InterMat Staff

PITTSBURGH -- Former Pitt wrestler Tyler Nauman has been added to the wrestling coaching staff for the upcoming season as a volunteer assistant, head coach Jason Peters announced Monday. “It's exciting to have someone who had so much success on the mat during his career at Pitt come back and teach our guys,” Peters said. “He will bring more confidence and a winning attitude to our team.” Nauman returns to the University of Pittsburgh after various coaching stints at the collegiate, club and high school levels, including Team Nauman Wrestling Club, South Park High School and Drexel University. “Having the opportunity to come back and coach at Pitt where I wrestled has been a dream of mine since the day I left,” Nauman said. “Pitt provided me with a number of great opportunities and I'm happy to be able to provide these same opportunities to all current and future Panthers. I hope to bring a lot of new energy and focus to the wrestlers and program, leading to many national champions and All-Americans.” During his time as a Panther, Nauman etched his name in the record book after amassing the third-most wins (141) and falls (39) in a career. He was also a two-time All-American, four-time NCAA qualifier, four-time EWL champion and joined an elite group of Pitt wrestlers after collecting a perfect 18-0 record against EWL opponents during the 2009-10 season. Pitt returns five of six NCAA qualifiers from a year ago to a team that finished 10-7 overall and was ranked among the top 25 in the USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll for nine straight weeks.

Mijain Lopez became the third Greco-Roman wrestler to win three Olympic gold medals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) RIO DE JANEIRO -- Mijain Lopez Nunez of Cuba made history by winning the Greco-Roman superheavyweight championship at the 2016 Rio Games, becoming only the third Greco wrestler -- and ninth overall -- to win a trio of Olympic gold medals, while Russia's Davit Chakvetadze claimed gold at 85 kilograms/187 pounds in the second day of wrestling competition Monday. Medal matches at 130 kilograms In a battle of two big men who had served as flag bearers for their respective nations at the Opening Ceremonies a week ago Friday, No. 2-ranked Lopez shut out top-ranked Riza Kayaalp of Turkey, 6-0, to claim his third Olympic gold medal, to go with those won in Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012. The Cuban opened the bout with a four-point chest lock to take a 4-0 lead. Adding a step out and a caution point, and it was all Lopez, who was avenging his loss to Kayaalp in the finals of the 2015 World Championships. Lopez will need a bigger display case to hold his hardware. In addition to now having three Olympic gold medals, Lopez also owns five World titles and three World silver medals. In bronze-medal competition at 130 kilos, the winners were No. 15-ranked Sabah Shariati of Azerbaijan and Russia's Sergey Semenov, ranked sixth. Shariati pinned No. 4-ranked Eduard Popp of Germany in 1:47, while Semenov -- a two-time Junior World champ -- racked up points instantly with a five-point throw to defeat two-time World champion Heiki Nabi of Estonia, 6-0, for his bronze medal. Davit Chakvetadze celebrates after winning gold (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Medal matches at 85 kilograms Russia's Chakvetadze won his gold medal at 85 kilos in dominant style, upsetting defending World champion Zhan Beleniuk of Ukraine, 9-2. The third-ranked Chakvetadze "unleased an assault of par terre attacks" (to quote USA Wrestling's Richard Immel) on the top-ranked Beleniuk in the second period to score the win. Claiming bronze medals at 85 kilos were Belarus' Javid Hamzatau and Denis Kudla of Germany. No. 13-ranked Hamzatau defeated No. 14 Nikolai Bayrakov of Bulgaria, 4-1, while Kudla narrowly escaped with a 3-3 criteria win over Viktor Lorincz of Hungary to become the 32nd Olympic medal for Germany in Greco-Roman. Disappointing day for USA Both of Team USA's Greco-Roman wrestlers competing on Monday -- Robby Smith at 130 kilos, and Ben Provisor at 85 kilos, each lost his opening-round match, so each placed 12th in his respective bracket. Team USA had no entries for Tuesday's competition at 66 kilos and 98 kilos -- the last day for Greco-Roman wrestling. Therefore, no U.S. Greco wrestlers will have earned a medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, the second consecutive Olympics where Team USA failed to medal in Olympic Greco competition.  

Brent Metcalf wrestling at the 2015 World Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Brent Metcalf, all-time University of Iowa mat great, appears to be moving away from freestyle competition as he prepares to become an assistant wrestling coach at Cedar Rapids Prairie High School, according reports at IAWrestle.com and Trackwrestling.com Monday. In a Trackwrestling story titled "Metcalf likely stepping away from competition for 2017," Andy Hamilton wrote, "Brent Metcalf isn't ready yet to close the door on his career as a competitor, but it appears the four-time World Team member is leaning toward hanging up his shoes," adding that the former Hawkeye mat champ is likely will step away from competition in 2017. "That's kind of how I'm moving forward," Metcalf told Trackwrestling. "My intention was to be done after the Olympic Games. Just because I didn't get what I want, that doesn't mean I go do it anyway and change plans." In recent years, Metcalf had been arguably a major force in the 65 kilogram/143-pound weight class in men's freestyle. However, at last April's U.S. Olympic Team Trials at Carver-Hawkeye Arena -- what had been his home gym as an Iowa wrestler -- he lost to Penn State mat alum Frank Molinaro, who will be wrestling for Team USA later this week at the 2016 Rio Olympics. IAWrestle.com -- a website that covers wrestling in the state of Iowa -- reported that Metcalf would be taking an assistant coach position at Prairie, joining Kane Thompson's staff. "It was one of those things where we both kind of knew the same person and things just kind of got hooked up in the right way," Prairie coach Kane Thompson told IA Wrestle. "I couldn't be more excited for somebody like that to be willing to come and take their time and be willing to help some high school kids and a high school team, and help them continue to grow and reach the vision that we are trying to set at Prairie." In a May interview with Takedown Wrestling, Metcalf said that his wife, Kristen, was working toward a graduate degree at the University of Iowa and that it would take "a pretty great opportunity" to uproot him from Iowa City. (Prairie High is located just off I-380, the highway that links Iowa City and Cedar Rapids a few minutes to the north.) This past season Cedar Rapids Prairie qualified eight wrestlers for the state tournament, with four of those wrestlers earning a spot on the stand, IA Wrestle reported. Their 62 team points was good enough for a seventh-place team finish. Since its inception in 1956, Prairie has won two Iowa team titles (1979, 1995), two Iowa dual team titles (1994, 1998) and 36 district championships. Brent Metcalf, who turned 30 last month, has crafted a sparkling wrestling career at all levels. He was a four-time Michigan state champ at Davison High, with a perfect 228-0 record. As an Iowa Hawkeye, Metcalf was a three-time NCAA Division I finalist, winning the 149-pound title in 2008 and 2010. He earned the Hodge Trophy as the nation's outstanding college wrestler in 2008. Among Metcalf's accomplishments as a freestyle wrestler: a two-time medalist in World Cup competition (bronze in 2014, silver in 2015), and the gold medal at the Pan Ams in 2015, and bronze in 2009.

Ben Provisor dropped his opening match at the Olympic Games (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) RIO DE JANEIRO -- Team USA's Ben Provisor and Robby Smith were knocked out of medal contention in their opening-round matches in Day 2 of Greco-Roman competition at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro Monday. Provisor, 26, wrestling at 85 kilograms/187 pounds, lost to No. 2 seed Rustam Assakolov of Uzbekistan, 6-3. The match had been 2-1 when the defending World silver medalist scored a four-point throw to make the score 6-1. Provisor added two points later in the bout, but it wasn't enough for the Stevens Point, Wisconsin native to reverse the outcome. "I have to hope that I can come back in four years and do it again," said Provisor. "It sucks that I didn't have the chance to go as far in this tournament than I wanted to but it is a live-and-learn process. The last three or four years, I have not been able to be on this stage. Now that I have gotten on this stage, I know I can wrestle and bang with these guys as well as I can. I made one mistake. I let the refs get to me a little bit and it is what it is." Robby Smith fell to Sabah Shariati of Azerbaijan (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Smith, 29, the U.S. representative at 130 kilograms/286 pounds, fell to Sabah Shariati of Azerbaijan, 8-2. The California big man put points on the board first with a two-point arm throw to make the score 2-0. The No. 15-ranked Shariati scored a takedown and three gut-wrench turns to erase Smith's lead, and win by six points. "I was prepared for this day," Smith said after his match. "This is the day I have been looking for my whole entire life. I was very excited to wrestle. I was in the best condition in my life. I thought I wrestled a very good match. I was prepared to go four matches today. It didn't happen." Neither Provisor nor Smith qualified for the repechage after their opening-round rivals lost in the next round of competition. Today's losses -- coupled with Sunday's disappointing results for Jesse Thielke and Andy Bisek at 59 kilograms/130 pounds and 75 kilograms/165 pounds respectively, and having no wrestlers qualify for action Tuesday at 66 kg and 98 kg -- mean that the U.S. Greco-Roman wrestlers will have failed to earn a medal at a second consecutive Olympics, having left London without any hardware in 2012 and now Rio in 2016. Adam Wheeler was the last American to medal in Greco-Roman at the Olympics, earning a bronze in 2008. "They have done everything I asked them to do," said U.S. head coach Matt Lindland. "We have got to continue doing what we are doing. I fell in love with the team, the guys. They are a part of each other's lives. They are more than a team; they are a family." The gold-medal match at 85 kg will feature defending World champion and top-ranked Zhan Beleniuk of Ukraine taking on Russia's David Chavketadze, ranked No. 3 in the world. At 130 kg, it'll be a battle of two big men who carried the flags for their respective nations at the Opening Ceremonies last weekend in Rio. Top-ranked Riza Kayaalp of Turkey will tangle with Cuba's Mijain Lopez Nunez, ranked No. 2, for the gold at 130 kilograms.

Ismael Borrero Molina celebrates with the Cuban flag (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Medal matches at 59 kilograms Cuba's Ismael Borrero Molina won the gold medal at 59 kilograms in dominant style with an 8-0 technical fall over 12th-ranked Shinobu Ota of Japan. The top-ranked, 24-year-old Cuban -- who had won the gold at the 2015 World Championships in Las Vegas -- opened up the scoring in the first period with a four-point throw, followed with a turn to take a 6-0 lead. He then followed with a takedown in the second period to claim the gold. Stig-Andre Berge and Elmurat Tasmuradov each won bronze medals at 59 kilograms. The No. 8 ranked Berge of Norway won his first Olympic medal -- and the first for his country since 1992 -- by defeating Azerbaijan's Rovshan Bayramov in a 1-1 criteria decision. Bayramov, who had been ranked No. 2 in the world, scored the first point off passivity, but Berge came back to score the final point to take the match. Uzbekistan's ninth-ranked Tasmuradov defeated No. 7 ranked Arsen Eraliev of Kazakhstan, 13-8. Tasmuradov led 5-0 after the first period and appeared to be in control. Eraliev came out strong in the second, scoring a four-point throw on the way to knotting the score 6-6. In the third period, Tasmuradov broke the tie it to take a five-point victory. Russia's Roman Vlasov repeated as Olympic champ (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Medal matches at 75 kilograms In the battle for gold, Russia's top-ranked Roman Vlasov claimed his second straight Olympic title by defeating No. 3 Mark Madsen of Denmark, 5-1, using a four-point throw in the first period to build an insurmountable lead. One could consider Madsen the perpetual bridesmaid; he is now a five-time silver medalist in world-level events. Iran's Saeid Mourad Abdvali and Korea's Kim Hyeon-Woo will each be bringing home bronze medals at 75 kilograms. Abdvali defeated 33-year-old Peter Bacsi of Hungary, 5-2, in a battle of past world champions. The tenth-ranked Iranian scored a takedown in the first 10 seconds of the match, which was challenged and upheld, making the score 3-0. No. 8-ranked Bacsi tightened the score after a two-point throw. In the second period Abdvali added a step-out and point-off passivity to win 5-2. Kim, a 2012 London Olympic gold medalist at 66 kilograms who was ranked No. 4 in Rio, defeated Bozo Starcevic of Croatia, 6-4. The Korean jumped out to a 2-0 lead, but Starcevic came back with two gut wrench turns to take a 4-2 lead heading into the second period. In the second period Kim reversed his fortune with a duckunder and a two-point throw to get to the 6-4 win.

State champion and NHSCA Junior Nationals champion Kyle Cochran (Paramus, N.J.) verbally committed to the University of Maryland on Sunday evening. The projected 165/174 pound wrestler in college is ranked No. 56 overall in the Class of 2017. He ended the 2015-16 high school season ranked No. 17 in the country at 160 pounds.

Andy Bisek reached the quarterfinals before losing (Photo/Anne Sachs, Tech-Fall.com) RIO DE JANEIRO -- Team USA's Jesse Thielke and Andy Bisek failed to earn medals in Greco-Roman competition on the first day of wrestling at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro Sunday. Both men won their opening round matches but lost in the quarterfinal round, not qualifying for the repechage after their previous-round rivals lost in the next round of competition. Thielke, ranked No. 19 at 59 kilograms/130 pounds by United World Wrestling, scored four fast turns to earn a 8-0 technical fall over El Mahadi Messaoudi of Morocco. However, in the quarterfinals Thielke lost to four-time World medalist and two-time Olympic silver medalist Rovshan Bayramov of Azerbaijan, 9-0. After a scoreless first minute on the feet, Bayramov was awarded top position and converted on multiple turns to end the bout. Thielke's hopes of advancing were ended when Bayramov was pinned in the semifinals by Japan's Shinobu Ota, eliminating the Wisconsin native from medal contention. After falling to Bayramov, Thielke said, "It's upsetting. I should have won the match. I should have defended. I should have not challenged so many things. There's nothing you can do now. I just have to move forward." Jesse Thielke opened with a win over El Mahadi Messaoudi of Morocco (Photo/Anne Sachs, Tech-Fall.com) "The only positive I can see right now, obviously at this time, is I didn't get psyched out," said the 24-year-old Thielke. "I didn't treat this as anything but another tournament. Laser focused, head on straight the whole time, so, I mean, that's positive." Meanwhile, Bisek, ranked fifth at 75 kilograms/165 pounds, got a 1-0 decision over Cuba's Yurisandy Hernandez Rios in the opening-round match. Qualifying for the quarterfinals, Bisek lost to Bozo Starcevic of Croatia, 2-0. Bisek's medal hopes were dashed when Starcevic lost to defending Olympic champion and two-time World champion Roman Vlasov of Russia, 6-3 in the semifinals, thus eliminating Bisek from competition. In reviewing his Olympic performance, Bisek -- who will turn 30 later this week -- said, "I went out there and felt good, felt I was dominating in positions on the feet, really close to scoring and, I don't know, I didn't get a turn on top. Huge failure, and then when I went down I got turned. I should not have got turned." "I made a few mistakes," Bisek continued. "It is very frustrating, but when you win it's extremely rewarding. That's what we're doing it for, to have the total package, to have it all together on that day." In its 2016 Olympics preview issue, Sports Illustrated had predicted Bisek -- a product of Chaska, Minnesota -- would earn a silver medal in Rio. Wrestling for the gold medal at 59 kilos will be Japan's Shinobu Ota (who reached the finals with a first-round pin of Bayramov) will take on defending World champion Ismael Borrero Molina of Cuba. At 75 kilos, Vlasov will defend his 2012 Olympic title gainst five-time World medalist Mark Madsen of Denmark.

J Robinson coaching at the Big Ten Wrestling Championships (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine) The agent for suspended University of Minnesota head wrestling coach J Robinson said that negotiations for an exit strategy are falling apart, claiming that the school is trying to place all blame for allegations of some wrestlers using and selling prescription pills on the doorstep of the long-time coach, the St. Paul Pioneer-Press reported Friday. The newspaper reported that James C.W. Bock, an attorney and Robinson's agent, told WCCO Radio, "The bottom line is, in all candor, we've been negotiating with the University of Minnesota, and if the university wants a scapegoat, then pay (Robinson) his contract and kick him out the door." "From the inside, it looks to me as though the university, for some reason, wants to blame Coach Robinson for internal athletic department, and probably larger, failures." "It looks like their internal practices broke down, so they need a scapegoat," Bock said in an interview with WCCO's Mike Max. Robinson was suspended indefinitely by Athletics Director Mark Coyle on his first day on the job on June 1. The coach remains on paid administrative leave pending the results of a school investigation into the way he handled allegations that some of his wrestlers were taking and selling the prescription anti-anxiety drug Xanax. That investigation is still underway. In the meantime, Robinson has been ordered to stay off campus. In late June, Hennepin County prosecutors as well as Minneapolis city attorneys announced they would not pursue criminal charges against Gopher wrestlers suspected of using and selling Xanax earlier this year, nor would there be any obstruction charges leveled towards coach J Robinson, citing a lack of evidence. Less than two weeks ago, head assistant coach Brandon Eggum was named acting head coach. Robinson, 69, was hired as head coach at Minnesota in 1986. During that time, the Gophers have claimed their first three NCAA Division I team titles in 2001, 2002, and 2007 (placing second six times), with 62 individuals earning NCAA All-American honors, and 14 individual NCAA champs. J Rob has also guided Minnesota to six Big Ten conference team titles, with 30 Gopher wrestlers accounting for 48 individual titles. Almost exactly one year ago, Robinson's contract was extended by the university until 2019.

Kearney, Neb. -- Nebraska-Kearney Director of Athletics Dr. Paul Plinske announced today that head wrestling coach Marc Bauer is stepping down to become an assistant professor in UNK's Kinesiology and Sport Sciences Department and to pursue a Doctorate in Interdisciplinary Leadership from Creighton University. Bauer, who hopes to become a full professor in the near future, will remain involved as a part-time assistant for a program that will now be led by Dalton Jensen. An Iowa native and 2012 national champion for the Lopers, Jensen was promoted to associate head coach last fall. Dalton JensenCoach Jensen will name a head assistant coach at a later date, but Kearney wrestling legend Tom McCann and graduate assistant Zac Ondrak will round out an impressive coaching staff. "Marc and I talked extensively for the past year and a half about his future professional aspirations," Plinske said. "In working with him, it was always my goal to help him attain his goals and dreams. Marc has been a leader of one of the most successful wrestling programs in the country. He is a builder of men and a maker of champions. Knowing that we may lose him at some point to other professional opportunities was a concern of mine, but I'm thrilled that he is staying close to the program to help us transition Dalton to the head role." Taking over as head coach prior to the 1999-2000 season, Bauer has turned the Lopers into a national power. The Kearney native led UNK to three national titles (2008, 2012 and 2013), five national runner up finishes and 14 conference and regional titles. During the dual season the Lopers have gone 218-81 since 2000, including wins over five Division I members. Under Bauer's leadership, 89 of his wrestlers earned All-American honors, including 22 national champions and 15 national runners-up. One of those All-Americans and national champions, Tervel Dlagnev, will compete in the Summer Olympics next weekend. The heavyweight was named the inaugural Division II Wrestler of the Year in 2008. A recipient of numerous coaching awards, Bauer saw 136 of his wrestlers earn Academic All-American status. That long list included his son Ryan, a four-time qualifier. Since Jensen joined the coaching staff in summer 2012, the Lopers have won one national title, had two national runner-up finishes, seven individual national champs and 22 All-Americans. UNK has also won four straight MIAA (Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association) and West Region titles. "Marc and Dalton have established an outstanding program and the new leadership structure will keep this program on track for continued greatness. I could not be more excited for Marc and his new professional endeavors. Equally so, I'm fired up to work with Dalton as he begins this new chapter of his already outstanding career," said Plinske. The Missouri Valley, Ia., native began his collegiate career at Iowa State where he was a 2010 NCAA Championships qualifier. As a junior for UNK, he was a national runner up at 141 lbs., going 30-5 with a team-best 10 falls. In his senior season, Jensen helped the Lopers win its second team national title by winning the 141 lbs. class. Posting a 30-4 mark, he finished his career with 11 straight victories, capped by a fall at 4:18 in the national title match. He and his wife, Brenda (Petersen), live in Kearney. The Lopers officially hit the mats on Monday, Oct. 10. Among the returners are 2016 national champion Destin McCauley (149 lbs.), two-time All-American Keith Surber (141 lbs.), one-time All-Americans Kevin Barrett (285 lbs.) and Calvin Ochs (174 lbs.) and 2016 MIAA Freshman of the Year Zach Stodden (184 lbs.). Coach Bauer's Comments … on the timing of this decision "I have been blessed with the opportunity to be the head coach of the UNK wrestling program for 17 years. During that time, this program has flourished with amazing student-athletes and coaches coming together with the common goal and expectations of winning championships. I still feel young in years, and have always been driven to further myself and my education. To me, learning never ends. I have 18 years of successful public school teaching and 21 years of successful college coaching experience. My experience combined with additional education and growth and knowledge of leadership, I feel I have even more to offer the coaches, student-athletes, and the KSS department at UNK. I don't look at what I am doing as stepping away. I see this as an amazing opportunity for me to give back more. I will still play an important role in the UNK wrestling coaching staff, I just won't be putting in all the long hours associated with managing, marketing, and promoting the program. By reversing roles within our staff, I will have more needed time to study, teach, and direct more energy into doing the very best that I am capable of doing." .. on his new schedule "Our staff will be the same next season; however, until I develop a solid routine with my studies and teaching, I will not be as involved with daily practices and team activities. I will miss the daily interactions and spending time with our guys. Developing those close relationships with our student-athletes is integral in their development and success. I like being there for the guys." .. on Dalton Jensen "Dalton has always shown a passion for coaching. I have asked him to always think as though he were the head coach. There were many times I would catch him thinking or doing things before or as I was doing it. I have always been impressed with him on so many different levels. He does an amazing job of communicating and connecting with our community, administration, alumni, parents, student-athletes, coaches, and potential recruits, which is vital to our success. His experience as a member of our coaching staff the past four years will serve him greatly. He fully understands and embodies our team philosophy and mission and strives to keep expectations high. I have appreciated his ability to make our fundraising efforts more efficient, his drive to connect with our student-athletes intentional, and his ability to embrace and stimulate the culture within our program a priority." .. on the transition to Dalton and his coaching staff "Transitions like this are never easy, but they are inevitable. If not now, then it will take place in the future. Change is never the easiest thing in the world, but it can be very healthy for our program. Dr. Plinske has been an integral factor in this process and smooth transition, and we could not be more pleased with the manner in which he has helped us get to this point. I want all of our alumni, parents, and student-athletes to know that I am forever grateful and thankful for the opportunity to lead and be associated with the Loper Wrestling Program and Family. Our expectations for our program will continue to be high as we help provide the best training, competition, and opportunities for everyone to excel at this level. We will continue to do what it takes to help our student-athletes excel both in the classroom and on the mat. That's that "Loper Wrestling Style!" Coach Jensen's Comments … on becoming the eighth head coach in UNK history "The UNK Wrestling program has seen a wealth of success for over a decade now and I am very honored and blessed to be named the head coach of such an established and rich program. With any program there is room to improve and my staff and I will continue to build to be the most dominant program in NCAA Division II. Our program has always been very process oriented and that will continue to be our main focus moving forward. Many people have contributed to this phase of my life in addition to Coach Bauer including my parents, brothers, and most importantly my wife. I'm very grateful for the love and support these people have given me to help me attain this dream job." ... on Coach's Bauer's influence "The amount I owe to Coach Bauer in my development, not only as an athlete and coach, but as a man is insurmountable.His work ethic, high energy, and compassion are things I think of when I think of Marc Bauer.It's because of these things he has been so successful, not only in his professional career but also in caring for his family.These are things I strive for as a coach and as a young married man. This program has not only been sustainable over the last decade, but it has flourished under Coach Bauer's direction and he has left the blueprints for success in my hands. Coach Bauer has been a phenomenal mentor for me but an even better friend. I look forward to continuing to work with him and having his help in developing our student-athletes."

Matt Nagel previously served as head wrestling coach at Concordia Matt Nagel, head wrestling coach at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota is crossing the state line to become an assistant coach at North Dakota State University, the Fargo-based school announced Friday. Nagel had been on the coaching staff of the Concordia Cobbers for eight years, three years as head coach of the NCAA Division III program. By crossing the Red River of the North, Nagel will be moving to a Division I program, and joining another fellow former University of Minnesota mat star, Bison head coach Roger Kish. Nagel earned All-American honors for the Golden Gophers at 165 pounds at the 2005 NCAAs; Kish was a two-time NCAA All-American at 184 in 2006 and 2007. Since joining the Concordia coaching staff eight years ago, Nagel was named a two-time NCAA Division III West Region Coach of the Year in 2014 and 2016. While keeping Concordia among the top 25 programs nationally, he produced a pair of individual NCAA Division III champions as well as 13 NCAA All-Americans. Concordia also had 18 student-athletes earn National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) All-Academic honors. "We are excited to have Matt join the Bison wrestling program," said Kish. "He is an outstanding technician and mentor. Not only does Matt bring a great deal of experience and enthusiasm, but is well-respected all over the country." "I am very excited to join coach (Roger) Kish and coach (Jarrod) Garnett," said Nagel. "I look forward to the opportunity to coach in the Big 12, and help these young men win conference championships. My family and I are excited to be a part of the Bison family."

Kenny Moenkedick becomes the sixth head wrestling coach at Concordia since 1955 MOORHEAD, Minn. -- Concordia interim Athletic Director Rachel Bergeson announced that Phil Moenkedick has been named the new head wrestling coach. Moenkedick, who was the Cobber assistant coach, takes over for Matt Nagel who stepped down to take the position as assistant coach at North Dakota State. Moenkedick becomes only the sixth head wrestling coach at Concordia since 1955. "It was tough to see Matt go," commented Bergeson. "He has done an incredible job with the program and continuing the success his father (former Cobber head coach Clay Nagel) started 10 years ago." Matt Nagel was with the Cobber program for eight seasons including the last three as the head coach. Nagel was named the NCAA West Region Coach of the Year in 2014 and 2016 and helped 22 Concordia wrestlers earn a spot in the NCAA National Meet. Under Nagel the Cobbers were ranked in the Top 10 of the nation all three years and finished as high as 12th at the NCAA National Meet. Moenkedick is one of the most decorated wrestlers in Concordia history and has been the assistant coach for the Cobbers for the past two seasons. Moenkedick is a two-time NCAA national champion, three-time All-American and is the all-time wins leader in program history. "To have a coach like Phil on staff and be able to step into the position will be a huge asset for the program," added Bergeson. "He has been an invaluable part of the success the past two seasons and his background with Concordia makes him a terrific next step in the progression of the program." Moenkedick has had success at all levels of wrestling. He was a runner-up at the Minnesota State High School Meet for Perham high school and then flourished in college under the tutelage of Clay and Matt Nagel. Moenkedick went 135-10 in his four seasons at Concordia and had over 30 wins in three of his four years in maroon and gold. He won the NCAA title in 2010 and 2011 and was a three-time NCAA West Region champion. "I am honored to be able to carry on the tradition that Clay and Matt started," said Moenkedick. "They taught me what it was like to compete at the highest national level and I look forward to carrying on the tradition of Cobber All-Americans and high caliber student/athletes." In addition to his dominance on the mat, Moenkedick was also successful in the classroom where he earned Capital One Academic All-District Team honors in his junior and senior seasons and was a three-time Scholar All-American. Moenkedick carried a 3.50 grade point average over his four years at Concordia while majoring in Health and Physical Education. Before coming back to Concordia Phil served as an assistant coach for the Perham High School wrestling program and was a teacher at the school.

J'den Cox, Jordan Burroughs and Frank Molinaro at a press conference in Rio (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The 2016 Olympic Games wrestling competition begins on Sunday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Get ready to watch, comment and enjoy! Schedule Sunday, August 14: Greco-Roman 59,74 Monday, August 15: Greco-Roman 85, 130 Tuesday, August 16: Greco-Roman 66, 98 Wednesday, August 17: Women's 48, 58, 69 Thursday, August 18: Women's 53, 63, 75 Friday, August 19: Freestyle 57, 74 Saturday, August 20: Freestyle 86, 125 Sunday, August 21: Freestyle 65, 97 How to watch USE THIS LINK: http://uww.io/live Yes, this exact link … clicks you through and counts for the IOC metrics. Follow United World Wrestling for results, links, photos and more. InterMat will also be providing daily stories from the Rio Games. Social media Facebook Twitter Instagram Pre-Olympic rankings Greco-Roman Women's wrestling Freestyle Style previews Greco-Roman Women's wrestling Freestyle Weight class previews PLAYLIST: Olympic preview video Greco-Roman: Aug. 14: 59 kilograms and 75 kilograms Aug. 15: 85 kilograms and 130 kilograms Aug.16: 66 kilograms and 98 kilograms Women's wrestling: Aug. 17: 48 kilograms, 53 kilograms, 69 kilograms Aug. 18: 53 kilograms, 63 kilograms, 75 kilograms Freestyle: Aug. 19: 57 kilograms and 74 kilograms: Coming Friday Aug. 20: 84 kilograms and 130 kilograms: Coming Saturday Aug. 21: 65 kilograms and 97 kilograms: Coming Sunday Documentaries Kyle Snyder: Level 10 Yoshida and Icho: The Celebrity and the Samurai Battsetseg: Mongol Queen Frank Staebler: Melee Machine of Musberg

Oklahoma head wrestling coach Mark Cody (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) NORMAN -- Mark Cody announced Thursday that he has resigned as the University of Oklahoma's head wrestling coach after five years at the post. "I am extremely grateful to have had the privilege to coach at the University of Oklahoma," said Cody. "I believe it is time for new leadership and for this reason I am resigning effective immediately. I want to wish nothing but the best for everyone associated with the program." Cody, who led the Sooners to a 55-34 (.618) overall record and to a 10th-place NCAA finish in 2014, coached five OU wrestlers to a total of 10 All-America honors. Two of those wrestlers -- Kendric Maple in 2013 and Cody Brewer in 2015 -- won national championships. Cody was also instrumental in developing wrestlers off the mat and in fostering an OU Wrestling presence in the community. His student-athletes earned a total of 13 National Wrestling Coaches Association Academic All-America honors, and OU's six Academic All-Americans during the 2013-14 school year were most in the nation. He also instituted an anti-bullying campaign last year in which his wrestlers and staff routinely spoke to students at area elementary schools. "I want to express our sincere appreciation for the leadership Mark has provided the last five years," said OU Vice President and Director of Athletics Joe Castiglione. "In addition to producing some highly accomplished wrestlers, he developed high-character student-athletes who also performed well in the classroom. Mark was well respected by his student-athletes, by members of the OU community and by his peers. We thank him for his time here and we wish him the very best." Cody, who came to OU after nine years as head coach at American University, led the Eagles to a program-best fifth-place finish at the 2011 NCAA Championships. He also had assistant coaching stints at Oklahoma State, Nebraska, Missouri and Bloomsburg. From Binghamton, N.Y., Cody was a three-time All-American as a wrestler in college. He spent two years at the State University of New York at Delhi before transferring to Missouri in 1983. His greatest success came during his senior season of 1984-85 when he earned All-America status and was named the team's most outstanding wrestler. He graduated from Bellevue University with a Bachelor of Science degree in business. Castiglione said that Michael Lightner, who has served as an OU assistant coach for the last seven years, has been named interim head coach. Lightner was a four-time Big 12 champion and four-time All-American at OU, and won a national title in 2001.

Bob Boesen, a long-time fixture in the wrestling community in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, Iowa as an athlete and coach, died Thursday, August 4. He was 83. Bob Boesen with Waterloo West trophiesRobert Bernard "Bob" Boesen was born in Waterloo on Christmas Eve 1932. He wrestled at Waterloo West High School, placing third as a senior at heavyweight at the 1951 Iowa state championships for then-first-year coach Robert Siddens, one of the all-time great high school wrestling coaches. (One of Siddens' protégés: Dan Gable.) In addition, Boesen was Wahawk team captain that year. He then attended University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls where he wrestled for head coach Bill Koll, and played football as well. Boesen served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War, then was employed by the United States Postal Service until his retirement at age 60. Boesen had an enduring career as both a football and wrestling coach at schools within the Cedar Valley. He coached football at Sacred Heart School in Waterloo for 40 years, as well as serving as a wrestling coach at Sacred Heart and at Waterloo's Columbus High School through the 2016 season - more than a half-century. An award was created in coach Boesen's name at Columbus High to recognize an "unsung hero from the wrestling team who exemplifies the best qualities of not only a wrestler but a student and community member," according to his obituary. "To receive this award, a person must have the characteristics that defined Bob: a great work ethic, positive attitude, willingness to help others, and selflessly work for the betterment of others. This award, like its namesake, does so without recognition and strives to do the right thing at all times." Bob Boesen with Ken Snyder and Chuck YaglaAmong coach Boesen's honors: He was named the Iowa High School Athletic Association Junior High Coach of the Year in 1993, and, in 2004, Boesen served as an assistant coach on the Sailors' one and only state team championship. He was welcomed into the Battle of Waterloo Hall of Fame in 2012. Arguably one of Boesen's most accomplished wrestlers was Chuck Yagla, two-time NCAA champ for the University of Iowa (1975, 1976), assistant to Dan Gable at Iowa for four seasons, member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic men's freestyle team, and NCAA referee for nearly a quarter-century. "(Boesen) influenced many, many young men throughout his years at Sacred Heart Grade School and also Columbus High School," Yagla told InterMat. "He started the wrestling program at Sacred Heart when I was in the fifth grade ... Coach Boesen was very good at teaching the fundamentals and of course he was coached by the legendary Bob Siddens (Coach Siddens' first year at Waterloo West was Bob Boesen's senior year in high school). I always tell people that I was indirectly a product of Coach Siddens as I was coached by two of his pupils -- Bob Boesen and Dan Gable!" Bob Boesen is survived by his wife of nearly 60 years, Betty; three sons; a daughter; and four grandchildren. Visitation will take place Thursday, Aug. 18 at Locke Funeral Home, 1519 West Fourth St. in Waterloo from 4-7 p.m. Services will be held Friday, Aug. 19 at 10:30 a.m. at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 627 West Fourth Street in Waterloo.

Robby Smith placed fifth at the World Championships last year (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) This week's Takedown TV covers the world of wrestling, from college to Olympics and beyond. Among this week's features: Interviews with Team USA Greco-Roman wrestlers from the Olympic Training Center UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley talks money fights and wrestling "Wrestle Like A Girl" featured video Trailer for United World Wrestling documentary on Frank Stabler "Melee Machine of Musberg" 2016 NWCA All-Star Classic details with Aaron Grossman 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 CT. 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.

Iowa gets ready to battle Minnesota this past season at Carver-Hawkeye Arena (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The University of Iowa wrestling program announced Wednesday that Iowa State, Penn State, and Ohio State are among the five schools the Hawkeyes host this season at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The home schedule includes six dates total, including the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series on Dec. 10, and duals against Penn State and Ohio State during the final two weeks in January. The Nittany Lions visit Iowa City either Jan. 20 or 22, and the Buckeyes follow either Jan. 27 or 29. Those dates will be finalized in mid-September when BTN releases its television schedule. Other home dates include the Iowa City Duals on Nov. 18, Wisconsin on Feb. 3, and Nebraska on Feb. 12. Season tickets are $75 and available for purchase at hawkeyesports.com or by contacting the UI Athletics Ticket Office at 800-IA-HAWKS. The Hawkeyes open the season Nov. 5 at the Grand View Open in Des Moines, Iowa. It's the first of two tournaments on the regular season schedule. Iowa competes at the Midlands Championships on Dec. 29-30 in Evanston, Illinois. The regular season schedule also includes five Big Ten road duals and nonconference trips to South Dakota State (Dec. 2) and Oklahoma State (Jan. 13 or 15). The Hawkeyes visit Purdue on Nov. 27, Michigan and/or Michigan State on Jan. 6 and Jan. 8, Minnesota on Feb. 5, and Indiana on Feb. 10. The Hawkeyes will compete at the NWCA National Championships Dual Series at a date and location not yet determined. The 2017 Big Ten Championships are March 4-5 at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana. The NCAA Championships are March 16-18 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. SCHEDULE NOTES: Start times and broadcast information will be announced at a later date. 2016-17 SCHEDULE Nov. 5 at Grand View Open Nov. 18 Iowa City Duals Nov. 27 at Purdue Dec. 2 at South Dakota State Dec. 10 Iowa State Dec. 29-30 at Midlands Jan. 6/8 at Michigan Jan. 6/8 at Michigan State Jan. 13/15 at Oklahoma State Jan. 20/22 Penn State Jan. 27/29 Ohio State Feb. 3 Wisconsin Feb. 5 at Minnesota Feb. 10 at Indiana Feb. 12 Nebraska March 4-5 Big Ten Championships March 16-18 NCAA Championships

Bruce Baumgartner after being voted in as USA Wrestling's president at the USA Wrestling Board of Directors meeting Bruce Baumgartner, four-time Olympic medalist as a Team USA freestyle wrestler, has been voted president of USA Wrestling. The organization announced the decision in a tweet this weekend: "The @USAWrestling Board of Directors meeting concludes & Bruce Baumgartner voted in as new President of USAW!" https://twitter.com/USAWrestling The vote, conducted during a weekend meeting of the USA Wrestling Board of Directors in Colorado Springs, was unanimous, according to the Terre Haute (Indiana) Tribune-Star. Baumgartner was in Colorado Springs for the send-off of the USA Wrestling team, leaving for the 2016 Rio Olympics. The Titusville (Pennsylvania) Herald reported that the Edinboro University athletic director lit the cauldron at the wrestler's training center, as part of the countdown to the Olympics. Baumgartner, 55, earned medals at four consecutive Olympics -- gold at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, silver in Seoul in 1988, gold in Barcelona in 1992, and bronze at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics -- all in men's freestyle competition at superheavyweight at 130 kilograms/286 pounds. The New Jersey native was a nine-time medalist at the World Championships, winning three gold, three silver and three bronze medals. Baumgartner also brought home a total of four medals from the Pan American Games, including three gold and one bronze. For his accomplishments in international competition, Baumgartner was named the recipient of the 1995 Sullivan Award as the nation's top amateur athlete, and carried the flag for the U.S. team during the Opening Ceremonies for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. Prior to making his presence known in freestyle, Baumgartner wrestled for the now-defunct mat program at Indiana State University in Terre Haute. He was a three-time NCAA finalist for the Sycamores, concluding his collegiate career by winning the heavyweight title at the 1982 NCAAs. His collegiate record was 134-12 with 73 falls. In 1998, Baumgartner was inducted into the Indiana State University Athletic Hall of Fame. He was welcomed into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Oklahoma in 2002 and the International Wrestling Federation Hall of Fame in 2003. In 2008, Baumgartner was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame.

Ask a diehard wrestling fan to name a legendary wrestling program, and chances are, they will name Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, University of Iowa, Iowa State, Minnesota, Penn State ... all great college wrestling programs that can claim a number of individual and team champions. Not all storied wrestling programs are found on college campuses. Some of the truly great ones have been located in high schools -- Blair Academy (New Jersey), Great Bridge (Virginia), Clearfield (Pennsylvania), Waterloo West and Cresco (Iowa), Perry (Oklahoma), to name a few. Jim Kalin would make the case that Maple Heights High School in suburban Cleveland and its legendary head wrestling coach Mike Milkovich should be included in any list of all-time legacy mat programs. He does just that in his brand-new book "Mustang" now available. Meet Jim Kalin Jim Kalin and Russ RussoJim Kalin is a very familiar name to most in the amateur wrestling world, as a long-time writer for Amateur Wrestling News magazine who recently took readers inside the Oklahoma State wrestling room ... and was among the first to see "Foxcatcher" and provide a sneak preview months before the much-anticipated film was released to the general public. His "On the Mat with YouTube" articles where he provides insight and analysis of a classic wrestling match that's viewable online is a popular recurring feature. Little wonder that Kalin was awarded the Dellinger Award in 2009 as best wrestling journalist of the year. Although he now lives in Los Angeles, Kalin described himself as "Ohio born and raised," adding "I was born at University Hospital at Ohio State. Dad wrestled at Ohio State. He took me to practice. Eighteen years later, I was back in that room as an Ohio State wrestler." Kalin was raised in the Cleveland area. His father coached at Parma High School, then at Parma Normandy High. Jim Kalin attended and wrestled at Strongsville High, a bit further to the south. "It was great to be a kid in the Sixties and be aware of Maple Heights," Kalin told InterMat. "I competed at a lot of summer tournaments throughout the Midwest. Whenever coach Milkovich and his team would enter a tournament, it was like Darth Vader and his Storm Troopers entering the gym." Meet Mike Milkovich Mike Milkovich with son Tom MilkovichLike most all-time great wrestling programs, at the heart of the Maple Heights Mustangs' success from the 1950s to the mid-1970s was its head coach, Mike Milkovich. "Mike Milkovich changed American wrestling," Kalin asserts in the back-cover promotional text for "Mustang." "In this definitive biography, 'Mustang' chronicles the life of this National Wrestling Hall of Fame coach and provides the reader with an accurate, honest look at his genius and modesty, his unparalleled sense of fairness, but also the contradictions, the strict discipline toward his sons, and the refusal of anything but victory. Mike Milkovich was ferocious as General George Patton and as unbending as the Great Santini ..." As Kalin pointed out in his interview with InterMat, Mike Milkovich was only the third high school wrestling coach to be inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. His Maple Heights Mustangs grabbed ten team titles at the Ohio state championships (back when there was only one division) and were runners-up eight times. At one state tournament, Milkovich's Mustangs could claim six state placers ... "all without recruiting," according to Kalin. So how did Milkovich manage to get so much great mat talent from a high school that served just one working-class suburb south of Cleveland, populated by dads who toiled in the steel mills and car plants of Northeast Ohio? "Milkovich would prowl the halls like a bloodhound, sniffing out would-be wrestlers," said Kalin. "Some were tough guys or thugs. He'd challenge them to go out for wrestling. Some did, and decided they liked it." How the book came about "I've always been a big reader," Kalin said. "I've always wanted to write." "Once I stopped wrestling, I stepped away from the sport. Didn't have any contact with it until the late 1990s." "I became an official here in LA for a season. That got me back into wrestling." "Once I started writing for Amateur Wrestling News, I began thinking about doing a wrestling book." (Up until that point, Kalin had written fiction.) "I was asked by Bob Preusse to do a feature on Mike Milkovich for AWN." That request from a fellow wrestling writer ended up being the book "Mustang" which was nearly four years in the making. "I interviewed over one hundred individuals," said Kalin. "A lot of the stories I got from two different people." "If you were alive and wrestled at Maple Heights, I made every attempt to interview you." "Whenever I'm writing, I really like to learn something," Kalin added. "It's very rewarding to uncover something new." "It's kind of like throwing a stone into the water and rings that come out from that and intersect each other -- all those intersecting stories from teammates. That's how I wrote the book; that's how I tell those stories." That explanation describes "Mustang" well. It's not your typical biography told in chronological order that begins with the subject's birth and concludes with death or retirement. Kalin says the blueprint for his Milkovich/Maple Heights mat story was "Son of the Morning Star" about General George Custer by Evan S. Connell, who also wrote "Mr. and Mrs. Bridge." "That book starts with the battlefield scene days after Little Big Horn," according to Kalin. "Milkovich was kind of a Custer-like figure. I figured I had to start ("Mustang") with a big thing -- (son) Tom's third state title." You don't have to be from Ohio to read "Mustang" It would be easy to imagine wrestling fans outside the greater Cleveland area -- or the Buckeye State -- to say "Why should I read this?" Despite being an Ohio resident who spent two years living in suburban Cleveland early in his career, this writer had to ask the author. "Mike Milkovich and Maple Heights changed Cleveland wrestling at a time when Ohio really didn't figure into the national scene," replied Kalin. "He and his wrestlers forced Ohio to become better. Now Ohio ranks among the top two or three states for wrestling in the nation." "He helped other coaches up their game." "This is your heritage, no matter where you live, no matter where you wrestled." What's more, "Mustang" is chock-full of compelling stories that anyone who stepped onto a mat -- or sat in the stands at a dual meet or tournament -- can appreciate. Especially if you had a coach and teammates who shaped your own life beyond wrestling. "About a third of the guys I talked to started to cry during the interview," said Kalin. "They'd say things like, 'This man changed my life' or 'He was a father figure for me.'" "It was a most glorious time in their lives." "I want wrestlers to learn about their (Milkovich's and Maple Heights') heritage, whether they're a 40-year-old past wrestler, or a seventh grader," Kalin concluded. If you have a connection to wrestling, you owe it to yourself to read "Mustang" ... even if the only things that come to mind when you hear "Cleveland" are the Cavaliers or the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. You'll probably recognize a bit of Mike Milkovich in your own coach ... and see yourself and your teammates in some of the stories told by his wrestlers over the years. Beyond that, there are threads that connect a number of big names in wrestling who never set foot in Maple Heights but are instantly recognizable to any student of the sport. What's more, the book is constructed in a way that is incredibly reader-friendly; you can pick it up, read a chapter or two, and easily return to it when you have time ... or you can gallop through major portions at will. To learn more about "Mustang", visit the official website www.mustangthebook.com. You can order from the website, or by email to info@shemcreekpublishing.com, or call (323) 456-3299.

For the first time in 30 years, there will be wrestling at Richland College, the community college located in the Dallas area announced Monday. Richland will become the only two-year college offering a wrestling program in Texas and, for the first time, also will include a women's team, according to the school's announcement. The school has already named Bill Neal as head wrestling coach. "Richland College is resurrecting its wrestling program this fall! In the 1970's and 1980's, Richland dominated Texas Collegiate Wrestling," the school's press release said. "All the other Texas schools had dropped their program. We were forced to go to Kansas every weekend and it just got to be too much so we dropped the program," Neal told a Dallas-area TV station. "Now there were tons of kids, particularly DISD (Dallas Independent School District) kids, with no place to go. They either didn't have the money, they didn't have their grades. It was almost a no-brainer, this is an opportunity for these kids to get back into school and continue a sport that they love so much." "We're one of only three two-year schools in the Southwest region with a wrestling program," Neal said in an interview for the Richland College student newsletter. "A lot of kids in this area can't afford to go to a four-year school and don't have the grades to go to a university, so we're an option for them that they didn't have before." Neal pointed out that 21 schools in the Dallas Independent School District have wrestling programs; most of them have girls' teams, too. More than 11,000 boys and 4,000 girls wrestle in Texas high schools. "In the past, I had to recruit kids from El Paso, Oklahoma City and Baton Rouge," he added. "Restarting the program here was a no-brainer. These kids had no place to go, so we cranked up the program again." The Thunderducks wrestling program will compete in the NCWA (National Collegiate Wrestling Association), and will be eligible to qualify for regional and national tournaments. Founded in 1972, Richland College is a two-year community college that is part of the Dallas County Community College District. It has an enrollment of approximately 20,000 students. According to the school's website, "Richland College has focused on teaching, learning and community building. In recognition of these efforts, the White House and the Dept. of Commerce named Richland a recipient of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the only community college to have received this award."

Jeff Bradley will host this week's edition of "On the Mat" on Wednesday, August 10. His guests are 2008 Olympian Doug Schwab and JJ Everard, a senior heavyweight at the University of Northern Iowa. “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. CT 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.

Elena Pirozhkova at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com) From future college stars to NCAA champs, the latest Olympians to gold-medal greats, Global Wrestling News reports on the wide world of wrestling. This week's show covers that world with these feature segments: Augello, Maroulis, and Pirozkhova put through Olympic simulation matches. Interviews and reactions from the Olympic Training Center North Carolina's Coleman Scott on the hiring of Olympic gold medalist Kenny Monday.for the Tar Heel Wrestling Club Wayne Boyd weighs in on safety concerns in Rio and medal predictions Cole Manley and Devin Bahr make their verbal commitments Jason Tsirtsis on the move from Northwestern. Will he compete again? Brandon Eggum named acting head coach at Minnesota. Is J Rob done? 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.

Jake Varner gets a takedown at the Freestyle World Cup in LA (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com) Jake Varner, 2012 Olympic gold medal-winning wrestler and two-time NCAA champ for Iowa State, will be reuniting with his former college coach by joining Cael Sanderson's staff as a volunteer assistant coach at Penn State, Jim Carlson of PennLive.com -- website for the Patriot-News -- reported Monday. Varner will replace Frank Molinaro, who had served as volunteer coach last season, and will be wrestling for Team USA in freestyle at the 2016 Rio Olympics on Sunday, Aug. 21 at 65 kilograms/143 pounds. Molinaro has committed to training for the next four years in men's freestyle. "He's (Molinaro) just so confident right now and wrestling so well, he's going to do a great job," said Nittany Lions head coach Cael Sanderson. "His future's set; he still wants to coach when he's done. He has a chance to win world and Olympic medals the next four years and that's what he wants to focus on." "Varner's kind of wrapping things up and he's a like-minded guy,'' Sanderson told PennLive.com. "Really great in the corner, really understands the sport and what it takes to win. He's a guy who's gotten the most out of his abilities and probably the most extremely loyal as much as any guy I've ever coached, and has done everything I've asked him to do. "I think that's why he's an Olympic champion, not because he did what we told him to do but more the attitude that he'll do what it takes to be successful. He's not going to try to rationalize doing something easier or different or skipping any corners.'' "Varner loves to compete and he has a great attitude and a tough guy and competitor. He's a four-time NCAA finalist, a World and Olympic medalist. That's pretty good, I guess, right?'' Sanderson asked rhetorically. If anyone would know Varner's mat credentials, it would be Cael Sanderson. Varner, a two-time California high school state champ, wrestled for Sanderson for three seasons at Iowa State before Cael left the Cyclones to take the head coaching job at Penn State. Varner stayed in Ames to complete his collegiate career with Kevin Jackson who is still at the helm at Iowa State. As a Cyclone, Jacob Stephen Varner earned back-to-back NCAA Division I titles at 197 pounds in 2009 and 2010, after being a two-time finalist at 184 pounds the previous two years. The Bakersfield, California native was a two-time titlist at the Big 12 conference championships. Varner was also twice crowned champ at the Midlands Classic post-Christmastime tournament at Northwestern University. He completed his collegiate career with a 132-10 overall record. Varner's freestyle mat career is also one of accomplishment, capped off by winning the gold medal at the 2012 Olympics at 97 kilograms/212 pounds. That same year Varner also earned gold at the 2012 Pan American Games. The year before, Varner brought home bronze from the 2011 World Championships in Istanbul.

Jordan Decatur moves up two spots to No. 3 after dominating his way to a Cadet freestyle title in Fargo (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com) There is some clear standout talent in the Class of 2019, and some argument over whom is the top overall wrestler for the group. Despite an upset loss in the quarterfinal round of the Cadet Greco-Roman competition, Cohlton Schultz (Ponderosa, Colo.) remains atop the top 50 rankings for the rising sophomore class. Outside that one blemish, Schultz would earn victories by technical fall or pin in all other matches, including a third place finish in Greco-Roman and a championship in freestyle. Furthermore, Schultz would avenge that Greco loss with a technical fall victory in the semifinal round of the freestyle competition. Ranked second in the class is Nick Raimo (Hanover Park, N.J.), who was double champion for a second straight year at the Cadet Nationals, this time doing so at 126 pounds. Moving up two positions to No. 3 is Jordan Decatur (CVCA, Ohio), champion in Cadet freestyle at 120 pounds. He earned five technical fall victories in seven bouts, the other two results were a pin in the quarterfinals and a 10-2 decision in the round of 16 bout. Another pair of top 50 ranked wrestlers in the Class of 2019 won titles in Cadet freestyle. Colton Yapoujian (Pomona, Colo.) moves up six spots to No. 16 overall; of note was his win in the Fargo final over No. 10 Travis Ford-Melton (Marian Catholic, Ill.), coming by a 3-1 decision. No. 32 Montana Phillips (Lawton McArthur, Okla.) makes a debut appearance in the rankings after making the final in both styles at the Cadet Nationals, including a title in freestyle at 285 pounds. Three other wrestlers join Phillips in making debut appearances in the Class of 2019 top 50 rankings: No. 21 Tyler Curd (Oak Grove, Mo.), No. 42 Colt Newton (Choctaw, Okla.), and No. 47 Baylor Fernandes (Lockport, Ill.). Curd was champion in Cadet Greco at 220 pounds with the notable upset victory over top-ranked Schultz in the quarterfinal; Newton and Fernandes each placed third in Cadet freestyle. Big upward movers in the rankings for this class include No. 7 Jaden Abas (Bakersfield Frontier, Calif.), a Cadet freestyle runner-up who jumps five spots to the better; and Cadet freestyle fifth place finisher Kevon Davenport (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.), ranked No. 37 overall. InterMat Platinum is required to view all the rankings. Link: Top 50 Sophomores

Brock Hardy won a Cadet freestyle title in Fargo, and movess up six spots (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com) Seventeen wrestlers from the Class of 2018 were champions at the recently completed Cadet and Junior National Championships in Fargo, N.D. That includes eleven members of the top 50 rankings, led by Junior National freestyle champion Gavin Teasdale (Jefferson Morgan, Pa.), who remains third overall in the class. Cadet Triple Crown winner Travis Wittlake (Marshfield, Ore.) jumps up two positions in the class rankings and is now ranked No. 5 overall. Rounding out the top five are No. 1 Gable Steveson (Apple Valley, Minn.), No. 2 David Carr (Massillon Perry, Ohio), and No. 4 Seth Nevills (Clovis, Calif.) A pair of Junior National freestyle champions was among the notable upward movers in the rankings. Anthony Cassioppi (Hononegah, Ill.), winner at 285 pounds, moved up seven positions to No. 35 overall; while previously unranked Nico Aguilar (Gilroy, Calif.) is now positioned at No. 43 after winning the title at 113 pounds. Fellow Junior freestyle champion Anthony Artalona (Tampa Prep, Fla.) jumps two positions to No. 15 overall in the rising junior class. Also among the major upward movers was a pair of Cadet freestyle national champions. Brock Hardy (Box Elder, Utah) jumps six positions to No. 20, as he is now a four-time Cadet finalist in Fargo, including earning that elusive title; while Aaron Brooks (North Hagerstown, Md.) jumps back into the rankings at No. 38 after winning Cadet titles in both styles at 160 pounds last month. Others in the rankings to win Cadet freestyle titles were No. 10 Frankie Gissendanner (Penfield, N.Y.), double champion No. 25 Ryan Karoly (Malvern Prep, Pa.), and No. 29 Jacori Teemer (Long Beach, N.Y.) Another quartet of wrestlers join Brooks and Aguilar as wrestlers to appear in the top 50 at this update, though they were outside of the rankings in the late June update. They include a pair of consolation finalists in Junior freestyle at 145 pounds, No. 36 Jarrett Jacques (Owensville, Mo.) and No. 37 Phil Conigliaro (Belmont Hill, Mass.). The other pair was Cadet freestyle runner-up Brody Teske (Fort Dodge, Iowa), a two-time state champion who is ranked No. 46 in the class; as well as Cadet freestyle All-American Gerard Angelo (Bergen Catholic, N.J.), a two-time state finalist now ranked No. 47 overall. InterMat Platinum is required to view all the rankings. Link: Top 50 Juniors

Viktor Lebedev attempts an ankle pick in the bronze-medal match at the Worlds (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Russian wrestler Viktor Lebedev has been cleared to take part in the 2016 Olympics, the TASS news agency of Russia reported on Saturday. "On Viktor Lebedev, everything is fine, the decision has been made," head of the Russian delegation Igor Kazikov told R-Sport. "There are no further questions regarding him. Lebedev has been cleared for the participation in the Olympics by the IOC (International Olympic Committee." On Thursday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) found the IOC ban on Russian athletes with a previous record of doping violations to be unenforceable. A three-member IOC panel makes final decisions on separate athletes. Prior to today's announcement, Lebedev, 28, was the lone Russian wrestler not to be cleared for the Rio games due to a positive doping test in the 2006 junior world championships. Now all 17 wrestlers from Russia who originally qualified for the Olympics now underway have been approved for competition. Lebedev, who will wrestle in freestyle at 57 kilograms/126 pounds, has his first match in Rio on Friday, Aug. 19. Lebedev is a four-time medalist at the World Championships, having won gold in 2010 and 2011, and bronze in 2009 and 2015.