InterMat Staff

The New York Times yesterday published a story about the wrestlers killed in this month's attack on a wrestling club in Kabul The club was popular, arguably the most popular and most successful in the country. The "suiciders" chose the club to try and strike a blow against the local minority community -- wrestlers are their symbol of strength and killing them would prove some sort of dominance. What the terrorists wouldn't know is that wrestling is far too malleable to be crushed by a single act, and wrestlers far too bullheaded and determined to cower. To that point the story tells of the wrestling coach who risked his life to keep out the bomber, and the volunteers already at work rebuilding the gym brick-by-brick. As the local legend goes, "a wrestler never dies." Our sport has seen all types of threats over the millennia it's been practiced, terrorism is just the most recent and most painful. My hunch -- and this bears out in the reaction of the nation to the bombing of another wrestling tournament in which the entire nation began to march in protest -- is this will be a marker for many Afghans on their ongoing struggle to protest and overcome these attacks. These men inspire their nation and attacks on them is an attack on ideals. As of now there isn't any direct way to support the club, but I'm hoping that something will come to fruition soon. When it does I hope that we can join together and show solidarity with our Afghan friends and send them shoes, mats and singlets. You know these men, because you are these men. They've done the same drills as you, their faces are mushed flat, their ears scarred, their shoulders broadened. You may not know their faces, but they are your brothers and when the time comes let's support them like we would any member of our family -- with absolute love. To your questions … Jon Jay Chavez competing at the NCAAs (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Q: Do you view Jon Jay Chavez of Cornell as a potential NCAA title threat? He is a returning All-American. Or do you view him more as a Greco specialist? I've been super impressed with his development over the past year. -- Mike C. Foley: I don't see Greco-Roman being any type of hindrance to Jon Jay Chavez's chance at an NCAA title. Take a look at the larger factors like institutional support, previous wrestlers' ability to win at that school, and his previous results. All three would indicate he's well able to make his way to the top of the platform before the end of his career. I think Greco is really going to be a hidden asset for Chavez. Well, maybe not so hidden given his accolades, but in a scramble the feel of Greco wrestlers can be jarring to those (like me) who are hyper fearful of being loaded up on to an opponent's hips. In a scramble-happy NCAA style of wrestling Chavez could utilize that fear to his advantage and find the takedowns that can often mean the difference in a big match. Also, most Greco-Roman guys have incredible hand fighting skills that could really help give an advantage to Chavez, especially late in matches. Like you insinuated, now that he's cracked the top eight he doesn't seem to have a ceiling in the sport. Q: Coach Andy Lausier is already doing great things at Davidson with pretty much only one year under his belt after stints at Sacred Heart and Princeton. A few items of note: He increased the scholarship fund by $500K, made a huge splash when he hired Joey Dance as his head assistant, brought in a nice group of recruits and is putting some nice teams on their schedule with duals against NC State, Pitt, and Brown. The wrestling facilities are fantastic and their duals are in the beautiful Belk Arena where Steph Curry used to drain threes. Now is your time to show them some love and look like a hero as they work their way up the ladder the next few years! What say you? -- JEZ from Wisconsin Foley: These are great notes and I'm glad you wrote in with the update. Though we bemoan that there are only 80 or so Division I teams, I assure you that even those "in the know" aren't able to keep attention on the triumph of every program. And $500K is a lot of money! I'm sure that Coach Lausier knows that his program has a long way to go, but he's the right man to see that they make that journey. He's humble, bright, and most of all hard working. He may also have the world's largest reserve of patience, given the more challenging projects he's faced in the past few years. Joey Dance on the coaching staff, and a tough schedule, will almost ensure that these wrestlers learn through their lumps. And if the facilities at Davidson are the same or better than they were in 2004 when I last visited then they are certainly sufficient enough to help Coach Lausier and his staff build something special. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Awesome behind-the-scenes VLOG of Team USA at the Junior World Championships! Bey! Q: Obviously, expectations were high for Kamal Bey at the Junior World Championships after last year's performance. He placed fifth this year after winning gold last year. While fifth place in the world is a great accomplishment, it's probably disappointing for him. What do you attribute his "disappointing" performance to? Well scouted? Moving up in weight? -- Mike C. Foley: The Junior World Championships are underway this week in Trnava, Slovakia, and Team USA has performed average over the first four days, earning three medals after a total of 15 weight classes. The Greco-Roman team looked impressive throughout, but only managed two medals after defending world champion Kamal Bey lost a pair of matches up at 77 kilograms. He wrestled well, but lost to the other two best guys in the world at his weight class. Getting to the medal stand Cohlton Schultz stared down a massive Anta Milkovic of Croatia at 130 kilograms, and wrestled his way to a 7-1 victory in the bronze-medal finals, walking away with a dominant 8-0 victory. At 82 kilograms it was Andrew Berreyesa capturing silver after falling to four-time age group champion Aleksandr Komarov of Russia, 10-0. Overall, the Greco-Roman squad finished in the top ten for the second year in a row, a positive sign that the developmental program is headed in the right direction. The women also hit the mats this week, with some scattered early results. Macey Kilty took silver, dropping a finals match to Khanum Velieva of Russia, 7-0. Before her loss in the finals Kilty looked dominant as she launched opponents in the opening rounds. However, Team USA dropped all five of its athletes out of the championships round on Thursday as Russia and Japan each put four in the finals. Alisha Howk will wrestle for bronze on Friday. The first of the freestyle wrestlers received their bid Thursday and will compete Friday, Saturday and Sunday -- a style which American fans are hoping will result in more medals. Q: My daughter likes the sport. If she wants to continue into her high school years I'm thinking about having her not join the high school team. I would rather her focus on freestyle since it's freestyle after high school. Thoughts? -- @ShogunOfSonoma Foley: I think that it depends on why she is in the sport of wrestling. If her desire is to be near a team and to represent her school, then of course it's worth investigating the environment at the program and see if it's welcoming. However, if she's laser-focused on being an Olympic champion and there is somewhere for her to train year-round, then that may be a better option. Looking down the field a bit, it's possible that women's desire for freestyle -- and men's wrestling's need for women to participate -- could nudge a school district somewhere towards freestyle rules. I'd prefer that didn't happen. The American scholastic style is unique and deserves some respect. On the other hand, I'm uncertain if local schools can handle the extra coaching costs. Again, like you I'd prefer to see the women wrestle freestyle in high school, but I'm guessing there will need to be a major sea of change for the existing power structure to accept.

Macey Kilty (Photo/ Kadir Caliskan) TRNAVA, Slovakia -- Macey Kilty collected a silver medal at the 2018 Junior World Championships, after making her second World finals appearance of the summer. "I think throughout this year, I've made a big jump in my wrestling and my training," Kilty said. "Just the pressure I put on my opponents and staying in good position has jumped levels for me, even since Croatia. I've seen a big difference. I'm just grateful for the opportunities I've had this summer and getting to compete." Kilty, who won a Cadet World title in July in Zagreb, Croatia, faced off against reining Junior World champion and two-time Cadet World champion Khanum Velieva of Russia in the 68 kg finals. Read complete story on TheMat.com …

Alisha Howk (Photo/ Kadir Caliskan) TRNAVA, Slovakia -- U.S. women's freestyle representative Alisha Howk fell in the semifinals of the 2018 Junior World Championships in Trnava, Slovakia, after a very close call that was decided after the buzzer. Howk, a 2017 Cadet World Team member, faced Aktenge Keunimyaeva of Uzbekistan, who is a two-time age-group Asian medalist and took fifth at the Senior Asian championships in February. Read complete story on TheMat.com

Ninety years after winning an Olympic gold medal in freestyle wrestling -- and a half-century after his passing -- Allie Morrison's name will grace the new wrestling room at his high school alma mater. The new facility, now under construction at Marshalltown High School in central Iowa, will be officially named the "Allie Morrison Wrestling Training Room" after the Marshalltown School Board approved the honor Monday night, the Marshalltown Times-Republican reported Wednesday. Allie MorrisonAlvin Roy "Allie" Morrison, who was born in Marshalltown in June 1904, attended Marshalltown High from 1922-26. While at the school, Morrison won two Iowa state wrestling championships ... and, as a senior, served as de facto head wrestling coach when the man hired for the job -- Adolph Rupp, fresh from college and years before becoming legendary college basketball coach at University of Kentucky -- pretty much handed the responsibilities over to Morrison. Morrison wrestled at the University of Illinois, where he earned three AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) national titles. While at Illinois, Morrison won three Big 10 conference titles ... along with the gold medal in freestyle at the 1928 Olympics in Paris, the only American wrestler to earn gold at the Games, and becoming the first Iowan to win an Olympic gold medal in wrestling. A serious neck injury ended Morrison's on-the-mat career. However, he served as a high school wrestling coach in Omaha for a number of years. Morrison also served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Morrison died in April 1966 at age 62. The new wrestling room named in Allie Morrison's honor is expected to be up and running in early Dec. 2018. Want to know more about Allie Morrison? Check out the 2012 InterMat Rewind historical feature on the first Iowan to win an Olympic gold medal in wrestling.

UPDATED 10/6/18 -- CAUSE OF DEATH, MEMORIAL SERVICE Chad Jones, Colorado state champion wrestler for Hayden High School who later returned to his alma mater to coach wrestling in 2012, passed away at home Monday. He was 39. Rod Ryg, coroner in Colorado's Routt County, told the Craig Daily Press on Oct. 6 that an autopsy and toxicology report showed that Jones died of an infection of the throat called tracheitis. "He had a terrible infection that went unchecked," Ryg said. "He went in and thought that he had strep throat and found out he had this tracheitis." Jones was found dead in his home on Sept. 17. A 1997 graduate of Hayden High, Jones completed his prep career by winning a state wrestling championship in the 171-pound class. Not long after graduating, Jones launched his coacing career by mentoring youth wrestling and peewee football. "He was into peewee football and wrestling since just a few years after high school," former Hayden wrestling coach and athletic director Ty Zabel told the Steamboat Pilot. "Chad was all about the kids, always. He would help them out if they were having trouble with their school work, and he always had their back." Christian Carson, one of Jones' wrestlers throughout Carson's mat career, had positive memories of his long-time coach. "Chad was always there in your ear whether he was talking to you or yelling from across wrestling floor," Carson said. "He told us that we were winners no matter what the scoreboard says and no matter what anyone says as long as you know in your heart that you gave 110 percent." "He touched a lot of people's lives in a very positive way, both young and old," said Nick Planansky, who served as an assistant coach for the Hayden High School wrestling team. "He loved his coaching. He was there night and day for the kids, and anytime anybody needed anything he was there for them." Chad Jones is survived by two children -- PiperJo and Saben -- along with his father, a sister and younger brother A memorial service for Chad Jones was held at Hayden High School on Thursday, Sept. 20. In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund has been set up at Mountain Valley Bank in Hayden to benefit Jones' children PiperJo and Saben Jones. Contributions can also be made through a GoFundMe page at GoFundMe.com/chad-jones-memorial-fund.

Macey Kilty gets her hand raised after a semifinal victory (Photo/Kadir Caliskan) TRNAVA, Slovakia -- For the second time this year, Macey Kilty will wrestle for a world title. Kilty, who won a Cadet world title in July, cruised to the gold-medal match at 68 kilograms on Wednesday at the Junior World Championships, winning by technical fall, 11-0, in the semifinals over China's Yan Wang. "I'm just super jacked to try to get another belt," Kilty said following her semifinal victory. "It's just fun." Kilty has not surrendered a point in three matches. She opened with a 12-0 technical fall over Tindra Sjoeberg of Sweden and followed it up with a 50-second fall over Alina Rudnytska of Ukraine. Kilty will face Khanum Velieva of Russia in the gold-medal match on Thursday. Alleida Martinez (50 kilograms), Ronna Heaton (55 kilograms), Brenda Reyna (59 kilograms) and Dymond Guilford (76 kilograms) competed on Wednesday for Team USA but failed to advance to medal matches. Martinez won two matches to advance to the quarterfinals before losing by fall to Marina Zakshevskaya of Kazakhstan. Heaton won her opening match before losing to Russia's Ekaterina Verbina 11-4. Reyna and Guilford both lost their first match. Berreyesa finishes with a silver medal in Greco-Roman Cornell University wrestler Andrew Berreyesa faced a tall order in his gold-medal match in Greco-Roman on Wednesday. His opponent in the 82-kilogram finals, Aleksander Komarov of Russia, was going after his fourth age group world title. After a scoreless 90 seconds, Berreyesa was called for passivity, surrendering a point and giving Komarov a chance to score in par terre. The Russian took advantage, executing two gut wrenches to take a 5-0 lead. Komarov then used a four-point throw to close out the 10-0 technical fall victory in the second period.

PHILIPPI, W.Va. -- Alderson Broaddus University Athletic Director Dennis Creehan announced the addition of women's wrestling to the University's varsity athletic programs effective for the 2019-20 academic year. "Alderson Broaddus University wants to continue to be responsive to changes in the athletic landscape," said Creehan. "We want to be on the forefront of this rapidly growing sport and are excited to begin women's wrestling." Head wrestling coach Sam Gardner will begin recruiting immediately for a team to compete in an abbreviated schedule in 2019-20 and then a full schedule in 2020-21. "The plan currently is to recruit enough women to wrestle an abbreviated schedule next year, focusing on the individual development of the student-athletes and getting them competing for spots on different age group teams," said Gardner. "The second year we'll have had two recruiting classes and ideally have recruited enough depth to hit the ground running in 2020-21." There are currently 38 schools offering women's wrestling. Women's wrestling is freestyle wrestling and there are 10 weight classes. "I think that adding another women's program will help strengthen and grow wrestling as a whole," Gardner said. "The sport's growing at the small school level, and I felt the time was right to propose that we adopt women's wrestling now rather than later. We want to be early adopters of women's wrestling and be on the ground floor of this trend. I believe this will help set AB up to be one of the premier locations for wrestling in the state and hopefully nationally in years to come."

Johny Hendricks A few months after announcing his retirement from mixed martial arts competition, former MMA and amateur wrestling champ Johny Hendricks will fight Brennan Ward in a professional bare-knuckle boxing match this November. The former UFC titleholder and Oklahoma State wrestling champ will ditch the four-ounce gloves of MMA to take on Ward -- a former Bellator MMA fighter -- in the headline event at the first-ever World Bare Knuckle Fighting Federation event Friday, Nov. 9 at the Casper Events Center in Casper, Wyo. The WBKFF's "Rise of the Titans" will also feature UFC veterans Chris Leben vs. Phil Baroni, as well as football linebacker Shawne Merriman vs. Mike Bourke. All matches will be available on pay-per-view and on FITE TV. Back in June, Hendricks had announced he was retiring from MMA to become a wrestling coach at a private high school in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Hendricks, who launched his pro MMA career in Sept. 2007, won the UFC welterweight title in March 2014... only to lose it to Robbie Lawler in November of that year. Hendricks had compiled an 18-8 record. Prior to launching his MMA career 11 years ago, Hendricks, 34, was a three-time Oklahoma high school wrestling champ who then made his name known beyond the Sooner State as an Oklahoma State mat star, winning two NCAA Division I championships and two Big 12 conference crowns. Brennan Ward had a similar wrestling-to-MMA career trajectory. The 30-year-old had wrestled in high school, then at Colby Community College in Kansas, and at Johnson & Wales University, where he was an NCAA Division III championships finalist at 184 pounds in 2010. He then entered MMA, where he was 14-6. Ward announced his retirement in August of 2017.

No. 6 Julian Ramirez has committed to Cornell (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) While today is "the eight weeks to go" mark until the start of the early signing period for Division I wrestling, many of the nation's elite Class of 2019 wrestlers have made their verbal commitments. In fact, all but ten of the top 50 ranked wrestlers in the current senior class fit that description. Furthermore, the top 100 wrestlers in the Class of 2019 have committed to 33 different schools -- not accounting for Josh McKenzie (Bergen Catholic, N.J.), who has chosen to play football in college at Yale University. Eight schools have verbal commitments from three or more top 100 wrestlers, while another ten have commitments from a pair. Below are ten top recruiting classes to date, based on verbal commitments of top 100 recruits. 1. Cornell The Big Red recruiting class of 2017 ended up second overall, a group that was anchored by eventual true freshman national champion Yianni Diakomihalis. This class is well-positioned to be in similar rarified air. It features commitments from five top 100 seniors, including four in the top 50. Anchoring the class are elite talents in No. 6 Julian Ramirez (Blair Academy, N.J.) and No. 12 Jacob Cardenas (Bergen Catholic, N.J.); both will be clear assets to the back third of Rob Koll's lineup in years to come. Additional commitments are from middle-weights No. 22 Mason Reiniche (Baylor School, Tenn.) and No. 44 Coltan Yapoujian (Pomona, Colo.), along with lower-weight No. 64 Phillip Moomey (Kearney, Neb.). 2. Ohio State Head coach Tom Ryan has made elite level recruiting a calling card during his tenure, and four verbal commitments from top 50 -- or darn close to it -- prospects for 2019 is a reflection of that. Especially when it piggy-backs upon a 2018 class that was ranked No. 2 overall. Commitments so far come from lightweight Jacob Decatur (CVCA, Ohio), ranked No. 52 overall; lower-weights No. 4 Jordan Decatur (CVCA, Ohio) and No. 21 Dylan D'Emilio (Genoa, Ohio); along with heavyweight No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet (Simley, Minn.). 3. Arizona State The Sun Devils had the top overall recruiting class in 2015, and a top ten class in 2017. Early indications are this class will be viewed in a similar light. It is anchored by multi-time world medalist Cohlton Schultz (Ponderosa, Colo.), the No. 2 overall wrestler in the Class of 2019. Other early commits are lowerweight Nick Raimo (Hanover Park, N.J.) and upperweight Zane Coleman (Choctaw, Okla.), who are ranked No. 17 and No. 62 respectively. 4. Virginia Tech Though the 2018 class was not ranked among the top 25 nationally, the change in head coach from Kevin Dresser to Tony Robie does not mean the Hokies have forgotten how to identify and attract elite level scholastic talent to Blacksburg. The 2017 class was ranked No. 4 nationally with four top 100 recruits, and so far this 2019 class features three top 100 commits. It's led by a pair of middleweight hammers from the Buckeye State in No. 10 Connor Brady (Olentangy Liberty) and No. 19 Bryce Andonian (St. Edward), who was a Junior National freestyle champion this summer; also in the class is lightweight Sam Latona (Thompson, Ala.). 5. Lehigh After a strong stretch of recruiting by the Mountain Hawks, the previous two classes were not up to the standard that had been set in Bethlehem by head coach Pat Santoro and staff. However, 2019 is positioned to be a strong group, as four top 100 seniors have already verbally committed. The group features a pair of lowerweights in No. 18 Connor McGonagle (Timberlane, N.H.) and No. 66 Malyke Hines (Osceola, Fla.), while No. 47 Jake Logan (New Rochelle, N.Y.) and No. 67 Edmond Ruth (Susquehanna Township, Pa.) fit in as upper-weights. 6. Michigan The prior two classes to this one have been most excellent, with seven top 100 recruits combined (four in 2017 and three this past year). The first class that Sean Bormet is recruiting as head coach is off to a high-quality start with commitments from No. 3 Kurt McHenry (St. Paul's, Md.) and No. 32 Cameron Amine (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.). Two-time Cadet world freestyle champion McHenry is a superlative lightweight, while Amine is a Wolverine legacy and a projected middleweight 7. Northern Colorado Head coach Troy Nickerson has been in the need of a talent spark for his program, and he has found it in what is the beginning of a seemingly significant wave of strong talent from the Centennial State. Getting verbal commitments from a pair of in-state top 20 recruits represents a significant victory for the Bears program. Those commits come from No. 7 Andrew Alirez (Greeley Central) and No. 20 Theorius Robison (Pomona). 8. North Carolina State The 2018 NCAA Division I Championships saw the Wolfpack earn a trophy for finishing in joint fourth place. The No. 1 recruiting class of 2016 played a significant role in that; while head coach Pat Popolizio landed the No. 3 overall class this past year with five top 100 commits. So far, the Wolfpack have four verbal commitments from top 100 wrestlers; however, none is ranked in the upper-half. Those commits come from lightweight No. 54 Sammy Alvarez (St. Joseph Montvale, N.J.), lowerweight No. 75 Kai Orine (Seckman, Mo.), along with upperweights in No. 77 Owen Trephan (Blair Academy, N.J.) and No. 97 Christian Knop (Alexandria, Ala.). 9. Penn A seeming re-prioritization of the wrestling program with Roger Reina taking over again as head coach plus the significant donation made by Josh Harris shows itself in the strong start to 2019 recruiting for the Quakers. Three top 100 wrestlers have verbally committed, each coming from what would have to be viewed as the core recruiting footprint. No. 26 Michael Colaiocco (Blair Academy, N.J.) fits in as a lowerweight, No. 41 Lucas Revano (Camden Catholic, N.J.) is a lower-to-middleweight, while No. 78 Cole Urbas (State College, Pa.) is an upperweight 10. Wisconsin Athletic Director Barry Alvarez made a bold and very smart hire in Chris Bono as head coach after Barry Davis chose to retire at the end of the 2018 NCAA Division I wrestling tournament. So far Bono has been spot-on in promoting and branding the program, and is off to a strong start in providing a clear injection of high-end talent for the Badgers wrestling program. Two of the three top 100 verbal commitments are from in-state wrestlers in lightweight No. 33 Eric Barnett (Hortonville) and No. 72 Joshua Otto (Arrowhead); Barnett was a flip, as the Junior National freestyle champion had verbally committed to North Carolina earlier in the process. The third commitment comes from No. 61 Peter Christensen (Montini Catholic, Ill.), a projected upper-weight Other schools with a pair of top 100 verbal commitments to date: Iowa State: No. 9 Ryan Anderson (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) and No. 45 Aden Reeves (Albia, Iowa) Stanford: No. 11 Jaden Abas (Rancho Bernardo, Calif.) and No. 95 Dawson Sihavong (Bullard, Calif.) Northern Iowa: No. 14 Parker Keckeisen (Nicolet, Wis.) and No. 89 Kyle Gollhofer (Woodland, Ga.) Iowa: No. 24 Abe Assad (Glenbard North, Ill.) and No. 50 Zach Glazier (Albert Lea, Minn.) Rutgers: No. 29 Joseph Aragona (Pope John II, N.J.) and No. 63 Robert Kanniard (Wall Township, N.J.) Oklahoma: No. 31 Jake Stiles (Montini Catholic, Ill.) and No. 40 Sam Dover (St. Edward, Ohio) North Carolina: No. 34 Gabriel Tagg (Brecksville, Ohio) and No. 38 Devin Winston (Park Hill, Mo.) Old Dominion: No. 43 Alex Cramer (Grayslake Central, Ill.) and No. 69 Anthony Molton (Lockport Township, Ill.) The ten top 50 wrestlers yet to verbally commit: No. 5 Carson Kharchla (Olentangy Liberty, Ohio) No. 13 Ridge Lovett (Post Falls, Idaho) No. 15 Carter Starocci (Erie Cathedral Prep, Pa.) No. 16 Brevin Balmeceda (South Dade, Fla.) No. 25 Christopher Foca (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) No. 27 Julian Chlebove (Northampton, Pa.) No. 30 Ryan Reyes (Clovis West, Calif.) No. 42 Jackson Turley (St. Christopher's, Va.) No. 48 Tyler Curd (Oak Grove, Mo.) No. 49 Ronald Tucker, Jr. (Lockport Township, Ill.)

Henry Cejudo with his UFC belt Think you had a rough weekend? Olympic gold medalist and newly crowned UFC flyweight champ Henry Cejudo lost his MMA belt during a flight to Moscow this past weekend. No, Cejudo did not lose the belt in a bout on board the airplane … but, in a much more common way that affects mere mortals as a well as champion MMA fighters and former wrestlers: the belt was inside his luggage which the airline misplaced. "Unfortunately, my belt is in my luggage," Cejudo told reporters. "So now, on top of my gold medal, now it's my belt. I don't know what it is about gold. I can't keep it." Cejudo lost his Olympic gold medal -- won in freestyle wrestling at the 2008 Bejing Games -- last fall when he had to flee his Santa Rosa, Calif. hotel in the middle of the night because of wildfires surrounding the hotel. The 31-year-old escaped with minor injuries. "Let's be honest, material comes and goes. It's the memories, it's the legacy that comes with being a champion," Cejudo said. "I'm going to get a gold medal back. I'm going to get a belt back. But it's the memories that come with that that makes it special." This morning, Cejudo posted a video on Instagram showing that he had recovered his luggage with his championship belt inside. Cejudo took possession of the UFC flyweight (125-pound) championship belt in August with a split decision over Demetrious Johnson at UFC 227, ending the five-year title reign of the fighter known as "Mighty Mouse."

Andrew Berreyesa celebrates after winning in the semifinals (Photo/Kadir Calinska) TRNAVA, Slovakia -- For the second year in a row the United States has a world finalist at the Junior World Championships in Greco-Roman, one day after two wrestlers fell in the semifinals. Andrew Berreyesa reached the gold-medal match at 82 kilograms, edging Muhutdin Saricicek of Turkey 2-2 on criteria in the semifinals on Tuesday. A year ago, USA put two wrestlers in the world finals in Greco-Roman, Kamal Bey and Cevion Severado. It marks the first time since 1999-2000 that USA has had Junior world finalists in consecutive years in Greco-Roman. "Last year as a Junior I just really told myself, 'This is your only opportunity for this Junior World Championships," Berreyesa said in his post-match interview following his semifinal victory. "You can't waste it. The last weeks I've just been building into this moment." Berreyesa, a Nevada native who attends Cornell University, opened the scoring in the semifinals by countering a throw and securing a takedown to grab a 2-0 lead. A short time later Saricicek inched closer, scoring off a passivity to cut the deficit to 2-1. In the final period, Saricicek scored another point off a passivity to make the score 2-2, but Berryesa led on criteria and held on for the narrow victory. Earlier in the day Berreyesa notched wins over Italy's Simone Fidelbo and Uzbekistan's Abubakr Alimov. Berreyesa will face three-time age group world champion Aleksandr Komarov of Russia in the finals on Wednesday. The finals are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. local time (12 p.m. ET). "He's never wrestled me," Berreyesa said of Komarov. "It's easy to win a world championship, I guess, when I've never wrestled him. It'll be fun. I've watched film on him. I've prepared for him. I'm probably going to talk with my coaches, text back to Ahad (Javansalehi) tonight. I know what he does. It's just going out there and doing it." Berreyesa's semifinal victory was not the only highlight for Team USA in Tuesday's final session. Cohlton Schultz, a Cadet world champion in Greco-Roman last year, claimed a bronze medal at 130 kilograms, defeating Ante Milkovic of Croatia 7-1. Schultz gave up the first point of the match off a step out, but came back strong with seven unanswered points. Schultz's lone loss in the tournament came to David Ovasapyan of Armenia 2-1 in the semifinals. Kamal Bey, a 2017 Junior world champion, finished fifth at 77 kilograms, losing in the bronze-medal match to Akzhol Makhmudov of Kyrgyzstan 8-1. It was a rematch of last year's Junior World finals match at 74 kilograms won by Bey 16-11. At 60 kilograms, Taylor LaMont, a 2016 Junior world bronze medalist, won his opening match against Galym Kabdunassaro of Kazakhstan 5-1, but fell in his second match to Ararat Manucharyan of Armenia 7-3. He was eliminated when Manucharyan lost in the quarterinals. Peyton Omania (67 kilograms), Tyler Dow (72 kilograms) and Chad Porter (97 kilograms) all dropped their opening matches and were not pulled back into repechage.

Kamal Bey (Photo/Max Rose-Fyne, United World Wrestling) TRNAVA, Slovakia -- U.S. Greco-Roman wrestlers Kamal Bey and Cohlton Schultz -- both group world champions in 2017 -- fell one match short of reaching gold-medal matches on Monday at the Junior World Championships in Trnava, Slovakia. Bey and Schultz will wrestle for bronze medals on Tuesday at 6 p.m. local time (12 p.m. ET). Bey, a returning Junior world champion, fell 7-1 to Russia's Islam Opiev in the semifinals at 77 kilograms. The two wrestlers traded passivity points in the first period, with Bey scoring first followed by Opiev. The Russian broke the match open in the second period, scoring first off a gut wrench to go up 3-1 with 1:30 remaining. In the final 30 seconds, Opiev capitalized on Bey's aggression, scoring a takedown and a gut wrench to win by six. Opiev was a 2015 Cadet European champion and placed 26th at last year's Junior World Championships. Bey opened his competition with a 9-1 victory and followed it up with two falls to reach the semifinals. Cohlton Schultz (Photo/Max Rose-Fyne, United World Wrestling) Schultz, who claimed a Cadet world title last summer in Greco-Roman, dropped a 2-1 decision to Junior European bronze medalist David Ovasapyan of Armenia in the semifinals at 130 kilograms. Ovasapyan scored first off a passivity in the opening period and extended his lead to 2-0 after getting a step-out point early in the second period. Schultz would cut the deficit to 2-1 after a passivity point midway through the second period, but the Armenian held on for the narrow victory. Schultz, the nation's No. 2 senior recruit by InterMat, had falls in his first two matches before losing in the semifinals. Americans Brady Koontz (55 kilograms), Alston Nutter (63 kilograms) and Barret Hughes (87 kilograms) all dropped their opening matches at the Junior World Championships. Nutter was pulled back into repechage and will face Hrachya Poghosyan of Armenia, a 2016 Cadet world bronze medalist, tomorrow morning.

Bryce Abbey Bryce Abbey, four-time NCAA Division II All-American wrestler, will be making his second appearance as a contestant on the CBS reality series "TKO: Total Knock Out" hosted by comedian Kevin Hart this Friday, Sept. 21. Abbey, who wrestled at the University of Nebraska-Kearney from 2002-05, earned $50,000 in his first appearance on the show back in August. Here's what Abbey -- now an administrator at his college alma mater -- posted to Facebook: "I can finally say that my chance at $100,000 in the #TKO - Battle Royale on #CBS will be next Friday September 21st! Show starts at 8pm Central (subject to change)! Watch and see if I can hit Kevin Hart with another Russian tie." Here's how CBS describes the series at its official website: "TKO: Total Knock Out features people from all walks of life, where one player races through daunting obstacles while four other contestants are manning battle stations along the course, firing over-the-top projectiles in an attempt to knock them off and slow them down. It's a physical and funny 'us versus them' scenario, with the fastest finisher winning a cash prize." On the episode aired Aug. 17, Abbey got through an obstacle course faster than the four other contestants on that episode. By scoring the fastest time on that episode, Abbey won a $50,000 cash prize. Because his time stacks up as one of the five fastest for the season, he qualified to compete in a "Battle Royale" for a chance at an additional $100,000 prize. Abbey's wrestling background served him well in the physical challenges presented in the August episode of "TKO." The Goodland, Kansas native -- who wrestled at 125 pounds for the Lopers -- is one of six UNK wrestlers to earn NCAA All-American honors four times, placing no lower than fifth at four national championships. What's more, Abbey ranks second on the school's all-time wins list with 134 victories, just behind two-time U.S. Olympian Tervel Dlagnev. Abbey was a member of four teams that placed in the top 10 at the Division II Championships, including a runner-up finish in 2003, and helped the Lopers win the national duals that year. For all his on-the-mat accomplishments, Abbey was inducted into the UNK Athletic Hall of Fame in 2017. Abbey currently serves as UNK's Employee Health and Wellness Director and is an assistant professor in the Kinesiology and Sport Science department. He and his family reside in Kearney.

The high school where Dan Gable crafted an undefeated prep career in the mid-1960s now has a new head wrestling coach. Steve FarrellSteve Farrell has been named to head up the legacy wrestling program at Waterloo West High School in Waterloo, Iowa, the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reported Saturday. Farrell, who wrestled at nearby Cedar Falls High School, then Upper Iowa University, is a teacher in the Waterloo Community School District. Farrell brings over a decade of coaching experience to the Wahawks. Prior to coming to Waterloo, Farrell had coached at two other Iowa schools -- Northeast Community High School in Goose Lake, and at Lone Tree Junior/Senior High in Lone Tree. He is also co-founder of the popular Iron Sharpens Iron wrestling camps. "We are very excited to have Steve as our head wrestling coach," said Waterloo West director of athletics Dr. Anthony Pappas. "His many different wrestling experiences will serve him well as we continue to grow and improve our wrestling program." When asked about being named head coach of the legendary Waterloo West wrestling program, Farrell told InterMat, "It's a dream come true. I wrestled at the Wahawk club as a youth in grades 1-8. Then I went to high school just down the road at Cedar Falls. So I understand the rich wrestling history at West. I am excited to get started and build champions on and off the mat." "My theme for the team is to put Waterloo West wrestling back on the map. It's going to be a brick-by-brick thing." Arguably the coach who put the Wahawk wrestling program on the map years ago was Bob Siddens, who coached at Waterloo West from 1951-197 in the era where the program tallied 47 individual Iowa state titles. In addition to Dan Gable -- two-time NCAA champ for Iowa State, 1972 Olympian and legendary University of Iowa coach -- another one of Siddens' most famous wrestlers was Dale Anderson, two-time NCAA champ at Michigan State in the late 1960s.

Zack Rey after a win at the Pan American Games in 2015 (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro has finalized his coaching staff for the 2018-19 season with the addition of three-time All-American and 2011 NCAA Champion Zack Rey '12, who will serve as the Volunteer Assistant, while also working with the Lehigh Valley Wrestling Club. "We had Zack as a student-athlete and then as a RTC athlete so to watch his growth, especially over the last three years, working with some of our guys on his own time was impressive," Santoro said. "It was neat to see how selfless he was. He was still training for competition but was willing to help our guys on his own time, which was pretty important. "He understands the program and how we operate," Santoro continued. "We're excited to have him be a part of it. Having a national champion on your staff is always a good thing." Rey has been training with and competing for the LVWC since his graduation from Lehigh in 2012. A three-time Pan American champion (2013, 2014, 2015) and two-time Cerro Pelado International champion, Rey is a two-time U.S. World Team Trials runner-up and also finished second at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials. In 2015, Rey represented the United States at the World Championships in Las Vegas, competing at 125 kg/275 lbs. Rey was a four-year starter and a three-time All-American at heavyweight for the Mountain Hawks. He finished third as a sophomore in 2010 and capped his career with a runner-up finish in 2012. As a junior in 2011, Rey won Lehigh's 27th individual national championship in wrestling, defeating rival Ryan Flores of American in the finals at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Rey posted a 116-14 record for Lehigh and currently ranks fourth on the school's career wins list. He was a four-time EIWA finalist, winning a title in 2010, and won the prestigious Midlands Championships in December 2010. Rey also posted an eighth place finish in freestyle at the World University Championships prior to his junior season. He will work primarily with Lehigh's upper weights, including EIWA champion heavyweight Jordan Wood, but Rey's experience should benefit Lehigh wrestlers at all weight classes. "Zack is a very good worker and he understands the sport," Santoro said. "Just because he was a heavyweight doesn't mean he doesn't know wrestling. His understanding of the sport is pretty deep." A native of Hopatcong, N.J., Rey was a two-time state champion and three-time placewinner. Rey graduated from Lehigh in 2012 with a degree in earth and environmental science. Rey and his wife Diane have three daughters, Emma, Zoey and Aria. The 2018-19 Lehigh wrestling season is presented by the Historic Hotel Bethlehem.

Anthony Robles The story of Anthony Robles appears to be headed to the big screen. Robles, Arizona State wrestler who won the 125-pound title at the 2011 NCAA Division I Championships despite being born without a left leg, will be the subject of a Hollywood film. Here's how the entertainment website Deadline.com opened its story on the new movie. "'Mudbound' and 'Straight Outta Compton' star Jason Mitchell is to play inspirational former wrestling champ Anthony Robles in biopic 'Unstoppable'." The Deadline.com story states that the movie's producers had previously purchased the rights to Robles' 2012 autobiography "Unstoppable: From Underdog to Undefeated: How I Became a Champion." Deadline.com also reported a director has been named -- Billy Goldenberg, Oscar-winning editor, who will be making his directorial debut. "Unstoppable" producers are identified as David Crockett and Andy Fraser along with Robles' longtime manager Gary Lewis. Filming is slated to begin in first quarter of 2019. Anthony Marc Robles, 30, discovered wrestling as a 14-year-old growing up in Mesa, Ariz. He went on to win two Arizona high school state titles. Robles then enrolled at Arizona State, where he was a three-time NCAA All-American, winning the 125-pound title at the 2011 NCAAs. He completed his college mat career with a 122-23 overall record for the Sun Devils, including an undefeated senior season. Robles was presented with two awards at the 2011 ESPYs: the prestigious "Jimmy V" Award for Perseverance, and the Best Male Athlete with a Disability. He was also honored with the Medal of Courage by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2012.In addition to being a motivational speaker, Anthony Robles is a commentator for ESPN's coverage of NCAA Division I Wrestling.

Jeff Jordan with his son Rocky at the Walsh Ironman (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) Jeff Jordan has retired as head wrestling coach at Graham High School in St. Paris, Ohio. Jordan, who started as an assistant coach in 1994 and promoted in 2001 to the head coaching position of the wrestling program that finished last season ranked No. 5 in the nation by InterMat, announced his retirement to his wrestlers and to the Graham school board this week. Graham Local Schools made his decision public Thursday. "Discussing it over with my wife over the past couple of weeks, I've decided it is time for me to retire," the long-time coach said in a statement released by the school. "What I am going to miss most is building the relationships with the student-athletes." "Over the course of 25 years, Graham High School has been fortunate to have a unique, nationally-recognized wrestling program led by a unique leader," said Graham Superintendent Kirk Koennecke. "Jeff Jordan took this program to elite status through hard work, dedication and a commitment to developing excellent student-athletes. There has never been an equivalent program in OHSAA sports history in terms of producing individual state champions and team championships. This is the best, period. We are grateful for all Jeff has done for the Graham Local Schools and our school community." Graham Board President Ryan Pine echoed those sentiments, saying, "Coach Jordan has successfully coached a dynasty program that created a unified, special atmosphere among athletes and community. His team is family to him, and the Graham community takes ownership in the fact that he was home grown." Jeff Jordan is very much a product of the program he helped nurture and grow as a coach. As a wrestler, he was a four-time Ohio state champion at the school known nationwide as St. Paris Graham, a public high school located in St. Paris, a town of approximately 2,000 residents straight west of Columbus and north of Dayton. Jordan went on to wrestle at the University of Wisconsin, where he was an NCAA All-American for the Badgers. Prior to returning to Graham as an assistant coach nearly a quarter-century ago, Jordan had coached at Purdue University. As head coach at Graham, Jordan and his wrestlers put up some impressive statistics. According to the Urbana Daily Citizen, the Falcons won three national titles (2008, 2010, and 2015)… claimed 17 Ohio team titles and 79 individual Ohio state champs, with 28 wrestlers going on to earn NCAA All-American honors. In addition, Jordan earned a number of honors, being named National Wrestling Coaches Association Coach of the Year in 2005 and 2009, and National High School Coach of the Year in 2003. He was welcomed into the Ohio High School Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1996, and the Ohio National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2016. In 2014 Jordan was presented with a Lifetime Service Award by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Dayton Daily News sportswriter Marc Pendleton described the legendary, long-time coach at Graham High School thusly: "A fiery presence at matches who brought out the best in the Falcons and garnered well-earned respect from opposing coaches and competitors, Jeff Jordan's intensity as a wrestler and coach can be summed up in his Twitter handle: @rambo_jordan." The legendary coach was anything but Rambo-like in his statements upon announcing his retirement. "It has been an honor and privilege to have coached at Graham High School for the past 25 years," said Jeff Jordan. "My first state champion was Dan Bair in 1995 and my last was my youngest son Rocky Jordan in 2018. I've always told people that I have the greatest job in the world." "I want to thank Graham for giving me the opportunity to do what I've always wanted to do," coach Jordan continued. "I also want to thank the community, parents, and all my assistant coaches for helping and supporting me in our journey to win state titles as well as building character in our student-athletes. To all the wrestlers I've coached, thank you for the great memories we've shared in training and sacrificing to reach our goals. Most, importantly, I want to thank my wife Amy and three sons Bo, Micah, and Rocky, for sacrificing so much for me to do what I truly love to do." (Bo and Micah were four-time state champs; Rocky was a three-time state champ. Bo and Micah also were All-Americans at Ohio State. Rocky is a freshman with the Buckeyes.) A successor has yet to be named.

Ryan LeBlanc BOONE, N.C. -- Appalachian State wrestling head coach JohnMark Bentley announced Thursday that Ryan LeBlanc has been promoted to co-head assistant coach. LeBlanc, who arrived in Boone 2016, and Josh Roosa, who joined the Mountaineers' program in 2015, are both co-head assistant coaches as full-time members of Bentley's staff. The staff also includes volunteer assistant Dominic Parisi. With all four coaches together in 2016-17 and 2017-18, App State has won the last two of its three straight Southern Conference titles and posted a 14-0 league record. The Mountaineers went 7-0 against SoCon competition during the 2017-18 season, won the league tournament to secure a SoCon sweep and had four wrestlers compete at the 2018 NCAA Championships with a young roster that featured only two returning starters in the same weight class from the previous year. "The experience my first two years at App State has been above and beyond what I could have even imagined," LeBlanc said. "I'm extremely thankful to Coach Bentley and the administration for this opportunity to keep working with our great student-athletes. I look forward to this new role." LeBlanc posted 103 career wins as a college wrestler at Indiana, where he was a three-time academic All-American, and he received his master's degree from the State University of New York at Cortland in 2016. He was on SUNY-Courtland's coaching staff for two seasons before heading to Boone.

SALEM, Ore. -- Corban University Athletic Director Twiggs Reed announced on Thursday that the Warriors would be adding a varsity program, with men's wrestling officially joining the sporting slate in the fall of 2019 at Corban. "This is an exciting time for Corban University and our athletic department," said Reed. "Beginning in the 2019-20 academic year, Corban will be adding men's wrestling. High school wrestling has been a very popular and growing sport in the Pacific Northwest, and adding a wrestling program will be a part of our strategic plan to increase enrollment as well as to bring high-character, Christ-centered students to our campus. I am excited to watch the sport of wrestling grow at Corban University!" The addition of this program brings Corban's total varsity teams to 14. Corban is partnering with Courthouse Club Fitness (Battle Creek) in Salem to serve as a practice and competition facility for the Warrior Wrestling squad. "We are thrilled about bringing men's wrestling to Corban," said Corban University President Sheldon Nord. "It provides a unique opportunity for Christian wrestlers to come to a University where they can pursue their athletic passions while earning a degree where they will learn how to make a difference in the world for Jesus Christ, and that is something we think is very exciting." The University has received significant financial commitments from the Restore College Wrestling Group in support of Corban's wrestling program, helping jumpstart the squad financially. The Warrior men's wrestling program will become the 10th Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) institution to have a men's team. "The addition of men's wrestling at Corban is welcome news to the conference," stated CCC Commissioner Robert Cashell. "It brings our sponsoring institutions of men's wrestling up to 10 in what we believe is the strongest wrestling conference in the NAIA." Corban will begin competing as a varsity squad during the 2019-20 campaign. The national search for Corban's head wrestling coach is underway.

Jordan Oliver celebrates after beating Olympic champ Toghrul Asgarov (Photo/Juan Garcia) After a year-long layoff, Jordan Oliver was back on the mats last weekend at the Pytlasinski Memorial in Poland. The tournament, Oliver's first since coming off an anti-doping violation, was impressive, with the Oklahoma State graduate winning a pair of matches before dropping a 9-8 decision to eventual champion Akhmed Chakaev (Russia) in the semifinals, 9-8. Once back on American soil, Oliver wasted little time in taking to Twitter and Instagram to stoke a rivalry with fellow 65-kilogram wrestler Zain Retherford. The first interaction was mild, with Oliver asking Retherford to "scrap" at the upcoming Who's Number One event in Pennsylvania. The "scrap" was a reference to Retherford's sponsorships . The mundane queries soon deepened when Oliver used the staccato of Machine Gun Kelly to further prod Retherford via a rap posted on Instagram. The verse caused a minor social media uproar. By now we should expect the noise and the unrelenting back-and-forth about what a wrestler should and shouldn't do to promote himself or an event. What is respectful? Why is the sport not more like MMA? According to @knarkill … MMA fighter calls another fighter out it's promotion and showmanship. Wrestler calls another wrestler out he's a punk or disrespectful. We gotta get over ourselves y'all. It ain't the church choir. While may wrestlers have created championship careers in the cage, the comparisons between wrestling and mixed martial arts are not one-to-one. In the case of MMA, the fights are supported by promotions, which is to say there is no singular organization governing the rules, rankings, or competition structures. Events and promotions are independent operations and athletes are self-employed contractors. There are no national governing bodies and no organizations to oversee the implementation of rules and scoring across state lines. (Each state has an independent commission.) And, of course, MMA lacks any international-level oversight … and people punch each other in the face. For wrestlers from the United States the competition system is held together by the NFHS, NCAA, USA Wrestling and United World Wrestling. At each level these institutions create a structure by which all members must organize and participate. They also work together to ensure a smooth transition from amateur to professional for interested athletes. Events are organized on a global scale and supported by 180 national federations. Also, no punching or kicking in the sport of wrestling. When you read that MMA is spectacle and wrestling is sport, this is what that means: organization and accountability. One is highly organized and dependent of a meritocracy and the other is a combination of market viability, athletic talent and your relationship with Dana White or Scott Coker. Those differences were created by different histories and are supported by different economies and established ideas of what is, and is not, success in the sport. The recent kerfuffle and band of voices asking for more self-promotion and rivalry in wrestling is actually an old song, which at one time hurt the sport. When scholastic and professional wrestling separated at the start of the 20th century it was due to the organizers desire for money. Specialty matchups (like you'd see for Beat the Streets) were filling large sporting halls in the Northeast, but ticket sale began to suffer as the athletes began to improve and pin-only matches lasted for several hours. So wrestling promoters took over control of the action in the ring by deciding outcomes. Voila, professional wrestling. While promoters believed in the spectacle, "real" wrestlers were attracted to the physicality and technique of the sport. Point-scoring systems were implemented to combat the problem of the five-hour match and the sport was championed by all levels of education. However, a lack of promotion and a guarantee for competition coming from schools meant the product suffered. Voila, amateur wrestling. Wrestling at the NCAA and Olympic level enjoys a level of professionalism and expectation for fairness that would be impossible to expect in the WWE or UFC. To that point, think of when outcomes do seem suspicious. The uproar is made precisely because this half of the world is meant to be fair and transparent. When it's not, it matters. So what about Oliver? Why did his self-promotion bother some wrestling fans? Historically, wrestlers didn't have a promotional pipeline to their fans, nor were there many (if any) wrestling promotions where they could make money competing. Today the editorial oversight and moralistic handwringing of the traditional editor has been replaced by social media. Wrestlers can connect directly to the fans and if they drum up support they may find themselves making money. That change in communication means that hardcore wrestling audience (NCAA reported the wrestling fans to be traditional, older, and white) takes umbrage to direct attacks on their favorite wrestlers. In the view of the entrenched wrestling fan these actions show a lack of respect for the fundamental underpinning of the sport: self-improvement, modesty, and hard work. For them the actions of Oliver and other adversarial approaches to promoting themselves in the sport will never be approvable, because they think it'll limit the attention paid to athletes who succeed inside the meritocracy established by the sport. But for Oliver and those who want to see more money in the sport and more coverage, words can help create rivalries, drive interest and create financial opportunity. That should be valued by our community. Wrestling is a form of individual expression, and as much as the "talking should be done on the mat" the words can't hurt anyone. The real sweet spot is in allowing individuals to behave as they see fit off and on the mat -- within the confines of the rules. Back flips, flag celebrations, some dancing. Allow joy to be visible on the mat. It's a fool's errand to judge the behavior of an athlete utilizing social media to promote himself or herself. That's the power of self-expression, nobody can tell us what to say or how to think … or how to promote. The only way to prevent questionable speech is to regulate it, and I highly doubt wrestling fans on either side of this debate would want the government to decide what they can say. To your questions … Q: Jordan Oliver called out Zain Retherford on Twitter with hopes of setting up a match. JO's online behavior seemed to rub a lot of people the wrong way, but why didn't those same people get upset when Jordan Burroughs called out Frank Chamizo? -- Mike C. Foley: Burroughs and Chamizo's rivalry is rooted in a much cheekier tone and promotional buy-in from both athletes. They used a lot of emojis and subtle burns to get their message across, which is difficult to umbrage with as a fan. Most important was that Chamizo is Cuban-Italian and doesn't have a massive (English speaking) support system who would snap back at Burroughs. Oliver and Retherford represent two very different wrestling fans, and it was those fans that added to this week's debate. Without a second, Chamizo's slights weren't being amplified. Q: Do you see any other current Division II schools making the jump from Division II to Division I like Cal Baptist? #fanbagfridays -- @ChurroSolider Foley: The only schools I see making the jump from Division II to Division I will be those hoping to attract larger enrollments or with substantial independent backing ($8-10 million). That, or schools who have athletic directors concentrated on making a splash in their network. For example, the architect of the Cal Baptist move has a significant talking point when he speaks with future employers. In real terms, St. Cloud State has a clear path to Division I as they already support a Division I men's ice hockey program, are the defending Division II champions, and only have to compete with Minnesota for athletes in a state flush with talent. Also, they are in the Midwest and could slide into the Big 12 schedule. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME G'Angelo Hancock! Q: Do you and the missus watch Archer? -- @wrestlingquoter Foley: No. Worth it? Could use some TV programs now that I've picked up middle of the night feeding for the baby. Q: The Iowa wrestling program has amassed 999 team wins. The last several years, Iowa wrestling has started their season with the Iowa City Duals, wrestling the likes of Coe College, Cornell College, Iowa Central Community College, and similar programs. This year, the Hawks' first two dual meets are scheduled against Kent State and Cal St. Bakersfield in Ohio, thus (likely) depriving Hawkeye fans of seeing the historic 1,000th win in program history. Do I as a Hawkeye fan and season ticket holder have a right to feel slighted by this move? My cheek hurts a little from the slap they gave me. -- Jeremy T. Foley: You are observant! Of course, you have the right to feel slighted, but I think that this type of decision (competing for early season tune-up) over the celebration of an arbitrary number, is perfect Iowa Style wrestling! All that matters are the yellow medals at the end of the season. I have to assume that Brands and Co. will host a banquet for the celebration of the 1000th win, and/or the school will make a big fuss on the actual night. I think it's an interesting number to hit and should spark some really fun retrospectives on the Hawkeye teams of the 1980's and 1990's. Maybe we can get some more Royce Alger story time? Q: Obviously, expectations are high for the USA Junior World Team in freestyle. But what are reasonable expectations for the Junior World Team in Greco? Seems like there is a sure-fire medalist/potential champ in Kamal Bay and potential champ/medalist in Cohlton Schultz. Could the team finish in the top three in the team standings? Or is there not enough talent/balance? -- Mike C. Foley: Kamal Bey and Cohlton Schultz are threats to medal, but neither is a sure-fire gold medalist. If you go back and watch Bey's gold-medal match last year you'll see how far he was pushed. However, this year the emphasis on active wrestling should benefit the American wrestlers who've tended to be more aggressive than their opponents, especially at the Cadet and Junior level. The top three will be tricky. Russia and Iran will be battling for the top spot with Azerbaijan and Georgia capable of cracking into the team medals. I think the Americans would need five medalists and another three to make it into the medal rounds. I'm not seeing that depth, but the new rules are a wild card that are tough to factor at a tournament like Junior Worlds, which will be very well officiated. Q: A friend and I were talking about coaching and he brought up something interesting. He thinks in time women will change the coaching landscape, especially at the high school level. Many of the current generation's women and girls are entering the sport at high school level competing in folkstyle (like most men). But if a young woman goes to college she is competing in freestyle (almost a different sport in many respects). He thinks that it's a coaching advantage in that the women have to compete and practice the international style for four years or five years. So here is the question … Will women who coach wrestling have some type of edge because their competitive experience in freestyle during their college careers? And what type of effect will it have on the growth of the sport in particular freestyle at the high school level? -- Marcus R. Foley: I'm not sure I'll answer this well, but yes, I think that there are considerable advantages to our women being in a freestyle-only model, both as competitors and coaches. One place I think we could see the sport excel is women involved in the youth league coaching. Our sport has problem with overzealous parents and I think women would be a fit for coaching the 5 to 12-year-old crowd the basics of the sport. Women tend to be more patient, detailed focused and carry a longer vision of what success means in the sport. I'm glad you brought up this issue, because it gives pause to the question as to why women are good for the sport. It's not just to serve the self-interest of men looking to protect their sport, but maybe (just maybe!) they would be able to add something to our techniques and improved pedagogical methods in training young coaches.

Max Schneider wrestling Brian Murphy at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco State wrestling has finalized its incoming recruiting class for the 2018-19 season, announced Head Coach Jason Welch on Wednesday. "The addition of Colin Shober and Max Schneider to a strong group of young guys makes this incoming class exceptional," said Welch. "There's a lot of talent, and student-athletes who can step in and make a difference right away. We've brought in seven young men, and two ready-made leaders. Max and Colin have already competed at the highest collegiate level, and they will spearhead this group." Max Schneider: Schneider has a dynamic background as a combat-athlete, and will look to make waves in collegiate wrestling as well as in Judo. A Lane Tech College Prep, Schneider was a two-time state champion, graduated ranked No. 3 in the nation at 152 pounds by Amateur Wrestling News, and went 80-0 in his sophomore and junior seasons combined. His Judo acumen out-speaks that of his wrestling: he won a youth Olympic medal in Judo in 2010 in Singapore, was asked to be a workout partner for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, and is an Olympic hopeful for 2020 Tokyo. He competed for one season at Cal Poly, where he won the Roadrunner Open before succumbing to an injury. Schneider attended high school in Chicago but was born in California. He will study Kinesiology at San Francisco State. Colin Shober: Shober comes to San Francisco State for his final year and to begin his Master's Degree in Education. Out of high school, Shober was a two-time state champion, second-team ASICS All-American honoree, and the all-time leader in wins in the state of Pennsylvania with 194 wins. The Leesport, Pennsylvania native graduated ranked No. 8 in the nation for his weight class, and No. 37 overall by Intermat. He also won the Super 32 and placed fourth at the 2009 Junior Nationals. Shober was enrolled at Northwestern from 2010-14, where he competed at the Big Ten Tournament, placed at numerous open tournaments, and won the Cleveland State Open. Aaron Perez: Perez was a three-time California state qualifier and placed seventh as a senior for James Logan HS. He was also a three-time NCS finalist, and a 2017 Greco-Roman All-American. The Union City, California native plans to study Kinesiology. AJ Bicocca: Bicocca was top 16 in the state of California his senior season at Oak Ridge HS. The El Dorado Hills, California native plans to study Design and will wrestle at the 197 lb weight class. Jackson Redhair: Redhair was a two-time state qualifier and was top 12 in the state as a junior, and top 16 as a senior. The El Dorado Hills, California native attended Oak Ridge HS and plans to study Criminal Justice and wrestle in the middle weights. Antonio Gomez: Gomez was a two-time California state qualifier and finished in the top 12 his senior season, as well as a two-time CCS finalist. The Gilroy, California native attended Christopher HS and plans to compete at the heavyweight division. Justin Hansz: Hansz was a two-time NCS champion and qualified for the California state meet twice, placing in the top 12 both times. He also placed fourth at the California Freestyle and Greco-Roman State Meets respectively. A native of Brentwood, California, he prepped at Liberty HS. He plans to study Nursing. Tony Margiotta: Marigotta prepped at Las Lomas HS in Walnut Creek, California and was a four-time California state qualifier and a two-time NCS champion. He will wrestle at the lightweights and is currently undelcared. Jacob Mendoza: Mendoza was a two-time state qualifier and a Master's Champion. The San Diego native attended Poway HS and plans on studying Mechanical Engineering at San Francisco State. The Golden Gators will look to build on last season's success, which was Welch's first at the helm. The team finished 6-4 in the regular season and finished third at the RMAC Championships with three winners in their respective weight class -- two of those grapplers, Nathan Cervantez (133) and Mason Boutain (157), are set to return. So is senior Brandon Vu (125), who along with Cervantez, qualified for Nationals.

Chuck Patten Ten individuals associated with wrestling in the state of Iowa -- including former University of Northern Iowa wrestling coach Chuck Patten, and the late Mike Duroe, long-time coach at Cornell College -- have been named members of the Class of 2018 of the Iowa chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. The 2018 nominees will be honored at the Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials Convention on Saturday, Oct. 27 at a noon luncheon at the Airport Holiday Inn in Des Moines. Four individuals will receive the Lifetime Service Award: Chuck Patten, former UNI head wrestling coach, who led the Panthers to 17 consecutive winning seasons when he took the helm in 1965 Steve Knipp, former head wrestling coach at Waterloo East High School Bruce Ennen, wrestling official from Iowa City Tom Hildreth, former head coach at Rockwell City, Iowa Receiving the Medal of Courage Award is Kobey Pritchard, a former Southeast Polk High School wrestler. Assistant Coach Achievement Award recipients are Craig Bencke, Bondurant, and Buck Wheeler, SEP. The Dan McCool Media Award will be presented to Wyatt Schultz of The Predicament (a publication that covers wrestling in the state of Iowa), and Doug Brooker of IPTV (Iowa Public Television) and the Big Ten Network. Ed Winger, former announcer at the Iowa High School State Wrestling Tournament, will receive the Bob Roethler Award. The Bill Nelson Award will be presented to Mike Doughty of Washington, Iowa. In addition, Mike Duroe, coach for 13 seasons at Cornell College and U.S. men's freestyle coach at six Olympics before his passing in July 2018, will be honored posthumously. A limited number of seats are available for those who would like to attend the luncheon. Email Brian Reimers at mlsb@netins.net or call (515) 290-0508. Tickets are $35 each and must be pre-ordered. You must have your tickets reserved and paid for by Oct. 20.

The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association unanimously approved region and state championships for individual girl wrestlers beginning this winter. The NJSIAA Executive Committee must also approve the decision at its Oct. 8 meeting to make it official, which NorthJersey.com sports columnist Darren Cooper described as "a slam dunk." In New Jersey, girls will compete in eight weight classes. The proposal calls for the top-three wrestlers in each weight class at the region competition to advance to the individual state championships at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, the iconic home for the high school wrestling championships. Prior to region and state competition, girls will have the choice of wrestling against only girls or both boys and girls during the regular season. Last season, 126 girls wrestled in New Jersey. The NJSIAA hopes that separate competitions will help increase the number of girls wrestling in the Garden State. For example, NJSIAA pointed out that Tennessee saw almost a doubling in participation after starting a girls' wrestling championship. The two states with the greatest number of girl wrestlers -- California and Texas, with approximately 5,200 and 4,000 girl wrestlers respectively -- both have separate competitions for girls. Nationwide, 16,562 girls wrestled at 2,351 schools around the country during the 2017-18 school year, according to the annual National Federation of State High School Associations participation survey. New Jersey will become the 13th state to add girls wrestling, joining six other states which have announced the addition of separate state wrestling championships for girls for the 2018-19 school year: Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Massachusetts, Missouri, and Oregon. These are in addition to the six states which already have separate state championship competition for girls: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Tennessee, Texas and Washington State. As Princeton wrestling coach Chris Ayres pointed out in his presentation to the NJSIAA, girls wrestling is one of the fastest-growing sports in the nation at the high school level. "This was just a matter of time," Ayres told NorthJersey.com of the decision to officially sanction girls wrestling in New Jersey. "We are just going to be on the front end of it."

Kevon Davenport (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) Three-time state champion Kevon Davenport (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.), the nation's No. 23 senior recruit, gave a verbal commitment to Nebraska on Wednesday. Davenport made his announcement in a video he posted to his Twitter page. Davenport was a Cadet National double finalist in 2017, winning a Greco title and finishing as a runner-up in freestyle. This summer he placed third at the UWW Cadet Nationals in freestyle. He projects as a 149/157-pounder in college.

Dallyn Despain A GoFundMe page has been created for Dallyn Despain, three-time Arizona high school state wrestling champion who was seriously injured in a single-vehicle rollover accident nearly two weeks ago. The online fundraising campaign has been established to help his family pay for medical-related expenses resulting from his accident which took place while Despain was driving home from work on the night of Sept. 1. The rollover accident fractured Despain's neck and shoulder. "At this time Dallyn has feeling in his right arm, little feeling in his left and no feeling from his chest to his feet," according to his GoFundMe page. "After the accident, Dallyn was flown to Scottsdale Osborn where he received a spinal fusion surgery from his C3 vertebrae to his C5." Despain wrestled at Mogollon High School in Heber, Ariz. where he was a state finalist all four years, winning the state title as a freshman (118 pounds in 2011), sophomore (126 pounds in 2012) and senior (138 in 2014), and placing second at 132 pounds in 2013 as a junior (losing to four-time Arizona state champ Ryan Allred, 4-3, in the finals). Despain compiled an incredible 179-2 overall record at Mogollon. Jeffrey Hartman, who described himself as a coach, official and Tournament Director in Arizona for the past 20 years, told InterMat, "I have seen thousands of wrestlers and ten times that many matches and only a few wrestlers I can honestly say I would want my son to grow up to be like. One in particular is Dyllan Despain …" "Dallyn Despain is a beloved member of the community by all," according to the GoFundMe page set up to help the Despain family with injury-related expenses. "From hometown sports stardom, working on his family ranch, and becoming a wildland firefighter Dallyn has won the hearts of many." "While things might be hard, Dallyn is full of laughter and has very high spirits that he will regain feeling and walk again," the GoFundMe page continues. "Dallyn has received lots of prayers, visits and reach outs from across the board and is helping him with finding strength and keeping a positive mentality. Dallyn has a long road ahead of him, but he's a fighter, and a tough cowboy above all. Any contribution will help!"