InterMat Staff

LAS VEGAS -- The seeds for the final four weight classes contested at the U.S. World Team Trials in Greco-Roman and women's wrestling were released on Friday. Greco-Roman World Team Trials Seeds 59 kg/130 lbs. 1. Hayden Tuma, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP) 2. Ildar Hafizov, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP) 3. Taylor LaMont, Mapleton, Utah (Champions WC) 4. Ryan Mango, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP) 5. Max Nowry, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP) 6. Dalton Roberts, Fowlerville, Mich. (NMU-OTS) 7. Andrew Ibarra, Santa Maria, Calif. (NMU-OTS) 8. Michael Hollingsworth, Lorain, Ohio (U.S. Navy) 71 kg/156 lbs. 1. Chris Gonzalez, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC) 2. RaVaughn Perkins, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC) 3. Patrick Smith, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) 4. Chase Nelson, Fargo, N.D. (Bison WC) 5. Cody Pack, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Legends of Gold) 6. Colin Schubert, Brussel, Wis. (NMU-OTS) 7. Logan Kass, New Prague, Minn. (NMU-OTS) 8. Brandon Mueller, Albuquerque, N.M. (U.S. Air Force) 9. Bradley Dolezal, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) 10. Alex Mossing, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Air Force) 75 kg/165 lbs. 1. Kamal Bey, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) 2. Jesse Porter, Clifton Park, N.Y. (New York AC/NMU-OTS) 3. Kendrick Sanders, Homestead, Fla. (New York AC/NMU-OTS) 4. Alec Ortiz, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) 5. Jon Jay Chavez, Ithaca, N.Y. (New York AC) 6. Dillon Cowan, Marquette, Mich. (U.S. Army WCAP) 7. Mason Manville, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP) 8. Michael Hooker, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) 9. Jayshon Wilson, Quantico, Va. (U.S. Marines) 10. Corey Fitzgerald, Green, Ohio (NMU-OTS) 11. Sergio Guerrero, Rubidoux, Calif. (NMU-OTS) 12. Michael Donato, Brooklyn, N.Y. (NMU-OTS) 13. Nick Tarpley, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC) 14. Calvin Ochs, Hoxie, Kansas (Nebraska Golden Eagles Wrestling Club) 85 kg/187 lbs. 1. Kevin Radford, Fayetteville, N.C. (Sunkist Kids) 2. Ben Provisor, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC) 3. Patrick Martinez, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC) 4. Joe Rau, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) 5. Jon Anderson, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP) 6. Khymbahky Johnson, Sacramento, Calif. (New York AC/NMU-OTS) 7. Lucas Sheridan, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP) 8. Jeff Palmeri, Rochester, N.Y. (New York AC) 9. Sherwin Severin, Cheyenne, Wyo. (U.S. Air Force) 10. Dan Olsen, Algoquin, Ill. (Thunder Wrestling) 11. Vaughn Monreal-Berner, Camp Lejeune, N.C. (U.S. Marines) Women's Freestyle World Team Trials Seeds 48 kg/105.5 lbs. 1. Victoria Anthony, Tempe, Ariz. (Sunkist Kids) 2. Erin Golston, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC) 3. Cody Pfau, Brush, Colo. (Titan Mercury WC) 4. Marina Doi, Kingsburg, Calif. (Titan Mercury WC) 5. Allene Somera, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP) 6. Regina Doi, Kingsburg, Calif. (Titan Mercury WC) 7. Sarah Allen, Huber Height, Ohio (Univ. of the Cumberlands) 8. Aleeah Gould, Riverside, Calif. (Titan Mercury WC) 9. Vanessa Ramirez, Indianapolis, Ind. (Bearcat WC) 10. Katlyn Pizzo, Madison Heights, Mich. (unattached) 55 kg/121 lbs. 1. Sarah Hildebrandt, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC/USOTC) 2. Becka Leathers, Choctaw, Okla. (Titan Mercury WC) 3. Kelsey Campbell, Tempe, Ariz. (Sunkist Kids) 4. Dominique Parrish, Scotts Valley, Calif. (Titan Mercury WC) 5. Brieana Delgado, Oklahoma City, Okla. (Aires WC) 6. Rachel Archer, Winlock, Wash. (Aries WC) 7. Gabrielle Weyhrich, Fremont, Neb. (Bearcat WC) 8. Brenda Reyna, Mount Vernon, Wash. (Choker WC) 58 kg/127.5 lbs. 1. Kayla Miracle, Campbellsville, Ky. (Sunkist Kids) 2. Helen Maroulis, New York, N.Y. (Sunkist Kids) 3. Jacarra Winchester, Marshall, Mo. (Titan Mercury WC) 4. Lauren Louive, Iowa City, Iowa (New York AC) 5. Alicia Reyes, Blue Springs, Mo. (Missouri Valley) 75 kg/165 lbs. 1. Erin Clodgo, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) 2. Julia Salata, Bristol, Tenn. (New York AC) 3. Victoria Francis, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Titan Mercury WC) 4. Nahiela Magee, Lancaster, Calif. (Bearcat WC) 5. Brittany Marshall, Lewisville, Texas (Wayland Baptist) 6. Paige Baynes, St. Charles, Mo. (Lindenwood) 7. Nadine Fiege, Jacksonville, Fla. (Life Running Eagles) 8. Kacie Moorehouse, Bellevue, Wash. (Choker WC)

Jordan Burroughs was unscored upon in the opening session of the U.S. Open (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) LAS VEGAS -- Jordan Burroughs and Kyle Dake appear to be on a collision course to meet in the U.S. Open finals on Saturday night. The two wrestlers cruised to the U.S. Open semifinals at 74 kilograms without surrendering a point in the opening session on Friday. Burroughs, a 2012 Olympic champion and three-time world champion, will meet Kevin LeValley in the semifinals tonight, while Dake, a four-time NCAA champion, is set to face Alex Dieringer. Seven of the eight No. 1 seeds advanced to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open in freestyle. The lone No. 1 seed to fall in the opening session was Jayson Ness at 61 kilograms. The former Gopher NCAA champion was upset by Johnni DiJulius 10-7 in the round of 16. Olympian Frank Molinaro won his first two matches by a combined score of 17-0, and will now feet Jimmy Kennedy in the semifinals at 65 kilograms. James Green, a 2015 world bronze medalist, picked up three technical falls without surrendering a point to advance to the semifinals at 70 kilograms. His quarterfinal victory came over college rival Dylan Ness, 11-0. Brandon Wright (61 kilograms) and Alec Pantaleo (70 kilograms) were the lone unseeded wrestlers to advance to the semifinals. The semifinals will take place tonight at 7:30 p.m. PT. Quarterfinal Results 57 kilogams: No. 1 Tony Ramos dec. No. 9 Frank Perrelli, 5-5 No. 4 Nathan Tomasello dec. No. 5 Nico Megaludis, 5-4 No. 3 Alan Waters dec. No. 6 Obe Blanc, 6-2 No. 2 Nahshon Garrett dec. Zach Sanders, 12-8 61 kilograms: Brandon Wright tech. fall Johnni DiJulius, 10-0 No. 5 Joe Colon dec. No. 4 Seth Gross, 16-12 No. 3 Cody Brewer tech. fall Daniel Deshazer, 14-3 No. 2 Kendric Maple tech. fall No. 7 Josh Kindig, 11-1 65 kilograms: No. 1 Frank Molinaro tech. fall No. 8 Mario Mason, 10-0 No. 4 Jimmy Kennedy tech. fall No. 5 Evan Henderson, 12-2 No. 3 Jordan Oliver dec. No. 6 Kellen Russell, 6-0 No. 2 Zain Retherford tech. fall No. 7 Nick Dardanes, 10-0 70 kilograms: No. 1 James Green tech. fall No. 8 Dylan Ness, 11-0 No. 5 Jason Nolf tech. fall Thomas Gantt, 10-0 No. 3 Nazar Kulchytskyy tech. fall No. 6 Hunter Stieber, 10-0 Alec Pantaleo dec. No. 2 Jason Chamberlain, 8-6 74 kilograms: No. 1 Jordan Burroughs dec. Dan Vallimont, 6-0 No. 5 Kevin LeValley dec. No. 4 Chris Perry, 3-2 No. 3 Alex Dieringer dec. Anthony Valencia, 11-9 No. 2 Kyle Dake tech. fall Vladyslav Dombrovskiy, 11-0 86 kilograms: No. 1 David Taylor tech. fall Pat Downey, 10-0 No. 4 Nick Heflin dec. No. 5 Gabe Dean, 6-3 No. 6 Bo Nickal tech. fall John Staudenmayer, 10-0 No. 2 Richard Perry dec. No. 10 T.J. Dudley, 7-1 97 kilograms: No. 1 Micah Burak tech. fall Donald McNeil, 13-2 No. 5 Kallen Kleinschmidt dec. No. 4 Ty Walz, 8-5 No. 3 Nathan Burak dec. Blaize Cabell, 6-2 No. 2 Kyven Gadson tech. fall No. 7 Josh Manu, 10-0 125 kilograms: No. 1 Zack Rey dec. Benjamin Durbin, 4-0 No. 4 Tony Nelson dec. No. 5 Justin Grant, 5-3 No. 3 Nick Gwiazdowski dec. No. 6 Bobby Telford, 4-1 No. 2 Dom Bradley tech. fall Nathan Butler, 10-0

The U.S. Open is this weekend and while wrestling fans are predictably excited about the potential of a Jordan Burroughs vs. Kyle Dake matchup (see below), there are a slew of other compelling matchups to keep fans busy. While there is fuss about 65 kilograms in freestyle, I'm most interested to see what comes at heavyweight. Tervel Dlagnev retired and Zack Rey the heir apparent, but can any of the other dominant heavyweights from the collegiate ranks make an impact? Will Nick Gwiazdowski find his groove? Does Dom Bradley make a run? I'm not 100 percent certain of the outcome (I predict Rey will prevail) but I think that it'll be telling for the freestyle team's future on who fills out the top eight. Also of note is the entirety of the women's wrestling competition. The growth of the US women's program has been tremendous. With Helen Maroulis getting the USA over the Olympic gold medal hump, Team USA might be the next dynasty in women's wrestling. This U.S. Open will give us a peek at the junior-level wrestlers who are slowly graduating to the senior level. Like most of you I'm looking forward to the action, and likely, the drama. To your questions … Q: Who is your pick to win 65 kilograms in freestyle at the U.S. Open? -- Mike C. Zain Retherford defeated James Green at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Foley: I'm on the Zain Train, but if he's in the finals with Frank Molinaro there is a familiarity there that favors the older, wiser and coach-ier Molinaro. Q: I hate to say it but Boise State is just a continuation of the trend. Don't you foresee there being about 25-30 programs that compete in the future? Look at it now. There are about five superpowers, some middle guys and then the bottom feeders I'd say budget wise. The bottom feeders will be dropped and the middle guys who are at universities with a lot of money will either continue to compete because they have enough money or just drop due to not caring. Money and alumni boosters seem to be what matters. Look at Bucknell. If they didn't have that big money donor it would be gone. PSU really didn't care until recently, but they've always had a lot of alumni support. It's kind of the way America is going. Everything is large corporations and college sports are no different. -- Steve M. Foley: While I agree there is a trend, I don't think that wrestling will bottom out at 30 programs. The real trend here is the hostage-taking of programs by administrators keen to earn some more money from their non-profit sports, or else rid their schools of the drama in favor of something potentially profit making (baseball). One possible positive outcome is Boise State wrestling's rich uncle emerges from his hidden vault of gold coins to endow the program and set them free of the administration's haggling. Another possible semi-positive outcome would see a group of alumni scrape together a filler season giving them time to put together a long-term plan for sustainability. The third, most likely and least pleasant outcome is that signatures are submitted a few tens of thousands of dollars gets raised and the issue is forgotten in six months. On a positive note, I think that there are roughly 40-50 financially stable programs in the United States ... programs that raise money annually, have an endowment of some size, and have a larger base of support among alumni and friends of the program. Q: Do you have a prediction on a potential meeting between Jordan Burroughs and Kyle Dake at the U.S. Open this weekend? -- Mike C. Foley: The sexy pick is Kyle Dake. He's been tearing up some competition and rather than being defensive as he had been for the last few years, he's been extra-offensive and crisp in his techniques. Impressive as he's been, Dake hasn't faced a Burroughs-type opponent during his most recent win streak. Though Dake is an attractive choice, I'm sticking with Burroughs, mostly because I'm not selling him after one bad performance, but also because I think he'll be motivated to compete with more vigor. He looked good at the World Cup (not great) but at home, and in a somewhat familiar setting, I'm expecting double the fireworks. Also note that Dake could have to make his way past Alex Dieringer in the semifinals. Yes, he cruised past the Oklahoma State alum in Paris, but I doubt we'd see that type of ease at the Open. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Check out the African Championships Cadet highlights. Not used to seeing those, I'm sure! Q: Has the NCWA reached out to Boise State concerning the wrestling cut? Honestly a student fee hike is something I'm confident would be apropos and I am certain a substantial amount of money could also be raised. If the program doesn't need to be cut to add baseball there has to be reasonable options to keep wrestling. If Boise State goes, won't more schools take this route to add other sports? Thank you! #keepwrestling -- Mike S. Foley: I'd love to see Boise State keep wrestling, but raising student fees should not be the solution. There is already a tremendous financial burden being placed on students to attend college and I think the existing $120 per semester fee at Boise State is more than enough for them to fund an athletics program. Again, I want there to be a political or financial solution, but adding extra dollars to students is not a viable solution. In that scenario the school is really just holding the students hostage and that feels equally unfair. Q: Is a wrestler allowed to compete in both the junior and senior level competitions, such as the World Team Trials, in the same year? -- Randy B. Foley: Yes, though I'm sure that would depend on the dates they are being hosted by USA Wrestling. From an international perspective the only qualification for wrestling at the senior level is that you are 18 years of age. The junior qualification caps at 21 and the U-23 caps at, well, 23. Zach Epperly before his NCAA quarterfinal match against Mark Hall (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com) Q: Zach Epperly announced his will not be using his final season of eligibility at Virginia Tech. Were you surprised by this news? Has a multiple-time All-American ever walked away from the sport before his senior season? -- Mike C. Foley: I can't think of another wrestler of his caliber who has walked away. From reading his interview it sounds like he still loves the sport and will be an assistant coach at a local high school while launching a real estate business. Wrestling is demanding on the mind and body, but when it's your whole life it can corrupt the personal life. With Epperly engaged I'm sure he's thinking about supporting his wife and building their life together. If the man has finished his work, the man certainly has my blessing to take the next step forward in his life's journey. Good luck, Zach! COMMENT OF THE WEEK By S.B. You said in last week's mailbag that Detroit didn't work for NCAAs the last time it was in Detroit. There is a big difference this time. Last time was at The Palace in Auburn Hills which is a suburb with nothing within walking distance. Not a great place for the NCAAs. The next time the finals will be held in the brand new Little Caesars Arena in downtown Detroit which is where the Pistons and Red Wings will play. Whatever you've heard about Detroit, don't believe the hype. Downtown Detroit has undergone quite a renaissance. You'll be shocked if you haven't been to downtown Detroit recently. There are excellent restaurants, cool bars, and it's really nice these days. Several casinos (MGM Grand, Greektown, Motor City) very close by. Walking distance really. It's near Comerica Park and Ford Field. Trust me … Detroit will be an excellent place for the tournament. Furthermore, Metro Detroit is actually where most of the talent from Michigan comes from so it's a little unfair to say that it isn't a great wrestling city. Last I checked the University of Michigan was pretty good at wrestling and Ann Arbor is just 20 miles from Detroit. It might not be as quite as much of a hotbed as Cleveland or Pittsburgh, but it's every bit as much of one as St. Louis or Minneapolis.

LAS VEGAS -- Cohlton Schultz of the New York Athletic Club defeated Anthony Cassioppi of Hononegah Wrestling Club in two matches at 120 kilograms to earn himself a spot on the 2017 Junior Greco-Roman World Team. Schultz, a 2016 Cadet World Team member is one of the youngest entries in the UWW Junior Greco- Roman World Team Trials. Throughout his best of three series he executed great throws in both his matches in his quest to the top. They were a key factor in him claiming his title in just two matches. "My first match in the finals I was doing the game plan and then towards the end I didn't do too wild but I ended up still getting the W. The last [match] I was talking with my coaches and was just saying put it all into this one don't even worry about a third one. Put all your energy into this one," Schultz said. Read complete story on TheMat.com … Champions: 46-50 kg: Elijah Varona (NYAC/New York RTC) 55 kg: Randon Miranda (NYAC) 60 kg: Dalton Young (Team Washington) 63 kg: Tristan Porsch (Trojan Wrestling Club) 66 kg: Dominick Demans (Columbus WC) 70 kg: Tyler Dow (Badger RTC) 74 kg: Jesse Porter (NYAC) 79 kg: Spencer Carey (Navy- Marine Corps RTC) 84 kg: Wyatt Koelling (Missouri Wrestling Foundation) 96 kg: Blake Smith (NMU-OTS) 120 kg: Cohlton Schultz (NYAC)

Note: All times Pacific Time Freestyle U.S. Open Friday, April 28 9 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Preliminaries, Quarterfinals, Consolation 7:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Semifinals Saturday, April 29 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. Consolation, Consolation Semifinals, 3rd, 5th, 7th-place matches 6 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Finals Greco-Roman World Team Trials (66 kg, 80 kg, 98 kg, 130 kg) Friday, April 28 9 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Preliminaries, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, Consolation, Consolation Semifinals 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m. Finals, Medal Matches Greco-Roman World Team Trials (59 kg, 71 kg, 75 kg, 85 kg) Saturday, April 29 9 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Preliminaries, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, Consolation, Consolation Semifinals 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m. Finals, Medal Matches Women's Wrestling World Team Trials (53 kg, 60 kg, 63 kg, 69 kg) Friday, April 28 9 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Preliminaries, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, Consolation, Consolation Semifinals 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m. Finals, Medal Matches Women's Wrestling World Team Trials (48 kg, 55 kg, 58 kg, 75 kg) Saturday, April 29 9 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Preliminaries, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, Consolation, Consolation Semifinals 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m. Finals, Medal Matches

LAS VEGAS -- Four weight classes will be contested on Friday for the U.S. World Team Trials in women's wrestling and Greco-Roman. The Greco-Roman weights contested are 66 kilograms, 80 kilograms, 98 kilograms, 130 kilograms. In women's wrestling on Friday, 53 kilograms, 60 kilograms, 63 kilograms and 69 kilograms will be contested. The seeds were released on Thursday night. Women's Wrestling World Team Trials Seeds 53 kg/116.5 lbs. 1. Whitney Conder, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP) 2. Haley Augello, Lockport, Ill. (New York AC) 3. Deanna Betterman, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) 4. Amy Fearnside, Jamestown, N.D. (Titan Mercury WC) 5. Ronna Heaton, Brookings, S.D. (Sunkist Kids) 6. Dajan Treder, Anchorage, Alaska (Jimmie WC) 7. Casssidy Jasperson, League City, Texas (Aires WC) 8. Christina Powell, Powder Springs, Ga. (Missouri Valley WC) 9. Taylor Resuriz, League City, Texas (Bearcat WC) 10. Autumn Gordon, Sugar Grove, Ohio (unattached) 11. Lindsey Spjut, Montgomery, Texas (Bearcat WC) 12. Mayra Ramirez, El Paso, Texas (Wayland Baptist) 13. Kasey Baynon, Statesboro, Ga. (Team Georgia) 60 kg/132 lbs. '16 World medalist advances to the Trials Finals series - Alli Ragan, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) World Team Trials Tournament Seeds 1. Carla Ponce, El Paso, Texas (Aires WC) 2. Francesca Giorgio, West Lawn, Pa. (Simon Fraser) 3. Koral Sugiyama, Pocatello, Idaho (Campbellsville WC) 4. Nicole Joseph, Camarillo, Calif. (King University) 5. Chloe Spencer, Ephrata, Wash. (Choker WC) 6. Arian Carpio, Tempe, Ariz. (Sunkist Kids) 7. Darla Allen, San Antonio, Texas, (Bearcat WC) 8. Cheyenne Bates, Doyline, La. (Wayland Baptist) 63 kg/138.5 lbs. 1. Jennifer Page, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Titan Mercury WC) 2. Mallory Velte, Sacramento, Calif. (Titan Mercury WC) 3. Randi Beltz, Chesterfield, Mo. (Titan Mercury WC) 4. Maya Nelson, Denver, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) 5. Alexis Porter, Ballston Lake, N.Y. (New York AC) 6. Jenna Burkert, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP) 7. Forrest Molinari, Benicia, Calif. (Titan Mercury WC) 8. Mariana Briceno, Simi Valley, Calif. (Wayland Baptist) 69 kg/152 lbs. 1. Elena Pirozhkova, New York, N.Y. (Titan Mercury WC) 2. Tamyra Mensah, Katy, Texas (Titan Mercury WC) 3. Rachel Watters, Ankeny, Iowa (New York AC) 4. Niauni Hill, Belleville, Ill. (Lindenwood-Belleville) 5. Hannah Gladden, Gadsden, Ala. (University of the Cumberlands) 6. Alexandria Glaude, West Sacramento, Calif. (Bearcat WC) 7. Margaret Douma, Napa, Calif. (Aries WC) 8. Andrea Sennett, Wheeling, Ill. (Bearcat WC) Greco-Roman World Team Trials Seeds 66 kg/145 lbs. 1. Ellis Coleman, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP) 2. Alejandro Sancho, Miami, Fla. (New York AC) 3. Anthonie Linares, San Jose, Calif. (New York AC) 4. Brian Graham, Kansas City, Mo. (Minnesota Storm) 5. Austin Morrow, Wenatchee, Wisc. (New York AC) 6. Jamal DeArmond, Sacramento, Calif. (New York AC) 7. Sahid Kargo, Alexandria, Va. (Patriot Elite WC) 8. Jessy Williams, Windsor, N.Y. (New York AC) 9. Raymond Bunker, Villa Park, Ill. (U.S. Marines) 10. Rodolfo Guillen, Duluth, Ga. (University of Mary) 11. Colton Rasche, Emerald Isle, N.C. (U.S. Marines) 12. Christopher Anderson, Houston, Texas (NMU-OTS) 80 kg/176 lbs. 1. Cheney Haight, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC) 2. Geordan Speiller, Oviedo, Fla. (Florida Jets) 3. John Stefanowicz, Hubert, N.C. (U.S. Marines) 4. Barrett Stanghill, Philipsburg, Mont. (Minnesota Storm) 5. Courtney Myers, Grandville, Mich. (U.S. Army WCAP) 6. Richard Carlson, Arden Hills, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) 7. Nick Becker, Kenosha, Wisc. (Grizzly Wrestling Club) 8. Brandon Johnson (U.S. Air Force) 98 kg/215.5 lbs. 1. G'Angelo Hancock, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC/Sunkist Kids) 2. Hayden Zillmer, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) 3. James Souza, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP) 4. Enock Francois, Ithaca, N.Y. (New York AC) 5. Endhyr Meza, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP) 6. Daniel Miller, Ocean City, Md. (U.S. Marines) 7. Orry Elor, Marquette, Mich. (U.S. Army WCAP) 8. Jacob Kasper, Mansfield, Ohio (Blue Blood Wrestling Club) 9. Antonio Harris, Oceanside, Calif. (All-Navy) 10. Austin Schafer, Edmond, Okla. (Bronchos Wrestling Club) 11. Trent Osnes, Camp LeJeune, N.C. (U.S. Marines) 12. Cesar Catalan, Santa Ana, Calif. (Unattached) 130 kg/286 lbs. 1. Toby Erickson, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP) 2. Robby Smith, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC) 3. Jacob Mitchell, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP) 4. Malcolm Allen, Mankato, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) 5. Parker Betts, St Michael, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) 6. Matt Voss, Fairfax, Va. (Patriot Elite WC) 7. Eric Fader, Jacksonville, N.C. (U.S. Marines) 8. Pete Gounaridis, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP) 9. Zack Wilcox, Omaha, Neb. (MWC Wrestling Academy) 10. Christopher Pierce, Lemont Furnace, Pa. (Patriot Elite Wrestling Club) 11. Ron Dombkowski, Waterford, Pa. (Unattached)

LAS VEGAS -- The seeds have been released for the freestyle U.S. Open freestyle competition. The event takes place Friday and Saturday at South Point Arena in Las Vegas. Freestyle U.S. Open Seeds 57 kg/125.5 lbs. 1. Anthony Ramos, Chapel Hill, N.C. (Sunkist Kids) 2. Nahshon Garrett, Tempe, Ariz. (Sunkist Kids) 3. Alan Waters, Columbia, Mo. (Missouri Wrestling Foundation) 4. Nathan Tomasello, Parma, Ohio (Titan Mercury WC) 5. Nico Megaludis, State College, Pa. (Nittany Lion WC) 6. Obe Blanc, Apex, N.C. (Titan Mercury WC) 7. Zach Sanders, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) 8. Jesse Delgado, Savoy, Ill. (Titan Mercury WC) 9. Frank Perrelli, Charlottesville, Va. (Titan Mercury WC) 61 kg/134 lbs. 1. Jayson Ness, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) 2. Kendric Maple, West Lafayette, Ind. (Titan Mercury WC) 3. Cody Brewer, Evanston, Ill. (Titan Mercury WC/Chicago RTC) 4. Seth Gross, Rosemount, Minn. (Jackrabbit WC) 5. Joe Colon, Cedar Falls, Iowa (Titan Mercury WC) 6. Christopher Dardanes, Iowa City, Iowa (Titan Mercury WC) 7. Josh Kindig, Durham, N.C. (Tar Heel WC) 8. Andrew Hochstrasser, Boise, Idaho (Titan Mercury WC) 65 kg/143 lbs. 1. Frank Molinaro, State College, Pa. (Nittany Lion WC) 2. Zain Retherford, Benton, Pa. (Nittany Lion WC) 3. Jordan Oliver, Tempe, Ariz. (Sunkist Kids) 4. Jimmy Kennedy, Ann Arbor, Mich. (New York AC/Michigan RTC) 5. Evan Henderson, Chapel Hill, N.C. (Titan Mercury WC) 6. Kellen Russell, Ann Arbor, Mich. (New York AC/Cliff Keen WC) 7. Nick Dardanes, Iowa City, Iowa (Titan Mercury WC/Hawkeye WC) 8. Mario Mason, Moorestown, N.J. (Lehigh Valley WC) 70 kg/154 lbs. 1. James Green, Lincoln, Neb. (Titan Mercury WC) 2. Jason Chamberlain, Fresno, Calif. (Titan Mercury WC) 3. Nazar Kulchytskyy, Madison, Wis. (Titan Mercury WC) 4. Chase Pami, Philadelphia, Pa. (Sunkist Kids/Philadelphia RTC) 5. Jason Nolf, Yatesboro, Pa. (Nittany Lion WC) 6. Hunter Stieber, Norman, Okla. (Titan Mercury WC) 7. Jason Welch, Evanston, Ill. (Titan Mercury WC) 8. Dylan Ness, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) 9. Nathaniel Carr, McDonald, Pa. (Titan Mercury WC) 10. Santiago Martinez, Bethlehem, Pa. (Lehigh Valley WC) 74 kg/163 lbs. 1. Jordan Burroughs, Lincoln, Neb. (Sunkist Kids) 2. Kyle Dake, Ithaca, N.Y. (Titan Mercury WC) 3. Alex Dieringer, Stillwater, Okla. (Titan Mercury WC) 4. Chris Perry, Stillwater, Okla. (Titan Mercury WC) 5. Kevin LeValley, Lewisburg, Pa. (Buffalo Valley RTC) 6. Quinton Godley, Raleigh, N.C. (Titan Mercury WC) 7. Vladyslav Dombrovskiy, State College, Pa. (U.S. Army WCAP) 8. Dan Vallimont, Philadelphia, Pa. (New York AC/Pennsylvania RTC) 86 kg/189 lbs. 1. David Taylor, State College, Pa. (Titan Mercury WC) 2. Richard Perry, Philadelphia, Pa. (New York AC/Philadelphia RTC) 3. Austin Trotman, Lincoln, Neb. (Titan Mercury WC) 4. Nick Heflin, Princeton, N.J. (Princeton WC) 5. Gabe Dean, Lowell, Mich. (Titan Mercury WC) 6. Bo Nickal, Allen, Texas (Nittany Lion WC) 7. Josh Asper, Annapolis, Md. (Navy-Marine Corps Mat Club) 8. Pete Renda, Raleigh, N.C. (Wolfpack WC) 9. Vic Avery, Edinboro, Pa. (Titan Mercury WC) 10. Tim Dudley, Columbia, S.C. (Nebraska RTC) 11. Timmy McCall, Raleigh, N.C. (Titan Mercury WC) 97 kg/213 lbs. 1. Micah Burak, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Titan Mercury WC) 2. Kyven Gadson, Ames, Iowa (Sunkist Kids) 3. Nathan Burak, Iowa City, Iowa (Hawkeye WC) 4. Ty Walz, Cleveland, Ohio (Titan Mercury WC) 5. Kallen Kleinschmidt, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC) 6. Blaize Cabell, Cedar Falls, Iowa (Panther WC) 7. Josh Manu, North Providence, R.I. (Navy-Marine Corps Mat Club) 125 kg/275 lbs. 1. Zachery Rey, Bethlehem, Pa. (Lehigh Valley WC) 2. Dom Bradley, Ames, Iowa (Sunkist Kids) 3. Nick Gwiazdowski, Raleigh, N.C. (New York AC) 4. Anthony Nelson, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) 5. Justin Grant, Easton, Pa. (New York AC) 6. Bobby Telford, Iowa City, Iowa (Titan Mercury WC/Hawkeye WC)

Jeff Vesta Labette Community College has promoted assistant coach Jeff Vesta to head up the wrestling program at the two-year Kansas school, the Parsons (Kan.) Sun reported Tuesday. Vesta served as assistant to Ben McKenzie, who had been at the helm of the Cardinal wrestling program the past two seasons. McKenzie, who has been at Labette for more than two decades in various capacities within the athletic department, will remain at the school as a faculty member. Vesta has already announced the hiring of Julian Smith -- a three-time All-American at the NCAA Division II program at McKendree University -- for his old position as assistant coach. Vesta brings impressive mat credentials to his new job as Labette's head coach. He is originally from Manhattan, Kan. where he was a 6A high school state champion and six-time Fargo All-American. After high school, Vesta wrestled at Neosho County Community College, where he won a National Junior College Athletic Association National Championship at 125 pounds. He then attended Newberry College, where he was an NCAA Division II All-American. In addition, he served as a graduate assistant coach at Newberry in his senior year. "I'm excited to start the journey," Vesta told the Parsons Sun. "I'm glad I got the chance to work at the school for a couple of years. They didn't want to hire someone that was unknown, and they want someone to stick around." "I think they got the right man for the job," McKenzie said. "He's worked hard the past couple of years. He's a young, hungry guy that will do very well over the next several years to keep this program in the top of the nation."

In previous editions of the year-over-year analysis of the InterMat Fab 50 national high school team rankings, it has been a consistent re-hash of the top programs, and how consistent their position has been in the Fab 50 rankings. Again it is relevant to note that three teams have earned a top ten ranking at the end of each of the seven seasons the rankings have been compiled (2011-2017). Blair Academy (N.J.) has won five national titles (2012-2014, 2016-2017), with finishes of second and third in the other two seasons. St. Paris Graham (Ohio) won the national title in 2015, and has five finishes within the top five of the national rankings; the Falcons were eighth in 2012 and sixth in 2014. Clovis (Calif.) has seven top ten finishes as well; the Cougars have finished as high as third (2014) and as low as ninth (2016). Five other teams have finished within the national rankings each year since the rankings started: 2011 national champion Apple Valley (Minn.), Bethlehem Catholic (Pa.), Montini Catholic (Ill.), St. Edward (Ohio), and Wyoming Seminary (Pa.); the lowest finish for Wyoming Seminary was 11th in 2011, while the highest finish for Montini Catholic was 12th in 2013. Six teams each have been ranked at the end of six seasons and at the end of five seasons. Oak Park River Forest (Ill.), Poway (Calif.), Southeast Polk (Iowa), and Tuttle (Okla.) have been ranked in six consecutive seasons, while Bergen Catholic (N.J.) has been ranked five consecutive seasons. Buchanan has finished in the Fab 50 in each of the last four seasons (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The next longest active streak for appearances in the Fab 50 national team rankings is the four-year run that Buchanan (Calif.) is currently on. The Bears have moved up from 39th in 2014 to 12th two years ago, fifth last year, all the way up to their No. 2 ranking at the end of this season. The only additional team on even a three consecutive year streak in the Fab 50 rankings is Elyria (Ohio), which has been ranked 33rd, 20th, and 12th in each of the last three seasons; the Pioneers were also runners-up to St. Edward each year at the individual state tournament. So that's 15 teams in total that have streaks of three-plus years ending the season inside the Fab 50 national high school team rankings. Twenty additional teams were ranked in each of the last two seasons. Six additional teams appeared in the rankings at the end of this season after missing out at the end of 2016, but appearing in previous seasons. Broken Arrow (Okla.) and Massillon Perry (Ohio) returned after being in the rankings from 2011-2015, Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.) returned after being ranked from 2011-2014, Brecksville (Ohio) returned after being ranked from 2013-2015, Roseburg (Ore.) returned after being ranked in 2011 and 2012, while Wadsworth (Ohio) returned after being ranked in 2011. Nine teams ended the season in the national high school team rankings for the first time in the 2017 season. Those teams were No. 18 Sand Springs (Okla.), No. 19 Lockport (Ill.), No. 30 Shakopee (Minn.), No. 34 Mason (Ohio), No. 35 Staley (Mo.), No. 44 Northampton (Pa.), No. 47 New Hampton (Iowa), No. 49 Reynolds (Pa.), and No. 50 Cincinnati Elder (Ohio). That is in stark contrast to last year, a year in which 20 teams ended the season in the national high school team rankings for the first time. It was more in line with the 2015 season, one in which 16 teams made debut appearances in the final rankings (the fifth year of the rankings being published). Only 15 teams that finished 2016 ranked nationally did not finish 2017 in the rankings. That is obviously in extreme contrast to last year, one that saw 26 teams from the 2015 rankings not earn a position in the final rankings of the 2015-16 season. It was much more in line with the final 2015 rankings that saw 18 teams from the final 2013-14 rankings not present (the final rankings for 2012 through 2014 did not include either 18 or 19 teams that were ranked at the end of the previous season). In seven years of publishing the national team rankings, 142 schools have ended at least one season within the rankings. Those teams came from 27 different states. Northampton and Reynolds raised the total number of schools from the Keystone State to end a season ranked to 19, while the inclusion of Mason and Cincinnati Elder means that Ohio is up to 13 different schools to end a season in the national team rankings. The presence of Lockport in the rankings makes it ten total schools from the Land of Lincoln to finish a season ranked. The debut for New Hampton, Shakopee, and Sand Springs means that it's now eight schools ranked from Iowa, Minnesota, and Oklahoma at the end of a season. Staley was the sixth school from Missouri to end a season ranked.

Aaron Pico was a runner-up at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Aaron Pico learned he will be facing Zach Freeman in his pro MMA debut at Bellator's first-ever event in New York City on June 24, the mixed martial arts organization recently announced. The Pico-Freeman lightweight (155-pound) bout is one of five on the main card at what is called Bellator: NYC pay-per-view event at Madison Square Garden headlined by a light-heavyweight showdown featuring Wanderlei Silva vs. former University of Oregon wrestler Chael Sonnen. In the co-main event, Fedor Emelianenko makes his Bellator debut against Matt Mitrione. The preliminary card, titled Bellator 180, features two ex-college mat stars: Ryan Bader and Phil Davis, and will take place prior to the pay-per-view matches. Freeman, who launched his pro MMA career in 2011, brings an 8-2 record -- including five wins by submission, and one by TKO -- to his fight with Pico. A high school state wrestling champion at 132 pounds, Pico, 20, chose to bypass a collegiate mat career to concentrate on freestyle wrestling. At the U.S. Olympic team trials in 2016, Pico defeated Jayson Ness, Jordan Oliver and Reece Humphrey before falling to former NCAA national champion Frank Molinaro in the 143-pound final. In addition to his wrestling credentials, Pico brings an amateur boxing background to MMA, having won a National Junior Golden Gloves title in 2009. Pico signed with Bellator in November 2016. "Simply put, Aaron has all the makings of MMA's next great superstar, and to have him here at Bellator is something special," said Bellator MMA president Scott Coker in a press release.

Virginia Tech's Zach Eppery rides NC State's Nick Reenan (Photo/HokieSports.com) Zach Epperly of Virginia Tech will not be competing for the Hokies. The two-time All-American and three-time NCAA qualifier will graduate from Virginia Tech next month and announced his decision to skip his final season of eligibility. He will serve on the coaching staff for the Cave Spring (Va.) High School wrestling team. "I would like to thank Virginia Tech, the coaches and my teammates for some of the best memories of my life," said Epperly. "My time at Virginia Tech has been nothing short of incredible both on and off the mat. I can't thank the fans enough for all that they have done for myself and Virginia Tech wrestling. I will be graduating in May with a degree in real estate and I'm looking forward to starting my career as a realtor in July. I'm excited about the next chapter in my life and whatever path that God has ahead of me. Thank you, Hokie Nation, for everything. Go Hokies!" Tony Robie, who was named head wrestling coach at Virginia Tech after Kevin Dresser left for Iowa State this past season, added the following: "We respect Zach's decision to move on with his life after graduating in May. Zach's contributions to the program over the last three years have been significant and they speak for themselves. He will always be a Hokie and we wish him the very best in all of his future endeavors."

Casey Kent was presented with the Class of 1915 Award (Photo/Tom Weishaar) PHILADELPHIA -- The University of Pennsylvania's Division of Recreation and Intercollegiate Athletics (DRIA) handed out its major intercollegiate senior student-athlete awards Monday night, April 24, in a ceremony held at The Palestra. Casey Kent was honored with the Class of 1915 Award. The Class of 1915 Award, given annually since 1931, is presented to the male student-athlete who best exemplifies the spirit and tradition of University of Pennsylvania Athletics. The recipient must be a senior student-athlete who shows outstanding athletic, academic, and leadership qualities. The academic standard is a 3.0 GPA. Voting on the award is conducted by the head coaches of Penn's men's varsity programs. Kent was a three-time NCAA Championships qualifier, and earned All-America honors his junior year with a fourth-place finish after starting the tournament unseeded at Madison Square Garden. It was the best finish ever by an unseeded Penn wrestler at the Championships. Kent is a four-time second-team All-Ivy pick, and he graduates with 95 career wins. Casey is a Mechanical Engineering & Applied Mechanics major in the School of Engineering and Applied Science.

The United States has typically enjoyed a high level of success at the FILA and now United World Wrestling Junior World Championships. Among the recent success stories came when Kyle Snyder burst onto the international wrestling scene to capture a Junior world title at age 17. Snyder, of course, followed by winning a senior world title at age 19 before capturing an Olympic gold medal last year as a 20-year-old in Rio. The U.S. has the potential for another big year and the road to the Junior Worlds will start with the country's top 17-20 year olds competing in the United World Wrestling Junior Freestyle National Championships this weekend in Las Vegas. The event is a qualifier for June's UWW Junior World Team Trials in Lincoln, Neb. The UWW Junior World Team Trials for Greco-Roman also will be held at this weekend alongside the freestyle nationals at the South Point Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. With the Senior U.S. Open in freestyle and the Senior World Team Trials in Greco also going on this weekend in Vegas, some elite Juniors may bypass the Junior events. But the field for the Junior events, as it typically is, will still be very strong. Here are some of the top storylines to watch in the Juniors this weekend: So many studs at such a young age When the Cadet World Championships was reinstated in recent years, the U.S. received a huge boost. A country that focuses a lot on folkstyle was given more opportunities to make gains in freestyle and on an international level. Among the athletes who have cashed in on this opportunity are young stars Mark Hall and Spencer Lee. Both wrestlers won Cadet world titles before going on to earn Junior world titles for the U.S. Mark Hall won a gold medal at the Junior World Championships last year (Photo/Justin Hoch) Hall, who won an NCAA title for Penn State as a true freshman last month, is registered for the Junior freestyle competition at 74 kilograms/163 pounds. Hall and Lee are two special athletes who have already shown a penchant for delivering when the stakes are highest. Both are very advanced for their age and both possess the type of composure and maturity needed to excel at the international level. Lee likely won't compete in Vegas after suffering a knee injury during the high school season. And even more studs we could see ... Daton Fix won a Junior World bronze medal at 55 kilograms (Photo/Justin Hoch) 2016 Junior World bronze medalist Daton Fix (55 kilograms/121 pounds) is another young star with impressive credentials. Fix knocked off Spencer Lee to make a Cadet world team before moving up to the Junior ranks. Fix is another wrestler with a tremendous upside. He is an aggressive, dominating wrestler with an abundance of ability. Adding to the list of eligible 2016 UWW Junior Freestyle champions who could return are Mitchell McKee (60 kilograms), Cole Martin (63 kilograms), Beau Breske (79 kilograms), Zahid Valencia (84 kilograms), and Rylee Streifel (120 kilograms). Valencia is coming off a third-place finish at the NCAAs as a freshman. And he is even better at freestyle than he is at folkstyle. He will attack opponents from the opening whistle. 2016 UWW Junior Freestyle National runner-ups eligible to compete in this year's competition include Patrick McKee (50 kilograms), Gavin Teasdale (55 kilograms), Evan Wick (70 kilograms), and Lance Benick (96 kilograms). Greco returns top athletes for Trials Two of the top young stars in the UWW Junior ranks are Kamal Bey and G'Angelo Hancock, who both are expected to compete in the Senior division this week. Hancock is a Junior world bronze medalist who also won a Senior Nationals title this season at 96 kilograms. Bey also won a Senior Nationals title. He competed in Juniors at 74 kilograms. Hancock and Bey have provided a huge boost to the struggling U.S. Greco-Roman program. 2016 Junior world bronze medalist Taylor LaMont (60 kilograms) is another eligible returning champion who has been one of the nation's top young Greco wrestlers for a number of years. Two other returning champions who also competed in the 2016 Junior Worlds are Nick Reenan (84 kilograms) and Michael Rogers (120 kilograms). Also eligible to return is 2016 UWW Greco-Roman National champion Quentin Hovis (70 kilograms). There also is a group of returning Junior runner-up finishers who can compete again this year. They include Dack Punke (50 kilograms), Jordan Martinez (55 kilograms), Mitchell McKee (60 kilograms), Ryan Leisure (63 kilograms), Jaron Jensen (66 kilograms), Jesse Porter (74 kilograms), Carter Nielsen (79 kilograms), Wyatt Koelling (84 kilograms), and Nicholas Boykin (120 kilograms). The UWW Junior Greco tournament is set for Thursday, April 27 with the UWW Junior freestyle event April 28-29. The UWW Junior Greco-Roman World Team Trials is the qualifying event for the UWW Junior World Championships in Tampere, Finland on Aug. 1-6.

Gary Mayabb (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Gary Mayabb of Kansas City, Mo. has been hired for the new position of Manager of Greco-Roman Programs by USA Wrestling, the national governing body for wrestling in the United States. Mayabb, who has been nationally respected as a wrestler, coach and referee, will work in USA Wrestling's National Teams Department, along with National Greco-Roman Coach Matt Lindland and other staff members. He will focus on improving USA Wrestling's performance in Greco-Roman wrestling at all levels while growing the sport in the United States. "I have been involved in Greco-Roman for several decades, coaching it at the development level, and leading a lot of tours. I have always enjoyed that. I'm looking for this to become a WIN-WIN. I have some experience to offer, coming through the USA Wrestling system and working with a state association. I have been brought to USA Wrestling camps by Matt Lindland or Steve Fraser, which helped me develop as a higher level coach and leader. I want to grow Greco-Roman. I love it, and this is a great opportunity for me," said Mayabb. Mayabb has been a highly successful coach and leader within USA Wrestling's national and state-level Greco-Roman programs, as well as a championship coach at the high school and youth levels. He has been involved in wrestling at all of its levels throughout his 40-plus years in the sport. "Gary has been a high-level Greco-Roman athlete. He has been a part of USA Wrestling volunteer coaching pool since I was an athlete, which is where I first got to know Gary. He has been a head coach, an assistant coach and an administrator. We are building a program and an American Greco-Roman system together. He brings the knowledge, experience and wisdom of a Head Coach, and is someone who sees my vision and is willing to execute my overall plan and strategy. Our goal is to ultimately get our team to where we believe it can be, consistently the best team in the world," said National Greco-Roman Coach Matt Lindland. He has coached eight times as an USA Wrestling age-group World Team Coach in Greco-Roman, working at the UWW Cadet, UWW Junior or University levels. Most recently, he coached the 2016 UWW Cadet World Team in Tbilisi, Ga. Among the nations he has led tours include Bulgaria, Finland, Turkey, Mexico, Spain, Germany, Denmark, Guatemala and Greece. Mayabb was also head coach of 1989 UWW Cadet World Festival Championships team, leading the USA to a second place team finish. He has also served as Greco-Roman coach of Missouri USA Wrestling every year since 1986, working with their Cadet and Junior National Teams. Mayabb has also coached at the club level in his community. Mayabb was USA Wrestling Junior Greco-Roman Coach of the Year in 2003 and its Cadet Greco-Roman Coach of the Year in 2014. He was also the Southern Plains Regional Developmental Coach of the Year in 2003. Mayabb is a Gold Certified coach within USA Wrestling's National Coaches Education Program, the highest level of achievement in the program. "It will have to be a global approach," said Mayabb of his new position. "There are things that can be improved at each level and in every area. There have been some patterns of success which we have had in the past, with athletes coming from Div. I and Div. II into Greco-Roman. At the same time, we are seeing athletes that are becoming World champions and Olympic champions at a younger age. We are going to improve how we train our National Team at an earlier age and how we identify our National Team. An American wrestler is typically a freestyle wrestler. If we can grow Greco, one of the largest areas we can expand is working with the freestyle wrestlers, and as they get older, instead of specializing just in freestyle, we can get them to stay longer in Greco, allowing us to develop a broader pool of athletes. I think we will need to do a better job identifying athletes earlier than normal, maintain relationships and position ourselves to give them opportunities." He has a long career in education, starting his career in 1985 and working as a teacher or coordinator at high schools in Missouri for 32 years. He is currently at Staley High School, where he has served as both a coordinator and a teacher. He began his career as a teacher at East High School in Excelsior Springs, and also has taught for Belton High School and Oak Park High School. He has instructed classes in history, psychology, physiology, economics and leadership. He has received numerous awards for his teaching abilities, including a Teacher of the Year award in 2015. As head coach at Oak Park High School, Mayabb's teams won six Missouri state high school titles, including becoming the only program to win five straight team titles. His team also won 11 district team titles and eight Suburban Conference team titles. Included were 38 individual state titles and 96 state place winners, including four four-time individual state champions. His teams were ranked nationally six different seasons. Mayabb launched a new program at Staley High School in 2008, and helped develop the team into a state power. His program has placed second in the state two times and third once. The team featured six individual state champions and 38 state placewinners. During his high school coaching career, Mayabb has been NWCA Region Coach of the Year in 2000 and 2005, and State Coach of the Year in 2004 and 2006. Mayabb has also won six other Missouri Coach of the Year awards. He has placed more than 50 athletes into college wrestling programs and 74 athletes have gone on to coaching careers. He has made coaching presentations at state-level coaches clinics at 14 different states, and also has led a number of coaching presentations at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. As an athlete, he was a 1990 U.S. Open runner-up in Greco-Roman, and qualified to compete in four U.S. Olympic Team Trials series (1980, 1984, 1988 and 1992). Mayabb was nationally ranked many times on the Senior level. In college, he was a two-time caption for the wrestling team at the University of Central Missouri, where he was an NCAA qualifier and the MIAA Conference Most Outstanding Wrestler in 1983. Mayabb has also coached numerous other sports on the high school level, including serving as a head coach in diving, soccer and strength and conditioning, as well as assistant coaching posts in wrestling, football and track and field. He is a national level collegiate-style referee, having worked 16 college national tournaments, including four at the NCAA Div. I level and 12 at the NCAA Div. II levels, as well as working 12 Big Ten Championships. Mayabb officiated high school level for two years, before starting his high school coaching career. He started officiating freestyle and Greco-Roman in 1980, and has been an active international-style referee on the local, state and regional levels throughout his career. Mayabb is excited about the opportunity to work on USA Wrestling's national staff, and to focus specifically on the Greco-Roman program. "It is truly an honor for me, but this is also a great opportunity for me. I want continuous growth. I want to become better each year. I will be blended with a whole group of people who are like-minded warriors for a long time, who understand this level. I will have to grow, but I hope with my experiences, I can bring some areas of growth myself. What a great situation to be with people who have done this their whole life and be able to share with that," said Mayabb. Lindland praises Mayabb not only for his abilities and his experience, but also for the qualities that made his so successful in all aspects of his life. "Character first. I want to work with men of integrity. I want someone who is already a great leader. Athletes are first in my coaching style and I want to work with people who put athletes first. Our job is to make these guys better men and in turn they will become better at wrestling as a result. Gary and I share a similar philosophy. I know that he will treat all our young men with the same level of respect and dignity. I look for an individual who is honest and humble. There were a ton of great candidates for this position, but Gary really stood out from the rest," said Lindland.

Helen Maroulis defeated Saori Yoshida to win the Olympic gold medal (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) NEW YORK -- For the fifth-consecutive year, Helen Maroulis (Sunkist Kids) will compete in the Beat the Streets Benefit, and it will be the first time she takes the mat in Times Square as an Olympic gold medalist. Maroulis is the first U.S. women announced as part of the Team USA roster for the 2017 edition of the Beat the Streets Benefit that will be held at Duffy Square (47th St. & 7th Ave.) in New York on May 17. A talented American squad will battle international wrestling power Japan in an 11-match dual meet featuring eight men's freestyle and three women's freestyle matches. "I do this event for Beat the Streets every year because it's a great way to promote the sport of wrestling and to help fundraise for the children who will learn, grow and benefit from these programs," said Maroulis. "Mike Novogratz and the rest of the Beat the Streets organization do an amazing job, and it's wonderful to be able to wrestle in Times Square in front of all the kids and fans." Competing at her new weight class of 58 kg/128 lbs., the Rockville, Md. native who is now training in New York at Columbia University's NYC RTC, has been paired against Japan's 2014 World champion Chiho Hamada. The two have previously met three times throughout their respective Senior-level careers. Hamada holds the series edge 2-1 and owns the last win in the series from the 2014 World semifinals where she defeated Maroulis, 6-2. After dropping the match to Hamada at the 2014 World Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Maroulis went on a 64-match win-streak that spanned from September 2014 to March 2017, claiming Olympic and World titles along the way. In her previous four trips to the Beat the Streets Benefit, Maroulis holds a perfect 4-0 record with all four of her wins coming by either pin or technical fall. Her list of past victories at this event include Samantha Stewart of Canada in 2016, Yamilka del Valle Alvarez of Cuba in 2015, Marcia Andrades of Venezuela in 2014 and Irina Kisel of Russia in 2013. Maroulis is the first American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in wrestling. In making Olympic history, she defeated three-time Olympic champion and 13-time World champion Saori Yoshida of Japan 4-1 in the 53 kg/116.5 lbs. Olympic finals last August in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In addition to her Olympic gold, Maroulis has accumulated three senior World medals: one gold (2015), one silver (2012) and one bronze (2014). She was also a three-time medalist at the Junior World Championships. Maroulis made women's college wrestling history by winning four WCWA national titles while competing for both Missouri Baptist University and Simon Fraser University. She is one of only three women to win four such titles. "We couldn't be more excited to have Helen Maroulis return for another year of supporting Beat the Streets in Times Square," said Beat the Streets Chairman of the Board Mike Novogratz. "She has been a great ambassador for our program over the years and her status as an Olympic champion and, more importantly an ideal role model, is a shining example to our student-athletes of what they can achieve in sports and life. We all can't wait to see her on the mat representing the U.S. against one of Japan's top wrestlers." This year marks the sixth time the Beat the Streets Benefit will be held in Times Square, and the eighth-straight year the world-class event will be contested. It will be the first time Japan has made the trip to the Beat the Streets Benefit, joining a litany of world powers that have participated in previous years including Iran, Russia, Cuba, Korea and Canada. In 2014, a World All-Star team competed against the USA, with athletes from Russia, Bulgaria, Azerbaijan, Canada, Spain, Venezuela, and Ukraine in the lineup. This has truly become a highlight event on the annual international wrestling schedule. The only other American that has been selected for the Beat the Streets Benefit to this point is 2016 World champion Logan Stieber who will compete at 61 kg/134 lbs. on the men's freestyle side. The decision on who will join Maroulis and Stieber in New York City will be influenced by the results from the U.S. Open in men's freestyle and World Team Trials in women's freestyle, set for Las Vegas, Tuesday through Saturday. 2017 BEAT THE STREETS BENEFIT At New York, May 17 Event Schedule 3 p.m. (ET) -- Beat the Streets youth exhibition matches 4:45 p.m. (ET) -- NYC PSAL Girls Dual Meet Championships 6 p.m. (ET) -- Team USA vs. Team Japan Announced Team USA Roster Men's Freestyle 61 kg/134 lbs. -- Logan Stieber (Columbus, Ohio/Titan Mercury WC/Ohio RTC) Women's Freestyle 58 kg/128 lbs. -- Helen Maroulis, (New York/Sunkist Kids) Team Japan Roster Men's freestyle 57 kg/125.5 lbs. - Rinya Nakamura 61 kg/134 lbs. - Shingo Arimoto 65 kg/143 lbs. - Daichi Takatani 70 kg/154 lbs. - Nobuyoshi Takojima 74 kg/163 lbs. - Sohsuke Takatani 86 kg/189 lbs. - Takahiro Murayama 97 kg/213 lbs. - Koki Yamamoto 125 kg/275 lbs. -- Katsutoshi Kanazawa Women's freestyle 48 kg/105.5 lbs. - Yuki Irie 58 kg/128 lbs. - Chiho Hamada 69 kg/152 lbs. - Miwa Morikawa Team Leader - Kosei Akaishi Freestyle Coach - Shinichi Yumoto Women's Coach - Ryo Kanehama About Beat the Streets The mission of Beat the Streets is to develop the full potential of the urban youth and to strengthen the culture of New York City wrestling. BTS works directly with the New York City Department of Education in a public-private partnership to bring the life changing sport of wrestling to over 3,000 New York City student-athletes to help them achieve their personal and athletic goals. Through the operation of wrestling programs in middle and high schools in the five boroughs, BTS and the DOE provide a safe, positive atmosphere in which disadvantaged and at-risk youth can learn the essential life lessons of grit, personal responsibility and teamwork, physical fitness and nutrition, and life-long learning. The goal of fostering strong, well-rounded student-athletes is delivered through coaching, after-school programs, life skills workshops, and summer camps. More information can be found at www.btsny.org. 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. Simply, USA Wrestling is the central organization that coordinates amateur wrestling programs in the nation and works to create interest and participation in these programs. It has over 220,000 members across the nation, boys and girls, men and women of all ages, representing all levels of the sport. Its president is Bruce Baumgartner, and its Executive Director is Rich Bender. More information can be found at TheMat.com

Henry Wittenberg, 1948 Olympic gold medal-winning wrestler and head wrestling coach at Yeshiva University for a decade, will be welcomed posthumously as an inaugural member of YU's Athletics Hall of Fame, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame announced Saturday on Twitter. Henry WittenbergWittenberg, who was welcomed into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1977, is one of ten athletes and coaches who will be inducted into Yeshiva's new Hall of Fame on Monday, May 8. Wittenberg was coach of the Yeshiva wrestling program from 1957 to 1967. The NCAA Division III mat program at the New York City-based school was eliminated in June 2015. Prior to coaching at Yeshiva, Wittenberg made a name for himself in freestyle wrestling throughout the U.S. and the world, despite never having wrestled in high school. The New Jersey native discovered wrestling at City College of New York. After graduating from CCNY in 1940, Wittenberg had a stellar career in freestyle wrestling, not only winning eight National AAU championships, but also going undefeated in more than 300 matches during the 1940s. Beyond the U.S., Wittenberg earned medals at two Olympics. He won the light heavyweight (191.5 pounds) freestyle wrestling gold medal at the 1948 London Olympics. Four years later, Wittenberg won a silver medal at the 1952 Helsinki Games, becoming the first U.S. wrestler to have earned two Olympic medals since 1908. In addition to his Olympic medals, Wittenberg placed first at two Maccabiah Games in Israel in 1950 and 1953. In addition to coaching at Yeshiva, Wittenberg also coached at City College, and served as coach of the United States Greco-Roman wrestling team at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. Wittenberg passed away in March 2010 at age 91. For more information on the Yeshiva Athletics Hall of Fame induction ceremony, visit the school's Hall of Fame website.

Jordan Burroughs entered the 2016 Olympic Games with half as many career losses (two) as Olympic and World gold medals (four) in his remarkable international wrestling career. But the favored Burroughs stunningly lost two matches in one day in an Olympic performance in Rio that is still difficult to comprehend. Burroughs is back now and he launched his comeback earlier this year when he went unbeaten with a strong showing at the World Cup in Iran at 163 pounds. The road toward winning a 2017 world freestyle title will continue for Burroughs when he is scheduled to compete at the U.S. Open this week in Las Vegas. That will set the stage for the U.S. World Team Trials in familiar territory in Burroughs' home of Lincoln, Neb. in June. The United States World Teams in Greco-Roman and women will be determined in Vegas, with this being a World Team Trials for both styles. Champions in Greco and women qualify for the World Championships in Paris, France. Olympic gold medalist Helen Maroulis also is expected to compete in Vegas in her first tournament on American soil since she won the Olympic Trials last year. Olympic and World champion Kyle Snyder and Olympic bronze medalist J'den Cox aren't expected to compete at the Open. Both wrestlers have clinched spots in the freestyle finals of the World Team Trials after winning medals in Rio. Here are some of the top storylines to watch this week in Las Vegas: Kyle Dake shoots on Jordan Burroughs at the 2015 U.S. World Team Trials (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Burroughs vs. Dake Kyle Dake is moving back down to the loaded weight class of 74 kilograms that Jordan Burroughs has ruled domestically every year, and most years internationally, since 2011. Dake was second to Burroughs at the 2013 and 2015 World Team Trials, and many observers think this year is Dake's best chance to beat Burroughs after he stumbled at the Olympics. Burroughs also will have a more difficult time since he won't receive an automatic berth into the finals of the World Team Trials this year. Dake bumped up a weight class last year and finished second to Cox at the Olympic Trials, but he was noticeably undersized at 189. Moving back down to 163 will be a much better fit for him. Dake is very strong and is excellent at gaining points in the international style with his ability to lift and turn. With his Greco background, he is comfortable wrestling in just about any position. Burroughs is one of the best wrestlers in American history. And one of the best competitors we've ever witnessed. He's not someone you ever want to count out. Look for him to be ready for a strong performance in Vegas. A Burroughs-Dake final would be a treat for fans to watch, that's for sure. This weight class could also feature past Junior World silver medalist Alex Dieringer, a three-time NCAA champion who has gained considerable international seasoning in the past year. Recently crowned NCAA champion Mark Hall, a Cadet and Junior World champion, also could make some noise in this division. Hall may not quite be ready, but not many people expected Snyder to win Worlds as a teenager. Hall has a tremendous upside, no question about that. David Taylor at the Freestyle World Cup (Photo/Justin Hoch) What will happen at 86 kilograms? The dynamic David Taylor looks like he is finally starting to look big enough for 86 kilos. Taylor jumped up 26 pounds in moving up one weight class last season and he has steadily grown into his new division. And that's bad news for the rest of the guys in this class because Taylor is a gold medal waiting to happen for the U.S. He's a tremendous technical and tactical wrestler with an enormous gas tank to match. Taylor certainly proved that with a phenomenal performance at the World Cup where he wore down and broke 2016 Olympic champion Hassan Yazdani of Iran before eventually pinning him. Taylor has all of the ingredients and components to be the best wrestler in the world and this may be the year it finally happens. With Cox possibly not wrestling this year, as he considers other options including maybe playing football, Taylor is the clear favorite here to make his first World Team. Zain Retherford was dominant en route to winning his second straight NCAA title (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Frank the Tank vs. the Zain Train? Frank Molinaro emerged last year to have a breakthrough season where he not only was a surprise member of the Olympic Team, but he was just one win away from winning a medal in the process. Molinaro is a tough, hard-nosed, physical wrestler who wears down and frustrates opponents at 143 pounds. Molinaro may have to beat a star from the same program he wrestled, Penn State, to maintain his No. 1 spot. Zain Retherford, a past Cadet World champion and two-time NCAA champion, just won the Hodge Trophy and now he's jumping into freestyle. Retherford has a very bright future ahead on the international level, but is he ready to break though and overtake Molinaro? Heavy hitters Who is next at heavyweight for the U.S.? This has been Tervel Dlagnev's weight class for nearly a decade, but with the two-time Olympian and two-time medalist done now who will step up in Dlagnev's place in 2017? Veteran Zack Rey has significant international experience and replaced an injured Dlagnev at the 2015 Worlds. He's very strong and very difficult to score on, but doesn't put a lot of points on the board. Two-time NCAA champion Nick Gwiazdowski is an offensive, athletic wrestler with superb leg attacks and who can light up a scoreboard. But can he break through the strong defense of Rey? Two-time NCAA champion Tony Nelson and NCAA runner-up Connor Medbery are two other wrestlers who could be factors in Vegas. Helen Maroulis at a press conference before the Rio Olympic Games (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) She's baaaaaaaack! Return of Helen Helen Maroulis took a well-deserved break after making history and winning the first Olympic gold medal for a U.S. athlete in women's freestyle wrestling in 2016. Maroulis did it in style by stunning three-time gold medalist Saori Yoshida of Japan in the finals in Rio. It was a landmark win that has given a huge boost to the already strong American program. Maroulis returned to competition earlier this season, wrestling up at 60 kilograms after competing at 53 kilograms in the Olympics. Maroulis' days at 53 kilos likely are done. She is expected to compete at 58 kilograms/128 pounds in Vegas. With the 2020 Olympics still more than three years away and with United World Wrestling changing the weight classes after the 2017 Worlds, Maroulis has plenty of time to figure out which weight class works best for her. Maroulis will be a force at no matter which class she competes in. She certainly proved that in Rio. With Gray out, who else will step up on the women's side? With three-time World champion Adeline Gray sidelined after shoulder surgery, U.S. coach Terry Steiner is looking for his team to try and fill the void. Veterans like World champion Elena Pirozhkova, World silver medalist Alli Ragan and World fifth-place finisher Victoria Anthony will be counted on again, but which young wrestlers will emerge? Young prospects like Olympian Haley Augello, Olympic Trials champion Tamyra Mensah, World Team member Sarah Hildebrandt and talented Becka Leathers are among those who could be in that category. One more run for Robby? Colorful heavyweight Robby Smith, who narrowly missed winning a World medal in 2015, is back this season. Smith can wrestle with anybody, and if the fire and hunger is at the level it has been in the past, look for him to contend for a medal. Greco looking to bounce back It was a rough Olympics for the Americans in Greco-Roman, but the U.S. has potential for a big bounce back year under Coach Matt Lindland. A tough and deep group is at 130 pounds, led by Olympian Jesse Thielke and talented Ryan Mango. Two gifted Junior-age wrestlers won titles at the U.S. Open this season with Kamal Bey (75 kilograms/165 pounds) and G'Angelo Hancock (98 kilograms/216 pounds) leading a big youth movement in Greco. Bey and Hancock are big-time athletes with big-move arsenals. Two-time Olympian Ben Provisor and two-time World Team member Patrick Martinez are expected to battle in a tough 85-kilogram/187-pound weight class.

Ed Ruth (Photo/Bellator) Former college wrestling champs Ed Ruth and Tyrell Fortune came out winners at the Bellator 178 mixed martial arts event at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. on Friday, the same venue which hosted their first pro MMA appearances at Bellator 163 back in November 2016. Ruth, three-time NCAA Division I titlewinner for Penn State, scored a technical knockout at 3:13 of the second round in his middleweight bout vs. David Mundell, replacing Aaron Goodwine only a few days ago ... while Fortune, a two-time junior college champ and NCAA Division I titlist, earned a unanimous decision over Branko Busick in a three-round heavyweight bout. In its play-by-play coverage of the Ruth-Mundell fight, MMAmania.com awarded Ruth the first round, as the former Nittany Lion had his opponent on the mat up against the fence, reporting that towards the end of that round "Mundell is eating a lot of left hands." In the second, Ruth scored two takedowns ... then finished off Mundell with a knee to the body that he was unable to defend against, forcing the referee to stop the action. Here's what Ruth said on Facebook: "Walked away with another "W" , KO via Knees, it's already history time to get back in the gym. #bellator178 #knee #undefeated" “I thought it was a good fight and a solid win for me. There were definitely some areas where I could've been faster and I could've been sharper,” Ruth said in a post-fight interview. “I felt like I missed a lot of openings, but I'll go back to work and train some more and be ready to go again soon.” Ruth now improves to 3-0 in his professional MMA career. None of his bouts has gone the distance, with the first two ending in the first round. Fortune, NJCAA champ at Oregon's Clackamas Community College and Division II titlewinner at Grand Canyon University in Arizona, won Round One, according to MMAmania.com's live play-by-play ... which then declared the second round to be a tie. The former wrestling champ continued to land blows with his fists and knees throughout the bout, with Busick's corner yelling "low blow" toward the end of the final round - a claim denied by the referee. MMAmania.com awarded the third round to Fortune. The three official scorers unanimously scored it 29-27 for Fortune. It was the first time Fortune had to go the distance, as he scored first-round TKOs in his previous two Bellator appearances. “I thought it was great for me to go out and get three rounds in,” Fortune said following his Bellator 178 win. “I felt like I utilized my jab and my knees really well. Obviously I'm still pretty too, no bumps and no cuts. I dominated the fight.”

The Boise State athletic department this week announced their decision to drop the school's wrestling program in favor of a future baseball program. In a brief release the school's reasoning seemed to center on baseball being "better aligned" with the Mountain West Conference. From first blush that logic seems flawed. Overall, the story is still developing and there is some reason to be hopeful about the direction the school will take in the wake of the backlash, but the message for the wrestling community is once again clear; to preserve the number of programs at the collegiate level the involvement by alumni, fans and friends of the program can't self-limit investment to successful years and successful programs. The nature of NCAA athletics and financials of schools demands our community to consider a wider and more generous distribution of funds (by a method TBD) to support programs who are not doing as well as other programs. (Side note: The profit-share method is why professional baseball has maintained 30-plus teams for 20-plus years.) For wrestling to succeed with an average of 80-plus programs for the next 20-plus years, our methods need to ensure that. What are some ways we can passively support these programs, or ways in which we can create financial incentives that no school could afford to ignore? One way that international wrestling supports smaller programs is to have them host events. Could some derivation of that method work for the NCAA? The NWCA All-Star Classic has tried to develop regions through their programs, but maybe something like a regional wrestling tournament held bi-annually would kick off a lot of money. Could youth tournaments help save some of these at-risk programs by providing additional financial capital and access to "friendraising" while athletes, families and friends are in attendance? Another consideration is the finances of distribution. Does the amount of money charged for a streaming service of matches need to be increased across the board in order to ensure that the schools are becoming more solvent? Do other lawyer-drive measures need to be taken to ensure that state-funded institutions don't change the sports provided to a student body without first having their input? There are a lot of ways to cut this problem and a variety of potential solutions. For now, sign the petitions and make sure to cause a social media stir, but always keep in mind the longer-term solutions to provide solvency to at-risk programs. To your questions … Clarissa Chun wrestling at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Q: What do you think of Clarissa Chun as the next women's assistant coach at USA Wrestling? And who will USA Wrestling hire as a developmental coach for the men's team now that Brent Metcalf is at Iowa State? -- Ryan O. Foley: Clarissa is a fantastic choice for the women's team! There are only a handful of women with her on-the-mat success and international travel experience, but what sets Clarissa apart is her ability to relate to the current team members. It's vital that someone on any team (international, college, high school) can bridge the gap between the head coach and the athlete, and I think that Clarissa can do that with respect of the team and completing whatever needs to be done at the administration level. On the level of personal interaction Clarissa is also one of the friendliest people in the sport with a passion for learning and coaching. Really excited for her! As for the men's developmental coach I'd imagine the hiring process will be done within the next few weeks. The developmental coach is a tricky position to fill since it requires a bunch of travel, relocation to Colorado Springs and the idea that they want to be a high level international coach. I can't speak for any one coach's intention, but I think a guy like Jamill Kelly would be a fantastic choice for many of the same reasons that Clarissa is a good assistant fit for the women's side: successful, well-traveled, passionate and able to relate. Remember that the developmental coach will need to coordinate the activities for incoming high school wrestlers and help with international prep camps. It's a big job, but I think that USA Wrestling has shown a history of hiring well-regarded coaches, and this should be no different. Q: What are your thoughts on the host sites choices for the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships from 2019-2022? -- Mike C. Foley: Pittsburgh is an excellent choice. Will be raucous and exciting and packed and … look, that's a great choice. What irks me are the selections of Detroit and St. Louis. Detroit just didn't work in 2007. Not a great wrestling city and wasn't the perfect situation for fans who wanted walking options for food and booze. Likewise, St. Louis is uninspired. We can all choose to have St. Louis be the forever site of the NCAA Championships or we can cut bait, but visiting once or twice every ten years feels desperate. Minneapolis? Meh. Sure. Could be cool … or freezing. Q: Can you educate us on the differences between an RTC (regional training center) and a college wrestling club? This question is due to the clear emphasis at ISU on forming an RTC. What did they have before? How were they limited? What do they now gain? Why doesn't everyone have an RTC? -- Derek N. Foley: The regional training center is a designation applied for by an NCAA wrestling program in conjunction with their local or collegiate club. The RTC designation was put in place to help international wrestlers get more mat time without having to be in violation of the NCAA rule set against too many coaches in the room. The rule has been very helpful in allowing all levels of wrestlers with international aspirations to develop more of their skills, but it also has assisted the collegiate programs in getting a few more coaches in the room. I'm not sure why there wasn't an RTC at Iowa State in the first place. Could have been from a lack of interest, or even a lack of funding which would then justify the designation. There are a lot of little administrative boxes to check in order to maintain your status, but the biggest hindrance is money. For a program to be successful there needs to be a number of wrestlers on site and those wrestlers need to have sponsor money to move forward. Best of luck to the Iowa State program and all their new momentum. Should be fun to see the in-state rivalry heat up once again. Mark Cody (Photo/SoonerSports.com) Q: Who is the most likely to return to college coaching: Drew Pariano, Mark Cody, Jason Peters or Troy Letters? -- Mike C. Foley: Word is Mark Cody was recently interviewing for top coaching positions, and missed on at least Davidson. How? I'm not sure, but with news that Andy Lausier has taken the head position at Davidson, I'm happy to see the job go to a good man. Also, I'd love to see Troy Letters back in the game! Q: What did you think of the new recommendations by the NCAA Wrestling Rules Committee? -- Mike C. Foley: I love the new direction in regards to scrambling. There will be a significant decrease in the number wrestlers who scramble to their backs as a form of finding a stalemate off of someone else's aggressive action. There will be some issues to hearing the referee start the verbal three count. Except … The new removal of headgear! I'm in a constant running-man of excitement over this absolutely intelligent move. Do you realize that this is the most progressive thing that wrestling has done … ever? We took the logic of the headgear, analyzed its proposed benefits (lack of cauliflower ear and reduction of concussions) and compared it to science … and then instead of rejecting it we said, "Yeah. This is a net negative!" Bravo. Bravo 10x. Makes me proud to be a wrestler. Also, beards will SIGNIFICANTLY reduce the transmission of skin diseases like impetigo and herpes, which are made worse by the micro abrasions which come with shaving. Q: I tend to see wrestlers from the West Coast ride their opponent more and wrestle on the mat, and wrestlers from the East Coast standing and using a hand-to-hand style of wrestling. What is the better style of wrestling in your opinion? Or is it better to be more well-rounded? -- Gregg Y. Foley: I'm not sure that I agree with the overarching premise, but I'll entertain. There are certainly regional styles, which are often a result of last generation's successful wrestlers becoming the next generation's successful coaches. This adds an element of history and tradition to an area, which is something I agree is persistent and visible. For example, Young Guns wrestlers in Pennsylvania all wrestle with heavy hands, which is very like the style we saw from the late 90's Iowa wrestlers. This makes sense when you consider Jody Strittmatter was on those teams and is the head guy at Young Guns. The West Coast has always been a little more creative and avant-garde with their approach to the sport. In the 90's it was Fresno State's approach to funk wrestling that helped change the way the sport is wrestled at the collegiate and high school level. They were risk takers with a high level of technique, speed and flash. I can see those elements in wrestlers from both coasts and I appreciate the history. As to what is more effective? I think that whatever works for you will always be the best style, but overall fundamentals will always deliver the most victories and best base for growth as a wrestler. RANT OF THE WEEK By Fan I am very distressed by Boise State's announcement to drop wrestling. It now appears they hired a lesser known coach in preparation for this move. This was a solid program that has recent history of being a consistent top-tier finisher with All Americans. Baseball is not exactly the most popular sport in that region and wrestling does pretty well there. I have been told before this is not USA Wrestling's domain. Is it too late for the NCWA and USA Wrestling to fight for this to not happen? Surely raising a million dollars prior to next season is doable. This is a bad sign for the sport and particularly the western region. Boise State is not a small school and if they are getting cut more will likely follow. I hope that there is a serious effort made to save them!

Andy Lausier DAVIDSON, N.C. -- Davidson College Director of Athletics Jim Murphy announced the hiring of Andy Lausier as the 12th head coach of the wrestling program on Thursday, April 21. "We are thrilled that Andy has accepted our offer to join the Davidson community," said Murphy. "He brings a significant breadth of skills to our wrestling program and we welcome Andy and his family." Lausier joins the Wildcats after serving four years as head coach at Sacred Heart University. While at SHU, Lausier helped lead only the second-ever Pioneer grappler in program history to place in the EIWA Championships. "I am honored and grateful for the opportunity to lead Davidson College Wrestling. I would like to thank Jim Murphy, Scott Applegate, and the entire search committee for trusting me with the future of Davidson Wrestling," said Lausier. Prior to SHU, Lausier served as the head assistant at Princeton University for four seasons and proved to be an instrumental piece in rebuilding the Tiger wrestling program. Lausier began his coaching career at Stevens Technical Institute where he built the program from the ground up as the school's first head coach. He saw immediate results as the Ducks competed in three consecutive NCAA Tournament's in the first three campaigns. For his efforts, Lausier was named the Centennial Conference Rookie Coach of the Year. Under Lausier, the Ducks boasted a Centennial Conference Wrestler of the Year, a pair of Scholar All-Americans, and reached as high as seventh in the NWCA All-Academic team rankings. A 2001 graduate of Lycoming College, Lausier was inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009. Lausier was a three-time NCAA qualifier and earned All-America status in 2000 at 197-pounds. "After visiting Davidson and spending time with members of the campus community, I walked away with two absolute certainties; Davidson College is a very, very special place and the Wildcats have a very, very bright future in wrestling. I am absolutely thrilled and cannot wait to get to work."

St. Clair County Community College is adding wrestling to its athletic offerings beginning in the 2017-18 academic year. It will become the ninth sport at the school, joining men's and women's cross country, men's and women's basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball and men's golf. "We are very excited to add wrestling to our athletic department," SC4 Athletic Director Dale Vos said. "It will create more opportunities for our students, and open up our school to student-athletes who may not have considered us before. We are excited about the very deep talent pool available in the Blue Water Area and Southeast Michigan for us to build a team with." SC4 becomes one of four community colleges in Michigan to offer wrestling, joining Muskegon CC, Henry Ford College and Mott CC. Mott and Henry Ford each sponsored club teams in 2016-17. Ancilla College, which is located in Indiana but is a member of the Michigan Community College Athletic Association, also has a wrestling team. The search for a coach has begun, and the job will be posted at www.sc4.edu/jobs. Wrestlers interested in joining the program can contact the athletic department at (810) 989-5670.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University wrestling head coach Duane Goldman announced Wednesday the addition of Angel Escobedo to his coaching staff. Escobedo, Indiana's 2008 NCAA Champion and the only four-time NCAA All-American in program history, will serve as the Hoosiers' associate head coach. Angel Escobedo (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com)"I'm really excited to have Angel join our staff," Goldman said. "He's someone I recruited out of high school, and he had a career here that speaks for itself; but even more than that, he's a great person. I think he's someone who will be a great role model and example for our guys, and to have him come back says a lot about his affinity for the university and his desire to create success here." Escobedo returns to Bloomington after a three-year stop at Iowa State, where the Griffith, Indiana native served as a volunteer assistant coach while training full-time as a professional wrestler. During that time he molded a group of lightweight grapplers into national contenders, most notably two-time All-American and four-time NCAA qualifier Earl Hall. Escobedo also guided Kyle Larson to NCAA qualification in the 2015-16 season. "I've always had it in the back of my mind that I wanted to end up at Indiana," Escobedo told IUHoosiers.com on Wednesday. "I always told [coach Goldman] that if he ever had an opportunity for me to reach out to me. When I got that call, my family and I were super excited about it." Escobedo left the wrestling room at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in 2010 as one of the all-time greats to don the IU singlet. In addition to being Indiana's only four-time All-American, Escobedo holds the school record with three Big Ten Championships at 125 lbs. (2008, 2009, 2010). His 137 career wins ranks second on Indiana's leaderboard, and his pin tally (42) ranks third all-time. "He had arguably one of the most prolific high school careers in this state," Goldman said on his former wrestler. "He could've gone anywhere he wanted out of high school but he chose to come here and represent his state. In doing that, he was a four-time All-American, a NCAA Champion, and a three-time Big Ten Champion. He went on to pursue an international career, but I think his heart has always been here." The pursuit of wrestling excellence continued after graduation for Escobedo, despite his accomplishments while wrestling in the IHSAA and NCAA. Escobedo ascended to the professional level after graduation and continued his career during his tenure at Iowa State. He earned multiple podium finishes at the professional international level, including a fifth-place finish at the 2015 World Championships in the Team USA singlet. But Escobedo couldn't resist the opportunity when he got the call from his college coach, his university, and his home state. "It's having that IU logo on your chest when you're wrestling," Escobedo said on his love for the program. "I wanted to put the state Indiana back on the map of collegiate wrestling and I've always wanted to make Indiana known for what it is: a great state for wrestling. Beyond that, Indiana University felt like family to me." Escobedo ensures a continued tradition of excellence in the Hoosiers' lightweight group, which is no different from his collegiate wrestling career. Following in the footsteps of two-time champion Joe Dubuque, Escobedo's 2008 title gave Indiana three 125 lbs. championships in a four-year stretch. Dating back to the 1999-2000 season, Indiana is the only program with three NCAA titles at that weight. They're also one of four teams (Cornell, Nebraska, Penn State) to win 125 lbs. NCAA championships with more than one wrestler. "[Joe] Dubuque came before me so I had a lot to live up to," Escobedo said, recounting his first arrival to Indiana. "I took that as both a point of pride and a challenge, to represent Indiana in great fashion like those before me. I took that mentality into my work ethic, giving the best that I could to succeed."

Clarissa Chun battles Victoria Anthony at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) 2012 Olympic bronze medalist and 2008 World champion Clarissa Chun has been named Assistant National Women's Coach for USA Wrestling, the national governing body for wrestling in the United States. She joins USA Wrestling's National Team Department, working on National Women's Coaching staff, led by National Women's Coach Terry Steiner and will be based in Colorado Springs, Colo., where the U.S. Olympic Training Center and USA Wrestling national headquarters are based. "I am excited to work with all of the athletes who come through the Olympic Training Center with our Women's Team, on the Cadet, Junior and Senior levels, to share my knowledge and work with the athletes. I look forward to continuing to learn and to grow as a coach, working with Coach Steiner and coaches from the USA and around the world," Chun said "We are extremely excited to have Clarissa joining the USA Wrestling Women's Program as a coach. Clarissa has always carried herself with dignity and class. She has proven herself as an athlete and now she has the opportunity to share her knowledge as a coach and give back to the next generation of superstars. There is no doubt in my mind that Clarissa will develop into one of the great coaches of the sport of women's wrestling. She has the right skill set and personality to go with it. For me, as the Women's National Team Coach, it is important that we have coaches that our athletes look up to and respect. It is important that to me that the our staff is made up of great people who complement one another," said Steiner. One of the greatest women athletes in USA Wrestling history, Chun claimed the bronze medal at 48 kg/105.5 pounds at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England. A two-time Olympian, Chun also placed fifth at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Chun won her World gold medal at the 2008 World Championships, held in Tokyo, Japan. During her career, Chun competed on five U.S. Senior World Teams, with her first at the 2000 World Championships, as well as World Team berths in 2009, 2011 and 2012. During her career, Chun won five U.S. Open titles. She was a 2011 Pan American Games silver medalist and won four gold medals at the Pan American Championships. She was a runner-up at four U.S. World Team Trials and three U.S. Opens, in a career which spanned 18 years competing at the Senior level. "Over the last Olympic quad, going for the 2016 Olympics, I considered what my future looks like and if I would enjoy coaching. I have done a bunch of camps and clinics throughout the years and I've found a passion for it. I enjoy being able to connect with the athletes and share my experiences. It made sense to me to take on the opportunity to coach and challenge myself," said Chun. Chun competed for Missouri Valley College, where she was a star on one of the pioneer women's college wrestling team programs. She made the Senior Women's National Team while still a student at Missouri Valley. After leaving college, Chun became a U.S. Olympic Training Center resident athlete for many years, but has also trained at Regional Training Centers on college campuses. Chun has coaching experience at both the international and college levels. She was a member of the men's wrestling staff at West Virginia University, serving as the program's Operations Assistant while also training at the Regional Training Center there. She also was an athlete at the Regional Training Center at the University of Missouri. Chun has also coached with a number of U.S. international women's tour teams. "I learned a lot from Coach (Sammie) Henson. It was such a great opportunity for me to train under him. I have learned a lot in the college programs. I saw the background coaching, the administrative duties. Sometimes, people think coaching is just on the mat, helping with relationships with athletes. There is a lot behind the scenes that people don't realize go into success, how to put things together for us to execute our plan. I was excited to be a part of those programs and super grateful that I've had those opportunities to help me grow as an athlete, a coach and a person," said Chun. A native of Honolulu, Hawaii, Chun won two Hawaii state high school girls wrestling titles. She made history there by winning the first Hawaii state title on the first year that the state held an officially sanctioned for girls. She also competed in judo, a sport which she was successful before focusing full-time on her wrestling career. She also qualified at the state level in both swimming and bowling. Chun graduated with a degree in Communications from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. She is looking forward to work with our nation's girls and women wrestlers, using her experience and skills to help them reach their goals and advance the program's performance. "The most obvious area is technical, but there is so much more to making jumps and gains, and to close those gaps when it comes to those tougher matches. Whether it is nutrition or sports psychology, it is about figuring it out. Each athlete is different. It takes a lot more than just on-the-mat teaching," she said. Steiner is very pleased with the quality people that have come together to help lead Women's Team USA to new levels of international success. "It has been a great week for USA Wrestling' Women's Wrestling. I feel we have made some great additions this past week with Coach Erin Vandiver taking over our New Elite Development Program at Wyoming Seminary. In this program we will target our best Cadet-age athletes to try and jump start their Freestyle Career, much the same way as USA Wrestling's Men's Freestyle Program did with Kyle Snyder and Henry Cejudo. Then, we have been able to add Clarissa Chun to our staff as an Assistant National Team Coach. I feel our team of coaches that include Clarissa Chun, Erin Vandiver, Emma Randall, and our volunteer Coaches Pool will create the right environment around the program to give our athletes the best chance for success," said Steiner.

In 2018, the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships moves to Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena. On Tuesday, the NCAA announced the host sites for the following four tournaments in 2019-2022. The annual event has been getting more and more attention over the last few seasons and setting records along the way. The most recent edition reached 8.6 million people on television via the ESPN family of networks, which was a six percent increase over the previous tournament. That momentum is likely to continue all the way through the 2022 season. The upcoming sites are all interesting in their own way, but which is the best? U.S. Bank Stadium opened in 2016 No. 1 Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. Bank Stadium -- March 19-21, 2020 U.S. Bank Stadium opened in 2016. You may recall that the NFL's Vikings were in desperate need of a stadium after the roof caved in and caused a pretty incredible avalanche. It will feature the Super Bowl in 2018 and the Final Four in 2019 before wrestling takes the field in 2020. Despite being a traditional wrestling hotbed, that state of Minnesota has only hosted one tournament. In 1996 at Target Center, the Iowa Hawkeyes won 16th title over runner-up Iowa State. Les Gutches won the 177-pound title for Oregon State and took home Outstanding Wrestler honors. The stadium's capacity is expandable up to 70,000, but as Senior Associate Athletic Director at the University of Minnesota Tom McGinnis told Jason Bryant on The Guillotine Grapevine podcast, they will look to accommodate at least 20,000 seats just in the first two levels of the stadium based on the initial layout, and then make it a positive experience for those sitting in the upper level seats. This tournament will almost certainly shatter all attendance records for the event. Over the past two seasons, there have been high profile wrestling matches in football stadiums. In the 2014-2015 season, Iowa hosted Oklahoma State at the "Grapple on the Gridiron" and set the dual meet attendance record with 42,287 fans. This past season, Rutgers and Princeton faced off in the "Battle at the Birthplace" with 16,178 in attendance. The NCAA final at U.S. Bank Stadium has the potential to top both events. No. 2 Detroit, Michigan, Little Caesars Arena -- March 17-19, 2022 The new arena is set to open this September with a six-night concert series from Detroit native Kid Rock. It will then become home to the Red Wings of the NHL and the Pistons of the NBA next winter. The Pistons have not regularly played inside the Detroit city limits since 1978. The arena is part of a $1.2 billion restoration project that will also bring residential and retail locations to downtown Detroit. Michigan, the host team, and Eastern Michigan are both within 50 miles of the arena. The state of Michigan has only hosted the tournament once since 1942 when the 2007 edition took place at The Palace of Auburn Hills. That year Minnesota won the team title with only one individual champion, heavyweight Cole Konrad. No. 3 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, PPG Paints Arena -- March 21-23, 2019 In 2010, Duquesne dropped its wrestling program, but the 35-mile radius around the PPG Paints Arena still includes programs at Division I (Pittsburgh), Division II (Seton Hill), Division III (Washington & Jefferson) and lower levels (PSU New Kensington, Beaver and Greater Allegheny). The arena currently serves as the home of the Penguins of the NHL. Per ESPN, their coverage of the 2017 NCAA finals earned the second-highest local rating in the Pittsburgh market (1.4). That rating was only a shade behind the top rated market Columbus, which earned a 1.6. The city has not hosted the tournament since 1957. That year, the host Panthers finished second behind Oklahoma on their home campus at the Fitzgerald Field House. Pittsburgh will once again be the host team in 2019. Newly hired coach and alumnus Keith Gavin can pitch new recruits on the prospect of wrestling for an NCAA title only a 10-minute drive from campus. The NCAAs have been held at the Scottrade Center five of the last 10 years (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) No. 4 St. Louis, Missouri, Scottrade Center -- March 18-20, 2021 The Scottrade Center has hosted five of the last 10 tournaments and eight times overall. This year's tournament sold 111,454 tickets over the three-day event and 19,657 fans were in the building for the finals. The finals were the second most attended finals ever behind the 2015 edition of the tournament, which also took place at the Scottrade Center. The arena and the city have always been great hosts for the wrestling community, but it can't hurt to branch out into new territory. Iowa leads the way with three titles in the arena. Oklahoma State and Penn State have both won two titles in the building. In 2015, Ohio State won their only championship at the Scottrade Center.

.mcclatchy-embed{position:relative;padding:40px 0 56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;max-width:100%}.mcclatchy-embed iframe{position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%} Boise State announced on Tuesday that it will no longer offer wrestling as an intercollegiate sport. According to the school, "The move was made to better align its programs with the Mountain West, and with the intent to add baseball in the future." "This was not an easy decision, but one that needed to be made as we consider the long-term vision for Bronco athletics," said Director of Athletics Curt Apsey. "We will continue to honor the scholarships we provide our student-athletes, and will do all we can to help those who want to continue their collegiate wrestling careers elsewhere. "Additionally, current coaching contracts will be honored." Wrestlers are free to transfer, and the school will help them with that process. Scholarships will be honored for those that wish to remain at Boise State. Boise State has a strong wrestling tradition. The Broncos have won six conference team championships. The program has had 12 top-20 NCAA team finishes and five top-10 NCAA team finishes. Boise State finished 2-9 in dual meets this past season and fifth at the Pac-12 Championships.