InterMat Staff

UFC 164 had an intriguing main card, and last weekend's action more than lived up to the hype. With the fights in the rear view mirror, what's next for Anthony Pettis now that he's won the lightweight title? Can Josh Barnett contend at heavyweight after thumping Frank Mir? How does the featherweight division look after impressive wins by Chad Mendes and Dustin Poirier? Richard and John answer those questions and preview Bellator's upcoming event, headlined by a middleweight title defense by Alexander Shlemenko against Brett Cooper. Do you want to listen to a past episode? Access archives.

Wright Thompson and Dan Gable will go "On the Mat" this Wednesday, Sept. 4. “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 PM Central 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. Thompson is a senior writer for ESPN.com and ESPN: The Magazine. He was also the narrator for two 30 for 30 films on ESPN. Thompson recently wrote “The Losses of Dan Gable” for ESPN. Gable is the namesake of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. He won a gold medal at the 1972 Munich Olympics without surrendering a point. Gable also coached the University of Iowa wrestling team (1977-1997) to 15 NCAA championships.

The wrestling community is eagerly anticipating the release of "Foxcatcher," the movie about legendary wrestling brothers Mark and Dave Schultz. The Hollywood movie -- starring Channing Tatum as Mark Schultz, Mark Ruffalo as Dave Schultz, and Steve Carell as John du Pont, Dave's murderer -- is slated for release to theaters Dec. 20. However, wrestling fans may not be aware that a documentary about Dave Schultz has been in the works for a number of years, a project guided by Nancy Schultz, Dave's widow, along with filmmaker Jon Greenhalgh, and executive producers Jeremy Bailer and Ben Hatta. This documentary -- yet to be officially titled, but referred to by those working on the film as "The Dave Schultz Project" -- has an anticipated release date within a month or so of the "Foxcatcher" movie arriving in theaters at Christmastime. Years in the making Dave SchultzThis documentary is NOT a quick response to the upcoming "Foxcatcher" film, directed by Bennett Miller ... but a long-in-the-works project by individuals who have long been a part of the wrestling community. "We've been working on this project for about five years," said Nancy Schultz. "However, I was hesitant to give John du Pont any more publicity. He continued to harass us even from prison, having our kids followed." "Once he died, it opened the door to really move forward with the project." John du Pont died in a Pennsylvania prison in December 2010. In addition to Nancy Schultz, other major players in the Dave Schultz documentary project include filmmakers Jon Greenhalgh and John Hyams, who worked together on "The Smashing Machine," the well-received 2002 documentary on former wrestler-turned-MMA phenom Mark Kerr. Jon Greenhalgh is also the son of Sonny Greenhalgh, who, for decades, was in charge of the wrestling program at the New York Athletic Club. Executive producer Jeremy Bailer also has deep roots in the sport of wrestling. "I started wrestling in the third grade," Bailer told InterMat. "I grew up in northwest New Jersey, and wrestled in high school. I played other sports too but wrestling was the only sport that gave me the skills to use in the real world." "That's why I'm doing this documentary. Our film -- along with "Foxcatcher" -- will help others see the value of wrestling." Bailer went to the University of Pennsylvania, where, as he put it, "my coach was tight with Dave and Nancy. Many of the other Penn wrestlers had worked out with Dave when I was a freshman." (The Foxcatcher estate, where John du Pont lived and had established a training facility for international wrestling, is located outside Philadelphia, home to Penn.) Years later, Bailer established his career as someone who raises funds to make independent films. "Nancy was working on trying to raise money for a documentary," said Bailer. "I wanted to help Nancy." "Our project has been well underway for at least a year-and-a-half to two years." The structure of the documentary When asked to describe the structure of the Dave Schultz documentary, Jeremy Bailer responded, "It's essentially the same story as 'Foxcatcher.'" A key element of that story would be the Jan. 1996 murder of Dave Schultz as he was working on his car in front of the house where he, Nancy and their two young children, Danielle and Alexander, lived on the Foxcatcher estate where he served as wrestling coach. Schultz was shot in the head by John du Pont, owner of the estate and the training facility, and financial supporter of international-style wrestling in the U.S., who then barricaded himself in his mansion on the estate grounds until he surrendered to police days later. Both Bailer and Nancy Schultz stated that the "Foxcatcher" movie is based on Mark Schultz's story, and is based on his perspective as the younger brother of Dave. Nancy SchultzAs Nancy put it, "'Foxcatcher' is very much Mark Schultz's story, based on truth. In our documentary, we want to focus on Dave, how he got started, and all aspects of his life, without forgetting his great personality that made him a hero in places like Russia and Iran." "We will have interviews with Dave's high school coach, his teammates back then and in college. We'll also show our kids today, and show how the wrestling family has done such a great job taking care of us." Bailer's goal for the documentary is to tell the story of two brothers in wrestling to be from a multi-dimensional perspective, saying, "I want to see Nancy's story, Mark's story, Dave's story, and other wrestlers' stories." "From the beginning, we wanted to be respectful of Nancy." "We're going to have an awesome film," said Bailer. "It'll be an intense portrait of what happened." The executive producer continued, "It's not a wrestling movie, it's a murder documentary. A high-profile, rich-man murder documentary." "We've been doing interviews with family members, wrestlers who were on the (Foxcatcher) farm as well as high-profile wrestlers and coaches of that era, along with prosecutors, lawyers and others." To provide a sense of the scope of the project, Jeremy Bailer told InterMat, "We've shot over 800 hours of footage." Nancy Schultz echoed Bailer's statements by saying, "Jon Greenhalgh and John Hyams have interviewed hundreds of people, the D.A., prosecutors, John's (du Pont) lawyers, wrestlers." "We have tons of film, including home movies, and wrestling footage from Olympics, Goodwill Games, and more," Schultz continued. "I just spent five days in Boise (Idaho) with the guy who was USA Wrestling's videographer, who has a garage-full of tapes. Over the years, I think we've taken twelve to sixteen trips just to find footage." "We plan to incorporate action footage and still photos to tell the story. To transport you back to Foxcatcher during time period from 1986 to 1996." Cooperation, not competition It would be easy to imagine -- incorrectly -- that there might be some competition between the team putting together the Dave Schultz documentary, and those working on the "Foxcatcher" Hollywood movie. Instead, there is a spirit of cooperation. "Nancy and Mark Ruffalo have worked together on �Foxcatcher'" according to Jeremy Bailer. "I've been on the set of �Foxcatcher' a few times," added Nancy Schultz. "Everyone working on that movie is fantastic." "Both Mark Ruffalo and Channing Tatum have said they'd help promote our documentary." A positive experience In talking about the long process in assembling the elements of the documentary, Nancy Schultz told InterMat, "It was exciting to put together. Very rewarding." "It's been so much fun to introduce folks to each other. Wonderful to see how open people are to sharing their stories and experiences." "The highlights are incredible," Schultz added. "Jaws will drop. We have thousands of photos to share." "It's been 17 years since Dave's death, and people are still very much interested in it." "Our film will answer questions, and ask others," Schultz continued. "We want to let people come to their own conclusions." As Jeremy Bailer put it, "Without John du Pont, we would not have had the success we had in international wrestling in the late 1980s and into the 90s. So, a prime question has to be: How did du Pont go from being a philanthropist to a crazed murderer?" "We're getting closer to the finish line. We're working to be done by the end of the year," said Bailer. "We need to get the film down to a final cut, then shop it around," said Bailer. "Our goal is to have it in theaters, but TV is an option."

When college wrestling fans learned of the elimination of the wrestling program at Boston University on April 1, the first thought was, "This has to be a cruel April Fools' Day joke." Sadly, for the Boston Terriers wrestlers, coaches and fans, it was no joke ... but a cruel reality. Their program would be gone at the completion of the 2013-14 season. Now, two documentary filmmakers are embarking on a project to chronicle that last season of Boston University wrestling -- and, ideally, help save the program -- with a new documentary film titled "It Hurts to Win." Wrestling fans from Boston and beyond are invited to help make this film a reality ... by supporting its online fundraising campaign. The "It Hurts to Win" documentary fundraising website describes the film as "the story of the final season of the Boston University wrestling program. After being unexpectedly dropped at the end of the 2012-2013 season, the Terriers were given one final year (2013-2014) to compete and represent the university. This film will document the season, the wrestlers, the coaches, and the local wrestling community. Additionally, the film will also attempt to further investigate why the men's wrestling program was so unexpectedly and unceremoniously dropped." Background on the decision to eliminate BU wrestling Carl AdamsCarl Adams, a two-time NCAA champ for Iowa State in the early 1970s (and a teammate of Olympic medalists Ben Peterson and Chris Taylor), had come to Boston University in 1981 to become head coach. Under Adams' leadership, the Terriers compiled a 292-195-7 overall record. In the past three decades, BU had sent 61 wrestlers to the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships for a total of 96 appearances; four earned All-American honors. The decision to axe the Boston University wrestling program was announced on April 1, ten days after the conclusion of the 2013 NCAAs. In making the announcement, BU's Director of Athletics Mike Lynch said, "This obviously been a very difficult decision to make. I understand the impact this will have on our staff and students. However, we have to strategically use our resources in the most efficient and effective manner, and the decision to move forward without wrestling, though difficult, is the right one for Boston University." Senior Vice President Todd Klipp added, "Like all University academic and administrative units, the Department of Athletics is constantly assessing its strategic priorities. That process can necessitate making difficult decisions like this one." With the announcement, BU made it clear that all student-athletes currently receiving wrestling scholarships would have those scholarships honored for the remainder of their undergraduate careers at the school. Wrestlers seeking to continue their athletic careers at other schools would be eligible to transfer immediately under NCAA guidelines. Nearly half of the 25-man wrestling team roster were juniors at the time of the announcement. The decision to continue the program one more season was so these members of the Class of 2014 could complete their academic and wrestling careers at Boston University, according to the school's press statement. Meet the filmmakers Michael AbelsonThe filmmakers, Michael Abelson and Brandon Lavoie, bring unique, complimentary experiences to "It Hurts to Win." "My father wrestled in high school, and took me to a lot of meets," Abelson, a 2013 journalism graduate from the University of Rhode Island, told InterMat. "The NCAAs are a must-see TV event in our household." In addition to being a lifelong wrestling fan, Abelson is a sportswriter who has written for publications throughout New England, including ESPN Boston, the Eagle-Tribune and the New Hampshire Union Leader. Lavoie, a lacrosse player, attends Emerson College where he is currently earning a degree in film production, with focuses in directing and cinematography. Brandon was a member of the production crew at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival and has assisted on many student and professional film sets, including the short film "Caleb," the "Black & White Tribeca Interview Series," and "Key Ingredients," a film-inspired cooking event hosted by The Food Network in conjunction with Tribeca Film. Brandon LavoieAccording to the film's fundraising website, "Brandon's knowledge of film production, direction, and camerawork will compliment Michael's expertise and experience with collegiate athletics and his ability to ask meaningful questions in important interviews. As a team, we not only believe that we can succeed in this task and make this film, but that we can do it in the most compelling way possible." A vision for this film "There are lots of layers to this story," Lavoie told InterMat. "For starters, look at what Coach Adams has built. He's turned kids into men. Men who are now winners in life, in their careers." "The program is nationally recognized for its graduation rate across all sports," Lavoie continued. Given those successes, why did Boston University eliminate its wrestling program? "Coach Adams said they were blindsided by the decision," said Lavoie. "The school hasn't really said why the program is being eliminated," said Abelson. "The school has not provided a direct answer." A goal of "It Hurts to Win" is to seek answers to those questions ... and provide a platform for Terrier wrestlers and coaches. "We want to let them tell their stories, as well as answer bigger questions," said Lavoie. "We seek to provide answers as to why things like this happen." "We've talked to Coach Adams and the wrestlers, and they are 100% on board," said Abelson. Using crowdsourcing as a fundraising tool The makers of "It Hurts to Win" anticipate it will take $25,000 to complete their documentary on the final season of the Boston University wrestling program. According to their fundraising website, that budget would cover travel expenses (so the filmmakers can accompany the team on road trips), production equipment (cameras and related accessories), post-production, and festival submissions (submitting the completed film to festivals to ensure wider distribution). To bring their film to reality, Abelson and Lavoie have chosen to raise funds online. "As a film school student, I saw a lot of folks go to crowdsourcing websites such as Kickstarter or indiegogo," said Brandon Lavoie. With that in mind, the two filmmakers have created a fundraising website at indiegogo, which allows wrestling supporters to contribute financially to the making of the movie quickly and easily online. However, as Lavoie points out, "Crowdsourcing websites are time-sensitive. There's a 30-day window for accepting gifts." "We're actively seeking help from the entire wrestling community," said Mike Abelson. "We don't want to let another wrestling program to die quietly in a tiny article in the back of the newspaper." "Alumni is doing what they can to save the program." Abelson continued. "We're trying to tell the program's story and see what ultimately happens." As the makers of "It Hurts to Win" state on their fundraising website, "Our hope is that the audience will leave the film with a better understanding of who is affected when a collegiate athletics program is cut, and the emotional toll it takes on all of the individuals involved. Especially with a sport like wrestling, the loss of a program is much more than a small brief in the sports section; it's the loss of a passion. It is also our hope to convey that at the base of everything, this is an emotional story of loss, betrayal and perseverance in the face of adversity -- which are all very relatable to the lives of most people." To make a financial contribution to the making of this documentary -- and to learn other ways to support the filmmakers' efforts -- visit the fundraising website for "It Hurts to Win" and follow their progress on Twitter.

InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account. Do you want to read a past mailbag? Access archives. There are nine days until the International Olympic Committee (IOC) makes its decision at their 125th Session in Buenos Aires, and the odds are good that wrestling will be back in the Olympic program for 2020 and 2024. And yet how we arrive back in the Olympics, and for how long, will help influence the direction of the sport. The first vote of the IOC session will be whether or not to adopt the IOC Executive Board's recommendation of 25 core sports. You'll remember that the number 25 was meant to help manage the number of Olympic athletes for future bids (10,500), which is an important consideration for future bid cities. The initiative is a tent post of Jacques Rogge's presidency and important to his legacy. Despite the importance to Rogge, that first vote might very well go bonkers. The IOC is a big body of well-intentioned, very intelligent bureaucrats filled with a variety of opinions. Yes, a small committee decided to cut wrestling, but it's been the larger body that has been made to pay for that decision. Nobody likes being picked on, and the IOC General Assembly has been awash in embarrassment for six months. This means that when the vote on 25 core sports is called to the floor, you can be almost assured that at least one member -- likely from a wrestling-nation -- will stand to make a motion that the recommendation be amended to either include wrestling, or simply kill the whole damn thing. Were that type of motion to pass, wrestling would be back as a core Olympic sport. That would be a comfortable spot for FILA and the wrestling community -- rather than undergoing a protracted eight-year battle to climb from "provisional" to "core" wrestling could focus on the type of gradual growth necessary to become a more relevant international sport. It would also save wasting valuable human capital on appealing for the attention and adoration of the IOC. It's an appealing scenario, but also an unlikely one. So if the votes go down as expected and wrestling is added as a provisional sport, what then? FILA and the rest of the wrestling community will need to introduce a new round of improvements in the hopes of appeasing the new IOC President and having him re-institute wrestling as a core sport. The next level of changes will be the more important ones to consider and will take a sustained interest in the sport, and powerful leadership at FILA and the national federation level. Nenad LalovicDuring yesterday's Google Hangout, FILA President Nenad Lalovic said that his top priority was to professionalize FILA, modernize its governance and organize its marketing platform in a manner similar to FIBA and FIFA. That means in-house media operations, events, and several other departments will all be formed in the hopes of creating a better product, more revenue, and thus become an attractive addition to the Olympic family. That won't be easy conversation to have with the existing members of the FILA Bureau and membership. Though far from the totally corrupt body being posited by some, they are an engrained institution use to a modus operandi free of scrutiny and outside influence. For readers and wrestling fans who are utterly discontent with the organization, there might be no reparation achievable that could temper their distaste with what has transpired the past 15 years. But there is hope for the organization. In addition to Lalovic's leadership, a third of the FILA Bureau will be up for re-election in September of 2014, which means they'll be asked by the membership how they plan to help modernize the sport, bring in profits, and otherwise create a more professional organization in-line with what Lalovic has outlined. There will be some turnover, and with the carrot of being a core sport dangling in front of them, and with change as the new popular method of leadership, it should be a reinvigorated body. Change is gradual and painful. The old ways of doing business -- whether it's gender inequality or bureau gluttony -- can be eliminated by progressive thought, vigilance and votes. It's our job as wrestlers, coaches, fans and media to dream up new ideas, be daring in our presentation and help preserve our sport with bottom-up professionalism and inspiration. To your questions ... Q: FILA still has a long way to go to market this awesome product. I found your link to the Sasaki vs. Akkoyun match. It was fantastic. I then forwarded the link and found it's now a dead link. I then searched Google for "Sasaki vs Akkoyun" and I can't find the video. If FILA isn't highlighting one of the most existing matches of the World Championships, we've got a big problem! -- Mark H. Foley: There are too many databases right now. If you go into Dartfish and search by name and bout number you should be able to re-establish the connection. If not, send me a note and I'll ask when they will have the matches stored onto the new database. Interesting note on the match: The Turkish coaches, of which there were no fewer than 430, were rushing and screaming from so many angles that I was legitimately concerned there was going to be some sort of physical altercation. The guys on camera were bad enough, but the club-level coaches behind the camera were bouncing about and throwing stuff in such a hissy that a few of the referees on the sidelines were trying to restrain them. Can you imagine the awfulness of having to stream onto the mat and start a fight? We'd be watching it on Deadspin and ESPN for a month, and we'd be at serious risk of losing the bid. Given the future of wrestling and getting more girls to participate in the sport ... I thought you might find the attached article interesting. -- Chris A. Foley: I don't know much about the legalese of what is going on, but it seems to me that the court sent it back to the PIAA to come up with better guidelines. If they do that, you'll see the men kicked from the women's teams. However, in compliance with Title IX the women on the men's teams will be allowed to continue playing based on the ruling that they are the "under-represented sex." As a side note, I think it's ridiculous for high school kids to show up to a field hockey match and ridicule girls for not competing well with the boys. Teenagers can be losers, and I'd like slap these pimply-faced brats, but I'm not sure we should have judges trying to prevent this behavior. Q: Did you see where Lalovic that they were going to work with TV on changing "wrestlers kits?" I bet you are excited! -- @Parkviewwrestle Foley: THRILLED. Why haven't I received more emails from someone trying to make a buck from a new design? I don't need flames, or animated characters jumping through my chest. I just want the actual clothing design that reduces the groin bulge, can be marketed outside of the wrestling room (Think: 42-year-old gym rat in Tennessee wearing Hawkeye wrestling gear), and meets all safety concerns. I promise whoever designs this, or can find someone to design it, that I will work to get it onto several high school and college mats. This is a million-dollar industry with no current investment. Q: Your thoughts on Tour ACW? -- Jason R. Foley: Looking forward to the Oct. 20 event. Hoping that there is a big turnout and that Teague's push to create a way for post-collegiate athletes to compete will result in an ongoing commitment to the sport. Coach Moore is a hard worker and I'm pretty optimistic that there will be some media on hand to watch the event and that we'll see plenty of offensive wrestling. Q: Will we ever see a women's NCAA wrestling tournament and how many women's wrestling teams are there or do some women have to compete on the men's teams? -- Gregg Y. Foley: I'm hopeful, but it won't be for several more years. Wrestling needs to take the lead. I've seen the response to women's wrestling and it's incredible. If men's wrestling wants to exist and prosper, they'll need to recruit more women. Still the politics and troubles of adding a women's program to the Division I level make an NCAA tournament an unlikely event to occur in the near future. The potential energy is there, when presented the option FANS LOVE WOMEN'S WRESTLING, but I'm suspect that we have the collective desire to take these women's programs from the NAIA leverage a program to become the first Division I program. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME "Wrestlers in the offseason" Ha! Fresno State president Dr. Joseph Castro was recently asked the possibility of wrestling returning as a varsity sport. His response. Who ya got, Ben Askren or Quentin Wright? Q: Do you think club wrestling on college campuses has helped to maintain or grow interest in the sport? Schools without programs absorb former wrestlers and there are few opportunities to maintain culture & interest. -- @NHoughSnee Foley: That might be a logical next step for Tour ACW or any other organization looking to make some scratch from guys looking to have a fun weekend of wrestling. The club team level isn't bad (I think Central Florida has a nice program), but maybe growing at that level will help the sport in America. I'm still the takedown-only guy. Having visited quite a few countries with powerful wrestling traditions, the key to success is the simplicity of the takedown-only style and how that allows for higher entertainment value. Since there has yet to be one of these tournaments, I'm thinking of starting my own out in Chicago. Get some beers for the fans, some music and meet in the park for a family-friendly carnival atmosphere with some takedown wrestling. If you want MORE wrestlers than the sport needs to be fun and accessible, which means simple rules and focusing on entertainment value. Jon Jay Chavez claimed a bronze at the Cadet WorldsQ: Quite a statement by the wrestlers from California at the Cadet World Championships. Of the three medalists from the boys side two were from California. Aaron Pico won gold and Cade Olivas, a rising freshman, earned a bronze. John Jay Chavez, a transplanted wrestler from Cali (now Idaho) also had a bronze. The Greco team had half of the wrestlers from Utah. I am guessing one Justin Ruiz could be responsible, but that is just a guess. On the girls side half of the wrestlers were from California and two of the three medalists. The other was from Hawaii. Why are all of these wrestlers from the West? Is this a trend or an aberration? -- Dave A. Foley: Ivan Ivanov is in Idaho and I think he's a big part of the success ... Justin Ruiz as well. California and Hawaii were some of the first states to adopt women's wrestling and are seeing that progressive investment pay off on the world stage. Girls in Virginia don't have the same opportunities to roll so therefore you see fewer on the team. If you want you can build that theory out and apply it to the world of women's wrestling. Japan and Ukraine invested in women early and those programs led to early Olympic success. It's not one-to-one, but with more investment in creating opportunities, there is an increased likelihood of positive results years later. COMMENT OF THE WEEK! (MUST READ) By @german633 Let's face it. A lot of wrestling fans are luddites. They don't exactly embrace technology. The Internet has gained acceptance among them, and they feel pretty good about their ability to email their grandchildren. But, don't even bring up Snapchat. They can't embrace such an ephemeral form of technology. It takes them more than a few seconds to focus on a pic. By the time they're all settled in and ready, it's gone. But, Twitter. You've advised them to sign on, and, being an old fart and a loyal reader, I gingerly approached the Internet one day, and hesitantly came up with a profile name. After a few aborted attempts to figure the danged thang out, I started following a few folks. First, I followed you, Mr. Foley. Thanks for the tweets from overseas and the input on how we can save wrestling. Yes. Singlets are destroying our sport. Then I started following Flowrestling. I actually used them to figure out what was happening at the World Team Trials in June. To Flowrestling, let me say: Good job, dudes! (Handy etiquette tip: Everyone at Flowrestling should be addressed as "dude.") And now here I am a few months in. I'm following just about every wrestler you can shake a stick at, and I can tell you, I've learned a lot about these kids. They like to eat. They like video games. And, for some reason they think "You're Next" seems like a good idea for a movie. But, for your readers who may still be holding back, waiting to see if Twitter is really going to take off, I would like to offer a service. What follows is my first ever 'Mid-Year Wrestler's Twitter Overview.' I've chosen some of the more popular tweeters and for each I provide a brief synopsis of their tweet-style and an over-all grade. Use this guide to decide whose FOLLOW button you should click, and whose you should avoid like those awful MRSA ads in WIN Magazine. Logan and Hunter Stieber: Taken together, the Stiebers' tweets constitute a slow-motion reality series where the guys hang with friends, pose with their legions of tow-headed followers, and just generally exist in a world far removed from Sarin gas and Miley Cyrus' twerking. And, even if the cute factor gets a bit high on occasion, I still demand a reality series! Besides, I've already found myself becoming inordinately interested in whether Logan is napping and what junk food they are eating just now. Grade: A Jordan Burroughs: Lots of inspirational quotes sprinkled in with scripture, as well as the occasional retweet. Like a double leg takedown, he gets the job done. But a little personality would be nice. Grade: B Kyle Dake: After his one low (the sad "I will get better" tweeted after his loss to Burroughs), Kid Dynamite seems to be all grins and blonde hair. Slightly narcissistic on occasion, but, hey, he's got four NCAAs. Grade: B- David Taylor and Kendra Kennedy: These two are too cute. David may not have beaten Dake yet (yeah, I said "yet") but he wins over and over in the tweet contest. Reading David and Kendra's tweets is like eavesdropping on the newlyweds next door. And, I felt like I was right there with them in Bed, Bath & Beyond. Grade: A Destin McCauley: Sounding like a washed-up former member of a nineties boy band, Destin seems to always be addressing the ladies. Of course, those ladies are in Lincoln, Nebraska. So, go figure. Grade: F Tony Ramos: If there was any justice in the world, Tony's tweets would come across like an ad for an anger management course. Instead, he seems ... uh ... nice. No, really. And, it was sort of moving when he asked his brother to be his best man. Grade: B+ Nick Sulzer: I started following him because he and Logan Stieber seem like good friends. Pithy observations and all around good guy-isms. I want a best friend like Nick (not the slightly-reformed alcoholic one I have now). Grade: A+ Hudson Taylor: Is he angling to run for public office? Pretty much all gay oriented ... which is fine, but I always leave feeling that I'm just not doing enough to stop the persecution of gay people in Russia. Grade: C Nico Megaludis: I was so glad when he asked why everyone says he runs like a duck. We've all seen him run onto the mats at the Big Tens and NCAAs. Yup. He runs like a duck. Grade: A Kellen Russell: He has some huskies. And one's ADORABLE. Other than that, I'm not sure that Kellen actually exists. Grade: D Jake Herbert: In the know and known by all. He's the King of retweets. Grade: A

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Head coach Cael Sanderson and the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team have put together an exciting schedule for the 2013-14 season, with eight home duals and a strong slate of road action. As part of the home schedule, the Nittany Lions will return to the Bryce Jordan Center for a dual meet for the first time since 2005. Please note that all Penn State athletic schedules are pending approval by the Faculty Senate. The season starts with a team trip to the Binghamton Open at the University of Binghamton in New York. The one-day tournament is set for Sunday, Nov. 10, at BU. Penn State, three-time defending NCAA and Big Ten Champions, begins dual meet action with a mid-November road trip to Rider and Lehigh. The Nittany Lions open up the 2013-14 slate at Rider on Saturday, Nov. 16, in a 6 p.m. dual. The next day, Penn State visits long-time in-state rival Lehigh for a 3 p.m. match-up on Sunday, Nov. 17. Penn State gives fans eight home duals this year, beginning with the home opener in Rec Hall on Sunday, Nov. 24. The Nittany Lions welcome the Lock Haven Bald Eagles for a 2 p.m. match-up on that day. Penn State will then visit Boston University for the first time in school history. The Nittany Lions and the Terriers will tangle on Friday, Dec. 6, at 7 p.m. Dual meet wrestling returns to the Bryce Jordan Center for the first time since 2005 when the Nittany Lions host traditional in-state rival Pittsburgh on Dec. 8. The dual is set for 2 p.m. The last time Penn State wrestled a dual meet in the BJC was Feb. 8, 2005, against Ohio State. The Pitt dual will be the sixth Nittany Lion dual meet held in the venue. The Penn State single-dual attendance record (11,275) was set in the BJC when the Nittany Lions hosted Iowa on Dec. 6, 1996. The next weekend, Penn State opens up Big Ten action by hosting Ohio State in Rec Hall. The Lions and Buckeyes will tangle at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 15. The Nittany Lions will once again ring in the New Year in Chattanooga, Tenn., as the squad will look to win its fourth straight Southern Scuffle title. Penn State will take part in the nation's premier team scored regular season tournament on Jan. 1-2, 2014, at UT-Chattanooga. Rec Hall will be the site of Penn State's next action when the Lions welcome Big Ten foe Purdue to the building on Sun., Jan. 12, for a 2 p.m. clash. The Lions then visit Indiana on Friday, Feb. 17, at 7 p.m., before returning home quickly to host Northwestern on Sunday, Jan. 19, at 2 p.m. in Rec Hall. Another Big Ten opponent visits Rec Hall on Friday, Feb. 24, when Illinois makes the trip to Happy Valley for a 7 p.m. dual. Penn State then embarks upon a three-dual conference road swing with a jaunt through Michigan. The Nittany Lions visit Michigan State on Friday, Jan. 31, at 7 p.m. and then trek to Ann Arbor for a match-up with the Michigan Wolverines on Sunday, Feb. 2, at 2 p.m. The next weekend, Penn State travels to Minneapolis to take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers at 2 p.m. (Eastern)/1 p.m. (Central) on Sunday, Feb. 9. Sanderson's squad will close out its regular season with two duals in Rec Hall. National power Oklahoma State will invade Rec Hall on Sunday, Feb. 16, at 2 p.m. The two teams battled for the NCAA crown in Des Moines a year ago with the Nittany Lions winning their third straight title by a close four-point margin (123.5-119.5). The two teams last met in Rec Hall on Feb. 16, 1996. The Lions close out the dual schedule by hosting in-state opponent Clarion on Sunday, Feb. 23, at 2 p.m. Penn State begins post-season action at the 2014 Big Ten Wrestling Championships. This year's two-day event runs Saturday-Sunday, March 8-9, and will be hosted by the University of Wisconsin in Madison. The tournament serves as the national qualifier for all Big Ten teams. The 2014 NCAA Championships are set for March 20-22, at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Okla. Once again, the full season of Rec Hall duals is sold out on a season-ticket basis but single dual standing room only tickets will be available. This year's season ticket package features eight duals (including the Pitt dual in the BJC). Information on season ticket renewals will be arriving to season ticket holders very soon. The sales of SRO tickets for the Rec Hall duals as well as the general public sale for the BJC dual will begin in October with an announcement on details and instructions being made at that time. For information on Penn State wrestling tickets (including being placed on a waiting list for season tickets) call 1-800-NITTANY or visit the Penn State ticket office in the BJC during business hours (Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.). Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at www.twitter.com/pennstateWRES and on Penn State Wrestling's facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling. The full 2013-14 Penn State Wrestling Schedule is as follows: NOVEMBER Sun. 10 -- at Binghamton Open, All Day Sat. 16 -- at Rider, 6 p.m. Sun. 17 -- at Lehigh, 3 p.m. Sun. 24 -- LOCK HAVEN, 2 p.m. DECEMBER Fri. 6 -- at Boston 7 p.m. Sun. 8 -- PITTSBURGH (in BJC), 2 p.m. Sun. 15 -- OHIO STATE*, 2 p.m. JANUARY W/Th. 1-2 -- Southern Scuffle, Chattanooga, Tenn., All Day Sun. 12 -- PURDUE*, 2 p.m. Fri. 17 -- at Indiana*, 7 p.m. Sun. 19 -- NORTHWESTERN*, 2 p.m. Fri. 24 -- ILLINOIS*, 7 p.m. Fri. 31 -- at Michigan State*, 7 p.m. FEBRUARY Sun. 2 -- at Michigan*, 2 p.m. Sun. 9 -- at Minnesota*, 2 p.m. Sun. 16 -- OKLAHOMA STATE, 2 p.m. Sun. 23 -- CLARION, 2 p.m. MARCH Sa./Su. 8-9 -- Big Ten Championships, Madison, Wis., Times TBA Sat. 8 -- Session 1 -- Opening Round Session 2 -- Semifinals Sun. 9 -- Session 3 -- Consolation, 7th place bouts Session 4 -- Championship Finals, 3rd and 5th Th./Sa. 20-22 2013 NCAA Championships, Oklahoma City, Okla., Times TBA Thur. 20 -- Session 1 -- 1st Round Thur. 20 -- Session 2 -- 2nd Round/Consolations Fri. 21 -- Session 3 -- Quarterfinals/Consolations Fri. 21 -- Session 4 -- Semifinals/All-America Round Sat. 22 -- Session 5 -- Medal Rounds Sat. 22 -- Session 6 -- Championship Finals

To qualify for consideration on the top ten list of men's freestyle wrestlers since 2003, wrestlers had to have won a medal since 2004 and won at least one Olympic and one World medal. Olympic gold medals were weighed heavily, as were streaks of dominance and level of competition in the competed years. 10. Ramazan Sahin (Turkey) Olympic champion (2008) World champion (2007) About Sahin: A Chechen who went to wrestle for Turkey, Sahin is one of Turkey's all-time greatest wrestlers after putting up an impressive two years on the mat. The 66-kilo wrestler won his Olympic title at 24 years old. He would end up losing to Kazakhstan's Akzhurek Tanatarov in the semifinals of the repechage at the 2012 Games in London. 9. Revaz Mindorashvili (Georgia) Olympic champion (2008) Three-time World medalist (bronze 2003; gold, 2005; silver, 2006) About Mindorashvili: A mainstay at 84 kilos for much of the aughties, Mindorashvili won the 2008 Beijing Games after a brutal, and well-wrestled match over Russian transplant Yusup Abdusalomov of Tajikistan. The Georgian showed his versatility, scoring several one-point takedowns in the championship match, largely from creative and athletic counters. 8. Sharif Sharifov (Azerbaijan) Olympic champion (2012) World champion (2011), (bronze, 2009) About Sharifov: Though embroiled in one of the larger Olympic judging scandals of 2012, Sharifov is the type of wrestler pressing towards an impressive career of achievements. After finishing with bronze at the 2009 World Championships in Herning, Sharifov was back in 2011 where he faced 2004 Olympic champion Cael Sanderson in the quarterfinals, defeating the American legend 3-1 and 4-1 in straight periods. Despite being one of the more controversial matches of his career, the match against Jake Herbert at the 2012 Olympics shows Sharifov's potential to score points quickly and keeps wrestling through positions. (Just ignore the poor officiating.) 7. Bilyal Makhov (Russia) Olympic medalist (bronze, 2012) Three-time World champion (2007, 2009, 2010) (silver, 2011) About Makhov: Makhov might feel like the man who would have been an Olympic legend were it not for the quadrennial greatness of Artur Taymazov. Makhov has not only had to fight off the Russian monsters that appear every year at that country's national tournament, but once he's on the world stage he's had to wrestle a man of equal talent, but superior luck. Makhov is rehabbing a bad shoulder injury, an injury that forced him out of this year's Russian national tournament. Should he come back he'll have to face off against North Ossetia's Alan Khugaev, who won this year's national tournament. Still when looking back at his career, it's difficult to ignore that his World Championships win over Cuba's Alexis Rodriguez (2007), Iran's Fardin Mousami (2009), and his win over Artur Taymazov (2010) in Russia. 6. Jordan Burroughs (United States) Olympic champion (2012) World champion (2011) About Burroughs: Burroughs' accomplishments on the world and Olympic stage are limited to two seasons on the mat, but what he's done in that time is remarkable enough to catapult him past more decorated wrestlers. Like no wrestler since John Smith, who utilized low ankle attacks despite every defense invented to stop it, Burroughs has made the double leg an indefensible attack. What sets Burroughs apart from others on the list is his ongoing unbeaten streak and his enormous international popularity. No current wrestler is more discussed by fans, or idolized by competitors than Burroughs. Part of his appeal stems from his unbeaten streak which recently crested 60 straight. That's still far from the record, but Burroughs has tested it against better competition than most any other wrestler with a comparable streak. 5. Besik Kudukhov (Russia) Two-time Olympic medalist (bronze, 2008; silver, 2012) Four-time World champion (2007, 2009-2011) About Kudukhov: Though he would come to dominate the international scene, Kudukhov has yet to find Olympic gold. Like his predecessor Batirov, Kudukhov has made the jump from 55 kilos to 60 kilos, which is what essentially ended Batirov's career. The Ossetian wrestler lost to Azerbaijani Toghrul Asgarov in the gold-medal match in the 2012 Olympic Games 1-0, 5-0. Unlike other wrestlers on this list who have reached the end of their careers, or are on a downslope, Kudukhov could find himself on more World and Olympic teams in the coming years. However, it won't be in 2013 as he lost to Dagestan's Bekhan Goygereev in the semifinals of Russian Nationals and finished third. 4. Khadzhimurat Gatsalov (Russia) Olympic champion (2004) Four-time World champion (2005-2009) (silver, 2010) About Gatsalov: Seven world-level medals ain't bad, but is even more impressive when you come from Russia where the internal competition is often tougher than the rest of the world. Gatsalov earned his spot in the list by being a physically dominating 96-kilo wrestler who could find throws and creative three-point takedowns. Though the highlight of Gatsalov's career came in 2004 with his gold-medal win over Magomed Ibragimov of Uzbekistan (beat Daniel Cormier, too), it was always suspicious that he missed the 2008 Olympics won by countrymen Shirvani Muradov, a Dagestani whose only appearance was in winning an Olympic gold. Still, his late career back-and-forth battles with Azerbaijan's Khetag Gazyumov defined the last few years of his career, winning their finals match in 2009 while losing the rematch in 2010. Though arguably one of the greatest wrestlers of all-time, Gatsalov's career seems to be running out of steam, an impressive decline when considering he's only 30 years old. Gatsalov placed third at Russian Nationals, losing to eventual champion Anzor Boltukaev of Chechnya 4-0. 3. Mavlet Batirov (Russia) Two-time Olympic champion (2004, 2008) World champion (2007) About Batirov: Though only on the world-level senior circuit from 2003-2008, Batirov managed to win his medals when it mattered most. An explosive wrestler, Batirov began his career at 55 kilos. After a few Junior and Cadet-level tournaments he made his senior level debut at the 2003 World Championships in New York City where he lost to Stephen Abas 4-2 after a throw from the clinch in overtime landed him on his back. Batirov did manage to win the rematch in the 2004 Olympic gold-medal match, dominating Abas 9-1. Batirov was only 20 years old at the time of his first gold medal, and in 2008 bumped up to 60 kilos to repeat his gold-medal performance, beating Vasyl Fedoryshyn (Ukraine) 2-1. Sadly, he disappeared from international competition after 2008, unable to keep up with Besik Kudukhov, who won four World championships from 2007-2011. 2. Artur Taymazov (Uzbekistan) Three-time Olympic champion (2004, 2008, 2012) Two-time World champion (2003, 2006), silver (2001, 2010), bronze (2007) About Taymazov: The best big man since Alexander Karelin sliced his way through the Greco-Roman ranks, Taymazov's three Olympic gold medals make him the greatest freestyle heavyweight of all-time, and among the top ten wrestlers to have ever competed in the Olympic Games. Large but always agile and in-shape Taymazov's 3-0 win over Davit Modzmanashvili (Georgia) showed that even under great pressure he was able to perform when it mattered. But it is his long-standing rivalry with Bilyal Makhov that has helped define his career. A wrestler of equal talent who has beaten Taymoazov on several occasions, including the 2010 World championships, Makhov has pushed the Uzbeki transfer to new heights. 1. Buvaisar Saitiev (Russia) Three-time Olympic champion (1996, 2004, 2008) Six-time World champion (1995, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2005) About Saitiev: The obvious No. 1 choice, Saitiev will go down as one of history's all-time Olympic greats. Perhaps no wrestler has advanced the sport more than Saitiev, who used impossible angles and leverage to create advantageous scrambles and exposure positions. As the rules changed, Saitiev adapted, never losing objective sight of the fact that offense, whether from a defensive position or of his own creation, was the only way to win. Were it not for a disappointing 2000 Olympics, Saitiev could be the sport's first four-time Olympic champion and be the undisputed GOAT. As it stands few can argue that his wrestling career helped define a generation and create the modern sport we see on the mats today.

Walnut Ridge, Ark. -- Men's wrestling is the latest sport to be added to the varsity athletic program at Williams Baptist College. WBC says it plans to hire a wrestling coach to start recruiting this year, and the Eagles wrestling squad will begin competition in the 2014-15 school year. "Wrestling is a great next step as we continue expansion of the Williams athletic program," said WBC Athletic Director Jeff Rider. "It is a good fit for our college, and it's a growing sport in the state of Arkansas." The college credits Greg Hatcher, owner of the Hatcher Agency in Little Rock, with helping WBC establish its wrestling program. Hatcher, a wrestling advocate, is funding mats and other equipment to assist in getting the team started. Mike Moyer, executive director of the National Wrestling Coaches Association, also visited WBC to assist in the launch. The NWCA has played a major role in establishing many of the 100 plus new collegiate wrestling programs that have been established since 1999. The NWCA facilitates and coordinates the important fundraising initiatives and leadership development programs designed to get new programs off the ground. "On behalf of the NWCA Board of Directors, I want to extend a heartfelt thanks to the WBC administration for recognizing the educational value that intercollegiate wrestling brings to a campus," said NWCA president, Rob Koll. . John Purnell, president of Brute, a company that manufactures wrestling equipment, is donating a set of competition uniforms for 15 wrestlers. Brute celebrates with the NWCA the addition of yet another program to the college ranks. What is especially rewarding is that college wrestling is relatively new in the great state of Arkansas. Brute continues to support wrestling through its R.E.A.C.H.E.S. (Rewarding Educational Athletic Choices Helping Each Sport) program. R.E.A.C.H.E.S. is a nonprofit 501(c) (3) organization founded in 2007 in an effort to promote, protect and preserve amateur wrestling in its truest form. R.E.A.C.H.E.S. provides athletic opportunities to athletes of all ages and abilities. Since R.E.A.C.H.E.S. inception in 2007, Brute has given back to wrestling in excess of $200,000.00. In addition the U.S. Wrestling Foundation, committed $5,000 toward startup costs of the program. "We are thrilled to support Williams Baptist as they take the step of adding wrestling to their intercollegiate athletic program," stated Jeff Waters, Board President of the US Wrestling Foundation. "This support demonstrates the partnership between the Foundation, USA Wrestling and the National Wrestling Coaches Association as we come together to promote and grow the sport. We are also particularly grateful for the leadership and generosity of Foundation Board Member Greg Hatcher." "Mr. Hatcher's personal generosity and his introduction to us of significant leaders in the sport have been crucial in our efforts to begin a wrestling program." said WBC President Dr. Tom Jones. "The character of these key leaders and the wrestling community they represent will help us build a program that will blend perfectly with our mission to provide an excellent, holistically Christian, liberal arts education, while compassionately shaping student lives." "Wrestling will give Williams exposure to the thousands of high school wrestlers looking for a place to compete. As a result, they will receive a liberal arts education at a faith-based school, which will help develop future leaders. Wrestling will bring to Williams students who would have never considered the college without a wrestling program," Hatcher commented. The wrestling program is expected to have more than 25 athletes when in full swing. Home matches will take place in WBC's Southerland-Mabee Center, with another campus facility to be used for team practices. It will become the eighth varsity sport at Williams, which also offers men's basketball, baseball and soccer and women's basketball, soccer, softball and volleyball. WBC is a four-year, liberal arts college at Walnut Ridge. The Eagles compete in the American Midwest Conference of the NAIA.

Aaron Pico makes it three individual FILA Cadet World champions in three years. Not too bad if I do say so myself. The future of American wrestling is bright. I found Pico's championship run to be particularly reassuring; after watching him trounce domestic competition, much of it older than he, I would have been pretty frightened were he not the best 16-year-old wrestler at this weight in the world. Pico's World championship tournament did not allow him to cakewalk his way to a gold medal, which makes his performance impressive in its own way. Dominance always wows us, but Pico's triumph, which saw him pushed hard in his last matches, should inspire almost the same level of amazement. Pico's first World championship in wrestling at any level saw him exhibit remarkable grit and composure, and he needed in overcoming stiff challenges from some very good competition. In particular, the Japanese wrestler he faced in the finals was tougher than microwaved spare ribs, and Aaron handled him with a professional level of composure. If you have followed Pico's career thus far, you have probably heard his accompanying detractors complain about his age. He will turn 17 early in his sophomore year of high school this fall. These complaints would certainly become more audible in a couple of years if he were to win a fourth California state championship at 19 and a half years old. This looks more and more like it will become a non-issue for two reasons. First off, Pico just proved that he is the best 16-year-old wrestler at his weight in the world, not someone who merely takes advantage of superior physical development. Aaron Pico with his coach Valentin KalikaSecond, if I were a betting man (I'm actually not, my vices are limited to beer, cheese, and red meat), I would put my life savings that Pico will not be winning four California state championships because he won't be wrestling in high school as a senior. In fact, if I were Aaron, I'd be on the next bus to Colorado Springs. Pico's semifinals and finals matches at the Cadet World Championships, and the competition they offered, are exactly what he needs; only he needs it every day, and in every practice. Don Bosco has a great program, but I will go ahead and guess that it does not offer him a chance to compete against a variety of world-class opponents on a daily basis. Pico needs to train in a room where he might get beat up a bit, anything else could stunt his growth, and that would be a shame. After watching this and last week's wrestling I have come to the conclusion that the Olympic wrestling styles will never be easily understood by a casual audience, no matter how much the rules get tinkered with. In light of this, I've realized that the most important potential person for the future of Olympic wrestling broadcasts could be its color commentator. Olympic freestyle and gymnastics suffer from a similar problem as wrestling-important differences in scoring hinge on highly subtle criteria which the uninitiated would never possibly understand. Luckily, if you have the chance to watch broadcasts of these sports, you will notice their accompaniment by an articulate and knowledgeable analyst who skillfully illuminates much of the sports' murky scoring elements. Wrestling needs someone like this … only better. We need a bona fide genius who understands the ins and outs of Greco and freestyle, and who can impart his knowledge to a mass audience in concise and easy to digest manner, all while succeeding at not boring the viewers to tears. This person will not be easy to find, but whoever is in charge should start looking now, and if they are smart, they should expand the search beyond wrestlers who stood on an Olympic podium. We need acumen and verbal/mental dexterity, and the person who has this might not have the best wrestling credentials. (For an analogue in another sport, see boxing's Max Kellerman.) In the absence of this analytical miracle worker, who should be found and groomed ASAP, the Olympic channel flipper will see little more than two guys in spandex rolling around earning points with no sense of rhyme or reason. Also, in cases where officials administer score without rhyme or reason, we need the credible analyst to confirm our suspicions and hold the judges accountable. I make this recommendation in the full knowledge that the exact opposite outcome will almost assuredly occur. But hey, here's to hoping.

Fairfield, CT -- Sacred Heart head wrestling coach Andy Lausier announced the hiring of Derek Moore as his new assistant coach for the 2013-14 season. Coach Lausier is entering his second full season as head coach of the Pioneers. Derek Moore comes to Sacred Heart after serving five years of active duty as an officer in the United States Army. He also represented the Army in national and international competitions as a soldier-athlete. As part of the Army world-class athlete program, Moore was instructed by and trained with numerous Olympic Champions and qualified for and competed in the 2012 United States Olympic team trials. In 2007, while wrestling for the University of California, Davis, Moore won the Division I NCAA Championship. He was also named 2007 NCAA Most Outstanding Wrestler on top of being named Pac-10 Conference Wrestler of the Year. The national champion was also named UC Davis Male Athlete of the Year in 2007. Moore graduated from UC Davis with a Bachelor of Science in Molecular and Biological Chemistry.

With two UFC events this week, the MMA Outsider decided to do everyone a favor and record on Sunday to preview all of this week's action. You're welcome! Kicking things off on Wednesday, welterweight Carlos Condit and Martin Kampmann will have a rematch of their epic bout from a few years ago. Sounds good to us, as does the co main event between Donald Cerrone and Rafael Dos Anjos. The rest of the UFC on Fox Sports card? Um, yeah ... Not so much. UFC 164 also features a rematch, with Ben Henderson defending his lightweight title against the last man to beat him, Anthony Pettis. Richard and John break down all of the fights and can't agree on who will win in the match up of old school heavyweights Josh Barnett and Frank Mir. Do you want to listen to a past episode? Access archives.

ZRENJANIN, Serbia -- Aaron Pico of California won a gold medal in men's freestyle at 63 kilos/138.75 pounds with a spectacular performance on the final day of competition at the Cadet World Championships. Aaron Pico (Photo/T.R. Foley)Pico defeated Yuhi Fujinami of Japan in the championship match, 8-6. Pico was effective with his takedown attacks and was able to score at key points of the match. He led 4-2 at the break, and kept up the pressure, as Fujinami battled back and forth with Pico in the deciding second period. "Nothing really changed in the final. I met with my coach and stuck with my game plan, which was to attack and get the guy tired. He was a good opponent and he didn’t get tired. I was able to score during some situations and that was the difference in the match. There is a big difference wrestling internationally and wrestling in the United States. Fortunately, I got the win. I am super happy, and overall, I think I did good," said Pico. Pico became the only American in any Olympic style to win a gold medal at this year's Cadet World Championships, which has been held for the last six days. Read complete story ... Gold-Medal Match Video

ZRENJANIN, Serbia -- Regina Doi of California won a silver medal at 40 kilos/88 pounds in women's freestyle at the Cadet World Championships on Friday. She was the first American to reach the gold-medal finals at the event so far this year. Regina DoiDoi was defeated by Svetlana Ankicheva of Kazakstan in the gold medal finals, 0-4. Ankchieva had a takedown in the first period to lead 2-0, and in the second period, she scored two one-point counter takedowns. Doi was unable to complete her many shots for takedowns. Ankicheva was a 2012 Cadet World silver medalist and a 2011 Cadet World bronze medalist, finishing her career with a Cadet World medal of every kind. Read complete story ...

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. -- Matt Pell, a former four-time NCAA Division I qualifier and two-time All-American at the University of Missouri, has been added to the Lock Haven University wrestling coaching staff as a second assistant, rounding out head coach Scott Moore’s staff. Pell is no stranger to The Haven program having spent some limited time with the Bald Eagles last year in a volunteer role. LHU head coach, Scott Moore is pleased to see Pell in a more involved role with the team and knows from working with him at the University of Virginia he can bring a lot to the program. “Having the opportunity to work with Matt (Pell) again this season will be a privilege for not only me personally, but for the team and program as a whole,” said Moore. “He is one of the best technicians and educators in the sport of wrestling. His coaching experience at Virginia and Missouri will help him become a huge asset for our program, especially in our upper-weights. Matt was a very successful competitor and knows how to win at this level.” LHU Director of Athletics, Mark Sherburne is also impressed by Pell. “We are excited to have Matt join our staff as a second assistant coach,” said Sherburne. “Having a person with such an extensive and successful collegiate wrestling and coaching background will go a long way in helping our student-athletes and program achieve at the highest levels both on-and-off the mat.” Pell, a 2007 Missouri graduate was a standout on the mats for the Tigers. The former team-captain was just the third Missouri wrestler in program history to earn All-American honors at two different weight classes. Following a third-place finish at the 2007 NCAA Division I Championships at 165-pounds, Pell was awarded the Gorarrian Award after recording the most pins in the least amount of time at the national tournament. Pell’s third-place showing also helped Missouri to their best team in school history, third. When it was all said and done at Missouri, Pell had recorded 122 wins, which is still the sixth-best win-total in school history. Following his graduation from Missouri, Pell headed east to Virginia and worked as an assistant coach with the Cavalier program. In his two years on staff, he helped coach five UVA wrestlers to Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) titles and helped Chris Henrich become UVA’s first All-American in five years. After two years at Virginia, Pell moved back to Missouri where he served as an assistant coach for three seasons. During his first full season with Missouri (2009-10), he worked with NCAA champion Max Askren and Mark Ellis (sixth). Missouri had six NCAA qualifiers and finished in the top-10 that year. During 2010-11, Pell helped lead the Tigers to their first Big 12 championships and they had two more All-Americans and nine national-qualifiers. In his final season with Missouri, the Tigers had 10 NCAA qualifiers. Pell is looking forward to the season and his time with the Lock Haven program. “I’m excited about the upcoming season and my role as an assistant coach,” said Pell. “We have a young team with a lot of potential. My goal for this team is to raise the bar of expectation and get to the point where we not only want to win, but we expect to win. Lock Haven wrestling has a bright future and I’m ready to being preparing out wrestlers for the journey.”

Mark Lewandowski, a former three-time NCAA division one national qualifier, will join Brian Tucker as the Griffin's assistant wrestling coach. "We are very excited as a program to be able to announce the hiring of Mark Lewandowski," said Head Coach Brian Tucker. "The skill set and experience he brings to the table will only help this program continue to grow and achieve the success we have set out to accomplish." As a collegiate wrestler for the University of Buffalo, Lewandowski was a 2011 top twelve finisher among his three trips to the national tournament. He was also named the 2012 National tech fall leader finishing with 11. His career of success started all the way back in high school, where he was a four-time state place winner in New York out of his home town of Lancaster. He also earned NHSCA Junior National All-American honors in 2007. While at the University of Buffalo, he wrote his name throughout the program's record book. He won the 2011 MAC Championships. He set a program record with 21 two point near falls in 2011-12, and sits fifth all time in career wins (111). At Seton Hill, Lewandowski will work primarily with the middleweight wrestlers, while also assisting in recruiting and additional team functions. He graduated in June from the University at Buffalo with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics. He will pursue a MBA in sports management while at Seton Hill.

InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account. Do you want to read a past mailbag? Access archives. I'm in Serbia this week covering the Cadet World Wrestling Championships and couldn't help but notice a new trend in Greco-Roman wrestling: Excitement! Don't accuse me of being a fan boy for Greco-Roman, but this week it was all power bombs and drama. Cadet-level wrestlers in Serbia were quick to find a mismatch in talent, and had no problem dropping the lesser-skilled offender directly onto their dome piece. Seeing just one quality throw at a Greco-Roman tournament would indicate a one-hundred percent improvement over last year's output, but four dozen in two days? It almost makes me feel like taking a mea culpa for previous rants. Almost. Asen Sasaki celebrates with his coaches at Cadet WorldsThe most exciting of these Greco-Roman matches was the 69-kilo final between Japan's Asen Sasaki and Turkey's Serkan Akkoyun. Sasaki came into the match with plenty of hype, an impressive bloodline, and a throng of Hungarian fans. Sasaki is the son of multiple-time World champion Miyu Yamamoto-Ikeda-Inoue and nephew of Seiko Yamamoto-Nagashima, the sister to Miyu and a four-time World champion herself. (Seiko now coaches the USA's Cadet girls.) Sasaki actually lives and trains in Hungary, which is only a short drive from the northern Serbian town of Zrenjanin where the World Championships are being held. His Hungarian and Japanese teammates melded together some American support to create an impassioned cheering section. That lead-up should help explain today's lead photo and the video I'll ask you to watch. This is Greco-Roman wrestling at its very best. Wild. To your questions ... Q: In your opinion what makes a high school wrestling hotbed? You have places like the Lehigh Valley in PA that have always produced tough teams and individuals. You have Twin Cities (Minn.), Cedar Rapids-Iowa City, New Jersey, and Cleveland-Akron-Canton among others. What is the formula for these hotbeds across the country? How do they sustain the value of a wrestling ethos so well? Are there any areas starting to emerge as hotbeds that have previously been off the radar? -- Brad A. Foley: The No. 1 reason is coaching. No amount of money or generic interest can overcome the necessity of a quality coach. The best wrestling communities have always been launched by good coaches with a knack for teaching the basics, spreading interest and improving outreach in the community. I'd get lost trying to specify the individuals who launched wrestling in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley, or Central California, but there is a developing hotbed for wrestling growing in Georgia that can be directly associated to the hard work and focus of coaches Lee Roper, Cliff Fretwell and Jeff Bedard. These three dudes have been on a mission. No doubt they'd point to others in the area who have assisted them in the development, but these guys have been out front pushing the sport in a state that is obsessed with concussion ball. From coaching comes success and from success comes community buy-in and further success. Once that success transfers over to nostalgia and the hobbled masses start showing up at matches and pouring money into the coffers you have a regional power that can sustain for decades. Q: Is there a chance that Thomas Haines goes to Iowa? -- Nick M. Foley: Sure. That might the correct fit though the Hawkeyes have Artie Bess (freshman) and Lenzell Green (freshman) listed on the roster. Maybe they haven't invested big cash in the big flesh, but it's getting crowded at the top if they add another, plus Bobby Telford heading into his senior season. Still, a top ten recruit might be what the Hawkeyes need. Q: Don't lose steam on crowdsourcing a Division I wrestling program. I have been a big believer in this idea for years. This is perfect vehicle to educate college presidents, college athletic directors and our own wrestling community. Our wrestling community is passionate but I am always amazed on how naive they are to real nature of college athletics. There is no better way to showcase a "product" than with an organized campaign and marketing strategy. -- Matt S. Foley: Crowdsourcing the money is half the fight. The entire wrestling community needs to understand that purchasing a program for a men-only program is an uninspiring PR-dud. Wrestling's leadership class has been awful at PR and promotion for decades, repeatedly pouring money and time into filing dead-end Title IX lawsuits rather than improving the product or ramping up support for women's wrestling. That's improving, the NWCA has help grow the WCWA to almost 20 teams, but there hasn't been a watershed moment for wrestling to show it's aligned with the progress of women's wrestling, rather than just begrudging acceptance that it exists. In the wake of wrestling's elimination from the Olympic movement, some of the sport's power brokers have started to realize the power of positive PR and how women could drive interest in the sport. Were wrestling to crowdsource $5 million for a Division I wrestling program it would imperative that the first demand be the establishment of a groundbreaking women's team. Some readers have suggested that there aren't enough women to populate a team, which is false and reminiscent of the thinking that earned us an expulsion from the Olympics. Don't bother listening to their nostalgia. That thinking only drives us further into the past, to a time when wrestling was single-gender and careening toward the result we find ourselves in today. Not towards the type of stories that inspire and help the sport. "Wrestling community raises $5 million to ensure first-ever NCAA Division I program" reads like "Man bites dog" and would be a three-day news story. Q: Since you feel like the singlets are out dated and wrestling should be going to rash guard shirts and fighting shorts, do you plan on writing and petitioning the powers that be to get them to switch? All it takes is someone with a little "pull" like you to get the ball rolling at the high school level. I hope you get the change you are looking for! -- Mike C. Foley: Well, ZING! Guess I should expect some pushback for a constantly asking others to do what I might be capable of achieving myself. I'd love to manage a design contest among the top apparel companies in the world, for a wrestling uniform that is both appealing to the eye and functional. But like most everyone else I feel like I'm stretched thin, and that my resources are better spent prodding my readers to dedicate THEIR time. As for a petition, I think that is one of the more direct ways to accomplish change on the local level. Research on the health benefits of wrestling, combined with a desire to increase enrollment and a good ol' fashioned petition might do the trick in a forward-leaning, progressive county. Maybe the idea would be to put together a list of reasons to change the uniforms to a suitable alternative and then create a template that could be used by various local entities. I'd love to edit this work if someone were able to put something together. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME FILA is pumping up their HEROES FILA all pumping up their LEGENDS, too Dan Gable profile story on ESPN.com Q: Any insight on why Cam Tessari and Andrew Campolattno left Ohio State? The Buckeyes seemed to be gearing up to challenge Iowa and Penn State. -- Jerry B. Foley: The Campolattano saga seems to be coming to a close. His original dismissal from the team and eventual decision to leave Ohio State came from drug trafficking charges that have since been dismissed. He's currently living in Orlando with his brother. As for Tessari, he seemed to have stepped out of line with the team rules in the weeks leading up to the Big Ten conference tournament. That seems to have stuck and placed a divide between him and either the coaching staff, or the school. What is MORE interesting to me is that he chose to attend Hofstra after his dismissal, which was either a direct challenge to tOSU head wrestling coach Tom Ryan, or a nod from Ryan that while things in Columbus went asunder, he still believed in Tessari's character. Q: New York State high school wrestling is looking pretty good right now … two UFC champs (Jon Jones and Chris Weidman) and, of course, Kyle Dake. Does New York make your top ten best wrestling states? Why or why not? -- Karl S. Foley: Absolutely in the top ten! If you add in Troy Nickerson, and Jesse Jantzen there is plenty of fodder for making them one of the most stylistically influential states in the country. Though as defensible as saying you created the double leg, some claim that Long Island invented the funk. I don't know if that's even remotely true, but I like to think of the 51st state enjoying a nice relaxing afternoon in the sand figuring out that rolling across your back in a shot defense might actually be a good thing. I know that without Jantzen's half-ride and the Long Island funk roll, I'd probably be a printer salesman in Saskatchewan who was really into curling. COMMENT OF THE WEEK By Britt M. AKA Seton Hall Pirate Big Ten Scheduling: The basic principle is to have the top seven teams in one division, the bottom seven teams in the other division, and each team would wrestle all of their division opponents and two of the other division's opponents based on local rivalries. Here's what that might look like for 2014-2015, although the rankings are based on a forward-looking version of the Takedown Wrestling Media Dual Impact Index for 2013-2014: Premiership Division (Leaders): Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio State, Penn State Championship Division (Followers): Indiana, Maryland, Michigan State, Northwestern, Purdue, Rutgers, Wisconsin Out of Division opponents for Premiership Division schools: Illinois: Northwestern*, Purdue Iowa: Indiana, Wisconsin Michigan: Indiana, Michigan State* Minnesota: Michigan State, Purdue Nebraska: Northwestern, Wisconsin* Ohio State: Maryland, Rutgers Penn State: Maryland, Rutgers Out of Division opponents for Championship Division schools: Indiana: Iowa, Michigan Maryland: Ohio State, Penn State Michigan State: Michigan*, Minnesota Northwestern: Illinois*, Nebraska Purdue: Illinois, Minnesota Rutgers: Ohio State, Penn State Wisconsin: Iowa, Nebraska* *: Indicates permanent matchups, others would be Indiana-Purdue, Iowa-Minnesota, Maryland-Rutgers, and Ohio State-Penn State Note that these divisions would be realigned each year based on projected strength for the following year.

ZRENJANIN, Serbia -- Two U.S. women wrestlers won a bronze medal on the first day of women's wrestling at the Cadet World Championships, Marina Doi of California at 38 kilos/83.75 pounds. and Teshya Alo of Hawaii at 56 kilos/123.25 pounds. Doi, a 2012 Cadet World champion, won her third career Cadet World medal. She also won a silver medal in 2011. This gives her a medal of each kind during her Cadet career. In the bronze-medal bout, Doi beat 2013 European champion Aleksandra Skirenko of Russia, 5-3. She had her offense going against the taller opponent. She scored a takedown to lead 3-0 at half, then added another in the second period. Skirenko was able to put Doi on her back in the second period and was close to a fall, but Doi battled off her back and closed out the win. Read complete story ...

ZRENJANIN, Serbia -- Two U.S. wrestlers won bronze medals at the Cadet World Championships in Greco-Roman on Wednesday, Cade Olivas of California at 42 kg/92.5 lbs. and Jon Jay Chavez of Idaho at 69 kg/152 lbs. They were the first two medals for the United States at the event this year. Cade Olivas of California scored an impressive, come-from-behind 6-6 criteria win over Zelimkhan Usmanov of Kazakhstan in a bronze-medal bout. Trailing 6-1 after the first period, Olivas turned on the energy in the second period. He hit a duck-under takedown to make it 6-3, then another two-point takedown to make it 6-5. A pushout with one second left tied the match at 6-6, and Olivas won on criteria. Read complete story ...

Kyle Snyder, Junior World champ Kyle Snyder became the first American wrestler to win a Junior World title before his senior year since Jeff McGinness (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)The biggest story of the past week is Kyle Snyder and his very impressive 96 kilos gold medal at the Junior World Championships. I don't want to spend too much time on Snyder as I essentially wrote an entire column about him a while back, and will write more in the future. I will, however, make three observations about his performance. In the finals he had to fight off his back for what seemed like an eternity. Afterward he got up and acted like nothing happened. He sort of just shrugged his shoulder and went about destroying his opponent. This level of composure amazes me, particularly when I think about the fact that he probably has not actually been in danger of being pinned in an actual wrestling match in a number of years. That Armenian he wrestled in the finals looked a bit long in the tooth to be wrestling in Juniors. I am not accusing anybody of anything, but wow. He looked at least 30. Now we really have to wonder if Kyle, who is still only 17 years old (until November, CRAZY, right?), can legitimately challenge for an Olympic spot in Rio. It is hard to believe that a 20 year old kid will be able to beat the Pendletons and Bergmans of the world, but if anyone can do it, it is Snyder. I know I said three points, but I would like to point out that I did some research, and I believe that Snyder is the first American to win a Junior World championship before his senior year of high school since Jeff McGinness did it more than 20 years ago. Is it 2 or 1? I understand that FILA wants to promote greater offense wrestling, but they need to realize the subservience of offense to simplicity. The past Junior World Championships featured different point values for different takedowns. For "offensive" takedowns, officials gave 2 points, and for "counters" they gave 1. I do not need to point out that sometimes in the sport of wrestling the lines blur between offense and counters. This way of scoring gives referees another way to foul up a match, and it makes Olympic-style wrestling even more indecipherable to anyone other than wrestling experts. Olympic wrestling, and FILA, have a tough task in front of them. They need to walk the knife's edge between simplifying freestyle and Greco, and preserving the nuances which make both styles great. This certainly will not be easy, but allowing for two different takedown values certainly does not represent a step in the right direction, no matter how much it encourages offense. Penn State recruiting class With the signing of Bo Nickal, Penn State has now assembled a whopper of a recruiting class for 2014. They have signed big, and they have signed small, and they have taken the best wrestlers from the East Coast, West Coast, and the middle of the country. This sets up Penn State's head coach Cael Sanderson to answer the one remaining question left in his career: can he win a national championship with only his recruits? It will be interesting to see how Penn State performs after next year when the last of Troy Sunderland's recruits (we are really talking about just Ed Ruth here) are gone. Sanderson and his staff have already done a spectacular job at cultivating talent, if they are able to continue to do so with this next crop of kids, then the national championships should keep on coming. Virginia's shameful 7 Sometimes, the worst part about governing bodies is that they actually do some governing. The Virginia High School League has decided to double the number of sized-based classifications in all sports from three to six. Including the private school state championship, this means that Virginia will have seven different state championships in wrestling. (The craziest part of this whole affair lies in the fact that Virginia, before this decision, had a whopping eight championships in football.) If you read Aristotle's Metaphysics, you might stumble upon a passage where the great philosopher says something to the effect of that which means everything means nothing. You may apply a similar principle to the Virginia situation. The more people who win state championships, the less it means. I have coached in the commonwealth of Virginia at the AA, AAA, and independent levels, and I can say with a certain level of expertise that Virginia would be better served by fewer state championships rather than more. Namely, I wish that Virginia held a single state championship, two at most if both are held side by side in the same arena. If private schools wanted, they should be allowed to compete; the VHSL hypocritically excludes them on fear of recruitment, then permits the most powerful public schools in the commonwealth to engage in what amounts to the same thing. The biggest problem with the separation of Virginia state championships has been that the AAA championship features the best wrestlers, while the AA championship features the greater quantity of fans, and passion. While the premier state championship, AAA , only found itself held in high school gymnasiums, the AAA and AA championships enjoyed the generous confines of the Salem Civic Center. A unified championships could have done even better and command the use of an even larger more modern arena, in the process creating a marquee event which would draw fans from Winchester to the beach. Sadly, this will never some to pass. Instead the Old Dominion will now hand out state medals like key chains. Each separate tournament will draw less interest from fans. The sum of attendance at seven state tournaments would not equal that of one state tournament. In the end, the sport of wrestling loses ... again.

Craig Sesker and Nate Carr will go “On the Mat” this Wednesday, August 21. "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 p.m. to 6 p.m. Central 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. Sesker is the communication manager for USA Wrestling. He will provide an update on wrestling in the Olympics and preview the 2013 World Championships. Carr was a three-time NCAA wrestling champion for Iowa State (1981, 1982, and 1983) and an Olympic bronze medalist in 1988. His brother, Jimmy, was a member of the 1972 Olympic freestyle wrestling team.

With the high school wrestling season's start nearing, InterMat is taking readers across the United States of America on a tour of scholastic wrestling. From mid-August until mid-November, InterMat is introducing readers to the top high school senior wrestlers in the 49 states with scholastic wrestling. In this installment, Eric Johnson looks at the top senior wrestlers in Kansas. Once again Kansas produced two elite upperweight wrestlers in the Class of 2013. Junior National freestyle finalist Nathan Butler is headed to Stanford and NHSCA Nationals champion Will Geary signed with Kansas State to play football. Kansas will sure miss those two exclamation points on its national teams. Rounding out last year's Division I signees were four-time state champion Zac Gentzler, who is chasing his destiny in Stillwater at Oklahoma State, and Dakota Leach at Southern Illinois. This Class of 2014 is not short on talent. Kansas has two favorites to land their fourth state title, five Fargo All-Americans and two USAW folkstyle All-Americans. It is my pleasure to introduce you to Kansas' Top 10 and honorable mention! 1. Preston Weigel (Hays) Projected High School Weight Class: 195 Projected College Weight Class: 197 Preston WeigelAnalysis: Weigel is a multi-sport elite athlete. He has dominated on the mat as well as the gridiron and will have quite a choice to make on whether he wants to wrestle or play football at the next level. With a career record of 122-4, he is a three-time state finalist and two-time state champion. After running the table in 42-0 fashion he placed second at the USAW Folkstyle Nationals in Iowa, coming within one point of bringing home the title. He passes everybody's look test and is sure to make another splash at the national level this season. Words from the Corner: "Preston is without a doubt one of the most talented wrestlers to ever come through Hays High. Not only is he talented, but he has a work ethic like no other. He is the kid staying after practice working one on one with coaches to improve. His dedication to lifting also shows. Preston was the first back-to-back champion in the 20-plus years I have been at Hays. What impresses me most about him is how humble he is. He approaches every match the same, never underestimating an opponent and win or lose his reaction after the match is always business like. Shake the opponent's hand, the opposing coach's hand and walk off the mat, no showboating." -- Coach John Hafliger 2. Tagen Lambotte (Rossville) Projected High School Weight Class: 145 Projected College Weight Class: 141/149 Tagen LambotteAnalysis: Most everyone starts a description of Lambotte by calling him a training machine. If the periods were five minutes long, I think he'd enjoy that. Lambotte has had a stellar career at Rossville High School, compiling a record of 123-4 while standing on top of the podium all three years. Besides being a three-time state champion, he was also the USAW Cadet National folkstyle champion in 2011. He is a true artist on his feet and comes from a close-knit wrestling family. Some fortunate college coach will be getting themselves a gem in the fall of 2014. Words from the Corner: "Tagen will be looking for state title No. 4 this season. He worked his tail off this summer to separate himself from his competition. Off the mat Tagen is a great kid and great student. On the mat there are very few if any that work as hard as him. He has determination, grit and a motor that doesn't shut down. He will continue on after high school and be very successful at the next level." -- Coach Curt Brecheisen 3. Andrew Millsap (Junction City) Projected High School Weight Class: 160 Projected College Weight Class: 149/157 Andrew Millsap (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Analysis: Millsap is a two-time state champion and three-time state placer with a career record of 103-15. He finished runner-up at the InterMat JJ Classic last fall, losing by injury default in the finals. Millsap is a two-time Fargo All-American, making the Junior National Greco-Roman finals in 2013. He is also a FILA Cadet Greco All-American. Millsap has been a veteran of several of Kansas' national teams, going undefeated and making the All-Tournament Team in freestyle at the Junior Duals in Oklahoma City in 2013. Based on his performance last year, it could be argued that he's the best prospect in Kansas. Words from the Corner: "Andrew was an integral part of our success last season. He became our all-time career and season win record holder. This year he has an opportunity to become our second three-time state champion." -- Coach Robert Laster 4. Dustin Williams (Gardner-Edgerton) Projected High School Weight Class: 160 Projected College Weight Class: 157 Analysis: What a year that Williams had in 2013! He finished an undefeated 43-0 campaign without giving up a takedown! He beat four other state champions and won the Rocky Mountain Nationals in dominating fashion. This guy is a worker! His aggressive style has earned him national hardware, reaching All-American status twice in Fargo, including a runner-up finish in 2012 along with placing at the USAW Folkstyle Nationals in 2013. This three-time state placer has compiled a 119-11 career record to go with his two state championships. Words from the Corner: "Dustin is a very technical and explosive wrestler with tremendous drive! More importantly, he's a class act on and off the mat and excels in the classroom as well. It's an honor to coach Dustin and to have him represent our community." -- Coach Matt Yeamans. 5. Brogan Humphrey (Fredonia) Projected High School Weight Class: 138 Projected College Weight Class: 141 Brogan HumphreyAnalysis: You have to love this kid. A common theme in our top five is the dedication to training. Humphrey flat out puts the work in. Very little separates him from the first four as he is a three-time state champion that will likely cement his name in the four-time club in 2014. His career record is an impressive 131-2. He has been a valuable national dual team member and was very close to placing in Virginia Beach last season. Words from the Corner: "Brogan is one of those kids that has always been willing to work harder than everyone else and that's why he is in the position he's in. He has stayed on the mat all summer and we look forward to a dominant senior season as he chases his fourth state title." -- Coach Jordan Stewart 6. Michael Olsen (Lansing) Projected High School Weight Class: 138 Projected College Weight Class: 141 Analysis: Olsen is one of the most talented wrestlers in Kansas. He moved to Kansas after making the state finals in his freshman season in Missouri. In two seasons he has a career record of 78-15 and won a Kansas state title in 2012, dominating a very tough wrestler in the finals. He was a Fargo Cadet freestyle All-American in 2012 and a powerful force on our Junior Dual Team that year. Watch the videos on this kid. He's a crowd-pleaser! 7. Gavin Grater (Riley County) Projected High School Weight Class: 182 Projected College Weight Class: 174 Analysis: Grater is a three-time state placer and a 2013 state champion with a career record of 103-19. In 2011 he was a Fargo Cadet Greco-Roman All-American and has 14 career Fargo wins. He has also been named to Kansas' national dual teams. Gavin comes from a strong wrestling family as his older brother (and current coach) Danny was a three-time Fargo All-American. Words from the Corner: "Gavin is the model student-athlete, carrying a 4.0 GPA. His great work ethic, which he gets from being a farm kid, pays off for him in many areas of his life. Gavin not only excels on the mat but also on the football field. He has been a true leader by example on our team." -- Coach Danny Grater 8. Nick Wuthnow (Southeast Saline) Projected High School Weight Class: 170 Projected College Weight Class: 165/174 Analysis: Wuthnow won his first Kansas State title last season after placing in both of his first two years. He has a career record of 111-8, completing an undefeated 40-0 record as a junior. He had a huge win over a multiple-time Fargo All-American in the finals. Expect to see him on top again in 2014! 9. Brandon Ball (Hoisington) Projected High School Weight Class: 132 Projected College Weight Class: 133 Analysis: Ball is a two-time state champion with an 80-2 record over two seasons. He ran the table in dominating fashion last year with a 43-0 tally. He missed his freshman season due to a home schooling eligibility issue in his area of Kansas. Chances are pretty high that he would otherwise be in line to win his fourth state title in 2014. 10. Justin Scott (Jefferson West) Projected High School Weight Class: 220 Projected College Weight Class: 197/285 Analysis: Scott is a two-time state finalist and won a state title last season while dominating Class 4A with a 39-0 slate. His two-year record is 78-3. He had some huge wins for Kansas All-Class Dual Team at the Rocky Mountain Nationals with his classic physical style. Words from the Corner: "Justin had one of the most dominating state tournaments I have ever seen last season. His four first-period pins were an amazing accomplishment. He is so strong that he can dominate most opponents. We have been working hard to add more finesse to his skill set to help him grow into a more complete wrestler. Our team has changed our schedule for 2014 to give Justin and our other seniors more challenging matches." -- Coach Shawn Dolezilek Honorable Mention: PJ Cheney (KC Turner) Reese Cokeley (St. James Academy) Tyler Dickman (Mill Valley) Parker Howell (Kapaun Mt. Carmel) Kaleb Konitzer (Prairie View) Tyler Mies (Andale) Cesar Regalado (Pratt) Josiah Seaton (Bonner Springs) Andrew Tujague (St. James Academy)

Dan Gable

Boiling Springs, N.C. -- Gardner-Webb second year wrestling head coach Daniel Elliott is pleased to announce the hiring of Nate Schiedel as an Assistant Coach, effective immediately. Schiedel comes to Gardner-Webb after stellar career on the mat at Binghamton University in Binghamton, New York, where he graduated from with a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics in 2012. “I am excited to bring Nate on staff here at Gardner-Webb. I took a leap of faith in bringing him on right out of college, but he had a great collegiate career and is very motivated to get into coaching,” stated Elliott. “Adding another young passionate coach to the program will be huge. Nate was a part of a program that went from being dropped to finishing in the top-15 in the country, so he has experienced the growth that we want to take the GWU program too. I am ready to get to work with Nate and to keep our program moving forward.” A four-time NCAA Division I National Championship Qualifier for the Bearcats, Schiedel finished his career with an overall record of 121-32 and a dual match career record of 65-10, including going a perfect 17-0 hissenior season. Schiedel recorded a total of 35 pins over his final four years on the mat and posted 27 wins overall in each of his five years as a Bearcat. Competing at both 184 and 197 pounds over his intercollegiate career, Schiedel was a CAA Champion in 2009-10 and a three-time CAA Championship Runner-Up on the mat. The three-time Team Captain, who was ranked in the top-20 nationally for four of his five years at Binghamton, was ranked as high as fifth in the nation his redshirt-senior season in 2012-13. Schiedel was also a University Greco-Roman National Finalist and a FILA Junior Greco-Roman All-American. During his time as a student-athlete, Schiedel also served as a wrestling camp counselor, working extensively with Olympic Wrestling Gold Medalist Tom Brands and six-time World and Olympic Wrestling Champion John Smith. While working at camps such as Binghamton, Oklahoma State and Iowa, he instructed and was held responsible for the supervision of over 30 student-athletes each session, while he also assisted student-athletes in becoming successful wrestlers on the mat and valued community members off the mat.

Related: Schedule CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Virginia wrestling head coach Steve Garland announced his team’s 2013-14 schedule Friday (Aug. 9). The schedule includes seven home duals, including a Nov. 24 clash against Virginia Tech at UVa’s John Paul Jones Arena. “This year’s schedule is pretty intense once again,” Garland said. “Last year we ramped up our schedule and this year we are taking another big step in ensuring our student-athletes get the chance to compete against the best of the best. We will take on teams represented from the Big 12, Big Ten, EIWA and of course a huge home dual with Virginia Tech – and this is all before Christmas. “On top of the tough dual schedule, we have two of the best tournaments in the nation on the schedule in the Las Vegas Invitational and Southern Scuffle and one the toughest dual tournaments in the nation with the Virginia Duals.” Virginia’s ACC dual schedule will be as tough as it ever has been. The ACC will feature seven programs this year as Pittsburgh joins the conference. UVa will wrestle at Pitt for the first time in program history on Jan. 24. The schools have competed against one another just once previously in dual action, with the Panthers scoring a 21-15 win on Nov. 27, 2010. UVa will take on rival Virginia Tech at 1 p.m. Nov. 24 at John Paul Jones Arena, the day after the schools square off in football at Scott Stadium. The two programs battled at JPJA two years ago, with the spirited dual coming down to an overtime match in the final bout. Tickets for the Virginia Tech dual are $7 for adults and $5 for youth (18 and under), seniors and staff and will go on sale Oct. 14 through the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office. All tickets are general admission. The remaining four home bouts will be contested inside Memorial Gymnasium; there is no admission charge for matches at Mem Gym. Virginia again will take part in three premier college wrestling events, Las Vegas Cliff Keen Invitational (Dec. 6-7), Southern Scuffle (Jan. 1-2) and Virginia Duals (10-11). The Cavaliers also will play host to Maryland (Jan. 31) and North Carolina (Feb. 7) in ACC action at Mem Gym. UVa also will wrestle on the road in ACC play at Duke (Jan. 17) and NC State (Feb. 9). The conference championships are slated for March 8 in Blacksburg, Va. Virginia has six home duals scheduled for Memorial Gymnasium. In addition to its ACC bouts, UVa entertains Anderson, Gardner-Webb and West Virginia in a quadrangular meet to open the season on Nov. 2 and takes on Bucknell on Feb. 2. UVa also will compete in the Hokie Duals on Nov. 10 in Blacksburg, with matches against VMI, Wisconsin and Kent State, as well as the Northeast Duals on Nov. 30 in Albany, N.Y., featuring duals against Lehigh, Rutgers and Clarion. The Cavaliers also have in-state dual matches on the docket against Old Dominion (Jan. 19) and George Mason (Feb. 16). The NCAA Championships will be contested March 20-22 at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Okla. UVa took 21st place at the championships last year and has recorded four straight top-30 finishes. The Cavaliers return 20 letterwinners for the 2013-14 season, including 2013 All-American Nick Sulzer (R-Jr., Cleveland, Ohio). 2013 ACC Freshman of the Year George DiCamillo (Highland Heights, Ohio) also returns after winning the conference’s 133-pound championship last season. 2013 NCAA Tournament qualifiers Stephen Doty (R-Sr., St. Louis, Mo.), Jon Fausey (R-Sr., Dalmatia, Pa.) and Joe Spisak (R-Jr., Boiling Springs, Pa.) also return to the lineup, as does 2012 NCAA qualifier Gus Sako (R-Jr., Cleveland, Ohio), who redshirted in 2013.