InterMat Staff

The 106-pound Division 3 semifinals match between Stratford's Macey Kilty and Bayfield/Washburn's Zack Anglin at the 2016 Wisconsin Individual State Wrestling Championships at Kohl Center in Madison Friday had everything a wrestling fan could want. Macey Kilty celebrates (Photo/Wisconsin Wrestling Online)For fans who bemoan the lack of coverage the sport receives, this match has garnered media attention well beyond America's Dairyland ... because it demonstrated wrestling's inclusiveness by featuring a freshman female and a junior male who was born without hands and feet, and is missing portions of his arms and legs. If that weren't enough, the Kilty-Anglin semis match itself was an epic thriller. Major newspapers in both Madison and Milwaukee described it as "the match of the day." It was epic-length, too, weighing in at 8 minutes, 30 seconds, with four overtime tie-breakers. It all ended when Kilty started on top in the ultimate tiebreaker and rode out Anglin to score a 5-4 victory. The win was historic, as Kilty became only the second woman to advance to the state finals in Wisconsin, and the first freshman woman to do so. (2016 U.S. Olympic hopeful Alyssa Lampe did it in 2006, placing second as a senior.) "The way Macey Kilty and Zack Anglin saw it, all they were doing was wrestling," the Wisconsin State Journal of Madison reported. "But a loud, appreciative crowd at the Kohl Center Friday evening saw their battle as one of the most thrilling and inspirational matches in WIAA state tournament history." In commenting on the crowd noise, Kilty said, "I could hear them. I tried blocking them out." Anglin led most of the way during the match. The junior scored the takedown in the first period to go up 2-1, the Ashland Daily Press reported. . In the second period, Anglin scored on an escape to make it 3-1; Kilty added an escape of her own to make the score 3-2. The match became tied 3-3 when Anglin was penalized for stalling in the final seconds of regulation. After a minute-long sudden death overtime period and first tiebreaker, the score was still knotted. Kilty managed another escape in the second tiebreaker to take a 4-3 lead. Kilty was penalized for a hand lock late in the period, however, forcing an ultimate tiebreaker round. Anglin scored the first points in the match and chose to start on bottom, needing an escape to clinch a spot in the title match, but Kilty used her length to keep Anglin contained and earned the final point as time expired. "I'm just really happy right now that I could pull it off," Kilty told the Wisconsin State Journal. "Everything I did in that match was worth it," Kilty told the Marshfield News-Herald . "I just dug down deep because I knew that if I held him down, I'd win." "It was difficult on my feet," Kilty continued. "I wanted to go on one knee, but I didn't feel powerful so I stayed on my feet. It was tough because you can't shoot under him." "The whole place was just electric. It was unbelievable. Everybody was cheering, and everybody was just glued to that match," Ashland coach Joe Hasskamp said. "A freshman girl wrestling in a state semifinal against Zack Anglin. He's a fantastic kid, he works hard, and that whole match was just unbelievable. Great match." Kilty's dream of becoming the first female to win a Wisconsin state title was dashed Saturday night, when the Stratford freshman lost to Clear Lake's Ryan Anderson, 9-5, in the 106-pound Division 3 finals. Watch the epic WIAA semifinals match between Macey Kilty and Zach Anglin here.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa -- With seven wrestlers placing in the top five in their respective weight classes, Northeastern Oklahoma A&M was crowned national champions of NJCAA wrestling for 2016 Saturday evening at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The Golden Norsemen racked up 152.5 team points to outpace defending national champion Iowa Central's 128. Ellsworth (Iowa) came in third with 98 points. Three Golden Norsemen took home individual national titles. Sophomore Dawaylon Barnes grinded his way to the finals in the 157-pound weight class via several close matches and ended his run with a 5-2 decision over sophomore Christopher Schmidt of Ridgewater (Minn.). In the 174-pound title tilt, sophomore Jacobe Smith won his second straight individual title with a 14-5 major decision victory over freshman Jordan Gundrum of Ellsworth. With the national championship already in hand for NEO, Blake Andrews closed out the evening in dramatic fashion in the 285-pound title match. At the 2:05 mark, the sophomore over-powered sophomore Guy Henson of Iowa Lakes for a convincing pin -- commencing a Golden Norsemen celebration mat-side and in the stands. In consolation action, Northeastern Oklahoma A&M freshman Curtis Burnett (133 pounds) and sophomores Kristian Holquin-Mendez (149-pounds) and Jacob Hill (184 pounds) each turned in fourth-place finishes in their respective weight classes while sophomore Mitchell Sellers ended his tournament with a pin of sophomore Matt Schmidt of Northwest (Wyo.) to take home fifth place in the 141-pound class. Other notable finishes for the Golden Norse were freshman Logan Terrill with a seventh-place victory in the 125-pound division while sophomore Josh Latham came in eighth in 197 pounds. Northeastern Oklahoma A&M head coach Joe Renfro was named NJCAA Coach of the Year after winning his fifth national title and fourth in five seasons. Prior to taking over the Golden Norse in 2014, Renfro led Labette (Kan.) to NJCAA championships in 2005, 2012 and 2013. Iowa Central's runner-up finish marks the 10th time in the past 11 seasons where the Tritons have finished in the top five. Sophomores Jason Alfau and Tyler Hoffman highlighted the Tritons 2016 campaign by repeating as national champions in the 141 and 184-pound weight classes, respectively.

TEMPE, Ariz. -- The Oregon State wrestling team captured its fifth consecutive Pacific-12 Conference championship on Saturday night, outlasting host Arizona State 118-113 at the Wells Fargo Arena. Redshirt sophomore heavyweight Amarveer Dhesi was the lone champion for the Beavers, who instead used a balanced attack and bonus points to claim the seventh Pac-12 title of the 10-year Jim Zalesky coaching era. Dhesi won his quarterfinal and semifinal matches by fall, and then destroyed defending champion Nathan Butler of Stanford 19-5 in the title bout to earn his first conference crown. He took second as a freshman in 2014, and redshirted last season while recovering from knee surgery. Dhesi, sophomore Ronnie Bresser (125), redshirt junior Joey Delgado (149), senior Seth Thomas (165) and redshirt freshman Corey Griego all earned automatic berths to the NCAA Championships, set for March 17-19 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Also, redshirt junior Joey Palmer (133) placed second and could earn one of the five national at-large berths in that weight class. He was ranked No. 12 in the final NCAA Div. I Wrestling Ratings Percentage Index (RPI). It will be the second trip to NCAAs for Bresser, Delgado, Thomas and Dhesi, and the first for Griego. It would also be the second trip for Palmer if he is an at-large selection. "It was a total team effort, in every sense," Zalesky said. "Everybody scored, and we had bonus points," thanks to nine pins or major decisions. "In the afternoon session we strung three straight pins together," by Delgado, Rodriguez and [Cody] Crawford, "and that was six points right there. All that stuff adds up. "We would have liked to have had more wins, but we found a way to get it done." Bresser and Palmer each lost their championship matches in overtime. Bresser lost 3-2 to Connor Schram of Stanford; Palmer fell 4-2 to Dalton Brady of ASU. The other Beaver in the finals, Griego, fell 7-2 to ASU's Blake Stauffer. Bresser then edged Boise State's Rami Haddadin 7-6 in a second-place challenge match to take true second and advance to NCAAs for the second year in a row. Delgado (149), redshirt sophomore Abraham Rodriguez (157), Thomas (165) and redshirt sophomore Cody Crawford (197) placed third. Rodriguez is ranked No. 30 and Crawford is ranked 33rd in RPI, so they have an outside chance at best of earning one of the four at-large berths at their weight classes. For more information on the Oregon State wrestling team, follow the club's official Twitter account at Twitter.com/OSU_Wrestling or by Facebook at Facebook.com/OregonStateWrestling.

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Redshirt junior Jim Wilson became the first three-time conference champion in school history as three Cardinal wrestlers won titles and Stanford finished fourth overall (100) at the 2016 Pac-12 Championships, Saturday, in Wells Fargo Arena. Punching their tickets to the NCAA Championships in New York City next month are Connor Schram (125 pounds), Joey McKenna (141 pounds), Wilson (165 pounds), Keaton Subjeck (174 pounds) and Nathan Butler (285 pounds). Taking home the title at 125 pounds for the Cardinal was redshirt sophomore Connor Schram, who defeated seventh-ranked Ronnie Bresser of Oregon State in the finals. Tied 2-2 after double-overtime, Schram won on criteria with one second of riding time. Ranked 15th nationally, he becomes the 20th different Cardinal wrestler to win an individual conference championship. Schram reached the finals with a 4-1 decision over Ares Carpio of Arizona State in the first round and a 5-4 decision over Boise State's Rami Haddidin in the semifinals. The Cannonsburg, Pennsylvania native moves to 20-5 on the year and has automatically qualified for the NCAA Championships for the second straight season. McKenna, ranked second in the nation at 141 pounds, became just the fifth Cardinal freshman to win a conference title, defeating CSU Bakersfield's Ian Nickell, 6-1. McKenna reached the finals by pinning Boise State's Josh Newberg in 6:36 in the first round and defeating Oregon State's Jack Hathaway, 6-0, in the semifinals. McKenna is the 21st Cardinal to win a conference championship and marks the third straight season a Stanford freshman has won a crown, joining Wilson (2014) and Butler (2015). The Towaco, New Jersey native is now 22-2 on the season. Wilson, who is ranked 19th in the country at 165 pounds, gutted out a 2-1 decision over CSU Bakersfield's Adam Fierro in overtime to win his third consecutive conferennce crown. He posted decisions over ASU's Jacen Petersen (8-2) and Boise State's Taylor West (9-3) to reach the championship bout. Wilson, a returning NCAA All-American, moves to 24-6 on the year and now has 93 career wins. He is four away from breaking into the school's top-10 for career victories. Butler fell in the championship match at heavyweight to Oregon State's Amar Dhesi, 19-5. He advanced to the finals with a 5-3 overtime win over CSU Bakersfield's Matt Williams in the first round and a 4-2 decision over 12th-ranked Tanner Hall of Arizona State in the semifinals. Butler is now 25-7 on the year. Placing third for the Cardinal were redshirt sophomores Subjeck (174) and Garet Krohn (184). Subjeck fell to eventual champion No. 5 Bryce Hammond in the semifinals, 4-2. Afer notching a 7-2 decision against Oregon State's Tyler Chay in the consolation-semis, Subjeck scored a last second takedown over Cal Poly's Travis Berridge to secure third. He then got to wrestle Boise State's Austin Dewey in a true second-place match, where he pinned Dewey in 2:23 to claim his spot at NCAAs. Krohn went 3-1 in the tournament, including an 8-2 decision over CSU Bakersfield's Jesus Ambriz in the first round, a 12-0 major decision against Boise State's Zach Coffman in the consolation-semis and a 14-0 major decision over Ambriz in the third-place bout. Krohn is now 20-8 overall. Sophomore Mason Pengilly (133) and redshirt junior Zach Nevills (197) both went 1-2 in the tournament to place fifth for the Cardinal. Redshirt sophomore Tommy Pawelski (149) and redshirt junior Peter Russo (157) both took sixth. Oregon State won the team title for the fifth straight season with 118.0 points. Host Arizona State finished second (113.0), while CSU Bakersfield took third (101.0).

The Pac-12 Wrestling Championships take place Saturday at Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe, Arizona. The finals will be broadcast live on Pac-12 Network starting at 5 p.m. PT/6 p.m. MT. The opening session will begin at 11:30 a.m. MT start, with the second session following at 4:30 p.m. MT. The finals matches will begin at 6 p.m. MT and will air on the Pac-12 Networks with Jason Knapp, Ken Chertow, and ASU alum Anthony Robles on the call. View preliminary brackets

The wrestling community can't stop chatting about NC State and their 21-17 win over the Iowa Hawkeyes this past Monday at the NWCA National Duals. What we know is the outcome of the matchup, but what is less clear is how we got to a place where two teams from the ACC are ranked in the top five in the nation. Pat Popolizio (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com)The first bit of credit is extended to coach Pat "The Skip" Popolizio who took the Wolfpack from solid ACC outlier to NCAA title contender in his fourth season. For a non-legacy program that type of turnaround is absolutely unique. Cornell took almost two decades before they placed in the top five. Popolizio did that in less than one presidential term. Virginia Tech, who is the only team to beat NC State this season, is ranked No. 3 in the nation in the tournament rankings and No. 4 in the dual meet rankings. Rutgers is ranked No. 10. Lehigh is ranked No.11. Three of the top five teams are East Coast and five of the top ten are within a car drive of each other for the first time in … well, forever. So just what is going on? Has the East Coast become new the center of the collegiate wrestling universe? There are many factors in deciding where to fall on this issue. First, there is an undeniable trend that the East Coast teams are doing a much better job or curating local talent. The "why" seems to be an increase in budgets and higher wrestling acumen of all first-year wrestlers. The second might be the rules. Funk and the ability to roll around for extended amounts of time skews toward benefitting the East Coast wrestler. Iowa, Oklahoma and Minnesota don't encourage "spaghetti wrestling" whereas the East Coast has all but lived off a technical approach to this new trend in the sport. The third reason might be luck. Cael Sanderson, Pat Popolizio and Kevin Dresser have their competitive roots in the Midwest but have journeyed eastward to pursue coaching opportunities. Add in Rob Koll, Scott Goodale, Pat Santoro and there seems to be an entrenched talent pool of coaches that is stationary for years to come. Whatever the reason, the shifting of power eastward is likely good for wrestling in that it expands the media reach of the sport and accelerates the acquisition of new fans. Still, nothing is concrete until after the NCAA tournament in March, which this year is being held in, coincidentally, New York City -- the media capital of the world. To your questions … Q: Do you think Iowa looked past NC State? -- Mike C. Foley: I don't. I think that NC State showed everyone they were capable of winning any match when they rode into Stillwater as underdogs and came away with a win. The wrestling community has continued to underestimate the Wolfpack, despite their ranking. At first blush you may assume that a team from the ACC is ranked high and boasts a big record because they don't compete against a tough schedule. However, even a cursory glance at the NC State schedule shows that isn't the case. In fact, they wrestled THE toughest schedule in the country. Iowa wasn't over-confident or under-prepared. They wrestled a better team and where in previous years they've muscled past these type of competitors, The Skip's team is not one to be bulldozed by anyone. An incredible team, but I'd caution people from assuming the success at NC State is lightning in a bottle. There is a future to this success. The Wolfpack will be in the top 10 for years to come. Q: I see that Adam Batirov is back competing. Do you see him winning an Olympic medal, possibly gold, in Rio? -- Mike C. Foley: Adam Batirov was a star for the Russians as recently as 2011, but has spent the past few years off the mats, likely deep in the bowels of Russia wrestling a bear. I don't know why he took time off from the sport, but I do know that the recent changes to the transfer rules allows for a more lenient transition of athletes to new nations. The rules, which were adopted two years ago, make it easier for nations to purchase athletes from other federations, but limits those purchases to one per year, per style. Batirov looked formidable against a weak field at the Asian Championships, but has a tough road to even making the Olympic Games. Now that he wrestles for Bahrain he will need to qualify for the Olympics at the Asian qualifiers in mid-March, or at one of the two World qualifiers. Assuming Batirov qualifies, he would have an uber-difficult bracket. He may follow the leader all the way into repechage, though, where he would be even money to beat anyone in the world. Still, that's a lot for Batirov to manage. Let's check back with this question when/if he qualifies. Q: This has been the best season I can remember for the ACC. Both Iowa and Oklahoma State lost to an ACC team (NC State) for the first time ever. In the final dual team rankings NC State was ranked No. 2 and Virginia Tech No. 4. VT is also No. 3 in the tournament rankings which brings me to my questions … Has an ACC team ever won a team trophy (top four) at NCAAs? Which ACC team had the highest finish and when? (I know VT and UNC have been in the top 10 before.) Even as a diehard UVA fan it would be kinda cool to see a ACC team take home a trophy. -- Dan C. Foley: The 1982 UNC Tarheels finished fifth! I'm sharing the same bandwagon boat as you in wishing to see a huge performance from Virginia Tech and NC State at the NCAA tournament in three weeks. Though I doubt they can win the NCAA title -- Penn State seems too mighty -- I see both teams making a push for the runner-up position. Of course, Iowa will have a say in the matter, too, but if these teams wrestle like they have all season I think you'll see the two best-ever finishes in the ACC happen in the same year. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Tom Brands post-loss press conference Q: I really hope that Flo lays an egg with their coverage of this year's Pan Ams and UWW never utilizes their live streaming for their events. Call me a cheap skate, but the international tournaments that are UWW sponsored should be made available free of charge. Any chance you know if the matches will be made available outside of the FloPro pay wall after the tournament is over? It would be a shame to have the matches archived behind a pay wall. -- Jacob R. Foley: Yes, the Pan Am Championships and qualifiers livestreams will be behind the paywall and the archived matches will be available within a week of the competition. I understand your frustration and know that it's hard to pay for a service after it's been provided for free since its inception. As you can imagine there are an incredible number of things on the agenda of an international federation that requires investment. Primary among these investment areas is sport development, which includes opening and staffing training facilities around the world but also extends to research studies, meetings and the facilitation of athlete participation. There are a myriad other ways to spend money on development, and that's only one of six departments. Media, or the ability to provide photos and videos of competitions, is something UWW put on their own shoulders after the Save Olympic Wrestling campaign. Livestream, social media, photography, highlight videos, and an upgraded website are only a few of the items added to the user experience. That stuff costs money -- a lot of money. Whereas other sports have substantial coverage and usage agreements for these items, wrestling is forced to do all the heavy lifting internally, which costs money. The Flo partnership will allow UWW to explore the cost/benefit analysis of putting select tournaments behind the paywall. All matches will still be made immediately available to coaches and within one week for fans outside the paywall. The immediacy of a livestream is costly to produce and seen increasingly as a premium. With less to take on and a burgeoning partnership, the perspective of UWW is that this may allow for an incredible growth of viewership opportunities around the world, including non-UWW events ranging from the Klippan to the Medved to the Yarygin. In the end a huge increase in the amount of wrestling available to the fans. After the weekend you should be sure to let Flo and UWW know what you think of the arrangement. I'm sure there will be plenty of opinions, and all of them should be heard. JohnMark Bentley (Photo/Rob Moore)Q: Appalachian State is ranked No. 22 in InterMat's dual meet rankings, and picked up a win in the NWCA National Duals. What do you think of the job JohnMark Bentley is doing? -- Mike C. Foley: I don't know all the ins and outs of Coach Bentley's situation, but I think that his results are speaking to the quality of his coaching. Nothing can directly influence the outcome of a wrestling program's season more than solid leadership. Coach Bentley seems to be leading a great class of wrestlers. Also worth noting that the SoCon, with the addition of Chattanooga at No. 23, has two teams in the top 25, a first for the conference. Q: Do you think Henry Cejudo has what takes to become UFC champion? Why? Or why not? -- Gregg Y. Foley: At times I've been a harsh critic of Cejudo for his lack of professionalism and career ambition. There was odd, lackadaisical behavior and the constant missing weight, but his behavior seems to be changing. In his previous form I don't think there was much evidence to show he could punch, or wrestle, his way to a UFC title. But now? My views have changed. To my knowledge, Cejudo's PR team hasn't been subbed out, which makes me think his recent spat of caught-in-the-moment training sessions only lends credibility to the fact he's a hard-working, dedicated-to-gold MMA fighter. If I remember correctly, only a few months ago he was seen in the background of a UFC Behind-the-Scenes living and training in the mountains of Mexico alongside current UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum. For me, it was an insight into where Cejudo wanted to take his MMA career. There is little question right now that Cejudo has the tools necessary to be a UFC champion. However, I think that the 2008 Olympic gold medalist is up against an incredible challenge when facing Demetrious Johnson. Cejudo can certainly wrestle, but his talents will likely be neutralized by Johnson who can also wrestle and has incalculable quickness in the cage. Can he be champion? Yes. Will he be champion? I'm not so sure. Q: What's your most anticipated matchup at the conference tournaments or NCAAs? -- Mike C. Foley: The ACC tournament. Period. No question. Some of that is homerism, but the competitive dynamic between Virginia Tech and NC State is must-watch wrestling. I'll be in Charlottesville to see it up close and will be sure to tweet images of these maniacs in battle. On my NCAA excitement scale I'm logging in at a 10. Q: So, can you explain why Penn State won the NWCA National Duals without wrestling Iowa? I don't understand this dual tournament thing. Another question about National Duals: shouldn't NC State now wrestle Penn State for the championship? Or am I just not getting it? -- @german663 Foley: HEY! YOU! You just don't get it! The National Duals are like the BCS pre-2014 where they are meant to have the top teams compete and the top two of those are competing for the national title. It seems that the NWCA was unable to place Iowa vs. Penn State due to the fact that they required non-Big Ten teams to wrestle Big Ten teams. Maybe some changes will be made for the future, but your confusion and some bad press seem to be affecting the viability of events past 2017. The dual meet concept is the bee's knees, but there needs to be a wider publicity push made by the NWCA to ensure that fans know exactly what is happening and what this all means. Q: Has @PackWrestle ever beaten Iowa before? -- @caroten_158 Foley: First time! Query of the Week By Nick M. I enjoy your work and look forward to it EVERY WEEK! As for the singlet, I was speaking to a high school coach in Oklahoma and his school is cutting nine teaching jobs! There are a lot of districts in Oklahoma that are doing the same thing. He said that he was told if they go to a "different" uniform option that requires them to replace what they currently have, the program will not be able to survive. Now I understand that this may just be a smoke screen for a different problem that does not involve the wrestling program. I just wonder how many other teams/clubs would be or already are strapped financially. I disagree with you that youth participation numbers would go up if we get rid of the singlet. My experience has been that the kids/parents that are worried about the singlet are not be lifelong fans. After Johnny doesn't get a medal in EVERY tournament that he goes to, they will quit and go play a team sport where they can go eat pizza after every game. What happened to using wrestling as a way to combat childhood obesity?

Eleven former wrestlers and one coach will be welcomed into the Class of 2016 for the NCAA Division II Wrestling Hall of Fame on Thursday, March 10, at the Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, S.D. The ceremony will begin at 6 p.m. Todd FullerIndividual wrestlers to be inducted include Augustana University's Tom Meester (2001-05) and Sam Herriman (1975-79); Matt Petsinger (1997-01) of Minnesota State University, Mankato; North Dakota State's Todd Fuller (1998-02), Steve Saxlund (1997-01), Nick Severson (1998-02), George Thompson (1994-98) and Ryan Wolters (1994-98); and South Dakota State's Pat Dorn (1985-89), Paul Konechne (1997-01) and Ryan Resel (1995-99). The one coach -- Jason Liles of South Dakota State (1993-2012) -- rounds out the list of honorees. The Class of 2016 will be the 20th class to be welcomed into the NCAA Division II Wrestling Hall of Fame. The Division II Wrestling Hall of Fame ceremony will be held in conjunction with a reception for coaches and dignitaries preceding the start of the 54th annual NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships. Tickets for the reception can be reserved at a cost of $25 by emailing Sean Derry at sfsaintern@siouxfalls.com. The NCAA Division II National Wrestling Championships were first held in 1963. For the first 11 years, it was called the NCAA College Division Tournament. In 1974, when the NCAA started the divisional concept, approximately half of the College Division schools continued competing in the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships and about half went into the NCAA Division III. Since 1963, there have been 53 teams crowned National Champion and 534 individual national champions.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- (Preliminary Brackets) The 2016 NAIA Wrestling National Championships, presented by USA Wrestling-Kansas preliminary brackets have been released, the national office announced Thursday. Session one action inside the Kansas Expocentre in Topeka, Kan., is scheduled to get underway Friday, March 4 at 10 a.m. CST. The 59th annual event consists of four sessions, concluding Saturday with the championship finals at 7 p.m. Preliminary brackets are subject to change and are not considered official until the conclusion of team registration on Thursday, March 3. Official brackets will be released Thursday night following the conclusion of the on-site NAIA-Wrestling Coaches Association Bracketing Committee meeting on NAIA.org. For additional national championships information, click here.

INDIANAPOLIS -- The NCAA has announced the qualifier allocations for the 2016 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships as listed in the chart below. Each qualifying tournament was awarded spots per weight class based on current year data. Each wrestler was measured on the following: Division I winning percentage at the weight class; rating percentage index (RPI); and coaches ranking. For each wrestler that reached the threshold in at least two of the three categories, his qualifying tournament was awarded a qualifying spot in that weight class. Each qualifying tournament, with automatic qualifying status, was awarded a minimum of one wrestler per weight class, which will go to the tournament champion, even if they did not have any wrestlers reach at least two of the three thresholds. NCAA tournament spots for each qualifying event will be awarded at the tournament based solely on place-finish. After all of the qualifying events have concluded, the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee will meet in-person to select the remaining 46 at-large qualifiers, which will be announced on March 9. All weight classes will consist of 33 wrestlers. The at-large selections will be made based on the following criteria: head-to-head competition; quality wins; coaches ranking; results against common opponents; RPI; qualifying event placement; and winning percentage. The coaches' rankings are compiled by a vote of coaches representing each qualifying tournament. For ranking purposes, coaches may only consider a wrestler that has been designated as a starter at a respective weight class. In order to be eligible for the rankings, wrestlers must have participated in at least five matches against Division I opponents in the weight class and have wrestled within the last 30 days. To be eligible for an RPI ranking, a wrestler must have a minimum of 17 Division I matches at a given weight class. Among the top-ranked wrestlers by the coaches are four former national champions with Nathan Tomasello of Ohio State (125 pounds), Alex Dieringer of Oklahoma State (165), Gabriel Dean of Cornell (184) and Nick Gwiazdowski of North Carolina State (heavyweight). The additional top-ranked wrestlers at each weight class by the coaches are: Nahshon Garrett, Cornell (133 pounds); Dean Heil, Oklahoma State (141); Zain Retherford, Penn State (149); Jason Nolf, Penn State (157), Bo Nickal, Penn State (174) and Morgan McIntosh, Penn State (197). FULL COACHES RANKINGS The top ranked wrestlers in each weight class of the RPI are: Tomasello (125 pounds); Garrett (133); Heil (141); Retherford (149); Thomas Gantt, North Carolina State (157); Dieringer (165); Brian Realbuto, Cornell (174); Dean (184); McIntosh (197) and Austin Marsden, Oklahoma State (heavyweight). FULL RPI The 2016 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships takes place at Madison Square Garden in New York City March 17-19. A limited number of single session tickets are still available, in addition wrestling fans can buy and sell official tickets through the NCAA Ticket Exchangeâ„¢. This gives ticket holders who are unable to attend a session a place to safely sell their tickets. Buyers can also get their tickets knowing the tickets are authentic and guaranteed, visit http://www.ncaa.com/tickets/wrestling/d1 for more information. A full description of the entire selection process is in the 2016 Division I Wrestling Championships Pre-Championships Manual which is available at NCAA.org.

A memorial service has been announced for former Penn State and Edinboro University wrestler Garrett Scott, who died this past weekend in Michigan. The memorial will be held at Juniata Valley High School on Sunday, March 6 at 2 p.m. The school where Scott earned three Pennsylvania state wrestling titles is located at 7775 Juniata Valley Pike in Alexandria, Pa. The event is open to the public. IGarrett Scott defeated Cornell's Adam Frey, 14-6, at the 2008 NCAA Championships (Photo/GoPSUSports.com)nformation on the memorial service for Garrett Scott was posted Wednesday morning on the GoFundMe.com page established earlier this week, with the stated purpose to "help Tim and Connie Scott with the massive cost of the funeral expenses and bringing Garrett home from Michigan." An earlier post on the GoFundMe.com page declared that the original goal of raising $10,000 before Friday, Feb. 21 had been surpassed in 21 hours -- long before the original target date. Specifics regarding Scott's passing have not been disclosed. A cousin, Sheldon Port, posted on Garrett Scott's Facebook page that the former wrestler "had passed away unexpectedly in Michigan this weekend." Two of his Penn State teammates offered their memories of Scott on Facebook. " ...Garrett Scott was a teammate, a best friend, a brother, a wing man and a great champion," wrote Bubba Jenkins, former Nittany Lion wrestler crowned champ at the 2011 NCAAs after transferring to Arizona State, and now competes in mixed martial arts. "This one really hurts me because I never got to express to him how much he meant in my life. Although I'm focused on my March 4 fight, I'll be competing with a heavy heart...I'll miss you my good man and my sincerest prayers are with your family!!" Dan Vallimont, now assistant wrestling coach at Hofstra University, wrote, "Another one gone way too soon. We weren't as close as we used to be but I'm gonna miss you brother. Rest easy Garrett." Garrett Scott battles Minnesota's Manny Rivera at the 2008 NCAA Championships (Photo/The Guillotine)Here's how award-winning Pennsylvania wrestling journalist Tom Elling described the late wrestler to InterMat. "Garrett Scott was a three-time PIAA champion for tiny Juniata Valley in the middle of District 6, about 20 minutes east of Altoona ... a state champion at 119 in 2003; at 130 in 2004 and at 135 in 2005. "He was an almost certainty to win his fourth title in 2006, but it was not to be. The deceptively-strong and tremendously-skilled middleweight became his own ultimate opponent and experienced a series of events results in his being expelled from school and finishing his high school via a cyber school. "He was good enough that Coach Troy Sunderland offered him a full ride to Penn State. "It was anticipated that among such elite wrestlers, Garrett would get squared away and reach his potential. But like a Greek tragedy, destiny again reared its ugly head and Scott continued to self-destruct. "I received word from a trusted source that Garrett had been found unresponsive in Michigan. I had hoped for the best, but, unbelievably, the young man did not recover. "The possibilities for this young man were limitless. But, finally, the demons claimed him. "I pray for his family, his friends, and mourn the loss of one so young. Rest in peace, Garrett Scott. Life has not been easy for you." Garrett Scott had been on track to become Pennsylvania's 10th four-time state champion before a 2006 off-the-mat incident -- violating his charter school's Internet use policy -- 2006 prevented him from wrestling for his fourth state title. Scott, who was ranked as the No. 4 recruit in the country from the Class of 2006, earned a full-ride scholarship to wrestle at Penn State. Some were hailing Scott as the best high school wrestling talent to come out of the Keystone State since Cary Kolat graduated from Jefferson-Morgan High School in 1992. However, Scott's time at Penn State was full of challenges. He failed to pass the NCAA Clearinghouse, which prevented him from joining the Nittany Lions wrestling team his first year out of high school. The following year, as a freshman, Scott was suspended by his coach, Troy Sunderland, in the preseason after he was arrested for underage drinking. Once reinstated, he had to share the role of starter at 141 pounds with high school rival-turned-teammate Jake Strayer. Scott placed seventh at the 2008 Big Ten Championships, qualifying for the NCAA Championships but failed to place. Less than two months after the NCAAs, Scott was dismissed from the program by then head coach Troy Sunderland for what was described as a violation of team rules. Scott then transferred to Edinboro in the summer of 2008 and competed unattached during the 2008-09 season while he worked on regaining his NCAA eligibility. However, in November 2009, Scott told Edinboro head coach Tim Flynn that he was quitting the Fighting Scot wrestling program. In 2009, InterMat's Andrew Hipps wrote a profile story on Garrett Scott. Read story.

In the Minnesota Class 3A (big school) state tournaments this weekend, No. 15 Apple Valley and No. 19 St. Michael-Albertville will be in the same event for the fourth and fifth time this season. STMA beat Apple Valley at the Minnesota Christmas Tournament in mid-December; Apple Valley beat STMA at The Clash on Jan. 2; then STMA out-pointed Apple Valley at the Cheesehead, though the margin was within the probable impact of Brock Morgan's absence for Apple Valley. Thursday is the dual team tournament. The top seed is Apple Valley, and the Eagles face Hastings in the first round before a likely semifinal date against Farmington. In regular season competition, Apple Valley beat Farmington 38-30 (8-6 matches). For second seed STMA, it is an opening round match against Minnetonka before a likely semifinal against No. 36 Anoka; the teams did not meet in the regular season, though STMA out-pointed Anoka at the Minnesota Christmas Tournament and out-placed them at the Clash. University of Minnesota signee Mitchell McKee, a four-time Fargo champion and two-time state champion, is one of 11 state qualifiers for STMA (Photo/The Guillotine)The championship dual between Apple Valley and STMA would be a rematch of last year's state final, which Apple Valley won 36-30 (8-6 matches) with a winner-take-all pin from Gable Steveson at 285. That was a tenth straight team state title for the Eagles, including the shared title with STMA in 2013. This year's regular season dual was won by Apple Valley 38-30 (8-6 matches). The state tournament dual is likely to have many moving parts in comparison to where wrestlers are for the individual bracket, including potential strategy driven by the coin toss. For the individual bracket event, where no official team score is kept, STMA qualified 11 to state (including 10 section champions) along with three alternates (third in the section), while Apple Valley qualified nine (including five champs) along with three alternates. It should be noted that Apple Valley exited arguably the toughest Class 3A section. The following individual weight classes in Minnesota are notable for having multiple high profile wrestlers: Class 3A: 106 pounds: No. 4 Aaron Cashman (Mount Westonka) is in the opposite half-bracket of both No. 8 Patrick McKee (STMA) and No. 18 Israel Navarro (Wilmar). It should be noted that Minnesota has implemented a structure to seed all eight section champions this year, as opposed to randomly pairing section champions with another section's runner-up; as a result, no more stacked quarterfinal bouts. Class 3A: 152 pounds: No. 13 Jake Allar (STMA), a returning state runner-up, is the anchor figure in this weight class. In his half-bracket is returning state placer Kenny O'Neil (Prior Lake). The other half-bracket features the undefeated Brandon Olveson (Chanhassen), a returning state placer, as well as Brock Morgan (Apple Valley), a 2014 state placer; Morgan made the late move up into this weight class after Alex Lloyd (Shakopee) came up from 138 to 145. Class 3A: 182 pounds: No. 10 Lucas Jeske (STMA), a returning state champion, is the top seed in this weight class. The other key figure here is Taylor Venz (Farmington), a 2013 state champion who has placed third each of the last two seasons. Both wrestlers might have considered the 170 pound weight class, except for the presence of a certain Mark Hall.

The Illinois team state tournament finals will be held this Saturday in Bloomington, with preliminary matches being held on Tuesday evening, which was three days after individual state titles were decided. The sixteen teams that wrestled on Tuesday in preliminary matches to pare the field down to eight were determined by champions of the individual regional tournament, which are the first layer of their individual state series. Those teams were placed into pre-determined matchups based on their sectional (second layer) assignment. In Class 3A, it happened that No. 16 Marmion Academy faced No. 17 Carl Sandburg on Tuesday night. For the second time this season, Marmion Academy came up with a narrow win; this time it was 29-26 as the teams split bouts as 7-7. Also in Class 3A, No. 8 Oak Park River Forest and No. 40 Montini Catholic advanced to the team state tournament. Oak Park River Forest is the defending champion and prohibitive favorites to reach the final; the Huskies open with Hononegah before most likely facing Lockport in the semifinal. After beating Carl Sandburg on Tuesday, the award for Marmion Academy is a quarterfinal date with nationally ranked Montini Catholic, the winner will be prohibitively favored to beat Providence Catholic or Fox Lake Grant in the semifinal. The likely final will placed Oak Park River Forest against Marmion Academy, a match that OPRF won at the Clash. In Class 2A, a pair of nationally ranked teams have dominated the classification throughout the season. Each placed ten wrestlers at the state tournament this past weekend. No. 14 Mt. Carmel had one champ, one runner-up, five in third, and then one each take fourth through sixth; while No. 20 Washington was led by three champs, one runner-up, a third, two each in fourth and fifth, and one in sixth. However, the infinite wisdom of the IHSA has set that up as a semifinal match, presuming each clears opening round opposition; Washington vs. Cahokia and Mt. Carmel vs. Antioch. The lower half-bracket will most likely feature a semifinal between Crystal Lake Central and Marian Catholic.

The last weekend of February is here. What competitions remain for teams across the country are within the state series. Below is the schedule of competitions for teams appearing in the Fab50 during the week of Feb. 24-March 1. No. 1 Blair Academy, N.J. -- compete in National Prep Championships at Lehigh University, Bethlehem (Pa.), on Friday and Saturday No. 2 Wyoming Seminary, Pa. -- compete in National Prep Championships at Lehigh University, Bethlehem (Pa.), on Friday and Saturday No. 3 St. Paris Graham, Ohio -- compete in district tournament, state tournament qualifier, at Wilmington (Ohio) on Friday and Saturday No. 4 Bergen Catholic, N.J. -- compete in regional tournament, state tournament qualifier, at Bergen County Community College in Paramus (N.J.) on Friday and Saturday No. 5 Buchanan, Calif. -- compete in Central Section Masters Tournament, state tournament qualifier, at Lemoore (Calif.) on Friday and Saturday No. 6 Bethlehem Catholic (Pa.) -- compete in District XI tournament, start of state series, at Bethlehem (Pa.) Liberty on Friday and Saturday No. 7 St. Edward, Ohio -- compete in district tournament, state tournament qualifier, at Perrysburg (Ohio) on Friday and Saturday No. 8 Oak Park River Forest, Ill. -- compete in Class AAA state dual meet tournament on Saturday at U.S. Cellular Coliseum in Bloomington (Ill.) No. 9 Clovis, Calif. -- compete in Central Section Masters Tournament, state tournament qualifier, at Lemoore (Calif.) on Friday and Saturday No. 10 Belle Vernon Area, Pa. -- compete in sectional tournament, start of state series, at Ringgold (Pa.) on Saturday No. 11 Tuttle, Okla. -- compete in Class 4A state tournament at State Fairgrounds Arena in Oklahoma City (Okla.) on Friday and Saturday No. 12 Lake Highland Prep, Fla. -- compete in regional tournament, state tournament qualifier, at Titusville (Fla.) on Friday and Saturday No. 13 Poway, Calif. -- compete in San Diego Section Masters Tournament, state tournament qualifier, at Christian (Calif.) on Friday and Saturday No. 14 Mt. Carmel, Ill. -- compete in Class AA state dual meet tournament on Saturday at U.S. Cellular Coliseum in Bloomington (Ill.) No. 15 Apple Valley, Minn. -- compete in Class AAA team and individual state tournaments at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul (Minn.) Thursday through Saturday No. 16 Marmion Academy, Ill. -- compete in Class AAA state dual meet tournament on Saturday at U.S. Cellular Coliseum in Bloomington (Ill.) No. 18 Elyria, Ohio -- compete in district tournament, state tournament qualifier, at Perrysburg (Ohio) on Friday and Saturday No. 19 St. Michael-Albertville, Minn. -- compete in Class AAA team and individual state tournaments at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul (Minn.) Thursday through Saturday No. 20 Washington, Ill. -- compete in Class AA state dual meet tournament on Saturday at U.S. Cellular Coliseum in Bloomington (Ill.) No. 21 Boyertown, Pa. -- compete in sectional tournament, 2nd of three qualifying layers in state series, at Spring-Ford (Pa.) on Saturday No. 22 Nazareth (Pa.) -- compete in District XI tournament, start of state series, at Bethlehem (Pa.) Liberty on Friday and Saturday No. 23 Malvern Prep, Pa. -- compete in National Prep Championships at Lehigh University, Bethlehem (Pa.), on Friday and Saturday No. 25 Delta, Ohio -- compete in district tournament, state tournament qualifier, at Toledo (Ohio) Waite on Friday and Saturday No. 27 Kasson-Mantorville, Minn. -- compete in Class AA team and individual state tournaments at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul (Minn.) Thursday through Saturday No. 32 Kiski Area, Pa. -- host sectional tournament, state of state series, on Saturday No. 36 Anoka, Minn. -- compete in Class AAA team and individual state tournaments at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul (Minn.) Thursday through Saturday No. 38 Olentangy Liberty, Ohio -- compete in district tournament, state tournament qualifier, at Hilliard (Ohio) Darby on Friday and Saturday No. 40 Montini Catholic, Ill. -- compete in Class AAA state dual meet tournament on Saturday at U.S. Cellular Coliseum in Bloomington (Ill.) No. 41 Hilton, N.Y. -- compete in Division I state tournament at Times Union Center in Albany (N.Y.) on Friday and Saturday No. 42 Kenyon-Wanamingo, Minn. -- compete in Class AA team and individual state tournaments at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul (Minn.) Thursday through Saturday No. 44 Long Beach (N.Y.) -- compete in Division I state tournament at Times Union Center in Albany (N.Y.) on Friday and Saturday No. 46 Goddard (Kansas) -- compete in Class 5A state tournament at Hartman Arena in Park City (Kans.) on Friday and Saturday No. 47 Lowell, Mich. -- compete in Division 2 state dual meet tournament at Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant (Mich.) on Friday and Saturday No. 48 Post Falls, Idaho -- compete in Class 5A state tournament at Holt Arena in Pocatello (Idaho) on Friday and Saturday No. 49 Good Counsel, Md. -- compete in National Prep Championships at Lehigh University, Bethlehem (Pa.), on Friday and Saturday No. 50 Choctaw, Okla. -- compete in Class 6A state tournament at State Fairgrounds Arena in Oklahoma City (Okla.) on Friday and Saturday Season Completed: No. 17 Carl Sandburg (Ill.), No. 24 Archer (Ga.), No. 26 Allen (Texas), No. 28 Camden County (Ga.), No. 29 Warren Central (Ind.), No. 30 Southeast Polk (Iowa), No. 31 West Des Moines Valley (Iowa), No. 33 Fort Dodge (Iowa), No. 34 Brownsburg (Ind.), No. 35 Pomona (Colo.), No. 37 Park Hill (Mo.), No. 39 Pueblo County (Colo.), No. 43 Platte County (Mo.), No. 45 Neosho (Mo.)

Two nationally ranked teams anchor the Division I field in New York, No. 41 Hilton and No. 44 Long Beach. Both squads qualified six wrestlers to the state tournament. However, with the structure of qualification the way it is in New York -- 12 sections each take a champion plus just four wild cards -- using the state tournament to assess team strength is a questionable exercise. So, instead, let's look at some places where there is individual talent out the wazoo, and that is in the lower half weight classes. Starting with the 113 pound weight class in Division I, which features three nationally ranked wrestlers. No. 6 Thomas Cox (Deer Park) is in a half-bracket with returning state placer Anthony Sulla (North Rockland), while No. 20 Kellan McKenna (New Hartford) and No. 17 Anthony Cirillo (Rocky Point) occupy the other half-bracket. Even though there is no nationally ranked wrestler at 120 pounds in the Empire State, the talent here across both divisions is crazy good, with many on the precipice of a ranking. In Division I, the top seed Anthony Sparacio (North Babylon) - a returning state placer -- was done no favors. He'll have the winner of an opening match between returning state placers in Austin Hertel (Hilton) and Anthony Argentieri (Kenmore West) in the quarterfinal, while 2014 state placer Tito Colom (St. Francis) lurks as a possible semifinal opponent. Returning state runner-up, and 2014 Super 32 placer, Jake Silverstein (Hauppauge) is seemingly by himself in the other half-bracket. The Division II 120 pound bracket features four wrestlers that were in the state finals last year. The returning state runners-up occupy different quarters of the top half, Dane Heberlein (Alexander) and Jacob Nolan (Saranac); while returning state champions Jonathan Gomez (Locust Valley) and Theo Powers (Mexico) are in the lower half, with 2014 state placer Dean Raymond (Deposit-Hancock) in the same quarter as Powers. There is a champ vs. champ clash in Division I at 126 pounds with No. 16 Jacori Teemer (Long Beach) and John Arceri (Huntington) possibly to meet on Saturday night in Albany. The 132 pound bracket in Division I features a pair of ranked wrestlers with No. 2 Vitali Arujau (Syosset) and No. 18 Peter Pappas (Plainview JFK); Arujau is a two-time state champion after finishing runner-up to Yianni Diakomihalis in eighth grade, while Pappas has finished runner-up each of the last two years to Diakomihalis. Arujau was done no favors, though it doesn't matter, as returning state placers Phil Spadafora (Half Hollow Hills East) and Hector Colom (St. Francis) loom in the quarterfinal and semifinal. Returning state qualifier Freddie Eckles (Lake Shore) is also in the half-bracket with Pappas. Finally, the 145 pound Division I bracket is heavy with talent, anchored by returning state champion Frankie Gissendanner (Penfield). Ranked No. 8 nationally, Gissendanner is looking at a likely semifinal against either returning state placer Evan Barczak (Monroe Woodbury) or the very talented Connor Melbourne (John Jay Cross River). The likely finals opponent will be the winner of a quarterfinal bout between returning state placer Jack Taddeo (Shoreham-Wading River) and two-time National Prep placer John Busiello (Eastport-South Manor).

Blair Academy's Michael Colaiocco (106) won a Beast of the East title earlier this season, and will now look to add a National Prep title (Photo/Rob Preston)The top two teams in the country, No. 1 Blair Academy and No. 2 Wyoming Seminary, will be joined by another pair of nationally ranked teams, No. 23 Malvern Prep (Pa.) and No. 49 Good Counsel (Md.), in the tournament on Friday and Saturday. Wyoming Seminary beat Blair Academy to win the Walsh Ironman in mid-December, while Blair Academy won a late January dual meet. In some ways this is a rubber match. However, this rubber match has a complicating factor, as post-graduate wrestlers and/or those re-classified as seniors can compete. That is to say wrestlers otherwise unable to compete in NFHS sanctioned events will be among the field. Given that is the case, performance by those wrestlers has to be "controlled for". Blair Academy has no post-graduate wrestlers in their lineup, while Wyoming Seminary will have Greg Kleinsmith (170) and Michael Rogers (285); Kleinsmith is a potential finalist, while Rogers is the defending National Prep champion. Twelve of the fourteen weight classes in this tournament have at least one nationally ranked wrestler. Below is a listing of nationally ranked wrestlers in the field. 106: No. 13 Michael Colaiocco (Blair Academy) 113: No. 13 Chris Cannon (Blair Academy) 120: No. 13 Trey Chalifoux (Father Ryan, Tenn.), No. 17 Jack Davis (Wyoming Seminary); also here is two-time National Prep champion Joey Prata (St. Christopher's, Va.) 126: No. 5 Jack Mueller (Trinity Christian Academy, Texas) 132: No. 8 Requir van der Merwe (Blair Academy) 145: No. 6 Eric Hong (The Kiski School, Pa.), No. 18 Leonard Merkin (Poly Prep, N.Y.); also here is three-time National Prep runner-up Kevin Budock (Good Counsel) 152: No. 1 Mason Manville (Wyoming Seminary) 160: No. 15 Ryan Karoly (Blair Academy) 170: No. 5 Brandon Dallavia (Blair Academy) 182: No. 9 Michael Beard (Malvern Prep), No. 12 Christian Dietrich (Wyoming Seminary) 195: No. 1 Nick Reenan (Wyoming Seminary), No. 3 Chase Singletary (Blair Academy), No. 17 Rashon Lusane (Malvern Prep), No. 18 Ryan Parker (The Baylor School, Tenn.) 220: No. 15 Seth Janney (Malvern Prep), No. 16 Will Hilliard (Wyoming Seminary) Wyoming Seminary seems to have the deeper overall roster in this tournament, especially with the two post-graduate wrestlers augmenting their NFHS roster. They are the favorites to win the tournament; however, the question is if the margin is enough to be ahead when considering the impact of post-graduate wrestlers compared to their NFHS option.

Here are five highlights of the past weekend's state championships: 1. Chad Red (New Palestine) dec. Nick Lee (Evansville Mater Dei) 6-5, Indiana 132 pound final In a match that more than lived up to the hype, No. 1 Chad Red finished his career as an undefeated four-time state champion, despite trailing 4-0 early in the match after Lee scored off a fireman's carry dumped to the back. Red used a takedown and cradle to catalyze the mid-to-late match rally. As a result, Red is the third wrestler in Indiana history to be a career undefeated, and the ninth ever to win four state titles. For Lee's credit, it is just his second career loss in three seasons, the other coming in the state semifinal two years ago to Stevan Micic at 126 pounds. Also to his credit, he has taken on the Micic and Red challenge instead of moving away in more pragmatic fashion. Red will be wrestling in the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic and then taking his talents to Nebraska, while Lee has a senior season of scholastic wrestling before going to Penn State. 2. West Des Moines Valley finds a way for dual meet title One week ago Wednesday, Iowa held its dual meet state tournament one day before the individual bracket tournament was contested. Due to that, No. 33 Fort Dodge chose to "tank" at the district level in the dual tournament. However, No. 30 Southeast Polk and No. 31 West Des Moines Valley both contested the dual event. In the regular season dual meet, Southeast Polk won 34-23, taking eight weight class victories. In the championship match, it started in the 152 pound weight class, where Joe Nicholson (WDMV) reversed losses in the dual meet and the individual district to beat Solomon Jones 3-1; Nicholson had beaten Jones in the conference meet that sandwiched those two bouts. The other key dynamic came at 220 pounds, where WDMV bumped returning state placer Rocky Lombardi away from nationally ranked Ethan Andersen; the result was at 285 pounds, where Lombardi beat Daniel Ramirez 3-2, a match featuring wrestlers that would take third in the individual tournament on Saturday. With all other outcomes the same in terms of ultimate victor, WDMV secured a 31-26 victory; the last match was a winner-take-all affair won by Joel Shaprio by second period fall at 145 pounds. 3. Southeast Polk wins the traditional Despite the disappointment of losing the dual meet title on Wednesday night, and Fort Dodge being all rested for the individual bracket event, the Rams emerged as repeat champions of the traditional tournament. It was also their third title in four seasons, but it was done without a state champion. Instead they used three runners-up and three third place finishers among eight medalists, which were joint most with West Des Moines Valley. Runners-up for the Rams included Adam Brown (120), Nathan Lendt (126), and No. 8 Ethan Andersen (220); while third place finishers were Gauge Perrien (113), Zach Barnes (138), and Daniel Ramirez (285). Solomon Jones (152) placed sixth, while Kameron Padavich (182) finished fourth. They scored 141.5 points. With three champs among seven placers, No. 33 Fort Dodge scored 131.5 points for a runner-up finish. Winning titles were No. 12 Brody Teske (113), Triston Lara (126), and No. 9 Sam Cook (195). Third with 113.5 points from eight medalists were West Des Moines Valley, anchored by champion Grant Stotts (132) and runner-up Nick Oldham (106); they had three additional place third with another in fifth and a pair in seventh. 4. Austin Gomez flair for the dramatic continues For a second straight year, it was a one point victory in the state championship match for Austin Gomez (Glenbard North) over a rival from Oak Park River Forest. In the 2015 final, it was a 4-3 victory over Jason Renteria on a late takedown at 113 pounds, which avenged a loss from the previous weekend's sectional final; Renteria was also runner-up to Austin O'Connor in 2014 before winning his elusive state title this year. In this year's drama, No. 6 Gomez faced No. 20 Anthony Madrigal, using rankings of this week. The prior week's match was a one-sided 8-1 affair in favor of Gomez. However, Madrigal jumped out to a 4-0 advantage in the state final. That put Gomez in "chase mode", and that is what he did in rallying for the 8-7 victory, and a second state title with one more season to go. 5. 220 pounds of chaos The weight class with the most rankings turmoil this week, at least based on performance alone, was 220 pounds. The Iowa Class 3A state final saw Ethan Andersen (Southeast Polk) upset 12-10 by Wyatt Wriedt (North Scott). Wriedt scored the first takedown but was headlocked to his back and trailed 7-3 before rallying back to win the match. The result denied Andersen his third straight state title, and ended the Southeast Polk streak of four consecutive state titles in the weight class. From a rankings standpoint, Andersen dropped three spots to No. 8, while Wriedt joins the rankings at No. 18 nationally. The Pennsylvania prep state final saw Seth Janney (Malvern Prep) avenge an opening weekend loss to Will Hilliard (Wyoming Seminary). As a result, the wrestlers flip positions in the rankings; Janney now No. 15, while Hilliard is No. 16. The wrestlers could meet again this Saturday in the National Prep final. In the Hoosier State, returning state champion Kobe Woods (Penn) suffered two losses that one would have to characterize as baffling in placing seventh. The quarterfinal loss was 9-7 in overtime to returning state placer Ryan Guhl (Indianapolis Cathedra), a wrestler Woods had beaten by 9-1 major decision in early January. He then lost in consolation action to returning state placer Sam Hipple (Carmel) 6-4. As a result, Woods drops all the way down to No. 20 from No. 6; however, he was undefeated heading into the state tournament, and had a regular season win over the Illinois Class 3A champion. The champion in Indiana was sophomore Mason Parris (Lawrenceburg), whose only career loss came in last year's state semifinal by an 11-10 decision to the eventual state champion. This past weekend, he was dominant with three pins and then a 13-4 major decision in the final. The semifinal pin came against an opponent undefeated up to that point, Evan Ellis (Eastern), a returning state placer and Super 32 Challenge placer. His finals opponent was Gunnar Larson (Avon), a returning state placer with quarterfinal and semifinal wins coming against the wrestlers that beat Woods in this tournament; as a result, Larson jumps into the rankings at No. 17. Speaking of Illinois, Class 3A state champion Alan Stallings (Oak Park River Forest) beat returning state champion Eric Johnson (Plainfield South) 9-5 in the semifinal. Johnson entered the tournament ranked No. 17 nationally, but obviously bows out. Stallings, an Indiana football recruit, fell short of the rankings due to a comparative lack of quality wins; though his three losses were all to excellent opposition by narrow margins: nationally ranked Woods, nationally ranked Jared Campbell (St. Edward, Ohio) and nationally ranked at 182 Nathan Traxler (Marmion Academy, Ill.)

Rankings: Individual | Team KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Grand View (Iowa) keeps its stranglehold on the top mark, holding the No. 1 ranking for the 30th straight installment of the NAIA Wrestling Coaches' Top 20 Poll, the national office announced Wednesday. The 2016 Postseason Poll with be announced following the national championships on March 10. Top 25 Highlights (historical information dates back to 2000-01) Grand View (Iowa) pushes its top-ranked streak to 30-straight polls after receiving 193 points in this edition. The Vikings, who have held the top-spot consecutively starting on Nov. 21, 2012, own 35 all-time No. 1 rankings since the start of the 2000-01 season. Former member Lindenwood (Mo.) holds the record for most No. 1 appearances during that time with 39. Grand View once again boasts 12 ranked individuals, all but one of which are ranked no lower than No. 5 in their respective weight class. Jacob Colon (133 pounds), Andrew Long (149 pounds), Tanner Werner (157 pounds) and Michael Pixley (184 pounds) are the top-ranked individuals for Grand View. Colon and Werner are the only new No. 1 individuals this edition. Colon received an automatic berth into next week's national championship field by winning the 133-pound title at the Central Qualifier. The win puts the Clear Lake, Iowa, native at 27-6 on the season. Similar to Colon, Werner - a senior from Waverly, Iowa - won the individual medal at 157 pounds. Both grapplers knocked off teammates in their respective finals. No. 2 Missouri Valley (92.5 points) and No. 3 Montana State-Northern (89.5 points) round out the top three for a second-straight week. Missouri Valley's squad features three top-ranked wrestlers in Jake Ekster (141 pounds), Riley Boomer (174 pounds) and Gabi Musallam (285 pounds). The trio, who all qualified automatically by taking first-place at the Central National Qualifier, are a combined 48-6 on the season. Musallam is the defending national champion at 285 pounds and has held the No. 1 mark all season. Montana State-Northern won the West Group Qualifier with 152.5 points and claim nine ranked individuals. No. 1 125 pounder Adrian Gaines of Oklahoma City and top-ranked Blake Cooper of Warner Pacific (Ore.) at 165 pounds are the only No. 1 individuals that are not part of a top-three ranked team. No. 17 (tied) Doane (Neb.) and No. 19 Cumberland (Tenn.) are the two newcomers to the Top 20. The Phoenix tied for first at the East Qualifier, while Doane took four in the North. The West Group boasts the most ranked teams among the qualifying groups with five -- Montana State-Northern, No. 8 (tied) Menlo (Calif.), No. 8 (tied) Southern Oregon, No. 16 Great Falls (Mont.) and No. 20 Warner Pacific. Since 2001, only Grand View (2013-14, 2014-15), former members Notre Dame (Ohio) (2010-11) and Lindenwood (2006-07) have spent the entire season ranked No. 1. Poll Methodology The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the six national qualifying groups. One day prior to the national poll, each qualifying group rater submits the top six individuals from each weight class in his geographic area into the system. Only wrestlers listed on a qualifying group ballot are considered for the national ballot. The top 16 individuals in each weight class is based on how each voter ranks the best individuals. An individual receives 20 points for each first place vote, 18 for second place and so on through the list. This same point system is used to determine the team ranking.

INDIANAPOLIS – The NCAA has released the updated standings for the 2016 NCAA Wrestling Awards that will be awarded in March at the respective Division I, II and III Wrestling Championships. The inaugural NCAA Wrestling Awards were presented at the 2012 wrestling championships. The three awards, given in each division, honor the Most Dominant Wrestler as well as the student-athletes that have accumulated the most falls and the most technical falls throughout the course of the regular and postseasons. For falls and tech falls to be counted towards a student-athletes total they must come against opponents in the same division. Ties in the two categories are broken based on the aggregate time. In the Division I Most Dominant Wrestler standings, Penn State freshman Jason Nolf increased his lead with an average of 5.20 points per match at 157 pounds, which is .09 ahead of heavyweight Joe Stolfi of Bucknell. Pittsburgh-Johnstown 184-pounder Travis McKillop leads Division II with an average of 5.33 points, which is well ahead of Garrett Grey of Tiffin with 4.73 points. The 2014-15 NCAA Division III Most Dominant Wrestler is well on his way to earning the award for the second year in a row as Wabash 184-pounder Riley Lefever has an average of 5.74 points. Heavyweight Donald Longendyke is second with an average of 5.45 points for Augsburg. The Most Dominant Wrestler standings are calculated by adding the total number of points awarded through match results and dividing that number by the total number of matches wrestled. Points per match are awarded as follows and based on a minimum of 17 matches in the division. * Fall, forfeit, injury default or DQ = 6 points (-6 points for a loss) * Tech falls = 5 points (-5 points for a loss) * Major decision = 4 points (-4 points for a loss) * Decision = 3 points (-3 points for a loss) Navy 197-pounder Michael Woulfe leads Division I with 14 falls this season, while teammate Mathew Miller and Nolf are second with 13. Miller holds the tiebreaker over Nolf in aggregate time (34:26-45:47) Ronald Wardleigh of Western State is the leader in Division II with 13 falls at 125 pounds, followed closely by McKillop with 12. AJ Kowal of Stevens Institute of Technology holds the national lead by aggregate time (39:19) over Josh Thomson of Messiah (57:28) as each wrestler has accumulated 19 falls this season. Isaiah Martinez of Illinois has surpassed his winning total from last season with 12 tech falls this season at 157 pounds to hold the Division I lead. Francis Mizia of Mercyhurst maintains his lead in Division II with eight tech falls at 165 pounds, while Maryville (Missouri) 197-pounder Ryan Beltz and Seton Hill 141-pounder Joseph Alessandro each have seven. Michael Fleck, a 125-pounder from Wilkes, holds the national lead in Division III with 12 tech falls, one ahead of three challengers with 11.

Jim Raschke, a former University of Nebraska wrestling champ who competed internationally, is among the seven individuals to be welcomed into the Minnesota Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in a ceremony in Austin, Minn. this April. In addition to Raschke, other members of the Class of 2016 include Dr. Bruce J. Anderson, Charlie Coffee, John DeLozier, Rick Kelvington, Tim Shiels, and Bob Thorson. An eighth honoree, Earl Stottler, was inducted in a special ceremony last October because of health reasons. Jim Raschke Raschke may be best-known inductee outside the state of Minnesota ... and not necessarily for his amateur wrestling accomplishments. He found considerable success in the pro wrestling ring as Baron von Raschke, German bad guy and purveyor of "The Claw" in the Minneapolis-based American Wrestling Association (AWA) promotion headed up by Minnesota native Verne Gagne. Prior to his pro career, Jim Raschke was a Nebraska state wrestling champ at Omaha North High School who then headed west to wrestle for the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the late 1950s, where he was a Big 8 conference heavyweight titlewinner. Raschke was a 1963 World Bronze Medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling and a 1964 Olympic Team member. Raschke, who will be welcomed into the Minnesota chapter as an Outstanding American, was recently inducted into the Alan Rice Greco-Roman Hall of Fame located at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum in Waterloo, Iowa. Dr. Bruce J. Anderson will be presented with an award for Lifetime Service. Anderson has given back to the sport of wrestling for over 35 years. A former Fridley wrestler, B.J. has been the team doctor for the University of Minnesota football and wrestling teams, Augsburg College and Apple Valley High School. Anderson serves as the Medical Advisor for MN/USA Wrestling and the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) for wrestling. Charlie Coffee served as a long-time coach at Lincoln and Jefferson High Schools in Bloomington, Minn. coaching from 1964 to 1998. He officiated at all levels for 47 years. Charlie's teams won two Region titles, over 300 duals, and included 55 state entrants and a state champion in Gary Pederson. A former All-American wrestler and team captain for the University of Minnesota, Coffee was an outstanding international Greco-Roman wrestler winning national championships. John De Lozier was a Minnesota state runner-up and NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) runner-up for Winona State in 1958. He coached for 39 years at Bertha-Hewitt, and ROCORI High Schools. De Lozier is a member of several halls of fame including MWCA, ROCORI Coaches, Winona State Athletic Hall, Winona High, and MN State High School Coaches Association. He was ROCORI Teacher of The Year in 1991. Rick Kelvington is a former Pennsylvania high school state champion who headed west to Minnesota, where he was a 1965 NCAA Division I place winner for Moorhead State. He coached at Olivia and BOLD High School for 33 Years. Rick's teams compiled a lofty 379-120-7 dual meet mark. Kelvington is a member of several halls of fame including the MWCA, Moorhead State, Pennsylvania Wrestling Coaches Association (2015), and Trinity High School (Penn.) (2015). Rick was also a two-year president of the MWCA. Tim Shiels wrestled at Faribault High School, then served as team captain at both Waldorf College in Forest City, Iowa, and the University of Minnesota-Morris, earning eight letters. He earned NCAA Division III All-American honors at UM-Morris. He has had an outstanding 35-year career as a top official, and former coach at St. Olaf College. Tim has officiated 13 NCAA Division I tournaments and was recently named as the Chairman of the NCAA Wrestling Officials Committee. Bob Thorson served 41 years as coach for Fertile-Beltrami High School, taking his teams to the MSHSL Dual Meet Tournament four times. He coached 32 state entrants, seven state place winners, and 29 various tournament titles. Thorson's teams at State were consolation champions in 1982, fourth in 1983, and sixth in 1985. He is a member of the MWCA Hall of Fame. Earl Stottler was presented with the Medal of Courage Award for the Minnesota Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame on Oct. 10 in Benson, Minn. He launched his wrestling career at Benson High School, then went on to win a Minnesota state title for Princeton High School in 1958. He became Moorhead State's first national champion (NAIA) in 1961. Stottler served as a teacher, counselor and coach in South Dakota and Minnesota for over a quarter-century. He suffered a major stroke in 2011, yet remains passionate about the sport of wrestling. The Minnesota Chapter banquet will be held at the Austin Holiday Inn on April 23, 2016. The social hour will be from 2:00-3:00 p.m., dinner and silent auction from 3:00-5:00 p.m., concluding with a video and presentation. Tickets are $50 each for adults, and $15 each for children. Orders can be placed at http://mn-nwhof.ticketleap.com. Individuals with questions should contact Spencer Yohe, Chapter President, at (320) 766-1934 or via email at syohe@acegroup.cc.

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Pac-12 Wrestling All-Century team, announced on Monday's episode of 'Pac-12 Sports Report', contains 28 of the Conference's most talented wrestlers. This talented group was voted on by a panel of 20 experts, including coaches, wrestlers, administrators and members of the media. In each of the 10 weight classes, the two wrestlers who received the most votes made the All-Century Team. Eight additional "wildcard" wrestlers were selected by a second vote of the remaining nominees. The first Wrestler of the Century vote resulted in a tie, forcing a second vote. Once again, the vote ended in a tie, making Les Gutches and Stephen Neal co-Wrestlers of the Century. With nine wrestlers each, Arizona State and Oregon State lead the team in representation. Among the 28 wrestlers, 28 individual titles, 25 Pac-12 Wrestler of the Year awards and 70 Conference titles were won. Eric Larkin, Markus Mollica and Stephen Neal tied for most Conference titles with four each. Five All-Century team members competed in the Olympics--Robin Reed won a gold medal in 1924 and Zeke Jones won a silver medal in 1992. Les Gutches, one of the Wrestlers of the Century, compiled a career record of 134-10. During his time at Oregon State, he won two NCAA titles at 177 and was named an Academic All-American three times. In addition to earning the title Outstanding Wrestler at the NCAA Championships his senior year, he went on to compete at the international level. He won a gold medal at the 1998 Goodwill Games and went on to coach at Oregon State. Sharing the title with Gutches is Stephen Neal, who competed for CSU Bakersfield from 1996 to 1999. Neal received numerous accolades during his career including two NCAA Championships, four Pac-12 championships and four All-American honors. In 1999, he won the Hodge Trophy after remaining undefeated over his final two seasons in Bakersfield. After winning the NCAA Championship as a senior, Neal went on to capture the freestyle title at the 1999 Pan-Am games before winning the 1999 World freestyle World Championships, making him the only wrestler in history to win all three of those titles in the same year. Despite having a bright future in wrestling, Neal decided to pursue a career in football. He spent 10 years with the New England Patriots as a right guard and was a part of three Super Bowl wins. Dale Thomas, the Coach of the Century, retired in 1990 as the NCAA's all-time winningest coach. During his 34 years at the helm at Oregon State, he posted a record of 616-169-12 and coached 60 All-Americans. Under his guidance, the Beavers dominated the Pac-12 and won 15 straight Conference titles from 1959 to 1973. Thomas was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1980. See below for the entire team: Pac-12 All-Century Wrestling roster: Anthony Robles, Arizona State (2008-2011)--125 lbs Zeke Jones, Arizona State (1987-1990)--125 lbs John Miller, Oregon (1967-1970)--125 lbs Tanner Gardner, Stanford (2005-2008)--125 lbs Shawn Charles, Arizona State (1990-1993)--133 lbs Babak Mohammadi, Oregon State (1991-1995)--133 lbs Robin Reed, Oregon State (1923-1924)--141 lbs Derek Moore, UC-Davis (2002-2007)--141 lbs Roger Weigel, Oregon State (1969-1971)--141 lbs Eric Larkin, Arizona State (1999-2003)--149 lbs Larry Owings, Washington (1970-1972)--149 lbs Dan Hicks, Oregon State (1976-1979)--149 lbs Matt Gentry, Stanford (2002-2005)--157 lbs Ben Cherrington, Boise State (2002-2006)--157 lbs Markus Mollica, Arizona State (1993-1996)--165 lbs Steve Blackford, Arizona State (1997-2001)--165 lbs Kirk White, Boise State (1997-2001)--165 lbs Dan St. John, Arizona State (1986-1990)--174 lbs Ray Miller, Arizona State (1990-1993)--174 lbs Les Gutches, Oregon State (1993-1996)--184 lbs Shane Webster, Oregon (2001-2006)--184 lbs Greg Strobel, Oregon State (1971-1974)--197 lbs Howard Harris, Oregon State (1977-1980)--197 lbs Mike Davies, Arizona State (1984-1988)--197 lbs Stephen Neal, CSU Bakersfield (1996-1999)--Heavyweight Jess Lewis, Oregon State (1968-1970)--Heavyweight Larry Bielenberg, Oregon State (1974-1977)--Heavyweight Fred Bohna, UCLA (1976-1979)--Heavyweight Coach of the Century: Dale Thomas, Oregon State (1956-1990) Wrestlers of the Century: Les Gutches, Oregon State (1993-1996) Stephen Neal, CSU Bakersfield (1996-1999) About Pac-12 Networks Pac-12 Networks is the innovative TV and multimedia company of the Pac-12 Conference, and is the first such company to be wholly owned by 12 universities. Pac-12 Networks incorporates one national and six regional television networks, plus extensive digital content accessible through social media, university websites, and Pac-12 Now, its TV Everywhere service. Each year, Pac-12 Networks offers live coverage of 850 sporting events, making it one of the top live sports producers in the country. In addition, Pac-12 Networks creates extensive original programming, provides visibility for marquee football and basketball events as well as traditionally under-served women's and Olympic sports. Pac-12 Networks also provides training and paid internships for thousands of students of the Pac-12's member universities, preparing them for careers in media. With headquarters in San Francisco's SOMA District, Pac-12 Networks draws on the creative, entrepreneurial, and technological culture of the Bay Area and nearby Silicon Valley. For more information, go to http://pac-12.com/networks.

A memorial service for Kevin Randleman, two-time NCAA wrestling champ for Ohio State and Ultimate Fighting Championships heavyweight titleholder who died Feb. 11 at age 44, will be held in his hometown of Sandusky, Ohio on Wednesday, March 9, according to his Facebook page . The service will be held at Sandusky High School, 2130 Hayes Avenue where Randleman was a star football player and Ohio high school state mat champ. The event is open to the public. Doors open at 5 p.m. Eastern time. Parking is available behind the school. Members of the Sandusky wrestling team will escort guests to the auditorium where the memorial service will be held. The family asks that all guests be seated by 5:45, when the Randleman family is to enter the auditorium. The memorial service will begin promptly at 6 p.m. The capacity of the auditorium is 425. To ensure seating, guests are encouraged to arrive early. For guests needing handicap access, please contact Karensocal@gmail.com in advance. Guests will be offered the opportunity to share their "Monster Memories" of Kevin Randleman before or after the memorial service. There will be a private room allowing guests to videotape a short story about Randleman. Guests may also bring a photo to incorporate into the video. The video is intended as a keepsake for the Randleman family. In lieu of flowers, friends are invited to consider a donation to a fund for the Kevin Randleman family. For those not able to make it to Ohio, a separate memorial service is planned for March 4 in Las Vegas. Details are to be announced.

HAMPDEN-SYDNEY, Va. -- Hampden-Sydney College Director of Athletics Richard Epperson has announced the hiring of Chris Conkwright as head wrestling coach beginning March 1, 2016. Conkwright will take the reins from Mac Main, who will return to his full time position as the Tigers' Head Golf Coach. Chris Conkwright"We are excited to have Chris Conkwright join our staff as Head Wrestling Coach," said Epperson. "Chris brings a wealth of coaching experience and recruiting connections to our newest intercollegiate sport, and I am confident he will build a highly competitive wrestling program here at Hampden-Sydney College." While growing up in Virginia Beach, Conkwright won state and national high school and AAU wrestling titles. After winning the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament at the University of North Carolina, he moved on to Virginia Tech where he served as team captain and assistant coach. He graduated from Virginia Tech with a Bachelor of Science degree in Horticulture and studies in Biology. His wrestling coaching duties after college took him to Frank W. Cox High School in Virginia Beach and Appomattox High School, where his teams produced numerous all-state performers and he received multiple Coach of The Year awards. "I want the young men coming to Hampden-Sydney to have the chance to wrestle at a high level, while also getting a great education in a unique setting," Conkwright stated. "It's important that wrestling is just one of the tools used here at Hampden-Sydney for transforming young men into gentlemen. This program is basically starting anew with my immediate goal to fill the room and roster with quality wrestlers - a process that may take a few recruiting cycles. I look forward to having the opportunity of becoming a positive part of these young men's lives and becoming part of the Hampden-Sydney community." Conkwright lives in Prince Edward County with his wife, Jennifer, and sons Tanner and Collin.

Which college wrestling team can claim the honor of being the best in the 85-year history of the NCAA Wrestling Championships? Where does the 1983 Iowa team rank?>The NCAA wants to know ... and is asking fans to weigh in on their choice for "best ever" from a list of fifteen teams compiled by the organization and posted at its website . Each day this week the NCAA will post three of the fifteen nominees on its Twitter account, ending on Friday, Feb. 26. Fans can make their pick retweeting the posts from @NCAAWrestling. The team with the highest number of retweets by Monday, Feb. 29 at noon Eastern will earn the title of best team in history. https://twitter.com/ncaawrestling Here are the teams in the running, as selected by the NCAA: 1941 Oklahoma State Cowboys: Headed up by newly hired Art Griffith, the Cowboys had four individual champs, five finalists, and seven All-Americans 1947 Cornell College Rams: The smallest college to ever win an NCAA team title, the Cornell of Iowa "Dream Team of '47" could claim two individual champs, three finalists, and six All-Americans under coach Paul Scott 1950 Northern Iowa Panthers: The Cedar Falls school had three NCAA titlewinners, five finalists, and seven All-Americans under the tutelage of Dave McCuskey 1957 Oklahoma Sooners: Coached by Port Robertson, two Sooners won individual titles (one being Dan Hodge), with seven All-Americans 1965 Iowa State Cyclones: Harold Nichols guided the Cyclones to two individual NCAA titles and nine All-American honors. 1966 Oklahoma State Cowboys: With Myron Roderick at the reins, the Cowboys claimed three individual titles and eight All-Americans. 1967 Michigan State Spartans: Coach Grady Peninger's team could claim 2 NCAA champions out of four finalists, and seven All-Americans 1969 Iowa State Cyclones: Of the program's four finalists, three left with NCAA titles (one being Dan Gable) and nine All-Americans 1983 Iowa Hawkeyes: Dan Gable guided his squad to four NCAA individual championships (out of five finalists), with nine All-Americans 1986 Iowa Hawkeyes: An NCAA record-tying five individual champs (out of six finalists, with eight All-Americans 1987 Iowa State Cyclones: Coach Jim Gibbons' squad had six All-Americans, five finalists, and four individual titlewinners 1997 Iowa Hawkeyes: A NCAA record-tying five champs (out of six finalists) and eight All-Americans 2001 Minnesota Gophers: With J Robinson as head coach, the Gophers earned the distinction of being the only team in NCAA Division I to go ten-for-ten in All-Americans ... without any finalists. 2005 Oklahoma State Cowboys: John Smith's Cowboys had a NCAA record-tying five Division I champions and seven All-Americans 2012 Penn State Nittany Lions: Coached by Cael Sanderson, the Lions had six All-Americans, five in the finals, and three who won individual titles The NCAA has asked for fan input to select "all-time greats" at least a couple other times. For the 75th Anniversary of the NCAA Wrestling Championships in 2005, the organization asked fans to name the fifteen all-time greatest college wrestlers in three broad weight classes. Just one year ago, the NCAA wanted fans to pick "the most epic" finals match from a list of eight title matches.