InterMat Staff

Deron Winn coaching with Daniel Cormier at California's state tournament (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Deron Winn will be making his UFC debut at UFC Fight Night 153 on Saturday, June 22. The 29-year-old former wrestler will be facing Markus Perez at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C., the mixed martial arts website Sherdog.com reported Thursday. It will be the first Ultimate Fighting Championships event to be held in the state of South Carolina. Winn shared the news on social media Thursday afternoon. On his Twitter account @DeronWinn, the UFC signee wrote, "Cats out of the bag! June 22 it's going down my @ufc debut!" while this was the message on his personal Facebook page: "The time has come! June 22nd I will be fighting Markus Perez in my @ufc debut in Greenville, SC. I can't wait!" Winn is now 5-0 in his professional MMA career which he launched in March 2017. His first four fights ended in the first round. Winn's most recent victory was over veteran Tom Lawlor at Golden Boy MMA in Los Angeles in November 2018. He signed with UFC just days before Christmas in 2018. Winn's first UFC opponent, Markus Perez, brings a 11-2 pro MMA record to UFC Fight Night 153. Prior to making his Octagon debut in November 2017, Perez was 9-0, having held the Legacy Fighting Alliance middleweight (185-pound) title. Winn, a member of the American Kickboxing Academy, has been guided to success in his pro MMA career by two giants in wrestling and UFC: trainer Kevin Jackson, former UFC champ and Olympic gold medalist, and, as mentor, Daniel Cormier, dual UFC champ and 2008 Olympic wrestler. Prior to launching his pro MMA career, Winn was a three-time Missouri state wrestling champ for Liberty High School outside Kansas City. Winn then enrolled at St. Louis Community College, Meramec where he was a two-time NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) champ. At the 2008 NJCAA Nationals, Winn was named the Outstanding Wrestler at the championships. Want to know more? Check out "Deron Winn: Combat Sports Renaissance Man" by InterMat's Richard Mann.

Emily Shilson with the American flag after becoming a Cadet world champion (Photo/Martin Gabor, UWW) A day after Augsburg announced the addition of a women's wrestling program, the Auggies received a verbal commitment from one of the nation's most successful high school wrestlers. Emily Shilson, a senior at Mounds View High School in Minnesota, gave a verbal commitment to the Auggies. She made the announcement on Instagram. Shilson won a Cadet world title in 2018 at 43 kilograms and was a world runner-up in 2017. She also won a gold medal at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games, becoming the first American wrestler to accomplish the feat. Shilson has won several age group national titles, including Junior titles from 2016 to 2018. She qualified for Minnesota's state high school wrestling tournament three straight years.

Hayden Halter was initially suspended before a judge overruled the referee and WIAA (Photo/Amber Arnold, The Journal Times) Hayden Halter has managed to hold onto his 2019 Wisconsin state wrestling title, despite the appeals of the state organization governing high school sports. The Wisconsin District 2 Court of Appeals has denied the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association's appeal of a ruling that allowed Halter, a Waterford Union High School sophomore, to wrestle in the postseason, culminating in his second straight WIAA state title in Madison, the Racine Journal Times reported. As InterMat reported in early February, a Wisconsin judge ruled that Halter could continue his quest for a second state title, overturning a suspension issued by the WIAA regarding alleged incidents which the mat official considered to be unsportsmanlike during a wrestling match a week earlier. In late February, Halter won the 120-pound state championship. Now the Court of Appeals has ruled, the case will go back to the Racine County Circuit Court, which heard the case and made the original decision, according to the Halter family's attorney Jeremy Levinson. "Given that the season is over, it's not clear what (the court) will do," Levinson said. "I have been attempting to draw their attention to shaking hands and calling it a day and moving on. We shall see."

MARYSVILLE, Ohio -- RUDIS is proud to announce its newest sponsored athlete, Myles Martin. Martin is the latest addition to a growing roster of elite senior level athletes that includes two-time world and Olympic champion Kyle Snyder, world silver medalist Sarah Hildebrandt, four-time NCAA finalist, and two-time NCAA champion Isaiah Martínez, NCAA champion and four-time Big Ten champion Nathan Tomasello, and two-time NCAA champion Dean Heil. RUDIS Co-Founder and President Jesse Leng speaks about Martin and the alignment with RUDIS. "Myles Martin is very special. He is obviously an incredible athlete and competitor with enormous skills, but this is only a small portion of what makes him a perfect fit for our brand. Myles has a magnetic personality and electrifying quality about him that is seldom seen from someone who also has a high level of humility and servants' heart. He embodies all the RUDIS brand standards and strengthens our message in a very meaningful way." RUDIS Director of Senior Athlete Acquisition Matt Dernlan talks about the addition of Martin to the RUDIS Team, "We are thrilled to announce the addition of Myles to our Sponsored Athlete Program. He embodies all the personal and physical attributes that are unique to the sport of wrestling. He competes like a warrior poet, fierce and relentless, on the mat but constantly strives to elevate those around him to be the best versions of themselves. These unique attributes led to a natural partnership with RUDIS and what has made our brand the industry leader in design and authenticity." Myles Martin reflects on his journey in wrestling and comments on his decision to join the RUDIS team, "My purpose is to inspire not expire. There is nothing guaranteed in this sport, and I have had a lot of self-assessing moments. But the love that I have for this sport is what keeps me lacing it up every day. RUDIS stands for everything I believe in and we will continue to take over the sport of wrestling and make history." Born and raised in Penns Grove, New Jersey, Martin was a stand out high school athlete. After championing a 171-15 high school record, Myles entered college as the No 3. nationally ranked recruit by FloWrestling. Myles Martin joins RUDIS upon finishing his collegiate career at the Ohio State University. In the past four years, he has achieved a number of career honors including NCAA champion, two-time NCAA finalist, four-time All-American, Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational champion, and UWW University Nationals champion.

Cody Brewer coaching at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) BLACKSBURG -- Virginia Tech head wrestling coach Tony Robie announced Wednesday that Cody Brewer has joined his coaching staff as an assistant coach. Brewer has spent the last three seasons on staff at Northwestern following a standout career at Oklahoma. With the Sooners, Brewer was a two-time Big 12 champion, a four-time All-American and an NCAA champion in 2015. "We are incredibly excited to welcome Cody and his fiancée, Rachel, to Blacksburg," said Robie. "Cody's accolades speak for themselves. As a coach, he has already proven that he can develop wrestlers and put them in a position to win national titles. We have many talented lower weights that will benefit from Cody's presence over the next several years. I know that he is excited to come to Blacksburg and start helping us on our quest to become the very best." At Northwestern, Brewer worked with the Wildcats' lightweights and mentored two-time All-American Sebastian Rivera. Brewer's work with Rivera this past season helped Rivera win a Big 10 championship and earn the No. 1 seed at 125 pounds at the 2019 NCAA Championships. He spent his first two seasons in Evanston as a volunteer assistant coach before being promoted to assistant coach this past season. Brewer went 95-22 and 48-10 in duals in his career at Oklahoma. He was a Big 12 finalist in each of his four seasons and placed seventh, eighth, first and third at nationals from 2013-16. Tech assistant coach Jared Frayer was on staff at Oklahoma, his alma mater, from Brewer's true freshman campaign in 2011-12 through his redshirt sophomore season in 2013-14. A native of Kansas City, Missouri, Brewer graduated from Oklahoma with a degree in sociology and is engaged to his fiancée, Rachel, who wrestled at Oklahoma City University.

Augsburg University will be launching a new women's intercollegiate wrestling program taking to the mats for the 2019-20 academic year and has named Max Mejia as its first head coach, the Minneapolis-based school announced Wednesday. With this announcement, Augsburg will become the first college in Minnesota to sponsor a women's varsity wrestling program. The new women's program will be the 22nd varsity program to join the roster at the NCAA Division III school, and the 12th sport for women, joining the pioneering tradition at Augsburg as the first school in the Midwest to introduce a women's ice hockey team (in 1995), and home to Minnesota's first women's varsity lacrosse team (in 2014). Max Mejia brings impressive experience in coaching girls' and women's wrestling to the new Augsburg women's mat program. A 2015 graduate of Harvard University, Mejia most recently has served as Women's and Developmental Coach at the Sunkist Kids Regional Training Center in Tempe, Ariz. for the past three years. He also serves as head coach and women's coach for the Sunkist Kids Wrestling Academy. In recent years at the Sunkist Kids RTC and Sunkist Kids Wrestling Academy, Mejia has helped coach a World Team Trials champion and another finalist, two senior national team members, a U.S. Open champion, finalist and placewinner, and four Arizona high school state champions. In addition to his work with Sunkist Kids, Mejia also serves as head coach for the Chandler High School girls' wrestling team in his hometown of Chandler, Ariz., which placed third in the inaugural Arizona state tournament this year with three qualifiers and one state titlist. He also serves as women's director for Arizona USA Wrestling and as a volunteer coach for USA Wrestling, serving as the U15 Pan American Games women's team coach that won the title in Villahermosa, Mexico in 2018. While at Harvard, Mejia earned three varsity letters as a member of the Crimson wrestling program. As a high school wrestler, he was an Arizona state champion and three-time state finalist, while also earning Fargo All-American and FILA Cadet All-American honors. "I am excited and honored to be selected as the first women's wrestling coach," said Mejia. "Augsburg is an ideal place to begin a women's wrestling program. First and foremost, the women will receive a quality education. The administration and I look forward to building a program with women of great character that serve as leaders in the Augsburg and wrestling communities. The tradition of excellence in wrestling has been set by the men's team winning 13 national titles. We will strive for excellence on and off the mat. Go Auggies!" In announcing the new women's wrestling program, Augsburg President Dr. Paul Pribbenow said, "I am proud that our outstanding intercollegiate athletics program will once again set a new standard for offering competition opportunities for women. Women's wrestling is one of the fastest growing sports in the country, and it is especially fitting that Augsburg -- with its nationally recognized men's wresting program -- will join this movement. I look forward to our women's wrestling program recruiting top-notch student-athletes from across the country and competing at the highest level." Currently, 46 colleges and universities in the United States sponsor women's wrestling on the varsity level, with another 14, including Augsburg, planning to add the sport within the next two years, according to the Augsburg announcement. Most are members of the Women's Collegiate Wrestling Association, which administers the sport while it awaits official status by national collegiate organizations. Teams compete in freestyle formats in 10 weight classes, ranging from 101 to 191 pounds. Seven NCAA Division III schools -- Adrian (Mich.), Ferrum (Va.), Lakeland (Wis.), MacMurray (Ill.), Pacific (Ore.), Schreiner (Texas) and Westminster (Mo.) -- currently offer women's wrestling on the varsity level, with Delaware Valley (Pa.), Fontbonne (Mo.), North Central (Ill.), Wisconsin-Stevens Point and Augsburg adding the sport in 2019. Since Augsburg launched its men's wrestling program in 1949, the school has been synonymous with excellence on the mat. Just last month, Augsburg won its 13th team title at the 2019 NCAA Division III national wrestling championships. Augsburg has earned 56 individual national champions (52 NCAA, 4 NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) and 251 All-Americans (213 NCAA, 38 NAIA) in its intercollegiate men's wrestling history. Augsburg University is a private, four-year university located in Minneapolis. Founded in 1869, Augsburg has an enrollment of approximately 3,800 students.

Bart Freidenberg, active in various aspects of youth wrestling in the state of Ohio, has been charged with child endangering and hazing, based on an alleged incident in Franklin, Ohio -- a community about halfway between Cincinnati and Dayton -- last summer. Both charges are misdemeanor offenses. A 14-year-old wrestler from Cincinnati was participating in a wrestling camp conducted by Freidenberg in June 2018 at Franklin High School (but not affiliated with the school) to prepare for an eight-week tour that summer as part of Freidenberg's Ohio All-Star Wrestling Team. The father of the teen (neither has been identified in media reports) said his son was pinned down by other wrestlers who then lifted his shirt, hit and clawed repeatedly at his chest, and then rubbed Icy Hot pain cream all over him, a ritual the father said the participants called "surgery." When the father went to pick up his son and ask Freidenberg about the incident, he said the coach "kinda laughed it off like some locker room horseplay," and that the man's son was exaggerating what happened. "Bart knew and described to me what the term 'surgery' meant," the father told the Columbus Dispatch. "It appears to me that this was something that was done either at the encouragement or the ignorance of the coach, when there was an expectation that he would be monitoring things," the father continued. In related news, Freidenberg's Ohio All-Star Wrestling Team sought to use Franklin High School again this summer but was denied by the school superintendent because of the current investigation of the alleged hazing incident from 2018. "We don't condone that type of behavior," Franklin City Schools Superintendent Michael Sander told the Dayton Daily News. "I'm very glad that 14-year-old young man had the courage to tell his parents about this." Sander, who has served as a high school coach in the past, said the Franklin district has not had any hazing incidents among its student-athletes and teams because people know it's not tolerated and they don't do it." "When parents send their kids to athletic or academic camps to improve themselves, they should feel their child is safe and that they're not exposed to that type of behavior," Sander said. "Coaches are supposed to be role models." When contacted by multiple media outlets in Ohio, Freidenberg referred questions to his attorney, Mark Minister, who declined to comment. Freidenberg, 58, has been actively involved in amateur wrestling in Ohio for decades, the Columbus Dispatch reported. He founded the Ohio All-Star Wrestling Team, according to his biography included in this year's Ohio High School Athletic Association state wrestling tournament media guide. The program, operating for more than three decades, takes sixth- through ninth-grade wrestlers on summer wrestling tours across the country. Freidenberg also founded and operates the Ohio Tournament of Champions, an annual competition for youth wrestlers now in its 27th year. The tournament, held in Columbus, draws 2,500 wrestlers. It will be held this year on April 27 at the Ohio Expo Center in Columbus. Freidenberg has been involved with the Ohio High School Athletic Association in various capacities, from helping with photography to managing records, said OHSAA spokesman Tim Streid. In addition, Freidenberg is director of the Ohio District for Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Wrestling and is a member of the AAU Wrestling Hall of Fame. Freidenberg has coached wrestling with Bexley, Olentangy Local, Southwest Licking and Canal Winchester school districts, all located in central Ohio. Prior to his involvement in coaching, Freidenberg served as head wrestling manager at Ohio State University from 1979 to 1982, according to his hall of fame bio on the AAU Wrestling website.

Logan Stieber gets in on a shot against Jaydin Eierman at the World Team Trials (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine) Logan Stieber, a 2016 world champion and four-time NCAA champion, announced his retirement from competitive wrestling Tuesday on Instagram. "Grateful to have done this sport for the last 24 years," wrote Stieber. "Out of everything I will miss competing alongside my friends the most. On to the next adventure." Stieber will be staying in Columbus, Ohio, and coaching at the Ohio RTC. He expects to open his own wrestling academy in the near future. "I've been excited about coaching for a long time, can't wait to start," tweeted Stieber. Logan Stieber defeated three-time world champion Haji Aliyev at the World Cup (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) A native of Monroeville, Ohio, Stieber won four state championships and compiled a high school record of 184-1, which included a 179-match winning streak. He was the nation's No. 1 recruit by InterMat. After high school, Stieber went on to win four NCAA titles for the Ohio State Buckeyes, becoming only the fourth four-time NCAA Division I champion. In 2016, Stieber won a world title in freestyle at 61 kilograms. He would go on to represent the United States at the World Championships in each of the following two years.

Kevin Ward (Photo/Army West Point Athletics) Chad Dennis returns with Episode 23 of The MatBoss Podcast with Army West Point head coach Kevin Ward. Coach Ward's a Tennessee native who worked through his college career at Oklahoma State before getting into college coaching at Division II Ouachita Baptist in Arkansas. He's now currently the head coach at the Division I level. About MatBoss: Created by coaches for coaches, MatBoss for iPad® integrates wrestling stats directly into the video you record for each match, completely replacing the need for labor-intensive pencil and paper scoring systems. It's the wrestling stats app our sport has been waiting for. Focus on coaching, not busy work Improve through video analysis Make data an advantage Eliminate scoring errors Increase exposure Become a digital coach For more information, visit MatBossApp.com. Follow MatBoss on Twitter and subscribe to the show @MatBossApp | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Spreaker | Google Play Music | RSS

Logan Macri, 2018 Pennsylvania high school wrestling champion for Canon-McMillon High School in Pittsburgh who was shot multiple times by police after reportedly refusing to drop his weapon early Sunday morning, has been charged with multiple crimes Tuesday. Police charged 19-year-old Macri with a total of 21 crimes, including six felonies, the Tribune-Review reported Tuesday afternoon. He remains in a Pittsburgh area hospital where he is in stable condition. Police from two local communities were called to a home in North Strabane, Pa. about 2:30 a.m. Sunday on a domestic violence call where he reportedly attacked his mother with a sword and a handgun. When police arrived, Macri came out of the home with an AR 15 rifle. According to the state police report, Macri initially complied with officers' commands, putting up his hands and laying down in the driveway on his stomach. While they were attempting to take him into custody, Macri suddenly stood up and pointed the rifle at the approaching police officers, according to the report. All three officers shot, striking Macri several times, police said. Macri continued to fight, and police used a Taser on him. Macri was transported by helicopter to a Pittsburgh hospital. All of the officers involved in the initial call are on administrative leave while state police continue to investigate. A 2018 graduate of Canon-McMillan High School in Canonsburg, Macri capped off his 152-30 prep career as a senior by winning the WPIAL (Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League)/Southwest Regional and PIAA (Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association) Class 3A state championships at 120 pounds. Macri originally committed to compete for University of Tennessee at Chattanooga after graduation but was granted a release after UTC head wrestling coach Heath Eslinger resigned. Macri instead enrolled at West Virginia University and was listed on the Mountaineer's roster at 125 pounds this fall. WVU Senior Associate Athletic Director Michael Fragale said Macri was at the school and on the roster in the fall, but he left school and the team in November for unknown reasons. UPDATE 4/26/19: Macri was released from the hospital Thursday, and arraigned on aggravated assault and other charges. A member of his family posted the $100,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is slated for May 7.

BROOKVILLE, N.Y. -- Long Island University announced that is has accepted membership into the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association on Tuesday, April 16. LIU will begin competition as the league's 17th member during the 2019-20 season. The EIWA is the oldest wrestling conference in the nation, founded originally in 1904 by Yale University, Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania, and Princeton University. Along with being the oldest conference, the EIWA is the largest conference in the country and its champion receives an automatic qualification to the NCAA Division I Championship. "The move to Division I is exciting and our acceptance into the EIWA is brining that excitement to another level," head coach Joe Patrovich remarked. "Competing in one of the best conferences in the country gives us many great opportunities along with many challenges and we are ready to meet them. Our University, alumni, fan base, and wrestling community has given us overwhelming support and we are proud to be a part of the EIWA and its tradition moving forward." Member universities include American University, United States Military Academy, Binghamton, Brown, Bucknell, Columbia, Cornell, Drexel, Franklin & Marshall, Harvard, Hofstra, Lehigh, United States Naval Academy, Penn, Princeton, and Sacred Heart. "We are extremely excited to have the chance to associate ourselves with one of the top wrestling conferences in the country," expressed Director of Athletics Debbie DeJong. "The EIWA has a long tradition of academic excellence as well as athletic achievement. I would like to thank the conference for accepting us as its 17th member and look forward to Long Island University being a part of this group of esteemed universities." "I want to thank all who were involved with this process including the coaches and administrators from the conference, along with Mike Moyer, our administration, Debbie DeJong, and [LIU President] Dr. Kimberly Cline," commented Patrovich.

Iowa averaged 8,526 fans for dual meets this season (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Official numbers released Tuesday showed the University of Iowa wrestling program led the nation in average and total attendance for the 13th straight season. The Hawkeyes averaged an NCAA-best 8,526 fans in seven home duals, and saw 59,684 fans enter the gates at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in 2018-19. Iowa has led the nation in attendance in each of head coach Tom Brands' 13 seasons. This year was the 11th straight the Hawkeyes averaged more than 8,000 fans.

TOKYO -- The Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Tokyo 2020) has announced the detailed competition schedule for the sport of wrestling at the 2020 Olympic Games. The two-day competition format will feature women's wrestling as the final gold medal bout on each day of competition. Japan is the most dominant women's wrestling nation in the world having won 11 of 18 Olympic gold medals since 2004, the first year the sport was included on the Olympic programme. The island nation has also won 22 world team titles since the first women's wrestling world championships in 1987, including 11 of the last 13. "The schedule announced by Tokyo 2020 will help wrestling ensure high attendance for each day of the competition," said United World Wrestling president Nenad Lalovic. "We saw nice crowds in Brazil and expect that this schedule will help us reach even more fans and create a positive and energetic environment for all our competitors. The stars of women's wrestling will guarantee that interest-level." Greco-Roman will join women for the first half of the schedule, with freestyle set to wrap up the Games alongside the aforementioned women's weight categories. Days 1/2: GR: 60kg, 130kg | WW: 76kg Days 2/3: GR: 77kg, 97kg | WW: 68kg Days 3/4: GR: 67kg, 87kg | WW: 62kg Days 4/5: FS: 57kg, 86kg | WW: 57kg Days 5/6: FS: 74kg, 125kg | WW: 53kg Days 6/7: FS: 65kg, 97kg | WW: 50kg The full schedule is as follows Day 1 (Sunday, August 2) 11:00-12:20 - 1/8 action (GR: 60kg, 130kg | WW: 76kg) 12:20-13:00 - Quarterfinals (GR: 60kg, 130kg | WW: 76kg) 18:15-19:15 - Semifinals (GR: 60kg, 130kg | WW: 76kg) Day 2 (Monday, August 3) 11:00-11:30 - Repechage (GR: 60kg, 130kg | WW: 76kg) 11:30-12:50 - 1/8 action (GR: 77kg, 97kg | WW: 68kg) 12:50-13:30 - Quarterfinals (GR: 77kg, 97kg | WW: 68kg) 18:15-19:15 - Semifinals (GR: 77kg, 97kg | WW: 68kg) 19:30-22:00 - Gold and Bronze Medal Finals (GR: 60kg, 130kg | WW: 76kg) Day 3 (Tuesday, August 4) 11:00-11:30 - Repechage (GR: 77kg, 97kg | WW: 68kg) 11:30-12:50 - 1/8 action (GR: 67kg, 87kg | WW: 62kg) 12:50-13:30 - Quarterfinals (GR: 67kg, 87kg | WW: 62kg) 18:15-19:15 - Semifinals (GR: 67kg, 87kg | WW: 62kg) 19:30-22:00 - Gold and Bronze Medal Finals (GR: 77kg, 97kg | WW: 68kg) Day 4 (Wednesday, August 5) 11:00-11:30 - Repechage (GR: 67kg, 87kg | WW: 62kg) 11:30-12:50 - 1/8 action (FS: 57kg, 86kg | WW: 57kg) 12:50-13:30 - Quarterfinals (FS: 57kg, 86kg | WW: 57kg) 18:15-19:15 - Semifinals (FS: 57kg, 86kg | WW: 57kg) 19:30-22:00 - Gold and Bronze Medal Finals (GR: 67kg, 87kg | WW: 62kg) Day 5 (Thursday, August 6) 11:00-11:30 - Repechage (FS: 57kg, 86kg | WW: 57kg) 11:30-12:50 - 1/8 action (FS: 74kg, 125kg | WW: 53kg) 12:50-13:30 - Quarterfinals (FS: 74kg, 125kg | WW: 53kg) 18:15-19:15 - Semifinals (FS: 74kg, 125kg | WW: 53kg) 19:30-22:00 - Gold and Bronze Medal Finals (FS: 57kg, 86kg | WW: 57kg) Day 6 (Friday, August 07) 11:00-11:30 - Repechage (FS: 74kg, 125kg | WW: 53kg) 11:30-12:50 - 1/8 action (FS: 65kg, 97kg | WW: 50kg) 12:50-13:30 - Quarterfinals (FS: 65kg, 97kg | WW: 50kg) 18:15-19:15 - Semifinals (FS: 65kg, 97kg | WW: 50kg) 19:30-22:00 - Gold and Bronze Medal Finals (FS: 74kg, 125kg | WW: 53kg) Day 7 (Saturday, August 08) 18:45-19:05 - Repechage (FS: 65kg, 97kg | WW: 50kg) 19:30-22:00 - Gold and Bronze Medal Finals (FS: 65kg, 97kg | WW: 50kg)

Jordan Burroughs joins Ariel Helwani to discuss his upcoming contest against Ben Askren in a freestyle exhibition match. Burroughs says everyone has wanted him to have a match with Askren for a long time and that it is the only match that would be a box office attraction in wrestling.

Joe Colon gets his hand raised after winning a bronze medal (Photo/Larry Slater) NEW YORK -- The depth of world-class-level matches on the 10th annual "Grapple at the Garden" Beat the Streets (BTS) benefit lineup was increased today as the organization announced a bout between current NCAA champion Nick Suriano (Paramus, N.J. / Rutgers Univ.) and 2018 World bronze medalist Joe Colon (Clear Lake, Iowa / Univ. of Northern Iowa) at 61 kilograms. The bout is part of what is shaping up be a historic night of wrestling on May 6 at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden. Suriano was Rutgers' first national wrestling champion (45 minutes before his teammate, Anthony Ashnault, who will also wrestle at BTS, did the same), taking the 133-lb. division in overtime last month over rival Daton Fix of Oklahoma State. The win capped the junior's second straight appearance in the finals in a season which included a Big Ten championship, 29-3 record and second straight All-America honors. Colon, an injury replacement at the 2018 World championships at 61kilograms, defied the odds and won bronze in Budapest. As a senior at UNI in 2013-14, Colon finished 35-2 after a 27-4 campaign as a redshirt sophomore. His postcollegiate career has included a second place finish at the US World Team Trials in 2015 and a 2018 U.S. Open title. He currently trains in Fresno, Calif., where he also serves as volunteer assistant coach at Fresno State University. The matchup will be part of an already standout slate that includes featured bouts between 2012 Gold Medalist Jordan Burroughs and 2008 Olympian Ben Askren; an all-New Jersey match between James Green (Willingboro) and Anthony Ashnault (South Plainfield); and a battle of local State Champions in Jo Jo Aragona (Pope John XXIII HS/New Jersey) vs. Adam Busiello (Eastport-South Manor HS/New York). "Grapple at the Garden" supports Beat the Streets, the largest grassroots inner city wrestling program in the United States, serving as both a fundraiser for the organization and to celebrate its athletes as they compete on the biggest stage in the center of the world. Tickets for the evening's action are available now via Ticketmaster, priced starting at $30. A variety of donation packages which include "Grapple in the Garden" tickets are also available here or by emailing molalde@btsny.org, beginning at $1000. Doors open on May 6 at 5:30 p.m., with the main event starting at 6 p.m. For the fifth straight year, FloSports will provide live and on-demand coverage on FloWrestling.com. Beat the Streets, Inc. will invite select members of the 2018 U.S. Men's Freestyle World Team, which placed second in the 2018 World Championships and won seven World medals, as well as select top USA women's wrestlers. Beat the Streets Benefit competitions, which began in 2010, have since become a major showcase of the best of international wrestling. This unique and electrifying annual event has helped Beat the Streets raise millions of dollars to support local youth wrestling programs which empower young people in New York City. The first Beat the Streets Benefit was held on the U.S.S. Intrepid, an aircraft carrier docked on the west side of Manhattan. Since then, the benefit has taken place at other notable New York City spots like Grand Central Station and Times Square. Team USA has faced off against teams from around the world including Japan, Cuba, Russia and Iran. Last year, the competition was hosted at the new Pier 17 in the Seaport District and included the highly anticipated Burroughs vs. Frank Chamizo match. The 2018 U.S. World Team, which competed in Budapest, Hungary, featured 2018 World champions Kyle Dake, David Taylor and J'den Cox, 2018 World silver medalist Kyle Snyder, and 2018 World bronze medalists Joe Colon, Jordan Burroughs and Nick Gwiazdowski. Burroughs and Snyder are both multiple Olympic and World champions. Others on the USA team included 2016 World champion Logan Stieber, two-time World medalist James Green and 2017 World silver medalist Thomas Gilman. New York City's Madison Square Garden is one of the most famous sporting and entertainment venues in the world. The Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden is an impressive venue with the capacity to seat over 5,000. The theater has hosted notable wrestling events including the 1998 Goodwill Games wrestling competition and the 2017 Grapple at the Garden college wrestling event. 2019 Beat the Streets "Grapple at the Garden" May 6, 2019 Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, New York Jordan Burroughs vs Ben Askren James Green vs. Anthony Ashnault Jo Jo Aragona vs. Adam Busiello Nick Suriano vs. Joe Colon About Beat the Streets The mission of Beat the Streets is to develop the full potential of the urban youth and to strengthen the culture of New York City wrestling. BTS works directly with the New York City Department of Education in a public-private partnership to bring the life changing sport of wrestling to over 3,000 New York City student-athletes to help them achieve their personal and athletic goals. Through the operation of wrestling programs in middle and high schools in the five boroughs, BTS and the DOE provide a safe, positive atmosphere in which disadvantaged and at-risk youth can learn the essential life lessons of grit, personal responsibility and teamwork, physical fitness and nutrition, and life-long learning. The goal of fostering strong, well-rounded student-athletes is delivered through coaching, after-school programs, life skills workshops, and summer camps. More information can be found at www.btsny.org. About USA Wrestling USA Wrestling is the National Governing Body for the Sport of Wrestling in the United States and, as such, is its representative to the United States Olympic Committee and United World Wrestling, the international wrestling federation. Simply, USA Wrestling is the central organization that coordinates amateur wrestling programs in the nation and works to create interest and participation in these programs. It has over 230,000 members across the nation, boys and girls, men and women of all ages, representing all levels of the sport. Its president is Bruce Baumgartner, and its Executive Director is Rich Bender. More information can be found at TheMat.com.

"Wrestle" -- the documentary about four high school wrestlers from Huntsville, Alabama which debuted in New York City in late February -- is now available for viewing on iTunes. Here's how the Apple iTunes "Wrestle" page describes this one hour, 35-minute documentary: "Hoop Dreams goes to the mat in this intimate, coming-of-age documentary about four members of a high-school wrestling team at Huntsville's J.O. Johnson High School, a longstanding entry on Alabama's list of failing schools. Coached by teacher Chris Scribner, teammates Jailen, Jamario, Teague, and Jaquan each face challenges far beyond a shot at the State championship: splintered family lives, drug use, teenage pregnancy, mental health struggles, and run-ins with the law threaten to derail their success on the mat and lock any doors that could otherwise open…" "Wrestle" is available for rent at $4.99 for a single viewing or may be purchased to own for $14.99. A video trailer is available for viewing at the iTunes' "Wrestle" page. Want to know more? Check out the official website for "Wrestle" … and read reviews of this documentary from the daily entertainment publication Variety ... The Hollywood Reporter ... and from The New York Times.

Last September, ISIS terrorists delivered back-to-back suicide bombings at a wrestling club in Kabul, Afghanistan, killing 26 and wounding 91. Among the dead: 16 young wrestlers. In subsequent months, the U.S. wrestling community stepped forward with donations of money and equipment to bring the Maiwand Wrestling Club back to life. These efforts have received positive coverage from non-wrestling media, including a 1,000-word feature in the New York Times which ran during the 2019 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, and just this week, The Stars and Stripes, which describes itself as "the U.S. military's independent news source." To provide a sense of the severity of the two bombings: On the day of the attack -- September 3, 2018 -- Ghulam Abbas, a 52-year-old coach at the Maiwand Wrestling Club for nearly three decades, held the steel-plated door closed so the bomber couldn't enter the main wrestling room. The terrorist then detonated his explosives on the other side of the door from Abbas. When the coach awoke in the hospital the next day, his left arm was missing. (A handful of others are still recovering from critical injuries.) "We were doing nothing wrong here, we were teaching people how to wrestle, how to be healthy and be a good person in the community," Abbas told the Stars and Stripes' Phillip Walter Wellman. "We are building the community, but they are coming and killing us." In the days following the attack, the New York Times provided coverage that drew the attention of two ex-wrestlers: Paul Halsey, 69, a former IBM executive … and Hooman Tavakolian, 42, an Iranian-American investment manager in New York and London, who is active in United World Wrestling and USA Wrestling. To rebuild the Maiwand Wrestling Club in Kabul, Tavakolian launched a GoFundMe page … while Halsey contacted Times' journalist Fatima Faizi who forwarded requests from readers who wanted to help, "many of those were current or former wrestlers." "Eventually, Mr. Halsey and Mr. Tavakolian found each other and pooled their efforts," according to Faizi's March 20 New York Times feature. "Wrestling teams at universities like Penn State and Iowa kicked in; so did Nike, Adidas and the wrestling equipment supplier Cliff Keen. Wrestlers at an American private school contributed." "In all, they raised more than $10,000 in cash, Mr. Tavakolian said, which along with donated gear was enough to rebuild Maiwand. He said there was even money to spare for other Afghan wrestling clubs." As Tavakolian -- who immigrated to the U.S. from Iran as a child during the Iran-Iraq war and later wrestled for New York's Hunter College -- told Stars and Stripes, "If you want to make the world a better place, it's better to develop young kids than try to fix men." "So that's our mission -- to develop brighter futures. If it keeps kids from straying into organized crime and terrorist groups, it could help keep our servicemembers safe too." To show appreciation for the donations of wrestling mats, singlets and other equipment, the Maiwand Wrestling Club held a ceremony last month, according to Stars and Stripes. "Wrestling is a sport that requires great sacrifice and also helps young wrestlers channel their emotions in a positive way," as Halsey explained his desire to help the wrestling club half a world away to the New York Times. "The tragedy connected me to them in a very personal way." The Maiwand Wrestling Club head coach, Maalim Abbas, said of those who contributed to the rebuilding of his facility, "They all believe we need to show the terrorists that they can kill us, but they can't stop us." Want to know more about Hooman Tavakolian and his efforts to support wrestling around the world? Check out Craig Sesker's Sept. 2016 InterMat profile on Tavakolian.

Sonny Marchtte SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio -- Notre Dame College Director of Athletics, Scott Swain, has named former assistant coach, Sonny Marchette, the new Head Coach of Notre Dame wrestling. Marchette will take over after the previous head coach, Frank Romano retired earlier this week. "Hiring Sonny Marchette to lead Falcon Wrestling is an easy decision," Swain said. "Sonny has shown great ability as an assistant coach and I am certain the level of excellence Falcon Wrestling has had will continue on his watch. The future is very bright and I am excited for all our wrestling student-athletes." Marchette has been with Notre Dame since 2012 when he started with the Falcons as a volunteer. Since then, he was promoted to the second assistant coach position before most recently serving as the head assistant coach. "Anthony Ralph and Coach Romano gave me this opportunity in 2012, and I am very grateful to have continued my career at Notre Dame," Marchette said. "I am thrilled to be the head coach at a place I love. Since coming to NDC, I have started back to school part time, had another child and bought a house. To stay here and continue the growth of this program is very exciting. "This is the place I want to be. I believe in this little school in South Euclid, Ohio, and I know we can accomplish anything. That's all because of the people around here. It's a place where kids can get one-on-one help, and that's important when you are a student-athlete trying to focus on getting better quickly." Marchette joined the program as Notre Dame moved into the NCAA Division II. Since then, he has helped lead the team to a wealth of successes. Since 2012, the Falcons have produced 12 individual National Champions and 41 All-Americans while winning the NCAA DII Team National Championship twice (2014 & 2017). "My goal is to continue being a national wrestling powerhouse and contend for a national championship each year," Marchette said. "I believe that our staff, having shared goals for the future and what we want to accomplish, can help develop successful, positive student-athletes who want to compete on a high level both in the classroom and on the wrestling mat." Filling his former role, Marchette has promoted Cory Stainbrook to the head assistant coaching position as well as moving Jared Millar from Director of Operations to a fulltime assistant coach. Colby Fehr will also stay on as a volunteer assistant. Marchette's background as a wrestler has been marked by multiple accomplishments. As a freshman at North Canton High School, he finished as the Ohio State Runner-Up before becoming a two-time Ohio State Champion, a Junior National Champion and Freestyle Wrestler of the Year at Walsh Jesuit High School. From there, he went on to compete at Lassen College where he was a Junior College National Champion before wrestling at Iowa State University. His coaching career started in 2002 at St. Vincent St. Mary's High School as an assistant to his close friend Chris DeShon. The team took third in state that season. In 2004, he was named Head Coach at Walsh Jesuit High School where he again led a team to a third-place finish in state. Marchette was then hired as the head assistant coach at Rootstown High School where he served in that role from 2009-2011. At Rootstown, he produced the school's first state champion, Garrett Linton, who went on to wrestle at Notre Dame. Overall the school has three individual champions in his time there. "I have been coaching in one capacity or another for over 20 years," Marchette said. "I've ran wrestling clubs, and programs from little kids to middle school and high school. I've coached freestyle and Greco, done one-on-one training and owned my own wrestling clubs. It's what I have always done. Beyond my faith and my family, wrestling is what I love next. I started wrestling when I was four years old and have never stopped since. "Wrestling has taught me so much abound how to succeed as a person, from every aspect. I still get excited to learn every day and this sport is a big part of that. I'm grateful and appreciative of the opportunity. I am so luck to continue to do what I love and do it at Notre Dame. "I want to thank my family, as they have been so supportive and excited for what is coming next. And I want to give a special thanks to Scott Swain for giving me this opportunity. I look forward to an exciting, growing relationship that helps build national titles and college graduates here at Notre Dame College."

Abdulrashid Sadulaev (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Good news for wrestling fans ... not-so-good news for wrestlers: Abdulrashid Sadulaev, 2016 Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling for Russia, appears to be sticking to the oldest and greatest sport for the foreseeable future. Sadulaev, fresh from winning gold at 97 kilograms/213 pounds at the 2019 European Wrestling Championships in Bucharest, Romania by defeating Alexander Gushtyn of Belarus, said that he has no plans to launch a professional career in mixed martial arts. "I will never join the MMA," Sadulaev said in an interview with the Russian news agency TASS Wednesday. "I do have many friends fighting in the MMA tournaments. I am watching their fights and I get emotional." "However, I am enjoying my sport, which is spectacular, courageous and without insults," the 22-year-old Sadulaev continued. "Moreover, the sport of wrestling is what I am good at and I earn enough for my living." There's little arguing Sadulaev's mat success. The wrestler known as "the Russian Tank" won the gold medal in men's freestyle at 86 kilograms/189 pounds at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. In addition, he is a three-time World Champion in 2014, 2015 and 2018, earning silver at the 2017 Worlds. With his win this week, Sadulaev is now a three-time European champion, winning gold in 2014, 2018 and 2019. One of Sadulaev's wrestling rivals is Kyle Snyder, three-time NCAA heavyweight champ for Ohio State (2016-18) and Olympic gold medalist in men's freestyle at 97 kilograms/213 pounds at the 2016 Rio Games. The two have met on the mat twice. At the 2017 World Championships, Snyder earned a 6-5 decision over Sadulaev; one year later at the Worlds, the Russian Tank got revenge, pinning the former Buckeye big man at 1:11 of their rematch. Thanks to Sadulaev's impressive mat credentials - and the fact that so many MMA champs were once wrestlers -- there's been much speculation in wrestling and MMA online forums as to a possible pro MMA career for Sadulaev. There's even a one-minute video posted last October by the website Russiawrestling.com showing Sadulaev sparring and working out with the headline "UFC are you ready for the Russian Tank." In fact, Sadulaev may have helped fuel that speculation with this message posted at the MMATeamDagestan Twitter account last fall: "Abdulrashid Sadulaev: 'After the Olympics in #Tokyo2020, we will talk about the transition to MMA.'" In other words, wrestling and MMA fans who want to see Sadulaev as a mixed martial arts fighter should not abandon all hope just yet based on this week's TASS interview ... but wait until after August 9, 2020, the date for the Closing Ceremonies of the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, to see if Sadulaev is ready to hang up his singlet. Then again, The Russian Tank will be just 24 years old ... and may decide he has plenty of years ahead of him as a freestyle wrestling superstar.

Beat the Streets caused a publicity hurricane this week when it announced that Jordan Burroughs and Ben Askren had agreed to compete at the organization's "Grapple at the Garden" event May 6 at Madison Square Garden's Hulu Theater in New York City. Burroughs, a four-time world champion, 2012 Olympic champion, and two-time NCAA champion, comes in as a heavy favorite versus Askren, the two-time NCAA champion who transitioned to MMA shortly after his appearance at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Askren, who recently moved to the UFC from undefeated stints in Bellator and most recently Asian-based promotion ONE Championships, is fast becoming an MMA superstar in part due to his brash tweets and ability to agitate everyone from UFC President Dana White to fellow fighters. The annual Beat the Streets event is heading into its 10th iteration, with this year's event set to be the most heavily promoted and watched, largely due to the inclusion of Askren and Burroughs. Last year's competition was also a massive audience draw, with Burroughs taking on Italy's Frank Chamizo, but the mass market appeal Askren brings will certainly open up the match to new viewers. More eyes, means more opportunity, but its important that the core mission of the event remained intact, which is to raise awareness and funding for Beat the Streets New York. The organization is dedicated to creating competitive wrestling opportunities and life skills to underserved school kids in the New York City area. In the 10-plus years of Bea tthe Streets the program has grown from a few mats in a few schools to more than 60 program, thousands of active wrestlers and tens of thousands of school children directly impacted by the programming over the life of the program. Wrestling is worthy of its reputation for helping disadvantaged youth find a place to develop character, discipline, and life skills. If you're reading this then you know the real value, but it's important to keep that mission in mind as we (rightly) hype this promotional match. The kids are the ones who can and will benefit from the wrestling on May 6. If you can't attend, at least consider a donation, which you can make here. Or, if you have a BTS in your city, or a local kids program that is a better fit, find them and donate your time and money. This momentum for wrestling is wonderful, but it'll be hollow if we don't convert it to a legacy of providing more opportunities for members of our community to compete in the sport we love. To your questions … Myles Amine and Stevan Micic compete internationally for San Marino and Serbia and respectively (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) Q: It seems like some are upset about Americans like Myles Amine, Stevan Micic, David Habat and others representing other countries. What are your thoughts on this? -- Mike C. Foley: The International Olympic Committee has allowed the transferring of athletes between nations for several years. They asked that the international federations governing each sport implement rules that would ensure that the transfers were only made when the circumstances were met, and that the competitive advantage of the native athletes was not being restricted. The international federations did as they were instructed and each implemented rules that fit their sport. Broadly, wrestling's original transfer rules allowed for multiple national transfers, but each relocation would require the athlete to sit for two to three competitive seasons (Jan. 1, onward). That later was reduced to one year of inactivity. Later, athletes were able to be eligible immediately but were limited to one national transfer. That's the current rule; you can move once, but it's permanent. In addition to the transfer regulations limiting the time frame and number of times you can transfer nationalities, there are also a handful of fees associated with transferring. The entire list of costs is on the United World Wrestling regulation (annotated below), but essentially UWW taxes 5,000 CHF (goes to a continental development fund) and a second payment is made to the original national federation based on the result of the athlete. However, that fee is only assessed should that federation request payment for their cost for training, which is not insignificant. Scale: Olympic & world gold medalist Swiss Francs 300'000 Olympic & world silver or bronze medalist Swiss Francs 200'000 Continental championship gold medalist Swiss Francs 100'000 Continental championship silver or bronze medalist Swiss Francs 50'000 The system works well. Only serious-minded athletes with willing federations are making international transfers and nobody seems to be doing it without the blessing of the United States, Russia, or Ukraine -- the largest three locations of future transfers. In the case of San Marino, Ireland, and other small nations, the process assists them in creating more opportunities for existing wrestlers in that country. David Habat has enjoyed success in Slovenia and as such received training funding from Olympic Solidarity. The national federation was also able to apply for more funding in-nation based on his results. Increased exposure for the sport in these nations leads to more governmental and sponsorship support and even increases television pickups for smaller regional broadcasters. I get that nationalism is important and there are a lot of Americans who think we are Star-Spangled Awesome, but if you can expatriate to go be a banker in Singapore, there is no reason you can't do the same if you want to compete in your sport. Not a controversy, just an incorrect or outdated justification guiding some of Wrestling Twitter's commentary. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Go 'Hoos! Sadualev in the Matrix Q: Is wrestling the only sport to award points for penalties? Does that discourage refs from calling them the way they should be? All other sports award positional advantages or free opportunities to score. Should folkstyle wrestling award choice of position for a step out, a second stall, hands to the face, or other minor infraction? This might make refs more willing to make the call without directly deciding matches -- Paul R. Foley: Ahh. That's an original idea. The rules do set positional option (advantage) for an injury time. I wonder if that would work for a step out, second stall, or hands to the face. Certainly there is a lot to consider in the way of gamesmanship and how these rules might complicate the viewer's experience, but I could be for some deeper dives into how that could be implemented. The only major issue I can foresee right away is that the matches might drag a little bit from being put to the mat. Also, the referees might get too aggressive with the stall calls and cause wrestlers to bully into each other from neutral in order to try and draw out those calls quicker. Maybe a stall call puts the wrestler on the shot clock? Essentially, you're giving control back to the athletes and it's an easy-to-follow model that's been used at the international level, but is also seen in other sports. Q: Were you surprised that former Cal State Fullerton wrestler T.J. Dillashaw popped for performance enhancing drugs (EPO)? Do you think he will ever be a title contender again? -- Mike C. Foley: Dillashaw's EPO use was always a little too visible to believe that the UFC (or his management) had no idea this day would come. The current USADA ban is two years, but is soon increasing to four years to match the current WADA ban, which is utilized for Olympic sports. I think Dillashaw's career is over, but should he have any hope of returning to the octagon it's only because he slipped that additional two-year penalty. I tried to find the tweet, but there was recently a post that listed the UFC fighters with the most tests with no abnormalities. Conor McGregor and Daniel Cormier topped that list. Add in the obviously-not-doping Ben Askren and I think that wrestling is represented well among the top fighters, even with Dillashaw's bust. Q: Why doesn't the UFC, Bellator, etc. start signing world-level junior wrestlers with the promise of one paid Olympic cycle and high-level wrestling training in exchange for a few years of fighting in their organization? These wrestlers would be able to focus on their wrestling for a cycle while being paid and the organization would already have them locked into a contract and have highly credentialed wrestlers coming in. This may not be positive for USA Wrestling or the NCAA, but it might force them and wrestling clubs to compete financially to keep wrestlers. Thoughts? -- Ryan P. Foley: They do! Bellator has signed several developmental contracts with athletes, though most require more upfront training in MMA. Milyal Makhov of Russia had signed a developmental contract with the UFC as he was wrestling for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. Jarod Trice, Tyrell Fortune, and Joey Davis all signed with Bellator before picking up their first fight, which is basically a developmental contract, though it leaves no room for Olympic training. Maybe the UFC would consider something like your option for Bo Nickal and Anthony Cassar. Q: Congrats to your 'Hoos on winning the national championships in basketball! The Final Four was held at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis where the NCAAs will be held next year. Did you hear any feedback from those who attended the Final Four about what the NCAAs might be like at U.S. Bank Stadium? -- Mike C. Foley: What an incredible story. To go from being knocked out in the first round in 2018 to winning it all in 2019 is a story for the ages. The amount of belief that team kept in themselves, their coaches, and each other will be talked about for a long time. Go 'Hoos! As for the 2020 NCAAs, Jim Harshaw, who was an All-American at U.Va. in 1998 and currently works for the fundraising arm for Virginia Sports, said something to the effect of, "The best seats from prior years wouldn't be quite as good, and the worst seats wouldn't be quite as bad." It's a large place. My hope is that the local organizing committee takes input from the wrestling community in Minnesota and optimizes the arena for the event. With that, I'd like to offer my input which is they need an elevated platform for all the wrestling! Each round and each mat!

Tyler Brooks, the Director of Officiating and Sports Management for the Ohio High School Athletic Association and associate A.D. at Anderson High School, joins Chad Dennis and the MatBoss Podcast to talk about the changes forthcoming with the state wrestling tournament in Ohio. Brooks is the administrator for the sport of wrestling at the high school level in Ohio. About MatBoss: Created by coaches for coaches, MatBoss for iPad® integrates wrestling stats directly into the video you record for each match, completely replacing the need for labor-intensive pencil and paper scoring systems. It's the wrestling stats app our sport has been waiting for. Focus on coaching, not busy work Improve through video analysis Make data an advantage Eliminate scoring errors Increase exposure Become a digital coach For more information, visit MatBossApp.com. Follow MatBoss on Twitter and subscribe to the show @MatBossApp | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Spreaker | Google Play Music | RSS

Travis Piccard, former wrestler for The Citadel who has coached at his high school alma mater and at a wrestling training center, has been named the new head wrestling coach at Muskegon Community College, the two-year Michigan school announced this week. Travis PiccardPiccard replaces James Tietema, coach of the Muskegon Jayhawk wrestlers for the past five seasons, left the position to be able to spend more time with his family, according to a post on Facebook, saying, "Travis will keep it rocking!" Piccard brings both on-the-mat and coaching experience to the wrestling program at Muskegon. A native of Allendale, Mich., Piccard compiled an impressive 202-3 record as a wrestler at Allendale High School, bringing home three Michigan state titles. He then headed south to the Military College of South Carolina -- better known as The Citadel -- where he built a 118-31 record, placing 12th in the 157-pound bracket at the 2005 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in St. Louis. Piccard launched his coaching career as an assistant at his high school alma mater. More recently, he has served as head clinician at Piccard Wrestling at The Center in Coopersville, Mich. "Becoming head coach of Jayhawks means providing kids a resource to continue wrestling at the next level," said Piccard. "I am excited to do big things competitively and for the student athletes in their own lives through the great experiences in college." A two-year public school, Muskegon Community College is located in western Michigan, about one hour northwest of Grand Rapids. Founded in 1926, Muskegon Community College has an enrollment of approximately 4,400 students.

Alex Lloyd won three state titles for Shakopee High School in Minnesota (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine) Three-time state champion Alex Lloyd (Shakopee, Minn.) is transferring from South Dakota State to Rochester Community and Technical College. Lloyd was the nation's No. 35 senior recruit in the Class of 2018. He was a Fargo double All-American last summer, finishing second in freestyle and sixth in Greco-Roman. Lloyd was a state champion at 145 pounds as both a sophomore and junior before winning his third state title as a senior at 152 pounds. He is a four-time InterMat Classic champion, winning Outstanding Wrestler honors as a senior. Lloyd is projected as a 149-pounder at RCTC.

Frank Romano is retiring as Notre Dame's wrestling coach SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio -- Director of Athletics Scott Swain announced on Tuesday that National Wrestling Hall of Fame member Frank Romano is retiring as the head coach of the Notre Dame College wrestling program. Notre Dame has seen tremendous success in Romano's time at the helm of the program, leading the Falcons for 13 seasons. After taking over as the first head coach of the new program in 2006, Romano has coached the team to nine national team titles, including four while a part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), four in NCAA Division II and one National Collegiate Wrestling Association (NCWA) Club National Championship. In 2019, Notre Dame took fourth place at the National Tournament. Jose Rodriguez was crowned the National Champion at 141 lbs. and five wrestlers were named All-American. "You always want to go out on top, and I feel like we had a really good season," Romano said. "A great season is when you win a National Title, but this year, we were the runner-up at the National Dual meet and then won every other dual meet. We won the Regional Tournament and we finished fourth in the nation, with five All-Americans. You want to go on top and you want to go out on your own terms, that's really important." The Falcons have won nine Regional Tournaments in NAIA and NCAA, while taking home the biggest trophy in six of the seven regional tournaments following the move to NCAA-II. For the Falcons, 66 wrestlers were named All-American and 22 were crowned as an individual National Champion. Joey Davis, who went undefeated in four years of NCAA-II competition at Notre Dame College, will graduate in May. He won four National Championships in three different weight classes. Since moving to NCAA-II in 2012, the Falcons have produced 12 individual National Champions and 41 All-Americans. At the National Championship, the team finished top-four in six of the last seven seasons. They won the Division II National Dual Meet Title, twice. "What Frank Romano built from the ground up is truly remarkable," Swain said. "His record of wins and championships is a testament of his hard work and effort. I will miss working with Frank and the passion he brought to Falcon wrestling a great deal." The program won 18 national level events, which includes Regionals, National Tournaments and National Duals. In dual meets under Romano, the team had 123 wins. According to Romano, he has been coaching for nearly 50 years at the high school and collegiate level and never had a losing record in a season. "I've been doing this my whole life," Romano mentioned. "It's a major life change and you have to get used to what's going to happen next. It went by fast, and to have a run like that is pretty unique." "We had a great run and I feel good about the situation and I wish everyone the best of luck."

St. Cloud State head wrestling coach Steve Costanzo (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine) Steve Costanzo's resume speaks for itself. His St. Cloud State wrestling teams have won four national championships in the past five years. And the Huskies have finished either first or second at the NCAA Division II tournament in eight of the past nine years. St. Cloud State has won its last 48 dual meets. But that isn't Costanzo's ultimate goal as a head coach. "For us, it's never about winning national championships. It's about performing," he said. "It's about the way we train and the lifestyle we lead. It's about being consistent on a daily basis. We have a special culture in our room. It's a good time to be a Husky." It's a good time indeed. St. Cloud State captured the NCAA Division II national title in Cleveland, Ohio (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) That consistency Costanzo's teams have developed paid dividends when the Huskies won the national team title on March 9 in Cleveland. St. Cloud State won with a total team effort. The Huskies didn't have a champion, finishing with seven All-Americans. Senior Vince Dietz was team's lone finalist, dropping a close bout in the 197-pound finals. Vince Dietz was a two-time national finalist (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) "Vince was a two-time finalist," Costanzo said. "He was undefeated going into the final match of his career. Vince was super consistent his last two seasons. He was extremely disappointed with his finish. His goal was to win it. If anybody deserved to win it, it was him. His leadership was invaluable. He worked extremely hard. He was one of the last people to leave the room every day. That speaks volumes for who he is as a person." St. Cloud State senior Brett Velasquez also made a huge impact during his career. He won a national title as a freshman before becoming a four-time All-American. Velasquez placed fourth in his final national tournament at 125 pounds. He also earned academic honors each year in college and is headed to physical therapy school at the University of Iowa. "I loved having Brett here," said Costanzo. "He provided great leadership on and off the mat. He is just a tremendous individual, spiritually and with his work ethic. His actions speak for themselves. He was a kid who always put his team ahead of himself. He really struggled with his weight the last two seasons. The sacrifices he made for the program were pretty impressive." St. Cloud State fans cheer at the NCAAs in Cleveland, Ohio (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) The Huskies also had All-Americans in Jake Barzowski (third at 157 pounds), James Pleski (fourth at 149), Kolton Eischens (fourth at 174), Garrett Vos (sixth at 133) and Devin Fitzpatrick (sixth at 165). "We had some guys battle back in the tournament," Costanzo said. "Nothing's ever perfect. Guys experience setbacks during the year. We're constantly going through adversity and have to bounce back strong. You try to find the next best thing if you lose, and that's third place. We had to pick it up and our team was really good at that. We had some great leadership. "We've been blessed with great kids and great leadership. Brady Wilson has been coaching with me a long time and he's done a great job. We've had good success with our program, but we've also had our share of adversity and our teams have battled through it." St. Cloud State coaches Brady Wilson, Travis Holt and Steve Costanzo coaching at NCAAs (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) Winning at the Division II level has become even more challenging in Costanzo's 13 years at St. Cloud State. There are now more than 60 wrestling teams at the DII level. "It's very competitive. Wheeling Jesuit really came on this year and kind of came out of nowhere to finish second at nationals," Costanzo said. "We were fortunate to qualify nine guys for nationals out of a strong regional. It's tough to get to the national tournament. I know there were a lot of good kids that didn't make it to Cleveland." Costanzo has excelled with home-grown Minnesota talent, but the recruiting battles are fierce to land kids in a state that produces an abundance of top wrestlers. "We've had a lot of very good Minnesota kids," he said. "We have had some good kids from Illinois and some other states come in as well. But obviously, it starts in Minnesota. The high school wrestling is very good in our state. It's so competitive recruiting-wise. You have the University of Minnesota in Division I plus you have North Dakota State and South Dakota State. There are some other Division II schools. And then you have (reigning NCAA Division III champion) Augsburg in our state." The 47-year-old Costanzo just completed his 24th year of coaching. As a wrestler, he won a Nebraska state title for Bennington High School before becoming a three-time NCAA Division II All-American for Nebraska-Omaha. He coached Dana College in Nebraska to an NAIA title before taking over the program at St. Cloud State. He has transformed a once-struggling wrestling program into a national powerhouse in Division II. His St. Cloud State team will be one of the favorites to win it all again next season. The Huskies return five All-Americans. Costanzo started his coaching career as an assistant to his college coach, Hall of Famer Mike Denney, at Nebraska-Omaha. Denney just completed his 50th year of coaching. He's now at Maryville University in St. Louis after winning seven national titles at UNO. "Coach Denney was an incredible mentor for me," Costanzo said. "He was one of the first people to congratulate me this year when we got our trophy at the national tournament. He's had a big impact on my life and career. His support means a lot." Like Denney, Costanzo has found his dream job in coaching. "I've been on a wrestling mat for 40 years, either as a competitor or a coach," Costanzo said. "It's just who I am. I really like working with kids and I like to see them mature and develop and reach their goals. That's the bottom line. For me, it's always been a calling to work with individuals in wrestling and other facets of their life. It's a lifestyle. I really have a passion for it. My favorite time of the day is when we're together as a team when we're practicing or competing. That's a really enjoyable time for me." This story also appears in the April 12 issue of The Guillotine. The Guillotine has been covering wrestling in Minnesota since 1971. Its mission is to report and promote wrestling at all levels -- from youth and high school wrestling to college and international level wrestling. Subscribe to The Guillotine.