InterMat Staff

Alex Dieringer, who just completed his Oklahoma State wrestling career with his third NCAA title and fourth All-American honor, has been named the 2016 Pound-for-Pound award winner by Amateur Wrestling News, the magazine announced Thursday. The annual award, now in its second year, is a product of Amateur Wrestling News' ongoing feature where the magazine's staff lists the nation's top ten wrestlers each issue, regardless of weight or collegiate division. As the magazine's press release stated, "The concept isn't new -- boxing's premier spotlight Ring Magazine has been doing it for decades." Dieringer won his third title at the 2016 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in New York just last weekend, joining an exclusive club of only 15 other Cowboy wrestlers with a trio of titles in the 86-year history of the NCAA championships. The product of Port Washington, Wisconsin wrapped up his career with a 133-4 overall record for a 97 winning percentage, on top of an 82-match win streak. Dieringer has held the No. 1 ranking in all national polls at 165 pounds for the 2015-16, and has occupied AWN's Pound For Pound top slot the entire season. Isaiah Martinez, back-to-back NCAA 157-pound champ for Illinois, was runner-up in the Pound for Pound contest, while J'den Cox, twice titlist for Missouri at 197, placed third. Other wrestlers included in the AWN feature throughout the 2015-16 season include Nick Gwiazdowski of N.C. State; Cody Brewer of Oklahoma; Ohio State's Nathan Tomasello, Bo Jordan and Kyle Snyder; Gabe Dean, Nahshon Garrett, and Brian Realbuto of Cornell; Jason Tsirtsis of Northwestern; Penn State's Morgan McIntosh, Zain Retherford, and Jason Nolf; and Dean Heil of Oklahoma State. Joey Davis, Notre Dame College standout who won his fourth NCAA title this month and was never defeated, was the only Division II wrestler included in this feature. Instead of being presented with a trophy or plaque, Dieringer will receive The Hammer, symbolic for the idea behind the Pound for Pound award, according to Amateur Wrestling News. Dieringer is the second collegiate wrestler to receive the Pound for Pound award. Last year's award was presented to four-time NCAA champion Logan Stieber of Ohio State.

Despite a valliant effort from the Pennsylvania seniors, the United States won its fifth straight Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic dual meet on Saturday evening in a match that did not disappoint. After the opening match, the lead changed hands five times, four of those coming between the eighth match and the twelfth match (second to last) of the program. The proceedings opened with the first of four upsets based on the national rankings, as No. 17 Greg Bulsak (South Park) upended No. 5 Keegan Moore (Jackson County Central, Minn.) 13-6 at 182 pounds. Four consecutive wins for the United States followed that opening bout loss. It started with a 6-4 victory at 195 pounds for No. 3 Samuel Colbray (Hermiston, Ore.), who upended No. 10 John Jakobsen (Stroudsburg). Next was the 8-5 victory for No. 2 Matt Stencel (Oregon Clay, Ohio) over No. 9 Jacob Robb (Armstrong) at 220. Another second-ranked wrestler in Shawn Streck (Merrilville, Ind.) continued the streak with an 8-4 victory over No. 10 Jake Beistel (Southmoreland) at 285, and closing the string out was No. 4 Danny Vega (Ironwood Ridge, Ariz.) with a 16-5 major decision over No. 9 Gage Curry (North Hills). Faced with a 13-3 deficit, three consecutive victories for the Keystone State seniors would turn that into a 14-13 advantage after the eighth match of the program. It started with a 10-6 victory at 120 pounds for No. 8 (at 126) Tyshawn White (Central Dauphin) over No. 12 Tyler Warner (Claymont, Ohio). Next to the mat was No. 3 Luke Karam (Bethlehem Catholic) at 126 pounds, who upended No. 7 Kyle Norstrem (Brandon, Fla.) 5-0. With No. 1 Chad Red (New Palestine, Ind.) unable to wrestle, No. 2 (at 138) Luke Pletcher (Greater Latrobe) absolutely torched state placer Owen Doster (New Haven, Ind.) by 23-8 technical fall at 132. Consecutive rankings-based upsets saw the teams trade victories, but the United States regain the lead 19-17 with three bouts remaining. At 138 pounds, it was No. 5 Mitch McKee (St. Michael-Albertville, Minn.) with a pin at the 3:46 mark over No. 3 George Phillippi (Derry Area). No. 10 Mike Carr (South Fayette) countered with a 1-0 victory over No. 7 (at 138) Hunter Marko (Amery, Wis.) at 145 pounds. In the next match, Pennsylvania regained the lead for the last time on the evening when No. 2 Hayden Hidlay (Mifflin County) avenged a consolation finals match loss to No. 3 Griffin Parriott (New Prague, Minn.) at the Super 32 Challenge. On this occasion, Hidlay won 5-1 in overtime to give his team a 20-19 lead with two bouts remaining. The last of four rankings upsets came at 160 pounds, and provided the United States the lead for good. In a battle of top 50 senior prospects, No. 6 (at 170) Drew Hughes (Lowell, Ind.) beat No. 4 Jake Wentzel (South Park) 6-0. A takedown and near fall in the first period for Hughes provided the needed margin, though Hughes added a takedown in the second period as well. In the final bout of the program, No. 1 Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.) rallied from an early deficit to upend No. 10 Austin Bell (Belle Vernon Area) 8-4 at 170 pounds. United States 25 Pennsylvania 20 182: No. 17 Greg Bulsak (South Park) decision No. 5 Keegan Moore (Jackson County Central, Minn.) 13-6 195: No. 3 Samuel Colbray (Hermiston, Ore.) decision No. 10 John Jakobsen (Stroudsburg) 6-4 220: No. 2 Matt Stencel (Oregon Clay, Ohio) decision No. 9 Jacob Robb (Armstrong) 8-5 285: No. 2 Shawn Streck (Merrillville, Ind.) decision No. 10 Jake Beistel (Southmoreland) 8-4 113: No. 4 Danny Vega (Ironwood Ridge, Ariz.) major decision No. 9 Gage Curry (North Hills) 16-5 120: No. 8 (at 126) Tyshawn White (Central Dauphin) decision No. 12 Tyler Warner (Claymont, Ohio) 10-6 126: No. 3 Luke Karam (Bethlehem Catholic) decision No. 7 Kyle Norstrem (Brandon, Fla.) 5-0 132: No. 2 (at 138) Luke Pletcher (Greater Latrobe) technical fall Owen Doster (New Haven, Ind.) 23-8 138: No. 5 Mitchell McKee (St. Michael-Albertville, Minn.) pin No. 3 George Phillippi (Derry Area) 3:46 145: No. 10 Mike Carr (South Fayette) decision No. 7 (at 138) Hunter Marko (Amery, Wis.) 1-0 152: No. 2 Hayden Hidlay (Mifflin County) decision No. 3 Griffin Parriott (New Prague, Minn.) 5-1, overtime 160: No. 6 (at 170) Drew Hughes (Lowell, Ind.) decision No. 4 Jake Wentzel (South Park) 6-0 170: No. 1 Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.) decision No. 10 Austin Bell (Belle Vernon Area) 8-4

The undercard of the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic on Saturday afternoon, the host WPIAL squad came through with a 27-18 victory over Indiana. The match featured top senior wrestlers from each area competing against one another. The WPIAL all-stars, from the Pittsburgh area, were absent nine wrestlers that were selected for the main event; while the Indiana team had two wrestlers called into the main event, and two others have to scratch due to injury during the week. If it was a close match, it almost assuredly went the way of the hosts. That trend started in the dual meet's opening bout, where 2015 state qualifier Mike Heinl (Shaler) upended state placer Owen Doster (New Haven, Ind.) 6-4 at 132 pounds. In the second match of the dual meet, No. 6 Drew Hughes (Lowell, Ind.) pinned two-time state placer Anthony Welsh (Beth-Center) in the first minute at 170. That pin gave the Hoosier State seniors a 6-3 lead, the only lead of the evening. Matches at 132 and 170 went first as Doster and Hughes were called in to do "double duty". Each also wrestled in the main event due to unavailability of the previously selected United States wrestler: No. 1 Chad Red (New Palestine, Ind.) and No. 3 (at 170) Thomas Bullard (Arhcer, Ga.) Next came five consecutive wins for the host squad, which established an 18-6 lead for the WPIAL that was sustained through the last six bouts of the dual meet. It started with a 2-0 overtime decision for three-time state placer Aaron Burkett (Chestnut Ridge) at 113 pounds; the in-season 106 pound wrestler beat two-time state placer Geoffrey Davis (Fort Wayne Wayne, Ind.). Next up was three-time state/National Prep placer Ethan McCoy (Greater Latrobe) with a win over state champion and four-time state placer Drew Hildebrandt (Penn, Ind.), 7-4 at 120 pounds; McCoy competed during the season at 126 pounds. Then at 126 pounds, it was state placer Chris Eddins (Greensburg Salem) with a 6-3 win over two-time state runner-up, and three-time state placer, Gaige Torres (Portage, Ind.). The 138 pound match saw state placer Shawn Wilson (Waynesburg) upend two-time state placer Evan Eldred (Westfield, Ind.) 8-3. The barrage ended with a 5-4 victory for Damon Greenwald (Burrell), state champion at 152 pounds this season, over two-time state placer Jordan Vaughn (Franklin Central, Ind.) The WPIAL momentum was put to a stark halt in the 152 pound match, as two-time state runner-up (also 3x placer) Steven Lawrence (Portage, Ind.) pinned state placer Derek Verkleeren (Belle Vernon Area) at the 4:29 mark. The Indiana deficit was cut to 18-12. However, the next bout saw Verkleeren's high school teammate Mitch Hartman come through with a key victory. It was a 2-1 victory for the state qualifier at 160 pounds over three-time state placer Cael McCormick (Yorktown, Ind.); McCormick was called into the squad late, and competed this season at 152. Nationally ranked star Blake Rypel (Indanapolis Cathedral, Ind.), No. 2 in the nation, pushed out to a 10-0 lead at 182 pounds before holding onto a 10-5 victory over state runner-up Milton Kobaly (Belle Vernon Area). The lone bona fide upset of the undercard dual meet came in the next match, which saw Indiana cut the deficit to 21-18 with two matches remaining; state champion Jake Kleimola (Lake Central, Ind.) beat No. 11 Drew Phipps (Norwin) 4-3 on a very late reversal at 195. The WPIAL squad clinched the dual meet victory with a 2-1 win at 220 pounds from state runner-up Michael McAleavy (Peters Township), who beat 195 pound state placer Nick Fox (Carmel, Ind.); Fox was an injury replacement for his teammate, a two-time state placer at 220. In the last match of the dual meet, it was a summary of the afternoon's program, as Hayden Rice (Norwin, Pa.) - a state qualifier this season - upended Sean Galligar (Columbus East, Ind.), third at state, by a 2-1 score. WPIAL 27 Indiana 18 132: Mike Heinl (Shaler) decision Owen Doster (New Haven, Ind.) 6-4 170: No. 6 Drew Hughes (Lowell, Ind.) pin Anthony Walsh (Bethlehem Center) 1st minute 113: Aaron Burkett (Chestnut Ridge) decision Geoffrey Davis (Fort Wayne Wayne, Ind.) 2-0, overtime 120: Ethan McCoy (Greater Latrobe) decision Drew Hildebrandt (Penn, Ind.) 7-4 126: Chris Eddins (Greensburg Salem) decision Gaige Torres (Portage, Ind.) 6-3 138: Shawn Wilson (Waynesburg) decision Evan Eldred (Westfield, Ind.) 8-3 145: Damon Greenwald (Burrell) decision Jordan Vaughn (Franklin Central, Ind.) 5-4 152: Steven Lawrence (Portage, Ind.) pin Derek Verkleeren (Belle Vernon Area) 4:29 160: Mitch Hartman (Belle Vernon Area) decision Cael McCormick (Yorktown, Ind.) 2-1 182: No. 2 Blake Rypel (Indianapolis Cathedral, Ind.) decision Milton Kobaly (Belle Vernon Area) 10-5 195: Jake Kleimola (Lake Central, Ind.) decision No. 11 Drew Phipps (Norwin) 4-3 220: Michael McAleavy (Peters Township) decision Nick Fox (Carmel, Ind.) 2-1 285: Hayden Rice (Norwin) decision Sean Galligar (Columbus East, Ind.) 2-1

After a 40-year absence, the wrestling program at SUNY Ulster is returning, with Justin Signorelli named head coach, the community college located in Stone Ridge, New York announced this week. Signorelli, 25, was a three-time New York Section 9 champion at Highland High School who later went on to be a four-year letter-winning wrestler and team captain at SUNY Cortland. During the 2013-14 season, Signorelli served as an assistant coach at Highland, and as a volunteer assistant the past two seasons. In addition to Signorelli, SUNY Ulster's wrestling coaching staff will include Phil Brown, a former head coach at Kingston High, and Rich Parete, a three-time Section 9 champ in the mid-1980s at Rondout Valley, as assistant coaches. "They have both been coaching for 25-plus years," Signorelli told Sal Interdanato of the Times Herald-Record . "Coach Brown has international experience (wrestling for the Army). They both have a tremendous amount of connections in the community and wrestling. What I lack in maybe experience, they will be able to pick up the slack there." Late last week, SUNY Ulster Athletic Director Matt Brennie revealed in a press statement that men's wrestling would be returning to campus this winter after the program folded after the 1976-77 season, the Daily Freeman reported. The idea of wrestling returning to SUNY Ulster sprang from a suggestion made by Brennie last fall during a planning meeting for the Section 9 Division II championships that the school hosted last month. Brennie watched the Section 9 tournament and was impressed with the sport's following. "It was a really intense environment and it was really supportive," Brennie told the Times Herald-Record. "There were people passionate about the sport of wrestling. When we were looking to expand our athletic department and offer new and exciting ideas to potential student-athletes, this was one of the sports that resonated. Its popularity in the Hudson Valley made it a no-brainer." As for the decision to hire Signorelli, Brennie -- a former athlete himself at Wake Forest University in North Carolina -- saw some of himself in the future SUNY Ulster mat coach. "The one thing I like about Justin is that he's hungry to be a head coach," Brennie said. "He wants the opportunity to show what he's learned as a wrestler and take that and translate that into teaching college athletes what it's like to be a college wrestler. "I saw a lot of me in Justin. I saw a young guy that wants to make a name for himself in college athletics." While some two-year colleges in the Hudson Valley have struggled to maintain wrestling programs, SUNY Ulster and Signorelli appear to be up for the challenge. "It's tough to forecast at this point, but I don't see why we can't have 20-25 guys and be a competitive junior college team even though it's going to be our first year," Signorelli said. SUNY Ulster -- also known as Ulster County Community College -- is a public two-year college supported by Ulster County, New York, and the State University of New York, with a main campus located in Ulster, N.Y. The school has a total enrollment of approximately 3,800 students.

The 2016 edition of the FloNationals came to its conclusion on Friday evening at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Dakota Geer (Franklin, Pa.) and Dan Perry (Lapeer, Mich.) each beat a pair of ranked wrestlers on the way to their championships. It marked a repeat FloNationals title for Geer, while for Perry he improved one position on the podium after last year's runner-up finish. Seven other wrestlers beat nationally ranked opposition to win FloNationals titles, six of which were head-on matches involving ranked wrestlers facing one another. Below are the results of the medal matches in each weight class. 106 pounds 1st: Jaret Lane (Southern Columbia, Pa.) decision Benyamin Kamali (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.) 8-2 3rd: T.J. Hicks (Bradley Central, Tenn.) decision Carson Manville (Virginia) 8-7 5th: Ronald Stewart (Maplewood, Mo.) over Brandon Betancourt (Clovis, Calif.) by forfeit 7th: Malyke Hines (Osceola, Fla.) major decision Gable Fox (Don Bosco, Iowa) 11-2 113 pounds 1st: Ian Timmins (Wooster, Nev.) decision Michael Millage (Crestwood, Iowa) 5-1 3rd: Jaxon Cole (South Summit, Utah) decision Hunter Lucas (Lima Central Catholic, Ohio) 4-0 5th: Esco Walker (Hopewell, N.C.) decision Dominic Lajoie (Gaylord, Mich.) 9-4 7th: Lukus Stricker (Akron Hoban, Ohio) dec. Ryan Moore (Walton Verona, Ky.) 2-0 120 pounds 1st: No. 17 (at 126) Brian Courtney (Athens, Pa.) major decision No. 2 Justin Mejia (Clovis, Calif.) 14-6 3rd: Paul Konrath (Connections Academy, Ind.) decision Josiah Kline (Ironwood Ridge, Ariz.) 6-0 5th: Keaton Geerts (New Hampton, Iowa) decision K.J. Fenstermacher (Bethlehem Liberty, Pa.) 6-4 7th: Jet Taylor (Sallisaw, Okla.) decision Tanner Cox (Maple Mountain, Utah) 9-3 126 pounds 1st: No. 6 (at 138) Taylor LaMont (Maple Mountain, Utah) decision No. 10 (at 132) Durbin Lloren (Buchanan, Calif.) 4-0 3rd: Zack Donathan (Mason, Ohio) decision Quinn Kinner (Kingsway Regional, N.J.) 5-4 5th: Knox Fuller (Bradley Central, Tenn.) decision No. 14 Jacori Teemer (Long Beach, N.Y.) 4-2 7th: Wilfredo Gil (Ramapo, N.J.) decision Jacob Mariakis (Ridgeland, Ga.) 132 pounds 1st: Dresden Simon (Dansville, Mich.) pin No. 12 Ben Freeman (Walled Lake Central, Mich.) 3:49 3rd: Denton Spencer (Camden County, Ga.) decision Jake Hinkson (North Allegheny, Pa.) 7-5, overtime 5th: Jarrett Jacques (Owensville, Mo.) decision Cole Matthews (Reynolds, Pa.) 7-2 7th: Corey Shie (LaSalle, Ohio) pin Marshall Keller (Christiansburg, Va.) 2:08 138 pounds 1st: No. 8 Sammy Sasso (Nazareth, Pa.) decision No. 6 (at 145) Kanen Storr (Leslie, Mich.) 4-3 3rd: No. 10 Hunter Ladnier (St. Edward, Ohio) decision Lane Stigall (North Marion, Ore.) 9-8 5th: Brock Wilson (Nazareth, Pa.) decision Dakota Goff (Steubenville, Ohio) 9-4 7th: Matthew Grippi (Fox Lane, N.Y.) decision Nicholas Santos (St. Peter's Prep, N.J.) 4-3 145 pounds 1st: Jarod Verkleeren (Belle Vernon Area, Pa.) decision Tyler Megonigal (James Madison, Va.) 3-2 3rd: Dillon Ulrey (North Medford, Ore.) pin Jake Douglas (Lake Stevens, Wash.) 4:46 5th: No. 7 (at 152) Devin Bahr (West Salem, Wis.) decision Sean Sterling (Dundee, Mich.) 2-1 7th: Hunter Richard (Holland Patent, N.Y.) decision Rian Burris (White Knoll, S.C.) 152 pounds 1st: No. 15 Travis Stefanik (Nazareth, Pa.) decision No. 15 (at 160) Hunter Bolen (Christiansburg, Va.) 2-0 3rd: Ethan Smith (Aberdeen, Md.) decision No. 7 Layne van Anrooy (Roseburg, Ore.) 3-1 5th: No. 6 Wyatt Sheets (Stilwell, Okla.) decision Aaron Olmos (Mater Dei, Calif.) 4-0 7th: Bryce Rogers (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.) decision Dale Tiongson (St. Paul's, Md.) 7-3 160 pounds 1st: No. 14 (at 170) Anthony Mantanona (Palm Desert, Calif.) decision No. 18 Trent Hidlay (Mifflin County, Pa.) 16-10 3rd: Casey Cornett (Simon Kenton, Ky.) decision Deirrien Perkins (Warren Lincoln, Mich.) 10-3 5th: Nate Vandermeer (Clarkston, Mich.) decision Brit Wilson (Mexico, Mo.) 1-0 7th: Dalton Group (Susquenita, Pa.) major decision Gavin Wilkerson (Greenville, Pa.) 14-6 170 pounds 1st: No. 9 Nino Bonaccorsi (Bethel Park, Pa.) decision No. 6 Jelani Embree (Warren Lincoln, Mich.) 6-3 3rd: No. 13 (at 182) Kevin Parker (Shenendehowa, N.Y.) decision Jared Krattiger (Waterford, Wis.) 4-2 5th: Jake Shaffer (Greater Latrobe, Pa.) decision Andrew Berreyesa (Reno, Nev.) 7-3 7th: Jacob Hart (Independence, W.Va.) decision Luke McGonigal (Clearfield, Pa.) 5-2 182 pounds 1st: No. 6 Dakota Geer (Franklin, Pa.) decision No. 14 (at 195) Brandon Whitman (Dundee, Mich.) 9-2 3rd: No. 19 Antonio Agee (Hayfield, Va.) decision Jake Woodley (North Allegheny, Pa.) 3-1 5th: John Borst (Sherando, Va.) decision Alex Melikian (Lakeland/Panas, N.Y.) 8-6 7th: Bob Coleman (Hermiston, Ore.) over Anthony Walters (Westmont-Hilltop, Pa.) by forfeit 195 pounds 1st: Noah Adams (Independence, W.Va.) decision Jay Aiello (Westfield, Va.) 9-4 3rd: Gavin Hoffman (Montoursville, Pa.) decision Francis Duggan (North Allegheny, Pa.) 3-1 5th: No. 15 Jacob Raschka (Pewaukee, Wis.) decision Ian Malesiewski (Erie Cathedral Prep, Pa.) 3-2 7th: Ryan Vasbinder (Byron Central, Mich.) decision Haydn Maley (Roseburg, Ore.) 10-4 220 pounds 1st: No. 8 Jared Campbell (St. Edward, Ohio) pin Alex Daniels (Independence, W.Va.) 0:21 3rd: Ben Goldin (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.) decision Evan Ellis (Eastern, Ind.) 3-2, ultimate tiebreaker 5th: Derek Berberick (Greensburg Salem, Pa.) decision Josiah Jones (Westmont-Hilltop, Pa.) 5-2 7th: Floyd Rogers (Green, Ohio) decision Eric Keosseian (Howell, N.J.) 5-2 285 pounds 1st: No. 13 Dan Perry (Lapeer, Mich.) decision No. 3 Carter Isley (Albia, Iowa) 3-2 3rd: Gabriel Beyer (Leon, Fla.) decision No. 18 Andrew Gunning (Bethlehem Liberty, Pa.) 3-2 5th: No. 16 Sammy Evans (Alcoa, Tenn.) decision Nick Jenkins (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.) 4-0 7th: Brendan Furman (Canon-McMillan, Pa.) decision Thomas Helton (Elmhurst York, Ill.) 8-2

Michael Johnson (Jr.), last year's No. 1 ranked 285 pound wrestler, has committed to enroll at Duke University for the 2016-17 school year. The news was confirmed via e-mail from Johnson, Jr. to InterMat High School Analyst Josh Lowe on Friday evening. He was ranked as the No. 19 overall prospect for the Class of 2015. Johnson had originally planned on enrolling at Yale University to play football after attending Choate Rosemary Hall in Connecticut for a post-grad year. However, regret over missing the sport of wrestling and Yale's desire to convert him into a defensive lineman (as opposed to offensive line), made Johnson change his mind and choose wrestling. "I have been blessed with an opportunity to continue to pursue my wrestling and academic goals at Duke University. I believe that Glen Lanham, Will Rowe, and Ben Wissel are among the best coaching staffs in the country and I'm very excited for the opportunity to work with them," commented Johnson, Jr. via e-mail on Friday evening.

The Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic, formerly known as the Dapper Dan, will be held on Saturday at the Fitzgerald Fieldhouse on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh. As per normal, the main event features seniors from Pennsylvania against those from the United States. This year's undercard features senior wrestlers from the WPIAL against those from Indiana. For the undercard this is the first time that the state of Indiana will be participating. The guest team has won six of the last ten undercard events, and is seeking a third straight victory. Wrestlers from Indiana have a 6-0 all-time record in the main event of the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic, most recently Stevan Micic (Hanover Central) won his match in 2014. Other wrestlers to win in the main event include Jared Brooks (Warsaw) and Jason Tsirtsis (Crown Point) in 2012, Alex Tsirtsis (Griffith) and Blake Maurer (Evansville Mater Dei) in 2004, and Steven Bradley (Beech Grove) in 1998. In terms of the undercard matchups, two wrestlers from Indiana are competing in the main event, while nine from the WPIAL are in the Pennsylvania vs. United States showdown. Undercard matches take place at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Saturday; the format of which is two periods of 2:30 in length, both starting in the neutral position. For the main event, the United States has won four consecutive Wrestling Classic dual meets. They have also won five of the last six, and 13 of the last 15. This match takes place at 6 p.m. The following is an analysis of the Pennsylvania vs. United States main event matches. 113: No. 9 Gage Curry (North Hills) vs. No. 4 Danny Vega (Ironwood Ridge, Ariz.) The American University bound Curry is one of nine participants from the WPIAL in the Wrestling Classic main event. A four-time state placer, he was runner-up last year and third place this year after fourth and sixth place finishes his first two seasons. He is also a two-time Super 32 Challenge placer, and a three-time Flo Nationals placer. Vega was committed to Grand Canyon before that program was disbanded. The three-time state champion is a two-time Junior National folkstyle champion, two-time Junior National double All-American (champion in freestyle and Greco-Roman in 2014), and a Cadet National freestyle champion in 2013. 120: No. 8 (at 126) Tyshawn White (Central Dauphin) vs. No. 12 Tyler Warner (Claymont, Ohio) White is a recent commit to Lock Haven, and a four-time state placer, finishing second this year after third place finishes the previous two years. He placed fourth in the Super 32 Challenge this fall. Warner, who will be attending Division II Wheeling Jesuit, won state titles his first three years of high school before losing in the state semifinal this month. He is also a three-time Super 32 Challenge placer, taking seventh this year, including a 5-4 consolation quarterfinal loss to White. 126: No. 3 Luke Karam (Bethlehem Catholic) vs. No. 7 Kyle Norstrem (Brandon, Fla.) Karam is a three-time state champion, who will be attending Lehigh in the fall. He was runner-up in the Super 32 Challenge this fall, and also placed sixth in the event as a sophomore. The Virginia Tech bound Norstrem is a five-time state champion and two-time Super 32 Challenge placer, to go with titles at the NHSCA Freshman and Sophomore Nationals. 132: No. 2 (at 138) Luke Pletcher (Greater Latrobe) vs. No. 1 Chad Red (New Palestine, Ind.) This pair of wrestlers met in the final of last year's Flo Nationals, a match that the Nebraska bound Red emerged with the victory. Red was undefeated for his high school career, one in which he won four state titles. His off-season success also includes a 2014 Super 32 Challenge title and a 2014 Cadet National freestyle title. The Ohio State bound Pletcher, was a four-time state finalist; winning titles as a freshman, sophomore, and senior. He also was a Flo Nationals champion in 2013 before runner-up finishes the following two seasons, along with Super 32 Challenge titles in 2013 and 2014. 138: No. 3 George Phillippi (Derry Area) vs. No. 5 Mitchell McKee (St. Michael-Albertville, Minn.) The Virginia-bound Phillippi is a three-time state champion, winning titles as a freshman and the last two seasons. His off-season success includes a pair of placement finishes at the Flo Nationals and Super 32 Challenge. McKee, the Minnesota recruit, is a three-time state champion who six Fargo finals appearances; that includes Cadet Greco-Roman titles in 2012 and 2013, a Junior freestyle title in 2014, and a Junior Greco-Roman title in 2014. He is also a two-time Super 32 Challenge placer. 145: No. 10 Mike Carr (South Fayette) vs. No. 7 (at 138) Hunter Marko (Amery, Wis.) Carr is a two-time state champion, who has committed to wrestle for the University of Illinois. Four-time state champion Marko will join McKee as a future Golden Gopher, and is a three-time Junior National freestyle All-American, including his title in 2013. 152: No. 2 Hayden Hidlay (Mifflin County) vs. No. 3 Griffin Parriott (New Prague, Minn.) Hidlay won state this past year after placing third and sixth the previous two years. The future North Carolina State wrestler has a robust off-season resume, including a pair of Super 32 Challenge placement finishes, a Flo Nationals title last year, and five All-American finishes in Fargo (including a Junior Greco-Roman title this past summer). The Purdue bound Parriott is a five-time state placer and four-time state champion, also placing twice in the Super 32 Challenge, and placing fifth in Junior freestyle this past summer (Hidlay was third in the same weight class). Parriott beat Hidlay by 3-1 overtime decision in the third place match at the Super 32 this fall. 160: No. 4 Jake Wentzel (South Park) vs. No. 3 (at 170) Thomas Bullard (Archer, Ga.) Wentzel will be wrestling in the same facility that he will call home for the next four or five years. The four-time state placer won state titles the last two seasons. During his junior year, he placed third at the Super 32 Challenge and runner-up at the Flo Nationals. Bullard joins Hidlay as a future Wolfpack wrestler, and is a four-time state champion. He was a finalist at the Super 32 Challenge the last two years, winning the title his junior season, and was champion at the NHSCA Freshman, Sophomore, and Junior Nationals. 170: No. 10 Austin Bell (Belle Vernon Area) vs. No. 1 Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.) Like Wentzel, Bell is a future Pitt Panther. He has third place finishes the last two years at the state tournament. This season's Walsh Jesuit Ironman champion, he placed third at the Super 32 Challenge and Flo Nationals during his junior season. The Penn State bound Hall is the best overall wrestler in this year's senior class, a six-time state champion, a Junior World Team member in freestyle last summer, and has an absurdly long winning streak to end his scholastic career. 182: No. 17 Greg Bulsak (South Park) vs. No. 5 Keegan Moore (Jackson County Central, Minn.) Two-time state champion Bulsak is committed to enroll at Clarion University in the fall. He is also a two-time Super 32 Challenge placer. Three-time state champion Moore is an Oklahoma State commit, and was runner-up at the UWW Cadet Nationals last spring in freestyle; he also was a Junior National folkstyle last spring, and a Cadet National Triple Crown winner in 2014. 195: No. 10 John Jakobsen (Stroudsburg) vs. No. 3 Samuel Colbray (Hermiston, Ore.) The Lehigh-bound Jakobsen has appearances in the state final each of the last two seasons, including the state title earlier this month. Four-time state champion Colbray is an Iowa State commit, and was a Junior National runner-up in both Greco-Roman and freestyle last summer after winning a NHSCA Junior nationals title. The previous three summers, he was a Greco-Roman national champion in Fargo. 220: No. 9 Jacob Robb (Armstrong) vs. No. 2 Matt Stencel (Oregon Clay) Robb, who will be attending Division II Mercyhurst, was state champion in Class AAA this year after second and fifth place finishes the previous two years in Class AA; his previous school (Kittanning) was involved in a consolidation before the 2015-16 school year. He also placed fourth at the Flo Nationals last spring. The Central Michigan bound Stencel has been in the state final each of the last three years, winning state titles the last two. Prior to the season, he was runner-up at the Super 32 Challenge, and during this past summer was a Junior National double All-American. 285: No. 10 Jake Beistel (Southmoreland) vs. No. 2 Shawn Streck (Merrillville, Ind.) Beistel won an elusive state title this year after placing second and fifth the previous two years. This will be a last wrestling competition for Beistel, as he will be playing football in college for St. Francis University in the FCS. He was fourth at the Flo Nationals and third at the NHSCA Junior Nationals. A four-time state placer, all at 285 pounds, the Purdue bound Streck won state titles each of the last two seasons. Below is a summary for the Indiana vs. WPIAL matchups. 113: Geoffrey Davis (Fort Wayne Wayne) vs. Aaron Burkett (Chestnut Ridge) **2x state 4th vs. 3x state placer (6th/2nd/3rd); Burkett at 106 this year 120: Drew Hildebrandt (Penn) vs. Ethan McCoy (Greater Latrobe) **4x state placer, 2x finalist (8th/6th/2nd/1st) vs. 3x medalist (NP 2nd/INJ/3rd/7th); McCoy at 126 this year 126: Gaige Torres (Portage) vs. Chris Eddins (Greensburg Salem) **3x state placer, 2x finalist (7th/DNQ/2nd/2nd) vs. state 6th 132: Owen Doster (New Haven) vs. Mike Heinl (Shaler) **state 5th vs. 2015 state qualifier 138: Evan Eldred (Westfield) vs. Shaun Wilson (Waynesburg) **2x state placer (6th/3rd) vs. state 5th 145: Jordan Vaughn (Franklin Central) vs. Damon Greenwald (Burrell) **2x state placer, 2015 finalist (2nd/4th) vs. 2x state placer, state champ (7th/1st); Greenwald at 152 this year 152: Steven Lawrence (Portage) vs. Derek Verkleeren (Belle Vernon) **3x state placer, 2x finalist (7th/2nd/2nd) vs. state 4th 160: Cael McCormick (Yorktown) vs. Mitch Hartman (Belle Vernon) **3x state placer (4th/6th/SQ/5th) vs. state qualifier; McCormick at 152 this year 170: No. 6 Drew Hughes (Lowell) vs. Anthony Welsh (Beth-Center) **4x state placer, 3x finalist (2nd/5th/1st/1st) vs. 2x state placer (5th/3rd) 182: No. 4 Blake Rypel (Indianapolis Cathedral) vs. Milton Kobaly (Belle Vernon) **4x state placer, 3x finalist (7th/2nd/1st/1st) vs. state runner-up 195: Jake Kleimola (Lake Central) vs. No. 10 Drew Phipps (Norwin) **state champion vs. 3x state placer, state finalist (4th/3rd/2nd) 220: Nick Fox (Carmel) vs. Mike McAleavey (Peters Township) **state 5th place (at 195) vs. state runner-up 285: Sean Galligar (Columbus East) vs. Hayden Rice (Norwin) **state 3rd vs. state qualifier

Justin "Harry" Lester, 2012 Olympic wrestler, has been named head wrestling coach at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, the school located in Akron, Ohio announced Wednesday. Justin Lester (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)A former Akron resident, Lester is a four-time Ohio state champion from 1998-2001 while attending Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy located in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Lester was a member of the U.S. Greco-Roman team which competed at the 2012 Olympics in London. In addition, Lester is a two-time World bronze medalist (2006, 2007), an eight-time U.S. World Team member, a six-time U.S. Open champion, a 2007 Pan American Games champion, a 2005 World University Games bronze medalist and a 1999 Cadet World champion. Lester currently resides in Colorado Springs, where he is training with the U.S. Army WCAP (World Class Athlete Program) for the Olympics. A ten-year member of Team USA, he is currently ranked No. 1 at 71 kilos/156 pounds. Lester has provided personal training for NCAA All-Americans and champions, and has coached at several youth clubs over the years, according to STVM athletic director Willie McGee. "The entire St. Vincent-St. Mary High School community is excited about Harry Lester joining its family," McGee said in a prepared statement. "He will not only be a great coach for Irish wrestlers but will also take the sport of wrestling to a new level for young athletes in our area." "It has always been my passion to give back to wrestling," Lester said in a prepared statement. "I feel it is my responsibility to give every bit of knowledge of the sport back to any athlete who wants to learn." St. Vincent-St. Mary High School is a co-educational Catholic high school located in the city of Akron in northeast Ohio. It has a current enrollment of approximately 700 students. STVM is the prep alma mater of NBA superstar LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Augsburg College wrestling alumni Scott Whirley and Henry Gerten were inducted into the National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III Hall of Fame in a ceremony prior to this year's NCAA Division III Wrestling National Championships in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Scott Whirley and Henry GertenThe NWCA Division III Wrestling Hall of Fame has honored NCAA Division III wrestlers, coaches and contributors since 1989. To be considered for Hall of Fame induction, wrestlers must be three-time All-Americans or two-time national champions. A 1982 graduate of Augsburg, Whirley was a three-time NCAA All-American wrestler who then served his alma mater for 22 seasons (1982-84, 1986-2005, 2006-07) as an assistant coach under head coach Jeff Swenson. During that time, the Auggies won 10 NCAA Division III wrestling national titles in a 17-year span. Augsburg had 145 All-Americans and 39 individual national champions (one NAIA, 38 NCAA-III) in Whirley's coaching career. With Whirley as an assistant coach, Augsburg won Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament titles 18 times and MIAC Team Duals titles 14 times, along with winning the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional title four times. As an Augsburg wrestler, Whirley, claimed the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) national championship at 126 pounds in 1979 and earned NAIA All-American honors three times, finishing first, second and fourth nationally. (During Whirley's college career, Augsburg competed in the NAIA; the school switched to NCAA Division III in 1983.) He won MIAC titles in 1978 (126), 1981 (134) and 1982 (134) and earned the MIAC tourney MVP award in his senior year. In 2002, Whirley was inducted into the Augsburg Athletic Hall of Fame. A 1998 Augsburg grad, Henry Gerten won two individual national titles for the Auggies, winning titles at 118 pounds in both 1997 and 1998. Gerten was a three-time All-American for Augsburg, adding a fourth-place finish in 1996 to his two national crowns. In addition, Gerten was a three-time Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champion, winning titles at 118 pounds in 1996, 1997 and 1998. Gerten finished his three-year Augsburg career (transferring from the University of Wisconsin after his freshman year) with a record of 104-7 -- at the time, the best all-time wrestling winning percentage (.937) in school history. In 1996-97, Gerten went 44-0 -- the first Augsburg wrestler ever to go through a season unbeaten -- and had a then-school-record 64-match winning streak during his career. Gerten was a three-time Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champion, winning titles at 118 pounds in 1996, 1997 and 1998. Since graduating from Augsburg, Gerten had served as an assistant coach at Augsburg, as a coach for the Minnesota Storm, as head coach at Dakota County Technical College, and as an assistant coach at Rosemount (Minn.) High School. He is currently the co-head coach, along with fellow Augsburg alum Chad Olson, of the Farmington (Minn.) High School wrestling team. He is a social studies teacher at Rosemount Middle School. Whirley and Gerten are the ninth and 10th Auggies to be inducted into the NWCA Division III Hall of Fame.

The NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships ended last Saturday and by unanimous agreement the evening's final match -- which pitted two-time defending champion Nick Gwiazdowski against 2015 World champion Kyle Snyder -- was the single greatest heavyweight final in the sport's history. Kyle Snyder and Nick Gwiazdowski battle in the NCAA finals at heavyweight (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)I always enjoy writing curmudgeonly gin-soaked rebuttals to universally accepted facts, but in the case of Snyder and Gwiazdowski I've fallen victim to effusive hyperbole when describing the match to a generous ear. No matter how you analyze the action, theirs was the greatest heavyweight match in collegiate wrestling history. Beyond the technical action and on-the-mat heroics, there was additional satisfaction in seeing a season-long storyline play out to expectations. Not a lot of dressing was needed to make the match appealing to a diehard or a newcomer. Wrestling talks a lot about promotion, and while there are areas for improvement, the Snyder-Gwiazdowski match should remind us that that sport attaches itself to our soul with more vigor than spectacle ever will. Sporting purity is the righteousness by which all wrestlers hang their credentials. There aren't PR-manufactured rivalries, or the lingering scent of predetermined outcomes. Sport, and wrestling in particular, are immune to these nefarious traps of profit-based sporting organizations, based simply on their tournament and advancement-based competitive structuring. So if there is something to take away from Saturday outside of awe and respect, it's this: Wrestling is perfect just the way it is. We need ring girls and public weigh-ins like a beach sunset needs monster truck rally. What we have is simple, beautiful and forever. What we have is ours. Now let's give those big guys one more round of applause, because they not only showed new fans what our sport can be, but it restored in old fans the focus to see what always was. To your questions … David Terao is a blue belt in jiu-jitsuQ: Which wrestler did you enjoy watching the most in NYC? I had two: David Terao and Dylan Palacio. -- Mike C. Foley: Terao received two standing ovations! There is a lot of passion behind his wrestling, but what fans seem to respond to was Terao's creativity on the mat. There were plenty of fans who told me that his performance was one of their favorite moments of any NCAA championship. Maybe it's unrelated, but I saw on Facebook that Terao is a blue belt in jiu-jitsu. There is a good chance that some of what we saw came from training with Ryan Hall at 50/50 … Q: Have you heard anything about the Northwestern coaching situation? -- Mike C. Foley: Not directly from the administration, but I did hear from alumni that they don't see Coach Storniolo as at fault for a subpar season. Having a coach fired, suffering a number of season-ending injuries and dealing with off-the-mat all affected the outcome of the season. From what I saw in person Storniolo isn't just a good mat coach, but he's the type of leader that the guys wanted to see in the room. (After writing the above paragraph, it was announced that Storniolo has been named the permanent head wrestling coach. Congrats, Coach!) Q: Which of the NCAA champions have the best chance to make an impact at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City? -- Mike C. Foley: Um … Kyle Snyder? After the defending World champion I'm thinking that Nahshon Garrett may have something to add to the discussion at 57 kilos. There is also a chance that Nick Gwiazdowski could take a run at Tervel, but that's hasn't been a good matchup for him in the past. Q: Now that the opening for the U.S. national freestyle coaching position has been posted, are you hearing any rumblings? Who do you expect to apply? -- Mike C. Foley: The rumblings remain that same. I know that like any college staff the assistants (Brandon Slay and Bill Zadick) would like the opportunity to lead the program. I also assume that stakeholders in the USA program will at least have conversations with Cael Sanderson, John Smith, Terry Brands, Tom Brands, Mark Manning and others. Who ends up on top? At this point in the process I don't think there is a strong direction. Q: Handing out Foleys every year and make up your own criteria. 1) doesn't mush, 2) hugs after matches‬ -- @_Homme‬ Foley: Done. 2016 Foley Award Winner: Bernardo Faria, Alliance (see video below) (Actual answer: Kyle Snyder, Ohio State) MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Bernardo! Link: Faces of college wrestling Gabe Dean reads letter Q: Do you know if the U.S. Olympic Team Trials will be streaming live on the Internet? -- Mike T. Foley: The Saturday night finals will be carried live on NBCSN and on brief tape delay at 10:30 p.m. ET Sunday. All matches will be streamed online at NBC Sports. Q: Can you comment on how important a program's assistant, associate, and volunteer coaches are to success? It seems that the programs that are at the top and rising have this key ingredient. Casey Cunningham, Mike Zadick, Mark Perry, Donny Pritzlaff. -- Mr. J Foley: I think that you pointed to several great examples of a powerful assistant coach impacting their wrestling programs. There are some on that list that will become head coaches at some point, but there are some that do very well in the role they occupy. Americans tend to put a lot of value on bettering their position: to be rewarded with hard work and success by earning the next position. Onward and upward mentality at its finest. However, as much I may agree that we should always challenge ourselves, I'm beginning to think, nay realize, that being an assistant is likely a better fit for many, many coaches. Some are too shy for the CEO-type leadership of a Division I program, or maybe some lack the fundraising duties. Others still may excel on the mat, a place they might not spend much time after taking over a head position. No matter the reason, there are coaches whose skill sets are better suited to being an assistant coach, and to me that's pretty honorable. Q: What do you think of Jason Nolf's punk move kicking at Imar's head? -- Wes F. Foley: At the end of the second period Nolf had his ankle caught and kept kicking on the back of Martinez's head before the stalemate. I don't know that it was malicious as it looked much more situational, but no matter it was illegal and Nolf should have been warned for unsportsmanlike conduct. A proper way would have been to keep the foot in place on the head and push, but bringing it upwards made it into a kick. Q: Tell us more about Joey Davis. I don't know much about Division II, but I figure anyone who stays healthy and goes undefeated through four years of collegiate competition has to be legit. I know he got blown out by Alex Dieringer at BTS but I imagine he wasn't in tip top condition. Does he have a future in freestyle? Do you think he'd be on the podium this weekend if he was in Division I? -- Bryan R. Foley: Uber-talented Joey Davis seems to be fast-tracking to MMA. I don't know that to be 100 percent true, but his online presence seems to insinuate he will give the Trials a year and then move onward. Google some of Davis' highlights. He is an impressive talent. Q: Do you see Jason Tsirtsis getting back to the top of the podium? Possibly bigger issues on the horizon? -- @Robbybobbi Foley: He had a terrible personal tragedy in the beginning of the season. While I don't think he will win in 2017 (the rule changes affected him greatly), I do think he will find his way to becoming an All-American. Tough kid. Q: What do you think about J'den Cox going to 86 kilos at the Olympic Team Trials? How are our chances to qualify remaining weights in last two qualifiers? -- @fitzstrength275 Foley: It's too soon to know who will win the Trials at 86 kilos, but I'm 99.9995 certain it won't be J'den Cox. Not that he can't win in the future, but the tactics and experience of many in that weight class probably excludes him from being a realistic contender in 2016. That said, I'm ready to see what the young man can bring to the weight class. The winner of the 65-kilo and 86-kilo Olympic Trials will head out to Mongolia to try and qualify their respective weights. There are three spots up for grabs and I think that the USA has a very solid chance to qualify both based on numbers and the extra match required benefits guys like Brent Metcalf. (By the way, I think Brent is often a great representative of Iowa wrestling on the international stage. Go HAWKEYES!)

La Plume, Pa. -- Keystone College is returning to its proud athletic roots by reintroducing wrestling as its newest intercollegiate sport, college officials announced today. In the 1960s through the 1980s, Keystone was known for being one of the best small college wrestling programs in the nation. Known at the time as Keystone Junior College, the program produced some of the top wrestlers in the country under legendary head coach the late Larry Fornicola. Now a four-year baccalaureate and master's degree college, Keystone will compete in collegiate wrestling as an independent in NCAA Division III beginning in the 2016-2017 season. Wrestling will be Keystone's 20th varsity sport. The college has hired Steven Mytych, a former Drexel University wrestling standout who had been serving as assistant wrestling coach at both Bloomsburg University and Wyoming Seminary Preparatory School in Kingston. "We are absolutely delighted to reintroduce collegiate wrestling at Keystone," said Athletic Director Dr. Matthew Grimaldi. "As many area sports fans remember, Keystone wrestling was respected as one of the nation's best programs thanks to the tremendous efforts of Larry Fornicola and his excellent teams. Now, it's time to bring wrestling back to campus for a new generation of student-athletes. We can't wait to get started." As a Division III independent, Keystone will be eligible to schedule a wide-variety of opponents, including the possibility of competition with other regional Division III schools such as Wilkes University and King's College. Wrestling was discontinued at Keystone following the 1990-91 season due to a lack of similarly sized colleges competing in the sport at the time. Coach Fornicola led Keystone wrestling from 1965 through 1990 and was inducted into the National Junior College Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1980. Among many other accomplishments, he was a Lifetime Service to Wrestling Honoree, recognizing his years of dedication to the sport. He is a member of the Keystone College Hall of Fame. Under his guidance, Keystone produced such outstanding student athletes as National Junior College Athletic Association national champions Dick Keefe (1967), Neil Duncan (1970) and Bill Kmetz (1973). "I am so thrilled that wrestling is back at Keystone," said Mrs. Bernie Fornicola, a Keystone graduate and wife of the late Coach Fornicola. "I have such wonderful memories of the past and now many more young people will have the opportunity to find out just how great it is to be a student and wrestler at Keystone College." Keystone offers more than 40 undergraduate and graduate degree options in liberal arts and science based programs in business, communications, education, fine arts, natural science, environmental resource management, geology and social sciences. Located 15 minutes from Scranton, Pa. and two hours from New York City and Philadelphia, Keystone is known for small class sizes and individual attention focused on student success through internships, research, and community involvement.

Grays Harbor College has added Women's Wrestling to the athletic department's lineup of programs. The program will start the fall quarter of the 2016-2017 school year. Grays Harbor is the only community college in the state of Washington to offer a women's wrestling team and is the 2nd junior college to offer it in the entire nation, the other, Southwestern Oregon College in Coos Bay Oregon. The Chokers will compete in both the WCWA (Women's Collegiate Wrestling Association) and the NWCA (National Collegiate Wrestling Association). The WCWA is the current governing body for all the collegiate wrestling programs at NCAA, NAIA, and NJCAA institutions. The WCWA competes in freestyle Olympic Wrestling. the weight classes included are 101, 109, 116, 123, 130, 136, 143, 155, 170, and 191. According to the NWCA website, there are 9 NCAA DII or DIII schools in the country, 14 DI-DIII club teams, and 18 NAIA schools with a women's program. Washington is one of only 6 states in the US with a womens high school state championship tournament. The Chokers have tapped veteran coach Andrew Cook as its interim head coach. Andy is the director/head coach of the Vandit Wrestling Academy. This past season Andy was the head wrestling coach at Mt Vernon High School. As an athlete, Andrew is a three time high school state champion and two time All American, making the ASICS All American Team in 1996. In freestyle and Greco roman wrestling he was a fifteen time state champion. He attended the University of Tennessee Chattanooga and North Idaho College achieving All Conference Honors in 1997 at 126 lbs. With his career being cut short due to injury, he started his coaching career in 1999. In Andrew's fifteen years of coaching he has produced one four time high school state champion, 9 three time high school state champions, and over 30 one time state champs. In freestyle and Greco roman he has coached over 26 national champions and over 50 All Americans. Over the past few years Andrew has accumulated recognition from USA Wrestling as the Western Developmental Coach of the Year and finalist for National Coach of the Year. In 2014 he earned a spot as apprentice coach for the United States World Wrestling Team taking him to Uzbekistan. His academy is currently the reigning state champion in folkstyle and Greco roman with a runner up finish in freestyle. Andrew is excited about the possibilities with this program. "As the new head coach for the brand new GHC women's wrestling program, I am going to set some lofty goals! I feel that we can immediately compete for a National Championship and set the tone for future Lady Chokers. With the opportunity for our women to compete in the international style, I feel we will immediately be in the mix for placing our athletes on future US World amd Olympic Teams. This ground breaking program will be in the fore front of women's college wrestling in the USA.." "I know GHC is a community college, but with the school adding a couple of 4 year programs as well, I see this an opportunity for some of our student-athletes to complete all 4 years of their collegiate career right here." The Athletic Department is fortunate to have Andrew on board to help jumpstart this program. If you have questions about the program feel free to email Andrew at vanditwa@gmail.com or email Athletics@ghc.edu.

Matt StornioloEVANSTON, Ill. -- Matt Storniolo has been named head coach of Northwestern Wrestling, Vice President for Athletics & Recreation Jim Phillips announced Thursday. "Matt is the right person to lead this program and provide our student-athletes the best opportunity to excel academically, socially and athletically," said Phillips. "Over seven years at Northwestern he has been a tremendous mentor for our young men, and we're excited to watch him continue to build this program in the nation's premier wrestling conference." Storniolo served as the interim head coach of the Wildcats last season after six years on the staff as an assistant coach, a seven-year tenure that has included 12 All-America nods and a pair of national Top-10 finishes for Northwestern. As an undergraduate the Pennsylvania native was honored as the 2004 Big Ten Freshman of the Year at Penn State and, after transferring to the University of Oklahoma, earned two All-America honors and a Big Twelve conference championship as a Sooner.

The New York State Assembly voted Tuesday to lift a nearly 20-year ban on professional mixed martial arts competition, ending the Empire State's status as the last state to outlaw MMA. Legislators voted 113 to 25 to overturn a ban on pro MMA events which had been implemented in 1997. (Amateur MMA events had remained legal in New York; in 2015, 71 such events were held throughout the state.) Once Gov. Andrew Cuomo signs the bill and forwards it to the New York State Athletic Commission to establish rules, promotions will be free to host events as early as fall of this year, according to Forbes, which cited a 2013 study commissioned by Ultimate Fighting Championships that MMA events would generate an economic impact of $135 million in the state each year. Two of the largest MMA promotions are already staking out venues within New York City to host their events. UFC is talking to midtown Manhattan landmark Madison Square Garden, long-time site for boxing and professional wrestling events, and recent host for the 2016 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships ... while Bellator MMA is in negotiations with Barclays Center in Brooklyn. "The New York Assembly's vote to legalize MMA is a watershed moment for this incredible sport," said Bellator MMA's Scott Coker. "As someone who has been promoting combat sports for more than 30 years, this is a very exciting time for mixed martial arts. We at Bellator MMA are very much looking forward to hosting an event in the 'Crown Jewel of America,' New York." "This is an exciting and historic day for our great sport," said World Series of Fighting CEO Carlos Silva. "Those who have been lobbying for the legalization of MMA in NY State, including World Series of Fighting's new COO Michael Mersch [a former UFC exec], should be commended for their persistence and commitment to seeing through the passage of legislation that will finally allow fans to watch live MMA in the Empire State, and fighters to compete there. We recently opened an office in Manhattan so, along with our television partner, NBC, we are looking forward to bringing our brand of professional MMA to New York very soon." A number of states passed bans on MMA in the 1990s, responding to allegations that the sport was essentially no holds barred fighting. Back then, Sen. John McCain -- himself a wrestler at a Washington, D.C. prep school and at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, M.D., described MMA as "human cockfighting." In subsequent years, states that had outlawed the sport lifted those sanctions one by one ... with the exception of New York, until this week. MMA promotions had been working for nearly a decade to overturn the ban in the Empire State. A long-time roadblock was removed in 2015 when Sheldon Silver, the speaker of the state assembly and opponent of UFC who blocked all legislative efforts to repeal the ban, was forced to resign his post on corruption charges. In addition, there were a number of New York legislators who publicly expressed their opposition to allowing pro MMA bouts. Daniel O'Donnell, an openly gay Assemblyman (and brother of Rosie O'Donnell), said on the floor of the legislature, "I should really like it. You have two nearly naked hot men rolling around on top of one another trying to dominate each other. And just in case, that's gay porn with a different ending, okay? I won't describe the ending for you, but as I've gotten older the endings are less important." He also raised concerns about increased violence on public streets. On the other side, a number of MMA stars with New York roots -- including former Hofstra University All-American Chris Weidman -- had lobbied legislators to eliminate the restrictions on MMA events. Jeff Blatnick -- 1984 Olympic gold medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling and NCAA Division II heavyweight champ at Springfield College -- had worked to change laws in his native New York before his death in 2012. Blatnick, a popular commentator for UFC events until 2001, was also was instrumental in helping to establish rules for the sport, and, in fact, was licensed as an MMA judge and referee in New Jersey.

Whether you loved or hated the 2016 NCAA Wrestling Championships at Madison Square Garden in New York City, chances are you have a strong opinion. Fans cheer during the finals of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)From convenient transportation to pricey hotel rooms, joyous atmosphere to cantankerous denizens, the weekend was filled with almost direct contradictions, leaving the individual to often decide which to value and which to ignore. There is little denying that the 2016 NCAA Championships were a showcase of talent. The wrestlers who qualified seemed to perform well in the big city, with no noticeable impact coming from the multitude of distractions available to them outside their hotel door. Arrests in NYC seemed down as compared to Des Moines in 2013, a sign that the wrestling community was likely not the only rowdy ticket in town. All factors combined it would be tough to say that the 2016 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships were anything but an overall success. Some areas of the competition were stronger than others and responses to the lifestyle surrounding the event depends almost primarily on one's appetite for expensive drinks and food. Here are some grades from a variety of aspects of the 2016 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships: Venue The Garden is one of the nation's most iconic buildings, a fact that wasn't lost on event organizers. Although the venue was recently refurbished there was limited space on the arena floor. That might not have been an issue, but the 3x2 configuration for the blood round as opposed to the 2-1-1-2 format seemed to take away from the grandeur of the semifinals. Also, whoever was working the scoreboard for MSG promoted the mats 1-4 and 5-8 left to right and top to bottom on the screen. Meanwhile, the mats were 1-3-5-7 and 2-4-6-8, which made following the scoring action extremely difficult. The workers at MSG were not charming, but entry to the event was orderly and fast. Exiting seemed congested. Grade: B- Transportation The NYC Subway is one of the largest and most sophisticated transportation system in the world, but that in no way makes it easy for a newcomer to understand. However, assuming a solid Google Maps and a little initiative the NYC Subway was a great outlet for fans to transport themselves to various parts of the city. For anecdotal evidence of success, I saw a wrestling fan from California at my favorite dim sum place in Chinatown on Sunday! On the other side wrestling has the oldest fan base in the country and walking even three city blocks can be a challenge for many -- a fact that was relayed several times by fans. This isn't too different from St. Louis, but I suppose that it's all relative to the comfort one feels in their surroundings. The airport options were also plentiful, but construction on the ACE line of the subway caused some to miss their flights on Sunday morning. Cabs to and from the airport ranged from $40-$60, which probably seemed like a heavy additional cost when already covering $250-$400/night hotel rooms. The big redeeming quality of NYC was that it was accessible by rails and cars for many of the East Coast's wrestling fans. A personal anecdote, but I saw more friends at this NCAA Championships than I have in the last five combined. However, I can only imagine the opposite is true for those who live in the Midwest. Grade: B Media Coverage I don't know that I read too many additional stories this year. In past seasons there may have been more marketable stars and matchups, but that seems disingenuous since Kyle Snyder is an easy bottom-of-the-fold piece. One huge rub of the event was the treatment of the media. Almost nobody seemed to have a positive interaction with the NCAA during the accreditation process, and the media seating for 90 percent of the journalists in attendance was in the rafters above the highest seats. While that might seem like no issue to fans, the lack of accessibility to the field of play and the mixed zone meant that journalists who wanted a post-match quote were essentially out-of-luck. Accessibility is a huge contributor to a reduction in media coverage. The NCAA generated nice short films each day for social media, which certainly helped the online presence of the sport. A lot of the feedback I've received from those on the fringes of wrestling is that they were excited to see the finals on ESPN and were happy that they were able to tune-in or DVR without going online. Grade: B Nightlife View from media workroom (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)While there is no question that NYC offered wrestling fans their most diverse offering of after-wrestling activities in recent years, there were a few negative points that could use some hashing out -- particularly the $9 beer. The $9 beer is not a real thing. Beers in NYC can certainly cost this much, but most are $6-$7 and that's typically for non-Bud Light. I can see that many in the community would prefer the simplicity of the Bud Light and that those can be markedly more expensive (still not $9), and again when added together with the other costs for the weekend a refreshing beer can feel like a dagger to the wallet. The real heavy costs came down on schools looking to host alumni events. Most bars, especially those in/around MSG will charge a room rental fee usually above and beyond the cost of booze and food. For example, a three-hour party for 150 people would range between $3,000 and $10,000 depending on the space. The lesser schools would certainly have trouble affording these types of get-togethers, and those that could were limited on options. Still, for many NYC was a once-in-a-lifetime trip that wrestling forced them to make. The city remains one of the world's most influential centers for arts, culture and nightlife, making the experience of the wrestling fan here truly unique. Grade: A- Overall Experience There are plenty of experiences and insights that don't fit comfortably into a gradable headline. One of the brightest spots of the tournament was the first-year announcing job performed by Jason Bryant and Bryan Hazard. While we celebrated Sandy Stevens' career, it would be remiss of me not to point out how many compliments Bryant and Hazard received. They were an important part of the fan experience and did an outstanding job for the sport. Bryant, who has been calling these events for years, will also be at work in Rio de Janeiro at the 2016 Olympic Games, an honor befitting his skill and a note on how fortunate we were to hear him on the call in NYC. The finals weigh-in/face off took place on Saturday before the finals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)The one major dud of the event seemed to be the weigh-ins at the theater. While these weigh-ins are meant to draw attention to the sport they seemed to be less about the athletes and more about those in charge of showcasing the event. Wrestling doesn't just need promotion, it needs intelligent promotion. However awkward and disappointing the "weigh-ins" seem to be, the finals themselves were among the best in history. The heavyweight bout is already being named the greatest of all-time, a distinction it would be difficult for any wrestling fan to counter. Upsets, Cinderellas, and a shifting team standings all contributed to the drama of the event's final moment. There is no question that NYC was a unique host for the NCAA Championships, providing fans a new experience far away from home. Though not the highest-attended event, the Garden did crack the top five. Though it's yet to be known how much the NCAA made from the event and what the viewership numbers were at home, there is confidence among many that both numbers will be extremely positive. Final Grade: B+

Jack Denholm, a two-time NCAA Division III All-American wrestler at Wartburg College, has been named the athletic director at Buena Vista University, the school located in Storm Lake, Iowa announced Monday. Denholm earned All-American honors for the Knights by placing fourth in the 177-pound bracket at both the 1988 and 1989 NCAAs. He graduated from the Waverly, Iowa school in 1990. He later earned his Master of Arts degree in Sports Administration from Mankato State University (Minnesota) in 1992. Jack DenholmDenholm brings over 20 years of experience as a collegiate administrator to BVU. Since 2010, he has been serving as the Director of Athletics at Valley City State University in Valley City, North Dakota, where he oversees 14 sports. The Vikings have won conference championships and landed spots in national tournaments in multiple sports during his tenure. He's also been instrumental in building stronger fundraising and community relations opportunities, and collaborated with the administrative team to garner over $1 million in donations and budget allocations to install new field turf at its football field. He's also been heavily involved with strategic planning, game management, campus-committees and compliance. Prior to Valley City State, Denholm had served as Director of Athletics and Dean of Students at Ellsworth Community College in Iowa Falls, Iowa from 1999-2010. He was also the head wrestling coach until 2006 and led the team to six top-10 finishes at the national tournament. He helped spearhead a $7.5 million building project that included an indoor track, multi-purpose gym, weight room, fitness room, coffee shop, student lounge and classroom space. Denholm launched his professional career at Ridgewater College in Willmar, Minnesota where he served as both Director of Athletics and head wrestling coach from 1992-99, while also teaching a variety of classes in physical education. A total of 24 wrestlers during his tenure there earned All-American status, including one national champion. "Jack is an experienced athletics director, student affairs professional and coach," said BVU Vice-President of Enrollment Mike Frantz. "His career has been spent supporting the student-athlete through academic excellence, athletic competitiveness, community engagement, and personal and professional development. I very much look forward to working with Jack and raising the quality of Beaver athletics even higher." "We are delighted to welcome Jack Denholm as our new athletic director," echoed BVU President, Fred Moore. "His demonstrated track record in building teams whose student-athletes are successful in the classroom and on the playing surface, combined with his deep knowledge of the Iowa market place, make him extremely well suited to lead our sports programs." The new Buena Vista AD shares in the positive feelings of his superiors. "I am very excited to join the Buena Vista University team and look forward to embarking on a new venture in Storm Lake," said Denholm. "It's always been my goal to be at this level, and it's great to come home to Iowa! I am ready to start working with the coaching and athletics staff, student-athletes, faculty, administration and community." "The Iowa Conference is one of the best conferences in Division III and it will be very rewarding to set competitive goals and see how we can improve," he says. "BVU has such a rich tradition and it will be exciting to bring my ideas and experience to the table." Buena Vista University has approximately 1,000 students at its campus in Storm Lake, in the northwest portion of Iowa. The school's athletic programs -- including wrestling -- compete in NCAA Division III.

"Best NCAA finals ever!" That phrase -- or words to that effect -- were used by wrestling writers, commentators and fans after the conclusion of the finals of the 2016 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at Madison Square Garden in New York City Saturday night. The attendance for the 2016 NCAA finals at Madison Square Garden in NYC was 19,270 (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)In terms of action and outcomes, it's hard to argue that the 2016 NCAA finals were right up there. After too many years of NCAA finals where wrestlers were extremely cautious -- seemingly focused on not losing, rather than going out and putting points on the board -- just about every match at The Garden Saturday night had plenty of scoring and scoring attempts, concluding with the highly anticipated marquee match-up between defending heavyweight champ Nick Gwiazdowski of North Carolina State and eventual winner Kyle Snyder of Ohio State, whose come-from-behind scoring knotted up the bout in the closing seconds of regulation, then wrapped up the title in sudden victory. (Even the big Buckeye -- named the tournament's Outstanding Wrestler -- said afterwards, "I think it will go down as one of the most exciting heavyweight matches in NCAA history.") Whether you think the just-completed finals rank as the "best" (or "among the best"), overall, the 2016 NCAAs will be one of the history books, as the first national college wrestling championships to be ever held in the nearly century-and-a-half history of Madison Square Garden (a venue most folks think of for pro rasslin', not amateur wrestling) ... and one of the best-attended in the 86-year history of the NCAA wrestling championships. With an eye towards history, this writer thought it might be fun to mention some other examples of NCAA final rounds that might not necessarily rank as "most exciting" or "best" ... but are truly significant for various reasons, and are definitely worth remembering. (Sadly, there is no film or video for most of these events ... so we can't necessarily judge the quality of the wrestling. Unless of course you were there.) 1928 NCAAs Most of us have strong memories about our first kiss ... first car... first job. Very few of us were at the very first NCAA Wrestling Championships, held at the Iowa State Armory in Ames in March 1928 ... but that inaugural event has significance beyond its "first-ever" aspect. By today's standards, the 1928 NCAAs was tiny: just 15 schools sent a total of 40 wrestlers, competing in only seven weight classes. (For the past decade or so, the NCAA championships have welcomed 330 wrestlers in ten weight classes.) Oklahoma State was the dominant program back then ... with Cowboy wrestlers claiming titles in four of the seven classes at the 1928 NCAAs. One champ who would have been fun to see in action in Ames nearly 90 years ago was Earl McCready, Oklahoma State heavyweight. Affectionately nicknamed "Moose", the 5'11", 218-pound McCready claimed the first championship in the "unlimited" weight class (back then, there was no top weight limit) by pinning his finals rival, Ralph Freese of the University of Kansas, in just nineteen seconds -- still one of the fastest pins in an NCAA finals bout. (This was back when a wrestler had to hold his opponent's shoulders to the mat for a full three seconds, not one second as today.) McCready was first ... in a number of ways. The first undefeated wrestler (25-0) to win three NCAA titles. The first foreign-born NCAA champ (born and raised in Canada). The first three-time NCAA champ in any weight class. And the first to win all three title matches by pin ... a distinction shared with only one other three-time NCAA champ in the long history of the championships: Dan Hodge of the University of Oklahoma, 177-pound champ, 1955-57. 1947 NCAAs Hosted by the University of Illinois in Champaign, the 1947 NCAAs were notable for the success of tiny Cornell College. Located in Mt. Vernon, Iowa -- equidistant from Iowa City and Cedar Rapids -- the private Methodist college with fewer than 1,000 students became the smallest school to ever win an NCAA wrestling team title. (Realize this was back before today's Division II and Division III championships for colleges with lower enrollments). Composed of a mix of World War II veterans and three "fab" freshmen from Waterloo West High School (Dan Gable's alma mater) -- and coached by Paul Scott -- the Cornell "Dream Team" traveled the country during the regular season, easily handling teams from much larger schools such as Illinois and Lehigh. By the end of the season at the NCAAs, Cornell could claim two individual champs -- freshman Dick Hauser at 121 pounds, and fellow first-year student Lowell Lange at 136 -- a total of three finalists, and six All-Americans. (You can read more about the '47 Cornell wrestling team in a 2007 InterMat feature; for a more detailed account, check out Arno Niemand's excellent book, "Dream Team of '47". 1957 NCAAs The University of Pittsburgh welcomed the 1957 NCAA Wrestling Championships, which featured 213 wrestlers from 63 schools. The NCAA finals proved to be exciting -- and historically significant -- because of at least three title matches. In the 123-pound finals, Pitt's Ed Peery must have felt the weight of the world on his shoulders. If the two-time defending champ were to win the title, he would join his father Rex Peery and older brother Hugh who already had three national titles (Rex, for Oklahoma State in the 1930s; Hugh Peery, at Pitt, 1952-54). If that weren't enough pressure, Ed was being coached by his dad ... in his home gym. Ed Peery fell behind Oklahoma State's Harmon Leslie, 7-4, in the third period ... but managed to tie it up in regulation. The match went into overtime, with each wrestler scoring two points. It came down to the officials, who declared Ed Peery the winner. The three Peerys still own the distinction of being the only family to have won every one of their title matches (back when freshmen were not eligible to wrestle varsity). In the championship match at 147, Simon Roberts of the University of Iowa wrestled familiar foe Ron Gray of Iowa State to a 2-2 tie in regulation. Roberts rode Gray out in the first overtime period, then scored an escape in the second to win 2-0 to win the title ... becoming the first African-American to win an NCAA wrestling championship. (Four years earlier, Roberts made history as the first black champ at the Iowa state championships ... defeating Ron Gray in the finals then, too.) Interestingly, most newspaper stories about the '57 NCAAs did not mention Roberts or his skin color ... but one African-American who made note of it was a young wrestler named Bobby Douglas about an hour away from Pittsburgh in eastern Ohio, who became the first two-time high school champ of color in the Buckeye State (1959, 1961). At 177, Dan Hodge was competing in his last college match. The University of Oklahoma wrestler known as "Dangerous Dan" and "Homicide Hodge" was undefeated in collegiate action, having pinned 80% of his opponents. Ron Flemming of Franklin & Marshall joined that group of fall guys, having his shoulders put to the mat by Hodge in the third period. Hodge was named Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament for the second straight year ... then, a couple weeks later, appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, the only time an amateur wrestler has been featured on the cover of the iconic sports weekly as a wrestler in its more than 60-year history. (And, yes, this is the same Dan Hodge whose name graces the Hodge Trophy given each year to the nation's most dominant college wrestler.) 1970 NCAAs Held at McGaw Hall (now Welsh-Ryan Arena) on the campus of Northwestern University outside Chicago, the 1970 NCAAs held the record for the most wrestlers participating -- a whopping 394 ... 64 more than today's top limit. However, after three days of sorting through all those participants on the way to the championship round on Saturday, all attention came down on just two of those wrestlers -- Dan Gable of Iowa State, and Larry Owings of the University of Washington -- in the 142-pound finals. Gable, a senior, had been undefeated at Waterloo West High and as a Cyclone. Prior to the NCAAs, he had been presented with a number of awards ... and, just hours before the finals, was asked to record a TV commercial for ABC-TV's "Wide World of Sports" (which would show an edited version of the finals a couple weeks later) where he was to say, "Hi, I'm Dan Gable. Come watch me finish my career 182-0" -- a line he had trouble delivering. Meanwhile, Owings was an audacious sophomore with a set purpose at the 1970 NCAAs: Beat Dan Gable. He dropped down two weight classes, and let the media know who was in his line of sights. Gable saw one of those newspaper stories with Owings' statements ... and, in a 1999 interview, admitted the UW Husky's comments rattled him. The match itself was action-packed, a seesaw scoring battle that went the distance -- a rare situation for Gable, who was accustomed to ending a high percentage of his bouts with a pin. With just three seconds left, Gable realized he needed a takedown to tie up the score. That didn't happen. Larry Owings was crowned the champ at 142, and Gable left the arena with a 181-1 overall prep-college record. (For details on the match itself, check out a 2010 InterMat account of the match ... as well as video online.) More than 45 years later, this single match remains one of the most talked-about within the U.S. amateur wrestling community. It was named the "Best Match" by wrestling historians and fans in online balloting for the 75th anniversary of NCAA wrestling in 2005. Other contenders Last year, the NCAA asked wrestling fans to weigh in with their vote for "most epic" college finals of all time from eight candidates selected by the collegiate sports organization. The 2003 NCAA 197-pound finals (where Minnesota's Damion Hahn scored a takedown on Lehigh's Jon Trenge in the final three seconds in a thrilling come-from-behind win) earned the most votes over other modern-day classics such as Kyle Dake vs. David Taylor at the 2013 NCAAs, Darrion Caldwell upsetting Brent Metcalf at the 2009 NCAAs, and the 2007 NCAA finals match featuring Iowa's Mark Perry vs. Oklahoma State's Johny Hendricks among the choices. You probably have additional finals matches in mind that you'd rank as "all-time greatest." Your list may include incredible upsets ... or action-packed bouts where the score went back-and-forth between the two finalists ... or matches with poignant, emotional back stories (one last chance at a title; competing for a dying relative or friend). It's easy to imagine that the finals at the 2016 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships will withstand the test of time and still be thought of as "best ever" and "epic" a decade or more from now.

WATERLOO, Iowa -- The state of Iowa added to its wrestling legacy in 2016 by adding two more national team championships to its total. The state of Iowa now has a staggering 60 national team titles between five different divisions and eight different colleges. Grand View University in Des Moines (NAIA) and Wartburg College in Waverly (NCAA Division III) won team championships 59 and 60 this season. Nick Mitchell coaches the Vikings and Eric Keller coaches the Knights. Grand View won its fifth consecutive NAIA championship this season, all under Mitchell. Mitchell has the second longest championship winning streak within the state behind former Iowa head wrestling coach Dan Gable, who won nine consecutive Division I NCAA championships in a row from 1978-86. Wartburg won its 12th overall NCAA championship, which is tied for first place among all Division III programs. Iowa is the only state to have eight different colleges win at least one national team wrestling championship. Iowa has 60 national team wrestling championships (NJCAA, NAIA, NCAA Division III, Division II, and Division I) and 30 wrestlers with ties to the state who have won a medal at the World Championships or Olympic Games. The first Iowa team to win a national championship was Cornell College in 1947. On two occasions (2008 and 2009), three Iowa schools have won national championships in the same year. Iowa's first Olympic champion was Marshalltown native Allie Morrison in 1928. Its most recent Olympic champion was Iowa State's Jake Varner in 2012. National team champions from Iowa schools (8 teams): 1. Iowa -- 23 2. Wartburg -- 12 3. Iowa State -- 8 4. Iowa Central -- 7 5. Grand View -- 5 6. Northern Iowa -- 3 7. Cornell College -- 1 8. NIACC -- 1 Total: 60 NCAA Division I titles: 33 (Iowa, Iowa State, UNI, Cornell) NCAA Division II titles: 2 (UNI) NCAA Division III titles: 12 (Wartburg) NAIA titles: 5 (Grand View) NJCAA titles: 8 (Iowa Central, NIACC) Total: 60 Coaches with national team championships (17 coaches): 1. Dan Gable (Iowa) -- 15 2. Jim Miller (Wartburg) -- 10 3. Harold Nichols (Iowa State) -- 6 4. Luke Moffitt (Iowa Central) -- 5 5. Nick Mitchell (Grand View) -- 5 6. Tom Brands (Iowa) -- 3 7. Jim Zalesky (Iowa) -- 3 8. Gary Kurdelmeier (Iowa) -- 2 9. Chuck Patten (Northern Iowa) -- 2 10. Eric Keller (Wartburg) -- 2 11. Denny Friederichs (Iowa Central) -- 1 12. Jim Gibbons (Iowa State) -- 1 13. Dave McCuskey (Northern Iowa) -- 1 14. Mark Ostrander (Iowa Central) -- 1 15. Hugo Otopalik (Iowa State) -- 1 16. Paul Scott (Cornell) -- 1 17. Kaye Young (NIACC) -- 1 Total: 60 Years with multiple team championships from Iowa: (3) 2008 -- Iowa (DI), Wartburg (DIII), and Iowa Central (NJCAA) (3) 2009 -- Iowa (DI), Wartburg (DIII), and Iowa Central (NJCAA) (2) 1973 -- Iowa state (DI) and NIACC (NJCAA) (2) 1975 -- Iowa (DI) and Northern Iowa (DII) (2) 1978 -- Iowa (DI) and Northern Iowa (DII) (2) 1981 -- Iowa (DI) and Iowa Central (NJCAA) (2) 1996 -- Iowa (DI) and Wartburg (DIII) (2) 1999 -- Iowa (DI) and Wartburg (DIII) (2) 2006 -- Wartburg (DIII) and Iowa Central (NJCAA) (2) 2012 -- Wartburg (DIII) and Grand View (NAIA) (2) 2013 -- Wartburg (DIII) and Grand View (NAIA) (2) 2014 -- Wartburg (DIII) and Grand View (NAIA) (2) 2015 -- Iowa Central (NJCAA) and Grand View (NAIA) (2) 2016 -- Wartburg (DIII) and Grand View (NAIA) Iowa -- 23 titles (Division I): 1. 1975 (Gary Kurdelmeier) 2. 1976 (Gary Kurdelmeier) 3. 1978 (Dan Gable) 4. 1979 (Dan Gable) 5. 1980 (Dan Gable) 6. 1981 (Dan Gable) 7. 1982 (Dan Gable) 8. 1983 (Dan Gable) 9. 1984 (Dan Gable) 10. 1985 (Dan Gable) 11. 1986 (Dan Gable) 12. 1991 (Dan Gable) 13. 1992 (Dan Gable) 14. 1993 (Dan Gable) 15. 1995 (Dan Gable) 16. 1996 (Dan Gable) 17. 1997 (Dan Gable) 18. 1998 (Jim Zalesky) 19. 1999 (Jim Zalesky) 20. 2000 (Jim Zalesky) 21. 2008 (Tom Brands) 22. 2009 (Tom Brands) 23. 2010 (Tom Brands) Wartburg -- 12 titles (Division III): 1. 1996 (Jim Miller) 2. 1999 (Jim Miller) 3. 2003 (Jim Miller) 4. 2004 (Jim Miller) 5. 2006 (Jim Miller) 6. 2008 (Jim Miller) 7. 2009 (Jim Miller) 8. 2011 (Jim Miller) 9. 2012 (Jim Miller) 10. 2013 (Jim Miller) 11. 2014 (Eric Keller) 12. 2016 (Eric Keller) Iowa State -- 8 titles (Division I): 1. 1933 (Hugo Otopalik) 2. 1965 (Harold Nichols) 3. 1969 (Harold Nichols) 4. 1970 (Harold Nichols) 5. 1972 (Harold Nichols) 6. 1973 (Harold Nichols) 7. 1977 (Harold Nichols) 8. 1987 (Jim Gibbons) Iowa Central -- 7 titles (NJCAA): 1. 1981 (Denny Friederichs) 2. 2002 (Mark Ostrander) 3. 2006 (Luke Moffitt) 4. 2007 (Luke Moffitt) 5. 2008 (Luke Moffitt) 6. 2009 (Luke Moffitt) 7. 2015 (Luke Moffitt) NOTE: In 2010, Iowa Central placed first in the Division I (scholarship) standings at the NJCAA national championships but placed second in the overall standings to Harper (non-scholarship). The National Junior College Athletic Association Harper as team champion; therefore, Iowa Central is not being recognized as a team champion in 2010 in this listing. Grand View -- five titles (NAIA): 1. 2012 (Nick Mitchell) 2. 2013 (Nick Mitchell) 3. 2014 (Nick Mitchell) 4. 2015 (Nick Mitchell) 5. 2016 (Nick Mitchell) Northern Iowa -- three titles (one Division I, two Division II): 1. 1950 (Division I) (Dave McCuskey) 2. 1975 (Division II) (Chuck Patten) 3. 1978 (Division II) (Chuck Patten) Cornell -- one title (Division I): 1. 1947 (Paul Scott) North Iowa Area Community College (NJCAA): 1. 1973 (Kaye Young) World and Olympic wrestling medalists with ties to Iowa: 1. Royce Alger (Lisbon and Iowa), 2nd in 1990 2. Ed Banach (Iowa), 1st in 1984 3. Lou Banach (Iowa), 1st in 1984 4. Glen Brand (Clarion and Iowa State), 1st 1948 5. Terry Brands (Sheldon and Iowa), 1st in 1993, 1st in 1995, 3rd in 2000 6. Tom Brands (Sheldon and Iowa), 1st in 1993, 1st in 1996 7. Chris Campbell (Iowa), 1st in 1981, 2nd in 1990, 3rd in 1992 8. Nate Carr (Iowa State), 3rd in 1988 9. Joe Corso (West Des Moines), 3rd in 1979 10. Kevin Darkus (Iowa State), 2nd in 1985 11. Barry Davis (Cedar Rapids and Iowa), 2nd in 1984, 3rd in 1986, 2nd in 1987 12. Bobby Douglas (former ISU coach), 2nd in 1966 13. Dan Gable (Waterloo and Iowa State), 1st in 1971, 1st in 1972 14. Kevin Jackson (Iowa State), 1st in 1991, 1st in 1992, 1st in 1995 15. Gerry Leeman (Osage and UNI), 2nd in 1948 16. Randy Lewis (Iowa), 1st in 1984 17. Terry McCann (Iowa), 1st in 1960 18. Lincoln McIlravy (Iowa), 3rd in 1998, 2nd in 1999, 3rd in 2000 19. Allie Morrison (Marshalltown), 1st in 1928 20. Nat Pendleton (Davenport), 2nd in 1920 21. Brad Penrith (Iowa), 2nd in 1991 22. Ben Peterson (Iowa State), 1st in 1972, 3rd in 1973, 2nd in 1976 23. Cael Sanderson (Iowa State), 2nd in 2003, 1st in 2004 24. Bill Smith (Council Bluffs and UNI), 1st in 1952 25. Chris Taylor (Iowa State), 3rd in 1972 26. Tolly Thompson (Janesville), 3rd in 2005 27. Jake Varner (Iowa State), 3rd in 2011, 1st in 2012 28. Joe Williams (Iowa), 3rd in 2001, 3rd in 2005 29. Bill Zadick (Iowa), 1st in 2006 30. Mike Zadick (Iowa), 2nd in 2006 International wrestling statistics: 1. 13 wrestlers with ties to Iowa have won an Olympic gold medal. 2. 16 wrestlers with ties to Iowa have won 21 World/Olympic titles. 3. 30 wrestlers with ties to Iowa have won 47 World/Olympic medals.

MANHEIM, Pa. -- The National Wrestling Coaches Association released its Top 30 Division III All-Academic teams and the top 182 All-Academic individuals on Wednesday. King's College led the overall team standings with an average grade-point average of 3.49, followed by Williams College at 3.42, NYU and Johns Hopkins at 3.36 and Norwich at 3.35. Individually, 12-time Division III champion Wartburg placed the most individuals on the team with eight wrestlers. Baldwin Wallace, Luther, Roger Williams, Williams and Wisconsin-La Crosse each had six wrestlers on the individual team. Nominees must have at least a 3.2 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) for the previous full academic year. Transfers and freshmen are eligible if they've been in residence at their current institution beginning in the fall of 2015. On the competition side, wrestlers much be a national qualifier in 2015-16 and have a minimum win percentage of at least .500. Additionally, wrestlers can also be considered if they placed in the top six at their respective regional tournament, a win percentage of .500 or better and competed in half of the institution's scheduled competition in NCAA championship events. A wrestler can also be considered if they have a win percentage of .670 or better and competed in half of the institution's scheduled NCAA events. "This just continues to show the importance of how athletes in Division III balance their athletic careers and their educational opportunities," said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. "Division III is the largest in number of teams at the NCAA level and we know these athletes are competing without athletic scholarships and their experiences on the mat and in the classroom exemplify what it means to compete in Division III and in the sport of wrestling." Individually, five Division III champions from 2016 were represented with Messiah leading the way with two champions - Lucas Malmberg at 125 and Ben Swarr at 174. Three-time Division III champion Riley Lefever of Wabash was also represented as were Luther's Reed VanAnrooy and Wisconsin-Stevens Point's Logan Hermsen. In all 27 of the 80 Division III All-Americans this past season were All-Academic. Also making the squad was Southern Maine's Daniel Del Gallo, who won the NCAA's prestigious Elite 90 award, which goes to the athlete at the championships with the highest GPA. Rounding out the top 10 teams were Wisconsin-La Crosse (3.33), Washington & Lee (3.30), Wisconsin-Stevens Point (3.29), Wheaton (3.28) and Augsburg (3.27). "It's impressive that over a third of our Division III All-Americans were also All-Academic selections," said Moyer. "This further validates that when we see new programs added at the Division III level, those institutions are bringing in quality student-athletes." Full Individual All-Academic Team Top 30 Division III All-Academic Team Standings Rank School Starters GPA 1 King's 6 3.49 2 Williams College 10 3.42 3 New York University 10 3.36 4 Johns Hopkins 10 3.36 5 Norwich 10 3.35 6 Wisconsin-La Crosse 10 3.33 7 Washington and Lee 5 3.30 8 Wisconsin-Stevens Point 9 3.29 9 Wheaton 6 3.28 10 Augsburg 10 3.27 11 Worcester Polytechnic 10 3.26 12 Concordia Moorhead 10 3.26 13 Olivet 10 3.25 14 Washington and Jefferson 9 3.25 15 Wisconsin-Eau Claire 10 3.24 16 Wilkes 8 3.24 17 Wabash 10 3.20 18 St. Johns 10 3.20 19 Trinity 10 3.19 20 Luther 9 3.18 21 Alma 10 3.16 22 Merchant Marine 10 3.16 23 Stevens Institute Of Technology 10 3.15 24 Wesleyan 10 3.15 25 The College of New Jersey 10 3.15 26 Baldwin Wallace 10 3.14 27 Daniel Webster College 5 3.13 28 Thiel 9 3.13 29 North Central 10 3.13 30 Ithaca 10 3.12

This week on Takedown; Highlights from the Division I National Championships Finals Weigh-Ins Kyle Snyder Interview Isaiah Martinez Interview Alex Dieringer Interview Nico Megaludis Interview Dean Heil Interview Zain Retherford Interview Myles Martin Interview J'den Cox Interview Nahshon Garrett Interview Gabe Dean Interview Cael Sanderson Interview John Smith Interview Tom Ryan Interview

Link: Final Fab 50 Team Rankings Like last year, this 2015-16 season has had twists and turns throughout the national rankings landscape. However, for the fourth time in the last five years (and fourth in the six year existence of the InterMat Fab 50 national team rankings), Blair Academy (N.J.) has been crowned as the national champions. Below is the list of national champion teams in the previous five years for the rankings: 2014-15: St. Paris Graham (Ohio) 2013-14: Blair Academy (N.J.) 2012-13: Blair Academy (N.J.) 2011-12: Blair Academy (N.J.) 2010-11: Apple Valley (Minn.) Though Blair Academy was tabbed as the preseason No. 1 team in the country in mid-November, the Buccaneers did not hold a "wire-to-wire" grip on the No. 1 position. Directly behind them in the preseason Fab 50 rankings were Wyoming Seminary (Pa.), Bergen Catholic (N.J.), and St. Paris Graham (Ohio). Wyoming Seminary ascended to the No. 1 position after winning the Walsh Ironman in mid-December, a tournament in which Blair Academy placed second and St. Paris Graham placed third. The Blue Knights then held the No. 1 position until a 35-20 dual meet loss at Blair Academy on Sunday, January 24; the Buccaneers took home victories in nine of the 14 weight classes that afternoon. In December, Blair Academy won its 16th straight Beast of the East title, and finished 39.5 points ahead of runner-up Bergen Catholic (Photo/Rob Preston)At that point, Blair Academy ascended to the top position in the rankings, despite a 27-24 dual meet loss on Saturday, Jan. 2 at St. Paris Graham, a match in which the teams split the bouts at seven apiece. The Buccaneers held onto the top position in the rankings throughout the rest of the season, confirming their ranking with a dominant performance at the National Prep Championships at the end of February. On that occasion, they won seven weight class titles to beat Wyoming Seminary by 30-plus points. The overall strength of schedule for Blair Academy was rigorous this season. The Buccaneers competed at the nation's top two individual bracket tournaments, the Walsh Ironman (they finished second) and the Beast of the East (an event that they won); won the Geary Invitational, an individual bracket tournament that featured two other Fab 50 teams; went 3-1 in dual meets against teams ranked in the top ten nationally (splitting matches against teams ranked No. 2 and No. 3); and won the National Prep Championships over the No. 2 ranked team. Rounding out the top ten in the national rankings are the following squads: 2. Wyoming Seminary (Pa.) Ironman champions, Powerade champions (third best individual bracket tournament in the country), Eastern States Classic champions, split dual meets against top five teams nationally (beat Bergen Catholic, lost to Blair Academy), National Prep runners-up 3. St. Paris Graham (Ohio) Ironman third place, dual meet wins over teams ranked No. 1 and No. 7 nationally, state dual meet and individual tournament champions 4. Bergen Catholic (N.J.) Beast of the East runners-up, Doc Buchanan champions, went 2-2 in dual meets against teams ranked in the top 12 (beat Clovis and Lake Highland Prep, lost to Wyoming Seminary and Bethlehem Catholic), state dual meet champions 5. Buchanan (Calif.) Clash XIV Duals champions, Doc Buchanan runners-up, went 5-0 in dual meets against teams ranked in the top 14 (wins over St. Edward, Oak Park River Forest, Clovis, Tuttle, and Apple Valley), state tournament champions 6. Bethlehem Catholic (Pa.) King of the Mountain champions, Beast of the East third place, went 3-1 in dual meets against teams ranked in the top 12 (beat Bergen Catholic, Belle Vernon Area, and Lake Highland Prep; lost to Blair Academy), state dual meet and individual tournament champions 7. St. Edward (Ohio) Ironman fifth place, Clash XIV Duals runners-up, went 3-2 in dual meets against teams ranked in the top 11 (beat Oak Park River Forest, Belle Vernon Area, and Tuttle; lost to St. Paris Graham and Buchanan), four other victories over Fab 50 teams, state dual meet and individual tournament champions 8. Oak Park River Forest (Ill.) Clash XIV Duals third place, went 5-2 in dual meets against teams ranked in the top 17 (beat Tuttle, Marmion Academy (twice), Carl Sandburg, and Washington; lost to Buchanan and St. Edward), state dual meet champions 9. Clovis (Calif.) Doc Buchanan third place, went 0-3 in dual meets against top six teams nationally (losses to Blair Academy, Bergen Catholic, and Buchanan), state tournament runners-up with four individual champions (single class state) 10. Belle Vernon Area (Pa.) Ironman sixth place, Powerade runners-up, Escape the Rock champions, went 2-1 in dual meets against Fab 50 opposition (beat Kiski Area and Nazareth, lost to Bethlehem Catholic), state dual meet third place Teams from 19 states were represented in the rankings to start the season, and the same number of states have teams represented in the end of season rankings. Leading the way with seven Fab 50 teams is the Keystone State, Pennsylvania. Next is Illinois with six nationally ranked teams, while five schools from Minnesota and Ohio also find themselves ranked. Three states have a trio of teams ranked: California, Iowa, and Missouri; while six have a pair ranked: New Jersey, Oklahoma, Georgia, Indiana, Colorado, and New York; those with a single team ranked include Florida, Texas, Kansas, Michigan, Idaho, and Maryland. From the preseason rankings to the final end of season rankings, there was a turnover of 18 teams, all of whom were ranked 28th through 50th in the pre-season rankings. That includes 12 of 14 teams ranked from No. 37 through No. 50, including all those from 42 through 50. The highest ranked team at the end of the season not to be ranked in the preseason was No. 21 Nazareth (Pa.). Others teams within the top 30 included No. 27 Kasson-Mantorville (Minn.) and No. 28 Camden County (Ga.), while 15 of the 20 teams ranked from 31 through 50 were not in the preseason Fab 50 rankings. Final Fab 50 Team Rankings of 2015-16 1. Blair Academy, New Jersey 2. Wyoming Seminary, Pennsylvania 3. St. Paris Graham, Ohio 4. Bergen Catholic, New Jersey 5. Buchanan, California 6 Bethlehem Catholic Pennsylvania 7. St. Edward, Ohio 8. Oak Park River, Forest Illinois 9. Clovis, California 10. Belle Vernon Area, Pennsylvania 11. Tuttle, Oklahoma 12. Lake Highland Prep, Florida 13. Poway, California 14. Apple Valley, Minnesota 15. Marmion Academy, Illinois 16. Carl Sandburg, Illinois 17. Washington, Illinois 18. Mt. Carmel, Illinois 19. St. Michael-Albertville, Minnesota 20. Elyria, Ohio 21. Nazareth, Pennsylvania 22. Boyertown, Pennsylvania 23. Malvern Prep, Pennsylvania 24. Delta, Ohio 25. Archer, Georgia 26. Allen, Texas 27. Kasson-Mantorville, Minnesota 28. Camden County, Georgia 29. Warren Central, Indiana 30. Southeast Polk, Iowa 31. West Des Moines Valley, Iowa 32. Fort Dodge, Iowa 33. Brownsburg, Indiana 34. Pomona, Colorado 35. Anoka, Minnesota 36. Park Hill, Missouri 37. Olentangy Liberty, Ohio 38. Pueblo County, Colorado 39. Montini Catholic, Illinois 40. Hilton, New York 41. Platte County, Missouri 42. Long Beach, New York 43. Neosho, Missouri 44. Goddard, Kansas 45. Choctaw, Oklahoma 46. Kiski Area, Pennsylvania 47. Kenyon-Wanamingo, Minnesota 48. Lowell, Michigan 49. Post Falls, Idaho 50. Good Counsel, Maryland

Six weeks after "The Birth of a Nation" -- a film written and directed by Nate Parker -- won major awards and sold for the highest price of any film in the history of the Sundance Film Festival, the former Penn State and Oklahoma wrestler will take on the challenge of writing the movie adaptation of the inspirational wrestling story "Carry On." The story of two disabled wrestlers, Dartanyon Crockett and Leroy Sutton, who attended a struggling Cleveland public high school, was brought to ESPN in 2009 by Lisa Fenn. The sports network producer has told the story of her involvement with the two athletes in her new memoir, "Carry On", which will be published by HarperCollins this August. Crockett, the best wrestler on the team despite being legally blind, would carry Sutton, who had lost both his legs in a train accident when he was 11, to practices and meets. "Fenn formed a connection with the two young men and dedicated the next six years of her life to ensuring their success," the Hollywood entertainment website Variety reported. "Sutton graduated from college and Crockett won a bronze medal at the 2012 Paralympic Games." Here's Amazon.com's description of Fenn's yet-to-be-published memoir "Carry On": "In the spirit of 'The Blind Side' and 'Friday Night Lights' comes a tender and profoundly moving memoir about an ESPN producer's unexpected relationship with two disabled African-American wrestlers from inner city Cleveland, and how these bonds -- blossoming, ultimately, into a most unorthodox family -- would transform their lives." Walden Media will develop, produce and finance the film. Mark Ciardi and Anthony Mastromauro will produce the Parker-written script and Campbell McInnes will act as executive producer. Parker made Hollywood headlines in January when his film "Birth of a Nation" -- the story of Nat Turner, 1850s slave revolt leader -- debuted at Sundance in January and won the audience award and grand jury prize. Then the film Parker wrote, directed and starred in was acquired by Fox Searchlight Pictures for $17.5 million, a Sundance record. Nate Parker has performed as an actor in a number of films, including "The Great Debaters." Prior to launching his Hollywood career, Parker was a Virginia state champion wrestler at prep powerhouse Great Bridge High School. He earned a scholarship to wrestle at Penn State, and became a starter. However, he left the school after he and a teammate were accused of having had non-consensual sex with a woman; he was acquitted in 2001. Parker transferred to the University of Oklahoma, where he earned All-American honors by placing fifth in the 141-pound bracket at the 2002 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.

Kenyatta Carter had gone out about midnight Monday to buy some dog food… and came home a hero. Kenyatta CarterThe 34-year-old Carter put his skills gained as an Iowa high school state champion wrestler, Army soldier, and fitness instructor to work to help rescue a motorist trapped in a burning car that crashed in Houston early Monday morning. Carter, a 2000 state champ at Waterloo West High School, came upon a car that had burst into flames after smashing into a tree less than a mile from his house. "It was kind of a flashback to (Iraq)," Carter told The Des Moines Registeron Monday. "There were a couple situations that I had that were similar, where somebody's life was in danger." "There was not even a thought (about what to do)," Carter continued. "When somebody's life is in danger and I can be a variable to helping him get out and save his life, there wasn't a second thought. It was an immediate reaction." "When I saw people pulling him out, right away I started to help, assist pulling the guy out," Carter told KPRC-TV, the NBC affiliate in Houston. "I thought, if they are in it, they were courageous enough, then who am I to sit in the comfort of my car while these people go out and try to save this young man's life." "I just did what I felt like I would have wanted someone to do for me in that situation." The 28-year-old driver who was pulled from the burning car was airlifted to a Houston hospital with severe burns on his legs. He is expected to recover. Carter won the Class 3A 160-pound title at the 2000 Iowa state wrestling championships by defeating Pat Wilsbacher, Sioux City Heelan, 5-2, in the finals, according to "Reach for the Stars: The Iowa High School State Wrestling Tournament" book by Dan McCool. He later went on to wrestle at Iowa Central, where he was a two-time junior college national finalist, the Register reported. According to his Facebook page, Carter is now a Master Trainer and Fitness Manager at 24 Hour Fitness in Houston . The mixed martial arts website Sherdog.com reports that Carter has had one amateur MMA bout, where he scored a three-round unanimous decision over Clovis Hancock at USACA-Legacy Amateur Series 13 in August 2013. Kenyatta Carter's younger brother Akeem, a two-time Iowa state champ also at Waterloo West, went on to claim two back-to-back NCAA Division III national championships at 197 pounds in 2004 and 2005.

The last two wrestlers on the present top 100 seniors (Class of 2016) list that were uncommitted have made college choices in the last two days. Yesterday evening it was No. 99 Colton Clingenpeel (Council Bluffs Jefferson, Iowa) committing to North Dakota State, while this evening it is No. 60 Tyshawn White (Central Dauphin, Pa.) committing to Lock Haven. Clingenpeel is ranked sixth nationally at 152 pounds, and projects to compete as a 157 pound wrestler in college. He is a four-time state placer, winning state this season after placing third, seventh and sixth in previous seasons. In Fargo this summer he finished eighth in Junior Greco-Roman. He is also a two-time InterMat JJ Classic champion. White is ranked eighth nationally at 126 pounds, and projects to compete as a 133 pound wrestler in college. He is a four-time state placer, finishing runner-up this year after third place finishes the previous two years, preceded by a seventh place finish his freshman year. White also placed fourth at the Super 32 Challenge this fall in the 120 pound weight class.

Alex Dieringer deserves to win the Hodge Trophy. Alex Dieringer runs out onto the mat for his NCAA finals match (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Just days ago, Oklahoma State wrestling senior Dieringer captured his third NCAA championship for a 19-1 overall record at the tournament and strung together an equally impressive 82-match win streak. He leaves behind an impressive legacy, becoming the 14th four-time All-American and the seventh four-time conference champion at OSU, in addition to the 16th three-time NCAA champion. He has written his name among nearly all of Oklahoma State's individual records. Once a freshman phenom and now a seasoned senior, Dieringer's rise through the college ranks has caught the attention of many other wrestlers, coaches and fans across the country. As he wraps up his final collegiate season, Dieringer has accomplished nearly all there is to accomplish in college wrestling. There is still a prize he has yet to capture, however. The Dan Hodge Trophy, awarded each year to the nation's most outstanding college wrestler, has often been referred to as the Heisman Trophy of wrestling. It is the one of the only awards Dieringer hasn't won, but that should change this year. There have been 21 winners of the award, and only one Cowboy has ever won it. There are seven specific criteria for which the Hodge Trophy is based on: record, number of pins, dominance, past credentials, quality of competition, sportsmanship/citizenship, and heart. Dieringer, now a three-time finalist for the award, has already fallen under several of these criteria in the past and most definitely during this season. Dieringer has all the credentials to win this award. He has been outstanding on and off the wrestling mat, and he has been dominant. After redshirting his first year at Oklahoma State, Dieringer, a senior from Port Washington, Wisconsin, quickly established himself as one the nation's best wrestlers during his time in Stillwater. As a freshman, Dieringer compiled a 35-3 record and won his first Big 12 title en route to being named an All-American. Dieringer's sophomore campaign saw him finish with a 32-1 record, going 10-1 against ranked opponents, while winning his second Big 12 title, first NCAA individual title, and earning his second All-American honor. His junior season saw Dieringer improve upon his already dominant career. He compiled a perfect 33-0 record, going 11-0 against ranked opponents. Dieringer led the Cowboys in wins (33), dual wins (15), bonus point wins (28), wins by fall (11), wins by major decision (13), wins by technical fall (4), dual takedowns (64) and dual nearfalls (13). Dieringer won his second-consecutive NCAA individual title and third-straight Big 12 title. This season, he compiled a second-consecutive perfect record, putting together another 33-0 season to bring his career total to 133-4. He is among the nation's leaders and consistently dominated quality competition, going 14-0 against ranked opponents in 2015-16. Of his 33 wins, 27 came with bonus points attached, including 12 pins -- 10 of which came in the first period -- eight major decisions and seven technical falls. His dual stats also provide more impressive numbers as he led the team with 47 takedowns and also tallied 14 nearfalls in his 16 dual wins. What is even more impressive is that Dieringer surrendered only two offensive points the entire season -- a takedown in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championships. Dieringer is second all-time in career wins, trailing John Smith, and his unbeaten streak ranks third in Cowboy wrestling history. As far as bonus points go, he has 97 bonus wins as a Cowboy, putting him at fourth in the record books, with 16 technical falls, 36 major decisions and 45 falls. His bonus win percentage sits at 72.9 percent, while his overall win percentage is an astonishing 97.1 percent, the fourth-best in school history. Few have stood in Dieringer's way throughout his outstanding career. This year was no different. Oklahoma State head coach, the legendary John Smith, has frequently predicted Dieringer as one of top-five greatest wrestlers in Oklahoma State history and now Dieringer has rightfully earned his spot among the elite. His name is Alex Dieringer, a three-time NCAA Champion, and he is one that few in the wrestling community should ever forget.