InterMat Staff

Lars Jensen (far right) has been affiliated with San Francisco State for four decades (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Lars Jensen, who has been affiliated with San Francisco State University as a wrestler and coach for four decades, is no longer at the helm of the Gator wrestling program, the long-time head coach at the NCAA Division II program confirmed to InterMat Monday afternoon. "The athletic director Charles Guthrie and Vice President for Advancement Robert Nava came into my office for my evaluation," said Jensen. "They basically said, 'We're opening up the position and you're welcome to apply.'" "I handed them my resume and qualifications, and said I wanted to re-apply for the job." The job opening for head wrestling coach at SFSU has been posted at an NCAA jobs website, and Jensen's bio was deleted from the official coaches' listing at the official Gators wrestling website for the 2017-18 season. The current coaches' page only provides a link to the bio for Isaiah Jimenez, listed as "wrestling coach." When contacted by InterMat last Friday for confirmation of Jensen's dismissal, Charles Guthrie issued the following statement via email: "SFSU has nothing to report. If something changes -- we'll let you know." "I am very embarrassed for the school," said Jensen, who first came to San Francisco State as a wrestler in 1977, having transferred after two years of wrestling at College of San Mateo, then, after serving as an assistant coach, was promoted to head coach at the beginning of the 1983-84 season. "Only one other coach who was here three years ago is still here." When asked if opening up his position might be SFSU administrators' first step to axing wrestling, Jensen replied, "The school has assured me that this is not a prelude to the elimination of the program here." (That said, at another point in the interview, Jensen disclosed that the school had tried to drop the program back in 1994, "but that lasted less than eight hours.") Jensen is heartened by the support he has received in recent days. "There's been a tremendous outpouring of support from fans, alumni and the wrestling community," said Jensen. "Many -- especially among our wrestling alumni -- are upset." "I want to be sure to thank all my athletes and assistant coaches who I've had the honor to work with over the years," Jensen added. "I have been blessed by the quality of the individuals I've worked with in this position." Lars Jensen ranks as one of the longest-serving college wrestling coaches in the nation. During his time at the helm, Jensen became the only coach in any sport to bring a national title to SFSU (in 1997). In more than 33 years as head coach, Jensen could claim ten NCAA Division II individual champions and 62 NCAA All-Americans. In addition to on-the-mat success, Jensen coached 65 wrestlers to All-Academic honors. Jensen has been enshrined in at least a half-dozen halls of fame, including the NCAA Division II Wrestling Hall of Fame, the California Wrestling Hall of Fame, and the San Francisco State University Athletics Hall of Fame. Founded in 1899, San Francisco State has a total enrollment of 39,000 students. Wrestling is one of a dozen intercollegiate sports competing in NCAA Division II.

Kerry Regner MILLERSVILLE, Pa. -- Millersville University Director of Athletics Miles Gallagher has announced Kerry Regner as the Marauders' new wrestling coach. Regner, the 10th coach in the program's 70 years, comes to Millersville after leading the Williams Baptist College program since 2014. "Coach Regner was an accomplished wrestler, and now as a coach, he has shown the ability to get the best out of his student-athletes and build a successful team," said Gallagher. "He is going to bring leadership and a new direction to our wrestling program. We are excited for him to get started." Regner, a two-time American Midwest Conference Coach of the Year, built the NAIA affiliated Williams Baptist program from the ground up and seemingly overnight turned it into a nationally-relevant team. Not only did his teams win back-to-back American Midwest Conference titles in 2015-16 and 2016-17, but in just three seasons, he developed 23 national qualifiers, six All-Americans and a 2016 national champion. In 2016-17 his club reached a No. 3 national ranking -- the highest of any team in the history of Williams Baptist Athletics. That team went on to finish fourth at the NAIA Championships. In all three seasons his teams finished in the NAIA's top 25. "I am honored to be selected as the next head wrestling coach at Millersville University," said Regner. "I would like to express my appreciation to Miles Gallagher and the search committee for giving me this opportunity. It is a privilege to lead a program with a history such as Millersville. I look forward to assisting each student-athlete to develop as leaders of quality character on and off the mat. My family and I are excited to call Millersville home." Regner is no stranger to the wrestling landscape of Pennsylvania. After graduating from Northern Michigan in 2010 and a run as a wrestler at the Olympic level of Greco-Roman wrestling, Regner became the varsity and junior high wrestling coach at Beaver High School in Western Pennsylvania. He inherited a roster of five wrestlers and quickly recruited students and broke the school record for dual meet wins and regional qualifiers. He then landed a role as the graduate assistant coach at Division I Clarion University where he coached four national qualifiers and an All-American, directed summer camps and assisted in recruiting a top-10 recruiting class according to FloWrestling. As a wrestler, Regner was a resident of the United States Olympic Education Center in Marquette, Mich., from 2003-10. He also trained in Boise, Idaho, and at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., before retiring from competitive wrestling. He was a member of the U.S. Senior National Team at 60 kilograms in 2007-08 and competed in the 66 kilograms weight class at the 2010 University World Championships. He was a four-time placewinner at the U.S. Open and placed at tournaments in Cuba, France, Sweden, Finland and Russia. Regner received bachelor's degree in communication studies from Northern Michigan and a master's degree in mass media and journalism from Clarion in 2014. He, his wife Sarah and son Jack plan to reside in Millersville.

Randy Lewis, 1984 Olympic champion and two-time NCAA wrestling champion for Iowa, goes "On the Mat" on Wednesday, June 7. Born on June 7, 1959, Lewis celebrates his 58th birthday on the show. "On the Mat" is a presentation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. The show can be heard live on the Internet at 1650thefan.com or locally in Northeast Iowa this Wednesday at 5 p.m. Central on AM 1650, The Fan. A podcast of the show is available on mattalkonline.com. E-mail dgmstaff@nwhof.org with any questions or comments.

Ohio State's Kyle Snyder, Penn State's Cael Sanderson and Zain Retherford, Minnesota prep star Gable Steveson and Trackwrestling.com's Andy Hamilton each earned honors in the WIN (Wrestling Insider Newsmagazine) 2017 Awards issue published June 1. Snyder collected the Mike Chapman Impact Award -- named for wrestling historian/writer Mike Chapman -- for all his on-the-mat accomplishments in his young career. The 21-year-old compiled a perfect 179-0 high school record and state titles in his native Maryland, garnered two NCAA titles as an Ohio State heavyweight, and captured gold medals at the 2015 Worlds and 2016 Olympics. Sanderson earned the Dan Gable Coach of the Year honor for the third time in the past seven years. In 2017, Sanderson led his Nittany Lions to a second straight NCAA team championship and sixth title in the past seven years. What's more, five of his wrestlers left St. Louis with individual championships; four were underclassmen. Retherford earned the Schalles Award as the nation's top collegiate pinner for a second straight year, scoring 17 falls this past season. This honor is named for past prolific pinner Wade Schalles of Clarion State (Pennsylvania) in the early 1970s. (Immediately after winning the 149-pound title at the 2017 NCAAs, Retherford won the WIN Magazine/Culture House Dan Hodge Trophy as most dominant college wrestler of the year ... as well as InterMat's Wrestler of the Year for the second consecutive year.) Winning the Junior Schalles Award as the top high school pinner in the nation was Gable Steveson. The three-time Minnesota state champion from Apple Valley High School and a two-time Cadet World freestyle champion pinned 33 of his 35 opponents victims in an undefeated high school heavyweight season. Gable Steveson will be wrestling at the University of Minnesota. Andy Hamilton of Trackwrestling.com was named WIN's Journalist of the Year. The long-time wrestling writer, who has covered the sport for 19 years, was awarded the same honor in 2011 as a writer for the Des Moines Register.

Jeremy Spates coach at the NCAAs (Photo/SIU Edwardsville Sports Information) #RestoreTheGlory. That hashtag -- featured prominently at the official website and in social media promoting the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville's wrestling program -- has been a driving force propelling the Cougars to recent accomplishments that build upon past successes. Now that trajectory may continue climbing, thanks to last week's announcement that SIUE wrestling will be moving from the Southern Conference to the Mid-American Conference as an affiliate member, effective in the 2018-19 season. Jeremy Spates, head wrestling coach at SIUE since July 2013, sees a number of potential benefits for his Cougars as they transition to the MAC, with recruiting being first of the items the Cougar coach mentioned in an interview with InterMat. "The move to the MAC will ultimately help our recruiting efforts," Spates said. "First, when you're talking about the conference tournament, we'll have the opportunity for more qualifiers for the NCAAs," according to Spates. The numbers back up the coach's claim: the MAC ranked third in terms of the number of the wrestlers it sent to the 2017 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, behind the Big Ten and Big 12. By welcoming SIUE, the MAC will become even bigger -- and presumably, have even more of an impact at the NCAAs -- with a total of nine wrestling programs. Six are from full MAC membership schools: Buffalo, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Northern Illinois and Ohio… while three are affiliate members: Missouri, Old Dominion, and now, SIUE. Over the years, the Mid-American Conference has grown not just in terms of number of member schools, but also in its geographical reach, expanding beyond its original "Great Lakes states" roots to include schools in Missouri, Virginia and New York state. And that means an even larger geographical pool from which to draw top high school mat talent. "We're going into a conference with schools located in strong wrestling states -- Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Missouri, to name a few," Spates added. "We'll be wrestling in front of more kids in states where there's greater numbers of talented wrestlers. That will help us attract different kids to look at us and consider wrestling for us." "We're already in a strong wrestling area, here in the St. Louis area," said Spates. "We have tended to concentrate on recruiting wrestlers from Missouri and Illinois in the past. However, we already have wrestlers from a number of other states such as Michigan, and think being in the MAC will help widen that net and make us even more attractive to potential recruits." "What's more, the move to the MAC is good publicity for our program." Spates then shared some results from the 2016-17 season that demonstrate that the Cougars are indeed succeeding in their efforts to #RestoreTheGlory. SIUE wrestling had its highest placement in the Southern Conference championships, with three Cougars qualifying for the NCAAs… then placed 29th in the team standings at the 2017 NCAA championships, the program's highest since becoming a Division I program in 1987. And, the Edwardsville school could claim its first NCAA All-American in its 30 years of D1 competition: Jake Residori, who placed eighth at 174 pounds. "Our program was a power in Division II in the past," said Spates. "Now, our efforts to get stronger in Division I are paying off." "When I got here four years ago, sometimes we'd encounter kids who really didn't know who we were," said Spates, who had previously been an assistant at Cornell University in upstate New York. "Last year, I coached Team Illinois at Fargo, and saw kids with SIUE shirts. The awareness is growing." When asked about the process of moving from the Southern Conference to the Mid-American Conference, Spates said, "There's been talk for years about us going to the MAC. However, the first really serious discussions started right after the 2017 NCAAs." "All that said, I must make clear that we're very grateful for our time in the Southern Conference," Spates added. What does SIUE offer for a high school wrestler looking to continue in the sport in college? "I think recruits will immediately be attracted to the school, once they see the campus and meet the people," Spates told InterMat. "SIUE is strong in a number of academic programs, including engineering and business. We have corporate partnerships with major St. Louis-area companies such as Boeing." "Edwardsville is a beautiful town. And we're just 30 minutes from downtown St. Louis." "What's more, we have great facilities for wrestling. For example, we've just expanded our weight room." The move to the MAC looks like a good move for SIUE wrestling continue on its quest to #RestoreTheGlory.

Nasser Givehchi, silver medalist for Iran at the 1952 Olympics, has died, United World Wrestling announced May 31. He was 84. Nasser GivehchiGivehchi died May 15 after a long illness in his home in Tehran, according to Iran Press TV. At age 19, Givehchi placed second in featherweight freestyle competition at 63 kilograms/138.5 pounds at the 1952 Summer Games in Helsinki, Finland, losing to Turkey's Bayram Sit in the gold-medal match. The bronze medal was awarded to Josiah Henson of the United States. Four years later, Givehchi wrestled for Iran at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, placing sixth in the same weight class. In 1958, Givehchi won a gold medal at the Asian Games in Tokyo. After concluding his wrestling career, Givehchi moved into coaching, serving as the head coach of Iran's national Greco-Roman wrestling teams. He was also an international wrestling referee.

Funeral services have been announced for Jim "Bongo" Bayly, long-time wrestling coach, broadcaster and all-around supporter of the sport, who lost his battle with cancer on June 1. Jim "Bongo" Bayly Visitation will take place Tuesday, June 6 starting at 4 p.m. at Saint Joseph's Catholic Church at 1723 South 17th Street in Omaha, followed by a vigil at 7 p.m. at the church. The funeral will be at St. Joseph's on Wednesday, June 7 at 11 a.m. with a luncheon to follow. Bayly led a life devoted to wrestling. He wrestled at Omaha South High School for Iowa State mat alum Beau Haizlip and assistant coach at the time, Mike Denney. It was Denney who encouraged Bayly to continue his athletic and academic career at Southern Utah State University, where Denney's former college coach, Joe Lopour, headed up the program. After graduating with a degree in Physical Education, Bayly started his coaching career at SUU as an assistant. Bayly returned to his native Nebraska to take on coaching assignments at Boys Town outside Omaha, where he coached for 31 years. He also worked with Denney to establish the Kaufman/Brand Open, which grew to become the largest wrestling tournament in the nation. More recently, Bayly had worked for the Omaha Public Schools. Jim Bayly demonstrated talents beyond teaching, coaching and school administration. He served as an announcer for a number of major wrestling events, including the Nebraska State High School Wrestling Tournament and the State Dual Meet Tournament. In addition, he was instrumental in putting together the award-winning wrestling yearbooks for the University of Nebraska-Omaha and at Maryville University in St. Louis. Here's how Mike Denney, best known as the legendary wrestling coach first at the now-defunct NCAA Division II championship program at UNO, then at Maryville, paid tribute to Bayly, his friend of nearly a half-century, on Facebook: "It was a privilege, pleasure and honor for Bonnie and me to spend time with my friend, my side kick, my running mate, my pal, my partner for 48 years Jim "Bongo" Bayly and his family, his wife Joyce, sons Jimmy and Jeremy, and daughters Sheila and Stacy. Many other family members and friends were there also. He is battling cancer. Coach Jim 'Bongo' Bayly has been a loyal and dedicated friend to me, Bonnie, our family, our Wrestling Families at the "other university" and Maryville University. He has been a coach, mentor and friend to hundreds of athletes, coaches and anyone else who knew him He has been a gift to his family, our family, to our wrestling family, and to me. When you can never repay someone for their loyalty, dedication and commitment sometimes the best you can do is say, 'thank you, thank you, thank you.' Coach Jim 'Bongo' Bayly, you have found the good fight. You have finished the race. You have kept the faith. Well done, good and faithful servant. We love you." Kelley Jordan, who first came to know Bayly in 1974, wrote the following on Facebook: "(Bayly) loved coaching wrestling and mentoring struggling youth with his sage advice and counsel. Like two other sport greats, George Steinbrenner and Al Davis, Bongo was born on the Fourth of July. He had so many friends and his smile would light up a room. We both married up and both ended up with four children. "Bongo believed in service. He believed in sharing, and that was the word that seemed to get the emphasis, the sharing that had characterized this man as he reached out to so many others in so many ways. Bongo will best be remembered as a teacher. He was always teaching. He taught by example, he taught by coaching and he taught by individual counsel." Jim Bayly has been enshrined in a number of sports halls of fame, including the Maryville Kaufman/Brand Hall of Fame, the Maverick Wrestling Hall of Fame, Omaha South High School Hall of Fame, and the Nebraska Wrestling Hall of Fame.

AKRON, Ohio -- Sunkist Kids wrestler Robbie Mathers lit up the Stile Athletic Field House on Sunday morning, taking down three of the NCAA's toughest competitors in less than three hours to win the 2017 University Nationals title at 65 kg/143 lbs. as well as the tournament's Outstanding Wrestler award. To start his morning, Mathers secured a quick technical fall over two-time NCAA champion for Oklahoma State and No. 1 seed Dean Heil (Brunswick, Ohio/Cowboy WC), 11-0. With the momentum, Mathers notched a first-period tech fall against two-time All-American for Iowa State Earl Hall (Ames, Iowa/Cyclone RTC) to earn a spot in the finals. There, he faced University of Minnesota's Tommy Thorn (Minneapolis, Minn./Minnesota Storm). Mathers controlled the match, scoring within the first 20 seconds. From that point, he held onto the lead and won the bout, 13-4, just shy of a tech fall. Read complete story on TheMat.com ... Finals results 57 kg/125 lbs. - Luke Welch (Newburgh, Ind./Boilermaker RTC) dec. David Terao (Washington, DC/DCAC), 8-4 61 kg/134 lbs. - John Erneste (Kansas City, Mo./Missouri Wrestling Foundation) dec. Taylor LaMont (Mapleton, Utah/Sunkist Kids WC), 2-1 65 kg/143 lbs. - Robbie Mathers (Phoenix, Ariz./Sunkist Kids WC) dec. Tommy Thorn (Minneapolis, Minn./Minnesota Storm), 13-4 70 kg/156 lbs. - Brandon Sorensen (Cedar Falls, Iowa/Univ. of Iowa) dec. Grant LaMont (Mapleton, Utah/Wolverine WC), 4-0 74 kg/163 lbs. - Chance Marsteller (Fawn Grove, Pa./Mat Town USA) tech. fall Connor Flynn (Dardenne Prairie, Mo./Missouri Wrestling Foundation), 10-0 80 kg/176 lbs. - Jordan Kutler (Sparta, N.J./Lehigh WC) dec. Jacobe Smith (Muskogee, Okla./Cowboy WC/Titan Mercury WC), 10-5 86 kg/189 lbs. - Myles Martin (Penns Grove, N.J./Titan Mercury WC/Ohio RTC) dec. Pete Renda (Raleigh, N.C./Wolfpack WC), 4-2 97 kg/213 lbs. - Jeric Kasunic (Washington, DC/DCAC) dec. Danny Chaid (Raleigh, N.C./Tar Heel WC), 8-7 125 kg/275 lbs. - Garrett Ryan (Phoenix, Ariz./NYRTC) tech. fall Michael Hughes (Hempstead, N.Y./Blue and Gold RTC), 14-4 Medal matches 57 kg/125 lbs. 3rd – Gary Harding, Stillwater, OK (OKST/Cowboy Wrestling Club) tech. fall Sean Russell, Edinboro, PA (Edinboro Regional Training Center), 15-5 5th – Ethan Lizak Minneapolis, MN (Minnesota Storm) won by forfeit Skyler Petry Minneapolis, MN (Minnesota Storm) 7th – Austin Miller, Lock Haven, PA (Mat Town USA) dec. Kyle Norstrem, Blacksburg, VA (SERTC-VT), 12-8 61 kg/134 lbs. 3rd – Markus Simmons, Ames, IA (C-RTC) dec. Jake Rubio, Norman, OK (Sooner Wrestling Club), 5-5 5th – Ian Parker Ames, IA (C-RTC) won by forfeit Johnni Dijulius (Titan Mercury Wrestling Club) 7th – Nathan Boston, Buies Creek, NC (Campbell) won by forfeit Daniel Deshazer, Minneapolis, MN (Minnesota Storm) 65 kg/143 lbs. 3rd – Brock Zacherl, Mayport, PA (Clarion RTC) tech. fall Earl Hall, Ames, IA (C-RTC), 10-0 5th – Collin Purinton, Lincoln, NE (Nebraska Wrestling Training Center) tech. fall Nicholas Zanetta (Pittsborgh WC), 14-4 7th – Matt Findlay, Orem, UT (Wolverine Wrestling Club) tech fall Chad Red, Lincoln, NE (Nebraska Wrestling Training Center), 12-1 70 kg/154 lbs. 3rd – Mitch Finesilver, Englewood, CO (Blue Blood Wrestling Club) dec. Troy Heilmann, Chapel Hill, NC (Tar Heel Wrestling Club), 8-5 5th – Max Thomsen, Cedar Falls, IA (Panther Wrestling Club RTC) tech fall Cole Erickson (Coe College), 10-0 7th – Paul Fox, Stanford, CA (Stanford - California RTC) tech fall Jason Tsirtsis, Tempe, AZ (Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club), 10-1 74 kg/163 lbs. 3rd – Joseph Lavallee, Columbia, MO (Missouri Wrestling Foundation) dec. Ian Brown, (Lehigh Valley WC), 12-5 5th – Josh Shields, Tempe, AZ (Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club) won by forfeit Cole Walter (Lehigh Valley WC) 7th – Markus Scheidel (NYC RTC) won by forfeit Jacen Petersen, Tempe, AZ (ASU Wrestling) 80 kg/176 lbs. 3rd – Daniel Lewis, Columbia, MO (Missouri Wrestling Foundation) tech. fall Devin Skatzka, Bloomington, IN (Hoosier Wrestling Club), 13-2 5th – Kimball Bastian, Orem, UT (Wolverine Wrestling Club) NC Nick Becker (Grizzly WC) 7th – Chad Walsh (Broncs Wrestling Club) won by forfeit Kaleb Young, Iowa City, IA (University of Iowa) 86 kg/189 lbs. 3rd – Ryan Preisch (Lehigh Valley WC) tech. fall Keegan Moore (CWC/TMWC), 16-6 5th – Ricky Robertson, Madison, WI (University of Wisconsin) tech fall Dakota Geer, Edinboro, PA (Edinboro Regional Training Center), 10-0 7th – Alexander Deciantis, Mars, PA (Drexel) dec. Jacob Holschlag, Cedar Falls, IA (Panther Wrestling Club RTC), 10-2 97 kg/213 lbs. 3rd – Benjamin Darmstadt, Ithaca, NY (New York RTC) fall Morgan Smith, Lynnwood, WA (Pin City), 1:23 5th – Bobby Steveson, Minneapolis, MN (Minnesota Storm) dec. Anthony Mclaughlin (USAF Academy), 2-1 7th – Tom Sleigh, DuBois, PA (Buffalo Valley RTC) dec. Jonathan Aiello (UVA), 6-4 125 kg/275 lbs. 3rd – Tanner Hall, Tempe, AZ (Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club) dec. Cory Daniels, Chapel Hill, NC (Tar Heel Wrestling Club), 10-2 5th – Malik Mcdonald, Raleigh, NC (Wolfpack Wrestling Club) fall Michael Boykin, Raleigh, NC (Wolfpack Wrestling Club), 2:06 7th – Rylee Streifel, Minneapolis, MN (Minnesota Storm) tech fall Andrew Dunn, Blacksburg, VA (SERTC-VT), 10-0

AKRON, Ohio -- World team spots were earned at the UWW Cadet Freestyle Nationals on Sunday morning. Ten of the nation's elite wrestlers won their respective weight classes in the tournament held on the campus of the University of Akron. Contestants in this tournament range from those still finishing junior high to those graduating in the Class of 2018. Athletes born in 2000, 2001, and 2002 are age eligible. Champions in this tournament qualify for the Cadet World Tournament to be held from September 4-10 in Athens, Greece. Both wrestlers who won Cadet World freestyle last year, and competed in this year's event, again earned spots on the team. Kurt McHenry (St. Paul's, Md.), a gold medalist last year at 42 kilos, dominated his way to the title at 46 kilos with six technical falls from six bouts. All his matches ended in the first period, with only Dylan Ragusin (Montini Catholic, Ill.) even able to score points during a 13-2 semifinal victory. Ranked No. 13 overall in the Class of 2019, McHenry had a rematch of last year's championship series that went to a third match against Jeremiah Reno (Liberty, Mo.), a Cadet National freestyle champion at 94 pounds last year and ranked No. 16 overall in the Class of 2020. This year's championship series was a pair of technical falls that lasted a combined 1:55. Key in each match was the ability to transition from a takedown into multiple gut-wrenches. Travis Wittlake (Marshfield, Ore.), ranked No. 3 overall in the Class of 2018, will get the chance to improve upon last year's bronze medal finish at 76 kilos. However, the path was not easy, nor were most of the matches along the way. After a pair of shutout technical falls in a combined 89 seconds, Wittlake needed a takedown with about 30 seconds left in the bout to upend Julian Ramirez (Blair Academy, N.J.) in a quarterfinal bout that went back-and-forth; Ramirez is ranked as the No. 6 overall wrestler in the Class of 2019. The semifinal against Patrick Kennedy (Kasson-Mantorville, Minn.) was no easier, as Wittlake came away with a 4-3 victory against the No. 8 overall wrestler in the Class of 2020. The championship series for Wittlake was a pair of matches against fellow Cadet Nationals double champion Aaron Brooks (North Hagerstown, Md.), who is ranked No. 49 in the Class of 2018. The first match was a 4-2 victory for Wittlake, in which he scored a takedown during each period. Then, in the last match, Wittlake showed his true colors steamrolling to a 10-0 technical fall in 1:18; an opening takedown with a pair of gut-wrenches was followed by two more takedowns. However, the tournament's Outstanding Wrestler award went to Jacori Teemer (Long Beach, N.Y.), the No. 27 overall Class of 2018 wrestler. Teemer absolutely dominated fellow Cadet National freestyle champion Sammy Sasso (Nazareth, Pa.) in the 63 kilos championship series, Sasso being ranked No. 7 among 2018 wrestlers. It was comprehensive in all positions and aspects, a 12-2 technical fall in 2:13 followed by a 12-1 technical fall in 2:55. Those matches were the fifth and sixth technical fall victory for Teemer in the tournament. Two other Class of 2018 wrestlers earned their way onto the Cadet World Team on Sunday morning, No. 26 Will Lewan (Montini Catholic, Ill.) at 69 kilos and No. 17 Gavin Hoffman (Montoursville, Pa.) at 85 kilos. It was double titles for Lewan, as he won the championship on Friday afternoon in Greco-Roman in this weight class as well. Lewan was a decisive winner in both matches against Peyton Robb (Owatonna, Minn.), the No. 43 overall wrestler in the 2018 class, coming home with 9-5 and 9-4 victories. He also had wins over wrestlers finishing fourth and fifth place in this tournament, 5-0 in the semifinal over Jared Franek (West Fargo, N.D.) and 8-6 over Carter Starocci (Erie Cathedral Prep, Pa.); there also was a 12-2 quarterfinal victory over No. 36 overall Class of 2019 wrestler Sam Dover (St. Edward, Ohio). Hoffman was decisive in his championship series matches over two-time Cadet National freestyle champion Ryan Karoly (Malvern Prep, Pa.), the No. 25 overall wrestler in the Class of 2018. The key sequence in the opening match came with Hoffman leading 2-1. What was originally called a takedown Karoly and reversal Hoffman to level the match at 3-3, was reversed via replay challenge to takedown only Hoffman; a subsequent takedown and push out would make it 7-1 after one period, with a second period push out making it an 8-1 final score. The second match was tight through one period with Hoffman leading just 1-0 on a pushout. A takedown, two pushouts, and another takedown in the second period for Hoffman yielded the 7-0 final score. The other three matches for Hoffman in the tournament were decided by technical fall; the semifinal match by 13-2 score over No. 45 overall Class of 2019 wrestler Devin Winston (Park Hill, Mo.), and the quarterfinal by 11-0 score over last year's Cadet National double runner-up Tyler Barnes (Ballston Spa, N.Y.) Another pair of champions came from the Class of 2019, No. 10 Jordan Decatur (CVCA, Ohio) at 58 kilos and No. 4 Daniel Kerkvliet (Simley, Minn.) at 100 kilos. Decatur was runner-up in this tournament last year at 54 kilos, and also won Cadet National freestyle titles the last two summers in Fargo. His championship series was a pair of competitive - but dominant - victories over Carson Manville (Shakopee, Minn.), the nation's top junior high wrestler. Decatur led 4-1 after one period in the opening bout, then while leading 6-2 scored a takedown to really open up the bout, where two subsequent gut wrenches ended the match in 3:40 by a 12-2 technical fall. The second bout was 6-2 Decatur after a period, with Manville having shrunk the gap to 6-4 halfway through the second period. Then, Decatur shot in a double that ended in a launch situation that led to a pin coming at the 3:20 mark. Manville had advanced to the final with wins over two-time Cadet National double champion Nick Raimo (Hanover Park, N.J.), the nation's No. 2 Class of 2019 wrestler; and Josh Saunders (Christian Brothers College, Mo.), the nation's No. 4 Class of 2020 prospect. Decatur's path to the final involved five technical falls from five bouts, the most notable being against Andrew Alirez (Greeley Central, Colo.), 12-2 in the quarterfinal against the No. 9 Class of 2019 wrestler. Kerkvliet blew his way through the competition with four technical falls on the way to the final, only yielding two points, those coming in his opening match. The championship series was a pair of 10-0 technical fall victories over Jace Punke (Washington, Ill.), each of those coming midway through the second period. Another pair of champions came from elite wrestlers in the Class of 2020. No. 9 Julian Tagg (Brecksville, Ohio) won the 50 kilos title, while No. 6 Robert Howard (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) was champion at 54 kilos. Tagg, a Cadet National freestyle champion last summer, started his tournament with a trio of 10-0 technical fall victories. In his quarterfinal match against Trevor Mastrogiovanni (Blair Academy, N.J.), it was the No. 10 overall Class of 2020 wrestler Mastrogiovanni jumping out to a 7-0 lead before Tagg would rally back with a takedown, a takedown and turn, and then a last takedown to get an 8-7 lead late in the bout that would stand up. The semifinal against Jacob Cardani (Champaign Central, Ill.) was a tighter than expected 8-7 victory. Then, the championship series came against Isaac Salas (St. John Bosco, Calif.), the No. 9 overall junior high wrestler. While the scoreline will show a pair of decisive victories, the matches were more tightly contested. The first of which was a 7-0 victory, the second of which came by a 10-2 score, a match in which Salas scored the first takedown before Tagg countered with five takedowns in turn. Howard had the least dominant tournament of any champion, though it started with a 10-0 technical fall. His next match was a 3-0 round of 16 victory over eventual eighth place finisher Kyle Gollhofer (Woodland, Ga.). The quarterfinal was an absolute barn-burner against Brody Teske (Fort Dodge, Iowa), the No. 30 overall Class of 2018 wrestler and a Cadet freestyle runner-up last year. Howard took a 6-0 lead early, then it was Teske rallying for an 8-7 lead lead before Howard got the last second takedown to earn a 9-8 victory. Howard then beat last year's 50 kilos world team member Aaron Cashman (Shakopee, Minn.), the No. 46 overall Class of 2018 wrestler, by a 6-0 decision in the semifinal. The championship series came against Chris Cannon (Blair Academy, N.J.), the No. 15 overall wrestler in the Class of 2019. The opening match of the series was an 8-3 victory, which was aided by a sequence in the second period that was scored 4-1 in favor of Howard when it could have went another way. The second match was a 6-4 victory for Howard decided by a key four-point throw midway through the second period, Cannon had a potential throw at the end of the match to win it, but time was out. Rounding out this year's Cadet World Team is Cole Skinner (Ohio), the No. 14 overall junior high wrestler, who beat out No. 10 junior high wrestler Chance Lamer (Oregon) for the 42 kilos spot. Skinner won by 10-0 technical fall in 3:57 and then 7-2. The last of the tournament's champions was state placer Jordan Earnest (Wadsworth, Ohio), who won the 125 kilos weight class, one that is not contested at Cadet Worlds. Final Results 42 kg/92 lbs. Cole Skinner (G2 World WA) tech. fall Chance Lamer (Orange Crush WC), 10-0 Cole Skinner (G2 World WA) dec. Chance Lamer (Orange Crush WC), 7-2 Skinner wins series 2-0 Placement Matches 3rd - Jett Strickenberger (Sons of Thunder) tech. fall Alex Almeyda (Edge), 10-0 5th - Drake Ayala (Sebolt WA) tech. fall Blake Noonan (Team Donahoe), 12-2 7th - Laz Maldonado (Sons of Thunder) tech. fall Tommy Curran (Gomez WA), 10-0 46 kg/101 lbs. Kurt McHenry (Ranger WC) tech. fall Jeremiah Reno (Victory), 11-0 Kurt McHenry (Ranger WC) tech. fall Jeremiah Reno (Victory), 10-0 McHenry wins series 2-0 Placement Matches 3rd - Dylan Ragusin (Izzy Style) dec. Cullan Schriever (Sebolt WA), 6-0 5th - Yusief Little (Team Aggression) forfeit Ryan Crookham (Weaver Elite) 7th - Richard Figueroa (Team Selma) tech. fall Cooper Flynn (Holland Trained), 12-1 50 kg/110 lbs. Julian Tagg (Seasons) dec. Isaac Salas (Sunkist Kids/Monster Garage), 7-0 Julian Tagg (Seasons) dec. Isaac Salas (Sunkist Kids/Monster Garage), 10-2 Tagg wins series 2-0 Placement Matches 3rd - Trevor Mastrogiovanni (Blairstown WC) dec. Greg Diakomihalis (FLWC), 3-2 5th - Justin Cardani (Centennial) forfeit Noah Surtin (Quest) 7th - Hunter Lewis (Wisconsin) fall Steele Dias (Nevada), 3:33 54 kg/119 lbs. Robert Howard (Bitetto Trained) dec. Chris Cannon (Blairstown WC), 8-3 Robert Howard (Bitetto Trained) dec. Chris Cannon (Blairstown WC), 6-4 Howard wins series 2-0 Placement Matches 3rd - Brody Teske (Team Valley) dec. Jakob Camacho (Iowa Style WC), 10-4 5th - Gabriel Tagg (Seasons) forfeit Aaron Cashman (Pinnacle) 7th - Joseph Heilmann (South Plainfield) dec. Kyle Gollhofer (Georgia), 6-2 58 kg/127 lbs. Jordan Decatur (Seasons) tech. fall Carson Manville (Shakopee Mat Club), 12-2 Jordan Decatur (Seasons) fall Carson Manville (Shakopee Mat Club), 3:40 Decatur wins series 2-0 Placement Matches 3rd - Jesse Vasquez (Sunkist Kids) dec. Joshua Saunders (Sunkist Kids/Monster Garage), 8-2 5th - Atilano Escobar (Olympus/LWC) forfeit Nicholas Raimo (Apex) 7th - Beau Bartlett (Sunkist Kids/Monster Garage) dec. Ryan Moore (ETC), 10-2 63 kg/138 lbs. Jacori Teemer (Long Beach) tech. fall Sammy Sasso (Dark Knights), 12-2 Jacori Teemer (Long Beach) tech. fall Sammy Sasso (Dark Knights), 12-1 Teemer wins series 2-0 Placement Matches 3rd - Jason Kraisser (Maryland) dec. Kevon Davenport (Shamrock Select), 5-3 5th - Kasper Mcintosh (Portage WC) dec. Cade Devos (Iron Rams), 6-0 7th - Fidel Mayora (Izzy Style) tech. fall Padriac Gallacher (TWFOC), 10-0 69 kg/152 lbs. Will Lewan (Izzy Style) dec. Peyton Robb (Pinnacle), 9-5 Will Lewan (Izzy Style) dec. Peyton Robb (Pinnacle), 9-4 Lewan wins series 2-0 Placement Matches 3rd - Connor Brady (Ohio RTC) dec. Jared Franek (West Fargo), 11-3 5th - Carter Starocci (Bad Karma) dec. Tyler Dow (Wisconsin), 4-1 7th - Justin Mccoy (Young Guns) dec. Nevan Snodgrass (Ohio), 13-8 76 kg/167 lbs. Travis Wittlake Jr. (Team Bucs) dec. Aaron Brooks (Hagerstown), 4-2 Travis Wittlake Jr. (Team Bucs) tech. fall Aaron Brooks (Hagerstown), 10-0 Wittlake Jr. wins series 2-0 Placement Matches 3rd - Patrick Kennedy (Minnesota Storm) tech. fall Jeremiah Kent (MOWesst), 10-0 5th - Michael O'Malley (Apex) fall Carson Kharchla (Team Miron), 1:15 7th - Julian Ramirez (Blairstown WC) forfeit Grant Cuomo (Iowa Style WC) 85 kg/187 lbs. Gavin Hoffman (Bison Legend) dec. Ryan Karoly (Malvern WC), 8-1 Gavin Hoffman (Bison Legend) dec. Ryan Karoly (Malvern WC), 7-0 Hoffman wins series 2-0 Placement Matches 3rd - Joel Shapiro (Ubasa WA) dec. Lucas Davidson (Chesterton WC), 8-0 5th - Devin Winston (Greater Heights) tech. fall Tyler Barnes (Journeymen), 12-2 7th - Hunter Dejong (MWCWA) fall Cristian Knop (Ironclad WC), 0:42 100 kg/220 lbs. Daniel Kerkvliet (Pinnacle) tech. fall Jace Punke (OS/WN), 10-0 Daniel Kerkvliet (Pinnacle) tech. fall Jace Punke (OS/WN), 10-0 Kerkvliet wins series 2-0 Placement Matches 3rd - Luke Luffman (OS/WN) dec. Tyler Curd (MOWest), 8-0 5th - Tyler Stein (Ohio) forfeit Kyle Lightner (Fortify WC) 7th - Jacob Somali (Askren WA) fall Jake Cook (Journeymen), 1:35 125 kg/275 lbs. 1st - Jordan Earnest (Wadsworth) dec. Jack Delgarbino (Green Machine WC), 8-1 3rd - Eli Pokorney (Chesterton WC) fall Guy Snow (Eastern Iowa WC), 2:49 5th - Jayvon Davidson (Eclipse) fall Enutifa Gamia (Easter Iowa WC), 0:33

AKRON, Ohio -- Greco-Roman prodigies Cohlton Schultz and Malik Johnson are heading back to the Cadet World Championships after knockout performances at the UWW Cadet Nationals held at the Louis and Freda Stile Athletic Field House on the campus of the University of Akron on Friday. Schultz made quick work of his 100 kg/220 lbs. finals opponent Tyler Curd, in what was the most-anticipated championship series of the afternoon. Schultz, a two-time USAW Cadet Nationals champion, punished Curd from the top position, piling on the turns to win the best-of-three series in two-straight bouts by scores of 9-0 and 8-0. The Colorado native Schultz qualified for his second-straight Cadet World Team in the Greco-Roman style. Moreover, Schultz will also represent the U.S. at the Junior World Championships, also in Greco-Roman. "As soon as I get on top I know I can finish matches from there, so that's what I did," said Schultz. "I've just been focusing on my positioning and open up my offense a little bit more…There's room for improvement everywhere, but I'm slowly getting there." Read complete story on TheMat.com … Championship Series Results 42 kg/92 lbs. Kase Mauger (Delchev Trained Academy) tech. fall Joseph Manno (Apex), 10-2 Kase Mauger (Delchev Trained Academy) tech. fall Joseph Manno (Apex), 8-0 Mauger wins series 2-0 46 kg/101 lbs. Parker Decker (Mile High WC) dec. Dylan Ragusin (Izzy Style), 8-4 Dylan Ragusin (Izzy Style) dec. Parker Decker (Mile High WC), 4-2 Dylan Ragusin (Izzy Style) tech. fall Parker Decker (Mile High WC), 8-0 Ragusin wins series 2-1 50 kg/110 lbs. Anthony Molton (Colt Wrestling) fall Lucas Byrd (Ohio), 1:43 Lucas Byrd (Ohio) dec. Anthony Molton (Colt Wrestling), 8-1 Lucas Byrd (Ohio) dec. Anthony Molton (Colt Wrestling), 9-1 54 kg/119 lbs. Ridge Lovett (Team Real Life) tech. fall King Sandoval (Maryland), 12-4 Ridge Lovett (Team Real Life) dec. King Sandoval (Maryland), 6-5 Lovett wins series 2-0 58 kg/127 lbs. Malik Johnson (Team Punishment) dec. Jevon Parrish (KCTC), 10-5 Malik Johnson (Team Punishment) dec. Jevon Parrish (KCTC), 6-5 Johnson wins series 2-0 63 kg/138 lbs. Mason Phillips (Top Notch Training WC) tech. fall Trevor Mansfield (Caveman Wrestling), 10-1 Mason Phillips (Top Notch Training WC) dec. Trevor Mansfield (Caveman Wrestling), 7-2 Phillips wins series 2-0 69 kg/152 lbs. Will Lewan (Izzy Style) tech. fall Mason Reiniche (Baylor), 8-0 Will Lewan (Izzy Style) tech. fall Mason Reiniche (Baylor), 9-1 Lewan wins series 2-0 76 kg/167 lbs. Christopher Foca (RedNose Wrestling School) dec. Jake Hendricks (X Calibur), 15-8 Jake Hendricks (X Calibur) tech. fall Christopher Foca (RedNose Wrestling School), 10-2 Jake Hendricks (X Calibur) fall Christopher Foca (RedNose Wrestling School), 1:17 Hendricks wins series 2-1 85 kg/187 lbs. Peter Christensen (Izzy Style) dec. Ashton Sharp (Greater Heights Wrestling), 7-4 Ashton Sharp (Greater Heights Wrestling) dec. Peter Christensen (Izzy Style), 8-5 Ashton Sharp (Greater Heights Wrestling) dec. Peter Christensen (Izzy Style), 8-4 Sharp wins series 2-1 100 kg/220 lbs. Cohlton Schultz (New York AC) tech. fall Tyler Curd (MOWest), 9-0 Cohlton Schultz (New York AC) tech. fall Tyler Curd (MOWest), 8-0 Schultz wins series 2-0 Placement Matches 42 kg/92 lbs. 3rd - Tommy Curran (Gomez WA) tech. fall Laz Maldonado (Sons of Thunder), 12-3 5th - Nathan Rubio (MWC Wrestling Academy) fall Blaine Brenner (Wisconsin), 0:24 46 kg/101 lbs. 3rd - Sam Latona (Warrior WC) dec. Paxton Creese (Pinnacle), 4-0 5th - Brenden Chaowanapibool (Team Aggression) tech. fall Angelo Lozado (Sons of Thunder), 9-0 7th - Christian Goin (OS/WN) dec. Brody Norman (OS/WN), 5-0 50 kg/110 lbs. 3rd - Hunter Lewis (Wisconsin) tech. fall David Stepanian (Titan WC), 8-0 5th - Darrick Stacey (East Idaho Elite) dec. Blake Boarman (Maurer Coughlin WC) 7th - Caden Mccrary (Compound Wrestling) dec. Jakason Burks (MWC Wrestling Academy), 2-1 54 kg/119 lbs. 3rd - Delon Kanari (LCWC) dec. Vicente Loiaza (Arizona), 6-4 5th - Ezra Elliott (Patton Trained WC) tech. fall Trent Svingala (Journeymen), 8-0 7th - Aidan Nutter (Wisconsin) dec. Benyamin Kamali (Shamrock Select), 8-5 58 kg/127 lbs. 3rd - Carson Manville (Shakopee Mat Club) tech. fall Phillip Moomey (Nebraska Golden Eagles), 8-0 5th - Braeden Dickinson (Delchev Trained Academy) forfeit Nicholas Raimo (Apex) 7th - Joseph Otero (Team Little Chris/TWC) dec. Joe Klock (BTWC), 15-13 63 kg/138 lbs. 3rd - Kevon Davenport (Shamrock Select) tech. fall Anthony Ulaszek (Colorado), 12-1 5th - Jared Thieler (Gator WC) tech. fall Carter Tuttle (X Calibur), 8-0 7th - Fidel Mayora (Izzy Style) forfeit Colton Yapoujian (Mile High WC) 69 kg/152 lbs. 3rd - Peyton Robb (Pinnacle) tech. fall Desmond Bowers (Nevada), 8-0 5th - Farouq Muhammed (Ohio) dec. Michael Weber (Nebraska WTC), 11-4 7th - Tyler Dow (Wisconsin) forfeit Deshawn Herbert (New York AC) 76 kg/167 lbs. 3rd - Zachary Braunagel (Quest) fall Edmond Ruth (Iron Eagle), 3:16 5th - Josh Stillings (LVWC) forfeit Michael O'Malley (Apex) 7th - Isaiah Alford (MWC Wrestling Academy) tech. fall Lucas Roland (Iowa), 15-6 85 kg/187 lbs. 3rd - Joseph Miller (Nevada) dec. Jonathon Fagen (Suples WC), 8-1 5th - Hunter Dejong (MWC Wrestling Academy) fall Charlie Cadell (USWA), 2:29 7th - Julian Gorring (Bad Karma) dec. Austin Cooley (X Calibur), 4-1 100 kg/220 lbs. 3rd - Jace Punke (OS/WN) tech. fall Luke Luffman (OS/WN), 8-0 5th - Kaleb Reeves (Eastern Iowa) fall Bradley Smith (Beaver Creek), 0:13 7th - Ronald Meinhard (Team Thrill) fall Nick Shepard (Samurai WC), 0:38 125 kg/275 lbs. 1st Place - Jake DelGarbino (Green Machine WC) 2nd Place - Jayvon Davidson (Eclipse) 3rd Place - Guy Snow (Eastern Iowa WC) 4th Place - Enutifa Gamia (Eastern Iowa WC) R1 - Jayvon Davidson (Eclipse) dec. Guy Snow (Eastern Iowa WC), 12-8 R1 - Jake DelGarbino (Green Machine WC) tech. fall Enutifa Gamia (Eastern Iowa WC), 10-2 R2 - Guy Snow (Eastern Iowa WC) fall Enutifa Gamia (Eastern Iowa WC), 0:43 R2 - Jake DelGarbino (Green Machine WC) fall Jayvon Davidson (Eclipse), 0:50 R3 - Jake DelGarbino (Green Machine WC) tech. fall Guy Snow (Eastern Iowa WC), 8-0 R3 - Jayvon Davidson (Eclipse) fall Enutifa Gamia (Eastern Iowa WC), 1:31

AKRON, Ohio -- In a stunner, Zach Merrill (Norman, Okla./NYRTC) defeated 2017 Junior and Senior World Team member G'Angelo Hancock (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC/Sunkist Kids) with a 10-0 technical fall in the 98 kg/216 lbs. finals of the 2017 Greco-Roman University Nationals on Friday afternoon in Akron, Ohio. The bizarre finals match started with an early takedown from Merrill, capitalizing on an errant arm spin by Hancock. While down in par terre, Hancock was hit with a caution and two for a leg foul that got the whole arena buzzing. On the par terre restart, both wrestlers were warned for early starts. A second quick start for Hancock resulted in another caution and two to put Merrill up 6-0 on the Junior World bronze medalist. Less than 30 seconds later, Merrill hit an arm spin for four points to end the match in a 10-0 tech fall. "I love it," Merrill said. "I just kept good position. I knew he was going to come in tough and banging so I just had to use strategy. I just had to attack, attack, attack until he was so tired. That's the way we train. That's how we do things at the New York RTC." Read complete story on TheMat.com … University Greco-Roman Finals Results 59 kg: Dalton Roberts (Fowlerville, Mich./New York AC) dec. Mike Fuenffinger (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army WCAP), 7-0 63 kg: Wesley Dawkins (Ashland, Neb./Nebraska Golden Eagles) tech. fall Ty Pelot (Manitowoc, Wisc./X-Factor Elite), 10-0 66 kg: Raymond Bunker (Villa Park, Ill./US Marines) tech. fall Dante Rodriguez (Kearney, Neb./Cyclone RTC), 10-2 71 kg: Alex Mossing (Toledo, Ohio/Foxfire WC) tech. fall Anthonie Linares (San Jose, Calif./New York AC), 13-5 75 kg: Curt Calovecchi (Brussels, Wisc./NMU-OTS) dec. Colin Schubert (Brussels, Wisc./New York AC), 4-1 80 kg: Geordan Speiller (Oviedo, Fla./Florida Jets) dec. Jon Jay Chavez (Boise, N.Y./NYRTC), 3-1 85 kg: Barrett Stanghill (Philipsburg, Mont./Minnesota Storm) dec. Richard Carlson (Arden Hills, Minn./Minnesota Storm), 5-2 98 kg: Zach Merrill (Norman, Okla./NYRTC) tech. fall G'Angelo Hancock (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC/Sunkist Kids), 10-0 130 kg: Donald Longendyke (Vadnais Heights, Minn./Minnesota Storm) dec. Malcolm Allen (Mankato, Minn./Minnesota Storm), 5-4 Medal matches 59 kg/130 lbs. 3rd: Randon Miranda, Marquette, MI (NYAC) dec. Lawson Ludwin, Colorado Springs, CO (Tiger Wrestling Club), 8-3 5th: Nelson Baker, La Crosse, WI (LAW) fall Jared Brickley, Lansing, MI (Olivet Wrestling Club), 1:06 7th: Kyndall Rutz, Marquette, MI (NMU-OTS) tech. fall Devon Jackson (3 Style Wrestling), 8-0 63 kg/139 lbs. 3rd: Taylor Zippe, Camp Lejeune, NC (Marines) tech. fall Justus Griffith, Orlando, FL (Florida jets), 10-2 5th: Jordan Auen, San Jose, CA (NMU-OTS) fall Quinton Tucker Fairfax, VA (George Mason), 1:01 7th: Brady Meals (Modern Day Gladiators) fall Trevor Mello, Fairfax, VA (George Mason), 1:25 66 kg/145 lbs. 3rd: Sam Jones, Marquette, MI (NYAC) tech. fall Chase Call, Orem, UT (Wolverine Wrestling Club), 8-0 5th: Grant Lamont, Mapleton, UT (Wolverine Wrestling Club) fall Colton Rasche, Emerald Isle, NC (Marines), 2:46 7th: Evan Cheek, Cleveland, OH (NEORTC) fall Hunter Kelley, Ray City, GA (NMU-OTS), 2:40 71 kg/156 lbs. 3rd: Isaac Dukes, Colorado Springs, CO (U.S. Army) tech. fall Joshua Russo, Camp Lejeune, NC (Marines), 8-0 5th: Austin Morrow, Marquette, MI (NYAC) dec. Logan Kass, Webster, MN (NMU-OTS), 7-2 7th: Ali Khan, Elk Grove, CA (NMU-OTS) win by medical forfeit Clay Frost, Orem, UT (Charger Wrestling Club) 75 kg/165 lbs. 3rd: Jayshon Wilson, NC (Marines) dec. Fritz Schierl, Stevens Point, WI (Titan Mercury Wrestling Club/Ohio Regional Training Center), 8-7 5th: Corey Fitzgerald, Uniontown, OH (NMU-OTS) fall Broc Clark, Camp Lejeune, NC (Marines), 2:55 7th: Josh Mossing, U.S. Air Force Academy, CO (Foxfire Wrestling Club) tech. fall Alec Donovan, Brick, NJ (Centenary University), 8-0 80 kg/176 lbs. 3rd: Jesse Porter, Marquette, MI (NYAC) dec. Kimball Bastian, Orem, UT (Wolverine Wrestling Club), 6-0 5th: Trace Engelkes, Winnebago, IL (Alpha wrestling Academy) win by medical forfeit over Vladyslav Dombrovskiy Colorado Springs, CO (U.S. Army) 7th: Spencer Woods, College Park, MD (Terrapin Wrestling Club) tech fall Josh Anderson, Omaha, NE (NMU-OTS), 14-6 85 kg/187 lbs. 3rd: Ricky Robertson, Madison, WI (University of Wisconsin) tech. fall Jordan Newman, Whitewater, WI (Askren Wrestling), 10-1 5th: Adrian Salas, Ithaca, NY (New York RTC) dec. Austin Chaon, Hayward, WI (NMU-OTS), 4-0 7th: Canaan Bethea (Patriot Eilte Wrestling Club) tech fall Austin Harrison, Fairfax, VA (George Mason), 8-0 98 kg/216 lbs. 3rd: Daniel Miller, Berlin, MD (Marines) tech. fall Jacob Kasper, Mansfield, OH (Blue Blood Wrestling Club), 9-0 5th: Austin Schafer, Edmond, OK (bronchos wrestling club) fall Khymba Johnson, Marquette, MI (NYAC), 3:14 7th: Dan Olsen, Algonquin, IL (Unattached) tech. fall Anthony Riopelle, Monroe, MI (NMU-OTS), 9-1 130 kg/285 lbs. 3rd: Eric Fader, Sanford, MI (Marines) fall Parker Betts (Minnesota Storm), 0:34 5th: Jordan Karst, Orem, UT (Wolverine Wrestling Club) dec. Michael Rogers (Bison Legend), 6-2 7th: Matt Voss, Fairfax, VA (George Mason) dec. Justin Karkula, Eau Claire, WI (Unattached), 16-10

University of Northern Iowa wrestling is expected to join the Big 12 conference as an affiliate member, IAwrestle.com reported Friday. "IAwrestle has learned from multiple sources that the University of Northern Iowa will likely join the Big 12 Conference as an affiliate in wrestling," according to a news story by Nic Ryder at the website devoted to covering wrestling in the state of Iowa. "The decision is not finalized yet, and still needs to be voted on by the conference athletic directors, however the sources that we talked to are confident that the Panthers will be moving conferences." Ryder goes on point out that if UNI moves to the Big 12, it would put the mat Panthers in the same conference as in-state rival Iowa State. Right now, in addition to Iowa State, other Big 12 schools with wrestling programs include University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and West Virginia ... along with affiliate members Air Force, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, South Dakota State, Utah Valley, and Wyoming, former UNI wrestling rivals in the Western Wrestling Conference. Speculation on a possible new conference home for UNI wrestling comes hot on the heels of news that Southern Illinois University Edwardsville wrestling would be joining the Mid-American Conference as an affiliate member starting in the 2018-19 season.

The wrestling program at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville will be joining the Mid-American Conference as an affiliate member beginning in the 2018-19 season, it was announced Friday. For the upcoming season, the SIUE wrestlers will remain in the Southern Conference, where the Cougars have competed since 2013. With this change, the MAC will consist of nine wrestling programs. Six are from full MAC membership schools: Buffalo, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Northern Illinois and Ohio ... while three are affiliate members: Missouri, Old Dominion, and now, SIUE. The SIUE men's soccer program is also being welcomed as an affiliate member of the MAC, effective in 2018-19. MAC Commissioner Dr. Jon Steinbrecher discussed how SIU Edwardsville came to receive an invitation to join the conference. "After significant study and discussion by our member institution's coaches and administrators the Mid-American Conference has made a move to strengthen the Conference with the addition of SIU Edwardsville as an affiliate member in both men's soccer and wrestling," said Steinbrecher. "Both programs will add quality and depth to the Conference. I am pleased to welcome SIU Edwardsville, their student-athletes, coaches, administrators and fans to the Mid-American Conference." SIUE Director of Athletics Dr. Brad Hewitt also weighed in with what this new affiliation will mean to wrestling and soccer at the school located on the Illinois side of the greater St. Louis area. "Joining the Mid-American Conference as an affiliate member in these two sports is not only a compliment but also a recognition and validation of each program's recent success," Hewitt said. "We are thankful for the opportunities granted and support given by the Missouri Valley Conference in men's soccer and the Southern Conference in wrestling. "Conference affiliations are always evolving, and institutions are constantly pursuing the best academic, social and competitive opportunities for their student-athletes," Hewitt continued. "Our decision to accept the MAC's invitation is based on many factors, including increased national branding, cost containment, augmentation of existing rivalries, the development of new regional rivalries and SIUE's general student recruitment focus in major metropolitan areas. Our coaches, student-athletes and fans are going to be excited for these new challenges." SIUE wrestling, a long-standing program with a rich tradition, just completed one of its best seasons since the move to NCAA Division I. Three SIUE wrestlers won their respective weight classes at the Southern Conference championship and advanced to the NCAA championships in St. Louis. Senior Jake Residori finished in eighth place, becoming SIUE's first All-American in 30 years. SIUE wrestling Head Coach Jeremy Spates said. "The MAC is an extremely strong conference across all sports, and in wrestling it's one of the top three or four conferences. "You have some big-time teams like Missouri and Central Michigan, and teams that are placing and bringing home All-Americans every year. It's great for us because it is so centrally located." The MAC made its presence felt at the 2017 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, sending 45 wrestlers to the Nationals in St. Louis ... putting the MAC third in terms of numbers of conference participants at the event. Eight MAC wrestlers earned All-American honors, with University of Missouri senior J'den Cox becoming the 12th MAC wrestling national champion in conference history. Founded in 1946, the Mid-American Conference is an NCAA Division I, 12-member conference that sponsors 23 championships and is one of ten members of the Football Bowl Subdivison (FBS). With total enrollment of nearly 300,000 students, the league represents institutions of higher learning in five (5) states: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New York, and Ohio. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville was founded in 1957. Located 20 miles northeast of downtown St. Louis, SIUE has an enrollment of approximately 14,000 students.

PITTSBURGH -- First-year head wrestling coach Keith Gavin has completed his staff with the addition of two-time All-American Conor Youtsey. The 2017 University of Michigan graduate will serve as the volunteer assistant coach. Conor Youtsey“We are very excited to have Conor join our staff,” Gavin said. “As a wrestler, Conor was known for his competitive spirit and I know he will look to pass on that mentality to our student-athletes here at Pitt. He has exciting plans for this program and will be a great asset in numerous ways.” Youtsey, a native of Parma, Mich., spent five years with the Wolverines developing an impressive resumé as he qualified for the NCAA Championships four years in a row. The 125-pounder reached All-America status in back-to-back years as a redshirt sophomore and redshirt junior. “I am beyond thrilled and very thankful for the opportunity to help develop the young men on this team and create a culture of excellence at Pitt,” Youtsey said. “There isn't a place I would rather be right now. The energy coach Gavin and the rest of the staff share will catapult this program to new heights. It's an exciting time for Pitt wrestling.” As a fifth-year senior, Youtsey had initially stepped away from the wrestling mat to work a full-time job with Cliff Keen while finishing his undergraduate degree. However, in mid-January of 2017, Youtsey was called back into the lineup at 125 pounds after Michigan's starter and backup went down. Youtsey helped the Wolverines get back on track as the squad secured four dual wins before heading to championship season. After shaking off the rust, Youtsey continued to shine in postseason as he placed fifth at the Big Ten Championships, punching his ticket to the NCAA Championships for the fourth and final time.

Wrestling historian Mike Chapman, W.I.N. magazine's Mike Finn, and a preview of the upcoming World Team Trials will be featured on the Takedown Radio broadcast this Saturday, June 3. Join Tony Hager and Brad Johnson for the two-hour broadcast from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Central available on KXNO 1460 AM radio and online at www.KXNO.iHeart.com Here's this Saturday's guest list: 9 a.m. Mike Chapman, author and wrestling historian 9:40 a.m. Mike Finn, W.I.N. magazine editor 10 a.m. Tom Baranoski, Bloodround Wrestling Podcast, with a preview of the 2017 World Team Trials

After ten days in Cuba I arrived back in the United States on Tuesday cheerful to zip around the Internet, take in hours of late-night Netflix and devour pleasant chow. After 70-plus countries over four years and more than half a million miles in the air, I'm still always eager to come home, share stories and keep my eyes on the next big story. No matter what I've seen there are moments, usually once a year, where I have a mild awakening to the power and reach of our sport. Cuba was this year's moment. The Cuban culture, the wrestlers I met and the matters they discussed opened my eyes to how our sport connects to people and how much further we can take it. From Cuban National Team training sessions to a 12-hour day with the family of Mijain Lopez, our team's experience in Cuba was unique, informative and potentially can have an impact on how we all see the sport in the future. The projects will roll out over the next several months (sorry to tease), but know that we left with thousands of photos, hours of original video and reams of notes. I look forward to sharing those with wrestling fans here, at United World Wrestling and in future long form projects. As always, thanks for reading. To your questions … Action at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Q: What's the deal with international wrestling mats? They look like a plastic tarp. Why are these used instead of the mats used in the United States? What type of cushioning is underneath? How is the covering kept in place? Are they harder to shoot on? Are they mandatory for international competition? -- Rob G. Foley: Yes, the mats are mandatory for international competitions. The mats are actually really nice! The tarp and padding system allows for much easier transportation than the large Resilite mats you're used to seeing in American folkstyle wrestling. Those mats only work here because they are shipped in big trucks and stored at schools with plenty of extra room. Imagine trying to fly that into Romania? But the interlocking mat system with tarp can be boxed up and shipped anywhere in the world and stored with relative ease. Overall the cushion and the surface in general are not much different than Resilite. Q: Building off your opening in your last mailbag, what do we do to attract in-season wrestlers? The club guys aren't about to quit putting in more time and effort than the casual guys. If they have goals and aspirations, they know that the clubs will help them to attain them. Also, it's not just kids, but coaches too. How do you get the great club coaches to coach a high school or middle school team? When they coach a club, they have a room full of dedicated kids; they don't have to deal with novices. They get less grief from parents and school boards. They basically have less of the responsibilities and can make just as much or more money doing it, especially if they don't have to rent a facility. -- Anton K. Foley: The American model for sporting success is directly tied to academics. Whether the wrestler must compete on the high school team to get noticed for college, or needs time in college to make themselves noticeable to national freestyle coaches, 99 percent of wrestlers must pass through academic institutions during their career. What if there was a system in place at the college level which limited the amount of wrestling a high school athlete could compete in during the calendar year? Essentially a match cap (not unlike 16 scheduled dates in the NCAA season) could be instituted, which would ensure that no wrestler was getting more than X number of matches per style. Additionally, non-wrestling events which have skills to help wrestlers develop could supplement athletic time. American Ninja Warrior-type races could replace Disney Duals. That's more active for more wrestlers, less head-to-head contact, less cutting weight and ... wait for it ... more fun. The wrestlers could increase their athleticism and potential while not burning out. Money is great. I get that parents invest a ton of income into the children's future on the mat, but if we could limit the amount that they can spend, or MUST spend to get noticed, then it might be possible to create a more productive atmosphere for wrestlers to enter the sport, and STAY in the sport. Q: RTC's and their impact on collegiate and international landscape. See a double-edged sword. Thoughts? -- @adamtirapelle Foley: I wrote about this a little bit in a previous mailbag, but discussed more about the dynasty effect rather than just the RTC. Overall, I think most college coaches see there is a disparity in equality of opportunity when some schools can afford and RTC and others can't. One top college coach told me that he had to adjust their expectations the past few years due to the powerhouse building that has been going on at places like Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan. These schools are not to blame. The system is having a positive effect on the freestyle program and the quality of wrestling across America. I do think that there should be much more relaxed rules on allowing non-college athletes to come into the room and practice with the team. If coaches around the country saw the rule relaxed they could benefit on alumni knowledge and local talent to help build their program rather than the funding and international expertise of megawatt wrestlers and coaches. Of those, there are only a few and most have been gobbled up. Joey McKenna wrestling at the Pac-12 Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Q: There are rumors of Joey McKenna transferring out of Stanford. Are you surprised? If he does transfer out, where do you think he ends up? -- Mike C. Foley: I hadn't heard that rumor and would only be speculating on where he ends up. The only place he might go is back to the Lehigh Valley where he could be coached by Jeff Buxton, but I'm suspect that he would give up the Stanford degree for what he thought was better coaching. I guess we will see. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Jeff Marsh's role as "The Wresting Coach" is informative, entertaining and is taking our sport in the right direction! Link: Facebook Page The Road to Paris: Wrestling Action from May's Wrestling Month Q: I know we are still a few months out from the World Championships in Paris, but do you have an early prediction on a potential meeting between Abdulrashid Sadulaev and Kyle Snyder? -- Mike C. Foley: I'm not 100 percent certain we will see Sadualev at the World Championships. However, if we do I think Snyder wins by at least four points. Conditioning always suffers when wrestlers change weight classes. It will take another year at 97 kilograms for Sadulaev's body to properly cope with the additional muscle. For now he'll be burning lactic acid quicker and suffering through muscle failure earlier than ever before. Add in that this is a 25-pound weight increase and the strength advantage he enjoyed at 86 kilograms becomes nullified. I also think Snyder is just the better all-around wrestler. Q: With Joe Russell leaving George Mason, I saw that assistant coach Mark Weader was named interim head coach. Will George Mason do a national search for a head coach? Or will Weader have his interim tag removed? Who do you see as a nice fit for a program like George Mason? -- Mike C. Foley: I imagine that Mark Weader would once again take over the program. He knows the challenges better than anyone else and is able to navigate the community to optimize results. A national search probably wouldn't turn up any of the bigger names since Mason faces funding issues. Q: What about going back to allowing NAIA, D3, & D2 kids back into the March Matness? This would bring in more fans to the tournament and with programs recruiting better now than in the years past, it would create some great excitement. -- Nick M. Foley: I love the idea of these champions competing against the NCAA Division I champions, but think that the NCAA has, as an institution, moved past allowing these types of formats. Hey, you could always host your own tournament and invite all the champs to compete! Q: We hear and see about all of these enrollment-based schools adding wrestling and they are enjoying a nice addition to the enrollment numbers. Why hasn't an HBC school added wrestling? There are several of the HBCs that once had wrestling and were quite competitive as well. -- Nick M. Foley: The Historic Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) did have programs as recently as 20 years ago, but many were decimated by Title IX since their enrollments are largely female. There was simply no way to balance out a 65/35 enrollments advantage for women while also sponsoring football and basketball, which many of the schools chose to retain. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be a matter of building interest, but of increasing male enrollment at the individual HBCUs. Q: Thoughts on Virginia hiring both Paulson twins? -- Mike C. Foley: Can't argue with that! Wahoowa!! THOUGHT OF THE WEEK I read your comment about dynasties being good for college wrestling and I respectfully have a very different take. Dynasties are only a good thing when they aren't constant. The Yankees might be good for baseball but the reason why is that even the Yankees don't win it all every year. Other teams still have a reasonable chance at glory. Gable's dynasty at Iowa was interesting for a time because it was a change in the status quo. Winning nine in a row had never been done before. But once Iowa wrestling became the status quo it ceased to be news to the public at large. Just because it is easy for (lazy) journalists to follow which team is the best at college wrestling, it doesn't logically follow that it results in wider mainstream acceptance of the sport. The number of D1 programs has been shrinking for decades for various reasons and there is no evidence I'm aware of that having serial dynasties among a tiny group of schools has mitigated this trend or increased the popularity of the sport overall. Your assertion that a dynasty emerging challenges programs to cough up more money and resources to compete is belied by decades of evidence that it doesn't affect the outcome of the team race, at least for the title. The NCAA wrestling championships have been held 88 times and just five programs have won 79 of those national titles. Where is the "competition at the AD level" if the outcome almost never changes? To use the example you brought up, Iowa State hasn't won a NCAA wrestling team title since 1987. If it were simply a matter of support by the AD one would think they would have won more than a single team title in the last 40 years. Programs are pumping substantial money into amazing wrestling facilities and other parts of their programs these days but to date it has had no discernible effect on which team takes home the tallest trophy in March. It's still the same few teams at the top of the heap. A rational sports business minded AD could be excused for looking at this state of affairs and wondering why they should bother worrying about wrestling if supplying extra resources never results in titles. The NCAA tournament is a great event but the team title is almost always a foregone conclusion. This is a structural issue with the sport, not a lack of competitive spirit or big disparity in tangible resources. The tiny number of teams winning team titles happens because the rules of the sport are organized in such a way that such an outcome is near inevitable. I don't see any objective evidence that lack of parity is good for the sport of wrestling. As always I enjoy the column and keep up the good work.

Thomas Williams Thomas Williams, American University wrestling alum, is stepping down as head coach at Benedictine College, the Kansas-based school announced Wednesday. The press statement said that Williams left to pursue a career away from coaching. Williams joined the staff at Benedictine as a graduate assistant in fall 2012, but was quickly elevated to Interim head coach after the departure of Cy Wainwright in November of that year. Williams was named the second head coach for Benedictine Wrestling in February of 2013. "Thomas took over the wrestling program under difficult circumstances," said Benedictine Athletic Director Charlie Gartenmayer. "We thank him for his efforts in during that transition and for building a solid foundation for the Benedictine wrestling program." With Williams at the helm, the Ravens placed within the top 25 in the team standings at the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) wrestling championships three times. In addition, Benedictine had four wrestlers earn a total of NAIA All-American honors at Nationals. Williams' wrestlers also found success in the classroom. Five Ravens earned eight total Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors during Williams' tenure… while the Benedictine program was recognized by the National Wrestling Coaches Association in April of 2016 after earning a 3.3068 team GPA to finish second among NAIA programs that season in team GPA. Prior to becoming a coach, Williams made a name for himself as a wrestler at NCAA Div. I American University for Mark Cody and Teague Moore. Williams was a four-year starter at 125 pounds, placing twice at the EIWA (Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association) conference championships. In addition, Williams was a two-time NCWA (National Collegiate Wrestling Association) Academic All-American. Williams was appreciative of the opportunity to lead the Raven wrestling program. "I would like to thank Charlie Gartenmayer and President Stephen Minnis for giving me the opportunity to coach the Benedictine College wrestling team," Williams said. "When I took over the program I wanted to build a team of champions in the classroom and on the mat. "I believe that we accomplished that during my time coaching here, and I am truly blessed to have had the opportunity to work at such an amazing institution. Go Ravens!" Benedictine, a four-year, private college located in Atchison, Kansas, is already conducting a nationwide search to find Williams' replacement.

Former Crimson Wave wrestler Dan Bedoy is returning to the place where he concluded his collegiate mat career by being named head wrestling coach at Calumet College of St. Joseph, the northwest Indiana school announced Wednesday. Bedoy replaces Ryan Rivera, who resigned at the end of the 2016-17 season. Dan BedoyA native of Hammond, Ind., Bedoy wrestled his senior year at CCSJ after first wrestling at Purdue University, where he was a 2006 NCAA qualifier for the Boilermakers at 165 pounds. Prior to college, Bedoy wrestled at Bishop Noll High School, where he was a three-time letterwinner, and Indiana state wrestling championships finalist. Bedoy launched his coaching career as an assistant at Munster (Ind.) High School in 2008, helping the Mustangs to place three wrestlers on the podium at the state tournament. He also served as a volunteer assistant coach for Purdue wrestling, and, more recently, for the Boiler Elite Wrestling Club, which is a Regional Training Site for USA Wrestling that has earned Indiana State Wrestling Association Club of the Year honors in the past. "I look back at Daniel Bedoy in his years as a high school wrestler -- he was tough -- so tough that he qualified for the State Finals Tournament, was runner-up and he accomplished this with a fracture in his arm as well as a torn medial collateral ligament," said CCSJ Athletic Director Rick Torres said. "This is the type of toughness Danny brings to the wrestling program and this is the type of toughness that he will demand from his athletes. More importantly, Danny will bring a balanced attitude as he completed his degree at Purdue University, and will be equally demanding on his athletes to be successful in their academics so that they complete their degree and have good futures." "We have established a great tradition with Coach Rivera where we have had a string of eight years where we qualified a wrestler for the [NAIA] National Championships, and we are confident that Danny will be able to build on that," Torres continued. "We are very fortunate to get coach of Danny's caliber, and we look forward to continue to build on the recent success we have had." Dan Bedoy is eager to return to the Crimson Wave wrestling room, this time as head coach. "I'm really honored to get the opportunity to lead the team here at CCSJ," Bedoy said. "Coach Ryan Rivera has done a great job during his tenure here and I am really looking to expand upon the foundation he has built. "The opportunity to coach under the leadership of Athletic Director Torres is exciting as well, because he is widely-known and a proven coach in the area. I have no doubt that the success he has had on the track will continue to translate to his new role to lead CCSJ to one of the top NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) athletic programs in the country; and to be a part of that is exciting." "My vision for the direction of this team is to empower young men with the belief and life skills it takes to be successful in any endeavor -- challenge them to be examples of that through the sport of wrestling for their peers, families and communities," Bedoy said. Founded in 1951, Calumet College of St. Joseph is a private, four-year school associated with the Roman Catholic church. Located in Whiting, Ind., CCSJ has approximately 1,300 students. The school's wrestling program and other intercollegiate sports compete in the NAIA.

Isaiah White, the 2017 NCAA Division II national champion at 165 pounds, has joined the Nebraska wrestling team as a transfer, head coach Mark Manning announced Thursday. White will be eligible to compete for the Huskers in 2017-18. Isaiah White"We're extremely excited to have Isaiah White join our program," Manning said. "We feel Isaiah will add to the culture of our team, and he has high expectations for himself on and off the mat. Isaiah is a talented young man that will excel in our program." White went 28-2 as a freshman for Notre Dame College (Ohio) in 2016-17, helping the Falcons to the NCAA Division II team championship. He was named the NCAA Division II East Regional Wrestler of the Year by the NCAA-II Wrestling Coaches Association. White posted a pair of major decisions at the NCAA Championships, and defeated Brock Wingbermuehle of McKendree by a 10-3 decision in the championship match. The Oak Park, Ill., native was the top-ranked wrestler at 152 pounds in the class of 2016 by FloWrestling. He was a three-time Illinois state champion for Oak Park and River Forest High School, where he was a high school teammate of Jason Renteria, who will be a freshman for the Huskers in 2017-18.

Corey Keener Corey Keener, who just completed his senior year at Central Michigan, is planning to transfer to Penn State, according to a website that covers Nittany Lion sports, as well as social media comments from the wrestler himself. "133-pound graduate transfer Corey Keener will attend Penn State this season and is expected to be in contention to start for the Nittany Lions," RoarLionsRoar.com -- which describes itself as an independent website covering all Penn State sports -- reported Wednesday. Keener, co-captain of the CMU Chippewa wrestling team as a senior, shared the news on Twitter and Facebook. Here's his post on his Facebook account: "Proud to announce that I will be furthering my education and wrestling career at Penn State University next year! #WeAre" RoarLionsRoar.com's Rob Dougherty goes to state, "The reason Keener is expected to be in contention to start is last season's 133-pound starter, Jered Cortez, is expected to be moving up to 141 pounds, although this has not yet been confirmed by Cortez or Cael Sanderson. Keener's transfer to Penn State also makes it more likely that promising incoming freshman, Nick Lee, could be redshirting next season, as Cortez will be the favorite to start at 141 for Penn State when the season opens in November." As a CMU Chippewa, Keener crafted a 60-42 overall record. He was a three-time NCAA championships qualifier and a MAC (Mid-American Conference) championships runner-up. In addition, Keener was both an Academic All-American and MAC All-Academic honoree. With his graduate transfer to Penn State, Keener will be returning to his home state to continue his athletic and academic career. At Blue Mountain High School, Keener won back-to-back Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association AAA state championships, claiming the 126-pound title as a senior and 119-pound crown as a junior. In addition, he finished runner-up at 112 pounds a sophomore and was fifth as a freshman, making him the only student-athlete in high school's history to place four times at state championships. Keener also owns the Pennsylvania District 11 career win record with 190 victories.

HASTINGS, Neb. -- Monroe, Washington-native Tyson Springer has been named head coach for the Hastings College wrestling program. Springer recently finished his second season as assistant wrestling coach of North Idaho Junior College and prior to that spent two years at Doane where he restarted the wrestling program back in 2013. Tyson Springer"Tyson becomes just the third head coach of a program that is making great strides both on the mat and in the classroom," said Patty Sitorius, the Athletic Director at Hastings College. "He has shown the ability to build a program from scratch as he was able to get the Doane program into the top 20 in its first year back in the 2013-14 season. He brings a mentality that is very similar to former Head Coach Mike Schadwinkel that will help the program continue the climb in building a tradition of excellence for Bronco Wrestling. "I am honored and privileged to be named as the new head wrestling coach of the Hastings College Broncos," said Springer. "I cannot thank Athletic Director Sitorius and Hastings College enough for the opportunity to take over a program that has a great foundation to do great things in both the GPAC and the NAIA." "I am looking forward to taking over a very talented group of wrestlers while also hoping to keep the current recruiting class intact," Springer continued. "This is an amazing opportunity for me as I am really looking forward to seeing how far this program can climb in the GPAC and at the national level. I look forward to working with the current and future student-athletes that will represent Hastings College to the highest standard both on the mat, in the classroom and in the community." In just two years at Doane, Springer was able to get the program started from the ground up and in its second year, Springer helped provide Doane its first All-American. Coach Springer is also big on community involvement as his program was named NAIA Champions of Character in 2015. The wrestling program helped in the clean up efforts of the Crete community and raising funds to buy school supplies for families in need and delivering those supplies. Springer was also an outstanding wrestler during his time at Dickinson State. While competing for the Blue Hawks, Springer claimed the NAIA national title at 165 pounds in 2005 and runner-up honors in 2006. Hastings College is a private, four-year institution located in Hastings, Nebraska, that focuses on student academic and extracurricular achievement. With more than 60 majors and 15 pre-professional programs, Hastings College has been named among "Great Schools, Great Prices" by U.S. News & World Report and a "Best in the Midwest" by The Princeton Review. For more, go to hastings.edu.

Alex Morang has been named the first-ever wrestling coach of the brand-new wrestling program at St. Clair County Community College, the Port Huron Times-Herald reported Wednesday. Alex MorangThe two-year college which refers to itself as SC4 announced the hire on its Facebook page Wednesday: "Please welcome our new (and first) wrestling coach: Alex Morang!" Morang is a 2011 graduate of nearby Richmond High School, then later served as a volunteer assistant coach at his alma mater from 2013-15. He was on three state championship teams (2010-12) during his time with the program. "We are thrilled to have Alex join our team," said SC4 athletic director Dale Vos. "He brings excitement and enthusiasm for SC4 and for wrestling. As a state champion and a college wrestler, his experience with Richmond wrestling, Olivet College wrestling and Grand Valley wrestling will help the SC4 program get off to a great start." Morang's high school coach also weighed in. "Alex Morang will do a great job at SC4," Richmond coach Brandon Day said. "He has extremely high character and outstanding work ethic. He is a student of the sport and has great passion for helping kids. "SC4 and the parents of future recruits will find that Alex is more than just another coach that loves wrestling and winning, but rather a mentor that loves helping student-athletes reach their potential in life." Morang himself is eager to start building the new wrestling program at St. Clair County Community College. "I feel like I'm about to wrestle in the state finals right now," Morang said. "I'm really excited to have an impact on some people's lives and give people in this area a chance to wrestle collegiately that they haven't had before. "We have so much good talent in this area that hasn't had a chance to go anywhere and this is going to give those guys an opportunity to really change their lives. I'm honored to be the guy that is taking the task of getting these guys to where they want to be." The new wrestling program at SC4, which was announced in April, will take to the mats for the first time this fall. St. Clair County Community College is located in Port Huron, just northeast of the Detroit metropolitan area in the Blue Water region of Michigan. The school, founded in 1923, has an enrollment of approximately 8,8

Amante Young Just three months after being crowned his school's first-ever state wrestling champ, Amante Young died Tuesday from injuries sustained in a car crash ten days earlier. He was 16. Young won the 125-pound Division 3 title as a junior at the 2017 MHSAA (Michigan High School Athletics Association) wrestling championships on March 4, becoming Clare High School's first state mat champ. Young had been hospitalized since Sunday, May 21, when the vehicle he was a passenger in ran off the road, struck an embankment and rolled over in Midland County, Michigan. The three occupants were transported to a local hospital. Young sustained serious injuries to his lungs and spinal cord, and was transferred to Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor where he underwent multiple surgeries. The other two were treated locally for non-life-threatening injuries. "Early (Wednesday) morning Principal Ed Hubel and liaison officer Brian David met with the student body to let them know," Clare Superintendent Jim Walter told The Morning Sun. "Right now, we're trying to help our student body get through the day and the week. We have counselors and social workers here to assist the students if they need to talk to someone." Young had come to Clare High School from his native Indiana after his freshman year to live with another wrestler, Kyle Schaaf, who he had befriended as he competed in wrestling events. Young's family could not afford to send their son to wrestling camps or national competitions. "We were always together at national meets and different places," Young told MLive.com after winning the state championship. "We became friends. We knew each other. When he found out that I wouldn't be able to afford going to a lot of the different meets, his family offered to take me in and pay for my wrestling." Young had placed third at 103 at last year's Michigan state championships. Although having lived in Clare for only two years, Amante Young had become popular with his wrestling teammates, classmates, teachers and administrators. A GoFundMe.com page to help to help Young's family with medical expenses exceeded initial goals and has been closed. Clare High School issued the following statement on its Facebook page Wednesday. "Please keep the Young and Schaaf families in your thoughts and prayers, as well as the students, teachers and coaches touched by his life. There is nothing more difficult than death. "It's a good policy to be honest with our kids, and it sends the message that together we can handle this. Our young people often take their cues from us, and thus allowing ourselves to cry, talk about our sadness, and do healthy things to move on with our lives raises the odds that they will do the same. Be a great listener today ... we can't take away the pain our kids feel, but listening and allowing our kids to share grief helps us all get through it more healthy and quickly."

Trent Paulson CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Virginia head wrestling coach Steve Garland announced the hiring of NCAA champion and three-time All-American Trent Paulson as an assistant coach on Wednesday (May 31). Paulson, who most recently served as an assistant coach at Iowa State over the past three seasons, joins his brother Travis on the Virginia coaching staff. Travis Paulson was announced as an assistant coach on May 2. "I'm excited for our student-athletes to learn and work with Trent," Garland said. "He has a passion for teaching and a heart for impacting those he mentors. Perhaps the biggest plus is that he and I share the same foundational beliefs. This is going to be huge for us moving forward personally and professionally. Trent has high goals and big dreams for this program, so that's exciting. I could not be happier that he chose to come to Virginia." "I have never heard a single person say anything negative about Coach Garland," Paulson said. "The first time we hung out, we clicked personality wise. Instantly I knew we could feed off each other. Steve is a man of character, wants to win the right way and is serious about developing champions on and off the mat. How could you not want to help a man like that build a dynasty? I could not be more excited to get to work." Paulson helped coach the middleweights at Iowa State over the past three seasons. During his time on the Cyclone staff, Iowa State produced four All-Americans and an NCAA champion at 197 pounds in Kyven Gadson. In addition to working with the middleweights, he also assisted in recruiting, helping secure the third-ranked recruiting class in 2016 and the second-ranked recruiting class in 2017. In addition to his coaching and recruiting responsibilities, Trent Paulson also served as a fundraiser and the head coach of the Cyclone Wrestling Club. He served on the staff of the Cyclone Wrestling Club beginning in 2009 before taking over head coaching responsibilities for the club in 2012. Prior returning to Iowa State in 2009, Trent Paulson served as a volunteer assistant coach at Nebraska. In that season, the Huskers produced four All-Americans, including NCAA champion Jordan Burroughs at 157 pounds. "Trent's resume and accomplishments as a competitor are incredible," Garland said. "He brings a wealth of knowledge to our program in terms of technique and development for our student-athletes, and frankly, for me as well. I'm excited to mentor him as well, because after 17 years in this profession I feel I have some things I can help him with also." A successful wrestler himself, Trent Paulson claimed the NCAA Championship at 157 pounds in 2007. He earned All-America honors three times in his career (2005-07) and he twice claimed the Big 12 championship, placing first in 2006 and 2007. Paulson also earned Academic All-America honors twice. Following his collegiate wrestling career, Trent Paulson continued to wrestle. He was a four-time National Team member (2008-2012) and a World Team member in 2009. He was a US Open National Champion in 2009 and was a Pan American Champion in 2012.

Check out this week's Takedown TV, featuring … Joe Russell -- former head coach at George Mason University, now manager of Freestyle Programs at USA Wrestling -- goes one-on-one with Scott Casber Joe Rau joins Takedown TV to discuss the Last Chance Qualifier for the upcoming World Team Trials Three-time Iowa high school state champion Alex Thomsen discusses his commitment to the Nebraska Cornhuskers Todd Beckerman and Sal Mastriani on the future of Brown University wrestling Nick Brascetta talks about his new coaching position at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga Spencer Lee documentary by PA Power Wrestling and Adriene Wagner Films Bellator MMA's Aaron Pico interview One-on-one with Oklahoma Sooners head coach Lou Rosselli Watch online or on these cable networks/channels: Cablevision: Sundays at 4 p.m. Charter Cable: Thursday at 6:30 p.m., Friday 11:30 p.m. and Monday 2:30 p.m. Comcast Cable: Friday at 5 p.m. Cox Cable: Sunday 9:30 a.m. Fight Network HD: Sundays at 4 p.m. KCWI 23: Saturday 4 p.m. KWEM Stillwater, Oklahoma: Tuesday 7 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. Long Lines Cable: Daily at 5:30 p.m. Mediacom Cable: Sundays at 10:30 a.m. MidCo Sports Network: Saturday 10 a.m. and Sunday at 9 a.m. SECV8: Friday at 5 p.m. Suddenlink Cable: Check your local listings. Multiple air times. Time Warner Cable Sports: Saturday at 12 p.m. Western Reserve Cable: Tuesday at 11 p.m., Friday at 5:30 p.m., Saturday at 10 p.m.