InterMat Staff

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Jason Welch, a three-time All-American at Northwestern, has joined the program as an assistant coach, head coach Matt Storniolo announced today. Jason Welch (Photo/Milena Wick)"I'm extremely excited to welcome back Jason Welch to his home here at Northwestern," Storniolo said. "Jason had one of the most exciting careers that our wrestling program has ever seen and we could not have a better ambassador representing Northwestern or the sport of wrestling." Welch joins Andrew Howe and Cody Brewer to round out the Northwestern coaching staff and all three were NCAA Champions or NCAA Runners-Up in their collegiate careers. Brewer will work with the lightweights, Welch with the middleweights, and Howe will train the heavyweights. "Joining the staff at my alma mater is a dream job for me. I'm excited to give back to a place that I'm so fond of," Welch said. "I think that there is a huge potential here at Northwestern and I'm looking forward to helping our student-athletes realize that potential." The Walnut Creek, California, native had one of the most decorated careers in the program's history. He came to Evanston as a three-time California state champion, the winner of the Junior Dan Hodge Trophy for the nation's best high school wrestler, and the nation's top-ranked recruit and left an NCAA Finalist, a Big Ten Champion, and a two-time Ken Kraft Midlands Champion. Welch was also the last high-schooler to place at Midlands, taking sixth in 2007. He had some strong performances at NCAAs in his sophomore and junior campaigns, placing sixth and fourth, respectively. In his sixth-place trip to NCAAs, he was seeded eighth and delivered one of the biggest wins of the Championships by knocking off No. 1 seed Adam Hall of Boise State. In his final year in Evanston, he was the national runner-up at 157 pounds. In his run-up to NCAAs, he captured his first conference crown with a come-from-behind win as the No. 2 seed in Big Tens. With his victory, he became the 30th-different Wildcat wrestler to win a Big Ten title. In all, Welch was four-for-four in reaching NCAA Championships during his NU career. His .841 winning percentage was the seventh-best in program history and he is the seventh three-time All-American in NU history. He has had recent post-graduate wrestling success, taking bronze in the 154-pound division at the Canada Cup in July 2014 and winning bronze at the 2017 Paris International. He graduated from Northwestern with a degree in English. Since 2014, Welch has been the resident athlete at the Chicago Regional Training Center, which trains elite-level wrestlers in pursuit of Olympic competition. He was the head coach of Loyola Academy's wrestling team from 2015-16 and graduated from Bennington College with a Master of Fine Arts degree. Storniolo was one of the Wildcats' assistant coaches during Welch's tenure, hired before his redshirt season in 2009. They had a strong rapport on the mat ("He's my favorite to wrestle because our styles are really similar," Storniolo told Intermat in 2009. "We're like two ferrets attacking each other."). Now, the pair will build their rapport as fellow coaches. Welch is coming full-circle at Northwestern. He was quoted in the Chicago Tribune in his preparations for NCAAs in 2013 as saying, "Coaching is something I have a passion for." With his hiring, his passion will be realized back at his alma mater.

MANHEIM, Pa. -- For the fourth time in the past five years, coach Jay Weiss' Harvard Crimson wrestling team sits atop of the National Wrestling Coaches Association's Top 30 All-Academic team standings announced on Tuesday. Harvard, one of 10 EIWA teams in the Top 30, earned a 3.586 cumulative team grade-point average. It's the second straight year the Crimson are No. 1 in the All-Academic standings. Stanford, which finished 11th overall, put seven wrestlers on the squad, the most of any team in 2016-17. Awarded annually, the NWCA All-Academic team is comprised of 135 student-athletes. Four Division I champions made the team, while six additional runners-up were included. In all, 35 All-Americans were All-Academic selections. Of the 135 individuals, 115 wrestlers qualified for the NCAA Division I championships, up from 101 last season and an increase of 19 since 2014-15 Link: 2017 NWCA Division I All-Academic Individuals Link: 2017 NWCA Division I All-Academic Top 30 Teams A trio of two-time champions led the honorees on the individual team. Oklahoma State's Dean Heil (141 pounds), Penn State's Zain Retherford (149 pounds) and Ohio State's Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) were each represented as was Penn State's Jason Nolf, the champion at 157 pounds. Not surprisingly, of the 10 EIWA teams represented, all six Ivy League wrestling institutions made the Top 30. Following Harvard overall was Brown (3.475), American (3.466), Kent State (3.423) and North Dakota State (3.396). North Dakota State's Clayton Ream was the Elite 90 Award recipient for the second straight year. The award recognizes the athlete with the highest GPA at the championship site. Ream's 4.0 is in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Of the 30 teams, 22 were repeat selections from last year. "In the current landscape of college athletics, it's imperative that our programs perform in the classroom and show their value to the school, not just in performance on the mat, but performance in the classroom," said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. "We have teams actively trying to break into the Top 30 of the All-Academic standings because it's something they can be proud of as a team and something their administrators can be proud of as a school." The team GPA was determined using a system that includes 12 student-athletes from each program. A total of 10 of these came from the wrestlers that were entries in the NCAA tournament conference qualifier. Ohio State led all teams with four of its All-Americans on the All-Academic team. Joining Snyder were Nathan Tomasello (133 pounds), Micah Jordan (149 pounds) and Bo Jordan (174 pounds). Cornell, Minnesota and Oklahoma State had three All-Americans each on the All-Academic team. Of Stanford's seven All-Academic selections, unseeded All-American Paul Fox had the best individual performance at the 2017 NCAA Division I Championships. "No one should be surprised when it comes to Stanford's academic performance," said Moyer. "When you factor in the jobs that coaches Weiss and Jason Borrelli have with coaching their wrestlers and managing the academic rigors of their respective institutions, it's a true balance of the term student-athlete." Following Stanford, Central Michigan and Minnesota had five wrestlers apiece represented, while nine different teams had four individuals on the team. Leading Minnesota's group of five were NCAA finalists Ethan Lizak (125 pounds) and Brett Pfarr (197 pounds) and three-time All-American heavyweight Michael Kroells. Forty different institutions placed multiple wrestlers on the All-Academic team and 56 of Division I's 76 active programs were represented. "It's a good message to send to our membership and fanbase that nearly three quarters of our Division I teams have representation on the All-Academic team," said Moyer. "We like those numbers." The Big Ten had five teams represented, while the Mid-American Conference saw five of its nine members in the Top 30.

MARIETTA, Ga. -- Ashley Sword-Buster has been named the head coach for the women's wrestling program, announced Director of Athletics Jayme Pendergast. Sword-Buster has spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach under former head coach David Mathews. "The candidate pool was strong, but Ashley presented a strategic plan for growing the women's wrestling program that went far beyond just the wrestling mats," said Pendergast. "Her focus on academics and her plan for all of the other fundamental aspects of growing a sport program was key to this decision. In addition, Ashley has many notable wrestling achievements that will carry through to our student-athletes. I am very excited to watch Ashley grow this program and be a part of our department." Prior to coming to Life, Sword-Buster served as an assistant coach with both the Team New York Junior National Team in 2003 and Team Texas Junior National Team in 2004 and 2006. "I am thrilled and honored to have the opportunity to serve as the head coach of Life University's women's wrestling program," said Sword-Buster. "Since the program began three years ago, Coach David Mathews laid a solid foundation that I am eager to continue building on as we push to become the number one team in the country on the mat and academically." As a wrestler, Sword-Buster was extremely successful. She qualified the 72 kilogram weight class for Team USA to compete at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and was a resident athlete at the U.S. Olympic Training Center from 2003-2007. Sword-Buster was a member of the Senior National Team in 2005. In 2007, she was a bronze medalist at the Pan American Championships. In addition, she also was a two-time bronze medalist at the USA Senior Nationals. She was a 10-time All-American in her career. Sword-Buster was also a two-time University National Champion (2005, 2007). While competing at Oklahoma City University, she was WCWA National Runner Up in 2008, and was named Outstanding Wrestler at the NCWA National Duals that same year.

The NCAA announced the host sites for the NCAA Wrestling Championships for 2019-2022. The 2019 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships will be held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at PPG Paints Arena. The 2020 NCAAs will take place in Minneapolis, Minnesota, at U.S. Bank Stadium, which will mark the first time the championships have been held in a football stadium since 1997, when they were held at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The 2021 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships will return to St. Louis at the Scottrade Center. Detroit, Michigan, was selected to host the 2022 NCAAs at Little Caesars Arena. Below are the dates/cities/venues for the 2019-2022 NCAA Championships in Division I, Division II and Division III. Division I: March 21-23, 2019: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, PPG Paints Arena March 19-21, 2020: Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. Bank Stadium March 18-20, 2021: St. Louis, Missouri, Scottrade Center March 17-19, 2022: Detroit, Michigan, Little Caesars Arena Division II: March 8-9, 2019: Cleveland, Ohio, The Wolstein Center March 13-14, 2020: Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Denny Sanford PREMIER Center March 11-12, 2022: St. Louis, Missouri, Chaifetz Arena March 8-13, 2021: Birmingham, Alabama, Birmingham CrossPlex Division III: March 8-9, 2019: Roanoke, Virginia, Berglund Center March 13-14, 2020: Cedar Rapids, Iowa, U.S. Cellular Center March 12-13, 2021: La Crosse, Wisconsin, La Crosse Center March 11-12, 2022: Cedar Rapids, Iowa, U.S. Cellular Center

Mike Zadick talks to the media after being introduced as ISU's associate head coach (Photo/Cyclones.com) New Iowa State assistant wrestling coaches Mike Zadick and Brent Metcalf will go "On the Mat" on Wednesday, April 19. "On the Mat" is a presentation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. The show can be heard live on the Internet at 1650thefan.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday at 5 p.m. Central on AM 1650, The Fan. A podcast of the show is available on mattalkonline.com. E-mail dgmstaff@nwhof.org with any questions or comments.

At least four former college wrestlers -- including up-and-coming MMA fighters Logan Storley and Deron Winn -- will be on the card at the LFA's "Sioux Falls Fight Night 1" mixed martial arts event in late April. Deron WinnThis MMA event sponsored by Legacy Fighting Alliance -- featuring nine pro fights and three amateur bouts -- will take place at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. on Saturday, April 27. Other former collegiate mat stars on the card include MMA veterans David Michaud and Sid Bice. Michaud will face Ultimate Fighting Championships vet Jake Lindsey in a 170-pound main event. Michaud brings a 10-3 pro record to the event. Augustana University (S.D.) mat alum Bice will take on Cody Land in a 125-pound flyweight main event match. Bice is 6-1 in MMA competition. Storley, a four-time NCAA Division I All-American at University of Minnesota, will face Andres Murray in a three-round welterweight (170 pound) fight. It will be Storley's first pro MMA bout in a year, having made short work of his opponents in his previous four fights, while Murray is 2-0. Winn, a two-time NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) champ for St. Louis Community College, Meramec, is on the preliminary card at Sioux Falls Fight Night 1. Winn had recently noted on Facebook that he did not know who he would be going up against in two weeks; then on Sunday evening, Winn told InterMat, "Deven Fisher is my opponent for now." (Fisher is 3-8 in a decade-long MMA career.) Winn made an impressive pro MMA debut last month in the San Francisco Bay area, destroying an experienced opponent in less than 30 seconds of their light-heavyweight (205 pounds) bout.

Services have been announced for former University of Missouri wrestler B.J. Toal, who died last Monday after an April 1 accident in Columbia, Mo. He was 23. Visitation for Bruce Toal will take place Friday, April 21 from 3:30-8 p.m. at Connection Point Church of God, 1510 Campbell Road in his hometown of Sidney, Ohio, with the funeral at the church on Saturday, April 22 at 10:30 a.m. Burial will follow at Graceland Cemetery in Sidney. Memorials may be made to Living Waters Ministries, 7935 Parkway Rd, Balsam Grove, NC 28708. Condolences may be expressed to the Toal family at the funeral home's website, www.cromesfh.com. Toal, who wrestled for the Mizzou Tigers during the 2013-14 season, had been serving as an assistant wrestling coach at Battle High School in Columbia at the time of his death. The Columbia Tribune contacted local police which provided the following account without naming Toal: "On 4/1/17 at 1:24 a.m., an officer observed a verbal disturbance between two males at Hitt and Broadway. The officer went to contact the two males and one of the males walked up to the officer and the other male ran away from the officer. "The male who ran away from the officer was found in the alley near 8 Hitt Street and had a laceration to his head from falling down. The ambulance was called to the scene and the male subject was transported for a head injury to a local hospital." The Missouri athletics department and Missouri wrestling issued a statement on Tuesday, April 11, the morning after Toal's death. "Mizzou Wrestling and Mizzou Athletics is saddened to hear of the passing of former wrestler B.J. Toal, who passed away yesterday after being involved in an April 1 accident. With his older brother Zach being on the team as well [from 2009-14], the Toal family has been a part of the TigerStyle family for a long time and forever will be. Our thoughts and prayers are with B.J.'s family and friends during this time of grief." Missouri head coach Brian Smith shared his memories of the late wrestler. "I remember meeting B.J. when he was in 8th grade. I joked with his older brother Zach that he was stronger than him and I knew I would recruit him even though he wasn't in high school yet. He came in with a great recruiting class, and we had high expectations, but unfortunately injuries kept him from reaching those expectations. The great thing about B.J. was he continued to share his passion for wrestling through coaching and other avenues. He impacted so many other people's lives, just like he impacted ours. The TigerStyle family is going through a tough time right now, my biggest prayers are with his family helping them get through this." Toal had just finished his second season as an assistant coach at Battle. Michael Wakim, Battle's head wrestling coach, had warm memories of working with Toal. "We didn't get enough time to work with him," Wakim said. "I didn't get a chance to get the full Bruce experience. He was just a great guy with a big heart and loved wrestling and the kids." "He was a fun guy who cared about the kids and program," Wakim continued. "The more we hung out, there wasn't any drama. When we went out as a coaching staff to have fun, we had fun. One night we were sitting out, talking until late in the night as guys, we had a chance to open up and see the other side. There is the serious wrestling side, the fun side and there is the guy who you can sit down and tell your problems to and he will listen." "He was a good coach in the practice room, but when he was going to do some personal workouts and a kid wanted to come in, he would welcome them in with open arms, because he wanted to see them train and see them get better," Wakim added. Kim Presko, the principal at Battle, said the school community is saddened by Toal's death and wishes the best for his family. "Our kids have suffered a second loss of the coaching staff, with the loss of (assistant football coach) Jon Dinter, and we're providing any assistance to work through this," Presko said. "It's a tough thing to go through, but our guidance counselors were with the team when they found out about the accident to provide assistance to work through the grief. "The kids are doing a great job talking about the memories they had and thinking about their lives and how (Toal) added to that and the impact he had on them personally and on the team," she said. Born in Sidney in west-central Ohio in September 1993, Bruce Patrick Toal wrestled at nearby Troy Christian High School, where he was a two-time Ohio high school state champ. Both of his coaches at Troy Christian shared warm memories of their star wrestlers with Ohio newspapers in and around his hometown. Ty Morgan, who took the helm at Troy Christian after former coach Steve Goudy stepped away for four years just as Toal was starting his sophomore year, told the Troy (Ohio) Daily News, "Coach Goudy had invited me down to check out the facilities and the first time I met B.J., he was drilling with his best friend, Jordan Marshall. He introduced himself to me and he was very humble and very respectful. Everything was, 'Yes, sir. No, sir.' That's the kind of kid he was. I think as long as I knew him, he continued to call me sir. "He was one of the hardest workers I've ever met. Every practice we had, he gave it everything he had, whether it was drills, weight or sprints. He also had to deal with a lot of injuries. His sophomore year, he had a kneecap that kept sliding out of place. I knew he was in an immense amount of pain, but he wouldn't quit. He wanted to keep going. He would still run every sprint. He kept wrestling that entire year, all the way up to the state championship match. He is a kid who didn't fear anybody. He didn't fear competition. He wanted to go out there and compete against the best." Toal, competing at 171 pounds, was a Division III state runner-up as a sophomore. He would capture back-t0-back state titles at 182 pounds as a junior and senior. As a senior, he also helped lead the Eagles to a Division III state team championship. "I feel very fortunate I was able to get to know B.J. and his family," Morgan said. "This is hard to accept. He was such a special kid. He's someone I'll never forget." Steve Goudy, who again is at the helm of the Troy Christian wrestling program, weighed in with his thoughts on B.J. Toal. "The hardest part for me has been getting calls from my former wrestlers from the past who are trying to understand this and trying to make sense of it," Goudy said in an interview with the Troy Daily News. "The Toal family is such a giving family -- they have done so much for so many people over the years. They are some of the most spiritual and giving people I know. It's hard to understand." "B.J. was a blessing to all who knew him," his father Bruce Toal said in a statement to the Dayton (Ohio) Daily News. "He was a compassionate and loving person who touched so many people's lives. He will be deeply missed. The outpouring of love and concern from all who knew him testifies to the kind of person he was."

California's Moorpark College has hired NCAA All-American Lindley Kistler as its head coach for its reinstated wrestling program, the Ventura County Star reported Friday. Moorpark, a two-year community college located just outside Los Angeles, had announced in December 2016 it was bringing back wrestling in the fall 2017 after having eliminated the program due to budget cuts in August 2009. Lindley Kistler, who had been head wrestling coach at Newberry Park High School in California, brings impressive mat credentials to Moorpark College, having wrestled for two Hall of Fame coaches at two top college programs. Wrestling for Dan Gable at the University of Iowa, Kistler was a three-time Big Ten conference champion and a two-time NCAA All-American. Kistler also wrestled at Arizona State for Bobby Douglas, where he was a Pac 10 runner-up. "His credentials speak for themselves," said Moorpark interim athletic director Vance Manakas. "He was a national honors society member while wrestling for Dan Gable, so he understands the concept of athletics and academics." Moorpark College is eager to relaunch its wrestling program to fill a unique need in Ventura County. "It's the only program in the county where kids have an opportunity to excel after high school (in the sport), without moving out of the county," said Charles Sandlin, chief operating officer of Roadrunner Shuttle and former Moorpark wrestler who had been a driving force in ensuring funding for the Raider wrestling program. At the time Moorpark announced the return of wrestling, AD Manakas said, "It is an unbelievable feeling to reinstate wrestling for the student athletes and wrestling community in Ventura County. Moorpark College will be providing an opportunity for many to continue wrestling and follow their dreams." Founded in 1967, Moorpark College is a public, two-year community college in eastern Ventura County. Located just north of Los Angeles County, Moorpark has approximately 15,000 students.

High school wrestling coaches: Give your team a unique edge ... by being one of only six programs to participate in the first-ever Dan Gable Museum Classic training camp this summer. Jim MillerThis inaugural three-day wrestling camp -- designed especially for high school wrestling teams --will take place at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum in Waterloo, Iowa on June 19-21. One powerful aspect of the Dan Gable Museum Classic camp is that it features clinics for all three styles of wrestling: Greco-Roman, freestyle, and folkstyle. Each one-day clinic is conducted by individuals well-versed in their particular styles: for Greco, Brett Robbins, 2006 U.S. Junior World Greco team member ... freestyle, Tolly Thompson, 2005 World Freestyle bronze medalist ... and, for folkstyle, two-time NCAA champ and ten-time NCAA Division III team title-winning coach Jim Miller. Each day at the Dan Gable Museum Classic will feature a teaching clinic in the morning, followed by lunch. Afternoons will include team building activities and round-robin dual competition. Participants will be instructed in drilling techniques in each style, then have the opportunity to use what they've learned in live competition with their fellow participants from other schools. All activities will be held at the Dan Gable Museum and the nearby Cedar Valley Sportsplex in downtown Waterloo. "The Dan Gable Museum Classic is a special wrestling event for high school wrestlers," said Dan Gable, Iowa high school and NCAA champion wrestler for Iowa State, 1972 Olympic gold medalist, and legendary University of Iowa coach. "We want participants to experience the sport of wrestling through a uniquely focused educational experience that combines instruction with preparation and competition." One high school coach who is already planning to participate in this first-ever team camp at the Dan Gable Museum is Duane Watson, who has served as head coach of the Allendale High School wrestling program in western Michigan since 1989, racking up nearly 600 wins along the way. "We want to give our wrestlers a bigger picture of the sport beyond Allendale," Watson told InterMat. "That's why we've been adding Greco-Roman and freestyle training for our guys." "We try to do something different as a team each year," Watson added. "We see the Dan Gable Museum Classic as the ultimate team-building exercise -- an opportunity for 18-20 of our wrestlers to 'get better together' and grow their skills not just as individuals, but as a team." This unique camp experience is available for only six high school wrestling teams. For more information, contact Kyle Klingman at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum at @kklingman@nwhof.org or (319) 233-0745.

Nick Nothern has been named head coach of the Neosho County Community College wrestling program, Athletic Director Mike Saddler announced Tuesday. Nick NothernNothern becomes the fourth head coach in the 18 year history of the program and takes over for Wayne Petterson who is retiring after 12 seasons at the helm. "The Neosho wrestling program has a history of success," Saddler said. "As we went through the process of searching for our next head coach it became clear that Nick Nothern had the energy and passion to help lift our program back to the upper echelon of NJCAA wrestling." A 2010 graduate of Cornell (IA) College, Nothern returned to his alma mater in 2013-14 as an assistant coach. In four (4) seasons as an assistant at Cornell Nothern coached 13 NCAA National Qualifiers and four (4) All-Americans including a pair of National Finalists. The Rams finished in the top 20 at the NCAA Championships in three of the four seasons while at Cornell including a 10th place finish in 2015-16 which is the 3rd highest in the program's history. "I'm really excited about the opportunity to take over a program with a great tradition of success," said Nothern. "Coach Petterson has done an outstanding job over the past 12 years and I look forward to using him as a resource as I transition into the position." "The opportunities and value that Neosho offers, in the classroom and on the mat, make it an attractive option for any student-athlete who wants the opportunity to succeed at the next level." Prior to returning to his alma mater, Nothern spent the 2012-13 season at Bethany College where he coached one All-American, and two seasons (2010-12) at Iowa Lakes Community College where he coached four All-Americans and a National Champion. A standout wrestler at Cornell, Nothern was a four-time NCAA qualifier while earning All-American honors three times including a runner-up finish as a junior. Nothern currently ranks sixth all-time in wins at Cornell College with 118. Nothern, a native of Salina, Kansas, earned his Bachelor's Degree in Kinesiology from Cornell College and a Master's Degree in Higher Education from Iowa State University in 2012. He and his wife Beth have one child, a daughter Stella (1).

Indiana University wrestling will have a new home for its matches, the Bloomington-based Big Ten school announced Friday afternoon. The IU Board of Trustees' Facilities and Auxiliaries Committee voted Friday to approve a new indoor arena for Hoosier wrestling and volleyball, to be located in the athletics campus near Memorial Stadium. The 2,500- to 3,000-seat venue will be used as a competition facility for both volleyball and wrestling, as well as the practice facility for volleyball. The new arena will be convenient to the wrestling team's current practice space in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, IU's main arena which hosted the 2017 Big Ten conference wrestling championships. Estimated cost for the new facility is $17 million, with funding from the athletics department and private donations. "This new, state-of-the-art, indoor, multipurpose arena in the heart of the athletics campus will have a profound and positive impact for all of our students who participate in intercollegiate athletics as well as the student body generally," said Vice President and Director of Athletics Fred Glass. "Consistent with the university's master plan, the indoor arena will bring volleyball and wrestling back to the athletics campus, support year-round training for all of our students, and improve campus life with increased fan accessibility for volleyball and wrestling matches." Currently, most Hoosier wrestling events are held at University Gym, located east of the main IU campus at the intersection of the Indiana Route 45/46 Bypass and Tenth Street. Opened in 1963, the gym originally was part of what was the Indiana University Laboratory School for the School of Education, hence the nickname used by some IU fans, the U-School Gym. It has a seating capacity of approximately 2,000.

Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com Wrestlers who violate NCAA weight assessment protocols, utilize prohibited weight-loss practices or violate medical examination rules may soon face stiffer penalties. During its annual meeting this week in Indianapolis, the NCAA Wrestling Rules Committee recommended a penalty change that would require a wrestler to miss eight consecutive competitions on his first offense in those areas, and to sit out a year for a second offense. Wrestlers found to be in violation of the weight management protocols or who engage in prohibited weight loss practices would also be required to recertify their weight at some point during the suspension period. Examples of violations covered under this rule include: urine manipulation during weight assessments; use of rubber suits, saunas, diuretics or intravenous rehydration; skin check forgery or deception. Additionally, the team's coach and the director of athletics would receive private reprimands on the first offense for a wrestler who violates the weight management rules. If a second offense occurs, additional institutional penalties will be determined by the rules committee. All rules changes must be approved by the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel, which is scheduled to review wrestling rules proposals during a teleconference June 13. Currently, a wrestler who violates the prohibited weight-loss practices rules must sit out one competition on the first offense and for a calendar year for a second offense. The weight management rules were established to protect the health and safety of the participants in the sport. Currently, wrestlers can lose up to 1.5 percent of their body weight per week. The rules are in place to ensure student-athletes maintain a slow descent toward their competition weight classification. "We prioritize the health and safety of our athletes, and we didn't have a current penalty structure or protocol that was consistent in these type of violation scenarios," said Mark Branch, the wrestling rules committee chair and head coach at Wyoming. "Our student-athletes are expected to do things right, and with continued education, they will understand there is too much at risk to not follow the rules." Weight allowance The committee also recommended when back-to-back dual meet competitions occur, all competitors will receive a 1-pound weight allowance on the second day of competition. "This is a proposal that will benefit the health and safety of our athletes," Branch said. "It allows them a better opportunity to nourish and hydrate properly when faced with these rare scheduling situations." Ear protection The committee proposed removing the current requirement that ear protection must be worn, and while it still recommends that all student-athletes wear the equipment in both practice and competition, it would be the student-athlete's choice. "The committee still recommends the use of ear protection, but it has been proven that ear protection offers no protection when it comes to concussions," Branch said. "In some cases, the ear protection may irritate or be abrasive to the athlete's ears and promote cauliflower ear. We felt our collegiate athletes are mature and educated enough to decide what is best for them and their particular situation." Facial hair The committee recommended wrestlers be allowed to have facial hair of up to a half-inch as long as the skin of the wrestler is visible so that an accurate medical examination can occur. If the official rules the beard is too thick, the wrestler will be required to cover up the facial hair using a non-abrasive facial covering or a face mask. Currently, wrestlers are not allowed to have facial hair unless they file for a waiver to explain why they should be an exception to the rule. Third-party video review The committee recommended an optional rule to allow the hiring of a third-party registered official to conduct video reviews on coaches' challenges in dual meets and tournaments. "This makes the process more in line with other sports, but with budgetary concerns, we wanted to make it an option rather than a mandate," Branch said. Other rules recommendations: When in the neutral position, the referee will verbally announce a danger signal to any wrestler who becomes stationary on his back with his shoulders at an angle of 90 degrees or less to the mat surface. The verbal announcement will be followed by an audible three-count. If the referee reaches the third count and the wrestler is still on his back within the 90-degree angle, control will be considered to have been established and a takedown will be awarded. Wrestlers will be limited to a maximum of six matches per day. A recommendation was made to eliminate the Feb. 15 deadline for a wrestler to be down to his lowest-allowable weight class. The committee believes, since all student-athletes must adhere to the 1.5 percent weight loss guidelines, there is no sound rationale for maintaining the arbitrary Feb. 15 deadline. Wrestlers will be allowed to certify at their weight classifications until the first date of competition. Even though the certification timeline is being extended, the 1.5 percent weight loss descent requirement would remain unchanged. Coaches will now indicate the intent to use a video review by throwing a red or green foam brick into the competition circle. The committee also made several editorial changes to the Wrestling Rule Book and worked on a reorganization of the book.

With plenty to discuss from the fallout of the college wrestling season and coaching carousel let's take a quick look at United World Wrestling's announcement this week that there will be a seeding system in place for the 2017 Wrestling World Championships in Paris. The system is the first step in a larger effort to have an ongoing point structure in place for the entire length of an international wrestling season. While those ambitions remain in place this year the system will include only the 2016 Olympic Games and the 2016 World Championships along with points scored at the 2017 Continental Championships. This simple system should ensure that the top four wrestlers from around the world are separated and fans are treated to late-round excitement. The newer system (likely introduced after the 2017 World Championships along with the new weight categories and testing results of two-day tournaments) will be more complex with hundreds of considerations being balanced when creating its architecture. Despite the difficulty, overall one thing is clear: Wrestling is adapting. Maybe this seeding system won't be perfect (what seeding system is?), but the sport is growing with the needs and wants of fans, athletes and national federations. Also, I don't know about you guys, but seeding or not, I'm looking forward to the 2017 World Championships and what could be the best USA freestyle team … ever. To your questions … Q: When I was growing up Dan Gable was the most recognizable name to young wrestlers. Who has the most recognizable name to young wrestlers now? Cael Sanderson? Jordan Burroughs? Kyle Snyder? David Taylor? Kyle Dake? -- Mike C. Jordan Burroughs at the Olympic Games (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Foley: For now it's Jordan Burroughs and that won't change much until Kyle Snyder is allowed to sign a shoe and apparel deal. Once he does that, and if continues to win big matches, I think we could see a shared throne. That said, David Taylor is crazy popular and his recent performance at the Freestyle World Cup only improved his credentials and admiration within the wrestling community. Looking forward, I think Snyder's age, dominance of his weight class within the USA and likable personality are going to drive him into superstardom sooner than maybe any of us can predict. Q: I read an article on InterMat about how the NCAA's competition oversight committee had demonstrated "strong support" for opening the possibility of NCAA championships in Las Vegas. The World Championships were held in Vegas in 2015. Also, USA Wrestling holds the U.S. Open there. There a few college events there. Do you think Las Vegas could be successful as a host city for the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships? -- Mike C. Foley: Of course! Once the NCAA saw that the NFL was moving into town it gave them the moral coverage to take their events back to Sin City. Wrestling is especially attractive since they are guaranteed 18,000 fans per session and the geographic location means that western schools can have an increased presence. Vegas is a loss-leading city so hotel rooms will be cheap, flights manageable and the big money sponsors will be out in force. Gambling wouldn't be too big of an issue since live sportsbooks aren't likely to place risk on wrestling. If they do it would be a boom for the sport since it'll increase viewership. The online gambling action would also increase since Vegas is synonymous with gambling and those who might not typically bet could make a first pass. Regardless, I think we can all agree that after NYC, wrestling wants and deserves a showcase. St. Louis is wonderful for many reasons, but wrestling can thrive when there is more appropriate spotlight and coverage. Q: Why have 33-man brackets at the NCAAs? The extra guy seems arbitrary and I doubt the last at-large bid wins more than a match, but sadly I lack data on that as well. -- Tyler H. Foley: I think this is a holdover from the old NCAA qualification system which allocated spaces to conferences who then gave them out to wrestlers at weight classes of their choosing. In that system there were often 33-plus wrestlers in a bracket and some with fewer than 32. When the qualification system changes the number of qualified athletes paid for by wrestling remained stagnant with 330 allocated across ten weights. With the RPI that meant 33 per weight class, and consequently a mostly meaningless pigtail match at the NCAA tournament. It would be better to have 32 qualified and one on hold for an injury to one of the top guys, but with the NCAA making money off the tournament I doubt they'd do anything to derail the money train. Q: Do you think a technical fall should be less points than a pin? I know working for the fall is the ultimate goal in wrestling, but is it harder to pin someone or tech them? How many falls happen when a match is close or even have the wrestler losing complete the fall? Which shows more dominance? I don't think it should be worth more than a fall because wrestlers should always be working for the fall, but if you beat someone by 15 points, doesn't that show dominance? Don't we preach dominance? I bet tech falls happen less than falls, but you never "catch" someone and tech them. They are never anything less than a show of dominance. So why are they worth one less point? -- Justin L. Foley: The idea of working for the fall in wrestling should always be incentivized greater than point-scoring alone. In wrestling the ultimate form of domination is a fall. It always has been and always will be. Like Judo and the Ippon; jiu-jitsu and the submission; and boxing and the KO -- these are absolutes that inspire the sport. Were it not the need for audiences and TV a match would run on until a pin, ippon, submission or KO were accomplished. The tech fall is wonderful (and dominant), but it should always be inferior to the task of winning outright. As an interesting side point to this topic, the sportification of an activity like wrestling (or more recently jiu-jitsu) has incredible benefits in terms of creating a larger base of participants. When matches lasted forever there was an emphasis placed on brute toughness, whereas today technique, skill, conditioning and full-tilt action are the priority. A few years ago when the OT-Forever crew chirped about the lack of OT in international wrestling the rebuttal was that time limits not only allow for easier viewership and tournament management, but promote action over gamesmanship. After three years of increased viewership and participation that seems to be the correct angle. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Risako Kawai might be the new face of women's wrestling in Japan Link: Grace Bullen's incredible story from refugee to wrestler Q: More practical question. Most volunteer coaches are funded through the clubs. There are a lot of rumors of Brent Metcalf being paid well, but what are the benefits? Health insurance? Guy has a family. How do they accommodate for it? Or you just pay him enough and he pays for it himself? -- Frank C. Foley: Oof. That is a tough question. There is no way to know how Metcalf has his specific contract structured, but I can give you some insight since I bopped around for a while in the coaching ranks and have seen all types of packages. The full-time volunteer will likely not have health insurance funded by the athletic department. That's not across the board, that's just a majority. Volunteer coaches can then rely on any number of resources in order to secure health, dental and other benefits. First option is the spouse. If your wife works and has health benefits you and the children would obviously be dependents. Another option is that a wealthy local alum might be able to get you on the roll for their local business. Yet another is to go onto the open market and purchase, which is what I did for more than seven years with a lot of success. Also, any volunteer coaches younger than 26 can stay on their parents insurance. The packages are typically cash-only since the funds are raised outside of the athletic department. That means most coaches need to self-fund all the extras others might receive. Depending on your age and place for the future that might vary from spending all you make to saving cash in a life insurance policy. That is just up to the individual. Q: Wrestlers in the USA seem to be getting better at a younger age so a slight shift is expected, but do you know to what extent this is and how it compares to the 2000's or the decades before? -- Tyler H. Foley: Successful international wrestlers in the USA tended to be older in the 2000's than they have been in the most recent decade. Overall the Olympic gold medalists in freestyle wrestling were on average 24 years old, putting Kyle Snyder on the younger side. For all medalists, the number was higher meaning that Snyder and J'den Cox were well below the mean. As to why … the United States is peaking athletes earlier in their career. You only have so much top-level, kick-ass wrestling in your system -- as John Smith once postulated, six years. So if you take a high school wrestler and put them through 70-100 high level matches a season, you are absolutely putting them on the path to early success, but not necessarily long-term success. Q: Thoughts on Pitt hiring Keith Gavin as its head wrestling coach? -- Mike C. Foley: I love it. University of Virginia head wrestling coach Steve Garland always had high praise for Gavin, and when we chatted earlier in the year he said he thought he'd be a head coach somewhere within a year or two. I think Pitt is a good fit for him and they will find steady leadership with Gavin at the helm. Success should also be maintained. My hope is that we'd see Drew Headlee and Matt Kocher stay on for the foreseeable future since continuity is something that could benefit the young wrestlers in the program. Good luck to Coach Gavin and his staff!

PITTSBURGH -- Keith Gavin has been named the 11th head coach of the University of Pittsburgh wrestling team as announced by Director of Athletics Heather Lyke Friday morning. Gavin steps into his first head coaching role and returns to his alma mater after spending a year with the Oklahoma Sooners as an assistant as well as three years with the Virginia Cavaliers also as an assistant. Keith Gavin"We are thrilled to announce Keith Gavin as the new head coach of the University of Pittsburgh wrestling program," said Lyke. "He has a great wrestling pedigree and is one of the top young coaches in the wrestling community. His passion and commitment to Pitt wrestling will enable our program to build on its rich tradition on and off the mat. We look forward to Coach Gavin leading our program to another ACC Championship as well as continued success on the national stage." Gavin, a 2008 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, brings valuable coaching experiences as well as a notable competition background to the Panthers. “I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to come back to the University of Pittsburgh as the head wrestling coach,” said Gavin. “I would like to thank Heather Lyke, Marcus Bowman and everyone on the search committee for believing in my ability to lead this program. I am eager to get to work. Hail to Pitt!” While with the Sooners, Gavin assisted in qualifying eight wrestlers for the 2017 NCAA Championships in St. Louis, while the team earned a second-place finish at the Big 12 Championships. Prior to making the move to OU, he spent three seasons with the Cavaliers, guiding them to the 2015 ACC Championship title. That same year, seven wrestlers qualified for the NCAA Championships and saw three make it to the Round of 12 as well as one garnering All-America status. After graduating from Pitt, Gavin remained on the staff for a season to work with the middle to upper weights. He then started training for his freestyle career and began by training at the Lehigh Valley Athletic Club in Bethlehem, Pa., until 2012 when he made the move to the Ohio Regional Training Center in Columbus, Ohio. His early trainings led him to numerous top finishes at the international level including a runner-up finish at the 2010 and 2014 U.S. World Team Trials, and, in 2011, placed third at the World Team Trials and placed second at the Pan-American Games. Gavin was a member of the U.S. national team for over six years, placing third at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials before capturing the U.S. National Championship in 2013 and 2014. As a Panther, Gavin was the 2008 174-pound national champion and a two-time All-American. His 120 career wins are eighth-best in program history. Gavin is a two-time EWL champion, two-time EWL Wrestler of the Year and is a member of the EWL Hall of Fame. Gavin takes over a historic Pitt wrestling program that has produced 76 All-Americans and 16 national champions. The Panthers concluded the 2016-17 season 11-5 overall while falling in the top 25 of the USA Today/NWCA Coaches poll the entire season. Pitt went 2-3 against ACC opponents this season, but posted a third-place finish at the ACC Championship, which was highlighted by three individual champions, the most since the 2014-15 season. More to come …

Ethan Lizak (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine) Minnesota's Ethan Lizak finished as the NCAA runner-up at 125 pounds in his sophomore season. He was one of four All-Americans for the Gophers at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in St. Louis, Missouri. InterMat recently caught up with Lizak. How has your life changed, if at all, since you made the NCAA finals last month? Lizak: It's been pretty much the same as before. Making the finals and not winning it has made me work a little harder. I know I'm right there with the best guys. It keeps me hungry. That's pretty much the only thing that has changed. The NCAA tournament brackets are released more than a week before the competition begins. Leading up to the NCAAs, how much scouting and game planning did you do on individuals you might face in the tournament? Lizak: I didn't really do much scouting. When I've done scouting in the past I've kind of focused too much on what they're going to do, and I kind of wrestle to their style. This year I tried to focus on wrestling my style and not really worry about what the other guy is going to do, just worry about what I'm going to do, how I'm going to get to my attacks and how I'm going to get to my turns. Ethan Lizak gets his hand raised after a victory in the NCAA semifinals (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine) Based on the NCAA tournament seeds, it appeared you could meet Penn State's Nick Suriano in the quarterfinals. However, Suriano ended up scratching the day before the tournament. What went through your mind when you heard that Suriano was out? Lizak: I wanted another shot at him, so I was kind of disappointed about that. But it didn't really change much. I knew what I had to do. At NCAAs every guy is going to be tough. I knew I had to be ready no matter who I was going to wrestle. It didn't really change much. I just had to go out there, get to my attacks and score points. Describe what it was like to get on the elevated platform and wrestle in front of a sold-out crowd in the NCAA finals. Lizak: It was pretty nuts just running out there and feeling those flames come up right next to you, getting up on that stage and seeing all the lights. It was nuts, but I've been in big matches before. I knew what I had to do. I just kept calm and once the whistle blew I was ready to go. After the first period in your NCAA finals match against Lehigh's Darian Cruz you trailed 2-1. You chose to start the second period in the down position. You escaped 30 seconds into the period to tie the match. However, many questioned why you didn't choose top based on your previous success on top against Cruz. What went into that decision? Lizak: I was kind of looking at my coaches and they were signaling for me to go bottom. I didn't really put much thought into it. If I had to do it over again I probably would have chosen top. Just being out there, it's hard to really stop and think about what you want to do. I felt like I could get at least one takedown. I knew an escape would tie the match. I know he's pretty good on bottom too, so I didn't know if he was going to be able to get an escape. It was a tough decision. Next time I wrestle him I might think more about strategy going into the match, but I didn't really think too much about what I would choose in different situations. I just went out there ready to wrestle. Ethan Lizak scores nearfall points on SIUE's Freddie Rodriguez in the NCAA quarterfinals (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine) It seems like many matches in Division I wrestling are won on the feet. However, you seem to win many of your matches on the strength of your top wrestling. How did you develop your mat wrestling skills? Lizak: Just through practice. My freshman year I rode a lot of guys, but I wasn't getting a lot of turns. I kind of focused my redshirt year on seeing what guys did and seeing how I could get my turns off of it. I figured out a new technique and started incorporating it into matches. I just started getting turns off of it. Guys are scared of me getting that, and it starts to open up more stuff. You have credited Zach Sanders for your improvement from neutral. Specifically, how have you improved on your feet? Lizak: We do at least a couple technique sessions a week. He has helped me with some setups on my feet, some different strategies, and how to approach matches on my feet. Just wrestling with him you figure some stuff out because he's one of the best guys I'll wrestle. He's a four-time All-American. He's really helped me just by wrestling him. I've figured some stuff out that works on him that will probably work on most guys I'm going to wrestle. I've just built off that and it's really helped. You grew up in eastern Pennsylvania. Obviously there are several Division I wrestling programs in the state and surrounding states. How did you end up at Minnesota? Lizak: I always knew I wanted to wrestle in the Big Ten. I was looking at a couple schools in the Big Ten like Penn State, Nebraska and Minnesota. One thing that just kind of stood out was J [Robinson] flew out to my house. None of the other coaches did that. I thought that was pretty cool. That's one of the reasons I chose Minnesota. Also, being there on my visit, I liked a lot of the wrestlers on the team and how close they were, so that was a factor in my decision. Ethan Lizak rides Iowa's Thomas Gilman (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine) Minnesota exceeded many people's expectations this season. The Gophers finished seventh at the NCAAs and had four All-Americans. Was this past season a success from a team standpoint? Lizak: Yeah, I think it was a successful season. From where we were last year we definitely improved. We want to work toward getting as many All-Americans as we can next year. Overall, I did think we really improved. We had some guys in the round of 12. We had four All-Americans. Most people probably projected two or three All-Americans, so I would say it was a success. You're one of two Gopher All-Americans returning and you have several NCAA qualifiers back. The nation's top recruit, Gable Steveson, recently committed to Minnesota. Where do you see the Minnesota program going in the coming years? Lizak: I think we're only going to see improvement. The coaches have really helped us all out a lot. I think it has shown just from the beginning of the season where we were to where we finished, we all improved a lot. With good guys coming into the room, like Gable and other incoming recruits, it's only going to make the room tougher and that will definitely help us in the long run. When you have good practice partners it makes you better. Ethan Lizak talks with Minnesota coaches Brandon Eggum and Zach Sanders (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine) Brandon Eggum took over as Minnesota's head wrestling coach this season. What's it like wrestling for Eggum? Lizak: He's a great coach. Before matches he'll see that I'm nervous. He'll come over, talk to me and get me ready. I think it has really helped calm me down, especially during the dual meet season when I was starting to doubt myself. The weight cut was pretty tough. I had the flu. I lost a couple matches that I probably shouldn't have. I was kind of feeling down, and he kind of helped me get back on track and finish strong at the end of the year at the Big Tens and NCAAs. A lot of that is his work, along with the work of Zach Sanders. You mentioned the weight cut to 125 pounds was pretty tough. Is there a chance you could move up to 133 pounds at some point? Lizak: Next year I think I'll stay at 125 pounds, but I'm not sure how it will go my senior year. I'll definitely have to be more careful with my diet. I came back in January after wrestling just tournaments and I wasn't used to the one-hour weigh-ins for dual meets. I definitely had to get adjusted to that. My first couple duals were pretty rough. But I think toward the end of the year I started to figure it out. With the coaches helping me with my nutrition, I think I'll be ready to go next year and figure out how to wrestle the dual meets better. You were a member of the Junior World Team in freestyle while in high school. Do you have freestyle goals while you're in college or after college? Lizak: I'm wrestling freestyle now. I'm definitely going to wrestle University Nationals this year. One of my goals will be to win that. But I'm just trying to focus on one year at a time. I'm not really focusing on what I'm going to do after college. I think freestyle will definitely help me on my feet because it's all wrestling on your feet so it will only make me better. So that's why I'm really going to focus on freestyle over these next couple months. I think that will help me a lot for next year. This story also appears in the April 14 issue of The Guillotine. The Guillotine has been covering wrestling in Minnesota since 1971. Its mission is to report and promote wrestling at all levels -- from youth and high school wrestling to college and international level wrestling. Subscribe to The Guillotine.

This week on Takedown TV: Tom Brands discusses the Iowa Hawkeyes future lineup after losing five All-Americans. Dan Gable on his legacy and lasting impact on the sport of wrestling. Cody Brewer on a loaded 61kg field and his first season at Northwestern coaching. One-on-one with Virginia Tech's new Assistant Coach, Frank Molinaro. Lehigh's Pat Santoro discusses Pitt coaching position. Watch online or on these cable networks/channels. Cablevision- Sundays at 4 p.m. Charter Cable- Thursday at 6:30 p.m., Friday 11:30 p.m. and Monday 2:30 p.m. Comcast Cable- Friday at 5:00 p.m. Cox Cable- Sunday 9:30 a.m. Fight Network HD- Sundays at 4:00 p.m. KCWI 23- Saturday 4:00 p.m. KWEM- Stillwater, Oklahoma- Tuesday 7:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 8:00 p.m. Long Lines Cable- Daily at 5:30 p.m. Mediacom Cable- Sundays at 10:30 a.m. MidCo Sports Network- Saturday 10:00 a.m. and Sunday at 9:00 a.m. SECV8- Friday at 5:00 p.m. Suddenlink Cable- Check your local listings. Multiple air times. Time Warner Cable Sports- Saturday at 12:00 p.m. Western Reserve Cable- Tuesday at 11:00 p.m., Friday at 5:30 p.m., Saturday at 10:00 p.m.

Max Thomsen rides Missouri's Lavion Mayes (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Jeff Bradley will host this week's edition of "On the Mat" on Wednesday, April 12. His guests are Drew Foster and Max Thomsen, 2017 wrestling All-Americans for Northern Iowa, along with their head wrestling coach Doug Schwab. "On the Mat" is a presentation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. The show can be heard live on the Internet at 1650thefan.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday at 5 p.m. Central on AM 1650, The Fan. A podcast of the show is available on mattalkonline.com. E-mail dgmstaff@nwhof.org with any questions or comments.

Haley Augello at a press conference before the Olympic Games (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) BRISTOL, Tenn. -- King University women's wrestler Haley Augello had a memorable 2016, and she will add another award to her mantle this summer. The Olympian was selected as the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame's Amateur Female Athlete of the Year. Augello and the three other honorees will be recognized at the 51st Induction Banquet on Saturday, June 3 at the Omni Nashville. The other honorees are Justin Gatlin, Professional Male Athlete of the Year, Christian Coleman, Amateur Male Athlete of the Year and the Rhodes College women's golf team as the Amateur Team of the Year. Augello became the first King athlete to compete for the United States at any Olympic games when she competed in women's wrestling at the 2016 Olympics in Rio. At the event, Augello went 1-2, winning her first match 7-0 over 2015 World bronze medalist Jessica Blaszka of Netherlands before falling to eventual gold medalist and three-time World Champion Eri Tosaka of Japan. Augello then had a chance to comeback and wrestle for bronze, but fell to two-time World bronze medalist Zhuldyz Eshimova of Kazakhstan 3-2. Following the Olympics, Augello returned to campus and went 9-1 on the season with six wins by technical fall. Her only loss came two weight classes higher than her regular 116-pound weight class. She helped King win their fourth straight National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Duals title and fourth straight Women's Collegiate Wrestling Association (WCWA) national championship. In the process, Augello won her third WCWA national title in three tries. In conjunction with the honoree class, the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame will be inducting 10 members into the Hall of Fame. The Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame's goal is to enshrine successful teams and individuals who display sportsmanship, good character and success by creating a legacy for others to follow. The Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame is housed inside the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville and is celebrating 50 years of Tennessee Sports history (1966-2016).

STATEMENT FROM MIZZOU WRESTLING: Mizzou Wrestling and Mizzou Athletics is saddened to hear of the passing of former wrestler B.J. Toal, who passed away yesterday after being involved in an April 1 accident. With his older brother Zach being on the team as well, the Toal family has been a part of the TigerStyle family for a long time and forever will be. Our thoughts and prayers are with B.J.'s family and friends during this time of grief. STATEMENT FROM HEAD COACH BRIAN SMITH: "I remember meeting B.J. when he was in 8th grade. I joked with his older brother Zach that he was stronger than him and I knew I would recruit him even though he wasn't in high school yet. He came in with a great recruiting class, and we had high expectations, but unfortunately injuries kept him from reaching those expectations. The great thing about B.J. was he continued to share his passion for wrestling through coaching and other avenues. He impacted so many other people's lives, just like he impacted ours. The TigerStyle family is going through a tough time right now, my biggest prayers are with his family helping them get through this."

Bo Nickal defeated Cornell's Gabe Dean to win the NCAA title (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Penn State's Bo Nickal, crowned 184-pound champ at the 2017 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in St. Louis last month, has been named winner of The Hammer award for 2017 by Amateur Wrestling News, the magazine revealed in its April 15 issue. In announcing Nickal as winner of its annual college wrestling award, AWN explained that it has revised the criteria for determining who receives The Hammer, stating that it will now be presented to the wrestler "who wins what we feel was the most competitive weight class at the NCAA tournament." In the past, the award was given to the wrestler who had dominated the magazine's Pound for Pound where AWN writers provide rankings of the top ten college wrestlers in each issue, regardless of weight class or division. While AWN determined that the 133 and 174-pound weight classes were worthy of consideration for The Hammer award, "there was no denying that 184 was the 'Land of No Return'", mentioning that the bracket was well-stocked with eight returning All-Americans and a pair of national champs. In making its case for Nickal, AWN wrote, "The native of Allen, Texas won the 184-pound weight class with an upset victory over two-time and defending champ Gabe Dean. To say that Nickal is dominant understates his invincibility. In St. Louis, he recorded three pins and a tech fall en route to his meeting with Dean." Nickal, who was runner-up at 174 at the 2016 NCAAs, moved up this season to 184, where he was the No. 2 seed in the bracket to top-seeded Dean. The Cornell University senior was on a 45-match win streak. Nickal snapped the streak -- and denied Dean a third title -- with a 4-3 victory in the title match. Previous winners of AWN's annual top wrestler award include Oklahoma State's Alex Dieringer in 2016, and Ohio State's Logan Stieber in 2015. In other post-season collegiate wrestling awards presented by national wrestling media, Nickal's Penn State teammate Zain Retherford was voted InterMat Wrestler of the Year for 2017 ... and was named this year's winner of the Hodge Trophy for best collegiate wrestler by WIN (Wrestling Insider Newsmagazine) and Culture House.

Vitali Arujau (Photo/Josh Conklin) The 2016-17 scholastic wrestling season has come to an end. We've gone through the postseason national tournaments, state tournament series across the country, regular season, and the spring/summer/fall offseason. At this time, we reflect upon what has happened over the past "cycle" and recognize the top wrestler in each high school weight class as well as the Wrestler of the Year with First Team All-American recognition by InterMat. Wrestler of the Year: Vitali Arujau (Syosset, N.Y.), 138 pounds After delaying his collegiate matriculation one year for freestyle training, this four-time state champion will be headed to Cornell, where he is projected to compete at 141 pounds. In five years of high school wrestling, Arujau went 216-1, the lone loss coming via a 3-2 defeat in the tiebreakers against Yianni Diakomihalis during their eighth grade seasons. The approximately 170 bouts subsequent to that state finals defeat went without a loss for Arujau. His resume in the 2016-17 wrestling year includes a UWW Cadet National freestyle title at 58 kilograms, Cadet World silver medal in that same weight class, Super 32 Challenge title at 132 pounds, and an undefeated state championship season at 138. Previous career accomplishments for Arujau include a third-place finish at the Super 32 Challenge in 2015 (victory over Daton Fix in the third-place match), NHSCA Sophomore Nationals title in the spring of 2015, FloNationals runner-up finish in 2014, UWW Cadet National freestyle runner-up finish in 2015 (to Diakomihalis), and a Cadet National freestyle title in 2015. Previous Wrestler of the Year winners 2016: Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.) 2015: Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.) 2014: Chance Marsteller (Kennard-Dale, Pa.) 2013: Kyle Snyder (Good Counsel, Md.) 2012: Jason Tsirtsis (Crown Point, Ind.) 2011: Morgan McIntosh (Calvary Chapel, Calif.) Other top-ranked wrestlers 106: Malik Heinselman (Castle View, Colo.) During the 2016-17 wrestling period, Heinselman earned a second consecutive state title, this time going an undefeated 44-0, while also making the Cadet World team in freestyle for a second straight year (this time at 46 kilograms, after qualifying at 42 kilos in 2015). In addition, he earned a third straight freestyle title in Fargo, this time at the Junior level after winning the previous two summers as a Cadet. Heinselman has a career mark of 122-7, including over 80 straight wins, and has verbally committed to Ohio State. 113: Aaron Cashman (Shakopee, Minn.) The junior won his first state title after placing second and fourth the previous two seasons. Cashman qualified for the Cadet World Team in freestyle at 50 kilograms last spring, while also earning in-season tournament victories at the Minnesota Christmas Tournament (second consecutive) and Rumble on the Red. His lone loss in a 39-1 campaign came up at 126 pounds, off a 120 weigh-in, against now two-time state runner-up Cael Carlson. Cashman has a three-year record of 121-7. 120: Patrick Glory (Delabrton, N.J.) The three-time state finalist earned an initial first state title in stellar fashion, as he went an undefeated 43-0 as a junior. It included tournament titles at the Beast of the East (second straight year) and Escape the Rock. Glory has a career mark of 118-7, and was also a Super 32 Challenge champion this past fall after finishing second in 2015. 126: Spencer Lee (Franklin Regional, Pa.) The three-time state champion and University of Iowa signee ended his career with a 144-1 record, losing only his last match 6-5 on a last second takedown in the state final against Austin DeSanto (Exeter Township), despite competing with a torn ACL. Lee was a Junior world champion in freestyle at 50 kilograms for the second straight summer in 2016, and also won a Cadet world title in 2014. He finishes his high school career also as a three-time Walsh Ironman and Powerade champion. 132: Daton Fix (Sand Springs, Okla.) The Oklahoma State signee is now a four-time state champion after going undefeated with a 47-0 record during his senior season, which included titles at the Kansas City Stampede and Geary Invitational. Fix finished his career with a record of 168-0, becoming just the fifth wrestler in the Sooner State to be undefeated for their scholastic career. He also picked up a UWW Junior world bronze medal in freestyle over the summer to go with the Cadet world bronze he earned the previous summer. 145: Jarod Verkleeren (Hempfield Area, Pa.) The 2015 Cadet world gold medalist earned an elusive high school state title during a senior season in which he went 25-1, including a Powerade finals victory over second-ranked Frankie Gissendanner. Verkleeren also was champion at the Super 32 Challenge in October with a finals victory over third-ranked Josiah Rider. Also on the resume for this uncommitted senior is a Junior National freestyle runner-up finish this past summer. 152: Cameron Coy (Penn Trafford, Pa.) The University of Virginia signee ends his career as a four-time state finalist and three-time champion with a career mark of 148-11. This includes 75 consecutive wins to end his career since a loss in the state championship match his sophomore season. Most notable wins for Coy this season came over top five in the nation Stephan Glasgow in the Powerade final, an in-season dual meet victory over Verkleeren, and then beating second-ranked Quentin Hovis in the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic. 160: Brady Berge (Kasson-Mantorville, Minn.) The Penn State signee won a fourth state title in six seasons of high school wrestling during which he won approximately 280 bouts while losing just four that were contested (one in seventh grade, three in eighth grade); that is to say not counting the injury default down to sixth that occurred during the state semifinal his junior season. A 2015 Cadet World team member in freestyle, Berge is a five-time champion of the Minnesota Christmas Tournament and three-time champion of the Cheesehead, in addition to winning the Super 32 Challenge this past fall. 170: Michael Labriola (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) The Nebraska signee was a four-time state placer with a career record of 158-17, including an 86-3 mark during his last two seasons, in which he won a pair of state titles. Labriola was champion at the Walsh Ironman and Beast of the East during a senior season in which he went 44-0. Prior to the season, he beat third-ranked Travis Wittlake at the Who's Number One event, while after the season he beat second-ranked Kaleb Romero at the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic. 182: Louie DePrez (Hilton, N.Y.) The Binghamton signee is a three-time state champion, and was undefeated during his last two seasons of high school winning an Eastern States Classic title each year. DePrez is also a two-time finalist at the Super 32 Challenge, winning that title this fall with a victory over third-ranked Nino Bonaccorsi. In the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic, he defeated second-ranked Travis Stefanik. DePrez is also a two-time FloNationals placer. 195: Jacob Warner (Washington, Ill.) The Iowa signee was undefeated during his senior season on the way to a third state title and fourth state finals appearance. Warner was a Cadet World bronze medalist in freestyle during the past off-season, and was champion at the Walsh Ironman during the season. In addition to the UWW Cadet National title in freestyle last spring, he also won the Greco-Roman event. Also on the resume for Warner is a Cadet National double title in 2015 along with UWW Cadet National freestyle All-American finishes in 2014 and 2015. 220: Chase Singletary (Blair Academy, N.J.) The Ohio State signee now has a pair of National Prep titles to go with the Florida state championships earned in seventh and eighth grade. Singletary was also a runner-up at National Preps as a sophomore, third in Florida as a freshman, and runner-up in Florida in sixth grade. He had an undefeated senior season, which included titles at the Walsh Ironman, Beast of the East, and Geary Invitational. 285: Gable Steveson (Apple Valley, Minn.) After his junior season, he has four state championship match appearances as junior high wrestlers can compete in varsity competition in Minnesota. Steveson's last loss came in the state final at 195 pounds during the eighth grade season, and subsequent to that, he has won 131 straight matches without defeat the last three seasons. All but three of his 42 wins during this past season were pins or forfeits, two others were pins, while his only match against a nationally ranked opponent came in a 16-3 major decision over Kayne Hutchison. Steveson, a verbal commit to Minnesota, is now a two-time Cadet World freestyle champion at 100 kilograms.

A Ford pickup truck autographed twice by former President George W. Bush was sold at an auction in Florida this weekend for $90,000, with all proceeds going to support youth wrestling, including the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. The three-day auction -- conducted by famed classic/collectible vehicle auction house Barrett-Jackson in West Palm Beach, Fla. -- concluded Saturday with the sale of the Ford F-150 Super Crew pickup which President Bush and his wife Laura had used at their ranch in Texas upon leaving the White House in 2009. The former President autographed on the passenger-side airbag before an earlier auction in 2013. When the signature was accidently cleaned off by a previous owner, President Bush affixed his autograph again for this most recent auction. Proceeds from Saturday's auction benefit amateur youth wrestling by supporting youth wrestling clubs in Tennessee, as well as youth wrestling facilities and programs at the museum named for legendary wrestler and coach Dan Gable, located in his hometown of Waterloo, Iowa. "We have a wrestling room that serves a lot of youth right now, but that's going to triple in size," Kyle Klingman, director of the Dan Gable Museum, told KWWL-TV, the NBC affiliate in Waterloo, prior to the auction. "So, we're going to be able to impact a lot more youth in the community, a lot more youth in the state, and we're going to want to expand that nationwide flavor." Every dollar raised in the auction of the Bush pickup truck – one of five vehicles designated for charity at this weekend's auction -- will go to the designated charities, as Barrett-Jackson donates its time and waives all fees in charity vehicle auctions, according to the ClassicCars.com website . "To date, Barrett-Jackson has helped raise over $93 million in support of charities whose influence reaches around the world," said Craig Jackson, chairman and CEO of Barrett-Jackson. "No other collector car auction company has helped raised more funds for important causes benefiting children, veterans and medical research than Barrett-Jackson."

Mike Evans gets in on a shot against Minnesota's Logan Storley (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine) BUIES CREEK, N.C. -- Campbell wrestling head coach Cary Kolat has announced the addition of three-time All-American, Mike Evans, as a volunteer assistant coach for the 2017-18 season. "I am very excited to add Mike Evans to our coaching staff for the upcoming 2017-18 season," Kolat stated. "Mike has had opportunities to coach at other institutions, but he has liked what we have done at Campbell in a short amount of time and has chosen to be part of our program." He will work alongside Kolat with team training and will work with the middleweight wrestlers as well. "In order to build a successful program, it's most important that the staff fits together and each coach brings something to the table," Kolat said. "Mike, an alum of the University of Iowa, will bring another variation on how to approach the sport that will connect with key guys within the Campbell squad." Evans comes to Campbell after a stint as an assistant coach at Cal Poly under former head coach Brendan Buckley and current Campbell head assistant coach Scotti Sentes. He will fill the role of former volunteer assistant coach Evan Henderson, who will focus his efforts to train for the World and Olympic teams. "Evan Henderson is going to transition full-time into our Olympic Regional Center as he continues to work toward making the World and Olympic team," Kolat said. The Enola, Pa. native is a three-time NCAA Division I All-American at the University of Iowa, where he posted a 107-27 record in his four years of competition at the 174-pound weight class. He finished his career with a trio of runner-up finishes and one third place finish at the Big 10 Conference Championships. He also finished sixth in each of his three appearances at the NCAA Wrestling Championships. In his prep career, Evans finished with at 165-8 overall mark at Blair Academy (N.J.) including a flawless 52-0 record in his senior year. He captured the prep state and national titles at the 189-pound weight class during his final year. Evans also won the Pennsylvania freestyle and Greco-Roman state championship three-times.

Logan Stieber battles Frank Molinaro at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) NEW YORK -- Reigning 61 kilogram/134-pound world champion Logan Stieber is set to compete at the 2017 Beat the Streets Benefit that will feature a talented U.S. squad against world power Japan in Times Square, the heart of New York City, on May 17. Stieber will be paired against Japan's Shingo Arimoto, who was a member of the 2016 Japanese World Team, in the 61-kilogram men's freestyle tussle. It will be the fourth time Stieber has competed in the Beat the Streets Benefit and his first since 2014. The American star holds a 2-1 record in his three trips to this event. In 2015, he attended the event as an honoree receiving the BTS Man of the Year Award. In 2012, Stieber defeated Akhmed Chakaev of Russia (1-3, 7-0, 5-4) under the best two-of-three period model in his first trip to Times Square. The following year, he ousted the No. 1 ranked wrestler in the World at the time, Opan Sat of Russia, (5-7, 6-0, 3-0) in three periods at Grand Central Station. Stieber's last match at the Beat the Streets Benefit was in 2014 where he fell to three-time Olympian Haislan Garcia of Canada, 6-2, in Times Square. "The Beat the Streets competition is one I look forward to every year," Stieber said. "I have wrestled in it three times and it has been amazing every time. I am excited to compete again in Times Square against another world class opponent. The Beat the Streets foundation and Mr. Mike Novogratz are huge for the growth of our sport. I can't thank him enough for all he has done." Stieber is one of the most electric wrestlers in the world with his dynamic offensive arsenal and unique scoring abilities. He currently mans the No. 1 slot in the United World Wrestling World Rankings at 61 kg. The Monroeville, Ohio native boasts a top-notch international resume that includes a 2016 World gold medal and a 2011 Junior World silver medal on top of medal performances at five additional international events. Competing in college at Ohio State University, Stieber became just the fourth individual to win the NCAA Championships four times. He helped lead Ohio State to its first-ever team title at the NCAA Championships as a senior in 2015. Stieber was a four-time Big Ten champion and awarded the 2015 Dan Hodge Trophy as the nation's best collegiate wrestler. 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. The 2017 edition will feature bouts in both men's and women's freestyle. 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 decision on who will join Stieber on the U.S. team 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, Nev., April 25-29. 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) 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

Tom Kline SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Thomas Kline, one of Cal Poly's two NCAA Division I wrestling national champions, passed away last week in Oceanside, Calif. Kline celebrated his 70th birthday in January. A 1970 Cal Poly graduate with a bachelor's degree in English, Kline captured top honors at 191 pounds in the 1969 NCAA Division I National Championship, one year after claiming second place in the same weight class. Other achievements include four conference championships and two Division II national titles as he led Cal Poly to national team championships in both 1968 and 1969. The 1969 nationals were held in the Mott Athletics Center. One of 13 charter inductees in the Cal Poly Athletics Hall of Fame in 1987, Kline is one of three former Mustangs to claim two NCAA Division II individual titles. While at Cal Pol, Kline was an honor student and was recognized as the Cal Poly Alumni Association's 1980 Honored Alum. Tom was active in athletic fundraising and served as Supporters of Mustang Athletic Teams (SUMAT) President. Kline coached high school football and wrestling, once held the world record in the bench press in his age group and was owner and president of Thomas Kline Associates, an insurance company in Carlsbad, Calif. Publisher of several books, Kline was a board member with the Boys & Girls Club of San Diego. Kline is survived by his wife Vilma and five children.