InterMat Staff

The following is a weight-by-weight breakdown of the Junior National Greco-Roman tournament. Wrestling in that event kicks off at 9 a.m. CT on Monday, July 15, with finals commencing at 2:15 p.m. CT on Tuesday. Analysis is based on participants listed in Track Wrestling as of 11 p.m. on Saturday. 100: The opening weight of Junior level competition is always limited participants, and tends not to be robust in quality. A couple of the names to watch are 2012 FILA Cadet Greco-Roman national champion Dalton Roberts (Michigan), as well as 2012 Cadet National double All-American Kirk Johansen (Illinois). 106: Joe Cisneros (California), a returning Junior Greco-Roman All-American just may be the favorite in this weight class, as he also went undefeated in both styles at the Junior Duals at the end of June in Oklahoma City. However, returning Cadet freestyle champion Miguel Silva (Illinois), who ended the 2012-13 regular season weight class ranked, will also have a say in the proceedings at this weight class. Others to watch include Erik Zorilla (Florida), a FILA Junior champion in Greco-Roman; Paul Bianchi (Wisconsin), runner-up at the FILA Cadet Nationals in Greco-Roman; and FILA Junior double All-American Brock George (Utah). 113: This field has the makings of a very interesting overall tournament. The slightest of favorites just may be Anthony Cefolo (New Jersey), a 2012 in-season state champion and two-time Cadet Greco-Roman All-American. Others to watch include Skyler Petry (Minnesota), a three-time in-season state placer and Preseason Nationals runner-up; FILA Cadet Greco-Roman runner-up Isaac Jimenez (Texas); FILA Junior Greco-Roman third placer Doyle Trout (Nebraska), who also went undefeated in Greco-Roman at the Junior Duals; as well as four other wrestlers that earned All-American honors in Fargo last summer. 120: And the meat of the Junior Nationals has begun! Defending Junior Greco-Roman champion Jared Oftedahl (Minnesota) is going to have a stern challenge in order to repeat his title-winning performance. Five others in this field are nationally ranked at their grade level: Taylor LaMont (Utah) is No. 25 in the Class of 2016, having won a FILA Cadet Greco-Roman national title in late May and going undefeated at the Junior Duals in both styles during late June; Jordan Allen (West Virginia) is ranked No. 40 in the Class of 2015; Ronnie Bresser (Oregon), a Junior National double All-American last summer, finished No. 76 in the graduated Class of 2016; while Josh Terao (Hawaii), a Cadet double All-American last summer, and 2012 FILA Cadet Greco-Roman champion James Flint (Florida) are ranked within the Top 100 of the Class of 2014. Others meriting attention include Sean Cannon (Nevada), Dom Forys (Pennsylvania), returning Junior Greco-Roman runner-up Tommy Pawleski (Illinois) and FILA Cadet Greco-Roman runner-up Blaine Tschida (Minnesota). 126: Things seem set for a wide open competition here, with maybe the slightest of favorites being Cub Yeager (Oklahoma), who has two in-season state titles to his credit, was a Junior Greco-Roman All-American last summer, and went undefeated in Greco-Roman at the Junior Duals in late June. Others to watch here include 2012 FILA Cadet Greco-Roman champion Danny Boychuck (New Jersey), returning Cadet Greco-Roman runner-up Jon Marmolejo (Illinois), 2011 Junior Greco-Roman runner-up Dante Rodriguez (Nebraska), FILA Cadet Greco-Roman All-American Jordan Shearer (North Dakota), along with Cody Karstetter (Oklahoma) and William Koll (New York) Hayden Tuma of Idaho is the prohibitive favorite at 132 (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)132: Among the five Top 100 rising seniors in this weight bracket, there is one clear standout in Hayden Tuma (Idaho), who has a case for being the best high school-aged Greco-Roman wrestler in the country. Tuma is ranked No. 6 nationally in the Class of 2014, was a Junior Greco-Roman national champion last summer, and also won FILA Juniors this spring along with FILA Cadets the prior two springs in Greco-Roman. Other Top 100 rated wrestlers are No. 37 Cole Weaver (Michigan), a Cadet Greco-Roman champion last summer; No. 55 Seth Gross (Minnesota), runner-up in Cadet Greco-Roman last year but a two-time Cadet freestyle champion; No. 60 Anthony Giraldo (New Jersey), champion in Greco-Roman at the FILA Cadet Nationals this May; and No. 97 Jacob Rubio (Texas), a multi-time Greco-Roman All-American in USA Wrestling events who also went undefeated in both styles at the Junior Duals last month. Also here is 2011 FILA Cadet Greco-Roman champion Darius Henry (Illinois). 138: Based on listed registrants, the favorite in this weight class would have to be Joseph McKenna (New Jersey), a two-time Cadet National Greco-Roman champion who is ranked No. 10 overall in the Class of 2014. Primary challengers would include Jake Velarde (Washington), a two-time Junior Greco-Roman All-American who finished ranked No. 71 overall in the Class of 2013; and Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer, an All-American at both Junior Nationals and FILA Juniors in Greco-Roman, also No. 33 overall in the Class of 2014. Others to watch include Andrew Crone (Wisconsin) and Blaine Invernon (Idaho), both who are returning Junior Greco-Roman All-Americans; along with Max Thomsen (Iowa), who is ranked No. 43 in the Class of 2015. 145: Runner-up last year in Junior Greco-Roman, Mitch Bengtson (Minnesota) will enter this weight class as the tournament favorite. He is a two-time All-American in Junior Greco-Roman, and finished his scholastic career as the No. 34 overall prospect in the Class of 2013. Four other wrestlers return as Junior Greco-Roman All-Americans: Brandon Ashworth (Utah), Phil Downing (Colorado), Joe Grable (Washington), and Jared Johshoy (Idaho). Three other wrestlers went undefeated in Greco-Roman at the Junior Duals last month: Isaac Dulgarian (Kansas), Matthew Moody (Georgia), and FILA Cadet Greco-Roman runner-up Brooks Robinson (Utah). 152: Grant Lamont (Utah) was champion in Junior Greco-Roman last year, and seeks a second consecutive title. The graduated senior was also runner-up in the 2010 Junior Greco-Roman tournament, and is after a fourth top three finish in this event. However, life will not be easy with the always tough Jon-Jay Chavez (Idaho) among the challengers. Chavez was champion in both styles at the FILA Cadet Nationals this May, won Cadet Nationals in Greco-Roman in 2011, and is ranked No. 34 overall in the Class of 2014. Others to watch include FILA Cadet double All-American Weston Dobler (North Dakota); Grant Leeth (Missouri), who is ranked No. 35 overall in the Class of 2014; Logan Breitenbach (Maryland), who was 2012 FILA Cadet Greco-Roman All-American; and Anthony Valenica (California), who went undefeated in both styles at the Junior Duals, and is ranked No. 13 in the Class of 2015. 160: Three Top 100 Class of 2014 with excellent Greco-Roman backgrounds lead the field in this weight class. Ranked No. 39, Burke Paddock (New York) has been an All-American at multiple USA Wrestling tournaments in this style, including such a finish in 2011 at the Junior Nationals; he also went undefeated in Greco-Roman at last month's Junior Duals. Kimball Bastian (Utah), ranked No. 68, won the Cadet National title last year, and was champion of this year's FILA Cadet Nationals in Greco-Roman with two victories over top 15 wrestlers in his class. Finally, Tyrel White (Pennsylvania) is ranked No. 91 in that class, finished runner-up at the FILA Junior Nationals this year, and was a Junior Greco-Roman All-American last summer. Others to watch include returning Junior All-American Calvin Ochs (Kansas); Nick Georgian (Illinois), who was undefeated at the Junior Duals in Greco-Roman; and 2012 FILA Junior All-American Barrett Stanghill (Montana). 170: Two-time Cadet Greco-Roman champion Chandler Rogers (Washington) enters the tournament as a strong favorite in this weight class. Rogers is ranked No. 13 overall in the Class of 2014, was also undefeated in both styles at the Junior Duals last month, and is a two-time FILA Cadet Greco-Roman finalist (winning the title in 2012). Others to watch include Jacob Morrissey (Wisconsin), who won the Junior folkstyle title in April and seeks a Triple Crown; Patrick Coover (Pennsylvania), a 2010 Cadet Greco-Roman champion; Kyle Bateman (Oregon), a returning Junior Greco-Roman All-American; and Xavier Montalvo (Illinois), ranked No. 45 in the Class of 2015 and a Cadet double All-American last year in Fargo. 182: Preston Lehmann (North Dakota), who finished his prep career ranked No. 46 in the Class of 2013, enters this weight bracket as the slight favorite after finishing undefeated in both styles at the Junior Duals last month. Most notable among the challengers is Ryan Christensen (Washington), a Cadet National double finalist last year, who is ranked No. 41 in the Class of 2014 and went undefeated in Greco-Roman at the Junior Duals. Others meriting attention include Daniel Hawkins (Maryland), a returning Junior Greco-Roman All-American, as well as Nick Corba (Ohio), Troy Murtha (Maryland), and Aaron Rothwell (Wisconsin). 195: Four Top 100 recruits in the Classes of 2013 and 2014 are featured among a rather solid field in this weight class. Leading the list from a ranking standpoint is Jared Haught (West Virginia), who finished No. 68 overall in the Class of 2013. Among the rising seniors is Jeramy Sweany (California), No. 84 in the Class of 2014 and a returning Junior Greco-Roman All-American, along with No. 98 Reggie Williams (New York) and No. 100 Chance McClure (Georgia). Another pair of returning Junior Greco-Roman All-Americans in this field is Matthew Seabold (Iowa) and returning runner-up Alen Turcinhodzic (Pennsylvania). Two additional wrestlers in the field went undefeated at the Junior Duals in Greco-Roman last month, Tyler McLean (Washington) and Roland Zilberman (New York). 220: Returning Cadet National double champion, and a FILA Cadet Nationals double finalist (Greco-Roman champion) in May, Roy Nash is ranked No. 79 overall in the Class of 2014. He enters this event as the weight class favorite. Among the others to watch are Mikel Baker (Oklahoma), a returning Junior Greco-Roman All-American; and Cory Daniel (Maryland), a FILA Junior Greco-Roman All-American in April. 285: Even though Sam Stoll (Minnesota) swept a pair of matches from Adam Coon (Michigan) at the FILA Junior World Team Trials in Greco-Roman, one should still consider Coon the favorite in this tournament. Coon won the Junior Nationals in both styles last year, including a pool round-robin win over Stoll as part of that. He was ranked No. 2 overall in the Class of 2013, and won everything under the sun in his high school career. Stoll was third in Junior Greco-Roman last year, is the FILA Juniors World Team representative this year, and ranked No. 11 overall in the Class of 2014. Others meriting attention in this weight class include Nathan Butler (Kansas), who was ranked No. 64 overall in the Class of 2013 and went undefeated at the Junior Duals in both styles last month; last year's Cadet National double champion Wyatt Spears (Oregon); and Newton Smerchek (Wisconsin).

Below is a weight-by-weight breakdown of the Cadet National Greco-Roman tournament, which starts Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m. CT, with the finals at 2:00 p.m. on Monday. Participant information for this analysis is as of noon on Saturday. 88: The nation's top-ranked junior high wrestler, Cade Olivas (California), leads the way here. Olivas won the Cadet folkstyle national title in this weight, and is after the second leg of the Triple Crown in this event. He was also champion in the 42-kilo weight class at the FILA Cadet Nationals in Greco-Roman. Among the challengers are Dylan Koontz (Wisconsin) and William Moss (Georgia), who were champion and runner-up at last year's Schoolboy Nationals in Greco-Roman respectively. 94: Two of the nation's elite incoming freshmen are among the key players in this weight class, No. 15 Austin Gomez (Illinois) and No. 16 Kaden Gfeller (Oklahoma). Gomez was a Schoolboy Nationals champion in Greco-Roman at 91 pounds last summer, and won the FILA Cadet National freestyle title in late May, when Gfeller finished second in the weight class. Other contenders include returning Cadet Nationals runner-up Michael Couglin (Maryland); two-time FILA Cadet Greco-Roman All-American Louie Hayes (Illinois); and double FILA Cadet third place finisher Brent Jones (Minnesota), who is also eligible for a Cadet Triple Crown. 100: A pair of FILA Cadet Greco-Roman All-Americans from late May are among the contenders in this weight, Coltan Williams (Texas) and Paul Fitterer (Minnesota); Williams also went undefeated in the style at this weight class in last month's Cadet Duals, while Fitterer is a returning All-American from last year in Fargo. Other returning double Cadet National All-Americans include Logan Grass (West Virginia), Joey Prata (Virginia), and Matthew Schmitt (Missouri); Schmitt also went undefeated up at 106 pounds in the Cadet Greco-Roman Duals last month. 106: Daton Fix (Oklahoma) seeks a Cadet National Triple Crown, having already won the folkstyle title in early April. Ranked No. 6 among incoming freshmen, and a runner-up at the FILA Cadet Nationals in freestyle at 110 pounds, he'll enter this tournament as the favorite. Others to watch will include FILA Cadet Greco-Roman champion Tanner Cox (Utah), FILA Cadet Greco-Roman third placer Jaron Chavez (Idaho), returning Cadet Greco-Roman All-American Michael Murphy (Tennessee), and the nation's No. 10 incoming freshman Austin O'Connor (Illinois). Mitchell McKee (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)113: Mitchell McKee (Minnesota) will be after a second consecutive Cadet National title in Greco-Roman after winning last year in Fargo at 106 pounds. Among the primary challengers will be two of the nation's top Class of 2016 prospects: No. 20 Chad Red (Indiana) and No. 23 Kyle Bierdumpfel (New Jersey); Bierdumpfel was a double runner-up last year at Cadet Nationals in Fargo. Others to watch include Eric Hong (Pennsylvania), the nation's No. 9 incoming ninth grader, FILA Cadet Greco-Roman third place finisher Kanen Storr (Michigan), and in-season state champion Henry Pohlmeyer (Iowa). 120: Things seem relatively open in this weight class, without a truly elite competitor at present. The slightest of favorites just might be Nick Casella (New York), a two-time in-season state runner-up, who earned All-American honors at the FILA Cadet Nationals in Greco-Roman. Also here is returning Cadet Greco-Roman All-American Sage Coy (Indiana), 2012 Schoolboy Greco-Roman national champion Isaiah Palominio (California), two-time in-season state champion Chris Debien (Tennessee), and a darkhorse of sorts is Gabe Townsell (Illinois). 126: Zahid Valencia (California), ranked No. 5 overall in the Class of 2015, enters this tournament as the prohibitive favorite. Among the other contenders are FILA Cadet Greco-Roman champion Devin Bahr (Wisconsin); returning Cadet Nationals Greco-Roman runner-up Drake Foster (Idaho); Ricardo Montoya (New Mexico) and Jaden Enriquez (California), who both went undefeated in Greco-Roman at the Cadet Duals; Armando Molina (California), who won the Cadet folkstyle title and is after a Triple Crown; along with a pair of the nation's top 50 Class of 2016 prospects in Hayden Hidlay (Pennsylvania) and Jarrett Degen (Montana). 132: Vincent Turk (Illinois), last year's Cadet Greco-Roman national champion at 120 pounds, is the anchor of this weight class, as he seeks a repeat title. Others to watch here include returning All-American Griffin Parriott (Minnesota), who ranks No. 35 overall in the Class of 2016; Leonard Merkin (New York), a FILA Cadet Greco-Roman All-American; and Clayton Arellano (New Mexico), who was undefeated in Greco-Roman at the Cadet Duals. 138: FILA Cadet Greco-Roman runner-up Larry Early (Illinois), who is also ranked No. 26 in the Class of 2015, leads the field in this weight class. Others to watch include returning Cadet National Greco-Roman runner-up Brady O'Keefe (Nevada); Cameron Harrell (Maryland), who was undefeated in Greco-Roman at the Cadet Duals last month; along with Patricio Lugo (Florida) and Connor Myers (Michigan), each undefeated in both styles at the Cadet Duals. 145: Mason Manville (New Jersey), ranked No. 3 nationally in the Class of 2016, is favored to defend his Cadet Greco-Roman national title from last year. He also was runner-up at the FILA Cadet Greco-Roman tournament held in late May at 152 pounds. Also in this weight class are returning Cadet Greco-Roman runner-up Joey Gunther (Illinois), 2012 Schoolboy Nationals Greco-Roman champion Owen Webster (Minnesota), and Austin Kraisser (Maryland), who is ranked No. 33 overall in the Class of 2016. 152: Two wrestlers stand out at the head of this field, both are grade level ranked; Taylor Lujan (Georgia) is No. 35 in the Class of 2015 and was undefeated in both styles of the Cadet Duals held last month, while Nick Reenan (Texas) is No. 10 in the Class of 2016 and finished second in freestyle at the FILA Cadet Nationals in freestyle two months ago. Others to watch include returning Cadet Greco-Roman All-Americans Chris Almony (Maryland) and Jesse Porter (New York), along with last year's Schoolboy Greco-Roman champion Andrew Berreyesa (Nevada). 160: Mark Hall (Colorado), ranked No. 2 overall in the Class of 2016 and a returning Cadet National freestyle champion, enters this tournament the strong favorite. Two others to watch include Jelani Embree (Michigan), who went undefeated in both styles at last month's Cadet Duals and is ranked No. 4 in the Class of 2016; along with Kamal Bey (Illinois), ranked No. 46 in the Class of 2016. 170: The slightest of favorites in this weight class would have to be Beau Breske (Wisconsin), who is ranked No. 9 overall in the Class of 2016 and earned All-American honors at the FILA Cadet Greco-Roman tournament in May. Right behind Breske will be Keegan Moore (Minnesota), ranked No. 22 in the Class of 2016 and seeking a Cadet Triple Crown after winning folkstyle nationals in April. Others to watch include returning Cadet Greco-Roman All-American Dustin Gray (Missouri) and 2012 Schoolboy Nationals Greco-Roman champion Wyatt Koeling (Utah). 182: Two of the nation's top Class of 2015 wrestlers lead the way in this weight class – No. 44 Hunter Ritter (Maryland), who was runner-up at the FILA Cadet Nationals in Greco-Roman; and No. 46 Justan Rivera (Georgia), a Cadet Nationals double All-American last year. Others to watch in this weight include FILA Cadet freestyle All-American Andrew Marsden (Illinois) and Mason Litz (Michigan), who went undefeated in both styles at last month's Cadet Duals. 195: Though this is a rather deep upper-weight class for the Cadet level, it is led by defending Cadet Greco-Roman national champion Samuel Colbray (Oregon), who is ranked No. 13 overall in the Class of 2016. The two primary challengers would be Tevis Bartlett (Wyoming), a returning Cadet Greco-Roman All-American who is ranked No. 48 in the Class of 2015; and Emilio Fowler (Kansas), who went undefeated in freestyle at the Cadet Duals and is after a Cadet Triple Crown having won the folkstyle title in early April. Additonal wrestlers to watch include a pair of 2012 Schoolboy Greco-Roman national champions in Brian Barnes (Oregon) and Jacob Cavins (Indiana); Jerek Cropper (Ohio) and Isaac Florell (Minnesota), both of whom are FILA Cadet Greco-Roman All-American; and Bailey Faust (Ohio), who went undefeated in freestyle at the Cadet Duals last month. 220: Entering this event as a prohibitive favorite is Lance Benick (Minnesota), the nation's top ranked wrestler in the Class of 2015 and a Cadet Triple Crown winner last year. Earlier in April, Benick won the Junior National folkstyle championship. Others meriting attending include returning Cadet Greco-Roman All-American Kyler Childers (Oklahoma); Michael Smith (Maryland), who went undefeated at the Cadet Duals in Greco-Roman last month; and Jordan Wood (Pennsylvania), an in-season state runner-up who is ranked No. 8 overall in the Class of 2016. 285: Entering this event as favorite is Shawn Streck (Indiana), who went undefeated in both styles at the Cadet Duals and is the nation's No. 26 ranked wrestler in the Class of 2016. Primary challenger would have to be Jacob Marnin (Iowa), a returning Cadet Greco-Roman All-American who seeks a Cadet Triple Crown after winning the folkstyle nationals tournament in April. Others to watch include FILA Cadet Greco-Roman All-Americans in Adam Lemke-Bell (Illinois) and Kevin Vough (Elyria), as well as in-season state placer Cale Bonner (Ohio)

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. Three years ago Anderson Silva stepped into the octagon to defend his UFC middleweight title against Damien Maia at UFC. Heading into the event Silva was acting a little strange in interviews and at the pre-fight standoff got kiss-him close to Maia. During the fight Silva proceeded to put on one of the oddest athletic performances in professional sports history. You can see the fight on the Internet, but I'll save you the trouble, and briefly state that he gestured wildly, and postured as though he couldn't be hit, but refused to actually fight. Confused? So were the million plus fans watching him have a mental breakdown in the middle of the octagon. The Brazilian had reason to think his antics might work. He'd antagonized a drugged-up Forrest Griffin in the same head-bobbing way and knocked him out with a flick of the wrist. Against Maia, who had several in-cage submissions to his count and was arguably one of the best jiu-jitsu fighters in the UFC, Silva wanted to avoid all aspects of grappling and instead decided to peacock for 800k PPV buys. UFC president Dana White as so disgusted with the performance set he threatened to kick the middleweight champion out of the UFC. At the time the majority opinion of fight fans who had just laid out a steak dinner to watch a man prancersize in the Octagon, was that "someone needed to punch this fool in the mouth." Along came Chael Sonnen, who for four and half rounds all but eliminated the myth of Silva's greatness, before handing it right back by allowing himself to be put in a blue belt level triangle midway through the final round. A few more highlight reel knockouts, a few million dollars in UFC PR and the once technically vulnerable, mentally unhinged mediocre fighter was suddenly the "all-time GOAT," mostly by avoiding troublesome opponents. Behind the titles, ten-fight contract and Burger King endorsement, many UFC fighters were confessing in private that Silva wasn't the GOAT, but really an average fighter with a Mayweather-like ability of avoiding tough competition. Until Chris "The All-American" Weidman. The two-time NCAA Division I All-American from Hofstra used his hands to dispatch the myth of Anderson Silva and the GOAT garbage. Weidman is more than just a wrestler, but in a time when our sport's validity is being questioned, it was a pleasure to watch one of OUR guys step into the ring with a bag of hot air and punch it square in the mouth. Congrats, Champ, you make being a wrestler a little more special. Q: This past week ESPN's Behind the Lines did a continuation on the story of two Cleveland area wrestlers, Dartanyon Crockett and Leroy Sutton. Dartanyon is blind and Leroy is a double amputee. In the updated version, they talk about Dartanyon qualifying for the Paralympics in judo. Why do we not have a wrestling event in the Paralympics? I checked and there was Paralympic wrestling in 1980 and 1984. It seems like this is something that we should be pushing for. Wrestling is definitely a sport that can be accessed by Paralympic athletes and we should be pushing for all of the exposure possible. -- Ryan R. Foley: I don't have any answers on why Paralympics wrestling was discontinued, but I'll ask around until I find the best answer. Until then, let's keep working on creating opportunities to touch the lives of those athletes ignored by large-scale organized team sports. There are several national and international funds available for the promotion of organized activity with those who have physical impairments. Why isn't there a Wounded Warriors wrestling league? Real Sports recently did a piece on MMA as an avenue of relief for those with PTSD. Wrestling can play the same role in the lives of serviceman returning from active duty. Finding new athletes and people who could benefit from the camaraderie of the sport we could create a way to change the perception of our sport by helping those who've served our country. Q: Why do you think wrestlers in the heavier weights are having so much success in MMA, but in the lighter weights wrestlers aren't very noticeable? I know Benson Henderson, Michael Chandler, Chad Mendes and Frankie Edgar were stud wrestlers, but the depth is just not there. Especially at 125/135, excited to see how Bubba Jenkins and Lance Palmer do when they get a shot, but still looking for some more lighter guys to get involved. Shawn Bunch will be awesome when he gets some experience. Anybody else coming up? Would make those lighter weights a lot better and more competitive with guys like Henry Cejudo, Nick Simmons, Montell Marion, and even Andrew Long fresh out of jail. One more question, do you think the Iowa style, grinding, getting the other guy tired, forward, will ever make its way into MMA? I know it would be dangerous, but just imagine 15 minutes of Andrew Howe and Brett Metcalf pulling guys' heads down that aren't used to it. -- Rob H. Foley: Andrew Long "fresh out of jail." Ouch, sensitive topic, brother! You deal with any of his residual fans. I'm forwarding you the emails. I don't know if there is a weight preference for wrestlers-turned-fighters, in fact everything you wrote makes it seem pretty even throughout the UFC. The UFC champions at every weight but 145 and 170 are former collegiate wrestlers. When you factor in GSP's Russian-training in Canada every champion except Jose Aldo is a wrestler. Add to that the domination of Ben Askren and Michael Chandler and you have a lot of our mat heroes mopping up opponents. Cejudo hasn't fought a quality opponent, and it would be disrespectful to Askren, Velasquez and any of the other big name wrestlers-turned-fighters who'd trained for years in the sport. Like I've written before, Cejudo is an incredible athlete and what he did on the mat in 2008 was inspirational for his community and the country. But he in no way is on par with Chris Weidman. I'd love to see the lighter weight guys you mentioned make a jump, especially Nick Simmons, who is built for submission grappling. I enjoy MMA and I love wrestling's impact on the sport, and like you I'd love to see some of our recent champions start pummeling more faux champions. Q: I've been wrestling since the eighth grade. I ran into some hard times in high school and dropped out in the 10th grade. Can a person like me who has only four years of wrestling under his belt still get into shape and compete in the sport that he loves? -- Tim S. Foley: Depends on your city, but most areas have a wrestling program that can accommodate your desire to hit the mats! If you need a fix, I HIGHLY suggest jiu-jitsu as a way to meet your mat needs. RANT OF THE WEEK! By Jordan L. I do not feel the system of "key" rules for passivity are necessary. Keep the pushout rule, and omit passivity all together. Again, we are trying to keep the sport interesting for casual fans. The members of college student bodies who attend a match or two a year in order to win spirit points for their respective teams, the folks who watch the NCAA finals once a year when they are on ESPN, and the like, are the ones we should be attempting to simplify our sport for. I do not think a write up of passivity rules that are relatively subjective to the official are the best way to do this. Let's keep the pushout rule, keep the 1 five-minute period match, and reward action via points!

Mark Munoz

For an eighteenth consecutive year, the ASICS/Vaughan Junior and Cadet National Championships return to the FARGODOME in Fargo, N.D. This year's events will commence on July 13 with the start of Cadet women's freestyle competition, and the Junior National freestyle finals marking their conclusion on July 20. However, the primary four events of the week start on Sunday with the Cadet National Greco-Roman competition. Now with seven different competitions (Cadet and Junior Women, Junior Women Duals, Cadet and Junior Greco-Roman, and Cadet and Junior freestyle) held over eight days, the week in Fargo remains the largest single wrestling tournament in the world. It is also -- bar none -- the preeminent compilation of elite scholastic wrestlers in the United States. Over the years, many NCAA finalists and United States Olympians have competed in these tournaments. Given its perch on top of the scholastic wrestling calendar, what stories should one eye during the week of Fargo? 1. Tomasello seeks three-peat in Junior freestyle, possibly ten others to defend their titles Nathan Tomasello (Photo/Rob Preston)The Junior National freestyle tournament, which kicks off one week from today on July 18, is viewed by many as the pinnacle wrestling event for high school aged young men. In something of an uncommon occurrence, 11 out of 15 weight class champions from the previous year could be back to defend their titles. Among this group, Nathan Tomasello (Ohio) -- bound for Ohio State in a month -- is the lone competitor after a third Junior National freestyle title. Tomasello, who ended high school ranked No. 15 overall in the Class of 2013, is expected to compete for the title at 120 pounds this year after winning previous titles at 112 and 120 pounds. One has to view Tomasello as the favorite in this weight class, though it is not for the lack of quality challengers. Among that challenge pack will likely be fellow defending Junior freestyle champion Tommy Thorn (Minnesota); ranked No. 18 in the Class of 2014, he won the 113-pound weight competition last summer. Also likely to be in this weight class is FILA Cadet freestyle champion Stevan Micic (Indiana), who was a Cadet National freestyle champion in 2011, and is ranked No. 20 in the Class of 2014. Six of the other defending champions join Tomasello in heading off to college next month, with five of them among the top 20 prospects in the graduated Class of 2013: No. 2 Adam Coon (Michigan), likely at 285 pounds; No. 3 Zain Retherford (Pennsylvania), possibly at 138 or 145; No. 5 Isaiah Martinez (California), possibly at 160 or 170; No. 6 J'den Cox (Missouri), likely at 220 or 285; and No. 20 Anthony Collica (Ohio), likely at 152. Rounding out the list of defending Junior National freestyle champions are Tanner Rohweder (Iowa), possibly at 113; Paul Mascarenas (New Mexico), possibly at 113 or 120; Bryce Brill (Illinois), likely at 145; and Josh Llopez (Maryland), possibly at 160. 2. Breakout performances Last summer, eight wrestlers entering their ninth grade year won Cadet National titles in Fargo, including a trio of wrestlers who swept Greco-Roman and freestyle: Devin Schnupp (Pennsylvania) at 88 pounds, Hunter Marko (Wisconsin) at 94, and Aaron Pico (California) at 132. This was a second consecutive Cadet National double title for Pico, who is the top-ranked wrestler in the Class of 2016, and has a case for being the best overall high school aged wrestler in the country. Five other wrestlers won a Fargo stop sign last summer before entering ninth grade: Mitch McKee (Minnesota) at 100 pounds, Kyle Norstrem (Florida) at 106, Mason Manville (Blair Academy, N.J.) at 145, and Samuel Colbray (Oregon) at 182 earned their titles in Greco-Roman; while Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.) won a Cadet freestyle title at 152 pounds. Among these five wrestlers, all but McKee are ranked inside the top 16 for the Class of 2016. In virtually every year, it seems that there are freshmen-to-be that make an opening statement to their high school careers with a Cadet National title. During this coming week, three names in particular merit watching, each was already a finalist at the FILA Cadet Nationals in late May. Spencer Lee (Photo/Rob Preston)Spencer Lee (Pennsylvania) is ranked as the nation's best in this group, and the reasons why are abundantly clear. In folkstyle, he was a runner-up at the Super 32 Challenge and FloNationals during 2012-13 at 106 pounds; and he dominated the field in FILA Cadet freestyle on the way to a championship there at 110 pounds. At the Cadet Duals last month in Daytona Beach, Lee went a combined 13-0 in contested matches between Greco-Roman and freestyle at 106 pounds. Quite frankly, the most likely roadblock to Lee winning Fargo titles this summer is possibly skipping the event due to competing in the FILA Cadet World Championships come late August in Serbia. Ranked third among incoming ninth-graders, Nick Lee (Indiana) was a runner-up at 58 kilos (127.75 pounds) at the FILA Cadet Nationals in freestyle, with five out of seven victories on his path to the final coming via technical fall. Competing at 126 pounds in the Cadet Duals last month, Nick went 6-1 in Greco-Roman and an undefeated 7-0 in freestyle. He also brings success against high school aged competition in folkstyle to the table, placing seventh at 106 pounds in the 2012 FloNationals, and going 3-2 each of the last two years in the high school Super 32 Challenge. Third in this group is Daton Fix (Oklahoma), who was runner-up to Spencer Lee at 110 pounds in the FILA Cadet Nationals. He also went 7-0 at 106 pounds in freestyle at last month's Cadet Duals, and is in the hunt for a Cadet National Triple Crown, as he won the Cadet folkstyle national title at 106 pounds in early April. For the recent historical context, go back to the summer of 2010 when six different incoming freshmen-to-be picked up Cadet titles in Fargo: Joey McKenna (New Jersey), Hayden Tuma (Idaho), and Patrick Coover (Pennsylvania/Blair Academy) in Greco-Roman, along with Brent Fleetwood (Delaware), Jered Cortez (Illinois), and Chance Marsteller (Pennsylvania) in freestyle. Similarly six wrestlers did the deed in 2009: Dylan Akers (Texas), Oliver Pierce (Texas), and Brooks Black (Pennsyvania/Blair Academy) in Greco-Roman, along with Brad Perkins (Missouri), Joey Dance (Virginia), and Ben Whitford (Michigan). Going back to the summer of 2008, three wrestlers earned the big stop sign before entering high school, as did four in the summer of 2007. 3. Cadet to Junior transition For many of the stars of "Fargo week" last year, there will be a significant transition this coming year, and some new challenges for them to face. Close to twenty wrestlers that won Greco-Roman and/or freestyle titles at the Cadet level last summer make the jump to Juniors, presuming that they are making the trip to Fargo this summer. While many of these young men are expected to do very well in the upcoming tournaments, there will be more challengers for their thrones -- both in quantity and quality. One of the most interesting things to follow year-in and year-out is how the new group of Junior-level competitors is able to transition. In many cases, they thrive -- and that is what helps identify the true stars of scholastic-aged wrestling. Bo Nickal (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Four Cadet double champions from last summer are on pace to make their debuts at the Junior level this time around -- in addition Lance Benick (Minnesota), the nation's top Class of 2015 prospect, is Cadet-eligible but did compete up in winning the Junior National title in folkstyle. Three of those four are rising seniors - Bo Nickal (Texas), Roy Nash (Utah), and Wyatt Spears (Oregon) - while the fourth is the nation's top sophomore-to-be in Pico. Other Class of 2014 wrestlers, who also won a Cadet title in at least one style, potentially making their Junior level debut this coming week include Top 100 recruits No. 13 Chandler Rogers (Washington), No. 37 Cole Weaver (Michigan), No. 38 Michael Pixley (Missouri), No. 41 Ryan Christensen (Washington), No. 55 Seth Gross (Minnesota), No. 63 Coy Ozias (Virginia), No. 68 Kimball Bastian (Utah), and No. 96 Scott Parker (Pennsylvania). Note that No. 8 Nickal and No. 79 Nash are also top 100 rated rising seniors. 4. Rule changes in international wrestling have been a big topic in 2013, what rules will be used this coming week in Fargo? The decision by the IOC to recommend eliminating wrestling from the 2020 Olympic Games in February has been a big discussion topic since then by all in the wrestling community. One of the many reactions made by FILA was significant rules changes. As a result of the "original" interpretation of those rule changes in May, USA Wrestling implemented rules for the Beat the Streets event in Los Angeles, which was adopted by the Junior Games committee. These procedures have been used for events since mid-May at the Junior, Cadet, and below levels. Instead of the best-of-three period "tennis set" match, it is now two three-minute periods of cumulative scoring in both freestyle and Greco-Roman. Those matches ending in ties at the end of six minutes are decided on criteria (highest value score, last score, etc.). The most recent match-ending adaptation with two three-point moves or a five-point move hit with having the lead are not in effect. The two-point takedown and all exposures being worth two points are in effect. Technical falls in freestyle come at a ten-point advantage, while in Greco-Roman the technical fall comes at a seven-point advantage. 5. Participation dropped recently, has plateaued, but Fargo still remains the "place to be" in offseason wrestling One of the discussions topics posed within the wrestling community is if participation within the Olympic styles is down at the high school level. A very legitimate way to examine this is to look at participation trends at the Cadet and Junior Nationals over the previous eight years -- which also happens to be the period of time for which data was available through TrackWrestling.com. The data shows that there is a decrease from the mid-2000s level of participation, but things have leveled at a "new plateau" in the 2010s. Several theories have been proposed. One of the theories is that the rule changes within freestyle and Greco-Roman have made the sports less popular, less translatable to scholastic wrestling, and therefore less promoted to high school-aged wrestlers. Another theory is that the proliferation of opportunities for scholastic-style competition during the spring and summer months has made it possible for wrestlers to get a high level quantity and quality of competition without competing in the Olympic styles. Despite those two theories and the many more that are out there, the Cadet and Junior National Championships remain a primary destination for high school aged wrestlers during the off-season, especially for those seeking to make a name for themselves among the prominent wrestlers in the country. College coaches from across the country travel to Fargo for the competition. The major national wrestling publications will make their presence known during the course of the competition as well. The competitions remain a critical measuring stick in determining the elite high school aged wrestlers in America. 6. Key vertical pairing reminders The Cadet and Junior Nationals are conducted using a bracketing concept known as vertical pairing, which essentially is a hybrid of double elimination and round-robin competition. At the start of the tournament, the wrestlers in each weight class are placed into two pools. The first match of the tournament for each wrestler will be against the one right next to them on the chart. If it was an eight-person chart: 1 vs. 2, 3 vs. 4, 5 vs. 6, and 7 vs. 8. If it was a nine-person chart, those four matchups would hold with the wrestler 9 getting a bye. From that point of the tournament onward, wrestlers are eliminated when they lose for a second time. The assignment of matches for a given round will start at the "top of the list" with each wrestler assigned a match against the "first available" opponent; a wrestler with a bye in the previous round becomes the "top of the list". In the eight person example, the second round matches would place 1 vs. 3, 2 vs. 4, 5 vs. 7, and 6 vs. 8. In the nine person example, second round matches would place 9 vs. 1, 2 vs. 3, 4 vs. 5, and 6 vs. 7, with 8 getting the bye. At the point that four wrestlers remain alive in a pool, they earn All-American honors, as they will finish in the eight placing positions. Should it go from five or six wrestlers remaining to three remaining, the fourth position is determined by a tiebreaking procedure. If possible, head-to-head is utilized. However, if it is not possible to use head-to-head, total classification points are used to determine the All-American finisher (if a tie exists there, then an extra match will be staged to determine the All-American finisher). As a refresher, and for those unfamiliar with classification points, they are awarded as follows: 5 points -- win by pin, disqualification, forfeit, etc. 4 points -- win by technical fall 3 points -- win by decision 1 point -- scoring a point in a loss when the opponent does not score 5 classification points 0 points -- failing to score within a match, or during a loss in which the opponent scores 5 points If the pool has three wrestlers remaining with less than two losses, the "round-robin" will ensue. Prior matches involving those wrestlers "carry forward", along with the classification points earned in those matches. After the round-robin is complete, the wrestler with the most classification points will win the pool (and advance to the first place match); head-to-head is the first tiebreaker in the case of a tie, then it goes to total points earned in pool competition. If a pool goes from four remaining to two remaining, the two wrestlers with less than two losses will either (1) wrestle if they haven't met already in pool competition (2) if a match involving them has occurred in pool competition, that match's winner is the pool champion. The third and fourth place finisher will be determined by tiebreaking procedure: head-to-head, total points, and match if necessary. The most obvious part of the vertical pairing/pool competition format is that wrestlers finishing first in the two pools meet for the championship, those finishing second meet for third, those finishing third meet for fifth, and those in fourth place meet for seventh overall. Schedule of Events All times Central Day 1: Saturday, July 13: Cadet women 2-6 p.m. Cadet women's medals 7-9 p.m. Day 2: Sunday, July 14: Cadet Greco-Roman 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Cadet Greco-Roman 3-7 p.m. Day 3: Monday, July 15: Cadet/Junior Greco-Roman 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Cadet Greco-Roman medals 2-5 p.m. Junior women and Greco-Roman 6-9 p.m. Day 4: Tuesday, July 16: Junior women and Greco-Roman 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Junior Greco-Roman medals 2:15-5:15 p.m. Junior women 3-4 p.m. Junior women's medals 5:45-8:30 p.m. Day 5: Wednesday, July 17: Junior Women Duals prelims 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Junior Women Duals medals 3:30-7:30 p.m. Cadet freestyle 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Cadet freestyle 3:30-7:30 p.m. Day 6: Thursday, July 18: Junior freestyle 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Cadet/Junior freestyle 3:30-7:30 p.m. Day 7: Friday, July 19: Cadet/Junior freestyle 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Cadet freestyle medals 2-5 p.m. Junior freestyle 6-8 p.m. Day 8: Saturday, July 20: Junior freestyle medals 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Fargo Coverage InterMat will again be providing coverage of the Cadet and Junior National Championships, starting with this preview. Follow the action throughout the week. TrackWrestling.com will be providing updated results throughout the event.

"OMG!!! Anderson Silva!!! OMG!!! Now that we got that out of the way, yes, the pound-for-pound MMA kingpin, arguably the greatest fighter of all time, got knocked out by a former collegiate wrestler while doing a Roy Jones Jr. impression. And by impersonating RJJ, we mean the late career RJJ that lost a step and couldn't get away with making mistakes anymore. Has Silva lost a step? Probably not. But his legacy has...sort of. This week Richard and John go into full Internet fanboy mode and dedicate the entire episode to why Chris Weidman won, what's next, etc., etc. Do you want to listen to a past episode? Access archives.

Stephen MakeinHartford, Conn. -- Trinity College Director of Athletics Michael Renwick has announced the resignation of Stephen Makein as head coach of the Trinity College wrestling team after six seasons. Makein, who was also a Bantam assistant coach in 2006-07, posted a dual-match record of 34-80 from 2007 to 2013, including its only winning mark since 2003-04 at 8-7 mark in 2010-11, and mentored several All-New England honorees and regional placewinners honorees during his tenure. The College will name a new coach later this summer.

The following contrary opinions are NOT necessarily my personal views on the matters of the day, just the other side of the argument. No issue is more discussed and more widely agreed upon than the following rules adopted by FILA for freestyle and Greco-Roman. To many fans the rules seem to be out-and-out bad for the sport, but there are merits to each as well. A closer look at the other side of the argument ... Seven-point technical fall David Taylor won by technical fall over Andrew Howe (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Popular: The seven-point technical fall is too low. Wrestlers can give up a single takedown, two turns and a hold and have the match be over in 60 seconds. Why award twice as much for a takedown, but then only up the technical fall by a single point? That's nonsensical. The new seven-point technical fall rule makes the matches too quick at a time when we should want to see our most dominant wrestlers for more time, not less. What happens if a competent wrestler just has a bad opening? He or she shouldn't lose the match because they get behind early, or in the course of a match falls behind by seven points. Juniors, Cadets and women's freestyle matches often experience large swings and they not only come back and win at times, but could use the extra mat time to learn more about the sport and themselves. Contrary: The new seven-point technical fall gives wrestlers more incentive to put away the match when up by a few points. One of the problems wrestling faces is that the matches can drag out when the outcome is known early on, but the incentive for reward is too low to prompt action. For example a wrestler is up 4-0 early in the first. If the technical fall is 10 points or greater, then the winning wrestler isn't incentivized to expend more energy since it might cost him in later rounds, especially in a one-day format. There are only VERY rare occasions when wrestlers at the senior level come back after being down seven points, and the benefit of watching those comebacks are far outweighed by the crowd's excitement in seeing a quick and triumphant finish. Remember that for years the appeal of Mike Tyson wasn't that he could go the distance of a boxing match, but that he could knock out opponents in less than two minutes. A wrestler's ability to be judged by the same rules yet still manage to open up a several-point lead shows ultimate technical superiority. The new rules reward ability by giving it an attainable technical fall. That finality, especially early in the match builds excitement, which in the long run will mean more fans. Five-point throws ending matches Jordan Holm launched Peter Hicks for five in their first match at the U.S. World Team Trials (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Popular: For as long as we can remember wrestling has been about pinning your opponent's back to the ground. Doing so meant showing physical dominance and perseverance. By moving over to the five-point, grand amplitude finishes, wrestling is becoming more like judo, where a single "ippon" or superior throw wins the match. If a wrestlers is talented enough to land one five-point throw, why wouldn't you want to see them land two or three? Also, what happens if a great wrestler just happens to get caught in a bad position and thrown? The five-point rule means that there is no way for them to recover and climb back to score more points. One mistake and their Olympic career might be over. Wrestling is about continued physical domination, not a single moment of athletic genius. Contrary: Few Olympic wrestlers have been on the losing end of a five-point throw and recovered to win a medal. Yes, there are some, but if you are to watch the Olympics and your favorite wrestler is on the business end of a belly-to-back it would be tough to explain to a casual viewer how that wrestler might end up winning the match. The tradition of pinning an opponent has appeared throughout the history of the sport, but is most notably popular in traditional American wrestling, which is a descendant of Irish Collar and Elbow and Cumberland styles of wrestling. As wrestlers improved in the 19th Century and matches took several hours to resolve (causing the popular development of professional wrestling) rules were introduced to help score the event and give it an understandable outcome. Pinning became less frequent, which at the time was also very controversial. The same progression is occurring in Olympic wrestling where wrestlers have advanced to the point where they should be incentivized for risk, such as a five point throw. By finishing the match fans understand that any time a wrestler is thrown in such a spectacular fashion he/she deserves to lose, and more importantly their opponent deserves to win. In many popular traditional forms of wrestling the goal is to throw, or otherwise down your opponent from your feet. Even in Kushti, a ground wrestling style in India, exposing your back to the mitti, or mud is penalized like a touch fall, with even accidental exposure costing a wrestler the match. Pinning is NOT a worldwide phenomenon. Throws are rare and result in excitement. By making them a winning move, wrestling has a popular Hail Mary, or grand slam scenario that can help sell the sport to new fans. Two three-point moves ending a match Ryan Mango used two three-point moves to defeat Jesse Thielke in the second match of the best-of-three finals at the U.S. World Team Trials, with the second throw coming when the match was tied 5-5 (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine) Popular: The two three-point moves to end a match is an indefensible rule that punishes wrestlers who tend to score points while also exposing themselves to risk. By adding this rule FILA is essentially countering all the efforts they made to increase risk. Under these rules a wrestler can be winning 7-5, but have given up a three-point move early in the match. If they then try to shoot and end up in a scramble position where a chest wrap or other counter is used to exposer their back, they could lose 8-7 with time remaining. Not only is the rule bad for the wrestlers, but also for the fans. It's already to difficult to explain to fans what constitutes a three-point move, and now we are forcing our die-hard fans, and uninformed Olympic announcers to explain why this strange collection of subjective moves ends a match? Even if all the other rules are intuitive, this rule subverts that progress by making the match difficult to follow for the common fan. Contrary: Three-point moves aren't all that easy to score. They take a lot of risk to score and often result in some of the biggest action in a match. In Greco-Roman the incentive to have a three-point move has already meant more action. Instead of running out of bounds when wrestlers gain position, or forcing them to the mat, scoring wrestlers now attempt three-point throws which gives fans more of the exciting action we want them to associate to wrestling. Though a second three-point move can end a close match, once wrestling fans are informed on the rules they will agree that it provides more incentive for action, even in tight matches.

Kerry McCoy

Hempstead, NY -- Hofstra Wrestling alumnus Chris Weidman captured the UFC middleweight championship Saturday night by knocking out Anderson “Spider” Silva at the 1:18 mark of the second round of UFC 162 before a capacity crowd at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the most anticipated fight of 2013, Weidman, 29, denied Silva, considered by many to be the greatest MMA fighter of all-time, his 11th title defense with a left hook that sent him to the canvas and then pounced on him with several more punches before referee Herb Dean intervened and stopped the fight. "I imagined being in this situation over and over again since I got to MMA,” a confident Weidman told the Fuel TV Post-Fight Show. “This was my goal. It just felt like it was my destiny. I felt it was my time. But, it still feels a little far-fetched to be sitting here with this belt on the table. It is an amazing feeling.” Weidman, in just his fourth year in MMA, took the fight to Silva from the start and posted an early takedown of Silva, who taunted the Baldwin, New York native. While many said Silva lost the fight with his “clowning” around, with his hands at his side, Weidman said patience was the key and he was prepared for that tactic knowing that the former champion has sent past opponents to the canvas with a quick-striking counter attack. “I just knew little by little, I’m going to keep on him and when he’s sleeping, I’m going to get him,” said the new champion from Long Island. UFC President Dana White gave Weidman credit in a post-fight interview on Fuel TV. “Hats off to Chris Weidman,” White said. “He kept his composure through everything, didn’t freak out, didn’t start goofing around back, kept throwing punches and kept trying to end the fight and eventually did.” But White also saw Silva’s tactics as detrimental to his title defense. “He (Silva) lost this fight because he got clipped with a hard punch to the chin while clowning around.” In a post-fight interview, Silva, possibly in the disappointment of the moment, said he didn’t want a rematch with the new champion from Hofstra. “Chris is the champion now,” the 38 year-old Silva said. “I finish my work. I no more fight for the belt. I fight for the belt for a long time. I’m tired.” But Weidman and White had other thoughts in post-fight comments. "(Silva) was an idol of mine,” said Weidman, who also earned the Knockout of the Night award. “I didn't want to mention it in the camp. I looked up to him for many years. I just have to say all respect to Anderson Silva. I’ll give him an immediate rematch if he wants to do it.” White, who earlier in the week said that there would be an immediate rematch if Weidman was to defeat Silva, dismissed Silva’s no rematch talk. “I guarantee it that there is nothing on earth that he (Silva) wants more right now than a rematch with Chris Weidman,” White said. “I think the Weidman (Silva) fight is the fight to do but I still have to talk to Anderson to see what is up. It would be the biggest fight in UFC history. This fight would be so huge. It would be crazy, crazy.” Silva held the title since Oct. 14, 2006, when he defeated Rich Franklin. Weidman improved to 10-0-0 while Silva’s record now stands at 33-5-0 including 16-1 in the UFC. Weidman was 51-21 in two seasons with the Hofstra Pride and earned a bachelor's degree in psychology in 2007. He was also named to the Colonial Athletic Association's Silver Anniversary Wrestling Team in 2009, along with seven other Hofstra grapplers.

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. Celebrities and dignitaries come out in force at the United 4 Wrestling Gala at the Los Angeles Memorial Arena (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)I'll keep this brief since you're likely experiencing a brain-melting hangover, and are waking up in jorts and an American flag tank top. The movement to #SaveOlympicWrestling has so far been a great success story. From the hopelessness of the IOC's original decision the wrestling community has adapted and can now begin to see the rise of a new, progress-driven community. For once we are accepting and promoting new products and ideas. The always-engaging Teague Moore is promoting TourACW, a series of post-graduate wrestling tournaments focused on scoring, excitement and paying athletes. FLIPSWrestling has focused the marketing of their innovative headphone technology on the wrestling community. InterMat, Flo and AWN are all making changes and improvements to their sites in response to record levels of traffic. Even FILA has improved its media outreach and is looking into adding a referee-held camera for matches. These ideas, along with dozens of others, have scrambled their way from the mind of the wrestling community and into operation. As positive as these changes seem, there is a concern that if wrestling is brought back into the Olympic family in September that our attitude toward change will revert back to widespread contentment. This cannot be allowed to happen. Complacency and the smoldering remnants of disagreements among leaders and individuals are always a threat to progress. It's an extreme example, but you only have to look to Egypt to see what can happen after the revolution -- when leaders assigned to make change fall into old habits and petty disagreements that hamper their stated mission and goals. Egyptians have once again fought to establish the progressive changes it seeks from their leadership. It's a third chance that the IOC or NCAA won't offer the wrestling community. There are examples of other nations in Africa that have taken horrible circumstances and matured the urged for immediate action into a long-term plan for improvement. Rwanda, best known for one of the world's most destructive wars and genocides, adopted a leadership model that focused on economic development and the elimination of corruption. Now, in a country where ethnic violence meant beheading and kidnappings, the people are building skyscrapers and enjoy an almost litter-free living area. Though imperfect in many ways, the once war-ravaged country has become a model in adapting to substantive and progressive changes. Like Rwanda, the wrestling community can't think of the last four months as a brief sojourn through change. We have to continue to make a mantra out of the buzzwords: progressive, change, adaptation, innovation, and excitement.These words need to become part of a collective mission statement about the future of our sport. There are signs of growth within the wrestling, but concern remains that without a sustained approach to the adoption and implementation of these changes we're likely to fall back into our pre-elimination method of operation. Don't let that happen. Keep up the pressure on your local communities and search for opportunities to make substantial, positive changes to our sport. Be an advocate of improvement, even if it might not be of immediate benefit to your program. See the broader picture and act in the best interest of the spot at-large. Wrestling is as much about adaptation as it is strength, so let's apply that to our leadership and governance. It's up to all of us to make sure that our leaders stick to their promises and continue to make the changes necessary to grow our sport. To your questions ... Q: Having such incredible talent at 74 kilos with Kyle Dake, Jordan Burroughs, David Taylor, and Andrew Howe, would it benefit the U.S. World Team and U.S. for the Olympics if one of them would go up or down a weight? I understand it's 20pounds either way to the closest weight, but it just seems like a large waste of talent to have three of the those four wrestlers sit out of the Olympics and World Team tournaments. -- Evan G. Foley: There are two thoughts on the concentration of talent on a roster. The first is that the internal competition helps all the wrestlers improve, and provides for backups of world medalist talent. The second is that they should disperse and look for opportunities to strengthen the lineup. Both have merits, but neither is fully correct. Adding weight could be difficult for Andrew Howe and Kyle Dake, leaving them undersized on a move up to challenge current World Team member Keith Gavin. Though he's had mixed results on the international stage, it's too early to tell how Gavin (and others) will respond to aggregate scoring and longer periods. I suspect he'll improve, and therefore could be a roadblock for any 74-kilo wrestler looking for easy insertion into the American lineup. Like you stated, we aren't talking about a few pounds, we're talking about 22 pounds of muscle. The larger issue is that wrestling has been forced to prune its Olympic weight classes, leaving more congestion of talent at the middle weights. That won't improve at the Olympic level for several years, but there is precedent for wrestling to add weight classes to the World Championships. That effort can show the viability of having more weight classes, and should we start generating substantial income and interest at the Olympics could one day be approved to add more spots. That will take time and powerful leadership to accomplish, but we've never been in a better position to succeed. More wrestling is ALWAYS better. Kyle Dake (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Q: I'm not an expert, but I've been around the block a few times. With the pileup of power at 74 kilos in freestyle, why doesn't Dake shift to Greco-Roman for the upcoming Olympics? It sure seems he would at least be able to transition and wrestle for the U.S. -- Frank R. Foley: Kyle Dake believes he is the best in the world. Changing styles and jumping weights would essentially be admitting that he wasn't the best in the world. Based on everything we know about Kid Dynamite, that type of admission is far from happening. Q: Quick opinion of Nick Nevills to PSU. With Thomas Haines already in fold, I was surprised by this. Any inside info on the situation? -- @kingston1990 Foley: Great Googly Moogly. Penn State is reloading. With the recent addition of Chance Marsteller they could be acquiring the best recruiting class in this history of NCAA wrestling. Q: How do you think your boy Scott Moore will do at Lock Haven? -- Mike R. Foley: Congrats, Scooter! Like many of the recent hires at the Division I level, Scotty will be good at everything required to be a successful CEO coach. High school kids love his energy. He's excellent on the mat, and with time he'll be pulling in major donors. I'm proud of my former teammate, and can't wait for the chance to call him out in a future mailbag! Stay sharp, Scotty. I'm watching! RANT OF THE WEEK! By Chuck P. (More like a "SUBSTANTIVE EMAIL OF THE WEEK," but "RANT" is fun for building dramatics.) I STILL think the following would simplify the scoring and make things better for everyone: 1. One 5-minute period and no breaks 2. Takedown=1 point 3. Takedown, feet to exposure=3 points 4. Back exposure=2 points 5. High amplitude throws with exposure=5 points 6. Escape=1 point 7. Technical fall=12 point advantage But HERE IS THE KEY: 1. First passivity=caution and choice of position for active wrestler 2. Second passivity=caution and choice of position for active wrestler 3. Third caution=DISQUALIFICATION for passive wrestler for the bout AND the tournament. This last notion -- disqualification from both the match AND the tournament -- would guarantee aggressiveness from the competitors. It would also reward aggressiveness. This also means that ALL REFEREES will have to grow a backbone and absolutely ENFORCE PASSIVITY as it was intended. Which is your favorite video?

BUFFALO, NY -- New head wrestling coach John Stutzman announced his coaching staff Monday morning, with the hiring of Quincy Osborn and Bryce Hasseman. Both assistants come to Buffalo with success as both wrestlers and coaches, and each of them has experienced life in the competitive Mid-American Conference. "We want to be a blue collar team, we're going to get our guys in great shape and create a style of wrestling that will be fun to watch," Stutzman said about his hopes for the team under the new coaching staff. Osborn recently finished his fourth year as an assistant with MAC rival Ohio. Over that time with the Bobcats, he helped to recruit two top 25 ranked recruiting classes and coached up Germane Lindsey to All American status in the 2010 season. His first coaching job came at Augsburg College, where he worked for two years after wrestling at the school for two seasons. After originally started his collegiate wrestling career at Minnesota before going to Augsburg, Osborn qualified twice for the NCAA Division I tournament while with the Gophers. Wrestling for Augsburg in 2007, he was the Division III National Champion at 141 pounds, also leading the Auggies to the national team title. In that season, he had the most team points, takedowns, and falls. Quincy earned a degree in history from Augsburg in 2009, and received his Master's degree in Coaching Education from Ohio in 2011. He and his wife Hannah are the proud owners of two cats and a dog. "Quincy is going to be our recruiting coordinator," Stutzman said. "He's going to beat the bushes, he's a high energy guy and he's very persistent. When I was at Bloomsburg and we would wrestle against Ohio, I always watched his demeanor with his guys and his energy level and I knew that he would be one of the first people I would reach out to when I got to Buffalo." Hasseman comes from the historically strong Mishawka High School wrestling program in Indiana, where he coached the team for the 2012-13 season. He made the transition to high school wrestling after enjoying success as an assistant coach on the collegiate level. Hasseman served as an assistant at Oklahoma State University from 2010-12, where he worked under legendary wrestler and coach John Smith. He also worked with Terry Brands at the Hawkeye Wrestling Club prior to that. "With his experience as a head coach as well as an assistant at Oklahoma State, he knows how to make tough decisions, how to train guys and recruit the type of talent we need to be successful," Stutzman said. "For me, his coaching experience is a tremendous asset." In his career on the mat, Hasseman has competed all over the world. His international tournament victories include the 2009 Dan Kolov International and Dave Schultz Memorial International championships, the 2008 Guelph Open championship, the 2006 Canada Cup and Northern Plains Regional championship, and the 2004 Northeast Regional championship. He trained from 2004-11 at the University of Iowa and the United States Olympic Training Center, he earned a spot on Team USA for 2009-10 and was ranked as high as number two in his weight class. He tried out for the 2012 London Olympics, but suffered a knee injury that kept him from a fair shot to make the team. In national events, his highlights included second-place finishes at the 2009 U.S. World Team Trials and 2004 University Nationals, third in the 2008 and 2009 U.S. Nationals, and third at the 2005 University Nationals. After coming out of Franklin High School in Indiana in 2000 as a high school state champion, he started his career at Northern Illinois while Stutzman was an assistant with the Huskies. He would finish his career in 2005 under Stutzman, who was then the first-year head coach at Bloomsburg. In that season, he was a 2005 EWL champion and an NCAA qualifier after going 38-6. "I've known Bryce since 2000. I was looking for someone with a strong freestyle background and coaching background, and with Bryce coaching at Oklahoma State and with the Hawkeye Wrestling Club I knew that he was the type of coaching mentality I wanted to bring into our wrestling room," Stutzman said of Hasseman. "He is one of the best people to be around and he has a terrific work ethic, so to me it was a natural transition to coaching." Hasseman is married to the former Angie McGinnis, after the two met in 2008 at the Olympic Training Center. Angie was there as an alternate for the U.S. volleyball team. "We're going to live what I like to call a 'Championship Lifestyle'," Stutzman said about the staff's first season in Buffalo. "And these two guys are going to help me achieve that."

Hempstead, NY -- Hofstra Wrestling alumnus Chris Weidman will fight UFC middleweight champion Anderson “Spider” Silva this Saturday night, July 6 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The 11-fight card, which features five fights on the main card, begins at 8 p.m. (ET) with two hours of preliminary fights. The Pay-Per-View fight can be seen on many satellite and cable systems throughout the country and world-wide at UFC.com. A complete list can be found above. FX television will air the two hours of prelims beginning at 8 p.m. In what could be the most anticipated fight of 2013, Weidman, 29, enters his first UFC title fight with a 9-0-0 record. Silva, 38, arguably the greatest MMA fighter in the sport, enters his 11th title defense with a 33-4-0 record. While both fighters are 6’2 and 185 pounds, Weidman has a three-inch reach advantage (78”-75”) over Silva. The fight will feature the experienced and punching power of Silva, who is lethal on his feet, and Weidman, who has taken the UFC by storm in just four years in the MMA, has outstanding wrestling ability. But don’t be mistaken. Weidman has great punching power as well and Silva has an 83.7 takedown defense rate, which ranks third all-time in the middleweight division. Weidman was propelled into the title fight spotlight last July following a resounding second round, TKO victory over fifth-ranked Mark Munoz in the main event of the UFC on Fuel TV 4 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California. In the battle of two-time NCAA All-Americans, Weidman, who placed sixth in 2006 and third as a senior in 2007 at 197 pounds, sent Munoz (12-3), a 2001 NCAA champion while at Oklahoma State, to the mat with a thunderous counter elbow on the way to the technical knockout that also earned him the Knockout of the Night award. Weidman was 51-21 in two seasons with the Pride and earned a bachelor's degree in psychology in 2007. He was also named to the Colonial Athletic Association's Silver Anniversary Wrestling Team in 2009, along with seven other Hofstra grapplers. Weidman and his wife, Marivi have a daughter, Cassidy (3) and a son, CJ (1).

It's been two years, so apparently Anderson Silva is due to fight a guy that at least arguably earned a title shot. Does that mean Chris Weidman will shock the MMA world? Well ... no. But tune in anyway! Let the UFC 162 pick 'em begin. Also, because Richard couldn't keep his mouth shut, we discuss fighter pay in the UFC. Because that's never been debated before. Ugh. Do you want to listen to a past episode? Access archives.

For this week's roundup we will take a look at the prospects for Team USA freestyle wrestlers at 74 kilos, 84 kilos, 96 kilos, and 120 kilos at this year's World Championship in September. Jordan Burroughs, 74 kilos Jordan Burroughs should be the biggest favorite to win his weight of any wrestler at this tournament. When was the last time an American could claim this? It has certainly been a while. Jordan finds himself in a favorable position. His previous two biggest threats from the past two years, Russia's Denis Tsargush and Iran's Sadegh Goudarzi, look like they won't be in the field this year. I suppose that Jordan's biggest threat will come in the form of Tamar Khubezhty of Russia, who looked good at Russian Nationals, beating Tsargush in the semis. Other than that I would see the only wrestler with the potential to beat Jordan as whomever Azerbaijan sends. I would guess that would likely be Ashraf Aliev. The scrappy Aliev gave Jordan a tough match at worlds two years ago. Also keep an eye on Georgia's David Khutishvili. Keith Gavin, 84 kilos Keith Gavin is going to have his hands full here. There has been no word as to the makeup of the Azerbaijani team at this point, but I see no reason why Sharif Sharifov won't be in the field in September. Sharif, arguably the world's greatest wrestler (the argument would be between him and Burroughs), won the Olympics last year, where he beat Jake Herbert, and the World Championships the year before, where he beat Cael Sanderson. This weight will also feature Iran's Ehsan Lashgari, a bronze medalist at the Olympics who outscored Gavin by a considerable amount, on aggregate, when they wrestled two years ago at the World Cup. Gerogia's Dato Marsagashvili and Ukraine's Ibragim Aldatov have also been active this year and each claim world level medals and should be favored over Gavin. I have not mentioned Russia's representative, Shamil Kudiyamagomedov, who is untested but beat a very tough Anzor Urishev in the finals of Russian Nationals. Kudiyamagomedov is untested, but he still must be viewed as one of the best in the field. Additionally, factoring in the fact that this weight should have very tough wrestlers from Belarus and Turkey, proves that Gavin has long odds to earn a medal at this weight. I'm a huge Keith Gavin fan. I love the way he wrestles, and I sincerely hope he manages to beat the odds. J.D. Bergman, 96 kilos J.D. Bergman made his second U.S. World team at 96 kilos (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)This weight was the toughest last year in London, but, much to the benefit of the USA's J.D. Bergman, things have thinned out a bit. We won't be seeing some of this weight's gold medal mainstays like Yazdani, Gogshelidze, and Gatsalov (yes I know he wasn't there in London either). Russia's entry here, Anzor Boltukaev, lacks world-level experience, but has beaten prodigious talent Abdusalam Gadisov twice this year. Bergman has lost to Iran's Hamed Tatari twice this year, but Tatari doesn't show up in the results for Iranian Nationals, so it's anyone's guess as to whether he'll be in the field for Worlds. No matter which wrestler Iran sends, expect him to be a hammer. Last year's Olympic silver medalist Valeri Andriitsev of the Ukraine has been active this year, and has proven his staying power with some decent tournament placings. Other than that, I'm having a hard time figuring out the form of the rest of the field. Many top names from the past have not been active, and newer names from top countries have been maddeningly inconsistent. One last wrestler to watch ought to be Azerbaijan's Khetag Gazumov, World champion and Olympic medalist. He competed at the European Championships this year, placing uncharacteristically low at seventh. Gazumov should still be dangerous come September. No result would shock me for Bergman at this weight. Were he to go one and out, I wouldn't be surprised, nor would I find it strange if he found himself in the finals. Let's call J.D. The USA's wildcard. He'd probably like that. Tervel Dlagnev, 120 kilos Tervel Dlagnev has proven himself as one of the world's premier heavyweights, even if he has but a single world bronze medal to show for it. Now with Russia's Makhov and Uzbekistan's Taymazov out of the picture (I'm assuming Taymazov is done), Tervel should be a favorite to medal as he should be favored against every wrestler in the field but one. This wrestler is Iran's Komeil Ghasemi, who I thought beat Tervel by luck in the Olympics, but who has gone on to beat Tervel two additional times, looking better with each outing. Gahsemi impresses me. He has a slick inside step, and not just for a big man, for any man. The one thing that Tervel has going for him in this situation is the fact that it is hard to beat someone of his skill level four times in a row. Tervel ought to medal at this weight, and could quite possibly win it. Go Team USA!

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The Missouri Tigers Wrestling program announced Wednesday, July 3, 2013, the additions of Mikey England and Le'Roy Barnes to the 2013-14 roster. England joins the Tigers from former Big 12 rival Iowa State, with Barnes coming from Neosho Community College in Kansas. England, a junior from Centerville, Iowa, transfers to Mizzou with a 32-20 career record in two seasons with the Cyclones. This past year, England was 16-9 in competition and was crowned champion of the Harold Nichols Cyclone Open at 174 pounds. England redshirted during the 2010-11 season. A four-time Iowa state 2A placewinner, England posted a 174-26 career record at Centerville High. He finished with a record of 53-1 en route to the state title at 171 pounds during his senior season. "Mikey (England) has been a solid competitor in his collegiate career with some quality wins," said Mizzou Head Coach Brian Smith. "My staff and I are excited to see what he can bring to the mat for us at 174 pounds.” Barnes, a junior, makes his way toMizzou after winning the NJCAA Wrestling Championship at 133 pounds in his sophomore campaign. He was a two-time All-American as a Panther including a third place finish at the NJCAA Championships in his freshman season. The Belton, Mo., native closed out his high school career at Belton High with a third place medal at the state tournament and a 51-3 record. "Le'Roy (Barnes) was a Missouri high school wrestler, so returning to his home state to compete for the Tigers was always a goal of his," said Smith. "Coming off the national title at 133 pounds this year in the NJCAAs, he'll compete for the starting spot." England and Barnes join a wrestling roster that will also welcome the nation's No. 2-ranked incoming recruiting class. Many new faces will be sporting the Black and Gold in 2013-14 after the program lost six seniors to graduation this past May. Always stay connected with Tiger Style Wrestling by following the squad on Facebook and Twitter, and right here onMUTigers.com.

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. -- Scott Moore has been named the new head wrestling coach at Lock Haven University as it was announced today by LHU and Director of Athletics, Mark Sherburne. Scott MooreNo stranger to LHU wrestling, Moore has spent the last three seasons with the program as an assistant coach. In early June he was appointed the interim head coach while the national search for the position was conducted. As an assistant coach with the Bald Eagles, Moore has helped guide a pair of Lock Haven student-athletes to NCAA Division I Championships in each of the last two seasons. This past season, Moore and The Haven coaching staff led LHU to its first winning season since 2007-08. "I am excited that Scott Moore has accepted the position of head wrestling coach at Lock Haven University. His background within the sport, coaching experience, commitment to excellence, strong Pennsylvania recruiting ties and network, vision for the program and passion for LHU and the sport of wrestling are key assets that will facilitate the growth and success of our program moving forward," said Sherburne. "I look forward to working with coach Moore and I am confident he will elevate our program to the highest levels on-and-off the mat and build upon our longstanding wrestling history and tradition," added Sherburne. "I am also thankful to the search committee and the various groups that met with and provided feedback on the candidates that visited campus. The strong interest and participation added to the thoroughness of our process." Prior to coming to LHU, Moore spent six seasons at the University of Virginia, serving as head assistant coach (2004-09) and associate head coach (2009-10). While at UVA, Moore was an integral part of every aspect of running the program and leading the Cavaliers to tremendous success and national-relevance. At Virginia, Moore helped UVA to its first Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) title in over 30 years and its best-ever NCAA finish (top 15). He coached two ACC Freshman of the Year, one ACC Wrestler of the Year and the NCAA Gorrian Award winner, given to the wrestler with the most pins in the least amount of time at the NCAA tournament. Moore, who is no stranger to success on the mat, has degrees from both Virginia and Penn State, having enjoyed a standout wrestling career at both institutions. He has a Bachelor of Science in Crime, Law and Justice with a Business Emphasis from Penn State (2003) and a Master of Psychology of Education from Virginia (2004). On the mat, Moore was a two-time All-American. He was third at the NCAA championships in 2004 and placed fourth in 2003. The two-time Academic All-American was Virginia’s 2004 Male Athlete of the Year and was a finalist for the 2004 Dan Hodge Trophy, given to the most dominating wrestler in the NCAA. The 2004 ACC champion at UVA, Moore was named the ACC Wrestler of the Year after going 51-1 with 34 pins. At Penn State he was the 2003 Big Ten Champion and in 2002, he went undefeated in Big Ten dual-matches (8-0). "I am extremely excited about this new opportunity of restoring the wrestling tradition at Lock Haven University. The future success of this program will be a collaborative effort from the staff, administration, and supporters," said Moore. "I would like to thank the search committee, Interim Athletic Director Carl Poff and newly appointed Director of Athletics Mark Sherburne for believing in my vision for Lock Haven wrestling." "This is an important time for Lock Haven Athletics and I look forward to doing my part in restoring the pride of our loyal followers and alumni," added Moore.

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -- Team Illinois dominating a USA Wrestling national event, call me shocked. Not exactly. With the Land of Lincoln collecting double titles this weekend at the Junior National Duals in Oklahoma City, Illinois squads won five of the six dual team championships this month. They swept titles at the Junior and Cadet levels, while they won the freestyle title at the Schoolboy level after taking second in Greco-Roman. This weekend’s double titles at the Junior Duals marked the third consecutive year in which the Land of Lincoln squad earned double titles, and fifth in the last seven. Going back to 2006, Illinois has won the freestyle tournament in every year but 2009; while they have been in the Greco final during every year, winning in all but 2006 and 2010. The championship final in both styles placed Team Illinois against Team Michigan Blue. Saturday night’s freestyle final saw Illinois win 38-24 (9-6 in matches), which came after Thursday evening’s Greco-Roman final had Illinois winning 37-28 (also 9-6 in matches). Wrestlers going undefeated in both styles (6 or more contested matches per style): 106: Joey Cisneros (California) 120: Taylor LaMont (Utah), Kaid Brock (Oklahoma)* 132: Jacob Rubio (Texas), Zac Hall (Michigan)* 160/152: Anthony Valencia (California)* 170: Chandler Rogers (Washington)** 182: Preston Lehmann (North Dakota) 195: Ricky Robertson (Illinois)*** 220: Roy Nash (Utah) 285: Nathan Butler (Kansas) *only five contested matches in freestyle **only five contested matches in Greco-Roman ***only five contested matches in each style Those going undefeated in Greco-Roman: 100: Cameron Hunsaker (Utah) 113: Doyle Trout (Nebraska) 126: Dylan Lucas (Florida), Cub Yeager (Oklahoma) 145: Isaac Dulgarian (Kansas), Brooks Robinson (Utah), Matthew Moody (Georgia), Steven Bleise (Michigan) 152: Nick Georgean (Illinois) 160: Tyler McLean (Washington), Burke Paddock (New York) 182 - Ryan Christensen (Washington) 195: Will Balow (Minnesota), Roland Ziberman (New York), Mickey Pelfrey (Iowa) 220: Nathan Rotert (South Dakota) 285: Zac Dawe (Utah), Adam Coon (Michigan) Those going undefeated in freestyle: 106: Gage Branson (Ohio), Michael Murphy (Tennessee), Jack Mueller (Texas) 113: Elijah Oliver (Tennessee) 120: Maleek Russell (Florida), Sean Russell (Georgia), Ke-Shawn Hayes (Missouri) 126: Anthony Tutolo (Ohio), Deondre Wilson (Indiana), Cody Karstetter (Oklahoma), Jered Cortez (Illinois) 138: Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer (New York), Joey McKenna (New Jersey), Justin Fletcher (Oklahoma) 145: Sean Glasgow (New Jersey), Phil Downing (Colorado), Bryce Brill (Illinois) 152: Weston Dobler (North Dakota), Brian Murphy (Illinois) 160: Mark Hall (Colorado), Nick Reenan (Texas) 170: Bo Nickal (Texas), Christian Stackhouse (New Jersey), Zach Beard (Oklahoma) 182: Jesse Stephanos (Florida) 195: Chance McClure (Georgia), Ralph Normandia (New Jersey) 220: J’Den Cox (Missouri) For full brackets, results, etc.: Greco-Roman Freestyle

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. Last week's World Team Trials were one of the most discussed events of the year. Some of that general appeal is owed to the popularity of the 74-kilo competitors and their epically close matches, but also on trial were the new FILA rules and how they might influence the outcome of the event. Overall there was consistency in the results as the best wrestlers still triumphed. Though there is room to hash out the merits of USA Wrestling's overtime, the takeaway of the event wasn't in the technical aspects of the competition, but in the broadening reach of wrestling's fast-improving broadcast media, specifically Flo. Though there were some buffering issues and off-camera conversations which left fans alone to track action, on average the event production -- camera angles, quality of video and onscreen graphics -- were much improved. A watchable event means a sellable event, and that means profit and stability. As a wrestling community we've been locked in dispute about what is best for the sport. We bicker over dual meets and event locations, often times with little resolution in the end but the persistence of the status quo. What quality feeds and television interest do is give the open market a metric by which to gauge the effect of certain marketing tools. For example, Flo streams three types of events: dual meets, tournaments, and specialty matchups (NWCA All-Star Classic). Within those events they can follow how many fans are signing up for, and watching, each of the events. This gives them a tool to figure out which is more popular and why. Flo and any other online streaming service WILL transmit to their broadcast partners what sells subscriptions, as both benefit from higher numbers. Like ESPN asking/pushing the NCAA to have Dake vs. Taylor end the NCAA finals, it's possible that Flo could start to nudge tournament directors and decision-makers into creating fan-friendly events with more regularity. Assuming that to be true, it's difficult to miss the opportunity of an NCAA dual meet season that carries end-of-the-year significance. Ignoring the discussion over what it might mean to the value of the individual tournament, it's fairly objective to see that 50+ dual meets running the course of season, all of which matter, would be boon to Flo, sponsors, athletes and fans. The dual meet season could create a more sustainable economy around the sport of wrestling if Flo, ESPN, or future competitors carry it. To your questions ... Q: What were your high school credentials (state champ,etc.)? How much off-season wrestling did you do? Camps? Off-season tournaments? -- Mike C. Foley: I started wrestling my freshman year in high school, and like most early-pubescent 95-pound 14-year-olds I got my ass kicked for four-months. Somehow I managed to earn the starting spot, but went an underwhelming 2-14 -- one of my wins was over someone who'd beat me earlier in the season. Call it optimism, but that win was all I remembered heading into my sophomore season. I went 17-17 my sophomore year without qualifying for the Virginia state tournament. I'd go on to place fifth and second in the state my junior and senior seasons, respectively. The hormones I'd need to build strength had finally emerged and I lifted many heavy things to earn some muscles. I was also fortunate to have a teammate who pushed me to work harder in the room and be dedicated in my diet. All this progression happened in-season, as I did next to zero offseason wrestling. I remember that my biggest commitment to the sport came between my sophomore and junior seasons when I attended a second wrestling camp, instead of just the one my team went on every year to the University of Virginia. I think about that a lot -- partly as a lost opportunity, but also as a sign of the stress placed on modern high school athletics. Sport specialization is the norm now, but when I was in high school (1995-1999) there were still plenty of multisport athletes. I played football, but in the spring and summer I spent the majority of my time pushing a lawnmower. There wasn't a lot of time for wrestling because I'd committed to pulling weeds and planting trees for dollars. Working was expected in my household, but I also liked the idea of making some extra money. For me wrestling was a winter sport, and landscaping was its summer companion. It's fantastic that so many wrestlers have dedicated their entire year to the sport, and for many there are no ill side effects. However, if there was a benefit to my late start, slow progression and seasonal commitment it was that I never became a wrestling burn out. Though like any immature college kid I could spend hours complaining about workout schedules and lifting times, I was always passionate about the sport and competition. I never hated or blamed wrestling for the other ills in my life even when it was evident they were to blame. Wrestling was sport, and the rest of life, grades, relationships and family were a separate responsibility. That I didn't wrestle year-round also tells you about my parents' VERY hands-off approach to my wrestling career. I have four brothers, so they had plenty of other people to worry about, but in general they never yelled at me to win more matches. Winning was met with a handshake and a smile, losing with a hug and words of motivation. Wrestling is tough enough without Mom and Dad analyzing your dual meet against Drexel. On a separate but related note, I had a dream last night about making weight. I woke up this morning in a ball of stress. When I came downstairs to eat breakfast the only thing I could muster was a cup of coffee. I made it halfway to the front desk to ask where the sauna was before I corrected myself and dove into the pastries. If there is one thing I'm starting to dislike more than singlets, it's the idea of cutting weight. Q: After the World Team Trials a couple things jumped out at me: Where was Jake Varner? Could there be a strong case made that Adeline Gray is the most dominant freestyle wrestler in the U.S.? Also why has the wrestling community not grabbed Helen Maroulis and began to use her as a much more public figure/spokesman? She is the complete package talented dominant, and a million dollar smile. -- Jimmie D. Foley: I'm a little bit behind on the news of Jake Varner. He hasn't wrestled since losing to Wynn Michalak in February. My suspicion is that he's injured, but unfortunately I haven't been able to ask around. Helen Maroulis is a stud, and as you said owns a million dollar grin. I suspect that as coverage of women's wrestling improves there will be more opportunity for her to appear on camera and capture the attention of a broader audience. She was a big hit at the Rumble on the Rails, too. Q: Here is my question. Given that the recent rule changes happened sort of mid-stream for this year's World Championships, do you think there are any "retired" wrestlers out there who are thinking the rule changes benefit them and they might make a comeback? -- Mat M. Foley: Don't call it a comeback, but I think Jake Herbert's style is perfect for the new rules. He has that nasty habit of giving up early points, but it's always been matched by an ability to claw back and break opponents. With some rehab and conditioning he could be a world medalist in 2014. Q: So how does David Taylor eventually beat Kyle Dake? Is it simply a matter of confidence? Or just physical strength? Does he need to adopt more varied tactics? Should he hit Dake with underhooks? Develop an inside trip? Work more on his slide-bys? Where should he train after college? Should he consider going overseas to train? Should he try to work out with Dake? -- Rob C. Foley: Once I read "go overseas" my mind just keeps replaying David Taylor with a beard training in the Siberian winter with Cael Sanderson motivating him to run up a snowy mountainside. He will at some point in the future beat Kyle Dake. It'll just take some separation. Give him a year to dork up college kids and get back his confidence and once they meet at some offseason tournaments he'll find a way to sneak out a win. Taylor is a wrestling genius, and has one the greatest-ever wrestlers and coaches at his back. Wrestling is a puzzle, and between their brains and Taylor's natural athletic ability, they will find a way to beat Dake, likley without having to train in Siberia. RANT OF THE WEEK! By Jacob R. It's hard to argue that the old scoring system for freestyle and Greco was optimal, but after the World Team Trials I have a few bones to pick with the new system ... specifically freestyle. A 7-point tech is just rubbish! It would make a little bit of sense if takedowns were still only worth one point, but I don't like the idea of stopping a freestyle match after a 7-point differential has been established. Make it 10 points. What's up with your flip-flop to endorsing World Team Trials in Stillwater? The prediction of a large turnout at Gallagher-Iba was totally off. I don't know what the Pokes and Okies were up to that weekend, but they sure didn't seem to have the seats in that barn filled like you and many others predicted. Traditionally fan turnout has been low at most of the major senior level freestyle and Greco events hosted by USA Wrestling. I doubt we will ever see sold out arenas for the U.S. Open or World Team Trials, especially during non-Olympic years. Keep World Team Trials in Vegas ... at least the fans there can legally bet on the matches.

Fight Now TV Presents Takedown Wrestling in the Brute studios. Takedown Wrestling is proudly presented by Kemin, Inspired Molecular Solutions! This Saturday we salute Pennsylvania wrestling on Takedown Wrestling Radio from 9 to 11 a.m. CT/ 10 a.m. to noon ET. Join Scott Casber, Kurt Backes, Terry Cook, our own Jeff Murphy and Brad Johnson live from Des Moines, Iowa. Special guest host Troy Peterson, promoter Impact Pro Wrestling, will host the pro show for the Hall of Fame in Waterloo, Iowa July 12. WWE stars Edge, JR, Gerald Brisco. and many more stars. Special guest host, Joe Baranik, PA Wrestling Newsmagazine founder. This weekend we salute Pennsylvania wrestling! This week's guests: 9:03 Joe Baranik, PA Wrestling Newsmagazine founder 9:10 Tim Flynn, Edinboro head wrestling coach 9:20 Jason Peters, Pitt head wrestling coach 9:40 Mike Rogers, Franklin & Marshall head wrestling coach 9:50 Tyler Barkley, Max Muscle Sports Nutrition Update 10:00 Cody Sanderson, Penn State associate head wrestling coach 10:15 Troy Letters, Clarion head wrestling coach 10:30 Dan Wirnsberger, Bucknell head wrestling coach 10:40 Pat Santoro, Lehigh head wrestling coach 10:50 Amy Ruble, Wildrose Casino and Resort, Emmetsburg, Iowa Fans, athletes, coaches: This is your sport. Join in the conversation live. Ask questions. Call 866-333-5966 or 515-204-5966. Takedown Wrestling is available on radio on AM 1460 KXNO in Iowa, online at Livesportsvideo.com, or on your Blackberry or iPhone with the iHeart Radio app. (Click on KXNO under Sportsradio.)

Cliff Keen Athletic has entered into separate marketing and athlete endorsement deals with men's freestyle wrestler Brent Metcalf and prominent women's wrestling coach Marcie Van Dusen. Brent Metcalf joins Cliff Keen with a decorated resume in both folkstyle and freestyle wrestling. A two-time NCAA champion from the University of Iowa, the Davison, Michigan native was also hailed as the 2008 NCAA tournament Outstanding Wrestler and the 2008 Dan Hodge Trophy recipient (the Heisman Trophy of college wrestling). "Brent has long been known for his aggressive and relentless wrestling style. Off the mat, Brent is a terrific individual, a tough competitor, and will be a great partner for us in wrestling," said Tom Keen of Cliff Keen Athletic. Metcalf recently won the World Team Trials at 66 kilos this past weekend in Stillwater, becoming a two-time World Team Member for USA Wrestling. Marcie Van Dusen (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)A long supporter of women's wrestling, Cliff Keen is also excited to announce the signing of U.S. women's wrestling team coach Marcie Van Dusen to a marketing and endorsement deal. Van Dusen comes to Cliff Keen with an impressive career in women's wrestling. Originally from California, Marcie earned a spot on the 2008 Olympic Team. She was a silver medalist in the 2007 Pam Am Games. Following her Olympic career, Marcie became the first female head wrestling coach at the collegiate level, coaching Menlo College in California. She also coaches the women at Titan Mercury Wrestling Club and serves as program coordinator for Beat the Streets (Los Angeles), mentoring female athletes and future Olympic hopefuls. "Marcie is a tremendous individual, and one of the real stalwarts of women's wrestling in America. We are delighted to have her join our team and be an advocate for our brand." Keen concluded. Brent Metcalf wrestles for the Titan Mercury men's wrestling club, and Marcie Van Dusen is the coach for Titan Mercury women's wrestling club. For more information, please contact Chad Clark at chad@cliffkeen.com.

This last week of June is always a busy time in the world of scholastic wrestling. One of those upcoming milestones is July 1, which is the start of the official contact period between colleges and prospects in the rising senior class. It is on this note that InterMat provides updated grade rankings, the first rankings for the upcoming 2013-14 cycle. The rising senior Class of 2014 rankings feature the Top 100 wrestlers in that grade, while those for the rising junior and sophomore classes feature the Top 50, the Top 25 incoming freshmen are presented, while a ranking of the top 15 junior high wrestlers is also provided. No. 1-ranked wrestlersThe top wrestler in the rising senior class remains Chance Marsteller (Kennard-Dale, Pa.), a three-time state champion who has yet to lose a high school match. Lance Benick (Totino Grace, Minn.) moves up to the top spot in the Class of 2015 after winning a title at the FILA Cadet Nationals in freestyle; he is already a two-time state champion, and was a Cadet Triple Crown winner last summer. Remaining on top of the Class of 2016 is Aaron Pico (St. John Bosco, Calif.), while Spencer Lee (Franklin Regional, Pa.) does the same for the Class of 2017. Newly-minted as the top wrestler in the junior jigh group is Cade Olivas (California), who has won titles at the FILA Cadet Greco-Roman Nationals and Cadet Folkstyle Nationals this spring. InterMat Platinum is required to view all the rankings. Class of 2014 | Class of 2015 | Class of 2016 | Class of 2017 | Class of 2018+ Sneak Peek Below is a sneak peek at the top wrestlers in each grade. Seniors (Top Ten): 1. Chance Marsteller (Kennard Dale, Pa.) 2. Kyle Snyder (Good Counsel, Md.) 3. Bryce Brill (Mount Carmel, Ill.) 4. Nick Nevills (Clovis, Calif.) 5. Thomas Haines (Solanco, Pa.) 6. Hayden Tuma (Centennial, Idaho) 7. Jered Cortez (Glenbard North, Ill.) 8. Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas) 9. Micah Jordan (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) 10. Joey McKenna (Blair Academy, N.J.) Juniors (Top Five): 1. Lance Benick (Totino-Grace, Minn.) 2. Myles Martin (McDonogh, Md.) 3. Logan Massa (St. Johns, Mich.) 4. Fox Baldwin (Osceola, Fla.) 5. Zahid Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif.) Sophomores(Top Five): 1. Aaron Pico (St. John Bosco, Calif.) 2. Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.) 3. Mason Manville (Blair Academy, N.J.) 4. Alex Marinelli (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) 5. Nick Suriano (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) Freshmen (Top Five): 1. Spencer Lee (Franklin Regional, Pa.) 2. Brady Berge (Kasson-Mantorville, Minn.) 3. Nick Lee (Evansville Mater Dei, Ind.) 4. Jelani Embree (South Lake, Mich.) 5. Yianni Diakomihalis (Hilton, N.Y.) Junior High (Top Five): 1. Cade Olivas (California) 2. Rocky Jordan (Ohio) 3. Anthony Madrigal (Illinois) 4. Jake Ryan (California) 5. Brock Hardy (Utah)

The dust has cleared at the U.S. World Team Trials in Oklahoma, and 18 Americans stand newly christened as members of the 2013 U.S. World Team. This week in my roundup, I'm going to take a look at the members of the U.S. World Team in freestyle for the 2013 World Championships in Budapest at 55 kilos, 60 kilos, and 66 kilos, and gauge their chances against the international competition they will face in September. Obe Blanc, 55 kilos Obe Blanc defeated Angel Escobedo to make his second U.S. World team (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)Obe looked great in his two matches against Angel Escobedo, and this World Championships might offer a fantastic opportunity for him to come away with a medal. The past Olympic champ at this weight, and the winner of the past two World championships before that, Russia's Jamal Otarsultanov and Victor Lebedev respectively, will not wrestle in this year's World Championships. The Georgian, who placed second as last year's Olympics, has been wrestling up a weight all year. The wrestler Russia is sending, Nariman Israpilov, looks tough, but has yet to prove himself on the world stage. Obe's stiffest competition may come from Iran, and the Far East. Iranian World medalist Hassan Rahimi beat Blanc at the Beat the Streets Gala last month, but the match was competitive. If North Korea's Yang Kyong-Il shows up, and he has been active this year, then the past World champion and Olympic bronze medalist will have to be considered a favorite at this weight. Japan's Shinichi Yumoto has not been active this year internationally, but if he shows at worlds then he should come accompanied with high expectations after his bronze medal performance in London. Though not a prior World medalist, India's Amit Kumar should factor heavily at this weight, Kumar beat Yang at this year's Asian Championships and Rahimi at last year's Olympics. So while Obe's weight class has depth, and they all do, the field features no wrestler who should be considered untouchable. This is about as manageable a situation at 55 kilos as we could hope for, and we should be cautiously optimistic about Obe's chances to medal Reece Humphrey, 60 kilos Reece Humphrey won his second U.S. World Team Trials title (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)I've always held Humphrey in high regard, he possesses rare physical gifts and great wrestling pedigree. I truly believe that he has the talent to beat anyone in the world, but the 60 kilos weight class should present a daunting task for him at this year's World Championships. First off, I will assume that Olympic champion wunderkind Toghrul Asgarov of Azerbaijan returns. Asgarov looked incredible in London, which might have been the first step in a legendary career. If the Asgarov of 2012 comes to wrestle in Budapest, I do not see him losing. After Asgarov, a host of world-class competitors potentially stand in Humphrey's way. The Russian at this weight, Bekhan Goygereev, has yet to be tested on the world level, but he beat four-time World champion Besik Kudukhov at Russian Nationals and has to be considered a threat. Whomever North Korea sends here will be tough. They had a wrestler win the 2013 Asian Champsionships at this weight, and another place fifth at last year's World Championships. The same goes for India. Last year Yogeshwar Dutt earned Olympic bronze, and this year Bajrang (yes he has a one word name) earned third at the Asian Championships. Additionally, two top-level 55-kilo wrestlers have moved up to 60 kilos this year. Georgia's Olympic silver medalist Vladimir Khinchegashvili won a European bronze this year at 60 kilos, and Kazakhstan's past World medalist Daulet Niyabekoz placed third at this weight at the Asian Championships. Quietly, Bulgaria's Vladimir Dubov has been having a great year. He should not be taken lightly. Also, let us not forget Franklin Gomez of Puerto Rico, who has had success against Humphrey collegiately, and who wrestled in the World finals a couple years ago. Finally we have Iran's Masoud Esmailpour, who has not experienced great success at the world level, but who horsed both Coleman Scott and Humphrey around in dominant wins this year. Reece Humphrey has his work cut out for him in Budapest. Brent Metcalf, 66 kilos Metcalf looks to be a far better freestyle wrestler with the new rule changes, but questions still remain as to whether he can string together the sort of tournament he needs at a World Championships in order to take home a medal. Brent Metcalf is still in search of his first World medal (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)One thing that Brent has going for him may be turnover. Of the four medalist from last year's Olympic Games, only one, Kazakhstan's Ahzhurek Tanatanov, has wrestled this year, and he hasn't looked too great. Last year's gold medalist Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu was not a participant in Japan's World Team wrestle-off, so it looks like Brent is safe from him. As to the other two medalists, India's Kumar, and Cuba's Lopez, if they show up, Brent will have his hands full, but if they don't, Metcalf might be a good draw away from the finals. Iran's Mehdi Tahavi, a multiple-time World champ, dismantled Brent in their meeting earlier this year, but he was not present at Iran's national championships, so perhaps this is another bullet dodged. If he stands in Metcalf's way in the bracket, I wouldn't bet on Brent. Outside of the wrestlers I just mentioned, this weight will likely feature past World medalist Yabrail Hasanov of Azerbaijan, whom Brent has beaten, and Haislan Garcia of Canada, who beat Metcalf last year, but whom I think Brent would outlast under the current rules. Additional good news comes from the fact that Jordan Oliver defeated the Russian representative at this weight, Magomed Kurbanaliev, and a Brent Metcalf-esque performance at Beat the Streets. The stars may have aligned for Brent this year. The rules have changed to favor him. He's wrestling better than ever, and the field at World's looks like it may be missing some of its biggest stars. I really like Metcalf's chances to do something special.

Over the years, Dan Gable has been the subject of seemingly countless articles, books and documentaries ... to the point where fans may think they know all there is to know about the iconic wrestler, coach and international ambassador for the sport. However, even the most knowledgeable, fanatic fan of Dan the Man will likely discover new facts and insights about their hero from a brand-new documentary titled "Iowa Icons: Dan Gable" now available on DVD from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. All proceeds from the sale of the DVD go to support the Waterloo, Iowa-based museum that bears Gable's name. The man who went one-on-one with Gable The DVD is the product of a one-on-one interview with Gable, conducted by Eric Braley, owner of Around the Corner Productions, who describes himself as "a diehard sports fan from Nevada, Iowa." Although Braley never wrestled, he is a long-time wrestling fan who is well-suited for the assignment as interviewer for "Iowa Icons: Dan Gable." Braley earned video production degrees -- and teaches courses on the subject -- at University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, just a few miles from Gable's hometown of Waterloo. For the past seven years, he has hosted the weekly TV show "Panther Sports Talk" that features segments on various UNI athletes and coaches, including those from the school's wrestling program. And, he is a sports announcer, who, among his accomplishments, has provided play-by-play for the Iowa Public TV "College Wrestling" series, working alongside ... yep, Dan Gable. For all those reasons, Eric Braley is uniquely qualified to take on the job of producing a Dan Gable documentary. "I built up a relationship with Gable, along with Kyle Klingman at the museum," Braley told InterMat. "I thought he deserved a one-hour sit-down interview. He is a true Iowa Icon." Straightforward presentation = surprising revelations These days, some documentaries can have all the showbiz elements of a Hollywood blockbuster, complete with staged reenactments, special effects, tricky editing techniques, over-the-top orchestration, and other gimmickry. These affectations seem to be particularly popular with many who produce sports documentaries. Not "Iowa Icons: Dan Gable." This documentary is as straightforward and direct as Gable himself. The film consists of two men -- Gable and Braley -- facing each other in director's chairs inside the Gable Museum. As one would hope from a documentary about Dan Gable, Dan Gable is the one that is on-screen the vast majority of the time. Occasionally there are other images of Gable the wrestler and Gable the coach interspersed throughout, usually to illustrate a specific point. Braley serves up open-ended questions that invite Gable to tell his story in his own words, at his own pace, for as long as he feels necessary. The two talked for nearly three hours. This approach makes for a more disclosing, more revealing, more compelling documentary on Dan Gable. One prime example for this lifelong Gable fan: his discussion of the murder of his older sister Diane -- his only sibling -- in the Gable home in 1964, while Dan and his parents were out-of-town on a fishing trip. Gable reveals new details about her killer (a classmate of his), how he persuaded his parents to stay in the home rather than move out, how he took over her bedroom to support of her memory, and how her murder propelled him to even greater focus and intensity in his wrestling career at Waterloo West High School, within sight of his home. Another element of surprise for this writer was to hear Gable talk about homesickness when he went off to Iowa State, admitting that he wrote a letter every day to his parents (who wrote back just as often), and, in his first year in Ames, he would come home nearly every weekend. Formatted for openness When asked about the revealing nature of this documentary, Eric Braley referred to Gable by saying, "You're talking about your legacy. You want to be open." Eric BraleyBraley then addressed how the documentary's format aided in this openness. "There's a comfort level for Dan, by having the interview set at his museum, with someone he knows doing the questioning." "The finished product is much different than, say, if he had gone to New York and been interviewed in an unfamiliar location, by someone he had just met." "We could have done things differently," Braley continued. "We could have made a documentary consisting of video interviews with wrestlers, coaches and others who know Dan Gable. But we thought it made more sense to have the focus be on him. We wanted you to see his facial expressions and gestures as he talked." When asked which aspects of Gable's answers were most surprising to him, Eric Braley had a couple examples beyond the murder of his sister Diane, or adjusting to life at college, away from home. "Talking about his upbringing, his father's influence, growing into wrestling," Braley responded. "Gable was a talented athlete. He was a great swimmer as a kid. However, the Y where he went swimming also had a wrestling room right in front. Waterloo has a great wrestling heritage. His dad wrestled. Those elements early in his life helped make him such a significant figure in the sport." Braley brought up another major transition for Gable: going from being a Cyclone wrestler to joining the coaching staff for the University of Iowa Hawkeyes. "Leaving Iowa State to go to Iowa. He wanted to stay at Iowa State, but he realized the opportunity offered to him by Iowa was too good to reject. He made a commitment." Now available outside eastern Iowa The "Iowa Icons: Dan Gable" documentary was originally broadcast by KCRG-TV, the ABC affiliate in Cedar Rapids, as a one-hour program with commercials. According to Braley, there was considerable interest in the documentary after the broadcast, with individuals asking about getting copies of the program. "We talked to Kyle Klingman (director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum) to make copies of the documentary available on DVD, and have all profits from the sales going directly to the Museum," said Braley. The DVD now available to the public shows the documentary as it was originally broadcast (minus commercials), with bonus interview segments not originally shown on TV. Wrestling fans may purchase a copy of the "Iowa Icons: Dan Gable" DVD for $20 each directly from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum by calling (319) 233-0745, by email to dgmstaff@nwhof.org, or online: http://nwhof.org/products-page/video-dvd-vhs/motivationaldocumentary/iowa-icons-dan-gable/ With the "Iowa Icons" identity, this wrestling writer had to ask: Is this a series? Can we expect more documentaries about other wrestlers and coaches with roots in the state of Iowa? "I don't know. We might do more," Braley responded. "We thought we'd start with Gable because of his significance in the sport, and because of our relationship."

STILLWATER, Okla. -- Three Cowboys wrestled Sunday in the FILA Junior World Team Trials, capping off a long weekend for five University of Wyoming competitors. In Stillwater, Okla., the competition began Friday and Saturday with the U.S. Senior World Team Trials, featuring Wyoming assistant coach Chris Pendleton and volunteer assistant Clayton Foster. On Friday, Pendleton rolled through the challenge bracket with three-straight technical falls over Scott Schiller, Micah Burak and Dustin Kilgore. Pendleton, the top seed in the challenge portion of the event, moved on to face J.D. Bergman in the finals at 96 kilograms (211.5 pounds). Pendleton finished as the runner-up, losing twice to Bergman in the best two-out-of-three match format. On Saturday, Foster won each match in the 84-kilogram (185 pounds) challenge bracket to earn his spot in the final. The top-seed in the challenge tournament rolled to the finals at 84 kilograms (185 pounds) with three technical falls, defeating Logan Storley, Enock Francois and Phil Keddy. Foster met Keith Gavin in the finals in a rematch of the U.S. Open. Gavin beat Foster in two tightly contested matches, and Foster was the runner up. Winners will represent the U.S. at the 2013 Senior World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, on Sept. 16-22. To wrap things up, three wrestlers on the UW roster took part in the FILA Junior World Team Trials on Sunday, an event featuring some of the nation's best 17- to 20-year-old athletes in men's freestyle and Greco-Roman. Tanner Miller, who redshirted last season, went 0-2 at 74 kilograms (163 pounds). Another redshirt freshman, Cole Mendenhall, went 1-2 at 66 kilograms (145.5 pounds). Eric Hoffman, a 2013 signee, was 1-2 at 66 kilograms. Champions qualified to represent the United States at the 2013 FILA Junior World Wrestling Championship in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Aug. 13-18.