InterMat Staff

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.

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.

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 .

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 ...

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.

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

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.

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.

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. .

Over 1100 wrestlers took to the mat today in the Junior National freestyle tournament at the FARGODOME. When two sessions of wrestling were done, 16 remained in the championship bracket of each weight class, with 16 others in the consolation bracket. The round of 16 and quarterfinals will be wrestled on Friday morning starting at 9:00 a.m. Central Time. The semifinals and All-American rounds will be wrestled in the 6:00 p.m. evening session, with medal matches slated for 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. The following are the round of 16 pairings in each weight class. 100: Jaret Lane (Pennsylvania) vs. Jakob Houston (Oklahoma), Matthew Petersen (Minnesota) vs. Nathan Rankin (Texas); Cody Phippen (Kansas) vs. Kobe McCorkle (Illinois), Hunter Rush (Montana) vs. Ryan Chauvin (Colorado) Brady Koontz (Wisconsin) vs. Cooper Cox (Oklahoma), Majid Corbett (South Carolina) vs. Elijah Varona (Florida); Travis Giallambardo (Michigan) vs. Tyler Cunningham (Nebraska), Brandon Blose (Oklahoma) vs. Jason Holmes (Arizona) 106: Louie Hayes (Illinois) vs. Brakan Mead (Ohio), Dominic Lajoie (Michigan) vs. Eusebio Rivera (Illinois); Trey Keeley (Illinois) vs. Hassan Krigger (Georgia), Wyatt Adams (Oklahoma) vs. Ben Ramos (Arizona) Mason Naifeh (Oklahoma) vs. Graham Shore (Ohio), Matthew Templeton (Illinois) vs. Dylan Koontz (Wisconsin); Alex Mitchell (Illinois) vs. Kelvin Eblen (Missouri), Drew Schafer (New York) vs. Liam Cronin (California) 100: Randon Miranda (California) vs. Jaxon Cole (Utah), Jakob Allison (Iowa) vs. Kellan McKenna (New York); Brandon Courtney (Arizona) vs. Sidney Oliver (Missouri), Drew West (Iowa) vs. Drew Hildebrandt (Indiana) Danny Vega (Arizona) vs. Paxton Rosen (Oklahoma), Joey Prata (Virginia) vs. Jonathan Tropea (New Jersey); Alec Opsal (Connecticut) vs. Drew Mattin (Ohio), Josh Copeland (Oklahoma) vs. Killian Cardinale (Virginia) 120: Jack Mueller (Texas) vs. Noah Baughman (Ohio), Garrett Pepple (Indiana) vs. Dalton Duffield (Oklahoma); Montorie Bridges (Oklahoma) vs. Brent Jones (Minnesota), Asian Kilic (Georgia) vs. Austin Gomez (Illinois) Matthew Schmitt (Missouri) vs. Travis Piotrowski (Illinois), Ian Parker (Michigan) vs. Khaleel Johnson (Alabama); Jacob Schwarm (Iowa) vs. Harry Feuer (Ohio), Zach Sherman (New Jersey) vs. Daton Fix (Oklahoma) 126: Austin Assad (Ohio) vs. Ted Rico (Arizona), Requir van der Merwe (New Jersey) vs. Jonathan Gabriel (Pennsylvania); Dylan Duncan (Illinois) vs. Ryan Friedman (Maryland), Joey Bowen (Ohio) vs. Kaden Gfeller (Oklahoma) Cameron Hunsaker (Utah) vs. Cody Karstetter (Oklahoma), Nolan Hellickson (Iowa) vs. Owen Lamb (Colorado); Navonte Demison (California) vs. Michael Doetsch (Maryland), Alex Mackall (Ohio) vs. Mason Schultz (North Dakota) 132: Hunter Marko (Wisconsin) vs. Chris Debien (Tennessee), Coltan Williams (Texas) vs. Nick Noel (Arkansas); Brandon James (Indiana) vs. Nick Farro (New Jersey), Jason Moore (Georgia) vs. Taylor LaMont (Utah) Kaid Brock (Oklahoma) vs. Ryan Leisure (Iowa), Jeremy Rezabek (Ohio) vs. Lincoln Olson (Michigan); Corey Shie (Ohio) vs. Christopher Sandoval (Colorado), Paul Glynn (Iowa) vs. Mitch McKee (Minnesota) 138: Keegan Moore (Oklahoma) vs. Jarrett Degen (Montana), Alex Rich (Oregon) vs. Shayne Oster (Illinois); Ben Brancale (Minnesota) vs. Jaron Jensen (Utah), Beau Guffey (Oklahoma) vs. Boo Lewallen (Oklahoma) Tristan Moran (Oklahoma) vs. Will Kui (New Jersey), Cory Crooks (Arizona) vs. Sal Profaci (New Jersey); Parker Filius (Montana) vs. Hunter Kelley (Georgia), Tyler Nein (North Dakota) vs. Matthew Kolodzik (New Jersey) 145: Fredy Stroker (Iowa) vs. Kenan Carter (Illinois), Leonard Merkin (New York) vs. Kyler Rea (Missouri); Kyle Bierdumpfel (New Jersey) vs. David Rump (Pennsylvania), Brandon Konecny (Arizona) vs. Max Thomsen (Iowa) Zachary Moore (Oklahoma) vs. Cole Martin (Wisconsin), Hunter Shelton (Mssouri) vs. Justin Demicco (Ohio); Quentin Hovis (Arizona) vs. Johnny O'Hearon (Utah), Patricio Lugo (Florida) vs. Jeren Glosser (Iowa) 152: Mason Manville (Virginia) vs. Dan Kelly (Iowa), Larry Early (Illinois) vs. Ryan Klemp (Idaho); Austin Kraisser (Maryland) vs. Wyatt Sheets (Oklahoma), Matthew Malcolm (Iowa) vs. Luke Troy (California) Hayden Hidlay (Pennsylvania) vs. Evan Wick (California), Austin Hiles (Ohio) vs. Ryder Punke (Illinois); Jack Conway (Ohio) vs. Hunter Willits (Colorado), Cole Erickson (Iowa) vs. Griffin Parriott (Minnesota) 160: Joe Smith (Oklahoma) vs. Jacob Covaciu (Indiana), Jesse Shearer (North Dakota) vs. Toby Northrup (Iowa); Jakob Restrepo (New York) vs. Bradley Kroll (Minnesota), Kasey Klapprodt (South Dakota) vs. Paden Moore (Minnesota) Brandon Dallavia (New Jersey) vs. Jake Lanning (Illinois), Saul Ortiz (Kansas) vs. Trace Carello (Illinois); Tristan Johnson (Iowa) vs. Lucas Jeske (Minnesota), Canten Marriott (Missouri) vs. Brett Bye (South Dakota) 170: Beau Breske (Wisconsin) vs. Weston Dobler (North Dakota), Brandon Kui (New Jersey) vs. Kevin Parker (New York); Dylan Lydy (Indiana) vs. Tyler Selemaea (Missouri), Austin Moyer (Arizona) vs. Matthew Rundell (Illinois) Hayden Hansen (Oklahoma) vs. Xavier Montalvo (Illinois), Dale Hilleman (Iowa) vs. Jared Siegrist (Pennsylvania); Jeremiah Moody (Wisconsin) vs. Andrew Berreyesa (Nevada), Jacob Holschlag (Iowa) vs. Jordan Bushey (New York) 182: Dylan Wisman (Virginia) vs. Seth McLeod (Idaho), Troy Allen (Virginia) vs. Isaac Luellen (Kansas); Nathan Traxler (Illinois) vs. Kyle Gentile (Pennsylvania), Antonio Agee (Virginia) vs. Owen Webster (Minnesota) Nick Reenan (Texas) vs. Luke Drugac (New Jersey), James Handwerk (Ohio) vs. Wyatt Westfall (Oregon); Ben Darmstadt (Ohio) vs. Andrew Buckley (Missouri), Max Lyon (Iowa) vs. Keegan Moore (Minnesota) 195: Samuel Colbray (Oregon) vs. Bailey Kelly (Kansas), Christian Brunner (Illinois) vs. Joe Teague (Iowa); Cash Wilcke (Iowa) vs. David Chadd (Wisconsin), Roderick Davis (Georgia) vs. Kevin Mulligan (New Jersey) Wyatt Koelling (Utah) vs. Dean Drugac (New Jersey), Nick McShea (New York) vs. Jack Haris (Ohio); John Jakobsen (Pennsylvania) vs. Caleb Ward (Kansas), Donovan Doyle (Iowa) vs. Jacob Seely (Colorado) 220: Matt Stencel (Ohio) vs. Christian Colucci (New Jersey), Jordan Magnuson (North Dakota) vs. Matthew Correnti (New Jersey); Rylee Streifel (Minnesota) vs. Cristian Ayala (California), Andrew Marsden (Illinois) vs. Ethan Andersen (Iowa) Darryl Aiello (California) vs. Wyatt Silvis (Idaho), Trevor Eicher (Washington) vs. Jacob Briggs (Minnesota); Cole Nye (California) vs. Blake Berryhill (Oklahoma), Christian Lance (Missouri) vs. Jordan Wood (Pennsylvania) 285: Austin Myers (Kentucky) vs. Chase Miller (Kansas), Jake Beistel (Pennsylvania) vs. Andrew Piehl (Minnesota); Michael Rogers (Pennsylvania) vs. Trenton Lieurance (Oklahoma), Carter Isley (Iowa) vs. Osawaru Odighizuwa (Oregon) Gannon Gremmel (Iowa) vs. Shane Coombs (Colorado), Christian Boyles (Missouri) vs. Dan Stibral (South Dakota); Thomas Helton (Illinois) vs. Adam Lucast (Minnesota), Korey Walker (Oklahoma) vs. Kevin Vough (Ohio)

The championship finals matches were determined in the Cadet National freestyle tournament on Thursday evening. Those matches are slated to be wrestled on Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. CT, and these are the matchups. 88: Mosha Schwartz (Colorado) vs. Ridge Lovett (Idaho) Incoming freshmen Schwartz seeks to win a Cadet Triple Crown, having won the folkstyle title in April and the Greco-Roman title on Monday afternoon. Schwartz has dominated his way through four matches with three technical falls and a pin in the semifinal. Lovett was fifth in the Greco-Roman tournament, including a 10-7 loss to Schwartz in the quarterfinal round. 94: Malik Heinselman (Colorado) vs. Rayvon Foley (Michigan) Heinselman seeks a double title this week, after winning Greco-Roman on Monday. He is also the UWW Cadet world team representative at 42 kilograms, after sweeping Schwartz in those finals during late May. For the tournament, both Heinselman and Foley have four technical fall victories in as many matches. 100: Dylan D'Emilio (Ohio) vs. Travis Ford-Melton (Illinois) This match features a pair of incoming freshmen ranked in the top ten nationally. D'Emilio, a Cadet freestyle runner-up last year at 94 pounds, is ranked No. 5 in the Class of 2019; while Ford-Melton is ranked No. 10. D'Emilio, the UWW Cadet world team representative at 46 kilograms, had four technical falls prior to a 13-8 semifinal victory; while Ford-Melton, who placed fourth in that same UWW Cadet Nationals weight class has three technical falls and a pin in four matches this tournament. 106: Jordan Decatur (Ohio) vs. Billy Simpson (Oklahoma) Decatur is ranked No. 19 in the Class of 2019, and finished fourth at 50 kilograms in the UWW Cadet freesytle tournament. Simpson was a Cadet National All-American in both styles last year at 88 pounds, including a third place finish in freestyle. For this tournament, each has wrestled five matches; Decatur has won all his by technical fall, while Simpson has two pins and two technical falls. 113: Roman Bravo-Young (Arizona) vs. Matthew Parker (Pennsylvania) Bravo-Young, ranked No. 17 in the Class of 2018, is after a second consecutive Cadet National double. He won both tournaments last year at 100 pounds, and won the Greco-Roman tournament at this weight class on Monday. For this event, Bravo-Young has five victories by technical fall from five matches. Parker placed fifth at state as a sophomore this past year, after finishing third in Cadet freestyle at 100 pounds last summer. In this tournament, he opened with three technical fall victories, before wins by decision in the last two matches. 120: Alex Thomsen (Iowa) vs. Nick Raimo (New Jersey) Raimo, ranked No. 3 nationally in the Class of 2019, seeks a Cadet National double after winning the Greco-Roman title on Monday. In twelve matches this week, Raimo has won all of them by pin or technical fall (in the freestyle event, he is at four technical falls and two pins). Thomsen, ranked No. 45 in the Class of 2018, was a state champion this past year and placed fourth in the Greco-Roman tournament. He has two pins, including one over returning runner-up Max Murin (Pennsylvania) in the semifinal, and two technical falls among the six victories so far. 126: Vitali Arujau (New York) vs. Anthony Madrigal (Illinois) Arujau, ranked No. 10 in the Class of 2017, has six technical falls in six matches so far in the tournament. After finishing third in Cadet freestyle, and runner-up at 58 kilograms in the UWW Cadet Nationals, he did not allow a point to an opponent until the semifinal match. Madrigal, ranked No. 42 in the Class of 2018, was also a Cadet freestyle All-American last year and has three shutout technical falls among five victories in this tournament to date. 132: Sammy Sasso (Pennsylvania) vs. Brock Hardy (Utah) This match features a pair of top 20 Class of 2018 wrestlers nationally, Sasso is ranked No. 14 while Hardy is ranked No. 19. For this tournament Sasso has three technical falls and a pin among his five match victories; the pin came in the semifinal over Greco-Roman champion Alex Lloyd (Minnesota), who is ranked No. 21 in the Class of 2018, while one of his technical fall victories came against another ranked Class of 2018 wrestler in Brayton Lee (Indiana). Hardy, who was runner-up in Greco-Roman, has three technical falls and a pin among four match victories in the tournament to date. 138: Shane Griffith (New Jersey) vs. Joe Lee (Indiana) This match features a pair of top 25 Class of 2018 wrestlers nationally, Griffith is ranked No. 15 while Lee is No. 22 in the rankings. Griffith, a state champion during the high school season, has four pins and a technical fall from six matches in the tournament; the lone decision came over returning Cadet freestyle runner-up Jamie Hernandez (Illinois). Lee, a high school state runner-up, has three pins and three technical falls from six matches; this includes a semifinal pin over Greco-Roman champion Andrew Merola (New Jersey). 145: Anthony Artalona (Florida) vs. Jaryn Curry (Oklahoma) This match also features a pair of ranked Class of 2018 wrestlers, Artalona is erroneously ranked in the Class of 2017 at position No. 44, while Curry is ranked No. 29 in the 2018 group. After earning All-American honors in both styles at 63 kilograms in the UWW Cadet Nationals, Artalona is seeking a double title at the Cadet Nationals after winning Greco-Roman on Monday. During six matches in each tournament, he has four technical falls and a pin in each event. Curry counters with a similar level of dominance, having five technical falls from six matches in the event. 152: Trevell Timmons (Illinois) vs. Giullian Nakamatsu (Nevada) Timmons placed fifth at his state tournament as a sophomore, and finished third at 69 kilograms in the UWW Cadet freestyle tournament. For this tournament, he has five technical fall victories from five matches. Nakamatsu, who placed fourth at state as a sophomore counters with three very narrow victories in his five matches, with just one pin and one technical fall so far. 160: Ryan Karoly (New Jersey) vs. Marcus Coleman (Iowa) Karoly is ranked No. 25 in the Class of 2018, and was runner-up on Monday afternoon in Greco-Roman. In this event, he had five technical falls leading up to a 3-2 semifinal victory over 152 pound Greco-Roman champion Max Wohlabaugh (Florida). Coleman won a state title as a sophomore, and was undefeated in both styles at last month's Cadet Duals. He had three wins over Karoly during that week, a pin in Greco-Roman, and then decision victories by scores of 19-16 and 9-7 in freestyle. During this tournament, Coleman has four technical falls and two pins from six matches. 170: Jacob Warner (Illinois) vs. Jack Jessen (Illinois) This is a rematch of the Cadet Greco-Roman final, which was won by Warner with an 11-0 technical fall. The wrestlers also met in a consolation round at the UWW Cadet freestyle nationals, where Warner also won by 11-0 technical fall. Warner went on to place third in that tournament, and is presently ranked No. 25 in the Class of 2017, while Jessen is ranked No. 12 in the Class of 2018. For this event, both wrestlers have been absurdly dominant; Warner has four shutout technical falls and a semifinal pin, while Jessen has five shutout technical falls. 182: Brandon Whitman (Michigan) vs. Jacob Raschka (Wisconsin) Whitman is ranked No. 6 in the Class of 2018 after placing third in the 85 kilogram weight class at the UWW Cadet freestyle tournament and going undefeated in both styles at the Cadet Duals. Earlier this week, he placed third in Greco-Roman, and has yet to give up a point in freestyle (four of the five wins by technical fall). Raschka avenged an 8-3 loss from the folkstyle final to Andrew Davison (Indiana), who also had won the Greco-Roman tournament, in the semifinal round. The two-time state placer finished eighth last year in Cadet freestyle, and had four technical falls leading into the 13-5 semifinal win over Davison. 195: Jake Boyd (Missouri) vs. Ian Malesiewski (Pennsylvania) Boyd avenged an 8-4 loss in the Greco-Roman final on Monday afternoon to Brady Daniel (Maryland) with a 10-3 semifinal victory. Prior to that match, Boyd had secured three victories by technical fall in his earlier matches. Malesiewski finished third in Greco-Roman, and has two shutout technical fall victories among his four wins in this tournament to date. 220: Gable Steveson (Minnesota) vs. Cohlton Schultz (Colorado) Steveson is the top-ranked wrestler in the Class of 2018, and is the UWW Cadet world team representative in this weight class. For this tournament, he has four technical falls from four matches, the lone point against coming in an 11-1 semifinal win. His finals opponent is Schultz, the Greco-Roman champ who is ranked No. 2 in the Class of 2019. For this tournament, Schultz has three pins and a semifinal technical fall in a rematch of the Greco-Roman final against Kayne Hutchison (Kansas). 285: Zach Muller (Illinois) vs. Nicholas Boykin (Tennessee) Boykin, state champion in high school as a sophomore, seeks a Cadet double after winning the Greco-Roman title on Monday. In nine matches across the week, his first match not be a technical fall of pin came in the semifinal this evening. Muller was fifth in Greco-Roman and champion in folkstyle, avenging his semifinal loss from Greco-Roman with a 14-4 technical fall victory over Gavin Nye (California).

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Five matches at St. John Arena - including duals against nationally-ranked Virginia, Michigan, Nebraska and Wisconsin - highlight the 2015-16 schedule of defending national champion Ohio State, head coach Tom Ryan announced today. The Buckeyes, coming off their first NCAA title in the 94-year history of the program, begins its championship defense by competing in the Eastern Michigan Open on Nov. 7. Prior to that, the team will tune up for the season with its annual Wrestle-Offs, slated for Thursday, Oct. 29. As usual, it will be in conjunction with the team's annual coaches clinic. Additionally, the NWCA All-Star Classic is set for Sunday, Nov. 1. The Buckeyes have been represented in the event 19 times. Ohio State's home opener will occur on Friday, Nov. 13 against Virginia. The Cavaliers were ranked as high as No. 9 last year and finished 10-7 in the regular season and 19th at the NCAA Championships. Last year in Charlottesville, four bonus-point victories propelled the Buckeyes to a convincing 30-7 victory. Following the Michigan State Open on Sunday, Nov. 15, Ohio State returns home for a date with Arizona State (Friday, Nov. 20). The two teams met last year at the Journeymen Tussle in Clifton Park, N.Y. (Ohio State won, 30-10). The month of November concludes with a match at Cleveland State on Tuesday, Nov. 24. The always-competitive Cliff Kean Invitational takes place Dec. 4-5, as the Buckeyes will be looking to improve upon their second-place showing in 2014. On Saturday, Dec. 12, Ohio State travels to Columbia, Mo. to face Missouri, which finished fourth at the NCAA Championships and was No. 1 in the final regular season NWCA Coaches Poll. Big Ten competition opens with a match at Northwestern on Friday, Dec. 18. The Wildcats were 15th at the NCAA Championships and feature defending Big Ten champion Jason Tsirtsis (149 lbs.). The 2016 calendar year begins with a match at Illinois on Jan. 3. The Illini (No. 12) were one of eight teams ranked in the Top 15 of the final regular season NWCA Coaches Poll and features the NCAA champion at 157 pounds, Isaiah Martinez. A week later, Ohio State returns to St. John Arena for a date with Michigan. The exact day and time of the match is TBA. Nebraska, which finished ninth at the NCAA Championships and sixth at the Big Ten Championships, travels to Columbus for a match on Sunday, Jan. 17. The Buckeyes' three-match homestand concludes on Sunday, Jan. 24 when Ohio State hosts Michigan State at Walsh Jesuit High School in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Walsh Jesuit is the alma mater of rising senior Johnni DiJulius. February opens with a contest against Penn State in State College, Pa (day and time still tentative). The Nittany Lions were sixth at last year's NCAA Championships after winning four straight titles from 2011 through 2014. Ohio State's final home dual match of the year will be against Wisconsin on Friday, Feb. 12. The Buckeyes will once again participate in the NWCA National Duals, with more information coming this fall. As postseason competition begins, Ohio State will travel to Iowa City for the Big Ten Championships (March 5-6) and New York's Madison Square Garden for the NCAA Championships (March 17-19). In addition to winning the Big Ten and NCAA championships last year, Ohio State also finished fourth nationally in attendance, averaging over 4,000 fans per match. SEASON TICKETS Season tickets for new accounts are on sale now and can be secured with a deposit for as little as $15 for general admission seats and $25 for reserved seats. Fans interested in becoming a season ticket holder can contact the Ohio State Athletic Ticket Sales Department at 1-800-GOBUCKS (select option 2) or AthleticSales@osu.edu for pricing, details and information. Information on season ticket renewals and single-match tickets will be available later in the year on OhioStateBuckeyes.com. 2015-16 OPPONENTS Nov. 13: VIRGINIA Series History: Ohio State leads, 5-0 Last meeting: Ohio State 30, Virginia 7 (Nov. 24, 2014) Nov. 20: ARIZONA STATE Series history: Tied, 2-2 Last meeting: Ohio State 30, Arizona State 10 (Nov. 15, 2014) Nov. 24: at Cleveland State Series history: Ohio State leads, 22-13-2 Last meeting: Ohio State 51, Cleveland State 3 (Nov. 23, 2009) Dec. 12: at Missouri Series history: Missouri leads, 9-5 Last meeting: Missouri 20, Ohio State 19* (Dec. 13, 2014) Dec. 18: at Northwestern Series history: Ohio State leads, 41-29-1 Last meeting: Ohio State 21, Northwestern 12 (Jan. 17, 2014) Jan. 3: at Illinois Series history: Illinois leads, 33-32 Last meeting: Ohio State 18, Illinois 16 (Jan. 12, 2014) Jan. 10 (tentative): MICHIGAN Series history: Michigan leads, 63-19-3 Last meeting: Ohio State 25, Michigan 15 (Jan. 18, 2015) Jan. 17: NEBRASKA Series history: Nebraska leads, 8-2 Last meeting: Nebraska 28, Ohio State 12 (Jan. 24, 2014) Jan. 24: MICHIGAN STATE Series history: Michigan State leads, 40-27-1 Last meeting: Ohio State 25, Michigan State 13 Feb. 7 (tentative): at Penn State Series history: Penn State leads, 17-12 Last meeting: Ohio State 22, Penn State 15 (Jan. 11, 2015) Feb. 12: WISCONSIN Series history: Wisconsin leads, 29-19-1 Last meeting: Wisconsin 22, Ohio State 15 (Jan. 10, 2014)

Who's the greatest college athlete ever in the state of Oregon? The Oregonian newspaper has put that question to its readers, complete with an online poll, and seeded brackets featuring the names of 64 athletes from various eras who attended college in Oregon. Les Gutches (Photo/Larry Slater)In the first round of voting tallied Tuesday, July 21, three wrestlers whose winning reputations go far beyond Oregon -- Les Gutches, Robin Reed, and Rick Sanders -- defeated their opponents to survive another round of voting ... with two other wrestlers with Oregon collegiate connections -- Jess Lewis, and Brock Gutches -- also in the running. Oregon State mat champ Gutches, the No. 6 seed, 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. Third-seeded Sanders, who wrestled at Portland State in the late 1960s, 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 Robin Reed of Oregon State, considered by some historians to be the greatest-ever U.S. amateur wrestler, 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). These results mean that, in the upcoming Round of 32, Gutches will go up against Sanders, while Reed will face Tiffeny Milbrett, a soccer star for the University of Portland. There are two other wrestlers included in the poll. Jess Lewis, two-time NCAA heavyweight champ for Oregon State in the late 1960s who wrestled freestyle in the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, is featured in today's poll (July 23) ... and Brock Gutches, who just won his fourth NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) 174-pound title for Southern Oregon in March, and is the nephew of Les Gutches. Les Gutches, a three-time Oregon state champ at South Medford High School, wrestled at Oregon State where he was a three-time NCAA All-American, winning back-to-back national titles at 177 pounds in 1995 and 1996. As a senior, Gutches was awarded the Dan Hodge Trophy as the nation's best college wrestler in 1996. After graduation, Gutches won the gold medal in freestyle at the 1997 World Wrestling Championships. Robin ReedA wrestling superstar in the first two decades of the 20th century, Robin Reed wrestled at Oregon Agricultural College (now Oregon State), where 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. Rick Sanders, a three-time Oregon state champ at Lincoln High School, compiled a near-perfect 103-2 record at Portland State, where he won an NAIA title in 1965 as a freshman, and claimed two titles each at the NCAA College Division (smaller-school) and NCAA University Division (larger schools) national championships. (Back then, wrestlers who won College titles qualified to compete at the University championships.) In fact, Sanders is the only collegiate wrestler to win National Championships in the NAIA, NCAA College Division, and the NCAA University Division, and be designated an Outstanding Wrestler in each. 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.

A trio of former college wrestlers with Big Ten titles -- Michigan State NCAA All-Americans Andy and Nick Simmons, and University of Michigan mat champ Fritz Kellerman -- will be among the members of the Class of 2015 to be inducted into the Greater Lansing Hall of Fame on Thursday, July 30. Nick Simmons battles Angel Escobedo at the 2015 U.S. World Team Trials (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Andy Simmons was a four-time Michigan state wrestling champ for Williamston High School from 1999-2002, compiling a perfect 219-0 mark. He then wrestled at Michigan State, where he was a two-time NCAA All-American at 141 pounds in 2005 and 2006. Simmons was also a Big Ten champ in the same weight class in 2006. Elder brother Nick Simmons was also a four-time state champ in Michigan from 1998-2001, crafting a flawless 211-0 overall record at Williamston. As a Spartan, Nick Simmons was a four-time NCAA All-American at 125 pounds (2003, 2005-06) and 133 (2007). He was a Big Ten champion three consecutive years (2005-07). Beyond Michigan State, Nick was twice an Olympic alternate for the U.S. men's freestyle teams at the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Games. Fritz Kellerman first made a name for himself at Lansing Sexton High School, capping off an undefeated senior season by winning a Michigan state title in 1958. Kellerman then headed east to Ann Arbor, where he wrestled for legendary coach Cliff Keen at University of Michigan. As a Wolverine, Kellerman racked up three consecutive Big Ten individual titles, winning the 130-pound crown in 1960 and 1961, and, in 1962, claimed the championship at 137. Fritz KellermanIn addition to the brothers Simmons and Fritz Kellerman, other members of the 40th anniversary group of honorees include Chuck Block (Lansing Community College track/cross country), Jesse Gallegos (boxing), Scott Kemp (Grand Ledge/Eastern Michigan baseball), Stephanie Smiley (Holt/Eastern Michigan basketball), Kim Spalsbury (DeWitt/Fowler/Grand Ledge cross country/track), and Jamie Wesley (Morrice/MSU basketball), along with the 1960 Haslett football team, the 1977 DeWitt softball team, and the 1979 Lansing Eastern boys golf team. The first induction ceremonies of the Greater Lansing Area Sports Hall of Fame took place in the bicentennial year of 1976, according to the organization's website. Ten individuals and three teams were enshrined with the purpose of giving lasting recognition to outstanding athletic teams, individuals and coaches from the city of Lansing -- the state capital of Michigan -- and surrounding communities. Since then, individuals and teams have been inducted each July. The Class of 2015 will be welcomed at a special induction ceremony on Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 5 p.m. at Lansing Center. Tickets may be purchased online at lansingsportshalloffame.org.

FARGO, N.D. -- Day 1 of the Cadet freestyle tournament saw the championship bracket reduced down to the quarterfinals, as well as the total numbers in each weight class being pared down to 16 (88-120) or 24 (126-285). Those quarterfinal bouts will happen during a 9:30 a.m. CT session on Thursday. The semifinals will occur during the 3:30 p.m. session, with the championship finals and medal matches slated for 2 p.m. CT on Friday. Three wrestlers remain alive for Cadet Triple Crown distinctions this year, Mosha Schwartz (Colorado), Travis Wittlake (Oregon), and Andrew Davison (Indiana). Illinois, which won both the Cadet and Junior titles in Greco-Roman, leads the way in terms of quarterfinalists with 19. Pennsylvania is next in line with 11, while Ohio and Minnesota have nine each, followed by Iowa and New Jersey with eight apiece. Below are the quarterfinal matchups. 88: Mosha Schwartz (Colorado) vs. Aaron Howell (Virginia), Ernest del Rio IV (Arizona) vs. Derek Ramos (Idaho); Ridge Lovett (Idaho) vs. Lucas Byrd (Ohio), Daniel Kimball (Iowa) vs. Kaden Cassidy (Pennsylvania) 94: Malik Heinselman (Colorado) vs. Cevion Severado (Missouri), Gabriel Tagg (Ohio) vs. Kurt McHenry (Virginia); Blake Haney (Washington) vs. Riley Weir (Oklahoma), Rayvon Foley (Michigan) vs. Dayne Morton (Minnesota) 100: Dylan D'Emilio (Ohio) vs. Josh Blatt (North Carolina), Kyle Biscoglia (Iowa) vs. Peter Ogunsanya (Illinois); Michael Colalocco (New Jersey) vs. Joseph Harrison (Nebraska), Joey Melendez (Illinois) vs. Travis Ford-Melton (Illinois) 106: Jordan Decatur (Ohio) vs. Sean McKenna (Illinois), Aaron Cashman (Minnesota) vs. Adam Busiello (New York); Billy Simpson (Oklahoma) vs. Jaden Abas (California), Ben Kamall (Michigan) vs. Holden Heller (Illinois) 113: Roman Bravo-Young (Arizona) vs. Andrew Alirez (Colorado), Austin Macias (Illinois) vs. Carmen Ferrante (New Jersey); Jonathan Gomez (New York) vs. Tommy Hoskins (Ohio), Connor Brown (Missouri) vs. Matthew Parker (Pennsylvania) 120: Max Murin (Pennsylvania) vs. Diego Nunez (Washington), Jacori Teemer (New York) vs. Alex Thomsen (Iowa); Jake Gliva (Minnesota) vs. Andrew Garr (Ohio), Hunter Kosco (Ohio) vs. Nick Raimo (New Jersey) 126: Vito Arujau (New York) vs. Clayton Currier (Montana), Yahya Thomas (Illinois) vs. Taylor Brown (Missouri); Jason Renteria (Illinois) vs. Kyran Hagan (Missouri), Lawrence Saenz (California) vs. Anthony Madrigal (Illinois) 132: Alex Lloyd (Minnesota) vs. Zach Lee (Wisconsin), Sammy Sasso (Pennsylvania) vs. Brayton Lee (Indiana); J.J. Figueroa (California) vs. Brock Hardy (Utah), Jared Franek (North Dakota) vs. Alec Hagan (Missouri) 138: Shane Griffith (New Jersey) vs. Anthony Marre (Illinois), Kendon Kayser (Louisiana) vs. Kameron Frame (Kansas); Andrew Merola (New Jersey) vs. Ryan Hansen (Utah), Tyler Shilson (Minnesota) vs. Joe Lee (Indiana) 145: Anthony Artalona (Florida) vs. Logan Meek (Oregon), Tyler Dow (Wisconsin) vs. Nicholas Palumbo (New Jersey); James Noel (Arkansas) vs. Anthony Jackson (Minnesota), Jaryn Curry (Oklahoma) vs. Braeden Orrino (Washington) 152: Trevell Timmons (Illinois) vs. Noah Jackson (Illinois), Lucas McFarland (Michigan) vs. Logan Coyle (Indiana); Ty Bagoly (Pennsylvania) vs. Kenny O'Neil (Minnesota), Braeden Redlin (Texas) vs. Giulian Nakamatsu (Nevada) 160: Max Wohlabaugh (Florida) vs. Cameron Caffey (Illinois), Ryan Karoly (New Jersey) vs. Bailee O'Reilly (Minnesota); Mason Coleman (Iowa) vs. Kyle Cochran (New Jersey), Victor Marcelli (Ohio) vs. Travis Wittlake (Oregon) 170: Jacob Warner (Illinois) vs. David Blanchard (Ohio), Khamari Whimper (Georgia) vs. Jake Woodley (Pennsylvania); Anthony Sherry (Iowa) vs. Anthony Falbo (Connecticut), Layne Hatcher (Arkansas) vs. Jack Jessen (Illinois) 182: Brandon Whitman (Michigan) vs. Blake Barrick (Pennsylvania), Anthony Walters (Pennsylvania) vs. Noah Adams (West Virginia); Jacob Raschka (Wisconsin) vs. Andrew Demos (Illinois), Drake McAdow (Nevada) vs. Andrew Davison (Indiana) 195: Brady Daniel (Maryland) vs. Dan Baker (Oklahoma), Jake Boyd (Missouri) vs. Garrett Kubovec (Iowa); Dylan Prince (Kansas) vs. Ian Maleslewski (Pennsylvania), Danny Salas (California) vs. Colton Wolfe (Nebraska) 220: Gable Steveson (Minnesota) vs. Ryan Mills (West Virginia), Blake Zalapi (Illinois) vs. Tyler Cook (Pennsylvania); Cohlton Schultz (Colorado) vs. Jake Levengood (California), Colin Lawler (Texas) vs. Kayne Hutchison (Kansas) 285: Zach Muller (Illinois) vs. Cooper Lawson (Iowa), Spencer Trenary (Iowa) vs. Gavin Nye (California); Nicholas Boykin (Tennessee) vs. Anthony Cassioppi (Illinois), Brendan Furman (Pennsylvania) vs. Gabriel Herrera (California)

Fans of the oldest and greatest sport will now have the opportunity to see a new fictional movie about high school wrestling, "Beyond the Mat" -- which will be shown at a free public screening this Thursday in Los Angeles, the Downtown Los Angeles Film Festival announced via email press release Tuesday. "'Beyond the Mat' tells the coming-of-age tale of Aaron Miller," is how the press release describes the movie. "Amidst the struggle of a disintegrating friendship, the tormenting of a cross‐town rival, and the blossoming of a new love, Aaron is forced to come to terms with who he really is ... Fueled by the desire to succeed and the need to prove himself, Aaron embarks on a journey of self-discovery. The drama culminates in an explosive finale at the state wrestling championship where more than just pride is on the line. It's a tale about two best friends, a chronicle about minority experiences in America, and ultimately the story of a teen who overcomes self‐doubt to find his true place." "Beyond the Mat", a Tribeca Film Festival Official Selection as its Community Program Film, stars John Wynn, Mark Hapka ("The Ghost Whisperers"), and Sarah Fletcher ("Secret Girlfriend"), along with Kurt Angle, who, before becoming a pro wrestler, was a two-time NCAA Division I heavyweight champ at Clarion University in Pennsylvania (1990, 1992), and gold medalist in freestyle wrestling at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. In 2005, Angle was voted one of fifteen all-time greatest college wrestlers in an online poll of fans for the 75th anniversary of the NCAA Wrestling Championships. "Beyond the Mat" will screen on Thursday, July 23, at 9 p.m. at a free outdoor community screening at Imperial Arts Studio, 695 S. Santa Fe Ave., Los Angeles. Doors open at 7 p.m.; general admission is on a first-come, first-serve basis. A trailer is available for viewing online. Note that this movie titled "Beyond the Mat" is not to be confused with the 1999 documentary of the same name, which focuses on the world of professional wrestling. The showing is part of a five-day Downtown Los Angeles Film Festival, July 22-26, to be held at venues throughout downtown L.A.'s historic core. For more information, visit DFFLA.org.

Deouijanae TerryThe teenage daughter of Thomas Landrum, 1980 Oklahoma State All-American wrestler, was identified Tuesday as the victim of a drive-by shooting in Tulsa Friday, according to multiple media reports. Deouijanae Terry, 16, and an 18-year-old man were shot about 4 p.m. Friday near the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and 46th Street North, the Tulsa World reported Tuesday. Terry and the man had just left a nearby convenience store and were driving in a gray Chrysler PT Cruiser when a 1995 Chevrolet Astro van carrying about five males pulled up next to them. One of the van's occupants opened the van's door and fired multiple shots, striking the man and Terry. Both shooting victims were taken to an area hospital, where Terry died from her wounds, according to Tulsa police. The unidentified man remains in serious condition. Police believe the shooting was gang-related and Terry was not the intended target, according to the Tulsa Fox TV affiliate. The Tulsa World reported that the occupants in the van were described as black males ranging in age from 14 to 20 years old. Investigators say they believe this homicide is linked to ongoing gang violence and shootings in the neighborhood. The paper went on to report that many area residents, still stunned by the shooting, were reluctant to talk about the incident, or share much information about Terry out of fear of possible retaliation, even though some were familiar with the girl and her family. Thomas LandrumLandrum, who wrestled at Oklahoma State from 1978 through 1981, told Fox23 how he learned of Terry's death. "I was at work when a friend of mine called me and said, 'I don't know how to tell you this, but your daughter has been involved in some kind of shootout, and I believe she's dead.'" "It's tough that you're not going to see that person anymore," Landrum said. "My heart is hurting. It's going to be hurting for a long time," he said. "I want you to know that she was a good person. She was a loving, caring person. She had a heart. She had a soul." Landrum also told the Fox affiliate that his daughter enjoyed running track, dancing and styling her hair. Landrum earned NCAA All-American honors for the Cowboys by placing fifth in the 133-pound bracket at the 1980 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. A couple weeks earlier, he was a finalist in the same weight class at the 1980 Big Eight (now Big 12) Conference Championships, and fourth at the conference championships the following year. While at Oklahoma State, Landrum compiled an overall career record of 65-28, with 47 of those wins scored by fall, for a pinning percentage of 72%.

FARGO, N.D. -- A year ago Illinois wrestler Kamal Bey was dominated in his Greco-Roman finals match in Fargo. This year it was Bey who dominated in the finals. Kamal Bey of Illinois celebrates after earning a 29-second fall over Andrew Berreyesa of Nevada in the finals at 170 (Photo/David Peterson)Bey used a body lock to pick up a 29-second fall over Andrew Berreyesa of Nevada on Tuesday to claim a Junior National Greco-Roman title at 170 pounds. "I like the crowd to get involved with the match … like excitement," said Bey. "That's my biggest thing." Earlier Tuesday, in the quarterfinals, Bey topped the wrestler who dominated him in the finals last year, Beau Breske of Wisconsin. "I wanted that rematch against Breske," said Bey. "He was up for it too. He wanted to win. I don't know … I guess it was just my time." Bey was one of four titlists for team champion Illinois. Also winning titles for the Land of Lincoln were Louie Hayes (106), Dack Punke (113) and Gabriel Townsell (126). Wisconsin finished runner-up, 14 points behind Illinois. Minnesota was third. Minnesota's Mitchell McKee upset defending champion Taylor LaMont of Utah at 132 (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)Minnesota's Mitchell McKee claimed his fourth Fargo stop sign, and did so by upending returning Junior National Greco-Roman champion Taylor LaMont of Utah 4-2 at 132 pounds. McKee had never beaten Lamont at the Cadet or Junior level. Last month LaMont pinned McKee at the Junior National Duals. This time McKee changed his strategy, using more two-on-ones and drags. "This time I felt a lot more in control and being able to do my things," said McKee. "In the last couple times I feel like I had my position, but I didn't feel like I had the position to score from. This time I felt totally different." McKee, a University of Minnesota commit, earned a Junior folkstyle title this spring, and after winning the Junior Greco title on Tuesday sits a Junior freestyle title away from earning a Junior Triple Crown. "Since freshman year I put a list of things I want to accomplish by the end of high school, and one of those was to be a National Triple Crown," said McKee. "I've gotten close in years past, but this year would definitely be special for me to do it, especially with that match. That will just make it even better." It was back-to-back champions for Minnesota at 132 pounds and 138 pounds as McKee was followed by Ben Brancale, who topped fellow Minnesotan Ty Johnson 5-1 in the finals at 138 pounds. Pennsylvania's Hayden Hidlay knocked off multiple-time Fargo champion Mason Manville 6-3 in the finals at 152 pounds. Hidlay was named Outstanding Wrestler of the competition. "I think a lot of people expected me to be able hang in with him, but I don't think they wanted to categorize me at his level yet," said Hidlay. "I think by that win there I just wanted to show people that I'm here and I think I'm one of the best in the country regardless of weights." Also winning a title for Pennsylvania was Jaret Lane, who kicked off Tuesday's finals at 100 pounds by defeating Elijah Varona of Florida 8-3. Other Junior Greco-Roman champions included Dalton Duffield of Oklahoma (120), Andrew Webb of Georgia (145), Brett Bye of South Dakota (160), Nick Reenan of Texas (182), Wyatt Koelling of Utah (195), James Ford of Ohio (220) and Dante Jiovenetta of Florida (285). Finals Results: 100: Jaret Lane (Pennsylvania) dec. Elijah Varona (Florida), 8-3 106: Louie Hayes (Illinois) tech. fall Dylan Koontz (Wisconsin), 10-0 113: Dack Punke (Illinois) dec. Jordan Martinez (Colorado), 1-1 120: Dalton Duffield (Oklahoma) tech. fall Matthew Schmitt (Missouri), 11-0 126: Gabriel Townsell (Illinois) dec. James Pawelski (Illinois), 8-5 132: Mitchell McKee (Minnesota) dec. Taylor LaMont (Utah), 4-2 138: Ben Brancale (Minnesota) dec. Ty Johnson (Minnesota), 5-1 145: Andrew Webb (Georgia) dec. Austin O'Connor (Illinois), 17-14 152: Hayden Hidlay (Pennsylvania) dec. Mason Manville (Virginia), 6-3 160: Brett Bye (South Dakota) tech. fall Riley Jaramillo (Oregon), 10-0 170: Kamal Bey (Illinois) pinned Andrew Berreyesa (Nevada), 0:29 182: Nick Reenan (Texas) tech. fall Andrew Buckley (Missouri), 10-0 195: Wyatt Koelling (Utah) dec. Sam Shields-Colbray (Oregon), 8-5 220: James Ford (Ohio) dec. Jordan Wood (Pennsylvania), 6-3 285: Dante Jiovenetta (Florida) dec. Carter Isley (Iowa), 2-1

What many consider to be the pinnacle event of the scholastic-aged wrestling year starts on Thursday in Fargo, N.D. The Junior National freestyle championships commence with two sessions on that day, those start at 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. CT. The field will be pared down to the round of 16, which will be wrestled on Friday morning starting at 9 a.m. along with the quarterfinals. The semifinals and consolation All-American rounds are slated for Friday at 6 p.m. -- with championship finals and medal matches to be contested at 10 a.m. on Saturday. This year's field is slated to be absolutely stacked with almost one-half of the top 100 Class of 2016 (i.e. rising seniors) wrestlers registered. In addition, close to a quarter of the top 100 from the just graduated Class of 2015 are expected to be present, along with between 10 and 15 from the Class of 2017. The depth and breadth of each weight, especially when discounting 100 and 106, is staggering to consume. College coaches abound are present to evaluate these prospects. Below is a weight-by-weight analysis of the Junior freestyle field based on registered entrants as of Tuesday evening. 100: Jaret Lane (Pennsylvania) was the champion in Greco-Roman on Tuesday afternoon. The state placer and returning Cadet double All-American will seek to win double titles at the Junior level at week's end. Others to watch include returning Cadet freestyle All-American Ryan Chauvin (Colorado); state runners-up Trevor Giallamdardo (Michigan) and Jason Holmes (Arizona), Holmes also a returning Cadet double All-American; along with state placer returning Cadet double All-American Elijah Varona (Florida). 106: Louie Hayes (Illinois) was the champion in Greco-Roman on Tuesday afternoon. The state runner-up and returning Junior double third place finisher is a legitimate contender to win double titles this week. Others to watch will include state champions Wyatt Adams (Oklahoma), Arick Shankles (Alabama), and Joe Thomas (Maryland); state runners-up Liam Cronin (California), Brakan Mead (Ohio), and returning Junior double All-American Mason Naifeh (Oklahoma); as well as state placers Brady and Dylan Koontz (Wisconsin). 113: Odds on favorite in this weight class is Austin Gomez (Illinois), who is ranked No. 13 in the Class of 2017 and was a Cadet Nationals champion in both styles last year at this weight class. Two other grade level ranked wrestlers are among the other primary contenders: returning Junior double champion Danny Vega (Arizona) is ranked No. 33 in the Class of 2016, while UWW Cadet freestyle runner-up at 50 kilograms Drew Mattin (Ohio) is No. 48 in the Class of 2017. Three additional wrestlers are returning Junior freestyle All-Americans, 2014 Junior Triple Crown winner Randon Miranda (California), three-time state placer Drew Hildebrandt (Indiana) and two-time state placer Jonathan Tropea (New Jersey). Six additional wrestlers in this weight class are two-time state champions; Jaxon Cole (Utah), Tomas Gutierrez (Colorado), Dom Lajoie (Michigan), Sidney Oliver (Missouri), Joey Prata (Virginia), and Jack Wagner (Iowa). Two more in this weight class are three-time state placers: three-time FloNationals placer Gage Curry (Pennsylvania) and 2013 Junior freestyle All-American Tanner Rohweder (Iowa). Three more were state champions in 2014, but not this past year: Brendan Coughlin (Maryland), Max Johnson (Michigan), and Drew West (Iowa). Others to watch in this weight include a quartet of two-time state placers: two-time runner-up Jakob Allison (Iowa), returning Cadet freestyle All-American Josh Copeland (Oklahoma), Kelan McKenna (New York), and Paxton Rosen (Oklahoma); along with state runner-up Cole Manley (Pennsylvania) and Super 32 Challenge runner-up Thomas Cox (New York). 113: While there are six grade-level ranked wrestlers in this weight class, there is one who stands out above the rest, and that is Daton Fix (Oklahoma). The nation's top-ranked Class of 2017 wrestler won the UWW Junior National title at 55 kilograms and the UWW Cadet title at 54 kilograms in the month of May; the Junior title came with multiple victories over NCAA Division I qualifiers, while the Cadet final was a two-match sweep over returning world champion Spencer Lee. The other five are Class of 2016 members. Leading that list is No. 23 Jack Mueller (Texas), a returning Junior National freestyle champion; No. 77 Ian Parker (Michigan) is a three-time UWW Cadet freestyle All-American, and a two-time Cadet freestyle All-American in Fargo; No. 82 Dalton Duffield (Oklahoma) won the Greco-Roman title in this weight class on Tuesday; No. 89 Montorie Bridges (Oklahoma) is a state champion and returning Junior freestyle All-American; while No. 93 Noah Baughman (Wadsworth) was state champion in 2014. Others to watch include Logan Griffin (Michigan) and Toribio Navarro (Tennessee), who each have won three-plus state titles in high school; two-time state champions Paul Bianchi (Wisconsin), Sawyer Degen (Montana), Brock Jones (Minnesota), Matthew Schmitt (Missouri), and Jacob Schwarm (Iowa); state champions Arik Furseth (Wisconsin), Brock Hudkins (Indiana), Andrew Nieman (Oklahoma), Garrett Pepple (Indiana), Garrett Rowe (Oklahoma), and Bryce West (Iowa). Schmitt is a returning Junior freestyle runner-up, Nieman and Pepple are returning Junior freestyle All-Americans, Furseth a two-time Junior freestyle All-American, while West is a returning Cadet freestyle All-American. Additional notables in this weight class are two-time Cadet freestyle All-American Travis Piotrowski (Illinois), two-time National Prep runner-up Zach Sherman (New Jersey), Junior Greco-Roman champion Dack Punke (Illinois), and two-time state placer Dan Moran (Pennsylvania). 126: Defending Junior freestyle champion Austin Assad (Ohio), ranked No. 56 in the Class of 2015, is one of eight grade-level ranked wrestlers in this weight class. Five are from the Class of 2016: No. 45 Dylan Duncan (Illinois), last year a Cadet freestyle champion; No. 57 Brock Rathbun (Iowa), a two-time state champion; No. 58 Gabe Townsell (Illinois), champion in Greco-Roman on Tuesday; No. 73 Alex Mackall (Ohio), three-time state placer and 2014 state champion; and No. 90 Trent Olson (Wyoming), a two-time National Prep runner-up. From the 2017 class, it is No. 31 Kaden Gfeller (Oklahoma) and No. 39 Navonte Demison (California); Gfeller is a two-time Cadet freestyle All-American, while Demison won Junior folkstyle in April. Others to watch in this weight class include NHSCA Senior Nationals champion Ryan Friedman (Maryland); multi-time state champions Ted Rico (Arizona), Cameron Sykora (Minnesota), and Dalton Young (Washington); state champions Nolan Hellickson (Iowa) and Ryan Leisure (Iowa); state runners-up Nathan Cervantes (California), Cody Karstetter (Oklahoma), and Requir van der Merwe (New Jersey); two-time Cadet freestyle All-American Coltan Williams (Texas); as well as two-time state placers Nick Farro (New Jersey) and Colin Glorioso (Pennsylvania). 132: Mitch McKee (Minnesota), ranked No. 12 in the Class of 2016, made it a fourth straight year winning a Fargo championship with his Greco-Roman title on Tuesday afternoon in this weight class. He will seek to repeat as champion in Junior freestyle, though the road won't be easy five other grade-level ranked wrestlers among the competitors. Among that group is a pair of two-time Junior freestyle All-Americans ready to enroll at Oklahoma State, No. 23 in the Class of 2015 Kaid Brock (Oklahoma) and No. 62 Lincoln Olson (Michigan). Fellow ranked wrestlers in the Class of 2016 include No. 36 Taylor LaMont (Utah) and No. 42 Hunter Marko (Wisconsin). LaMont is a two-time Cadet freestyle All-American, and was runner-up to McKee in Greco-Roman; while Marko is a two-time Junior freestyle All-American, including his 2013 title at 106 pounds. Also carrying a grade-level ranking is Ben Freeman (Michigan), a two-time Cadet and three-time UWW Cadet freestyle All-American and ranked No. 20 in the Class of 2017. Others to watch in this weight class include returning Junior freestyle All-Americans Ryan Deakin (Colorado) and Jonathan Gabriel (Pennsylvania), Gabriel was also a state champion this past season; NHSCA Senior Nationals champion Chris Debien (Tennessee); returning Cadet freestyle All-Americans A.J. Jaffe (Illinois) and Corey Shie (Ohio), Shie also a three-time Fargo All-American in Greco-Roman; four-time state placer and 2013 Junior freestyle All-American Brandon James (Indiana); along with two-time state placer Sal Profaci (New Jersey). 138: Ten grade-level wrestlers make this one of the deepest weight classes of the whole tournament. Matthew Kolodzik (New Jersey), ranked No. 9 in the Class of 2015, is the favorite and after a second Fargo freestyle title having won as a Cadet in 2012. Four other ranked wrestlers from the graduated seniors are present as well: No. 18 Keegan Moore (Oklahoma), fourth in Junior freestyle last year; No. 38 Boo Lewallen (Oklahoma), a three-time state champion; No. 45 Cameron Kelly (Ohio), a two-time state champion and four-time finalist; and No. 70 Alex Rich (Oregon), also a four-time state champion. Another four come from the Class of 2016: No. 30 Carter Happel (Iowa), a three-time state champion and 2014 UWW Cadet freestyle champion; No. 43 Kanen Storr (Michigan), a two-time state champion and UWW Cadet freestyle runner-up this spring; No. 86 Jarrett Degen (Montana), a NHSCA Junior Nationals champion; along with No. 98 Michael Murphy (Tennessee), a three-time state champion. The other grade-level ranked wrestler is Quentin Hovis (Arizona), ranked No. 28 in the Class of 2017, who was a Cadet freestyle All-American in 2013. Others to watch include Ben Brancale (Minnesota), a returning Junior freestyle All-American and winner in Greco-Roman on Tuesday afternoon; two-time state champions Parker Filius (Montana) and Robert Lee (Wisconsin); New England champion Charles Kane (Connecticut); two-times National Prep placer Tyler Megonigal (Virginia) and Peter Tedesco (Massachusetts); along with four-time state finalist Tristan Moran (Oklahoma). 145: While there are seven grade-level ranked wrestlers present, it is a pair of graduated seniors from Iowa that stand from the pack. No. 15 Fredy Stroker is a three-time state champion and placed fourth last summer in Junior freestyle, while No. 14 Max Thomsen is a four-time state champion, though it should be noted that Stroker beat Thomsen in early June at the UWW Junior World Team Trials. Also nationally ranked among graduated seniors is No. 75 Patricio Lugo (Florida), a two-time state champion and NHSCA Senior Nationals runner-up. The pair of ranked wrestlers from the Class of 2016 is No. 46 Zander Wick (California) and No. 50 Kyle Bierdumpfel (New Jersey). Wick was a state runner-up this year, and runner-up to Thomsen in Junior folkstyle; while Bierdumpfel was state champion this year after two prior runner-up finishes, and is a two-time Cadet freestyle All-American. The pair from the Class of 2017 is No. 15 Eric Hong (Pennsylvania) and No. 43 Stephan Glasgow (New Jersey). Hong is a two-time National Prep champion and two-time Cadet freestyle All-American, while Glasgow was state runner-up this past season. At least five others in this weight class are multi-time state champions: Beau Guffey (Oklahoma), Logan Lacure (Ohio), Cole Martin (Wisconsin), Johnny O'Hearon (Utah), and Andrew Webb (Georgia); Webb was the Greco-Roman champion in this weight class on Tuesday afternoon. Also here are at least five additional state champions: Jeren Glosser (Iowa), Zachary Moore (Oklahoma), Shayne Oster (Illinois), Kyler Rea (Missouri), and Josh Wenger (Iowa); Oster was a Cadet freestyle runner-up last year. Other notables here are returning Junior freestyle All-American Hayden Pentz (Utah), two-time state placers Joshy Cortez (California) and Justin Demicco (Ohio), along with two-time state runner-up Aaron Meyer (Iowa). 152: There's also a crazy amount of talent in this weight class with nine grade-level ranked wrestlers. Tabbing a favorite here is fool's gold, but for the sake of this preview, it'll be No. 11 in the graduated senior class Michael Kemerer (Pennsylvania). The Iowa enrollee is a state champion and four-time state finalist with two Junior freestyle All-American finishes. Also ranked in the Class of 2015 is No. 42 Larry Early (Illinois), a three-time state finalist and 2014 state champion. Junior Greco-Roman champion Hayden Hidlay (Pennsylvania) is one of five top 50 Class of 2016 wrestlers in this weight class. The No. 20 overall rising senior was third at state, losing to Kemerer in the semifinal, and also finished second in Cadet freestyle in 2013. Defending Junior freestyle champion Mason Manville (Virginia) is ranked No. 7 in the Class of 2016, but was upset in Tuesday afternoon's Greco-Roman final by Hidlay. Three-time state champion Griffin Parriott (Minnesota) is ranked No. 22 in this class, and placed third at 66 kilograms in freestyle at the UWW Junior Nationals this past May. Two-time state champion Austin Kraisser (Maryland) is No. 35 in this class, and was runner-up to Manville in Cadet freestyle in 2013. Rounding it out is No. 49 Wyatt Sheets (Oklahoma), a three-time state champion. Ranked in the Class of 2017 are No. 11 Austin O'Connor (Illinois) and No. 24 Luke Troy (California); O'Connor is a two-time state champion and returning Cadet double All-American, while was champion in Junior folkstyle with an early round victory over Parriott and placed third in Cadet freestyle last year. Others to watch include multi-time state champions Ryan Klemp (Idaho) and Jimmy Fate (Colorado); state champions Dan Kelly (Iowa), James Nereim (Florida), James Pleski (Minnesota), and Chase Straw (Iowa); mutli-time state placers Colton Clingenpeel (Iowa), Cole Erickson (Iowa), Kyle Kaminski (Ohio), and Evan Wick (California); along with state placres Austin Hiles (Ohio), Nick Monico (Pennsylvania), and Jimmy Saylor (Pennsylvania). Among this group, Klemp, Clingenpeel, and Hiles have earned Cadet freestyle All-American honors. 160: One of the shallower weights in this tournament with just four grade-level ranked wrestlers, led by obvious favorite Joe Smith (Oklahoma). Smith, a three-time state champion and two-time Junior freestyle All-American, is ranked No. 16 in the Class of 2015. The primary challenger would be Brandon Dallavia (New Jersey), ranked No. 24 in the Class of 2016, a National Prep runner-up and returning Cadet freestyle champion. The other two grade-level ranked wrestlers are No. 80 Trace Carello (Illinois) and No. 91 Canten Marriott (Missouri), both from the Class of 2016; Carello is a two-time state placer and 2013 Cadet freestyle runner-up, while Marriott is a state champion and three-time state placer. There are fifteen-plus additional wrestlers in this weight class whom have won a state championship at some point of their high school career. Notable among those are returning Cadet freestyle runner-up Johnny Blankenship (Missouri), three-time champion Colston DiBlasi (Missouri), Lucas Jeske (Minnesota), Blake Montrie (Michigan), Junior folkstyle champion Paden Moore (Minnesota), four-time state placer Taleb Rahmani (Ohio), and Jakob Restrepo (New York). Another wrestler to watch includes two-time state placer Jesse Porter (New York). 170: Similar to the immediately preceding weight, just four grade-level ranked wrestlers are present here. Leading the way here in three-time state champion and two-time FloNationals champion Xavier Montalvo (Illinois), ranked No. 34 in the Class of 2015. Primary challenger here is two-time Cadet Nationals double champion Beau Breske (Wisconsin), who is ranked No. 13 in the Class of 2016. Additional grade-level ranked wrestlers are Brett Bye (South Dakota) and Alex Herringshaw (New York); Bye won the Greco-Roman title on Tuesday afternoon down at 160 pounds, and is ranked No. 81 in the Class of 2015, while two-time state champion Alex Herringshaw (New York) is No. 94 in the Class of 2016. Two additional wrestlers in this weight class are returning Junior freestyle All-Americans: state champion Jordan Bushey (New York) and two-time state runner-up Hayden Hansen (Oklahoma). At least six additional wrestlers in this weight class are two-time state champions, among them are Weston Dobler (North Dakota), Dale Hilleman (Iowa), Jacob Holschag (Iowa), and returning Cadet freestyle All-American Gary Jantzer (Oregon). Furthermore, at least ten others have won a state title during their high school career, among those include: Junior Greco-Roman runner-up Andrew Berreyesa (Nevada), Regan Bye (South Dakota), Dylan Lydy (Indiana), Andrew McNally (Ohio), Carter Nielsen (Minnesota), Kevin Parker (New York), and Matthew Rundell (Illinois). An additional wrestler to watch is Jared Siegrist (Pennsylvania), a state placer and returning Cadet freestyle All-American. 182: Unlike the two weights classes before, this weight is heavy in talent at the top end with eight grade-level ranked wrestlers. The two favorites would have to be a pair of Class of 2016 stars, No. 9 Nick Reenan (Texas) and No. 11 Keegan Moore (Minnesota). Reenan won the Greco-Roman title on Tuesday afternoon, and was a 2013 Cadet Triple Crown winner; while Moore was a Cadet Triple Crown winner last year, and won a Junior folkstyle title this spring. Three others from the top 100 for the rising senior group are present here as well: No. 21 Nathan Traxler (Illinois), No. 25 Ben Darmstadt (Ohio), and No. 60 Owen Webster (Minnesota). State champion Traxler is a returning Junior freestyle All-American in this weight class, state champion Darmstadt was third in Cadet freestyle last summer, while 2014 state champion Webster upset Moore for the UWW Cadet freestyle world team spot at 85 kilograms in late May. Also grade-level ranked are a pair of multi-time state champions that are headed off to college in No. 79 Seth McLeod (Idaho) and No. 85 Dylan Wisman (Virginia); Wisman is also a two-time Junior freestyle All-American in this weight class. Rounding out the ranked group of eight is Max Lyon (Iowa), a two-time state placer who is ranked No. 46 in the Class of 2017. Others to watch include 2014 state champion Trevor Allard (New York); present year state champions Andrew Buckley (Missouri), Isaac Luellen (Kansas), and James Handwerk (Ohio); two-time state placer Garrett Hoffman (Pennsylvania); along with state placers Kyle Gentile (Pennsylvania) and Matt Wroblewski (Illinois). Buckley was runner-up in Junior Greco-Roman, Luellen and Handwerk were Cadet double All-Americans last year, Gentile went undefeated at Junior Duals in freestyle, Hoffman was undefeated at Disney, and Wroblewski is a returning Cadet freestyle All-American. 195: Another rather deep weight class with eight grade-level ranked wrestlers in its own right. Leading the way here are the Greco-Roman finalists, Samuel Colbray (Oregon) and Wyatt Koelling (Utah), No. 78 Koelling scored the upset over No. 10 Colbray in Tuesday afternoon's battle of Class of 2016 prospects. Colbray was also a Junior freestyle All-American last year in this weight class, while Koelling finished runner-up down at 182 as a Cadet. Two other ranked Class of 2016 are also present, No. 56 Kevin Mulligan (New Jersey) and No. 76 Jack Harris (Ohio); Mulligan was a Junior freestyle All-American last year and a state champion this scholastic season, while is a two-time state runner-up and 2013 Cadet freestyle runner-up. Three others appear in the back part of the Class of 2015 top 100, No. 90 Jacob Seely (Colorado), No. 92 Daniel Chadd (Wisconsin), and No. 100 Cash Wilcke (Iowa). Chadd and Wilcke have a pair of state titles, to the one for Seely; Seely and Wilcke were Junior freestyle All-Americans last summer, while Chadd earned All-American honors last year in Junior Greco-Roman. Rounding out the grade-level ranked group is Zane Black (Pennsylvania), No. 38 in the Class of 2017, a returning Cadet freestyle All-American and National Prep placer. Others to watch include returning Cadet freestyle All-Americans Christian Brunner (Illinois) and John Jakobsen (Pennsylvania), Brunner a two-time state placer and Jakobsen a state runner-up this year; state champions Jackson Striggow (Minnesota) and Joe Teague (Iowa); two-time state champion Jared Langley (Kansas), state runner-up Nick McShea (New York), and two-time state placer Donovan Doyle (Iowa). 220: Four top tier Class of 2016 wrestlers anchor this weight class, No. 6 Jordan Wood (Pennsylvania), No. 32 Ethan Andersen (Iowa), No. 41 Matt Stencel (Ohio), and No. 54 Matthew Correnti (New Jersey). Wood was a Cadet World silver medalist last year in this weight class, is a state champion and three-time state finalist; Andersen is a two-time state champion and the Junior folkstyle champion in this weight class; Stencel is a state champion and was a Cadet double champion last year; while Correnti is a three-time state placer, and has twice finished third in Cadet freestyle. Others to watch include state placer James Ford (Ohio), who upset Wood to win Junior Greco-Roman on Tuesday afternoon; state champions Brian Barnes (Oregon), Christian Colucci (New Jersey), Trevor Eicher (Washington), and Christian Lance (Missouri); state runner-up Eric Johnson (Illinois); multi-time state placers Kyler Childers (Oklahoma) and Rylee Streifel (Minnesota); state placers Darryl Aiello (California) and Evan Ellis (Indiana); along with Cadet freestyle All-Americans Christian Ayala (California) and Cole Nye (Pennsylvania). 285: Five grade-level ranked wrestlers lead the way in this weight class. Those include four-time state champion, returning Junior freestyle All-American, and NHSCA Senior Nationals champion Austin Myers (Kentucky). He is ranked No. 22 in the Class of 2015. Three top 100 Class of 2016 wrestlers are also in the field, No. 39 Osawaru Odighizuwa (Oregon), No. 51 Gannon Gremmel (Iowa), and No. 79 Carter Isley (Iowa); Odighizuwa is the returning Cadet freestyle champion, Gremmel was a Cadet freestyle champion as well last year, while Isley has finished second this year in both Junior folkstyle and Greco-Roman. Rounding out the ranked group is state champion Kevin Vough (Ohio), ranked No. 12 in the Class of 2017, and a Cadet freestyle runner-up last year. State champion Dante Jiovanetta (Florida) was the champion in Junior Greco-Roman on Tuesday afternoon. Two others in this weight class are returning Junior freestyle All-Americans, National Prep champion Michael Rogers (Pennsylvania) and two-time state champion Dan Stibral (South Dakota). Three more were Cadet double All-Americans last year: state champion Hunter Mullins (Washington), two-time state champion Brandon Metz (North Dakota), and state placer Andrew Piehl (Minnesota). Additional state champions include Sam Bouis (Virginia), Jarrod Hinrichs (Nebraska), and Alex Silberstein (Iowa); while others to watch include two-time state placer Jake Beistel (Pennsylvania), state champion Alex Silberstein (Iowa), and two-time state runner-up Korey Walker (Oklahoma).

BLACKSBURG -- If it weren't for bad luck, Austin Gabel swears he wouldn't have any luck at all. After a healthy first two years in Blacksburg - relatively speaking for a wrestler - Gabel suffered not one, not two, but three knee injuries last season in addition to a broken nose suffered in the first dual match of the season. In typical Gabel fashion, though, he pushed his body to the limits and wrestled injured before the knee finally broke down for good in a dual match against Duke on Feb. 14. These injuries during the 2014-15 season came after suffering a previous knee injury a year before that kept him off the mat for almost two months. “I tore the MCL in my right knee my redshirt sophomore year, but with the latest medicine, they don't do surgeries on MCLs like they did 15-20 years ago,” Gabel said. “The doctors hoped time, rest and rehab would heal it. I injured it in December and tried to come back, but ended up re-hurting it, which put me out until the week before the ACC Championships.” He returned late and still managed to qualify for the NCAA Championships for the second time, but that injury reared its ugly head this past season as that same knee just kept breaking down until Gabel couldn't go any more. Gabel re-injured the MCL in the quarterfinals of The Midlands in late December when he relaxed on the edge in the tiebreaker, and Old Dominion's Jack Dechow shot in on the knee for the takedown. Gabel would lose that match 3-1 in the tiebreaker and forfeit out of the tournament with the injury. “With the MCL never getting repaired, I think it wasn't quite as strong as we hoped,” Gabel said. “I stood up, and the knee buckled. In my head, it wasn't as bad as it really was and we thought I tore the scar tissue. But I knew there was something different about it. I'd be walking and my knee would give out.” Gabel would continue to wrestle, altering his training methods to be able to compete. The second injury came on Jan. 18 in a dual at Iowa State. “In the last period, my knee really gave out on me,” he said. “We thought it was the same injury, but the doctors checked me out and had me get an MRI. I got the results that day and it revealed an MCL and ACL tear in the knee.” Having been already wrestling for a month with the injury, the 184-pounder decided to continue to gut it out, wrestling basically on one leg. He changed his training methods and the way he wrestled and it worked as he continued to help out the team. But it all came to an end on Valentine's Day night at Cassell when he suffered the third injury to the knee. Leading 5-1 against Jacob Kasper, Gabel fell awkwardly on the knee when Kasper took him down, and he tore the meniscus. Gabel tried to go, but knew in his heart that his season was over. “I felt my knee completely give out on me and I rolled over in agony,” Gabel said. “I collected myself and tried to go, but the knee was locked up and there was no way I was finishing. Dresser told me I had been Superman all year and asked if I wanted to continue, but at that point I got pretty emotional because there was nothing that I could do about it.” Gabel had surgery on the knee on Feb. 24 and has spent all offseason rehabbing. The rising redshirt senior from Parker, Colorado, now has one last chance to make a run at the podium in March and is doing whatever he can to make sure he's healthy this fall. He's almost five months out from surgery and two weeks ago was cleared for hand fighting. “It's been nice to get hit in the face and get the shoes back on,” Gabel joked. Gabel knows there's a fine line between pushing himself too far, thus re-injuring himself, and coming back too slow if he wants to be ready for November wrestling. The coaches and training staff - along with Gabel - will continue to monitor everything and pull back the reins if necessary because this is the final run for Gabel being that he already redshirted. He admits that, while it would be nice to be out on the mat on Nov. 7 against Iowa State in Cassell Coliseum, it's the ACC and NCAA Championships that matter most to him and the team. “Austin is progressing very well after a pretty extensive knee surgery in February,” Tech head coach Kevin Dresser said. “He appears to be on schedule to be cleared for most of his final season. Austin did a good job competing for us last season considering the shape his knee was in for the last month of the season. He is a tough kid!” He's also prepping for life after wrestling with an internship this summer with a local financial advisor. As a business management and finance double major, Gabel is using this experience and opportunity to ready him for what lies ahead after next year when he graduates. “I'm working with Ron Gibbs, who works for Verity Asset Management, Inc. in Blacksburg and he works with a lot of coaches at Virginia Tech,” Gabel said. “He is a financial planner who works with a lot of retirement plans, 403Bs, 401Ks and even different educational programs like Virginia529. He's a great guy who works with my schedule and around wrestling, but I've gotten to sit in on meetings, do some paperwork and filings and learn the ropes of the business.” Gabel will enter his fifth and final season with 49 wins and two NCAA appearances, but wants to leave with a lot more. “You get to thinking about what your legacy will be and I don't want to be remembered as the guy who wrestled the top guys tough and close, but couldn't pull out the big wins,” he said. “I feel strong and hopefully I can get a full year of good health and make a run not just to the podium, but high up on that podium.”

Travis Lee, two-time NCAA Division I wrestling champ for Cornell University, is among eleven past Big Red sports stars to be welcomed into the school's Athletics Hall of Fame this fall, the wrestling program at the Ithaca, N.Y. school announced Monday. Travis Lee (Photo/Danielle Hobeika)Born in Honolulu, Travis Lee became only the second two-time NCAA wrestling champion in the long history of the sport at Cornell, and the first Hawaii native to win an NCAA mat title. In addition, Lee became the first Ivy League wrestler to earn NCAA All-American honors four times, winning national titles in 2003 and 2005 at 125 pounds and 133, respectively. In addition, Lee won Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) titles all four years and was named that tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler twice. He posted an unbeaten season en route to a national title at 125 pounds as a sophomore, and then recorded a 37-1 record as a senior, avenging his only loss of the year in the NCAA finals at 133 pounds to capture the 2005 title. Lee graduated with a bachelor's degree in biological and environmental engineering from Cornell in 2005, and gained a master's in engineering from his college alma mater in 2006. Since its founding in 1978, 31 Big Red wrestlers have been inducted into Cornell University Athletics Hall of Fame prior to this year. Among the past honorees: Dave Auble, Frank Bettuccci (who was welcomed into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame last month), Dave Dunlap, Steve Friedman, and Clint Wattenberg. In addition to Lee, other members of the Class of 2015 include fellow NCAA All-Americans Erica Holveck (women's lacrosse), and Lauren May (softball), along with Ka'Ron Barnes (men's basketball), Dick Blood (softball coach), Jessica Brown (women's track and field), Shonda Brown (women's track and field), Lou Duesing (women's track and field coach), Colin Farrell (men's lightweight rowing), Karen Force (women's basketball), and Pete Noyes (football coach). Lee and the other members of the Class of 2015 will be inducted in 38th annual ceremonies to be held Friday, Sept. 18 on the Cornell campus. In addition to the formal induction ceremonies on Friday evening, the honorees will be recognized at halftime of the Cornell-Bucknell football game the following afternoon. After this year's class is inducted, the Cornell Athletics Hall of Fame will have 577 members.

Once the Greco-Roman competitions reach their conclusion, freestyle starts up, and even more of the scholastic-aged wrestling stars descend upon Fargo. Based on the list of registered participants as of Sunday evening, 41 ranked wrestlers from the Classes of 2017-2019 are in the field. Wrestlers born in 1999 and 2000 are eligible to compete at the Cadet level. Cadet freestyle wrestling starts on Wednesday with two sessions, those at 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. CT. Those sessions will whittle the field down to the quarterfinalists on the championship side of the draw. The competition continues on Thursday where the finalists and medal winners will be determined in two sessions, the quarterfinals are a part of the 9:30 a.m. session, with semifinals in the session commencing at 3:30 p.m. Medal matches will be wrestled at 2 p.m. on Friday afternoon. The following is a weight-by-weight overview of the Cadet freestyle field, entrants as of Sunday evening. 88: Entering as the favorite in this weight class is Cadet folkstyle champion Mosha Schwartz (Colorado), who was also runner-up at the UWW Cadet Nationals in freestyle in late May at 42 kilos. Others to watch in this weight class include Cadet regional double champions Logan Ashton (Georgia), Lucas Byrd (Ohio), Ridge Lovett (Idaho), and Chase Tebbets (Washington). 94: The favorite in this weight class is defending champion Malik Heinselman (Colorado), who is also the UWW Cadet freestyle world team representative at 42 kilos. Others to watch include Cadet folkstyle champion Steele Dias (Nevada); Jace Koelzer (Kansas), undefeated in both styles at the Cadet Duals last month; state runner-up Cody Phippen (Kansas), who was runner-up in Cadet folkstyle at 100 pounds; Kurt McHenry (Virginia), ranked No. 14 overall in the Class of 2019; and Gabriel Tagg (Ohio), who was one match from All-American honors at 46 kilos in freestyle at the UWW Cadet Nationals. 100: The favorite in this weight class is Dylan D'Emilio (Ohio), who is the UWW Cadet freestyle world team representative at 46 kilos. He is also ranked No. 5 overall in the Class of 2019, and was a Cadet freestyle runner-up last year at 94 pounds. Primary challengers include Cadet folkstyle champion Kyle Biscoglia (Iowa); a pair of nationally ranked Class of 2019 wrestlers, No. 10 Travis Ford-Melton (Illinois) and No. 18 Eric Faught (Iowa); state champion Rhett Golowenski (Oklahoma), who was a Cadet double All-American last year and finished second to D'Emilio at the UWW Cadet Nationals; along with returning Cadet National double All-Americans in Joey Melendez (Illinois), Patrick McKee (Minnesota), and Peter Ogunsanya (Illinois). 106: Three nationally ranked Class of 2019 wrestlers lead the field in this weight class, No. 8 Adam Busiello (New York), No. 19 Jordan Decatur (Ohio), and No. 22 Jaden Abas (California); Decatur and Abas both placed at 50 kilos in freestyle at the UWW Cadet Nationals this spring. Other notables in this weight class include Cadet folkstyle champion Aaron Cashman (Minnesota), Charles Faber (Illinois), state champion Malik Johnson (Missouri), Logan Macri (Pennsylvania), returning Cadet double All-American Izaak Olejnik (California), state champion and returning Cadet freestyle All-American Clayton Singh (Missouri), along with state champion Dallas Wilson (Kansas). 113: The favorite in this weight class is returning Cadet Nationals double champion Roman Bravo-Young (Arizona), who is ranked No. 17 in the Class of 2018. Two other wrestlers ranked in that grade are among the primary challengers: No. 37 Tommy Hoskins (Ohio) and No. 44 Roderick Mosley (Oklahoma). At least eight other wrestlers in this field were state champions in high school this year - Brock Bergelin (Wisconsin), A.J. Facundo (Michigan), Jonathan Gomez (New York), Michael Millage (Iowa), Peyton Robb (Minnesota), Brian Stuart (Maryland), Brody Teske (Iowa), and Logan Treaster (Kansas). Additional wrestlers meriting attention include returning Cadet freestyle All-American Matthew Parker (Pennsylvania) and Preseason Nationals champion Chase Zollman (California). 120: Things seem rather wide open in this weight class with four grade-level ranked wrestlers among the contenders. Nick Raimo (New Jersey) is ranked third overall in the Class of 2019, and was one match away from an All-American finish at 54 kilos in freestyle at the UWW Cadet Nationals this spring; two-time state champion Jacori Teemer (New York) is ranked No. 27 in the Class of 2018; state champion Alex Thomsen (Iowa) is ranked No. 45 in the Class of 2018; while two-time state runner-up Jason Renteria (Illinois) is ranked No. 21 in the Class of 2017, and was a Cadet folkstyle champion this spring at 120 pounds. Two other Cadet folkstyle champions are among the field, state runner-up Jake Gliva (Minnesota) and state fifth placer Zander Silva (California). Also among the primary contenders is state champion Max Murin (Pennsylvania), a returning Cadet freestyle runner-up who finished sixth at 54 kilos in freestyle at the UWW Cadet Nationals this spring. At least six other state champions appear in this weight class, including two-time champion Clay Quintanilla (Washington). Also meriting attention is two-time state placer Cameron Valdiviez (Missouri). 126: This weight class is also wide open, though not as talented as the weight class that immediate precedes. The lone grade-level ranked wrestler returning Cadet freestyle All-American Anthony Madrigal (Illinois), who is No. 42 overall in the Class of 2018. However, the favorite here is most likely two-time state finalist Kyran Hagan (Missouri), a state champion this past year. Others to watch include two-time state champion David Bertoni (Maryland); 2014 state champion Hunter Dusold (New York); Cadet folkstyle runner-up Lawrence Saenz (California); along with state placers Abdullah Assaf (Illinois), Tim Kane (Connecticut), Justin McCoy (Pennsylvania), Jaden van Maanen (Wisconsin), and Zach Villarreal (Illinois). 132: Six grade-level ranked wrestlers lead the way in this weight class, though the leading the way in that pack is Vitali Arujau (New York). The two-time state champion is ranked tenth overall in the Class of 2017, is a returning Cadet freestyle All-American, and finished runner-up in the 58 kilogram weight class at the UWW Cadet freestyle nationals this spring. The other five come from the Class of 2018: No. 14 Sammy Sasso (Pennsylvania), No. 19 Brock Hardy (Utah), No. 21 Alex Lloyd (Minnesota), No. 30 Brayton Lee (Indiana), and No. 39 Aaron Brooks (Maryland); Lloyd is a returning Cadet double All-American, while Sasso is already a two-time placer at the FloNationals. Others to watch in this weight class include two-time state champions Sam Eckhart (Idaho) and Dakota Galt (South Dakota), two-time state runner-up Alec Hagan (Missouri), state placer and Cadet folkstyle runner-up J.J. Figueroa (California), as well as notable incoming freshmen Carson Kharchla (Ohio) and Austin Kraisser (Maryland). 138: Three nationally ranked wrestlers in the Class of 2018 are among the primary contenders in this weight class, No. 15 Shane Griffith (New Jersey), No. 22 Joe Lee (Indiana), and No. 33 Phil Conigliaro (Massachusetts); Griffith was a state champion this past season, Lee a state runner-up, and Conigliaro placed fourth at National Preps. The other primary contender is returning Cadet freestyle runner-up Jamie Hernandez (Illinois), fourth in his state tournament this season. Additional wrestlers to watch include incoming freshman Brian Case (Michigan), state placers Jaxen Gilmore (Oklahoma) and Tyler Shilson (Minnesota), 2014 state champion Ryan Hansen (Utah), two-time state champion Eli King (Tennessee), Andrew Merola (New Jersey), and two-time state placer Mike Stuart (Pennsylvania). 145: Four wrestlers ranked in their grade level anchor the field here, led by UWW Cadet freestyle runner-up at 69 kilos David Carr (Ohio), who is ranked No. 7 in the Class of 2018. Additional grade-level ranked wrestlers are Anthony Artalona (Florida), No. 44 in the Class of 2017, though he is actually a Class of 2018 wrestler; Jaryn Curry (Oklahoma), No. 29 in the Class of 2018; and Anthony Jackson (Minnesota), ranked No. 7 in the Class of 2019. Two-time state champion Artalona was a UWW Cadet double All-American at 63 kilos, Curry placed third this season, while Jackson has already twice placed fourth at the state tournament. Also in this weight class are three Cadet folkstyle finalists, Kameron Bush (Michigan), Kameron Frame (Kansas), and Kendall Frame (Kansas); Kameron Frame won the title at 138, while Bush and Kendall were runners-up at 138 and 145 respectively. Two others were Preseason Nationals champions this past fall, state champion Braeden Redlin (Texas) and Emille Shannon (Illinois). Others to watch include state runner-up Logan McKoy (Maryland), NHSCA Sophomore Nationals runner-up Connor Melbourne (New York), and state champion Hunter Richard (New York). 152: Two ranked wrestlers from the Class of 2018 are in this field, No. 34 Robert Patrick (Pennsylvania) and No. 50 Ben Sarasin (Iowa). Patrick was a state runner-up this past season, while Sarasin went undefeated across styles at the Cadet Duals last month. However, joint favorites in this weight class would be Cadet folkstyle champion Jake Allar (Minnesota), a state runner-up this season; along with state placer Tervell Timmons (Illinois), who was third at 69 kilos in this spring's UWW Cadet freestyle Nationals. Others to watch here include 2014 state champion Max Wohlabaugh (Florida), Cadet folkstyle runner-up Logan Coyle (Indiana), along with a trio of state placers in Michael O'Malley (New Jersey), Kenny O'Neil (Minnesota), and Alex Ward (Iowa). 160: Three nationally ranked Class of 2018 wrestlers anchor this weight class, No. 13 Travis Wittlake (Oregon), No. 20 Nate Jimenez (Illinois), and No. 25 Ryan Karoly (New Jersey). Wittlake was Cadet folkstyle champion this spring after a high school state title, while Jimenez and Karoly were both behind a pair of excellent wrestlers in their high school lineups as freshmen; Jimenez won the Preseason Nationals, with Karoly winning a title at the NHSCA Freshman Nationals. Others to watch include state champions Marcus Coleman (Iowa) and Clay Lautt (Kansas), along with state placers Kyle Cochran (New Jersey) and David Carwford (Ohio). 170: A pair of Illinois natives ranked in their respective grade level leads the field at this weight class, Jack Jessen and Jacob Warner. Jessen is No. 12 in the Class of 2018, was third in both styles last summer in Fargo, a Cadet folkstyle champion this spring, and a state runner-up this past season; while Warner is No. 25 in the Class of 2017, double fifth at Cadet Nationals last summer, a state champion, and placed third at 76 kilos in freestyle at the UWW Cadet Nationals this spring. Others to watch include Anthony Sherry (Iowa), a returning Cadet double All-American, ranked No. 47 in the Class of 2018; Cadet folkstyle runner-up Jacob Gray (Indiana); returning Cadet freestyle All-American Jacob Woodley (Pennsylvania); state runners-up Anthony Falbo (Connecticut) and Robbie Bowers (Ohio); along with state placers Isaac Bartel (Iowa) and Dylan Servis (Kansas). 182: The prohibitive favorite in this weight class is its lone grade-level ranked wrestler Brandon Whitman (Michigan), the UWW Cadet freestyle third place finisher at 85 kilos who is ranked No. 6 overall in the Class of 2018. Others to watch include Blake Barrick (Pennsylvania), NHSCA Freshman Nationals champion; Cadet folkstyle champion Andrew Davison (Indiana), fourth place finisher at 85 kilos in UWW Cadet freestyle; two-time state placer Jacob Raschka (Wisconsin), a returning Cadet freestyle All-American; along with state placers Jared Florell (Minnesota), Riley Vanik (Illinois), and Anthony Walters (Pennsylvania). 195: Among the primary contenders in this weight class are a pair of nationally ranked Class of 2018 wrestlers, No. 41 Gavin Hoffman (Pennsylvania) and No. 46 Dan Baker (Oklahoma); Hoffman placed sixth at state this year, while Baker was undefeated across styles at last month's Cadet Duals. Others to watch include state champion Brady Daniel (Maryland), state placer and Cadet folkstyle champion Bryce Esmoil (Iowa), state runner-up Brandon Closson (Utah), as well as state placers Dylan Prince (Kansas) and Danny Salas (California). 220: Two superstars headline this weight class, one more of a star than the other. Gable Steveson (Minnesota) is ranked No. 1 in the Class of 2018, and is the UWW Cadet freestyle world team representative at this weight class; to earn the spot, he had to beat returning world silver medalist Jordan Wood in the semifinal. Also a star in this weight is Cohlton Schultz (Colorado), ranked No. 2 in the Class of 2019. Others to watch include state placers Max Darrah (Missouri) and Kayne Hutchison (Kansas), as well as Preseason Nationals champion Blake Zalapi (Illinois). 285: Leading the way in this weight class is Cadet folkstyle champion Zach Muller (Illinois). Others to watch include state champion Nicholas Boykin (Tennessee), Cadet folkstyle runner-up Chris Middlebrooks (Illinois), and state placer Gavin Nye (California).