InterMat Staff

One of the great Hawkeye wrestlers of recent times is heading south to the Tar Heels. Tony Ramos brings Nahshon Garrett to the mat at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com)Tony Ramos, 2014 NCAA champ at the University of Iowa will soon join the coaching staff of the University of North Carolina wrestling program, and continue his freestyle wrestling career in Chapel Hill. "Excited to start the new journey with @UNCWrestling #HeelStrong" is what Ramos posted on his Twitter account @T_Ram133 Wednesday. Ramos expanded on the message on his Team Ramos official website. "I am excited to announce I will be continuing my wrestling career and beginning my coaching career under Coleman Scott at the University of North Carolina. "I am extremely thankful for being a part of the Hawkeye Wrestling family and tradition over the past 8 years. It was an honor for me to wear black and gold and compete in front of fans who love and understand the sport. My family and I will always be Hawkeyes and Iowa City will always hold a special place in our hearts (from meeting my wife in the training room at Carver, to blowing the roof off of a sold out arena and bringing out the patented double rainbows, to the birth of my son). "I am thankful for the coaches who have been by my side during this journey and transformed me from a non-placer at NCAAs to a two-time world team member. My ultimate goal is to be the best in the world and to do so, I am moving on to explore different styles, techniques, and perspectives to add to the foundation built during my time as a Hawkeye. "There are some exciting things happening in Chapel Hill and I can't wait to get out there with the coaching staff and be a part of the legacy that is to come. "Hawkeye Fans, Supporters, Teammates, and Coaches -- THANK YOU! Goodbye for now, Hawkeye Nation!" While the official North Carolina wrestling website does not have an announcement of Ramos' hiring -- nor is he listed on the coaching staff -- as of late Thursday evening, Tar Heel head wrestling coach Coleman Scott responded to Ramos on Twitter by saying, "Welcome to the family my man! We have titles to win! #heelstrong." As K.J. Pilcher, wrestling writer for the Cedar Rapids Gazette, pointed out in his article announcing Ramos' move, Coleman Scott was a 2012 Olympic bronze medalist who lost to Ramos on criteria in the 57-kilogram/125.5 pound semifinal in the Olympic Trials at Carver-Hawkeye Arena earlier this month. Scott was named head coach of the UNC wrestling program in May 2015, guiding the Tar Heels to a 13-5 dual-meet record and 35th place in the team standings at the 2016 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in his first year at the helm. As an Iowa Hawkeye, Ramos was a two-time NCAA qualifier, winning the 2014 national and Big Ten titles at 133 pounds. The native of Carol Stream, Illinois in suburban Chicago was a four-time NCAA qualifier, earning national runner-up honors at 133 in 2013. He recorded a 120-14 career record with the Hawkeyes. Earlier this month, Ramos placed second at 57 kilos in freestyle competition at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. Ramos suffered his first domestic loss on the senior level in the finals of the Olympic Trials to Hawkeye Wrestling Club teammate Daniel Dennis. At a post-event press conference, Ramos openly expressed his displeasure with the fact that Dennis was coached during the finals by Iowa head coach Tom Brands, saying "I was lied to a couple times. I feel like I was stabbed in the back. I feel like I was loyal to a fault to coaches and athletes from things that I've seen and right now the first thing I'm thinking is I need to move on (and) get out of this program."

LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- Kamal Bey of the Front Range Twisters needed three matches to defeat Jesse Porter of the New York AC/USOTS in the final series at 74 kilos/163 pounds to earn a berth on the UWW Junior World Team at the UWW Junior Nationals/World Team Trials at the South Point Hotel on Thursday. Bey, who was a 2015 Junior Nationals champion and 2014 Cadet Nationals runner-up, was named Outstanding Wrestler after a memorable series against Porter, who was third in the 2015 UWW Junior Nationals. Both wrestlers executed great throws during the series, but it was Bey who came out on top. Read complete story …

Dennis Hastert, former Wheaton College wrestler and high school wrestling coach who later became U.S. Speaker of the House, was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison Wednesday for evading federal banking rules in an apparent scheme to pay hush money to an unidentified individual regarding sexual assaults to members of his wrestling program which took place in the 1960s and 70s. Dennis HastertIn addition to prison time, Hastert was fined $250,000, must spend two years on supervised release after leaving prison and must register as a sex offender. Federal Judge Thomas Durkin called Hastert a "serial child molester" and imposed a longer sentence than the one of up to six months which had been recommended by the federal prosecutor. Durkin also rejected claims by Hastert's lawyers that the 74-year-old didn't understand the banking law he violated when making payments to one of his teen accusers. "Nothing is more disturbing than having 'serial child molester' and 'speaker of the House' in the same sentence," Durkin said. Hastert, a one-time wrestler and coach who has suffered a stroke and other health issues in recent months, entered court in a wheelchair and needed help standing to address the judge, where he admitted abusing some athletes when he was a high school wrestling coach in Illinois before he began his political career. "I want to apologize to the boys I mistreated," Hastert said. "They looked (up) at me and I took advantage of them." One former athlete who had been until now identified as "Individual D" testified that he was abused by Hastert, describing a locker room molestation when he was 17 years old. "Judge, I wanted you to know the pain and suffering he caused me then, and the pain and suffering he causes me today," said Scott Cross, now 53, the brother of prominent Illinois politician and Hastert protégé Tom Cross. (In most cases, InterMat would not identify the victim of a sexual assault. However, Scott Cross has been widely named in the media because he openly revealed his identity in court documents and in the courtroom Wednesday.) Durkin made clear he could not sentence Hastert "for being a child molester" and that his sentence would "pale in comparison" to what the former lawmaker would have faced had he been convicted of state charges for sexual abuse of a child. Under Illinois statute, Hastert would have faced between 3 and 7 years in state prison if convicted of a single count of sexual misconduct with a minor. However, the statute of limitations on sexual assault cases from decades ago had long expired. Hastert was first investigated by the FBI and IRS for making sizeable withdrawals from his bank account in 2013; federal officials were concerned that he might be the victim of an extortion plot. He was interviewed in December 2014, telling investigators that he was making withdrawals because he did not trust the U.S. banking system. In May 2015, Hastert was indicted on one count of seeking to skirt bank reporting requirements and one count of lying to the FBI about the reason for his cash withdrawals. (The accusation about lying was later dropped.) In October 2015, Hastert pleaded guilty in federal court in Chicago to withdrawing funds from several bank accounts in increments less than $10,000 to evade bank reporting rules. The money -- approximately $1.7 million -- was paid to someone from his Hastert's hometown of Yorkville, Ill., identified in federal documents only as "Individual A" but widely reported to be a former student at Yorkville High School. The school, located about 50 miles southwest of Chicago, is where Hastert taught history and coached wrestling from 1965 to 1981 before entering politics. This past month, a total of five individuals came forward to state that they were molested by Hastert while he was coach at Yorkville High. Since the indictment and subsequent events, Hastert has suffered a fall from grace as a widely respected political leader and major figure in U.S. amateur wrestling who had been often seen at significant events such as the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships and the Midlands post-Christmas tournament held at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois outside Chicago. Hastert's name was stripped from what had been the J. Dennis Hastert Center for Economics, Government and Public Policy at Wheaton College. In addition, Hastert's name has been taken off what had been the Denny Hastert Yorkville Invitational, one of the most popular wrestling club tournaments in Illinois. What's more, a 1942 Lincoln Zephyr once owned by Hastert was removed from public display at the Belvidere Oasis service plaza on the I-90 Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (formerly Northwest Tollway) which links Chicago to Rockford, Ill. and south-central Wisconsin. As of this writing, Hastert remains in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Oklahoma, where he was inducted as an Outstanding American in 2000. However, some within the wrestling community, including long-time sports columnist Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman, the daily newspaper of Oklahoma City -- along with SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests -- had asked the Hall to remove the former wrestler/coach before today's sentence had been announced. Today, the Hall issued the following statement: "The National Wrestling Hall of Fame stated that, following Wednesday's sentencing of Dennis Hastert, its ethics committee will review Hastert's inclusion in the Hall of Fame, and present its findings and recommended course of action to the Board of Governors. "The ethics committee reviews cases where an honoree has acted in a manner considered detrimental to the ideals and objectives or contrary to the mission statement of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame," said Lee Roy Smith, Executive Director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. "The National Wrestling Hall of Fame will make an official statement regarding Mr. Hastert once the Board of Governors has reached its decision." Born not far from Yorkville in Plano, Ill. in 1942, J. Dennis Hastert was a member of the wrestling team at Wheaton College, a private, four-year school in the western suburbs of Chicago, in the early 1960s. He then taught government and history at Yorkville High, and coached wrestling, taking his team to an Illinois state championship in 1976. His coaching record also included three runners-up and a third place finish, according to his National Wrestling Hall of Fame biography, where he was inducted as an Outstanding American in 2000. Four years earlier, Hastert was honored for his efforts and contributions to wrestling as the recipient of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame's Order of Merit . Hastert had served three terms in the Illinois General Assembly before being elected to the House of Representatives in 1986. In 1999, the six-term congressman was elected Speaker of the House after the incumbent Speaker Newt Gingrich stepped down, and his intended replacement, Bob Livingston of Louisiana, gave up the position before he ever assumed it after admitting to having conducted adulterous affairs. Hastert left Congress in 2007.

Over 300 of the nation's best wrestlers born in 1996 to 1999 will be assembling in Las Vegas, Nevada on Friday and Saturday for the UWW Junior National freestyle tournament. Competition will be held in eleven weight classes, eight of which will be contested at the UWW Junior World Championships in Macon, France at the end of August into early September. Champions at this week's tournament in Las Vegas from the eight weight classes to be contested at the UWW World Championships (50 kilos, 55, 60, 66, 74, 84, 96, and 120) all advance to the World Team Trials final match next month. That event will be on May 21st and 22nd in Irving, Texas. Logan Massa gets in on a shot on Mark Hall at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)The field of wrestlers in this event is star-studded, full of wrestlers that are and/or were ranked high during the course of their high school careers. Some of the wrestlers have already made their names known on the college scene, while others will be doing so in the year or years to come. Generally speaking, the range of grade-level for wrestlers in this event is from completion of their high school sophomore year to completion of a redshirt freshman or sophomore year in college. The bulk of wrestlers in this field will be those graduating high school this year or just done with their first year of college. Based on registration as of late Tuesday evening, here are some of the key names within each of the eleven weight classes. 50 kilos: Spencer Lee (Franklin Regional, Pa.) is the defending Junior World freestyle champion in this weight class and the extraordinarily favored wrestler in this week's tournament. He is the top overall ranked wrestler in the Class of 2017, and also won a UWW Cadet World title in this weight class in 2014. Seven of the other participants in this weight class are multi-time Fargo freestyle All-Americans, led most notably by returning (Fargo) Junior National freestyle champion Jason Holmes (Chandler, Ariz.); others include UWW Cadet National freestyle runners-up in Rhett Golowenski (Tuttle, Okla.) and Mosha Schwartz (Ponderosa, Colo.) 55 kilos: Daton Fix (Sand Springs, Okla.) was champion of this weight class at this tournament last year, and earned the UWW Cadet World Team spot at 54 kilos by beating Spencer Lee last year in Akron. Ranked No. 4 overall in the Class of 2017, Fix was a Cadet World bronze medalist last summer. Five challengers in this weight class either are currently ranked in their scholastic grade level or finished their careers ranked as such. Among the redshirting freshmen, who graduated high school in 2015, you have No. 25 Nick Piccinnini (Oklahoma State) and Austin Assad (Michigan), with Assad having earned three Junior National freestyle titles in Fargo. From those in high school are a pair of juniors in No. 14 Austin Gomez (Glenbard North, Ill.) and No. 46 Brandon Courtney (Desert Edge, Ariz.), along with Gavin Teasdale (Jefferson Morgan, Pa.), the nation's No. 3 overall sophomore. Gomez placed in this tournament last year, and has multiple Fargo All-American honors to his credit, Courtney was a Junior National freestyle champion at 113 pounds in Fargo last summer, while Teasdale is a two-time UWW Cadet National freestyle champion. Others still to mention are three Illinois native collegians in Kyle Akins (Buffalo), Brian Rossi (Stanford), and Kris Williams (Nebraska); Josh Kramer (Arizona State); along with Class of 2017 prospects in Bryce and Drew West (Highland Riverside, Iowa). 60 kilos: Anchoring this weight class is Stevan Micic (Michigan), a returning Junior World bronze medalist down a weight class at 55 kilos. This past collegiate season he sat out after transferring from Northwestern; Micic was ranked as the No. 19 overall prospect in the Class of 2014. Arguably the primary challenger in this weight class is still in high school, Yianni Diakomihalis (Hilton, N.Y.), last year's Cadet World champion at 57 kilos; he is ranked No. 2 overall in the Class of 2017. Another true contender in this weight class is Seth Gross (South Dakota State), a three-time Fargo freestyle champion (including in 2013 at the Junior level) who was one match away from All-American honors in the 141-pound weight class at the NCAA Tournament; he ended high school ranked No. 58 overall in the Class of 2014. Three other top Class of 2014 prospects are in this field, No. 66 Scott Parker (Lehigh), No. 77 Josh Terao (American), and No. 82 Johnny Jimenez (Wisconsin); Parker qualified for the NCAA tournament as a true freshman, while Jimenez earned a bid in this year's tournament. Four redshirted freshmen in this field were highly touted prospects from the Class of 2015: No. 52 Jaydin Eierman (Missouri), No. 54 Jose Rodriguez (Ohio State), No. 62 Lincoln Olson (Oklahoma State), and No. 93 Eli Stickley (Wisconsin). Two rivals from the Class of 2016 are in this field, No. 20 Mitch McKee (St. Michael-Albertville, Minn.) and Taylor LaMont (Maple Mountain, Utah), these two wrestlers split finals bouts in both styles at the Junior Nationals in Fargo last summer. Rounding out the notables are a pair of top ten juniors in No. 6 Nick Lee (Evansville Mater Dei, Ind.) and No. 8 Kaden Gfeller (Heritage Hall, Okla.); Lee is a two-time UWW Cadet freestyle runner-up, while Gfeller was a three-time All-American in the event. 63 kilos: This is a weight class that is not contested at the World Championships. The lone ranked contestants in terms of their grade level are a pair of top 50 juniors in No. 24 Chris Sandoval (Pueblo County, Colo.) and No. 43 Ben Freeman (Walled Lake Central, Mich.); Sandoval was a Junior freestyle All-American in Fargo last summer, while Freeman was a three-time UWW Cadet freestyle All-American. In terms of the collegiate wrestlers, Zach Davis (Naval Academy) was a NCAA qualifier at 133 pounds. 66 kilos: Returning world bronze medalist Aaron Pico, runner-up at the Olympic Team Trials at 65 kilos, is age eligible for this tournament. Even absent his presence, there is lots of high quality talent in this weight class. Leading the way here is Alec Pantaleo (University of Michigan), who earned All-American honors at 149 pounds in the NCAA tournament this season. Others anchors include five (basically) top 50 wrestlers from the Class of 2015, who were redshirts this past season: No. 9 Matthew Kolodzik (Princeton), No. 10 Sam Krivus (Virginia), No. 15 Fredy Stroker (Minnesota), No. 38 Boo Lewallen (Oklahoma State), and No. 51 Vincent Turk (Iowa). Also here is returning Cadet World champion at 69 kilos, Jared Verkleeren (Belle Vernon Area, Pa.), who is ranked No. 15 overall in the Class of 2017. Another wrestler with World team experience in this weight class is Domenick Demas (Dublin Coffman, Ohio), the No. 27 overall Class of 2017 prospect, a two-time UWW Cadet National champion in Greco-Roman. The other still in high school wrestler of note in this weight class is Joe Lee (Evansville Mater Dei, Ind.), who won a Cadet freestyle title in Fargo last summer, and is No. 23 overall in the Class of 2018. Griffin Parriott (New Prague, Minn.) placed third in this weight class at this tournament last year, and is the No. 17 overall Class of 2016 recruit; while Ethan Karsten (Platte County, Mo.) is No. 81 overall among the graduating senior group. Last among those that had a grade level ranking coming out of high school is Niko Villarreal (Arizona State), who was No. 45 overall in the 2014 class. Rounding out the list of notables in this weight class is Tristan Moran (Oklahoma State), a Junior National freestyle All-American last summer. 70 kilos: Another weight class that will not be contested at the Junior World Championships, though it is not lacking for quality talent among those entered here this weekend. Leading the way is Michael Kemerer (University of Iowa), who was the No. 11 overall prospect in the Class of 2015. He is joined by three other wrestlers who were ranked highly in that group, all who redshirted this past season: No. 36 Cameron Harrell (Virginia), No. 41 Bryce Parson (Oregon State), and No. 77 Josh Maruca (Arizona State). Four wrestlers who graduate high school this year, and rank among the top 60 overall prospects in the Class of 2016, are in this field: No. 35 Austin Kraisser (Centennial, Md.), No. 37 Zander Wick (San Marino, Calif.), No. 39 Evan Wick (San Marino, Calif.), and No. 59 Wyatt Sheets (Stilwell, Okla.). Kraisser is a returning placer in this weight class, and was a UWW Cadet National freestyle runner-up in 2014; Zander and Evan were Junior freestyle All-Americans in Fargo last summer, Evan a runner-up; with Sheets also earning Junior All-American honors in Fargo. Others to note include Zach Kelly (Bucknell), who was ranked No. 28 overall in the Class of 2014; Luke Fortuna (Missouri), a spot starter this season as a true freshman; Quentin Hovis (Seton Catholic, Ariz.), ranked No. 22 overall in the Class of 2017, third last year at the UWW Cadet Nationals; and Josiah Rider (Grand Junction, Colo.), ranked No. 19 overall in the Class of 2018. 74 kilos: Despite all the strong challengers present here, the favorite remains returning World Team member Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.). He is the two-time InterMat High School Wrestler of the Year, and the No. 1 overall Class of 2016 prospect is headed to Penn State. Nine elite Class of 2015 prospects are among the challengers in this field: No. 1 Anthony Valencia (Arizona State), No. 2 Logan Massa (Michigan), No. 6 Fox Baldwin (Virginia), No. 7 Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State), No. 16 Joseph Smith (Oklahoma State), No. 21 Jordan Kutler (Lehigh), No. 29 Josh Shields (Arizona State), No. 42 Larry Early (Minnesota), and No. 71 Cole Walter (Lehigh). Valencia and Massa have wrestled Hall within the last month, each losing narrowly in tightly contested but high-scoring bouts. Of the Class of 2015 prospects listed here, Smith was the only non-redshirt in the group, and he earned All-American honors at the NCAA tournament in the 157-pound weight class. Two other wrestlers in this weight class were ranked upon graduation from high school, or are ranked at present: Kimball Bastian (Utah Valley) graduated as the No. 27 overall wrestler in the Class of 2014, while Jake Allar (St. Michael-Albertville, Minn.) is ranked No. 34 overall in the Class of 2017. 79 kilos: The third of the weight class not to be contested at the Junior World Championships is this one. The field in this weekend's event features a pair of redshirting freshmen, who graduated high school among the top 100 Class of 2015 prospects, along with a highly touted Class of 2016 wrestler. Leading the way is Beau Breske (Hartford Union, Wis.), the No. 12 overall Class of 2016 prospect, who is a three-time Fargo freestyle champion (2015 at the Junior level) and a two-time UWW Cadet National freestyle All-American. Those who graduated high school in 2015 as ranked wrestlers are No. 40 Myles Amine (Michigan) and No. 74 Josh Ugalde Maryland). 84 kilos: Myles Martin (Ohio State) won the 174-pound weight class at the NCAA tournament last month in New York City as a true freshman. However, he is not the favorite in this weekend's tournament. That position is held by Zahid Valencia (Arizona State), who had three wins over Martin in the 2014-15 wrestling season; Zahid earned a pair of folkstyle wins in October and December of 2014, before also winning a UWW Junior National title over Martin in May 2015. Valencia, who was the No. 3 overall Class of 2015 prospect, redshirted this year at Arizona State; with Martin ranked right behind as No. 4 overall. A third top ten Class of 2015 prospect is in this weight class, Bobby Steveson (Minnesota), No. 8 overall and a Junior National freestyle champion in Fargo during the summer of 2014. Others to watch here include a trio of elite wrestlers from the Class of 2014 and 2016. The 2014 group is led by Michael Pixley (Grand View), a multi-time Fargo champion, who was No. 13 overall; he is joined by No. 46 Ryan Christensen (Wisconsin) and No. 51 Nick Fiegener (Cal Baptist). Christensen qualified for the NCAA tournament this year, while Fiegener qualified for the Division I tournament in 2015 as a true freshman at Cal Poly before transferring. The 2016 group features returning Junior National freestyle All-Americans in No. 28 Ben Darmstadt (Elyria, Ohio) and No. 29 Nathan Traxler (Marmion Academy, Ill.), along with No. 41 Josh Hokit (Clovis, Calif.). Also here is returning UWW Cadet National freestyle champion Jelani Embree (Warren Lincoln, Mich.), the No. 25 overall wrestler in the Class of 2017 however did not compete in the World Championships last summer. 96 kilos: Eight wrestlers who were ranked among the top 100 seniors in the Class of 2015 anchor this field, led by No. 5 Lance Benick (Arizona State), a 2013 Cadet World participant in freestyle at 85 kilos. Others include No. 32 Kollin Moore (Ohio State), No. 37 Mason Reinhardt (Wisconsin), No. 57 Andrew Marsden (Oklahoma State), No. 64 Hunter Ritter (Wisconsin), No. 90 Jacob Seely (Northern Colorad), No. 92 David Chadd (Wisconsin), and No. 94 Angus Arthur (Adrian College). Arthur placed fourth at 197 pounds at the NCAA Division III tournament last month, and was a 2013 UWW Cadet World Team member at 76 kilos in both styles. Another touted wrestler in this weight class is Chase Singletary (Blair Academy, N.J.), who is ranked No. 9 overall in the Class of 2017. 120 kilos: Only two wrestlers in this field are/were among the top 100 recruits in their grade level, Patrick Grayson (University of Nebraska) and Gannon Gremmel (Dubuque Hempstead, Iowa); Grayson was ranked No. 95 overall in the Class of 2015, with Gremmel positioned No. 43 in the Class of 2016. Gremmel was a Cadet National freestyle champion in 2014, and a UWW Cadet freestyle All-American in that same year. A couple others to watch are Jake Gunning (Buffalo), who just missed out on the NCAA tournament this year, along with past Fargo All-Americans in Christian Colucci (Lehigh) and Dan Stibral (North Dakota State).

After initially committing to Northwestern University in the fall of 2014, No. 9 senior recruit Nick Reenan announced Tuesday on Flo Radio Live that he will be attending North Carolina State to wrestle for Pat Popolizio. Nick Reenan gets in on a shot against Taylor Venz in the Dream Team Classic (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)Reenan is one of the preeminent upper/middleweight recruits in this senior class. In his three years at Wyoming Seminary (Pa.), Reenan appeared in the National Prep finals each year, winning the title in his junior season. He was also a UIL state champion (Texas public schools) when competing for Highland Park, which is located outside of Dallas, as a freshman. His off-season resume is among the best in this senior class: Super 32 Challenge champion this fall, FloNationals champion last spring, Junior National double champion (Greco-Roman and freestyle) last summer, Cadet National Triple Crown winner in 2013, UWW Cadet National Greco-Roman champion in 2014, and two-time UWW Cadet National freestyle All-American (2013/2014). Reenan projects to compete as a 165/174-pound wrestler in college. He also ended the 2015-16 scholastic season ranked No. 2 nationally at 195 pounds.

The long-awaited return of wrestling at Fresno State has taken a significant step forward, as the United States Wrestling Foundation has made a grant to help launch the new program at the California-based school, the organization announced Monday. "So many people are coming together to make this happen. Wrestling helped shaped their lives and they are thankful for the opportunity to give back and pass it on to the next generation," said Jeff Waters, Chairman of the U.S. Wrestling Foundation. The grant from the U.S. Wrestling Foundation is a matching grant that doubles the donations received from Fresno State wrestling supporters. Fresno State dropped its intercollegiate wrestling program in 2006. When the university's President Joseph Castro came on board in 2013, he made a commitment to bring back the Bulldog mat program. "We are extremely grateful for all the support we have received from the U.S. Wrestling Foundation and the wrestling community," said Castro. "We are really excited to bring back wrestling to Fresno State, providing young men the opportunity right here in the heart of the Valley to continue competing in the sport they love while getting their education close to home. Wrestling has such a rich tradition here both at Fresno State and in our community." Wrestling -- along with a women's water polo team -- will become the 20th and 21st varsity sports to be added to the Fresno State roster for the 2017-18 season. Wrestling at Fresno State dates back to 1962 when it competed as an NCAA Division II program. In 1969 it made the move to Division I and won 11 team conference championships, had 14 top 25 finishes, three individuals that combined to win six national championships and 33 All-Americans. Fresno State will be the first Division I wrestling program to be reinstated since Bucknell and Binghamton brought back their mat programs in 2006, said Mike Moyer, Executive Director of the National Wrestling Coaches Association. Once it made the announcement of bringing back wrestling, Fresno State established a step-by-step timeline. Last month, the school officially posted an opening its head coaching position. In the next three months, Fresno State plans to announce the hiring of its head wrestling coach; by July, it plans to hire assistant coaches. This summer, actual recruitment of future Bulldog wrestlers will get underway. In November 2016, there will be an early signing period where recruits can sign National Letters of Intent to join the Fresno State wrestling program. Student-athletes will arrive on the Fresno campus in August 2017… with the inaugural 2017-18 wrestling season getting underway later that year. U.S. Wrestling Foundation works closely other wrestling organizations to coordinate and fund growth opportunities for wrestling. Their mission is to grow wrestling at all levels across the United States. The organization is a registered 501(c)(3) charity.

Morris Johnson, NCAA Division II wrestling champ for San Francisco State who later coached at his alma mater, has died. Morris Johnson with his daughter IsadoraFamily member Laura de Leon posted on Johnson's Facebook page Sunday noon: "My brother- in-law Morris Johnson passed last night. He was surrounded by everyone who loved him. God speed Morris." Johnson's wife Ellen had put this message on her husband's Facebook earlier: "Beautiful things have happened as we gathered at Morris' bedside as a family over the past two weeks. He is surrounded by love and he has reminded us of the bond of family and friends. Please keep him in your prayers." A native of Sacramento, California, Johnson joined the Sacramento High wrestling team his sophomore year to stay in shape for baseball ... and enjoyed it so much, he built a lasting career on the mat, according to TheCaliforniaWrestler.com. Johnson went on to wrestle at San Francisco State, where he was a two-time NCAA Division II finalist. He was a runner-up at heavyweight in 1983, then won the title in the same weight class at the 1984 NCAAs. He was also a two-time Northern California Athletic Conference champion. At the prestigious Midlands post-Christmas wrestling event at Northwestern University in suburban Chicago, Johnson twice placed fourth. In his two-year career at San Francisco State, Johnson had a 79-9 career record. He broke the Gators' record for most pins in a season (18) in 1984, and now ranks second all-time for falls at SFSU, with 30. He concluded his collegiate career by being presented with the Wrestler of the Year award from the Bay Area Wrestling Officials Association in 1984. In addition to success in folkstyle (high school/collegiate) wrestling, Johnson enjoyed competing in both freestyle and Greco-Roman. In 1981, Johnson was the Espoir (20-Under) National Champion and took third in the Espoir World Championships. From 1985-87, he again placed third at the USAW (USA Wrestling) Nationals in Greco Roman each year, and finished third at the USAW Nationals in Freestyle in 1986. He was also the Pan American Games Champion in 1986, and took bronze at the Tbilisi Tournament. In 1988, he placed placed fifth at the USAW Greco Roman Nationals and fourth at the Olympic Trials. He also took the 1990 Sombo National Championship and placed second in the Sombo World Championships in Moscow, Russia. After graduating from San Francisco State, Johnson became assistant coach for the Gators, and later helped coach at Arizona State and the University of Pennsylvania. He received his Ph.D. in Counseling from Bryn Mawr University in Philadelphia, and had been working as a psychologist for the Delaware County Intermediate Unit. Johnson was also inducted into the San Francisco State and California Hall of Fames. Johnson is survived by his wife Ellen, his daughter Isadora, and son Desmond, who just completed his freshman season as a member of the University of Pennsylvania wrestling team. In addition to Morris Johnson's accomplishments in wrestling, his professional career, and regarding his family, the former San Francisco State wrestler/coach was well-known and loved for his storytelling skills on online amateur wrestling forums. Here's one exceptionally strong example Johnson originally posted to TheMat.com forum in January 2010, regarding another mat legend from the San Francisco Bay area, the late Dave Schultz (re-posted by "Scribe"): "Two of the most important contributors to whatever success I had in wrestling were my HS Coach Gary Kreizenbeck at Sacramento H.S. and Dave Schultz, primary citizen of the wrestling universe... "Since most of our guys were first-year wrestlers, and most of our tournaments were 0-2 and bar-b-que, Coach K worried that we were getting knocked out so fast that we never had a chance to watch really good wrestlers compete, so he made a rule that we had to stay at the tourney until he said we could leave, which usually wasn't until after our weight class finals. This was great as we got to see a lot of guys whom we would never get to observe unless we were wrestling against them. Even then it was hard to really observe someone who was headlocking you into oblivion, or blast doubling you across two mats! I was lucky enough to be able to watch Dave Schultz on occasion and it was truly a learning session, each and every match. Seeing how he made up for a seeming lack of strength by applying excruciating leverage to one particular joint, and never letting up on that joint until the guy either turned over or the body part turned purple and fell off! Just watching Dave taught me that one of the major aspects of the sport is to impose your will, not just on your opponent, but on the body part of your opponent that you wished to claim as your own. Even if you weren't the strongest guy in the world, you could pretty much overpower any body part of your opponent with focus, determination and a clear idea of where and why you want that part to go in a certain direction. This was a true revelation to me and introduced the concept of FOCUS into my wrestling ideology, something I never forgot. " ... I had been so very fortunate to have been able to watch Dave several dozen times over the years and even practice with him once or twice. I was a better wrestler by now, having won a Jr. World medal, made a world university team as well as US teams to Cuba, Romania and Germany. My folkstyle was getting a little stronger too, as I placed at the Midlands and had taken 2nd at the D2 nationals, with a generous portion of what I knew and used coming from those observations of and the rare but valuable private coaching sessions (in exchange for being the willing recipient of Dave's artful mayhem). "There was one story that I have shared here before, but will again at the risk of being redundant. This story took place during my senior year, while I was wrestling as a heavyweight at San Francisco State. We had a home dual meet against Stanford University, where Dave was the assistant coach. As I mentioned earlier, I was a D2 runner-up at heavyweight and ranked in the top 4 or 5 at heavyweight in AWN. I was also 2nd on the Olympic Greco ladder for the upcoming Olympic Trials that coming spring/summer. Dave had been doing ok himself, having just won his first world championship and had placed 3rd at 180.5 the previous year. I was not aware that prior to the match, Coach Chris Horpel of Stanford and Dave had gotten together with my coach and informed him that they had no heavyweight and would have to forfeit our match. Dave came up with the idea of he and I having a freestyle exhibition match that they could bill as 'Battle of future Olympians' or some such. My coach agreed with the idea, but, thinking that he had a sense of humor, told Dave and Chris not to mention anything to me about it until we went out to shake hands! Coach then came over to me and said that Stanford had this great new transfer from Oregon, but he had to weigh in earlier in the afternoon because of a big final that he had to take. He was driving up with one of the assistant coaches and would definitely be there by match time, so I should stay warm and get ready for a war! Well, that got me juiced up and I went around the gym, stretching and shooting and hitting fake throws and such. I noticed Schultz in sweats, riding a stationary bike on his team's side, but I thought 'that's just Schultz. He's always warming up in sweats and wrestling shoes!' By the time the 165-pounder went out, there was still no Stanford beast, so I ambled back over to Coach and asked what the story was. He said they had just called in from a gas station and were about 20 min. away, so make sure I was warm he said, giving me a stern look. Finally the 190 pounders were out shaking hands. I noticed that Dave had removed his sweats and was just stretching on the floor with one of his Stanford boys. I kept looking around the room, but didn't see anybody who looked like a heavyweight. The 190 match ended quickly with a fall, I stripped down, thinking that I had figured it out ... I was getting a forfeit! "Ha! I walked out onto the mat and here comes Dave at the same time. Odd. The PA guy was also announcing our international and national records too, which was real odd for a dual meet! What the heck? I looked back and my coach and teammates were laughing their heads off, as was the Stanford coaches and our AD. I smiled at Dave, and with only a bit of cracking in my voice said 'Hey man, you wouldn't be the transfer from Oregon would you?' Dave just smiled some more and said 'Let's have some fun, Morris. Show these guys what freestyle is all about.' :shock: . We shook hands and, as with most matches, the fear was quickly replaced by adrenalin. Dave took a quick outside single. I thought, 'Bad move man.' I clamped down on a hard whizzer and prepared to hit him with my famous double over, hip toss. Somehow though, instead of my heel and calf catching his knee and thigh, sending him flying over my hip, Dave took a little step backwards and around to his right. The next thing I recall was my head, back and shoulders all hitting the mat at approximately the same time, with pretty remarkable force! After the ringing in my ears started to dissipate, to be replaced by the 'oooohhhhs' and 'aaahhhhhs' punctuated with the occasional 'Oh my God!' or girlish scream. I checked my mouth to make sure that the girlish scream wasn't coming from my mouth, but it was pretty much locked shut from shock and awe! Dave hopped on top right away and I braced myself in my best gut wrench defense! I guess it was so good that Dave didn't want to even try and turn me with it, so he reached back and grabbed my left foot with his right hand. He cranked it up and over my shoulder with so much force, I really didn't feel much pain ... .until he crossfaced me with his left arm and drove my face from the mat to my right shoulder. I managed to open one eye and looked to my right side (Mr. Schultz didn't want me to look at my left side, and I thought it best to cooperate with his wishes from that point on. I noticed Dave's wrestling shoes and I recall thinking "Oh wow, Dave and I wear the same kind of wrestling shoes! It took a few minutes before I realized that I was looking at my own foot, planted nicely right next to my face! Well, at least I knew were to look for it after the match! Luckily for me, our AD was officiating this match as it was an exhibition. We went a few more minutes, with my AD stopping the match several times for potentially dangerous (I was wondering why he didn't do this right after the handshake! "Time [FINALLY] ran out. I stayed until Dave's hand was raised and started walking off the mat, looking for the nearest ice machine to crawl into! It was my first and only collegiate loss at my home gym, and I was too sore to even whisper the word 'bummer!', much less say it out loud in front of Dave. Before I could step off the mat however, I felt this hairy, sinewy arm wrap itself around my neck and shoulders and who else but Dave Schultz was escorting me off the mat. And just like the Dave Schultz we all know and LOVE, he sat down next to me and told me I did a good job out there, and that I just need work on defending the single leg, and a better way to keep my balance on my once famous hip toss, and how he expected me to dominate at D2 nationals (I did) and the Olympic trials (took 3rd) so that he can say he had a close one against a CHAMPION, not some scrub that just fell off the onion truck! That was Dave. Who else could beat you like a rented mule and leave you feeling like you were just a move or two away? Who else could pound your head on the mat and reframe it into a small mistake that you make on your way to a potent offense? No one but Dave Schultz. We miss you man. Miss you and love you and for many, many, many of us, you are still just a heartbeat away."

Roger Weigel, 1971 NCAA Division I wrestling champion for Oregon State, died Thursday night, his college alma mater announced Friday. Roger WeigelWrestling for the late, legendary head coach Dale Thomas, Weigel earned wrestling letters from the Beavers from 1969-71. He defeated two-time defending champion Dwayne Keller of Oklahoma State to win the 1971 NCAA title at 134 pounds in a bout Thomas called "the finest single performance by a Beaver he had ever seen." Weigel was a two-time NCAA All-American. In addition to his 1971 title, he placed third at 126 pounds at the 1970 NCAA championships. A three-time Pac-8 Champion, Weigel went 33-1 as a senior and finished his Oregon State career with a 78-12-2 record for an impressive .859 winning percentage. Beyond wrestling for the Beavers, Weigel was a member of the 1970 National Federation Team to Europe, and won the Oregon AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) freestyle title in 1967 and 1968. "Roger was a loyal Beaver alumni," OSU coach Jim Zalesky said, mentioning that the former champ had cheered on his alma mater at the 2016 Pacific-12 Conference championships as well as the 2016 NCAAs in New York City. "He was a great supporter of the program and will be missed." Earlier this year, Weigel was named to the Pacific-12 Conference's All-Century Wrestling team, joining other Oregon State mat greats Babak Mohammadi (1991-95), Robin Reed (1923-24), Dan Hicks (1976-79), Greg Strobel (1971-74), Howard Harris (1977-80), Jess Lewis (1968-70) and Larry Bielenberg (1974-77). Weigel's OSU coach Dale Thomas was named Pac-12 Coach of the Century. Weigel was welcomed into the Oregon State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1993. Weigel is survived by his former wife, Phyllis; two children, and two grandchildren. Memorial service information has yet to be made public as of Saturday afternoon.

ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia -- Five weeks after winning his second NCAA title, J'den Cox has made his first U.S. Olympic team. J'den Cox Cox finished his day in Mongolia with a 5-0 record at 86 kilos (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com)The 21-year-old Missouri wrestler claimed a gold medal at 86 kilos at the 1st World Olympic Qualifier to punch his ticket to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The top three wrestlers in each weight class qualify their countries for the Olympic Games. Cox finished the day 5-0. In the gold-medal match he blanked Pedro Ceballos Fuentes of Venezuela 6-0. He clinched his berth in the Olympics in the semifinals when he defeated 2013 Asian champion Umidjon Ismanov of Uzbekistan 5-2. Cox entered the Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City two weeks ago as the No. 9 seed and won the titles with victories over Jake Herbert, Clayton Foster, Keith Gavin and Kyle Dake. He's one of two college wrestlers on the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team, joining returning World champion Kyle Snyder. Frank Molinaro also attempted to qualify for the Olympic Games, but finished 1-1 and failed to qualify at 65 kilos. He opened his day with a 10-0 technical fall victory over Xuan Dinh Nguyen of Vietnam. Molinaro then was defeated 6-4 by two-time World medalist Yakup Gor of Turkey. Gor was defeated in the semifinals, which knocked Molinaro out of the competition. After this weekend the U.S. has qualified 12 of the 18 weight classes across the three styles. Five have qualified in men's freestyle, three in Greco-Roman and four in women's freestyle. The athletes who have not qualified will have one more opportunity to qualify at the World Olympic Qualifier in Istanbul, Turkey, May 6-8.

Chris Honeycutt, past NCAA All-American wrestler at Edinboro University, got back to his winning ways in his mixed martial career with a victory at Bellator 153 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut Friday night. Chris Honeycutt (Photo/Bellator)Honeycutt scored a unanimous decision over Matt Secor in a three-round bout at welterweight (170 pounds). Judges scored the fight (30-25, 30-27, 30-27) for the former Fighting Scot. In his last outing, Honeycutt suffered his first loss of his pro MMA career with a first-round TKO at the hands of former University of Iowa wrestling standout Paul Bradley at Bellator 148 in January. Here's how MyMMANews.com described the Bellator 153 welterweight battle: "Chris Honeycutt vs Matt Secor turned out to be the exact opposite of what everyone expected. Honeycutt took Secor down in each round and consistently worked ground and pound while Secor would work defensively to get to his feet, get frustrated, and taken back down. The crowd was behind Secor but Honeycutt used the takedowns to his advantage to work over the judges' scorecards." "The Cutt" is now 7-1 overall, with one match ending in no-contest. Secor, a former high school wrestler in upstate New York and veteran of The Ultimate Fighter series (TUF 16), is now 7-3 in his pro MMA career which he launched in January 2010. Prior to launching his MMA career, Honeycutt had an impressive collegiate wrestling career at Pennsylvania's Edinboro University, where he was a two-time EWL (Eastern Wrestling League) champ in 2009 and 2011, and earned back-to-back NCAA Division I All-American honors, placing fifth at 184 pounds in 2011, and runner-up at 197 in 2012. The night before his match for the 197-pound title at the 2012 NCAAs, Honeycutt announced his intention of competing in MMA.

World champion Helen Maroulis was dominant on Saturday at the 1st Olympic Games World Qualifying Tournament in Mongolia (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com)ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia -- Gold and silver medals in Mongolia have secured two more Olympic berths for Team USA's women's freestyle wrestling program. Helen Maroulis and Haley Augello earned gold and silver medals respectively on Saturday at the 1st Olympic Games World Qualifying Tournament in Mongolia to punch their tickets to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Tamyra Mensah and Kelsey Campbell also competed for Team USA, but failed to qualify for the Olympic Games. Maroulis, a returning World champion, cruised to the title at 53 kilos, earning a 10-0 technical fall in the gold-medal match over 2012 World bronze medalist Maria Prevolaraki of Greece. She finished the day 4-0. Maroulis had a 28-second pin in the semifinals, and outscored her other three opponents by a combined score of 28-2. Augello reached the finals at 48 kilos with three technical falls, outscoring her first three opponents 32-1. In the gold-medal match she was beaten 9-2 by Hyon-Gyong Kim of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Kim was a World bronze medalist in 2014. Mensah, competing at 69 kilos, reached the semifinals with a pair of victories before losing a one-point match, 6-5, to Ilana Kratysh of Isreal. She would come back to earn a bronze medal with a 7-0 victory over Diana Paulina Miranda Gonzales of Mexico. Campbell, a 2012 Olympian, dropped her first match to Emese Barka of Hungary and was eliminated from the competition. Team USA's women's freestyle wrestling team has now qualified four of the six weight classes for the Olympic Games. Only 58 kilos and 69 kilos have not qualified. Mensah and Campbell will have one more opportunity to qualify those weight classes. Men's freestyle wrestlers Frank Molinaro (65 kilos) and J'den Cox (86 kilos) will attempt to qualify for the Olympic Games on Sunday.

Don Buzzard, Iowa high school state champ, then Iowa State wrestling finalist, died Tuesday at Cedar Valley Hospice Home in Waterloo, Iowa. He was 69. Don BuzzardDonald Stephen Buzzard, Jr., was born July 16, 1946, in Waterloo. According to his biography at the Battle of Waterloo Hall of Fame, Don Buzzard followed in his older brother Bob's footsteps into wrestling, taking up wrestling as a third grader by practicing with the local junior high team after school. Buzzard wrestled throughout junior high and his talent was quickly noticed. As a ninth grader, he was invited to wrestle on the Waterloo East High School varsity team at 120 pounds. That year he placed second at the state championship. Buzzard was undefeated his junior and senior year, winning back-to-back state wrestling titles at 165 in 1963 and 180 in 1964. (As a senior, Don Buzzard was one of five individual champs at East that year.) Buzzard's high school record was 50-4. Buzzard was a three-sport athlete at Waterloo East. In addition to his on-the-mat accomplishments, he was also All-state in football at East, according to his obituary. Buzzard received a scholarship to Iowa State University where he wrestled for legendary head coach Harold Nichols. As a Cyclone, Buzzard was a 1965 Midlands champion, a two-time Big 8 conference finalist, and a two-time All-American, making it to the 191-pound finals at the 1966 and 1967 NCAA championships. Buzzard compiled an overall college record of 54-5. Among his teammates at Iowa State: his brother Bob, Veryl Long, Gordon Hassman, Vic Marcucci, and Dale Bahr. Don Buzzard was welcomed into the Battle of Waterloo Hall of Fame in 2014. Donald Buzzard, Jr., is survived by his brother, Bob Buzzard of Salem, Oregon; two sisters, Kim Brown and Debbie Sillman of Montgomery, Alabama; brother-in-law Wally Dietz of Waterloo and nieces and nephews. Friends are invited to a Remembrance Gathering hosted by Bob and Pat Buzzard Thursday, April 28 at the Waterloo Elks Club at 407 East Park Avenue from 4-6 p.m. In lieu of flowers memorials may be directed to the family.

EDMOND, Okla -- The University of Central Oklahoma announced Friday that David James will not return next season as Central Oklahoma's head wrestling coach. David James"I want to thank Coach James for his extraordinary contributions to the University of Central Oklahoma," Muller said. "At UCO, we always expect to compete at a very high level and after evaluating our program over the past several weeks, I feel that it's necessary to move in a different direction." The university has offered James another position in the athletic department, but he has yet to make a decision on whether he will stay at UCO. "It has been a tremendous honor to be the UCO wrestling coach for such a long time," said the 58-year-old James. "I want to thank all the wrestlers who I have been associated with for 34 years and greatly appreciate all the relationships and friendships that I have with all the wrestlers in the program. UCO is a special place to me and always will be. "I would also like to thank the many people associated with the university and the athletic department for all their support all of these years. And certainly I want to thank my wife (Cherrie) and daughters (Hayden and Ryann) for their support and love throughout my career. "UCO is a special place to me and always will be." James led the Bronchos to 12 national championships - seven in NCAA Division II, five in NAIA - and a 396-144-5 dual record that ranks in the top 30 for career wins on all collegiate levels during his 34 years at the helm. He coached 48 individual national champions and 182 All-Americans, including a pair of rare four-time champions in Johnny Nimmo (1987-90) and Cole Province (2000-03). A prep standout at Del City High School, James became UCO's first-ever four-time All-American and was a two-time national champion from 1977-80, finishing with a 116-16 career record. James spent the 1980-81 season as a graduate assistant for the Bronchos before spending one year as assistant coach at Edmond Memorial High School. He returned to UCO in 1982 to take over the head coaching reigns. The search for James' replacement will begin immediately.

ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia -- Friday brought disappointment for Team USA's Greco-Roman wrestling program. RaVaughn Perkins came up just short of earning a spot in the Olympic Games, losing in a true bronze medal match (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)All three athletes competing at the 1st Olympic Games World Qualifying Tournament failed to earn berths in the Olympic Games. The countries that place in the top three in each weight class earn qualification spots in the 2016 Olympic Games. The United State has qualified three weight class for the Olympic Games, but still has yet to qualify three. RaVaughn Perkins, competing at 66 kilos, came within one victory of earning an Olympic berth as he lost 5-0 in a true bronze medal match to Edgaras Venckaitis of Lithuania, a 2014 World bronze medalist. Jesse Thielke (59 kilos) and Joe Rau (98 kilos) both lost their opening matches. They were eliminated when the wrestlers who beat them failed to advance to the finals. Thielke was leading 5-0 before surrendering his lead late and losing 6-5 to Gaurav Sharma of India. Rau lost 4-1 to Sweden's Carl Fredrik Schoen. Perkins, Thielke and Rau will have one more opportunity to earn a spot in the Olympic Games. That opportunity comes May 6-8 in Istanbul, Turkey, at the 2nd Olympic Games World Qualifying Tournament. Four U.S. women will look to qualify for the Olympic Games on Saturday in Mongolia.

The 1st World Olympic Qualifier starts today in Mongolia and the wrestlers from Team USA still need to qualify nine weight classes. The two freestyle weight classes are the focus of most fans and also the biggest concern. After his stunning set of upsets two weeks ago Frank Molinaro will head into the Ulaanbaatar event facing down arguably the most difficult weight class in the competition. Similarly, senior-level freestyle newcomer J'den Cox will take his 86-kilo upsets into the qualifier with a loaded field of opponents standing in his way. Though he hasn't wrestled much freestyle, Cox's aggressive and explosive attack-style of wrestling will throw many of his opponents off their game plan. There is no way for most foreigners to prepare for Cox and that'll leave the first few of his opponents in a stunned state. Can he carry that to the finals, or at least to a true third? Of course. After his Olympic Trials performance who'd dare doubt him. On the women's side, 55-kilo World champion Helen Maroulis is down to 53 kilos where she hopes to qualify. Assuming a solid weight cut she should be a lock to get the job done and focus on dethroning three-time champion Saori Yoshida. Tamyra Mensah (69 kilos) and Haley Augello (48 kilos) are also hoping to book their ticket. Mensah has shown incredible potential in the past year and with some coaching help should be able to place in the relatively light field. Augello, who has won a Cadet World title, will have a tougher road, but will need to work past top-level completion in North Korea, India and Mongolia. Kelsey Campbell is facing an uphill battle at 58 kilos with a slew of talented women entering the fray, including Grace Bullen of Norway, In Sun Jong of North Korea, and Natalia Golts of Russia. The Greco-Roman results are already decided with everything available for review at unitedworldwrestling.org. To your questions … Q: We've seen how successful our Cadet/Junior World champs can be at a very young age (see Aaron Pico and Kyle Snyder at World Team Trials). Do you think that our two-time World champ Spencer Lee will be a threat to make the 2017 World Team? Or is he still a few years away? -- Irv. Foley: Weight class and strength both play significant factors when sizing up the opportunities of youngsters at the senior level. Pico, and some extent Henry Cejudo, have overcome those obstacles by being full-time in the sport. Snyder seems to already have man strength at his age (out of puberty) and through hard work has learned how to stay in position. Spencer Lee, who this week committed to Iowa, is not done growing. That's good for Iowa, but bad for his chances of making a World team on the senior level any time soon. He'll need to specialize in the NCAA game, grow and find some man strength before he can compete with guys like Tony Ramos and Dan Dennis. However, I do like his chances of putting together a nice run in 2020, though I still think he'd have some filling out to do. Q: In my opinion, Ian Miller has been one of if not the most exciting college wrestler to watch over the past few seasons. I think he's as dynamic from the neutral position as anyone in the country, including a lot of the senior level guys around his weight. (Jordan Burroughs is probably the lone exception.) Has there been any information regarding what his future plans in the sport are? I think he could absolutely be in the mix at 74 kilos, but his athletic ability and penchant for explosive moves could make for an interesting transition to MMA? What do you think? -- James R. Ian Miller battles Isaiah Martinez in the NCAA semifinals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Foley: Something about Ian Miller feels like an MMA fighter, but I think there is a lot to your point that he is explosive and can score moves quickly. If I were his agent -- or running his life free of knowing personal responsibilities -- I'd advocate giving freestyle a real try. Move to the training center, get funding to wrestle overseas, and make the most of his talents on the mat. If after giving it two years he still isn't competing with top international guys he can raise his hand and be chosen by any number of fight teams around the country. There is no loss at starting MMA later, but there is almost no going back to wrestling after you slip on the gloves. Q: I think Tom Brands should be on the hot seat at Iowa. He needs to recruit better and change his ways a bit to compete with Penn State. Like any biz, you need to adapt to the changes to compete. -- Paul E. Foley: In fairness you wrote this question before Brands landed top recruits Spencer Lee and Gavin Teasdale. Those guys are pretty sure bets for the podium, and one could assume that includes that top of the podium. As for changing his ways … there you might have a point. If Brands can find the right balance between intensity and technique, he can win big with recruits like Lee and Teasdale. Q: What is the pay for USA Wrestling athletes? In light of the recent institutional discrimination by USA Soccer, I want to know specifically what our women and men make when on the Olympic and World teams and in camp at the USOTC. Are travel and per diems standardized? Do world and Olympic medal bonuses pay identically? Are accommodations identical when on the road? -- Nate H. Foley: Each athlete on the ladder (top three) is paid the same stipend, with men and women receiving equal pay. The athletes are given increases to their stipend for winning tournaments like the World Championships, which means that Dan Dennis is not making the same monthly stipend as Adeline Gray -- not even close. The bonuses from Living the Dream Medal Fund pay the exact same amount to both men and women medalists, too. Accommodations on the road are exactly the same at any given tournament. Q: I notice a larger public push for NCAA (male) athletes football and basketball players to be paid. If the push is successful do see it having adverse effects on college wrestling at the Division I level? -- Marcus R. Foley: Loaded question, but I don't think so. In fact, I think it'll be a boon. The NCAA is most likely going to allow athletes to sign endorsement deals while still in college. This means that the school won't assume any more financial burden and athletes across the board can make extra income. For example, Kyle Snyder could sign with Asics and maybe wear their shoes, or maybe even sing with Milwaukee Tools and do TV spots. More money in the system may only be the start. Once the NCAA moves closer to admitting these aren't amateurs they may open up the legal route to having the entirety of the system be challenged (again) in court. Q: What is going on with Chance Marsteller? Is he done? Is he transferring? -- Matthew R. Foley: I don't know. There hasn't been any solid rumors and the guys I depend on for this information didn't know much as of two weeks ago. Q: If you're the AD at Boise State, who are the coaches you're calling about the head coaching position? -- Mike C. Foley: There was a weird turn of events at Boise State with the wrestling program first parting ways with longtime assistant coach Chris Owens, and then Greg Randall getting fired. That tells me the administration learned of something they didn't like, or possibly that the team spoke up. I'd keep an eye on what happens next because that might tell us a lot about the future of the program. Yet, it could just be a lack of performance as they were 9-25-1 in the past three seasons. You're going to see the same names applying here that you see for most jobs, but I don't have someone in mind that would be a shoe-in option. Randall was at that program for so long that I'd have to think of regional ties in order to fill that role. For me the best option may be Cody Sanderson. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Power of Sport Cornish Wrestling Q: Watching Anthony Valencia at the Last Chance Olympic Team Trials Qualifier reminded me of how stacked Arizona State will be next year. What do you think is their team's ceiling at the NCAAs? Can they win a trophy? Beat Penn State/Ohio State/VPI? -- Irv. Foley: I love that you called Virginia Tech "VPI." That feels like an old school dig from my Wahoo days, but I don't know that it is really anything more than their appropriate acronym. No, Arizona State won't beat Penn State, but I do think that a well performing Zeke Jones squad is in the top ten. An incredible performance puts them in the top five. They certainly are showing signs of sparkle, but until these all-star recruits, namely the Valencia boys, start wading through the NCAA season you can't project their total impact. Case in point is judging the effect of Myles Martin midseason, or Chance Marstellar at the start. Possessing promise is only part of the equation in a collegiate season that spans five months and 30-plus matches. In reality promise is mostly a handicap, especially if you find out that you have thin skin or delicate ears. Q: Does Henry Cejudo have a legit shot at beating Mighty Mouse for the UFC title on Saturday night? -- Mike C. Foley: Mighty Mouse looks about as unbeatable an opponent as we've seen in the UFC. The smaller guys don't have as much knockout power, so Johnson can depend almost entirely on outpointing an opponent. While Cejudo has good striking he hasn't yet perfected it for the octagon in the same way as Johnson. He also lacks that KO power to even the fight or make Johnson honest in the pocket. Most concerning for Cejudo is that Johnson's wrestling might be on the same level while in the octagon … seriously. The champ's techniques are adapted to the octagon and he's proven very difficult to take to the mat and hold down. I'm pulling for Cejudo, but he's winning this fight, at most, two of ten times. Q: The Madison Square Garden NCAA tournament was cool. I know the attendance wasn't quite as high, but I agree they need to put it on both coasts occasionally or even the South to grow the sport. What was not encouraging was the slight drop in the TV ratings. The common wisdom was that it would go up due to being in NYC. Two years ago Bob Bowlsby spoke to the Wrestlers in Business during the St. Louis NCAAs. He was very supportive of wrestling, but very frustrated at why they don't move the tourney back a week so it's not up against the opening week of NCAA men's basketball March Madness. This would be a great change and I was wondering if there is any traction for that move? -- Mike S. Foley: I think that the attendance was about as sold out as you're going to find. The numbers were lighter, but that was mostly based on the size of the arena. Money was made and crowds were joyous. Pretty much all you can ask for in terms of crowd size and makeup. The international sports community loves to send tournaments to smaller countries because they are able to make money for their federation AND typically earn more medals (which usually results in more money from government officials). The NCAA model works differently. You need to have a large local fan base, or the accessibility of a major transportation hub like something in Dallas or Atlanta. Still, you run a risk of having light crowds, or worse still, unenthusiastic crowds. The days of the tournament are silly. The NCAA controls that, though I think they would be responsive to pressure from a proposal, which outlined a benefit to student welfare and the bottom line. The larger matter is having the sport span two semesters. Solving that should be top priority, but not letting perfection be the enemy of good, I think that moving conference a week earlier (Pac-12) along with the NCAAs would be an easy solution and result in much more viewership. Q: Is Aaron Pico done wrestling? I'm excited to see him compete in MMA. -- Mike C. Foley: I don't know. I think it would be foolish to give up when he still has another four years to travel the world, make the World team and generate a livable income. What's the pressure to go work on jiu-jitsu and boxing for three years when in that same time he can make more money and likely increase his name recognition. There is so much for him to learn about the sport of wrestling it would be a shame to see him leave. Q: While watching the Olympic Team Trials, I started to wonder about something. When the weight classes are qualified and the team is officially set, do they practice in Colorado as a team or do they remain with their respective clubs and practice partners until competition time? -- Derek O. Foley: Both. There are team training camps that every wrestler must attend, including the second and third team members. When not at a training camp they will supplement with their respective clubs.

Messiah College, a private Christian college in central Pennsylvania, has enjoyed a strong tradition of excellence on a national level in NCAA Division III athletics, particularly in the fall with men's and women's soccer winning multiple national championships and field hockey making multiple Final Four appearances as well. The wrestling team has recently added to this tradition, with the 2015-16 season bringing many new highs for the program. Messiah was the national runner-up, finishing 29.5 points behind perennial Division III wrestling power Wartburg and 36 points ahead of third-place finisher Luther College, The Falcons earned six total All-Americans and crowned two national champions: Lucas Malmberg at 125 pounds and Ben Swarr at 174 pounds. Bryan Brunk celebrates after a victory (Photo/Messiah College)This rise to national contention has been led for the past 13 seasons by head coach Bryan Brunk, who was named the Coach of the Year for 2016 by the NWCA and d3wrestle.com, Rookie Coach of the Year in 2004, and received the Bob Budd Coaching Excellence Award in 2005. I recently had the opportunity to sit down with coach Brunk and talk about Falcon wrestling, the success of the program, and what he believes makes Messiah a unique and special place for college wrestling. We initially talked about how he came to Messiah and what made it the right fit for him as a head coach. "For me, Messiah College is a round hole and I'm a round peg," said Brunk. "I think I'm a great coach here but I have no clue if I'm a great coach anywhere else. I know wrestling OK, I think, but my strength as a coach is in relationships. I disciple young men here through the sport of wrestling to be more like Jesus Christ. That's what I'm put on earth to do and here, with guys who know that's the mission of the place, it works. I can inspire them. I can lead them. I can mold them. And they respond to it. If I were someplace else, I'd have to find a different way to inspire and lead and mold, and maybe I could still do it, but I just know that this place is a round hole and I'm a round peg." I asked Coach Brunk what he tells a high school wrestler considering coming to Messiah to wrestle. "I have a whole spiel and it probably sounds somewhat canned because I say it a lot, but it's easy for me to sell Messiah," said Brunk. "Part of my job as a recruiter is to sell it, but it's easy for me because I really, really believe it. I think that Messiah is the best place to wrestle in the country. Now of course that doesn't mean we're the best team every year. We haven't won a national title yet in Division III, and certainly if we wrestled Penn State in a dual, they might edge us out [with a grin]. But we can't say that without first producing on the mat, so some of that is the athletic product that we're putting out there. "We're producing All-Americans, and national champions, and teams with winning records, and conference and regional championship teams, and now two trophies at the national championship in the past three years. So to start with, we have to show that we have the ability to produce athletically and to develop our guys athletically. If a kid comes here, he knows that he has the chance to develop into one of those types of athletes." He emphasized the focus on academics at the college as well but then elaborated on what he feels to be the distinguishing factor for Messiah wrestling. "I just think we have the best team culture in the country. We're having so much fun as a team. I don't think enough college coaches talk about having fun. I mean, you come in with a recruit and you tell him how you're going to make him a national champ and how you're going to help him get good grades so that he can get a job after college. Everybody talks about those things. But these are the best years of your life. You've got so much fun as an 18-22 year old living on a campus full of 18-22 years-olds and at a place like Messiah where all these guys are mostly like-minded … You're never going to have that experience again. It's a fun time! And we want to make sure that the wrestling team contributes to that great, fun experience. There's a time for putting aside fun and working hard, but even there we try to find ways to have fun. There are weekends where I show up at a tournament with some weird beard because the guys won a competition like 'who got the most takedowns' at the last tournament and got to tell me how I had to shave my beard for the next tournament. We're having fun in those kinds of ways, where it doesn't take anything away from the hard work, but we're going to have fun and not take ourselves too seriously. "And then finally, within the team culture is just a real spiritual focus. I am put on earth to disciple. That's what I am most gifted at. We do this through formal ways and informal ways, through the ways we talk about ourselves, about why we wrestle, how we're different than other programs, about what our identity is and what winning and losing mean to us. I think we're known as a team for how we love each other and for having a culture that's focused primarily on knowing Jesus Christ better and making Him known to other people." Bryan Brunk was named Coach of the Year by the NWCA and D3Wrestle.com (Photo/Messiah College)We talked briefly about Coach Brunk's emphasis in the wrestling room on aggression and an attacking style. "Any technique set that somebody runs can be aggressive and relentless, constantly trying to score points. We try to make sure that our guys are constantly attacking for a full seven minutes because you never want to be satisfied and let up. I think that's not just good wrestling technique, I think it's good character. When you've done enough and then you try to coast -- I mean that happens in life all the time too -- and that's not good character. When you tense up and try to hold onto something, you tend to make more mistakes or at least give someone else a chance to come back and take it from you." "I think that coaching, more than anything else, is building relationships. The best coaches are the coaches that have somebody on the other end that would run through a brick wall for them." Finally I pointed out that the gap between Messiah and Wartburg was smaller than the gap between Messiah and the third place team and asked what coach Brunk felt it would take to get to the top of the podium as a team. "I think it is more of the same, and I also think it doesn't matter if it happens or not. People may hear that and take it the wrong way. If someone hears that and thinks, 'Well, they don't really want it,' then they don't know me. It's not that I don't care, but that it doesn't matter. If I become the coach of a national championship team, it's going to be gratifying and I'm going to be excited about it. I'm going to pump up that trophy and we're going to celebrate. But 15 years from now nobody's going to remember, and it won't matter. I asked my guys to do a lot of work on their identity so that they could go into the postseason specifically with it being OK if they win a national title and OK if they lose and don't reach All-American status. But only OK either way. And it's going to hurt if you don't reach your goals and that's OK. It's OK to hurt. And it's going to be exciting if you do, and that's OK. It's OK to be excited. "But the baseline is that my identity and my value are already predetermined. I don't base my value or my identity on any of my wrestling or coaching accomplishments. I base it on who I am in Jesus Christ and as an off-shoot of that, I base it on the relationships I have around me because I know that they are an off-shoot of my relationship with Jesus Christ." Coach Brunk speaks fondly of and with high praise for his assistant coaches and feels that they deserve much of the credit for the success of the program. All five of them are former wrestlers at Messiah during Brunk's tenure. "I get really uncomfortable with the accolades, I really do," said Brunk. "I don't like it. I don't want that to be taken the wrong way either. I'm not ungrateful. I'm grateful for it. But in part it's because I know my assistant coaches won the Coach of the Year more than I did when I look at the amount of time each one of them put into our guys. These guys have done it. I'm just kind of facilitating it. That's where I find my sense of worth and value. I hope that is seen as a product of my true value only coming from Jesus and what He did for me and who I am in Him. I'm a child of the King. I'm forever forgiven. Those are the things that make me who I am, and I'll coach hard because of that." I found Coach Brunk to be passionate about what he is doing with a love for his team, assistant coaches, and school that he could not hide. It is clear to me from my time spent with him and from the results his team is getting on the mat that he is the right man for the job and, as he says, a round peg for a round hole.

A former New Jersey wrestling star who has been battling kidney disease and searching for a transplant for the past 18 months, has found the perfect match: his girlfriend. Brett Epps with girlfriend Alixandra CiriglianoBrett Epps, 26, a one-time wrestler at Rutgers Prep, has been living with a serious kidney disease since October 2014 -- and months of searching for a compatible donor -- has found that "perfect matc" in the person who he intends to marry: Alixandra Cirigliano. Here's the message posted Tuesday on the "Wrestling My Toughest Opponent Ever" Facebook page set up to help Epps with a kidney transplant: "We got some wonderful news today! Brett has a kidney donor! A loving, selfless, caring young woman has offered her kidney, and she's been fully approved! Even better, it's Brett's girlfriend and soon-to-be fiancee, Alix! He's asking for her hand in marriage, and she's giving him more than that -- she's giving him life. It may be the first time in Verizon's corporate history that two employees get married and share a kidney! "The surgery is set for May 11! We are praying that everything goes well, and we know you are, too. We will certainly keep you posted!" Epps' plight had been well-publicized within his home state of New Jersey, outlining his health issues, frequent nine-hour dialysis treatments, and providing news updates on potential donors. His former coach had volunteered to be a donor; months ago, a seemingly perfect match had been found, with the would-be donor going into surgery only to have complications get in the way of contributing his kidney. Epps had learned that his girlfriend of three years was the right one, in terms of a kidney match. But the chivalrous former wrestler originally didn't want her to endure the procedure ... but, in time, changed his mind. "She was very persistent and did it anyway," Epps told New Jersey News 12. "It really just showed her love for me, and I really can't thank her enough for that." The couple, who now lives in North Carolina, plan to get married, assuming the surgery works. Epps had established a GoFundMe.com page to help provide funding for the transplant. At that website, Epps described his situation: "Up until October 2014, I had never been sick a day in my life. I graduated from Elizabethtown College in PA in 2010, and I had my whole life in front of me. I moved to North Carolina and began working and planning for the future. "But a short time ago, I was rushed to the hospital with extremely high blood pressure. There, I was diagnosed with a kidney disease I never heard of, much less knew I had. It's called FSGS -- old fashioned doctors called it 'Nephrotic Syndrome' -- and it was attacking my kidneys without me even knowing. "By the time I was released from the hospital, my kidneys were functioning at just 13% of capacity. My doctor here in North Carolina, an excellent physician, advised me that I would need to go on dialysis in preparation for a kidney transplant. "Unfortunately, this disease has caught me 'between insurances,' and I may have to foot a large portion of my medical bills by myself." As of late Wednesday night, Epps' GoFundMe account had raised just over $17,000 of a goal of $25,000.

A pair of wrestlers that ended the 2015-16 high school season ranked No. 1 in the nation at their weight class verbally committed to the University of Iowa on Wednesday afternoon. Spencer Lee (Franklin Regional, Pa.) is ranked No. 1 overall in the Class of 2017, and was the top-ranked 120-pound wrestler this past season. Gavin Teasdale (Jefferson Morgan, Pa.) is ranked No. 3 overall in the Class of 2018, and was the top-ranked 113-pound wrestler this past season. FloWrestling.com first reported the commitments. Spencer Lee (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com)Both Lee and Teasdale are undefeated in their high school careers, Lee having won three state titles and Teasdale two. Each is projected as a 125/133 for their collegiate career. Lee is also a two-time Super 32 Challenge champion, a UWW world freestyle champion each of the previous two years at 50 kilograms (Cadet in 2014, Junior in 2015), and a two-time Walsh Jesuit Ironman champion. Teasdale has twice represented the United States at the UWW Cadet world championships after winning a Cadet freestyle national title, 42 kilograms in 2014 and 50 kilograms in 2015. At present, Iowa has three other verbal commitments from top 50 prospects in the 2017 class, while Teasdale is the first commit for 2018.

Bob Hartman, first wrestler to earn NCAA All-American honors for Columbia University who went on to share his mat expertise as a collegiate coach, passed away March 15 at Blue Ridge Hospice Residential Center in Virginia. He was 84. InterMat recently learned of Hartman's death from the Columbia University alumni publication, "Columbia College Today" Spring 2016 issue. Bob HartmanRobert Stephen Hartman wrestled for New York City-based Columbia, becoming the first Lion to become an All-American by placing fourth in the 137-pound bracket at the 1951 NCAA championships held at Lehigh University. The Tuckersville, Pennsylvania native took second as a junior at the Eastern Championships at 137 pounds, and placed third in the same competition as a senior. Hartman, a two-time team captain, earned 28 victories and one tie in 31 dual meets, according to a 1952 issue of the Columbia Daily Spectator. The student newspaper also quoted Columbia head wrestling coach Dick Waite as saying "Hartman does so many things well in a wrestling match." Prior to coming to Columbia, Hartman graduated from Wyoming Seminary in 1948. He wrestled and ran track at the prep school located Kingston, Pennsylvania in the northeast portion of the state. Hartman won the National Prep School Wrestling Championship in the 128 weight class as a senior. In addition, he met his future wife, the former Nancy Jackson. After graduating from Columbia, Hartman served as a freshman wrestling coach at his college alma mater for a time before serving in the United States Army from 1955-1957 in Korea. He coached the Far East Army wrestling team while there. From 1957-1978, Hartman was a professor of physical education and the wrestling coach at SUNY Farmingdale, a junior college of the State University of New York on Long Island, New York. He was instrumental in the creation of the first NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) Wrestling National Championship in 1966. In addition to coaching individual national champions, Hartman's 1972 team went on to win the national title. Hartman was twice voted the NJCAA Wrestling Coach of the Year by his peers in 1969 and 1972. He was inducted into the NJCAA Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1979. In 1973, Hartman was selected to be the coach of the U.S. Greco-Roman wrestling team at the World University Games in Moscow. He was also the wrestling team leader in the junior Pan-American Games in Caracas, Venezuela in 1978, the year he retired from SUNY. Survivors include daughters, Judy Brown and Holly Flynn; son, Robert S. Hartman, Jr "Butch"; and 11 grandchildren. Sadly, Nancy, his wife of 61 years, passed away not long after Bob. Memorial contributions may be made to North Mountain Fire and Rescue, 186 Rosenberger Lane, Winchester, VA 22602 or Blue Ridge Hospice, 333 West Cork Street, Suite 405, Winchester, VA 22601. Robert "Bob" Hartman is being inducted posthumously into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame on Friday, April 29, 2016 at the Melville Marriott in Melville, Long Island.

Jim Kinyon, Oklahoma State wrestler who later coached at Colorado State University until the program's demise, passed away in February at age 80, Amateur Wrestling News reported in its April 15 issue. Jim Kinyon Although born in Lovington, New Mexico on December 1, 1936, Jimmy Floyd Kinyon is long associated with wrestling in the states of Oklahoma, then Colorado. Kinyon grew up in Stillwater, Oklahoma, where he was a two-time state champion at Stillwater High School in the early 1950s. He stayed in town for his college education, attending what was then called Oklahoma A&M (Agricultural and Mechanical) College (now Oklahoma State), where he was a multi-sport athlete, competing in football, track and wrestling until he was drafted into the Navy in March 1957. As a Cowboy wrestler, Jim Kinyon compiled a 68-2-1 record, according to the Oklahoma State student newspaper, the Daily O'Colly, in its announcement of Kinyon's passing. After completing his service in the Navy as a sports specialist, Jim Kinyon earned his bachelor's degree at Oklahoma State in 1962, then his Master's at Central State College in Edmond, Oklahoma. Kinyon began his teaching and coaching career as a classroom teacher and head wrestling coach in Oberlin, Kansas where his teams won two consecutive state championships before he returned to Oklahoma. At Sapulpa High School, Kinyon became a teacher and head wrestling coach, claiming back-to-back Oklahoma state championships, according to his obituary in The Coloradan. Later he was the wrestling coach, classroom teacher, and counselor at Midwest City High School in suburban Oklahoma City where his teams again won two consecutive state championships. He was named Rookie Coach of the Year and Wresting Coach of the Year while in the Sooner State. Jim Kinyon's success in high school coaching propelled him into the collegiate coaching ranks at Colorado State University in Fort Collins in 1972. In addition to being named head wrestling coach, Kinyon was also a physical education instructor. In his first season at CSU, Kinyon took the Rams to a 13-2 season – the best record in the history of the program, according to the 1973 Silver Spruce yearbook. For those efforts, Kinyon was named NCAA Rookie Coach of the Year. He took the Rams to their first Western Athletic Conference title in the 72-year history of wrestling at the school, and guided his wrestlers to an overall record of 73-62. When the wrestling program was eliminated at Colorado State in 1984 because of Title IX, Jim Kinyon become a dean of students and head wrestling coach at Smokey Hill High School outside of Denver. Jim Kinyon was past President of Mountain Intercollegiate Wrestling Association and past President of the Western Athlete Conference Coaches Association. He was also a certified NCAA and high school wrestling official as well as serving on the National High School Wrestling Rules Committee. Kinyon is survived by a son, Jay and daughter, Jennifer. He has two granddaughters and a great-granddaughter, as well as a brother Phil, a three-time NCAA finalist at Oklahoma State in the early 1960s who won the 157-pound title at the 1961 NCAAs. A memorial service for Jim Kinyon was held in Fort Collins, Colorado on February 24. Contributions in Jim Kinyon's memory may be made to National Wresting Hall of Fame and Museum at 405 Hall of Fame Ave, Stillwater, OK 74075 or National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum at 303 Jefferson St, Waterloo, IA 50701.

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling head coach Heath Eslinger announced the addition of former NCAA All-American David Hoffman to the Mocs coaching staff today. Hoffman has over 10 years of experience as an NCAA Division I assistant coach, including six years at Bucknell and the last for at his alma mater, Virginia Tech. David HoffmanHoffman coached the lower weights for the Hokies, who just set a school record with a fourth place finish at the NCAA Championships in March. He also assisted in recruiting and aided with other various duties. "We are extremely excited to add David to our staff," stated head coach Heath Eslinger. "I was impressed by the candidates that were interested in this job, but he separated himself from the rest of the group during the interview process. "David brings a lot to the room from a technical coaching aspect, and that is evident by the number of All-Americans he has coached in his career. However, I am also excited about the recruiting connections he brings. He will open up new doors for us as we continue to work towards our goal of making an impact at the NCAA Championships." Virginia Tech finished in the top-10 at the NCAAs all four years Hoffman was on the staff. He helped the Hokies to two ACC team titles, two ACC dual meet titles and 12 wrestlers earned All-America honors in his tenure. In four seasons at Tech, Hoffman directly worked with All-Americans Nick Brascetta (149 & twice at 157), Devin Carter (twice at 141), Solomon Chisko (141), Joey Dance (125), Jarrod Garnett (125) and Zach Neibert (141). Hoffman coached six seasons with the Bison, including five as the top assistant. There he helped 149-pound Kevin LeValley to two All-American honors and several school records. He also guided 133-pounder David Marble to four consecutive appearances at the NCAAs. A Spring City, Penn., native, Hoffman graduated from Virginia Tech in 2006 with a degree in Health and Physical Education. He was a four-time NCAA Championship qualifier on the mat. As a senior in 2006, Hoffman placed eighth at the NCAAs, earning All-American honors at 141 pounds. He placed with a dramatic, last-second win over Michigan's fifth-seeded Josh Churella, that included a takedown at the buzzer. During his career with the Hokies, Hoffman compiled a record of 116-32, including 38 pins. He also earned Freshman All-America honors from Amateur Wrestling News in 2002 and was a three-time captain of the Hokies' squad. At The Hill School in Pottstown, Penn., Hoffman was a five-time prep All-American, two-time prep national champion and one of only two wrestlers in school history to achieve All-America status five times. He posted a record of 195-17 in his prep school career. Hoffman and his wife, Lisa, have one daughter, Madelyn Rose.

Morgan McIntosh was dominant in Fargo in the summer of 2011 (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)The 2015-16 collegiate wrestling season came to its conclusion one month ago with the completion of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in New York City. The seniors competing in that tournament were mostly fifth-year seniors, so that means in most cases they graduated high school in 2011. An interesting discussion to have is one about the overall careers of the graduated wrestlers. Another perpetual question is if those that come into college as the best prospects perform the best in college. There's also the conversation about those that grow, develop, and thrive through their college careers from both highly touted prep prospects and being lesser touted entering college. Below are the top 25 Division I collegiate careers for wrestlers that graduated high school in 2011. 1. Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State) Rank in 2011: No. 15 Accomplishments: Four-time NCAA All-American, three-time NCAA champion (2014-2016) 2. Nick Gwiazdowski (North Carolina State/Binghamton) Rank in 2011: No. 12 Accomplishments: Four-time NCAA All-American, three-time NCAA finalist, 2014 and 2015 NCAA champion 3. Nico Megaludis (Penn State) Rank in 2011: No. 5 Accomplishments: Four-time NCAA All-American, three-time NCAA finalist, 2016 NCAA champion 4. Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) Rank in 2011: No. 49 Accomplishments: Four-time NCAA All-American, two-time NCAA finalist, 2016 NCAA champion 5. Logan Storley (Minnesota) Rank in 2011: No. 4 Accomplishments: Four-time NCAA All-American, competed from 2012-2015 without redshirting as a freshman 6. Cody Brewer (Oklahoma) Rank in 2011: No. 42 Accomplishments: Four-time NCAA All-American, 2015 NCAA champion 7. James Green (Nebraska) Rank in 2011: No. 21 Four-time NCAA All-American, competed 2012-2015 without redshirting as a freshman 8. Morgan McIntosh (Penn State) Rank in 2011: No. 1 Accomplishments: Four-time NCAA qualifier, three-time NCAA All-American, 2016 NCAA runner-up 9. Ian Miller (Kent State) Rank in 2011: No. 45 Accomplishments: Four-time NCAA qualifier, three-time NCAA All-American 10. Nick Brascetta (Virginia Tech) Rank in 2011: No. 37 Four-time NCAA qualifier, three-time NCAA All-American 11. Conner Hartman (Duke) Rank in 2011: None Accomplishments: Four-time NCAA qualifier, three-time NCAA All-American 12. Hunter Stieber (Ohio State) Rank in 2011: No. 7 Accomplishments: Three-time NCAA qualifier, two-time NCAA All-American (2012 and 2013 as true freshman and sophomore) 13. Nathaniel Brown (Lehigh) Rank in 2011: No. 52 Accomplishments: Four-time NCAA qualifier, two-time NCAA All-American, 2015 NCAA runner-up 14. Mason Beckman (Lehigh) Rank in 2011: No. 6 Accomplishments: Four-time NCAA qualifier, two-time NCAA All-American, additional round of 12 appearance 15. Austin Marsden (Oklahoma State) Rank in 2011: No. 22 Accomplishments: Four-time NCAA qualifier, two-time NCAA All-American, additional round of 12 appearance 16. Cody Walters (Ohio) Rank in 2011: None Accomplishments: Four-time NCAA qualifier, two-time NCAA All-American, additional round of 12 appearance 17. Evan Henderson (North Carolina) Rank in 2011: No. 26 Accomplishments: Four-time NCAA qualifier, two-time NCAA All-American 18. Chris Mecate (Old Dominion) Rank in 2011: No. 75 Accomplishments: Four-time NCAA qualifier, two-time NCAA All-American 19. Jordan Conaway (Penn State) Rank in 2011: Weight Class Only Accomplishments: Three-time NCAA qualifier, two-time NCAA All-American, additional round of 12 appearance 20. Earl Hall (Iowa State) Rank in 2011: No. 84 Accomplishments: Three-time NCAA qualifier, two-time NCAA All-American, additional round of 12 appearance (has one year of eligibility remaining) 21. Connor Youtsey (Michigan) Rank in 2011: No. 60 Three-time NCAA qualifier, two-time NCAA All-American (has one year of eligibility remaining) 22. Anthony Perrotti (Rutgers) Rank in 2011: Weight Class Only Three-time NCAA qualifier, two-time NCAA All-American 23. Connor Medbery (Wisconsin) Rank in 2011: No. 59 Accomplishments: Three-time NCAA qualifier, fourth in the 2015 NCAA tournament (has one year of eligibility remaining) 24. Vic Avery (Edinboro) Rank in 2011: No. 86 Accomplishments: Four-time NCAA qualifier, third in the 2015 NCAA tournament 25. David Terao (American) Rank in 2011: None Accomplishments: Four-time NCAA qualifier, fourth in the 2016 NCAA tournament, two time in the round of 12 (2014, 2015) Honorable Mention (alphabetical order): Kenny Courts (Ohio State) Rank in 2011: No. 16 Accomplishments: Three-time NCAA qualifier, fifth in the 2015 NCAA tournament, additional round of 12 appearance Matthew Miller (Navy) Rank in 2011: None Accomplishments: Three-time NCAA qualifier, fifth in the 2015 NCAA tournament, additional round of 12 appearance Daniel Neff (Lock Haven) Rank in 2011: No. 57 Accomplishments: Four-time NCAA qualifier, 8th in the 2015 NCAA tournament Jade Rauser (Utah Valley) Rank in 2011: No. 32 Accomplishments: Four-time NCAA qualifier, eighth in the 2016 NCAA tournament Jake Sueflohn (Nebraska) Rank in 2011: No. 18 Accomplishments: Four-time NCAA qualifier, two-time in the round of 12 (2013, 2016) Lorenzo Thomas (Penn) Rank in 2011: None Accomplishments: Three-time NCAA qualifier, sixth in the 2014 NCAA tournament, additional round of 12 appearance Tanner Weatherman (Iowa State) Rank in 2011: No. 82 Accomplishments: Four-time NCAA qualifier, three times in the round of 12 (2013, 2014, 2016) Below are some notable collegiate wrestling careers for top 100 Class of 2011 student-athletes that competed outside of Division I: Robert Dierna (SUNY-Cortland) Rank in 2011: No. 98 Accomplishments: Three-time NCAA Division III All-American, 2016 NCAA Division III champion Donny Longendyke (Augsburg) Rank in 2011: No. 20 Accomplishments: Two-time NCAA Division III finalist, 2015 NCAA Division III champion Destin McCauley (Nebraska-Kearney) Rank in 2011: No. 2 Accomplishments: Two-time NCAA Division II All-American, 2016 NCAA Division II champion Travis McKillop (Pitt-Johnstown) Rank in 2011: No. 31 Accomplishments: Four-time NCAA Division II All-American, 2014 and 2016 NCAA Division II runner-up Terrell Wilbourn (Lindenwood/Iowa Central) Rank in 2011: No. 29 Accomplishments: Three-time NCAA Division II All-American, 2016 NCAA Division II champion; 2012 NJCAA champion Below are some notable career performances outside of collegiate wrestling, for top 100 Class of 2011 student-athletes: Jack Allen (Michigan State football) Rank in 2011: No. 96 Accomplishments: Four-year starter on the offensive line (guard/center 2012, center 2013-2015); Three-time All-Conference honoree (Two-time First Team), 2014 and 2015 All-American Austin Blythe (Iowa football) Rank in 2011: No. 25 Accomplishments: Four-year starter on the offensive line (guard 2012, center 2013-2015); Three-time All-Conference honoree, 2015 All-American Jesse Thielke (Wisconsin/USOTC) Rank in 2011: No. 3 Accomplishments: 2015 NCAA Division I qualifier; fourth in the 2012 Olympic Team Trials (Greco-Roman), 2013 Senior World Championships participant (Greco-Roman), 2016 Olympic Team Trials champion (Greco-Roman) For reference purposes, below were the final top 25 Class of 2011 wrestler rankings: 1. Morgan McIntosh (Calvary Chapel, Calif.) 2. Destin McCauley (Apple Valley, Minn.) 3. Jesse Thielke (Germantown, Wis.) 4. Logan Storley (Webster, S.D.) 5. Nico Megaludis (Franklin Regional, Pa.) 6. Mason Beckman (Reynolds, Pa.) 7. Hunter Stieber (Monroeville, Ohio) 8. Austin Ormsbee (Blair Academy, N.J.) 9. Chris Phillips (Monroeville, Ohio) 10. Tanner Hall (Meridian, Idaho) 11. Nick Hodgkins (Wyomissing, Pa.) 12. Nick Gwiazdowski (Duanesburg, N.Y.) 13. Jahwon Akui (St. Rita, Ill.) 14. Andrew Campolattano (Bound Brook, N.J.) 15. Alex Dieringer (Port Washington, Wis.) 16. Kenny Courts (Central Dauphin, Pa.) 17. Zach Horan (Nazareth, Pa.) 18. Jake Sueflohn (Arrowhead, Wis.) 19. Bryce Hammond (Bakersfield, Calif.) 20. Donny Longendyke (White Bear Lake, Minn.) 21. James Green (Willingboro, N.J.) 22. Austin Marsden (Crystal Lake Central, Ill.) 23. Peter Baldwin (Osceola, Fla.) 24. Edwin Cooper (Providence Catholic, Ill.) 25. Austin Blythe (Williamsburg, Iowa)

Nine champions from the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Wrestling will compete in the 1st Olympic Games World Qualifying Tournament, set for Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, April 22-24. These athletes will be attempting to qualify their weight class and themselves for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. There will be four U.S. women freestyle wrestlers, three Greco-Roman wrestlers and two men's freestyle wrestlers in this important competition. So far, there have been two stages of Olympic Qualification. In these phases, the United States qualified for the Rio Olympic Games in nine weight classes, but did not qualify in nine other weight classes. The U.S. wrestlers who won the Olympic Trials in the nine non-qualified weight classes will be wrestling in Mongolia. The U.S. delegations in all three styles have already traveled to Ulaanbaatar to prepare for the tournament. The top three men's freestyle and Greco-Roman placewinners in Mongolia qualify their nations to compete at the Olympic Games, while the top two women freestyle placewinners in each weight qualify their nation for the Olympics. Nations may only enter athletes in this tournaments in weight classes which they have not already qualified for Rio. Greco-Roman will be contested on Friday, April 22, women's freestyle on Saturday, April 23 and men's freestyle on Sunday, April 24. On Friday, the U.S. will be represented in Greco-Roman by U.S. Olympic Team Trials champions Jesse Thielke (Germantown, Wis./New York AC/OTC) at 59 kg/130 lbs., RaVaughn Perkins (Omaha, Neb./New York AC/OTC) at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. and Joe Rau (Minneapolis, Minn./Minnesota Storm) at 98 kg/215 lbs. Thielke, who wrestled at the Univ. of Wisconsin, was a member of the 2013 U.S. World Team, while Rau, an NCAA Div. III champion for Elmhurst College, was on the 2014 U.S. World Team. Perkins is a 2014 U.S. Open champion. On Saturday, the four women competing are U.S. Olympic Team Trials champions Haley Augello (Lockport, Ill./New York AC/OTC) at 48 kg/105.5 lbs., Helen Maroulis (Huntington Beach, Calif./Sunkist Kids) at 53 kg/116.5 lbs., Kelsey Campbell (Tempe, Ariz./Sunkist Kids) at 58 kg/128 lbs. and Tamyra Mensah (Katy, Texas/Titan Mercury WC/OTC) at 69 kg/152 lbs. Maroulis was a 2012 World champion and is a three-time World medalist. Campbell was a member of the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team and competed in the 2010 and 2011 World Championships. Augello was a 2011 Cadet World champion and is on her first Senior U.S. team. Mensah is also on her first Senior U.S. World-level team. All four are past women's college national champions, with Augello at King Univ., Maroulis at Simon Fraser, Campbell at Arizona State and Mensah at Wayland Baptist. Maroulis won four WCWA college national titles. On Sunday, competing for the USA in men's freestyle are U.S. Olympic Team Trials champions Frank Molinaro (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC) at 65 kg/143 lbs. and J'Den Cox (Columbia, Mo./Missouri Wrestling Federation) at 86 kg/189 lbs. Both were seeded ninth at the Olympic Trials, and both qualified for their first U.S. Senior-level team with outstanding performances. Molinaro was an NCAA champion for Penn State, while Cox, a junior at Missouri this year, is a two-time NCAA champion. If any of the nine U.S. entries fall short of the qualifying standards, there will be only one more chance to earn a spot in the Rio Olympic Games, the 2nd Olympic Games World Qualifying Tournament set for Istanbul, Turkey, May 6-8. United World Wrestling is expected to have a live web stream of the competition from Ulaanbaatar, and also live results on their website, UnitedWorldWrestling.org. Please note that Ulaanbaatar is 13 hours ahead of U.S. Eastern time zone. TheMat.com and all of USA Wrestling's social media platforms will also provide extensive coverage. In wrestling, nations must qualify participants to compete in the Olympic Games, as the size of the field is restricted. There will be 19 wrestlers in each weight class in the men's disciplines, and 18 wrestlers in each weight class in the women's disciplines. There could be some additional athletes included in the field from the host nation Brazil and through the Tripartite Commission invitation process. In total, there will be 344 wrestlers competing in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Phase One was the 2015 World Championships in Las Vegas, Nev., where the top six athletes in each of the 18 Olympic weight classes qualified their nation for the Olympic Games. Phase Two were the continental Olympic Games Qualifiers (Europe, Asia, Pan American, Africa/Oceania). The 2016 Pan American Olympic Games Qualifier was held in Frisco, Texas, March 4-6, as the top two athletes in each of the 18 Olympic weight classes qualified their nation for the Olympic Games. All of the continental qualifiers have now been completed. The United States has qualified complete Olympic Teams in wrestling for every Olympics since qualification was instituted in 1996, except for 2008 in Beijing, China, when it did not qualify at 74 kg in Greco-Roman and for 2012 in London, England, when it did not qualify at 60 kg in Greco-Roman. 1st OLYMPIC GAMES WORLD QUALIFYING TOURNAMENT At Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, April 22-24 U.S. Greco-Roman roster (competes April 22) 59 kg/130 lbs. - Jesse Thielke, Germantown, Wis. (New York AC/OTC) 66 kg/145.5 lbs. - RaVaughn Perkins, Omaha, Neb. (New York AC/OTC) 98 kg/215 lbs. - Joe Rau, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) National Greco-Roman Coach - Matt Lindland, Colorado Springs, Colo. Assistant National Greco-Roman Coach - Momir Petkovic, Colorado Springs, Colo. U.S. Women's freestyle roster (competes April 23) 48 kg/105.5 lbs. - Haley Augello, Lockport, Ill. (New York AC/OTC) 53 kg/116.5 lbs. - Helen Maroulis, Huntington Beach, Calif. (Sunkist Kids) 58 kg/128 lbs. - Kelsey Campbell, Tempe, Ariz. (Sunkist Kids) 69 kg/152 lbs. - Tamyra Mensah, Katy, Texas (Titan Mercury WC/OTC) National Women's Coach - Terry Steiner, Colorado Springs, Colo. Coach - Maxim Molonov, Colorado Springs, Colo. Coach - Afsoon Johnston, San Diego, Calif. Coach - Valentin Kalika, Aliso Viejo, Calif. U.S. Men's freestyle roster (competes April 24) 65 kg/143 lbs. - Frank Molinaro, State College, Pa. (Nittany Lion WC) 86 kg/189 lbs. - J'den Cox, Columbia, Mo. (Missouri Wrestling Federation) National Freestyle Coach - Bruce Burnett, Colorado Springs, Colo. Assistant National Freestyle Coach - Bill Zadick, Colorado Springs, Colo. Coach - Cody Sanderson, State College, Pa. Coach - Joe Johnston, Columbia, Mo. Referee - Casey Goessl, Osceola, Wis. Medical - Dr. Kenneth Lane, Highland, Calif. Medical - Rod Rodriguez, Colorado Springs, Colo. Message Therapist - Cyrus Portier, Berkeley, Calif. Nutritionist - Rob Skinner, Colorado Springs, Colo. USA Wrestling Executive Director - Rich Bender, Colorado Springs, Colo. Team Manager - Cody Bickley, Colorado Springs, Colo. Event Schedule (times are in Ulaan Bataar, which is 13 hours ahead of U.S. Eastern time zone) Friday, April 22 Greco-Roman (59 kg, 66 kg, 75 kg, 85 kg, 98 kg, 130 kg) U.S. contestants: Jesse Thielke (59kg), RaVaughn Perkins (66kg), Joe Rau (98 kg) 9:00 a.m. - Qualification rounds and repechage 5:30 p.m. - Opening Ceremony 6:00 p.m. - Finals and Award Ceremonies Saturday, April 23 Women's Freestyle (48 kg, 53 kg, 58 kg, 63 kg, 69 kg, 75 kg) U.S. contestants: Haley Augello (48kg), Helen Maroulis (53kg), Kelsey Campbell (58kg), Tamyra Mensah (69kg) 9:00 a.m. - Qualification rounds and repechage 6:00 p.m. - Finals and Award Ceremonies Sunday, April 24 Men's Freestyle (57 kg, 65 kg, 74 kg, 86 kg, 97 kg, 125 kg) U.S. entries: Frank Molinaro (65 kg), J'den Cox (86 kg) 9:00 a.m. - Qualification rounds and repechage 6:00 p.m. - Finals and Award Ceremonies