InterMat Staff

Nicholas Clark, a New York state trooper who had been a high school state wrestling champ a dozen years ago, was killed in the line of duty early Monday morning near Corning, N.Y. He was 29. Nicholas ClarkClark and others were on a domestic call at approximately 3:30 a.m. Monday. A man at the home, Steve Kiley, 43, a school principal in the area, was found dead with a gunshot wound believed to be self-inflicted. Prior to serving his community as a New York state trooper, Clark had an impressive athletic career in high school and college in both wrestling and football. Clark attended Canisteo-Greenwood High School in Canisteo, in western New York, south of Rochester. He was a two-time New York state wrestling championships finalist, placing second in 2005 before winning the title at 189 pounds in 2006. According to his college bio, Clark was a six-time letterwinner in wrestling at the high school. Clark received a wrestling scholarship to the now-defunct mat program at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. According to his wrestling roster bio, the 6'1" Clark compiled a 16-15 overall record as a freshman. Among his first-season highlights: placing second at the SoCon Championships at 197 lbs. and scoring a team-best nine falls that year. Clark's UNCG bio also states that he had been recruited by a trio of universities in New York-Binghamton, Cortland, and Ithaca -- and had worked out at the Apex Wrestling Club in Rochester, N.Y. After one season, Clark transferred to Alfred University not far from his hometown, and where his mother Theresa Gunn is a professor. He was an All-American linebacker while at Alfred, and, in 2012, was invited as a free agent to participate at the spring mini-camp for the NFL Buffalo Bills. His stated goal at that time: a career in professional football. However, Clark found another career where he could use his athleticism: as a state law enforcement officer. He graduated from the New York State Police Academy in 2015. One year ago, he transferred to the Bath barracks to serve the community where he grew up. "He was very proud to serve the citizens that he called friends and neighbors," New York State Police Troop E Commander Major Richard Allen said Monday. "This is a terrible loss for the New York State Police," NYSP First Deputy Superintendent Chris Fiore said at a Monday afternoon news conference in Painted Post attended also by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. At the press conference Gov. Cuomo said, "He wanted to do one thing, to help people." Cuomo directed that flags on all state government buildings be flown at half-staff in honor of Clark. "We hope that you find peace in this senseless act of violence," he said. "There is no reason, there is no point. It just hurts." Congresswoman Claudia Tenney, of New York's 22nd Congressional District, tweeted Monday afternoon her condolences to the trooper's family and colleagues. "It is at times like these that we come together and pause to extend our gratitude in all law enforcement across the nation who risk their lives every day to protect us and to keep us safe," Tenney said on Twitter. In addition to being survived by his mother Theresa Gunn, Nicholas Floyd Clark is also survived by his father Anthony Clark and younger brother Nathan Clark, and a fiancée. UPDATE JULY 4 Visitation for Nicholas Clark will take place this Saturday from 1:00-6:00 p.m. at the James A. McLane Physical Education Center, Alfred University, 99 N. Main, Alfred, N.Y. Funeral services will take place Sunday at 11:00 a.m. at the same location.

Greg Kerkvliet won a silver medal at the Cadet World Championships (Photo/Martin Gabor, United World Wrestling) ZAGREB, Croatia -- USA's Cadet men's freestyle team collected two silver and one bronze medals in the evening session of Tuesday action at the Cadet World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia. Daniel Greg Kerkvliet and Richard Figueroa finished their 2018 Cadet World Championships with silver medals, and Abe Assad claimed a bronze medal. 2017 world champion Kerkvliet fell short in his quest for a second-consecutive Cadet World title, falling in the 110 kg final. Kerkvliet's opponent, 2018 Cadet Asian champion Amir Zare of Iran, got out to an early lead with a shot clock point and a step out. Kerkvliet was back in it with a strong takedown, but the Iranian's power was too much. Zare scored two more step outs and a takedown to earn an eventual 7-4 win. Kerkvliet is a two-time Cadet world medalist, winning gold in 2017 and taking home silver this year. The Minnesota native will be back in action in September to wrestle for Team USA at the Junior World Championships in Slovakia. Read complete story on TheMat.com ...

GREENWOOD -- Lander has tabbed its first wrestling coach as athletics director Brian Reese announced the hiring of R.C. LaHaye on Tuesday. R.C. LaHayeLaHaye brings to Lander an impressive career both as a competitor and coach. LaHaye spent the past four seasons as the associate head coach at Newberry after serving as the first head coach for Grand Canyon's wrestling program for seven years. "Today starts a new chapter for Lander Athletics with the hiring of R.C. LaHaye as our first head wrestling coach," said Reese. "Coach LaHaye brings a deep understanding of the sport and a passion for leading young men. This hire should give Bearcat fans great confidence that bright days are ahead for Lander wrestling." "I would like the thank Brian Reese and President Consentino for the opportunity to start the wrestling program at Lander," LaHaye said. "I couldn't be more excited to hit the ground running and start recruiting the first crop of Bearcat wrestlers." LaHaye played a key role in developing Newberry into a championship contender, helping lead the Wolves to three ECAC championships and an NCAA Super Region Championship in four seasons. Newberry went 41-14 in dual matches during LaHaye's tenure. Prior to arriving at Newberry, LaHaye built the Grand Canyon wrestling program into a national powerhouse. In 2013, LaHaye had the nation's best wrestler in NCAA Division II Wrestler of the Year, Tyrell Fortune, who became the Antelopes fourth national champion in three seasons. GCU finished ninth in the team standings, its third straight top-10 finish. Mike Hamel earned NCAA II All-America status. LaHaye has coached 13 NCAA All-Americans. Along with the high marks on the mat, Kyle McCrite, who won a national title in 2012, was named the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Academic Wrestler of the Year. In 2012, GCU had two national champions and finished third overall. Along with McCrite, Victor Carazo took the top spot at 174. Two other wrestlers, Bobby Ward and Celic Bell, earned All-America honors. The season also saw the team set a new school mark for dual meet victories with 19. In its final four seasons in Division II, GCU compiled a 62-23 dual meet record. LaHaye also excelled as a recruiter at Grand Canyon, compiling a pair of top-five classes in 2011 and 2012. The Antelopes finished seventh in the NCAA Division II championships in 2011, taking seven wrestlers to nationals that year, another program-best. The team also won the 2011 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference regular-season championship. The team finished 17-4 in duals -- second most wins in the nation -- and won the final 14 head-to-head battles. LaHaye had a decorated wrestling career at Western State College in Gunnison, Colo. At Western State, he was a 2004 NCAA Division II All-American. He was also a three-time NCAA Academic All-American, three-time NCAA National Qualifier, three-time All-Rocky Mountain Athletic selection, as well as a Colorado Collegiate Champion. He was a member of the 2004 Western State squad that finished fourth in the nation. Born and raised in Payson, Ariz., LaHaye wrestled for Payson High School under Hall of Fame coaches Dennis Pirch and Dave Lamotte. He was a three-time state champion and set a state record for career wins. LaHaye was a two-time High School All-American and team captain for three state championship teams. LaHaye received a Bachelor of Arts in Business Adminstration from Western State College in 2005 and a Masters of Science in Leadership from Grand Canyon University in 2010.

Mike DePalma EDINBORO, Pa. -- First-year Edinboro wrestling coach Matt Hill today began the task of putting his coaching staff together with the appointment of Mike DePalma as assistant coach. This marks DePalma's first coaching position, but he is no stranger to Edinboro wrestling fans. The native of Jeannette, Pa. wrestled for Edinboro from 2011-13 before transferring to Kent State. He would wrap up his career with the Golden Flashes, earning All-American honors as a senior. Kent State is also where DePalma began his association with Hill. A former Edinboro wrestler himself, Hill served as an assistant coach at Kent during DePalma's time with the Golden Flashes. Hill is now looking forward to watching DePalma evolve as a coach just as he did as a wrestler. "I'm very happy to have the opportunity to have Mike on my staff," related Hill. "I've known Mike since he's been in high school and I always liked his demeanor and passion towards the sport of wrestling. Mike is a former Fighting Scot and also wrestled for me at Kent State. He a true student of the sport and I can't wait to see him progress as a coach now. After graduating from Kent State, DePalma has spent the last two years as a resident athlete at The Ohio State University Ohio Regional Training Center. He trained under World Team member Tervel Dlagnev, and competed in numerous international freestyle wrestling competitions. That included in competing in both the 2017 and 2018 U.S. Opens. DePalma wrestled for Kent State for three seasons, compiling a 76-48 record while starting at 149 lbs. He capped his career with an All-American performance at the 2016 NCAA Division I National Championships. He finished fifth at 149 lbs., going 6-2 with wins over the number four, five and nine seeds. He was a three-time national qualifier for the Golden Flashes. 20838DePalma wrapped up his final season with a 29-9 record. He won the Mid-American Conference championship while leading the team with 15 bonus-point victories. As a redshirt junior in 2014-15, DePalma was 21-19, placing third at the MAC Championships. He was 26-20 in his first season with the Golden Flashes in 2013-14, again placing third at the MAC Championships. He went 2-2 at Nationals, including a win over seventh seed Gus Sako of Virginia. He totaled 11 wins over nationally-ranked opponents. As a Fighting Scot, DePalma redshirted as a true freshman in 2011-12, going 31-7 while competing at 141 and 149 lbs. The following year he served as the starter at 149 lbs., compiling a 21-12 record while competing primarily at 157 lbs. He finished third at the PSAC Championships and fifth at the EWL Championships. He was named to the 2013 Amateur Wrestling News All-Rookie Team. DePalma graduated from Kent State in May 2016 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology.

Three men arrested in the July 2017 murder of two-time European junior freestyle wrestling champion Yury Vlasko of the Russian Federation are about to go to trial, the Russian website RASPI News reported Monday. Yury Vlasko As InterMat reported nearly one year ago, the 20-year-old Vlasko was found dead on the shore of Lake Baikal in Siberia on July 29, 2017, with stab wounds in the neck and chest, one week after winning the junior title in the under 96-kilogram category in competition at Ulan-Ude. Vlasko had reportedly come to the aid of friends who said they were being attacked by locals on the beach. When the brawl ended, Vlasko's bloodied body was found lying on the beach. In August 2017, two men were arrested, charged with murder and detained. One of them admitted his involvement in the sportsman's death but claimed that he was defending himself from the wrestler, according to RAPSI. Investigators, however, doubted this version as it contradicted testimony of witnesses. A third man allegedly involved in the murder was arrested in October 2017. Now the criminal case has been forwarded to court for hearing -- the next step towards a trial -- according to the Investigative Committee's directorate for Russia's Republic of Buryatia.

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Chris Chionuma, former Oklahoma State wrestler and Big XII Conference champion, takes over as Cal Poly's Head Assistant Wrestling Coach, announced Mustang head coach Jon Sioredas on Monday. Chris ChionumaChionuma spent the previous three years at Army West Point, helping guide the Black Knights, who qualified 12 student-athletes to the NCAA Championships in that time. He also served as head coach at Ouachita Baptist University, an NCAA Division II school, which finished fifth at the NCAA Division II National Championships under his leadership. Chionuma has been instrumental in the recent rise of Army West Point wrestling. Having assisted in signing back-to-back top-25 recruiting classes to the military institution, Chionuma is a meticulous recruiter with a keen eye on targeting student-athletes who can also handle the academic rigors. His recruiting experience will transition nicely to Cal Poly, where the average incoming GPA exceeds 4.0. From a student-athlete development standpoint, Chionuma's primary focus will be on the mid to upper weights. His experience in developing the big guys is apparent as nine of the 12 NCAA Division I national qualifiers at Army West Point over the last three years were at weights 157 and above. "Stylistically, he brings a different flavor to the table," said Sioredas. "He competed at Oklahoma State, one of the most storied programs in the history of our sport, under one of the most legendary coaches, John Smith. This excites me, my staff, and our team to have the opportunity to learn from Coach Chionuma. "However, the most important draw to him is his character. He has an infectious personality and lights up the room when he walks in. He is passionate about coaching and aspires to become a head coach. These were all the things that we were looking for when we began to target candidates," Sioredas added. "I cannot be more excited. We have our guy!" Chionuma enjoyed a successful collegiate wrestling career that included three separate NAIA All-America honors while wrestling at Lindenwood University from 2008-11. He also earned an individual national title at 174 pounds at Lindenwood in 2011. Chionuma transferred to Oklahoma State following the 2010-11 season, eventually earning a Big XII championship at 184 pounds during the 2012-13 season. He compiled a 28-10 record with four falls and was a national qualifier on the Oklahoma State team that placed second at the 2013 NCAA Championships. A graduate of Blue Springs High School in Blue Springs, Missouri, where he was a state champion during his senior season and placed third at state as a junior, Chionuma earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Education from Oklahoma State in 2012. Chionuma replaces Todd Schavrien, who resigned recently after two seasons as Cal Poly's Head Assistant Coach to pursue other opportunities. Chris Chionuma File 2015-18 Assistant Coach at Army West Point 12 National Qualifiers at the NCAA Division I Championships 2014-15 Head Coach at Ouachita Baptist (Arkadelphia, AR) Team finished 5th at the NCAA Division II Championships 2013-14 Graduate Assistant Coach at Ouachita Baptist Team finished 4th at the NCAA Division II Championships 2011-13 Big XII Champion and National Qualifier at Oklahoma State University Team finished 2nd at the Division I NCAA Championships 2008-11 NAIA National Champion at Lindenwood University 3X NAIA All-American 2005-08 Blue Springs High School, Blue Springs, MO 2007 -- Third in state; 2008 State champion

NEW YORK -- Former All-American and Big Ten Finalist Kyle Massey joined the Columbia Wrestling coaching staff as the John Huemer Assistant Coach of Wrestling, announced today by the Andrew F. Barth Head Coach of Wrestling Zach Tanelli. Kyle Massey"I am elated to announce the addition of Kyle to our coaching staff," said Tanelli. "His gregarious personality, relentless energy, and unwavering passion will make him an invaluable asset to our program in both the wrestling room and on the recruiting trail. Having known Kyle for 15 years, I have been eager to work alongside him since I began my coaching career. I am pleased to finally be able to do so and know that the inherent trust we have with one another will make for a seamless transition. Kyle will make an immediate impact and quickly help elevate us to another level." "I would like to thank Coach Tanelli for the opportunity to join his coaching staff," said Massey. "There are great things happening at Columbia right now and I'm excited to be a part of this amazing team and incredible support system." Since October of 2015, Massey has spent time as a coach at the Badger Regional Training Center in Madison, Wisconsin. Massey was a volunteer assistant at the University of Michigan during the 2012-13 season, most notably working with three-time All-American and two-time NCAA Finalist Adam Coon. He got his start in coaching as a Volunteer Assistant wrestling coach and strength coach at Wisconsin from 2010-12. The former Badger heavyweight was a Resident Athlete at the Cliff Keen Wrestling Club in Ann Arbor from 2013-15, where he competed internationally at 125-kg. In his post-collegiate career, Massey was a silver medalist at the 2013 Guelph Open. Back at his alma mater, Massey earned an All-American finish at the 2008 NCAA Tournament. He was selected to the NWCA All-Star Classic in the 2008-09 season. Massey completed his collegiate career with an 84-32 record. He earned his Bachelor's degree in Life Science Communications from Wisconsin.

The commonwealth of Virginia has agreed to pay $525,000 to a former Old Dominion University wrestler to settle a lawsuit alleging that coaches failed to provide medical treatment for a series of concussions he suffered in practice at the school in 2014, the Virginian-Pilot reported Friday. As InterMat reported two years ago, Jordan Marshall -- who had wrestled for the Monarchs at 157 pounds -- sued ODU head coach Steve Martin and three assistants for $4 million in May 2016. The wrestler, originally from Ohio, alleged that, as a freshman in 2014, he suffered three concussions in May and June, and that head coach Steve Martin and assistants Mike Dixon, Alex Dolly and Kyle Hutter were negligent in not referring him for diagnosis and treatment and encouraging him not to complain about his injuries or seek medical attention. Rather than let the case go to court, the individuals involved in the suit agreed to mediation and settled on the dollar amount in January 2018. However, as of last week, Marshall had not received the approximately half-million-dollar settlement, so he asked for the case to be re-opened. "It is now over 100 days since the settlement agreement was reached and approaching four months since it was reached and the settlement proceeds have not been forthcoming," the motion said. The case was dismissed with prejudice in May, meaning Marshall cannot file another case making the same claim. The office of the attorney general of Virginia represented the Old Dominion coaches, whose liability insurance is provided by the state, as ODU is a state school. The settlement is subject to administrative formalization before the money can be paid. The motion filed last month said the "premature" dismissal of the case puts Marshall at risk in the event the settlement money is not received or the formalization process "denies, revokes or reduces" the settlement. The attorney general's office, however, said in their response to the motion filed by Marshall that approval of the governor's office was one of the conditions of the settlement, which was reached "in principle." "Counsel for defendants at the office of the attorney general continue to work diligently to obtain the requisite signatures and approvals of the settlement," according to the response issued by the state attorney general. When the settlement is approved, the money will be paid, it said. Old Dominion did not have an immediate comment Friday afternoon, according to the Virginian-Pilot. Marshall, who wrestled for Troy Christian High School in western Ohio north of Dayton, alleged in his lawsuit that he did not start to get treatment for symptoms from the three concussions in spring 2014 until he later began to "convulse, vomit and spit up blood" at a wrestling camp at Virginia's Hampden-Sydney College later that year. Coaches at that camp referred Marshall to ODU's athletic trainer, according to the lawsuit filed in Norfolk Circuit Court. As a result of these concussive injuries and delay of care, Marshall and his attorneys alleged in their 2016 lawsuit that the wrestler sustained "serious and permanent injury in the form of traumatic brain injury, and concussion and brain injury syndrome and symptoms, and other physical and psychological injuries" which would have an impact on his quality of life and earning potential going forward.

Kevin Gilligan, longtime high school teacher and wrestling coach in southern Maryland, died Wednesday, June 27 at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. He was 40. Kevin Timothy Gilligan was born in Washington, D.C. on April 14, 1978. He grew up in Bryans Road, Md.,graduating among the top 5 in his class from Lackey High School in 1996, and received his Bachelor of Arts in Education from Salisbury State University graduating Suma Cum Laude in December of 1999. Gilligan began his teaching career in Berlin, Md. at Stephen Decatur High School in 2000, spending the next dozen years as head coach of the wrestling team as well as serving as defensive coordinator for the football team, helping to build both programs into top-tier programs in Maryland. During the summer of 2011, Gilligan became a teacher and the head wrestling Coach at Huntingtown High School in Calvert County, Maryland. Over the next 7 years, Kevin built the wrestling program into one of the winningest teams in the state and the most successful athletic program in the school. Success can be measured in ways beyond won-loss records, as evidenced by the impact Kevin Gilligan had on his wrestlers and his students. Trevor Rickett had no plans of wrestling when he entered Stephen Decatur High School in 2003 ... but at his father's insistence, Rickett went out for the sport, and built a lifelong bond with coach Kevin Gilligan. "He made kids believe in themselves," Rickett said to delmarvanow.com. "He was good at taking kids who had no experience and making them believe they could take on the best (wrestlers) in the state. He would take kids who weren't doing good in school, put them in a room and change their lives completely." "For me he was everything," Tristan Ramberg, a 2015 Huntingtown graduate who had never wrestled prior to high school but finished his Hurricanes career as a state finalist and now wrestles at Missouri Valley College. "He got me into the sport that took me to college, where I'm going to graduate with a degree," Ramberg told the Calvert Recorder. He just affected everybody positively. The wrestling teams I was on at Huntingtown were more than teammates. We were brothers..." "It's real hard for me. ... He took me to hundreds of wrestling tournaments over summers just to make me better because that's the kind of guy he was. He just cared about everyone." Gino Sita told of how coach Gilligan helped transform Huntingtown's Dalonte Holland into a 2014 Maryland state champ at 285 pounds. "He was able to turn a brand-new kid who had never been in the sport into a state champ in two years, and I've seen it with Dalonte Holland," said Sita. "Gill has a coaching style to where not only would you get better if you were experienced, but the people who don't know anything will learn. It's never a bad thing to go over the basics again and make sure you perfect it. That's what he was always trying to make sure people understood. The basics win the matches. That's what we went over every day in practice, the basic moves to get the wins. By doing that all the new wrestlers were able to learn and get caught up within weeks." Rich Pauole, La Plata athletic director, described Gilligan as one of his best friends growing up. The two even roomed together at college. "Kevin devoted his adult life to students and athletes providing a family atmosphere that started at home and continued on through our high school and college days," Pauole told the Calvert Recorder. "His mentorship provided his student-athletes with the will to be the best and outwork the competition. He was a selfless man, father, son, coach, teacher and friend. I will miss him dearly and his legacy will be carried on by his family as well as his former students and athletes." Kevin Gilligan is survived by his parents Stephen and Patricia, his siblings Mary Gilligan, Travis Gilligan, Stephen Gilligan, and Molly Wilson, his children Kaela Gilligan and Michael Gilligan, his sister in-law Debi Gilligan (Travis), his brother in-law Zach Wilson (Molly), his three nieces Adrienne Gilligan, Brooklyn Wilson, and Moira Wilson, his nephew in-law Jason Smith (Adrienne), and dear friend Tracey Dolina. Visitation will be held for family and friends on Thursday, July 5 from 5-8 p.m. at Arehart-Echols Funeral Home in La Plata, Md. A funeral mass will follow on Friday, July 6 at 10 a.m. at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in La Plata. In lieu of flowers, the family is asking for contributions to be made to an educational fund that will be set up to help pay for his children's college education.

Joey Davis (Bellator) Former wrestling superstars Ed Ruth, Tyrell Fortune and Joey Davis -- with a total of ten college titles among them -- came out winners at Bellator 201: MacFarlane vs. Lara at Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, Calif. Friday night. One fighter with amateur mat credentials -- Ryan Couture, son of Oklahoma State wrestling great and UFC legend Randy Couture -- was on the losing end of a first-round TKO. Ruth "toys with his prey before devouring it" Ed Ruth -- three-time NCAA Division I champ for Penn State -- disposed of veteran Andy Murad with a TKO by punches at 4:59 of the second round of a preliminary bout which served as the former Nittany Lion's debut at welterweight (170 pounds), having fought until now at 185 (middleweight). "Ed Ruth toys with prey before devouring it" was the headline for the write-up at CagedInsider.com. The article described Ruth's pro mixed martial arts career to date as being "like an alpha predator strolling through a herd of unsuspecting dinner." "For nearly two full rounds Murad ate punches. On the feet, it was courtesy of Ruth's one-two combos that repeatedly knocked his head back; on the ground, it was while on all fours as Ruth hammered away.' "The ending sequence came when Ruth began to connect with his punches at will, and Murad did nothing but stumble around." The website MMA Today posed this question: "Could a shot in the upcoming Bellator welterweight Grand Prix be in store for Ruth after this strong showing?" With the win, the 27-year-old Ruth -- who signed with Bellator in May 2015 -- is now 6-0 overall and in Bellator, while Murad drops to 15-3. Good fortune smiles on Tyrell Fortune Tyrell Fortune -- a two-time junior college champ who became an NCAA Division II heavyweight champ for the now-defunct mat program at Arizona's Grand Canyon University -- "dominated an outmatched Giovanni Sarran" (to quote MMAjunkie.com) with a second-round TKO in their preliminary heavyweight bout. "Fortune was patient to start, setting up in the center and calmly walking forward and looking for opening, eventually grabbing a Thai clinch and pushing the action to the cage," MMAjunkie.com continued. "Sarran tried to create space to escape, but Fortune battered him with several big knees inside before changing levels and dragging the action to the canvas. Sarran tried to grab the neck as he fell to his back, but Fortune quickly pulled free and started to deliver massive punches to his grounded opponent." The end came at 4:35 of Round 2. With the win, Fortune now improves to 5-0 as a pro (and 5-0 in Bellator), while Sarran drops to 5-3. Davis remains perfect with unanimous decision Joey Davis, undefeated four-time NCAA Division II champ for Notre Dame College of Ohio, stayed perfect in his young MMA career with a unanimous decision over Craig Plaskett in a welterweight bout. All three judges scored it 30-26 for the former Falcon mat champ. "After proving his wrestling dominance early in round 1, Joey Davis elected to return to his feet and show off his striking skills with a number of spinning back kicks," according to MMA Today. The former ex-NCAA champ Davis sealed round 1 with a second spate of top control and ground-and-pound. The Team Bodyshop rep didn't mess around in the later rounds as he dumped Plaskett right back to the mat…" Davis improves to 4-0 in his burgeoning career, while Plaskett is now 2-3. Ryan Couture TKO victim in co-main event Ryan Couture -- son of Randy Couture, recently installed in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, and himself a state placer at the high school state championships in Washington State -- suffered a TKO loss to Saad Awad in the opening round of his lightweight bout at Bellator 201. "Saad Awad had an obvious confidence in his power against Ryan Couture, and he showed why with a first-round TKO win in the Bellator 201 co-main event," according to MMAjunkie.com. "After landing his right hand multiple times in the opening round, Awad connected clean on Couture late in the frame for a resounding TKO finish." The 35-year-old Couture -- who launched his MMA career nearly a decade ago -- is now 11-6 overall, and 3-3 in Bellator, while Awad improves to 23-9 overall, and 11-6 in Bellator competition.

Damion Hahn (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Damion Hahn, two-time NCAA and three-time Big Ten wrestling champ, is one of nine University of Minnesota athletes to be named to the 2018 Hall of Fame class for the school's M Club, one of the nation's largest and oldest varsity letterwinner clubs. Hahn wrestled at Minnesota for head coach J Robinson from 2001-2004. The Lakewood, N.J. native tallied three Big Ten individual conference titles, back-to-back NCAA championships at 197 pounds in 2003 and 2004, and was a four-time NCAA All-American. "Hahn's individual success helped fuel team success as well, a run that included three Big Ten team titles and back-to-back NCAA team championships," according to his biography in the official Minnesota M Club Class of 2018 announcement. Hahn capped off his career with the Gophers with a 118-21 overall record, and the 2004 Jesse Owens Big Ten Male Athlete of the Year honors. Since graduating from Minnesota, Hahn has built a successful collegiate coaching career, first at Cornell University in New York serving as an assistant coach, then assistant head coach for a total of a dozen years. Then, just this spring, Hahn was named as head coach at the NCAA Division I program at South Dakota State University. Although the only Golden Gopher wrestler to be named to the M Club this year, Damion Hahn will join 17 other past Minnesota wrestling greats from various eras, including modern-era superstars such as Luke Becker, Chad Kraft, Marty Morgan and teammate Tim Hartung, as well as legends from decades ago, such as Verne Gagne, Leonard "Butch" Levy, and Alan Rice. In addition to Damion Hahn, other University of Minnesota athletes who are members of the Class of 2018 M Club Hall of Fame include Heather (Dorniden) Kampf (Women's Track and Field); Laurence Maroney (Football); Janel McCarville (Women's Basketball); James McLean (Men's Golf); Pam (Miller) Dombeck (Volleyball); Chris Paulos (Softball, Field Hockey); Jim Peterson (Men's Gymnastics) and Justin Smith (Men's Golf). These Gopher greats will be officially added to the more than 350 current members of the Hall of Fame during the M Club Hall of Fame banquet on September 13 in the DQ Club Room at TCF Bank Stadium. "It takes a special athlete to make a college team and earn a letter," said M Club Interim Director Quincy Lewis. "To reach that level, where everyone is exceptional in some way, and then to become a stand out, to break records and earn awards and win championships, that level of greatness is what the nine people entering our Hall of Fame this year represent. The M Club Hall of Fame recognizes the most exceptional individuals in our department's long history. Inclusion in the Hall of Fame is the most prestigious honor Gopher Athletics can present to an alumni athlete. I could not be more proud to present that honor to each person in this year's Hall of Fame class."

Sam Stoll gets his hand raised after a win at the NCAAs (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine) Nearly two weeks ago, University of Iowa heavyweight Sam Stoll told police he had accidentally shot himself in the knee at his home. Now police say that explanation may not have not been completely truthful. On Friday, Iowa City Police charged Stoll with "false report to public entity" for not telling the truth about the June 19 shooting, a simple misdemeanor charge that can result in up to 30 days in the county jail and a fine of up to $625, according to multiple media accounts. Stoll had initially told police that he had shot himself in the knee in the garage at his Iowa City home on June 19 but later said he lied to protect the friend who had fired the shot, according to a police complaint from the Iowa City Police Department. The complaint also states that Stoll lied about where the shooting took place, redacting his original statement to tell police he was shot while playing a prank on a friend at that friend's Iowa City home. Police have not identified the friend and do not anticipate any additional charges at this time. Upon learning of Friday's charge against his senior heavyweight, Hawkeye head coach Tom Brands issued the following statement: "As I shared previously, Sam Stoll's health was our number one concern and he is doing well. I am disappointed in his actions related to this incident, as they do not reflect our values. Regarding discipline, we will follow all University and Athletics Department code of conduct policies." Sam Stoll just completed his junior year for the Hawkeyes, earning All-American honors at the 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships by placing fifth in the 285-pound bracket, and being presented with the Gorriarian Trophy for most pins in least amount of time at NCAAs (3 falls/8:50). Other 2017-18 season highlights for the 6'3", 215-pound Kasson, Minn. native: crowned champ at the Midlands Christmastime tournament, and placed fourth at Big Ten Championships, with an overall record of 25-6 this season, including 10 falls - the most for any Hawkeye this year.

Josh Koscheck (Photo/Bellator) In terms of MMA retirees, Josh Koscheck makes it three ... in just four days. In a week that saw Rashad Evans and Johny Hendricks reveal they were stepping away from their mixed martial arts career, Koscheck became the third college-wrestler-turned-MMA-star to make his retirement official. Koscheck -- an NCAA wrestling champ at Edinboro University who went on to contend for middleweight titles in a long professional mixed martial arts career -- announced his decision on "The Luke Thomas Show" on Thursday. The 40-year-old Koscheck -- who hasn't fought since February 2017 -- told Thomas that his inability to continue competing at a high level is ultimately why was announcing the official conclusion of his pro MMA career that spanned 13 years. "You never know, I might come back some day," Koscheck said in the interview. "The biggest thing about my mixed martial arts career, at the ending it didn't go the way I wanted. It's almost like you kind of just lose it, and it pains me to say that. It really, truly pains me as a fighter because I have a big ego -- everybody that steps inside that cage has a big ego -- but I truly didn't have it. I couldn't go out there and compete with these young guys. I felt great in the gym. I was in great shape. I don't think I was ever in better shape than I was at 38, 39, and 40, but I just didn't have it." Koscheck launched his pro MMA career in 2004, with two wins before first really making a name for himself in mixed martial arts as a middleweight (185-pound) contestant in the inaugural season of "The Ultimate Fighter" in 2005, making it to the semifinals where he lost a split decision to eventual TUF champ Diego Sanchez. In a career that spanned 13 years and 28 bouts -- 24 of those in UFC -- Koscheck tallied an overall record of 17-11, including a 15-10 record in UFC. The former collegiate champ once fought for the welterweight (170-pound) title against champ Georges St-Pierre in December 2010 at UFC 124, coming out on the losing end of a unanimous decision. Koscheck can claim victories over such notables as UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes, Frank Trigg, Anthony Johnson, and Paul Daley. However, as MMAfighting.com described it, "The last few years have been unkind to Koscheck" having gone 0-6 since 2012, including five stoppage losses. Before climbing into the Octagon, Josh Koscheck crafted an impressive amateur wrestling resume. Wrestling for Waynesburg Central High School, he was crowned a Pennsylvania state champ. Staying in the Keystone State, Koscheck continued his mat career at Edinboro University, where he was a four-time NCAA Division I All-American. He won the 174-pound title at the 2001 NCAAs. In 2012, Koscheck was welcomed into the Edinboro Athletics Hall of Fame.

In 1766, British cartographer John Spilsbury had a unique idea to teach geography. He attached a map to a piece of wood, traced the various country borders with a saw and invented what he called "dissected maps." After receiving positive feedback from his peers, he created more of what we now know as jigsaw puzzles and launched a successful business. Over 250 years later, the fact that jigsaw puzzles are still commonplace says something about the innate human desire to make things fit together. Ed Ruth (Photo/Bellator)Ed Ruth won three NCAA titles for Penn State and represented the U.S. at the 2014 World Wrestling Championships. However, he left the sport for MMA in 2016. While many wrestlers try MMA after they are done on the mats, there was something specific that drew Ruth's attention. It was the same something that made Spilsbury's invention a success so many years ago. "I was kind of going around by myself, hanging out with other fighters and checking out gyms, and it just kind of grew on me," Ruth said. "I just liked the fact that it was truly mixed martial arts. It was a collection of sports. It just kind of allowed an individual to be who they are. Whoever was able to put all these disciplines together the best was the one who was going to win. I always thought that was cool, putting everything together, put the patterns together better. I'm also a big puzzle guy." So far in his MMA career, Ruth has seemingly had very little trouble putting the pieces together. He has won all five of his fights including four knockouts. Despite the success, the former Nittany Lion is far from content. "I've always been my worst coach, my worst critic," he said. "I always want to see more. I always want to see more knockouts. I always want to see more technique, and I have to put in a little bit extra." Last year, Ruth had the opportunity to return to his collegiate stomping grounds for a fight. He faced off against Chris Dempsey at the Bryce Jordan Center on campus at Penn State, and he won the fight via second-round knockout. "It was a great experience," Ruth said. "There is nothing like being able to bring back what you love to the people that you love. I was able to bring that back to State College where everything started. I felt like that was just a big honor. It was like when you are going home. You feel comfortable at home. It just felt like I couldn't lose. Even if I did lose, it felt like I couldn't lose. It just felt so comforting to be there." On Friday, Ruth faces his toughest MMA opponent to date. Andy Murad is a 15-year professional who holds a 16-2 record. Ruth sees the fight as much more of an opportunity than a challenge. "I feel like a win over him would be great, because people could see not only have I been putting in work and putting in time, but I am actually learning," he said. "With a guy like Andy Murad, having all those fights and that experience, it's just like his experience adds to my experience. I soak it up just by me fighting him, just by experiencing how he moves and how he reacts to me. I want to see how much stuff he's taking into this fight from his fights." Ed Ruth wrestling Deron Winn at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) When asked about his overall impression of wrestlers transitioning into MMA, Ruth sounds almost as enthusiastic as Spilsbury would have been selling his puzzles. "I always tell them, you're making a great decision, because honestly I do feel like this is a great sport," Ruth said. "I love what it teaches you. I love how it forces you to get out of your comfort zone. It will teach you more about being human than anything else will, because you have to beat someone else to be a fighter. You have to literally step in the cage with the only thing in the world that you own, which is your intellect and your body."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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