InterMat Staff

There are many signs of a powerful linkage between Christian faith and the sport of wrestling. There is the story in Genesis, the first book of the Bible, of Jacob wrestling with the angel of the Lord (a battle depicted with numerous artworks, including a larger-than-life-size version greeting visitors at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum in Waterloo, Iowa). A number of wrestlers openly profess their faith in public statements, in their tattoos, in their clothes, and in their memberships in organizations such as Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Athletes in Action. Michael Fessler -- a former wrestler for 16 years who now has a bachelor's degree in Biblical and Theological Studies from Bethel University -- takes on the subject in his brand-new 103-page book, "Faith and Wrestling: How the Role of the a Wrestler Mirrors the Christian Life", published by CrossBooks. Meet Mike Fessler Fessler was born in Texas, but grew up in Missouri. He was raised in what he described as a wrestling family, first taking up the sport himself at age 6. All four Fessler brothers were Missouri high school state championship finalists; Mike won his state title for Oak Park High School in Kansas City as a freshman. Seeking a new start, the Fessler family moved to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area the summer after Mike won his Missouri championship; his father was employed by Northwest Airlines, which, before its merger with Delta, was headquartered in the Twin Cities. Mike enrolled at Apple Valley High School, one of the leading prep programs in the nation. He lost at the Minnesota high school state tournament his sophomore and junior year before winning the state title as a senior. Mike FesslerAfter graduating from Apple Valley, Fessler embarked on his college career at Cal State Bakersfield, sight unseen. "I was recruited by Cal State Bakersfield, met the coaches at the NCAAs," Fessler told InterMat. "I never visited the campus. In fact, the first time I saw the school was when I flew out there to enroll and start classes." When asked about his career with the Roadrunners, Fessler responded, "I started for a bit. The regular starter broke his hand, and I earned his sport on the team. I won my first two matches, then never won another match in college." "I struggled with injuries," said Fessler. "I lacked confidence." "The only reason I picked the school was to wrestle." "I was unhappy and in a bad place," Fessler continued. "I moved back to Minnesota, spent some time in community college. Then I started at Bethel." "My faith had been a part of me since I became a wrestler. I became a Christian at age 6." "When I stopped being a wrestler, I lost sight of who I was." "I started reading the Bible more, started studying theology more." "I thought the ministry would be something I could do," Fessler disclosed. "My intention was to possibly enter a pastoral ministry." The genesis of the book "I was not only engaged in religious study at Bethel, but also had reconnected with wrestling as a fan," Fessler said. "Wrestling and faith (as subjects) collided in my head. My experience as a wrestler and my faith became even more interconnected, an idea that I could not keep from swirling in my mind." The faith-and-wrestling bond grew even stronger in Fessler's mind, thanks to some outside sources. "I was watching the NCAAs," according to Fessler. "I couldn't help but notice that, in the finals interviews, about half of the winners specifically gave thanks to God." "The next day, I did an online search -- "faith and wrestling" -- and found your article," referring to this writer's August 2009 InterMat article titled "Christian faith serves wrestlers on and off the mat." Michael Fessler won a Minnesota state championship as a senior at Apple Valley High School in 2004Within the first couple paragraphs of that InterMat story was an explanation of how the article came together: "Over the years, a number of wrestlers have told InterMat in interviews about their Christian faith." The article went on to cite some notable examples from the past, including Olympic gold medalists Brandon Slay (2000 Sydney Olympics), Ben Peterson (1972 Munich Games), and Shelby Wilson (1960 Rome Olympics). For the article, this writer interviewed three wrestlers who openly expressed their Christianity: Derek Garcia (then a three-time high school champ in Washington State), Justin Kerber (at the time, a Cornell University wrestler), and Greco-Roman star Sam Hazewinkel. "The article was a springboard," said Fessler. "I thought, 'Readers might want to hear what I have to say.'" "I also looked at Flowrestling videos. So many wrestlers (interviewed) mentioned their faith. It was almost like I was getting knocked in the head about doing a book." "I continued to have things swirling around in my head about faith and wrestling. I could no longer think of them separately." Taking the first steps Fessler started work on his book, first writing the introduction that poses a question about the link between wrestling and faith. Here's the opening paragraph: "Faith and wrestling -- what's the relationship between the two? Rather than an inquiry that has people aspiring for answers regarding the relevance or functionality of this relationship, the connection between faith and wrestling becomes increasingly evident as one looks for it. Faith and wrestling have the tendency to contain somewhat of a mutual interplay, in that wrestling appears to be a physical mirroring of what so many of us combat with spiritually. And a great number of wrestlers have found it pertinent to express their faith alongside the competitive arena." Moving beyond the introduction was far from easy. In fact, it's fair to say that Fessler wrestled with the writing process. "My biggest difficulty was writing in sections," the former mat champ revealed. Fessler faced other challenges in bringing the book to life that forced him to put the project aside more than once. "I would shelve the book, thinking some who accomplished more in wrestling should be writing it, not a wrestling dropout," said Fessler. Then he came to a significant realization: "I believe God is using me to express a message." "Look at the Bible. It's full of people who failed, but they were the ones God used. That realization became an encouraging thing to me." That said, Fessler continued to wrestle with issues in completing the book. "Almost a year ago, 90% of the manuscript was done, but I shelved it again." Then he remembered a video interview that gave him new energy, and a renewed sense of purpose. "Years ago, I saw a Flowrestling interview with Jack Spates, telling how he was stepping down as (University of) Oklahoma coach to go into ministry," said Fessler. "I thought, 'If I could send him some of my manuscript, perhaps he could comment on it.'" "I attached a segment of my book in an email to OU coach (Mark) Cody, asking him to please forward it to Spates." "A couple weeks later, I got a random phone call from a number I didn't recognize," Fessler continued. "The caller left a voicemail. It was Jack Spates." "We talked about the manuscript. He loved it. We did a Skype interview, then I followed up by sending him a copy of the entire manuscript. He then forwarded it to Gene Davis and Rob Bronson. They reviewed it, and helped me get it published." (Davis was a 1976 Olympic bronze medalist who is now director of wrestling for Athletes in Action; Bronson is Athletes in Action's International Wrestling Team Coordinator.) "I hadn't even met any of these guys," said Fessler, seeming to marvel at how things came together. "Once Jack got back to me, the process accelerated." "I now talk to Jack on a regular basis." The purpose of the book When asked what result he would like from the book, Mike Fessler said, "To offer a unique perspective on what it means to be a Christian. Christian faith is often portrayed as being for weaklings. Christians are actually warriors." Fessler's biography in "Faith and Wrestling" has two lines that sum up the book simply and directly: "After stepping away from wrestling competitively, Michael engrossed himself in the world of theology and began to see his faith in a whole new light. To him, every Christian is a 'wrestler'; and wrestling itself contains a unique perspective in regard to the Christian faith." "I want wrestlers to use their faith to wrestle with more passion, to get more enjoyment out of the sport." "Wrestling is a gift to employ, not just for its own glory. It's for a greater purpose." "I wrote the book to be actually easy to read. That said, there are heavy issues within the book," Fessler admitted. "However, it is not a purely academic book. I've read plenty of those for my theological classes. Instead, I wrote this to have a practical element, to help wrestlers gain practical aspects of how they can apply their faith to their wrestling, and how their sport can impact their faith." Throughout "Faith and Wrestling", Mike Fessler brings together the Bible and the sport of wrestling to meld the two elements together in ways that speak to wrestlers, coaches, their families, and to the Christian community. In the introduction, Fessler sets the stage for the rest of the book: "Faith is something that we live out through a certain set of beliefs. If truly part of one's life, it should have a propensity to direct one's decisions, both big and small, and deeply influence how one approaches life. Wrestling, on the other hand, is a sport. Yet anyone who has experienced it knows it's so much more than that. It directly impacts other areas of one's life, whether related to diet, social life, sleep regimen, etc. Furthermore, it's a character builder. There's the saying, 'Anybody can beat anybody on a given day,' and given the talent and devotion of wrestlers, I find this to be true today now more than ever ... Even legends fall. And we know this to be true because we've seen it. From Dan Gable to Cael Sanderson, Buvaisar Saitiev to Alexander Karelin, every legend of wrestling has experienced the heavy weight of defeat. And it's how they've dealt with that defeat that speaks to their level of character." To further illustrate the faith-wrestling connection, here's a sample from Chapter 6 titled "Wrestling and the Human Experience": "In this chapter, we have recognized that wrestling is a part of the human experience. And as I have tried to show (and will continue to show) throughout this book, in relation to the proposed concepts, the sport of wrestling serves as physical imagery. Just as wrestling is a part of the human experience, so is the sport of wrestling a mini-life. It's sort of a life within a life. The ups and downs, wins and losses, mental lapses, growth and toughness, triumphs and setbacks, and, yes, even temptations, all take place within a single wrestling season. Moreover, the experiences all take place within a single wrestling season seem to move along a stream of time that allows no room for stagnancy. The season will continue to move along with or without you. In some respects, a wrestling season is like life at hyper-speed. There's a faster pace at play. And if you don't keep up, you'll find yourself lost, confused and altogether left behind ..." "Faith and Wrestling: How the Role of a Wrestler Mirrors the Christian Life" provides a thoughtful, thought-provoking analysis of the interconnection between Christian faith and world's oldest and greatest sport that will speak to wrestlers, coaches, families and wrestling fans as they continue their own unique faith journeys. "Faith and Wrestling" by Michael Fessler, published by CrossBooks, is available in both traditional printed book format as well as an e-book at major online book retailers such as Barnes & Noble, and Amazon, as well directly from the publisher at CrossBooks.com. And, be sure to check out the brief video below about Fessler and his book.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Nittany Lion wrestler David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio) has been named the Jesse Owens Big Ten Male Athlete of the Year. Taylor was joined on the women's side by Purdue's Dani Bunch, a track and field stand-out for the Boilermakers. Taylor is only the second Penn Stater to ever to be named Big Ten Male Athlete of the Year since the honor's inception in 1982, joining men's gymnast Luis Vargas, who won the award in 2005. He is the eighth wrestler to win the award. Six Penn State women have been named Big Ten Female Athlete of the Year, with the last being Megan Hodge (2010, women's volleyball). Taylor became the second straight member of head coach Cael Sanderson's Nittany Lion wrestlers to win Penn State Male Athlete of the Year earlier this month (teammate Ed Ruth won last year's Penn State honor), putting him on the ballot for the Owens Award. Taylor recently wrapped up one of collegiate wrestling's most historic careers. He won the 2014 Hodge Trophy as the nation's top wrestler and was Big Ten Wrestler of the Year for the third time. Taylor became Penn State's first-ever four-time NCAA finalist and won his second NCAA individual title at 165, leading Penn State to its fourth-straight NCAA Championship in Oklahoma City in March. Taylor's 2014 accolades were stunning: Hodge Trophy Award (won twice during his career), NCAA National Champion (for the second time), NCAA Finalist (for the fourth time), NCAA All-American (for the fourth time), Big Ten Wrestler of the Year (for the third time), NCAA Most Dominant Wrestler Award, NCAA Championships Outstanding Wrestler, Big Ten Champion (Penn State's first four-time Big Ten Champion, joining Ruth with that honor), three-time Big Ten Wrestler of the Week, Academic All-Big Ten (for the fourth time), NWCA First Team All-Academic (for the fourth time), Capital One First Team Academic All-American. His career numbers are a testament to Taylor's dominance throughout a landmark collegiate wrestling career. He leaves Penn State as a member of four NCAA Championship teams and four Big Ten Championships teams. Taylor went 34-0 this season to end the year as the nation's lone unbeaten Division I wrestler and closed out his career with a 134-3 record. His 97.8 career win percentage included an all-time Penn State best 53 pins (ties a school record), 42 technical falls and 30 majors, meaning 125 of his 137 career matches were won by a major or better. Taylor never lost in a dual meet and was a perfect 56-0 all-time against Big Ten competition.

The wrestling community has complained about a lack of coverage from the mainstream media as well as general sports publications and websites ... until a wrestler has a run-in with the law, or is suspended by his or her school. Collectively, fans seem to be of two minds when it comes to reporting on alleged rule-breakers, lawbreakers and those who post questionable material in social media who happen to be college wrestlers. It would appear that most mat fans would rather not know about these situations; this writer has heard from those who say, "You're ruining that kid's life" or "These kinds of stories hurt wrestling's image; why write about it?" Unless the fan supports a rival program. Then it's "Why don't you tell us what's really going on with this clown?" or "His coach should be fired!" or "Typical for that program." Arrests are part of the public record; in many college communities, arrest records are posted online at police websites and/or at the websites of local or college newspapers, for the entire wrestling world to discoverIn the past year or so, there have been a number of incidents involving reports of bad behavior on the part of college wrestlers. Among the examples: a Division III program was shut down for about a week after allegations of hazing and abuse of teammates emerged. A Division I champ was suspended for a month after being charged with DUI. Another Division I starter was suspended after posting anti-gay messages on his Twitter account. More recently, the NCAA revealed that wrestlers from three schools were issued letters of reprimand for inappropriate behavior at the 2014 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, including a wrestler who put a hole in the wall of a hallway at the Chesapeake Energy Arena. Does this mean that college wrestlers are getting into more trouble off-the-mat than previous generations? What are the NCAA and individual programs doing about bad behavior on the part of student-matletes? Matmen behaving badly: A perspective Before we continue, let's provide some basic perspective. First, the focus of this article is to look at behavior outside of competition. We're not exploring illegal holds or allegations of unsportsmanlike behavior during wrestling events. Second, it would be misleading -- in fact, downright wrong -- to say that inappropriate or law-breaking behavior away from the mat is a rampant problem that is unique to college wrestling. It's not. Consider some of the sports stories that have been fodder for newspapers, sports networks, sports talk shows, blogs and online forums in the past year or so. A high school football player suspended from school for a sarcastic tweet about a teacher. A NBA team owner making racist and sexist remarks to his lover. A NFL star accused of murdering two men for bumping into him at a club. Another NFL player allegedly terrorized one of his own teammates. High school football players involved in a sexual attack on a female student, with some school coaches and administrators participating in a cover-up. Numerous athletes who have made racist, homophobic, sexist or otherwise offensive statements. This kind of activity isn't limited to athletes. Think of the hubbub caused by the statements or actions of any number of actors, singers, reality show stars or politicians, and you can see that one doesn't have to wear a jockstrap to get in trouble. Likewise, it would also be wrong to imply that stupid or rule-breaking behavior on the part of college wrestlers is something brand-new, an indicator of suddenly declining moral values or a current generation that's out of control. It was an issue five years ago (remember the two wrestlers at a major Division I program who were booted off the team for appearing naked in photos at a gay website?) and 50 years ago, too. As someone who has written about the history of college wrestling for the past decade -- and, in the process, read more than his fair share of vintage yearbooks, newspapers and magazines -- I've seen enough examples of wrestlers who found themselves facing punishment from an irate coach, college dean, local judge or even an offended nation to refute any notion that there was no bad behavior in the so-called good old days. It's safe to say that the vast majority of the situations I've come across in articles from school publications or Amateur Wrestling News involve suspensions for academic reasons -- failure to earn a minimum GPA (grade point average) or failing a required class. There are also the situations that may not have anything to do with grades, but where a coach may feel that some sort of public punishment may get a wayward wrestler to reverse course. One of the more unusual suspensions involved a collegiate mat champ of a half-century ago. The coach -- one of the all-time legends of the sport -- felt that the wrestler wasn't adequately invested in his college academic and athletic career, so the star was benched. After a couple weeks, the wrestler came back to the coach saying that he had refocused his energies towards the classroom and the practice room, and issued an apology to the coach and his teammates. The once-suspended wrestler went on to become a three-time NCAA champ. There are times when an athlete engages in behavior of such a serious nature that it brings national attention -- and shame -- to the individual and the school. One such incident of approximately 60 years ago involved a wrestler at one of the most storied mat programs in the nation ... for an incident on the football field. Said athlete deliberately threw more than one punch to the face of an athlete from the opposing team -- according to some sources, perfectly legal at the time -- which resulted in a broken jaw for the rival player. The incident was captured in a sequence of newspaper photos that won a Pulitzer Prize. Allegations swirled that the incident was racially motivated, something that was denied by both the white punch-thrower and the owner of the broken jaw, an African-American. That said, the incident rocked college football in the early 1950s, and resulted in rule and equipment changes. Why the appearance of MORE bad behavior? So, why does it appear that there are more examples of inappropriate or even law-breaking behavior in society in general ... and especially on the part of today's student-athletes? For starters, it may well be a matter of perspective. If you haven't spent endless hours in library archives or online, pouring over old-time newspapers, yearbooks and even coaches' files to see evidence of past incidents -- and have only seen uber-positive written or filmed tributes to wrestlers of the past -- you may think that there was no such thing as bad behavior in the so-called good old days. What's more, unlike, say, athletes in some sports, college wrestlers tend not to write tell-all books. A couple exceptions I've read involve amateur mat stars who become pro wrestlers, and write their memoirs with an eye to delighting their pro fans who suspect that college wrestling is as full of dirty double-dealing as what fans see from today's WWE. In addition, in the past, most sports writers had an almost worshipful attitude towards athletes -- what George Rugg, sports archivist at University of Notre Dame, described as the "gee whiz" era of sports reporting. Athletes were presented as heroes and role models; misbehavior on or off the field was rarely reported. (This all changed with societal attitudes in the late 1960s, and emergence of athletes such as Jim Bouton, Joe Namath and Jim Brown who were not afraid to speak their minds.) A plethora of potential pitfalls A major reason why it might SEEM there are more problem student-athletes is ... more coverage of the sport from designated wrestling media. More magazines and newsletters. More websites such as InterMat. More social media outlets such as Twitter and Facebook. More blogs. More online forums and discussion groups. Consider the exponential expansion of wrestling coverage since the early 1950s. Sixty years ago, Sports Illustrated, the first truly national sports media, was born, providing its annual wrap-up of the NCAA championships, and the occasional profile of a top wrestler or coach, for example, the 1957 cover story on Dan Hodge. In 1956, Amateur Wrestling News debuted as the first national wrestling magazine. Fifty years ago, ABC's "Wide World of Sports" provided the first national TV coverage of the NCAA wrestling finals (1963), albeit in highly edited form, weeks after the fact. Thirty-five years ago, ESPN became the first national sports network. Twenty-five years ago, the Internet was in its infancy. Less than a decade ago, ESPN started to provide live coverage of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. Just this year, ESPN provided its first-ever "every match, every mat" coverage of the Division I Nationals. Before this explosion of coverage -- back in what is often referred to as the good old days -- if a college wrestler got in trouble, it's likely that no one outside the team, school or local community would have been aware of it, unless the athlete was a nationally-recognized star (a conference or national champ, for instance). Then Amateur Wrestling News and/or Sports Illustrated might have written about his suspension, since fans across the nation might otherwise wonder, "Why isn't Joe Blow at the NCAAs?" Now, thanks to the Internet, the world is a much smaller place. News of alleged bad behavior now travels well beyond the wrestler's school or hometown. In a matter of minutes, fans across the country and around the world know what would have been very much a local story, "just among us friends" a quarter-century ago. Another aspect -- there are more online opportunities for athletes to find themselves in trouble. Think about all the new venues of communication now available to athletes -- not just online forums, but also Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Vine, to name a few -- that could take down a wrestler if he were to post a message, photo or video judged inappropriate. Social media seems tailor-made for today's athletes. To those of us who would be considered members of an "older generation", current athletes would appear to be more open and disclosing than their parents or grandparents. These athletes may view those connected to them on Twitter or Facebook as all being friends. This writer has observed numerous occasions where a wrestler has revealed information that, in previous generations, might not have been known outside an athlete's circle of closest friends or teammates. Some are amusing: wrestlers who publicly revealed they were receiving a major honor in advance of an official announcement ... or another who told the world he spotted his first chest hair. Sometimes, athletes post public comments on upcoming opponents or match outcomes that heretofore would have been unknown to wrestling fans and journalists. A changing landscape beyond new technology Newer technology tools such as the Internet and the proliferation of wrestling websites, forums and social media aren't the only reasons why it appears that college wrestlers may have more opportunity to get in trouble. Societal norms about what is "bad behavior" have changed. A prime example is attitudes about drinking and driving. Yet another: incidents in the past that might have been dismissed as "boys being boys" are now being prosecuted as sexual assault. In addition, in the past, there was also a line of thinking that sought to protect young people -- especially athletes -- from having to endure public humiliation or punishment. Not that many years ago, situations involving alleged inappropriate or illegal behavior on the part of teenagers or even college-age students were not reported in the local media, and, if not handled in the juvenile justice system, might not be prosecuted at all. It was rare for cases involving minors to be handled in the adult criminal justice system. In an extreme example from fifty years ago which took place less than two miles where this writer lives, a teenage girl was bludgeoned to death on her way home from a dance, allegedly by her teenage boyfriend. A local judge essentially adopted the accused teenager, sparing him a potential trial and jail time. The alleged killer is now a successful local businessman. This "spare the child" attitude may have sprung from outrage at how some young people were treated (and mistreated) by the criminal justice system 80-100 years ago ... as well as reform movements that sought to rehabilitate young offenders with the idea that could prevent future crime. However, increases in crime rates in the 1970s, 80s and 90s paved the way for tougher sentencing and more situations in which youthful offenders were treated as adults. What are the rules? Asking the NCAA ... With changes in technology and societal norms seeming to provide more opportunities for student-athletes to get in trouble, what are the rules to protect college wrestlers from situations that could, at minimum, cause embarrassment, and, at maximum, result in expulsion from school or even prison time? The NCAA puts out a rulebook -- officially titled "Wrestling: 2013-14 and 2014-15 Rules and Interpretations" -- which has over 140 pages devoted to the regulations governing collegiate wrestling for NCAA Divisions I, II and III. In words -- and, when necessary, in photos and diagrams -- the book provides clear explanations of the fundamental rules for everything from eligibility to weigh-in procedures to acceptable uniforms to mat requirements to how matches are to be wrestled. Within the opening pages of the rulebook -- immediately after the table of contents and a recap of what's new in this edition -- is a page with the header "Codes of Conduct" with separate sections for Coaches, Referees, and Student-Athletes. The "Student-Athletes' Statement of Conduct and Responsibility" reads: "It is the responsibility of all wrestlers to conduct themselves in such a way as to reflect credit upon their institutions, the sport and themselves. Further, all wrestlers should realize that their personal appearance, behavior and standards are related closely to the image of the sport as perceived by all segments of the public and wrestling communities. This applies to conduct as a competitor on the mat, while attending the event, while traveling to and from the event, while both on and off campus. Moral obligation and ethical conduct are part of winning and losing. Good sportsmanship, pride, honor, and personal behavior should be placed above all else. The rules have been established in the spirit of this statement." As one would expect in a rule book, there are dozens of pages devoted to inappropriate or rule-breaking on-the-mat behavior -- everything from what constitutes stalling to dangerous, illegal holds, as well as acts which are considered unsportsmanlike, such as taunting, or a wrestler pulling down the straps of his singlet after a match but while still on the mat. However, I was unable to find any material regarding inappropriate off-the-mat behavior within this 140-page book ... a fact confirmed by Ron Beaschler, Secretary of the NCAA Rules Committee responsible for producing the rulebook, who said, "I only work with the playing rules for wrestling." Beaschler was kind enough to forward my query to Chris Radford, Associate Director of Public and Media Relations for the NCAA, who responded, "I'm not aware of any such communication from the national office. Generally speaking, it is the responsibility of each respective school to provide such guidance and education for their student-athletes." Other factors governing athlete behavior Beyond the NCAA wrestling rulebook, most colleges and universities have a Code of Conduct (or similarly-named document) which governs the behavior of all students at that institution; many also have a specific set of rules which apply to their student-athletes. In addition, schools usually have some sort of review board or other judicial body which hears cases of alleged rule-breaking and determines appropriate sanctions when warranted, including expulsion from school. Nowadays, for on-campus matters, students -- even athletes who are nationally recognized -- are protected from potential public humiliation or embarrassment by a federal law known as FERPA, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, which prohibits colleges and universities from releasing personally identifiable information derived from education records, including information regarding student disciplinary matters. FERPA is the reason that wrestling fans -- and wrestling writers -- don't always know the reasons for the departure of a college wrestler, whether it's a temporary suspension, or a permanent parting of the ways. Especially in cases that involve an on-campus situation, whatever it may be -- a coach benching a wrestler for failing to show up for practice, or failing a class, for example. Sometimes the truth is revealed later -- a wrestler returns to the team without any advance notice, or suddenly shows up on another campus. Or the wrestler reveals the story himself on Twitter or Facebook. However, under FERPA, the school itself is not to disclose disciplinary action taken against a student-athlete. If the student-athlete chooses to reveal the reasons for his or her absence, that's not a violation of FERPA. Of course, alleged crimes which take place off-campus -- on a public street, in a bar, or in an apartment or home within the community -- are no longer under school jurisdiction and FERPA rules, but are subject to handling by local law enforcement and possible prosecution within the criminal justice system. (Though the college may choose its own punishment for such students -- suspension or expulsion, for example -- above and beyond any fines, probation or jail time from local courts.) Arrests are part of the public record; in many college communities, arrest records are posted online at police websites and/or at the websites of local or college newspapers, for the entire wrestling world to discover. Schools share their guidelines InterMat reached out to sports information directors at a number of college wrestling programs competing at all levels -- from NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) to NCAA Division I -- to ask about what kind of rules and programs they have in place to guide wrestlers in their off-the-mat behavior, including use of social networks. Chas Dorman, Associate Director of Athletic Communications at the University of Pennsylvania, is the media's point-of-contact for the Penn wrestling program. When asked about instruction in the use of social media on the part of Quaker wrestlers, Dorman said, "I handle this with the team. Each fall, I have about a half hour with the team which covers social media and general media processes. I cover how privacy works/doesn't work in social media, impart what being an Ivy League student-athlete means, and the higher standard our student-athletes are held to. I try to focus on how social media is the same as giving a quote in a media interview and how you should approach social media as if you are in your singlet/warm-ups and at a microphone. Last year with the other teams I work with, I started using a PowerPoint presentation which includes examples of inappropriate social media from across the country, inside the Ivy League and at Penn. This will be used with wrestling this year." In terms of preparing wrestlers for media interviews, Dorman said, "I handle this in conjunction with the social media presentation. We explain what the media is all about, why they are covering us, and go over proper tactics for interviews. Once a year, our captains and head coaches across all sports meet with a group called The Speaking Specialists who are a widely-regarded media relations training firm." Dorman also addressed on-campus behavior issues, such as attending classes, maintaining grades, and showing up for classes. "Our coaches run through a lot of this with the team, but representatives from our Academics and Compliance office also meet with the team at the beginning of each season to make sure all formal policies on those areas are covered," said Dorman. "Academics also runs workshops on selecting majors, internships, etc." As for off-campus behavior -- and what might constitute illegal behavior vs. something that may be perceived as inappropriate but not necessarily illegal -- Dorman responded, "Our Academics group helps run these workshops with our public safety office. All incoming student-athletes have a meeting and then each team meets as well." Steve LomanginoSteve Lomangino, sports information director for wrestling and football at Lehigh University, said, "Instruction and information on use of social media and training for conducting interviews with members of the media are initiatives led by our sports information department. We try to meet with all of our teams during the preseason to go over our list of media relations topics (who covers us, TV/radio/internet coverage, tips for conducting interviews, social media education etc.) ... "I do, however, try to work with the guys during the season about conducting interviews and I do try to provide some level of social media education when we're on road trips during the season." Lomangino provided some perspective regarding other sports he serves at Lehigh: "I do a 10-15 minute session with our football team in August during training camp. In addition to preseason team talks, my assistant does a 30-minute media-training session with our men's basketball and men's lacrosse teams in the preseason to prepare them for in-season interview requests." "As for the on and off-campus behavior topics, I'm not as certain," Lomangino continued. "Our office does not advise student-athletes on those matters. Our coaching staff provides most of the education on proper on-campus behavior. I think the off-campus behavior is probably a combination of our coaching staff and our top department administrators, who go over a lot of the expected on/off-campus behaviors of ALL of our student-athletes at a student-athlete orientation meeting during the first week of classes in the fall." Travis Chell, sports information director for the men's and women's wrestling programs at King University in Bristol, Tenn., has been in the position for only one year, so some of that school's initiatives in preparing its student-athletes for dealing with issues beyond the wrestling mat or playing surface. When asked about use of social media, Chell responded, "I'm trying to get someone on campus to talk about that. If that doesn't happen, I hope to give a short presentation to our student-athletes." In terms of providing guidance regarding on-campus and off-campus behavior on the part of King athletes, Chell said that this is the responsibility of each team's coaches, and that each program has specific rules governing student-athlete behavior. Wrestlers weigh in, too In addition to reaching out to college sports information directors, InterMat sought the input of individuals who wrestled in college, whether it was recently, or some time ago, to see what kind of instruction they received in terms of off-the-mat behavior, if any. Curran JacobsCurran Jacobs wrestled at Michigan State from 2008-2012, and now resides in the Los Angeles area, pursuing his acting career. He played the wrestling coach for the Luke Dunphy character in a February 2014 episode of the hit ABC-TV series "Modern Family," which was highlighted in a 2014 InterMat article. The former Spartan wrestler said that they were not given specific instructions as to use of social media, or regarding interviews with the media, saying, "If the media wanted to speak with us, such as the 'State News' or the Big 10 Network, we were free to speak our minds about our training and our competition." Jacobs went into greater detail about guidance in non-media behavior issues. Addressing the question concerning on-campus behavior, Jacobs -- who starred in MSU productions of "A Streetcar Named Desire" and "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" -- said, "We were heavily encouraged by our coaches and the athletic program to attend classes and to be on our best behavior. If we didn't attend class, then we were punished by not being able to attend practice. If your grades were really bad and you rarely attended class, you were suspended and possibly kicked off the team. It just wasn't tolerated." "The athletic program at MSU made it mandatory for all the athletes in every sport to attend a three-hour seminar at the beginning of the year where we had to sit and listen to men and women speak about the importance of being leaders," Jacobs continued. "We were told that we represented Michigan State University on and off the field. And our actions spoke not only for ourselves, but for our coaches, classmates and our University itself. We covered subjects like alcohol abuse, drug use, hazing, sexual assault, etc. And the penalty for misbehaving in a serious way regarding these subjects resulted in the athlete being stripped of their scholarship and kicked off the team." Mike Fessler, author of the brand-new book "Faith and Wrestling", wrestled at Apple Valley High School in Minnesota -- one of the highest-ranked prep programs in the nation -- and at Cal State Bakersfield before earning a bachelor's degree in Biblical and Theological Studies from Bethel University in St. Paul. "Both in high school and in college I was provided instruction about interviews with the media, on-campus behavior and off-campus behavior," said Fessler. "However, all the instruction came from the coaching staff. Particularly in high school, I recall gathering a handful of times as a team, before practice, and receiving this sort of instruction. I wrestled for Apple Valley, and our coaches would continuously tell us, 'As an Apple Valley wrestler, you are in a fish bowl. Everybody is watching you, and that includes your behavior and communication in interviews as well as your behavior on and off the mat. Be on your best behavior. Be respectful of yourself and others.' They would then offer instruction about how to put this proper behavior into action." "I was not provided such instruction, however, with regard to social media use," Fessler continued. "Primarily because social media had not yet made a large impact on society. I graduated from high school in 2004, and wrestled just a year in college. Facebook, Myspace, and other mainstay social media platforms were not implemented until 2005 or so." Another former wrestler who had no instruction in social media but got sound guidance in how a college matman should behave was Jack Alkon. The just-retired dentist from Connecticut whose college mat career was in the late 1960s shared his experiences in a 2008 InterMat article about how developments in wrestling gear and mats have affected competitor strategy over the years. "I wrestled at Tufts College from 1965 thru 1969," said Alkon. "Our program would now be classified as Division III, although those divisions didn't exist at the time." "As I recall, we received no instruction or materials regarding communication with the media or behavioral guidelines, but pretty much the only medium interested in us was our school newspaper." "Our coach did let us know in the course of coaching what was expected of us," Alkon continued. "Early in my college career, I was in a close match with a very good opponent. I was on top and he bridged back and pinned me while I was 'in control.' I came off the mat and said an expletive which could be heard by the fans. My coach came over to me and I expected him to console me on a tough loss, but instead he laid into me for not accepting my loss gracefully and reacting poorly. This was an important lesson that taught me that my actions and reactions affect others' perception of wrestlers and wrestling." Alkon offered some timeless advice that seems appropriate for wrestlers of any era, at any type of school. "In my opinion, wrestling -- and all amateur sport -- is a means to an end and not an end in itself. Striving to learn techniques, get in shape, and hopefully defeat opponents is the means by which athletes learn discipline, respect (for opponents, officials and self), work ethic, facing challenges, accepting victory and defeat gracefully, and so many more life lessons. If these lessons aren't learned, all the medals and trophies are meaningless." Student-athlete social media use: One school's guidelines Use of social media such as Facebook and Twitter may well be the final frontier in terms of student-athlete behavior. Most of these services are less than a decade old. While colleges, coaches and other authority figures try to set rules or guidelines on social media use, it's ultimately up to individual wrestlers and other student-athletes to discover the best ways to use these technology tools without injuring their own image and reputation -- and that of their school and wrestling program. (Think of it this way: back when all-time greats like Dan Hodge and Dan Gable ruled the college mats, they had to abide by various rules and codes of conduct during their college mat careers ... but never had to worry about possibly posting a message, photo or video online that others might find questionable or offensive.) A website -- SocialMediaGovernance.com -- provides links to dozens of websites featuring rules (or at least some guidelines) on use of social media for employees of organizations ranging from city governments to major worldwide corporations. Only one is a college sports-related link: a two-page policy document from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Department of Athletics, governing "social networking and media use." The Tarheels document opens with this statement: "The UNC Department of Athletics recognizes and supports its student-athletes' rights to freedom of speech, expression, and association, including the use of online social networks. In this context, however, each student-athlete must remember that playing and competing for the University of North Carolina is a privilege, not a right. As a student-athlete, you represent the University and you are expected to portray yourself, your team, and your University in a positive manner at all times. Any online postings much therefore be consistent with federal and State laws, and team, Department, University, and NCAA rules, regulations and policies." The UNC document goes on to provide guidelines for student-athlete use of social media, including: "Everything you post is public information -- any text or photo placed online is completely out of your control the moment it is placed online -- even if you limit access to your site. Information (including pictures, videos, comments and posters) may be accessible even after you remove it." (In their social media guidelines, a number of corporate and institutional websites stress that online material is often instantly archived and retrievable long after a poster has taken it down, or the website has disappeared.) "Use caution when adding someone or inviting someone to be a friend. Many individuals are looking to take advantage of student-athletes, to get close to student-athletes to give themselves a sense of membership, or to gain information about you, your teammates, or your team for the purposes of sports gambling or negative publicity." (Some "friends" may simply want to bask in a wrestler's reflected glory, or feel as if they are part of a college wrestling program. However, others may have criminal intent in mind.) "Limit information about your whereabouts or plans to minimize the potential of being stalked, assaulted, or the victim of other criminal activity." (Some smartphone apps provide an athlete's social media followers with a "real-time roadmap" of his or her daily activities such as boarding a particular airline flight, checking into a specific hotel, or simply his/her location on a map.) "What you post may affect your future. Many employers and graduate school admissions officers review social networking sites as part of their overall evaluation of an applicant. Carefully consider how you want people to perceive you before you give them a chance to misinterpret your information (including pictures, videos, comments, and posters.)." In addition, the UNC document to say that, "Similar to comments made in person, the Department of Athletics will not tolerate disrespectful comments and behavior online," listing examples such as "derogatory or defamatory language" ... comments that could be considered threatening, with the potential of causing physical or emotional injury to others ... and comments, photos or videos that describe or depict unlawful or prohibited conduct, including assault, abuse, hazing, harassment, or discrimination, along with selling, possessing or using controlled substances. (It can be as seemingly innocent as photos of a college wrestler hoisting a beer in a state where he would be underage for alcohol use. From this writer's observation, these types of photos, once a staple of a number of college wrestler Facebook and Twitter accounts especially during conference and NCAA championship events, have pretty much disappeared online as today's athletes seem to recognize the potential perils of posting these kinds of images.) According to its student-athlete policy on social media use, University of North Carolina states that each sports team "must identify at least one coach or administrator who is responsible for having access to and regularly monitoring the content of team members' social networking sites and postings." Social media use: Learning from the corporate world Use of social media isn't an issue that only colleges and student-athletes are wrestling with; governments and corporations are also seeking rules that allow individual employees a measure of freedom of expression, while wanting to be protective of the organization's overall image. Forbes.com columnist Jeanne Meister has written about corporate use of social media. In a 2013 column, Meister wrote, "Companies like Unisys, Sprint and HP have caught on to this fact. They've created social media training programs that show employees how using social media can be a valuable business tool, and even can increase performance and productivity." Meister went on to list her "5 Rs of Social Media" that, while primarily geared to workers in large corporations, provide good guidance for any user of social media. I've modified some of her explanations to make them uniquely appropriate to student-athletes, including college wrestlers: 1. Reason: "Use reasonable etiquette, the same as you would offline." 2. Represent yourself: Don't pretend to be someone you're not ... and don't be anonymous, as, according to Meister, "anonymous profiles lend themselves to more negative content." 3. Responsibility: What you post could be online forever (even if you post it, then quickly delete it). Don't post anything you wouldn't be willing to defend in person. Don't reveal any team secrets. 4. Respect: Don't disrespect opponents, your teammates or your coaches. 5. Restraint: "Before you hit that 'send' button, pause and reread. If you wouldn't want that particular thought [or photo or video] forever associated with your name, don't post it." InterMat contacted two business consultants with ties to amateur wrestling to get their dual perspective on use of social media among college wrestlers. Matt Krumrie, who has written for a number of wrestling publications and websites (including InterMat) and penned the book "The Ultimate Guide to Wrestling Camps", counsels business professionals on putting together resumes and other job-seeking strategies with his own consultancy as well as through columns for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and the online news service Examiner.com. When asked about social media use on the part of college wrestlers, Krumrie responded, "Schools know it's a ticking time bomb because they can't control when a student-athlete gets on social media." "An athlete, like it or not, is under scrutiny." "Corporations have social media policies for employees -- don't tweet while at work, for example," Krumrie continued. "That being said, even they can't control others, so it can be a real mess." Mark Dollins, subject of a 2013 InterMat profile as a lifelong wrestler and fan who was one of two winners of "The Ultimate Dan Gable Experience" from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum, had worked in corporate communications for major utilities and top consumer goods companies such as Quaker Oats and Pepsi during his professional career before launching his own consulting business in 2011. "I'm all for free speech and believe that's everybody's right. But I also believe people should be held accountable for their words and actions," said Dollins. "Wrestling -- or playing any college sport for any college team -- is a privilege," continued Dollins, who continues to wrestle in veteran events. "These athletes worked hard not only to earn the right to compete, but to represent the honor and dignity of their college or university. As such, they are accountable to the standards those institutions have in place." "Free speech is a right, but so, too, is the right of every American to judge the institution that sends any athlete out to compete under its name," Dollins added. "(A school) is a brand, and every brand has the right to defend itself with disciplinary actions against people (students on university sponsored teams included) who misrepresent it."

Hempstead, N.Y. -- Hofstra University Vice President and Director of Athletics Jeffrey A. Hathaway announced today that Head Wrestling Coach Rob Anspach has resigned his position to pursue professional opportunities outside of coaching. Rob Anspach (Photo/Hofstra Athletic Communications)Anspach has accepted a commercial sales representative position with Advantage Sport & Fitness. "I would like to extend my sincerest gratitude to Hofstra University, President Stuart Rabinowitz and Vice President and Director of Athletics Jeff Hathaway for the opportunity to be part of the Hofstra Athletic Department and lead the wrestling program," stated Anspach. "It was a very difficult decision to leave Hofstra, where I have spent the last 18 years as a student-athlete and coach, but this is the best situation for my family. I know Jeff will do a thorough search to find the right candidate for the job and I look forward to supporting the wrestling program for many years to come." "I want to express my thanks to Rob for his passion and commitment to the Hofstra Wrestling program as a student-athlete, assistant coach and head coach," commented Hathaway. "We wish Rob and his family the very best as he moves to his new position in the fitness equipment business. I know he will enjoy the same success there as he has as a wrestling coach." Anspach just completed his third season as head coach and his 12th year on the Pride staff in 2013-14. Anspach concludes his Hofstra tenure (assistant and head coaching) having helped lead the Pride to a 136-86-6 dual meet record and 10 conference championships. In addition, he assisted in the development of 41 league champions and 76 student-athletes reached the NCAA Championships during his time on the Hofstra coaching staff. Of that 76, 15 have earned All-America honors. A 2001 graduate of Hofstra, Anspach compiled a 69-51 record during his five-year career as a student-athlete with the Pride. Zach Tanelli, who has served as the head assistant coach for the past two seasons and just concluded his fifth season on staff, has been named the interim head coach. Tanelli is a 2009 graduate of Wisconsin where he was a member of the Badgers wrestling squad. During his undergraduate career, Tanelli posted an 88-31 overall record and earned All-American accolades in 2009. He also qualified for the NCAA Championships on three occasions. Hathaway also announced that a national search for the next head coach of the Hofstra Wrestling program will begin immediately.

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Arizona State University will be hosting some of the best wrestlers in the country and the world as USA Wrestling comes to the Riches Wrestling Complex, June 22 to July 2, for its World Team Training Camp. Participants include U.S. qualifiers for the World Championships, Sept. 8-14 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Junior World Championships, Aug. 5-10 in Zagreb, Croatia, and World University Championships, July 8-12 in Pecs, Hungary. The University World Team Wrestle Offs are set for June 22 and 23 at ASU’s Riches Wrestling Complex. Sunday’s 65kg wrestlers will compete at 11 a.m. PT, while Monday’s 57-kilo, 97-kilo, and 125-kilo competitions are set for noon PT. Flowrestling will be in town to cover the wrestle offs and the other events surrounding the training camp.

Who wants to talk about World Cup soccer? This week saw the kickoff of one of the world's most-watched sporting events: The FIFA World Cup. Essentially a representative World War, the world's largest and most important soccer event has become a multi-billion dollar spectacular that in 2014 has reached a stratosphere of coverage and promotion in the United States many sporting experts would have told you ten years ago was impossible. Now, in what will feel like an overnight success, soccer is the third most-watched sport in the States and is trending hotter than every sport outside of American football in terms of television contracts and endorsements. So if soccer can succeed in the United States and the World Cup is the largest and most profitable sporting event in the world, what lessons should wrestling learn? What elements of soccer make it the world's most popular game, and can wrestling imitate those values to create a product that the entire world will want to watch? The first acknowledgement is to understand that wrestling will never overtake soccer as the world's game. That's OK, because there is plenty of money for the runner-up and we aren't in direct competition for sporting dollars. The next is to know that any plan for making wrestling more marketable worldwide won't be freestyle or Greco-Roman, but a grass or sand takedown tournament with five or seven team members to each side. Simple and tension-filled action. Unlike most sports, wrestling is already being practiced in every country around the world, and since the sport is organic to the human experience there is little explanation. Yes, some rules will need to be clarified, but with a 32-foot circle pushout rules and a single takedown format it will be easy for viewers to buy-in to the spectacle. No confusion, no singlets, no referee interference and no judges. Wrestling, like soccer, enjoys an advantage over sports like American football and baseball because it's found everywhere and has a very low cost of operation. If a worldwide governing body like FILA (soon to be United World Wrestling) can orchestrate the regional tournaments over the ten years then there is a real chance for massive advertising dollars at a world level, which means more money to support the Olympic styles and more influence in the Olympic discussion. Soccer works because you can't take your eyes off the field. Wrestling, with rules done well, can have that same effect. For marketers and advertisers, that type of live sporting event is gold because it's impressionable 18-35 year-old men who watch sports and are creating their lifelong brand loyalties. Television money filters into every crack of sports, from $2 billion teams like the NBA's LA Clippers and developing domestic leagues like the MLS, live sporting events are becoming the most valuable items in entertainment. Wrestling can earn a slice of that ever-expanding money cake. With time, energy and creativity wrestling can build a larger worldwide audience, create a marketable event, and become one of the largest and most profitable sports in the world. I believe. To your questions ... Q: In your latest mailbag edition, someone supported the pushout rule in high school and college wrestling. I am a high school coach and wouldn't want the rule. Too often, high school mats are much smaller than college mats. I have kids who will come from the bottom position and are trying to hit a standup, and are driven out of bounds by the top wrestler because we are on smaller mats from time to time. To me, collegiate and high school wrestling is about controlling your opponent, and pushing someone out of bounds isn't controlling someone. -- Mike C. Foley: There are valid arguments against the pushout rule and you stated the most obvious: freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling are primarily standup styles while American folkstyle is both stand-up and ground. As you noted, the transition between the two can cause some difficulties when you have an out-of-bounds rule that can be easily manipulated. The idea behind a pushout point would be to keep wrestlers in the action and prevent stalling. The failure of the current American folkstyle rules is that they have become needlessly complicated and nuanced. The history of the rules reflects the NCAA's larger mindset, which is to answer a bad rule with two more. That's a needlessly complicated mindset, which over time adversely affects a sport whose motto for improvement continues to be "simple." A pushout heaped on a pile of poorly conceived rules and matches determined by razor-thin riding time margins won't improve wrestling's commercial and competitive viability. Folkstyle needs an overhaul from the mat to the feet -- a reassessment of what values we want to show the world about America. We can accomplish the change as a community, but it will require some difficult change -- something which, fortunately for our community, is part of the American folkstyle psyche. Q: I watched Ed Ruth's matches against Keith Gavin, then went back and watched him against Robert Hamlin and Phil Keddy. I was about to draft a question saying essentially "HOLY CRAP, did we just find the answer at 86 kilos that we haven't had since Cael???" and then I watched his match against Clayton Foster and I decided to slow down a bit. Foster and Gavin both have a more European style and I could see that giving Ruth trouble at Worlds. Ed's potential is so ridiculous and I could see him anywhere from winning the thing, to losing in the first round. I literally have no clue. What do you think? What's your prediction for Ruth? -- Brandon J. Foley: Ed Ruth would end up with a World silver medal or suffer a quick technical fall defeat. Given his lack of international competition there is almost no way to know. Ed Ruth with Nittany Lion Wrestling Club coaches Cael Sanderson and Casey Cunningham at the World Team Trials (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)The truth behind Ruth's rise to the starting position is only that the younger generation made it past Keith Gavin -- a tough-nosed wrestler often underestimated and rarely appreciated for the stability he provided the USA lineup. With Ruth cracking his code it will likely make room for Ruth and Foster to engage in a protracted yearly battle for the starting spot. Though I don't agree Gavin has a European style, I can see that Foster is creative and wily in a way that harkens to some of the better Russian lower weights. Though Ruth had trouble with Foster, the sample size just isn't large enough to draw any broader conclusion about his ability to adapt. Hell, I'm not even sure Ruth or his coaches have a one-hundred percent understanding of his abilities on the international level, which means they also don't have his style finalized. The elements of his style that are most enjoyable are his quick entry into single legs, powerful driving finishes and typically calm behavior. The worrisome components are his frequent failures on the edge of the mat and an inability to limit scoring opportunities when most necessary. When watching Ruth wrestle I often get the urge to scream "No!" as he locks up something goofy on his feet. Equally discomforting is that I often find myself thinking that Ruth can score at any moment and that it is just a matter of him making the choice. In my opinion, he's good enough on his feet to plow through most of the international competition. Most. Russia's Abdulrashid Sadulaev is the only wrestler in the bracket who can absorb all of Ruth's physical threats. The No. 1-ranked wrestler in the world, Sadualev is only 18 years old, a two-time Cadet World champion and only has one loss at the senior level, a semifinal match at the 2012 Ali Aliyev. He's not "kind of" talented, he's giggle-worthy with an impressive combination of strength, flexibility and technique that inspires cheers and raised eyebrows from fans around the world. I've had the chance to watch Sadulaev wrestle at three tournaments and each time he's taken the mat I've stopped whatever I was doing and just enjoyed his performance. I'm not overstating it when I say that he could be a once-in-a-generation talent. Ruth should focus his career goals on being Sadulaev's competition -- the guy who takes the Russian the extra mile and finds a few wins. If Ruth can steal wins and tournaments against the Russian he will have reached a level that would make him, Cael and the USA very happy. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Cross-trainer wrestling shoes? I'm totally in. Link: Best goal of the World Cup? Link: Passion Q: Is the NCAA wrestling tournament going to an individual and a dual meet championship? If so, is this a good thing or a bad thing for the student-athlete? Why? Or why not? -- Greg Y. Foley: Dual meets are happening, but in what format is still being discussed. I like that you inquired about the student-athletes. Too much of the disagreement and discussion has been about team points and how it affects smaller programs. Though I agree those are serious issues, I haven't read or seen any breakdown of how the format change would affect the wrestlers. My instinct is that there will be a similar number of competition dates and with more emphasis on dual meets we will see the average number of matches per wrestler drop by as much as 5-8. In a five-month season that drop in matches should help preserve these guys for the end of the season. What concerns me is that immediacy of the preparation for a week-to-week advancement team tournament. Plenty of sports endure that format, but it would be a psychological shift for some wrestlers who are used to a set schedule of events. Will the new dates coincide with exams? Papers? Other things? Probably. We'll have to get more data, but in the meantime the NCAA and the thought leaders in the discussion should consider how the change will affect the wrestlers. They might have, but I haven't seen any literature. Q: The UFC card this past weekend was pretty boring. Are we experiencing MMA overload? Exhaustion? Could this happen in wrestling if it got big? -- Steve T. Foley: Product overload would be a great problem for wrestling! The UFC has more than 50 events in 2014 and if you're a fan, especially on Twitter, the constant chatter around the sport can be too much to endure week-to-week. I'm pulling back from my interest in the sport, but not because of the exhaustion as much as the product's inability to impress me. Wrestlers are the greatest athletes in the world. Our need to combine strength, flexibility and mental toughness is unequaled in any sport or spectacle -- to control another human without strikes is the most fundamental and therefore difficult thing to accomplish. Basketball players? Congrats on putting the ball through the hoop as nobody is allowed to touch you? Football players? I'm no longer impressed with four-second spurts of action. Wrestling is also beautiful in comparison to the UFC and MMA at large because it requires fidelity and commitment to training. There are no shortcuts. Fighters can make their way into the UFC with padded records and advance through trash talk. As we well know there is no combination of words that will get you to the finals of a wrestling tournament. You want to be the champion then you will need to wrestle past everyone in your bracket. MMA has become a showcase for low-class, no-talent clowns with too many tattoos to thrash each other on social media in an effort to earn, or promote, their fights. Wrestling could always use more promotion and the lowest common denominator stuff is there for the mimic, but it will never happen because what we watch on a wrestling mat is sport. What you watch in a match is entertainment -- mere spectacle. As a side note, it's important to note that the world can no longer deny that American wrestlers are among the toughest humans on the planet. Wrestlers from the States currently hold six of the eight UFC titles and with Chad Mendes fighting for the belt in a few weeks, it may very well become seven of eight.

As most expected, Demetrious Johnson defended his flyweight title against Ali Bagautinov at UFC 174. Meanwhile, Rory MacDonald continued his march toward title contention with a comfortable decision victory over Tyron Woodley. In this week's episode, Richard and John analyze what's next and preview this weekend's World Series of Fighting card. Do you want to listen to a past episode? Access archives.

Troy Nickerson and Wes Brisco will go "On the Mat" this Wednesday, June 18. "On the Mat" is a presentation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. The show can be heard live on the Internet at 1650thefan.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. CT on AM 1650, The Fan. A podcast of the show is available on theopenmat.com. E-mail dgmstaff@nwhof.org with any questions or comments. Nickerson was named the head wrestling coach at Northern Colorado after a stint as an assistant wrestling coach at Iowa State. He was an NCAA champion for Cornell in 2009. Brisco will participate in the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame weekend. The son of Hall of Famer Gerry Brisco, Wes was a two-time state place winner at the Florida high school state wrestling tournament.

Anthony Valencia recently won the Junior World Team Trials (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com) InterMat released updated high school grade rankings on Wednesday morning. Junior World Team member Anthony Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif.) takes over the No. 1 ranking in the senior class. Four-time state champion Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.) remains on top of the junior class. Undefeated state champion Spencer Lee (Franklin Regional, Pa.) keeps his No. 1 ranking in the sophomore class. Cade Olivas (St. John Bosco, Calif.) is the nation's top freshman wrestler. Adam Busiello (New York) is the No. 1 junior high wrestler in the U.S. InterMat Platinum is required to view all the rankings. InterMat ranks the top 100 seniors, top 50 juniors, top 50 sophomores, top 25 freshmen, and top 15 junior high wrestlers. Sneak Peek Senior: 1. Anthony Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif.) 2. Logan Massa (St. Johns, Mich.) 3. Ke-Shawn Hayes (Park Hill, Mo.) 4. Myles Martin (McDonogh, Md.) 5. Lance Benick (Totino-Grace, Minn.) 6. Zahid Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif.) 7. Fox Baldwin (Osceola, Fla.) 8. Joe Smith (Stillwater, Okla.) 9. Matthew Kolodzik (Blair Academy, N.J.) 10. Fredy Stroker (Bettendorf, Iowa) Junior: 1. Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.) 2. Mason Manville (Blair Academy, N.J.) 3. Luke Pletcher (Greater Latrobe, Pa.) 4. Nick Suriano (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) 5. Jordan Wood (Boyertown, Pa.) Sophomore: 1. Spencer Lee (Franklin Regional, Pa.) 2. Brady Berge (Kasson-Mantorville, Minn.) 3. Daton Fix (Sand Springs, Okla.) 4. Nick Lee (Evansville Mater Dei, Ind.) 5. Yianni Diakomihalis (Hilton, N.Y.) Freshman: 1. Cade Olivas (St. John Bosco, Calif.) 2. Ryan Thomas (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) 3. Gavin Teasdale (Jefferson-Morgan, Pa.) 4. Gable Steveson (Apple Valley, Minn.) 5. Rocky Jordan (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) Junior High: 1. Adam Busiello (New York) 2. Colton Yapoujian (Colorado) 3. Anthony Jackson (Minnesota) 4. Nick Raimo (New Jersey) 5. Beau Bartlett (Arizona)

GREELEY -- The future of Northern Colorado Wrestling begins on Monday as Director of Athletics Darren Dunn announced Troy Nickerson as the program's seventh head coach in its 35 year history. "After a lengthy, diligent process, we found a great leader for our wrestling program in Troy Nickerson," Dunn said. "He is a bright star in wrestling, familiar with Colorado Wrestling and he will be a great mentor for our student-athletes. I am truly excited Troy will be joining our UNC family." Nickerson comes to Northern Colorado after coaching the past two seasons at Iowa State and finishing a remarkable collegiate career with Cornell from 2006-10. His recent history in the sport includes NCAA Championships and All-American statuses; along with off-the-mat initiatives to build relationships in his community. "I'm extremely excited to join the Northern Colorado Wrestling community," Nickerson said. "I want to thank Darren Dunn and the search committee for believing in me and providing me with this opportunity. I will work tirelessly to make UNC Wrestling a force to be reckoned with in the future." Troy Nickerson (Photo/Larry Slater)Nickerson's main responsibilities at Iowa State included the lightweights of 125-149 pounds. During his two seasons, he coached one NCAA All-American and one NCAA qualifier in 2013-14 and finished all of his starters with a record of at least .500 in 2012-13. Prior to joining the Iowa State wrestling program, Nickerson served as an assistant coach at the Finger Lakes Wrestling Club from 2011-12 in Ithaca, N.Y. He was also the head coach of the FLWC college team during 2010-11. During his four seasons as a member of the Big Red wrestling program at Cornell, Nickerson finished as an NCAA Champion in 2009 at 125 pounds, a four-time All-American, a two-time NCAA Tournament finalist and racked up a 97-8 career record, placing himself 20th all-time in wins in program history. Nickerson inherits the program that went down to Arizona State and won on the Sun Devils' home opener, 24-15. The team finished the 2013-14 season with a 5-13 record and a Western Wrestling All-Conference third team selection to upcoming senior Henry Chirino (Brandon, Fla.). Chirino and fellow senior Mitchell Polkowske (LaJara, Colo.) recently finished fifth in their weight divisions at the ASICS National Championships in late May. Teammate Trey Andrews (Safford, Ariz.) will also participate in late-season matches, heading to the Junior Pan American Championships with USA Wrestling from June 27-29. Originally from Chenango Forks, N.Y., Nickerson graduated from Cornell in 2010 with a bachelor's degree in biology & science with a minor in nutritional science. What they're saying ... "What a great day for wrestling! The fact that the Darren Dunn and the leadership of the University of Northern Colorado went to such great lengths to go out and hire a coach of Troy Nickerson's reputation and character sends a strong message about their commitment to wrestling. I'm confident that Troy will bring an energy and professionalism to the program that will set UNC Wrestling up for long term success. USA Wrestling welcomes Troy back to Colorado, we're excited for him as he takes this next step in his wrestling career." – Rich Bender, Executive Director of USA Wrestling "Coach Nickerson is a phenomenal wrestler, coach, and mentor. There is no doubt that he will lead the University of Northern Colorado wrestling program to extraordinary success." – Mike Moyer, Executive Director of National Wrestling Coaches Association "Troy is a legend in New York state and is certainly known nation-wide. He was a phenomenal high school wrestler and an equally sensational college career for Cornell. He was a gutsy competitor and found a way to win a national title, literally with one arm, and that's what I'll always remember about Troy. He's very intelligent, and Cornell's tough as it is, but to be a pre-med major and to be a four-time NCAA All-American gives you the idea of the type of focus and time management skills and discipline that Troy possesses." – Rob Koll, Cornell Head Wrestling Coach "Troy's got a passion for wrestling. I think he sees the sport for more than just wrestling. I think he really enjoys the particulars of the administrative duties that he'll be taking on in Northern Colorado. I know that was really attractive for him and building a program is something he's really excited about. He's a straight worker, initiator, innovator and he'll do a great job for the Bears. He's been to two very successful, historically traditional wrestling programs in Cornell and Iowa State, and he's going to try and initiate some of those things to make Northern Colorado his own." – Kevin Jackson, Iowa State Head Wrestling Coach

Kamal Bey (Photo/Jason Bryant)DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- When Kamal Bey steps on the wrestling mat, you can expect plenty of action. And a heck of a show. The explosive and flashy Bey capped a phenomenal week with a technical fall win to propel Team Illinois past Pennsylvania Red 49-27 in the Cadet National Duals freestyle finals. Bey capped an unbeaten week in Greco-Roman and freestyle by scoring an 11-0 first-period win over Jared Seigrist of Pennsylvania Red on Saturday afternoon at the Ocean Center Exhibit Hall. Read full story ... Results Championship Illinois 49, Pennsylvania Red 27 152: Jake Lanning (Illinois) tech. fall Gage Thomas (Pennsylvania Red), 14-3 160: Jacob Warner (Illinois) dec. Drew Peck (Pennsylvania Red), 11-8 170: Kamal Bey (Illinois) tech. fall Jared Seigrist (Pennsylvania Red), 11-0 182: Zane Black (Pennsylvania Red) tech. fall Matthew Wroblewski (Illinois), 17-7 195: Christian Brunner (Illinois) pinned Dymir Davis-Carruth (Pennsylvania Red), 1:46 220: Allen Stallings (Illinois) tech. fall Cole Nye (Pennsylvania Red), 12-0 285: Bryan Ditchman (Illinois) tech. fall Andrew Gunning (Pennsylvania Red), 10-0 88: Jaret Lane (Pennsylvania Red) tech. fall Luke Pradel (Illinois), 14-1 94: Peter Ogunsanya (Illinois) tech. fall Ryan Green (Pennsylvania Red), 10-0 100: Matt Parker (Pennsylvania Red) tech. fall Markus Pavlick (Illinois), 14-4 106: Anthony Madrigal (Illinois) pinned Will Klades (Pennsylvania Red), 2:59 113: Austin Gomez (Illinois) tech. fall Ellis Popiolkowski (Pennsylvania Red), 10-0 120: Travis Piotroski (Illinois) dec. Colby Kenderdine (Pennsylvania Red), 16-13 126: Dylan Duncan (Illinois) tech. fall Victor Kenderdine (Pennsylvania Red), 13-2 132: Eric Hong (Pennsylvania Red) tech. fall Shayne Oster (Illinois), 13-2 138: Cameron Coy (Pennsylvania Red) dec. Trevell Timmons (Illinois), 7-4 145: Jared Verkeleen (Pennsylvania Red) tech. fall Logan Gruszka (Illinois), 11-1 Third Place Ohio Red 42, Oklahoma Red 30 152: Nick Vestal (Ohio Red) tech. fall Zane Basma (Oklahoma Red), 10-0 160: Ben Darmstadt (Ohio Red) tech. fall Bear Hughes (Oklahoma Red), 10-0 170: Drew Hinkle (Oklahoma Red) pinned Colin Keil (Ohio Red), 2:31 182: Dan Baker (Oklahoma Red) dec. JT Brown (Ohio Red), 12-11 195: Matt Stencil (Ohio Red) pinned Dakota Carnes (Oklahoma Red), 0:55 220: Wyatt Hillard (Ohio Red) dec. Delvin Jordan (Oklahoma Red), 9-6 285: Kevin Vough (Ohio Red) pinned Trenton Lieurance (Oklahoma Red), 0:42 88: Jordan Crace (Ohio Red) tech. fall Billy Simpson (Oklahoma Red), 10-0 94: Dylan D`Emilio (Ohio Red) dec. Rhett Golowenski (Oklahoma Red), 8-0 100: Josh Breeding (Ohio Red) tech. fall Wes Ahrberg (Oklahoma Red), 10-0 106: Kaden Gfeller (Oklahoma Red) tech. fall Drew Mattin (Ohio Red), 13-2 113: Josh Copeland (Oklahoma Red) tech. fall Tommy Hoskins (Ohio Red), 11-0 120: Daton Fix (Oklahoma Red) tech. fall Garrett Lambert (Ohio Red), 11-0 126: Corey Shie (Ohio Red) pinned Noah McQuigg (Oklahoma Red), 1:09 132: Beau Bratcher (Oklahoma Red) tech. fall Noah Mattin (Ohio Red), 10-0 138: Jaren Curry (Oklahoma Red) tech. fall Jake Henderson (Ohio Red), 10-0 145: Georgio Poullas (Ohio Red) dec. Payton Scott (Oklahoma Red), 13-12 Fifth Place New Jersey 42, Michigan Blue 36 152: Bryan McLaughlin (New Jersey) tech. fall Kam Bush (Michigan Blue), 13-0 160: Luke Drugac (New Jersey) tech. fall Dylan Briggs (Michigan Blue), 12-0 170: Dean Drugac (New Jersey) by forfeit 182: Brandon Dallavia (New Jersey) tech. fall Connor Cox (Michigan Blue), 10-0 195: James Potts (New Jersey) by forfeit 220: Lucas Ready (Michigan Blue) pinned Junid Homsi (New Jersey) (YELLOW CARD) 285: Chase Morrison (Michigan Blue) by forfeit 88: Rayvon Foley (Michigan Blue) tech. fall Michael Colaiocco (New Jersey), 10-0 94: Cole Janes (Michigan Blue) tech. fall Michael Kelly (New Jersey), 29-18 100: A.J. Facundo (Michigan Blue) dec. PJ Gohn (New Jersey), 16-8 106: Zach Sherman (New Jersey) tech. fall Dominic LaJoie (Michigan Blue), 13-2 113: Ben Freeman (Michigan Blue) tech. fall Andrew Merola (New Jersey), 15-5 120: Kanen Storr (Michigan Blue) tech. fall Garrett Beam (New Jersey), 12-2 126: Dresden Simon (Michigan Blue) by forfeit 132: Kris Lindemann (New Jersey) pinned Jon Martin (Michigan Blue), 1:49 138: Stephan Glasgow (New Jersey) tech. fall Brett Fedewa (Michigan Blue), 10-0 145: TJ Calas (New Jersey) dec. Sage Castillo (Michigan Blue), 16-10 Seventh Place Indiana 48, Utah 28 152: Connor Kirkland (Utah) by forfeit 160: Burk Van Horn (Indiana) tech. fall DJ Cohen (Utah), 13-0 170: Ashton Seely (Utah) tech. fall Cameron Jones (Indiana), 11-0 182: Wyatt Koelling (Utah) pinned Andrew Davison (Indiana), 0:50 195: Kobe Woods (Indiana) pinned Brandon Closson (Utah), 3:00 220: Gunnar Larson (Indiana) tech. fall Jordan Crofts (Utah), 13-1 285: Riley Taylor (Utah) tech. fall Givoni Murillo (Indiana), 10-0 88: Sammy Fair (Indiana) pinned Dalton Stutzman (Utah), 5:55 94: Kory Cavanaugh (Indiana) tech. fall Trevor Cluff (Utah), 12-0 100: Alec White (Indiana) tech. fall Kade Zorn (Utah), 10-0 106: Paul Konrath (Indiana) tech. fall Jaxon Cole (Utah), 11-1 113: Mason Miranda (Indiana) dec. Carlitos Nava (Utah), 9-6 120: Joe Lee (Indiana) tech. fall Taten Ringel (Utah), 10-0 126: Taylor LaMont (Utah) dec. Chad Red (Indiana), 6-2 132: Jaron Jensen (Utah) tech. fall Brayton Lee (Indiana), 10-0 138: Isaac Eicher (Indiana) by forfeit 145: Denzyl Prentice (Indiana) pinned Cole Clark (Utah), 2:29

DUBROVNIK, Croatia -- FILA, the international governing body of wrestling, is one step closer to approving a significant change to its brand identity. The FILA Bureau, a 23-member executive committee overseeing the international governing body of wrestling, voted Friday to approve "United World Wrestling" as the new name for the sport's international federation. The bureau also approved a new logo and steps to better improve the brand consistency of marquee wrestling events around the world. In approving the changes the FILA Bureau accepted that international wrestling needed to create a globally recognized brand that represents the core values of wrestling as well as the new energy behind an organization that only a year before was battling for its spot on the Olympic programme "I think in order for us to move forward, we needed to identify the shortcomings of the past and work hard to improve them," said FILA President Nenad Lalovic. "I think that with a new visual identity that is both distinct and represents the values of wrestling, we all have another reason to be excited for the future of our sport." FILA has been working for the past several months with the branding agency Olive Grove to help develop the new name and visual identity. The plan includes a strategy for creating visual consistency among the wrestling organization's several World and Continental Championships. The new name and logo won't be activated until they receive the approval of the full FILA Congress. The annual meeting of the FILA Congress will take place Sunday, September 7, one day prior to the start of the 2014 FILA World Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Once approved, United World Wrestling will immediately become the new name for the international governing body of wrestling.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Spenser Mango won the battle of Olympians. And did it in a big way. Mango used huge second periods in both matches to sweep Sam Hazewinkel in two straight matches in the finals of the U.S. Greco-Roman World Team Trials on Friday night at the Ocean Center. Both matches were scoreless after the first period before Mango prevailed 13-2 and 8-0 over Hazewinkel, a 2012 Olympian in freestyle who was second at the U.S. World Team Trials in freestyle two weeks ago. "Me and Sam have wrestled so many times," Mango said. "He has a good arm throw, and he's kind of sneaky with it and it's almost impossible to stop. I was ready for him. The more competition we have at this weight the better we will be internationally." Read full story ... Finals Results 59 kilos: Spenser Mango over Sam Hazewinkel, 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Mango tech. fall over Hazewinkel, 13-2 Match 2: Mango tech. fall over Hazewinkel, 8-0 66 kilos: RaVaughn Perkins over Bryce Saddoris, 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Perkins dec. Saddoris, 5-0 Match 2: Perkins pinned Saddoris, 3:21 75 kilos: Andy Bisek over Jon Anderson, 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Bisek tech. fall over Anderson, 9-1 Match 2: Bisek dec. Anderson, 5-0 85 kilos: Jordan Holm over Zac Nielsen, 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Holm tech. fall over Nielsen, 9-1 Match 2: Holm tech. fall over Nielsen, 8-0 98 kilos: Caylor Williams over John Wechter, 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Williams dec. Wechter, 3-0 Match 2: Williams pinned Wechter, 2:28 130 kilos: Robby Smith over Toby Erickson, 2 matches to 0 Match 1: Smith dec. Erickson, 3-0 Match 2: Smith dec. Erickson, 11-2

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Sam Hazewinkel was more than eager to have another shot to make a U.S. World Team. Two weeks after falling in the finals of the World Team Trials in freestyle, Hazewinkel landed a spot in the World Team Trials in Greco-Roman on Friday at the Ocean Center Exhibit Hall. Hazewinkel defeated Max Nowry 2-2 on criteria to win the Challenge Tournament on Friday afternoon at 59 kilos/130 pounds. "I feel good -- I can't complain," said Hazewinkel, a 2012 Olympian in freestyle. "My timing is just a touch off, but for not doing Greco for a while I feel real good out there. Freestyle has helped me where I'm used to moving around more, and it helps me with level changes and creating angles in Greco. My conditioning's real good from training for the freestyle Trials." Hazewinkel advances to face a familiar foe in the finals in two-time Olympian and four-time World Team member Spenser Mango in the best-of-3 final-round series. Read full story … Finals matchups: 59 kilos: Spenser Mango vs. Sam Hazewinkel 66 kilos: RaVaughn Perkins vs. Bryce Saddoris 75 kilos: Andy Bisek vs. Jon Anderson 85 kilos: Jordan Holm vs. Zachary Nielsen 98 kilos: Caylor Williams vs. John Wechter 130 kilos: Robby Smith vs. Toby Erickson

The Greco-Roman World Team trials start this weekend in Daytona Beach, and for the first time in years this is a must-watch event. Nobody has shorted the prospects of an interesting Greco-Roman style more than me, but the new rules and strategies they've created have made for a much-improved, big-lift spectacle worthy of your time. The big development heading into the Trials is the addition of a handful of freestylers to the event -- guys whose World Team dreams were wiped away two weeks ago in Madison. Though some may seem to have a chance, it's vital to remember that the two style very greatly, with big points in Greco coming from non-traditional freestyle positions. Despite the bleak outlook for many of those guys transitioning styles, their movement does show that USA Wrestling's bet on splitting the competition to add more wrestlers and interest has by-and-large worked. What remains to be seen in the sticking power of that draw. Will Matt Lindland be able to attract some of freestyle wrestling's third and fourth-string wrestlers? If he does, will they succeed at home and abroad? How much money is USA Wrestling willing to spend on their development, as many of those making the transition are already later in their careers? The saga will unfold, and as always we'll all have an opinion, but this weekend try and find the time to enjoy the hard work of America's "other" Olympic wrestling team. To your questions ... Q: What do you think about @BruteWrestling #WCW FB photo of Miss VA? Seems insulting to the female wrestling community. -- @mikemacadocious Foley: The photo in question has since been removed, but for those who didn't see it, essentially it was a mashup of Miss Virginia in beauty queen garb and then one of her strangely, oddly, weirdly, posing in what seems to be the sexy swimsuit pose wearing nothing but a singlet. The first issue is what the photo is trying to depict about the state of women's wrestling. Does sex sell? In some ways it does, more often in much the same way it does for men's sports, which is passive. However, to place an image like that front and center would seem to be more deliberate and non-sequitor, which is why you and others noticed. The other issue is being an adequate social media manager and moving away from what would be easy clicks. There are several theories on how to manage a good social media account, and each product and business requires its own strategy. Sometimes, without goals or a strategy in place it can be easy to fall victim to the convenience of quick hits and big attention, rather than the grind of consistency in messaging. I have no doubt that whoever posted the photo wanted to bring more positive attention to the sport of women's wrestling. Just so happens they made a mistake in their choice of photos. Certain they'll do better next time. Q: Do you think FILA can legislate action? If so, why? Consider that FILA's data demonstrates that action and scoring eventually slow down after every major rule change since the early 90's. Do you have an argument to dispute that competitors and coaches will once again find ways to win matches by avoiding risks and being conservative no what the rules are? -- Matt C. Foley: If "legislate" means to "help create" then I do think FILA/NCAA can legislate action. When two wrestlers walk on a mat there is nothing prompting them to do anything except hug for six minutes. Rules, especially those that allows for scoring points with frequency, tends to create action. International wrestling use to be governed by the black marks system which advanced wrestlers from pool stages based on aggregate points and aggressiveness. It was a system overrun with corruption, or the appearance of corruption. There was action because no wrestler wanted to leave it in the hands of the judges. Today the action is dictated by the pushout rule and the addition of points, actual points, for passivity. By creating urgency, the rules have prompted more wrestling. No longer can you push a 0-0 match to overtime, or rideout a 2-1 lead in the second period. Wrestlers are being awarded for aggression and penalized for passivity. The result is an insane increase in scoring. Coaches and wrestlers will always avoid risk, and though I don't see many ways to do this in freestyle, there has been a recent surge in pushouts in Greco-Roman, as well as a biting for par-terre (since scoring happens from par-terre than neutral in Greco-Roman). That's a problem for Greco-Roman, but one that can be penned in by vigilant referees. However, there has also been a recent surge in three-foul disqualifications, which is not good for the advancement of the sport. Greco-Roman is better than before the overhaul in rules, but to survive there will be a need for vigilant oversight and a constant tweaking of the rules. Q: I would be EMBARRASSED to challenge for a spot on the University Nationals team. We in the USA don't need to do what the Euro's do and send a 26-year-old trumped up HACK. The other kids won the won the University Nationals------------------ THEY GO---------- PERIOD. Screw McDonough, Oliver, Crapgore and Fortune, I hope they get STUCK in the challenge and IF they make the team they get STUCK there -- Paul L Foley: I can sense your passion, and understand your frustration. Americans look at "University" as an NCAA-driven eligibility, and other countries think of it as an age categorization. Challenging guys who rightly think they had the position, but then have to defend it once more feels … well … un-American Maybe you're right and the winners of the tournament shouldn't have to wrestle the losers of another tournament, but as you allude to -- it's a fairly common practice around the world. USA Wrestling wants to win Olympic medals and part of that is making sure your entire senior team (top three) is facing the best possible competition. The World University Games is an incredibly competitive tournament, so they believe that it's in their best interest to send their most qualified and talented team. You also referred to the Europeans sending their meat to the World University Games. That's only kinda true. Denis Tsargush, who has won a few senior-level World titles, did wrestle at last year's event. Some Azerbaijanis did as well. Still, these guys aren't the always-starters and due to the timing of the event it was important to some countries, particularly Azerbaijan, to get another look at some of their top guys. For the Russians, it was a chance to compete even though they hadn't made that year's World Team. Back here at home the only major moral infraction would be if these particular champions were not informed that the other guys could drop and challenges. They should be given the time and expectation to face another challenger. But if they were, then this is just a matter of being asked to go one step further and ensure that it's the strongest team the Stars and Stripes can offer. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Creative Judo Finish Post by AlMudir Sport. Too much vomit? Lots of wrestlers at this weekend's UFC 174 Link: $11 Billion for a Soccer Tournament? Maybe not the best idea ... Q: How about a one-point push-out rule for high school and college? I'm so tired of watching NCAA championship matches where one wrestler has one or both feet out-of-bounds for a large amount of time, and the refs choke on their whistles, rather than call stalling. Take the issue out of the refs hands, and simply institute the pushout. Awarding one point will still prod the offensive wrestler to complete a takedown, since that is worth two points, and it will necessitate both wrestlers staying in the center. Plus, it will be much easier for the fan to understand, versus understanding when officials call fleeing the mat or stalling and when they do not. -- Mark M. Foley: Yes! A simple solution to a seemingly complex problem. The NCAA Rules and Competition Committee has not yet grasped the meaning of "out-of-bounds." Why have a line, or a cylinder, if it only demarcates a space in which something has to be inside? Talk about confusing. There isn't a casual fan in the world that would instinctively describe the out-of-bounds line as a place where wrestling was to take place. The model has been proven at the international level, and there are next to zero complaints. Why? Because as you note, the line forces action inside the circle. NCAA wrestling became insufferable this year with tedious rideouts and challenges, but also in a total lack of action on the feet. Tell a kid that the out-of-bounds line is hot fire and I guarantee you will see an explosion of offense on the feet. Q: Looking at the picture of the World Team, every person on it is from Division I and then there is one Division II national champ. Thinking about Aaron Pico, do you think bypassing college will have any effect on him? For the 2020 Olympics, he would be right around his senior year of college. To me, it seems like that is when the U.S. wrestlers are entering their peak. -- Tim H. Foley: The argument goes that they are entering their peak because they haven't been exposed to enough international competition. By going overseas and focusing on freestyle Pico is thereby, in theory, boiling down his wrestling career to what matters most. I think the plan has merit, but there is nothing to judge it against, and therefore no way to know what, or who, is to blame if there is a failure. The college wrestling season is brutal, but if you look at our wrestlers' most successful seasons over the past decade, most have come directly on the heels of a collegiate season. Aaron Pico (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)It makes sense. Wrestlers are in shape, battle hardened and psychologically prepared to fight another fight. For example, Jake Herbert had nothing to lose when he wrestled the 2009 World championships in Denmark. He was a two-time NCAA champion and Hodge Trophy winner. Expectations were low and that allowed him to hit the mats with a stride of confidence, and conditioning, that he otherwise couldn't have achieved. He was the World silver medalist, which remains his best-ever finish at a world-level competition. Pico made the right decision for Pico, but it will be interesting to see his maturation process and what, if any, adjustments he'll make to his future training regimen. It'll also be interesting to see if any other wrestlers follow his unique path. Critiques are sure to be frequent and heavy-handed, but he's a tough kid and there is no doubt he'll make the adjustments necessary to be on par with those guys coming out of college in 2020. Q: The overtime vs. criteria debate is a pretty hot topic right now. I see that having criteria does two things. 1. Forces wrestlers to wrestle and score within the 6 minute time frame. 2. Rewards risk, for example 4-point throw vs. 4 pushouts. But I also see that having a list that coaches, wrestlers, and officials need to go through to determine the winner is a huge hassle. There is no way you can figure out the winner when the scores of matches are entering the teens. Also, from a fan perspective, having a winner when the match is tied is confusing and anti-climactic. -- Tim H. Foley: The scoreboard denotes the winner either with a large line, or a flashing number. Who is winning might be tough for the first year, or for the first few tournaments, but after a while it becomes commonplace. The biggest complaints come from Americans who, to be completely fair, just haven't been paying that much attention to the sport. As they've started to watch more matches the complaints have dwindled, because, as you wrote, the benefits far outweigh any minor confusion that might occur every 40th match. Criteria is a winning idea and overtime has been proven to be a losing one.

The six weight classes to be contested at the U.S. World Team Trials in Greco-Roman have weighed in and received their seeds for the competition on Friday, June 13 in Daytona Beach Fla. Only the six Olympic weight classes of 59 kilos/130 pounds, 66 kilos/145.5 pounds, 75 kilos/165 pounds, 85 kilos/176 pounds, 98 kilos/216 pounds and 130 kilos/286 pounds will compete in this phase of the Greco-Roman World Team Trials. The two non-Olympic weight classes of 71 kilos/156.5 pounds and 80 kilos/176 pounds will compete in the U.S. World Team Trials phase II in Fargo, N.D. in July. Two athletes will sit out of the challenge tournament and advance directly to the best-of-three championship series on Friday night based on winning the U.S. Open and placing in the top five at last year's World Championships. Spenser Mango will await the challenge tournament winner at 59 kilos/130 pounds and Robby Smith will do the same at 130 kilos/286 pounds Every member of the 2013 U.S. Greco-Roman World Team will be competing in Daytona Beach. Champions at the World Team Trials will compete at the World Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan in September. The event will be webcast LIVE on Flowrestling.org, on its Flo Pro platform. Results will be found on TrackWrestling.com, as well as on TheMat.com. 59 kilos/130 pounds Final Wrestle-Off Qualifier Spenser Mango, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP) Challenge Tournament Seeds 1. Jermaine Hodge, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Army WCAP) 2. Max Nowry, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP) 3. Jesse Thielke, Germantown, Wis. (Badger WC) 4. Sam Hazewinkel, Norman, Okla. (Sunkist Kids) 5. Nikko Triggas, Moraga, Calif. (NYAC) 6. Nate Engel, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP) 7. Dmitry Ryabchinskiy, Marquette, Mich. (NYAC) 8. Sammy Jones, Folsom, La. (USOTS) 66 kilos/145.5 pounds 1. Ravaughn Perkins, Omaha, Neb. (RRPN) 2. Ellis Coleman, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP) 3. Bryce Saddoris, Camp Lejeune, N.C. (U.S. Marines) 4. Jamel Johnson, Greensboro, N.C. (YES Wrestling) 5. Brian Graham, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) 6. Marco Lara, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP) 7. Nick Alvarez, Miami, Fla. (USOTS) 8. Alex Sancho, Miami, Fla. (USOTS) 75 kilos/165 pounds 1. Andrew Bisek, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Minnesota Storm) 2. Jon Anderson, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP) 3. Justin Lester, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP) 4. Geordan Speiller, Oviedo, Fla. (Florida Jets) 5. Jake Fisher, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) 6. Johnny Stefanowicz, Camp Lejeune, N.C. (U.S. Marines) 7. Alec Ortiz, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) 8. Camden Grimes, Colorado Springs, Colo. (OTC) 85 kilos/176 pounds 1. Jordan Holm, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) 2. Zach Neilson, Zimmerman, Colo. (Minnesota Storm/USOEC) 3. Ben Provisor, Colorado Springs, Colo. (NYAC) 4. Courtney Myers, Camp Lejeune, N.C. (U.S. Marines) 5. Josef Rau, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) 6. Lee Wildes, Oviedo, Fla. (Florida Jets) 7. Ryan Hope, Carol Stream, Ill. (USOTS) 8. David Khavin, Brooklyn, N.Y. (NYAC) 98 kilos/216 pounds 1. Caylor Williams, Greensboro, N.C. (U.S. Army WCAP) 2. John Wechter, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) 3. Daren Burns, Boone, N.C. (App State RTC) 4. Marcus Finau, Ewa Beach, Haw. (NYAC) 5. Brad Ahearn, Jacksonville, Fla. (Ahearn Wrestling) 6. Pete Gounaridis, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP) 7. J.D. Bergman, Columbus, Ohio (NYAC/Ohio RTC) 8. Patrick Carey, St. Paul, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) 130 kilos/286 pounds Final Wrestle-Off Qualifier Robby Smith, Colorado Springs, Colo. (NYAC) Challenge Tournament Seeds 1. Toby Erickson, East Helena, Mont. (NYAC/USOTS) 2. Erik Nye, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army WCAP) 3. Nikola Bogojevic, Superior, Wis. (Minnesota Storm) 4. Jarod Trice, Highland Park, Mich. (Titan Mercury) 5. Parker Betts, St. Michael, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) 6. Jake Kettler, Anoka, Minn. (Patriot Elite WC) 7. Donny Longendyke, Vadnais Heights, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) 8. Daniel Estricher, Shippensburg, Pa. (Modern Day Gladiators)

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Illinois wrestler Allen Stallings provided the spark. And his talented teammates followed suit. The chiseled and powerful 220-pound Stallings opened the dual with a quick technical fall to boost Team Illinois to a 43-31 win over Ohio Red in the Cadet National Duals Greco-Roman finals. Stallings was unbeaten and did not allow a point in the two-day Greco competition on Thursday afternoon at the Ocean Center Exhibition Hall. Illinois repeated as the team champion in Cadet Greco. Read full story Results Championship Illinois 43, Ohio Red 31 220: Allen Stallings (Ilinois) tech. fall Wyatt Hillard (Ohio Red), 12-0 285: Kevin Vough (Ohio Red) tech. fall Brian Ditchman (Ilinois), 12-2 88: Trey Keeley (Ilinois) tech. fall Jordan Crace (Ohio Red), 10-0 94: Peter Ogunsanya (Ilinois) tech. fall Dylan D'Emilio (Ohio Red), 14-1 100: Marcus Povlick (Ilinois) tech. fall Brandon Lucas (Ohio Red), 10-0 106: Dack Punke (Ilinois) tech. fall Nick Henneman (Ohio Red), 11-0 113: Jason Renteria (Ilinois) tech. fall Carsen Speelman (Ohio Red), 12-1 120: Austin O`Connor (Ilinois) tech. fall Garrett Lambert (Ohio Red), 13-2 126: Corey Shie (Ohio Red) dec. Dylan Duncan (Ilinois), 10-1 132: Jamie Hernandez (Ilinois) dec. Noah Mattin (Ohio Red), 8-0 138: Dominic Demas (Ohio Red) dec. Logan Gruska (Ilinois), 9-4 145: Georgio Poulas (Ohio Red) dec. Anthony Cheloni (Ilinois), 9-7 152: Nick Vestal (Ohio Red) tech. fall Jonathon Doyle (Ilinois), 18-8 160: Jacob Warner (Ilinois) tech. fall Tyler Wiederholt (Ohio Red), 15-5 170: Kamal Bey (Ilinois) tech. fall James Handwerk (Ohio Red), 10-0 182: JT Brown (Ohio Red) pinned Jordan Shahrikian (Ilinois), 1:13 195: Matt Stencil (Ohio Red) by forfeit Third Place Pennsylvania Red 41, Washington 34 220: Dallas Goodpaster (Washington) tech. fall Cole Nye (Pennsylvania Red), 11-0 285: Hunter Mullins (Washington) dec. Andrew Gunning (Pennsylvania Red), 1-0 88: Jaret Lane (Pennsylvania Red) dec. Brandon Kaylor (Washington), 3-2 94: Ryan Green (Pennsylvania Red) pinned Jacob Howerton (Washington), 3:38 100: Matt Parker (Pennsylvania Red) pinned TJ Baun (Washington), 1:16 106: Jack Davis (Pennsylvania Red) dec. Clai Quintanilla (Washington), 12-7 113: Chase Wickman (Washington) tech. fall Ellis Popiolkowski (Pennsylvania Red), 14-3 120: Dalton Young (Washington) pinned Colby Kenderdine (Pennsylvania Red), 1:55 126: Victor Kenderdine (Pennsylvania Red) pinned Michael Soler (Washington), 4:20 132: Andy Pham (Washington) pinned Chris Hisey (Pennsylvania Red), 1:38 138: Eric Hong (Pennsylvania Red) dec. Logan Pine (Washington), 13-7 145: Riley Seward (Washington) dec. Vincent Stabilito (Pennsylvania Red), 1-0 152: Nick Vestal (Ohio Red) tech. fall Jonathon Doyle (Ilinois), 18-8 160: Drew Peck (Pennsylvania Red) tech. fall Trey Meyer (Washington), 12-0 170: Zane Black (Pennsylvania Red) dec. Mason McDaniel (Washington), 16-13 182: Hakim Coles (Pennsylvania Red) pinned Bo Campbell (Washington), 3:53 195: Holden Miller (Washington) pinned Dymir Davis-Carruth (Pennsylvania Red), 4:10 Fifth Place Oklahoma Blue 43, New Jersey 37 220: Delvin Jordan (Oklahoma Blue) by forfeit 285: Nevin Henson (Oklahoma Blue) tech. fall Jamie Bailey (New Jersey), 17-5 88: Billy Simpson (Oklahoma Blue) pinned Michael Colaiocco (New Jersey), 0:55 94: Rett Golowenski (Oklahoma Blue) tech. fall Michael Kelly (New Jersey), 11-1 100: PJ Gohn (New Jersey) tech. fall Wes Ahrberg (Oklahoma Blue), 12-2 106: Kaden Gfeller (Oklahoma Blue) pinned Zach Sherman (New Jersey), 2:18 113: Andrew Merola (New Jersey) pinned Jet Taylor (Oklahoma Blue), 0:44 120: Daton Fix (Oklahoma Blue) tech. fall Garrett Beam (New Jersey), 12-0 126: Reggie Thompson (Oklahoma Blue) tech. fall Nick Farro (New Jersey), 11-0 132: Kris Lindemann (New Jersey) pinned Beau Bratcher (Oklahoma Blue), 2:20 138: Jaryn Curry (Oklahoma Blue) dec. Aidan Monteverdi (New Jersey), 13-5 145: Payton Scott (Oklahoma Blue) tech. fall TJ Calas (New Jersey), 15-5 152: Michael Ilic (New Jersey) pinned Zane Basma (Oklahoma Blue), 2:00 160: Luke Drugac (New Jersey) pinned Bear Hughes (Oklahoma Blue), 0:27 170: Dean Drugac (New Jersey) tech. fall Drew Hinkle (Oklahoma Blue), 10-0 182: Brandon Dallavia (New Jersey) tech. fall Dan Baker (Oklahoma Blue), 10-0 195: Kendall Anderson (Oklahoma Blue) tech. fall James Potts (New Jersey), 15-3 Seventh Place California 50, Florida Red 30 220: Dustin Dukleth (California) dec. Kyle Mann (Florida Red), 1:24 285: Gavin Nye (California) pinned Robert Valverde (Florida Red), 0:22 88: Andrew Valverde (Florida Red) by forfeit 94: Izaak Olejnik (California) by forfeit 100: Chase Zollmann (California) pinned Blake Fuller (Florida Red), 0:33 106: Kai Guingona (California) dec. Devin Kohn (Florida Red), 6-6 113: Navonte Demison (California) tech. fall Tyler DiFiore (Florida Red), 16-6 120: Jose Figueroa (California) dec. Anthony Vizciano (Florida Red), 14-13 126: Lysander Mahilum (California) tech. fall Bryce Marcus (Florida Red), 10-0 132: Clay Shropshire (California) tech. fall Todd Perry (Florida Red), 15-5 138: Anthony Artalona (Florida Red) tech. fall Andrew Alvarez (California), 14-3 145: Max Wohlabaugh (Florida Red) dec. James Quintana (California), 9-1 152: Ricardo Gonzalez (California) tech. fall Leonardo Tarantino (Florida Red), 22-12 160: Sam Loera (California) by forfeit 170: Laurence Kosoy (Florida Red) pinned Andrew Cervantez (California), 1:42 182: Chei Hill (Florida Red) dec. Kobe Rosas (California), 16-13 195: Caleb Calhoun (Florida Red) pinned Bonifacio Escobar (California), 1:49

More than a decade after women first took the mats at the Olympic Games their sport is among the fastest rising in popularity both in the United States and nations around the world. Still after three Olympics it remains a sport divided into two classes of talent, the Japanese and everyone else. The island nation has won medals in 11 of 12 weight classes contested since women's freestyle wrestling was introduced at the 2004 Olympic Games. Of those 11 Olympic medals, seven have been gold. Members of the U.S. women's freestyle team pose (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Those numbers will dwindle in 2016 as FILA has both increased the weight categories and shifted them in a way, which unintentionally pushed some talent from the top of the international ranks, specifically by increasing the highest weight allowance from 72 kilos to 75 kilos. Few countries stand to gain more traction with these changes than the American squad who has yet to bring home an Olympic gold. Leading the American hopes will be Adeline Gray, the top-ranked wrestler at 75 kilos and the athlete most likely poised for a two-year run to Rio. Despite the rosy outlook up top, no American woman made the finals in 2013, with the stars and stripes only earning three bronze across seven weight classes. Here is the look at the rest of the women's freestylers who have qualified in an Olympic weight category at the World Team Trials and will be competing at the 2014 FILA World Championships this September in Tashkent. 48 kilos: Alyssa Lampe Gold: 20 percent Medal: 60 percent Ranked No. 4 in the world this June, Alyssa Lampe is one of America's most consistent international performers. At home she's faced nemesis Victoria Anthony repeatedly, a matchup that has helped to hone her skills and ready her for international competition. Lampe is technically sound and can be, when needed, physically brutal. Alyssa Lampe (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Standing in her way is a trio of past World champions, led by defending champion Eri Tosaka, a diminutive powerhouse who has already bested fellow World champion Yanan Sun (down from 51 kilos) and can be brutal in attacks. Like her countrywomen, Tosaka can often wrestle at a level above much of her competition and has an 8-0 technical fall victory over Lampe from last year's World Championships. Lampe is a two-time World bronze medalist and only improving. She will need to wrestle her best tournament to make the finals and put together a match against Tosaka, Yunan or Maria Stadnyck, the Azerbaijani wrestler who last week pinned 2012 World champion Jessica MacDonald of Canada. Top wrestlers: Eri Tosaka (Japan), Mariya Stadnyk (Azerbaijan), Yanan Sun (China), Jessica MacDonald (Canada) 53 kilos: Whitney Conder Gold: 0 percent Medal: 20 percent It's unreasonable to think that anyone in the 53-kilo field will beat three-time Olympic champion and 11-time World champion Saori Yoshida, who has moved down from 55 kilos. If there is a wrestler who can take out the Japanese legend it will be Sofia Mattsson of Sweden, a World champion herself who also moved down to challenge Yoshida. Whitney Conder is a Junior World champion from 2007, but it's difficult to project how she will do in such a stacked weight class. Should Conder find a gap in her side of the bracket, she's capable of making the semifinals, from there she could make a run at a medal. She will need to have her best imaginable tournament. Top wrestlers: Saori Yoshida (Japan), Maria Gurova (Russia), Sofia Mattsson (Sweden), Zhong Xuechun (China) 58 kilos: Alli Ragan Gold: 0 percent Medal: 30 percent Alli Ragan (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Alli Ragan is talented and though a depressing, self-defeating statement -- her best chance at a medal might be to run into Kaori Icho (Japan) and find her way into the repechage. That's an honest assessment of a dangerous top-bracket, but a manageable lower side. For Ragan, the draw -- as it is for most wrestlers -- will determine much of what she can accomplish. Despite the naysaying, Ragan has shown promise in big tournaments, making it to the finals of the World University Games last year and toughing out a packed World Team Trials at home. Top wrestlers: Kaori Icho (Japan), Valeria Koblova-Zholobova (Russia), Petra Olli (Finland), Marianna Sastin (Hungary) 63 kilos: Elena Pirozhkova Gold: 40 percent Medal: 80 percent America's second-best chance for a title comes with former World champion Elena Pirozhkova. She's inarguably among the best in the world, and unlike lower weights hers isn't blockaded at the top by unbeatable Japanese talent since Icho dropped down to 60 kilos. Pirozhkova second World title might ultimately come down to her ability to make it past Latvia's Anastasija Grigorjeva, who has looked phenomenal since falling at last year's World Championships. Grigorjeva is a good matchup for Pirozhkova so a meeting between the two could be beneficial to her gold medal chances, though also lurking in the field is last year's runner-up Soronzonbold Battsetseg of Mongolia, who pinned the American at last year's World Championships and an always-ready Xiluo Zhuoma of China. Top wrestlers: Anastasija Grigorjeva (Latvia), Jackeline Rentaria Castillo (Columbia), Xiluo Zhuoma (China), Yurika Ito (Japan), Soronzonbold Battsetseg (Mongolia) 69 kilos: Veronica Carlson or Randi Miller Gold: 0 percent Medal: 20 percent Veronica Carlson won the World Team Trials, but 2008 Olympic bronze medalist Randi Miller was injured for the tournament and requested a special wrestle-off, which was granted by USA Wrestling. Either way, the outlook remains similar for both athletes. Carlson lost to a decent Zhou Zhangting of China at the 2013 World Championships and Randi Miller is on the backend of her record-setting career. The new class of women at 69 kilos is one of the most top-heavy in the World Championships, led by 2012 Olympic champion Natalia Vorobieva of Russia who, were it not for a miracle headlock in last year's World Championships, would be running a 50-match winning streak. Also at the weight class is defending World champion Alina Makhinya (formerly Stadnyk) and the very impressive Sara Dosho of Japan. Top wrestlers: Natalia Vorobieva (Russia), Alina Makhinya (Ukraine), Sara Dosho (Japan), Aline Focken (Germany) 75 kilos: Adeline Gray Gold: 80 percent Medal: 95 percent Adeline Gray (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Canadian Erica Wiebe is on fire this month, but Adeline Gray has so far retained the top spot at 75 kilos. To win a title will most likely mean that Gray will see Wiebe, or Olympic bronze medalist Gouzel Manyurova (Kazakhstan) in the early rounds. Gray owns a narrow win over Manyurova, who is also the head coach of the Kazakhstan women's freestyle team. Gray should be optimistic about her chances since her rival, 2013 World champion Zhang Fengliu of China, is now between weight classes and battling an injury. Should Zhang bump up to 75 kilos that could mean trouble for Gray, but the extra weight may not agree with the Chinese wrestler. That is a question mark that Gray will have to address once she's in Tashkent. Top wrestlers: Erica Wiebe (Canada), Vasilisa Marzaliuk (Belarus), Ekaterina Bukina (Russia), Gouzel Manyurova (Kazakhstan)

Having last week discussed the best high school wrestling programs of the last four years, it's now time to discuss how those programs are positioned to perform on a go-forward basis. Let's start by looking at the 2014-15 prospects for each of the 14 teams to be ranked at the end of the last four seasons (Note: we are over five months away from the start of that season, and much is unknown -- projected weight classes, notable freshmen, notable transfers, etc.). Apple Valley, Minn. Ranked second last week in the last four year "dynasty rankings," the Eagles are anchored for 2014-15 by a trio of returning state champions: Mark Hall, Bobby Steveson and Maolu Woiwor. Hall is the nation's top-ranked Class of 2016 wrestler, while Steveson is within the top 20 for the Class of 2015. Gable Steveson, one of that nation's best incoming freshmen, finished second at state last year; while two other wrestlers, Kyle Rathman and Brock Morgan, placed third at state last year. Bethlehem Catholic, Pa. After four consecutive state dual meet titles and three straight in the individual bracket tournament, the rest of Class AA is thankful that the Hawks have elected to move up to the big-school Class AAA competition. Based on their roster composition, they will be well-equipped to contend for a fifth straight dual meet title, but an individual title may be out of reach. In addition to the big-school state tournament competition being tougher, their regional is now much less forgiving in terms of competition and structure (four qualify from the Northeast Regional in Class AAA, instead of the five qualifying from their previous stint in the Class AA Southeast Regional). The Hawks will be an experienced, but relatively young squad in 2014-15, as six of their seven rostered wrestlers with state tournament experience are either rising sophomores or juniors. The lone senior is two-time state placer Andrew Dunn. They feature a pair of returning state champions in rising sophomore Jake Reigel and rising junior Luke Karam. Additional returning state placers include Class of 2016 wrestlers Joey Gould and Stephen Maloney, along with Class of 2017 wrestler Mikey Labriola. Bettendorf, Iowa The Bulldogs have finished top three in both the state individual and dual meet tournaments each of the last five seasons (double titles in 2012 and 2014), and are well positioned to do the same this year. Even as defending champions with seven returning state qualifiers, six returning state placers, and four past state champions (three defending) -- they will not enter the upcoming season as the best team in Iowa. Instead Bettendorf will be playing second fiddle to 2013 double state champions Southeast Polk, who were runners-up in both tournaments this past season (the Rams return all nine of their state placers and 11 of 12 qualifiers). However, still look for the Bulldogs to be positioned among the nation's elite anchored by a core of excellent seniors in Freddy Stroker, a two-time state champion who is ranked in the top 10 in the Class of 2015; state champion Jacob Schwarm; returning state runner-up Paul Glynn; and 2013 state champion Jacob Woodard, a three-time state placres. Rising juniors Jack Wagner and Max Erpedling both placed at state last year, with Wagner taking home a state title. Blair Academy, N.J. The three-time defending national champions are anchored by defending National Prep champions Matthew Kolodzik and Mason Manville, both of whom are elite wrestlers within their respective grade levels (2015 and 2016). Another pair of rising seniors on this squad has won National Prep titles in the past, Chaz Tucker and Jordan Kutler. Other past National Prep placers within this lineup could include Zach Sherman, Matt Deehan, Requir van der Merwe, Brandon Dallavia, David Showunmi, and Neil Putnam. Brian Antonelli, the interim head coach last year for the Naval Academy, takes over as the head coach. Since Jeff Buxton left, Charles Danhof served as an interim coach for 2012-13 and Solomon Fleckman was the coach in 2013-14. While this may represent somewhat of a "break" from the Buxton Era, what won't represent a break is the level of wrestling success; as the Buccaneers are loaded with that existing core, and a projected stellar group of incoming ninth graders. Brandon, Fla. This program came to the forefront with their seemingly never-ending dual meet win streak that got them featured on ESPN's "The Season". However, in many ways, more recognition has come for the Eagles since "the streak" ended. The productivity in major off-season events (Fargo, NHSCA grade-level nationals, Super 32 Challenge) has continued, and in some ways expanded, while the high school season has featured a seemingly upgraded schedule with some trips to The Clash and the Cheesehead Invitational. Russ Cozart's program will remain among the nation's elite this coming year, as five returning state champions will be present in the lineup: top 35 Class of 2015 prospect Dylan Lucas, fellow rising seniors Dakota Greene and Dontae McGee, top 15 Class of 2016 wrestler Kyle Norstrem, and fellow junior-to-be Frankie Bruno. Two other projected starters placed second at state last year -- Troy Joyce and Ty Lucas -- with three others placing at state last year as well. Broken Arrow, Okla. Though lacking the juice that some of their colleagues on this list possess, coach Shawn Jones and his Tigers have a solid enough core to remain in contention for a position in the top half to middle of the Fab 50 national team rankings. They feature four rising seniors who placed in the top three at state last year, including three that will almost assuredly appear in the top 100 rankings to be published next week. Markus Simmons and Davion Jeffries are both three-time state finalists and two-time state champions, Paden Bailey has placed second in the state twice, while Steve Allen placed third at state this year. Two other Broken Arrow wrestlers return with state tournament experience: rising junior Isaiah Page and rising sophomore Tajuan Daniels. Clovis, Calif. Going after a fifth consecutive California state title, which would be a record, the Cougars will again be among the nation's best teams. They are anchored by returning state champion Justin Mejia, who also is a top 20 wrestler in the Class of 2017. Five other wrestlers on the team roster have placed in past California state wrestling tournaments: Tristan Gilliland, Khristian Olivas, Isaiah Hokit, Josh Hokit, and A.J. Nevills. Another five wrestlers will bring state tournament experience to the table: Lane Barnes, Jared Hill, Dominic Kincaid, Adam Prentice, and Hexton Coronado. Yet again this squad will be extremely deep and balanced. Veteran co-head coach Steve Tirapelle, younger co-head coach Ben Holscher, and lead assistant coach Adam Tirapelle are excellent program builders and technicians, who have shepherded a sustainable legacy program from top to bottom. Detroit Catholic Central, Mich. It's been an excellent five year run for the Shamrocks, as they have won four of the last five state dual meet titles in Michigan's big-school division. The only blemish being an upset one-point defeat in the 2011 state dual meet final. However, heading into the 2014-15 season, they lose (at least) eight key contributors to this sustained legacy of excellence to graduation. It includes four major Division I recruits in Malik Amine (Michigan), Nick Bennett (Nebraska), Andrew Garcia (Cornell), and Logan Marcicki (Indiana). Returning to the lineup are only three wrestlers with state tournament experience: state champions Trevor Zdebski and Myles Amine, as well as two-time state third placer Nick Giese. It is an open question as to if this will be a Fab 50 team to start the 2014-15 season. However, an ambitious off-season program and regular season schedule should have this team ready to contend for a fifth title in six seasons for head coach Mitch Hancock. Massillon Perry, Ohio After winning that elusive state title and finishing in the top 10 of the national rankings, the Panthers move on to the 2014-15 season in kind of a rebuild mode after losing three state champions, another state runner-up, two additional state placers, and an additional state qualifier to graduation. However, this "rebuild" is a matter of degree, as the core of a viable Fab 50 squad is present. This core reflects three returning state runners-up, all rising seniors: Jose Rodriguez, a 2013 state champion and projected top 100 Class of 2015 prospect; Jake Newhouse; and Nick Steed. Two other rising seniors bring state tournament experience to the table as well. Montini Catholic, Ill. Similar to Bethlehem Catholic, the Broncos will move up to the big-school division (Class AAA) in the 2014-15 season after making medium-school competition (Class AA) their personal fiefdom in recent years. In all six years since Illinois went to three classes of competition, as opposed to two, they won the dual meet state title. Their streak is now actually at seven consecutive state titles, as they won the big-school state title in the last year of two classes (2007-08). While Oak Park River Forest is loaded to the nines in Class AAA next year, Montini Catholic has as good a chance as anyone in this behemoth of a classification to take second place. The Broncos are anchored by a pair of top 30 Class of 2015 wrestlers, two-time state champion Xavier Montalvo and three-time state/National Prep runner-up Michael Johnson, Jr. Two other wrestlers return as state champions, Dylan Duncan and Vincent Turk, with another pair having placed at state last year. St. Edward, Ohio After three consecutive years in the top five (and possibly longer, since InterMat had not done team rankings prior to 2010-11), the Eagles barely finished in the Fab 50 last season. Headed into 2014-15, they feature only three returning state placers: fourth place finisher L.J. Bentley, sixth placer Parker Knapp, and seventh placer Allan Hart. They also feature returning state qualifier Hunter Ladnier, and three more wrestlers that were state alternates (one match away from state qualification). The upcoming Eagles' squad is one that is more deep and balanced than it is anchor-based. While things are very speculative at over five months to go until the season, a back half Fab 50 position is the probable ceiling. The key to St. Edward success in the coming season will be the emergence of program depth, which is something that had always been a staple. St. Johns, Mich. A long time ago China had the Ming Dynasty, in recent years it has been the Massa Dynasty at St. Johns. In the last six years, starting with Taylor Massa's freshman year in 2008-09, the Redwings have been in the Division 2 state dual meet semifinals or better each and every season. They were semifinal losers in 2008-09, won championships the next four years, before finishing runners-up losing the state final on criteria this past season. The 2014-15 season marks the senior season of Logan Massa, who currently is the nation's No. 2 rising senior. With four other state placers augmenting Massa, the Redwings should be battling it out with Lowell for a state title in Michigan's Division 2 this year, and look to be somewhere in the middle the Fab 50 team rankings. Two-time state champion Angus Arthur, currently ranked No. 24 in the Class of 2015 is in some ways the co-anchor of that squad. They are joined by two-time state placers Ian Parker and Tyler Wildmo, along with Drew Wixsom as wrestlers with state tournament podium appearances. Four other St. Johns wrestlers return after qualifying for state last year. St. Paris Graham, Ohio Jeff Jordan (Photo/Rob Preston)The Falcons have won 13 straight state titles, and are one of the "800 pound gorilla" programs nationally. They have three defending state champions -- Eli Stickley, Kyle Lawson, and Alex Marinelli -- along with Eli Seipel, who won state in 2012-13. Augmenting that quartet are Brent Moore and Mario Kastl, who placed second and third respectively in last year's state tournament; Justin Stickley and Josh Couchman, who both placed sixth at state; and two others who qualified for state. However, with these wrestlers congested around relatively the same size -- and three of the nation's best incoming freshmen coming into the program -- the composition of the lineup will be interesting. Those top freshmen are Ryan Thomas, Mitch Moore, and Rocky Jordan. Given that Rocky is head coach Jeff Jordan's youngest son, don't look for this program to vacate its elite position anytime soon. Wyoming Seminary, Pa. The Blue Knights will seek to build upon last year's National Prep title, as head coach Scott Green continues to build upon what John Gordon started. They will be led by five wrestlers who have finished runners-up at National Preps in the past: Trent Olson, Will Verallis, Danny Boychuck, Nick Reenan, and Chris Weiler. Other returning placers include John Busiello, Jimmy Overheiser, and Michael Rogers. That is an excellent core to what is assured to be an elite national squad and contender for a national title and National Prep title.

Dan Gable will go "On the Mat" this Wednesday, June 11. “On the Mat" is a presentation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. The show can be heard live on the Internet at 1650thefan.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:00 PM Central on AM 1650, The Fan. This Wednesday's show will air from 5:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. due to a Chicago Cubs game. A podcast of the show is available on theopenmat.com. E-mail dgmstaff@nwhof.org with any questions or comments. Gable is the namesake of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. He will provide his thoughts on the recent Dan Gable Celebrity Golf Tournament, Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame induction ceremony, and the World Team Trials.

Buena Vista University Director of Athletics Christyn Abaray has announced the hiring of Jeff Breese as its new head wrestling coach. Breese takes over for Sevond Cole, who had held the position for the last six years. "I am excited to have Coach Jeff Breese joining our department as the new head wrestling coach," says Abaray. "Jeff brings with him his experience competing at the Division I level and coaching at both Divisions I and III levels, from upstarting a program to training All-Americans. Knowing we are here to develop future leaders, Jeff has shown that he sees the holistic development of the student-athletes as the main priority. I am thrilled to have him on board and look forward to the growth of our wrestling program." Breese comes to BVU after serving as the director of operations at his alma mater of North Carolina State University since 2012. During his time there, he has managed the team's budget and coordinated its travel schedule, co-directed social media and video promotions, developed a satellite camp system and a match film system, and directed match day events and activities, among other duties. In addition, he also spent time working with the Wolfpack Wrestling Club directing its fundraising and alumni relations activities. He also worked hand-in-hand with the Wolfpack Regional Training Center and organized and co-directed a system that trained over 300 wrestlers annually. "I am thrilled and very blessed to have the opportunity to guide a program with such a great history in one of the most competitive conferences in all of wrestling," says Breese. "It is very exciting to present my vision for the program and work with our student-athletes to help them reach their goals. The most gratifying aspect to becoming a head coach is being able to honor the countless people that have mentored me and shaped my approach to coaching." He began his career in the coaching field in 2006 at Seton Hall University where he spent two years assisting in starting up the university's wrestling program. He then became the first head coach at Penn State New Kensington in 2009 before moving to Division I Northern Illinois University as an assistant coach in 2010. Throughout his coaching career, he has coached 21 NCAA Qualifiers, including one national champion, and three All-Americans. He's also had a hand in four top-30 national recruiting classes, including one ranked in the top-5. "Buena Vista Wrestling has strong wrestling tradition that should be celebrated," adds Breese. "I want our current student-athletes to continue to build upon that tradition and make their own legacy." A 2006 graduate of North Carolina State University, Breese was a three-year starter for the Wolfpack and a member of their 2004 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) championship team. A native of Claysville, Pa., he was a two-time Pennsylvania High School state champion - freshman (1999) and junior (2001) – going a perfect 41-0 during his freshman campaign. He finished his prep career at 105-9. Breese is scheduled to begin duties at BVU on August 1st.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- On the strength of bonus points scored in the finals, Pennsylvania Blue defeated Illinois, 41-33, for the freestyle team title at the Schoolboy National Duals. Pennsylvania Blue won nine matches, while Illinois won eight in the finals showdown. The big difference came in the number of matches won with bonus points. Pennsylvania won eight of their nine matches with bonus points, including six technical falls and two pins. Illinois had just five victories scoring bonus points, with three technical falls and two pins. With the bouts starting at 190 pounds, the teams split the first six matches, with Pennsylvania Blue winning three and Illinois winning three. Pennsylvania Blue had a 14-11 lead, based on bonus points. Read full story Results Gold /Silver Pool Results: 1st Place: Pennsylvania Blue 2nd Place: Illinois 3rd Place: Minnesota II 4th Place: New Jersey 5th Place: Oklahoma Red 6th Place: Team Missouri 7th Place: Indiana Gold 8th Place: Team Washington 1st: Pennsylvania Blue defeated Illinois, 41-33 3rd: Minnesota II defeated New Jersey, 42-33 5th: Oklahoma Red defeated Team Missouri, 38-35 7th: Indiana Gold defeated Team Washington, 43-34 Championship Pennsylvania Blue 41, Illinois 33 190: Ian Malesiewski (Pennsylvania Blue) tech. fall Jayce Punke (Illinois), 11-0 210: Sergio Villalobos (Illinois) pinned Kyree Brown (Pennsylvania Blue), 0:18 265: Ronald Tucker (Illinois) dec. Mike Slivinski (Pennsylvania Blue), 4-4 70: Jj White (Pennsylvania Blue) tech. fall Brody Norman (Illinois), 10-0 77: Dylan Ragusin (Illinois) dec. Dillon Murphy (Pennsylvania Blue), 10-2 84: Conner Kievman (Pennsylvania Blue) pinned Reece Heller (Illinois), 0:25 91: Travis Ford-Melton (Illinois) tech. fall Joe Klock (Pennsylvania Blue), 13-2 98: Juan Bazaldua (Illinois) tech. fall Michael Kistler (Pennsylvania Blue), 10-0 105: Will Lewan (Illinois) dec. Tommy Traver (Pennsylvania Blue), 6-1 112: Justin Mccoy (Pennsylvania Blue) tech. fall Matt Ortiz (Illinois), 10-0 120: Carnell Andrews (Pennsylvania Blue) pinned Michael Gunther (Illinois), 2:59 128: Josh Stillings (Pennsylvania Blue) dec. Danny Braunagel (Illinois), 8-5 136: Jack Hendrick (Pennsylvania Blue) tech. fall Max Fritz (Illinois), 10-0 144: Drew Hoselton (Illinois) pinned Caleb Hetrick (Pennsylvania Blue), 3:12 152: Ben Root (Pennsylvania Blue) tech. fall Danny Benoit (Illinois), 11-0 160: Nate Jimenez (Illinois) tech. fall Julian Gorring (Pennsylvania Blue), 10-0 175: Gavin Hoffman (Pennsylvania Blue) tech. fall Tyler Surges (Illinois), 14-1 Third Place Minnesota II 42, New Jersey 33 190: Keegan Cavallero (Minnesota II) dec. Wade Drugac (New Jersey F), 7-1 210: Manuel Alvarez (Minnesota II) by forfeit 265: Dereck Casco (Minnesota II) pinned Dom Castallano (New Jersey F), 1:28 70: Will Guida (New Jersey F) tech. fall Pax Creese (Minnesota II), 12-2 77: Justin Bierdumpfel (New Jersey F) tech. fall Max Crowe (Minnesota II), 10-0 84: Emily Shilson (Minnesota II) tech. fall Sam Alvarez (New Jersey F), 13-2 91: Joe Hielman (New Jersey F) dec. Jeron Mattson (Minnesota II), 13-9 98: Pat Glory (New Jersey F) tech. fall Colby Njos (Minnesota II), 14-4 105: Gerard Angelo (New Jersey F) tech. fall Peyton Robb (Minnesota II), 10-0 112: Carmen Ferrante (New Jersey F) dec. Tyler Eischens (Minnesota II), 6-5 120: Nick Raimo (New Jersey F) tech. fall Brady Gross (Minnesota II), 11-0 128: Patrick Kenndy (Minnesota II) pinned Mathew Liberato (New Jersey F), 3:14 136: Anthony Jackson (Minnesota II) tech. fall Mathew Dallara (New Jersey F), 10-0 144: Ryan Karoly (New Jersey F) tech. fall Zach Peterson (Minnesota II), 11-0 152: Cody Dravis (Minnesota II) pinned Flynn Leaf (New Jersey F), 1:15 160: Christian Kurth (Minnesota II) tech. fall Joe Wilson (New Jersey F), 11-0 175: Colton Hellman (Minnesota II) dec. Joe Wilson (New Jersey F), 5-1 Fifth Place Oklahoma Red 38, Team Missouri 35 190: Hunter Pyle (Team Missouri) pinned Drake Barbee (Oklahoma Red), 1:04 210: Clint Herrick (Team Missouri) dec. Mason Lancaster (Oklahoma Red), 6-0 265: Tyler Curd (Team Missouri) tech. fall Montana Phillips (Oklahoma Red), 13-3 70: Riley Weir (Oklahoma Red) tech. fall Riley Wertz (Team Missouri), 10-0 77: Garrett Stiedley (Oklahoma Red) dec. Garrett Raynor (Team Missouri), 8-8 84: Colton Schneider (Oklahoma Red) tech. fall Trey Crawford (Team Missouri), 10-0 91: Colt Newton (Oklahoma Red) tech. fall Blake Ackerman (Team Missouri), 10-0 98: Rj Mosley jr (Oklahoma Red) tech. fall Zeke Beach (Team Missouri), 10-0 105: Andrew Gamble (Team Missouri) pinned Jacob Blair (Oklahoma Red), 0:20 112: Colton Denney (Oklahoma Red) tech. fall Dayton Fields (Team Missouri), 10-0 120: Jacob Schmuck (Team Missouri) pinned Jon Mcgowen (Oklahoma Red), 0:58 128: Zane Coleman (Oklahoma Red) tech. fall Griffin Mann (Team Missouri), 12-1 136: Tyler Craig (Team Missouri) dec. Jacob Swenson (Oklahoma Red), 9-3 144: Devon Winston (Team Missouri) pinned DJ Boone (Oklahoma Red), 1:10 152: Jermaine Harring (Oklahoma Red) tech. fall Dylan Allen (Team Missouri), 12-0 160: Zach Russell (Team Missouri) dec. Justin Johnson (Oklahoma Red), 12-8 175: Shane Flandermeyer (Oklahoma Red) tech. fall Freeman Johns (Team Missouri), 10-0 Seventh Place Indiana Gold 43, Team Washington 34 190: Kione Gill (Team Washington) tech. fall Landon Burton (Indiana Gold), 12-0 210: Kyle Cornwell (Indiana Gold) pinned Cruz Peterson (Team Washington), 1:34 265: Manny Cheam (Indiana Gold) by forfeit 70: Alex Cottey (Indiana Gold) dec. Brenden Chaowanapibool (Team Washington), 12-6 77: Beau Wiebe (Team Washington) dec. Trey Lane (Indiana Gold), 14-8 84: Isaiah Gonzalez (Team Washington) dec. Asa Garcia (Indiana Gold), 6-5 91: Alexander Cruz (Team Washington) pinned Matt Lee (Indiana Gold), 3:09 98: Christian Hunt (Indiana Gold) tech. fall Alexandro Vaca (Team Washington), 10-0 105: Tylor Triana (Indiana Gold) tech. fall Mason Phillips (Team Washington), 17-7 112: Quinton Scott (Team Washington) dec. Jack Servies (Indiana Gold), 5-4 120: Lane Holland (Team Washington) tech. fall Carson Brewer (Indiana Gold), 13-2 128: Zach Melloh (Indiana Gold) dec. Jack Ervien (Team Washington), 12-5 136: Zack Fattore (Indiana Gold) tech. fall Gavin Gies (Team Washington), 10-0 144: Kameron Fuller (Indiana Gold) pinned Adrian St. germain (Team Washington), 3:01 152: Lucas Davison (Indiana Gold) pinned Malachi Lawrence (Team Washington), 1:18 160: Zachary Stratton (Team Washington) pinned Caleb Thomas (Indiana Gold), 0:46 175: Zayne Ball (Team Washington) tech. fall Leonardo Pena (Indiana Gold), 14-3

This weekend Bellator is headlined by Eric Prindle vs. James Thompson (Wait ... Seriously?) and World Series of Fighting is continuing its ill advised global expansion with a Canadian fight card featuring David Loiseau vs. Dwayne Lewis (Wait ... Seriously?). Thankfully Richard and John won't break down any of that but instead focus on Saturday's UFC fight night card, where Ben Henderson will attempt to move his way back up the lightweight ranks. Do you want to listen to a past episode? Access archives.

Though Frank Molinaro put a dagger in the heart of the complaints about criteria being "boring," last weekend's World Team Trials did become a showcase for a new complaint about international rules -- the much-maligned and difficult-to-recognize "almost takedown." Over the past four months I've traveled more than 100k miles across four continents to cover more than a dozen international freestyle wrestling tournaments for FILA. I have never -- literally not once -- seen an "almost takedown" awarded to a wrestler. The only place I've heard it discussed or seen it awarded is in America. Why? I haven't the fuzziest and like you would love to find out. I don't know if the rule will be reinterpreted to become more widely and uniformly enforced, or eliminated altogether. That is up to the rules and referees commissions. However, I would point to last year's short-lived one-point "go-behind" takedown as an example of these committees making a change based on the experiences (complaints) of the American wrestling community. The broader realization for wrestling fans needs to be that wrestling as a point-scoring, time-managed sport NEEDS rule changes and adjustments to increase action. As we've seen with the abysmal NCAA rules and the former international rules, this is a tricky process. New strategies and gamesmanship are sure to emerge, which will necessitate small in-season tweaks by the rules and referee commissions to ensure that scoring stays high and action lively. The effort put into ensuring that in wrestling has been, broadly speaking, both positive and effective. If you want to see what grappling can become without a good rules and referees commission take a peek into the rapidly declining action in sport jiu-jitsu. What was once a submission-first sport for exceedingly tough humans has morphed into an unwatchable ten minutes of pajama-pulling. Two of the sport's very best practitioners -- Buchecha and Keenan Cornelius -- met last weekend in the semifinals of a world-level tournament. The "fight," as it is called in jiu-jitsu, lasted 10 minutes but produced almost no discernible point-scoring action, much less open-action that casual fans could find entertaining. We're talking about two guys who, if properly incentivized by the rules, could perform acts of physical skill and flexibility you'd find incredible. However, in a sport with no independent referee commission, a 10-minute clock and little rules creativity we instead get two guys panting hard and tugging on each other's gis. How can they win if they don't score any points? The fighters are awarded "advantages" given for, you guessed it, "almost maneuvers." To your questions ... Q: What is next for David Taylor after losing to Jordan Burroughs? -- David E. Foley: Shoe salesman! The Magic Man isn't going anywhere. He's the firm No. 2 this year and will get extensive overseas competition and training. Burroughs is the man to beat on the mat and their rivalry will continue until M2 grows out of the weight class, or somehow drops to 70 kilos. Q: Seeing Tony Ramos down at 125 pounds and David Taylor lose to Jordan Burroughs got me thinking. How hard of a time do you think Taylor would have going down a weight? There's still time for him to make the World Team if he could make the cut. -- Scott M. Foley: Like how I webbed this question with the one above? Synergy. I don't know how tough of a diet he has to keep in making 74 kilos, but I think that he can make the (opens calculator) 8.5-pound drop to 70 kilos for the Trials in late July. Taylor is a big boy, but at stake is the chance to win his first World title. He would have the same training opportunities as discussed above, but instead of just watching his friends compete and knocking around Europe for some preparation tourneys, M2 could be The Guy. He makes a positive impact on his teammates and I would love to see his energy, and that of his fan base, at the World Championships in Tashkent. By the way ... I'm not a musical genius and crowd chants aren't my thing, but aren't there lots of opportunities to call Taylor to a mat by singing refrains of popular songs with the word "magic" in them. Let that knock around your heads a bit and get back to me. Q: Who will have the better beard at the World Championships, Ed Ruth or Jordan Burroughs? -- Ronald M. Who will have the better beard at the World Championships? (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Foley: Oh, please ... Jordan (@alliseeisgold) Burroughs. The three-time World title winner isn't going to lose a beard growing contest to a 23-year-old. Though sports beards have their place, trendy beard-growing to jock up your look is pathetic, hipster-driven koala dung. Men, it's time to grow up and buy a razor. Covering your face with hair in an attempt to look more masculine is antithetical to the core ideal of masculinity -- the confidence to be your true self (Read: Capable of living outside of Hipster-driven trends.) A man should never desire to purchase beard care products (waxes and combs) to cover up the fact he doesn't have a superhero jawline, and confuse women into thinking he has a handmade four-post bed made of self-fell sequoias. You don't look attractive. You look like the broke cousin of the backup banjo player for Mumford and Sons. Go read a book, shoot a squirrel and drink a beer. Be the man your facial hair is working so hard to project to the world. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Your Move, FLIPS Highlights of the World Team Trials Brilliant Commentary Q: With Matt Lindland taking over the Greco program it got me thinking on what could be changed. How much recruitment of guys takes place? Specifically, should Lindland try to convince Andrew Howe to try Greco? I know Howe has seen freestyle success, but he just placed third, so he is behind two guys and lost to Dake last time they wrestled. We have seen crossover success before and his heavy hands could translate well. I would think his popularity would also be a boom to the Greco program. Do you think Howe could have success in Greco and should he give it a try? -- Dan B. Foley: The hiring of Matt Lindland signaled USA Wrestling's desire to recruit more freestylers to the Greco-Roman team. I think that's a smart idea and with J.D. Bergman already committing to the jump it's starting to pay off (in depth of talent). Howe is the big prize for USA Wrestling. He's stuck behind a wall of talent and as he gets older it will be tough for his athleticism to stay in range with the leading triad, never mind the upstart talent that might come through the ranks. I'm probably not well-suited to give life advice to Andrew Howe, but from the outside there is an opportunity for him to compete and do well on the Greco-Roman team. He won't be a shoe-in to compete (Note: Greco-Roman might not be our best, but our team still has some tough asses in the lineup), but he will raise the level of intensity in the room and improve the depth. Who knows maybe he refines his talent and makes the Olympic team. Would you be all that surprised? Winners like to win. Q: The future of U.S. wrestling clubs looks strong. Would clubs like @tmwc12 benefit from a league like Germany? -- @theschneid13 Foley: Wonderful little piece of videography. Life is always better when instead of bathing our children, filing taxes or drafting angry emails to airlines we instead are able to watch wrestling videos with dramatic music. Great stuff. The American wrestling scene is still pretty fractured by geography and the ability to provide substantial financial support to wrestlers outside the top three in their weight class. I'd love to see a league, but I think it's more important for our guys to get overseas and compete more often in high-level and mid-level events. Our freestylers need more looks at the Asian and European talent and that takes big money. I'm tickled if both can happen, but I don't know if there is enough wrestling money active to support a two-front campaign. Q: We all know that the Trials were available through premium service on Flowrestling. Someone put both JB vs DT matches on YouTube... it would appear those links now say "David Taylor vs. Jordan Burroughs ... " This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by Flocasts. It would appear Flo was on the lookout for it. Your thoughts? -- Frank C. Foley: The new-look Flo is making a lot of money through their pay-per-view model and part of monetizing online video is preventing rampant copyright infringement. I can't rattle them for protecting their property. However, when starting down this path it will be vital that they not be infringing on the copyright-protected material of others. The latter will prove to be their bigger challenge. RANT OF THE WEEK By Jason E. We are missing the boat. I mean missing it big time. To give you an analogy if we were playing the old Milton Bradley battleship game our fleet would have been sunk in four moves. My 5-year-old son and I were watching cartoons this past Saturday. In that time, there must have been a zillion commercials. Many of which featured sports being played by kids. Tony the Tiger was kicking a soccer ball, a famous football player was encouraging kids to eat right, a professional wrestler was having kids eat Fruity Pebbles. At no time did I see amateur wrestling in those commercials. Are we hated that much (can't be we are ranked as the sixth most popular sport by the NFHS yearly participation survey)? Are we too proud or too serious to make our sport "kid friendly?" Kids are going to do what they think is important. "Hey kids, buy Fruity Yummy Coca Poofs cause this wildly radical character said so." They are going to buy it. "Hey kids, watch these teenagers have fun and smile in the commercial after kicking a goal." OK soccer is cool! "Hey mom, when is registration?" Bottom line this kind of propaganda works. If you don't believe me look at the NFL. Or Alabama football where I'm from. Kids will chew candy made of broken glass if their favorite Crimson Tide guy tells them to. Is it because football is inherently awesome? No, it's because from the time they can click the "on" button they are beat over the head with that damned Crimson A. Why are we as a community of fans, or even better USA wrestling not getting on Saturday Morning/Cartoon Network/Disney XD. Just think about it, how many kids probably joined wrestling because of AC Slater (oh yes I did, just use a Saved by the Bell reference). Somebody crowd source this idea, tweet Ashton Kutcher and let's get some wrestling in the next kids commercial, or a funny kids cartoon where the main antagonist is a wrestler, a 15-second highlight spot run every 30 minutes on cartoon network. (Just as long as those production values don't mirror the ones from the 90s, think the World Cup on ESPN2, I can hear the music now). I'd even settle for a banner on the side of websites like Animal Jam, or the aforementioned TV stations. Sorry, USA Wrestling, but kids aren't going to download podcasts, Facebook has been dead for years, and they are too young to tweet. Once we get this ball rolling, then maybe we can get the adult coaches to calm down at practice so kids don't want to jump off a cliff instead of hit the mats, but one problem at a time I guess.