InterMat Staff

Des Moines police Sgt. Anthony "Tony" Beminio, an Iowa high school state champion wrestler, was one of two officers killed in separate "ambush-style" shootings in the Des Moines area early Wednesday morning. Sgt. Anthony "Tony" BeminioAt approximately 1 a.m. Central time, Urbandale officer Justin Martin was killed while in his patrol car in the Des Moines suburb he served. About 20 minutes later, Beminio was shot in his patrol car in the city of Des Moines while responding to reports of officer Martin's shooting. Beminio was transported to Iowa Methodist Medical Center, where he died. A suspect in both shootings, Scott Michael Greene, 46, was arrested without incident approximately 35 miles west of the Iowa capital later on Wednesday. Beminio's death is the first time a Des Moines police officer had been shot and killed in the line of duty since two officers were gunned down in separate incidents in 1977. The killing of Martin was the first time an Urbandale officer had been killed in the line of duty. Tony Beminio won the heavyweight title at the Iowa high school state championships for Iowa City West High School in 1996. In addition, he was an all-state football player for the Trojans. Beminio and his family had moved to Iowa City from Eagle Grove, in western Iowa, in 1994, when he was a sophomore, recalled Scott Williamson, West's head wrestling coach at that time and now Sioux Central superintendent. "He wanted to succeed and was willing to be pushed to succeed," Williamson told the Cedar Rapids Gazette. Coach Williamson went on to describe Beminio as being 6' 4" tall and weighing in at 250 pounds, "with explosive energy and strong hips" which made him "a natural at Greco-Roman wrestling" which he participated in after high school. After graduating from Iowa City West, Beminio played football and wrestled for the University of Northern Iowa before transferring to Morningside College, in Sioux City, to play football in 1998, according to Gazette reports. Later, both Beminio and Martin attended Simpson College, a NCAA Division III school in Indianola, Iowa, south of Des Moines. Beminio graduated in 2001 and joined the Des Moines police force in 2005. Martin graduated in 2015 and joined the Urbandale Police Force shortly after graduating. Beminio, who played football at Simpson, graduated with a Criminal Justice degree and an Administration Concentration. Beminio also served in the Indianola Police Department. "The loss of any police officer in such a senseless act of violence is a tragedy," Simpson President Jay Simmons said. "This is almost too much to bear. We all extend our deepest sympathy to the families of Anthony and Justin. We consider them part of our family, too." "Tony was the kind of man who should be a cop," said Lora Friedrich, Beminio's adviser at Simpson College told The Simpsonian Wednesday. "He never met a stranger. He was open-minded and kind and fair. The world lost a great man today." Dan McCool, former long-time wrestling writer for the Des Moines Register, shared his memories of the fallen Des Moines officer on Facebook. "Anthony 'Tony' Beminio, I watched you grow up on the wrestling mat and was always proud of the life you made for yourself and your family. I saw you compete in many high school gyms in freestyle, I watched you win a state championship in 1996, I saw how proudly you wore a policeman's badge, you told me how thrilled you were to get a promotion in the DMPD, you told me how lucky you were to have the love of a good woman, how blessed you were to be a father. You're a good man with good parents. You were a big dude, but the height and massive muscles do not match how big your smile was and how big your heart was. My heart is in pieces for the loss to your wife and children, your parents, your department and your brotherhood in blue."

LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. -- The 2016-17 wrestling season will be the 39th and final season for Rider University legendary head coach Gary Taylor, the University announced today. Gary Taylor and John HangeyTaylor enters this season with 429 victories, fourth all-time in Division I and first among active Division I wrestling coaches. Taylor is just 11 victories shy of third place. An eight-time conference Coach of the Year, including the 2016 Eastern Wrestling League Coach of the Year, Taylor has qualified 169 Broncs for the NCAA Championships and has come home with 15 All-Americans, including four in the last 10 years. Taylor has led Rider to 14 conference championships, including the EWL title last year and his teams have been ranked as high as seventh (1997) and most recently 10th (2015) in the nation. Prior to Taylor's arrival Rider had never had a nationally ranked wrester, a nationally ranked team or an All-American. In 2014 Taylor was presented with the prestigious Rider University Sesquicentennial Medal of Excellence, a medal that was established in the 150th anniversary of Rider to recognize members of the University community for their exemplary achievements that have brought honor to the school. The only other Sesquicentennial Medal winners from Athletics were Rider's first Olympian, Jazmine Fenlator '07, and Rider's first NBA Lottery Pick Jason Thompson '08. In the fall of 2010 Taylor was presented with the Frank N. Elliott Award for dedicated service to Rider University. The University also announced that long-time associate head coach John Hangey will become Rider's third head wrestling coach at the conclusion of the season. As a Bronc Hangey placed fourth at the 1993 NCAA Championships to become Rider's fifth All-American and went on to become the first Bronc to win his weight class at the prestigious Midlands Championships. Hangey was a part-time assistant coach at Rider from 1994-97 before leaving to take the head coaching position at Bucknell University. Hangey returned to Rider in 2000 to become the program's first full-time assistant coach. The 2016-17 Rider season begins November 6 at Virginia Tech and concludes March 18 in St. Louis at the NCAA Championships. In between, the legend of Coach Taylor will continue. Quote from Gary Taylor: "I would like to say that it has been my distinct privilege and honor to be the head wrestling coach at Rider University for what will be 39 years at the conclusion of this year. I consider myself truly blessed to have been able to have a career doing what I love, coaching wrestling at the Division I collegiate level. I believe every career coach would love to retire at a point where the program is in really good shape. Having just won the EWL championship last year, produced our 15th All American, the second in two years and the fourth in the past ten years, and having been ranked as high as 10th in the nation in the last three years, Rider wrestling is clearly at that point. The program is poised for even greater success, with two All-Americans returning for the next two years (first time ever in the program's history). Our wrestling room is filled with outstanding young student-athletes who are working hard to make their mark. The program is clearly in a very good place both within the conference and nationally. In addition to the program having a cadre of student-athletes who are capable of having a serious impact on the national level, I also firmly believe that we have an associate head coach in John Hangey who, along with an outstanding coaching staff, has the ability to take the Rider wrestling program to the next level. The timing does not get much better than this and for all the above mentioned reasons I have decided that this is indeed the best time to step down at the end of this, my 39th season." Quote from Rider Director of Athletics Don Harnum on Coach Taylor: "I would like to congratulate Coach Taylor on his decision to retire at the end of this season. As he always does, he handled this difficult decision with a lot of thought and concern for the wrestling program. Gary Taylor's track record speaks for itself. His core values of recruiting and developing young men through hard work has stood the test of time for nearly four decades. His sustainable and effective approach of not taking short cuts and doing things the right way are a shining example of how to succeed in coaching." Quote from Don Harnum on John Hangey: "John is more than ready to succeed Gary Taylor as only the third coach in Rider's illustrious wrestling history. He has earned this opportunity and I am confident that John can, and will, build on the many accomplishments that he has been a big part of the last 15 years as the associate head coach." Quote From John Hangey on Gary Taylor "It has been an absolute honor and privilege to have been recruited, coached and mentored by Coach Gary Taylor. His leadership, education of young men and success are second to none at the collegiate level. He is an incredible human being who has done an amazing job developing a nationally prominent wrestling program at Rider University. Coach Taylor has always emphasized the importance of developing the complete student-athlete and demanding that his athletes be good, productive members of the community. I could not be more proud to have been associated with Coach Taylor throughout his tenure as the head coach at Rider University." Quote from John Hangey on becoming the new head coach "I am extremely thankful for the opportunity and the trust placed in me by Rider University and Athletic Director Don Harnum to be named the next head coach for the wrestling program. Rider University is a very special place to me and I will work tirelessly to represent the University at the highest professional level. I will expect our team members to be model student-athletes in their representation of Rider University and the wrestling program. I will also be completely dedicated to expanding the successful traditions of the wrestling program to newer heights at the national level."

Brady Berge gets his hand raised after winning a Super 32 Challenge title (Photo/Rob Preston) Brady Berge (Kasson-Mantorville, Minn.), the nation's No. 9 senior recruit by InterMat, committed to wrestle at Penn State. He announced his decision Wednesday afternoon on Flo Radio Live. Berge chose Penn State over Iowa, Oklahoma State and Minnesota. He projects as a 149-pounder in college. "You look at what they're doing with the guys around my weight class, what the coaches are doing with them, they're developing guys to be the best guys in the country right now," Berge said on Flo Radio Live. "They score a lot of points. That's what I want to do. That's where I want to be, not only the best guy in the country, but scoring those bonus points. It's fun." He becomes the second top 10 recruit from the Class of 2017 to commit to Penn State, joining No. 5 Nick Lee. Three top 10 recruits from the Class of 2018, No. 5 Travis Wittlake, No. 6 Roman Bravo Young and No. 8 Joe Lee, have also committed to the Nittany Lions. Berge is a three-time state champion. Last season he broke his leg in his state semifinal match, which caused him to default out of the tournament. Prior to the injury Berge had won 146 consecutive matches and compiled a career record of 234-4. This fall Berge was victorious at Who's Number One, and captured a Super 32 Challenge title at 152 pounds, earning Outstanding Wrestler honors in the process. He's both relieved and excited after making his decision. "It's been a little stressful lately, but I really enjoyed the process," Berge said. "It is a little bit of a relief to get it out there. But I'm really excited for the future, and I'm really excited for Penn State wrestling."

Long-time Bakersfield College wrestling coach Bill Kalivas -- who filed a civil lawsuit against the California junior college after his contract was not reviewed in 2014 -- was awarded nearly $13,000 by a Kern County jury Monday. Bill KalivasKalivas, 63, who had coached at Bakersfield from 1987-2014, was awarded $11,943.75 in damages for economic loss, plus another $1,000 for non-economic loss including emotional distress/mental suffering. Kalivas told the Bakersfield Californian that he had asked for $400,000 in damages, and that the Kern Community College District which oversees operations of Bakersfield College had offered $15,000 to settle prior to the trial. Kalivas had filed his suit in December 2014, naming the KCCD and three of its administrators: athletic director Sandi Taylor; Zav Dadabhoy, BC's vice president of student services who oversaw athletics at the time; and Ibrahim "Abe" Ali, who was vice chancellor for human resources for the KCCD. The situation that resulted in Kalivas' lawsuit stemmed from a June 2014 email that expressed concern for the health of his wrestlers and the coaching staff because of unsanitary mat conditions. In the email Kalivas expressed concern that the college was opening itself up to possible litigation because of the unsanitary conditions. The ABC-TV affiliate in Bakersfield reported that the lawsuit stated mold was growing on the bottom of the mats, and that students and staff were suffering serious infections like MRSA. "We used to have skin problems, people would break out with ringworm and staph," Joe Eperjo, assistant wrestling coach, told the station. One month after informing administrators of his concerns, Kalivas' one-year contract was not renewed, and he was told that a new wrestling coach would be hired. In addition, he lost his job as a PE instructor, and was told not to volunteer to continue coaching the school's golf team, which he had coached since 2009. At the time of his non-renewal, Kalivas was adjunct faculty (part-time and non-tenured), which is often referred to as an "at will" employee hired on a year-to-year basis. He had a full-time job was with the Kern County Superintendent of Schools office until his retirement in 2014. In his 27 seasons as Bakersfield College wrestling coach, Kalivas compiled a 208-72-2 overall record. His teams won California state team titles in 2002 and 2003, and just missed a three-peat by a half-point in 2004. Both sides said an appeal is possible. Founded in 1913, Bakersfield College describes itself as being "one of the nation's oldest continually-operating community colleges." The two-year college serves 15,000 students on three separate campuses in the Bakersfield area. Its sports teams -- the Renegades -- compete against other community colleges in California. Bakersfield College is a not affiliated with Cal State Bakersfield, a four-year university officially named California State University-Bakersfield (CSUB), which is also located in the city of Bakersfield. Cal State Bakersfield's wrestling program and other sports teams are the Roadrunners, which compete in NCAA Division I. Stephen Neal, two-time NCAA heavyweight champ, 1999 World freestyle gold medalist, and retired right guard for the NFL New England Patriots, wrestled for the CSUB Roadrunners in the 1990s.

Two former college wrestlers from Pennsylvania schools -- Edinboro University All-American Chris Honeycutt, and Ben Reiter, former University of Pennsylvania letterman -- have been added to the card at Bellator 166 at WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, Okla. on Friday, Dec. 2, the organization announced Monday. Chris HoneycuttHoneycutt, a two-time NCAA Division I All-American and runner-up at 197 pounds at the 2012 Nationals, brings an 8-1-0 record to next month's bout. The 28-year-old former Fighting Scot suffered his only pro MMA loss in a first-round TKO at the hands of former University of Iowa wrestler Paul Bradley at Bellator 144 in Jan. 2016. Reiter, 29, has built a 17-1-0 record in MMA since launching his pro career in June 2011. The former Penn heavyweight's one loss in MMA was to "Kiko" Francisco France at Bellator 146 last November. The Honeycutt-Reiter middleweight (185-pound) bout featuring the two former collegiate mat stars joins a lineup featuring two top-of-the-card matches: Bellator MMA bantamweight champion Eduardo Dantas who wants to avenge his loss to former Greco-Roman wrestling world champion Joe Warren…while unbeaten prospect A.J. McKee faces Emmanuel Sanchez at 145 pounds. Bellator 166's main card airs at 9 p.m. Eastern on Spike, while its undercard streams live on Bellator.com and Spike.com.

Heath GrimmPete Bush and Heath Grimm will be guests on this week's edition of the On the Mat wrestling broadcast on Wednesday, Nov. 2. Bush, a 1982 NCAA wrestling champion for University of Iowa, is current head wrestling coach at Davenport Assumption High School in Iowa. Grimm has been head wrestling coach at Upper Iowa University since the 2000-2001 season. 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.

Zeke Jones coaching at the NCAAs (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Sun Devil wrestling head coach Zeke Jones has signed a contract extension through 2021 as announced by Vice President for University Athletics and Athletics Director Ray Anderson. "I can't thank President Michael Crow, Ray Anderson, and [senior associate AD's] Don Bocchi and Scottie Graham and the Sun Devil Wrestling friends and family enough," said Jones. "One person doesn't build the program; it takes a community." He continues to attract the nation's top student-athletes, adding for 2016-17 the likes of Ali Naser, who has defeated two Olympic champions, Jason Tsirtsis, the 2014 NCAA National Champion at Northwestern, and Ryan Millhof, an All-American and Big 12 champion from Oklahoma.

Zac Brunson after a victory at the Big Ten Championships (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) MANHEIM, Pa. -- The full card is finally set for the 51st annual NWCA All-Star Classic on November 5 at Cleveland State University's Wolstein Center. Ethan Ramos, a 2015 All-American from North Carolina, will face Zac Brunson, a three-time qualifier and 2016 Big Ten runner-up at 174 pounds to complete the 10-bout main event, which will feature 16 returning All-Americans, two NCAA champions and wrestlers from 16 different schools and six different conferences. The event, presented by The Brewer-Garrett Company and hosted by the Wrestlers in Business Network, has served as the major kick-off event for the wrestling season since becoming and early-season event. In 2012, the event moved to the first weekend of the major college wrestling calendar and has been a fixture ever since. "Both competitors can put points on the board and we expect both Ethan Ramos and Zac Brunson to put on a show," said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. "This completes a great kick-off matchup for the sport of wrestling and for the fans in the Greater Cleveland area. We can't thank the Wrestlers in Business Network enough for their efforts in putting this great event together." Brunson, who was a Big Ten runner-up last season and finished with a 22-5 record, will join 133-pound teammate Zane Richards in the event. A Eugene, Oregon native, Brunson was a four-time high school state champion competing at four different weights for Churchill High School. Brunson was also a five-time All-American at the USA Wrestling Cadet & Junior Nationals, winning a Junior freestyle title in 2011. Brunson holds a career record of 75-29. Entering the 2016 NCAA Championships as the No. 5 seed, Brunson defeated Stanford's Keaton Subjeck and Minnesota's Nick Wanzek, but was upset by Indiana's Nathan Jackson and eliminated by Missouri's Blaise Butler. Ramos, an All-American as a freshman in 2015, enters with a 53-16 record in two years of varsity competition in Chapel Hill. As a No. 15 seed, Ramos finished sixth in 2015 at 165 pounds. He moved up to 174 pounds last season and wrestled well, entering the 2016 NCAA Championships as the No. 4 seed with a 22-5 record. Ramos failed to place as he was upset in the first round and fell to All-American Alex Meyer of Iowa in the consolations. Ramos is a Hawthorne, N.J., native and was a state champion in the rugged one-class New Jersey high school state tournament. He also claimed an NHSCA Junior championship and was second at FloNationals. Along with Richards, Brunson will be making Illinois' 21th all-time appearance in the event. Illini wrestlers hold a 10-8 record in the dual with one no contest. The last time Illini wrestlers were represented came in 2013 when Jesse Delgado (125), B.J. Futrell (141) and Jordan Blanton (174) all competed in November of 2012 at American University in Washington, D.C. Ramos will be making North Carolina's first appearance in the event since November of 2005 when heavyweight Spencer Nadolsky fell to Harvard's Bode Ogunwole 3-2. The last Tar Heel win came in 1995 when Stan Banks defeated Wyoming's Reese Andy 4-3 at 177 pounds. North Carolina is 7-7 all-time in the event. 51st NWCA All-Star Classic Presented by The Brewer-Garrett Company Hosted by the Wrestlers in Business Network November 5, 2016 - Wolstein Center, Cleveland State University Time: Showcase Matches 6 p.m.; Main Event 7 p.m. Tickets: $15 GA, $100 Preferred Seating/Social. Group options available. Tickets available at www.goallstarclassic.com or Wolstein Center Box Office ( 844-407-2279) or Northeast Ohio Discount Drug Marts. Streaming: Trackwrestling.com Main Event Matchups 125: Barlow McGhee, Jr. (Missouri) vs. Nathan Kraisser, Sr. (Campbell) 133: Zane Richards, Sr. (Illinois) vs. Eric Montoya, Sr. (Nebraska) 141: Bryce Meredith, Jr. (Wyoming) vs. Anthony Ashnault, Jr. (Rutgers) 149: Lavion Mayes, Sr. (Missouri) vs. Anthony Collica, Sr. (Oklahoma State) 157: Brian Murphy, Sr. (Michigan) vs. Max Rohskopf, Sr. (NC State) 165: Isaac Jordan, Sr. (Wisconsin) vs. Daniel Lewis, So. (Missouri) 174: Ethan Ramos, Jr. (North Carolina) vs. Zac Brunson, Sr. (Illinois) 184: Gabe Dean, Sr. (Cornell) vs. Myles Martin, So. (Ohio State) 197: Brett Pfarr, Sr. (Minnesota) vs. Brett Harner, Sr. (Princeton) 285: Ty Walz, Sr. (Virginia Tech) vs. Connor Medbery, Sr. (Wisconsin) About the National Wrestling Coaches Association The National Wrestling Coaches Association, established in 1928, is a non-profit organization for the advancement of all levels of the sport of wrestling with a primary emphasis on developing coaches who work in academic environments. The membership embraces all people interested in amateur wrestling. The three core competencies of the NWCA are: coaching development, student-athlete welfare, and the promotion of wrestling. About Wrestlers in Business Network (WIBN) Wrestlers in Business Network is a registered 501 C-3 that strives to unite the thousands of wrestlers that have graduated from the sport and are now in their respective careers. Our mission is to build a community that serves as a platform to connect our members and facilitate business and job opportunities across the nation by leveraging a talent rich pipeline of wrestling alumni, with the ultimate byproduct of increasing reinvestment back to the sport. www.wrestlersinbusiness.org

Hunter Stieber (left) warming up with brother Logan Stieber before the 2015 NCAAs (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) NORMAN -- Oklahoma head wrestling coach Lou Rosselli announced Tuesday the addition of Hunter Stieber to his staff. Stieber, who comes off a decorated collegiate career at Ohio State University, will serve as volunteer assistant coach. "We are glad to have Hunter as part of our staff," Rosselli said. "He is still competing and will be able to train with our 141-157 pounders. His work ethic and passion for the sport will help our student-athletes grow." Stieber, who hails from Monroeville, Ohio, spent the last five seasons wrestling for the Buckeyes. The role at Oklahoma marks the first coaching duties of his career. "I'm pretty excited. Lou's been my coach for my entire college career, so when he called me up, I didn't really think about it too much," Stieber said. "I wanted to come out and compete still while starting my coaching career. I've known Coach (Keith) Gavin from my time competing and Coach (Michael) Lightner too, from competing in college, so I'm excited to be out here. The team's looking good and there's a lot of excitement around this program right now, so it's good to be a part of that." A two-time All-American at 141 pounds and three-time NCAA qualifier, Stieber was the 2013 Big Ten Champion and entered the 2013 NCAA Championships as the tournament's No. 1 seed. Stieber, who posted an impressive 36-1 record during his sophomore season, also earned All-Big 10 honors in 2013. He qualified for the 2015 NCAA Championships despite facing injury setbacks in his final two seasons as a Buckeye.

The Paulson twins coaching at the NCAAs at Madison Square Garden (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) WATERLOO, Iowa -- An individual NCAA champion, a freestyle World team member, a three-time NCAA tournament finalist, two legendary high school wrestling coaches and a record breaking team will be inducted into the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa on Saturday, June 24, 2017. The Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa is located inside the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum in Waterloo, Iowa. The Class of 2017 is Tom Kettman (Gilbertville-Don Bosco), Chad Zaputil (Iowa), Travis Paulson (Iowa State), Trent Paulson (Iowa State), George Flanagan (posthumously) and the 1987 Iowa State wrestling team. Darrell Frain will be presented with the Bob Siddens Iowa High School Coaching Excellence Award and Jim Brown will receive the Russ Smith Community Impact Award. A banquet honoring all inductees and award winners will be held at the Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center in Waterloo on Saturday, June 24. For more information contact the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum at (319) 233-0745 or dgmstaff@nwhof.org. The Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa was established in 2002 to honor those individuals who have made an impact on the sport on a national level, or who have done extraordinary work in the State of Iowa. The hall recognizes native-born Iowans, and those who achieved their fame while wrestling or coaching for an Iowa school. Tom Kettman led Gilbertville-Don Bosco to 12 state team wrestling championships - five traditional (2006-10) and seven dual (2002, 2005-10) - during 11 seasons as head coach from 2001-11. He coached 17 individual state champions, including four-time winners Mack Reiter (2000-03) and Bart Reiter (2006-09), and his son, Taylor Kettman (2011). Kettman, who was a two-time Division III NCAA tournament qualifier for Loras College, finished his high school coaching career with a 262-28 dual meet record. Chad Zaputil was a three-time Big Ten champion and a three-time NCAA tournament finalist (1991-93) at 118 pounds with a career college record of 109-8-1 (.928). He was a crucial part of Iowa winning NCAA team championships during his three years as a starter. Zaputil was a two-time state wrestling champion for Centerville (1987-88) and a three-time state finalist. All three of his opponents in the state finals were future college teammates, including future NCAA champions and current Iowa wrestling coaches, Tom Brands and Terry Brands. Travis Paulson was a three-time All-American for Iowa State, a member of the U.S. freestyle World team in 2010 (163 pounds), and a finalist at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials (185 pounds). Paulson ended his Cyclone career with a 106-32 record, finishing sixth at the NCAA Tournament in 2004 and 2006 and fifth in 2007. He was a three-time state champion (1999, 2001 and 2002) for Council Bluffs-Lewis Central finishing with a career record of 172-3. Trent Paulson was an NCAA champion, two-time Big 12 champion and three-time All-American for Iowa State with a career college record of 117-20. He placed fourth at the NCAA tournament as a sophomore in 2005 and as a junior in 2006 before winning the 157-pound title in 2007. He also made a freestyle World team in 2009 at 145.5 pounds. During his high school career at Council Bluffs-Lewis Central, Paulson posted a 192-2 career record with 115 falls and was a two-time state champion (2001 and 2002). George Flanagan was named head wrestling coach at Cresco High School in 1936 and led his teams to four state championships and six runner-up finishes. Flanagan coached 34 individual state champions and compiled a 317-89-5 dual meet record. He was an Iowa Collegiate champion for Iowa State Teachers College, now Northern Iowa, in 1933. The 1987 Iowa State wrestling team will be the fifth team inducted into the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa. The Cyclones won the NCAA Division I Championships with six All-Americans, five finalists and four NCAA champions. Jim Gibbons led Iowa State to the title at the age of 27 in only his second season as head coach. Iowa State's victory prevented Iowa from winning its 10th NCAA tournament in a row. The starting lineup was Perry Summit (125), Billy Kelly (first at 126), Jeff Gibbons (third at 134), Joe Ghezzi (142), Tim Krieger (first at 150), Stewart Carter (first at 158), Kevin Jackson (second at 167), Steve Metzger (177), Eric Voelker (first at 190), and Andy Cope (HWT). Assistant coaches were Les Anderson, Ed Banach, Joe Gibbons and Kevin Darkus. Darrell Frain will receive the Bob Siddens High School Coaching Excellence Award. Frain has served as head wrestling coach at Creston Orient-Macksburg for 17 seasons where he has a 292-58 dual meet record. His teams have won traditional state wrestling tournament titles in 2007 and 2016, and state dual team championships in 2007 and 2008. He has coached 30 individual state finalists and 18 state champions, including Jake Marlin, who is one of 25 individuals to win four state wrestling titles in Iowa. Jim Brown will receive the Russ Smith Community Impact Award, which is presented to an individual who demonstrates exceptional local impact on wrestling in Iowa. In 2009, Brown began what became Tickets for Kids when he purchased tickets to University of Iowa matches and donated them to youth wrestling clubs, middle school teams and youth organizations. A year later he expanded the program to include the NWCA National Duals and the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships. By 2016, Brown's generosity had given more than 7,500 young people the opportunity to attend dozens of college matches and major tournaments, including the 2016 Olympic Trials in Iowa City. The program was renamed Wrestling for Life in 2012, a change that inspired additional services to further the mission of encouraging and keeping youth involved in wrestling, including awarding scholarships to camps and clinics. The National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum is a non-profit organization based out of Waterloo, Iowa. The mission of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame is to preserve history, recognize excellence, and inspire future generations.

Barlow McGhee battles Cornell's Dalton Macri in a dual meet last season (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Luns.com) MANHEIM, Pa. -- Two wrestlers looking to break through for their first All-American honors will tangle at the 51st annual NWCA All-Star Classic on November 5 at Cleveland State University's Wolstein Center. Missouri junior Barlow McGhee and Campbell senior Nathan Kraisser have been announced as the competitors in the 125-pound bout. The event, presented by The Brewer-Garrett Company and hosted by the Wrestlers in Business Network, has served as the major kick-off event for the wrestling season since becoming and early-season event. In 2012, the event moved to the first weekend of the major college wrestling calendar and has been a fixture ever since. "Both of these wrestlers have been so close to making the podium during their careers," said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. "This match has the potential to set the tone for each of their seasons." McGhee, a junior from Rock Island, Illinois, fell just short of All-American honors last season, falling in the round of 12. He went 24-9 and won the Mid-American Conference championship after redshirting during the 2014-15 season. McGhee earned victories over Wyoming's Drew Templeman, Pittsburgh's L.J. Bentley and SIU Edwardsville's Freddie Rodriguez at the 2016 NCAA Division I Championships. McGhee is 45-20 in two years of varsity competition at Missouri. Kraisser is a three-time NCAA qualifier from Ellicott City, Maryland. He spent two years at the University of North Carolina before transferring to Campbell. A Southern Conference champion last season up at 133 pound, Kraisser finished the season 34-9. He knocked off No. 16 Anthony Giraldo of Rutgers in the first round of the 2016 NCAA championships. As a freshman, Kraisser reached the NCAA quarterfinals and fell just one match short of All-American honors at 125 pounds. Kraisser's career college record stands at 92-26. The two have never met in collegiate competition. Kraisser is Campbell's first-ever competitor in the All-Star Classic. It also marks the second instance in the event where a school is making its first appearance. Rutgers' Anthony Ashnault will be the first Scarlet Knight wrestler to compete in the event. Kraisser is also the first Southern Conference wrestler to compete in the event since VMI's Charlie Branch lost to Cleveland State's Dan Carcelli 9-7 at 142 pounds in 1995. "We've seen two programs represented for the first time," said Moyer. "It's a testament to what coaches Scott Goodale and Cary Kolat are doing with their programs." McGhee will join teammates Daniel Lewis and Lavion Mayes in the event. The trio will make Missouri's 12th, 13th and 14th appearances all-time with the last victory coming in November of 2014 when Alan Waters defeated Virginia Tech's Joey Dance at 125 pounds. Tiger wrestlers are 7-4 all-time at the All-Star Classic. The event features 15 returning NCAA Division I All-Americans. 2016 NWCA All-Star Classic Presented by The Brewer-Garrett Company Hosted by the Wrestlers in Business Network November 5, 2016 - Wolstein Center, Cleveland State University Time: Showcase Matches 6 p.m.; Main Event 7 p.m. Tickets: $15 GA, $100 Preferred Seating/Social. Group options available. Tickets available at www.goallstarclassic.com or Wolstein Center Box Office ( 844-407-2279) or Northeast Ohio Discount Drug Marts. Streaming: Trackwrestling.com Officially Announced Matchups 125: No. 6 Barlow McGhee, Jr. (Missouri) vs. No. 14 Nathan Kraisser, Sr. (Campbell) 133: No. 2 Zane Richards, Sr. (Illinois) vs. No. 4 Eric Montoya, Sr. (Nebraska) 141: No. 2 Bryce Meredith, Jr. (Wyoming) vs. No. 4 Anthony Ashnault, Jr. (Rutgers) 149: No. 3 Lavion Mayes, Sr. (Missouri) vs. No. 4 Anthony Collica, Sr. (Oklahoma State) 157: No. 4 Brian Murphy, Sr. (Michigan) vs. No. 5 Max Rohskopf, Sr. (NC State) 165: No. 2 Isaac Jordan, Sr. (Wisconsin) vs. No. 3 Daniel Lewis, So. (Missouri) 174: 184: No. 1 Gabe Dean, Sr. (Cornell) vs. No. 2 Myles Martin, So. (Ohio State) 197: No. 2 Brett Pfarr, Sr. (Minnesota) vs. No. 4 Brett Harner, Sr. (Princeton) 285: No. 2 Ty Walz, Sr. (Virginia Tech) vs. No. 3 Connor Medbery, Sr. (Wisconsin) About the National Wrestling Coaches Association The National Wrestling Coaches Association, established in 1928, is a non-profit organization for the advancement of all levels of the sport of wrestling with a primary emphasis on developing coaches who work in academic environments. The membership embraces all people interested in amateur wrestling. The three core competencies of the NWCA are: coaching development, student-athlete welfare, and the promotion of wrestling. About Wrestlers in Business Network (WIBN) Wrestlers in Business Network is a registered 501 C-3 that strives to unite the thousands of wrestlers that have graduated from the sport and are now in their respective careers. Our mission is to build a community that serves as a platform to connect our members and facilitate business and job opportunities across the nation by leveraging a talent rich pipeline of wrestling alumni, with the ultimate byproduct of increasing reinvestment back to the sport. www.wrestlersinbusiness.org

Appalachian State, alumnus Wayne C. York are partnering for "Pin to Win" campaign BOONE, N.C. -- Appalachian State University wrestling and wrestling alumnus and Hall of Famer Wayne C. York are partnering together to launch the "Pin to Win" campaign to help raise scholarship money for Mountaineer Wrestling. York has generously offered to match the amount of donations made for the "Pin to Win" campaign up to $25,000 by Nov. 27 -- when the Mountaineers square off on the mat against North Carolina at home. "I was able to attend Appalachian for three years because of the athletic scholarship I received, and that experience has helped shape my life," Wayne C. York said. "Wrestling is such an inclusive sport because it gives opportunities to all different shapes and sizes to continue participating in Athletics at the collegiate level. That's why I want to give back to the App State Wrestling program." The money raised will solely benefit wrestling scholarships, which allow young men the opportunity to pursue academic and athletic endeavors at the top level. Fans can donate to help the Black and Gold by heading to http://www.alumni.appstate.edu/wrestling and either select one of the gift levels available or enter in any other amount that they would like to contribute. "We greatly appreciate Mr. York's generosity and what he is doing for our program!" head coach JohnMark Bentley said. "We have such a rich tradition for the sport of wrestling here at Appalachian and people like Wayne are allowing us to continue building upon that tradition." Last season, York presented a check for $25,242 in support of wrestling at Appalachian before the Mountaineers squared off against the NC State Wolfpack. York wrestled for Appalachian State from 1949-51 and graduated with a degree in physical education. York was inducted into the Appalachian State University Athletics Hall of Fame on Sept. 20, 1997 in recognition of his outstanding collegiate career. York was a member of the undefeated 1950 squad that went 13-0 and set a new national scoring record with 368 points.

The 2016-17 college wrestling season is about to get underway … and Global Wrestling News is your source for collegiate wrestling coverage. Check out these feature stories: Scott Casber and Tony Hager share their preseason NCAA Division I National Champion picks University of Northern Iowa media day with Doug Schwab and Max Thomsen Eric Montoya (Nebraska) and Zane Richards (Illinois) talk about their upcoming 133-pound match-up at the 2016 NWCA All-Star Classic on Saturday, Nov. 5 in Cleveland College recruiting news This half-hour Global Wrestling News broadcast presents the news about all aspects of amateur wrestling, in a fast-paced sports news format featuring Scott Casber and Tony Hager, along with comments and opinions from wrestling aficionado Wayne Eric Boyd, who champions the oldest and greatest sport. Global Wrestling News is a subsidiary of Global Wrestling Championships and owned by Titan Mercury Wrestling Club. This week's show has been posted at TheMat.com, TMWC1.com, and Takedown Wrestling's website. In addition, it is available on Takedown Wrestling's YouTube channel. What's more, you'll find Global Wrestling News on these cable, satellite and broadcast channels. (All times Central.). 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. Cox Cable: Sunday 9:30 a.m. Fight Network HD: Sundays at 4:00 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 a.m. Suddenlink Cable: Check your local listings. Multiple air times.

Anthony Mantanona celebrates after winning a Junior Greco-Roman title in Fargo (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com) New head coach Lou Rosselli continues to create extreme positive momentum even before the University of Oklahoma had wrestled a single match during the 2016-17 season. The latest development is the verbal commitment of two-time state medalist and now two-time Super 32 Challenge placer Anthony Mantanona (Palm Desert, Calif.). Ranked No. 32 overall in the Class of 2017, Mantanona is the fifth top 100 commit for the Sooners in this class. He joins No. 22 Dominick Demas (Dublin Coffman, Ohio), No. 33 Kyle Lawson (Olentangy Liberty, Ohio), No. 52 Tanner Litterell (Tuttle, Okla.), and No. 90 Jake Woodley (North Allegheny, Pa.) as commitments to date. Mantanona, who projects as a 174/184 in college, was also a FloNationals champion this spring and a Junior Greco-Roman champion this summer.

State champion Ethan Smith (Sparrows Point, Md.) verbally committed to Iowa State on Sunday morning. The No. 73 overall senior is the fifth top 100 commit for the Cyclones in their 2017 recruiting class. While competing in Pennsylvania for Greater Latrobe as a sophomore, Smith qualified for the state tournament. Since the end of the 2015-16 high school season, Smith placed third at the Flo Nationals and third at the Super 32 Challenge. He also was eighth at the Flo Nationals during the spring of 2015. Smith projects to compete as a 174 pound wrestler in college. He will join No. 13 Austin Gomez (Glenbard North, Ill.), No. 24 Jarod Verkleeren (Belle Vernon Area, Pa.), No. 28 Jake Allar (St. Michael-Albertville, Minn.), and No. 68 Marcus Coleman (Ames, Iowa) in the Cyclones 2017 recruiting class.

John Smith coaching with Eric Guerrero (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) John Smith remains undefeated as a wrestler at Gallagher-Iba Arena, as the former Cowboy mat champ and long-time head wrestling coach at Oklahoma State pinned Cowgirl softball coach Kenny Gajewski at the Homecoming & Hoops event in Stillwater Friday night. The match -- held during the traditional scrimmage featuring Oklahoma State men's and women's basketball teams held during the school's annual Homecoming weekend -- was the product of a bet in which Gajewski would have to wrestle Smith, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, if his players were hit by 50 pitches during the season. The Cowgirls made it into the NCAA tournament, were hit by 55 pitches, and what was to be a private wrestling-room match between the two coaches became something much larger and more public. Smith is now 52-0 at Gallagher-Iba, adding to his perfect record built in his collegiate mat career as a Cowboy in the team's storied arena from 1984-88, winning two NCAA Division I individual titles. "It's always nice to win in Gallagher-Iba Arena," Smith told the Daily O'Collegian, the Oklahoma State student newspaper. "It's a good feeling. No matter what I feel like in the morning, I'm glad I got that feeling one more time." The Mat vs Bat bout opened with some of the trappings of a big-time wrestling event. Smith and Gajewski each came out of smoke-filled tunnels on the opposite sides of the arena. Members of the Oklahoma State wrestling team, who were holding bats, accompanied Gajewski, wearing a black robe and headgear. Members of the softball team escorted Smith out of the other tunnel. Women's basketball coach Jim Littell served as the referee of the match. "Gajewski started out by shoving Smith to the mat," according to the Stillwater News-Press. "The arena roared in disbelief as David had knocked down Goliath. However, Smith wasn't fazed. The shove had caught him off-guard, but he knew Gajewski could be knocked back down a peg." "When he pushed me that first time, I thought, 'This guy is serious,'" Smith told the Stillwater newspaper of his opponent and fellow coach, who admitted he had only one week of wrestling experience back in school. "You know I thought we were going to kind of play around a little bit, but it kind of woke me up and gave me a little bit of initiative to get going." Referee Littell also got in on the action. Midway through the match, Littell got down on all fours behind Smith's legs before Gajewski shoved Smith, forcing him to crash down to the mat, the O'Colly reported. "Those guys teamed up against me," Smith said. "I don't know if they had that in the script. I didn't see that. I was a little bit shocked. I kinda wanted to grab ahold of Littell. In the end, two of them couldn't get it done." "The two coaches exchanged blows over the course of the match, but Smith emerged victorious," according to the News-Press. "He recorded a couple takedowns of Gajewski before finally pinning him to end the match." After Littell raised Smith's hand in victory, Gajewski said his debt to his team was paid. When asked if he would possibly consider making the same bet, he said he would have some different bets, but wrestling Smith would not be one of them. "I'll pay bets, I have no problem there," Gajewski said. "If this helps our team, I'm all good. I'm really proud of them. This meant a lot to them and I want to be a coach they can trust. That's part of this. … We'll have some more goals next year, but wrestling John will not be on my list, I've got that one done." The Mat vs Bat event generated interest far beyond Gallagher-Iba Arena and the Oklahoma State campus. As of Saturday morning, the InterMat article announcing the John Smith vs. Kenny Gajewski match had been shared approximately 1,500 times.

Junior National freestyle All-American A.J. Pedro (Phillips Exeter, N.H.) verbally committed to Brown University early on Friday evening. The No. 66 overall prospect in the Class of 2017 placed third as both a freshman and sophomore at the National Prep Championships, but did not compete at this past year's tournament. He projects to compete at 184 pounds for the Bears in college, and joins No. 64 Bryce Rogers (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.) as a top 100 commit to Brown in the 2017 class.

BLACKSBURG -- Head coach Kevin Dresser has announced the matchups for the Virginia Tech wrestling program's annual Maroon & Orange scrimmage. The intrasquad will take place on Saturday, Oct. 29, at 1! 0 a.m. in the back gym of Cassell Coliseum. The scrimmage is free admission and updates can be found on Twitter, @VT_Wrestling, and Facebook. The Hokies enter the 2016-17 campaign ranked No. 4 by FloWrestling and No. 6 by InterMat after finishing fourth, a program-best, at the NCAA Wrestling Championships last season. Tech also finished with an undefeated ACC dual season and a big victory over Michigan in the inaugural National Duals Championship Series. Nine NCAA qualifiers, six All-Americans and two defending ACC champions are back for the Hokies including seniors Joey Dance at 125 and heavyweight Ty Walz. Walz will be competing in the prestigious NWCA All-Star Classic for the second-consecutive year on Nov. 5 in his native Cleveland. Also competing on Saturday in the back gym will be All-Americans Zach Epperly, Solomon Chishko and Jared Haught. The Hokies will open the season at home on Saturday, November 5th, with a doubleheader in Cassell Coliseum, taking on Edinboro and VMI beginning at 1 p.m. MATCHUPS 1. 157 (1) - Derek Ciavarro vs. Sal Mastriani 2. 157 (2) - Ryan Blees vs. B.C. LaPrade 3. 174 - Cody Hughes vs. Brooks Wilding 4. 125 - Joey Dance vs. Joey Prata 5. 133 - Ryan Haskett vs. Dominic Latona 6. 141 - Dennis Gustafson vs. Brendan Ryan 7. 149 - Solomon Chishko vs. Mattheos Lozier 8. 165 - David Bergida vs. Mike Ciavarro 9. 184 - Zack Zavatsky vs. T.J. Allen 10. 197 - Jared Haught vs. Dylan Cook 11. 157 - 157 1 winner vs. 157 2 winner 12. 174 - Zach Epperly vs. Match 3 winner

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan wrestling team will informally kick off its 2016-17 season on Sunday (Oct. 30) with the annual Maize and Blue Intrasquad at 1 p.m. at Cliff Keen Arena. Admission is free. The Maize and Blue Intrasquad typically serves as the final round of wrestle-offs to determine the Wolverines' starting lineup. Preliminary matches and the first match of each weight's best-of-three final were held Thursday (Oct. 27) at the Bahna Wrestling Center. Due to a handful of nagging injuries, additional wrestle-off matches will occur at a later date. Maize and Blue Intrasquad Lineups: 125 pounds: Mike Volyanyuk (Maize) vs. Austin Assad (Blue) Assad leads the series, 1-0 133 pounds: Stevan Micic (Maize) vs. K.J. Suitor (Blue) Micic leads the series, 1-0 141 pounds: Sal Profaci (Maize) vs. George Fisher (Blue) Profaci leads the series, 1-0 149 pounds: Malik Amine (Maize) vs. Zac Hall (Blue) Hall leads the series, 1-0 157 pounds: Brian Murphy (Maize) vs. Jordan Amine (Blue) 165 pounds: Aaron Calderon (Maize) vs. Logan Massa (Blue) 174 pounds: No Match - postponed 184 pounds: Domenic Abounader (Maize) vs. Ernest Battaglia (Blue) Abounader leads the series, 1-0 197 pounds: No Match - postponed 285 pounds: Kostya Golobokov (Maize) vs. Ty Wildmo (Blue) Wildmo leads the series, 1-0 Fans can follow the event live through the Michigan wrestling Twitter (@umichwrestling). Michigan will send the bulk of its roster to participate in the Eastern Michigan Open next Saturday (Nov. 5) at the EMU Convocation Center, while senior Brian Murphy will compete in the 157-pound contest at the NWCA All-Star Classic that evening in Cleveland, Ohio. The Wolverines will kick off the dual-meet portion of their 2016-17 schedule on Friday, January 11, hosting Virginia at 7 p.m. at Keen Arena. Season and individual meet tickets are available online or by calling the ticket office at (734) 764-0247 or (866) 296-MTIX. Group tickets are also available for groups of 10 or more.

Last week's mailbag churned up a productive discussion on the role of women in the future of wrestling in America. Forgiving outliers, most fans agreed that women should have a role in the sport of wrestling, even though that type of consensus is decades delayed. At some point we will look back and see that the women's current role in the sport (while an improvement) is still woefully inadequate. We are a sport that honors meritocracy and thus should be a sport that welcomes and promotes progress not panders to backwards ideologies. This is clear and simple. Women are wrestlers and wrestlers are women. That role is historic, that role is contemporary and that role will be the future of our sport. It's time to get on board or get out of the way. If you need an introduction to women's struggle for recognition in the sport, pre-order "Wrestle Like a Girl" written by Jamie Moffatt and Craig Sesker. The more you know … To your questions … Isaiah Martinez gets his hand raised after winning in the NCAA semifinals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Q: Isaiah Martinez's Twitter bio says "The face of NCAA wrestling." Do you agree with him? If not, who is the face of NCAA wrestling? -- Mike C. Foley: Two-time NCAA champion with some crafty language skills! I think that he is one of the faces, but in stating "NCAA wrestling" on his Twitter bio, I think he might be acknowledging Kyle Snyder's celebrity and Olympic gold medal. No question that Imar has captured the imagination of the younger wrestling crowd and created a sincere and deep admiration of the older crowd. He's a generational talent, lovable and a total hard ass. What's not to love? The face? Nah, there are many, but he is one of the top celebrities in the sport and I respect the self-promotion. Team Imar. Q: There will be some intriguing matches when Ohio State travels to Tempe to wrestle Arizona State on Nov. 19. Bo Jordan and Zahid Valencia will likely wrestle at 174 pounds, and Nathan Tomasello and Ali Naser will meet at 133 pounds. What sides would you bet with these lines? 174: Bo Jordan -2/Zahid Valencia +2 133: Nathan Tomasello -3.5/Ali Naser +3.5 -- Mike C. Foley: Making lines is always a blast, none more so than when two of the wrestlers are largely unproven at the NCAA level. Are you adjusting for their redshirt freshman status? Are you operating on insider information? With 2 and 3.5 point spreads I'm very much inclined to take book action with Ohio State. They are proven Division I winners with several big matches under their belt. While Zahid Valencia and Ali Naser have the home-mat advantage, I don't know what type of crowd Coach Jones will have supporting his new all-star lineup, especially this early in the season. So, in short, the lines are soft, but I do think this will be an excellent barometer to measure where Arizona State is in developing their big-name talent. Many programs have hired new head coaches, recruited well and then failed to grow that talent. Coach Jones won't follow that path, but it's important to keep in mind that a winning program takes the right combination of talent, timing and coaching. If Jones can pull off a victory over Ohio State -- if Naser and Valencia can step up on the big stage -- it'll show that Sun Devil program is progressing through a full maturation off and on the mat. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Brent Metcalf in Tokyo teaching wrestling is among my favorite moments on Twitter. Love this guy. Solid self-promotion from Conor McGregor Link: Mates to Mentor: How Franklin Gomez sparked Jaime Espinal's success Q: Will Oklahoma State win the Duals championship? -- @MtBSpartans Foley: Yes! Maybe? While Penn State's dominance over the past several years leaves me uncertain about placing any large bets, the best wrestling team in the country is in Oklahoma -- and they have a pretty damn good coach, too. The only problem will be how the dual meet season shakes out in and out of conference. Though we know there is no guarantee of a 1-2 matchup, I'd like to know that there will be less interference in this year's bowl season. Americans often complain about the follow-the-leader style of international wrestling because they want to see the best rewarded for their hard work. I think that same logic can be applied to the bowl selections at the end of the season. Mark Cody coaching against Missouri last season (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Q: Do you expect Mark Cody to return to college wrestling coaching at some point? Or do you think he's retired from coaching? -- Mike C. Foley: I find it tough to think about college wrestling without Mark Cody. For more than four decades he's worked for the sport in nearly every capacity and had success at each step. Oklahoma seems to have been a late career letdown, but I don't know that it should be enough to pull him off the mats. My hope is that Coach Cody will become an athletic director, or take on a senior leadership role at a school that could use his leadership skills. We have lots of great young coaches who can stay on the NCAA Division I grind, but there are few that would be capable of handling large administrative tasks. Mark Cody is the type of wrestling leader able to grow the sport from the C-suite, but I'd miss seeing him on the mats. Q: Any rules changes this year? Any new rules being tested at the NWCA All-Star Classic? -- @kuhn23 Foley: Not that I'm aware of.

Photo/LehighSports.com BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Lehigh kicked off the 2016-17 wrestling season with the annual Brown and White Wrestle-offs Thursday evening inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. Eleven bouts were contested on the evening with many of the Mountain Hawks being aggressive and looking to score points, especially in the middle weights. "The guys looked pretty relaxed and that's usually not the case during a wrestle-off," Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro said. "Obviously we have a couple things to work on. We have a couple guys who need to do a little better job with their weight management. That's something that we'll focus on over the next couple of weeks." A pair of true freshmen started the evening with Nick Farro riding a pair of first period takedowns to a 5-3 win over Joe Lobeck. "Nick and Joe went out and just wrestled," Santoro said. "It looked like they were having fun. They were very relaxed in this atmosphere, which was good to see. Usually that first time out you don't know what to expect. They set the tempo for what was a pretty good night." In one of the more highly anticipated matches of the night, deferred freshman Ryan Pomrinca scored a double leg takedown in the final seconds of the third period to knock off returning All-American Randy Cruz 2-1. In the first of two bouts at 149 sophomore Camden Fischer trailed sophomore Brandon Diaz 2-1 after one period but Fischer turned the tides, riding out the second period and then getting a reversal, a penalty point and a two point near fall to win 7-3. Another intriguing bout matched senior Laike Gardner and sophomore Cortlandt Schuyler at 149. Both wrestlers showed early offense, with Schuyler scoring the only takedown of the first period, but Garner broke a 2-2 tie with a takedown on the edge in the second period. Schuyler suffered an apparent ankle injury on the Gardner takedown and elected to default with an injury. There were two entertaining bouts at 165. Sophomore Ian Brown scored early, while junior Drew Longo picked up the pace in the third period. A late Longo score plus a slight riding time advantage gave him a 9-7 victory. The second bout at 165 was a wildly entertaining matchup between sophomore Gordon Wolf and freshman Chase Gallik. A 23-point first period saw Gallik build an early 8-1 lead and eventually lead 13-10 after three minutes. Wolf battled back in the second period and when the dust settled in the third, a 2:02 riding time advantage gave Wolf the hard-fought 18-17 victory. "That match went like we thought it would," Santoro said. "They wrestled about a week ago. It was almost an identical type of match and fun to watch. They just let it fly. You want everyone to go out there with that kind of attitude, to go out and wrestle your style. Obviously those guys have very unique styles but they like to score points. That's the most important thing." In his first bout up at 174, sophomore Ryan Preisch racked up more than three minutes of riding time in a 10-1 major decision over Charlie Sell. Preisch scored two first period takedowns and added a four-point near fall to lead 8-1 after one. In a matchup of deferred freshmen at 184, Andew Price scored a takedown in each of the first two periods to top Paul Dunn 5-3. At 197, senior Ben Haas built an early 6-0 lead on sophomore Garett Stehley on the way to a 17-2 technical fall victory. The final bout of the night matched fifth-year senior Doug Vollaro and true freshman Jordan Wood at heavyweight. Tied 1-1 in the third, Vollaro picked up a late takedown to knock off the Junior World Team member 3-1. Thursday night's unofficial team score had the White team defeating the Brown 27-14. Prior to the start of Thursday night's wrestle-offs, seniors Mitch Minotti and Laike Gardner and junior Drew Longo were announced as captains for the 2016-17 season. "They've been the ones leading this team all summer long and into the fall," Santoro said. "They're three great leaders and great people. It's what they do every day. It's not a sometimes thing. It's all the time, and that's the most important thing." The Mountain Hawks will send a contingent of wrestlers to the Nov. 6 East Stroudsburg Open before opening the dual meet season on Nov. 11 when Lehigh hosts Bucknell inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at any time by visiting LehighTickets.com or by calling 610-7LU-GAME during business hours. Results: 133 - Nick Farro (White) dec. Joe Lobeck (Brown) 5-3 141 - Ryan Pomrinca (White) dec. Randy Cruz (Brown) 2-1 149 - Camden Fischer (Brown) dec. Brandon Diaz (White) 7-3 149 - Laike Gardner (White) injury default Cortlandt Schuyler (Brown) 4:48 157 - Jordan Kutler (Brown) tech fall Kent Lane (White) 16-0, 2:22 165 - Drew Longo (White) dec. Ian Brown (Brown) 9-7 165 - Gordon Wolf (Brown) dec. Chase Gallik (White) 18-17 174 - Ryan Preisch (White) major dec. Charlie Sell (Brown) 10-1 184 - Andrew Price (White) dec. Paul Dunn (Brown) 5-3 197 - Ben Haas (White) tech fall Garett Stehley (Brown) 17-2, 5:37 285 - Doug Vollaro (Brown) dec. Jordan Wood (White) 3-1

Coming off a most excellent 2016 recruiting class that was ranked seventh overall in Division I, and was anchored by three top 100 recruits, 2017 recruiting is headed in a similar direction for Purdue. On Thursday afternoon, the Boilermakers secured a verbal commitment from Anthony Falbo (Newtown, Ct.), who is ranked No. 49 overall in the Class of 2017. The New England regional champion, who has placed top three at that tournament all three years of his high school career to date, has a very robust scholastic wrestling resume. It includes a fourth place finish competing at 182 pounds in the Junior National freestyle tournament this summer, titles at both the NHSCA Sophomore and Junior Nationals, and a seventh place finish at the Super 32 Challenge in the fall of 2015. Falbo had earlier made a verbal commitment to Army West Point, but now joins No. 62 Parker Filius (Havre, Mont.) and No. 88 Max Lyon (Western Dubuque, Iowa) as elite Purdue recruits in the 2017 class. He projects as a 174/184 in college.

This week's Takedown TV covers all levels of amateur wrestling. Among this week's features: An inside look at the Olympic Training Center Big 12 previews: Oklahoma State, Wyoming and South Dakota State One-on-one with North Carolina State's Max Rohskopf Watch this week's episode here… or at the Takedown Wrestling's YouTube Channel. In addition, Takedown Wrestling TV is aired on these television networks. All air times are Central. 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. 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. The lead producer for the show is Brad Johnson of Takedown Wrestling Media. Feedback is encouraged, and should be sent to brad.takedown@gmail.com. Websites interested in adding Takedown Wrestling should contact Tony Hager of Takedown Media at hagertakedown@gmail.com.

John Smith coaching at the NCAAs (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Imagine taking on long-time Oklahoma State wrestling coach John Smith in a wrestling match ... on a bet. That's exactly the situation Oklahoma State women's softball coach Kenny Gajewski faces at the school's Homecoming and Hoops event inside Gallagher-Iba Arena this Friday night. Gajewski, who became the Cowgirl softball coach in 2015, will be wrestling the legendary Smith -- now in his 26th year as coach at his collegiate alma mater -- all because of a bet he made with his players at the start of last season. If team members got hit by a pitch 50 times over the course of the season, he'd wrestle Smith, a true icon in the sport, with two NCAA titles, two Olympic gold medals, and six World championships. What seemed like a sure "this is never gonna happen" bet at the beginning of the season for coach Gajewski became reality, as the Oklahoma State women qualified for the NCAA tournament. The Cowgirls were able to achieve that mark in their 55th game of the year. Even John Smith didn't think he'd ever have to face Gajewski on the mat when first told of the bet. "They told me when I agreed to it that there was no way that they could get hit 50 times. Don't ever say 'no way' to women that are motivated," Smith told the Stillwater News-Press. "I'm going to live up to it and I'd say I have a pretty good shot." Gajewski said the bet was originally to be settled with the two coaches squaring off in the Oklahoma State wrestling room, with the softball players getting front-row seats. However, with Smith's busy schedule -- including time spent at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro this summer as a contributor to NBC Sports coverage of wrestling at the Games -- the much-anticipated match got pushed back further and further … until it bumped up against Homecoming. Now what was going to be a bet-settling bout held essentially in private will now be on display for all to see -- for free -- at Gallagher-Iba Arena which hosted more than its fair share of wrestling events -- including a number of NCAA championships -- since it first opened in 1939. There is one upside for Gajewski in the change of venue. "I was going to wear a singlet -- and the singlet was disgusting because it had a kitty cat on it," the Cowgirl softball coach said. "But when it got moved to this, we both said that singlets are out. We're going to wrestle in regular clothes, so for that reason there, I'm glad that it's Friday night and not in our own room." The "Mat vs. Bat" bout between coaches John Smith and Kenny Gajewski is just part of the festivities slated for Friday night at Gallagher-Iba, which also will include scrimmages for both men's and women's Oklahoma State basketball teams as part of Oklahoma State Homecoming 2016. Doors open at 8 p.m.; action begins at 9 p.m. Admission is free.

Soslan Tigiev Eight years after winning silver medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, two men's freestyle wrestlers have been stripped of their honors for positive doping retests, the International Olympic Committee announced Wednesday. Uzbekistan's Soslan Tigiev and Taimuraz Tigiyev of Kazakhstan are among nine athletes who have been disqualified from the 2008 Games because samples taken eight years ago only recently retested indicated doping took place at the time. Tigiev, 33, who competed for Uzbekistan in men's freestyle at 66-74 kilograms/145-163 pounds, originally placed second at the 2008 Olympics, and was awarded a silver medal. Tigiev has been disqualified because a re-analysis of his samples from those Games resulted in a positive test for the prohibited substance dehydrochlormethyltestosterone (turinabol). Tigieyev, 34, wrestled for Kazakhstan at 84-96 kilograms/185-211 pounds in men's freestyle where he originally placed second and was presented with a silver medal. However, thanks to a retest of his sample submitted during competition in Beijing nearly a decade ago, Tigieyev has been disqualified for using the prohibited substance dehydrochlormethyltestosterone (turinabol). The Olympic federations of the two athletes' respective countries must return their athletes' silver medals, along with the medalist pin and the diploma each was awarded, according to the IOC. United World Wrestling, the international wrestling federation, has yet to announce the new medal winners from Beijing at these two weight classes. Team USA wrestlers in these weight classes at the 2008 Beijing Olympics were Ben Askren (74 kg) and Daniel Cormier (96 kg). Askren placed seventh; Cormier did not compete after making weight for medical reasons and placed 19th. The additional analyses on samples collected during the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympics have been performed with improved analytical methods, in order to possibly detect prohibited substances that could not be identified by the analysis performed at the time of these editions of the Olympic Games, according to the IOC.