InterMat Staff

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Helen Maroulis didn't want to return to Iowa City. Helen Maroulis gets her hand raised after winning in the finals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Four years ago she entered the Olympic Team Trials at Carver-Hawkeye Arena as the favorite to represent her weight class for the United States at the London Games, but was upset by Kelsey Campbell. Her only memory of Iowa was tears of sadness. On Sunday, Maroulis exercised demons from four years ago by winning the Olympic Team Trials in dominant fashion at 53 kilos. She finished the tournament with five technical falls in five matches. In the finals Maroulis did not surrender a point in two matches against Whitney Conder. "It feels great," Maroulis said of winning the Olympic Team Trials. "To be honest, I thought it was going to be more tears and everything, but I think all the tears happened over the past three weeks just leading up to this. It was so emotional. Now it's just about enjoying it." Her weight class is not yet qualified for the Olympic Games, but Maroulis will be a heavy favorite to qualify the weight class when she competes in Mongolia in two weeks. Maroulis was one of four returning World champions to win titles on Sunday in Iowa City. The other three World champions, Jordan Burroughs, Kyle Snyder and Adeline Gray, punched their tickets to Rio. Jordan Burroughs with his son Beacon after winning the Olympic Team Trials title (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com)Burroughs, a 2012 Olympic gold medalist, put on a show in the finals, outscoring Andrew Howe 19-3 in two matches at 74 kilos. In the final match he scored an early takedown, transitioned to a leg lace and rolled to a 10-0 technical fall. "This is just really a stepping stone," said Burroughs. "Making the team for a lot of guys is an amazing feat, but for me it's customary. I expected to make this team, and that's what we trained to do. So now we go back to the drawing board. We reset, reevaluate our goals and try to improve upon the little things." Snyder, three weeks after winning an NCAA title, made his first Olympic team at 97 kilos. After dropping the first match to Olympic champion Jake Varner, Snyder battled back to win the finals two matches by scores of 4-0 and 6-1. "I had all intentions of going out there and winning the first match and doing it in two and a row, but that's why the sport of wrestling is great, because you never know what's going to happen," said Snyder. "You never know if you're going to win. You never know if you're going to lose. You can just prepare to the best of your ability." Adeline Gray was overcome with emotion after winning the Olympic Team Trials title (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com)Gray, a three-time World champion, showed why she's one of the top women's freestyle wrestlers in the world across all weight classes by dominating Victoria Francis in the finals. She won both matches by technical fall without surrendering a point. Immediately after winning Gray was overcome with emotion. "I'm just so excited," Gray said as she fought back the tears. "It's really surreal. I just can't even believe it's here. I have kind of like been holding back a lot of emotions leading up to this moment. I qualified the weight. I knew I was No. 1 in the world. I knew I could do this. But to still actually get it done is another story." Daniel Dennis made his first Olympic team at 57 kilos, beating two-time World Team member Tony Ramos in a battle of former Hawkeyes. Dennis took the first match 2-1. In the second match Dennis scored an early takedown, then locked up a gut wrench and rolled Ramos four times for the 10-0 technical fall. "I'm confident if I can get on top I can do some damage," said Dennis. "I've known that, and that's what the coaches have been telling me for a while." J'den Cox celebrates after winning the Olympic Team Trials title (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com)University of Missouri wrestler J'den Cox came through to win the title at 86 kilos, beating four-time NCAA champion Kyle Dake in the finals. Cox dominated Dake 8-1 in the first match, but Dake battled back to win the second match 5-3 and force a third and deciding match. Cox won the third match 5-3. "I think of all the people that are with me in this journey to get here," said Cox. "God works in mysterious ways." Cox is looking forward to future battles with Dake. "It was just awesome to have the chance to wrestle him," said Cox. "We're going to have a lot of battles. I look forward to them. We're going to make each other grow. It's going make each other evolve. I think that's awesome for the sport, and it's awesome for us both." Andy Bisek smiles after making the 2016 Olympic Team (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)Two-time World bronze medalist Andy Bisek and Robby Smith earned their spots on the Olympic team in Greco-Roman by claiming titles on Sunday night. Bisek topped Geordan Speiller in two straight matches by scores of 6-2 and 4-0. "To get it done and be the guy on this stage, it's incredible," said Bisek. Smith handled Adam Coon in two straight matches by scores of 4-1 and 7-2. Smith scored with a five-point arm throw in the final match, which proved to be the difference. "Coon wrestled his ass off out there," said Smith, who has placed fifth at the World Championships twice. "He gave me a great fight. I'm proud of that kid. I just wasn't going to let this one go." Haley Augello defeated Victoria Anthony in the finals at 48 kilos (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)Haley Augello, a past Cadet World champion, captured the title at 48 kilos in women's freestyle, beating two-time Junior World champion Victoria Anthony in a three-match battle. Earlier in the day Augello knocked off two-time World bronze medalist Alyssa Lampe. "I feel happy, but I don't feel like my goal is succeeded yet, so I'm not like ecstatic," said Augello. "I've still got to go qualify the weight, and then obviously at the Olympics. I feel happy, but I also feel excited about the future. I'm ready to keep competing and just keep following my dream." Finals Results Men's freestyle 57 kilos: Daniel Dennis defeats Tony Ramos 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Dennis dec. Ramos, 2-1 Match 2: Dennis dec. Ramos, 10-0 74 kilos: Jordan Burroughs defeats Andrew Howe 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Burroughs dec. Howe, 9-3 Match 2: Burroughs tech. fall Howe, 10-0 86 kilos: J'den Cox defeats Kyle Dake 2 matches to 1 Match 1: Cox dec. Dake, 8-1 Match 2: Dake dec. Cox, 5-3 Match 3: Cox dec. Dake, 5-3 97 kilos: Kyle Snyder defeats Jake Varner 2 matches to 1 Match 1: Varner dec. Snyder, 4-4 Match 2: Snyder dec. Varner, 4-0 Match 3: Snyder dec. Varner, 6-1 Greco-Roman 75 kilos: Andy Bisek defeats Geordan Speiller 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Bisek dec. Speiller, 6-2 Match 2: Bisek dec. Speiller, 4-0 130 kilos: Robby Smith defeats Adam Coon 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Smith dec. Coon, 4-1 Match 2: Smith dec. Coon, 7-2 Women's freestyle 48 kilos: Haley Augello defeats Victoria Anthony 2 matches to 1 Match 1: Augello dec. Anthony, 6-4 Match 2: Anthony dec. Auguello, 11-6 Match 3: Augello dec. Anthony, 8-2 53 kilos: Helen Maroulis defeats Whitney Conder 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Maroulis tech. fall Conder, 10-0 Match 2: Maroulis tech. fall Conder, 11-0 75 kilos: Adeline Gray defeats Victoria Francis 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Gray tech. fall Francis, 11-0 Match 2: Gray tech. fall Francis, 10-0

Men's freestyle 57 kilos: Daniel Dennis defeats Tony Ramos 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Dennis dec. Ramos, 2-1 Match 2: Dennis dec. Ramos, 10-0 74 kilos: Jordan Burroughs defeats Andrew Howe 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Burroughs dec. Howe, 9-3 Match 2: Burroughs tech. fall Howe, 10-0 86 kilos: J'den Cox defeats Kyle Dake 2 matches to 1 Match 1: Cox dec. Dake, 8-1 Match 2: Dake dec. Cox, 5-3 Match 3: Cox dec. Dake, 5-3 97 kilos: Kyle Snyder defeats Jake Varner 2 matches to 1 Match 1: Varner dec. Snyder, 4-4 Match 2: Snyder dec. Varner, 4-0 Match 3: Snyder dec. Varner, 6-1 Greco-Roman 75 kilos: Andy Bisek defeats Geordan Speiller 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Bisek dec. Speiller, 6-2 Match 2: Bisek dec. Speiller, 4-0 130 kilos: Robby Smith defeats Adam Coon 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Smith dec. Coon, 4-1 Match 2: Smith dec. Coon, 7-2 Women's freestyle 48 kilos: Haley Augello defeats Victoria Anthony 2 matches to 1 Match 1: Augello dec. Anthony, 6-4 Match 2: Anthony dec. Auguello, 11-6 Match 3: Augello dec. Anthony, 8-2 53 kilos: Helen Maroulis defeats Whitney Conder 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Maroulis tech. fall Conder, 10-0 Match 2: Maroulis tech. fall Conder, 11-0 75 kilos: Adeline Gray defeats Victoria Francis 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Gray tech. fall Francis, 11-0 Match 2: Gray tech. fall Francis, 10-0

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Tony Ramos entered the Olympic Team Trials with an undefeated record at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. That undefeated streak remained intact after Sunday's opening session of the 2016 Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City. Ramos, a two-time returning World Team member, had to dig deep in his two matches to punch his ticket to tonight's finals at 57 kilos. He opened his tournament by defeating Nahshon Garrett 3-3 on criteria. Ramos trailed 3-2 in the third period, but earned a caution point late in the match to win on criteria. Ramos then edged 2012 Olympic bronze medalist Coleman Scott 4-4 on criteria in an action-filled semifinal match. Scott led 2-0 at the break after scoring off the shot clock and by a step out. Ramos battled back in the second period, countering a Scott attack for a takedown to make the score 2-2. The former Hawkeye kept the pressure on and scored another takedown to go up 4-2. Then in the final five seconds Scott took down Ramos to make the score 4-4. However, Ramos held criteria based on having more two-point moves. He will now face another former Hawkeye, Daniel Dennis, in the finals. Dennis earned his trip to the finals by notching a 6-2 victory over Tyler Graff in the semifinals. Graff led 2-0 at the break, but Dennis came back to score six unanswered points in the second period. Three weeks after winning his second NCAA title, J'den Cox will wrestle in the Olympic Team Trials finals at 86 kilos. He had an impressive run to the finals, which included victories over Clayton Foster, Jake Herbert and Keith Gavin. On the bottom side of the bracket, Kyle Dake defeated David Taylor 4-3 to advance to the finals. The match was knotted 1-1 at the break. Dake picked up a takedown in the first 15 seconds of the second period to lead 3-1. The two then traded step out points, and Dake led 4-2 late. Taylor took a shot late and was able to get to Dake's legs but unable to finish for a takedown. At 74 kilos, Andrew Howe came through the challenge tournament with victories over Mark Hall, Alex Dieringer and Nick Marable, setting up a rematch from the 2012 Olympic Team Trials finals against Jordan Burroughs. Olympic champion Jake Varner battled through the challenge tournament to reach the finals tonight at 97 kilos against returning World champion Kyle Snyder. Varner was unscored upon in three matches. In women's freestyle, a surprise came at 48 kilos where Haley Augello, a past Cadet World champion, defeated two-time World bronze medalist Alyssa Lampe, 7-6 in the semifinals. On the bottom side of the bracket, Victoria Anthony handled 2012 Olympic bronze medalist Clarissa Chun 9-2 in the semifinals. World champion Helen Maroulis had three technical falls to advance to the finals at 53 kilos. In the finals she will face three-time World Team member Whitney Conder. Conder had two technical falls and a 7-2 victory in the semifinals over Michaela Hutchison. Victoria Francis won the challenge tournament at 75 kilos. She will meet three-time World champion Adeline Gray tonight. In Greco-Roman, returning World fifth-place finisher Robby Smith was unchallenged in the opening session at 130 kilos, earning a 39-second pin in his first match, which he followed up with an 8-0 technical fall. Smith will meet Adam Coon in the finals. Coon had a pair of technical falls to reach the finals. In the only other Greco-Roman weight class contested on Sunday, 75 kilos, Geordan Speiller came through the challenge tournament. He defeated Cheney Haight 7-0 to advance to tonight's finals against two-time World bronze medalist Andy Bisek. Finals Matchups Men's freestyle: 57 kilos: Tony Ramos vs. Daniel Dennis 74 kilos: Jordan Burroughs vs. Andrew Howe 86 kilos: J'den Cox vs. Kyle Dake 97 kilos: Kyle Snyder vs. Jake Varner Greco-Roman: 75 kilos: Andy Bisek vs. Geordan Speiller 130 kilos: Robby Smith vs. Adam Coon Women's freestyle: 48 kilos: Haley Augello vs. Victoria Anthony 53 kilos: Helen Maroulis vs. Whitney Conder 75 kilos: Adeline Gray vs. Victoria Francis

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Tervel Dlagnev thought about hanging up his wrestling shoes two days before competing in the Olympic Team Trials. Tervel Dlagnev gets ready to compete in the finals of the Olympic Team Trials (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)After arriving in Iowa City, the two-time World bronze medalist was preparing to compete by doing a couple minutes of stance and motion drills in the sauna when he experienced a painful sensation. "I had a really, really weird, scary pain go down my back and into my legs," said Dlagnev, who had back surgery last year. "I don't want to go through that again. At that point I wasn't even thinking about performance. I was thinking about my future and playing with my boys and being a dad and being a husband." His coaches told him that he if at any time he was scared, that he should hang it up. The pain did not return. On Saturday night, Dlagnev came through to make his second straight U.S. Olympic team, beating Zack Rey in two straight matches at the 2016 Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City, Iowa. Dlagnev grinded out a 3-1 victory in the first match on the strength of a takedown early in the second period. The second match was a back-and-forth affair. Rey went up 3-1 in the second period after countering a Dlagnev attack. Dlagnev responded with a takedown in the final minute to make the score 3-3 and take the lead on criteria. Rey shot a low single late in the match and was in deep, but Dlagnev countered for a takedown to win 5-3. "It's cool to go the first day if you win because then you get to watch it as the Olympian that's already on the team and see the guys battle tomorrow," said Dlagnev. Dlagnev was one of three wrestlers to secure a spot in the Rio Games on Saturday night. Joining him on the 2016 Team USA Olympic roster are Ben Provisor and Elena Pirozhkova. All three wrestlers who punched their tickets to Rio were 2012 Olympians. Ben Provisor walks out onto the mat for his finals match (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Provisor made his second straight Olympic team, beating two-time World Team member Jake Clark in the finals at 85 kilos in Greco-Roman. Provisor used a gut wrench and step out point to beat Clark 3-0 in the first match. In the second match Provisor scored a takedown early to go up 2-0. Clark knotted the score at 2-2 after a caution and two. Provisor then countered a Clark turn and secured the fall. Provisor has battled several injuries since the London Games. He moved up a weight class this year ... and also recently moved from Colorado to Florida to train. "The best thing that I've done in the last two months is move to Florida and start training with the Florida Jets and with Geordan Speiller," said Provisor. "It's a lot of one-on-one stuff. I didn't feel like I was getting the right things in Colorado, so I had to move." Pirozhkova, a four-time World medalist, became the first wrestler to secure a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team by beating Erin Clodgo in two straight matches. Pirozkhova claimed a 3-1 victory in the first match, and then was able to pin Clodgo in the second match after going up 6-0. "Making an Olympic team is awesome and exciting," said Pirozhkova. "But last time it was awesome just to make the team. This time I made the team and I was like it's just a step in the way for me to get my gold." Six other champions were crowned on Saturday, but those six wrestlers will have to qualify their weight classes for the Olympic Games at one of the final two qualifying events. Frank Molinaro came through as the No. 9 seed to win the title at 65 kilos, arguably America's deepest men's freestyle weight class. After beating three multiple-time NCAA champions, including top-seeded Brent Metcalf, in the opening session, Molinaro defeated 19-year-old rising star Aaron Pico in the finals. Pico won the first match 4-2, but Molinaro battled back to take the second and third matches by scores of 4-3 and 4-4 to claim the championship. "That was a battle out there," said Molinaro. "Aaron's an animal. I knew that was going to be a dog fight. It hasn't really set in yet, really." Kelsey Campbell remained undefeated at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in two trips, winning her second straight U.S. Olympic Team Trials title. In the finals she topped three-time returning World Team member Alli Ragan in two straight matches at 58 kilos. Campbell won both matches by identical scores of 2-1. In the final match, Ragan scored first when Campbell failed to score when on the shot clock. Campbell, though, battled back to score two points in the final period to take the match. "I really didn't know what was going to happen today," said Campbell. "I truly didn't know. I just knew what I could control and focus on, and that's what I did focus on. It just worked out. I'm just really thankful, and I'm in shock right now." Tamyra Mensah lived up to her No. 1 seed, winning the Olympic Team Trials at 69 kilos with two dominating victories over Brittney Roberts in a battle of Texas natives. Mensah, a WCWA national champion for Wayland Baptist won both matches 8-1. All 16 of Mensah's points in the finals were scored off takedowns. "I can't even put it into words, but it feels amazing," said Mensah. "I want to cry, and I'm trying not to." She will now head to Mongolia in two weeks to attempt to qualify for the Olympic Games. "I'm excited," Mensah said of wrestling in Mongolia. "I want to be able to wrestle the same way there like I did here. Hopefully I'll get top two." Jesse Thielke, a 2013 World Team member, capped off an impressive day with two straight victories over 2008 Olympian Ildar Hafizov to win the title at 59 kilos. In the first match Thielke went up 5-0 and then executed a five-point throw to finish the match. Thielke took the second match 9-3. "I've wanted it for so long," said Thielke. "I've been here four years ago. I lost to my friend Ellis [Coleman] in the quarters. I couldn't feel that way again, especially in this arena in front of these fans. I'm doing that twice in a lifetime." The 23-year-old Thielke was an NCAA qualifier for Wisconsin in 2015, but decided to take an Olympic redshirt in the 2015-16 season. "Greco is my passion," said Thielke. "I live for this. I thrive for this. It's my favorite thing to do in the whole wide world." Joe Rau captured the title at 98 kilos with a hard-fought three-match victory over Caylor Williams. Williams used a big throw in the first period of the first match to pin Rau and go up 1-0 in the series. Rau came back to win the next match 5-2, setting the stage for a third and deciding match. In the final match Rau jumped out to a 4-0 lead and looked to be in command. Williams came back with a four-point throw to make the score 4-4 and take the lead on criteria. Williams would add a step out point to go up 5-4. Rau stayed aggressive, and with 40 seconds left scored a takedown off a high dive to take the lead 6-5, which is how the match would end. "It feels great, but it's not over yet," said Rau, who trains with the Minnesota Storm. "I still have to qualify this weight for the Olympics. I'm happy for tonight, and then tomorrow it's back to work." RaVaughan Perkins topped Pat Smith two matches to one to claim the crown at 66 kilos. After losing the first match 4-0, Perkins edged Smith 2-2 on criteria in the second match, and then rolled to a 9-2 win in the third match. In 2014, Perkins won both the U.S. Open and World Team Trials. However, he was unable to compete at the 2014 World Championships after testing positive for a banned substance. He served a six-month suspension. "It's been a tough couple years in my life," said Perkins. "I just feel amazing." Sunday action is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. CT. The final nine weight classes will be contested. Finals Results Men's freestyle 65 kilos: Frank Molinaro defeats Aaron Pico 2 matches to 1 Match 1: Pico dec. Molinaro, 4-2 Match 2: Molinaro dec. Pico, 4-3 Match 3: Molinaro dec. Pico, 4-4 125 kilos: Tervel Dlagnev defeats Zack Rey 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Dlagnev dec. Rey, 2-0 Match 2: Dlagnev dec. Rey, 5-3 Greco-Roman 59 kilos: Jessie Thielke defeats Ildar Hafizov 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Thielke dec. Hafizov, 10-0 Match 2: Thielke dec. Hafizov, 9-3 66 kilos: RaVaughan Perkins defeats Pat Smith 2 matches to 1 Match 1: Smith dec. Perkins, 2-0 Match 2: Perkins dec. Smith, 2-2 Match 3: Perkins dec. Smith, 9-2 85 kilos: Ben Provisor defeats Jake Clark 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Provisor dec. Clark, 3-0 Match 2: Provisor pinned Clark, 2:30 98 kilos: Joe Rau defeats Caylor Williams 2 matches to 1 Match 1: Williams pinned Rau, 1:37 Match 2: Rau dec. Williams, 5-2 Match 3: Rau dec. Williams, 6-5 Women's freestyle 58 kilos: Kelsey Campbell defeats Alli Ragan 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Campbell dec. Ragan, 2-1 Match 2: Campbell dec. Ragan, 2-1 63 kilos: Elena Pirozkhova defeats Erin Clodgo 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Pirozkhova dec. Clodgo, 3-1 Match 2: Pirozkhova pinned Clodgo, 4:00 69 kilos: Tamyra Mensah defeats Brittney Roberts 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Mensah dec. Roberts, 8-1 Match 2: Mensah dec. Roberts, 8-1

Men's freestyle 65 kilos: Frank Molinaro defeated Aaron Pico 2 matches to 1 Match 1: Pico dec. Molinaro, 4-2 Match 2: Molinaro dec. Pico, 4-3 Match 3: Molinaro dec. Pico, 4-4 125 kilos: Tervel Dlagnev defeated Zack Rey 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Dlagnev dec. Rey, 2-0 Match 2: Dlagnev dec. Rey, 5-3 Greco-Roman 59 kilos: Jessie Thielke defeated Ildar Hafizov 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Thielke dec. Hafizov, 10-0 Match 2: Thielke dec. Hafizov, 9-3 66 kilos: RaVaughan Perkins defeated Pat Smith 2 matches to 1 Match 1: Smith dec. Perkins, 2-0 Match 2: Perkins dec. Smith, 2-2 Match 3: Perkins dec. Smith, 9-2 85 kilos: Ben Provisor defeated Jake Clark 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Provisor dec. Clark, 3-0 Match 2: Provisor pinned Clark, 2:30 98 kilos: Joe Rau defeated Caylor Williams 2 matches to 1 Match 1: Williams pinned Rau, 1:37 Match 2: Rau dec. Williams, 5-2 Match 3: Rau dec. Williams, 6-5 Women's freestyle 58 kilos: Kelsey Campbell defeated Alli Ragan 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Campbell dec. Ragan, 2-1 Match 2: Campbell dec. Ragan, 2-1 63 kilos: Elena Pirozkhova defeated Erin Clodgo 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Pirozkhova dec. Clodgo, 3-1 Match 2: Pirozkhova pinned Clodgo, 4:00 69 kilos: Tamyra Mensah defeated Brittney Roberts 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Mensah dec. Roberts, 8-1 Match 2: Mensah dec. Roberts, 8-1

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Two and half years ago Aaron Pico announced that he would be forgoing his high school and college wrestling career to pursue his Olympic dream. Aaron Pico in the corner during his semifinal match against Reece Humphrey (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)On Saturday, Pico moved one step closer to that dream by earning a spot in the finals of the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City. The nineteen-year-old Pico reached the finals at 65 kilos by dominating three-time World Team member Reece Humphrey 12-1. The two met in December in Las Vegas, and Humphrey won that match 10-0. This time it was all Pico. He used two takedowns and two step outs to go up 6-1 after the opening period. Pico then finished the match in the second period with three more takedowns. "I didn't know when I was going to be able to wrestle him again," Pico said. "Reece is a great guy. That just didn't sit well with me, the last nationals." Earlier in the day Pico was pushed hard, first by Jayson Ness and then Jordan Oliver. Against Ness, Pico found himself down 9-0 -- on the verge of losing by technical fall -- but battled back to earn a 20-9 technical fall. He then edged Jordan Oliver 11-9 in a back-and-fourth semifinal match. "It feels good to be at the top, especially at one of the toughest weights in the world," said Pico. Pico will now meet Frank Molinaro, who had an impressive run to the finals, beating three multiple-time NCAA champions, Kellen Russell, Brent Metcalf and Logan Stieber. Against the top-seeded Metcalf, Molinaro fell behind 2-0, but came back to win 3-3 on criteria. Molinaro then beat Stieber on criteria 5-5 on the strength of a four-point move in the second period. In the only other men's freestyle weight class contested on Saturday, 125 kilos, Tervel Dlagnev and Zack Rey came through the challenge tournament and will meet tonight. Dlagenv, a 2012 Olympian and two-time World bronze medalist, opened with a 10-0 technical fall victory over Connor Medbery, and then handled past Junior World champion Dom Bradley 5-1 in the semifinals. Rey, who competed in last year's World Championships, was down 2-0 to Nick Gwiazdowski after the opening period, but battled back for the 4-2 victory. In Greco-Roman, the opening session saw two No. 1 seeds, Bryce Saddoris (66 kilos) and Jordan Holm (85 kilos), fall. Two Olympians, Spenser Mango (57 kilos) and Ellis Coleman (66 kilos), also failed to reach the finals. Saddoris, a two-time returning World Team member, lost on criteria (4-4) in the quarterfinals to Michael Hooker. Hooker's run in the championship bracket ended in the semifinals, though, as he was blanked 4-0 by Pat Smith. Smith will face RaVaughan Perkins in the finals. Perkins, who won the U.S. Open and World Team Trials in 2014, edged 2012 Olympian Coleman 3-2 in the semifinals. Jake Clark executes a throw in the opening session of the Olympic Team Trials (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Two-time World Team member Jake Clark punched his ticket to the finals with two dominating victories. The 36-year-old Clark opened with a quick technical fall victory over Hayden Zillmer in the quarterfinals, and then claimed an 11-3 technical fall victory in the semifinals over Jon Anderson. Clark broke the match open early against Anderson with a four-point front headlock roll through to go up 5-1, He extended his lead to 9-3 with another four-point move, and then scored two to put the match away. Clark will face 2012 Olympian Ben Provisor in the finals in a rematch from the Senior Nationals/Trials Qualifier finals in December. Provisor took out top-seeded Jordan Holm 3-0 in the semifinals. Holm was a World Team member in each of the past three seasons. At 57 kilos, top-seeded Ildar Hafizov, a 2008 Olympian for Uzbekistan, advanced to the finals. He opened with a 5-0 shutout victory over Max Nowry in the quarterfinals, and then a 4-2 victory over Ryan Mango in the semifinals. Ryan Mango took an early 2-0 lead, but Hafizov battled back and took a 3-2 lead into the second period. Hafizov broke the match open in the second period with a four-point thrown to go up 8-2. Mango would add two points late, but Hafizov held on for the two-point win. On the bottom side of the bracket at 57 kilos in Greco-Roman, 23-year-old Jesse Thielke, a 2013 World Team member, took out two-time Olympian and six-time World Team member Spenser Mango to reach the finals. Thielke used a four-point throw and turn to go up 6-0 after the opening period. He finished the match in the second period with a takedown to earn the 8-0 technical fall. Mango left his shoes on the mat, signaling his retirement from wrestling, as the crowd gave him a standing ovation. At 98 kilos in Greco-Roman, the top two seeds, Joe Rau and Caylor Williams, were unchallenged and unscored upon in the opening session. The two will now meet in the finals. Rau opened with a 9-0 technical fall over Jarod Trice before beating Orry Elor 6-0 in the semifinals. Williams had a pair of technical falls to reach the finals, first over Daniel Miller and then over G Angelo Hancock. In women's freestyle, all three No. 1 seeds competing on Saturday advanced to tonight's finals. At 58 kilos, top-seeded Alli Ragan was pushed hard in the semifinals by Kayla Miracle, but prevailed 6-4. On the bottom side of the bracket, 2012 Olympian Kelsey Campbell edged Cadet World champion Teshya Alo 6-4, reversing a result from the U.S. Open finals. Four-time World medalist Elena Pirozhkova is looking to get back on the Olympic team. She outscored her three opponents 26-1 to reach the finals at 63 kilos. Her finals opponent tonight will be returning World Team member Erin Clodgo, who advanced to the finals by defeating Amanda Hendey 6-2. At 69 kilos, top-seeded Tamyra Mensah was impressive in the semifinals, beating Julia Salata 11-1. Salata had notched a win over past World champion Iris Smith in the quarterfinals. She will face Brittney Roberts, who edged Randi Miller in the semifinals. Tonight's finals matches begin at 6 p.m. CT. All finals matches are best-of-three. Finals Matchups Men's freestyle: 65 kilos: Frank Molinaro vs. Aaron Pico 125 kilos: Zack Rey vs. Tervel Dlagnev Greco-Roman: 59 kilos: Ildar Hafizov vs. Jessie Thielke 66 kilos: Pat Smith vs. RaVaughan Perkins 85 kilos: Ben Provisor vs. Jake Clark 98 kilos: Josef Rau vs. Caylor Williams Women's freestyle: 58 kilos: Alli Ragan vs. Kelsey Campbell 63 kilos: Erin Clodgo vs. Elena Pirozkhova 69 kilos: Tamyra Mensah vs. Brittney Roberts

The U.S. Olympic Team Trials take place Saturday and Sunday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. Here are 10 questions heading into this weekend's men's freestyle competition. David Taylor with his coach Cael Sanderson at Senior Nationals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Who will come through at 86 kilos in men's freestyle? The U.S. has yet to qualify this weight class for the Rio Games, so the winner this weekend is not guaranteed a spot on the 2016 Olympic Team roster. Jake Herbert is the returning World Team member, 2012 Olympian and 2009 World medalist, but is far from a havy favorite in Iowa City. Four-time NCAA champion Kyle Dake and four-time NCAA finalist David Taylor have joined this weight class after failing to break through at 74 kilos. Keith Gavin was a World Team member in 2013. The weight class also includes Ed Ruth, Clayton Foster, Tyler Caldwell, Richard Perry, Jon Reader and J'den Cox. In other words, it's extremely deep and wide open. Will Coleman Scott get a chance another chance at an Olympic glory? Scott had a breakthrough year in 2012, winning an Olympic bronze medal at 60 kilos in London. The former Oklahoma State Cowboy wrestler has not been able to regain his 2012 form, but has still been productive over the past few years at 61 kilos, placing third in the Trials last year and second in 2014. It's been a season of change for Scott. He was named head wrestling coach at North Carolina in June, and also made the decision to cut down to 57 kilos -- as opposed to moving up to 65 kilos -- for one last Olympic run. He placed third at the Senior Nationals/Trials Qualifier in December, with his lone loss coming to Daniel Dennis in the semifinals. Will anyone challenge Jordan Burroughs? Burroughs has his sights set on striking gold in Rio and becoming the first American to repeat as Olympic gold medalist since John Smith in 1992. He comes into Iowa City with a senior-level record of 122-2. As a returning World champion Burroughs has an automatic berth in the best-of-three finals. Two of his top challengers in recent years, Dake and Taylor, have moved up a weight class to 86 kilos. Burroughs' biggest threat domestically is likely Andrew Howe, who reached the finals of the 2012 Olympic Team Trials and was an Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix silver medalist in 2015. Chris Perry, a Junior World medalist and University World medalist, also poses a strong threat to make the finals against Burroughs. Jake Varner fell to Kyle Snyder three times last year, including twice at the Trials (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Can Jake Varner unseat Kyle Snyder? Last year saw a changing of the guard as then-19-year-old Kyle Snyder toppled Olympic champion Jake Varner, first at the U.S. Open, then again at the World Team Trials, to secure his spot on the U.S. World Team. Snyder made the most his opportunity by winning a gold medal at the World Championships in Las Vegas to become the youngest American World champion freestyle wrestler ever. This year Snyder has competed both overseas in freestyle and domestically in NCAA wrestling. He claimed bronze medals at both the Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix and the Alexander Medved International. Last month Snyder won an NCAA title at heavyweight, knocking off two-time NCAA champion Nick Gwiazdowski. Varner was a silver medalist at the Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix, losing to Anzor Boltukayev of Russia, the same wrestler who defeated Snyder. The returning World champion Snyder has an automatic spot in the best-of-three finals on Sunday night. Varner will have to go through the challenge tournament for a crack at Snyder. In three meetings, Snyder has outscored Varner 9-2. Aside from Snyder, can any of the collegiate wrestlers contend? All 10 NCAA Division I champions this season were automatic qualifiers for the Olympic Team Trials. Two-time NCAA champion Isaiah Martinez has publicly stated that he will not be competing in Iowa City, but most of the others are expected to compete. Past NCAA champions Nick Gwiazdowski, a Bill Farrell Memorial champion, and Nathan Tomasello, a three-time Fargo champion, have also qualified. Kyle Snyder is the returning World champion. Zain Retherford is a Cadet World champion in freestyle. Nahshon Garrett has competed for Team USA at a Beat the Streets event. Alex Dieringer and Gabe Dean were Junior World medalists. Dean Heil, Myles Martin and J'den Cox were Fargo freestyle champions. Brent Metcalf gets his hand raised after an opening-round victory at the World Championships (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Will Brent Metcalf stay on top 65 kilos? Metcalf has dominated his weight class domestically since 2013, but is still in search of his first Olympic team and first World or Olympic medal. In 2012, Metcalf lost narrowly in the finals of the Olympic Team Trials to Jared Frayer. The U.S. has not qualified the weight class for the Olympic Games, so the winner in Iowa City will have some work to do before securing a spot in Rio. Metcalf enters as the top seed, but will have his work cut out for him as the weight class is loaded with talent. James Green was a World bronze medalist last year at 70 kilos, but has made the move down to 65 kilos. There are several other wrestlers in this weight class capable of coming out on top in Iowa City, including Jordan Oliver, Jimmy Kennedy, Reece Humphrey, Logan Stieber, Aaron Pico, and Kellen Russell. How will high school wrestler Mark Hall perform? Two-time InterMat High School Wrestler of the Year Mark Hall will be making his Trials debut on the senior level. The Penn State-bound Hall qualified for the Trials last weekend by defeating 2015 top recruit Anthony Valencia 5-4 in a wild, action-filled finals match at the Last Chance Olympic Qualifier in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Valencia was third at the U.S. Open in 2015. Hall, a six-time state champion in Minnesota, claimed a Cadet World title in 2014 and competed at the Junior World Championships last year. Will any Hawkeyes win titles at Carver-Hawkeye Arena? In 2012, Iowa failed to put a wrestler on the U.S. Olympic Team for the first time since 1976. The Hawkeyes are positioned to put one or more on this year's team. Ramos and Metcalf both enter as top seeds. Daniel Dennis and Bobby Telford are also contenders. Is Tervel Dlagnev healthy enough to get back on the Olympic Team? Dlagnev has battled injuries in recent years. He had back surgery in 2015. In late January, He competed for the first time since last summer's Trials and earned a bronze medal at the Paris International. Dlagnev's lone loss came to Olympic medalist and World medalist Komeil Ghasemi of Iran 3-2. In May, Dlagnev won the Pan American Olympic Qualifier in Frisco, Texas, and qualified the United States at 125 kilos for the Olympic Games. Zack Rey has shown that he can not only compete with Dlagnev, but beat him. Dlagnev defeated Rey in the best-of-three finals at last year's Trials, but dropped one of the matches to the former Lehigh wrestler. Gwiazdowski, Dom Bradley and Tyrell Fortune could also challenge for the spot. Which sleepers will shine? Virtually every Olympic Trials there are sleepers that fans and prognosticators fail to mention as top contenders that make noise. There are no easy draws. The brackets are filled with NCAA champions and multiple-time All-Americans. Which sleepers will shine in Iowa City? Note: InterMat will be providing session recaps throughout the two-day event. NBC Sports will have live coverage, including free online viewing of all the preliminary matches on Saturday and Sunday. The finals will air live on NBC Sports Network at 6 p.m. (CT) on Saturday, April 9 and on tape-delay at 9:30 p.m. (CT), on Sunday, April 10, following NHL coverage. Schedule Note: All times CT Saturday, April 9 Men's freestyle: 65 kilos and 125 kilos Women's freestyle: 58 kilos, 63 kilos and 69 kilos Greco-Roman: 59 kilos, 66 kilos, 85 kilos and 98 kilos 8 a.m. -- Doors open to Carver-Hawkeye Arena 9 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. -- Preliminaries through challenge tournament finals 5 p.m. -- Doors open to Carver-Hawkeye Arena 6 p.m - 9 p.m. -- Best two of three Championship Series Sunday, April 10 Men's freestyle: 57 kilos, 74 kilos, 86 kilos, 97 kilos Women's freestyle: 48 kilos, 53 kilos, 75 kilos Greco-Roman: 75 kilos and 130 kilos 8 a.m. -- Doors open to Carver-Hawkeye Arena 9 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. -- Preliminaries through challenge tournament finals 5 p.m. -- Doors open to Carver-Hawkeye Arena 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. -- Best two of three Championship Series.

State champion Trence Gillem (Helix, Calif.) needed a new college destination after the program at Grand Canyon University was disbanded. On Thursday afternoon, Gillem announced his new college choice, and it was Cornell University. The two-time state placer, eighth last year at 126 and champion this year at 132, projects to compete at 141 in college. He joins a Big Red recruiting class that features a trio of top 100 prospects in Ben Darmstadt (Elyria, Ohio), Max Dean (Lowell, Michigan), and Noah Baughman (Wadsworth, Ohio).

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. -- Tony Willaert '11 was named the head wrestling coach at Saint John's University, following two seasons as the interim, on Thursday, April 7. "I am very excited and honored to be the next wrestling coach of the Saint John's wrestling program," Willaert said. "I would like to thank the hiring committee and (SJU athletic director) Tom Stock for giving me this opportunity. Now it's time to get back to work and finish what we started." SJU has sent five wrestlers to the NCAA Division III Championships and earned four National Wrestling Coaches' Association (NWCA) All-America Scholar honors over the past two seasons with Willaert as interim. The Johnnies recorded the 17th-best GPA (3.20) in Division III en route to NWCA All-Academic team honors in 2015-16 and finished 10th the previous year. Willaert was named the Johnnies' interim head coach in May 2014, replacing Brandon Novak '01, after serving as an assistant coach for three seasons. "Tony has earned this opportunity through his hard work, solid core values and competitive spirit," Stock said. "We believe he can return our wrestling program to national prominence." He compiled a 74-49 (.602) career record on the mat and was a national entrant, one of a school-record seven, as a senior at 197 pounds in 2010-11. Willaert is also the head coach of the Central Minnesota Wrestling Club, as part of the Minnesota Storm program, and resides in nearby St. Cloud.

University of St. Mary is seeking a head wrestling coach for men's and women's programs that have yet to be officially announced, according to a job listing at the Kansas school's athletics website. There is no listing of any wrestling programs -- men's or women's -- at St. Mary's athletics website, nor is there an announcement at the home page for the Spires sports website or the school's Facebook page. InterMat was unable to find any news stories reporting on possible new wrestling programs at St. Mary; nor has it received a response to an email seeking confirmation of the addition of wrestling. The job posting at the St. Mary website provides this summary of the available position: "Plans and directs the activities of the Men's and Women's Wrestling program ensuring that the team follows the direction and mission of USM and the Athletic Department." Among the essential functions listed for the position include overseeing the conduct, discipline and positive character development of student-athletes by using the guidelines and principles of the USM Mission and the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) Champions of Character initiative; counsel student-athletes in personal development and academic success; teach and promote the USM Mission values of community, respect, justice and excellence; recruitment of student athletes with recommendation for athletic financial aid awards; responsibility for administering NAIA, KCAC and USM policies pertaining to recruitment and student-athlete eligibility. The job description also states that the coach would supervise all practices and competitions; hire, evaluate and supervise team managers and assistant coaches; and be responsible for men's and Women's Wrestling team schedule as well as coordination of team travel, among other duties. Candidates for the St. Mary coaching position must have a Bachelor's degree (Master's preferred), 3-5 years of related experience, and a working knowledge of KCAC rules and regulations. Applicants are asked to send their resume, along with a cover letter, contact information, and at least three current professional references via email at hr@stmary.edu (preferred), by fax to (913) 758-4330, or by mail to: Human Resources, University of Saint Mary, 4100 South Fourth Street, Leavenworth, KS 66048. The University of Saint Mary (USM) is a private liberal arts university in Leavenworth, Kansas. Established as a school for women in 1923, it is now co-educational. It has an enrollment of approximately 1,000 students.

Two-time U.S. World Team member Jake Clark returned to wrestling in 2015 after a three-year layoff from competition and captured a Senior Nationals title in Greco-Roman at 85 kilos. Clark is a top contender at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City on April 9. It will mark the fifth time he has competed at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. InterMat recently caught up with the 36-year-old South St. Paul native. You returned to competition in 2015 after a long layoff and won a Senior Nationals title in December. You seemed surprised that you came out on top. What were your expectations going into that event? Clark: My expectation was to win it and show that I'm ready to make this 2016 Olympic Team. However, I had an injury, and that kept me off the mat for the two weeks leading up to it. I was very frustrated, and it definitely had me questioning whether or not I was as prepared as I needed to be. USA Wrestling recently changed their criteria to where former World and Olympic team members are no longer automatic bids into the Olympic Team Trials, so I had to lace my shoes up, wrestle smart and make it into the top seven. I honestly debated injury defaulting once I made it far enough to be qualified. Thankfully, I talked myself out of that one. At this point in my 32-year career I have to be smart about keeping my body healthy as can be. My mind has been set on the 2016 Trials. That is my goal, and it's where all of my focus has been directed. I wrestled smart, and won the tournament feeling around seventy percent of where I want to be for the Trials. It was definitely a surprise and a confidence booster. Jake Clark battles Ben Provisor in the finals of the Senior Nationals (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)What went into the decision to take a long layoff from competition? Clark: I never planned to take that much time off. I was bouncing around the globe and doing lots of traveling, which made it too difficult to focus on training at the highest level. At the 2012 Trials I busted my shoulder, had to get two surgeries, and this was the first real break I took from the sport in 30 years. I was living in Hawaii, and being so far away made things a little difficult to make it to competitions. I think it's nearly impossible to compete at this level if you're not fully committed and training 7-10 times per week. If I'm not able to put in the time needed I don't think it's smart decision to put my body on the line and risk injury. What do you enjoy about Hawaii? Clark: I grew up in the frozen lands of Minnesota … Need I say more?! I've been fortunate to do quite a bit of traveling, and there's something about the island life that pulled me in. That, and I think I'm allergic to winter. Mentally and physically it's a great place for training. I practice in the morning, and would go straight to the beach after to take a dip in Waikiki. I'm a fan of the culture, the weather and the food. The only downfall is that it's so far from home, and as I'm getting older I'd rather be closer to family and friends. I'm thinking the Caribbean is up next, and I'll need a few training partners if anyone is interested. Hawaii seems to be producing some top wrestlers, especially in women's freestyle. Clarissa Chun, a Hawaii native, won an Olympic medal in 2012. Now another Hawaii native, Teshya Alo, is an Olympic hopeful. What's the wrestling culture like in Hawaii? Clark: Clarissa and Teshya are both amazing wrestlers, and more importantly great people. Martial arts in general are very popular throughout the islands, and they have some amazing athletes. I really believe they could produce more top-level wrestlers more frequently, but sometimes the King of the Island mentality gets in the way of those running the programs there. I hope that some of the more recently successful Hawaiian wrestlers go back and take charge in the near future. There is a lot of potential for the sport in Hawaii, and even into other Pacific Islands. Jake Clark with training partnersWhat has your training situation been like leading up to the Olympic Team Trials? Clark: My training has been great. I feel the best I've ever felt mentally and physically. As much as I enjoy living and training in Hawaii I had to come home to take my training to another level. I've been back in Minnesota since the beginning of December, and am grateful to be around my family and friends leading up to the Trials. I'm on the mat nine times per week, and have an amazing group of training partners and coaches helping in every area of my game. It's been a real team effort in preparing for this one. So many family, friends, sponsors and coaches have all brought different pieces of the puzzle, and I'm more than ready to throw down on April 9. Jordan Holm is a three-time returning World Team member at your weight class and is a teammate of yours on the Minnesota Storm. Is it a difficult situation having arguably your toughest U.S. competitor in the same wrestling room? Do you avoid wrestling each other? Clark: There are definitely some pros and cons to that situation. Leading up to the Trials we haven't partnered up much, but thankfully our room is full of other great practice partners to choose from. The U.S. Greco-Roman head coach is Matt Lindland. He's someone you wrestled early in your senior level career. Is it strange having someone you competed against now coaching Team USA? Clark: I don't think it's strange at all. Matt is a very accomplished wrestler and fighter, so I think it's great to have someone with his knowledge and experience in both areas running the Greco program. When we wrestled in 2000 he bit my ear during one of our matches. I'd definitely like to ask him about that sometime, but that conversation hasn't come up … yet. Jake Clark with friends Dustin Zahursky and Cazzy Zahursky of Kutting Weight at the World Championships in Las Vegas (Photo/Larry Slater)You were in Las Vegas for the 2015 World Championships. What did you take away from that event as a spectator? Clark: I was working at my friend's Kutting Weight booth and didn't watch too much of the action. It was like a huge reunion, so I spent most of my time chatting with wrestling friends from all over the world. Las Vegas should definitely host the World Championships at least once every Olympic cycle. That place was slam-packed with fans from all over the world, and it was by far the best wrestling event I've ever been to. Andy Bisek has been on the Greco-Roman scene for several years, but over the past two years he has established himself as one of the best in the world at 75 kilos, winning two straight World medals. Why do you think it's all coming together now for Bisek? Clark: It's pretty simple. He grew up drinking Minnesota tap water. That, and he's an extremely hard worker. He's done a great job of forming his own style of wrestling. He wrestles smart and has earned every bit of his success on the mat. A wrestler from Minnesota has represented the United States in every Olympics since 1968. As a Minnesota native, how much pride do you take in that streak? Clark: It's a huge honor to be a part of this program, and definitely something we all think about. We seriously have a great shot at placing several of us on the 2016 team, and I wouldn't be one bit surprised if things turn out that way. With all the support we have from the Minnesota Storm, Minnesota Training Center, Minnesota Wrestling Club, and the entire Minnesota wrestling community it allows us to fully concentrate on our training, and continuing this streak not only in 2016, but also through many more Olympics in the future. How have you changed as a wrestler since 2012? Clark: I thought I was on point in 2012, but have since added a few more things to my arsenal. I am so ready to hit the mat in Iowa City. I've worked on my weaknesses all while continuing to fine-tune my strengths. This will be the oldest Jake Clark you've seen in these Trials, but I promise it will be by far the best Jake Clark that has ever stepped on a mat. Jake Clark lifts Peter Hicks at the 2012 Olympic Team Trials (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)The Olympic Team Trials were at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City in 2012. What's it like wrestling at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in front of such a large and passionate crowd? Clark: It was unreal in 2012, and I'm sure it will be even better this time around. The crowd was great, and it was an honor to compete in front of so many fans. Their energy is definitely something we feed off as athletes and something we all appreciate very much. I have a huge group of family, friends, and fans attending the Trials, so I know they will be giving me, and my Storm teammates an extra boost of energy throughout our matches. You have talked about how leading up to the 2012 Olympic Team Trials was the best you've ever felt. How are you feeling heading into the 2016 Olympic Team Trials? Clark: I felt great in 2012. I know I had done everything right leading up to the Trials that year, but it just wasn't meant to be. The stars are aligning for me. I feel it, and I believe more than ever that this is my time. You have been on multiple World teams, but I know you have always had a goal of competing in the Olympic Games and winning an Olympic medal. Do you feel more pressure when it's an Olympic year? Clark: There's definitely some added pressure, but with that comes more excitement. I've been very close several times, and honestly feel like I'm meant to make this team. I know that I have done what is needed to be an Olympian. It's time. I know you're focused on this year, but have you put a timetable on your career? Do you plan to compete after 2016? Clark: My body feels healthy and I'm still competing at the highest level, so I'll probably continue wrestling through 2020. I love the sport, and it's definitely not something I'm ready to walk away from just yet. Jake Clark gets his hand raised after winning a Senior Nationals title (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)What are keys for you to be successful in Iowa City? Clark: I've put in the time, and am going into this event very confident. I have to wrestle smart matches, stick to my plan, and with those two keys I will be the representative at 85 kilos for Team USA in Rio de Janeiro. I would like to say thank you to all my family, friends, sponsors, and people of the wrestling community who have been supporting my training leading up to this great opportunity to compete in the 2016 Olympic Trials. I'm beyond excited to step on the mat representing all of them, my teammates, my training partners, the Minnesota Storm, my coaches, and the many others who have played even the smallest roles in getting me to this point. I'm ready. This story also appears in the April 8 issue of The Guillotine. The Guillotine has been covering wrestling in Minnesota since 1971. Its mission is to report and promote wrestling at all levels -- from youth and high school wrestling to college and international level wrestling. Subscribe to The Guillotine.

On the eve of the the nation's top wrestlers colliding in Iowa City, Iowa with dreams of an Olympic berth within reach, the U.S. Olympic Committee, in conjunction with NBC Sports Films, has announced the release of a four-part video series encapsulating the culture of wrestling in Iowa. The digital documentary series entitled Olympic Hometowns in America is debuting prior to the U.S. Olympic Team Trials that will be held inside historic Carver-Hawkeye Arena on in Iowa City, April 9-10. "This is a fantastic example of cooperation between USA Wrestling, the U.S. Olympic Committee, our partners at NBC, the University of Iowa and the people from the Olympic Hometown for wrestling in Iowa City, Iowa. The timing is fantastic with the U.S. Olympic Team Trials this weekend and the message is spectacular. This is a must-watch video series. It truly articulates the human side of wrestling excellence," said Rich Bender, USA Wrestling Executive Director. The four episodes produced highlight not only the one of a kind passion for wrestling that is prevalent in Iowa City, but also examine the 2016 Olympic hopefuls from Iowa that will compete at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials this weekend. The series focuses on the wrestling culture in Iowa City, the University of Iowa wrestling program and the Hawkeye Wrestling Club. There is extensive footage from the Grapple at the Gridiron held last November at Kinnick Stadium where over 42,000 fans watched Iowa battle Oklahoma State to open the college season. "On behalf of our community I'd like to thank NBC for capturing what we've all come to know about Iowa and wrestling. Iowa wrestling fans embody the Olympic spirit as well as anyone in the world, and this video series tells a story that can be enjoyed by all and make our whole country proud," said Josh Schamberger, Iowa City/Coralville CVB President. The first installment of the digital documentary series highlighting wrestling in Iowa City has been released to the public on the Team USA social media platforms with the remaining episodes coming soon. In total, the U.S. Olympic Committee will release 20 episodes of the Olympic Hometowns in America series featuring six additional regions throughout the country that have strong ties to an Olympic sport. All episodes in the series will be hosted on TeamUSA.org and distributed through the Team USA social media platforms.

PHILADELPHIA -- University of Pennsylvania alumnus Brandon Slay, a gold medalist in freestyle wrestling at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, will assume responsibilities as Executive Director and Head Coach of the Pennsylvania Regional Training Center based in Philadelphia. Slay graduated from Penn's prestigious Wharton School of Business in 1998, with a dual concentration in Finance and Entrepreneurial Management. He has served as National Freestyle Development & Resident Coach for USA Wrestling since 2008. The Pennsylvania Regional Training Center (PRTC), established in August of 2014, is a designated Regional Training Center (RTC) by USA Wrestling under the United States Olympic Committee (USOC). The PRTC is the only one of its kind in the nation – a collaboration of Philadelphia's two NCAA Division I programs with the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University serving as the designated training sites. The Pennsylvania RTC will serve as an elite training organization for three age group levels, including Olympic, collegiate, and scholastic wrestlers. “The collaboration between Penn and Drexel presents a tremendous opportunity, providing twice the number of college coaches, twice the number of college athletes, and shared infrastructure,” stated Slay. By regulation, RTC's are permitted to attract qualified athletes from within a 250-mile radius. Slay added, “There is no better hotbed in the nation of youth, scholastic, and collegiate wrestling than the 250-mile radius around Penn and Drexel. This fact puts us in position to build something very unique, and very special at the Pennsylvania RTC.” The impact on opportunities for Penn and Drexel's programs is significant Alex Tirapelle, head coach at Penn, stated, “I'm excited for Penn's program to work with and learn from Brandon. He has reached the pinnacle of our sport as both a coach and a competitor, all the while displaying the type of character we expect from our student-athletes and coaches. The leadership and experience he brings to the Pennsylvania RTC will have an immediate impact on international, collegiate, and scholastic wrestling in our region. I cannot imagine a better fit for this position.” Matt Azevedo, head coach at Drexel, added, "The Pennsylvania RTC has created a unique opportunity for Drexel wrestlers to train side-by-side with Penn wrestlers and some of the nation's top Olympic hopefuls. I strongly believe that freestyle training is an important part of any wrestler's overall development. That's why I am so excited for Brandon Slay to be the new PRTC Executive Director & Head Coach. He has the ability to make the PRTC one the most influential and successful RTCs in the country, and serve the local scholastic and club community. Brandon is an amazing leader and he will bring a wealth of knowledge to share with our athletes and coaches.” Slay, one of the coaches leading Team USA to the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, noted that five of the eight 2015 USA Wrestling Freestyle World Team members hailed from within the Pennsylvania RTC's training radius. Former Penn Head Coach Roger Reina, currently the President and Chairman of the Board of the PRTC and Senior Associate Athletic Director at Penn, added “The wrestling ecosystem in our region includes the PRTC collaboration between Penn and Drexel, the impressive youth and scholastic wrestling communities, combined with the outstanding mission of Beat The Streets Philly (which has introduced 22 new school wrestling programs in Philadelphia and Camden, serving over 1,200 student-athletes). These communities provide a powerful environment like no other in the United States.” “With Brandon coming to lead the Pennsylvania RTC, we envision furthering opportunities for members of our community to advance their national and international aspirations in the sport of amateur wrestling, as well as serve the community on and off the mats,” stated Clinton Matter, a teammate of Brandon's on record-setting Penn teams in the late 90's, Vice President of the PRTC, Chairman of Beat The Streets Philly, and a hedge fund manager for Weiss Associates in New York City. “This is a very exciting moment in time for the sport of wrestling in the United States and our region.” Penn's Matt Valenti, a two-time NCAA Champion and 2012 Olympic Trials placewinner, added, “This is an sensational opportunity for the PRTC, Penn, Drexel and the Mid-Atlantic Region. Brandon's accolades alone– Olympic champion, two-time NCAA finalist and Penn alumnus – are enough to inspire local student-athletes and coaches. Yet it is the character traits behind those accomplishments that will truly lay the foundation for success of the PRTC. We are fortunate to have such a dedicated, humble and genuine person to lead this program toward a very bright future." Penn's famous Palestra, in Greek literal translation meaning “House of Wrestling,” was Slay's home arena throughout college. “The Palestra has been a destination venue for terrific scholastic, collegiate and international events over the years,” Slay said. These include 3 NWCA College All Star Meets, 2 USA Wrestling World Team Trials, the 1992 Olympic Team Trials, and this past year FloWrestling's Who's #1 Dual Meet Championships. “The PRTC will look to bring major events to Philadelphia and the Palestra. The fan base in our region is second to none,” Slay added. Slay will be inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, as a Distinguished Member, on June 5, 2016 in Stillwater, Okla. During Slay's collegiate career at Penn, his accomplishments included two appearances in the NCAA finals, a pair of EIWA championships, and two Ivy League Wrestler of the Year honors. In addition, Slay won every age group national freestyle title available including Espoir National Freestyle and Greco Roman Champion, University National Freestyle Champion, US Open Freestyle National Champion and Outstanding Wrestler, and Olympic Champion.

USA Wrestling has released a special set of Greco-Roman rankings for those athletes qualified to compete at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa on April 9-10. Rankings have been set for the top eight wrestlers for each of the six Olympic weight classes based on following criteria: 1) head-to-head victories, 2) wins over common opponents and 3) whether or not an athlete was a member of the 2015 U.S. World Team. Results that were considered include any tournament an athlete has competed in since Jan. 1, 2015. This includes both domestic and international matches during that time period. A computer system which compiled all of the relevant data was used to help create these rankings. If an athlete was a member of the 2015 U.S. World Team and qualified the weight that he will be competing at in Iowa City for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, then that athlete was automatically granted the No. 1 ranking and will be the No. 1 seed at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. The three athletes automatically earning the No. 1 ranking include Andy Bisek at 75 kilos, Jordan Holm at 85 kilos and Robby Smith at 130 kilos. By winning a bronze medal at the 2015 World championships, Andy Bisek has advanced to the best-of-three Championship Series in his weight class and will not participate in the morning Challenge Tournament in Iowa City. The following rankings will serve as the baseline for which athletes will be seeded at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. All athletes who have currently qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials are listed below, but only the top-eight have received a ranking. At the seeding meeting in Iowa City, all of the athletes entered will receive a seed and byes will be placed accordingly to the highest seeded wrestlers. Official U.S. Olympic Team Trials seeding per weight class is subject to change based on the coaches seeding meeting after wrestlers weigh-in in Iowa City. 59 kilos: Top Eight Ranking 1. Ildar Hafizov, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP) 2. Spenser Mango, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP) 3. Jesse Thielke, Germantown, Wis. (New York AC) 4. Nikko Triggas, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC) 5. Ryan Mango, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Army WCAP) 6. Sam Jones, Folsom, La. (NYAC/NMU) 7. Jermaine Hodge, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP) 8. Max Nowry, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Army WCAP) Additional Qualifiers Cade Olivas, Fontana, Calif. (Titan Mercury WC) Dmitry Ryabchinskiy, Brooklyn, N.Y. (NYAC/NMU) Justin LaValle, Burnsville, Minn., (Minnesota Storm) 66 kilos: Top Eight Ranking 1. Bryce Saddoris, Sneads Ferry, N.C. (U.S. Marine Corps) 2. Ellis Coleman, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP) 3. RaVaughn Perkins, Omaha, Neb. (New York AC) 4. Patrick Smith, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm), 5. Christopher Gonzalez, Bolingbrook, Ill. (NYAC/NMU) 6. Brian Graham, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) 7. Alejandro Sancho, Miami, Fla. (NYAC/NMU) 8. Devin Scott, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) Additional Qualifiers Michael Hooker, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP) Marco Lara, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP) 75 kilos: Top Eight Ranking 1. Andy Bisek, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Minnesota Storm) 2. Geordan Speiller, Oviedo, Fla. (Florida Jets) 3. Kendrick Sanders, Homestead, Fla. (New York AC/NMU-OTS) 4. Justin Lester, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP) 5. Cheney Haight, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC) 6. Tarrence Williams, Portland, Ore. (CSU Pueblo Wrestling RTC) 7. Jacob Fisher, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) 8. Corey Hope, Colorado Springs, Colo. (NYAC/OTC) Additional Qualifiers Jon Jay Chavez, Boise, Idaho (Titan Mercury WC) Mason Manville, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Minnesota Storm) Taylor Walsh, Cherry Hill, N.J. Barrett Stanghill, Philipsburg, Montana (NYAC/NMU) Dillon Cowan, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP) Alec Ortiz, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) 85 kilos: Top Eight Ranking 1. Jordan Holm, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) 2. Jon Anderson, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP) 3. Jacob Clark, Honolulu, Hawaii (Minnesota Storm) 4. Ben Provisor, Colorado Springs, Colo. (NYAC/OTC) 5. Patrick Martinez, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP) 6. Lucas Sheridan, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Army WCAP) 7. Mark Stenberg, Colorado Springs, Colo. (NYAC/NMU) 8. Ryan Hope, Colorado Springs, Colo. (NYAC/CKWC) Additional Qualifiers Kevin Radford, Jr., Fayetteville, N.C. (Sunkist Kids) Courtney Myers, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP) Michael Brant, Camp LeJeune, N.C. (U.S. Marine Corps) Timothy Bleau, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP) Hayden Zillmer, Crosby, Minn. (CrosbyHay) 98 kilos: Top Eight Ranking 1. Joe Rau, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) 2. Caylor Williams, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP) 3. G'Angelo Hancock, Colorado Springs, Colo. (NYAC/OTC) 4. John Wechter, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) 5. Orry Elor, Walnut Creek, Calif. (NYAC/NMU) 6. Marcus Finau, Ewa Beach, Hawaii (CSU Pueblo Wrestling RTC) 7. Jacob Kasper, Mansfield, Ohio (Roughhouse) 8. Daniel Miller, Camp LeJeune, N.C. (U.S. Marine Corps) Additional Qualifiers Jarod Trice, Ames, Iowa (Titan Mercury WC) Patrick Carey, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) John Lorenz, LaCrosse, Wis. (unattached) 130 kilos: Top Eight Ranking 1. Robby Smith, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC) 2. Adam Coon, Fowlerville, Mich. (Cliff Keen WC) 3. Toby Erickson, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC) 4. Jacob Mitchell, Portland, Ore. (CSU Pueblo Wrestling RTC) 5. Parker Betts, St. Michael, Minn. (Minnesota Storm), 6. Matthew Lamb, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Army WCAP) 7. Donny Longendyke, Vadnais Heights, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) 8. Zach Merrill, Bermuda Dunes, Calif. (Titan Mercury WC) Additional Qualifiers Sam Stoll, Kasson, Minn. (Minnesota Storm/Hawkeye WC) Eric Fader, Camp Lejeune, N.C (U.S. Marines) Jack Griggs, Brighton, Mich. (NMU-OTS) Tyrell Fortune, Tempe, Ariz. (Titan Mercury WC)

The 2015-16 scholastic wrestling season has come to an end. We've gone through the postseason national tournaments, the state tournament series across the country, the regular season, and the spring/summer/fall offseason. At this time, we reflect upon what has happened over the past cycle and recognize the top wrestler in each high school weight class as well as the Wrestler of the Year with First Team All-American recognitions by InterMat. Wrestler of the Year: Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.) -- 170 pounds There is very little that this Penn State-bound wrestler has not accomplished during his prep wrestling career. The six-time state champion ended his scholastic wrestling career with a record of 277-4, having gone undefeated since the middle of his freshman year, and is now InterMat Wrestler of the Year for a second consecutive season. Hall started this period with a championship in the 74-kilo weight class at the UWW Junior Nationals in freestyle, earning victories over Joe Smith and Jason Nolf in the semifinals and finals. The Junior World Team spot was confirmed at the Trials with a two-match sweep over former InterMat Wrestler of the Year Chance Marsteller. Mark Hall became Minnesota's first-ever six-time state champion (Photo/The Guillotine)In the preseason Hall earned his fifth straight title at the InterMat JJ Classic. During the high school season he was 47-0 with only three matches not decided by forfeit, pin, or technical fall; those were determined by major decision. Three of those wins were over nationally ranked wrestlers: first-period pins over Marcus Coleman (Ames, Iowa) and Lucas Jeske (St. Michael-Albertville, Minn.), and a 14-5 major decision over Taylor Venz (Farmington, Minn.). Hall also participated in a pair of postseason all-star matches, earning a major decision over No. 2 Alex Marinelli (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) in the Dream Team Classic before beating nationally ranked Austin Bell (Belle Vernon, Pa.) 8-4 in the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic. This past weekend, he won the last chance qualifier for the Olympic Team Trials this coming weekend, competing at 74 kilos in the UNI-Dome. Previous Wrestlers of the Year: 2015: Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.) 2014: Chance Marsteller (Kennard Dale, Pa.) 2013: Kyle Snyder (Good Counsel, Pa.) 2012: Jason Tsirtsis (Crown Point, Ind.) 2011: Morgan McIntosh (Calvary Chapel, Calif.) Other Top-Ranked Wrestlers at their weight class … 106 pounds: Adam Busiello (Eastport-South Manor, N.Y.) The freshman earned a second consecutive state title, winning last season at 99 pounds in eighth grade, as New York State allows junior high wrestlers to compete in high school. After placing third in Cadet freestyle at 106 pounds, Busiello was completely dominant during the folkstyle portion of this period. He was champion at the Super 32 Challenge in this weight class, and went undefeated during the high school season. 113 pounds: Gavin Teasdale (Jefferson-Morgan, Pa.) The sophomore went undefeated for a second straight season on the way to a state title, and has started his career with an 82-0 record. Last spring he earned a second consecutive UWW Cadet National freestyle championship, this time qualifying for the Cadet World Championships at 50 kilos. Most notable on the regular season resume this year was a second consecutive title at the Powerade with wins over a pair of top ten ranked wrestlers in the semifinal and final. 120 pounds: Spencer Lee (Franklin Regional, Pa.) Like Teasdale before him, this Pittsburgh area native is undefeated for his career, a three-year career record of 109-0. While his junior season was short on matches due to recovery from injury sustained before and during the Junior World Championships, his career resume is just the opposite in terms of accomplishments. Testament to his ability is a 15-0 technical fall in the state final over a top five wrestler in the nation in his weight class, Austin DeSanto (Exeter Township). This past summer Lee was a Junior World champion in freestyle at 50 kilos, one year after winning a Cadet World title in that weight class. 126 pounds: Nick Suriano (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) Suriano ended his high school career as a four-time undefeated state champion, including four titles at the Beast of the East and two titles at the Doc Buchanan Invitational, which are among the nation's preeminent regular season tournaments. During his senior season Suriano went 5-0 in matches against three wrestlers ranked in the top ten nationally. Prior to the season, he won a second Super 32 Challenge title, advancing to a third such tournament final in his high school career. Suriano has signed with Penn State. 132 pounds: Chad Red (New Palestine, Ind.) Red also ended his career as a four-time undefeated state champion, including a one-point victory in this year's state final over a returning state champion, who ended the season ranked third nationally (Nick Lee). During the fall he also earned victories over a pair of elite wrestler in the next weight class at the "Who's Number One" preseason all-star event. The Nebraska signee won titles at the Super 32 Challenge and FloNationals during the 2014-15 school year. 138 pounds: Yianni Diakomihalis (Hilton, N.Y.) The junior has won state titles in each of the last four high school seasons, including one in eighth grade at 99 pounds. This fall he joined an exclusive club of wrestlers to win three Super 32 Challenge titles, and could become the first to win a fourth in October. The verbal commit to Cornell was also a UWW Cadet National freestyle champion at 58 kilos last spring, and them won a Cadet World title in that weight class during the summer. 145 pounds: Cameron Coy (Penn Trafford, Pa.) The three-time state finalist went an undefeated 37-0 during his junior season to earn a second state title in three seasons. Coy, who has verbally committed to the University of Virginia, has a three-year record of 110-11. Most notable regular season wins this year were those over nationally ranked Mekhi Lewis in the Powerade final, and Cadet World freestyle champion Jarod Verkleeren in the WCCA Tournament final. 152 pounds: Mason Manville (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) The Penn State signee won his second National Prep title at the end of this season, and was undefeated during his senior year of high school. Manville's folkstyle evaluation period included titles at the Super 32 Challenge, Walsh Ironman, and Powerade. It included six wins over four wrestlers ranked in the top four at their respective weight classes nationally (two over Hayden Hidlay, two over Griffin Parriott, with single wins over Thomas Bullard and Evan Wick). The past offseason included a UWW Junior National runner-up finish in Greco-Roman and All-American finishes in both styles during the Junior Nationals in Fargo. 160 pounds: Isaiah White (Oak Park River Forest, Ill.) The Ohio State signee won his third state title, and second straight in undefeated fashion. White has at least 105 wins in the last three seasons against just four losses, with his last loss coming at the Detroit Catholic Central Super Duals in January 2014 (4-3 to Justin Oliver). Most notable in terms of major event accomplishments is his 2014 Walsh Ironman title and 2014 Junior National freestyle title. 182 pounds: Beau Breske (Hartford Union, Wis.) The four-time state finalist won 175 of his last 176 matches in his high school career, losing just a 5-4 tiebreaker decision in the state final during his junior year. Breske was a three-time state champion in high school with a career mark of 203-3, winning titles at the Cheesehead Invitational each of the last three years. In terms of offseason accomplishment, he was a Junior National freestyle champion this past summer after winning Cadet National titles in both styles during 2013 and 2014. Breske has signed with the University of Nebraska. 195 pounds: Chase Singletary (Blair Academy, N.J.) During his junior season, Singletary won an initial National Prep title to go with the Florida state titles earned in seventh and eighth grade. He also was runner-up at National Preps last year, third in Florida his freshman year, and runner-up in Florida during sixth grade. In terms of the 2015-16 season, Singletary was champion at the Walsh Ironman and runner-up at the Beast of the East; most notable was a 2-0 record over the second-ranked wrestler in this weight class (wins over Nick Reenan in the late January dual meet and at National Preps). 220 pounds: Gable Steveson (Apple Valley, Minn.) Just a sophomore, Steveson already has been in the state final three times in his high school career. (Junior high wrestlers can compete varsity in Minnesota.) His last loss came in the state finals at 195 pounds during the eighth grade season, and Steveson has an 89-0 record over the last two seasons. Last spring he beat returning Cadet World silver medalist Jordan Wood in qualifying for the Cadet World freestyle team at 100 kilos. Steveson would subsequently win a World title, and also won a Cadet National freestyle title in Fargo. Though Cadet eligible, he won a Junior folkstyle title last weekend. 285 pounds: Osawaru Odighizuwa (David Douglas, Ore.) The UCLA signee as a defensive lineman finished his scholastic career with three undefeated state title-winning seasons, amassing 131 consecutive wins along the way. Odighizuwa would also win two Fargo freestyle titles, one at the Cadet level in 2014 and then one at the Junior level in 2015; during those years, Odighizuwa was runner-up in Cadet Greco-Roman and third in Junior Greco-Roman.

USA Wrestling has released a special set of women's freestyle rankings for those athletes qualified to compete at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa on April 9-10. Rankings have been set for the top eight wrestlers for each of the six Olympic weight classes based on following criteria: 1) head-to-head victories, 2) wins over common opponents and 3) whether or not an athlete was a member of the 2015 U.S. World Team. Results that were considered include any tournament an athlete has competed in since Jan. 1, 2015. This includes both domestic and international matches during that time period. A computer system which compiled all of the relevant data was used to help create these rankings. By winning a medal at the 2015 World championships Adeline Gray has advanced to the best-of-three Championship Series at 75 kg and will not participate in the morning Challenge Tournament in Iowa City. The following rankings will serve as the baseline for which athletes will be seeded at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. All athletes who have currently qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials are listed below, but only the top-eight have received a ranking. At the seeding meeting in Iowa City, all of the athletes entered will receive a seed and byes will be placed accordingly to the highest seeded wrestlers. Official U.S. Olympic Team Trials seeding per weight class is subject to change based upon the coaches seeding meeting after wrestlers weigh-in in Iowa City. Men's freestyle rankings were released on April 1. The Greco-Roman rankings will be released tomorrow on April 6. U.S. Olympic Team Trials Women's Freestyle Qualifier Rankings 48 kilos:. Top Eight Ranking 1. Alyssa Lampe, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) 2. Victoria Anthony, Huntington Beach, Calif. (Titan Mercury WC) 3. Clarissa Chun, Columbia, Mo. (Sunkist Kids) 4. Erin Golston, Lake In The Hills, Ill. (New York AC/OTC) 5. Nicole Woody, Odenton, Mich. (Terrapin WC) 6. Cody Pfau, Brush, Colo. (Titan Mercury WC) 7. Breonnah Neal, Clemons, N.C. (Titan Mercury WC) 8. Marina Doi, Kingsburg, Calif. (Titan Mercury WC) Additional qualifiers Regina Doi, Kingsburg, Calif. (Titan Mercury WC) Candace Workman, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Titan Mercury WC) Sarah Allen, Huber Heights, Ohio (Cumberlands) Ashley Iliff, Newton, N.J. (King) Tayler Resuriz, League City, Texas (McKendree) Alesha Zappitella, Brighton, Mich.(unattached) Brittney Taylor, Omaha, Neb. (Omaha) 53 kilos: Top Eight Ranking 1. Helen Maroulis, Huntington Beach, Calif. (Sunkist Kids) 2. Whitney Conder, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP) 3. Michaela Hutchison, Lebanon, Ill. (Titan Mercury WC) 4. Haley Augello, Lockport, Ill. (NYAC/OTC) 5. Katherine Fulp-Allen, Colorado Springs, Colo. (NYAC/OTC) 6. Sarah Hildebrandt, Colorado Springs, Colo. (NYAC/OTC) 7. Sharon Jacobson, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Army WCAP) 8. Carlene Sluberski, Fredonia, N.Y. (New York AC) Additional qualifiers Jessica Medina, Champaign, Ill. (Sunkist Kids) Deanna Betterman, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) Samantha Klingel, Kregesville, Pa. (King) Cady Chessin, Los Gatos, Calif. (Menlo College) Shelby Morrison, Amarillo, Texas (Oklahoma City) Amy Fearnside, Jamestown, N.D. (Titan Mercury WC) Rachel Archer, Winlock, Wash. (Oklahoma City Univ.) Dajan Treder, Anchorage, Alaska, (Jimmie WC) Christina Powell, Powder Springs, Ga. (Missouri Valley) 58 kilos: Top Eight Ranking 1. Alli Ragan, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC) 2. Teshya Alo, Honolulu, Hawaii (Titan Mercury WC) 3. Kelsey Campbell, Tempe, Ariz. (Sunkist Kids) 4. Kayla Miracle, Campbellsville, Ky. (Sunkist Kids) 5. Leigh Jaynes-Provisor, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP) 6. Maya Nelson, Denver, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) 7. Jenna Burkert, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC) 8. Becka Leathers, Choctaw, Okla. (Titan Mercury WC) Additional qualifiers Randi Beltz, Chesterfield, Mo. (Titan Mercury WC) Arian Carpio, Tempe, Ariz. (Sunkist Kids) Megan Black, Batavia, Iowa (McKendree) Dominique Parrish, Scotts Valley, Calif. (Simon Fraser) Natalia Hinojo, El Paso, Texas (Oklahoma City) Shelby Hall, Doylestown, Ohio (Campbellsville) Rosemary Flores, Staten Island, N.Y. (Campbellsville) Tarkiya Mensah. Katy, Texas (Wayland Baptist) Trinity Griffin, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) Lauren Louive, Iowa City, Iowa (Hawkeye WC) 63 kilos: Top Eight Ranking 1. Elena Pirozhkova, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP) 2. Erin Clodgo, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) 3. Amanda Hendey, San Gabriel, Calif. (Titan Mercury WC) 4. Jennifer Page, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Titan Mercury WC) 5. Mallory Velte, Sacramento, Calif. (Titan Mercury WC) 6. Alexis Porter, Ballston Lake, N.Y. (NYAC/MWC) 7. Hannah Jewell, Grand Blanc, Mich. (King University) 8. Sally Roberts, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP) Additional qualifiers Monica Ramirez, Baldwin Park, Calif. (Lindenwood) Francesca Giorgio, Reading, Pa. (Simon Fraser) Maggie Douma, Napa, Calif. (Oklahoma City) Olivia Seppinni, Rocklin, Calif. (McKendree) Shai Mason (Jamestown, N.D./Titan Mercury WC) Rachael Shannon, Ballwin, Mo. (Xtreme Training) Axa Molina, Federal Way, Wash. (Lindenwood Women's Wrestling) 69 kilos: Top Eight Ranking 1. Tamyra Mensah, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Titan Mercury WC) 2. Randi Miller, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Titan Mercury WC) 3. Brittney Roberts, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) 4. Julia Salata, Canton, Mich. (NYAC/OTC) 5. Forrest Molinari, Benicia, Calif. (Titan Mercury WC) 6. Rachel Watters, Ankeny, Iowa (Gator/OKCU Women's RTC) 7. Jessika Rottier, Little Suamico, Wis. (Cumberlands) 8. Veronica Carlson, Rock Hill, S.C. (New York AC) Additional qualifiers Lisa Gonzalez, Rio Grande City, Texas (Lindenwood Women`s WC) Brittany David, St. Charles, Mo. (Lindenwood Women`s WC) Lorrie Ramos, Williamsburg, Ky. (Titan Mercury WC) Hanna Gladden, Gadsden, Ala. (EAWC) 75 kilos: Top Eight Ranking 1. Adeline Gray, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC) 2. Jackie Surber, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Titan Mercury WC) 3, Iris Smith, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC) 4. Victoria Francis, Litchfield, Ill. (Titan Mercury WC) 5, Niauni Hill, Oakland, Calif. (Lindenwood Women`s WC) 6. Alyssa LaFrancis, Escondido, Calif. (Cumberlands) 7. Brandy Lowe, Paxico, Kan. (Bearcat WC) 8. Katerina Lobsinger, Martinez, Calif. (Combat Sports Academy) Additional qualifiers Nahiela Magee, Lancaster, Calif. (Wayland Baptist) Hanna Hall, Doylestown, Ohio (Campbellsville) Tiaira Scott, Chicago, Ill. (Campbellsville) Kierra Boyce, Plugersville, Texas (Wayland Baptist) Renee Samano, Veneta, Ore. (Jamestown) Tanya Kusse, Ballwin, Mo. (Xtreme Training) Mary Westman, Cattaraugus, N.Y. (Jimmie WC)

PITTSBURGH -- Sophomore Dom Forys of the University of Pittsburgh wrestling team delivered a speech Tuesday afternoon at the Petersen Events Center as part of the White House's "It's On Us" campaign, headlined by Vice President Joe Biden. The event was the first stop on the Vice President's multi-city tour for the campaign that addresses sexual assault on college campuses. "Today was an awesome experience," Forys said. "It was great being able to get in front of everyone and present something that is really going to take a collective effort from everyone to eliminate." Forys, a student-athlete and member of Greek life, was among other Pitt students to deliver a speech this afternoon. For more information on the campaign, visit ItsOnUs.org.

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Jon Sioredas, head wrestling coach at Grand Canyon the last two seasons, has been named to the same position at Cal Poly. Jon SioredasThe announcement was made Tuesday by Mustang Director of Athletics Don Oberhelman. Sioredas replaces Brendan Buckley, Cal Poly's head coach the last five seasons who resigned last month in order to accept a position as executive director of Beat the Streets Wrestling, New York City. "I am honored and excited to lead a program with such rich tradition," Sioredas said. "I would especially like to thank Don Oberhelman and the Cal Poly Athletic Department for giving me this opportunity. "Our expectations at Cal Poly are simple: to graduate with a meaningful degree, have a reputation of excellence on campus and in the community, and to produce NCAA All-Americans and national champions," Sioredas added. Sioredas (suh-REE-duss) brings to Cal Poly an extensive background of collegiate coaching experience on top of his All-American wrestling days at Tennessee at Chattanooga. He guided Grand Canyon to five dual meet wins in his second season (2015-16), including victories over Campbell, Cornell and The Citadel. Also that year, Sioredas coached three All-Americans at the National Collegiate Open. Sioredas was an assistant coach at Chattanooga for two seasons. UTC finished the 2013-14 dual season ranked in the national top 25, at one point ranking as high as No. 19. The Mocs also captured the regular-season conference title, the conference tournament title, and qualified five for the NCAA tournament in Oklahoma City, with two seeded in the top 10. Prior to his two seasons in Chattanooga, Sioredas spent six seasons as an assistant coach at Old Dominion. He helped guide the Monarchs to the top 25 in dual meet rankings four of his six years, with four All-Americans and an NCAA finalist. ODU also had 10 NWCA All-Academic honors, as well as being named top 10 in the nation in grade-point average during his tenure. During his 10 years of coaching -- two as a head coach and eight as an assistant -- Sioredas has coached five top-25 teams, one NCAA Division I national finalist, four NCAA All-Americans, 38 national qualifiers, 12 Academic All-Americans and helped with six top-20 recruiting classes. An All-American while competing at Chattanooga, Sioredas finished fifth in the 165-pound weight class in the 2005 NCAA Division I Championships. He was a two-time Southern Conference Champion and 2005 SoCon Wrestler of the Year and Tournament MVP. Sioredas, recently inducted into the Tennessee at Chattanooga Athletics Hall of Fame, graduated from UTC in 2005 with a degree in sociology and anthropology. He earned his master's degree in business administration from Nova Southeastern University in Davie, Florida, in 2009. A native of Chesapeake, Va., and a 2000 Great Bridge High School graduate, Sioredas was a Virginia state champion, All-American and national champion. He amassed a 181-13 career prep record, becoming the fourth winningest wrestler in Virginia high school history. Sioredas and his wife, Michele, have a son, Braden.

EDMOND, Okla. -- Joey Davis added another honor to his outstanding legacy Monday when the Notre Dame College senior was named the 2015-16 NCAA Division II Wrestler of the Year. Joey Davis (Photo/Notre Dame College)Davis capped off an unprecedented career with his fourth straight national championship March 12 in Sioux Falls, S.D., taking the 184-pound crown to end the season 21-0 with six major decisions, five technical falls and one fall. He became just the fifth Division II wrestler to win four national titles and the first to finish unbeaten, completing his career with a perfect 133-0 record. Davis is the ninth recipient of the NCAA Division II Wrestler of the Year award that was voted on by the Division II head coaches. He collected 28 of the 34 first-place votes cast and ended with 125 points to easily outdistance runner-up Nick Becker of Wisconsin-Parkside. California Baptist's Joe Fagiano and Lindenwood's Terrel Wilbourn were the other two finalists. "I want to thank all of the college coaches that voted for me," said Davis, who was named Outstanding Wrestler at this year's national tournament. "I am very honored to be the Division II Wrestler of the Year. It's a great feeling to finish off my collegiate career with this award. I also would like to thank my family, coaches, teammates and Notre Dame for all the support over my four years." Davis burst on the Division II scene in dramatic fashion as a freshman in 2012-13, going 33-0 en route to capturing the 165-pound national title. The Compton, Calif. native moved up to 174 pounds the next season and went 43-0 in claiming another gold medal before winning again at 174 in 2014-15 to cap a 36-0 campaign. He joined Iowa State's Cael Sanderson (Division I) and Augsburg's Marcus Levesseur (Division III) as the only NCAA wrestlers to finish a career unbeaten. "We are extremely proud of Joey's accomplishments," Notre Dame co-head coach Anthony Ralph said. "To go undefeated over the past four years is an amazing feat. Joey's work ethic is second to none and his dedication to be the best was inspiring to witness. I couldn't imagine being under the amount of pressure that he was in his final match, but he handled it like the true champion he is." Previous winners of the award were Nebraska-Kearney heavyweight Tervel Dlagnev (2008), Nebraska-Omaha 157-pounder Todd Meneely (2009), Pittsburgh-Johnstown 133-pounder Shane Valko (2010), Western State 197-pounder Donovan McMahill (2011), Upper Iowa 133-pounder Trevor Franklin (2012), Grand Canyon heavyweight Tyrell Fortune (2013), Kutztown heavyweight Ziad Haddad (2014) and Central Oklahoma 165-pounder Chris Watson (2015).

Cael Sanderson, who led his Penn State wrestlers to a perfect 16-0 season and the 2016 Big Ten and NCAA Division I team titles, has been named InterMat Coach of the Year for 2016, the amateur wrestling website announced on Monday. Cael Sanderson coaching at the NCAAs in New York City (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)This is the third time Sanderson has been selected for this award since it was created in 2006, having been named Coach of the Year in 2012 (as Penn State head coach) and in 2007 (heading up the Iowa State Cyclones), making him only the second three-time winner (joining Ohio State's Tom Ryan). Presented each year to the best college coach in all divisions, the award is based solely on the balloting of writers and executives at InterMat prior to the announcement of any other national wrestling media awards. Each staff member is asked to select five coaches and rank them from first to fifth. Point values are assigned to each placement, ranging from one point for a coach listed fifth on a voter's ballot, up to nine points for a first-place choice. Sanderson's name was listed at the top of six of the ten InterMat staffer ballots, for a total of 78 votes. In second place was Virginia Tech head coach Kevin Dresser, No. 1 choice of three on the InterMat staff, with 61 votes. The other coach featured at the top of one InterMat voter ballot was Nick Mitchell of Grand View University of Des Moines. The head coach of the 2016 NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) team champions received a total of 15 votes. Since Sanderson took the helm at Penn State in April 2009, his Nittany Lions have claimed a total of five NCAA team titles in the past six years (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2016). That puts the Heber City, Utah native in some very elite company with two other legendary Division I head coaches whose programs have accumulated exactly five team crowns: current Oklahoma State head coach John Smith, and the late Harold Nichols of Iowa State. (There are a number of coaches who earned more than five NCAA team titles. Three coached at Oklahoma State: Myron Roderick (seven, 1950s-60s), Art Griffith (eight, 1940s-50s), and Ed Gallagher (11, 1928-1940). Dan Gable's teams at University of Iowa earned 15 team titles.) The just-concluded season was golden for the 2004 Olympic gold medalist and his wrestlers. Penn State compiled a perfect 16-0 overall record (9-0 in Big Ten dual meets) for 2015-16, then capped that with team titles at the 2016 Big Ten conference championships and 2016 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. At this year's Nationals, Sanderson's Nittany Lions clinched the team title during Saturday morning's action. By the time the finals had been completed that night, Penn State could claim 123 team points -- a considerable distance ahead of second-place Oklahoma State's 97.5 -- along with two individual champs in Nico Megaludis at 125 pounds, and Zain Retherford at 149. "At the beginning of the season it seemed like there would be a battle for the team title at the NCAA tournament. When the event actually came about, there was still a battle, but it was for second place. Cael Sanderson's Nittany Lions not only won every competition they entered this year, but distanced themselves from the field in a surprising fashion," said InterMat's Tom Franck. Cael Sanderson with Nico Megaludis before the NCAA semifinals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)"What is remarkable is the extent to which Cael Sanderson gets his wrestlers to compete as he did -- creating angles, seeing not-obvious scoring opportunities and seizing them -- sometimes in creative ways. It is rare to see a Penn State wrestler get out-scrambled. They are always in shape, offensive-minded and compete in a way that is always more about wrestling than it is about brawling. In short, Cael Sanderson has developed a style that is not only successful, but is fun to watch and helps promote the sport of wrestling." Sanderson winning the InterMat 2016 Coach of the Year honors completes a sweep of all three national collegiate awards presented by InterMat this year. Late last week, the website announced Zain Retherford as InterMat 2016 Wrestler of the Year, and Jason Nolf as InterMat 2016 Freshman of the Year. 2016 InterMat Coach of the Year Voting Results 1st-5th-Place Votes: 9-7-5-3-1 Total Votes/(First-Place Votes) 1. Cael Sanderson (Penn State) 78 (6) 2. Kevin Dresser (Virginia Tech) 61 (3) 3. Pat Popolizio (N.C. State) 30 4. John Smith (Oklahoma State) 28 5. Tom Ryan (Ohio State) 22 6. Nick Mitchell (Grand View) 15 (1) 7. Rob Koll (Cornell) 6 8. Eric Keller (Wartburg) 5 9. Steve Costanzo (St. Cloud State) 4 10. Brian Smith (Missouri) 1 Past Winners -- InterMat Coach of the Year 2015: Tom Ryan, Ohio State 2014: Tim Flynn, Edinboro and J Robinson, Minnesota 2013: John Smith, Oklahoma State 2012: Cael Sanderson, Penn State 2011: Mike Denney, Nebraska-Omaha 2010: Rob Koll, Cornell 2009: Tom Ryan, Ohio State 2008: Tom Ryan, Ohio State 2007: Cael Sanderson, Iowa State 2006: John Smith, Oklahoma State

Riley Lefever, three-time NCAA Division III champ at 184 pounds for Wabash College in Indiana, has been named Wrestler of the Year by d3wrestle.com, the website announced Friday. Riley Lefever was named Outstanding Wrestler at the NCAAs and also earned the NCAA Most Dominant Wrestler Award for the second consecutive seasonA native of Fort Wayne, Indiana, Lefever concluded a flawless 44-0 junior season -- including 23 pins and 10 technical falls -- with a dominating performance at the 2016 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships. He was the only wrestler in the tournament to score bonus points in every match, pinning his first two opponents before putting up major decisions against eventual 3rd place placer A.J. Kowal of Stevens Institute of Technology in the semifinals and runner-up Josh Thomson of Messiah in the finals. With his third title at 184, Lefever became only the fifteenth wrestler in Division III history to accumulate three consecutive national titles. If that weren't enough, Lefever -- now 119-3 in his collegiate career -- was also named the Outstanding Wrestler of the Tournament by the Nationals Wrestling Coaches Association and earned the NCAA Most Dominant Wrestler Award for the second consecutive season. Lefever's performance helped propel Wabash to fourth place in the team standings at the 2016 NCAAs. After claiming his third NCAA crown, Lefever said, "There were no nerves out there. The whole goal was to go out there, have fun, and put on a show. That's what I did. It was honestly just a blessing to be out here to compete with my teammates for a national title. I'll take the team trophy over an individual title any day." "Next season, Lefever will return with a chance to become the second ever four time NCAA Division III champion," is how d3wrestle.com concluded its announcement about its choice for 2016 Wrestler of the Year. If that happens, Riley Lefever would have to be a shoo-in for the website's 2017 Wrestler of the Year honors. Wabash College is one of only three all-male colleges in the U.S. Located in Crawfordsville, Ind. in far western part of the Hoosier State, Wabash has a total enrollment of just under 1,000 students.

Daniel Cormier, Ultimate Fighting Championships' light-heavyweight titleholder, two-time Olympic qualifier and former Oklahoma State All-American wrestler, has been forced to withdraw from a much-anticipated title defense vs. Jon Jones at UFC 197 later this month because he has suffered a foot injury. Daniel CormierThe 37-year-old Cormier posted this message on Facebook Saturday: "The decision to not fight on April 23rd was one of the hardest decisions I've had to make. I've been scheduled to fight 18 times and I have made that walk every time. I want to apologize to Jon Jones, Lorenzo Fertitta, Dana White and all of the UFC fans for not being able to defend my title. This truly saddens me, but as with everything else in life, it goes on. The recovery should not take very long and I can't wait to compete and defend my title again. For all the fans, thanks for your support, I appreciate each and every one of you. DC." UFC President Dana White announced that Ovince St. Preux will replace the injured Cormier in the top-of-the-card event vs. Jones slated for Saturday, April 23 MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Cormier won the UFC light-heavyweight title in May 2015 in a match vs. Anthony Johnson. He successfully defended the title this past October vs. Alexander Gustafson at UFC 192. Top-ranked Cormier has an overall professional mixed martial arts record of 17-1, and 6-1 in UFC; Jones, ranked No. 2, is 21-1 in MMA overall, and 15-1 UFC. Jones' new UFC 197 opponent, St. Preux, is the No. 8 ranked light-heavy, with an overall 19-7 record, 7-2 in UFC. Prior to launching his MMA career in September 2009, Cormier was a two-time NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) champion at Colby Community College in Kansas, who then transferred to NCAA Division I powerhouse Oklahoma State. The Louisiana native earned All-American honors by making it to the 184-pound finals of the 2001 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, where he lost to Iowa State's Cael Sanderson, 2004 Olympic gold medalist in freestyle, now head coach at Penn State. In addition to his college credentials, Cormier earned a place on the US freestyle team for the 2004 and 2008 Olympics.

In the iconic 1960s film "The Graduate", a family friend has one word of advice for the fresh-out-college Dustin Hoffman character: "Plastics." Darrell McNairAsk Darrell McNair, CEO of an Ohio-based plastics firm, for one word that has guided his success, and he likely would say, "Wrestling." McNair is owner and CEO of MVP Plastics Inc. which serves the automobile industry. However, before entering the corporate world, McNair wrestled at Downers Grove North High School in suburban Chicago, then at Kent State University in northeast Ohio, wrestling for head coach Ron Gray, two-time NCAA champ for Iowa State in the late 1950s. In a March 29 feature in Plastics News magazine, McNair, 53, explained what he took from his on-the-mat career that he uses today to run his business headquartered in Middlefield, Ohio, west of Cleveland. "Clearly, wrestling was key to defining who I am today in terms of the discipline one must have, the commitment one must have, time, the dedication and the challenges," McNair, 53, told Jeremy Carroll of Plastics News. "A lot of times when you're in business, particularly as the CEO, you feel like you're out there by yourself sometimes. When you're out there wrestling, unlike team sports, it's you and the other fella out there on the mat going head to head. So clearly it was a learning or development experience." According to his bio at the business website Crain's Cleveland, McNair wrestled 98 pounds in his first three years and 119 in his senior year at Downers Grove North. He added, "I was nationally ranked and placed fourth in the Junior Nationals and fourth in the Junior Olympics (1979)." "(McNair) once wrestled a match at 134 pounds at Kent State University during his freshman year despite a growth spurt that would have him regularly competing at 150 pounds. (It was a bad idea.)," Plastics World reported. The 1980 Kent State yearbook, the Chestnut Burr, states that McNair was the team's Outstanding Freshman Wrestler, competing at 142. However, a shoulder injury pretty much ended McNair's mat career after two seasons for the Golden Flashes. The Plastics World feature goes on to show how McNair is trying to make his business more competitive in global markets. For example, he's learning Spanish so he can better serve auto plants in northern Mexico.