InterMat Staff

Rashad Evans Rashad Evans, former UFC light heavyweight champion and "The Ultimate Fighter 2" winner, is now a former mixed martial arts fighter. Evans, a high school and collegiate wrestler who made his pro MMA debut 14 years ago, revealed his decision to retire from MMA on ESPN's "Ariel Helwani's MMA Show" Monday. Just two weeks ago, the 38-year-old Evans was the victim of a knockout in the first minute of the first round to Anthony Smith at UFC 225 at the United Center in Chicago on June 9. It was his fifth straight loss. In his pro career which he launched in April 2004, Evans compiled a 19-8-1 record competing primarily for the UFC. He joined the promotion as a top prospect after emerging as the heavyweight winner of TUF 2, though he immediately dropped down to light heavyweight (205 pounds) following the conclusion of that tournament. In his first eight UFC fights, Evans came out the victor over some of the top talent in that weight class at the time, including Michael Bisping, Chuck Liddell, and Forrest Griffin. In fact, it was that third-round TKO of Griffin at UFC 92 in December 2008 that made Evans the UFC light heavyweight champion. Evans lost that title in his first defense against Lyoto Machida but came back with four big-time wins over opponents such as Quinton Jackson and former Penn State champ -- and future Bellator titlewinner -- Phil Davis. Prior to entering the Octagon, Evans crafted an impressive amateur wrestling career. He was a two-time New York state wrestling championships finalist for Niagara-Wheatfield High School. Evans then enrolled at Niagara County Community College, where he was a two-time National Junior College Athletic Association All-American, winning the 165-pound title at the 2000 NJCAA Wrestling Championships. Evans then headed west to Michigan State, where he became a two-time NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships qualifier at 174 pounds. One of Evans' greatest amateur accomplishments: being one of only four wrestlers to defeat Greg Jones, three-time NCAA champ for West Virginia University.

Kyle Snyder at Final X (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Kyle Snyder has just made a bit more history in his incredible wrestling career. The 2018 NCAA heavyweight champ has been selected as 2017-18 Ohio State Male Athlete of the Year, the Columbus-based school announced Monday. As Ohio State Wrestling tweeted midday Monday, Snyder is the first Buckeye wrestler to have been named a three-time athlete of the year… the fifth wrestler in a row to receive the honor… and the sixth in a decade, joining two-time honoree Logan Stieber (2014, 2015) and J. Jaggers in 2009. In addition to Snyder being named Male Athlete of the Year for this past season, Kelsey Mitchell of the women's basketball team was named 2017-18 Ohio State Female Athlete of the Year. With this Ohio State honor, both Mitchell and Snyder are now eligible for consideration for Big Ten Athlete of the Year for 2017-18 which will be determined in the coming weeks. (Snyder earned the Big Ten Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year in 2017.) Snyder's on-the-mat accomplishments are impressive by any measure. He is the only American to ever finish college as a three-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion (2016-2018), an Olympic gold medalist (men's freestyle at the 2016 Rio Games) and two-time world champion. Snyder's leadership helped guide the Buckeyes to Big Ten titles in three of his four seasons (including 2018) and as 2015 NCAA team champions. Snyder can add the 2017-18 Ohio State Male Athlete of the Year honor to a trophy case already crowded with honors. In addition to his two previous Male Athlete of the Year awards in 2016 and 2017, Snyder has earned the Big Ten Medal of Honor award, the AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) Sullivan Award, and a nomination to the President's Sports Council, among other honors.

Kellen Russell (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan wrestling assistant coach Kellen Russell will serve as a coach for the United States men's freestyle team at the 2018 United World Wrestling (UWW) Cadet World Championships, scheduled for July 2-8 in Zagreb, Croatia. He will coach alongside Kevin Jackson, USA Wrestling's freestyle developmental coach, and Arizona State assistant coach Lee Pritts. The U.S. men's freestyle team was determined by a best-of-three championship series at the UWW Cadet World Team Trials on June 1-3 in Akron, Ohio. The team is made of rising high school juniors and seniors; to be eligible for UWW Cadets, athletes must have been born from 2001-03. A two-time NCAA champion and four-time Big Ten champion at 141 pounds while at Michigan (2008-09, '11-12), Russell captured the 66kg/145.5-pound freestyle title at the 2013 U.S. Open and claimed runner-up honors at the 2013 World Team Trials. He also won medals at Dave Schultz Memorial International (gold, 2017), Guelph Open (gold, 2013) and Cuba's Cerro Pelado Tournament (bronze, 2014). Russell's retirement from international competition coincided with his transition to the Wolverines' full-time coaching staff this past spring. He previously served as volunteer coach for the last four seasons, contributing to the development of 16 NCAA All-Americans over the stretch and three straight top-10 NCAA finishes, including last season's fourth-place showing. Russell is the second Michigan coach to serve on the Cadet world team staff in as many years. Head coach Sean Bormet helped coach the 2017 squad to a second-place showing behind four individual champions.

Chris Honeycutt (Photo/Bellator) Chris Honeycutt, the former Fighting Scot wrestler, will be fighting at Bellator 202 next month. Honeycutt will be taking on Leo Leite in a middleweight (185-pound) bout at Bellator 202 at WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, Okla. on July 13. Honeycutt, 29, brings an 10-2 overall record since launching his pro career in June 2013. The two-time NCAA All-American for Edinboro University in Pennsylvania is 6-2 in Bellator competition. Leite, 40, is 10-1 in MMA, and 0-1 in Bellator. Both middleweights are coming off losses in otherwise strong careers. Honeycutt, who had moved up from welterweight (170 pounds), lost a unanimous but somewhat controversial decision (at least in the eyes of some MMA sportswriters) to Rafael Lovato Jr. at Bellator 189 in December to put a stop to a four-bout win streak for "the Cutt." Leite's last fight had him on the losing end of a unanimous decision in a light-heavyweight (205-pound) match vs. former Penn State NCAA wrestling champ Phil Davis at Bellator 186 in November. The Honeycutt vs. Leite match, part of the main card, will be broadcast on the Paramount network following preliminary bouts which will be streamed live on the Bellator app.

Darrion Caldwell celebrates after his victory at Bellator 195 (Photo/Bellator) Two former college wrestling stars -- Darrion Caldwell and Logan Storley -- will be featured in top-of-the-card bouts at Bellator 204, set for August 17 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. It's the first Bellator MMA event to be held in the state of South Dakota. Caldwell, current Bellator bantamweight (135-pound) champion, will move up a weight class to featherweight (145) in a non-title bout vs. Noad Lahat ... while Storley will take on A.J. Matthews in a welterweight (170-pound) co-feature. Caldwell, who launched his pro MMA career in 2012 and signed with Bellator in Nov. 2013, is now 12-1 overall, and 9-1 in Bellator, while Lahat is 12-3 as a pro, and 3-1 in Bellator. Storley, a relative newcomer to MMA, having signed with Bellator just one year ago, is now 8-0 overall, and 3-0 in Bellator bouts. Matthews, a veteran of the cage who has fought professionally since 2007, brings a 9-7-0 overall record. Both Caldwell and Storley built impressive amateur wrestling resumes before entering MMA. Caldwell, a three-time state wrestling champ in his native New Jersey, made a name for himself at North Carolina State University, where he defeated defending champ Brent Metcalf of the University of Iowa in the 149-pound finals, 11-6, at the 2009 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in what the late historian Jay Hammond declared to be one of the three biggest upsets in NCAA finals history. Storley, a six-time South Dakota state champ from Webster, S.D., hometown to the one and only Brock Lesnar. Like Lesnar, Storley headed east to the University of Minnesota, where he was a four-time NCAA All-American. The entire main card of Bellator 204 -- including the bouts featuring Caldwell and Storley -- will be televised live and free on Paramount Network at 8 p.m. CT, while preliminary action will stream on Bellator.com and globally on the Bellator Mobile App. Additional bouts will be announced in coming weeks. Tickets for Bellator 204 go on sale Thursday, June 28 at 10 a.m. on ticketmaster.com and the Pentagon box office.

J'den Cox defeated Hayden Zillmer two matches to zero (Photo/Juan Garcia) BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Returning world bronze medalists J'den Cox and Nick Gwiazdowski earned spots on the U.S. World Team with victories in two straight matches on Saturday night at Final X, which was held at Grace Hall on the campus of Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa. The 23-year-old Cox, an Olympic and world bronze medalist, topped Hayden Zillmer, 5-2 and 10-0 at 92 kilograms. It was a rematch of the U.S. Open finals won by Cox, 2-0. "I knew I paid the price just to do what I need to do to get here," said Cox. "I'm going to do whatever it takes to get to where I want to be in the future." Cox left Missouri to train at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. "I've put myself in a good environment that will lead to me bigger places," Cox said. Nick Gwiazdowski topped Adam Coon (Photo/Juan Garcia) Gwiazdowski cruised in two straight matches over Adam Coon at 125 kilograms. Coon earned a spot on the U.S. World Team in Greco-Roman on Friday in Tulsa, Okla. Gwiazdowski won both matches over Coon 6-1. Gwiazdowski was able to overcome Coon's size advantage. "That's like part of the job description," Gwiazdowski said of Coon's size. "Guys are going to be big. We've got the weight limit. He made that weight limit, and that's that. I've done it my entire life." Nahshon Garrett (Photo/Juan Garcia) Nahshon Garrett battled back to defeat Joe Colon to earn a spot on the U.S. World Team at 61 kilograms. After dropping the first match 7-5, Garrett battled back to defeat Colon 10-5 in the second match before closing out the series with a 12-0 technical fall shutout. Colon defeated Garrett 20-13 in the U.S. Open finals. "That first match I came out slow," Garrett said. "I was slow. I wanted to feel it out. But the thing is, I can't wrestle slow against him. He's too good in his positions. So every match I had to put up a little bit more." Garrett, who won a national title at Cornell, now trains in Tempe, Ariz. He believes in his coaching. "One of the reasons I actually went out there was because of Zeke Jones," said Garrett. "Knowing his technique, knowing his ability, I trust him a lot. I've always trusted my coaches. So being out there and at this level you've got to have somebody who has been at this level and experienced that, and Zeke Jones is one of those guys." In the women's wrestling competition, Whitney Conder, Sarah Hildebrandt and Forrest Molinari punched their tickets to the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Conder topped Victoria Anthony in three matches at 50 kilograms to make her fourth U.S. World Team, but first since 2015. Conder took the first match 10-4, but Anthony battled back with a 4-2 victory in the second match to force a third and deciding match. In the third match, it was all Conder as she claimed a technical fall victory, 11-0. "There's been a lot of changes in my life since I made the last World Championships," said Conder. "I've gone down a weight class. I've been changing my lifestyle." While Conder has moved down in weight, her opponent, Anthony, moved up in weight this year from 48 kilograms. "I definitely felt like I was a lot bigger," said Conder. "She a strong wrestler and very strong opponent, and she knows her way to wrestle. So I knew it was going to be a tough match no matter what happened." Conder, who joined Army WCAP program six years ago, fell short of last year's U.S. World Team, losing in the finals of the U.S. World Team Trials to 2016 Olympian Haley Augello. "Last year was very disappointing," said Conder. "I was very down on myself and very angry that I didn't make the team. But my coaches got on me right away and they kept talking to me about going down and kept talking to me about finding new ways to score." Hildebrandt dominated former King University teammate Augello two matches to zero, outscoring her 14-0. "I've done everything right," Hildebrandt said. "I was eating well. I was training hard. I was going to bed early. I was reading books. I was feeling good about myself. And it's like, how do you not just feel good going out there? There was nothing where I could have been like, 'You should have done more.' I did what I needed to do. Now I'm going to step it up another notch, and I'm going to win at Budapest." Forrest Molinari (Photo/Juan Garcia) Molinari avenged a U.S. Open loss by defeating Julia Salata two matches to zero. She blanked Salata 5-0 in the first match and then closed out the victory with another dominant victory, 10-2. "I didn't wrestle well at the Open," said Molinari. "I wasn't offensive. This match I wanted to keep my position, attack when the opportunity was there, not rush anything." Molinari attended all three Final X events. "It was hard, but I'm so glad I that got to all three. I got to experience it all and help my teammates. So it's just been an awesome year going to all these tournaments and helping my teammates out, and finally making that senior team." Freestyle results 61 kilograms: Nahshon Garrett def. Joe Colon, 2 matches to 1 Match 1: Colon dec. Garrett, 7-5 Match 2: Garrett dec. Colon, 10-5 Match 3: Garrett dec. Colon, 12-0 92 kilograms: J'den Cox def. Hayden Zillmer, 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Cox dec. Zillmer, 5-2 Match 2: Cox dec. Zillmer, 10-0 125 kilograms: Nick Gwiazdowski def. Adam Coon, 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Gwiazdowski dec. Coon, 6-1 Match 2: Gwiazdowski dec. Coon, 6-1 Women's wrestling results 50 kilograms: Whitney Conder vs. Victoria Anthony, 2 matches to 1 Match 1: Conder dec. Anthony, 10-4 Match 2: Anthony dec. Conder, 4-2 Match 3: Conder tech. fall Anthony, 11-0 53 kilograms: Sarah Hildebrandt def. Haley Augello, 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Hildebrandt dec. Augello, 6-0 Match 2: Hildebrandt dec. Augello, 8-0 65 kilograms: Forrest Molinari def. Julia Salata, 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Molinari dec. Salata, 5-0 Match 2: Molinari dec. Salata, 10-2 True third-place results Freestyle: 57 kilograms: Tony Ramos dec. Zach Sanders, 4-2 65 kilograms: Jaydin Eierman dec. Andy Simmons, 9-5 86 kilograms: Richard Perry dec. Pat Downey, 7-4 97 kilograms: Ty Walz by forfeit over Austin Schafer Women's wrestling: 53 kilograms: Cody Pfau pinned Gabrielle Weyhrich, 1:45 59 kilograms: Kelsey Campbell dec. Lauren Louive, 4-0 68 kilograms: Alex Glaude dec. Yvonne Galindo, 2-2

TULSA, Okla. -- The 2018 U.S. Greco-Roman World Team is set for October's World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, with 10 talented wrestlers earning spots in the lineup on Friday at the Cox Business Center in Tulsa, Okla. "We've got a great bunch of guys," Greco-Roman National Team head coach Matt Lindland said. "I'm super excited about this team, very mentally tough guys that fought hard. We had a lot of matches go to three, so they had to gut it out, and hopefully they can carry that all the way through the training process and into Budapest for the World Championships." Highlighting the squad are four past Senior World Team members, including 2017 World Teamers Ellis Coleman and G'Angelo Hancock, now-three-time World Team member Patrick Martinez and 2013 World Team member Jesse Thielke. Hancock and Thielke won their weights in two-straight matches, while Coleman's and Martinez's series went to three matches. Wrestling at 63 kg, Jesse Thielke, a 2016 Olympian, had a rematch of the U.S. Open semifinals with Ryan Mango. Avenging a 9-0 loss to Mango, Thielke grabbed decisive 12-6 and 6-4 wins to make his second Senior World Team and first since 2013. Read complete story on TheMat.com … Finals results 55 kilograms: Sam Hazewinkel (Sunkist Kids) def. Max Nowry (Army WCAP), 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Hazewinkel dec. Nowry, 4-4 Match 2: Hazewinkel tech. fall Nowry, 11-0 60 kilograms: Dalton Roberts (NYAC) def. Ildar Hafizov (Army WCAP), 2 matches to 1 Match 1: Hafizov dec. Roberts, 4-2 Match 2: Roberts tech. fall Hafizov, 10-2 Match 3: Roberts dec. Hafizov, 4-3 63 kilograms: Jesse Thielke (NYAC/LOG) def. Ryan Mango (Army WCAP), 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Thielke dec. Mango, 12-6 Match 2: Thielke dec. Mango, 6-4 67 kilograms: Ellis Coleman (Army WCAP) def. Alejandro Sancho (NYAC), 2 matches to 1 Match 1: Sancho dec. Coleman, 6-3 Match 2: Coleman tech. fall Sancho, 9-0 Match 3: Coleman tech. fall Sancho, 8-0 72 kilograms: Jon Jay Chavez (Finger Lakes WC) def. RaVaughn Perkins (NYAC), 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Perkins tech. fall Chavez, 8-0 Match 2: Chavez dec. Perkins, 5-4 Match 3: Chavez dec. Perkins, 7-5 77 kilograms: Kamal Bey (Sunkist Kids) def. Mason Manville (Army WCAP), 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Bey dec. Manville, 5-3 Match 2: Bey tech. fall Manville, 10-0 82 kilograms: Geordan Speiller (Florida Jets) def. Cheney Haight (NYAC), 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Speiller dec. Haight, 7-2 Match 2: Speiller tech. fall Haight, 8-0 87 kilograms: Patrick Martinez (NYAC) def. Ben Provisor (NYAC/Nittany Lion WC), 2 matches to 1 Match 1: Martinez dec. Provisor, 6-0 Match 2: Provisor dec. Martinez, 1-1 Match 3: Martinez dec. Provisor, 1-1 97 kilograms: G'Angelo Hancock (Sunkist Kids) def. Daniel Miller (Marines), 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Hancock dec. Miller, 11-8 Match 2: Hancock dec. Miller, 6-3 130 kilograms: Adam Coon (NYAC) def. Robby Smith (NYAC), 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Coon dec. Smith, 3-1 Match 2: Coon pinned Smith, 5:55

Cary Kolat at the World Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) John Smith of Stillwater, Okla. and Cary Kolat of Buies Creek, N.C. have been named 2017 Women's Co-Coaches of the Year by USA Wrestling. It is the first time since the award was created in 2002 that there has been Co-Coaches of the Year recognized. It is the first time that either have won the USA Wrestling Women's Coach of the Year award. However, Smith won the Terry McCann Freestyle Coach of the Year for men's freestyle three times (1998, 2000, 2009). Smith and Kolat were the official 2017 Women's World Team coaches, working with National Coach Terry Steiner and leading the U.S. women in Paris, France to an impressive second-place finish. The team was led by World champion Helen Maroulis, World silver medalist Alli Ragan and World bronze medalist Becka Leathers. This was the first time that Smith or Kolat had taken a Women's World Team assignment, after many years coaching men in both freestyle and American folkstyle. Kolat did help coach a women's team at the Pan American Championships. Both were also World-class freestyle athletes prior to becoming coaches in Div. I wrestling. Smith is currently the head coach at Oklahoma State, while Kolat coaches at Campbell University. Among John Smith's past freestyle coaching achievements were: • Served as Men's Freestyle Coach for the 2012 Olympic Team Coach which competed in London, England. The United States had a pair of gold medalists, Jordan Burroughs and Jake Varner, and a bronze medalist in Coleman Scott. • Served as a co-head coach for the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team, which competed in Sydney, Australia. The U.S. won four individual medals, including a gold medal from Brandon Slay. • Served as World Team coach for all three U.S. World Freestyle Teams from 2009-11, which competed in Herning, Denmark, Moscow, Russia and Istanbul, Turkey. • Served as coach for the 1999 U.S. World Team, which competed in Ankara, Turkey, placing second in the team standings and winning three medals, including a gold medal by Stephen Neal • Served as coach of the 1998 U.S. World Team, the U.S. placed third in the team standings in Tehran, Iran with three medals, including a gold medal by Sammie Henson. Kolat is the coach at the Buies Creek Regional Training Center, which is affiliated with his program at Campbell University. He also helped run the Tarheel RTC when he was an assistant coach at North Carolina. Kolat has been an innovator in providing World-class online wrestling technical instruction through his respected website Kolat.com. Smith is currently the head coach at Oklahoma State Univ., one of the most successful Div. I wrestling programs in history. He is the winningest coach in Oklahoma State history. He has led the Cowboys to five NCAA team titles (1995, 2003-2006). He has coached 32 NCAA individual champions and six Olympians, including 2004 silver medalist Jamill Kelly and 2012 bronze medalist Coleman Scott. John Smith is a member of the United World Wrestling International Wrestling Hall of Fame. Both Smith and Kolat have been elected as Distinguished Members of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, with Smith inducted in 1997 and Kolat inducted in 2017. As a freestyle athlete, Smith was considered by many the best freestyle wrestler in U.S. history. He claimed gold medals at the 1988 and 1992 Olympic Games, and won four World gold medals (1987, 1989, 1990, 1991). His six straight World-level titles is unprecedented. He also won titles at the Pan American Games (twice), Goodwill Games (twice) and the World Cup. In his Senior career, Kolat placed second in the 1997 World Championships, third in the 1998 World Championships and fourth in the 1999 World Championships in freestyle wrestling. He was a member of the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team, which competed in Sydney, Australia. He won three World Cup gold medals, in addition to titles at the 1998 Goodwill Games, the 1999 Pan American Games and the 2000 Pan American Championships. In college, Smith was a two-time NCAA champion for Oklahoma State (1987-88) and a three-time All-American. He originally hails from Del City, Okla., where he won two state high school titles. Kolat was a two-time NCAA Div. I champion and four-time All-American in college. He was the NCAA champion in 1996 and 1997 for Lock Haven. He began his collegiate career at Penn State, where he was an NCAA runner-up as a freshman and third as a sophomore. While at Jefferson-Morgan High in Pennsylvania, Kolat won four-straight state titles and compiled a perfect 137-0 record. He was named Outstanding Wrestler at the state meet all four years. PAST WOMEN'S COACH OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS 2017 - John Smith, Stillwater, Okla. and Cary Kolat, Buies Creek, N.C. 2016 - Valentin Kalika, New York, N.Y., Titan Mercury WC 2015 - Aaron Sieracki, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army WCAP 2014 - Afsoon Johnston, San Diego, Calif. 2013 - Archie Randall, Mustang, Okla., OKCU Gator Women's RTC 2012 - Vladislav "Izzy" Izboinikov, Colorado Springs, Colo., USA Wrestling 2011 - Kevin Black, River Falls, Wis., New York AC 2010 - Keith Wilson, Colorado Springs, Colo., Sunkist Kids 2009 - Kevin Black, River Falls, Wis., New York AC 2008 - Tadaaki Hatta, Elyria, Ohio, New York AC 2007 - Troy Steiner, Corvallis, Ore. 2006 - Joe Corso, Metairie, La. ,Gator WC 2005 - Bill Scherr, Glenview, Ill., Sunkist Kids 2004 - Tricia Saunders, Phoenix, Ariz., Sunkist Kids 2003 - Townsend Saunders, Phoenix, Ariz., Sunkist Kids 2002 - Joe Corso, Des Moines, Iowa, Sunkist Kids

Eric Montoya was a two-time All-American at Nebraska (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Former Husker and two-time NCAA All-American Eric Montoya will return to the Nebraska wrestling program as its volunteer assistant coach, Nebraska head coach Mark Manning announced Friday. "We're extremely happy to have Eric Montoya join our coaching staff," Manning said. "He was a tremendous competitor as he became a two-time All-American here at Nebraska, and his passion for the sport and the love that he has for Nebraska will benefit us greatly." Montoya will work primarily with the lower weight classes on the team, and will assist with the Nebraska Wrestling Training Center and summer camps. Montoya racked up a career record of 113-49 as a collegiate wrestler, competing three seasons for Nebraska and one season for Campbell. In his three years at NU, Montoya went 80-32 and qualified for the NCAA Championships all three seasons, earning a pair of All-America honors. As a senior in 2016-17, Montoya posted a record of 30-7, including 14-2 in duals, and placed fifth at the Big Ten Championships and sixth at the NCAA Championships. He was an All-American for the first time as a junior in 2016, as he placed fifth at the NCAA Championships and also took fifth at the Big Ten Championships. A four-time NCAA Championships qualifier, Montoya reached the Round of 12 as a sophomore in 2015, and also qualified for the tournament as a freshman at Campbell in 2013. He was Nebraska's Redshirt of the Year for the 2013-14 season. "I'm really happy to come back to Nebraska," Montoya said. "After I graduated, I went home for a little bit, and spent some time with my wife and family. I knew that I wanted to come back and coach at this level, and I'm really excited to be back and hopefully I can make a difference in the Nebraska wrestling program." Montoya was a two-time member of the NWCA All-Academic Team, and he was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection. He also spent five semesters on the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll. An Albuquerque, New Mexico, native, Montoya was a four-time state champion at Volcano Vista High School. He graduated from Nebraska in May of 2017 with a degree in business management. Montoya resides in Lincoln with his wife, Evangeline, and two sons, Josiah and Asher.

George Mulligan, Rutgers All-American wrestler at the 1955 NCAAs who is considered to be "Father of Wrestling in Bay County" in Florida, died Monday, June 18 while out for a walk in his adopted home of Florida. He had just turned 86 years old. Mulligan was a four-time letter-winner and team captain for the Scarlet Knights wrestling program at The State University of New Jersey in the early 1950s. As a senior, Mulligan placed fourth in the 147-pound bracket at the 1955 NCAA championships at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. Mulligan made it to the semifinals, where he lost to eventual champ Eddie Eichelberger of Lehigh ... then, in the consolation round, fell to eventual 1960 Olympic gold medalist Doug Blubaugh of Oklahoma State. Mulligan graduated from Rutgers with a degree in psychology in 1955. Upon graduation, he entered the U.S. Navy, where he eventually served as an officer and a pilot in Pensacola, Fla. After his Naval service, Mulligan embarked on a successful career in the classroom and as a coach. He taught geography at Bay High School in Panama City, Fla. from 1959-1961 and launched the school's intramural wrestling team. Following that, he taught and coached at Middlesex High School in New Jersey. Mulligan returned to the Sunshine State and earned a master's degree in counseling from Troy State before serving as guidance counselor and test administrator at Tom P. Haney Vocational Center for 22 years. Mulligan was instrumental in helping high school wrestling in the Bay County area and as assistant coach at Bay High from 1975 to 1982. He was recognized as the "Father of Wrestling in Bay County" in September 2017 with the dedication of a memorial bench at Bay High School. Visitation will take place Friday, June 22 from 5-7 p.m. at Kent-Forest Lawn, 2403 Harrison Ave., Panama City, Fla. with Mass of Christian Burial Saturday at 10 a.m. at St. John's Catholic Church, Father Guillermo Arias, SG officiating. Entombment will follow at Forest Lawn Cemetery at the above address. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests sending donations to the Bay High School wrestling program, 1200 Harrison Avenue, Panama City, FL 32401.

I'm in China this week covering the 2018 China Open, a Ranking Series event for women's wrestling held in Taiyung, Shanxi. If the name sounds familiar, the city hosted the 2012 Last Chance Olympic Qualifier. This is my third time in Taiyung, a major city in the middle of the Shanxi province. Somewhat like Pittsburgh, the city is the economic heart of eastern China's coal country. Not surprisingly the area is also one of the nation's hotbed for wrestling. Just down the road from Taiyung is Xhinzhou, a much more modestly sized city of 1-2 million where I've been on a few occasions to cover traditional wrestling. That city, maybe best equitable to Easton, is the pinpoint center of wrestling in the region, and the nation. There are large metal statues of wrestlers outside department stores and entire buildings dedicated to the education and practice of very traditional forms of wrestling, known broadly as shuijiao. I find the parallels fascinating. The pride a region takes in their sport, no matter it's level of national or international importance. Wrestling is important here because, like Pittsburgh or Iowa, it's part of a shared past -- the backdrop to the ever-shifting plotlines within our daily lives. As a visitor there is comfort here because I can recognize in our hosts the same determination and passion for the sport we see at home. Wrestling is everywhere and yet in each place it's both deeply personal but relatable. Like a dance that's traveled the globe, wrestling is always open to local interpretation and values, but no matter how different the steps may seem at first the basics are always the same. To your questions … Q: I just saw that Iowa heavyweight Sam Stoll was injured in what's being called an accidental shooting, being shot in the knee. The information is very limited. Can you shed any light on what's going on? -- Jeremy T. Foley: Oy. Stoll got shot in the leg at 4 a.m. on a Sunday and according to the police it was not by his own hand. I knew a coach who loved to say that nothing good ever happens after 2 a.m., and though I disagreed with him at the time, after reading this story I've grown into full agreement. Wishing Stoll a speedy recovery. Daton Fix and Thomas Gilman had a staredown before meeting at Final X (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Q: What do you make a Final X emulating the UFC with regard to weigh-ins, staredowns, interviews, etc. Will this serve to increase interest? -- Robert G. Foley: Yes. There is always the idea that an interaction of any sort prior to the actual match will cause discussion and prompt an increase in viewership. The staredown is a touch off-putting for me, but I can see how that might serve to build some drama. The interesting follow-up to this question is: Where does promotion go from here? I think USA Wrestling and FloWrestling have so far done a wonderful job of promoting the events, but I too wonder what would work better than the UFC model? Certainly, getting the fans into a discussion about who is better is vital, but maybe we should look at this through the lens of fan participation. Why don't we do more to involve fans in every event? Lacrosse, soccer and rugby almost always have fan experiences before, during and after the events. Would something attached to the event, like say a concert or takedown tournament with simple rules possibly generate some more interest? Who knows, but I do see that we are on the right track with recent events. I think that what was borrowed from UFC and MMA was mostly productive and certainly generated adequate buzz and ticket sales. Whitney Conder defeated Victoria Anthony to win the U.S. Open (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Q: It seems like Whitney Conder is overlooked. I have seen so many people picking Victoria Anthony to beat her Saturday at Final X. Conder has not only had a strong year, but handled Anthony at the U.S. Open. Am I crazy to think Conder wins in two? -- Mike C. Foley: Having won their last matchup, Whitney Conder will come into Final X as the modest favorite. I agree that it's easy to overlook Conder, but with the 2-kilogram increase in weights she has a noticeable size advantage. The fact that she also has to cut a little less weight has to be a compounding positive impact on her performance, too, Anthony is always a danger to score from an inside trip or arm spin, but those are techniques that are less effective the more you compete and train with an opponent. To win, Anthony will need to utilize solid leg attacks and limit her tendency to give up points in bunches. Worldwide, 50 kilograms is one of the most stacked with talent. Whoever comes out will need to train smart for the next several months and take a few international trips to familiarize themselves with the younger 50-kilogram crowd. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Inside look at the first-ever women's wrestling development camp that happened this March in Japan Highlight film for the China Open Training Camp Q: Thoughts on Little Rock's coaching hire of Neil Erisman? Now that the hire has been made, what other big names were you hearing as candidates? -- Mike C. Foley: The Little Rock program is very intriguing. Its development, along with that of Presbyterian, will provide test case material for the expansion of wrestling in the South, and the viability of women's wrestling at the NCAA level. There were a few top assistants pondering the position, but it feels weird for me to point out who didn't get the job. Q: With the new two-day weigh-in format for UWW, do the wrestlers that got a bye to the Greco World Team Trials have to weigh in on both days even though they aren't wrestling on the first day? -- Jeff S. Foley: Yes, wrestlers who are sitting out into the finals are required to weigh in on both days of the competition. The same was done for freestyle.

TULSA, Okla. -- The best-of-three finals pairings for the 2018 Senior Greco-Roman World Team Trials have taken shape after a full day of Greco action at the Cox Business Center in Tulsa, Okla. We can expect to see a finals rematch from the U.S. Open at 55 kilograms and 130 kilograms. At 55 kg, 2012 freestyle Olympian Sam Hazewinkel teched his way through the bracket and surrendered only one point. In the finals, the 34-year-old dominated 2018 U23 World Team member Dalton Duffield, whom Hazewinkel has coached for more than a decade, in a 12-1 tech. Hazewinkel, the 2018 U.S. Open runner-up, will go up against the Open champion Max Nowry for the World Team spot. Read complete story on TheMat.com ... Best-of-three finals pairings: 55 kilograms: Max Nowry vs. Sam Hazewinkel 60 kilograms: Dalton Roberts vs. Ildar Hafizov 63 kilograms: Ryan Mango vs. Jesse Thielke 67 kilograms: Ellis Coleman vs. Alejandro Sancho 72 kilograms: RaVaughn Perkins vs. Jon Jay Chavez 77 kilograms: Kamal Bey vs. Mason Manville 82 kilograms: Geordan Speiller vs. Cheney Haight 87 kilograms: Ben Provisor vs. Patrick Martinez 97 kilograms: Daniel Miller vs. G'Angelo Hancock 130 kilograms: Robby Smith vs. Adam Coon Challenge bracket finals results: 55 kilograms: Sam Hazewinkel tech. fall Dalton Duffield, 12-1 60 kilograms: Ildar Hafizov dec. Leslie Fuenffinger, 5-0 63 kilograms: Jesse Thielke pinned Xavier Johnson, 2:34 67 kilograms: Alejandro Sancho dec. Hayden Tuma, 7-2 72 kilograms: Jon Jay Chavez dec. Patrick Smith, 5-0 77 kilograms: Mason Manville tech. fall Peyton Walsh, 10-0 82 kilogams: Cheney Haight dec. John Stefanowicz, 5-3 87 kilograms: Pat Martinez tech. fall Kevin Radford, 11-0 97 kilograms: G'Angelo Hancock tech. fall Lucas Sheridan, 11-0 130 kilograms: Adam Coon tech. fall David Tate Orndorff, 8-0

STANFORD, Calif. -- Alex Tirapelle and Nate Engel, a former assistant at Navy, complete the 2018-19 Stanford wrestling coaching staff, head coach Jason Borrelli announced today. Tirapelle, who re-joined the Cardinal as a volunteer in December, will serve as an assistant for the upcoming season. "We are thrilled that Alex has chosen to stay with us full-time, as he is one of the top coaches and wrestling minds in the country," said Borrelli. "Alex epitomizes our program's Cardinal Caliber values and our student-athletes will continue to benefit tremendously from his direction next season." Tirapelle served as an assistant coach for Stanford from 2010-14 before becoming the head coach at Penn (2014-17). During his first stint on The Farm, he helped guide the Cardinal to its best dual-season record in school history with a 17-5 mark in 2013-14. That year's team sent five wrestlers to the NCAA Championships - tying a then-school record. Four of the five NCAA qualifiers were Pac-12 champions, also a school record. Engel joins the staff after being an assistant at Navy for the last four seasons. An excellent recruiter, he brought an influx of talent the Midshipmen roster by signing back-to-back Top 20 recruiting classes and landing two recruits ranked 1st in the nation, Jared Prince and Quentin Hovis. He will also serve as the Director of the California RTC program, as he has extensive ties with USA Wrestling and will coach the U.S. Junior Greco World Team at the Junior World Championships in Slovakia this September. "We had our eyes set on Nate from day one, as he has an impeccable track record as a coach and is respected by everyone in the profession," explained Borrelli. "Nate's roots with USA Wrestling will also help tremendously as we look to take our Olympic Regional Training Center to the next level. We are very excited to have him involved in our program and I look forward to working alongside him each day." Engel was an All-American at Missouri Valley College and a four-time NAIA qualifier. An elite senior level competitor, he pursued a Greco career full-time, training at Northern Michigan under Ivan Ivanov. A two-time member of the U.S. National Team, Engel was the runner-up at the 2013 World Team Trials. He won the 2012 Haparanda Cup and took silver at the 2013 Haavisto Tournament. He was also the Maccabiah Games Champion in both Freesyle and Greco-Roman at 55 kg in 2013, while taking home to bronze medals in 2017. The duo join longtime assistant Ray Blake, who was promoted to associate head coach at the end of the 2016-17 season. Blake will begin his 12th season on the staff this fall. During Blake's coaching tenure, Stanford has sent 26 different wrestlers to the NCAA Championships a total of 51 times. The Cardinal set a program record in 2017 with nine NCAA qualifiers. He has helped coach nine NCAA All-Americans to 12 total honors, meaning nearly half of Stanford's All-Americans (20 all-time) have been mentored by Blake. "Ray has done a tremendous job over the past 11 years and his dedication to his craft is unparalleled," said Borrelli. "He is a tireless worker, very dependable, and extremely loyal. You would be hard pressed to find someone with more passion and enthusiasm toward the Stanford wrestling program than Ray, and I am grateful that we were able to reward him with this promotion, as it was long overdue and very much earned."

Michael Fessler had some success as a wrestler ... but it can be argued that he has enjoyed even greater success as an author and speaker who manages to bring together the subjects of wrestling and faith in ways that are easily understandable, instantly relatable and always thought-provoking. Fessler the wrestler won a Missouri high school state title before moving with his family to Minnesota, where he was a state finalist for the nationally-ranked Apple Valley High School program ... then continued his on-the-mat career for one season at Cal State Bakersfield. Fessler then concentrated on his academic career, earning a Bachelor's in Biblical and Theological Studies at Bethel University ... and a Master's in Communications at Concordia University in St. Paul. Fessler may have hung up the headgear, but he has not given up his passion for wrestling. In fact, he has found ways to bring together his strong religious faith with his love of the sport as a member of the U.S. Wrestling Federation's Speakers Bureau ... in clinics and presentations to mostly high school wrestlers that bring together instruction and a thoughtful presentation of the connection between faith and wrestling ... and in a series of well-received books that address those same topics. Fessler continues to share his knowledge and passion for religion AND wrestling with his latest book, "Icon: The Value of Faith and Wrestling" now available from Banyan Press. The birth of "Icon" "Icon" is just the latest in a series of books from the mind -- and heart -- of Mike Fessler. Over the past half-decade, Fessler has written "Faith and Wrestling: How the Role of a Wrestler Mirrors the Christian Life" and "They're Just Not Interested: Rediscovering Our Faith and Approaching Non-Believers with the Faith of a Wrestler." About 18 months ago, InterMat interviewed Fessler about his third book "The Wrestler: A Life of Passion and the Pursuit of Greatness" which the author has described as being "today's me talking to my younger self" ... all with the idea of helping today's wrestlers gain more from their careers, including a thoughtful perspective they can put to work while they're still competing. The just-released "Icon" is Mike Fessler's fourth unique book. (He has also produced an updated second edition of his first title, "Faith and Wrestling.") When asked by InterMat how "Icon" came about, Fessler replied, "With each book, I felt as if there's more to tell. Over the years, as I have thought more about how the topics of wrestling and faith come together, I find myself sharing those thoughts in my writing." "In wrestling, I think it's important to compete in such a way that's beyond yourself," Fessler continued. "We as icons can point to God, in, for example, how we treat others." "It's important to compare the idea of 'idol' vs. 'icon.' An idol attracts and absorbs attention, while an icon is reflective -- a gift to share with others." "Wrestling, because it's an individual sport -- and a difficult sport -- it's difficult not to think, 'It's not just about you.' In other words, there's more to wrestling than winning championships and gold medals and individual glory." "One of the underlying messages of 'Icon' is to live as an icon and all that entails," Fessler continued. "Being grateful to compete is more fulfilling for life. In other words, to engage life in a more fulfilling way." Michael Fessler speaking at Augsburg University Fresh ... yet familiar Readers who have enjoyed Fessler's previous books such as "Faith and Wrestling" will find "Icon" to be somewhat familiar, with a similar format that shares stories and situations from accomplished wrestlers that any mat warrior of any age and skill level can understand and appreciate. Some of these stories are based on the friendships between Fessler and the wrestler ... while others come from Fessler's observations of wrestlers who are fully engaged in both the sport, and with their own unique faith journey. "In each chapter, there's a parallel theme or idea," Fessler said of his newest book "Icon." "For example, 'What's really important about the sport itself?' or 'How do we grow the sport?'" "My passion isn't just faith. Nor is it only about wrestling. Everything I do is how to bring the two subjects together in a meaningful way that emphasizes the connections between the two." Fessler then cited a couple specific examples from "Icon." In his write-up about Vic Avery, NCAA All-American for Edinboro, Fessler addresses these fundamental issues: "What am I wrestling for? My own satisfaction? Or is it something much larger?" In writing about Penn State national champ Nico Megaludis, "it was a message of commitment to wrestling and to faith," according to Fessler. "'Icon' employs a similar pattern to 'Faith and Wrestling'" Fessler told InterMat. "Unique situations for each individual profiled in the book, with stories that have a universality that speaks to just about any reader." "We need to get beyond the noise," Fessler continued. "We need to communicate the value of wrestling to others outside the sport, so that they might care about it, and see why it means so much to so many of us." Michael Fessler speaking in Colorado Even though there are strong connectional bonds tying all of Mike Fessler's books together, they do not need to be read in any particular order. Each book stands on its own. A reader new to Fessler's titles could start with "Icon" and find it to be both satisfying and thought-provoking. "Over the years in my writing [books, as well as a blog for MissouriWrestler.com], I've done a lot of thinking about the issues of faith and wrestling," said Fessler. "I'm still thinking about all this. I know there's more to discover." "The overall faith-and-wrestling message is very important to the individuals of faith who participate in the sport." That idea is borne out by the comments of individuals who are iconic figures within wrestling. Joe Russell, manager of freestyle programs at USA Wrestling, said, "I really enjoyed 'Icon.' I especially loved the stories of wrestlers and how they relate wrestling to the Christian faith. It is amazing how wrestling and Christian principles intertwine. By telling stories about wrestling, Michael Fessler makes it easier to grasp what it means to be God's icon." Award-winning author of "The Sparrow's Spirit: A Champion Wrestler's Lifetime Reflections on Prayer and Perseverance" Dr. Bill Welker said, "Michael Fessler has done it again. Faith is such a personal, spiritual epiphany that one comes to deeply accept. Wrestling is also a deeply personal activity that mirrors the life of faith. Fessler's message is something in which all readers will definitely want to reevaluate their life's struggles and relation to God." To order "Icon: The Value of Faith and Wrestling" visit Amazon.com. Teams may wish to take advantage of quantity discounts. In addition, teams may want to consider having author Michael Fessler for a unique speaking engagement which can include an instructional session followed by conversation about how the subjects of faith and wrestling come together. Reach the author at mrfess@hotmail.com.

The last leg of Final X, which takes place Saturday night at Grace Hall on the campus of Lehigh in Bethlehem, Pa., will determine the rest of the U.S. World Team in men's and women's freestyle with the exception of one weight class. Returning world champion Helen Maroulis has requested, and been granted, an extension due to injury. She will face off against Alex Hedrick at a later date. The card took a hit with Maroulis dropping out, but the event will still feature intriguing matches at multiple weight classes. The following is a weight-by-weight preview. Joe Colon defeated Nahshon Garrett 20-13 in U.S. Open finals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) 61 kilograms: Joe Colon vs. Nahshon Garrett Colon earned his spot in Final X with a victory at the U.S. Open. In the finals, he defeated Garrett in a 20-13 match that had everyone hoping for a rematch. Now, the fans will get their wish. Prior to the Open, Colon had a strong performance at the Outstanding Ukrainian Memorial, where he took home a bronze medal. His only defeat of the tournament came against world silver medalist Beka Lomtadze (Georgia). In his most recent action, Colon torched the field at the Pan American Championships. He earned a gold medal on the back of three technical falls and a pin. After falling to Colon at the Open, Garrett needed to go through the World Team Trials in order to reach Final X. He made the finals with a victory over Seth Gross in a battle of NCAA champions. Then, in the finals, he swept another NCAA champion Nico Megaludis in two straight matches. Outside of the Open and the Trials, Garrett only competed in the Outstanding Ukrainian Memorial. He reached the repechage but dropped the match to Jozsef Molnar (Hungary) and finished fifth. With 33 total points, it is safe to say that their match at the Open had a little bit of everything. Garrett was able to get to legs. However, Colon had the freestyle savvy to turn a lot of those attacks into his own points. On top of that, Colon has shown the ability to do major damage from the top against Garrett. Prediction: Colon in 3 50 kilograms: Whitney Conder vs. Victoria Anthony Conder defeated Anthony in the finals of the U.S. Open thanks in no small part to her trademark double leg takedown and her stingy defense. On the international circuit, Conder went three-for-three and won every tournament she entered. She began the year with four straight technical falls at the Flatz Open. Conder returned a few months later and claimed the title at the Bill Farrell Memorial International. In her last action, she represented the U.S. at the Pan American Championships and picked up three victories and another gold medal. Anthony bounced back from her loss to Conder at the Open and won a spot in Final X via the World Team Trials. She needed a third match to dispatch Erin Golston in the finals, but she came through with a 13-0 technical fall in the deciding match. During the year, Anthony failed to place at both the Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix and the Kippan Lady Open. However, she had a strong showing at the Women's World Cup in her last action before the Open. Anthony defeated Narangerel Erdenesukh (Mongolia) and Jessica MacDonald (Canada) with her only loss coming against Junior world champion Yuki Irie (Japan). Conder proved that she has the ability to survive pretty much any attack from Anthony. Plus, she was able to score from the outside even though everyone in the gym knew it was coming. Conder should have a big advantage in this match. Prediction: Conder in two 92 kilograms: J'den Cox vs. Hayden Zillmer Even though Cox is a returning world bronze medalist, he still needed to qualify for Final X due to his weight class change. He made his way through the U.S. Open without surrendering a single point, and he has been been sitting in Final X ever since. In the finals of the Open, he knocked off Zilmer in an extremely low scoring match. Cox began his year with a silver medal performance at the Outstanding Ukrainian Memorial. He made the finals before falling to Olympic gold medalist Sharif Sharifov (Azerbaijan). Cox then represented the U.S. at the World Cup. He split time with Zillmer and dropped two out of his three matches. After missing the Pan American Championships with an illness, Cox returned at Beat the Streets and edged Yurieskii Torreblanca Queralta (Cuba) in a one-point match. Zillmer qualified for Final X via the World Team Trials after coming up short against Cox. At the Trials, he knocked off veteran Deron Winn in two-straight matches in the finals. Prior to the Trials, Zillmer made the trip to Cuba for the Cerro Pelado International. Despite dropping his first match against Reineris Salas Perez (Cuba), Zillmer took home a gold medal in the round-robin tournament. He also picked up wins over Erik Thiele (Germany) and fellow Americans Micah Burak and Ty Walz. In his only other international experience of the year, Zillmer shutout and defeated Deepak Punia (India) at the World Cup. At this point in his career, Cox is extremely hard to score on. This year, he has been able to shut down the offense of many talented wrestlers on the domestic scene. While the two-point victory of their first match does not seem like a huge mountain for Zillmer to climb, scoring two points against Cox is much easier said than done. On the other hand, if Cox continues to rely on his defense, he could open the door for an upset. However, that seems less than likely at this point. Prediction: Cox in 2 Sarah Hildebrandt topped Haley Augello 6-1 in the finals of the U.S. Open (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) 53 kilograms: Sarah Hildebrandt vs. Haley Augello Hildebrandt made it to the finals of the U.S. Open without surrendering a point. Once there, she defeated Augello via a 6-1 score and walked away with a spot in Final X. Hildebrandt started her international season with a bronze medal at the Klippan Lady Open. She fell against Junior world champion Nanami Irie (Japan), but she defeated three other competitors for the medal. Hildebrandt then broke through for her first tournament win of the year at the Outstanding Ukrainian Memorial. She outscored her four opponents 30-0, including U23 European bronze medalist Denes Mercedesz (Hungary) in the finals. In her most recent action, Hildebrandt swept her way to a gold medal at the Pan American Championships with three pins and a technical fall. Augello needed to win the World Team Trials to earn a rematch with Hildebrandt, and she turned out to be more than up to the challenge. At the Trials, she dominated a pair of matches against Cody Pfau. Augello scored technical falls in both matches in a combined 2:33. Augello competed sparingly this year without very much success. However, she is a veteran who has proven time and time again that she belongs at this level. In the first match, Augello pushed the action with her leg attacks. However, she struggled to get in range. Hildebrandt did a good job of turning Augello's attacks into points. If Augello takes her foot off the gas, this could turn into a slower match. Even if that is the case, Hildebrandt proved she could successfully defend Augello's best attacks and score. Prediction: Hildebrandt in two 65 kilograms: Julia Salata vs. Forrest Molinari Salata defeated Molinari 5-0 in the finals of the U.S. Open and took home the first spot in Final X. During the year, she competed sparingly on the international circuit. She went 1-1 and failed to place at the Klippan Lady Open. A month later, Salata represented the U.S at the Women's World Cup. She started off strong with a 30-second technical fall over Braxton Stone (Canada). However, in her second match, she fell against U23 world champion Ayana Gempei (Japan). Molinari earned her spot in Final X via the World Team Trials. She bested Jayden Laurent in a pair of close matches in the finals. Earlier in the year, Molinari got off to a good start with a gold medal performance at the Flatz Open. At the tournament, she pinned both of her opponents. Molinari had a much tougher time at the Klippan Lady Open, but she bounced back with strong performances at the Women's World Cup and Pan American Championships. At the World Cup, she knocked off U23 world bronze medalist Moa Nygren (Sweden) and pinned world champion Battsetseg Soronzonbold. In their bout at the U.S. Open, Salata was the aggressor from the start. She came up short on multiple attempts in the first, but she scored early in the second with a takedown. Molinari was hesitant to engage. When she did, Salata countered with a crotch lock and scored. It looks like Salata is a step ahead in terms of offense and defense. Prediction: Salata in 2 Adam Coon won a U.S. Open title in April (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) 125 kilograms: Nick Gwiazdowski vs. Adam Coon Gwiazdowski broke through and picked up his first world-level medal last year. He defeated Natsagsürengiin Zolboo (Mongolia) in his final match at the 2017 World Championships to bring home bronze medal. He began his 2018 run with another bronze medal, this time at the Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix. Gwiazdowski lost to U23 European champion Muradin Kushkhov (Russia) on the front side, but he managed to fight his way back in the repechage. The former NC State star then represented the U.S. at both the World Cup and the Pan American Championships. At the World Cup, he went 2-1 with wins over Nobuyoshi Arakida (Japan) and Zviadi Metreveli (Georgia). At the Pan American Championships, Gwiazdowski swept his way to a gold medal and defeated his three opponents by a combined 30-0 score. In his last action, he took to the mat along the Hudson River for Beat the Streets. At the event, he bested Yudenny Alapajon Estevez (Cuba) via a 9-1 score. Coon is trying to make the U.S. World Team in both freestyle and Greco-Roman. Before stepping out on the Final X mat in Bethlehem, he will have competed at the Greco trials in Tulsa, Okla. Already this year, he has made the finals of the U.S. Open in both styles. In Greco, he fell to multiple-time U.S. representative Robby Smith. On the other hand, he defeated Olympic gold medalist Jake Varner in the finals of the freestyle version the Open. With Gwiazdowski already sitting in Final X, Coon still had to go to the Trials. He advanced directly to the finals where he defeated former Minnesota wrestler Tony Nelson to earn this spot. During his senior season at Michigan this past year, Coon became the chief rival of Olympic gold medalist and fellow senior Kyle Snyder. Coon got the better of Snyder in a dual match in February. However, they met again in the finals of the Big Ten Championships and the NCAA Championships, and Snyder won both matches. Despite the losses, Coon established himself as a legitimate contender for the heavyweight spot on the U.S. ladder. For the most part, Gwiazdowski has struggled against guys who can match him in the quickness department. While Coon will have a size advantage in this match, he will not be able to match quickness with Gwiazdowski. For Coon to pull the upset, he will need to control position on the mat and prevent Gwiazdowski from getting to his attacks. Prediction: Gwiazdowski in 3

Kyle Ruschell (Photo/Wisconsin Sports Information) University of Tennessee at Chattanooga head wrestling coach Heath Eslinger announced the addition of Kyle Ruschell to the Mocs wrestling staff today. Ruschell replaces David Hoffman who is leaving to become the head coach at his high school alma mater, The Hill School in Pottstown, Pa. Ruschell spent the previous eight seasons as an assistant coach at Wisconsin. A former member of the U.S. National Team (2014-15), he was a two-time All-American for the Badgers (2007-10). "We are extremely excited to have Kyle join our staff," stated Eslinger. "He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our program. He has been around college wrestling, as a coach and a competitor, for a long time. I am excited for him to use that experience to make Chattanooga wrestling better." As a member of the Wisconsin coaching staff, Ruschell specialized in leg riding, shot defense, scrambles, high level attacks and finishes. He coached five Badgers to seven All-America honors. Ruschell helped Isaac Jordan win his first Big Ten championship and earn four All-America honors. Jordan was the program's first Big Ten champion since Trevor Brandvold in 2011. Ruschell also coached Evan Wick to a third place finish at NCAAs in 2018, along with Ryan Taylor and Connor Medbery to All-America honors in 2015. In 2017, the Badgers sent nine wrestlers to the NCAA Championships, marking the program's highest number of qualifiers since 2007. Ruschell has twice competed in the World Team trials in Fargo, N.D., most recently in 2018. He made the U.S. National Team in 2014. He placed third in the U.S. Open and finished third in Phase II of the World Team Trials after beating two-time national champion Kellen Russell from Michigan and national team member Frank Mollinaro, who was a national champion for Penn State. In the fight to "Save Olympic Wrestling", Ruschell was asked to be a representative for the sport at the Kentucky state capital as they passed a state bylaw to keep wrestling in the Olympics. The Crittenden, Ky. native was a four-time NCAA championship qualifier for the Badgers, earning All-America honors twice at 149 lbs. The four-year letter winner served as team captain his junior and senior seasons. Ruschell is the only two-time All-American from Kentucky and the highest placer in the NCAA Division I championships. At Ryle High School, Ruschell was a two-time state champion and four-time conference champion.

Ed Piccola (right) passed away this week A GoFundMe page has been established for Ed Piccola, New Jersey wrestling coach who was found dead Sunday in Virginia after disappearing nearly three weeks ago from his home state. Donations to this fundraising page, originally set up to help with Piccola's search, will now be used to cover expenses for a memorial service to honor the 36-year-old coach. Piccola's body was spotted by kayakers along the edge of the Shenandoah River in northwestern Virginia on Sunday afternoon after having disappeared from New Jersey on May 30. A positive identification of the body was made Tuesday. Multiple news reports indicate that foul play was not suspected in Piccola's death and that the investigation into his cause of death was complete. One news source -- New Jersey Herald -- reported that an administrator of the Northern District of the Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner stated cause of death was suicide. Piccola had last been spotted on surveillance camera on May 31 at a Walmart in Luray, Va. -- about five hours from his home in New Jersey -- purchasing a 10-foot kayak, a life vest and various camping items. The kayak has yet to be found. On June 3, Piccola's black Mazda was found submerged in water on a public boat ramp in Luray, located on the banks of the Shenandoah River. The area had experienced flash floods, with water levels rising more than 15 feet above normal, which hampered the search for the missing wrestling coach. Piccola, described as a former "standout wrestler" at Sparta High School in New Jersey, had coached for more than a decade coached at the Buxton Athletic Training Center in Randolph, N.J., run by Jeff Buxton, long-time head wrestling coach at the nationally-ranked Blair Academy in New Jersey. Ed Piccola's sister Holly -- who had been providing updates on her Facebook page on her brother's status the past three weeks -- had announced late Tuesday morning that his body had been found. "Ed was loved by so many and that will bring my family and I something to hold onto in the difficult time," she wrote. "We ask that you please respect our privacy in this extremely difficult time. At some point we will plan a celebration of his life in NJ but for the moment we need to grieve his loss." Individuals wishing to contribute to a fund for a memorial service to honor Ed Piccola may do so here. The Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals. For more information, visit http://suicidepreventionlifeline.org or call 1-800-273-8255.

Gage Hutchison (Photo/Sam Janicki) FARGO, N.D. -- North Dakota State University head wrestling coach Roger Kish today announced the addition of volunteer assistant Gage Hutchison to the coaching staff. Hutchison will work with the upper weight divisions. "I'm honored to be able to join such a well-established staff, and be given the opportunity to be a part of something really special here in Fargo," said Hutchison. Hutchison, a native of Buchanan, Michigan, recently completed a four-year career at Eastern Michigan University that included three NCAA tournament appearances and 94 wins. He was a two-time Mid-America Conference runner-up at heavyweight for the Eagles. Hutchison compiled a 94-59 record including 28 pins at Eastern Michigan. He went 39-21 in duals including 18-13 in the MAC. One of his career highlights was placing fourth at the 2017 Midlands Championships. He reeled off six straight wins at the Midlands including four over nationally-ranked opponents and a career best 10-second pin. A two-sport athlete at Buchanan High School, Hutchison was a two-time undefeated state champion including a 56-0 record with 40 pins as a senior. He was also a four-time all-conference performer in Michigan. Hutchison graduated from Eastern Michigan in May 2018 with a bachelor's degree in sport management. North Dakota State finished the 2017-18 season with a 7-10 record overall including top 20 wins over then No. 18-ranked Central Michigan and No. 12 Cornell. NDSU was 1-7 in the Big 12 Conference. The Bison finished fifth at the Big 12 Championships.

Nick Gwiazdowski (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Nick Gwiazdowski is a heavyweight, so he's used to waiting for his turn to wrestle. Gwiazdowski spent the past two weekends watching the first seven world freestyle team spots determined at Final X events in Lincoln and State College. "We've got some really great wrestlers and it was fun to watch," he said. "It definitely got my competitive juices flowing." Now it's Gwiazdowski's turn. The 2017 world bronze medalist will battle long-time rival Adam Coon when the third and final stage of the Final X is contested Saturday night at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa. Gwiazdowski and Coon will meet in a best-of-three match series at 125 kilograms. The winner advances to October's World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. "I'm really excited and motivated to wrestle," Gwiazdowski said. "I'm healthy and strong -- I'm ready to go. I can't wait to get out there and have my opportunity to compete." Gwiazdowski, a two-time NCAA champion, has had a strong season. He placed third at January's prestigious Ivan Yarygin event in Russia before going 2-1 for the U.S. team that won April's World Cup. He dropped a 4-3 decision to 2015 world silver medalist Jamaladdin Magomedov of Azerbaijan in the gold-medal dual at the World Cup. "I feel like I've continued to make progress and I've improved a lot over the last 10 months since the World Championships," he said. "I have tried to build on that performance from last year. A big part of what I've worked on is getting stronger and increasing my attack rate with my offense. "This is the strongest I've been in a long time. I have had some really good training and I've had really good preparation leading up to this event." The 6-foot-1, 258-pound Gwiazdowski will face a familiar foe in the massive 6-foot-5, 285-pound Coon, who is trying to make U.S. world teams in both freestyle and Greco-Roman this year. Nick Gwiazdowski defeated Adam Coon multiple times at the NCAAs (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Gwiazdowski earned one-point wins over Coon in the 2015 NCAA finals and 2016 NCAA semifinals. He also beat Coon by 12-2 technical superiority in freestyle at the 2015 U.S. World Team Trials. Coon does have a win over Gwiazdowski, a 3-1 victory in overtime in the quarterfinals of the 2013 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Coon won the U.S. Open and World Team Trials Challenge Tournament this year to earn a shot at Gwiazdowski, who earned a Final X berth by virtue of being a returning world medalist. Coon is a past Cadet world champion and Junior world bronze medalist in freestyle. "Adam has had a really solid year -- he beat a world champion," Gwiazdowski said. "He is a big, strong guy, but you expect everyone to be strong that you face at this level. I expect guys to be 275 pounds and be physical. I respect Adam and what he does. I'm looking forward to the challenge of facing him. He always brings a fight. He's in your face and he wrestles hard." Gwiazdowski is ready to match Coon's hard-charging style and approach. "I'm in great shape," he said, "and I feel really confident with my conditioning." The 25-year-old Gwiazdowski is an athletic heavyweight who has excelled with an array of lethal leg attacks. He's a tough matchup for most heavyweights who don't possess his speed and mobility. "I'm going to be fast and explosive," he said, "and ready for whatever happens out there." Gwiazdowski is looking to join an already loaded 2018 American world team that includes Olympic and world champions Jordan Burroughs and Kyle Snyder, world champion Logan Stieber, world silver medalists Thomas Gilman and James Green, and Hodge Trophy winners Kyle Dake and David Taylor. Nick Gwiazdowski won a world bronze medal in Paris (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Gwiazdowski was a member of the 2017 United States squad that won the world team title in men's freestyle wrestling last year in Paris. It was the first U.S. team title in that style since 1995. "This year's world team is really good already," he said. "I've been around this group the last couple of years and I've been able to see what they do. It's an impressive group of guys who compete and train at a very high level. I've learned a lot from being around them." Gwiazdowski and coach Pat Popolizio led a resurgence of the wrestling program at North Carolina State. The Wolfpack are coming off their best season in school history after winning a team trophy when they tied for fourth at the 2018 NCAA tournament in Cleveland. And the best may be yet to come as N.C. State continues to bring in top-level recruits. "It's really exciting to see what is going on here," said Gwiazdowski, who continues to train in Raleigh. "A lot of things have changed since I first got here. The intensity of guys and the skill level they have now is really impressive. Pat's done a great job and he's put together a great coaching staff. It's fun to see them continue to bring in talented wrestlers and see the program having so much success. It's awesome." Popolizio is impressed with what Gwiazdowski has done after a standout collegiate career where he was a three-time NCAA finalist. Nick Gwiazdowski with coaches Obe Blanc (left) and Bill Zadick (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) "Nick is an extremely motivated individual and he has been working very hard to accomplish his ultimate goal of becoming a world champion," Popolizio said. "Coach (Obe) Blanc has been leading our RTC's training and our staff feels very confident about Nick's preparation heading into this weekend. "Nick excels on the Senior level because he takes the sport and his training very seriously. He is a true professional, he does everything right and he expects the best." So what is the key for Gwiazdowski to achieve his lofty goals? "Some of it is technical, and some of it is intensity and fight," he said. "I have to stay focused and believe that I'm good enough to be a world champion. You need to develop that mindset and I feel like I can beat anybody in the world right now." Craig Sesker has written about wrestling for more than three decades. He's covered three Olympic Games and is a two-time national wrestling writer of the year.

MINOT, N.D. -- Chayse Jackson has been named assistant wrestling coach at Minot State announced head coach Evan Forde on Tuesday. Jackson has spent the last two seasons as a graduate assistant coach at the University of Dubuque. "We are extremely excited to welcome Chayse to our coaching staff," said Forde. "Chayse is a well-rounded coach and individual who has a great passion for the sport of wrestling. He has established himself as a well-respected coach and has had a lot of success as a recruiter. This is a very important position, and Chayse was exactly what we were looking for in our search and he is going to make an immediate impact on Minot State wrestling." Jackson was a four-year starter and two-time team captain at Grand Canyon University. Following a season-ending injury during his senior season, Jackson became a volunteer coach for the Antelopes. "I am honored and excited to be joining the staff at Minot State University," said Jackson. "I am thrilled to be working on staff with Coach Forde as we work to make the program one of the most successful in NCAA DII. With the support of the administration and the community, Minot State is in a great position to make significant gains over the next couple years, and I look forward to helping guide the team to success." During his two years at Dubuque, Jackson helped to coach the programs first NCAA Championship qualifier in five years when Quincy Kalkbrenner qualified at 157 pounds. He also was active in study hall and game management operations. Jackson helped coach three National Collegiate Open All-Americans and one national champion during his tenure at Grand Canyon. Jackson, who is from Roseburg, Oregon, was a state champion in Oregon and was also a two-time junior Greco-Roman state champion.

LITTLE ROCK -- Little Rock has reached another milestone in the process of adding wrestling as its 15th intercollegiate athletic program with Director of Athletics Chasse Conque announcing the hiring of Neil Erisman as the program's first head wrestling coach. Neil ErismanErisman brings to Little Rock an impressive career both as a competitor and coach at the Division I level, encompassing two of the nation's top programs in Oklahoma State and North Carolina. During his coaching career, Erisman has mentored 20 NCAA All-Americans and four NCAA individual champions. "Today starts a new chapter for Little Rock Trojan Athletics with the hiring of Neil Erisman as our first head wrestling coach," said Conque. "We had tremendous interest in the position and we feel coach Erisman is the right person to lead our program at Little Rock. Neil brings a deep understanding of the sport, a passion for leading young men and a commitment to doing things the right way, giving us great confidence that bright days are ahead for Little Rock wrestling." "My family and I would like to thank Chasse Conque, Chancellor Andrew Rogerson and the UA Little Rock community for welcoming us to the Trojan family," Erisman said. "I am very excited for this opportunity and I'm looking forward to getting to Little Rock to begin my work as the Trojans' first head wrestling coach." Erisman has spent the past four seasons at the University of North Carolina where he has played a key role in helping the Tar Heels improve on the national stage. In his four seasons in Chapel Hill, Erisman has helped guide UNC to an overall record of 41-28, finishing third in the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2015-16 and 2017-18. During his time in Chapel Hill, Erisman has mentored four ACC individual champions and four NCAA All-Americans, highlighted by the 2017-18 season when Troy Heilmann (149) and Ethan Ramos (174) both claimed ACC titles. Heilmann then went on to place fourth in the NCAA Championships in Cleveland with Chip Ness (184) placing seventh, earning the duo All-America honors as the Tar Heels tied for 20th, their highest finish since placing eighth in 1995. The Tar Heels also produced a pair of ACC champions in 2015-16 in Evan Henderson (149) and Ethan Ramos (174) with Joey Ward finishing seventh in the NCAA championships at 141. In his first season in Chapel Hill, Erisman worked closely with Ethan Ramos, who finished second in the ACC at 165 before placing sixth at NCAAs. Additionally, Erisman earned a reputation as a top recruiter, helping North Carolina post top-10 recruiting classes in his first three seasons. "I have been privileged to spend four seasons at the University of North Carolina, working with my great friend and head coach Coleman Scott," said Erisman. "I want to give a very special thank you to coach Coleman Scott, Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham, Vince Ille, the Tar Heel coaching staff and the entire support staff for their constant support during my time at UNC. Chapel Hill will always hold a special place in our hearts and is a place we were proud to call home." Prior to his time in Chapel Hill, Erisman spent one season as the assistant wrestling coach at Stillwater High School in Stillwater, Oklahoma. He helped guide the Pioneers to the 2014 Oklahoma 6A state championship while also being named the 2014 Oklahoma High School National Team Coach. Erisman's coaching career began at his alma mater, serving as a graduate assistant coach at Oklahoma State from 2011-13 under legendary coach John Smith. One of his main priorities was helping with the development of the Cowboys' freshman wrestlers while helping continue the tradition of Oklahoma State wrestling. During his two years as a graduate assistant, OSU placed sixth at the 2012 NCAA Championships, followed by a Big 12 championship in 2013 while finishing second at the 2013 NCAA Championships. Erisman put together a stellar collegiate career in Stillwater, compiling an overall record of 92-36 and was a four year letterwinner for the Cowboys from 2007-11 under coach Smith. He was the 2011 Big 12 Champion at 157 pounds after placing second in 2010 and third in 2009, being named an Academic All-Big 12 selection in 2008. A native of DeSoto, Kansas, Erisman compiled a 150-5 prep record at DeSoto High School and was both a state and cadet national champion. He earned his bachelor's degree in business administration from Oklahoma State in 2011. He and his wife, Kelli, have three children - Duke (6), Oakley (5) and Zane (1). Erisman is now tasked with the challenge of beginning to compile the Trojans' first recruiting class, leading up to the program's inaugural season in 2019-20. An introductory press conference to formally introduce coach Erisman will be held in the coming weeks. What they're saying about Coach Erisman "It's definitely bittersweet for me. I couldn't be happier for a better coach and person. Neil was a huge part of what we've been able to do here at UNC. Without him and his family's dedication to the program, I don't think we could be where we are today. With that said, I am super happy for Neil and his family to get a chance to run a brand new Division I program." - Coleman Scott, Head Coach - University of North Carolina "Coleman Scott assembled a young, talented and aggressive staff and Neil played a key role in all aspects of our program. Neil was instrumental in establishing the culture and building the team that we want at North Carolina. He has earned a great opportunity in Little Rock and we could not be happier for Neil and his family." - Vince Ille, Senior Associate Athletic Director - University of North Carolina "I am excited about Neil Erisman becoming the new head coach at Little Rock. As a former Big 12 champion wrestler at Oklahoma State and a coach at North Carolina, he has learned from the best how to build a competitive national program. He has the organization, energy, drive and tenacity to build Little Rock's inaugural team." - Greg Hatcher, Founder of Arkansas Wrestling Association and Program Benefactor "Neil Erisman is one of the great young coaches in our sport. It's very exciting to see that he will be spearheading the new wrestling program at Little Rock." - Pat Smith, Four-time NCAA Champion and Former Assistant Coach - Oklahoma State University About University of Arkansas at Little Rock The University of Arkansas at Little Rock is a four-year, metropolitan public research university in the state capital. Established in 1927, the school has approximately 12,000 students. The new Division I wrestling program at Arkansas at Little Rock was revealed at the 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Cleveland in March.

Less than a month after announcing its decision to bring back its men's wrestling program and launch a brand-new women's program, Big Bend Community College has hired head coaches for both squads. Jose TangumaHeading up the revitalized men's program is Jose Tanguma, while Ryan Foster will lead the new women's program, the Moses Lake, Wash. school announced Tuesday. Both Tanguma and Foster bring a strong combination of wide-ranging experience and solid connections within the region to build the only intercollegiate wrestling programs for men and women in Eastern Washington State. Tanguma, involved in wrestling locally since 2000, won state titles for Warden High School in the 103, 112 and 119-pound weight classes and continued his wrestling career at North Idaho College. He has coached wrestlers as part of the Warden middle and high school programs since 2013 and spent the last year as the assistant wrestling coach at Moses Lake High School. "I am very excited that Big Bend is bring wrestling back to the Columbia Basin as a college sport and I am honored that I have been chosen to be the men's head wrestling coach," Tanguma said. "We are located in the perfect spot for student-athletes around the area to continue furthering their education and to continue their passion for the sport of wrestling. I am looking forward to helping build a strong program for BBCC." Foster, a 2007 South Dakota high school state champion, is the owner and head trainer at Fit Ephrata and carries a certification from the U.S. Academy of Weightlifting and the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Foster has served as the strength, conditioning and wellness director at Southern Virginia University and spent the past year as the head coach of the Ephrata Middle School wrestling team. "I am grateful for this opportunity to help Big Bend incorporate women's wrestling into its athletic program and look forward to working with them to achieve success both on and off the wrestling mat," Foster said. "This area has many great wrestlers that leave high school and are not able to continue wrestling because of little opportunity -- especially in women's wrestling," Foster continued. "This addition at Big Bend will be so beneficial for these student-athletes to get the chance to have the complete college experience and further their careers, and now I get to be a part of that." Mark Poth, Big Bend Athletics Director, realizes the challenges of starting a women's wrestling program from scratch -- and in the case of the men's program, essentially from scratch, as the last time the school had interscholastic wrestling was nearly a quarter-century ago. "We believe that we have made two excellent choices to lead Big Bend's wrestling program back into existence," said Poth. "Both of these guys have solid wrestling backgrounds themselves, are former champions in their own right, and are embedded in the Columbia Basin wrestling scene. We hope to leverage their current relationships in an effort to build a successful program here at Big Bend." Both the men and women will compete collegiately in the National Collegiate Wrestling Association (NCWA) with the women also competing in the Women's Collegiate Wrestling Association (WCWA). Big Bend Community College is a two-year public college located in Moses Lake, Washington. Founded in 1962, Big Bend CC has an enrollment of approximately 4,000 students.

The body of Ed Piccola, former New Jersey wrestler and long-time coach who had been missing for nearly three weeks, has been discovered at a campsite in northwest Virginia. Piccola's body was found Sunday in Clarke County, Virginia, after officials launched a search for the 36-year-old by air and ground near the Shenandoah River. News of his discovery was first posted at his sister's Facebook page late Tuesday morning, and in New Jersey news media later that day. Holly Piccola, who had been updating friends on her brother's status on her Facebook page, posted this message at approximately 11 a.m. Tuesday: "My beautiful baby brother has joined our mom and older brother in Heaven. We are so thankful for all of the love and support we have received in the last 20 days. I wish the outcome had been different. I know Ed was loved by so many and that will bring my family and I something to hold onto in the difficult time. We ask that you please respect our privacy in this extremely difficult time. At some point we will plan a celebration of his life in NJ but for the moment we need to grieve his loss." Ed Piccola (Photo/Twitter)Ed Piccola, described as a "standout wrestler" in New Jersey who had been coaching for more than a decade at the Buxton Athletic Training Center in Randolph, N.J., run by Jeff Buxton, long-time head wrestling coach at the nationally-ranked Blair Academy in New Jersey, had last been seen in New Jersey at a bar-and-restaurant not far from his home on Wednesday, May 30. Family members filed a missing person's report after Piccola did not show up for work the next day. Piccola's car was later found on Sunday, June 3 near Luray, Va. in the Shenandoah River Valley west of Washington, D.C. and approximately five hours from where he was last seen in New Jersey. In recent days, a Virginia TV station had reported that Piccola was seen inside a Wal-Mart in that part of Virginia purchasing a kayak and camping supplies. Local authorities had postponed a search for Piccola for a time because of flooding in the area. Virginia authorities did not provide a cause of death nor any other details on where Piccola's body was found, according to NJ.com, website for a number of New Jersey newspapers, including the Newark Star-Ledger.

Sam Stoll competing at the NCAAs (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine) University of Iowa heavyweight Sam Stoll is recovering in the hospital after being shot in the knee in an accidental shooting at an Iowa City residence overnight Tuesday. Police were called to University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics at 4:37 a.m. Tuesday to a report of 22-year-old gunshot victim who had been wounded in the knee at an Iowa City residence. The victim was identified as Stoll, and his injury is described as being "non-life-threatening." Iowa City police Sgt. Derek Frank told The Cedar Rapids Gazette the person who fired the gun was someone other than Stoll. He said officers haven't decided yet on whether to file charges, as the investigation is ongoing. The UI Athletics Department issued this statement Tuesday: "We are aware of the situation involving Sam Stoll and are currently gathering additional information at this time." 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.

Hayden Zillmer defeated Deron Winn to advance to Final X (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine) Hayden Zillmer, a native of Crosby, Minn., qualified for Final X at 92 kilograms by winning the World Team Trials last month in Rochester, Minn. He will now face 2016 Olympic bronze medalist J'den Cox on June 23 in a best-of-three series at historic Grace Hall on the campus Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa. The winner earns a spot on the U.S. World Team in freestyle and will compete at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary in October. Zillmer was an All-American at North Dakota State in 2015. Last year he earned a spot on the U.S. National Team in both freestyle and Greco-Roman. InterMat recently caught up with him. You won the World Team Trials in Rochester (Minn.) to make Final X. How much did it help having the event in your home state? Zillmer: It was great. It helped not having to travel as much. I don't really like airplanes that much. Also, I've been wrestling in Rochester since I've been in like first grade. In the finals you faced Deron Winn, a veteran who is now competing in both wrestling and MMA. He's short, compact and explosive. You had to come from behind in both matches to beat him. What was the key to beating him? Zillmer: I've never really wrestled anybody quite like him. He's really explosive. He's short and stocky. I'm long and lanky. So we kind of matched up weird. I didn't really have a big game plan. I knew what I had to do to win. I felt like I didn't have to change much. I knew he was really explosive, so I had to be aware of those kinds of attacks. You now face Olympic bronze medalist J'den Cox at Final X in Bethlehem, Pa. It's a rematch from the U.S. Open finals, which he won 2-0. When training for Final X, is a lot of focus put on preparing for Cox since you know that's who you're facing? Or is it more about focusing on what you do? Zillmer: I think it's more about focusing on what I do. I think I'm better that way when I have that kind of mindset. The training has been focusing on things I do. J'den Cox has won two world-level medals in two years. What makes Cox successful? Zillmer: He's hard to score on. He's really good at what he does. He's tough. I just think I need to score earlier on him. He's probably going to be super sweaty late in the match. I know the things he likes to do. Personally, I need to capitalize on what I'm best at. I need to get after it right away. The World Team Trials process changed this year with the creation of Final X. What are your thoughts on the new process? Zillmer: I think it's kind of cool that it's a little bit more of an event, a showcase. I kind of wish there were only two Final X events, or even one Final X event with all the weights. I think it's really cool that they do it this way. It kind of hurt me a little bit, though. I wanted to wrestle in the Greco World Trials, but it was the day before Final X., so I'm not going to be wrestling Greco. But I think it's awesome. I think there are going to be a lot of fans there. I think it's cool that we kind of get to be individualized a little bit. It's not like a full weekend of wrestling and then you have to wrestle your finals match. You get to prepare for it. There's a little bit more hype going into it. The fans get to learn about it. It's kind of a new dimension. Hayden Zillmer picked up a win against India at the World Cup (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) You were part of the USA World Cup team that won the title in Iowa City. You picked up a win against India. What was that experience like competing on that World Cup team? Zillmer: That was sweet. It was great that I got a match. I didn't know that I was going to get a match going in. Once they told me that I was going to get a match I thought it was awesome. It was a cool process being a part of it. Team USA has a lot of great wrestlers. Being around those guys for the 10 days was cool and motivating. It keeps you a fresh. What do you like about training with the Minnesota Storm? Zillmer: I love it. It's great. I have a lot of really good training partners. I feel like we have a good group of big guys to train with. We just added Trevor Brandvold. He's a good coach and training partner. I think it's just going to keep getting better. I feel like I keep improving. Minnesota has a lot to offer me. Hayden Zillmer was a Cadet Triple Crown winner at 84 pounds in 2007 (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine) It's been well documented that you have grown a lot from the time you were a Cadet-age wrestler to now competing on the senior level. You won your first Fargo title at 84 pounds and now you're competing at 202 pounds. It's not typical for wrestlers to grow that much. What has that body growth done for your development as a wrestler? Zillmer: I felt like when I was growing up I was never developed yet. I couldn't catch up to my body. I kind of feel like I'm starting to catch up to my body a little bit. I think wrestling as a little guy helped me a lot. Just the way a little guy attacks. There's a lot more speed involved and athleticism. I think it really helps. I kind of still had that same attack style. I'm just attacking bigger guys. It was a crazy process. My dad is really big, so I knew it was going to happen. I just didn't realize it was going to be that big of a change. Hayden Zillmer became an All-American in 2015 (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine) You're a Minnesota native who left the state to compete at North Dakota State. You had a successful college wrestling career, becoming an All-American in 2015. How did you end up at NDSU? Zillmer: I got recruited by Minnesota too. But I was recruited by Roger Kish to North Dakota State. He wrestled at Minnesota. I'm from a small town and when I went up to Fargo I kind of liked the town. It kind of has a small-town feel. I like the people there. I could kind of sense that. I knew I was going to get a little bit bigger. A lot of the other schools were recruiting me to wrestle at 125 pounds or 133 pounds. North Dakota State recruited me for 141 pounds. At the time I thought that's what I was gong to wrestle. By the time school started I wrestled 149 pounds and then I kept getting bigger. That process was kind of difficult. My whole life I grew up wanting to wrestle for the Gophers. I think Kish did a really good job of staying on me and showed that they really wanted me. You were on the U.S. National Team for both freestyle and Greco-Roman last year. This year you have chosen to focus on freestyle. What went into the decision to focus on freestyle? Zillmer: I train both. Throughout the year I was training both styles. Leading up to the U.S. Open I focused on freestyle. I decided that I was going to wrestle 92 kilograms, 202 pounds. I figured with Greco being first, I didn't want to be 213 pounds and have to cut to 202 pounds. So that's why I decided to wrestle freestyle. I would have really enjoyed wrestling both. But it's tough with the World Team Trials for Greco the day before. I want to give myself the best opportunity to win. Will you compete in Greco-Roman in the coming years? Zillmer: Yeah, for sure. I like wrestling Greco. But being a part of the best team in the world is a big deal to me too. You're competing at 92 kilograms, which is a non-Olympic weight class for freestyle. So to make a run at the Olympic team you'll have to move to a different weight class. Have you made a decision on what weight class you will go in 2020? Zillmer: I'll be up at 97 kilograms. 86 kilograms would be too much for me. You grew up in Northern Minnesota, which is not necessarily a wrestling hotbed. How did you get the coaching and training partners needed to succeed? Zillmer: My high school coach would bring in partners for me. My mom and I would hop in the vehicle and drive to the Twin Cities two or three times a week to go to practices. Gordy Morgan would run freestyle practices on Monday nights and Dan Chandler would run Greco practices on Wednesday nights. It was a lot of traveling. My mom and dad wore out three vehicles just on traveling for wrestling. We just didn't have the training partners, so we had to do something. Driving was the only option. We made it work. My parents sacrificed a lot. My coaches sacrificed a lot. It's kind of a crazy process. When I look back, it was tough. We would get home at 10:30 or 11 at night and had to be up for school early in the morning. It was stressful, but I knew it was all worth it in the end. There was a lot of out-of-state stuff too. I knew that's what I had to do. This story also appears in the June 15 issue of The Guillotine. The Guillotine has been covering wrestling in Minnesota since 1971. Its mission is to report and promote wrestling at all levels -- from youth and high school wrestling to college and international level wrestling. Subscribe to The Guillotine.