InterMat Staff

NEW YORK -- David Taylor of State College, Pa., will take on Yabrail Hasanov of Azerbaijan at 74 kilos/163 pounds in the first matchup announced as part of the Team USA vs. World All-Stars international wrestling competition in Times Square on May 7. The remaining pairings will be revealed in the coming days for the event, held in support of the Beat the Streets youth wrestling program. Taylor has been second at the U.S. Open the last two years at this weight class, and was third in the 2013 World Team Trials. He won a bronze medal at the 2013 World University Games, and was eighth in the 2007 Junior World Championships while still in high school. Taylor was a two-time NCAA champion, two-time NCAA runner-up and two-time winner of the Dan Hodge Trophy winner as the nation’s top college wrestler during his amazing career at Penn State. Hasanov is a two-time World bronze medalist (2010 and 2011) and placed fifth in the 2012 Olympic Games. He was a 2011 European champion and won a silver medal at the 2013 World University Games. Hasanov won two Junior World medals, a silver in 2008 and a bronze in 2007. For much of his career, Hasanov competed at 66 kilos/145.5 pounds, but moved up in weight within the last two seasons. Both athletes won medals at the 2013 World University Games in Russia, with Hasanov taking silver and Taylor taking bronze, but they did not wrestle each other in that tournament. This will be their first meeting on the mat. Other Team USA wrestlers awaiting their opponents are Nahshon Garrett (57 kilos/125.5 pounds), Jimmy Kennedy (61 kilos/134 pounds), Jordan Oliver (65 kilos/143 pounds), Brent Metcalf (65 kilos/143 pounds), Logan Stieber (65 kilos/143 pounds), Jordan Burroughs (74 kilos/163 pounds), Ed Ruth (86 kilos/189 pounds) and Kyle Snyder (97 kilos/213 pounds) on the men's side; and Helen Maroulis (55 kilos/121 pounds) and Randi Miller (69 kilos/152 pounds) in the women's lineup. The purpose of this event is to elevate the profile of wrestling and to raise funds to support the operation of over 140 youth development wrestling programs in New York City, serving nearly 3,000 student-athletes. The World All-Stars roster will feature Olympic, World and Continental medalists from around the world. Additionally, exhibitions involving the young Beat the Streets athletes prior to the international competition will be announced as they are set. The Beat the Streets children will take to the mat at 4 p.m., followed by Team USA vs. the World at 5:30 (match order TBD). The evening concludes with the Beat the Streets Award Gala at 7:30 p.m. at Best Buy Theater (1515 Broadway). The USA vs. the World dual requires a ticket for reserved seating in Times Square, but is an outdoor event. Pedestrians and non-ticket holders are encouraged to watch. Admission tickets may be bought in advance at www.btsny.org or 212.245.6570. A ticket is required for the Gala. More details are available at btsny.org/gala. Fans can join the conversation about the event on Twitter by utilizing #BTSGalaTSQ. Biographies 74 kilos/163 pounds – David Taylor, State College, Pa. (Nittany Lion WC) Second in 2013 and 2014 U.S. Open… Third in 2013 World University Games… Third in 2013 U.S. World Team Trials… 2010 and 2013 University Nationals champion…Wildcard selection for 2012 Olympic Trials… Second in 2008 and 2010 FILA Junior World Team Trials… Third in 2010 FILA Junior Nationals… Eighth in 2007 FILA Junior World Championships… 2007 Junior Nationals champion in both styles… 2006 Cadet Nationals champion in both styles… 2005 Cadet Nationals champion in freestyle and second in Greco-Roman… 2005 FILA Cadet Nationals champion in both styles… 2012 and 2014 NCAA Champion for Penn State… 2012 and 2014 Dan Hodge Trophy winner as nation’s top college wrestler… Second in 2011 and 2013 NCAA Championships… Four-time Ohio state high school champion… College: Penn State… High School: St. Paris, Ohio (St. Paris Graham)… Born: December 5, 1990… Age: 23 74 kilos/163 pounds – Yabrail Hasanov, Azerbaijan Third in 2010 and 2011 World Championships… Fifth in 2012 Olympics… Seventh in 2009 World Championships… Eighth in 2013 World Championships… Second in 2013 World University Games… Second in 2014 European Championships… Second in 2013 World Cup… 2011 European champion… Third in 2014 Dan Kolov International (Bulgaria)… Third in 2013 FILA Golden Grand Prix Finals (Azerbaijan)…Second in 2013 Intercontinental Cup (Russia)… Third in 2012 Yasar Dogu International (Turkey)… Third in 2011 Olympic Test Event (England)… 2011 FILA Golden Grand Prix Finals champion (Azerbaijan)… Second in 2009 European Championships… Second in 2008 Junior World Championships… Third in 2007 Junior World Championships… Third in 2006 European Junior Championships… Third in 2005 European Cadet Championships… Born: February 24, 1990… Age: 24 Announced Pairings for Beat the Streets Team USA vs. World All-Stars 74 kilos/163 pounds – David Taylor (USA) vs. Yabrail Hasanov (Azerbaijan)

Talent matters in terms of college wrestling success. In looking at the starting lineups for the four top teams in NCAA Division I wrestling this past season -- Penn State, Minnesota, Oklahoma State, and Iowa -- 33 of 40 starters were top 100 recruits at the end of their senior year of high school. Seven of the 10 starters for Penn State (which qualified their whole lineup) were top 10 recruits at the end of their senior year. The Nittany Lions have had recruiting classes ranked sixth, second, fifth, 15th, and seventh for the 2009-2013 seasons. Eight of the nine NCAA qualifiers (and 10 starters) for Minnesota were recruited as part of the 2009 and 2010 recruiting classes, which were ranked second and fourth respectively. In addition, nine of 10 starters this past season for the Golden Gophers were top 100 recruits; five of them in fact appeared in the top 50. 2014 Recruiting Class Rankings 1. Penn State 2. Oklahoma State 3. Cornell 4. Ohio State 5. Northwestern 6. Nebraska 7. Iowa 8. Illinois 9. Stanford 10. Michigan 11. Oklahoma 12. Minnesota 13. Iowa State 14. Virginia 15. North Carolina 16. Virginia Tech 17. Indiana 18. Bucknell 19. Lehigh 20. Maryland 21. Old Dominion 22. Utah Valley 23. Wisconsin 24. Central Michigan 25. North Carolina StateEight of the 10 starters for Oklahoma State (which qualified their whole lineup) come from the 2009, 2011, and 2012 classes that ranked first, seventh, and fifth respectively; with single starters coming from a 2010 class ranked 21st and the 2013 class ranked 15th. Furthermore, eight of those wrestlers were ranked among the top 50 of their graduating class as high school seniors, with one other starter ranked No. 100 overall. Nine of 10 starters for Iowa (which qualified their whole lineup) come from the 2009, 2010, and 2012 classes that ranked fifth, first, and first overall. In addition, eight of the 10 starters were ranked within the top 20 of their graduating class as high school seniors. Below is this year's breakdown of how Division I programs performed in procuring future talent in their recruiting Classes of 2014. 1. Penn State Top 100 recruits: No. 4 Nick Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), No. 5 Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas), No. 7 Jason Nolf (Kittanning, Pa.), and No. 56 Shakur Rasheed (Longwood, N.Y.) Other ranked recruits: Anthony Cassar (Montgomery, N.J.) and Gary Dinmore (Hunterdon Central, N.J.) Commentary: Cael Sanderson has built an empire in Happy Valley, as the Nittany Lions have won four consecutive NCAA championships. Talent procurement has played a major role in this development, and this group of recruits will continue that stream of talent rolling into the Penn State wrestling program. Nevills, Nickal, and Nolf qualify as obvious superstars, while Rasheed is another potential star. Three-time state runner-up Dinmore and undefeated state champion Cassar will help bolster the quality of depth on the Nittany Lions' roster. Read analysis for all 25 teams Not an InterMat Platinum subscriber? Subscribe now!

Talent matters in terms of college wrestling success. In looking at the starting lineups for the four top teams in NCAA Division I wrestling this past season -- Penn State, Minnesota, Oklahoma State, and Iowa -- 33 of 40 starters were top 100 recruits at the end of their senior year of high school. Seven of the 10 starters for Penn State (which qualified their whole lineup) were top 10 recruits at the end of their senior year. The Nittany Lions have had recruiting classes ranked sixth, second, fifth, 15th, and seventh for the 2009-2013 seasons. Eight of the nine NCAA qualifiers (and 10 starters) for Minnesota were recruited as part of the 2009 and 2010 recruiting classes, which were ranked second and fourth respectively. In addition, nine of 10 starters this past season for the Golden Gophers were top 100 recruits; five of them in fact appeared in the top 50. 2014 Recruiting Class Rankings 1. Penn State 2. Oklahoma State 3. Cornell 4. Ohio State 5. Northwestern 6. Nebraska 7. Iowa 8. Illinois 9. Stanford 10. Michigan 11. Oklahoma 12. Minnesota 13. Iowa State 14. Virginia 15. North Carolina 16. Virginia Tech 17. Indiana 18. Bucknell 19. Lehigh 20. Maryland 21. Old Dominion 22. Utah Valley 23. Wisconsin 24. Central Michigan 25. North Carolina StateEight of the 10 starters for Oklahoma State (which qualified their whole lineup) come from the 2009, 2011, and 2012 classes that ranked first, seventh, and fifth respectively; with single starters coming from a 2010 class ranked 21st and the 2013 class ranked 15th. Furthermore, eight of those wrestlers were ranked among the top 50 of their graduating class as high school seniors, with one other starter ranked No. 100 overall. Nine of 10 starters for Iowa (which qualified their whole lineup) come from the 2009, 2010, and 2012 classes that ranked fifth, first, and first overall. In addition, eight of the 10 starters were ranked within the top 20 of their graduating class as high school seniors. Below is this year's breakdown of how Division I programs performed in procuring future talent in their recruiting Classes of 2014. 1. Penn State Top 100 recruits: No. 4 Nick Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), No. 5 Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas), No. 7 Jason Nolf (Kittanning, Pa.), and No. 56 Shakur Rasheed (Longwood, N.Y.) Other ranked recruits: Anthony Cassar (Montgomery, N.J.) and Gary Dinmore (Hunterdon Central, N.J.) Commentary: Cael Sanderson has built an empire in Happy Valley, as the Nittany Lions have won four consecutive NCAA championships. Talent procurement has played a major role in this development, and this group of recruits will continue that stream of talent rolling into the Penn State wrestling program. Nevills, Nickal, and Nolf qualify as obvious superstars, while Rasheed is another potential star. Three-time state runner-up Dinmore and undefeated state champion Cassar will help bolster the quality of depth on the Nittany Lions' roster. Read analysis for all 25 teams Not an InterMat Platinum subscriber? Subscribe now! 2. Oklahoma State Top 100 recruits: No. 2 Chance Marsteller (Kennard Dale, Pa.), No. 18 Ryan Blees (Bismarck, N.D.), No. 20 Chandler Rogers (Stillwater, Okla.), No. 60 Gary Wayne Harding (Collinsville, Okla.), and No. 63 Mike Magaldo (Watchung Hills, N.J.) Other ranked recruits: Tanner Allen (Blackwell, Okla.), Dusty Hone (Cedar City, Utah), and Preston Weigel (Hays, Kan.) Additional notable recruit: State champion Jacobe Smith (Muskogee, Okla.) Commentary: Lots of talent and lots of winning to be found in John Smith's recruiting class. The eight weight class ranked recruits is the most of any program this year. There are five four-time state champions in this group, which in all has accumulated 25 total state titles and 29 state finals appearances. 3. Cornell Top 100 recruits: No. 22 Dillon Artigliere (Roxbury, N.J.), No. 31 Joseph Galasso (Father Judge, Pa.), No. 32 Jon-Jay Chavez (Centennial, Idaho), No. 36 Dalton Macri (Canon-McMillan, Pa.), No. 78 Andrew Garcia (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.), and No. 81 Jeramy Sweany (Vacaville, Calif.) Other ranked recruit: Brandon Womack (Scottsboro, Ala.) Additional notable recruits: National Prep champion Jake Anderson (Malvern Prep, Pa.) and three-time state champion William Koll (Lansing, N.Y.) Commentary: Though there is not necessarily an obvious superstar in this class, the six top 100 recruits for the Big Red are the most for any program this year. It is a very talented group that pretty much covers the whole weight class spectrum and should bolster an already strong roster. 4. Ohio State Top 100 recruits: No. 1 Kyle Snyder (Good Counsel, Md./USOTC), No. 6 Micah Jordan (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), and No. 9 Thomas Haines (Solanco, Pa.) Additional notable recruits: Super 32 Challenge placers Ryan Harris (Beachwood, Ohio) and Seth Williams (Tiffin Columbian, Ohio) Commentary: Three obvious superstars have been added to the Buckeyes' stable. In fact, Kyle Snyder is likely an immediate All-American candidate, possibly an important component in a national championship trophy brought back to Columbus. Snyder was undefeated during his three-year high school career, was a FILA Junior World champion this past summer, and spent the 2013-14 season competing and training against men at the U.S. Olympic Training Center. An additional item to watch in this class is how those outside the "big three" develop and progress, as they have potential to provide viable roster depth, which has been an issue in recent years for Ohio State. 5. Northwestern Top 100 recruits: No. 3 Bryce Brill (Mt. Carmel, Ill.), No. 12 Johnny Sebastian (Bergen Catholic, N.J.), and No. 19 Stevan Micic (Hanover Central, Ind.) Other ranked recruit: Regis Durbin (Lake Forest, Ill.) Commentary: It seems that strong recruiting classes for the Wildcats are an every other year thing (2012 included Jason Tsirtsis, 2010 included Mike McMullan, 2008 included Jason Welch). This year being an even year means that Northwestern has done very well in recruiting. Their class includes three top 20 recruits, each of whom ended the season ranked No. 1 in their high school weight class. The fourth ranked recruit, undefeated state champion Durbin, comes in as a potential late bloomer. 6. Nebraska Top 100 recruits: No. 29 Tyler Berger (Crook County, Ore.), No. 30 Hayden Tuma (Centennial, Idaho), No. 59 Colton Adams (Scottsbluff, Neb.), No. 70 Derek White (Edmond North, Okla.), and No. 80 Nick Bennett (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.) Additional notable recruit: Three-time state champion Dustin Williams (Gardner-Edgerton, Kan.) Commentary: After placing fourth at the NCAA tournament in 2009, it has been five straight finishes outside the top 10 at the NCAAs, including 11th place in the standings this year. However, it has not been for a lack of success in recruiting. This will be the fourth time in five years that Nebraska has had the No. 6 recruiting class, and (at least) the sixth consecutive year that the Cornhuskers have had a top six recruiting class (third in 2011, fourth in 2009). The group of wrestlers this year mostly addresses the lower-middle weight area, with White as an upper-weight talent. 7. Iowa Top 100 recruits: No. 10 Sam Stoll (Kasson-Mantorville, Minn.), No. 58 Seth Gross (Apple Valley, Minn.), and No. 62 Logan Ryan (Bettendorf, Iowa) Other ranked recruits: Mitch Bowman (North Scott, Iowa), Tagen Lambotte (Rossville, Kan.), and Burke Paddock (Warsaw, N.Y.) Commentary: For the second straight year, the Hawkeyes' recruiting class falls outside of the top five and may be lacking that obvious superstar, with Stoll being the closest to fitting the bill. However, there is talent as well as depth present with three top 100 recruits and another three that are weight class ranked. Stoll is an excellent heavyweight, while the other five listed recruits address needs and depth in the middle chunk of the lineup. 8. Illinois Top 100 recruits: No. 13 Michael Pixley (Blue Springs, Mo.), No. 39 Jered Cortez (Glenbard North, Ill.), and No. 43 Brock Ervin (Union County, Ky.) Other ranked recruit: Andre Lee (Oak Park River Forest, Ill.) Commentary: This is the third straight year that the Fighting Illini has brought in three top 100 recruits to the Champaign-Urbana campus. The four ranked wrestlers split into two segments, two projected lower-weights (Cortez and Ervin) and two as upper-weights (Pixley and Lee). Head coach Jim Heffernan and associate head coach Mark Perry continue to do a solid job in recruiting. 9. Stanford Top 100 recruits: No. 8 Joey McKenna (Blair Academy, N.J.), No. 69 Isaiah Locsin (Gilroy, Calif.), No. 87 Mason Pengilly (Porterville, Calif.), and No. 92 Paul Fox (Gilroy, Calif.) Other ranked recruit: Brian Rossi (Lockport, Ill.) Additional notable recruit: FloNationals placer Boomer Fleming (Ridgeview, Ore.) Commentary: Though the Cardinal finished without an All-American for a second straight year, head coach Jason Borrelli continues to bring in high-level talent to The Farm. This is his fifth recruiting haul in six years that is among the top 20 nationally, and the ninth position in the rankings is the high water mark to date. However, the Cardinal have yet to register a top-10 finish at the NCAA tournament (11th in 2011 and 16th in 2012 the recent high points). This group that addresses the lower half of the lineup has the potential to help change that script going forward. 10. Michigan Top 100 recruits: No. 15 Zac Hall (St. Johns, Mich.), No. 41 Davonte Mahomes (Oak Park River Forest, Ill.), No. 97 Zehlin Storr (Leslie, Mich.), and No. 100 Garrett Sutton (Richmond Burton, Ill.) Other ranked recruit: Malik Amine (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.) Additional notable recruit: 2013 FloNationals placer Alec Pantaleo (Canton, Mich.) Commentary: The last few years have somewhat reflected an "identity crisis" for the Wolverines, as they have been unsure if it's been all-in for the present or build for the future. However, going forward, it looks like the confusion is done. This marks a third straight solid recruiting class for the Maize and Blue, and the roster is now well-positioned for a return to a top-10 position at the national tournament; something they did in eight consecutive years from 2001-2008. 11. Oklahoma Top 100 recruits: No. 38 Ryan Millhof (Collins Hill, Ga.) and No. 76 Joel Dixon (Edmond North, Okla.) Other ranked recruits: Andrew Dixon (Edmond North, Okla.), Lance Dixon (Edmond North, Okla.), Gage Stallworth (Cushing, Okla.), and Cale Wilson (Sallisaw, Okla.) Additional notable recruits: NHSCA Senior Nationals runner-up Nathan Marek (Southmoore, Okla.) and Junior National double All-American Jacob Rubio (Canyon Randall, Texas) Commentary: This excellent recruiting class for Mark Cody reflects an ability to capitalize on what was an excellent year for in-state talent in the Sooner State. Five of the six weight class ranked wrestlers in this class are in-state wrestlers, and six of the eight identified in the profile are native Oklahomans. Of this group, Millhof and Rubio are lower-weights, while the other six address needs within the upper half of the lineup. 12. Minnesota Top 100 recruits: No. 21 Tommy Thorn (Kasson-Mantorville, Minn.), No. 57 Nathan Rose, and No. 73 Ethan Lizak (Parkland, Pa.) Other ranked recruit: Jack Bass (Robinson, Va.) Additional notable recruit: 2013 state champion Will Balow (Lake City, Minn.) Commentary: Interestingly, this is a fourth straight recruiting class for the Golden Gophers that ranks outside the top 10. However, at present, they have a solid projected starting lineup with pretty good complimentary pieces. J Robinson and staff have done an excellent job in building and developing performance out of the recruits they bring in, but the nature of the starting lineup and overall depth in years beyond 2014-15 is still something that merits attention. 13. Iowa State Top 100 recruits: No. 42 Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer (Cheektowaga, N.Y.), No. 50 Nathan Boston (Woodford County, Ky.), and No. 93 Marcus Harrington (Waterloo West, Iowa) Other ranked recruit: Logan Breitenbach (Archbishop Spalding, Md.) Additional notable recruit: Preseason Nationals champion Dante' Rodriguez (Kearney, Neb.) Commentary: Like Northwestern before, the Cyclones in the post-Cael Sanderson era have been very odd/even in terms of recruiting success. Even years, of which this is one, have yielded a class residing around the top 10; while the odd years have been relatively barren. Even though the last two seasons have yielded outside the top-10 finishes at NCAAs, earning three All-Americans in each season has helped to stabilize things for Kevin Jackson as head coach. Bringing in another three top 100 recruits will help further build the positive momentum in Ames for the Cyclones. 14. Virginia Top 100 recruits: No. 16 Garrett Peppelman (Central Dauphin, Pa.) and No. 61 Will Schany (Blair, Neb.) Other ranked recruits: Chance McClure (Commerce, Ga.) and Austin Underwood (Tampa Jesuit, Fla.) Commentary: The 2013 recruiting class, which was ranked 16th overall, addressed needs for the Cavaliers in the front two-thirds of the lineup; while this one provides contributors for the back half of the lineup. The two top 100 recruits project to start at 165 and 184 in the near-term, after a likely redshirt year for each; while the other two ranked recruits have potential to be contributors at the always tough to find 197 and 285-pound weight classes. 15. North Carolina Top 100 recruits: No. 26 Jack Clark (St. Augustine Prep, N.J.) and No. 65 Chip Ness (Buford, Ga.) Other ranked recruits: Cory Daniel (River Hill, Md.) and Matthew Moore (Apalachee, Ga.) Commentary: This marks three top 15 ranked classes in four years for the Tar Heels, and hopefully for head coach C.D. Mock it provides them the tools necessary to contend in a conference whose rigor is increasing on a year-to-year basis. 16. Virginia Tech Top 100 recruits: No. 11 Solomon Chishko (Canon-McMillan, Pa.) and No. 48 Zack Zavatsky (Greater Latrobe, Pa.) Additional notable recruit: 2013 state champion Taylor Misuna (Grassfield, Va.) Commentary: In nine seasons as head coach at Virginia Tech, head coach Kevin Dresser has turned a program that was rumored to be on the chopping block before his hire to one that is now working with consecutive ACC titles and consecutive top-10 finishes at the NCAA tournament. A key ingredient in that success has been the ability to procure high-level talent. This year's haul includes a dent into talent-rich Western Pennsylvania, where the Hokies picked up a pair of top 100 recruits. Chishko won two state titles, placing third the other two years at state, and was a four-time Super 32 Challenge placer; while Zavatsky won the Super 32 Challenge this past year, was an undefeated state champion this past year, and a three-time state placer. 17. Indiana Top 100 recruits: No. 17 Jacob Danishek (Dayton Christian, Ohio) and No. 88 Cole Weaver (Hudson, Mich.) Other ranked recruits: Bryce Martin (Bakersfield, Calif.) and Fletcher Miller (Kokomo, Ind.) Additional notable recruit: Junior National freestyle All-American Logan Marcicki (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.) Commentary: Here we are again with a sixth consecutive top 25 recruiting class for head coach Duane Goldman and the Hoosiers, yet the tangible measures of improved performance within the Big Ten and NCAA tournament prism are missing. The question continues to be, why the chasm? Danishek and Weaver are top 100 recruits and project as middle-weights, while the other three noted wrestlers fit in the back third of the lineup. 18. Bucknell Top 100 recruits: No. 28 Zach Kelly (Kiski Prep, Pa.), No. 79 Tyler Smith (Franklin Regional, Pa.), and No. 84 Zach Valley (Northampton, Pa.) Other ranked recruit: Tom Sleigh (DuBois, Pa.) Additional notable recruit: Junior National Greco-Roman runner-up Andrew Millsap (Junction City, Kan.) Commentary: This marks the first appearance in the top 25 of the recruiting rankings for the Bison since InterMat started with the grade level rankings in 2009. It's also a class with a local flair, as they tapped talent-rich Pennsylvania for all four of the ranked wrestlers in the class. Smith, Valley, and Sleigh have proven success in the nation's toughest state tournament, Pennsylvania Class AAA, along with some national event success. The anchor of the class -- Junior National freestyle All-American and Super 32 Challenge runner-up Kelly -- will actually be enrolling on campus in 2015, as he completes a post-graduate year before appearing in Lewisburg. 19. Lehigh Top 100 recruits: No. 14 Dylan Milonas (Blair Academy, N.J.) and No. 66 Scott Parker (Pennridge, Pa.) Additional notable recruits: State champion Ian Brown (Hanover, Pa.), 2012 National Prep champion Patrick Coover (Blair Academy, N.J.), and two-time FloNationals placer Ryan Preisch (Milton, Pa.) Commentary: Like EIWA and Patriot League compatriots Bucknell, Lehigh has capitalized on its talent-rich locale to produce a solid recruiting class. Three of the five listed are native Pennsylvanians, while the other two come from nearby Blair Academy in New Jersey. Parker and Brown are lighter-weight wrestlers; while Milonas, Preisch, and Coover address the middle-weight area of the Mountain Hawks lineup. 20. Maryland Top 100 recruits: No. 33 Alfred Bannister (Bishop McNamara, Md.) and No. 40 Josh Llopez (St. Mary's Ryken, Md.) Additional notable recruit: Four-time National Prep placer Toby Hague (McDonogh, Md.) Commentary: Moving into the Big Ten for the 2014-15 season marks a step up in class for head coach Kerry McCoy and his Terrapins squad. Adding two top 40 recruits in this class, and seeing them develop into effective collegiate wrestlers will be key for the program's competitive ability going forward. Bannister was a three-time National Prep finalist, winning titles the last two years, while Llopez was twice a runner-up at National Preps after winning Maryland state titles as a freshman and sophomore; with both wrestlers also having success in major national competitions. 21. Old Dominion Top 100 recruits: No. 25 T.C. Warner (Cumberland Valley, Pa.) and No 72 Emilio Saavedra (Modesto, Calif.) Other ranked wrestler: Joey Balboni (David Brearley, N.J.) Additional notable recruit: Three-time Super 32 Challenge placer Trent Allen (Old Dominion) Commentary: Redshirt freshman Jack Dechow earned All-American honors for the Monarchs this year, which cut their run without an All-American at two, after they had produced one in four straight years (2008-2011). When combined with bringing back five of six qualifiers from the 2014 NCAA tournament, as well as picking up state champions from the two toughest state tournaments in the country -- Warner in Pennsylvania AAA and Saavedra in single-class California -- there is positive momentum for the program headed into 2014-15. 22. Utah Valley Top 100 recruits: No. 23 Roy Nash (Taylorsville, Utah) and No. 27 Kimball Bastian (Maple Mountain, Utah) Commentary: Though this is a small recruiting class in terms of quantity, the two notable figures within it have the ability to make a demonstrated positive impact. Nash is a star upper-weight, sweeping Greco-Roman and freestyle titles the last two summers in Fargo (2012 as a Cadet, 2013 as a Junior); while Bastian has been similarly excellent in the same levels of competition (double Cadet finalist in 2012, double Junior fifth in 2013). 23. Wisconsin Top 100 recruits: No. 46 Ryan Christensen (Woodinville, Wash.) and No. 82 Johnny Jimenez (Marmion Academy, Ill.) Other ranked wrestler: Jens Lantz (Ellsworth, Wis.) Additional notable recruits: Two-time state champions Jared Scharenbock (Sun Prairie, Wis.) and Tyler Schmidt (Merrill, Wis.) Commentary: Barry Davis has brought in a solid class to Madison this year led by a pair of top 100 recruits from out-of-state. It is augmented by four in-state wrestlers who won state titles this past year; the four-timer Lantz, two-timers Scharenbock and Schmidt, as well as middle-weight Jacob Englebert (Southern Door). This class covers a cross-section of weight classes and reflects the best of both worlds, high-level out-of-state talent complimented by in-state wrestlers with potential to contribute. 24. Central Michigan Top 100 recruits: No. 67 Cody LeCount (Perry Meridian, Ind.) and No. 99 Justin Oliver (Davison, Mich.) Other ranked wrestlers: Brent Fleetwood (Smryna, Del.) and Miguel Silva (Plainfield South, Ill.) Additional notable recruits: State champion Jordan Atienza (Livonia Franklin, Mich.) Commentary: Three years ago Central Michigan made a big bold statement with the nation's No. 2 recruiting class. However, the results for that group have been -- to put it mildly -- mixed. Combined with a plethora of other factors, the Chippewas' iron clad grip of supremacy in the MAC is no longer. This group has the potential to help lead Central Michigan back towards the elite of the MAC, as there is proven talent as well as wrestlers with the potential to develop into lineup contributors. The listed wrestlers reflect two light-weights (Fleetwood and Silva are both projected 125s), while the other three fit into the middle-weights. 25. North Carolina State Top 100 recruit: No. 83 Michael Boykin (Coatesville, Pa.) Other ranked wrestler: Kevin Jack (Danbury, Conn.) Additional notable recruits: NHSCA Senior Nationals runner-up Sean Fausz (Campbell County, Ky.), Super 32 Challenge placer Troy Gregor (Hickory Ridge, N.C.), Super 32 Challenge runner-up Nicky Hall (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), Junior National freestyle All-American Derick Maisonet (Plano, Ill.), and two-time Junior National freestyle All-American Bryce Meredith (Cheyenne Central, Wyo.) Commentary: Two years into the Popolizio era in Raleigh, and there is significant positive momentum, something that had quite frankly been mostly absent prior to his hire at N.C. State. Last year it was a recruiting haul that ranked No. 10 nationally, while the 2013-14 brought about a national championship for redshirt sophomore Nick Gwiazdowski at heavyweight. Though this group is ranked lower than last year's group, it's a voluminous one with many accomplished wrestlers. Most notable are undefeated state champion Boykin, two-time Super 32 Challenge placer Jack, and two-time National Prep champion Hall. Honorable Mention Buffalo Kent State Northern Iowa Princeton Rutgers

Team USA wrestlers Nahshon Garrett (57 kilos), Jimmy Kennedy (61 kilos), Jordan Oliver (65 kilos), Brent Metcalf (65 kilos), Logan Stieber (65 kilos), David Taylor (74 kilos), Ed Ruth (86 kilos), Kyle Snyder (97 kilos) and Randi Miller (women's: 69 kilos) were added today to the roster of American stars who will take on top international standouts in the Team USA vs. The World All-Stars international wrestling competition in support of “Beat the Streets,” set for May 7 at New York's Times Square. The nine star wrestlers join Olympic and two-time World champion Jordan Burroughs (74 kilos) and World silver medalist Helen Maroulis (55 kilos), who were announced by Beat the Streets and USA Wrestling as the first two U.S. competitors last week. The purpose of this event is to elevate the profile of wrestling and to raise funds to support the operation of over 140 youth development wrestling programs in New York City, serving nearly 3,000 student-athletes. The U.S. lineup features many of the most popular and successful athletes competing today. In total, the entire U.S. team accounts for 14 NCAA titles, four Hodge Trophy awards, 12 U.S. Open titles, six World Team berths, six Junior World medals plus an Olympic gold medal, an Olympic bronze medal, two Senior World titles and a Junior World gold medal. Randi Miller was a 2008 Olympic bronze medalist, joining Olympic champion Burroughs as an Olympic medalist on the team. The team will feature five athletes who won the recent 2014 U.S. Open in Las Vegas, Burroughs, Maroulis, Kennedy, Metcalf and Miller. Multiple U.S. Open champions on the team include Maroulis (five times), Burroughs (three times) and Miller (two times). Past NCAA champions on the squad include three-time champions Ruth of Penn State and Stieber of Ohio State plus two-time champions Taylor of Penn State, Oliver of Oklahoma State, Metcalf of Iowa and Burroughs of Nebraska. Taylor won the Dan Hodge Trophy as the nation's best college wrestler two times, while Metcalf and Burroughs were also past Hodge Trophy winners. The team will feature two talented young athletes who are making their mark. Nahshon Garrett, who is a two-time All-American and 2014 NCAA finalist from Cornell, is 20 years old. High School senior Kyle Snyder, a 2013 Junior World champion, is just 18 years old. The World All-Stars roster is still being finalized, and will feature Olympic, World and Continental medalists from around the world. Additionally, exhibitions involving the young Beat the Streets athletes prior to the international competition will be announced as they are set. The Beat the Streets children will take to the mat at 4 p.m., followed by Team USA vs. the World at 5:30 (match order TBD). The evening concludes with the Beat the Streets Award Gala at 7:30 p.m. at Best Buy Theater (1515 Broadway). The USA vs. the World dual requires a ticket for reserved seating in Times Square, but is an outdoor event. Pedestrians and non-ticket holders are encouraged to watch. Admission tickets may be bought in advance at www.btsny.org or 212.245.6570. A ticket is required for the Gala. More details are available at btsny.org/gala. Fans can join the conversation about the event on Twitter by utilizing #BTSGalaTSQ. The world-class competition has twice before been held in Times Square. Last year the event moved to historic Grand Central Terminal, where it was also a huge success. Dubbed "The Rumble on the Rails," it featured dual meets between Team USA, Russia and Iran and was an important part of the international Keep Olympic Wrestling effort, which resulted in wrestling retaining its status on the Olympic Games program. This will be the fifth straight year in which a major international-style wrestling competition will be hosted as part of the Beat the Streets Gala activities. In 2010, an all-star challenge featuring top U.S. wrestlers was held on the USS Intrepid, an aircraft carrier docked on the west side of Manhattan. In 2011, the United States defeated World champion Russia, 5-2, the first sports event ever held in historic Times Square. In 2012, another U.S. vs. Russia dual meet was held in Times Square, along with the U.S. Olympic Team Wrestle-off for the 60-kilo position on the U.S. Olympic Team in men's freestyle. All of these events have been great showcases for international wrestling and have received

Joe Gibbons will go "On the Mat" this Wednesday, April 30. "On the Mat" is a presentation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. The show can be heard live on the Internet at 1650thefan.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday from 5 to 6 p.m. CT on AM 1650, The Fan. This week's show will air from 5 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. due to a Chicago Cubs game. A podcast of the show is available on theopenmat.com. E-mail dgmstaff@nwhof.org with any questions or comments. Gibbons was a four-time Iowa high school state wrestling champion for Waterloo Columbus and Ames High School. He was also a four-time All-American and an NCAA champion for Iowa State. The Gibbons family will receive the Family Legacy Award at the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa on June 7 in Waterloo.

BUIES CREEK, N.C. -- Former national champion and Olympic team member Cary Kolat has been named head wrestling coach at Campbell University. Kolat joins the Fighting Camel staff after serving since 2010 as associate head coach at the University of North Carolina. Cary Kolat (Photo/GoCamels.com)"This is a milestone announcement for the Campbell wrestling program," said Director of Athletics Bob Roller. "Nationally and internationally, Cary Kolat is synonymous with wrestling for the past three decades, and I am confident he will build a program for CU that will be known throughout NCAA Division I. We welcome Cary, Erin and their family to Campbell." During Kolat's tenure at Chapel Hill, he was involved in all phases of the UNC program and helped improve the team's national ranking from 57 to 22. In addition, he was head coach at the Olympic regional training center in Chapel Hill where he trained Olympic level athletes. Kolat has also served on wrestling staffs at Lehigh, Wisconsin, West Virginia and his alma mater, Lock Haven. "I'm extremely excited that Bob Roller and Campbell University have given me the opportunity to lead this program," said Kolat, a native of southwestern Pennsylvania. "But the success of this program is not going to happen overnight. It will be determined by our guys doing the small things right over and over every day, consistently wanting to improve and taking the program to the next level." A two-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion, Kolat was a four-time All-American who went on to compete in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. A three-time World Cup gold medalist, he also won World silver and bronze medals. His career also includes three U.S. Open championship medals and a pair of Pan-Am Games first-place finishes. Kolat was a member of the U.S. National Team from 1991-2002. In the summer of 2011, Kolat returned to competitive wrestling, was a finalist at the U.S. Open and competed in the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials. "Success at the Division I level starts with the university administration," said Kolat. "Throughout my visit here, Bob Roller and the administration convinced me that they are committed to having a successful wrestling program and that's why I accepted this opportunity." He inherits a team that finished as runner-up in the Southern Conference in 2012 and finished third in 2013. Campbell wrestlers have advanced to the NCAA Championship in each of the last three seasons. Joe Boardwine resigned as head coach earlier this month in order to pursue other professional opportunities. "I'm committed to making sure we get the right student-athletes at Campbell," said Kolat. "We will bring in young men who can handle the academics and get their degree, and secondly, that can compete. If we get the right combination of athletes, hopefully, in a couple of years, wrestling alums at Campbell will be proud of their program and where it is headed." While at Jefferson-Morgan High in Green County, Pa., Kolat won four-straight state titles and compiled a perfect 137-0 record. He was named Outstanding Wrestler at the state meet each year, an honor no one else had won even twice. Following his prep career, Kolat was featured in the April 6, 1992 edition of Sports Illustrated. Kolat began his collegiate career at Penn State, where he advanced to the NCAA final as a freshman. After his sophomore year, he was named All-American for the second-straight season as well as Big Ten Conference wrestler of the year. In two seasons at Penn State, Kolat compiled a 61-6 record, including a 39-1 mark as a sophomore. He transferred to Lock Haven, where he won his first NCAA Division I national championship in 1996 with a 25-1 record. He finished 25-0 as senior when he won the 142-pound national title. He completed his college wrestling career with a 111-7 overall record and 53 pins. Kolat earned his Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice from Lock Haven in 2003. He and his wife, Erin, are parents of two daughters – Zoe (12) and Gracie (9) and a son Ryder (6).

Every season accomplished wrestlers take redshirt seasons for a variety of different reasons. This past season there were 11 wrestlers (non-freshmen) that came off redshirt seasons to earn All-American honors at the 2014 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Oklahoma City. Four of those wrestlers reached the NCAA finals: Devin Carter (Virginia Tech), Josh Kindig (Oklahoma State), Andrew Howe (Oklahoma), and Nick Gwiazdowski (North Carolina State). Here is a look at 10 wrestlers (non-freshmen) coming off redshirt that will be in the hunt for All-American honors and NCAA titles in 2015. Hunter Stieber finished third at the NCAAs in 2013 (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Hunter Stieber (Ohio State) Hunter Stieber is without question the most accomplished collegiate wrestler coming off redshirt. His career has been overshadowed a bit by older brother Logan, a three-time NCAA champion, but the younger Stieber has put together an impressive college wrestling resume. Unlike Logan, Hunter wrestled in the NCAAs as a true freshman and earned All-American honors with a sixth-place finish. As a sophomore, Hunter entered the 2013 NCAAs in Des Moines with an undefeated record and earned the No. 1 seed. He was defeated in the semifinals by Mitchell Port of Edinboro, but came back strong to finish third. With Logan at 141 pounds, Hunter has moved up to 149 pounds. He finished his redshirt season with a perfect 18-0 record. Hunter Stieber will begin the 2014-15 season as one of the favorites to win the NCAA title at 149 pounds. Alan Waters (Missouri) Alan Waters has been one of Missouri's top wrestlers since he arrived in Columbia in 2010. In 2013, Waters put together a tremendous season and came into the NCAAs with an undefeated record, which earned him the top seed at 125 pounds. He wound up finishing fourth, losing to Penn State's Nico Megaludis in the semifinals and Cornell's Nahshon Garrett for third place. It was his first All-American finish after disappointing NCAA tournament performances the previous two seasons. As a true freshman, Waters was seeded 10th at the 2011 NCAAs and finished 1-2. As a sophomore, Waters came into the NCAAs seeded third and was eliminated from the tournament in the round of 12. This past season he competed at 133 pounds while redshirting and finished sixth at the Midlands, with all three of his losses coming to All-Americans. Taylor Massa reached the round of 12 as a true freshman (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Taylor Massa (Michigan) Taylor Massa has been a known commodity around the country ever since he won his first Cadet National Triple Crown in 2008. After an undefeated high school wrestling career at St. Johns (Mich.), Massa was called on to start immediately for the Wolverines in 2012-13. He put together a productive true freshman season, finishing fifth at the Big Tens and qualifying for the NCAAs at 165 pounds. At the NCAAs he fell one win shy of earning All-American honors, losing in the round of 12 to Iowa State's Michael Moreno. Massa posted a 17-1 record this past season as a redshirt, with his lone loss coming to Iowa's Nick Moore, 4-3, at the Midlands. He recently placed fifth at the U.S. Open at 74 kilos. Nick Brascetta (Virginia Tech) With Devin Carter coming off redshirt this past season, Virginia Tech coach Kevin Dresser had three All-Americans between two weight classes -- 141 pounds and 149 pounds -- with Carter, Zach Neibert, and Nick Brascetta. The only wrestler of the three with an available redshirt season was Brascetta. After an eighth-place finish at the 2013 NCAAs at 149 pounds, Brascetta moved up a weight class to 157 pounds for his redshirt season. He finished fifth at the Midlands, with his most notable win coming over Wisconsin's Isaac Jordan, who earned All-American honors in March. Brascetta spent time at the Olympic Training Center in January. George DiCamillo (Virginia) George DiCamillo, a two-time Ohio state champion, was the nation's No. 20 overall recruit in 2012 and stepped in Virginia's lineup immediately as a true freshman at 133 pounds in 2012-13. He achieved arguably the best freshman season in Virginia history. He became the program's first freshman ACC champion since 1995. DiCamillo set Virginia's freshman single-season wins record with 33. He also became the first Virginia freshman to earn a seed (No. 11) at the NCAAs. DiCamillo was upset in the first round of the NCAAs, but bounced back to win three straight matches before losing in the round of 12 to Oklahoma State's Jon Morrison. He did not compete this past season as a redshirt. Nathaniel Brown (Lehigh) Nathaniel Brown has qualified for the NCAAs in each of his first two seasons in Lehigh's lineup. However, as a true freshman Brown was unable to compete at the NCAAs due to injury. He won an EIWA title as a sophomore at 174 pounds, and earned a No. 9 seed at the NCAAs. He finished 1-2 in Des Moines and failed to place. Brown is coming of a successful redshirt season at 184 pounds. He finished third at the Midlands, with his only loss in the tournament coming to Maryland's Jimmy Sheptock in sudden victory. Josh Demas fell in the NCAA quarterfinals to Derek St. John (Photo/Simon Jimenez, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Josh Demas (Ohio State) Josh Demas has had a roller-coaster career at Ohio State, battling inconsistent performances and injuries, but has been productive, qualifying for the NCAAs twice at 157 pounds in as many seasons in the lineup. Demas has beaten several quality wrestlers throughout his time in Columbus, including Derek St. John, R.J. Pena, Dylan Alton, Danny Zilverberg, and Brian Realbuto. In 2013, Demas had a strong postseason. He finished fourth at the Big Tens, and two weeks later reached the NCAA quarterfinals. Demas is expected to be a key contributor for the Buckeyes in 2014-15. Geoffrey Alexander (Maryland) Geoffrey Alexander is a two-time NCAA qualifier at 133 pounds with two seasons remaining at Maryland. Alexander went 2-2 at the 2013 NCAAs in Des Moines, with his final loss coming to another wrestler on this list, George DiCamillo. Alexander is coming off an impressive redshirt season in which he built a record of 25-2, won four tournament titles, and notched wins over four NCAA qualifiers. Randy Cruz (Lehigh) In 2013, Randy Cruz found a spot in Lehigh's lineup at 133 pounds midway through his true freshman season. He went on to become Lehigh's first true freshman EIWA champion since 1980. Cruz went 1-2 at the NCAAs, but finished his true freshman season with 33 wins. This past season while redshirting he wrestled all but one tournament at 141 pounds, and finished the season with a record of 18-8. His lone tournament at 133 pounds was the Midlands, where he failed to place as the No. 12 seed. John MeeksJohn Meeks (Iowa State) John Meeks is the only wrestler on this list without NCAA tournament experience. After becoming one of the most accomplished prep wrestlers ever in wrestling-rich Iowa, Meeks was expected to make an immediate impact as a true freshman for Iowa State at 133 pounds. But Meeks struggled with consistency in his first season in the Cyclone lineup, and eventually finished the season with a .500 record. He spent his redshirt season acclimating himself to 141 pounds.

Guests: Donny Pritzlaff, Robert Kokesh, Jim Heffernan, Jack Roller, Todd Hibbs Hour 1: Hour 2:

With the Washington Wizards making their once a decade playoff appearance, it's quite a surprise that Richard took the time to do this week's podcast. But with UFC 172 on the horizon and last weekend's heavyweight contender battle, there was plenty to talk about. Expect a big night for the wrestlers in the main and co-main events, with Jon Jones defending his belt against Glover Teixeira and Phil Davis taking on Anthony Johnson. Do you want to listen to a past episode? Access archives.

Wrestlers love to comment on the state of our sport. This mailbag, message boards and our insane interconnectivity on social media are all proof that when it comes to having an opinion we are well-equipped. Having an opinion can by default mean that you believe the anti of something. The mind searches to correct a failure in a system and in doing so our brains fixate and analyze it until it's corrected, or we are frustrated enough to move past. The current fixation among American wrestling fans is the battle over criteria and overtime. The sport itself -- the actual product -- is healthier than ever. Fans are enjoying the action and the wrestlers appreciate being asked to actually wrestle. Petty gamesmanship and referee interferences are gone, being replaced instead by the action of the wrestlers. But among the American wrestling crowd it's not enough. Despite the scoring, the excitement, the success -- American fans want overtime, nay, they NEED overtime. I've stated the merits of criteria on several occasions, but none sticks out more than asking the wrestlers to compete for six full minutes. Don't hold back, don't cruise, don't play the clock. Wrestle. We know that overtime corrupts the motivation to act in regulation by pulling the wrestlers into a risk evaluation of when to act. We've seen that the confusion occurring in criteria matches is mostly due to a lack of information between event organizers, media and fans. Which is easier to fix? I claim the latter. To your questions ... Q: I was looking at the scores at the U.S. Open and noticed that there were a lot of technical falls, a lot of 10-0 technical falls. (I did not watch any of the matches.) While one would think that more points means more exciting matches, a bunch of 10-0 matches does not seem like very competitive or exciting matches. What is the reason for so many lopsided matches? Is there a big disparity among the competitors? I noticed a lot of names of wrestlers who were successful in their collegiate careers. Does the format favor wrestlers of one style over another or if you get down early do you have to start taking risks which opens you up to counter moves. Is this a problem? -- Kenn B. Foley: No. The seven-point tech was a little quick, but at 10 points the wrestlers have ample opportunity to overcome their deficit and put points on the board. A match that ends in a technical fall has usually run its course for awesomeness and competitiveness. More isn't always better. There isn't always a huge gap in skills, though that can sometimes account for the action. I've seen a lot of freestyle over the past year and when it comes to senior level wrestlers a good portion of the technical falls occur once a wrestler has decided that they've lost the match and gives up some successive roll or gut wrench. Rare is the five-takedown technical fall. I think the technical fall gives fans a feel of domination that they can appreciate, like a knockout blow, or maybe the increasingly infrequent fall. Q: I'm a fan of the few states that have one-division individual state tournaments. I understand the school size factor, but would you be a fan of states using classifications for dual states but having one division for individuals? -- J. Wyatt Foley: That is the type of solution that needs to be forwarded to administrators around the country. As you may know, Virginia recently split their state into a preposterous six state tournaments! It was an accommodation to the sport of football, but it ended up costing the state a level of seriousness in competition that it will need in order to attract top-level division one coaches. The dual meet states will attract crowds while the individual tournament gives wrestlers a chance to compete against everyone in their region. What does it mean to be a state champions if there are five others walking about? Q: Is there a way to find out what programs are fully funded with 9.9 scholarships? I was shocked to hear that Edinboro isn't, which makes fifth place even more impressive. -- Tim J. Foley: Plenty of coaches are open to discussing their scholarship details, but a surprising portion are cagey about what they're given. Often the discrepancy is in how, or technically "where," the coaches can use their scholarship allotment. Edinboro might have a certain amount of money for scholarships, that when subdivided by out-of-state tuition might not amount 9.9, but when cast in state might be the full 9.9. That's just an example, and likely not true figures, but there are several other colleges working with similar distributions -- they can't snag 9.9 out-of-state scholarships, though they can field a team with 9.9 scholarships. I'd have picked up the phone to ask each one, but I'm not sure I'd make it very far! Side note: How awesome is Tim Flynn and the job he's done at Edinboro? MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Match of the Year? U.S. Open Highlights (Wow!) Best Article of the Year? Chinese Somersault Kiss Q: I was wondering if you can talk a bit about the struggles of Jordan Rogers (Oklahoma State) in college as a freshman? There are many freshmen finished way ahead of him even though he was the No. 4 recruit in the country 2013. Will he recover? I see a lot of Dallas Bailey. -- Ryan K. Foley: College wrestlers are also college students. There are plenty of factors that go into the success and failure of different athletes, and no coach can predict them all. If Jordan wants to win and is dedicated to the sport then he will find the support he needs in Stillwater to become and All-American and NCAA champion. I think Jordan can be both of those things. Q: Maybe it's just me, but I've noticed an increase in the number of freshman not only making the NCAA finals, but winning the NCAAs. Andrew Long, Matt McDonough, Kyle Dake, David Taylor, Logan Stieber, Jason Tsirtsis, J'den Cox, Dylan Ness, to name a few, I'm sure there are more. Granted, I'm young, and I've only been religiously following collegiate wrestling for sevenish years, but where does this correlation derive from? -- Ethan S. In 2010, freshmen Andrew Long and Matt McDonough battled in the NCAA finals (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Foley: My take is that the athletes you see now are sport-specific training from a young age and increased exposure to high-level technique during development. Essentially they don't learn bad techniques and have the ability, with money and coaching, to access the best competition. The trend will stabilize over the next few years. We'll always see more upperclassmen on the medal stands, but I think it's possible that we'll continue to get 12-15 freshmen All-Americans every year, with at least one in the NCAA finals. Funny to say this, but by the time they make it to their freshman year many of these guys will have been training for that tournament their whole life. Q: I'm sure you're aware of the use of advanced statistics in sports. (MIT hosted the Sloan conference a few weeks ago.) Is there a place for advanced stats in wrestling? I'm thinking about this whole stalling issue and wondering if we can go deeper into the story of a stalling wrestler with things like shots per period, match time moving forward vs. backwards, points per shot attempt etc. It seems to me like numbers could help us tell a more complete story about college wrestling. -- Brandon J. Foley: I don't think so. We can clip videos and count the tendencies of individual wrestlers, and maybe teams, but there is so much fluidity and creativity on the mat that grouping techniques together can often be misleading. For example, time spent going back for one wrestler might be the last 45 seconds of a match they are winning, while for another it might be a baiting technique. There is room overall, but we aren't going to discover a new Moneyball in a sport that often depends as much on emotion as it does technique. COMMENT(S) OF THE WEEK By Marcus R. Am I being too critical when I think amateur wrestling fans come off as petty? I mean some fans complain about exposure and marketability of the sport but won't put money behind watching the actual sport? This is in response to many of the comments in regards to Flowrestling charging to watch wrestling. Now it's one thing to complain about a service that's not well done and to be honest sometimes their service isn't the best quality I imagine because they haven't generated enough revenue to upgrade to a high definition cameras but wrestling fans will complain when a university doesn't see the value in a wrestling program, because we haven't put our money behind going to actually watch the program! We complain about the sports exposure to the mainstream and yet won't put money behind one of the premier international events in the country via the Internet and or watching the event. Which is really a great value if you can't make it out because you can see A LOT of matches for 20 bucks! If you think about when you're there live sometimes you miss great matched because so much wrestling is going on at once. I also think you were spot on in your critique of Flo's shot at ESPN. I mean again I thought the ESPN team did an excellent job and when I watched the finals with all the expert commentary by Dan Gable, Kyle Dake, Jordan Burroughs, you and all those other guys I thought BRILLIANT! Well-done emotion doesn't equal excellence in my opinion. That's not to say Flo doesn't do a good job a capturing the emotion of the sport but I in my personal opinion I've found that some of the best emotional broadcasts happen at the last-second "miracles" than throughout the whole match, that's what makes it brilliant! In the Burroughs-Taylor match the Flo guys were well warranted of their excitement. By Cary A. We are looking for ways to make the sport better for the audience. Here is a change to our sport that I think is necessary and make it more appealing to the viewer. Now this might rattle some old school folks' feathers (much like the death of the singlet), but the whistle use has to be reduced to a minimum. I'm not talking about match stoppages as they are necessary, I mean the actual whistle. The sound is annoying (especially during tournaments), distracting to adjacent matches, and gives no explanation to the new viewer as to why action is stopped. Hearing the referees (UFC or events like the NCAA finals) gives the viewer the feeling that they are sitting mat/octagon/ring side. Breakdown of whistle use and possible alternatives: Start on the feet: A simple "WRESTLE" would suffice and, if said with enough chutzpah, would instill excitement (much like "get it on" in the UFC). Out of bounds on the feet: Instead use "BREAK" or "OUT." Out of bounds on the Mat: Instead use "BREAK" or "OUT" coupled with a tap of both wrestlers. Start on the mat: The only time when the use of the whistle that may be necessary, though I still think "WRESTLE" would work. Stalemate: Just step in tap both wrestlers and say "STALEMATE." Miscellaneous stops (injury time/clock issues/challenges): Referees should just step in and stop the action. End of period: "TIME" coupled with a tap of the wrestlers in scrambles and on the mat. End of match including technical falls: Could use "TIME" or to be real awesome "SUPERIOR VICTORY." Fall: The whistle is only to add drama. A simple slap of the mat would work, but to add drama the slap could be coupled with something sweet like "KABOOM" "BAM" "GAME OVER" "TERMINATED." Much like umpires after a strikeout in baseball wrestling referees can develop their own signature pin call. Referees in the UFC operate without whistles. They step in and make their presence known and wear gloves in case they have to make contact. It is time for college referees glove up and get more vocally involved in the match and step in when they need to (i.e. end of periods or stalemates). Don't get me wrong, there are many referees that do an excellent job of this, but I think the whistle can be replaced and spare the wrestling world of whistle echoes in gyms across the U.S. Arguments against: Wrestlers can't hear as well. Anyone who ever wrestled knows that if they can hear their opponent breathing, I am sure they will hear if a ref leans in and barks out an instruction. Mind you I have never wrestled in an NCAA final or Carver-Hawkeye Arena, but I imagine if they can hear Tom Brands telling at them to build their lead I'm sure they can hear a referee right next to them. Language barrier: I would image 99.9% of wrestlers speak English in the U.S. So for that .1% they can watch the hand motions (make them universal) and they will eventually learn the terminology. Also, I hate the term "stalling." It makes it seem like you're doing an action. Passivity is embarrassing and is the antithesis of what we all want to watch, aggression. We should change stalling to passivity in folkstyle.

BadgerStateWrestling.com's Shane Sparks interviews 2014 Iditarod champion Dallas Seavey of the JJ Keller Racing Team. As a wrestler, Seavey was an Alaska state champion, Fargo Greco-Roman champion and Junior World Team member in Greco-Roman. Listen to interview on BadgerStateWrestling.com.

Let's examine six questions following this past weekend's U.S. Open in Las Vegas. Will Jordan Burroughs make the 2014 U.S. World Team? Answer: Yes. Though he was threatened like never before, it was obvious in Burroughs' post-match interview that he knew his technical shortcomings. On the mat it was obvious that the indescribable "it" factor that has made him a champion for three years is still very much intact. What Burroughs does need to control is the early pace of the match. Against a more seasoned wrestler on the international scene -- or one willing to wrestle from an underhook and knee -- Burroughs' three-point disadvantage might be difficult to overcome. Taylor exposed a creativity gap in Burroughs' finishes, but in addition to staying away from Taylor's right leg, it's likely that Burroughs's coaches Snyder and Manning will work to find new finishes from underneath lanky opponents. His offense will always be potent, but without better finishes, and maybe a third attack the wins and losses will continue to rely on grit and late match aggression -- something that might bother his fans and force his wife into premature labor. Can Ed "The Truth" Ruth become the man at 86 kilos? Answer: In time. Right now Keith Gavin sits atop the heap at 86 kilos in the United States, beating Clayton Foster in the finals of the U.S. Open. Foster, who beat Ruth earlier in the tournament, has a lot of potential to place at the World Championships. The former Oklahoma State wrestler has beaten an Olympic bronze medalist in Ehsan Lashgari (Iran) and World champion Ibragim Aldatov (Ukraine), but still struggles with Gavin. Ed Ruth fell to Clayton Foster in the U.S. Open semifinals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)The other complication for Ruth is the possible addition of 2009 World silver medalist Jake Herbert. Though he's taken a couple years off from competition and recently had surgery, a new-look Herbert might find success in the U.S. ranks and again internationally. No doubt that Eds Ruth has the talent to surpass all these wrestlers, and with the coaching of Cael it's likely he's challenging of the spot come the World Team Trials. But Ruth might be better primed for a run at 2015 and the Rio Games in 2016. He needs to see more international competition and dedicate himself to long training camps. Ruth was the most successful collegiate wrestler among the group at 86 kilos, but it's yet to be proven that he can translate that into freestyle success. Are the new rules better or worse for the sport? Answer: Better. Way better. The old rules aren't even a close second. They rank behind Rochambeau in terms of generating fair outcomes. That's not to say the new rules aren't facing new issues. The one-point takedown attempt feels incorrect. There aren't many international referees calling the move, but at the U.S. Open there was more insistence on making the call. More often the action that might create a one-point appreciation ends in a pushout or in a full takedown. Still, it feels funny to be awarded a point just for trying. The other rules have all been a big hit. Simplified takedown for four or two has meant that sport is much easier to watch. The passivity calls are (for now) balanced and creating plenty of scoring. There will continue to be adjustments because wrestlers are always trying to game the system, but in freestyle and Greco-Roman the focus on points and the penalization of stalling has created a level of scoring never before seen in the sport. Overtime or Criteria? Answer: Criteria. No matter what system you implement there must be criteria to decide matches and with differences in skill levels narrowing there are way too many chances that an unlimited overtime would result in a lot of standing around and a very large sumo wrestling match. Criteria works, and in my opinion has helped save the sport from collapse. The action on the mats is better than ever before because the wrestlers know, absolutely, that they must figure out the winner in six minutes. Almost every iteration of overtime includes the caveat that it too might end in criteria. Why even take the risk? The scoring is out of control with points. We are seeing scoreboard shots with insane match scores both in freestyle and Greco-Roman. Though you can't point to a single motivating factor, we do know that in comparing it to the NCAA the freestyle rules seem to endear less stalling and less playing for overtime. The criteria argument is psychological. The default human nature is to reduce risk. That's a given. So if the score is 2-2 at the 4:15 mark of a match, there is little, if any, incentive to take a risk and give up a takedown or extra points. Play for OT and you can find a quick takedown and walk off the mat. That's human nature and that won't change. But with a match that always has a winner and a loser you incentivize action to occur at all times. Wrestlers have to take a risk because if they don't they lose. Similarly, if they block, they get called for stalling. The examples of wrestlers not knowing the rules for criteria is just confirmation bias that proves nothing about the rules. Absent a few minor adjustments, the rules have not changed. Have the Americans been wrestling freestyle much in the winter? No. That plays more of a factor in not knowing, than does a rule feeling obscure. Familiarity breeds understanding and though I feel bad for a kid who cruised to a loss, we've seen it happen plenty of times in NCAA wrestling (riding time, double overtime, etc.), yet the backlash seems muted. The onus is on the athlete and the coach to know the rules of the sport they are playing. If they don't it's bad form to blame the rules and referee. Who will be the new head freestyle coach for the United States? Answer: There are still a lot of names to be processed. My thoughts mirror that of most that are familiar with the team. Coach Zeke Jones really did a lot of incredible things to secure the organizational structure of the team. There was accountability and a sense of wanting to travel and compete. That needs to be retained. What Jones also did well was dissect film and understand each wrestler's upcoming opponents. He also shared the spotlight with personal coaches, something that isn't always an easy thing to do. Bruce Burnett is filling in for the time being and I think that if he decided to return full-time he'd be an excellent fit for the program. He's a real leader with insane amounts of international experience. He won't be new to the mix and is certain -- absolutely certain -- to produce results. It might be the perfect capstone to his legendary coaching career. Sammie Henson has spent the past two seasons at Missouri (Photo/Milena Wick, Tech-Fall.com)Sammie Henson needs a head coaching job. I think it's ridiculous that a coach with as much proven talent as Henson hasn't yet landed a job. He's a great international hire as he is a great hire for a collegiate program. Then there is Brandon Slay and Bill Zadick, guys that have been inside the program for a few years. All have the ability to lead, but it'll just take the right timing and a decision by USA Wrestling to keep it in house. Who will be the new head Greco-Roman coach for the United States? Answer: TBD Terry Brands coaching Tony Ramos in the NCAA finals (Photo/Simon Jimenez, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)The popular rumor is still Terry Brands, though given his lack of experience coaching Greco-Roman it's likely to take on the form of a foreign coaching staff where the head coach isn't a technical lead. For that it's possible that USA Wrestling seeks out a coach who can discuss the technical aspect of what's happening on the mats. Hypothetically if Brands took the position, it's not as though he's never wrestled Greco-Roman or never seen an over-under. Winners win and wrestlers with Brands' pedigree as a coach are sure to do big things when given the chance. On a personal note, I think he's the right mixture of intelligence, toughness and name ID to reignite the Greco-Roman program in the states and maybe even seduce a few big name freestylers to make the transition.

Kyle Dake finished runner-up at the 2013 U.S. World Team Trials (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine) ITHACA, N.Y. -- U.S. National Wrestling Team member Kyle Dake will miss the upcoming World Team Trials in Madison, Wisconsin, due to the lingering effects of an injury he suffered in March. He was initially injured while practicing with the Cornell University wrestling team as he prepared the team for March's NCAA wrestling championships. Dake, who appeared on the ESPN broadcast of the NCAA event, suffered a torn Lisfranc Ligament in his left foot. He had surgery to repair those injuries on April 14th, in Ithaca, New York. The surgery involved, essentially, a ligament replacement to ensure that the arch of Dake's foot remained supported and in proper place, post-surgery. He also had two plates and a screw inserted in his foot to prevent the foot from dislocating and losing support in the arch of his foot. Dake said: "Obviously, I'm extremely disappointed. After last year and all the training that I have done, I felt as good and confident as ever that I could make this year's world team and compete for a world championship; but it was just not meant to be. The good news is that the surgery went very well; I am told that I will make a full recovery; and I will be back stronger than ever. I thank everyone for their support." Dake's agent Nick Garone of X-Cel Worldwide added: "He's crushed. When you train as hard as Kyle and for that long, all you want to do is compete, so it's been tough on him. However, Kyle is extremely smart and he knows and understands that taking care of this now will only help him achieve his goals later. He's not going to disappear -- I can assure you of that. And, he will make his presence felt when he returns."

After the completion of last month's electric NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Oklahoma City, there was much reflection about the high level of talent that is exiting collegiate wrestling after this season. Among the more notable wrestlers in this group are three-time champion Ed Ruth (Penn State), two-time champion and two-time Hodge Trophy recipient David Taylor (Penn State), as well as two-time champions Chris Perry (Oklahoma State) and Tony Nelson (Minnesota). All of those wrestlers are fifth-year seniors, which means they graduated from high school in 2009. In 2013, Class of 2009 graduates finished 1-3 at 165 (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)With that as the context, let's revisit that high school graduating class. It also happens to be one that includes four-time NCAA champion and 2013 Hodge Trophy recipient Kyle Dake (Cornell). Dake won his four national titles without the benefit of a redshirt year. Another notable high school graduate in 2009 was Ellis Coleman, who did not wrestle collegiately, but represented the United States at the 2012 Olympic Games in Greco-Roman wrestling. This feature is a re-ranking of the top 25 wrestlers from the Class of 2009 based on college wrestling accomplishments at the Division I level. The complete list of top 100 recruits from 2009 is included in the sidebar for reference. Re-Ranking Class of 2009 Top 100 recruits in Class of 2009 No. 1 David Taylor No. 2 Eric Grajales No. 3 Chris Perry No. 4 Kyle Dake No. 5 Ed Ruth No. 6 Collin Palmer No. 7 Jake Kemerer No. 8 R.J. Pena No. 9 Joey Napoli No. 10 Tony Ramos No. 11 Jon Morrison No. 12 Dan Yates No. 13 Sam White No. 14 John Nicholson No. 15 Derek St. John No. 16 Jon Fausey No. 17 Ethen Lofthouse No. 18 Matt Lester No. 19 Andrew Clement No. 20 Caleb Kolb No. 21 Dallas Bailey No. 22 Alec Ortiz No. 23 Zach Toal No. 24 Max Huntley No. 25 Zach Neibert No. 26 Alex Bridgeford No. 27 David Klingsheim No. 28 Alex Ekstrom No. 29 Shane Young No. 30 David Thorn No. 31 Glenn Carson No. 32 Sean Boyle No. 33 Tyler Cox No. 34 Zach Clemente No. 35 Jake Swartz No. 36 Robbie Fisher No. 37 Ellis Coleman No. 38 Mac Bailey No. 39 Eloheim Palma No. 40 Orlando Scales No. 41 C.J. Napier No. 42 Ian Paddock No. 43 Tyler Caldwell No. 44 Trent Weatherman No. 45 Vincent Dellefave No. 46 Ryan LeBlanc No. 47 Brock Gutches No. 48 Patrick Martinez No. 49 Tony Nelson No. 50 Kyle Lang No. 51 Bobby Barnhisel No. 52 Corey Lear No. 53 Ladd Rupp No. 54 Stephen Swan No. 55 Kendrick Sanders No. 56 Dylan Carew No. 57 Max Ortega No. 58 Michael McClure No. 59 Michael Garofalo No. 60 Derrick Borlie No. 61 Joe Colon No. 62 Joe Waltko No. 63 Camden Eppert No. 64 Steven Keith No. 65 Cashe Quiroga No. 66 Kevin Barrett No. 67 Austin Meys No. 68 Brendan Ard No. 69 Martin Gonzalez No. 70 Cody Compton No. 71 Zach White No. 72 Brian Stephens No. 73 Dale Shull No. 74 Shane Gentry No. 75 Kyle Waldo No. 76 Jeremy Goree No. 77 Tanner Keck No. 78 John Greisheimer No. 79 Jimmy Sheptock No. 80 Justin Lavalle No. 81 Erik Spjut No. 82 Tony Dallago No. 83 Nicky Gordon No. 84 Kevin Steinhaus No. 85 Steve Santos No. 86 Nick Lester No. 87 Nick Heflin No. 88 Nick Pica No. 89 Kellen Bounous No. 90 Luke Vaith No. 91 Bret Baumbach No. 92 Sean Owen No. 93 Brandon Rocha No. 94 Jeremy Johnson No. 95 Znick Ferrell No. 96 Roger McCovey No. 97 Boaz Beard No. 98 Kyle Meyer No. 99 Evan Yenolevich No. 100 Ryan MangoNo. 1 Kyle Dake (Cornell) Rank in 2009: No. 4 Dake was a four-time NCAA champion without a redshirt, Dan Hodge Trophy recipient, and InterMat Wrestler of the Year. No. 2 David Taylor (Penn State) Rank in 2009: No. 1 Taylor was a four-time NCAA finalist, two-time NCAA champion, Dan Hodge Trophy recipient twice, and InterMat Wrestler of the Year. No. 3 Ed Ruth (Penn State) Rank in 2009: No. 5 Ruth was a four-time All-American, three-time NCAA champion, and InterMat Wrestler of the Year. No. 4 Tony Nelson (Minnesota) Rank in 2009: No. 49 Nelson was a four-time All-American, three-time NCAA finalist, and two-time NCAA champion. No. 5 Chris Perry (Oklahoma State) Rank in 2009: No. 3 Perry was a four-time NCAA qualifier, round of 12 finisher, three-time All-American, and two-time NCAA champion. No. 6 Derek St. John (Iowa) Rank in 2009: No. 15 St. John was a four-time All-American and NCAA champion. No. 7 Tyler Caldwell (Oklahoma State) Rank in 2009: No. 43 Caldwell, who started his career at Oklahoma, was a four-time All-American and two-time NCAA runner-up. No. 8 Tony Ramos (Iowa) Rank in 2009: No. 10 Ramos was a four-time NCAA qualifier, round of 12 finisher, three-time All-American, and NCAA champion. No. 9 Kendric Maple (Oklahoma) Rank in 2009: Not in top 100 Maple was a four-time NCAA qualifier, three-time All-American, and NCAA champion. No. 10 Nick Heflin (Ohio State) Rank in 2009: No. 87 Heflin was a four-time NCAA qualifier, round of 12 finisher, three-time All-American, and NCAA runner-up. No. 11 Kevin Steinhaus (Minnesota) Rank in 2009: No. 84 Steinhaus was a four-time NCAA qualifier, round of 12 finisher, and three-time All-American. No. 12 Jimmy Sheptock (Maryland) Rank in 2009: No. 79 Sheptock was a three-time NCAA qualifier, round of 12 finisher, and two-time All-American, and NCAA runner-up. No. 13 Ryan Mango (Stanford) Rank in 2009: No. 100 Mango was a four-time NCAA qualifier, round of 12 finisher, and two-time All-American. No. 14 Scott Sakaguchi (Oregon State) Rank in 2009: Not in top 100 Sakaguchi was a four-time NCAA qualifier, round of 12 finisher, and two-time All-American. No. 15 Ethen Lofthouse (Iowa) Rank in 2009: No. 17 Lofthouse was a four-time NCAA qualifier and two-time All-American. No. 16 Jeremy Johnson (Ohio) Rank in 2009: No. 94 Johnson was a four-time NCAA qualifier, round of 12 finisher, and two-time All-American. No. 17 Eric Grajales (Michigan) Rank in 2009: No. 2 Grajales was a four-time NCAA qualifier, two-time round of 12 finisher, and All-American. No. 18 Joe Colon (Northern Iowa) Rank in 2009: No. 61 Colon was an NJCAA champion, two-time NCAA qualifier, round of 12 finisher, and All-American. No. 19 Steve Santos (Columbia) Rank in 2009: No. 85 Santos was a two-time NCAA qualifier, round of 12 finisher, and All-American. No. 20 Steven Monk (North Dakota State) Rank in 2009: Not in top 100 Monk was a three-time NCAA qualifier, two-time round of 12 finisher, and All-American. No. 21 David Thorn (Minnesota) Rank in 2009: No. 30 Thorn was a three-time NCAA qualifier and two-time All-American. No. 22 Mike Nevinger (Cornell) Rank in 2009: Not in top 100 Nevinger was a three-time NCAA qualifier and two-time All-American. No. 23 Ryan Loder (Northern Iowa) Rank in 2009: Not in top 100 Loder was a four-time NCAA qualifier, three-time round of 12 finisher, and All-American. No. 24 Jon Morrison (Oklahoma State) Rank in 2009: No. 11 Morrison was a four-time NCAA qualifier and All-American. No. 25 Zach Neibert (Virginia Tech) Rank in 2009: No. 25 Neibert was a three-time NCAA qualifier, two-time round of 12 finisher, and All-American.

Guests: Terry Brands, Tim Grissel, Luke Eustice, Randy Novak, Darin Williams, Tony Ramos, Derek St. John Hour 1: Hour 2:

Zeke Jones and Rocco Mansueto will go "On the Mat" this Wednesday, April 23. "On the Mat" is a presentation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. The show can be heard live on the Internet at 1650thefan.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. CT on AM 1650, The Fan. A podcast of the show is available on theopenmat.com. E-mail dgmstaff@nwhof.org with any questions or comments. Jones is the new head wrestling coach at Arizona State. He was a World freestyle wrestling champion in 1991. Mansueto is co-owner of Flips Wrestling. He was a three-time NCAA qualifier for Cleveland State.

Many of the nation's top wrestlers competed at the 2014 U.S. Open this past weekend in Las Vegas. However, there were some accomplished wrestlers that did not compete but are expected to be in the field at the 2014 U.S. World Team Trials in Madison Wis. While the U.S. Open is a premier senior level wrestling event and a qualifier for the U.S. World Team Trials, it's not the only qualifier -- or way to qualify -- for the U.S. World Team Trials. Each style has criteria to qualify for the U.S. World Team Trials and Olympic Team Trials. Some of the criteria are consistent across all three styles, like being a past World or Olympic team member, while other criteria are specific to a style. There are a variety of different reasons why wrestlers do not compete at the U.S. Open. Some reasons are injury related, others are school related, and others are personal and not made public. Let's look at 10 freestyle wrestlers that did not compete at the U.S. Open but have already qualified for the U.S. World Team Trials and could challenge for spots on the 2014 U.S. World Team. Kyle Dake was runner-up to Jordan Burroughs at the 2013 U.S. World Team Trials (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Kyle Dake Kyle Dake injured his foot while training for the U.S. Open, which kept him from competing in Las Vegas, but he is expected to wrestle at the U.S. World Team Trials in Madison. The four-time NCAA Division I champion (in four different weight classes) was a runner-up at last year's U.S. World Team Trials to Olympic champion Jordan Burroughs, and has been successful in international events overseas. In November he finished fifth at the Golden Grand Prix in Baku, Azerbaijan, where he had a win over two-time World champion and Olympic bronze medalist Denis Tsargush of Russia. Dake won a gold medal at the Cerro Pelado International in February. Update: On Wednesday, Kyle Dake announced that he will not be competing at the U.S. World Team Trials in Madison. Andrew Howe Andrew Howe is coming off a college season (and career) in which he finished as an NCAA runner-up at 174 pounds to Chris Perry of Oklahoma State. Howe, like Dake, has established himself as one of the top wrestlers in the U.S. at 74 kilos. He was fourth at the Trials last year behind Burroughs, Dake, and Taylor, but was runner-up in each of the previous two Trials. Howe has given Burroughs some of his toughest matches in the U.S. He took Burroughs to three periods in one of the matches at the 2011 U.S. World Team Trials, and again in the first (and only) match of the best-of-three finals at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials before Howe tore his ACL, which caused him to default. At the Trials Howe will be wrestling in familiar territory as he spent the first three seasons of his college wrestling career in Madison at the University of Wisconsin. Dustin Kilgore picked up a win at the World Cup against Armenia (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Dustin Kilgore Dustin Kilgore, a resident athlete at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, is expected to be in the mix for a Trials title in Madison at 97 kilos. He was a third-place finisher at the U.S. World Team Trials last year, which earned him a spot on the U.S. National Team. If he can come out on top in the challenge tournament at the U.S. World Team Trials, which will include J.D. Bergman and Wynn Michalak, among others, he will get a crack Olympic champion Jake Varner in the best-of-three finals. Kilgore was a runner-up at the Dave Schultz Memorial in February. He wrestled for Team USA at the World Cup and picked up a win in his only start against Armenia. Kilgore was also dominant in his match against India at the NCAA Fan Festival in Oklahoma City. Nick Simmons Nick Simmons finished fifth at the World Championships in 2011 at 55 kilos, but failed to make the U.S. team in 2012 and 2013. At the 2012 Olympic Team Trials, Simmons defeated Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo before losing to longtime rival Sam Hazewinkel. Last year he moved up to 60 kilos and finished fourth at the U.S. World Team Trials behind Reece Humphrey, Jimmy Kennedy, and Logan Stieber. It's unlikely that Simmons will see any of those wrestlers this year as all three are competing at either 61 kilos or 65 kilos, while Simmons is expected to compete at 57 kilos. If Simmons can win the challenge tournament in Madison, his finals opponent in the best-of-three finals will be rival Sam Hazewinkel, who received an automatic berth in the finals by winning the U.S. Open. Obe Blanc Many have wondered when Obe Blanc will return to competition after he withdrew from the 2013 World Championships following a failed drug test. In November he moved from Stillwater, Okla., to College Park, Md., where he has been training. Blanc has been a late bloomer in his wrestling career. He failed to earn All-American honors as a senior at Oklahoma State in 2009, but has since won two U.S. Open titles and two U.S. World Team Trials titles at 55 kilos. He will be one of the favorites to win the challenge tournament if he competes in Madison. Nick Gwiazdowski defeated Tony Nelson to win the NCAA title (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Nick Gwiazdowski Nick Gwiazdowski captured an NCAA title at heavyweight this past season as a sophomore at North Carolina State. His finals victory came over two-time NCAA champion Tony Nelson of Minnesota. Even though he did not compete at this year's U.S. Open, Gwiz qualified for the U.S. World Team Trials in Madison by winning the NCAA championship. He has already had success on the senior level in freestyle. Last year Gwiazdowski placed seventh at the U.S. Open and fourth at the U.S. World Team Trials. His teammate Pete Renda won a FILA Junior National freestyle title this past weekend, and his assistant coach Jamill Kelly was a 2004 Olympic silver medalist in freestyle. Les Sigman Les Sigman, who trains with the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club, was on the 2010 U.S. World Team, but has not been able to get back to that level since. Last year he competed at 96 kilos, where he finished fifth at the U.S. Open. With his club teammate Jake Varner returning at 97 kilos, Sigman is back at heavyweight. Adeline Gray earned a World bronze medal in 2013 (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Adeline Gray The 23-year-old Adeline Gray has become the face of women's wrestling in the United States. She is currently ranked No. 1 in the world at 75 kilos. She has never made the U.S. Olympic Team, but was a World champion in 2012 and claimed a World bronze medal in both 2011 and 2013. She has been a University World champion and Junior World champion. Gray went 4-0 at the World Cup this year, and notched wins over a pair of past World champions and a World silver medalist. Gray won her World title at 67 kilos and has contemplated wrestling at 69 kilos, but has been competing at 75 kilos. Kelsey Campbell Kelsey Campbell, a 2012 Olympian, did not compete last season. She has battled inconsistency since returning to competition. She went 0-2 at the Minnesota Storm Holiday Classic in December. Earlier this year she failed to place at the Dave Schultz Memorial, but bounced back to earn a silver medal at the Golden Grand Prix and place fifth at the Klippan Lady Open. Campbell earned a spot on the U.S. World Cup team at 55 kilos by defeating Katherine Fulp-Allen. At the World Cup in mid-March she went winless in three matches and suffered an injury. Haley Augello was an undefeated national champion as a freshman (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Haley Augello Haley Augello is one of America's young, rising stars in women's wrestling. This past season as a freshman at King University she was an undefeated WCWA national champion. She was twice named ASICS High School Girls Wrestler of the Year. Augello won a Cadet World title in 2011 and competed at the Junior World Championships in 2012 and 2013. Last year she made her mark on the senior level, finishing runner-up at the U.S. Open and fifth at the U.S. World Team Trials. Augello will be looking to make her first U.S. World team on the senior level, but will have her work cut out for her. In the challenge tournament she will have to navigate her way through a field that includes Katherine Fulp-Allen, who defeated her at the Dave Schultz Memorial. If Augello does get past Fulp-Allen and others to make the best-of-three finals, she will meet U.S. Open champion Whitney Conder, a wrestler who has multiple wins over Augello in the past year.

Men's freestyle Greco-Roman Women's freestyle

Men's freestyle 57 kilos: 1st: Sam Hazewinkel tech. fall Andrew Hochstrasser, 11-0 3rd: Danny Mitcheff dec. Tyler Graff, 7-4 5th: Zach Sanders dec. Ryan Mango, 6-2 7th: Mark McKnight dec. Josh Heinzer, 15-12 61 kilos: 1st: Jimmy Kennedy dec. Coleman Scott, 7-2 3rd: B.J. Futrell tech. fall Matt McDonough, 10-0 5th: Joe Colon tech. fall Conor Beebe, 19-8 7th: Brandon Precin dec. Kyle Jahn, 9-3 65 kilos: 1st: Brent Metcalf dec. Kellen Russell, 9-0 3rd: Logan Stieber dec. Frank Molinaro, 4-2 5th: Reece Humphrey forfeit over Jordan Oliver 7th: Nick Dardanes dec. Jason Chamberlain, 2-1 70 kilos: 1st: Nick Marable dec. Moza Fay, 5-1 3rd: Kyle Ruschell dec. Kevin LeValley, 6-4 5th: James Green injury default over Jason Welch 7th: Adam Hall dec. Hunter Stieber, 10-3 74 kilos: 1st: Jordan Burroughs dec. David Taylor, 7-6 3rd: Tyler Caldwell dec. Quinton Godley, 3-1 5th: Taylor Massa dec. Thomas Gantt, 9-6 7th: Jesse Stafford tech. fall Connor Keating, 13-3 86 kilos: 1st: Keith Gavin dec. Clayton Foster, 7-4 3rd: Ed Ruth dec. Jon Reader, 12-11 5th: Robert Hamlin injury default over Phillip Keddy 7th: Quentin Wright by forfeit over Raymond Jordan. 97 kilos: 1st: Jake Varner dec. Wynn Michalak, 4-0 3rd: J.D. Bergman tech. fall Deron Winn, 10-0 5th: Micah Burak dec. David Zabriskie, 7-1 7th: Cam Simaz, tech. fall Evan Brown, 10-0 125 kilos: 1st: Tervel Dlagnev tech. fall Dom Bradley,10-0 3rd: Tyrell Fortune dec. Zack Rey, 4-1 5th: Jarod Trice dec. Matthew Meuleners, 6-3 7th: Justin Grant dec. Kyle Massey, 5-1 Greco-Roman 59 kilos: 1st: Spenser Mango dec. Joseph Betterman, 1-1 3rd: Jermaine Hodge dec. Max Nowry, 6-0 5th: Nikko Triggas tech. fall Nathan Engel, 10-2 7th: Dmitry Ryabchinskiy dec. Julian Gunnels, 10-5 66 kilos: 1st: RaVaughn Perkins pinned Ellis Coleman, 4:30 3rd: Bryce Saddoris dec. Jamel Johnson, 5-0 5th: Brian Graham dec. Marco Lara, 12-10 7th: Nick Alvarez dec. Thrasher Porcher, 10-5 71 kilos: 1st: Justin Lester tech. fall Pat Smith, 12-3 3rd: Bo Beckman dec. Santiago Martinez, 4-1 5th: Dillon Cowan dec. Anthonie Linares, 17-16 7th: Christopher Gonzalez dec. Robby Neill, 4-0 75 kilos: 1st: Andrew Bisek dec. John Anderson, 3-1 3rd: Geordan Speiller dec. Jake Fisher, 5-4 5th: John Stefanowicz injury default over Dylan Reel 7th: Alec Ortiz dec. Matthew Gray, 11-8 80 kilos: 1st: Kendrick Sanders dec. Aaron Sieracki, 2-1 3rd: Terrence Zaleski dec. Tarrence Williams, 13-9 5th: Jake Waste dec. Josh Greer, 9-2 7th: Joseph Uccellini pinned Patrick Martinez, 2:16 85 kilos: 1st: Jordan Holm tech. fall Zac Nielsen, 8-0 3rd: Peter Hicks dec. Mark Stenberg, 1-0 5th: Easton Hargrave dec. Courtney Myers, 10-5 7th: Lee Wildes by forfeit over Eugene Komissarov 98 kilos: 1st: Caylor Williams dec. John Wechter, 2-0 3rd: Daren Burns pinned Marcus Finau, 1:12 5th: Pete Gounaridis tech. fall Patrick Carey, 9-0 7th: Tyler Lehmann tech. fall Roy Nash, 8-0 130 kilos: 1st: Robby Smith tech. fall Toby Erickson, 8-0 3rd: Erik Nye pinned Nikola Bogojevic, 2:38 5th: Sam Stoll by injury default over O'Kala Makaiau 7th: Jake Kettler dec. Parker Betts, 5-3 Women's freestyle 48 kilos: 1st: Alyssa Lampe tech. fall Victoria Anthony, 10-0 3rd: Clarissa Chun tech. fall Erin Golston, 12-2 5th: Emily Webster dec. Cody Pfau, 14-12 7th: Amy Hou pinned Vanessa Smith, 2:19 53 kilos: 1st: Whitney Conder dec. Katherine Fulp-Allen, 2-0 3rd: Jessica Medina dec. Carlene Sluberski, 2-1 5th: Amy Fearnside pinned Laura Anderson, 3:24 7th: Sarah Allen pinned Madison Tung, 1:33 55 kilos: 1st: Helen Maroulis tech. fall Sarah Hildebrandt, 11-0 3rd: Jacarra Winchester dec. Hanna Grisewood, 6-0 5th: Rachel Archer dec. Cassidy Jasperson, 9-1 7th: Cara Romeike tech. fall Vanessa Gonzalez, 10-0 58 kilos: 1st: Alli Ragan pinned Trinity Griffin, 2:21 3rd: Michaela Hutchison dec. Othella Feroleto, 6-3 5th: Sally Roberts dec. Kayla Miracle, 4-2 7th: Melissa Apodaca tech. fall Areana Villaescusa, 11-0 60 kilos: 1st: Jennifer Page pinned Jenna Burkert, 1:53 3rd: Brieana Delgado dec. Shauna Isbell, 8-2 5th: Kristin Yamasaki dec. Beatrize Martinez, 9-3 63 kilos: 1st: Elena Pirozhkova dec. Erin Clodgo, 3-0 3rd: Leigh Jaynes tech. fall Olivia Seppinnedni, 12-1 5th: Shai Mason by forfeit over Amanda Hendey 7th: Deanna Betterman tech. fall,14-1 69 kilos: 1st: Randi Miller dec. Veronica Carlson, 3-1 3rd: Tamyra Mensah tech. fall Brittany David, 12-1 5th: Demi Strub dec. Amy Spafford, 14-9 7th: DeAngela Castex, by forfeit over Angelica Hernandez 75 kilos: 1st: Jackie Cataline pinned Iris Smith, 2:54 3rd: Julia Salata tech. fall Mary Westman, 10-0 5th: Lorrie Ramos pinned Kiaya Van Scoyoc, 5:57 7th: Anastasia Lobsinger dec. Heather O'Connor, 8-2

Related: Brackets | Placers | Champion Interviews LAS VEGAS -- USA Wrestling saved the best for last on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Jordan Burroughs after defeating David Taylor in the finals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)In the final match of the U.S. Open, Olympic champion Jordan Burroughs found himself in a 6-3 hole late in his finals match against David Taylor at 74 kilos. But the 25-year-old Burroughs dug deep, picking up two takedowns in the final 30 seconds, including the go-ahead takedown with 17 seconds remaining on the clock, to win 7-6 in dramatic fashion. He was named Outstanding Wrestler of the men's freestyle competition. Burroughs, a three-time World level champion, has a bye to the best-of-three finals of the U.S. World Team Trials. He will face the winner of the challenge tournament at 74 kilos, which is expected to include Taylor and potentially Kyle Dake and Andrew Howe. Another 2012 Olympic champion, Jake Varner, came through to win a U.S. Open title on Saturday night at 97 kilos. Varner, who did not compete in 2013, controlled Wynn Michalak from the opening whistle and won 4-0 in match that was never in doubt. Of the eight champions crowned in the men's freestyle competition on Saturday night, only Burroughs and Keith Gavin (86 kilos) were U.S. Open champions a year ago. Gavin, a U.S. World Team member last year, came in as the top seed and topped a red-hot Clayton Foster in the finals at 86 kilos, 7-4. Foster, a World Cup champion, started quickly, scoring two takedowns in the opening period to lead 4-0. But it was all Gavin the rest of the way as he scored seven unanswered points. Returning U.S. World Team members Brent Metcalf (65 kilos) and Tevel Dlagnev (125 kilos) claimed titles on Saturday night to put them in a strong position to get back on the U.S. World Team this year. Both beat returning U.S. Open champions. Metcalf came through arguably the deepest weight class in the men's freestyle competition, 65 kilos, which included past U.S. World Team members and Junior World medalists. Metcalf dominated Kellen Russell in the finals, 9-0, to win his first U.S. Open crown. The former University of Iowa wrestler led 1-0 after the opening period, but broke it wide open in the second period by scoring a variety of different ways. It was a rematch from last year's U.S. World Team Trials championship at 66 kilos, also won by Metcalf. Dlagnev, a four-time World or Olympic team member, earned a 10-0 technical fall victory over past Junior World champion Dom Bradley in the finals at 125 kilos. Dlagnev scored quickly with a low level attack, and then immediately followed up the takedown with a series of tilts to finish the match in the first period. Jimmy Kennedy (61 kilos) and Nick Marable (70), both ranked in the top 10 in the world, claimed their first U.S. Open titles. Kennedy, who trains at the Cliff Keen Wrestling Club in Ann Arbor, Mich., defeated 2012 Olympic bronze medalist Coleman Scott, 7-2, in the finals at 61 kilos. The match was tied 2-2 at the end of the first period, but Kennedy pulled away in the second period, scoring two takedowns to secure the victory. It was Kennedy's first win ever over Scott. Marable, who is best known in international wrestling for being the wrestler who snapped the 69-match win streak of Jordan Burroughs, grinded out a 5-1 victory over Moza Fay in the finals at 70 kilos. Sam Hazewinkel won his second U.S. Open title at 55 kilos, coming through as the No. 4 seed, which was the lowest seeded of any of the eight freestyle champions. He blanked Andrew Hochstrasser, 11-0, in the finals. The Titan Mercury Wrestling Club finished with the team championship in the men's freestyle competition. Spenser Mango defeated longtime teammate Joe Betterman (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)In the Greco-Roman competition, six of the eight titlists on Saturday night were U.S. World Team members last year. Those wrestlers include Spenser Mango (55 kilos), Justin Lester (71 kilos), Andy Bisek (74 kilos), Jordan Holm (86 kilos), Caylor Williams (98 kilos), and Robby Smith (130 kilos). Mango won his sixth U.S. Open title, edging four-time U.S. Open champion and U.S. Army teammate Joe Betterman in the finals on criteria. The match ended 1-1, but Mango won by scoring last. Betterman had beaten Mango in a previous meeting earlier this year at the Dave Schultz Memorial. Lester, a two-time World bronze medalist, captured his fifth U.S. Open title with a dominating 12-3 victory in the finals at 71 kilos over Pat Smith of the Minnesota Storm. Smith, a past University Nationals champion, scored with a takedown and pushout to lead 3-0 early. But Lester dominated the rest of the way, scoring with a series of takedowns and throws to run away with the victory. Bisek, a two-time U.S. World Team member, won a low-scoring battle over Jon Anderson of the U.S. Army, 3-1, in the finals at 74 kilos. Bisek was pushed in multiple matches throughout the tournament, but was able to find ways to win and come through as the No. 1 seed. Holm won his third U.S. Open title by blanking Minnesota Storm teammate Zac Nielsen, 8-0, in the finals at 85 kilos. He finished the competition with two shutout victories and a fall. Williams and Smith both won their first U.S. Open titles. Williams topped John Wechter, 2-0, in the finals at 98 kilos. Smith rolled to a 12-0 shutout victory over Toby Erickson in the finals at 130 kilos. Perhaps the biggest surprise in the Greco-Roman competition came at 66 kilos, where RaVaughn Perkins earned a fall over 2012 Olympian Ellis Coleman. Perkins trailed 4-1 in the second period before using a body lock to put Coleman on his back and earn the fall. Perkins earned Outstanding Wrestler honors in the Greco-Roman competition. Rising star Kendrick Sanders broke through to win his first U.S. Open title, beating Greco-Roman veteran Aaron Sieracki, 2-1, in the finals at 80 kilos. Last year Sanders was a runner-up at the U.S. Open and finished third at the U.S. World Team Trials. The team titles in Greco-Roman went to the U.S. Army in Division I and the Minnesota Storm in Division II. Alyssa Lampe proved to be too much for Victoria Anthony (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)World medalists Alyssa Lampe, Helen Maroulis, and Elena Pirozhkova were among the eight champions crowned in the women's freestyle competition on Saturday night. Lampe, who is currently ranked No. 1 in the world, proved to be too much for two-time Junior World champion Victoria Anthony in the finals at 48 kilos. Lampe, a two-time returning World bronze medalist, earned a 10-0 technical fall victory over Anthony, who advanced to the finals by defeating Clarissa Chun, an Olympic bronze medalist and World champion. Maroulis, a World silver medalist, also won by technical fall in the finals without surrendering a point. Her finals victory came over WCWA national champion Sarah Hildebrandt, 11-0. She was named Outstanding Wrestler in the women's freestyle competition. Pirozhkova, a World champion and 2012 Olympian, shut out Erin Clodgo, 3-0, in the finals at 63 kilos. It was Pirozhkova's sixth U.S. Open title. Randi Miller claimed her first U.S. Open title since 2008 with a 3-1 victory in the finals over 2013 World Team member Veronica Carlson at 69 kilos. Miller was an Olympic bronze medalist in 2008, but stepped away from the sport for five years and competed in MMA. Jennifer Page (60 kilos) and Jackie Cataline (75 kilos) both became first-time U.S. Open champions with falls in the finals, and both were dominant throughout the two-day competition. Page, competing at 60 kilos, won her first match by technical fall, and then followed it up with 5-0 shutout in the semifinals, before earning a fall over Jenna Burkert in the finals. Cataline had two technical fall shutout victories en route to reaching the finals at 75 kilos. In the finals she pinned Iris Smith, a past World champion and five-time U.S. Open champion, with a half nelson. Whitney Conder (53 kilos) and Alli Ragan (58 kilos) both won their second U.S. Open titles. Conder edged Katherine Fulp-Allen, 2-0, in the finals at 53 kilos. Ragan, a returning World Team member, won by fall in the first period over Trinity Griffin in the championship match at 58 kilos. Team championships in the women's freestyle competition went to the Titan Mercury Wrestling Club in Division I and the Sunkist Kids in Division II. The top seven finishers in the Olympic weight classes qualify for the U.S. World Team Trials. This year's Trials for men's freestyle and women's freestyle take place May 31-June 1 in Madison, Wis. The Trials for Greco-Roman are set for June 12-13 in Daytona Beach, Fla. Finals Results Men's freestyle: 57 kilos: Sam Hazewinkel tech. fall Andrew Hochstrasser, 11-0 61 kilos: Jimmy Kennedy dec. Coleman Scott, 7-2 65 kilos: Brent Metcalf dec. Kellen Russell, 9-0 70 kilos: Nick Marable dec. Moza Fay, 5-1 74 kilos: Jordan Burroughs dec. David Taylor, 7-6 86 kilos: Keith Gavin dec. Clayton Foster, 7-4 97 kilos: Jake Varner dec. Wynn Michalak, 4-0 125 kilos: Tevel Dlagnev tech. fall Dom Bradley, 10-0 Greco-Roman: 59 kilos: Spenser Mango dec. Joe Betterman, 1-1 66 kilos: RaVaughn Perkins pinned Ellis Coleman, 4:30 71 kilos: Justin Lester tech. fall Pat Smith, 12-3 75 kilos: Andy Bisek dec. John Anderson, 3-1 80 kilos: Kendrick Sanders dec. Aaron Sieracki, 2-1 85 kilos: Jordan Holm tech. fall Zac Nielsen, 8-0 98 kilos: Caylor Williams dec. John Wechter, 2-0 130 kilos: Robby Smith tech. fall Toby Erickson, 8-0 Women's freestyle 48 kilos: Alyssa Lampe tech. fall Victoria Anthony, 10-0 53 kilos: Whitney Conder dec. Katherine Fulp-Allen, 2-0 55 kilos: Helen Maroulis tech. fall Sarah Hildebrandt, 11-0 58 kilos: Alli Ragan pinned Trinity Griffin, 2:21 60 kilos: Jennifer Page pinned Jenna Burkert, 1:53 63 kilos: Elena Pirozhkova dec. Erin Clodgo, 3-0 69 kilos: Randi Miller dec. Veronica Carlson, 3-1 75 kilos: Jackie Cataline pinned Iris Smith, 2:54

LAS VEGAS -- Olympic champion Jordan Burroughs came from behind to defeat David Taylor, 7-6, at 74 kilos, in the final match, and main event, of the U.S. Open on Saturday night at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Twenty-four U.S. Open champions were crowned across three styles of wrestling. Check back later for a recap of the finals. Men's freestyle: 57 kilos: Sam Hazewinkel tech. fall Andrew Hochstrasser, 11-0 61 kilos: Jimmy Kennedy dec. Coleman Scott, 7-2 65 kilos: Brent Metcalf dec. Kellen Russell, 9-0 70 kilos: Nick Marable dec. Moza Fay, 5-1 74 kilos: Jordan Burroughs dec. David Taylor, 7-6 86 kilos: Keith Gavin dec. Clayton Foster, 7-4 97 kilos: Jake Varner dec. Wynn Michalak, 4-0 125 kilos: Tevel Dlagnev tech. fall Dom Bradley, 10-0 Greco-Roman: 59 kilos: Spenser Mango dec. Joe Betterman, 1-1 66 kilos: RaVaughn Perkins pinned Ellis Coleman, 4:30 71 kilos: Justin Lester tech. fall Pat Smith, 12-3 75 kilos: Andy Bisek dec. John Anderson, 3-1 80 kilos: Kendrick Sanders dec. Aaron Sieracki, 2-1 85 kilos: Jordan Holm tech. fall Zac Nielsen, 8-0 98 kilos: Caylor Williams dec. John Wechter, 2-0 130 kilos: Robby Smith tech. fall Toby Erickson, 8-0 Women's freestyle 48 kilos: Alyssa Lampe tech. fall Victoria Anthony, 10-0 53 kilos: Whitney Conder dec. Katherine Fulp-Allen, 2-0 55 kilos: Helen Maroulis tech. fall Sarah Hildebrandt, 11-0 58 kilos: Alli Ragan pinned Trinity Griffin, 2:21 60 kilos: Jennifer Page pinned Jenna Burkert, 1:53 63 kilos: Elena Pirozhkova dec. Erin Clodgo, 3-0 69 kilos: Randi Miller dec. Veronica Carlson, 3-1 75 kilos: Jackie Cataline pinned Iris Smith, 2:54

Mat 1 53 kilos: Whitney Conder dec. Katherine Fulp-Allen, 2-0 58 kilos: Alli Ragan pinned Trinity Griffin 69 kilos: Randi Miller dec. Veronica Carlson, 3-1 48 kilos: Alyssa Lampe tech. fall Victoria Anthony, 10-0 66 kilos: RaVaughn Perkins pinned Ellis Coleman 57 kilos: Sam Hazewinkel tech. fall Andrew Hochstrasser, 11-0 55 kilos: Helen Maroulis tech. fall Sarah Hildebrandt, 11-0 61 kilos: Jimmy Kennedy vs. Coleman Scott 65 kilos: Brent Metcalf vs. Kellen Russell 125 kilos: Tevel Dlagnev vs. Dom Bradley 70 kilos: Nick Marable vs. Moza Fay 86 kilos: Keith Gavin vs. Clayton Foster 63 kilos: Elena Pirozhkova vs. Erin Clodgo 71 kilos: Justin Lester vs. Pat Smith 97 kilos: Jake Varner vs. Wynn Michalak 74 kilos: Jordan Burroughs vs. David Taylor Mat 2 59 kilos: Spenser Mango dec. Joe Betterman, 1-1 75 kilos: Andy Bisek dec. John Anderson, 3-1 85 kilos: Jordan Holm tech. fall Zac Nielsen, 8-0 60 kilos: Jennifer Page pinned Jenna Burkert 80 kilos: Kendrick Sanders dec. Aaron Sieracki, 2-1 98 kilos: Caylor Williams dec. John Wechter, 2-0 75 kilos: Jackie Cataline pinned Iris Smith 130 kilos: Robby Smith tech. fall Toby Erickson, 8-0

LAS VEGAS -- Three past Cadet or Junior World champions now stand one best-of-three series away from getting another chance to compete for a World title. Aaron Pico blanked Zain Retherford in the finals, 7-0 (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Returning World champions Aaron Pico and Kyle Snyder, along with past Cadet World champion Adam Coon, claimed titles in the FILA Junior National freestyle competition on Saturday afternoon in Las Vegas. Pico, a high school sophomore and full-time freestyle wrestler, was unscored upon throughout the competition, racking up 61 points against his six opponents. He had five technical falls leading up to the finals. In the finals he won 7-0 over Zain Retherford in a battle of Cadet World champions. Pico won a Cadet World title last year, while Retherford won his World gold in 2012. Pico used three first-period takedowns to race out to 6-0 lead after the first period against Retherford, and then added a pushout in the second period. Snyder, a 2013 Junior World champion, registered five technical falls in five matches to win the title at 96 kilos. His finals victory came over Old Dominion wrestler Kevin Beazley, 10-0. Snyder has signed with Ohio State. Coon claimed the title at 120 kilos two days after winning the FILA Junior Greco-Roman competition. Like Snyder, Coon won each of his five matches by technical fall. In the finals he blanked OTC resident athlete Garrett Ryan, 11-0. Anthony Valencia edged Isaiah Martinez in the finals (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)The wildest and most controversial finals match took at place at 74 kilos between two California wrestlers, Anthony Valencia and Isaiah Martinez. Valencia, a high school junior at St. John Bosco, found his offense early and jumped out to an 8-1 lead. Martinez, a freshman at the University of Illinois, battled back and found himself down 10-6 in the final 30 seconds of the match. Martinez then took down Valencia and transitioned to a turn for a four-point move to knot the score at 10-10 with 16 seconds remaining. Valencia had the lead based on criteria, which in this case was number of two-point moves. Neither wrestled scored in the final 16 seconds and Valencia took the 10-10 victory on criteria. InterMat All-American Joey McKenna, a Stanford signee, won his first FILA Junior National title at 63 kilos after finishing fourth in the same weight class a year ago. He finished the competition with four technical fall victories and a 44-second pin in the semifinals. His finals victory came over University of Iowa wrestler Topher Carton, 10-0. Ohio State wrestler Nathan Tomasello made his first Junior World team at 55 kilos after finishing runner-up at both the FILA Junior Nationals and FILA Junior World Team Trials last year. Tomasello was untested up to the finals where he met InterMat All-American Stevan Micic, a Cadet World Team member last year. Micic, a Northwestern signee, scored the first point of the match on Tomasello with a pushout to go up 1-0. But Tomasello responded with a late first-period takedown and another takedown early in the second period to go up 4-1. Micic was able to cut the deficit to 4-3 after countering a Tomasello gut wrench attempt. However, Tomasello would eventually pull away with two late takedown for a five-point victory. Logan Massa, one of the nation's top wrestlers in the Class of 2015, crushed Junior National freestyle champion Ryan Blees, 10-0, in the finals at 70 kilos. Illinois natives Kirk Johansen, Zane Richards, and Ricky Robertson won titles. Johansen won by technical fall, 13-2, over Michael Beck in the finals at 50 kilos, scoring with a fireman's carry twice, and finishing the match with a bow-and-arrow turn. Richards, an NCAA qualifier this past season at the University of Illinois, rolled to a 12-0 technical fall victory in the finals at 60 kilos over Blair Academy wrestler Matthew Kolodzik. Robertson, who attends the University of Wisconsin, earned an 11-8 victory in the in the finals at 84 kilos over T.J. Dudley, an NCAA qualifier at the University of Nebraska. Pete Renda, an NCAA qualifier this past season at North Carolina State, captured the title at 79 kilos with a 13-2 technical fall victory in the finals over Army wrestler Brian Harvey. Renda won each of his matches throughout the tournament by technical fall. The champions earned the No. 1 position for the 2014 U.S. Junior World Team Trials, which take place on May 30 in Madison, Wis. That event will determine which wrestlers represent the United States at the 2014 FILA Junior World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia, Aug. 5-10 Finals Results: 50 kilos: Kirk Johansen dec. Michael Beck, 13-2 55 kilos: Nathan Tomasello dec. Stevan Micic, 10-5 60 kilos: Zane Richards tech. fall Matthew Kolodzik, 12-0 63 kilos: Joey McKenna tech. fall Topher Carton, 10-0 66 kilos: Aaron Pico dec. Zain Retherford, 7-0 70 kilos: Logan Massa tech. fall Ryan Blees, 10-0 74 kilos: Anthony Valencia dec. Isaiah Martinez, 10-10 79 kilos: Pete Renda tech. fall Brian Harvey, 13-2 84 kilos: Ricky Robertson dec. T.J. Dudley, 11-8 96 kilos: Kyle Snyder tech. fall Kevin Beazley, 10-0 120 kilos: Adame Coon tech. fall Garrett Ryan, 11-0

Men's freestyle: 57 kilos: Andrew Hochstrasser vs. Sam Hazewinkel 61 kilos: Jimmy Kennedy vs. Coleman Scott 65 kilos: Brent Metcalf vs. Kellen Russell 70 kilos: Nick Marable vs. Moza Fay 74 kilos: Jordan Burroughs vs. David Taylor 86 kilos: Keith Gavin vs. Clayton Foster 97 kilos: Jake Varner vs. Wynn Michalak 125 kilos: Tevel Dlagnev vs. Dom Bradley Greco-Roman: 59 kilos: Joe Betterman vs. Spenser Mango 66 kilos: Ellis Coleman vs. RaVaughn Perkins 71 kilos: Justin Lester vs. Pat Smith 75 kilos: Andy Bisek vs. John Anderson 80 kilos: Kendrick Sanders vs. Aaron Sieracki 85 kilos: Jordan Holm vs. Zac Nielsen 98 kilos: Caylor Williams vs. John Wechter 130 kilos: Robby Smith vs. Toby Erickson Women's freestyle 48 kilos: Alyssa Lampe vs. Victoria Anthony 53 kilos: Katherine Fulp-Allen vs. Whitney Condor 55 kilos: Helen Maroulis vs. Sarah Hildebrandt 58 kilos: Alli Ragan vs. Trinity Griffin 60 kilos: Jennifer Page vs. Jenna Burkert 63 kilos: Elena Pirozhkova vs. Erin Clodgo 69 kilos: Randi Miller vs. Veronica Carlson 75 kilos: Jackie Cataline vs. Iris Smith

LAS VEGAS -- Olympic champions Jordan Burroughs and Jake Varner, along with Olympic bronze medalist Coleman Scott, were among the 48 wrestlers to advance to the finals of the U.S. Open at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Jake Varner defeated Deron Winn in the semifinals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Burroughs was completely dominant on Friday, winning all four of his matches by technical fall to reach the finals at 74 kilos in men's freestyle. In the semifinals he blanked Quinton Godley, 10-0. Burroughs will face David Taylor in the finals in a rematch of last year's U.S. Open finals match at 74 kilos. Taylor earned a 4-0 shutout in the semifinals over Tyler Caldwell less than a month after the two wrestlers met in the NCAA finals at 165 pounds. Varner, who entered the event seeded No. 2, punched his ticket to the finals at 97 kilos in men's freestyle with a technical fall shutout, 11-0, over Deron Winn. The former Iowa State Cyclone outscored his opponents 24-2 on Friday. Varner will face Wynn Michalak in the finals. Michalak came from behind to earn a fall, by cradle, over top-seeded J.D. Bergman in the semifinals. The third-seeded Scott reached the finals by edging B.J. Futrell, 4-3, avenging a loss from the Dave Schultz Memorial. Futrell scored a late takedown to get within a point, but was unable to score in par terre. Scott will meet top-seeded Jimmy Kennedy in the finals. The two have a rivalry that dates back several years. Scott defeated Kennedy in the NCAA semifinals in 2008 en route to winning his NCAA championship. Clayton Foster and Ed Ruth battled at 86 kilos in arguably the most thrilling match of the semifinal round. Ruth raced out to a 5-0 lead early, but Foster responded with seven unanswered points to lead 7-5 after the opening period. The second period was back-and-forth, and Ruth took a 12-10 lead with a takedown in the final 20 seconds. Then, in the closing seconds, Foster attacked and scored a takedown as time expired. The call was challenged but upheld, and Foster took the 13-12 victory. Every No. 1 seed advanced to the finals in the Greco-Roman and women's freestyle competitions. Victoria Anthony came from behind to defeat Clarissa Chun (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Past World Team members Joe Betterman and Spenser Mango both cruised to the finals at 59 kilos in Greco-Roman. Betterman had two technical falls, and a first-period pin over Nikko Triggas in the semifinals. Mango was unscored upon in four matches, picking up three technical falls and a 5-0 victory over Jermaine Hodge in the semifinals. Four-time WCWA national champion Victoria Anthony mounted a late comeback to defeat Olympic bronze medalist and World champion Clarissa Chun, 6-3, in the semifinals at 48 kilos in women's freestyle. Chun controlled the action until late in the match when Anthony scored with a headlock to take the lead. Anthony will meet world No. 1 Alyssa Lampe, a two-time returning World bronze medalist, in the finals. The finals are scheduled for Saturday at 6:30 p.m. PT. Semifinal Results Men's Freestyle 57 kilos: Sam Hazewinkel dec. Zach Sanders, 9-7 Andrew Hochstrasser pinned Tyler Graff, 5:04 61 kilos: Jimmy Kennedy tech. fall Matt McDonough, 10-0 Coleman Scott dec. B.J. Futrell, 4-3 65 kilos: Brent Metcalf tech. fall Reece Humphrey, 10-0 Kellen Russell dec. Jordan Oliver, 4-2 70 kilos: Nick Marable dec. James Green, 5-1 Moza Fay tech. fall Kevin LeValley, 14-4 74 kilos: Jordan Burroughs tech. fall Quinton Godley, 10-0 David Taylor dec. Tyler Caldwell, 4-0 86 kilos: Keith Gavin dec. Jon Reader, 5-0 Clayton Foster dec. Ed Ruth, 13-12 97 kilos: Wynn Michalak pinned J.D. Bergman, 5:20 Jake Varner tech. fall Deron Winn, 11-0 125 kilos: Tevel Dlagnev tech. fall Matt Meuleners, 10-0 Dom Bradley dec. Tyrell Fortune, 6-1 Greco-Roman 59 kilos: Joe Betterman pinned Nikko Triggas, 1:56 Spenser Mango dec. Jermaine Hodge, 5-0 66 kilos: Ellis Coleman tech. fall Jamel Johnson, 8-0 RaVaughn Perkins dec. Bryce Saddoris, 10-6 71 kilos: Justin Lester tech. fall Santiago Martinez, 9-0 Pat Smith dec. Bo Beckman, 2-0 75 kilos: Andy Bisek dec. Geordan Speiller, 10-7 John Anderson dec. Jake Fisher, 2-1 80 kilos: Aaron Sieracki tech. fall Josh Greer, 8-0 Kendrick Sanders dec. Tarrence Williams, 7-0 85 kilos: Jordan Holm pinned Mark Stenberg, 4:33 Zac Nielsen tech. fall Peter Hicks, 8-0 98 kilos: Caylor Williams dec. Daren Burns, 9-4 John Wechter dec. Marcus Finau, 4-1 130 kilos: Robby Smith tech. fall Sam Stoll, 10-0 Toby Erickson tech. fall Nikola Bogojevic, 8-0 Women's Freestyle 48 kilos: Alyssa Lampe tech. fall Erin Golston, 11-1 Victoria Anthony dec. Clarissa Chun, 6-3 53 kilos: Katherine Fulp-Allen tech. fall Carlene Sluberski, 13-0 Whitney Condor dec. Jessica Medina, 10-2 55 kilos: Helen Maroulis tech. fall Hanna Grisewood, 10-0 Sarah Hildebrandt dec. Jacarra Winchester, 6-4 58 kilos: Alli Ragan dec. Michaela Hutchison, 6-4 Trinity Griffin tech. fall Othella Feroleto, 13-2 60 kilos: Jennifer Page dec. Shauna Isbell, 5-0 Jenna Burkert pinned Brieana Delgado, 1:38 63 kilos: Elena Pirozhkova tech. fall Shai Mason, 10-0 Erin Clodgo tech. fall Amdanda Hendey, 10-0 69 kilos: Randi Miller tech. fall Brittany David, 10-0 Veronica Carlson tech. fall Tamayra Mensah, 10-0 75 kilos: Jackie Cataline tech. fall Mary Westman, 12-0 Iris Smith dec. Julia Salata, 12-4