InterMat Staff

Cliff Keen Athletic has entered into a marketing and athlete endorsement deal with United States men's 57-kilo freestyle wrestler Daniel Dennis. Daniel Dennis joins Cliff Keen after his stunning performance at the recent U.S. Olympic Team Trials, capturing first place in the 57-kilo freestyle category, and punching his ticket to Rio as a member of the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Team. A 2016 U.S. Open Championships gold medalist originally from Ingleside, Illinois, Daniel also recently earned a solid third-place finish at the Bill Ferrell International Tournament, first place at the Grand Prix of Spain, and was runner-up at the 2015 World Team Trials. Daniel Dennis (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)"Daniel is one tough competitor with an exciting wrestling style. Off the mat, Daniel is a humble, polite gentleman, with an infectious personality. He's a great role model, with a terrific back story, and a wonderful ambassador of our sport. We are very excited to have him on Team Cliff Keen," said Tom Keen, President of Cliff Keen Athletic. Dennis, who will compete this coming August in the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games, has been heralded for going from living in his pickup truck in California, to working his way back onto the mat, to now earning a spot on the 2016 Olympic Team. Training out of Iowa City, Iowa, Dennis (a former Iowa Hawkeye wrestler) will be a prominent fixture in Cliff Keen's brand marketing and advertising to the Wrestling market. A long-time supporter of International Wrestling, Cliff Keen Athletic is the World's leader in Wrestling uniforms, equipment, and training apparel.

EDMOND, Okla. -- Todd Steidley, a former national champion for Central Oklahoma who went on to win seven state titles as a high school coach in the state, has been tabbed to take over as the Bronchos' head wrestling coach. Todd SteidleyUCO athletic director Joe Muller made the announcement Tuesday, with Steidley set to take over the perennial powerhouse program in early June. “Todd's experience is impressive,” Muller said. “His success as a head coach, his contacts in Oklahoma wrestling circles and his administrative and leadership development skills make him an ideal fit for this prestigious program.” “It's my dream job,” said Steidley, currently principal at Claremore High School. “It's the only job I would have left Claremore for. Edmond is a wonderful place to live, UCO is a great institution and we're excited about coming back to take over the reigns of the wrestling program.” Steidley replaces legendary head coach David James, who led the Bronchos to 12 national championships and 396 dual wins during a 34-year career. “I wouldn't be where I am today without the influence of David James,” Steidley said. “He had a huge impact on me when I went to school at UCO and a lot of the things I've done in coaching I do because of him. I want to continue his legacy. “I guess it's a new era and I'm excited about it. I feel UCO is the best Division II program in the country and we want to fight for national championships and continue to mold young men into productive citizens.” A prep standout at Tulsa Union High School, Steidley was a Division I qualifier at Utah State before spending his last two seasons at UCO. He went 64-11-2 with the Bronchos from 1986-88, winning the 142-pound national title as a junior and finishing runner-up as a senior. Steidley spent two years as a graduate assistant coach at UCO, helping the Bronchos capture the NAIA team title in 1989 before finishing second in the school's first year in NCAA Division II in 1990. He served as assistant coach at Clemson in 1990-91 before going to Enid High School as head coach for one year. Steidley led Bristow High School to three Class 3A state championships during a six-year career there and then guided Ponca City High School to four consecutive Class 6A titles from 1998-06. Steidley, who finished with a phenomenal 211-18 career dual record, has been principal at Claremore High School since 2006. Todd and his wife, Kelli, have two children – Erin Delk and Garrett -- and one grandson (Loudin).

ADRIAN, Mich. -- Adrian College athletics director Mike Duffy has named Bill Schindel as head coach of the Bulldogs men's and women's wrestling programs, replacing alumnus Chris Williams who returned to the Michigan State coaching staff at the end of this past season. Bill SchindelSchindel plans to start his new duties on June 7. Schindel, a two-time Ohio Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, comes to Adrian after posting a 46-20 (.697) dual-match record in four years at Mount Union. "We are pleased that Bill has agreed to take the reins of the Bulldogs wrestling program," Duffy said. "Coach Williams has laid a solid foundation for Bill to take it to the next level. An experienced coach, Bill has a great skill-set that will serve him well here." In Adrian, Schindel inherits a program that produced a school-record 23rd place (and another top AC mark of 15-1/2 points) at the 2016 NCAA III Men's Wrestling Championships, an NCAA All-American and two Scholar All-Americans--all in the sport's first season since the College reinstated varsity status after a 31-year absence. On the women's side, the Bulldogs competed in an all-invitational format. In the first-year program's debut at the Oct. 18 Emmanuel College Tournament in Georgia, junior Rachel McFarland took first place at 143 pounds. Then at the Women's Collegiate Wrestling Association Nationals in Oklahoma City, Okla., on Feb. 12, freshman Sam Cushard earned All-America status at 155. "When considering Adrian one of the biggest reasons I accepted the job was putting my family in a great situation. I am a coach who believes in teaching about values first. Family is a huge value that I preach to the team. This opportunity put me and my family only 30-40 minutes away from a support system as me and my wife, Krista get ready to start our own family in September," stated Schindel. "I know this is also a great opportunity for my career as Adrian has shown a lot of support in the athletic department and programs. I am very excited for this opportunity to get started working with the men and women to help them achieve their team and individual goals." Last season, Mount Union went 12-9 in dual matches (3-2 OAC) and was 9th out of 18 teams with 47-1/2 points in the NCAA Division III Mideast Regional. Schindel coached All-American Jeremy Border who advanced to the NCAA Championships for a third straight year and is one of only five wrestlers in school history with over 100 career wins. The team also had two other places at the regional meet. During the 2014-15 campaign, Schindel led the Purple Raiders (14-3 in dual matches) to their second OAC title in the last three years and a third-straight second-place finish at the NCAA Mideast Regional with OAC Coach of the Year honors. Mount Union also had four national qualifiers with one earning All-American honors. In addition, the team finished seventh at the National Wrestling Coaches' Association duals. In 2013-14, Schindel led the Purple Raiders to an eighth-place finish at the NWCA National Duals, second in the OAC and second at the NCAA Mideast Regional. Mount Union (12-5 overall) had three national qualifiers and a pair of All-Americans on its way to a 17th place finish at the NCAA Championships. In his first season, the Purple Raiders (8-3 in duals) claimed the 2013 OAC title and finished second in the NCAA Mideast Regional. He spent one season as an assistant coach at Mount Union and assisted in every facet of the program as the Raiders won the OAC title and finished 15th at the NCAA Division III Championships. During his tenure with the Purple Raiders, there have been six All-Americans, 14 national qualifiers, nine NWCA Scholar All-Americans and 16 All-OAC First Team selections. Schindel made the move off the mat after a stellar career at Mount Union as a three-time All-American after placing third at NCAA Division III National Championships in 2011, seventh in 2010 and eighth in 2009. A three-time OAC Champion at 197-lbs., he ranks ninth on the school's all-time wins list with an 83-17 record over his three-year career. Schindel's accomplishments off the mat are just as impressive as those on it. He was a two-time NWCA Scholar All-American and received the Clyde Lamb Award, which is presented annually to the top male and female student-athlete from each OAC institution. A native of Tallmadge, Ohio, he attended Akron Archbishop Hoban High School and has both a bachelor's degree in education and master's in educational leadership from Mount Union.

The wrestling world, and for that matter, the world is full of stories. Without a good storyline, there really isn't much of a reason to tune in. In Minnesota, we all want to know who will be the next team to knock off Apple Valley. Or will anyone ever win six state titles like Mark Hall pulled off this season? The storylines and how we describe them are what make life interesting and fun. Sometimes the narrative is heartbreaking and personal, and we can't help but want to lend a hand. McKee familyTwenty-six months ago I asked Mitch McKee if he would allow me to follow him through the state tournament and write his story. He was gracious and politely agreed. He took a stunning upset loss the year before in the semifinals to Taylor Venz and found out the next day his dad, Steve, had cancer. It was the beginning of some of the darkest moments of his life. The following year, everyone in the stands knew about Steve's diagnosis, and there was hardly a person who wasn't pulling for Mitch to win. The pressure was immense, and he reminded me of the statue of Atlas with the world balancing on his back. He would go on to capture his first state title that year and subsequently went on to have the best wrestling success of his life over the next few months. He became the national folkstyle and freestyle champion that summer. A love story Nina met Steve McKee the old fashioned way, having a fun time at a line dance in a sports bar in St. Cloud, Minn. They dated for four years and were married on April 19, 1997. Like most couples they had to adjust to some opposite traits. Steve was fun loving and embraced the lighter side of life. Nina is more serious and goal driven. They were madly in love and set out to make a life together. They settled in Becker, Minn., opening a "gently used" sports store for Nina to run and manage while Steve worked in the wholesale oil business. They had a busy life. Steve dabbled in sports photography and coached at all levels of soccer, football and wrestling. Nina was busy with the store and raising two active little boys born 20 months apart. Soon it became apparent the store would have to close, and later they moved to St. Michael. Mitch McKee hugs his father Steve after claiming a state title in 2014 (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)Wrestling came into their lives more by accident than design. Both Steve and Nina were athletes in their younger days. Nina (under 5 feet tall) was, of all things, a pretty good volleyball player. No, she wasn't a spiker but was a pretty good setter. Steve wrestled two years in high school. When the boys were around 5-7 years old, it was clear they were going to be very good wrestlers, and later they dropped other sports to focus on what they did best. Steve and Nina decided to expose the boys to as many tournaments as possible and they soon developed friends all over Minnesota and the nation. Steve found out he had a health problem after looking at an X-ray taken by a friend, Andy, a chiropractor. These films were sent to a radiologist, and it didn't take long to realize this was a serious problem. An exhausting and thorough exam was done at Mayo Clinic, and the news was not good. He had cancer of the spine, and it was in stage 3, the highest number. Steve did everything a young man could to stay alive. He traveled countless trips to Rochester and took every treatment recommended. Along the way, he would lose his hair, his weight, but never his spirit. He decided to live out his life with courage and vulnerability. These lessons haven't been lost on Mitch and Patrick. Patrick, Nina and Mitch McKeeLosing a father at a young age is not normal. Most of us get to live a long time before we face the ugly truths about death. Steve and Nina made it a point to ensure the boys are able to keep living with their dad's memory. They recorded videos to be played at significant moments in the future. Mitch will be able to watch his dad congratulate him at his high school graduation this month. If Patrick gets married, there is a video clip of Steve talking to him and his future bride. If grandchildren come along, there is a warm and loving message waiting for them. Steve hasn't gone away in spirit, only in body. While Steve was near the end of his journey, life became especially hard. He wasn't able to walk, and he needed to be lifted out of bed into a wheelchair. This was helped along by an army of St. Michael parents, as well as a few other wrestling communities. They were called the "lift train." Meals were arranged and delivered on a timely basis. This was called the "meal train." Steve and Nina's extended family were seemingly always there to lend a hand. There was a lot of love to go around, and some of it was overwhelming. Everyone wanted to help, and this became a job in and of itself. Patrick McKee celebrates after winning a state championship at 106 pounds (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)Steve died on December 7, 2014. He was 51 years young. He leaves behind a pair of boys that loved him more than life. Mitch is a semi-stoic and serious 18-year-old senior. "I miss playing catch with my dad. He was a lot of fun, and he taught me how to enjoy life. If I had another day with him, I would spend it playing in the yard tossing a ball, tackling each other and laughing. Patrick is an emotional and fun-loving 16-year-old sophomore. He shows emotions like others flash their cell phones. He's often misunderstood as volatile and angry. It's far from reality. Patrick is a happy young man and his only spot reserved for aggression is the wrestling mat. He's the defending 106-pound state champion. "If my dad was here for a day, I would just want to be his son. I miss my dad, and I'm proud of how he raised me. I love him." When Nina is asked what she misses most, she doesn't hesitate. "I miss his friendship. I want to wake up in the morning and feel him next to me. I wish I could kiss him goodnight. I want to feel him next to me." The day he passed she remembers the long and lonely absence of the oxygen tank. It used to bring her comfort to hear it day after day. It stung to listen to the silence. In a small town with a high profile family, there isn't a church big enough to fit all the mourners. Somehow Mitch and Patrick had enough reserve to get up and sing to the crowd that cold December day. Later, there was a service at the cemetery with pheasant feathers left behind on the burial site. There was an enormous chili feed and plenty of good story time. Mitch would go on to win two more state titles and become one of the nation's most sought-after recruits. He will join his friends at the University of Minnesota and likely will wrestle 133 pounds. Patrick will be alone with his mom starting in the fall, and his future looks bright. Both of these young men are stellar students, hunters, and singers in the all-male choir. McKee family and their dogsRecently Nina visited a medium. Steve was waiting for her and had plenty of messages. He congratulated her on adding a few dogs to the family and admitted he was wrong in advising her to, "Please don't get a dog when I'm gone!" Thirty years earlier Steve's sister Suzie died in an auto accident, and she was with Steve on this day. Nina is a complete believer in hearing these messages and doesn't have any doubt it was Steve and Suzie visiting that day. She hears his voice all the time in her home and feels blasts of love at the most unsuspecting moments. She's learned to stop and take them in and remember. "He was the love of my life. I'll never forget him." The McKees live a good life. Fortunately, Steve had the foresight years ago to purchase some life insurance before he became sick. This allows the family to live a comfortable life and pursue the dreams they all have. It's comforting to know they are doing well and are happy. Do they miss Steve? Oh yes, more than they can accurately describe. But, he's there. Their home is warm. The dogs love the boys and Nina. The wrestling community is nearby to lend a hand as they should. It all works, and life just keeps moving. Until they meet again. This story also appears in the May 6 issue of The Guillotine. The Guillotine has been covering wrestling in Minnesota since 1971. Its mission is to report and promote wrestling at all levels -- from youth and high school wrestling to college and international level wrestling. Subscribe to The Guillotine.

NEW YORK -- Robby Smith, the 2016 U.S. Olympic Greco-Roman wrestling heavyweight, has become a fan favorite worldwide because of his exciting style of wrestling, and his outgoing and enthusiastic approach to the sport and to life. There is no doubt that when he is in front of the media and the general public, he is very inspiring and entertaining. Robby Smith battles Adam Coon in the Olympic Team Trials (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)Smith will put those communication skills to work on Thursday as he serves as one of the emcees for the 2016 Beat the Streets "United In the Square" international wrestling event, which will be held in historic Times Square. "It is a great opportunity. It's a wonderful thing I get to do, to promote wrestling and represent Greco-Roman wrestling. You have to take the opportunity when it presents itself to help promote the sport. It's mostly a freestyle dual with a Greco-Roman match, announced by a Greco-Roman wrestler," said Smith. He will work with Olympic public address announcer Kenny Berger as part of the announcing crew, helping introduce the athletes, identify celebrities on hand, and entertain the thousands who will see top-caliber Olympic wrestling in one of the world's most iconic locations. "I have never done this before. Why not do the first one with a bang, in the middle of Times Square? That's how I do things. Go big or go home. I am going to give it my best shot, be myself with my big personality," said Smith. There will be a full card of world-class competitors on display, as Team USA takes on Iran in six men's freestyle matches, faces Canada in a pair of women's freestyle bouts and also battles an Olympic champion from Korea in a Greco-Roman match. One of the reasons that Smith was invited to do this announcing gig was his public interview in front of the crowd after winning the Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City. He fired up the crowd with his enthusiasm and genuine joy. "My whole life I have been confident in how I speak to people in public. It is always fun for me. I am big on showing emotion, and that is what happened at the Olympic Trials. After the Trials when I won, Kyra Barry of Beat the Streets said they loved what I did there. Sincerely, from the bottom of my heart, that is what I do. It was inspiring as an athlete to go out there with people cheering you on. I felt I had to thank the crowd there. It hit a lot of people the right way. My parents raised me to be a humble athlete and to be a thankful person," said Smith. Joining Smith at the Beat the Streets event will be five of his teammates on the U.S. Olympic Team who will wrestle in the event. 2012 Olympic champion, three-time World champion and 2016 Olympian Jordan Burroughs at 74 kg and 2016 Olympian and two-time NCAA champion J'Den Cox at 86 kg will face opponents from Iran. 2016 Olympian and three-time World champion Adeline Gray and 2016 Olympian and 2015 World champion Helen Maroulis will battle Canadian stars in women's freestyle. Two-time World bronze medalist and 2016 Olympian Andy Bisek will battle an Olympic and World champion from Korea at 75 kg in Greco-Roman. Three other members of the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team will be in attendance. 2016 Olympian and 2015 World Champion freestyle wrestler Kyle Snyder will be on hand to receive the Beat the Streets Man of the Year Award during the Gala event. The two other members of the U.S. Olympic Team in women's freestyle, 2012 World champion Elena Pirozhkova and Cadet World champion Haley Augello will also be on hand to support their teammates on the mat. Top Beat the Streets youth wrestlers will take the mat showcasing their skills in exhibition matches beginning at 3:45 p.m. to start the evening. A new feature to be held is the PSAL Girls Freestyle Dual Meet Championships finals, featuring the two top New York City girl's freestyle wrestling high school teams from the spring girl's freestyle season. Then it's Team USA vs. Iran and other guests at 6 p.m., followed by the Beat the Streets Gala Celebration. The Beat the Streets competition requires a ticket for reserved seating in Times Square, but is an outdoor event. Pedestrians and non-ticket holders are encouraged to watch. Admission tickets may be bought in advance at www.btsny.org or 212.245.6570. A ticket is required for the Gala Celebration at the PlayStation Theater. More details are available at http://www.btsny.org/gala. The Gala Celebration will follow the wrestling competition. This unique and electrifying annual event helps Beat the Streets (BTS) raise significant funds to further its mission. Whether it's providing a safe, constructive outlet for our urban youth, fighting childhood obesity, empowering women, or uniting entire nations, wrestling teaches persistence, dedication, and the value of working hard to achieve one's goals, creates opportunities for personal and universal growth. BTS currently serve over 3,000 student-athletes every year. The entire competition will be broadcast live on Flowrestling. "United In The Square," Beat the Streets Matchups In New York City, May 19, 2016 Main Event match-ups in order of presentation Greco-Roman 75 kg/165 lbs. - Andy Bisek (USA) vs. Kim Hyeon-Woo (Korea) Women's 53 kg/116.5 lbs. - Helen Maroulis (USA) vs. Samantha Stewart (Canada) Women's 75 kg/165 lbs.- Adeline Gray (USA) vs. Justina Di Stasio (Canada) Junior men's freestyle 55 kg/121 lbs. - Daton Fix (USA) vs. Kheyrollah Ghahramani (Iran) Junior men's freestyle 60 kg/132 lbs. - Mitchell McKee (USA) vs. Peiman Biabani (Iran) Junior men's freestyle 74 kg/163 lbs. - Mark Hall (USA) vs. Ahmad Bazrighaleh (Iran) Junior men's freestyle 84 kg/185 lbs. - Zahid Valencia (USA) vs. Mojtaba Goleij (Iran) Men's freestyle 86 kg/189 lbs. - J'Den Cox (USA) vs. Meisam Mostafa Joukar (Iran) Men's freestyle 74 kg/163 lbs. - Jordan Burroughs (USA) vs. Pehman Yarahmadi (Iran) Note: Event will be broadcast by Flowrestling Wrestling Schedule 3:45 p.m. - Beat the Streets Youth Exhibition Matches between 42nd and 43rd Streets 4:45 p.m. - New York City Girl's Freestyle Dual Meet Championships Finals between 42nd and 43rd Streets 6:30 p.m. - World Class Wrestling: Team USA vs. Team Iran, Team Canada and Team Korea between 42nd and 43rd Streets Followed by Gala Celebration About Beat the Streets The mission of Beat the Streets is to develop the full human and athletic potential of the urban youth and to strengthen the culture of New York City wrestling. BTSW works directly with the New York City Department of Education in a public-private partnership to help New York City's student-athletes achieve their personal and athletic goals. Through the operation of wrestling programs in middle and high schools in the five boroughs, BTSW and the DOE provide a safe, positive atmosphere in which disadvantaged and at-risk youth can learn the essential life skills of physical fitness, teamwork, and self-empowerment. The goal of fostering strong, dedicated, and optimistic kids is delivered through coaching, after-school programs, and summer camps. More information can be found at www.btsny.org. About USA Wrestling USA Wrestling is the National Governing Body for the Sport of Wrestling in the United States and, as such, is its representative to the United States Olympic Committee and United World Wrestling, the international wrestling federation. Simply, USA Wrestling is the central organization that coordinates amateur wrestling programs in the nation and works to create interest and participation in these programs. It has over 220,000 members across the nation, boys and girls, men and women of all ages, representing all levels of the sport. Its president is James Ravannack, and its Executive Director is Rich Bender. More information can be found at TheMat.com.

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Mizzou Wrestling head coach Brian Smith has named Devin Mellon (Lawson, Mo.) as a volunteer assistant coach, announced on Monday. Mellon wrestled for Mizzou from 2010-15 where he qualified for the NCAA Championships three times (2012, 2014 and 2015) and captured the 2015 MAC Championship at heavyweight. "Devin is one of our own," Coach Smith said. "He knows our program inside and out and what it takes to succeed as a member of #TigerStyle. He wrestled for me whandwent to nationals three times. He's worked camps for me and he's been a student at Mizzou, so he knows Mizzou inside and out. He brings the whole package of knowing how to deal with student-athletes." In four years as an attached wrestler, Mellon complied a 99-39 record, scoring 17 major decisions and nine falls. In his senior campaign (2014-15), the Lawson, Mo., native posted a 33-11 record and won the MAC Championship after going 3-0 at the tournament. Mellon defeated Blaize Cabell (Northern Iowa) in the championship bout for his third win over a ranked opponent that season. A fixture in the starting lineup for three seasons, Mellon posted 20 or more wins in three of four seasons. Following graduation, Mellon accepted a position on the Oregon State wrestling coaching staff as a volunteer assistant coach. With Oregon State, Mellon helped coach heavyweight Amarveer Dhesi to All-America status, finishing fifth at the 2016 NCAA Championships in New York City in March. Dhesi was also named PAC-12 Wrestler of the Year in April. "I honestly think it's good for guys to experience another program and see how things are done. A lot of times, you pick up new ideas and other nuances of another program," said Coach Smith. "Devin went across the country to work under Coach Jim Zalesky at Oregon State, which won the PAC-12 this past year. He will have a chance to work with a lot of young heavyweights in our room and will be a big impact on those guys." For all the latest on Mizzou Wrestling, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (MizzouWrestling).

The search for the next U.S. men's national freestyle wrestling coach has been narrowed down to three candidates. Lou Rosselli coaches Kyle Snyder at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Lou Rosselli, Kenny Monday and Bill Zadick are the final three candidates for the position. Bruce Burnett has held the position since May of 2014, a month after Zeke Jones resigned as the U.S. national freestyle wrestling coach. Rich Bender, USA Wrestling's executive director, talked about the candidates Saturday on Takedown Wrestling Radio. "Our program is in good shape," said Bender. "These are three quality individuals that are all very capable and have incredible resumes and abilities to coach. We will go through another round of in person interviews and allow these guys to articulate their plan for the future of American freestyle wrestling and the program at USA Wresting, and evaluate which one is going to be the best in our opinion and the best chance to be successful." Rosselli is currently the associate head wrestling coach at Ohio State. He was the NWCA Assistant Coach of the Year in 2009. Rosselli wrestled on the 1996 U.S. Olympic Team, and was a three-time U.S. Open champion. He wrestled collegiately at Edinboro where he earned All-American honors twice. Monday has coached at all levels of wrestling, and has worked as the wrestling coach with the Blackzilians, a mixed martial arts camp. He is a two-time Olympic medalist, winning gold in 1988 and silver in 1992. Monday was also an NCAA champion and three-time NCAA All-American at Oklahoma State. "I'm hands on," Monday said on Takedown Wrestling Radio. "I'm still able still able to work out with the guys, but I can do both. Whatever I need to do as far as organizing training. I am a little of both. I can do whatever is needed, I have the skill set to do that." Zadick is a national freestyle development coach with USA Wrestling. He was a World champion in freestyle in 2006. Zadick was a two-time All-American at Iowa.

The keys for the Carioca Arena 2 -- the venue for freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling and judo for the Summer Olympics -- were handed over from Rio de Janeiro mayor Eduardo Paes to Rio 2016 President Carlos Nuzman in Barra Olympic Park on Saturday, the official Rio 2016 website reported. Olympic wrestling will take place in Carioca Arena 2Also at the ceremony was Christope Dubi, the International Olympic Committee's sports director, and Brazil's new sports minister Leonardo Picciani, on his first official engagement. The IOC's Dubi praised the new venue, saying: "When you see an arena like this, everyone (involved) should be proud and I hope they are." Some Olympic athletes also at the inaugural weighed in with their opinions on the 10,000-seat arena. "To see everything ready like this is even more motivation. It's a sign that it's nearly here, it's close," according to Sarah Menezes, who won the gold medal for Brazil at 48 kilograms at the 2012 London Olympics. "It's good to know that everything is on track, that the structural things are being sorted." Immediately after the conclusion of wrestling competition at the 2016 Olympics August 14-21, Carioca Arena 2 will be the home venue for boccia -- a precision ball sport, much like bocce ball -- at the 2016 Paralympics. Maciel Santos, gold medalist in the individual BC2 boccia category at the London 2012 Paralympic Games was eager to see where he'd be competing in September. "For me the Paralympic Games start from now," Santos said. "You see yourself, the court, the crowd, your relatives, the Brazilian fans. It will be like how we saw in London. I hope the Brazilian public really gets behind this Paralympic sport." After the Games, Carioca Arena 2 will become a training facility for weightlifting, wrestling, badminton, fencing, rhythmic gymnastics, trampoline gymnastics and table tennis. It will comprise part of the Olympic Training Centre, an enduring legacy of the 2016 Rio Games. Want to know more about the challenges facing organizers, participants and fans at the 2016 Olympics? Check out InterMat's April 2016 feature "Is Rio ready for wrestlers?"

Stipe Miocic, former Cleveland State wrestler, scored a first-round knockout of Fabricio Werdum to win the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championships heavyweight title, while ex-Penn State big man Patrick Cummins was knocked out in the first round of his bout at UFC 198 at Arena da Baixada in Curitiba, Brazil Saturday night. Miocic brings title to Cleveland "Cleveland, we've got a champion, baby," Miocic, a native of suburban Euclid, Ohio who wrestled for the CSU Vikings during the 2003 season, said of his infamously championship-starved hometown. Stipe Miocic "Miocic was backpedaling when Werdum aggressively charged after him and ran right into a looping right hand which caught him flush on the jaw," Dave Doyle wrote for MMAFighting.com. "Werdum face-planted to the mat and the bout was waved off at the 2:47 mark of the opening round in front of an estimated 45,000 fans at Arena de Baixada." "The two men traded punches and kicks before Werdum made his move -- and his mistake," mixed martial-arts website Sherdog.com reported. "The 38-year-old Kings MMA rep charged forward and walked right into a counter right hook from the backpedaling Miocic His lights were out before he landed on the mat, his reign atop the heavyweight division and six-fight winning streak at an end." "This was an ideal result for Miocic," according to MMAMania.com. "The two were trading rather evenly, but Miocic was able to capitalize on a reckless moment from his opponent. That's all it took for him to win a world title. "Honestly, there's not a whole lot to analyze. Miocic spent a couple minutes kickboxing with his opponent, and neither man really pulled ahead. Then, he knocked his opponent out cold." Along with the UFC heavyweight title, Miocic is now 15-2 overall, while Werdum had a six-fight win streak snapped, and drops to 20-6-1. A loss for Penn State alum Cummins Two-time NCAA All-American wrestler Patrick "Durkin" Cummins was the victim of a TKO at 4:52 of the first round at the hands of Antonio Rogerio "Little Nog" Nogueira in their 205-pound light-heavyweight bout at UFC 198. "Cummins keeps his lead left hand outstretched as he circles cautiously around Nogueira in the opening minute, giving the Brazilian southpaw a few inside kicks to the knee ..." Sherdog.com reported in its live coverage. "Cummins takes a hard right hook on the jaw and staggers backward to the fence, where Nogueira assaults him with more heavy punches. Another left hook lands before a right cross drops "Durkin" to his knees at the base of the fence. Cummins survives Nogueira's ground-and-pound and somehow powers back to his feet, where he's met with three more crushing left hands from the former Pride champ. The shots put Cummins out on his feet, and referee Leon Roberts steps in to save him from any further damage." Cummins drops to 8-4 (with two consecutive losses), while "Little Nog" is now 22-7, coming off of two consecutive losses. Before launching his MMA career in 2010, Cummins made a name for himself in the 285-pound weight class ... despite being a walk-on at Penn State. He became a two-time NCAA All-American, placing third at the 2003 NCAAs, then making it to the heavyweight finals of the 2004 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, where he lost to 2002 champ Tommy Rowlands of Ohio State in the finals.

In a battle of former college wrestling greats, Phil Davis -- 2008 NCAA champ for Penn State -- defeated Oklahoma State All-American Mohammed "King Mo" Lawal in a top-of-the-card light-heavyweight match at Bellator 154 at SAP Center in San Jose, California Saturday night. Two judges scored the bout 30-27 for Davis, while a third saw it 29-28, also for the former Nittany Lion. Phil Davis (Photo/Bellator)"The scorecards did not quite reflect how close the bout really was ..." wrote Tristen Crutchfield of the mixed martial arts website Sherdog.com. "The first two rounds were especially hard to score. Lawal picked his spots with power punches, relying on his left hook and right hand while also digging to the body when the opportunity presented itself. Meanwhile, the taller Davis' offense consisted primarily of a variety of kicks. Overall, it appeared that Lawal landed the more powerful shots through 10 minutes." Eddie Mercado of BloodyElbow.com wrote, "The first round was predominantly a kickboxing bout with small gloves however neither competitor inflicted any significant damage. King Mo started the second stanza by securing brief takedown. The action stalled as King Mo was hit below the belt and as the match resumed it returned to the low impact kickboxing match." In the third round, Davis staggered King Mo with a short right hand and uppercut and then drove his dazed foe to the canvas. The former Penn State champ attempted a kimura and an armbar before Lawal could escape to his feet. "I should have had a little bit more urgency," said Davis about his kimura attempt. "You've got to be careful with a guy like Mo. Even though he may be tired, he's never too tired for an overhand right." With the win, Davis is now the top contender for Bellator's light-heavyweight title, held by Liam McGeary, who confronted Davis after the match, saying, "I hope you stand up with me like that, because I'm knocking you out definitely." "To that I say, good luck," Davis replied. Both Davis and Lawal had been participants at Bellator's Dynamite 1 one-night tournament back in September, and, in fact were slated to face each other in the finals, but Lawal was unable to compete because of an injury sustained in an earlier match at that event. Davis, a four-time All-American and 2008 NCAA 197-pound champ for Penn State, had signed with Bellator in 2015 after competing for Ultimate Fighting Championships. He is now 16-3-1 overall in MMA. Lawal, a 2002 NCAA Division II champ at University of Central Oklahoma who then earned NCAA Division I All-American honors at Oklahoma State at 197 in 2003, is falls to 19-5-1 in MMA competition.

BLACKSBURG, Va. -- Oklahoma State transfer Ryan Blees will join the Hokies this fall, head coach Kevin Dresser announced on Saturday. Ryan BleesAs a redshirt freshman, Blees finished 17-5 at 157 pounds for the Cowboys, notching a second place finish at the Oklahoma Open and two third place finishes at the OCU Open and Joe Parisi Open. During his redshirt year, Blees went 22-10 on the season, competing only in open tournaments, wrestling most of the season at 165 pounds. He tallied six falls and seven major decisions, with his fastest fall coming in 54 seconds. Blees attended Bismarck High School, where he accumulated a record of 250-25 and was a five-time Fargo National All-American. He won the 2013 Junior National freestyle championship at 152 pounds. Tech is coming off a 2015-16 season that saw the program record a best-ever fourth place finish at Nationals, with six grapplers earning All-America honors and top six finishes.

Averett University has announced it will be adding a men's wrestling program to its roster of intercollegiate sports, the Virginia-based school announced Thursday. "Through the support of an anonymous donor, Averett University is proud to announce the addition of three NCAA Division III varsity athletics programs -- men's lacrosse, women's lacrosse and men's wrestling," according to a press statement released by the school. "All three are scheduled to begin play during the 2017-18 academic year." An anonymous donor came forward with $500,000 to fund the startup of the three programs which is intended to cover the hiring of head coaches for all three teams, development strategies and recruiting student-athletes, GoDanRiver.com reported Thursday. "We are so very appreciative of this most generous gift that will help us achieve new levels of athletic and academic excellence," school president Tiffany M. Franks said. "Adding these sports will help us to diversify our enrollment pipelines by attracting prospective students from geographical regions outside of Averett's traditionally targeted territories." With the addition of wrestling and the two lacrosse teams, Averett will now have 16 intercollegiate athletics programs. It comes as part of the school's "Averett 2020" strategic plan to increase enrollment and expand the geographic diversity of its student population. Averett expects that the teams will generate 90 new students within four years, helping the school toward achieving a goal of having 1,100 traditional students. "Through the addition of these three programs, Averett Athletics' expansion is an integral part of the university's strategic growth," said Director of Athletics Meg Stevens. "To establish the proper foundation for sports expansion, we have thoughtfully and carefully positioned ourselves well through our comprehensive planning. We've done our research, and these are three in-demand sports that perfectly fit our university profile." "These are the right sports at the right time," Stevens continued. "This is a great day for Averett, Averett athletics, and for Danville and Southern Virginia. This could make a big impact on our area. As Averett explained in its announcement, wrestling has seen growth at the Division III level. Six new men's wrestling programs are scheduled to take to the mat for the first time in 2016-17, with three non-NCAA programs scheduled to transition to Division III in the next three years. Located in the city of Danville in south-central Virginia near the North Carolina border, Averett University describes itself as a four-year, fully accredited, private, co-educational college with a traditional residential campus. Originally founded as a women's college in 1859, the school became co-ed in 1969, and took on its present name in 2001.

NEW YORK -- Carl Fronhofer resigned as the Andrew F. Barth Head Coach of Wrestling, announced today by the Columbia athletics department. Carl Fronhofer"It was an absolute privilege to coach the sport I love at one of the best universities in the world," Fronhofer said. "The thing I'll remember the most is the great relationships I've built with the players, coaches and administration. Right now, this is the best move for my family and I." Fronhofer spent the past eight years at Columbia, and has been the head coach of the Lions since the 2011-12 season. Every single season, Fronhofer has seen his wrestlers perform at the NCAA Championships, including an All-American finish from Steve Santos - the current John Huemer Second Assistant Coach. "During the past five seasons, Carl has done a spectacular job at the helm of our wrestling program," said Director of Athletics Peter Pilling. "Columbia is very sad to see him go, but wishes him the best in the future." As the head coach, Fronhofer tutored 29 EIWA place winners, 20 All-Ivy League selections, 19 NCAA qualifiers, and five New York State Champions. Additionally, his teams and student-athletes have earned numerous National Wrestling Coaches Association academic awards. The wrestling program is left in superb standing, with three returning student-athletes who each competed at the NCAA Championships the past two seasons. A search for Fronhofer's replacement will begin immediately, and Columbia expects to be able to name another excellent head coach in the near future. The entire Columbia athletics department thanks Fronhofer for his years of service and wishes his wife Claire, and his sons Xander and Wolfgang the best in their future endeavors.

What a week. After initially failing to qualify the 65-kilo category at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Frank Molinaro was granted a license on Wednesday after it was discovered that some wrestlers at his weight class had earlier accumulated doping violations. While the intrigue about how and why these violations came up has international intrigue, the online reaction to Molinaro's original inability to qualify the weight class ended up being the story of the week. There was rage and then more rage and then a whole heck of a lot of finger-pointing. The biggest gripe registering with fans was that Molinaro, despite his win at the Trials, was not the best wrestler in the country at 65 kilos. As such, the USA should reform their qualification process to not allow for wrestlers to "simply" breakout at the Trials and become an Olympian for the Stars and Stripes. There was also advice that the Trials be decided before the Pan Am qualifier -- an idea with some merit. However, that seemed to be the end of the positive idea making and the Internet pretty much did what it is designed to do, and devolved into a Trump-themed birthday party for 5-year-olds. Altogether the episode was a regrettable step back for a sport priding itself on national unity. Though I think that 65 kilos is America's most vulnerable weight class, I think Brent Metcalf has been a consistent top twenty wrestler for the past two years and that should the takedown against Franklin Gomez get called correctly there is no Frank issue. However, that's not where we stood after wrestling on Sunday. All that aside, it's fairly evident that for unqualified weight classes, where no major international titles have been won and no significant international ranking is held, there should be an open tournament to decide who is the wrestler to qualify the weight class and go to the Olympics. It's that way in most every country in the world and is the system used by the Russians and Iranians. Where there is a difference in selection process might be for wrestlers who are returning World champions and Olympic champions. Russia rarely sits a wrestler from the national tournament. In recent memory it's only been multiple-time World champion Besik Kudukhov and undefeated-since-2013 Abdulrashid Sadulaev. The theory goes that if they are doing the job asked, why risk upsetting that balance, or worse, injuring them? Nobody at 86 kilos in Russia, or worldwide, has come close to compiling a win-loss record or title history within the same stratosphere as Sadulaev. So why would you ever send them to the Olympics? That might be the lesson for the United States. Kyle Snyder and Jordan Burroughs made it through their national tournaments, but maybe they shouldn't have to at all? Does anyone give us a better chance to win at 74 kilos? No. Why take on the chance that Burroughs could get hurt, or be upset? Molinaro was competing at a weight class where almost no major international successes were recorded in 2015 and 2016. Why not let him represent the country if he's able to beat the entire field in a seeded tournament? The accusation against him -- that he performed well on one day -- is exactly what fans should want in their competitors. That single day of greatness describes a whole bunch of the USA's Olympic and World greats, most recently Henry Cejudo. The real improvements need to come much sooner than the Trials. There should be a real examination of what the goals are for wrestling in the United States. If international success ranks highly on that list then a gradual move from folkstyle to freestyle (and Greco-Roman) should be discussed. If international success is not a major priority then the community needs to accept that, due to time not competing in the style as a lifelong pursuit, America will have some weaker weight classes, including those that might not qualify for the Olympic Games. The change wouldn't be easy, but the outcome is obvious: increased international success and more gold medals at the Olympic Games. To your questions … Q: I was impressed with Nico Megaludis at the Olympic Team Trials despite the fact that he went 0-2. Both losses were by a point. I believe with full-time freestyle training he will blossom as a freestyle wrestler and represent Team USA at 57 kilos in the coming years. Thoughts? -- Mike C. Nico Megaludis with Penn State coach Cael Sanderson (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Foley: Agreed! And if not for his personal potential, his coaches have shown panache for preparing their athletes to win medals. I don't know how Cael and staff manage all the workouts and techniques, but the Penn State room is simultaneously the best collegiate wrestling program in the country and is quickly becoming a go-to spot for Olympic-style competitors. In addition to Frank Molinaro, the Nittany Lion room has Olympians Franklin Gomez and Jaime Espinal. Megaludis on the international stage is going to be something to get excited about for most American wrestling fans. With some added muscle and a year or two of tournaments under his belt I think the odds are that Megaludis will be on top of the heap at 57 kilos, likely with teammate Zain Retherford holding down 65 kilos. Megaludis' biggest competition going forward might be from Nahshon Garrett -- a thought that should keep American audiences excited about the future of the 57-kilo weight class, and the future medal chances in Tokyo. Q: I feel like Joe McFarland has underachieved at Michigan. He continually leaves redshirts on the table with his wrestlers: Rossi Bruno, Alec Pantaleo, Brian Murphy, Domenic Abounader and Adam Coon. All of these wrestlers could have used a redshirt their freshman year, but the lack of depth in the wrestling room doesn't allow him to maximize his wrestlers potential. He continually has top flight recruiting classes, but it doesn't seem to materialize tournament time continually hovering around the top 10 the last few years. When does Michigan break through? -- Dave D. Foley: The Michigan program hasn't had a terrible two-year run. Under McFarland and assisted by Sean Bormet, Josh Churella and Kellen Russell, the Wolverines finished tied for ninth in the NCAAs in 2016 and they were 11th in 2015 with five All-Americans, including NCAA finalist Adam Coon. The 2016 team only had three All-Americans but one of those, Conor Youtsey, was fairly surprising. While breaking through can certainly take on many meanings, I imagine you mean for a trophy. No matter what school you support, finding a trophy at NCAAs will from now on be a difficult accomplishment. If you just assumed some combination of Penn State, Iowa, Oklahoma State and Ohio State as shoe-ins for two of the top four trophies each year, you're pretty much putting yourself in a tough spot against teams like Minnesota, Virginia Tech, NC State and Oklahoma. If you add in the coming resurgence of Arizona State and Rutgers you are faced with a steep hill to climb in finding a trophy. Still, Michigan has talent, depth, coaching and recruits well. They have the right keys to victory and are just in need of a great tournament. Maybe that'll happen in 2017. Q: Fresno State hired Troy Steiner. Thoughts? -- Gary B. Troy Steiner was officially introduced as Fresno State's head wrestling coach on ThursdayFoley: Incredible hire. Not only was Troy Steiner a great wrestler, but he's been in the coaching game for almost thirty years. That's a lot of experience to tap into when starting his program. Building the Fresno State program will take considerable time and that means a patient leader. From what I know of Coach Steiner, and from what I've seen, that won't be an issue. Lastly, Steiner has considerable regional ties from having been at Oregon State for so many years. Not that he'll need much when heading into such a wrestling-rich area as the Central Valley. FresYes! MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Must-watch video. Well done by judo… Link: My favorite type of story on the Internet: self-righteous man busted for doing what he preaches against. Q: Outside of Jordan Burroughs and Kyle Snyder, what American freestyle wrestler has the best chance to earn a medal in Rio? -- Mike C. Foley: J'den Cox. I don't think that he has a style or game plan that other nations can prepare to defend. Even if a nation like Iran teaches their guy to stop Cox's deep underhook, the youngster is so capable of adaptation (both before a tournament and during a match) that he'll figure out a way to score. That will matter at the Olympics, which is essentially a 16-man bracket that moves quickly. There won't be much time to scout and prepare for each wrestler, and with the exception of Abdulrashid Sadualev, there aren't many that I think will be able to hang with Cox for a full six minutes. Q: It's great to see there will be a World Championships for non-Olympic weight classes later this year in Hungary. Predict the Team USA lineup in men's freestyle for the Worlds in December. -- Mike C. Foley: I'm not sure if they will hold a separate World Team qualifier, but my guess right now is Reece Humphrey at 61 kilos and Zain Retherford at 70 kilos. Q: If Adeline Gray wins gold in Rio, will she be considered the greatest American women's freestyle wrestler ever? -- Mike C. Foley: The Olympic gold would tie her for World titles with Tricia Saunders, who had four World gold medals and one silver medal. However, if you properly weigh the advancement of the women's sport, the depth of 75 kilos and give a nudge for an Olympic gold then there isn't much doubt that Gray is the best women's wrestler in the history of the USA. Comment of the Week By Tyler So the United States qualified the fewest weights since the 50s. This happened during a time where wrestling talent in the country seems to be very high. How can this possibly happen? To me, it seems we have a very flawed qualifying system. The winner of a single tournament is who we send but this is often not the best guy. Frank Molinaro really spotlights this problem. While he is good, he is not better than the guys he beat on that day. I think Aaron Pico, Logan Stieber, Jordan Oliver and Brent Metcalf all have a better chance to not only qualify but also medal. James Green, Zain Retherford, Jimmy Kennedy and Kellen Russell all also are probably better on a number of other days. Our qualification system ignores international results and instead focuses only on domestic. David Taylor has shown the most promise, but we almost sent Kyle Dake who has not done well internationally and if J'den Cox gets hurt it will be Dake instead. The single tournament looks to be more based on fairness rather than results. Coleman Scott has an Olympic medal, but lost a criteria match to a wrestler who likely should have lost in a previous round and was unable to go. Daniel Dennis even said he thinks Scott is the best guy at the weight class! In the other styles, four weight classes were also not qualified. I do not know the competitors as well, but I am sure similar things happen. Should more be done to make sure the best team is sent?

Joliet Junior College, the nation's oldest two-year public college, is celebrating its 115th birthday by reinstating its intercollegiate wrestling program which had been eliminated nearly 30 years ago, the school located just outside Chicago announced Wednesday. The school's Board of Trustees approved at their Tuesday meeting the establishment of a wrestling program as a National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) sport in fall 2017, if wrestling advocates raise the $30,000-$35,000 needed to relaunch the program by April 2017, the Chicago Tribune reported. As for the costs to Joliet Junior College, Athletic Director Wayne L. King, Jr., said Tuesday that he believed a $10,000 line item in the 2017 school budget to launch the wrestling program would be adequate for roughly 30 athletes. Overall insurance costs for the school would increase approximately $12,000 with the addition of wrestling, according to the Joliet Herald-News . In addition to budget aspects, the proposal approved by the board includes the establishment of a wrestling committee to be chaired by King which will oversee the hiring of a coach for the wrestling program. The inaugural season for the program would coincide with the 2017 opening the JJC Events Center which would have space for the program and its athletes. JJC currently has four sports for male athletes including baseball, basketball, soccer and cross country; and five sports for female athletes including basketball, soccer, softball, volleyball and cross country. Cheerleading and dance also are available for both males and females. In recent years, there have been efforts from within the local community -- including from local high school wrestling coaches -- to bring back wrestling at Joliet Junior College, with an eye to providing more competitive opportunities for wrestlers from the area ... and to increase enrollment at JJC. "This program has the potential to bring more student-athletes to JJC in the future, and I look forward to working with the wrestling advocates in our community to bring back a sport that has a rich history at the college," said King. "Joliet is known for producing excellent wrestlers," JJC Trustee Patricia Deiters said. "I think it's something that's going to attract people to this area and stay here." "We look forward to introducing wrestling once again to the athletic department at JJC," said Vice President of Student Development Dr. Yolanda Isaacs. "Our hope is that this program will offer current and future students another opportunity for developing themselves in athletic competition as well as in the classroom." Wrestling had been on the roster of Joliet Junior College from the 1960s into the mid-1980s, according to the school's official announcement. Individual JJC wrestlers and teams earned local, national and even international awards and recognition. Wrestling Coach Henry Pillard, who retired in 1985 after leading the program in the mid-60s then again from 1970 to 1985, was arguably the major force in the past success of the program. One of his most celebrated JJC wrestlers was Harry Geris, a Canadian native who started his collegiate career at Joliet, then went on to continued success as an Oklahoma State heavyweight, going up against the giants of the early 1970s such as Iowa State's Chris Taylor ... then wrestling for Canada at the 1972 and 1976 Olympics. (Harry Geris' life is chronicled in the book "Buried Under the Maple Leaves" which was the subject of an InterMat Reads feature in July 2015.) Founded in 1901, Joliet Junior College is the oldest public two-year college in the U.S. It now serves 35,000 students at multiple campuses in and around Joliet, Illinois, a city located southwest of Chicago.

Frank Molinaro after winning the Olympic Team Trials title (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Three days after failing to qualify for the Olympic Games in the 2nd World Olympic Qualifier in Turkey, Frank Molinaro received news that he was awarded a spot in the Rio Olympics. On Wednesday, United World Wrestling announced doping violations at the European Olympic Games Qualifier for 65-kilo wrestlers Magomedmurad Gadzhiev of Poland and Andriy Kvyatkovskyy of Ukraine. Their results have been wiped and Olympic licenses revoked. The doping violations resulted in Molinaro earning an Olympic berth at 65 kilos following a bronze-medal finish at the 2nd World Olympic Qualifier. The United States has now qualified all six men's freestyle weight classes for the Olympic Games.

The national title team for Penn State from this past season yet again speaks to the impact that recruiting high-end talent can have in creating, as well as maintaining and bolstering, the necessary culture and environment to foster team success on a year-to-year basis. The Nittany Lions had five finalists in this year's NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, all of whom were top ten overall recruits coming out of high school. Four of those were rated as top five recruits, including national champions Nico Megaludis and Zain Retherford. In addition, the Penn State lineup featured two other top ten recruits, Jimmy Gulibon and Nick Nevills; Gulibon fell just short of All-American honors in 2016, while Nevills failed to qualify for the national tournament after missing almost all of the season due to injury. On the other side of the ledger, Penn State got a second All-American finish from Jordan Conaway, who was not a top 100 recruit when he graduated from high school; Conaway was ranked nationally in the 112-pound weight class. This shows two additional important points of collegiate wrestling programs and recruiting: the ability to develop and improve the prospects brought into your program, along with the ability to project success for productive prep wrestlers (Conaway won state in Pennsylvania's big-school division as a senior) that might enter college slightly less touted. As emphasized the last year, having the type of roster talent that is present at Penn State creates a higher margin for program success should top prospective wrestlers fail to meet pre-conceived expectations. The more stars a team brings into the program, the more likely it is for the proper number of them to emerge into key contributors. While there are some excellent recruiting hauls here in 2016, let's not overreact and say that it guarantees program success. What is more accurate to say is that strong recruiting hauls create positive momentum for a program, but ultimate end-game results may end up being a different story. Even though the high performers in college generally come from the subset of high profile prospects, being a high profile recruit entering college is no guarantee of strong collegiate performance, especially when considering the full career. InterMat Recruiting Class Rankings 1. North Carolina State 2. Penn State 3. Iowa State 4. Iowa 5. Lehigh 6. Nebraska 7. Purdue 8. Minnesota 9. Rutgers 10. Ohio State 11. Stanford 12. Cornell 13. Virginia Tech 14. Lock Haven 15. Virginia 16. Wisconsin 17. Oklahoma State 18. Illinois 19. Pittsburgh 20. Central Michigan 21. Princeton 22. Northern Iowa 23. Drexel 24. Utah Valley 25. Michigan State Below is a breakdown of each ranked recruiting class. Hayden Hidlay is one of five top 100 recruits for North Carolina State (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)1. North Carolina State Top 100 recruits: No. 9 Nick Reenan (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), No. 13 Hayden Hidlay (Mifflin County, Pa.), No. 18 Trent Bullard (Archer, Ga.), No. 42 Daniel Bullard (Archer, Ga.) and No. 75 Tariq Wilson (Steubenville, Ohio) Other ranked recruits: Tommy Cox (Deer Park, N.Y.) and Chris Diaz (Archer, Ga.) Additional notable recruits: Three-time state champion Kellen Devlin (Amherst, N.Y.), NHSCA Senior Nationals champion Codi Russell (Collins Hill, Ga.) and Super 32 placer Wade Cummings (Downington East, Pa.) Commentary: This is the second straight year that a non-traditional program has earned the top recruiting class ranking, following Arizona State last year. The Wolfpack have the momentum of a most excellent 2015-16 regular season that included dual meet wins at Oklahoma State and Iowa. This recruiting haul further validates the work that Pat Popolizio and his assistants have done in Raleigh over a short period of time. Middleweights are abound with Hidlay, Reenan and the Bullard's; while lowerweights are addressed by Wilson, Cox, and the three lesser heralded but notable recruits. 2. Penn State Top 100 recruits: No. 1 Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.), No. 2 Nick Suriano (Bergen Catholic, N.J.), No. 7 Mason Manville (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) and No. 92 A.J. Nevills (Clovis, Calif.) Commentary: Penn State just won a national title, their fifth in six years, and has three of the nation's top ten recruits coming to Happy Valley in the fall. Somehow I think things will be just fine for the Nittany Lions despite not getting the No. 1 recruiting class, which was driven by the quantity of quality recruits in the haul that North Carolina State brought in. Suriano will probably be called into immediate service at 125 where he becomes an All-American contender, Hall and Manville will become assets in the middle of the Penn State lineup sooner rather than later, and Nevills provides quality depth in the upperweights. Penn State returns three of their five national finalists in 2016-17, and will replace Conaway in the lineup at 133 with impact transfer Jered Cortez. Read analysis for all 25 teams. Not an InterMat Platinum subscriber? Subscribe now!

The national title team for Penn State from this past season yet again speaks to the impact that recruiting high-end talent can have in creating, as well as maintaining and bolstering, the necessary culture and environment to foster team success on a year-to-year basis. The Nittany Lions had five finalists in this year's NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, all of whom were top ten overall recruits coming out of high school. Four of those were rated as top five recruits, including national champions Nico Megaludis and Zain Retherford. In addition, the Penn State lineup featured two other top ten recruits, Jimmy Gulibon and Nick Nevills; Gulibon fell just short of All-American honors in 2016, while Nevills failed to qualify for the national tournament after missing almost all of the season due to injury. On the other side of the ledger, Penn State got a second All-American finish from Jordan Conaway, who was not a top 100 recruit when he graduated from high school; Conaway was ranked nationally in the 112-pound weight class. This shows two additional important points of collegiate wrestling programs and recruiting: the ability to develop and improve the prospects brought into your program, along with the ability to project success for productive prep wrestlers (Conaway won state in Pennsylvania's big-school division as a senior) that might enter college slightly less touted. As emphasized the last year, having the type of roster talent that is present at Penn State creates a higher margin for program success should top prospective wrestlers fail to meet pre-conceived expectations. The more stars a team brings into the program, the more likely it is for the proper number of them to emerge into key contributors. While there are some excellent recruiting hauls here in 2016, let's not overreact and say that it guarantees program success. What is more accurate to say is that strong recruiting hauls create positive momentum for a program, but ultimate end-game results may end up being a different story. Even though the high performers in college generally come from the subset of high profile prospects, being a high profile recruit entering college is no guarantee of strong collegiate performance, especially when considering the full career. InterMat Recruiting Class Rankings 1. North Carolina State 2. Penn State 3. Iowa State 4. Iowa 5. Lehigh 6. Nebraska 7. Purdue 8. Minnesota 9. Rutgers 10. Ohio State 11. Stanford 12. Cornell 13. Virginia Tech 14. Lock Haven 15. Virginia 16. Wisconsin 17. Oklahoma State 18. Illinois 19. Pittsburgh 20. Central Michigan 21. Princeton 22. Northern Iowa 23. Drexel 24. Utah Valley 25. Michigan State Below is a breakdown of each ranked recruiting class. Hayden Hidlay is one of five top 100 recruits for North Carolina State (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)1. North Carolina State Top 100 recruits: No. 9 Nick Reenan (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), No. 13 Hayden Hidlay (Mifflin County, Pa.), No. 18 Trent Bullard (Archer, Ga.), No. 42 Daniel Bullard (Archer, Ga.) and No. 75 Tariq Wilson (Steubenville, Ohio) Other ranked recruits: Tommy Cox (Deer Park, N.Y.) and Chris Diaz (Archer, Ga.) Additional notable recruits: Three-time state champion Kellen Devlin (Amherst, N.Y.), NHSCA Senior Nationals champion Codi Russell (Collins Hill, Ga.) and Super 32 placer Wade Cummings (Downington East, Pa.) Commentary: This is the second straight year that a non-traditional program has earned the top recruiting class ranking, following Arizona State last year. The Wolfpack have the momentum of a most excellent 2015-16 regular season that included dual meet wins at Oklahoma State and Iowa. This recruiting haul further validates the work that Pat Popolizio and his assistants have done in Raleigh over a short period of time. Middleweights are abound with Hidlay, Reenan and the Bullard's; while lowerweights are addressed by Wilson, Cox, and the three lesser heralded but notable recruits. 2. Penn State Top 100 recruits: No. 1 Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.), No. 2 Nick Suriano (Bergen Catholic, N.J.), No. 7 Mason Manville (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) and No. 92 A.J. Nevills (Clovis, Calif.) Commentary: Penn State just won a national title, their fifth in six years, and has three of the nation's top ten recruits coming to Happy Valley in the fall. Somehow I think things will be just fine for the Nittany Lions despite not getting the No. 1 recruiting class, which was driven by the quantity of quality recruits in the haul that North Carolina State brought in. Suriano will probably be called into immediate service at 125 where he becomes an All-American contender, Hall and Manville will become assets in the middle of the Penn State lineup sooner rather than later, and Nevills provides quality depth in the upperweights. Penn State returns three of their five national finalists in 2016-17, and will replace Conaway in the lineup at 133 with impact transfer Jered Cortez. 3. Iowa State Top 100 recruits: No. 14 Samuel Colbray (Hermiston, Ore.), No. 43 Gannon Gremmel (Dubuque Hempstead, Iowa), No. 45 Kanen Storr (Leslie, Mich.), No. 72 Ian Parker (St. Johns, Mich.) and No. 76 Danny Vega (Ironwood Ridge, Ariz.) Additional notable recruits: State champion Trey Meyer (East Valley, Wash.) and three-time state champion Zemua Baptista (Friend, Neb.) Commentary: With the slight scrutiny that the Cyclones coaching staff is facing on a year-to-year basis, bringing in strong recruits is one way to head it off. The other is obviously strong dual meet performances and success at the NCAAs in terms of All-Americans and team finish. Five top 100 recruits is joint most for 2016 with North Carolina State. Colbray and Gremmel have the potential to be cogs in the Cyclones' machine at 197 and 285 for a few years, Vega the same as a career 125, while Storr and Parker provide potential in the lower-middleweights. 4. Iowa Top 100 recruits: No. 3 Alex Marinelli (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), No. 26 Kaleb Young (Punxsatawney, Pa.), No. 36 Carter Happel (Lisbon, Iowa) and No. 83 Jack Wagner (Bettendorf, Iowa) Additional notable recruits: Three-time state champion Brock Rathbun (Cedar Point-Urbana, Iowa) and state champion Matt Malcom (Glenwood, Iowa) Commentary: Falling outside of the top four trophies for the first time in the Tom Brands era stoked the fire for fans across the sport of wrestling about the Hawkeyes' program, regardless of where one falls in the Iowa spectrum (fan, non-fan, etc). Since the top-ranked recruiting class in 2012, it has been three successive recruiting years outside the top ten prior to this one. This group -- along with the verbal commitments of elite 2017 and 2018 prospects -- provides a clear marker that Iowa remains a collegiate wrestling force to be reckoned with. Of interest here is that Marinelli and Happel are both four-time state champions. 5. Lehigh Top 100 recruits: No. 10 Jordan Wood (Boyertown, Pa.), No. 15 Luke Karam (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.), No. 19 Chris Weiler (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) and No. 80 John Jakobsen (Stroudsburg, Pa.) Additional notable recruits: Junior National freestyle All-American Nick Farro (Delbarton, N.J.) and two-time state placer Kyle Gentile (Pennridge, Pa.) Commentary: Local recruiting is the lifeblood of Lehigh's program, and an excellent base has enabled Pat Santoro to bring in yet another ranked class. Five of the six core recruits in this Mountain Hawks recruiting class are in-state wrestlers, while the other is from across the river in New Jersey; this includes two wrestlers from District XI itself (Karam and Jakobsen). 6. Nebraska Top 100 recruits: No. 5 Chad Red (New Palestine, Ind.), No. 12 Beau Breske (Hartford Union, Wis.) and No. 40 Eric Schultz (Tinley Park, Ill.) Other ranked recruits: Luke Weber (Forsyth, Mont.) and Taylor Venz (Owatonna, Minn.) Additional notable recruit: Two-time state champion Johnny Blankenship (Platte County, Mo.) Commentary: In recent years, Mark Manning's Huskers have been noted for having a very balanced lineup, which culminated in all ten wrestlers qualifying for the NCAA tournament based on finish in the Big Ten tournament; furthermore each and every wrestler won two or more matches at the NCAA tournament. In order to achieve that type of lineup, it takes strong recruiting. This class is another example of that; Red is an elite lower-middleweight, while Breske and Schultz fit that description for upperweights. The other three core recruits have strong potential as well. 7. Purdue Top 100 recruits: No. 17 Griffin Parriott (New Prague, Minn.), No. 27 Shawn Streck (Merrillville, Ind.) and No. 84 Christian Brunner (Dundee-Crown, Ill.) Other ranked recruits: Devin Schroder (Grand Rapids Catholic Central, Mich.) and Kobe Woods (Penn, Ind.) Commentary: Rebuilding a program in college wrestling is a process that takes time, especially at a relatively off-brand program, a billing that describes the Boilermakers. They are competing in the nation's toughest conference, Big Ten, and face a tough battle in terms of talent procurement. However, in two years at the helm Tony Ersland has laid a solid foundation. This year's recruiting class a crucial tone setting piece of that. The three top 100 recruits need to reach their potential and beome lynchpin pieces if the Boilermakers are going to creep into the upper half of the Big Ten and get to earning multiple All-Americans at the NCAA tournament yearly. 8. Minnesota Top 100 recruits: No. 20 Mitch McKee (St. Michael-Albertville, Minn.), No. 48 Owen Webster (Shakopee, Minn.) and No. 50 Hunter Marko (Amery, Wis.) Other ranked recruit: Lucas Jeske (St. Michael-Albertville, Minn.) Commentary: The Gophers' 2010 recruiting class was the top-ranked group of that year, and then there were four straight groups outside the top ten. This somewhat explains the relative struggles of the 2015-16 season, finishing in the lower half of the Big Ten tournament standings, and a finish outside the top 15 at the NCAA tournament. However, a second straight top ten recruiting class should enable the Gophers to return to their perennial status of the upper reaches of the Big Ten standings and the top ten at the NCAA tournament. 9. Rutgers Top 100 recruits: No. 34 Matt Correnti (Holy Cross, N.J.), No. 44 Kevin Mulligan (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) and No. 62 Joe Grello (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) Other ranked recruits: Alex Mackall (Walsh Jesuit, Ohio), Mike Van Brill (Clearview Regional, N.J.) and Brett Donner (Wall Township, N.J.) Additional notable recruit: Two-time state runner-up Brandon Paetzell (Phillipsburg, N.J.) Commentary: The Garden State provides a fertile in-state recruiting base for head coach Scott Goodale and his Scarlet Knights. Three consecutive seasons with an All-American, and now a season with multiple All-American finishers, helps to validate the development work that has went into the program during Goodale's reign. Of the seven core wrestlers in this class, six are in-state wrestlers. In addition, the six weight class ranked recruits is the second most this year (North Carolina State has seven). 10. Ohio State Top 100 recruits: No. 4 Isaiah White (Oak Park River Forest, Ill.), No. 8 Luke Pletcher (Greater Latrobe, Pa.) and No. 68 Elijah Cleary (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.) Additional notable recruit: Three-time National Prep placer Kevin Snyder (Good Counsel, Md.) Commentary: More of the same for head coach Tom Ryan and the Buckeyes. Three very high-end prospects come in as part of this class, one that is ranked within the top 12 for the seventh time in the last eight years. Look for White to be called upon immediately at 165 pounds for a Buckeyes team that will be contending for yet another trophy at the NCAA tournament; Pletcher fits into the lower middleweight area after a likely redshirt, while Cleary is an upper middle weight. 11. Stanford Top 100 recruits: No. 29 Nathan Traxler (Marmion Academy, Ill.), No. 31 Brandon Dallavia (Blair Academy, N.J.) and No. 71 Requir van der Merwe (Blair Academy, N.J.) Additional notable recruit: Three-time state placer Gabe Townsell (Oak Park River Forest, Ill.) Commentary: Yet again, head coach Jason Borrelli has brought in a high-end recruiting haul to The Farm, as it's the sixth top 20 class in eight years at the helm. The question remains when this will translate into a top ten finish at the NCAA tournament, maybe 2016-17 will be that year; the Cardinal return a pair of All-Americans in Joey McKenna and Connor Schram, along with round of 12 finisher Jim Wilson. This recruiting group further affirms the positive strides for Stanford with prospects coming in from some of the nation's strongest prep wrestling programs. 12. Cornell Top 100 recruits: No. 28 Ben Darmstadt (Elyria, Ohio), No. 63 Max Dean (Lowell, Mich.) and No. 89 Noah Baughman (Wadsworth, Ohio) Other ranked recruit: Trence Gillem (Helix Charter, Calif.) Additional notable recruit: Three-time state champion Foster Karmon (Grand Rapids Catholic Central, Mich.) Commentary: A pair of NCAA champions anchored a ninth straight top ten finish for the Big Red at this year's NCAA tournament. Key to their success has been the recruiting of highly talented wrestlers with strong character, which is yet again reflected in this class. All three top 100 recruits won a pair of state titles as high school wrestlers, while nationally ranked Gillem was a state champion this past season. Dean and Darmstadt address the upperweights, while Baughman and Gillem fit in the lower weight classes. 13. Virginia Tech Top 100 recruits: No. 51 Kyle Norstrem (Brandon, Fla.), No. 53 Brent Moore (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) and No. 86 Jarrett Degen (Belgrade, Mont.) Other ranked recruit: Cody Amos (Cave Spring, Va.) Additional notable recruits: Three-time National Prep finalist Joey Prata (St. Christopher's, Va.) and three-time state champion Anthony Helm (Matoaca, Va.) Commentary: The 11th season of Kevin Dresser being the head coach at Virginia Tech concluded with a fourth consecutive top ten finish, which is an impressive leap, given where things were when he took the job. Furthermore, momentum for Hokie wrestling has never been stronger, as they finished fourth in the NCAA tournament this past season and won the ACC regular season title. This recruiting group is yet again excellent with three top 100 recruits coming into the fold, along with some solid in-state wrestlers as well. 14. Lock Haven Top 100 recruit: No. 46 Tyshawn White (Central Dauphin, Pa.) Impact transfers: Chance Marsteller (Oklahoma State/Kennard Dale, Pa.), Thomas Haines (Ohio State/Solanco, Pa.), and Patrick Duggan (West Virginia/Cumberland Valley, Pa.) Other ranked recruits: Tyson Klump (Nazareth, Pa.) and Jonathan Ross (Northern York, Pa.) Additional notable recruits: Three-time state placer Colin Glorioso (Huntingdon, Pa.) and two-time state placer Trey Hartsock (Mifflin County, Pa.) Commentary: In three seasons at Lock Haven, head coach Scott Moore has helped to stabilize the program and provide growth. The recruiting haul -- both in terms of high school graduates and college transfers -- is one that can help buoy the Bald Eagles back towards their glory years of the past. Four-time state medalist White is the type of wrestler that Lock Haven had not been getting for many years, which is a positive reflection on Moore's work. Marsteller and Haines were top 10 overall prospects in the 2014 class; should they show that type of potential, it would be a huge coup, though transfers are always a crap shoot in terms of resultant performance. Each has three years of eligibility remaining. 15. Virginia Top 100 recruits: No. 22 George Phillippi (Derry Area, Pa.) and No. 25 Jack Mueller (Trinity Christian Academy, Texas) Other ranked recruits: Louie Hayes (Carl Sandburg, Ill.) and Jay Aiello (Westfield, Va.) Additional notable recruits: Four-time state champion Michael Murphy (Baylor School, Tenn.), three-time state placer Jake Shaffer (Greater Latrobe, Pa.) and state champion Edwin Rubio (John Glenn, N.Y.) Commentary: Steve Garland and staff followed up last year's fifth-ranked recruiting class with yet another solid recruiting group, one that is ranked nationally for a fourth straight year. Elite lowerweights Phillippi and Mueller anchor this class, while Aiello and Rubio provide potential talent in the upper two weight classes. 16. Wisconsin Top 100 recruits: No. 37 Zander Wick (San Marino, Calif.), No. 39 Evan Wick (San Marino, Calif.) and No. 100 Jacob Covaciu (Merrillville, Ind.) Additional notable recruit: State champion Brady Wetter (Dodgeville, Wis.) Commentary: Out of state recruiting again had to be key for the Badgers, as they failed to get commitments from either of the pair of top 50 (and 100) recruits in this class from the state of Wisconsin. A pair of talented twins from California are excellent prospects in the middle-weights; with two-time state champion and Junior National freestyle All-American Covaciu, also a middleweight prospect. 17. Oklahoma State Top 100 recruits: No. 47 Keegan Moore (Jackson County Central, Minn.), No. 57 Ethan Andersen (Southeast Polk, Iowa) and No. 59 Wyatt Sheets (Stilwell, Okla.) Commentary: The Cowboys' recruiting continues to be excellent. The previous two years saw a combined eleven top 100 recruits come into the fold, and with class ranked second overall. While this group is ranked lower, it's due more to a lower quantity than it is the lack of quality. All three commits are highly talented and accomplished; Moore and Andersen represent out-of-state upperweights with strong potential, while Sheets is an excellent in-state middleweight with strong genetic stock (father was multiple-time NCAA champ). 18. Illinois Top 100 recruits: No. 38 Dylan Duncan (Montini Catholic, Ill.), No. 49 Mike Carr (South Fayette, Pa.) and No. 77 Travis Piotrowski (Prairie Ridge, Ill.) Additional notable recruits: Two-time state third Jacob Silzer (St. Rita, Ill.) and three-time state placer Dylan Thurston (Washington, Ill.) Commentary: Another year, yet again the Fighting Illini bring in multiple top 100 recruits to Champaign-Urbana. Head coach Jim Heffernan has again found solid in-state talent in two-time state champion Duncan and state champion Piotrowski. However, a concern does remain in that eight of the ten top 100 recruits from Illinois are not ending up at the state's flagship institution; this follows last year when the Illini only landed two of the nine top 100 recruits from their own state. In terms of this class, the lower half of the lineup is the clear focus. 19. Pittsburgh Top 100 recruits: No. 33 Jake Wentzel (South Park, Pa.), No. 67 Austin Bell (Belle Vernon, Pa.) and No. 82 Christian Dietrich (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) Commentary: Given the geographic footprint that the Panthers operate within, strong recruiting classes should be a consistent pattern. However, that is not the case, as only the Panthers' third-ranked group from 2013 was ranked in the top 25 from the previous seven years. Wentzel and Bell come from right around Pittsburgh, and are extremely accomplished wrestlers. Wentzel is a two-time state champ and four-time state placer, while Bell placed third twice at the state tournament; both wrestlers placed third at the Super 32 Challenge in 2014, and each has also placed at the FloNationals. This pair addresses middleweight needs, while Dietrich is a talented upperweight. 20. Central Michigan Top 100 recruits: No. 16 Matt Stencel (Oregon Clay, Ohio) and No. 56 Landon Pelham (Tecumseh, Mich.) Other ranked recruits: Drew Hildebrandt (Penn, Ind.) and Dresden Simon (Dansville, Mich.) Additional notable recruits: Two-time state champions Reiley Brown (Whitehall, Mich.) and Blake Montrie (Bedford, Mich.) Commentary: The five years after the Chippewas' No. 2 recruiting class in 2011 have been a mixed bag to say the least. 2015 saw a 12-year run for Central Michigan earning an All-American at the NCAA tournament come to an end. However, Justin Oliver's seventh-place finish this March is the potential start to a new streak for the Chippewas. Four of the six core recruits are two-time state champions, while Pelham and Hildebrandt each have a state title in their own right. A plethora of weight classes are covered with this group; however, an unfortunate note is that the two best recruits of the group are probably both projected heavyweights. 21. Princeton Top 100 recruits: No. 61 Ty Agaisse (Delbarton, N.J.), No. 64 Christian Araneo (Ward Melville, N.Y.) and No. 93 Riley DeMoss (Marmion Academy, Ill.) Other ranked recruit: Kevin Parker (Shenendehowa, N.Y.) Additional notable recruits: Two-time state champion Matteo DeVincenzo (Port Jefferson, N.Y.) and National Prep runner-up Leonard Merkin (Poly Prep, N.Y.) Commentary: Yet another nationally ranked recruiting haul for Chris Ayres and the Tigers, who are building positive momentum. They are recruiting their region very well, with Agaisse coming from the Garden State, and four others coming from right across the Hudson River in New York. Agaisse and DeVincenzo are lowerweights; Merkin is a middleweight; while DeMoss, Parker, and Araneo fit in the back third of the lineup. 22. Northern Iowa Top 100 recruits: No. 24 Rudy Yates (Carl Sandburg, Ill.) and No. 58 Carter Isley (Albia, Iowa) Additional newcomer: Tyler Hoffman (Iowa Central/East Buchanan, Iowa) Commentary: The last two seasons have been setbacks for the Panthers following the banner 2014 season, in which they went undefeated in dual meets and saw three wrestlers earn All-American finishes. However, the positive culture is still there. The No. 4 ranked recruiting class from 2015 is likely to start making an even stronger impact, though Bryce Steiert already qualified for the NCAA tournament this year as a true freshmen. Three very strong assets come into the Northern Iowa program from this class: elite lowerweight Yates; elite heavyweight Isley; and 2015 NJCAA champion Hoffman, a projected 184. 23. Drexel Top 100 recruit: No. 41 Josh Hokit (Clovis, Calif.) Impact transfer: Garrett Hammond (Penn State/Chambersburg, Pa.) Additional notable recruits: State placer Devan Turner (Dixon, Calif.), four-time state placer Julian Flores (San Marino, Calif.) and three-time state placer Justin Demicco (Brecksville, Ohio) Commentary: The California ties of head coach Matt Azevedo helped the Dragons procure much of the core talent in this year's recruiting class, most notably state champion Hokit and 2015 state champion Flores. If Flores shows the form of 2014-15, he is a clear top 50 to 100 wrestler in this graduating class, which would be very good news for Drexel. The transfer Hammond has two years of eligibility remaining, and is a probable top 15-20 wrestler at either 157 pounds or 165 pounds immediately. 24. Utah Valley Top 100 recruits: No. 23 Taylor LaMont (Maple Mountain, Utah) and No. 87 Durbin Lloren (Buchanan, Calif.) Additional notable recruits: Three-time state champion Tanner Cox (Maple Mountain, Utah), two-time state champion Koy Wilkinson (Pleasant Grove, Utah) and three-time state champion Gary Jantzer (Marshfield, Ore.) Commentary: Considering the geography and limited resources facing the Wolverines, it's been a relatively positive seven-year run as a postseason eligible Division I program. Jade Rauser earned the second All-American honor in program history this past March. In addition, this is another solid year in recruiting with a pair of top 100 commits, along with three additional wrestlers from the western third of the country with many credentials. LaMont has been one of the best age group wrestlers throughout his career, and thrived in all the major events, while Lloren was a four-time state placer in California with the 2015 state title. 25. Michigan State Top 100 recruit: No. 32 Drew Hughes (Lowell, Ind.) Other ranked recruit: Shane Tucker (Mt. Carmel, Ill.) Additional notable recruits: Two-time state champion Lucas Hall (Lowell, Mich.), three-time state finalist Matt Santos (Swan Valley, Mich.), state champion Austin Hiles (Brecksville, Ohio), two-time state runner-up Nick May (Kalamazoo Loy Norrix, Mich.) and state runner-up Christian Rebottaro (Monta Vista Christian, Calif.) Commentary: The transition from Tom Minkel to Roger Chandler as head coach is upon us. Enough words have been written about the struggles of Spartans wrestling under Minkel. The first recruiting class for Chandler's program is one that offers solid roster depth/talent across the weight classes, something that is of genuine need. There is also a potential program lynchpin in Hughes (two-time state champion, two-time fourth place at the Super 32 Challenge). Hall and Santos help the lower weights, Hiles and Tucker help the middle-weights along with Hughes, while May and Rebottaro help the top two weights. Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Indiana, Missouri, Northwestern and West Virginia

Chance Marsteller battles Edwin Cooper at Grapple on the Gridiron (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com)One of Pennsylvania's most dominant high school wrestlers ever is leaving Oklahoma State and returning to the Keystone State. Chance Marsteller announced Tuesday on Twitter that he would be attending Lock Haven to wrestle for Scott Moore. Marsteller becomes the second four-time Pennsylvania state champion to transfer to Lock Haven, joining Thomas Haines. Marsteller posted 6-5 record this past season as a redshirt freshman at 157 pounds. He compiled a 14-4 record during his redshirt campaign in 2014-15. A graduate of Kennard-Dale High School, Marsteller amassed a perfect high school record of 166-0 on his way to winning four state championships. In 2014, he received the National Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award presented by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, and also earned a Junior Hodge Trophy. Marsteller was the nation's No. 2 recruit in 2014 behind only Kyle Snyder.

The long-awaited return of intercollegiate wrestling to Fresno State came one step closer as the California school announced the hiring of Troy Steiner - former Iowa Hawkeye wrestling great and a decade-long member of the Oregon State coaching staff -- as head coach of the reinstated mat program, the Fresno Bee reported Tuesday. Troy Steiner coaching at the Pac-12 Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Troy Steiner has been associate head coach at Oregon State since 2006. Prior to joining the Beavers coaching staff, Steiner had worked as an assistant coach at three Big Ten schools: University of Minnesota, University of Wisconsin, and his college alma mater, University of Iowa. Over the course of his coaching career, Troy helped coach 22 NCAA Division I All-Americans, 10 Big Ten champions, and 6 NCAA Division I champs, according to his biography at the SteinerWrestling.com website. Prior to becoming a collegiate coach, Steiner wrestled for the Iowa Hawkeyes and head coach Dan Gable from 1990-93, where he was a four-time NCAA All-American, winning an NCAA championship in 1992. The native of Bismarck, North Dakota won three Big Ten titles at Iowa, compiling a 148-13 career record at 134 and 142 pounds. While at Iowa, Troy and his twin brother, Terry, were part of three national and four Big Ten championship teams. In post-collegiate competition, Steiner was a nine-time U.S. national team member, winning the 1992 World Cup and 1996 Pan-American Games titles. He placed third at the U.S. Olympic Trials in 1992 and 1996 and fifth in 2000. Steiner was inducted into the North Dakota Hall of Fame in 1998 and the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum in 2013. He received his bachelor's in social work from Iowa in 1993 and his master's in kinesiology with a sports management emphasis from Minnesota in 1998. The wrestling program at Fresno State was first established in 1962. It was eliminated in 2006. In the decade since the Bulldog wrestling program was axed, there has been a concerted effort to bring the sport back to the school within the wrestling community in California and beyond. The idea of reinstating the California State University, Fresno mat program gained extra traction in November 2013, when school president Joseph Castro said in a speech to mark his first 100 days in office, "I think there is a compelling case that's being made for wrestling, and I want to make sure that information is all part of the review and the discussions." Fresno State made it official on March 1, 2016 -- it would be adding men's wrestling and women's water polo to its roster of intercollegiate sports, effective in the 2016-17 season. The school had posted the head coaching position in March, stating at the time it hoped to have a person in place within three months.

LOS ANGELES -- The group pairings for the 2016 Men's Freestyle World Cup in Los Angeles, Calif. were released by United World Wrestling on Tuesday. The 2016 Men's Freestyle Wrestling World Cup will be held at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., June 11-12. The United States is slated to face Iran, Azerbaijan and India in Group B competition. Iran was second in the 2015 World Championships and is the defending World Cup champion. The United States was seventh at the 2015 World Championships and second in the 2015 World Cup. Azerbaijan was fifth at the 2015 World Championships and third at the 2015 World Cup. India was 10th at the 2015 World Championships. Russia headlines a tough Group A pool that also includes Georgia, Turkey and Mongolia. Russia was the champion at the 2015 World Championships and was fourth at the 2015 World Cup. Georgia was third at the 2015 World Championships. Mongolia was fourth at the 2015 World Championships and fifth at the 2015 World Cup. Turkey was sixth at the 2015 World Championships and eighth at the 2015 World Cup. At the conclusion of group competition countries will cross bracket and compete in one additional dual to determine final placements. The top eight teams from last year's World Championships in Las Vegas, Nev. qualified for this year's World Cup. India was invited after Bulgaria, which was eighth at the 2015 World Championships, could not attend. The full U.S. lineup for the World Cup will be announced shortly, as will lineups for the other seven teams coming to compete. Los Angeles star Aaron Pico has confirmed that he will be one of the American athletes competing in the World Cup. This is the last chance for fans to see these world-class athletes in action one more time before the Summer Olympics. Attendees can purchase tickets for the popular international competition through Ticketmaster. The local organizing committee benefits from the talent and membership of Beat the Streets Los Angeles, California USA Wrestling, the Titan Mercury Wrestling Club and other premiere Los Angeles-based sports organizations. 2015 Men's Freestyle World Cup Draws Group A Russia Georgia Turkey Mongolia Group B Iran United States Azerbaijan India 2015 Men's Freestyle World Cup Results 1. Iran 2. United States 3. Azerbaijan 4. Russia 5. Belarus 6. Mongolia 7. Cuba 8. Turkey 2015 World Championships Results 1. Russia -- 61 pts 2. Iran -- 48 pts 3. Georgia -- 44 pts 4. Mongolia -- 41 pts 5. Azerbaijan -- 39 pts 6. Turkey -- 33 pts 7. United States -- 29 pts 8. Bulgaria -- 23 pts 9. Ukraine -- 20 pts 10. India -- 14 pts

NEW YORK -- Beat the Streets is pleased to announce that it will be presenting its 2016 Man of the Year award to champion international wrestler Kyle Snyder and its Lifetime Achievement Award to former NFL star Ray Lewis at its annual Gala celebration in Times Square on Thursday, May 19. Kyle Snyder battles Jake Varner in the finals of the Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Kyle Snyder became the youngest American to win a Senior World title when he captured the 97 kg gold medal at the 2015 World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas at age 19. Snyder came out of Olympic redshirt and won the 2016 NCAA Wrestling Championships in Madison Square Garden as a sophomore for Ohio State, defeating two-time NCAA champion Nick Gwiazdowski of NC State in a classic heavyweight finals. In April, Snyder defeated 2012 Olympic champion Jake Varner in the finals of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials to earn a spot on the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team at the age of 20. In 2014, Snyder was selected to represent Team USA as the youngest-ever member of the Beat the Streets All-Star team. Ray Lewis is the former linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens, two-time Super Bowl Champion, and 2000's Super Bowl MVP. He was an All-American linebacker and a wrestling star at Kathleen High School in Lakeland, Florida. He has received numerous awards and honors throughout his 17-year career with the Ravens, becoming the team's all-time career leader in tackles. Lewis will be the Honorary Coach of the USA team at United in the Square. Beat the Streets will also be awarding a number of New York City wrestlers and coaches in recognition of their achievements in the past year: Junior League Girls Wrestler of the Year: Chloe Cabrera, MS 129, Bronx Cabrera is a three-year middle-school wrestler who has stood out every season. Her accomplishments include her three times as Junior League Champion and being a member of the National Junior Honor Society for the past two years. She attends clinics at Beat the Streets and travels in the spring with Head Girls Coach Jacque Davis to out-of-state tournaments. As one of her supporters puts it, "she is always trying to better herself as a wrestler and has a bright future." Junior League Boys Wrestler of the Year: Jayden Cardenas, MS 582, Brooklyn Cardenas is from MS 582 Upper Ten Eyck and has been wrestling for five years. He was the NYC City Champion and USA Wrestling Kids State Champion this year. Cardenas credits his family, coach, and supporters with giving him the drive to stay committed to the sport. He aspires to compete on his high school team and eventually wrestle in the Olympics, winning many more gold medals. Female Student-Athlete of the Year: Dennielle Phillip, Wingate Educational Campus, Brooklyn Phillip has been wrestling for almost three years and already made quite an impact. She placed first at the Mohawk Valley tournament and also won the coveted PSAL Yankee Award. Phillip says that wrestling has opened many doors for her and helped her to become a more confident person. She plans to continue wrestling in college and pursue her studies in criminal justice. Male Student-Athlete of the Year: Evan McFarland, Tottenville High School, Staten Island McFarland is an Eagle Scout and captain of his wrestling team at Tottenville High School. He is a member of the National Honors Society and involved in numerous volunteering activities, including Habitat for Humanity and the March of Dimes walk. "'Resilient' might be the best word to describe Evan," said his Coach, John Cichon. "Leadership, character, dedication, and time management are some of Evan's best qualities that he shares unknowingly with everyone he comes in contact with." He hopes to become an engineer to best make a positive change in the world. GRIT Award: Rachel Koltsov, The Bronx High School of Science Koltsov is the captain of the Bronx Science Blended and female wrestling team and has been a member of the team for four years - dating back to when it was an all-boys team. She was instrumental in the team's victory at the PSAL Blended Wrestling Championship. From her three years wrestling, she finds that the sport has helped teach her a great deal of discipline and responsibility. Koltsov is known for being a hard worker and having an outstanding, personable character. She plans to continue wrestling in college while pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering. LADY LIBERTY Award: Aileen Gonzalez, Brooklyn Technical High School As a NYC high school boys coach said of this Brooklyn Tech veteran, "I'm glad my boys do not have to wrestle her next year." Gonzalez won the Girls City Championship and placed fourth in Boys City Championship. Gonzalez likes to be pushed to the limit and aspires - after winning the team city championships -- to attend and graduate college. The Lady Liberty Award is specifically given to a senior NYC female wrestler who has stood as a beacon of opportunity and promise, representing all that is strong and proud about the city's women's wrestling culture. ATLAS Award and Become Your Own Dream Scholarship: Leonard Merkin, Poly Prep Country Day School, Brooklyn Merkin has made his mark at Poly Prep Country Day School by becoming a four-time NYS Private School Champion. The Atlas Award is given to a senior NYC wrestler who has picked up wrestling on his back and carried it into new territory, set new standards, and advanced the legacy of Beat the Streets. He has received All-American honors and will soon be wrestling for Princeton. Merkin is also the winner of the Become Your Own Dream Scholarship, which is given annually to a New York City student-athlete who has overcome obstacles, felt hardship, and plans to continue wrestling in college. Junior League Coach of the Year: Michael Wurmbrand, MS 582, Brooklyn Wurmbrand is the head coach of MS 582 Upper Ten Eyck and has been involved in the sport for ten years. He's committed to wrestling because it shows clear transformations in students' behavior, attitude, and leadership with their teammates and in the classroom. Wurmbrand has done a good job maintaining a sizable team at a small school and looks forward to future changes now that he's able to start training younger student-athletes in elementary school. High School Assistant Coach of the Year: Anthony Mirra, Tottenville High School, Staten Island Mirra has been actively involved in Tottenville's wrestling program since he was a student-athlete himself. He admits the sport for helping to make kids tougher mentally, emotionally and physically. As the lightweight coach, Mirra has helped to produce at least one Mayor's Cup champion and at least one city champion every year. This past season, he saw six individuals crowned at the city championships and represent Tottenville at the state tournament in Albany, which has never been done by a large school's team before. As one supporter said of Mirra, "his dedication does not end when practice ends...he is the coach that wrestlers confide in when they are struggling." Girls High School Coach of the Year: Theodore Cook, Harry S. Truman High School, Bronx A veteran of wrestling with over twenty years of experience, Cook has inspired a number of students with his coaching abilities. He's widely respected for pushing his girls on the team that he started out of their comfort zones and daring them to try their hardest. "He is not afraid to go above and beyond to make sure his team reaches their full potential," said one student. Another writes: "I can honestly said Coach Cook is probably the most trustworthy and reliable person I know." Several of his supporters praise him as a father figure who helps lift everyone's spirits and inspires the girls with life lessons. Boys High School Coach of the Year: Peter Cardone, William Cullen Bryant High School, Queens Coach Cardone has made the most of having a dedicated wrestling room at WC Bryant High School and turned a program on the brink into city champions. Cardone's leadership, with the help of coaches Joe Goetz and Joseph Weinstein, grew his team from fifteen wrestlers to fifty-five. Cardone has overseen numerous accomplishments during his time with the school, including the NYC Freshman and Sophomore Title and becoming undefeated Region 4 Division Champions. "He has changed the lives of many wrestlers in the school by being with them through both good and hard times as a friend and a coach." Volunteer of the Year: David Prado Prado has been involved in wrestling since he was in elementary school and attended Arizona State on an athletic scholarship. He is committed to the sport because it has given him so much success and opportunity throughout his life that he seeks to "pay it forward" to other kids whenever possible. He shows tireless dedication to the cause of Beat the Streets, volunteering at practices several days a week. The Beat the Streets gala is an annual fundraiser that raises money to support New York City student-athletes, having previously been hosted in such iconic locations as Times Square and Grand Central Terminal. The gala helps provide wrestling equipment and opportunities to 3,000 kids across the five boroughs every year. This year's celebration, "United in the Square," will see some of America's top wrestlers, including Jordan Burroughs and Adeline Gray, going up against world-class competition from Iran, Canada, and South Korea. The gala begins at 3:45 PM on Thursday, May 19 with exhibition matches featuring young wrestlers from NYC before the world class wrestling matches begin at 6:00 PM. Tickets for seating in Times Square and attendance at the post-match reception are available on the Beat the Streets website. The event will be streaming live on FloWrestling.

MANHEIM, Pa. -- Harvard regained the top spot in the annual Division I All-Academic Team and Individuals release on Monday by the National Wrestling Coaches Association. The Crimson sported an overall team grade-point average of 3.4122 and earned top honors for the third time in the last four years. Last year, coach Jay Weiss' squad was second. Awarded annually, the NWCA All-Academic team is comprised of 116 student-athletes. For the second year in a row, half of the Division I champions made the team, while two additional runner-ups were included. In all, 36 All-Americans were All-Academic selections, which is up from last year's 28. Of the 116, 101 of the student-athletes qualified for the NCAA Division I championships, up from 96 in 2014-15 and an increase of 24 since 2013-14. Link: 2016 NWCA Division I All-Academic Individuals Link: 2016 NWCA Division I All-Academic Top 30 teams Penn State, which led all teams with six individual selections, had NCAA Division I champions Nico Megaludis (125 pounds) and Zain Retherford (149 pounds) represented, while other champions included Dean Heil of Oklahoma State (141 pounds), Gabe Dean of Cornell (184 pounds) and Kyle Snyder of Ohio State (285 pounds). Sacred Heart checked in second, the highest in school history. The Pioneers, the only Catholic Division I school with wrestling and the only Division I program in the state of Connecticut, earned a 3.3845 GPA followed by Brown (3.36), Duke (3.3481) and Kent State (3.3254). "One of the rigors of Division I athletics and wrestling specifically are the physical and mental demands," said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. "It's a testament to our sport that we have academically excelled in a variety of different educational environments. We know how tough the Ivy League schools are and the service academies and research universities all around the country, but to see our wrestling student-athletes thrive in those situations continues to show the value of our sport and the determination these young men have." "The job Jay Weiss has done at Harvard, with three out of the last four years being the top academic team, it's outstanding. Harvard's reputation surely lends itself to fine academics, some of the best in the world, but Coach Weiss' teams have been consistently at the top for nearly a decade," said Moyer. Harvard had three individuals selected as All-Academic - Devon Gobbo, Jeffrey Ott and Josef Johnson. The EIWA dominated the overall Top 30, with 12 of its 16 member schools included. The Southern Conference had four teams in the Top 30, which comprised the second-most from any one conference. Penn, American, Gardner-Webb, Penn State and Eastern Michigan rounded out the top 10. Harvard, Brown, Duke American, Gardner-Webb and Eastern Michigan all were in the top 10 for the second straight season. The team GPA was determined using a system that includes 12 student-athletes from each program. A total of 10 of these came from the wrestlers that were entries in the NCAA tournament conference qualifier. Individually, in addition to Penn State's two NCAA individual champions, the NCAA Division I team champions added Jordan Conaway, Jason Nolf, Geno Morelli and Matt McCutcheon. "Coach Cael Sanderson has done a remarkable job in not just recruiting fine wrestlers, but recruiting outstanding student-athletes," said Moyer. "It's something we as a sport can point to when we see our championship programs not just bringing home hardware on the wrestling mat, but doing it in the classroom as well." Oklahoma State had the second-most individuals selected with five as Cowboys Gary Wayne Harding, Anthony Collica, Nolan Boyd and Preston Weigel joined Heil on the All-Academic Team. Fifty-two different schools had at least one athlete selected while 37 programs had multiple selections. American, Lehigh, Ohio State, South Dakota State and Stanford each had four wrestlers represented. North Dakota State's Clayton Ream, this year's Elite 90 winner from the NCAA, was one of two Bison wrestlers selected as All-Academic. He was joined by teammate Hayden Zillmer. "The NWCA All-Academic Team and Individual Team is one of the best acknowledgements that we can give to our coaches and athletes at the end of a physically grueling season" said Moyer. "The NWCA Board of Directors and staff look forward to watching these student-athletes continue their success at the collegiate level and eventually as the leaders of the future once they earn their college degrees."

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Longstanding New Jersey wrestling rivals Rutgers and Princeton will add a new chapter to their history at the first ever "Battle at the Birthplace" on Saturday, Nov. 19 inside High Point Solutions Stadium, announced Monday by Rutgers Athletics. The historic dual-meet event will occur at 11 a.m. prior to Rutgers football versus Penn State in the evening, as the Scarlet Knights look to shatter their total attendance of 17,464 from the 2015-16 season in a single match. High Point Solutions Stadium"We look forward to providing our fans, students and alumni a very special and unique double header on November 19th," said Director of Athletics Patrick Hobbs. "Wrestling in the afternoon in front of what we hope will be a record crowd, combined with prime time Rutgers football that night. What could be better that that." "I'm really excited that the 'Battle at the Birthplace' will take place. We will always try to push the envelope and create an atmosphere that is special. This event provides not only Rutgers fans but the great fans of New Jersey an opportunity to see two programs with some talented wrestlers compete," said head coach Scott Goodale. "For this to work, we will need the support of the whole state, the coaches on all levels, and the Rutgers and Princeton alumni to really jump on board. Both Chris Ayres and I see this is as a great opportunity to show off our programs on a national stage and that has the both of us excited." The individual ticket price for the event is $10 for adults and $8 for children. Group tickets will be available for $6 apiece for parties of 20 or more. Tickets for the "Battle at the Birthplace" will go on sale at a later date; however, with a $50 deposit for 2016-17 wrestling season tickets, fans will secure a seat in the first few rows for the first outdoor dual meet in Rutgers wrestling history. 2015-16 wrestling season ticket renewals will have the ability to place a deposit starting Wednesday, May 11. Beginning Wednesday, May 18 deposits will be open to the general public. If the deposit is placed and season tickets are not purchased, the $50 credit can be used toward individual match tickets in another location. Space is limited, and deposits are nonrefundable. To make a deposit, call the ticket office at 1-866-445-GORU (4678) or visit ScarletKnights.com. Please note, tickets to Rutgers football vs. Penn State will not grant admission to the wrestling match. For those attending the wrestling match without a football parking pass, parking will be available at the Rutgers Athletic Center lots (Orange) and shuttles will provide transportation to and from High Point Solutions Stadium. Football season ticket holders can use their already purchased football parking passes in the surrounding lots outside the stadium. For more information on football gameday parking, click here. Click on the following links for High Point Solutions Stadium facility policies and bag policies. In the event of inclement weather, the first 8,000 tickets purchased will be guaranteed a seat at the match's alternate location inside the Rutgers Athletic Center. The final determination on location, dependent on weather, will come in the days leading up to the match. Rutgers University, chartered in 1766 as Queens College, celebrates its 250th Anniversary in 2016. The Rutgers and Princeton wrestling programs have met 79 times since 1931, with the Scarlet Knights winning 20 consecutive matches in the rivalry. All-time, RU holds the slight edge over the Tigers, 41-33-5. The rich athletic tradition between the two schools extends to the gridiron, with Rutgers and Princeton meeting in the first ever collegiate football game on Nov. 6, 1869 on the current site of the College Ave. Gym, dubbing Rutgers "The Birthplace of College Football." "Being from New Jersey, I am so grateful to be a part of this event," said Princeton head wrestling coach Chris Ayres. "This is not really about Rutgers or Princeton; this is about New Jersey wrestling and about our fans. I am excited for our fans to show that New Jersey has among the strongest, if not the strongest, wrestling following in the country. I can't see a reason why we can't break the record for the most fans at a wrestling event in New Jersey, and we will be prepared to put on a show. It only seems fitting that we do an event this monumental at the birthplace of college football, with the two teams that got it all started." Rutgers' 2016-17 slate of Big Ten opponents will be released later this week. Check back into ScarletKnights.com for more information about upcoming B1G matches at the RAC. The Scarlet Knights (16-5) ended last season ranked No. 10 in the USA Today/NWCA Division I Coaches Poll after topping No. 7 Lehigh, 18-15, in the 2016 NWCA National Duals Championship Series at the RAC. All 10 Scarlet Knights qualified for the NCAA Championships for the first time in program history. Once there, RU finished with two All-Americans and placed 15th overall with 30 points - the best team finish ever. Nine NCAA Championships qualifiers return to the lineup next season. "Battle at the Birthplace" Rutgers Wrestling vs. Princeton DATE: Nov. 19, 2016 TIME: 11 a.m. LOCATION: High Point Solutions Stadium TICKETS: $10 adults, $8 children, $6 groups (20+) PURCHASE: 1-866-445-GORU (4678) | ScarletKnights.com *with a 2016-17 wrestling season ticket deposit of $50, fans will guarantee a seat in the first few rows for the match* Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersAthletics) and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding Rutgers wrestling, follow the program on Twitter (@RUWrestling) and Instagram (@RUWrestling). Fans can receive timely information, including special offers and giveaways throughout the year on our social media outlets along with www.ScarletKnights.com.