InterMat Staff

Bergen Catholic coach David Bell coaching at the Doc Buchanan Invitational (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The wrestling program at Bergen Catholic High School in New Jersey -- ranked No. 2 in the nation by InterMat at the end of the 2017-18 season -- has been hit with a lawsuit alleging sexual and verbal abuse of some student-athletes, and subsequent cover-up and failure to punish staff members reportedly involved in the alleged behavior. The 29-page, 12-count lawsuit, filed in state Superior Court in Bergen County on behalf of a former Bergen Catholic wrestler, accuses school officials of conspiring to cover up sharing of pornographic images, coaches watching wrestlers strip naked, and sending inappropriate text messages to student-athletes. In addition, the lawsuit alleges that officials at Bergen Catholic High and the Newark Archdiocese tried to protect the wrestling coaches from "criminal detection" in a "conspiracy to endanger children." Accusations The civil suit was filed in late March by the parents of a former Bergen Catholic wrestler who was dismissed by the team this past season. It was only made public Monday as those named in the lawsuit were officially notified, and was first reported by The Record and other outlets that are a part of NorthJersey.com, the website for New Jersey Media Group, a division of the Gannett Corp. which also published a story in its USA Today national newspaper. The suit alleges the school's head wrestling coach, David Bell, made inappropriate comments to the wrestler, telling him he was "shredded," an apparent reference to his muscular build, and "texted and emailed Plaintiff that he loved him, as well as other highly inappropriate and sexual predatory behavior on a minor child." In addition, coach Bell was accused of "inappropriately undressed with minors and watched wrestlers, including Plaintiff, change in the locker room, which they were completely nude or partially nude." This past December, an assistant coach, Dominick "Donnie" Spataro, showed "pornographic and nude photographs of himself and others on his mobile phone to Plaintiff and other minor wrestlers," according to the suit. What's more, some Bergen Catholic wrestlers allegedly told administrators in January that a former assistant Bergen Catholic wrestling coach who had been "let go for bullying and other violations" more than a year ago was allowed back in the wrestling room. Alleged cover-up The former wrestler and his parents who filed the suit allege that the school's president, Brother Brian Walsh, threw him off the team after he complained of abuse during this past wrestling season, according to the suit. The complaint goes on to allege that members of the Bergen Catholic administration, including the school's president, Brother Brian Walsh, principal Timothy McElhinney and athletic director Jack McGovern "knew or should have known about the harassment, abuse, intimidation and bullying of Plaintiff, especially after Plaintiff's parents raised these concerns, which were expressed both verbally and in writing, on numerous occasions." The complaint alleges that the school did only a cursory investigation and never contacted authorities. Response Newark Archdiocese spokesman Jim Goodness told NorthJersey.com on Monday that Bergen Catholic officials notified the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office, but did not say when the notification was made. Brother Brian Walsh, Bergen Catholic High School president, issued a statement through a school spokesman, Steve Mangione, denying any wrongdoing. "Let's be very clear that the administration has zero tolerance for the actions alleged in this complaint -- and consistent with our zero-tolerance policy and protocols, despite not having been served the complaint until today, the administration reported these allegations to the Archdiocese of Newark and the Bergen County prosecutor's office when it first learned of them," Walsh said. An attorney for coach Bell had originally threatened legal action against The Record and New Jersey.com until served with papers Monday, but then told the media group that the lawsuit was baseless, that it made allegations that were "demonstrably false" and had been filed on behalf of a student-athlete who fell short of expectations as a wrestler. "When people fall short far too often rather than taking accountability for their own shortcomings, they look to strike a blow at anyone they perceive is the reason for their failure," attorney Sean Pena wrote to The Record on behalf of his client. "This is not the first time Coach Bell has been baselessly attacked and regrettably it's unlikely to be the last." An attorney for Spataro, Patrick Jennings, also initially threatened legal action against The Record and NorthJersey.com and said the allegations are "false, defamatory and made for an improper purpose." On Monday, he issued a brief statement denying that his client did anything wrong. "Mr. Spataro did not engage in any improper behavior whatsoever," Jennings said in the statement. "The allegations against him are denied." A couple Bergen Catholic mat alums weighed in with their opinions on the program and coach Bell. People can say what they want to say about Coach Bell, but in the end, everyone knows how great of a man he is," senior captain Carmen Ferrante, a three-time state medalist who will continue his career at the University of Pennsylvania, told NJ.com. "He's a man of great character. I love him to death, and I don't see this ruining him. The whole Bergen Catholic community is going to be able to move past this. We have his back. We love him." Johnny Sebastian, a 2014 Bergen Catholic grad who is now a redshirt sophomore wrestler at Northwestern, told NorthJersey.com, "I've never heard of any type of story like this. I got the blessing to be on Coach Bell's team." The program Bergen Catholic's wrestling program is one of the nation's best prep programs. The Crusaders finished the year ranked No. 2 in the country by InterMat, as well as several other wrestling publications and websites. The program claimed its seventh straight NJSIAA team title, and had three of its wrestlers win titles at the individual state championships in Atlantic City earlier this year.

True freshman Spencer Lee topped Nick Suriano in the NCAA finals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) University of Iowa national champion Spencer Lee will be recognized by the Iowa Legislature on Wednesday at the state capitol in Des Moines. A resolution congratulating Lee for winning the 125-pound NCAA wrestling title will be read by the House of Representatives at 8:30 a.m. (CT). A recognition on the Senate floor will follow at 10 a.m. A live video feed is available at www.legis.iowa.gov.

Damion Hahn was announced as the new head wrestling coach at South Dakota State on Monday. Hahn, who spent 12 seasons as an assistant coach at Cornell, will have three paid assistant coaching positions to fill at South Dakota State. Who will Hahn bring to Brookings, South Dakota? It's mostly speculation at this point, but let's examine potential candidates to join the SDSU coaching staff. Damion Hahn hugs Cam Simaz after winning a national title in 2012 (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WreestlersAreWarriors.com) Cam Simaz: Simaz thrived under the tutelage of Hahn at Cornell. He was a four-time All-American and 2012 NCAA champion at 197 pounds. After his college wrestling career he coached at the Finger Lakes Wrestling Club and worked with Cornell wrestlers like Gabe Dean, Brian Realbuto, Dylan Palacio, Mark Grey, among others. Before this past season, Simaz was hired last year as the head coach of West Point Wrestling Club and Regional Training Center (RTC). Dustin Schlatter: Schlatter is the third assistant at Minnesota behind head coach Brandon Eggum and head assistant Luke Becker. A three-time All-American and 2006 NCAA champion, Schlatter competed for the Gophers after Hahn graduated. However, like Hahn, Schlatter was a top recruit from the East Coast who came to Minnesota and became a national champion. Schlatter also become a multiple-time U.S. World Team member in freestyle. He's still young, has name recognition and can be a huge asset in the room. Damion Hahn and Gabe Dean coaching at the NCAAs (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WreestlersAreWarriors.com) Gabe Dean: It's no secret that Hahn and Dean have a close relationship. Hahn played a key role in developing Dean into a two-time NCAA champion and four-time All-American for the Big Red. "Personalities attract one another," Hahn said of Dean on a wrestling radio show called 'On The Mat' last year. "From the day we recruited Gabe we just kind of hit it off. We have a lot of the same visions." Dean was a volunteer assistant for his alma mater this past season. He helped coach his brother Max to an eighth-place finish at the NCAAs as a freshman 184-pounder. Would Dean leave Ithaca to join Hahn's staff at SDSU? It remains to be seen. Cory Cooperman: The New Jersey native Cooperman said he initially attended the University of Minnesota because of Damion Hahn, a high school wrestling legend in the Garden State. Cooperman eventually transferred to Lehigh and became a three-time All-American for the Mountain Hawks. After his college wrestling career, Cooperman spent time as an assistant coach with Hahn on the Cornell coaching staff. He's very respected as a technician and played a key role in the development of several highly accomplished wrestlers, including NCAA champions Jordan Leen and Troy Nickerson, along with multiple-time Cadet world champion Kurt McHenry. Last year he was named head coach of the New York RTC at Cornell, so it's unlikely he would leave that position so quickly, but he's someone to keep an eye on because of his past history with Hahn. Jason Ness (right) coaching with Luke Becker at the NCAAs (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WreestlersAreWarriors.com) Jayson Ness: Ness, like Hahn, is a former Gopher wrestling great. He was a volunteer assistant coach for the Gophers after his college career, but stepped away from the position to focus on his own competitive wrestling career. Ness is well-liked in the wrestling community, has strong relationships within the state of Minnesota and would be a strong asset to the SDSU program, especially working with lightweights like NCAA champion Seth Gross (133) and NCAA qualifier Connor Brown (125). It remains to be seen if Hahn would hire someone still competing. If so, Ness might be a perfect fit. Nate Carr Jr. played a key role in getting Ronnie Perry to the NCAA finals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WreestlersAreWarriors.com) Nate Carr Jr.: Carr, who wrestled collegiately at Iowa State, has ties to Hahn during his time in Ithaca where he was an athlete and coach for the Finger Lakes Wrestling Club after spending time on the coaching staffs at Maryland and Virginia. Carr has been an assistant coach at Lock Haven for the past two seasons where he has played a key role in the program's reemergence. Zach Sanders: Sanders is currently a volunteer assistant coach at Minnesota. Like Ness, he is former Gopher four-time All-American who would be a strong asset to the program, especially working with the lightweights. Jordan Leen: Hahn coached Leen at Cornell, where he was a three-time All-American and 2008 NCAA champion. Leen, a Tennessee native, has been climbing the coaching ranks since leaving Ithaca. He spent time on the coaching staffs at Duke and Virginia before taking an assistant coaching position at Pitt with first-year head coach Keith Gavin. He is very personable and a strong recruiter. Leen has been an associate head coach already in a major conference, so it seems like his next move would have to be a head coaching position. Jared Lawrence: Lawrence, a former teammate of Hahn's at Minnesota, is a co-owner (with Olympic silver medalist Brandon Paulson) at the PINnacle School of Wrestling in Minnesota, one of nation's top wrestling clubs. The Idaho native and 2002 NCAA champion is a well-respected wrestling mind with great connections, especially in Minnesota, a bordering state to South Dakota. In 2011, Sean Bormet left his club, Overtime School of Wrestling, to become an assistant coach at Michigan. Would Lawrence leave his club to become a head assistant coach with his former teammate? It might be a long shot, but it might be worth a call at the very least. Cody Caldwell: Caldwell, a former Northern Iowa wrestler, was an assistant coach this past season for South Dakota State, and unlike Jon Reader, did not follow Chris Bono to Wisconsin. He's the only coach currently listed on SDSU's wrestling website. He has relationships with wrestlers on the team, which makes him an asset.

Rob Tate It's official: Rob Tate has been named head wrestling coach at Queens University, the Charlotte-based school announced Monday. Tate had been hired as an assistant coach of the program launched in the 2017-18 season under head coach Ken Chertow, who left the program in February 2018. Tate had been named interim coach upon Chertow's departure; now the word "interim" has been removed from his title. "Coach Tate made an immediate impact on our program during his interim time as head coach," said Queens director of athletics Cherie Swarthout. "He has proven his ability to lead, mentor, and hold our student-athletes to the highest level of expectations. They have made significant improvements during his short tenure both academically and athletically." "Coach Tate has embraced the Queens culture since arriving as an assistant and recognizes what is needed to lead a successful wrestling program," Swarthout added. Under Tate's leadership, the Royals picked up wins over Clemson, East Carolina, and South Carolina's club teams. In addition, ten wrestlers qualified to compete at the NCWA (National College Wrestling Association) National Championships, with two Royals - Noah Curreri and Devinaire Hayes - bringing home individual titles, and three others earning All-American honors. The team finished fifth out of 79 teams competing. Prior to joining the Royals, Tate was an assistant coach at Charlotte Country Day for two seasons. He also spent two years as a volunteer assistant wrestling coach at Gardner Webb University. Rob Tate received his bachelor's degree from Gardner Webb in 2011 after completing his wrestling career. He was a three-year starter for the Bulldogs compiling a record of 71-26. In 2007, Tate was an NCAA Division I National Championship Qualifier after being an Eastern Regional Champion. "I'm thankful to Cherie for the opportunity to lead and help grow these young men and feel blessed to be surrounded by such great colleagues trying to achieve the same things in their respective sports," Tate said. "I'm excited about the challenge and look forward to contributing to the excellence this department has become accustomed to." Founded in 1857, Queens University is a private, four-year university located in Charlotte, North Carolina. It has an enrollment of approximately 1,900 students. The Royals wrestling program will be competing in NCAA Division II this fall.

Jon Reader and Matt McDonough have joined the Wisconsin coaching staff (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WreestlersAreWarriors.com) MADISON, Wis. -- The Wisconsin wrestling program added two NCAA champions to its staff on Monday, as head coach Chris Bono announced the hiring of Jon Reader and Matt McDonough as assistant coaches. Reader, an assistant coach at South Dakota State since 2014, follows Bono to Madison after a successful stint in Brookings that included coaching 20 national qualifiers, five All-Americans and a national champion in Seth Gross. "First and foremost, Jon is a great person. He's well respected within the whole wrestling world," Bono said. "He treats people the way they're supposed to be treated and that's going to be the basis of this program, bringing in good people who treat people the way they're supposed to be treated. Number two, he's a tireless worker. His work ethic in all areas of his life is just off the charts. His relationships around the country with coaches and kids are just unbelievable, so recruiting is just his forte and he loves to do it. Then, you let him get inside the room with the kids and he works out every single day and he can work with them every single day. He's a great technician. Overall, he's probably the hottest assistant coach in the country right now." Reader played an integral role in helping SDSU qualify seven wrestlers for the 2017-18 NCAA Championships, the most in school history. Of those seven NCAA qualifiers, three became All-Americans and one claimed the program's first national championship. "Our mentalities are the exact same and he became family right away," Bono added of Reader. "He hit it out of the ballpark as an assistant coach at SDSU. When we got our opportunity to come here to Wisconsin, he could have stayed and been the guy at SDSU, but he jumped with me and took a leap of faith and said this is the best thing for all of us. We're so excited that he came with me." Reader earned 124 career victories during his collegiate career at Iowa State, where he became a three-time All-American and 2011 NCAA Champion at 174 pounds. Reader will not be the only national champion on staff. McDonough will also coach the Badgers as an assistant after winning two NCAA titles of his own at 125 pounds as a freshman and junior at Iowa. "When I first got the job at SDSU, I tried to hire him six years ago when he was fresh out of college and winning national championships at Iowa," Bono said of McDonough. "It's the mentality of the work ethic and how he's thinking. We're on the same page for how we should train athletes and how the recruiting goes. "Everything about Matt is what I think about in a wrestling program, so it was a no-brainer to go after him. He comes very highly recommended by a lot of people and I'm excited to get him here." McDonough was a three-time All-American for the Hawkeyes and ended his illustrious career with 122 wins. He also won back-to-back Big Ten titles as a sophomore and junior. In international competition, he earned a bronze medal for Team USA in Hungary. "We're all on the same page already. I know the work ethic of those two guys and I know my work ethic and I know our philosophy," Bono said. "They know how I think, they know what kind of a guy I am and it's almost like getting together with family. Everything just clicks."

Damion Hahn coaching at the NCAAs in Cleveland (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WreestlersAreWarriors.com) Damion Hahn, who helped build Cornell into a national power over the past decade, was hired Monday to lead the South Dakota State University wrestling program. "Damion represents everything we are looking for in being able to take our wrestling program to the next level," said SDSU Director of Athletics Justin Sell in announcing the hire. "His success both as a collegiate wrestler and coach, along with his ability to recruit high-achieving student-athletes on and off the mat, made him the ideal candidate. He is a tremendous ambassador for the sport who will work tirelessly to ensure wrestling thrives both on our campus and across the country." Hahn spent 12 years as an assistant coach and later the associate head coach at Cornell in Ithaca, New York. During his tenure, the Big Red recorded 11 top-10 team finishes at the NCAA Championships, including consecutive runner-up finishes in 2010 and 2011. He mentored 50 All-Americans, 12 of whom were individual NCAA champions. Cornell also won 12 straight Ivy League dual championships and 11 consecutive Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association team titles. In accepting his first head coaching position, Hahn will make a return to the Midwest. As a collegiate wrestler at Minnesota, Hahn won NCAA individual national titles as a junior and senior. A four-time All-American, he also was a three-time Big 10 individual champion and was named the Jesse Owens Big 10 Male Athlete of the Year in 2004. The Golden Gophers won team NCAA championships during both his freshman and sophomore seasons. "I am truly honored to be named the next head coach of wrestling at South Dakota State University and am thrilled for the opportunity to lead a program that has such incredible support from the university and the community," Hahn said. "I would like to thank Justin Sell and everyone on the search committee for giving me this opportunity. I am excited for the future of Jackrabbit Wrestling." At SDSU, Hahn takes over a Jackrabbit program that has risen in the ranks of Division I wrestling in recent years. SDSU has been nationally ranked each of the past three seasons and wrapped up its most successful season in March with a 12th-place showing at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships -- best among Big 12 Conference programs. Seth Gross won an individual national title at 133 pounds, while David Kocer (seventh at 174 pounds) and Luke Zilverberg (eighth at 157 pounds) also earned All-America honors. The Jackrabbits also finished the 2017-18 dual season with a 14-2 overall record, including an 8-0 mark against Big 12 opponents. SDSU won its final 14 duals to set a program record. Hahn will begin his duties at SDSU on April 16.

USA captured its first Freestyle World Cup title since 2003 (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WreestlersAreWarriors.com) IOWA CITY -- Six-time defending champion Iran wasn't here. Neither was perennial powerhouse Russia or traditional stronghold Turkey. But that wasn't going to stop Jordan Burroughs and his American teammates from celebrating their country's first World Cup title in 15 years. The U.S. earned a hard-fought 6-4 win over Azerbaijan to clinch the team title at the UWW Senior Men's Freestyle Wrestling World Cup Sunday before 6,378 fans at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Burroughs, an Olympic gold medalist and four-time world champion, is now 27-0 in the World Cup. He sent the raucous crowd into a frenzy when he pinned Azerbaijan's Gasjimurad Omarov. "Some people were saying it's not a World Cup because Iran and Russia isn't here, but Azerbaijan is a really good team" Burroughs said. "If Russia and Iran wanted to win a World Cup, they should've been here. We flew 15 hours to Iran last year for the World Cup. They should've been here this year. We have a really good team and I know our team can beat anybody in the world right now." 2016 world champion Logan Stieber turned in a huge win when he defeated three-time world champion Haji Aliyev 6-3 at 65 kg. Stieber spun behind Aliyev for a late takedown and then pumped his right fist as time expired while the crowd cheered. "It's really special competing here," Stieber said. "It's a great crowd with a lot of passionate fans. It was a great environment to wrestle in." Kyle Dake knocked off Olympic and world medalist Jabrayil Hasanov (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WreestlersAreWarriors.com) Kyle Dake capped a superb weekend in his first World Cup by knocking off Olympic and world medalist Jabrayil Hasanov 5-3 at 79 kg. David Taylor followed by winning by technical superiority at 86 kg to give his team a 5-3 lead in the dual. Olympic gold medalist and two-time world champion Kyle Snyder capped the win by powering past Roman Bakirov 14-3. That clinched the victory for the American squad and gave them their first World Cup crown since 2003. Kendric Maple also delivered a key early win against Azerbaijan at 61 kg after dropping two earlier matches in this event. "I was excited for this match," Maple said. "I didn't wrestle like I felt I should've in my first two matches. I was a little upset with that and I came back and tried to give us a spark. I'm glad Coach Zadick gave me a chance to redeem myself." The U.S. won the World Cup, an event that started in 1973, for the 14th time. "This is a great team and they performed really well this weekend," U.S. National Coach Bill Zadick said. "It was really exciting to win a heated finals match against a very good team from Azerbaijan." Hometown hero Thomas Gilman turned in a valiant effort before his comeback came up short in an 8-7 loss to European champion Giorgi Edisherashvili of Azerbaijan at 57 kg. The U.S. advanced to the finals after going 3-0 in pool play, capped by Sunday morning's 8-2 win over Georgia. Burroughs, Snyder, Logan Stieber, Kyle Dake and David Taylor won by technical superiority in the Georgia dual. "It's really meaningful to me to win this," Burroughs said. "I'm undefeated in the World Cup, but I had never brought home the big Cup. It took a lot of years, but it's finally paying off." "We're the best team in the world. We're the reigning world champions." And now the reigning World Cup champions. Japan won an entertaining dual with Cuba in the bronze-medal dual, prevailing 6-4 after heavyweight Taiko Yamamoto pulled out a last-second victory. Georgia topped Mongolia 6-4 in the fifth-place match. USA 6, AZERBAIJAN 4 57 kg/125.5 lbs. - Giorgi Edisherashvili (Azerbaijan) dec. Thomas Gilman (USA), 8-7 61 kg/134 lbs. - Kendric Maple (USA) vs. Afghan Khashalov (Azerbaijan), 6-2 65 kg/143 lbs. - Logan Stieber (USA) vs. Haji Aliyev (Azerbaijan), 6-3 70 kg/154 lbs. - Joshgun Azimov (Azerbaijan) dec. James Green (USA), 4-4 criteria 74 kg/163 lbs. - Jordan Burroughs (USA) pinned Gasjimurad Omarov (Azerbaijan), 3:15 79 kg/174 lbs. - Kyle Dake (USA) dec. Jabrayil Hasanov (Azerbaijan), 5-3 86 kg/189 lbs. - David Taylor (USA) vs. Aleksander Gostiev (Azerbaijan), 12-2 92 kg/202.5 lbs. - Aslanbek Alborov (Azerbaijan) dec. J'den Cox (USA), 4-4 criteria 97 kg/213 lbs. - Kyle Snyder (USA) tech. fall Roman Bakirov (Azerbaijan), 14-3 125 kg/275 lbs. - Jamaladdin Magomedov (Azerbaijan) dec. Nick Gwiazdowski (USA), 4-3 USA 8, GEORGIA 2 57 kg/125.5 lbs. - Thomas Gilman (USA) dec. Teimuraz Vanishvili (Georgia), 6-4 61 kg/134 lbs. - Lasha Lomtadze (Georgia) dec. Kendric Maple (USA), 4-3 65 kg/143 lbs. - Logan Stieber (USA) tech. fall Magomed Saidovi (Georgia), 10-0 70 kg/154 lbs. - James Green (USA) dec. Levan Kelekhsashvili (Georgia), 8-0 74 kg/163 lbs. - Jordan Burroughs (USA) tech. fall Tarzan Maisuradze (Georgia), 10-0 79 kg/174 lbs. - Kyle Dake (USA) tech. fall Tariel Gaphrindashvili (Georgia), 10-0 86 kg/189 lbs. - David Taylor (USA) tech. fall David Khutsishvili (Georgia), 11-1 92 kg/202.5 lbs. - Givi Matcharashvili (Georgia) dec. J'den Cox (USA), 3-0 97 kg/213 lbs. - Kyle Snyder (USA) tech. fall Zviadi Metreveli (Georgia), 10-0 125 kg/275 lbs. - Nick Gwiazdowski (USA) dec. Giorgi Meshvildishvili (Georgia), 7-0 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.

INDIANA, Pa. -- Fourteen wrestlers were crowned as champions of FloNationals on Saturday evening at the Kovalchick Center at the campus of the Indiana Univeristy of Pennsylvania. Among that group, No. 1 (at 220) Mason Parris (Lawrenceburg, Ind.) was the lone wrestler to earn a repeat title, doing so in the 285 pound class; Parris did so with a pair of technical falls and a pair of first period pins in four matches during the tournament. Also of note among the champions was Jakob Camacho (Danbury, Ct.), who won the 126 pound title after earning runner-up honors at the event last year. While the North Carolina State signee missed all of the 2017-18 high school season season, there was zero rust shown as he picked up four major decisions and a pin in five matches during the tournament. Additional nationally ranked wrestlers to win titles were No. 4 Richard Figueroa (Selma, Calif.) at 106 pounds, No. 12 (at 126) Dominick Serrano (Windsor, Colo.) at 120, No. 20 James Whitaker (St. Johns, Mich.) at 138, No. 17 Michael North (Wadsworth, Ohio) at 145, No. 13 (at 160) Peyton Mocco (West Allis Nathan Hale, Wis.) at 152, No. 11 Tyler Barnes (Ballston Spa, N.Y.) at 170, No. 6 Jared Krattiger (Waterford, Wis.) at 182, and No. 14 Jacob Cardenas (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) at 195. Also winning titles were Brock McMillen (Glendale, Pa.) at 113, Mosha Schwartz (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) at 132, Colt Yinger (Nelsonville-York, Oho) at 160, and Lewis Fernandes (Voorhees, N.J.) at 220. McMillen beat a nationally ranked opponent in the final, while Fernandes upended one in the semifinal round. Below are the results of the championship bouts: 106: No. 4 Richard Figueroa (Selma, Calif.) dec. Joey Cruz (Clovis North, Calif. - 8th grade) 3-2 TB 113: Brock McMillen (Glendale, Pa.) dec. No. 14 (at 120) Kai Orine (Seckman, Mo.) 6-2 120: No. 12 (at 126) Dominick Serrano (Windsor, Colo.) dec. Sean Pierson (Nazareth, Pa.) 9-5 126: Jakob Camacho (Danbury, Ct.) major dec. Anthony Martinoni (Folsom, Calif.) 11-3 132: Mosha Schwartz (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) dec. Manzona Bryant (Culver Academy, Ind.) 8-5 TB 138: No. 20 James Whitaker (St. Johns, Mich.) dec. No. 5 Marshall Keller (Christiansburg, Va.) 7-2 145: No. 17 Michael North (Wadsworth, Ohio) dec. Kolby Ho (DuBois, Pa.) 7-6 152: No. 13 (at 160) Peyton Mocco (West Allis Nathan Hale, Wis.) dec. No. 15 Justin McCoy (Chestnut Ridge, Pa.) 8-3 160: Colt Yinger (Nelsonville-York, Ohio) dec. Gerrit Nijenhuis (Canon-McMillan, Pa.) 7-5 170: No. 11 Tyler Barnes (Ballston Spa, N.Y.) dec. Jared McGill (Chestnut Ridge, Pa.) 10-9 182: No. 6 Jared Krattiger (Waterford, Wis.) dec. No. 14 Josh Stillings (Pennridge, Pa.) 7-2 195: No. 14 Jacob Cardenas (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) dec. Beau Yineman (Neenah, Wis.) 7-4 220: Lewis Fernandes (Voorhees, N.J.) dec. Aric Bohn (Mukwanogo, Wis.) 8-2 285: No. 1 (at 220) Mason Parris (Lawrenceburg, Ind.) pinned Michael Wolfgram (Central York, Pa.) 1:52 The following were the results of the consolation medal matches at each weight class. 106: 3rd: Dustin Norris (Cincinnati LaSalle, Ohio) dec. No. 12 Ryan Miller (Blair Academy, N.J.) 5-4 5th: Peyton Kellar (Vincent Warren, Ohio) dec. No. 20 Kurtis Phipps (Norwin, Pa.) 3-0 7th: Logan Ashford (Buford, Ga.) dec. Jordan Titus (Center Moriches, N.Y.) 7-3 113: 3rd: Jesse Mendez (Mt. Carmel, Ill. - 8th grade) dec. Dylan Cedeno (Fair Lawn, N.J.) 4-3 5th: Vance VomBaur (Windsor, Colo.) dec. Cagen Wallace (Wayne County, Ky.) 5-2 7th: Beau Bayless (Reynolds, Pa.) dec. Cole Wilson (Northeastern, Pa.) 2-1 120: 3rd: Asa Garcia (Avon, Ind.) dec. No. 19 (at 126) Cleveland Belton (St. John Bosco, Calif.) 5th: No. 19 Devin Murphy (Clovis North, Calif.) over Brock Whorton (East Fairmont, W.Va.) by medical forfeit 7th: Jordan Hamdan (Hudson, Mich.) dec. Anthony Sciotto (Rocky Point, N.Y.) 7-5 126: 3rd: Patrick Noonan (Stroudsburg, Pa.) dec. Justin Rivera (Fort Myers, Fla.) 5-0 5th: Cole Rhone (Benton, Pa.) dec. Ty Mills (Brownsburg, Ind.) 2-0 7th: Breyden Palmer (Beech, Tenn.) dec. Val Park (Heritage Hall, Okla.) 4-2 132: 3rd: Kris Rumph (Portage, Ind.) dec. Dawson Combest (Columbus East, Ind.) 9-5 5th: Caleb Rea (Weir, W.Va.) dec. Peyton Hall (Oak Glen, W.Va.) 5-3 SV 7th: Colton Camacho (Franklin Regional, Pa.) dec. Aidan Medora (St. John's Military Academy, Wis.) 6-2 138: 3rd: Devin Schwartzkopf (Francis Howell Central, Mo.) dec. Trent Johnson (John Hardin, Ky.) 6-0 5th: No. 6 (at 145) Jason Kraisser (Centennial, Md.) dec. Trevor Jeffries (Thunder Basin, Wyo.) 4-1 7th: Leno Ciotti (Erie McDowell, Pa.) dec. Avry Mustchler (Lowell, Mich.) 6-1 145: 3rd: No. 7 Kendall Coleman (Mt. Carmel, Ill.) dec. Clayton Ulrey (Lower Dauphin, Pa.) 5-3 SV 5th: Peter Enos (Francis Howell, Mo.) dec. Matthew Grippi (Fox Lane, N.Y.) 17-15 SV 7th: Kiernan Shanahan (Shenendehowa, N.Y.) dec. Micah Hoffman (Northern York, Pa.) 5-2 152: 3rd: Thayer Lawrence (Frazier, Pa.) major dec. Derrick Smallwood (North Hardin, Ky.) 11-3 5th: Ian Carlos (North Salem, Ore.) dec. Max Maylor (Iowa-Grant/Highland, Wis.) 6-3 7th: Trey Kibe (Mifflin County, Pa.) dec. Donnell Washington (Portage, Ind.) 3-1, overtime 160: 3rd: Hunter Cruz (Moses Lake, Wis.) dec. Sean Harman (West Linn, Ore.) 8-5 5th: Colton Denney (Heritage Hall, Okla.) over Austin Murphy (Cincinnati Elder, Ohio) by medical forfeit 7th: Nick Giantonio (Christiansburg, Va.) pinned Quentin Milliken (Trinity Camp Hill, Pa.) 2:2 170: 3rd: Carson Brewer (Avon, Ind.) dec. Ryan Ringler (Cedar Springs, Mich.) 3-1, overtime 5th: Trey Sizemore (Cincinnati LaSalle, Ohio) over Scott Joll (Belle Vernon Area, Pa.) by medical forfeit 7th: Brandon Green (Paulsboro, N.J.) dec. Christian Murphy (Howell, N.J.) 7-2 182: 3rd: No. 11 Victor Marcelli (Massillon Jackson, Ohio) dec. No. 12 (at 195) Cole Urbas (State College, Pa.) 4-2, overtime 5th: Christian Knop (Alexandria, Ala.) over Jackson Moomau (Petersburg, W.Va.) 4-2 7th: Blake Barrick (Big Spring, Pa.) dec. Christian Sequete (Butler, Pa.) 6-3 195: 3rd: Tyler Houghton (Weddington, N.C.) dec. Terren Swartz (Thunder Basin, Wyo.) 9-3 5th: Cole Maddox (Marianna, Fla.) dec. Johnny Santos (Fox Lane, N.Y.) 11-4 7th: No. 19 Tony Wuest (Smyrna, Del.) pinned Ty Kwak (Christiansburg, Va.) 0:48 220: 3rd: No. 18 Victor Jacquez (Bellarmine, Calif.) dec. Jacob Slinger (Upper St. Clair, Pa.) 6-3 5th: Colton McKiernan (Richmond, Mich.) dec. Anthony Smith (Christiansburg, Va.) 7-0 7th: Khalil Messai (Jamestown, Pa.) pinned Jake Ryan (Mount Union, Pa.) 4:42 285: 3rd: Jack DelGarbino (Girard, Ohio) dec. Michael Burchell (Daniel Hand, Ct.) 3-1 5th: Kawaun DeBoe (Erie Cathedral Prep, Pa.) dec. Bishop McCoy (South Side Beaver, Pa.) 1-0 7th: Jacob Cover (Hilliard Darby, Ohio) dec. Nicholas Martino (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) 5-3

Ed Ruth (Photo/Bellator) Former Penn State wrestling champ Ed Ruth tallied his fifth consecutive win in his professional mixed martial arts career -- but he had to go the distance for the first time -- at Bellator 196 in Budapest, Hungary Friday night. Ruth, 27, earned a unanimous decision over 35-year-old Ion Pascu of Romania, 29-28, 30-27, 30-27, in a three-round catchweight bout at 175 pounds shown on tape-delay on the Paramount Network. Prior to Friday night's fight, Ruth's previous matches never went beyond the second round, ending with a knockout or TKO. "Ruth showcased an improved striking acumen in the fight, getting the better part of the stand-up over the course of the first two rounds before sealing the deal with his grappling in the third," according to MMAFighting.com. "Ruth came out pressing forward, appearing a lot leaner than we have seen in the past," noted BloodyElbow.com, as the former Nittany Lion had been fighting as a middleweight at 185 pounds until this match on way down to the crowded welterweight (170) class. "Pascu cracked early with a mean liver kick that slowed up the forward momentum of his opponent, but Ruth regained his composure and continued to march behind his strikes. It took about three whole minutes before the NCAA All American secured his first takedown, but Pascu was able to return to his feet rather quickly. In an unexpected turn of events, Pascu found a takedown of his own, but was unable to establish any sort of top control before the round ended." Here's how Cageside Press described the final round: "It was Ion Pascu opening the third with a takedown; from there, they worked their way up and as Ruth looked to shoot, Pascu was able to catch him in a guillotine attempt. Ruth defended well, however, and was eventually able to free himself. From there, he was able to control his opponent from the top, and it felt like the affair was going to the scorecards. Which it did, with Ruth earning a clear decision." After the fight, Ruth tweeted: "Still undefeated, but I still have far to go and much to learn, I have to give it up to Ion Pascu @pascuion1 , I have much more respect for vets of this sport, thanks for the awesome fight!! #EZway #bellator196 #Budapest" Ruth, who launched his pro MMA career with Bellator in November 2016, is now 5-0. Pascu drops to 17-8 in a pro career he started in October 2006. Ruth is one of the most decorated wrestlers to come out of Penn State wrestling program. The Harrisburg, Pa. native was a four-time NCAA All-American, becoming the first three-time NCAA champ for the Nittany Lions in the program's more than a century of existence, winning the 174-pound title in 2012, and back-to-back championships at 184 in 2013 and 2014.

Jordan Burroughs was dominant in picking up two victories on Saturday (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WreestlersAreWarriors.com) IOWA CITY -- When Jordan Burroughs sees an opening his eyes light up. And so does the scoreboard. Burroughs powered the U.S. to wins over India and Japan as the UWW Senior Men's Freestyle Wrestling World Cup kicked off Saturday before 6,388 fans at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Americans opened with a 10-0 win over India on Saturday afternoon before rallying to defeat a strong squad from Japan 7-3 on Saturday afternoon. The U.S. dropped the first three bouts against Japan before winning the remaining bouts. "The World Cup is a major event and it's been a while since we've won this," U.S. National Coach Bill Zadick said. "Obviously, we want to change that. We have a good group of guys and they're wrestling well right now." The U.S. is scheduled to face Georgia at 10 a.m. Sunday. A win there would clinch the Americans a berth in the gold-medal dual is set for 4 p.m. The U.S. is seeking its first team title at the World Cup since 2003. The annual international dual meet competition features eight of the best teams in the world. "I've wrestled in a lot of World Cups, but I've never been a part of a team that's won it," Burroughs said. "I really want to win this thing. Our team is competing at a high level. It's our time. I don't think there is anybody in the world that can compete with what we've got going on right now." Burroughs opened with a decisive 11-1 technical fall over India's Vunod Kumar at 74 kg. He finished the win with a double leg into a leg lace. He led just 1-0 at the break against the defensive-minded Kumar before opening it up in the second period. "It's frustrating wrestling a guy like that," Burroughs said. "You just have to keep your composure and keep battling." Burroughs followed by downing Japan's Ken Hosaka 7-1. Dake countered, lifted and launched world silver medalist Sohsuke Takatani of Japan twice for five points to score a stunning 10-0 win by technical superiority. "This is the best atmosphere in the world to wrestle in," Dake said. "The crowd is incredible and the fans are really into it. It's a blast wrestling in here." Burroughs, an Olympic gold medalist and four-time world champion, is now 25-0 in the World Cup. Olympic gold medalist and two-time world champion Kyle Snyder rolled to a pair of wins at 97 kg. Snyder is now 9-1 in the World Cup World silver medalist Thomas Gilman dropped a 4-1 decision to 2017 world champion Yuki Takahashi of Japan. Gilman led 1-0 and was in prime position to score on a number of single-leg attacks, but Takahashi twice countered for takedowns in the second period. Takahashi beat Gilman 6-0 in the world finals at 57 kg. last year in Paris. Gilman, a three-time All-American for Iowa, was competing in the arena where he wrestled in college at the World Cup. Two-time NCAA champion David Taylor also rolled to a pair of wins Saturday. "It's nice to wrestle in Carver-Hawkeye and have the fans cheering for me," said Taylor, who wrestled collegiately for Penn State. "It's an awesome atmosphere and we're excited to put on a show for them." In the win over India, American Joe Colon rallied from an early deficit to down Sandeep Tomar 6-4 at 61 kg. Colon scored a takedown and gut wrench in the second period to prevail. World champion Logan Stieber fired in on early leg attack en route to a decisive 12-2 technical fall win over India''s Sharvan. Stieber finished off the bout with a succession of gut wrenches to win at 65 kg. James Green relied on his explosive double-leg attack to roll by Arun Kumar 10-0 at 70 kg. The World Cup started in 1973 and the U.S. has won the event 13 times. The U.S. has hosted the World Cup 30 times, most recently in Los Angeles from 2014-16. Iran has won this event the past six years. The Iranians were invited to this year's World Cup, but elected not to attend. Burroughs also is still undefeated at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. He won the Olympic Trials here in 2012 and 2016. "This is an incredible venue for wrestling with all of the tradition and history," Burroughs said. "I love competing here. It's a mecca for wrestling - I love it. You can't beat it." USA 7, JAPAN 3 57 kg/125.5 lbs. - Yuki Takahashi (Japan) dec. Thomas Gilman (USA), 4-1 61 kg/134 lbs. - Kazuya Koyanagi (Japan) dec. Kendric Maple (USA), 2-2 criteria 65 kg/143 lbs. - Daichi Takatani (Japan) dec. Logan Stieber (USA), 10-5 70 kg/154 lbs. - James Green (USA) dec. Keisuke Otoguro (Japan), 8-5 74 kg/163 lbs. - Jordan Burroughs (USA) dec. Ken Hosaka (Japan), 7-1 79 kg/174 lbs. - Kyle Dake (USA) tech. fall over Sohsuke Takatani (Japan), 10-0 86 kg/189 lbs. - David Taylor (USA) tech. fall Shota Shirai (Japan), 12-2 92 kg/202.5 lbs. - J'den Cox (USA) tech. fall Takashi Ishiguro (Japan), 11-0 97 kg/213 lbs. - Kyle Snyder (USA) tech. fall Takeshi Yamaguchi (Japan), 10-0 125 kg/275 lbs. - Nick Gwiazdowski (USA) tech. fall Nobuyoshi Arakida (Japan), 10-0 USA 10, INDIA 0 57 kg/125.5 lbs. - Thomas Gilman (USA) won by forfeit 61 kg/134 lbs. - Joe Colon (USA) dec. Sandeep Tomar (India), 6-4 65 kg/143 lbs. - Logan Stieber (USA) tech. fall over Sharvan (India), 12-2 70 kg/154 lbs. - James Green (USA) tech. fall over Arun Kumar (India), 10-0 74 kg/163 lbs. - Jordan Burroughs (USA) tech. fall over Vinod Kumar Omprakash (India), 11-1 79 kg/174 lbs. - Kyle Dake (USA) tech. fall over Sachin Giri (India), 11-0 86 kg/189 lbs. - David Taylor (USA) tech. fall over Pawan Kumar (India), 10-0 92 kg/202.5 lbs. - Hayden Zillmer (USA) dec. Deepak Punia (India), 7-0 97 kg/213 lbs. - Kyle Snyder (USA) tech. fall over Viky (India), 10-0 125 kg/275 lbs. - Dom Bradley (USA) tech. fall over Pushpender Singh (India), 10-0 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.

Ohio State University is investigating recently-revealed allegations of sexual misconduct regarding a former wrestling team physician, the Columbus-based Big Ten school announced in a statement issued Thursday. Dr. Richard Strauss, who served as team physician from the mid-1970s through the late 1990s, has been accused of sexual misconduct with Ohio State student-athletes including Buckeye wrestlers, along with other alleged acts of inappropriate conduct. Strauss died in 2005. The Lantern -- the official Ohio State student newspaper -- reported Friday that the allegations stem from "one individual who alleges that the misconduct affected more than one person," according to a school spokesperson. In addition, The Lantern reported that Strauss also was a member of the medical commission of the International Olympic Committee who attended the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles to drug test athletes. To investigate alleged incidents from 20-45 years ago which have only been recently brought to light, Ohio State has notified appropriate law enforcement agencies, and enlisted the help of the Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, and the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation. In addition, the school has hired an independent investigator. As part of Ohio State's investigation of allegations against Strauss, the school is reaching out to former student-athletes, coaches and others who may have been affected or may have had knowledge of these alleged incidents. Individuals who believe they experienced any form of sexual misconduct at the hands of an Ohio State student or employee while enrolled at the school are encouraged to report the incident to the Office of University Compliance and Integrity, or to Ohio State's Ethicspoint secure, anonymous reporting service, or directly to law enforcement. According to the statement issued by the school, "Ohio State actively promotes a safe and healthy campus climate for students, faculty, staff and visitors. The university does not tolerate sexual misconduct and is committed to advancing a culture of civility and respect." "Ohio State will report the outcome of the investigation publicly upon its completion."

Wrestling action on Friday at the FloNationals saw the field in each weight class pared down to sixteen, those in the quarterfinals and eight others in consolation. Action will continue at the Kovalchick Center on the campus of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania at 10:00 tomorrow morning with medal matches slated for 6:30 p.m. Below are the quarterfinal pairings for each weight class 106 pounds: No. 4 Richard Figueroa (Selma, Calif.) vs. Nick Fea (Wyoming Seminary, Pa. - 8th grade) Dustin Norris (Cincinnati LaSalle, Ohio) vs. No. 20 Kurtis Phipps (Norwin, Pa.) No. 12 Ryan Miller (Blair Academy, N.J.) vs. Carlos Negrete (Clovis North, Calif.) Joey Cruz (Selma, Calif. - 8th grade) vs. No. 17 Jacob Moran (Portage, Ind.) 113: No. 14 (at 120) Kai Orine (Seckman, Mo.) vs. Jesse Ybarra (Sunnyside, Ariz.) Jesse Mendez (Mt. Carmel, Ill. - 8th grade) vs. Beau Bayless (Reynolds, Pa.) Dylan Cedeno (Fair Lawn, N.J.) vs. T.J. Daugherty (Walled Lake Central, Mich.) Logan Sciotto (Rocky Point, N.Y.) vs. Brock McMillen (Glendale, Pa.) 120: No. 12 (at 126) Dominick Serrano (Windsor, Colo.) vs. No. 19 Devin Murphy (Clovis North, Calif.) Asa Garcia (Avon, Ind.) vs. No. 6 (at 113) Sammy Alvarez (St. Joseph Montvale, N.J.) Brock Whorton (East Fairmont, W.Va.) vs. Sean Pierson (Nazareth, Pa.) Anthony Sciotto (Rocky Point, N.Y.) vs. No. 19 (at 126) Cleveland Belton (St. John Bosco, Calif.) 126: Jakob Camacho (Danbury, Ct.) vs. Chris Rivera (Fort Myers, Fla.) Fabian Santillan (Grandview, Colo.) vs. Ty Mills (Brownsburg, Ind.) Angelo Martinoni (Folsom, Calif.) vs. Val Park (Heritage Hall, Okla.) Justin Rivera (Fort Myers, Fla.) vs. Patrick Noonan (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 132: Aidan Medora (St. John's Military Academy, Wis.) vs. Mosha Schwartz (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) Dawson Combest (Columbus East, Ind.) vs. Peyton Hall (Oak Glen, W.Va) Kris Rumph (Portage, Ind.) vs. Zaryen Terukina (Campbell, Hawaii) Manzona Bryant (Culver Academy, Ind.) vs. Caleb Rea (Weir, W.Va.) 138: No. 5 Marshall Keller (Christiansburg, Va.) vs. Trent Johnson (John Hardin, Ky.) Trevor Jeffries (Thunder Basin, Wyo.) vs. T.T. Elhajj (Lower Dauphin, Pa.) Alec Cook (Madonna, W.Va.) vs. No. 20 James Whitaker (St. Johns, Mich.) Devin Schwartzkopf (Francis Howell Central, Mo.) vs. No. 6 (at 145) Jason Kraisser (Centennial, Md.) 145: No. 7 Kendall Coleman (Mt. Carmel, Ill.) vs. Micah Hoffman (Northern York, Pa.) Clayton Ulrey (Lower Dauphin, Pa.) vs. Kolby Ho (DuBois, Pa.) Joshua Otto (Arrowhead, Wis.) vs. No. 17 Michael North (Wadsworth, Ohio) Kiernan Shanahan (Shenendehowa, N.Y.) vs. Peter Enos (Francis Howell, Mo.) 152: No. 15 Justin McCoy (Chestnut Ridge, Pa.) vs. Zack Lawrence (Duanesburg, N.Y.) Cole Rees (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) vs. Ian Carlos (North Salem, Ore.) Derrick Smallwood (North Hardin, Ky.) vs. Max Maylor (Iowa-Grant/Highland, Wis.) Gabriel Dinette (Lakewood, Colo.) vs. No. 13 (at 160) Peyton Mocco (West Allis Nathan Hale, Wis.) 160: Colt Yinger (Nelsonville-York, Ohio) vs. Hunter Cruz (Moses Lake, Wis.) Sean Harman (West Linn, Ore.) vs. Nick Giantonio (Christiansburg, Va.) Austin Murphy (Cincinnati Elder, Ohio) vs. Colton Denney (Heritage Hall, Okla.) Zach Lee (Kaukauna, Wis.) vs. Gerrit Nijenhuis (Canon-McMillan, Pa.) 170: No. 11 Tyler Barnes (Ballston Spa, N.Y.) vs. Brandon Green (Paulsboro, N.J.) Ryan Ringler (Cedar Springs, Mich.) vs. Trey Sizemore (Cincinnati LaSalle, Ohio) Jared McGill (Chestnut Ridge, Pa.) vs. Bryce Alsteen (Kaukauna, Wis.) Carson Brewer (Avon, Ind.) vs. No. 18 Dalton Group (Susquenita, Pa.) 182: No. 14 Josh Stillings (Pennridge, Pa.) vs. Christian Sequete (Butler, Pa.) No. 12 (at 195) Cole Urbas (State College, Pa.) vs. Niccolo Colucci (St. Peter's Prep, N.J.) No. 6 Jared Krattiger (Waterford, Wis.) vs. Christian Knop (Alexandria, Ala.) Blake Barrick (Big Spring, Pa.) vs. No. 11 Victor Marcelli (Massillon Jackson, Ohio) 195: No. 14 Jacob Cardenas (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) vs. Tyler Houghton (Weddington, N.C.) Johnny Santos (Fox Lane, N.Y.) vs. No. 19 Tony Wuest (Smyrna, Del>) Kyle Richards (Folsom, Calif.) vs. Cole Maddox (Marianna, Fla.) Brent Booth (Midland Dow, Mich.) vs. Beau Yineman (Neenah, Wis.) 220: L. Fernandes (Voorhees, N.J.) vs. Jacob Slinger (Upper St. Clair, Pa.) Jake Ryan (Mount Union, Pa.) vs. No. 18 Victor Jacquez (Bellarmine, Calif.) Colton McKiernan (Richmond, Mich.) vs. Anthony Smith (Christiansburg, Va.) Khalil Messai (Jamestown, Pa.) vs. Aric Bohn (Mukwanago, Wis.) 285: No. 1 (at 220) Mason Parris (Lawrenceburg, Ind.) vs. Nicholas Martino (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) Bishop McCoy (South Side Beaver, Pa.) vs. Kawaun DeBoe (Erie Cathedral Prep, Pa.) Jack DelGarbino (Girard, Ohio) vs. Jacob Cover (Hilliard Darby, Ohio) Michael Wolfgram (Central York, Pa.) vs. Michael Burchell (Daniel Hand, Ct.)

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Tickets to the 2018 UWW World Cup at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Saturday and Sunday are still available at hawkeyesports.com, over the phone at 800-IA-HAWKS, or in person at the UI Athletics Ticket office inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Tickets for the World Cup include standard all-session tickets ($75/$50), single-day tickets ($40/$25), and a “The Eastern Iowa Airport Family Four Pack” ($100). Admission to “Gable's Garden” is free with any World Cup ticket. GABLE'S GARDEN 7G Distributing headlines an outdoor “Gable's Garden” that includes non-alcoholic beverages, beer, wine, and food from local vendors. “Gable's Garden” is open Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. outside the North Entrance of Carver-Hawkeye Arena, near the Dan Gable statue. Fans will be able to purchase food and beverages at “Gable's Garden” and take those items into the arena.

MOUNT VERNON, Ga. -- Brewton-Parker College Athletic Director Daniel Prevett is excited to announce the hiring of Arelys Valles as women's wrestling head coach. She started wrestling at 13 years old on an all-boys team in Clewiston, FL. Arelys had a very successful high school career where she was a three-time Florida girl's state placer (two-time runner-up) and the first girl in 10 years to qualify for FHSAA Boy's State Final in 2013. She has also been a volunteer coach for multiple clubs for the past six years. Arelys VallesArelys received her Bachelor of Science in Exercise & Sport Science and Public Health from the University of the Cumberlands in 2017. She is currently pursuing her Masters of Science in Coaching from UC, which she will receive in August 2018. Coach Valles is a two-time WCWA All-American for the University of the Cumberlands. This March she won the 2018 Bill Farrell International Open at 53 kilograms and qualified for World Team Trials. She has also competed at multiple senior level events: US Open, Dave Schultz Memorial International, Bill Farrell, and the Nordhagen Classic (Canada). "I am looking forward to working at BPC to give the next generation of female wrestlers the opportunity to earn a college education while wrestling. I am looking forward to watching each of my athletes grow and develop into well rounded student athletes while helping them follow the path that God has provided for them," exclaims Coach Valles. Athletic Director Daniel Prevett is excited about the future as well. "The opportunity to bring in a young coach who has had success on the mat at a national level and comes from one of the top programs in our conference is very exciting." "Women's wrestling is a rapidly growing sport," states Arelys. "It is important to get the word out that girls now have the opportunity to get a college education while they compete in the sport they love. Since women's wrestling isn't well known, I'd like to educate others about our sport and get as involved with the BPC community as possible." Coach Valles is looking forward to working in a Christian atmosphere. "I am excited to build a closer relationship with God. There is a reason why He put me on the path He did and I'm looking forward to seeing what else He has in store for me." "I love being able to give back to others and give them the opportunities that I have been given. I enjoy watching athletes grow, develop and reach their goals just as I have," says Arelys.

Anthony Ashnault wrestling in the NCAA semifinals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Redshirt senior Anthony Ashnault has been granted a sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA, it was announced today. The three-time All-American will be immediately eligible for the 2018-19 season to compete for Rutgers Wrestling. "We're extremely happy for Anthony because he really deserved it," said head coach Scott Goodale. "He's been the face of our program for the past four years and now he gets one more legit chance to accomplish his goal of winning a national title." Ashnault, who missed the entire 2017-18 season due to injury, owns 91 career wins during his career as a Scarlet Knight. The South Plainfield, New Jersey, native is a two-time national semifinalist and the only three-time All-American in program history, securing his spot on the podium at Nationals from 2015-17. A two-time Big Ten champion, Ashnault finished his last collegiate season in 2016-17 with a 30-6 record, which included his second consecutive Big Ten individual title, a national semifinal appearance and a sixth-place finish at the 2017 NCAA Championships at 141 pounds. Ashnault is also a three-time Bauer Male Athlete of the Year, bestowed to the best male student-athlete at the University. Wrestling produced its best team finish at the NCAA Championships in 2018, finishing 11th with 42.5 points. The historic result also included the program's first national finalist in Nick Suriano as well as a sixth-place finisher in Scott DelVecchio, as the Scarlet Knights earned multiple All-Americans for the third consecutive year under Goodale.

Pete Renda PHILADELPHIA -- University of Pennsylvania head wrestling coach Roger Reina has announced the hiring of Pete Renda as an assistant coach. Renda, who recently completed an All-American career at North Carolina State University, will return to his home state following graduation in May and join the Penn staff shortly after that. "We are thrilled and delighted to have Pete join the Penn wrestling staff, and return to his home state of Pennsylvania," said Reina, who recently completed his first season back at the Penn helm after guiding the program to unprecedented success from 1986-2005. "Pete not only excelled nationally in high school, college and in freestyle, but also served as an inspiring leader at North Carolina State. Pete will add valuable momentum to our movement with Penn Wrestling." "I'm very excited to be joining the Penn wrestling program right now," said Renda, who grew up less than two hours from Penn's Philadelphia campus in Topton, Pa. "It is a program with such great history and alumni support, I think Penn has the opportunity to quickly regain national prominence at the highest levels. There is no better place to succeed on the mat and in life." A three-time captain for the Wolfpack, Renda last month helped N.C. State earn its best team finish ever at the NCAA Championships. The Pack finished fourth with 80 points, with Renda earning a pair of wins en route to a 23-3 record for the year. Renda was a four-time NCAA qualifier, twice at 174 and twice at 184, and earned All-America honors in 2016 with a third-place finish at 184. Earlier this past season, Renda won the 184 title at the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Championships; he also was an All-ACC honoree in 2016. Prior to attending N.C. State, Renda wrestled for Brandywine Heights High School and had a 162-22 career record there, including a 42-0 mark as a senior when he was the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) 2A state champion at 170 pounds. Also the 2013 FloNationals champion at 170 pounds, in 2012 Renda was a PIAA state finalist at 152 pounds. Renda earned a B.S. degree in finance from N.C. State in the spring of 2017 and is currently pursuing a Masters in Economics.

Kaori Icho with the Japan flag after winning her fourth Olympic title (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Four-time Olympic gold medalist wrestler Kaori Icho was the subject of harassment by a director of the Japan Wrestling Federation, the Olympic organization governing the sport in Japan admitted Friday. Kazuhito Sakae, development director for the federation, was forced to resign the same day the Japan Wrestling Federation confirmed the accusations, some dating back to January of this year, which Sakae and the organization had denied until now. Earlier Friday, an independent panel of lawyers, set up by the federation in early March, recognized four cases of harassment against Icho by Sakae, including one concerning a remark Sakae made to Icho when she joined a training session of wrestlers representing Japan. According to the report by the third-party panel, Sakae told Icho, "How dare you wrestle in front of me?" The report also said the omission of Icho from the Japan team for the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, without a sufficient explanation constituted harassment. Sakae's harassment of Icho began nearly a decade ago, when she moved her training base to Tokyo from Aichi Prefecture in central Japan, against Sakae's wishes, after winning back-to-back Olympic gold medals in 2004 and 2008. Sakae ordered Icho's coach Chikara Tanabe to stop working with her when she went to Russia for the 2010 World Championships. When he refused, Sakae told Tanabe to quit if he could not follow orders, the complaint said. The development director also allegedly harassed Icho by preventing her from using a Metropolitan Police Department training facility shortly before the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, where she became the first female athlete to win four consecutive Olympic titles in an individual event. Japan Wrestling Federation president Tomiaki Fukuda offered an apology at a press conference held Friday after the organization's emergency meeting. Japan's sports minister Yoshimasa Hayashi told a press conference Friday, "If the harassment complaints are true, I believe the federation will swiftly take appropriate measures." He said he had not read the panel's report. Kaori Icho is one of the most decorated freestyle wrestlers in history, having won four consecutive gold medals in women's freestyle competition at four Olympics -- 2004 Athens, 2008 Beijing, 2012 London, and 2016 Rio de Janeiro. In fact, the 33-year-old is the first female in any sport to have won four individual gold medals at four consecutive Olympics. In addition, Icho has tallied ten World championships, and won one gold medal at the Asian Games. Icho had an undefeated streak stretching from 2003 to early 2016, when she lost to Mongolia's Orkhon Purevdorzh at the Golden Grand Prix Ivan Yarygin tournament.

Spencer Lee (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Spencer Lee, a three-time age group world champion who just completed a stellar first year at University of Iowa as 125-pound NCAA champ, has been named 2018 InterMat Freshman of the Year, the amateur wrestling website announced Friday. This award, presented each year since 2006 to best college freshman wrestler in all divisions for his/her college wrestling performance during the 2017-18 season, is based exclusively on the balloting of writers and executives at InterMat prior to the announcement of other national wrestling awards. Each staff member is asked to select five freshman wrestlers and rank them from first to fifth. Point values are assigned to each placement, ranging from one point to a wrestler listed fifth on a voter's ballot, up to nine points for a first-place vote. Spencer Lee was listed at the top of seven ballots out of 10 submitted by InterMat staffers, for a total of 84 votes. The other freshman who received first-place votes was Yianni Diakomihalis of Cornell University, with three first-place votes for a total of 76 to place second in the overall balloting. Lee, a three-time Pennsylvania high school state champ (who suffered just one loss in his prep career in his very last match at the 2017 PIAA finals), stunned many in the wrestling world by choosing Iowa. He took advantage of the redshirt, competing unattached at tournaments in the first couple months with the Hawkeyes ... until Iowa head coach Tom Brands decided to "burn" Lee's redshirt for a Jan. 5 dual versus Michigan State. Once free of the redshirt, Lee then posted perfect 8-0 record in dual competition, and 6-0 vs. Big Ten rivals ... leading the team in overall winning percentage (.917, with a 22-2 record), fastest fall (40 seconds) and technical falls (8). After placing third at the 2018 Big Ten Championships in the 125-pound bracket, Lee really rocked that weight class at the 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Cleveland, scoring team bonus points in four out of his five matches, defeating another former prep phenom, Nick Suriano of Rutgers, in the finals, 5-1. 2018 InterMat Freshman of the Year Voting Results 1st-5th Place Votes: 9-7-5-3-1 Total Votes/(First-Place Votes) 1. Spencer Lee, Iowa 84 (7) 2. Yianni Diakomihalis, Cornell 76 (3) 3. Hayden Hidlay, North Carolina State 44 4. Evan Wick, Wisconsin 16 5. Nick Lee, Penn State 14 6. Tariq Wilson, North Carolina State 13 7. Alex Marinelli, Iowa 3 InterMat Freshman of the Year Past Winners: 2017: Mark Hall, Penn State 2016: Jason Nolf, Penn State 2015: Isaiah Martinez, Illinois 2014: Jason Tsirtsis, Northwestern 2013: Alex Dieringer, Oklahoma State 2012: Logan Stieber, Ohio State 2011: David Taylor, Penn State 2010: Kyle Dake, Cornell 2009: Andrew Howe, Wisconsin 2008: Mike Grey, Cornell 2007: Jake Varner, Iowa State 2006: Dustin Schlatter, Minnesota

Mason Smith defeated Minnesota's Tommy Thorn in the first round of the NCAAs (Photo/Chris Mora, Tech-Fall.com) Former All-American wrestler Justin Oliver and NCAA qualifier Mason Smith have been granted release from the Central Michigan wrestling program, the school's online student newspaper -- Central Michigan Life -- reported Thursday evening. Oliver, a junior who wrestled at 149 pounds, had qualified for three straight NCAA Division I wrestling championships, earning All-American honors by placing seventh in the 149 bracket at the 2016 NCAAs. Prior to coming to Central Michigan, Oliver was a two-time Michigan state champ for Davison High. Smith, a sophomore wrestling at 141 pounds, was a two-time NCAA qualifier. He finished this past season with a team-best 31-5 record. Earlier this week, Smith had been announced as a All-Academic MAC (Mid-American Conference) honoree. As a Clio High School wrestler, Smith was twice crowned a Michigan state champion.

The Freestyle World Cup takes place Saturday-Sunday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City The mats are down. The lights are up. After months of preparation by the local organizing committee, USA Wrestling and United World Wrestling, the Freestyle World Cup will start Saturday at 10 a.m. CT at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. The 2017 world champion United States kicks off its tournament against India, followed in the afternoon by Japan and on Sunday with Georgia. Should the USA win all three group matches (or go 2-1 and win the tiebreaker) they would win Group A and likely face Azerbaijan in the gold-medal match on Sunday. The World Cup is one of my favorite events to cover. The team aspect provides competitive clarity for viewers who may otherwise not know much about the sport of wrestling. If cruising through the channels on Sunday night a sports fan happens to see "USA 3, Azerbaijan 2" there is a decent chance they'll give the event a few minutes. Outside of the media opportunity, the format is also easier to follow in-person and gives ample time for discussion of matchups, like Thomas Gilman's matchup with Yuki Takahashi -- a repeat of the 2017 world championship finals. We'll see more of this in 2018 with two-day tournaments, but it's nice to have a week of hype with which to drive interest. On a personal note, I'm really enjoying Iowa City and Coralville. The people are friendly and helpful in a way I no longer experience as a denizen of NYC. The traffic is more manageable, facilities are top-notch, and there are even two wine bars on the same block as my hotel, serving at prices that in NYC would be considered a fire sale. In addition to drinking underpriced zinfandels I've spent the majority of my time in Carver-Hawkeye and Iowa's legendary wrestling room. Big, without being needlessly huge and with a weight room, locker room and stands that adds to a cozy-but-useful feel. Nothing is wasted and it's not cramped. Brands and company have been great hosts to all the visitors, including me -- even taking time to tease me for prior rants. Overall, a wrestling experience that I'm sure to remember fondly. Looking forward to the action on Saturday. You can watch on Trackwrestling.com or check your local listing for time on the Olympic Channel and NBCSN. To your questions … Q: Were you surprised that Indiana didn't do a national search after Duane Goldman retired? Thoughts on Angel Escobedo taking over the program? -- Mike C. Foley: No. I think Escobedo's on-the-mat resume and his reputation in the coaching community were on par with a lot of big-time assistant coaches. Plus, Escobedo knows the system very well and was likely the benefactor of good relationships with the right alumni. How will he do? That is to be determined. Not all hires have to be flashy. Sometimes the right choice is the guy who is already in the corner. Q: If Rocky Balboa, Clubber Lang, Apollo Creed and Ivan Drago were all wrestlers, what NCAA teams would they wrestle for? -- Eric H. Foley: Rocky Balboa, Drexel: Philly underdog. Clubber Lang, Penn State: Entertainment first. Apollo Creed, Cal Poly: Apollo was a California, beachy kind of guy. Ivan Drago, Iowa State (because of the red colors) or more likely American, because they accept transfers. Purdue would be third because Ivan Lopuchanski wrestled there and given the tensions I'd think a young Russian wrestler would attend Purdue for aeronautics education. Q: Did you catch the NCAA quarterfinal bout between Michael Macchiavello and Shakur Rasheed? The referee put Rasheed on injury time at the start of the match because of his hair. (Why the ref didn't mention this before the match started, since they were waiting on the mat for three or four minutes for a TV break is beyond me.) Anyway, after Rasheed gets his hair covering on, Macchiavello gets to choose the restart position to begin the match. Instead of choosing down, to get the 1-0 lead, Macchiavello chose neutral. I was really impressed by his sportsmanship, it must have been a real test to be offered an advantage in a match that ensures you an AA finish. It's a credit to Macchiavello (and Coach Pop) that they cared more about competition than about the result. -- Irv O. Foley: I didn't see this match, but a lot of readers wrote in to address both the officiating and the response. I'm disappointed that the referee chose to start the match with an injury time, but Pop and Macchiavello's actions give me renewed hope in mankind. OK, dramatic. But I am pretty thrilled we still have coaches and athletes in our sport who make good ethical decisions even in something as hotly contested as the NCAA quarterfinals. Really great sportsmanship. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Team USA training Azerbaijan training Cuba training Q: How would you rank this year's NCAA champions in terms of their likelihood to win a spot at the World Team Trials in freestyle? Obviously, Kyle Snyder is No. 1 and Zain Retherford is No. 2. Below them, I think Spencer Lee, Yianni Diakomihalis and Jason Nolf each have a realistic chance to win it, but aren't the favorites. Vincenzo Joseph and Zahid Valencia could place high, but will have a hard time unseating Jordan Burroughs, Kyle Dake or David Taylor. Your thoughts? -- Irv O. Foley: 1. Kyle Snyder (97 kilograms) 2. Zain Retherford (65 kilograms) 3. Spencer Lee (57 kilograms) 4. Bo Nickal (79 kilograms) 5. Seth Gross (61 kilograms) 6. Vincenzo Joseph (74 kilograms) 7. Zahid Valencia (86 kilograms) 8. Michael Macchiavello (97 kilograms) 9. Jason Nolf (knee) 10. Yianni Diakomihalis (knee) Q: What do you make of Kyle Snyder signing with RUDIS? Obviously, RUDIS does not make shoes yet. Do you think the company will enter the shoe market? If not, could Snyder still sign a shoe endorsement deal with another company? -- Mike C. Foley: Unless the terms are reported, I think that any insight into dollar amounts would be speculation. However, I think that RUDIS is making an effort to center their brand around Snyder and his needs, which you could conclude meant that he was given much more favorable terms than what was given as return for each article sold. As for shoes, I've heard they've been in development. Not sure where they are in the process, but if he launches a shoe I'm certain that he'll be getting some extra incentives, and cash. It's less likely that a company would be willing to take him for shoes-only, but maybe with a guy like Snyder it would be worth the risk. Q: Do you expect it to come down to USA vs. Azerbaijan for the title at the World Cup? How do you see it playing out? -- Mike C. Foley: Man, this is going to be a close match! Odds are this is the starting lineup. I've put the favored wrestlers in bold. 57: Thomas Gilman vs. Giorgi Edisherashvili (Tossup) 61: Kendric Maple vs. Akhmednabi Gvarzatilov 65: Logan Stieber vs. Haji Aliev 70: James Green vs. Joshgun Azimov 74: Jordan Burroughs vs. Gadzhimurad Omarov 79: Kyle Dake vs. Jabrayil Hasanov (Very tight. Hasanov is huge and rarely gets bullied around) 86: David Taylor vs. Aleksandr Gostiyev (Cox Beat Gostiyev at 2016 World Cup) 92: J'den Cox vs. Aslanbek Alborov 97: Kyle Snyder vs. Nurmagomed Gadzhiyev 125: Nick Gwiazdowski vs. Jamaladdin Magomedov

Reading, Pa. -- Alvernia University Athletic Director Bill Stiles announced Wednesday the addition of Wrestling as the university's 28th varsity sport. The national search for a head coach will begin immediately, and the Golden Wolves start competing in the winter of 2019. "We are in the heart of a wrestling hotbed with over 36,000 boys participating in high school wrestling within our primary recruiting market, encompassing almost 1500 high school programs - including all 15 schools in Berks County," said Stiles. "The ability for us to continue strategic growth and provide additional opportunities to talented student-athletes in our region remains paramount, and wrestling provides a wonderful opportunity for us to do that." Alvernia will be the sixth member of the Middle Atlantic Conference to sponsor varsity wrestling. Messiah College earned the 2018 MAC Championship followed by Delaware Valley, Wilkes, Lycoming, and King's. Alvernia will practice and compete in the Physical Education Center, home to Alvernia's volleyball and basketball teams. Located in Reading, Pennsylvania, Alvernia is a four-year, private university with an enrollment of approximately 2,900 students. The new wrestling program -- and all existing intercollegiate sports -- will compete in NCAA Division III.

Angel Escobedo (Photo/Richard (Immel) BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Fred Glass announced today that Duane Goldman, the all-time winningest coach in Indiana Wrestling history, has decided to retire after 26 years at the helm of the IU program. Glass has appointed former Indiana University student-athlete and Griffith, Ind., native Angel Escobedo, also a four-time All-American and 2008 NCAA champion, as Goldman's replacement. "We appreciate the significant contributions that Duane has made in building Indiana Wrestling and developing outstanding wrestlers who have excelled at a national level and have represented the program and the university well," Glass said. "He has left a great and lasting mark on our wrestling program." During his 26 years in Bloomington, Goldman coached three NCAA champions (Escobedo - 2008, Joe Dubuque - 2005 and 2006), five NCAA finalists, 30 All-Americans, 113 NCAA qualifiers, and had 13 teams place in the top-25 at the NCAA Championships. His students also excelled academically, evidenced by the program's 21 Academic All-Americans and 140 Academic All-Big Ten selections during his tenure. A former NCAA champion in his own right while at the University of Iowa, Goldman is a member of the National Wrestling and University of Iowa Halls of Fame. "As Indiana University proceeds into what I believe will be its athletic Golden Age, with unbelievable new facilities and support being provided, I have decided that it is the perfect time for me to retire from coaching and allow a new era of IU greats to emerge," Goldman said. "Myself, along with many dedicated assistants and tremendous wrestlers, worked amazingly hard to bring distinction to Indiana Wrestling and I am proud of the battles we fought, the perseverance we demonstrated and the successes we had. More than anything, I am pleased to have maintained my integrity and thankful to have long been a part of the greatest sport on Earth." Goldman's replacement is one of the most accomplished wrestlers in IU history. While best known for his successes on the mat, Escobedo also has four years of collegiate coaching experience. While training full-time as a professional wrestler, he spent three years on Iowa State's coaching staff from 2015-17, where he helped develop a handful of the Cyclones' lightweight wrestlers into national contenders. Among his most notable wrestlers was two-time All-American and four-time NCAA qualifier Earl Hall. "This was a dream of mine when I set out as a coach, to come back here and run this program," said Escobedo. "It's a huge opportunity and I'm really grateful for it. I'm excited to build this program off of what Duane established and continue to raise the bar." After his three-year stint in Ames, Iowa, Escobedo returned to Bloomington last April to serve as the Hoosiers' associate head coach under Goldman. He now takes the reins from his former coach, becoming just the eighth head coach in the program's 97-year history. "One of the outstanding wrestlers that Duane brought to IU was Angel, and we are very excited about the future of Indiana Wrestling under his leadership," Glass said. "As a wrestler, he excelled at the high school, collegiate and international levels. As a coach, he has mentored All-Americans and NCAA qualifiers. With a new state-of-the-art $17 million facility set to open, Angel is the right person to lead the program into this new, exciting era." In addition to his 2008 NCAA title at 125 pounds, Escobedo was also a three-time Big Ten champion (2008, 2009, 2010) for the Hoosiers. He's the program's only four-time All-American, and his 137 career wins (second) and 42 pins (third) rank among the best in IU history. After wrapping up his IU career in 2010, Escobedo competed internationally and was a member of Team USA. Among his top performances was a fifth-place finish at the 2013 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, and a second-place finish at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto.

Brock Lesnar Brock Lesnar, 2000 NCAA Division I heavyweight wrestling champ for the University of Minnesota, will be back competing in mixed martial arts, UFC president Dana White said Wednesday. "Yeah, Brock Lesnar's coming back," White said. "I don't know when but yes he is." The 40-year-old Lesnar has not fought in the Octagon since he tested positive in both in-competition and out-of-competition drug tests surrounding his UFC 200 fight with Mark Hunt in July 2016. Lesnar won the match by unanimous decision before it was changed to a no-contest following the positive tests. Lesnar received a one-year suspension and fined $250,000 by the Nevada state Athletic Commission. He decided to announce his retirement in Feb. 2017 and then signed with the WWE. Multiple media reports indicate that Lesnar's contract with WWE is coming to a close, with some stating the contract ends immediately after his upcoming appearance at WrestleMania 34 this Sunday. As Sports Illustrated pointed out, Lesnar would be required to re-enter the drug testing pool for at least six months before he can set foot in the UFC Octagon again. Brock Edward Lesnar has had a diverse career in sports and sports entertainment. He wrestled and played football at Webster High School in South Dakota (alma mater to emerging MMA star Logan Storley), then continued his on-the-mat career at Bismarck State College in North Dakota, where he won a NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) heavyweight title in 1998. Lesnar was discovered at the Bison Open by J Robinson, then head wrestling coach at University of Minnesota, which propelled the Gopher big man into the consciousness of the national wrestling community ... and not just for his muscular physique (which caused Dan Gable to say during an Iowa Public TV broadcast, "(Lesnar) turns more heads than Cindy Crawford in a thong."). In his two years at Minnesota, Lesnar was a two-time Big Ten heavyweight champ, and a two-time NCAA All-American, as a runner-up at the 1999 NCAA championships (losing to Stephen Neal in the finals) then national champ in 2000. After hanging up his headgear in 2000 with a 106-5 overall collegiate career, Lesnar briefly explored a football career ... then launched his first foray into the pro wrestling career, eventually becoming a WWE champ ... only to leave the ring for the Octagon, where he won a UFC title with a 5-3 overall record.

NEW BRIGHTON, Minn. -- The National Wrestling Media Association has announced its annual award winners for the 2017-18 season. The NWMA is the national professional organization for journalists who cover the sport of amateur wrestling. This includes reporters, editors, publishers, webmasters, photographers, broadcasters, athletic communications professionals and other media professionals who share an interest and involvement in the sport. The organization was founded in 1989. Awards will be presented to those in attendance at the 2018 Men's Freestyle World Cup April 7 in Iowa City. “Between the membership and the officers, we were presented with a solid group of nominees and we're pleased to recognize these individuals not just for a job well done, but for a job well done in covering a sport that's near and dear to everyone within the organization,” said NWMA President Jason Bryant. “Each year, making selections is becoming tougher and tougher due to the talented field of nominees. What's also made this more enjoyable is we've been able to find more avenues to recognize people who have done a tremendous job in their pocket of the wrestling world,” said Bryant. Broadcaster of the Year - John Peterson, KVSC 88.1 FM, St. Cloud, Minnesota For the past six years, the radio and internet voice of St. Cloud State Husky wrestling has been John Peterson. A Minnesota native, the Bemidji State graduate has provided the soundtrack for three of St. Cloud State's NCAA Division II Championships as well as regular-season duals both on KVSC 88.1 FM and the station's online streaming outlet. Peterson has also been the voice for NCAA.com Division II Championship broadcasts. He's also been a broadcast voice for the Minnesota State High School League wrestling championships for Prep45 and The Clash for Flowrestling in 2015. The last three seasons, Peterson has been a matside voice for the NCAA Division I wrestling championships. This is the second time a representative of St. Cloud State has won an NWMA award. Journalist of the Year - Alex Steen, The Open Mat An avid wrestling fan and former college wrestler, Alex Steen joined The Open Mat's staff as its primary content manager and lone full-time employee in May of 2016. While he was a frequent contributor to the websites prior, Steen's coverage has provided wrestling fans a dynamic and different look at the world of wrestling. A staple at major wrestling events across all styles the past two seasons, Steen's work includes weekly statistical breakdowns, historical features that seek to solve riddles of wrestling's past and of course, rankings. An Oklahoma native who wrestled for nationally recognized Union High School in Tulsa, Steen wrestled at the University of Jamestown (then Jamestown College) before spending six years as a Lieutenant and the Captain in the United States Air Force working in Cyberspace Operations. It's the second time The Open Mat has won an award for Journalist of the Year. Photographer of the Year - Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com A large part of the sport's wrestling photographers are freelancers, but the work done to capture the passion, emotion and heartbreak of wrestling. Sam Janicki's work has captured all of those things. A native of Colorado, but now based in Ann Arbor, the Michigan alum has been a constant presence at events throughout the state, including the University of Michigan and NCWA National Championships. You'll also see his work at USA Wrestling regional and state events and multiple other sports at the University of Michigan. With the largest collection of NWMA members being photographers, Janicki's work has stood out for years, and the NWMA is pleased to finally honor his work with this award. Website of the Year - Five Point Move, FivePointMove.com Founded in 2016, Five Point Move was conceived as a mechanism for American wrestling fans to grow more familiar with the classical style and better connect with those who aid in promoting the sport at all levels, be them competitors, coaches, or legendary names from the past. Greco-Roman has traditionally struggled to garner the same headlines as the other styles of wrestling in the United States, making consistent education and intimate athlete perspectives a primary goal of 5PM's in effort to create exposure during an era when it is needed most. Operated by New Jersey native and former Greco-Roman athlete Tim Hands, 5PM has weekly coaching blogs and updates with U.S. National Team Coach Matt Lindland, a podcast with World champion Dennis Hall and features, tournament recaps and weekly updates from international events. Publication of the Year - Mat Talk Fan Guides, Mat Talk Online First launched in 2015, Mat Talk Online and founder Jason Bryant has published digital preview guides for the NCAA Division I and Division III championships and an almanac for the USA Wrestling Cadet & Junior Nationals. The Division I guide has been a vital addition to ESPN's production of the NCAA Division I Championships. Bryant, the President of the NWMA since 2011, leans on his experience as a newspaper copy editor and page designer to break the Division I guide down with match-by-match summaries for each wrestler as well as notable stats and historical information. In 2018, working with Division III journalist Jon Gremmels, Mat Talk Online launched a smaller Division III Preview Guide. Division I SID of the Year - Leah Howard, University of Michigan Leah Howard recently completed her 17th season working with the Michigan wrestling program after starting as a college junior -- and wrestling novice -- during the 2001-02 season. She also works with the Wolverines' field hockey and softball programs. A native of Orono, Minnesota, Howard is a two-time graduate of the University of Michigan, earning undergraduate degrees in economics and communications in 2003 before adding a master's in sport management in 2009. Howard has been one of the most reliable members of the athletic communications profession according to virtually every member of the wrestling media. Her work has evolved with the changing landscape of college sports media and it's been innovative within the sport. This is the second time Howard has won an NWMA award. She previously won the Publicist of the Year in 2007-08, which was then a combined award. Small College SID of the Year - Howie Thompson, Upper Iowa University Howard “Howie” Thompson is in his 16th year at Upper Iowa University and 12th as the Director of Sports Communication. Beginning in the summer of 2006, Thompson was named as the Director of Sports Communication at UIU. He has served as the Sports Information Director for five NCAA events; the NCAA Women's Golf North Regional in 2007, the NCAA Wrestling National Championships in 2008, the NCAA Wrestling Super Regional 3 in 2013 and the NCAA Volleyball National Championships in 2014 and the most recent NCAA Wrestling National Championship in Cedar Rapids this past March. In 2017, Thompson became the media contact for the NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches Association for Rankings, Awards and the Jim Koch Hall of Fame. Thompson's work in 2017 was especially notable due to the work noted above with handling the awards, rankings and championships. Professional and reliable on every level, Thompson's work was highly beneficial to everyone in and around Division II wrestling. New Media Specialists of the Year - United World Wrestling Media Team Affectionately known as “The Brits” to international wrestling media, the quartet of Josh Halvatzis, Helena Curtis, Max Rose-Fyne and Jack Adams have been producing stellar on-site content for United World Wrestling for the past year. From Great Britain, the group was brought into the United World Wrestling fold by UWW's Editorial and Media Manager Tim Foley. Since, they have provided video highlight packages, feature vignettes, shareable social media clips and provided UWW much-needed video content beyond live streams. Relaxed but professional, their presence at events have amped up the promotion of the sport worldwide. “The Brits” are also the first international winners of an NWMA award. Jay Hammond Memorial Service Award - John Sachs Past NWMA officer and respected photographer John Sachs is the recipient of this year's Jay Hammond Memorial Service Award. Named after past NWMA President, the late Jay Hammond and presented for outstanding work in the effort to educate and enhance the sport of wrestling through media, Sachs has been a friend, coach, client and mentor for numerous people and factions in wrestling. A photographer for Lifetouch Studios in his day-to-day life, Sachs' love for wrestling has been shared by his family as well, as photographers, mat and pairing officials and competitors. A constant at USA Wrestling and NCAA wrestling events, John has shot multiple Olympic Games. Based in wine country of Northern California, Sachs images have graced the covers of every major wrestling magazine and website. Sachs' work includes the youth levels and the California Community College system as well, but it's his work with up-and-coming photographers and his willingness to show them the ropes has made Sachs a guy everyone needs to know.

The 2017 Freestyle World Team Trials took place at the Devaney Center in Lincoln, Neb.(Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) AUSTIN, Texas -- Today, USA Wrestling, the national governing body for wrestling in the United States, and FloSports, the innovator in live digital sports and original content, announced that tickets are now available to the general public for Final X in Lincoln as part of the exciting new Final X Series. Final X in Lincoln will be held at the Bob Devaney Center on the campus of the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, starting at 6 p.m. CST on Saturday, June 9. The event will determine the 2018 U.S. Senior World Teams in men's and women's freestyle wrestling, featuring the nation's best Olympic-caliber athletes in these disciplines. To order tickets, go to the tickets tab on the official Final X website at: www.FinalX.tv Ticket prices are available in four pricing levels: · VIP seating for $75.00 · Reserved seating (online option for early buyers) for $50.00 · General Admission seating (first come, first serve) for $30.00 · Age 2 and under are free There will be 10% off for group tickets of 10 or more in a single order (for general admission only). Final X in Lincoln is the first event in the three-city Final X series. Final X in State College, Pa., is the second event, set for Rec Hall on June 16. Final X at Lehigh is the third event in the series, set for Stabler Arena on June 23. For Final X in Lincoln, the top two men's and women's freestyle wrestlers in each of seven weight classes will compete in a best-of-three series, with winners earning spots on the U.S. Senior World Team to compete at the 2018 World Wrestling Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Oct. 20-28, 2018. The weight classes assigned to the Final X in Lincoln are: ● Men's freestyle weight classes (57 kg, 70 kg, 74 kg, 97 kg) ● Women's freestyle weight classes (55 kg, 59 kg, 68 kg) Athletes must qualify for Final X based upon the approved Trials selection procedures in each style, and 2017 Senior World medalists may advance directly to Final X under certain conditions. Based upon these procedures, if wrestlers enter the specified weight class, six athletes could advance directly to the Final X event in Lincoln at the specified weights. Included are 2017 World champions Jordan Burroughs (74 kg men) and Kyle Snyder (97 kg men), 2017 World silver medalists Thomas Gilman (57 kg), James Green (70 kg men) and Alli Ragan (59 kg women), and 2017 World bronze medalist Becka Leathers (55 kg). The qualifying events for Final X are the 2018 U.S. Open in Las Vegas, Nevada, April 26-28, and the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament for men's and women's freestyle, set for Rochester, Minn., May 18-20. FloWrestling will provide exclusive live and on-demand coverage of all three Final X events on FloWrestling.com, as well as across all screens by downloading the FloSports app on iOS, Roku and Apple TV 4. "Final X is an incredible event for wrestling fans, athletes, and the sport itself, " FloSports SVP, Global Rights Acquisition & Strategy Adam Fenn said. "The top American wrestlers will be at their best to compete for a spot on the World Team, and FloWrestling will be beside every mat, capturing the live matches and giving fans the behind-the-scenes footage they can't get anywhere else." "The Bob Devaney Center is a wonderful arena for wrestling," USA Wrestling National Events Director Pete Isais said. "Our 2017 World Team Trials event there was a great success. There is a very strong card of world-class competitors expected in Lincoln including a number of local heroes. This will be a first-class event production that will add to the drama and excitement of the wrestling action. Get your tickets now to guarantee the best seating locations. Final X in Lincoln will be an outstanding event that fans will not want to miss." For more information, visit FinalX.tv, FloWrestling.com or TheMat.com. About FloSports FloSports, the innovator in live digital sports and original content, partners with event rights holders and governing bodies to unlock a world of sports coverage that true fans have been waiting for. Through live streaming of premier events, original video programming, and weekly studio shows, FloSports is growing the sports, the events, the athletes and the fans. Current verticals under the FloSports header are Basketball, MMA, Football, Wrestling, Track, Gymnastics and more. About USA Wrestling USA Wrestling is the National Governing Body for the sport of wrestling in the United States and, as such, is its representative to the United States Olympic Committee and United World Wrestling, the international wrestling federation. USA Wrestling is the central organization that coordinates amateur wrestling programs in the nation and works to create interest and participation in these programs. USA Wrestling has more than 232,000 members, including athletes, coaches, officials, parents, fans and others who are actively involved in the sport. Its president is Bruce Baumgartner, and its Executive Director is Rich Bender.