InterMat Staff

Willie Miklus is a three-time All-American (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Willie Miklus is coming home. The three-time All-American for the University of Missouri is returning to his home state of Iowa for his sixth year of eligibility and attending Iowa State University to wrestle for the Cyclones. Miklus missed most of the 2013-14 and 2016-17 seasons due to injuries and was granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA for the 2018-19 season. He won a MAC title this past season and followed it up with an eighth-place finish at the 2018 NCAA Division I Championships competing at 197 pounds. Miklus placed sixth at the NCAAs in 2016 and seventh in 2015. A native of Altoona, Iowa, Miklus attended Southeast Polk High School and claimed two Iowa state championships.

The online sportsbook BetDSI.com posted betting odds on Saturday's Final X in State College, Pa. Let's examine the best bets based on the betting odds. Note: Betting odds are subject to change. Value plays Kayla Miracle is -175 to defeat Mallory Velte (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Kayla Miracle over Mallory Velte (62 kilograms): -175 Miracle is one of America's young, rising stars in women's wrestling. She has three age-group world medals, and earlier this year claimed her fourth WCWA national title wrestling for her father Lee at Campbellsville University. Miracle also has two U.S. Open titles and three University Nationals titles. She has competed well internationally this year. She is currently ranked No. 1 in the world at 62 kilograms based on her points earned during the new ranking series events. The 22-year-old claimed a gold medal at the Klippan Lady Open and a bronze medal at the Pan American Championships. While Velte is a returning U.S. World Team member, she has not had the same international success as Miracle. She has never won a world medal at any age level. Recently she placed eighth at the Klippan Lady Open. These two met in the U.S. Open finals, with Miracle coming out on top 3-0. While the score was close, Miracle was never seriously threatened in the match. Kayla Miracle vs. Mallory Velte (62 kilograms), 2 matches: -150 As mentioned above, Miracle is the superior, more accomplished wrestler. While there is no guarantee she wins in two matches (or at all), it seems like the most likely outcome. As we have seen so far at Final X, the wrestler who wins the first match typically takes the second match too. All seven matches at Final X in Lincoln last Saturday were decided in two matches. Logan Stieber vs. Joey McKenna (65 kilograms), Under 11.5 points in Match 1: -115 On the surface, this looks like an Over. Both like to put points on the scoreboard and have a lot of different ways to score. However, Stieber and McKenna have been training partners for the past year and know each other's styles well. Their matches on Saturday will likely be very strategic, resulting in low-scoring, defensive battles. Stieber scored 10 points in each of his two World Team Trials matches against Jaydin Eierman, but don't expect that kind of offensive output against McKenna. McKenna gave up just three points in five matches at the U.S. Open. Four of his five victories were shutouts. I would expect there to be 10 or less points scored in their first match. Logan Stieber over Joey McKenna (65 kilograms): -140 Stieber, a 2016 world champion, is still wrestling at a very high level at the age of 27. He notched a win over three-time world champion Haji Aliyev of Azerbaijan at the Freestyle World Cup in April. While he did take a surprising loss to Jaydin Eierman at the U.S. Open, he came back avenge the loss with two victories over the Missouri Tiger in the finals of the World Team Trials. McKenna, a past Junior world silver medalist, was not only a surprise champion at the U.S. Open, but dominated the competition, outscoring his opponents 50-3. McKenna is savvy and technically sound. Stieber, despite his U.S. Open setback, is still the man to beat in this weight class domestically and America's best chance for a world medal at 65 kilograms. Also, don't overlook the big-brother syndrome. Ever since McKenna arrived in Columbus last summer, Stieber has been a mentor to him. With the way McKenna has been wrestling and the familiarity between the two, I wouldn't be shocked to see the young Buck pull out a victory. I just don't see him beating Stieber twice. Zahid Valencia dominated Alex Dieringer in the finals of the World Team Trials (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine) Kyle Dake vs. Zahid Valencia (79 kilograms), Under 12.5 in Match 1: -115 I don't see much value betting on the winner of the best-of-three series between Dake and Valencia. While I favor Dake, Valencia, as a massive underdog, looked phenomenal in dominating Alex Dieringer in the finals of the World Team Trials. He as aggressive and seemingly scored when he wanted to. Dake should win, which is why he is -350, but it doesn't mean he will. Valencia is very capable, and you can be sure Arizona State coaches Zeke Jones and Chris Pendleton will have a well-devised game plan against Dake. Instead, of forcing a play on the side, I like the Under 12.5. Valencia shut down Dieringer, surrendering only one point in two matches. Dake's incredible defense has been well documented. He has shut down not only some of America's top wrestlers, but also some top foreign wrestlers.

Rick Thompson is to be named head wrestling coach at nationally-ranked Bethlehem Catholic High School, LehighValleyLive.com -- website for the Express-Times newspaper in northeast Pennsylvania -- reported Wednesday evening. The website reported the announcement could be made as soon as this week. When contacted by phone Wednesday, Thompson declined to comment. Rick ThompsonIf hired, Thompson would fill an opening left when Jeff Karam stepped down in April after a decade at Bethlehem Catholic. Thompson would bring an impressive resume as wrestler and coach to the Bethlehem Catholic mat program which is ranked No. 17 in the nation in InterMat's Fab 50 national high school rankings. Thompson, a 1973 Phillipsburg High graduate, was a two-time New Jersey state champion (1971, 1973). After graduating from Pennsylvania's Slippery Rock State University in 1977, Thompson launched a coaching career that included three stints at his high school alma mater, where, as head coach, he compiled a 268-54-1 overall record. Over the course of his career, he has coached at a number of high schools, most recently at Bangor High for the past decade.

Chris Hixon, wrestling coach and athletic director at Florida's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, along with fellow coaches Aaron Feis and Scott Beigel, will be honored with the Best Coach Award posthumously at the ESPY Awards show on July 18, the ESPN network announced Wednesday. Chris HixonFamily members of the coaches who gave their lives protecting students and others at the Parkland, Fla. school during a mass shooting Feb. 12 that killed 17 will receive the awards on behalf of their deceased family members. It is the first time in the 25-year history of the ESPYs that the coaching award will not be presented to coaches strictly for their work on the field, according to the ESPN announcement. The three Stoneman Douglas coaches are being honored for "their immeasurable bravery in the face of danger and for their ultimate sacrifice to protect the lives of countless students," said Alison Overholt, vice president and editor in chief of ESPN The Magazine. Chris Hixon, 49, had been named Broward County Athletic Association's athletic director of the year just last year. The native of Easton, Pa. had a long career as a coach and in sports administration in high schools in south Florida, interrupted only by a deployment to Iraq as a U.S. Naval Reservist in 2007. Hixon left behind a wife and two children. Hixon was recently honored posthumously at the Celebrate Wrestling eventsponsored by the Princeton, N.J. chapter of Wrestlers In Business Network. An American flag fashioned of metal and inscribed with a message honoring coach Hixon's heroism will be presented to the Florida school. Aaron Feis, assistant football coach at Stoneman Douglas, was described in an Associated Press report as "someone who counseled those with no father figure and took troubled kids under his wing. He was always there for the students, whether it was chatting in his golf cart or helping them fix their cars. No one was surprised when they learned Feis died shielding students." In reports immediately after the shooting, Stoneman Douglas head football coach Willis May said Hixon and Feis both served as school security guards. May labeled both coaches as heroes because they ran toward the scene to try to help others to safety, saying, "when something goes down, they are the first ones to rush in." Scott Beigel, 35-year-old cross-country coach and geography teacher, "helped students enter a locked classroom to avoid the gunman, and paid for the brave act with his life," according to the AP. "Several surviving students said they don't think they would be alive without Beigel's help." Danica Patrick will host the ESPY awards broadcast on ABC-TV on July 18.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Jeric Kasunic will move from excelling on the mat into chairs next to the mat after being hired as an assistant coach for the American University wrestling program, head coach Teague Moore announced Tuesday. Kasunic, who recently graduated from AU, will be responsible for assisting the heavier weights for the Eagles - assisting the 184-pounders and up. He is a two-time NCAA qualifier and led the Eagles with a 35-7 overall record and a 13-0 mark in dual matches as a senior in 2018. Moore is excited about having an accomplished and recent alumnus of the program be able to stay and provide a live role model for the future classes of Eagles. "Having Jeric join our staff as an assistant coach and the primary upper-weight coach helps our program immensely," said Moore. "Jeric understands our program and what we are trying to accomplish. His career was a constant improvement over his four years, culminating in a Freestyle University National title last summer (2017), followed by an impressive senior campaign which ranked him as high as eighth in the country. "We're excited to have Jeric with our talented upper-weights, especially with redshirt Niko Camacho who will step in at heavyweight, and also the addition of 184 Junior College national champion transfer, Tanner Harvey, from Southwest Oregon Community College. Jeric can help both of these young men achieve big results on the mats." Kasunic was voted AU's Outstanding Senior Athlete of the Year across all sports in 2018. With a career record of 102-41, he is one of the most successful wrestlers in Eagle history, tying for sixth on AU's all-time list in career victories. He finished his four seasons second on the career list with 40 falls, behind only NCAA champion and Cassell Hall of Famer Josh Glenn, who had 44. Kasunic is the only Eagle in history to appear on the single-season list in falls in each of his four seasons (5th, 11, 2014-15… T6th, 10, twice, 2015-16 & 2017-18… T11th, 9, 2016-17). He is a two-time NCAA qualifier and a three-time place-winner at the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association Championships. He finished fourth as a junior and senior after placing fifth as a sophomore. Kasunic was one of four Eagles to be honored this spring by the National Wrestling Coaches Association on its All-Academic Team. He is a two-time selection on the Academic All-EIWA Team. He graduated this spring from AU with a bachelor's degree in finance.

Logan Stieber (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Logan Stieber's list of wrestling achievements during this Olympic cycle are impressive. He's knocked off a three-time world champion. He was a member of American squads that won team titles at the World Championships and World Cup. And he reached one of his lifelong dreams by winning a world title. Even with all that he has accomplished, the best may be yet to come for the driven 27-year-old Stieber. Stieber will look to make his third straight world team when he competes at USA Wrestling's Final X on Saturday night in State College, Pa. "I'm really excited," Stieber said. "Any time you have a chance to make a world team it is a great opportunity to compete. I'm looking forward to it." Stieber, who won four NCAA titles for Ohio State, will battle current Buckeye All-American Joey McKenna in a best-of-three series in freestyle at 65 kilograms. The winner advances to October's World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Stieber will face a familiar foe in McKenna. They trained together frequently during the college season and they traveled together to Pennsylvania this week. Like Stieber, McKenna won a Junior world silver medal for the United States. McKenna placed third at the 2018 NCAA tournament for Ohio State before winning the U.S. Open in late April to clinch a Final X berth. "It should be a good matchup," Stieber said. "We have a lot of similar skills. We've trained together quite a bit and we've helped each other a lot." Wrestling someone who trains in the same room with so much at stake is something Stieber has experienced before. "I've been in this situation before with Reece Humphrey, so it's nothing new," Stieber said. "It's a good problem for us to have with two guys who train in the same room battling for the world team. We just have to treat it as professionals. He is a very good wrestler and I know I will have to be ready to go." Stieber made his first world team in 2016 and took full advantage, capturing a world title at 61 kilograms in Budapest. Logan Stieber was a member of USA's world championship team in 2017 (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Stieber made the world team again in 2017 and was a member of the American squad that won it all. But the weight cut to 61 took too much of a toll on him. He fell short of medaling in Paris. Stieber moved back up to the Olympic weight class of 65 kilograms this season. "Ultimately, it was just too hard. It made my life miserable," he said of competing at 61. "My wrestling wasn't getting better. I didn't feel good and I didn't enjoy wrestling. Now I can focus on wrestling and enjoy life and live normally. "And I can lift weights now. I couldn't lift for a year and a half when I was wrestling at 61." Stieber earned a huge win at 65 kilos at April's World Cup in Iowa City. He scored a 6-3 win over three-time world champion and Olympic bronze medalist Haji Aliyev of Azerbaijan as Carver-Hawkeye Arena fans stood and cheered. Logan Stieber defeated three-time world champion Haji Aliyev at the World Cup (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) "Aliyev is an awesome wrestler who has done well at numerous weight classes," Stieber said. "It's always good to have big wins over guys who are stars in your weight class." Stieber was then upset by Jaydin Eierman at the U.S. Open in Las Vegas before finishing third. But Stieber bounced back to sweep Eierman 10-5 and 7-1 to win the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament last month in Rochester, Minn. "I didn't finish a couple of my shots and I let him keep it close," Stieber said of the setback in Vegas. "The match in Rochester, I finished all of my attacks and my defense was better. I wrestled smarter and more controlled." The event in State College on Saturday is the second of three Final X events that will determine the 2018 U.S. world team in men's freestyle wrestling. Stieber watched online when the first Final X event was held this past Saturday in Lincoln, Neb. "I don't need much to get excited to wrestle, but it was inspiring to watch that," he said. "It definitely got me pumped up for this weekend." The first four spots on the 10-man U.S. team were determined in Lincoln. Olympic and world champions Jordan Burroughs and Kyle Snyder landed spots on the team along with world silver medalists Thomas Gilman and James Green. "We are going to have a really good world team again this year," Stieber said. "We have four really good guys on the team already and I'm excited to have an opportunity to be on there with them." Stieber has been a teammate in college and internationally with Snyder, a 22-year-old standout who is the youngest American to win the Olympics and World Championships in wrestling. Snyder won his second world title last year to lead the U.S. to the team title over Russia. "It's really special to see what Kyle is doing," Stieber said. "It's a luxury to have a guy like him training every day in the same room with us. His work ethic is extraordinary. It's motivating for everybody to see. It's great to look down there and see how hard he is pushing himself. It's impressive." Stieber benefited from a recent chance to train with former Buckeye assistant Lou Rosselli, now the head coach at Oklahoma. Rosselli is one of the country's top freestyle coaches. "Lou was in town, and he came in and we did a couple technique sessions and some conditioning," Stieber said. "We had a chance to work on some things he saw and get a different point of view." Stieber also works closely in freestyle with Buckeye assistant coach Tervel Dlagnev, a two-time Olympian. Logan Stieber with coaches Bill Zadick and Tervel Dlagnev (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) "Tervel is doing an awesome job," Stieber said. "I love his way of teaching. He's an athletes' coach and he's very well-liked around here." Stieber will compete Saturday on the campus of Penn State, a team Ohio State has battled for national supremacy in recent years at the collegiate level. "I think it will be a good atmosphere," he said. "I'm sure there will be a lot of people there." Stieber said he is eager for that first whistle to sound on Saturday. "I feel great," he said. "I'm ready to compete and I'm ready to roll. I can't wait to get out there." 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.

At the age of 27, Torivio Gallegos signed a letter of intent to wrestle at Eastern Oregon For many wrestlers, it's a rite of spring ... and a rite of passage: student-athletes signing a letter of intent to continue their academic and athletic careers in college. Most of these signees are fresh-faced teenagers. There are exceptions ... such as Torivio Gallegos, an alumnus of Fruitland High School in Idaho who this spring signed a letter of intent to wrestle at Eastern Oregon University at age 27 ... and was the subject of a feature this week in the Argus Observer. Over the years, InterMat has written about college wrestlers who don't fit into the traditional 18-22-year-old age group. Earlier this decade, we profiled Justin Decker, former University of Iowa wrestler who, as an assistant coach at Upper Iowa University, discovered he still had a year left on his college eligibility at age 33. Four years ago, we told you about Rick Chipman, the 44-year-old first responder/wrestling coach who decided to go back to college ... and get back to wrestling. Then there are the guys whose college wrestling careers were delayed by military service. Oklahoma Sooner superstar Dan Hodge was a married father of an infant son, approaching his 25th birthday, when he won his third NCAA title in 1957 ... because he had served in the U.S. Navy immediately after graduating from high school. Torivio Gallegos' situation is nothing like those described above ... because the 27-year-old who just signed that letter of intent has battled -- and seems to be beating -- a nearly decade-long addiction to opioids that resulted in multiple arrests, alienation from his family ... and, if that weren't enough, nearly cost him his marriage. For Gallegos, signing with Eastern Oregon was the next chapter in his redemption. This week, Gallegos' story was the subject of a 2,000-word feature article in the Argus Observer newspaper published Monday. Sportswriter Nick Steng tells the story of a high school wrestler who admits to being lazy in the classroom ... in the wrestling room ... and in competition. In his senior year at Fruitland High, Gallegos placed sixth in the IHSAA State Wrestling Tournament. "I was a natural athlete who didn't work hard," Gallegos told Steng. He had dabbled in drug use throughout his young life ... but, by age 19, started to be a steady user of opiates. Gallegos managed to go cold turkey and remain clean. He even helped coach a local wrestling team ... until he slipped a disk in wrestling practice. About this time, he also had oral surgery for which he was prescribed opiate painkillers. The addiction began again. His wife, unaware of his past battles, threatened to leave him. This time, Gallegos sought professional help. A local doctor gave him the expert guidance and counseling he needed to break this latest addiction. He also got the help of one of his middle school teachers who served as a mentor nearly a decade-and-a-half after being his instructor. Gallegos also found redemption in wrestling. He learned that Eastern Oregon University was bringing back its varsity wrestling program. "Wrestling has been the only thing that was always consistent with my life," Gallegos told the Argus Observer's Nick Steng. "I'm vulnerable in many areas. But wrestling is not one of those." Gallegos reached out to a friend who knew Eastern Oregon coach Dustyn Azure, who gave Gallegos a call. After listening to Gallegos' story, coach Azure told Gallegos he should come to the school for a tryout. Upon arriving on campus, Gallegos was met with a surprise. "Before we got in the wrestling room, he had the business director there and he wrote up the letter of intent right there," Gallegos said to Steng. "I don't get too excited about things. But, the thrill, it was like nothing I've ever felt before. I thought there was no way is this happening to me. It was beyond explanation." Coach Azure figured bringing Gallegos onto the team would help his recovery ... while he got a college education. As Azure told Steng, "Wrestlers are all goal-oriented and it's a sport that requires that discipline. And when you surround yourself with people like that it's just a good fit for him." "I don't believe you can just be defined by something in your past like that," Gallegos' college coach continued. "He's on the right path." Learn more about Torivio Gallegos' battles with opioid addiction -- and how his involvement in wrestling is helping him achieve a more productive life -- by reading Nick Steng's moving profile in the Argus Observer.

Adeline Gray cruised to a U.S. Open title in April (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The second stage of Final X takes place this Saturday in State College, Pa. The card will determine several additional members of the 2018 U.S. World Team. Headlining the event are a pair of longtime rivals, Kyle Dake and David Taylor. This time, they will avoid each other and instead try to turn back a pair of hungry collegiate challengers. All bouts will be conducted as a best-of-three series. The following is a weight-by-weight preview of the event with predictions. 65 kilograms: Joey McKenna vs. Logan Stieber After transferring to Ohio State, McKenna became an All-American for the second time. The former Stanford wrestler made it to the semifinals before dropping a one-point bout against Bryce Meredith. McKenna ended up knocking off Jaydin Eierman in the third-place match. Prior to the NCAA season, McKenna represented the U.S. at the U23 World Championships. He lost his second match to the eventual champion. He qualified for the repechage and finished with a bronze medal. The Buckeye earned his spot in Final X by winning the U.S. Open. At the tournament, he won his first four matches via a combined score of 43-0 and then defeated Eierman in finals with a 7-3 score. Despite making the U.S. World Team last year, Stieber had to win the World Team Trials before earning his spot in Final X. He failed to medal at the 2017 World Championships. At this year's Open he fell victim to an upset in the quarterfinals. Stieber had an early lead on Eierman but ended up falling 6-5. The pair rematched in the best-of-three Trials final. This time, Stieber defeated Eierman in two-straight matches, 10-5 and 7-1. On the international circuit, Stieber had a slow start to the year. He went 1-2 at the Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix in January and failed to place. Then, at the World Cup, Stieber won three out of four matches including a victory over three-time world champion Haji Aliyev. In his most recent international action, Stieber defeated three opponents via a 30-0 score to win a title at the Pan American Championships. McKenna is at his best when he is able to shut down his opponents and prevent them from scoring or scrambling. That is certainly a hard task against Stieber. On the other hand, Stieber's hyper offensive style does leave him open for counters. If McKenna is able to take advantage of those opportunities, he has a chance. However, at this point, Stieber should be able to break through with enough offense to take the series. Prediction: Stieber in 3 62 kilograms: Kayla Miracle vs. Mallory Velte Miracle earned her spot in Final X with a gold-medal performance at the U.S. Open. In the finals, she defeated Velte via a 3-0 score. Miracle began her year with a victory at the Klippan Open. There, she defeated world silver medalist Yulia Tkach (Ukraine). One month later, Miracle represented the U.S. at the World Cup. She went 2-2 in the tournament and picked up wins over Commonwealth Games bronze medalist Emily Schaefer (Canada) and Emma Johansson (Sweden). In her most recent action, Miracle picked up a bronze medal at the Pan American Championships Velte had a tough start to her year with an eighth-place finish at the Klippan Open. However, she had a much better showing at the World Cup. Velte went 3-1 in the dual tournament and defeated Asian champion Orkhon Purevdorj (Mongolia). After falling against Miracle at the Open, Velte needed to win the World Team Trials in order to qualify for Final X. After receiving a bye to the finals, she bested Brenda Reyna in a pair of matches with a combined 23-2 score. This match could easily turn into a defensive struggle. In their first match, only one takedown was scored, and the referee had to allow major continuation for it to happen. In theory Velte's status as a veteran could make the difference. However, Miracle's movement and footwork gives her an advantage in terms of passivity. In a match that could come down to shot-clock points, Miracle takes the edge. Prediction: Miracle in 3 72 kilograms: Erin Clodgo vs. Rachel Watters Clodgo was mostly out of action this year. She returned at the U.S. Open and earned a spot in Final X. Clodgo won her first three matches at the Open without giving up a point. In the finals, she edged Watters to win the bracket. Clodgo got out to a 6-4 lead early in the second period and held on for a 6-5 victory. After losing to Clodgo, Watters needed to win the World Team Trials in order to qualify for Final X. In the finals, she defeated Hannah Gladden in two-straight matches via 11-1 and 10-3 scores. Watters recently finished her sophomore year at Oklahoma City University. In her second year of college, she finished third at the WCWA championships while wrestling up at 170 pounds. While Watters is quickly rising up the ranks, Clodgo might still be too much of a challenge for her at this point. Their first match was close, but Clodgo showed that she has a strength and physicality advantage. If she scores a few takedowns early, she will be able to slow the match down and sit on a lead. Prediction: Clodgo in 2 79 kilograms: Kyle Dake vs. Zahid Valencia When UWW expanded the weight classes, wrestling fans in the U.S. immediately saw an opportunity for Dake to make his first senior-level world team. So far, he has looked like the man to beat at the new weight. The former Cornell wrestler began his year with a silver medal performance at the Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix. He won his first two bouts, including a victory over Junior world champion Alan Zassev (Russia), before falling against European champion Akhmed Gadzhimagomedov (Russia) in the finals. Dake had a standout performance at the World Cup. He ran through his first three opponents, including world silver medalist Sohsuke Takatani (Japan), by a combined score of 31-0. In the final dual, Dake knocked off two-time world bronze medalist Yabrail Hasanov (Azerbaijan). To reach Final X, Dake won the U.S. Open. He ran through his first three opponents in only 3:57 and did not surrender a point. In the finals, Dake held on at the last minute to claim a 5-5 victory on criteria over Alex Dieringer. Valencia earned his spot in the World Team Trials challenge tournament via his NCAA title. In his sophomore season at Arizona State, he went undefeated and knocked off returning champion Mark Hall in the finals. At the Trials, he moved to the finals with a 10-0 victory over veteran Josh Asper. In the finals, he upset Dieringer in two-straight matches and only surrendered a single point. Valencia's last two major challenges, Hall and Dieringer, are both defensive stalwarts. However, Valencia has had the offensive skill, technique and persistence to score on the feet. Dake represents another strong defensive wrestler for the Arizona State wrestler. Unlike Hall and Dieringer, Dake the ability to turn his defense into offense. He can, and often does, score from counter positions. If Valencia constantly attacks, it could end up giving Dake more opportunities to score. Prediction: Dake in 3 76 kilograms: Adeline Gray vs. Korinahe Bullock Gray won back-to-back world championships in 2014 and 2015. She was the gold-medal favorite for the 2016 Olympics, but she unexpectedly finished seventh. Gray took most of 2017 off before returning in the fall. So far this year, she has won the Flatz Open, Klippan Open and the Pan American Championships. At the Klippan Open, she defeated 2017 world champion Yasar Adar (Turkey). To qualify for Final X, Gray won three straight matches at the U.S. Open. In the finals, she defeated Leilani Camargo-Naone via 11-0 technical fall. It is safe to say that nobody had Bullock making Final X when the series was first announced. She recently completed her freshman season at McKendree where she finished eighth at the WCWA championships and became an All-American for the first time. Bullock placed fourth at the Open after losing in the semifinals to Camargo-Naone. The result qualified her for the World Team Trials. At the Trials, she won a two-person tournament against Mariah Harris of Campbellsville. Gray remains one of the best wrestlers in the world at this weight. Bullock has made a surprising run to Final X, but her luck will run out in State College. Look for Gray to bully Bullock in the ties and get to her leg attacks whenever she wants. Prediction: Gray in 2 David Taylor celebrates after a victory at the Freestyle World Cup (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) 86 kilograms: David Taylor vs. Nick Reenan For two years now, Taylor has been on quite a run at 86 kilograms. Last year, he seemingly did everything until running into J'den Cox in the finals of the World Team Trials and failing to make the team. This year, he has won every event he has entered, and Cox will not be standing in his way. He began his year with a victory at the Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix. There, Taylor defeated Olympic silver medalist Selim Yasar (Turkey) and pinned 2018 European champion Artur Naifanov (Russia). A few months later, the former Penn State wrestler was back in action at the World Cup. He picked up four technical fall victories in the tournament with a combined score of 45-5. To make Final X, Taylor won the U.S. Open. He needed to go through one of the larger brackets and did so seemingly with ease. Taylor surrendered only two points in five matches and defeated Richard Perry in the finals. In his most recent action, he won a gold medal at the Pan American Championships where he picked up a second close victory over Cuban standout Yurieski Torreblanca Queralta. Reenan might be the biggest surprise of Final X on the men's side. This past season, he redshirted for North Carolina State after qualifying for the NCAA tournament as a freshman. Reenan needed to place at the U.S. Open in order to qualify for the World Team Trials. Things did not get off to a good start as he lost his first match to Perry. However, he won six straight matches in the consolation bracket, including wins over Pat Downey and T.J. Dudley, to finish third. At the Trials, Reenan reversed a previous loss against Joe Rau and then also got revenge against Perry in two straight matchers in the final. Taylor has been a man on mission recently. While Reenan scored a string of upsets to qualify, he is facing a different kind of test with Taylor. His top position scoring continues to improve at this stage in his career. If he ever ends up on top, he has a chance to finish the match. On top of that, Taylor will have the home-crowd advantage in this one. Prediction: Taylor in 2

Mark Manning and Bryan Snyder coaching Jordan Burroughs at the World Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Nebraska Head Coach Mark Manning and Associate Head Coach Bryan Snyder have been named winners of the 2017 Terry McCann Freestyle Co-Coaches of the Year by USA Wrestling after guiding Jordan Burroughs to a world title and James Green to a world silver medal last year. In addition to their duties with the NU program, Manning and Snyder work together as coaches for the Nebraska Regional Training Center, where a number of top men's freestyle athletes train. The pair serve as the personal coaches of Burroughs , an Olympic gold medalist four-time world champion, and Green, a two-time world medalist. Burroughs and Green both retained their spots on the USA Wrestling World Team for the 2018 season by winning finals series at their respective weight classes at Final X at the Bob Devaney Sports Center last Saturday. The 2017 season was another remarkable campaign in the careers of Burroughs and Green, capped off by performances at the 2017 World Championships in Paris, France, where the pair helped the United States to its first team title since 1995. Burroughs won his fourth world championship in 2017, as he became the second American men's freestyle wrestler to win four world golds, following wins in 2011, 2013 and 2015. Burroughs also won Olympic gold in 2012, and he is tied for second in U.S. history with five combined World and Olympic titles. Green earned his best finish at the World Championships in 2017, as he earned the silver medal in Paris. He also earned a bronze medal at the 2015 World Championships. Both wrestlers won titles at the U.S. Open in 2017, as well as the Grand Prix of Spain. The two clinched their spots on the 2017 World Team by winning their weight classes at the World Team Trials held in Lincoln. Green also won a title at the 2017 Pan-American Championships. Manning earns the Terry McCann Award for a third time, to go along with previous awards in 2011 and 2015. Snyder earns the honor for the first time, and 2017 marks the first year that USA Wrestling has honored two coaches with the award since it was initiated in 1992. Manning recently completed his 18th season at the helm of the Nebraska program after leading the Huskers to a ninth-place finish with three All-America honors at the 2018 NCAA Championships. Snyder, a four-time All-American at NU, wrapped up his eighth year on the Husker staff in 2017-18. Manning and Snyder have guided Burroughs and Green to notable wins so far in 2018. In addition to their wins at Final X, Green won the 70 kg title at the Pan-American Championships for the second year in a row, while Burroughs defeated the 2017 world champion at 70 kg Frank Chamizo of Italy, in a Super Match contested at 74 kg at Beat the Streets New York. The 2018 Freestyle World Championships are set for Oct. 20-28 in Budapest, Hungary, where Burroughs will look to defend his title and Green will look to claim world gold for the first time. This award is named after the late wrestling legend Terry McCann, a 1960 Olympic champion wrestler. McCann was a long-time coach with the successful Mayor Daley Youth Foundation club, which won numerous national titles in freestyle and Greco-Roman and produced champion athletes for the United States. McCann also served as USA Wrestling President and a United World Wrestling Bureau member. Past Terry McCann Award Winners as Freestyle Coach of the Year 2017 - Mark Manning, Lincoln, Neb., Nebraska RTC and Bryan Snyder, Lincoln, Neb., Nebraska RTC (co-winners) 2016 - Lou Rosselli, Norman, Okla., New York AC 2015 - Mark Manning, Lincoln, Neb., Nebraska RTC 2014 - Terry Brands, Iowa City, Iowa, Hawkeye WC 2013 - Lou Rosselli, Columbus, Ohio, New York AC 2012 - Cael Sanderson, State College, Pa., Nittany Lion WC 2011 - Mark Manning, Lincoln, Neb., Sunkist Kids 2010 - Sean Bormet, Naperville, Ill., New York AC 2009 - John Smith, Stillwater, Okla., Gator WC 2008 - Sean Bormet, Naperville, Ill., New York AC 2007 - Lou Rosselli, Columbus, Ohio, New York AC 2006 - Sean Bormet, Naperville, Ill., New York AC 2005 - Mike Duroe, Iowa City, Iowa, Hawkeye TC 2004 - Bobby Douglas, Ames, Iowa, Sunkist Kids 2003 - Tom Brands, Iowa City, Iowa, Hawkeye WC 2002 - Tom Brands, Iowa City, Iowa, Hawkeye WC 2001 - Zeke Jones, Morgantown, W.Va., Sunkist Kids 2000 - John Smith, Stillwater, Okla., Sunkist Kids 1999 - Greg Strobel, Bethlehem, Pa., New York Athletic Club 1998 - John Smith, Stillwater, Okla., Sunkist Kids 1997 - Greg Strobel, Bethlehem, Pa., New York Athletic Club 1996 - Bruce Burnett, Colorado Springs, Colo., National Freestyle Coach 1995 - Bruce Burnett, Colorado Springs, Colo., National Freestyle Coach 1994 - Gene Davis, Colorado Springs, Colo., Athletes In Action 1993 - Joe Seay, Oklahoma City, Okla., Sunkist Kids 1992 - Bobby Douglas, Ames, Iowa, Sunkist Kids

Kyle Dake is a -350 favorite against Zahid Valencia (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Betting odds for Final X in State College (Pa.) have been released by BetDSI. The event takes place Saturday at 6 p.m. ET at Rec Hall on the campus of Penn State. To register for an online account and bet online, visit BetDSI.com. How betting works: If betting on a wrestler listed with a minus (-) sign, you must risk that number amount to profit $100 (and get your stake back). For example, risking $350 on Kyle Dake (-350-) would profit $100. If betting on a wrestler listed with a plus (+) sign, for every $100 you risk, you profit that amount. For example, risking $100 on Mallory Velte (+110) would profit $110. When betting matches with point spreads -- like Logan Stieber (-2) vs. Joey McKenna (+2), a minus (-) sign indicates the favorite, while a plus (+) sign indicates the underdog. Note: Betting odds are subject to change.

Jason Blair Roberts, founder of an anti-gun violence group in the Quad Cities and son of African-American wrestling pioneer Simon Roberts, was shot to death early Saturday morning in his hometown of Davenport, Iowa. Jason Blair Roberts was 46. Roberts was shot at approximately 2 a.m. Saturday morning just west of downtown Davenport. First responders took him to a nearby hospital where he died. Jason Blair RobertsJason Blair Roberts was a founder of "Boots on the Ground" a grassroots organization established to end gun violence in the Quad Cities, a metropolitan area consisting of a number of communities on either side of the Mississippi River including Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa, and Moline and Rock Island, Illinois. The Roberts family issued this statement: "We are shocked and deeply saddened by the senseless murder of our sweet Jason Blair. Jason was a loving son, brother, husband, uncle and friend. Most importantly he was a father to four beautiful young ladies who will miss him dearly. We ask that the media respect our privacy at this time. Our family and friends need this time to both grieve and celebrate his life. Please remember that Jason was a caring and peaceful man. He would expect us to be compassionate toward one another at this time, despite our pain." Others who knew Jason Roberts expressed their reaction to Roberts' murder. "It's just a shock because he wasn't involved in the street life or a gang," Dwayne Hodges, a longtime friend who played sports and attended Davenport Central High School with Roberts in the late 1980s, told the Quad-City Times. "I don't know one person who would have a bad word to say about him; he was a devoted community person." "It's sad that somebody in the community would take this man away from his family and everyone that loved him," he continued. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact he's no longer here." The Rev. Daniel Teague, a leader within the Boots on the Ground organization and cousin to the now-deceased man, told WQAD-TV, the ABC affiliate in the Quad Cities, "That was a good man. He wouldn't hurt a fly. No one deserves to die in the streets like that." Some in the family believe that someone within the community knows who the killer is and should come forth with that information. "My prayer right now is that loyalty he showed friends in life, that they show him in death and help bring closure to this situation we're in right now," said Teague. No suspects have been caught as of Tuesday afternoon. Crime Stoppers of the Quad Cities is offering a cash reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to arrest of the person or people responsible for the Jason Roberts homicide. Jason Blair Roberts earned an associate degree in liberal arts from Black Hawk College in Moline and a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from the University of New Mexico, according to his LinkedIn profile. He had worked at Progressive Insurance since 2000. The murder victim's father, Simon Roberts, was a groundbreaking individual within the sport of wrestling. Si Roberts, who wrestled at what is now Davenport Central High School, was the first black wrestler to win an Iowa state title in 1954. Three years later, the elder Roberts made history again, as the first African-American to win a national mat championship at the 1957 NCAAs, wrestling for the University of Iowa. Si Roberts later became the first wrestling coach of color in the Quad Cities at Alleman Catholic High School. He was a noted civil rights leader within the Quad Cities area who now lives in Kansas City, Mo. In addition to his father and mother Betty, Jason Blair Roberts is survived by his wife Yolanda French, daughters Jalynn Rose, Olivia Jae, Kashé and Déja Robinson; sisters Paula McDowell of Kansas City, Dori (Byron) Canady of Santa Rosa, CA, Melanie “Missy” Roberts of Kansas City, Jodi (Maurice) Brown of Indianapolis and Kristen Roberts of Davenport; his brothers Anthony (Robin) Roberts of Davenport, Patrick (Aimee) Roberts of Moline and Bradley Roberts of St. Louis; numerous nieces and nephews; aunts, uncles and extended family. UPDATE: Funeral services will be at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, June 15, 2018 at the Halligan-McCabe-DeVries Funeral Home, 614 Main Street, downtown Davenport. Burial will be in Oakdale Memorial Gardens. Visitation will be Thursday from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the funeral home.

Buena Vista University (BVU) Director of Athletics, Jack Denholm, has announced the hiring of Mark Rial, as the University's next head wrestling coach, pending the completion of a standard background check. Rial has been employed by Royal Flooring in Urbandale, Iowa, since 2017 where he works with builders and home owners on new construction and retail projects from start to finish. In addition to those duties, he has remained closely involved with the sport of wrestling and is gearing up to take the U.S. Greco-Roman Cadet Team to Zagreb, Croatia in July after being named as a co-coach of the team earlier this year. He was named the Iowa USA Person of the Year in 2017. Mark Rial"I'm very excited to become the next head wrestling coach at Buena Vista University," says Rial. "I met a lot of great people during my time on campus for the interview process which makes it even more exciting. There are a lot of great things going on both on campus and within the wrestling program that makes it an attractive place to be. I feel very motivated to lead and to carry on the tradition of BVU wrestling, and with such passionate alumni here, it makes it even more exciting." From 2010-17, Rial was an assistant coach at Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge where he was also heavily involved with recruiting. During his tenure with the Tritons program, he was part of a pair of NJCAA National Championship finishes. Prior to joining the ICCC staff, he served as the wrestling strength and conditioning coach at the University of Northern Iowa from 2008-10, where he assisted with the development and goals of Division I athletes. Rial was a three-time letter winner and a co-captain in wrestling at UNI where he became an NCAA qualifier as a senior in 2001. Following graduation, he was part of USA Wrestling from 2002-08 and he went on to become a national champion in 2008. He was a five-time National Greco Roman All-American and a three-time University Nationals All-American. He placed sixth at the Olympic Trials in 2004. "We are thrilled to announce Mark Rial as the new head wrestling coach at Buena Vista University," says Denholm. "His wrestling background is very impressive and he is motivated to create a successful program here. All of his valuable experience and leadership skills will give him the tools to make an impact." A native of Fort Dodge, Rial was a two-time state champion for the Dodgers. He was a four-time state qualifier and a three-time state finalist, earning individual titles in both 1994 and 1996 while finishing as a runner-up in 1995. He also earned both the Henry W. Schultz and Kevin Lind Scholarship awards. "The sport of wrestling is a demanding one, but not to be lost is also the demand of being a student-athlete," adds Rial. "It takes some adjusting to find that balance, but I'm ready to get here, work extremely hard and show lots of passion for the program and to get it back to the high level. There is so much upside in place and I'm looking forward to the challenge and am extremely confident we can get there." Rial has also volunteered some of his free time serving as a referee and timekeeper at several youth wrestling tournaments over the years and also serving as a guest speaker on both sports and athletics at various local elementary and high schools. Rial graduated from UNI with a Bachelor of Arts degree in general studies in 2001.

Donnie Morgan with wife Reannen and sons Evan, Ryker, Ben, and Jax A GoFundMe.com page has been established for Donnie Morgan, a former wrestler at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Mo., who passed away Memorial Day (Monday, May 28) after a battle with leukemia. He was 38. "The page is designed to build a scholarship fund for Donnie's four sons for their future education needs," according to Jimmy Rollins, current Lindenwood head coach who helped set up the page. "Even though he wrestled at our school before I came on board as coach (in 2010), we think it's very important to support our wrestling alums any way we can," Rollins told InterMat. "When we learned of Donnie's leukemia, we tried to do what we could to help, such as reaching out to potential bone marrow donors, or providing Lindenwood gear for him to wear to treatments." "Although Donnie's time at Lindenwood didn't coincide with mine as coach, I feel a bond with him. Someone told me that his nickname was "Neck Wrench Donnie" because he had a killer neck wrench." By all accounts, Donnie Morgan was an accomplished wrestler in high school and college. At Claremore High School, Morgan was a two-time Oklahoma state wrestling champ, first as a sophomore (becoming the school's first-ever), then as a senior. He was also a four-time state placer and was elected All-State. Morgan's on-the-mat accomplishments in Oklahoma helped him earn a scholarship to Lindenwood University, where he wrestled from 1998-2003. He was a member of squad that won the national team title in 2002. Morgan earned his bachelor's degree from the St. Louis area school in 2003. Donald (Donnie) Wayne Morgan, Jr. was born in Claremore in northeast Oklahoma on March 31,1980 to Donald Wayne, Sr. and Debra Kaye Walton Morgan. From his experience in working for Farmers Insurance in assisting policyholders with claims, in 2012 Morgan established HCS -- Home Claim Solutions LLC -- which is a roofing and restoration company. HCS was about to be listed in Inc. Magazine as one of the top 5000 fastest growing companies in the nation. In addition to his parents, Donnie Morgan is survived by his wife of nearly a dozen years, Reannen Morgan, and their four sons Evan, Ryker, Ben, and Jax Morgan (intended beneficiaries of the GoFundMe college education fund) … along with his sisters, Johnna Morgan and husband Brett Fleak, and Lindsey Michener and husband Gary; grandparents MC and Jewel Morgan, numerous nieces and a nephew as well as many aunts, uncles and cousins. Funeral services have already taken place.

For Clay Wenger, once a Grizzly, always a Grizzly. Wenger, a two-time Ohio state championships qualifier for the nationally-ranked Wadsworth High School Grizzlies, is returning to his alma mater as head coach, the Akron Beacon Journal reported Monday. Clay WengerIt's a promotion for Wenger, who has served as varsity assistant wrestling coach at Wadsworth the past three years under long-time Grizzlies coach John Gramuglia, who retired in May after 33 seasons. The 25-year-old Wenger will be taking the reins of a wrestling program ranked No. 18 in the nation on InterMat's Fab 50 high school rankings for 2017-18. Wegner brings a wealth of wrestling and coaching experience to head up the Wadsworth mat program. A captain on Wadsworth's Division I state championship 2010 team, Wenger was a four-year varsity letter winner, a two-time high school All-American and two-time state qualifier. He graduated from Wadsworth in 2011. Wenger continued his academic and wrestling career at nearby Kent State University, where he was a two-year varsity letter winner. The Golden Flashes won a Mid-American Conference title in 2012, and finished in the Top 20 in the NCAA Division I Tournament in each of Wenger's four years before graduating in 2015. Wegner is thrilled to get the promotion that puts him in charge of the program that, under Gramuglia, could claim 328 individual district qualifiers, 142 individual state qualifiers, 94 individual state placers, 38 state finalists and 16 individual state champions. "It is a dream of mine to have the opportunity to be the head coach at the place that helped me become the wrestler, coach, and person I am today," Wenger said. "My goal is to be an impact on all my wrestlers so they have the same great experience I did. It's an honor to have learned and continue to learn from coach G every day. He has taught me to dream big and that hard work will pay off. "I am excited to carry on the rich Grizzly wrestling tradition he built. I am also excited to work with this great group of returning lettermen and outstanding incoming freshmen. We are dreaming big and excited for the upcoming 2018-19 season. We have a great summer offseason planned and are ready for the challenge to keep our rich tradition going." Gramuglia may be retiring as head coach but will remain associated with the Wadsworth wrestling program as director of operations. The long-time coach has strong confidence in his successor. "Clay Wenger embodies everything Wadsworth wrestling exemplifies: Class, integrity and work ethic," Gramuglia said to the Medina Gazette. "There is no finer person I would like to carry on the Wadsworth wrestling rich tradition."

Nick Nosbisch, North Carolina teacher and wrestling coach, has lost his two-year battle with cancer. The 29-year-old passed away Friday morning. Affectionately known by his students and wrestlers as "Coach Noz," Nosbisch was a social studies teacher and head wrestling coach at Holly Springs High School in the Raleigh-Durham area. Just two years ago, he coached Cam Devers to the school's first-ever North Carolina state wrestling title, and took the Golden Hawks to runner-up status at the dual-meet playoffs in Class 4A for the first time in history. Nick NosbischIt was about that time that Nosbisch learned he had intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, a rare form of bile duct cancer. It was in Stage 4 and had spread to his lymph nodes, though not to other parts of his body. Less than two weeks after that diagnosis, Nosbisch had surgery to remove the tumor. In May 2017, Nosbisch was awarded the N.C. High School Athletic Association's A.J. "Tony" Simeon Courage Award at its annual meeting. According to the NCHSAA, the Courage Award is "designed to honor individuals who, despite adversity, have demonstrated exemplary character and performance and, as a result, have been an inspiration to all those involved with the programs of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association." The Courage Award wasn't Coach Noz's first honor. In 2016, Nosbisch won a national award from the Positive Coaching Alliance, presented to coaches who strive for success in competition while also helping teach their athletes important life lessons. "The response you've seen from what's gone on in the community -- from the kids, from parents, from past parents who were here tonight shows how much he cares for his kids," Holly Springs athletic director Rod Whitesell told the Raleigh News & Observer at the time the award was presented. "He hasn't wanted it to be a big deal because he always wants it to be about the kids and the wrestlers, and I think that's a testament to him. That's why you hear such positive things about him -- he puts kids first." If that weren't enough, Nosbisch also received the Double-Goal Coach Award from Team Snap, which goes to coaches who have success in sports while also teaching life lessons. Holly Springs High School principal Brian Pittman informed parents of the coach's passing in a letter sent out this week. "Loved and admired by his students, Mr. Nosbisch, or just Noz as he was often called, was a blessing to many as a talented classroom teacher, dedicated coach, and someone who embodied the spirit of the Golden Hawks," Pittman wrote. "Mr. Nosbisch simply loved to be at school surrounded by his students, colleagues, and friends." Pittman's letter also included sentiments from some of Nosbisch's students and wrestlers. "His impact on my life has been exponentially larger than anyone else. It isn't wrestling, he has taught me about life." "He showed personal interest in more than just me as a student or athlete. He cared about me as a person not just my success on a test or on a mat." "He taught me how to be determined and follow through in life. Once you start you never give up!" "Coach Noz has made me realize that life is special and that you should take every day seriously and just have fun." Nick Nosbisch is survived by his wife Melissa; parents Denise and Steve; and brothers Jack and Max. A celebration of life for Nick Nosbisch will take place Tuesday, June 12 starting at 7 p.m. at Hope Community Church/Apex Annex at 2080 East Williams Street in Apex, NC.

Kyle Crutchmer's pro MMA debut was impressive ... and brief. The former Oklahoma State wrestler needed less than 90 seconds in the cage in his first professional fight at Xtreme Fight Night 348 at Buffalo Run Casino in Miami, Okla. Saturday night. In a middleweight (185-pound) battle of Tulsa natives, Crutchmer scored a technical knockout over Ron Beasley at one minute, 23 seconds of the first round of what was scheduled to be a three-round bout. Early in the fight, Beasley -- who was also making his pro debut - tied up Crutchmer in a clinch. The Cowboy mat star quickly took the match to the ground and eventually locked in a guillotine choke, putting his opponent to sleep. Kyle Crutchmer won his MMA debut"I kind of wanted to stand and strike a little bit more, but he clinched and came to where I wanted to be," Crutchmer told the Joplin (Mo.) Globe. "The guy gave me my wrestling. I had to take advantage of that." Crutchmer received a huge ovation inside the casino during his introduction and moments later after referee Liz Carreiro stepped in to signal the end of the fight. As a two-time NCAA All-American and Big 12 champ for the legendary Oklahoma State wrestling program, Crutchmer is accustomed to the raucous fans at Gallagher-Iba Arena ... but he was still impressed with the crowd reaction at his pro MMA debut. "There's nothing like Gallagher, but this was pretty cool," Crutchmer told the Miami (Okla.) News Journal. "It was just crazy," Crutchmer continued. "I kinda knew it would be exciting, but man, to really hear the fans cheering and the kids out there ... I don't know; I am very humbled and very blessed to be able to do this." Crutchmer had the support of two great past Cowboy wrestlers. In his corner at his first MMA fight was three-time NCAA champ Alex Dieringer ... and, to help him train for the event, Crutchmer was coached by UFC light-heavyweight champ and NCAA finalist Daniel Cormier of the American Kickboxing Academy. "Training with DC has been a blessing," Crutchmer told KOTV in an interview a couple days before his MMA debut. "He's done a lot for me as for getting acclimated to this different stuff. Once you have those guys it's a pretty easy transition." "I wanted to keep competing and that was another avenue that I had," Crutchmer continued. "I've always been in fights and the way I kind of present myself, I think people always thought I would go that route." After Saturday's MMA debut, Crutchmer anticipates his next fight will be August 3.

Colby Covington It was a night of mixed results for former wrestlers at UFC 225: Whittaker vs. Romero 2 at Chicago's United Center on Saturday, with ex-mat stars Robert Whittaker, Colby Covington, and Curtis Blaydes coming out victorious ... while a trio of past wrestlers -- Yoel Romero, Rashad Evans, and Carla Esparza -- lost their bouts. Whittaker gets split decision over Olympian Romero In a main-event battle of two amateur wrestlers, the less experienced matman beat the Olympic medalist. Again. Robert Whittaker, an Australian freestyle wrestler who has been competing in the sport for only about three years, "eked out" (to use a phrase from MMA website Sherdog.com) a split decision over two-time Olympic wrestling veteran (and 2000 Olympic silver medalist) Yoel Romero in the middleweight (185-pound) main event. Two officials scored the bout 48-47 for Whittaker, while the third gave it to the Cuban Olympian by the same score. The two had fought before at UFC 213 in July 2017, with Whittaker coming out on top in a unanimous decision. Here's how Sherdog opened its reporting of the UFC 225 main event: "Yoel Romero couldn't quite make his late-round magic happen in Chicago" going on to say, "The fight featured huge momentum swings and tremendous offensive firepower on both sides." Robert Whittaker defeated Yoel RomeroRomero actually knocked Whittaker to the canvas in the third round of a fight slated for five rounds. Sherdog.com described the split decision as being "contentious." Saturday's Whittaker-Romero 2 had originally been intended to be for the UFC Middleweight Title. However, at the weigh-ins, Romero initially tipped the scales at 186 pounds, 1 pound over the middleweight limit for a title fight. Romero was given additional time to make weight, but remained ever-so-slightly over at 185.2 lbs. Therefore, the bout proceeded as a non-title contest. The Cuban was fined 30 percent of his purse, which will go to Whittaker. With the closeness of the decision -- and the bout not being for the title -- it's not impossible to imagine there's a "Whittaker vs. Romero 3" in the future. With the win, Whittaker is now 20-4 in his MMA career, while Romero drops to 13-3. Covington earns unanimous decision Former collegiate wrestler Colby Covington got a hard-fought -- but unanimous -- decision over former lightweight champ Rafael dos Anjos in their five-round welterweight (170-pound) co-main event. Officials scored it 49-46, 48-47, and 48-47 for Covington, a junior college champ at Iowa Central Community College who went on to become a two-time NCAA All-American at Oregon State before entering MMA. "'Chaos' won the fight largely by outdoing dos Anjos at his own game: employing a relentless, hyper-aggressive wrestling attack against the fence in all five rounds, never appearing to allow 'RDA' space or time to breathe," reported Sherdog.com. "Despite Covington's suffocating attack, dos Anjos had his moments, particularly in Round 4, where he turned the tables and took the American down, then took a variety of dominant positions while looking for a submission." With the win, Covington now owns a 14-1 record on six-match win streak ... and earns what is expected to be a unification bout with champion Tyron Woodley, a University of Missouri mat alum. dos Anjos, coming off a three-fight win streak, is now 28-10. Blaydes knocks out Overeem Curtis Blaydes, a Chicago area native who was an Illinois high school state champ and junior college titlist for Harper College, scored what MMAfighting.com described as a "violent finish" to muscular heavyweight Alistair Overeem with a TKO at 2:56 of Round Three. "Blaydes used a nasty series of elbows to finish veteran Alistair Overeem in front of Blaydes' hometown fans," according to MMAfighting.com. With the win -- his eighth career KO/TKO -- Blaydes improves to 10-1 (1 no-contest), while the veteran Overeem drops to 43-17, (1 no contest). Gadelha gets split decision over Esparza In a strawweight (115-pound) preliminary battle, Claudia Gadelha came out on top of former high school and college wrestler Carla Esparza. It was a split decision, with Gadelha earning 29-28 scores from two officials, and Esparza getting the same score from the third judge. Esparza launched her mat career in high school in California, winning a number of regional and national titles. She earned a wrestling scholarship at Menlo College, working with recent National Wrestling Hall of Fame inductee -- and two-time Olympian -- Lee Allen. With the win, Gadelha is now (record), while Esparza falls to (record). Rashad Evans: gone in less than a minute An impressive college wrestling resume -- as a junior college champ in New York State, and an NCAA All-American for Michigan State -- didn't help Rashad Evans in his preliminary heavyweight bout at UFC 225. Anthony Smith made short work of Evans, scoring a knockout in 53 seconds of the first round. "Smith and his prey clinched against the fence, where the Nebraskan pushed the smaller man's head down with one forearm and crushed him with a knee to the head," according to Sherdog.com. "Evans crumpled to the ground, where Smith tagged him with a single follow-up blow before referee Dan Miragliotta could interpose himself." With the quick win, Smith improves to 29-13, while Evans is now 19-8. The loss is Evans' fifth straight, as the former Spartan had not notched a win since defeating Chael Sonnen -- a former wrestler at the now-defunct program at University of Oregon -- in November 2013.

Don't be surprised if you hear University of Pittsburgh wrestling fans chanting "Four more years!" towards Micky Phillippi. Micky PhillippiNo, the redshirt freshman isn't running for political office. However, the NCAA has granted Phillippi a sixth year of eligibility to wrestle for the Panthers. Or as Pittsburgh Tribune-Review sportswriter Bill Beckner, Jr., wrote Friday, "Get used to seeing Micky Phillippi in a Pitt wrestling singlet for four more years." Phillippi started his collegiate mat career at University of Virginia in 2016, where he was 22-7 in open tournaments. This past season (2017-18), the 133-pounder sat out due to NCAA transfer rules, tallying a 12-3 record as an unattached wrestler in open tournaments. Prior to college, Phillippi -- a native of Derry, Pa. -- was a three-time PIAA (Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association) champ at Derry Area High School.

Jordan Burroughs defeated Isaiah Martinez two matches to zero (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) LINCOLN, Neb. -- The United States is on top right now in men's freestyle wrestling. The reigning world team champions and World Cup champions are loading up for another big run. Four members of those highly successful teams landed berths on the 2018 U.S. World Team. Jordan Burroughs, Kyle Snyder, James Green and Thomas Gilman won titles at USA Wrestling's Final X before 2,916 fans Saturday night at the Devaney Center. Burroughs made his eighth straight world-level team after downing young standout Isaiah Martinez 4-1 and 11-1 in the finals at 74 kilograms. Burroughs, a 2012 Olympic gold medalist, is seeking his fifth world title. "It was incredible to wrestle here in front of the Husker fans again -- it was electric," Burroughs said. "It really means a lot for me and James Green to wrestle here and have a chance to make another world team. It's awesome. I'm very grateful to make another team." The four men's freestyle champions on Saturday landed berths in October's UWW World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Burroughs now has a chance to equal John Smith's American record of six combined Olympic and world titles. It is a record he has targeted and talked about since he won his first world title in 2011. "I'm motivated and hungry to have another chance to win a world title," he said. "I feel like I'm the best guy in the world right now. I'm excited to make another team." Kyle Snyder cruised to a victory over Kyven Gadson (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Snyder defeated Kyven Gadson on Saturday at 97 kilograms. Snyder, 22, will be shooting for his fourth straight gold medal after earning world titles in 2015 and 2017, and striking Olympic gold in 2016. "I'm really motivated and driven to be the best in the world again," Snyder said. "I think our team is still the underdog to win world again because I think people thought it was a fluke. We're excited to try to win it again." Snyder swept Gadson for the second straight year in the finals of the world qualifier. Snyder won 9-0 and 8-2. Gadson caught Snyder by surprise in the second match, firing in on a double-leg shot and driving Snyder off the stage. "I've been in that situation before and you just have to keep your composure," he said. "I just had to keep wrestling hard. If he wouldn't have got that first takedown I would've teched him." Thomas Gilman topped Daton Fix at 57 kilograms (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Gilman, a 2017 world silver medalist, swept Junior world champion Daton Fix 6-3 and 2-1 at 57 kilograms. "I'm super motivated to have another shot at winning a world title," he said. "I'm ready to make a run at it again and win it this time. I'm settling for nothing less than a gold medal." James Green defeated Jason Chamberlain at 70 kilograms (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Green, a 2017 world silver medalist and another former Husker, swept Jason Chamberlain 2-0 and 2-1 in the finals at 70 kilograms. Two-time world silver medalist Alli Ragan swept past World Team member Jenna Burkert 4-0 and 5-0 in the women's freestyle finals at 59 kilograms. "I'm ready for another shot to win a world title," Ragan said. "I've been second the past two years and I'm really excited to have another shot this year. I want that gold medal. That's all I'm training for." Jacarra Winchester knocked off world bronze medalist Becka Leathers (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Jacarra Winchester knocked off world bronze medalist Becka Leathers in two straight matches to prevail at 55 kilograms. She won 10-6 and 5-1. 2017 World Team member Tamyra Stock took two straight matches from Randyll Beltz at 68 kilograms. This was the first of three events in the new Final X format that will determine the U.S. men's and women's freestyle world team. Final X events will follow in State College, Pa. and Bethlehem, Pa. over the next two weekends. Results 70 kilograms: James Green def. Jason Chamberlain, 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Green dec. Chamberlain, 2-0 Match 2: Green dec. Chamberlain, 2-1 59 kilograms: Alli Ragan def. Jenna Burkert, 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Ragan dec. Burkert, 4-0 Match 2: Ragan dec. Burkert, 5-0 97 kilograms: Kyle Snyder def. Kyven Gadson, 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Snyder dec. Gadson, 9-0 Match 2: Snyder dec. Gadson, 10-2 55 kilograms: Jacarra Winchester def. Becka Leathers, 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Winchester dec. Leathers, 10-6 Match 2: Winchester dec. Leathers, 5-1 57 kilograms: Thomas Gilman def. Daton Fix, 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Gilman dec. Fix, 6-3 Match 2: Gilman dec. Fix, 2-1 68 kilograms: Tamyra Stock def. Randyll Beltz, 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Mensah-Stock tech. fall Beltz, 10-0 Match 2: Mensah-Stock tech. fall Beltz, 10-0 74 kilograms: Jordan Burroughs def. Isaiah Martinez, 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Burroughs dec. Martinez, 4-1 Match 2: Burroughs tech. fall Martinez, 11-1

Nathan Tomasello (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Ohio State wrestler Nathan Tomasello has earned the 2018 Big Ten Outstanding Sportsmanship Award for Buckeye male athletes, the Big Ten Conference announced Thursday. Jincy Dunne of the Ohio State women's ice hockey team was the female recipient of the school's 2018 Big Ten Outstanding Sportsmanship Award. Here's how the award works: One member of each varsity sports team at each of the fourteen Big Ten schools was chosen by his or her institution as a Sportsmanship Award honoree. From each university's list, two Outstanding Sportsmanship Award winners were then selected; in the case of Ohio State, those two honorees were Nathan Tomasello and Jincy Dunne. All of the Sportsmanship Award honorees have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. In addition, these student-athletes must be in good academic standing and must have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting. Tomasello completed his on-the-mat career at Ohio State by winning his fourth individual Big Ten title, becoming only the 15th wrestler in conference history to do so. Among his other Buckeye career highlights: winning the 125-pound crown at the 2016 NCAAs… and compiling a 100-8 overall record. The wrestler known as "NATO" also made history by joining fellow seniors Bo Jordan and Kyle Snyder to represent the first teammate trio in NCAA history to each earn their fourth All-American honor in the same season. Tomasello was just as impressive in the classroom, as a two-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar, as well as being named an NWCA (National Wrestling Coaches Association) All-Academic honoree three times while completing two degrees. Tomasello isn't the only wrestler to have earned the Big Ten Outstanding Sportsmanship Award for his school this year. Spencer Lee, 2018 NCAA champ at 125 pounds, was named the male recipient of the same honor for the University of Iowa.

Spencer Lee after winning in the NCAA quarterfinals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Freshman wrestling phenom Spencer Lee has been named University of Iowa's male recipient of the 2018 Big Ten Outstanding Sportsmanship Award, the Hawkeyes announced Thursday. In addition to Lee, Hannah Stewart, a junior who plays women's basketball for Iowa, was also named recipient of the 2018 Big Ten Outstanding Sportsmanship Award for the Iowa City-based school. By any measure, Spencer Lee made an incredible impression in his first season wrestling for the Hawkeyes. The Murrysville, Pennsylvania native joined the Iowa lineup in January, and made his presence immediately known with an impressive 22-2 overall record. Lee not only won the 125-pound title at the 2018 NCAA Division I championships as a true freshman, but also earned a number of honors, including Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Amateur Wrestling News All-Rookie honors, and InterMat Freshman of the Year for 2018. Lee and Stewart were among the athletes selected by each varsity sports team at each of the fourteen Big Ten schools to receive a Sportsmanship Award. From each university's list, two Outstanding Sportsmanship Award winners were then selected; in the case of University of Iowa, those two honorees were Spencer Lee and Hannah Stewart. According to the Big Ten, all of the Sportsmanship Award honorees have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. In addition, these student-athletes must be in good academic standing and must have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting. Spencer Lee is only the second Iowa wrestler to have been named Big Ten Outstanding Sportsmanship Award in the 15-year history of the honor ... following in the footsteps of Joe Johnston, who received the award for the Hawkeyes in 2005. Lee isn't the only wrestler to have earned the Big Ten Outstanding Sportsmanship Award for his school this year. Nate Tomasello, four-time NCAA All-American and 2016 NCAA champ at 125 pounds, was named the male recipient of the same honor for Ohio State.

Easton Area High School head wrestling coach JaMarr Billman will be joined on the sidelines by two familiar faces next season: Steve Powell and Robbie Rizzolino. Powell, head coach for Red Rovers wrestling for more than three decades, will serve as an advisor to the storied wrestling program ... while Rizzolino will be an assistant coach to Billman. Easton Wrestling announced the new staff members on Twitter Thursday. Here's the tweet heralding the arrival of Rizzolino, a 2013 Easton grad who wrestled at Oregon's Clackamas Community College for two years before completing his collegiate career wrestling for the North Carolina State Wolfpack: @EastonWrestling "We are very excited and proud to announce that @PackWrestle graduate and our very own @RobbieRizzolino will be joining our coaching staff. He is an excellent and complementary addition to our family! Can't wait to have him working with our wrestlers!#EastonPride" Steve PowellMinutes later, @EastonWrestling shared the news of Steve Powell's return: "One more announcement: We are proud to have back on the coaching staff in an advisory role someone everyone in Easton Wrestling is familiar with. We are proud to have my mentor and coach back in the program. Welcome back @eahsmatrat (Coach Powell)#EastonLegend" As the tweet -- and a news story in The Morning Call -- made clear, Powell -- who could claim 534 dual meet wins and 19 Pennsylvania state champs in his 32 seasons as Easton's head coach -- will serve as a team advisor rather than in an official capacity as an assistant coach. This past season was a challenging one for coach Billman and his Red Rovers, culminating in an incident at the 2018 PIAA (Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association) Wrestling Championships in Hershey the second weekend of March. One of Billman's wrestlers failed to make weight for the finals. The wrestler's family reacted angrily, with reports that the grandfather attempted to choke Billman and hurled racial slurs at the African-American coach. (Charges have been filed against the alleged attacker in Dauphin County, home to the Pennsylvania state tournament.) Days after the incident, Easton Area High administrators responded by firing Billman and his assistant coaches on Tuesday, March 13. However, by that Friday, the school had changed its mind, and announced Billman had been rehired. As head coach at Easton for the past two seasons, Billman compiled an overall record of 24-13, 13-5 in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference. The Red Rovers claimed two District 11 Class 3A champions this past year. However, the traditional powerhouse mat program went without a state medalist for the second straight season for the first time since 1967. Before becoming a wrestling coach, 39-year-old JaMarr Billman was a two-time PIAA state champ for Easton. In college, he was a three-time NCAA All-American, first at Penn State, then at Lock Haven University.

The first of three Final X events goes down Saturday night in Lincoln, Neb. Headlining the evening is four-time world champion and 2012 Olympic champion Jordan Burroughs in a best-of-three series against Isaiah Martinez at 74 kilograms. That's a new opponent for JB, but few expect a different outcome. While the hometown and national press will follow along as Burroughs tussles toward another U.S. World Team, there are a number of other compelling matchups, namely Nebraska's James Green vs. Jason Chamberlain at 70 kilograms and Daton Fix vs. Thomas Gilman at 57 kilograms. For fans the Fix vs. Gilman matchup is made by their opposing collegiate loyalties and personality differences. But for fans of the international scene it's an important battle that could forecast Team USA's ability to defend their team gold in 2018 and help determine a trajectory for Tokyo 2020. Gilman, who earned silver at the 2017 World Championships in Paris, is the highest lightweight placewinner since Henry Cejudo in 2008. Before that Sammie Henson took bronze at 55 kilograms and Mike Zadick took silver at 60 kilograms in 2006. That's a solid finish, but after a pair of losses at the World Cup in Iowa City the Gilman style might be exposed to the international community, which could affect future outcomes. At 57 kilograms that matters. For those who've been tuning into the early season freestyle action across the world, there is a definitive dearth of talent at the lightest freestyle weight class. The world's top talent has either gone up a weight class in response to same day weigh-ins, or simply aged out. That leaves a talent vacuum that the USA -- with a proven track record of same day weigh-ins -- could capitalize upon with their new lightweight talent. That's not to say nobody remains. Yuki Takahashi of Japan is worthy of praise, but the separation between Takahashi and Fix/Gilman isn't as great as say the separation the USA felt in 2016 when Dan Dennis represented the USA and Vladimer Khinchegashvili won the gold for Georgia. To that point, Olympic bronze medalists Haji Aliyev (Azerbaijan) and Hassan Rahimi (Iran) have both since vacated the weight and were replaced in 2017 by bronze medalists Andrey Yatsenko (Ukraine) and Bekhbayar Erdenebatyn (Mongolia). Both are talented, but nowhere near the talent pool of 2016 and before. So it's the opportunity for world gold that really makes the Fix/Gilman match special. Who wins there has a higher chance of placing in Budapest than all but Snyder, Burroughs and Green. The winner will be in the driver's seat leading into the 2018 World Championships and set the trajectory heading into Tokyo 2020. To your questions … Adam Coon will attempt to make the World Team in both freestyle and Greco-Roman (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Q: So Adam Coon is wrestling at the Greco World Team Trials in Oklahoma then has to turn around and wrestle in the Final X in Pennsylvania the next night. This seems like a tall task. I love it when wrestlers go ironman. How much will this travel and competition hinder Coon in his match with Nick Gwiazdowski? -- Robert W. Foley: Yeesh. It's a short flight, but anytime you are asked to compete two days in a row there would be an expectation that performance would be impacted. Coon is about the most self-confident competitor in the nation and I'm sure Coach Bormet has him primed for the challenge, but you have to expect that time spent traveling to and from airports and jamming into seats made for men half your size will affect the big man's energy level. Unless Coon's flying private, in which case he's Bruce Wayne and totally fine to pull back-to-back matches for a spot on the national team. Q: Now that the U23 freestyle team is set, rank the medal chances from most likely to least likely. -- Mike C. Foley: 61 kilograms: Vitali Arujau 92 kilograms: Michael Macchiavello 70 kilograms: Hayden Hidlay 86 kilograms: Myles Martin 97 kilograms: Kollin Moore 65 kilograms: Mitchell McKee 57 kilograms: Jack Mueller 74 kilograms: Alex Smythe 79 kilograms: David McFadden 125 kilograms: Youssif Hemida I really can't tell how they'll fair overall until I see who else is competing at the U23 World Championships. However, remember that we are still several months away from this tournament and these guys are only going to improve in that time, with most traveling to Colorado Springs and other RTC's for selective training. They'll also have some collegiate training to keep them warm. Q: What is stopping more Division I guys from going Greco? -- R.M. Foley: More than 90 percent of current NCAA wrestlers don't train any Greco-Roman throughout the season. It's too far removed from folkstyle, which is where most American wrestlers choose to focus their time and efforts. For guys to get good at Greco-Roman takes more than just self-determination, too. Training partners, coaching staff and a budget to train with other top-level athletes would also need to be in place should any college athlete want to make the move to Greco. That structure is part of the reason Northern Michigan has a Greco-only program and that USA Wrestling is working hard to get the best Greco prospects tracked from an earlier age. Q: Do you expect Yoel Romero to get revenge this weekend against Robert Whittaker? Or is Whittaker just a bad matchup for him? Romero is 41 years old, so I'm not sure how many more years he has left. -- Mike C. Yoel RomeroFoley: Expect revenge? No. Wishing Yoel wins? Yes I think Yoel has the opportunity to put Whittaker away early, but that largely comes down to his game plan and willingness to execute. Yoel tends to put people away in the third round. They're exhausted and battered, while he's still peaking. But with Whittaker it won't be as easy since the Kiwi showed a willingness to go the final ten minutes full hearted -- something that affected Yoel's output as much as physical conditioning. No matter the outcome I will always love Yoel. Incredible wrestler and he did the world a favor when he smacked down wackadoodledoo Tim Kennedy. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Romero vs. Kennedy Q: What are your thoughts on the growth of wrestling in South Carolina since we found out this week Lander University is adding a men's Division II team and Presbyterian College with the first Division I women's wrestling team added this past year? There were only two in 1998 when I graduated from high school. Now we have seven. -- @hillcrestwrst Foley: More wrestling opportunities in South Carolina is wonderful. Good luck to those schools and future wrestlers. That said, a word of caution ... While the growth is encouraging we should all recognize that wrestling didn't suddenly become one of the fastest growing sports for Division II, III, NAIA and the community college circuit by the force of the sport's merits. In large part the growth has been driven by enrollment-based schools who offer the sport as an incentive for attendance. With the government ensuring loans for any student looking to attend college, the risk to the college is minimal. In essence the colleges are enticing students to attend, get paid up front and then leave students to carry the debt. Student loan debt in American is now larger than credit card debt. I don't have an objection to wrestling being part of that model, but we need to look at the issues of student loans and ask ourselves what is and is not the right path forward for our youngsters. Q: RUDIS keeps teasing their soon-to-be-released shoes on social media. It's exciting to see a new company in the wrestling shoe market. I know Kyle Snyder will have his own shoe. Do you think Isaiah Martinez will too? -- Mike C. Foley: Designing and producing one shoe (from scratch) is probably enough of a financial risk for RUDIS. Imar represents the brand's desire to work with wrestlers they trust who have a good brand to sell. I think we'll see T-shirts and the rest with some Imar branding, but mostly he'll just be a RUDIS-sponsored wrestler who reps the brand's major gear, maybe even Kyle Snyder's shoe. Q: How are college volunteer assistants paid and what is the pay range for the job? -- @jlstock_james Foley: Volunteer assistants are in an interesting spot. As the name implies the school can't pay for their services, so they are usually paid a salary by the adjoining club. For the upper echelon of NCAA programs the volunteer assistant gig could mean $80,000 with the expectation that you are full-time employee who also runs the local club practices. Most volunteer coaches make far less than $80,000, with many not expected to work a full 40-hour week for the program. They might get extra income from camps, be in school, or even use tuition remission to offset the lack of pay. Overall, not a great source of income, but for young coaches its often the place they need to start if they ever want to take over a program. As a reference point to the massive pay disparities in the sport, the first assistant coaching job I took was as a second assistant making $14,000 a year (plus housing). I know of one assistant coach in 2018 who makes more than $150,000 a year. That's the most dramatic example possible, but does help illustrate the pay gap. Overall, most assistant coaches are paid between $40,000 and $70,000 depending on experience, location and the school's funding. For long-term assistants at places like Michigan, Iowa and Virginia Tech you could assume they are making north of $100,000 (including camps, etc.). For a new assistant at a smaller cap school that number will be much more modest.

Three suspects in the shooting of a California college wrestler were arrested this week as police continue to search for the alleged gunman. Daylon Walker, a college wrestler who had recently moved back to Southern California to help care for his partially paralyzed stepfather, remains in critical condition after being shot in an attempted robbery/carjacking outside a gas station in an eastern Los Angeles suburb last week. Police arrested a woman and two men -- one of them, identified as the driver of the getaway car -- who allegedly were involved in Walker's shooting. Police said they are still searching for the shooter, identified as 34-year-old Rigoberto Perez, of Azusa, Calif. Anyone with information about Perez's location was asked to call 911, police said. Walker, a 165-pound wrestler at Mt. San Antonio College in southern California remains hospitalized in critical condition. According to police, the shooter approached Walker at an ARCO gas station in Pomona, asked him for money, then opened fire in what police said was an attempted carjacking. The Mt. San Antonio College wrestling website lists Daylon Walker as a freshman, originally from Diamond Ranch High School. Mt. San Antonio College is a public two-year college located in the Los Angeles suburb of Walnut, Calif. with an enrollment of approximately 36,000 students. The Mounties wrestling program competes in the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA).

A separate girls' state wrestling championships could be a reality in New Jersey as soon as 2019. The NJSIAA -- the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, the governing body for high school sports in the state -- is likely to add a separate state wrestling championship for girls starting next year, assistant director Bill Bruno said Wednesday. The proposal to add a girls' state tournament will be heard by the NJSIAA's Program Review Committee in September, and if approved by that committee, will go to the Executive Committee for readings in September and October. Numerous details would need to be worked out in the coming months, including determination of weight classes, how to handle regional tournaments, and a possible schedule change at the state championships. Bruno believes the time is right to create a separate wrestling state championship for girls. "I think it's time we start to look at it since we already have 10 to 12 states on board with full-fledged (girls state tournament) programs. Why not now? Why wait any longer?,'' Bruno said. "I've never felt comfortable with girls wrestling boys to begin with. I think it's a losing situation for both (boys and girls). Bruno told the media there were 128 girls who wrestled for predominantly boys' teams in the state last season. According to the National High School Federation's Participation Survey Results for 2016-17, 310 schools in the state of New Jersey have wrestling programs, with a total of 9,220 wrestlers. As for separate girls' high school programs in New Jersey ... there were none listed in the NHSF document. In recent months, a number of states have announced plans to set up separate state championships for girls, including Arizona, Colorado and Oregon.