InterMat Staff

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- One of the world's top young wrestling stars, 19-year-old Aaron Pico (Whittier, Calif./Titan Mercury WC), will compete in his native Southern California for the United States at the 2016 Men's Freestyle Wrestling World Cup at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., June 11-12. Aaron Pico (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)The Freestyle Wrestling World Cup is one of the most important international events each year. Alongside Pico, members of the U.S. Olympic freestyle team will be on the U.S., in their final competition before heading to the Rio Olympic Games. "I am super excited to be competing on the World Cup team. Anytime you can represent your country internationally is an honor," said Pico."The fact that this will be held in the USA is awesome. I will be part of a great team which will have members of the Olympic Team on it. I am going to focus on getting ready for the World Cup and putting on a great show." The World Cup is the annual international dual meet championships, as the eight best men's freestyle teams will compete against each other. At the 2016 World Cup, the United States will be up against (alphabetically): Azerbaijan, Georgia, India, Iran, Mongolia, Russia and Turkey. Pico has been one of the nation's best young stars, winning a Cadet World title in 2013, a Junior World silver medal in 2014 and a Junior World bronze medal in 2015. He has also won numerous medals on the Senior level, competing against many of the best Olympic-caliber wrestlers in the world. Pico also boasts USA Wrestling age-group national titles on the Cadet and Junior levels. Pico is coming off an impressive second-place finish at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City, Iowaat the 65 kg/143 lb. weight class. Seeded seventh, Pico knocked off three of thetop wrestlers - Jayson Ness, Jordan Oliver and Reece Humphrey - to reach the finals. He dropped an extremely close three-match Championship Series to Frank Molinaro (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC) to finish as the runner-up. "I came up short at the Olympic Trials, butI wrestled my heart out and put on a great show," said Pico."I still have Olympic goals. As the Olympic alternate, I am ready to go at all times. I will stay in great shape and be ready, in case something happens and I get to go to Rio." Pico will compete at 70 kg/154 lbs. at the World Cup, a non-Olympic weight class where he has won a number of international medals. This will be his first World Cup appearance, although he was a member of the U.S. team and trained for the tournament at the 2015 World Cup also held at the Forum in Inglewood. This will be Pico'sfirst competition in California since 2013, when he won the California state high school title for St. John Bosco High School. Following the 2013 season, Picoceased competing in high school wrestling to concentrate full-time on international freestyle wrestling and his Olympic dream. "This is in my backyard. I'm a local kid, and it will be great to have my family and friends here to support me. I am excited to compete," said Pico."I have so many fans in California. I have done a lot of clinics all across the state. I expect a lot of these fans to be there to support me and the USA team." The rest of the U.S. team is being finalized at this time, and will be announced when available. This is the last chance forfans to see these world-class athletes in action one more time before the Summer Olympics. Attendees can purchase tickets for the popular international competition through Ticketmaster. Teams will be randomly drawn into the two pools, which will be announced prior to the start of the competition. For more information, visit: www.wrestlingworldcup.com The local organizing committee benefits from the talent and membership of Beat the Streets Los Angeles, California USA Wrestling, the Titan Mercury Wrestling Club and other premiere Los Angeles-based sports organizations. The Freestyle World Cup was developed in 1973 in the United States, which has hosted the event 28 times since its inception - more times than any other nation. FREESTYLE WRESTLING WORLD CUP SCHEDULE Saturday, June 11 Session I - Round 1 &2 of Pools (3p.m.-7:30p.m.) Sunday, June 12 Session II - Round 3 of Pools, 5th& 7th Place Matches (11a.m.-2:30p.m.) Session III - 3rd Place Match, followed by 1st Place Match (5p.m.-7:30p.m.) General admission for both the Saturday and Sunday sessions are just $60 total or $35 for individual days. Preferred seating options are available for $85 for both Saturday and Sunday, or $55 individually.

The National Wrestling Coaches Association has named Pat Simpson of Father Ryan High School in Nashville, Tenn. as Head Coach of the Year, and Doug Tovey of Hermiston High School in Hermiston, Ore. as selected Assistant Coach of the Year, the organization announced . Winners were selected from a pool of state and regional winners by the NWCA's Scholastic Board of Directors. "Both Coach Simpson and Coach Tovey have long careers in coaching at the high school level and have served as tremendous mentors for our next generation of teachers and coaches," said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. "One of the hardest things about recognizing great scholastic coaches is there are so many viable and deserving coaches to consider." Simpson has coached at Father Ryan for 38 years. The long-time coach had considered the 2015-16 team his best, having posted a 22-0 record and claimed state championships at the Division II individual and dual tournaments, having topped another state power, Baylor, was the second largest margin in state duals history. Tovey has served as a coach for 27 years, with the last four at Hermiston. This past season, the Bulldogs went 17-2, including a 5-1 record at The Clash National Wrestling Duals in Minnesota. Tovey helped Hermiston claim the 5A state championships, with eight individual placewinners, seven finalists and four state champions. NWCA Scholastic Head Coach of the Year Sectional Winners Section 1: John Stout, Southern Regional H.S., Manahawkin, N.J. Section 2: Bill Swink, Colonial Forge H.S., Stafford, Va. Section 3: Pat Simpson, Father Ryan H.S., Nashville, Tenn. Section 4: Travis Young, Valley H.S., West Des Moines, Iowa Section 5: Tyler Herman, Amherst H.S., Amherst, Neb. Section 6: Matt Surber, Tuttle H.S., Tuttle, Okla. Section 7: Troy Tirapelle, Buchanan H.S., Clovis, Calif. Section 8: Craig Hanson, East Valley H.S., Spokane, Wash. NWCA Scholastic Assistant Coach of the Year Sectional Winners Section 1: Robert Zetzsche, Newark Valley H.S., Newark Valley, N.Y. Section 2: Chris Chidlaw, Elyria H.S., Elyria, Ohio Section 3: Caleb Myeers, Science Hill H.S., Johnson City, Tenn. Section 4: Dion Cobb, Valley H.S., West Des Moines, Iowa Section 5: Chad Olson, Kenyon-Wanamingo H.S., Kenyon, Minn. Section 6: Jimmy Filippo, Tuttle H.S., Tuttle, Okla. Section 7: Paul Vasquez, Ironwood Ridge H.S., Oro Valley, Ariz. Section 8: Doug Tovey, Hermiston H.S., Hermiston, Ore. NWCA Scholastic Head Coach of the Year State Winners Alabama: Steve Burrough, Oak Mt High School Alaska: Michael Kimber, Mt. Edgecumbe High School Arizona: Eric Brenton, Liberty High School Arkansas: Jayson Howard, Greenbriar California: Troy Tirapelle, buchanan high school Colorado: Eddie Soto, Pueblo County High School Delaware: Don Parsley, Milfor H.S. Florida: Kris Hayward, Riverdale High School Georgia: Kendall Love, Commerce High School Hawaii: Walden Au, Iolani School, HI Idaho: Jeff Klotzer, Caldwell High School Illinois: Keith Healy, Providence Catholic HS Indiana: Brett Smith, Prairie Heights H.S. Iowa: Travis Young, Valley High School (WDM) Kansas: Carlos Prieto, Garden City High School Kentucky: Aaron Riordan, Oldham County High School Louisiana: Rod Cusachs, De La Salle Maine: Temey S. Noyes + Brooks Thompson, Skowhegan High Maryland: Bryan Hamper, South Carroll Massachusetts: Bruce Rich, Chelmsford HS Michigan: Tim Roberts, Dundee High Schoo Minnesota: Matt Ryan, Kenyon-Wanamingo Missouri: Taylor Middleton, Smithville Montana: Bob Owen, Polson Nebraska: Tyler Herman, Amherst High School Nevada: Joe Imelli, Spanish Springs HIgh School New Hampshire: Bob Gannon, Campbell High School New Jersey: John Stout, Southern Regional High School New Mexico: Lee Chaves, Belen High School New Mexico: Corey Anderson, Cleveland High School New York: Brian Uvena, North Babylon High School North Carolina: Bill Edmundson, Rosewood High School Ohio: Todd Haverdill, Brecksville HS Oklahoma: Matt Surber, Tuttle HighSchool Oregon: Luke Cleaver, Nyssa High School Pennsylvania: Dave Klepfer, Brookville South Carolina: Chad Singleton, Dorman High South Dakota: Shawn Lewis, Riggs HIGH Tennessee: Patrick Simpson, Father Ryan H.S. Texas: Shane Seleznoff, Heath Utah: Jake Woolstenhulme, South Summit High School Vermont: Scott Legacy, Mt. Anthony Union HS Virginia: Bill Swink, Colonial Forge HS Washington: Craig Hanson, East Valley Spokane West Virginia: Cliff Warden, Independence Wisconsin: Jeff Matczak, Kaukauna Wyoming: Tom Seamans, Campbell County HS NWCA Scholastic Assistant Coach of the Year State Winners Alabama: John Daly, Athens High School Alaska: Michael "Bubba" Wells, Homer High School Arizona: Paul Vasquez, Ironwood Ridge HS Arkansas: Chuck Mackey, Har-Ber California: Buchannan HS Staff, Buchanan High School Colorado: Josh Weissman, Poudre High School Delaware: Luke Pierson, Milford H.S. Florida: William Hunter Hill, Clay High School Georgia: Rusty Transue, North Forsyth High School Hawaii: Wayne Ibarra, Idaho: Zach Horsley , Lakeland High School Illinois: Nich Miller, Washington Indiana: Ken Zuber, Evansville Memorial Iowa: Dion Cobb, Valley High School Kansas: Cade Blair, Andover High School Kentucky: Garret Headley, Henry Clay Louisiana: J P Pierre, Brother Martin Maine: Jim Smith, Biddeford High School Maryland: Ed Obendorfer, Damascus Massachusetts: Annie Staulo, Newton North Michigan: Scott Warren, Lakewood High School Minnesota: Chad Olson, Kenyon-Wanamingo Missouri: Kevin Durbin, Seneca Montana: Cody Turnquist, Billings Senior Nebraska: Scott DeLong, Filmore Central High School Nevada: Dan Shaw, Fallon High School New Hampshire: Jeff Sellars, Milford High School New Jersey: Dan Roy, Southern Regional High School New Mexico: Mark Pratt, Hobbs High School New York: Robert Zetzsche , Newark Valley High School North Carolina: Mike Turner, West Forsyth High School Ohio: Chris Chidlaw, Elyria HS Oklahoma: Jimmy Filippo, Tuttle Oregon: Doug Tovey, Hermiston High School Pennsylvania: Nick Deloia, Brookville South Carolina: Chris Pannebaker, Dorman High South Dakota: John Kalda, Riggs Tennessee: Caleb Myers, Science Hill H.S. Texas: Gabe Reyes, Prosper Utah: Bob Piscatelli, Wasatch High School Vermont: Nick Mayer, Mt. Anthony Union HS Virginia: Carlos Eason, Great Bridge Washington: Dave Laird, Ephrata West Virginia: Jory Whorton, East Fairmont Wisconsin: Joel Kuhl, Two Rivers Wyoming: Tim Flynn

The 2015-16 scholastic wrestling season marked the sixth year of the InterMat Fab 50 national high school wrestling team rankings. Even in what would seem like such a small sample size, one can make conclusions about the overall landscape of high school wrestling. One should take into consideration that six seasons reflects the full high school experience for three different graduating classes, and that nine graduating classes in all have participated in high school during those years. Coach Scott Green has guided Wyoming Seminary (Pa.) to national top-10 finishes in each of the past five seasons (Photo/Juan Garcia)Last year's longitudinal study of the Fab 50 national team rankings identified eleven schools that have appeared in the rankings each of the previous five seasons (2011-15) of the rankings' existence. From that group, eight teams ended this season ranked, which means they have now been ranked at the end of the last six seasons. Four additional teams have ended the last five seasons (2012-16) ranked within the Fab 50, which makes it twelve teams that have been ranked each of the last five seasons. Outside of the three teams that were ranked in the five previous seasons, but were not ranked at the end of this one, another pair of teams have appeared in the final rankings five times in the last six seasons. This reflects seventeen schools that have ended the season ranked five times in the last six years. The following eight programs have been ranked at the end of each of the last six seasons: Blair Academy, N.J. (2011: 2nd, 2012: 1st, 2013: 1st, 2014: 1st, 2015: 3rd, 2016: 1st) St. Paris Graham, Ohio (4th, 8th, 5th, 6th, 1st, 3rd) Wyoming Seminary, Pa. (11th, 9th, 2nd, 4th, 4th, 2nd) Clovis, Calif. (7th, 5th, 8th, 3rd, 5th, 9th) Apple Valley, Minn. (1st, 3rd, 13th, 5th, 17th, 14th) Bethlehem Catholic, Pa. (21st, 12th, 20th, 13th, 9th, 6th) St. Edward, Ohio (5th, 2nd, 4th, 50th, 15th, 7th) Montini Catholic, Ill. (28th, 26th, 12th, 18th, 16th, 39th) Six of the ten programs ranked in the top ten nationally this season have been nationally ranked in each of the last six seasons; Blair Academy, St. Paris Graham, and Clovis have been top ten in the country each of those seasons. These four additional programs have ended the last five seasons in the Fab 50: Oak Park River Forest, Ill. (2012: 31st, 2013: 11th, 2014: 3rd, 2015: 2nd, 2016: 8th) Southeast Polk, Iowa (13th, 17th, 22nd, 7th, 30th) Poway, Calif. (21st, 23rd, 32nd, 8th, 13th) Tuttle, Okla. (28th, 41st, 31st, 23rd, 11th) An additional pair of Illinois programs have ended five of the last six seasons within the Fab 50 rankings: Carl Sandburg (2011: 26th, 2012: 36th, 2013: 9th, 2014: NR, 2015: 19th, 2016: 16th) Marmion Academy (16th, NR, 26th, 27th, 32nd, 15th) Three teams saw their five-year runs of ending the season within the Fab 50 rankings come to an end this past season: Bettendorf (Iowa), Broken Arrow (Okla.), and Massillon Perry (Ohio) Two teams have been ranked in the Fab 50 at the end of each of the last four seasons: Bergen Catholic, N.J. (2013: 34th, 2014: 9th, 2015: 10th, 2016: 4th) Archer, Ga. (48th, 10th, 11th, 25th) Bergen Catholic and Oak Park River Forest have ended three straight seasons in the top ten of the national team rankings, while Wyoming Seminary has been top ten in the last five seasons, to join the three schools that have been ranked top ten in all six seasons. Basically demonstrating the monopolistic nature of the mega-programs in the national high school wrestling landscape. Three other teams were ranked at the end of this season, which made it four times ranked in the last six seasons: St. Michael-Albertville, Minn. (2011: NR, 2012: 42nd, 2013: 10th, 2014: NR, 2015: 21st, 2016: 19th) Allen, Texas (36th, 23rd, 15th, NR, NR, 26th) Lowell, Mich. (NR, 24th, NR, 16th, 25th, 48th) In addition, three schools were ranked from 2011-2014 but have not ended the last two ranked. Those being Brandon (Fla.), Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.), and St. Johns (Mich.). Look for Detroit Catholic Central to make a strong return to the national rankings in the coming season, as the Shamrocks return five wrestlers that won state titles in early March. During the past season, four programs saw their three-year strings of ending the season nationally ranked come to an end: Bound Brook (N.J.), Brecksville (Ohio), Don Bosco Prep (N.J.), and Franklin Regional (Pa.). Another pair of programs made it three consecutive years as nationally ranked teams: Buchanan, Calif. (2014: 39th, 2015: 12th, 2016: 5th) Delta, Ohio (46th, 31st, 24th) Three other teams appeared in the final rankings for the third time in six seasons: Kasson-Mantorville, Minn. (2011: 44th, 2012: NR, 2013: 24th, 2014: NR, 2015: NR, 2016: 27th) Nazareth, Pa. (32nd, NR, NR, 25th, NR, 21st) Neosho, Mo. (33rd, NR, NR, NR, 18th, 43rd) Early indicators suggest that Buchanan will be in top ten contention again next season, while Nazareth is likely to make the leap into that type of position. It should also be noted that eight other teams were not ranked this season, but also have ended three previous seasons in the InterMat Fab 50 national team rankings. Looking at the 26 other teams that appeared in this year's final Fab 50, three of them were ranked for a second straight season, another three teams were ranked for the second time in the six-year history of the Fab 50, while for 20 teams it was their first time ending the season as a nationally ranked squad. Those with back-to-back Fab 50 appearances were Belle Vernon (38th, 10th), Boyertown (43rd, 22nd), and Elyria (33rd, 20th). For No. 28 Camden County (40th in 2012), No. 36 Park Hill (3rd in 2013), and No. 50 Good Counsel (42nd in 2013) it marked a return to the rankings after some hiatus. Four of the 20 debut teams were within the top 25 of the national rankings (No. 12 Lake Highland Prep, No. 17 Washington, No. 18 Mt. Carmel, and No. 23 Malvern Prep); while the other 16 fit into the final 22 spots of the rankings (29th through 50th). In addition to identifying programs of excellence, a longitudinal analysis of the Fab 50 rankings can identify some trends, which can help provide an assessment of what to expect for the following year of the national team rankings. The presence of 20 debut teams in the final Fab 50 was the highest number in the history of the rankings, outside of the first year where every team was technically making its debut. The four seasons prior to this one saw anywhere from 13-to-18 schools making their first appearance in the end of season rankings, with the numbers on an overall downward trend, as one would expect on a year-to-year basis: 2012: 18, 2013: 15, 2014: 16, 2015: 13 The following is an exhibit showing the relative position for these debutant schools. Furthermore, the highest ranking for a school in its initial Fab 50 appearance was eleventh, achieved by Stillwater (Okla.) To illustrate further the extreme turnover within the national rankings during the 2015-16 season, here is a chart illustrating the number of schools that were ranked in certain tiers of the rankings in the previous season that did not return to the national rankings in the (following) listed season. The four seasons prior to this one saw either 18 or 19 schools that were ranked the previous season not end that next season in the rankings. On the other hand, 26 teams that were ranked in 2014-15 did not end the 2015-16 season in the final Fab 50. During the last five years of compiling the Fab 50 national team rankings, 132 different schools from 27 states have appeared in the season-end rankings. The following are some "by the numbers" observations about the rankings. 56 = schools that have been ranked at the end of just one season 34 = schools that have been ranked at the end of exactly two seasons 17 = number of different schools to end the season ranked from Pennsylvania, which is the most of any state (11 different New Jersey and Ohio are next in line) 1 = number of unique schools to be ranked from Arizona, Delaware, Kansas, Nebraska, Texas, and Tennessee 0 = schools to appear in the end of season national team rankings from Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Hawaii, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Mississippi (doesn't have high school wrestling), Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

Evan HendersonBUIES CREEK, N.C. -- Campbell wrestling head coach Cary Kolat announced a new addition to his coaching staff on Tuesday afternoon. Joining the Fighting Camels coaching ranks is UNC Chapel Hill graduate Evan Henderson. Henderson joins the Fighting Camels in his first assistant coach position after wrestling at North Carolina. He collected a 125-35 career record as a Tar Heel achieving All-American honors twice during his career. He qualified for the NCAA Wrestling National Championships all four years of his wrestling career. Henderson wrestled for the Tar Heels from 2011 to 2016 including a redshirt year (2014-15) in the 141 and 149-pound weight classes. He is a two-time ACC Champion claiming the 2016 ACC title at 149 pounds and the 2013 title at 141-pounds. "We are very happy to have Evan joining the coaching staff here at Campbell University," said head coach Cary Kolat. "He will be an asset for our middleweight athletes while he trains for the 2020 Olympic team and world teams in between. We are committed to helping Evan reach his competitive goals as much as he is committed to helping our team advance and succeed." The Johnstown, Pennsylvania native has a twin brother Robert who also wrestled at UNC and is the son of Allen and Lydia Henderson.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN -- The life of University of Minnesota head wrestling coach J Robinson will take center stage in an upcoming feature-length documentary film, J Robinson: Full Circle, which will premiere on May 3, 2016, streaming online at jrobinsonfullcircle.com. Directed by independent filmmaker Ryan Leer, the documentary traces Robinson's life from childhood through the present, offering unprecedented access to one of the most influential personalities in the sport. The film chronicles multiple stages of Robinson's life, examining how his experiences, including his abrupt exit from the University of Iowa's wrestling program, led to the creation and development of one of the most highly regarded wrestling camp systems in the country, J Robinson Intensive Wrestling Camps. J Robinson talks to Skyler Petry during a dual meet in Minneapolis (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)Through Oklahoma State University, the U.S. Army as an Airborne Ranger, the Munich Olympics, the University of Iowa, and the University of Minnesota, Robinson has forged an enduring legacy in the sport of wrestling. This film offers a retrospective examination of his life, mirroring his successes and failures to the experience of attending an Intensive Camp, embodied by the ups and downs of two high school wrestlers from Pennsylvania at the 28-Day Intensive Camp. The film was shot and produced over the course of two years and includes a series of in-depth interviews with wrestling legends Dan Gable and Bruce Baumgartner, members of Robinson's family, camp staff, the two high school wrestlers, and their high school coach, Brad Silimperi, himself an Intensive Camp graduate from 1987 Now entering its 38th year, J Robinson Intensive Camps (JRIC) has trained more than 35,000 wrestlers with a training philosophy that focuses on developing technical skill, physical preparation, building mental toughness, and life skills. Founded in 1978 by current University of Minnesota Head Wrestling Coach J Robinson, JRIC now operates 11 summer wrestling camps in 7 states across the country. For more information, please call 612.349.6585 or visit jrobinsoncamps.com.

Add Jarod Trice's name to the list of accomplished amateur wrestlers to commit to a professional mixed martial arts career. Jarod TriceTrice, three-time NCAA All-American heavyweight wrestler at Central Michigan, has signed a contract with Bellator MMA, the organization announced Monday. Bellator described the deal as "an exclusive, multi-fight contract." Specifics of the deal were not revealed. Trice, 27, was a thrice an All-American at Central Michigan in the 285-pound weight class, placing sixth at the 2013 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, fourth in the 2011 NCAAs, and eighth in 2010. In addition, the Highland Park, Michigan native was a 2011 MAC (Mid-American Conference) champion, and twice a titlewinner at the prestigious Midlands Classic at Northwestern University. Beyond his collegiate mat career with the CMU Chippewa, Trice has made a name for himself in Greco-Roman wrestling. He was a three-time University Nationals champion, winning both Greco and freestyle in 2010, and adding a Greco-Roman title in 2015 and the Outstanding Wrestler Award. He achieved great success at both 120 kilograms (264.5 pounds) and 98 kilos (216 pounds) after an impressive 50-pound weight-loss transformation. Trice recently competed in the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Greco-Roman at 98 kilos. Trice is the latest amateur wrestling star to sign with Bellator, joining Ed Ruth, Tyrell Fortune and Aaron Pico who joined the organization in the past year. As the MMA website Sherdog.com wrote in its announcement, "Those fighters have yet to set foot inside the cage, but Trice may be on the fast track to fighting, as Bellator stated that he could debut by the end of 2016." "Following in the footsteps of guys like Ruth and Fortune to Bellator MMA was a no-brainer for me," Trice said in a statement. "(Bellator President) Scott Coker is a promoter that treats the fighters with so much respect, and dealing with him and his team through this signing process has been amazing. I'm really looking forward to fighting for Coker, the Bellator promotion, and for every wrestling and MMA fan out there before the end of the year. If you aren't familiar with my name yet, you will be as soon as I get in that cage." "We're excited to be adding yet another world-class wrestling talent to our ever-growing roster of fighters here at Bellator," said Coker. "I've always taken great pride in our ability to identify and build stars in this business, and I have great confidence that we've found a gem in Jarod Trice."

STILLWATER, Okla. -- The National Wrestling Hall of Fame announced on Monday that its Board of Governors has unanimously passed a resolution to revoke all honors bestowed upon Dennis Hastert by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. The Board of Governors decision comes after a complete and thorough review by the NWHOF Ethics Committee that concluded Hastert acted in a manner considered detrimental to the ideals and objectives and contrary to the mission statement of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, and his actions were grounds for removal in accordance with the NWHOF Ethics Policy. "In the 40 years since it was founded, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame has never had to remove an individual who had received one of its highest awards," said Lee Roy Smith, Executive Director. "When the NWHOF learned of the charges against Dennis Hastert, the ethics committee decided that the United States court system should determine the veracity of the charges. The NWHOF wanted to ensure that Mr. Hastert received due process and his day in court before a course of action was recommended to the Board of Governors." The awards that have been removed are the Order of Merit and the Outstanding American awards presented by the NWHOF in 1995 and 2000, the Outstanding American award presented by the Illinois Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2003, and the Sport of Lincoln Award presented by the Dan Gable Museum in 2009. National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum America's shrine to the sport of wrestling, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum was founded as a nonprofit organization in 1976 to honor the sport of wrestling, preserve its history, recognize extraordinary individual achievements, and inspire future generations. With museums in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and Waterloo, Iowa, the Hall of Fame has the largest collection of wrestling artifacts and memorabilia in the world including the Hall of Honors in Stillwater, Oklahoma, where wrestling legends are enshrined at the national, regional, and state level. The rich heritage and diversity of the sport will be highlighted throughout the newly-renovated museum. There is also a library featuring historical documents and books on the sport as well as a theater. The Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Oklahoma, is currently closed to visitors while undergoing an entire interior renovation. It is scheduled to re-open on June 3-4, 2016, just in time to celebrate its 40th anniversary at the annual Honors Weekend induction ceremonies. For more information about the Hall of Fame, please visit www.NWHOF.org.

Potential future collegiate wrestling stars for Penn State, University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, Utah Valley University, Campbellsville University, King University and University of the Cumberlands are among the finalists for the 2016 Dave Schultz High School Excellence Awards and Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Awards announced by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Oklahoma Friday. Penn State recruits Mark Hall II and Nick Suriano, future Utah Valley wrestler Taylor LaMont, Cavalier recruit Jack Mueller, and Virginia Tech signee Kyle Norstrem are the five regional finalists for the 2016 Dave Schultz award, while Campbellsville recruit Katie Brock, Cumberlands signee Payton Rigert, and future King wrestler Gabby Garcia are among those in the running for the 2016 Tricia Saunders award. Winners will be announced on Thursday, May 5, with awards to be presented at Honors Weekend at the Stillwater Hall of Fame June 3-4. 2016 Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award Regional winners Winner of the West Region, Taylor LaMont of Mapleton, Utah is a four-time state champion, who was 66-0 with 53 pins as a senior for Maple Mountain High School in Spanish Fork, Utah. He was Academic All-State with a 3.97 GPA and a nominee for the Utah Governor High School Male Athlete of the State. He has signed a letter of intent to wrestle for Utah Valley University. Central Region winner Jack Mueller of Dallas, Texas is a four-time state champion, who was undefeated as a senior at Trinity Christian Academy in Addison, Texas. Mueller is a member of the Lead Team at Watermark Community Church, an organization that helped facilitate vacation Bible school for children in inner city Dallas, as well as volunteering with Young Men's Service League, a group that tutors youth, serves meals to the homeless, and assists the elderly. He will be wrestling at the University of Virginia. Mark Hall of Apple Valley, Minnesota -- winner of the Midwest Region -- is the first six-time state champion, finishing with a career record of 277-4, including 171 consecutive wins. He has a GPA of 3.72 and has volunteered with Habitat for Humanity and Mary's Place, which offers transitional apartments for homeless families with children. Hall has signed a letter of intent to wrestle at Penn State. Representing the Northeast Region is Nick Suriano of Paramus, New Jersey, a four-time state champion and only the second wrestler in history to finish his career without a loss, going 159-0 for Bergen Catholic High School in Oradell, New Jersey, where he does volunteer work. Suriano will wrestle at Penn State. Kyle Norstrem of Valrico, Florida -- chosen to represent the Southeast Region -- is a five-time state champion, with a career record of 287-3-5. He won his first state title after going 41-1 as an eighth grader at Tampa Bay Christian, and captured his next four championships at Brandon High School where he was 246-2. Norstrem has volunteered at fundraisers for the YMCA, and has worked as a volunteer tutor to assist fellow students in mathematics. He has committed to wrestle at Virginia Tech. 2016 Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award nominees Alaska: Roberta Christopher of New Stuyahok, Alaska won the state championship and is the student government president for Chief Ivan Blunka School. California: Gabby Garcia of Anaheim, California is a four-time state champion for Valencia High School in Placentia, California. She has signed a letter of intent to wrestle for King University. Hawaii: Teshya Alo of Honolulu is a four-time state champion for Kamehameha High School. She won the U.S. Nationals/Trials Qualifier in 2015, defeating 2012 Olympian Kelsey Campbell in the finals. Oregon: Payton Rigert of Hood River, Oregon won three state championships and finished runner-up once while helping Hood River Valley High School capture three state titles. She will be wrestling at the University of the Cumberlands. Tennessee: Katie Brock of Whitwell, Tennessee is a four-time state champion for Sequatchie County High School in Dunlap, Tennessee. She has signed a letter of intent to wrestle at Campbellsville University. Texas: Brianna Holcomb of El Paso, Texas was a state champion and a runner-up for Hanks High School while capturing four district and three regional titles. Washington: Jordyn Bartelson of Puyallup, Washington is a four-time state champion, who as 143-7 with 127 pins, for Puyallup High School. About the awards The Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award was established in 1996 to honor Olympic and World champion Schultz, whose career was cut short when he was murdered in January 1996. He was inducted as a Distinguished Member into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1997. First presented in 2014, the Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award is named for Saunders, a four-time World champion and women's wrestling pioneer. Saunders was the first woman inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member in 2006, and is also a member of the United World Wrestling Hall of Fame. The awards recognize and celebrate the nation's most outstanding high school seniors for their excellence in wrestling, scholastic achievement, citizenship and community service, according to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. The state winners are evaluated and selected on the basis of three criteria: success and standout performances and sportsmanship in wrestling; review of GPA and class rank, academic honors and distinctions; and participation in activities that demonstrate commitment to character and community. Nominations for the Dave Schultz award are accepted from the 49 states that sponsor boys' high school championships while nominations for the award named for Tricia Saunders are accepted from the seven states that sponsor an all-female girls' high school championship. Winners are determined by a committee with input from National Wrestling Hall of Fame State Chapters, where applicable. Five regional winners are chosen for the Dave Schultz award from the state award winners; the national winner is selected from those regional winners. 2016 Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award State Winners Alabama: Nick Cater, Arab High School Alaska: Seth Hutchison, Soldotna High School Arizona: Danny Vega, Ironwood Ridge High School Arkansas: Nick Noel, Pulaski Academy California: Evan Wick, San Marino High School Colorado: Ryan Deakin, Legacy High School Connecticut: Charles Kane, Fairfield Warde High School Delaware: Justin Bennett, Sussex Central High School Florida: Kyle Norstrem, Brandon High School Georgia: Thomas Bullard, Archer High School Hawaii: Liam Corbett, Leilehua High School Idaho: Tucker Leavitt, Highland High School Illinois: Isaiah White, Oak Park-River Forest High School Indiana: Chad Red, New Palestine High School Iowa: Carter Happel, Lisbon High School Kansas: -- Michael Prieto, Garden City High School Kentucky: Keegan Duncan, Trinity High School Louisiana: Brock Bonin, Teurlings Catholic High School Maine: Peter Del Gallo, Gardiner High School Maryland: Austin Kraisser, Centennial High School Massachusetts: Peter Tedesco, Belmont Hill School Michigan: Kanen Storr, Leslie High School Minnesota: Mark Hall II, Apple Valley High School Missouri: Matthew Schmitt, Platte County High School Montana: Luke Weber, Forsyth High School Nebraska: Zemua Baptista, Friend High School Nevada: Reese Neville, Yerington High School New Hampshire: Dylan Barreiro, Pinkerton Academy New Jersey: Nick Suriano, Bergen Catholic High School New Mexico: Dylan Udero, Las Cruces High School New York: Christian Araneo, Ward Melville High School North Carolina: Sawyer Davidson, Asheboro High School North Dakota: Taylor Nein, Bismarck High School Ohio: Alex Marinelli, Graham High School Oklahoma: Wyatt Sheets, Stilwell High School Oregon: Osawaru Odighizuwa, David Douglas High School Pennsylvania: Luke Pletcher, Greater Latrobe High School Rhode Island: James Sauro, Bishop Hendricken High School South Carolina: Zack Clary, Dorman High School South Dakota: Jebben Keyes, TF Riggs High School Tennessee: Trey Chalifoux, Father Ryan High School Texas: Jack Mueller, Trinity Christian Academy Utah: Taylor LaMont, Maple Mountain High School Vermont: Tyler Raetz, Mount Anthony Union High School Virginia: Joey Prata, St. Christopher's School Washington: Michael Soler, Lake Stevens High School West Virginia: Cam Moore, Roane County High School Wisconsin: Hunter Marko, Amery High School Wyoming: Taylor Jeffries, Campbell County High School All-Time National Winners of Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award 1996: David Kjeldgaard, Lewis Central High School, Council Bluffs, Iowa 1997: Jeff Knupp, Walsh Jesuit High School, Akron, Ohio 1998: Garrett Lowney, Freedom High School, Appleton, Wisconsin and Justin Ruiz, Taylorsville High School, Salt Lake City, Utah 1999: Zach Roberson, Blue Valley North West High School, Overland Park, Kansas 2000: Ben Connell, Lugoff-Elgin High School, Lugoff, South Carolina 2001: Steven Mocco, Blair Academy, Blairstown, New Jersey 2002: Teyon Ware, Edmond North High School, Edmond, Oklahoma 2003: C. P. Schlatter, St. Paul Graham High School, Urbana, Ohio 2004: Coleman Scott, Waynesburg High School, Waynesburg, Pennsylvania 2005: Troy Nickerson, Chenango Forks High School, Chenango Forks, New York 2006: David Craig, Brandon High School, Brandon, Florida 2007: Zachary Sanders, Wabasha-Kellog High School, Wabasha, Minnesota 2008: Jason Chamberlain, Springville High School, Springville, Utah 2009: David Taylor, Graham High School, St. Paris, Ohio 2010: Logan Steiber, Monroeville High School, Monroeville, Ohio 2011: Morgan McIntosh, Calvary Chapel High School, Santa Ana, California 2012: Taylor Massa, St. Johns High School, St. Johns, Michigan 2013: Zain Retherford, Benton Area High School, Benton, Pennsylvania 2014: Chance Marsteller, Kennard-Dale High School, Fawn Grove, Pennsylvania 2015: Zahid Valencia, St. John Bosco High School, Bellflower, California All-Time National Winners of Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award 2014: Marina Doi, Kingsburg High School, Kingsburg, California 2015: Marizza Birrueta, Grandview High School, Grandview, Washington

Leo KocherLeo Kocher, long-time head wrestling coach at the University of Chicago, now regrets sending a letter on school letterhead on behalf of former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, the university's student newspaper reported Friday. On March 7, 2016, Kocher sent a letter to the judge seeking leniency for Hastert, who on Wednesday was sentenced to 15 months in prison for committing bank fraud to cover up sexual abuse while a high school wrestling coach in suburban Chicago. "Like many people I did not want to believe these allegations about someone whom I respected. In light of the recent confirmation of detailed allegations, I now deeply regret my decision seven weeks ago to submit this letter and to write it on University of Chicago Wrestling Program letterhead," Kocher wrote in his email to the Chicago Maroon student paper. "I have only sympathy for the victims in this case." Kocher's letter was written before a court filing on April 8 that detailed allegations by four individuals who said that Hastert sexually assaulted them as teens during his time as a teacher and wrestling coach at Yorkville High School from 1965 to 1981. During his sentencing hearing Wednesday, Hastert admitted to sexually abusing his athletes. In response, federal judge Thomas Durkin called Hastert a "serial child molester" and imposed a longer sentence than the one of up to six months which had been recommended by the federal prosecutor. The judge also made clear he could not sentence Hastert for the assaults, because the statutes of limitations on the sexual abuse allegations have long passed. In the letter, written on UChicago Wrestling stationery, Kocher identifies himself as head wrestling coach and associate professor at the school for 35 years, and that he grew up in Sycamore, Illinois -- a community about 65 miles west of Chicago -- in the U.S. House district Hastert served. "I am writing to testify to the fact that Denny Hastert is an outstanding human being who made enormous contributions to society -- particularly the youth of society -- over his lifetime," wrote Kocher. "Denny told me over 10 years ago that his work as a teacher and wrestling coach at Yorkville High School meant much more to him than any accolades he received as an elected government official. I have no doubt he meant it." Kocher then addressed the work that he and Hastert did together "when it became apparent that the U.S. Department of Education had created a strong incentive for colleges to eliminate intercollegiate athletic opportunities through its interpretation of Title IX." (A PDF file of Kocher's complete letter -- along with others submitted to the judge on behalf of Hastert -- is available at the Chicago Tribune website .) Through an email from a school spokesperson sent to the Chicago Maroon, University of Chicago made clear that Kocher's letter did not represent the views of the school. "UChicago Athletics is committed to upholding core principles of education, excellence and integrity, and helping students develop as athletes, teammates, and as citizens in the world," said Marielle Sainvilus. "Members of the University community express their individual views on a wide range of topics, and none of these are to be taken as positions of the University itself." The court received more than 60 letters written on behalf of Hastert. Kocher was one of 40 individuals whose letters were made public by the judge late last week. Along with pleas from family members, constituents, and political figures such as former CIA director Porter Goss and former House Majority leader Tom DeLay, there were at least three other letters from individuals with wrestling backgrounds: David Kapple, who wrestled on a Yorkville team coached by Hastert; Dale Anderson, two-time NCAA champ at Michigan State in the late 1960s; and wrestling historian Mike Chapman. Kocher just completed his 37th season as head coach of the UChicago Maroons. During his tenure, Kocher has coached 22 All-Americans, including a pair of NCAA Division III champions, and has guided UChicago to four top-15 team finishes at the NCAA III Championships as well as 15 University Athletic Association team titles, according to his official school biography. In 2013, Kocher was honored with a lifetime service award by the Illinois Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Prior to his arrival at UChicago, Kocher served a two-year stint as assistant coach at Northwestern University. Kocher began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Northern Illinois University. Kocher wrestled at Northwestern, and also wrestled in both freestyle and Greco-Roman. At its official website, University of Chicago describes itself as "one of the world's premier academic and research institutions." Founded in 1890 by John D. Rockefeller, the private, four-year university has approximately 15,500 undergraduate and graduate students at its main campus in the Hyde Park neighborhood south of downtown Chicago, and at facilities located around the world. UChicago's Maroons intercollegiate sports teams -- including wrestling -- compete in NCAA Division III.

Sherwyn Thorson, the first University of Iowa wrestler to win an NCAA heavyweight championship who earned All-American honors in both wrestling and football for the Hawkeyes, died in early April. He was 75. Sherwyn ThorsonThorson passed away April 6 after a lengthy battle with cancer, according to his college alma mater. Funeral services have already been held in his hometown of Fort Dodge, Iowa. Thorson was a two-time NCAA All-American wrestler for Iowa under coach Dave McCuskey, making it to the Nationals finals twice. At the heavyweight title match at the 1960 NCAAs, the Hawkeye lost to Dale Lewis of the University of Oklahoma, 3-1. He took a year away from wrestling during the 1960-61 season to concentrate on football. At the 1962 NCAAs, Thorson pinned Wisconsin's Roger Pillath at 3:21 of the finals, not only winning the unlimited (heavyweight) championship, but also avenging the outcome of the 1962 Big Ten finals two weeks earlier, where the Badger pinned the Hawkeye in the conference title match. In addition to turning the tables on Pillath, Thorson was involved in an earlier situation where he avenged a humiliating loss on the mat. As a wrestler at Fort Dodge High School in north-central Iowa, Thorson lost in the Class A heavyweight finals at the 1958 Iowa state wrestling championships. When he arrived at Iowa City, he discovered he would be teammates with the wrestler who defeated him for that title. In wrestling room matches, Thorson repeatedly beat the man who denied him a state crown, earning the starting spot as heavyweight. Also known by the nicknames of "Thumper" and "Thor", Thorson was more than a national champion wrestler at Iowa. He also played offensive guard and linebacker for the football Hawkeyes, earning All-American honors on the wrestling mat and on the gridiron, the only Hawkeye athlete to accomplish both of those feats ... and perhaps the only athlete in NCAA history to do both, according to the Iowa sports website BlackHeartsGoldPants.com. Thorson was a physical specimen who was very agile for a big man, having grown from being a 138-pound wrestler as a high school freshman into a 235-pounder at Iowa. He was an early proponent of working out with weights, in an era when college wrestling and football coaches feared their athletes would become "muscle-bound" if they set foot in the weight room. "I went at the weights hard my junior year when a professor failed me in a course that I know I did well in. He told me he considered me a paid professional athlete and just wasn't going to give me a passing grade," Thorson told the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame. That time helped the two-sport star muscle up to be more successful against larger opponents in wrestling and football. After being selected in both the NFL (Los Angeles Rams, seventh round) and the AFL (Boston Patriots, third round) drafts (this was before the two organizations merged to become today's NFL), Thorson elected to play in the Canadian Football League. Playing with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1962-68), Thorson helped his team win the Grey Cup in 1962 and return to the title game in 1965. He was named a Western Conference All-Star in 1962. Thorson has been inducted into a number of Halls of Fame. In addition to being welcomed into the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2007, Thorson was inducted into the Fort Dodge Senior High School Hall of Fame in 1967. He is also an honoree of the University of Iowa Varsity Club Hall of Fame, and the Winnipeg Football Club Hall of Fame. Thorson is survived by his wife, Linda, children Tjeran and Joryn, and four grandchildren, Lehr, Asle, Ayden and Amelia. See video of the 1962 NCAA finals match where Sherwyn Thorson pinned Wisconsin's Roger Pillath to win the National title. The heavyweight match begins at 35 minutes into the film, which is silent and was shot in black-and-white. Pillath is wrestling bare-chested.

LAS VEGAS -- Two-time InterMat High School Wrestler of the Year Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.) won a second straight UWW Junior National freestyle title on Saturday afternoon in Las Vegas, Nevada. The nation's top Class of 2016 prospect, and bound for Penn State, Hall won all five matches at 74 kilograms against wrestlers that were on collegiate rosters this past season. That included three wins against elite prospects in the Class of 2015, who redshirted this past season. It was first a 10-0 win in the quarterfinal over Josh Shields (Arizona State), which was followed up by an 8-4 win in the semifinals over future college teammate Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State), and then a pin over Logan Massa (Michigan) in the final. Hall and Massa wrestled a shootout at the Olympic Team Trials earlier this month, a match that Hall won; on this occasion, Hall trailed early on, but rallied back for the pin in 1:34. Two other competitors repeated as champions in this tournament, Daton Fix (Sand Springs, Okla.) at 55 kilograms and Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) at 84. In three matches prior to the final, Fix amassed a trio of victories by technical fall, most notably the 10-0 semifinal technical fall against fellow elite Class of 2017 prospect Austin Gomez (Glenbard North, Ill.); Gomez was a returning UWW Junior Nationals medalist in this weight class. Then it was a 6-5 victorious battle over Gavin Teasdale (Jefferson Morgan, Pa.) in the final; both wrestlers were UWW Cadet National freestyle champions the previous two seasons. Valencia wrestled five matches in the tournament and only allowed one point throughout the event, that coming in an 11-1 quarterfinal victory over Nathan Traxler (Marmion Academy, Ill.), a top 30 Class of 2016 prospect. His semifinal and final victory came against fellow top ten wrestlers from the Class of 2015, a 4-0 victory over Bobby Steveson (Minnesota) and then a 7-0 win over NCAA champion at 174 pounds Myles Martin (Ohio State); Valencia also beat Martin 7-0 in last year's final at this event. These three champions will have the opportunity to compete against an Iranian opponent as part of the Beat the Streets "United in the Square" dual meet on May 19th, along with the champion at 60 kilograms. In addition, all champions in the eight contested weight classes advance to the final of the UWW World Team Trials, which will be in Irving, Texas on May 21st and 22nd; those choosing to compete at Times Square have the right to delay their match against the challenge tournament champion. One of the other champions on Saturday was returning UWW Junior World freestyle champion Spencer Lee (Franklin Regional, Pa.), who won all three of his matches in the tournament by 10-0 technical fall at 50 kilograms. The nation's top Class of 2017 prospect faced Patrick McKee (St. Michael-Albertville, Minn.) in the championship match. The other wrestler having first choice to compete at the Beat the Streets event on Times Square will be Minnesota signee Mitch McKee (St. Michael-Albertville, Minn.), the champion at 60 kilograms. He earned a pin in 2:15 against Seth Gross (South Dakota State), a three-time Fargo freestyle champion in high school, who was one match from All-American honors in the NCAA tournament at 141 pounds last month. The other four matches that McKee won in this tournament all came by technical fall. Rounding out the champions for weight classes that will be contested at the UWW Junior World Championships in France later this summer were Alec Pantaleo (Michigan) at 66 kilograms, Jacob Seely (Northern Colorado) at 96 kilograms, and Rylee Streifel (Minnesota) at 120 kilograms. Pantaleo was a semifinalist in the NCAA tournament at 149 before dropping three matches to finish sixth. Leading up to this tournament's championship match, he had four pins sandwiched around a 12-2 technical fall in the quarterfinal round. In the championship match, it was a 5-1 decision over Matthew Kolodzik (Princeton), a top ten Class of 2015 prospect. Seely was runner-up at this weight class last year in this same tournament, as well as a challenge tournament finalist at the World Team Trials. Before enrolling at Northern Colorado this past fall, he also was a Junior National freestyle champion in Fargo. This afternoon, he beat fellow redshirting freshman Lance Benick (Arizona State) 9-2 in the championship match. In another championship match battle of redshirting freshmen, it was Rylee Streifel (Minnesota) scoring a 10-8 victory over Patrick Grayson (Nebraska). Champions in the three weight classes not to be contested at the UWW Junior World Championships were Cole Martin (Wisconsin) at 63 kilograms, Michael Kemerer (Iowa) at 70 kilograms, and Beau Breske (Hartford Union, Wis.) at 79 kilograms. Martin, who redshirted this season as a true freshman, beat top 50 Class of 2017 prospect Ben Freeman (Walled Lake Central, Mich.) by an 8-8 criteria decision in his championship match. Kemerer, a top 15 prospect in the 2015 class also redshirted this past season, advanced to the final with three technical falls and a pin in the semifinal. He earned a 9-8 victory in the final over top 40 Class of 2016 prospect Evan Wick (San Marino, Calif.), who was a Junior National freestyle runner-up last summer in Fargo. Breske, ranked No. 12 in the Class of 2016 and a commit to Nebraska, advanced to the final with three shutout technical falls and then a 13-9 semifinal decision. He upended Myles Amine (Michigan), a redshirting true freshman 9-4 in the championship match.

Former Speaker of the House Denny Hastert was sentenced this week to 15 months in federal prison for crimes committed as part of an attempt to cover up his sexual abuse of athletes while serving as a wrestling coach in Illinois. Dennis Hastert holding a trophy after the wrestling team he coached won the state championship in 1976The wrestling community is rightfully dismayed about one of the sport's most important public figures admitting to being a child molester, and later, to committing crimes in the hopes of keeping that secret quiet. The scenario is playing out far too often, and with community leaders we not only trust but revere. I was once an employee of Speaker Hastert, interning in the summers of 2000 and 2001 for his congressional office on Capitol Hill. In my first year the work was basic, if not droll, with little more being asked of my faculties than shuttling constituents along on Capitol tours, answering phones and taking care of the mail. The time was made more interesting by the Chandra Levy crisis and the various media-driven fallouts that would affect interns from around the Hill. Some had mistakenly chosen to speak with the press about THEIR relationship with the male congressman only to find their desks empty the morning after their interviews aired on TV. My role matured a bit in 2001 after I was asked to compile stories of men affected by Title IX. The assignment was meaty, allowing me both an opportunity to work on something more than my letter opening skills and to be part of something possibly consequential. As a wrestler at Virginia we had ourselves just dodged a previous year's attempt to cut our program -- largely for reasons, we were told, to do with Title IX. The Speaker didn't directly address my work, but on the occasions I met him he'd ask about the project and about my training. In the end a commission was formed, but needing majority approval for changed to the Office of Civil Rights' standing interpretation, the two nay votes cast by Brandi Chastain and Sheryl Swoopes torpedoed the effort. After college, a coworker from the Speaker's office got me a job working as a low-level staffer for the 2004 Mel Martinez for Senate campaign in Florida. We won, but by the end of the campaign I'd seen enough of politics. I'd spent a considerable amount of time with some of the biggest Republican names at the time, but politics -- specifically Martinez's dismantling of opponent Betty Castor's support of equal rights for the LGBT community -- left me jaded. Martinez -- whose posturing and antics around the matter knew no limits -- actually employed more than a handful of gay men and yet each week stumped about their sins. I left my behind-the-scenes political ambitions and returned to coaching, then later to this career which allows me to travel for, discuss and practice the sport I love. With some perspective it became easier to see what is now abundantly clear. Speaker Hastert was never "Coach" or a man focused on positive change in his community. He was always an opportunist and a pragmatist. What made him great at politicking is the same part of his ethos that was effective at manipulating and silencing of the boys he molested. The sexual abuse of his high school wrestling team is not morally comparable to some drunken night at a Vegas strip joint. The former Speaker of the House violated the trust of those in his command in the most intimate manner and did so without remorse -- his current attrition only a show in the hopes of finding fewer years locked in a steel cage. His whole career was a sham, a series of personal gains based on a lie about wholesome Midwestern values and conciliatory policy making. The unfortunate reality is that America, like the wrestling community, continues to fall for these unscrupulous leaders. The men (and women) who display outward badges of HONOR and SUCCESS so often become leaders who most entangle and endanger our communities. In the midst of being led astray we are too quick to assign them labels as holier-than-thou leaders, free of personal fault or indiscretion, and give them access to the highest realms of power and influence. For wrestling, the clown show of manipulative, self-interested leaders is as old as the sport, but America, in the last 20 years, has the distinction of giving national titles for excellence to a would-be murderer (John du Pont) and a child molester. To add insult to the current set of circumstances University of Chicago head wrestling coach Leo Kocher wrote a letter to the presiding judge asking for leniency, in part because of Hastert's work in combating Title IX. Were there a ranking of all-time boneheaded, thick-skulled, tone-deaf responses to a tragedy, Leo Kocher's would be an almost impossible to top nugget. Dennis HastertIn addition to not voicing support for a man recently admitting child molestation, would-be Hastert supporters also have to recognize now that Title IX didn't kill wrestling and that the years and money spent fighting the law only weakened our sport. Today, with the court cases sidelined, the sport is rebounding, adapting and growing. There is a burgeoning women's wrestling culture in this country in large part thanks to pro-Title IX efforts, like those Mike Burch led in the 1990s, made by effective leaders hoping to bring the sport into more schools. Title IX, like the wars Hastert helped rush us into, the restrictive social policies he helped enact, and his general pandering to the lowest common denominator, all have been proven backward and reductive. The Hastert case should serve as a wake-up call to our community. Now is the time to dispel with the honoring of characters carrying false promises. The Ponzi schemers and liars, the all-show-and-no-content bullshit artists trying to make a name for themselves on the backs of our community. Ignore them and we will make them irrelevant. Instead, look closer at the good people we still have in the sport and let them be our emotional leaders. With the Olympics coming up, it won't be difficult to find a new batch of heroes to follow. To your questions … Q: As a former Pennsylvania wrestler I've taken great pride in Penn State's surge to the top wrestling program in the nation. Lehigh, Edinboro, Lock Haven, Pitt, F&M and others have done their best in past years to represent PA on the college level, but it took Sanderson at Penn State to bring it all home. And when Sanderson took the Penn State job he went out of his way to say that Pennsylvania is the heart of the nation's wrestling and he was going focus on recruiting in-state, which he has done successfully (Ed Ruth, Zain Retherford, Jason Nolf, Nico Megaludis). So that set up is a long-winded way of asking what happened with Spencer Lee and Gavin Teasdale? They are two world-class products of Pennsylvania wrestling, so why did they end up going to Iowa? Can you shed some light on the situation? And I'm not buying the rationale that Penn State was full up with Suriano and didn't have room either on their roster or for scholarships. You don't pass up a kid like Spencer Lee … ever. -- Steve S. Foley: There are any number of reasons that Spencer Lee traveled to Iowa for college rather than stayed in Pennsylvania. My instinct tells me that Jody Strittmatter, who coaches both guys on the Young Guns, influenced their decision to go to Iowa. However, I am almost as certain that Strittmatter wasn't heavy-handed about the approach, and rather these kids just grew up knowing about their coach's Iowa roots, hearing stories and maybe envisioning themselves in the singlet. Coach Sanderson probably didn't go down without a fight, but the reality is that these guys probably saw much less opportunity to start right away at Penn State than they did at Iowa. You mentioned Suriano, but there are others in the room waiting to get their chance. Maybe that was something the duo chose to ignore. It's also possible that they wanted to wrestle together in college and Iowa was the best fit for that situation. Coach Sanderson is smart enough to realize missing out on one or two recruits doesn't sink a program. However, if this somehow continues to happen, then there is something with which Penn State fans can finally start to worry about. Q: Haley Augello's rise has been incredible. I have been very impressed with her. Do you see her as a potential Olympic medalist in Rio? -- Mike C. Haley Augello gets her hand raised after a victory over Victoria Anthony in the finals of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Foley: Agreed. She has been wrestling really well the past several months and showed real talent in navigating past Vicky Anthony and Alyssa Lampe at the Olympic Team Trials. She also looked solid in Mongolia, beating her first four opponents before falling in the finals to the North Korean. That loss might be a bad bell-weather as the North Korean has seen underwhelming results versus much of Asia and Europe. My guess is that Haley can earn a bronze if landing in the right position. She's going to have a very tough time against Mariya Stadnyk, Eri Tosaka and Sun Yanan. All three have shown the ability to wrestle at a level above the rest of the girls at 48 kilos. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Link: Take the money and run Not aimed at everyone, but if anyone wants to surf, train and have a great time, Bali MMA is owned by former college wrestlers. Link: Let's eat Dagestan Training Camp Q: What do you think our chances are for qualifying the remaining weight classes at the last Olympic Qualifier? Specifically, with Frank Molinaro, do you think criteria wins at the Trials mean we don't have our best foot forward to qualify the weight class or medal in Rio? -- G.H. Foley: As someone pointed out to me at the 1st World Olympic Qualifier in Mongolia, the system seems to be working out pretty well. With the notable exception of Hamid Soryan of Iran, almost all the top wrestlers in the world are qualified and the best from each nation seem to also be included in the Olympic roster. Molinaro is the least experienced on the roster and faced a wrestler in Yakup Gor who has placed at the World Championships. Still, he managed to come pretty darn close to pulling off that upset and possibly finding a path to qualification. As it was, he lost a heartbreaker. In my opinion, Molinaro is better than 50/50 to qualify in Istanbul. Most of the heavy hitters have qualified and any shuffling by the remaining countries will probably not reap positive outcomes. As for the women, Tamyra Mensah should be qualifying. There is an enormous amount of talent that hasn't yet been realized, but once she sees what others do there is no limit to what she can achieve. Kelsey Campbell didn't look great in Mongolia, but she's wrestled plenty of international tournaments and could bring some veteran grit with her to Turkey. The Greco-Roman qualification will be the toughest. RaVaughn Perkins took bronze in Mongolia, but lost in the true third-place match. His style may not lend itself to success in Europe where many more classic style enthusiasts will show up from smaller cash-strapped countries. Jesse Thielke can get the job done but needs to close out matches more effectively in Istanbul than he did in Mongolia. Joe Rau didn't show much in the first qualifier, leaving many question marks about what will happen in Turkey. Q: How do wrestling fans outside of the United States view Kyle Snyder? As a one-hit wonder? -- Mike C. Foley: Everyone has an opinion on who is legit and who isn't, but I think it's universally accepted that Kyle Snyder is not a flash in the pan. He wrestles with the very best in the world while simultaneously wrestling a collegiate season. That's not unnoticed by the Russians, Iranians or other opponents. This past week in Mongolia I heard a lot of inquiries about his position on the team, as many thought that the USA would still send Jake Varner given his Olympic gold medal. More importantly however, when Snyder's name comes up it's usually always framed in the question of if he will win the Olympics. That's a sign that most think he's at the top of the heap. Request of the Week By Dexter H. I'm writing because I want to conclude the chapter with a brief discussion of the way wrestling has proven a common cultural practice between United States servicemen in the military and the local communities where they are stationed. I know that many of our servicemen and women have had the chance to engage in wrestling (formally and informally) while stationed overseas, and I wanted to see if any of your readers might be interested in contacting me to discuss their experiences of either training or competing with local Afghan, Iraqi, Kuwaiti or other communities while stationed overseas. For example, I know that the Army 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division hosted a Palawan (Afghan wrestling) tournament on FOB Wilson in Kandahar Province back in 2012. I'm also aware of our servicemen wrestling when stationed in Europe and the Pacific. I'm wondering if any readers might be able to give me some insight into their wrestling experiences abroad so that I can speak to how wrestling continues to cross cultural boundaries and connect peoples globally, even in times of international conflict. If you wouldn't mind, could you plug this in your mailbag section to see if I can find some informants for the closing of this article? I can be reached at dex@berkeley.edu.

One of the great Hawkeye wrestlers of recent times is heading south to the Tar Heels. Tony Ramos brings Nahshon Garrett to the mat at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com)Tony Ramos, 2014 NCAA champ at the University of Iowa will soon join the coaching staff of the University of North Carolina wrestling program, and continue his freestyle wrestling career in Chapel Hill. "Excited to start the new journey with @UNCWrestling #HeelStrong" is what Ramos posted on his Twitter account @T_Ram133 Wednesday. Ramos expanded on the message on his Team Ramos official website. "I am excited to announce I will be continuing my wrestling career and beginning my coaching career under Coleman Scott at the University of North Carolina. "I am extremely thankful for being a part of the Hawkeye Wrestling family and tradition over the past 8 years. It was an honor for me to wear black and gold and compete in front of fans who love and understand the sport. My family and I will always be Hawkeyes and Iowa City will always hold a special place in our hearts (from meeting my wife in the training room at Carver, to blowing the roof off of a sold out arena and bringing out the patented double rainbows, to the birth of my son). "I am thankful for the coaches who have been by my side during this journey and transformed me from a non-placer at NCAAs to a two-time world team member. My ultimate goal is to be the best in the world and to do so, I am moving on to explore different styles, techniques, and perspectives to add to the foundation built during my time as a Hawkeye. "There are some exciting things happening in Chapel Hill and I can't wait to get out there with the coaching staff and be a part of the legacy that is to come. "Hawkeye Fans, Supporters, Teammates, and Coaches -- THANK YOU! Goodbye for now, Hawkeye Nation!" While the official North Carolina wrestling website does not have an announcement of Ramos' hiring -- nor is he listed on the coaching staff -- as of late Thursday evening, Tar Heel head wrestling coach Coleman Scott responded to Ramos on Twitter by saying, "Welcome to the family my man! We have titles to win! #heelstrong." As K.J. Pilcher, wrestling writer for the Cedar Rapids Gazette, pointed out in his article announcing Ramos' move, Coleman Scott was a 2012 Olympic bronze medalist who lost to Ramos on criteria in the 57-kilogram/125.5 pound semifinal in the Olympic Trials at Carver-Hawkeye Arena earlier this month. Scott was named head coach of the UNC wrestling program in May 2015, guiding the Tar Heels to a 13-5 dual-meet record and 35th place in the team standings at the 2016 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in his first year at the helm. As an Iowa Hawkeye, Ramos was a two-time NCAA qualifier, winning the 2014 national and Big Ten titles at 133 pounds. The native of Carol Stream, Illinois in suburban Chicago was a four-time NCAA qualifier, earning national runner-up honors at 133 in 2013. He recorded a 120-14 career record with the Hawkeyes. Earlier this month, Ramos placed second at 57 kilos in freestyle competition at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. Ramos suffered his first domestic loss on the senior level in the finals of the Olympic Trials to Hawkeye Wrestling Club teammate Daniel Dennis. At a post-event press conference, Ramos openly expressed his displeasure with the fact that Dennis was coached during the finals by Iowa head coach Tom Brands, saying "I was lied to a couple times. I feel like I was stabbed in the back. I feel like I was loyal to a fault to coaches and athletes from things that I've seen and right now the first thing I'm thinking is I need to move on (and) get out of this program."

LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- Kamal Bey of the Front Range Twisters needed three matches to defeat Jesse Porter of the New York AC/USOTS in the final series at 74 kilos/163 pounds to earn a berth on the UWW Junior World Team at the UWW Junior Nationals/World Team Trials at the South Point Hotel on Thursday. Bey, who was a 2015 Junior Nationals champion and 2014 Cadet Nationals runner-up, was named Outstanding Wrestler after a memorable series against Porter, who was third in the 2015 UWW Junior Nationals. Both wrestlers executed great throws during the series, but it was Bey who came out on top. Read complete story …

Dennis Hastert, former Wheaton College wrestler and high school wrestling coach who later became U.S. Speaker of the House, was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison Wednesday for evading federal banking rules in an apparent scheme to pay hush money to an unidentified individual regarding sexual assaults to members of his wrestling program which took place in the 1960s and 70s. Dennis HastertIn addition to prison time, Hastert was fined $250,000, must spend two years on supervised release after leaving prison and must register as a sex offender. Federal Judge Thomas Durkin called Hastert a "serial child molester" and imposed a longer sentence than the one of up to six months which had been recommended by the federal prosecutor. Durkin also rejected claims by Hastert's lawyers that the 74-year-old didn't understand the banking law he violated when making payments to one of his teen accusers. "Nothing is more disturbing than having 'serial child molester' and 'speaker of the House' in the same sentence," Durkin said. Hastert, a one-time wrestler and coach who has suffered a stroke and other health issues in recent months, entered court in a wheelchair and needed help standing to address the judge, where he admitted abusing some athletes when he was a high school wrestling coach in Illinois before he began his political career. "I want to apologize to the boys I mistreated," Hastert said. "They looked (up) at me and I took advantage of them." One former athlete who had been until now identified as "Individual D" testified that he was abused by Hastert, describing a locker room molestation when he was 17 years old. "Judge, I wanted you to know the pain and suffering he caused me then, and the pain and suffering he causes me today," said Scott Cross, now 53, the brother of prominent Illinois politician and Hastert protégé Tom Cross. (In most cases, InterMat would not identify the victim of a sexual assault. However, Scott Cross has been widely named in the media because he openly revealed his identity in court documents and in the courtroom Wednesday.) Durkin made clear he could not sentence Hastert "for being a child molester" and that his sentence would "pale in comparison" to what the former lawmaker would have faced had he been convicted of state charges for sexual abuse of a child. Under Illinois statute, Hastert would have faced between 3 and 7 years in state prison if convicted of a single count of sexual misconduct with a minor. However, the statute of limitations on sexual assault cases from decades ago had long expired. Hastert was first investigated by the FBI and IRS for making sizeable withdrawals from his bank account in 2013; federal officials were concerned that he might be the victim of an extortion plot. He was interviewed in December 2014, telling investigators that he was making withdrawals because he did not trust the U.S. banking system. In May 2015, Hastert was indicted on one count of seeking to skirt bank reporting requirements and one count of lying to the FBI about the reason for his cash withdrawals. (The accusation about lying was later dropped.) In October 2015, Hastert pleaded guilty in federal court in Chicago to withdrawing funds from several bank accounts in increments less than $10,000 to evade bank reporting rules. The money -- approximately $1.7 million -- was paid to someone from his Hastert's hometown of Yorkville, Ill., identified in federal documents only as "Individual A" but widely reported to be a former student at Yorkville High School. The school, located about 50 miles southwest of Chicago, is where Hastert taught history and coached wrestling from 1965 to 1981 before entering politics. This past month, a total of five individuals came forward to state that they were molested by Hastert while he was coach at Yorkville High. Since the indictment and subsequent events, Hastert has suffered a fall from grace as a widely respected political leader and major figure in U.S. amateur wrestling who had been often seen at significant events such as the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships and the Midlands post-Christmas tournament held at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois outside Chicago. Hastert's name was stripped from what had been the J. Dennis Hastert Center for Economics, Government and Public Policy at Wheaton College. In addition, Hastert's name has been taken off what had been the Denny Hastert Yorkville Invitational, one of the most popular wrestling club tournaments in Illinois. What's more, a 1942 Lincoln Zephyr once owned by Hastert was removed from public display at the Belvidere Oasis service plaza on the I-90 Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (formerly Northwest Tollway) which links Chicago to Rockford, Ill. and south-central Wisconsin. As of this writing, Hastert remains in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Oklahoma, where he was inducted as an Outstanding American in 2000. However, some within the wrestling community, including long-time sports columnist Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman, the daily newspaper of Oklahoma City -- along with SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests -- had asked the Hall to remove the former wrestler/coach before today's sentence had been announced. Today, the Hall issued the following statement: "The National Wrestling Hall of Fame stated that, following Wednesday's sentencing of Dennis Hastert, its ethics committee will review Hastert's inclusion in the Hall of Fame, and present its findings and recommended course of action to the Board of Governors. "The ethics committee reviews cases where an honoree has acted in a manner considered detrimental to the ideals and objectives or contrary to the mission statement of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame," said Lee Roy Smith, Executive Director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. "The National Wrestling Hall of Fame will make an official statement regarding Mr. Hastert once the Board of Governors has reached its decision." Born not far from Yorkville in Plano, Ill. in 1942, J. Dennis Hastert was a member of the wrestling team at Wheaton College, a private, four-year school in the western suburbs of Chicago, in the early 1960s. He then taught government and history at Yorkville High, and coached wrestling, taking his team to an Illinois state championship in 1976. His coaching record also included three runners-up and a third place finish, according to his National Wrestling Hall of Fame biography, where he was inducted as an Outstanding American in 2000. Four years earlier, Hastert was honored for his efforts and contributions to wrestling as the recipient of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame's Order of Merit . Hastert had served three terms in the Illinois General Assembly before being elected to the House of Representatives in 1986. In 1999, the six-term congressman was elected Speaker of the House after the incumbent Speaker Newt Gingrich stepped down, and his intended replacement, Bob Livingston of Louisiana, gave up the position before he ever assumed it after admitting to having conducted adulterous affairs. Hastert left Congress in 2007.

Over 300 of the nation's best wrestlers born in 1996 to 1999 will be assembling in Las Vegas, Nevada on Friday and Saturday for the UWW Junior National freestyle tournament. Competition will be held in eleven weight classes, eight of which will be contested at the UWW Junior World Championships in Macon, France at the end of August into early September. Champions at this week's tournament in Las Vegas from the eight weight classes to be contested at the UWW World Championships (50 kilos, 55, 60, 66, 74, 84, 96, and 120) all advance to the World Team Trials final match next month. That event will be on May 21st and 22nd in Irving, Texas. Logan Massa gets in on a shot on Mark Hall at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)The field of wrestlers in this event is star-studded, full of wrestlers that are and/or were ranked high during the course of their high school careers. Some of the wrestlers have already made their names known on the college scene, while others will be doing so in the year or years to come. Generally speaking, the range of grade-level for wrestlers in this event is from completion of their high school sophomore year to completion of a redshirt freshman or sophomore year in college. The bulk of wrestlers in this field will be those graduating high school this year or just done with their first year of college. Based on registration as of late Tuesday evening, here are some of the key names within each of the eleven weight classes. 50 kilos: Spencer Lee (Franklin Regional, Pa.) is the defending Junior World freestyle champion in this weight class and the extraordinarily favored wrestler in this week's tournament. He is the top overall ranked wrestler in the Class of 2017, and also won a UWW Cadet World title in this weight class in 2014. Seven of the other participants in this weight class are multi-time Fargo freestyle All-Americans, led most notably by returning (Fargo) Junior National freestyle champion Jason Holmes (Chandler, Ariz.); others include UWW Cadet National freestyle runners-up in Rhett Golowenski (Tuttle, Okla.) and Mosha Schwartz (Ponderosa, Colo.) 55 kilos: Daton Fix (Sand Springs, Okla.) was champion of this weight class at this tournament last year, and earned the UWW Cadet World Team spot at 54 kilos by beating Spencer Lee last year in Akron. Ranked No. 4 overall in the Class of 2017, Fix was a Cadet World bronze medalist last summer. Five challengers in this weight class either are currently ranked in their scholastic grade level or finished their careers ranked as such. Among the redshirting freshmen, who graduated high school in 2015, you have No. 25 Nick Piccinnini (Oklahoma State) and Austin Assad (Michigan), with Assad having earned three Junior National freestyle titles in Fargo. From those in high school are a pair of juniors in No. 14 Austin Gomez (Glenbard North, Ill.) and No. 46 Brandon Courtney (Desert Edge, Ariz.), along with Gavin Teasdale (Jefferson Morgan, Pa.), the nation's No. 3 overall sophomore. Gomez placed in this tournament last year, and has multiple Fargo All-American honors to his credit, Courtney was a Junior National freestyle champion at 113 pounds in Fargo last summer, while Teasdale is a two-time UWW Cadet National freestyle champion. Others still to mention are three Illinois native collegians in Kyle Akins (Buffalo), Brian Rossi (Stanford), and Kris Williams (Nebraska); Josh Kramer (Arizona State); along with Class of 2017 prospects in Bryce and Drew West (Highland Riverside, Iowa). 60 kilos: Anchoring this weight class is Stevan Micic (Michigan), a returning Junior World bronze medalist down a weight class at 55 kilos. This past collegiate season he sat out after transferring from Northwestern; Micic was ranked as the No. 19 overall prospect in the Class of 2014. Arguably the primary challenger in this weight class is still in high school, Yianni Diakomihalis (Hilton, N.Y.), last year's Cadet World champion at 57 kilos; he is ranked No. 2 overall in the Class of 2017. Another true contender in this weight class is Seth Gross (South Dakota State), a three-time Fargo freestyle champion (including in 2013 at the Junior level) who was one match away from All-American honors in the 141-pound weight class at the NCAA Tournament; he ended high school ranked No. 58 overall in the Class of 2014. Three other top Class of 2014 prospects are in this field, No. 66 Scott Parker (Lehigh), No. 77 Josh Terao (American), and No. 82 Johnny Jimenez (Wisconsin); Parker qualified for the NCAA tournament as a true freshman, while Jimenez earned a bid in this year's tournament. Four redshirted freshmen in this field were highly touted prospects from the Class of 2015: No. 52 Jaydin Eierman (Missouri), No. 54 Jose Rodriguez (Ohio State), No. 62 Lincoln Olson (Oklahoma State), and No. 93 Eli Stickley (Wisconsin). Two rivals from the Class of 2016 are in this field, No. 20 Mitch McKee (St. Michael-Albertville, Minn.) and Taylor LaMont (Maple Mountain, Utah), these two wrestlers split finals bouts in both styles at the Junior Nationals in Fargo last summer. Rounding out the notables are a pair of top ten juniors in No. 6 Nick Lee (Evansville Mater Dei, Ind.) and No. 8 Kaden Gfeller (Heritage Hall, Okla.); Lee is a two-time UWW Cadet freestyle runner-up, while Gfeller was a three-time All-American in the event. 63 kilos: This is a weight class that is not contested at the World Championships. The lone ranked contestants in terms of their grade level are a pair of top 50 juniors in No. 24 Chris Sandoval (Pueblo County, Colo.) and No. 43 Ben Freeman (Walled Lake Central, Mich.); Sandoval was a Junior freestyle All-American in Fargo last summer, while Freeman was a three-time UWW Cadet freestyle All-American. In terms of the collegiate wrestlers, Zach Davis (Naval Academy) was a NCAA qualifier at 133 pounds. 66 kilos: Returning world bronze medalist Aaron Pico, runner-up at the Olympic Team Trials at 65 kilos, is age eligible for this tournament. Even absent his presence, there is lots of high quality talent in this weight class. Leading the way here is Alec Pantaleo (University of Michigan), who earned All-American honors at 149 pounds in the NCAA tournament this season. Others anchors include five (basically) top 50 wrestlers from the Class of 2015, who were redshirts this past season: No. 9 Matthew Kolodzik (Princeton), No. 10 Sam Krivus (Virginia), No. 15 Fredy Stroker (Minnesota), No. 38 Boo Lewallen (Oklahoma State), and No. 51 Vincent Turk (Iowa). Also here is returning Cadet World champion at 69 kilos, Jared Verkleeren (Belle Vernon Area, Pa.), who is ranked No. 15 overall in the Class of 2017. Another wrestler with World team experience in this weight class is Domenick Demas (Dublin Coffman, Ohio), the No. 27 overall Class of 2017 prospect, a two-time UWW Cadet National champion in Greco-Roman. The other still in high school wrestler of note in this weight class is Joe Lee (Evansville Mater Dei, Ind.), who won a Cadet freestyle title in Fargo last summer, and is No. 23 overall in the Class of 2018. Griffin Parriott (New Prague, Minn.) placed third in this weight class at this tournament last year, and is the No. 17 overall Class of 2016 recruit; while Ethan Karsten (Platte County, Mo.) is No. 81 overall among the graduating senior group. Last among those that had a grade level ranking coming out of high school is Niko Villarreal (Arizona State), who was No. 45 overall in the 2014 class. Rounding out the list of notables in this weight class is Tristan Moran (Oklahoma State), a Junior National freestyle All-American last summer. 70 kilos: Another weight class that will not be contested at the Junior World Championships, though it is not lacking for quality talent among those entered here this weekend. Leading the way is Michael Kemerer (University of Iowa), who was the No. 11 overall prospect in the Class of 2015. He is joined by three other wrestlers who were ranked highly in that group, all who redshirted this past season: No. 36 Cameron Harrell (Virginia), No. 41 Bryce Parson (Oregon State), and No. 77 Josh Maruca (Arizona State). Four wrestlers who graduate high school this year, and rank among the top 60 overall prospects in the Class of 2016, are in this field: No. 35 Austin Kraisser (Centennial, Md.), No. 37 Zander Wick (San Marino, Calif.), No. 39 Evan Wick (San Marino, Calif.), and No. 59 Wyatt Sheets (Stilwell, Okla.). Kraisser is a returning placer in this weight class, and was a UWW Cadet National freestyle runner-up in 2014; Zander and Evan were Junior freestyle All-Americans in Fargo last summer, Evan a runner-up; with Sheets also earning Junior All-American honors in Fargo. Others to note include Zach Kelly (Bucknell), who was ranked No. 28 overall in the Class of 2014; Luke Fortuna (Missouri), a spot starter this season as a true freshman; Quentin Hovis (Seton Catholic, Ariz.), ranked No. 22 overall in the Class of 2017, third last year at the UWW Cadet Nationals; and Josiah Rider (Grand Junction, Colo.), ranked No. 19 overall in the Class of 2018. 74 kilos: Despite all the strong challengers present here, the favorite remains returning World Team member Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.). He is the two-time InterMat High School Wrestler of the Year, and the No. 1 overall Class of 2016 prospect is headed to Penn State. Nine elite Class of 2015 prospects are among the challengers in this field: No. 1 Anthony Valencia (Arizona State), No. 2 Logan Massa (Michigan), No. 6 Fox Baldwin (Virginia), No. 7 Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State), No. 16 Joseph Smith (Oklahoma State), No. 21 Jordan Kutler (Lehigh), No. 29 Josh Shields (Arizona State), No. 42 Larry Early (Minnesota), and No. 71 Cole Walter (Lehigh). Valencia and Massa have wrestled Hall within the last month, each losing narrowly in tightly contested but high-scoring bouts. Of the Class of 2015 prospects listed here, Smith was the only non-redshirt in the group, and he earned All-American honors at the NCAA tournament in the 157-pound weight class. Two other wrestlers in this weight class were ranked upon graduation from high school, or are ranked at present: Kimball Bastian (Utah Valley) graduated as the No. 27 overall wrestler in the Class of 2014, while Jake Allar (St. Michael-Albertville, Minn.) is ranked No. 34 overall in the Class of 2017. 79 kilos: The third of the weight class not to be contested at the Junior World Championships is this one. The field in this weekend's event features a pair of redshirting freshmen, who graduated high school among the top 100 Class of 2015 prospects, along with a highly touted Class of 2016 wrestler. Leading the way is Beau Breske (Hartford Union, Wis.), the No. 12 overall Class of 2016 prospect, who is a three-time Fargo freestyle champion (2015 at the Junior level) and a two-time UWW Cadet National freestyle All-American. Those who graduated high school in 2015 as ranked wrestlers are No. 40 Myles Amine (Michigan) and No. 74 Josh Ugalde Maryland). 84 kilos: Myles Martin (Ohio State) won the 174-pound weight class at the NCAA tournament last month in New York City as a true freshman. However, he is not the favorite in this weekend's tournament. That position is held by Zahid Valencia (Arizona State), who had three wins over Martin in the 2014-15 wrestling season; Zahid earned a pair of folkstyle wins in October and December of 2014, before also winning a UWW Junior National title over Martin in May 2015. Valencia, who was the No. 3 overall Class of 2015 prospect, redshirted this year at Arizona State; with Martin ranked right behind as No. 4 overall. A third top ten Class of 2015 prospect is in this weight class, Bobby Steveson (Minnesota), No. 8 overall and a Junior National freestyle champion in Fargo during the summer of 2014. Others to watch here include a trio of elite wrestlers from the Class of 2014 and 2016. The 2014 group is led by Michael Pixley (Grand View), a multi-time Fargo champion, who was No. 13 overall; he is joined by No. 46 Ryan Christensen (Wisconsin) and No. 51 Nick Fiegener (Cal Baptist). Christensen qualified for the NCAA tournament this year, while Fiegener qualified for the Division I tournament in 2015 as a true freshman at Cal Poly before transferring. The 2016 group features returning Junior National freestyle All-Americans in No. 28 Ben Darmstadt (Elyria, Ohio) and No. 29 Nathan Traxler (Marmion Academy, Ill.), along with No. 41 Josh Hokit (Clovis, Calif.). Also here is returning UWW Cadet National freestyle champion Jelani Embree (Warren Lincoln, Mich.), the No. 25 overall wrestler in the Class of 2017 however did not compete in the World Championships last summer. 96 kilos: Eight wrestlers who were ranked among the top 100 seniors in the Class of 2015 anchor this field, led by No. 5 Lance Benick (Arizona State), a 2013 Cadet World participant in freestyle at 85 kilos. Others include No. 32 Kollin Moore (Ohio State), No. 37 Mason Reinhardt (Wisconsin), No. 57 Andrew Marsden (Oklahoma State), No. 64 Hunter Ritter (Wisconsin), No. 90 Jacob Seely (Northern Colorad), No. 92 David Chadd (Wisconsin), and No. 94 Angus Arthur (Adrian College). Arthur placed fourth at 197 pounds at the NCAA Division III tournament last month, and was a 2013 UWW Cadet World Team member at 76 kilos in both styles. Another touted wrestler in this weight class is Chase Singletary (Blair Academy, N.J.), who is ranked No. 9 overall in the Class of 2017. 120 kilos: Only two wrestlers in this field are/were among the top 100 recruits in their grade level, Patrick Grayson (University of Nebraska) and Gannon Gremmel (Dubuque Hempstead, Iowa); Grayson was ranked No. 95 overall in the Class of 2015, with Gremmel positioned No. 43 in the Class of 2016. Gremmel was a Cadet National freestyle champion in 2014, and a UWW Cadet freestyle All-American in that same year. A couple others to watch are Jake Gunning (Buffalo), who just missed out on the NCAA tournament this year, along with past Fargo All-Americans in Christian Colucci (Lehigh) and Dan Stibral (North Dakota State).

After initially committing to Northwestern University in the fall of 2014, No. 9 senior recruit Nick Reenan announced Tuesday on Flo Radio Live that he will be attending North Carolina State to wrestle for Pat Popolizio. Nick Reenan gets in on a shot against Taylor Venz in the Dream Team Classic (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)Reenan is one of the preeminent upper/middleweight recruits in this senior class. In his three years at Wyoming Seminary (Pa.), Reenan appeared in the National Prep finals each year, winning the title in his junior season. He was also a UIL state champion (Texas public schools) when competing for Highland Park, which is located outside of Dallas, as a freshman. His off-season resume is among the best in this senior class: Super 32 Challenge champion this fall, FloNationals champion last spring, Junior National double champion (Greco-Roman and freestyle) last summer, Cadet National Triple Crown winner in 2013, UWW Cadet National Greco-Roman champion in 2014, and two-time UWW Cadet National freestyle All-American (2013/2014). Reenan projects to compete as a 165/174-pound wrestler in college. He also ended the 2015-16 scholastic season ranked No. 2 nationally at 195 pounds.

The long-awaited return of wrestling at Fresno State has taken a significant step forward, as the United States Wrestling Foundation has made a grant to help launch the new program at the California-based school, the organization announced Monday. "So many people are coming together to make this happen. Wrestling helped shaped their lives and they are thankful for the opportunity to give back and pass it on to the next generation," said Jeff Waters, Chairman of the U.S. Wrestling Foundation. The grant from the U.S. Wrestling Foundation is a matching grant that doubles the donations received from Fresno State wrestling supporters. Fresno State dropped its intercollegiate wrestling program in 2006. When the university's President Joseph Castro came on board in 2013, he made a commitment to bring back the Bulldog mat program. "We are extremely grateful for all the support we have received from the U.S. Wrestling Foundation and the wrestling community," said Castro. "We are really excited to bring back wrestling to Fresno State, providing young men the opportunity right here in the heart of the Valley to continue competing in the sport they love while getting their education close to home. Wrestling has such a rich tradition here both at Fresno State and in our community." Wrestling -- along with a women's water polo team -- will become the 20th and 21st varsity sports to be added to the Fresno State roster for the 2017-18 season. Wrestling at Fresno State dates back to 1962 when it competed as an NCAA Division II program. In 1969 it made the move to Division I and won 11 team conference championships, had 14 top 25 finishes, three individuals that combined to win six national championships and 33 All-Americans. Fresno State will be the first Division I wrestling program to be reinstated since Bucknell and Binghamton brought back their mat programs in 2006, said Mike Moyer, Executive Director of the National Wrestling Coaches Association. Once it made the announcement of bringing back wrestling, Fresno State established a step-by-step timeline. Last month, the school officially posted an opening its head coaching position. In the next three months, Fresno State plans to announce the hiring of its head wrestling coach; by July, it plans to hire assistant coaches. This summer, actual recruitment of future Bulldog wrestlers will get underway. In November 2016, there will be an early signing period where recruits can sign National Letters of Intent to join the Fresno State wrestling program. Student-athletes will arrive on the Fresno campus in August 2017… with the inaugural 2017-18 wrestling season getting underway later that year. U.S. Wrestling Foundation works closely other wrestling organizations to coordinate and fund growth opportunities for wrestling. Their mission is to grow wrestling at all levels across the United States. The organization is a registered 501(c)(3) charity.

Morris Johnson, NCAA Division II wrestling champ for San Francisco State who later coached at his alma mater, has died. Morris Johnson with his daughter IsadoraFamily member Laura de Leon posted on Johnson's Facebook page Sunday noon: "My brother- in-law Morris Johnson passed last night. He was surrounded by everyone who loved him. God speed Morris." Johnson's wife Ellen had put this message on her husband's Facebook earlier: "Beautiful things have happened as we gathered at Morris' bedside as a family over the past two weeks. He is surrounded by love and he has reminded us of the bond of family and friends. Please keep him in your prayers." A native of Sacramento, California, Johnson joined the Sacramento High wrestling team his sophomore year to stay in shape for baseball ... and enjoyed it so much, he built a lasting career on the mat, according to TheCaliforniaWrestler.com. Johnson went on to wrestle at San Francisco State, where he was a two-time NCAA Division II finalist. He was a runner-up at heavyweight in 1983, then won the title in the same weight class at the 1984 NCAAs. He was also a two-time Northern California Athletic Conference champion. At the prestigious Midlands post-Christmas wrestling event at Northwestern University in suburban Chicago, Johnson twice placed fourth. In his two-year career at San Francisco State, Johnson had a 79-9 career record. He broke the Gators' record for most pins in a season (18) in 1984, and now ranks second all-time for falls at SFSU, with 30. He concluded his collegiate career by being presented with the Wrestler of the Year award from the Bay Area Wrestling Officials Association in 1984. In addition to success in folkstyle (high school/collegiate) wrestling, Johnson enjoyed competing in both freestyle and Greco-Roman. In 1981, Johnson was the Espoir (20-Under) National Champion and took third in the Espoir World Championships. From 1985-87, he again placed third at the USAW (USA Wrestling) Nationals in Greco Roman each year, and finished third at the USAW Nationals in Freestyle in 1986. He was also the Pan American Games Champion in 1986, and took bronze at the Tbilisi Tournament. In 1988, he placed placed fifth at the USAW Greco Roman Nationals and fourth at the Olympic Trials. He also took the 1990 Sombo National Championship and placed second in the Sombo World Championships in Moscow, Russia. After graduating from San Francisco State, Johnson became assistant coach for the Gators, and later helped coach at Arizona State and the University of Pennsylvania. He received his Ph.D. in Counseling from Bryn Mawr University in Philadelphia, and had been working as a psychologist for the Delaware County Intermediate Unit. Johnson was also inducted into the San Francisco State and California Hall of Fames. Johnson is survived by his wife Ellen, his daughter Isadora, and son Desmond, who just completed his freshman season as a member of the University of Pennsylvania wrestling team. In addition to Morris Johnson's accomplishments in wrestling, his professional career, and regarding his family, the former San Francisco State wrestler/coach was well-known and loved for his storytelling skills on online amateur wrestling forums. Here's one exceptionally strong example Johnson originally posted to TheMat.com forum in January 2010, regarding another mat legend from the San Francisco Bay area, the late Dave Schultz (re-posted by "Scribe"): "Two of the most important contributors to whatever success I had in wrestling were my HS Coach Gary Kreizenbeck at Sacramento H.S. and Dave Schultz, primary citizen of the wrestling universe... "Since most of our guys were first-year wrestlers, and most of our tournaments were 0-2 and bar-b-que, Coach K worried that we were getting knocked out so fast that we never had a chance to watch really good wrestlers compete, so he made a rule that we had to stay at the tourney until he said we could leave, which usually wasn't until after our weight class finals. This was great as we got to see a lot of guys whom we would never get to observe unless we were wrestling against them. Even then it was hard to really observe someone who was headlocking you into oblivion, or blast doubling you across two mats! I was lucky enough to be able to watch Dave Schultz on occasion and it was truly a learning session, each and every match. Seeing how he made up for a seeming lack of strength by applying excruciating leverage to one particular joint, and never letting up on that joint until the guy either turned over or the body part turned purple and fell off! Just watching Dave taught me that one of the major aspects of the sport is to impose your will, not just on your opponent, but on the body part of your opponent that you wished to claim as your own. Even if you weren't the strongest guy in the world, you could pretty much overpower any body part of your opponent with focus, determination and a clear idea of where and why you want that part to go in a certain direction. This was a true revelation to me and introduced the concept of FOCUS into my wrestling ideology, something I never forgot. " ... I had been so very fortunate to have been able to watch Dave several dozen times over the years and even practice with him once or twice. I was a better wrestler by now, having won a Jr. World medal, made a world university team as well as US teams to Cuba, Romania and Germany. My folkstyle was getting a little stronger too, as I placed at the Midlands and had taken 2nd at the D2 nationals, with a generous portion of what I knew and used coming from those observations of and the rare but valuable private coaching sessions (in exchange for being the willing recipient of Dave's artful mayhem). "There was one story that I have shared here before, but will again at the risk of being redundant. This story took place during my senior year, while I was wrestling as a heavyweight at San Francisco State. We had a home dual meet against Stanford University, where Dave was the assistant coach. As I mentioned earlier, I was a D2 runner-up at heavyweight and ranked in the top 4 or 5 at heavyweight in AWN. I was also 2nd on the Olympic Greco ladder for the upcoming Olympic Trials that coming spring/summer. Dave had been doing ok himself, having just won his first world championship and had placed 3rd at 180.5 the previous year. I was not aware that prior to the match, Coach Chris Horpel of Stanford and Dave had gotten together with my coach and informed him that they had no heavyweight and would have to forfeit our match. Dave came up with the idea of he and I having a freestyle exhibition match that they could bill as 'Battle of future Olympians' or some such. My coach agreed with the idea, but, thinking that he had a sense of humor, told Dave and Chris not to mention anything to me about it until we went out to shake hands! Coach then came over to me and said that Stanford had this great new transfer from Oregon, but he had to weigh in earlier in the afternoon because of a big final that he had to take. He was driving up with one of the assistant coaches and would definitely be there by match time, so I should stay warm and get ready for a war! Well, that got me juiced up and I went around the gym, stretching and shooting and hitting fake throws and such. I noticed Schultz in sweats, riding a stationary bike on his team's side, but I thought 'that's just Schultz. He's always warming up in sweats and wrestling shoes!' By the time the 165-pounder went out, there was still no Stanford beast, so I ambled back over to Coach and asked what the story was. He said they had just called in from a gas station and were about 20 min. away, so make sure I was warm he said, giving me a stern look. Finally the 190 pounders were out shaking hands. I noticed that Dave had removed his sweats and was just stretching on the floor with one of his Stanford boys. I kept looking around the room, but didn't see anybody who looked like a heavyweight. The 190 match ended quickly with a fall, I stripped down, thinking that I had figured it out ... I was getting a forfeit! "Ha! I walked out onto the mat and here comes Dave at the same time. Odd. The PA guy was also announcing our international and national records too, which was real odd for a dual meet! What the heck? I looked back and my coach and teammates were laughing their heads off, as was the Stanford coaches and our AD. I smiled at Dave, and with only a bit of cracking in my voice said 'Hey man, you wouldn't be the transfer from Oregon would you?' Dave just smiled some more and said 'Let's have some fun, Morris. Show these guys what freestyle is all about.' :shock: . We shook hands and, as with most matches, the fear was quickly replaced by adrenalin. Dave took a quick outside single. I thought, 'Bad move man.' I clamped down on a hard whizzer and prepared to hit him with my famous double over, hip toss. Somehow though, instead of my heel and calf catching his knee and thigh, sending him flying over my hip, Dave took a little step backwards and around to his right. The next thing I recall was my head, back and shoulders all hitting the mat at approximately the same time, with pretty remarkable force! After the ringing in my ears started to dissipate, to be replaced by the 'oooohhhhs' and 'aaahhhhhs' punctuated with the occasional 'Oh my God!' or girlish scream. I checked my mouth to make sure that the girlish scream wasn't coming from my mouth, but it was pretty much locked shut from shock and awe! Dave hopped on top right away and I braced myself in my best gut wrench defense! I guess it was so good that Dave didn't want to even try and turn me with it, so he reached back and grabbed my left foot with his right hand. He cranked it up and over my shoulder with so much force, I really didn't feel much pain ... .until he crossfaced me with his left arm and drove my face from the mat to my right shoulder. I managed to open one eye and looked to my right side (Mr. Schultz didn't want me to look at my left side, and I thought it best to cooperate with his wishes from that point on. I noticed Dave's wrestling shoes and I recall thinking "Oh wow, Dave and I wear the same kind of wrestling shoes! It took a few minutes before I realized that I was looking at my own foot, planted nicely right next to my face! Well, at least I knew were to look for it after the match! Luckily for me, our AD was officiating this match as it was an exhibition. We went a few more minutes, with my AD stopping the match several times for potentially dangerous (I was wondering why he didn't do this right after the handshake! "Time [FINALLY] ran out. I stayed until Dave's hand was raised and started walking off the mat, looking for the nearest ice machine to crawl into! It was my first and only collegiate loss at my home gym, and I was too sore to even whisper the word 'bummer!', much less say it out loud in front of Dave. Before I could step off the mat however, I felt this hairy, sinewy arm wrap itself around my neck and shoulders and who else but Dave Schultz was escorting me off the mat. And just like the Dave Schultz we all know and LOVE, he sat down next to me and told me I did a good job out there, and that I just need work on defending the single leg, and a better way to keep my balance on my once famous hip toss, and how he expected me to dominate at D2 nationals (I did) and the Olympic trials (took 3rd) so that he can say he had a close one against a CHAMPION, not some scrub that just fell off the onion truck! That was Dave. Who else could beat you like a rented mule and leave you feeling like you were just a move or two away? Who else could pound your head on the mat and reframe it into a small mistake that you make on your way to a potent offense? No one but Dave Schultz. We miss you man. Miss you and love you and for many, many, many of us, you are still just a heartbeat away."

Roger Weigel, 1971 NCAA Division I wrestling champion for Oregon State, died Thursday night, his college alma mater announced Friday. Roger WeigelWrestling for the late, legendary head coach Dale Thomas, Weigel earned wrestling letters from the Beavers from 1969-71. He defeated two-time defending champion Dwayne Keller of Oklahoma State to win the 1971 NCAA title at 134 pounds in a bout Thomas called "the finest single performance by a Beaver he had ever seen." Weigel was a two-time NCAA All-American. In addition to his 1971 title, he placed third at 126 pounds at the 1970 NCAA championships. A three-time Pac-8 Champion, Weigel went 33-1 as a senior and finished his Oregon State career with a 78-12-2 record for an impressive .859 winning percentage. Beyond wrestling for the Beavers, Weigel was a member of the 1970 National Federation Team to Europe, and won the Oregon AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) freestyle title in 1967 and 1968. "Roger was a loyal Beaver alumni," OSU coach Jim Zalesky said, mentioning that the former champ had cheered on his alma mater at the 2016 Pacific-12 Conference championships as well as the 2016 NCAAs in New York City. "He was a great supporter of the program and will be missed." Earlier this year, Weigel was named to the Pacific-12 Conference's All-Century Wrestling team, joining other Oregon State mat greats Babak Mohammadi (1991-95), Robin Reed (1923-24), Dan Hicks (1976-79), Greg Strobel (1971-74), Howard Harris (1977-80), Jess Lewis (1968-70) and Larry Bielenberg (1974-77). Weigel's OSU coach Dale Thomas was named Pac-12 Coach of the Century. Weigel was welcomed into the Oregon State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1993. Weigel is survived by his former wife, Phyllis; two children, and two grandchildren. Memorial service information has yet to be made public as of Saturday afternoon.

ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia -- Five weeks after winning his second NCAA title, J'den Cox has made his first U.S. Olympic team. J'den Cox Cox finished his day in Mongolia with a 5-0 record at 86 kilos (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com)The 21-year-old Missouri wrestler claimed a gold medal at 86 kilos at the 1st World Olympic Qualifier to punch his ticket to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The top three wrestlers in each weight class qualify their countries for the Olympic Games. Cox finished the day 5-0. In the gold-medal match he blanked Pedro Ceballos Fuentes of Venezuela 6-0. He clinched his berth in the Olympics in the semifinals when he defeated 2013 Asian champion Umidjon Ismanov of Uzbekistan 5-2. Cox entered the Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City two weeks ago as the No. 9 seed and won the titles with victories over Jake Herbert, Clayton Foster, Keith Gavin and Kyle Dake. He's one of two college wrestlers on the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team, joining returning World champion Kyle Snyder. Frank Molinaro also attempted to qualify for the Olympic Games, but finished 1-1 and failed to qualify at 65 kilos. He opened his day with a 10-0 technical fall victory over Xuan Dinh Nguyen of Vietnam. Molinaro then was defeated 6-4 by two-time World medalist Yakup Gor of Turkey. Gor was defeated in the semifinals, which knocked Molinaro out of the competition. After this weekend the U.S. has qualified 12 of the 18 weight classes across the three styles. Five have qualified in men's freestyle, three in Greco-Roman and four in women's freestyle. The athletes who have not qualified will have one more opportunity to qualify at the World Olympic Qualifier in Istanbul, Turkey, May 6-8.

Chris Honeycutt, past NCAA All-American wrestler at Edinboro University, got back to his winning ways in his mixed martial career with a victory at Bellator 153 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut Friday night. Chris Honeycutt (Photo/Bellator)Honeycutt scored a unanimous decision over Matt Secor in a three-round bout at welterweight (170 pounds). Judges scored the fight (30-25, 30-27, 30-27) for the former Fighting Scot. In his last outing, Honeycutt suffered his first loss of his pro MMA career with a first-round TKO at the hands of former University of Iowa wrestling standout Paul Bradley at Bellator 148 in January. Here's how MyMMANews.com described the Bellator 153 welterweight battle: "Chris Honeycutt vs Matt Secor turned out to be the exact opposite of what everyone expected. Honeycutt took Secor down in each round and consistently worked ground and pound while Secor would work defensively to get to his feet, get frustrated, and taken back down. The crowd was behind Secor but Honeycutt used the takedowns to his advantage to work over the judges' scorecards." "The Cutt" is now 7-1 overall, with one match ending in no-contest. Secor, a former high school wrestler in upstate New York and veteran of The Ultimate Fighter series (TUF 16), is now 7-3 in his pro MMA career which he launched in January 2010. Prior to launching his MMA career, Honeycutt had an impressive collegiate wrestling career at Pennsylvania's Edinboro University, where he was a two-time EWL (Eastern Wrestling League) champ in 2009 and 2011, and earned back-to-back NCAA Division I All-American honors, placing fifth at 184 pounds in 2011, and runner-up at 197 in 2012. The night before his match for the 197-pound title at the 2012 NCAAs, Honeycutt announced his intention of competing in MMA.

World champion Helen Maroulis was dominant on Saturday at the 1st Olympic Games World Qualifying Tournament in Mongolia (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com)ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia -- Gold and silver medals in Mongolia have secured two more Olympic berths for Team USA's women's freestyle wrestling program. Helen Maroulis and Haley Augello earned gold and silver medals respectively on Saturday at the 1st Olympic Games World Qualifying Tournament in Mongolia to punch their tickets to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Tamyra Mensah and Kelsey Campbell also competed for Team USA, but failed to qualify for the Olympic Games. Maroulis, a returning World champion, cruised to the title at 53 kilos, earning a 10-0 technical fall in the gold-medal match over 2012 World bronze medalist Maria Prevolaraki of Greece. She finished the day 4-0. Maroulis had a 28-second pin in the semifinals, and outscored her other three opponents by a combined score of 28-2. Augello reached the finals at 48 kilos with three technical falls, outscoring her first three opponents 32-1. In the gold-medal match she was beaten 9-2 by Hyon-Gyong Kim of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Kim was a World bronze medalist in 2014. Mensah, competing at 69 kilos, reached the semifinals with a pair of victories before losing a one-point match, 6-5, to Ilana Kratysh of Isreal. She would come back to earn a bronze medal with a 7-0 victory over Diana Paulina Miranda Gonzales of Mexico. Campbell, a 2012 Olympian, dropped her first match to Emese Barka of Hungary and was eliminated from the competition. Team USA's women's freestyle wrestling team has now qualified four of the six weight classes for the Olympic Games. Only 58 kilos and 69 kilos have not qualified. Mensah and Campbell will have one more opportunity to qualify those weight classes. Men's freestyle wrestlers Frank Molinaro (65 kilos) and J'den Cox (86 kilos) will attempt to qualify for the Olympic Games on Sunday.