InterMat Staff

Minnesota's Lucas Jeske reached the Junior National freestyle finals in Fargo at 160 pounds before falling to Oklahoma's Joe Smith (Photo/David Peterson)Each day during the coming week, one grade level per day, InterMat will present its end of summer grade rankings update. These updated InterMat grade rankings powered by Flips Wrestling react to the major happenings since the last update that occurred in late June right after the completion of the Cadet National Duals. Major events since then include the AAU Scholastic Duals at Disney, the Junior National Duals, and Fargo (i.e. the Cadet and Junior National Championships). First off, it is the rising senior group, the top 100 rankings for the Class of 2016. Five new wrestlers jump into the rankings after most excellent showings in Fargo. That group is led by a pair of Junior National freestyle runners-up in No. 55 Lucas Jeske (St. Michael-Albertville, Minn.) and No. 56 Evan Wick (San Marino, Calif.). Additional newcomers include No. 61 Travis Piotrowski (Prairie Ridge, Ill.), third in Junior freestyle; No. 82 Requir van der Merwe (Blair Academy, N.J.), fourth in Junior freestyle; and No. 90 Matthew Schmitt (Platte County, Mo.), runner-up in Junior Greco-Roman and sixth in Junior freestyle. Two wrestlers who competed in the 285-pound weight class at the Junior Nationals in Fargo each make 31 spot jumps within the Class of 2016. Osawaru Odighizuwa (David Douglas, Ore.) ascends to No. 8 from No. 39 after winning the title in freestyle, and finishing third in Greco-Roman; while Carter Isley (Albia, Iowa) moves up to No. 48 from No. 79 after a runner-up finish in Greco-Roman was followed up by fifth place in freestyle. Each is also a star athlete on the football field, with Odighizuwa a verbal commit to UCLA to play on the defensive line, and Isley the leading rusher in all of Iowa Class 2A during the 2014 season. Others to see double digit ascendancies with their ranking include Taylor LaMont (Maple Mountain, Utah), Kyle Bierdumpfel (Don Bosco Prep, N.J.), Owen Webster (Owatonna, Minn.), Elijah Cleary (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.), and Jack Harris (Urbana, Ohio). LaMont was a Junior National double finalist in Fargo, winning the freestyle title after finishing second in Greco-Roman; Bierdumpfel placed fourth in Junior freestyle; Webster was a sixth in Junior freestyle, after going undefeated at Junior Duals; Cleary was an excellent 10-2 at the Disney Duals, including one win over a wrestler ranked ahead of him in the Class of 2016 at present; while Harris placed third in Junior freestyle. The top six wrestlers in the Class of 2016 remain unchanged. Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.) leads the way, with Nick Suriano (Bergen Catholic, N.J.), Alex Marinelli (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), Isaiah White (Oak Park River Forest, Ill.), and Chad Red (New Palestine, Ind.) rounding out the top five. Junior National double finalist Jordan Wood (Boyertown, Pa.), who won a title in the freestyle competition, is ranked sixth. View Top 100 Seniors

Former college wrestlers Jared Rosholt and Derek Brunson came out winners, while Olympian Sara McMann was the victim of a rear-naked choke, in their matches at UFC Fight Night 73 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville Saturday night. Jared RosholtRosholt, a three-time NCAA Division I All-American at Oklahoma State, earned a unanimous decision over Timothy Johnson in their main-card heavyweight match-up in Music City. The former Cowboy big man received 29-28 scores from all three judges ... but he had a bit of a scare towards the end of the third and final round. "Rosholt assumed top position in all three rounds -- he briefly achieved full mount in the first -- and neutralized the North Dakota-based Minnesotan with control, sporadic strikes and the occasional submission attempt," according to MMA website Sherdog.com. "Fatigue took hold in round three, opening a window of opportunity for Johnson. He had Rosholt on the run with a series of clubbing punches late in the frame but secured an ill-advised takedown, which allowed 'The Big Show' to weather the storm and bleed the remaining seconds off the clock." "In the waning seconds of a slow, and mostly one-sided heavyweight fight, Timothy Johnson seemingly found himself within one or two clean punches of knocking Jared Rosholt out to complete a violent comeback effort," reported MMAJunkie.com. "Instead, Rosholt survived the late blitz by Johnson." With the win, Rosholt is now 13-2 overall in MMA, and 5-1 in UFC, while Johnson drops to 9-2 in his MMA career, and 1-1 in UFC. Brunson, a three-time NCAA Division II All-American at University of North Carolina at Pembroke, knocked out Sam Alvey at 2:19 of the first round of their main-card middleweight bout. "Brunson bullied into the clinch and delivered punches in tight spaces, giving the former Maximum Fighting Championship titleholder no room to operate," according to Sherdog.com. "Alvey broke away, only to be met with a seemingly endless volley of power punches from the North Carolinian. He eventually collapsed on all fours and did not defend himself sufficiently enough to satisfy referee Mario Yamasaki. Alvey protested the stoppage, to no avail." (Media reports indicate that the crowd agreed with Alvey, and booed the decision to end the bout.) With the win, Brunson is now 14-3 in his MMA career, and 5-1 in UFC; Alvey drops to 26-7 overall, and 3-2 in UFC. Sara McMann suffered her third loss in four fights as the 2004 Olympic silver medal-winning freestyle wrestler tapped out in her bantamweight bout, suffering a rear-naked choke submission at the hands of Amanda Nunes at 2:53 of the first round. "A lapse in defense provided Amanda Nunes the opening she needed to take out onetime title challenger Sara McMann," according to MMAJunkie.com. "When McMann let her guard down momentarily after a missed leg kick, Nunes greeted her with a big right hand that set up a submission finish." Sherdog.com served up a bit more detailed account of McMann's demise: "Nunes peppered the Olympian with clean, accurate punches on the feet and shut down her takedown game with surprising ease. McMann grew increasingly desperate. Nunes countered a leg kick with a three-punch combination -- a wicked right hand set off the quick burst -- that drove McMann to her knees. The Brazilian then climbed to half guard, advanced to the back, softened McMann with punches and cinched the choke." McMann -- whose last UFC win was almost exactly one year ago -- drops to 8-3 overall, and 2-3 in UFC; Nunes now sports an overall record of 11-4, and 4-1 in UFC. In preliminary-round action, Chris Dempsey, who wrestled at University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown, was knocked out at 50 seconds into the first round of his light-heavyweight fight by an unbeaten Jonathan Wilson. Dempsey had stepped in to replace an injured Jared Cannonier. Here's how Sherdog.com described the brief bout: “Wilson did not waste time. The former Gladiator Challenge champion got Dempsey's attention with two straight lefts, drew him back to the center of the cage and uncorked another. The Pennsylvanian collapsed to the canvas upon impact and absorbed a pair of savage hammerfists from Wilson before referee John McCarthy could intervene.” Dempsey falls to 11-3 overall, and is now 1-2 in UFC, while Wilson remains perfect at 7-0 overall, and chalks up his first UFC win.

The new shape of opportunity for former college wrestlers is no longer limited to the squared circle of the pro wrestling ring, or the Octagon of mixed martial arts, but, for some, may well be an oval or tri-oval ... as in the shape of a NASCAR race track, and a job working in the pit crew for a top driver. Roman PerrymanRoman Perryman, who just completed his mat career at West Virginia University, is making that move, as he transitions into a new opportunity with the Hendrick Motorsports pit crew, the official website for Mountaineer wrestling revealed Thursday. Hendrick Motorsports has long recruited former NCAA student-athletes to join its pit crews. One of their recruiters contacted WVU strength and conditioning coach Tanner Kolb, who passed along Perryman's name. Along with a number of former football players, baseball players and fellow wrestlers, Perryman headed to Charlotte this May to compete for one of eight spots on the Hendrick team. It's a two-step process. First, Perryman was put through a workout similar to the NFL combine, where participants demonstrated their athletic abilities through a series of physical tests, including vertical jump, bench press, sprints and more. A few days after completing the combine, Perryman was invited back to a two-day camp that put participants in the garage. "We started with specific individual drills and finished together doing a full, four-tire pit stop," said Perryman. "Prior to this opportunity, my main experience with cars was riding shotgun. I'm essentially going from no car to NASCAR. I think it might work to my advantage. With no predispositions, they can mold me into exactly what they're look for." After completing the tryout, Perryman was offered a five-year contract as a tire changer, one of just eight people to be offered a position with the Hendrick team. The Springfield, Va. native will re-locate to the Charlotte area this fall to learn all the ins and outs of being a member of a big-time NASCAR pit crew. "First, I have to learn my trade," said Perryman. "Once Hendrick feels that I'm ready, my first time over the wall in a race will be in the NASCAR Truck Series. As I continue to become faster and more efficient, I'll have the opportunity to work my way into the Xfinity Series and ultimately to the Sprint Cup, which is the pinnacle of NASCAR." West Virginia head coach Sammie Henson is confident Perryman has the temperament to do well in NASCAR, having asked his wrestler to make the sacrifice for the team last season by dropping down from 157 pounds into an opening at 149. Perryman made it to the finals at the 2015 Big 12 Conference Championships, losing a close decision. "Roman epitomizes what WVU wrestling is about," Henson said. "Sacrifice, dedication and commitment to the process of being the best. He is a true team player, and I have no doubt he will be a rock star for Hendrick Motorsports." Hendrick appears to be seeing the strengths that former college wrestlers can bring to its pit crews - physical strength, balance, speed, and a work ethic second to none. Just last month, InterMat profiled Alex Polizzi, recent Northwestern grad, who was about to head to Charlotte for his final test in the qualifying process. Last year, the Pitt wrestling website trumpeted that a trio of former Panther wrestlers -- Matt Wilps, Donnie Tasser and Zac Thomusseitt -- had joined the Hendricks Motorsports development program. As Deven Dittrich, former wrestler and long-time coach who is also a NASCAR fan -- and has recommended individual wrestlers to Hendrick's Pit Crew Athlete Development Program, told InterMat, "I am hoping that a by-product of all of these stud wrestlers on pit crews will be four-fold. First, that it can bring higher-quality coaching at wrestling clubs in the Charlotte area. Second, that NASCAR will bring media attention to amateur wrestling to the southeastern US, while a NASCAR hotbed, has been historically soft spot for amateur wrestling. Third, that USA Wrestling will find a way to piggy back off the good publicity generated by these wrestlers in mainstream media, and, finally, a new high-paying career opportunity for wrestlers so that they can help donate to fundraising efforts of their former college programs that helped them get this job."

You've undoubtedly heard of bucket lists -- a list of things to do, must-see places to visit in your lifetime. As a wrestling fan, which items would you include on your wrestling bucket list? It's a question that Matt Krumrie -- wrestling writer and author of "The Ultimate Guide to Wrestling Camps" -- took on in a feature article for USA Wrestling Thursday. Jordan Burroughs stands atop the podium after winning an Olympic gold medal in London (Photo/Andrew Hipps)"Naturally, there are essentials that every wrestling fan must see and do," said Kyle Klingman, Director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum in Waterloo, Iowa. "Each item on the bucket list should be an experience -- something that you will remember and carry with you." The list that Krumrie created is chock-full of major wrestling events, must-see sites, and books and movies that wrestling fans should experience for themselves. At the top of the list of events no wrestling fan should miss is the Summer Olympics. Kerry McCoy, two-time Olympic wrestler who is now head coach at University of Maryland, said, "I am very fortunate to say that I have been able to attend the last five summer Olympic games and currently making plans for the sixth. If you have the means to get to the Olympics, definitely do it." For college wrestling aficionados, if you haven't been to a NCAA Wrestling Championships, be sure to add that tournament to your must-see bucket list. And… to witness some of the best high school mat talent before they become tomorrow's college stars, many experts say the Iowa State High School Wrestling Championships is tops. "For those who have a chance and can get a ticket, the finals of the Iowa state championships are incredible," said Jim Nelson, sportswriter for the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, who has covered 21 consecutive state tournaments. "The Grand March sends chills down my spine every year. Like Minnesota for hockey, Indiana for basketball and Texas for football, the wrestling finals in Iowa are definitely special." Another fun idea for collegiate mat fans is to experience the oldest and greatest sport in some of the nation's iconic wrestling venues, such as Gallagher-Iba Arena at Oklahoma State, Penn State's Rec Hall, and Carver-Hawkeye at University of Iowa, to name a few. Even better: schedule your visit when the home squad is hosting one of its fiercest rivals for a truly amped-up experience. For wrestling fans seeking new adventures, Matt Krumrie's bucket-list recommendations can't be beat. And… if you've got lots of time on your hands, check out InterMat's Wrestling Road Trip feature from a few years ago, featuring a number of wrestling landmarks all across America.

Zack Rey, a runner-up at the U.S. Open and U.S. World Team Trials, will replace Tervel Dlagnev at the World Championships next month in Las Vegas at 125 kilos in men's freestyle. Zack Rey finished runner-up to Tervel Dlagnev at the U.S. World Team Trials (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Dlganev, a two-time world bronze medalist, suffered an injury and is unable to compete. Dlagnev tweeted the following on Sunday: "Thank you for all the support. It has been a tough year dealing with injury. I want to apologize to everyone who made plans to come watch me at the world championships. I pushed as far as I could but God had other plans. Praise the Lord because this has to be the best thing for me. Don't know how but I do know God and that He has my life secured. Lord willing I'll be back better than ever." This year Rey won a gold medal at the Cerro Pelado International in Cuba and finished third at the Alexander Medved International in Belarus. He was also a member of Team USA for the World Cup this year.

Bradley Glass, 1951 NCAA heavyweight champ for Princeton University, passed away Thursday, Aug. 6 at the Crestridge Memory Care Unit in Dodgeville, Wis. He was 84. Born in Evanston, Ill. in Jan. 1931, Bradley McConnell Glass made a name for himself on the wrestling mat in high school and college. Glass wrestled at New Trier High School in suburban Chicago, where he was a teammate of Donald Rumsfeld, future Secretary of Defense for both President Gerald Ford and President George W. Bush. While at New Trier, Glass won the heavyweight title at the 1947 Illinois high school state wrestling championships. Bradley GlassGlass continued his academic and athletic career at Princeton. While at the New Jersey-based Ivy League school, Glass won the 1951 EIWA (Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association) heavyweight title (called unlimited at that time), defeating Homer Barr of Penn State in Barr's home gym, 2-1… then, a couple weeks later, Glass claimed the crown in the same weight class at the 1951 NCAA Wrestling Championships at Lehigh University, again defeating Barr in the finals to become the Tigers' first -- and only -- NCAA mat champ. The following year, Glass won his second EIWA heavyweight title, then at the 1952 NCAAs, dropped down to 191 pounds, where he earned All-American honors by placing third in that weight class. According to his bio as a member of the EIWA Hall of Fame, Glass never lost a dual meet as a Princeton Tiger. While at Princeton, Glass also earned three letters in football, and was chosen a Grantland Rice All-American at guard in 1950. In addition, Glass participated in the 1952 and 1956 U.S. Olympic Trials. Later, while in the Navy in 1956, he tried out for the Olympic wrestling team. He missed the opportunity to represent the United States at the 1956 Melbourne Games by a single match and was the Olympic Alternate for that spot, according to his obituary. After graduating from Princeton in 1953, Glass joined the Navy and was a member of the Underwater Demolition Team (U.D.T.) now called the Navy Seals. Glass continued his education and involvement in wrestling at the University of Michigan, where he enrolled in their School of Law. While at Ann Arbor, Glass found time to serve as an assistant wrestling coach, working with legendary Wolverine head coach Cliff Keen, during the 1956-57 season. Glass married Barbara Becker in 1953, and the two raised three sons in Northfield, Ill. as Glass practiced law in Chicago, Northfield and Palatine, Ill. In addition, Glass served as a Representative and then a Senator in the Illinois Legislature for a total of eight years in the 1970s. Brad and Barbara Glass moved to southwest Wisconsin in 1987, where he practiced law with Bob Jackson, in Dodgeville, and, according to his obituary, served as attorney for the City of Dodgeville. The Glasses were active environmentalists, restoring and developing prairies on their land between Dodgeville and Spring Green, and participating in the Prairie Enthusiasts. Brad Glass also enjoyed canoeing and canoe racing, camping, cross country skiing and reading. Brad finished ten American Birkenbeiner cross country ski races. In addition, he served terms as president of the local Habitat for Humanity and Kiwanis, and on the boards of the Wisconsin Riverway and Driftless Area Land Conservancy. Brad Glass is survived by his wife Barbara, sons Charles, David, and George, along with six grandchildren, and two brothers. A Memorial Service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Central on Saturday, Aug. 15, 2015 at the Glass home in Spring Green, Wis. A reception will be held after services. The family suggests that in lieu of flowers, memorials be given to the Driftless Area Land Conservancy, 118 S. Iowa Street, Dodgeville, WI 53588.

Junior National double champion Louie Hayes (Carl Sandburg, Ill.) became the third member of the University of Virginia recruiting haul for the Class of 2016. He won both Greco-Roman and freestyle titles at 106 pounds last month in Fargo, after finishing as a state runner-up during the high school season at that weight class. Hayes joins top 100 rising senior Michael Murphy (The Baylor School, Tenn.) and two-time state placer Jake Shaffer (Greater Latrobe, Pa.) as Cavaliers verbal commitments to the 2016 recruiting class.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Brandon Hatchett, a former NCAA finalist at Lehigh University and assistant coach at Cal Poly, will assume the same position on the Northwestern wrestling staff, head coach Drew Pariano announced Saturday. Hatchett was a two-time NCAA All-American at Lehigh and won three Florida state championships while in high school. He served as an assistant at Cal Poly the last two seasons. “Brandon made it evident that he wanted to ensure the values that we embrace at Northwestern: the relentless pursuit of excellence in the classroom and in competition,” said Pariano. “I am confident that his loyalty and selflessness will help our program as we continue to strive for championships.” Hatchett finished his Lehigh career in 2012 after compiling a 74-29 record for the Mountain Hawks. He won the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association title at 165 lbs. in 2012 and was the national runner-up that same season. He finished seventh at the NCAA championships in 2011. “The culture that the Northwestern staff has cultivated is one that breeds success and really captures what it means to be a student-athlete,” Hatchett said. “It is important for athletes to be well-rounded. I am honored to be part of the Northwestern family and wish to add to it in every way that I can.” Hatchett brings an outstanding academic, athletic and community service resume to Northwestern. At Oviedo High School in Winter Springs, Fla., Hatchett won the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award for the state of Florida, which is presented by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and based on excellence in wrestling, scholastic achievement, citizenship and community service. He was a four-year letterwinner at Lehigh and a team captain where he was coached by two-time NCAA champion Pat Santoro. Hatchett was actively engaged with community service activities and wrestling club functions with fans and alums. Hatchett was a Fargo All-American in freestyle and Greco-Roman and a FILA Cadet All-American. Hatchett graduated from Lehigh University in 2013 with a degree in architecture.

Last week's teaser on Twitter concerning an outdoor dual meet at University of Iowa's football stadium proved to be true, as the school's wrestling program confirmed it would be hosting Oklahoma State outside at Kinnick Stadium in mid-November, the Hawkeyes announced Thursday ... with implications for college wrestling that go far beyond Iowa City. Grapple on the Gridiron takes place Nov. 14 at Kinnick Stadium (Photo/(Brian Ray/hawkeyesports.com)The original teaser tweet on @Hawks_Wrestling with a visual that featured the date 11.14.15 with the lines of a football field in the background -- all with the idea of breaking a dual attendance record now held by Penn State -- is now "Grapple on the Gridiron" to be held Saturday, Nov. 14 at 11 a.m. Central. That's well ahead of the previously-scheduled 7 p.m. Hawkeye football game vs. Minnesota, which led to earlier speculation the al fresco wrestling event would feature Iowa vs. the Golden Gophers. Instead, the Oklahoma State Cowboys will be invading Kinnick for this unique college wrestling event, the kickoff (pun intended) for the season for both storied wrestling programs. Now, for some details. The mat will be positioned at the south end of the field, but won't be elevated, according to the Iowa sports website BlackHeartGoldPants.com. (Too difficult to construct then tear down an elevated platform on the day of a football game, according to Iowa Athletic Director Gary Barta.) Tickets will be first made available to those who purchase season ticket packages, starting today. If there are any left available, individual tickets will be $10 each. If the weather becomes a problem -- after all, the average high in Iowa City in mid-November is 51 degrees -- there are contingency plans to let the first 15,000 ticket purchasers into Carver-Hawkeye Arena; others will be allowed to swap their Iowa-Oklahoma State ticket for any other Hawkeye home dual. As you can imagine, this groundbreaking, news-making event didn't all come together in the week since that initial tweet. It took months to put together, Iowa wrestling coach Tom Brands said in USA TODAY, but it's an idea that's been inside his head for seven years. "I said to our staff, 'If this gets broken again, we're going to Kinnick,'" said Brands, referring to the dual-meet record which Iowa had held for much of the past decade, until Penn State set the current record at its Bryce Jordan Arena vs. University of Pittsburgh in Dec. 2013. "I called (Oklahoma State Coach) John Smith and he was on board immediately," Brands told Mike Hlas of the Cedar Rapids Gazette. "It wasn't 'What are you talking about, wait a minute, let me get this straight.' It was 'We're in.' He's about doing this for wrestling." "Oklahoma State and Iowa is a historical match. It's got a lot of excitement to it," said Smith in the press statement issued by his school. "We usually wrestle it in January, and Coach (Tom) Brands called and said he wanted to change the date and put it on the football field. I said, 'Let's do it.' It's a rarity to open up our season with one of the better teams in the country. I think it's something that will be fun." What this means for college wrestling The impact of the Iowa-Oklahoma State "Grapple on the Gridiron" outdoor dual meet this November will spread well beyond Iowa City. After all, it's the first NCAA dual to be held in a football stadium ... clearly calculated to break the attendance record. (Kinnick Stadium has a seating capacity of just over 70,000. That makes it possible for far more individuals to see a college wrestling event than ever before.) Outdoor amateur wrestling events are nothing new; they have been held by colleges in Arizona, California and other warm-weather locations for decades. That said, while there was Salsa on the Square USA vs. Cuba freestyle/Greco dual in New York City's Times Square earlier this year, and Melee 'til Midnight, an outdoor high school wrestling tournament held each June on a high school football field in Vienna, Va., "taking it outside" in a place in a more northern part of the country such as Iowa in November is still incredibly rare, and, therefore, sure to lead to additional national media coverage for wrestling. Don't underestimate the media-drawing power of "Grapple on the Gridiron" in purely collegiate sports terms, either. The two programs represent two of the pre-eminent college sports conferences: Iowa, the Big Ten ... and Oklahoma State for the Big 12. What's more, it's a meeting of the two all-time great college wrestling programs. Oklahoma State has 34 NCAA team titles, while Iowa has 23. Together, the Cowboys and Hawkeyes own fully two-thirds of those national team crowns. If the coverage of last week's 11.14.15 teaser posted on Twitter -- and Thursday's official announcement -- is any indicator, the media will be all over "Grapple at the Gridiron" in the days leading up to the event ... and in reporting the results. Reporting on the initial rumor went as far as to make The Guardian, one of the major daily newspapers in London ... thousands of miles away from Iowa. As for coverage of this week's actual announcement, the news of the out-of-doors Iowa-Oklahoma State dual has been well-reported by TV stations and major newspapers within the home states of the two combatants, as well as in wire-service reports disseminated into states where college wrestling is not a major factor. Even USA Today -- the national newspaper that is often called out for its lack of coverage of the NCAA Wrestling Championships -- featured a story trumpeting the event. And, not to put a political spin on things, but ... one can imagine additional media attention for "Grapple on the Gridiron" simply because it's being held in the state of Iowa, which is already in the media crosshairs because of the state's first-in-the-nation caucuses for the 2016 US presidential election early next year. The Iowa-Oklahoma State dual will be almost exactly one year in advance of the 2016 elections ... and it would not be beyond the realm of possibility that a Presidential primary contender or two (or more) might find their way to the University of Iowa on that mid-November 2015 Saturday afternoon. Beyond media coverage, "Grapple on the Gridiron" appears to be generating an overall positive response in online amateur wrestling forums, indicating a wider buy-in from the college wrestling community. "Wrestling subculture can be a cynical place," wrote T.R. Foley in his "Foley's Friday Mailbag" feature at InterMat Friday. "But with the Iowa-Oklahoma State dual everyone wins. We can all agree on the importance of the moment and the potential impact on the sport. This is a bright moment. A big moment. Thank you, Iowa. Thank you, Oklahoma State. And thank you, wrestling community. We deserve this."

Mark Hall works to finish a single leg on Luke Norland of Jackson County Central in the finals of the Minnesota Christmas Tournament (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)Apple Valley wrestler Mark Hall has been recognized in USA TODAY's "60 for '16" -- a feature profiling the nation's top high school athletes in the Class of 2016. Hall is one of 20 athletes under consideration for the No. 1 ranking in the Class of 2016. Readers have been asked to vote on the No. 1 athlete in the class. To vote, click on the link below. Vote for top athlete to watch in Class of 2016 Hall was the 2015 InterMat High School Wrestler of the Year. He is a five-time Minnesota state champion. Last summer Hall won a Cadet World title in freestyle. Hall earned a spot on this year's Junior World Team in freestyle after winning the Junior World Team Trials in June. He will compete in the UWW Junior World Championships next week in Salvador, Brazil.

LEXINGTON, Va. -- Virginia Military Institute head wrestling coach Chris Skretkowicz announced Friday morning the hiring of Ty Prazma as assistant coach of the wrestling program. Prazma joins the coaching staff after a stellar wrestling career at the University of Missouri, where he wrestled at the 165-pound weight class from 2010-15 and amassed 83 career victories on a squad consistently ranked in the Top 10. Competing at the highest level of NCAA Division I wrestling, he came in sixth place at the 2014 Midlands Championships and achieved varsity letterman status during the 2012-13 and 2014-15 seasons. "I am extremely excited to have Ty join the VMI wrestling family," said head coach Chris Skretkowicz. "Ty's academic and wrestling success at Missouri, as well as his knowledge in sports psychology, made him a top candidate for the position. I am looking forward to working with him to bring VMI wrestling to the next level." The Granite City, Illinois, native served as a Tigerstyle Wrestling Camp counselor every summer from 2011-2014 for Missouri head coach Brian Smith and was named the assistant to the program's Director of Operations in the summer of 2014. Some of his responsibilities included communicating with potential donors for the program and registering participants for summer camps. Prazma earned a master's degree in educational and counseling psychology with an emphasis in positive coaching in the summer of 2015 from the University of Missouri. He earned his bachelor's degree in parks, recreation and tourism with an emphasis in sport management in 2014. An excellent student, Prazma was named to the Big 12 Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll from 2010-12, the dean's list, and to the 2014-15 Academic All-MAC team. He was also given a MAC Presidential award for accumulating at least a 3.5 GPA in graduate coursework, and was named one of 28 student-athletes at the university to Three Stripes Club in recognition for high performance in academics, athletics and society.

In what could be the most important dual meet in NCAA history, Oklahoma State Cowboys has agreed to wrestle Iowa on November 14 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City. The match will almost certainly become the most well-attended college wrestling match in history and could become one of the most well-attended single-day wrestling events in history. There are some obvious caveats when it comes to establishing world records, but those aside, this idea is the most original -- and gutsy -- in the history of the sport. Spectacle sells, but it's always difficult to know just how much to utilize in selling an event. Where there was previously an explosion of individual matchups in Agon and Flo Premier League, this is a team matchup in a spectacular setting that is certain to draw media. Though weather will almost certainly be a factor, it seems that the coaches and administrations for both schools felt this was a surmountable problem. That Tom Brands and John Smith were able to pull this off -- or go along without major protest -- is a testament to their commitment and love for the sport. Wrestling subculture can be a cynical place. Politics at the local level can frustrate young wrestlers and their families. There are competitive jealousies, longstanding rivalries and all types of mini-dramas among competitive parties. But with the Iowa-Oklahoma State dual everyone wins. We can all agree on the importance of the moment and the potential impact on the sport. This is a bright moment. A big moment. Thank you, Iowa. Thank you, Oklahoma State. And thank you, wrestling community. We deserve this. To your questions … Q: The U.S. is sending a strong team to the Junior Worlds in freestyle that includes Mark Hall, Aaron Pico, Joey McKenna, Spencer Lee, Stevan Micic and Zahid Valencia. How many gold medals are you predicting for the U.S. in the eight weight classes? How many medals? -- Mike C. Foley: The American junior team is talented and given competitive draws they should come back with at least four medals among the six wrestlers you mentioned. There is an opportunity for more, but you have to remember that the junior level wrestlers on the international circuit are NOT in high school or college. Most are on club teams and they compete year-round alongside the senior level wrestlers. There are starters on the Russian team and the Iranian team who only a year ago were at the junior level. Russian monster Abdulrashid Sadulaev was a Cadet in 2013 and is now an undefeated defending world champion at the senior level. This group does represent a bright future for the Stars and Stripes and I think that when all the bags are packed you'll see two gold medals coming home, which is a monster haul for such a competitive tournament. Q: Please give us a little more detail regarding scholarships at big-time programs. I'm sure it varies from program to program, but walk us through how the 9.9 might be divided up in a leading program. Do All-Americans always get full rides? National champs? Do they combine academic scholarships, financial and athletic awards? How does it work? -- Bryan R. Foley: This is a big question, but I'll do my best to break it down and give some insights. First, very few graduating wrestlers are given a 1.0 allotment of scholarship. More likely the coaches and administration will ask that they pay some small portion, which will then allow the schools to recruit even more talent. For example, the nation's No. 25 overall recruit goes to Virginia Tech for a visit, wants to sign, but is offered eighty percent. Assuming he's out of state he'll be covering about $9k in costs his first year. That's a deal. Now, this wrestler has opened up .20 for the coach to allocate to another wrestler, maybe even a talented backup. If the kid on eighty percent earns All-American status then maybe he'll be bumped up to a full ride in his sophomore season. Maybe he goes to ninety percent. That's one way for schools to save money -- to make the athlete feel as though they have chips in play for the team. If they are "selfish" and want a full ride then they have to understand it will cost them quality teammates. Also, by not handing out full rides there is a real financial incentive to perform on the mat. I used the example of eighty percent for a guy in the top 25, but the more likely scenario would be sixty percent for a kid in the top 100. In addition to the scholarship angle there are a multitude of financial aid packages available to incoming athletes. Normally the only catch to these wrestlers is that they must be able to get into the university without assistance, which for some wrestlers applying to non-Ivy League programs with big endowments for financial aid (Stanford, Duke, Michigan) could be difficult. However, if they get in unassisted that money doesn't count against the total amount of scholarship. There are other tricks floating around. One is to have your athlete establish in-state residency to drop their dollar amount and then subsequently change the percentage, while maintaining the amount of money the athlete pays. One note is that if you combine financial aid with scholarship from the same school it will (normally) still count as scholarship since he was a recruited athlete. Brent Metcalf gets his hand raised after beating Jordan Oliver at the U.S. World Team Trials (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Q: How is Brent Metcalf ranked No. 2 in the latest UWW rankings? Top 20 maybe, but certainly should not be No. 2! Yes, he has some decent wins, but he has zero world medals. -- Mike C. Foley: Metcalf has been a beast this season and just knocked off Franklin Gomez. Previous World finishes don't influence this year's rankings and to be honest I think he is somewhere in the top five and will earn a medal at this year's World Championships. I actually predict he'll make the finals. Don't sleep on Metcalf. Q: With the news that Otterbein is adding wrestling, does it make sense that the growth of the sport should focus on establishing Division III, Division II, NAIA and women's programs? It seems like there is less pushback to adding these programs, and possibly they are cheaper to operate than the Division I schools. Also, has anyone ever considered (especially some of the smaller schools) having one coaching staff do the women's and men's wrestling programs? -- Nick D. Foley: I think that one coaching staff is almost certainly how these programs will need to develop at the Division I level, but not necessarily at the NAIA, Division II and Division III levels. The growth of the sport at the smaller schools is in response to a growing need to increase enrollment among colleges. Most students take out loans which are dished by the government, meaning the schools get their cash up front and the government holds the note of the loan. Because of that, smaller colleges and universities are essentially trying to market their schools to boost enrollment. If you accept and attend that means you are paying them between $20,000 and $40,000 either out-of-pocket or through loans. Either way the boost in the number of programs means that there are more wrestlers on the mats and that our community is growing. Some colleges are adding women's wrestling programs and seeing results, too. That's a positive thing, but it will still take a Division I program adding women's wrestling to help legitimize the sport in the eye of the common sports fan. Q: What's one thing about training or nutrition that you know now that you wish you would have known in college? -- Mike C. Foley: Eat a balance of protein and carbs immediately after a workout. You need to get your insulin pumping to deliver the proteins to your muscles and begin repair. I missed out on that in college and suffered the consequences. Most wrestlers at big universities now have nutritionists, which is a positive development. I'd eat WAY less processed foods and spend more time focusing on drinking water during the week before the cut. I'd also had never wrestled 157 pounds. I was way too thin and the mood swings associated with weight cutting and nutritional deficiencies wreaked havoc on my school and personal life. I weighed 195 pounds in the offseason, which meant that even the bump I made up to 165 pounds showed massive gains on the mat and also in the classroom and my personal life. If I had to do that part over again, I'd have started at 165 pounds and gradually tried to wrestle 174 pounds. Q: Looking at the success of Ronda Rousey makes me wonder if we might ever be able to get that kind of support for women's wrestling. Or does wrestling just not offer the opportunity to project the level of absolute dominance over the competition that MMA does? Also, is there any chance that there is an Olympic level women's wrestler who could give Ronda a run for her money in the cage over the next year or two? Anywhere on the globe. -- Bryan R. Foley: I think we'll see some women float into the sport after the 2016 Games and that includes many from South America and Russia. Rousey is impressive with her throws, but that won't work against the better wrestlers. Where Rousey is focusing and improving is with her hands and that is something that takes most wrestlers considerable time to master. Rousey's background in judo is very helpful in her being able to secure armbars in the cage. Against another judoka that might not be as easy, but against a wrestler unfamiliar with the ground game it will be equally devastating. However, when Ronda Rousey loses it will be to a wrestler, and that wrestler is probably not training MMA now and the loss won't happen for another four years. Q: What's a good age for a young wrestler to be concerned with winning and losing? -- Mike C. Foley: Day 1. Win you live, lose you die. RANT OF THE WEEK By Larry S. I just watched some of the matches from this year's World Team Trials. I know a month late, but I have been busy. Would someone tell these officials that Zeke Jones is now a college coach and no longer the U.S. freestyle coach. Every match that I thought the scoring was ridiculous he was the coach of the wrestler receiving the benefit of these terrible calls. Coaches Zeke Jones and John Smith give instruction to Jordan Oliver at the U.S. World Team Trials held in Madison, Wis. (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)One of the greatest things about wrestling over other sports is that it is among the fairest of sports. You have to win a place on the team by wrestle-offs. No coach arbitrarily gives you a position. I know that officials, like everyone, make mistakes, but holy crap! I just watched two matches in which PA kids that I always root for were both just given the matches. I love the sport, but am not privy to the politics or personalities that exist within freestyle wrestling or any wrestling for that matter. So when a casual fan can easily pick up on tainted officiating going one way, it is very obvious. If all the coaches have to wear Zeke Jones masks to assure that your wrestler gets fair shake then something is wrong. I do not know Zeke. Never met him and certainly do not have anything against him, but these men who try out for the World Team are not only training but in many cases putting their lives on hold to chase a dream. They deserve better than the officiating I just mentioned and they certainly deserve a little outrage for their efforts. They provide us with great entertainment and you with a livelihood. Well that is my every-three-years rant. If this strikes you as too absolute it is probably because in today's world everybody wants to be seen as open-minded and fair. But fair means NO CHEATING, and you do not have to have a referee's license to know that the GUY DOING THE MOVES GETS THE POINTS.

The Clash XIV organizing committee released another group of five teams that will be in the field for this year's even to be held on January 1st and 2nd of 2016 at the UCR Fieldhouse in Rochester, Minn. In sum, ten of the 32 teams have now been unveiled, with five of them finishing the 2014-15 season in the InterMat Fab50 national team rankings. Tuttle, Okla. and Mesa Mountain View, Ariz. are the two most recently released teams to have finished this past season in the Fab50 rankings, at positions No. 23 and No. 28 respectively. They join previously announced Buchanan, Calif. (No. 12 at the end of last year), St. Micahel-Albertville, Minn. (No. 21), and Glenbard North, Ill. (No. 22) in the field. Tuttle won a seventh consecutive state title this past season in Oklahoma's 4A classification. They return ten state qualifiers this coming season, nine of whom were state finalists last year. Returning state champions are Rhett Golowenski (106), Tanner Litterell (126), Beau Guffey (138), Dayton Garrett (145), and Tanner Johnson (160); Litterell and Guffey are now two-time state champions. Also returning are state runners-up Noah McQuigg (113), Brik Filippo (132), Blake Berryhill (220), and Brandon Mason (285). Mesa Mountain View won the state title for a second straight year this past season, and are also on a 70-match dual meet win streak after going 19-0 during the 2014-15 season in dual meets. The Toros placed ten wrestlers at the state tournament, five of whom were underclassmen; however, all three state finalists (with one state champion) have graduated from the program. Their highest returning state placers are a trio of wrestlers who finished third this past season: Paden Mason (120), Jerod Booth (132), and Anthony Wokasch (145). Both Tuttle and Mesa Mountain View are making their debut appearance at The Clash National Duals, which puts them in the same boat as already announced Buchanan. Two other teams in the five just announced are also debut participants – Farmington, Minn. and Washington, Ill. Farmington was a state dual meet tournament participant last year in Minnesota's big-school classification, losing in the quarterfinal round 36-25 to Prior Lake. It was their first such appearance in the 21st century. They also qualified seven individuals to the state meet, with five of them returning for the 2015-16 including state runners-up Victor Gliva (106) and Jamin LeDuc (120). Also returning is 2013 state champion Taylor Venz, who placed third at 145 pounds this past season. Washington finished as state dual meet runners-up in Illinois' Class 2A, which is the medium-school division. It was a first ever state final appearance for the Panthers. They qualified ten wrestlers to the individual state tournament, seven of whom return for this coming season; among their six state finalists, four are returning. Leading that group are returning state champions Randy Meneweather (160) and Jacob Warner (170); Meneweather is now a two-time state champion, while Warner is nationally ranked in the Class of 2016 and was a Cadet National double champion in Fargo last month. Returning state runners-up are Trey Keeley (106) and two-time UWW Cadet National champion in Greco-Roman Dack Punke (113). Rounding out the group of five unveiled is Shakopee, Minn. The Sabers made their debut in last year's edition of The Clash, where they finished second in Bracket “A” on day one, but went 0-3 in the day two round-robin of second place teams. They missed out on the state dual meet tournament each of the last two seasons, losing in the sectional final to Prior Lake on both occasions. The Sabers qualified seven to last year's state tournament, five of whom return, which does not include 2014 state placer Alex Lloyd (132). Leading the way for the Sabers are new head coach Jim Jackson, long-time leader of the Apple Valley program; nationally ranked Class of 2018 wrestler Lloyd, a Cadet Greco-Roman champion in Fargo; 2014 state champion Owen Webster, who placed fifth at 160 this past year, and is nationally ranked in the Class of 2016; as well as two-time state champion Brent Jones (120).

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The University of Iowa wrestling program opens the 2015-16 season hosting Oklahoma State in the "Grapple on the Gridiron" at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 11 a.m. (CT). The Hawkeyes and Cowboys, with a combined 57 national titles (Iowa 23, OSU 34), aim to become the first NCAA wrestling teams to compete in a Division I football stadium in NCAA history and set a new NCAA dual meet attendance record. The dual is scheduled in advance of the Iowa football team's game against Minnesota at 7 p.m. (BTN). The "Grapple on the Gridiron" is included in the Iowa wrestling season ticket package, which is available for purchase at the UI Athletic Ticket Office, online at hawkeyesports.com, or over the phone at 1-800-IA-HAWKS. Season ticket holders have the first opportunity to purchase additional single tickets to "Grapple on the Gridiron." General public tickets are available Oct. 1, 2015. Seating is reserved. The first 15,000 tickets sold will have reserved seating at Carver-Hawkeye Arena should the dual move indoors. Tickets purchased after the first 15,000 will be redeemable for an adult admission ticket to any other home dual on the Hawkeyes' 2015-16 schedule. Beginning today, season ticket holders also have the first opportunity to purchase ticket packages to Carver-Hawkeye Arena postseason events, including the 2016 Big Ten Championships and 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Iowa, the national attendance leader in each of the last nine seasons, is chasing the NCAA dual attendance record currently owned by Penn State (15,996). The Hawkeyes' attendance record of 15,955 (Dec. 6, 2008 vs. Iowa State) stood for five years before the Nittany Lions broke the record against Pitt on Dec. 8, 2013. Iowa's remaining home schedule includes five Big Ten opponents, a nonconference dual against South Dakota State, the Iowa City Duals, and the Big Ten Championships. The conference tournament is March 5-6 on Mediacom Mat at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Maryland headlines an Iowa City Duals lineup that includes Cornell College, Iowa Central CC, and Grand Canyon State. The Terps will make their first ever appearance in Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Nov. 20. The Big Ten home schedule includes duals against Rutgers (Dec. 10), Purdue (Jan. 22), Minnesota (Jan. 30), and Indiana (Feb.5). Conference road dates include trips to Illinois (Jan. 8), Northwestern (Jan. 10), Wisconsin (Jan. 16), and Nebraska (Jan. 24). The Hawkeyes return to the Midlands Championships in Evanston, Illinois, on Dec. 29-30. The NCAA Championships are contested March 17-19 at Madison Square Garden in New York. SCHEDULE NOTES: All start times and broadcast information will be announced at a later date.

STILLWATER -- Oklahoma State wrestling coach John Smith announced Thursday the squad's 2015-16 schedule, including a marquee matchup against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Iowa's Kinnick Stadium on Nov. 14 to open the season. The dual, tabbed as the "Grudge Match on the Gridiron," marks the first time in NCAA history that two NCAA wrestling teams will compete in a Division I football stadium. "Oklahoma State and Iowa is a historical match. It's got a lot of excitement to it," Smith said. "We usually wrestle it in January, and Coach (Tom) Brands called and said he wanted to change the date and put it on the football field. I said, 'Let's do it.' It's a rarity to open up our season with one of the better teams in the country. I think it's something that will be fun." The dual kicks off one of the Cowboys' toughest schedules within the last decade. The program celebrates its 100th year of wrestling on the OSU campus and brings in some big-time home matchups, including an early-season test against Minnesota on Nov. 29. The Pokes will also face North Carolina State (Dec. 6), Missouri (Jan. 22), Iowa State (Jan. 24), OU (Feb. 5), Army (Feb. 12), Stanford (Feb. 14) and North Carolina (Feb. 19) inside Gallagher-Iba Arena. The dual against Stanford marks the first time in program history that the two teams will meet. The away schedule also features several exciting matchups as OSU travels to Cornell for the first time since 1965. The Pokes also pay visits to South Dakota State, OU, Wyoming, West Virginia and Pittsburgh. Rounding out the season will be a newly introduced Bowl Dual Series, hosted by Penn State in late February. Postseason action will kick off in Kansas City, Mo., as the four original Big 12 wrestling squads will welcome six new teams to compete for the Big 12 Championships on March 5-6. New York City's Madison Square Garden will host this year's NCAA Championships March 17-19. "We're positioned to have a great season this year," Smith said. "A few things will have to come together. We'll have to grow at a few weights. I think we have the potential to be competing for a championship in the end." 2015-16 Wrestling Schedule Date Opponent/Event Location Time (C.T.) Nov. 14 Iowa Iowa City, Iowa 11 a.m. Nov. 27 South Dakota State Brookings, S.D. 7 p.m. Nov. 29 Minnesota Stillwater, Okla. 2 p.m. Dec. 6 North Carolina State Stillwater, Okla. 2 p.m. Dec. 13 Oklahoma Norman, Okla. 2 p.m. Dec. 18 Wyoming Laramie, Wyo. 7 p.m. Jan. 1-2 Southern Scuffle Chattanooga, Tenn. All day Jan. 15 West Virginia Morgantown, W.V. 7 p.m. Jan. 17 Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, Pa. 2 p.m. Jan. 22 Missouri Stillwater, Okla. 7 p.m. Jan. 24 Iowa State Stillwater, Okla. 2 p.m. Feb. 5 Oklahoma Stillwater, Okla. 7 p.m. Feb. 7 Cornell Ithaca, N.Y. 2 p.m. Feb. 12 Army Stillwater, Okla. 7 p.m. Feb. 14 Stanford Stillwater, Okla. 2 p.m. Feb. 19 North Carolina Stillwater, Okla. 7 p.m. Feb. 21 Bowl Dual Series State College, Pa. All day March 5 -6 Big 12 Championships Kansas City, Mo. All day March 17-19 NCAA Championships New York, N.Y. All day

Griffin Parriott entered Fargo ranked among the nation's top 25 seniors overall (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine) "This is the year, Elwood. The jinx will be broken. I'm making the finals next weekend. I should get Mason Manville on the big stage come Saturday." These were the words of a confident Griffin Parriott a few days before he traveled with the Minnesota Storm for the freestyle portion of the Junior National Championships in Fargo. It's a shame this event is ignored by eighty percent of the wrestling fans in the country. All the wrestlers know about it. All the coaches know about it, but many fans don't. This is undoubtedly the most difficult tournament anywhere for a high school-aged wrestler. Later I will learn there were 107 wrestlers in Parriott's bracket. In every other event, the brackets are usually 32 deep and twenty-five percent of the wrestlers place. Here the number is less than ten percent. It's ridiculous how crazy tough this event is. I asked Griffin who is on his side of the bracket that might cause trouble. "I think I'll get Hayden Hidlay in the semifinals." I immediately remembered his two matches with Hidlay at the Super 32 Challenge last fall. Parriott won the first match on Day 1 on his way to the semifinals before taking a heartbreaking loss to Michael Kemerer in overtime. That was the match where all the national media started asking, "Who the hell is Griffin Parriott and where in the world has he been?" Parriott would go on to lose to Hidlay and finish fifth that weekend. But no one was going to forget who he was. Griffin Parriott is well known in the state of Minnesota. As an eighth-grader he came within a whisker of defeating Kyle Gliva, a three-time state champion from Simley, in the finals of the state tournament. As a sophomore he proved that was no fluke as he ripped through a tough group of wrestlers and beat Maolu Woiwer of Apple Valley in the championship of the Minnesota Christmas Tournament. He was chosen the Outstanding Wrestler in what is regarded as the toughest in-season event in Minnesota. He would go on to win two state titles and will likely win a third this season. He is in every national poll's top five and InterMat has him as the No. 22 senior in the nation Day 1: Thursday Griffin really is as confident as he sounds. He thinks he's the best guy here. I ask him about Mason Manville, who is the defending Fargo and Cadet World champion. "I can beat him. He can't stop my offense and he doesn't score like he used to." How about Larry Early (the Minnesota Gopher recruit)? "Well, he's going to have to take out Manville, but I think I can beat him too." His confidence is infectious and doesn't really come across as boastful. He believes in himself like the top guys do. Griffin Parriott opened his tournaemnt with a technical fall over Gavin Millhouse (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine) Like many odd-shaped brackets with high numbers, there are many who receive a bye. Parriott is one. He will not have any matches in the morning. His first opponent is Gavin Millhouse from Oklahoma. Millhouse finished third in 6A in the Sooner State and should be a good test. Parriott gets on his offense right away with a front headlock with exposure. After a break he pulls off a sweet looking ankle pick for two more points and is enjoying a comfortable 5-0 lead. He immediately goes to an trap-arm gut wrench and rolls Millhouse for back points. Another quick flurry and the match is over, 10-0. Any 10-point lead and the match is over. This one took one minute and 10 seconds. He runs a lap around the converted football stadium to build a sweat. He's all business and he's ready. "If I win the next one, I get Erickson from Iowa. That kid's tough. He gave Brady Berge a heckuva match a few weeks ago, 6-2." His next opponent is Billy Goff from Connecticut. Goff is a multiple-time state placer, finishing second and fifth. This bout is a mismatch from the opening whistle. Parriott gets two easy and quick takedowns for a 4-0 lead. He uses the same trap-arm gut wrench and picks up six more points to win 10-0. It is finished in exactly the same amount of time as the previous match, 1:10. "I'M FEELING GOOD. I think you're finally going to get have a wrestler you follow make it to the big stage." There really is a big stage here. It is permanently being used throughout the week just like any other match. But come Saturday morning it will be dark and there will be spotlights everywhere on this elevated four foot high stage. The closest thing to this is the stage used at the NCAA Wrestling Championships. It can do funny things to a young guy here. Elwood takes in the action matside (Photo/David Peterson)Here is a list of wrestlers I have followed in years past: 2014: Fredy Stroker, fourth place 2013: Tommy Thorn, DNP 2012: Jake Short, third place 2011: Brandon Kingsley, fourth place None of these big-time recruits made it to the finals the year I shadowed. Thorn would come back the next year and win the championship. Stroker would come back this year and win it. But not on my watch. We head over to watch Cole Erickson in his match. Erickson is rolling along and wins by technical fall, 14-4. There will be no more matches at 152 pounds today. Day 2: Friday We are now in the round of 16. The winners will make the quarterfinals. While waiting we watch Mason Manville come out on top in a tough match. Parriott watches Manville and is thinking about how he's going to be able to score on him. Everyone talks about how great Manville's defense is. He is very good. I find out Cole Erickson is a four-time state medalist in Iowa, but never a state champion. He signed with the University of Iowa and as junior beat Larry Early 8-1. He also went undefeated (6-0) at The Clash representing his high school, Mediapolis. This round is where the Fargo tournament gets very rough. Anything can happen here. Griffin Parriott picked up a technical fall in 1:18 against Cole Erickson (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine) Griffin Parriott vs. Cole Erickson This match starts with another flurry as Griffin gets an early takedown, 2-0. The referee breaks the action and both wrestlers are neutral again. Parriott uses a hard head snap and quickly drops to Erickson's foot catching him off guard. It's another easy two points, 4-0. Parriott keeps the right leg and grabs the left. He starts twisting leg over leg forcing Erickson to roll through. Each roll is worth two points and there are four quick ones in a row. The scoreboard shows 12-0 Parriott and this one only lasted 1:18. So far no one has scored a point on Parriott and no one has made it a full six minutes. "I want to finish as the champion and win every match without being scored on!" He runs another lap and by the time he returns he is pretty excited to report Hayden Hidlay just took a surprising loss to someone from California. "Man, I thought for sure I would get Hidlay in the semifinals. This makes it a little easier." I wonder about that. Whoever it was that knocked off Hidlay has to be very good. I ask Parriott about the last time he took a loss. "I lost to Zain Retherford this summer. But I gave him a tough match." Retherford is a former champion here and was a Division I All-American as a true freshman at Penn State. Any high school kid that can stay with Zain Retherford is for real. I'm beginning to believe Griffin Parriott is going to make it the large stage come Saturday. We are down to eight wrestlers left at 145 pounds without a loss. The talent left at this point is crazy. On a nearby mat Mason Manville is facing Larry Early. Every wrestling junkie is looking for a spot to get a good view. It feels like we are watching the championship of the world as these two make it to the center. Larry Early gets a takedown in the first 10 seconds. The crowd gasps in surprise at the ease of this. Early protects the lead and is wrestling with confidence. Mason tries a few leg shots but looks slow and the moves look choreographed. Early picks up another takedown, 4-0. Later in an act of desperation for points, Manville loses a takedown and gets tilted on his back. Mason Manville has lost and will not repeat as champion. Griffin Parriott works to finish a takedown on his way to a 10-0 victory over Hunter Willits (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)Quarterfinals: Griffin Parriott vs. Hunter Willits Colorado's Hunter Willits, like Parriott is a two-time state champion. He survived a giant bracket here last summer, finishing seventh. This match starts like the previous three with Griffin on the attack. From another front headlock he dumps Willits to his back and jumps out to a 2-0 lead. There is another break and Parriott quickly uses his speed to get in on the legs for another easy two points, 4-0. This is followed by another slick two-legged takedown and it's 6-0. Parriott wastes no time as he secures a trap-arm gut wrench and rolls Willits twice to win 10-0. This match lasted 1:30. After the bout the Purdue coaches are all smiles as they wait to talk to Griffin. Getting Griffin Parriott to commit to Purdue is a big deal for the Boilermakers. They have not had much to brag about in the last decade and I'm sure they have to feel good about landing one of Minnesota's top seniors. "I feel great about going to Purdue. I hope to be the face of that program and there will be more big names following me." He tells me in confidence who they are and my eyes open wide. Purdue may soon be ready to join the top programs in the Big Ten. Griffin Parriott battles Evan Wick in the semifinals of the Junior freestyle competition (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)Semifinals: Griffin Parriott vs. Evan Wick As this match is about to get underway, it's starting to feel like the Manville vs. Early match. Everyone wants to get a good spot and most are wondering who this Evan Wick is who knocked off Hayden Hidlay. There's a buzz in the air. Evan Wick does not look like the other opponents Parriott has faced. He's long and lean and looks like he should be playing basketball. Wick was fourth in California's one-class state tournament. He was the champion at the Freak Show preseason tournament a year ago, but did not place at the Ironman in Ohio the previous December. Most people believe Parriott will keep rolling here. Like his previous matches, Parriott goes right after Wick and gets a takedown in the first 30 seconds, 2-0. The next points will take a full minute but he secures a takedown for a comfortable 4-0 lead halfway through the three-minute first period. Wick tries some offense of his own and gets a tilt from a whizzer. It's the first time someone has scored on Griffin, 4-2, as the first period comes to a close. Parriott has not made it this deep in a match. He looks a little startled giving up those two points. Evan Wick works for the fall (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)The second period starts exactly the way the first ended. Wick gets in on Parriott's legs. Griffin uses a whizzer but gets tilted and we are now tied 4-4. Griffin takes charge and attempts a two-legged takedown. Nothing. The referee breaks it. On the whistle Parriott gets in on the long legs of Wick, but Wick uses his long arms and tilts Griffin. It's now 6-4 Wick. There's just under a minute to go as Wick picks up another point on a pushout to lead 7-4. Wick picks up another takedown and puts Parriott on his back. There is just 15 seconds on the clock as the referee looks to the scorer's table and lowers his hand. Griffin Parriott is pinned. There will be no match for him on the stage on Saturday. There will be no 152-pound champion from Minnesota. There will be plenty of tears. I know better than to try and interview a wrestler after taking an unexpected loss. The pain is beyond words and no wrestler wants to talk about it. I leave him alone. There is nothing more personal in wrestling than losing. There is no other sport that has the ability to make a tough guy break down and cry. So many try to hold it in until they can get out of sight. Most can't. Watching a young man lose his dream is awful. Wrestlers at this level hardly ever lose and have no real concept of how it feels. They cannot relate to an opponent who they just beat that falls apart. It's perfectly normal to beat another opponent and crush their dreams. But it's unimaginable to think it could happen to them. The embarrassment and shame is magnified and blown out of proportion. Top wrestlers, like Parriott, don't lose often and they especially don't get pinned. It's heartbreaking to watch Griffin come apart. All anyone can do is watch. There are no hugs, pats on the back or words of encouragement. No one would dare try. Now it's about where Griffin is going to finish. He can't drop any farther than sixth. The question is how much does he have left in his heart. He will have to wrestle within 30 minutes and I notice his match is scheduled for the big stage. His opponent is Hayden Hidlay. Since Hidely's loss, he has run off three straight wins. Consolation semifinals: Griffin Parriott vs. Hayden Hidlay Griffin Parriott battles for position against Hayden Hidlay in the consolation semifinals (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine) Hayden Hidlay knows what it's like to wrestle on the big stage. Earlier this week he was crowned the national champion in the Greco Roman competition after beating Manville. He is a two-time state placewinner in Pennsylvania and is currently the 20th-ranked senior in the country. He is committed to North Carolina State. Hidlay runs up the stairs to get to the center. Parriott is moving slowly and looks like he would rather be anywhere else but in this match. Hidlay charges Parriott and picks up a pair of pushouts for a 2-0 lead. Parriott roars back with an ankle pick for a takedown to tie it up at 2-2. Hidlay gets a quick reversal for one point and after a break, picks up another pushout. It's now 4-2 Hidlay with 35 seconds left in the first period. Hidlay sweeps in for a nice double leg takedown and it's 6-2 Hidlay after the first period. Hidlay looks strong, determined, and hungry. He gets in on Griffin's legs again for two more easy points, 8-2. After a break in the action, Hidlay scores another takedown and transitions to a lace for a turn to secure a 12-2 win. In the last half hour, Griffin Parriott would be pinned and lose by technical fall. There is no one that would have seen this train wreck coming. He will be wrestling for fifth place tomorrow. Later I had a chance to talk to Griffin's dad, Mark. He was in the audience and knew after the semifinal loss there was trouble ahead. "It doesn't matter if a loss happens," Mark says. "It's when the loss happens. Hidlay was on a nice roll since he took his loss. Griffin was stunned in that semi match vs. Wick. He was not anywhere near ready to wrestle Hidlay." Sadly, he was right. Mark is humble but proud of his son. I asked him about Griffin's confidence and fun-loving personality. "Griffin is good kid. There's nothing extraordinary about him. He works hard and has natural talent. But he's a normal kid in a high profile, individual sport. I'm proud of his success, but I'm more proud of the kind of young man he is becoming. I expect he will be a good father and he will probably look for a way to start a business. I've been lucky to have him as a son." Day 3: Saturday Fifth place: Griffin Parriott vs. Wyatt Sheets Griffin is all smiles this morning. He is feeling confident and tells me he going to finish this thing with a win. His opponent is a kid from Oklahoma, Wyatt Sheets. He's another multiple-time state champion and has quite the bloodline. His dad is legendary wrestler Mike Sheets . Mike was a two-time NCAA champion and four-time All-American at Oklahoma State. This looks like another tough opponent. Griffin Parriott won 6-3 over Wyatt Sheets to place fifth (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine) Griffin starts out moving well and uses that signature ankle pick for an early 2-0 takedown. He quickly traps Sheets' arm and rolls him for a two-point back exposure, 4-0. There's a break and they go neutral. Griffin grabs the head and rolls him over for another two points. The first period ends with Parriott ahead 6-0. The second period starts with Sheets coming after Griffin. There are several rough exchanges without any points scored. We are now halfway through the second and it looks like Griffin is done with his offense. He is daring Sheets to try to score on him. The referee picks up on this and warns Parriott to start moving. He gives up a penalty point for stalling or what is now called passivity, 6-1. In the last minute, Sheets picks up a pair of pushouts for two more points. But it's too late. Griffin Parriott will pick up the 6-3 win and finish in fifth place. Meanwhile, Larry Early is in a war with Evan Wick in the finals. It's a seesaw affair, but Larry Early takes the championship. The pageantry of Fargo is like no other tournament. Placing in the top eight here is highly regarded. Winning the championship in Fargo is the most prestigious national event a wrestler can win prior to college. It's hard to overestimate what a title here means to an athlete. We started the week with 107 kids at 152 pounds. There were probably 12 of those who had a realistic chance of winning. All 107 thought they would finish in the top eight. 99 left with a broken heart. Griffin Parriott gets his hand raised after his last match in Fargo (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine) 152-pound All-Americans: 1. Larry Early (Illinois) 2. Evan Wick (California) 3. Hayden Hidlay (Pennsylvania) 4. Luke Troy (California) 5. Griffin Parriott (Minnesota) 6. Wyatt Sheets (Oklahoma) 7. Mason Manville (Virginia) 8. Ryan Klemp (Idaho)

Doane College Athletic Director Jill McCartney announced today the hiring of Matt Hansen as head wrestling coach for the Tigers. Hansen joins the Tigers from Simpson College where he was an assistant coach. Coach Hansen has 10 years of collegiate experience, serving as an assistant at Luther College, Hastings College and Simpson. In preparation for a head coaching position, Hansen has developed a strong recruiting background, organizational skills and athlete development skills. He is also a certified strength and conditioning coach. "We're pleased to have Matt as our new wrestling coach," McCartney said. "He brings a great breadth of experience from his wrestling background to his educational and strength and conditioning expertise. Through the interview process, we were impressed by his enthusiasm for coaching and his genuine interest in developing young men." McCartney added, "Matt has carefully prepared himself to be a head coach and I think we are a good fit for Matt. Our wrestling team is young but has developed quickly, and I am confident that Matt will continue the upward trajectory of our program on all levels: in competition, in the classroom, and in the community." A national qualifier on the University of Nebraska-Kearney wrestling team, Hansen was a member of two Loper teams that finished in the Top 15 at national championships. He was a four-year letter winner and named to the Blue-Gold Academic Honor Roll in two separate years. "I am very excited to be named the Head Wrestling Coach at Doane College," Hansen commented. "It's great to be a part of the Doane College family. I feel that this is the right fit for me, and I will have the resources here at Doane to build a program that is competitive at the national level." As he transitions into the head coaching position for Doane, Hansen said building relationships with the athletes will be an early focus. He credits former coach Tyson Springer with leaving the program in a great situation, especially from a recruiting stand point. Hansen replaces Springer after he left in early July to take an assistant coaching position in Idaho in order to be closer to family. Springer was the first Tigers head coach since restarting the program in the 2013-14 academic year.

Mark your calendars, as the National Wrestling Coaches Association has revealed some basic facts for its 2015 NWCA All-Star Classic, the kickoff event for the 2015-16 college wrestling season. The NWCA posted a visual on its Twitter account which indicated that the 50th NWCA All-Star Classic will be held Sunday, November 1, in Atlanta at McCamish Pavilion on the Georgia Tech campus. The event is slated to begin at 5 p.m. ET. Sponsored by the NWCA, the All-Star Classic is intended to showcase the top college mat talent by usually featuring matches with the top two wrestlers in each weight class. Actual participants will be named in the weeks leading up to the event. A much-anticipated annual event since 1967, the NWCA All-Star Classic has undergone some changes over the years. Originally, the All-Stars incorporated an East vs. West team dual-meet format, placing individual wrestlers on teams based on their school's geography. In the past, the event had been a capstone for the regular college wrestling season, held a week or two after the NCAA championships. However, in the past decade, the All-Star Classic has taken place around November 1, timed to start the regular collegiate calendar. In the past couple years, the All-Star Classic has also served as an opportunity to try out new rules proposed by the NCAA Wrestling Rules Committee, in a one-time, highly-controlled and monitored situation that allows wrestlers, coaches, officials and fans to see a proposed rule change in action before it is considered for overall implementation. This past April, the committee proposed using the 2015 All-Star Classic to test-drive the idea of awarding three points for a takedown, presumably in an attempt to open up scoring. (Two points for a takedown has been the standard for decades; however, for about four years in the early 1960s, the NCAA had rule where the first takedown in a match was worth two points ... with subsequent takedowns scored by that wrestler being worth only one point each. The rule was said to be a reaction to Oklahoma State's "take 'em down and let 'em up" wrestling style of racking up takedowns quickly followed by cutting an opponent loose, which, at the time, some other teams found frustrating.)

The demands of a head wrestling coach, especially at the Division I level, can be both daunting and draining. Just ask Rob Eiter, who spent six seasons as the head wrestling coach at the University of Pennsylvania before leaving the position. "It got to the point where I wasn't enjoying the position," said Eiter, a five-time U.S. Open champion in freestyle. "Coaching is tough. You can't leave it at the office when you go home. I brought a lot of anxiety home with me. I just felt a change was needed." Eiter resigned as head wrestling coach at Penn after the 2013-14 season. "It wasn't a situation where I needed to get away from the sport," said Eiter. "I've been doing this for a long time. It's all I know how to do." As Eiter put it, "I sat on the beach and kind of got reenergized a little bit." Less than two months after resigning as head coach at Penn, Eiter accepted an assistant coaching position on Kerry McCoy's staff at the University of Maryland. Eiter says now as an assistant wrestling coach he has a lot more hands-on responsibilities with the wrestlers, a part of coaching he missed as a head coach. "I've worked out more in the past year than I did in the six years I was head coach," said Eiter. Read complete story on MatBoss ...

Two late, great wrestlers with roots in the state of Oregon are now battling each other in Day 1 of the Round of 16 in the Oregon's Greatest Athlete online poll posted Monday, Aug. 3. Rick SandersIn today's balloting sponsored by The Oregonian newspaper, No. 3 seed Rick Sanders faces off against second-seeded Robin Reed. Wrestling fans can cast their vote by clicking here. Sanders earned NCAA University (larger-school), NCAA College (smaller-school) and NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) titles as a wrestler at Portland State in the 1960s ... along with two Olympic bronze medals in 1968 and 1972. Weeks after winning his second Olympic medal at the '72 Munich Games, Sanders was killed in a car accident in Yugoslavia. Reed is considered by many wrestling historians to be the best U.S. wrestler of the early 20th century. He wrestled at Oregon State, then later coached there. Reed also claimed gold at the 1924 Olympics, pinning his way through the competition. Reed died in 1978 at age 78. Reed and Sanders are the last two wrestlers still in contention of the five mat stars who were originally featured in the Round of 64 bracket. Brock Gutches, who won his fourth NAIA title for Southern Oregon University in March, lost his first-round matchup … while his uncle Les Gutches, two-time NCAA champ for Oregon State in the 1990s, fell in the Round of 32, as did Jess Lewis, twice an NCAA heavyweight titlist and 1968 Olympian for the Oregon State Beavers.

After a decade in college as a wrestler and coach, Jared Evans is returning to high school, becoming head wrestling coach at Menomonie High School in Wisconsin for the 2015-16 season. Jared EvansMost recently, Evans served as interim head coach at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire since Jan. 2015, at the time the third coach to take the helm of the Blugolds mat program in about 18 months. Before that, the Blue Earth, Minn. native spent five years on the coaching staff at Augsburg College in Minneapolis, earning the honor of being named NCAA Division III Assistant Wrestling Coach of the Year in 2010, when the Auggies won the national championship. A key member of the Augsburg teams that won national titles in 2004-05 and 2006-07, Evans was a three-time NCAA All-American wrestler for the Auggies, compiling a 139-37 record as a 149 pounder. Evans also earned National Wrestling Coaches Association Scholar All-America honors in his sophomore, junior and senior seasons. He was named co-Honor Athlete in 2007, the highest honor Augsburg gives its senior student-athletes for accomplishment, leadership and character on the playing field and in the classroom. Now Evans will be working on the high school level as instructor and coach in Menomonie, located between his two college "homes" of Eau Claire and Minneapolis. Even though he will be in familiar territory in terms of geography, Evans admitted in an interview with Chippewa.com that the career shift has its challenges… but expects it to be ultimately rewarding. "It was one of the hardest decisions that I've ever made," Evans said. "I thought I wanted to be a college wrestling coach for the rest of my life." "There's a different sense of community at the high school level and with the coach-athlete relationship," Evans said. "At the college level, a lot of these guys are in their first couple years away from home and there's a lot of free reign there. I look forward to working with parents on a closer level, and working with these guys on a closer level." Evans is already on his way, serving as a paraeducator in the district as he works towards getting his teaching license, and helping with the strength and conditioning program at the high school. "I'm super pumped about it," Evans said. "Working with them in the weight room before the season to establish those relationships right from the get-go. It's so important to be able to do that early on. Get to know each other just so we can build that rapport and that trust and that comradery just so that we can hit the ground running as soon as the season starts."

NEW YORK -- With the wrestling season on the horizon, the Andrew F. Barth Head Coach of Wrestling Carl Fronhofer has completed his staff for the 2015-16 season. Roman Fleszar will be back for his seventh year of working with the Lions as the David and Michael Barry Assistant Coach of Wrestling. Fleszar will be joined by Steve Santos, who was recently promoted to a full time assistant coach after the departure of Adam Hall, who was hired by NC State in April. The volunteer assistant role will be filled by Joe Nord, who's hiring was announced today by Fronhofer. Nord comes to Morningside Heights after spending two years helping out the wrestling program at his alma matre, Minnesota. In his role with the Gophers, Nord helped with the day-to-day operations of the program while also coaching, training and competing himself. Nord helped the program to two top-10 finishes, including a runner-up team finish at the 2014 NCAA Championships. Over the past two years, Nord competed in many international tournaments, including the Dave Schultz Memorial, the Minnesota Storm Holiday Cup and the Men's US Open in freestyle. Prior to returning to the Twin Cities, he spent the previous two years as an assistant coach at Gardner-Webb University in North Carolina, where he also obtained his Master's degree in Business Administration. Nord wrestled for the Gophers from 2006-11, competing at both 197 and heavyweight. He was a four-time letterwinner and the recipient of the Verne Gagne Scholarship/Leadership Award as a senior. A native of Waconia, Minnesota, Nord won state championships in 2005 and 2006. He also earned high school All-American honors in both folkstyle and freestyle. Nord graduated from the University of Minnesota in the spring of 2011 with a degree in Business Marketing Education and Applied Economics.

KUALA LUMPUR -- The International Olympic Committee (IOC) voted Monday to add United World Wrestling president Nenad Lalovic as the newest member of the IOC. He becomes the first IOC member from the sport of wrestling. Nenad Lalovic (Photo/T.R. Foley)A businessman from Belgrade, the 56-year-old Lalovic has overseen several dramatic and popular changes to one of the Olympic Games' oldest sports. Lalovic was named the president of United World Wrestling in the February 2013 and has since led a rebranding initiative, modernized internal governance, improved competition rules and created a robust media operation. "I am honored to have been nominated and elected as a member of the International Olympic Committee," said Lalovic. "The IOC is a unique and prestigious institution that embodies the values of excellence, friendship and respect through sport." Lalovic was nominated as an International Federation president and joins Senegal Olympic Committee President Mamadou Diagna Ndiaye as the only members elected at the 128th IOC Session. "I am privileged to represent the sport of wrestling in the Olympic Movement and look forward to contributing to the future success of the IOC and of President Bach's vision of Agenda 2020."

Stevan Micic defeated Daton Fix to make the Junior World Team (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)One of the nation's top wrestlers from the Class of 2014 is on the move but staying in the same conference. Stevan Micic, who redshirted last season at Northwestern, will be transferring to Michigan. The 125-pound Micic compiled a 19-3 record in 2014-15. He earned a spot on the Junior World Team in freestyle this year at 55 kilos. By transferring within the Big Ten Conference, Micic will lose a season of eligibility. Michigan's 2015 recruiting class was ranked No. 10 by InterMat, and was headlined by the nation's No. 2 senior Logan Massa (St. Johns, Mich.). The Wolverines are coming off an 11th finish at the NCAAs, and had five All-Americans, with four of those wrestlers returning in 2015-16.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State head wrestling coach Tom Ryan has signed a five-year contract extension, TJ Shelton, associate athletics director for sports administration, announced today. "Our wrestling program has enjoyed unprecedented success under Coach Ryan's leadership and he has established himself as one of the nation's best coaches," said Shelton. "Tom has led us to a place among the nation's elite during his nine years as our head coach. He and his staff have demonstrated the importance of the overall development of our student-athletes - providing outstanding community service, building a championship program and placing an emphasis on success in the classroom. We are delighted that Coach Ryan will continue to build character, integrity and accountability with our student-athletes for years to come." Ohio State coach Tom Ryan coaching at the 2015 NCAAs in St. Louis (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)"I'm grateful to Gene Smith and the department for thinking enough of me to sign me to another five-year contract," said Ryan. "This is a special place and I am fortunate to be in a position to impact lives, inspire others and pursue excellence. I'm looking forward to graduating another crop of recruits and continuing to bring pride to this university through the sport of wrestling." Ryan, who recently concluded his ninth season in Columbus, has led the Buckeyes to unprecedented heights, culminating last season with the programs first-ever national championship. The 2015 Big Ten, NWCA and InterMat Coach of the Year, Ryan also guided the team to its first conference title in 64 years. Ryan is the first coach ever to be a three-time InterMat Coach of the Year selection (2008, 2009, 2015). In all, Ryan has coached four different student-athletes to eight national championships, including just the fourth four-time champ in the history of the sport, Logan Stieber. Fourteen wrestlers have reached the NCAA finals and at the conference level, nine Buckeyes have been crowed Big Ten champions. After arriving from Hofstra prior to the 2006-07 campaign, Ryan quickly molded Ohio State into a national power, highlighted by NCAA runner-up finishes in 2008 and 2009. Overall, the Buckeyes have finished in the top 10 of the NCAA championship team standings in eight of the last nine seasons. Ryan has a 113-42 dual match record at Ohio State, including a 47-26 mark against Big Ten competition. In the classroom, Ryan's student-athletes are thriving as well. Eight Buckeyes have been recognized by the National Wrestling Coaches Association with NWCA All-Academic Team accolades - J.D. Bergman, J Jaggers, C.J. Magrum (two-time), Corey Morrison (two-time), Mike Pucillo, Colt Sponseller, Nathan Tomasello and Bo Jordan. Additionally, since Ryan's arrival there have been 48 Academic All-Big Ten honorees and 96 Ohio State Scholar-Athletes.