InterMat Staff

Penn State's Mark Hall is seeded No. 1 at 174 pounds (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) ROSEMONT, Ill. - The Big Ten Conference announced the preliminary seeds for the 2019 Big Ten Wrestling Championships, which are set for March 9-10 at Minnesota. Seven schools boast at least one top-seeded wrestler, with Penn State leading the way with four No. 1 seeds. Iowa, Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State will bring a seeded wrestler in each of the 10 weight classes, while Nebraska and Northwestern boast a seeded grappler in nine classes. The pre-seeds, as voted on by the conference's coaches, rank the top eight wrestlers in three weight classes, along with all 14 starters in seven weight classes due to the Big Ten receiving nine or more NCAA Championships qualifier allocations in those classes. Penn State boasts four top-seeded wrestlers, with 157-pounder Jason Nolf, 165-pounder Vincenzo Joseph, 174-pounder Mark Hall and 197-pounder Bo Nickal. The Fighting Illini's Michael Carr (141), the Wolverines' Stevan Micic (133), the Gophers' Gable Steveson (285), the Wildcats' Sebastian Rivera (125), the Buckeyes' Myles Martin (184) and the Scarlet Knights' Anthony Ashnault (149) round out the group of top-ranked grapplers. This year's field contains a combined 10 Big Ten individual championships (eight wrestlers) and eight NCAA individual championships (five wrestlers). For more information on the 2019 Big Ten Wrestling Championships, visit the Big Ten Championships Central page. The complete list of Big Ten Championships pre-seeds can be found below. 125: 1. Sebastian Rivera, NU 2. Spencer Lee, IOWA 3. Sean Russell, MINN 4. RayVon Foley, MSU 5. Travis Piotrowski, ILL 6. Drew Mattin, MICH 7. Zeke Moisey, NEB 8. Malik Heinselman, OSU 9. Devin Schroder, PUR 10. Elijah Oliver, IND 11. Brandon Cray, MD 12. Devin Schnupp, PSU 13. Shane Metzler, RU 14. Ethan Rotondo, WIS 133: 1. Stevan Micic, MICH 2. Austin DeSanto, IOWA 3. Nick Suriano, RU 4. Roman Bravo-Young, PSU 5. Luke Pletcher, OSU 6. Ethan Lizak, MINN 7. Ben Thornton, PUR 8. Dylan Duncan, ILL 9. Anthony Tutolo, MSU 10. Colin Valdiviez, NU 11. Jens Lantz, WIS 12. Paul Konrath, IND 13. Jevon Parrish, NEB 14. Orion Anderson, MD 141: 1. Michael Carr, ILL 2. Nick Lee, PSU 3. Joey McKenna, OSU 4. Tristan Moran, WIS 5. Kanen Storr, MICH 6. Mitch McKee, MINN 7. Max Murin, IOWA 8. Chad Red, NEB 9. Pete Lipari, RU 10. Nate Limmex, PUR 11. Kyle Luigs, IND 12. Austin Eicher, MSU 13. Danny Bertoni, MD 14. Alec McKenna, NU 149: 1. Anthony Ashnault, RU 2. Micah Jordan, OSU 3. Pat Lugo, IOWA 4. Thomas Thorn, MINN 5. Cole Martin, WIS 6. Brady Berge, PSU 7. Shayne Oster, NU 8. Malik Amine, MICH 157: 1. Jason Nolf, PSU 2. Tyler Berger, NEB 3. Ryan Deakin, NU 4. Alec Pantaleo, MICH 5. Kaleb Young, IOWA 6. Steve Bleise, MINN 7. Ke-Shawn Hayes, OSU 8. Eric Barone, ILL 9. Griffin Parriott, PUR 10. John Van Brill, RU 11. Jake Danishek, IND 12. Jake Tucker, MSU 13. Garrett Model, WIS 14. Adam Whitesell, MD 165: 1. Vincenzo Joseph, PSU 2. Alex Marinelli, IOWA 3. Evan Wick, WIS 4. Isaiah White, NEB 5. Logan Massa, MICH 6. Te'Shawn Campbell, OSU 7. Bryce Martin, IND 8. Carson Brolsma, MINN 9. Joseph Gunther, ILL Tyler Morland, NU 10. Phillip Spadafora, MD 11. Stephan Glasgow, RU 12. Austin Hiles, MSU 13. Cole Wysocki, PUR 174: 1. Mark Hall, PSU 2. Myles Amine, MICH 3. Dylan Lydy, PUR 4. Mikey Labriola, NEB 5. Devin Skatzka, MINN 6. Ethan Smith, OSU 7. Ryan Christensen, WIS 8. Drew Hughes, MSU 9. Joe Grello, RU 10. Mitch Bowman, IOWA 11. Carver James, ILL 12. Jake Covaciu, IND 13. Josh Ugalde, MD 14. Braxton Cody, NU 184: 1. Myles Martin, OSU 2. Shakur Rasheed, PSU 3. Tyler Venz, NEB 4. Emery Parker, ILL 5. Cash Wilcke, IOWA 6. Mason Reinhardt, WIS 7. Jelani Embree, MICH 8. Max Lyon, PUR 9. Nick Gravina, RU 10. Cameron Caffey, MSU 11. Norman Conley, IND 12. Brandon Krone, MINN 13. Kyle Jasenski, MD 14. Brendan Devine, NU 197: 1. Bo Nickal, PSU 2. Kollin Moore, OSU 3. Jacob Warner, IOWA 4. Christian Brunner, PUR 5. Eric Schultz, NEB 6. Jackson Striggow, MICH 7. Dylan Anderson, MINN 8. Brad Wilton, MSU 285: 1. Gable Steveson, MINN 2. Anthony Cassar, PSU 3. Mason Parris, MICH 4. Trent Hillger, WIS 5. Chase Singletary, OSU 6. Conan Jennings, NU 7. David Jensen, NEB 8. Sam Stoll, IOWA

NCAA champion Yianni Diakomihalis will look to repeat as EIWA champion (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) The nation's senior college wrestling tournament debuts at Binghamton University this weekend. This is the first time in more than fifty years that the EIWA has enjoyed consecutive first-time hosts; Hofstra hosted a year ago. At Hempstead Lehigh broke Cornell's record run of eleven consecutive team titles, a string equal to the next two longest winning streaks combined. The Mountain Hawks hope to defend their title while the Big Red seek to reclaim the top perch. The two teams sport multiple new faces, not due to graduation so much as to injuries that have unsettled both rosters. Both teams have managed to patch together quality lineups so it's unlikely that another team can contend for top honors. The Black Knights of Army West Point may be in the best position to claim third place, possibly moving higher if things break right. Army returns seven veterans from last year's tournament, all of whom could return in 2020 as well. The likeliest challenge comes from Princeton; the Tigers feature more stars but less balance and, as with Army, we'll see their team again next year. Other contenders for the top positions are the host Binghamton Bearcats, the Diplomats of American University, and the Midshipmen of the Naval Academy. Beyond the team and individual titles, awards will be presented for outstanding wrestler, most career points, and best pinner; the coaches will choose the top coach and the referees will honor the most sportsmanlike team. The EIWA tournament holds forty-seven automatic qualifying bids for the NCAA Championships to be held in Pittsburgh in two weeks; wrestlers not receiving those bids hope to receive the at-large selections to be extended next week. The weight-by-weight preview: 125 NCAA bids: 4 Returning champion: None This class looks to be dominated by freshmen. Leading the way is Cornell's Vitali Arujau, who began the season at 133 and made the cut in December. Arujau pinned Princeton's top newcomer, Patrick Glory, in their dual meet matchup. In other seasons Penn's Carmen Ferrante or Hofstra's Dylan Ryder might win top freshman honors at this weight. Columbia's Joe Manchio and Navy's Jacob Allen are the other top first years. Not to say that there aren't some older wrestlers still making the lightest weight. Harvard senior Nolan Hellickson looks to improve upon last year's seventh place. Army junior Trey Chalifoux (fifth, sixth) and American sophomore Gage Curry (fourth) also look to make the youngsters wait their turn. Binghamton will send out soph Audey Ashkar; Ashkar ended Ryder's 11-dual winning streak. Brown's Trey Keeley (wins over Manchio and Ryder) and Bucknell's Jakob Campbell could also figure in the medals. 133 NCAA bids: 4 Defending champion: Scott Parker, Lehigh This is the first of three weight classes where the defending champion won't be present. Scott Parker's hopes of a third title were derailed by a shoulder injury, suffered last season, that prevented him from completing his career. The other 2018 finalist, Chas Tucker of Cornell, took control of this weight and has held the EIWA's top rankings all season. American's Josh Terao, a finalist at 125 two years ago, and Lehigh's Brandon Paetzell appear to be the challengers for the other finals position, with Navy's Casey Cobb also in the picture. No shortage of past medalists at this class: Princeton soph Jonathan Gomez was fifth last year; Army soph Lane Peters was seventh and beat Cobb in the Star Dual; Bucknell's David Campbell was eighth. Binghamton's freshman Zack Trampe missed the fall semester but he's won eight straight EIWA duals and wants to stand on the podium at home. Matt Kazimir (Columbia) and Doug Zapf (Penn) are two more freshmen who could go home with hardware. 141 NCAA bids: 3 Defending champion: Yianni Diakomihalis, Cornell Graduation and injuries resulted in heavy turnover in this weight. The two returning 2018 medalists are champion Yianni Diakomihalis and fourth-place Nicholas Gil of Navy, 25-5 this year. Yianni won NCAAs as well, despite a torn ACL that hampered him in Cleveland; regardless, he was the first to win both the EIWA's Freshman of the Year and Wrestler of the Year awards in the same season. Both men have been ranked all season and seem the likely finalists. At this weight there's no shortage of ranked wrestlers, as no fewer than eight additional EIWA grapplers appear in current rankings. Moving down by class, they are senior Jack Mutchnik (American); juniors Anthony Sparacio (Binghamton) and Ryan Pomrinca (Lehigh); sophomore Wil Gil (Franklin & Marshall); and freshmen Corey Shie (AWP), Danny Fongaro (Columbia), and Marshall Keller (Princeton). In other years it would be tempting to bet the field. 149 NCAA bids: 5 Defending champion: Matthew Kolodzik, Princeton Junior Matt Kolodzik is the only two-time returning champion in the 2019 tournament; ranked third in the nation, he's the favorite in this field. If anyone can mount a challenge, it should come from Penn freshman Anthony Artalona, ranked 15th, or Navy junior Jared Prince, twice third in this tournament. But that assumes no surprises, like those provided by the host's Frank Garcia a year ago; he beat three higher- seeded wrestlers on his way to the finals, where he gave Kolodzik a handful. Or those by Lehigh senior Cortlandt Schuyler, fourth last year, who sandwiched a loss to Prince at EIWAs between wins in their dual and at NCAAs. Prefer your surprises more recent? Drexel's Parker Kropman, seventh two years ago with Binghamton, recently upset Kolodzik in their dual. Or maybe you like American's Michael Sprague, a two-time medalist, who just upset Prince in their dual and also holds a win over Kropman. Cornell's Jonathan Furnas was sixth two years ago and that red singlet is always dangerous; Harvard's Brock Wilson was seventh last year as a freshman but has been out of the lineup recently with injuries. Others? Maybe Cole Corrigan, yet another Columbia freshman, with eight straight EIWA dual wins. Or Hofstra newcomer Holden Heller, who has put together a good campaign and could survive the blood round. 157 NCAA bids: 6 Returning champion: None Top returnee Mike D'Angelo took the year off from Princeton, leaving three freshmen as the top contenders. The young trio -- Bucknell's Zach Hartman, Lehigh's Josh Humphreys, and Princeton's Quincy Monday -- have been in the rankings most of the year. Hartman and Monday haven't met, Humphreys edged Monday early in the season, Hartman turned a scoreless duel against Humphreys into a pin with a Navy ride to a cradle. That could settle the top three seeds right there. Five additional wrestlers appear in the national rankings, so it's not a done deal that the new faces will sweep the top places. Army junior Lucas Weiland was fourth in his first EIWA last year, Harvard junior Hunter Ladnier was fifth at 149 last year after a second place in 2017. Hofstra senior Ryan Burkert was eighth last year at 149. Columbia senior Dan Reed came back for his finest season after taking last year off; he was eighth at 149 two years ago and recently upset Hartman. There's no easy path to the medal round, with at least a half dozen other solid wrestlers in the field. 165 NCAA bids: 4 Defending champion: Jon Jay Chavez, Cornell Last year's champ, Jon Jay Chavez, has missed the season with injury and weight issues; his absence throws the class wide open. Leading contenders are Brown senior Jon Viruet, sixth twice, riding 12 straight dual wins; and Drexel junior Ebed Jarrell, seventh last year. Half a step back is Lehigh senior Gordon Wolf, twice fifth at this weight but nagged by injuries throughout the season. Making their first EIWA appearances are Army junior Cael McCormick (dual win over Wolf) and Navy soph Tanner Skidgel (Star Dual win over McCormick), both of whom are in the rankings. Others looking to make a statement are Bucknell senior DJ Hollingshead, Columbia junior Laurence Kosoy, Cornell newcomer Andrew Berreyesa, Sacred Heart senior Brandon Levesque, soph Ricky Stamm of Hofstra, and Leonard Merkin or Dale Tiongson of Princeton. 174 NCAA bids: 5 Defending champion: Jordan Kutler, Lehigh Returning champion: Brandon Womack, Cornell (165) Defending champ Jordan Kutler heads the only weight with two former champions and All-Americans. He's been ranked in the top five all year. Cornell's Brandon Womack, third last year, was the 165 champion two years ago. Two-time placewinner Ben Harvey, Army, would like to crash the finals party, as would Navy junior Spencer Carey, in his first tournament. A mix of old and new look to move up; also ranked are Binghamton senior Vince DePrez, with more than 90 wins in his career, and Princeton freshman Travis Stefanik. Columbia's Max Elling bumped up from 165 and the higher weight seems to agree with him, as his six EIWA dual wins suggest. Drexel freshman Bryan McLaughlin or Bucknell soph Frankie Guida could surprise. 184 NCAA bids: 6 Defending champion: Ryan Preisch, Lehigh 2018 champion Ryan Preisch, winner of the Outstanding Wrestler and Sheridan awards, should be a shooin for the title .... except that Cornell sophomore Max Dean was the EIWA's All-American at this weight .... except that Binghamton freshman Lou DePrez has a win over Dean (and many others); De Pre Three ended the regular season with a dozen straight wins. All three have been in or near the top ten in the rankings all season, making this one of the EIWA's best chances for multiple A/A's. Top man this weekend? We should know by 5:30 pm Saturday. Five more wrestlers are ranked: American soph Tanner Harvey, Army junior Noah Stewart (with a win over Harvey), Brown senior CJ LaFragola (fifth last year), Bucknell junior Kyle Inlander, and Princeton junior Kevin Parker. Unranked but looking good are Navy's Anthony Cable and Sacred Heart's Kyle Davis. Looking for a dark horse? Maybe Columbia soph Brian Bonino, who seems to keep things close. 197 NCAA bids: 6 Defending champion: Ben Darmstadt, Cornell Ben Darmstadt is the third missing champion. His brilliant inaugural season ended with All-American status and a lower back injury. Rest was the best medicine, and so .... he's not here. The EIWA has been well-represented at the top of the rankings, though, with both Princeton soph Patrick Brucki (fifth last year) and Army senior Rocco Caywood (seventh) appearing in the top 5. Don't write that finals matchup down in ink just yet, though; in recent duals Caywood lost to Bucknell's Drew Phipps (eighth at 184), and Brucki dropped a tight decision to Cornell's Ben Honis (third two years ago). Drexel senior Stephen Loiseau, in the meantime, finished higher (third) than any of them at last year's tournament; he dropped a sudden victory decision to Caywood in their dual. Lehigh is still deciding between Chris Weiler, sixth last year, and John Jakobsen; both have been ranked Top 25 this season. Navy's Josh Roetman has support in the rankings; Brown's Tucker Ziegler grabbed eighth place and wouldn't mind a higher spot on the podium in his senior season. Seniors Phil Robilotto of F&M and Nezar Haddad of Hofstra have their work cut out for them if they want to score placement points. 285 NCAA bids: 4 Defending champion: Jordan Wood, Lehigh Jordan Wood became a rare freshman heavyweight champ last year, the first in Lehigh's long history. Wood doesn't believe in sharing, so anyone wanting to wrest the title away will need to come prepared. Those most likely to do so are Drexel senior Joey Goodhart, second two years ago; Cornell senior Jeramy Sweany, third last year; and Army plebe Ben Sullivan, the best of the Point's platoon of 285s. Brown senior Ian Butterbrodt was eighth last season and has won 11 straight; anyone who's seen F&M senior Antonio Pelusi leap into his coach's arms after clinching his two trips to NCAAs hopes for an encore. Navy senior Thomas Ott, Hofstra senior Omar Haddad, and Binghamton soph Joe Doyle might have the best chances for the remaining medals. Add American freshman Niko Camacho, with wins over Sullivan and Ott, to the list of potential surprises. For those planning ahead, the 116th EIWA tournament will return to Stabler Arena at Lehigh University on March 7-8, 2020.

UFC light-heavyweight (205-pound) champion Jon Jones retained his title with a unanimous decision over Anthony Smith in the main event at UFC 235. All three judges scored the five-round bout 48-44 for Jones, who, prior to launching his pro MMA career, won a New York high school wrestling championship as well as a NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) title at Iowa Central Community College. "If there is such a thing as a casual UFC title defense, Jon Jones' victory over Anthony Smith was it," according to ESPN.com, describing the fight as "tepid." "Jon Jones made it look easy against Anthony Smith in the UFC 235 main event Saturday night, but he nearly lost his light heavyweight title in the process," is how Sherdog.com summed up the bout. "A Jones elbow busted up Smith's nose in the fourth, but that was also the stanza in which Jones nearly lost his title," Sherdog continued. "Jones was pouring on the attrition with Smith on the canvas, but when "Lionheart" was down on one knee, Jones landed a knee to the head. Referee Herb Dean intervened, watched the replay and swiftly took two points from the champ. With Jones avoiding a disqualification, he coasted down the stretch and won a lopsided unanimous decision." Jones holds onto the light-heavy UFC belt with a 24-1 overall record, while Smith drops to 31-14. Usman wrests welterweight title from Woodley In a battle of former college wrestlers, Kamaru Usman left the Octagon with the welterweight (170-pound) belt, having earned a unanimous decision over Tyron Woodley in their five-round title bout at UFC 235. Kamaru UsmanUsman, a 2010 NCAA Division II wrestling champ and three-time All-American for University of Nebraska-Kearney, defeated Woodley, a two-time NCAA Division I All-American at University of Missouri by the score of 50-44, 50-44 and 50-45. "The UFC and many within the MMA media were touting Tyron Woodley as the greatest welterweight the promotion ever saw," Sherdog.com asserted. "Kamaru Usman made sure that narrative ended on Saturday night as he dominated Woodley from pillar to post in the UFC 235 co-main event." "'The Nigerian Nightmare' did whatever he wanted in what was the biggest fight of his career," Sherdog continued. "He controlled the pace of the bout, landed timely punches and mauled the champ on the ground." Yahoo Sports described the fight as "not even remotely competitive. Usman repeatedly took the one-time Missouri wrestling star down and held him, as Woodley could generate no offense." With the win, Usman gains a shiny title belt and a 15-1 pro MMA record, while Woodley is now 19-4-1 in his MMA career. Askren makes UFC debut with controversial submission Ben Askren, who had been lobbying for a decade for the opportunity to fight in the UFC, finally realized his dream, securing a technical submission of Robbie Lawler at 3:20 of the first round… but not without some controversy. MMAmania.com describe the welterweight bout featuring the UFC debut of the two-time NCAA champ for Missouri as a "simultaneously amazing and disappointing fight between former welterweight champ Robbie Lawler and new UFC arrival Ben Askren. Lawler mauled Askren for the first two minutes of the bout, only to end up in a bulldog choke that prompted the referee to step in and stop the fight, thinking 'Ruthless' was unconscious." "Lawler nearly authored a quick finish, as he answered a clinch from the four-time NCAA All-American wrestler with a powerful slam, swooped into top position and cut loose with devastating punches and elbows, one of which opened a cut," according to Sherdog. "Even so, Askren survived, staggered to his feet and slowly recovered. He closed the distance yet again, tripped Lawler to the canvas and advanced to the back before threatening with a rear-naked choke. Askren transitioned to the bulldog choke when 'Ruthless Robbie' attempted to scramble free. Lawler's arm appeared to go limp for a brief moment, prompting referee Herb Dean to intervene. However, the American Top Team star protested immediately once Askren released the choke." Even UFC President Dana White weighed in on the side of Lawler, a former high school wrestler from Bettendorf, Iowa. "Bad stoppage," White declared at the press conference. "And we had a debate, me, the ref, and the commission, about being choked out. I've been choked out many times before, too, and one of the things you don't do is jump right up and say 'What the f**k did you just do?' It just never happens that way. That was a bad stoppage, it happens. What are you gonna do? Sucks. It was a good fight." With his winning debut in the Octagon, Askren remains perfect in his pro MMA career (19-0) and in UFC (1-0), while Lawler now sports an overall record of 28-13, (13-7 in UFC).

Donnie Vinson coaching at the 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) SMYRNA, Del. -- Donnie Vinson has been named Coach of the Year by the 2019 National Collegiate Open. Vinson serves as an assistant coach at NC State where his athletes have recognized him as being instrumental in their training and development throughout the season. The Wolfpack program finished the day with an NCO record ten student-athletes claiming All-American honors at the 2019 Championship with two athletes claiming Championships.

Shane Griffith of Stanford claimed the title at 165 pounds (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) SMYRNA, Del. -- The Wolfpack of NC State made a statement at the 2019 National Collegiate Open in Delaware on Saturday with ten athletes earning NCO All-American honors at the 11th annual event. NC State broke the event's record for All-Americans which it had previously set in 2017 with nine placewinners. While Athletic Coast Conference rival Virginia turned in their best ever performance with six athletes earning All-American honors--the second most of any programs on the year. The Caveliers have now tied Central Michigan (2010), Indiana (2009), Maryland (2010), and Purdue (2012) for the eighth most NCO All-Americans in one season. Minnesota (Lee, Joles), Stanford (Woods, Griffith), and NC State (Camacho, Hidlay) led all programs with two champions each. With the addition of two champions, NC State has crowned seven all-time champions and overtaken Rutgers for the most all-time NCO Champions. The record for most champions in one season was set in 2012 when Minnesota crowned three champions. Arizona State (Teemer), California Baptist (Schrader), Campbell (Perez), Nebraska (Sjomeling), and Stanford all crowned their first-ever NCO champions. Markus Hartman (Army West Point) posted the fastest fall at 0:17 for the 2019 championship. Message from the event: "To all the coaches, athletes, and volunteers who made the 2019 NCO happen. Your participation and support helped make 2019 one of the best events yet. A few programs helped provide table work which made the event keep moving along throughout the day. Smyrna, DE high school was an excellent host and we appreciate all their admin and volunteers did to make our participants feel welcome and supported. This event began as an idea 11 years ago and now we have a highly competitive, nationally supported event that showcases the future stars of NCAA wrestling. Thank you all for helping us move the sport of wrestling forward." - Teague Moore,event co-creator For more information on the National Collegiate Open, visit the event website. 2019 National Collegiate All-Americans (Note: Affiliation listed is not official record): 125: 1st: Jakob Camacho (NC State) 2nd: Joey Melendez (North Carolina) 3rd: Zurich Storm (NC State) 4th: Cody Phippen (Air Force Prep) 5th: Dalton Rohrbaugh (Lock Haven) 6th: Tommy Cox (NC State) 133: 1st: Tucker Sjomeling (Nebraska) 2nd: Jevon Parrish (Nebraska) 3rd: Andrew Wert (Army Prep) 4th: Jarrett Trombley (NC State) 5th: Sam Brook (Virginia) 6th: Cole Manley (Lock Haven) 141: 1st: Real Woods (Stanford) 2nd: Nick Lirette (North Carolina) 3rd: Matt Fields (NC State) 4th: Alex Urquiza (NC State) 5th: Robert Cleary (Rider) 6th: Chase Zollmann (Wyoming) 149: 1st: Brayton Lee (Minnesota) 2nd: Daxton Gordon (Cal Baptist) 3rd: Denton Spencer (Virginia) 4th: AJ Jaffe 5th: PJ Ogunsanya (Army) 6th: Matt Grippi (NC State) 157: 1st: Jacori Teemer (Arizona State) 2nd: Justin McCoy (Virginia) 3rd: Micha Hoffman 4th: Markus Hartman (Army) 5th: Tyler Eischens (Stanford) 6th: Joe Casey (Rider) 165: 1st: Shane Griffith (Stanford) 2nd: Samuel Cokeley 3rd: Philip Conigliaro (Harvard) 4th: Hadley Harrison 5th: Mason Smith (Army Prep) 6th: Owen Brown (Army) 174: 1st: Quentin Perez (Campbell) 2nd: Brad Laughlin (Army) 3rd: Clay Lautt (North Carolina) 4th: Michael O'Malley (Drexel) 5th: Drew Peck (Virginia) 6th: Evan Bockman (Cal Baptist) 184: 1st: Trent Hidlay (NC State) 2nd: Victor Marcelli (Virginia) 3rd: Jonathan Lowe 4th: Garret Strang (Cal Baptist) 5th: Micael Battista (Virginia) 6th: Connor Doyle (Navy) 197: 1st: Garrett Joles (Minnesota) 2nd: Chasen Blair (North Carolina) 3rd: Bennett Paulson (Army) 4th: Mike Bulkin (Columbia) 5th: Paul Carson (Appalachian State) 6th: Cole Forrester (Air Force Prep) 285: 1st: Zach Schrader (Cal Baptist) 2nd: Keaton Kluever (North Carolina) 3rd: Zachary Knighton-Ward (Hofstra) 4th: Deonte Wilson (NC State) 5th: Tyrie Houghton (NC State) 6th: Sean O'Malley (Drexel)

125: 1st: Jordan Marshall (Northwest Kansas) maj. dec. Mason Naifeh (Northeast Oklahoma), 9-0 3rd: Zeth Brower (Clackamas) pinned Greg Quinn (Niagara), 1:04 5th: Kevin Radcliff (Iowa Central) dec. Esco Walker (North Idaho), 6-3 7th: Tre Ponce (Labette) by medical forfeit over Tramon Jenkins (Spartanburg Methodist) 133: 1st: Boo Dryden (Northeast Oklahoma) dec. Hector Candelaria (Ellsworth), 8-5 3rd: Jacob Ruiz (Iowa Western) dec. Quintel Fuchs (Northeastern), 11-7 5th: Jason Shaner (Clackamas) by medical forfeit over Munkhbat Bat-erdene (Northwest Kansas) 7th: Brock Luthens (Niacc) dec. Nathaniel White (Lackawanna), 5-3 SV 141: 1st: Elijah Ozuna (Clackamas) dec. Zack Donathan (Ellsworth), 3-1 SV 3rd: Bat-erdene Boldmaa (Northwest Kansas) pinned Anthony Fisher (Iowa Lakes), 3:37 5th: Kyle Evans (Western Wyoming) maj. dec. Gad Huseman (Iowa Western), 17-3 7th: Freddy Eckles (Niagara) dec. Joshua Franich (Highline), 7-5 149: 1st: Cardeionte Wilson (Ellsworth) pinned Kendon Lee (Northeast Oklahoma), 4:47 3rd: Bryce Parson (North Idaho) pinned Austin Eldredge (Cloud County), 6:57 5th: Tony Mendoza (Niacc) by medical forfeit over Enkhbold Sukhbaatar (Northwest Kansas) 7th: Kolby Drogemeier (Barton) dec. Yarhoski Aldiva (Iowa Central), 11-5 157: 1st: Ethan Karsten (Iowa Central) maj. dec. Joel Romero (Clackamas), 17-5 3rd: David Hollingsworth (Iowa Lakes) maj. dec. Tristin Guaman (Harper), 12-3 5th: Cooper McCullough (North Idaho) tech. fall Dallas Boone (Neosho), 21-6 4:43 7th: Shae Chafin (Labette) dec. Zach Porter (Northeast Oklahoma), 9-7 165: 1st: Michial Foy (Harper) dec. Travis Willers (Iowa Central), 8-2 3rd: Mason Mcdaniel (Clackamas) dec. Kyle Caldwell (Northeast Oklahoma), 8-5 5th: Noah Tarr (Thaddeus Stevens) by medical forfeit over Nick Lucas (Pratt) 7th: Garrett Lange (Cowley) dec. Noah Aziere (Cloud County), 5-3 174: 1st: Trajan Hurd (Clackamas) maj. dec. Ashton Eyler (Iowa Central), 11-3 3rd: Shane Siewert (Rochester) dec. Gage Mcbride (Barton), 6-2 5th: Caleb Spears (Spartanburg Methodist) by medical forfeit over Tsogtbayar Tserendagua (Northwest Kansas) 7th: Dominic Mancina (Henry Ford) dec. J'havon Innocent (Sullivan), 4-3 184: 1st: Charles Small (Northwest Kansas) dec. Marcus Placide (Iowa Lakes), 11-10 3rd: Cameron Page (Jamestown) dec. Alex Kauffman (Northeast Oklahoma), 5-3 5th: Trevor Senn (Clackamas) dec. Brian Stanford (Iowa Central), 6-4 7th: Bailey Shutt (Thaddeus Stevens) dec. Corey Perkins (Muskegon), 4-3 197: 1st: Tyree Sutton (Iowa Central) dec. Joey Daniel (Clackamas), 6-2 3rd: Connor Kirkland (Western Wyoming) dec. Hunter Harnish (Mercyhurst), 9-6 5th: Zeke Silva (Northeast Oklahoma) dec. Morgen Moreno (Rochester), 5-2 7th: Chris Henderson (Pratt) pinned Hunter Gregerson (North Idaho), 2:15 285: 1st: Antonio Andrade (Northeast Oklahoma) dec. Charles Griffin (Ellsworth), 6-0 3rd: Landon Brown (Western Wyoming) dec. Connor Sullivan (North Idaho), 6-4 SV 5th: Zach Santee (Niacc) maj. dec. Andre Bissainthe (Iowa Lakes), 9-1 7th: Tommy Mommer (Clackamas) pinned Gunner Cash (Iowa Central), 3:40

1. Clackamas 176.5 2. Northeast Oklahoma 152 3. Iowa Central 125.5 4. Northwest Kansas 109.5 5. Ellsworth 89 6. North Idaho 84.5 7. Iowa Lakes 72.5 8. Western Wyoming 71.5 9. Harper 52 10. Iowa Western 51.5 11. Northeastern 48.5 12. Rochester 45 13. Niacc 44.5 14. Cloud County 44 15. Barton 41 16. Jamestown 31 16. Niagara 31 18. Thaddeus Stevens 30.5 19. Pratt 25.5 20. Mercyhurst 24.5 21. Spartanburg Methodist 24 22. Highline 23.5 23. Labette 23 24. Itasca 15.5 25. Henry Ford 14.5 25. Nassau 14.5 25. Umpqua 14.5

DES MOINES, Iowa -- The No. 2-ranked Indiana Tech men's wrestling team concluded its 2018-19 season on Saturday on the second day of the NAIA National Championships inside the Richard O. Jacobson Exhibition Center with a four-place performance after scoring 81 points and getting two national champions and five All-Americans. Sawyer Miller and Erique Early each won their first national titles and become the second and third wrestlers in program history to stand atop the podium at the national meet, joining Mitch Pawlak (2016) on the exclusive list. Early became just the second grappler in program history to make it to back-to-back finals, etching his name next to Pawlak again. Miller kicked off his day with a first round fall in the semifinals, pinning 11th-ranked Koby Millner of Reinhardt University in 60 seconds to earn a spot in the national title bout. The South Adams High School product needed extra time in the finals as he was tied 2-2 with Life University's Randy McCray. The second-ranked wrestler at 125-lbs. would not be deterred though, as he took down Millner 14 seconds into extra time to score first and come away with sudden victory at 4-2. Early, the defending national runner-up at 133-lbs. started his day off with a 10-7 victory in the semifinals to secure a matchup with top-ranked Shiquan Hall of Grand View University in the finals. After battling to a 1-1 draw through three periods, the top-two wrestlers in the division need two extra sessions to decide a champion. Trailing 2-1 with under 15 seconds to go, Early recorded a takedown to take a 3-2 lead with six seconds in the second overtime and held off advances from Hall in the third overtime to prevail 4-2 and claim his first national title. Gaige Torres fell to top-ranked David Berg in the semifinals of the 141-lbs. division and suffered an 11-8 setback in the consolation semifinals before ending his tournament on a high note by defeating Oklahoma Wesleyan's Dayton Marvel, 6-4, to finish in fifth place. Justin Atkinson started off his day with a 9-8 decision over teammate Robert Humphrey before falling to top-ranked Tres Leon of University of the Cumberlands and fourth-ranked Terrill Sidner of Menlo College to finish in his fifth place and cap his career with All-American honors. After falling to Atkinson, Humphrey dropped the seventh-place match to sixth-ranked Latrell Davis of Lindsey Wilson College to finish in eight place and add an All-American plaque to his mantle. It is the fourth straight season the Warriors have finished inside the top-10 at the NAIA National Championships while it is the second time in the last four years they have recorded top-five finishes.

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Brett Bradford and Brandon Reed both won individual national titles as Bradford won at the 165-pound class and Reed took home the Heavyweight crown after they both finished a perfect 5-0 for the tournament. As a team, Lindsey Wilson wrestling posted a second-place finish at the 2019 NAIA Wrestling National Championships held at the Jacobson Exhibition Center on Saturday. Bradford (No. 2 at 165) earned the first individual NAIA National Championship of the night after topping Ryan Niven (No. 5 at 165) of Grandview (Iowa) on a 6-5, come from behind victory in the finals. Brett would fall behind Niven in the first period when he was taken down with a minute left but a quick reversal would level the score. Niven scored an escape point to lead after the first three minutes. Bradford would start the second frame on top and managed to ride out nearly 1:30 of time off the clock before Niven was able to break free, doubling his lead to 4-2. The senior from Byron, Minnesota would open the third period on bottom and managed to quickly escape from Niven's hold. Niven would increase his lead to 5-3 with just over a minute to wrestle but Bradford would battle back scoring a takedown with five seconds left in the match. He was then awarded an additional point for racking up over one minute of ride time to claim the 165-pound 2019 NAIA National Championship. Bradford opened his day in the championship bracket semifinals where he defeated Andrew Bartel (No. 6 at 165) of MSU-Northern on a 5-2 decision. Reed (No. 1 at HW) picked up the Blue Raiders second Individual National Championship of the day when he was able to defeat Korey Walker (No. 3 at HW) of Oklahoma City. Reed scored two points halfway through the first frame but was unable to secure Walker as he quickly escaped, to cut Reed's advantage to one. Reed would hold on to this advantage after three minutes. Reed opened the second period on bottom and managed to break free early. Leading 3-1 Reed and Walker would challenge each other in a neutral position but neither could score any points. Walker earned an early escape to cut Reed's lead to 3-2 but Reed would manage to ward off Walker's effort for the rest of the match. The sophomore from Louisville, Kentucky would score a two-point takedown in the waning seconds of the match to claim the heavyweight class 2019 NAIA National Championship on a 5-2 decision. Reed defeated Jesse Gomez (No. 5 at HW) of Missouri Valley in the semifinals in dominating fashion with a 15-0 technical fall. For the tournament, Reed defeated his five opponents by a 63-12 margin that included two technical falls, two decisions and one major decision. Bradford and Reed both earned All-American honors for their efforts. The honor is Reed second of his career after also earning the status last season. Both of their accomplishments mark the eight time in program history a Lindsey Wilson wrestler has won an individual national championship. Grand View (Iowa) won the team title after finishing the event with 219 total points. The win marks the eighth straight year the Vikings have won the championship. Mid-South Conference member Life (Ga.) took third at the tournament after scoring 82.5 team points. Reeds win in the final match of the championship secured second place in the team standings for the Blue Raiders as they were able to jump past Life. LWC sent five competitors in total to the podium on Saturday. Latrell Davis (No. 6 at 149) and Mark Taijeron placed in the top eight of their respective weight classes to earn their first NAIA All-American distinctions, while Brady Moser (No. 8 at 133) also place in the top eight and earns his second career All-American honors after receiving the honor last season. Moser opened Saturday's action with a 5-1 decision victory over Mid-South Conference foe Jacob Seto of Cumberlands (Ky.) but would then fall to the fifth place title bout when he lost to No. 3 Gresh Jones of Dickinson State on an 8-1 decision. He would then fall to No. 10 Dearion Stokes of Briar Cliff to take sixth-place overall for the championship in the 133-pound weight class on a 13-5 major decision. Davis opened his day with an 8-5 decision victory over No. 9 Shonn Roberts of Providence but would fall to the seventh-place match when he lost to No. 4 Terrill Sidner of Menlo on a tight 6-5 decision. He then closed out the competition in style with a 15-4 major decision over No. 8 Robert Humphry of Indiana Tech. The win gave him a seventh-place podium finish for the championship. Taijeron managed a pinfall over No. 10 Tanner stone of Dickinson State, accomplishing the feat in just 3:24. He would then fall in back-to-back matches to take eighth place for the championship in the 157-pound weight class. He first fell to No. 11 Justin George of Reinhardt on a close 6-5 decision before falling to No. 9 Casey Dobson on a 5-1 decision. The five Blue Raider All-Americans brings Lindsey Wilson's total to 41 in ten seasons as a program. The runner-up team finish matches a program best as the Blue Raider also finished the 2017 season in second place at the championship.

125: 1st: Sawyer Miller (Indiana Tech) dec. Randy McCray (Life), 4-2 SV 3rd: Trevor Murano (Grand View) pinned Keegan Hessler (Morningside), 0:27 5th: Justin Portillo (Grand View) tech. fall Koby Millner (Reinhardt), 19-0 7th: Jordan Martinez (Campbellsville) dec. Alexander Nunez (Life Pacific), 5-3 133: 1st: Erique Early (Indiana Tech) dec. Shiquan Hall (Grand View), 4-2 TB1 3rd: Gresh Jones (Dickinson State) dec. Alberto Garcia (Concordia), 9-6 5th: D'earion Stokes (Briar Cliff) maj. dec. Brady Moser (Lindsey Wilson), 13-5 7th: Blaysen Terukina (Menlo) maj. dec. Jacob Seto (Cumberlands), 13-2 141: 1st: David Berg (Midland) dec. Eric Clarke (Grand View), 2-1 3rd: Ethan Owen (Southeastern) dec. Nick Henneman (Lourdes), 5-3 5th: Gaige Torres (Indiana Tech) dec. Dayton Marvel (Oklahoma Wesleyan), 6-4 7th: Jaedin Sklapsky (Campbellsville) maj. dec. Devin Poppen (Southern Oregon), 15-4 149: 1st: Josh Wenger (Grand View) pinned Devin Reynolds (Grand View), 4:15 3rd: Tres Leon (Cumberlands) pinned Anthony Maia (Cumberland), 2:32 5th: Terrill Sidner (Menlo) dec. Justin Atkinson (Indiana Tech), 5-3 7th: Latrell Davis (Lindsey Wilson) maj. dec. Robert Humphrey (Indiana Tech), 15-4 157: 1st: Nosomy Pozo (Life) dec. Brandon Weber (MSU-Northern), 6-5 3rd: Justin George (Reinhardt) dec. James Williams (Embry Riddle), 10-4 5th: Steven Lawrence (Grand View) by medical forfeit over Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer (Grand View) 7th: Casey Dobson (Providence) dec. Mark Taijeron (Lindsey Wilson), 5-1 165: 1st: Brett Bradford (Lindsey Wilson) dec. Ryan Niven (Grand View), 6-5 3rd: Andrew Bartel (MSU-Northern) dec. Drake Randall (Eastern Oregon), 3-2 5th: Adrian Lyons-Lopez (Providence) pinned Matt Landgraff (Oklahoma City), 0:47 7th: Brennan Swafford (Graceland ) maj. dec. Cole Tenety (Reinhardt), 17-6 174: 1st: Lucas Lovvorn (Baker) dec. Lucius Van Rensburg (Life), 8-6 SV 3rd: Lawton Benna (Grand View) dec. Chase Vincent (Oklahoma City), 9-2 5th: Michael Carew (Reinhardt) pinned Daniel Butler (Embry Riddle), 4:06 7th: Nathan Walton (Cumberland) dec. Dalton Tipton (Missouri Valley), 8-3 184: 1st: Anthony Orozco (Menlo) maj. dec. Joseph Robinson (Lindenwood-Bellville), 12-2 3rd: Antonio Stewart (Reinhardt) dec. Artie Bess (Grand View), 3-1 5th: Jacob Smith (Baker) dec. Brooks Climmons (Brewton-Parker), 7-4 7th: Tyler Hall (Embry Riddle) dec. Jason Davis (Southeastern), 4-0 197: 1st: Evan Hansen (Grand View) dec. Isaac Bartel (MSU-Northern), 6-4 3rd: David Hamil (Brewton-Parker) dec. David Dow (Baker), 3-2 5th: Eli Mason (Embry Riddle) dec. Harley Dilulo (Eastern Oregon), 7-3 7th: Tanner Fischer (Southern Oregon) dec. Dialo Matsimela (Life), 5-2 285: 1st: Brandon Reed (Lindsey Wilson) dec. Korey Walker (Oklahoma City), 5-2 3rd: Jesse Gomez (Missouri Valley) dec. Shawn Beeson (Graceland ), 2-1 5th: Quandre Chisolm (Cumberlands) dec. Brandon Hill (Life), 4-3 7th: Bryson McGowan (Oklahoma City) dec. Aaron Johnson (Cumberlands), 3-1 SV

1. Grand View 219 2. Lindsey Wilson 85 3. Life 82.5 4. Indiana Tech 81 5. Reinhardt 71 6. Oklahoma City 56 7. Cumberlands 55 8. Menlo 53 9. Baker 52.5 10. MSU-Northern 50.5 11. Embry Riddle 45 12. Providence 39 13. Midland 35 14. Missouri Valley 35 15. Brewton-Parker 30 16. Campbellsville 29.5 17. Eastern Oregon 29.5 18. Graceland 28 19. Southeastern 26 20. Briar Cliff 24.5 21. Morningside 24.5 22. Cumberland 24 23. Dickinson State 20 24. Southern Oregon 18.5 25. Lourdes 18

Don Sayenga, long-time amateur wrestling historian who was welcomed into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as an Order of Merit recipient in 1993, passed away in his home in Bethlehem, Pa. on Tuesday, Feb. 26 after a long battle with cancer. He was 84. In its March 1 announcement of his passing, the Hall of Fame described Sayenga as "wrestling's foremost historian." He was known and respected for his historical column, "The Oldest Sport," an enduring feature in Amateur Wrestling News from 1964 to 2014 which revealed little-known facts about wrestling in the early 20th century. Sayenga was a two-time winner of Amateur Wrestling News' Bob Dellinger Award, presented each year to the nation's top wrestling writer, most recently in 2014. Don SayengaIn addition, Sayenga was chairman of the Veterans Committee of the Hall of Fame beginning with the first election of Distinguished Members in 1976. Born in Pittsburgh on June 4, 1934, Donald A. Sayenga attended Lafayette College in northeast Pennsylvania, where participated in football, track and field, choir, and wrestling. After graduating from Lafayette with a Bachelor's Degree in Metallurgic Engineering in 1956, Sayenga then pursued his graduate studies at Lehigh University. He took military leave in 1957 to attend the U.S. Army Ordinance School and served in the Army Reserve as an ordinance officer for eight years. Sayenga was actively involved in wrestling in a number of ways over the course of seven decades. He wrestled heavyweight for Lafayette College, competing in the 1956 NCAA Championships, and at the Tulsa YMCA where eventual Hall of Fame Distinguished Members Terry McCann, Shelby Wilson and Doug Blubaugh trained for their gold medal-winning performances at the 1960 Rome Olympics. In the early 1960s, Sayenga helped launch high school wrestling in Florida, and began writing "The Oldest Sport" column. A long-term resident of Bethlehem, he was active in wrestling programs in the area, particularly Lehigh University where he trained with wrestlers in the upper weights for more than two decades after his graduation, and was a familiar competitor in senior-level competition. Sayenga wore many hats during his life. In addition to his participation in wrestling as an athlete and researcher, Sayenga had a long career as a sales executive for Bethlehem Steel's wire rope division. His job required extensive travel, which afforded him opportunities to conduct wrestling research. His career also led to Sayenga becoming a consultant, author, researcher and historian for two transglobal industrial trade associations: the Associated Wire Rope Fabricators, and the Wire Association International. In 2001, he received the Mordica Medal for his efforts to document the world history of wire, and in 2010 he received the History and Heritage Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers for Washington Roebling's Father: A Memoir of John A. Roebling. Beyond his historical wrestling writings, Sayenga also wrote for Encyclopedia Britannica and authored the book "Ellet and Roebling" which tells the story of suspension bridge pioneers Charles Ellet and John A. Roebling. Over his long career, Sayenga earned a number of honors in wrestling and beyond. In addition to his two Dellinger Awards, Sayenga received the Order of Merit from National Wrestling Hall of Fame for his writing and research of amateur wrestling in 1993. He was also a member of the Helms Hall of Fame, the Lafayette College Hall of Fame and the Citizens Savings Athletic Foundation Wrestling Hall of Fame. In 2001, Sayenga received the Mordica Medal for his efforts to document the world history of wire, and in 2010 he received the History and Heritage Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers for "Washington Roebling's Father: A Memoir of John A. Roebling."

Clackamas won the NJCAA team title COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA -- For the third time in Clackamas wrestling program history, the Cougars can call themselves NJCAA national champions. Clackamas also won the team title in 1971 and more recently in 2011. In dominating fashion the Cougars led wire-to-wire in the 2019 edition of the NJCAA Wrestling Championships. The Cougars advanced four into the finals of which they saw Elijah Ozuna (141) and Trajan Hurd (174) claim individual national championships. Entering the final 10 title bouts, it was a foregone conclusion that the Cougars would be champions at the end of the night-- entering the Saturday evening round with a 23-point lead over second-place. The 2018 champions, Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, finished in a distant second with 152 team points. The Norsemen saw Boo Dryden (133) and Antonio Andrade (285/HWT) walk away with individual titles. Iowa Central's Ethan Karsten (157) and Tyree Sutton (197) had redemption on their minds. Both Tritons lost their respective national title match a year ago but were able to come out on top this time. Northwest (Kansas) Tech had a breakout year, claiming a pair of individual national champions for the first time in program history. Jordan Marshall won the program's first title at 125, while Charles Small won at 184. Cardeionte Wilson (Ellsworth) at 149 and Michial Foy (Harper) at 165 rounded out the 10 individual national champions. Clackamas point total of 176.5 is a new NJCAA record for a team score at a national tournament. The result gave the Cougars' head coach Josh Rhoden his second national title while at the helm of the program. He was also voted by his peers as the Coach of the Year. It was the third consecutive year that Clackamas, Iowa Central, and NEO finished in the top three, each winning one title in that time. Four teams (Clackamas, Ellsworth, Iowa Central, and NEO) advanced four wrestlers into the championship finals round. Ellsworth sent four wrestlers into the championship round for the first time in program history. Mercyhurst North East's Hunter Harnish tallied the Bruce Traphagen Award for Most Falls of the championship (5/20:58). Jamestown (NY) earned Academic Team of the Year honor, accumulating a team 3.28 GPA. Harper finished with the highest team point total among non-scholarship programs.

Grand View claimed the NAIA team title (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) DES MOINES, Iowa -- No. 1 Grand View wrestling clinches their 8th consecutive national team title while crowning two individual national champions at the 2019 NAIA National Championship hosted by Catch Des Moines. Josh Wenger (149) and Evan Hansen (197) both earned individual national titles, collecting a total of five between the two of them over the past three years. Grand View scored a total a 219 team points, 134 points ahead of second place Lindsey Wilson. Grand View becomes only the second university nationally to claim eight-consecutive national titles, joining the University of Iowa in NCAA Division I. The Vikings are one of three schools with eight total titles in the NAIA. Evan Hansen joins the short list of three-time NAIA National Champions. The last grappler to join this list was Grand View alum Eric Thompson (2012-2014). Hansen won by decision over No. 2 seed Isaac Bartel of MSU-Northern, 6-4. He finished the season with a 19-1 record. Wenger, who came into the tournament as the No.5 seed, claimed his second individual national title as a Viking, pinning teammate and second-seeded Devin Reynolds, who finished national runner-up, in the second period. Wenger was the national champion as a freshman in 2017 in the 141 bracket and ends his season with a 30-8 record. Reynolds finishes his season with a 30-4 record and 17 pins, with four coming in the NAIA National Championships. Seniors Shiquan Hall and Eric Clarke also finished as national runner-ups at 133 and 141, respectively. Hall dropped 4-2 in a tiebreaker to second-seeded Erique Early of Indiana Tech. Second-seeded Clarke dropped to top-seeded David Berg of Midland, 2-1 At 165 pounds, fifth-seeded Ryan Niven also came in runner-up, after suffering a last-second setback. Brett Bradford, the second seed from Lindsey Wilson, scored a takedown in the closing seconds to even the match, and the riding time point gave him the 6-5 decision. Trevor Murano (125) and Lawton Benna (174) both brought home third place finishes. Benna became the fourth Viking in program history to earn four NAIA All-American honors. Benna defeated the No.6-seed Chase Vincent of Oklahoma City, 9-2. Murano brings home his second All-American honor after dropping a match early on before battling through the backside of the bracket to finish 7-1 in the tournament, including three pins. In the third place match, Murano pinned third-seeded Keegan Hessler of Morningside in 27 seconds. Artie Bess (184) placed fourth, dropping the third-place match to top-seeded Antonio Stewart of Reinhardt, 3-1. Justin Portillo finished fifth in the 125 bracket, and earned his second NAIA All-American honor, after defeating Koby Millner of Reinhardt by 19-0 in his final match of the tournament. In the 157 bracket, Steven Lawrence and Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer were scheduled to face another in the fifth-place match. Rodriquez-Spencer was forced to withdraw due to medical forfeit and finished sixth with Lawrence earning fifth place accolades. Grand View has earned a total of 94 NAIA All-Americans and 28 individual national championships, the fourth most in the NAIA.

INDIANAPOLIS -- The NCAA has announced the qualifier allocations for the 2019 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships as listed in the chart below. Each qualifying tournament was awarded automatic bids per weight class based on current year data. Each wrestler was measured on the following: Division I winning percentage at the weight class; ratings percentage index (RPI); and coaches' ranking. For each wrestler that reached the threshold in at least two of the three categories, his conference tournament was awarded a qualifying spot in that weight class. Each conference was awarded a minimum of one automatic bid per weight class, which will go to the tournament champion, even if they did not have any wrestlers reach at least two of the three thresholds. NCAA tournament spots for each qualifying event will be awarded at the tournament based solely on place-finish. After all of the conference tournaments have concluded, the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee will meet in-person to select the remaining 44 at-large qualifiers, which will be announced on March 12, while brackets and seeding will be announced on NCAA.com at 6 p.m. on March 13. All weight classes will consist of 33 wrestlers. The at-large selections will be made based on the following criteria: head-to-head competition; quality wins; coaches' ranking; results against common opponents; RPI; qualifying event placement; and winning percentage. The coaches' rankings are compiled by a vote of coaches representing each conference. For ranking purposes, coaches may only consider a wrestler that has been designated as a starter at a respective weight class. To be eligible for the rankings, wrestlers must have participated in at least five matches against Division I opponents in the weight class and have wrestled within the last 30 days. To be eligible for an RPI ranking, a wrestler must have a minimum of 17 Division I matches at a given weight class. For a full list of the coaches rankings by weight class please click here. For the full RPI please click here. Sebastian Rivera of Northwestern (125 pounds), Vincenzo Joseph of Penn State (165), Mark Hall of Penn State (174) and Myles Martin of Ohio State (184) are all ranked No. 1 by both the coaches and in the RPI. The remaining top ranked wrestlers by the coaches are Stevan Micic of Michigan (133), Yianni Diakomihalis of Cornell (141), Anthony Ashnault of Rutgers (149), Jason Nolf of Penn State (157), Bo Nickal of Penn State (197) and Gable Steveson of Minnesota (285). The remaining top-rated wrestlers in the RPI include Daton Fix of Oklahoma State (133), Joey McKenna of Ohio State (141), Matthew Kolodzik of Princeton (149), Ryan Deakin of Northwestern (157), Kollin Moore of Ohio State (197) and Derek White of Oklahoma State (285). The 2019 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships takes place at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh March 21-23. Wrestling fans can buy and sell official tickets through the NCAA Ticket Exchangeâ„¢. This gives ticket holders who are unable to attend a session a place to safely sell their tickets. Buyers can also get their tickets knowing the tickets are authentic and guaranteed, visit https://www.ncaa.com/tickets/wrestling/d1 for more information. A full description of the entire selection process is in the 2019 Division I Wrestling Championships Pre-Championships Manual which is available at NCAA.org.

Ty Smith (Photo/Drexel Athletics) A GoFundMe page has been established for Ty Smith, a four-time Nevada high school state wrestling champion who has been forced to take a medical withdrawal as a freshman from Drexel University because of a serious medical condition. Wracked with stomach pain, Smith lost weight. In January, the 2017 national champ was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. Smith spent a couple weeks in a hospital in Utah where he underwent five blood transfusions and other medical treatment. He is now recovering at home, receiving appropriate medical care. "He is battling this disease with vigor and there is no question that he will overcome it and make a return to college and the wrestling mat," according the GoFundMe page set up on Ty Smith's behalf. "It will take some time and he will endure great pain in this process. During this time there is a financial need for both Ty and his family. As a community, let's help them out so Ty can get back to good." Before taking his medical leave from Drexel, Ty Smith had been a freshman at the Philadelphia-based school, majoring in engineering. Prior to heading east for college, Smith had made a name for himself on the wrestling mat in Nevada and beyond. He was a four-time state champion -- only the 13th in Nevada state history -- for Virgin Valley High School in Mesquite, Nev. Smith went on to win four regional titles, and become a junior national champ at Fargo. For all his wrestling accomplishments, Ty Smith was named Male Athlete of the Year for 2018 by the Las Vegas Sun.

I'm on the road this week covering the Dan Kolov Ranking Series in Ruse, Bulgaria, where the United States has sent a deep women's and men's freestyle wrestling team. Though traveling I was able to read up on the TV vs. Streaming Twitter battle that seemed to consume Wrestling Twitter for the better part of 48 hours. I won't dive deep into anyone's intent in writing their pieces, as I believe that InterMat, Track, and Flo want what is best for wrestling. I also happen to know that there are a lot of people on these sites and other sites who work incredibly long hours (and aren't getting rich) to deliver fans more wrestling content. There is also no battle between streaming and live television. In wrestling, streaming has been a massive buoy to the popularity and sustainability of our sport. Total and complete game changer with rippling effects felt through every aspect of the sport both in the United States and abroad. The amount of video content, both live and creative, being supported by media companies, organizations, teams, and individuals is simply remarkable. The value of television (as it stands right now) is that it services a neutral sports crowd. Running on TV is like taking out a full-page print ad in the New York Times. There is intrinsic validation in having your product associate with legacy media, not to mention a massive audience reach (both potential and actual). TV can be a neat entry drug for someone to fall back in love with the sport or make positive connections since last seeing their "high school friend spit in a cup and run up and down stairs." I'm not too concerned with whether linear is the best option for 2024 or 2034, because trend lines won't be impacted by our opinions. They'll be impacted by the needs of the advertisers, consumers, and distribution companies. However, I think that we should encourage (when possible, legal, and convenient) that the larger meets also be included on TV. From a fan's perspective that feels obvious, but from a business perspective it's much more complicated. Robbie Lawler and Ben Askren at media day before their fight on Saturday night at UFC 235 (Photo/Getty Images) To your questions … Q: It seems like people are overlooking Robbie Lawler on Saturday night. I'm putting some money on him. He's a massive underdog and has serious knockout power. I realize he's on the backside of his fighting career, but he has beaten a lot of really good fighters. Ben Askren has built his resume beating fighters nobody knows. Do you think Lawler is a smart bet at odds of better than 2-1? -- Mike C. Foley: Yes, you bet the puncher especially when he knows how to wrestle. Wrestling ability is important, but quickly negated when fighting another wrestler, especially one with KO power. 2-1 is great value. Q: Which rule changes below would you like to see at the high school level: (A) Step-out rule in neutral position. (B) Takedowns are worth 3 points. (C) Change team scoring for dual meets. Every other sport is simplistic and the casual fan can understand team scoring pretty quickly. Team score should be cumulative. Wrestler A scores 4 points and wrestler B scores 10 points, Team A would have 4 team points and Team B would have 10 team points. You could do a 10-point tech (you get 10 team points too), and 12 team points for pins, forfeit, disqualification, etc. (D) Every swipe for back points is a point up to 4. (E) Technical falls should be 10-point difference rather than current 15. -- Frank S. Foley: (A) Needs to happen as soon as possible. Long overdue. (B) No. Would be solved by A. (C) Some variation, but only if tied to larger changes in concentrating on dual meets overall. (D) No, No, No. Too many points being given already. (E) Would make for some quick matches at the high school level, especially with four-point exposure calls! Q: If you could train or compete against any wrestler/coach, who would it be? My picks are Dave Schultz, John Smith and Dan Gable. -- Frank S. Foley: I'll go international: Abdulrashid Sadulaev, Buvaisar Saitiev and John Smith. Q: I know it has been talked about to death but seriously when are we going to make a change to folkstyle rules? The thing that got me worked up was Derek White vs. Sam Stoll and in the second period they went out several times just trying to bring him back the mat. This is ridiculous and turns people off the sport watching critical minutes of match time being wasted trying to bring a guy back to the mat when it could be brought back to the feet, promoting action, as opposed to who can keep the guy on the ground longer. -- Casey L. Foley: Well said. The constant out-of-bounds restarts, with no added drama but the ticking of a clock, is beginning to make some NCAA matches obnoxious to watch, especially when you watch a lot of freestyle and see how much offense is generated near the edge. Does it sometimes feel like buck 'em bronco? MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME First of the video content from India! Q: I know there is a difference between high school and college, but I do not understand how Daton Fix riding parallel for two minutes is not stalling. Again, I know it's not high school but if that match was a high school match people would be screaming for a stalling call and rightfully so. Why don't we expect more from our top athletes instead of less? Very boring conclusion in my opinion. On the other hand, I thought Fix had a takedown at the end of the second period. Any thoughts on that? -- Dan B. Foley: Look, riding time is not that interesting! They only ride bulls for like 20 seconds and that's a 1200-pound animal with horns. Why would I want to watch one dude ride another with no turns, or even hints of going perpendicular? I don't! The incentive of riding time was to encourage more riding and thus more falls -- the true aim of the sport being to pin. However, through years and years of gamesmanship the sport has become more about who can clip an extra second during their turn on top, then run away with a 2-1 lead. The sport suffers when the rules aren't adjusted to ensure that gamesmanship is limited. Wrestling loves to compare itself to other sports. Well, look at the new rules issued for golf. That sport is wildly successful and profitable, played by millions of Americans every weekend and the governing body made slight, but significant, rule changes and mostly to positive reviews. Why can't wrestling do the same? Odd that the referee missed the takedown call. DeSanto was clearly on his hip and ceding both legs. Calls get missed, I suppose. Q: I was browsing the NAIA brackets and it appears an NAIA team can have more than one national qualifier per weight class up to a maximum number of 12 participants per team. Is this new? Do you think this would be a good idea to allow more entrants at a weight class for small school divisions in high school to help fill their brackets? -- John W. Foley: I don't know much about the rule or its history, but I (without knowing much more than you shared) like the idea as a way to retain larger numbers of athletes at smaller schools. By implementing this in smaller high schools would the idea be to fill out more programs, or to fill out more spots in a 32-man bracket? I'm a little suspect that for meaningful tournaments there should be more than one wrestler from a school allowed unless there are more than 40 varsity-level wrestlers in which case I think there should be two separate squads. Retaining athletes and giving them an opportunity to enjoy the sport is the most important aim of the rule so I'd definitely like to learn more. More thoughts on youth wrestling By Anon We are a small school in a rural area. We are trying to rebuild our youth program after it was run into the ground. We had some old school coaches that thought it was funny to scream at 5 and 6-year-olds and run them into the ground. Laughing as those kids quit the sport after just the first practice. Just a couple years ago the team would start with 20 kids and by the end of the year had 10 or less. Normally less. Luckily those coaches have moved on and our high school coaching staff has taken over the program. Our current coaching staff has only been in charge for the last four years. A member of the coaching staff runs each youth practice, making sure that there is an emphasis on technique and fun. Games are played every practice that promote competition, but the wrestlers don't realize they are developing useful skills. Games such as sumo wrestling, relay races and a bit of dodgeball. When they get out in dodgeball they have to do five pushups, situps or frog hops to get back in. Never a complaint. They do the exercise and right back in the game. We practice three days a week, but tell parents two days a week is good, especially for the novice kids. We do not have the kids go to many tournaments. We have our youth team wrestle before our varsity in dual meets with whatever team the varsity is wrestling. Coaches before the dual match up kids by weight and experience. We want the kids to be evenly matched so the match will go the distance and each kid has an opportunity to win. Doesn't always happen but we do try. We also have our middle school team with the varsity for duals. At home we have two mats that are rolled out with the middle school on one mat and the youth on the other mat wrestling at the same time. One mat is then rolled up and the other is slid to the middle of the gym floor. We turn down the lights, put a spotlight on and then wrestle the varsity match. Our crowds for home matches have increased dramatically and interest in the sport is starting to go up. We now have about 20-25 kids on the youth team and they are coming back the next year. We shortened the season, starting around Dec. 1 and ending in February. If kids have the drive to continue to compete then we work with another team in the area and send them to continue with them. No emphasis is put on competing at states or any type of postseason. We want the kids to learn good technique, have fun and learn to love the sport. The winning will come later.

Josh Saunders won a Walsh Ironman title (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) Joshua Saunders (Christian Brothers College, Mo.), the nation's No. 4 overall wrestler in the Class of 2020, committed to Cornell University on Thursday evening. The three-time state champion competed at both the Cadet and Junior World Championships in 2018. He also was a Walsh Jesuit Ironman champion in December of 2018. Saunders is currently ranked No. 8 nationally at 145 pounds, and projects to compete as a 149/157 in college. He joins Greg Diakomihalis (Hilton, N.Y.) as a high-end commit for the Big Red in their 2020 recruiting class.

Mark Schwab and Doug Schwab coaching together at UNI (Photo/UNI Athletics) WATERLOO, Iowa -- The National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum announced that it has selected Julien Broderson of Davenport Assumption as this year's recipient of the Bob Steenlage Iowa High School Wrestler of the Year Award and the Schwab family as this year's recipient of the Bowlsby Family Legacy Award. Broderson and the Schwab family will receive their awards during the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa inductions on June 7 at the Prairie Links Golf & Event Center in Waverly, Iowa. The evening will also feature the induction of the 2019 Class of the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa - Bob Kenny, Dave Martin, Steve Mocco, Brent Metcalf, Gene Doyle and the 2008 Waverly Shell-Rock wrestling team - and the presentation of the Bob Siddens Iowa High School Coaching Excellence Award to Blake Williams and the Russ Smith Community Impact Award to Marti and Jerry Roling. For more information contact that National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum at (319) 233-0745 or dgmstaff@nwhof.org. The Bob Steenlage Iowa High School Wrestler of the Year Award is presented each year to the top high school senior in the state of Iowa while the Bowlsby Family Legacy Award is presented to a family with ties to Iowa that collectively excelled in wrestling. Broderson, who will attend Iowa State University, became the 93rd three-time wrestling state champion in Iowa history, winning Class 2A titles in 2017 at 160 pounds, in 2018 at 182 pounds and in 2019 at 195 pounds. He had a 112-match winning streak to conclude his career and finish with a 171-17 career record. The award is named after Bob Steenlage, who was the first four-time state wrestling champion in Iowa. Competing for Britt High School, he won state titles in 1959 at 95 pounds, in 1960 at 103 pounds, in 1961 at 112 pounds and in 1962 at 120 pounds. Steenlage wrestled four years at West Point Military Academy and did not lose in a dual meet during his career. He finished third at the 1966 NCAA tournament at 123 pounds to earn All-American honors. He went on to graduate from the Army's Airborne and Ranger Schools, and was awarded the Bronze Star for his service in the Vietnam War. The Schwab family is the fifth recipient of the Bowlsby Family Legacy Award. Wrestling for Osage High School, Mike Schwab was an Iowa state champion in 1981 while Mark was a four-time state champion from 1982-85 and Doug was a state champion in 1996. Mike was an All-American for the University of Northern Iowa, finishing eighth at the NCAA tournament in 1987, while Mark was a two-time All-American for UNI, finishing fifth in 1986 and sixth in 1990. Doug was a national champion and three-time All-American for the University of Iowa, finishing first in 1999, third in 2000 and second in 2001. He finished fifth at the World Championships in 2007 and competed for the United States in the Olympics in 2008. Doug is currently the head wrestling coach at UNI. The Bowlsby Family Legacy Award is named after the Bowlsby Family from Waterloo, Iowa. John and Bob wrestled for legendary coach Bob Siddens at Waterloo West High School while their parents, Bob and Pat, and sisters, Ann, Sarah and Jane, were instrumental in their careers. Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa Class of 2019 Bob Kenny (Emmetsburg, Iowa) Dave Martin (Iowa State) Steve Mocco (Iowa) Brent Metcalf (Iowa) Gene Doyle (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 2008 Waverly-Shell Rock team (Outstanding Team) Marti and Jerry Roling (Russ Smith Community Impact Award) Blake Williams (Bob Siddens Iowa High School Wrestling Coach of the Year) Julien Broderson (Bob Steenlage Iowa High School Wrestler of the Year) Schwab Family (Bowlsby Family Legacy Award) Bob Steenlage Iowa High School Wrestler of the Year winners 2015: Max Thomsen (Union of La Porte City) 2016: Carter Happel (Lisbon) 2017: Marcus Coleman (Ames) 2018: Brody Teske (Fort Dodge) and Alex Thomsen (Underwood) 2019: Julien Broderson (Davenport Assumption) Bowlsby Family Legacy Award winners 2009: The Reiter Family 2013: The Huff Family 2014: The Gibbons Family 2018: The Banach Family 2019: The Schwab Family

Matt Hansen, head coach at Nebraska's Doane University for the past three seasons, has been fired just days before the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) wrestling championships. Matt HansenHansen was informed of the school's decision Friday, Feb. 15; Doane wrestlers got the news the following week. The 2019 NAIA wrestling championships start this Friday, March 1 in Des Moines. Hansen's biography has been deleted from the official website for the Doane wrestling program. The school recently advertised the open position at InterMat. Matt Franzen, Doane Athletic Director, offered this explanation of Hansen's dismissal: "It was a personnel decision made by the department that we will go in a different direction with the head wrestling coach." However, at least one Doane wrestler believes there are other reasons for Hansen's dismissal. Zach Linton, a junior who has been a national qualifier, told the Doane Line student newspaper that he was told the reason behind firing Hansen was to get a head start on getting a coach who could begin recruiting right away. However, Linton blamed Hansen's firing on the athletic director, saying Franzen had been undermining the Doane wrestling program. "At Doane we don't get enough money, we don't get the room (a designated wrestling room)," Linton said. "It is all about money and enrollment for Doane, not about winning." Franzen denied Linton's allegations. Coach Hansen did not respond to the Doane Line's query. Franzen denied accusations that he does not support the wrestling program, saying that assistant coaches will accompany Linton to the Nationals later this week in Iowa. Zach Linton hopes to follow in his older brother's footsteps. Cody Linton won the 197-pound title at the 2016 NAIA championships, becoming the school's first national mat champ. Hansen had been the second head coach since the Doane wrestling program was reinstated after having been eliminated in the 1970s. Prior to taking the reins of the Doane Tiger mat program in fall 2015, Hansen had served as an assistant coach at Luther College, Hastings College, and Simpson. Hansen wrestled at University of Nebraska-Kearney, where he was a two-time qualifier for the NCAA Division II wrestling championships. Doane University is a private, four-year liberal arts college located in Crete, Neb., just southwest of Lincoln, the state capital. The school has an enrollment of approximately 2,900 students.

James Bethel of SUNY Oneonta leads the Most Dominant standings in Division III (Photo/SUNY Oneonta) INDIANAPOLIS -- The NCAA has released updated standings for the 2019 NCAA Wrestling Awards that will be awarded in March at the respective Division I, II and III Wrestling Championships. The inaugural NCAA Wrestling Awards were presented at the 2012 wrestling championships. The three awards, given in each division, honor the Most Dominant Wrestler as well as the student-athletes that have accumulated the most falls and the most technical falls throughout the course of the regular and postseasons. For results to be counted they must come against opponents in the same division (i.e. Division II vs. Division II). Ties in the falls and tech falls categories are broken based on the aggregate time. Division II and III wrestlers competed in their NCAA regional qualifying tournaments over the weekend to set the standings headed into the NCAA championships. Chris Eddins, Jr., earned a fall, tech fall and major decision in the 149-pound final on his way to the NCAA Division II Super Regional I championship for Pittsburgh-Johnstown and took the lead in the race for most dominant with an average of 4.58 team points per match. St. Cloud State 197-pounder Vince Dietz grinded out a pair of close decisions in the semis and final to win his weight class in NCAA Super Regional V to fall just .02 points (4.56) behind Eddins headed to nationals in Cleveland. Western Colorado 174-pounder Brandon Supernaw won his weight class in NCAA Super Regional VI and sits third with 4.39 points. Four wrestlers are closely bunched behind the national leader for most dominant and all are headed to the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships in Roanoke, Virginia. SUNY Oneonta heavyweight James Bethel won the Mideast regional picking up a fall and tech fall to be the leader with an average of 5.29 team points per match. Jake Evans of Waynesburg is second with 5.11 points after two major decisions and a fall in a runner-up finish in the Southeast regional. Heavyweight Konrad Ernst of Wisconsin-La Crosse and Stevens 141-pounder Troy Stanich are tied for third with 5.08 points, while Rochester Institute of Technology 157-pounder Kaidon Winters has 5.04 points. Bo Nickal of Penn State needed just 1:19 to pin Brett Perry of Buffalo over the weekend to increase his lead for most dominant in Division I to 5.41 points. Jason Nolf (5.26) and Vincenzo Joseph (5.00) also had falls against the Bulls to keep pace with their teammate. The Most Dominant Wrestler standings are calculated by adding the total number of points awarded through match results and dividing that number by the total number of matches wrestled. Points per match are awarded as follows: * Fall, forfeit, injury default or DQ = 6 points (-6 points for a loss) * Tech falls = 5 points (-5 points for a loss) * Major decision = 4 points (-4 points for a loss) * Decision = 3 points (-3 points for a loss) A fall on Friday over Michigan State's Chris Beard gave Central Michigan heavyweight Matt Stencel his 17th of the season to hold a lead of one over George Mason's Colston DiBlasi. Nickal maintains his position in third with 15, while Missouri 141-pounder Jaydin Eierman has 14. Lake Erie heavyweight Evan Loughman had two falls in NCAA Super Regional III over the weekend to hold the Division II lead by one over McKendree's Ryan Vasbinder and two more than Tiffin's Nicholas Mason. Newberry heavyweight Patton Gossett is the only other wrestler in double digits with 10. While chasing James Bethel for most dominant, Waynesburg's Evans is the national leader in falls with 22, one more than his fellow heavyweight and with a potential meeting at the NCAA Championships on tap next weekend. Da'mani Burns of JWU (Providence) had two falls at the Northeast regional on his way to a runner-up finish at 149 pounds and has 21 falls on his resume to sit third based on aggregate time. The standings for tech falls in Division I remain the same this week with Lock Haven's Kyle Shoop holding the lead with 14, over Oklahoma State's Daton Fix (12) and Nicholas Piccininni (10). Nebraska-Kearney 125-pounder Josh Portillo and Mercyhurst 165-pounder Logan Grass are both headed to Cleveland with eight tech falls in Division II. Portillo holds a narrow advantage in aggregate time of just 58 seconds. Messiah 149-pounder Stephen Maloney had two tech falls on his way to second place in the Southeast regional to increase his national lead in Division III to 17. Northeast regional 125-pound champ Jay Albis of JWU (Providence) had two of his own to keep pace with 15 tech falls, while Jordin James of Mount Union has 13.

Yet another wrestling video is creating a stir on mainstream and social media. It shows the aftermath of a dramatic fall at a wrestling tournament that has nothing to do with a pin. A 19-year-old man was seriously injured when he fell through a skylight of a Florida high school gym during a wrestling tournament this past weekend. A mother who was using her cellphone to record video of her son's wrestling match at a district tournament captured the moment the man crash-landed on his back on the edge of the mat, as debris from the broken skylight fell around him at Buchholz High School in Gainesville, Fla. The man who fell 40 feet from the roof to the gym floor, Chad Shanks, was taken to a local hospital, where he underwent six hours of surgery on his back. Shanks was able to move his legs after surgery. At least one wrestler and an assistant coach suffered minor injuries caused by the falling debris. Multiple media reports indicate that a number of teens were on the gym's roof at the time Shanks fell through the skylight. At least one outlet -- a TV station in Jacksonville, Fla. -- reported that the young people were on the roof filming a music video. Other reports state that one teen threw Shanks' phone onto the roof. When he went to retrieve his phone which had landed on the skylight, Shanks stepped onto the skylight, falling the equivalent of four stories to the gym floor below. Shanks and the other teens will be charged with trespassing, as they were on school grounds after hours.

Cross Cannone wrestling against Coe (Photo/Wartburg Athletics) The distance between Trumbull, Connecticut and Waverly, Iowa is 1,157 miles. But every mile has been worth it for Cross Cannone. The standout senior has been on quite a journey during his remarkable wrestling career at Wartburg College. The returning national champion will carry a 61-match winning streak into the NCAA Division III Championships on March 8-9 in Roanoke, Va. "Cross has always had his sights set really high," Wartburg coach Eric Keller said. "When he came here on his visit, he said 'You guys know how to win a national championship and that's why I'm here.' The guy knew what he wanted. He made a big decision to come here and it's really paid off for him." Cannone is ranked No. 1 nationally at 157 pounds and is 27-0 this season. He went undefeated and won a national title at 149 as a junior. He was an NCAA finalist at 141 as a sophomore. "I know all of my opponents are gunning for me and I have that target on my back," Cannone said. "But I feel my opponents are in the way of what I want to accomplish. That's the way I approach it." After suffering a tough loss late in his high school career, Cannone wasn't even sure he was going to wrestle in college. That changed when the Wartburg coaches learned about him and reached out to him. Cannone, a Connecticut native, knew nothing about Wartburg's rich wrestling history or that it was one of the best programs in the collegiate ranks. "I came out here and I fell in love with the culture," he said. "All the guys on the team accepted me right away. The wrestling program is a great close-knit family that helped me develop into the man I am today. I would recommend this place to anybody. "I remember when I first came here and saw all the national championship trophies and said, 'I need to come here.'" Cannone also found the perfect mentor in Keller, the high-energy head coach for the Knights. "I loved Keller's intensity and we clicked right away," Cannone said. "When we first met, we really hit it off. We had the same mentality and the same goals. Even when you're down about something, Keller can always pick you up and fire you up." Even with all of his success, it didn't happen overnight at the collegiate level for Cannone. He was unable to crack the starting lineup during his freshman season at Wartburg. "His freshman year was hard for Cross - he really, really wanted to be the guy," Keller said. "That was a hard situation for him, but he knew big things were ahead. That drove him and motivated him. He upped his level of discipline and his level of commitment." Cannone came back strong to reach the national finals as a sophomore at 141. He fell in the championship match, but he hasn't lost since. Cross Cannone claimed the national title last year and finished the season 34-0 (Photo/Wartburg Athletics) Cannone bumped up to 149 pounds last season before storming to a national title and a 34-0 record for the Knights. "He majored his way through the national tournament," Keller said. "He wrestled with such a high level of confidence and belief in what he can do." Cannone has excelled despite bumping up a weight class each of the last two seasons. "After I took second at 141, I learned a lot from that loss and went into the summer with that hunger to win it the next year," he said. "I worked hard in the weight room and the wrestling room. I feel like I've evolved both physically and mentally during my time here." Much of that work was done in the loaded Wartburg wrestling room, where he doesn't have to look far to find quality practice partners. "I believe in the hard work we put in at practice," Cannone said. "I've never backed down from anyone. I've always wanted to wrestle the best guys. That's the mentality I have. We have the best room in the country. I've always had a strong work ethic. My father taught me that and told me there are no shortcuts to being successful." Cannone is looking to finish his career by wrestling on his fourth straight national championship team. The Knights are ranked No. 1 in Division III. "It's something I've thought about and it would definitely be something special to do that," he said. "We have seven guys going to nationals and I know our guys are focused. We will be ready to go." Cannone has scored bonus points in 18 of his wins this season. He already holds Wartburg's school record for technical falls in a career. "What's great about Cross is he's the ultimate competitor," Keller said. "No matter how he feels or what the situation is, he's a natural competitor in every sense of the word. I love that about him." Cannone is a physical wrestler who has also had success wrestling up a class at 165 pounds. "He's very strong and powerful, and he's very proficient at what he does," Keller said. "He can wrestle through about any position and that's something he's become better at. His strength in every position has really evolved." A business major at Wartburg, Cannone is a member of the New York Athletic Club and he said he plans to wrestle internationally in freestyle after college. For now, Cannone is focused on finishing his college career in style. "Cross knows this is his last tournament and he has to wrestle as hard as he can for seven minutes every match," Keller said. "He's wrestled consistently at a very high level for us and he knows what he needs to do."

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY -- United World Wrestling, the international federation for the sport of wrestling, has confirmed plans for an ambitious worldwide tour of Beach Wrestling, the organization's fastest growing new discipline. The 2019 Beach Wresting World Series will launch in late March and include four stops around the globe. In addition to sun-drenched beaches and high-flying competition, the series will feature equally attractive cash prizes totaling 15,000 CHF per event. Each weight category will be awarded a total of 1750 CHF; 1000 CHF for gold, 500 CHF for silver, and 250 CHF for bronze. To incentivize crowd-pleasing techniques, fans in attendance will also be asked to vote on the "Big Move from the Beach," - an award that comes with an additional 1000 CHF for the winner. "Beach wrestling appeals to fans and wrestlers of all ages," said United World Wrestling president Nenad Lalovic. "Our young wrestlers and older lions can compete together on the beach and showcase our sport in a new and exciting way. The World Series events will have a fun atmosphere with music, food, and high energy competition." The Beach Wrestling World Series kicks off in the historic town of Chaves, Portugal on March 29-30 before quickly moving to Olympic Park in Rio de Janeiro, May 11-12. Wrestlers at the first two Beach Wrestling World Series event will also earn points to qualify for the 1st ANOC World Beach Games, scheduled to take place this October in San Diego. The third stop of the world series will head to Odessa on August 9-10, before wrapping up at the Beach Wrestling World Series Final in Zagreb, September 6-9. The Beach Wrestling World Series will follow a pool format with each wrestler competing against every wrestler in the pool to determine who will compete for the gold and bronze. Weight classes for the Beach Wrestling World Series are below. National federations are reminded that they are limited to three entries per weight category. Women: 50kg | 60kg | 70kg | +70kg Men: 70kg | 80kg | 90kg | +90kg To read up on the full regulations for the Beach Wrestling World Series, visit: https://unitedworldwrestling.org/governance/regulations-beach-wrestling Uniform Guidelines Follow us our new Instagram account and on Twitter.

Johnny Sebastian gets in on a shot against Minnesota's Chris Pfarr in a dual meet (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine) Johnny Sebastian's college wrestling career is over. The Northwestern redshirt senior 174-pounder announced on Instagram that he will be undergoing two more shoulder surgeries, which will end his college wrestling career at Northwestern. "I want to start off by saying thank you to my friends and family who continue to support me, both on and off the mat," Sebastian wrote. "Unfortunately, my season has been cut short. Tomorrow morning I will undergo the first of two more shoulder surgeries. Thank you to Northwestern & the @nuwrestle coaching staff for giving me the opportunity to compete amongst the nation's best while also receiving a top-notch education. I will graduate this June with a master's degree from @kelloggschool and I look forward to what the future holds." Sebastian finishes his career as a two-time NCAA qualifier. Last season, Sebastian placed fourth at the Big Ten Championships and followed it up with a 2-2 record at the NCAA Championships. He posted a 6-7 record this season, with a victory in his most recent match against Illinois on Feb. 15. Sebastian compiled a career record of 53-27. He was Academic All-Big Ten, as well as a member of the NWCA All-Academic Team. Prior to his college career, Sebastian was a three-time state New Jersey state champion at Bergen Catholic. He was ranked as the nation's No. 14 senior recruit by InterMat.