InterMat Staff

Scott Glabb and his wrestlers at Santa Ana High School The U.S. wrestling community loves an "overcoming adversity" story. It can be how an athlete overcame a physical disability or the pain of a serious injury to become a champion ... or how an underdog found a way to dethrone a defending champion. The adversity doesn't have to be wrestling-related. It can be about overcoming poverty, a violent neighborhood, or an abusive childhood, too. These types of challenges -- and more -- have faced Scott Glabb and his wrestlers at Santa Ana High School in suburban Los Angeles since Glabb took the head coaching job at the impoverished, inner-city school in 1990. Nearly a decade ago, Glabb shared some of his stories and those of some of his wrestlers in his book "A Saint in the City: Coaching At-Risk Kids to Become Champions." Now Glabb shares new, uplifting stories of how he, his staff and his wrestlers overcome adversity on and off the mat with his new second-edition book, titled "A Saint in the City: True Stories of Champions Living in the Barrio" published by Liberty House. Frank Jasper with Scott GlabbMeet Scott Glabb Scott Glabb is not a southern California native who grew up on the beach ... or in the barrio. Instead, he grew up in Washington State. In a 2010 InterMat interview, Glabb admitted he had a rough start in wrestling, winning just one match in his first year, and that was in the practice room ... but that he found a home in the sport, as it helped him through his parents' divorce and other issues. Glabb continued his mat career at Eastern Washington University, where he not only earned his bachelor's and Master's degrees, but also became lifelong friends with wrestling teammate Frank Jasper, who played the muscular, menacing state champ Brian Shute in the iconic 1980s high school wrestling movie "Vision Quest." Glabb came to the Los Angeles area to be with his then-girlfriend, taking a coaching job at a wealthy Orange County high school. After one season, Glabb took on a much more challenging assignment as head coach at Santa Ana High, in a community where violent crime, drug abuse, poverty and homelessness were all stark realities ... and where large numbers of his student-athletes and their parents did not share his passion for wrestling, let alone a basic interest in showing up for practice or at times, actual wrestling meets. In his first year, the Saints were 11-16. Then Scott Glabb had an epiphany. "God spoke to me," the now-long-time wrestling coach told InterMat back in 2010. "He said, 'You are never going to win.'" I gave up on the idea of winning, and instead, decided to invest in the kids, helping them in character building, developing their spiritual side, making them better individuals. I threw my life into these kids." "I had found my calling." Scott Glabb more than answered that call. Over the years, the Saints have achieved much with Glabb at the helm. By 1993 he guided the Saints to their first league Championship -- the first in any sport at the school -- then to twenty straight league titles. Just this past season, Santa Ana senior Joey Daniel won the 220-pound title at the California state wrestling championships in Bakersfield, the first wrestler from the school to be crowned a CIF (California Interscholastic Federation) individual state champ. In addition, Glabb established a girls' wrestling program, and coached a number of female athletes to individual titles as well. Scott Glabb has earned numerous honors. He was named Orange County Wrestling Coach of the Year in 1996 and 1998, as well as National Wrestling Coaches Association's California state wrestling coach of the year in 1999. He also received the California Coaches Association Wrestling Coach of the Year award in 2007. Glabb was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame's California Chapter in 2014. More recently, he was named Santa Ana Unified School District Teacher of the Year. Why a second edition? In describing his reason for writing the first edition of "A Saint in the City", Glabb said, "I wanted to share stories of kids wrestling to save their lives, with the hope they get to build a life beyond wrestling." He quoted one wrestler as telling him, "I'm doing this for my family." The first edition shared the individual stories of some of Glabb's wrestlers who overcame adversity -- poverty, violence, homelessness, disinterested parents -- to achieve greatness in wrestling ... and in life beyond the mat. The new second edition follows that proven formula of sharing individual stories of Santa Ana wrestlers, including a lesson learned, a more detailed account of a particular wrestler's situation -- whether it's an athlete featured previously, or someone not covered in the previous book -- followed by a "Reflections" section that provides updates and new perspective on the profiled wrestlers. As coach Glabb writes in the introduction to the second edition, "One of the reasons I wrote this book for you, the reader, to understand the struggles, obstacles and hardships the wrestlers of Santa Ana High School faced daily. My hope is that this book changes you, inspires you, and motivates ou to make a positive difference in someone's life ..." "We have all dreamed, at one time or another, about changing the world and making it a better place, especially for our children," Glabb continues. "What happened to that dream? Where did it go? Do you still have it? At sixteen, my dream was to one day be a teacher and coach wrestling. Why? Because I loved the sport and wanted to stay connected to it. Somehow I knew that was my purpose in life ..." After facing first-year frustrations at Santa Ana High, Glabb received this message from God: "Start investing in these kids!" "So I changed my approach to teaching and coaching and began to serve those kids put under my tutelage. Reach out, make the investment, and try to change lives." As Glabb told InterMat, "We do the best we can with the kids God sends us." That message is evident through every page of the new second edition of "A Saint in the City" where readers will meet some of Glabb's wrestlers, including Gilbert "El Nino" Melendez, UFC fighter ... as well as girl wrestlers who not only made names for themselves on the mat at Santa Ana High, but also opened doors for younger women to find their place in the sport. And, while Santa Ana High School has undergone an $80 million makeover -- and the community around the school has seen a reduction in crime -- teaching and coaching has not suddenly become easier. "The biggest challenge now is dealing with kids who are homeless," Scott Glabb said in a 2018 interview with InterMat. "Not all these young people fit our traditional definition of homeless, of being out on the street. Most of these students are sleeping from house-to-house, moving on as necessary when the family kicks them out to make way for other family members, forcing the students to be essentially on their own." An inspiring, energizing read ... All too often, it's easy for wrestlers, their coaches, parents and fans to get caught up in the stats -- won/loss records, pinning percentages, points scored -- and lose sight of the benefits of participating in the oldest and greatest sport. Once he came to that epiphany in his first season that his purpose as Santa Ana wrestling coach wasn't to simply get his wrestlers to put up glitzy numbers, Scott Glabb started making a significant difference in the lives of his Saints. As he told InterMat in 2018, "I've been out pushing the message of viewing wrestlers as complete individuals, and focusing our efforts on developing each kid to be better in all aspects, not just on the mat." The new, second edition of "A Saint in the City" will inspire anyone in wrestling -- coaches, family members, and the athletes themselves -- to aim higher and achieve greater goals in the sport ... in the classroom ... and in life beyond school. The individual stories Scott Glabb shares are varied ... but all share certain elements and universal truths, such as overcoming adversity, remaining on task, and having a strong belief in your own capabilities to make them meaningful and relevant to wrestlers everywhere. Here's what a couple of champions said about coach Glabb and his book. "This book shines a light on the importance of coaching in the development of young men through the greatest sport in the world: wrestling," said Jordan Burroughs, two-time NCAA champ and 2012 Olympic gold medalist. "The trajectory of many lives has been changed due to the selflessness of Coach Glabb, and I think it's a definite read for anyone in the business of leadership." Gilbert Melendez, UFC champ and one of coach Glabb's wrestlers at Santa Ana, said, "Glabb gave me confidence. He got my head straight. In "A Saint in the City," one reads about kids most coaches would give up on, that I would give up on, but Glabb never gave up on them." The new second edition of "A Saint in the City: True Stories of Champions Living in the Barrio" is available for purchase from Amazon ... or from the official website for the book. To purchase a personalized, signed copy of the book directly from Scott Glabb, email santaanawrestling@gmail.com. New Teacher's Guide brings A Saint in the City to life for student-athletes A Teacher's Guide is now available, providing lesson plans and teaching tools instructors can use in the classroom ... and coaches can use as they guide their wrestlers through this inspirational, true-life book about their sport. The Teacher's Guide is a set of lesson plans/curriculum based on the state common core standards that are aligned with each chapter of the book. The theme of the lesson plans is Intrinsic motivation. Students and wrestlers will learn and gain principles about goal settling, forgiveness, making the right choices, perseverance, mental toughness, and more. For more information -- and to take advantage of package deals and quantity discounts, visit the book's official website. Now Coach Glabb is writing the next chapters in his life In March, the Orange County Register -- the local newspaper that covers the Santa Ana Saints wrestling program -- reported that Scott Glabb would be retiring as head coach after nearly three decades in the position, effective immediately. When InterMat asked about this bombshell story, coach Glabb confirmed some of the basic elements ... but, in sharing details, offered reassurance to those involved in the Saints wrestling program -- along with their fans -- that he is not breaking ties with the school he has served for nearly 30 years. "I'll still be at Santa Ana High," Glabb told InterMat. "I will continue to be instructor in the PE/wrestling class for sixth period, allowing me to continue to spend time with the wrestlers." Glabb offered this explanation for his changed role at Santa Ana High. "My son started wrestling last year at age 13. His high school is in the same league as Santa Ana, which makes things complicated." "I thought this might be the best time for me to step aside from my long-time role," Glabb continued. "It's something I had been considering for a while. In fact, I let my AD (athletic director) know a year ago." "I will now be able to go to my son's events. Not just wrestling. He's also talented in signing and acting." "I'm delighted he's involved in wrestling. The sport will help him in his other activities because it helps develop mental toughness and tenacity."

Daton Fix shoots a double leg on Zach Sanders at the World Team Trials (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine) The online sportsbook BetDSI.com posted betting odds on Saturday's Final X in Lincoln, Neb. Let's examine the best bets based on the betting odds. Note: Betting odds are subject to change. Easy money Jordan Burroughs vs. Isaiah Martinez (74 kilograms), 2 matches: -375 Isaiah Martinez was dominant at both the U.S. Open and World Team Trials. He is a strong, powerful wrestler who seems built for freestyle. However, facing the five-time world-level champ Burroughs is a major step up in class. Burroughs has been on a tear since his disappointment at the Rio Olympics in 2016. He won a world title last year in Paris, and this year has been impressive. He was perfect 4-0 at the World Cup in Iowa City, and recently defeated 70-kilogam world champion Frank Chamizo of Italy at Beat the Streets. Martinez might be the future at 74 kilograms, but his time won't likely come until after 2020. For now, it's Burroughs' weight class both domestically and internationally, and it would be shocking to see Martinez take a match from Burroughs. The betting line opened at -350 and the public quickly drove the line up 25 cents. While -375 is a steep number, there is still some value there. Bet it before it hits -400 or higher. Kyle Snyder vs. Kyven Gadson (97 kilograms), 2 matches: -500 I hate laying this number (-500), and I can't blame you if you choose to pass, but it's the safest bet on the board this weekend. While Gadson does own a couple wins over Snyder in NCAA wrestling, those matches, which took place three-plus years ago in a different style of wrestling, mean little to nothing at this point. Snyder is one of the world's best freestyle wrestlers across all weight classes. Snyder not only crushed Gadson twice at last year's World Team Trials (10-0 and 13-2), but the two wrestlers are now on different levels. Snyder defeated Olympic champion and multiple-time world champion Abdulrashid Sadulaev of Russia at last year's World Championships. This year he won the Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix and was undefeated at the Freestyle World Cup. Meanwhile, Gadson suffered a loss at the U.S. Open to Austin Schafer, which he avenged last month at the World Team Trials in Rochester, Minn. Value plays James Green vs. Jason Chamberlain (70 kilograms), Under 7.5 in Match 1: -115 Green and Chamberlain are both strong defensively, which should make for low-scoring matches. The two have not only competed against each other multiple times, but trained together for three years in Lincoln. Familiarity often times leads to low-scoring, defensive matches. Chamberlain scored a combined seven points in three matches against Frank Molinaro in the finals of the World Team Trials last month. He only surrendered a takedown in one of the three matches. Green is coming off a tight 2-1 victory over Cuba's Franklin Castillo at Beat the Streets in New York. Molinaro scored a four-point move on Chamberlain at Final X and Green could do the same and open up the scoring, but I don't see it as a likely scenario. I expect the first match to be low-scoring, tactical match. The value is on the Under 7.5. Becka Leathers vs. Jacarra Winchester (55 kilograms), 2 matches: -250 Leathers made a splash on the world stage last year with a bronze-medal finish at the World Championships in Paris. The 21-year-old Oklahoma native recently won her second straight gold medal at the Pan American Championships. Winchester, a past University world bronze medalist, broke through to win her first U.S. Open title in April after runner-up finishes in 2015 and 2017. While Winchester is wrestling her best right now, Leathers will be too much. It's hard to envision it going more than two matches. The two have met twice in the last three years, splitting those matches. Winchester won their match in 2015 when Leathers was in high school. Last year the two wrestlers met at the Dave Schultz Memorial, with Leathers winning that match 10-2, scoring all of her points off takedowns. Leathers not only superior on her feet, but also in par terre. Daton Fix over Thomas Gilman (57 kilograms): +110 On paper, it's easy to see why Gilman is the betting favorite against Fix. The 24-year-old Hawkeye three-time All-American is a returning world silver medalist facing a 20-year-old who has yet to wrestle an official college match. In addition, Gilman will likely have the home crowd support having grown up just over 60 miles away in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and competing scholastically in Nebraska. Gilman earned an automatic berth in Final X, while Fix had to battle through the U.S. Open and World Team Trials. Gilman is a big, physical 57-kilogram wrestler who hand fights well and has a strong single leg that he shoots to both sides. So why I do I see value on Fix? Because he's bad matchup stylistically for Gilman. Fix, a Junior world champ, is dynamic and score with many different techniques. Fix showed extraordinary defense on his feet against Tony Ramos in the finals of the World Team Trials. Ramos was able to get to his leg multiple times, but Fix was able to kick out. This could be a problem for Gilman. I like Fix to win as a plus-money dog.

James Green is a -210 favorite against Jason Chamberlain at 70 kilograms (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Betting odds for Final X in Lincoln have been released by BetDSI. The event takes place at the Bob Devaney Center on the campus of the University of Nebraska on Saturday at 6 p.m CT. To register for an online account and bet online, visit BetDSI.com. How betting works: If betting on a wrestler listed with a minus (-) sign, you must risk that number amount to profit $100 (and get your stake back). For example, risking $210 on James Green (-210) would profit $100. If betting on a wrestler listed with a plus (+) sign, for every $100 you risk, you profit that amount. For example, risking $100 on Jenna Burkert (+225) would profit $225. When betting matches with point spreads -- like Jordan Burroughs (-3.5) vs. Isaiah Martinez (+3.5), a minus (-) sign indicates the favorite, while a plus (+) sign indicates the underdog. Note: Betting odds are subject to change.

Jason Peters Jason Peters, the former head wrestling coach at the University of Pittsburgh, has filed a lawsuit against the school in federal court, saying he was unfairly fired in 2017 without cause in part because he's African-American. Peters, who became head coach in 2013, is asking for his job back along with compensatory damages and other related costs. Regarding Peters' just-filed lawsuit, the University of Pittsburgh said it does not comment on pending litigation. Peters was fired Jan. 19, 2017, after an investigation into a reported incident on a team trip in late December to the 2016 Ken Kraft Midlands Classic wrestling tournament at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois just outside Chicago. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, all references to the Evanston events have been blacked out in the lawsuit as the parties resolve what details will be made public and what won't, said John Stember, Peters' lawyer. The incident which may have led to Peters' firing On the day of Peters' firing back in 2017, InterMat ran two separate news stories -- one, an official statement issued by University of Pittsburgh Sports Information, followed later that day by a more detailed article-- original to InterMat -- based on reports from Pittsburgh area media. Pitt's official statement, weighing in at just 110 words, said, "The University of Pittsburgh announced today a leadership change with the Pitt wrestling program effective immediately. "Assistant staff members Matt Kocher and Drew Headlee will serve as acting co-head coaches for the balance of the 2017 season. Jason Peters, the Panthers' head coach since 2013, is no longer with the University. "We will continue to provide our student-athletes and coaches with our full support as they work to achieve the many goals they set for the 2017 season," said Dr. Randy Juhl, who will assume the responsibilities of acting athletic director at the end of this week. "A national search for a new head coach will begin immediately." InterMat's Jan. 19 report of the incident incorporated reporting from two Pittsburgh area sources -- WTAE-TV, the ABC affiliate in Pittsburgh, and The Pitt News, the official student newspaper for the University of Pittsburgh. The original stories from these two sources differed only in details, which have been called out here. "On the morning of January 13, the Pitt athletic department became aware of an incident that took place during the wrestling team's trip to Illinois for a competition on December 29-30," Pitt athletics spokesman E.J. Borghetti told WTAE. "An investigation was immediately launched and, while the details of that process will remain private, the university was compelled by its findings to make a change in the program's leadership." The Pitt News had contacted Evanston police regarding a 911 call from a guest at the Hilton Garden Inn of Evanston at about 2:30 a.m. December 31. According to an employee at the hotel's front desk, the Pitt wrestling team was staying at this hotel at the time. The police report stated that a 22-year-old man told them a friend, 19, had been robbed of $100 by three women, but did not want to press charges. A third man, also 19, told investigators the group had contacted the women through the internet on Backpage.com -- a controversial classified advertising website that has since been seized by federal authorities investigating sex trafficking -- but did it as a joke. The men told Evanston police they were in town from Pennsylvania for a wrestling tournament. The police report did not include the names of the men. No one was arrested. What happened after the incident Peters said in the lawsuit that when he got back from the trip, no one from Pitt said anything to him about it. But later, he said, Athletic Director Scott Barnes told him he was being suspended for a match at Pitt on Jan. 13. According to the suit, Barnes and other Pitt officials then told him Jan. 17 that he hadn't "properly responded" to the Evanston incident. They fired him two days later. Peters and his lawyers say no one ever presented him with any evidence of allegations against him, a violation of his due process rights, and violated the terms of his contract with Pitt by firing him without cause. He also said he was fired because of his race. "We don't think there was any misconduct," Stember, Peters' attorney, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Monday. "What happened to him was really unfair." Peters had been at Pitt for 16 years before being fired in Jan. 2017. He had been the head coach since 2013, when he took over for long-time coach Rande Stottlemyer who had announced his retirement. Prior to that promotion, Peters had served under Stottlemyer as an assistant coach for 10 years, including nine as his top assistant. Prior to coming to Pitt, Peters had previously served as an assistant coach at Princeton University for four years, and had been an assistant for one year at his college alma mater, East Stroudsburg University.

Keegan Moore qualified for the NCAAs at 184 pounds (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine) The University of Northern Iowa wrestling program is getting "more" of the wrestling Moore family, as Keegan Moore is transferring from the Oklahoma State Cowboys to the UNI Panthers, IAwrestle.com reported Monday. With the move, the 184-pound Keegan Moore is following in the footsteps of his brothers who have wrestled for coach Doug Schwab at the Cedar Falls-based school. Paden Moore is currently wrestling for the Panthers at 157 pounds, while oldest brother Cooper was a three-year starter at 165 pounds before injuries cut his career short. Even though Keegan Moore is transferring between schools within the Big 12 Conference -- which would normally mean having to sit out an entire season -- he will be immediately eligible to wrestle this fall, according to IAwrestle.com. The question is ... Where will Moore fit into's UNI's lineup? Northern Iowa returns all 10 of its starters for the 2018-19 season ... including Drew Foster, an NCAA All-American at 184. Only time will tell as to where Keegan Moore lands in the Panther lineup. Although born in Ada, Okla., Keegan Moore made a name for himself on the mat in Minnesota, where he was a three-time state champ for Jackson County Central High School, compiling a 237-28 record for coach Randy Baker. In addition, Keegan Moore was a five-time Asics national champion and a Fargo Triple Crown winner, and competed with the Minnesota Storm for three seasons.

USA Wrestling and FloWrestling have announced the order of the bouts for Final X in Lincoln, which will be held at the Bob Devaney Center on the campus of the University of Nebraska at Lincoln on Saturday, June 9, starting at 6 p.m. C.T. The event will determine the 2018 U.S. Senior World Teams in men's and women's freestyle wrestling, featuring the nation's top two athletes in the seven weight classes on the card. It will be a best-of-three series in each weight class, with the winner earning a spot on Team USA at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, October 20-28. Tickets remain available. Fans should go to the tickets tab on the official Final X website at: www.FinalX.tv The final match on the card will feature a local hero, 2012 Olympic champion and four-time World champion Jordan Burroughs of the Sunkist Kids, who will battle two-time NCAA champion and four-time NCAA finalist Isaiah Martinez of the Titan Mercury WC at 74 kg in men's freestyle. Burroughs won two NCAA titles for Nebraska and is an assistant coach with the Huskers, while Martinez was a star at the University of Illinois. Fans will not want to be late, since the first match on the card features another great showdown. Two-time World medalist James Green of the Sunkist Kids will battle veteran star Jason Chamberlain of the Titan Mercury WC at 70 kg in men's freestyle in the opening bout. Green was a four-time All-American for the Huskers, while Chamberlain was a two-time All-American at Boise State. Bout two features two-time World silver medalist Alli Ragan of the Sunkist Kids, who takes on 2014 U.S. World Team member Jenna Burkert of the U.S. Army WCAP at 59 kg in women's freestyle. Ragan won two WCWA college national titles for King University. The third match up includes 2016 Olympic champion and two-time World champion Kyle Snyder of the Titan Mercury WC, who battles 2015 NCAA champion Kyven Gadson of the Sunkist Kids at 97 kg in men's freestyle. Snyder won three NCAA titles and was a four-time finalist for Ohio State. Gadson, a three-time All-American for Iowa State, beat Snyder in the 2015 NCAA finals. Snyder beat Gadson in the 2017 World Team Trials. Bout four is headlined by 2017 World bronze medalist Becka Leathers of the Titan Mercury WC, who takes on 2014 University World bronze medalist Jacarra Winchester of the Titan Mercury WC at 55 kg in women's freestyle. Both are past WCWA college champions, Leathers at Oklahoma City and Winchester at Missouri Valley. Fifth in the bout order is a highly-anticipated showdown between local hero and 2017 World silver medalist Thomas Gilman of the Titan Mercury WC against 2017 Junior World champion Daton Fix of the Titan Mercury WC at 57 kg in men's freestyle. Gilman won four Nebraska state high school titles for Omaha Skutt Catholic High School and went on to be a three-time All-American for Iowa. Fix is coming off a redshirt year as a freshman at Oklahoma State. The sixth bout includes 2017 World Team member Tamyra Stock of the Titan Mercury WC against seven-time U.S. Open All-American Randyll Beltz of U.S. Army WCAP. Stock, a two-time WCWA national champion for Wayland Baptist, was a 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials champion. Beltz was a WCWA All-American at Missouri Valley. As a best-of-three series, this order of bouts will be the same for the first round and the second round of competition. If any weight classes are forced to a deciding third match in their series, the bouts in round three will stay in order, with a minimum waiting time of 30 minutes from the end of bout two. FloWrestling will provide exclusive live and on-demand coverage of the three-event Final X series. Watch the events across all screens by downloading the FloSports app on iOS, Roku, or Apple TV 4, as well as on desktop or mobile web via FloWrestling.com The other two Final X competitions are Final X in State College on June 16, and Final X at Lehigh on June 23. Tickets for all three Final X events can be purchased at www.FinalX.tv FINAL X IN LINCOLN Saturday, June 9 at the Bob Devaney Center, starting at 6 p.m. Bout Order Bout One - Men's freestyle 70 kg 2017 World silver medalist - James Green, Lincoln, Neb. (Titan Mercury WC/Nebraska WTC) 2018 WTT Challenge Tournament champion - Jason Chamberlain, Fresno, Calif. (Titan Mercury WC/Valley RTC) Bout Two - Women's freestyle 59 kg 2017 World silver medalist - Alli Ragan, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids/Hawkeye WC/OTC) 2018 WTT Challenge Tournament champion - Jenna Burkert, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP) Bout Three - Men's freestyle 97 kg 2017 World champion - Kyle Snyder, Columbus, Ohio (Titan Mercury WC/Ohio RTC) 2018 WTT Challenge Tournament champion -Kyven Gadson, Ames, Iowa (Sunkist Kids/Cyclone RTC) Bout Four - Women's freestyle 55 kg 2017 World bronze medalist - Becka Leathers, Choctaw, Okla. (Titan Mercury WC) 2018 WTT Challenge Tournament champion - Jacarra Winchester, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Titan Mercury WC/OTC) Bout Five - Men's freestyle 57 kg 2017 World silver medalist - Thomas Gilman, Iowa City, Iowa (Titan Mercury WC/Hawkeye WC) 2018 WTT Challenge Tournament champion - Daton Fix, Sand Springs, Okla. (Titan Mercury WC/Cowboy WC) Bout Six - Women's freestyle 68 kg 2018 U.S. Open champion - Tamyra Stock, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Titan Mercury WC/OTC) 2018 WTT Challenge Tournament champion - Randyll Beltz, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP) Bout Seven - Men's freestyle 74 kg 2017 World champion - Jordan Burroughs, Lincoln, Neb. (Sunkist Kids/Nebraska WTC) 2018 WTT Challenge Tournament champion - Isaiah Martinez, Leemore, Calif. (Titan Mercury WC/Illini RTC)

USA Wrestling, the national governing body for wrestling in the United States, and FloSports, the innovator in live digital sports and original content, has announced that the Final X at Lehigh wrestling competition has been moved to a new location on the Lehigh campus, historic Grace Hall. The main card for Final X at Lehigh will begin at 7 p.m. ET, with a preliminary card of True Third Place bouts slated for 5:00 p.m. Previously, Final X at Lehigh was scheduled to be held at Stabler Arena. Tickets remain available. Currently, VIP tickets are sold out. Reserve tickets are $62, with General Admission tickets at $20. Fans should go to the tickets tab on the official Final X website at: www.FinalX.tv The main card will determine the 2018 U.S. Senior World Teams in men's and women's freestyle wrestling, featuring the nation's top two athletes in the seven weight classes on the card. It will be a best-of-three series in each weight class, with the winner earning a spot on Team USA at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, October 20-28. The venue change will allow fans to enjoy one of the most historic wrestling settings in the sport's history. Grace Hall has been the home of Lehigh wrestling since 1942. Known throughout wrestling circles as "the Snake Pit," Grace Hall provides an unmatched environment, with seating for over 2,000 fans. The venue has provided Lehigh wrestling with a setting that intimidates rivals. A multi-million dollar upgrade in 2003 helped modernize the facility, while keeping its charm and intimate fan accessibility. A generous donation from the late John Harmon, a Lehigh alumnus who was a national wrestling leader, provided a VIP skybox, modern sound and lighting and retractable seating. It is now officially known as Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. "This is a great place to wrestle and we're ecstatic to be back in Grace. We really missed it last year. Our kids enjoy the home-mat advantage that it provides. It's really electric. It is such a pretty building, very beautiful," said Greg Strobel, who was Lehigh's head coach when the renovation occurred and is a current USA Wrestling Vice-President. Grace Hall hosted NCAA Wrestling Tournaments in 1948 and 1951, the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Team Trials in 1948, and the storied EIWA Tournament in 1944, 1945, 1946, 1948, 1952, 1956, and 1961. Fans who have previously purchased tickets for Stabler Arena will have their seats transferred to the appropriate location in Grace Hall. The Lehigh ticket office will handle the exchange of tickets and notify everyone affected. The main card for Final X at Lehigh will start at 7:00 p.m., featuring 2016 Olympic champion Helen Maroulis, 2016 Olympic bronze medalist and 2017 World bronze medalist J'den Cox, 2017 World bronze medalist Nick Gwiazdowski, Olympian Haley Augello, Junior World champions Whitney Conder and Victoria Anthony and other exciting international wrestling stars. The preliminary card of True Third Place bouts is set for 5:00 p.m. and will feature stars including 2012 Olympian Kelsey Campbell, two-time World Team member Tony Ramos, three-time WCWA national champion Cody Pfau and 2018 U.S. Open champion Austin Schafer. The bout order for Final X at Lehigh will be announced shortly. FloWrestling will provide exclusive live and on-demand coverage of the three-event Final X series. Watch the events across all screens by downloading the FloSports app on iOS, Roku, or Apple TV 4, as well as on desktop or mobile web via FloWrestling.com The other two Final X competitions are Final X in Lincoln on June 9, and Final X at State College on June 16. Tickets for all three Final X events can be purchased at www.FinalX.tv

Mike Dixon (ODU Athletics) BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana head wrestling coach Angel Escobedo announced Monday the addition of Mike Dixon to his coaching staff. Dixon, who completed his varsity career at Indiana in 2001, returns to his alma mater as the Hoosiers' associate head coach. "I'm excited to bring Mike Dixon on staff, as he was an instrumental part of the rise of Old Dominion Wrestling and brought in many top-25 recruiting classes," Escobedo said. "As an alumnus, his passion and commitment to see Indiana Wrestling at the top is unwavering. I know he is excited to have a big impact on taking this program to new heights. My staff and I are eager to foster success in this program." Dixon enters the IU wrestling room with over a decade of veteran leadership and experience with raising a wrestling program to national prominence. In 13 years as an assistant and associate head coach at Old Dominion, Dixon guided his wrestlers to nine NCAA All-American honors and 18 individual conference championships. Dixon's hiring is the second by coach Escobedo, who took over the helm as IU's eighth head coach in April. Last month, Escobedo announced four-time All-American Isaac Jordan as an assistant coach. "I'm excited to be coming back to Indiana and joining Angel's staff," Dixon said shortly after the announcement. "I look forward to working alongside both Angel and Isaac to build a sustainable program that can compete for championships within the Big Ten and nationally." In over a decade with Old Dominion, Dixon helped head coach Steve Martin find success on the mat and in the classroom while putting the Monarchs on the map of the wrestling landscape. In the 2007-08 season, Dixon's first with the Monarchs, Old Dominion earned their first top-20 ranking in program history with six NCAA Championships qualifiers, then a school record. The next year, Old Dominion captured a top-20 NCAA Championships while Ryan Williams (141 lbs.) became the program's first NCAA finalist in 15 years. The 2011-12 season saw the Monarchs raise the bar with a program-best seven NCAA qualifiers and an outstanding dual meet season that included ranked upsets over Iowa State, Rutgers, and Central Michigan. Two wrestlers, Scott Festejo and Te Edwards, claimed individual titles at the 2012 CAA Championships. Dixon helped guide a seamless transition to the Mid American Conference (MAC) in the 2013-14 season, as all six NCAA qualifiers finished in fourth-place or better at the ensuing MAC Championships. In just their second season as a MAC member, Dixon and the Monarchs took runner-up at the conference championships in 2015. Dixon was named the SAAC Staffer of the Year and led two wrestlers, Chris Mecate and Alexander Richardson, to the All-American podium. That marked the first time Old Dominion earned two NCAA All-Americans in one season since 1991. Mecate became Old Dominion's first back-to-back All-American with a fifth-place finish the next season. Dixon assisted in the development of Kevin Beazley, one of the most prominent wrestlers in program history, as he achieved All-American status at the 2017 NCAA Championships. Most recently, Beazley took a Greco-Roman bronze medal finish at the 2018 City of Sassari International in Italy. In his 13 years with the program, the Monarchs achieved a 109-82-2 dual meet record with two CAA regular season titles. Old Dominion also earned six NWCA All-Academic honors in Dixon's tenure alongside two NCAA Elite 89 awards, given annually to the NCAA Championships participant with the highest GPA. Tristan Warner became just the second wrestler in Division-I to win back-to-back Elite 89 honors. Prior to his tenure in Roanoke, Virginia, Dixon served as an assistant at James Madison University. Dixon guided two conference podium finishes and revitalized their recruiting strategy after the university dropped athletic scholarships in 2000. Before joining the staff at James Madison, Dixon embarked his coaching career in his hometown of Indianapolis. As an assistant at the University of Indianapolis, Dixon oversaw five national qualifiers and three top-12 finishes. He also assisted the wrestling program at Arsenal Tech High School and guided four conference champions, two sectional champions, and the school's first-ever freshman to win a city championship. A 2001 graduate of Indiana University with a degree in management from the Kelley School of Business, Dixon was an NCAA qualifier at 275 lbs. in 1998. He earned the team's Most Improved Wrestler award in 1998 and the prestigious Billy Thom Leadership award in 2001. Also in the 2001 season, Dixon became a University National Freestyle Champion and earned a fourth-place finish in the 2001 Pan-American Games at 97kg. Dixon earned his master's degree in education from Old Dominion University in 2012.

Kerry McCoy (Photo/Maryland Athletics) Kerry McCoy, arguably one of the most accomplished Nittany Lion wrestlers of the modern era before becoming head wrestling coach at University of Maryland, was one of eight individuals selected to receive the Penn State Distinguished Alumni Award for 2018 this past Saturday. Established by the Penn State Board of Trustees in 1951, the Distinguished Alumni Award is the highest honor that The Pennsylvania State University presents to an outstanding alumna or alumnus. The award recognizes the achievements of outstanding alumni whose "personal lives, professional achievements, and community service exemplify the objectives of their alma mater." "I'm truly honored and humbled to be recognized with this award," McCoy said. "It is awesome to be included with this incredible group of alumni and this is a special honor I will cherish for the rest of my life." McCoy built an incredible mat career at Penn State. He was a three-time NCAA All-American, winning heavyweight titles at the 1994 and 1997 NCAA Division I championships. He was also a three-time Big Ten champ. As a Nittany Lion, McCoy compiled an overall record of 150-18, building an 88-match win streak at the end of his college career. McCoy earned a number of honors as a Nittany Lion, being named Penn State Athlete of the Year as well as Wrestler of the Year in both 1994 and 1997. In addition, he was selected as 1997 Hodge Trophy winner as the nation's top college wrestler of the year by WIN Magazine. McCoy earned a degree in marketing from the Smeal College of Business in 1997. McCoy's on-the-mat success went beyond collegiate wrestling. He was also a two-time Olympian for the United States, placing fifth at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and seventh in 2004 in Athens. He also won five straight U.S. National Freestyle Wrestling Championships from 2000 to 2004. The former Penn State big man was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2014. University of Maryland's Assistant Athletic Director Mark Sherburne offered his congratulations to his head wrestling coach. "Coach McCoy has accomplished so much within the sport of wrestling and throughout his professional coaching career since his days as a Penn State student-athlete," said Sherburne. "All of us here at Maryland are excited for him and proud that he is being recognized by Penn State as a 2018 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient. It is a well-deserved honor and a testament to his character and work ethic." In addition to McCoy, the other individuals who received Penn State Distinguished Alumni honors this past weekend include Dana H. Born; Jacob D. Corman III; Paul T. Cremo; Barbara H. Raphael; Richard J. Riegel; Hal S. Sadoff; and Roger L. Williams.

Christian Colucci (Photo/Lehigh Athletics) PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Rutgers wrestling announced the addition of heavyweight Christian Colucci to its roster. The Lehigh University transfer is immediately eligible for the 2018-19 season and will have two seasons of eligibility for the Scarlet Knights. "He's a really athletic heavyweight who understands positioning really well," said head coach Scott Goodale. "He received really good training when he was at Lehigh. He'll be pushed by some of the guys we have, but this is a guy who can win at a really high level and score points at the national tournament." In two seasons with the Mountain Hawks, Colucci finished with a 20-6 varsity record, which included an 8-2 mark during the 2017-18 season. This past year, Colucci picked up dual wins against Princeton and Navy and captured the Wilkes Open. The heavyweight compiled a 12-4 varsity mark as a freshman during the 2016-17 campaign. A Summit, New Jersey native, Colucci secured a 2015 NJSIAA state title at 220 pounds for St. Peter's Prep. The three-time region and district champion finished his Garden State high school career with 112 wins, including a 31-3 mark with 16 pins and two tech falls as a senior en route to a state title. Colucci was also the Hudson County Wrestler and Scholar-Athlete of the Year at St. Peter's and finished third at the Super 32 and fourth at the Beast of the East. Rutgers returns three national qualifiers from this past season after the Scarlet Knights produced their best team finish at the NCAA Championships in 2018, finishing 11th with 42.5 points. The historic result also included the program's first national finalist in Nick Suriano as well as a sixth-place finisher in Scott DelVecchio, as the Scarlet Knights earned multiple All-Americans for the third consecutive year under Goodale. Three-time All-American Anthony Ashnault also returns to the lineup in 2018-19 after he was granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA. In total, six wrestlers with NCAA Championships experience will be available for Goodale next season. Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook (/RutgersAthletics) and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding Rutgers wrestling, follow the program on Twitter (@RUWrestling) and Instagram (@RUWrestling). Fans can receive timely information, including special offers and giveaways throughout the year on our social media outlets along with www.ScarletKnights.com. For additional updates, please download the Gameday App.

The National Wrestling Hall of Fame welcomed the Class of 2018 (Photo/Larry Slater) Abas. Allen. Cejudo. Davis. Couture. Schultz Vitageli. These names -- familiar to just about anyone who's been involved in the U.S. amateur wrestling community the past decade or so -- were among the individuals welcomed into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame during the 42nd annual Honors Banquet held at the Oklahoma State University's Student Union Ballroom in Stillwater Saturday night. The Hall welcomed four Distinguished Members of the Class of 2018: Stephen Abas, Lee Allen, Henry Cejudo, and Kristie Davis ... along with Randy Couture as Outstanding American honoree ... Order of Merit recipient Nancy Schultz-Vitageli ... Michael Martinez, recipient of the Hall's Medal of Courage award ... and Gary Kessel, Meritorious Official. In addition, David Carr was presented with the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award, with Alleida Martinez receiving the Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award. Kristie Davis (Photo/Larry Slater) A couple elements make this class of Distinguished Members especially noteworthy. For starters, it includes Henry Cejudo, one of the youngest Distinguished Members ever to be inducted, along with Kristie Davis, only the second woman to receive that honor. What's more, all four of year's Distinguished Members share impressive international wrestling credentials. Cejudo, who was just 21 years old when he won the gold medal in men's freestyle at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, at the time, the youngest U.S. Olympic wrestling champ. Davis is the most accomplished American women's wrestler in history, with nine World medals (including two gold), a feat equaled only by one U.S. men's wrestler: Bruce Baumgartner. Stephen Abas, one of all-time great U.S. lightweight mat stars, was a three-time NCAA champ for Fresno State and 2004 Olympic silver medalist. Also honored was the late Lee Allen, who not only wrestled in the Olympics in both freestyle and Greco-Roman, but also coached Olympic and World Greco teams ... and is considered a pioneer in creating opportunities for women in wrestling. Nancy Schultz Vitangeli and Randy Couture (Photo/Larry Slater) One award recipient well-known within wrestling and beyond is Randy Couture. This year's Outstanding American honoree was described by the Hall of Fame as "a great wrestler, a legendary MMA fighter, a successful actor and businessman." He was a Washington State wrestling champ, a three-time NCAA All-American for Oklahoma State, a four-time Greco-Roman world team member, six-time UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championships) world champion, and a U.S. Army soldier. The Order of Merit went to Nancy Schultz Vitangeli, the widow of Dave Schultz who, in the words of the Hall of Fame, "chose to give back to the sport that she loved and which helped her and her children to deal with an unspeakable tragedy by making a difference for others." Among her accomplishments: she founded the Dave Schultz Wrestling Club, helped launch the Dave Schultz Memorial Tournament and helped create the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award. Michael Martinez (Photo/Larry Slater) Michael Martinez received the Medal of Courage for his amazing recovery from the severe burn injuries he received from a fire that gave him second- and third-degree burns over 80 percent of his body. A two-time Colorado state champion and four-time NCAA qualifier for University of Wyoming, Martinez was also an Olympic Trials qualifier in freestyle. Also honored was Gary Kessel, who officiated 16 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, including 12 finals, 21 Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association championships and 18 Virginia Duals, as well as refereed 39 New Jersey state high school wrestling championships. America's shrine to the sport of wrestling, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum was established in 1976 in Stillwater, Okla. as a focal point for preserving the heritage of the sport, celebrating new achievements, and encouraging the youth of our land to aspire to lofty goals.

Rutgers wrestling has added some heft to its lineup. Max WrightThis weekend, Max Wright, an upperweight wrestler who had been a two-time Ohio Division I championships qualifier, announced he will be transferring to the Scarlet Knights from the U.S. Air Force Academy … with full four-year eligibility intact. Wright earned a commission from the Academy after graduating from Delaware Hayes High School just north of Columbus, NJ.com reported. This past year, he wrestled at 197 pounds for Air Force Prep and reached the finals in three open tournaments. He claimed a title at the UNK Holiday Inn Open. However, in April, he announced he would be leaving the Colorado Springs-based Academy and was seeking a transfer. Wright made his official visit to Rutgers just last week, and made his commitment via Twitter on Saturday. "I chose Rutgers because I have the goal of being an All-American," Wright told The Knight Report, a website that covers sports at the state university of New Jersey. "I knew I needed to surround myself with teammates that have the same goals as me. Rutgers has a great wrestling program, that's on the rise, and I felt that it was the best place for me to achieve my goals in all aspects of life." Wright had also been recruited by Ohio University and by Campbell University. Rutgers plans to place Wright at 197 pounds, joining Lehigh heavyweight transfer Christian Colucci to beef up the Scarlet Knights' lineup in the top two weight classes.

Bob Mayo, 1960 Iowa high school state wrestling champ who continued his mat career in Colorado before making a name for himself in professional rodeo competition, died on May 26, just three weeks shy of his 75th birthday. Bob MayoBorn and raised on a farm just outside Grinnell in central Iowa on June 15, 1944 by parents Charles and Bernice Mayo, Robert James Mayo followed in the footsteps of his older brother Paul and took up wrestling at Grinnell High School, where he won the 103-pound title at the 1961 Iowa wrestling championships as a junior. Mayo earned a wrestling scholarship at Adams State University in Anamosa, Colo. but soon turned his interest to rodeo, again following his brother Paul. According to the Stephenville Empire-Tribune, Bob Mayo started rodeos in 1964. Mayo was a member of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association for nearly 15 years, competing in Bareback Bronco riding events, the Herald-Review reported. In 1966, he qualified for the first of six consecutive National Finals Rodeos. In 2011, Mayo was inducted into the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame. After being born and raised in Iowa, Bob Mayo lived most of his life in Texas, including 25 years in the Dallas area, before moving to Sierra Vista, Ariz. in 2017. Mayo is survived by his wife, Eva; brothers Paul, Don and Roger Mayo; children: Tim (Jill) Eastep, Tom (Vanessa) Eastep, Terry Eastep, Mary (Gus) Gilstrap, Dawn (Randy) Wilson, Beau (Laura) Mayo, and Leslie (Tammy) Mayo; 15 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren. Bob is preceded in death by his parents and sister, Delores. Visitation for Bob Mayo will take place Friday, June 8 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at Hatfield's Funeral Home, 830 S. Highway 92, Sierra Vista, Ariz. Funeral services will be held Saturday, June 9 at 10:30 a.m. at Village Meadows Baptist Church, 1407 El Camino Real, Sierra Vista. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations on behalf of Robert Mayo be sent to Village Meadows Baptist Church's Sonshiners Senior Group.

Daniel "Greg" Kerkvliet claimed the title at 110 kilograms (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) AKRON, Ohio -- The previous four years have represented excellent success for the United States at the UWW Cadet World Championships in freestyle, as each year has yielded three or more champions out of the ten weights. The 2014, 2015, and 2016 teams had three gold medals each, while last year's team had four gold medals; the overall medal count has relatively improved year-to-year as well: four in 2014, five in 2015, seven in 2016, and then six in 2017. On Saturday and Sunday at the University of Akron this year's team trials process was executed. Leading the way are a pair of repeat participants in Robert Howard (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) at 55 kilograms (121.25 pounds) and Daniel "Greg" Kerkvliet (Simley, Minn.) at 110 (242.5). Howard beat fellow returning Cadet World Team participant Julian Tagg (Brecksville, Ohio) in the championship series, two matches to zero, not giving up a takedown in either bout. A comprehensive pair of results saw excellent leg attacks, par terre offense, and overall defense yield 10-1 then 4-1 victories. Earlier notable victories came over grade level stars Nic Bouzakis (Lake Higland Prep, Fla.) and Trevor Mastrogiovanni (Blair Academy, N.J.) in the round of 16 and quarterfinal rounds on Saturday. Returning world champion Kerkvliet, who also qualified for the Junior World Team in his first year of eligibility -- at 97 kilograms -- steamrolled to the final with three shutout technical falls that lasted in total one minute. The championship series sweep over Hunter Catka (Sun Valley, Pa.) was similar quick and decisive, a pair of shutout technical falls. The total tournament for Kerkvliet was five matches lasting two minutes and 36 seconds with a cumulative score of 51-0. Carson Manville earned a spot on the Cadet World Team at 65 kilograms (Photo/Robbert Wijtman) Also qualifying for the team was two-time Pan-American Cadet double champion Carson Manville, who did so at 65 kilograms (143.3), though his journey was more of a challenge. It started decisive enough for the nation's top overall Class of 2021 wrestler with three technical falls. The quarterfinal was an 8-4 battle over Kevon Davenport (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.), as it was a battle of four-point throws, Manville getting two to the one for returning Fargo Cadet double finalist Davenport. It was thorny in the semifinal as Bryce Andonian (St. Edward, Ohio) jumped out to a 6-1 lead; however, Manville countered a gut-wrench attempt by Andonian into a reversal-exposure and a fall at the 1:20 mark of the first period. That set up a championship series battle with fellow returning Fargo Cadet freestyle champion Fidel Mayora (Montini Catholic, Ill.). Mayora took a strong early lead in the first match, and turned it into a fall at the 1:35 mark. The second match was a much more tightly contested battle, one that Manville hung on to win 4-2 as Mayora was in on what would have been a "winning" attack late in the bout but couldn't finish. The rubber match was all Manville from the start, and ended in a pin at the 1:22 mark. The No. 2 overall Class of 2021 wrestler Alex Facundo (Davison, Mich.) joins Manville on the team, also winning his finals series in three bouts. Facundo won the 71 kilo (156.5) title over Joshua Otto (Arrowhead, Wis.). The first and third matches were shutout decisions, 9-0 and 6-0; while the middle match defeat came 3-3 via criteria, as Otto was able to come back from a 3-0 second period deficit with a takedown and then a very late pushout. A third of the ten total championship series went three bouts, as Abe Assad (Glenbard North, Ill.) swept both the Greco-Roman and freestyle tournaments at 80 kilograms (176.4). It was a statement tournament title for the returning Fargo Cadet double finalist (Greco champ), as he cleared a loaded weight bracket. The most notable pre-finals win was a 2-2 criteria victory over returning Fargo Cadet double champion Carter Starocci (Erie Cathedral Prep, Pa.), as a single takedown beat two pushouts in the semifinal. In the championship match against probable favorite Julian Ramirez (Blair Academy, N.J.), Ramirez won the first match decisively 6-0. However, in the second match Assad jumped out strong to a 6-1 lead, as Ramirez suffered an ankle injury midway through the first period right off a takedown by Assad; Ramirez would storm back with a reversal-exposure from the forced par terre defense and then then a subsequent turn to cut that deficit. A takedown midway through the second period gave Ramirez the 7-6 lead. However, a late point yielded Assad the 7-7 criteria victory. In the winner-take-all rubber match, Assad won by 10-0 technical fall at the 1:56 mark. Also qualifying for this Cadet World Team was the nation's top overall Class of 2020 wrestler, A.J. Ferrari (Allen, Texas) at 92 kilograms (202.8). His finals series was a dominant sweep over Konner Doucet (Comanche, Okla.); the first bout a 10-0 technical fall early in the second period at the 2:26 mark, before the second bout was a 10-1 decision. However, Ferrari was significantly challenged during the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds. In the quarterfinal he used a significant early lead to outlast Wyatt Hendrickson (Newton, Kansas) 9-8, a wrestler he beat in the Junior Folkstyle final two months ago; then the semifinal saw him need excellent defense while holding a 1-0 lead to prevent falling behind, before scoring a late counter takedown to beat the very talented Jacob Cardenas (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) Rounding out the team are Chance Lamer (Crescent Valley, Ore.) at 45 kilograms (99), Richard Figueroa (Selma, Calif.) at 48 (105.8), Matthew Ramos (Lockport, Ill.) at 51 (112.4), and Josh Saunders (Christian Brothers College, Mo.) at 60 (132.25). Figueroa knocked off returning world team member Cole Skinner (Cincinnati LaSalle, Ohio) 9-1 in the semifinal round; Skinner was lost in the bronze medal match last year at 42 kilograms. Prior to that semifinal, Figueroa had three shutout technical fall victories; in the championship series he swept Kyle Rowan (Perry, Ohio) by 10-0 technical fall and then a pin at the 3:19 mark. Two shutout technical falls put Saunders into a quarterfinal battle against fellow Class of 2020 star Beau Bartlett (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), a back-and-forth bout won by Saunders 11-8; the semifinal was a rematch of last year's Fargo Cadet freestyle final, this time a 2-1 victory over Ryan Franco (Clovis North, Calif.); and then a sweep over Frankie Tal-Shahar (American Heritage, Fla.) in the final. Results 45 kg: 1st: Chance Lamer (Orange Crush WC) def. Maxximus Martinez (Sunkist Kids Monster Garage), 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Lamer dec. Martinez, 3-1 Match 2: Lamer dec. Martinez, 5-1 3rd: Stevo Poulin (Journeymen Wrestling Club) dec. Alex Almeyda (NYCRTC/EDGE), 6-2 5th: Jordan Williams (Threestyle Wrestling) pinned Casey Swiderski (BTWC), 2:17 7th: Eli Griffin (Threestyle Wrestling) by injury default over Drake Ayala (Sebolt Wrestling Academy) 48 kg: 1st: Richard Figueroa II (Sunkist Kids Monster Garage) def. Kyle Rowan (Wrestling Factory of Cleveland), 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Figueroa TF Rowan, 10-0 Match 2: Figueroa pin Rowan, 3:19 3rd: Sheldon Seymour (xcalibur) dec. Jacob Mann (USWA), 5-0 5th: Cole Skinner (USA-Ohio Wrestling) tech. fall Tommy Curran (Hurricane WC), 11-0 7th: Kase Mauger (Delchev Trained Academy) tech. fall Joe Scheeran (Journeymen Wrestling Club), 10-0 51 kg: 1st: Matthew Ramos (Colt Wrestling) def. Anthony Ferrari (Best Trained Texas), 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Ramos dec. Ferrari, 6-5 Match 2: Ramos dec. Ferrari, 6-1 3rd: Greg Diakomihalis (FLWC) dec. Cooper Flynn (McDonogh School), 8-1 5th: Carter Young (Team BIG) by forfeit over Cullan Schriever (Sebolt Wrestling Academy) 7th: Tristan Lujan (Sons Of Thunder Academy) dec. Ryan Miller (Blairstown Wrestling Club), 4-1 55 kg: 1st: Robert Howard (Titan Mercury/Bitetto Trained) def. Julian Tagg (USA-Ohio), 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Howard dec. Tagg, 10-1 Match 2: Howard dec. Tagg, 4-1 3rd: Trevor Mastrogiovanni (Blairstown Wrestling Club) tech. fall Ryan Crookham (Lost Boys Wrestling Club), 10-0 5th: Teague Travis (Eierman Elite) pinned Dominick Serrano (Northern Colorado Wrestling Club), 3:57 7th: Maximo Renteria (Dethrone) dec. Dylan Ragusin (Izzy Style), 10-7 60 kg: 1st: Joshua Saunders (Titan Mercury WC) def. Frankie Tal-shahar (SWAT), 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Saunders win by forfeit over Tal-shahar Match 2: Saunders dec. Tal-shahar, 8-3 3rd: Beau Bartlett (Sunkist Kids) dec. Ryan Franco (Darkhorse), 8-0 5th: Keegan O'toole (Askren Wrestling Academy) tech. fall Marckis Branford (LVWC), 11-0 7th: Joshua Edmond (Detroit Catholic Central) by forfeit over Wyatt Henson (Sunkist Kids) 65 kg: 1st: Carson Manville (Banditos) def. Fidel Mayora (Izzy Style), 2 matches to 1 Match 1: Mayora pin Manville, 1:35 Match 2: Manville dec. Mayora, 4-2 Match 3: Manville pin Mayora, 1:22 3rd: Kevon Davenport (Detroit Catholic Central) dec. Bryce Andonian (The Wrestling Factory of Cleveland), 12-5 5th: Cade Devos (Iron Rams) dec. Luke Surber (Tuttle Wrestling), 10-7 7th: Victor Voinovich (Seasons) tech. fall Ed Scott (Young Guns), 10-0 71 kg: 1st: Alex Facundo (Team Donahue) def. Joshua Otto (Askren Wrestling Academy), 2 matches to 1 Match 1: Facundo dec. Otto, 8-0 Match 2: Otto dec. Facundo, 3-3 Match 3: Facundo dec. Otto, 6-0 3rd: Jace Luchau (Sons Of Thunder Academy) tech. fall Padraic Gallagher (The Wrestling Factory of Cleveland), 12-0 5th: Sonny Santiago (Sunkist Kids Monster Garage) tech. fall Lance Runyon (Iron Rams), 10-0 7th: Aaron Gandara (Wrestling Prep) tech. fall Donnell Washington (Portage High School), 10-0 80 kg: 1st: Abe Assad (Izzy Style) def. Julian Ramirez (Blairstown WC), 2 matches to 1 Match 1: Ramirez dec. Assad, 6-0 Match 2: Assad dec. Ramirez, 7-7 Match 3: Assad TF Ramirez, 10-0 3rd: Carter Starocci (Bad Karma) dec. David Key (Compound), 3-2 5th: Zach Glazier (Minnesota) dec. Ethan Hatcher (Seasons), 9-4 7th: Jacob Logan (GPS Wrestling) dec. Patrick Kennedy (Minnesota), 8-4 92 kg: 1st: AJ Ferrari (Best Trained Texas) def. Konner Doucet (Oklahoma), 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Ferrari TF Doucet, 10-0 Match 2: Ferrari dec. Doucet, 10-1 3rd: Braxton Amos (Team Miron) dec. Peter Christensen (Izzy Style), 6-4 5th: Jacob Cardenas (Rednose) pinned Niccolo Colucci (St. Peter's Prep), 0:36 7th: Wyatt Hendrickson (Team Kansas) dec. Gabe Christenson (Iron Rams), 11-10 110 kg: 1st: Daniel Kerkvliet (Titan Mercury/Pinnacle) def. Hunter Catka (LAB Trained), 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Kervliet TF Catka, 10-0 Match 2: Kervliet TF Catka, 10-0 3rd: Luke Luffman (IRTC) tech. fall1 Hayden Copass (Unattached), 12-1 5th: Joshua Heindselman (Oklahoma) tech. fall1 Isaac Righter (MSJ Titans), 13-3 7th: Andy Garcia (La Gente WC) tech. fall William Taylor (Unattached), 10-0

AKRON, Ohio -- The U23 Freestyle World Team was determined Sunday afternoon, comprised of seven All-Americans as well as three past World Team members, all of who are also World medalists. After battling against his teammate in the quarterfinals and advancing to the finals off of an 11-0 technical fall, 2017 All-American Jack Mueller went 2-0 against Rayvon Foley. He regrouped after a first-round 8-6 decision to return for a first-period technical fall in the second round of the 57-kilogram finals to secure his spot on the U23 World Team. 2016 Cadet silver medalist Vitali Arujau dominated his 60-kilogram best-of-three series against past World Team member Roman Bravo-Young, racking up two technical falls in under six minutes total, outscoring Bravo-Young 25-4. Read complete story on TheMat.com ... Results 57 kg: 1st: Jack Mueller (CWC) def. Rayvon Foley (MSU), 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Mueller dec. Foley, 8-6 Match 2: Mueller tech. fall Foley, 10-0 3rd: Austin Assad (MRTC) tech. fall Gabe Townsell (Stanford), 10-0 5th: Brandon Paetzell (Lehigh Valley WC) def. Skyler Petry (Minnesota Storm), by injury default 7th: Alex Mackall (Cyclone RTC) def. Dominic La Joie (FLWCP) by injury default 61 kg: 1st: Vitali Arujau (FLWCP) def. Roman Bravo-Young (SWC), 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Arujau tech. fall Bravo-Young, 15-4 Match 2: Arujau tech. fall Bravo-Young, 10-0 3rd: Chas Tucker (Cornell) dec. Sean Fausz (WWC), 9-2 5th: Josh Kramer (Sunkist Kids) def. Nick Piccininni (CRTC/TMWC), by injury default 7th: Jens Lantz (Wisconsin) dec. Steve Polakowski (Minnesota Storm), 5-2 65 kg: 1st: Mitch McKee (GWC) def. Dominick Demas (OKRTC), 2 matches to 0 Match 1: McKee dec. Demas, 6-1 Match 2: McKee fall Demas 3rd: Colton McCrystal (Nebraska) dec. Brock Zacherl (Clarion), 10-6 5th: Kaid Brock (CRTC/TMWC) def. Kevin Jack (WWC), by injury default 7th: Luke Pletcher (tOSU) def. Kaden Gfeller (CRTC/TMWC), 15-9 70 kg: 1st: Hayden Hidlay (WWC) def. Ryan Deakin (NU), 2 matches to 1 Match 1: Hidlay dec. Deakin, 8-4 Match 2: Deakin tech. fall Hidlay, 11-0 Match 3: Hidlay dec. Deakin, 3-2 3rd: Tyler Berger (Nebraska) dec. Paul Fox (Stanford), 8-4 5th: Pat Lugo (Iowa) tech. fall Alfred Bannister (TWC), 13-3 7th: Matthew Kolodzik (NJRTC) tech. fall Ryan Blees (SERTC-VT), 10-0 74 kg: 1st: Alex Smythe (Bulls WC) def. Evan Wick (Wisconsin), 2 matches to 1 Match 1: Wick dec. Smythe, 7-1 Match 2: Smythe dec. Wick, 7-3 Match 3: Smythe dec. Wick, 6-5 3rd: Kaleb Young (Iowa) dec. Kennedy Monday (THWC), 11-4 5th: Carson Brolsma (Minnesota Storm) dec. Josh Shields (Sunkist), 6-4 7th: Austin Kraisser (Campbell) def. Larry Early (VBRTC) by injury default 79 kg: 1st: David McFadden (SERTC-VT) def. Daniel Lewis (MWRTC), 2 matches to 0 Match 1: McFadden fall Lewis Match 2: McFadden tech. fall Lewis, 15-5 3rd: Kimball Bastian (UVRTC) dec. Joe Smith (CRTC/TMWC), 8-4 5th: Connor Flynn (MWRTC) fall Cole Walter (Lehigh Valley WC) 7th: Te'Shan Campbell (tOSU) dec. Gregg Harvey Jr. (Pittsburgh), 6-2 86 kg: 1st: Myles Martin (tOSU) def. Chandler Rogers (CRTC/TMWC), 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Martin dec. Rogers, 13-9 Match 2: Martin fall Rogers 3rd: Taylor Venz (Nebraska) dec. Max Dean (Cornell), 15-12 5th: Cash Wilcke (Iowa) dec. Alec Schenk (BBWC), 4-2 7th: Austin Fores (Stanford) def. Garrett Lineberger (Unattached) by injury default 92 kg: 1st: Michael Macchiavello (WWC) def. Hunter Ritter (Wisconsin), 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Macchiavello dec. Ritter, 5- Match 2: Macchiavello tech. fall Ritter, 15-5 3rd: Eric Schultz (Nebraska) dec. Christian Brunner (BRTC), 9-0 5th: Jakob Woodley (OKRTC) tech. fall Landon Pelham (Chippewa WC), 10-0 7th: Greg Bulsak (Clarion) tech. fall Anthony Perrine (Bulldog Elite WC), 14-4 97 kg: 1st: Kollin Moore (tOSU) def. Kyle Conel (GPWC), 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Moore tech. fall Conel, 12-2 Match 2: Moore tech. fall Conel, 13-3 3rd: Ben Honis (Cornell) tech. fall Malik McDonald (WWC), 13-1 5th: Kyle Gentile (LVWC) tech. fall John Borst (SERTC-VT), 10-0 7th: Kevin Snyder (tOSU) dec. Andrew Lee (IRTC), 5-2 125 kg: 1st: Youssif Hemida (TWC) def. Matt Stencel (CWC), 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Hemida dec. Stencel, 14-7 Match 2: Hemida tech. fall Stencel, 11-0 3rd: David Jensen (Nebraska) dec. David Orndorff (UVRTC), 10-9 5th: Garrett Ryan (NYCRTC) def. Michael Hughes (B&G) by injury default. 7th: Matthew Voss (Patriot Elite WC) def. Christian Colucci (NJRTC)

Two former college wrestlers -- Gregor Gillespie, and Desmond Green -- came out as winners at UFC Fight Night 131: Rivera vs. Moraes at Adirondacks Bank Center in Utica, N.Y. Friday night. A third ex-amateur wrestler, Jarred Brooks, was KO'd in the second round of his bout. The former Fighting Scot submits Pinchel Gregor GillespieGillespie, a 2007 NCAA champ for Edinboro University, defeated Vinc Pinchel via submission -- an arm-triangle choke -- at 4:06 of Round 2 in their lightweight (155-pound) co-main event. Live coverage from both MMAjunkie.com and Sherdog.com had the former Fighting Scot mat star as the winner throughout their bout before submitting Pinchel. Gillespie -- a three-time EWL (Eastern Wrestling League) champ at Edinboro -- took down Pinchel at the beginning of both the first and second rounds. At the end of the evening, Gregor Gillespie -- a native of upstate New York -- added to his perfect record to become 12-0 in his pro MMA career, and 5-0 in UFC action ...while Vinc Pichel suffers only his second loss vs. 11 wins overall, with a 4-2 record in UFC. Green goes the distance for the win Desmond Green, a two-time MAC (Mid-American Conference) champion for University at Buffalo, earned a unanimous decision over Gleison Tibau in a three-round lightweight fight. The official judges scored it 30-27, 30-27, 29-27 for the three-time NCAA qualifier for the Bulls; in addition, all the reporters providing live coverage from both Sherdog.com and MMAjunkie.com all awarded each round to Green. Sherdog.com reported in its live coverage that Green was "applying slow pressure and holding Tibau out of striking or shooting range" thanks to the long reach of "the Predator." MMAjunkie.com writers just outside the Octagon said, "This remains a boxing match, and Green is just a little more accurate and active. Not much kicking between the two." With the win, Green is now 21-7 in his pro MMA career (and 2-2 in UFC), while Gleison Tibau drops to 33-14 overall, and 16-12 in UFC. Brooks basically knocks himself out The gods were not smiling on "The Monkey God" as Jarred Brooks, at one time a nationally-ranked high school wrestler from Warsaw, Ind., was knocked out in the second round by Jose Torres in their preliminary-round flyweight (125-pound) bout at UFC Utica. Both MMAjunkie.com and Sherdog.com had their fightside reporters scoring the first round for Brooks in their live coverage. However, in what MMAjunkie.com describes as "a crazy turn of events" in Round 2, "(Brooks) lifts his opponent high in the air and leaps forward with a slam to the floor. Impressive move, but Brooks appears to be the one who's rocked, with the back of his head crashing into the canvas. Torres quickly pulls free from his stunned opponent and turns to take the back, punching away at his stunned opponent. Brooks is indeed out, and this fight is over." Score it a KO at 2:55 of Round 2 of the scheduled three-round fight. With the loss, Jarred Brooks is now 13-2 overall in his MMA career, and drops to 1-2 in UFC ...while Jose Torres stays flawless at 8-0 overall and is now 1-0 after his UFC debut.

The Big Bend Community College athletics department is expanding its offerings with the return of men's collegiate wrestling to its sports roster and the addition of women's wrestling. The last time anyone wore a Viking's wrestling singlet, was during the 1994-95 season. The decision to return wrestling to Big Bend was multi-layered and included local interest in the sport as well as the college's legacy of helping student-athletes achieve success inside and outside of the classroom. "For the last five years, Big Bend athletes have had either the best or second-best GPAs in the state of Washington for schools our size," said Athletic Director Mark Poth. "That level of success in the classroom is proof that our coaches recruit not only good athletes, but good people with great character. "We feel as an athletic department that we can continue to grow that success with the expansion of our athletic offerings and with the extreme interest in both men's and women's wrestling in our service area it feels like a win-win situation." Big Bend will be the only collegiate wrestling program in Eastern Washington. The hunt for a head coach for both programs will commence immediately with job postings expected at the beginning of next week (June 4). The hiring of assistants will follow, and recruiting will begin early this summer to fill the 2018-19 roster. The college hopes to recruit roughly 30 athletes this summer and eventually carry 25-30 wrestlers on each roster. "We are excited to return men's wrestling and introduce women's wrestling at the collegiate level," said Big Bend President Terry Leas. "These sports give talented athletes in our service district opportunities to continue their education and wrestling careers beyond high school and we are delighted about this newest addition." 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.

Griffyn Smith, a four-time high school state wrestling champ in Maine, was killed in a one-car crash Thursday night near Weld, Maine. He was 19. Two others in the car -- an 18-year-old driver, and a 17-year-old passenger, were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. Griffyn SmithAccording to Maine State Police, the driver lost control of the car on a country road, hit a tree, and flipped over. Troopers said excessive speed was likely a factor. A 2016 graduate of Dirigo High School, Smith won four state titles as a wrestler at the school located in Dixfield, Maine. Just last month, Smith graduated from Central Maine Community College in Auburn with an associate degree as a precision machinist. He was planning to join the Navy this fall. After Griffyn Smith concluded his high school wrestling career, former Lewiston Sun Journal sportswriter Kalle Oakes wrote, "Smith achieved his perfection across three different weight classes and in two enrollment classifications." "I'm so saddened to hear this news," Oakes told her former employer in an email. "Griffyn was a fierce competitor and a soft-spoken, unassuming kid. He was small in stature. To look at him in a crowd you would not have known he was one of the outstanding athletes in the area. He absolutely dominated his weight class in wrestling all four years at Dirigo. The wrestling community at that school is a proud, tight-knit group. I can only imagine how much they are hurting from this news." Another Sun Journal sportswriter shared his recollections of Griffyn Smith. "Griffyn … wasn't a showboater, he just went out and accomplished his goal … win," said Bob McPhee, who described the four-time state champ as being "a joy to speak with and extremely gracious." "Griffyn was a competitor and was determined -- on the mat -- to achieve his goals," McPhee said. "Despite being small in stature, he was in control of his endeavors on (the) mat; proving that an individual doesn't need to be the biggest and strongest to succeed." When he graduated from Dirigo, Smith became the school's winningest wrestler with 193 victories, and the program's first four-time state champ. A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Griffyn Smith's family with funeral and burial expenses.

Nick Becker FAYETTE, Iowa -- Nick Becker, a redshirt senior from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, is the 2018 NCAA Division II Wrestler of the Year presented by the NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches Association. Becker, who earned the honor for the second-straight year, is the tenth recipient and first two-time winner of this award since its inception in 2008. The UW-Parkside icon earned the NCAA Division II Super Region Two Wrestler of the Year all three years that he wrestled for the Rangers. The NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches Association named four NCAA Division II Regional Wrestlers of the Year last Friday, May 25. The quartet included 157-pound senior Cody Law from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown for NCAA Super Region One, Becker for Super Region Two, 133-pound senior Josh Walker from Upper Iowa University for Super Region Three and 149-pound redshirt-sophomore Daxton Gordon from California Baptist University for Super Region Four. All four earned titles at their respective NCAA Division II Super Regionals and the National Championships in Cedar Rapids, Iowa in early March. Becker capped off another perfect season with a 24-0 record, his third Super Region II title and a third straight NCAA Division II title at 174 pounds. Becker's final win that carried his record to 89-0 as a Ranger came in an 8-4 decision over No. 2 Nolan Kistler of California Baptist University. The Hartford, Wis. product claimed 20 bonus-point wins this season with eight victories by fall, eight by tech fall and four by major decision. Becker is the only wrestler in the UW-Parkside storied history to win three national championships and he will continue to influence the Ranger wrestling program as the graduate assistant moving forward. The Hartford, Wis. product came to Wisconsin-Parkside prior to the 2014-15 season after transferring from Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, Mich. During his first season with the Rangers, he wrestled unattached at three tournaments before returning to the varsity mats during the 2015-16 season. As a redshirt sophomore, Becker posted a 41-0 record with 31 of the victories coming with bonus points thanks to 10 falls, 11 tech falls and 10 majors. As a redshirt junior, he went 25-0 with 17 bonus-point wins including 8 falls, 3 tech falls and 6 majors. The previous ten NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches Association Wrestler of the Year honors went to Nebraska-Kearney heavyweight Tervel Dlagnev (2008), Nebraska-Omaha 157-pounder Todd Meneely (2009), Pittsburgh-Johnstown 133-pounder Shane Valko (2010), Western State 197-pounder Donovan McMahill (2011), Upper Iowa 133-pounder Trevor Franklin (2012), Grand Canyon heavyweight Tyrell Fortune (2013), Kutztown heavyweight Ziad Haddad (2014), Central Oklahoma 165-pounder Chris Watson (2015), Notre Dame 184-pounder Joey Davis (2016) and Becker (2017).

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police are searching for two individuals seen on surveillance video running from the apparent murder of an Indianapolis area high school wrestler. Elijah Lacey, 18, a Lawrence Central High School senior just one week shy of graduation, was found shot dead in a pickup truck in a parking lot at a liquor store Memorial Day afternoon. Elijah LaceyIMPD released the surveillance video Wednesday of the shooting of Lacey which took place at an eastside liquor store Monday, May 26 at approximately 4:30 p.m. Officers said two people arrived in the parking lot of Crown Liquors in a silver Acura sedan at that time, then approached a parked pickup truck. In the video, the two people speak to a man inside the truck. One person walks around and enters the truck on the passenger side. The person at the driver's window suddenly extends an arm into the cab, jumps away from the truck, references wildly toward the window and runs away. The person in the passenger seat also jumps out of the cab and runs away. IMPD officers say the discovered Lacey with at least one gunshot wound inside the truck. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Lacey's mother, Natasha McKinley, told WISH-TV that her son's "passion was wrestling" and that he loved to teach wrestling to younger students. She also said that Elijah Lacey had wrestled for Warren Central High School, a public school on the east side of Indianapolis. TrackWrestling.com lists Lacey as wrestling at 149 pounds. Visitation for Elijah D. Lacey will be held Saturday, June 2 from 10:00 a.m. to noon at Overcoming Church, 2203 Columbia Ave., Indianapolis with the funeral service commencing at noon. Burial will take place in New Crown Cemetery. Meanwhile, IMPD continues its search for the two men on the video which is available for viewing via the WISH-TV link. Viewers who recognize the individuals in the video are urged to contact Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana with anonymous tips 24 hours a day at (317) 262-8477.

Isaiah Martinez won both the U.S. Open and World Team Trials (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Illinois wrestling head coach Jim Heffernan announced on Friday that two-time NCAA Champion and four-time Big Ten Champion Isaiah Martinez will join the 2018-19 coaching staff as a volunteer assistant coach. "It is with great pride that we announce the addition of Isaiah Martinez to our staff," said Heffernan. "Being the most successful wrestler in the program's history, we felt it was extremely important to keep Isaiah here to continue his legacy on the coaching side, while still competing internationally. He has great knowledge, experience and an incredible work ethic that will help our program in every aspect. We are lucky to have him continue his next chapter at Illinois." The most decorated wrestler in program history, Martinez joins the Illinois bench after concluding his Illini wrestling career with the highest winning percentage in school history. Winning 97.5 percent of his matches, the 116 victories by Martinez is tied for 10th all-time in Illinois history. "I'm proud and excited to continue to help out the University of Illinois," Martinez said of his addition to the coaching staff. "This is an excellent opportunity to work with a coaching staff and a team that I care dearly for." Earlier this spring, Martinez announced that he is staying in Champaign to continue his international-level career with the Illinois Regional Training Center. Martinez is currently preparing for his Final X, best-of-three series against reigning World Champion Jordan Burroughs on June 9 in Lincoln, Nebraska with a spot on the 2018 World Championships Team on the line. A three-time California state champion in high school, Martinez began his Illinois career with one of the greatest freshman seasons in collegiate wrestling history. Finishing his debut season undefeated with a 35-0 record and a Big Ten and NCAA title, the 157-pounder became the first collegiate wrestler to finish his freshman season without a loss since Cael Sanderson (Iowa State) in 1999. Following the season, Martinez was named Freshman of the Year by the Big Ten, InterMat and Amateur Wrestling News. Martinez added a second NCAA and Big Ten title at 157 pounds as a redshirt sophomore in 2016, culminating with a 6-5 defeat of Penn State's Jason Nolf in the season rubber match at Madison Square Garden. Moving up to 165 pounds for his junior and senior seasons, Martinez again added a third and fourth conference crown to become just the 16th Big Ten wrestler to do so. Combined with Coach Heffernan's four titles, the two became the first coach-athlete duo to both win four Big Ten Championships. Recognized throughout his career for his historic achievements, Martinez was named the 2018 Big Ten Medal of Honor recipient this spring. Additionally, Martinez is a two-time Illinois Dike Eddleman Male Athlete of the Year winner and a two-time Big Ten Wrestler of the Championships. Hailing from Lemoore, California, Martinez graduated with a degree in sociology. In addition to Martinez joining the Illinois coaching staff, former Illini All-American Zac Brunson will begin coaching at the Poeta Training Center in Lake Forest, Illinois that was created and previously ran by current Illinois assistant coach Mike Poeta. Since its inception six years ago, the Center has produced 26 state champions. For complete coverage of Fighting Illini wrestling, go to FIGHTINILLINI.com and follow @IlliniWrestling on Twitter and Instagram.

The 2018 FIFA World Cup starts in two weeks and for the first time since 1986 the United States won't be in the mix. Think of it like watching the U.S. side during the Greco-Roman medal rounds at the World Championships! Easy … I'm teasing. The final game of the FIFA World Cup is the most watched sporting event in the world. In 2014 the finals from Rio de Janeiro garnered more than 1 billion views, with a total of 3 billion having watched some or part of the month-long event. Maybe the USA won't be competing, but with more than half the world still tuning into watch there are reasons to watch beyond nationalism. For instance, it's worth pondering how this sport took over the globe so quickly. There are a lot of answers in the book "How Soccer Explains the World" but a few main reasons are obvious to almost any observer. The sport brings in a large number of people for play, with 22 players on the field at once. Soccer can also be played by people of any height, weight, speed or athletic ability. Men and women have equal access to play. Small kids can play from as young as four years old and yet there are still competitive leagues for men in their 60's and 70's. Overall, the sport is accessible, builds good cardio and requires a nice mixture of athleticism and gamesmanship. Being accessible is a massive part of the equation as fans are more likely to watch a sport that they can play and play a sport that they can watch. Wrestling's lesson should be to create a form of the sport that is free and open to more people. One that can be simple and fun for youngsters, but also doable for those who are no longer in peak physical shape. Wrestling as a productive play tool, not just a form of combat. How to do that is trickier. I have my ideas but will save them for a future article. For now we should all get our creative juices flowing and ask ourselves how we might be able to transform and adapt the sport of wrestling so that it can be enjoyed by more people around the world. Don't know who to root for? Try this quiz … Want to engage in the fandamodium? Play the FIFA World Cup Bracket Challenge. To your questions … Hayden Hidlay moments before wrestling in the U.S. Open finals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Q: Hayden Hidlay is entered in the U23 World Team Trials this weekend. I was impressed with what he did on the senior level this spring. Is he good enough to win a world title this year at the U23 World Championships? That's assuming he make the team. He still has to get by the likes of Ryan Deakin, Matt Kolodzik and others at 70 kilograms. -- Mike C. Foley: The U23 World Championships is probably the second toughest tournament of the entire international calendar. Most every nation's second tier wrestlers are just about 18-23 years old and the high side of that bracket tend to be the top contender for their national team. That means this tournament will be filled with hammers. Stuffed. Hidlay has a good style for competing at the international level. He's strong, makes very few mistakes and is disciplined in his scrambles. Where he might run into trouble is in defending the higher-level attacks and scoring opportunities of the Eastern European wrestlers. I think it takes time to find the right reaction to their exposure creating moves and without an immediate adaptation to a lot of new positions it's tough for wrestlers from the Americas to limit being scored upon. I'm excited to see how Hidlay wrestles at the U23 World Team Trials and really anxious to see how Team USA competes at the U23 World Championships in November. Q: With Mark Cody taking the helm at Presbyterian College, I couldn't find anything on how many scholarships men's and women's wrestling will be allotted. The school announced that the football program will move to non-scholarship in the next few years. Any idea how many scholarships each program will have and is this where they are coming from? -- Frank C. Foley: Hard to say where the money is coming from as I don't have access to the internal documents and nothing was stated online. The fact the football team is doing away with scholarships though would indicate that they are reallocating to other programs. From what I've been told the programs will be fully funded with 9.9 scholarships. Q: Do you think the Russian and/or Iranian freestyle national teams could field 10-man teams that would be competitive with Penn State, Ohio State and the other top teams wrestling folkstyle at next year's NCAA tournament? Assume they have between now and March of 2019 to get ready and access to quality coaching with NCAA limits on practice time. I know they'd be dynamite on their feet, but could they get off bottom/get any points on top? Is one year enough time to deal with funk and all the back exposure they have spent a life time avoiding? -- Bryan R. Foley: Interesting question. I think that we have a few reference points, mainly the Mongolians that came through American and The Citadel in the late aughties. Guys like Sanjaa and Turtogtokh had little on the mat experience prior to their collegiate stints. (Turtogtokh wrestled two years in high school.) While both showed more overall skill on their feet, they definitely lacked the aggression in working from bottom. The biggest difference wouldn't be the skill in escaping from bottom, but the divide in why you would even try to escape from bottom. In freestyle it's not just that par terre defense is different, it's that at its core you're meant to stay flat. In folkstyle the rules attempt to create urgency. After 15 years of no urgency, it can be tough to get a foreign wrestler to work from bottom. Bottom is only half the issue. While freestyle rewards techniques and risk taking, folkstyle rewards control. Throwing someone to their back with a headlock is always four or five points in freestyle, whereas in folkstyle there is a risk of rolling through and giving up two points. That's just one example, but it's vital to keep in mind when adjusting for the amount of scoring possible out of a Russian or Iranian athlete. Overall, I think both could have top ten teams in year one and top five in year two. They are pulling from a much larger field of athletes and would give a lot of individuals who haven't wrestled overseas the type of looks that could spell trouble at the national tournament. Q: After Nick Reenan qualified for Final X, he was asked about facing David Taylor. He mentioned that his main focus is NCAAs next year. I found that a bit odd. I would have thought making the World Team and representing Team USA would have been his primary focus. Do you find it odd that he's more focused on the NCAA season after making it to Final X? -- Mike C. Foley: Yikes! When I clicked to watch (link below) I thought the answer was going to be a folksy reply about wanting to help his team, a la Kyle Snyder, but Reenan kinda doubles down. Either he doesn't think he can win, or he just really doesn't want to be bothered by switching training for a few months before heading into the NCAA season. I'm guessing that there is just a lot of excitement for him right now. Beating opponents who'd beaten him at the U.S. Open, and wrestling really well in all his matches. It's believable that he would just want to jump into the NCAA season as soon as possible and convert this energy to wins for the Wolfpack. To each his own, but I think he should stay confident and focused on the freestyle side of things since he is now on the U.S. National Team and is entitled to training camps, overseas travel and an incredible set of wrestling partners and coaches. You always have to ask yourself, "What would Kyle Snyder do?" MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Nicky Reenan Interview Wrestler Madi Mpho speaks with UN Commission on human rights! Link: MatChat with Mike Powell Q: Are you hearing anything about Little Rock's head coaching search? -- Mike C. Foley: I have heard big names! Don't want to drop them here since I haven't been able to check the status of the interviews, but from what I hear it's attracting a good number of candidates who are optimistic about the area and about the idea of building something 100 percent in their image. Q: A lot of wrestlers have transitioned from college wrestling into successful MMA careers, wrestlers such as Logan Storley, Daniel Cormier, and T.J. Dillashaw. Why do college wrestlers have such success at MMA? Lastly, who do you see as the next five college wrestlers to transition into MMA and be successful? -- Gregg Y. Foley: Wrestlers are successful in MMA for a number of reasons, but the primary reason is the ability to control where the fight goes, knowledge on how to prepare for combat sports, and training histories that allow them a higher starting point than those coming from boxing, jiu-jitsu or other martial arts. The next five … What do you guys think? I haven't heard of many seniors who've made it known that they are going to compete. Q: If we were to have a U.S. Open in folkstyle open to all wrestlers all of ages with a $1 million prize to each winner, who do you think would win in each weight class assuming the current NCAA weight classes? Assume everyone qualified to enter has to actually enter/is healthy enough to compete in a five- round seeded tournament, including coaches/active competitors who might not otherwise do so (e.g. Cael Sanderson, Donny Pritzlaff, Jordan Burroughs, etc.). I'm not asking who would win their prime. I'm asking who do you think would win a U.S. Open in folkstyle today? -- Bryan R. If there was a U.S. Open in folkstyle, would Tony Ramos win the title at 133 pounds? (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Foley: Ahh, in folkstyle that could be a lot trickier. Assuming all the conditions you made are met, while still accounting for an increase in age, here are my predictions: 125: Jesse Delgado 133: Tony Ramos 141: Logan Stieber 149: Zain Retherford 157: Jason Nolf 165: Jordan Burroughs 174: Kyle Dake 184: David Taylor 197: Cael Sanderson 285: Kyle Snyder Q: I'm going on vacation with my wife next week and looking for a good, thought-provoking book to read. Any books you can recommend that will get me thinking differently? -- Mike C. Foley: My wife doesn't think it's possible to read two books at once, but I'm currently attempting it defy her expectations. For non-fiction I'm reading "Bad Blood" … the story of health care startup Theranos and the incredible lengths of deception CEO Elizabeth Holmes' went to grow the company. For fiction I'm trying to break through "A Little Life" by Hanya Yanagihara. From what I can tell it's going to be complicated, big and, apparently, pretty sad. I've had someone recommend "Breathe" to me recently, which a book roughly around surfing. A lot of readers into surfing swear by William Finnegan's autobiography "Barbarian Days."

The Bergen County Prosecutor's Office will not pursue criminal charges against Bergen Catholic High School officials -- including two wrestling coaches -- who have been accused in a civil lawsuit of sexual and verbal abuse at its nationally-ranked wrestling program, according to multiple media reports Thursday. However, a separate 12-count civil lawsuit -- filed in April on behalf of a former Bergen Catholic wrestler who alleged that coaches from the wrestling team engaged in sexual and verbal harassment, while school administrators covered it up -- still stands and in fact can move forward. David Eisbrouch, an attorney for the former wrestler in the lawsuit, told NorthJersey.com that he was not aware of the closing of the investigation by the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office. "In the event it has been closed, we feel that it is premature and that a thorough investigation has not been completed," Eisbrouch told NorthJersey.com. "We shall be sending a letter to the acting prosecutor, Dennis Calo, shortly. If necessary, we shall be contacting the Attorney General's Office. It's our intent to pursue all criminal and civil remedies." The Prosecutor's Office spokeswoman did not offer additional comment beyond the announcement issued this week. The original 29-page, 12-count lawsuit, which had been filed in state Superior Court in Bergen County in early April, accuses school officials of conspiring to cover up illegal or inappropriate behavior on the part of school officials, including allegations that coaches shared pornographic images, watched wrestlers strip naked, and sent inappropriate text messages to student-athletes. In addition, that civil lawsuit alleges that officials at Bergen Catholic High and the Newark Archdiocese tried to protect the wrestling coaches from "criminal detection" in a "conspiracy to endanger children." The wrestling program at Bergen Catholic was ranked No. 2 in the nation by InterMat at the end of the 2017-18 season. The Crusaders won the most individual titles at the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Wrestling Championships earlier this year, with three. They have won 12 individual titles in the last four years.

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Former University of Iowa student-athlete Alex Kanellis has been named strength and conditioning coach of the Hawkeye wrestling program, Iowa head coach Tom Brands announced Thursday. Kanellis was a Hawkeye football letterwinner in 2005 and 2006, and graduated from the University of Iowa in 2009. He earned a master of arts degree in exercise science and health promotion from California University of Pennsylvania in 2015, and has served as the head strength coach at Regina High School in Iowa City since 2010. "I am truly humbled and excited about the opportunity to work with Tom Brands and the Iowa wrestling team," Kanellis said. "It is an emotional time for me. Leaving my position at Regina is extremely difficult, but this is a dream job and a huge opportunity. My focus now is entirely on exceeding the high standards of the Hawkeye program. I take the responsibility seriously and I'm ready to get to work." "We identified an individual that understands and appreciates the value this position adds to our program, specifically our wrestlers," said Brands. "Alex is an expert in his field, and he has learned from two men on campus that I respect tremendously, Kirk Ferentz and Chris Doyle. He knows what we need in our room and we're glad he's on our team." Kanellis's master of arts concentration was in performance enhancement and injury prevention. He has eight years experience designing and implementing speed, strength, and conditioning programs. He is certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association, and the National Academy of Sports Medicine. Kanellis replaces Travis Rutt on the Iowa staff. Rutt moved to Minneapolis with his family to pursue other professional opportunities.

OWENSBORO, KY. -- Kentucky Wesleyan College Head Wrestling Coach Chris Freije has named Rob McCabe as the program's first assistant coach. The Panthers will begin their inaugural season this fall. McCabe comes to Wesleyan after stops at Imagine High School in Florida and Pagosa Springs High School in Colorado. Under McCabe's direction, three wrestlers won State Titles along with 11 more placing at in their respective State Tournaments. "Rob's work ethic and character are second to none. When looking at laying the foundation for our program, finding the right fit from a character standpoint is paramount. The values of Coach McCabe and his family are a great fit with Wesleyan, and in Owensboro," commented Freije. The Nucla, Colorado native wrestled at Division II power Adams State of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. In 2005, McCabe earned All-American honors after finishing fourth at 125 pounds. He accomplished the same feat in 2006, again at 125 pounds. "From a wrestling standpoint, you'll be hard pressed to find another coach at the Division II level with the competitive credentials and experience that Rob has. He holds a passion for the sport and a comprehensive knowledge of wrestling, nutrition, and proper training habits that will be a huge asset in driving the vision of Wesleyan wrestling to develop leaders and win NCAA Championships. Our goal is to graduate scholar-athletes and win matches at the highest levels. Rob will play a key role in the wrestling program doing its part to meet those standards and I couldn't be more excited to have the McCabe's join the Panther family." After college McCabe became an assistant coach at his alma mater before moving into the high school ranks. While with the Grizzlies he helped seven wrestlers reach the National Tournament, carding five All-Americans, including one national champion. Stay up to date on all your Panther news by following @KWCpanthers on Twitter and by liking the "Kentucky Wesleyan College Athletics" Facebook page.