, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation, a private foundation that exists to protect and enhance Lincoln's legacy, was asked by the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum to purchase a privately held collection of Lincoln artifacts that otherwise would have been sold to one or more private collectors. The collection would broaden the museum's holdings and once purchased, would be made available to the public in perpetuity. "At the time, the museum and foundation were less than a decade old and neither had the financial ability to purchase the collection outright. Financing was obtained and the $25 million collection was purchased. Since then, foundation staff and volunteer board members have raised more than $15 million in private donations to retain the collection. The remainder is due in just 20 months." Knorowski then says it's time for individual citizens to step up. "All of us today, who, because of Lincoln, experience a more free and just society, must rise up, contribute and ensure justice for him." "If a single Lincoln artifact goes to auction, taken from the public realm, then we, as a nation are collectively diminished and must look ourselves in the mirror and take responsibility. It is not any one individual's or group's responsibility to bear; it is all of ours to bear. "What would Lincoln do if faced with this problem? He would solve it and not let us down." After all, isn't that what a wrestler would do? Instead of backing away from a challenge, the wrestler in all of us would step forward and do what we can. After all, that's what Lincoln the wrestler would do. He never backed down from a challenge, whether it was as a young man at wrestling events at local county fairs ... or taking down the town bully in New Salem, Ill., the small town where he lived before launching his political career ... or in the White House, dealing with all the horrors of the Civil War. Lincoln's real wrestling background Perhaps you've seen one of those images of Abraham Lincoln in a wrestling singlet. There's one picture of him in a classic stance ... and another of him with a WWE championship belt draped over his right shoulder. Despite the insistence of some wrestling fans, these images are the product of the imagination of wrestling fans using Photoshop. They are not actual photographs of Lincoln as wrestler. (For starters, today's wrestling singlet arrived on the scene nearly a century after his assassination. And ... from all reports, back in the early 1800s, Lincoln and his opponents grappled wearing long-sleeve shirts, or bare-chested.) Two years ago, Jay Serafino wrote a 600-word article for the website MentalFloss.com about Abraham Lincoln the wrestler. Here's some of that essay: "Standing at an impressive 6 feet, 4 inches tall, with lanky arms perfectly designed to tie his opponents in knots, Lincoln was a renowned grappler known for his peerless strength and keen mind in his teens and early 20s. Remember, though, wrestling in rural 19th century America didn't have the fluid grace of an Olympic contest, and it certainly wasn't the garish morality play of the WWE. No, this style of wrestling was a pure test of strength, with combatants locking horns to prove their dominance in front of an audience mostly made up of drunks, gamblers, soldiers, or some combination of the three. Known as catch-as-catch-can style, this brand of wrestling is best described as 'more hand-to-hand combat than sport.'" "Touting just one loss among his 300 (or so) contests, Lincoln gained a reputation among the New Salem, Illinois, locals as an elite fighter, eventually earning his county's wrestling championship ..." Lincoln's most memorable contest came against Jack Armstrong, a member of the rough and rugged Clary's Grove Boys. When Armstrong heard stories of Lincoln's famous strength (from Lincoln's boss, no less), he challenged the future president to a match. Crowds gathered. Money was wagered. And when the bout was over, Lincoln again stood tall, as he always seemed to." Want to know more? Want to know more about the Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois? Check out the official website for the facility ... and the unofficial fan website. Both websites offer a wealth of information for the Lincoln Library and Museum, which, since its opening in 2005, ranks as the most popular facility of its kind in the U.S. (As someone who has visited a number of official Presidential library/museum facilities over the years, the Lincoln library/museum ranks as the most user-friendly, with state-of-the-art, compelling displays designed to appeal to visitors of all ages.) To learn more about Abe Lincoln's wrestling background, start by reading the entire MentalFloss.com article quoted above. Another good source is acclaimed Lincoln historian Roger Norton's essay about Lincoln's wrestling match vs. Jack Armstrong. And, while you're at it, check out the National Wrestling Hall of Fame's tribute to Lincoln. Yes, the 16th President is enshrined in the Hall in Stillwater, Okla., having been welcomed as an Outstanding Member in 1992. In recent years, members of the PORTA High School wrestling team of nearby Petersburg, Ill. have re-enacted the famous Lincoln-Armstrong wrestling match as it might have occurred in the 1830s -- not on Resilite but on the grass, in shirts-and-pants period costumes (not singlets). Here's an article from the Springfield newspaper. To learn more about New Salem, Illinois and the authentic replica of the community where Lincoln lived and wrestled as a young man, click here. There are countless books about Abraham Lincoln. At least two focus on his wrestling background. "The Wrestling Presidents from Pins to Patriots" by presidential historians William S. Worley and Gary M. Gray is geared toward young readers. It presents a wrestling-centric portrait of the life story of each of the U.S. Presidents who wrestled at some time in his life, in an engaging, first-person perspective. The 126-page book also includes a DVD. Available from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Famed wrestling historian Mike Chapman -- author of dozens of books, many on wrestling -- recently wrote "The Sport of Lincoln." Here's how the book was described in a recent magazine ad: "Travel back to 1831 as Abe Lincoln wrestles Jack Armstrong in this amazing booklet." To order this $6 booklet, contact Culture House at (641) 791-3072 or mail to: Culture House, 3830 Harbor Avenue, Newton, IA 50208.

Matt Lindland coaching G'Angelo Hancock at the World Championships in Paris (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) InterMat's Richard Mann sat down with Tim Hands of FivePointMove.com to discuss the 2018 Greco-Roman World Team Trials. The two run down the Greco Trials not being part of Final X, Matt Lindland's status as national team coach and the effort to transition folkstyle wrestler into Greco. After that, they do a weight-by-weight recap of the Trials finals. Link: InterMat Podcasts Homepage

Rashad Evans Rashad Evans, former UFC light heavyweight champion and "The Ultimate Fighter 2" winner, is now a former mixed martial arts fighter. Evans, a high school and collegiate wrestler who made his pro MMA debut 14 years ago, revealed his decision to retire from MMA on ESPN's "Ariel Helwani's MMA Show" Monday. Just two weeks ago, the 38-year-old Evans was the victim of a knockout in the first minute of the first round to Anthony Smith at UFC 225 at the United Center in Chicago on June 9. It was his fifth straight loss. In his pro career which he launched in April 2004, Evans compiled a 19-8-1 record competing primarily for the UFC. He joined the promotion as a top prospect after emerging as the heavyweight winner of TUF 2, though he immediately dropped down to light heavyweight (205 pounds) following the conclusion of that tournament. In his first eight UFC fights, Evans came out the victor over some of the top talent in that weight class at the time, including Michael Bisping, Chuck Liddell, and Forrest Griffin. In fact, it was that third-round TKO of Griffin at UFC 92 in December 2008 that made Evans the UFC light heavyweight champion. Evans lost that title in his first defense against Lyoto Machida but came back with four big-time wins over opponents such as Quinton Jackson and former Penn State champ -- and future Bellator titlewinner -- Phil Davis. Prior to entering the Octagon, Evans crafted an impressive amateur wrestling career. He was a two-time New York state wrestling championships finalist for Niagara-Wheatfield High School. Evans then enrolled at Niagara County Community College, where he was a two-time National Junior College Athletic Association All-American, winning the 165-pound title at the 2000 NJCAA Wrestling Championships. Evans then headed west to Michigan State, where he became a two-time NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships qualifier at 174 pounds. One of Evans' greatest amateur accomplishments: being one of only four wrestlers to defeat Greg Jones, three-time NCAA champ for West Virginia University.

Kyle Snyder at Final X (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Kyle Snyder has just made a bit more history in his incredible wrestling career. The 2018 NCAA heavyweight champ has been selected as 2017-18 Ohio State Male Athlete of the Year, the Columbus-based school announced Monday. As Ohio State Wrestling tweeted midday Monday, Snyder is the first Buckeye wrestler to have been named a three-time athlete of the year… the fifth wrestler in a row to receive the honor… and the sixth in a decade, joining two-time honoree Logan Stieber (2014, 2015) and J. Jaggers in 2009. In addition to Snyder being named Male Athlete of the Year for this past season, Kelsey Mitchell of the women's basketball team was named 2017-18 Ohio State Female Athlete of the Year. With this Ohio State honor, both Mitchell and Snyder are now eligible for consideration for Big Ten Athlete of the Year for 2017-18 which will be determined in the coming weeks. (Snyder earned the Big Ten Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year in 2017.) Snyder's on-the-mat accomplishments are impressive by any measure. He is the only American to ever finish college as a three-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion (2016-2018), an Olympic gold medalist (men's freestyle at the 2016 Rio Games) and two-time world champion. Snyder's leadership helped guide the Buckeyes to Big Ten titles in three of his four seasons (including 2018) and as 2015 NCAA team champions. Snyder can add the 2017-18 Ohio State Male Athlete of the Year honor to a trophy case already crowded with honors. In addition to his two previous Male Athlete of the Year awards in 2016 and 2017, Snyder has earned the Big Ten Medal of Honor award, the AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) Sullivan Award, and a nomination to the President's Sports Council, among other honors.

Kellen Russell (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan wrestling assistant coach Kellen Russell will serve as a coach for the United States men's freestyle team at the 2018 United World Wrestling (UWW) Cadet World Championships, scheduled for July 2-8 in Zagreb, Croatia. He will coach alongside Kevin Jackson, USA Wrestling's freestyle developmental coach, and Arizona State assistant coach Lee Pritts. The U.S. men's freestyle team was determined by a best-of-three championship series at the UWW Cadet World Team Trials on June 1-3 in Akron, Ohio. The team is made of rising high school juniors and seniors; to be eligible for UWW Cadets, athletes must have been born from 2001-03. A two-time NCAA champion and four-time Big Ten champion at 141 pounds while at Michigan (2008-09, '11-12), Russell captured the 66kg/145.5-pound freestyle title at the 2013 U.S. Open and claimed runner-up honors at the 2013 World Team Trials. He also won medals at Dave Schultz Memorial International (gold, 2017), Guelph Open (gold, 2013) and Cuba's Cerro Pelado Tournament (bronze, 2014). Russell's retirement from international competition coincided with his transition to the Wolverines' full-time coaching staff this past spring. He previously served as volunteer coach for the last four seasons, contributing to the development of 16 NCAA All-Americans over the stretch and three straight top-10 NCAA finishes, including last season's fourth-place showing. Russell is the second Michigan coach to serve on the Cadet world team staff in as many years. Head coach Sean Bormet helped coach the 2017 squad to a second-place showing behind four individual champions.

Chris Honeycutt (Photo/Bellator) Chris Honeycutt, the former Fighting Scot wrestler, will be fighting at Bellator 202 next month. Honeycutt will be taking on Leo Leite in a middleweight (185-pound) bout at Bellator 202 at WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, Okla. on July 13. Honeycutt, 29, brings an 10-2 overall record since launching his pro career in June 2013. The two-time NCAA All-American for Edinboro University in Pennsylvania is 6-2 in Bellator competition. Leite, 40, is 10-1 in MMA, and 0-1 in Bellator. Both middleweights are coming off losses in otherwise strong careers. Honeycutt, who had moved up from welterweight (170 pounds), lost a unanimous but somewhat controversial decision (at least in the eyes of some MMA sportswriters) to Rafael Lovato Jr. at Bellator 189 in December to put a stop to a four-bout win streak for "the Cutt." Leite's last fight had him on the losing end of a unanimous decision in a light-heavyweight (205-pound) match vs. former Penn State NCAA wrestling champ Phil Davis at Bellator 186 in November. The Honeycutt vs. Leite match, part of the main card, will be broadcast on the Paramount network following preliminary bouts which will be streamed live on the Bellator app.

Darrion Caldwell celebrates after his victory at Bellator 195 (Photo/Bellator) Two former college wrestling stars -- Darrion Caldwell and Logan Storley -- will be featured in top-of-the-card bouts at Bellator 204, set for August 17 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. It's the first Bellator MMA event to be held in the state of South Dakota. Caldwell, current Bellator bantamweight (135-pound) champion, will move up a weight class to featherweight (145) in a non-title bout vs. Noad Lahat ... while Storley will take on A.J. Matthews in a welterweight (170-pound) co-feature. Caldwell, who launched his pro MMA career in 2012 and signed with Bellator in Nov. 2013, is now 12-1 overall, and 9-1 in Bellator, while Lahat is 12-3 as a pro, and 3-1 in Bellator. Storley, a relative newcomer to MMA, having signed with Bellator just one year ago, is now 8-0 overall, and 3-0 in Bellator bouts. Matthews, a veteran of the cage who has fought professionally since 2007, brings a 9-7-0 overall record. Both Caldwell and Storley built impressive amateur wrestling resumes before entering MMA. Caldwell, a three-time state wrestling champ in his native New Jersey, made a name for himself at North Carolina State University, where he defeated defending champ Brent Metcalf of the University of Iowa in the 149-pound finals, 11-6, at the 2009 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in what the late historian Jay Hammond declared to be one of the three biggest upsets in NCAA finals history. Storley, a six-time South Dakota state champ from Webster, S.D., hometown to the one and only Brock Lesnar. Like Lesnar, Storley headed east to the University of Minnesota, where he was a four-time NCAA All-American. The entire main card of Bellator 204 -- including the bouts featuring Caldwell and Storley -- will be televised live and free on Paramount Network at 8 p.m. CT, while preliminary action will stream on Bellator.com and globally on the Bellator Mobile App. Additional bouts will be announced in coming weeks. Tickets for Bellator 204 go on sale Thursday, June 28 at 10 a.m. on ticketmaster.com and the Pentagon box office.

J'den Cox defeated Hayden Zillmer two matches to zero (Photo/Juan Garcia) BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Returning world bronze medalists J'den Cox and Nick Gwiazdowski earned spots on the U.S. World Team with victories in two straight matches on Saturday night at Final X, which was held at Grace Hall on the campus of Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa. The 23-year-old Cox, an Olympic and world bronze medalist, topped Hayden Zillmer, 5-2 and 10-0 at 92 kilograms. It was a rematch of the U.S. Open finals won by Cox, 2-0. "I knew I paid the price just to do what I need to do to get here," said Cox. "I'm going to do whatever it takes to get to where I want to be in the future." Cox left Missouri to train at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. "I've put myself in a good environment that will lead to me bigger places," Cox said. Nick Gwiazdowski topped Adam Coon (Photo/Juan Garcia) Gwiazdowski cruised in two straight matches over Adam Coon at 125 kilograms. Coon earned a spot on the U.S. World Team in Greco-Roman on Friday in Tulsa, Okla. Gwiazdowski won both matches over Coon 6-1. Gwiazdowski was able to overcome Coon's size advantage. "That's like part of the job description," Gwiazdowski said of Coon's size. "Guys are going to be big. We've got the weight limit. He made that weight limit, and that's that. I've done it my entire life." Nahshon Garrett (Photo/Juan Garcia) Nahshon Garrett battled back to defeat Joe Colon to earn a spot on the U.S. World Team at 61 kilograms. After dropping the first match 7-5, Garrett battled back to defeat Colon 10-5 in the second match before closing out the series with a 12-0 technical fall shutout. Colon defeated Garrett 20-13 in the U.S. Open finals. "That first match I came out slow," Garrett said. "I was slow. I wanted to feel it out. But the thing is, I can't wrestle slow against him. He's too good in his positions. So every match I had to put up a little bit more." Garrett, who won a national title at Cornell, now trains in Tempe, Ariz. He believes in his coaching. "One of the reasons I actually went out there was because of Zeke Jones," said Garrett. "Knowing his technique, knowing his ability, I trust him a lot. I've always trusted my coaches. So being out there and at this level you've got to have somebody who has been at this level and experienced that, and Zeke Jones is one of those guys." In the women's wrestling competition, Whitney Conder, Sarah Hildebrandt and Forrest Molinari punched their tickets to the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Conder topped Victoria Anthony in three matches at 50 kilograms to make her fourth U.S. World Team, but first since 2015. Conder took the first match 10-4, but Anthony battled back with a 4-2 victory in the second match to force a third and deciding match. In the third match, it was all Conder as she claimed a technical fall victory, 11-0. "There's been a lot of changes in my life since I made the last World Championships," said Conder. "I've gone down a weight class. I've been changing my lifestyle." While Conder has moved down in weight, her opponent, Anthony, moved up in weight this year from 48 kilograms. "I definitely felt like I was a lot bigger," said Conder. "She a strong wrestler and very strong opponent, and she knows her way to wrestle. So I knew it was going to be a tough match no matter what happened." Conder, who joined Army WCAP program six years ago, fell short of last year's U.S. World Team, losing in the finals of the U.S. World Team Trials to 2016 Olympian Haley Augello. "Last year was very disappointing," said Conder. "I was very down on myself and very angry that I didn't make the team. But my coaches got on me right away and they kept talking to me about going down and kept talking to me about finding new ways to score." Hildebrandt dominated former King University teammate Augello two matches to zero, outscoring her 14-0. "I've done everything right," Hildebrandt said. "I was eating well. I was training hard. I was going to bed early. I was reading books. I was feeling good about myself. And it's like, how do you not just feel good going out there? There was nothing where I could have been like, 'You should have done more.' I did what I needed to do. Now I'm going to step it up another notch, and I'm going to win at Budapest." Forrest Molinari (Photo/Juan Garcia) Molinari avenged a U.S. Open loss by defeating Julia Salata two matches to zero. She blanked Salata 5-0 in the first match and then closed out the victory with another dominant victory, 10-2. "I didn't wrestle well at the Open," said Molinari. "I wasn't offensive. This match I wanted to keep my position, attack when the opportunity was there, not rush anything." Molinari attended all three Final X events. "It was hard, but I'm so glad I that got to all three. I got to experience it all and help my teammates. So it's just been an awesome year going to all these tournaments and helping my teammates out, and finally making that senior team." Freestyle results 61 kilograms: Nahshon Garrett def. Joe Colon, 2 matches to 1 Match 1: Colon dec. Garrett, 7-5 Match 2: Garrett dec. Colon, 10-5 Match 3: Garrett dec. Colon, 12-0 92 kilograms: J'den Cox def. Hayden Zillmer, 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Cox dec. Zillmer, 5-2 Match 2: Cox dec. Zillmer, 10-0 125 kilograms: Nick Gwiazdowski def. Adam Coon, 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Gwiazdowski dec. Coon, 6-1 Match 2: Gwiazdowski dec. Coon, 6-1 Women's wrestling results 50 kilograms: Whitney Conder vs. Victoria Anthony, 2 matches to 1 Match 1: Conder dec. Anthony, 10-4 Match 2: Anthony dec. Conder, 4-2 Match 3: Conder tech. fall Anthony, 11-0 53 kilograms: Sarah Hildebrandt def. Haley Augello, 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Hildebrandt dec. Augello, 6-0 Match 2: Hildebrandt dec. Augello, 8-0 65 kilograms: Forrest Molinari def. Julia Salata, 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Molinari dec. Salata, 5-0 Match 2: Molinari dec. Salata, 10-2 True third-place results Freestyle: 57 kilograms: Tony Ramos dec. Zach Sanders, 4-2 65 kilograms: Jaydin Eierman dec. Andy Simmons, 9-5 86 kilograms: Richard Perry dec. Pat Downey, 7-4 97 kilograms: Ty Walz by forfeit over Austin Schafer Women's wrestling: 53 kilograms: Cody Pfau pinned Gabrielle Weyhrich, 1:45 59 kilograms: Kelsey Campbell dec. Lauren Louive, 4-0 68 kilograms: Alex Glaude dec. Yvonne Galindo, 2-2

TULSA, Okla. -- The 2018 U.S. Greco-Roman World Team is set for October's World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, with 10 talented wrestlers earning spots in the lineup on Friday at the Cox Business Center in Tulsa, Okla. "We've got a great bunch of guys," Greco-Roman National Team head coach Matt Lindland said. "I'm super excited about this team, very mentally tough guys that fought hard. We had a lot of matches go to three, so they had to gut it out, and hopefully they can carry that all the way through the training process and into Budapest for the World Championships." Highlighting the squad are four past Senior World Team members, including 2017 World Teamers Ellis Coleman and G'Angelo Hancock, now-three-time World Team member Patrick Martinez and 2013 World Team member Jesse Thielke. Hancock and Thielke won their weights in two-straight matches, while Coleman's and Martinez's series went to three matches. Wrestling at 63 kg, Jesse Thielke, a 2016 Olympian, had a rematch of the U.S. Open semifinals with Ryan Mango. Avenging a 9-0 loss to Mango, Thielke grabbed decisive 12-6 and 6-4 wins to make his second Senior World Team and first since 2013. Read complete story on TheMat.com … Finals results 55 kilograms: Sam Hazewinkel (Sunkist Kids) def. Max Nowry (Army WCAP), 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Hazewinkel dec. Nowry, 4-4 Match 2: Hazewinkel tech. fall Nowry, 11-0 60 kilograms: Dalton Roberts (NYAC) def. Ildar Hafizov (Army WCAP), 2 matches to 1 Match 1: Hafizov dec. Roberts, 4-2 Match 2: Roberts tech. fall Hafizov, 10-2 Match 3: Roberts dec. Hafizov, 4-3 63 kilograms: Jesse Thielke (NYAC/LOG) def. Ryan Mango (Army WCAP), 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Thielke dec. Mango, 12-6 Match 2: Thielke dec. Mango, 6-4 67 kilograms: Ellis Coleman (Army WCAP) def. Alejandro Sancho (NYAC), 2 matches to 1 Match 1: Sancho dec. Coleman, 6-3 Match 2: Coleman tech. fall Sancho, 9-0 Match 3: Coleman tech. fall Sancho, 8-0 72 kilograms: Jon Jay Chavez (Finger Lakes WC) def. RaVaughn Perkins (NYAC), 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Perkins tech. fall Chavez, 8-0 Match 2: Chavez dec. Perkins, 5-4 Match 3: Chavez dec. Perkins, 7-5 77 kilograms: Kamal Bey (Sunkist Kids) def. Mason Manville (Army WCAP), 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Bey dec. Manville, 5-3 Match 2: Bey tech. fall Manville, 10-0 82 kilograms: Geordan Speiller (Florida Jets) def. Cheney Haight (NYAC), 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Speiller dec. Haight, 7-2 Match 2: Speiller tech. fall Haight, 8-0 87 kilograms: Patrick Martinez (NYAC) def. Ben Provisor (NYAC/Nittany Lion WC), 2 matches to 1 Match 1: Martinez dec. Provisor, 6-0 Match 2: Provisor dec. Martinez, 1-1 Match 3: Martinez dec. Provisor, 1-1 97 kilograms: G'Angelo Hancock (Sunkist Kids) def. Daniel Miller (Marines), 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Hancock dec. Miller, 11-8 Match 2: Hancock dec. Miller, 6-3 130 kilograms: Adam Coon (NYAC) def. Robby Smith (NYAC), 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Coon dec. Smith, 3-1 Match 2: Coon pinned Smith, 5:55

Cary Kolat at the World Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) John Smith of Stillwater, Okla. and Cary Kolat of Buies Creek, N.C. have been named 2017 Women's Co-Coaches of the Year by USA Wrestling. It is the first time since the award was created in 2002 that there has been Co-Coaches of the Year recognized. It is the first time that either have won the USA Wrestling Women's Coach of the Year award. However, Smith won the Terry McCann Freestyle Coach of the Year for men's freestyle three times (1998, 2000, 2009). Smith and Kolat were the official 2017 Women's World Team coaches, working with National Coach Terry Steiner and leading the U.S. women in Paris, France to an impressive second-place finish. The team was led by World champion Helen Maroulis, World silver medalist Alli Ragan and World bronze medalist Becka Leathers. This was the first time that Smith or Kolat had taken a Women's World Team assignment, after many years coaching men in both freestyle and American folkstyle. Kolat did help coach a women's team at the Pan American Championships. Both were also World-class freestyle athletes prior to becoming coaches in Div. I wrestling. Smith is currently the head coach at Oklahoma State, while Kolat coaches at Campbell University. Among John Smith's past freestyle coaching achievements were: • Served as Men's Freestyle Coach for the 2012 Olympic Team Coach which competed in London, England. The United States had a pair of gold medalists, Jordan Burroughs and Jake Varner, and a bronze medalist in Coleman Scott. • Served as a co-head coach for the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team, which competed in Sydney, Australia. The U.S. won four individual medals, including a gold medal from Brandon Slay. • Served as World Team coach for all three U.S. World Freestyle Teams from 2009-11, which competed in Herning, Denmark, Moscow, Russia and Istanbul, Turkey. • Served as coach for the 1999 U.S. World Team, which competed in Ankara, Turkey, placing second in the team standings and winning three medals, including a gold medal by Stephen Neal • Served as coach of the 1998 U.S. World Team, the U.S. placed third in the team standings in Tehran, Iran with three medals, including a gold medal by Sammie Henson. Kolat is the coach at the Buies Creek Regional Training Center, which is affiliated with his program at Campbell University. He also helped run the Tarheel RTC when he was an assistant coach at North Carolina. Kolat has been an innovator in providing World-class online wrestling technical instruction through his respected website Kolat.com. Smith is currently the head coach at Oklahoma State Univ., one of the most successful Div. I wrestling programs in history. He is the winningest coach in Oklahoma State history. He has led the Cowboys to five NCAA team titles (1995, 2003-2006). He has coached 32 NCAA individual champions and six Olympians, including 2004 silver medalist Jamill Kelly and 2012 bronze medalist Coleman Scott. John Smith is a member of the United World Wrestling International Wrestling Hall of Fame. Both Smith and Kolat have been elected as Distinguished Members of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, with Smith inducted in 1997 and Kolat inducted in 2017. As a freestyle athlete, Smith was considered by many the best freestyle wrestler in U.S. history. He claimed gold medals at the 1988 and 1992 Olympic Games, and won four World gold medals (1987, 1989, 1990, 1991). His six straight World-level titles is unprecedented. He also won titles at the Pan American Games (twice), Goodwill Games (twice) and the World Cup. In his Senior career, Kolat placed second in the 1997 World Championships, third in the 1998 World Championships and fourth in the 1999 World Championships in freestyle wrestling. He was a member of the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team, which competed in Sydney, Australia. He won three World Cup gold medals, in addition to titles at the 1998 Goodwill Games, the 1999 Pan American Games and the 2000 Pan American Championships. In college, Smith was a two-time NCAA champion for Oklahoma State (1987-88) and a three-time All-American. He originally hails from Del City, Okla., where he won two state high school titles. Kolat was a two-time NCAA Div. I champion and four-time All-American in college. He was the NCAA champion in 1996 and 1997 for Lock Haven. He began his collegiate career at Penn State, where he was an NCAA runner-up as a freshman and third as a sophomore. While at Jefferson-Morgan High in Pennsylvania, Kolat won four-straight state titles and compiled a perfect 137-0 record. He was named Outstanding Wrestler at the state meet all four years. PAST WOMEN'S COACH OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS 2017 - John Smith, Stillwater, Okla. and Cary Kolat, Buies Creek, N.C. 2016 - Valentin Kalika, New York, N.Y., Titan Mercury WC 2015 - Aaron Sieracki, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army WCAP 2014 - Afsoon Johnston, San Diego, Calif. 2013 - Archie Randall, Mustang, Okla., OKCU Gator Women's RTC 2012 - Vladislav "Izzy" Izboinikov, Colorado Springs, Colo., USA Wrestling 2011 - Kevin Black, River Falls, Wis., New York AC 2010 - Keith Wilson, Colorado Springs, Colo., Sunkist Kids 2009 - Kevin Black, River Falls, Wis., New York AC 2008 - Tadaaki Hatta, Elyria, Ohio, New York AC 2007 - Troy Steiner, Corvallis, Ore. 2006 - Joe Corso, Metairie, La. ,Gator WC 2005 - Bill Scherr, Glenview, Ill., Sunkist Kids 2004 - Tricia Saunders, Phoenix, Ariz., Sunkist Kids 2003 - Townsend Saunders, Phoenix, Ariz., Sunkist Kids 2002 - Joe Corso, Des Moines, Iowa, Sunkist Kids

Eric Montoya was a two-time All-American at Nebraska (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Former Husker and two-time NCAA All-American Eric Montoya will return to the Nebraska wrestling program as its volunteer assistant coach, Nebraska head coach Mark Manning announced Friday. "We're extremely happy to have Eric Montoya join our coaching staff," Manning said. "He was a tremendous competitor as he became a two-time All-American here at Nebraska, and his passion for the sport and the love that he has for Nebraska will benefit us greatly." Montoya will work primarily with the lower weight classes on the team, and will assist with the Nebraska Wrestling Training Center and summer camps. Montoya racked up a career record of 113-49 as a collegiate wrestler, competing three seasons for Nebraska and one season for Campbell. In his three years at NU, Montoya went 80-32 and qualified for the NCAA Championships all three seasons, earning a pair of All-America honors. As a senior in 2016-17, Montoya posted a record of 30-7, including 14-2 in duals, and placed fifth at the Big Ten Championships and sixth at the NCAA Championships. He was an All-American for the first time as a junior in 2016, as he placed fifth at the NCAA Championships and also took fifth at the Big Ten Championships. A four-time NCAA Championships qualifier, Montoya reached the Round of 12 as a sophomore in 2015, and also qualified for the tournament as a freshman at Campbell in 2013. He was Nebraska's Redshirt of the Year for the 2013-14 season. "I'm really happy to come back to Nebraska," Montoya said. "After I graduated, I went home for a little bit, and spent some time with my wife and family. I knew that I wanted to come back and coach at this level, and I'm really excited to be back and hopefully I can make a difference in the Nebraska wrestling program." Montoya was a two-time member of the NWCA All-Academic Team, and he was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection. He also spent five semesters on the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll. An Albuquerque, New Mexico, native, Montoya was a four-time state champion at Volcano Vista High School. He graduated from Nebraska in May of 2017 with a degree in business management. Montoya resides in Lincoln with his wife, Evangeline, and two sons, Josiah and Asher.

George Mulligan, Rutgers All-American wrestler at the 1955 NCAAs who is considered to be "Father of Wrestling in Bay County" in Florida, died Monday, June 18 while out for a walk in his adopted home of Florida. He had just turned 86 years old. Mulligan was a four-time letter-winner and team captain for the Scarlet Knights wrestling program at The State University of New Jersey in the early 1950s. As a senior, Mulligan placed fourth in the 147-pound bracket at the 1955 NCAA championships at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. Mulligan made it to the semifinals, where he lost to eventual champ Eddie Eichelberger of Lehigh ... then, in the consolation round, fell to eventual 1960 Olympic gold medalist Doug Blubaugh of Oklahoma State. Mulligan graduated from Rutgers with a degree in psychology in 1955. Upon graduation, he entered the U.S. Navy, where he eventually served as an officer and a pilot in Pensacola, Fla. After his Naval service, Mulligan embarked on a successful career in the classroom and as a coach. He taught geography at Bay High School in Panama City, Fla. from 1959-1961 and launched the school's intramural wrestling team. Following that, he taught and coached at Middlesex High School in New Jersey. Mulligan returned to the Sunshine State and earned a master's degree in counseling from Troy State before serving as guidance counselor and test administrator at Tom P. Haney Vocational Center for 22 years. Mulligan was instrumental in helping high school wrestling in the Bay County area and as assistant coach at Bay High from 1975 to 1982. He was recognized as the "Father of Wrestling in Bay County" in September 2017 with the dedication of a memorial bench at Bay High School. Visitation will take place Friday, June 22 from 5-7 p.m. at Kent-Forest Lawn, 2403 Harrison Ave., Panama City, Fla. with Mass of Christian Burial Saturday at 10 a.m. at St. John's Catholic Church, Father Guillermo Arias, SG officiating. Entombment will follow at Forest Lawn Cemetery at the above address. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests sending donations to the Bay High School wrestling program, 1200 Harrison Avenue, Panama City, FL 32401.

I'm in China this week covering the 2018 China Open, a Ranking Series event for women's wrestling held in Taiyung, Shanxi. If the name sounds familiar, the city hosted the 2012 Last Chance Olympic Qualifier. This is my third time in Taiyung, a major city in the middle of the Shanxi province. Somewhat like Pittsburgh, the city is the economic heart of eastern China's coal country. Not surprisingly the area is also one of the nation's hotbed for wrestling. Just down the road from Taiyung is Xhinzhou, a much more modestly sized city of 1-2 million where I've been on a few occasions to cover traditional wrestling. That city, maybe best equitable to Easton, is the pinpoint center of wrestling in the region, and the nation. There are large metal statues of wrestlers outside department stores and entire buildings dedicated to the education and practice of very traditional forms of wrestling, known broadly as shuijiao. I find the parallels fascinating. The pride a region takes in their sport, no matter it's level of national or international importance. Wrestling is important here because, like Pittsburgh or Iowa, it's part of a shared past -- the backdrop to the ever-shifting plotlines within our daily lives. As a visitor there is comfort here because I can recognize in our hosts the same determination and passion for the sport we see at home. Wrestling is everywhere and yet in each place it's both deeply personal but relatable. Like a dance that's traveled the globe, wrestling is always open to local interpretation and values, but no matter how different the steps may seem at first the basics are always the same. To your questions … Q: I just saw that Iowa heavyweight Sam Stoll was injured in what's being called an accidental shooting, being shot in the knee. The information is very limited. Can you shed any light on what's going on? -- Jeremy T. Foley: Oy. Stoll got shot in the leg at 4 a.m. on a Sunday and according to the police it was not by his own hand. I knew a coach who loved to say that nothing good ever happens after 2 a.m., and though I disagreed with him at the time, after reading this story I've grown into full agreement. Wishing Stoll a speedy recovery. Daton Fix and Thomas Gilman had a staredown before meeting at Final X (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Q: What do you make a Final X emulating the UFC with regard to weigh-ins, staredowns, interviews, etc. Will this serve to increase interest? -- Robert G. Foley: Yes. There is always the idea that an interaction of any sort prior to the actual match will cause discussion and prompt an increase in viewership. The staredown is a touch off-putting for me, but I can see how that might serve to build some drama. The interesting follow-up to this question is: Where does promotion go from here? I think USA Wrestling and FloWrestling have so far done a wonderful job of promoting the events, but I too wonder what would work better than the UFC model? Certainly, getting the fans into a discussion about who is better is vital, but maybe we should look at this through the lens of fan participation. Why don't we do more to involve fans in every event? Lacrosse, soccer and rugby almost always have fan experiences before, during and after the events. Would something attached to the event, like say a concert or takedown tournament with simple rules possibly generate some more interest? Who knows, but I do see that we are on the right track with recent events. I think that what was borrowed from UFC and MMA was mostly productive and certainly generated adequate buzz and ticket sales. Whitney Conder defeated Victoria Anthony to win the U.S. Open (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Q: It seems like Whitney Conder is overlooked. I have seen so many people picking Victoria Anthony to beat her Saturday at Final X. Conder has not only had a strong year, but handled Anthony at the U.S. Open. Am I crazy to think Conder wins in two? -- Mike C. Foley: Having won their last matchup, Whitney Conder will come into Final X as the modest favorite. I agree that it's easy to overlook Conder, but with the 2-kilogram increase in weights she has a noticeable size advantage. The fact that she also has to cut a little less weight has to be a compounding positive impact on her performance, too, Anthony is always a danger to score from an inside trip or arm spin, but those are techniques that are less effective the more you compete and train with an opponent. To win, Anthony will need to utilize solid leg attacks and limit her tendency to give up points in bunches. Worldwide, 50 kilograms is one of the most stacked with talent. Whoever comes out will need to train smart for the next several months and take a few international trips to familiarize themselves with the younger 50-kilogram crowd. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Inside look at the first-ever women's wrestling development camp that happened this March in Japan Highlight film for the China Open Training Camp Q: Thoughts on Little Rock's coaching hire of Neil Erisman? Now that the hire has been made, what other big names were you hearing as candidates? -- Mike C. Foley: The Little Rock program is very intriguing. Its development, along with that of Presbyterian, will provide test case material for the expansion of wrestling in the South, and the viability of women's wrestling at the NCAA level. There were a few top assistants pondering the position, but it feels weird for me to point out who didn't get the job. Q: With the new two-day weigh-in format for UWW, do the wrestlers that got a bye to the Greco World Team Trials have to weigh in on both days even though they aren't wrestling on the first day? -- Jeff S. Foley: Yes, wrestlers who are sitting out into the finals are required to weigh in on both days of the competition. The same was done for freestyle.

TULSA, Okla. -- The best-of-three finals pairings for the 2018 Senior Greco-Roman World Team Trials have taken shape after a full day of Greco action at the Cox Business Center in Tulsa, Okla. We can expect to see a finals rematch from the U.S. Open at 55 kilograms and 130 kilograms. At 55 kg, 2012 freestyle Olympian Sam Hazewinkel teched his way through the bracket and surrendered only one point. In the finals, the 34-year-old dominated 2018 U23 World Team member Dalton Duffield, whom Hazewinkel has coached for more than a decade, in a 12-1 tech. Hazewinkel, the 2018 U.S. Open runner-up, will go up against the Open champion Max Nowry for the World Team spot. Read complete story on TheMat.com ... Best-of-three finals pairings: 55 kilograms: Max Nowry vs. Sam Hazewinkel 60 kilograms: Dalton Roberts vs. Ildar Hafizov 63 kilograms: Ryan Mango vs. Jesse Thielke 67 kilograms: Ellis Coleman vs. Alejandro Sancho 72 kilograms: RaVaughn Perkins vs. Jon Jay Chavez 77 kilograms: Kamal Bey vs. Mason Manville 82 kilograms: Geordan Speiller vs. Cheney Haight 87 kilograms: Ben Provisor vs. Patrick Martinez 97 kilograms: Daniel Miller vs. G'Angelo Hancock 130 kilograms: Robby Smith vs. Adam Coon Challenge bracket finals results: 55 kilograms: Sam Hazewinkel tech. fall Dalton Duffield, 12-1 60 kilograms: Ildar Hafizov dec. Leslie Fuenffinger, 5-0 63 kilograms: Jesse Thielke pinned Xavier Johnson, 2:34 67 kilograms: Alejandro Sancho dec. Hayden Tuma, 7-2 72 kilograms: Jon Jay Chavez dec. Patrick Smith, 5-0 77 kilograms: Mason Manville tech. fall Peyton Walsh, 10-0 82 kilogams: Cheney Haight dec. John Stefanowicz, 5-3 87 kilograms: Pat Martinez tech. fall Kevin Radford, 11-0 97 kilograms: G'Angelo Hancock tech. fall Lucas Sheridan, 11-0 130 kilograms: Adam Coon tech. fall David Tate Orndorff, 8-0

STANFORD, Calif. -- Alex Tirapelle and Nate Engel, a former assistant at Navy, complete the 2018-19 Stanford wrestling coaching staff, head coach Jason Borrelli announced today. Tirapelle, who re-joined the Cardinal as a volunteer in December, will serve as an assistant for the upcoming season. "We are thrilled that Alex has chosen to stay with us full-time, as he is one of the top coaches and wrestling minds in the country," said Borrelli. "Alex epitomizes our program's Cardinal Caliber values and our student-athletes will continue to benefit tremendously from his direction next season." Tirapelle served as an assistant coach for Stanford from 2010-14 before becoming the head coach at Penn (2014-17). During his first stint on The Farm, he helped guide the Cardinal to its best dual-season record in school history with a 17-5 mark in 2013-14. That year's team sent five wrestlers to the NCAA Championships - tying a then-school record. Four of the five NCAA qualifiers were Pac-12 champions, also a school record. Engel joins the staff after being an assistant at Navy for the last four seasons. An excellent recruiter, he brought an influx of talent the Midshipmen roster by signing back-to-back Top 20 recruiting classes and landing two recruits ranked 1st in the nation, Jared Prince and Quentin Hovis. He will also serve as the Director of the California RTC program, as he has extensive ties with USA Wrestling and will coach the U.S. Junior Greco World Team at the Junior World Championships in Slovakia this September. "We had our eyes set on Nate from day one, as he has an impeccable track record as a coach and is respected by everyone in the profession," explained Borrelli. "Nate's roots with USA Wrestling will also help tremendously as we look to take our Olympic Regional Training Center to the next level. We are very excited to have him involved in our program and I look forward to working alongside him each day." Engel was an All-American at Missouri Valley College and a four-time NAIA qualifier. An elite senior level competitor, he pursued a Greco career full-time, training at Northern Michigan under Ivan Ivanov. A two-time member of the U.S. National Team, Engel was the runner-up at the 2013 World Team Trials. He won the 2012 Haparanda Cup and took silver at the 2013 Haavisto Tournament. He was also the Maccabiah Games Champion in both Freesyle and Greco-Roman at 55 kg in 2013, while taking home to bronze medals in 2017. The duo join longtime assistant Ray Blake, who was promoted to associate head coach at the end of the 2016-17 season. Blake will begin his 12th season on the staff this fall. During Blake's coaching tenure, Stanford has sent 26 different wrestlers to the NCAA Championships a total of 51 times. The Cardinal set a program record in 2017 with nine NCAA qualifiers. He has helped coach nine NCAA All-Americans to 12 total honors, meaning nearly half of Stanford's All-Americans (20 all-time) have been mentored by Blake. "Ray has done a tremendous job over the past 11 years and his dedication to his craft is unparalleled," said Borrelli. "He is a tireless worker, very dependable, and extremely loyal. You would be hard pressed to find someone with more passion and enthusiasm toward the Stanford wrestling program than Ray, and I am grateful that we were able to reward him with this promotion, as it was long overdue and very much earned."