InterMat Staff

Ask a diehard wrestling fan to name a legendary wrestling program, and chances are, they will name Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, University of Iowa, Iowa State, Minnesota, Penn State ... all great college wrestling programs that can claim a number of individual and team champions. Not all storied wrestling programs are found on college campuses. Some of the truly great ones have been located in high schools -- Blair Academy (New Jersey), Great Bridge (Virginia), Clearfield (Pennsylvania), Waterloo West and Cresco (Iowa), Perry (Oklahoma), to name a few. Jim Kalin would make the case that Maple Heights High School in suburban Cleveland and its legendary head wrestling coach Mike Milkovich should be included in any list of all-time legacy mat programs. He does just that in his brand-new book "Mustang" now available. Meet Jim Kalin Jim Kalin and Russ RussoJim Kalin is a very familiar name to most in the amateur wrestling world, as a long-time writer for Amateur Wrestling News magazine who recently took readers inside the Oklahoma State wrestling room ... and was among the first to see "Foxcatcher" and provide a sneak preview months before the much-anticipated film was released to the general public. His "On the Mat with YouTube" articles where he provides insight and analysis of a classic wrestling match that's viewable online is a popular recurring feature. Little wonder that Kalin was awarded the Dellinger Award in 2009 as best wrestling journalist of the year. Although he now lives in Los Angeles, Kalin described himself as "Ohio born and raised," adding "I was born at University Hospital at Ohio State. Dad wrestled at Ohio State. He took me to practice. Eighteen years later, I was back in that room as an Ohio State wrestler." Kalin was raised in the Cleveland area. His father coached at Parma High School, then at Parma Normandy High. Jim Kalin attended and wrestled at Strongsville High, a bit further to the south. "It was great to be a kid in the Sixties and be aware of Maple Heights," Kalin told InterMat. "I competed at a lot of summer tournaments throughout the Midwest. Whenever coach Milkovich and his team would enter a tournament, it was like Darth Vader and his Storm Troopers entering the gym." Meet Mike Milkovich Mike Milkovich with son Tom MilkovichLike most all-time great wrestling programs, at the heart of the Maple Heights Mustangs' success from the 1950s to the mid-1970s was its head coach, Mike Milkovich. "Mike Milkovich changed American wrestling," Kalin asserts in the back-cover promotional text for "Mustang." "In this definitive biography, 'Mustang' chronicles the life of this National Wrestling Hall of Fame coach and provides the reader with an accurate, honest look at his genius and modesty, his unparalleled sense of fairness, but also the contradictions, the strict discipline toward his sons, and the refusal of anything but victory. Mike Milkovich was ferocious as General George Patton and as unbending as the Great Santini ..." As Kalin pointed out in his interview with InterMat, Mike Milkovich was only the third high school wrestling coach to be inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. His Maple Heights Mustangs grabbed ten team titles at the Ohio state championships (back when there was only one division) and were runners-up eight times. At one state tournament, Milkovich's Mustangs could claim six state placers ... "all without recruiting," according to Kalin. So how did Milkovich manage to get so much great mat talent from a high school that served just one working-class suburb south of Cleveland, populated by dads who toiled in the steel mills and car plants of Northeast Ohio? "Milkovich would prowl the halls like a bloodhound, sniffing out would-be wrestlers," said Kalin. "Some were tough guys or thugs. He'd challenge them to go out for wrestling. Some did, and decided they liked it." How the book came about "I've always been a big reader," Kalin said. "I've always wanted to write." "Once I stopped wrestling, I stepped away from the sport. Didn't have any contact with it until the late 1990s." "I became an official here in LA for a season. That got me back into wrestling." "Once I started writing for Amateur Wrestling News, I began thinking about doing a wrestling book." (Up until that point, Kalin had written fiction.) "I was asked by Bob Preusse to do a feature on Mike Milkovich for AWN." That request from a fellow wrestling writer ended up being the book "Mustang" which was nearly four years in the making. "I interviewed over one hundred individuals," said Kalin. "A lot of the stories I got from two different people." "If you were alive and wrestled at Maple Heights, I made every attempt to interview you." "Whenever I'm writing, I really like to learn something," Kalin added. "It's very rewarding to uncover something new." "It's kind of like throwing a stone into the water and rings that come out from that and intersect each other -- all those intersecting stories from teammates. That's how I wrote the book; that's how I tell those stories." That explanation describes "Mustang" well. It's not your typical biography told in chronological order that begins with the subject's birth and concludes with death or retirement. Kalin says the blueprint for his Milkovich/Maple Heights mat story was "Son of the Morning Star" about General George Custer by Evan S. Connell, who also wrote "Mr. and Mrs. Bridge." "That book starts with the battlefield scene days after Little Big Horn," according to Kalin. "Milkovich was kind of a Custer-like figure. I figured I had to start ("Mustang") with a big thing -- (son) Tom's third state title." You don't have to be from Ohio to read "Mustang" It would be easy to imagine wrestling fans outside the greater Cleveland area -- or the Buckeye State -- to say "Why should I read this?" Despite being an Ohio resident who spent two years living in suburban Cleveland early in his career, this writer had to ask the author. "Mike Milkovich and Maple Heights changed Cleveland wrestling at a time when Ohio really didn't figure into the national scene," replied Kalin. "He and his wrestlers forced Ohio to become better. Now Ohio ranks among the top two or three states for wrestling in the nation." "He helped other coaches up their game." "This is your heritage, no matter where you live, no matter where you wrestled." What's more, "Mustang" is chock-full of compelling stories that anyone who stepped onto a mat -- or sat in the stands at a dual meet or tournament -- can appreciate. Especially if you had a coach and teammates who shaped your own life beyond wrestling. "About a third of the guys I talked to started to cry during the interview," said Kalin. "They'd say things like, 'This man changed my life' or 'He was a father figure for me.'" "It was a most glorious time in their lives." "I want wrestlers to learn about their (Milkovich's and Maple Heights') heritage, whether they're a 40-year-old past wrestler, or a seventh grader," Kalin concluded. If you have a connection to wrestling, you owe it to yourself to read "Mustang" ... even if the only things that come to mind when you hear "Cleveland" are the Cavaliers or the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. You'll probably recognize a bit of Mike Milkovich in your own coach ... and see yourself and your teammates in some of the stories told by his wrestlers over the years. Beyond that, there are threads that connect a number of big names in wrestling who never set foot in Maple Heights but are instantly recognizable to any student of the sport. What's more, the book is constructed in a way that is incredibly reader-friendly; you can pick it up, read a chapter or two, and easily return to it when you have time ... or you can gallop through major portions at will. To learn more about "Mustang", visit the official website www.mustangthebook.com. You can order from the website, or by email to info@shemcreekpublishing.com, or call (323) 456-3299.

For the first time in 30 years, there will be wrestling at Richland College, the community college located in the Dallas area announced Monday. Richland will become the only two-year college offering a wrestling program in Texas and, for the first time, also will include a women's team, according to the school's announcement. The school has already named Bill Neal as head wrestling coach. "Richland College is resurrecting its wrestling program this fall! In the 1970's and 1980's, Richland dominated Texas Collegiate Wrestling," the school's press release said. "All the other Texas schools had dropped their program. We were forced to go to Kansas every weekend and it just got to be too much so we dropped the program," Neal told a Dallas-area TV station. "Now there were tons of kids, particularly DISD (Dallas Independent School District) kids, with no place to go. They either didn't have the money, they didn't have their grades. It was almost a no-brainer, this is an opportunity for these kids to get back into school and continue a sport that they love so much." "We're one of only three two-year schools in the Southwest region with a wrestling program," Neal said in an interview for the Richland College student newsletter. "A lot of kids in this area can't afford to go to a four-year school and don't have the grades to go to a university, so we're an option for them that they didn't have before." Neal pointed out that 21 schools in the Dallas Independent School District have wrestling programs; most of them have girls' teams, too. More than 11,000 boys and 4,000 girls wrestle in Texas high schools. "In the past, I had to recruit kids from El Paso, Oklahoma City and Baton Rouge," he added. "Restarting the program here was a no-brainer. These kids had no place to go, so we cranked up the program again." The Thunderducks wrestling program will compete in the NCWA (National Collegiate Wrestling Association), and will be eligible to qualify for regional and national tournaments. Founded in 1972, Richland College is a two-year community college that is part of the Dallas County Community College District. It has an enrollment of approximately 20,000 students. According to the school's website, "Richland College has focused on teaching, learning and community building. In recognition of these efforts, the White House and the Dept. of Commerce named Richland a recipient of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the only community college to have received this award."

Jeff Bradley will host this week's edition of "On the Mat" on Wednesday, August 10. His guests are 2008 Olympian Doug Schwab and JJ Everard, a senior heavyweight at the University of Northern Iowa. “On the Mat" is a presentation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. The show can be heard live on the Internet at 1650thefan.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday at 5 p.m. CT on AM 1650, The Fan. A podcast of the show is available on mattalkonline.com. E-mail dgmstaff@nwhof.org with any questions or comments.

Elena Pirozhkova at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com) From future college stars to NCAA champs, the latest Olympians to gold-medal greats, Global Wrestling News reports on the wide world of wrestling. This week's show covers that world with these feature segments: Augello, Maroulis, and Pirozkhova put through Olympic simulation matches. Interviews and reactions from the Olympic Training Center North Carolina's Coleman Scott on the hiring of Olympic gold medalist Kenny Monday.for the Tar Heel Wrestling Club Wayne Boyd weighs in on safety concerns in Rio and medal predictions Cole Manley and Devin Bahr make their verbal commitments Jason Tsirtsis on the move from Northwestern. Will he compete again? Brandon Eggum named acting head coach at Minnesota. Is J Rob done? This half-hour Global Wrestling News broadcast presents the news about all aspects of amateur wrestling, in a fast-paced sports news format featuring Scott Casber and Tony Hager, along with comments and opinions from wrestling aficionado Wayne Eric Boyd, who champions the oldest and greatest sport. Global Wrestling News is a subsidiary of Global Wrestling Championships and owned by Titan Mercury Wrestling Club. This week's show has been posted at TheMat.com, TMWC1.com, and Takedown Wrestling's website. In addition, it is available on Takedown Wrestling's YouTube channel. What's more, you'll find Global Wrestling News on these cable, satellite and broadcast channels. (All times Central.) Cablevision: Sundays at 4 p.m. Charter Cable: Thursday at 6:30 p.m., Friday 11:30 p.m. and Monday 2:30 p.m. Cox Cable: Sunday 9:30 a.m. Fight Network HD: Sundays at 4:00 p.m. Long Lines Cable: Daily at 5:30 p.m. Mediacom Cable: Sundays at 10:30 a.m. MidCo Sports Network: Saturday 10:00 a.m. and Sunday at 9 a.m. Suddenlink Cable: Check your local listings. Multiple air times.

Jake Varner gets a takedown at the Freestyle World Cup in LA (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com) Jake Varner, 2012 Olympic gold medal-winning wrestler and two-time NCAA champ for Iowa State, will be reuniting with his former college coach by joining Cael Sanderson's staff as a volunteer assistant coach at Penn State, Jim Carlson of PennLive.com -- website for the Patriot-News -- reported Monday. Varner will replace Frank Molinaro, who had served as volunteer coach last season, and will be wrestling for Team USA in freestyle at the 2016 Rio Olympics on Sunday, Aug. 21 at 65 kilograms/143 pounds. Molinaro has committed to training for the next four years in men's freestyle. "He's (Molinaro) just so confident right now and wrestling so well, he's going to do a great job," said Nittany Lions head coach Cael Sanderson. "His future's set; he still wants to coach when he's done. He has a chance to win world and Olympic medals the next four years and that's what he wants to focus on." "Varner's kind of wrapping things up and he's a like-minded guy,'' Sanderson told PennLive.com. "Really great in the corner, really understands the sport and what it takes to win. He's a guy who's gotten the most out of his abilities and probably the most extremely loyal as much as any guy I've ever coached, and has done everything I've asked him to do. "I think that's why he's an Olympic champion, not because he did what we told him to do but more the attitude that he'll do what it takes to be successful. He's not going to try to rationalize doing something easier or different or skipping any corners.'' "Varner loves to compete and he has a great attitude and a tough guy and competitor. He's a four-time NCAA finalist, a World and Olympic medalist. That's pretty good, I guess, right?'' Sanderson asked rhetorically. If anyone would know Varner's mat credentials, it would be Cael Sanderson. Varner, a two-time California high school state champ, wrestled for Sanderson for three seasons at Iowa State before Cael left the Cyclones to take the head coaching job at Penn State. Varner stayed in Ames to complete his collegiate career with Kevin Jackson who is still at the helm at Iowa State. As a Cyclone, Jacob Stephen Varner earned back-to-back NCAA Division I titles at 197 pounds in 2009 and 2010, after being a two-time finalist at 184 pounds the previous two years. The Bakersfield, California native was a two-time titlist at the Big 12 conference championships. Varner was also twice crowned champ at the Midlands Classic post-Christmastime tournament at Northwestern University. He completed his collegiate career with a 132-10 overall record. Varner's freestyle mat career is also one of accomplishment, capped off by winning the gold medal at the 2012 Olympics at 97 kilograms/212 pounds. That same year Varner also earned gold at the 2012 Pan American Games. The year before, Varner brought home bronze from the 2011 World Championships in Istanbul.

Jordan Decatur moves up two spots to No. 3 after dominating his way to a Cadet freestyle title in Fargo (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com) There is some clear standout talent in the Class of 2019, and some argument over whom is the top overall wrestler for the group. Despite an upset loss in the quarterfinal round of the Cadet Greco-Roman competition, Cohlton Schultz (Ponderosa, Colo.) remains atop the top 50 rankings for the rising sophomore class. Outside that one blemish, Schultz would earn victories by technical fall or pin in all other matches, including a third place finish in Greco-Roman and a championship in freestyle. Furthermore, Schultz would avenge that Greco loss with a technical fall victory in the semifinal round of the freestyle competition. Ranked second in the class is Nick Raimo (Hanover Park, N.J.), who was double champion for a second straight year at the Cadet Nationals, this time doing so at 126 pounds. Moving up two positions to No. 3 is Jordan Decatur (CVCA, Ohio), champion in Cadet freestyle at 120 pounds. He earned five technical fall victories in seven bouts, the other two results were a pin in the quarterfinals and a 10-2 decision in the round of 16 bout. Another pair of top 50 ranked wrestlers in the Class of 2019 won titles in Cadet freestyle. Colton Yapoujian (Pomona, Colo.) moves up six spots to No. 16 overall; of note was his win in the Fargo final over No. 10 Travis Ford-Melton (Marian Catholic, Ill.), coming by a 3-1 decision. No. 32 Montana Phillips (Lawton McArthur, Okla.) makes a debut appearance in the rankings after making the final in both styles at the Cadet Nationals, including a title in freestyle at 285 pounds. Three other wrestlers join Phillips in making debut appearances in the Class of 2019 top 50 rankings: No. 21 Tyler Curd (Oak Grove, Mo.), No. 42 Colt Newton (Choctaw, Okla.), and No. 47 Baylor Fernandes (Lockport, Ill.). Curd was champion in Cadet Greco at 220 pounds with the notable upset victory over top-ranked Schultz in the quarterfinal; Newton and Fernandes each placed third in Cadet freestyle. Big upward movers in the rankings for this class include No. 7 Jaden Abas (Bakersfield Frontier, Calif.), a Cadet freestyle runner-up who jumps five spots to the better; and Cadet freestyle fifth place finisher Kevon Davenport (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.), ranked No. 37 overall. InterMat Platinum is required to view all the rankings. Link: Top 50 Sophomores

Brock Hardy won a Cadet freestyle title in Fargo, and movess up six spots (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com) Seventeen wrestlers from the Class of 2018 were champions at the recently completed Cadet and Junior National Championships in Fargo, N.D. That includes eleven members of the top 50 rankings, led by Junior National freestyle champion Gavin Teasdale (Jefferson Morgan, Pa.), who remains third overall in the class. Cadet Triple Crown winner Travis Wittlake (Marshfield, Ore.) jumps up two positions in the class rankings and is now ranked No. 5 overall. Rounding out the top five are No. 1 Gable Steveson (Apple Valley, Minn.), No. 2 David Carr (Massillon Perry, Ohio), and No. 4 Seth Nevills (Clovis, Calif.) A pair of Junior National freestyle champions was among the notable upward movers in the rankings. Anthony Cassioppi (Hononegah, Ill.), winner at 285 pounds, moved up seven positions to No. 35 overall; while previously unranked Nico Aguilar (Gilroy, Calif.) is now positioned at No. 43 after winning the title at 113 pounds. Fellow Junior freestyle champion Anthony Artalona (Tampa Prep, Fla.) jumps two positions to No. 15 overall in the rising junior class. Also among the major upward movers was a pair of Cadet freestyle national champions. Brock Hardy (Box Elder, Utah) jumps six positions to No. 20, as he is now a four-time Cadet finalist in Fargo, including earning that elusive title; while Aaron Brooks (North Hagerstown, Md.) jumps back into the rankings at No. 38 after winning Cadet titles in both styles at 160 pounds last month. Others in the rankings to win Cadet freestyle titles were No. 10 Frankie Gissendanner (Penfield, N.Y.), double champion No. 25 Ryan Karoly (Malvern Prep, Pa.), and No. 29 Jacori Teemer (Long Beach, N.Y.) Another quartet of wrestlers join Brooks and Aguilar as wrestlers to appear in the top 50 at this update, though they were outside of the rankings in the late June update. They include a pair of consolation finalists in Junior freestyle at 145 pounds, No. 36 Jarrett Jacques (Owensville, Mo.) and No. 37 Phil Conigliaro (Belmont Hill, Mass.). The other pair was Cadet freestyle runner-up Brody Teske (Fort Dodge, Iowa), a two-time state champion who is ranked No. 46 in the class; as well as Cadet freestyle All-American Gerard Angelo (Bergen Catholic, N.J.), a two-time state finalist now ranked No. 47 overall. InterMat Platinum is required to view all the rankings. Link: Top 50 Juniors

Viktor Lebedev attempts an ankle pick in the bronze-medal match at the Worlds (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Russian wrestler Viktor Lebedev has been cleared to take part in the 2016 Olympics, the TASS news agency of Russia reported on Saturday. "On Viktor Lebedev, everything is fine, the decision has been made," head of the Russian delegation Igor Kazikov told R-Sport. "There are no further questions regarding him. Lebedev has been cleared for the participation in the Olympics by the IOC (International Olympic Committee." On Thursday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) found the IOC ban on Russian athletes with a previous record of doping violations to be unenforceable. A three-member IOC panel makes final decisions on separate athletes. Prior to today's announcement, Lebedev, 28, was the lone Russian wrestler not to be cleared for the Rio games due to a positive doping test in the 2006 junior world championships. Now all 17 wrestlers from Russia who originally qualified for the Olympics now underway have been approved for competition. Lebedev, who will wrestle in freestyle at 57 kilograms/126 pounds, has his first match in Rio on Friday, Aug. 19. Lebedev is a four-time medalist at the World Championships, having won gold in 2010 and 2011, and bronze in 2009 and 2015.

Jimmy Rollins had been an assistant coach for Lindenwood for five seasons (Photo/Don Adams Jr.) Lindenwood University Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Brad Wachler announced on Friday that Jimmy Rollins has been named the new head coach of the Lions wrestling program. Rollins has been an assistant coach for the Lions for the last five seasons. "I am very honored to be given the opportunity to lead this program," said Rollins. "I am grateful to (former head coach) Chad Smith for bringing me to Lindenwood, and I thank President Shonrock and Brad Wachler for the chance to be the next head coach. I am also thankful for all of the Lindenwood wrestlers for their support throughout this transition. I can't wait for the season so we can continue to build upon the positive momentum of the Lions wrestling program." "The Lindenwood wrestling program has a rich history of success, and Jimmy Rollins is the perfect fit to continue that tradition," said Wachler. "Over the past five years as an assistant coach, Jimmy has demonstrated great technical knowledge of the sport of wrestling, and I am confident that he is now ready to lead this program as its head coach. He is also a great ambassador for Lindenwood University and its Athletic Department as we continue to connect with the strong wrestling community in the St. Charles area. I am looking forward to many more years of success for the Lions wrestling program." For the last five years, Rollins has been the top assistant for the nationally-ranked Lindenwood University wrestling program. He was integral in recruiting four classes that were ranked nationally in the top-15. Rollins also played a big role in the team's transition from NAIA to the NCAA Division II level as the team quickly realized great success on a national stage. Over the last three years, Lindenwood has qualified 15 wrestlers for the NCAA National Championships, and nine have won All-American honors. Last year, Terrell Wilbourn captured the program's first NCAA Individual National Championship. The team has finished in the top-20 in the nation all three years it has been eligible for the NCAA national event, including a seventh-place finish in 2013-14. During Rollins tenure, the Lions finished the conference season third or better in the regular season standings for each of the last three years, including winning its first MIAA Championship in 2014-15. The Lions have been conference tournament runner-ups twice in the four years in the league. Rollins has also helped the team have success in the classroom. Last year, Lindenwood ranked fourth in NCAA Division II in the D2WCA All-Academic wrestling team rankings. Prior to coming to Lindenwood, Rollins was an assistant coach at Midland University, Iowa Lakes Community College, and Dana College. Over his 10 years of coaching, he has worked with 52 All-Americans, 17 national finalist, four national champions, and two Junior Greco Roman All-Americans. Prior to coaching, Rollins was a wrestler at Gloucester County College and Dana. He was a four-time All-American and two-time national champion. He was a member of two team national championships during his playing career, capturing one at Gloucester in 2002 and one at Dana in 2006. Rollins graduated from Dana College in 2008 with a bachelor's of arts in physical education, and earned his masters of education from Lindenwood University in 2013. Rollins' first official competition as the head coach of the Lions will be on Nov. 12 when Lindenwood competes in the Maryville Kaufman-Brand Open in St. Louis.

BOONE, N.C. -- Appalachian State Univeristy wrestling head coach JohnMark Bentley announced the addition of Ryan LeBlanc as an assistant coach and Dominic Parisi as a volunteer assistant coach on Friday. “I am excited about the addition of both Ryan and Dom to the Appalachian wrestling staff,” Bentley said. “Ryan's wrestling, coaching and fundraising experience will vastly benefit our program. Dominic brings a passion and love for Appalachian that is unparalleled. He had an outstanding career here at Appalachian and he is going to be an awesome Coach!” LeBlanc joins Appalachian after spending two years working for the State University of New York at Cortland. He started as a graduate assistant wrestling coach before transitioning to a dual position in coaching and alumni engagement. LeBlanc helped guide the team to a 7th and 13th place finish in the NCAA tournament including seven national qualifiers, four NWCA Scholar All-Americans, four NCAA All-Americans and two separate individual national champions. He also helped create the periodization plan for wrestling, strength and cardiovascular training throughout his seasons. “I am honored to be a Mountaineer,” LeBlanc said. “The Appalachian State University Wrestling program appealed to me as it represents a well-rounded balance of both athletics and academics. I truly believe in Coach JohnMark Bentley's vision for the program and am excited to work with the kind of student-athletes this program attracts.” Prior to SUNY-Cortland, LeBlanc amassed a career wrestling record of 103-51 at Indiana University. During his collegiate career, he was a three-time NCAA qualifier and finished in the round of 12 as a senior, a three-time academic all-American, a two-year captain and a Big Ten Academic all-Conference team member for four straight seasons. LeBlanc was also selected as the Big Ten Medal of Honor recipient, one of the most prestigious conference awards in college athletics. First awarded in 1915, the Medal of Honor is given to one student-athlete from the graduating class of each university who attains “the greatest proficiency in athletics and scholastic work.” He graduated in 2014 from Indiana with a bachelor's degree in exercise science before receiving his master's in sports management in 2016 at SUNY-Cortland. LeBlanc grew up in Morrisville, N.Y., where he played both tennis and soccer in high school. He joins the Appalachian family with his fiancé Morgan Wesner. Parisi joins the wrestling coaching staff as a volunteer assistant coach after graduating from Appalachian State in 2014 with a bachelor's degree in recreation management with a concentration in outdoor experiential education before getting his master's in higher education with a concentration in community college and university leadership at Appalachian as well. Parisi amassed a collegiate wrestling record of 48-21 as a Mountaineer, winning the 125-pound Southern Conference division his senior year as well as being named to the NWCA All-Academic team. As a junior recovering from a sophomore campaign that was cut short by a knee injury, he placed third at the Hokie Open and Keystone Classic before earning a round of 12 finish at the NCAA's. “I am beyond excited and motivated to help coach and give back to a program that has done so much for me during my entire collegiate career as a wrestling student-athlete,” Parisi said. Parisi grew up in Canastota, N.Y. and Concord, N.C. and attended Jay M. Robinson high school.

Turkey's Riza Kayaalp defeated Cuba's Mijain Lopez in the World finals in September (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) While U.S. wrestling fans can express their disappointment that 2012 Olympic gold medalist Jordan Burroughs won't be carrying the flag for Team USA at the Opening Ceremonies in Rio this evening, they can take pride in knowing that at least three other nations will have wrestlers as flag bearers: Haiti's Asnage Castelly, Turkey's Riza Kayaalp, and Cuba's Mijain Lopez. NBCOlympics.com reported Thursday that Kayaalp and Lopez, both world champions in Greco-Roman, will each carry his nation's flag at the Parade of Nations at the 2016 Rio Olympics Friday night. InterMat had reported last weekend that Castelly, a coach at Massachusetts' Springfield Technical Community College, would be the flag bearer for the Haitian contingent. Castelly, competing in men's freestyle in Rio, will be the first wrestler to take to the mats at the Olympics for the Caribbean island nation of Haiti. By contrast, Kayaalp and Lopez both have considerable experience wrestling at the Olympics in the superheavyweight class, now 130 kilograms/286.5 pounds for 2016. This will be Kayaalp's third Olympic Games. He competed at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, then won the bronze medal at the 2012 London Games. It will be the first time the 26-year-old Kayaalp has served as Turkey's flag bearer. This will be the third consecutive Olympics at which Lopez, a two-time Olympic champion, has carried the flag for Cuba. In addition to his Olympic experience, Kayaalp has earned medals at World Championships, claiming gold at the 2011 Worlds in Istanbul, and bronze medals at the 2009 and 2010 Worlds. Lopez, 33, won gold medals at 120 kilograms/264 pounds at the Olympics in 2008 and 2012. The Cuban has tallied a total of eight medals at World Championships -- five gold, and three silver -- going back to 2005. Kayaalp and Lopez have some history with each other on the mat. Kayaalp lost to Lopez in the 120-kilo semifinals at the last Olympics, having to settle for bronze while Lopez eventually claimed gold. The year before at the 2011 Worlds, Kayaalp beat Lopez for the gold medal. Kayaalp also notched a win over Lopez this past September in the gold-medal match at the World Championships in Las Vegas. Jaime Espinal of Puerto Rico (Photo/Martin Gabor) Update: Gary Abbott of TheMat.com has posted an article listing a total of eight wrestlers who were flag bearers at the Opening Ceremonies of the 2016 Rio Olympics. In addition to Castelly, Lopez and Kayaalp, here are the other wrestlers who carried the flag for their home nations: Augusto Midana, Guinea-Bissau, men's freestyle wrestling, 74 kilograms/163 pounds Nicolae Ceban, Moldova, men's freestyle, 97 kilograms/213 pounds Florian Skilang Temengil, Palau, men's freestyle, 125 kilograms/275 pounds Jaime Espinal, Puerto Rico, men's freestyle, 86 kilograms/189 pounds Isabelle Sambou, Senegal, women's freestyle, 53 kilograms/116 pounds

Gregor Gillespie, 2007 NCAA wrestling champ for Edinboro University, will enter the Octagon for the first time at UFC Fight Night 95: Cyborg vs. Lansberg to be held in Brasilia, Brazil on Sept. 24. The former Fighting Scot will be facing Joaquim Silva in a lightweight (155-pound) bout. Silva has a 9-1-0 record. Gregor GillespieGillespie announced he had signed with Ultimate Fighting Championship on his Facebook page Thursday: "About time, finally signed to the UFC. @UFC Fight Night 95 Brazil." Gillespie, 29, brings a perfect 7-0 record in professional mixed martial arts competition. Since launching his pro career in January 2014, all but one of Gillespie's fights ended in the first round. His most recent bout -- ROC 55 in June 2016 -- went the full three rounds, with the Edinboro mat champ winning a split decision over Sidney Outlaw. A native of Webster, N.Y., Gillespie was a four-time NCAA All-American at Pennsylvania-based Edinboro, winning the 149-pound title at the 2007 NCAAs with a 3-1 overtime win over Josh Churella of the University of Michigan in the finals. He was also a three-time champ in both the EWL (Eastern Wrestling League) and PSAC (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference). Gillespie completed his mat career at Edinboro having compiled a 152-13 record, for an impressive .921 winning percentage. In his last season at the Pennsylvania-based school, Gillespie served as a coach and administrator for the Edinboro Scotsman Wrestling Club. He later served as an assistant coach at Hofstra University.

Fargo double finalist Max Wohlabaugh is a big upward mover in the senior rankings (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com) With the happenings in Fargo a couple of weeks behind us, there has been adequate time to reflect, analyze, and react to the key results from the event(s). While the top 25 for the Class of 2017 is basically unchanged, there are some shake-ups in the back three-quarters of the top 100 rankings. It includes four new wrestlers not ranked when the initial top 100 for the rising senior group was released in late June. Most notable among them is Max Wohlabaugh (Winter Springs, Fla.). He enters the rankings at No. 50 overall after finishing as runner-up in both Greco-Roman and freestyle at the Junior Nationals in the 160-pound weight class. Two other double All-Americans from Fargo at the Junior level are newcomers to the rankings, No. 85 Matthew Waddell (Gilmer, Ga.) and No. 99 Brent Jones (Shakopee, Minn.); each placed fifth in freestyle, while Waddell was third in Greco-Roman and Jones finished fifth. Each is also a multi-time state champion. The other newcomer is No. 97 Hunter Willits (Pueblo County, Colo.), who placed seventh in Junior freestyle and is a three-time state champion. Four additional wrestlers moved up 15-or-more spots within the Class of 2017 top 100 wrestler rankings. The biggest upward move was by Zach Sherman (Blair Academy, N.J.), who jumps 30 spots to No. 67 overall after a fifth place finish in Junior freestyle at 126 pounds. A pair of wrestlers jumped up 21 positions within the rankings, No. 45 Brandon Courtney (Desert Edge, Ariz.) and No. 62 Parker Filius (Havre, Mont.); Courtney finished third in Junior freestyle at 120, while Filius placed eighth at 138. Each was All-American in that tournament for a second consecutive year. Moving up 15 spots in the rankings was No. 42 Brandon Metz (West Fargo, N.D.), the champion in Junior Greco-Roman at 285 pounds, who also finished third in freestyle. Still anchoring the rankings is Spencer Lee (Franklin Regional, Pa.), who will be competing in the UWW Junior World freestyle championships later this month, as will No. 4 Daton Fix (Sand Springs, Okla.). Competing in next month's UWW Cadet World freestyle championships will be No. 2 Yianni Diakomihalis (Hilton, N.Y.), No. 3 Vitali Arujau (Syosset, N.Y.), and No. 8 Jacob Warner (Washington, Ill.). InterMat Platinum is required to view all the rankings. Link: Top 100 Seniors

The opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games are tonight, which symbolizes a time for the world to finally, maybe, if-only-for-a-moment, celebrate the Games. Brazil has sacrificed a lot to put on these Games. From perilous health conditions to evictions of long-time residents, the Games brought a mixture of darkness and light to the Brazilian condition, which one can only hope ends in societal improvements. I'll be heading down to Rio with a good-size media team from United World Wrestling. We will be creating content throughout the day to both help our current fans connect with their stars and help new fans find a way into the sport. We will be posting interviews, stories, photos, videos, and lots of social media content from now until the end of the Games, and likely beyond. One thing to keep in mind is that viewership counts. For sports like wrestling there is a lot at stake these Olympic Games. This is the first Olympics with a well-matured online presence featuring thousands of hours of live sporting content viewable online and on TV. My guess is that with a lot on the line, wrestling is about to shock the Olympic world. And here's how we do it: Download the NBC Live Sports Application and tune into ALL the wrestling events you can for as long as you can. Aggregate minutes matter. Wrestling has been very quietly breaking records and with even more attention given to viewership I think we might be able to shatter some preconceived notions about the sport's popularity and reach. How to watch from anywhere in the world (re-direct is geo-based): http://go.olympic.org/UWW Follow the Olympics and NBC Olympics on their various social media platforms and be sure to share content about the Games hashtags #Rio2016 #wrestling and #RioWrestle. That's something that we can (and likely WILL) count up at the end of the Games. Engage with content generated by United World Wrestling and its partners. This should happen mostly over social media, but be sure to also prompt your friends, family and wrestling-minded folks to get online and stay online. Go to the Olympic site for wrestling and United World Wrestling from NOW until the end of the Games for all your information. These sites should be locked in as favorites on your mobile and desktop. Enjoy the Games! To your questions … Olympic silver medalist Jamill Kelly is an assistant coach at Stanford (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Q: Any idea why Jamill Kelly stopped competing after his Olympic silver medal in 2004? He's 38 now and looks like he could still be in the mix with the best! It feels like there was so much more left in the tank for him after 2004. He was only 26 years old and was just starting to get really good. It was his life and his career and can only imagine the amount of work that goes into it, so I don't fault him for retiring. But as a fan I feel like we missed what could have been some special moments. -- Mike C. Foley: Rather than speculate on the reasons, I gave Jamill a shout. His answer: I had decided before the Games that regardless of outcome that would probably be it. Financially, it was a struggle those four years and I wasn't ready to go another cycle when nothing's guaranteed and be 30 years old and just starting my life. We didn't have the Living The Dream Medal Fund or sponsorships these guys have today. If things were like they are now I probably would have considered it. The other huge factor was the rule change. I absolutely hated them and that stalled any thought of my potentially competing again. The rule change portion surprised me at first, but the more I considered it the less surprised I was by his logic. The changes were incredibly consequential, especially for a guy who didn't rely a ton on his size. What was once a technical sport went the way of the brute for a few years, with positioning and ball draw clinches becoming the norm. Also his response was/is a solid reminder that wrestling doesn't pay a lot of money. Today, that's changed a bit, but it makes you wonder how many guys like him got out early because they wanted to provide a different lifestyle to their family. It's great to hear the Semnani Foundation is adding an additional cash prize ($20k, $10k, $5k) to U.S. and Iran wrestlers who place at the Olympic Games. When considering how much Jamill was being paid in his prime wrestling years that extra boost is very generous. When I was the No. 1 guy in 2003 and 2004 I was making maybe $25k a year, which was $1k a month from OSU and the rest from my USA Wrestling stipend, bonus for winning nationals and the Trials. In 2001 and 2002 I was making $15k-18k. It was tough. Abdulrashid Sadulaev won his second straight world title in Las Vegas (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Q: On the eve of the Olympics, what makes Abdulrashid Sadulaev such a special wrestler? -- @HalfAgain Foley: Shorthand: The combination of strength and flexibility possessed by a man who lives a purpose-driven life and sacrifices for his passion. That … and he was born in exactly the right place for a man of his values and talents to become an Olympic champion in wrestling. The coaching and effort put in by his family cannot be overstated. I remember reading a quote from him that said he only sought to make sure his parents were never embarrassed by his actions and that he wished to honor them with his wrestling. He then went on to say another dozen things about how it was his responsibility to never let them down. For all we think of him as a physically imposing human, he seems to have been raised with values that make him an equally good person. Q: Have we seen the last of J Rob as the head wrestling coach of the University of Minnesota? -- @ShogunOfSonoma Foley: Given the length of the investigation and the announcement of Brandon Eggum as acting head coach it would seem that the administration is building a case to fire J Rob. Why? I don't know. There is no repercussion to his staying. Are donors backing out? No. Is this still a news story? No. Did he violate the principals of academics or coaching in any other major way in the past 30 years? No. Does he distract? No. There are only negative consequences to firing J. The school will go to court, which will cost them significant money and likely publicize their incompetence in managing this case (and other administrative blunders) over the past few years. Q: What are your thoughts on the five sports just added to the 2020 Olympic Games? What impact does the addition of those sports have on wrestling for 2024 and beyond? -- @JackGillespie5 Foley: I think that the sports chosen for 2024 represent a youth push from the IOC and also reflect what will be popular to watch for denizens of Tokyo. That latter part is important since it incentivizes host nations to bid based on the idea that they can approve sports (within reason) that will appeal to their constituents. In this circumstance that is baseball/softball a sport that has been booted in the past and requires a significant capital expenditure. As for the youth movement, I think that skateboarding and surfing are just sports we think of as youthful but have significant adult followings. I for one really enjoy the World Surf League updates on social media. The impact on wrestling? None that would be negative. The addition of sports only opens the door for wrestling to add another style to the Olympic program. Maybe beach wrestling? MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME The Celebrity and the Samurai: Learn more about the life and struggles of the world's two greatest women's wrestlers of all time. Hope you enjoy. Link: Jordan Burroughs' work ethic comes from his blue-collar dad From ESPN: Pin Kings is a story about high school wrestling teammates who end up on the opposite side of the law. Told through several storytelling platforms, including magazine and podcast. From The Ringer (Bill Simmons' new site) The Olympics Watchability Matrix The "Jason Statham Movies" Quadrant: And finally: Items plotted in the fourth quadrant are supremely watchable and so cool that they actually have negative lameness. These are sports that evoke maximum joy, and you will watch when it beckons time and time again without question or complaint, like Jason Statham taking out a bunch of dudes with guns using only a fire hose in The Transporter 2. Or really, any Jason Statham action movie. There are like, a hundred of them, and they're all great. These are usually the sports with the oldest traditions in the Olympics, the ones that ancient Greeks painted on vases and whatnot. Q: Based on what you know, do you expect Jason Tsirtsis to be eligible to compete in college this upcoming season at a different college? Seems like it could be difficult based on the fact that he was not in good academic standing at Northwestern. -- Mike C. Foley: I think that it would take a full year to regain eligibility for academic probation, unless he had entered summer school which doesn't seem to be the case. Poor guy had a tough year and wish him the best wherever he lands, regardless of whether or not he wrestles. Q: Kaori Icho says men's wrestling is different. I've watched her matches and found the skills she uses are the same. Why does she say that? -- @ShogunOfSonoma Foley: I'd agree that men's and women's wrestling are very different in their execution. The rules are the same, but that doesn't mean that the techniques and tactics are also similar. For Icho the difference has been in acquiring more technical knowledge. Women's wrestling will tend to focus more on a few techniques and then seeing how to become dominant in every facet of that position (i.e. Yoshida's double leg, Adeline's leg lace), whereas most men seek to be well-rounded on their feet and on the mat. Scrambling positions take on more importance, as does positional superiority. These are areas that Icho focuses on in practice and I think carries over to her wrestling. Overall, when you watch the men and women compete you tend to find favored techniques in each style that simply won't work in the other. For example, there are almost no front headlocks in women's wrestling as their weight is distributed in their hips more than shoulders and also have more flexibility up top. Likewise you also see more throws in men's wrestling for pretty much the same reason. Q: I see Daniel Dennis is bringing Spencer Lee as a training partner to Rio. Do you see Lee challenging for a spot on a senior level team during the upcoming quad? -- Mike C. Foley: Certainly challenging. He's an incredible talent who is well-coached at the high school level and next year will be moving to a college program that creates Olympians. I'm suspect about Dennis bringing Lee as his training partner, but that's his preference and he's earned the right to bring anyone he likes. The coaches must approve so who am I to judge? Q: Who are your three biggest locks to win gold in Rio? -- Mike C. Foley: 1. Abdulrashid Sadulaev, freestyle, 86 kilograms 2. Kaori Icho, women's wrestling, 58 kilograms 3. Jordan Burroughs, freestyle, 74 kilograms

1948 U.S. Olympic Team As we gear up for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, a question immediately comes to mind: How have U.S. wrestlers performed at past Olympics? One common measure is the number of gold, silver and bronze medals Team USA members have brought home from previous Olympics going back to the 1904 Games in St. Louis, the first modern Olympics to feature wrestling. The big picture USA leads the way in total medals in wrestling In terms of total individual medals handed out in all types of wrestling -- men's and women's freestyle, and Greco-Roman -- from 1904 up through the 2012 London Games, the U.S. leads the way, with a total of 125 medals of all types. U.S. wrestlers have claimed the most bronze and silver medals, with 32 and 43 each, respectively. U.S. grapplers have brought home 50 gold medals, second only to the USSR in terms of gold with 62. (That figure applies only to gold medals won during the existence of the Soviet Union. There are separate figures for Russia, which ranks seventh overall in terms of wrestling gold medals, with 25.) One more fun fact about U.S. wrestlers' medal haul over the more than a century of participation at Olympic Games: with 125 medals overall, Team USA has claimed nearly one in ten of all the medals awarded -- 1,199 -- in all types of wrestling since 1904. Which teams rank behind Team USA wrestlers in terms of total Olympic medals earned? The old Soviet Union is second overall, with 116 (62 gold, 31 silver and 23 bronze). Sweden is third, with 84 Olympic wrestling medals (28 gold, 27 silver, 29 bronze), with neighboring Finland right behind, with 83 medals total (26 gold, 28 silver, 29 bronze). In fifth place is Bulgaria, with 68 total medals (16 gold, 32 silver, 20 bronze). Rounding out the top ten countries earning Olympic medals in wrestling: Japan (6th place, 68 total medals); Turkey (7th, 58 medals); Hungary (8th, 54 medals); Russia (9th, 48 medals); and South Korea (10th, 35 medals). U.S. tops in total medals in freestyle ... In terms of total number of medals awarded in men's and women's freestyle from 1904 through 2012, the U.S. also leads the way, with a total of 110 medals -- 47 gold, 37 silver, and 26 bronze. That total medal haul is nearly twice that of the second-ranked country, the USSR, which could claim a total of 56 medals -- 28 gold, 15 silver, and 13 bronze -- during the time of its existence. Coming in third is Japan, with 49 total medals -- 20 gold, 12 silver, 13 bronze. Turkey ranks fourth overall in freestyle medals, with 36 -- 17 gold, 11 silver, eight bronze. Right behind Turkey is Bulgaria with 35 total medals, including seven gold, 17 silver, and 11 bronze. Rounding out the top ten overall in freestyle medals: Iran is sixth, with 33 total medals (five gold, a dozen silver, 16 bronze); Sweden is seventh, with 26 medals (eight gold, ten silver, eight bronze), closely followed by Scandinavian neighbor Finland with 25 (eight, seven, and ten). In ninth place is Russia, with 22 medals (13 gold, five silver, four bronze) ... with South Korea claiming tenth, with four gold, nine silver, and seven bronze medals. ... but tied for 14th in Greco By comparison, Team USA's Greco-Roman medal performance isn't quite in the same league as its success in freestyle. In fact, the U.S. ranks fourteenth in total medals earned in Greco, with a total of fourteen -- three gold, six silver, and five bronze. (The U.S. is tied with Russia for fourteenth place.) Which country has excelled in Greco? The now-defunct Soviet Union ranks at the top, having earned a total of 60 medals -- 34 gold, 16 silver, 10 bronze. Finland is a close second, with 58 medals -- 18 gold, 21 silver, 19 bronze ... closely followed by Sweden, with 20 gold, 17 silver, and 19 bronze to add up to a total of 56 medals in Greco. In fourth place is Hungary, with 36 medals -- 16 gold, and ten each in silver and bronze. Bulgaria came in fifth with 31 medals -- nine gold, 14 silver, eight bronze. The rest of the top ten in Greco: Romania is sixth (six gold, eight silver, 13 bronze); Turkey placed seventh with 20 (11 gold, five silver, four bronze); Poland in eighth place with 19 (five gold, eight silver, six bronze). Italy and Germany tied for ninth with 18 medals -- five gold, four silver, nine bronze for the Italians ... while the Germans earned four gold, nine silver, and five bronze medals. Team USA medalists in men's freestyle Meet the men from the U.S. who earned medals in freestyle wrestling competition, listed by each individual Olympics. 1904 St. Louis Light-flyweight: Robert Curry, gold; John Hein, silver; Gustav Thiefenthaler, bronze. Flyweight: George Mehnert, gold; Gustave Bauer, silver; William Nelson, bronze Bantamweight: Isador Niflot, gold; August Wester, silver; Louis Strebler, bronze Featherweight: Benjamin Bradshaw, gold; Theodore McLear, silver; Charles Clapper, bronze Lightweight: Otto Roehm, gold; Rudolph Tesing, silver; Albert Zirkel, bronze. Welterweight: Charles Erickson, gold; William Beckmann, silver; Jerry Winholtz, bronze. Heavyweight: Bernhoff Hansen, gold; Frank Kugler, silver; Fred Warmbold, bronze. 1908 London Bantamweight: George Mehnert, gold. Featherweight: George Dole, gold Lightweight: Not in Olympics. Welterweight: Not in Olympics. Middleweight: Not in Olympics. Heavyweight: No medals for U.S. 1912 Stockholm Bantamweight: Not in Olympics Featherweight: Not in Olympics Lightweight: Not in Olympics Welterweight: Not in Olympics Middleweight: Not in Olympics Heavyweight: Not in Olympics 1920 Antwerp Bantamweight: Not in Olympics Featherweight: Charles Ackerly, gold; Samuel Gerson, silver; Philip Bernard, bronze Lightweight: No medals for U.S. Welterweight: Not in Olympics. Middleweight: No medals for U.S. Light-Heavyweight: Walter Maurer, bronze Heavyweight: Nat Pendleton, silver; Fred Meyer, bronze 1924 Paris Bantamweight: Bryan Hines, bronze Featherweight: Robin Reed, gold; Chester Newton, silver Lighweight: Russell Vis, gold Welterweight: No medals for U.S. Middleweight: No medals for U.S. Light-Heavyweight: John Spellman, gold Heavyweight: Harry Steel, gold Allie Morrison won gold in 19281928 Amsterdam Bantamweight: No medals for U.S. Featherweight: Allie Morrison, gold Lightweight: No medals for U.S. Welterweight: Lloyd Appleton, silver. Middleweight: No medals for U.S. Light-heavyweight: No medals for U.S. Heavyweight: No medals for U.S. 1932 Los Angeles Bantamweight: Robert "Bobby" Pearce, gold Featherweight: Edgar Nemir, silver Lightweight: No medals for U.S. Welterweight: Jack VanBebber, gold. Middleweight: No medals for U.S. Light-Heavyweight: Pete Mehringer, gold Heavyweight: John Riley, silver 1936 Berlin Bantamweight: Ross Flood, silver Featherweight: Francis Millard, silver Lightweight: No medals for U.S. Welterweight: Frank Lewis, gold Middleweight: Richard "Dick" Voliva, silver Light-Heavyweight: No medals for U.S. Heavyweight: No medals for U.S. 1948 London Flyweight: No medals for U.S. Bantamweight: Gerald "Gerry" Leeman, silver Featherweight: No medals for U.S. Lightweight: No medals for U.S. Welterweight: Leland Merrill, bronze. Middleweight: Glen Brand, gold Light-Heavyweight: Henry Wittenberg, gold Heavyweight: No medals for U.S. 1952 Helsinki Flyweight: No medals for U.S. Bantamweight: No medals for U.S. Featherweight: Joe Henson, bronze Lightweight: No medals for U.S. Welterweight: Bill Smith, gold. Middleweight: No medals for U.S. Light-Heavyweight: Henry Wittenberg, silver Heavyweight: No medals for U.S. 1956 Melbourne Flyweight: No medals for U.S. Bantamweight: No medals for U.S. Featherweight: No medals for U.S. Lightweight: No medals for U.S. Welterweight: No medals for U.S. Middleweight: Dan Hodge, silver Light-Heavyweight: Peter Blair, bronze Heavyweight: No medals for U.S. Shelby Wilson, Terry McCann and Doug Blubaugh won gold medals at the 1960 Olympics in Rome1960 Rome Flyweight: No medals for U.S. Bantamweight: Terry McCann, gold Featherweight: No medals for U.S. Lightweight: Shelby Wilson, gold Welterweight: Doug Blubaugh, gold Middleweight: No medals for U.S. Light-Heavyweight: No medals for U.S. Heavyweight: No medals for U.S. 1964 Tokyo Flyweight: No medals for U.S. Bantamweight: No medals for U.S. Featherweight: No medals for U.S. Lightweight: No medals for U.S. Welterweight: No medals for U.S. Middleweight: Dan Brand, bronze Light-Heavyweight: No medals for U.S. Heavyweight: No medals for U.S. 1968 Mexico City Flyweight: Richard Sanders, silver Bantamweight: Donald Behm, silver Featherweight: No medals for U.S. Lightweight: No medals for U.S. Welterweight: No medals for U.S. Middleweight: No medals for U.S. Light-Heavyweight: No medals for U.S. Heavyweight: No medals for U.S. 1972 Munich Light-flyweight: No medals for U.S. Flyweight: No medals for U.S. Bantamweight: Richard Sanders, silver Featherweight: No medals for U.S. Lightweight: Dan Gable, gold Welterweight: Wayne Wells, gold Middleweight: John Peterson, silver Light-Heavyweight: Ben Peterson, gold Heavyweight: No medals for U.S. Superheavyweight: Chris Taylor, bronze 1976 Montreal Light-flyweight: No medals for U.S. Flyweight: No medals for U.S. Bantamweight: No medals for U.S. Featherweight: Gene Davis, bronze Lightweight: Lloyd Keaser, silver Welterweight: Stan Dziedzic, bronze Middleweight: John Peterson, gold Light-Heavyweight: Ben Peterson, silver Heavyweight: Russ Hellickson, silver Superheavyweight: No medals for U.S. 1980 Moscow U.S. boycott Bobby Weaver was one of seven gold medalists for Team USA in freestyle in 1984 in LA1984 Los Angeles Light-flyweight: Bobby Weaver, gold Flyweight: No medals for U.S. Bantamweight: Barry Davis, silver Featherweight: Randy Lewis, gold Lightweight: Andy Rein, silver Welterweight: Dave Schultz, gold Middleweight: Mark Schultz, gold Light-Heavyweight: Ed Banach, gold Heavyweight: Lou Banach, gold Superheavyweight: Bruce Baumgartner, gold 1988 Seoul Light-flyweight: No medals for U.S. Flyweight: No medals for U.S. Bantamweight: No medals for U.S. Featherweight: John Smith, gold Lightweight: Nate Carr, bronze Welterweight: Kenny Monday, gold Middleweight: No medals for U.S. Light-Heavyweight: No medals for U.S. Heavyweight: Bill Scherr, bronze Superheavyweight: Bruce Baumgartner, silver 1992 Barcelona Light-flyweight: No medals for U.S. Flyweight: Zeke Jones, silver Bantamweight: No medals for U.S. Featherweight: John Smith, gold Lightweight: No medals for U.S. Welterweight: Kenny Monday, silver. Middleweight: Kevin Jackson, gold Light-heavyweight: Chris Campbell, bronze Heavyweight: No medals for U.S. Superheavyweight: Bruce Baumgartner, gold Kendall Cross celebrates after winning an Olympic gold medal in Atlanta in 19961996 Atlanta Light-flyweight: No medals for U.S. Flyweight: No medals for U.S. Bantamweight: Kendall Cross, gold Featherweight: Tom Brands, gold Lightweight: Townsend Saunders, silver Welterweight: No medals for U.S. Middleweight: No medals for U.S. Light-Heavyweight: No medals for U.S. Heavyweight: Kurt Angle, gold Superheavyweight: Bruce Baumgartner, bronze 2000 Sydney Flyweight: Sammie Henson, silver Bantamweight: Terry Brands, bronze Featherweight: No medals for U.S. Lightweight: Lincoln McIlravy, bronze Welterweight: Brandon Slay, gold Middleweight: No medals for U.S. Heavyweight: No medals for U.S. Superheavyweight: No medals for U.S. Jamill Kelly finished with a silver medal in Athens2004 Athens Bantamweight: Stephen Abas, silver Featherweight: No medals for U.S. Lightweight: Jamill Kelly, silver Welterweight: No medals for U.S. Middleweight: Cael Sanderson, gold Heavyweight: No medals for U.S. Superheavyweight: No medals for U.S. 2008 Beijing Bantamweight: Henry Cejudo, gold Featherweight: No medals for U.S. Lightweight: No medals for U.S. Welterweight: No medals for U.S. Middleweight: No medals for U.S. Heavyweight: No medals for U.S. Superheavyweight: No medals for U.S. 2012 London Bantamweight: No medals for U.S. Featherweight: Coleman Scott, bronze Lightweight: No medals for U.S. Welterweight: Jordan Burroughs, gold Middleweight: No medals for U.S. Heavyweight: Jake Varner, gold Superheavyweight: No medals for U.S. Current men's freestyle weight classes for 2016: Bantamweight -- 57 kilograms/125 pounds; Lightweight -- 65 kilograms/143 pounds; Welterweight -- 74 kilograms/163 pounds; Middleweight -- 86 kilograms/189 pounds; Heavyweight -- 97 kilograms/213 pounds; Superheavyweight -- 125 kilograms/275 pounds. Past men's freestyle weight classes*: Light-flyweight -- 48 kilograms/105 pounds; Flyweight -- 52-54 kilograms/114-119 pounds; Bantamweight -- 54-57 kilograms/119-125 pounds; Featherweight -- 60-63 kilograms/132-138 pounds; Lightweight -- 65-70 kilograms/143-154 pounds; Welterweight -- 76-78 kilograms/167-172 pounds; Middleweight -- 73-87 kilograms/161-191 pounds; Light-Heavyweight -- 80-97 kilograms/176-213 pounds; Heavyweight -- 72-100 kilograms/159-220 pounds; Superheavyweight -- 100-130 kilograms/220-286 pounds. *A range represents actual weights which varied from year-to-year/Olympics to Olympics. Team USA medalists in women's freestyle Here are the names of the U.S. wrestlers who earned medals in women's freestyle competition, listed by each individual Olympics. Note: Three new weight classes -- bantamweight (53 kilograms/116 pounds), welterweight (58 kilograms/128 pounds), and light-heavyweight (69 kilograms/152 pounds) -- have been added for the 2016 Rio Olympics. Sara McMann after winning a silver medal2004 Athens Flyweight: Patricia Miranda, bronze Middleweight: Sara McMann, silver Heavyweight: No medals for U.S. 2008 Beijing Flyweight: No medals for U.S. Middleweight: Randi Miller, bronze Heavyweight: No medals for U.S. 2012 London Flyweight: Clarissa Chun, bronze Middleweight: No medals for U.S. Heavyweight: No medals for U.S. Current women's freestyle weight classes for 2016: Flyweight -- 48 kilograms/106 pounds; Bantamweight -- 53 kilograms/116 pounds; Welterweight -- 58 kilograms/128 pounds; Middleweight -- 63 kilograms/139 pounds; Light-heavyweight -- 69 kilograms/152 pounds and Heavyweight -- 75 kilograms/165 pounds. Team USA medalists in men's Greco-Roman This is the list of men's Greco-Roman wrestlers who brought home hardware in Olympic competition. 1908 London Lightweight: No medals for U.S. Middleweight: No medals for U.S. Light-Heavyweight: No medals for U.S. Super-Heavyweight: No medals for U.S. 1912 Stockholm Lightweight: No medals for U.S. Middleweight: No medals for U.S. Light-Heavyweight: No medals for U.S. Heavyweight: No medals for U.S. 1920 Antwerp Lightweight: No medals for U.S. Middleweight: No medals for U.S. Light-Heavyweight: No medals for U.S. Heavyweight: No medals for U.S. 1924 Paris Bantamweight: No medals for U.S. Lightweight: No medals for U.S. Middleweight: No medals for U.S. Light-Heavyweight: No medals for U.S. Heavyweight: No medals for U.S. 1928 Amsterdam Bantamweight: No medals for U.S. Lightweight: No medals for U.S. Middleweight: No medals for U.S. Light-heavyweight: No medals for U.S. Heavyweight: No medals for U.S. 1932 Los Angeles Bantamweight: No medals for U.S. Lightweight: No medals for U.S. Middleweight: No medals for U.S. Light-heavyweight: No medals for U.S. Heavyweight: No medals for U.S. 1936 Berlin Bantamweight: No medals for U.S. Lightweight: No medals for U.S. Middleweight: No medals for U.S. Light-heavyweight: No medals for U.S. Heavyweight: No medals for U.S. 1948 London Bantamweight: No medals for U.S. Lightweight: No medals for U.S. Middleweight: No medals for U.S. Light-heavyweight: No medals for U.S. Heavyweight: No medals for U.S. 1952 Helsinki Bantamweight: No medals for U.S. Lightweight: No medals for U.S. Middleweight: No medals for U.S. Light-heavyweight: No medals for U.S. Heavyweight: No medals for U.S. 1956 Melbourne Bantamweight: No medals for U.S. Lightweight: No medals for U.S. Middleweight: No medals for U.S. Light-heavyweight: No medals for U.S. Heavyweight: No medals for U.S. 1960 Rome Bantamweight: No medals for U.S. Lightweight: No medals for U.S. Middleweight: No medals for U.S. Light-heavyweight: No medals for U.S. Heavyweight: No medals for U.S. 1964 Tokyo Bantamweight: No medals for U.S. Lightweight: No medals for U.S. Middleweight: No medals for U.S. Light-heavyweight: No medals for U.S. Heavyweight: No medals for U.S. 1968 Mexico City Bantamweight: No medals for U.S. Lightweight: No medals for U.S. Middleweight: No medals for U.S. Light-heavyweight: No medals for U.S. Heavyweight: No medals for U.S. 1972 Munich Bantamweight: No medals for U.S. Lightweight: No medals for U.S. Middleweight: No medals for U.S. Light-heavyweight: No medals for U.S. Heavyweight: No medals for U.S. Superheavyweight: Chris Taylor, bronze 1976 Montreal Bantamweight: No medals for U.S. Lightweight: No medals for U.S. Middleweight: No medals for U.S. Light-heavyweight: No medals for U.S. Heavyweight: No medals for U.S. 1980 Moscow U.S. Boycott Steve Fraser is one of three American Greco-Roman wrestlers to win an Olympic gold medal1984 Los Angeles Bantamweight: No medals for U.S. Lightweight: No medals for U.S. Middleweight: No medals for U.S. Light-heavyweight: Steve Fraser, gold Heavyweight: Greg Gibson, silver Superheavyweight: Jeff Blatnick, gold 1988 Seoul Bantamweight: No medals for U.S. Lightweight: No medals for U.S. Middleweight: No medals for U.S. Light-heavyweight: No medals for U.S. Heavyweight: Dennis Koslowski, bronze Superheavyweight: No medals for U.S. 1992 Barcelona Bantamweight: No medals for U.S. Lightweight: No medals for U.S. Middleweight: No medals for U.S. Light-heavyweight: No medals for U.S. Heavyweight: Dennis Koslowski, silver Superheavyweight: No medals for U.S. 1996 Atlanta Flyweight: Brandon Paulson, silver Bantamweight: Dennis Hall, silver Lightweight: No medals for U.S. Middleweight: No medals for U.S. Light-heavyweight: No medals for U.S. Heavyweight: No medals for U.S. Superheavyweight: Matt Ghaffari, silver 2000 Sydney Bantamweight: No medals for U.S. Lightweight: No medals for U.S. Welterweight: Matt Lindland, silver Middleweight: No medals for U.S. Heavyweight: Garrett Lowney, bronze Superheavyweight: Rulon Gardner, gold 2004 Athens Bantamweight: No medals for U.S. Lightweight: No medals for U.S. Welterweight: No medals for U.S. Middleweight: No medals for U.S. Heavyweight: No medals for U.S. Superheavyweight: Rulon Gardner, bronze 2008 Beijing Bantamweight: No medals for U.S. Lightweight: No medals for U.S. Welterweight: No medals for U.S. Middleweight: No medals for U.S. Heavyweight: Adam Wheeler, bronze Superheavyweight: No medals for U.S. 2012 London Bantamweight: No medals for U.S. Lightweight: No medals for U.S. Welterweight: No medals for U.S. Middleweight: No medals for U.S. Heavyweight: No medals for U.S. Superheavyweight: No medals for U.S. Current men's Greco-Roman weight classes for 2016: Bantamweight -- 59 kilograms/130 pounds; Lightweight -- 65 kilograms/143 pounds; Welterweight -- 75 kilograms/163 pounds; Middleweight -- 85 kilograms/187 pounds; Heavyweight -- 98 kilograms/215 pounds; Superheavyweight -- 130 kilograms/286 pounds. Past men's Greco-Roman weight classes*: Light-flyweight -- 48 kilograms/105 pounds; Flyweight -- 52-54 kilograms/114-119 pounds; Bantamweight -- 56-59 kilograms/123-130 pounds; Featherweight -- 60-63 kilograms/132-138 pounds; Lightweight -- 65-70 kilograms/143-154 pounds; Welterweight -- 72-78 kilograms/158-172 pounds; Middleweight -- 73-87 kilograms/161-191 pounds; Light-Heavyweight -- 82-97 kilograms/180-213 pounds; Heavyweight -- 82-100 kilograms/180-220 pounds; Superheavyweight -- 93-130 kilograms/205-286 pounds. *A range represents actual weights which varied from year-to-year/Olympics to Olympics. Want to know more about past U.S. success on mat at the Olympics? Here are three InterMat features you might enjoy: All about Allie Morrison, 1928 Olympic gold medalist from Marshalltown, Iowa ... the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics ... and a look back at the 1960 Olympics in Rome, with a focus on the three freestylers from Team U.S.A. who brought home the gold: Terry McCann, Shelby Wilson, and Doug Blubaugh.

United World Wrestling's film "The Celebrity and the Samurai" takes a look at the careers and lives of three-time Olympic gold medalists Saori Yoshida and Kaori Icho.

Oklahoma head wrestling coach Mark Cody (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) This week's Takedown TV covers the world of wrestling, from college to Olympics and beyond. Among this week's features: Three college coaches -- Oklahoma's Mark Cody, Wisconsin's Barry Davis and Kevin Dresser of Virginia Tech -- weigh in on the NWCA proposal for future changes to Division I wrestling (including possible schedule changes). Bruce Burnett discusses the selection of Tom Brands, Mark Manning and Lou Rosselli as volunteer men's freestyle coaches for the 2016 Olympics United World Wrestling's documentary on Mongolia's first Olympic freestyle medalist. Watch this week's episode here ... or at the Takedown Wrestling's YouTube Channel. In addition, Takedown Wrestling TV is aired on these television networks. All air times are Central. Cablevision: Sundays at 4 p.m. Charter Cable: Thursday at 6:30 p.m., Friday 11:30 p.m. and Monday 2:30 p.m. Comcast Cable: Friday at 5:00 p.m. Cox Cable: Sunday 9:30 a.m. Fight Network HD: Sundays at 4:00 p.m. KWEM, Stillwater, Oklahoma: Tuesday 7:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 8:00 p.m. Long Lines Cable: Daily at 5:30 p.m. Mediacom Cable: Sundays at 10:30 a.m. MidCo Sports Network: Saturday 10:00 a.m. and Sunday at 9:00 a.m. SECV8: Friday at 5:00 p.m.

Jason Tsirtsis is an NCAA champion, two-time All-American and three-time NCAA qualifier (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine) Jason Tsirtsis, 2014 NCAA 149-pound champ for Northwestern, revealed the reasons why he won't be wrestling for the Wildcats this upcoming season during a FloWrestling interview with Mark Bader on Wednesday. "I had a rough year last year in a couple different areas of my life," Tsirtsis disclosed. "I got put on academic probation. I fell short in one of my classes, so I got released for a year, and I have to go somewhere else to finish my last year of wrestling eligibility-wise if that's what I want to do. Pretty much that's why I'm transferring." Tsirtsis said he was happy at Northwestern and was "really excited" about the direction of the program. "I'm not a leaving for a better program or anything like that," said Tsirtsis. "It just didn't work out academically." Tsirtsis is not sure yet if he will be eligible to compete this upcoming season. He said that he's been talking to three schools: Iowa State, University of Northern Iowa and Arizona State about transferring. While he doesn't have a specific deadline for announcing a college decision, he said, "The quicker, the better." The Crown Point, Indiana native said he had been placed on academic probation during winter quarter this year. To stay at Northwestern, he needed to earn a C; instead, he received a D+ for that class. "Last September, my sister passed away in a tragic car accident, which definitely was brutal on our family," said Tsirtsis. "Then in late October, my best childhood best friend -- we're still best friends -- he passed away tragically with a heart attack. So those two things mentally put me in a tough state last year." Tsirtsis, a four-time Indiana high school state champ, got off to a tremendous start at Northwestern, winning the 149-pound title at the 2014 NCAAs. He also won the Big Ten conference crown at 149 that year, and was named 2014 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, and 2014 InterMat Freshman of the Year. The following year he won his second Big Ten title, and placed third at 149 at the 2015 NCAAs, earning All-American honors. This past season he compiled a record of 15-9 and qualified for the NCAAs, going 2-2 in New York City.

Kenny Monday coaching in Fargo (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com The Tar Heel Wrestling Club has named Kenny Monday as its head coach. "Bringing Kenny on is huge for our development as a program," UNC head wrestling coach Coleman Scott told InterMat. "We want to win national, world, and Olympic titles in Chapel Hill and he will be a huge part of that." The 54-year-old Monday has coached at all levels of wrestling, and has worked as the wrestling coach with the Blackzilians, a mixed martial arts camp. He is a two-time Olympic medalist, winning gold in 1988 and silver in 1992. Monday was also an NCAA champion and three-time NCAA All-American at Oklahoma State. He helped guide Scott to an Olympic bronze medal in 2012. His son Kennedy Monday, a two-time state champion, is an incoming freshman at UNC. The Tar Heel Wrestling Club currently has three full-time senior level athletes training: Tony Ramos, Josh Kindig and Braden Atwood. "We are looking to build on them and add a few more in the next year or so," Scott said.

Andy HamiltonAward-winning wrestling writer Andy Hamilton will be the featured guests on this week's edition of the On the Mat wrestling broadcast on Wednesday, Aug. 3. Hamilton recently became content manager for Trackwrestling.com. Prior to that, he had covered amateur wrestling for the Des Moines Register and the Iowa City Press-Citizen. On the Mat is a presentation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. The show can be heard live on the Internet at 1650thefan.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday at 5 p.m. Central on AM 1650, The Fan. A podcast of the show is available on mattalkonline.com.

Brian Realbuto works to turn Navy's Jadaen Bernstein in Las Vegas (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) After moving up two weight classes last season, Cornell's Brian Realbuto is expected to move back down a weight class to 165 pounds next season, according to Big Red head wrestling coach Rob Koll. "He had to have surgery after last year's NCAA tournament and I am not sure he has kept the size to go 174," Koll wrote about Realbuto in his Cornell wrestling newsletter. "In the case that Brian is at 165 we have a cast of characters competing for the 174 starting nod." Realbuto is a two-time All-American, finishing as the NCAA runner-up at 157 pounds in 2015. Last season, Realbuto spent several weeks ranked No. 1 at 174 pounds. He claimed his second straight EIWA title. He entered the NCAAs seeded No. 2, but suffered an injury in his first match and was eliminated after dropping his first two matches. Realbuto enters his senior campaign with record of 92-16. In addition, two-time NCAA qualifier Mark Grey is expected to move back down to 133 pounds for the Big Red. He competed at 141 pounds last season and compiled a 7-9 record. "Mark Grey plans on making his way back down to his former weight class," wrote Koll. "In the two years Mark wrestled at 133 he made the rounds of 12 and 16 at the NCAA tournament respectively. Mark has struggled with health issues but if he can stay healthy and effectively manage his weight, there is no reason to believe he could not finish his career as an All-American. Mark will face stiff competition from teammate Chas Tucker." Cornell is coming off a seventh-place finish at the 2016 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in New York City. The Big Red lost NCAA champion Nahshon Garrett (133) and two-time NCAA qualifier Duke Pickett (174) to graduation. Two-time NCAA champion Gabe Dean (184) returns for his senior season. "Although it will be difficult to replace Nahshon Garrett and Duke Pickett I am confident this year's team will actually have more overall balance than last year's team," wrote Koll.

Cole Manley Two-time state placer Cole Manley (Altoona, Pa.) verbally committed to Virginia Tech on Tuesday evening. The 2015 state runner-up at 106 pounds placed third in the state at 126 this past season. Ranked No. 77 overall in the Class of 2017, he is a projected 133/141 in college, and joins No. 35 Hunter Bolen (Christiansburg, Va.) as a top 100 commit to the Hokies.

Two-time state champion Devin Bahr (West Salem, Wis.) verbally committed to the University of Wisconsin late on Monday evening. The projected 149/157 pound wrestler is ranked as the No. 68 overall wrestler in the Class of 2017. Bahr placed fifth at 145 pounds in the Flo Nationals this past spring, and ended the 2015-16 season as the No. 19 overall ranked wrestler at 152 pounds. He joins No. 33 Kyle Lawson (Olentangy Liberty, Ohio) and No. 45 Paul Konrath (Connections Academy, Ind.) as top 100 commits for the Badgers.

Jason Tsirtsis battles Minnesota's Jake Short at the Big Ten Championships (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine) Jason Tsirtsis, 2014 NCAA Division I wrestling champ, has left Northwestern University, head wrestling coach Matt Storniolo confirmed to InterMat Tuesday. "Jason is no longer enrolled at NU," Storniolo said in an email to InterMat. "Out of respect to Jason I will not go into any detail. When I last spoke with Jason Iowa State was one of the schools that he was looking into." News of Tsirtsis' departure from the Evanston, Illinois Big Ten school was first revealed on Takedown Radio on Saturday, July 30. Takedown's Tony Hager posted this message on his Twitter on Monday: "National Champ Jason Tsirtsis is no longer enrolled @NorthwesternU per Northwestern Athletic Department." Tsirtsis made a splash as a freshman at Northwestern, being named 2014 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, and 2014 InterMat Freshman of the Year. He was a three-time NCAA championships qualifier for the Wildcats, winning the 149-pound title at the 2014 NCAAs with a 3-1 OT win over Josh Kindig of Oklahoma State in the finals, and earning All-American honors the following year by placing third at 149 at the 2015 NCAAs. Tsirtsis earned back-to-back Big Ten titles in 2014 and 2015, and was a two-time Midlands finalist, winning the championship in 2014. This past season he compiled a record of 15-9 and qualified for the NCAAs, going 2-2 in New York City. Prior to enrolling at Northwestern, Jason Tsirtsis wrestled at Crown Point High School, where he was a four-time Indiana state champ, only the eighth wrestler in the Hoosier state to do so. He was the nation's No. 1 recruit by InterMat coming out of high school. Just last month, Jason's older brother Alex Tsirtsis was named head wrestling coach at Chicago mat powerhouse Mount Carmel High School.

Pin Kings is a true story of two high school wrestling teammates ESPN has launched one of its most ambitious storytelling initiatives ever with the multiplatform presentation of Pin Kings, the true story of two high school wrestling teammates and how their lives intersected into adulthood through drug trafficking, law enforcement and, ultimately, sports. Television, print, digital and audio content all will tell the same story but in formats that fit the specific audiences of each platform. Pin Kings debuted Monday with the first of 16 podcast episodes offered daily and will culminate with a one-hour, prime-time SC Featured television special on Monday, Aug. 22, at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Throughout August, the multiplatform presentation also will include a long-form feature in ESPN The Magazine, a digital treatment on ESPN.com, an advance airing on WatchESPN and the ESPN App and a preview of the television special in the weekly SC Featured segment on SportsCenter. "ESPN's mission is to serve sports fans anytime, anywhere, and Pin Kings fits that mission by serving content to sports fans in every manner they consume it," said Victor Vitarelli, senior coordinating producer, ESPN Features Unit. "This is new ground for us. We have never done an original programming cross-platform production of this magnitude." Written and produced by ESPN The Magazine senior writer Brett Forrest and ESPN producer Jon Fish, Pin Kings tells the story of Alex DeCubas and Kevin Pedersen, co-captains of their high school wrestling team in Miami, whose lives took totally opposite turns. DeCubas became the biggest trafficker of Colombian cocaine on the east coast, while Pedersen became a DEA agent tasked with taking down the Colombian cartels and their American partners, which included his former teammate and friend DeCubas. Through it all, the lives of the two men continually returned to their experiences in wrestling. Pin Kings traces their story from the beginning until their surprising lives today. The Pin Kings timeline on ESPN platforms: Fri., July 31 The Sporting Life on ESPN Audio previews Pin Kings Mon., Aug. 1 ESPN Audio Pin Kings series of 16 episodic podcasts begins Thu., Aug. 18 Pin Kings digital treatment posts on ESPN.com Fri., Aug. 19 One-hour Pin Kings TV special available on WatchESPN and ESPN App Sun., Aug. 21 SC Featured on SportsCenter previews Pin Kings television special Mon., Aug. 22 One-hour Pin Kings SC Featured special debuts 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2 Fri., Aug. 26 Pin Kings feature appears in NFL Preview issue of ESPN The Magazine A more detailed look at ESPN's multiplatform presentation of Pin Kings: ESPN Audio Podcasts -- Following the success of Dunkumentaries -- ESPN Audio's first long-form podcast series -- ESPN Audio again delves into that genre with its first foray into an episodic series with the 16-episode Pin Kings. Narrated by Brett Forrest and Jon Fish, Pin Kings offers a compelling and comprehensive examination of the lives of Alex DeCubas and Kevin Pedersen that spans four decades -- from the two as high school wrestling teammates, to adversaries on opposite sides of the law. The series takes a look at the global landscape during the '90s and '00s, taking listeners from the suburbs of Miami, through the mountains of Colombia, to the beaches of Bimini and the halls of justice, all while threading the disparate paths taken by DeCubas and Pedersen. Forrest and Fish traveled extensively across the U.S. -- from Las Vegas to Vermont to Minnesota to South Florida -- and to various cities in Colombia, including within the walls of a prison and observing a simulated drug "air drop" whereby bales of narcotics are transferred from a plane to a waiting boat. The episodes are 20-30 minutes in length and include podcast-exclusive interviews with more than 20 individuals related to the story. ESPN The Magazine -- Pin Kings, a story written by Brett Forrest, is a 5,000-word feature that will appear in the NFL Preview Issue of ESPN The Magazine, on sale August 26. The Magazine will follow the full arc of the story between convicted drug smuggler Alex DeCubas and DEA agent Kevin Pedersen, champion high school wrestling teammates who would find themselves opposing each other in South Florida's drug wars. ESPN.com -- The digital presentation of Pin Kings will appear on ESPN.com on August 18 and will include Forrest's 5,000 word story as well as original animation, video and interactive maps designed to give fans a deeper understanding of the intricacies of the story. SC Featured on Television --.The hour-long TV special SC Featured: Pin Kings will debut Monday, Aug. 22, at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2. The program will tell the story of former high school wrestling teammates Alex DeCubas and Kevin Pedersen, who later become adversaries on both sides of the law. The special includes exclusive interviews with the two main subjects as well as behind-the-scenes access at a Colombian maximum-security prison, infrared video from the U.S. Coast Guard of the Nerma, a ship used in DeCubas' smuggling operation and never-before-seen images of a submarine DeCubas built for smuggling. The weekly SC Featured segment on the Sunday, Aug. 21, editions of SportsCenter will preview the full-length program. WatchESPN -- Prior to the television premiere of Pin Kings on August 22, the full one-hour program will be made available to stream on WatchESPN and the ESPN App on Friday, Aug. 19. The program also will be available through video on demand via multichannel providers.