InterMat Staff

Trent Hillger Two-time state champion Trent Hillger (Lake Fenton, Mich.) verbally committed to the University of Wisconsin on Thursday evening. The projected 285-pound wrestler is ranked No. 16 overall in the Class of 2017, and finished the 2015-16 as the sixth-ranked wrestler at 285 pounds in the nation. Hillger joins No. 40 Paul Konrath (Connections Academy, Ind.) and No. 69 Devin Bahr (West Salem, Wis.) as commits to the Badgers. Hillger enters his senior season on a 123 match winning streak, with his last loss being in the consolation final at state his freshman year. In addition, he is a two-way and multi-position star on the football field.

This week's Takedown TV covers all levels of amateur wrestling. Among this week's features: 2016 Grapple at the Garden -- the dual-meet event, now in its fifth season, that kicks off the college wrestling season, featuring 20 teams at Madison Square Garden NWCA All-Star Classic competitor interviews with Isaac Jordan, Conor Medbery, Myles Martin and Ty Walz "Coaches Corner" with Minnesota interim head wrestling coach Brandon Eggum Cody Brewer talks Who's Number One, Northwestern and Non-Olympic World Team Trials Watch this week's episode here ... or at the Takedown Wrestling's YouTube Channel. In addition, Takedown Wrestling TV is aired on these television networks. All air times are Central. Cablevision: Sundays at 4 p.m. Charter Cable: Thursday at 6:30 p.m., Friday 11:30 p.m. and Monday 2:30 p.m. Comcast Cable: Friday at 5:00 p.m. Cox Cable: Sunday 9:30 a.m. Fight Network HD: Sundays at 4:00 p.m. KWEM, Stillwater, Oklahoma: Tuesday 7:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 8:00 p.m. Long Lines Cable: Daily at 5:30 p.m. Mediacom Cable: Sundays at 10:30 a.m. MidCo Sports Network: Saturday 10:00 a.m. and Sunday at 9:00 a.m. SECV8: Friday at 5:00 p.m. Suddenlink Cable- Check your local listings. Multiple air times. Time Warner Cable Sports- Saturday at 12:00 p.m. Western Reserve Cable- Tuesday at 11:00 p.m., Friday at 5:30 p.m., Saturday at 10:00 p.m. The Lead Producer for the show is Brad Johnson of Takedown Wrestling Media. Feedback is encouraged, and should be sent to brad.takedown@gmail.comWebsites interested in adding Takedown Wrestling should contact Tony Hager of Takedown Media at hagertakedown@gmail.com.

Brandon Paulson coaching in Fargo (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine) Twenty years ago Brandon Paulson captured a silver medal at the 1996 Olympic Games in Greco-Roman wrestling. He represented Team USA at the World Championships in 2001, 2002, and 2003, and earned a world silver medal in 2001. He won 16 national titles in Greco-Roman between the cadet and senior levels. Today Paulson is one of the nation's top wrestling club coaches. He's co-owner of PINnacle Wrestling School in Shoreview, Minnesota, with Jared Lawrence. Paulson has won multiple national coach of the year honors and has been inducted into numerous hall of fames. InterMat recently caught up with Paulson. The 2016 Olympic Games took place a couple months ago in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Do Olympic years take you back to your Olympic experience in Atlanta? Paulson: Always, especially since it was the 20-year anniversary this year. I have always been a big Olympic fan since I was 10 years old. Every four years I'm always excited for the Olympics. This year I actually got the chance to go visit Atlanta with my family. That was pretty cool. We did that in August. The Olympics are always special. Every four years it comes up, and that's what our family does, watch the Olympics and cheer on Team USA. When you reflect back on the 1996 Olympics, what stands out the most in your mind? Paulson: I still have a ton of memories. Running out onto the mat, I just remember being so pumped up and ready to get after it. It's hard to explain how loud it was. It felt like the place was shaking. So that was awesome. For the opening ceremonies we had to walk up a ramp and you could see the whole stadium. That was unbelievable. I stayed for two weeks after the Olympics and got to go to a bunch of events and meet a bunch of different people. The whole experience was unbelievable for me. Brandon Paulson was inducted into the Alan & Gloria Rice Greco-Roman Hall of Champions in 2013 (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine) I have heard you say that watching Steve Fraser win an Olympic gold medal at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles inspired you and gave you your Olympic dream. LA is one of the finalists to host the 2024 Olympics. How much would you like to see LA get that bid? Paulson: I would love it. It would be great to have the Olympics back in the States. Some people were like, 'It's kind of a bummer that [1996 Olympics] was in the States and that you didn't get to go overseas. For me, home country was awesome. As you said, LA was my inspiration. If the USA could get it back that would be exciting. You came back to college wrestling after winning an Olympic silver medal and became an NCAA All-American at the University of Minnesota. Was it difficult transitioning back to folkstyle after wrestling Greco-Roman at the highest level? Paulson: Yeah, but I liked the college atmosphere. Folkstyle had never been my favorite. I grew up wrestling freestyle and Greco. I didn't really start wrestling folkstyle until seventh grade. I actually was wrestling very well when I came back. Unfortunately, I had ankle surgery in January, and that really put my spirits down. It was kind of a downer. But I still am glad that I wrestled folkstyle. I met a lot of people. I'm glad I went to the University of Minnesota and had that whole experience. Wrestling-wise, it might not have been the best for me. For my life experience, it was the best decision for me. You retired after the 2004 Olympic Team Trials at the age of 30. Were there ever times where you seriously contemplated coming out of retirement for one last run? Paulson: No. If you remember my last match [against Dennis Hall], I figured that would have been a good one to end on. In previous years there had been a lot of times where I would be like, 'I'm done. I don't know if I can do this anymore.' I had a family. That hunger always came back. I would take six months off and then it would be like, 'I still want it.' After 2004 I never really got that hunger back where I thought I could make a run. My wife even said, 'Maybe you should try it out.' I was like, 'No, no, I'm good.' Brandon Paulson and Jake Deitchler hug at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials (Photo/The Guillotine) Four years after retiring from competition you coached Jake Deitchler to the Olympic Games in 2008. What traits did Deitchler possess that allowed him to get to such a high level at such a young age? Paulson: He was so coachable. He did whatever I asked of him. He was a great athlete. He would run through a wall for you. That kind of kid doesn't come along often. Coaching now, I still have great kids and a lot of them listen and are coachable, but he worked his tail off. He just had an amazing motor for how hard he could wrestle. Guys just could not stay with him for the amount of time he wrestled. He was a competitor as well. That's why he was coachable. He was going to do whatever it took to get to the top. It was amazing to watch. It still blows my mind that he did what he did. To know how hard it is to make the Olympic team, and he did it when he was 18. It would have been great to see him continue and not have the concussion problems, but he accomplished a lot in the time that he had. Team USA fell short of an Olympic medal in Greco-Roman for the second straight Olympics. No wrestler finished higher than ninth. What's the biggest hurdle or challenge for the Greco-Roman wrestling program in the United States? Paulson: To me, there are two big challenges. One, of course, is talent, getting the best guys to wrestle Greco. It doesn't even have to be the best. You don't need to get Jordan Burroughs. But to get some of those guys who actually love the sport, and you've got to love it. It's hard to convince somebody to love it. You have to get them when they're young. For me, it was when I was in ninth grade. Same with Dennis Hall. We trained more Greco in high school than any other style. So I think getting the best wrestlers to wrestle Greco is important. The other thing is I think our style of wrestling right now is not really playing with what we have learned as kids. Americans should have a different style of wrestling Greco-Roman than other countries. I think we have in the past. I don't think we do now. We could be attacking more, getting to the body more as that is what our roots are in. We have been taking shots since fifth, sixth grade. Although shots are different, we should be attacking. There's no reason we need to be wrestling an Eastern European style. The Koreans don't wrestle that way. The Iranians don't wrestle that way. Why are we trying to wrestle that way? I think we need to use our base better than we are right now. Brandon Paulson, along with Mike Houk, coaching Pat Smith at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine) United World Wrestling recently announced a major rule change in Greco-Roman on the senior level. Forced par terre has been removed. What are your thoughts on that rule change? Paulson: Mixed. I would have liked it when I wrestled. I worry that guys are not going to be able to score points, and the refs aren't going to call the correct wrestlers for passivity. If you look at what they've recently been calling for passivity, it's whoever is controlling the center and controlling a tie, which doesn't necessarily mean they're trying to score points. To me, these officials should be looking at who is trying to score, and then when somebody isn't they're passive. We'll see how they call it. I hope that the guys are attacking and trying to score points. I worry a little bit that it's going to come down to a referee's decision. We never want to see that. It's good for the United States. We should do better. We have spent most of our lives wrestling on our feet. I think in the past we have lost in par terre. There's no country that should beat us on the feet in wrestling. That was my attitude when I wrestled, and the guys I wrestled with. It was like, 'We've got to beat these guys on the feet. We've got to score. We're better on the feet.' So hopefully they can take that attitude now as well. You competed at the highest level as an athlete. Now you're coaching athletes of all ages. What do you enjoy most about coaching? Paulson: Just seeing kids accomplish their goals, and that's not always being a national champion or an Olympian. Sometimes it's making the varsity team or making the state tournament. Every kid is different. But to watch a kid that worked his tail off and improved and accomplished one of his goals, and how excited he gets, that's what it's all about for me. Make a kid great basically. Every kid has a different sense of that depending on his or her dedication and talent level. To see them accomplish their goals is awesome. In your opinion, when should winning become important in wrestling? Paulson: For us, we're all about development, but we still want the kids to enjoy success because they have more fun and it teaches confidence. We don't want them to win at a younger level with stuff that won't win at a higher level. We're about development for our kids. When you get to Cadet Nationals, that's kind of our turning point where it's like, 'OK, we're going to try to win here.' Fargo is a big tournament for us. That's kind of what we train for a lot in the spring. At that age it's still about development, but we want to win a national title as well. It's not the most important thing at that level, but it's a goal for a lot of wrestlers. You coached Griffin Parriott to double titles in Fargo this past summer. He's now at Purdue. What kind of impact do you think he can make in college and potentially beyond? Paulson: He's very talented and he's a competitor. He's coachable. Mentally, he needs to be stronger. If he can do that, he has unlimited potential. He can be an NCAA champion and Olympian. He's talented. He's strong and athletic enough. So it's about his drive, which I think he has. I'm going to try to keep him a little bit in the loop for Greco because he likes Greco and try to have him wrestle a little bit his redshirt year. Right now he's wrestling in college. Hopefully everything is going well. I haven't heard from him in a couple weeks, but before that it was going well. Purdue has a good thing going. Brandon Paulson with Mitchell McKee in Fargo (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine) Mitchell McKee, now a freshman at the University of Minnesota, is another wrestler you have coached to multiple national titles. Is he someone that is ready for Division I wrestling competition right now? Paulson: Absolutely. He has the physical strength for it. He has wrestled his whole life and competed a ton, so it's not like he's short of matches. I think he could wrestle right away. It's just a matter of weight to me. I think Tommy Thorn is still at 141. Is Mitchell too big for 133? I'm not sure. We'll have to see. He would be a big 133-pounder. For him to wrestle right away, I think that's the weight he would have to go. J Robinson was fired as Minnesota's head wrestling coach in September. As someone who wrestled for J at Minnesota, what was it like for you seeing that whole situation play out? Paulson: It was painful … not just for J, but the program. It put a shadow over the program. I never like to see that. Specifically for J, he did a lot for Minnesota wrestling. From when he came in, if you looked at our program before that and looked at it now, he did a lot. I'm sorry to see he went out that way. Looking at the coaching staff now, I'm excited that Eggum is a head coach. I actually really like where they are at with coaches. I just wish J didn't go out that way and could have retired on his own terms. This story also appears in the Oct. 14 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.

Drew Bennett battles Israel Navarro in the finals of the 2015 InterMat JJ Classic (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine) The second annual Night of Conflict will be coming to Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Friday, with the matches starting at 7 p.m. The event is sponsored by IAwrestle.com and is one evening before the Conflict at Carver tournament in that same facility on the University of Iowa campus sponsored by the Hawkeye Wrestling Club. There will be 13 bouts contested on Friday evening between some of the nation's best wrestlers -- many are from Iowa or the immediately surrounding states. Matches will be contested in the scholastic style with the adaptation of a pushout rule, which will be scored as a one-point penalty. In essence, it will be construed as a technical violation for fleeing the mat. Here are the bouts: Connor Brown (Oak Grove, Mo.) vs. Aden Reeves (Albia, Iowa) Brown is a three-time state champion, who placed third in junior folkstyle this spring; Reeves placed third at state as a freshman, and is a two-time Cadet freestyle All-American. Reeves is also ranked No. 35 overall in the Class of 2019. Michael Millage (New Hampton, Iowa) vs. Jason Renteria (Oak Park River Forest, Ill.) Millage is already a two-time state finalist, winning state as a freshman before finishing runner-up this past season; he also was runner-up at the Flo Nationals this spring. Renteria is a three-time state finalist, winning his first title this past season. The Nebraska commit is a 2015 Cadet National double All-American, and ranked No. 39 overall in the Class of 2017. Nikolas Chavez (Willard, Mo.) vs. Triston Lara (Fort Dodge, Iowa) Chavez is a three-time state placer, who won state this past season (4th/6th/1st), and was a UWW Cadet National freestyle All-American this spring. Lara is a three-time state placer, two-time finalist, who won state this past season. He reached the finals of the InterMat JJ Classic a year ago. J.J. Figueroa (Bakesfield, Calif.) vs. Zach Barnes (Southeast Polk, Iowa) Figueroa placed fourth at state as a sophomore, but missed out this past season due to injury. The 2015 Cadet folkstyle runner-up is ranked No. 86 overall in the Class of 2017. Barnes is a two-time state placer, three-time qualifier, placing third this past season; in addition he was a Junior National freestyle All-American this summer, placing eighth at 145 pounds. Kaden Gfeller (Heritage Hall, Okla.) vs. Jamie Hernandez (Oak Park River Forest, Ill.) This is with minimal argument the headline bout on the card Friday night. Ranked No. 10 overall in the Class of 2017, Gfeller is a three-time state champion, 2015 Super 32 Challenge placer, and three-time Fargo freestyle All-American (including third at the Junior level in 2015). Two-time state placer Hernandez is ranked No. 47 overall in the Class of 2017, a three-time Fargo freestyle All-American (including eighth at the Junior level this summer), and was runner-up in freestyle at the UWW Cadet Nationals this spring. Gfeller is committed to Oklahoma State, while Hernandez has verballed to North Carolina. Joel Shapiro (West Des Moines Valley, Iowa) vs. Danny Braunagel (Althoff Catholic, Ill.) The junior Shapiro placed seventh in Cadet freestyle this summer, and is a two-time state medalist; while fellow junior Braunagel was a state runner-up this past season and placed fifth in Cadet freestyle. Max Lyon (Western Dubuque, Iowa) vs. A.J. Pedro (Phillips Exeter, N.H.) This is another battle of top 100 wrestlers from the Class of 2017. Three-time state placer Lyon is ranked No. 88 overall in the senior class, coming off his first state title and second finals appearance (4th/2nd/1st); the Purdue commit is also a two-time Junior National folkstyle runner-up. Pedro, ranked No. 66 overall in the senior class, placed third at National Preps as both a freshman and sophomore before injury caused him to miss out last season; while he returned to the mats this summer with a sixth place finish in Junior freestyle at 182 pounds. Aaron Costello (Western Dubuque, Iowa) vs. Sammy Evans (Alcoa, Tenn.) Costello finished as a state runner-up this past high school season, and since then was runner-up in Junior folkstyle, went undefeated at the Disney Duals, and earned All-American honors in Junior Greco-Roman. The Chattanooga commit Evans is a three-time state champion, also placing fifth at the Flo Nationals and third at the NHSCA Junior Nationals last spring. Colton Schultz (Ponderosa, Colo.) vs. Jared Campbell (St. Edward, Ohio) This is the "big ticket" bout involving upper-weight wrestlers, each ended the 2015-16 season ranked inside the top ten overall at 220 pounds. Schultz is ranked No. 1 overall in the Class of 2019 and represented the United States at the UWW Cadet World Championships in Greco-Roman last month; he is also a two-time Cadet National champion in Fargo (2015 Greco-Roman and 2016 freestyle) and four-time All-American. Two-time state runner-up Campbell is ranked No. 48 overall in the Class of 2017, and the Missouri commit was also champion at both the Flo Nationals and NHSCA Junior Nationals this spring. Women's wrestling match: Alanah Vetterick (Iowa) vs. Ronna Heaton (South Dakota) Vetterick was a Women's Junior National freestyle All-American this summer, while Heaton was a Cadet World champion in freestyle back in 2015. Kyran Hagan (Eureka, Mo.) vs. Anthony Madrigal (Oak Park River Forest, Ill.) Three-time state placer Hagan, an Ohio University commit, is ranked No. 54 overall in the Class of 2017. The 2015 state champion (2nd/1st/3rd) was runner-up at the NHSCA Junior Nationals and fourth in freestyle at the UWW Cadet Nationals this off-season after a Cadet National double All-American finish in the summer of 2015. Ranked No. 32 overall in the Class of 2018, Madrigal finished as state runner-up this past high school season after a pair of Cadet freestyle All-American finishes, including a runner-up finish in the summer of 2015. Dylan D'Emilio (Genoa, Ohio) vs. Drew Bennett (Fort Dodge, Iowa) Ranked No. 12 overall in the Class of 2019, D'Emilio was state champion this past high school season. In addition, he was runner-up this off-season in freestyle at both the Junior Nationals and UWW Cadet Nationals after winning a Cadet National freestyle title and UWW Cadet National freestyle title the previous summer. The junior Bennett was third at state as a sophomore, placed fourth at the NHSCA Sophomore Nationals, and was an InterMat JJ Classic runner-up last fall. Noah Fye (New Hampton, Iowa) vs. Carter Cox (Atlantic, Iowa) Two-time state medalist (3rd/5th) Fye also placed last fall at the Super 32 Challenge, while Cox was state runner-up this past high school season.

Haislan Garcia (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com) TEMPE, Ariz. -- Head coach Zeke Jones announces the addition of Haislan Garcia to the Arizona State wrestling staff as a volunteer assistant coach for the 2016-17 season. Garcia is a three-time Canadian Olympian, most recently competing in Rio this year, also competing in 2008 and 2012. He also won a bronze medal at both the 2014 Golden Grand Prix and the 2015 Pan American Games. The nine-time Canadian National Champion also placed fifth at the 2010 World Championships and is a multiple-time Pan-American championship medalist. The team looks forward to wrestling an exciting schedule in 2016-17 with the regular season opener set for Saturday, Nov. 19 at 1 p.m. vs. nationally-ranked Ohio State.

Doug Schwab will be the exclusive guest on this week's edition of the On the Mat wrestling broadcast on Wednesday, Oct. 12. Schwab, an NCAA and Big Ten champ for the University of Iowa, wrestled for Team USA in men's freestyle at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. He has been head wrestling coach at University of Northern Iowa since 2010. On the Mat is a presentation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. The show can be heard live on the Internet at 1650thefan.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday at 5 p.m. Central on AM 1650, The Fan. A podcast of the show is available on mattalkonline.com.

IRVINE, Calif. -- ASICS America Corporation and ASICS elite athlete Adeline Gray today unveiled a female inspired signature wrestling shoe, the AGGRESSOR® 3 L.E. AG, designed and motivated by the three-time world champion and Olympian. The AGGRESSOR 3 L.E. AG model brings to market a female signature wrestling shoe created with the rapidly growing female wrestling community in mind. "ASICS has been incredible throughout this process, they gave me free range to let my imagination run in designing the colors of the shoe." said Gray. "With the number of female wrestlers growing every year, I hope to encourage more young women to step foot on the mat, and I believe having a shoe that speaks to the female consumer is a great starting point to get them excited about the sport." The new AGGRESSOR 3 L.E. AG. model provides female wrestlers with an 80s inspired, color way and feminine design. This shoe is one of the most durable and best fitting female wrestling shoe on the market. Gray chose ASICS' classic AGRESSOR shoe, as a nod to the shoe she prefers to compete in. After serious thought and countless color combinations, Gray decided to incorporate hues of black, onyx, and pink glow to capture a youthful look with the goal of appealing to up and coming female wrestling athletes whom idolizes female wrestlers, like Adeline. To top off her signature shoe, Gray had her signature embroidered on the side.

Nate Parker as Nat Turner, center, in a scene from "The Birth of a Nation" (Photo/Jahi Chikwendiu/Fox Searchlight) For Nate Parker, it's been the best of times ... and the worst of times. In January, the former Penn State and University of Oklahoma wrestler's film "The Birth of a Nation" debuted at the Sundance Film Festival where it won the audience award and grand jury prize. Then the film Parker wrote, directed and starred in was the subject of a bidding war for distribution rights, with Fox Searchlight Pictures coming out on top with its $17.5 million bid, a Sundance record. Positive early movie reviews generated Oscar buzz. Parker was nominated to become a voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organization responsible for the Oscar awards. In recent months, however, the news hasn't all been good for the 36-year-old Parker and "The Birth of a Nation." New details about a 1999 incident at Penn State have come back to haunt Parker. The movie has been the subject of numerous articles and columns beyond Hollywood/entertainment publications -- and was the subject of a number of feature segments on TV and radio, including a Anderson Cooper piece on CBS' 60 Minutes the first weekend of October -- with some individuals urging a boycott of the film just as it opened in theaters nationwide on Friday, Oct. 7. Nate Parker, the wrestler Long before "The Birth of a Nation", Nate Parker made a name for himself on the wrestling mat. Born in November 1979 in Norfolk, Va., Parker was introduced to wrestling as a high school sophomore. At national wrestling powerhouse Great Bridge High School, Parker claimed the 125-pound Division AAA title at the 1998 Virginia state championships, and an eighth place finish at the Junior Nationals. Parker earned a scholarship to wrestle at Penn State, and became a starter. However, Parker left the school for reasons to be discussed in-depth later. Parker transferred to the University of Oklahoma, where he earned All-American honors by placing fifth in the 141-pound bracket at the 2002 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships as a junior. However, Parker's college wrestling career at Oklahoma ended with some controversy during his senior season, according to a recent article in the Tulsa World. He was knocked out of his starting position in his weight class by a freshman teammate. The newspaper went on to report that the Virginia native began posting more losses than wins at another weight, and was off the team two weeks later. Jack Spates, Sooner head wrestling coach at the time, told The Oklahoman in a Jan. 15, 2003, story, "Nate Parker, by mutual agreement, is no longer with the University of Oklahoma wrestling program. ... We lost the Arizona State dual because Nate head-butted his opponent and was disqualified. We have no interest in commenting on the situation." Parker graduated from Oklahoma with a degree in management science and information systems. Parker's film career started when he was discovered at a modeling convention in Dallas which he attended with a friend. That led to a commercial ... then to acting roles in TV and movies. As an actor, Parker's films include Denzel Washington's "The Great Debaters", "Secret Life of Bees", and "Beyond the Lights". The film Nate Parker's "The Birth of a Nation" is based on the story of Nat Turner, a Virginia slave who led a violent slave revolt in 1831. Parker played Turner, as well as wrote the script (along with former Penn State teammate Jean Celestin), and made his directorial debut. The birth of the idea for Parker's "The Birth of a Nation" was an African-American Studies class that Nate Parker took at Penn State. "Imagine my dismay," Parker told The Hollywood Reporter in January before his film premiered, "in learning (in class) that one of the greatest men to walk the soil in this country was a man who grew up and lived and breathed and fought less than 100 miles from where I grew up." In addition to Nate Parker, other actors in "The Birth of a Nation" include Armie Hammer, Mark Boone Jr., Colman Domingo, Aunjanue Ellis, Dwight Henry, Aja Naomi King, Esther Scott, Roger Guenveur Smith, Gabrielle Union, Penelope Ann Miller, Jackie Earle Haley, Tony Espinosa, Jayson Warner Smith, and Jason Stuart. The film cost $10 million to produce; Parker himself contributed approximately $100,000 of his own money to help finance it. When Parker's film debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah in January, the timing could not have been better. Right about the same time, nominations for the Oscar awards for films released in 2015 had been revealed. None of the actors or actresses nominated for Best Actor/Actress or Supporting Actor/Actress were of color, which generated much discussion and media coverage at the time. The hashtag #OscarsSoWhite became widely used. Before his "The Birth of a Nation" premiered at Sundance, Nate Parker told the audience, "I made this film for one reason: creating change agents." The former Nittany Lion-turned-Sooner wrestler added that getting the film made was "extremely difficult for many reasons ... the first was our subject matter: anytime we are dealing with history, specifically slavery, I found that desperately sanitized. There's a resistance, I'll say, to dealing with this material." In accepting his awards on stage at Sundance after the showing of "The Birth of a Nation", Parker said, "An issue film succeeds when it touches people. I've seen that people are open to change." Even if you have not been following the developments regarding Nate Parker's movie over the past year, the title may sound vaguely familiar. Just to be clear ... Parker's new film is NOT a remake -- nor related in any way -- to a 1915 epic also titled "The Birth of a Nation" -- the first feature-length (nearly three-hour) silent film in the U.S., which was written and directed by D.W. Griffith. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Griffith's 1915 silent film "focuses on two white families during the Civil War and the Ku Klux Klan's rise during Reconstruction. Much of what was portrayed in the first feature-length U.S. movie is repugnantly racist, but it changed the film business forever." Popular national film critic Leonard Maltin, who gave the original "Birth of a Nation" four stars (out of four), included this disclaimer in his capsule review of the movie: "Sometimes the drama survives intact; other times, one must watch in a more historical perspective. Griffith's portrayal of Ku Klux Klan in heroic role has kept this film at the center of controversy to the present time." The past comes back to haunt Parker Through the first half of 2016, most coverage about Parker's "The Birth of a Nation" was positive. After its triumphant debut at the Sundance Film Festival, it was slated to be featured at a number of film festivals, including the American Film Festival and Toronto Film Festival. However, an alleged incident from Parker's past became news all over again this past summer. In 1999, while Parker was a student and wrestler at Penn State, and his roommate Jean Celestin (the co-writer of "The Birth of a Nation") were charged with raping a fellow student -- an 18-year old female -- in their apartment after a night of drinking. The woman claimed she was unconscious at the time, while Parker and Celestin maintained that the encounter was consensual. She later said that she was stalked and harassed by Parker and Celestin after she reported the incident. Both men were suspended from the Nittany Lions wrestling team; Parker transferred to University of Oklahoma. In a 2001 trial, a jury acquitted Parker of the charges, in part because of testimony that he had consensual sex with the victim prior to the incident. Celestin was found guilty of sexual assault and sentenced to six months of prison. Celestin appealed the verdict and was granted a new trial in 2005, but the case never made it back to court after the victim decided not to testify again. Most in the media and entertainment industry -- and the general public -- were not aware of these allegations until entertainment business publication Variety reported in mid-August 2016 of the 2012 death of the woman who had accused Nate Parker and Jean Celestin of rape back at Penn State seventeen years earlier. The woman's older brother, Johnny (no last name was given, to honor is sister's wishes to remain anonymous), told Variety that she committed suicide and overdosed on sleeping pills four years ago. "She became detached from reality," said Johnny. "The progression was very quick and she took her life." "(Parker) may have litigated out of any kind of situation," Johnny said. "My position is he got off on a technicality." Other family members reached by Variety declined to comment publicly. There's no evidence that the woman's death was directly linked to the trial. She died at a drug rehabilitation facility, where she was found unresponsive by staff with two 100-count pill bottles of an over-the-counter sleep aid with ingredients similar to Benadryl by her side. "It's just a horrible life's progression," the coroner told Variety. "She was a young woman." In court, she testified that she had attempted to kill herself twice after the reported rape. Her brother said that she suffered from depression after the incident. Her death certificate, obtained by Variety, stated that she suffered from "major depressive disorder with psychotic features, PTSD [Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome] due to physical and sexual abuse, polysubstance abuse ...." "If I were to look back at her very short life and point to one moment where I think she changed as a person, it was obviously that point," Johnny said to Variety. "The trial was pretty tough for her." The brother told Variety that if the trial had been held today, there would have been a different verdict. "I think by today's legal standards, a lot has changed with regards to universities and the laws in sexual assault," he said. "I feel certain if this were to happen in 2016, the outcome would be different than it was. Courts are a lot stricter about this kind of thing. You don't touch someone who is so intoxicated -- period." After the trial, the victim left college before graduating, and received a $17,500 settlement from Penn State. In the Variety interview, Johnny said, "It's hard seeing my sister's life slowly crumble while these men are by all accounts relatively successful and thriving." "It's been 17 years," he added. "We certainly as a family forgive them. I don't know that [the victim] would forgive them. I don't think that she would." Johnny shared his story to Variety days after Nate Parker had conducted interviews with that publication and another where he addressed the 1999 rape allegations. "His character should be under a microscope because of this incident," Johnny told Variety. "If you removed these two people, the project is commendable. But there's a moral and ethical stance you would expect from someone with regard to this movie." When the Variety reporter asked Johnny if "The Birth of a Nation" should be released, he responded: "I think that's up to the people. I don't think a rapist should be celebrated. It's really a cultural decision we're making as a society to go to the theater and speak with our dollars and reward a sexual predator." Another family member was in agreement with her brother Johnny. "I know what she would've said," a sister named Sharon told the New York Times, "and that would be, 'I fought long and hard, it overcame me. All I can ask is any other victims to come forward, and not let this kind of tolerance to go on anymore.'" She added that her sister had believed there were other victims and had been broken by the 1999 case and its aftermath. "These guys sucked the soul and life out of her." Apparently not all family members agree. In a statement to The New York Times, the woman's family said: "We appreciate that after all this time, these men are being held accountable for their actions. However, we are dubious of the underlying motivations that bring this to present light after 17 years, and we will not take part in stoking its coals. While we cannot protect the victim from this media storm, we can do our best to protect her son. For that reason, we ask for privacy for our family and do not wish to comment further." Prior to the news that Johnny's sister had died four years ago, here's how Parker addressed the Penn State situation with Variety. "Seventeen years ago, I experienced a very painful moment in my life," Parker told Variety. "It resulted in it being litigated. I was cleared of it. That's that. Seventeen years later, I'm a filmmaker. I have a family. I have five beautiful daughters. I have a lovely wife. I get it. The reality is I can't relive 17 years ago. All I can do is be the best man I can be now." After Variety published the interview with the alleged victim's brother Johnny, the entertainment industry publication followed up with comments from Nate Parker. "Over the last several days, a part of my past -- my arrest, trial and acquittal on charges of sexual assault -- has become a focal point for media coverage, social media speculation and industry conversation," according to Parker. "I understand why so many are concerned and rightfully have questions. These issues of a women's right to be safe and of men and women engaging in healthy relationships are extremely important to talk about, however difficult. And more personally, as a father, a husband, a brother and man of deep faith, I understand how much confusion and pain this incident has had on so many, most importantly the young woman who was involved." In an interview with The New York Times after Johnny's revelations to Variety, Nate Parker said, "I talked about it publicly and I never sought to hide it. It was the most painful thing I have ever had to experience. I can imagine it was painful for a lot of people." "It's a serious issue. I get it," he said. "The reality is there is a problem on campuses in America, and violence against women is not taken seriously enough. And the dialogue and the discourse isn't loud enough. I think there's even more that can be done to educate university students, men and women. Being a father of daughters, it's important to say if something happened, to lift your voice." He later said: "They say the oppressor is anyone who's not on the side of the oppressed. I stand firmly on the side of the oppressed." Asked if justice had been served in the case, he replied: "I was cleared of all charges. We're talking 17 years later. We're discussing a case which was thoroughly litigated. I was cleared of everything. At some point I have to ask myself, 'How often am I willing to relive it?'" Reactions to Parker's situation from classmates ... Reactions to Nate Parker making "The Birth of a Nation" -- and to the news of what may have happened in 1999, and how he may have handled himself back then, and when revelations about what may have happened back at Penn State 17 years ago -- have been powerful ... and divergent. Four Penn State alumni, who were classmates of actor and director Nate Parker, wrote an open letter in August, stating that they believe in his innocence with regards to a rape he was charged with 17 years ago, and believe that it is unfair that allegations are resurfacing just months before the release of "The Birth of a Nation." "We are both dismayed and disappointed at the gross and blatant misinformation campaign regarding the events that took place during that time period," the group's statement said. "We feel compelled to speak truth to this situation as the media has cherry-picked the most salacious elements while ignoring the actual record." ... and reaction from Hollywood and beyond Actress Gabrielle Union, whose character is raped in "The Birth of a Nation", said in late August, "As important and ground-breaking as this film is, I cannot take these allegations lightly." Union was raped at gunpoint 24 years ago while at work in a shoe store. "My compassion for victims of sexual violence is something that I cannot control. It spills out of me like an instinct rather than a choice. It pushes me to speak when I want to run away from the platform. When I am scared. Confused. Ashamed. I remember this part of myself and must reach out to anyone who will listen -- other survivors, or even potential perpetrators," said Union. Actor and long-time activist Harry Belafonte, 89, weighed in on the controversy, saying, "It's interesting because it's coming out the same time the film's coming out. Of all the stories you can tell, why are you telling this story?" the actor asked. "And if he was somebody who had committed a crime and got away with it, but he faced the justice system." "The fact that [the system] may have screwed up, the fact that it didn't really take care of justice, the fact that he should have been punished or whatever, is history," Belafonte said. "The fact is that he was confronted and then he did go through the process. Why are you bringing this up now? What has he done that requires this kind of animus?" Belafonte continued: "How do I put it in a perspective that helps me with greater clarity understand why this is the consequence of something he's done by getting this high-profile, 'cause this film is touching a lot of consciousness. Why isn't that the story?" Oscar-winning actress Patricia Arquette is someone who has spoken out on issues of gender equality. When asked by TheWrap.com about Nate Parker, she responded, "It's very hard because the film tells a very important story and it needs to be told." She added that Parker's situation was "a very sad story and a horrible story," she said. "I really just wish something good could come of this. How do we talk to young people going to college, how do we really deal with this in a healing way? I don't mean the specific situation [with Parker]. This situation [of rape] plays out all the time. How are we going to stop it?" Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences President Cheryl Boone Isaacs said that the personal history of Nate Parker should not dissuade people from seeing "The Birth of a Nation." "The important thing is for people to see it and enjoy the film, be impressed by the film," she said. "People need to see this movie ... Just by the conversation that has gone on at Sundance, it's clearly a movie that filmgoers should go and see." Not everyone in Hollywood agrees with Boone Isaacs. Los Angeles street artist Sabo has produced posters reminiscent of those promoting "The Birth of a Nation" which feature Nate Parker's face with the word "Rapist?" in the same typeface used on the actual movie posters. "I wouldn't normally do something like this but [Parker] pissed me off right off the bat with the trailer and the poster," Sabo told TheWrap.com, explaining his motivation to create and post his provocative poster. The original movie poster features an image of Parker as Nat Turner, with a noose around his neck made of the American flag. "I find it very offensive someone is using the flag as a noose," said Sabo, a Texas-born artist who has been associated with right-leaning politics. He recently produced artwork to promote Dinesh D'Souza's anti-Clinton documentary "Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party." Others outside of Hollywood have announced they will not be seeing the film. Among them is Roxane Gray, a Purdue University professor, who wrote the following in The New York Times in late August: "I cannot separate the art and the artist, just as I cannot separate my blackness and my continuing desire for more representation of the black experience in film from my womanhood, my feminism, my own history of sexual violence, my humanity. "'The Birth of a Nation' is being billed as an important movie -- something we must see, a story that demands to be heard. I have not yet seen the movie, and now I won't. Just as I cannot compartmentalize the various markers of my identity, I cannot value a movie, no matter how good or 'important' it might be, over the dignity of a woman whose story should be seen as just as important, a woman who is no longer alive to speak for herself, or benefit from any measure of justice. No amount of empathy could make that possible." Some film critics weigh in Justin Chang, film critic for Variety, opened his review of "The Birth of a Nation" with this paragraph: "It speaks to his ambition that the writer, director, producer and actor Nate Parker chose to title his slavery drama "The Birth of a Nation" though the film would be a significant achievement by any name. Arriving more than a century after D.W. Griffith's epic lit up the screen with racist images forever destined to rankle and provoke, this powerfully confrontational account of Nat Turner's life and the slave rebellion he led in 1831 seeks to purify and reclaim a motion-picture medium that has only just begun to treat America's "peculiar institution" with anything like the honesty it deserves. If "12 Years a Slave" felt like a breakthrough on that score, then Parker's more conventionally told but still searingly impressive debut feature pushes the conversation further still: A biographical drama steeped equally in grace and horror, it builds to a brutal finale that will stir deep emotion and inevitable unease. But the film is perhaps even more accomplished as a theological provocation, one that grapples fearlessly with the intense spiritual convictions that drove Turner to do what he had previously considered unthinkable. Brian Truitt of USA Today served up a glowing review: "(Nat Turner) has his story told in brutal, unrelenting yet masterful fashion by director/star Nate Parker in "The Birth of a Nation" (four stars out of four), which chronicles a violent uprising of slaves in 1831 Virginia. While it has been overshadowed off-screen by past rape allegations surrounding Parker, the drama isn't an easy watch, either from the standpoint of tortured blacks or in their white owners' climactic comeuppance. Still, Parker crafts the narrative in a way that immerses audiences in the heartbreaking though redemptive emotional journey of the conflicted main character." The website Digg.com -- an aggregator for movie reviews -- provided a variety of film critics' comments on "The Birth of a Nation". The critic for TheVerge.com wrote, "'Birth of a Nation' is built around Parker's tremendous performance: his careful navigation of his household's specific racial boundaries, the love and joy that marks his personal life, and his gradual awakening to the larger realities of the slave existence. The film is at its most powerful when it's relying primarily on Parker's charisma and presence." "And despite its efforts to simplify and italicize the story, it's admirably difficult, raising thorny questions about ends and means, justice and mercy, and the legacy of racism that lies at the root of our national identity," according to The New York Times. The Seattle Times wrote, "It's part of the strength of Parker's film that the current controversy doesn't entirely overshadow its impact -- and that "Birth of a Nation" immediately becomes part of another crucial conversation, about race." The Los Angeles Times' film critic was not as positive. "This lack of subtlety is most evident in the characterizations, especially those of the film's almost invariably clichéd and morally bankrupt white people. Even if these overwhelmingly sadistic, perfidious folks are historically accurate, they do not make for dramatically effective characters." Opening weekend box office performance "The Birth of a Nation", which opened in 2,105 theaters nationwide on Friday, October 7, generated ticket sales of $7.1 million in its first weekend. The movie placed sixth in terms of box office, behind another new release, "The Woman on the Train" (which debuted at No. 1), and some films which had already been in theaters. "The Birth of a Nation" performed best in theaters in New York City, Atlanta, Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Some Hollywood business experts think that Hurricane Matthew may have had a negative impact on ticket sales in the southeastern U.S. Moviegoers and film critics nationwide generally provided favorable feedback. The movie review aggregator website RottenTomatoes.com tallied 79% of reviews which offered positive reviews for "The Birth of a Nation." In addition, the film received an "A" CinemaScore from audiences. Some stats about the audience: 60% of filmgoers were older than age 25, with 50% of the audience being African-American while 40% the audience was white. When "The Birth of a Nation" premiered at the Sundance Film Festival back in January 2016, some attendees declared the film to be an early Oscar contender. Subsequent revelations may have an impact on potential award nominations ... as well as the film's financial success. Only time will tell.

State champion Drew Marten (Tecumseh, Mich.) verbally committed to Central Michigan on Monday evening. Marten compiled a 53-1 record en route to winning a state championship this past season. The No. 87 overall wrestler in the Class of 2017 projects to compete as a 141 pound wrestler in college.

State champion Stephan Glasgow (Bound Brook, N.J.), ranked No. 43 overall in the Class of 2017, verbally committed to Rutgers University on Monday evening. The projected 157/165 pound wrestler also finished as a state runner-up during his sophomore campaign. Glasgow was champion at the NHSCA Freshman Nationals, before finishing runner-up at the NHSCA Sophomore and Junior Nationals. He ended the 2015-16 season ranked No. 11 in the nation at 152 pounds.

Vitali Arujau wrestling Amirhossein Maghsoudi of Iran in the Cadet World finals (Photo/Gerhard Remus) Over recent years, the Super 32 Challenge has served as a key measuring stick for the high-end high school wrestler. In the 2016 NCAA Division I tournament, eight of the finalists participated in this event during their high school career. That includes four of the ten NCAA champions: Dean Heil (Oklahoma State), Zain Retherford (Penn State) two-time national champion Isaiah Martinez (Illinois), and Kyle Snyder (Ohio State). Furthermore, of the 330 qualifiers, over one-third were past Super 32 Challenge participants; while 32 of the 80 All-Americans had participated in this tournament during their scholastic career. Also of note, Olympic champion Kyle Snyder won the Super 32 Challenge in October 2012. This coming year's event should be no exception. The talent level among the approximately 1,500 wrestlers registered to compete is extraordinarily high. Competition starts on Saturday morning (Oct. 15) at 8 a.m. ET, and continues on Sunday (Oct. 16) with 16 wrestlers remaining in the competition, quarterfinals starting at 8 a.m. Below is a weight-by-weight overview. Note: Information used for this preview is based on the list of registered wrestlers as of Sunday evening, Oct. 9. There will likely be further changes in weight classes, as well as wrestlers listed here who do not compete in the event. 106: In past years, this opening weight class has been a bastion for star freshmen to win championships. In recent years that list includes Adam Busiello, Cade Olivas, Yianni Diakomihalis, Nick Suriano, and Michael Kemerer. The last non-freshman to win this weight class was Darian Cruz back in 2010. Leading those candidates this year would be No. 6 Jeremiah Reno (Liberty, Mo.), No. 11 Andrew Cerniglia (Nazareth, Pa.), No. 25 Cullan Schriever (Mason City, Iowa), and Greg Diakomihalis (Hilton, N.Y.) However, the most credentialed wrestler in this weight class is a sophomore, Mosha Schwartz (Ponderosa, Colo.). Ranked No. 34 overall in the Class of 2019, he was a Cadet Triple Crown winner in 2015, a Junior National folkstyle champion this spring, and was on the Cadet World Team in Greco-Roman at 46 kilograms. In addition to Diakomihalis, at least five other wrestlers in this weight class were state champions last year: two-time Junior freestyle All-American Cody Phippen (Platte County, Mo.), Junior National double All-American Brandon Kaylor (Bonney Lake, Wash.), Ryan Chauvin (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.), two-time Junior Greco-Roman runner-up Elijah Varona (South Dade, Fla.), and Junior National double finalist Brendon Garcia (Pueblo County, Fla.) Additional Fargo freestyle All-Americans from this past summer in this weight class include Eric Faught (Clear Lake, Iowa), Lucas Byrd (LaSalle, Ohio), Eric Barnett (Hortonville, Wis.), Keegan O'Toole (Arrowhead, Wis.), Cevion Severado (Christian Brothers College, Mo.), Dylan Ryder (Half Hollow Hills West, N.Y.), Cody Craig (Skowhegan, Maine), Nathaniel Rankin (Plano East, Texas), Brandon Nunez (John Browne, N.Y.), and Riley Weir (Sand Springs, Okla.). An additional top contender includes Israel Navarro (Wilmar, Minn.), a state medalist who ended the 2015-16 season nationally ranked at 106 pounds. 113: Last year's 106 pound champion Adam Busiello (Eastport-South Manor, N.Y.), ranked No. 8 in the Class of 2019, will lead an excellent group of wrestlers in this weight class. Three other nationally ranked sophomores are among the stars of the field. No. 16 Coltan Yapoujian (Pomona, Colo.) was a Cadet National freestyle champion this past summer, No. 19 JoJo Aragona (Pope John, N.J.) was runner-up to Busiello at the Super 32 Challenge last year, while No. 42 Colt Newton (Choctaw, Okla.) placed third in Cadet freestyle this summer. Five other wrestlers have won major national level tournaments during this calendar year. Nico Aguilar (Gilroy, Calif.) was champion in Junior freestyle, and is ranked No. 43 in the Class of 2018; Jaret Lane (Southern Columbia, Pa.) was champion in Junior Greco and at the FloNationals; Jesse Vasquez (St. John Bosco, Calif.) was champion in Cadet folkstyle, and is ranked No. 5 in the Class of 2020; Corey Gamet (Parma Western, Mich.) was a Cadet freestyle champion; Jace Koelzer (Olathe South, Kansas) was champion in Cadet folkstyle and Greco-Roman. Five additional wrestlers were runners-up in major national level tournaments during the calendar year. Returning Super 32 placer Kyle Biscoglia (Waukee, Iowa) was runner-up in Junior folkstyle, Joseph Harrison (Omaha Burke, Neb.) was runner-up in Junior Greco, Ben Kamali (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.) was runner-up at the FloNationals, while T.J. Hicks (Bradley Central, Tenn.) and Jake Ferri (Shawseen Tech, Mass.) were NHSCA Junior Nationals runner-up finishers. Other notable contenders include state champion Patrick McKee (St. Michael-Albertville, Minn.), who placed third in both styles at the Junior Nationals this summer; two-time state placer Nate Keaton (Circleville, Ohio), champion at the Walsh Ironman last December; two-time state placer Matt Cardello (CVCA, Ohio), third place at the UWW Cadet Nationals in freestyle; and Robert Howard (Bergen Catholic, N.J.), ranked No. 12 in the Class of 2020. 120: Wrestlers whom are among the best in their grade are abound in this weight class, with ten whom appear in the InterMat national rankings for their respective graduating class. The group is led by 2017 wrestlers Drew Mattin (Delta, Ohio) and Drew West (Highland Riverside, Iowa). No. 63 Mattin is a two-time state champion, two-time Super 32 placer, and two-time Junior National freestyle All-American; while No. 83 West is a three-time state placer, winning a state championship as a sophomore. Another pair are from the Class of 2018. No. 43 Tommy Hoskins (Legacy Christian, Ohio) is a two-time state champion and placed eighth in Junior freestyle this summer; while No. 49 Patrick Glory (Delbarton, N.J.) was runner-up at the Super 32 last year, and is a two-time state runner-up. Another three are from the Class of 2019, led by No. 5 Julian Chlebove (Northampton, Pa.), a state champion this past season. In addition are No. 17 Andrew Alirez (Greeley Central, Colo.) and No. 43 Ryan Anderson (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.); Alirez is a two-time Cadet freestyle All-American and was also a UWW Cadet freestyle All-American this spring. Another are elite freshmen in No. 2 Joshua Saunders (Christian Brothers College, Mo.) and No. 4 Sam Hillegas (North Hills, Pa.); Saunders is a two-time middle school division champion at the Super 32 and was a semifinalist in Cadet freestyle this summer, while is a three-time middle school division champion at the Super 32. Lastly is Carson Manville (South County, Va.), No. 2 overall among Junior High wrestlers and champion in the Super 32 middle school division last year. Four others in this weight class were Junior freestyle All-Americans this summer. Two-time state champions Jet Taylor (Sallisaw, Okla.) and Dominic LaJoie (Gaylord, Mich.) also placed at the FloNationals, while Brock Bergelin (Denmark, Wis.) and Clayton Singh (Kearney, Mo.) are both two-time state champions. Additional wrestlers to watch in this weight class include two-time state placer Anthony Cirillo (Rocky Point, N.Y.), three-time state placer Jonathan Gomez (Locust Valley, N.Y.), state champion Brock Henderson (North Linn, Iowa), three-time state champion Korbin Meink (Skutt Catholic, Neb.), and NHSCA Sophomore Nationals champion Chris Wright (Central Dauphin, Pa.) 126: Five of the top six finishers from last year's 120 pound weight class at the Super 32 anchor the field of this weight class. Joey Silva (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.) was the champion, and is ranked No. 21 in the Class of 2018; he also was champion at both the NHSCA Freshman and Sophomore Nationals. Two-time state placer Austin DeSanto (Exeter Township, Pa.) was the runner-up, and is ranked No. 37 in the Class of 2017. Nick Raimo (Hanover Park, N.J.), ranked No. 2 in the Class of 2019, placed third; he is a two-time Cadet National double champion and was a state runner-up during the high school season. Alex Thomsen (Underwood, Iowa) placed fifth, and is ranked No. 29 in the Class of 2018; he was a Junior National All-American in both styles this summer, and is a two-time state champion. State champion Colin Valdiviez (Rockhurst, Mo.) placed sixth, and is ranked No. 80 in the Class of 2017. Four other wrestlers in this weight class are ranked within their respective grade levels. From the Class of 2017 it is a pair of NHSCA Junior Nationals placers in No. 89 K.J. Fenstermacher (Northampton, Pa.), a two-time state placer; and No. 92 Robert Garcia IV (Selma, Calif.), a three-time state placer. Cadet National freestyle champion Jacori Teemer (Long Beach, N.Y.) is a three-time state champion, and ranked No. 28 in the Class of 2018; while NHSCA Freshman Nationals champion Connor McGonagle (Timberlane, N.H.) is ranked No. 14 in the Class of 2019 and was a New England Regional runner-up last year. Additional wrestlers to watch include Junior National freestyle All-Americans Dan Moran (Northampton, Pa.) and Jakob Campbell (Boyertown, Pa.), NHSCA Junior Nationals runner-up Jose Tapia (Capital, N.M.), state champion Jake Gliva (Simley, Minn.), 2014 Super 32 placer Shane Metzler (West Morris Central, N.J.), three-time state champion Clai Quintanilla (North Central, Wash.), and UWW Cadet freestyle All-American Chase Zollmann (Poway, Calif.) 132: Seven of the top 100 wrestlers from the Class of 2017 are present in this weight class, most notable among them is No. 3 Vitali Arujau (Syosset, N.Y.). The UWW Cadet world silver medalist in freestyle is a three-time state champion and placed third at the Super 32 last year in that loaded 126 pound weight class. Rounding out the group of seven are No. 23 Brian Courtney (Athens, Pa.), a state champion and FloNationals champion last March; No. 32 Chris Sandoval (Windsor, Colo.), fourth in this weight class at the Super 32 last year and champion in Junior folkstyle; No. 40 Paul Konrath (Connections Academy, Ind.), champion in Junior folkstyle and runner-up in Junior freestyle; No. 54 Kyran Hagan (Eureka, Mo.), runner-up at the NHSCA Junior Nationals and a UWW Cadet freestyle All-American; No. 87 Drew Marten (Tecumseh, Mich.), a state champion; and No. 98 Zach Trampe (Council Rock South, Pa.) a two-time state placer and 2015 FloNationals placer. Six other wrestlers are ranked within their respective grade level. Mitch Moore (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) is ranked No. 12 in the Class of 2018, and is a two-time state champion, two-time Super 32 placer, and two-time FloNationals placer. Cadet freestyle All-American Dustin Plott (Tuttle, Okla) is ranked No. 9 in the Class of 2020, and also won the middle school division at the Super 32 last year; while Austin Boone (Lowell, Mich.) is No. 22 among freshmen. State runner-up Devin Schwartzkopf (Francis Howell Central, Mo.) is ranked No. 24 in the Class of 2019, returning state placer Ryan Vulakh (North Penn, Pa.) is ranked No. 30 in among sophomores, while state champion and Cadet freestyle All-American Kevon Davenport (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.) is No. 47 in the class. Additional wrestlers to watch in this absolutely loaded weight class include returning Super 32 placers Quinn Kinner (Kingsway Regional, N.J.), Andrew Wert (Central Dauphin, Pa.), and Mason Wohltman (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.); returning FloNationals placers Zack Donathan (Mason, Ohio) and Marshall Keller (Christiansburg, Va.); two-time state placer and NHSCA Sophomore Nationals runner-up Alex Felix (Gilroy, Calif.); five-time state champion Zach Van Alst (Montgomery Catholic, Ala.); Junior freestyle All-American Jeremy Schoenherr (Stratford, Wis.); Cadet National double finalist Mason Phillips (Stanwood, Wash.); and three-time state placer Breyden Bailey (Indianapolis Cathedral, Ind.) 138: Four star juniors are among the anchor wrestlers in this weight class, most notable among them is FloNationals champion Sammy Sasso (Nazareth, Pa.), who is ranked No. 9 overall in the Class of 2018; Sasso placed third in the Super 32 last year, finished runner-up in freestyle at the UWW Cadet Nationals, and earned All-American honors in both styles at the Cadet Nationals each of the last two years. No. 19 Jaden Mattox (Grove City Central Crossing, Ohio) placed in the Super 32 as a freshman and is a two-time state finalist, including a state title this past season. No. 22 Brayton Lee (Brownsburg, Ind.) placed fifth at the Super 32 in this weight class last year, was a state champion this past high school season, and a UWW Cadet freestyle All-American. Rounding it out is No. 31 Grant Aronoff (St. Thomas Aquinas, Fla.), state champion this past season and champion at the NHSCA Freshman and Sophomore Nationals. Four other grade level ranked wrestlers are present in this weight class, most notable among them is FloNationals runner-up Ben Freeman. Ranked No. 30 in the Class of 2017, he is also a three-time state champion and two-time Super 32 placer. From the Class of 2019, No. 20 Cameron Amine (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.) and No. 44 Jake Mariakis (Ridgeland, Ga.) are in the field; state champion Amine was a Cadet National double All-American, while state runner-up Mariakis placed at the FloNationals. Rounding it out is Sonny Santiago (St. John Bosco, Calif.), ranked No. 19 in the Class of 2020. Additional wrestlers to watch include returning Super 32 placer Corey Shie (La Salle, Ohio), a two-time state placer; New England Regional champion Timmy Kane (Fairfield Warde, Ct.); two-time state champions Jacob Greenwood (Poudre, Colo.) and Josh Humphreys (St. Alban's, W.Va.); NHSCA Junior Nationals placers Jimmy Hoffman (Hazelton, Pa.), Bradley Beaulieu (Marshfield, Me.), Danny Bertoni (Middletown, Md.), Robbie Cleary (Bound Brook, N.J.), and Sammy Hepler (Tri-Valley, Pa.); three-time state champion and FloNationals placer Knox Fuller (Bradley Central, Tenn.); Junior folkstyle runner-up Chris Deloza (Clovis North, Calif.); Cadet folkstyle runner-up Kasper McIntosh (Portage, Ind.); as well as 2014 Super 32 placers Roderick Mosley (Heritage Hall, Okla.) and Jake Silverstein (Hauppauge, N.Y.) 145: Four nationally ranked Class of 2017 wrestlers are among the anchors of this weight class, including No. 11 Austin O'Connor (St. Rita, Ill.), a three-time state champion and runner-up in this Super 32 weight class last year. No. 24 Jarod Verkleeren (Belle Vernon Area, Pa.) placed fourth at the Super 32 two years ago, was a UWW Cadet world champion in freestyle in the summer of 2015, and was a Junior National freestyle runner-up this past summer. The other two ranked seniors are returning Super 32 placers in No. 76 Peter Pappas (Plainview JFK, N.Y.) and No. 91 Denton Spencer (Camden County, Ga.); both wrestlers are also two-time state runners-up, while Spencer also was champion at the NHSCA Junior Nationals this past spring. Also among the contenders here are a trio of nationally ranked Class of 2018 wrestlers. Most notable among them is returning Super 32 placer Joe Lee (Evansville Mater Dei, Ind.). Ranked No. 8 in the junior class, Lee is a two-time state finalist -- winning this past year -- and was a UWW Cadet National freestyle runner-up at 69 kilograms. No. 15 Anthony Artalona (Tampa Prep, Fla.) is a two-time state champion and beat Verkleeren to win a Junior National freestyle title this summer. No. 40 Josiah Rider (Grand Junction, Colo.) is placed fifth in this weight class last year at the Super 32 and was a state champion come season's end. Two other grade level ranked wrestlers in this weight class are No. 9 Connor Brady (Olentangy Liberty, Ohio), who placed fourth at the state tournament as a freshman; and two-time state placer Ashton Habeil (Lake Gibson, Fla.), who is ranked No. 14 in the Class of 2020. Others to watch include three-time state finalist Brik Filippo (Tuttle, Okla.), state champion this past season; FloNationals placers in Brock Wilson (Nazareth, Pa.), Jake Hinkson (North Allegheny, Pa.) and Nick Santos (St. Peter's Prep, N.J.); two-time state champions Ryan Leisure (Clear Lake, Iowa) and Justin Ruffin (Union Grove, Ga.); two-time state placers Sandro Ramirez (Wauseon, Ohio) and Tyler Shilson (Centennial, Mass.); NHSCA Junior Nationals placers Zach Hartman (Belle Vernon Area, Pa.), Ryan Monteiro (Minnechaug Regional, Mass.), Chase Archangelo (Smyrna, Del.), and Bryce Marcus (St. Thomas Aquinas, Fla.); along with NHSCA Sophomore Nationals champion Joe Casey (Bound Brook, N.J.) 152: Five nationally ranked Class of 2017 prospects are among the notable stars of this field. Most notable among them is No. 9 Brady Berge (Kasson-Mantorville, Minn.), a three-time state champion -- and 2015 UWW Cadet world team member in freestyle -- who suffered a major injury during the state semifinal round this past season. However, he is back and in good form. Other nationally ranked seniors include No. 20 Quentin Hovis (Poway, Calif.), a returning Super 32 placer and Junior National freestyle All-American this past summer; No. 43 Stephan Glasgow (Bound Brook, N.J.), a two-time state finalist (2016 champion) and runner-up at both the NHSCA Sophomore and Junior Nationals; No. 81 Jake Brindley (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.), a two-time state champion and 2014 Super 32 placer; along with No. 96 Hunter Willits (Pueblo County, Colo.), a Junior National freestyle All-American and three-time state champion. Another pair of stars are ranked from the Class of 2018. David Carr (Massillon Perry, Ohio), champion in the Super 32 last year at 145 pounds, is ranked No. 2 in the Class of 2018 and was a bronze medalist at the UWW Cadet world championships in freestyle last month. Also present is No. 38 Aaron Brooks (North Hagerstown, Md.), a Cadet National double champion this summer and champion in both the NHSCA Freshman and Sophomore Nationals. Additional grade level ranked wrestlers are a pair from the Class of 2020, who won middle school division titles at the Super 32 last year, in No. 7 Nevan Snodgrass (Kettering Fairmont, Ohio) and No. 18 Gerrit Nijenhuis (Canon-McMillan, Pa.) Others to watch include state placer Connor Melbourne (John Jay Cross River, N.Y.), runner-up at the NHSCA Sophomore and Junior Nationals; state placer and NHSCA Junior Nationals third place finisher Nicholas Palumbo (Lenape Valley, N.J.); state runner-up and FloNationals placer Matt Grippi (Fox Lane, N.Y.); state champion Erich Byelick (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.); two-time state champion Elijah Tanner (Collinsville, Okla.); along with state third place finishers in Joshua Kim (Santiago Corona, Calif.) and Colt Yinger (Mechanicsburg, Ohio). 160: Five grade level ranked wrestlers, including four top 60 Class of 2017 prospects anchor the field. Leading the way here is Junior National freestyle champion Jake Allar (St. Michael-Albertville, Minn.), a returning state champion and Super 32 placer, who is ranked No. 28 in the Class of 2017. Next in line is No. 36 Hunter Bolen (Christiansburg, Va.), also a returning Super 32 placer, along with being a FloNationals runner-up and two-time state champion. No. 51 Mekhi Lewis (Bound Brook, N.J.) is a three-time state placer, and state champion this past season; while No. 56 Kyle Cochran (Paramus, N.J.) was also state champion this past season, and also won a NHSCA Junior Nationals title. State runner-up and FloNationals runner-up Trent Hidlay (Mifflin County, Pa.) is ranked No. 24 in the Class of 2018, and also placed at the Super 32 last year in this weight class. An additional grade level ranked wrestlers is Cadet freestyle All-American Chris Foca (Bergen Catholic, N.J.), who is ranked No. 45 in the Class of 2019. Other contenders include returning Super 32 placer Georgio Poullas (Canfield, Ohio), three-time state runner-up Nick Kiussis (Brunswick, Ohio), state champion and Junior freestyle All-American Sammy Cokeley (St. James Academy, Kansas), two-time state champion Braeden Redlin (Allen, Texas), and state champion Emille Shannon (Christian Brothers College, Mo.) Additional wrestlers with major national event credentials in this weight class include NHSCA Sophomore Nationals champion and Cadet double All-American Josh Stillings (Pennridge, Pa.), FloNationals placer Dale Tiongson (St. Paul's, Md.), Super 32 placer Isaiah Johnson (A.L. Brown, N.C.), NHSCA Junior Nationals placers Shawn Mosca (Wheatley, N.Y.) and Skitch Light (Central Dauphin, Pa.), UWW Cadet Nationals freestyle placer Robert Patrick (Ligonier Valley, Pa.), along with Cadet freestyle All-American Joel Shapiro (West Des Moines Valley, Iowa). 170: Four top 100 ranked seniors anchor the wrestlers in this field, a group headed by No. 32 Anthony Mantanona (Palm Desert, Calif.). The FloNationals and Junior Greco-Roman champion placed fourth in this Super 32 weight class last year and is a two-time state placer. No. 64 Bryce Rogers (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.) is a two-time state champion, and this past spring placed at the FloNationals and was a NHSCA Junior Nationals champion; No. 73 Ethan Smith (Sparrows Point, Md.) was a state champion this past season and placed third at the FloNationals; while No. 74 Bunmi Smith (Camden County, Ga.) is a three-time state placer and was state champion this past season. Two additional FloNationals placers are in this weight class. Two-time FloNationals placer Casey Cornett (Simon Kenton, Ky.), who also placed third at the NHSCA Junior Nationals; along with state medalist Dalton Group (Susquenita, Pa.). Four additional wrestlers were NHSCA Junior Nationals placers: state medalists George Walton (Bound Brook, N.J.) and Bryan McLaughlin (Woodbridge, N.J.), two-time New England regional third place finisher Joe Accousti (Newtown, Ct.), as well as Ty Bagoly (Exeter Township, Pa.) Others to watch include state champion Myles Wilson (Glenwood Springs, Colo.), three-time state placer Jason Hoffman (Hadley-Luzerne, N.Y.), state runner-up A.J. Meyers (Toms River East, N.J.), two-time state placer Dom Mandarino (Don Bosco Prep, N.J.), Cadet National double All-American Devin Winston (Park Hill, Mo.), and two-time state qualifier Emil Soehnlen (Massillon Perry, Ohio). Winston is ranked No. 41 overall in the Class of 2019. 182: Five top 100 seniors anchor what is a rather strong field in this weight class. The group is headlined by No. 18 Louie Deprez (Hilton, N.Y.), runner-up at last year's Super 32, also a two-time state champion and FloNationals placer. No. 21 Nino Bonaccorsi (Bethel Park, Pa.) is a two-time state placer, was third at the Super 32 last year, and won a FloNationals title this spring. In that finals match at the FloNationals, Bonaccorsi beat No. 25 Jelani Embree (Warren Lincoln, Mich.), who was a state champion this past high school season and a Junior National double All-American in Fargo this summer. No. 49 Anthony Falbo (Newtown, Ct.) is also a returning Super 32 placer; this past season he won a New England regional title, while in the off-season he won a second straight NHSCA grade-level title and placed fourth in Junior freestyle. Rounding out the quintet of elite seniors is No. 85 Matthew Waddell (Gilmer, Ga.), a two-time state champion, who placed at the NHSCA Junior Nationals and was a Junior double All-American this off-season. Other notable seniors in this field include state champion and Junior freestyle All-American Jackson Hemauer (Deforest, Wis.), state medalist and returning Super 32 placer Dawson Peck (Chambersburg, Pa.), state champion Kendall Norfleet (Marian Catholic, Ill.), two-time state placer J.T. Brown (Elyria, Ohio), Junior National double All-American Miles Lee (South Philadelphia, Pa.), a pair of state champion and NHSCA Junior Nationals placers in Khamari Whimper (Baylor School, Tenn.) and Antonio Stewart (Camden County, Ga.), state champions Kaden Russell (St. Ignatius) and Stanley Smeltzer (Smithfield, Va.), along with state placer and NHSCA Junior Nationals placer Kendall Elfstrum (Monroe Woodbury, N.Y.) Additional wrestlers to watch include Cadet folkstyle champion and freestyle runner-up Lucas Davison (Chesterton, Ind.), as well as state medalists Jared Ball (Hilliard Darby, Ohio) and Cody Mulligan (Saegertown, Pa.) 195: Three nationally ranked seniors and two juniors are among the top wrestlers in this weight class field. The highest ranked of the group is Brandon Whitman (Dundee, Mich.), ranked No. 14 in the Class of 2018; the FloNationals runner-up at 182 pounds is also a two-time state champion and placed fifth in both styles at the Junior Nationals this summer in Fargo. No. 26 Gavin Hoffman (Montoursville, Pa.) is the other junior; the state champion is a returning Super 32 placer and finished third at the FloNationals competing at 195 pounds, while also winning a NHSCA Sophomore Nationals title and finishing third in Cadet freestyle. Heading up the 2017 contingent is No. 53 Jacob Raschka (Pewaukee, Wis.), a 2015 Cadet National freestyle champion, who won a state title and finished fifth at the FloNationals this past year. No. 61 Andrew Davison (Chesterton, Ind.) placed fifth at state in 2015, was a Junior folkstyle champion this spring, and placed seventh in both styles at the Junior Nationals this summer. No. 90 Jake Woodley (North Allegheny, Pa.) was a state champion this past high school season, and then placed at both the FloNationals and Junior National freestyle tournaments this off-season. Another pair of wrestlers are grade-level ranked in this weight class. Braxton Amos (Parkersburg South, W.Va.) is ranked No. 3 overall in the Class of 2020 and enters high school with a Cadet National double title this summer and winning a middle school division title at the Super 32 last fall; while state champion Daniel Kerkvleit (Simley, Minn.) is ranked No. 36 in the Class of 2019 and placed third in Cadet freestyle losing just to Amos. Other wrestlers to watch include NHSCA Junior Nationals champion John Borst (Sherando, Va.), who was runner-up in Junior freestyle this past summer; two-time state champion Noah Bushman (Cave Spring, Va.); state placers Kanan Sarver (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) and Joe Doyle (Council Rock South, Pa.); two-time placer John Kelbly (Smithville, Ohio), a NHSCA Junior Nationals placer; two-time state placer Danny Salas (St. John Bosco, Calif.); and state champion Miles Nuessle (Liberty, Ariz.) 220: Two wrestlers are returning Super 32 placers from this weight class last year, Zane Black (Cumberland Valley, Pa.) and Cole Nye (Bishop McDevitt, Pa.). Black is ranked No. 71 in the Class of 2017 and was runner-up at the NHSCA Junior Nationals; while Nye was state champion last high school season and a Junior freestyle All-American in the summer of 2015. The only other grade level ranked wrestler in this weight class is state placer Johnny Shafer (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), who is No. 33 in the Class of 2019. Additional contenders include two-time state champion Jeffrey Allen (Amherst County, Va.), a Junior National double All-American this past summer; FloNationals placers Ryan Vasbinder (Byron Center, Mich.) and Eric Keosseian (Howell, N.J.); along with state medalists Diata Drayton (Marist, Ill.) and Nino Manzonelli (Allen, Texas). 285: The headline wrestler in this weight class is Kevin Vough (Elyria, Ohio), the No. 15 overall wrestler in the Class of 2017; he was champion at the FloNationals in 2014 and runner-up in Junior freestyle during the summer of 2015. Two others in this weight class are returning Super 32 placers, Evan Ellis (Eastern, Ind.) and Mansur Abdul-Malik (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.); Ellis is a two-time state placer and was a FloNationals placer this spring, while Abdul-Malik is a two-time National Prep placer. Other contenders include Junior National freestyle All-American Zach Muller (Downers Grove North, Ill.), NHSCA Junior Natonals placers Laith Alsous (Lew-Port, N.Y.) and Sammy deSeriere (Mullen, Colo.), state champion Tyler Shannon (Arkansas City, Kansas), two-time state qualifier Blake Zalapi (Hononegah, Ill.), FloNationals placer Brendan Furman (Canon-McMillan, Pa.), and two-time state runner-up Evan Surgeon (Southeast Guilford, N.C.)

The impact of Lou Rosselli taking the job as University of Oklahoma head wrestling coach has been felt very quickly, most notably on the recruiting trail. On Sunday night, the Sooners got a second verbal commitment from an elite prospect from Central Ohio. This time it came in the form of No. 22 Dominick Demas (Dublin Coffman). Demas, a three-time state place-winner, earned a state title at 138 pounds during his sophomore campaign. This past season, he was runner-up at 145 pounds, and ended the 2015-16 season ranked No. 10 nationally in the weight class. His older brother, Josh, was a multi-time NCAA tournament qualifier and national seed for Ohio State. Demas projects to compete as a 149/157 in college.

Tommy Owen served as the head assistant coach at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Tommy Owen has been named head wrestling coach of the brand-new Cougar men's wrestling program at Averett University, the Virginia school announced Friday. Averett had announced the addition of wrestling -- along with men's lacrosse, and women's lacrosse -- back in May, thanks to a generous $500,000 gift from an unnamed donor. All three sports will begin competing during the 2017-18 school year as the school transitions to NCAA Division III competition. Owen will be transferring from one set of Cougars to another. For the past two seasons, Owen has served as the head assistant coach of the Cougar wrestling program at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, an NCAA Division I school located just outside St. Louis. During his time at SIU-E, Owen coached NCAA national qualifiers and two conference champions in each of the past two years. His teams have also been successful in the classroom, earning a top-14 Division I National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Academic Team ranking both years. Before joining SIU-E's coaching staff, Owen coached at Division I George Mason University near Washington, D.C. from 2011-14 while also working as the regional training center coach for the Patriot Elite Wrestling Club. Owen's collegiate coaching experience also included a stint from 2007-2008 as an assistant at Division I Boise State University, his alma mater. Owen has also coached a number of club and high school teams, including a position as the head freestyle wrestling coach for Virginia USA Wrestling. Since 2013, Owen also served as a USA Wrestling national team volunteer coach, coaching a silver medalist and a bronze medalist at the 2014 University World Championships in Hungary. As a collegiate wrestler, Owen competed for Boise State in 2006-07. He began his wrestling career at Division I University of Minnesota, where he was a two-time NCAA national qualifier and a member of the 2002 national championship team and 2003 national runner-up, and Big Ten conference team titlewinners both years. In high school, Owen was a three-time Washington state champion and a four-time finalist. He was the 2001 National High School Coaches Association national champion, a 1998 Cadet National Champion and a member of the 2000 FILA Junior World Team. "Tommy has a tremendous amount of coaching experience at many levels in the wrestling community," said Averett University Director of Athletics Meg Stevens. "His knowledge and passion will be a great asset as we begin our first men's wrestling program at Averett." "I would like to thank Averett President Dr. Tiffany Franks and Director of Athletics Meg Stevens for this amazing opportunity," Owen said. "I couldn't be more humbled and excited to be chosen as the inaugural head coach at Averett. Having spent time as a college coach in Virginia, and with my wife being born and raised in the state, I feel this is the perfect opportunity for me to start a program at Averett and continue to build and strengthen wrestling in the state of Virginia and as a whole." "I also want to thank Mike Moyer and the NWCA along with all the organizations helping to build wrestling in all styles -- folkstyle, freestyle and Greco-Roman," Owen added. "Without their tireless effort and commitment to the sport, I would not have the opportunities that lie ahead of me." Located in the city of Danville in south-central Virginia near the North Carolina border, Averett University describes itself as a four-year, fully accredited, private, co-educational college with a traditional residential campus. Originally founded as a women's college in 1859, the school became co-ed in 1969, and took on its present name in 2001.

Andrew Nicola Andrew Nicola has been named head wrestling coach at Concordia University, the Nebraska-based school announced Friday. Nicola replaces Dana Vote, who left Concordia to become the director of wrestling operations at Iowa State University after four seasons with the Bulldogs. Nicola, a native of Fort Wayne, Indiana, becomes the third head coach since the program's rebirth in 2009, taking over a team coming off back-to-back Great Plains Athletic Conference titles. Nicola brings diverse coaching experience to Concordia. For the past two years, as an assistant coach at California Baptist University, Nicola worked closely with head coach Lenny Zalesky to guide the Lancers to win the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championship and then placed second in its region and sixth at the NCAA Division II National Championships. Heavyweight Joe Fagiano took home the program's first-ever NCAA title, while four Lancers earned NCAA All-American honors. In addition, CBU finished in the top 10 nationally in terms of grade point average during both of Nicola's seasons at the southern California school. Prior to landing at CBU, Nicola made a positive difference in two seasons at Cumberland University in Tennessee, which, like Concordia, is a NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) program. The 2013-14 Bulldogs recorded the program's highest-ever finishes at the NAIA National Championships (sixth), National Wrestling Coaches Association National Duals (third) and NWCA Academic All-American Team standings (fourth). Six Cumberland wrestlers found their way to the All-America stand at the 2014 national championships. One won a national title and another finished runner up. In addition, Nicola has coached at University of Central Missouri, an NCAA Division II program, as well as at two different Indiana high schools, Bloomington South and Culver Academies. Nicola has also coached on the international scene, having served on the Indiana National Team coaching staff, where he garnered Indiana Cadet/Junior Coach of the Year honors in 2012. He holds a USA Wrestling Silver Certification. Nicola graduated from Indiana University in 2008 with a bachelor's degree in biology. He went on to complete a master's degree in athletic and sport business administration in 2012 from Central Missouri. He also earned a master's degree in education from Cumberland. "We're blessed to welcome Andrew Nicola to the Bulldog Nation as our new Head Wrestling Coach.," said Concordia Director of Athletics Devin Smith. "Andrew has spent his coaching career preparing for this moment. We have no doubt that he will continue the momentum that has been built within our wrestling program by his predecessor, coach Dana Vote. Andrew brings strong Christian character and instant credibility into the room as a technician and as a strong recruiter with many connections throughout the country. He's been part of championship programs and we're excited about the winning pedigree he brings to Concordia. Andrew's passion for the sport and for life are clearly evident. We are looking forward to seeing what heights our wrestling program will reach with Andrew leading the way." "It is an honor beyond measure to be the head coach at Concordia University," Nicola said. "Concordia is an opportunity for me to use my God-given talents and passion for wrestling to lead this program. It is my duty to serve these young men in every capacity to help them achieve their goals socially, academically and athletically. I was drawn to the family atmosphere of the school and of the community and to the school's investment in athletics. My vision for Concordia wrestling is for it to continue be a nationally recognized and respected program both on and off of the mats." The new head wrestling coach of the Concordia wrestling program which won GPAC dual and postseason championships and placed eighth at the NAIA National Championships added that he is eager to take the Bulldogs to even greater heights. "I want anyone and everyone who hears about our boys to associate them with respect, hard work, discipline and loyalty. That's a recipe for success in all facets of our lives," said Nicola. "There's such a solid group returning and coming in that our goal should not be short of a top five finish in the classroom, at nationals and at the national duals this season. We will continue to build off of the success that coach Vote had and we will set our sights on earning a NAIA National Championship." Levi Calhoun remains the assistant wrestling coach for the Bulldogs. Located in Seward, Nebraska, Concordia University is a four-year, private school affiliated with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. Concordia has an enrollment of approximately 2,700 students.

Michael Beard defeated Jelani Embree at Flo's Who's Number One (Photo/Juan Garcia) National Prep champion Michael Beard (Malvern Prep, Pa.) verbally committed to Northwestern University late on Sunday afternoon. The No. 7 overall wrestler in the Class of 2018 was also runner-up in freestyle at the UWW Cadet Nationals this spring competing at 85 kilograms. Beard ended his sophomore season ranked No. 8 nationally at 182 pounds, and projects to compete collegiately at either 184 or 197 pounds.

Twenty of the nation's top wrestling programs will be competing at the fifth annual Grapple at the Garden dual meet, set for New York City's Madison Square Garden on Sunday, November 27, the famed arena announced via press release Friday. The 2016 edition of Grapple at the Garden brings together NCAA Division I, Division II, and Division III intercollegiate programs, along with two club teams, in a dual-meet format. The event -- which has become an early-season staple on the college wrestling calendar -- first took place at Madison Square Garden in Dec. 2012. Among the participating schools: Buffalo, Columbia, Cornell University, George Mason, Hofstra, Johns Hopkins University, LIU Post, Maryland, Mount St. Vincent, Muhlenberg, New York University, Princeton, University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, Rutgers, Stevens Institute, SUNY Oswego, United States Merchant Marine Academy, and Wilkes University ... along with club teams from Stony Brook University and SUNY Farmingdale. Madison Square Garden also revealed specific match-ups for the dual-meet-format event. As in the past, there will be three sessions for collegiate programs. Session one, which begins at 8:30 a.m., features Mt. St. Vincent (Div. III) vs. SUNY Farmingdale (club); and NYU (Div. III) vs. Johns Hopkins (Div. III). Session two, which starts at 10:30 a.m., features Cornell vs. Hofstra, Columbia vs. Rutgers, Princeton vs. Maryland, Buffalo vs. GMU, Wilkes (Div. III) vs. USMMA (Div. III), Stevens (Div. III) vs. Oswego (Div. III), Muhlenberg (Div. III) vs. NYU (Div. III), and Johns Hopkins (Div. III) vs. Pitt-Johnstown (Div. II). Session three, starting at 12:30 p.m., includes Cornell vs. Rutgers, Hofstra vs. GMU, Maryland vs. Columbia, Buffalo vs. Princeton, Stevens vs. Wilkes, Muhlenberg vs. Oswego, and LIU Post (Div. II) vs Pitt-Johnstown. In addition, this year's Grapple at the Garden will also feature the second-annual New York vs. New Jersey High School All-Star meet, as well as a first-ever Nassau County vs. Suffolk County All-Star High School meet. Tickets, priced at $20.00, $35.00, and $55.00, are currently on sale and may be purchased online at www.thegarden.com, all Ticketmaster locations, and the Madison Square box office.

Jordan Leen CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- The Virginia wrestling program announced Jordan Leen has been elevated to associate head coach on Friday. Leen is entering his sixth year with the Cavalier program. "Each year Jordan has grown tremendously as a coach and I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to elevate him to associate head coach of our program," said Virginia head coach Steve Garland. "Jordan has been loyal, he's worked hard and contributed much to me personally and to our program as a whole. He likes to say 'take what you've earned.' He's certainly earned this title and increased responsibility in our program. I'm really happy he's getting the recognition he deserves." Virginia has had five standout seasons since Leen's arrival, highlighted by 36 NCAA qualifiers, nine ACC champions and four All-Americans, as well as the 2015 ACC team championship. In his first season in 2011, the Cavaliers had three wrestlers win ACC championships. The program has continued to experience success each season, most recently with George DiCamillo claiming his third ACC championship in 2016 to become only the seventh Virginia wrestler to win three ACC championships in his career. The Cavaliers have sent at least five wrestlers to the NCAA championships each season since Leen arrived at UVA with a record nine competitors in the 2013 championships.

Tyrell Fortune attempts an arm throw at the Dave Schultz Memorial (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com) NCAA wrestling champs Ed Ruth and Tyrell Fortune will make their professional mixed martial arts debut at the same event -- Bellator 163: McGeary vs. Davis -- at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. on November 4, Bellator MMA announced Thursday. Ruth, a three-time NCAA Division I titlist for Penn State, will face Mark Mangiardi in his pro debut in a three-round middleweight (185-pound) bout ... while Fortune, NCAA Division II heavyweight champ for Grand Canyon University, will go up against fellow newcomer Cody Miskell. These preliminary bouts, which will be streamed live on Bellator.com beginning at 7:50 p.m. Eastern, lead up to the main event, a light heavyweight world title fight that pits champion Liam McGeary (11-0) against former Penn State mat champ Phil Davis (16-3). Before signing with Bellator in 2015, Ruth crafted an impressive wrestling career, first for nationally-ranked Blair Academy, then for the Nittany Lions. The Harrisburg, Pa. native made history at the 2014 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships by becoming the first three-time national champ in the more than 100 years of Penn State wrestling, winning the 174-pound crown at the 2012 NCAAs, then back-to-back titles at 184 in 2013 and 2014 after placing third at the Nationals in 2011. As a Nittany Lion, Ruth was a four-time NCAA All-American and four-time Big Ten conference champ, compiling an impressive 140-3 record. Ruth's opponent, Mark Mangiardi, is also making his pro debut at Bellator 163, having fought in four amateur bouts, according to Bellator. Mangiardi, also fighting out of Pennsylvania, launched his MMA career in 2012. Fortune, a product of Portland, Ore., was a three-time finalist -- and two-time state champ -- for Lake Ridge High School. He won six national freestyle and Greco-Roman titles. Fortune then launched his collegiate career at Clackamas Community College in Oregon, where he won two NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) heavyweight titles. Back in 2010, Fortune had accepted an offer to wrestle at Ohio State, but instead chose Grand Canyon University in Arizona, where he was crowned heavyweight titlist at the 2013 NCAA Division II championships, and was also named Division II Wrestler of the Year. Like Ruth, Fortune signed with Bellator last year. Facing Fortune in his first pro MMA bout is Kentucky native Cody Miskell, who Bellator lists as having a 5-2 amateur record in MMA.

Cody Brewer shoots on Tony Rmaos at Flo's Who's Number One event, an event that ditched the singlet (Photo/Juan Garcia) USA Wrestling this week stoked the singlet-free discussion with Matt Krumrie's article Is it time for wrestling to ditch the singlet?" In addition to the issue of spandex, the article prompted social media to debate about the wide array of issues wrestling needs to fix before approaching the matter of sartorial selection, including the perception of corruption and the need for alternative rules sets. While both matters are important, the real opportunity behind changing the singlet may not even lie in potential increased to retention and recruitment, but in a very conservative constituency making progressive changes for the sake of modernity. The act of change will require buy-in from several leading organizations, which means that a successful alteration of outfits could be the type of collaboration wrestling has been missing. I've been writing about the need to kill the singlet for more than three years and what I've learned is that there are loyalists unwilling to change, but that they are only a small faction. As time has passed I've read more and more public support for a change and Krumrie's article is the latest installment in the shifting attitude of our public and the sport's leadership. Political courage aside, Krumrie's article was fascinating for another reason -- his reporting that the NWCA has already done a comprehensive survey and found their constituents really do want change at the youth level. Last year, 8,500 coaches responded to a National Wrestling Coaches Association survey. In that survey, coaches were "overwhelmingly in support" of moving to an alternative uniform option, citing the importance of retaining wrestlers and growing wrestling, said Mike Moyer, Executive Director of the National Wrestling Coaches Association. "What we found was that the singlet was definitely a barrier to entry into the sport," Moyer explains. "This was especially an issue with first-year wrestlers, and at the middle school level." Moyer is all for an alternative option, and feels it would help move the sport forward. "We've heard enough perspective from coaches across the country that they absolutely believe an alternative option would enhance recruitment and retention." What could be better for the sport, but to make it more available to the next generation? To your questions … Q: What do you make of Jordan Burroughs' recent blog post and the discussion of his retirement? -- C.Y. Foley: Burroughs initial blog post "Dear Wrestling" ended with the cliffhanger: "Maybe I'll see ya around. Maybe." That line is fairly clear in stating that Burroughs is/was contemplating a retirement from competitive wrestling. However, the next day Burroughs tweeted a message saying he was definitely not retiring. While Burroughs' non-retirement now seems indefinitely definite there is still plenty left to discuss. The letter -- written to the sport of wrestling as though it was the other half of a human relationship -- was very confusing. Parts of it read like an attempt to rationalize his pre-Olympic position within the sport, some of it was visualizations of his own struggle and there were parts that read like a conversation about values. If you were looking for answers as to "What happened to Burroughs in Rio?" then this letter was underwhelming. At times Burroughs' message seemed cheeky ("It's not you, it's me") and other times distant (the lack of parades for non-medalists). The desire to pour his heart out was obvious, but what did we learn by our rare peak inside Burroughs' thought process and mentality towards wrestling? From my perspective it seems Burroughs carried a lot of pressure when it came to the expectations of others, most notably his sponsors and the idea he needed to live up to the brand he'd created. To be clear, there has never been a wrestler with a more financially successful brand and no other combat sport Olympic athlete (ever?) who has created that brand solely on the amateur stage. No athlete has ever been sponsored by names like Hershey's, Chobani, and Ralph Lauren, and had to put himself or herself into the precarious position to have their physical, psychological and emotional fortitude tested by another man in hand-to-hand combat on a once-a-quadrennial occasion. Burroughs writes, "When the IOC wanted you gone, I defended you. When you needed someone to help you appeal to the masses, I was Mr. Right. This was always a mutually-beneficial relationship, until now. Carrying us this far has wore me down. 'Heavy is the head that wears the crown,' they say. And you snatched my crown without my permission. You took years to turn me into a superhero, and then just at the peak of my powers you took six minutes to make me human again." I disagree that wrestling (as the other side of a relationship) made him into a superhero, I think that was largely his own doing. There have been other wrestlers who have faced the same type of expectations as Burroughs: Karelin, Icho, Yoshida and even Kyle Dake. To paraphrase Dake in his run-up to a fourth NCAA title, "Pressure isn't a real thing that can hurt you, it's imagined." For Burroughs and others that pressure became a real thing, and in the case of Jordan it was complicated by the additional financial considerations (remember that JB lost out on $500k for not winning the Olympics). Burroughs came to be as a wrestler because he started off as the underdog -- free of expectation and with growing talents he exploded onto the scene in 2011 with a world title. He continued to work hard, found a winning strategy and capitalized for the next five years. The fall wasn't because of a (known) physical ailment, or the speed of the wrestling world catching up to his talents, it was an internal battle that manifested itself in the physical. Burroughs shouldn't retire, but he should readopt the mentality of the underdog if only so he re-examines and approaches the sport as a student rather than a mentor, a learner rather than a load-bearing celebrity. He has the physical abilities to win a world title today just as he did in 2011, but that'll require a shrug of these sporting responsibilities and a loss of celebrity. Maybe that is that the big bargain Jordan isn't sure he can make. Q: The three remaining candidates to host the 2024 Olympics are Budapest, Los Angeles and Paris. What city do you think will win the bid? What city would like to see win the bid? -- Mike C. Foley: Like many Americans I'd love to see Los Angeles earn the bid, but I honestly wouldn't be crushed if the Games ended up in Paris. Both are beautiful cities with governments willing to foot the massive bill for a bidding and hosting system coming under intense scrutiny. My gut says LA has the lead, but you can never tell. Rome (where I am today for a wedding) recently began the process of ending their bid, citing the financial strain it might cost the city. Seeing it up close for the first time I can see no reason the city should want the headache of the Olympic Games. Vanity of rulers might be the only reason some cities bid, and I applaud Rome for having the foresight to predict their people may not enjoy hosting such a movable feast. Q: Who do you see winning the Hodge in each of the next two seasons? Below are potential contenders. 2016-2017: Zain Retherford (two-time NCAA champion, Jason Nolf (one-time NCAA champion) Isaiah Martinez (three-time NCAA champion) Gabe Dean (three-time NCAA champion), J'den Cox (three-time NCAA champion, Olympic bronze) Kyle Snyder (two-time NCAA champion, world and Olympic champion) 2017-2018: Zain Retherford (three-time NCAA champion, Jason Nolf (two-time NCAA champion) Isaiah Martinez (four-time NCAA champion) Kyle Snyder (three-time NCAA champion, world and Olympic champion) -- Tim H. Foley: Kyle Snyder in 2017 and Isaiah Martinez in 2018! What a race! Q: What do you make of all the media scrutiny/praise regarding Nate Parker? -- Jacob R. Foley: I think this is a very difficult discussion to have. The courts have shown that he wasn't guilty and I think he deserves the opportunity to move forward with his life. The tragedies that the woman in the case endured in her all-too-short life are heartbreaking and I can't imagine the pain of her family. I'm proud of Parker for making the film and look forward to watching it in theaters as soon as I get back to the States. Q: Why on earth would Ryan Milhof leave Oklahoma with Lou Rosselli taking over as head coach? Do you suspect his decision to leave Norman was because he felt Mark Cody was wronged? I realize he's going to ASU with one of the best lightweight coaches in Zeke Jones, but he has to sit out this year and isn't eligible until second semester next year. If he stayed at Oklahoma he could wrestle this year and train under another top lightweight coach. -- Mike C. Foley: I don't know why Millhof left, but as you wrote you'd have to assume that he was displeased with Mark Cody's firing and wouldn't be happy continuing to compete in Oklahoma. Arizona State is certainly an awesome option, even if he needs to sit out a season. Remember that these are just kids and sometimes their emotions can be front-and-center in their decision-making.

A pair of top 60 overall seniors verbally committed to Ohio University on Thursday evening. No. 54 Kyran Hagan and No. 59 Alec Hagan, twins from Eureka, Mo. are the wrestlers that will be joining the Bobcats' roster in the fall of 2017. Kyran, a projected 141, was state champion as a sophomore, along with finishing runner-up as a freshman and third this past season. Alec, a projected 149, was a state champion this past season after finishing runner-up during both his freshman and sophomore seasons. Each wrestler was runner-up at the NHSCA Junior Nationals this past season, along with earning placement honors in freestyle at the UWW Cadet Nationals this past spring. In addition, each earned All-American honors in both styles as a Cadet in Fargo during the summer of 2015.

National Prep champion Chase Singletary (Blair Academy, N.J.), who ended the 2015-16 season ranked No. 1 in the nation at 195 pounds, verbally committed to Ohio State late on Thursday afternoon. The No. 6 overall prospect in the Class of 2017 was also champion at the Walsh Ironman and runner-up at the Beast of the East during the 2015-16 season. Singletary was a National Prep runner-up as a sophomore at 182 pounds, while placing third in Florida as a freshman at 160 pounds for Palmetto Ridge. He was also a state champion in high school competition during his seventh and eighth grade years, while competing at Somerset Academy. In addition, he was champion at the NHSCA Freshman and Sophomore Nationals. Singletary projects to compete as a 285 pound wrestler in college, and joins No. 12 Kaleb Romero (Mechanicsburg, Ohio) as an elite Buckeyes commit in the 2017 recruiting class.

Jamie Franco HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- Hofstra University Head Wrestling Coach Dennis Papadatos today announced the appointment of Longo and Weidman MMA Training Center Operations Manager and Hofstra alumnus Jamie Franco as the Pride's volunteer assistant coach for the 2016-17 season. Franco, a three-time NCAA Championship qualifier and a 2013 Colonial Athletic Association champion for Hofstra from 2009 through 2014, will assist the Pride coaching staff working with the lightweight wrestlers. Franco recorded 75 victories with the Pride during his college career. After recording a career-best 21-13 record and advancing to the CAA Championship finals as a sophomore, he posted a 19-15 mark including a 3-0 record in the CAA Championship to capture the 133-pound title in 2012-13 record. Franco wrapped up his collegiate career at 125 pounds with a 21-15 overall record, including a 6-1 mark in the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA), and a New York State Collegiate Championship title in 2013-14. Since his graduation from Hofstra with a degree in business marketing in 2014, Franco has served as the operations manager at the Longo and Weidman MMA Training Center in Garden City, NY. In that capacity he has controlled marketing and advertising campaigns, managed accounts payable, controlled inventory and supervised the non-fighting staff at the facility. Just shortly after starting at Longo and Weidman MMA, Franco added the double duty of owner and head coach at the LAW Wrestling Academy also in Garden City, handling scheduling, coaching and conducting practices for wrestlers and fighters from the ages of five through 30 while also implementing the marketing and advertising campaign for the Academy. Franco served as a coach for youth wrestlers between the ages of five and 18 for the Garden City Grapplers Wrestling Club from 2009 through February 2015. He resides in Merrick, NY.

Kaleb Romero Three-time state champion Kaleb Romero (Mechanicsburg, Ohio) verbally committed to Ohio State on Tuesday. Ranked No. 12 overall in the Class of 2017, he has a three season high school record of 150-3; the last two of those losses coming at the Walsh Ironman in December of 2014. Romero went undefeated at both the NWCA Scholastic Duals and AAU Scholastic (aka Disney) Duals this past off-season. He ended the 2015-16 season ranked No. 10 in the nation at 160 pounds, and also was a first-team all-state selection at quarterback on the football field last fall. Romero projects to compete as a 174/184 for the Buckeyes.

Brett Pfarr celebrates after winning his third-place match at the NCAAs (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine) MANHEIM, Pa. -- All-Americans Brett Pfarr of Minnesota and Brett Harner of Princeton have been confirmed to compete against one another at 197 pounds at 51st annual NWCA All-Star Classic on November 5 at Cleveland State University's Wolstein Center. The event, presented by The Brewer-Garrett Company and hosted by the Wrestlers in Business Network, has served as the major kick-off event for the wrestling season since becoming and early-season event. In 2012, the event moved to the first weekend of the major college wrestling calendar and has been a fixture ever since. Pfarr capped a stellar 40-4 season with a third-place finish at the 2016 NCAA Division I Championships in New York City's Madison Square Garden. Harner finished the season 36-6 and earned All-American honors, finishing eighth at 197 pounds. The placement gave Princeton its first All-American under coach Chris Ayres and the program's first All-American since Greg Parker finished eighth in 2003 at 184 pounds. "This is a dynamic matchup that shows how great the sport of wrestling can be, no matter what type of institution," said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. "It's a great thing for our sport when we can pair an All-American wrestler from a powerhouse program from the Big Ten and an All-American from one of the nation's most prestigious academic institutions. They also like to score points. They combined for 45 bonus victories last year." Pfarr's length and ability on top leads to buckets of points, as evidenced by his 18 major decisions a year ago. It was also the largest number of major decisions by a Gopher wrestler in over 20 years. Harner's 15 bonus victories included two falls at the NCAA championships. A native of LeSueur, Minn., Pfarr won a state championship as a senior at LeSueur Henderson High School and collected 191 victories in high school. Harner is a Norristown, Pa., native where he was a four-time state placewinner, finishing second as a senior. Harner's EIWA championship last season was the first by a Princeton wrestler since Parker in 2003. Pfarr enters with an 89-19 career record, while Harner is 92-28. Pfarr will make Minnesota's 34th individual appearance in the All-Star Classic. Gopher wrestlers are 15-17-1 lifetime in the event with Scott Schiller earning the last victory in the event, an overtime win over Missouri's J'den Cox in November of 2014. The two have not met during their college careers. Harner is Princeton's third-ever wrestler to appear in the event and the first Tiger since 1985. He's also looking to become the first Princeton wrestler to win a match in the main event. Johnny Orr fell to Iowa State's Joe Gibbons 7-3 in 1985 at Utah State University. The only other Princeton appearance came in 1972 when Iowa State's Ben Peterson topped Princeton's Emil Deliere by injury default. 2016 NWCA All-Star Classic Presented by The Brewer-Garrett Company Hosted by the Wrestlers in Business Network November 5, 2016 - Wolstein Center, Cleveland State University Time: Showcase Matches 6 p.m.; Main Event 7 p.m. Tickets: $15 GA, $100 Preferred Seating/Social. Group options available. Tickets available at www.goallstarclassic.com or Wolstein Center Box Office ( 844-407-2279) or Northeast Ohio Discount Drug Marts. Streaming: Trackwrestling.com Officially Announced Matchups 125: 133: 141: 149: 157: 165: Isaac Jordan, Sr. (Wisconsin) vs. Daniel Lewis, So. (Missouri) 174: 184: Gabe Dean, Sr. (Cornell) vs. Myles Martin, So. (Ohio State) 197: Brett Pfarr, Sr. (Minnesota) vs. Brett Harner, Sr. (Princeton) 285: Ty Walz, Sr. (Virginia Tech) vs. Connor Medbery, Sr. (Wisconsin) About the National Wrestling Coaches Association The National Wrestling Coaches Association, established in 1928, is a non-profit organization for the advancement of all levels of the sport of wrestling with a primary emphasis on developing coaches who work in academic environments. The membership embraces all people interested in amateur wrestling. The three core competencies of the NWCA are: coaching development, student-athlete welfare, and the promotion of wrestling. About Wrestlers in Business Network (WIBN) Wrestlers in Business Network is a registered 501 C-3 that strives to unite the thousands of wrestlers that have graduated from the sport and are now in their respective careers. Our mission is to build a community that serves as a platform to connect our members and facilitate business and job opportunities across the nation by leveraging a talent rich pipeline of wrestling alumni, with the ultimate byproduct of increasing reinvestment back to the sport. Wrestlersinbusinness.org

Jordan Burroughs at the 2016 Olympic Games (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Jordan Burroughs, 2012 Olympic gold medalist, has written a letter to the sport that has been the focus of his life for nearly a quarter-century which some may consider a retirement letter. Burroughs' letter titled "Dear Wrestling" was posted at his JordanBurroughs.com blog Tuesday. "Let me start by saying that I love you, still," is how the man whose Twitter ID is @allIseeisgold opens his letter to wrestling. "Although our most recent encounter could be described as anything but pleasant, I couldn't imagine my life without you. As you probably already know, these last few weeks have been difficult for me. You have a way of humbling even the most confident men. I thought I had come close to perfecting you, but here I stand corrected. Until August 19, my best had always been enough, and then all of a sudden it wasn't. That's the nature of sports. Someone once told me that the reaction associated with a loss is tangible to how much you've invested into attaining whatever you failed to gain." Burroughs then mentions his two losses in one day at the 2016 Rio Olympics six weeks ago which denied him a second Olympic gold medal… then continues: "I feared it...it happened...and now I face it. But Wrestling, please don't let my pain stay too long. I've got a family, friends and fans that needs me back. I'm sitting down at my computer to write to you. I'm spilling everything that I need to say to you into this keyboard, in hopes of capturing these feelings, bottling them up and leaving them within the contents of this letter." The two-time NCAA champ for the University of Nebraska compares and contrasts his two journeys home from his Olympic experiences. After winning gold in London in 2012, Burroughs recalls, "I was flown directly from the UK to Los Angeles to make an appearance on the Jay Leno Show. There were first pitches and parades, and a gold medal that the entire world wanted to get their hands on. Not this time." Burroughs' after-Rio odyssey involved three flights and nearly 20 hours in the air… only to arrive in Lincoln, Neb. in solitude to a quiet airport like any other traveler coming to Nebraska for business or to visit relatives. No fans. No fanfare. Burroughs then writes about his long relationship with the sport, and all that it has done for him -- beyond a gold medal and product endorsements and fame -- to help him find purpose, to make friends. "This was always a mutually-beneficial relationship, until now," Burroughs continues. "Carrying us this far has wore me down. 'Heavy is the head that wears the crown,' they say. And you snatched my crown without my permission. You took years to turn me into a superhero, and then just at the peak of my powers you took six minutes to make me human again." Burroughs concludes his Dear Wrestling letter thusly: "So as I consider our relationship, Wrestling, I'm finding solace in being who I am without my singlet. I'm waking up early not to rush to practice, but to make breakfast for my family. I'm driving my car past the wrestling room to take my son to gymnastics class. I just need some time to heal. I hope you understand. It's not you. It's me. I need a fresh perspective, and if I hurry back to you I'll be sacrificing this opportunity to grow. When you stop seeing gold, you gain the clarity to see life's true treasures. Maybe I'll see ya around. Maybe." Since that late August day in Rio de Janeiro when his dream of that second Olympic gold medal was dashed, Jordan Burroughs has been confronted with conflicting emotions. "It's a tough day. I had a lot of expectations coming here. I wanted to win. I knew I was capable of winning. Sometimes things don't go according to plan," Burroughs said immediately after being denied another Olympic championship. "I had a lot of expectations coming in here. I wanted to win. I knew I was capable of winning. Sometimes things don't go according to plan. I am a man of faith. Something good will come out of this. It is difficult. I lost a lot of things today. But my integrity and my character remain. I am hoping I can go back, re-evaluate my career, my abilities and what I did wrong today. I have a lot to work on." "I love the sport of wrestling because it is a testament of your growth, what you are capable of, what you can do as a man. And as nervous and afraid as I was coming into this tournament, I was equally as confident and prepared. I have always made my goals public. The hard thing about being an Olympian is that your failures are public, too," Burroughs concluded. By contrast, just one month after the Olympics, the 28-year-old Burroughs experienced the validation and love of his hometown as his prep alma mater, Winslow Township High School in New Jersey, honored him by putting his name on its gym. "You think about all the hours I spent in this gymnasium where you had a dream but you hadn't accomplished anything," said the honoree during a speech in the newly dedicated Jordan Burroughs Gymnasium. "We truly worked our butts off in hopes of something great, in hopes of accomplishing something good. "You have all these delusions of grandeur and you watch TV, you spend time on social media and you see these amazing athletes from these wonderful places. You dream that it will be you, but you never believe that it actually will be." Reading Jordan Burroughs' "Dear Wrestling" letter -- and his comments at among the lowest and highest moments of his life, all in the past few weeks -- one can't help but think of a speech from Russ Hellickson -- long-time coach at Ohio State and himself an Olympic wrestler -- titled "I Am Wrestling! Do Not Weep for Me!" Here's just one portion: "I am Wrestling! Do not weep for me!! "Weep for those who will never experience me. "Weep for those who will never feel the exhausting pain of my training, "Weep for those who will never sense the bond of Camaraderie that once established, will never wane or die. "Weep for those who will never comprehend the demands of my discipline "And most of all, Weep for those poor souls who will never miss me, because they never knew me."