InterMat Staff

The University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse may now consider Tate Battani as "the one that got away." The team that got him? Iowa State. Tate BattaniBattani, a two-time Iowa high school state championships medalist, had signed a letter of intent to wrestle at UW-La Crosse in April ... but apparently changed his mind, and has now committed to become an Iowa State Cyclone, according to multiple media reports. Battani, a Ballard High School senior, announced his decision on Twitter: "After further consideration I am proud to announce that I will continue my academic and athletic career at Iowa State University!" With the change, Battani will continue his wrestling career in-state, close to home (Ballard High is located in Huxley, Iowa, just south of Ames, home to Iowa State) ... and in NCAA Division I. (UW-La Crosse competes in NCAA Division III.) In Battani, the Cyclones are getting a four-time Iowa state championships qualifier and two-time medalist. This past season, he placed third at state at 160 pounds in Class 2A and was named to the Raccoon River All-Conference team as a senior. Battani concluded his prep career with a 48-8 overall record. Battani has also made a name for himself beyond traditional folkstyle. He placed second at the Iowa Junior freestyle state tournament and first in Greco-Roman at 170 pounds. He also won the Junior Freestyle Northern Plains Regional at 170. Battani is expected to wrestle at either 165 or 174 pounds for the Cyclones.

Deron Winn fell to Hayden Zillmer in the finals of the World Team Trials (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine) With one minute left, Deron Winn held a 7-4 lead over Hayden Zillmer in the second match of their best-of-three series at the World Team Trials. Zillmer had won the first match, which meant that Winn would have to hold that lead in order to have any hope of advancing to Final X and facing J'den Cox for a spot on the World Team. Zillmer, a Minnesota native, seemed to feed off his home-state fans in Rochester. He scored with a step out to cut into the lead. He then followed up with a takedown and gut wrench to win the match 9-7. As the clocked ticked down, it was clear that Winn was justifiably worn out. The trials process in freestyle wrestling is seemingly tedious by design. To qualify for the World Team Trials, Winn wrestled five matches and finished fourth at the U.S. Open on April 27-28. He then returned for the World Team Trials three weeks later. In the interim between those events, Winn also made his Bellator MMA debut and won by first-round knockout. Despite packing his schedule with competition, Winn has to be at least somewhat pleased with the results. He earned a win in his big-show MMA debut and earned a spot on the U.S. National Team (top three in the country). To hear him tell it, he was not even sure about going to the Open until the week of the event. Deron Winn battles J'den Cox at the U.S. Open (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) "I almost backed out of the Open and everything, but I actually talked to Coach [Kevin] Jackson on Monday of the week of the Open. He was telling me, 'You know, I think you're going to get a pretty good seed.' I've been there. I've wrestled at the Open six times, and I know how much of a grind it is," Winn said. "I am going to have a bunch of tough guys in a row, and it is going to be a grind. When he said I would get a pretty good seed, I said screw it and I did it." Winn's prediction of a grind proved to be prophetic. At the Open, he won his first three matches before running into Olympic medalist J'den Cox in the semifinals. According to Winn, the two have a history that dates back to their days coming up in Missouri. "Me and J'den kind of have a past, kind of a big brother and little brother past. I actually don't have anything against him. I beat him a couple years ago when he was fresh off his NCAA title, and there was always talk like, who would win?" Winn said. "Obviously, since he had such a great career, I think he is an amazing athlete, I really do, but I like to talk smack. A lot of people know me. I talk smack, but a lot of the time, it is just funny to me. I like messing with guys. I know I get under his skin, because people have told me that he doesn't really like it that much." Tempers flared in the Deron Winn-J'den Cox match at the U.S. Open (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The animosity did not end with talk. With 17 seconds left in the first period, Cox raised up out of his stance and was demonstrably upset about something. While it was unclear at the time, Cox was taking issue with one of Winn's tactics. "I couldn't get through anything he had, so I started digging my thumb into his neck a little bit, not a lot. I've done that 100 times, but I knew I was in his head when he stood up and started freaking out about it. So, you know, I didn't go right back to it, but yeah, I think I get in his head a little bit, which is a good thing," Winn said. "He's a stud, man. I'm going to have to do more than get in his head to beat him." Cox pulled out the match with a 3-0 score. He went on the win the U.S. Open and take a spot in Final X. Winn went on the finish fourth and qualify for the Trials. However, before he could even prepare for that tournament, he had a fight for the second biggest MMA promotion in the world. "I literally got home to Fresno on Sunday night, and then Monday morning I woke up at like 7:30 a.m. and I drove like two and a half hours to San Jose, and I sparred that day with [Daniel Cormier]," Winn said. "Then, I did the last two weeks of camp in San Jose, and I actually fought in San Jose. It was a long time coming, but it was just kind of crazy that it all came together at the same time." Winn signed with Zinkin Entertainment in 2015 with the intention of starting an MMA career following the 2016 Olympics. He made his debut last year and won three fights via first-round knockout. Bellator has been quick to sign wrestlers. The promotion has snatched up several fighters, including Aaron Pico, Joey Davis, Jarod Trice, Romero Cotton, Tyrell Fortune, Tywan Claxton and Ed Ruth, before they have even made their professional MMA debuts. While Zinkin also represents several of these fighters, there was a different plan for Winn. He wanted to fight at middleweight, and his teammates at Dethrone Base Camp, Ruth and Chris Honeycutt, were already competing for Bellator at 185 pounds "The original goal was for me to get to the UFC," Winn said. "With the Bellator guys, Zinkin and them have a really good relationship. We didn't want to sign with Bellator right away, and we were just going to try to get me a few fights to see if I could sign with the UFC or something other than that, but … before I even fought it was super hard for us to get opponents as a high-level wrestler." Winn has developed a close relationship with UFC champion Daniel Cormier over the years. He admittedly models his fighting style after the former Oklahoma State wrestler and considers the man he reflexively calls "DC" to be a big brother figure. On May 19, 2012, Cormier defeated veteran Josh Barnett in the finals of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix. The bout, which took place at an arena then named HP Pavilion, was only Cormier's 10th professional fight. However, in the cage that night, he staked his claim as one of the best heavyweights on the planet. Fast forward to today, and Cormier is the current UFC light heavyweight champion and considered one of the best 205-pound fighters in history. Seven days short of the sixth anniversary of Cormier's victory and in the same arena, now known as the SAP Center, Winn walked to the cage for his first bout in Bellator. He was set to face Ahmed White, who would be making his professional MMA debut. White, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, had also had trouble finding opponents. He had his debut scheduled twice before, but on both occasions, his opponents pulled out. From the start, it was clear that White had the height and reach advantage. He tried to fight on his back foot and threw looping punches from his hip. While White had some limited success with this strategy, it was only a matter of time until Winn caught him with power shots. About halfway through the first round, Winn closed the distance and landed a hard right hook that dropped White. He followed up with punches on the ground. The fight was over. "As the fight went on, I knew that if I just stalked him down ... It is hard to move backwards than forward in a fight. That is just my whole game plan. I am stalking you down. I am cutting you off. Whatever I need to do, feints, fake or grapple, if I need to, and get in and land my big shots, because I have really big power," Winn said. "You watch DC fight, and he's the same way. He comes out kind of relaxed, and a lot of these guys try to fight DC hard by striking a lot in the first round and then they get exhausted, because he is just blocking and walking you down. We are both sturdy. Like [White's] jabs, he connected with them, but they were not hurting me. I was just walking right through them. That's my whole plan, be patient, walk you down, wait until you get tired, smother you, and knock you out." Deron Winn topped Timmy McCall to advance to the finals of the World Team Trials (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine) Despite his budding MMA career, Winn still describes himself as obsessed with wrestling. He speaks of long phone calls with Cormier discussing the sport from the youth level to the Olympics. In the fall, the pair, along with former World Team member Shawn Bunch, will take over coaching duties at Gilroy High School, a program that finished this past season ranked No. 12 in InterMat's Fab 50. Winn is already familiar with the lineup and predicting future success. "Gilroy lost a couple kids, but we still have some studs on the team, and we think with our coaching, our next level coaching, we will really develop some of these kids to the next level," Winn said. "Then in the next few years we have some studs coming up to where we will be top five in the country in high school." Competing at a high level in both MMA and freestyle wrestling certainly seems like a tall order. While the two sports have similarities, they are also distinct. At some point, Winn might need to specialize in one or the other. For at least the immediate future, he will try to balance the life of a wrestler and the life of a fighter. With that being said, it is hard to imagine a world in which Winn strays very far from the world's oldest sport. While he did not make Final X at 92 kilograms, he is quick to analyze the match at his weight. Deron Winn shoots a fireman's carry on Hayden Zillmer at the World Team Trials (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine) "I just think that Zillmer is a stud, he trains hard, and he goes hard, but I just don't think he has the actual skills to beat J'den," Winn said. "To beat J'den you have to go get him, and I don't think Hayden can. No offense to Hayden. J'den is so hard to score on at this point in his career. That's one thing, I almost score on everyone that I wrestle, but I don't think I even sniffed a takedown against him at the Open."

Donavon Macura Cpl. Donavon Macura, a three-time Montana state wrestling championships qualifier who became a Marine, died while on a training run in Japan last week. He was 20. Macura, a 2016 graduate of Glacier High School in Kalispell who enlisted in the United States Marine Corps after graduation, collapsed during a 3-mile training run near the U.S. Military base in Okinawa, Japan, where he was stationed. His family was not aware of any medical conditions that might have led to his collapse, the Daily Inter Lake newspaper reported Wednesday. "He was definitely excited and proud to be a Marine," Ross Dankers, a Glacier teacher and the school's head wrestling coach, told the Flathead Beacon newspaper. Macura had been a member of the Glacier wrestling team for all four years of high school, and was team captain his senior year, where he wrestled at 160 pounds. He qualified for the Montana Class AA state tournament three times. "He had a great perspective on showing compassion and love to teammates," said Dankers. "He would take care of everyone, regardless of who you were, whether you were the best guy or the worst kid or anyone in between." In addition to wrestling for coach Dankers, Macura also served as a teaching assistant to Dankers in the classroom. "He was just kind of an all-around amazing young man, the type of kid that you would want your own son to be," Dankers said. "He stood for what the Marines stands for: doing the right things, working hard, being disciplined, watching out for each other." "I think (people) could tell, even if they didn't know him, what kind of kid he was." "Donavon was an awesome kid, a leader who took care of others around him," Dankers told the Daily Inter Lake. "He was the kind of kid you wanted your son to be. He loved being a Marine and loved being a wrestler 100 percent." Donavon Macura is survived by his parents, Ken and Marcie Macura. Funeral arrangements have not been made public at this time.

Jacob Kasper after pinning Iowa's Sam Stoll at the NCAAs (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) There's a long, rich history of collegiate wrestling champs who have managed to find success in the squared circle. Brock Lesnar. Kurt Angle. Dan Hodge. Verne Gagne. Dick Hutton. Earl McCready. We may be about to add Jacob Kasper to that list. The two-time NCAA All-American heavyweight for Duke University is the subject of a nearly 3,000-word profile by K.C. Joyner and just posted at ESPN.com. Titled "In Search of its Next Star: How the WWE Recruited Duke Wrestler Jacob Kasper", the article provides an inside look at how WWE seeks out new talent for its rosters ... by focusing on Kasper and one of WWE's primary recruiters, Gerry Brisco, who wrestled for Oklahoma State in the mid-1960s and now focuses on wooing amateur mat stars into pro ring careers. Jacob Kasper certainly has a lot going for him in his quest to join the WWE. He's the right size: 6'3", 235 pounds. He has impressive amateur wrestling credentials -- a two-time Ohio high school state championships qualifier from Lexington, Ohio (about halfway between Columbus and Cleveland) who, while at Duke, twice earned NCAA All-American honors in 2017 and 2018, and, as a senior, was crowned champ at the prestigious Southern Scuffle and at the 2018 ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) Championships. What's more, Kasper demonstrates an athleticism that is sometimes missing in collegiate heavyweights. A key element: Kasper hasn't always been a heavyweight. When he was a qualifier for the Ohio high school state championships, he tipped the scales at 170 pounds the first year ... then 182 the next. Kasper spent half of his career at Duke wrestling 184. He's weighed in on the matter on Twitter: "The most exciting (& in large part best) upperweights have been guys that wrestled lighter weights. Consequently they developed all skill sets before becoming heavyweights ..." Then there are the intangibles that could also propel Jacob Kasper into WWE success. For starters, pro wrestling has been a lifetime passion of Kasper's. The Duke big man and his two brothers conducted pro-style matches at home (sometimes involving jumping off the roof of their home) ... and that quest for the pro spotlight hasn't faded. "I always thought it would be awesome to perform at a WrestleMania in front of 90,000 fans and leave an impression on them that would last for the rest of their lives," Kasper told ESPN. For Kasper, a WWE career goes beyond fulfilling a lifelong wish; he's got many of the tools that would serve him well in pro wrestling. As K.C. Joyner wrote in his ESPN feature, "Kasper has the personality, athletic ability, willingness to wield a microphone and a number of other factors that make him a special prospect coming out of college." In a sport where most fans appreciate athletes who "get the job done" with minimal flash, fanfare or drama on the mat -- or in mainstream or social media -- Jacob Kasper stands out from the crowd. Consider his shoes, his t-shirts, even his "colorful" sports jackets and bowties that he is sometimes seen wearing away from competition. And while Kasper generally comes across as being polite and respectful -- "Just trying to make my parents proud" he tweeted a few days ago -- the Duke heavyweight wasn't afraid of being perceived as the bad guy in the lead-up to his semifinals match at the 2017 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships taking on Ohio State's Kyle Snyder, the youngest American Olympic wrestling gold medalist in history. "Kasper called out Snyder by saying he wanted to 'punch him in the mouth' -- in a competitive sense -- and that alone made Kasper take on the heel role in the amateur wrestling community," Joyner wrote in his ESPN profile. It all has captured the attention of the WWE's Gerry Brisco. "In my nearly 50 years in the wrestling business, I have seen only a few wrestlers who have such powerful personalities that when they come into a room, everyone there knows that person has arrived," Brisco told ESPN. "Jacob Kasper has that type of personality, and he reminds me in many ways of a young John Cena." Yep, the same John Cena that has not only found superstardom in the WWE but has now become a fixture on TV and in movies. It's not beyond Jacob Kasper's vision to imagine a similar career path to Cena's. "His drive toward the future also has him thinking of outside-the-box ways he can improve his stock as a WWE recruit," wrote K.C. Joyner for ESPN. "He can already do a standing front flip and back flip, and Kasper is working with a gymnastics trainer to further expand his abilities. On top of all that, Kasper's mental acumen doesn't take a backseat to his physical talents either, with the former premed student touting three-time NCAA Academic All-American honors." The wrestling-to-rasslin' connection -- a long tradition There's a long history of amateur wrestling champions who transferred that talent into the pro wrestling ring that goes back nearly a century. The first NCAA heavyweight champ -- Earl McCready of Oklahoma State, college wrestling's first three-time titlewinner (1928-1930) -- enjoyed a long pro career after leaving Stillwater. Other collegiate titlists -- Iowa's Joe Scarpello, Minnesota's Verne Gagne and Oklahoma State's Dick Hutton in the 1950s, Oklahoma's Dan Hodge and Oklahoma State's Jack Brisco (Gerry Brisco's brother) in the 1960s, and Chris Taylor, Iowa State heavyweight, in the 1970s -- were among those NCAA champs who enjoyed successful careers as pro wrestlers. The tradition continues. Among more recent examples: WWE's Chad Gable (2012 London Olympics Greco-Roman wrestler Chas Betts), as well as Kurt Angle (1996 Olympic gold medalist and two-time NCAA heavyweight champ at Pennsylvania's Clarion University), Brock Lesnar (2000 NCAA heavyweight champ for University of Minnesota), and Jack Swagger (who, as Jake Hager, was an NCAA All-American at University of Oklahoma). These days, the WWE seems to cast a wider net beyond amateur wrestling in terms of looking for the "next big thing" for its pro wrestling rings. Back in February, the WWE announced nearly 40 individuals would be put through the paces at a training camp in Orlando. At least three had amateur wrestling backgrounds: Juan Adams, former Virginia Military Institute heavyweight, now in MMA; Derrick Mehmen, a medalist at the Iowa high school state wrestling championships, now also in MMA; and David Viera, an Oregon high school state champ who concentrated on football at Oregon State.

Returning world champ Daniel "Greg" Kerkvliet is a strong favorite at 110 kilograms (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine) Each year the UWW (formerly FILA) Cadet National Championships serve as a testing ground for the wrestlers that will star during the upcoming season(s) of scholastic wrestling. This weekend's event -- Greco-Roman on Friday with freestyle to follow on Saturday and Sunday -- is no exception to that pattern. Based on the current grade rankings, the No. 1 overall wrestler for junior high, freshmen, and sophomores will be in the field. Also in the field are second-ranked wrestlers for the freshmen, sophomore, and junior groups. Eligibility for this event is for wrestlers that turn 15, 16, or 17 during the 2018 calendar year; these competitors either were Cadets for USA Wrestling events last year, and/or are Cadet-eligible this year. The tournament serves as a qualifying trials event for the Cadet World Championships, which will be held July 2-8 in Zagreb, Croatia -- a date that is significantly earlier than in past years; with that being the case, the championship final will actually be a best-of-three series, though it should additionally be observed that all matches at this tournament are two two-minute periods in length. While the normal consolation prize, a spot in the Pan-American Championships, is not an option -- as those were held this past week -- there are the Youth Olympic Games to be held in mid-October in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The following is a weight-by-weight overview of the freestyle tournament, based on entries available in FloArena as of Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET. A significant item to note is the change in weight classes for the Cadet world level this year. The opening weight jumped up three kilograms to 45, which is a jump of almost seven pounds (up to 99). The second weight is up two kilos to 48, which is equivalent to 105.8 pounds; while the third and fourth weights only jumped up one kilo, to 51/112.4 and 55/121.25 respectively. The fifth weight rose two kilos (about 3.5 pounds) to 60/132.25, as did the sixth and seventh weight classes (now at 65/143.3 and 71/156.5). The significant changes occurred with the back three weight classes at the world tournament. Instead of it being 76, 85, and 100 kilos, the back three weights are 80, 92, and 110 kilos (which are 176.4, 202.8, and 242.5 pounds respectively); the United States will no longer stage an unofficial "heavyweight" weight class. 45 kilograms (99 pounds): An incoming freshman that has won everything under the sun headed into high school, Jordan Williams (Oklahoma) is the probable favorite in this weight grouping. The Cadet folkstyle national champion this spring is ranked third overall among Junior High wrestlers, and was a Roller World of Wrestling triple crown winner this school year. Two of the primary contenders are last year's Cadet National freestyle finalists, Drake Ayala (Fort Dodge, Iowa) and Chance Lamer (Crescent Valley, Ore.). Ayala was runner-up to Williams at Cadet folkstyle this spring, and also was fifth at this tournament last year in the opening 42 kilo weight class; while Lamer was fifth in the 100 pound Cadet folkstyle weight that Williams won, and also was runner-up at 42 kilos in this event last year. Other contenders in this weight include incoming freshman Alex Almeyda (New Jersey), fourth at 42 kilos in this event last year and third in Cadet folk at 100 pounds this spring; Junior folkstyle champion Eli Griffin (Cascia Hall, Okla.); 94 pound Cadet folkstyle champion Maxximus Martinez (California), an incoming freshman and Outstanding Wrestler of the Junior High Super 32 this fall; and Stevo Poulin (Shenendehowa, N.Y.), state champion during his freshman year of high school at 99 pounds. 48 kilograms (105.8): Cole Skinner (Ohio) was the world team representative for the United States last year at the opening 42 kilo weight class. He is ranked No. 22 overall in the Class of 2021, though he missed the vast majority of his high school freshmen season due to the combination of training in the international styles and an eligibility issue associated with his online school filing for bankruptcy. However, the favorite in this weight class is Richard Figueroa (Selma, Calif.), who is ranked No. 6 overall in the Class of 2021; he was runner-up at the Super 32 in the preseason and champion at the Flo Nationals in the post-season, while freestyle exploits in 2017 included a third at 100 pounds in Cadet freestyle and a seventh at 46 kilos in this event last year. Others to watch included Brenden Chaowanapibool (Bonney Lake, Wash.), a two-time state champion at 2016 Junior freestyle All-American; incoming freshman Daniel Wask (New Jersey); state champion Gary Steen (Reynolds, Pa.); state runners-up Jacob Mann (Ladue Horton Watkins, Mo.), third in Cadet folkstyle this spring, and Kyle Rowan (Perry, Ohio), fourth in Cadet freestyle last summer; two-time Cadet freestyle All-American Kase Mauger (Twin Falls, Idaho); and state medalist Sheldon Seymour (Troy, Pa.), third in Cadet freestyle last summer. 51 kilograms (112.4): Super 32 champion Cullan Schriever (Mason City, Iowa), who was a Cadet National freestyle champion at 88 pounds in 2016 enters as the favorite based on the present field; ranked No. 31 overall in the Class of 2020, he also was fourth last year in this tournament at 46 kilos. That said, two-time state placer Matthew Ramos (Lockport, Ill.), a Cadet runner-up last summer at 106 and a placer in this event two years ago, is prime among those to disagree with my first assertion. Two other runners-up from Cadet freestyle last year in Fargo are in the field, Andrew Chambal (Davison, Mich.) and Carter Young (Sand Springs, Okla.); as are returning Cadet freestyle All-Americans Cooper Flynn (McDonogh, Md.), Ryan Miller (Blair Academy, N.J.), and Jakason Burks (Omaha Burke, Neb.). Also in the field are Cadet folkstyle runner-up Nicolar Rivera (Wisconsin), a talented incoming freshman; NHSCA Sophomore Nationals champion Tristan Lujan (Selma, Calif.); Super 32 Challenge placer Nick Babin (Emerson-Park Ridge, N.J.); and No. 12 overall Junior High wrestler Anthony Ferrari (Texas). 55 kilograms (121.25): An absolutely loaded weight class is anchored by two of the four Cadet World team members from last year that are eligible to return this year. Robert Howard (Bergen Catholic) and Julian Tagg (Brecksville) are ranked fifth and seventh respectively in the Class of 2020, and competed in last year's world championships at 54 and 50 kilos, though neither was able to medal. The last time the pair actually wrestled each other in competitive matches was 30 months ago when they split bouts between the Super 32 Junior High tournament and the Tulsa Kickoff Classic. Of interest was that Howard was able to make the world team last year as a first-year Cadet, the only wrestler to do so. It should be noted that no first-year Cadet made the team in 2016. Given this field, it is obviously possible that neither wrestler will be the ultimate representative for the United States in this weight class; while it is also plausible that neither could be in the finals bout. One of the many highlights in the challenge pack is the nation's top overall Junior High wrestler, Ryan Crookham (Pennsylvaia), a high school division Super 32 Challenge champion this year at 113 pounds; last year he placed sixth in this event at 46 kilos. Two additional challengers are also elite 2020 wrestlers: No. 8 Trevor Mastrogiovanni (Blair Academy, N.J.) and Dominick Serrano (Windsor, Colo.). Mastrogiovanni is a two-time Cadet freestyle All-American and placed third in this event last year, his lone loss coming by one in the quarterfinal to Tagg; while Serrano was a Cadet National runner-up in Fargo last summer, and a Flo Nationals champion this spring. Another two challengers are returning Cadet National freestyle champions, Zeke Escalera (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) and Noah Surtin (Edwardsville, Ill.); Escalera was champion at 106 and is No. 9 in the Class of 2021, while Surtin won the 113 title and is No. 50 in the Class of 2019. Other grade level ranked wrestlers include three from the current Junior High group -- No. 4 Jesse Mendez (Indiana), No. 7 Joey Cruz (California), and no. 14 Gavin Brown (Ohio) -- along with two from the Class of 2021 in No. 11 Max Renteria (Buchanan, Calif.) and No. 23 Vincent Zerban (Christian Brothers College, Mo.). Additional notables include Junior folkstyle champion Aaron Nagao (Esperanza, Calif.), 2016 Cadet freestyle All-American Caden McCrary (Woodland, Ga.), along with Cadet freestyle All-Americans Nick Masters (Woodward Academy, Ga.) and Caleb Rathjen (Ankeny, Iowa). 60 kilograms (132.25): No. 9 overall Class of 2020 wrestler Josh Saunders (Christian Brothers College, Mo.) is the favorite based on the present field. The two-time Super 32 Challenge placer was a Cadet National freestyle champion last summer after placing fourth in this event last year at 58 kilos; he also equated himself very well as a first-year Junior in Las Vegas last month. Prime among the challenge pack is the Cadet freestyle runner-up last year to Saunders, Ryan Franco (Clovis North, Calif.), who is ranked No. 8 overall in the Class of 2021. Another notable in the contending group is Phillip Moomey (Kearney, Neb.), third in Cadet freestyle last year and a Cadet Greco-Roman champion. Also among those in consideration is two-time Cadet freestyle All-American Keegan O'Toole (Arrowhead, Wis.), ranked No. 28 in the Class of 2020. Rounding out the ranked contingent in this field is two-time state champion Reid Ballantyne (Stillwater, Minn.), No. 18 overall in the Class of 2021; and Damien Lopez (Illinois), who is No. 13 among Junior High wrestlers). Additional contenders include Cadet freestyle All-Americans Caleb Tanner (Collinsville, Okla.) and Josh Edmond (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.), along with Flo Nationals placer Jordan Hamdan (Hudson, Mich.); Edmond had a couple of significant upset wins last year on the front side of this event, though he did not place, while Hamdan was a Cadet Greco-Roman champion in 2016. 65 kilograms (143.3): The nation's top overall Class of 2021 wrestler Carson Manville is the anchor of this weight class. Last year he was runner-up in this tournament at 58 kilos after upending two-time Fargo Cadet double champion Nick Raimo in the semifinal, and was a Cadet National double champion in Fargo. During the high school season, he picked up wins over Super 32 champions Joey Silva and Ryan Anderson. Four wrestlers stand out as the challenge pack: No. 28 in the Class of 2019 Bryce Andonian (St. Edward, Ohio), No. 29 in the Class of 2019 Kevon Davenport (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.), No. 4 in the Class of 2021 Victor Voinovich (Brecksville, Ohio), and No. 21 in the Class of 2020 Fidel Mayora (Montini Catholic, Ill.). Davenport is a two-time Cadet freestyle All-American and placed fourth in this event last year at 63 kilos, while Mayora beat Davenport last year in the Fargo freestyle final after placing seventh at 63 kilos in this event. Voinovich failed to place in this tournament last year, losing to Davenport on the front side, and then placed third in the Fargo weight below Davenport and Mayora; while Andonian has emerged as a dynamo in the last 4-to-5 months, including a scholastic win over Davenport and a Junior freestyle regional final win over Voinovich. However, those five but scratch the surface of high caliber wrestlers in this weight with four others having a grade level ranking. Aidan Medora (St. John's Military Academy, Wis.) is No. 42 in the Class of 2020 after a Cadet freestyle runner-up finish last summer, Luke Surber (Tuttle, Okla.) is No. 47 in the Class of 2020, Luka Wick (San Marino, Calif.) is No. 21 in the Class of 2021 and a returning Cadet freestyle All-American, while Joseph Martin (California) is No. 5 overall among Junior High wrestlers having finished third in Cadet folkstyle at 152. Four additional wrestlers in this weight class were Cadet freestyle All-Americans last summer in Fargo: Alex Mosconi (Indianapolis Cathedral, Ind.), Cade Devos (Southeast Polk, Iowa), Christian Hudson (Caldwell, Idaho), and Michael Weber (Forsyth, Mont.); Devos was a placer in this event last year, while Weber was runner-up in Fargo freestyle last year. A few other names to eye in this weight are Bryce Hepner (St. Edward, Ohio), Chance McLane (Bozeman, Mont.), and Matt Lee (Evansville Mater Dei, Ind.) 71 kilograms (156.5): Alex Facundo (Davison, Mich.) is an absolute star for having just finished his freshman year of high school. Ranked No. 2 overall in the Class of 2021, he has won Junior and Cadet National folkstyle titles the last two springs, placed fourth at the Super 32 Challenge this past fall, was a Cadet freestyle champion last summer, and beat a two-time state champion to earn state gold as a freshman this winter. However, there is another impact freshman in No. 7 overall Padraic Gallagher (St. Edward, Ohio) that will be among the prime challengers; Gallagher placed at 63 kilos in this tournament last year, and was also a Cadet freestyle All-American in Fargo last summer. Also in this weight are a pair of grade level ranked Class of 2020 wrestlers: No. 25 Aaron Gandara (Cibola, Ariz.) and No. 34 Sonny Santiago (St. John Bosco, Calif.); Gandara was a Cadet National double runner-up last summer in Fargo. Another trio of higher-end rising seniors (Class of 2019) wrestlers were Cadet freestyle All-Americans last summer: state runner-up Trey Munoz (Trabucco Hills, Calif.), three-time state placer Lance Runyon (Southeast Polk, Iowa), along with state champion and Super 32 placer Joshua Otto (Arrowhead, Wis.) Others to watch include Cadet folkstyle runner-up Amado Castellon (Cimarron Memorial, Nev.), Cadet double All-Americans Brett McIntosh (Harrison, Ohio) and Jace Luchau (Selma, Calif.), Junior folkstyle placers Bubba Wilson (Manhattan, Kansas) and Colby Njos (Anoka, Minn.), NHSCA Junior Nationals runner-up Donnell Washington (Portage, Ind.), NHSCA Sophomore Nationals champion Graham Calhoun (Plymouth, Ind.), and three-time state champion James Burks (Omaha Burke, Neb.) 80 kilograms (176.4): In the argument for which weight is the "weight of the tournament", this one with four clear elite wrestlers has a legit case to be made. No. 2 overall Class of 2020 wrestlers Patrick Kennedy (Kasson-Mantorville, Minn.) is the nominal favorite coming into the event having won the Super 32 Challenge and finishing third at this event in the 76 kilo weight class in the last year. Arguably a joint favorite is another placer from the 76 kilo weight class last year, No. 5 overall Class of 2019 wrestler Julian Ramirez (Blair Academy, N.J.); of interest is that both wrestlers took Travis Wittlake to the brink during last year's tournament. Three other top 30 Class of 2019 wrestlers reside in this field: No. 13 Carter Starocci (Erie Cathedral Prep, Pa.), a Cadet National double champion in Fargo and fifth at 69 kilos in this event last year; No. 16 Chris Foca (Bergen Catholic, N.J.), Super 32 runner-up and Greco-Roman runner-up at 76 kilos in this tournament last year; along with No. 30 Darrien Roberts (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), double third in Fargo last summer. Five other wrestlers are grade level ranked in this weight class. Three from the Class of 2020: No. 17 Gerrit Nijenhuis (Canon-McMillan, Pa.), No. 38 Greyden Penner (Liberty, Mo.), and No. 50 Rocky Elam (Staley, Mo.); and a pair from the Class of 2021 in No. 10 Peyton Craft (Blair Academy, N.J.) and No. 14 Kyle Haas (Maize, Kansas). Another pair in this robust -- a description that is putting it mildly -- weight class were Cadet freestyle runners-up last summer, David Key (Brookwood, Ga.) and Jake Logan (New Rochelle, N.Y.); Logan is also a two-time Fargo freestyle All-American and placed at the Super 32 last fall. Two others were Greco-Roman champions and freestyle All-Americans last summer, Abe Assad (Glenbard North, Ill.) and Jonathan Fagen (Fruitland, Idaho). Also meriting attention are state champion Isaiah Alford (Lincoln High, Neb.) and Zach Glazier (Albert Lea, Minn.), Glazier was also a Cadet freestyle All-American last summer. 92 kilograms (202.8): Even with the potential clash of returning world team members at 55 kilos, the showdown here is more anticipated. Part of it is that it is more likely to happen, while the other part is that this pair is just more talented. A.J. Ferrari (Allen, Texas) is the No. 1 overall wrestler in the Class of 2020, while Braxton Amos (Parkersburg South, W.Va.) is No. 3 overall; both wrestlers were also champions at the Walsh Jesuit Ironman during the scholastic season. Ferrari was a Junior folkstyle champion this spring at 195 pounds and a Cadet freestyle champion last summer at 170, picking up wins over Kennedy, Nijenhuius, and Assad along the way; while Amos has twice swept to freestyle and Greco-Roman titles in Fargo (195 in 2016, beat Kerkvliet in freestyle in the first round, and then at 220 last year in his first event back after missing 2016-17 due to injury). A third name to watch in this weight class is Flo Nationals champion Jacob Cardenas (Bergen Catholic, N.J.), ranked No. 27 overall in the Class of 2019. Also in this weight class are five other returning Cadet National double All-Americans from last summer: two-time Cadet folkstyle runner-up Gavin Carter (Topeka-Washburn Rural, Kansas), Cadet freestyle runner-up Matthew Cover (Bay Village, Ohio), state champion and Cadet Greco runner-up Peter Christensen (Montini Catholic, Ill.), two-time Cadet freestyle All-American Santos Cantu (Sprague, Ore.), and Junior folkstyle runner-up Wyatt Hendrickson (Newton, Kansas). Others to watch are incoming freshman Kolby Franklin (Pennsylvania) and two-time state placer Gabe Christenson (Southeast Polk, Iowa) 110 kilograms (242.5): Returning Cadet world freestyle champion Daniel "Greg" Kerkvliet (Simley, Minn.) is ranked No. 2 overall in the Class of 2019. He is also going to be the United States' representative at the UWW Junior World Championships at 97 kilos come mid-September in Trnava, Slovakia. The prime contender for runner-up is Luke Luffman (Urbana, Ill.), who has experience in this type of situation as he was the opponent for Amos in both styles last summer in Fargo; the two-time state champion is ranked No. 43 overall in the Class of 2019 and an Illinois verbal commit. Others in this weight class include state champion Hunter Catka (Sun Valley, Pa.), ranked No. 35 overall in the Class of 2020; two-time state champion Andy Garcia (Pueblo East, Colo.); state champion Josh Heindselman (Piedmont, Okla.); and Louden Haga (Parkersburg South, W.Va.), last year's Cadet freestyle runner-up in Fargo.

GREENWOOD -- Lander Athletics today unveiled a plan to add a men's wrestling program to the athletic department. Lander will become just the fourth NCAA Division II wrestling program in the state and will begin competition during the 2019-20 academic year. "This is thrilling news for Lander as we continue to elevate and grow our athletics program," said athletics director Brian Reese. "Men's wrestling will bring an added element to our overall student-athlete experience and will give us another opportunity to field a progam that can compete at a championship level." Lander will begin the process of seeking the program's first head coach with a national search that will conclude by July 1. Lander University is a four-year, public university located in Greenwood, South Carolina. This NCAA Division II school has an enrollment of approximately 3,000 students.

Dan Youngblood, former wrestling champ and coach at Old Mill High School in Maryland, was killed in a boating accident late Saturday night. He was 51. Youngblood of Severna Park, Md., was piloting his 27-foot fishing boat with two friends when they struck a marker in the Severn River near Annapolis at 30 to 40 miles per hour at about 2 a.m. Sunday. Paramedics declared Youngblood dead at the scene. Dan Youngblood celebrates with his team in 2009A champion wrestler at Old Mill High, Youngblood graduated from the Millersville, Md. school in 1985. According to his LinkedIn page, Youngblood went on to the University of Pittsburgh, where he was a member of the Pitt Panthers wrestling team. He graduated from Pitt in 1989 with a bachelor's degree in Computer & Information Sciences & Support Services. Since 1994 Youngblood ran TechMark Systems -- a point-of-sale solutions provider for the restaurant industry -- in Severna Park, Md. Youngblood later returned to his high school alma mater in 1997 as an assistant wrestling coach. A decade later, Youngblood became Old Mill head wrestling coach, replacing Jim Grimm in 2007. According to the Baltimore Sun, Youngblood had at least one champion wrestler each year. He led the Patriots to win six titles in 2009. The newspaper named him Anne Arundel County wrestling coach of the year in 2008 and All-Metro wrestling coach of the year in 2009. Two distinct elements of Youngblood's coaching personality came through in news reports of his death: toughness ... and being part of a family. Former Capital sportswriter Mike Peters remembers Youngblood as "a good man who raised tough wrestlers." "They were aggressive because he coached that way," Peters told the Baltimore Sun. "His energy was exactly what the kids fed off of when they got onto the mat. They were just solid top to bottom. Every time that team took the mat under Dan, they probably were going to do something special." Some of his wrestlers remember a "second father" who created a family feeling among his athletes. Willie Pumphrey, who wrestled for Youngblood from 2006 to 2009, said the team became family. "He made us bond as close as anybody can bond," Pumphrey said. "It's hard. Everybody's calling and making sure everybody's all right." Nic Box, another wrestling protégé of the former Old Mill coach, posted this message on Daniel Youngblood's Facebook page: "Saddened to learn of the news one of my high school coaches has passed on. His teachings on the mat and successful coaching career can only be eclipsed by the success he had at teaching young boys how to be young men. I know my voice is echoed by others when I say thank you for the lessons on and off the mat, coach." The Saturday night accident that took the life of Dan Youngblood was the fifth boating fatality in Anne Arundel County in 2018. The accident investigation is ongoing. Funeral services have not been made public.

Aaron Cashman recently placed at the Junior World Team Trials (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine) Iowa has added one of the nation's top lightweights to its 2018 recruiting class. On Tuesday, Aaron Cashman, a 2016 Cadet World Team member and InterMat's No. 50 senior recruit, announced his commitment to wrestle for the Hawkeyes. He becomes the third top-100 recruit from the Class of 2018 to commit to Iowa, joining No. 18 Anthony Cassioppi (Hononegah, Ill.) and No. 60 Nelson Brands (Iowa City West, Iowa). The Hawkeys also added transfer Austin DeSanto from Drexel. The class was ranked 13th by InterMat. Cashman, a Minnesota native, spent this past season at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. He competed at three college open tournaments at 125 pounds. In February, Cashman claimed a gold medal at the Flatz Open in Austria, going 4-0. Earlier this month he placed fourth in the Junior World Team Trials challenge tournament. Prior to moving to Colorado for his senior year, Cashman captured a Minnesota state championship as a junior, finishing the season with a 39-1 record. He was a state runner-up as a sophomore and a fourth-place finisher as a freshman.

Truman State University Over the years, wrestling mats have been littered with the remains of far too many college wrestling programs that were unceremoniously eliminated by school presidents and athletic directors, too many times without any clear explanation ... and no real opportunity for wrestlers, coaches and alumni to reverse the decision. In early May, Truman State University administrators announced their Bulldog NCAA Division II wrestling program would be eliminated, effective immediately. Now there is a plan -- a written memorandum of understanding -- put together by school administrators, head wrestling coach Dave Schutter, and wrestling team captain Samuel Reeves, which is described as "a proposal to provide possible funding for the wrestling program." The plan was signed by the participants just last week. Originally, Truman State had planned for its more-than-a-half-century-old wrestling program to shut down at the time of the announcement in early May. Upon receiving word that the school located in northeast Missouri had planned to axe the mat program right away, coach Schutter and his wrestlers requested an opportunity to develop a strategy to compete for one more season, and, also, a strategy for the wrestling program to continue as an intercollegiate sport at Truman State into the future. "To meet these goals, the parties agreed to a fundraising strategy to attempt to secure private funding to pay for the full cost of operating the wrestling program," according to the memorandum of understanding. There are two parts of the plan: 1. A short-term effort to raise funds for one more year of competition this coming season (2018-19); 2. A long-term plan to secure gifts to "an endowed fund in an amount sufficient to fully support the team into an indefinite future." The amount to be raised for Part 1 is $75,000, by October 10, 2018. This amount covers continued operation of the Truman State Bulldog wrestling program, including coach Schutter's salary and benefits for the time period July 1, 2018 through March 31, 2019. (Individuals wishing to make a donation to this fund may do so online.) If Part 1 is successful, then the program moves into Part 2, where those wishing to support Truman State wrestling into the long run can make cash donations into an endowed fund held by the Truman State University Foundation. The wrestling program would be supported by interest generated by the fund, without drawing on the fund's principal. If this effort is not successfully completed by March 10, 2019, the Bulldog wrestling program will be eliminated at that time. "Mike Moyer of the National Wrestling Coaches Association was instrumental in helping us fight for what was absolutely necessary," Dave Schutter, head wrestling coach at Truman State since 1990, told InterMat. "There's no arguing -- Truman State has experienced tough times lately, to be sure," Schutter continued. (At the time of announcing the elimination of the wrestling program, school administrators cited a planned $3.1 million cut in state core appropriations, a reduction on top of a $3.8 million cut in the current year.) "However, wrestling does bring in money and good kids. For instance, our wrestling program has won six Academic titles in NCAA Division II." "Our wrestling alumni support us," added Schutter. "We have been in the top five among alumni giving from sports programs. And, right now, there's a school athletic challenge, a fundraising competition among Truman teams. We're in second place right now. Wrestling has won two out of the past four years." "In terms of academics and other qualities you could want in a student-athlete, Truman State wrestling is very successful. We've graduated a lot of doctors and other professionals over the years." To contribute to the Truman State wrestling fund, click here, then choose "Athletics" and then write "Wrestling" in the notes section..

Lou Rosselli coaching Logan Stieber (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Logan Stieber is reuniting with his former coach Lou Rosselli for his Final X battle on June 16 against fellow Ohio RTC wrestler and current Buckeye Joey McKenna. The Oklahoma RTC made the announcement Tuesday on Twitter. Logan's younger brother Hunter Stieber is on Rosselli's coaching staff at the University of Oklahoma. Stieber, a 2016 world champion and four-time NCAA champion, advanced to Final X at 65 kilograms by defeating Jaydin Eierman at the World Team Trials, avenging a loss from the U.S. Open. Stieber's Final X opponent, McKenna, a two-time All-American, won a U.S. Open title by defeating Eierman.

Devin Skatzka (Photo/Indiana University) Devin Skatzka, a two-time NCAA qualifier for Indiana, announced that he is transferring to Minnesota. Skatzka, a native of Richmond, Mich., finished this past season with a 22-13 record at 174 pounds. He placed eighth at the 2018 Big Ten Championships and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships, where he went 0-2. As a redshirt freshman, Skatzka placed seventh at the Big Ten Championships to qualify for the NCAAs. He becomes the second NCAA qualifier to announce his decision to transfer to Minnesota, joining Sean Russell, a three-time NCAA qualifier and 2017 All-American for Edinboro. Skatzka was a four-time Michigan state champion. He closed out his high school career as the nation's No. 84 senior recruit in the Class of 2015.

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY -- United World Wrestling (UWW) is pleased to announce its collaboration with the United Nations Human Rights Office to support its campaign for the 70th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Born out of two World Wars, the Declaration is just as relevant today as it was on its first day. To highlight what the Declaration means for people in their everyday lives, the UN Human Rights Office launched a yearlong campaign that will culminate on 10 December 2018 - the actual anniversary date of the adoption of the Declaration. As a partner in the Olympic Movement, United World Wrestling is committed to improving its anti-discrimination efforts, advancing gender equality and promoting fair play within the sport of wrestling. UWW's collaboration with the UN Human Rights Office includes a video interview featuring South African wrestler Ms. Madi MPHO as a Human Rights Champion and a joint call from athletes worldwide to support the #standup4humanrights campaign. A "Wrestling for All" open day event will also be organized in South Africa at the end of the year to mark Human Rights Day. "We have made substantial progress towards gender equality and fair play in wrestling," said Nenad LALOVIC, President of United World Wrestling and executive board member of the International Olympic Committee. "Our goal of this collaboration is to demonstrate our determination to continue our effort to enhance the contribution of sport to the sustainable development of society." Follow us on social media for more information on upcoming events. Visit http://www.standup4humanrights.org to learn more about the campaign and how you can get engaged.

Phil Davis (Photo/Bellator) Former Penn State wrestling champ Phil Davis scored a "picture perfect" "highlight reel" finish over Linton Vassell at Bellator 200 at The SSE Arena in London Friday. Those two phrases were among those used in media reports to describe the former Bellator light-heavyweight (205 pound) titleholder's performance in a bout shown Friday on tape delay in the U.S. on the Paramount network. "Davis used his usual methodical attack to slow Vassell through two rounds," according to MMAjunkie.com. "Then, just 65 seconds into the third, he put his opponent away with a vicious right head kick." MMAfighting.com provided this word picture of the end of Davis' Bellator 200 win. "'Mr. Wonderful' caught Vassell with a picture-perfect right high kick that instantly slept the two-time title challenger." Both MMA websites described the 2008 NCAA champ for the Nittany Lions as being slow and methodical in the first two rounds vs. Vassell. However, as MMAjunkie.com described things, "Davis opened the third frame looking for the kill. It didn't take him long. After throwing some hands, he waited for Vassell to miss and threw a perfectly placed head kick. Vassell went face-first into the canvas and the bout was stopped at the 1:05 mark of Round 3." The 33-year-old Davis -- a two-time NCAA All American while at Penn State -- is now 19-4 overall in his pro mixed martial career, and 6-1 as a Bellator fighter ... while Vassell, 34, drops to 18-7 in his MMA career, and 7-4 in Bellator. Davis has chalked up two consecutive wins since losing the light-heavy crown to fellow former college mat star Ryan Bader (an Arizona State alum) ... and is looking to grab that title back. "Whoever steps in this cage has to deal with me," Davis said. "If that don't scare you, if that don't give you the heebie-jeebies, if that don't keep you up at night -- I don't know what will."

In early May, Missouri's Truman State announced the elimination of its wrestling program, effective immediately. However, efforts are in the works to keep the Bulldogs on the mat ... with an online fundraising effort for the 2018-19 season and beyond. To return to the mat next season, Truman State wrestling needs to raise $75,000 by October 10, 2018. Bulldog fans -- as well as fans of college wrestling everywhere -- can help by making an online donation. It's fast and easy. (Simply choose "Athletics" then write "Wrestling" in the Notes section.) And, your gift can help keep Truman State wrestling moving forward, so the Bulldogs can be stronger than ever. NOTE: This one-year plan is just part of the effort to save Truman State wrestling. To learn more about how the school hopes to assure the continued growth of the Bulldog mat program, check out this InterMat feature: http://intermatwrestle.com/articles/20186 Truman State University is a four-year public university in Kirksville, Missouri. It was originally called Northeast Missouri State but was later renamed after Harry Truman, president of the United States long associated with the state of Missouri. Truman State has an enrollment of approximately 6,300 students. The school's sports programs -- including Bulldog wrestling -- compete in NCAA Division II.

FAYETTE, Iowa -- Three seniors and a redshirt sophomore have been selected as the NCAA Division II Regional Wrestlers of the Year presented by the NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches Association. The four NCAA Division II Regional Wrestlers of the Year include 157-pound senior Cody Law from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown for NCAA Super Region One, 174-pound senior Nick Becker from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside 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. The NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches Association Rankings Committee will name the 2018 NCAA Division II Wrestler of the Year on Friday, June 1. The recipient will be the eleventh selection in the award's history. Brief bios and a recap of the quartet's run through the regional and national tournaments can be found below as well as on the document linked above. Cody Law (Photo/Bryan Salvadore) CODY LAW, SR, WINDBER, PA., SUPER REGION ONE, UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT JOHNSTOWN Senior Cody Law posted a 25-1 overall record and a 14-0 dual meet record for the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown this past season. Law earned his second consecutive Super Region I title and the NCAA Division II National Championship at 157 pounds with a 6-3 decision over St. Cloud State's Larry Bomstad. Law was the second-ranked Most Dominant wrestler in NCAA Division II, averaging 4.36 team points per match, while his nine technical falls in 46:53 also ranked second in Division II. In two seasons at Pitt-Johnstown after transferring from Penn State University, Law finished with a 55-2 overall record and a perfect 25-0 mark in dual meets. He earned a spot on the All-PSAC Team two straight years, including winning a conference Championship in 2017. Law also was a two-time All-American with a fourth-place finish in 2017 to go along with his National Championship in 2018. NICK BECKER, SR, HARTFORD, WIS., SUPER REGION TWO - UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-PARKSIDE Nick Becker, a redshirt senior with the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, 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 impact the Ranger wrestling program as the graduate assistant moving forward. JOSH WALKER, SR, TULSA, OKLA., SUPER REGION THREE, UPPER IOWA UNIVERSITY Josh Walker, a senior at Upper Iowa University, made the most of his final run at a national tournament finally reaching the pinnacle of the sport as a senior. The Tulsa, Okla. native put together an impressive 36-6 senior campaign capped off by a Super Region III title and NCAA Division II 133-pound National Championship. Walker was on a mission during the National Championship weekend and did not surrender a single point to his four opponents recording a pair of falls (1:20 and 4:37) and a pair of shutout decisions. Walker defeated George Farmah of Minnesota State University, Mankato in the final 1-0 thanks to an escape in the second period. Walker claimed four All-American honors in his collegiate career including two NJCAA honors and two at the NCAA Division II level with Upper Iowa. DAXTON GORDON, R-SO, EL CENTRO, CALIF., SUPER REGION FOUR, CALIFORNIA BAPTIST UNIVERSITY Daxton Gordon became the third wrestler in California Baptist University history to win an NCAA Division II Championship after taking down St. Cloud State's James Pleski in overtime for the title. The 149-pounder finished the year on a 20-match winning spree -- which ranks fourth-best in CBU history -- and boasted a 25-2 overall record. Of his 25 wins, almost half (10) came by major decision, including a 14-2 major over Division I Bakersfield's Kalani Tonge. After two years with the Lancers, Gordon is now 45-9 overall. He qualified for the NCAA DII Championships as a redshirt freshman, but came one win shy of earning All-American honors.

Services will be held for Frank Vulcano Sr., legendary wrestler, coach, mat official and founder of one of Pennsylvania's most significant amateur wrestling tournaments (now known as the Powerade), who passed away Tuesday afternoon, on his 89th birthday. Visitation will take place this Friday, May 25 from 2-8 p.m. at Sollon Funeral and Cremation Services Ltd., 30 East College Street, Canonsburg, Pa. On Saturday a Mass of Christian Burial will take place at 10:00 a.m. at Our Lady of Miraculous Medal Church, Meadow Lands, Pa. Interment will follow in Forest Lawn Gardens, Peters Township, with full military rites accorded by Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 191 honor guard. Frank Vulcano Sr.In its tribute to Vulcano Sr., the Observer-Reporter newspaper in southeast Pennsylvania described him as "one of the most revered, respected and decorated wrestling icons in Washington County and throughout Pennsylvania." Vulcano's wrestling resume would back up that statement. Born in Penowa, Pa. on May 22, 1929, Vulcano graduated from Chartiers High School in 1947. Vulcano then attended Lock Haven State College (now Lock Haven University), where he was 53-7-1 as a wrestler, securing three PSAC individual championships. After receiving his bachelor's degree from Lock Haven in 1951, Vulcano headed to the University of Pittsburgh, where he earned his Master's degree in 1955. He also served with distinction in the U.S. Marine Corps. Vulcano launched his long and successful coaching career at Scott Township High School, serving from 1953-55. He then became head coach at Chartiers-Houston High, from 1959-65, compiling a career scholastic coaching record of 61-37-1. Vulcano moved up the college ranks, joining the coaching staff at California University of Pennsylvania for two years as an assistant coach, taking the helm in 1968. As coach of the Cal Vulcans, Vulcano coached four PSAC champions, 10 All-Americans and a national champion, Bill DePaoli, also of Chartiers-Houston, in 1977 and 1979. Vulcano compiled a 181-95-4 record through the 1984 season at Cal. If that weren't enough, Vulcano served as a wrestling official for 32 years. In addition, he established the California University Christmas Wrestling Tournament, which evolved into what is now the Powerade Wrestling Tournament. For all these accomplishments, Frank Vulcano Sr., is a member of seven Hall of Fames including the Lock Haven University Wrestling Hall of Fame (1987), Washington-Greene County Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame (1991), the PSAC Hall of Fame, the Southwestern Pennsylvania Wrestling Hall of Fame (1992), the Pennsylvania Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame (1994), the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, Pennsylvania Chapter (2005), and the California University Athletic Hall of Fame (2005). Vulcano is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, and four children, Gerald, Deborah, Frank Jr., James and Patsy. "Frank was a legend in PA," Pennsylvania wrestling historian Tom Elling told InterMat. "His passing is a great loss to all who knew him. His son Frank, Jr. continues his legacy. Jr. is the WPIAL rep on the State Wrestling Steering Committee and runs the Powerade Tournament in Canonsburg, one of the best in the state." The family asks that memorials be made to the Parkinson's Association of Western Pennsylvania and Hospice 365.

Gable Steveson dominated Tanner Hall at the World Team Trials (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine) NEWTON, Iowa -- Incoming freshman, and No. 1 recruit, Gable Steveson has been named the Junior Dan Hodge Trophy winner by WIN magazine, an award given to the nation's top high school wrestler. Steveson is most recently coming off a World Team Trials appearance where he easily qualified for his second straight junior world team, a weight in which he earned an individual and team world championship, earning technical superiority victories on all of his opponents. Steveson also finished third in the senior level of the World Team Trials. During his high school career, Steveson has earned over 200 victories with just three losses, which ties him for the fewest losses by a state of Minnesota wrestler. The Apple Valley native pinned 30 of his 39 opponents during his senior campaign, earning his fourth straight Minnesota state title. Steveson is also leaves the prep scene with a 171-match winning streak. Steveson was also named Metro Wrestler of the Year by the Star Tribune and InterMat High School Wrestler of the Year in 2018. Steveson is set to join the Gophers in the 2018 season. Be sure to follow the Golden Gophers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram so you do not miss any content for the remainder of the summer including U23, Final X and more.

The wrestling world lost a major figure Wednesday with the passing of French wrestler Daniel Robin. The only double Olympic silver medalist, Robin placed in both freestyle and Greco-Roman at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City. He later coached, helped run the French Federation and then began involvement as a technical delegate for FILA and later United World Wrestling. He was the competition manager at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, where he was also inducted into the United World Wrestling Hall of Fame. Robin has a number of accomplishments, but in getting to know him over the past few years it was his passion for the sport and its development that seemed to resonate with his coworkers. Being 74 years old and working around wrestling was certain to be tough on Robin, but he was full of life and went wire-to-wire with the young crew. Like many of you, I've found a few laughs (and possibly frustration) with wrestling's "dinosaurs of the mat" … but it's always important to remember how much they've served the interest of the sport in the past 40, 50 or 60 years. Continuity of tradition relies on figures like Robin and with his passing the sport mourns the loss of some of those untold stories and traditions. Link: Daniel Robin Obituary To your questions … Isaiah Martinez dominated at the U.S. Open and World Team Trials (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine) Q: Isaiah Martinez dominated at both the U.S. Open and World Team Trials. Now it's a big step up in class when he faces Jordan Burroughs at Final X. Do you think Imar vs. JB could be competitive at Final X? -- Mike C. Foley: Jordan Burroughs just beat Frank Chamizo, and while I think that Imar is a contender, he's facing a major uphill battle in taking on arguably the greatest freestyle wrestler in American history. I hope for tough, competitive matches and for Imar to show the brilliance we've all come to know from his NCAA days. One positive note is that Imar will have national team funding and be headed on a variety on international trips in 2018, including the World Championships. That type of exposure will mature his game quickly and give him a better representation of where he stands against the best talent in the world. Q: In two years, a 29-year-old David Taylor and 23-year-old Zahid Valencia could be on a collision course for the 86-kilogram Olympic spot. Will the age difference hurt David, and do you see Zahid potentially taking that spot? -- @RickMathern Foley: Man, you guys really smell blood in the water, huh?! I'm hesitant to get involved with anything Zahid-related after my total whiff on his outlook at the World Team Trials. Guy is a star and within a year or two there is every reason to think he can challenge for the 86-kilogram crown. Is 29 old? It might be older than the mean for all wrestlers who medaled in freestyle at the Olympic Games (27), but for bigger guys the shelf life seems to be extended. Maybe there are fewer challenges, or there is less twisting and turning to wear down the body? I don't know. Either way, I believe that David Taylor is ready now and will be ready for Zahid in 2020. But will Zahid be ready? Probably. Which makes this a compelling matchup. Q: Lots of stoppages this past weekend at the World Team Trials and many complaints that refs were too involved. Do you see that internationally or is that an American ref problem? -- @alliseeis_ Foley: Though any tournament will have a variety of officiating there did seem to be an uptick in the number of people who noticed the stoppages. There are a few reasons this might be the case. First, some officials are less experienced with freestyle and are calling the locked fingers with some gusto, along with finding other match-stopping opportunities to warn for passive wrestling. I tend to think this plays a center roll in the complaints lodged by fans this weekend. However, another reason might be new freestyle fans (or those making the transition from NCAA) who simply aren't familiar with seeing any referee stoppages. Contrast a high-level folkstyle match with the best officials with a massive freestyle tournament with a variety of levels and you are certain to get a difference. The third reason is that the American wrestlers might themselves have been earning a portion of the stoppages with "negative wrestling" which is now often called when one wrestler is seen as blocking action. The best example is locking fingers in freestyle and keeping your elbows in during Greco tie-ups. The international scene has also seen an overall uptick in stoppages, but as wrestlers realize interlocking fingers and other match-stalling techniques will result in penalties, there will likely be less. Q: Frank Molinaro was pretty upset after his World Team Trials final match against Jason Chamberlain. Frank was upset that Jason was just blocking and wasn't creating action at the end of the second period. Does freestyle have a penalty outside the shot clock for under 30 seconds in a match? Should they? -- @Michaeltendolle Foley: Negative wrestling should be called as caution and one point. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Sarah Hildebrandt interview Final X matchups My picks in bold … Lincoln, Neb., June 9 57 kg: Thomas Gilman vs. Daton Fix 70 kg: James Green vs. Jason Chamberlain 74 kg: Jordan Burroughs vs. Isaiah Martinez 97 kg: Kyle Snyder vs. Kyven Gadson 55 kg: Becka Leathers vs. Jacarra Winchester 59 kg: Alli Ragan vs. Jenna Burkert 68 kg: Tamyra Stock vs. Randyll Beltz State College, Pa., June 16 65 kg: Joey McKenna vs. Logan Stieber 79 kg: Kyle Dake vs. Zahid Valencia 86 kg: David Taylor vs. Nick Reenan 62 kg: Kayla Miracle vs. Mallory Velte 72 kg: Erin Clodgo vs. Rachel Watters 76 kg: Adeline Gray vs. Korinahe Bullock Bethlehem, Pa., June 23 61 kg: Joe Colon vs. Nahshon Garrett 92 kg: J'den Cox vs. Hayden Zillmer 125 kg: Nick Gwiazdowski vs. Adam Coon 50 kg: Whitney Conder vs. Victoria Anthony 53 kg: Sarah Hildebrandt vs. Haley Augello 57 kg: Helen Maroulis vs. Alex Hedrick 65 kg: Julia Salata vs. Forrest Molinari Jake Varner at the U.S. Open (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Q: Jake Varner tested the waters this year at heavyweight. Do you think he will continue competing? -- Mike C. Foley: Maybe. No reason he shouldn't make another run in 2019. However, I don't see him beating Coon or Gwiz in the coming years. Q: With Tim Flynn leaving Edinboro for WVU, all Edinboro's top wrestlers transferring and Bruce Baumgartner leaving the Edinboro athletic department, I'm a little concerned about the program's future. Is Edinboro's program at risk of being dropped? -- Mike C. Foley: I asked around and nobody told me anything concrete, but with these transfers it's obvious that things are not trending well. Let's see how new head coach Matt Hill faces the adversity and if the PSAC schools like Lock Haven can continue their positive trend. Q: What's your current mile time? -- @laughstu Foley: Best ever was 5:15 in college. Today is unknown, but I'm guessing my over/under is 7 minutes flat. Ask Muir. Q: What Final X matchup in women's wrestling intrigues you the most? -- Mike C. Foley: As you know, I'm a big fan of the women's program. There are a few good matchups, including Victoria Anthony and Whitney Conder. For me the can't-miss match will be at 53 kilograms with Sarah Hildebrandt and Haley Augello. Hildebrandt won the Ukraine tournament this year as well as the Pan American Championships. She took third at Klippan. Augello was the 2016 Olympian at 48 kilograms as well as the World Team member in 2017. Hildebrandt won their first matchup, but expect a new look Haley, who has been training in North Carolina with Tony Ramos and Coleman Scott. Soslan Ramonov celebrates with Russian fans after winning Olympic gold in Rio (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Q: Any word on Soslan Ramonov for this cycle? How have the Belarus women taken such great strides recently? -- @bloodround Foley: Ramonov just wrestled 70 kilograms at the World Military Games and came away with a gold medal. When asked about the weight, the Russian Olympic champion said he was looking forward to the weight changes being reversed. That won't happen, so the question really becomes where he will work to put himself into the Russian lineup. His best bet may be to go up to 74 kilograms since it's only an extra 4 kilograms off his normal weight and would allow him to add strength and stay healthy. Interesting if Ramonov chose to stay down since the same day weigh-in would seem to help him more than almost any wrestler in the world. As for the Belarussians, they've always been pretty well-coached, but I think that they saw a budget increase during the last Olympic cycle because they are suddenly at every camp and competition. With the 2019 European Games set for Minsk the government is no doubt pouring money into the sports where the host nation is successful. Let's see if they show up for the China Open and Mongolia Open next month.

Girls within the state of Arizona will now have their own wrestling tournaments, including a separate state championship, effective this next school year. The Executive Board of the Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) -- the organization which governs high school sports in Arizona -- has approved girls' wrestling as an emerging sport for the 2018-19 school year. "Girls may continue to compete on a boys' team but will also have opportunities to wrestle at all-girl invitationals/jamborees," according to the AIA announcement. "There will be an end-of-season individual tournament run in conjunction with the boys' state wrestling tournament; weight classes to be determined at a later date." "This is a positive move for the AIA and for all the female wrestlers throughout the state. It's another opportunity for student-athletes to compete, which will also help the sport grow," said AIA Executive Director David Hines. "Girls wrestling is also becoming an emerging sport at the NCAA level, which means there will be scholarship opportunities." According to the National Federation of High Schools, 343 girls participated in high school wrestling in Arizona in 2016-17, with 93 schools claiming at least one female wrestler. Nationwide, opportunities for young women to wrestle are expanding at both the high school and collegiate levels. In fact, Arizona joins a growing list of states that will offer separate wrestling competition for high school girls. In recent weeks, Missouri, Colorado, Georgia and Oregon had all announced the sanctioning of girls wrestling within their states as of the 2018-19 school year. Twenty years ago, Hawaii was the first to add separate girls' competitions to their roster of official high school sports. In subsequent years, the Aloha State was joined by Alaska, California, Texas and Washington as offering girls wrestling at the high school level.

South Dakota State University wrestling coach Damion Hahn announced Thursday the hiring of Cam Simaz as an assistant coach. Cam Simaz"I am thrilled to have Cam Simaz join the Jackrabbit wrestling coaching staff," Hahn said. "I had the pleasure of coaching Cam during his successful collegiate career at Cornell and am keenly aware of his work ethic and leadership abilities. He possesses the qualities that fit the vision of the program and I know he will make an immediate impact." Simaz (pronounced CY-mazz) most recently served as director of the West Point Wrestling Club Regional Training Center and associate head coach of the United States Military Academy Preparatory School wrestling team. His USMAPS team completed an undefeated dual season during the 2017-18 campaign and won three open tournament titles. Three of his wrestlers went on to earn All-America honors at the National Collegiate Open. Prior to his position at West Point, Simaz coached for two years with the Wildcat Wrestling Club in Evanston, Illinois, while also pursuing a business career in Chicago. He also gained coaching experience with the Finger Lakes Wrestling Club in Ithaca, New York, by serving as a regional training center coach. "Cam has been very influential in the development of student-athletes at West Point and at his prior positions," Hahn continued. "His experience with the Regional Training Center will greatly benefit our efforts of growing our RTC here at South Dakota State University." As a collegiate wrestler, Simaz earned All-America honors four times at Cornell, including winning a national title at 197 pounds as a senior in 2012 after runner-up finishes the previous two seasons. With Simaz in the lineup, the Big Red finished in the top five at the NCAA Championships all four seasons. A native of Allegan, Michigan, Simaz earned first-team all-Ivy League honors four times, won four Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association individual titles and was a three-time all-academic selection. He was inducted into the EIWA Hall of Fame earlier this year and also is a member of the Michigan Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Cadet world champ Aaron Brooks will look to make an impact at the Junior World Championships (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine) The United States is king right now in men's freestyle wrestling. The U.S. captured the team title at the 2017 World Championships and the 2018 World Cup on the Senior level. And the Americans earned the title at last year's Junior World Championships, edging Russia for the gold trophy. The United States is thriving internationally right now and that trend is continuing this season. The U.S. Junior World Team turned in a tremendous performance last summer, collecting medals in seven of eight weight classes en route to the title. Americans Daton Fix, Mark Hall and Gable Steveson won Junior world titles, Zahid Valencia, Mitch McKee and Ryan Deakin earned silver medals and Kollin Moore a bronze medal for the loaded American team. It was a star-studded group. Fix, Steveson and Valencia have all tested the waters at the Senior level this season. Fix and Valencia have reached the Final X and are one step away from qualifying for October's Senior World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Steveson came up short in his bid to reach the Final X, but he still showed why he is a star of the future of the U.S. He is right there with the best Senior-level guys in the country. The good news is that Steveson, who just finished high school and signed with the University of Minnesota, is back on the Junior World Team again this year at heavyweight. Gable Steveson is a three-time world champion (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine) Steveson is a tremendous young prospect with a huge upside at the collegiate and international levels. He is very advanced for his age. He also is a two-time Cadet world champion who obviously knows how to perform when the stakes are high. He will be heavily favored to repeat as gold medalist at Junior Worlds. Fix could still wrestle at the Junior World Championships. He is eligible to request a wrestle-off against Junior World Team Trials champion Brandon Courtney for the Junior World Team spot at 57 kilograms. Fix earned that right as a returning Junior world medalist and top-three finisher at the U.S. Senior Open. That wrestle-off would be after the Final X. For now, Steveson is the lone medalist back on the Junior World Team. But that doesn't mean the U.S. can't still make a big impact at September's Junior World Championships in Slovakia. Making a Junior world freestyle team in the U.S. is never easy and this year's squad looks capable of turning in a strong performance. There are now 10 weight classes instead of eight for the Junior World Championships. The U.S. team includes Austin Gomez (61 kilograms), Dominick Demas (65 kilograms), Brady Berge (70 kilograms), Mekhi Lewis (74 kilograms), Aaron Brooks (79 kilograms), Lou DePrez (86 kilograms), Jacob Warner (92 kilograms), Daniel (Greg) Kerkvliet (97 kilograms) and Steveson (125 kilograms). Courtney or Fix will be the entry at 57 kilograms. Brooks is a Cadet world champion who has the capability to be one of the next big standouts for the thriving U.S. program. Brooks is another guy who is extremely advanced for his age. He has made significant strides while training at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Warner, coming off a redshirt year at the University of Iowa, definitely looks like a guy who could contend for a gold medal. Warner won a Cadet world bronze medal in 2016. He's a tough, hard-nosed, driven wrestler who can put a lot of points on the board. Warner will make a big impact on the collegiate scene next season. Another young star on the Junior World Team is Kerkvliet, who powered to a Cadet world championship last year in Athens, Greece. Kerkvliet rolled past the competition at the Junior World Team Trials. Austin Gomez topped Vitali Arujau to make the Juniro World Team (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine) Gomez, who redshirted at Iowa State, is another wrestler who could be a medal contender in Slovakia. Gomez is a past Cadet World Team member. He swept 2016 Cadet world silver medalist Vitali Arujau in the best-of-three series in the finals of the Junior World Team Trials. Gomez is an aggressive wrestler who scored a combined 26 points in his two finals bouts. Demas is another talented young wrestler. He made the Junior World Team in Greco-Roman last year. He is a versatile and athletic performer who was dominant at the Junior World Team Trials. The U.S. features another young standout at 70 kilograms in Berge, a past Cadet World Team member. Competing for the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club, Berge outlasted Austin O'Connor in a wild and entertaining three-match finals series at the Trials. Berge has the potential to do well at his first Junior Worlds. Lewis, who redshirted at Virginia Tech this past season, also was dominant at the Junior World Team Trials in a tough weight class. Lewis is new to freestyle and has developed with training with Hokies assistant coach Jared Frayer, a 2012 Olympian. DePrez looked strong as well with an impressive showing that landed him a trip to Slovakia. This U.S. Junior World Team may not have quite as much firepower as last year's team. It would take an outstanding performance to match what the 2017 squad did. Last year's team was loaded, but it had its share of surprises as well. This year's team definitely has the firepower, talent and the potential to win its share of matches and medals at the Junior World Championships. The Junior Worlds traditionally feature an abundance of high-level wrestling and has traditionally set the stage for future successes on the Senior level. Craig Sesker has written about wrestling for more than three decades. He's covered three Olympic Games and is a two-time national wrestling writer of the year.

Cody Brewer EVANSTON, Ill. -- After helping lead 125-pounder Sebastian Rivera to his first-career All-American honor, Cody Brewer has been promoted to assistant coach, head coach Matt Storniolo announced Wednesday. Brewer had spent the previous two seasons as the volunteer assistant coach for the Wildcats, working primarily with the lightweight wrestlers. "Cody has done a phenomenal job the past two seasons and has more than earned than earned this promotion," said Storniolo. "His devotion to Northwestern and our student-athletes is second-to-none. Cody is already one of the nation's best lightweight coaches, and in this new position he will make an immediate impact in recruiting." In Rivera's sterling 2017-18 campaign, he finished with a 31-8 record, sixth-place finish at the NCAA Championships, and a fifth-place finish at the Big Ten Championships. He led the Wildcats with five technical falls and 12 major decisions. Brewer also helped hone 133-pounder Colin Valdiviez, who had a promising true first-year season for Northwestern in the 2017-18 campaign. Valdiviez reached the NCAA Championships and posted two ranked wins in Cleveland, Ohio, including one over No. 13 Korbin Myers (Edinboro). Brewer, who was a 2015 National Champion with Oklahoma, replaces Mike McMullan on the Northwestern coaching staff, who has left coaching. At Oklahoma, Brewer was a two-time Big 12 Champion and a two-time All-Big 12 Academic First Team member. He was a conference finalist in each of his four years and finished his career with a 95-22 record. Sixty-eight of those wins came by bonus-point decision.

Greg Urbas There's a changing of the guard at the top of one of the nation's top high school wrestling programs, as St. Edward High School has announced the retirement of head coach Greg Urbas ... with John Heffernan to take the helm, the Cleveland-area school announced Wednesday. "Greg Urbas is a man of incredible character, integrity and wisdom," said Jim Kubacki, St. Edward President. "He is the model for generations of students for living a life rooted in faith, genuine relationships, and a commitment to service. It is a privilege to have Coach Urbas as a colleague. He is a true servant leader. The excellence he has achieved speaks for itself." The stats back up that sentiment. In his 29 years as the head wrestling coach at St. Edward, Urbas has been one of the most decorated and most successful scholastic coaches in the United States in any sport. He has coached 76 individual Ohio state champions, and is able to claim at least one NCAA All-American wrestler in each of the past 35 years. In terms of team accomplishments under Urbas' guidance… St. Edward teams won 4 national championships, 24 state championships, 25 district championships and 29 sectional championships. In March, St. Edward won its fourth straight Division I team title -- and the seventh in nine years -- at the Ohio high school state wrestling championships in Columbus. It was the 32nd team championship for the Eagles, a feat no other school in Ohio can claim. St. Edward just concluded the 2017-18 season ranked No. 8 in high schools nationwide by InterMat, with three individual St. Ed wrestlers also earning spots in weight-by-weight rankings. John Heffernan (Photo/Sam Janicki) Taking the helm upon Urbas' retirement will be his long-time assistant, John Heffernan. A 1984 graduate of St. Edward, Heffernan completed his career as an Eagle with an Ohio individual wrestling state championship as a senior year. Heffernan then headed west on I-80 to the University of Iowa, where he was a two-time NCAA All-American wrestler for the Hawkeyes. He has been an assistant coach at St. Edward since 1991 and was recently named the 2017-2018 Scholastic Assistant Coach of the Year by the National Wrestling Coaches Association. "John is the heart and soul of St. Ed's Wrestling," said Urbas. "As head coach, he will ensure that our student-athletes continue to compete at the highest levels and represent the best of St. Edward High School." Urbas, who in addition to coaching wrestling has also taught math, will continue to serve as a math tutor and assist the wrestling program in various ways. Here's how the school hinted at Urbas' future role with St. Ed on its Twitter account midday Wednesday: "Coach Urbas is and always will continue to be a big part of the St Ed's program. Not a better leader or role model. Thank you Coach for everything you do and will continue to do for St Ed's." St. Edward High School is private, all-male Catholic, college-prep high school located in Lakewood, Ohio immediately west of Cleveland. It was founded in 1949 and is operated in the Holy Cross tradition by the Midwest Province of the Brothers of Holy Cross, Notre Dame, Indiana. It has an enrollment of approximately 1,000 students.

OTTAWA, Kan. -- Ottawa University Director of Athletics, Arabie Conner, is pleased to announce the hiring of Colby Crank as the new head men's wrestling coach. "We believe Coach Crank is an outstanding addition to the Braves wrestling program given his history of success in wrestling and his contagious enthusiasm," said Connor. "He is a Kansas native who has strong ties to the wrestling community both as a competitor and now as a coach. He is highly relatable to student-athletes and we expect his positive energy will create a great student experience and bring much success to our program as we continue to build it." Colby CrankBefore coming to OU, Crank was an assistant coach with the men's wrestling program at Barton Community College in Great Bend, Kan. He made a quick and immediate impact as he helped the Cougars improve from a ranking of 24th to a final ranking of 9th in the NJCAA National Rankings. Additionally, he helped lead the Cougars to a top five finish at national duals, coached nine national qualifiers and three NJCAA All-Americans, including no. 1 Kade Sander in the 157 pound weight class. Sander was the first national champion in BCC program history. Prior to coaching at BCC, Crank was an assistant coach at Baker University in Baldwin City, Kan. Crank helped the Wildcats to a top four finish at national duals, coached six NAIA national qualifiers and two NAIA All-Americans. "I would like to thank Ottawa University and the administration for believing in my vision for the program and allowing me to come on board," said Crank. "Wrestling has been a huge part of my life since I was five years old, and to be able to stay involved in this sport, especially in this capacity, means the world to me. Through my time in the sport, I have met many incredible individuals who have helped mold me, and I look forward to carrying that torch in helping these young men on their journeys, both on and off the mat. Coaching is something I am truly passionate about and through the University's support and belief I know we can build something very special. I am excited to get to work!" A highly accomplished wrestler, Crank was a four-time NAIA All-American and a two time national finalist. In his collegiate career, Crank had more than 100 wins and was named to the NWCA All-Academic Team four-times. He was a three-time NAIA All-American at Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kan., where he was the first NAIA men's wrestling All-American and national finalist in program history. Crank attended Baker University his senior season and was a 2016 NAIA National Champion in the 157 pound weight class. He defeated No. 2 ranked Grant Henderson of Grand View University in the national championship match with a 4-3 decision. Crank was named KWCA Senior College Wrestler of the Year. He graduated from Baker University with a double major in business management and psychology and was a four-time academic All-American and two-time academic national finalist. Crank is a native of Hutchinson, Kan., where he was a three-time Kansas State Tournament wrestling medal winner. Twice, he was a finalist at the state tournament and won the state championship as a senior. He begins his coaching duties immediately.

Cody Walters (Photo/Chris Mora, Tech-Fall.com) West Virginia University wrestling has added Cody Walters as a volunteer assistant coach, and Amanda Mitchell as a graduate assistant, the Morgantown, W.Va. school announced this week. The Mountaineer mat program announced Walters' hiring on Twitter Tuesday: "Cody Walters comes to West Virginia following a two-year assistant position at Gardner-Webb. He was a 3X MAC Champion, 4X NCAA Qualifier and 2X All-American at Ohio University. AND NOW, let's give a big Mountaineer welcome to our new volunteer assistant! #HailWV" Walters confirmed the news with a follow-up tweet of his own later that morning: "I'm very excited to officially announce that I've accepted the volunteer coaching position at West Virginia University. I am grateful for my time at Gardner-Webb University, I wish the Bulldogs nothing but the best! Big things are coming in Morgantown, WV. Go Mountaineers!!" For the past two seasons, Walters had served as an assistant coach for the wrestling program at Gardner-Webb University, a four-year NCAA Division I school located in Boiling Springs, N.C. Prior to launching his coaching career at GWU, Walters wrestled at Ohio University in Athens, where he was a three-time Mid-American Conference champion at 174 pounds and was named MAC Freshman of the year in 2013. A four-time NCAA Division I qualifier for the Ohio Bobcats, Walters twice earned NCAA All-American honors, placing eighth at 174 at the 2013 NCAAs, and seventh at the 2016 NCAAs. While with the Bobcats, Walters also served as a clinician at a number of high school and collegiate summer wrestling camps as well. Cody Walters first made a name for himself on the wrestling mats at St. Peter Chanel High School in suburban Cleveland. It was there that Walters won the Ohio Division III high school state title at 160 pounds in 2011, compiling an impressive overall record of 171-21. Amanda Mitchell also has deep roots in wrestling, as part of a wrestling family ... as a competitor ... and in her being a member of the wrestling staff at Central Michigan University. Amanda MitchellA native of Michigan, Mitchell told Ken Kinder of BlueGoldNews.com, "I grew up in a wrestling family. My dad was the coach and program coordinator of wrestling clubs in Ovid-Elsie, and I spent all my time there at those practices. My first steps came on a wrestling mat." All that time in the wrestling room led Mitchell to take up the oldest and greatest sport herself, participating in youth leagues growing up. Amanda Mitchell's passion for wrestling continued in college as a student at Central Michigan University, a Mid-American Conference school in Mt Pleasant, Mich. Working with head coach Tom Borrelli, Mitchell compiled statistics on Chippewa wrestlers and recruits as well as helping to organize and market CMU summer wrestling camps. In addition, Mitchell has completed internships with USA Wrestling and with the Laingsburg High School athletic department. In addition to serving similar functions for the Mountaineer mat program effective June 1, Mitchell will be pursuing her Master's degree in sport administration. Cody Walters and Amanda Mitchell are the latest additions to the new-look West Virginia wrestling program, started with the hiring of Tim Flynn -- long-time head coach at Edinboro University in Pennsylvania -- to head up the Mountaineer mat program on April 10 ... followed one week later with Flynn's announcement of his selection of Cliff Moore as assistant head coach, and Mitchell Port as assistant coach.