InterMat Staff

A memorial service for former wrestler and coach Rudi Sabo will be held late Friday afternoon, the Great Falls Tribune reported Thursday. Rudi SaboThe memorial for Sabo, who died at age 90 on April 12 in Billings, Mont., is scheduled for Friday from 3-6 p.m. Mountain at the Columbus Center in Great Falls. Rudolph "Rudi" Jon Sabo was born in August 1925 in Sand Coulee, Mont. He graduated from Great Falls High School in 1943, then joined the Navy, where he served for nearly three years before being honorably discharged as a Seaman 2nd Class with the American Area Campaign Medal and World War II Victory Medal. During his time in the Navy, Sabo began his college career. He attended the University of Dubuque and St. Ambrose University in Iowa. He also attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY and Carleton College in Minnesota. As a WWII veteran, he participated in the Big Sky Honor Flight to Washington D.C. in April 2014. Sabo returned to Montana in 1946 to complete his degree at Montana State University, where he was a member of the wrestling team as an undergraduate. He obtained his bachelor's degree from MSU in 1952 and a Master of Education in 1955. In 1953, Sabo began his teaching career at Fairfield High School, where he launched a wrestling program even though there were no other schools to compete against. Sabo also taught at Billings Senior High School for one year and took the wrestling team there to the state championship in 1955. In 1956, he returned to his high school alma mater, Great Falls High School, where he served as a teacher for 37 years and as wrestling coach for more than a dozen seasons. During his tenure as Bison coach, Sabo guided his wrestlers to three state team titles, seven second-place finishes, four Divisional Championships and a dual-meet record of 146-42. He coached 26 wrestlers to individual state championships. In 1970, Sabo was honored with the Montana Coaches Association Wrestling Coach of the Year award. He retired from Great Falls High School in 1994.

Former Penn State wrestler Brad Pataky has been named head wrestling coach at Philipsburg-Osceola High School in Pennsylvania. Brad PatakyPataky replaces Tim McCamley, who had been at the helm of the P-O Mounties mat program for the past nine years. A native of Clearfield, Pa., Pataky brings wide-ranging experience to Philipsburg-Osceola, having wrestled at a trio of legendary programs in the Keystone State -- Clearfield High, Penn State, and as a resident athlete at the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club -- as well as served as assistant coach at both Lock Haven University and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. At Clearfield High, Pataky was a three-time PIAA (Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association) state championships finalist, winning the 112-pound title in 2004. He then went on to wrestle at Penn State under both Troy Sunderland and current Nittany Lion coach Cael Sanderson, where he was a two-time Big Ten conference championships placer and three-time NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships qualifier. Pataky's on-the-mat career extends far beyond the Keystone State to incorporate freestyle success. Among his national and international accomplishments: University Place Winner and Champion (2008), Canada Cup place winner and two-time runner-up, a Guelph Open place winner and champion (2008), and two-time Northwest F/S Regional Champion and U.S. Open place winner, NYAC place winner (2007) and University World Team member (2008). He placed seventh at the 2008 University World Games and was an Olympic Team Trials Qualifier in 2008. Pataky launched his collegiate coaching career as a volunteer assistant coach at Lock Haven in Pennsylvania for two seasons. Most recently, he was on the coaching staff as an assistant for the Army wrestling program at West Point. Philipsburg-Osceola Superintendent Gregg Paladina cited Pataky's wide-ranging experience in his hiring decision. "I know that we've always had an excellent wrestling program, but having someone with the caliber of Brad Pataky will only enhance our program," said Paladina. "He brings Penn State wrestling experience. He coached at the collegiate level and is involved with the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club. Our wrestlers will benefit tremendously by having someone with those attributes." "Obviously, wrestling is wrestling any way you look at it," Pataky said. "Coaching is basically teaching. If you take it the same way you do teaching a classroom, you're trying to mold students and trying to mold athletes and eventually student-athletes. Teaching and coaching go hand in hand."

Alma, Mich. -- Todd Hibbs, who has served as the head coach of the Alma College wrestling program since 2011, has resigned to pursue other opportunities, it was announced today (Friday, June 17, 2016) by Athletic Director Steven Rackley. Todd Hibbs"Todd has taken our wrestling program to national prominence and has set it on a course so that we can consistently compete at a high level," Rackley said. "I am very thankful for all that Todd has done for Alma College through the wrestling program and I wish him and his family all the best in the next chapter of their lives." "I am extremely thankful for all that Coach Hibbs has done for Alma College and for our student-athletes," Alma College President Jeff Abernathy said. "He has built the wrestling program into one of the best in Division III, while insisting on excellence on and off the mats. Proud as I am of the team's accomplishments in competition, I am prouder still of their great success as students." Under Hibbs' guidance, the Scots grew into a consistent top-20 team in NCAA Division III, peaking at sixth in the nation in the National Wrestling Coaches Association and d3wrestle.com polls this past season. With Hibbs at the helm, the Scots compiled a cumulative record of 51-29 in dual meet competition while also finishing among the top 12 teams in three national events - twice at the NWCA National Duals and at the 2016 NCAA Division III Championships in March. At the 2016 NCAA meet, Alma had three All-Americans, marking the first time in the history of the program the Scots had more than one at the national championships. "Five years ago the state of Michigan desperately needed another option for college wrestling, and Alma College stepped up to the plate," Hibbs said. "I'm so grateful for (Alma College trustee and alumnus) Greg Hatcher's vision of bringing wrestling back to Alma, and for President Abernathy's support of that vision. And I cannot thank (Associate Head Coach) Jeremiah Tobias and (Assistant Coach) Fletcher Roberts enough for their tireless work in building this program. Our families are linked forever as Scots." According to Hibbs, the breakthrough moment for the program came in January 2013 when the Scots posted a 16-15 win over ninth-ranked Olivet College at Art Smith Arena. After falling to the Comets by a 49-0 margin the previous year, Alma came back in its second season to upset the top-10 program and continue a home winning streak that has lasted four years. In addition to the success on the mat, Alma has become one of the elite programs academically, as the Scots were recognized three times by the NWCA with a team grade-point average of 3.5 or higher. Over the past five seasons, 21 Scots have been named Scholar All-Americans by the NWCA, including eight in the 2014-15 season, the most across all NCAA divisions. Hibbs also worked with the Alma College Advancement Office to raise nearly $4 million for a new addition to the Hogan Center, which will open later this summer. The project includes a wrestling room, a new weight room, new coaching offices, a coaching locker room, a team locker room, and a new studio for the Scots' cheerleading and STUNT team. Hibbs served as a member of the NCAA Wrestling Rules Committee while he was coaching the Scots and is currently a student in the Ph.D. program for Higher Education Leadership at Central Michigan University with a research focus on first-generation college students. According to the NCAA, wrestling has a higher percentage (37 percent) of first-generation students than any other NCAA-sponsored sport.

The USA men's freestyle wrestling team took fourth last week at the Freestyle World Cup in Los Angeles. The team had a few backups in the lineup, namely the absence of Tervel Dlagnev at 125 kilos and Jordan Burroughs at 74 kilos. The team tied a powerful Iranian squad with four wins a piece, but lost on classification points, and did the same against Georgia's complete lineup in the bronze-medal final. While there are several takeaways from the event, perhaps the most intriguing was what happened off the mats between Jordan Burroughs and the Iranian Wrestling Federation. Burroughs had missed the World Cup due to the birth of his second child, a daughter that he and his wife named Ora. The Iranian Wrestling Federation, though disappointed they couldn't give young stud Hassan Yazdani Charati a spin, sent Burroughs a gift to welcome the birth of his daughter. That's not some next level type of psyche out or intimidation, that gesture is at the soul of what it means to be a wrestler, or any martial artist. Honor and respect among combatants. The federation's actions were simple, but thoughtful in a way you almost never hear of in modern international sports. Family is at the center of life for both Iranians and Jordan Burroughs and it was refreshing to see that mutual interest and respect come to fruition. On a similar note I found the latest musings of jiu-jitsu professor John Danaher equally enlightening. In a social media post the longtime Renzo Gracie NYC-based instructor discusses what it means to be a martial artist. Seeing as how he's an accomplished writer and brilliant human I won't do him the disservice of paraphrasing. To your questions … Q: How successful will Joey Davis be in MMA, in your opinion? Why did he sign with Bellator over UFC? Lastly, why did he not wrestle internationally? -- Gregg Y. Foley: Bellator is offering some of the best financial conditions to young fighters. In addition to developmental money, they are also able to carry more sponsors with them into the cage, which seems to help many of the sport's up-and-coming fighters. If the UFC is sold this week then that might change. New owners might see the possibility of higher paychecks for young fighters, or a change in the way contracts are written. Until then Bellator will likely draw a lot of the young new talent to their promotion with the promise of money now and the hope of a bright and competitive future. Q: What does the future hold for Jake Varner? Is he done competing? Will he move to heavyweight? -- Mike C. Jake Varner gets his hand raised after a victory at the Freestyle World Cup (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Foley: I think that for now he'll be moving to heavyweight and training with the national team through the 2016 Olympics. There were plenty of rumors swirling around that Varner could replace an injured Tervel Dlagnev at the Olympics. For that to be the case I think Dlagnev would have to become more injured than he is currently and Varner would need enough time to file a motion with USA Wrestling for the right to wrestle for the starting spot against Zack Rey. I don't think that is a realistic possibility, especially considering that it would severely impact training schedules. The other case might be is Dlagnev got to the event and Coach Burnett deemed him unhealthy to compete. There is at least a chance there could be a last-minute replacement, but I'd be shocked if it were anyone but Rey. As for Varner post-2016 … I think that he's hanging them up and moving into another role within the sport. He had an incredible career, but at 30 years old there isn't much wrestling left. Q: Can you explain to me the reasoning why wrestler Joel Bauman lost his eligibility from the NCAA for selling a song using his name while it seems that the wrestlers who don't seem to be facing the same loss of eligibility for a drug offense? Why was J Robinson rightfully allowed to handle the drug matter internally until it became public, whereas the Bauman situation was not given the same institutional courtesy? From my point of view it seems like inconsistency by the NCAA and the University of Minnesota but more so the NCAA. -- Marcus R. Foley: I'm pretty sure this comes down to exposure and optics. Bauman was in the media eye for his works, whereas the discipline associated with a very private -- possibly criminal -- act didn't draw attention. Also, the rules that apply to these situations are vastly different. Bauman took money which is the NCAA's Rule 1.1. The suspension was therefore easy to make at an institutional level. For the Xanax athletes the discipline for their action was probably within a much looser definition. There was much more to consider and, ultimately, to prove. Again, for Bauman it was an open and shut case. Because Bauman performed under his own name and identified himself as a Minnesota wrestler, the NCAA ruled him ineligible for the remainder of the season. J. T. Bruett, Minnesota's compliance director, said Bauman violated an NCAA bylaw prohibiting student-athletes from using their name, image or status as an athlete to promote the sale of a commercial product. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Things got awkward in the Octagon a few weeks ago … How the hell did I only now see this? Q: Biggest takeaways from the Freestyle World Cup? -- Mike C. Foley: Dan Dennis has the opportunity to improve and I hope he spends some time with the national team coaches to help him with strategy and match pacing. Tony Ramos is a 61-kilo wrestler with the ability to place at this year's World Championships in Budapest. Frank Molinaro is an absolute machine and a better than 30 percent chance to medal at the Olympic Games. Alex Dieringer is about as good a backup as you can find in the world. He'll get plenty of wrestling in the next four years and is my pick for 2021 and beyond! J'den Cox was exposed a little, but I think that he will adapt and find solutions to some of his weaker areas. The loss was probably a humbling reminder that it's a big world of wrestling and it will never be conquered, much less with something like beginner's luck on his side. Kyle Snyder, Olympic champion. Zack Rey is a really solid heavyweight with a bright future after the 2016 Games. Q: Do you think Logan Storley has what it takes to make it to the UFC and be as successful as other wrestlers like TJ Dillashaw, Frankie Edgar, and Henry Cejudo? -- Gregg Y. Foley: My doppelganger! Sure, like I've written before he's a hammer and has a unique set of skills and intensity that should get him higher profile fights in the immediate future. Q: I get the feeling Coach Lindland isn't making a push to recruit NCAA wrestlers to go Greco after college. It seems as if much more of his focus towards recruiting is to get kids to go Greco full time after/before their high school career ends. This seems odd considering the path he and Brad Vering took to world/Olympic medals. Any idea if recruiting college guys is on his agenda? -- Matt C. Foley: I get the same impression. If he has a plan to pluck high school kids then I can't say that I disagree with his logic. Currently Northern Michigan is the only place for Greco-Roman minded athletes to go train outside of Colorado Springs. If Lindland can get in their ears now then he has the ability to develop their talents without having to correct habits from four more years of folkstyle. Whether or not that is the best option for each athlete is to be determined, but in principle I endorse his recruitment methodology. Q: Could you explain a little about Titan Mercury Wrestling Club, its structure and Reece Humphrey's role? -- @Robbybobbi Foley: The structure will be Reece as their travel coach in charge of all organizational matter. I think he'll also be developing a training program for the team members to use while also creating and coaching at a youth development center in Los Angeles. That center will be built in the next year or so. I think that Reece is a special character within our sport who connects to the younger generation with ease and confidence. He's also accomplished and bright. There is a really good chance that this decision will further help improve the state of the United States freestyle and women's wrestling programs.

YORK, Pa. -- The Minnesota Storm won its first seven matches and never looked back, defeating Pennsylvania Blue, 37-35, in the Greco-Roman finals at the Cadet National Duals. Minnesota has now won the team title in three straight National Duals events, after sweeping both Greco-Roman and freestyle at the Schoolboy National Duals in Indiana last week. The first five matches of the championship dual meet were all decision victories for Minnesota, as Tyler Buesgens (195), Colton Hellman (220), Bryce Benhart (285), Paxton Creese (88) and Joey Thompson (94) all defeated their Pennsylvania opponents by points. The team score after these five bouts was 15-5 in favor of Minnesota. Read complete story … CADET NATIONAL DUALS At York, Pa. GRECO-ROMAN RESULTS CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS - Minnesota Storm 37, Pennsylvania Blue 35 195 Tyler Buesgens (Minnesota Storm) over Jack Wimmer (Pennsylvania Blue) Dec 11-5 220 Colton Hellman (Minnesota Storm) over Mike Slivinski (Pennsylvania Blue) Dec 5-2 285 Bryce Benhart (Minnesota Storm) over Cody Williams (Pennsylvania Blue) Dec 9-6 88 Paxton Creese (Minnesota Storm) over Chris Kim (Pennsylvania Blue) Dec 7-4 94 Joey Thompson (Minnesota Storm) over Lincoln Heck (Pennsylvania Blue) Dec 11-4 100 Andrew Sanders (Minnesota Storm) over Dillon Murphy (Pennsylvania Blue) TF 10-0 106 Mitchel Petersen (Minnesota Storm) over Ed Scott (Pennsylvania Blue) TF 17-6 113 J J Wilson (Pennsylvania Blue) over Colby Njos (Minnesota Storm) Dec 4-2 120 Cael Carlson (Minnesota Storm) over Connor Keivman (Pennsylvania Blue) Dec 8-2 126 Mike Kistler (Pennsylvania Blue) over Sebas Swiggum (Minnesota Storm) Dec 4-0 132 Beau Bartlett (Pennsylvania Blue) over Brock Luthens (Minnesota Storm) TF 14-1 138 Tyler Eischens (Minnesota Storm) over Carnell Andrews (Pennsylvania Blue) Dec 10-8 145 Cade King (Minnesota Storm) over Alec Sampson (Pennsylvania Blue) Dec 5-2 152 Edmond Ruth (Pennsylvania Blue) over Anthony Jackson (Minnesota Storm) TF 14-4 160 Jake Hendricks (Pennsylvania Blue) over Grant Parrish (Minnesota Storm) TF 17-6 170 Benjamin Root (Pennsylvania Blue) over Caden Steffen (Minnesota Storm) TF 12-1 182 Julian Gorring (Pennsylvania Blue) over Jacob Bennett (Minnesota Storm) TF 10-0 THIRD PLACE - Illinois 60, Michigan Red 17 195 Sergio Villalobos (Illinois) over Tyler Moore (Michigan Red) Fall 1:05 220 Jace Punke (Illinois) over Trent Sexton (Michigan Red) TF 11-0 285 Ronald Tucker (Illinois) over Austin Emerson (Michigan Red) Dec 5-1 88 Blake Noonan (Michigan Red) over Brody Norman (Illinois) Dec 3-1 94 Christian Goin (Illinois) over Andrew Chambal (Michigan Red) Fall 2:41 100 Joshua Ogunsanya (Illinois) over Reese Fry (Michigan Red) TF 10-0 106 Noah Surtin (Illinois) over Chayse LaJoie (Michigan Red) TF 19-8 113 Cory Gamet (Michigan Red) over James Pierandozzi (Illinois) Dec 12-5 120 Tyler Delaware (Illinois) over Kaleob Whitford (Michigan Red) TF 10-0 126 Eduardo Bolivar (Illinois) over Zachery Donahue (Michigan Red) TF 20-10 132 Nick Freeman (Michigan Red) over Donnell Washington (Illinois) TF 13-1 138 Will Lewan (Illinois) over Fernan Garza (Michigan Red) TF 10-0 145 Dalton Jensen (Illinois) over Jacob McKnight (Michigan Red) Fall 1:39 152 Matthew Ortiz (Illinois) over Brian Case (Michigan Red) Dec 3-1 160 Drew Hoselton (Illinois) over River Shettler (Michigan Red) TF 17-7 170 Zach Braunagel (Illinois) over Rory Cox (Michigan Red) TF 14-4 182 Jacob Kaminski (Illinois) over Ryan Ringler (Michigan Red) TF 23-10 FIFTH PLACE - Oklahoma 42, Washington 33 195 Kione Gill (Washington) over Justin Johnson (Oklahoma) TF 14-4 220 Jesse Quilimaco (Oklahoma) over Xavier Williams (Washington) Dec 7-0 285 Montana Phillips (Oklahoma) over John Keiser (Washington) Fall 2:36 88 Griffin Klockeman (Washington) over Bryce Cockrell (Oklahoma) TF 11-0 94 Brenden Chaowanapibool (Washington) over Jackson Cockrell (Oklahoma) TF 12-0 100 Chase Tebbets (Washington) over Jackson Oplotnik (Oklahoma) TF 10-0 106 Max Wheeler (Washington) over Cameron Picklo (Oklahoma) Dec 6-4 113 Branden Elrod (Oklahoma) over Isaac Lopez (Washington) Fall 1:05 120 Alexander Cruz (Washington) over Zach Williams (Oklahoma) Fall 1:27 126 Reece Witcraft (Oklahoma) over Trevor Morrison (Washington) Fall 1:03 132 Dominic Damon (Washington) over Gage Hight (Oklahoma) TF 14-1 138 Dustin Plott (Oklahoma) over Tanner Lees (Washington) Dec 13-7 145 Jonathon McGowan (Oklahoma) over Nathan Moore (Washington) TF 20-10 152 Colt Denney (Oklahoma) over John Knight (Washington) Dec 12-4 160 Hunter Jump (Oklahoma) over Jack Ervien (Washington) Dec 14-12 170 Ke`Von Curry (Oklahoma) over Malachi Lawrence (Washington) Dec 10-8 182 Drake Barbee (Oklahoma) over Jackson McKinney (Washington) Fall 0:17 SEVENTH PLACE - New Jersey Red 39, Missouri Red 37 195 Kyle Lightner (New Jersey Red) over Charlie Cadell (Missouri Red) Fall 1:17 220 Tyler Curd (Missouri Red) over Zach Delvecchio (New Jersey Red) TF 21-8 285 Preston Wiss (Missouri Red) over Ahmed Homsi (New Jersey Red) Fall 1:24 88 Brett Ungar (New Jersey Red) over Austin Coons (Missouri Red) Dec 7-1 94 Wil Guida (New Jersey Red) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf 100 Anthony Clark (New Jersey Red) over Trey Crawford (Missouri Red) TF 12-1 106 Mark Montgomery (New Jersey Red) over Jake Stathopoulos (Missouri Red) Dec 9-6 113 Joe Heilman (New Jersey Red) over Caleb Benshoof (Missouri Red) Dec 4-0 120 Carmen Ferrante (New Jersey Red) over Cam Fusco (Missouri Red) TF 10-0 126 Josh Steele (Missouri Red) over Nick Cabanillas (New Jersey Red) Fall 3:44 132 Andrew Gamble (Missouri Red) over Pat Glory (New Jersey Red) Dec 8-5 138 Michael Cassidy (Missouri Red) over Charlie Cunningham (New Jersey Red) TF 13-0 145 Alex Rivera (Missouri Red) over Travis Tavoso (New Jersey Red) TF 10-0 152 Michael O`Malley (New Jersey Red) over Carter Goslee (Missouri Red) Fall 0:50 160 Chris Foca (New Jersey Red) over Barrett Beaird (Missouri Red) TF 12-0 170 Devin Winston (Missouri Red) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf 182 Ashton Sharp (Missouri Red) over Dimitri Serano (New Jersey Red) TF 14-4 Bronze/Copper Pool Results (Places 9-16) 1st Place - Iowa Gold 2nd Place - Florida 3rd Place - California 4th Place - Colorado 5th Place - Kansas Blue 6th Place - Ohio Red 7th Place - Georgia Red 8th Place - Maryland 1st Place Match - Iowa Gold defeated Florida 49-24. 3rd Place Match - California defeated Colorado 46-32. 5th Place Match - Kansas Blue defeated Ohio Red 0-0. 7th Place Match - Georgia Red defeated Maryland 41-36. Red/Blue Pool Results 1st Place - Virginia 2nd Place - Utah 3rd Place - Pennsylvania Red 4th Place - Tennessee 5th Place - Indiana 6th Place - Kansas Red 7th Place - North Carolina 8th Place - Michigan Blue 1st Place Match - Virginia defeated Utah 42-36. 3rd Place Match - Pennsylvania Red defeated Tennessee 36-36. 5th Place Match - Indiana defeated Kansas Red 44-21. 7th Place Match - North Carolina defeated Michigan Blue 44-20. Green/Yellow Pool Results 1st Place - Texas 2nd Place - New Jersey Blue 3rd Place - Ohio Blue 4th Place - Georgia Blue Texas defeated New Jersey Blue 54-22. Ohio Blue defeated Georgia Blue 38-27. Texas defeated Georgia Blue 74-4. New Jersey Blue defeated Ohio Blue 39-21. Texas defeated Ohio Blue 66-15. New Jersey Blue defeated Georgia Blue 37-15. A Pool Results 1st Place - Washington 2nd Place - New Jersey Red 3rd Place - Kansas Blue 4th Place - Georgia Red 5th Place - Utah 6th Place - Indiana 7th Place - Texas 8th Place - Ohio Blue 1st Place Match - Washington defeated Kansas Blue 55-24. 2nd Place Wrestleback - New Jersey Red defeated Kansas Blue 44-33. 3rd Place Match - New Jersey Red defeated Georgia Red 48-28. 5th Place Match - Utah defeated Indiana 42-38. 7th Place Match - Texas defeated Ohio Blue 59-19. B Pool Results 1st Place - Pennsylvania Blue 2nd Place - Michigan Red 3rd Place - Colorado 4th Place - Maryland 5th Place - Virginia 6th Place - Tennessee 1st Place Match - Pennsylvania Blue defeated Michigan Red 51-24. 3rd Place Match - Colorado defeated Maryland 57-23. 5th Place Match - Virginia defeated Tennesee 51-30. C Pool Results 1st Place - Illinois 2nd Place - Missouri Red 3rd Place - Iowa Gold 4th Place - California 5th Place - Pennsylvania Red 6th Place - Kansas Red 7th Place - New Jersey Blue 8th Place - Georgia Blue 1st Place Match - Illinois defeated Missouri Red 67-10. 3rd Place Match - Iowa Gold defeated California 48-30. 5th Place Match - Pennsylvania Red defeated Kansas Red 50-25. 7th Place Match - New Jersey Blue defeated Georgia Blue 53-10. D Pool Results 1st Place - Minnesota Storm 2nd Place - Oklahoma 3rd Place - Florida 4th Place - Ohio Red 5th Place - North Carolina 6th Place - Michigan Blue 1st Place Match - Minnesota Storm defeated Oklahoma 39-33. 3rd Place Match - Florida defeated Ohio Red 41-37. 5th Place Match - North Carolina defeated Michigan Blue 44-25.

Isaiah Martinez, 2016 Big Ten and NCAA wrestling champion at 157 pounds, has been selected as recipient of the 2015-16 Dike Eddleman Award as the Fighting Illini's Male Athlete of the Year, the University of Illinois announced Thursday. Isaiah Martinez after winning his second NCAA title at 157 pounds (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Martinez -- along with volleyball All-American Jocelynn Birks, named best female athlete at Illinois -- will be in the running for the 2016 Big Ten Athlete of the Year awards to be determined later this month. Martinez repeated his success as a freshman by winning his second consecutive NCAA and Big Ten mat titles as a sophomore in 2016. An added honor: the Lemoore, California native was named Outstanding Wrestler at the 2016 Big Ten Championships. Martinez compiled an overall record of 32-1 this year, going 10-1 against ranked opponents, and leading the nation in wins by technical fall, with 14. Martinez will next represent team USA at the University World Championships in Turkey in October, competing in freestyle at 74 kilograms/163 pounds. The University of Illinois Athlete of the Year award was first presented in 1940. The yearly award was discontinued in 1973, but resurrected in 1983 to recognize both a Male and Female Athlete of the Year. In 1993, the awards were named in honor of the 11-time UI letterman and former Olympian Dwight "Dike" Eddleman. Martinez is the fifth Illini wrestler to receive the Dike Eddleman Award. He joins past honorees Jesse Delgado (2014), Matt Lackey (2003), Adam Tirapelle (2001), and Eric Siebert (1998).

Jeff Silveira, who has been an assistant wrestling coach at Cal State University-Bakersfield the past two seasons, has been named the Roadrunners' interim head coach, the Bakersfield Californian newspaper reported Thursday. Jeff SilveiraThe Californian also reports that CSUB is continuing its national search for a new head wrestling coach to replace Mike Mendoza, who resigned his Roadrunner position in May to take the helm at Boise State University in Idaho. The official CSUB wrestling website does not have an official announcement regarding Silveira's promotion, other than to include his new title and revised opening paragraph mentioning his new position as part of his coach's biography. Silveira has more than two decades of coaching experience at both the collegiate and high school levels. He joined the CSU Bakersfield staff as an assistant, having previously served in the same capacity at San Francisco State from 2009-14. During his stint with the Gators, Silveira coached one Division II national champion, seven Division II All-Americans, 20 Division II National Championship Tournament qualifiers, and helped San Francisco State finish in the top 10 of the 2013 Division II National Tournament. From 2005-07, Silveira was an assistant wrestling coach at West Valley College before moving to Skyline College for the 2007-08 season. At the community college level, Silveira coached 27 individual state qualifiers, nine individual state placewinners, four individual CCCAA (California Community College Athletic Association) All-Americans, and one individual state champion. Silveira coached at Saint Teresa High School from 1995-2003 and at The Kings Academy High School from 2004-05. At the prep level, Silveira coached 11 individual league champions, 16 individual section placers, 13 individual state qualifiers, four individual state placewinners, and two individual high school All-Americans. Prior to accepting the head coaching job at Boise State, Mendoza headed up the CSUB program in June 2010 after the retirement of T.J. Kerr. Mendoza, who wrestled for Kerr and served as an assistant coach prior to his promotion, posted a 37-37 dual record as the Roadrunners head coach, mentoring four Pac-12 champions, 14 NCAA National qualifiers and one NCAA All-American (Bryce Hammond, 2014).

Emails uncovered by the St. Paul Pioneer-Press and other media in the Twin Cities indicate J Robinson, long-time head wrestling coach at the University of Minnesota, had informed his superiors about his concerns about possible drug use and sales on the part of some of his athletes. J Robinson (Photo/David Peterson)The emails -- supplied by Robinson's agent, attorney James C.W. Bock -- indicate that high-ranking athletics department officials were aware that Robinson wanted his wrestlers tested for drugs but make no mention of anything further the coach might have shared with interim athletics director Beth Goetz and senior associate AD Mark Ryan. (Goetz has since relocated to University of Connecticut; new athletic director Mark Coyle, who took the helm May 31; on his second day in office, put Robinson on paid administrative leave.) In an email time-stamped March 10, Ryan sent Robinson the school's Drug & Alcohol Reasonable Suspicion Testing form, which he needed to fill out before any action was taken. On March 25, Goetz emailed Robinson the department's drug testing policy, adding, "We can chat more about the testing results we have and other information when you are back in town." (Robinson was out of the country at the time.) In a statement released May 31, the University of Minnesota said it was launching its own investigation into the wrestling program after initially holding back to allow a continuing University of Minnesota Police Department probe. The Pioneer-Press quoted a Minnesota official that both investigations are ongoing. Robinson will remain on administrative leave while the investigations continue, said new AD Coyle when he had announced the suspension June 1. The situation became public last month when multiple media sources in Minneapolis-St. Paul reported that some Golden Gopher wrestlers may have been using or selling Xanax, a prescription anti-anxiety drug. J Robinson, 69, became head wrestling coach at Minnesota in 1986, making him the second-longest serving in Golden Gopher mat history (behind Wally Johnson, who was at the helm for 34 seasons immediately before J Rob). In his 30 seasons as head coach, Robinson has guided the Gophers to three NCAA team titles (2001, 2002, and 2007), and an overall record of 440-145-4, for a .747 winning percentage, the highest of any wrestling coach at the school.

New rules allowing medical personnel an unlimited and unimpeded amount of time to conduct a concussion evaluation of wrestlers during a match have been approved by the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel, the NCAA announced Wednesday. The new rules go into effect for the 2016-17 season. In addition, the new rules grant medical professionals the authority to remove participants from the wrestling area to perform a concussion evaluation. Panel members have asked that these medical evaluations be tracked in order to determine how often this rule is applied and the time it takes to perform an adequate evaluation. During the evaluation, the match will be suspended until medical personnel announce their decision. The referee, the coaches of both wrestlers, and the non-injured wrestler are required to remain on the mat during the evaluation. A concussion evaluation timeout will not count as an injury timeout or recovery timeout. The coach of the wrestler being evaluated may not offer any coaching. In a separate rules change, injured wrestlers will not be permitted to be coached during all other non-bleeding injury timeouts. In the case of a severe or traumatic situation, medical personnel may request that the wrestler's coach assist in calming the injured wrestler. However, coaches are required to remove themselves from the situation during any assessment period related to the injury or concussion evaluation. Both rules changes were initially issued as interpretations during the 2015-16 wrestling season by the NCAA Wrestling Rules Committee, based on recommendations made at the NCAA Sport Science Institute Wrestling Summit in July 2015. The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved the rule changes in a conference call Wednesday. "Both of these new rules proposals are about providing medical personnel dedicated and uninterrupted time with the injured athlete so they can make a more accurate health and safety decision in an already limited timeframe," Chuck Barbee, NCAA Wrestling Secretary-Rules Editor, told InterMat in April. "These rules recommendations are a good indicator of the committee's commitment to continuing to explore and advance new rules that positively impact the student-athlete's health and safety," said Barbee, former head wrestling coach at West Point.

For wrestling fans of any age, when looking at the career of any wrestler, it's easy to get caught up in the stats -- won/loss records, pinning percentage, number of titles, number of All-American honors. These stats help paint a quick picture of the accomplishments of a wrestler of any era. But this paint-by-numbers approach can cause the wrestling community to lose sight of the human aspects of a wrestler, whether he's still competing ... or stepped off the mat for the last time decades ago. This is very much a challenge when writing about a wrestler of the past. After all, stats may be about all we have for a mat great who competed in the 1970s or '50s or '30s. Most of us have no personal recollections of seeing that wrestler in action. Photos are often hard to come by. Video or films can be even more difficult to find. Yet I feel it's critically important to share the stories of these past greats that go beyond the stats ... to reinforce that these individuals were indeed real, and very human. Especially when I learn of individuals currently involved in wrestling who are clueless about the legends who paved their way. In the past week or so, I've been thinking about the issue of getting beyond stats when describing any wrestler, past or present. I've been in a historical frame-of-mind because of the reopening earlier this month of the renovated the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Oklahoma and their 40th Honors Weekend which welcomed the Class of 2016 honorees. It's so easy to think of the honorees as just names and statistics ... until you read their stories, see vintage photos and films of them in the glory days, and see them at the induction ceremony, as they look today. During Honors Weekend, award-winning wrestling journalist Jason Bryant wrote something that helped put that in perspective for me. "People like Bill Harlow [2016 Distinguished Member inductee who was 1966 NCAA champ for Oklahoma State] are now on hallowed ground. They need to be in the stories we tell our young wrestlers and fans of the sport," Bryant wrote on Facebook. "I knew very little about him and I'm a wrestling junkie. Every year, I come away from this weekend with a much greater understanding and respect for the sport I love so much because as I get older, I am starting to see what the sport itself did for those who came well before me." Sadly, the life stories of past mat greats don't always culminate with an induction into the Hall of Fame. In some cases, they end tragically ... and, all too often, are pretty much unnoticed in death. Like the Cowboy ... and the Milkman. The Cowboy, Dick Beattie Dick Beattie was a two-time NCAA and Big Eight (now Big 12) wrestling champ for the Oklahoma State Cowboys in 1958 and 1959 at 157 pounds, compiling a 36-4-2 overall record, with five falls. Beattie also earned a place on the 1956 US Olympic freestyle team. Dick BeattyA year or so ago I stumbled upon a brief news story about a two-vehicle collision in the state of Oklahoma, identifying the victim as "Richard Beattie," age 82. The news story said nothing about him having been a wrestler, but his age and location of the wreck made me think it could have been the former Cowboy. I contacted the Hall of Fame, who had his home phone number. They made repeated calls, but received no answer. The Hall had contact info for one of his children, who confirmed that, yes, the man whose Honda CRV was T-boned by a pickup truck that ran a stop sign was indeed their dad, the former wrestler who was once cheered by thousands at Gallagher Hall ... and just missed wrestling at the Melbourne Olympics 60 years ago because of an emergency appendectomy. "Richard Beattie" accident victim was once Dick Beattie, feared wrestler who tangled with some of the top middleweights of the late 1950s, including NCAA champs Bob Hoke of Michigan State, Gary Kurdelmeier of Iowa, and Art Kraft of Northwestern. Now, think of a more recent example of a wrestler who won two national and conference titles AND qualified for the Olympics ... and try to imagine that their death might go unreported in the wrestling media these days. It certainly could happen, but, right now, hard to conceive. The Milkman, Rodger Snook The Milkman was the nickname of Rodger Snook, member of the storied "Dream Team of 1947" at Cornell College of Iowa, the smallest school in history to win an NCAA team title. (This was long before today's NCAA Division I, II and III structure; tiny colleges like Cornell of Iowa -- with an enrollment of approximately 700 at the time -- went up against big schools such as Lehigh and University of Illinois.) Rodger SnookRodger Snook was a three-time New Jersey state champ at Newton High School before he served his country in World War II. So how did the Milkman end up wrestling at a small Methodist college in picturesque Mount Vernon, Iowa? Prior to the war, Snook wrestled at the 1941 AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) championships ... where he left a favorable impression on Cornell College head wrestling coach Paul Scott. Fast forward a few years. Immediately upon returning home, Snook wrestled at a tournament back east where he was, by his own admission, "a bit rusty." In the audience was coach Scott, who remembered Snook as he was before World War II. When the two reunited, Scott urged Snook to apply to his school in Iowa. As Scott is quoted in Arno Niemand's book "Dream Team of 1947", Snook's application beat the coach back home. Rodger Snook was a key component in the success of the Cornell Purple wrestling team in its heyday. At the 1947 NCAAs -- the year his team took the title -- Snook made it to the 145-pound finals, only to lose to Bill Koll of Iowa State Teachers College (now Northern Iowa), who was named Outstanding Wrestler for the tournament, and is considered by a number of wrestling historians to be one of the all-time greats of college wrestling. Cornell College did not compete at the 1948 NCAAs ... but, two years later, Snook placed fourth in the 155-pound bracket at the 1949 NCAAs, to earn his second All-American honors. As a senior, Snook again placed fourth -- this time at 145 -- at the 1950 NCAAs, making him a three-time All-American. When he hung up his purple tights and white trunks at the end of his time as a Cornell College starter, Rodger Snook had compiled a 38-11 record, with 18 falls. Paul Scott had assembled a great team consisting of fresh-out-of-high-school kids who wrestled with incredible poise ... along with older World War II vets like Rodger Snook, including some twenty-somethings who, unlike Snook, had not wrestled before the war. Some of these Cornell wrestlers -- kids and veterans -- went to win individual NCAA titles. Yet coach Scott considered Roger Snook to be his greatest recruiting achievement. Snook graduated from Cornell College in 1950. Although a Jersey boy through and through, he had come to love the school and the area. He was able to secure a job as a recruiter for his college alma mater ... and even found a girl. They became engaged to be married. Then, tragedy. A car driven by a priest, allegedly drunk, crossed the centerline on U.S. 6 near Iowa City, striking Snook's car head-on. The former wrestler was seriously injured, left paralyzed. He was forced to return to his parents' home for care. After a number of months, Snook decided he did not want to be a burden to his folks or his fiancé any longer ... so he took his life on March 17, 1956. Fast-forward a half century. I was sitting in the Cole Library, a Post-Modern structure on the rolling, heavily-treed Cornell College campus, doing research on the school's 1947 "Dream Team" wrestling program for an InterMat Rewind feature. I had just listened to an audio recording of the visiting Purple shutting out Lehigh in their home gym, and was now thumbing through old copies of the Royal Purple student yearbooks, The Cornellian newspaper, and other memorabilia of that era. I came across a news story that Rodger Snook had died in his parents' home in New Jersey ... including a response from a obviously heartbroken Paul Scott. It was so hard to reconcile this tragic news with the photos of a square-shouldered physical specimen with an intense expression etched onto his face in just about every photo ... the guy who wrestled for one of the top programs in the U.S. immediately after World War II ... and seemed to have an incredible life ahead of him. It was like a punch in the gut to learn of the Milkman's death ... and its circumstances. (At the time of my research trip in 2007, most of the principal members of the 1947 Dream Team were still alive, having created successful careers in a number of realms, from teaching to the oil industry, over the course of their long lives.) The point of all this is ... we fans get so wrapped up in results, in won-loss records, in pinning percentages, and other on-the-mat statistics. Or, nowadays, we focus on what kind of success wrestlers have had after hanging up their headgear, celebrating the guys who find success in MMA or WWE or the NFL ... or become titans of Wall Street ... or as politicians. We get caught up in the stuff of resumes, forgetting that these mat greats are indeed human ... and, at times, all too human. It's important for institutions such as the National Wrestling Hall of Fame -- and individual wrestling historians chronicling the past, and wrestling journalists reporting on today's athletes -- to strive to do more than tell a by-the-numbers story for past mat greats, but to do our best to share the all-too-human side of these old-school athletes whenever possible. We owe it to guys like Dick Beattie and Rodger Snook, the Milkman.

Kansas may become the seventh state which sponsors girls high school wrestling, if a proposal made this week to the organization which oversees prep sports in the Sunflower State is approved. Doug Kretzer, head wrestling coach at McPherson High School, put forth a proposal for adding girls wrestling as an approved KSHSAA (Kansas State High School Athletic Association) sport for KSHSAA member schools. "As with any sport, KSHSAA member schools would have the option to allow girls wrestling at their school," said Kretzer. The McPherson coach made a strong case for the KSHSAA to add girls wrestling to its list of sanctioned sports, citing growth in participation among girls at various levels -- from youth, high school, and college, and even international women's freestyle competition. Among specific examples mentioned by Kretzer: USA Wrestling card membership and state tournament participation has grown each year after year for the past 5 years ... and new women's college programs being established within the state of Kansas. What's more, 111 girls participated in existing high school wrestling programs within the state last season. Presently, at least six other states already have separate competition for young women in high school, including separate state championships. Those states include Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Texas, and Washington State. "Other states that have added girls wrestling as a sanctioned high school sport have seen tremendous increase in participation once girls have the opportunity to compete against girls," said Kretzer. In Kretzer's proposal, the women's wrestling season in Kansas would run parallel to the regular KSHSAA wrestling season. All current wrestling season rules and regulations would apply, except for a unique set of eleven weight classes -- 95, 102, 110, 119, 128, 138, 148, 165, 185, and 215 pounds -- which have been adopted from the weights successfully used in Texas high school girls wrestling. Girls would not be allowed to compete in the boys weight classes unless a specific tournament does not include girls weight classes. As for the state tournament, there would be a single state tournament incorporating all classes, from 1A through 6A, with no qualifier needed. This allows for KSHSAA and its member schools to monitor/increase participation, according to Kretzer. Kretzer also addressed potential financial concerns of Kansas high schools. "By running boys and girls wrestling seasons at the same time -- similar to track and field in the state of Kansas -- the financial impact to schools that choose to participate would be minimal," said Kretzer. "Most schools would not need to increase their coaching staff or travel budgets, as many programs already have girls competing on their teams, this will just give them a platform to compete against like opponents. Increase in costs for hosting events with an added female division will also be minimal, and should require little effort to accommodate. There may be additional costs to KSHSAA when hosting post-season events, but those can even be scheduled to be competed at the same sites already used for wrestling post-season." In his proposal, Kretzer says that 24 Kansas high schools would need to start girls wrestling programs for the KSHSAA to consider sanctioning the sport. He said three -- McPherson, Clearwater, and Derby -- have already expressed interest. He encouraged coaches and athletic directors at interested schools to contact the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association.

Zain Retherford, 2016 NCAA wrestling champ for the Nittany Lions, has been named Penn State Male Student-Athlete of the Year, the school announced Tuesday. Zain Retherford rides Michigan's Alec Pantaleo in the NCAA semifinals (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Retherford, along with the school's choice for Female of the Year, soccer standout Raquel Rodriguez, will be on the ballot for Big Ten Male and Female Athletes of the Year with honorees from the other 13 conference institutions, including Ohio State's Male Athlete of the Year Kyle Snyder , 2016 NCAA heavyweight champ and U.S. men's freestyle team member for the 2016 Rio Olympics. Retherford won the 149-pound title at both the 2016 Big Ten conference championships and 2016 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, helping propel Penn State to its fifth NCAA and Big Ten team titles in six years. The Benton, Pa. native completed his sophomore season with a flawless 33-0 overall record, including 15 falls, eight technical falls, and seven major decisions. In addition, Retherford placed third at the 2016 United States Olympic Team Trials, earning a spot on the 2016 U.S. Freestyle World Team. For his on-the-mat performance, Retherford has earned a number of honors this year beyond his selection as Penn State Male Athlete of the Year. Retherford was named 2016 Big Ten Wrestler of the Year and 2016 NCAA Most Dominant Wrestler of the Year. In addition, the Nittany Lion mat champ was selected as 2016 InterMat Wrestler of the Year. Retherford was equally impressive in the classroom. A First Team Academic All-Big Ten selection, Retherford was also a NWCA (National Wrestling Coaches Association) First Team National All-Academic selection. He earned CoSIDA First Team Academic All-Region At-Large honors and closed out his academic accolades for the year by earning CoSIDA Second Team Academic All-America At-Large honors. Retherford has a 3.72 grade-point average and is finance major. Retherford's selection as Penn State's Male Student-Athlete of the Year marks the fifth straight year that a wrestler has earned the honor, joining David Taylor in 2012 and 2014, Ed Ruth in 2013, and Matt Brown 2015.

The Cadet National Duals started today in York, Pa. The Greco-Roman competition will be conducted today and tomorrow, with freestyle to be wrestled on Friday and Saturday. The opening day of each tournament is four double-elimination brackets (with true second) to determine the tiered pools in which each team will compete on Day 2. The top two teams in each bracket will compete in the Gold/Silver pool, and compete for the tournament championship. Teams placing third and fourth will compete in the Bronze/Copper pool, and so forth. Within each pool, teams will wrestle three dual meets and then a crossover dual meet for placement. In order for a team to win the national title, they need to finish top two in their first day bracket. Then, they need to be on top of the standings after a three-match round-robin (generally speaking that entails going 3-0), and then win a crossover match against the top team in the other pool. Cadet eligible wrestlers have 2000 and 2001 birthdates. This means that the eligible pool of wrestlers is virtually all Class of 2019 prospects, along with some prospects from the Class of 2018 and the Class of 2020. Illinois has swept the Greco-Roman and freestyle titles the previous three years and four of the previous five (2011, 2013-2015). In all, the Land of Lincoln seeks a sixth straight Greco-Roman title and a fourth straight freestyle title. Based on the information posted to Track Wrestling as of Tuesday night, Washington is the top seed in the Greco-Roman competition. The other top seeds in Day 1 preliminary brackets are Pennsylvania Blue (their first team), Illinois, and Minnesota; in last year's final, it was Illinois over Washington. The top seeded Washington team features wrestlers that finished top three in the scholastic state tournament this past year as starters in eight of the seventeen weight classes. This includes state champions Alexander Cruz (120) and Adrian St. Germain (152); state runners-up include returning Cadet double All-Americans in Chase Tebbets (100) and Blake Haney (113). Christopher Foca (Bergen Catholic, Pa.) was a Beast of the East champion this past season (Photo/Rob Preston)A very talented New Jersey Red team is their most direct threat in Wednesday's preliminary bracket. Their roster features five state medalists from the past scholastic season: Carmen Ferrante (120), Patrick Glory (132), Gerard Angelo (138), Michael O'Malley (152), and Zach Delvecchio (220). Other notable roster talent includes impact incoming freshman Anthony Clark (100) and Beast of the East champion Christopher Foca (160). Pennsylvania is the second seed, anchoring bracket B. Three state medalists feature on the team: Beau Bayless (106), Edmund Ruth (152), and Josh Stillings (160). Returning Cadet Greco All-American J.J. Wilson (113) and the nation's top rising freshman in Beau Bartlett (126) are also present. Others to watch include incoming freshman Connor Kievman (120) and state qualifier Carnell Andrews (132). Within the preliminary bracket, Michigan Red is the most direct threat to Pennsylvania. A trio of state champions anchor this lineup, Corey Gamet (113), Kevin Davenport (126), and Cameron Amine (138). Also on the roster are four others that placed in the top four at state in the high school season: Nick Freeman (132), Layne Malczewski (145), Brian Case (152), and Ryan Ringler (170). Another one to note is Cadet folkstyle champion Andrew Chambal (94). Defending champions Illinois feature a rather solid roster with four wrestlers that placed top three at their high school state tournament: state champion Tyler Delaware (120), state runner-up Donnell Washington (132) and Will Lewan (138), along with state third place finishers Dalton Jensen (145). Also present are state medalists Zach Braunagel (170) and Jace Punke (220). Three others to watch are returning Cadet Greco All-American Christian Goin (94) as well as Cadet folkstyle champions Sergio Villalobos (195) and Roland Tucker (285). A rather loaded Iowa team is also present in Pool C with Illinois, presuming the brackets on Track Wrestling are correct. State champion Brody Teske (120) is the anchor wrestler, along with state runner-up Eric Faught (100), while three others placed third at state - Gable Fox (113), Zane Mulder (145), and Logan Schumacher (182). Also present are Cadet folkstyle champion Cullan Schreiver (88) and nationally ranked Class of 2019 wrestler Cade Devos (120). Five other wrestlers also earned state medals this year in the high school season: Gabe Ruepke (126), Harlan Steffensmeier (138), Lucas Roland (145), Tad Griffith (160), and Spencer Trenary (285). Minnesota, which won both titles at the Schoolboy level last week near Indianapolis, is the top seed in Pool D (i.e. preliminary bracket). The Gopher State team features eight wrestlers that finished in the top three at the state tournament this past season, anchored by state champion Anthony Jackson (152); runners-up include Jake Svihel (106), Cael Carlson (120), Tyler Eischens (138), and Caden Steffen (170); while Israel Navarro (113), Sebas Swiggum (126), and Brock Luthens (132) finished third. Two other state medalists reside in the upper-weights, Robert Striggow (182) and Tyler Buesgens (195). Oklahoma had the same amount of seeding points as did the Minnesota squad, but have the second seed in Pool D. They have seven state medalists in the lineup, anchored by state champion Zane Coleman (152); the trio of state runners-up include Braden Elrod (113), Colton Denney (145), and Hunter Jump (152); rounding it out are Reece Witcroft (120), Caleb Wise (160), and Montana Phillips (285). Also on the roster is nationally ranked incoming freshman Dustin Plott (138). The freestyle competition will start on Friday with similar type of rosters for each team, though some other wrestlers are likely to be in play for a few of the teams.

The Bellarmine Knights are coming to the rescue of the St. Catharine University wrestling program. Earlier this month, InterMat reported that St. Catharine -- a tiny college located in central Kentucky -- had announced it was closing its doors at the end of summer. Another area school had announced it was absorbing three men's sports programs ... but not wrestling. Now those St. Catharine wrestlers have a new home, as Bellarmine University will be "essentially absorbing the former Saint Catharine College team," to quote the announcement made by the Louisville-based school Tuesday afternoon. "Upon the announcement of the imminent closing of Saint Catharine College, Bellarmine University's administration and trustees began exploring programs that could be transitioned from Saint Catharine to Bellarmine to the mutual benefit of both," said Bellarmine Interim President Doris Tegart. "The wrestling team fills that bill and is a natural fit for our athletics program." Bellarmine's decision to absorb the St. Catharine mat program is good news for the staff and wrestlers at the soon-to-be-closed school. The Patriots' head wrestling coach Spencer Adams and assistant coach Gary Canter will remain coaches at Bellarmine, and all former SCC team members wishing to transfer will be retained as well. In addition, Bellarmine will honor the commitment to all of the St. Catharine signees for the 2016-17 season, provided they meet Bellarmine admission standards, according to the Bellarmine announcement. Wrestling will become Bellarmine's 22d intercollegiate sport -- and the tenth men's sport. The new Knights wrestling program will compete in NCAA Division II. The St. Catharine's program had wrestled in the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) with 41 team members. "Although wrestling wasn't originally in our short-range plans, St. Catharine's closing certainly made starting a new program a viable and logical option," said Bellarmine Director of Athletics Scott Wiegandt. "Taking over an existing program allows us to hit the ground running while allowing Coach Adams to build on the inroads he made since founding the program at St. Catharine two years ago." "On behalf of myself, my coaching staff, our SCC student athletes, and their families I want to sincerely thank the board of trustees, president Tegart, Scott Wiegandt, and the entire Bellarmine University family for all that they have done to save our program," said wrestling coach Adams. "I am ecstatic to start this new journey and bring the great sport of wrestling to Bellarmine University. I look forward to working with Scott Wiegandt and the rest of the Bellarmine University family in efforts to build an outstanding program that is nationally recognized both on and off the mat. This is also a great day for the sport of wrestling in the state of Kentucky as Bellarmine University makes history in adding the only NCAA II wrestling program in the state. I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to start yet another wrestling program and to provide my student athletes with a bright future here at Bellarmine University." With Bellarmine and Drury University both launching wrestling programs in the 2016-17 season, the Great Lakes Valley Conference now has seven member institutions sponsoring the sport, which exceeds the NCAA's criteria for a conference to sponsor a championship. Other league members competing in wrestling include: Indianapolis, Maryville, McKendree, Truman State, and Wisconsin-Parkside. An official announcement from the league office regarding sport sponsorship is expected this month. https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/15092 Founded in 1950, Bellarmine (pronounced BEL-ur-men) University is a private, Catholic, four-year school located just outside downtown Louisville. Bellarmine has an enrollment of approximately 3,600 students.

The honors and achievements keep adding up for wrestler Kyle Snyder, as Ohio State has named him the Male Athlete of the Year, the Columbus-based university announced Monday. Catherine Shields of the Ohio State rowing team was named Female Athlete of the Year. Both Shields and Snyder are now on the ballot for Big Ten Athlete of the Year which will be determined later this summer. Snyder, who just completed his sophomore year wrestling for the Buckeyes, was crowned heavyweight champ at both the 2016 Big Ten conference championships and the 2016 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, where he defeated two-time defending champ Nick Gwiazdowski of North Carolina State in overtime, ending the Wolfpack big man's 88-match winning streak. Snyder compiled a perfect 11-0 record this year. Eight of Snyder's wins resulted in bonus points by scoring a fall, technical fall or major decision. He scored 20 points in seven bouts, averaging 18.6 points per match. Kyle Snyder and Nick Gwiazdowski battle in the NCAA finals at heavyweight (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Snyder's success on the mat goes far beyond his collegiate career. In world freestyle competition, the Woodbine, Md. native will be wrestling for the U.S. at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in August, having defeated 2012 Olympic gold medalist Jake Varner to earn that spot on the team. Just this past weekend, Snyder was a perfect 4-0 at the 2016 World Cup freestyle competition in Los Angeles. In addition, Snyder is a U.S. Open champion, U.S. Team Trials champion, and Pan Am Games gold medalist. For all these accomplishments, Snyder is now No. 1 in the UWW (United World Wrestling) freestyle world rankings at 97 kilograms/213 pounds. For his wrestling accomplishments, Snyder has earned a number of honors this year. He was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the 2016 NCAAs. Snyder was also a finalist for the Dan Hodge Trophy, considered the Heisman Trophy of college wrestling. This spring, Snyder was named USA Wrestling's Freestyle Wrestler of the Year. It is the third straight year a wrestler has been named the Ohio State Male Athlete of the Year, an award first established in 1982. Snyder follows four-time NCAA champ Logan Stieber, who earned that honor in both 2014 and 2015. Current Buckeye assistant wrestling coach J Jaggers was the school's Male Athlete of the Year in 2009.

Brennan Ryan has been named head wrestling coach at Ohio's Mount Saint Joseph University, as Ryan confirmed the Cincinnati school's announcement on his Facebook page Monday. Ryan replaces MSJ head coach Dustin Baynes, who resigned in March after three seasons. Ryan brings high school and collegiate coaching experience from programs in southwest Ohio to the Lions. His prep coaching background encompasses stints at Mason High School, Lakota West High School, Madeira High School, and Roger Bacon High School, all within the greater Cincinnati area. In addition, he spent a number of years as an assistant coach at Mt. St. Joseph in the past. Brennan RyanMost recently, Ryan was the assistant wrestling coach at Mason High for the past two seasons, where they compiled a dual record of 40-3. Mason also won the GMC Championship in wrestling both years Ryan was there and finished as the Division I City Poll Champions once. Ryan is returning to Mount St. Joseph, where he served as assistant coach from 2007-2011, an era which the school's official announcement of his hiring described as "some of the best years in the program's history." During his stint as the assistant coach at MSJ, the program won 4 HCAC conference titles, finished in the top five at the NCAA Regionals four times, had two NCAA national qualifiers, had an individual NCAA runner-up, and had four Academic All-Americans. Ryan himself was voted NCAA Mid-States Conference Assistant Coach of the Year at the end of the 2009-10 season. "There is a strong connection between Coach Ryan and the alumni in the area, many of whom are involved in youth and high school wrestling programs, which will be important as we rebuild the program through the recruitment process," MSJ athletic director Steve Radcliffe said. The former Mount St. Joseph assistant coach is looking forward to taking the helm at his former employer, and helping to return it to its past glory. "I am excited to be returning to MSJ after being away for five years," Ryan said. "To have the opportunity to be a head coach at the college level is a very humbling honor. This program has a rich tradition over the last couple of decades, and with that comes a responsibility to work to bring the program back to being able to compete on a national level on a consistent basis." Mount Saint Joseph University is a private, Catholic, four-year college located in western Cincinnati. Founded in 1920 as the College of Mount St. Joseph, the school now has an enrollment of approximately 2,300 students. The MSJ Lions wrestling program -- as well as the school's other intercollegiate sports -- all compete in NCAA Division III.

A former Rutgers football player who was one of five team members arrested in 2015 for a brawl has been accepted onto the Scarlet Knights wrestling program. Razohnn Gross Razohnn Gross, a two-time New Jersey high school state wrestling champion at 195 pounds, will be a walk-on for the Rutgers mat program, where he will compete for the starting spot at heavyweight with rising junior Ralph Normandia at heavyweight in 2016-17. Gross was a walk-on for the Scarlet Knights football squad when he was charged with participating in an assault in April 2015 in New Brunswick, New Jersey over a parking space that left the victim with a broken jaw, police said. Last month, Gross was granted permission to enter the Pre-Trial Intervention Program, according to court records, which means he avoided jail time and was put on probation as a first-time offender. If he completes the terms of his sentence without getting into further legal trouble, the charges would be removed from his record. "All that stuff kind of was dropped and he was back in the school,'' Rutgers head wrestling coach Scott Goodale told NJ.com, website for a number of New Jersey newspapers, including the Newark Star-Ledger. "If he's back in school, what's he doing? He was doing nothing (athletics-wise).'' Goodale stressed that he did his due diligence before inviting Gross to come out for wrestling at Rutgers. "We've done our background with him and we've talked to all the right people, all the important people inside the university,'' Goodale said. "We feel good about it. He's been in our room working really, really hard. Nothing is guaranteed. He'll have an opportunity to make our team. That's as far as we'll go for now. ... We'll give him a second chance. He'll have a short leash, but I don't foresee any problems. He's very appreciative and he's working hard.'' "I will say this: He is super athletic and he's super strong and it seems like there is a passion,'' Goodale said of Gross, who he had recruited the two-sport athlete "a little bit" before the Franklin Park native chose to play football at Rutgers, the state university of New Jersey. "But everybody has passion in the spring and the summer. I need to see the passion in November, when it's on the line. I think he misses it. I think this is what he should've been doing it all along. He should've been with us from the get-go.'' NJ.com described Gross as "one of New Jersey's best wrestlers from 2011 to 2013." In his high school career, Gross tallied a 127-18 record, four District 5 titles and three Region 2 championships, winning back-to-back NJSIAA (New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association) titles at 195 pounds in 2012 and 2013. Interestingly, one of the wrestlers Gross will be joining on the Rutgers wrestling roster: Anthony Messner, who Gross beat in the 2013 finals. Some wrestling fans may have a sense of déjà vu in reading about coach Goodale welcoming a former New Jersey mat champ who had a brush with the law after high school. Andrew Campolattano, four-time NJSIAA titlewinner who transferred to Rutgers after being dismissed from Ohio State two years ago over drug trafficking charges (which were later dropped). Campolattano ended up leaving the Scarlet Knights wrestling program to concentrate on academics. He recently graduated with a 3.2 grade-point-average, according to Goodale.

Now you can look like Shute from "Vision Quest" -- without pumping iron or stepping onto the mat. All you need is a unique T-shirt now available online at a brand-new, official website set up by Frank Jasper, the former wrestler/actor who played the undefeated state champion wrestler Brian Shute in the classic 1985 movie "Vision Quest." Wrestling fans can select from two unique "from the movie to the mat" designs. The "Shute" model features the iconic image of the muscular, menacing wrestler climbing the bleachers with a log across the back of his shoulders, with the word "Shute" written in a gold, hand-written script. Crafted of "Next Level" Tri-blend fabric, the "Shute" is available in black, red or gray, in sizes medium, large, XL, XXL or XXXL. The "Mat Monster" design shows Shute in a singlet with headgear, with red type that says "The Mat Monster." This shirt -- made from comfortable "Next Level" Tri-blend fabric -- is available in black or gray, in sizes medium, large, XL and XXL. Each shirt is priced at $25 each plus shipping and handling. A portion of the profit will be donated to wrestling community programs, Jasper told InterMat. If you need another reason to purchase from ShuteShirts.com: these shirts are the only ones available online direct from the guy who played Shute in the movie about a high school wrestler (Louden Swain, played by Matthew Modine) on a quest to beat the undefeated state champ. (You wouldn't want to make Shute mad by buying from someone else, would you?) Brian Shute trainingThe shirts made their debut at this weekend's 2016 World Cup freestyle wrestling event at the Forum in Los Angeles, according to Jasper. In addition to the new shirts, the new ShuteShirts.com website also has photos of Frank Jasper as Shute from "Vision Quest" … as well as links to media coverage of the former wrestler-turned-actor who is now operating Osani Holistic Health Care in Pacific Palisades, Calif. just outside Los Angeles. Additional features are in development for the website, including training tips, according to Jasper. Want to learn more about the guy who brought Shute to life in "Vision Quest"? Check out this April 2016 profile of Frank Jasper on InterMat.

Joey Davis, undefeated four-time NCAA Division II wrestling champ for Notre Dame College in Ohio, has signed a pro contract with the mixed martial arts organization Bellator, his hometown newspaper, the Compton Herald, reported Friday, and InterMat confirmed Saturday night. Joey Davis (Photo/Notre Dame College)"Nicknamed 'Iceman,' Davis, a four-time Division II NCAA champion at 184 pounds, plans on fighting in Bellator's 170-pound division," according to the Herald. "He will train at Antonio McKee's Body Shop gym." Davis told InterMat, "I'll say this I'm happy to join my family AJ McKee and Aaron Pico and Ed Ruth and try and make some more history God willing. I am truly blessed and grateful for this opportunity Bellator has given me. I have a great team and coach with Antonio McKee who's been my coach since I was 7 years old. He is awesome. We have Chase Gormley, Emanuel Newton, Bubba Jenkins, Kimbo Slice Jr., all who are talented so we will see." Davis completed his collegiate mat career in March by winning his fourth national title at the 2016 NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, closing with a perfect 131-0 overall record. With that championship, Davis became only the third college wrestler in NCAA competition to compile four national titles along with a perfect record ... and the first in Division II. The other two flawless four-timers: Cael Sanderson, who earned four Division I titles for Iowa State, and a 159-0 mark ... and Marcus LeVesseur of Augsburg College, tallying four D3 crowns, and a 155-0 record. In recent months, a number of athletes with amateur wrestling backgrounds have signed with Bellator MMA, including Aaron Pico; former Central Michigan heavyweight Jared Trice; Tyrell Fortune, heavyweight champ for the now-defunct wrestling program at Grand Canyon University; and Ed Ruth, three-time NCAA titlewinner for Penn State. Other past college mat stars now competing in Bellator include Chris Honeycutt, Paul Bradley, Mo Lawal, Phil Davis, Darrion Caldwell, and Bubba Jenkins.

LOS ANGELES -- Despite some amazing performances, the U.S. freestyle wrestling team lost two matches in the final day of the World Cup to finish in fourth place. Against Iran and Georgia, both matches ended with each team winning four bouts, but with USA earning fewer classification points and losing on criteria. There was a palpable anticipation at the Forum in Inglewood heading into the matchup between USA and Iran Sunday morning. Iran had won the last four World Cup titles and was a heavy favorite going into this weekend. The likelihood of Iran winning Pool B and advancing to the final became even greater when it was announced earlier this week that two members of USA's freestyle team would not be making the event. Two-time world bronze medalist Tervel Dlagnev had been battling injuries and standing Olympic gold medalist and three-time world champion Jordan Burroughs stayed in Nebraska with his wife to witness the delivery of his daughter, Ora. Without these two starters, it seemed like USA would struggle with success this weekend, but a strong first-day performance gave hope to USA Wrestling fans that they could stand atop the podium. Against Iran, the classification points came out to 17-15. The meet was decided at heavyweight where Olympic champion Jake Varner bumped up to 125 kilos and couldn't defeat Iran's Parviz Hadi, currently ranked 4th in the world at heavyweight. The meet was filled with back and forth action and exciting wrestling throughout. At 57 kilos, Daniel Dennis held a 2-1 lead over 2013 World Champ Hassan Rahimi, who remained composed and scored three takedowns second period to win 7-2. Masoud Esmaeeilpour earned four step-out points against Tony Ramos in the first period to go on to an 8-2 victory. Frank Molinaro celebrates after beating two-time world medalist Sayed Mohammadi of Iran (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Team USA earned an upset at 65 kilos when Frank Molinaro overcame a 3-0 deficit to win 4-3 over two time-world medalist Sayed Mohammadi. Mohammadi is currently ranked seventh in the world. "At that point (after the first period) I was a little bit nervous," said Molinaro. "I was like 'I'm too far behind. What am I going to do here?' But it comes down to what are you fighting for?" When asked how he scored the two takedowns, Molinaro said. "He stopped A. He stopped B. He stopped C. So I went to D." USA tied up the dual meet score 2-2 with a 5-2 win by James Green over Mostafa Hosseinkhani. The bout was tied 2-2, but Green was losing on criteria. He forced the action and got a shot clock point. When Hosseinkhani came after him in the closing seconds, Green countered and put the match away. "If I kept moving and clearing ties, I knew I could open him up," Said Green. "It's not really a strategy, it's just that you've got to keep marinating the guy. Wear that guy down, open him up and you get the takedowns." After a win by Iran at 74 kilos, USA tied up the team score again when J'den Cox beat No. 5 Ranked Alireza Karimi 6-2. Cox gave up the opening takedown, but kept his cool. "I just thought about it in compartments," said Cox. "I got taken down. The next thing is let's not give up four, only two. Get to your shot. I'm really good with my legs. I'm really good on defense. I waited for an opening for the last takedown and I took it." USA followed up Cox's win with and 8-1 victory by standing World Champ Kyle Snyder, but after that match, even though USA had a 4-3 match lead, the classification points were tied 14-14 meaning that everything would come down to heavyweight. Against Georgia in the bronze-medal match, Daniel Dennis opened the scoring against standing world champ Vladimer Khinchegashvili with a takedown followed by two gut wrenches. Behind 6-0, Khinchegashvili came back with a takedown and turn followed by a sequence in which Dennis got pinned. Ramos fell behind early against Beka Lomtadze but hit a wild four-point throw late in the second period to seemingly go ahead 5-4. A challenge and video review resulted in Lomtadze also scoring two points on the sequence, which gave him the win. Needing a win desperately, Team USA witnessed a remarkable comeback from Frank Molinaro as he defeated Zurabi Lakobishvili 4-4 on criteria. "I just think my persistence and being on him and got me that win," said Molinaro. "Not any particular skill. Just working hard." Molinaro finished 4-0 on the weekend. James Green was undefeated at the Freestyle World Cup (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Georgia's Davit Tlashadze, ranked No. 6 in the world, had been impressive at 70 kilos in the first three sessions but USA's James Green plowed through him with a 10-0 technical fall. "A lot of Europeans wrestle each other," said Green. "They don't get to wrestle guys like me that move around and bang on their heads. He wasn't used to it so I took advantage of it."' Alex Dieringer rebounded from a tough loss in the morning to win 10-1 over Jakob Makarashvili, ranked 14th in the world. "I just kept of the pressure the whole match," said Dieringer. "Sometimes foreigners break when you do that." Despite a late match rally, 86 kilos wrestler J'den Cox was unable to overcome a 4-0 first period deficit, and suffered his first loss of the weekend to Dato Marsagishvili 7-4. "When J'den is moving, he's got some magic in him," said U.S. coach Bruce Burnett. "But that guy tied him up. And he got started a little bit late." World champ Kyle Snyder electrified the crowd with a takedown in the last five seconds to beat Elizbar Odikadze 3-3 on criteria. "I've been there a couple times this year," said Synder. "It kind of stinks to be in that position, but I'm getting more used to it, wrestling tough guys." The win put Team USA up 4 matches to 3, but Georgia had the number one ranked heavyweight in the world, Geno Petriashvili, who defeated American Zack Rey 6-2. The win gave Georgia the victory 17-16 on criteria. "We've got to get better," said Burnett. "We got outsmarted in some of those matches. But at the same time we had some great performances. Right now we've got about 69 days to get ready for Rio. If you don't learn from this and you make the same mistakes again, then shame on you." 3rd Place Match United States 4 (16), Georgia 4 (17) 57 kilos: Vladimer Khinchegashvili (Georgia) fall Daniel Dennis (United States), 2:32 61 kilos: Beka Lomtadze (Georgia) dec. Tony Ramos (United States), 8-5 65 kilos: Frank Molinaro (United States) dec. Zurab Iakobishvili (Georgia), 4-4 70 kilos: James Green (United States) tech. fall David Tlashadze (Georgia), 10-0 74 kilos: Alex Dieringer (United States) dec. Yakob Makarashvili (Georgia), 10-1 86 kilos: Dato Marsigashvili (Georgia) dec. J'den Cox (United States), 7-4 97 kilos: Kyle Snyder (United States) dec. Elizbar Odikadze (Georgia), 3-3 125 kilos: Geno Petriashvili (Georgia) dec. Zack Rey (United States), 6-2 Pool Final United States 4 (15), Iran 4 (17) 57 kilos: Hassan Rahimi (Iran) dec. Daniel Dennis (United States), 7-2 61 kilos: Masoud Esmaeilpourjouybari (Iran) dec. Tony Ramos (United States), 8-2 65 kilos: Frank Molinaro (United States) dec. Sayed Mohammadi (Iran), 4-3 70 kilos: James Green (United States) dec. Moustafa Hosseinkhani (Iran), 5-2 74 kilos: Hassan Yazdanicharati (Iran) tech. fall Alex Dieringer (United States), 10-0 86 kilos: J'den Cox (United States) dec. Alireza Karimimachiani (Iran), 6-2 97 kilos: Kyle Snyder (United States) dec. Abbas Tahan (Iran), 8-1 125 kilos: Parviz Hadi (Iran) dec. Jake Varner (United States), 3-1

LOS ANGELES -- It was a near perfect day for the U.S. freestyle wrestling team on Day 1 of the Freestyle World Cup in Los Angeles. The Americans defeated India in the first session 7-1 and shut out Azerbaijan in the second session 8-0. "I feel really good about what we accomplished today," said coach Bruce Burnett. "Hopefully we can build on that and come back tomorrow strong. We started off scoring a lot of points and continued that effort." Alex Dieringer, filling in for Jordan Burroughs, went 1-1 at 74 kilos on the opening day of the Freestyle World Cup in Los Angeles (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)In the first session, Team USA was impressive up and down the lineup. America's lone loss came at 74 kilos, where 2016 Hodge Trophy winner Alex Dieringer lost on criteria 4-4 to Rana Paraveen. Dieringer held a 3-0 lead after the first period but Paraveen scored two takedowns to go ahead 4-3. Dieringer tied the score with a pushout, but was losing on criteria. In the closing seconds of the second period, Dieringer seemingly scored a takedown but it was subsequently waved off. Team USA requested a video review and the crowd erupted when the monitor showed Paraveen's knee had touched the mat (takedown criteria) - but the score was upheld. "It was a screwy call," said Dieringer. "He for sure touched his knee in that match. You can't leave it in the hands of the judges. I shouldn't have given up those two takedowns in the second period." After competing at 57 kilos for USA for the past two years, Tony Ramos earned his first win at 61 kilos, defeating India's Bajrang 3-3 on criteria. Bajrang was fifth at the 2015 World Championships in Las Vegas last September. "I feel like I've gone up a whole level. More creative. More mat savvy. It's my new training situation. New motivation. New mind. " Despite his success at 61 kilos, he isn't sure if he will remain at the weight class and try and make the team to compete in the world championships in December (for non-Olympic weights). "Undecided," he said. "Right now, I'm leaning more towards 'no' but I've got to figure it out." A tight match was expected against Azerbaijan after they lost a close match to four-time reigning World Cup champion Iran in a meet which came down to heavyweight, but USA won all eight matches. Daniel Dennis looked methodical as he rolled to a second period 10-0 tech fall of Makhmud Magomedov. "It's just walking down the path that is going to lead you to your goal. This is just another step," said Dennis about the World Cup. "It's fun in a competition like this where you know who your next opponent is going to be." James Green, who won 10-0 in both his bouts said he felt strong back at 70 kilos, where he was a world bronze medalist last fall. After trying to make the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team at 65 kilos, James Green said he felt better back at 70 kilos "Now I'm feeling good again," Green said after his second win of the day. "Lot of pop, lot of motion. Just back to my old ways. It feels great." J'den Cox defeated world No. 3 Aleksandr Gostiyev at 86 kilos (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Perhaps the match of the day belonged to J'den Cox. Down 2-0 heading into the second period, Cox came back to defeat the No. 3 wrestler in the world at 86 kilos, Aleksandr Gostiyev 3-2. Standing World champ Kyle Snyder also won a close match, 2-1, over Aslan Alborov. "Being able to win those one point matches and control the match at the end and come away with the victory. Those one-point wins become very important," said Coach Burnett. "That's a big lift for us and we feel really good about where we are right now." On the day, Team USA outscored its opponents 101-17. USA will face Iran for their final dual meet within their pool Sunday morning and will wrestle for either the bronze or gold medal match in the fourth and final session. Perhaps what's most surprising about USA's dominance at the World Cup is that is has been accomplished without America's best freestyle wrestler. Four-time gold medalist Jordan Burroughs had to skip the event at the last minute in order to be with his wife as she gave birth to their second child. Ora Burroughs was born at 4:45 a.m. on Saturday. United States 8, Azerbaijan 0 57 kilos: Daniel Dennis (United States) tech. fall Makhmud Magomedov (Azerbaijan), 10-0 61 kilos: Tony Ramos (United States) dec. Akhmednabi Gvarzatilov (Azerbaijan), 10-4 65 kilos: Frank Molinaro (United States) dec. Magomed Muslimov (Azerbaijan), 4-1 70 kilos: James Green (United States) tech. fall Gadzhimurad Omarov (Azerbaijan), 10-0 74 kilos: Alex Dieringer (United States) dec. Ashraf Aliyev (Azerbaijan), 8-0 86 kilos: J'den Cox (United States) dec. Alexander Gostiev (Azerbaijan), 3-2 97 kilos: Kyle Snyder (United States) dec. Aslanbek Alborov (Azerbaijan), 2-1 125 kilos: Jake Varner (United States) tech. fall Said Gamidov (Azerbaijan), 10-0 United States 7, India 1 57 kilos: Daniel Dennis (United States) forfeit (India) 61 kilos: Tony Ramos (United States) dec. Bajrang (India), 3-3 65 kilos: Frank Molinaro (United States) dec. Rajneesh (India), 5-0 70 kilos: James Green (United States) tech. fall Vinod Kumar (India), 10-0 74 kilos: Parveen Rana (India) dec. Alex Dieringer (United States), 4-4 86 kilos: J'den Cox (United States) tech. fall Pawan Kumar (India), 13-2 97 kilos: Kyle Snyder (United States) tech. fall Kadian Satywart (India), 10-0 125 kilos: Jake Varner (United States) forfeit (India)

JaMarr Billman may be returning to his high school alma mater to become the head wrestling coach at Easton Area High School, according to news reports Friday from two Pennsylvania newspapers, the Allentown Morning Call and the Easton Express-Times. Billman was a two-time Pennsylvania state champ at Easton before going on to Penn State, then Lock Haven University. The two Lehigh Valley newspapers presented the "return of Billman" news with varying degrees of confidence. The Express-Times opened its story with this assertive statement: "Easton's new wrestling coach definitely comes from the Red Rovers family. "Jamarr Billman will succeed Steve Powell as the head wrestling coach at Easton Area High School, according to several sources with knowledge of the situation." The Morning Call was a bit hedgier, making it clear that any announcement regarding Billman's hiring would have to wait at least a week. Easton's athletic director, Jim Pokrivsak, would not name names, but said, "All I can say is we contacted a candidate about the job. We had 17 applicants and two withdrew. We interviewed five of them and brought two back for second interviews. "We should get confirmation back from the candidate about whether he's going to take the position by Monday or Tuesday for sure. And then as long as he's approved by the school board [at its June 21 meeting], everything should be fine. Until then, everything is tentative. So we're not done with the process." Neither paper was able to reach Billman for comment. Billman does not have head coaching experience, but has served as an assistant coach at Wilson Area High School, and prior to that, as an assistant under Powell at Easton. Billman graduated from Easton in 1997, where he was a three-time District 11 champ and two-time Northeast Region champ. In addition, he was a four-time PIAA (Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association) placewinner, winning back-to-back state titles in 1996 and 1997. Billman launched his collegiate career at Penn State, where he was Big Ten freshman of the year, placing fifth at 142 pounds at the 1998 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. He then transferred to Lock Haven where he completed a 61-7 record and finished fifth in the NCAA championships at 149 pounds in 2001 and 2002, becoming a three-time NCAA All-American. Billman's overall collegiate record was 117-13.

Yet another University of Oklahoma mat alum has joined the coaching staff at Northwestern University, as former Sooner champ Cody Brewer is now the volunteer assistant for the Wildcats. Cody Brewer was a four-time All-American and 2015 NCAA champion (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Brewer, 2015 NCAA Division I titlewinner for Oklahoma, joins fellow former Sooners Matt Storniolo (head coach) and Andrew Howe (assistant coach) at the Big Ten school located in Evanston, Illinois. In addition to claiming the 133-pound crown at the 2015 Nationals, Brewer was a four-time Big 12 finalist, winning the conference title twice. The Kansas City, Missouri native completed his career with a 95-22 record, getting bonus points in 68 of those wins. Beyond success on the mat, Brewer was twice named to the All-Big 12 Academic First Team. "It is not often that you get to announce the addition of a four-time All-American and national champ to a coaching staff, and we have done that twice in a month," Storniolo said, referring to Andrew Howe, who joined the Northwestern staff in mid-May. "Cody is excited to have the opportunity to join the Wildcat family, and we are excited to welcome him. He will make an immediate impact on the Northwestern wrestling program."