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The 2015 edition of USA Wrestling's Junior & Cadet National Championships from Fargo came to their conclusion this past Saturday. As is the case in every year, it is a defining tournament in the calendar year for many competitors. College coaches are present to evaluate, media members and ranking services are dissecting the results, and so forth. Performances in Fargo can shape the narrative about wrestlers headed into the next scholastic season, as well as the perception that college coaches will have about the prospective student athlete. They can also serve as important confidence and development boosts for the athletes themselves. Let's take a look at five young men from each the Junior and Cadet levels whose performances during the Fargo week enhanced their stock. Juniors Osawaru Odighizuwa (David Douglas, Ore.), 285-pound freestyle champion, Greco-Roman third-place finisher Already a verbal commit to play football at UCLA along the defensive line, the nation's No. 39 ranked wrestler in the Class of 2016 had little incentive to be at Fargo last week. However, Odighizuwa made the trip, performed rather well, and did so in both styles to boot. His freestyle tournament started with two shutout technical fall victories, continued with a 5-0 victory over fellow top 100 rising senior Carter Isley (Iowa), a 9-2 victory in the quarterfinal over 2014 Junior National double All-American Michael Rogers (Pennsylvania), then a 3-1 semifinal victory over top 25 graduated senior Austin Myers (Kentucky), and concluded with an 11-0 technical fall in the final over top 15 Class of 2017 wrestler Kevin Vough (Ohio). Odighizuwa went 8-1 in the Greco-Roman tournament to finish third. The lone loss was an early round fall against Brandon Metz (North Dakota), a Cadet Nationals champion in Greco-Roman last year. That outcome would be avenged with an 8-6 decision in the consolation semifinal. Among his six consolation wins was a first minute fall over another Cadet Nationals champion from 2014 in Kevin Vough. Among the most impressive things about this physical freak is that he doesn't turn 17 for another two weeks. Odighizuwa's older brother Owa was drafted by the New York Giants in the third round after being a two-year starter at UCLA. Osawaru's performance puts him in position to almost assuredly be the nation's No. 1 wrestler at 285 pounds come early November. California's Evan Wick reached the Junior freestyle finals at 152 before losing to Larry Early (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Evan Wick (San Marino, Calif.), 152-pound freestyle runner-up Let's cut to the chase here, the evidence to suggest a run to the Junior National freestyle final for Evan Wick prior to the event was rather faint. Among the resume points within the last year include failure to place at the Junior National folkstyle tournament in April (both losses to wrestlers outside the top 100 of the 2015/2016 classes, though Wick did have one win over a top 100 Class of 2016 wrestler in the tournament); two mid-placement finishes in the California state tournament (fourth as a junior, fifth as a sophomore); and a 1-2 record in last summer's Junior National freestyle tournament. However, a run to the Junior National freestyle final is exactly what happened. Ranked outside the top 100 for the Class of 2016, Wick had a pair of wins over top 25 wrestlers in his grade level during the tournament; 14-13 over No. 20 Hayden Hidlay (Pennsylvania) in the round of 16, and a pin at the 5:46 mark over No. 22 Griffin Parriott (Minnesota) in the semifinal. Additional wins included a 12-0 technical fall over two-time state champion Zemua Baptista (Nebraska) in the third round and an 11-0 technical fall over state placer Austin Hiles (Ohio), a wrestler that would have been considered a relative peer to Wick prior to the last week, in the quarterfinal. The championship final loss came 12-8 to Larry Early (Illinois), ranked as a top 50 Class of 2015 wrestler, in a match that was tied 8-8 late. It is almost a sure bet that Wick now moves into the top 100 for his grade level. He certainly garnered the attention of college coaches everywhere with the wins over Hidlay and Parriott, as well as the very well-contested finals match against Minnesota enrollee Early. Lucas Jeske (St. Michael-Albertville, Minn.), 160-pound freestyle runner-up Even though Jeske won a state title during this past high school season, he was not a truly known commodity on the national level headed into the Fargo week. Jeske's first four matches in Junior freestyle were one-sided outcomes; two shutout technical falls and a pin followed by an 18-7 technical fall over state runner-up Tristan Johnson (Iowa). His quarterfinal came against top 100 Class of 2016 wrestler Canten Marriott (Missouri), an opponent that Jeske had lost in overtime against at the Preseason Nationals; however, this go around, Jeske came through with an 8-6 victory. In the semifinal round, Jeske would come through with an 11-1 technical fall victory over Brandon Dallavia (New Jersey), who is ranked inside the top 25 for the Class of 2016. The championship match loss was a shutout technical fall against Oklahoma State enrollee Joe Smith (Oklahoma); however, that is what Smith did to everyone else during the tournament as well. It is almost a sure bet that Jeske now moves into the top 100 for his grade level. Any skepticism there was about his state title this past year in Minnesota should be totally vanquished at this point. Travis Piotrowski (Prairie Ridge, Ill.), 120-pound freestyle third place Piotrowski entered this year's Junior freestyle tournament having twice finished state third in the high school season, and a low-placing Cadet freestyle All-American (6th in 2013, 7th in 2014). He was also outside the top 100 for the Class of 2016. Piotrowski started the tournament with a pair of 11-0 technical falls before a pair of matches against wrestlers more of his caliber. It was a 10-0 technical fall over two-time state champion Matt Schmitt (Missouri), a returning Junior freestyle runner-up, in the round of 16; which was immediately followed by another 10-0 technical fall, this one over Ian Parker (Michigan), who is ranked No. 77 in the Class of 2016. The semifinal for Piotrowski was an expected 13-3 technical fall loss against Daton Fix (Oklahoma). However, Piotrowski ended the tournament with positive momentum, a 13-5 decision over Schmitt in the consolation semifinal, followed by a 13-0 technical fall over Parker in the third place bout. It is almost a sure bet that Piotrowski now fits into the top 100 for the Class of 2016 after placing third in a weight class that saw two top 100 Class of 2016 wrestlers fail to place, along with many other excellent wrestlers falling short of the podium. Dean Drugac (Morris Knolls, N.J.), 195-pound double All-American, fourth in freestyle, seventh in Greco-Roman Not only has Drugac yet to earn a state placement finish, he has yet to win a front side match in either of his state tournament appearances in the Garden State. Previously in Fargo, Drugac had a pair of Cadet All-American finishes in Greco-Roman, but was not an All-American in freestyle either of those two years. However, this year in Fargo at the Junior level, he was a double All-American. Drugac's freestyle tournament started with two shutout technical falls before a 15-5 technical fall loss to top 100 Class of 2016 wrestler Wyatt Koelling (Utah). The next match was an injury default win that left him two matches short of All-American honors. After an 18-7 technical fall over state runner-up Nick McShea (New York), it was a 10-8 win over returning Junior freestyle All-American, No. 100 ranked Class of 2015 wrestler Cash Wilcke (Iowa) to confirm the podium. The freestyle tournament for Drugac would end with a 9-7 decision over two-time state placer Christian Brunner (Illinois), advancement to the third-place match when Koelling defaulted the consolation semifinal, and then losing by 12-2 technical fall to top 100 Class of 2016 wrestler Jack Harris (Ohio). While it may not be enough to crack the Class of 2016 top 100 for Drugac, his success in Fargo certainly elevated his "stock" in the eyes of this national ranking coordinator and the vast majority of college coaches. Cadets Pennsylvania's Sammy Sasso claimed a Cadet freestyle title at 132 (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Sammy Sasso (Nazareth, Pa.), 132-pound freestyle champion, Greco-Roman fifth-place finisher It's a little tough to say that a wrestler who is already ranked No. 14 in the Class of 2018 should be a "stock up" candidate. However, the Cadet freestyle tournament that Sasso had was most impressive, including wins over four of the next five in the placement standings at the event, with three of those ranked wrestlers in the Class of 2018. The tournament for Sasso started with a pair of 10-0 technical falls, those coming over a Michigan state placer and Florida state champion. In the round of 16, it was a 12-6 decision over Carson Kharchlava (Ohio), who placed fourth in the event. The quarterfinal was a 13-3 technical fall over Brayton Lee (Indiana), who finished third in the weight class and is ranked No. 30 in the Class of 2018. Next, it was a semifinal pin in 5:36 over Alex Lloyd (Minnesota), the Greco-Roman champ, who is ranked No. 21 in the Class of 2018. Finally, the championship match was a 4-1 decision over Cadet double runner-up Brock Hardy (Utah), ranked No. 19 in the Class of 2018. Carson Kharchlava (Olentangy Liberty, Ohio), 132-pound freestyle fourth place Though Kharchlava was not ranked among the top 25 in the Class of 2019, the incoming freshman was not a totally unknown commodity, as he won a middle school division Super 32 Challenge title in the fall. However, this was a performance that would certainly suggest that he should be ranked among the top 25 incoming freshman, and be a force at the state level during this upcoming high school season. His freestyle tournament started with a pair of 10-0 technical falls, the second of which was over state champion Brock Mauller (Missouri). In the round of 16 match, he lost by 12-6 decision to eventual champion Sammy Sasso (Pennsylvania) to drop to the consolation bracket. From there it would be five straight wins to reach the consolation final. Among those victories include a 14-1 technical fall over junior high state champion Baylor Fernandes (Illinois), an 11-0 technical fall over state placer J.J. Figueroa (California), and 8-4 victory over Alex Lloyd (Minnesota). The third-place match loss came by 10-1 decision to Brayton Lee (Indiana). Alex Thomsen (Underwood, Iowa), 120-pound freestyle runner-up, Greco-Roman fourth-place finisher Though Thomsen has already been distinguished in his short high school career, Preseason Nationals champion and undefeated state champion as a freshman, this week in Fargo marked more notches on the resume for the No. 45 ranked Class of 2018 wrestler. His freestyle tournament started with two shutout technical falls sandwiched around a pin, prior to an 8-1 decision over state placer John Burger (New Jersey) in the round of 16. The quarterfinal match was a 13-6 victory over two-time state champion Jacori Teemer (New York), who is ranked No. 27 in the Class of 2018. Next was a pin in 3:49 over UWW Cadet freestyle All-American Max Murin (Pennsylvania), a returning Cadet freestyle runner-up, in the semifinal. The championship loss to Nick Raimo (New Jersey), ranked No. 3 in the Class of 2019 and a double champion last week, came in a 15-13 slugfest that was one of the best matches of the whole event. During Greco-Roman, Thomsen went 7-2 with both losses coming to the same wrestler by 5-3 and 10-9 scores. Look for this Class of 2018 star from Iowa to shoot up the grade level rankings in the next update. Jake Boyd (Smithville, Mo.), 195-pound double finalist, champion in freestyle In two high school seasons, Boyd did not make the state final, third as a sophomore at 195 after a consolation quarterfinal appearance at 160 as a freshman. However, last week in Fargo, Boyd made both finals at the Cadet level. On his way to the freestyle final, the path started with three technical falls including one in the round of 16 over state qualifier Saylor Schmit (Minnesota). The semifinal match was a reversal of the Greco-Roman final, this affair being a 10-3 victory for Boyd over state champion Brady Daniel (Maryland). Then in the final, it was a 9-2 victory to confirm the championship. Anthony Artalona (Tampa Prep, Fla.), 145-pound double champion Artalona is ranked No. 44 in the Class of 2017, though that is in error, as he is a Class of 2018 wrestler. Already a two-time state champion and a double All-American at the UWW Cadet Nationals in the 63 kilogram weight class, this isn't so much a "stock up" as it is an enhanced awareness, which is something that Fargo tends to provide. The rising sophomore went 13-0 across styles in Fargo with a pin and four technical falls during each of the title runs. It was six wins in Greco-Roman and seven wins in freestyle. Notable victories in freestyle included those over Preseason Nationals champion Emille Shannon (Illinois), incoming freshman and Tulsa Nationals champion Brian Case (Michigan), and the 11-4 championship match victory over Jaryn Curry (Oklahoma), who is ranked No. 29 in the Class of 2018.
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NAIA Wrestling Championships to stay in Topeka through 2017
InterMat Staff posted an article in NAIA
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) appears to be comfortable in Topeka. After having had its NAIA Wrestling National Championships in the Kansas state capital for the past two years, the organization will continue to have its mat championships in Topeka through 2017. The NAIA Wrestling Championships have been held at the Kansas Expocentre in Topeka the past two yearsThe Nationals will continue to be held at the Kansas Expocentre. The 2016 NAIAs will take place March 4-5; the 2017 event is scheduled for March 3-4. There is one significant change: the 2016 NAIAs will now feature 240 wrestlers, an increase from 210 competitors in 2015. The 2015 NAIA Wrestling National Championships were notable because Iowa's Grand View University won its fourth straight team title ... and Brock Gutches of Southern Oregon University claimed his fourth individual NAIA crown. "The city of Topeka has displayed a tremendous effort in making the NAIA Wrestling National Championships a first-class event,'' said NAIA president and CEO Jim Carr. "The NAIA is excited to continue the partnership for another two years. "Every individual on the (local organizing committee) and in the greater Topeka community needs to be recognized for their commitment in offering our student-athletes, coaches and fans a great championship experience.'' -
Logan Storley, four-time NCAA Division I All-American for University of Minnesota, will be making his professional mixed martial arts debut this August. Logan Storley finished fourth at the NCAAs this past season at 174 to conclude his college career as a four-time All-American (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)Storley, who is a six-time South Dakota high school state wrestling champ, will be fighting for Resurrection Fighting Alliance, described by the Sioux Falls, S.D. Argus-Leader as "the UFC's unofficial developmental league," at their RFA 29 event on Friday, Aug. 21 at the Sanford Pentagon. The former Golden Gopher, who will be competing as a welterweight at 170 pounds, does not yet know who he will be facing next month. RFA 29 is being promoted as "USA vs. Brazil," with the co-main events featuring featherweights Ricky Musgrave vs. Roani Barcelos, and welterweights Jordon Larson vs. Ackson Junior. "I had three amateur fights in high school, but this is different getting a real training camp in and working with some of best guys in the country," Storley told the Argus-Leader. Since announcing his plans to compete in MMA as a professional, Storley has been training with Power MMA & Fitness in Phoenix, working with UFC veterans -- and former Arizona State wrestlers -- Ryan Bader and C.B. Dolloway. "In college wrestling, the thing that worked well for me was keeping a pace and making them scramble on me -- make them make the mistake," Storley said. "I think I can take down about anybody at 170 and grapple with them and all that. But I've got to be able to strike and put it all together." The August RFA 29 event will be something of a homecoming for Storley. A native of Roslyn, S.D., Storley shares the same hometown -- and high school, Webster High -- as another former Minnesota wrestler who went on to find fame and fortune in UFC. "I grew up in the same town as Brock Lesnar," Storley told FoxSports.com back in April. "We had the same high school coach. I grew up watching him wrestle and then watching him fight, so I grew up around that. Then I had three amateur fights in high school and I've wanted to fight since my freshman or sophomore year of college. Now getting done with the NCAA tournament, it's time to actually get to it." After graduation from Webster High, Storley enrolled at Minnesota, where he compiled an overall record of 119-27. Storley was a four-time NCAA Division I All-American -- only the tenth Golden Gopher to do so -- racking up four top-six finishes in the 174-pound weight class. He placed sixth as a freshman, fourth as a sophomore, third as a junior and, fourth as a senior at the 2015 NCAAs in St. Louis. He also was a four-time placer at the Big Ten conference championships, placing fourth in 2015 and 2014, seventh in 2013, and runner-up in 2012. Storley isn't the only former college wrestler to enter pro MMA competition. Just a week before Storley's announcement in April, Ed Ruth, three-time NCAA champ for Penn State and top-ranked US men's freestyle wrestler at 86 kilos/189 pounds, told BleacherReport.com that he plans to start his fight career immediately after wrestling freestyle at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A number of other former NCAA champs and All-Americans now compete as professionals in MMA, including Chris Honeycutt, 2012 NCAA finalist for Edinboro University, Paul Bradley, two-time All-American at University of Iowa, Bubba Jenkins, 2011 NCAA titlist for Arizona State, and two-time NCAA heavyweight champ Steve Mocco.
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LINDSBORG, Kan. -- The Bethany College Athletic Department announced the hiring of Larry Nugent as the new head wrestling coach Tuesday morning. Nugent brings collegiate and professional coaching experience to the position for the Swedes. Most recently, Nugent was the Director of Development at USA Wrestling, where he tracked private donor support, recorded corporate sponsorship revenue, and was in charge of special events. Prior to that, Nugent was the Associate Producer and on-air Talent with USA Broadcasting and USA Wrestling. Nugent worked with ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, Fox Sports, Oxygen Sports, Public Television, and in 2001 was the NWMA Broadcaster of the Year. "Coach Nugent brings a wealth of experience to Bethany College. His depth of knowledge of wrestling will allow our program to reach new heights in the NAIA, and I am excited to see him continue our student-athletes' development on and off the mat. Coach Nugent is a tremendous addition to Bethany College and we welcome him to Swede Nation," said Dean of Athletics and Student Development, Dane Pavlovich. Nugent's coaching career started in 1980 when he was on the staff as an Assistant Coach at Southern Oregon University. While there, the Raiders won the Team NAIA National Championship in 1983, and finished in second place in 1986. Nugent then was the Head Wrestling Coach and an Adjunct Instructor at Pacific University from 1993-1995. In his first year with Pacific University, Nugent produced five All-Americans. In his second season, Nugent was voted as the Conference Coach of the Year and produced the first national champion at the college in five years. Next, Nugent moved to BYU to be the Assistant Wrestling Coach and was there for three seasons. During his time at BYU, Nugent helped qualify three wrestlers to the NCAA D-I Championships; they had none qualify the three previous seasons. As a team, BYU qualified for the NWCA All-Academic 2nd team in 1998. In all three years Nugent was with the Cougars, they had a Top-15 national recruiting class. Nugent also helped to start ticket sales and a ticket marketing program to boost attendance to an average of 900 people. "It is both an honor and very exciting to join the Bethany College family as its new Head Wrestling Coach. Athletics are a great compliment to education, and I consider it a noble mission to guide and mentor "Swede" student-athletes as they reach their competitive athletic and academic goals. Both will greatly assist them in life's challenges post-graduation. Special thanks to Dane Pavlovich and all of Bethany College leadership for this opportunity," said Nugent late Monday afternoon. Nugent holds his Bachelors of Science in Health-Physical Education and his Masters of Science in Education from Southern Oregon University.
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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- The National Wrestling Coaches Association is pleased to announce Austin Shanfelter will give the opening keynote at the annual CEO Leadership Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on July 29-30. Shanfelter will be joined by a distinguished panel of mentors and featured speakers throughout the two-day course. The CEO Leadership Academy consists of 10 online educational modules that address general concepts that are important to know when developing an educationally based intercollegiate wrestling program. An in-person workshop will also be administered whereby coaches will work with their peers to adapt the general concepts to meet the unique needs on their campuses. The Leadership Academy curriculum is the result of a collaborative effort with Dr. Dan Gould of Michigan State University, a renowned leadership expert, which aims to promote and strengthen CEO leadership skills, align wrestling programs with similar educational values and insulate current programs from being eliminated. "The work Dan Gould has done with the Leadership Academy over the past several years has been nothing short of amazing," said Moyer. "Through the curriculum we've developed with Dr. Gould, the Leadership Academy has put dozens of alumni into college coaching positions, with many of them hired by administrators at schools starting new college wrestling programs." Each attendee was awarded a sponsorship via the NWCA which covers the course and the travel associated with the leadership academy. A release recognizing the Academy donors will be forthcoming. Shanfelter, a Pennsylvania native, wrestled under coach Neil Turner at Lock Haven University and also spent a year coaching under Turner after his graduation. Shanfelter currently serves as the Chairman of Global HR Research, a nationwide firm that's provided pre and post-employment background and drug screening services. He serves on the Board for Patriot National, Orion Marine Group and two privately-held companies -- Sabre Industries and Vibra Health Care Systems. He is also a member of the Lock Haven Wrestling Hall of Fame. "Austin Shanfelter has been involved with the NWCA for a number of years and with a variety of different roles," said Moyer. "He's been active in charity work here in Florida and has been the CEO of a billion-dollar company. We're happy to have Austin give the keynote to open the CEO Leadership Academy." Joe Geiger, the recently retired Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations, will speak for a second year in a row, while Dr. Amanda Stanec, founder of Move Live Learn and Kathy DeBoer, Executive Director of the American Volleyball Coaches Association, will also touch on topics that relate to women's sports. Dr. Stanec is also a multiple-time convention and academy speaker. Geiger is currently the secretary of the NWCA after a long career working with nonprofit organizations. "As part of our team, we know how much information Joe Geiger possesses," said Moyer. "His experience with nonprofit organizations can be beneficial to our leadership academy attendees because he has an inside take on how to approach funding and fundraising." DeBoer will be featured in a women-specific forum discussing strategies in coaching women while Dr. Stanec will lead a panel on coaching women's wrestlers. DeBoer and Dr. Stanec are leading the new women's wrestling component that's now a part of the traditional Leadership Academy. "The success of women's volleyball at the NCAA level has been fantastic and with leadership like that of Kathy DeBoer, we will be able to help and facilitate our coaches in how to coach female athletes on a variety of levels," said Moyer. "We're super pleased she's going to be lending her knowledge to the Leadership Academy." DeBoer also authored "Gender and Competition: How Men and Women Approach Work and Play Differently," which was released in 2004. "Dr. Stanec is becoming a fixture at the NWCA Convention and the CEO Leadership Academy," said NWCA President Mark Cody. "She understands the valuable insight into the healthy lifestyle and well-being that wrestling brings and she's been an outspoken advocate at creating more wrestling and healthy sports opportunities for both boys and girls at the grassroots level." The NWCA Leadership Academy will take place along with the NWCA Convention at the Westin Beach Resort and Spa in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Mentors for this year: NCAA Division II champion coach Mark Bauer (Nebraska-Kearney); NCAA Secretary Rules Editor and Ohio Northern coach Ron Beaschler; Retired high school and college wrestling coach Johnny Cobb, most recently of Wayland Baptist in Texas; Missouri Baptist head men's and women's wrestling coach Brian Jackson; retired multiple-time Division III championship coach Jim Miller of Wartburg; multiple-time Division III championship coach and Augsburg Athletic Director Jeff Swenson; past NAIA National Coach of the Year Mike Ritchey of Southern Oregon; multiple-time WCWA championship coach Archie Randall of Oklahoma City University; retired Big 12 and Division I Coach of the Year Jack Spates. Current college coaches include Pat Popolizio of N.C. State, Brian Smith of Missouri, Campbellsville women's coach Lee Miracle, Missouri Valley women's coach Carl Murphee, Ursinus head coach Bill Racich. Helping facilitate the CEO Leadership Academy: Dr. Dan Gould of Michigan State; Dr. Dennis Johnson, the Program Reviewer for the Commission on Sports Management Accreditation; Andy Driska, the Coordinator of Sport Coaching and Leadership at Michigan State and Scott Westfall, sport leadership expert and doctoral student at Michigan State. This year's 2015 Leadership Academy attendees are: Ignacio Andrade (Birmingham Community Charter), Kevin Andres (Ottawa), Dustyn Azure (Montana State-Northern), Jeff Bedard (Chattanooga), Dillon Bera (Lakeland), Ryan Birt (Millikin), Niko Brown (Chattanooga), Tony Champion (Southern Oregon), Caitlyn Chase (Gomez Wrestlnig Academy), Curtis Chenoweth (Neosho County C.C.), Angelo Crinzi (Lindenwood-Belleville), Cliff Cushard (Grass Lake H.S.), Logan Davis (Southern Virginia), Jacquelyn Davis (Beat the Streets NY), Link Davis (Emmanuel), Craig Duncan (Huntingdon), Nate Engel (Navy), Tom Erikson (Lyon), Marques Gales (Trinity), Leroy Gardner (University of Houston-Downtown), Tyler Grayson (Brown), Brandy Green (Ottawa), Scott Kruger (Morningside), Kyle Kwiat (Ohio Northern), Lauren Louive (U. of the Cumberlands), Josh Manu (Johnson & Wales), Matt Meuleners (Nebraska), Chris Michael (Ferrum), Jesse Nelson (Southwest Minnesota State), Andrew Nicola (California Baptist), Jani Palmer (Bowerhouse), Jake Patacsil (Hofstra), Tony Patrizi (Heidelberg), Trent Paulson (Iowa State), Bryan Pearsall (Army), Jessica Philippus (Glenwood Girls), Jon Reader (South Dakota State), Tyson Reiner (Wartburg), Fletcher Roberts (Alma), Will Rowe (Duke), Sarah Saenz (San Fernando), Julia Salata (King), Mike Schadwinkel (Hastings), Todd Schavrien (Appalachian State), Sam Schmitz (McKendree), Coleman Scott (North Carolina), Rachael Shannon (Missouri Baptist), Israel Silva (George Mason), Tyrel Todd (Purdue), Mason True (Baldwin Wallace), Ty Vinson (Great Falls), Donaco Watts (Briar Cliff), Adam Wilson (Trine) and Jason Zastrow (U. of the Ozarks).
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The IAwrestle Team is proud to announce that this October we will be hosting a premier wrestling event titled "The Night of Conflict", and will pit some of the best talent that the state of Iowa has to offer in a head-to-head battle for supremacy of each weight class. The event is scheduled for October 16, 2015, in Carver-Hawkeye Arena and it will take place the day before the Preseason tournament, the Conflict at Carver, whose proceeds directly benefit the Hawkeye Wrestling Club. Following weigh ins for the Conflict at Carver, wrestlers who have registered for the tournament will receive automatic admission into the Night of Conflict, free of charge. Registration for the Conflict at Carver is scheduled to get underway on September 1, 2015 so don't delay in signing up for a great tournament to get ready for the season, and the opportunity to watch a high caliber wrestling for free. Tickets for the Night of Conflict will also be available for purchase at the door. Wrestlers competing in the event will be split into two squads, and each team will be coached by a Hawkeye Wrestling Club member. Some of the wrestlers already accepting invitations to the Night of Conflict are: Brody Teske - 2015 3A 106 pound state champion Justin Portillo - 2015 1A 106 pound state champion Drew West - 2015 Fargo All-American Bryce West - 2015 1A 120 pound state champion, 2014 Double Fargo All-American Josh Portillo - 2015 1A 126 pound state champion Jack Wagner - 2015 3A 113 pound state champion Justin Mejia - Two-time California state champion, University of Iowa commit Alex Thomsen - 2015 1A 113 state champion, 2015 Double Fargo All-American Brock Rathbun - 2015 2A 120 pound state champion Ryan Leisure - 2015 2A 126 pound state champion Carter Happel - Three-time Iowa high school state champion, 2015 Fargo All-American Colton Clingenpeel - 2015 Fargo All-American Marcus Coleman - 2015 3A 152 pound state champion, 2015 Fargo National runner-up Anthony Sherry - 2015 Double Fargo All-American Ethan Andersen - 2015 3A 220 pound state champion Gannon Gremmel - 2015 3A 220 pound state runner-up
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Three of the five wrestlers among the 64 athletes in the original bracket for Oregon's Greatest Athlete online poll are still in the running for that title, with Rick Sanders and Robin Reed winning their Round of 32 matchups Monday ... and Jess Lewis, Oregon State heavyweight of the late 1960s, battling today to join those two late mat champs in the Sweet Sixteen. Lewis, two-time NCAA heavyweight champ, 1968 Olympian, and All-American defensive tackle for the Beavers, is going up against Nick Symmonds, a middle-distance track champ for NCAA Division III Willamette University in Salem, Ore. a decade ago. Wrestling fans from anywhere in the world can cast their votes online in this poll sponsored by The Oregonian newspaper of Portland by clicking here. Robin ReedIn voting concluded Tuesday, two late, legendary wrestlers with ties to colleges in Oregon came out winners in their matches. Robin Reed, Oregon State wrestler and coach early in the 20th century who won a gold medal at the 1924 Olympics, defeated women's soccer star Tiffeny Milbrett, 67.8% (579 votes) to 32.2% (275 votes). Sadly for fans of the oldest and greatest sport, the other Round of 32 match-up was wrestler against wrestler ... with Rick Sanders, Portland State champ who died weeks after winning a bronze medal at the 1972 Olympics, edging out Les Gutches, two-time NCAA champ for Oregon State in the mid-1990s. Sanders received 437 votes, or 51.96% of the vote ... while the former Beaver got 404 votes, resulting in 48.04% of the tally. Last week, Les Gutches' nephew Brock Gutches, who just won his fourth NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) champ at Southern Oregon University, lost his Round of 64 match-up, and was eliminated from the competition.
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Amazing how a single, simple tweet can generate so much buzz and speculation within college wrestling. This week, the Twitter account of the University of Iowa wrestling program posted a visual of the date 11.14.15, with the lines of a football field visible behind the large white numbers ... which launched considerable discussion online -- and a couple news stories, too -- as to what this could mean. The general consensus: the mat Hawkeyes plan to have an outdoor dual meet that Saturday at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, which will be the site of an already-scheduled Iowa vs. Minnesota football game. Kinnick Stadium has a seating capacity of just over 70,000A follow-up tweet from @Hawks_Wrestling Tuesday may hold the clue: "Fans, tired of some other school holding the attendance record? This year it comes home." Most likely, that's a reference to the college wrestling dual-meet attendance record, now held by Big Ten rival Penn State, when they drew 15,996 fans to a dual meet at Bryce Jordan Center vs. University of Pittsburgh in December 2013. Iowa had held the previous record of 15,955 for a dual vs. Iowa State at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in December 2008. Kinnick Stadium has a seating capacity of just over 70,000 fans. The Iowa sports website Black Heart Gold Pants pointed out 11.14.15 is indeed the date for the Iowa vs. Minnesota football game at Kinnick ... "but that game is also a night game (scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m. Central). Maybe we're looking at a day-night doubleheader with wrestling in the afternoon and football in the evening?" K.J. Pilcher, who covers Iowa Hawkeye wrestling for the Cedar Rapids Gazette, did some digging to try to get to the bottom of the 11.14.15 tweet. As to whether that date might include a Hawkeyes vs. Gophers dual, UI sports information assistant director Chris Brewer and Director of Wrestling Operations Luke Eustice pointed out that the Minnesota dual is currently scheduled for Jan. 30 ... and that conference duals are scheduled by the Big Ten. "We are going to have a news conference to release our schedule next week," Eustice said. "With that, we will be talking about Iowa City Duals, any dates tweeted out, the (Olympic) trials, Big Ten tickets and all those things," referring to other events the Hawkeyes will be hosting during the 2015-16 season, including the Big Ten Championships in March, along with the USA Wrestling Olympic Team Trials in April. The idea of an outdoor dual meet in Iowa in mid-November is not without its issues. "There are more questions from an event standpoint," wrote RossWB for BlackHeartGoldPants.com. "Obviously, it can be a bit chilly in mid-November in Iowa. (InterMat did some checking -- average high in Iowa City that date: 50 degrees; low: 31.) That's probably not a huge deal for spectators -- they're already accustomed to sitting outside to watch football in chilly temps -- but what about the wrestlers themselves? On the other hand, they make heaters and big warm coats and, hell, guys could just hang out near the locker rooms until it was time to wrestle and then run out to the mat (I'm thinking of "the Swarm" here, only with one dude instead of 90+ football players, of course)." After discussing other potential pitfalls, RossWB went on to say that it all comes down to creating a spectacle. "Creating a big, splashy event that draws attention to wrestling. College wrestling has the tournament side of things down cold -- Midlands, the Southern Scuffle, the Big Ten tournament, and (of course) the NCAA tournament -- are spectacular events, chock-full of more great wrestling than anyone could possibly take in ... Dual meets are easy: two teams going mano a mano at ten different weight classes. Add up the points earned from each match and declare a winner -- boom. It's a format much closer to a typical sports experience than a tournament; it's also a much smaller time commitment." Outdoor dual meets are not unprecedented. "Wrestling With The Devil", a memoir of Arizona State wrestler Tony Russo, described a sunbaked ASU-Arizona dual meet in the mid-1960s. Earlier this month, California Baptist announced it would host its second "Take It Outside" al fresco dual meet on the front lawn of its southern California campus, welcoming Cal State Bakersfield, after the success of a similar event last year vs. Stanford. Most amateur wrestling events held outside are conducted in places that are perpetually warm. There are exceptions: earlier this year, there was "Salsa in the Square", a dual meet event featuring Team USA vs. Cuba in freestyle and Greco-Roman competition in New York City's Times Square. Then there's Melee 'til Midnight, an outdoor high school wrestling tournament held in on a high school football field in Vienna, Va. This event, held each June for the past five years, has welcomed participants from up to 15 states ... and, according to the website, is held rain or shine. In raising the possibility of an outdoor wrestling event in Iowa, the Hawkeyes may be paying tribute to one Frank Gotch, pro wrestling champ of the early 1900s from Humboldt, Iowa, whose popularity helped fuel the establishment of amateur wrestling in colleges and high schools a century ago throughout his home state and beyond. Gotch did much of his training in the great outdoors -- including practice matches -- in a park in the heart of his hometown of Humboldt. Furthermore, Gotch's two epic title matches vs. world champion George Hackenschmidt held in Chicago were both outside -- in early April 1908 at Dexter Park Pavilion (essentially, an open-air, shed-like structure) ... and Labor Day 1911, on the baseball field at "old" Comiskey Park, then home to the Chicago White Sox (torn down in the 1980s for today's U.S. Cellular Field).
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IRVING, Texas -- The Big 12 Conference has added six affiliate members to its postseason wrestling competition as Air Force, Northern Colorado, North Dakota State, South Dakota State, Utah Valley and Wyoming will join Iowa State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and West Virginia in future Big 12 Wrestling Championships. Additionally, Denver will take part in the Big 12 Gymnastics Championship with Iowa State, Oklahoma and West Virginia. The affiliate member additions are effective beginning with the 2015-16 academic year. Affiliate members will compete for the Conference's postseason championship and the league's automatic qualification to NCAA postseason competition. In wrestling, the 10-team Big 12 Championship will shift to a neutral site and expand to a two-day event with the 2016 championship set for March 5-6, at Sprint Center in Kansas City. The Big 12 Gymnastics Championship will also make its neutral site debut in 2016 with Dr Pepper Arena in Frisco, Texas, hosting the meet on Saturday, March 19. "We are excited to announce the addition of affiliate members in sports where the league already maintains a strong competition level," Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby said. "The additional institutions will improve and strengthen what are already strong postseason events for the Big 12. We are looking forward to welcoming coaches, student-athletes and fans from each of the affiliate institutions to future Big 12 Gymnastics and Wrestling Championships." In addition to gymnastics and wrestling, the Big 12 also includes affiliate members in the sport of rowing.
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Tom Meester battles Ben Askren at the 2006 U.S. Open (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Tom Meester, wrestler and assistant coach at Augustana College, along with the wrestling team that was runner-up at the 2005 NCAA Division II national championships, are among those who will be welcomed into Augustana's Athletics Hall of Fame, the Sioux Falls, S.D. school announced Monday. Meester compiled a 137-18 record competing for the Vikings and was a three-time NCAA All-American, posting back-to-back titles at 184 pounds in 2004 and 2005 to become only the second two-time NCAA Division II champ for Augustana. His performance at the 2005 NCAAs helped lead the Vikings to a second-place finish in the final team standings. Meester was also a three-time North Central Conference champ. In addition, the native of Rock Rapids, Iowa also earned a number of honors, including being named Outstanding Wrestler at the 2005 NCAAs by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA). He was voted the NCC Wrestler of the Year for 2004-05, and won the Outstanding Wrestler award at the 2005 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. Meester and the 2005 Viking mat squad will be joined by Class of 2015 honorees Jay Kirsch (baseball), Chrissa Landwehr (softball), Angela Reiners (volleyball) and John Ziminske (football). In addition to the Hall of Fame inductees, Augustana will recognize Bill Gross (Lefty Olson Award), Jamie Parish (Ole Odney Award), and Linda Larson (Milt and Clara Harvey Award). The Class of 2015 will be officially inducted into the Augustana Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday, Oct. 16. The Hall of Fame banquet begins with a 6 p.m. social hour on Friday at the Holiday Inn City Centre. In addition, the honorees will also be introduced at halftime of the Viking Days football game against Wayne State on Saturday, Oct. 17.
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The role of the high school coach in the college recruiting process
InterMat Staff posted an article in High School
For the past three seasons Ty Swarm has worked as the head wrestling coach at Kearney High School in Kearney, Nebraska. Prior to that he spent 11 seasons as an assistant wrestling coach at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, an NCAA Division II power. In other words, he's been on both sides of the college recruitment process. "I think the coach plays a supportive role in the recruitment process," says Swarm. "If the wrestler has solid direction and support from their parent or guardian then the coach's role will be less. If their parent or guardian is unsure or is not providing assistance in the recruitment process then the coach needs to fill this role to assist their wrestler." As the head coach at Jeffersonville High School in Jeffersonville, Indiana, Danny Struck takes pride when a wrestler from his program signs with a collegiate wrestling program. In the past 10 years a total of 27 wrestlers from the Jeffersonville High School program have competed in college and there are currently Jeffersonville wrestlers competing at the NCAA Division I, Division III and NAIA levels. "Many of them never made it to state," says Struck. "They loved to wrestle and found a school that suited them. If they want to wrestle, there is a place." Read complete story on MatBoss ... -
Sugermeyer appointed new head wrestling coach at Western New England
InterMat Staff posted an article in College
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- Mike Sugermeyer has been appointed to be the wrestling head coach at Western New England University. That announcement was made on Tuesday by Western New England athletics director Dr. Mike Theulen. No stranger to the Golden Bears wrestling program, Sugermeyer served the past two seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator while having a hand in all aspects of the team. He also is the son of Steve Sugermeyer '78 who was inducted into the school's Downes Athletic Hall of Fame last September, playing a significant role in the growth and development of the sport at the University. "I am truly honored to have been given the opportunity to lead the wrestling program here at Western New England University. I would first like to thank Coach Theulen and the entire athletic administration for making this opportunity possible," stated Mike Sugermeyer. "Being an Assistant Coach (at WNE) for the last two seasons, I have thoroughly enjoyed being a part of our Athletic Family. I look forward to being able to continue working toward our goal of creating successful student athletes on the mat, in the classroom and in life." Previously, Mike Sugermeyer coached numerous all-state, All-New England and All-American wrestlers while coaching at Northeast Elite and Bay State Wrestling Club of West Springfield. "I am delighted that Mike Sugermeyer has accepted a new challenge of becoming our next head wrestling coach," Theulen said. "He emerged as the top candidate from a solid pool of candidates, and I am confident that he will do well in his new position to continue the successes that our Athletic Family has achieved." Sugermeyer wrestled for NCAA Division III Rhode Island College in Providence. He was a senior captain for the Anchormen, achieving All-NCAA Northeast Region and All-New England honors, as well as being named a first-team Pilgrim League All-Star. He graduated in 2013 with a bachelor of arts degree in psychology, with a minor in business management. Prior to RIC, Mike wrestled for Minnechaug Regional High School in nearby Wilbraham. At Minnechaug, he was a three-time sectional champion, three-time all-state placer and All-New England. Sugermeyer is currently working toward a master of science in organizational leadership at WNE. -
The ASICS/Vaughan Junior & Cadet Nationals came to a conclusion in Fargo, N.D., with the Junior freestyle finals on Saturday afternoon. As the full week of wrestling came to an end, there are many points to ponder and factoids to convey. Here are some reflections from Fargo 2015: Major uptick in participation It was the highest number of participants across the four events of male wrestling in Fargo in exactly ten years. There were 4,032 participants when summing those in Cadet Greco-Roman, Junior Greco-Roman, Cadet freestyle, and Junior freestyle. The last time there were 4,000 was in 2005, when there was 4,065. In fact, the third most participants in the 2005-2015 stretch came in 2007 when there were 3,980; all other years have seen 3,800 or less. There was peak participation for the 2005-2015 stretch of time this year in the Cadet Greco-Roman event (913, previous high was 885 in 2005). The Cadet freestyle total of 1,084 was the highest since 2005 when 1,114 wrestlers took to the mats. For Junior Greco-Roman, the 895 participants was joint most with 2007; while the Junior freestyle total of 1,140 was the highest since 2005 when 1,173 wrestlers took to the mats. Relative to the 2011 low of 3,467 participants (note that the actual number of human beings is less, as those competing in multiple competitions count multiple times), the 2015 total is up significantly. At 4,032 participants this year, that represents an increase of more than 16 percent. Double your pleasure Navigating through ten-plus matches, and in some cases more than fifteen, over the course of a week is hard work. Add to that, the need to make weight multiple times over the tournaments, and it's a grind. These wrestlers that won titles in both styles, made the finals in both styles, or just even earned All-American honors in both styles put in a hard week's work and should be commended. Double champions Louie Hayes (Illinois), Junior 106 Nick Reenan (Texas), Junior 182 Mosha Schwartz (Colorado), Cadet 88 -- also a Triple Crown winner, when adding in folkstyle from April Malik Heinselman (Colorado), Cadet 84 Roman Bravo-Young (Arizona), Cadet 113 Nick Raimo (New Jersey), Cadet 120 Anthony Artalona (Florida), Cadet 145 Jacob Warner (Illinois), Cadet 170 Nick Boykin (Tennessee), Cadet 285 Double finalists Brock Hardy (Utah), Cadet 132 runner-up in both styles Ryan Karoly (New Jersey), Cadet 160 runner-up in both styles Jack Jessen (Illinois), Cadet 170 runner-up in both styles Jake Boyd (Missouri), Cadet 195, Greco-Roman runner-up and freestyle champion Cohlton Schultz (Colorado), Cadet 220, Greco-Roman champion and freestyle runner-up Jaret Lane (Pennsylvania), Junior 100, Greco-Roman champion and freestyle runner-up Mitch McKee (Minnesota), Junior 132, Greco-Roman champion and freestyle runner-up Taylor LaMont (Utah), Junior 132, Greco-Roman runner-up and freestyle champion Samuel Colbray (Oregon), Junior 195 runner-up in both styles Jordan Wood (Pennsylvania), Junior 220, Greco-Roman runner-up and freestyle champion Drops of knowledge Only one weight class of the 32 that are in the Cadet and Junior levels had completely different sets of All-Americans between Greco-Roman and freestyle, 160 pounds at the Junior level. While five Junior weight classes had zero or one double All-Americans present, all but one Cadet weight class had multiple All-Americans. Cadet 106 was the weight class with just one double All-American. As a matter of detail, there was a second Cadet Greco All-American that earned All-American honors in freestyle; however, Cadet champ Malik Johnson (Missouri) was seventh in Junior freestyle at 113. Furthermore, only four Cadet weight classes in total had two or less double All-Americans. Those additional weight classes were 138, 145, and 152 that had two doublers each. However, it should be noted that there was an additional Greco-Roman All-American at both 145 and 152 that earned freestyle All-American honors up a weight class; Braeden Redlin (Texas) did so at 145/152, while Max Wohlabaugh (Florida) did so at 152/160. In total there were 103 wrestlers to earn All-American honors in both styles during the Fargo week. 65 wrestlers did so at the Cadet level, while 37 earned the distinction on the Junior level, with Malik Johnson (Missouri) having the "mixed double". While all but the 100-pound weight class on the Junior level had three or less double All-Americans, eight of the seventeen Cadet weight classes had four or more double All-Americans, not accounting for any that earned their All-American honors at different weight classes in each style. Both the 100-pound Junior weight class and the 195-pound Cadet weight classes had seven of the eight All-Americans as the same between the events. Five of the All-Americans at Cadet 88, 160, 220, and 285 were the same between events; while four were the same at 94, 132, and 182. It should be noted that there was a Cadet 160 Greco All-American who earned freestyle All-American honors at 170, while there was a Cadet freestyle All-American at 160 who earned All-American honors at 152 in Greco-Roman. "State"-ment of dominance Team Illinois continued to assert its dominance in the Olympic styles at the scholastic age levels with its success in Fargo over the past week. During the month of June, Illinois won dual meet titles in Schoolboy freestyle, both styles of Cadets, and Junior Greco-Roman. This week Illinois swept its way to both Cadet titles, won the Junior Greco-Roman title, and was a narrow third in Junior freestyle (Oklahoma won that tournament with Ohio as the runner-up). In terms of All-Americans earned, Illinois had the most for any state in the three events it won, and joint most with Oklahoma and Ohio in Junior freestyle. Those counts were 17 in Cadet Greco-Roman, 20 in Cadet freestyle, then 12 each in Junior Greco-Roman and freestyle. This should not be a revelation, as the Illinois program continues to get the job done year over year. Wrestlers, coaches, leadership, and families. All across the board. Fargo as a perception changer Every year, the events in Fargo serve to shift the perception of many wrestlers on the national landscape. While the results of the tournaments can influence things in both a positive and negative way, the feature InterMat does on an annual basis will focus on those wrestlers for whom the Fargo tournaments served to boost their "stock." The article, featuring a selection of wrestlers at the Cadet and Junior level, will be published later on this week. Updated grade-level rankings The updated grade-level rankings for the Class of 2016 through 2019, as well as the junior high group, to reflect the happenings of Fargo -- as well as for other events that have happened since the mid-June update -- will be published during early August.
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Three Fab 50 teams among first five in The Clash XIV field
InterMat Staff posted an article in College
The organizing committee for The Clash XIV unveiled the first five teams among the 32 that will be competing in this high school season's event which will be held on January 1-2, 2016. One newcomer and two past event champions were among the quintet of teams. The newcomer is Buchanan, Calif. The Bears ended the 2014-15 season ranked No. 12 nationally, and finished fourth in the California state tournament. Among the other highlights of the season was a runner-up finish at the Powerade Christmas Wrestling Tournament, 2.5 points behind Franklin Regional, Pa. The 2015-16 iteration will be anchored by state champion Durbin Lloren, two other state placers, along with seven additional state qualifiers; among those ten returning state participants, five were freshmen in 2014-15. Buchanan's arch-rival Clovis placed third overall at The Clash X in December of 2011. Previous champions making their return to The Clash are Glenbard North, Ill. and St. Michael-Albertville, Minn. Glenbard North won the first-ever Clash in January of 2003, while St. Michael-Albertville won The Clash XI in December of 2012. This past season, those two teams finished in the top two positions of the "third bracket", ninth and tenth overall in the tournament. Glenbard North ended 2014-15 ranked No. 22 in the nation, finishing third at the Illinois big-school division team state tournament. The Panthers return just three state participants for 2015-16, led by state champion Austin Gomez. St. Michael-Albertville ended 2014-15 as the No. 21 ranked team in the country, and were runners-up in the Minnesota big-school state tournament. The Knights return eight state tournament participants, five of whom placed, and four who were state finalists. Anchoring the squad are returning state champions Mitch McKee and Lucas Jeske, both of whom were Junior National freestyle runners-up last week. Rounding out the group of five are perennial participants Vacaville, Calif. and Kenyon-Wanamingo from the host state of Minnesota. In the 2014-15 edition of The Clash, Kenyon-Wanamingo was runners-up of the fourth bracket on day two, while Vacaville finished fourth in the seventh bracket. The Clash is an annual high school dual meet tournament held in Rochester, Minn. A diverse group of teams from across the country, both elite and non-elite assemble for two days of dual meet competition. The first day involves four eight-team brackets to determine placements for day two, which involve eight four-team pools involving the teams that earned the same placement on day one. -
Vote for Gutches, Sanders, Reed in Oregon's Greatest Athlete poll
InterMat Staff posted an article in College
Three wrestlers from colleges in Oregon are still in the running for Oregon's Greatest Athlete, with two all-time greats -- Les Gutches and the late Rick Sanders -- facing off against each other in head-to-head competition in an online poll open to voters all day Monday, July 27. Also up for a vote today is early 20th century mat star Robin Reed who is going up against women's soccer star Tiffeny Milbrett. Knowledgeable wrestling fans may have a tough decision in choosing between Gutches and Sanders. Rick SandersGutches, the No. 6 seed, wrestled for Oregon State in the 1990s, earning NCAA All-American honors three times. Gutches won back-to-back NCAA Division I titles in the 177-pound weight class in 1995 and 1996. As a senior, he was presented with the Dan Hodge Trophy as the nation's best collegiate wrestler of 1996. After college graduation, Gutches won the gold medal at the 1997 Wrestling World Championships in the freestyle competition. Sanders, the third seed, compiled a 103-2 record at Portland State. He is the only collegiate wrestler to win National Championships in the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics), NCAA College Division, and the NCAA University Division, and be designated an Outstanding Wrestler in each. In addition, Sanders won silver medals in freestyle at both the 1968 and 1972 Olympics. Weeks after competing at the Munich Games, Sanders was killed in a car accident in Yugoslavia in October 1972. Reed, the No. 2 seed, wrestled and coached at what is now Oregon State. More than a couple college wrestling coaches of the first half of the 20th century declared Reed to be the best they saw. While at Oregon State, he won three AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) national championships. (This was before the NCAA championships had been established.) Reed won the Olympic gold medal in 1924 at 134.5 pounds, winning every match at the Olympics by fall. He later coached at his college alma mater, leading the Beavers to the 1926 AAU team title. Reed died in 1978 at age 79. Last week, The Oregonian newspaper launched its online poll, asking readers to determine the greatest athlete with ties to a college within the state of Oregon. Their initial online ballot featured 64 athletes from various sports, including five amateur wrestlers. After the first week of Round of 64 voting, four of the five wrestlers on the ballot survived their first-round matches. In addition to today's three contestants already mentioned, Oregon State heavyweight great Jess Lewis also made it to the Round of 32. He'll be on the ballot later this week. Sadly, Brock Gutches -- four-time NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) champ for Southern Oregon University, and nephew of Les Gutches -- lost in his Round of 64 match-up last week. In last week's voting, Les Gutches received 64% of the vote (288 votes) over No. 11 seed Jordan Hasay, described by The Oregonian as "the most decorated runner" in University of Oregon history, who received 188 votes for 36% of the vote. Sanders edged out No. 14 seed Joni Huntley, Oregon State track star, by just two votes, 211 to 209 (50.24%-49.76%). No. 2 seed Reed got a dominating victory over No. 15 Michael Conforto, a Major League Baseball prospect from Oregon State, 66.67% (290 votes) to 33.33% (145). To cast a vote in The Oregonian online poll, click here. -
Dillashaw, Lawlor among ex-wrestler winners at UFC on FOX 16
InterMat Staff posted an article in Mixed Martial Arts
It was something of a college wrestlerapooza at UFC on FOX 16 at United Center in Chicago Saturday night, with at least nine former collegiate matmen -- including a number from now-defunct programs -- stepping into the Octagon, with mixed results. At the top of the card was T.J. Dillashaw, who wrestled at Cal State Fullerton, which no longer has an intercollegiate mat program -- who scored a TKO victory at 35 seconds in the fourth round over Renan Barao in their bantamweight bout. T.J. Dillashaw"Dillashaw schooled Barao to retain the title he took from Barao back at UFC 173 on Memorial Day weekend last year," reported MMAFighting.com. Sherdog.com added, "The Team Alpha Male standout ran circles around Barao with his footwork and movement, blasted him with nifty combinations and generally steered clear of danger. The challenger's movements became more and more labored as the fight dragged on, and Dillashaw showed him no mercy. He staggered Barao with a clean left hook early in the fourth round and uncorked a hellacious volley of lefts and rights that gave referee Herb Dean no choice but to step in to save the Nova Uniao rep from further punishment." With the win, Dillashaw keeps the title, and is now 12-2 overall in his mixed martial arts career (and 8-2 in UFC fights), while Barao falls to 33-3 overall, and 8-2 in UFC. The four preliminary card matches shown on FOX each had at least one contestant who stepped onto a college wrestling mat prior to entering the Octagon. In a light-heavyweight match-up of two former collegians, Tom Lawlor knocked out Gian Villante 27 seconds into the second round. Lawlor, who wrestled at University of Central Florida, scored the KO on Gillante, a former Hofstra University wrestler. Immediately before that match, in another bout featuring two ex-college matmen, Jim Miller -- who wrestled for one year at Virginia Tech -- scored a split decision over Danny Castillo, an NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) All-American at Menlo College of California. Judges scored the three-round lightweight bout 28-29, 29-28, and 30-27 for Miller. The other two prelims broadcast on FOX had mixed results for one-time collegians. Kenny Robertson, a three-time NCAA Division I qualifier at Eastern Illinois University, was on the losing end of a split decision to Ben Saunders. Judges scored the welterweight fight 29-28, 28-29, and 29-28 for Saunders. On a brighter note, Bryan Caraway, an alum of the now-defunct intercollegiate wrestling program at Central Washington, earned a unanimous decision over Eddie Wineland, 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27, in a three-round bantamweight bout. The early-evening prelims shown exclusively on UFC Fight Pass were not devoid of one-time college wrestlers. In one lightweight match, former Utah Valley University wrestler Ramsey Nijem came out on the losing end of a split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) to Andrew Holbrook ... while, in another bout in the same weight class, Daron Cruickshank, an NCAA Division III qualifier for Olivet College, was the victim of a rear-naked choke submission at 1:27 of the first round in his match with James Krause. . -
Fargo week is a time when many of the nation's top scholastic wrestlers assemble and battle it out for top honors and distinctions in one venue. Over the course of seven days and in four events, the top high school aged athletes test their mettle in the international styles of Greco-Roman and freestyle. About 40 percent of the nation's grade-level ranked wrestlers competed in the tournaments this week. Those coming from the graduated class of 2015 all the way down to the incoming freshman class of 2019. Between the Cadet and Junior freestyle competitions, the split out was the following: 2015: 21 of the top 100 (in many cases, wrestlers that have competed in past Fargo weeks were already on their college campuses taking classes and/or training. 2016: 46 of the top 100 2017: 16 of the top 50 2018: 27 of the top 50 2019: 10 of the top 25 (some of those wrestlers were not yet Fargo eligible, as they still are Schoolboys) There were a select few among the grade-level ranked that competed only in Greco-Roman, but for holistic overview purposes, the freestyle data provides enough of the story. Here is the breakdown of how those ranked wrestlers did in terms of earning All-American honors in the freestyle event: 2015: 17 out of 21, all at the Junior level 2016: 31 out of 46, all at the Junior level 2017: 12 out of 16; 7 of 12 Juniors, 4 of 4 Cadets 2018: 22 out of 27, all at the Cadet level 2019: 7 out of 10, all at the Cadet level Now obviously there are many and different reasons for why ranked wrestlers did not earn an All-American honor. In some cases, it's because the rankings were simply wrong. In other cases, it's because they lost to other ranked wrestlers before All-American status would be earned. Other scenarios are because of injury/illness before or during the competition. Another reason is that freestyle has inherent scenarios that yield different outcomes than in folkstyle (i.e. scholastic wrestling). All of these -- in isolation or combination -- along with some other items (i.e. it was just a bad tournament for the wrestler) can explain things. Now for the Greco-Roman breakdown: 2015: 2 out of 2, all at the Junior level 2016: 19 out of 19, all at the Junior level 2017: 6 out of 8; 3 of 5 Juniors, 3 of 3 Cadets 2018: 11 out of 13, all at the Cadet level 2019: 2 out of 2, all at the Cadet level California's Jaden Abas, one of the nation's top incoming freshmen, fell short of All-American honors in Cadet freestyle (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)On a related note, one of the staple features of our post-Fargo wrap-up commentaries is a look at the many notable wrestlers that competed during the event(s), but failed to earn All-American honors. This is done through our non-AA cast of All-Americans. That is to say eight wrestlers per weight class are selected based on a combination of their credentials entering the event, and their productivity during the event. The general premises are the following: to earn All-American honors in Fargo is impressive because of the cast of wrestlers that fall short, and distinguished wrestlers failing to earn All-American honors is far from an isolated event. For purposes of article length, lists were created for the freestyle events only. Symbols: *grade-level ranked, &state (or National Prep) champ, ^state (nor National Prep) runner-up Junior freestyle 100: Less than 30 kids in the weight class 106: &Wyatt Adams (Oklahoma), Kelvin Eblen (Missouri), ^Trey Keeley (Illinois), Justin Lopez (New York), Drew Schafer (New York), &Arick Shankles (Alabama), &Joe Thomas (Maryland), Dylan Koontz (Wisconsin) 113: ^Jakob Allison (Iowa), Josh Copeland (Oklahoma), &Tomas Gutierrez (Colorado), ^Drew Hildebrandt (Indiana), Randon Miranda (California), &Sidney Oliver (Missouri), Tanner Rohweder (Iowa), Drew West (Iowa), TBD 120: *&Montorie Bridges (Oklahoma), *^Dalton Duffield (Oklahoma), &Logan Griffin (Michigan), &Brock Hudkins (Indiana), &Garrett Pepple (Indiana), &Jacob Schwarm (Iowa), ^Zach Sherman (New Jersey), &Jack Wagner (Iowa) 126: Ryan Friedman (Maryland), &Jonathan Gabriel (Pennsylvania), &Cameron Hunsaker (Utah), *^Trent Olson (Wyoming), *&Brock Rathbun (Iowa), &Ted Rico (Arizona), *Gabe Townsell (Illinois), &Dalton Young (Washington) 132: ^Ryan Deakin (Colorado), &Chris Debien (Tennessee), ^Paul Glynn (Iowa), &Ryan Leisure (Iowa), *&Ben Freeman (Michigan), Corey Shie (Ohio), A.J. Jaffe (Illinois), Brandon James (Indiana) 138: &Ben Brancale (Minnesota), *&Jarrett Degen (Montana), &Beau Guffey (Oklahoma), &Jaron Jensen (Utah), *&Michael Murphy (Tennessee), &Shayne Oster (Illinois), *&Alex Rich (Oregon), *&Kanen Storr (Michigan) 145: Justin Demicco (Ohio), *^Stephan Glasgow (New Jersey), Jeren Glosser (Iowa), *&Quentin Hovis (Arizona), &Logan Lacure (Ohio), &Cole Martin (Wisconsin), &Kyler Rea (Missouri), &Andrew Webb (Georgia) 152: Cole Erickson (Iowa), Austin Hiles (Ohio), ^Kyle Kaminski (Ohio), ^Dan Kelly (Iowa), *&Austin Kraisser (Maryland), &James Pleski (Minnesota), &Chase Straw (Iowa), &Hunter Willits (Colorado) 160: *&Brett Bye (South Dakota), *Trace Carello (Illinois), ^Tristan Johnson (Iowa), Jake Lanning (Illinois), *&Canten Marriott (Missouri), Jimmy Miller (Pennsylvania), ^Saul Ortiz (Kansas), &Jesse Shearer (North Dakota) 170: &Andrew Berreyesa (Nevada), &Jordan Bushey (New York), & Sergio Chavez (Arizona), ^Hayden Hansen (Oklahoma), *&Alex Herringshaw (New York), &Dale Hilleman (Iowa), &Andrew McNally (Ohio), Jared Siegrist (Pennsylvania) 182: ^Trevor Allard (New York), Dylan Anderson (Wisconsin), &Andrew Buckley (Missouri), Kyle Gentile (Pennsylvania), Garrett Hoffman (Pennsylvania), *^Max Lyon (Iowa), *&Keegan Moore (Minnesota), Aaron Paddock (New York) 195: *Zane Black (Pennsylvania), Jake Buell (New York), *&Daniel Chadd (Wisconsin), ^Roderick Davis (Georgia), ^Nick McShea (New York), &Jackson Striggow (Minnesota), &Joe Teague (Iowa), *&Cash Wilcke (Iowa) 220: *&Ethan Andersen (Iowa), ^Jake Briggs (Minnesota), Kyler Childers (Oklahoma), &Christian Colucci (New Jersey), &Trevor Eicher (Washington), James Ford (Ohio), Andrew Gunning (Pennsylvania), &Christian Lance (Missouri) 285: ^Jake Beistel (Pennsylvania), *Gannon Gremmel (Iowa), Trenton Lieurance (Oklahoma), ^Bryson McGowan (Oklahoma), &Brandon Metz (North Dakota), &Michael Rogers (Pennsylvania), &Alex Silberstein (Iowa), ^Korey Walker (Oklahoma) Cadet freestyle: 100: Josh Blatt (North Carolina), Gregory Copastick (Texas), Samuel Fair (Indiana), *Eric Faught (Iowa), Gable Fox (Iowa), &Rhett Golowenski (Oklahoma), Joey Melendez (Illinois), Hunter Sparks (Oregon) 106: *Jaden Abas (California), Matthew Cardello (Ohio), &Alexander Cruz (Washington), ^Riley Gurr (Washington), Logan Macri (Pennsylvania), Izaak Olejnik (California), &Antonio Saldate (Nevada), &Clayton Singh (Missouri) 113: &Brock Bergelin (Wisconsin), &Connor Brown (Missouri), ^Austin Franco (Michigan), &Michael Millage (Iowa), *Roderick Mosley (Oklahoma), &Peyton Robb (Minnesota), &Brady Teske (Iowa), Chase Zollman (California) 120: Andrew Garr (Ohio), &Jackson Henson (West Virginia), Brandon Lucas (Ohio), &Jeremy Schoenhurr (Wisconsin), Zurich Storm (Pennsylvania), &Jet Taylor (Oklahoma), Cameron Valdiviez (Missouri), ^Conner Ward (Kansas) 126: Abdullah Assaf (Illinois), &Clayton Currier (Montana), Hunter Dusold (New York), &Clay Quintanilla (Washington), Lawrence Saenz (California), Zander Silva (California), ^Jaden van Maanen (Wisconsin), Zach Villarreal (Illinois) 132: &Brevin Balmeceda (Florida), Cole Corrigan (New Jersey), &Sammy Eckhart (Idaho), J.J. Figueroa (California), Calvin Germinaro (Minnesota), ^Cal Hansen (Wisconsin), Zach Lee (Wisconsin), &Brock Mauller (Missouri) 138: Jose Acosta (Wisconsin), *&Aaron Brooks (Maryland), Jaxen Gilmore (Oklahoma), Mason Hall (Minnesota), Kendon Kayser (Louisiana), Ethan Krause (Maryland), Tyler Shilson (Minnesota), Mike Stuart (Pennsylvania) 145: Kameron Bush (Michigan), *&David Carr (Ohio), Sammy Cokeley (Kansas), *Phil Conigliaro (Massachusetts), *Anthony Jackson (Minnesota), Jacob Krakow (Iowa), Isaiah Luellen (Kansas), ^Logan McKoy (Maryland) 152: Logan Coyle (Indiana), Andrew Johnson (Kansas), Gleason Mappes (Indiana), Connor Melbourne (New York), Kenny O'Neil (Minnesota), *^Robert Patrick (Pennsylvania), Tate Samuelson (Colorado), Alex Ward (Iowa) 160: Jonah Barley (Pennsylvania), Cameron Caffey (Illinois), David Crawford (Ohio), ^Ritchie Heywood (Utah), *Nate Jimenez (Illinois), Quentin Milliken (Pennsylvania), Bailee O'Reilly (Minnesota), ^Owen Pentz (Utah) 170: &John Borst (Virginia), David Blanchard (Ohio), Ti'Ric Evans (Ohio), Jacob Gray (Indiana), &Layne Hatcher (Arkansas), Michael Ilic (New Jersey), Mark Kimbrel (Ohio), Dylan Servis (Kansas) 182: Evan Frank (New York), Blake Kansco (Pennsylvania), Mason Kroening (Illinois), Drake McAdow (Nevada), Trevor Schmidt (Illinois), Andrew Shedleski (Pennsylvania), Riley Vanik (Illinois), Anthony Walters (Pennsylvania) 195: Cole Bateman (Illinois), Bonifaci Escobar (California), Bryce Esmoil (Iowa), Zachary Myers (California), Sean O'Malley (New Jersey), Saylor Schmit (Minnesota), Sergio Villalobos (Illinois), Jared Walker (Iowa) 220: Spencer Berthold (Ohio), Max Darrah (Missouri), Lee Harrington (Nebraska), Michael Lansaw (Oklahoma), Jake Levengood (California), Cameron Wetli (Indiana), Henry Willoughby (Texas), Morgan Yates (Washington) 285: Less than 30 kids in the weight class .
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FARGO, N.D. -- The man with the Twitter handle @WhoIsJamesG is starting to make a name for himself on the senior level. James Green defeated Nick Marable to make the U.S. World Team at 70 kilos (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)James Green swept two straight matches from 2014 World Team member Nick Marable, 4-0 and 2-1, to win a Special Wrestle-Off on Saturday at the FARGODOME and earn the final spot on the U.S. World Team. Green (Lincoln, Neb./Titan Mercury WC) now advances to September's World Championships in Las Vegas. Green was a four-time All-American for Nebraska and a 2014 University World silver medalist in freestyle. "This is awesome - it feels good," Green said. "I wanted to prove a point and prove I'm the best guy at the weight. I'm looking forward to wrestling for Team USA at the World Championships and wrestling in my home country." Read full story ...
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Sports programs at Nebraska Wesleyan University -- including the new wrestling program, announced earlier this month -- will be joining the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference effective in the 2016-17 school year, according to multiple media reports this week. With the move to the IIAC, NWU will be leaving the Great Plains Athletic Conference, which is comprised of NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) schools mostly in Nebraska, to join a conference of Iowa-based NCAA Division III schools. Presently, Nebraska Wesleyan is the only college in the U.S. to have both NAIA and NCAA Div. III sports programs; the Lincoln-based school is in the process of transitioning to all-D3 programs, including the wrestling program, which will start competing in that division in fall 2016. That transition process will be complete in July 2016. The major differences between Division III and the NAIA is that Division III schools do not offer athletic scholarships and are reimbursed for participation in national events, according to the Lincoln Journal-Star. "This is something that has been in discussions for many years and we had the opportunity to make the move to a NCAA Division III conference," said Wesleyan's athletic director Ira Zeff. "We can further enhance the student-athlete experience. We currently compete in NCAA Division III competition in track, cross country volleyball and men's golf." NWU president Fred Ohles said the switch from the Great Plains Athletic Conference will give NWU a "stronger opportunity to live that (NCAA Division III) out every day." The IIAC has been a fixture in the Iowa collegiate sports scene since 1922. Its membership includes Buena Vista University, Central College, Coe College, University of Dubuque, Loras College, Luther College, Simpson College and Wartburg College. Nebraska Wesleyan will be the Iowa Conference's first addition to its roster since Coe and Cornell College of Iowa joined in 1997. (Cornell returned to the Midwest Conference after the 2011-12 academic year.) The IIAC currently sponsors 21 sports including wrestling. The Journal-Star pointed out some new challenges for NWU sports programs, including a higher level of competition ... and more hours on the road for student-athletes. "Travel for NWU teams will be greatly increased from the half-hour bus rides to Concordia (Seward, Neb.) and Doane (Crete), and hour-long bus rides to Midland (Fremont). The closest IIAC school, Buena Vista in Storm Lake (Iowa), is 173 miles from Lincoln, and the farthest team is Luther in Decorah, some 390 miles from Lincoln." However, NWU's Zeff and Ohles both provided assurance that there would be no problem with transportation, athletes missing classes or additional expenses.
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Purdue heavyweight Robinson faces penalty from football coach
InterMat Staff posted an article in College
Gelen Robinson, Purdue University heavyweight wrestler who is also on the school's football and track teams who was arrested in June for operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol content of 0.15 percent or more and illegal possession of an alcoholic beverage -- his second such offense -- will soon learn his punishment from the head football coach, the Indianapolis Star reported Friday. Although Purdue football coach Darrell Hazell didn't offer specifics Friday, he hinted that a penalty is in the offing for Robinson, a sophomore rush end. Gelen Robinson (Photo/Purdue Sports Information)"We'll let him know shortly and the rest of the team know exactly what we'll do with him," Hazell said. "There's a penalty to be paid. He's owned up to his mistake and now he has to do some things to put himself back in the graces of the program. That's where we are right now. Without giving out what it may or may not be, he knows he has to do some things and there will still be a penalty come down." This is the second incident involving alcohol for Gelen Robinson, son of Glenn Robinson, legendary Purdue basketball star. Last August, the 20-year-old Robinson entered a diversion agreement after being cited for minor consumption by Purdue University Police Department in June 2014. A diversion agreement allows a defendant to have the charges dismissed if he or she abides by formal terms and conditions over a set period of time. According to the terms of that agreement, Robinson made a commitment to, among other things, not to "consume alcohol or alcoholic beverages" and not to "enter any bar, tavern or liquor store" for the duration of the agreement, which lasts until Aug. 3, 2015. Violating the terms of this diversion agreement means Robinson could now be subject to prosecution on the original misdemeanor charge ... and could result in a greater penalty regarding his eligibility to play sports at the Big Ten school located in West Lafayette, Ind. When asked if Robinson's situation is different because this is his second offense, Hazell said yes, adding, "He understands the severity of it." Hazell said Robinson has been participating in summer workouts and will practice with the team when training camp begins Aug. 7. However, the Indianapolis Star pointed out that last season, Hazell suspended another player for two games because of an alcohol-related arrest ... and that Hazell has other players who can step into Robinson's position as rush end if the multi-sport star is not allowed to play. A product of Schererville, Ind., Robinson was a four-year letterwinner in wrestling, football and track at Lake Central High School in northwest Indiana. He was a two-time Indiana state wrestling champ at 220 pounds. This past season, the 6'1" Robinson compiled a 3-4 overall record for the Purdue wrestling squad as a freshman, and was 1-3 in Big Ten dual meets, according to his official Boilermaker wrestling bio. One of his wins was by pin, scoring a 56-second fall against a Wabash College wrestler at the Greyhound Open. After wrestling season, Robinson joined the Purdue track team, where he throws the shot put, weight throw and discus. Back in February, the Boilermaker was the subject of a USA Today profile titled "Purdue's Gelen Robinson juggles three sports", which quoted coach Hazell said, "He came to me and presented one sport and all of sudden he came back -- everybody wants him. Right now, he's handling it pretty well." At least one website which covers Purdue sports disagrees. Earlier this week, HammerAndRails.com posted an article titled "The Gelen Robinson Conundrum" which described the sophomore sports star's situation. "He entered Purdue with a ton of hype," wrote Travis Miller. "He is the son of possibly our greatest basketball player ever. He was the highest rated player in the 2014 recruiting class and was expected to be an instant impact player if not start immediately. Tons of hype was put on him as the next great defensive end. "So what have we gotten so far? 20 tackles in a reserve role, two sacks, and now two arrests. He enters the 2015 season likely facing a lengthy suspension and he is damn lucky to still be on the team at all." Miller goes on to say, "I am betting that one of his conditions to returning to football will be cutting track and wrestling (in addition to a lengthy suspension)." . -
FARGO, N.D. -- Oklahoma, which won the Junior Duals title in late June, dominated the Junior National freestyle tournament over the last three days. Overall, the Oklahoma team amassed 12 All-American finishes, which was joint most for the tournament with Ohio and Illinois. Oklahoma had 61 points to 54 for Ohio and 53 for Illinois. Joe Smith was named OW (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)The two champs from the Sooner State, Daton Fix at 120 and Joe Smith at 160, were the clear stars of the whole event. Fix, ranked No. 1 overall in the Class of 2017, secured technical falls in all six of the matches. That included a 10-0 victory in the final against returning Junior freestyle champion Jack Mueller (Texas). The Oklahoma State-bound Smith, who finished ranked No. 16 in the Class of 2015, wrestled seven matches and won all seven of them by shutout technical fall. That included an 11-0 result in the final over Lucas Jeske (Minnesota). It was a first Fargo title for Smith after three previous top four finishes. He was named Outstanding Wrestler of the competition. Smith was joined by five other graduated seniors in winning Junior freestyle titles on Saturday. The Minnesota bound Fredy Stroker (Iowa) and Larry Early (Illinois) won titles at 145 and 152 pounds respectively. No. 15 Stroker beat No. 75 Patricio Lugo (Florida), who is enrolling at Edinboro, by a 4-3 decision. No. 42 Early beat "giant killer" Evan Wick (Calfiornia) 12-8 in his final; Wick beat top 25 Class of 2016 members Hayden Hidlay (Pennsylvania) and Griffin Parriott (Minnesota) on the way to the final, while Early's big win came over defending champion Mason Manville (Virginia) in the quarterfinal. Michigan enrollee Austin Assad (Ohio) made it repeat Junior freestyle titles with his 13-2 technical fall over Junior folkstyle champion Navonte Demison (California) at 126 pounds. The No. 56 ranked graduated senior finished his five-year Fargo career 31-6, and as a four-time All-American. Also winning a second Fargo title was Matthew Kolodzik (New Jersey), who is enrolling at Princeton and finished as the No. 9 Class of 2015 wrestler. Kolodzik added to a Cadet freestyle title won in 2012 with a 7-7 criteria victory in the final over West Virginia bound Keegan Moore (Oklahoma) at 138 pounds; Moore finished as the No. 18 wrestler in that class. Jacoby Seely, ranked No. 90 in the Class of 2015 and bound for Northern Colorado, won the 195 pound title with a 3-2 decision over Samuel Colbray (Oregon). The result avenged a quarterfinal loss from last year's tournament, and condemned the nation's No. 10 Class of 2016 wrestler to runner-up finishes in both styles this week. Joining Oklahoma as states with a pair of Junior freestyle champions were Illinois and Arizona. Early was one of the two champions for Illinois, while Louie Hayes won the Land of Lincoln's other title at 106 pounds. The senior-to-be swept to the Greco-Roman and freestyle titles this week, and in freestyle went for five shutout technical falls and a pin in six matches. Hayes' victory in the championship bout came by 10-0 technical fall over Liam Cronin (California). Titles for Arizona were won by Jason Holmes and Brandon Courtney. Holmes won his title at 100 pounds with a 14-3 technical fall over Greco-Roman champion Jaret Lane (Pennsylvania), while Courtney won at 113 with an 11-9 decision over Drew Mattin (Ohio). The only wrestler to join Hayes as a double champion on the Junior level this week in Fargo was Nick Reenan (Texas) at 182 pounds. The No. 9 Class of 2016 wrestler won is final by 10-6 decision over nationally ranked graduated senior Dylan Wisman (Virginia). A pair of Greco-Roman runners-up improved upon those finishes with a title in freestyle. Taylor LaMont (Utah) avenged his Greco-Roman loss to Mitch McKee (Minnesota) with a 15-5 technical fall in Saturday morning's freestyle final at 132 pounds. The nationally ranked Class of 2016 wrestlers split matches between Junior Duals and Junior Nationals with each securing one win in each styles, while this result kept McKee at just winning one Fargo title per year each of the last four years. Jordan Wood (Pennsylvania), ranked No. 6 in the Class of 2016, was dominant in freestyle at 220 pounds with five technical falls and a pin in six matches on the way to a title. In the final, it was a 10-0 technical fall over Rylee Streifel (Minnesota). Rounding out the champions in Junior freestyle were a pair of wrestlers who improved upon third place finishes in Greco-Roman. Beau Breske (Wisconsin), ranked No. 13 in the Class of 2016, dominated to a 10-0 technical fall victory over nationally ranked graduated senior Xavier Montalvo (Illinois) at 170 pounds. Osawaru Odighizuwa (Oregon), ranked No. 39 in the Class of 2016, ran an impressive gauntlet on the way to his title at 285 pounds. That included an 11-0 technical fall in the final for the UCLA football recruit over Kevin Vough (Ohio), who is ranked No. 12 in the Class of 2017. Finals Results: 100: Jason Holmes (Arizona) tech. fall Jaret Lane (Pennsylvania), 14-3 106: Louie Hayes (Illinois) tech. fall Liam Cronin (California), 10-0 113: Brandon Courtney (Arizona) dec. Drew Mattin (Ohio), 11-9 120: Daton Fix (Oklahoma) tech. fall Jack Mueller (Texas), 10-0 126: Austin Assad (Ohio) tech. fall Navonte Demison (California), 13-2 132: Taylor LaMont (Utah) tech. fall Mitchell McKee (Minnesota), 15-5 138: Matthew Kolodzik (New Jersey) dec. Keegan Moore (Oklahoma), 7-7 criteria 145: Fredy Stroker (Iowa) dec. Patricio Lugo (Florida), 4-3 152: Larry Early (Illinois) dec. Evan Wick (California), 12-8 160: Joe Smith (Oklahoma) tech. fall Lucas Jeske (Minnesota), 10-0 170: Beau Breske (Wisconsin) tech. fall Xavier Montalvo (Illinois), 10-0 182: Nick Reenan (Texas) dec. Dylan Wisman (Virginia), 10-6 195: Jacob Seely (Colorado) dec. Sam Shields-Colbray (Oregon), 3-2 220: Jordan Wood (Pennsylvania) tech. fall Rylee Streifel (Minnesota), 10-0 285: Osawaru Odighizuwa (Oregon) tech. fall Kevin Vough (Ohio), 11-0
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SOMERS, Wis. -- The University of Wisconsin-Parkside wrestling program announced the return of three-time All-American Matt Gille, who will serve as an assistant coach with the Rangers for the 2015-2016 season. "I'm ecstatic to have Matt return to Parkside and join the coaching staff," said Head Coach Gregg Lewis. "He's an excellent technician of the sport and a great leader who does things the right way both on and off the mat." Gille rejoins the Green and White after a two-year stint as a graduate assistant coach at Lindenwood University. While at Lindenwood, Gille helped the Lions tally a pair of top 15 finishes at the NCAA Division II Championships, placing seventh in 2014 and 13th in 2015. As a collegian, Gille closed out his Ranger career with a 123-49 record and was a three-time NCAA All-American. The Little Suamico, Wisconsin native established a freshman school record for wins in 2009, racking up 43 on the season, culminating in a seventh place showing at the national championships. Gille followed up his freshman campaign with All-American honors in both 2011 and 2012, placing eighth overall and both occasions. Gille additionally was a NWCA All-Academic honoree and was a three-time team captain. Gille owns a bachelor's degree in sport management from UW-Parkside and earned a master's of business administration degree from Lindenwood.
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Friday saw the Junior freestyle tournament pared down from 16 on the front side to the championship finals, while 32 wrestlers overall in each weight class were trimmed down to the eight All-American. Medal matches will be wrestled on Saturday morning starting at 10:00 a.m. Central Time. The following is a preview of each Junior freestyle final. 100: Jaret Lane (Pennsylvania) vs. Jason Holmes (Arizona) Both wrestlers in this match were Cadet double All-Americans last summer at 88 pounds, with Holmes out-placing Lane in both tournaments. However, Lane won the Greco-Roman title on Tuesday afternoon, while Holmes placed fourth. During the freestyle event, Holmes is four-for-four in technical falls; while Lane has a pin and a technical fall among three match victories. 106: Louie Hayes (Illinois) vs. Liam Cronin (California) This is a battle of state runners-up from the folkstyle season. Hayes won the Greco-Roman title earlier in the week, and is after a Fargo double, while Cronin placed third. For this tournament, Hayes has four shutout technical falls and a pin from five matches, while Cronin is sitting on three technical falls in four matches. 113: Brandon Courtney (Arizona) vs. Drew Mattin (Ohio) This is a battle of high school state champions. Both wrestlers competed in the 50 kilogram weight class at the UWW Cadet Nationals, with Courtney taking fifth to the second earned by Mattin. During this tournament, Courtney has two technical falls and a pin from five matches, while Mattin has four technical falls from five matches. Mattin is a double All-American for the second straight year, fourth in Cadet last year both styles and seventh in Greco-Roman earlier this week. 120: Jack Mueller (Texas) vs. Daton Fix (Oklahoma) Mueller, ranked No. 23 in the Class of 2016, had reached the semifinal round with five technical falls victories. That included victories in the last two matches over a pair of top 100 Class of 2016 wrestlers. His semifinal victory came 13-10 over Austin Gomez (Illinois), ranked No. 13 in the Class of 2017. Fix, ranked No. 1 in the Class of 2017, has five technical falls in as many matches on the way to the final. Both wrestlers placed competing at 55 kilograms in the UWW Junior Nationals in May; Fix won the weight class, while Mueller was fifth. 126: Austin Assad (Ohio) vs. Navonte Demison (California) Assad seeks a repeat Junior freestyle title, having won it last year at 120 pounds. The University of Michigan enrollee finished his career ranked No. 56 in the Class of 2015. For this tournament, Assad started with three technical falls, and followed it with 7-0 and 8-7 decisions in the last two bouts. Demison, champion in Junior folkstyle at this weight class and ranked No. 39 in the Class of 2017, has had a superlative tournament. He has six technical falls from six matches, including shutouts in the last two rounds against top 100 Class of 2016 prospect Alex Mackall (Ohio) and Iowa state champ Nolan Hellickson. 132: Taylor LaMont (Utah) vs. Mitch McKee (Minnesota) This is a rematch of the Greco-Roman final, which was won 4-2 by McKee; the pair of wrestlers also met in both styles at the Junior Duals last month, LaMont won by pin in Greco-Roman, while McKee snagged a 6-4 victory in freestyle. Between the two wrestlers, they have been in ten Fargo finals; McKee in six, and is seeking a repeat Junior freestyle title, and LaMont in four. Ranked No. 12 in the Class of 2016, McKee had four shutout technical falls prior to the decisions in the quarterfinal and semifinal; while No. 36 LaMont has four shutout technical falls from five matches, including one in the semifinal over 2013 Junior freestyle champion Hunter Marko (Wisconsin). 138: Keegan Moore (Oklahoma) vs. Matthew Kolodzik (New Jersey) Two of the nation's top 20 Class of 2015 wrestlers will be battle here. West Virginia enrollee Moore is ranked No. 18, while Princeton enrollee finished No. 9 in the rankings. Moore, who placed fourth in Junior freestyle last year, started the tournament with a pin, followed up with four shutout technical falls before a 7-2 semifinal victory over fellow elite Class of 2015 wrestler Boo Lewallen (Oklahoma). Kolodzik, a Cadet freestyle champion in 2012, started his tournament with five technical falls before a 5-0 victory in the semifinal round; giving up points in just one of six matches to date. 145: Fredy Stroker (Iowa) vs. Patricio Lugo (Florida) It's a battle of nationally ranked Class of 2015 wrestlers, as No. 15 Stroker -- bound for Minnesota -- faces Edinboro bound No. 75 Lugo. Stroker, fourth last year in Junior freestyle, started the tournament with three shutout technical falls, a pin, and a 7-0 decision before a 3-2 semifinal victory over No. 14 Max Thomsen (Iowa). For the tournament, Lugo is on four technical falls from six matches. 152: Larry Early (Illinois) vs. Evan Wick (California) Early finished as the No. 42 ranked wrestler in the Class of 2015, and is bound for the University of Minnesota. It has been a most excellent tournament, as it started off with three shutout technical falls and an 8-2 decision, before another 8-2 decision over defending champion Mason Manville (Virignia); the semifinal was an 11-4 decision victory over Junior folkstyle champion Luke Troy (California). Two-time state placer Wick, whose placements are fifth and fourth, has been a giant killer in the tournament with wins over a pair of top 25 Class of 2016 wrestlers in Hayden Hidlay (Pennsylvania) and Griffin Parriott (Minnesota). 160: Joe Smith (Oklahoma) vs. Lucas Jeske (Minnesota) The Oklahoma State enrollee Smith finished his career ranked No. 16 in the Class of 2015. Seeking his first Fargo title, Smith has went six matches in the tournament so far, with all six ending in a shutout technical fall. Jeske, state champion as a junior, enters the final with four technical falls from six matches and wins over a pair of top 100 Class of 2016 wrestlers along the way. 170: Beau Breske (Wisconsin) vs. Xavier Montalvo (Illinois) This is a rematch of a Preseason Nationals championship match from late October that was won 2-1 in the tiebreaker by the Illinois enrollee Montalvo. This is a second Fargo final for Montalvo, who finished ranked No. 34 in the Class of 2015, and was runner-up in Junior Greco-Roman in 2013. Breske, ranked No. 13 in the Class of 2013, was a two-time Cadet National double champion and placed third earlier this week in Greco-Roman. Montalvo has four shutout technical falls and a 9-3 decision from five matches; while Breske has five technical falls and a twenty second pin in six matches this week. 182: Dylan Wisman (Virginia) vs. Nick Reenan (Texas) Wisman finished ranked as the No. 85 ranked wrestler in the Class of 2015, and the Missouri enrollee is now a three-time Junior freestyle All-American. For this tournament, Wisman has two shutout technical falls and a pin, as well as tight decisions over a pair of grade-level ranked wrestlers. Reenan, ranked No. 9 in the Class of 2016, seeks a double title at this weight class. For this tournament, the Northwestern verbal commit is sitting on five technical falls from five bouts. 195: Samuel Colbray (Oregon) vs. Jacob Seely (Colorado) This is a battle of returning Junior freestyle All-Americans, Colbray was third and Seely seventh in this weight class last year, with Colbray securing a 7-5 quarterfinal victory along the way. Colbray, ranked No. 10 in the Class of 2016, was runner-up in the Greco-Roman tournament; he started this tournament with three technical falls before an 11-6 quarterfinal decision and a 6-5 semifinal decision against fellow returning Junior freestyle All-American Kevin Mulligan (New Jersey). Seely finished No. 90 in the Class of 2015, and has five technical falls in as many matches this tournament. 220: Rylee Streifel (Minnesota) vs. Jordan Wood (Pennsylvania) The Minnesota enrollee Streifel was never in the state finals during his high school career, but is now a two-time Junior freestyle All-American. He started this tournament with two shutout technical falls before an 11-8 quarterfinal decision over No. 57 in the Class of 2015 Austin Marsden and then an 11-1 technical fall in the semifinal over Matt Stencel, ranked No. 41 in the Class of 2016. Wood, ranked No. 6 in the Class of 2016, is a returning UWW Cadet world silver medalist in this weight class and a state champion this past year after runner-up finishes the previous two years. For this tournament, Wood sits on four technical falls and a thirteen second pin. 285: Osawaru Odighizuwa (Oregon) vs. Kevin Vough (Ohio) This is a rematch of last year's Cadet freestyle semifinal, which was won by Odighizuwa 10-0. The wrestlers have also met in Fargo in Greco-Roman the last two years; Vough winning 8-1 in last year's championship match, while Odighizuwa won by fall in eighteen seconds this year during the consolation round of 12 on the way to a third place finish. Odighizuwa, a UCLA football commit on the defensive line, is ranked No. 39 in the Class of 2016; for this tournament he started with two shutout technical falls, then a 5-0 victory over a fellow top 100 Class of 2016 wrestler, before two additional decisions over returning Junior freestyle All-Americans. Vough had two pins and two shutout technical falls before a 9-4 semifinal decision over a returning Junior freestyle All-American.
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Cadet freestyle champs crowned, Schwartz wins Triple Crown
InterMat Staff posted an article in College
FARGO, N.D. -- The Friday afternoon medal matches during the Cadet National freestyle tournament in Fargo, N.D. were a procession of wrestlers from the Land of Lincoln. Twenty Illinois wrestlers earned All-American honors, including a pair of champions, Trevell Timmons (152) and Jacob Warner (170). Timmons, third at the UWW Cadet freestyle tournament in late May in this weight class, had six technical falls from six matches during the tournament. That included a 16-6 victory over Giullian Nakamtsu (Nevada) in the championship match. Warner made it double titles for him on the week with a 15-4 technical fall victory over fellow Illinois wrestler Jack Jessen, the same wrestler that he beat in the Greco-Roman final on Monday afternoon. For this event, Warner had five technical falls and a pin, with the No. 25 overall Class of 2017 wrestler not giving up any points until the championship match. Six others joined Warner in sweeping the Greco-Roman and freestyle championships at the Cadet level. That included a pair of Colorado natives, which did so in the opening two weight classes. Mosha Schwartz cemented the lone Cadet Triple Crown - winning the folkstyle nationals in April in addition to the tournaments this week - with an 11-8 victory over Ridge Lovett (Idaho) in the 88 pound final. Malik Heinselman repeated as a Cadet National freestyle champion with his 6-2 victory over Rayvon Foley in the final at 94 pounds, which was the first non-technical fall for the UWW Cadet freestyle world team representative at 42 kilograms. Roman Bravo-Young (Arizona) repeated as a Cadet National double champion during this week, including Friday afternoon's 11-4 victory over Matthew Parker (Pennsylvania) at 113 pounds. Ranked No. 17 in the Class of 2018, Bravo-Young advanced to the final with five technical fall victories in as many matches. In the next weight class, it was the nation's No. 3 ranked Class of 2019 wrestler Nick Raimo (New Jersey) winning a shootout to secure his sweep of this week's tournaments. After steamrolling his way to the final with four technical falls and two pins from six matches, Raimo was extended by nationally ranked Class of 2018 wrestler Alex Thomsen (Iowa) during a 15-13 victory. Nationally ranked Class of 2018 wrestler Anthony Artalona (Florida) won double titles at 145 pounds with an 11-4 victory over fellow ranked Class of 2018 wrestler Jaryn Curry (Oklahoma); while Nick Boykin (Tennessee) earned double titles at 285 pounds with a 10-0 technical fall over Zach Muller (Illinois), the Cadet folkstyle champion. Double champion Raimo was one of two from New Jersey to win Cadet freestyle titles on Friday afternoon. He was joined by Ryan Karoly (New Jersey), ranked No. 25 in the Class of 2018, who won the 160 pound weight class. Greco-Roman runner-up Karoly avenged three losses from the Cadet Duals (one in Greco-Roman, and two in freestyle) against Marcus Coleman (Iowa) in a 9-6 victory. The other state joining Illinois, Colorado, and New Jersey in winning a pair of titles was Ohio, which saw nationally ranked Class of 2019 wrestlers Dylan D'Emilio and Jordan Decatur win championships at 100 and 106 pounds respectively. D'Emilio outlasted Travis Ford-Melton (Illinois) 5-4 in a battle of top ten Class of 2019 wrestlers; while Decatur upended Billy Simpson (Oklahoma) 14-8. Outstanding Wrestler honors for the tournament went to Vito Arujau (New York), ranked No. 10 in the Class of 2017, who had seven technical falls during the event - including six shutouts. Arujau won the 126 pound weight class with an 11-0 finals victory over Anthony Madrigal (Illinois). The lone champion from Pennsylvania, which had the second most Cadet freestyle All-Americans with 13, was earned by Sammy Sasso (Pennsylvania). Sasso, ranked No. 14 in the Class of 2018 beat No. 19 Brock Hardy (Utah) by a 4-1 decision in the 132 pound final; Hardy was relegated to runner-up finishes in both styles this week. Rounding out the champions were Joe Lee (Indiana) at 138 pounds, Jacob Raschka (Wisconsin) at 182, Jake Boyd (Missouri) at 195, and Gable Steveson (Minnesota) at 220. Lee, ranked No. 22 in the Class of 2018, beat No. 15 Shane Griffith (New Jersey) 10-0 in his championship match. Raschka, a rising junior, beat top ten Class of 2017 wrestler Brandon Whitman (Michigan) by a 6-5 score. Boyd, runner-up in Greco-Roman, beat Ian Malesiewski (Pennsylvania) 9-2. Finally, the nation's top-ranked Class of 2018 wrestler Gable Steveson (Minnesota) beat second ranked Class of 2019 wrestler Cohlton Schultz (Colorado) by 14-4 technical fall. Finals Results: 88: Mosha Schwartz (Colorado) dec. Ridge Lovett (Idaho), 11-8 94: Malik Heinselman (Colorado) dec. Rayvon Foley (Michigan), 6-2 100: Dylan D'Emilio (Ohio) dec. Travis Ford-Melton (Illinois), 5-4 106: Jordan Decatur (Ohio) dec. Billy Simpson (Oklahoma), 14-8 113: Roman Bravo-Young (Arizona) dec. Matthew Parker (Pennsylvania), 11-4 120: Nick Raimo (New Jersey) dec. Alex Thomsen (Iowa), 15-13 126: Vitali Arujau (New York) won by tech. fall over Anthony Madrigal (Illinois), 11-0 132: Sam Sasso (Pennsylvania) dec. Brock Hardy (Utah), 4-1 138: Joe Lee (Indiana) won by tech. fall over Shane Griffith (New Jersey), 10-0 145: Anthony Artalona (Florida) dec. Jaryn Curry (Oklahoma), 11-4 152: Trevell Timmons (Illinois) won by tech. fall over Giullian Nakamatsu (Nevada), 16-6 160: Ryan Karoly (New Jersey) dec. Marcus Coleman (Iowa), 9-6 170: Jacob Warner (Illinois) won by tech. fall over Jack Jessen (Illinois), 15-4 182: Jacob Raschka (Wisconsin) dec. Brandon Whitman (Michigan), 6-5 195: Jake Boyd (Missouri) dec. Ian Malesiewski (Pennsylvania), 9-2 220: Gable Steveson (Minnesota) won by tech. fall over Cohlton Schultz (Colorado), 14-4 285: Nicholas Boykin (Tennessee) won by tech. fall over Zach Muller (Illinois), 10-0 -
Jess LewisJess Lewis, former Oregon State mat champ and football star, won his round in the Oregon's Greatest Athlete online poll Thursday, while Brock Gutches is struggling in Friday's balloting sponsored by The Oregonian newspaper. The poll seeks to determine the greatest college athlete ever in the state of Oregon. The Portland-based newspaper has created an online poll, complete with seeded brackets with the names of 64 athletes from various eras who attended college in Oregon ... including a total of five amateur wrestlers. So far, collegiate wrestlers with ties to Oregon are four-for-four in the poll. In the first round of voting, Oregon State's Les Gutches from the 1990s and Robin Reed from nearly a century ago, as well as Portland State's Rick Sanders, all won their match-ups Tuesday ... joined by Lewis, two-time NCAA heavyweight champ for Oregon State in the late 1960s who was a member of the U.S. men's freestyle team at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. The Beaver wrestler/All-American defensive tackle scored 60.66% of the vote (404 votes) over Ad Rutschman, described as "a legendary football and baseball coach at Linfield", who received 262 votes, or 39.34% of the vote Thursday. Brock Gutches is the fifth and final wrestler in the bracket, among those in contention in today's polling. The four-time NAIA champ who just graduated from Southern Oregon University is up against Terry Baker, a 1962 Heisman winner who also played basketball for Oregon State. As of 2 p.m. Friday, Baker had 167 votes to Gutches' 14. To vote, click here. .